# What was the last movie you saw?



## Tabitha

In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!

I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


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## buks

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much. *



well for the past three days ive whatched harry potter then ive whatched bothe americanpies and the last film i whatched was grand theft auto all of these were of cours on dvd but last night i whached a film on tv called 

were no angels 
its about these three men who brake out of prison and one of them disapers untill heas fond by police and the other two take on the identity of two missing preists 

buks


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## Tabitha

We're No Angels - that's the one with Sean Penn & De Niro, right?

I also went to the cinema today - saw *About a Boy* I didn't think I would like it but I laughed my legs off.  Plus Hugh Grant was lookin' fine!


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## buks

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *We're No Angels - that's the one with Sean Penn & De Niro, right?
> 
> I also went to the cinema today - saw About a Boy I didn't think I would like it but I laughed my legs off.  Plus Hugh Grant was lookin' fine!  *



yep you got it it was on chanel 5 last night 
so about a boy ive only seen the ads and trails and stuff but it does look good 

buks


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## Tabitha

Mulholland Drive (what a confusing movie!)


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## imported_Sandman

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Mulholland Drive (what a confusing movie!) *



I liked that one, but then Michael Madsen was in it:naughty: What's not to like? 

The last movie I saw in theatres was Murder By Numbers. It was pretty good but I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had such a huge headache. 

Right now I'm watching Air Force One on TV. There's really nothing else on  I really need to get my VCR or DVD player hooked up. Or I could go out and get a life


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## Tabitha

Training Day - I can see why Denzel won the oscar!  It was amazing!


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## Bayleaf48

The last movie that I watched was 'Driven' with Sylvester Stallone in at work & it's F.A.B! & I now own it on D.V.D - YES! :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: 
:blpaw:


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## Wingless Flyer

The last one I saw at the movies was 'The Others' (was quite good, not really that scary though  )

And the last film I watched at home was Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the Sci Fi channel was showing it


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## Tabitha

I just watched The Others this afternoon - very enjoyable!


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## angelle myst

*Attack of The Clones - Highly Recommended*

Last Friday i went to see Attack of The Clones, expecting it to be good, or at least better than The Phantom Menace, when in fact, it out did my expectations by far! It got off to a dodgy start but then i felt like it found its feet or something and something clicked and then the 3 and a quarter hours went flying by! If you havent gone to see it yet, i advise you to go now!

xxx:aliengray


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## angelle myst

*Tearful*

Oh and yesterday, i watched Pearl Harbour for the second time to see if i could do it without crying (but i had the hanky out at the ready), cos last time there wasnt a scene where i wasnt blubbering for poor little red eyes out, but, glad to say, i managed to do it! I didnt cry once, maybe a tear or two tho! I dont know what those critic ppl were talking about, its a great movie! Its got Josh Hartnett in it! Yay!

xxx:aliengray


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## Bayleaf48

The two 'Thunderbirds' films one after another both at work & home yesterday. :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: 
:blpaw:


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## nic

I saw "What lies benieth" yesterday
At the weekend I saw "Panic Room" which was ok.

Im hoping to catch Starwars II this week at some point.


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## slayerette

last movie I went to see was; ICE AGE very cool!
however the last movie that i watched at home i have to admit was  WATER BOY I just love the whole momma said aspect & off course Adam Sandler is so damned cute 
also, i rented VANILLA SKY but didn't have time to watch it (i heard it was good?)


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## slayerette

p.s WAITING 4 HARRY POTTER COMES OUT ON THE 28TH


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## kelsi

lol.  last movie I saw was About a Boy. v good!!


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## angelle myst

I've been wondering about going to see Crossroads but i've been getting mixed reviews, anyone seen it? Anyone suggest another film i should see?

xxx:aliengray


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## Lonewolf89

In theaters, Spiderman. That movie was great!!

At home, Snow Dogs. It was pretty good, I really liked Nana.


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## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *I've been wondering about going to see Crossroads but i've been getting mixed reviews, anyone seen it? Anyone suggest another film i should see?
> 
> xxx:aliengray *



Not seen Crossroads, but I am prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt...

As for a suggestion - go and see About a Boy.  It's great!


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## Legolas

The last movie I saw was Star Wars Epp1 the Phantom Menace I watched it about.....1/2 hour ago with Lig and Kitty
:flash:


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## angelle myst

I watched ep1 just before i went to see ep2 just so i could appreciate ep2 more and not be too critical! Its awesome!

Thanks Tabitha! Does anyone know when 40 Days and 40 Nights is on with Josh Hartnett? He is to die for!

xxx:aliengray


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## Bayleaf48

Last night it was 'The Princess Diares' * it certainly was funny!:rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: 
:blpaw:


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## Tabitha

Sprry no info about 40 D & 40 N - check www.imdb.com

I watched Ride with the Devil and Mallrats this evening.  Still on my Kevin SMith kick - and Tobey Maguire is _always_ watchable!


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## angelle myst

Is Tobey Maguire that guy out of the new Spiderman movie? Cos if he is, and i'm probably wrong cos its 8.57am and i havent yet been to bed, then i honestly dont see what the attraction is, he's kinda geeky.

xxx:aliengray

ps-thanks for the link


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## Bayleaf48

'Driven' with Sylvester Stallone in it before settling down to watch the 'Eurovision Song Contest'. :blush: 
:blpaw:


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## Tabitha

Tobey Maguire is indeed the new spider-man.   He is a really great actor  -Cider House Rules, Wonder Boys and the Ice Storm - all great flicks that he really stands out in.

Who won eurovision btw???


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## angelle myst

Mmm, i think it was Latvia, UK came joint third! It was a riot this year, never stopped laughing, who knew Europeans were so funny?

xxx:aliengray


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## slayerette

just watched LEGALLY BLONDE,
though it was quite cute.....


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## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *Mmm, i think it was Latvia, UK came joint third! It was a riot this year, never stopped laughing, who knew Europeans were so funny?
> *



Eurovision is always a hoot!  Especially with Terry Wogan's commentary - I always imagine him in a booth somewhere getting trolleyed 

I watched a whole bunch of movies today:

A Perfect Murder - on the telly. it was ok...
Rosemary's Baby - great flick altogether
Captain COrelli's Mandollin - not as good as the book, but still enjoyable
and, Dazed and Confused - I enjoyed it a lot


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## Bayleaf48

Last night it was 'Backdraft' with Kurt Russel as one of the two Mc Caffrey brothers. :rolly2: 
:blpaw:


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## angelle myst

I've watched Legally Blonde as well, its hilarious!


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## Tabitha

Legally Blonde - I just rented that yesterday, hope it is as good as you say!

Oh and - I *loved* Vanilla Sky.  Even though Penelope Cruz really bugs me.....


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## slayerette

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Legally Blonde - I just rented that yesterday, hope it is as good as you say!
> 
> Oh and - I loved Vanilla Sky.  Even though Penelope Cruz really bugs me..... *



thats so odd, because the same time i got legally blonde i also rented van. sky but i didn't get the chance to watch it (had a killer fight w/my husband"the jerk !*#!!!!") so who knows when i'll see it.
now i'm just waiting 4 my copy of Harry Potter (comes out 2morrow):rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: 
OKAY I'M OFF TO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SMILE (I REALLY NEED THAT)  BYE...


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## Eway

I just watched "About A Boy" with Hugh Grant.  I was suprised that I enjoyed the movie at all.  I'm not sure if one would want to drop 7 bucks on it but it's a decent download.


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## Bayleaf48

Yestersday at work it was 'Driven' again AFTER watching the recording of the Monaco Grand Prix from Sunday - was working! :angryfire 
:blpaw:


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## sweetbabe

star wars epi II at the cinema yesterday..is a fab movie and yoda rocks!!! was a littlew dispointed the jaa jaa wasnt it it very much  tho


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## nic

> _Originally posted by sweetbabe _
> *star wars epi II at the cinema yesterday..is a fab movie and yoda rocks!!! was a littlew dispointed the jaa jaa wasnt it it very much  tho  *



Im off to see Starwars II tonight! I can't wait!


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## angelle myst

Just about to watch the xf ep "Milagro" i taped from last night, and then two Farscape eps from Sunday night that i cant remember the names of  Epi II is awesome, and Yoda rocks!

xxx:aliengray


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## Bayleaf48

Yesterday at work it was 'Harry Potter' as they're NOT renting aswell as hoped :angryfire  & so hopefully by putting the film on :erm: , it will go out. :angry: 
:blpaw:


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## nic

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *Epi II is awesome, and Yoda rocks!*



Doesn't he just!!!!!

Went to see the film last night!
I'm not going to give anything away, so I'll just say it was WAY better than the Phantom Menace and the special fxs were V cool! 

I still want to go see "Bend it like Beckham"


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## Bayleaf48

I forgot :blush: , last night at home it was 'Space Cowbys'.

My sister's planning on taking me to see 'Star Wars' :erm:, but I'm not too sure as I'm not really botherd if I see it or not.
:blpaw:


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## kelsi

Star Wars, it was pretty much what I was expecting


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## sweetbabe

that scene with yoda is just Fab!! lol


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## Bayleaf48

Yesterday both at home & work it was 'Asterix & Obbelix Take On Ceasar'.


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## angelle myst

lol, even if you arent a Star Wars fan then its still worth going to see for the cool special FX and Hayden Christeson of course! Oh, but if ur male i suppose you could go see it for the Amidala chick 

xxx:aliengray


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## Bayleaf48

It was 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within' yesterday at work for me. :rolly2:


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## Falcon Horus

Star Wars epi 2 was the last movie I saw. The next one I want to see is Ice Age! :rolly2:


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## Bayleaf48

Last night it was 'The lion King'. :rolly2: 

'Spiderman looks good from what I've seen of it on trailers, so I might go & see that at the cinema. :blush:


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## Eway

Just saw Star Wars in the theater.  Awesome!!!  Downloads don't do it justice.


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## Tabitha

Bay ---> Spider Man blew me away, it was great!  Go and see it!

I went to see Changing Lanes last night.  It was one of those movies where the trailer hypes it up to be something quite different than it actually turned out to be.  I enjoyed it though.  It was really a morality play and a look at how bad choices can really damn you...


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## KuuKiir

Last movie: Hard Rain/The Flood 1997 USA .. yer everyday typical action-thing i happened to stumble on lol 

KuuKiir :wave:


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## angelle myst

Might go see Spiderman when its released over here, but, i'm Arachnophobic so, yuck, but i really want to see it  in a bit of a dilemma really!

xxx:aliengray


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## Tabitha

you only really see actual spiders in the first few scenes.. they are a bit creepy in it though....

Go and see it anyway - it'll be worth it!


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## Eway

Just went to see Star Wars again....2-days in a row!!!


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## Tabitha

i'm looking forward to seeing it this weekend (I doubt I'll watch it twice though  )


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## angelle myst

Ok Tabitha, i probably will, i'll have to shut my eyes or something! AoTC is worth seeing twice! You really need to see it more than once to take it all in and there are always things that you miss the first time round! I've only seen it once but i want to see it again and again!

xxx:aliengray


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## Tabitha

I guess I did go and see The Phantom Menace twice...  SO I will probably end up seeing it more than once.

I had a quiet night in this evening, and watched "Forces of Nature" and "Legally Blonde".

LB was okay - kinda inoffensive, but nothing that special really.  There is something very strange about Reese Witherspoon's chin that really distracts me  
I liked Forces of Nature quite a lot though (mebbe I really _am_ on a Ben Affleck kick!


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## Bayleaf48

Last night it was 'The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride'. :rolly2: 

Thanks for that Tabitha, WILL now most derinitely go & see 'Spiderman' when it's on at the cinema where I am. :rolly2:


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## Eway

I totally agree about Reece's chin....it wierds me out.  and point of clarification...I've AoTC 3 times.


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## Bayleaf48

'Space Cowboys' for me again! :rolly2:


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## Shaun

Yesterday I saw two movies, "Rush Hour" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". I liked Rush Hour but really hated Rocky Horror. I can't believe people actually like this movie.


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## Tabitha

I have never seen Rocky Horror - I think you are supposed to take it with a pinch of salt though.

I just watched Cop Land this afternoon - going off to the video shop to rent some more now.  


And eway - looks like you are growing an obsession there 
Is it really that good????

I'll let you know my opinion tomorrow...


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## Shaun

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *I have never seen Rocky Horror - I think you are supposed to take it with a pinch of salt though.*


 I did and I even watched it thinking I was going to like it, but to no avail. I think it's more suited for people of the older generation (no offense to anyone of that generation.)


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## squire

Rocky Horror show ROCKS! And im 19, so im not part of the 'older generation'  It was ov TV last night, so me and a friend had a Rocky Horror night hehehe, then we watched Dumb and Dumber.

For anyone that HASNT seen Rocky Horror, I suggest you rent it, and keep an open mind, and remember, its supposed to be silly, it was made as a rip off of old horror films (ones older than 1975, when RHPS was made), so yeah, its a fun movie


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## Bayleaf48

'Starship Troopers' for me last night!


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## Serena

OMG!!! me too actually - wow!
those brain - sucking aliens are my faves


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## Jolinar

Last movie I watched was Charlies Angels....last night


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## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Serena _
> *OMG!!! me too actually - wow!
> those brain - sucking aliens are my faves  *



You would think that with so much gore in this film that it would become ineffective but i've seen it so many times and i still cringe at the gore! I love it!

Jolinar, did you like Charlie's Angels? I saw it a while ago and I thought that while it did have its moments, it was pretty average.

About the RHPS, from what I can remember, i thought it was pretty funny!

Bayleaf, i've seen LK2 and its so sweet  not as good as the orginal but not many sequels are 

xxx:aliengray
"The Hyper One"


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## Jolinar

Yeah I liked it but I don't think I'd watch it again.


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## kelsi

I saw CA's a while back too, and I agree, I wouldn't watch it again either.


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## Bayleaf48

'Thunderbirds Are Go!' last night:rolly2:  & 'Thunderbird 6' :rolly2:  this morning for me & both are F.A.B!.


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## angelle myst

I just watched Monty Python's Meaning Of Life, and while it isnt nearly as funny as Holy Grail or Life of Brian, its still a riot, especially the fat dude in the restaurant at the end! Tee-hee-hee!

xxx:aliengray
"The Mental Caffeine One"


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## Tabitha

I liked Meaning of Life better than the Holy Grail.  But the Life of Brian is the best... Oh how I laffed 

I watched a whole bunch of dvds while trying to save money this weekend - the cool 'Swingers', 'Kids' - what a disturbing film, Reindeer Games (almost done with my Ben Affleck thing), and finally, HArry Potter.  HP was fun, but not as amazing as I was expecting from all the hype.  Still enjoyable though, if not as goof as LOTR.


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## angelle myst

Holy Grail is my fav! With the killer rabbit and the french soldiers! LOL, and dont forget the hoove sounds for the horses! LOL! HAHA! I laugh my head off when i remember it!

xxx:aliengray
"The Unstable One"


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## slayerette

"your father was a hampster and your mother smelt of elderberries"  yup i know that one.  hee,hee,


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## angelle myst

lol, remind me to look for the transcript to the Holy Grail later! I'm reading this Buffy/Spike fic :evil: :freak1: :errrr: :naughty: :nuts: :wink2: :upto: :fangs: Tee-hee!!!

xxx:aliengray
"The Unstable One"


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## slayerette

come now, thats my favorite line in the movie ..... it's when the frenchys are tanting the knight right b4 the newt, part


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## angelle myst

lol i know, just i havent seen it for a while, those French tho! And those knights that say "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" LOL!

xxx:aliengray
"The Unstable One"


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## Tabitha

Ok ok - it was still very funny.  I am laughing at all your references.  I 'specially liked the dim guards who couldn't figure out how to keep the prince in the room....

And the police at the end - surreal or what???


I have just got home from watching episode II!  It rocked!  Much more fun and drama than episode 1, although it did have it's equally cheesy moments.

And Eway - I might even go and see it again


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## angelle myst

lol yeah, everything to do with Monty Python is surreal! I might have to go see if i can rent it from somewhere, i have this urge to watch it now!

AoTC is awesome, i'm gonna go see it again after my exams finish in two weeks, i cant wait now!

xxx:aliengray


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## Max Well

I love Monty Python.

The last movie that I saw was Terminator. It was boring.


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## Tabitha

Wow, I have never met anyone who didn't like The Terminator... Oh well, different strokes and that.  Why didn't you like it?


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## angelle myst

I didnt hate Terminator but it isnt one of my favs

xxx:aliengray
"The Nutty One" :nuts:


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## slayerette

just watched, AMERICAN PIE 2  oh my head, was that movie dumb or what? maybe it's a girl thing because my husband laughed his "younowhat" off...   But i do think Allyson "willow" is so damned cute & i love watching her in things soo,that was okay..          I CAN'T WAIT 4 SCOOBY DO TO COME OUT!!!!!!!


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## slayerette

*did anyone see?*

DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR  that was pretty funny(made me want to go get ink)hee,hee


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## angelle myst

I LOVED BOTH AMERICAN PIES! Hahahaha, they are hilarious, especially number two with "the lesbians" and the kissing and those radios, hahahaha, lol, i must go rent it again! Dude Wheres My Car is quite funny as well, but its not hilarious like the American Pies :rolly2: 

xxx:aliengray
"The Dizzy One"


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## Max Well

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Wow, I have never met anyone who didn't like The Terminator... Oh well, different strokes and that.  Why didn't you like it? *


Like I said, it was boring. And stupid.


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## Tabitha

Okkaaaayyyy.  I kinda got that from your last post.  I thought you might like to expand on your original answer....  Never mind.  I thought that The Terminator was a very well made and fascinating scifi story, using my second fave scifi device - time travel!  Arnie finally finds a role that allows him to act badly and for it to be convincing - everybody wins!  

No movies for me tonight, just telly and now off to bed :wave:


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## Bayleaf48

Yesterday at work it was 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 2: Secret Of The Bell' & then 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' afterwards :rolly2: , Hunchback was alright :errrr: , but Atlantis was F.A.B! :rolly2: :rolly2:


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## Sinistra

40 days and 40 nights.


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## buks

lol the last movie i whatched was on my new dvd player that i got for my bithday on the 3rd of june any way it was called 

blade 2 

and ter special efects were magnificent and the films got a bit of a twist in it and you just dont realise it untill they tell you it sorta thing 

buks 
ps 
i love horors


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## Diamond9697

hmm...last movie I watched was The Mummy Returns


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## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sinistra _
> *40 days and 40 nights. *



Hey was it any good?  I'd quite like to see it, but I am worried it might be rubbish.


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## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Diamond9697 _
> *hmm...last movie I watched was The Mummy Returns *



not many ppl like The Mummy and The Mummy Returns but i thought they were way cool - i'm into all the Ancient Egyptian stuff 

xxx


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## Bayleaf48

Yesterday it was 'Digimon: The Movie' :blush:


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## Tabitha

I have watched a few flicks this weekend.  Just saw "The Sum of All Fears" - very enjoyable I might add.  I was a big fan of all the previous Jack Ryan movies and had read all of the Tom Clancy series, but Affleck in the role actually exceeded my expectations.

Other than that I also watched Oceans 11 - lots of people have dissed this film, but I though it was great!  Also watched Happy Gilmore and The French Connection.


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## Bayleaf48

'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' for me yesterday whilst at work :rolly2:


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## buks

i whatched a film caled fluke its about a man who dies befor his time and he is reborn as a dog and he goes in a serch for his family aaaaaawwww its so sad well its a good film 

buks


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## sidewinder

last film i saw was ep 2, list of films i want to see is the time machine, spider-man and resident evil


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## Bayleaf48

Again 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' for me :rolly2:


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## tokyogirl

the last movie i saw in the theater was Undercover Brother.  that movie was hilarious!!!  but the last movie i saw on video was the others!  love that movie!  we had to rent it cause my sister's never seen it.


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## Eway

Spirit, Sum of All Fears, Insomnia, Time Machine 2nd time

I guess it was a pretty big movie weekend for me.

I thought Insomnia was the best followed by a tie between Time Machine and Sume of All Fears, and then Spirit.  Spirit wasn't all that bad to my surprise.


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## Eway

Oh I saw Undercover Brother as well...It was very very funny.


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## Tabitha

I think I have finally gotten over my addiction to Ben Affleck movies - last night I watched 'Bounce', which I remember being seriously panned by everyone.  

Errr, I enjoyed it.  I wouldn't say I actually liked Gwyneth Paltrow that much but every time I watch a movie with her in it I always think she does very well.

Hopefully get to see Undercover Brother this week sometime - it looks hilarious, and i have always had a soft spot for Doogie Howser


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## tokyogirl

you should definitely go see it then b/c he's great in this movie.  he's like the only white guy in the brotherhood.  he's so funny:rolly2: 

ok, and bounce i thought was a good movie.  i happen to have a soft spot for cute little romantic movies.  one of my favorites is music from another room with jude law (cutie!).  also simply irresistable w/ SMG is pretty good too.

and i thought the time machine was really good too.  see i used to watch the old one all the time.  don't ask me why but we had it on tape somewhere and it was after a movie that i really liked so i just kept watching.  i was afraid when they remade it they would ruin it, but i must say that i was pleasantly surprised


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## angelle myst

I rented Simply Irresistable a couple months back, it was...strange, to say the least, but thats right up my alley! I quite enjoyed it! Plus that guy (who played Indiana Jones in the tv series) is pretty fine too!

xxx


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## Bayleaf48

'Driven' again yesterday for me :rolly2:


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## tokyogirl

i love simply irresistable!  i think it's a cute movie!  (not to mention cute male lead....) 

the last movie i saw was where the heart is with natalie portman.  i love that movie!  she's so good in it


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## Bayleaf48

'Thunderbird 6' for me last night :rolly2: :rolly2:


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## Tabitha

Well, I saw Undercover Brother last night.

It was okay - some very funny bits, but maybe not as good as I was expecting.  Mind you I had had a very bad day at work and was very tired, so maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy it...


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## angelle myst

Tonight the Godfather is on terrestrial tv, but, the ANGEL FINALE is on also so guess which one i'll be watching? (I havent actually seen the rest of S3 cos i only just got Sky One but the tempation is too much and its on right after Roswell!) Ok, back on-topic - Nine Months is also on tonight, but its on at nine, too bad lol.

xxx


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## Bayleaf48

'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' for me yesterday :rolly2:


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## Tabitha

How many times have you seen that movie now, Bay!@!!!!??


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## Bayleaf48

Probably a dozen by now :rolly2:


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## Tabitha

I watched "Lost in Space" last night on the telly - I think I was one of the few people that actually liked that film.


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## tokyogirl

last night i watched 'the great escape'.  such a great movie!  kinda sad, but still kinda inspirational at the same time


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## Falcon Horus

Last night I saw 'Man Of Steel' with Shaquille O'Neill and Annabeth Gish. Such a cool movie, great action!
Shaquille was so cute!

Falcon Horus :rolly2:


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## tokyogirl

just got finished watching 28 days!  great movie!  i like it cause it shows the down side to all the drinking that some of my friends do.


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## EmilyH

Star Wars Ep II.  I though it was pretty good.  Not the best one, but it was ok.  Loved the purple light saber.  Had a character in a Star Wars RPG years ago with a purple light saber.  Don't remember whatever happened to her.  I enjoyed Spider-Man much more, though, but I'm a huge Spidey fan.

I'm planning to see "The Sum of All Fears" soon, probably this weekend.  That Tom Clancy book was awesome.  I'm debating on Scooby Doo.  I loved the cartoon, but so far the reviews say the movie is only ok and not great.


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## tokyogirl

just saw 13 ghosts for the first time.  a bit too gorey for my tastes, but pretty good.  it honestly freaked me out a bit.


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## Bayleaf48

Yet again 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' for me :rolly2: :rolly2:


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## Tabitha

EmilyH ---> Ignore the reviews, if you liked the Clancy book (I loved it!) and don't hate Ben Affleck too much (mmm Ben), "The Sum of All Fears" is definitely worth the admission price.  There are a few plot holes, and don't expect it to be too close to the book, but I loved it anyway!

I watched "Heartbreakers" and "The Enemy at the Gates" last night.  Both very enoyable.  I think Heartbreakers was the first Jennifer Love Hewitt movie I have found bearable!


----------



## DCBastien

Saw Star Wars Epi II Attack of the Clones last (x2), going to see Spiderman soon *g*


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *I watched "Heartbreakers" and "The Enemy at the Gates" last night.  Both very enoyable.  I think Heartbreakers was the first Jennifer Love Hewitt movie I have found bearable! *



Heartbreakers is hilarious, its totally recommended to anybody who hasnt seen it yet! lol, its funny as hell! Is Enemy At The Gates the one with Jude Law in? If it is, i've seen it, and its ok, not enough romance for my taste, but i'm a romantic and love soppy endings  which this film definitely does not have.

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

ok love jude law!  just watched him in music from another room which is a great movie if your a sappy romantic fate-believer inside like i am.  

plus, i LOVE heartbreakers.  so funny!

'i FALL fine!'


----------



## Tabitha

Yeh - I have seen Hearbreakers a few times now, it is so great.  And i have to admit that I find Ray Liotta kinda sexy, Jason Lee too, come to think.

"I Fall Fine" -  that is a funny moment.  I also like when Weaver sings back i the USSR...

Jude Law was great in this movie - i run a bit hot and cold on him, but he was faultless in Enemy At The Gates.  Sammy --> I had heard a lot of reports that this movie had been ruined by the romance, but I will have to disagree with both those other people and yourself when I say that I thought there was just enough romance in it.  The romance angle was quite an important part of the story, but any more might have been too over the top.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Lion King' yesterday evening for me


----------



## tokyogirl

pay if forward (love that movie!  so sad )


----------



## Arwen

the last movie I saw was Scooby Doo.... it was so funny I saw it with my friend Marissa last night


----------



## Bayleaf48

'A Knight's Tale' for me yesterday afternoon


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Sammy --> I had heard a lot of reports that this movie had been ruined by the romance, but I will have to disagree with both those other people and yourself when I say that I thought there was just enough romance in it.  The romance angle was quite an important part of the story, but any more might have been too over the top. *



Yah lol i totally agree that any more romance would have ruined the movie just because of nature of it, i'm just saying that there wasnt enough romance for _my_ taste ! Quite a dark film, one for a winter night.

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Space Cowboys' for me at work yesterday


----------



## tokyogirl

i saw joy ride last night and it was really good.  the weird thing is they must have had a helluva time getting the ending to work out right b/c they had like 4 alternate endings on the dvd.  my only problem with the one they chose was that they needed to keep the deleted scene in it.  other than that it was pretty good.


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Bayleaf48 _
> *'Space Cowboys' for me at work yesterday *



well cours you saw a movie at work cos you does work in a vid rental shop  

buks 
ps was it any good
and for me i whatched a film called 

message in a bottal 

it was on chael 5 

buks


----------



## tokyogirl

i couldn't sit through message in a bottle.  it just took too long


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *i couldn't sit through message in a bottle.  it just took too long *



yep it was long but cos it was on chanel 5 it had adds in it but yep it wated a long time between them  

buks


----------



## tokyogirl

it was the same thing with the horse whisperer.  couldn't sit through it all....


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last two I saw was Man of Steel and Cruel Intentions. Both were pretty good!

Falcon Horus


----------



## tokyogirl

i love cruel intentions!  good movie


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *it was the same thing with the horse whisperer.  couldn't sit through it all.... *



ive seen that but it was on a vidio  

buks  
ps 
so you wouldent be able to sit through a 3 hr film then


----------



## tokyogirl

depends on the movie.  some 3 hour movies don't seem like they're nearly that long.  others feel 2wice as long.....


----------



## Bayleaf48

'American Pyscho 2' for me & it's a lor better than the first one is!


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw soul survivors with eliza dushku for the second time.  a little weird, especially the first time through, but really good.


----------



## angelle myst

Titanic was over three hours long and i sat through that at the movies dozens of times, lol, also, LoTR was also quite long but i'm not complaining, cant wait for the second one!

xxx:fangs:


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *just saw soul survivors with eliza dushku for the second time.  a little weird, especially the first time through, but really good. *



Whats it about? Did you see it at the movies or rent it?

xxx:fangs:


----------



## Tabitha

I watched Black Hawk Down on Monday night - what an amazing movie.  Ridley Scott is an incredible director - I was so stressed out for almost the entire time I was watching this flick.

And it had a few of my favourite actors, including Ewan McGregor and Jason Isaacs...


----------



## Falcon Horus

I've seen Black Hawk Down in the cinema! I thought it was awesome!! Ridley Scott is indeed brilliant. He has succes with his films -> Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, ...

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Many Adventures Of Whinnie The Pooh' for me yesterday afternoon


----------



## Tabitha

Went to the cinema last night to see *The Bourne Identity*

It was great - nothing new or especially notable, it all hung on the premise of a cia operative with amnesia, but everybody was great, the film looked nice, they avoided all the Hollywood one-liners, and all the pretty European scenery made me homesick!


----------



## Eway

I just watched Stargate and then Starship Troopers last night


----------



## angelle myst

I just bought Miss Congeniality, The Mummy and The Matrix today, so after i watch the Buffy season 6 VHS Boxset that i also bought today (cos i'm too impatient to wait for the DVD's) i'll be watching those movies!

xxx:fangs:


----------



## Tabitha

I watched Miss COngeniality on a plan last year - it was much better than I was expecting.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Winnie The Pooh's Grandest Adventure' yesterday afternoon for me


----------



## Shaun

Jurassic Park last night. Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory just then, now JP: the Lost World.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'13 Gohsts' at home yesterday evening - Time Coded version & it's pretty horrible in places!


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *I watched Miss COngeniality on a plan last year - it was much better than I was expecting. *



Yah, its excellent and hilarious, and Benjamin Bratt isnt hard to look at over and over again!

xxx:smokin:


----------



## squire

The last movie i saw was Scooby Doo, last night. Hmm, it was okay......


----------



## imported_Sandman

I went to see The Bourne Identity. I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting it to be more like the book (it wasn't _anything_ like the book--shared the same title and a few character names, that's pretty much it). But when I got over it enough, I found it to be a pretty decent movie. The photography was great.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Liberty Stands Still' last night & it's different


----------



## Eway

Yesterday while stuck at a friends house I watched:

The Matrix 3 times
Scarface
Casino
Stargate


----------



## Eway

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *I watched Miss COngeniality on a plan last year - it was much better than I was expecting. *



Just finished Kate & Leopold and about to start Miss Congeniality on your word...we'll see!!!


----------



## Tabitha

Well, Eway, it will probably be on a different level to all those movies you watched at your friends house 

I just watched Planet of the Apes (1968 version) yesterday - I hadn't watched it for years and I must say I  found it very enjoyable.  Although the "DOn't trust anyone over 30" bit has *not* aged well!


----------



## angelle myst

Just watched Miss Congeniality today  and i bought Austin Powers yesterday so i'll be watching that tomorrow  as well the s6 Buffy vids i bought, can never watch them too many times 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

ok, i rented like a bunch of movies this weekend.

soul survivors-much more fun the second time around.

election - love reese witherspoon but some of the sex stuff with mathew broderick was too.....

and life as a house- have to say that i really liked this one.  one needless nudity scene, but other than that it was pretty good.


----------



## Bayleaf48

An older version of 'Robin Hood' lat nigth with my Mum & step dad


----------



## Eway

Miss Congeniality and A Beautiful Mind.  

While I didn't "love" Miss Congeniality...I did enjoy it especially once Candice Bergan's role began to develop.  

A Beautiful Mind was definitely better the first time around...but still was a good flick!!!


----------



## buks

i last whatched time at the top  

buks :d


----------



## tokyogirl

fixin to go watch antitrust, cya in a bit.....


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *fixin to go watch antitrust, cya in a bit..... *



ok so tell us how it was wen ya whatched it  

buks


----------



## tokyogirl

it was better than i thought it would be actually.  i really liked it.  even when you thought you had it figured out little things kept you guessing. overall it was pretty good.


----------



## DCBastien

Saw Spiderman t'other day.... v good, IMHO, and Tobey did a nice job *g* Can't wait for more.

...Am looking forwards to LOTR: TTT, HP: COS and Good Omens tho! *squee!*


----------



## Arc_Angel

I saw 40 days and 40 nights last Friday
thought it was good, rather fuuny 

hee hee


----------



## Tabitha

Going to the movies tonight - can't decide on Minority Report or Scooby Doo...  Going with someone who isn't a big SF fan, so probably end up with SD!


----------



## slayerette

shrek= again


----------



## angelle myst

Love Shrek!

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Tabitha

Scooby Doo!  I give it a solid B-

Not worth seeing again, but had a few   ANyone else seen it yet?


----------



## Bayleaf48

I thought 'Scooby Doo' hasn't been released any where at the cinema yet?

'Kevin & Perry Go Large' for me last night & it sure is funny :laugh2:  :laugh:


----------



## angelle myst

I think it musta been released in America and Canada Bay by the sounds of it?

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Bayleaf48

Just wondering as from what I heard yesterday it hadn't been released ANY WHERE yet, but then again it could be out of date slightly


----------



## Tabitha

It has been out here for almost two weeks - it totally trounced THe Bourne Identity, which came out the same weekend.  Check out www.imdb.com for more info.


----------



## Bayleaf48

Thanks Tabitha for that :rolly2:


----------



## sidewinder

Spider-man it was alright, got very dull towards the end.


----------



## sweetbabe

Soy Game although i kinda fel asleep a quater of the way through, not cos it was boring tho


----------



## Arc_Angel

Watched coyote ugly again last night, love that film 

hee hee


----------



## sweetbabe

havnt seen that but it looks boring to me


----------



## Arc_Angel

I don't think it is, its a great film


----------



## sweetbabe

ill have to take your word for it cos i dont think that ill ever watch it


----------



## Arc_Angel

arr....you have to try everything at least once


----------



## sweetbabe

i guess, maybe i will then..


----------



## Arc_Angel

...good 

hee hee


----------



## sweetbabe

:rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Arc_Angel _
> *Watched coyote ugly again last night, love that film
> 
> hee hee *


I love this film! I wanna get up and boogie every time i watch it  i've only seen it twice, but its awesome 

I'll watch most things once 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Tabitha

I just saw Minority Report ---> if you have seen it too come on over to SF films and talk to me about it:

http://www.ascifi.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13511


----------



## angelle myst

Is it even out in the UK yet? I'd like to go see it, looks interesting, tho i'm afraid it might all be hype?

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Prince Of Eygpt' yesterday afternoon for me


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *Is it even out in the UK yet? I'd like to go see it, looks interesting, tho i'm afraid it might all be hype?
> 
> xxx:smokin: *



I am not sure of the actual release date - Dave has posted lots of info about it in The Minority Report forum - if he has omitted that you can find it on www.imdb.com.  And ignore the hype - it's great!


----------



## Arc_Angel

I watched Billy Elliot last night 

hee hee


----------



## tokyogirl

i'm so sad that people are in love with coyote ugly....such a bad movie......



i just saw head over heals for the first time last night.  great movie.  freddie prinze jr.  was really funny in it.  and really hot too.....:naughty:


----------



## buks

um its still time at the top  

buks


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *i'm so sad that people are in love with coyote ugly....such a bad movie......*





I watched XF : Fight The Future the other day , damn bloody bee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xxx:smokin:


----------



## slayerette

I went to see SCOOBY DO w/ my kids tonight & i must say that I LOVED IT!!! even if the SMG. parts did kinda suck(sorry fellow buffy fans) The story line was sooo, cute & i loved the plot twist in the end(i won't tell & spoil it) my fav. part was the very cool skulls & tribal stuff they had at this amusment park place & again the ending "rocked!!!" hee,hee
okay bye,


----------



## angelle myst

I really do want to see when it comes out over here cept i'm kinda put off by Freddie's hair, ok, i'm _really_ put off by Freddie's hair, yuck. I knows it has to be like that cos thats the character and everything but, its like WHITE. Kinda gross and offputting 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## slayerette

SHAGGY was the absolute best char. of the bunch however, i'm not going to say anything else as to not wreak it for u. DEFFENTLY WORTH SEEING THO! (yes it was a guilt movie )(4 my son)


----------



## tokyogirl

i'm so glad they had mathew lillard as shaggy.   he did an excellent job and i think he's just great besides.  he was the best part of scream!  


the last movie i saw today was heartbreakers again.  i love that movie!


----------



## angelle myst

i love Heartbreakers too lol, hilarious lol  i spent a lot of the movie tho wishing i had Jennifer Love Hewitts body and middle name lol, ah well 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Legally Blonde' for me & it IS funny & most definitely wortyh watching aswell


----------



## tokyogirl

i love legally blonde! such a great movie!

just watched never been kissed.  love that movie!

'oh my god, someone ate my entire pie!!!!'


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Austin Powers tonight, hehe, "Sssh...ssh...sh...sh" :laugh::laugh2: its hilarious 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

hehe:rolly2: 

i just watched malice.  pretty good movie.  nicole kidman was great in this one.


----------



## angelle myst

I was gonna go watch the Matrix but i couldnt tear myself away from ASciFi 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

it's hard isn't it


----------



## angelle myst

Its near impossible! I wanted to go to bed at 6am so i could get up at 2pm to watch the Buffy afternoon on Sky One, and look at the time now, 8.15am! Grrr, i just cant tear myself away lol, no matter how much i want to, tho it might be easier now u've disappeared somewhere cos no-one's replying to all of my posts lol!

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Shaun

You stayed up all night on here??? Thats ummm.... well uh dedication :eek7: .


----------



## angelle myst

lol, not dedication really, just that i'm nocturnal 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Legolas

Final Destination. has put me off flying for a LONg time


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Legolas _
> *Final Destination. has put me off flying for a LONg time  *



lol i think ive seen that film but any way  i last whatched a film called with harmful intent 

buks


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Final Destination' despite it's rating of 15 has become of the most scariest horrors round due to the scene with the shower & it even made Mum & I too scared to go & have a shower after seeing it for a week!


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Bayleaf48 _
> *'Final Destination' despite it's rating of 15 has become of the most scariest horrors round due to the scene with the shower & it even made Mum & I too scared to go & have a shower after seeing it for a week! *



are you geting confusled with phyco a realy old film with sevril diff versions ??

buks


----------



## Bayleaf48

Nope the same film as I watched it yesterday afternoon, unless there is two films called 'Final Destination' that happen to be about flying


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Mummy Returns once more for me!! :rolly2: I just love the movie!! And yesterday I finally saw Spiderman!!! Yes, yes, yes, ... and so on and so on!!!  

Falcon Horus


----------



## Eway

just started watching Scooby Doo...it's already better than I thought...


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *i spent a lot of the movie tho wishing i had Jennifer Love Hewitts body and middle name lol, ah well
> xxx:smokin: *


"Sammy Love O'Neill"????  Well, it might work


----------



## angelle myst

lol, well maybe not the middle name of my AsciFi persona, but, maybe a whole new name with Love as my middle name 

Cant wait to see Scooby Doo  was dreading it before but now i'm looking forward to it 

xxx:smokin:


----------



## Eway

Just finished Scooby Doo...I liked it well enough...much better than I thought it would be...now watching The Shipping News.


----------



## ysm

Forget Scooby-Doo.  Check out Sum Of All Fears and Minority Report!    _Excellent!!!_


----------



## Tabitha

Minority Report was FAB!  Go and chat with people about it at This Forum if you like.

I liked The Sum of All Fears too


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Passenger 57' with Wesley Snipes in it last night & it's good


----------



## Tabitha

Just watched Trekkies - not so much a movie as a documentary, very strange, but compelling viewing, especially if you are any kind of Star Trek fan.

I posted a thread about it in the General Star Trek Discussion thread if anyone is interested in chatting about it


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Long Time Dead' & it's exremely good indeed


----------



## Tabitha

Just watched Star Trek:  The Motion Picture (pants!), and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (even bigger pants!!)...


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Prince Of Eygpt' yesterday afternoon for me


----------



## Falcon Horus

Three days ago I saw Stargate with Kurt Russell and James Spader. Man, what do I love that movie!!

Two days ago it was The Mummy again. Fourth time and I'm still laughing during the idiot moments.

And yesterday, I saw the sequel The Mummy Returns for the 9th or 10th time. Man, what do I LOVE that movie!! 

Falcon Horus


----------



## DCBastien

Galaxy Quest. Twice. Gotta love that film *g*

Where are you going?
To see if there's a pub.


----------



## Diamond9697

The Shipping News


----------



## tokyogirl

was the shipping news any good?  cause i was thinking about renting that?

anyways, just got back from vacation and watched some movies at my uncle's house.  let's see...10 things i hate about you, pearl harbor (love that one!), she's all that, mummy, mummy returns, and last but not least joseph and the amazing technicolored dreamcoat.  i think that's it....


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Lion King' for me yesterday afternoon


----------



## angelle myst

Up until that last film tg i was thinking "cool film selection" then you said Joseph and TATD! 

I've never heard of this Shipping News *shrugs* but i have the urge to go watch Stargate Movie now 

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## Legolas

umm...final destination. ick that film is WELL freaky.
:flash:

ps who else has seen it?


----------



## angelle myst

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, FINAL DESTINATION! I love that film! Freaky or what!? I've only seen it the once but it does make an impression!

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *Up until that last film tg i was thinking "cool film selection" then you said Joseph and TATD!
> 
> I've never heard of this Shipping News *shrugs* but i have the urge to go watch Stargate Movie now
> 
> :fangs:xxx:smokin: *



hey man, not my choice.....


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Prince Of Eygpt' for me

I have seen 'Final Destination' & it's very good indeed


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *
> 
> hey man, not my choice..... *


lol, ok then i'll let you off 

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

thanks 


a knights tale again for me....


----------



## angelle myst

Funny film - i especially like the We Will Rock You thing  and Heath Ledger is cute ( i loved 10 Things I Hate About You as well )

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## tokyogirl

it's called a LANCE, hello!


----------



## angelle myst

:laugh:

I've been thinking about going to watch the Matrix/The Mummy that i bought a couple weeks ago (i've been trying to find the time but i keep forgetting to watch them lol, grr) but i just found this fic so i might go read that. Decisions, decisions...

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## Lonewolf89

Clue


----------



## slayerette

I went to see "ICE AGE"  with my kids just for something to do
We have something called the dollar theater that plays movies that have been out 4 awhile for a buck & you can't beat that soo....  We had already seen it once when it first came out but again it gave me something to do w/ the brokened arm boy & i think i'm taking them to see "spirit" 2morrow..( it looks kinda girly,but what hell.) my boys are young...


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow' for me yesterday & it's very good indeed


----------



## Falcon Horus

'What's eating Gilbert Grape?' for me two days ago. I really like that movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant in it.

Oh, and A knight's Tale is cool indeed!!

Falcon Horus


----------



## tokyogirl

watched the begining of clue, but then i had to leave to go to my friend's house where we watched a walk to remember.  i love that movie!  i cry every time i see it (which has only been about 3 or 4 times, but still....)


----------



## Bayleaf48

'From Hell' last night & I've reviewed in the thread called "Bayleaf's Film Reviews"


----------



## Falcon Horus

Tonight I'm going to watch First Knight, with Sir Sean Connery and Richard Gere. :rolly2:  :blush: 

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Before that it was 'The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride'


----------



## angelle myst

Last night i rented "Get Over It" from my TV, and i thought it was gonna be this predicatable teen romance comedy, and it was that, but toward the second half i didnt stop laughing, it was so funny. So it didnt make my head spin or anything with its complicated plot line lol, but it was a laugh 

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## Bayleaf48

Today it's been 'Vanilla Sky' & it's very good indeed


----------



## tokyogirl

just watched a few -
summer catch - not NEARLY as bad as i thought it would be.  it was ok.

pleasantville - i really liked it.  makes me mad someone turned me off of it years ago before i even saw it.

and finally saw moulin rouge.  GREAT MOVIE.  i think one of the best signs of a good movie is that it leaves you thinking about it long after you've seen it.  this one definitely does that.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Twister' yesterday afternaoon for me & it's STILL just as good as when I 1st saw it at the cinema!


----------



## tokyogirl

i remember the MTV movie awards when that came out.  they were doing a parody of it and they were all in the yellow jeep

'we have farm equiptment!
'lookout!'
'we have the giant tire that was in the trailer but was not in the movie!'
'i hate that!'


----------



## Bayleaf48

I rally like 'Twister' & siure shows just how dangerous tornados can be


----------



## angelle myst

lol Tokyo, that was funny as hell :laugh::laugh2:

I love Pleasantville and Twister (i thought Moulin Rouge was just ok) and today (or yesterday) i finally watched some movies i been meaning to see cos i bought them - The Matrix and The Mummy! Wahoo! Keanu Reeves is such a hottie with a skinhead!

:fangs:xxx:smokin:


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Oliver & Company' yesterday afternoon for me


----------



## Tabitha

Watched a few movies over the weekend:
John Carpenter's The Thing & both versions of Rollerball.  The original one is good, but the remake is just bobbins.  Avoid it at all costs - there are NO redeeming features in this movie whatsoever.


----------



## Eway

Star Wars A New Hope, Reign of Fire, Raod to Perdition, Shallow Hal, MIB II, The Bourne Identity, Death to Smoochy, Panic Room, The Shipping News...I think that's all...I watched all these this past week.


----------



## Tabitha

Bloomin 'eck!

I am planning on seeing Reign of Fire this evening, and hopefully Road to Perdition at the weekend.


----------



## Eway

all downloads...nothing in the theater...so I'll probably have to hit the theater this weekend to see a couple of those again...I'm sure Reign of Fire will be better!!!


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw the importance of being ernest with reese witherspoon.  really funny!  you should all check it out if you get the chance!


----------



## Tabitha

Just home from seeing *Reign of Fire*.  I really enjoyed it, although I had been looking forward to it for quite some time.  It lived up to my expectations, wasn't TOO cheesy, and reminded me of home (it was shot in Ireland - and the area looked just like the part of Donegal that my family now live!).

If you follow the link to the Riegn of Fire forum I will be posting a review a bit later on!


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Vanilla Sky' last night & it's not as good as people think, infact it's rather confusing to keep up with!


----------



## Falcon Horus

Tomorrow, I'm finally going to watch Ice Age! Finally!!! 

Falcon Horus


----------



## Legolas

Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze...

not bad film. Will never trust a surfer agian tho...
:flash:


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Falcon Horus _
> *Tomorrow, I'm finally going to watch Ice Age! Finally!!!
> 
> Falcon Horus  *



Oh!  It's really fun - I hope you enjoy it


----------



## imported_Sandman

Saw 'The Bourne Identity' and 'The Road To Perdition'. 

I found Bourne to be rather dissapointing, but then I was under the naive impression that it was based on the book by the same title. Foolish, I know.  
The music and the cinematography is pretty good, but I wouldn't reccomend it to anyone who has read and enjoyed the book. Otherwise good flick.

'The Road To Perdition' was fantastic. The score was perfect for the film and accentuated rather than detracted. Hanks was superb. On the downside, it was a tad predictable but not too much.

Next flick on my to see list is 'Reign Of Fire' (overheard someone misreading it as 'Raisin of Fire', husband corrected her and told her it was 'Reason of Fire'. Just found it rather amusing)


----------



## Bayleaf48

Yesterday afternoon it was 'Batman & Robin' for me & it's very good


----------



## tokyogirl

you didn't like the bourne identity sandman?  i loved it!  i thought matt damon was excellent, the music, the fight scenes, the script, the cinematography.  i highly enjoyed it.

just saw 'joe vs. the volcano' again.  i LOVE that movie!


----------



## Sinistra

The time Machine.... id the last one I remember seeing but I KNOW I've seen one since, I just cant remember what is was called or about


----------



## Falcon Horus

Hello guys, today I saw Scooby-doo instead of Ice Age (it was in Dutch ... grrr!!!) and Cool Runnings. They were both hilarious. Tears were rolling down my face just because I was laughing with Mystery Inc. and Sanka & CÂ°. 

Falcon Horus


----------



## tokyogirl

i love scooby doo!

just saw a walk to remember.  again.  still great.


----------



## imported_Sandman

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *you didn't like the bourne identity sandman?  i loved it!  i thought matt damon was excellent, the music, the fight scenes, the script, the cinematography.  i highly enjoyed it.
> *



Well I really liked the book (read it a half a dozen times) and, though I didn't do it on purpose, I was preoccpied with my expectations.  I think it's my own fault that I didn't enjoy it. It was a good movie, it just wasn't anything like I was expecting and that kind of shadowed it for me. My sister loved it, though.


----------



## Tabitha

I hate it when that happens - no matter how good an adaptation is, they can never match the detail and perspective included in the book.  And if the film-makers decide to alter something or leave apparently vital plotlines out of the story altogether, it can really ruin the film.  On the other hand I have never been disappointed if I read the book after watching the movie.

I watched Road to Perdition this evening at the cineman - it was amazingly good, ever scene was very beautiful and the acting was (mostly) understated and  very effective.  Catch it if you can.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'102 Dalmations' for me this afternoon


----------



## angelle myst

Just caught a couple minutes of Mars Attacks but Angel was on so I had to watch that


----------



## Shaun

Yesterday I watched Independence day... again . I also watched Dr Strangelove for the first time. A very good and funny movie, I'll definetly be watching it again.


----------



## Tabitha

Dr. Strangelove is excellent!  It really freaked me out when I was little - especially with "We'll meet again" playing over the climax.


----------



## tokyogirl

> _Originally posted by Sandman _
> *
> 
> Well I really liked the book (read it a half a dozen times) and, though I didn't do it on purpose, I was preoccpied with my expectations.  I think it's my own fault that I didn't enjoy it. It was a good movie, it just wasn't anything like I was expecting and that kind of shadowed it for me. My sister loved it, though. *



yeah that really can ruin a movie sometimes.  like the first time i saw unbreakable i hated it.  it was totally promoted wrong so i was expecting something comepletely different.




> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *
> I watched Road to Perdition this evening at the cineman - it was amazingly good, ever scene was very beautiful and the acting was (mostly) understated and  very effective.  Catch it if you can. *



i just saw that last night!  loved it!  i was really good.  i think i have to agree with the critics on this one...'the best crime drama since the godfather'

also just watched evolution again.  i love that movie!


----------



## Tabitha

You should read Harry Knowles' review over at www.aintitcool.com
he goes totally over the top, but I am in complete agreement with him on the amazing-ness of the movie.  Ever shot was such a beautiful picture.

I reckon Paul Newman should get a Best Supporting Oscar for this - he was incredible!


----------



## tokyogirl

me 2!  i also think tom hanks did an amazing job.  it was interesting to see him in something so different from what he normally does.


----------



## Tabitha

Yeh Hanks was good - understated as I said before.  But not as amazing as Newman.  The kid was pretty good too.  And Jude Law - even with a receding hairline and yellowy teeth he is gorgeous!


----------



## tokyogirl

he did look good!  (except his fingernails...and teeth...and hair...)but he still looked good.  right up until the end. you know...



Spoiler



when he had all the marks all over his face from being shot.  that kind of ruined it


----------



## Tabitha

Uhuh I disagree...

*hangs head in embarrassment*
I still thought he was gorgeous even then


----------



## tokyogirl

ugh, you're hopeless..... 


Spoiler



(but then again i was trying to concentrate on the half of his face that wasn't messed up cause that part was still cute....)



so i guess i'm right there with ya!


----------



## Tabitha

In response to your spoiler ---> LMAO!   I got a good belly laugh out of that one.  What are we like?


----------



## tokyogirl

we're pathetic you know that?


----------



## Tabitha

Yes we are indeedy.  At least I wasn't drooling over Tom Hanks... Although I will always and forever love Paul Newman, no matter how old and wrinkly he gets


----------



## tokyogirl

oh let's not go there.  we're already bad enough.  let's not get into older men that we find attractive.  wait, sounds like another possible thread to me.....


----------



## Tabitha

....it does have a nice 'new thread' ring to it, but could be dangerous, all that drool hehe


----------



## tokyogirl

hehe.  yeah, but we should be used to that by now shouldn't we?


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Last Castle' last night with my Mum & step dad


----------



## Tabitha

I hope everyone has found this thread okay - we moved it over to the "Other Genre Films" forum, in the new and improved Films section - check it out!  Now you can start threads over here for any movies you feel like, not just SF/Fantasy/Horror...


----------



## tokyogirl

i really like the new set up for the films forum.  it's cool.


----------



## Bayleaf48

Thanks Tabith aswell :rolly2:


----------



## Tabitha

Glad you like it guys!  It weren't half hard work!  


I have been watching *Robocop* this evening -  I gather that it is some people's favourite movie, I think it's terrible   I like some of Verhoeven's other films - Total Recall for example, but I don't understand why Robocop is so popular?!


----------



## Bayleaf48

But it's worth it though!

'Batman & Robin' again yesterday afternoon for me


----------



## Tabitha

Today I took the day off work - this morning I watched Hamlet, from 2000, the one with Ethan Hawke, set in modern day - pretty good!  

This evening I caught The Mothman Prophecies.  Not bad at all, and Richard Gere is still looking mighty fine


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Bean The Ultimate Disaster Movie' yesterday afternoon for me, not as funny as I thoguht it would be though!


----------



## buks

do you wona know a secret


----------



## tokyogirl

watched sleepless in seattle again last night.  i love that movie!


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *watched sleepless in seattle again last night.  i love that movie! *


Can you belive i still havent seen this movie!!! I tried to record it last time it was on tv and it didnt work so i missed it 

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

It's a good one Sammy - I recommend it highly.


I have just watched Unbreakable - it's great!  I think I enjoy it more every time I see it.  Now I have on "A Clockwork Orange" - a movie that I never saw before.  Not enjoying it at all - I did enjoy the book, but the translation into film loses the drama, and accentuates the violence.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'True Lies' last night with my Mum & step dad & it's pretty good


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *It's a good one Sammy - I recommend it highly.
> 
> 
> I have just watched Unbreakable - it's great!  I think I enjoy it more every time I see it.  Now I have on "A Clockwork Orange" - a movie that I never saw before.  Not enjoying it at all - I did enjoy the book, but the translation into film loses the drama, and accentuates the violence. *


Is Unbreakable the one with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson with the train crash? Cos if is, i didnt like it 

xx


----------



## Bayleaf48

It is that 1 I'm afraid to say sammy & sorry that you don't like it


----------



## angelle myst

I just expected something totally different, and it was just quite strange (not that i dont like strange, i love strange) but it just didnt do anything for me 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

At least you're being honest & that's all that matters in the end


----------



## angelle myst

Yah i guess so 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

What 1 person thinks si a good film, another does not & that is what makes us human after all - difference in opinion!


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *I just expected something totally different, and it was just quite strange (not that i dont like strange, i love strange) but it just didnt do anything for me
> 
> xxx *


Yeah, Sammy that is the one I meant.  Me & Tokyogirl have been having a similar dicussion in the Unbreakable thread for the last week or so about how this movie was deviously marketed - that people that went to see it in the cinema weren't expecting the kind of movie they got.
I was pleasantly surprised, though it sounds like it went the opposite way for you!


----------



## DCBastien

I've just seen Stuart Little Two. One word: AWWWWWWW!:blush:


----------



## Marty's Mine

*A U S T I N 
P O W E R S *  



* Yeah Baby Yeah!!!* _(okay im too enthusiastic bout the film i jus saw hehe)_


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *
> Yeah, Sammy that is the one I meant.  Me & Tokyogirl have been having a similar dicussion in the Unbreakable thread for the last week or so about how this movie was deviously marketed - that people that went to see it in the cinema weren't expecting the kind of movie they got.
> I was pleasantly surprised, though it sounds like it went the opposite way for you! *


Yeah, i was quite disappointed  cos it started off well but went downhill from there 

lol i love all the Austin Powers movie but i'm gonna have to wait to see the next one till i come back from my hols but i cant wait!

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw 'the ref' again.  such a funny movie!  

also just saw the royal tenenbaums (sp?).  really weird but really good.  i would definitely recomend it


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Unbreakable' yesterday afternoon for me & I actually enjoyed the film


----------



## Marty's Mine

i thought the twist in that filme woz good.... tho u could see it comming


----------



## Eway

Planning on watching Highlander today.  I've never seen this film so I'm very excited about it!!!


----------



## Marty's Mine

i havent see it either but it suppose 2 be very good


----------



## angelle myst

I havent seen Highlander, i'd never even heard of it before i came here lol. 

The Buffy movie is on on Friday but i'm gonna miss it, grr, cos i'm on ma hols, i'm bummed about that  but i'm sure i'll get over it!

xxx


----------



## Marty's Mine

when/where is it on? (buffy)


----------



## Eway

I saw Buffy opening day in the theater...had no idea it would spawn the following it did...will definitely watch it again!!!


----------



## Eway

about to watch eight legged freaks while waiting on Highlander...


----------



## angelle myst

Its on Sky One this Friday night at 8.25pm till 10pm 

I never saw it at the movies, but like you Eway i woulda never guessed what would come of it!

xxx


----------



## Marty's Mine

thanx 4 that sammy


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Iris' with Judie Dench in it & the ending's very sad indeed


----------



## buks

lock up with sylvesta stilone 

buks


----------



## nic

*Do I make you horny baby???*

I just saw Austin Powers 3 last night.
It wasn't as good as the first two, but still worth going to see.
I think it's been said before, but the start is probably the best part - and the guest cameos are great! 

Is there something pervertedly wrong in laughing at a little midget-dude getting his @$$ kisked? Lol :laugh:


----------



## buks

*Re: Do I make you horny baby???*



> _Originally posted by nic _
> *I just saw Austin Powers 3 last night.
> It wasn't as good as the first two, but still worth going to see.
> I think it's been said before, but the start is probably the best part - and the guest cameos are great!
> 
> Is there something pervertedly wrong in laughing at a little midget-dude getting his @$$ kisked? Lol :laugh: *



my mothr think thm films are a stupid but i think ther grate and funny  

buks


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Cats & Dogs' this morning for me


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw bourne identity again.  great movie!  matt damon still very hot :naughty:


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Driven' this afternoon for me


----------



## Tabitha

Seen a few movies over the last wee while.  I am just back from watching *Amelie* at the cinema.  I thought it was a lot of fun, but perhaps not as amazing as I was expecting after all the plaudits it received.  

This morning I watched Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  I still love that movie!  I still get misty when Spock dies, and feel nauseous when those earworm things crawl into Chekov's ear :dead:

I also caught Donnie Darko a few days ago - what a great movie!  I can't recommend it enough, go watch it, right now!


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Robin Hood' for me this afternoon


----------



## Legolas

Disneys the Fox and the hound
:flash:


----------



## Annette

Last film I saw at the cinema was Spiderman. Other than that last film I watched at home was Scooby Doo and the Witch's ghost which was this afternoon.


annette


----------



## Tabitha

Yesterday evening I watched Akira Kurosawa's *The Hidden Fortress*.   
This was one of those movies that are perennially cited as one of George Lucas' main influences when conceiving Star Wars. 
In fact, as one of the extra features on the DVD there was a short interview with Lucas, in which he discusses how much he admires Kurosawa's direction and vision, particularly in comparison to other movies at the time.  For a movie this old, I was very impressed.  I have some other favourites from the fifties (On the Waterfront, Twelve Angry Men), so I am not dissing all films of this era, but this film really stood out as something very impressive for me.  

In case you are wondering, the influence that is most obvious in Star Wars is the use of the "two lowliest characters" to tell the story.  The two peasants in Kurosawa's film are evidently C3P0 and R2D2 in Lucas's epic.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Harry Potter' at work yesterday evening for me


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Mummy Returns for me again last night, and I still loved it! It must have been the 11th time I think and that was annoying for my family cause I was constantly saying the upcoming dialogues. 

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Before that it was Disney's 'Dinosaur'


----------



## Tabitha

I watched Amistad on the tv last night.  It was very very good.  I had never seen it before, and I was very impressed.  I wonder how true to life the whole story was, and how much was dramatized by Spielberg.


----------



## imported_Sandman

Well I finally got to see The Lord of The Rings. Only took me a near year. And now I'm counting down the days until Two Towers is realeased.:rolly2:  Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait! Did I mention that I can't wait?:rolly2:


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Lord Of The Rings' yesterday afternoon for me whilst at work


----------



## Falcon Horus

Yesterday, Pearl Harbor again and I was more impressed than when I saw it in the cinema. Maybe because I think that America hasn't learned from the past (no offence to any americans on this site, I've got american friends). They still think they're invincible even after what happened on 9/11.

Today, I'll be watching Shakespeare in Love and Final Fantasy.

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Hercules' for me yesterday afternoon


----------



## Falcon Horus

A few days ago, I saw Shrek again and just this morning I watched Final Fantasy, The Spirits Within.

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Mulan' yesterday evening


----------



## Falcon Horus

Yesterday-evening The Mummy and this evening Gladiator.

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Beore that it was 'Stuart Little'


----------



## Annette

This week I've watched Hannibal, The Mummy and last night Gosford Park.


annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Final Fantasy, The Spirits Within yet again for me this evening and yesterday Titanic for the tenth time (I think).

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

I was in Spain the other day and i was watching that second Flintstones movie but my Spanish is not too good so it wasnt much fun 

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

Sammy's back!!!!!  :wave:  Hope you had a great hol, even if you did have to watch the Flintstones in spanish 

I saw *Full Frontal* at the cinema a few days ago - I _think_ I enjoyed it, but not totally sure as of yet...


----------



## angelle myst

lol, hey Tabitha! I am back finally! Seems like forever  Havent heard of thatr movie, i'm still waiting to see MIB2, Scooby Doo, and all the rest that have come out 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

*Welcome back Sammy *

In the past week I've watched The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring about four times on DVD, I really love it.


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Harry potter' yet again for me


----------



## angelle myst

Gonna be watching the Buffy movie later today cos i went and bought it, and Cruel Intentions is on tonight (i think) wahoo 

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

Cruel Intentions is really good!! I have it taped on video!!

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

I might record it tonight! I'm not too keen on the ending but its ok, the film is totally wicked 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Peter Pan 2: Return To Never Land' fro me yesterday evening


----------



## angelle myst

Ohh, Cruel Intentions is out on DVD right? I want it now!

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

Charlie's Angels for me last night and tonight it'll be Coyote Ugly!! Tomorrow my exams start so today I can have fun to get the nerves down.

Falcon Horus  *nervous for her re-exams*


----------



## angelle myst

I get my results on Thursday, so ur not the only nervous one!!!

Coyote Ugly is a wicked movie  i wouldnt mind watching it again actually.

The Opposite of Sex is on tonight with Lisa Kudrow so if it doesnt interfere with Farscape or X-Files viewing then i'll be watching that 

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Sammy!! 

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

And for you!

I actually decided to watch Farscape, tape Mission Impossible that i forgot was on, and then not watch Opposite of Sex but the X-Files instead  i'm so glad i am organized with my tv schedule 

xxx


----------



## Marty's Mine

i cant wait for the strgate film!! when are they gonna start making it!!!!!!! aarrggghhhhh!!!


----------



## Dave

I went for 'Mission Impossible', it's only about the third time I've seen it, but it's one of my favourites. I had to watch it on my own in the kitchen though  since 'London's Burning' was also on at the same time.

I saw Men In Black 2 at the cinema on Friday though.


----------



## Eway

Family Man and What Women Want

Liked them both

Oh...started watching Charlies Angels...I just don't think I'm gonna finish it.


----------



## angelle myst

Do you recommend MIB2?

I think i heard something about the Stargate film being put into production next year or the year after but i might be getting muddled with the X-Files film  

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

I love Mission Impossible too - one of Cruise's best.  I have been watching a whole bunch of films recently, *Beijing Bicycle* and *The Time Machine* on Friday, *Star Trek III:  The Search for Spock* on Saturday morning, and *Guilty by Suspicion* and *Vanilla Sky* (with the director's commentary on) today.  

I would rate all highly, except for The Time Machine - what a waste, it was like they started out with a good idea, but the interesting bits hit the cutting room floor


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Driven' again for me


----------



## angelle myst

Never did get to see the Time Machine, and maybe its a waste of time me renting it but y'know, our opinions in films have been known to differ Tabitha so i might just get it anyway, not that i dont value ur opinion or anything, i do  highly


----------



## Tabitha

:blush:


Oh, I am not trying to dissuade anyone from renting it, just don't have too high expectations, that's all...


----------



## angelle myst

Oh i know you werent dissuading anybody, some films just arent good, and we all have our own opinions about different films  differing opinions are what make film discussions fun  

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Toy Story 2' fro me yesterday evening


----------



## kelsi

Minority Report


----------



## angelle myst

Cruel Intentions again cos my friend has it and i was dying to see it again, and also last night i watched part of this film with Mimi Rogers in it (Agent Diana Fowley *hiss spit* from the X-Files) and it was kinda weird, but then i fell asleep and missed the rest. Something about a mob guy *shrugs*

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'The Nutty Professor 2' for me yesterday evening & it sure is funny


----------



## Falcon Horus

Mission Impossible 2 for me last night and wow...it was awesome!!

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Before that it was 'Peter Pan 2'


----------



## triffid

Went and saw "Reign of fire" last night and enjoyed it. It's a good action flick even if there are one or two inconsistances in it, but don't let that put you off. So nice to see a Cockney as the hero in a big budget flick like this, and one with a proper accent as opposed the standard hollywood "Dick Van Dyke/ Don Cheedle" versions (See "Mary Poppins" and the remake of "Oceans 11" *shiver*) .

There are two scenes that I want as posters, one involving a Dragon doing a strafing run and the other of a dragon sitting atop a large stucture, very impressive .

7 out of 10 for this one .


----------



## Annette

Saw MIB 2 at the cinema last night. Watched Dogma this morning. Both pretty good films.


annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

'Die hard with a vengeance' for me last night and a small part from 'Stargate: The movie' before I fell asleep.

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

Tonight i watched Scream 2, and last night i watched the latter half of Stargate, and the whole of American Pie  Love all of 'em 

I liked Dogma too Annette  saw that awhile back, might have to rent it again actually, refresh my memory banks 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'U.S Marshals' last night with my Mum & step dad :rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Dirty Dancing tonight (love it love it love it) and now i'm about to watch Clueless that i taped earlier, after i finish posting here 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Pocahontas' again for me, twice actually yesterday!


----------



## Falcon Horus

Twice? How exactly do you do that? You never watch a movie twice right after each other, or do you?

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Once 1st of all at the start of work & then at the end of the day aswell


----------



## Falcon Horus

Now that explains a lot. Never done that before. I did however watch The Mummy Returns every week for like 4 or 5 weeks long. 

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Have done that before with a couple of other Disney films aswell


----------



## angelle myst

Clueless totally rocks! I watched it tonight cos i couldnt find time the other night, but again, i feel the urge to say - Clueless totally rocks!

Hehe, also tonight i watched this movie on Sky One called Fast something at Ridgemont High, lol it was supposed to be a comedy (and it was hilarious in parts) but it seemed more like an adolescent porn flick lol. So thats that!

xxx


----------



## Eway

Tadpole...pretty good!!!

Younger intellecutal man makes his way to a couple of beautiful older women...


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Pocahontas' again for me


----------



## triffid

Sunday I saw "The Guru", good laugh that . On Monday I saw Tom Clancy's Sum of all fears, that's not bad either even if the cellular technology in that film defies belief


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Behind Enemy Lines' yesterday evening,v ery good & some parts do make you feel sad


----------



## triffid

What's that about then Bay?


----------



## angelle myst

On Saturday me and some friends are gonna go see that new Cameron Diaz movie Something Sweet (i think thats what its called) 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Triffid, it's set during the Bosnain conflict & an Amercian aircraft gets shot down, the pilot is killed & the navigator (Owen Wilson's character) has 2 survive behind enemy lines until he can be picked up

Saw 'Pocahontas' yet again yesterday evening


----------



## Falcon Horus

Sammy, the movie is called 'The Sweetest Thing' and from what I see on tv during the commercials it's a very funny one.

And Bayleaf today I saw a report of a US Air Force Captain who files a suit against the makers of 'Behind Enemy Lines' for stealing his story. He was shot in Bosnia and survived two days behind enemylines by eating insects.

Falcon Horus *watching Air America once again this evening*


----------



## Bayleaf48

Crickey!

Before that it was 'A Knight's Tale'


----------



## triffid

Thanks for that Bay . I do remember that film now, I wanted to see it but missed it at the cinema (unusual given the amount of trips I make there  ). Gonna try and catch it on DVD when I can.


----------



## Bayleaf48

Any time! :rolly2: 

'Pocahontas' yet again for me today


----------



## Dave

'Stuart Little 2' on a cross-channel Ferry. 

May see 'Spy Kids 2' this week too.


----------



## angelle myst

I went to see The Guru instead of Sweetest Thing (thanks for the name Falcon ) and i didnt like it at all, but last night i watched Notting Hill awww, love that movie 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Twister' yesterday evening 4 me

:blush:


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Mask of Zorro with Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones for me on Saturday and Coming to America with Eddy Murphy last night. It was a humorous week-end.

Falcon Horus


----------



## Bayleaf48

Before that it was 'Just Visiting'

:blush:


----------



## angelle myst

Also, i watched Monty Pythons Life of Brian! How hilarious is that movie!

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Before that even it was 'Driven'  

:blush:


----------



## angelle myst

Dont think i've ever seen that. I rented the Parole Officer so i'll probably be watching that later.

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Pocahontas 2: Joureny 2 A New World' 4 me yesterday evening

:blush:


----------



## Annette

Watched The Faculty last night, wish I hadn't. Could have been better. 


annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Friday it was The Mask of Zorro once again for me and Saturday I took the liberty to watch Final Fantasy for the third time.

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

I liked the Faculty Annette, i've seen it before and thought it could have been better, but y'know i'm kinda in love with Josh Hartnett so that helped 

xxx


----------



## buks

8 legged freaks 

some of its funny some of its sorta scary and over all its a good film with som good and some not so good special efects  

buks


----------



## angelle myst

*shiver* dont think it'll be a film i'll be watching any time soon lol.

I watched She's All That on Saturday night, that was cool, if not predictable  but sometimes ya need predictable 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Me neither Sammy

*Baylea shudders*

The film of 'London's Burning', which was orginally shown in 1986

:blush:


----------



## Annette

Saw the last half hour of 'Bring It On' with Eliza Dushku. All about cheerleading!!!!! Hehehe!!!!!! Was OK wish I could move like them.


annette


----------



## nic

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Saw the last half hour of 'Bring It On' with Eliza Dushku. All about cheerleading!!!!! Hehehe!!!!!! Was OK wish I could move like them.
> annette  *



Is Kirsten Dunst in that too?
********************************************

I saw "Insomnia" at the weekend. It was ok.
If you are an Al Pacino fan then you'll probably really enjoy it, with this character being the star and all. Maura Tierney character seemed pretty pointless, but it's always good to see Robin Williams in a serious role - though I still kept waiting for him to burst onto the screen dressed as an old woman and screaming "helloooo!" 
Hilary Swank plays the main female lead. One of them cops with "lots of potential". Personally I think they could have maybe done more with her character, give Swank some more stuff to work with.


----------



## Annette

Nic - yeah she is.

Hilary Swank is a very good actress. 


annette


----------



## Dave

Star Wars: A New Hope is on ITV in the UK in about 30 mins time!


----------



## Tabitha

I just saw Insomnia a few weeks ago - I Have to say I really enjoyed it.  I thought the device of Pacino not being able to sleep was handled very well, even if it was hard to believe someone could not sleep for that long and still stay awake at all.  
Hilary Swank was pretty good in it - I have liked most of her other roles (did anyone see Boys Don't Cry?  She really deserved that Oscar) - if not totally outstanding.  Pacino and Williams were very very good, their characters had a very interesting relationship, and something that really stood out for me was the fact that you could not predict where exactly their relationship was going to go at all.
I liked seeing Maura Tierney in this - I have been a big fan of hers since seeing her in Newsradio for the first time about four years ago - but I cannot decide if I _liked_ the fact that her character was underused and a bit mysterious, or whether it just feels like there were cut scenes.

What other movies have I seen recently?  Wow, a lot. 
I saw *Monster's Ball* in a hotel room in Vegas - very good movie, although I think I would have given the oscar to Billy Bob, not Halle Berry.  She was good, but I feel like there are many other actresses out there that could have been just as good in this role.  The story was depressing, in a way which it is almost hard to imagine any love blossoming between these characters.  But the way it is handled it is believeable.  Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Whatever his name is was in it too, and was pretty good!
I caught *Orange County* a few weeks ago too - 80mins of mindless fun.  Jack Black is almost always a hoot, but Colin Hanks was quite  a discovery for me.  
I also saw Jennifer Aniston's newest effort *The Good Girl*, I can't reccommend this enough, it was funny, unsettling and depressing at turns, and as much as I didn't want to like Aniston in the role, I found her to be highly watchable, and capable of producing a nuanced character that is much easier to empathise with than Rachel could ever be.  Jake Gygenhal (I really can't spell that surname) is one to watch - he is great in this, as he was in Donnie Darko.  He is like Tobey Maguire with the intensity cranked up, I have no idea what I mean by this, but, errr, he definitely gives a fantastic performance in this film.

So there you go!


----------



## Bayleaf48

Disney's 'Monsters, Inc.' & it's very good indeed

:blush:


----------



## Annette

Saw 'Robin Hood' last night courtesy of the kids. Also '101 Dalmations' the film with Glenn Close.

Another film which I forgot to mention on a previous post is 'Vanilla Sky'. Anyone else seen this? It is soooooooo weird. You have to concentrate to keep hold of the storyline.


annette


----------



## Bayleaf48

I've seen it Annette & true it is weird, but then that's why it's different & good as 2 understand the film, you have 2 watch it & know what's going on

There aren't many films like that out now a days!

:blush:


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *
> Another film which I forgot to mention on a previous post is 'Vanilla Sky'. Anyone else seen this? It is soooooooo weird. You have to concentrate to keep hold of the storyline.
> *


Annette!   I love Vanilla Sky, I believe Dave is quite the fan too.  I think it is fab - I thought it was going to be a Fatal Attraction movie, but boy was I wrong, it blew my socks off.  Okay, enough gushing :blush:

The Kurt Russell character is my fave in that film, I think.


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Star Wars last night and i taped Spaceballs (i think its called) hehe  :laugh::laugh2:

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

'Spae Balls' is so funny & my sister has it on either video or D.V.D

I enjoy watching it & makes us both laugh

:blush:


----------



## angelle myst

Its so hilarious! i saw it a couple years ago and then realized it was on last night! 

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

I think Dark helmet is brilliant & then the Swarzth joke with the sabres had me in stitches

:blush:


----------



## Dave

I did watch 'Star Wars' and 'Spaceballs' , and yes I did love 'Vanilla Sky' ( though I've only seen it the once)

 - there are threads and forums for these films already guys, come and talk there!


----------



## Bayleaf48

Sorry Dave  

Had 'Monsters, Inc. on a lot yesterday as it's a good film & of course the main aim being 2 get people 2 rent it

:blush:


----------



## angelle myst

Just watched a bit of the Jurassic Park II, still prefer I tho

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

I saw some stupid movie with Sylvester Stallone yesterday-evening. It was boring!

Falcon Horus


----------



## Annette

Watched Men In Black on DVD last night. Recently bought it. Such a kewl film!!!!!!! 


annette


----------



## angelle myst

I just bought French Kiss with Meg Ryan on DVD, gonna try watch it tonight before Angel (unless theres another cool film on Channel 4 that i forgot about - i dont have this weeks tv guide yet?)

xxx


----------



## Bayleaf48

Still watching 'Mosters, Inc.' a lot & ahve ahd it on twice today already  

:blush:


----------



## Tabitha

*wind howls through the halls... tumbleweed rolls across the screen*

No one has been in here for a while, have they?  What?  Has no one been watching any movies for the past month???  :evil:

Hehe, so what's going on?  I have seen a shedload of movies in the last month or so.  Wanna list?

Ecks vs Sever */*****   Rubbish - only saving grace was spotting Vancouver locations

The Four Feathers **/***** See my thoughts in another thread - only earned an extra star because it looked pretty

Signs ****/***** Great!  Not a big Mel fan, but the story was good, and the execution wonderful

About A Boy ***/***** Decked a point because I was subjected to it THREE times in the space of a week on planes 

Fight Club *****/*****  One of my favourites, watched it as a minor celebration for getting back to my lovely telly!

Six Degrees of Separation *****/*****  I just love this film, shock horror, Will Smith can really ACT!


I have seen a bunch of other stuff too, but that's all I can remember for now...


----------



## angelle myst

Weeell last night i watched The Empire Strikes Back, of course i love the movie, i love all the trilogy (tho Return of the Jedi is my personal fav *ducks projectiles* i just love those Ewoks how cute are they!)

Um, what else have i seen, oh yeah Hackers, i bought it on DVD its one of my all time fav movies  i know its not reality, but i love how cool and elite they make it seem, and i love all the NY scenes and how they go about on blades *sigh* i wanna be in the US just so i can go around on blades in New York! Do they really do that?!

And Starship Troopers was on the other night too, gotta love it even if its just for the gore-fest  i noticed a couple Star Wars connections in this movie, but maybe it was just because Star Wars was on the very next day lol, but i noticed that Starship Trooper ships they had in space had an X-Wing type shape, there are three central-ish characters - one girl, 2 guys, and in the end scene of Starship Troopers they walk off together thru the crowd in a row - just like in one of the Star Wars movies. I know, i'm reaching, but hey its what i do best!

Umm, thats all within the last couple days, and any further back i just cant remember!


----------



## Tabitha

Hmmm, never really thought about the link between Star Wars and Star Trek.  Just gotta add this though - any similarities are all Paul Verhoeven's work, Heinlein had none of that in the book!


----------



## angelle myst

Star Wars and Star Trek?

Luv i was on about Star Wars and Starship Troopers!

*reaches over and screws Tabithas head back on* 

Star Trek on the brain?

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

D'oh   *gurgle*  

Typoooooo

I meant Star Wars and Starship Troopers....


----------



## angelle myst

Well today i watched a bit of Titanic in my media class, and tonight i think the Matrix is on so i'll be watching that of course 

xxx


----------



## Annette

We've recently bought a 28" widescreen TV soooooooo hubby had to watch Blade 2 on it, (don't ask me - man sentimentality). Was very good, very gruesome, lots of blood!!!!!!!!

Half watched a Bond film, oh Goldeneye but got bored as have seen it quite a few times now.


annette


----------



## angelle myst

I've never seen Blade 2, but i'm thinking of renting it on DVD over the weekend if its worth it? I love Blade 

xxx


----------



## Annette

It is worth it Sammy. I've seen it twice now. 


annette


----------



## nic

I just saw "The Pledge" the other day. Made in 2001 and starring (the one and only) Jack Nicholson, it's about a little girl is viciously murdered, and Jack Nicholson (a retiring cop) makes a pledge to her mother to find the killer.
It was quite hmm... dark and a little twisted. The ending was not as I expected, but I found myself constanly questioning who I believed to be the killer.


----------



## tokyogirl

ok, haven't been here in a while, but couldn't possible remember all the ones i've seen btw now and then.  but just watched the burbs again with tom hanks.  love that movie!  ummm....really want to go see tuck everlasting and sweet home alabama. 
oh!  and if you haven't seen panic room....skip it.  totally not worth it.  not scary and the end of the movie sucked.


----------



## angelle myst

Yo yo tokyo  

Oh and i watched Silence of the Lambs *does Hannibal Lecter impression with the lip and teeth thing*

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

hey girl!  i like  your avvy  and guess what....i just bought that poster and it's now hanging in my room!


----------



## angelle myst

Aww man where'd you get it? I've been looking for a cheap one to go next to my James posters! PM me k?

xxx


----------



## sweetbabe

last night i watch Forsaken and Wicked with my bf 
Both good films  :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

Friday night i watched Wing Commander with Freddie Prinze, they put it on really late  but i was kinda drunk so it was hard to concentrate thru my giggling, but its an ok film, nuthin special 

xxx


----------



## triffid

Saw "Road to Perdition" on Saturday and loved every minute of it .


----------



## angelle myst

I just got some free cinema tickets so i was thinking of either going to see XXX or Red Dragon, cept i'm not too keen on sequels and i've heard bad things about it so might wait for dvd rental release and go see XXX. Plus _VIN DIESEL_ is hot! 

Not too keen on Tom Hanks (he's in the Road to Perdition right?) 

Just to tell everybody, tomorrow, 10 Things I Hate About You (based on Taming of The Shrew) is on tomorrow in the UK  i love this film, and i would have had a load of trouble understanding what Shakespeare was on about if i hadnt seen this first  plus, Heath Ledger is in it 

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

heath ledger, ain't nothin wrong with that!

tom hanks rocks!  and yes he is in road to perdition.  

go see XXX, i've seen it and it' great.  loved every minute of it. well, except the part with the snow....see it and you'll know what i mean.


----------



## angelle myst

lol, k, hey i just remembered, isnt Blair Witch on over here on Sunday? I prefer the sequel (for once) but its still has the shiver-down-the-spine effect. 

xxx


----------



## Annette

Have watched couple of films this week, one being *The Fifth Element*, love that film. Another classic was  *The Crow*.


annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last movies I saw, were two M. Night Shyamalan ones, Signs and The Sixth Sense. And oh my Horus, they were just terrific!

Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

> lol, k, hey i just remembered, isnt Blair Witch on over here on Sunday? I prefer the sequel (for once) but its still has the shiver-down-the-spine effect. xxx


k, i take that back, i'd forgotten how totally creepy it was, i love them both, but remind me never to watch it again on my own, in the dark. Ever.

On Friday me and Sophie (friend) got the alcohol out and watched 10 Things I Hate About You, i love this film  and Heath Ledger (did ya know he's shaved his head now! ) 

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

Last night I saw 'After the silence' again! Was sometimes quite funny!

Falcon Horus


----------



## sweetbabe

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *
> k, i take that back, i'd forgotten how totally creepy it was, i love them both, but remind me never to watch it again on my own, in the dark. Ever.
> 
> On Friday me and Sophie (friend) got the alcohol out and watched 10 Things I Hate About You, i love this film  and Heath Ledger (did ya know he's shaved his head now! )
> 
> xxx *



Thats one of my fave films :d dunno how many times ive watched it now lol

Last night I watched O which also stars Julia Stiles (Kat) and the guy called Joey in 10 things...dunno his real name..its a good film i think, its a modern day adaptation on the shakespeare play Othello.....


----------



## Tabitha

MMMm lots of movies for me recently...

The Count of Monte Cristo - all I can say about that one is that I want those two hours of my life back!  Grrrrr....

We also watched Seven - I forgot how much I like that film!  My friend had never seen it before, so it was fun watching him jump at the scary bits :evil:
Then, in the evening we watched the fabulous "The Third Man"   Fantastic!


----------



## sweetbabe

I watched X-Men yesterday, very good film  i would recommend it


----------



## angelle myst

X-Men is a cool movie  last night i watched Star Trek : Insurrection and i really liked it 

xxx


----------



## angelle myst

Just watched Crossroads tonight. I loved it! Definitely one for us girlies 

xxx


----------



## sweetbabe

sammy you must be joking   thats film look like the most rubbish film ever lol esp as britneys in it lol ewwwwww lol


----------



## sweetbabe

oh almost forgot lol i watch changing lanes today...its a good film 
Also saw red dragon which is ok but not as good as i thought it would be


----------



## Annette

Saw 'The Others' on saturday night. Thought it quite similar to The Sixth Sense. A story with a twist at the end.


annette


----------



## angelle myst

*Content Warning : Sexist Stereotypes Ahoy!*

Last I watched You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, she's one of my favs  and Interview With The Vampire, which i just adore for loads of reasons!



> sammy you must be joking  thats film look like the most rubbish film ever lol esp as britneys in it lol ewwwwww lol


lol, you divvy, i watch so much action/gore/sci-fi that if i dont watch at least one girly movie a month i'm afraid i might turn into some male guy type person. Plus, i like Britneys songs  

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

I went to see *28 Days Later*, the new Danny Boyle pic - I thought it was absolutely GRREAT!


And sweetbabe - I am glad you like CHanging Lanes, I think that is one of the best films of the year.  Very unexpected kind of movie from the way the trailers portrayed it.


----------



## tokyogirl

sammy i so cannot speak to you anymore.   you saw crossroads.  i'm so ashamed.



anyway, i just saw the ring and oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!  that is THE scariest movie i have seen since IT.  if you are a scary movie fan you HAVE to go see this movie.  top of the list.  definitely.


----------



## sweetbabe

sammy im so suprised     crossed roads    

heh heh    im a true britney hater!!


----------



## nicscifi

hmm, havn't posted here in ages...Last sunday watched Bicentennial Man, Very good!! and right after Dogma, waz also pretty good but strange.


----------



## nic

Last week I went to see "Simone".
I didn't really know what it was about before I went to see it and I found it pretty funny.
I think it's directed by the guy who did the "Truman Show", and it did have that whole "what is real?" and why society had such an obessessional attitude to celebrities and their private lives.
Al Pacino is really funny, I never really pictured him as doing comedy before.

On Friday I went to see "Lilo and Stitch" again. It's really sweet and funny. The animation and visual style is just... wow!
oh, and stitch is the cutest alien I ever seen


----------



## Shaun

Movies I've seen recently (and enjoyed); Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, TLOTR:TFOTR, Independence Day, The Mask and 10 Things I Hate About You.


----------



## angelle myst

> sammy i so cannot speak to you anymore. you saw crossroads. i'm so ashamed.





> sammy im so suprised    crossed roads
> heh heh   im a true britney hater!!


 _you guys_ if it was a Christina Aguilera movie, then sure i'd understand the hatred and disappointing rolling off you both in waves, but its Britney Spears, she's sweet 

xxx


----------



## Tabitha

I watched *Vanilla Sky* again the other day.  I still love it, my flatmate wasn't too impressed though


----------



## sweetbabe

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *
> 
> you guys if it was a Christina Aguilera movie, then sure i'd understand the hatred and disappointing rolling off you both in waves, but its Britney Spears, she's sweet
> 
> xxx *



  sweet?? are you kiding??  
sammy you nned saving from your self 

I saw about a boy, and enjoyed it but prefer the book


----------



## tokyogirl

sammy babe, let me tell as some one who has to deal with that (insert bad word here)'s face on tv EVERYDAY.....she sucks.  her tunes are catchy, but she doesn't write them.  she says she's a virgin, but come on....who is really that stupid?  she wants to be madonna, but she would never go as far as madonna did, and she doesn't have the originality to do it anyway.  she is probably the most irritating pop singer ever.  


i have a bumper sticker that looks kind of like this:


----------



## tokyogirl

p.s.  just so i'm not completely off topic here....
i just saw 8 mile and dang!  that movie was so good!  eminem is a phenomenal actor.  not only was the movie fun to watch, well-written, and well-acted, but it was very funny too. totally wasn't expecting that.  it's really good and i would definitely recomend it


----------



## Annette

Last film I've watched is 'Hope Floats' with Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick jnr :naughty:. My my what a handsome young man he is. Also 'Fatal Beauty' with Whoopi Goldberg. She is such a great actress. My fave!!!!!


annette


----------



## tokyogirl

Just watched Scream 2 again last night.  Love those movies!


----------



## angelle myst

lol, well i guess theres no winning you two guys around, we'll have to agree to disagree 

I saw Hope Floats too and i thought it was ok not as humouress as it coulda been, and i dont like Harry Connick Jr, prefer my boys James Marsters/Brad Pitt like. So call me shallow 

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

harry connick was cute in hope floats, but i don't think he's that cute now on will & grace.  just watched star wars episode II.  bought it on tues. and watched about 4 times since then.  hayden christensen will ALWAYS be hot! :naughty:  i've gotten my roommate hooked on him now. too.  there's just something about that boy....:wink2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last one I saw was Indiana Jones and The Lost Ark! It was just soooooo stupid! I didn't like it at all!

Next one I'm going to see is Sister Act 2 with my fave Whoopi Goldberg!

Falcon Horus


----------



## lene morissette

I went 2 c 'Red Dragon' at weekend. I must say I thought it was a pretty good film although I have never seen 'Silence of the Lambs' so I can't compare it 2 that. I have seen 'Hannibal' and compared 2 that, 'Red Dragon' was marvellous!


----------



## angelle myst

Harry Connick Jr is on Will and Grace? What did i miss?! Ohhh but now see, Hayden C, he's a whole different fishy altogether, he's a hot fishy!

Tonight Life of Brian is on  and last night i watched Sleepless In Seattle aww, not as good as the hype makes it out to be but i can see why its a classic in some peoples books considering its age.

Indiana Jones and Star Wars are my fav trilogys ever  I think i have a Harrison Ford theme goin' on 

xxx


----------



## Kitty

on tuesday i saw die another day. it was pretty coll. you guys should definately see it.


----------



## Tabitha

Oh I would really like to see that!  I have read some reviews saying it is mediocre, but I reckon I would enjoy it anyway!


----------



## Falcon Horus

I saw Sister Act 2, Charlie's Angels and Mission Impossible 2 again! Oh boy, I reall had so much fun!

Falcon Horus


----------



## Shaun

I just saw The Frighteners and Forever young. The Frighteners was, ummm, weird, scary and funny. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Tabitha

Sister Act 2 - I saw that not long ago, I totally forgot all about Lauryn Hill being in it!

I love the Frighteners, great film all round.  And forever young - lol I haven't even thought about that movie for a very very long time.  I remember liking it when I first saw it at the cinema, but it really is quite goofy


----------



## angelle myst

Watched Contact on Thursday, and tomorrow Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is on! Wahoo!

xxx


----------



## sweetbabe

princess diaries lol just cos it was on and i was bored...cant say its that good though lol


----------



## Annette

Last couple of films I've watched are 'Scooby Doooooooooo'  and 'Boys on the Side'. Both good films.


annette


----------



## Tabitha

I watched the Dish for the first time last night - it was great!!!


----------



## Kitty

i've heard that's good, i really wanna see it.


----------



## angelle myst

Watched Spiderman tonight, it was ok-ish, and i watched a bit of Dragonheart 2, i think it was that anyway, on tv, it was **** but it passed a couple minutes of my time lol 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

I saw The Matrix (again), a great movie, and Rat Race for the first time. Rat Race was good but it wsan't great, though it got better, and funnier, as it went along.


----------



## angelle myst

Oh yeah i watched Matrix again the other day too  i loved it, as always 

I missed Something About Mary  although i remember there were some very funny moments i dont think i thought it was an especially brilliant movie last time i saw it.

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

gotta agree with you there.  i thought the movie had moments, but it was all it was played up to be.


ok, just saw memento for the first time.  gotta say that i loved it!  brilliantly written, directed and acted.  and you know i'm a sucker for a plot with a twist.


----------



## angelle myst

Over the weekend i watched Emma and Sliding Doors (two of my favs - Gwynnie and Jane Austen rock), and i rented Minority Report and Blade II on dvd - i was quite disappointed with both but they were ok to watch cos i was bored (babysitting, bleh).

xxx


----------



## Shaun

I just watched Spiderman, I thought it was okay. It had some great scenes but a lot of groaners and poor cgi. The stupidest part was having both hero and villan wear complete masks so you couldn't see any expression at all, makes for _real_ interesting scenes together .

I also watched Monty Python and the holy grail and Aliens over the weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed both. I got my healthy dose of humour, blood and explosions.


----------



## angelle myst

The Holy Grail!!!!!! :laugh::laugh2: That has to be one of the funniest films of all time right?

xxx


----------



## Shaun

Yep, well thats what I believe anyway. 
"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
"In the frozen land of Nador they were forced to eat Robin's minstrels. And there was much rejoicing."
And the whole black knight scene .


----------



## angelle myst

And the killer rabbit (Anya would just freak)! Love the one with the French and the Knights that go Niiiiiiii 

do you know where i could get a transcript for this movie cos i just have the urge to read it all?!

xxx


----------



## Shaun

Theres this one http://www.kokos.cz/bradkoun/movies/grail.txt
It wont be as fun as watching it but there you go.


----------



## angelle myst

Thanks  i might ask my mom to get me it for m b-day 

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw emma again, and just realized exactly HOW MUCH clueless ripped it off!  

also, just saw the importance of being earnest.  loved it!  love reese witherspoon....

reese:  i like his hair SO much 

(believe me, if you've seen it it's funny)


----------



## angelle myst

Clueless didnt _rip off_ the film luv, it was based on the actual book Emma, so it wasnt copying it, it was just re-interpreting it for a new audience 

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

well i KNOW that!  but if you watch them back to back you realize HOW similar they are.


----------



## angelle myst

Hehe yup , well anyway they're both great films 

Last night i watched Dirty Dancing!!! Wahey! *starts singing* _Hungry Eyes...._

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

The last movie I saw was Charlie Brown's Christmas, which was on tv last night.


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last movies I saw were Joan of Arc last saturday, Treasure Planet and My Big Fat Greek Wedding on Thursday, and The Fifth Element yesterday!

Had a lot of fun watching them!

Greetz, Falcon Horus


----------



## Annette

In the last couple of weeks I've seen Die Another Day(once) and Harry Potter (twice).

Both excellent films, especially loved Aragog the HUGE spider.


annette


----------



## angelle myst

You planning on going to see LoTR : Two Towers? Comes out next Wed, i cant wait 

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

I'm surely going to see it. I'll be at the cinema at 6pm right after my last class of the day! I already saw images and the trailer and OMG it's gonna be just great.

Oh, I saw Harry Potter too (twice). I just loved the car and Ron when he's whining about the fact that they have to follow the spiders instead of following the butterflies.

Greetz, Falcon Horus


----------



## imported_Data

I saw Analyze That last night and it's one of the best sequels I've seen in a long time. It's really funny. :rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

I've watched Ghostbusters, Black Hawk Down, Tomb Raider and 6 Degrees of Seperation. All good, but I'm surprised that I really liked 6 degrees. Its not the sort of movie I would choose to watch, it just happened to be on tv in the background and it hooked me.


----------



## Tabitha

I have been watching a lot of movies ever since my term finished.  Saw Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine' at the flicks yesterday, and on DVD have watched 'Dark Star', 'Abre Los Ojos', and 'The Dead Zone'.  I was fairly disappointed with Dark Star I am afraid - don't really understand all the hype for it, but think that perhaps, like Apocalypse Now, you kinda had to be living in the right era for it to have the full impact.

'Abre Los Ojos' was good, but I can't believe how Vanilla Sky was almost a scene-for-scene remake.  I though Cameron Crowe would have been a little more inventive.  All he really did was add a great soundtrack...

'The Dead Zone was very enjoyable - I had seen it before, but not for ages.  I had forgotten so much of it that I didn't really see the similarities between the movie and the series   d'oh!


----------



## angelle myst

You like Tomb Raider Shaun? I thought it was pretty average, Angelie Jolie was good, if a little stiff in her role, hopefully the sequel will be better (never thought i'd think a sequel would be better than the original). 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *You like Tomb Raider Shaun? I thought it was pretty average, Angelie Jolie was good, if a little stiff in her role, hopefully the sequel will be better (never thought i'd think a sequel would be better than the original).
> 
> xxx *


Yes, it's not the greatest of movies but I enjoyed watching it. It was fun. I'm looking forward to the sequel aswell.


----------



## imported_Data

They're making a sequel!?


----------



## angelle myst

Yup :rolly2:  dont know much info on it tho sorry. Though i could look around if you like.

Tonight i watched Fight Club - very freaky, not what i expected at all, its such engaging an movie, my eyes were transfixed on the screen for the whole film.

Also watched bits of When Harry Met Sally  and Spy Hard, hehe, i prefer Part Deux tho 

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I'm shocked that they're making a sequel. I haven't seen it, but it didn't seem like a movie rich in plot.


----------



## sweetbabe

Gosford Park was last one i saw..was quite good  not as good as i thought it would be though


----------



## imported_Data

I saw A Christmas Story the other day. Very good funny movie. It's wonderful! :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

I watched George of The Jungle today  i'm such a kid lol, but its a great movie and Brendon Frasier is a hottie 

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Two Towers on wednesday! And yesterday I saw Goerge of the Jungle, or at least a part of it but I've seen it in the cinema and I just find it hilarious! (George, George, George of the Jungle! Watch it for that...Ouch!)

Today it will probably be A Bug's Life and The Mummy. I just think Brendan Fraser is a fabulous actor!

Falcon Horus


----------



## Tabitha

I am going to stick up for Shaun and say that I rather enjoyed Tomb Raider too - at least as much as I enjoyed the last Bond, anyway.  Jolie looked the part and some of the set pieces were great!

Anyhoo, what have I been watching recently?  Last night I watched the first half of Scrooged, but I had to go to bed as I was shattered, it is still a wonderful Xmas film though.  I also (finally!) caught Dog Soldiers - and surprisingly rather enjoyed it.  For some reason I had been expecting not to like it, but it was fun - funny and gruesome at the same time.  Sean Pertwee is one of my favourite British actors, and he acquits himself wonderfully in this film..


----------



## imported_Data

I saw Christmas Vacation the other day, which is another really funny movie. Lot's of slapstick comedy! Just about every disaster imaginable happens to this family's Christmas... it's really funny! :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

Is that the film with that cute guy in from Home Improvement? 'Cause i saw that but i cant remember the name of the film.

I'm watching the Mummy at the mo, and was supposed to see Two Towers tonight but i was too late so i'm going to see it on Thursday instead 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

Recently I've seen Ghostbusters 2, Galaxy quest and Harrison Bergeron. Harrison Bergeron is a great movie, I love it.

And I'm going to see LOTR: FOTR and TTT in a movie marathon on early Friday morning. I'm looking forward to it more than christmas (which is already half over).


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Attack of The Clones today  again 

Hayden C *drool* *swoon*  

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

I saw Chicken Run on Christmasday! And last night I watched The Mummy Returns for the 10th time or something!

Greetz, Falcon Horus


----------



## angelle myst

I saw LOTR - TTT yesterday! Finally! Its bloody cool 

xxx


----------



## lene morissette

I saw 'Blood Work' wiv Clint Eastwood in today. Since I love the Michael Connelly books ('Blood Work' is a modern day crime fiction novel), I thought I'd check out the movie. I was bitterly disappointed. Most of the major details had been left out of the film that were in the book, including the change of the _KILLER!!!_. I think that the only way in which the film resembled the book was that Terry McCaleb had a heart transplant that resulted in his taking the case. Clint is WAY too old 2 play Terry (who at this point should only be late 30s/ early 40s!) and, if this is nething 2 go by, I hope to god that they leave Connelly's magnificent 'Hieronymus Bosch' novels WELL ALONE! I'd hate to think what they'd do to those! Accuracy aside, the script was appauling and the acting was even worse! (The chemistry between Terry and Graciela was about as flat as a warm bottle of coke and the whole thing seemed forced and unnatural.) The only character I thought was accurate was the nagging Doctor played by Anjelica Houston (a.k.a. Morticia Adams!)!!!! It also really annoyed me that Clint kept clutching his chest or touching his transplant scar, Terry doesn't do that in the novel!

Has ne1 else got an opinion about this film or the novels?

Oh yeah i nearly forgot, LoTR- TTT is WICKED COOL!!!! Legolas! *faints* Elijah is soooo sweet!


----------



## angelle myst

Orlando Bloom! *swoon* *drool* *faint* 

Hey whats the actors name that plays Aragorn? He is a h-o-t-t-i-e  enough of this drool fest tho before i get too carried away *fans face*

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I saw Ice Age tonight with a friend. He thought it was hilarious. I thought it was funny, but not that funny. His cat was transfixed by the screen for some reason or other. It was more amusing to watch him than the movie.


----------



## lene morissette

Hey Sammy, Aragorn is played by Viggo Mortensen. He's in Crimson Tide for about 5 seconds and he's in loads of other stuff. Check out www.imdb.com for more details


----------



## angelle myst

Thanks lene 

I went to see Sweet Home Alabama yesterday, and its so cool! Its funny in all the right places but its not too mushy! 

Happy new year!

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I saw The Two Towers the other day and it was wonderful! :rolly2: They strayed from the book quite a book, but it was still really good! Gollum was so funny! And so were Gimli and the hobbits!


----------



## tokyogirl

saw TT and LOVED it!  excellent film!  (but then again no suprise there)

saw maid in manhattan, actually pretty good.

also saw shallow hal again.  hillarious!


----------



## angelle myst

I watched the Mummy Returns the other day and My Best Friends Wedding last night, love that film, and today i'm renting LoTR:FoTR and watching Evolution  lazy day today!

xxx


----------



## Shaun

I recently watched "We Were Soldiers" and "The Abyss", both good. And I'm just about to watch LOTR:FOTR extended edition, again.


----------



## Annette

Have watched quite a few films over the past week or so. 

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom
Kiss The Girls
The Mummy Returns
Star Trek - Insurrection
Star Trek - Generations
Star Trek - Nemesis

annette


----------



## angelle myst

*Indiana Jones rocks!*

I just watched Evolution hehe,_"Ka kaw, ka kaw, ka kaw,"_ but i couldnt rent FoTR 'cause i lost my Blockbuster card 

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I watched The Matrix yet again on Saturday. It's one of those movies that I never get tired of. It's wonderfully thought-provoking! :rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

saw 'catch me if you can'.  excellent film!  but then again what else can you expect with tom hanks, leo, and steven spielberg together? 

saw bone collector, pretty good actually.  

also saw event horizon again.   movie still freaks me out!


----------



## Shaun

I watched The Two Towers again. Its even better the second time . And I saw Braveheart and Hollywood or Bust (with Jerry Lewis) for the first time. Braveheart was awesome.


----------



## tokyogirl

fixin to go watch lilo and stitch.  back in a bit (love this movie )


----------



## Annette

Saw most of Saturday Night Fever on saturday night as not seen before. How sad am I? LOL


annette


----------



## tokyogirl

love that movie!

just watch pleasantville again.  really cute movie


----------



## angelle myst

> Saw most of Saturday Night Fever on saturday night as not seen before. How sad am I? LOL


It's a good movie! I was at my friends house when this was on, and i kept flicking the remote over from MTV Base to VH1 when no one was looking lol, hehe 

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I watched The Matrix again the other day. Lovely movie! It's one I never get tired of. It's quite thought provoking. How do we know if we really are in the 'real' world?


----------



## Tabitha

Just watched *Gangs of New York*

Still tryin to decide exactly what I thought of it.  Amazing work, too violent - I think it went too far with the violence actually, a bit too fantastical, hard to believe people really were that vicious.  Although Scorcese's other movies have also been gorily violent - I think it works better in Goodfellas, for example, as it is pretty well documented that the whole mafia scene is pretty scary.  I dunno, still trying to make up my mind


----------



## imported_Data

I watched Gladiator again tonight. A good movie, but the ending is very sad. And it has too much violence. But it does have the guy who played Sarek in it! :rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

saw just married last night.  absolutely hilarious!


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Data _
> *I watched Gladiator again tonight. A good movie, but the ending is very sad. And it has too much violence. But it does have the guy who played Sarek in it! :rolly2: *


Yes but the violence is warranted and not out of place is it really? I think gladitorial events tended to be gruesome with the death and such 

I just watched LoTR:FoTR, and i have to say i totally get a lot more stuff about both movies now, i understand Gollum better and the whole thing  am feeling very pleased  also, Legolas and Aragorn are hot 

I also watched Armageddon the other night *sob* bloody sad, but great movie 

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *
> Yes but the violence is warranted and not out of place is it really? I think gladitorial events tended to be gruesome with the death and such  *



Yes, it's most definatly warrented. It's terrible that people actually enjoyed torturing others and watching them die. I don't see the fun in that. It reminds me of that part in A.I. where the same thing was done to androids. I wonder if that's where our society is heading...


----------



## tokyogirl

well it's the same kind of thing when people go to a race or watch death-defying stunts.  sure you go to watch, but what some part of you really wants to see is the person crash, something go wrong...."it's only funny till some one gets hurt, then it's hilarious!"


----------



## imported_Data

Maybe I'm odd, but I've never been one to think that or watch that type of show. I've always hoped that they wouldn't get hurt.


----------



## tokyogirl

what?!? no bloodlust?!? 


hehe, anyway, the last movie i saw was tommy boy.  always funny!:rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

The last movie I saw was Blade 2. Well, I can't really say I watched it as I dozed throughout the whole movie... so, I would not recommend it.


----------



## tokyogirl

moulin rouge again.  Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da ....


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Data _
> *The last movie I saw was Blade 2. Well, I can't really say I watched it as I dozed throughout the whole movie... so, I would not recommend it. *


Yeah me either, it was ok but nuthin special  Blade rocks tho 

I just watched 13 Ghosts  i ranted about this in my livejournal, but gah! What the hell were they thinking? I was so disappointed with this  

xxx


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last one I saw was The Haunting and I must say it looked a bit stupid. Not that I didn't enjoy it but it just looked a bit childish to me.

Greetz, Falcon Horus


----------



## timdgreat

well lets see the last movie i saw was TTT:rolly2: :rolly2:


----------



## Tabitha

Seen a whole bunch of movies this week - *In the Bedroom. Chicago and Phantoms.

Thinking about watching Audition tonight, but I know it is quite freaky and I don't really want to give myself nightmares :errrr:*


----------



## tokyogirl

> _Originally posted by Falcon Horus _
> *The last one I saw was The Haunting and I must say it looked a bit stupid. Not that I didn't enjoy it but it just looked a bit childish to me.
> 
> Greetz, Falcon Horus  *



the original black and white one is pretty cool, but the new one kind of sucked.  not that it didn't have some cool moments, just kind of retarded.


----------



## Shaun

These are the movies I've seen recently:
*Really good:*
Police Academy
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
*Good:*
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
Police Academy 3
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
*Ok:*
Star Wars


----------



## angelle myst

I watched the third movie in the Austin Powers trilogy, Goldmember, today  what a hoot! I was expecting for it not to be as good as the others but it really was funny!

xxx


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Bring It On the other day, woo! That film rocks! It was great to see Eliza Dushku again!   

xxx


----------



## Shaun

I watched Star Wars TPM & AOTC recently. TPM was boring but I was quite surprised by AOTC, it was very entertaining.


----------



## angelle myst

And i'm sure seeing Natalie Portman in leather and skin tight costumes didnt hurt either 

xxx


----------



## imported_Data

I watched I Am Sam the other day. It's a really good movie with a lovely sound track. The main character is obsessed with The Beatles, so most of the soundtrack consists of Beatles covers. And they were good Beatles covers! :rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

Just saw Mel Gibson in Pay back lst night, why is that movie so dark?:rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *And i'm sure seeing Natalie Portman in leather and skin tight costumes didnt hurt either
> 
> xxx *


Really? I didn't notice. 
Ok, seriously, that was awesome, the best part of the movie. :naughty:  You wouldn't believe how happy I was my DVD player has slow motion and zoom... uhh, um, lets ignore that part shall we.


----------



## timdgreat

No shaun i think u should tell us more :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

> Really? I didn't notice.
> Ok, seriously, that was awesome, the best part of the movie.   You wouldn't believe how happy I was my DVD player has slow motion and zoom... uhh, um, lets ignore that part shall we.


Yeah my dvd player has it too  

Heehee, you ever seen Bring It On Shaun? Eliza D is in it and the skirts are waaaaay short  you might like 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

Not yet, but I really like the sound of it.  I'll try and find a copy of it.

Tonight I watched Gremlins, it's a lot more violent than I remember it.


----------



## angelle myst

Awww Mogui is sooooo cute!

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

i know it's not a movie, but my roommate and i just watched all of buffy season 2 in 2 days.  i think that's pretty impressive!  (i think i may have gotten her addicted though )


----------



## timdgreat

getting people addicted to TV shows is allowed

i just saw LOTR the expanded version for like the millionth time:rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

I watched K-19 Widowmaker and it's actually quite good. Rather sad, but good.


----------



## timdgreat

just saw Jaws again loved it, " were gonna need a bigger boat"


----------



## tokyogirl

actually just saw tomb raider for the first time


----------



## imported_Data

I wached Episode II and it's not bad. It has a few rather humorous incidents.


----------



## angelle myst

*Paraphrasing but...*

"Oh i feel rather beside myself!" (c3po)

 yeah its a good movie!

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

jsut saw one of the funniest movies ever, Monty Python and the Holy Grail:rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2: 

a great movie


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *jsut saw one of the funniest movies ever, Monty Python and the Holy Grail:rolly2: :rolly2: :rolly2:
> 
> a great movie *


I got that for Christmas on DVD! One of my all time favs!

The other night i was flicking between Austin Powers and Sixth Sense, i couldn't decide which one to watch (seen both of them before) so i ended up playing on the X-Box lol. Last night i watched some of Con Air  love Austin Powers and Con Air, but the shininess kinda rubs off the Sixth Sense after you've already watched it, still good though 

xxx


----------



## Quill

Just watchin' Harry Potter....again....


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Pretty Woman last night, i cried  but only a little mind you! 

xxx


----------



## Shaun

Saw True Lies, Two Towers (both again ) and Harry Potter: CoS for the first time and really liked all of them.


----------



## Tabitha

I had a freaky Japanese weekend, I watched Audition (Odishon) and the original Ring.  My lord those guys really know how to scare you!

I highly recommend either, and I am looking forward to seeing the Hollywood remake of Ring, I can't really see how they could improve upon it.


----------



## timdgreat

i started watching some action movie with Steven Segal in it, but got so borred i started reading and not really paying attention to it:rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

I just watched MIB II, it's pretty good!  

xxx


----------



## Quill

Were it not for Lara Flynn Boyle, I would agree with you.  Just something about her I didn't like in MIB 2.


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by Quill _
> *Were it not for Lara Flynn Boyle, I would agree with you.  Just something about her I didn't like in MIB 2.
> 
> *


Yeah she was the freaky alien woman right? I think there was something off with her face...

xxx


----------



## sarah2040

I've just watched I Spy, it was very funny.


----------



## sweetbabe

Murder by numbers was the last i saw...was really good..sandra bullock is great in it


----------



## angelle myst

Is that the movie with 'Henry' from Dawson's Creek in it? One of two boys?

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

why are there only Action movies on my Tv any more :rolly2: , well i just saw A van DAme film, Kickboxer, it was funny to see how old it was, wasnt the best movie ever, twas ok:rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

I watched The Wall again last night. It's one of those wonderfully depressing movies. And it has lovely music! :rolly2:


----------



## nic

I finally caught "Chicago" the other night. What can I say other than I LOVED it. 
I found myself on the verge of applauding at one point!

Two Towers can take a hike, this is the best film I've seen this year (granted we're only 2 months in )


----------



## Tabitha

You liked it that much Nic?  I found it to be a little disappointing.  It is however the best Catherine ZJ has ever been in ANYTHING!  I loved JOhn C Reilly too.  But I just didn't sympathise with any of the main characters.

Enjoyed the ending quite a lot, and also Richard Gere's solo number


----------



## angelle myst

I watched Austin Powers II last night  omg its amazing how much one film can make you laugh!

BTW, my sister asked me which of the Austin films has one of the characters going "i'm in a nutshell, how did i get into this nutshell?" I'm at a loss, anyone know?

xxx


----------



## nic

> _Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill _
> *BTW, my sister asked me which of the Austin films has one of the characters going "i'm in a nutshell, how did i get into this nutshell?" I'm at a loss, anyone know?
> *



Austin says it in the 1st film to Vanessa when they are joking about in the hotel room after a night on the town.

(I've seen Austin Powers WAY too many times!  )


----------



## angelle myst

lol i musta missed that one scene the last time it was a couple weeks ago!

Hang on actually...i have the bloody movie of that! *smacks head*

Thanks luv! Heehee!

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw the movie Maverick with MEl gibson, tis such a amusing movie:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

Yep, that's a pretty good one.

Just got done watching Spider-Man, myself.  Love that movie!:hjbigeyes


----------



## timdgreat

yeah thats a good one to, well i just saw stargate for the like the millionth time :rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

I just saw Two Weeks Notice tonight, and i loved it! Sandra Bullock rocks!

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

has any one seen My big fat greek wedding? i want to know what u guys think:rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

I watched Green Dragon the other night. It's quite good, sad but good. It seems to do a good job of depicting what the Vietnamese went through.


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw 'how to lose a guy in 10 days'  with kate hudson and Matthew McConaughey:naughty:  really great movie!


----------



## angelle myst

Watched Hackers again yesterday  i adore that movie 

xxx


----------



## tokyogirl

watching 10 things i hate about you    right now.   heath ledger baby:naughty:


----------



## angelle myst

Aww man i love that movie! I downloaded the songs by Letters to Cleo from that movie the other day  they're great!

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw gone in 60 seconeds again:rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

Love that movie 

I watched Austin Powers today but i missed The Truman Show 

xxx


----------



## timdgreat

yeah tis a great movie, im in the middle of watching the MAtrix

there is now spoon :rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

I love that movie! :rolly2: And the scene with the spoon boy is my favorite! :rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

hmmm ive seen a few recently.....Final Destination 2, 2 weeks notice and catch me if you can..all were really good :smiliea: :rain:


----------



## angelle myst

Just watched half of the Stargate movie  will be watching the rest soon  i still think it's amazing how James Spader's Danny and Michael Shank's Danny are so alike! 

x x x


----------



## timdgreat

tis indeed, i just saw Blade 2 for the first time, it was ok :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Went to see 'Two Weeks Notice' last week, thought it very funny. Definitely a chick flick.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw Shaft for the first time last night, oh man that was a good one:rolly2:


----------



## kelsi

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Went to see 'Two Weeks Notice' last week, thought it very funny. Definitely a chick flick.
> 
> annette  *


I saw that recently too.  Thought it was good, but the best parts were in the trailers, so I'd seen them already


----------



## timdgreat

oh my god i just saw office space, that is one of the funniest movies i have ever seen    :rolly2: :rolly2:


----------



## imported_Data

I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding the other day. It'a not bad and has some really funny scenes, but I dind't see why so many people liked it.


----------



## angelle myst

I just watched The Rock, wooo! 

x x x


----------



## Brit Chick

I started watching The Rock last night and then fell asleep - how could I fall asleep watching Nic Cage !!!!!!

I watched Termy 1 at the weekend - just got the Special Edition DVD - still a great great movie, so I guess I'll be watching Termy 2 this weekend

Monday night I watched Love Honour and Obey - its one of those 'brit pack' movies - about two London gangs - north and south

fantastic cast - Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Jonny Lee Millar, Sean Pertwee, Rhys Ifans and Ray Burdis and Dominc Acianio (the guys that write Operation Good Guys)  also Sadie Frost and Mo (Nan) from E/enders

Fairly violent drama but loads of comedy - if you've seen it you'll remember the 'viagra' scenes !!!!!


----------



## Annette

Half watched 'Sweet as November' with Keanu Reeves. Looked a good movie from the bits I saw.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

lol i just saw coming to america again, such s good movie:rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

i saw the ring last night with my friend ling..was well scary lol


----------



## Shaun

Since the last time I posted here I've seen Star Trek: Nemesis, Chicago, The Patriot, Shrek and U.S. Marshalls and liked every one of them.


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw cradle 2 grave. fun, but kind of cheesey.


----------



## imported_Data

I just watched A Beautiful Mind. It's quite good. I enjoyed it! :rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

saw one of my top 5 movies, the Shawshank Redemption:rolly2: :rolly2:


----------



## Brit Chick

Just watched Heatbreakers - Siggy Weaver and Ray Liotta and Gene Hackman - not a brilliant movie but some good scenes

Green Mile is on tonight - probably watch that again - thats a v good film


----------



## Annette

The Green Mile is an excellent film as far as I'm concerned, hope you had plenty of tissues at the ready.

annette


----------



## sweetbabe

sum of all fears...very good :d


----------



## Annette

Saw some of Planet of the Apes (the remake last night). Tis quite good.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

> _Originally posted by sweetbabe _
> *sum of all fears...very good :d *



eh the book was better

Saw SHAQ :rolly2:


----------



## Brit Chick

Strange Frequency - its 4 different stories each with a twist and all connected to music/musicians - kind of Outer Limits for Rockers

Very good and worth watching


----------



## buks

the ring  

buks  
ps it was over a week ago n i aint dead


----------



## timdgreat

HEHE just wait for it Buks  


I just saw coming to America:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

*Spidey*...again...


----------



## sweetbabe

The life of David Grail....very gooooddddd!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## timdgreat

Saw Scifis version of Dune, and then the first part of CHildren of Dune:rolly2:


----------



## Brit Chick

Vanilla Sky - deeply weird film - good tho, took me a while to realise its actually a sci fi/fantasy film


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *HEHE just wait for it Buks
> 
> 
> I just saw coming to America:rolly2: *


 

he he you cant scar me im not afraid of death 

buks


----------



## buks

i whatched 

monsrters inc 

last night its so funny  

buks


----------



## Annette

Going to see Chicago at the flicks tonight, heard its supposed to be very good. Am looking forward to seeing it. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

The Sting, a great classic, very funny :rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

Cube 2....was ok but nothing great really


----------



## timdgreat

leathel weapon 2:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

Lord of the Rings: FotR...again.....and again.....



...and again...I love that movie... :coolyello


----------



## Falcon Horus

Last one I saw was Minority Report and woohoo it was great!! Before that I saw Daredevil in the cinema and that one was highly disappointing!!

Greetz


----------



## DCBastien

Rocky Horror Picture Show, in full regalia, last night.

_I'm just a sweet transvestite, from Transexual, Transylvania..._


----------



## timdgreat

weird sceince:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

X-Men


----------



## Cloud Strife

DreamCatcher- Crappy ending


----------



## buks

the ring for the second time 

oh n im still alive 

buks


----------



## Cloud Strife

The ring realy looses some of its thrill if you watch it on a Tv and not in a theater with a bunch of people. Although I guess thats true with all movies:erm:


----------



## sweetbabe

LightHouse
High Crimes
Jason X which was absolute rubbish


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw daredevil, man was it bad:dead: :rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

Ya, I've heard that it was.


----------



## Eway

Just watched Phone Booth and The Recruit...trying to watch Moulin Rouge right now...I'm not that interested!!!


----------



## Cloud Strife

How was phone booth?:alienooh:


----------



## Eway

I really liked phone booth a lot.  Given the the fact that the film was shot on one small location...there was probably a limit on what they could do.  It was a little shorter than I expected but I soon realized that if it was any longer it probably would have been too long!!!!

I recommend it!!!


----------



## angelle myst

Have just seen The Sweetest Thing, and it is one of the funniest things i've seen in a long time!


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw a very amusing movie called the replacements with Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves, yes i know Keanu is an idiot, but its still a great movie:rolly2:


----------



## imported_space monkey

Hmm I _think_ it was Just Married. Pretty good flick. Sweet and a nice time filler. Plus Ashton is kinda cute  but its not my last scifi... hmm that would have to be Mission to Mars then.


----------



## Cloud Strife

Ya, the replacements was good. I saw a clip for bullet proof monk on Conan O' Brian, it looked realy funny :laugh2:


----------



## timdgreat

what looks good is The seconed Xmen movie and the Matrix Reloaded :rolly2:


----------



## imported_space monkey

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *what looks good is The seconed Xmen movie and the Matrix Reloaded :rolly2: *



oh most definietly! Matrix 2 is out on May 23rd in the UK I think  Just as exams are over. I havne't seen X-Men 1 but the trailers for the 2nd one look pretty cool.


----------



## Cloud Strife

I HAVE to see the matrix 2. This is seriouse, I might die :erm: :errrr:


----------



## tokyogirl

let's see the last movie i saw was that racing movie on disney


----------



## Cloud Strife

So what movie are we going to go see?!?!?!


----------



## tokyogirl

i don't know!  there's too many good movies out right now!


----------



## Cloud Strife

HEY! I just won a bid for Resident Evil 2 on ebay! It was close, someone about bid me with like a minute left, and outbid him with only SECONDS left! As soon as I clicked refresh after outbidding him the auction was over. This is supposed to be the scariest and funnest one by far in the series. One critic guy on some website said it was one of the most enjoyable games he's ever played. And it's all new and still shrink wrapped too!:rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

lol, that  sucks, well i saw another movie last night, it was called "Dardevill, and it sucked:rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

Last night I watch One Hour Photo i think it was called with Robin Williams in..was ok but a lil boring 
Tonight I watched K-19..was abit long but really good once it got started


----------



## Cloud Strife

Well Im going to go see a movie tonight with my sister (AKA: TokyoGirl). But we have no idea what we're going to see.


----------



## Annette

Have just watched A Knights Tale. What a fantastic film!!! Thoroughly enjoyed it. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

did any one ever see the Transporter? just saw it and didnt like it much:rolly2:


----------



## imported_space monkey

I saw Phone Booth yesterday. Very good! Highly recommend it. It's a suspense thriller sort of thing. Little glory. Very bad language


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *did any one ever see the Transporter? just saw it and didnt like it much:rolly2: *



Ya, not a very good plot. Good action scenes though.


----------



## tokyogirl

i really liked the music effect they did in that movie.  like when they would have the techno stuff going through the fight sequence and then he'd get into the car and start driving.  the music never faded out, but lasted until he stopped the car, like it had been the radio playing the entire time.


----------



## timdgreat

ah saw a good movie last night on the USA network channel "helen of Troy", well it was the first part, but it was good:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Watched Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon again saturday night. Is it just me but has his character got a *HUGE* ego in this film??????

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

Yes he did, and I think he was phsyco before he became invisible.:rolly2:


----------



## nicscifi

tru,
Watched Final Fantasy: The spirits within on Monday night...the theme music is great "The Dream Within"  by Lara Fabian


----------



## timdgreat

hmm, i didnt like that movie, the plot sucked, the only good thing i found about it was the way it looked

i saw rush hour last night:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

For the first time?


----------



## stripes

Rush Hour's cool.  Last movie I saw was Charlie's Angels.


----------



## Brit Chick

Watched Devil's Advocate again last night - that is such a good movie with a great twist at the end

Plus, Keanu Reeves AND Al Pacino - need I say more..............


----------



## timdgreat

> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *For the first time? *




no it was the seconed time, i hadnt seen it in a while, so i had forget most of it:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

It's a great movie, got it on DVD :rolly2:


----------



## Splash_Dolphin

Has ne 1 seen that film thats out in the cinemas now called How 2 lose a guy in 10 days ?
i hav i think its hilarious . i think the best thing 2 do when ur watching it is think of doing the things that the woman is doing 2 the guy in the film 2 ur boy friend !
or the person u fancy !:rain:


----------



## timdgreat

fraid not, last movie i saw in theaters was TTT, but i do plan on seeing Xmen2 and and the Matrix reloaded both in their opening weeks:rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

Saw The Recruit last night..was a fab film..a bit confusing at times though  lol But very good!! I recommend it


----------



## Annette

Brit Chick - Devils Advocate is a fantastic film. Think its ace.

Watched 'The Bourne Identity' last night. Dunno if it was me, but thought it a bit strange. Was the point of the film ever explained?????

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Brit Chick - Devils Advocate is a fantastic film. Think its ace.
> 
> Watched 'The Bourne Identity' last night. Dunno if it was me, but thought it a bit strange. Was the point of the film ever explained?????
> 
> annette  *



Yes it was, but its been a while since I've seen it so I cant tell you of the top of my head.:rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

Has any one seen the movie Gods and Generals?:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

Nope


----------



## Splash_Dolphin

has ne 1 seen the film center stage?
if so did u like it ?
i thought it was g8 but sad @ times!


----------



## timdgreat

never heard of it, whos in it?:rolly2:


----------



## Splash_Dolphin

i dont know whos in it soz !


----------



## timdgreat

oh ok then, well tomorrow im gonna try and go see the seconed X Men movie:rolly2:


----------



## Splash_Dolphin

kl hope u enjoy it ! 
hav u seen that film thats out @the cinemas now called jonny summthing( icant remember wot its called )
if so is it gd?


----------



## imported_space monkey

Johnny English, just saw it.
It's not bad at all. I'm not the greatest fan of slapstick, prefer subtle humour ut it's good. Kids will like it


----------



## timdgreat

well i just saw the xmen movie, its fairly good, not as great as i would have hoped, and the plots not that good, but its good enough that i enjoyed it :rolly2:


----------



## nicscifi

ooohhh, i really wanna go and c it!!!

Well the last movie i saw, hmm...??
Well im watching a mini series now: Steven Speilburg presents: TAKEN


----------



## Annette

Watched the James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' on DVD last night. Its the second time I've seen it now. I love his car. LOL

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched the James Bond movie 'Die Another Day' on DVD last night. Its the second time I've seen it now. I love his car. LOL
> 
> annette  *



Did you notice the REALY bad special effects towards the end of the movie?:dead:


----------



## angelle myst

I watched My Girl 2 on Saturday and today i watched Street Fighter *g* i just have a thing for crappy movies


----------



## sweetbabe

saw xXx last night..argh was rubbish..the acting was really bad!!!


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *
> 
> Did you notice the REALY bad special effects towards the end of the movie?:dead: *


I did!  I take it you mean the terrible background shots when they were on the plane? Truly awful.
Also, when Halle Berry dives backwards off that cliff - I can't believe with all the money they must have had available to make this movie and they couldn't make these effects a little bit more believable!


I saw X2 on Friday night, and it just knocked my socks off!


----------



## timdgreat

its great isnt it Tab  saw the movie Rocky last night, ah the classics:rolly2:


----------



## Brit Chick

Watched X2 yesterday - just a fantastic film and easily as good as the first X-Men movie.

Great fight scene with Wolverine and Lady Deathstryke but we knew our man had to win eh !!!

Loved Alan Cumming's Nighcrawler - just a really good film


----------



## Eway

X-2 Rocked!!!

The Matrix Reloaded Sneak Preview is next...


----------



## timdgreat

the heck with the sneak preiveiw, i already got tickets to see it opening morning:rolly2:


----------



## Tabitha

My flatmate somehow managed to be late for X2 and he missed the opening scene with Nightcrawler!!!!  That was the best part of the film too!


----------



## timdgreat

oh i so agree, i also liked the general humor in this one
:rolly2:


----------



## Eway

well...I'll be sure to tell you all about it on the 14th...


----------



## Brit Chick

> _Originally posted by Eway _
> *X-2 Rocked!!!
> 
> The Matrix Reloaded Sneak Preview is next... *



Yeah, I forgot to mention the Matrix trailer they showed just b4 the film - can't wait to see it.  We'd been saying how could they ever top the effects etc in Matrix - and then there they were, on the big screen showing us just how they were gonna top it - looks amazing


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by sweetbabe _
> *saw xXx last night..argh was rubbish..the acting was really bad!!! *



If Rubbish is a new word for Realy Good! :rolly2:


----------



## Eway

> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *
> 
> If Rubbish is a new word for Realy Good! :rolly2: *



oh...that explains that post...


----------



## timdgreat

just saw the movie major league, not a bad one:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

I'm not sure if I've seen that...


----------



## timdgreat

its a funny baseball movie with wesley snipes and Charlie sheen in it, its very amusing:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Watched 'The Mummy Returns' again last night. What a classic film. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

oh thats a good one:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

I want to see Resident Evil...


----------



## sweetbabe

ive seen that, i thought it was rubbish lol

I saw Tuxedo lat night, was ok, funny in some places, althought it had a story line i thought it wasnt much of one really!


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by sweetbabe _
> *ive seen that, i thought it was rubbish lol*



Well you thought xXx was rubbish so I can't trust your opinion:rolly2: . Can't you enjoy a movie that doesn't take itself seriously (or one that's supposed to be taken seriously, that no one realy takes seriously)?


----------



## timdgreat

now now lets not start getting rude


i saw xmen 2 again the other day, still great as ever:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last ones I saw were X2, Die Another Day (ROTFL), X2 and X2!!

X2 just rocks!!

Greetz


----------



## timdgreat

got a fav part Falcon Horus?:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Uhm...let me think... when Nightcrawler attacks the president...that was just awesome! When Shadowcat runs through the walls and that soldier...and of course the grand finale!

But I have to admit that I liked it all the way through, from the first second to the last!

Greetz


----------



## timdgreat

yeah the night crawler scene was kickass, loved it to, also liked the scene with magneto killing all thoose soldiers:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Saw X-Men 2 on friday evening at the local cinema, hubby and nephew were with me. We all thought it was fantastic. 

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

watched Dog Soldiers on Sunday - British Film with Sean Pertwee in it. Its a werewolf film basically but with a lot of comedy - well I thought there were a lot of funny bits so I assume it was supposed to be funny !!!!

If you like shock, horror and blood and guts then its the film for you...


----------



## timdgreat

oh that was on Scifi channel over here a while ago, it was a weird one, couldnt decide what to make of it:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *now now lets not start getting rude*



I was trying to say it in a polite why, just as a question. But I guess she can't realy hear how Im saying it ...


----------



## Shaun

The last couple of movies I saw are, X-Men 2, Bad Moon (really, really cheesy), A very Brady Sequel, and Matrix Reloaded. I loved X2 and Matrix 2.


----------



## Annette

Watched Notting Hill again Friday night and The Matrix last night.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

the last three movies i saw where the Matrix Reloaded, The martix Reloaded, and the Matrix Reloaded, and i plan to go see it again soon:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

I HAVE TO SEE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## timdgreat

its very good, and if u see it dont forget to stay through the credits, there IS a Trailer for Matrix Revolutions at the end, u just have to wait:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

*dies of anticipation*:dead:


----------



## timdgreat

lol, Dies from not seeing it more:rolly2:


----------



## sweetbabe

saw 3 last night..
Went to the cinema to watch Reloaded which is fab btw 
and then rented Donnie Darko and 8 mile on dvd..both were really good


----------



## Lonewolf89

The Matrix Reloaded! Awesome movie, too. I can't wait to catch the third one.


----------



## sweetbabe

me either..do you know where i can see a trailer for it??


----------



## leprykawn

I keep the stubs of all the recent films I've gone to see in the movie in my wallet for some reason. It's become habit at this stage, so here's the last seven movies I've seen in Ster Century since 02/07/02:

Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones
Spiderman
Minority Report
Sum of All Fears
Die Another Day
Dreamcatcher
Matrix: Reloaded


----------



## leprykawn

> _Originally posted by sweetbabe _
> *me either..do you know where i can see a trailer for it?? *



If you stay till the very end of The Matrix Reloaded, you can see it 
on the big screen.  

However, I'm sure there's a trailer for Revolutions leaked onto the net somewhere...


----------



## Annette

Have seen a few films over the last week or so.

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
Attack of the Clones
Lethal Weapon 1 and 2
Minority Report
The Rock

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

I saw Bruce Almighty. It was realy funny, better than I thought it was going to be.


----------



## timdgreat

oh yeah i just saw that to, its very funny, keeps u laughing most of the way through :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Started watching 'Enemy of the State' with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. Quite a good film but had to stop it half way thru as soooooooooo tired. LOL

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

watched The Transporter - pretty good action, but i just couldn't work out what accent it was Jason Statham was trying to do!  he should stick to his own London accent

Also, very disturbing film - 28 days later - its gonna give me bad dreams that one !


----------



## Annette

Watched High Crimes with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Absolutely fantastic film. Ashley Judd finds out her husband is not who she thinks he is. Superb acting from both.

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

We rented National Security, it was very funny. It doesn't seem like its going to be funny in the beggining, but it gets better.


----------



## tokyogirl

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched High Crimes with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Absolutely fantastic film. Ashley Judd finds out her husband is not who she thinks he is. Superb acting from both.
> 
> annette  *


love that movie!  keeps you guessing till the end!

just saw finding nemo-very funny
national security, also funny
and music from another room.  LOVE that movie:blush:


----------



## timdgreat

just saw death to smoochy, and all i can say is , what were they thinking :rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

Hey, it had some funny parts....


----------



## Annette

Saw 8 mile the other night. Not impressed with it, very disappointed. Wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Music was good tho. 

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

Realy? everyone's told me that it's good...


----------



## Annette

There doesn't seem to be much of a storyline to me but hey thats just my opinion.

Saw Backdraft last night, not seen for a while. Had forgotten what a good film it is. 

annette


----------



## sweetbabe

I saw A Guy Thing yesterday..wasnt great...I only went to see it cos Julia Stiles is in it and is my fave actress..she made it much better than it was lol although it was funny in some places


----------



## Brit Chick

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back  - watched it again - I'd forgotten how many in jokes there were, how many of Kevin Smith's mates were in it and quite how much they took the **** out of the viewer ! loved it

And the web site - Movie Poop Shoot.com  :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Am hoping to see Jay and Silent Bob strikes back soon. Have got it on tape. 

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

When you watch it look out for the cameos - Carrie Fisher as a Nun - hilarious !


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw moulin rouge for the first time, and i can honestly say i dont know what people saw in that movie:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Am hoping to see Moulin Rouge at some point. Keep missing it when on Sky. 

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *i just saw moulin rouge for the first time, and i can honestly say i dont know what people saw in that movie:rolly2: *



Oh thank god I am not the only one - you know what, I couldn't even sit and watch it thru to the end.  I've tried twice and the first time I got about half way thru and the second time not even that far.   

There was just something too strange about it, all those songs in the wrong context - just didn't work for me


----------



## timdgreat

oh i just saw this movie called ice age, any one ever heard of it:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

i've heard of ice age but not seen it. its supposed to be quite good.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

its ok, a little to corny if u ask me:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

What makes it corny???

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

let's see.....small time crooks (great movie)
the man who knew too little (funny)
and legally blonde 2!  it was absolutely hillarious!!!


----------



## Eway

I don't quite remember Ice Age as being corny...but I do remember being very unimpressed with the story.  There was nothing too funny, nothing too spectacular...it just seemed to be another ho hum story.  Whatever....

I saw the Hulk today and was actually surprised at the direction this flick took.  All I had heard to date was how bad this movie turned out to be.  To my surprise...it's not all that bad...I'm not sure if I can say that it's "great".... but it will get another watch from me...and that says allot.  

Can't wait to see Legally Blonde 2!!!


----------



## tokyogirl

it was great.  and now i want them to make legally blonde 3 already so i can go see that!


----------



## Cloud Strife

I just saw about 10 minutes of it and it looked kind of corny to me. :rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

I saw Singing in the Rain again last night!! Djee what do I love that movie!!

Greetz


----------



## angelle myst

Went to see Charlie's Angels 2 last night, twas pretty amusing, if a little mindless


----------



## Annette

Watched 'Catch me if You Can' on saturday night. Tom Hanks was brilliant as usual but didn't really enjoy it.

annette


----------



## angelle myst

Also saw 40 Days and 40 Nights, very cool film, recommended!


----------



## timdgreat

well i just saw a really weird movie that was ok, was called Igby goes down:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

Chocolat- Just finished watching it for the second time so I obviously like it. I love when Vienne tries to guess Roux's favorite chocolate, "Very good... but not my favorite."

I saw X2 last Friday- I love everything about it!:rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

oh yeah that was a good one:rolly2:


----------



## Eway

I actually liked Igby...I thought it was very uniqe...


----------



## Shaun

I've seen recently, The Dish, Waterboy, Back to the Future 1 & 2 (getting to 3), Independence day. All good movies.


----------



## timdgreat

ahhh independnce day, a great movie indeed:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

Independence Day...HMMM....any chance watched that of FOX Sunday, Shaun?


----------



## timdgreat

lol, was it on again? dang thats the 3rd showing i know of this past weekend:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Independence Day is a good film, anyone seen American Pie 2?

annette


----------



## timdgreat

oh yeah tis an amusing movie, as good as the first was in some ways:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

Yep. It was on again. Wasn't it on about a month ago? Too bad they don't play it _ON_ July 4 anymore. They ended a great up-and-coming tradition last year.


----------



## timdgreat

yeah instead we got the patriot:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

I didn't even get to watch that. I only have Network TV (LAME!) Patriots great, tho, wish i had gotten to see it.
I'm watching STGenerations right now. "Computer, remove the plank!" Good movie. Bad lighting. Lame Shatner.


----------



## timdgreat

lol, tis a good movie:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

I liked Generations, not seen for a while but do think Insurrection better. Must watch that soon.

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

george of the jungle


----------



## Shaun

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *Independence Day...HMMM....any chance watched that of FOX Sunday, Shaun? *


I saw it on Saturday on prime. We don't get fox.


----------



## Jaffa_Kree

The last movie i had seen was 2 Fast 2 Furious, it was pretty good, had some good stuff in it.


----------



## timdgreat

just watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, god what a good movie:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched 'Catch me if You Can' on saturday night. Tom Hanks was brilliant as usual but didn't really enjoy it.
> 
> annette  *



You didnt enjoy it!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


----------



## Annette

Saw part of 'Se7en' the other night, man that film still gives me the creeps. LOL

Cloud Strife - no i didn't. LOL Not a Leonardo fan even tho I liked him in Titanic. 

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

Gangs of New York - excellent film.  I not a Leonardi di Caprio fan but I still watched it and enjoyed it.   I don't know if it was just me but watching Daniel Day Lewis playing the other gang leader, I just kept thinking this is DDL playing Robert de Niro playing the gang leader - all the expressions and turns of phrase were real de niro to me.  Maybe that just the Scorcese influence!


----------



## timdgreat

ah i have now seen catch me if u can, and it was great, loved this movie, was very funny, and its even better since its a true story:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Watched Mission Impossible again last night, have lost count how many times have seen. Am half watching Philadelphia at the moment. Glad someone liked Catch Me If You Can. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

why wouldnt any one like it, its a great movie:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

I didn't like it but perhaps I not in right frame of mind while watching. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

annette i dont understand, how can this be:rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

Watched Dirty Dancing last night  *g*


----------



## Tapestry_03

Tim, I couldn't agree more."Catch Me If You Can" is a _great_ movie. Especially, being a true story. It is the first true-story movie I have watched and not come away thinking how horrible that it really had to happen to someone. It ended happily.
The last movie I have seen now is "National Lampoon's Vegas Vacations" (I watched it for Ethan Embry). I watched The X-Files movie before that, which I proudly bought for only $4.


----------



## angelle myst

Wow, bargain! Fight The Future rocks


----------



## Tapestry_03

Trully, indeed it does, Sammy.
_"I'm the key figure in an ongoing government charade, the plot to conceal the truth about the existence of extraterrestrials. It's a global conspiracy, actually, with key players in the highest levels of power, that reaches down into the lives of every man, woman, and child on this planet, so, of course, no one believes me. I'm an annoyance to my superiors, a joke to my peers. They call me Spooky. Spooky Mulder, whose sister was abducted by aliens when he was just a kid and who now chases after little green men with a badge and a gun, shouting to the heavens or to anyone who will listen that the fix is in, that the sky is falling and when it hits it's gonna be the ****-storm of all time."_


----------



## angelle myst

Best speech ever. Poor Drunken!Mulder 

"Why are we up here, Scully? It's hotter than hell."


----------



## Annette

X-Files is a good movie. Not seen for a few weeks!!!! LOL Absolutely love Dirty Dancing. Classic!!!

annette


----------



## timdgreat

i saw Pirates of the Carabian last night, Johhny Dep was great, orlando bloom had horrible lines though:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

I watched "Young Sherlock Holmes" yesturday. It's a bit unbelievable, but it's a pretty good movie. Yeah, a little lame on the SFX, but would Steven Spielberg have produced it if it wasn't good?


----------



## Quill

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *I didn't like it but perhaps I not in right frame of mind while watching.
> 
> annette  *


You're not the only one.  I didn't like it, either.

Last movie I saw was Down Periscope.


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw Dogma again, still dont see what why people like that one:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

Bleh, neither do I, Tim. 

Just watched Galaxy Quest.


----------



## Tapestry_03

I just finished the movies "Wonder Man" and "Jane Eyre". "Wonder Man is a Danny Kaye movie. It was pretty lousey. First of his movies that I don't like. "Jane Eyre" was good, but not nearly as good as the book. It left out way to much and there was no character developement at all.
Right now I'm watching "The Road to Wellville" on TV. A very strange movie. Not one I would recommend to be watched twice. The only reason I started watching was because Colm Meany is in it, but it's almost over and he's only just now showing up. Matthew Broderick's character is pretty funny, but Anthony Hopkins' is just nuts.


----------



## angelle myst

> _Originally posted by timdgreat _
> *i just saw Dogma again, still dont see what why people like that one:rolly2: *


Dogma is awesome!

Just watching Charlie's Angel's 2 again


----------



## Cloud Strife

Hey! I love Dogma.


----------



## Quill

Just watched The Crow again.


----------



## tokyogirl

now _there's_ a movie i don't get why people like so much....


just watched pirates of the carribean yesterday.  i really really liked it, and johnny depp is waaaaaay sexy in that :naughty:


----------



## Annette

Watched Bridget Jones Diary and Chamber of Secrets over the weekend. 

Think Dogma is a good film, quite funny. The Crow is an amazing film!!!!!!!!!

annette


----------



## timdgreat

(sorry all, i just think dogma is stupid)

just saw Evolution for the first time, god that was a stupid movie:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

LOL i think evolution is very tongue in cheek. it is funny. i must admit i've seen it a few times. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

oh yeah i also saw Ali with will smith in it, very good movie:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

I just saw Pirrates of the Caribean, best movie I've seen in a realy long time.


----------



## buks

final fantasy 
the sprit whith in 


wow its a brill film 

buks


----------



## Lonewolf89

_League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_. 

Not great, but good nonetheless.


----------



## Annette

Am hoping to see Ghost Ship tomorrow night. Anyone else seen it?

annette


----------



## imported_space monkey

I've been watching the Terminator films cos my boyf insisted  but they were very good, esp 2nd one and now I can also look forward to T3 along with everyone else


----------



## Tapestry_03

I think the first two Terminator films are great. I never really cared until I rode T2 at Universal Studios, but that kinda hooked me. And, especially with T3 coming out, I was a bit more interested.


----------



## timdgreat

> _Originally posted by buks _
> *final fantasy
> the sprit whith in
> 
> 
> wow its a brill film
> 
> buks  *



great animation but wasnt to happy with the plot oh well still pretty good

just saw Star WArs Episode 2 Attack of the Clones:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

Bruce Almighty


----------



## Annette

Watched 'Ghost Ship' last night. Thought it pretty good. The special effects were very good. 

annette


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Am hoping to see Ghost Ship tomorrow night. Anyone else seen it?
> 
> annette  *



ive seen it well ok it was pirat and it may be slightly differnt to the actual relase but yep its good, a little worning of there is some graphic sceans of gore not realy that scary 

buks


----------



## Lonewolf89

Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy


----------



## Tapestry_03

I watched "The Truth About Charlie" yesturday. May I just say _*LAME!!!*_ I mean, the story-line is great. I love the original, Charade, with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, that's a great movie. I understand that no one can live up to the actors of the original or even duplicate the great chemistry between them, but I think they thought that fancy camerawork and the fact that it was a remake of a great movie was all they needed. They stopped too short. I'm not sure if it was the actors, the lack of acting ability of the actors, or what, but I do know this: An American director should _not_ attempt to make a foreign film, cuz that's what it looks like Jonathan Demme tried to do.


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by space monkey _
> *I've been watching the Terminator films cos my boyf insisted  but they were very good, esp 2nd one and now I can also look forward to T3 along with everyone else  *



Yes the second one is definitly better. And anyone else who's thinking of seein POC needs to see it.


----------



## timdgreat

Saw top gun again:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

I take back what I said about "The Truth About Charlie". "Here on Earth" is _the_ lamest movie I've ever seen. All I've to say about it is that I think I actually felt my brain turning to mush! :eek4:


----------



## angelle myst

Bring It On :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Bring It On is not too bad a movie. All those cheerleaders hehe!! Mind you wish I could do some of those moves. :flash:

annette


----------



## Tapestry_03

Born to Dance

Kate & Leopold (only 1/2)

Can't Hardly Wait (Ethan Embry!!!)

All I Want For Christmas (young Ethan Embry!!!)


(I've decided to quit running commentary. After all, no one really cares what I've got to say, including myself:rolly2


----------



## Annette

Watched Apollo 13 last night. Very good film. Excellent acting from all the cast 

annette :flash:


----------



## angelle myst

Last night i watched Hotshots


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched Apollo 13 last night. Very good film. Excellent acting from all the cast
> 
> annette :flash: *



Ya but Apollo 13 can get annoying after you've seen it a billion times...


----------



## timdgreat

Mission imposible:rolly2:


----------



## angelle myst

Buffy movie


----------



## Tapestry_03

What About Bob

_"I feel good; I feel great; I feel wonderful."_


----------



## angelle myst

Grease


----------



## Cloud Strife

Jackass: the movie


----------



## Annette

A Knights Tale

annette


----------



## little smaug

'Hot Shots' - so funny!


----------



## Annette

Scooby Doo the movie 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

men in black 2, such a good movie, not as good as the first but still good  now to get tv working again to see more movies:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

I'm in the middle of "The Bourne Identity". Thus far _very_ good.

_(I love MIB2! I think it's WAY better than the first. I hope the third turns out good)_


----------



## Brit Chick

Lake Placid - I so Love that movie - little bit disaster type movie, nice bit of action and some great dialogue - plus I kinda like Bill Pullman !


----------



## little smaug

Lake Placid is funny.  

My last movie was "The Whole Nine Yards", also very funny.


----------



## angelle myst

A Knight's Tale, Get Over It and Final Destination 2 (freaky as all hell!). I had a bit of a movie night


----------



## Tapestry_03

Pocahontas 

Never tire of Mel Gibson's voice.


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *I'm in the middle of "The Bourne Identity". Thus far very good.
> *



Which one is that?


----------



## Tapestry_03

So far it's the only "Bourne" movie. I should read the books. My dad says they're good.


----------



## Cloud Strife

But I've seen the movie, I forget which movie it is, describe it...


----------



## Tapestry_03

A guy (Matt Daemon; can't stand him) is found out in the ocean by a Russian fishing ship, riddled by bullets. The dr. on the ship saves his life and finds a locker # in his hip. Using that number, he gets a box full of money, several different passports, and a gun. Guys start chasing him, so he relizes he's not just your everyday Joe-Shmoe. Hitches a ride with a girl, gets to the address in Paris listed on his passport. An assassin attacks, they run, they change their appearance. That's about as far as I've gotten thus far; I stopped at the make-out scene to resume later. 
LoL, all that detailed descrip for just the first hour. 
Hope that helped.


----------



## Cloud Strife

Oh ya, that one was good. But the whole part with the stairs at the end was realy unrealistic.


----------



## Tapestry_03

Don't give anything away! I still haven't finished it!


----------



## Quill

Shawshank Redemption


----------



## Tapestry_03

Peter Pan
Borrowed Hearts
Some Mark Harmon movie I have no idea of the title.
The Lion King


----------



## angelle myst

Pirates of the Caribbean!!!


----------



## Cloud Strife

That was great wasn't it?!?!?!


----------



## angelle myst

Soooo great! I'm going to see it again later this week, i can't wait, it's so bloody hilarious!


----------



## Cloud Strife

"Everythings in it's right place.... gramaticly." hahahaha


----------



## angelle myst

_Captain_ Jack Sparrow!

Hee, we should probably shush now before we spoil people


----------



## Cloud Strife

Oh ya sorry


----------



## buks

fredey got fingerd  
its so funny you gota whatch it 

tom green is brill 

buks


----------



## Tabitha

Yeah you people better be careful with them there spoilers.  I'm hoping to see that film sometime soon.

Seen loads of films since my last visit to Ascifi, the most recent of which were Buffalo Soldiers, which was average, and Respiro, which was pretty but a bit mad.

Looking forward to seeing loads of stuff at the Edinburgh Film Fest!


----------



## Trunks

Agent Cody Banks :S

before that was Pirates of the Carabien 
Was great!! LOTR's Great (LOTR;s is my fav film) heheh


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Tabitha _
> *Yeah you people better be careful with them there spoilers.  I'm hoping to see that film sometime soon.*



Well it wasn't realy a spoiler...


----------



## Tabitha

> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *
> 
> Well it wasn't realy a spoiler... *


I'll take your word for it, I didn't read the actual spoiler post, since I am trying to avoid em, just noticed people mentioning that they might have posted spoilers.

Arg, am I talking in circles here?  I might go back to bed


----------



## Falcon Horus

I finally saw it!! Yeah, I finally saw it!! After all the long waiting...I finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean:Curse of the Black Pearl!! 

It's a great movie with a great cast!! My sister and I had a really great time. I was afraid the special effects were not going to be so good the first time they displayed in front of me but oh my...they turned out wonderful!! It's a must if you want to see a good movie these days!!

Greetz,

One happy pirate, Falcon Horus :rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

See, I posted a while ago that it was the best movie I've seen in a ong time. But no one listened to me


----------



## timdgreat

jerry maguire:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Well, cloud strife, you are right! Pirates of the Caribbean was a wonderful film!

Greetz


----------



## Tapestry_03

Young at Heart
Minority Report
and I'm watching Empire Records for the 3rd time!!!


----------



## Cloud Strife

Go Empire Records!!!!


----------



## Tapestry_03

"Save the Empire! D*** the man!"


----------



## tokyogirl

that thing you do


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *"Save the Empire! D*** the man!" *



No, it's "D*** the man! Save the Empire". Not "Save the Empire! D*** the Man!". Geeeezzzz


----------



## tokyogirl

D*** the man!  Save the empire!  Rave on rave on!


a.j. - what's with you today?  yesterday you were normal, and today you're like the chinese guy from the karate kid.  what's with you today?
lucas - what's with today, today?


----------



## Quill

Just watched The Horse Whisperer.:freak4:


----------



## Tapestry_03

> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *
> 
> No, it's "D*** the man! Save the Empire". Not "Save the Empire! D*** the Man!". Geeeezzzz *



On the flyers for the rave it's said that way.

Watched "That Thing You Do" for the bilionth time while getting ready this morning.
I actually, believe it or not, watched "LOTR" Thursday night. And I gotta say, it was pretty good.


----------



## Cloud Strife

The first one?


----------



## Quill

Just watched The Black Stallion.  Bleh...


----------



## Cloud Strife

Has anyone seen Freddy vrs. Jason?


----------



## Annette

Beetlejuice - what a classsic!!!!! Michael Keaton is sooooooo cool in this film. LOL

annette


----------



## Brit Chick

Final Destination II - definately as good as the first one 

Also watched Chicago - mmmmnnn - OK,  great for all the signing and dancing, Rene Zellwegger - she is a right skinny bird, way way too thin - she looked much better as Brigit Jones IMO


----------



## timdgreat

have now lost my main source of movies, Hbo free trial period ran out, but i saw Terminator the other night:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

Pirates of the Caribbean

Treated my dad to it for his birthday and _neither_ of us liked it. :laugh2:


----------



## angelle myst

American Wedding!  *g*


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Quill _
> *Pirates of the Caribbean
> 
> Treated my dad to it for his birthday and neither of us liked it. :laugh2: *



Hmmmm...


----------



## timdgreat

bachleor party with tom hanks:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Scooby Doo the movie (again!!!) and Medicine Man

annette


----------



## Quill

Seabiscuit

(Of course, I've only seen the documentary 3 or 4 times - whether I wanted to or not - so nothing in the film came as a surprise.  Not bad, though.)


----------



## Tapestry_03

*Pirates of the Caribean*
I love it I love it I love it!!! Johnny Depp was awesome! His whole demeanor just made him the best character. The story-line is great. The special effects are great. The whole thing is just so great. I can't describe how much I love it (if I did I'd be given the plot away). But the point is, I LOVE IT!!!

Also just watched:
Maverick
That Thing You Do (yes, again)
Princess Diaries


----------



## Annette

The Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger

annette


----------



## angelle myst

Dirty Dancing and Bring It On


----------



## little smaug

Princess Diaries, which was pretty good, and Scary Movie, which was not.


----------



## timdgreat

lotr the two towers, got it one DVD:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

What, are you a commercial now, Tim? Maybe I'll see if my sis will rent that with me while I'm home this weekend. I'm slowly catching on to the fandom.

A Knight's Tale


----------



## captaincarter

I just got finished with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for the 6th time since tuesday! Its my favorite movies!


----------



## angelle myst

TTT, like everyone else and their mothers


----------



## Quill

Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers

Not bad, but I still like the first one a whole lot better.


----------



## timdgreat

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *What, are you a commercial now, Tim? Maybe I'll see if my sis will rent that with me while I'm home this weekend. I'm slowly catching on to the fandom.
> 
> A Knight's Tale *



ha yes im advertising for peter jackson:rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

Well, more power to ya, Timmy!
This sux. It's out at Hollywood video, so I don't get to watch it tonight. But hey, that means it's a free rental tomorrow!

I'm getting ready to watch "How To Loose A Guy In Ten Days"


----------



## Quill

Two Towers...again...


----------



## Cloud Strife

Swat- It was pretty good, but it was a LOT like Ther Recruit in my opinion.


----------



## Annette

Watched 'The Mummy' again saturday night. Tis a brilliant film!!!

annette


----------



## Quill

Ben Hur


----------



## angelle myst

The Holy Grail and Miss Congeniality


----------



## Quill

Shane (The kid in it is freakin' annoying!)


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Quill _
> *Shane (The kid in it is freakin' annoying!) *



I know a kid named Shane who is realy annoying...


----------



## Tapestry_03

"Chicago"
I love it! Sure, it's not the cleanest movie in the world (neither was Moulon Rouge, and I loved that one) , but all the same, I love it!

"Men In Tights"
Huge Cary Elewes fan right here, baby! "Men in tight tights!"


----------



## Quill

One-Eyed Jacks  Boooorrrriiiiinnnggg movie!:dead:



> _Originally posted by Cloud Strife _
> *
> I know a kid named Shane who is realy annoying... *


I've known a few kids named Shane who were really annoying.

No offence to anyone named Shane who *isn't* annoying intended.


----------



## Cloud Strife

Maybe how you name your kid actualy determines there personality...


----------



## Tapestry_03

Silence of the Lambs

and just finished
Punch Drunk Love




> Maybe how you name your kid actualy determines there personality...



I'd have to agree, but then I got a little messed up. It seems people with names like Elsie and Chelsie are really out-going and original. So you'd think Kelsey would fit into that, but maybe I just got messed up somewhere down the line.


----------



## Quill

*Spider-Man *  

I'd probably just end up numbering kids, if I had them, then.  1, 2, 3...


----------



## tokyogirl

just saw amalie for the first time and i really liked it

saw the italian job yesterday.  it was really really good.


----------



## Quill

Catch Me If You Can

Didn't really care much for it...


----------



## Cloud Strife

Italian job = Great movie


----------



## timdgreat

just saw TTT again:rolly2:


----------



## Cloud Strife

TTT?


----------



## Annette

> _Originally posted by Quill _
> *Catch Me If You Can
> 
> Didn't really care much for it... *



At last, someone who thinks the same as me. 

Watched 'The Transporter' last night. TTT is The Two Towers (follow on from LOTR)

annette


----------



## Cloud Strife

> _Originally posted by Quill _
> *Catch Me If You Can
> 
> Didn't really care much for it... *



You didn't like Catch Me If You Can or Pirrates of the Carribean. Do you just hate alll the best movies?


----------



## Tapestry_03

Shallow Hal

(forgot to add that the other day)

I love Amalie, Tokyogirl! I was just listening to the soundtrack earlier. I like the part at the beginning when the narrator is saying what so-and-so does and doesn't like. Especially when he comes to the cat. That's pretty funny.


----------



## tokyogirl

it was very interesting...

saw brokedown palace again, makes me mad every time i watch it, but i still like it anyways


----------



## Quill

> You didn't like Catch Me If You Can or Pirrates of the Carribean. Do you just hate alll the best movies?


Yup! 

j/k


----------



## Brit Chick

Underworld - well not all of it cos we left after about half hour cos it was so totally totally ****


----------



## Quill

> _Originally posted by Brit Chick _
> *Underworld - well not all of it cos we left after about half hour cos it was so totally totally **** *


That bad, eh?  Guess I can scratch that one off of my _Movies To See_ list.  Gad, I wish they'd make at least *one* decent vamp flick! :fangs: 

Last movie I watched was All Dogs Go To Heaven.  It's ok...


----------



## Annette

Beverley Hills Cop and Beverley Hills Cop 3

annette


----------



## Lonewolf89

Signs (A great movie. I still don't understand why people have problems with it.)


----------



## Cloud Strife

Who has problems with it?


----------



## Tapestry_03

I can't believe it's taken me two weeks to finally get around to posting this!

Lord of the Rings
The Two Towers

I love it. It's completly awesome. I'm so glad I'm finally a fan.


----------



## angelle myst

Ever After: A Cinderalla Story


----------



## timdgreat

Remember the Titans, based on my hometown:rolly2:


----------



## Quill

That's a good movie, Tim. 

Last movie I watched was Over The Top.


----------



## Cloud Strife

Yes RTT is an awsome movie


----------



## tokyogirl

just watched life as a house.

love that movie!!!


----------



## L. Arkwright

I know its been out for a while now but the last one I watched was Signs. Im not sure if I liked it or not


----------



## Lonewolf89

_School of Rock_ It was great!


----------



## Annette

Lara Croft - The Cradle of Life

annette


----------



## L. Arkwright

Just watched EQUILIBRIUM. Thats one cool film, an action flick with a god story.


Just realised that said god story...lol, I meant good story


----------



## tokyogirl

second hand lions.  pretty good actually


----------



## Quill

The Score


----------



## Annette

Tomb Raider

annette


----------



## Quill

The Great Escape


----------



## Annette

Bad Boys 2 - what an hilarious film. (well i enjoyed it anyway)

annette


----------



## angelle myst

Pirates of the Caribbean (again!), and Bring It On and Coyote Ugly last night 

Bad Boys II this Saturday!


----------



## Quill

The Vikings


----------



## tokyogirl

shadow world


----------



## Quill

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust


----------



## angelle myst

Bad Boys II - it's awesome!


----------



## Annette

Bad Boys 1

plus saw CATS at the Theatre last night - was brilliant. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

The school of Rock, with jack black, a good movie if u like his humor:rolly2:


----------



## sarah2040

Calander Girls


----------



## Annette

Star Trek Insurrection - for about the 5th time

annette


----------



## Eway

I have finally experienced Highlander.  It's about time huh...


----------



## Annette

X-Men (again!!!!!)

annette


----------



## captaincarter

Two Towers for the 30th time!!!!!! (Thats a personal record)


----------



## Lonewolf89

Die Hard, I love that movie! I saw Die Hard with a Vengeance today too. Not quite as good as the first, but still pretty darn good.


----------



## angelle myst

X-Men and The Matrix


----------



## sweetbabe

Cabin Fever = poo
AMan Apart = fab
The Rules Of Atrraction = ok


----------



## sarah2040

The Man with the Golden Gun


----------



## Quill

Bullitt


----------



## tokyogirl

where the heart is


----------



## sarah2040

Dirty Dancing - don't you just love that film?


----------



## Annette

Dirty Dancing is a classic film I must agree with that. 

Watched Final Destination 2 last night. Anyone else seen it??

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

i saw it about a month ago.

just watched rosemary's baby again (love that one)


----------



## sarah2040

Just watched Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan, yummy!!


----------



## buks

doni darko 

buks  
ps its good


----------



## Evolution

Last movie I saw was:

At Cinema - UnderWorld

On DVD - Final Destination 2 (_Absolutely brilliant_)

:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

I watched Final Destination 2 Halloween night LOL

Also recently watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in the same film. Yummy!!!!!!!

annette


----------



## Evolution

Final Destination 2 is awesome, that opening....wow

You picked a brilliant night to watch it.  Yay for Annette

:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

LOL Go me!!!

annette


----------



## timdgreat

matrix revolutions of course:rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

the dvd for final destination 2 is pretty cool.  the show an anxiety test done on 3 different people as they watch the opening sequence


----------



## Quill

North By Northwest

I like everything but that semi-cheesy ending.


----------



## sarah2040

Just watched Backdraft, pretty good film!


----------



## Annette

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Crow

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Signs


----------



## Evolution

Matrix Revolutions - Good Action film, but more like matrix 2.5 than a concluding third film.


----------



## buks

the crow 

its brill 

buks


----------



## Falcon Horus

The last ones I saw....

Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Matrix Revolutions

Underworld

Lara Croft Tomb Raider

Loved them all!!

Greetz


----------



## Evolution

The last film I saw was *Kill Bill* - absolutely brilliant.


----------



## sarah2040

Coyote Ugly


----------



## tokyogirl

varsity blues, love that one


----------



## Falcon Horus

Underworld


----------



## Tapestry_03

Wow, it's been a while.....

Pirates of the Caribbean
Nick of Time
Ninth Gate
Ed Wood
Benny & Joon
Chocolat
The Man Who Cried
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Donnie Brasco

(notice a theme?)


----------



## Shaun

Been a while for me too..
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Platoon
Matrix Revolutions
The Grinch
To Kill a Mockingbird


----------



## Evolution

That would be Terminator 3 on DVD    Absolutely awesome film.


----------



## ray gower

At the cinema it was the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a really fun film!

Hoping to go and see Master and Commander next week!


----------



## angelle myst

Fight The Future
Just a Walk in the Park (with George Eads from CSI, very cute movie)
Clueless
Independence Day
Gremlins 2

I had a movie fest!


----------



## Shaun

Some more movies I've watched recently (I need to do something more productive over my holidays)

Back to the future
Toy Story
The sum of us
The Great Gatsby


----------



## tokyogirl

down with love - cute movie, my mom didn't like it as much as the original though(pillow talk w/ doris day) but this version has ewan mcgregor:naughty:


----------



## sarah2040

Love, Actually- Great film


----------



## Annette

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, it is sooooooooooo good. Depp plays the part really well.

Also saw Jungle Book - the cartoon LOL

annette


----------



## Evolution

*Darkness Falls*


----------



## sarah2040

Jumanji


----------



## Evolution

The Craft, I love this DVD.  One of my favourite films ever....Fairuza Balk is Brilliant.


----------



## Tapestry_03

You're kidding; The Craft is horrible. Just as bad as Practical Magic.


10 Things I Hate About You
7Brides for 7Brothers
and currently watching Chicago


----------



## Annette

Watched the following films:

Santa Clause
Santa Clause 2
Xchange

annette


----------



## Shaun

I just saw Wild Things (a few good scenes but too many twists) and Maslin Beach (very underrated).


----------



## Evolution

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *You're kidding; The Craft is horrible. Just as bad as Practical Magic.
> 
> 
> 10 Things I Hate About You
> 7Brides for 7Brothers
> and currently watching Chicago *



No way.....i'm not kidding, the Craft is brilliant, a true masterpiece.  Fairuza is so believable, you really do think she is that mad.  It's funny, fast paced and extremely well made (especially on the low budget they had) it's always going to be one of my favourite films.


----------



## Evolution

Terminator 3 is on in the background.  Great film.  10/10


----------



## timdgreat

The Return of the King, the best movie i think i have ever seen. i am so going when ever i can get the money and time together im gonna see this way to many times, got two under my belt already:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Second that, Timdgreat!!

Saw it yesterday and wow...I was just on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Great film!! Will see it many more times, me thinks!!

Ciao all!!


----------



## angelle myst

Return of the King! Woo! Saw it last night :rolly2:


----------



## Tapestry_03

View From the Top 

POTC -for the trillionth time.

I'm getting ready to go see LOTRROTK!!!


----------



## Evolution

Taboo on DVD.

I'm going to see ROTK next week.  Can't wait.


----------



## Tapestry_03

ROTK.

It was oh so indescribably amazing!


----------



## Evolution

> _Originally posted by Tapestry_03 _
> *ROTK.
> 
> It was oh so indescribably amazing! *




Cool.  I'm going this week to watch it.  Can't wait.  Know one I know has had a bad coment to make about this film, all I hear is WOW....Brilliant....Fantastic....Amazing...

My god....this must be a truly awesome film, I just can't wait to see it.


----------



## Tapestry_03

Trust me, if you're any bit a fan of these films you will most definately love this one.


----------



## Evolution

WOW! 

Yep.  You can probably tell I just come back from watching ROTK.  It's without doubt the best film ever made.  An absolute masterpiece, and yeah I know you've heard this all before, but this film is just so good, you just have to go and see it.    

For once all the hype is true.


----------



## ray gower

Master and Commander- Far Side of the World.

Not an Erol Flynn swashbuckler by any means and far better than Pirates of the Caribean, bearing a good story, strong characters and even a touch of realism


----------



## Cloud Strife

ROTK PWNS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


----------



## Shaun

Saw The Crow for the first time, its a pretty good movie, and saw FOTR EE for the umpteen time getting ready for ROTK.


----------



## Annette

watched the bone collector last night for the umpteenth time. half watching the goofy movie now. hehe!!!

also watched the muppets take manhattan and star trek generations.

annette 

merry christmas to all!!!!!!!!


----------



## angelle myst

PotC, Dude Where's My Car, Pearl Harbour, Never Been Kissed.


----------



## Annette

Saw most of The Black Knight but didn't think much of it, not as good as I thought it was going to be.

Hope to be watching The Scorpion King tonight. 

annette :wave:


----------



## Shaun

Saw Two Towers EE, for the first time as well as ROTK (a totally awesome movie, but way too short) and I also saw Monty Python: Meaning of Life.


----------



## timdgreat

also just saw TTT EE last night:rolly2:


----------



## Tabitha

I saw American Splendor at the cinema last night - very enjoyable, slightly off the wall film-making.  Paul Giamatti in the lead role was superb.

I also watched 'The Happiness of the Katakuris', which can only be described as a black comedy musicall with dancing Zombies and claymation FX.  Outstanding.  I urge you to see this film.


----------



## Leyla

I ended up watching "Sabrina goes to Rome" - basically a long Sabrina ep, but it was cool - made me wanna go to Rome ...


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Sound Of Music for the umpteenth time but I still liked it.

Greetz


----------



## Annette

Watched the classic film 'Oliver' on DVD. 

annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Underworld....oh yeah!! Lovely film with a yummie Kate Beckinsale!

Greetz


----------



## Status

Cutthroat Island.... 

I was expecting a serious drama and got a gloriously funny action film . As you can see I did enjoy itâ€¦. Loved the monkey


----------



## buks

the good girl

(jenifer aniston is hot)

buks


----------



## Evolution

> _Originally posted by Falcon Horus _
> *Underworld....oh yeah!! Lovely film with a yummie Kate Beckinsale!
> 
> Greetz  *



*I agree totally.  Kate is so hot...*


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Evolution _
> *
> 
> I agree totally.  Kate is so hot...  *



oooo is kate the one that is the main charicta if so yup shes hot,

um last film i wathched was the good girl 


buks


----------



## Annette

Have seen a few over the past week 

Back to the Secret Garden
Star Trek Generations (again!!!!)
Minority Report (again!!)

annette  :flash:


----------



## buks

intervew whith the vampier 

it rocks i love the clothes they were at the begining and tom crises hiar is brill whish i could grow mine like it  

buks


----------



## sarah2040

My Big Fat Greek Wedding - absolutely hilarious!


----------



## Annette

Highlander
Pirates of the Caribbean

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

moulin rouge (still one of the greatest movies of all time)


----------



## timdgreat

Slap shot 1 and slap shot 2, some great hockey movies of our time:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Men In Black....can't believe I watched it again....but still funny.

Greetz


----------



## buks

the pianist its gud but me fell asleep cos its a v long film n it was at 11o clock and it didnt finish untill 1oclock

buks


----------



## timdgreat

Just watched the Cowboy Bebop movie, its pretty good:rolly2:


----------



## Evolution

Look's through my vast dvd collection....Yay....there it is.

*Ghost in the Shell*


----------



## mysh

Big Fish - Loved it so much I cried.  Tim Burton is a god.


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

annette


----------



## timdgreat

the shawshank redemption, great movie:rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

Saw Two Towers (extended) again and saw Dark Angel: The ascent for the first time. Its a pretty decent movie and the nudity doesn't hurt it.


----------



## buks

long time dead and feardotcom

ther all good


----------



## Annette

saw love actually a while ago but can't remember if i've put it on.

annette


----------



## buks

the shining

its gud a little tense but gud

buks


----------



## Shaun

Last seen:
Freddy vs Jason
Finding Nemo
Toy Story 2
Under Seige


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Shaun _
> *Last seen:
> Freddy vs Jason
> Finding Nemo
> Toy Story 2
> Under Seige *




ive seen freddie vs jason tiss a good film 

its the only jason film ive seen but ive nerly seen all of the friddie films  

buks


----------



## Shaun

Yeah, I thought it was a good film too. I haven't seen any other Freddy or Jason movies though, I might have to check some of them out soon.


----------



## Annette

Watched Beauty and The Beast this morning with the kids for the umpteenth time LOL.

Hoping to see Calendar Girls this week on DVD. 

annette :flash:


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Shaun _
> *Yeah, I thought it was a good film too. I haven't seen any other Freddy or Jason movies though, I might have to check some of them out soon. *



yup 
sos i cant help whith the jason seris cos i dont know em 

but the fredie series i can 

k so we got 

a nightmare on elm st thru to no 5 then we got fredies dead
and thers sum other film of fredie that i havent seen n im not to shore wot its called but its were freddies a macine/robot thing 

buks


----------



## tokyogirl

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE

this one is an animated film and it's nominated for the academy award for animated feature.  it was excellent!!!!! i recomend this movie to anyone and everyone.


----------



## timdgreat

Saw The matrix Reloaded, wonderful film:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

watched calendar girls last night. it was quite good, definitely a chick flick. LOL

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

bram stoker's dracula  (well, most of it anyway)


----------



## timdgreat

saw kentucky fried movie, god that was weird:rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

watched a new good men, jerry mcguire, and empire records


----------



## Annette

Watched the first half of the new 'Battlestar Galactica'. Does that count? 

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

counts for me 

watched the first half of bedazzled


----------



## Annette

watched lethal weapon 1 and half of lethal weapon 2 

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Rat Race
Goldeneye
My Big Fat Greek Wedding

.......and the list goes on


----------



## Annette

Saw The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Was OK.

annette


----------



## timdgreat

i saw stargate fro the millionth time again:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

The X-Files: Fight The Future and Singing In The Rain....

And next on the list....either Underworld or The Bone Collector

Greetz


----------



## Annette

Watch The Bone Collector. It is a brilliant film. I have seen it quite a few times now.

Watched Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone again.

annette


----------



## buks

the crow 

tiss such a brill film 
id love to have make up like his
it rocks 

buks


----------



## Falcon Horus

Thanks Annette, I'll do just that!!

So next on the list The Bone Collector and yesterday I saw Singing In The Rain once again.

Greetz


----------



## tokyogirl

saw identity again, and session 9 which was ok, but a little upsetting because it could have been much better than it was.


----------



## Annette

Watched Bruce Almighty. Appeals to my daft sense of humour so thought it was brilliant.

annette


----------



## Evolution

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched Bruce Almighty. Appeals to my daft sense of humour so thought it was brilliant.
> 
> annette  *




Well I must have a daft sense of humour too Annette.  I loved that film.  It's Goooood  

I've just started to watch "Noir" (the anime series) and it's very good.  Love the soundtrack.  :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Watched "Edward Scissorhands" last night, what a classic film. Doesn't Johnny Depp look young in it? And Winona Ryder too? LOL

annette


----------



## timdgreat

men in black:rolly2:


----------



## sarah2040

The Princess Diaries


----------



## Shaun

Lets see...
Willow
Emperors new Groove
Pay it forward
Rockstar
The Ring
Undead
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Misery
The Quest
Demolition Man
Loaded Weapon 1
Robin of Locksley
...and probably a lot more


----------



## Annette

watched Starship Troopers

annette


----------



## ray gower

Bulletproof Monk, a good fun film


----------



## Falcon Horus

Pearl Harbor, Underworld and Serendipity ... all three of these films have one thing in common ... a lovely and beautiful Kate Beckinsale ... that's why I just had to see them again and again and again and again...

Greetz


----------



## Evolution

*the Mini rules....king of cars*

Just watched the new Italian Job again....


----------



## timdgreat

just saw Matrix REvolutions:rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

george of the jungle


----------



## Annette

Star Trek First Contact
American Pie
American Pie 2
X-Files: Fight The Future
The Bone Collector

to name a few, when you have no comp access you need something to watch LOL

annette


----------



## Shaun

The Last Samurai


----------



## timdgreat

the life of brian:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Wizard of Oz and Serendipity

Greetz


----------



## Highlander II

Well, in the theatre -- the last one was "Pirates of the Carribean"...

the last movie I *watched* - er - all the way through - "X2" -  the last one I started watching and haven't finished b/c I had to sleep - "Swordfish" --


----------



## Annette

Have seen Swordfish a few times, not a bad film. Watched A Few Good Men last night. 

annette


----------



## ray gower

I quite enjoyed A Few Good Men. Much better than Kill Bill, which ranks right up with Hypercube on my totally pointless list


----------



## Status

*I've been on a film kick lately*

Matrix Revolutions
Master and Commander
The Haunted Mansion (very funny) :lol
Deadly Harvest


----------



## Annette

I'd love to see The Haunted Mansion.  Watched The Mask last night. Jim Carey was brill as usual. Also caught the tail end of Minority Report.

annette


----------



## Highlander II

Minority Report was a waste of time - hated it - but I don't like Tom Cruise...


Finished Swordfish - again - have A Few Good Men - watched it several times - still love it - only Tom Cruise movie I'll watch any number of times... and I'm not watching for him --- there are lots of other really good actors in that movie -


Erm -- dunno what's next - I'm always watching something though...


----------



## timdgreat

just saw the matrix again, i have so many new theorys to post:rolly2:


----------



## tokyogirl

finally saw brother bear (really liked it)
and america's sweethearts again
and The Alamo


----------



## timdgreat

just finished watching A Bridge Too far, a great movie :d:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Unbreakable....really loved the music...the film was a bit strange though.

Greetz


----------



## timdgreat

re saw LOTR the Two Towers extended edision:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Blade II

annette


----------



## little smaug

Labyrinth (for about the 100th time - that film rocks!!!)


----------



## Annette

I've watched a couple more films - Sleeping with the Enemy and also Return of the Jedi. LOL

annette


----------



## Status

10.6(2004) Very intense!


----------



## Annette

Not heard of that one. Am going to try and watch The Others tonight.

annette


----------



## Status

:blush: Oops... had a power outage about the time I posted that and didn't get to see the post... should have been 10.5(2004) not 6 and it is a 2 part mini film just aired on NBC last Sunday and finished Monday.


----------



## Highlander II

I've watched "Someone Like You" and "Swordfish" this weekend - 

hmmmm -- what else?

well - I bought "Flatliners" and "Mean Guns" - I'll watch one or both of them some time this week.


----------



## tokyogirl

about to watch pieces of april as soon as i get a chance....


----------



## Evolution

Watched Terminator 3 again last night.  Love it to bits.


----------



## timdgreat

watched matrix trilogy again for the 3rd time this month:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

started watching The Haunted Mansion, got to finish it yet. kept getting interrupted. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

started watching the awesome HBO mini series Band of Brothers:rolly2:


----------



## Status

ST: II - The Wrath of Khan.


----------



## Annette

finished the haunted mansion and then watched batman and robin. 

annette


----------



## Highlander II

_Van Helsing_ <-- saw it on Sat -- loved it! *bouncebounce* Hugh Jackman - pretty --- 


really - liked the movie - lots -- liked Hugh Jackman in leather too, but that's a whole OTHER conversation....


----------



## timdgreat

The MAtrix, 

hey H2 can u pm me what u thought about VAn helsing, i heard it wasnt that good:rolly2:


----------



## mysh

I saw Van Helsing, too, only on Sunday!  

Though I thought it was somewhat mediocre; it wasn't bad, but kind of strange.


----------



## Highlander II

Tim -- I'll go you one better --- I'll post a LINK to the thread here in the films section.


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

my kids love it 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

thanks H2

i also just saw Hp and the chamber of secrets, have to be getting ready to see Prisoner of Azkaban :rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

No prob - just go see it - it's a good ride - if it has weird dialogue and is really short on backstory. Has a plot - just kind of a simple one.



I watched HP: CoS too -- what is it with that movie lately?


----------



## Annette

Watched In the Cut with Meg Ryan. 

Lets put it this way it definitely different and full of 'rude' scenes. LOL

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Just been to see Troy tonight, Brad Pitt in a skirt, need I say more? :blush:


----------



## Annette

The Mummy Returns - classic film LOL

annette


----------



## Evolution

Watched my Scary Movie DVD last night.  It's so funny.


----------



## little smaug

Van Helsing

Not too impressed, but it had some good stunts.


----------



## Status

Battlefield Earth, it was ok but nothing to jump up and down about.


----------



## Dave

I watched Mike Myers 'The Spy who Shagged Me' on TV last night. It's the first time I'd seen it. I haven't seen 'Austin Powers - Man of Mystery' either (now I won't bother.) What a waste of my life!

I did laugh once, but only the once. That was at the silhouettes in the tent scene, which was cleverly put together. The rest was embarrassingly bad.

I saw 'Wayne's World' (very good) and it's sequel a long time ago, and I had expected something much better with this.


----------



## timdgreat

unfortunatly dave i would classify both thoose movies as ones i wouldnt see unless i wanted to waste time

I just watched my new Copy of ROTK , its my precious:rolly2:


----------



## Status

ROTK - became available yesterday


----------



## Falcon Horus

Van Helsing and Troy....

Liked Van Helsing ... mmm Kate Beckinsale

Absolutely hated Troy....please for those who don't know Homer's story The Illiad...do read it and don't think everything in the movie is true...it's not...far from even. The Trojan War lasted 10 years, not 3 weeks....just one of the many mistakes...

Greetz


----------



## Status

Screamers, not as bad as I thought it would be


----------



## Annette

Deep Impact

annette


----------



## Dave

The Day After Tomorrow

Dave


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Day After Tomorrow...which I liked (much better cinema then Troy) and when returning home I noticed Deep Impact was on so watched that too (like Armageddon better but it's good entertainment).

Greetz


----------



## Status

A Knight's Tale


----------



## Status

Reign of Fire


----------



## ray gower

The Transporter
Not laughed so much in ages!


----------



## Highlander II

attempted a viewing of "Mystery Men" - turned it off 5 mins in

watched "Final Fantasy" and nearly died laughing at the fantastical-ness of it all -- big fat 'yeah right' on that one...


----------



## Dave

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.


----------



## Status

Fahrenheit 451 and Guardian


----------



## timdgreat

3 times in a row of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:rolly2:


----------



## buks

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. *



ditto 

wow 
yay 

lol tripple deker rm i think but probly rt 

buks


----------



## Dave

It's the first film to ever take Â£5 Million at the UK Box Office in a single day!


----------



## Highlander II

watched "Phone Booth" - not too bad - a lot more realistic seeming than "Final Destination" -- it was okay -- 

and watched "Kate and Leopold" again -- it's just a fun flick...


----------



## Falcon Horus

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban on friday (will be going back a second time after the exams and maybe a third time on IMAX) and Saving Private Ryan on saturday.

Greetz


----------



## Annette

saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while on hols. kewl film!! 

watched The Lost Boys friday night 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

saw last samurai last night, was a good one:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Last movie I saw in the theater was HP3.


> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while on hols. kewl film!!
> watched The Lost Boys friday night
> annette  *



w0000000t! You saw The Lost Boys!? Awesome. How was it?

Last movie I saw at home was City of God


----------



## Falcon Horus

Harry Potter 1 and 2 (got bored, had to fill in spare time)

Greetz


----------



## Annette

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *
> w0000000t! You saw The Lost Boys!? Awesome. How was it?
> 
> *



It wasn't too bad really, a vampire movie starring Kiefer Sutherland. He looked sooooooo young in it!! Its not scary, has funny parts in it. 

annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Underworld

mmm....Kate Beckinsale  

Greetz :rolly2:


----------



## Dave

I just watched *Ronin*.

It as good but  _"WHAT'S IN THE CASE?"_

It's a very unsatisfactory ending


----------



## timdgreat

just saw a WW2 classic, the great escape:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

hmm - watched lots over the last 4 days - hard to do much else when neck/shoulders are in pain --

and this isn't in order - may not even be all of them...

Kate & Leopold
Aladdin
Hercules (Disney)
Hunchback (Disney)
_Van Helsing_ (yes, again - 3 x's now )
The Cutting Edge
Highlander


er - think that's most of 'em -----


----------



## Evolution

I've just watched the first Harry Potter movie again.


----------



## timdgreat

lol nice list H2,

i just saw blast from the past with brendan frasier, there was nothing else on:blush: :rolly2:


----------



## Status

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with my granddaughter.


----------



## Annette

Watched 'The Mummy' last night, a classic film. I've lost count of the times that I've seen it. 

annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Watched Sister Act I and II again, II in the evening and I in the morning...totally out of sequence but hey I've seen them like a 100 times already. :rolly2: 

Greetz


----------



## Annette

Watched Tomb Raider last night, very good film. 

annette


----------



## Evolution

Scary Movie 3  (very very funny)  :rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

just rewatched Matrix revolutions and Reloaded for the umpteinth time, wow i really have become addicted:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Watched another of my favourite films last night which was Bridget Jones' Diary. Also saw The Others monday night. Very good film. 

annette


----------



## Highlander II

Does it comes as any surprise that the last movies I saw were _Van Helsing_ and _Kate & Leopold_??

haven't really done the movie thing much lately --- but - the weekend is here and I might grab a couple more off the DVD shelf...


----------



## philoSCIFI

Free Willy...lol... the first one.

Tangent: 
I was at work and was going to put a movie in, but didn't know what. The news was on and they were talking about Luna the killer whale in the Vancouver area... heh, I heard the word Vancouver and my ears perked up...I wonder why? LOL
Anyway, Luna's been hanging around the Vancouver area, but shes by herself and not with her pod. To keep company she rubs up against the boats nearby. One guy said people try to have a once in a lifetime experience with it and to hand out with it...saying some people were even pouring beer on her. 

Anyway, there's controversy on how to handle the situation. Theres a situation with the Native people there - Luna may be the reincarnation of one of the elders who had just died (Luna showed up right after he left and said he would come back as a whale). I think the government tried to pen her off and take her out to her pod, but some people don't want her caged... 

I know Keiko (played Willy in the movie) died a while ago from neumonia(sp?). Does anyone have any info on Luna and how shes doing? What they're doing or trying to do now?


----------



## Status

Shrek, it was so cute and funny. My favorite charater is the donky


----------



## Annette

Mission Impossible

Status:- Shrek is a brilliant film. 

annette


----------



## timdgreat

just saw Behind enemy lines:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Men In Black

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Calendar Girls


----------



## Falcon Horus

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Greetz


----------



## Status

The Badge


----------



## Shaun

A few movies I've seen since last time...
Dawn of the Dead
Van Helsing
Next Door
Iceman
Idle Hands
Star Trek X: Nemesis
Jekyll and Hyde
Moonlight Mile
Road to Perdition
28 Days Later
Dirty Harry
Jason X
Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Dead
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Maybe Baby
Ghost Ship
The Transporter
Stargate
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
... and probably a few more.


----------



## philoSCIFI

WOW! That's a lot of movies Shaun. 

Last one I saw was Cold Mountain.


----------



## Annette

Saw Along Came Polly, it was ok i suppose. Makes a change to see Jennifer Anniston in another role.

annette


----------



## Highlander II

Few lately -

Once Upon A Time in Mexico -- not nearly as good as Desperado (which I watched last week)
MIB (watched this last week or week before, not sure if I mentioned it or not)

American Werewolf in London - about as cheesey as you can get - 

1st 10 minutes of the remake of House on Haunted Hill - I won't watch more than that b/c after James Marsters' part is over - the movie sux --


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by Highlander II _
> *American Werewolf in London - about as cheesey as you can get - *



I know I argued this in the 'American Werewolf in London' thread and I got shot down in flames, but it's meant to be cheesy, that's the whole point, it's Ironic!


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> *
> 
> I know I argued this in the 'American Werewolf in London' thread and I got shot down in flames, but it's meant to be cheesy, that's the whole point, it's Ironic! *





Well, yeah - I got that - never expected it to be spectacular - plus - it was made long before the advent of CGI - so, the effects - not really expecting 'oooh - ahhhh' there either -- 

was watching more 'for fun' than anything else -- plus - nothing else on TV but Jurassic Park - which I own and have seen over a dozen times ---


----------



## Status

Yesterday - "Ghosts of Mars"  

Today - "The Notebook" :crying:


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Status _
> Today - "The Notebook" :crying:


 LOL... Reason I'm waiting for it on DVD instead of watchig it in theaters: :crying: in public...I'd be balling. :blush:    :rolly2: Sparks' books are just way too heart-renching... :dead: 


Last movie I saw today was Empire of the Sun... I'm currently watching The Master of Disguise...


----------



## timdgreat

SPIDERMAN 2 

Now thats a great movie:rolly2:


----------



## Falcon Horus

Shrek 2

Puss In Boots is absolutely hilarious. I really enjoyed the film...it was far better than the first one.

Greetz


----------



## Falcon Horus

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...I also saw the director's cut of Underworld.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Falcon Horus _
> *Oh yeah, I almost forgot...I also saw the director's cut of Underworld. *


 Did you also see the theatrical version before seeing it? I saw the first one and haven't seen the directors cut, but I would like to.  How'd you like it?


Last movie I saw wasn't actually a movie... I'm watching the ALIAS DVD's!  Last "movie" movie I saw was Empire Records.


----------



## Falcon Horus

Yup, I saw the theatrical version...already a dozen times (I think). I don't know exactly which one I like most....but more Kate Beckinsale is always a plus.

The director's cut has some added scenes and at least one different scene than in the theatrical version.

Greetz


----------



## Dave

West Side Story
Terminator 3
Alien


----------



## Status

Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave


----------



## Shaun

The Shining (Kubricks version)
Shallow Hal


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (again!!! ) 

annette


----------



## Evolution

"The Others" - I love that film.


----------



## Annette

> _Originally posted by Evolution _
> *"The Others" - I love that film.  *



Yes it is a good film. I saw it again the other week. Borrowed a friends video. 

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Last movie...*

Last movie movie I saw at home was Butterfly Effect. I also watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory last night.


----------



## Highlander II

_Stand By me_
_Six Days, Seven Nights_
_X-Men_

think that's everything from the last several days --


----------



## Evolution

Watched X-Men 2 last night.  Each time I watch it; it just gets better and better.


----------



## tokyogirl

ok, watched disney's 3 musketeers (never gets old)
saw van helsing - it was ok
saw the terminal - pretty good
spiderman 2 - very very good.  i was not disappointed with it at all


----------



## Dave

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by tokyogirl _
> *ok, watched disney's 3 musketeers (never gets old)
> saw van helsing - it was ok
> *




Disney's 3 Musketeers - watched 3/4 of that couple weeks back - I'll get to the rest of it eventually -- 


Now - you know you have to slide into the Movies (end of the alphabet) section and talk _Van Helsing_ with us --- no, not the best movie ever, but a fun ride --- 


er - I've been gearing up for the premier of S8 of SG-1 - so, mostly just watching normal, everyday tv ---


----------



## philoSCIFI

> er - I've been gearing up for the premier of S8 of SG-1 - so, mostly just watching normal, everyday tv ---


 LOL... Highlander... :rolly2: 

Movies I saw today: Ewok Adventure and The Battle of Shaker Heights


----------



## Annette

Daredevil - s'ok LOL

annette


----------



## Highlander II

watched _Chance_ the other day while waiting for something else to come on TV...  love this movie - it's so much fun!!


----------



## philoSCIFI

Agent Cody Banks
Agent Cody Banks 2
The Bourne Identity
That's Dancing
South Park (The Movie)


----------



## sarah2040

Mean Girls
The Core
Return of the King


----------



## Status

Goodfella
Robo Cop 3

Not a lot on TV


----------



## Dave

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom


----------



## sarah2040

Sounds like you're going through the Indiana Jones series Dave.

Rush Hour


----------



## Dave

I am with my son. We still have 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' sitting ready to watch sometime. Having seen them again I would quite like the fourth one to get made, apparently they are still rewriting the script again, but Harrison Ford is getting on a little now, and he won't get any younger if they wait!!

In the meantime I saw 'School of Rock'. From an adult perspective it is better than the usual childrens' films. It's actually worth seeing, though I could pick many holes in the plot if I really wanted to.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Starsky and Hutch


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *Starsky and Hutch *



Is it any good? I heard that it's just played for cheap laughs.

After 'The Avengers', 'Lost in Space', 'Charlies Angels' and other TV to Film conversions, I heard that the next one is going to be 'Knight Rider'!

I forgot to say I'm seeing 'Shrek 2' tomorrow. Just booked tickets. There is too much on at the cinema at the moment. There is too much I want to see and not enough time.


----------



## sarah2040

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> *
> I forgot to say I'm seeing 'Shrek 2' tomorrow. Just booked tickets. There is too much on at the cinema at the moment. There is too much I want to see and not enough time. *



Shrek 2 is fantastic, I saw it the other day. It's one of the few films that are better than the first. Laugh a minute


----------



## philoSCIFI

Starsky and Hutch was alright. It had it's moments. Like you said, a lot of cheap laughs. If you're in the mood for it, it's good.

Knight Rider? You're kidding right?  ... I hope so...


----------



## Annette

Saw Shrek 2 - absolutely hilarious

Spiderman 2 - absolutely brilliant, fantastic special effects, definitely worth a trip to the cinema

annette


----------



## tokyogirl

saw spiderman 2 again!  still great!
batman (the first one)
and not another teen movie


----------



## timdgreat

saw Lord of the Rings REturn of the King:rolly2:


----------



## Status

Thunderbirds Are Go...


----------



## sarah2040

The League of Extroadinary Gentlemen


----------



## Yoda

Loony Tunes: Back In Action :rolly2:


----------



## ray gower

Matched Status with Thunderbirds are Go! 

Put me in mortal dread of the new one


----------



## Status

*After Alice*.... A detective with psychic abilities pursues a serial killer who is obsessed with ``Alice in Wonderland.''

Very challanging and for a change I didn't have anything figured out!


----------



## philoSCIFI

Bourne Supremacy
City of Angels
Ned Kelly


----------



## Annette

Ace Ventura - When Nature Calls

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Coyote Ugly


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Movies*

The Neverending Story
and
Eddie Izzard: Dressed to Kill


----------



## Highlander II

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut


was in a really bad mood - and this fit so well, for whatever reason - doesn't matter - it made me laugh and stuff didn't suck for about 90 minutes...


----------



## Annette

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Cradle of Life

annette


----------



## Jay Jay

King Arthur

J


----------



## Status

Hard Knox


----------



## Shaun

Radio
Big Fish
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Booty Call


----------



## Annette

McCinseys Island LOL (a hulk hogan film ) 

annette


----------



## imported_space monkey

*Re: Movies*



> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *The Neverending Story
> and
> Eddie Izzard: Dressed to Kill *



I love him  I've got D2K, Glorious, Sexie, Unrepeatable and the other one which I can't remember the title of  he is *the* best comedian!! Saw him live last year, yay!

Apart from that little outburst I haven't seen any films recently  Just finally saw Spiderman 2 last week which was great.


----------



## Evolution

Spiderman 2.

It's very very good.


----------



## Highlander II

my weekend movie list:

X-men
X2
Office Space
Someone Like You

Think that was it - there might have been more - was cleaning up the video collection - the one of all the episodes of JAG and L&O that I'm never gonna watch - w/ about 4 exceptions -- yeah, those ---


----------



## Annette

Watched Bad Boys (again!!) LOL

annette


----------



## imported_space monkey

Saw Wedding Singer last night, again!! 5th, maybe 6th time  the songs are so good, ok?


----------



## Annette

Minority Report (again!!) 

annette


----------



## sarah2040

Legally Blonde 2 - not as good as the first but still funny


----------



## Evolution

Tomb Raider 2 - great film!


----------



## sarah2040

Logan's Run
Carry on Teacher


----------



## Status

Dirty Dancing --- got a kick out of my granddaughter.


----------



## Dave

Spider-man 2 a the cinema
Unbreakable on TV


----------



## little smaug

Galaxy Quest :rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

Latest movies;
Resident evil
Chronicles of Riddick
Sirens
Megiddo
Jack Frost
Oceans Eleven
Eyes Wide Shut


----------



## Evolution

Cold Creek Manor


----------



## tokyogirl

ok watched harry potter again  
and last week i went and saw m. night shyamalan's The Villiage - 
it was really good!  it's not like jump out of your seat scary, it's more of a suspense/mystery kind of scary, but it's still really good


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *Galaxy Quest :rolly2: *


 hehehehehe... "Never Give Up! Never Surrender!!!"

Last movie I saw was *Goodbye Lenin*... wow. I must say, good movie.  

OT: evolution, love the avitar! :rolly2:


----------



## Evolution

*Thanks philoSCIFI*

Shrek 2

Going to go and see I-Robot tomorrow, hope the film is as good as the trailer.


----------



## imported_space monkey

Just saw Stepford Wives. Pretty cool, quirky. Bette Midler was great. Lots of cameo roles. Worth watching for all the women power stuff


----------



## Annette

just watched a classic goldie oldie - Summer Holiday - with Cliff Richard LOL

annette :rolly2:


----------



## Dave

I just saw I, Robot and it is quite good. 

There are trailers with it for The Chronicles of Riddick and for Alien vs Predator which also look good, especially Riddick.

Also, 
Bicentennial Man
The Puppet Masters
The Wild Wild West Revisited


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw the bourne identity, it was pretty good contrary to what i had thought of it, now to go see the sequel:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Murder by Numbers

annette


----------



## angelle myst

Once Upon a Time in Mexico.


----------



## Annette

Star Trek Nemesis
Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Toy Story 2

annette


----------



## Status

Star Trek: The Voyage Home
And Mad Max


----------



## Highlander II

what have I watched?

uh - aside from "Chance" and "Oklahoma" - saw *yawn* "Spiderman" - "Van Helsing" was better --


----------



## Status

Just got through watching "The Road to El Dorado", it was so cute and great scores.


----------



## Annette

Went to see I Robot friday night, pretty good film.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

I, Robot...liked it, was pretty good...was very fond of Sonny from the moment we met him.

The Rock...one heck of a funny movie...Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery at their best...

Greetz


----------



## Dave

King Kong -- never actually seen it before, not missing a great deal, but glad that I have.


----------



## timdgreat

Collateral, the new tom cruise and jamie fox movie, it was actually really good i liked it:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Jumpin Jack Flash - an oldie but a goodie. (imao anyway LOL)

annette


----------



## Falcon Horus

Singing In The Rain....oh, I so love that movie...*happy sigh*

Greetz


----------



## Dave

I saw _Garfield_ -- it's strange that since the newspaper cartoons and the books are quite adult, they went all out to make this a kids film. I would place it in the 'Cats and Dogs' category of movies.

I've also seen _Big Fish_ -- it's a Tim Burton film -- I hardly need to say more -- I'm still not sure that I could tell you which story was true, which was made up, and which was just highly exagerated.


----------



## Yoda

Shrek 2
Spider-man 2
Garfield


----------



## Annette

Thunderball - got desperate because there was nothing else on TV.  

annette


----------



## Annette

Watched a few more since Thunderball.

The Mummy
Harry Potter 2
Scooby Doo

annette


----------



## Jay Jay

Went to the pictures to see Scooby Doo 2

J


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Fast And The Furious....oh boy, I want such a car...now!!

Greetz


----------



## Status

Evita


----------



## Falcon Horus

For The Birds

One of Pixar's short films. I so love it. It cracks me up every time I watch it, tears rolling down my face...only once did I fall out of my chair laughing though.

Greetz


----------



## Annette

Pirates of The Carribean (fantastic film)

annette


----------



## Shaun

A few more movies I've seen...
The Village
Revenge of the Nerds IV
Little Shop of Horrors
Night of the Triffids
Dark Star
Alien 3


----------



## timdgreat

my freind and i rented girl next door, it was really funny:rolly2:


----------



## Maria8475

I watched Girl Next Door and was not impressed.  I think the audience was laughing at all the wrong moments 

The most recent thing i saw was The Terminal.  Not quite what i expected but still a nice, sweet little feel good movie with a touch of humour.


----------



## Falcon Horus

Laws of Attraction with Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan...overall, it was boring but nevertheless I had a good laugh when my friend mentioned that Brosnan looked very much like one of our professors. He even combed his hair with his hand in exactly the same way as our professor.

I'd rather see Michael Sheen (who played a rockstar with some serious issues) as Lucian (in Underworld) than as the wacko rockstar.

Greetz


----------



## imported_space monkey

Saw the Terminal this week, loved it, Tom Hanks was fab, only problem was it was quite long but there was alot of humourous moments to pack in. I love Tom Hanks  he definitely made the film what it is, as usual. Worth watching if you're over 18 (my little sister got bored, not enough action for her )


----------



## tokyogirl

i finally saw the bourne supremacy.  loved it!  matt damon rocks!


----------



## Maria8475

yeah i liked that too.  Still haven't seen the first one though


----------



## Annette

Batman - an ultimate classic.

annette


----------



## sarah2040

The Bourne Supremacy - really different from the book but great film
The Terminal
Coyote Ugly
The Living Daylights
Heartbreakers


----------



## Annette

Blade
Final Destination 2

annette


----------



## Dave

*Shaun of the Dead*

A romantic comedy... with Zombies. 

Very British, with Simon Pegg from 'Spaced'.


----------



## Falcon Horus

The Village -> Wow, what a really fantastic film that was!! So great!! And a fabulous soundtrack as well. Will be going back a second time on sunday.

Gladiator -> Just gotta love Ancient Rome, even though the story isn't all that correct, you just gotta love those Romans. Ridley Scott did a fine job with Gladiator.

Greetz


----------



## Annette

The Shawshank Redemption
Blade II

annette


----------



## timdgreat

saw Hero and the Sw trilogy on DVD:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Scooby Doo 2 - i enjoyed it!!

annette


----------



## Yoda

Two Brothers


----------



## Annette

The Game - with Micharl Douglas and Sean Penn
Scooby Doo

annette


----------



## Dave

*The Man Who Knew Too Little*

This was something I'd never heard of before, but it was quite funny. Lots of British comedy faces in it, Americans would probably only recognise Bill Murray and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2). It was very 'Inspector Clouseau'-esque. Murray is gormless and gullible as an American tourist in London who thinks he is performing with the 'Theatre of Life' live-action-role-playing company, but is actually mixed up in a real-life espionage culminating in an assasination attempt. The script is so ludicrous that it is feasible Murray could think it was all just a game.


----------



## Shaun

Seen a few lately (the joys of being a uni student):
Alien vs Predator
Garfield
Starsky and Hutch
The Italian Job
League of Extraodinary gentlemen
Legally Blonde 2
Dodge Ball
Cube
Cube 2: Hypercube
Zoolander


----------



## Falcon Horus

Dodge Ball and The Village

Greetz


----------



## philoSCIFI

*"Courage to Love"* starring Vanessa Williams based on the true story about the first African American Saint.

Agent Cody Banks 2: London Assignment
School of Rock

...
Looking forward to watching Ladder 49 tomorrow!


----------



## Status

The Little Shop of Horrors, not a lot on TV today


----------



## philoSCIFI

Ladder 49  ... good movie


----------



## Status

Epoch Evolution
Timeline


----------



## Status

14 Going on 30

_what a nice dream if we could only turn back time.... sigh_


----------



## Status

Core
Deceived

_looks back over the past few posts and think she has too much time on her hands_


----------



## timdgreat

saw lost in translation, it was a quirky but funny movie i would say:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

Er - lately -

_Kate & Leopold_
_Sabrina_ - the Harrison Ford one (the Bogart one is good too, though)


----------



## Annette

The Day after Tomorrow

annette


----------



## Shaun

Lately I've seen;
Pirates of the Carribean
Little Shop of Horrors (the original)
Both pretty good.


----------



## Annette

The Fifth Element (i love this film!!)
The Mummy (another classic!!)

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *The Day after Tomorrow
> 
> annette  *


 Me too! Me too! I saw it Wed.

I also watched Raising Helen.


----------



## Annette

Bram Stokers Dracula
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

annette


----------



## Highlander II

_Van Helsing_ - 

which, I'll be watching again, several more times...


----------



## philoSCIFI

Monsters Inc.

and

A Cinderella Story


----------



## timdgreat

may the gods save my soul, but i just saw Team America World police.

what a blasphemy that was :evil: :rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

_Van Helsing_
_Van Helsing_
_Van Helsing_

and the bloopers and making of... stuff and er - well, _Van Helsing_


----------



## timdgreat

Farscape the Peacekeeper wars :rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Not quite a movie, but...

SG1 Season 7 DVDs!


----------



## Annette

LOL i've got them but not watched them yet!!

Star Wars Attack of the Clones (again LOL!!!!)

annette


----------



## Status

The Day After Tomorrow :iiworry: :hjbigeyes


----------



## Shaun

Troy
The Butterfly Effect
I, Robot
eXistenZ
Ice Age
Shanghai Knights
Rat race


----------



## Annette

Watched this with the kids yesterday

The Country Bears

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

"jack"

 :rolly2: 

It's really good. I really like it. Its with Stockard Channing, Ron Silver, and Anton Yelchin as Jack

The tagline: "She's coming apart. He's coming out. Raising your parents isn't easy."

FYI: It comes out on DVD December 7th 2004


----------



## timdgreat

nice choice annette

O Brother Where art thou:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Die Another Day (james bond film)

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Donnie Darko


----------



## little smaug

I've just watched The Princess Bride for the first time, and it might now be my favourite film ever. It's just so funny!


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *I've just watched The Princess Bride for the first time, and it might now be my favourite film ever. It's just so funny!  *


 You've never seen The Princess Bride til now?! *gasp*  

   Great movie and loved by all... :rolly2: 
"As You Wish"
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my Father. Prepare to die."

...I'm going to watch Collateral in a few minutes! Yay!


----------



## little smaug

It's not my fault, I'd never even heard about it before. But one of my friends said it was kinda like Labyrinth, so I watched it. (And it's nothing like Labyrinth)

But my favourite line is

*Vizzini: Inconceivable!
Inigo: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. *:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

Then there's: 

Vizzini: No more rhymes now, I mean it!
Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?




hehe --



I'm not gonna answer the actual question to this thread - b/c my answer hasn't changed for the last week and a half...


----------



## little smaug

So has everyone seen this film? Cos I'd seriously never heard of it before this weekend!

Now I'm trying to get all my friends to watch it, so I can quote the good lines at them.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Well, I'm still glad you were able to see it...

LOL... great quotes.  
A few little fun parts:

Miracle Max : He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him. 
Inigo Montoya : He's dead. He can't talk. 
Miracle Max : Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. 

Fezzik : You just shook your head... doesn't that make you happy? 
Westley : My brains, his steel, and your strength against sixty men, and you think a little head jiggle is supposed to make me happy? 

The priest/clergey man who is marrying Buttercup and Humperdink: Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...
That whole scene was funny.

*I too haven't changed my answer regarding this thread (last movie I saw). 
  :rolly2:


----------



## Status

A Nightmare Before Christmas

3rd time now, never cared for the film but never get tired of the music scores in it.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Status _
> *A Nightmare Before Christmas
> 
> 3rd time now, never cared for the film but never get tired of the music scores in it.  *


 OMG! NO way....eeriee

I was just thinking about watching it... Now I _HAVE_ to! Then I came across: http://wilstar.com/holidays/hallown.htm and it's got a "This is Halloween" music clip from that movie! And now I hear you're watching it! 

*whispers* "It's a sign."

MUAHAHAHAHA! :fangs: :upto: :reyes: :errrr:


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> **I too haven't changed my answer regarding this thread (last movie I saw).
> :rolly2: *




Now, is this b/c you haven't watched any other movies, or b/c you've watched the same one another dozen times? 




smaug - don't forget about the ROUS's!


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Highlander II _
> *Now, is this b/c you haven't watched any other movies, or b/c you've watched the same one another dozen times? *


* Hehe. Former? Latter? Lemme see... Latter, but with a footnote.

*A few movies, over and over... and over...etc. again.

ROUS! lol... still amazes me they put a real person in that giant rat suit. Anyone watch it on DVD? Did you check out the special feature?  

*Loves Andre the Giant* Good man. Fezzig... speaking of Fezzig.
My "governator" tried out for the part... Second choice I believe?*


----------



## Highlander II

hehehe -

see- I watched _Van Helsing_ again last night - but I was screencapping - so, does that still count? 




Haven't watched the special features on _The Princess Bride_ yet - but, will do that - sometime ---


----------



## philoSCIFI

Oh oh oh! I just watched Van Helsing again this morning!

It's about midnight. I'm going to start Shrek 2 and if I have time Empire of the Sun.

*wonders if/when she'll go to sleep*



EDIT:  Yeah yeah H2. When you watch the special features of The Princess Bride, ENJOY!  :rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

Can I even count the number of times I've watched _Van Helsing_?? probably not -- 


I didn't watch anything last night - *gasp* - was doing other stuff...


Maybe I'll watch the special features on The Princess Bride tonight --


----------



## timdgreat

well i just saw Van Helsing and The Punisher for the first time, and also watched Return of the king and Xmen 2:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

wooohooo -- now go post in the VH thread tim - 


and well, yeah - i watched VH, watched X-men and X2 too -- 


oh - and philo -- my Princess Bride DVD only has movie trailer extras -- *pout*


----------



## Annette

Independence Day

annette


----------



## Evolution

Alien vs Predator


----------



## Annette

Lost in Space

and watching Chicago in about 25mins

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Highlander II _
> *oh - and philo -- my Princess Bride DVD only has movie trailer extras -- *pout* *



 Awww... bummer. Do you have an older copy?

Last movie I saw was *You've Got Mail*.


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *
> 
> Awww... bummer. Do you have an older copy?
> 
> *



Probably -- guess I'll have to dig up a newer one... 


Last movie I watched was "Bring It On"


----------



## sarah2040

I've watched a lot of films since I last came here, I'll try to remember the better ones

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Wimbledon
Love Actually (anyone see a theme here?)
Sister Act
Runaway Jury
Open Water

There must have been more than that...


----------



## Shaun

I've seen a couple lately...
The Grudge (terrible movie)
Spaceballs (pretty good if in the right mood)
Anger Management


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Shaun _
> *The Grudge (terrible movie)*



Knew there was a reason I didn't rush out to see this -- plus, I've seen Scooby Doo - ugh - *rolls eyes* - bring back Buffy --



I've watched - erm - well - BtVS epsiodes, part of "The Way of the Gun", parts of "Van Helsing" (was screencapping again), "Van Helsing: The London Assignment", and the last 90 or so minutes of "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan"


----------



## Annette

Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason. loved it, thought it brilliant. made me laugh loads. 

annette


----------



## Status

The Frog Prince
A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie


----------



## Highlander II

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

and X-men


----------



## Yoda

The Incredibles


----------



## Annette

have also seen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Incredibles.

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *have also seen Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Incredibles.
> 
> annette  *


 ME TOO!

Going to try and watch Hero tonight! Heads up: Hero comes to VHS and DVD this coming Tuesday!


----------



## Shaun

Seen lately;
Harry Potter and the philosophers stone
Chicago
Se7en


----------



## little smaug

Bridget Jones 2 - not bad
The Incredibles - extremely funny 
Shark Tale - extremely not funny


----------



## FeedMeTV

I loved Bridget Jones!

I saw the Runing Man last night. Fairly good but kind of predictable.


----------



## timdgreat

national treasure and the incredibles, both very funny and worth while movies, most likely the only decent ones out there:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Dodgeball
Miss Congeniality


----------



## Annette

The Stepford Wives

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Call Me Clause
Princess Bride
Confessions of an American Girl
Virgin
... hopefully tonight: "Purple Butterfly"


----------



## Shaun

The Day after Tomorrow
Fight Club
I am Sam


----------



## little smaug

Jurassic Park I & II


----------



## philoSCIFI

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
The Family Man


----------



## timdgreat

the matrix:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

I, Robot
Princess Diaries 2


----------



## Highlander II

Highlander    (Immortal edition)
Highlander II (special edition)


----------



## Shaun

*Loving my holidays...*

King Arthur
The Nugget
Hellboy
Rocky I


----------



## philoSCIFI

A Very Brady Christmas :blush:


----------



## Maria8475

Bridget Jones 2 - which i just loved, but that may have had something to do with Colin Firth 

Princess Diaries 2 - what? my little sister wanted me to take her 

The Grudge - not that great, but had a couple of 'jumping' moments.

The Incredibles - very funny.


----------



## little smaug

The Princess Bride (for about the 100th time )


----------



## Annette

Hellboy
Santa Clause (with Tim Allen)
Santa Clause 2

annette


----------



## Maria8475

The Manchurian Candidate - Haven't seen the original so can't compare, but it wasn't a total waste of two hours.


----------



## Annette

The Muppets Christmas Carol

annette


----------



## Steffi

Matchstick Men, with Nicholas Cage.  I highly recomend it.


----------



## Dave

The Incredibles

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

-- of the two 'The Incredibles' probably has the edge --


----------



## Shaun

Shaun of the Dead - Loved this movie, especially the bit with the Queen song.
Down with Love - Pretty good but didn't like the "twist".
Shark Tale - Not bad, not great either.
Silence of the Lambs - Can't believe I waited this long to see it. Great movie.


----------



## little smaug

Muppet Treasure Island - wouldn't be Christmas without the Muppets 
X-Men
X-2


----------



## Annette

X-Men 2
Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone

annette


----------



## leprykawn

watched Die Another Day last night


----------



## FeedMeTV

A Knight's Tale
HP and the Philosopher's Stone
and 
Star Wars:  A New Hope

all very good!


----------



## Annette

White Christmas
The Court Jester
Poirot - Death on the Nile

annette


----------



## Highlander II

<i>Highlander</i> -- was doing RPG research *g*

And, several episodes of <i>MacGyver</i> - LOVE that show - *begs Paramount to put it out on DVD*


----------



## Annette

Lara Croft - Tomb Raider
Poirot - Murder on the Orient Express

annette


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Lara Croft - Tomb Raider *



I saw that on TV too, didn't you think it was a little far fetched?


----------



## Annette

LOL yeah I suppose so. Mind you I've seen it quite a few times now. If only things were that 'simple' eh?

annette :wave:


----------



## Shaun

Tomb Raider 2
Cheaper by the Dozen
The Usual Suspects - It was alright, not as good as I was led to believe.
Reservoir Dogs - Really liked this movie, very gritty.
The Bourne Supremacy
The Hunt For Red October


----------



## Maria8475

Lemony Snicket - not bad, Jim Carrey was cool.
National Treasure - much better than i was expecting, a well told story, a cool bad guy, a cooler side kick and great one-liners.  Oh and Nicholas Cage was okay too.


----------



## Annette

Spiderman 2 (as the new year was breaking LOL)

annette


----------



## Evolution

Ginger Snaps One, Two and Three.  

An absolutely brillant trilogy of films.  Love them.  Emily Perkins rules!!!!!


----------



## Highlander II

Um - the 3 Austin Powers movies, Van Helsing and BtVS S7


----------



## little smaug

Saw "Phantom of the Opera" at the cinema, and thought it was great.

I also watched "Jerry Springer: The Opera" on TV recently, and it was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!


----------



## Dave

Back to the Future Parts I, II and III (those are still great films)
Carry on Screaming
This is Spinal Tap
The Others


----------



## Maria8475

Ella Enchanted - don't ask.  not my idea.
Phantom of the Opera - was okay.
White Noise - nice neat story, but not brilliant.


----------



## immortalem

*Last movie I saw*

I saw Phantom of the Opera and I loved it.  I thought Gerald Butler (he played the phantom) was brillant.


----------



## Shaun

Star Trek 4 The Voyage Home
Star Trek 7 Generations
Little Shop of Horrors
Full Metal Jacket
Team America: World Police

And I still have Angel seasons 3 & 4 to watch now on DVD  .


----------



## Annette

The Bourne Supremacy :disgust:

annette


----------



## sweetbabe

Team America: World Police - how funny is that film, had me laughing through the whole film!! :rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

The Lion King- Still as good as I remember
SWAT- Not bad but not very memorable
The Forgotten- Terrible movie. It started out well but just went all down hill from there.


----------



## Highlander II

Fortress and Fortress 2


rolling through my Christopher Lambert films....


----------



## Maria8475

Closer - very weird film, gets saved by decent acting.
Million Dollar Baby - absolutely great.  good story, very moving and great acting and directing


----------



## Annette

Chocolat

had me drooling over the chocolate and Johnny Depp :naughty:

annette


----------



## Highlander II

continuing with the Christopher Lambert theme:

Highlander III
Resurrection
Knight Moves


HL:III - totally cr*p storyline, totally cr*p directing, totally cr*p cinematography, not-so-bad on the fighting - not a good addition to the HL timeline, but, alas, 'tis there nonetheless

Resurrection -- awesome movie; directed by Russell Mulcahy (same guy who did HL - the REAL one); also has the guy who played Argyle on The Pretender is in it. Good flick.

Knight Moves - Carl Schenkel film - really good; tons of suspense


----------



## Shaun

K-PAX- Pretty good.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- Brilliant movie.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow- Great fun to watch. It looks great.


----------



## immortalem

I just saw Hide and Seek with Robert De Niro and I hated it.  The movie is slow and the ending is unoriginal.


----------



## FeedMeTV

About A Boy - loads of laugh out loud moments and the ever-watchable Hugh Grant. A nice feel-good film.
The Bourne Identity - really liked this and I'm hoping the Bourne Supremacy will be just a good.


----------



## timdgreat

assualt on precinct 13 and elektra, they were ok nothing great though:rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

Seen...
Garden State
Phone Booth
Elf
The Terminal
All pretty decent except for Garden State which I thought was great


----------



## Highlander II

*thinks*

Highlander II

Lots of eps of MacGyver

Couple eps of BtVS

erm... think that's it for recently ---


----------



## timdgreat

oh thanks for reminding me Shaun, i also saw the Terminal. decent flick i guess:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

Watched - 

The Sicilian (which, while I was watching, realized I had actually seen it before - just not real sure where)

In the Eyes of a Stranger - one of those TV movies Richard Dean Anderson did after MacGyver ended


----------



## Annette

Men In Black II

annette


----------



## Sinistra

recently, i have watched....er



well, its mostly been buffy, but at the moment I am watching S.W.A.T. I went to the cinema a few weeks ago with dmalfoy, maria, and wiki to see 'White Noise'. It wasn't too bad....i thought it could have been a bit scarier though!


----------



## little smaug

I watched "Shallow Hal" on TV last night. It wasn't great, but it was better than what I was expecting.


----------



## Highlander II

Er - ffwd'd through "Wrong Turn" - do NOT watch - is VERY bad - in all kinds of bad ways -


Will watch some other stuff later - I got some movies at Best Buy today - so I have a few things to watch over the next few days.


----------



## Brit Chick

Just came back from Las Vegas and watched a few films on the flight

Anchorman - Will Ferrell, possibly the funniest movie I've seen in ages, except for maybe:
Dodgeball - Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughan - very hilarious

And I also tried to watch I "Heart" Huckabees - but I'm not getting it, really I'm not!  Good cast but maybe I was tired cos a really didnt get the point  I know everyone has raved about it so.............dunno !


----------



## Annette

Enemy of the State

annette


----------



## Sinistra

Charlies Angels 2


----------



## immortalem

I just saw the Wedding Date with Debra Messing and it was a great film.


----------



## Sinistra

I've never heard of that, what is it about?


----------



## philoSCIFI

Donnie Darko: The Directors Cut 
Raise Your Voice


----------



## Maria8475

Meet the Fockers - very funny
Mambo Italiano -  also really funny
Ocean's Twelve - not awful but not nearly as well done as the first one.


----------



## Annette

The Witches of Eastwick
Men In Black II

annette


----------



## little smaug

The Rocky Horror Picture Show - what a classic!


----------



## immortalem

I saw the movie P.S. with Laura Linney and Topher Grace.  Laura Linney's character believes that the character Topher plays is her highschool boyfriend reincarnated.  It was a really good film.


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw troy, and it have to say its wasnt as bad as i thought it would be or as good as i had been lead to beleive, but i still liked it:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Appleseed


----------



## timdgreat

i just saw one of the B5 movies, i dont remember the name it was the one with the souls and the soul collector. :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

lara croft and the cradle of life
scooby doo and the cyber chase

annette


----------



## imported_space monkey

Meet the Fockers, was pretty funny!!


----------



## philoSCIFI

The 10th Kingdom


----------



## timdgreat

the gathering B5:rolly2:


----------



## little smaug

Um...

Meet the Fockers
Labyrinth
The Princess Bride
Red Dwarf  (Series 1)


----------



## Annette

American Pie 2
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

annette


----------



## immortalem

I saw the Notebook and it was a great film.  The film stars Ryan Gosling (who is fine) and Rachel McAdams, who fall in love when they are in their teens and then many years seperate them before they meet up again and try to see if they can rekindle their love.  Has anyone else seen this film?


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by immortalem _
> *I saw the Notebook and it was a great film.  The film stars Ryan Gosling (who is fine) and Rachel McAdams, who fall in love when they are in their teens and then many years seperate them before they meet up again and try to see if they can rekindle their love.  Has anyone else seen this film? *


 I saw it. I was expecting more though. Sparks is a great writer. I haven't read the book, but... I was just expecting more. It was still good though. I'd rather see A Walk to Remember over The Notebook.  

Last movies I saw:

Cube Zero
I <3 Huckabees
Some Like It Hot


----------



## Annette

Disclosure

annette


----------



## Evolution

The Grudge

Brillaint film, sounds excellent with the 5.1 surround sound.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Airplane
Kentuky Fried Movie


----------



## Dave

Star Wars IV
Star Wars VI
Meet the Parents
Ghostbusters
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring


----------



## FeedMeTV

I saw LOTR: FOTR last too Dave, that film never gets old for me


----------



## philoSCIFI

Stargate The Movie (Ultimate Edition)


----------



## timdgreat

constantine, 

colatteral

and cold mountain

all pretty good films:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

I started watching american pie 3 but my dvd player was 'playing' up LOL

annette


----------



## little smaug

I'm in Alan Rickman mode at the minute:

 - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
 - Galaxy Quest
 - Die Hard


----------



## immortalem

Ladder 49 is a great film starring Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta.


----------



## timdgreat

i just got dragged back to constantine for a 2nd time:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

*sigh*

saw Constantine

eh - not bad as a movie, but coulda been way better



Also over the last couple weeks, I've watched:

Highlander
Van Helsing
Resurrection
Josie and the Pussycats
several eps of Brimstone
several eps of The Greatest American Hero
several eps of Forever Knight
half of Angel s5


----------



## little smaug

Ghostbusters
Dogma
The Little Birtain Comic Relief DVD - very funny!


----------



## Yoda

Around the World in Eighty Days


----------



## Status

Quatermass Xperiment


----------



## Maria8475

In Good Company - it was wiki's idea 
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - funny, not what i was expecting.


----------



## Annette

mrs doubtfire

annette


----------



## Status

Quatermass 2


----------



## FeedMeTV

James Bond: The World is Not Enough


----------



## immortalem

I just saw Alfie and it was pretty good.  I think the ending could have been a little better but overall it was a good film.


----------



## Status

Quatermass, The Pit
Unlawful Entry
Rich Man's Wife


----------



## Annette

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (the 1971 original) LOL

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (the 1971 original) LOL
> 
> annette  *


 OMG! ME TOO! 

I watched it intentionally for the "golden ticket" song... :blush: 

Last movies I saw:
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Stage Beauty (on DVD available tomorrow)
Earthsea (on DVD available tomorrow)

Stage Beauty was... wow. 
Earthsea... hehehe  :rolly2:


----------



## timdgreat

just saw Farscape the Peace Keeper War

i gots it on Dvd:rolly2:


----------



## little smaug

"Blow Dry" - a very funny film, but Josh Hartnett should _never_ attempt a Yorkshire accent!


----------



## Annette

Space Jam 

the music in the film is brilliant LOL

annette


----------



## Status

Westworld
Futureworld
Terms of Endearment
Walk on the Moon


----------



## philoSCIFI

Love Actually


----------



## Annette

The Canterville Ghost with my hero Patrick Stewart

annette


----------



## Status

I got these 2 as a set for the Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a Redneck if..." & "Check your neck"

But the one that came with it was the best!

"Bill Engvall, Here's Your Sign Live" He is something else! 

They are both stand-up comics.


----------



## Yoda

Robots :nuts:  :monkee:


----------



## Jolinar

Constantine...
today hehe.


----------



## timdgreat

conspicarcy:rolly2:


----------



## little smaug

What Lies Beneath - very slow, but has a good ending.


----------



## Annette

Back to the Secret Garden

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Alegria!

The 1998 version from First Look Pictures. I love this movie!  :rolly2:


----------



## Dave

Hollow Man
Five Children and It


----------



## Shaun

Brazil
Hannibal
Fight Club
Team America
The Incredibles
Alfie


----------



## Status

Garfield the Movie (cute )


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Jumanji

annette


----------



## little smaug

Miss Congeniality 2
Earthsea


----------



## Annette

Mulholland Drive (Such a weird film)

Anyone else seen it? 

annette


----------



## Yoda

Paradise
Five Children and It


----------



## timdgreat

Star WArs 2:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Other Sister


----------



## Annette

Men In Black II (again LOL)

annette


----------



## little smaug

DIE HARD!!! :rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Freaky Friday
Anastasia
Galaxy Quest


----------



## little smaug

Truly Madly Deeply
Close My Eyes


----------



## FeedMeTV

The Ring 2


----------



## Highlander II

well, my standard...

_Van Helsing_


and... ummmmm.... I know I watched something else - 

Oh - 

_Someone Like You_


It musta been Hugh Jackman week or something.


----------



## Status

The Wings of the Dove
Witness


----------



## timdgreat

Sin city, a great movie, but i would suggest some caution for some people:rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Bad Boys II
Jumanji

annette


----------



## little smaug

Air Force One


----------



## Status

Earthsea -- I donâ€™t care what the reviews say I completely enjoyed this film. Could be because Iâ€™ve never read the books it was based on by Ursula K Le Guin, and itâ€™s along the lines of LOTR, which I thought a very well done story, with a surprising twist near the end.


----------



## little smaug

I agree - all the reviews I read completely slandered it, but I thought it was pretty good. Not as good as the books, but still good. Perfect for a Sunday tea-time.


----------



## ray gower

Spent my time watching Rex Harrison being typically English in Doctor Dolittle. Still a far better fantasy outing than Eddie Murphy!


----------



## sweetbabe

I last saw Little Black Book, which I found to be quite funny, but a little sad too, and I saw Redemption, which was abit slow and confusing to begin with but it was a really good story line


----------



## little smaug

Closet Land - very weird, but one of the best films I have ever seen.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Hitchhikers Guide to eh Galaxy... I love the BBC... lol...
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 3 on DVD


----------



## little smaug

'Hitchhikers' was on? 

How did I miss that?!


----------



## Annette

The League of ExtraOrdinary Gentlemen

annette


----------



## Status

Rocket Man


----------



## Highlander II

er- been watching "Invisible Man" - 

but - um - watched "Neverwhere"

and... honestly, that might be it.


----------



## Yoda

I saw Sahara and liked it.

Al Giordino was my favourite character always losing his hat,
doing stupid things.


----------



## Annette

Daredevil

annette


----------



## Dave

I also saw Sahara and enjoyed it. Before I went I read several reviews about how bad it was; how the story was unbelievable. Obviously, you need to suspend disbelief for a film of this kind, but it was no worse than any James Bond film.


----------



## Maria8475

> _Originally posted by Yoda _
> *I saw Sahara and liked it.
> 
> Al Giordino was my favourite character always losing his hat,
> doing stupid things. *



Me too, i loved him from the books, which is why i wanted to watch it.  And he was great - "You get the girl, I'll get the bomb."


----------



## Status

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Dr Dolittle
Van Helsing


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Status _
> *Van Helsing *




YES!!




I've watched - 

_Miss Congeniality
Eurotrip_


both were pretty good... Miss Congeniality I'd seen before tho -


----------



## philoSCIFI

_Cirque du Soleil - Alegria: An Enchanting Fable_ for the 40th time.  I love this movie! I love the music! I love the story! I love the artistic theater/gymnastics/clowns(yes even the clowns...especially the clowns) and everything about this movie! 

I just found out Whoopi Goldberg is in it! LOL. After the 40th time watching it and listening to the audio commentary.  I knew she looked familiar.  I'm slow.:rolly2: 

And the lady who plays Guiletta(sp) was the Childlike Empress!!! LOL.

*happy sigh* I love this movie.


----------



## Dave

Over the last week I've watched Episodes IV, V, VI, I & II!

I tried to watch the Clone Wars animation too, but the DVD is faulty and will have to be returned. 

Guess what I'll be seeing this week?


----------



## timdgreat

like you have to ask,

i have seen Star Wars episode 3 Revenge of the Sith 4 times in less then 24 hours of it being our:d:rolly2:


----------



## Status

Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within

I was really impressed, although it was computer generated the charaters were so life like. Very well done.


----------



## Yoda

The last movie I went to see was Star Wars Episode III. And I'm going to see it again on Friday 27th.  :rolly2: :alienooh:


----------



## Status

The Silence of the Lambs


----------



## FeedMeTV

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith and seeing it again today! Do you think we're all a bit obsessed?


----------



## imported_space monkey

Am I  traitor to scifi? I've never seen any Star Wars films ...


----------



## Annette

National Treasure with Nicholas Cage. Pretty good film, reminds me of The Mummy (same sort of thing with finding clues etc etc) LOL

annette


----------



## immortalem

I saw Crash and it was really good.  I plan on seeing Star Wars-Revenge of the Sith in the next day or two.


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Aviator
Pooh's Heffalump Movie
Are We There Yet

And, I'm watching _GI Jane_ right now before I head off to work to watch more movies.


----------



## Annette

Forgot to mention that am going to see Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith on wednesday night LOL

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Seabiscut(sp?)


----------



## timdgreat

Ghost in a shell, a really good anime i would suggest for anyone intrested in the genre:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Last movie I saw was a Winnie the Pooh movie. :\ It was alright.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm looking for some comedy, drama, and/or slight action. Perhaps something from the 70s, 80s, or early 90s. Any ideas or suggestions would be great.


----------



## Highlander II

Watched:

_Miracle_ (or is it The Mircale?) - Disney, hockey - not the Mighty Ducks - that one - 

and _Dogma_ - well, most of it - skipped through some parts b/c it was 2am...


----------



## philoSCIFI

Pooh's Heffalump Movie
Get A Clue
Spiderman 2
Short Curcuit 2
Grass


----------



## Dave

Meet the Fockers
The Graduate


----------



## little smaug

Catch Me If You Can
Something's Gotta Give


----------



## FeedMeTV

Love Actually

made me feel all Christmassy!


----------



## Highlander II

Oh, there's a bit of a list...


Better Than Sex
The Bank
Molokai
Van Helsing (duh)

Also some episodes of "The Dead Zone" and "The Invisible Man"


----------



## Dave

The Thing... from another world
Alien versus Predator

quite similar actually, though one cost a bit more!


----------



## philoSCIFI

Watched the following at work today:
Aladdin
The Return of Jafar
Modern Times
Riding Giants

Watching right now:
Newsies  ... starring Christian Bale, the latest actor to play Batman! :rolly2:


----------



## Status

War of the Worlds :errrr:


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Status _
> *War of the Worlds :errrr: *



 Did ya like it?


----------



## Annette

Caught Bad Boys II again over the weekend. Love that film!!! LOL

annette


----------



## timdgreat

i have recently been witness to the following movies,

Mr and Mrs Smith (good humor but the plot was weak, not to mention that knowing most of hte plot before hand didnt help)

and Batman Begins,  (starts out slow but picks up nicely for a good ending):rolly2:


----------



## little smaug

The Forgotten - pretty good, but a silly ending.

The Ring - complete rubbish. The book was loads better.


----------



## ray gower

Revenge of the Sith- Not exactly an entertaining film


----------



## Shaun

Lately seen:
White Noise (not bad, but dumb ending)
The Ring 2 (I though it was pretty good, especially for a sequel)
and Batman Begins (Brilliant film, best of the batman movies for me)


----------



## Annette

Revenge of the Sith and Batman Begins

annette


----------



## Status

The One
The Music Man
Cabaret
Dr Dolittle
End of Days
and the Whole of SG-1 season 7

 Amazing how much time you have to fill without your compter!


----------



## timdgreat

blues brothers, god thats a funny movie:rolly2:  :rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Miss Congeniality 2
A Knights Tale
Hitch


----------



## Status

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *
> A Knights Tale
> *



Good film, I might watch it again. 


Toy Story


----------



## Highlander II

Kate & Leopold

couple eps of MacGyver

that's about all for now


----------



## Status

I tried watching Final Destination 2, but stopped it. Not sure I want to see the rest of it. :errrr:


----------



## little smaug

It's not as scary/yucky as the first one, if that helps. 



Shall We Dance - not great, but not too bad.


----------



## timdgreat

Enemy at the gates.:rolly2:


----------



## Shaun

Fargo
Alien
Porkys

Ahh, holidays are great


----------



## philoSCIFI

_Bewitched_ starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell(sp?)

_Farewell to Harry_ starring Joe Flannigan


----------



## FeedMeTV

War of the Worlds

very good indeed.


----------



## Dave

I also saw War of the Worlds and liked it.

Just watched The Matrix.


----------



## Dave

Back to the Future

and

Blast from the Past


----------



## immortalem

I just saw the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman and it was a great film.  The story was great and the acting was phenemenal.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Batman Begins


----------



## Annette

Finding Neverland and Van Helsing

annette


----------



## immortalem

I just saw Million Dollar Baby and it was very good.  Hillary Swank was very good in this film.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*28 Days* starring Sandra Bullock


----------



## Highlander II

lately -

_Better Than Sex
Van Helsing: The London Assignment_

and a couple other Hugh Jackman-y things...


that's about it


----------



## timdgreat

bourne identity, constantine, and hellboy:evil: :rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

1st - Tim, anyone here 'sides us?

2nd - Tim, you Gatecon'ing this year?

3rd - 


_Van Helsing_ - or, part of it...


----------



## philoSCIFI

1st... I'm here! I'm here!  

In Laws (remake)
In Laws (original)
Virginia's Run


----------



## timdgreat

lord of the rings return of the king:rolly2:


----------



## little smaug

*welcome back philoScifi!*

Batman Begins


----------



## Annette

I'm here too.

Inspector Gadget
Watching Bugsy Malone as I type - what a classic!!!

annette


----------



## little smaug

Everybody is coming back. 


Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - love that film! :rolly2:


----------



## Annette

Madagascar
Pirates of the Carribean
Star Trek Nemesis
Blade

annette


----------



## little smaug

Fantastic Four, which was quite disappointing.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Thanks for the wb little_smaug.  

Last movie I saw was "The Natural".

EDIT: WOOHOO!!! New alien! YAY! :alienooh:  :rolly2:


----------



## immortalem

The Upside of Anger which is quite funny and has great acting in it by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by immortalem _
> *The Upside of Anger which is quite funny and has great acting in it by Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. *



 You just used "great acting" and "Kevin Costner" in the same sentence! *shudders*


----------



## Evolution

Fantastic Four.

erm...not that good, a very poor story, but with cool special effects.  Roll on X-Men 3


----------



## philoSCIFI

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle

I didn't originally want to see this movie, but a good friend recommended I see it. So I did. And, oddly enough I liked it.


----------



## little smaug

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about which I have mixed feelings - there were bits I loved, and bits I hated.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about which I have mixed feelings - there were bits I loved, and bits I hated.  *


I'm assuming you mean the remake with Johnny Deep. I'm still contemplating if I should see it in the theaters or if I should wait for the DVD.

Last movies I saw:
American Psycho (Never read the book, but am interested now...)
Assault on Precinct 13
Top Hat
Shall We Dance

Fred Astaire rocks!


----------



## little smaug

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *I'm assuming you mean the remake with Johnny Deep. *


Yup. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I adore. This one, not so much.  But lots of people I know think it is great, so that's probably just me. 



> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *American Psycho (Never read the book, but am interested now...)*


The book is loads better than the film, I would definately recommend it. 


As for me, I've raided my sister's DVD collection while she's on holiday. :rolly2: 

Love Actually
Strictly Ballroom
Bring It On 2
School of Rock
Four Weddings and a Funeral


----------



## Annette

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (which I loved btw) 
Tom & Jerry and the Magic Ring
The Mummy (again!!) LOL
Space Jam

annette


----------



## Highlander II

erm, well, since i was at Gatecon a couple weeks back...


saw:

New BSG gag reel (not funny)
Andromeda S5 blooper reel (hilarious)

Richard Hatch's movie trailer things (think BSG meets Babylon 5 meets Farscape)



I've also been watching episodes of "The Sentinel"

and I tossed "Better Than Sex" into the DVD player again


----------



## Status

Black Hole
Radical Jack
Constantine


----------



## philoSCIFI

Ray


----------



## Trunks

Fantastic 4 >.>;;


----------



## Annette

The Generals Daughter
The Mummy Returns

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Wedding Date
Sin City


----------



## little smaug

Salem's Lot  - not bad to say how old it is, though I'm sure a horror film shouldn't make me laugh so much! :blush:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Cheaters


----------



## timdgreat

starship troopers:blush: :rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

Ladder 49

and *gasp*

Van Helsing


----------



## Annette

Disclosure and LOL Van Helsing - what a cool movie!! Watched half of Finding Nemo - still not seen it all LOL

annette


----------



## Evolution

the Ring 2


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Princess Bride


----------



## Jay Jay

Seabiscuit

Sweet Home Alabama

J
x


----------



## philoSCIFI

Funky Monkey
Singin' In The Rain
Tarzan


----------



## immortalem

I just saw the Ring 2 and it was okay.  I was hoping it was going to be really good but I found it to really lack in parts.  It was very slow in the middle and the ending was bad.  This movie could have been so much better.


----------



## Annette

The Transporter

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Demolition Man

and

Strings

First reaction to "Strings"?   Wow. If you haven't heard of it or seen it, it's worth checking out or at least learning about it. The DVD says fantasy/animation, but... wow. I thought it was more fantasy/traditional (true)"Craft" of puppeteering. It was... amazing.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374248/


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (twice LOL)

annette


----------



## Status

Sky Captain and hte World of Tomorrow
The Village


----------



## philoSCIFI

Brothers Grimm


----------



## Annette

I Robot and The Saint

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story 2


----------



## Dave

Where Eagles Dare
Reign of Fire

Herbie Fully Loaded
-great soundtrack, ridiculous story


----------



## Annette

Herbie Fully Loaded (what a classic)!!

Flatliners and Dr No

annette


----------



## immortalem

I saw Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events with Jim Carrey.  It was really good and the scene designs were incredible.  I really like the look of the film.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by immortalem _
> *I saw Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events with Jim Carrey.  It was really good and the scene designs were incredible.  I really like the look of the film. *



Good movie! Although I know a couple of people that hate it, I really enjoyed it.  

Last movies I saw:

Brave New Girl
Liar Liar
Eddie Izzard: Dress To Kill
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Fantasia 2000


----------



## little smaug

Valiant - funnier than I was expecting, and Ricky Gervais was on fine form.


----------



## Evolution

watched the ginger snaps trilogy again.  

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!


----------



## timdgreat

just saw the transporter 2, was pretty good, nice action, but some pretty imposible stunts even for jason S.:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Pocahontas(sp)
An Extremely GOOFY Movie
The Neverending Story

Meh... video stores in the morning can be a slow and lonely beginning to a day...


----------



## little smaug

Pride and Prejudice - a lot better than I was expecting.


----------



## Annette

The Jacket (what a weird film!!) Anyone else seen it?

annette


----------



## FeedMeTV

The Last Samurai


----------



## immortalem

The Interpreter with Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman.  It was a very good suspense film with a great story.


----------



## Annette

You Only Live Twice

annette


----------



## ray gower

Serenity- A really good Firefly episode

Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning- Wish I understood Finnish it looks better than it sounds


----------



## little smaug

Serenity. Twice.


----------



## Annette

Nanny McPhee LOL

annette


----------



## Steffi

Kung Fu Hustle....watched it last night...weird but brilliant


----------



## Dave

We saw Nanny McPhee too!


----------



## Annette

Wallace and Gromit and The Were Rabbit

annette


----------



## Dave

Yes, we saw Wallace and Grommit too.

Anyone seen Sky High?

Anyone seen Harry Potter yet?


----------



## Annette

You can tell it's been half term can't you? 

Not seen Sky High, only a preview, same goes for HP but hoping to see it the 25th November.

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom on at the mo

annette


----------



## Highlander II

watched _Oklahoma_ yesterday... and i watched about 6 episodes of _The Pretender_ the other night... yay! tP on DVD!


----------



## ray gower

Wallace and Gromit and The Were Rabbit


----------



## Highlander II

Recently...

Secretary and Erskineville Kings - not remotely related


----------



## ray gower

Batman Begins


----------



## FeedMeTV

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

btw, where is the thread for this? I presume there is one?!?!?!


----------



## Annette

Yes there is, its in the Books and Comics section if this link doesn't work 

http://www.ascifi.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=20140&highlight=harry

Batman Forever

annette


----------



## Yoda

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


----------



## darkghost

saw 2

blood,blood,blood...........................

and a twist that is weird to say the least:alienooh:


----------



## little smaug

Finally got around to seeing Goblet of Fire.


----------



## philoSCIFI

In theaters... RENT!!! And... surprise surprise... Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

on DVD:
Refer Madness
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (a BBC version)


----------



## Shaun

Lately I've seen,
National Treasure
Flight of the Phoenix
Boondock Saints
Stepford Wives
Chinatown
Aladdin
Monsters Inc.
You can probably tell I'm on uni holidays now  .


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Shaun _
> *
> You can probably tell I'm on uni holidays now  . *



 Already? Lucky bugger...  I still have a week or two. Interesting list by the way.


----------



## Shaun

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> * Already? Lucky bugger...  I still have a week or two. Interesting list by the way.  *


Yep, and I finished a couple of weeks ago . And I have no more uni unti late febuary next year. 

Yesterday I watched Blade Trinity and Star Trek: First Contact (for the millionth time ) and today it was Junior. At this rate I'm going to run out of movies to watch before I go back.


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
Die Another Day

annette


----------



## darkghost

carry on england

what can i say
1) i was bored
2) nothing on 
3) now i know what the worst carry on movie is:alienooh:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Donnie Darko
Blue Velvet


----------



## Annette

S.W.A.T 

annette


----------



## Highlander II

ummmm...

do trailers count?

B/c X3 and The Fountain are the trailers I've watched recently.


movies... ummmmm .... i watched X-Men the other day and several episodes of Buffy..


----------



## philoSCIFI

There's a trailer out for The Fountain?

Last movie I saw in theaters was last night/this morning. I watched _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_.


----------



## Annette

Watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was absolutely brilliant

Saw trailers for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest and I can't wait to see it :flash: 

annette :wave:


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by Annette _
> *Watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It was absolutely brilliant
> 
> Saw trailers for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest and I can't wait to see it :flash:
> 
> annette :wave: *


Ditto.

Will see King Kong next week.


----------



## Status

Fantastic 4 

:rolly2:


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *There's a trailer out for The Fountain?*




Indeed there is... 

and there's a link to it in the thread here for The Fountain


*watching Coyote Ugly right now*


tried to watch an MST3K... but it was Joel and not good, so had to stop....


----------



## philoSCIFI

Cool. Thanks for the link.

Last movie I saw was White Christmas. It was on tv. Currently watching The Sound of Music... also on tv right now.


----------



## Annette

Santa Clause 2
Space Jam

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Demolition Man
Race to Space
A Very Brady Christmas

and planning on watching _Once Upon A Matress_ tonight on ABC.


----------



## little smaug

King Kong
2 Weeks Notice
Fievel Goes West


----------



## Highlander II

X2  - watching it now actually

That's about it...


----------



## darkghost

close encounters of the third kind
the warriors

seeing exorcism of emily rose and king kong tomorrow:alienooh:


----------



## Status

Carry On Cleo


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *King Kong
> 2 Weeks Notice
> Fievel Goes West *



FIEVEL!!! OMG! I haven't seen those movies in ages! I loved Fievel! Hope you enjoyed it!  Nostolgic moment... squee!  :rolly2:

EDIT: I forgot to write what the last movie I saw was... lol

Last movie I saw in the theater was "Rumor Has It"


----------



## Status

Carry On Up the Khyber
Serenity


----------



## Steffi

Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Oh and The Great Escape......couldn't resist watching it again


----------



## philoSCIFI

Camp Nowhere


----------



## FeedMeTV

Saw the first half of the Terminator - never  seen it before and actually got kinda bored....


----------



## Dave

King Kong
Christmas with the Kranks
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Fantastic Four
Catch Me If You Can
Doctor Who: The Movie


----------



## Shaun

Danny the Dog (Unleashed)
Bad Santa
Who Framed Roger Rabbit


----------



## edott

well i have kids so the last movie i saw at the theater was cheaper by the dozen part two. last DVD i watched was serinity.
which i will probably watch again this week.


----------



## philoSCIFI

feedmeTV, you've never seen the Terminator?

EdOtt, how'd you like Cheaper By the Dozen 2? Have you already seen the first one?

Last movie I saw was *Surrender Dorothy*.


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
Beverley Hills Cop I
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Collateral

annette


----------



## Highlander II

Mostly I've been watching TV shows on DVD...

but the last movie I watched was _Highlander_


----------



## Status

Bewitched
War of the Worlds
Slipstream :dead: 
Battlestar Galactica :rolly2: 
Starting to watch Battlestar Gaalactica Season 1


----------



## Dave

I know what you mean about 'Slipstream', but I've seen worse things!

I also was disappointed when I first saw 'Terminator' because it is very low budget, but the story itself is good - lets face it, it is the same as 'Terminator 2' (but better being that it's about the mother of the unborn child rather than the boy himself) at a fraction of the cost. But then the story is ripped off an even older Harlan Ellison 'Outer Limits' story called 'Soldier'.

I just watched:

Robots
Chicago
War of the Worlds


----------



## philoSCIFI

Which Slipstream version? I haven't seen the new one that has nothing to do with the old movie with the same title.

Last movie I saw was *Casanova*.


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *Which Slipstream version? I haven't seen the new one that has nothing to do with the old movie with the same title.*


I didn't even realise there was more than one 'Slipstream'. 

I was thinking of the Mark Hamil film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098350/

I'd never heard of this film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381601/ before.


----------



## ray gower

My Fair Lady and learnt some horrifying facts

Imagine this film with Warner Bros. first choices for Higgins and Doolittle - Cary Grant and James Cagney!

Or their second choice for Eliza- Elizabeth Taylor!


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> *I didn't even realise there was more than one 'Slipstream'.
> 
> I was thinking of the Mark Hamil film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098350/
> 
> I'd never heard of this film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381601/ before. *



Yeah. I own the Mark Hamil version. Terrible movie. The new film looks interesting, but I have some misgivings. I don't know if I want to see it or not. I'm waiting on more reviews... more reliable reviews.

The manager at the loacl video store hasn't seen My Fair Lady. He didn't get to see it on the big screen and is "saving it."  The theater down the hill plays an eclectic(sp) array of movies. They have an annual Sound of Music sing-a-long. :rolly2: But, we'll just have to wait and see if My Fair Lady will show there.  I can't picture anyone else playing Eliza or Dr. Doolittle. It's just... wrong. :dead: 

Last movie I saw was *Magic Rock*. :dead:


----------



## Steffi

Watched 'Saw' the other night better than expected.

Night before that 'An awfully Big Adventure'...surprisingly good.


----------



## Highlander II

_Highlander II_ was the last one I watched... the anniversary edition even.... 


do you even KNOW how many copies of the Highlander films I own? 


I even watched the extras... including the really really really bad 'fairytale' ending that they never finished and was, THANKFULLY, NOT included in the movie.  If you thought HL:II was bad just the way it was.... think of it w/ a sappy ending with Connor rising off into the starry sky, calling to Virginia Madsen's character to come with him...  

Oh man, I can't even describe it anymore... it hurts babies and puppies and Christmas...

ie: If you thought the 'mufasa' ending to _Van Helsing_ was uber-cheese.... this 'ending' for HL:II was SO much worse...


----------



## Steffi

I only ever liked the first one...I didn't know they did alternate endings for HII



> If you thought HL:II was bad just the way it was.... think of it w/ a sappy ending with Connor rising off into the starry sky, calling to Virginia Madsen's character to come with him...


----------



## Steffi

Oh yes......watched 'The Glimmer Man' last night my husband likes Steven Seagal


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Steffi _
> *I only ever liked the first one...I didn't know they did alternate endings for HII
> 
> *



I like 1 and 2; 3 is a rehash of 1 with a bad script and too many special effects and 4 is just garbage.  However - there are 2 versions of most of them - HL has 2 versions - the Euro release and the US release - the Euro one's better - it has some scenes that help the flow of the movie; HL:II has 2 versions, the 'we're from another planet' version and the 'we're from so far in the past that it almost breaks time' version - they're about the same; HL:III probably also has 2 versions, but it was, I think, straight to video, so I don't know if more than one release is available; and HL:IV just has alternate endings on the video.

However, HL:IV is so full of horrendous characterization and uber-stupid plot ideas, not to mention all kinds of stupid stuff that breaks canon farther than HL:II ever could that it's not even the same universe anymore.  Check out the Highlander section (that I'd link to if I had enough time to grab the link - I'm at work, I even typed up this reply in Word before pasting it into the reply window b/c I'm uber-strapped for 'net time while I'm here and they get really 'childish' about the 'monitoring'... so I'm keeping m'head down... *le sigh*) - for my list of 'things that would never happen had Gregory Widen been in charge of HL:IV' or something like that.


----------



## ray gower

Invasion. aka HG Wells War of the Worlds (2005) version 3


----------



## philoSCIFI

Glory Road
Kids World
Swing Kids
A Far Off Place


----------



## darkghost

2010
aliens
alien resurrection
wishmaster
the wall


----------



## philoSCIFI

Stargate - Ultimate Edition


----------



## Steffi

Watch......THE JACKET...brilliant... ..enjoy


----------



## philoSCIFI

That's interesting. I've heard mixed reviews about "The Jacket" I have yet to see it, so... I dunno. Did you find it more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie?

Last movie I saw was in theaters. I saw Brokeback Mountain. I thought it was alright. I thought I would like it more, but I guess I fell into the hype about the movie. Oh well. It was pretty good.


----------



## little smaug

Really? I just watched Brokeback Mountain and thought it was excellent. It made me cry, though. :blush:


----------



## Steffi

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *That's interesting. I've heard mixed reviews about "The Jacket" I have yet to see it, so... I dunno. Did you find it more of a psychological thriller than a horror movie?
> 
> Last movie I saw was in theaters. I saw Brokeback Mountain. I thought it was alright. I thought I would like it more, but I guess I fell into the hype about the movie. Oh well. It was pretty good. *



I wouldn't call it a horror movie, definetly a thriller.....and look out for Fish (Merrilion).

Not sure I fancy Brokeback mountain.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *Really? I just watched Brokeback Mountain and thought it was excellent. It made me cry, though. :blush: *



SEE! That's exactly the type of reviews I keep hearing. My cousin saw it and she said she cried too. Did I miss something? What about it made you cry? Did you cry at the end? Where in the movie were you crying?

 *is confused* I don't get it.  

Steffi, "Fish (Merrilion)" ... ? Is that a movie thats coming out soon to theaters?

The last movie I saw was "The Client"


----------



## Highlander II

Errrr- movie?  ummmm - I watch "Moulin Rouge" the other night.

Part of "MIB" and "Mystery, Alaska"

Mostly - I've been watching "SG-1" - I'm on S6


----------



## Steffi

> Steffi, "Fish (Merrilion)" ... ? Is that a movie thats coming out soon to theaters?



No he's a singer out of the band Merriilion, he's in The Jacket

I watched Moulin Rouge the other night


----------



## philoSCIFI

Hmm... everyone seems to be watching Moulin Rouge... maybe I'll watch that tonight.  

I haven't been watching many movies as of late. Like Highlander I'm working my way through my Stargate DVD's. I'm in season 4.  I just finished WoO and Watergate last night. :rolly2: I was actually trying to have a Stargate marathon before school started. I started about a week before school started and I still haven't finished.  

In a few hours, I'll be in my "Film and the Holocaust" class. We'll be watching "Memorandum" (Brittian & Spotten, NFBC) and "Night and Fog" (Renais & Cayrol). Actually I should get to reading that "Night and Fog" script before class.  This class rocks. Last week we saw "Hangman" and "Interregnum"... I think Hangman was by the same guy who made Tom and Jerry. It was cartoon, but it was intense.

I ramble. Back to that script reading...


----------



## little smaug

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *
> 
> SEE! That's exactly the type of reviews I keep hearing. My cousin saw it and she said she cried too. Did I miss something? What about it made you cry? Did you cry at the end? Where in the movie were you crying?*



You didn't think it was sad at the end? 

Ok, spoilered for people who haven't seen it yet - 



Spoiler



I was a little bit sniffly when Jack and Ennis had their last fight at the mountain, and when we found out that Jack had died. The bit that really got me was when Ennis went to Jack's parents' house, and found that shirt, and cuddled it to him.

I guess I'm just a big softie at heart. :blush:


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *You didn't think it was sad at the end? *



I thought it was sad, but it wasn't sad enough to move me to tears. *shrugs* For some reason it just didn't do it for me. I didn't really connect to the characters as much I guess. 



Spoiler



I did get really sad when he went to the parents house after he found out about his loves ultimate demise.



Last movies I saw were "Night and Fog" and "Memorandum".
"Night and Fog"... woah. I'm speechless so I'll quote.

From the Preface of Indelible Shadows:
"When I was a graduate student at Yale... I saw the film _Night and Fog_, and, for the first time, I had an inkling of what my parents - among others - had endured. The film provided a shape for, and a handle on, abstract fears" (Insdorf xiii).


----------



## Steffi

We've just watched..'Guarding Tess' again


----------



## philoSCIFI

The beginning of "A Brief History of Time" and all of "The Tripplets(sp?!) of Belleville(sp?)"


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

annette :blush: 

_have been ill and nothing to do but watch TV LOL_


----------



## Highlander II

still rolling through _Stargate SG-1_ - I'm on S7...

And this weekend - I'll be away at a 'mini-con' (ie: gathering of a bunch of us sci-fi geek types watching all sorts of things - mostly related to our RPGs)


it'll probably be a long list... we'll see


----------



## philoSCIFI

Ditto Highlander. I'm in the middle of season 5.


----------



## Highlander II

Just spent the weekend at a friend's house and we've watched more stuff than you can shake a stick at:

House, MD
Highlander II extras disc (it hurts the brain, trust me)
BtVS
AtS
The Pretender
Profiler
Stargate SG-1
MacGyver
Forever Knight
Weiss Kruse (forgive my bad German spelling, I only saw the cover on the DVD once - this was friend's DVD and the english title is 'Knight Hunters')
Automan (goes WAY back)
Jeffrey
Chance
Swordfish (we skipped to all the good parts )
VH: TLA
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Greg the Bunny
Forever Knight bloopers / deleted scenes / fan vids


ummmmm - I think there was more - but my brain ran out of space...


----------



## Steffi

wooow..did you have a good weekend.  

Highlander was on last night....watched it again

Isoooo want to watch Jeffrey


----------



## philoSCIFI

Holy Hannah Highlander! HOLY HANNAH!  Thats awesome.

Last movies I've watched are Flightplan and Brothers Grimm.


----------



## Highlander II

Would you beleive I left off a few? 

The Princess Diaries I & II - not too bad for Disney

and... ummmmm - The Exorcism of Emily Rose - mmmmm JR Bourne


And - I'm on S8 of SG-1

After this - I think I'm gonna watch Profiler and Pretender...... 8 straight seasons of SG-1 is one heck of a lot.



btw - _Jeffrey_ is pretty funny! Plus, it has Michael T. Weiss in tight shorts. :naughty:


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Highlander II _
> *Would you beleive I left off a few?
> 
> And - I'm on S8 of SG-1*



No, I wouldn't. 

Oooh, I've abandoned my full series marathon. I know, its sad.  

***
Last movies I saw were:
Sky High
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Oliver Twist

(also started rewatching the "Dead Like Me" first season. I'm on the last episode of the second disc...  )


----------



## Highlander II

Wimp!

I've finished S8 and now I'm watching _Van Helsing_, b/c... in the words of Igor - "It's what I do."


Er - I'll probably watch some other stuff - like House, MD and Profiler here soon.


----------



## little smaug

Zathura, which I wasn't very impressed with. I still prefer Jumanji.


----------



## Annette

Herbie Fully Loaded
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (at least twice more)
Shark Tale

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *Zathura, which I wasn't very impressed with. I still prefer Jumanji.  *



Booooooo.   Am I the only one who thinks Zathura would have been a better movie as a stand alone? If Jumanji didn't exist, then most likely neither would Zathura. I understand this. But its a different movie. It's not the same. It's supposed to be what it is... *sigh*   I've posted my feelings on this in the Zathura thread already. *pouts*

***
Last movies I saw were:
Raise Your Voice
Just Like Heaven (or something like that... the one with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Rufflao(sp?))
Transporter 2
Clips from various movies included but not limited to:
Apocalypse Now
The Great Dictator


----------



## little smaug

Jumanji was a cheesy film that knew it was cheesy. Zathura is a cheesy film that's trying to be serious, and IMO it didn't really work. *shrug*

I've been watching Serenity, complete with assorted extras and commentaries.


----------



## Status

:blush: I'm a little behind on this thread and don't think I remember all I've watched now so I'm sure there are more. 

The Chronicles of Narnia
The Polar Express
Wallace & Gromit- The Cruse of the Were-Rabit


----------



## Status

Castaway with Tom Hanks


----------



## Jay Jay

Chicken Little 
Chronicles of Narnia, LWW

J
x


----------



## Highlander II

I just sat through _Cube_

I'm not sure I want to do that again.

I wonder if this is one of those flicks that's better in the theatre - b/c I really wasn't impressed.

Aside from David Hewlett crushing that guy's larynx in the door - b/c that was cool.



Also - watched Van Helsing and the X3 trailer! (the NEW one)


----------



## philoSCIFI

Oooh, I wanna see Chicken Little.  

Highlander, Was that the original Cube? I'm guessing you're not going to see the other Cubes?  For some odd reason I found those Cube movies... interesting. I'm not sure if I "liked them" per say, but after seeing them and watching the special features its intersting to see where they were coming from, what they were going for, what they intended, the concepts, etc... I think they did an alright job for the lofty goals they had in mind.

Last movies I saw:
Sleepover
The Cave
Stealth
Last "classic" movie I saw:
Citizen Cane

Currently watching:
Legally Blonde


----------



## Steffi

Watched The Constant Gardener the other  night...very good film.


----------



## Status

Before the Dinosaurs Walking with Monsters
Bambi II
The 13th Warrior
Time Bomb


----------



## philoSCIFI

Just Friends


----------



## Annette

Jumanji

annette


----------



## Dave

Sky High
Wallace & Gromit- The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 
V for Vendetta
Madagascar
The Shaggy Dog


----------



## Steffi

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire


----------



## Highlander II

Like I mentioned in another thread - I saw "Cube 2"...

and now I wish i hadn't...

aside from getting some fun screencaps for a friend to make icons with...


and I watched "Raise Your Voice" and "In her Shoes" - more screencap fodder

man - I love Netflix...

and I watched "The Cutting Edge" - of which no screencaps were taken.  (This is probably a good thing)


----------



## Dave

'Stargate' & 'Crocodile Dundee' 

the old ones are the best!

I'm going to try and see 'Alien Autopsy' when it is released, it looks like great fun!


----------



## Status

The Triangle. Not bad but very loooong.


----------



## Highlander II

I just watched about 8 episodes of "Profiler"

And I watched "Ice Princess" -- I've rented some really odd stuff from Netflix here lately.... I should probably stop


----------



## Status

"King Kong"
Last of the Summer Wine feature film "Getting Sam Home"


----------



## philoSCIFI

King Kong
A Walk to Remember


----------



## Status

"Last of the Summer Wine"
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"


----------



## Annette

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

annette


----------



## Highlander II

Oh, let's see... another weekend of film faire...

"Brokeback Mountain" - was anyone else as bored as I was during this?

"A Series of Unfortunate Events" - ditto the boring

"American Beauty"
"Van Helsing"
More "L&O- SVU" than you can shake a stick at
"X-Men"

And last week - I tried to sit through "The Brothers Grimm" and gave up about 10 minutes in.


----------



## Status

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Now after watching all 4, I think the scarriest for me was Chamber of Secrets! I'm petrified of spiders and what big ones they were!


----------



## FeedMeTV

Ice Age 2

So so funny, i'm such a kid i guess but I thought it was really good!


----------



## Highlander II

I watched... ummmm - 

I know I watched "The Order" - which was equally as boring as the LAST two Heath Ledger movies I watched...

And HP:GoF - eh - it was okay


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter GofF in different sessions cos kept getting interrupted
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

3 Ninjas
Private Benjamin
Uncle Buck
Saved
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Fun With Dick and Jane


I'd like to see V for Vendetta_V for Vendetta_, but don't seem to have the time to go to the theater to see it on the big screen.


----------



## Steffi

Panic Room

I was suprised as to how good it was


----------



## Highlander II

Uh - let's see -

Miss Congeniality 2  (which still isn't as good as the first one)

Shark Tale - which was fun


----------



## Dave

Alien Autopsy
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Every Which Way But Loose
Any Which Way You Can
Logans Run


----------



## Highlander II

I watched "Identity" last night and was vaguely not impressed.

Really.

It took too long to get going.


----------



## philoSCIFI

DAVE! You saw Alien Autopsy?! Is this the same one that was being promoted here at ascifi? How was it?


----------



## Dave

It was being promoted here??

I started a thread for it:
http://ascifi.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22238

Not the greatest film ever made. A little low budget, a bit quirky, not hugely funny. Some people don't like the fact that Ray Santilli is making yet more money from it. Some people just don't like Ant and Dec. I liked it.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*A movie of mistaken identity*

Ah, I see. Nevermind. I was thinking of another movie.


----------



## Highlander II

Yesterday, my doorstep was all full of goodies from amazon.com...

"The Sentinel" S1 on DVD - watched some of that

"L&O:SVU" S5 on DVD - watched some of that.

the rest was books... that goes elsewhere...

So - I spent the night watching DVDs and making screencaps. 


(( why's the


----------



## Dave

> _Originally posted by philoSCIFI _
> *Ah, I see. Nevermind. I was thinking of another movie. *


Were you thinking of the "Bizarre Video Clip" that Immortalem posted about? I'm not sure that is a movie. I thought it might be pre-promotional for 'Alien Autopsy' last year, but it's not. I'm not sure what that is.





> _Originally posted by Highlander II _
> *(( why's the
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> *Were you thinking of the "Bizarre Video Clip" that Immortalem posted about? I'm not sure that is a movie. I thought it might be pre-promotional for 'Alien Autopsy' last year, but it's not.*



I'm not sure. I don' t think that was it. I vaguely remember someone talking about a similar film that was going to be show at a film fest? Meh. Maybe I'm mistaken abuot that one too. Someone posted something about a movie that they were showing.

Last movie I saw was RENT for the umpteenth time


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Dave _
> No idea, but it's back on again now. [/B]




Thanx!

I was gonna put a screencap in my last post, but the tag didn't work - I was bummed...


but it should work now:







Watched that and L&O and I think that's all... b/c netflix is being slow here lately........


----------



## philoSCIFI

Seven Samauri
BAAADASSSSSS
Camp Nowhere


----------



## Highlander II

erm - 

"Queer As Folk" - one of the season 1 discs
"Never Talk to Strangers"
"The Vagina Monologues"

er -

I'm sure there was more -

"Kate and Leopold" - but I've seen that a hundred times

Oh -

"X2"


----------



## Annette

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
Batman Begins

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

Shadows of the Sun
Paper Clips
Kids


----------



## Highlander II

er - I actually didn't finish "Never Talk to Strangers" - so, still gotta finish that one...

and i've watched several episodes of "House" and "L&O:SVU"


----------



## Dave

I saw 'Mission Impossible III' today. It was quite a ride! It does exactly what it says on the label. If you like seeing explosions, gun battles, chaos and mayhem you need to go! The story is a bit like 'True Lives' without any comedy, and does not have all the plot twists that 1 & 2 had. Really, the only unknown was who was the bad guy! 

I've also recently seen 'Kangaroo Jack' on DVD, and 'Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure' on TV. Enough said!

'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe' is waiting to be seen.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Shoah
Shane


----------



## Annette

Serenity

annette


----------



## Highlander II

watched a bunch here recently -- man, I love netflix -

Clueless
JFK
Sky High


I had Brokeback Mountain - but only b/c I had to make screencaps for someone - otherwise, I wouldn't watch that movie - it's boring and overrated....


----------



## Steffi

> I had Brokeback Mountain - but only b/c I had to make screencaps for someone - otherwise, I wouldn't watch that movie - it's boring and overrated



I've never fancied watching it, so havn't bothered.

Watched 'Road to Perdition'...again


----------



## Status

I finally finished watching the whole mega-set of 'Space- 1999'

I'm in the process of watching 'Event Horizon'! Will probably take me a long time to finish that one, it's too scary for me to sit though more than a few minutes at a time. :blush:


----------



## Steffi

I know...


----------



## philoSCIFI

Cheaper By The Dozen 2
Nanny McPhee
The Family Stone


----------



## Highlander II

> _Originally posted by Steffi _
> *
> 
> I've never fancied watching it, so havn't bothered.
> 
> Watched 'Road to Perdition'...again  *



Don't bother unless you just wanna see guys herding sheep.  It's 2 hours of boredom.



What have I watched lately?

X2 - for obvious reasons 

That may actually be all for recently...


----------



## Dave

The Da Vinci Code at the cinema.

Sahara on DVD.

Da Vinci is just like the book. I had read that it wasn't that good compared to the book, but I wouldn't say that. I think you might need to read the book first to help understand it. My wife hasn't and she found the film very hard to follow - especially, the who the baddie is this particular minute - at least in the book there are a few pages between those twists.

I don't understand the controversy surrounding it. Its a story, it's fiction based on some myths and some dodgy history and some plausible ideas that may or not be true. I think I said all that before in the book thread.

Still got Narnia and Serenity to watch on DVD, and I must get to X Men 3 but have no time!


----------



## Annette

Mission Impossible 3
Men In Black
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Book

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

AeonFlux


----------



## FeedMeTV

Saw Never Been Kissed the other day lol! Also went to see MI3 and loved it. I need to get round to seeing X-Men 3 and Da Vinci, got those pesky things called A level at the moment though...


----------



## Dave

Serenity
Narnia
X-Men: The Last Stand
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Last Holiday* - It was your typical hollywood comedy blockbuster. I liked it.

*The Boys and Girl of County Clare(sp)* - this was interesting. I'm gonna have to watch this one again.

*Off the Map* - GREAT! I loved this movie. It was odd, quirky, sentimental, and very indie.

*The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold* - super super corny, much to what I expected. It was okay.

Watched "The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold" instead of watching a free screening of "The Lake House"...  Can't tell if that was such a good idea.  

Also just rented:
*Look at Me* - looking forward to seeing this french film. I saw it on a preview for "Off the Map" and thought it looked entertaining.
*The City of Lost Children* - seen parts of it before. Also looking forward to seeing this for the technical filming aspects... artistic aesthetics, lighting, etc.


----------



## little smaug

*X-Men 3* - not as good as the first two, but still watchable, if only for Kelsey Grammer as Beast. 


*The Da Vinci Code* - I was very disappointed with this. It suffered in the same was as the Harry Potter films, in that too much of the story is cut, and what is left feels rushed and is hard to follow. I also thought the two main characters were very dull, but I'm not a big fan of Tom Hanks anyway.


----------



## philoSCIFI

> _Originally posted by little smaug _
> *X-Men 3 - not as good as the first two, but still watchable, if only for Kelsey Grammer as Beast. *


 Really? I was hearing rave reviews for it. I've even heard some people say its the best of all three.



> *
> The Da Vinci Code - I was very disappointed with this. It suffered in the same was as the Harry Potter films, in that too much of the story is cut, and what is left feels rushed and is hard to follow. I also thought the two main characters were very dull, but I'm not a big fan of Tom Hanks anyway. *


Haha. I'm not even bothering wasting money on this movie. I had no intention of watching it and haven't wanted to ever since. Especially now with all the cr*p reviews its been getting? Psh. If I am to watch it, I'm waiting for the DVD._am_

I'm planning on getting "The Thing Called Love" "My Own Private Idaho" "Running on Empty" and "Explorers"   I already have "Sneakers" on DVD.  River Pheonix marathon.


----------



## Highlander II

*X3* - I enjoyed it - I've seen it 3 times; the special effects, IMO, helped it  - it's one of those  movies that on some levels it's better than the other 2, but on other levels, it's not.



*Paperback Hero* - this one was strictly for the Hugh Jackman - but it's a really good movie.  Unfortunately, if you live in the US - you gotta grab a region-free DVD player to see it.  However, the German trailers are hilarious when you're REALLY tired.

I'm sure I've watched other stuff - but I really don't remember.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Me and You and Everyone We Know* Wierd, but I found it entertaining. I think I'll have to watch it again though to realy understand it. Don't know if I can sit through it again though. You gotta be in the mood to watch a movie like this...  

*Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story* I mostly rented this for Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell. Family movie... It was a cute movie though.


----------



## Dave

*Doomwatch* - don't bother.

*Vanilla Sky* - need to watch this some more - I still don't think I've understood everything in it - especially how the soundtrack relates to the story. It is a very clever film, probably too clever. I think the people who don't like it, mostly don't understand it, it should probably come with some cover notes.

I haven't seen any bad reviews of the *Da Vinci Code*. What I have seen is far too much hype over it. I think it is a faithfull adaptation of the book. I've seen criticism of Tom Hanks. He isn't really an action hero, but then the character isn't meant to be either, more the reluctant hero type. Some things that work in the book, don't work as well on the screen - escaping from the aeroplane at Biggin Hill airport for one.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*House of D* Interesting movie. Great first for David Duchovney. Great story and well directed. I was hesitant when I heard he wrote, directed, and starred in it. But, I was definitely pleased with the end result. Great cast too! I love Anton Yelchin and Tea Leoni. Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda Williams were good.

Aside from the imdb page , theres a great interview with Anton Yelchin here 

*Walk the Line*  I watched it twice. Good movie.

EDIT:
Forgot to mention another one I saw last night...

*The Trouble With Angels*  Why I haven't watched this sooner is beyond me! Directed by Ida Lupino and starring Haley Mills and several well known stars of the mid-60s, I found this movie entertaining  - highly entertaining personally (but that might be because of my private catholic all girl high school upbringing  ). If you haven't seen this "oldie but goodie" and are looking for a fun quirkly movie, check it out.


----------



## Dave

*Total Recall* for the umpteenth time!

*Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Millions* for the 3rd time? Makes more sense the more you watch it, at least imo.

*CRASH* for the FIRST time! I know, it took me a while to actually see this movie. I'm glad I waited though. All the hype is gone, and I could - for the most part - watch it without expectations.  It was... interesting.

*Alien vs Predator* Yeah. Also the first time I've seen AVP. Yup, waited again to watch it without the hype. I'm glad I did. I think I would have not liked it had I seen it when it came out or even when it came out on DVD. It was very predictable imo. A little corny too, but that might be becuase I had watched it in the evening and caught the end of magic hour. The experience might have been better had I seen it in theaters, but then again I'll never know. Oh well... predicatble and corny? I still liked it though.


----------



## Steffi

I watched Crash the other night too......my son said watch it....most thought provoking....it's good to watch something that's not predictable.

I thought it was brilliant


----------



## Dave

*Twelve Monkeys* brilliant film

*Batteries Not Included*

*Evolution*

*The Fifth Element*


----------



## philoSCIFI

Oooh, great batch of choices Dave! *12 monkeys* is always entertaining in one way or another. I haven't seen *Batteries Not Included* in years now. *Evolution* - interesting comedy of choice.  And *The Fifth Element* is a fav! 

I've seen so many movies these past few months; it would be utterly crazy or at least mildly amusing to actually write/type them all down. Most of them were classic movies and even a bunch of silent films for some cinema classes I'm taking this summer. Aside from those the last movie I saw in the theater was *Click*. It was alright. It had its moments and was entertaining.  

Next on the list of movies to see in the theater and particularly in the IMAX? *SUPERMAN*!  Can't wait...


----------



## Highlander II

I watched, purely for the scruffy Richard Burgi factor, Starship Troopers 2 last night... 

it was just as stupid as the first one

but eh - Richard Burgi 

I love Netflix!


----------



## philoSCIFI

Watched *Superman (1)*... great as always. I love the screen tests they added to the DVD special features.

*Serenity* - twas what I expected...

*Little Black Book* still great as always... The Shakespere quote in the beginning sets it up so well. And if you watch it again... great cinematography!

Up next is *Failure to Launch*...


----------



## Annette

*Serenity

X-Men 3*

Hoping to see *Pirates of the Carribean 2 asap*

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Imitation of Life (1959 version)*
Wow, that was truly a surprise. I just saw it in class and have rented it with a few other movies. Can't wait to see it again.


----------



## Dave

I've been watching some Marx Brother's films - 'A Night at the Opera' and 'A Night in Casablanca'.

Also watched 'Minority Report' which better than I remembered though it is a terribly easy whodunit.

I aslo want to see 'Pirates of the Carribean 2'  soon. I'll probably watch the first one again first.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Ultraviolet* had some interesting special effects... your usual scifi-ish flick.

Finally watched *Underworld: Evolution*. That was cool. I'm gonna have to watch the first one again, which I'm sure will make me want to watch the sequel again as well.  

Watched Godard's *Breathless* yesterday. Not sure if I love or hate the jumpcuts, but... yeah. Classic film history watching... also watched a clip of *400 blows*.

Last night I watched *The Producers*... new musical version. I'd seen the stage production with different leads and would definitely like to have seen them in the stage production. Movie-wise, it was good. Mel Brooks... well... he's Mel Brooks. 

Watched *Brother Bear* this morning. I've seen it before, and watched it again with the sis. This was the first time I noticed the mountains were drawn/shaped a little like a bears head.  Disney... haha.

Right now we're watching *Harry Potter*. The first one.


----------



## lazygun

Well,the most recent scifi movie i watched all the way thru was,...Tank Girl!.Two weeks ago on Sky 1(uk).
I might be a bit demented when it comes to this Movie as i must have seen it at least 30 times.
..and still enjoying it!.:rolly2:


----------



## philoSCIFI

Watched *The Dust Factory* again... It seems a lot more interesting the second time around, but I doubt anyone would go back to watch it again. Theres some deep thoughts, imagination, and creativity if you look into it more. I can see why people might not like it or just think its an okay movie. But if anyone hasn't seen it or gets a chance to see it, give it a chance. There are some deep philosophical underpinnings and the like. If you haven't seen it, check it out!

Also watched *Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants* again. We just got it on DVD. I particularly got it for the suckumentary. 

Finishing up *Harry Potter* the second one, now.


----------



## Highlander II

I saw PotC2... 

i think that's about all tho -


----------



## Dave

I did see *Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Mans Chest* and also *Stormbreaker*.

Also watched some more Marx Brothers - The Big Store and A Day At the Races.


----------



## Steffi

Still Haven't seen Pirates2 yet.

Watched 

The Fifth Element and Twelve Monkeys again never get bored with them


----------



## lazygun

Watched "Crash" _again_ ,think it is the pace of it I like?.

Also "Cable Guy",sadly it no longer _rang my bell_ like it used to.

Thanks to above poster for the reminder about "Fifth Element".Another oft-watched fav of mine too.

Think for tonight I will give "Troy" another viewing.The fight scenes anyway.


----------



## FeedMeTV

Just got back from seeing the new pixar film 'Cars'. It was me, my boyfriend and a room full of 7 year olds lol but the film was great !


----------



## Jay Jay

Stormbreaker, it was great. 

J
x


----------



## philoSCIFI

Superman Returns
She's The Man
Thelma and Louise
Raise the Red Lantern

and if it counts... Battlestar Galactica :blush:   :rolly2:


----------



## lazygun

Just finished watching Romero's ";Land of the Dead",and can only say i found it _okay?_ .
But I suppose all good things must come to an end.


----------



## Highlander II

Saw PotC: Dead Man's Chest not that long ago...

that's about all, aside from stuff I own that I've watched again...

next weekend - I'm going to see Scoop - 

then, it'll probably be October before I head out to the theater again - to see "The Prestige"


----------



## Annette

Watched 'Cars' with the kids, found it quite good.

annette


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Italian For Beginners*


----------



## Steffi

Aaaarg....haven't watched a movie this week....
*runs away to find a film to watch*

My son raved about V for Vendetta


----------



## Cerberus

Sat watching Kingdom of heaven at the moment, its not to bad so far.
Before that it was one of my favourites Dune.


----------



## Highlander II

I saw "Scoop" - Hugh Jackman's latest - it was hilarious!  Could've done with a bit less of Woody Allen tho- 

Hmmm - I still think "The Prestige" is my next movie trip.  After that - "The Fountain"!! *SO* looking forward to that one!


----------



## Trey Greyjoy

We just saw Willy Wonka. It was a lot better than I was led to believe. I thought Depp was hysterical.


----------



## Mouse

Trey Greyjoy said:
			
		

> We just saw Willy Wonka. It was a lot better than I was led to believe. I thought Depp was hysterical.


 
Yeah I thought it was better than people said it was going to be!
Anyway. Last film I saw was Funny Bones with Oliver Platt. Totally random weird film, but brilliant! Plus Lee Evans is fantastic in it.


----------



## jenna

i just watched *Ultraviolet* another comic book movie starring Milla Jovovich. i can honestly say it's just about the suckiest movie that ever sucked! sooooo crappy. note to Hollywood: a lot of flash CGI does NOT, repeat, NOT make up for lack of plot or characterisation. i had thought they would have learned this by now!

if you have a love of crappy movies, you might want to give this one a whirl, but i have to say i love crappy movies and it was even trying MY patience by the end!


----------



## Nesacat

Lady In The Water in the cinema and Call Of Cthulhu (again) at home.


----------



## Mark Robson

Highlander II said:
			
		

> Saw PotC: Dead Man's Chest not that long ago...
> 
> that's about all, aside from stuff I own that I've watched again...
> 
> next weekend - I'm going to see Scoop -
> 
> then, it'll probably be October before I head out to the theater again - to see "The Prestige"


 
I Saw PotC: Dead Man's Chest last night.  As entertainment goes, I thought it was great value for money.  Johnny Depp's performance was great and the whole comic action run (particularly the fight in the water wheel) was just wonderful to watch.  I never saw the first one, but I'm going to make a point of renting it one night now to catch up.  I got the feeling that there were certain aspects of the film that would have made more sense if I'd seen the first one.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_You, Me and Dupree_.  Romantic comedy fluff, mostly, but I thought it made a couple of good points.


----------



## mikeo

Saw _A Scanner Darkly_ last night - quite enjoyed it. The rotoscoping worked quite well - especially the way it was used to warp movements and scenery as the drugs began to work their effects on Arctor/Fred. Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr were both quite good in their roles.

Ooh - also saw _Curse of the Were-Rabbi_t a few days ago - fun movie! =D


----------



## Highlander II

Mark Robson said:
			
		

> I Saw PotC: Dead Man's Chest last night.  As entertainment goes, I thought it was great value for money.  Johnny Depp's performance was great and the whole comic action run (particularly the fight in the water wheel) was just wonderful to watch.  I never saw the first one, but I'm going to make a point of renting it one night now to catch up.  I got the feeling that there were certain aspects of the film that would have made more sense if I'd seen the first one.




I think there are - but it's hard to know what might be missed since I saw the 1st one 1st.  But probably.

They're both good as long as you just go in for a fun movie - like going to see _Van Helsing_ - it's just fun, nothing more.  To make it more than that ruins the effect.


----------



## sanityassassin

Just watched Charlie and the Chocolate factory again


----------



## littlemissattitude

I watched _High Fidelity_ again last night, on DVD...finally bought myself a copy.  It's becoming one of my favorites.


----------



## Jason_Taverner

I watched Dodgeball for about the 20th time I just love it if you can dodge traffic you can dodge balls awesome film and dazed and confused


----------



## GOLLUM

Just watched FireWall starring Harrison Ford. It was OK, fairly stock standard Harrison role, father's family held hostage by "baddies" to aid in money laundering as Harrison overcomes the odds to win the day.


----------



## Ice Queen

Snakes on a Plane.  Entertaining once the snakes show up.


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched (for the umpteenth time) that Jimmy Cagney classic _The Public_ _Enemy _on DVD. That grapefruit scene must have been a real shocker way back then. They just don't make them like they used to


----------



## carrie221

I just watched Mrs.Henderson Presents last night which was an ok movie... it was cute but not stupid. (I really don't like stupid movies or most comedies)


----------



## williemeikle

Watched Armageddon on the BBC last night.... loud, brash and great fun while the brain is disengaged... but Ben Affleck still can't act


----------



## Dave

Last film I saw was 'Napoleon Dynamite'.

I'd be interested in other people's thoughts. I was told that it was the funniest film ever made, and also that it was the worst film ever made. if you read the comments on IMDb they are spilt 50/50.

I did laugh once, but mainly it made me sad that there could actually be towns and people like that. The school reminded me a little of 'Donnie Darko'. I wouldn't class it in my all time funny movies.

BTW It's not Scifi, but there is a time machine in it. That part was actually quite amusing.


----------



## Frozeninja

I'm not really a big one for films myself, but I think the last one I watched was_ Legends of the Fall_, as it was on TV again the other night. Such an awesome film.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Dave said:
			
		

> I did laugh once, but mainly it made me sad that there could actually be towns and people like that. The school reminded me a little of 'Donnie Darko'. I wouldn't class it in my all time funny movies.


I have a question. What is the thing with _Donnie Darko_?  I finally checked it out of the library and tried to watch it...and really wanted to like it...but it was just _ugh_.  I only watched somewhere between a third and a half of it before I had to just turn it off.

Edit to add: Jason...I just saw _Dodgeball_ for the first time a few weeks ago.  Funny movie, but not as good as _Zoolander_ (but then again, I'm obsessed with that one).

And, the last movie I saw?  Probably _The Sand Pebbles_...again, on AMC.  Good movie.


----------



## philoSCIFI

_Donnie Darko_ is a cult movie. It's kind of one of those movies that you either like or you don't. Aside from personal tastes, I think it also depends on what you're watching for... the first time I watched it, I just watched it - "enteretainment-ish" factor. Second time I watched it, I watched for technical filmmaking aspects, like cinematography and music. After that... I just watched it for the beauty of it. Overall though, I think you also have to be in the mood to watch it.

_Dodgeball_ was exactly what I expected. It was funny at times and highly entertaining at others. I haven't seen _[Zoolander_ in ages, but at the moment I think I liked Dodgeball more. I'll have to watch both around the same time to compare though.  

I've seen so many movies from the last time I posted. Last movie I saw in the theater was *The Devil Wears Prada*. I think I'll have to watch it again on DVD to see if I liked it or not. There were some things I liked and only a few things I didn't. Overall I think I liked it. I didn't really reflect much after watching it. I was a little preoccupied checking out all the different styles. Anne Hathaway has so many outfits in that movie. I liked the wardrobe transformation. On another note, I haven't read the book and don't know if I will. :\

Just this past week I've seen several films including but not limited to: *Gleaming the Cube*, *If Looks Could Kill*, *Masterminds*, *Pocketful of Miracles*, *RV*, *AntiTrust*, *Don't Come Knocking*, *V for Vendetta*...

Somewhat of an ecclectic mix - I've been procrastinating.


----------



## jackokent

Proposition, I think it was directed by Nick Cave.  Brilliant film.


----------



## carrie221

I don't recall the last movie I saw in the theaters but yesterday I watched all three of the Lord of The Rings movies. It was fun except I stayed up all night and didn't get a lot of sleep. It doesn't matter how many times I watch those movies I still get caugh up in them like I have never seen them before.

In the last few weeks I have seen Sahara, Friday Night Lights, and a few other old ones.


----------



## Diablo Rojo

WTC - Surprisingly good.
Kingdom of Heaven- Very good.


----------



## littlemissattitude

carrie221 said:
			
		

> In the last few weeks I have seen Sahara, Friday Night Lights, and a few other old ones.



_Friday Night Lights_ was really good.  I'm not much of a football fan, but I got caught up in the story just the same.  _Sahara_ was good...funny...I didn't think I'd like it, because I wasn't sure about the casting.  Still, I ended up liking it a lot.



			
				philoSCIFI said:
			
		

> _Dodgeball_ was exactly what I expected. It was funny at times and highly entertaining at others. I haven't seen _[Zoolander_ in ages, but at the moment I think I liked Dodgeball more. I'll have to watch both around the same time to compare though.



_Dodgeball_ was actually quite a bit funnier than I expected it would be.  I think I probably like _Zoolander_ more simply because it has Owen Wilson in it, and _Dodgeball_ doesn't.  I have to confess to being a big fan...he really is very funny, but having seen him a couple of serious roles (_Behind Enemy Lines_ and a film whose name I can't recall right now in which he plays a serial killer), he really can act.


----------



## Marya

I finally saw _Amelie_.  I ended up buying it because I'd heard so many good things about it.  I loved it.


----------



## j d worthington

Oh, yes, *Amelie *is an absolute delight!


----------



## Nesacat

The last one I saw in the cinema was Monster House, which i thought was pretty good. The animation was very 80's and there was a different take to the who haunted house tale.

Like Carrie, I watched all three Lord Of The Rings movies (extended versions) over the weekend and cried buckets, thereby providing continued support to the Kleenex company.

Have also watched Dagon a couple a times. That movie grown on you and I'm not sure whether that is a good sign or not. The last time I saw it all I could think of was that it was a daft idea for the priestess to mate with with half-brother and they should instead find a way to lure both him and his partner into the cult, thereby increasing their numbers and bringing in new blood.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

Oddly I did a LotR marathon myself recently. Brilliant movies.
Last film I saw in the cinema was Mission Impossible 3. Pretty naff I thought.

Will be watching "Radioactive Dreams" tonight - a friend has it on tape. It sounds bizarre!


----------



## j d worthington

A re-watch of *Out of Mind*, with Christopher Heyerdahl as H. P. Lovecraft.


----------



## Ozymandias

City of Lost Children


----------



## edott

just saw ella the enchanted and my wife and i thought it was hilarous. very nice musical numbers to.


----------



## Alia

Night Listener
Pulse.
Snakes on a Plane. 

Okay, I've been to the theater a lot lately.


----------



## steve12553

carrie221 said:
			
		

> I don't recall the last movie I saw in the theaters but yesterday I watched all three of the Lord of The Rings movies. It was fun except I stayed up all night and didn't get a lot of sleep. It doesn't matter how many times I watch those movies I still get caugh up in them like I have never seen them before.
> 
> In the last few weeks I have seen Sahara, Friday Night Lights, and a few other old ones.


 
Interesting study habits.


----------



## carrie221

steve12553 said:
			
		

> Interesting study habits.


  mjnn


----------



## carrie221

It was Saturday night so no real missed study time  and the other movies were watched before I started school again


----------



## Dave

The Italian Job
Batman Begins
Spaceballs


----------



## Nesacat

Ozymandias said:
			
		

> City of Lost Children



That's one of my all-time favourite movies. Love that city. It's amazingly detailed and cause effect sequences.


----------



## Adasunshine

The last movie I saw was Best In Show.

My partner invested in the Christopher Guest Box Set and so far I've watched The Mighty Wind and Best In Show, both very funny and cringeworthy.  Eugene Levy is simply fab!

xx


----------



## jackokent

I thought Best in Show was hilarious. I know what you mean about cringeworthy.


----------



## BookStop

I watched Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst and Kirstie Alley(they were in the movie, not with me watching the movie). It is soo funny in a very juvenile sort of way - my teenager laughed right along with me. Definitely a thumbs up.


----------



## Trey Greyjoy

My wife and I went out and saw The Illusionist this weekend.


----------



## BookStop

Trey Greyjoy said:
			
		

> My wife and I went out and saw The Illusionist this weekend.


 
OOOO- How was it? It looks really good, supposed to be *the* date movie of the summer.


----------



## Highlander II

I watched all 3 of the X-Men flicks and "The Shrink Is In" - which is funny, but kinda only the first time through.  It's a 'watch it once' flick - but I didn't really rent it for watching, rented it for screencapping - which actually turned out a whole lot beter than I thought - everybody's in this freakin' movie! (Courtney Cox, David James Elliott, Vincent Ventresca, Daphne Zuniga, Nigel Bennett and Amanda Tapping - just to name a few!)


----------



## Steffi

My son recomended "Night Watch"....a Russian film

Watched it last night.....brilliant!!!


----------



## Trey Greyjoy

BookStop said:
			
		

> OOOO- How was it? It looks really good, supposed to be *the* date movie of the summer.


 
Well...it wasnt a bad movie, but we werent really all that impressed either to be honest. I know the reviews were really postive, but I didnt read them so I dont know what they stated. 
Paul Giamatti was great as always, Im a big fan of his, I love to see him getting better and better roles. 
Edward Norton was solid also but...it was like watching John Cusack in Must Loves Dogs...I love the guy, but the role didnt really challenge him much. 
Jessica Biel wasnt bad either. My wife thought she didnt do the accent very well, I thought she was fine. 
Rufus Sewell stole the show as the Crown Prince. An excellent job. 
The editing and cinematography were quirky and inconsitent. 
Im assuming the audience is not supposed to be surprised by the ending, as you see it coming from a mile away. That leaves the film to be an atmospheric-love story-period piece. If you like that, great. Youll like the movie. 
One of the previews we saw was of The Prestige with Christian Bale...now I think _thats_ the movie I really wanted to see 
To summarize, it wasnt bad, but I dont think it was what I was in the mood for either. I dont think there was anything gained by seeing it on the big screen, so Id wait for DVD or HBO.

btw, the Illusionist is based upon a short story by Steven Millhauser. I love his books and tentatively recommend them to all readers. Why tentatively? Its not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Fans of Neil Gaiman should enjoy Millhauser also. They seem to both enjoy similar themes of magic in the modern world, or "other worlds" just below the surface of ours.


----------



## Justin Thorne

*Poseidon Adventure* - biggest load of hollywood cheese I have ever seen. 

*Beowulf & Grendel* - well acted movie, with beautiful scenery and an interesting insight into the psyche of the 'troll', Grendel... Not quite as good as 13th Warrior, but highly enjoyable, mostly for the Norse sense of humour.


----------



## BookStop

Trey Greyjoy said:
			
		

> I dont think there was anything gained by seeing it on the big screen, so Id wait for DVD or HBO.


 
Well, in that case I'll probably wait for the dvd, or at least the dollar theater. I rarely see movies first run in the theaters, so paying for it and not being wowed wouldn't be fun. Thanks for the review.


----------



## weaveworld

Supeman Returns at the movies....

And Blade Runner on dvd...


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Hollywoodland_, with Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins.

See this movie.  The writing is wonderful.  The acting is very, very good (yes, even Affleck...especially Affleck, as a matter of fact).  And darn if it doesn't look like they all got in a time machine and went on location to film in the late 1950s.

Okay, so you might not like it if you requre car chases in your films.  There aren't any.  But if you like good storytelling, well acted and beautifully photographed, this is a must-see.  Fair disclosure - this is a quite noir-ish film, and I love noir, but this is seriously the best film I've seen in years.


----------



## Annette

Last film I saw was Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Mans Chest. Was pretty good but I have to say I preferred the first one more.

annette


----------



## BookStop

We watched Lucky Number Slevin - it was alright, but could've been better. The dialog bugged me - people just don't say those things!


----------



## Jason_Taverner

Well I watched Napoleon Dynamite, one of the best comedy films ever.
The Thing John Carpenter, just a cool 80's horror and
Overboard totally chessy but loads of fun


----------



## Thadlerian

Watched Hayao Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky with some friends, my fifth time, I think.


----------



## Nesacat

Hellboy on DVD. I love those tentacles descending from the sky.


----------



## tiny99

Kagemusha.....weird....compelling....exciting....thought provoking....plots that could have put Shakespeare to shame.

But it was also very long.....I went to beddy byes straight after it.


----------



## Brys

I saw Children of Men yesterday. It's an awesome film, better even than I expected it to be. One of the best science fiction films ever.


----------



## Dreaming of Eagles

The Illusionist for me.  I thought it was excellent!  Edward Norton should be nominated for this one.


----------



## steve12553

I watched *Serenity*. It was on after the football game and before I felt like getting up from my recliner. It's always worth rewatching.


----------



## carrie221

steve12553 said:
			
		

> I watched *Serenity*. It was on after the football game and before I felt like getting up from my recliner. It's always worth rewatching.


 
 If that was today I am not going to be happy... I have been waiting for that to come on again as it is not on demand. I only got to see the last 15 minutes of it the other day.

The last movie that I saw all of was Everybody's All American.


----------



## Loner

Er. In a cinema? _Friends With Money_.

And last night I couldn't sleep and ended up watching _Get Over It_ on TV.
After that travesty I was very much able to sleep.

There is not enough decent sci-fi in the cinemas lately. We should devote funding to the study of Joss Whedon's DNA to try and reproduce more creative types like him.


----------



## Paige Turner

I've been avoiding it, but last night saw _The Chronicles of Riddick_ on DVD. Saw the whole thing, since I was too tired (or lazy) to get up and put in something else. Imagine Judi Dench taking on something like that.

And what was up with the fight scenes? Either my eyes are too slow, or the editing was so quick and choppy, I couldn't get any kind of sense of what was happening at all. Except for thirty seconds of frenetic action and slicing sounds, and old Vin still standing at the end of it. Ah, well.


----------



## Teir

well..um..in its entirety?...PiratesOTC 2,

but Ive been watching heaps of films at home in a way where i only watch most of the movie...ill walk out for half an hour then come back or skip the first hour lol...if your counting those then Ive seen 'memoirs of a geisha' and 'failure to launch' and 'mean girls' and few others lol


----------



## Jason_Taverner

shaft can u dig it?


----------



## JohnSnow

ESotSM

*snow*


----------



## infinite

40 days and 40 nights - it was on TV, wish I hadnt have bohered


----------



## Memnoch

Clerks 2, last night!! Class lol funny all the way thru. Love Kevin Smith (Apart from Jersey Girl!!) in a manly way tho!! Grrrr


----------



## The DeadMan

*The Black Dahlia - A very good movie. Very Intense!*


----------



## Ozymandias

Deliverance. Great movie. Very suspenseful and creepy. Reminded me of my Kentucky youth.


----------



## Dave

The Sting
Short Circuit
Short Circuit 2
Dogma
The Village
Die Another Day
The Island


----------



## erratikmind

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning ... twas good


----------



## erratikmind

Seeing Employee of the month tonight


----------



## Marky Lazer

I saw that new Fast and Furious movie, the one in Tokyio. It's rubbish, as expected.


----------



## steve12553

Finally got around to *X III-the Last Stand*. (That looks like eight but I couldn't put the ones through the three like they did.)


----------



## Nesacat

16 Blocks and Wicker Man on the flight to and from Manila. Was not worth watching at all especially since it made sense without any sound.


----------



## roddglenn

Decided to dig out Big Fish on DVD last night and watch it for the second time.  Really like that film, despite the caning it got from some critics.


----------



## Nesacat

I really like Big Fish as well and didn't understand why it got such awful reviews from some critics. I thought it was very well done and reflected the book pretty closely.


----------



## Memnoch

Marky Lazer said:
			
		

> I saw that new Fast and Furious movie, the one in Tokyio. It's rubbish, as expected.


 
Hmmm I disagree although it was a bit cheesy the car chases/racers were better than the 1st two which I love. Plus the lead guy was quite good, completely unrealistic n a bit Karate Kid 3 with cars but fun to watch??

Also the lead character, wasn't he in a class drama programme a few years back?? With one Sheriff buck in who was like the devil incarnate or something?? Can't rem name of it though.


----------



## Memnoch

American Gothic, n the Kid was Caleb?? He's grew up to be the lead in F+F 3.

Loved that show as a teen


----------



## Lacedaemonian

It was some Peter North adult movie.  Before that I can not remember....


----------



## Stormpirate

The Little Mermaid.


----------



## the smiling weirwood

Lucky Number Slevin


----------



## Stormpirate

the smiling weirwood said:
			
		

> Lucky Number Slevin


 
How was that?  I wanted to see it, and it's out on DVD; is it worth renting?


----------



## DarkIntentions

The last film i watched was 'V for Vendetta' which is pretty sad, the film before that was 'Clockwork Orange' which i enjoyed as i'm a fan of Stanley Kubrick, also i taped Dogma but it didn't work when i tried it.  I wanted to watch it.


----------



## sanityassassin

I loved Dogma just finished watching fantastic 4


----------



## Lacedaemonian

Same here Sanity.  You have to appreciate Alba.


----------



## Paige Turner

Lacedaemonian said:
			
		

> Same here Sanity.  You have to appreciate Alba.


Well, you don't _have_ to. Thank goodness there was an incredibly contrived plot point to make her get her gear off, eh?


----------



## BookStop

Stormpirate said:
			
		

> How was that? I wanted to see it, and it's out on DVD; is it worth renting?


 
I saw it - it was alright, I'd say worth a rental. Funny, I posted this yesterday but it seems to have disappeared.


----------



## Highlander II

last movie I saw -

in theater? - _Scoop_

in general? - _X3_ - and part of _The Little Mermaid_


----------



## Memnoch

Legend with Tom Cruise yesterday. Really enjoyed it, yet wasn't keen in the past!! Must be mellowing as I age, Mia Sara is beautiful.


----------



## dustinzgirl

FOr some disgusting reason, I actually watched Friends with Money. Well, actually because it had Joan Cusak in it and I like her. But Jennifer Anniston? One of these days.....anyways......it was mainly about rich people who have one poor friend, and of course the rich ones are all "ohhhh poor me I hate my life" and Jennifer (the poor girl) was a little sad but making it work. There really wasn't a plot line though, and aside from Joan, the acting made me want to shoot myself in the foot to see if I was still alive.

Other movie I just saw that I really liked was Inside Man with Denzel Washngton (swoon!) and Clive Owen (double swoon). THis movie had an intricate plot and darn good acting as well as some well placed "screw the man" kind of sarcasm. Loved it.

Haven't seen much in the way of ssf lately, except Nanny McPhee which rocked and is a must see iwth your kids kind of movie.


----------



## YOSSARIAN

'The Departed'-excellent movie.  This is the first time I've actually been impressed by a Leonardo DiCaprio performance.


----------



## littlemissattitude

YOSSARIAN said:
			
		

> 'The Departed'-excellent movie.  This is the first time I've actually been impressed by a Leonardo DiCaprio performance.



Did you see _The Aviator_, about Howard Hughes?  I thought DiCaprio was very good in that.  I was quite surprised, actually, as I am so not a fan of his.


----------



## Jack

Underworld Evolution
Not bad as sequels go, still prefer Bram Stoker's vision of vampires over the newer less immortal one's - Ho hum


----------



## dustinzgirl

Jack said:
			
		

> Underworld Evolution
> Not bad as sequels go, still prefer Bram Stoker's vision of vampires over the newer less immortal one's - Ho hum



That movie would have been better if there was more plot, more acting, and less killing. I generally love violence, but that had to be the most violent movie ever, and since the plot was so dang thin, the violence seemed senseless and overdone. 

Lucky Number Slevin was another great movie, btw. Loved it.


----------



## Jack

> Lucky Number Slevin was another great movie, btw. Loved it.


The ending is very interesting  But of cause there was a time?  


> would have been better if there was more plot


Indeed liked the first one - I blame sequel madness. The only sequel I can remember liking being Aliens, even if they did get rid of Giger - But the concept was still strong then, shame about the one's that came after.


----------



## carrie221

Xmen 3... I really enjoyed it but I liked some of the deleated scenes more than the ones in the movie


----------



## jackokent

Metropolis on DVD, thought is was awsome for it's age.


----------



## Steffi

Watched *16 Blocks* Sunday night on DVD with Bruce Willis, it was watchable but I wasn't that impressed.


----------



## Memnoch

YOSSARIAN said:
			
		

> 'The Departed'-excellent movie. This is the first time I've actually been impressed by a Leonardo DiCaprio performance.


 
Basketball Diaries and Whats eating Gilbert Grape, Di Caprio is absolutely awesome, he wasn't right for Gangs of New York tho!! To Weedy . . . if he hadn't done Titanic and become the "hearthrob!!" He would seriously be recognised as one of the finest actors of our time.

Watched the entire 1st seaon of Last Vegas, just finished, really enjoyed it, light and entertaining, does that count??


----------



## aarti

I watched the movie Water this weekend.  It's a movie about child brides in India, part of Deepa Mehta's quadrology of "Element" movies (she has also done Earth and Fire).  It's very good!  I think tonight I'm going to see the movie The Queen with Helen Mirren, and on Thursday I'm seeing Venus, with Peter O'Toole.  It's Chicago Film Festival time


----------



## j d worthington

Have not yet seen *Earth*, but *Fire* impressed me quite powerfully. A very talented filmmaker indeed!


----------



## roddglenn

Watched a classic John Carpenter film last night - Escape From New York.  Great film - seen it loads of times before.  Kurt Russell as Snake Pliskin is brilliant.  Shame the sequel was so poor.


----------



## Joel007

me watchey hary potter 4 film

my wife made me do it!


----------



## Memnoch

Joel007 said:
			
		

> me watchey hary potter 4 film
> 
> my wife made me do it!


 
I always blame my nephews for harry Potter lol

Got halfway through the "Village" last night before dropping a snore. . .

  . . . I was found by the local police!


----------



## Joel007

Some films have a bad influence on me. 

after watching Zorro I was slashing "J" into everything i could reach.


----------



## Memnoch

Joel007 said:
			
		

> Some films have a bad influence on me.
> 
> after watching Zorro I was slashing "J" into everything i could reach.


 
lol . . what with?? I used to come out of Rocky movies shadow boxing as a child . . . erm OK it was last week after catchin Rocky IV on the tube!!


----------



## Joel007

I happened to have a knife collection, all kept sharp and in good condition. They wouldn't let me bring them to England though


----------



## Memnoch

Joel007 said:
			
		

> I happened to have a knife collection, all kept sharp and in good condition. They wouldn't let me bring them to England though


 
How unfair . . . they let me bring my uzi n barretta in?? Knifeists the lot of em


----------



## Jaggy Jai

Just finished watching The Fifth Cord. It was decent giallo film. I have a fondness for this genre.....if anyone knows where any of the original stories are or were published I would love to know.
                  The film itself had all the formula of the usual giallo film but had a good and exciting finale.....alot of giallo trails off toward the climax I feel....


----------



## Lucien21

Last film I saw at the cinema was the new Scorcese movie "The Departed"

This film was just crammed full of big names. A Martin Scorcese movie, Jack Nicholson as a crime boss, Leo Decaprio and Matt Damon as 2 cops, Alec Baldwin, Mark Whalberg, Martin Sheen etc

Leo and Matt 2 cops, one deep undercover with Jack and the other a cop on the take. 

In reality it's a remake-ish of "Infernal Affairs" a Hong Kong action movie from a few years ago translated into Irish Cops and Gangsters in Boton.

As you would expect Jack Nicholas steals the show, Hamming it up as the baddie who is a complete psycho.

I loved it. It was cool and I was completely shocked by some parts of the ending


----------



## roddglenn

Yeah, seen the trailers for that it looks pretty damn good, but then Jack tends to be brilliant in anything he's in.  Still going damn strong despite his age.

I didn't get to watch anything last night - went to the pub instead


----------



## ravenus

j. d. worthington said:
			
		

> Have not yet seen *Earth*, but *Fire* impressed me quite powerfully. A very talented filmmaker indeed!


This is interesting because to me, *Fire* was an aggravating godawful experience. It renders its characters in a flat and 2-dimensional vein - Nandita Das who plays the younger wife prancing around in trousers and a cigarette on her lips to convey her yin component had all the subtlety of a hammerhead shark at lunchtime. It uses the much-abused tactic of giving itself feminist credentials by having all the men behave like irredeemable wimps and cads. The detours to the flashback visuals of those hippie villager parents mouthing vague soliloquies on love and whatever was bewildering

It has several moments of what I thought was incredibly trite symbolism, a habit with all of Mehta's films. Some of these may be more apparent to an Indian audience: for instance, when the elder husband gives an impromptu discourse on doing one's duty he stands next to a poster of a Hindi film called Kartavya aka Duty. When the servant gives his monologue to the audience about betraying the wives' lesbian doings, he stands in front of a rack of tapes of a film called Izzat aka Honor.

Even *Earth* suffers from some of these weaknesses but it's in general a better film than Fire mainly because of a bravura performance by actor Aamir Khan as the Muslim coach driver whose passions drive him to brutality. Deepa Mehta also made a film called *Bollywood Hollywood* which tries to be this oh-so clever mix of Bollywood spoof and romance story and one that I will recall forever as one of the most hateful expeiences of my life.


----------



## Steffi

Watched all 3 Hellraisers last night...couldn't sleep.

Didn't know Terry Farrell was in the 3rd one...there you go, nice bonus


----------



## aarti

ravenus said:
			
		

> This is interesting because to me, *Fire* was an aggravating godawful experience. It renders its characters in a flat and 2-dimensional vein - Nandita Das who plays the younger wife prancing around in trousers and a cigarette on her lips to convey her yin component had all the subtlety of a hammerhead shark at lunchtime. It uses the much-abused tactic of giving itself feminist credentials by having all the men behave like irredeemable wimps and cads. The detours to the flashback visuals of those hippie villager parents mouthing vague soliloquies on love and whatever was bewildering


These are completely valid points.  Though I think Fire was a film of its time- in this instance, I don't think Mehta could have made a film about lesbianism in India without it being more stereotypical than many people would have liked.  However, I don't think Water suffers from this, really.  Certainly, there are some very one-dimensional characters, but I personally really liked the story.  But then, I also like a couple Karan Johar films ;-)



			
				ravenus said:
			
		

> It has several moments of what I thought was incredibly trite symbolism, a habit with all of Mehta's films. Some of these may be more apparent to an Indian audience: for instance, when the elder husband gives an impromptu discourse on doing one's duty he stands next to a poster of a Hindi film called Kartavya aka Duty. When the servant gives his monologue to the audience about betraying the wives' lesbian doings, he stands in front of a rack of tapes of a film called Izzat aka Honor.


Not to mention all the allusions to the Ramayana ...



> Even *Earth* suffers from some of these weaknesses but it's in general a better film than Fire mainly because of a bravura performance by actor Aamir Khan as the Muslim coach driver whose passions drive him to brutality. Deepa Mehta also made a film called *Bollywood Hollywood* which tries to be this oh-so clever mix of Bollywood spoof and romance story and one that I will recall forever as one of the most hateful expeiences of my life.



I also thought Bollywood Hollywood was pretty horrible- I didn't "get" it.

On a different note, I saw the movie The Queen on Tuesday starring Helen Mirren.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Thank You For Smoking_, on DVD last night.

Interesting film, which has some interesting things to say about lies, the truth, and what we are willing to do to "pay the mortgage" as one character puts it.


----------



## j d worthington

Hmmm. Perhaps it was because it was the first of Mehta's films I'd seen, and was some time ago... But I can honestly say that it did impress me at the time.... Perhaps I should give it another go and see if my impression holds up? I obviously didn't catch some of the symbolism you cite. Then again, it could be that -- at least in this case -- I was not looking at the film in that fashion; either way, I'd like to take another look at the film and see whether it holds up for me or not....


----------



## aarti

j. d. worthington said:
			
		

> Hmmm. Perhaps it was because it was the first of Mehta's films I'd seen, and was some time ago... But I can honestly say that it did impress me at the time.... Perhaps I should give it another go and see if my impression holds up? I obviously didn't catch some of the symbolism you cite. Then again, it could be that -- at least in this case -- I was not looking at the film in that fashion; either way, I'd like to take another look at the film and see whether it holds up for me or not....



Well, I think to catch some of the symbolism, you either need to understand Hindi or be somewhat knowledgeable of Hindu mythology.  I didn't get any of those movie references from Fire, but found that very interesting this time.  I don't know if there was so much symbolism in Water ... except that by going into the Ganges river, you wash away all your sins.  That one I caught


----------



## ravenus

aarti said:
			
		

> I also thought Bollywood Hollywood was pretty horrible- I didn't "get" it.


Heh. That was also the time I got into this huge argument with an NRI woman sitting next to me in the theater because I was literally yelling WTF at several intervals and she began to give me this huge diatribe about how this film wasn't for ME and how there was for an audience of people like HER who could appreciate the subtleties and nuances of it (and she was cackling her way through all the rubbishy humor quotient of the film). In retrospect she was actually right about my making loud remarks being an annoyance, but damn I was genuinely fuming at the time.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Hard Candy----great movie if creepy, demented, and full of vengeance.

The Unborn----1991----in particular, this movie scare the bejeebies outta me, but thats probably because I've been pregnant 3 times. EWWWWW gross.....


----------



## Ozymandias

Blue Velvet. Again. "Candy colored clown!"


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Good Night and Good Luck_.  Excellent.  If you haven't seen it yet, I really recommend it.


----------



## Robert M. Blevins

I found a copy of the old sci-fi film with Paul Mantee and Adam West on eBay, 'Robinson  Crusoe on Mars.'  Had not seen it for years. I was amazed at the scenes filmed in Death Valley (probably through a filter) that looked so much like photographs from the Mars Rovers. For 1964, the special effects were pretty convincing.


----------



## steve12553

Robert M. Blevins said:
			
		

> I found a copy of the old sci-fi film with Paul Mantee and Adam West on eBay, 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars.' Had not seen it for years. I was amazed at the scenes filmed in Death Valley (probably through a filter) that looked so much like photographs from the Mars Rovers. For 1964, the special effects were pretty convincing.


 
One of my old favorites from my youth. Saw it on TV after the Batman series and was really impressed that Adam West wasn't silly. I agree the effect were good and simple. Allowed for _suspension of disbelief_. I'd love to see it again.


----------



## Omega

I just bought a copy of "The Da Vinci Code". I'll watch that later when I have a bit more time


----------



## Jason_Taverner

Just finished good night and good luck, excellent film about the Macathy Communist witch hunts of the 50's and the news team that wanted to stop him. Great stuff hard to beleive that actually happpened,


----------



## j d worthington

Jason_Taverner said:
			
		

> Just finished good night and good luck, excellent film about the Macathy Communist witch hunts of the 50's and the news team that wanted to stop him. Great stuff hard to beleive that actually happpened,


 
I wish I could agree with you... but being born in 1958, I saw the aftermath of that, which lasted well into the 1970s in Texas, and then saw what Nixon and his thugs did, with their "unofficial" official enemies lists, and the pressure they brought on the various media to cancel programs critical of the administration.... and then the subversion of the Constitution by the Reagan administration with Iran Contra.... and now this latest with Bush.... No, I'm sorry. It's not hard to believe. It's still going on, just under a new paint job and a little spit'n'polish.

I think maybe it's time to haul out *The Crucible* again.....


----------



## carrie221

Jason_Taverner said:
			
		

> Just finished good night and good luck, excellent film about the Macathy Communist witch hunts of the 50's and the news team that wanted to stop him. Great stuff hard to beleive that actually happpened,


 
I adore that movie... I find it so interesting and in fact I am enough of a nerd to own it also


----------



## Highlander II

*The Prestige* - just saw it last night and it is INCREDIBLE!


----------



## dustinzgirl

Rest Stop. 

Dear Lord, this movie was so badly done and irritating that I wanted to claw my eyes out. What is with all the showing torture trend since that dee snider strangeland? Dear movie writers, please. Most of us who go to watch horror movies are pretty much hardcore horror lovers. Stop doing stupid crap in horror movies. Point 1: If I was in a rest stop, my boyfriend suddenly missing, and my car dissappeared and then suddenly reappeared, there is no freaking way I would get in the car. DUH! Second point. If I am at a rest stop and there are a bunch of trees and hiding places, why would I keep running outin the open? DUH! Third point: If I finally stop crying like a frelling chud, get off my drunk arse (yeah...why was she drinking again?) and am hiding in the trees, and I see the crazy ugly truck guy....why the HECK would I jump out of the trees to run in FRONT of the truck on a ROAD????

Final point: If you want to make the serial killer scary guy out to be some crux of evil hauntings in a rest stop......try doing it just a little better. Stop showing me stupid crying people walking around for an hour drinking and going "oooooo noooo im gonna die waaaa" 


Yeah, thank goodness I did not pay for that dumb movie. Its pretty sad when the deleted scenes and extras are more interesting than the actualy movie.


----------



## ravenus

@dustinzgirl:
Haha, your review makes this movie sound like grand campy fun.


----------



## dustinzgirl

ravenus said:


> @dustinzgirl:
> Haha, your review makes this movie sound like grand campy fun.



Hey, I love campy horror as much as the next kid that grew up in the 80's.....sleepaway camp, slumber party massacre, evil dead, ect....

This movie doesn't even hold a candle to them. At least in those movies something was happpening. I watched this stupid actess cry for like half the movie, get drunk, and generally be dumb. At least the friday the 13 girls had the sense to RUN! She just kinda hangs out and cries. Its annoyingly annoying


----------



## lordoftime

Theaters- Superman Returns
Video-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)


----------



## Memnoch

lordoftime said:


> Theaters- Superman Returns
> Video-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)


 
love both . . . really got goose bumps when superman saves the plane and lands in baseball ground to cheers . . . 

 TMNT ha ha sexy April . . . takes me back.

I watched to Die for last night picked it up brand new for £2, Nicole Kidman, WACKeeem Pheonix and Casey Affleck. Love the film.


----------



## lordoftime

Yeh I rather liked the live-action April. Shame they recast her for the sequels. She had it going on and didnt know it. Plus Master Splinter was cool. And Shredder was far far more menacing than in the old cartoons. 

Superman Returns..funny timing but I got an autograph picture back from Kate Bosworth just yesterday. Talk about a sexy reporter....


----------



## jackokent

Neil Young: Heart of gold,  last night in Bristol.  Utterly brilliant.


----------



## Memnoch

lordoftime said:


> Yeh I rather liked the live-action April. Shame they recast her for the sequels. She had it going on and didnt know it. Plus Master Splinter was cool. And Shredder was far far more menacing than in the old cartoons.
> 
> Superman Returns..funny timing but I got an autograph picture back from Kate Bosworth just yesterday. Talk about a sexy reporter....


 
As in bought or was actually in her "boy have I got a Blue Crush on you!!" presence!!! She is beautiful, prefer her blonde though, although sa a preference brunettes for me everytime!!


----------



## lordoftime

No no I really got a thing for her. She is hott.


----------



## SpaceShip

Flash Gordon.  I just love this movie - the acting is a bit suspect but the scenery and costumes are absolutely fantastic!  Come to think of it - I've seen many series and other movies that look suspiciously similar!


----------



## aarti

Jason_Taverner said:


> Just finished good night and good luck, excellent film about the Macathy Communist witch hunts of the 50's and the news team that wanted to stop him. Great stuff hard to beleive that actually happpened,



I really liked that movie as well.  Next on my list of "intense rentals" is Munich, I think.  But I haven't been feeling too intense lately!


----------



## baldur27

went and saw Children of Men the other day and saw Little Miss Sunshine today


----------



## Caretaker66

_Last night I watched Nacho Libre. I thought that it was flippin' hilarious, but I'd only recomend it to those who like that kind of random humor..._


----------



## littlemissattitude

Caretaker66 said:


> _Last night I watched Nacho Libre. I thought that it was flippin' hilarious, but I'd only recomend it to those who like that kind of random humor..._



Jack Black, right?  I might have to give that a look; for some reason I find him quite funny.

Anyway, I watched _Capote_ last night.  Fine film; Phillip Seymour Hoffman is an incredible actor.  My only complaint was that the soundtrack, on the DVD at least, was quite uneven and I had to watch the whole thing with the remote in my hand so that I could turn the volume up or down as needed.


----------



## Paige Turner

littlemissattitude said:


> My only complaint was that the soundtrack, on the DVD at least, was quite uneven and I had to watch the whole thing with the remote in my hand so that I could turn the volume up or down as needed.



Oh, I hate that! What is with this music-loud dialogue-inaudible sound mixing? Whenever I watch a movie, I'm playing the remote like a violin. It's crazy-making!


----------



## lordoftime

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Just finished it.


----------



## Highlander II

Last movie I saw:

*The Prestige* - saw it twice!  It was fantastic!


----------



## Alia

I watched The Grudge II last weekend. It has some freaky parts to it. *shudders*


----------



## BookStop

Caretaker66 said:


> _Last night I watched Nacho Libre. I thought that it was flippin' hilarious, but I'd only recomend it to those who like that kind of random humor..._


 
I love Jack Black. This morning I caught a music video for his movie The Pick of Destiny. He's so goofy.

The last movie I saw was Thankyou for Smoking. It was pretty good.


----------



## carrie221

Yesterday I saw Flags of Our Fathers in the theater... I really enjoyed the movie and I would recommend it to anyone who like war or action or ww2 films...


----------



## littlemissattitude

For a change of pace from the serious stuff I've been watching lately, I rented and watched _The Princess Diaries 2_ last night.  Typical sequel fare, not nearly as good as the original...which I find to be a delightful film and will watch anytime I can.  Yeah, I know, its primarily for teenaged girls, but the original is a cute story and has some things to say about cherishing one's individuality.  I did like the fact that...Spoilier ahead:

The Queen and Joe finally get together at the end of this one.

Oh, I've also watched the original of _The Mummy_ for the umpteen gazillionth time this morning on AMC.  I first saw it when I was five years old, and it's still one of my favorite films of all time.


----------



## Saltheart

I rented _The Butterfly Effect 2_ a few days ago: it was terrible. This movie is so awful that it is unworthy to share its name with the first. About half the movie was spent on sex scenes, and its premise is just _weak_ (I don't even think there was a premise; the film makers just made a poor sequel to bank off the first).


----------



## roddglenn

Shame, the first Butterfly Effect was a bloody good film.

I watched The Dark (Sean Bean doing a pretty good job and a lovely Welsh coastal backdrop) followed by Scary Movie 4 - ok - a few decent laughs, but not hilarious by any stretch of the imagination.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Alia said:


> I watched The Grudge II last weekend. It has some freaky parts to it. *shudders*


 
Ack, I really want to see that! I love the Gudge films...and the Ring films. Original and new versions. There's something very unsettling about girls with long black hair!

The last film I watch was Kuhle Wampe (a nice black and white film from the 1930's by Brecht, very much a Marxist film!) I actially quite enjoyed it, and before you ask, it wasn't personal choice, it for my university course! 

Oh, no, hang on...what an idiot...I watch Inside Man last night! That was quite good...quite clever.


----------



## Caretaker66

_Last movie I watched was Date Movie...haha...It was a spoof fof everything from Napoleon Dynamite to Pimp My Ride to The Bachelor. Funny Stuff..._


----------



## Jim Colyer

Click is the last movie I saw.  It is both funny and sad and teaches a great lesson.


----------



## geordie bob

I watched a film called momento thought it was very good and original!


----------



## geordie bob

MOMENTO was the last film i watched thought it was very original

sorry about that computer playing up!


----------



## Cycodave

'Mystic River' with Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Larry Fishburne and Kevin Bacon.  Well acted movie, if a little bit predictable in my opinion but very watchable.


----------



## roddglenn

I watched Sleepy Hollow on Halloween - Tim Burton's fantastic take on the old legend with a great cast.


----------



## Nesacat

The Muppets Christmas Carol with Michael Caine as Scrooge, Kermit as Bob Cratchit and Miss Piggy as Mrs Cratchit. Gonzo is Dickens and Rizzo is himself.

Caine does a wonderful job as Scrooge and the whole movie is very well done indeed. AM probably going to watch this on Christmas Eve at home with friends.


----------



## roddglenn

I actually really like Muppets Christmas Carol too.  It's one of those rare kids films that's very engaging to adults too.  Michael Caine is brilliant as Mr Scrooge.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

The last movies I saw where Poseidon (remake with Kurt Russell) and Ice Age 2.
Both were watchable but not great


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh I love Muppets christmas carol!!
And I love Sleepy Hollow as well...I love Johnny Depp in that...although, hell, he's such a mallable actor that I love him in most things...he really has a wide range of characters. 
Ahem..anyway...last night I watched "Paradise Now" a very powerful film about the Palestine/Irsael conflict. Very good film.


----------



## Memnoch

Went to watch departed last night class film. Although a bit predictable and Nicholson who I love just rehashes the Joker!! Infernal Affairs the Chinese original is alot grittier.


----------



## roddglenn

Had a bit of a DVD-a-thon the other night.  Watched Wedding Crashers, followed by Gremlins, followed by A History of Violence, followed by Fellowship of the Ring.  Was quite tired after that lot lol

Wedding Crashers was decent - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn work well off each other and Christopher Walken was brilliant as always

Gremlins - is just a magical classic.  Nuff said.

A History of Violence - David Cronenberg directing a stella cast in a brilliant film adaption of the graphic novel.

Fellowship - well, don't need to say anything on that score really, do I?


----------



## -putawaythosepliers-

Last film i watched was Bridget Jones' Diary, chick flick classic, followed by Bridget Jones' Diary: The Edge Of Reason.
I don't what I'd do without them 
Colin Firth is a brilliant actor


----------



## climacus

Just saw the new Masterpiece Theater Version of Wuthering Heights.  Astonishing, has anyone seen this?  I love it.  Love the acting, sets, music.  Its a gem.  I like it way more than the original black/white, though it did take two times to get used too.  Any thoughts?


Climac


----------



## Pyan

On TV - _Pitch Black_ (again) Justs gets better every time I see it.
Cinema - _The Devil Wears Prada_ - not my usual sort of film, but some good lines in it. Meryl Streep is excellent, and I'd watch Anne Hathaway in a detergent ad.


----------



## lordoftime

Just finished Transformers The Movie.


----------



## Dave

I just saw "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." 

There were funny lines and scenes but it was not the funniest film I've ever seen. There were many things that you blink and they would pass you by, such as the Bear's head in the fridge. I have to warn you that there is a high sexual content, animal cruelty, and it does abuse practically every kind of minority group there is. But if that bothers you, you wouldn't be going anyway.

As a social experiment I think it almost works; certainly better than 'Big Brother' or 'Now Get Me Out Of Here'.

I think the Feminists, the Christians, the Car Salesman and the college students worked the best, but some of it just made me cringe or worry for his own safety. How he escaped alive from the Rodeo is not shown.

I was amazed how easily everyone believed him. Sacha Baron Cohen is not a great actor, and in the UK he is too well known as Ali G for it to have worked. A lot of it is even funnier knowing he is Jewish himself, like in the parts featuring the rifle shop owner and the Jewish B+B. 

I was waiting for his accent to slip, especially when he decided to get drunk with the college students, but then they already had quite a head start on him.

Sorry but only a 5/10!


----------



## SpaceShip

Just watched the 1946 film: A matter of life and death, with David Niven.  That's something to chew on!  It will be numbered along with my best ever films.


----------



## Nesacat

Just watched The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Had already read the book by Christopher Priest so will admit to being quite wary of watching the film. Was very, very pleasantly surprised. Bale & Jackman were wonderful as rival magicians and brought out the complexities of their desire to be the best very well indeed.

I first saw The Muppets Christmas Carol over a decade ago when I was in law School in Leeds. Was very pleasantly surprised to find it at the pirates and it's a wonderful take on Dickens' classic.

Pitch Black is a treat no matter how many times it's watched.


----------



## Scriven

*The Plague Dogs*, based on the book by Richard Adams (which I'd like to read, but can't find). Quite a grim, shocking animation, by the same studio who made the film of Watership Down. A pity it's hardly known - doesn't have much mainstream appeal, I think - imho it deserves a bit more recognition.


----------



## Sibeling

A documentary about football in Germany. Does that count as movie?


----------



## WhiteCrowUK

Firefly: Serenity - a bit of a dissapointment to be honest.


----------



## Urien

The Departed. Great film and for the first time (at least for me) DiCaprio is convincingly tough.


----------



## roddglenn

Scriven said:


> *The Plague Dogs*, based on the book by Richard Adams (which I'd like to read, but can't find). Quite a grim, shocking animation, by the same studio who made the film of Watership Down. A pity it's hardly known - doesn't have much mainstream appeal, I think - imho it deserves a bit more recognition.


 
I totally agree - Plague Dogs is a brilliant film.  Haven't seen it for years, but I remember it vividly.  It is very grim and bloody depressing, but utterly enthrawling.

I watched the Weatherman last night.  It was a good drama and Cage and Caine both acted very well (although I wasn't sure about Caine's dodgy accent).  It was a very good story, but my problem with it was that it was billed as a comedy.  It had one or two humourous points, but it was drama through and through, not comedy.


----------



## Memnoch

andrew.v.spencer said:


> The Departed. Great film and for the first time (at least for me) DiCaprio is convincingly tough.


 

I watched this the other week it was class. 

BORAT RULES - went on Friday I havent laughed so hard and long in all my life genius


----------



## roddglenn

I watched Jet Li's Fearless yesterday.  Wasn't disappointed - visually stunning scenes of turn of the century Shanghai, great performances and a wonderful story based on true events.


----------



## Sibeling

*25th hour.*
Edward Norton is one of my favourite actors, and I really liked the film. Couldn't help feeling sorry for his character, even though all his troubles were his own fault.


----------



## Esioul

Saw Snakes on a plane saturday night... crap but hilarious


----------



## Leandra

WhiteCrowUK said:


> Firefly: Serenity - a bit of a dissapointment to be honest.



Gotta second that. I fell asleep.

*Children of Men* for me. Amazing, amazing, amazing.


----------



## Esioul

I really want to see Children of Men but the cinema here is not very good- not big enough etc so impossibl unless you book ages in advance. I actualyl enjoyed Serenity, although it's better if you've seen Friefly first and you're really into firefly.


----------



## Phobos

Borat, possibly the funniest movie Ive seen all year it kept me entertained til the very end.


----------



## steve12553

Esioul said:


> I really want to see Children of Men but the cinema here is not very good- not big enough etc so impossibl unless you book ages in advance. I actualyl enjoyed Serenity, although it's better if you've seen Friefly first and you're really into firefly.


 
It works in reverse, too. I saw *Serenity* at the theater and it inspired me to find the *Firefly* DVDs and enjoy the series.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Saw two: _Elizabeth_, on cable, and _To Sir, With Love_, on DVD.

I like _Elizabeth_, despite it's excursions that diverge from history.  _To Sir, With Love_ is one of my favorite films of all time and has been ever since I saw it when it was first released, back in 1967.


----------



## Highlander II

Last up was "Flushed Away" - which was fun.

Next up: "Happy Feet" and "the Fountain" ----- 

That's theatres - on DVD - "The Wedding Singer" and "Stick It"


----------



## Nesacat

Casino Royale and I am glad I did. I'd been in two minds about attending the media preview as I'd not cared much for the recent Bond movies. But I am glad that I did go. Casino Royale is a return to Ian Flemming's Bond that is not dependent on a slew of fancy gadgets, special effects and tired double entendres. The movie is much more plot driven and Bond's character more whole and real and gritty.


----------



## Paige Turner

It is with the greatest shame that I confess that I laughed out loud all the way through _Borat._

Not politically correct, not even polite, but there you go.


----------



## Mouse

The Two Towers. It was on TV on sunday.


----------



## Ahm Shere

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I watched it last night!


----------



## Stenevor

Watched 1984 on DVD last weekend. Not quite set how I imagined it when I read the book but still worth watching, John Hurt was good as Winston.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Wordplay_.  It's a documentary about crossword puzzle constructors and solvers, and it's brilliant.  It might help if you love to solve crosswords (as I do), but even if you don't this is a great film.  It centers on the crosswords editor of the _New York Times_, but it's really about some of the people who solve crosswords on the competitive level and also includes interviews with famous crossword solvers, including documentarian Ken Burns, former President Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, and the Indigo Girls.  There's also a segment in which a crossword constructor takes the audience through how he begins to create a new puzzle.

See this movie.


----------



## Lucien21

Casino Royale

Grittier, complex and way more dangerous. That's Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond. Eva Green is the best Bond Girl for years.

The action sequences were great, esp the Free-Running chase through the building site at the start of the movie.

Bond is back.


----------



## Marya

Lucien21 said:


> Eva Green is the best Bond Girl for years.



I still have to see this but why is she the best?  It goes without saying that she's gorgeous  but what else about her character made her a great Bond girl?


----------



## MadSpoon

Nirvana - Christopher Lambert


----------



## littlemissattitude

Lucien21 said:


> Casino Royale



I want to go see this as soon as I'm not coughing so much...don't want to be thrown out of the theatre for disturbing the other patrons.

Not really a movie, but I watched the first episode of _Big Love_ on DVD last night.  For those not familiar, its an HBO series about a modern-day polygamous family in Utah.  Having lived in Utah for a short time once I found it amusing, especially since it is obvious that whoever wrote the thing has some familiarity with the culture there.

There's another episode on this DVD.  I was interested enough in the first episode that I'll watch this one; remains to be seen whether I'll rent the other DVDs from the season.


----------



## Rane Longfox

Casino Royale - friggin awesome!!!


----------



## Lucien21

Marya said:


> I still have to see this but why is she the best? It goes without saying that she's gorgeous  but what else about her character made her a great Bond girl?


 
She's not just a pretty face. Her character has a whole storyline that dominates the latter part of the film.

Reminicient of Diana Rigg in "On her Majesty's secret service" she gets under Bond's skin leading to the famous last line of the novel which is replicated in the movie (although it's not the last line) and leads to explain Bond's behavoir towards women in later books/movies.


----------



## Marya

Lucien21 said:


> She's not just a pretty face. Her character has a whole storyline that dominates the latter part of the film.
> 
> Reminicient of Diana Rigg in "On her Majesty's secret service" she gets under Bond's skin leading to the famous last line of the novel which is replicated in the movie (although it's not the last line) and leads to explain Bond's behavoir towards women in later books/movies.



That's really cool to hear.  You'll never see an ugly Bond girl but I like to see them with some depth to their character and it's good to hear she's an integral part of the plot and also adds some depth to Bond's character.

Thanks for elaborating.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Finallly watched The Departed and OH MY GOD! So very, very, very impressed. I can't give away any plot details but this is a must see! Most impressive is the way Leonardo, who I have previously filed away in the WIMPY PRETTY BOY actor category along with Brad Pitt, finally came into his own as an actor. I was entirely impressed with the movie, the plot was perfectly executed (pun intended), the cast was awesome, and it did not at all feel like "just another mob action flick"


----------



## j d worthington

*Nang Nak* (1999, directed by Nonzee Nimibutr), a Thai ghost tale with a decided difference. Both very touching and horrific, with both quiet moments of a blending of each, and moments when the ghost is obviously an angry (and quite powerful) spirit, this is a film that could definitely teach Hollywood a thing or two about storytelling in the genre. It is also beautifully shot and directed, and has some very memorable performances, especially by the two principles, Intira Jaroenpura as Nak, and Winai Kraibutr as her husband Mak. If you can find a copy, I recommend it highly.

As a side note, I see that there has been a later version in 2005, as well as an opera by composer Somtow Sucharitkul (a name that may be familiar to some on this site).


----------



## Allanon

the prestige, bloody good!


----------



## elvet

I saw both Borat and Bond this weekend and loved them both. Borat was the first film in a long time that consistently had me laughing. Bond was just bloody marvelous. I had high hopes for Daniel Craig in the role, and the movie lived up to my expectations.


----------



## Joel007

Bond was great! Best one yet: the first human James Bond. 
It was funny, involving, surprising, jumpy, and just plain cool.


----------



## dustinzgirl

I am watching Borat right now. I find most of it pretty tasteless, but there were a few funny parts, the kids getting scared by the bear made me laugh, and so did the dinner party. My hubby thought it was hilarious, especially the motel naked wrestling part, but I thought that was just NASTY. I just don't get humour the way others do, I suppose.

Bond is next on my list. can't wait to take my son, he is a huge bond fan. He loves the old bonds the most, and wasn't really impressed with the new bond vision, but he wants to see it anyways.


----------



## Rane Longfox

I disagree, dustinzgirl, I still thought DiCaprio was the weakest actor in The Departed. Completely out-shone by the others...


----------



## Highlander II

Saw both "Happy Feet" and "the Fountain" twice - liked "The Fountain" much more than "Happy Feet".

"HF" was good, but a little long; "TF" was beautiful and amazing to watch.


----------



## Lucien21

*Stranger than Fiction*

Once again a funny man tries a straight movie in a Kaufman-esque story that blurs reality and fiction. Jim Carrey has successfully done it more than once in Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine and now it's the turn of WIll Ferrell.

Will's character Harold Crick is an IRS auditor who is as boring as his job. Has a strict routine to his day, no real friends and no life.

Then one day he starts to hear an English woman narrating his life as he says it's "About me. Accurately... and with a better vocabulary." When the voice says he is going to die. Harolds life and routine is thrown asunder.

Kay Effiel (Emma Thomson) is a writer of Tradgedies who has writers block and can't seem to kill off the character in her first novel in 10 years.

Harold Crick is that character.

A good movie about the nature of reality. 

I enjoyed it although I did have a couple of problems. I didn't completely get the romance part. I know why he would fall for the rebellious baker character, but I didn't quite buy that she falls for him.

I also wasn't sure about the ending. It was a good ending, but maybe it should have stuck with the original ending. The self sacrificing in the name of art ending.

But overall I really enjoyed it and hope Will Ferrell does more of this stuff and less Bewitched.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh! Oh! I've just been to see _The Muppets' Christmas Carol_, shown at the University to get everyone in the Christmas Spirit...It's certainly worked! My God, I love Christmas. 
"'Tis the season to be jolly and joyous!" 
Merry Christmas, all!


----------



## lou.mor432

The last movie I saw was the Grudge 2. Rubbish. Obvious plot lines and the ending has been left wide open.


----------



## roddglenn

Ah, Muppets Christmas Carol is a great film - really warm and funny.  Michael Caine is excellent in it.

I saw Ferris Bueller for the umpteenth time on Film 4 last night - one of John Hughes finest (second to The Breakfast Club).


----------



## intheknow

apocolytpo: loved it.

(advanced screening)


----------



## Stenevor

Little Miss Sunshine. Great uplifting comedy, best film ive seen for a while.


----------



## Urien

Hitchhikers Guide. Pretty poor really, not funny.


----------



## Morpheus42

I watched "The Holiday" in the cinema last tuesday evening. 
Ok movie to go to. Goes nice and easy. Romantic and Humor.


----------



## mosaix

Went to see the new Bond movie last night - brilliant.

Makes me realise what a total waste of material were all those movies staring that talentless idiot Roger Moore were. Those pictures were _so_ bad! I think they should all be remade now that they have someone in the part who can act and someone who can write a screen play.


----------



## Urien

The old Roger Moore movies reminded me of Carry On movies.

"Carry on Bonding."


----------



## Steffi

Hehe!!

Watched Men in Black 2 last night, not as good as the first one but it made me smile.

I know it's not a film but I saw a drama last night called Housewife '49 with Victoria Wood, set in the 2nd World war it was brilliant!!


----------



## Sibeling

Good Buy Lenin!

A German film set in Berlin about the time when Germany became a united country. I really liked the film, it was both funny and sad, but in a good way.


----------



## Pyan

Eragon. Don't ask.


----------



## 0123vicky3210

The new bond movie was brilliant. Danial Craig plays James Bond as a tough, down-to-earth sort of guy. And it works amazingly. Buy doing his own stunts we can really get to know the character and see him doing it up close (which could not be done with a stunt double). 
Some peolple have gone as far as to say that this Bond movie was the best. With great actors and an excellant story line. I would not say THAT (because i have still to see some movies) but it is definatly up there at the top of my list.
As always with the James Bond movies, the cars never fail to impress. The Aston Martin DBS was elegent as well as being a instantly reconisable as a Aston Martin. Also the big factor in the Bond movies is the "Bond Girls". Eva Green brings herself into the role of a accountant for James Bond who finally falls for his charm. 
A must see for any fan of James Bond. 10/10


----------



## IMPERIAL.??????

I saw the new james bond film with my m8s it was REALY good WATCH IT lol
P.S the starting music was realy good "you know my name" by Chris Cornell


----------



## 0123vicky3210

Oh yeh the song was very good too. Totally fitting the movie. And suits the style. Chris Cornall is a genius


----------



## Thadlerian

Eragon. Don't ask me either.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Let's see...what have I been watching?  _Wedding Crashers_.  _Ten Things I Hate About You_.  _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_.  In other words, nothing too heavy.


----------



## 0123vicky3210

All those movies you just metioned are movies I've promised myself I will watch someday.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Hmm...well I caught a bit of _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ earlier (I *love* that film.) However, the last _full_ film I saw was..._Home Alone 2_ I think! Ah yes, I love the Christmas season!


----------



## nixie

I watched 5 Children and IT this afternoon


----------



## Rosemary

I actually managed to sit down and watch Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone at last!


----------



## 0123vicky3210

The last full film I saw was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The new one with Johnny Depp. It is ok. I prefer the older one.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, I agree with you there. Johnny Depp was great, as usual, but Gene Wilder is a legend!


----------



## 0123vicky3210

Yeh. At the start (when you first see Willy Wonka and he's limping) when I was little I thought he couldn't really walk and got upset.


----------



## steve12553

I saw Eragon this afternoon with my daughter and nephew. Yeah, it was pretty simplistic but it's not like the book was a deep wonderfully written classic that had been read by generations. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever wasted my money on.


----------



## 0123vicky3210

Acculatly the latest film I have seen was "Down With Love", it was on last night.  It was good. I love films with happy endings, I'm sad like that.   It wasn't the best film I have seen, but it was ok.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched _The Road to El Dorado_ earlier! I actually set my alarm in order to get up in time  But I love those kinds of Disney films, they're so full of colour. Like the_ Emperor's New Groove_, that is my favourite Disney film! Yeah, I'm a big kid at heart


----------



## 0123vicky3210

Same. Although I really like Lion King (I still cry), Little Mermaid and pochahontes (can't spell but I hope you know which movie I mean).


----------



## littlemissattitude

0123vicky3210 said:


> Acculatly the latest film I have seen was "Down With Love", it was on last night.  It was good. I love films with happy endings, I'm sad like that.   It wasn't the best film I have seen, but it was ok.



I liked _Down With Love_.  It was a fairly faithful recreation of those early sixites Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies, which I liked very much when I was a kid.  I like that they didn't really make fun of the old movies, but really got into the spirit in which they were made.


----------



## nixie

I've just sat and watched The Chronicles of Narina


----------



## BookStop

We saw Night at the Museum yesterday - we all really enjoyed it. It's light, family fun.


Watched Little Miss Sunshine late last night (ok, 2 movies one day, but hey, it's Christmas). It was....odd. The bits that were meant to be funny seemed a little forced and not really funny at all. Overall, the whole movie was disappointing and depressing. I mean, I see what they are trying to do, but I don't think it quite made it. Critics loved this film of course.


----------



## Blue Tyson

Asterix vs Caesar


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Last to watch was The Recruit, Al Pacino and Colin Farrell. Not a bad film.


----------



## Lucien21

*Flags of our Fathers

*For some reason the American critics are going mad over this movie.

A film about the myth of heroes and how they are used for another cause. In this case, a meaningless photo is heralded as a sign of hope by the American public and short of cash the treasury bring back the 3 "heroes" for a whistle stop tour of the US raising money for the war effort.

It jumped about all over the place making any sense of what was going on a hassle. Flasbacks to the battle of Iwo Jima, the tour of the US and various points in the lives of the 3 surviving member of the flag-raising group.

None of the characters were memorable enough to give a crap about.

Overall though I thought the film was pretty mediocre, too disjointed and if I never see another bloody beach storming scene in a WWII movie again i'll be very happy.

Dissapointed.

*Perfume: Story of a Murderer

*Eighteenth-century Paris. Unwanted child Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is born odourless but with a super-refined sense of smell. Later becoming apprentice to master perfumer Baldini (Dustin Hoffman), he develops an obsession with bottling female scent. Following his nose to perfume capital Grasse, he finds that the key to unlocking the secret lies with murder... 

Based on a Best Selling Novel, which I havn't read so no idea how close the movie version is to the source material. How do you film a book about smell? They certainly gave it a good try.

Ben Whishaw is brilliant as the creepy serial killer Grenouille and Rachel Hurd-Wood is absolutely stunning as the object of his ultimate scent. Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman make cameo apperances to good effect.

John Hurt's narrative voice over is perfectly pitched and occassionally funny. 

The movie is a feast on the eyes bringing 18th centuary France to life.

My only misgiving was the outragous ending, but it kinda worked for me. Weird and wonderful and utterly brilliant.

In the running for my film of the year.


----------



## Saolta Oiche

The BBC's Dracula, that was cool.


----------



## 0123vicky3210

nixie said:


> I've just sat and watched The Chronicles of Narina


I haven't seen it yet.


----------



## Foxbat

Recently picked up a copy of the old Superman serials (1948 & 1950) with Kirk Allyn in the title role. Working through each episode (one a day) and enjoying every minute  of it.....Up Up and Away!


----------



## Saolta Oiche

The Chronicles Of Narnia is surprisingly good! Great graphics and great battles. U'll love it!


----------



## 0123vicky3210

It is on my "To watch" list. But I have been so caught up with reading I haven't seen any movies for a while.


----------



## Adasunshine

The last movie I saw was Cars, the Disney/pixar animation... I bought it for my 4 year old but I ended up enjoying it more than him!!!

xx


----------



## littlemissattitude

Went and saw _Night at the Museum_ on Christmas Day.  I really liked it, despite the very mixed reviews it has been getting.  Of course, I'll go see anything with Owen Wilson in it, so I would have seen it even if _all_ the reviews had been bad.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, I really want to see that! 

I'm watching, right at this moment, Jurassic Park III. I love Jurassic Park I (watched that when it first came out at the cinema when I was about five, wow, that was an experience!!), the second one annoys me and number III isn't too bad apart from the Spinosaurus gets on my nerves


----------



## Harpo

I just watched JP3 too.  The intelligence of the raptors is the scariest thing in it. 
Saw the first one at the cinema with a mate, and we were the only people in the cinema who didnt have children with them.


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Woohoo to Jurassic Park! I saw it several times at the cinema, first time was for my birthday coz the first one came out in December, was only young, 10 years old. It came out 1993.

Such an ace film and funny enough I haven't actually got it on Vid/DVD!

Number 2 was ok, it gets better the more I watch it and number 3 I really like, I actually like the Spinosaurus myself.

Ace films but you just can't beat the first!


----------



## Dave

'Eragon' and 'Deja Vu' at the cinema. 'Lost in Translation' on DVD.

'Lost in Translation' was a huge disappointment. The DVD cover said it was a hilarious film. It lied big-time!


----------



## Stenevor

Dave said:


> 'Lost in Translation' was a huge disappointment. The DVD cover said it was a hilarious film. It lied big-time!


 
Strange film that one, I dont know why they bothered with the comedy angle, I dont remember laughing once when I watched it but I still really liked it.

Last film I watched was Borat. I enjoyed it, cringing and all.


----------



## Rosemary

Well finally got to watch Earthsea, which I recorded from the TV

It was entertaining but that was all... Perhaps I should now read the book to fill in on the pieces that were undoubtably missing in the film...


----------



## j d worthington

Rosemary said:


> Well finally got to watch Earthsea, which I recorded from the TV
> 
> It was entertaining but that was all... Perhaps I should now read the book to fill in on the pieces that were undoubtably missing in the film...


 
Most definitely check out the books. I found that production to be quite lacklustre, I must admit... As you say, entertaining, perhaps, but nothing more.


----------



## Rosemary

j. d. worthington said:


> Most definitely check out the books. I found that production to be quite lacklustre, I must admit... As you say, entertaining, perhaps, but nothing more.


Thank you JD


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm currently watching *Clash of the Titans*. Oh, what a classic film...this, and *Jason and the Argonauts*. Brilliant. 
Ah! The Kraken! Nooo! Fly, Perseus, fly! 
Hehe...sorry.


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Currently god The Godfather on though dad is really watching it.


----------



## dsmith

The last movie I saw was _Eragon_- my son and I were very disappointed because it left so much out and didn't follow the book very much.


----------



## ras'matroi

Just saw Children of Dune


----------



## HoopyFrood

And _now_ I'm watching the *Life of Brian*! Oh yes, it's been a good day for films! I love all that the _Monty Python_'s have done, and the Life of Brian is brilliant (although I think the *Holy Grail* is still my favourite).


----------



## dsmith

I've been watching the Tremors series today- I'm on _Tremors 3 Back to_ _Perfection_ right now.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ooh, *Tremors*! I remember watching those films when I was very young! I don't think I've watched number three though...


----------



## dsmith

HoopyFrood said:


> Ooh, *Tremors*! I remember watching those films when I was very young! I don't think I've watched number three though...




I own all 4 of the Tremors movies. They're weird, but every now and then I get in the mood to watch them.


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Tremors was and is and will always be a *great* film!


----------



## dane78

The last movie I watched was The Omen (2006). I hope they'll have remakes of the 2nd & 3rd sequel too...


----------



## manephelien

The LotR EE trilogy over three days on a 96" projector screen.


----------



## Stenevor

Kingdom of Heaven(Extended Directors Cut). Really enjoyable, some great cinematography and music. Very non PC but powerful pictures of the crusaders carrying their giant gold cross into battle and the siege of Jerusalem at the end was spectacular. Acting was pretty good all around IMO. I dont know why Orlando Bloom gets slagged off all the time I thought he gave a good performance, unfortunately to some audiences all heroes have to be braindead, 6ft4in, bulging muscles.

It wasnt perfect though, script seemed like a series of soundbites at times and time between one scene and the next wasnt clear. Its a bit depressing too but I quite like that.

I found it all interesting enough to read up about how historically accurate it was so I learned some stuff from it too.


----------



## roddglenn

Saw Night at the Museum with my little niece and was pleasantly surprised at home good it was.  A fun story with a good cast, decent acting and great effects.


----------



## Sibeling

*Monty Python and The Holy Grail.*

It was hilarious, I hadn't seen any MP films before, but I definitely want to now. _She turned me into a newt!_


----------



## demigod.bran

donnie darko


----------



## The Upright Man

night at the museum also on new years eve

twas funny


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Watched the end of Shindler's List at lunch time at work. Gggrrrreat!


----------



## jackokent

Watch a completely load of rubbish called "the black knight" last night. Possibly quite high on my worst ever film list.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Saolta Oiche said:


> Watched the end of Shindler's List at lunch time at work. Gggrrrreat!



I'm not sure that _Schindler's List_ is a lunchtime movie, exactly.  But it is indeed a great film.


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Lol I dunno, I enjoyed it immensly.


----------



## Pyan

_Night at the Museum_ 
Enjoyed it a lot, and _not _only for the sfx.


----------



## roddglenn

Watched Sideways for about the 3rd or 4th time last night.  Not SFF, but an absolutely fantastic film all the same.  Paul Giamatti is superb in it.


----------



## Pyan

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
Never palls.


----------



## littlemissattitude

I halfway watched _I Spy_ earlier.  Now _Taxi Driver_ is on.  Every time I see it, I realize all over again how extraordinary a film it is.


----------



## ras'matroi

Watched Spirited Away a few hours ago. I think it was the 5th or 6th time. It isn't my favorite anime but one of the best I know.


----------



## sanityassassin

just watched Galaxy Quest earlier still enjoy it


----------



## Epic Universe

Just got a chance to see "Accepted." It's actually a pretty entertaining movie.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Saw _Down With Love_ again last night, because it happened to be on tv.


----------



## Rosemary

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Not as good as the two previous Harry Potter movies.


----------



## Azra'el

I went to see Night at the Museum. I thought it was great, I can't wait to buy it on dvd.


----------



## dsmith

Just watched _The Last Man on Earth, _based on the book _I Am Legend, _which I just read a while ago. I enjoyed them both!


----------



## Nesacat

Night At The Museum with all my young cousins. It was the school holidays and I'd been vuluntold to take them to the movies. Loved the movie though and laughed until my sides ached. The expression on that dinosaur's face was priceless. 

Also saw The Sinking Of Japan though without the complement of small children which was probably a good idea since I cried my eyes out. The cinematography reminded me of the old Ultraman and Godzilla serials I used to watch as a child. I like the honest way they looked at the possibility of Japan sinking beneath the waves and subsequent reactions of people both within the country and the global community. Well worth the watch.


----------



## The DeadMan

We Are Marshell


----------



## Pyan

Nesacat said:


> Night At The Museum........The expression on that dinosaur's face was priceless.


Oh yes - just loved T.rex as eager puppy! 

Galaxy Quest, great film, the best spoof of  _Aliens/Star Trek/Star Wars_ ever.


----------



## HoopyFrood

_White Noise: The Light._

*Sigh*......No words can express my disappointment....(well, apart from those well chosen ones )


----------



## carrie221

The Good Shepard which I loved


----------



## littlemissattitude

carrie221 said:


> The Good Shepard which I loved



I definitely want to see this one.


----------



## Pyan

The Marx Brothers in _A Night at the Opera_, part of a boxed DVD collection that I got for Christmas. Classic!


----------



## Leonardo

The Squid and the Whale. Which was a great movie! Warmly reccommended.


----------



## Cycodave

Clerks 2......toilet humour, not as good as the 1st but still worth a watch


----------



## Steffi

Ice Age I & II

We watched them last night and we had such a giggle.


----------



## richhill1982

Apocolypto.........


If you keep Mel Gibson out of your head its a wicked movie......

Has to be watched in the cinema though......The music works really well

.........Not too sure about it being an analogy of our times though......

Great lead actor as wellw


----------



## Sattrega

Flight Plan - Ok, but a tad predictable.


----------



## Lenny

Holes, and then V For Vendetta straight after it.

I haven't read Holes for some time, but the film seemed to be pretty accurate to the book. It was pretty good, too, considering it's a film based on a best-selling book.

V For Vendetta was, well, brilliant! I loved every single bit of it, especially the one-sided fight scene in the Underground station. That's got to be one of the best scenes I've ever seen.


----------



## Lucien21

The Last King of Scotland.

Young doctor goes to Uganda in the 60's and becomes Personal physician to Idi Amin until he realises what a fruit loop he is and that he is in way over his head.

A Fascinating blend of fact and fiction and probably the best acting in Forest Whitaker I have seen all year.

Oscar for Forest.


----------



## Kanazaka

*Eragon*, and I've posted my thoughts in that thread


----------



## Quokka

Saw _Deja vu _last night. It wasn't too bad and it did mix the sf elements in well to the basic cop thriller. You have to suspend disbelief on a couple of key areas (ie the most amazing discovery _ever _is left in the hands of a small group of individuals to play with) but you kind of expect that anyway, the biggest problem was that it did seem to have borrowed alot of ideas from other movies.


----------



## ravenus

*The Quatermass Xperiment* 

A pretty entertaining B/W SF-horror movie by Hammer Studios about a space mission rocket that returns with 2 of the astronauts dead and the third one in a zombie like state. It turns out that there's something inside him that feeds and grows...soon at an alarming rate. 

Nothing exceptional to see but here's a very brisk running story, very efficiently played out. The visuals are mostly serviceable but there's some nifty night-time photography and apart from its limitations in the depiction of the creature FX the film nicely belies its low-budget roots. 

The most striking aspect is the character of Quatermass (Brian Donlevy), a dynamic scientist type and the mastermind behind the space mission, who's not a villainous sort (and in fact devises the means of destroying the alien abomination) but comes across as a fairly uncaring asshole that rides roughshod over anyone who argues or opposes his instructions. Just after the climax where the monster is destroyed Quatermass tersely instructs his assistant to make preparations for the next space mission. Oldskool!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Ice Age 2* for the second time the other day. Does anyone else get incredibly frustrated by that rodent with it's acorn? Just grab the damned thing already!


----------



## Saolta Oiche

Jabberwocky


----------



## Alysheba

The last few I rented were:

The Illusionist: Good movie. I enjoyed it very much.

The Covenant: Bottom line, pretty people, weak plot, pretty people. Not much there really.

Barnyard: Pretty good. Kind of sad. Not as funny as I had hoped but cute. 

The Black Dalhia: Awfully boring, confusing and I couldn't even finish it. LA Confidential was SO much better than this mess of a film.

Holes: Really good film. I'm surprised I had not seen it before now.


----------



## Rosemary

*Shakespeare Retold: The Taming Of The Shrew*. 



 A movie made in 2005 staring Shirley Henderson and Stephen Tompkinson.  Considering my aversion to the many newer re-makes, I really enjoyed this movie!  It certainly gives the Bard’s story a different angle and probably more entertaining for some, than reading a somewhat drier version.


----------



## nixie

The Gaurdian


----------



## Sibeling

Dead Fish (2004) - a British comedy with one of my favourite actors ever - Robert Carlyle. It was entertaining, but not in a laugh-out-loud way.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've only just finished watching *The Music Man*. It's not my usual choice of film, being more a fan of horror, but hell, it's such a feel good film. And the songs are great


----------



## Steffi

Couldn't resist *The Green Mile* again...it was on last night


----------



## BookStop

I watched a foreign horror film called Witchboard - it was alright, the mood was creepy, but there wasn't anything I didn't expect.


----------



## fluff

Devil wear prada on the airplane. its free so why not.


----------



## Quokka

_Lilies of the Field _was on TV yesterday, sat down for five minutes and didnt get up until it had finished. This is the movie that won Sidney Poiter an Oscar and still a great little film.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_The Devil Wears Prada_.  Much different than I thought it would be, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.


----------



## Culhwch

_Alien vs Predator_. Pure popcorn movie and pretty mindless and stupid in large parts, but for all that enjoyable enough for a Saturday afternoon.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *The Princess Bride* last night. Although I think my avatar and my location at the moment gives that away slightly


----------



## Quokka

_The Commitments,_ this movie is to Dublin, Ireland (in my opinion) what _The Castle _was to Australia... absolutely bleeding brilliant


----------



## Rosemary

Kidnapped (part one) on the TV.  Nowhere near as good as the book.


----------



## Lucien21

Smokin' Aces

A tangled mess of a movie with too many cameos and characters muddling up the plot.

Chickens out of the huge shootout at the end, goes with a few mini shootouts instead, and tries to turn a comedy into a drama with a crappy twist at the end.

Dissapointing.


----------



## Culhwch

I just finished watching Terrance Malick's _The New World_. Not quite what I expected, but good. Very like _The Thin Red Line_ in tone and mood, subdued and understated, almost dreamlike in places. Some very evocative imagery, and good performances from the cast.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Night at the museum.....loved it, but not quite as good as the indian in the cupboard.....

The Descent was boring. Like underworld 2, just blood and guts. You don't have to think about it.

Barnyard---absolutely hilarious. But, I think animals that talk are hilarious anyways.

um....i think thats it.


----------



## Culhwch

dustinzgirl said:


> The Descent was boring. Like underworld 2, just blood and guts. You don't have to think about it.


 
That's a shame, I'd heard it was one of the better horror films of recent time...


----------



## Lenny

I saw *Gorky Park* last night.

It's a good film... except for the fact that it's set in the USSR, and every actor and actress is American or English and makes no effort to make their accents sound even remotely Russian.


----------



## ravenus

Culhwch said:


> That's a shame, I'd heard it was one of the better horror films of recent time...


Well give it a chance before you discoun it. I quite liked it and I've seen a good number of horror films. Not that you'll have many unpredictable moments but the lead characters are nicely written, the clautrphobic atmosphere is well-realized and the violence is pretty thrilling. All the things I could never say about *Underworld 2* 

P.S. I really liked the ending (UK version)


----------



## Rosemary

Watched the 2005 film version of 'Shakespeare Retold: A Midsummer Night's Dream' 

Again, a different way of enjoying this classic tale, in a modern setting.


----------



## Culhwch

ravenus said:


> Well give it a chance before you discoun it. I quite liked it and I've seen a good number of horror films. Not that you'll have many unpredictable moments but the lead characters are nicely written, the clautrphobic atmosphere is well-realized and the violence is pretty thrilling. All the things I could never say about *Underworld 2*
> 
> P.S. I really liked the ending (UK version)


 
Oh, I was still gonna watch it, don't worry...


----------



## Culhwch

I just finished watching _Grizzly Man_, the doco about Timothy Treadwell. Certainly a fascinating film, put together very well. It has left me in an odd place, in truth, still trying to figure out what to make of it. It's tragic at a number of different levels. I can't really sympathise with Treadwell; it seemed clear that he was truly delusional, not to mention a little unhinged. But still his end was undeniably tragic and horrible. But then I'm not sure, despite his convictions, that his death or his life will have had that great an impact on the preservation of grizzlys...


----------



## ravenus

Grizzly Man was a terrific movie and I love the way Herzog put together the footage, showing both sides of Timothy and giving you the complete picture of an interesting person rather than trying to persuade you one way or the other.


----------



## Culhwch

Indeed, something I was left wondering was how Treadwell himself would have cut the footage together, when he came to make a documentary. It would certainly have been an _interesting_ film....


----------



## DarkIntentions

*The Rocky Horror Show*


hehe.. my mum doesn't know i've got it!
It's an 18s isn't it..??
*Is 13*

ANYWAY!

Tis a good film.

Tim Curry<3


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, I watched *The Rocky Horror Show* at an even earlier age. It's a cracking film. My parentals didn't mind me watching films with 18 certificates, though. Thus I watched all the great horror films while still at primary school!

Explains a lot, really


----------



## littlemissattitude

Rocky Horror.  

Not that I've seen it recently, mind.  Just that the mere mention of it makes me smile.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Rented three movies the other day: The Covenant, United 93, and Shadowboxer


----------



## HoopyFrood

Went to the cinema last night and saw *Blood Diamond*. Not my usual choice of film (my friends organised the trip and I just went along) and I'm not a fan of Leo de Caprio, but now I'm glad I watched it. It was a very powerful film.

I also saw a trailer for *300*...I will definitely be going to see that, it looks brilliant!

I also saw a poster for a British film, *Magicians*, which stars Robert Webb and David Mitchell (of *Peep Show* and *That Mitchell and Webb Look *fame) and got mildly excited because I'm an extra in that film...needless to say I'll be watching that as well, just to see if I make an appearance on screen!!


----------



## Nesacat

I didn't watch them in the cinema but at home with a friend...

Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were Rabbit
The Muppets Christmas Carol
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

She had not ever seen the first two and we both saw the last one way back when we were in school.


----------



## demigod.bran

apocalypta

so and so. good story but bad ending


----------



## Lenny

I watched Syriana on Saturday night. It's a good film, but it loses it slightly with the flicking to new scenes every 5 minutes or so.


----------



## fancying_fantasy

*Forsyte Saga Series I*, quite depressing.


----------



## philoSCIFI

"Flyboys" was interesting. It surprised me; I didn't know what to expect with the exception of the flying part. 

"The Night Listener" I was interestingly disappointed. By what exactly, I can't put my finger on it.


----------



## Pyan

*The Wedding Planner*, Gods help me....


----------



## Nesacat

Am very curious now Pyan ... which gods exactly ... seeing as you are who you are and all 

Watched Chronos which is a lovely little film. Well done and short and I liked the way it ended. Thanks JD for telling me about this one.


----------



## Pyan

Nesacat said:


> Am very curious now Pyan ... which gods exactly ... seeing as you are who you are and all



Well, "Me help me" sounds silly!


----------



## j d worthington

Nesacat said:


> Watched Chronos which is a lovely little film. Well done and short and I liked the way it ended. Thanks JD for telling me about this one.


 
You're very welcome, Cat... Glad you were able to find it; around here, anytime someplace has it, it goes missing quite quickly.... 

After seeing this and *The Devil's Backbone* (and the tiny bits of Pan's Labyrinth I've been able to catch), I do think that he may be one of, if not the best, choices to try tackling HPL's *Mountains of Madness* for the screen....


----------



## Dave

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
Steamboy
Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes

I have the boxed set Planet of the Apes and now working my way through the other three films. I would really like to see the TV series repeated.


----------



## BookStop

I watched The Guardian this weekend - Man, it sucked. I think the writer watched too many movies as we was writing this one. Top Gun, Vertical Limit, and An Officer and a Gentleman, just to name a few that he hacked off bits from.


----------



## Gwillion

Battle Royale II last night. I was really disappointed - not a patch on the first one, and so _long_!


----------



## HappyHippo

Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd Webber version. This is my comfort film!

I half-watched the Great Escape last night, as the other half was watching it in bed. I truly loathe that film, and the silly soundtrack's now on loop in what passes for my brain.


----------



## dsmith

Just watched _Monster House _with my son. We tried to watch _Saw 3,_ but it was just too gross.


----------



## Allegra

*Borat*. Excellent!


----------



## philoSCIFI

Allegra said:


> *Borat*. Excellent!



Is it really? I still can't bring myself to watch it.


----------



## Pyan

_*Arthur and the Invisibles *_
Interesting, good CGI, but if you enjoyed *Leon*, also directed by Luc Besson, and expected something similar, you're in for a shock.


----------



## Sibeling

*Memento.* It was a very interesting film, especially because at the end nothing was really clear.


----------



## Pyan

*Serenity*, last night on DVD. It just gets better, every time I watch it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Silent Hill *again the other night. Ah, I do love that film. The music  for it is the same music that is used in the game and it's fantastic, definitely some of the best film music that I've heard.


----------



## ravenus

pyanfaruk said:


> *Serenity*, last night on DVD. It just gets better, every time I watch it.


I saw this movie recently too, and posted my views of it here


----------



## Sibeling

Hannibal Rising, and it was not as frightening as I thought it would be.


----------



## Pyan

ravenus said:


> I saw this movie recently too, and posted my views of it here


I'd agree with that

Just watched _*The Day After Tomorrow*_ - brilliant CGI. Shame the plot's like a colander.

Seem to be saying that a lot, recently


----------



## BookStop

Watched John Tucker Must Die with my teenager - cute.


----------



## HappyHippo

pyanfaruk said:


> I'd agree with that
> 
> Just watched _*The Day After Tomorrow*_ - brilliant CGI. Shame the plot's like a colander.
> 
> Seem to be saying that a lot, recently


 
don't you find that a lot of really good films seem to be buried under the CG? I had a HUGE row with a guy at church, becasue I said that Eps 1,2 & 3 of Star Wars weren't as good as the original, purely because they relied on CG to make the film work. There was not much in the way of writing or acting going on. *ducks and waits for stoning to commence*

Anyway, I  just watched *HACKERS*, starring a young Angelina Jolie. Fantastic film, spoiled the internet for me though! Thought it would be like the graphics....duh.


----------



## philoSCIFI

HACKERS! I think I own a shody(sp) copy of it. First time I saw it, I liked it for the skating. lol

Last movie I saw was "The Messangers". I was disappointed as I was expecting a scary movie. Instead, I got a comedy.


----------



## Pyan

HappyHippo said:


> don't you find that a lot of really good films seem to be buried under the CG?


Yes, yes, YES! Have you seen Van Helsing? (spoiler) 



Spoiler



especially the last bit, on the aerial ropeways!


----------



## Fourth Hunter

The last movie that I saw in theaters was Eragon.  That'll scare me away for a while.


----------



## Sketti

Pan's Labyrinth a couple of days ago. It was awsome! I almost started crying in the cinema. That has never happened before. Go see it. Now!


----------



## Pyan

Chance of a Lifetime (1950, b/w) on Film4. 
Workers who think they can do better than the owner take over a plough factory in post-war Britain.

 Fascinating period details, and chock full of then-young actors that went on to be well-known - including *Patrick Troughton*, the second _Doctor Who_, who would have been about 30 at the time.


----------



## ravenus

Stickying this thread. Saw *The Double Life of Veronique* today, which is about the lives of 2 women Weronika and Veronique, who look identical and whose otherwise disparate lives meet at some intersecting points. It was very brilliant visually and all, but it didn't make a big impact on me, emotionally.


----------



## Stenevor

Saw 2 films last weekend.

*Thank you for smoking.  *Pretty good, satirical look at spin and PR departments, funny though in a quiet clever way rather than laugh out loud. Aaron Eckhart is great in it, never really heard of him before but his performance pretty much carries the film.    

*The Black Cauldron*. 1980's?, none musical Disney cartoon version of Lloyd Alexanders Chronicles of Prydain. Not a lot to say about it really except John Hurt voiced the Horned King(I wouldnt have known if I hadnt seen it on the credits) and Im not really the target audience for this sort of thing so dont really feel the need to slag it off.


----------



## Pyan

Stenevor said:


> *The Black Cauldron*. 1980's?, none musical Disney cartoon version of Lloyd Alexanders Chronicles of Prydain. Not a lot to say about it really except John Hurt voiced the Horned King(I wouldnt have known if I hadnt seen it on the credits) and Im not really the target audience for this sort of thing so dont really feel the need to slag it off.


*1985,* and at a low point in the Disney canon (_The Great Mouse Detective? Oliver and Company?_), just before the start of the revival with _The Little Mermaid, Lion King, _etc.

*Tea with Mussolini,* last night - excellent.


----------



## Quokka

_All the presidents men_ is on again tonight, not normally a fan of the whole reporter/investigator angle, or neccesarily the 'based on real life' movies but I saw this for the first time a little while ago and it is a brilliant film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

The hillllls are alliveee with *The Sound of Music*! Yup, that's what I watched last night.


----------



## Quokka

HoopyFrood said:


> The hillllls are alliveee with *The Sound of Music*! Yup, that's what I watched last night.



And yet you have the will to post here tonight... I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or fear you


----------



## Lenny

*While You Were Sleeping*.

It's a dirty, filthy, horrible, nasty, awful, dirty Rom Com. *spit*

Got Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman in it.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Jesus Camp_.  Those people scare me, especially the woman that runs the camp.  Also, the woman who was homeschooling her children.  What they are doing isn't religious so much as it is political.  They're training those kids to hate anyone who isn't just like them.


----------



## Pyan

_*Carrie.*_
Even though I know about the end, it still makes me jump.


----------



## Lenny

Oooh! I've seen a bit from Jesus Camp on Youtube - the big woman preaching to the people that Harry Potter is evil.

Warlocks are enemies of God!!


----------



## Coolhand

Just seen Hot Fuzz.
That is one SERIOUSLY funny film. I'll shove a review up for it later. Try it though. It's good.


----------



## Knight_of_Nights

Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny. That is one awesome movie...unless of course you don't like Tenacious D/Jack Black/Rock.


----------



## Sibeling

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

It was a bit too long and got boring at the end. And why are the Germans always the bad guys?


----------



## ravenus

Well, this movie is a tribute to American movie serials set in the 40's so OF COURSE ze Gerrmans have to be the ad guys.


----------



## Sibeling

I guess so, but even if the bad guys were, Australian, for instance, I don't think the movie would be better


----------



## Pyan

Just watched _Laputa:Castle in the Sky_ on C4. Stunned.


----------



## Talysia

I saw Laputa, too.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Lenny

Tonight we watched *Goodnight Lenin*.

A very good film. The Germans are very good filmmakers, too.


----------



## Culhwch

Wouldn't that be _Good Bye Lenin!_, or am I thinking of a different movie?


----------



## HoopyFrood

The last film I watched was* My Beautiful Laundrette* for my English course. The acting wasn't great, but the film overall wasn't too bad, and it was filmed in the 80s so there was some crazy hair and clothes going on!


----------



## Lenny

> Wouldn't that be _Good Bye Lenin!_, or am I thinking of a different movie?


 
Oopsie daisy. Yep, that's the one. 

Same difference.


----------



## HappyHippo

*Octopussy*

yuk. yuk. yuk.

I know James Bond is meant to be a certain kind of guy, but Roger Moore's bond was so sleazy, and sexist (more so than the base-level chauvanist Bond), and patronising to anyone not white and upper class, or wanting to sleep with him. But, my beloved loves Bond films, so I suffer in a complete lack of silence!


----------



## ravenus

HoopyFrood said:


> The last film I watched was* My Beautiful Laundrette* for my English course. The acting wasn't great, but the film overall wasn't too bad, and it was filmed in the 80s so there was some crazy hair and clothes going on!


Yargh I hated that movie. Even Daniel Day Lewis couldn't save it from being a complete turd-fest.


----------



## Monkey Eggs

The Children of Men. I do so love a good dystopia, and I love Pam Ferris. I'm still a bit disconcerted by the fact that it was written by P.D. James, but a quite enjoyable movie altogether.


----------



## Talysia

I was finally able to watch Howl's Moving Castle last night, and I loved it.


----------



## Lucien21

*Hot Fuzz*

Not as good as Shaun of the Dead, but still hilarious.

Could have done with being slightly shorter and Nick Frost gets all the good lines as Simon Pegg plays the straight man.

Well worth seeing.


----------



## Sibeling

Talysia said:


> I was finally able to watch Howl's Moving Castle last night, and I loved it.


 
I've seen it, and it was quite beautiful, but sometimes I just didn't understand it. Why was the girl changing her appearence form old to young all the time? And why did they have to have anything to do with that witch? But it was interesting all the same.


----------



## Talysia

I don't know why they had anything to do with the witch, either.  Still, I thought that the girl kept changing her form from young to old because her feelings were affecting the curse - whether it was her feelings for Howl or her feelings about herself - I don't know.  I'll be watching it again, though, so maybe I'll be able to figure it out.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, I think it was something like that. She didn't think herself pretty, but then when she started letting herself go and giving into her feelings for Howl, she'd start to look young again. Everytime someone mentions her appearance, though, you'll notice that she goes back to looking old again, because she doesn't believe that she's pretty.

I'm not too sure about the witch either, but once she'd lost her powers I think Sophie just took pity on her and decided to look after her.


----------



## Lenny

All this sounds as if the film is a world away from the book, right?


----------



## Nesacat

Ghost Rider. 

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I liked some parts but those were mainly the special effects and I seemed to like Carter Slade better as Ghost Rider though I did like the bike and the three fallen angels. Basically I liked all the bells and whistles and really wanted to hit Eva Mendes over the head.


----------



## Pyan

Wooo - not released until March 2nd in the UK, Cat - you lucky feline you!


----------



## Nesacat

It was a media screening Pyan ... I'm sorry; I thought it was out everywhere else already.

Curiously ... quite a few of the men did not like the movie at all apart from Eva Mendes. They said the Ghost Rider was not 'hard' enough. I thought it was pretty alright. Not anywhere as good as Batman Begins but a good enough effort nevertheless.

And there was that wonderful bike. You have to love a guy with a head that's on fire and that bike. The special effects were really well done.


----------



## Sibeling

HoopyFrood said:


> Yes, I think it was something like that. She didn't think herself pretty, but then when she started letting herself go and giving into her feelings for Howl, she'd start to look young again. Everytime someone mentions her appearance, though, you'll notice that she goes back to looking old again, because she doesn't believe that she's pretty.


 
Yes, that makes sense. I think I'll watch it again, now with a new understanding of the events. 


And the last movie I saw was _Total Recall_. I don't know how many times I have seen it, but I just like it despite Arnold's terrible accent (or maybe because of it).


----------



## BookStop

I watched Babel this weekend. It was pretty good, but very similar in structure to Amores Perros. Definitely worth seeing, and if you like it try AP too.


----------



## Sibeling

Spellbound.

It was interesting, as all Hitchcock's films are, but I just don't believe that idea of psychoanalysis and the fact that dreams really tell you something. The film would have been better if it was in color, not black-and-white.


----------



## j d worthington

Sibeling said:


> Spellbound.
> 
> It was interesting, as all Hitchcock's films are, but I just don't believe that idea of psychoanalysis and the fact that dreams really tell you something. The film would have been better if it was in color, not black-and-white.


 
Really? I would have said exactly the opposite. It would have been too garish in color, I think; and portions of it would actually have become quite laughable, whereas in black-and-white they had a dark, moody impressiveness.


----------



## Aleksei

I watched Only Yesterday, yesterday , and I really liked it. It was undoubtedly one of the best studio ghibli movies I have watched, though I enjoy all of their work. Except Grave of the Fireflies, it's just too sad.

Here is an imdb-link to the movie, Omohide poro poro (1991)file:///J:/ViTALiTY/JadeEmpire.exe


----------



## kyektulu

*The last film I saw was Point break, still a brillient film after all these years! *


----------



## Mighty mouse

Babel (kind of wonderful). It is a very different film that I had to be dragged to see.
My reticence made me ponder just how conditioned we have become to the 'Hollywood' package?

I found the story secondary but the real cleverness seemed the way it made you examine the reaction of the respective societies to unusual events and how members of them communicate and behave. 
The Japanese seem to have let politeness rob them of intimacy and  the Americans seem to have such a harsh survival society that humanity is rationed.

Terminator 3 (finally!). Enjoyed it but was puzzled by one thing (perhaps I missed something or they cut something!). Towards the end the terminator wants them to get to a safe distance but our hero holds a gun to his head to try and persuade it to go to Skynet headquarters. However she says they must go then the terminator obeys (having been originally reprogrammed by and made to obey her).
My quibble is that at least twice before she had given it orders and been ignored. The initial scene where it locks her in the van at the Vets she shouts let me out of here and also in his mother's crypt.


----------



## Sibeling

j. d. worthington said:


> Really? I would have said exactly the opposite. It would have been too garish in color, I think; and portions of it would actually have become quite laughable, whereas in black-and-white they had a dark, moody impressiveness.


 
I feel that the dreams should have been in colour - that would be a contrast to reality, sort of an insight into the troubled mind of a mental patient whose dreams have only a very remote relationship to the real world. The way the dreams were made in black-and-white, they just don't seem so dreamlike, because dreams are usually in colour. Besides, Dali's paintings on which the dreams were based, are in colour.


----------



## j d worthington

Sibeling said:


> I feel that the dreams should have been in colour - that would be a contrast to reality, sort of an insight into the troubled mind of a mental patient whose dreams have only a very remote relationship to the real world. The way the dreams were made in black-and-white, they just don't seem so dreamlike, because dreams are usually in colour. Besides, Dali's paintings on which the dreams were based, are in colour.


 
Yes, that's a good point. However, I'm afraid that, especially in the time it was made (and for several decades after, and even for the majority today) had those sequences been done in color, it would have shattered the mood of the film. I was thinking particularly of those when I mentioned garish. It would have been far too bright and cartoonish, and the carefully crafted dark moodiness, the use of shadows and light to weave that gloomy dreamlike eeriness would have been destroyed, and it would have had much the cartoonish effect of a Disney animation. It would have been terribly jarring. Speaking realistically, it would have been accurate; but it would have been laughed off the screen... still would be, I think. In this case, I'd say it's the black-and-white that is much more evocative of the air of almost claustrophobic tension, uncertainty, and near-paranoia. Color would have seriously taken away from that.

Incidentally, it was William Cameron Menzies who directed the dream sequence rather than Hitchcock, apparently, as producer David O. Selznick was not at all happy with the way it looked originally. As one recent reviewer put it: "And thus, one of the most celebrated of all Hitchcock sequences wasn't directed by Hitchcock at all."

That's show-biz!


----------



## dustinzgirl

Happy Feet.

And I cried.

And then my daughter laughed at me.

I also watched the marine, the covenant, and saw 3.

The Marine was awful. Its like, the only good actor was the guy from terminator 2 and x-files. But, I dont even really like him. Everyone else was just blah. And the victim girl---john cena's wife---was way to complacent. seriously. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't just sit there and look dumb while bad guys shot at my husband. 

The Covenant was surprisingly decent.

Saw 3 was one of the worst horror movies ever. Saw and Saw 2 were even better, but I hate those too so Im not sure why I spent 3.99 to watch Saw 3......


----------



## Dave

I just watched The Fly - the David Cronenburg version - I'd forgotten how disgusting it was.

I also just read on Hailing Frequencies that 'Scanners' is going to be remade: 





> David Cronenberg's Scanners (1981) will be remade by Dimension Films, which has gotten Darren Lynn Bousman to direct and David Goyer to script. No word on who'll play the guys whose heads explode from telepathic weaponry, but it should hit the screen (ew) in late 2008.


 I've pencilled in seeing that one already.


----------



## j d worthington

Dave said:


> I just watched The Fly - the David Cronenburg version - I'd forgotten how disgusting it was.
> 
> I also just read on Hailing Frequencies that 'Scanners' is going to be remade: I've pencilled in seeing that one already.


 
Um, why on earth will they be remaking *Scanners*?  (And did you realize they're also doing a remake of *The Creature from the Black Lagoon*??! )

Cronenberg's *The Fly*.... I quite like Cronenberg's films, but I have to take them few and far between (generally speaking). That particular film is magnificently done... and one of the most emotionally draining films I've ever seen! The thing about Cronenberg is that he's using these aspects of the flesh for metaphor... a lot of influence by Wm. S. Burroughs there, I'd say... and that idea of the flesh is a theme that runs throughout his work. He's saying some very complex things, but because it's so visual, and so very "in your face", it takes being able to pull back a bit to see it......


----------



## Dave

j. d. worthington said:


> Um, why on earth will they be remaking *Scanners*


'Scanners' is a great film, but very low budget, almost like a made-for-TV-film or at least made-for-video. I would like it to be remade big-budget. (Just like 'Terminator2' is really a big-budget remake of 'The Terminator'.) 

I do think there are too many remakes recently, most are not very good as they miss the point and atmosphere of the original and simply throw in special effects. ie. 'The Wicker Man'. If that is your worry, then I would share it.

Some remakes can be exceptionally well done though - 'The Fly' being an example.


----------



## ravenus

> Some remakes can be exceptionally well done though - 'The Fly' being an example.


That comes essentially when you have a director with vision, who can assert himself at the helm. Someone whose attitude to making a film is not to blithely toe studio guidelines OR (IMO equally bad) spend time listening to what some fanboys online say.


----------



## TK-421

The Departed and it was great. Certainly deserved winning the Best Movie Oscar and Martin Scorcese, Best Director (although Ragging Bull was his crowning achievement in my opinion).

Leo was very very very good in it. The other cast was also very good (Damon, Sheen, Wahlberg, Baldwin)


----------



## ravenus

*EXORCIST III - William Peter Blatty* 

You may have read my views of William Peter Blatty's novel, *Legion* (Linkage)

As this is his film adaptation of the same, most of the points still apply. There are some changes however, mostly due to interference by the studio. First, the invention of a priest character who turns up in the most contrived manner at the climax to perform an exorcism for no reason other than this being a installment in the Exorcist film series (Blatty's novel has no such scene, although the climax there too is somewhat muddy). Also, Blatty wanted to name the film Legion, but was forced by the studio to accept the more marketable sequel tag. 

For the rest of the running time, this is a quietly effective film that steadily builds up its characters and chill moments. *George C.Scott* gives an excellent star turn as the world-weary Lt. Kinderman who is losing his faith in Christ, but it is the dual performance by *Brad Dourif* and *Jason Miller* as the Gemini Killer / Father Damien Karras where the true knockout punches are delivered. 

On the whole definitely recommended to horror fans so long as you don't see it expecting the visceral shocks of the original Exorcist (the climax here is entirely laughable). It also makes for a richer experience if you read Blatty's novel.


----------



## Lucien21

Sadly I went to see Ghost Rider today. 

I expected it to suck. 

And it pretty much did. 

I had some moments if you didn't look too closly at the plotholes. The SFX was pretty decent for the most part. The Ghost Rider and his bike in particular are very well done. 

It certainly suffers from "origin story" syndrome in that it spends too long setting up how he became Ghost Rider etc It's a good hour before he makes an appearance and the rest of the film is about him finding his weapons (Coat,chains and shotgun) 

It's a big, loud, very stupid comic-book movie and doesn't try to be anything else.


----------



## Talysia

Saw Xmen3 last night on dvd.  Still not quite as good as the other two films.


----------



## j d worthington

Dave said:


> 'Scanners' is a great film, but very low budget, almost like a made-for-TV-film or at least made-for-video. I would like it to be remade big-budget. (Just like 'Terminator2' is really a big-budget remake of 'The Terminator'.)
> 
> I do think there are too many remakes recently, most are not very good as they miss the point and atmosphere of the original and simply throw in special effects. ie. 'The Wicker Man'. If that is your worry, then I would share it.
> 
> Some remakes can be exceptionally well done though - 'The Fly' being an example.


 
*Scanners* has, I'll admit, always been one of my least favorite of Cronenberg's films, I think (though it's been some time since I've seen it), but I can see your point there. And yes, my concern is largely that I think it would take Cronenberg to do it justice, and I rather doubt he'd want to repeat himself; that's just not something I'd expect (or want) to see; I'd rather see him keep moving ahead, rather than backward....

Oh, and Ravenus: Agreed. Total waste of Nicole Williamson, too.... But, other than that, a very odd but very interesting film; Blatty was, at least, able to attempt getting at his concerns in this one, on the question of evil.....


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Shut Up and Sing_, a documentary about the Dixie Chicks and the aftermath of what one of their members said during a London show about being ashamed of George W. Bush being from Texas.  Very good film; I'll be buying this one when I can find a copy at a reasonable price.  Nice mix of addressing the issue and presenting the Chicks' music.


----------



## jackokent

Saw *Night in a Museaum*. Thought it was obvious, mindless rubbish and certainly wouldn't have watched it if I hand't been on a plane. In fact it was about as satisfying as the in flight meal.


----------



## Dave

jackokent said:


> Saw *Night in a Museaum*. Thought it was obvious, mindless rubbish...


I didn't rate it either, but my kids loved it, and so did several people here, so I guess we are missing something in it that others can see?

I watched 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' where Alec Guiness plays 8 different parts who are all murdered. It has an interesting twist at the end too.

And I also watched  'Little Miss Sunshine'. I didn't think I would like 'Little Miss Sunshine' but by the end I was quite enjoying it. There seems to be quite a few of these quirky little low budget films now coming out of Hollywood, which I see as a good thing. They aren't always all going to be brilliant, but at least they make a change from the usual fare.


----------



## Tony Lee

Just signed up here.
This seems like a good place to start...


Last film I saw:  *Ghost of Mae Nak*, average Asian spooky drama made in Thailand by British director Mark Duffield, it's basically _Amityville _meets _The Omen_, and is most notable for a striking effects' scene where a man gets cut in half (bisected!) by a falling sheet of glass.


----------



## Fourth Hunter

I can't tell.  Were you criticizing the movie or praising it?  

*mumbles about modern culture and walks away*


----------



## To be Determined

Silent Hill. That movie is twisted. Pyramid Head is the man!


----------



## fancying_fantasy

Casino Royale. To be honest I thought it was boring and ended too abruptly.


----------



## Steffi

Watched 'Once Upon a Time in America'.......great film, it was good to see it again.


----------



## HoopyFrood

To be Determined said:


> Silent Hill. That movie is twisted. Pyramid Head is the man!



Ah, I _love_ that film! It's great. 

I watched *Wallace and Gromit, the Curse of the Wererabbit* last night. 'Twasn't too bad. Entertaining. And as the other choice of DVD to watch was *High School Musical*, I didn't mind watching it _in the slightest_!


----------



## Memnoch

Went to watch *MUSIC n LYRICS* with my girlfriend against my will!!!

AND absolutley loved it for some reason lol.


----------



## Confessor_Kahlan

The last movie at the theatres I saw was X-men 3, so I haven't been in a while. I wanted to see The Good Shepard with Matt Damon but when I got there it wasn't playing anymore. As for a movies on TV the last one I watched was HP and the Goblet of Fire and French Kiss.


----------



## BookStop

I saw a really intersting thriller last night called Apartment Zero, starring Colin Firth (a young Firth). It was an eighties film, poor film quality, poor soundtrack, and some poor acting(not by Firth). But...It had an almost Hitchcockian way about it and the ending was great. I just wish it had been in black and white.


----------



## HappyHippo

I watched 'Million Dollar Baby', thought it'd be cheerful.............Boy, was I wrong!Well acted, wouldn't watch it again without anti depressants to hand.


----------



## Culhwch

_The Exorcism of Emily Rose_. An interesting story, fairly competently directed, and well-acted on the part of Linney, Wilkinson and Scott... but not nearly so frightening as I've seen it made out to be.

And yeah, _Million Dollar Baby_ sure was no feel-good flick. I got depressed just thinking about it.


----------



## Talysia

Saw Journey to the Center of the Earth. (1959)  Not a bad way to spend part of the afternoon.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ha-HA! Just been to see *Hot Fuzz*. Absolutely. Freaking. Brilliant. Guns and blood and needless violence, my kind of film! And so many of my favourite actors! Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Bill Bailey! Ah, what a fantastic film...


----------



## Lenny

I've just been watching the Blues Brothers.

Good film. And I love the last half hour of daft car chasing, and surrounding of the building.

Hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut!


----------



## Allegra

I saw _The Ninth Gate_ before reading _The Dumas Club_ which is against the law but the film is pretty good. Just hope it won't spoil the book for me.


----------



## tangaloomababe

For literally years I have been meaning to watch Mississippi Burning, so finally I did, today.  Should have watched it years ago, worth it......


----------



## BookStop

I saw 300 yesterday. Obviously only loosely based on historical 'fact', but I knew that already. 

It was gorgeous! You'd be hard pressed to find any still frame that wasn't beautiful. The sepia tones, the Spartans cloaks...well, you've all seen previews I'm sure so you know what I mean.

I loved the movie.


----------



## Dave

HoopyFrood said:


> Just been to see *Hot Fuzz*. Absolutely. Freaking. Brilliant. Guns and blood and needless violence, my kind of film! And so many of my favourite actors! Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Bill Bailey! Ah, what a fantastic film...


Actually, I was a little disappointed in it. It wasn't as funny as I had expected. 'Shaun of the Dead' is much funnier. I haven't seen enough of those American Cop films it homages either, so I didn't get the references. Timothy Dalton only ever seems to play villains now. He does make a much better villain than a good guy though.

I found it interesting for other reasons: I noticed it quite heavily used the town of Wells in Somerset for the location filming, and I also know one of the uncredited young actors who get stopped for under-aged drinking near the beginning.


----------



## The Ace

Hot Fuzz ? loved it, especially when Dalton used the G-word and got the model steeple through his tongue, let's have more poetic justice of this calibre on film and TV.


----------



## Myth

Watched _Corpse Bride_ [love that movie] and _Sleepers_ last night.


----------



## Sibeling

*Edison*

It was a drama about corruption in police. At first it was not so bad, but the end was absolutely unrealistic - two guys fighting against lots of highly trained policemen, and winning..


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Monster House*, a CG animated flick about kids battling a neighborhood house which is haunted. 

Pixar quality animation aside, the film has more in common with 80's popcorn horror flicks like _Nightmare on Elm Street_ and _Fright Night_, than Pixar's movies; you know, the ones where the cops are lazy assholes, babysitters try to make out with their punk rocker boyfriends and nobody, including their parents, (or rather, especially their parents) believes the teens when they try to tell them about the MONSTER. 

This being a PG rated movie (still bold for an animated flick), there's no overt gore/nudity and the closest you get to morbidity is an already buried corpse (there's a joke in there somewhere ), but the movie still has some gripping moments, the major plot twist is more affecting than the million odd "let's think of some crap to sell these toys" storylines normally used for the Dreamworks cartoon flicks, and the climax where the haunted house, taking inspiration from Stephen King's _Christine_, decides to take matters in its own hands is surprisingly intense given the normal audience demographic of these films...I suspect a fair number of kids who saw this film had some bad dreams later.


----------



## Sibeling

Shaun of the Dead

I loved it! I haven't seen any real, classic zombie films, so if there was any direct parody, I didn't get it, but it was funny anyway


----------



## Stenevor

This is England.

"Set in 1983. Shaun is 12 and a bit of a loner, growing up with his mum in a grim coastal town, his dad killed fighting in the Falklands War. On his way home from school where he's been tormented all day for wearing flares, he runs into a group of skinheads, who against expectations turn out to be friendly and take him under their wing. Soon Shaun discovers parties, girls and snappy dressing, and finds some role models in Woody, Milky and the rest of the gang. But when an older, overtly racist skinhead returns home from prison, the easy camaraderie of the group is broken, and Shaun is drawn into much more uncomfortable territory."

Its no way perfect though well worth watching but it left me feeling a little melancholy. Brought back memories good and bad of being young and growing up in the early eighties. Stand out performance by Stephen Graham as Combo the older skinhead, a truly nasty piece of work. The type of person you remember from your youth who had trouble written all over him and you avoided at all costs even if it meant the end of friendships.


----------



## undoto

300

it was great


----------



## Lenny

Don't know it if can be counted as a film, but, yeah... on Saturday I watched a Morecambe and Wise DVD.

Boy, that was good laugh. Very funny, and the humour was very clever. It's just a shame that they didn't actually write it themselves.

It's also another fine example of what inspired the Pythons.

Ah, British Humour. Is there any better?


----------



## j d worthington

Vol. I of the _H. P. Lovecraft Collection,_ with Bryan Moore's *Cool Air* (with interviews, etc.), and four short films, plus an interview with Joshi.

All interesting, but *Cool Air* is an exceptional piece of work, and Jack Donner's performance as Dr. Muñoz is superb! It takes a slightly different slant from the story itself, giving you more insight into Muñoz and therefore providing a very nuanced portrait of an intelligent, sensitive man trapped in a particularly horrendous situation. The horror is definitely there, but is mixed with pathos and a lot of emotional complexity as well....

"The Hapless Antiquarian" is a Lovecraftian take on Edward Gorey's *Gashlycrumb Tinies*... very tongue in cheek, and quite delightful.


----------



## Sibeling

*Ultraviolet*

I didn't really like it, some things just did not seem logical. Like, if you clone a vampire, why do you get a human? And where do all the weapons come from? And how long does it take a vampire to die - as far as I understood, Violet has been dying for 12 years, does not seem exactly a fatal disease. But maybe for those who read the comic all these things are clear.


----------



## j d worthington

Sibeling said:


> *Ultraviolet*
> 
> I didn't really like it, some things just did not seem logical. Like, if you clone a vampire, why do you get a human? And where do all the weapons come from? And how long does it take a vampire to die - as far as I understood, Violet has been dying for 12 years, does not seem exactly a fatal disease. But maybe for those who read the comic all these things are clear.


 
The more I hear about this one, the more I'm glad I didn't see it. I liked the television production of the same name, but nothing I've heard of this one makes me think it would be worth the bother....


----------



## Sibeling

Yes, it is not too interesting - one does not expect plot in such films, and it didn't have any, and even the CGI could have been more impressive.

But for some guys I know Milla Jovovich was a good reason to watch the film


----------



## Allegra

Watched _The Unbearable Lightness of Being _and disappointed. I don't think they got the point of the novel. Milan Kundera used to be one of my favourite writers and he wrote some even better books such as _Immortality_ after _Being. _I think his books deserve a director like Roman Polansky. The soundtrack is about right - they got Janácek to write it.


----------



## Coolhand

Sibeling said:


> *Ultraviolet*
> 
> I didn't really like it, some things just did not seem logical. Like, if you clone a vampire, why do you get a human? And where do all the weapons come from? And how long does it take a vampire to die - as far as I understood, Violet has been dying for 12 years, does not seem exactly a fatal disease. But maybe for those who read the comic all these things are clear.


 
Yeah, the film is a bit of a mess. Apparently the directory got screwed over big time by the studio, who cut over 30 minuits of plot out of the movie (making it incomprihensable) and toned down the violence of all the action scenes (making them impossible to follow). Still got some nice action moments in it though. Rent it, don't buy it.

Same thing happened to Aeon Flux apparently. Studio cut large sections of plot out because they wanted a no-brain action movie and the original film was a bit more cerebrial than that. A lot of the problems audiences had with Aeon Flux were down to the studio cut, from what I hear.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just been to see *Hot Fuzz* for the second time. And it just as good as the first time.


----------



## bruno-1012

'Father Goose' and 'The Cat and the Canary'

Just got them on DVD after waiting ages for them to be released (or get to a reasonable price!)

Now just got to get Forbidden Planet, Remember the Night and Ball of Fire released for Region 2.


----------



## Sibeling

*Hannibal*

Out of all 4 Dr Lecter films this was the worst, it had no suspense, and I absolutely didn't care for the characters. And some parts of it were really disgusting - it was as if the director of the film wanted to see how disgusting they can make it.


----------



## j d worthington

bruno-1012 said:


> 'Father Goose' and 'The Cat and the Canary'
> 
> Just got them on DVD after waiting ages for them to be released (or get to a reasonable price!)
> 
> Now just got to get Forbidden Planet, Remember the Night and Ball of Fire released for Region 2.


 
Errr... *The Cat and the Canary*... Which version was this? The Paul Leni 1927 version? If so... yes, that's quite a film! I love the bit with the corridor... and you can see the influence of Leni's work on James Whale... nifty little oddity. Have you ever seen *The Monster*, with Lon Chaney, Sr.? It was directed by Roland West, and there are some strong similarities in handling between the two, a combination of horror/suspense and very broad comedy....


----------



## Ragnar

Double bill last weekend;

The Prestige - excellent
Borat - Definitely NOT excellent.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

Well Borat is a sketch show character dragged out for 90 minutes. 
I get tired of hearing the same joke over and over and over and over again 

I saw *The Number 23* which has been getting mixed reviews but I quite enjoyed it. Another of Jim Carrey's distinctly unfunny movies (erm, _purposely_ unfunny, not like Ace Ventura 2  ) and is a sign that he's getting more into this "acting" lark. The movie itself was good, dark and atmospheric for the most part and it is fun to see how many "23" references you can spot in the background as the movie progresses. It's quite graphic at times so definitely deserves it's 15 (or R in America) rating and the ending is a bit of a letdown (they had 2 paths to follow and choose the 'dumb' one in my opinion) but it is certainly watchable up to that point.


----------



## The Ace

Just been to see 300, a waste of time and money .


----------



## bruno-1012

j. d. worthington said:


> Errr... *The Cat and the Canary*... Which version was this? The Paul Leni 1927 version? If so... yes, that's quite a film! I love the bit with the corridor... and you can see the influence of Leni's work on James Whale... nifty little oddity. Have you ever seen *The Monster*, with Lon Chaney, Sr.? It was directed by Roland West, and there are some strong similarities in handling between the two, a combination of horror/suspense and very broad comedy....




Sorry JD, its the Bob Hope version


----------



## HardScienceFan

on the idiot box:

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind>
I reserve judgment until I 've heard your opinions,but i'll say this:
Jim Carrey is brilliant in this one


----------



## HardScienceFan

_*Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Bill Bailey!*_

U're bloody kidding me

So what did Mr Ross have to say about this one?
AYTCH


----------



## Dave

HardScienceFan said:


> _*Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Bill Bailey!*_
> 
> U're bloody kidding me
> 
> So what did Mr Ross have to say about this one?
> AYTCH


It has a great cast - Stephen Merchant is also in it. Also Billie Whitelaw and Edward Woodward. Peter Jackson is uncredited, dressed as Santa!

But that is precisely why I expected it to be better than it was.

No idea what Mr Ross said, he mostly talks................ anyway!

Recently, on the box, I saw _Amelie_, and _Nirvana_ and _Metropolis_.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, man, I didn't know Peter Jackson was the Santa guy! Ha, I'll have to look out for that when I watch it again (as I know I will, I love it )


----------



## Ragnar

Winters_Sorrow said:


> Well Borat is a sketch show character dragged out for 90 minutes.
> I get tired of hearing the same joke over and over and over and over again


 
Well, yeah - loads of people from work went to see it at the cinema when it first came out and were raving about it for ages (as well as continually talking in the stupid accent). I wasn't expecting a great deal which is why I waited for the DVD, but I still wanted to see what all the fuss was about - wish I hadn't bothered.


----------



## BookStop

HardScienceFan said:


> on the idiot box:
> 
> Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind>
> I reserve judgment until I 've heard your opinions,but i'll say this:
> Jim Carrey is brilliant in this one


 
I loved this movie!


----------



## aarti

I saw the Hindi movie The Guru.  It was pretty good, but I still don't like Aishwarya Rai/Abhishek Bachchan together, even if they are engaged in real-life as well!

The movie I *want* to see is 300.  It sounds good.  As does the one with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle- Reign Over me?


----------



## j d worthington

bruno-1012 said:


> Sorry JD, its the Bob Hope version


 
Oh, dear.... 

Actually, as I recall, that was quite an enjoyable film, though it's been many, many years since I last saw it....

Enjoy!


----------



## BookStop

I just watched Train-Man (Densha otoko). It was so charming and funny. I recommend it to anyone who likes lighthearted films. 

A man who is more at ease with folks in chat rooms than real people sticks up for a girl on a train. She asks for his number and he turns to his chat room friends for advice. They tell him how to dress, what to say, where to eat...to woo the girl.


----------



## HardScienceFan

I,Robot,on the idiot box.
Commercial television,so messed up by just about 5 commercial breaks.
The movie "was brought to me by Sony",which was nice of them.
I will buy a s""t load of their stuff today.Whoo_hey marketing works!
The movie showed the typical Hollywood restraint with special effects,
and insted showed in full the philosophical,ethical,sociological and even theological implications of sentient humanoid robots.
Oops,am I confusing this one with the movie I would have made?
Sorry!
(by the way,I have changed my avatar from the slightly solemn and beautiful Richard Powers painting to a cartoon favourite)


----------



## Culhwch

ravenus said:


> Saw *Monster House*, a CG animated flick about kids battling a neighborhood house which is haunted.
> 
> Pixar quality animation aside, the film has more in common with 80's popcorn horror flicks like _Nightmare on Elm Street_ and _Fright Night_, than Pixar's movies; you know, the ones where the cops are lazy assholes, babysitters try to make out with their punk rocker boyfriends and nobody, including their parents, (or rather, especially their parents) believes the teens when they try to tell them about the MONSTER.
> 
> This being a PG rated movie (still bold for an animated flick), there's no overt gore/nudity and the closest you get to morbidity is an already buried corpse (there's a joke in there somewhere ), but the movie still has some gripping moments, the major plot twist is more affecting than the million odd "let's think of some crap to sell these toys" storylines normally used for the Dreamworks cartoon flicks, and the climax where the haunted house, taking inspiration from Stephen King's _Christine_, decides to take matters in its own hands is surprisingly intense given the normal audience demographic of these films...I suspect a fair number of kids who saw this film had some bad dreams later.


 
Just watched this tonight, and I'd have to agree. Much better than your standard kids fare, and genuinely frightening in some places, especially if you were twelve. That was the good thing about it - it doesn't treat its audience like morons, which is a nice change. I thought it had shades of Tim Burton, which is never a bad thing. Very enjoyable.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Dave said:


> It has a great cast - *Stephen Merchant* is also in it. Also Billie Whitelaw and Edward Woodward. Peter Jackson is uncredited, dressed as Santa!
> 
> But that is precisely why I expected it to be better than it was.
> 
> No idea what Mr Ross said, he mostly talks................ anyway!
> 
> Recently, on the box, I saw _Amelie_, and _Nirvana_ and _Metropolis_.



I loved SM as Ricky Gervais' hopeless manager,sometimes he even surpassed Ricky.Any fans of the Office and Extras out there?.Who remembers "Big Train",by the way>
U're thoughts on "Amelie".?
I loved it,quintessentially French,zany,unpredictable,a good happy ending


----------



## christyrocks99

In the cinema it was *Borat*,
but on DVD it was *Charlie and the Chocolatte Factory*...


----------



## Culhwch

Justed watched _SIlent Hill_. That was quite, er, odd...


----------



## j d worthington

Due to a discussion elsewhere, and as my roommate had -- not knowing much beyond a brief description from elsewhere -- rented it; I tried watching *Idiocracy*. Bad move. Not only is this a blatant rip-off of Kornbluth's "The Marching Morons", but it's _so_ bad that his revenant should climb up out of his grave and strangle the lot of 'em..... I made it a total of 32 minutes before my gorge became too buoyant.....


----------



## Pyan

_Was_ there any attribution in the credits then, j d ?


----------



## j d worthington

Nope. None. You can look through the entire credits list at imdb, for that matter. But reviewers have brought up the connection in several places.

On this one, I feel about it the way I did about that new version of *The Time Machine*... Wells should have climbed up and shredded his descendant into kibbles for that one. These things are abominations. I've been hearing things about *The Last Mimzy*, which is based on "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" by Kuttner and Moore... and it sounds as if that one, too, went against the story... making it have a sweetness-and-light ending and completely altering one of the main themes of the tale in the process... and thereby robbing it of all its poignancy and pathos -- and, dammit! that's a beautiful and painful story, on a very common human fear... and one that's especially relevant for our time, I'd say.

I agree with all those who say that there's no reason on earth why fantastic literature made into films can't be as strong, as emotionally-involving, and as intelligent and relevant as any other type of film, other than the idiots behind the things simply don't have a clue.....


----------



## Talysia

Just watched the new version of Casino Royale, and it was much better than I thought it would be.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just saw the film the Fith element again geeeez that was good, such detail and design effects telling the story not effects running the show.


----------



## Happy Joe

On DVD over the weekend;

Eragon; OK dragon movie, worth renting. (I bought it as I collect things draconic).

Blood Diamond; modern era African conflict, good adventure story, occasionally bloody. (nominated for 5 academy awards). Worth buying.

The Marine; medium budget story about an ex super Marine who chases down some criminal types. Worth renting, lots of shooting, chasing and some explosions.

Enjoy!


----------



## The Wanderer

Audition - Takeshi Miike - 1999


----------



## YoYo

I finally watched Open Season - it was fun, worth downloading


----------



## Firefly

300 was the last movie I saw. It was great a true visual feast!


----------



## Knight_of_Nights

But not historically accurate. Bah! Since when has that stopped me? My friend said it was good as well.

Has anyone seen the Bean Holiday movie? I want to know whether it's decent enough to watch.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Collateral*.Jamie Foxx,Tom Cruise.
My video messed up on the last 5 minutes,don't know how it ended.....
Tim Burton's BIG FISH:
same story,ending gone.
Acting great,in both of them


----------



## BookStop

Aw - Big Fish is wonderful. HOw do you manage to get 2 movies with ruined endings?


----------



## daisybee

On DVD, it was Sentinel-(Why I don't really know)
On TV, it was the Bourne Identity, haven't read the book so Matt Damons fine by me!
At the cinema, it was ages ago, and Da Vinci Code,  which is the first film in a cinema I have ever wanted to leave before the end. The Hair!


----------



## HoopyFrood

When my friend visited me over the weekend, we watched *The Grudge*. I love it purely for it's silliness value (scary woman with loads of hair rolling down the stairs, woo!) but my friend didn't seem so amused...she jumped about five times and kept cowering behind my pillow. Some people, eh? Useless


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> When my friend visited me over the weekend, we watched *The Grudge*. I love it purely for it's silliness value (scary woman with loads of hair rolling down the stairs, woo!) but my friend didn't seem so amused...she jumped about five times and kept cowering behind my pillow. Some people, eh? Useless


 
Hoopy... have you seen the Japanese original, Ju-On? I'd say it's much more effective, because of being so understated...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Hang on...let me think...Hmm, I'm not quite sure. All these darked-haired women, they all start merging into one! I know I've definitely seen The Ring 1 and 2 in the original...

I'll have to dig it out from somewhere and watch it...then I'll know if I've watched it or not


----------



## j d worthington

Let's just say she came across as much more menacing (to me) in the original... more like an elemental force, completely unstoppable, completely without compassion or even, necessarily, intellect.... sort of the hate version of the spirit in "How Love Came to Professor Guildea"....


----------



## HardScienceFan

BookStop said:


> Aw - Big Fish is wonderful. HOw do you manage to get 2 movies with ruined endings?



Yes,I know.*sigh*
Glad you also liked Big Fish


----------



## bruno-1012

Support your Local Sheriff.

A good chuckle film for easy viewing - apart from the prospecting scenes - they just seem a waste.


----------



## Dave

I also recommend Big Fish.

The last film I saw was Mr Bean's Holiday. My son really wanted to see this and I drew the short straw. It has awful reviews, and I can tell you they are all correct. One reviewer said "Why was this film made?" which I can't answer.

I admit to smiling a few times, the forged security pass I found funny. I thought that the video-tape alternative ending to the film was clever, as was the final walk to the beach. It was really a series of sketches like those, bolted together. Some worked, some failed, some have been done before on the TV show. The Oyster and Langustine restaurant scene is very similar to the Steak Tartare episode.


----------



## Connavar

I saw 300 yesterday.

It was an amazing movie despite the hollywood crap with the over the top stuff that made the battle look like a joke sometimes.  You know what "beasts" i mean 


300 and Casino Royale are the only great hollywood movies i have seen in almost two years.  The only ones you think damn thats something new from hollywood and that you count the days for the dvd to come out.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Black Snake Moan........

My hubby liked it, but then again, men are pervs.

Definetly NOT NOT NOT a movie for kids under 17. Not.

The first five minutes after the monologue intro had me about as red faced as this guy  and doing this at the same time  and this  while covering my eyes and peeking through my fingers. Pretty much the way I watch all adult movies.


----------



## mightymem

I do not get much time to watch movies since my work hours are awkward, but the last movie I saw was Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone  But I did also see before that 12 Angry Men with Henry Fonder which is such a intelligent and thought provoking movie.


----------



## Lucien21

*Sunshine*

A Sci-Fi movie from Danny Boyle (28 days later/Trainspotting). Our sun is dying and 8 astronauts are on a mission to deliver a payload to re-ignite the sun and save mankind.

A strange mixture of "The Core" meets the moody "Event Horizon" and a dash of "2001" WTF all mixes together to make this movie.


Most of the time it works fine. It's tense, claustrophobic and visually stunning.

What ruins the film for me was the last 20 minutes where the film descends into a pretentious mess of WTF is going on.

For a low budget film (About $40m) the visuals are amazing and without any real major star in the movie (Chis Evans steals the show from Cillian Murphy for me) they had to.

Shame about the ending.


----------



## Happy Joe

Casino Royale; good not great, a much better film than the original.
Recon 2020 The Cabrini Massacre; truly stinko (Bad would be giving it a complement).
Enjoy!


----------



## HardScienceFan

Dave said:


> I also recommend Big Fish.
> 
> The last film I saw was Mr Bean's Holiday. My son really wanted to see this and I drew the short straw. It has awful reviews, and I can tell you they are all correct. One reviewer said "Why was this film made?" which I can't answer.
> 
> I admit to smiling a few times, the forged security pass I found funny. I thought that the video-tape alternative ending to the film was clever, as was the final walk to the beach. It was really a series of sketches like those, bolted together.


Think I know what U mean.Rowan's wachamacallit Spy Spoof *Johnny English*
was as bad as they come.


----------



## Connavar

The tv show was pure genius though.  His silent comedy there kills me.

I laugh so much that i got tears in my eyes when i watch the reruns.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Tv again
Hulk by
Ang Lee 
Great FX,great treatment,bit underrated this one
I am a sucker for Jennifer Connolly,but hey,that proves I'm human


----------



## Lenny

I saw* 300* in the Imax earlier, and this evening I watched *Pierrepoint* - an English film about Albert Pierrepoint, England's most, shall we say, 'famous' hangman (Ruth Ellis, carried out the executions on those convicted at the Nuremberg trials).


----------



## christyrocks99

Isn't the Imax like 3D?

I saw Chicken Run on the TV about 10 mins ago, otherwise it was Watership Down.


----------



## Lenny

Yes and No.

With some films, special 3D effects (those red and green outlines) are put onto a selection of scenes so that they look 3D with the special glasses that are handed round, but with the films that aren't the Imax basically acts as a dirty great screen. I have to say, you could see everything in minute detail - the blood effects, the sweat rolling down Leonidas' brow, the, erm, choice clothing (or lack of it) worn (or not) by the Spartans.


----------



## daisybee

I saw Children of Men yesterday (only a penny to watch) and thought it was brilliant. I kept waiting to be uplifted though- and never quite got there. I really want to read the book it was based on now.


----------



## HardScienceFan

daisybee said:


> I saw Children of Men yesterday (only a penny to watch) and thought it was brilliant. I kept waiting to be uplifted though- and never quite got there. I really want to read the book it was based on now.



I hate 'down' endings.Open endings,yes,but depressing ones...
('the passion of Christ' was on yesterday,didn't watch it though)


----------



## Connavar

I saw Passion of christ yesterday too, not the hole movie but the last half.


It isnt a movie, its a barbaric cash in.  No wonder the pope and co liked it.....


----------



## daisybee

HardScienceFan said:


> I hate 'down' endings.Open endings,yes,but depressing ones...
> ('the passion of Christ' was on yesterday,didn't watch it though)


 
Yeah, I like a bit of ambiguity too, so I mostly rewrite the ending in my head to my liking!
Passion of the Christ - it took me ages to watch and when I did, well I got so upset my boyfriend had to turn it off (I much prefer Jesus Christ Superstar. I love that film.  )


----------



## Mollygurl

Saw *Pan's Labarynth* last week.  It wasn't what I thought it would be but I still really enjoyed it.

Dyyyying to see *300*...


----------



## Happy Joe

Saw "Attack of the Gryphon"; a not terrible movie with television level acting, plot, etc. The downside was the CGI (looked like an electronic imitation of Ray Harryhausen's stop motion work).
Also viewed the restored/remastered 1938 "Adventures of Robin Hood"; it is still a great picture.
Enjoy!


----------



## littlemissattitude

I watched most of the original _Planet of the Apes_ again last night; they were showing it on the History Channel, of all places.


----------



## HardScienceFan

daisybee said:


> Yeah, I like a bit of ambiguity too, so I mostly rewrite the ending in my head to my liking!
> Passion of the Christ - it took me ages to watch and when I did, well I got so upset my boyfriend had to turn it off (I much prefer Jesus Christ Superstar. I love that film.  )


I used to have a religion studies teacher that played the soundtrack to death on an old taperecorder.
*hums*
"I DON"T KNOW HOW LOVE HIM",oh yeah and 
"HAIR"(growing,flowing)
AAHHH the seventies
*dons paisley shirt,flaring jeans*
Starsky and Hutch Rule 
HSF 
only slightly off his rocker due to your post


----------



## Rosemary

Not Science Fiction or Fantasy but about that wonderful Naturalist, Gerald Durrell.

'My Family and Other Animals' captured some of the highlights of Gerald's life on Corfu quite well.   I thought his mother coped quite well considering all of the varied hobbies of her four offspring! 

Guns, acne, scorpions and an aspiring writer combined with many visitors and the native people of the island was a lovely movie - a change from some of the more horrific or violent films one sees on the TV these days.  Although scorpions let out of a matchbox at dinner time might be classed as horrific! 

I read all of his books many times and enjoyed everyone of them.  I guess there is no way that a movie could be made to capture every wonderful aspect of Gerald's life.


----------



## bruno-1012

Rosemary - got to ask what you thought of Rosie is my Relative?


----------



## HardScienceFan

Rosemary said:


> Not Science Fiction or Fantasy but about that wonderful Naturalist, Gerald Durrell.
> 
> 'My Family and Other Animals' captured some of the highlights of Gerald's life on Corfu quite well. I thought his mother coped quite well considering all of the varied hobbies of her four offspring!
> 
> I read all of his books many times and enjoyed everyone of them. I guess there is no way that a movie could be made to capture every wonderful aspect of Gerald's life.


What???NO SF.
Understand Durrell's good,though


----------



## HoopyFrood

Alas, only the last 40 minutes of it: *Toy Story 2*!


----------



## Rosemary

bruno-1012 said:


> Rosemary - got to ask what you thought of Rosie is my Relative?



I enjoyed it as much as his other books...elephants help to make a good story I think Bruno!


----------



## HardScienceFan

Le Pacte des Loupes
for review,see Flickphilosopher
Dang,I liked it
Heady stuff,Typically French,mercurial,spellbinding,great action
Must see ,if U ask me


----------



## Talysia

Just saw Wallace and Gromit:  The Curse of the Were-rabbit, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I love Aardman Animation's attention to detail!


----------



## HardScienceFan

Talysia said:


> Just saw Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Aardman Animation's attention to detail!



And the voices!!!!!!!!HBC,if I am not mistaken?
LOVED THAT ONE!


----------



## Lenny

Just finished watching a quaint film set in Russia from around the end of the 1900s to probably the middle of the 1930s:

*Doctor Zhivago*.

A bit slow, but a good film nonetheless. And it's good background for understanding the Russian revolutions and what life was like with the Red Army and the White Army prancing around.


----------



## ravenus

*CASTLE FREAK - Stuart Gordon* 

A pretty darn decent and gory offering from the director of _Re-animator, From Beyond_ and _Dagon_. 

Shot as a low-budget creature feature in Italy, CF has the other iconic hero of horror, *Jeffrey Coombs*, as a family man who is in deep trouble with his family, having been responsible for an accident that led to the death of a son and the blindness of his daughter. He thinks he has a chance to wipe the slate clean when he brings the family to Italy,having recently inherited a castle. But things as they will in such movies, go horribly awry and there is a mysterious creature in the cellars of this moldering castle that has gotten free after years of harsh imprisonment and has developed a flesh chomping fetish. 

While never in the same ballpark of creativity as Gordon's other Lovecraft adaptations (This one is supposed to be based on *The Outsider*, but it takes the merest fragment of that story) , CF is pacy and punchy enough to provide good entertainment. Jeffrey Coombs excels as the harried husband whom bad luck trails like a faithful dog. Jonathan Fuller as the castle freak is truly repulsive, thanks to make-up and gore effects that will doubtless please gore-hounds. The most talked about is a fairly grisly sequence where a prostitute's nipple gets chewed off while she's alive...but it's all in good fun if you don't want to see such stuff why would you see this movie?


----------



## The Wanderer

Lenny said:


> Just finished watching a quaint film set in Russia from around the end of the 1900s to probably the middle of the 1930s:
> 
> *Doctor Zhivago*.
> 
> A bit slow, but a good film nonetheless. And it's good background for understanding the Russian revolutions and what life was like with the Red Army and the White Army prancing around.




Slow??? it falls shirt though of Lean's previous film ' Lawrence of Arabia', but then again most other films of it's kind do

The White Army didn't do too much prancing around, in fact most of them weren't doing very much at all after the battles


----------



## Lenny

I thought it was slow.

Though we did stop about 40 minutes in to watch the latest Dr. Who episode, so... 

Some of the scenery in the film was amazing! I'll give it that much.


----------



## The Wanderer

Lenny said:


> I thought it was slow.
> 
> Though we did stop about 40 minutes in to watch the latest Dr. Who episode, so...
> 
> Some of the scenery in the film was amazing! I'll give it that much.



Yeap, and the ending is False really, with the Rainbow and the wave goodbye and everything, it suggests cheesily that everything will be alright


----------



## Dave

*Starsky and Hutch* - pretty much as bad as I expected - the characters were so different from the originals that I don't know why they used the same names - and it doesn't really capture the 1970's well - not in the same way _Life on Mars_ does.

*The Shawshank Redemption* - it's a good film, no doubt about that, but I don't subscribe to the view that it is the greatest film ever made - I just can't understand how anyone can think it is THAT good. And I don't think it's possible for him to dig that tunnel with a rock hammer.


----------



## Quokka

300 - Wasn't a huge fan, for everything I liked about the movie there was something that bugged me.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

An oldie, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Meh. it was wayyy too melodramatic, I didn't like any of the characters and Elizabeth Taylor's Southern accent in this movie is the single most annoying thing this side of Chris Martin's smug drone.


----------



## j d worthington

knivesout said:


> An oldie, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Meh. it was wayyy too melodramatic, I didn't like any of the characters and Elizabeth Taylor's Southern accent in this movie is the single most annoying thing this side of Chris Martin's smug drone.


 
You know, this reminds me of an interview I saw with Tennessee Williams about 30 years ago. I can't recall whether it was Cat or not (though I think it was), but he had gone to a production of one of his plays, and was sitting there watching it, and periodically chuckling to himself at the humor he saw in the play itself. Finally, a woman sitting in front of him whipped around and said something to the effect of: "Do you mind? We're here to enjoy the play. I don't know what you're laughing about, this is a very serious play." To which Williams, grinning, replied: "I know, madam. I _*wrote*_ the damned thing."


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Heh. Well, I've compared the play and the movie and there are certain elements in the play which are diluted or omitted in the movie, which would have improved it greatly. Still, not my thing. With a few musical routines and a more submisive role for Maggie The Cat it could have been a standard Bollywood family drama from the 80s.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Scary Movie 3* last night with my friends. I love Charlie Sheen! (in any film/tv show etc!)


----------



## Quokka

_I love you to Death_ - Very funny and some great casting, particularly Joan Plowright as the mother in law and William Hurt as the stoner Harlan, was a touch sad seeing River Phoenix though.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Class, a move about a teenager who, unwittingly, has an affair with his best friend's mother and the consequences. Features a very young John Cusack in a supporting role. Cusack had a very big nose as a boy. Most people's noses get bigger as they grow old, but Cusack's nose appears to have reached its full potential quite early on and stayed the way it was, waiting for the rest of his face to catch up.


----------



## ravenus

*MASTERS OF HORROR: THE BLACK CAT – Stuart Gordon* 

Stuart Gordon's second outing after _Dreams in the Witch-House_ for the Masters of Horror series is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's story _The Black Cat_. I approached this with mixed feelings because this is one of my least favored Poe stories, horribly contrived and dull. 

Gordon makes things more interesting by having Poe himself as the lead character, a penurious writer with an alcohol problem, a consumptive wife and the titular feline. Poe fancies himself a poet but struggles to sell his pieces to editors who only want more of his 'fantastic tales', which he finds himself unable to conjure. The increasing illness of his young beloved drives him mad with desperation to the bottle, and that in turn to the acts of brutality that are described in the original story. Without giving away further spoilers, the episode thereon follows the events of the story with a concluding twist that can be predicted a mile off. 

Without the concept of Poe himself being the lead character this would have been a decidedly mediocre experience but this aspect adds a significantly more interesting touch and the lead performance by horror star *Jeffrey Combs* (_Re-Animator_ series, _From Beyond_) is, even in its broad-sidedness (I could not have imagined Poe pulling off the wager stunt with the pub owner), quite brilliant and sufficiently separated from his erstwhile roles to deserve a solid recommendation to horror fans everywhere.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I to went to see 300, in all honesty I didn't enjoy it.  Ok so there were plenty of buffed males to look at but really how much fighting can one person watch without boredom setting in.
Alternatively I was given "The Audrey Hepburn Collection" So I have been enjoying the innocence of Roman Holiday, Sabrina and breakfast at Tiffanys.  Where men were lucky to undo their tie, let alone take off a shirt.  Its suprisingly enjoyable to watch Black & white movies again.  Although the music scores can be a little overwhelming.  I enjoyed Humphrey Bogart in Sabbrina though.  All of his movies were made well before I was born but he is pretty cool.  Maybe we need to return to this style of movie!


----------



## Knight_of_Nights

Wedding Crashers. It was alright, but I couldn't hear it properly and I still understood it. Why don't they make sophisticated plots anymore...speaking of which...

I read a short review of 300, the first sentence said "The simplistic plot..." OMG! THEY DIDNT MAKE IT UP IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED THERE IS NO PLOT FOOL! I mean sure, it isn't entirely true, but come on. That person has no clue what they're talking about.


----------



## HardScienceFan

In a fit of moviewatching
Hellboy
the Grudge*thanks to my sister taping it*
Completely different in approach,both good.
The grudge showing that a horror movie can be made which doesn't rely
on excursions to the ketchup factory....,eerie,creepy,uncanny,you name it!


----------



## PTeppic

Just caught "Fracture" and "Pathfinder". The former was well crafted, well executed and very enjoyable; the latter was dull, derivative, and shoddy (though the odd moment lifted it from awful).


----------



## BookStop

I saw Disturbia last night. I went into it with the understanding that it was Rear Window redone for the teen audience. I liked it. My poor husbnad was expecting Hitchcockian suspense and camera angles, so his thoughts were that it didn't suck.

We went to see the Number 23, but it had been replaced...


----------



## Culhwch

Finally saw _The Prestige_ on DVD. Fantastic. I want to watch it again to see all the things I realised I had missed at the end. Though I can lay claim to idly picking the final twist quite early in the movie... even if I didn't think that it'd happen.


----------



## Harpo

Night before last in Trafalgar Square with over five thousand people (all armed with a set of coconuts) - Monty Python And The Holy Grail

YouTube - Dessication's what you need... (*arf*)

YouTube - Giant screening of the Monty Python's


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm cheating slightly, but I _will_ be watching _The Great Gatsby _in an hour's time (at least I think it's that film...I just turn up and watch whatever film is put on!) for my English course.


----------



## daisybee

Just saw Serenity again last night.  I'd forgotten how good it was .


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've just been to the cinema to watch *Blades of Glory.*

Firstly, I'd like to mention that I _wanted to go to see *300*, damnit!!_ But my friends all had other plans (don't worry, I'll make them go and see it soon!)

Anyway, it was quite amusing. Certainly laughed out loud a few times, but then I generally do (even during horror films and the like ).


----------



## dsmith

Just Watched  *Blade Runner *tonight with my 16 year old son.When we saw *Children of Men *it was compared to Blade Runner, and he had never seen it, so I brought it home from the library. He liked Children of Men better though.


----------



## fancying_fantasy

_The Buccaneers_..... I'd have to say I didn't really care for it.

Shame though I had high hopes.


----------



## Lacedaemonian

HoopyFrood said:


> I've just been to the cinema to watch *Blades of Glory.*
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, it was *quite amusing*. Certainly laughed out loud a few times, but then I generally do (even during horror films and the like ).



:: Note to self place HoopyFrood back on the ignore list..... 


I recently watched Alpha Dogs which is not a brilliant film but has a very emotional climax.  

Blades of Glory - one of the funniest films I have ever seen.  

Smokin Aces - Very graphic but exciting action flick.  Though the plot is poor and filled with holes.  

Office Space - An excellent concept with some brilliant characters and hillarious dialogue.

Stranger than Fiction - Beautiful, quirky and intelligent.  A must see for all (not HoppyFrood...)  

Karate Kid I  - Wow this film has aged excellently and its themes still stand up in todays world.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Hah. Well, thanks, Lace. All right, all right, it was very funny. I laughed _a lot_. I was still angry at not being able to see *300* when I wrote that


----------



## Quokka

*The Princess Bride*, well most of it at least, I was flicking through the channels and it was _inconceivable_ not to stop and enjoy it again.


----------



## McMurphy

Shrek 3 and, before that, D-Wars.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Rebel Without a Cause_...on tv, for the umpteenth time.  It's one of my favorite films.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Equilibrium,missed the first 15-20 minutes though.
A lot of shhoting,but I liked the MESSAGE,if you get my drift.
Christian Bale always convinces


----------



## Nikitta

Last weekend, we went and saw 300.

Great looking. Good battle scenes, but not that much of a story. 

Through most of the movie I had a feeling of watching a very long and very cool looking cut-scene for a game like God of War or something similar; I almost expected healthbars to show up. It wasn't until a good bit into the movie that something happend which cause me to care about what happened to the characters.

Not a waste of time, but not all that memorable.
It's entertaining, but nothing else.


----------



## Sathai

The other night I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Thought it was quite good.


----------



## Connavar

I saw earlier tonight Casino Royale for the second time.  It was almost better this time than the first which was amazing even then.


The chase scene early in the film is awesome.


----------



## Kostmayer

Star Wars 

I relented and bought the original triology on DVD - the ones with the original unaltered versions.

Han shot first!


----------



## UltraCulture

I might watch either Uncle Buck or Plains,Trains and Automobiles tonight.

I love watching John Candy


----------



## ravenus

Saw this unbelievably awesome 70's SF flick called *Phase IV* about super-intelligent ants - no they're NOT giant-sized and they're NOT shooting laser beams out of their eyes - taking over their immediate world...the movie takes itself fairly seriously, and is genuinely creepy and astoundingly well-shot. A crying shame that this unfairly obscure movie does not appear to be out on DVD this far.

Ona friend's recommendation a group of us trooped off to see *Mr. Bean's Holiday*, where the lovable doofus makes a (sponsored) trip to Cannes. I thought the first 3rd was strictly okey-dokey with very tame stuff, but things pick up a great deal after that. Standout scenes include Bean as a movie extra playing a Nazi stormtrooper, doing his improvisations of the heil salute and the goose-step, and a gut-busting finale where he alters the cinematic masterpiece of an utterly self-obsessed American auteur (totally scene-stealing and ovation-worthy performance from the criminally underrated Williem Dafoe).


----------



## HardScienceFan

UltraCulture said:


> I might watch either Uncle Buck or Plains,Trains and Automobiles tonight.
> 
> I love watching John Candy


Plains,TA is one of my alltime faves.Good performances by Candy & Martin,unerring direction..


----------



## HardScienceFan

Spiderman 2.
Luckily made by talented Sam Raimiand not some schlock director


----------



## gully_foyle

Borat. I got a couple of chuckles, but mostly it was lazy and trashy. 

Spiderman (1) was on the tube last night and I agree with HardScienceFan, Sam Raimi is one of the greats.


----------



## Connavar

Heh you are a swede?  It was on tv3 last night, we recorded it cause we were watching football.


----------



## gully_foyle

Nah, I think it's being played on every TV station in the world cause of Spidey 3 coming out. I could tell you that it was on just before the cricket, but who cares about cricket?


----------



## Hartley Hare

The lst movie I saw was "Requiem" a German film about the exorcism of a mentally ill girl.  Very well made and a superb performance by Sandra Huller but I thought it ended abruptly, before what would normally be considered the main part of the story.


----------



## sanityassassin

I am watching the Wedding Singer at the moment with a great 80's soundtrack


----------



## kafka

I dont know if this counts but I have been watching "The 4400" on DVD.  I am impressed, very original sort of sci-fi stuff.


----------



## Sathai

sanityassassin said:


> I am watching the Wedding Singer at the moment with a great 80's soundtrack


 
I love that movie.


----------



## sanityassassin

I saw the first season and part of the second and really enjoyed it


----------



## Pyan

gully_foyle said:


> I could tell you that it was on just before the cricket, but who cares about cricket?



Blasphemy!

Watched The Black Rose (1950) on BBC 2 this afternoon - much better than I expected.


----------



## ravenus

*Smiles of a Summer Night - Ingmar Bergman*

Early comedy by the masterful Swedish film-maker. This one is a sort of Chekov-meets-bedroom-farce, about various mismatched couples and how things get sorted out amongst them. It's chuckle-filled and breezy enough in most parts although some (especially those involving the young wannabe clergyman, a bete noire for Bergman) are rather dogmatic and the happy resolution of the various tangles may, in comparison to other Bergman films, come across as pat.

But definitely worth watching on a lazy afternoon and my god, how does Sweden stock such a number of wonderful actresses who also look so gorgeous?


----------



## Anthony G Williams

ravenus said:


> Ona friend's recommendation a group of us trooped off to see *Mr. Bean's Holiday*, where the lovable doofus makes a (sponsored) trip to Cannes. I thought the first 3rd was strictly okey-dokey with very tame stuff, but things pick up a great deal after that. Standout scenes include Bean as a movie extra playing a Nazi stormtrooper, doing his improvisations of the heil salute and the goose-step, and a gut-busting finale where he alters the cinematic masterpiece of an utterly self-obsessed American auteur (totally scene-stealing and ovation-worthy performance from the criminally underrated Williem Dafoe).


 
I agree - but you failed to mention the seriously cute French actress he teams up with, who kept me happily glued to the screen


----------



## Quokka

_Bloodsport _not a lot of it, just enough to realise that, yes this was as bad as the rest of the Van Damne movies, I was just younger back then


----------



## Stenevor

Saw Catch 22 and Farenheit 451 last weekend. 
Catch 22 was OK though I wouldnt recommend it especially if you havent read the book.
Its much inferior to the book but Farenheit 451 was slightly better. Its not particularly true to the book from what I remember but I liked the sixties look of it and thought Oskar Werner was a watchable if strange choice for the lead. Unfortunately I found the book people at the end of the film almost as mad as the firemen.


----------



## Talysia

Saw _Creature from the Black Lagoon_ at lunchtime.  (I think that was the title.  Long day today.)


----------



## dustinzgirl

Watched NEXT with nicholas cage last night.

It was OK I guess.


----------



## HBP

Watched Spider-man 3 on Wednesday.......totally awsome


----------



## Stenevor

Just seen Slaughterhouse5. Pretty average really, bits from the book I was expecting to happen were missing, I was looking forward to seeing Kilgore Trout too. Ive been watching a lot of book adaptations recently and havent been blown away by any of them. Got Mother Night to watch next when I can find time.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I saw *Spiderman 3* on Sunday night. I enjoyed it, although I was doubled over with laughter when Peter turned Emo (the fringe, the fringe!) and started dancing. Oh, dear...
But overall, 'twas quite good. Could've had more fighting and more of Venom.


----------



## Joel007

I found the whole dancing thing rather cringeworthy, but my wife was laughing.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

_The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb_ (1964) the second of Hammer's mummy movies. Pretty hokey stuff, even by the somewhat elastic standards a horror fan often has to employ while assessing derivative B-movies. It isn't in the same league as Hammer's previous contribution to the subgenre, _The Mummy_ (1959), even allowing for the fact that the latter had the advantage of featuring Hammer's finest stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, confirming Hammer's tendancy towards diminishing returns when mining the same material again. It's neither one of their great classics or a campily entertaining derivative (like _Dracula AD 1972_) but simply a very workmanlike iteration of the various stock elements of the mummy story, found in everything from Conan Doyle's _The Ring Of Thoth_ to that Little Archie comic where Mr. Lodge brings an exhibition of Egyptian artifacts to Riverdale Museum. Weak acting, zilch characterisation continuity glitches, and a few plot absurdities (such as the immortal who craves death after 3000 years of existence nevertheless insisting that his girlfriend be killed first, just because the movie is more dramatic that way) add to the mess. There's some comedic business with Cockney extras which sadly goes nowhere. All in all a very poor film, the fact that I could sit through it without complaining (although laughing rather than shuddering in any sort of real fear) too much is either a tribute to the essential watchability of Hammer's movies, or to my dedication to cine horror.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Joel007 said:


> I found the whole dancing thing rather cringeworthy, but my wife was laughing.


 
Oh yes, I was cringing and laughing at the same time. Dear me.


----------



## Lucien21

Spiderman 3

Was entertaining in a "not as good as the previous one" kind of way.

They tried to shove too many bad guys and plot points into one movie. The film lacked pace in the middle as all the action bookended the "emo - Sat Night Fever" section.

Spiffy SFX though and the Goblin Fight at the start was the highlight of the film.


----------



## daisybee

I watched Bridge to Terabithea, and I thought it was much better than I was expecting. Never heard of the book, and now I really want to read it. Simple, effective and charming. Not so sure it's all that kid friendly though, towards the end.


----------



## Sathai

Yesterday I watched The Science of Sleep. Thought it was ok.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just finished watching Ben Hur, good film even for it's age.


----------



## HBP

Just Watched Next................. a major twist at the end.

Anyway it was good......I got a glimse of the future.


----------



## j d worthington

Ice fyre said:


> Just finished watching Ben Hur, good film even for it's age.


 
Quick query: the 1959 or the 1925 version? Both are well worth watching....


----------



## Ice fyre

The Charlton Heston one mate, funny story bout that. Have I mention'd it's one of my wife's aunts favourite films?
My Gran in law (her Mum) was walking down Princes Street in Edinburgh many years ago now only to be smiled at by a handsome young man she couldnt place. Lots of folk were frowning and trying to place him too. It was only later that she recognised him. Yup it was Indeed Charlton Heston, my Aunt in law didnt believe her till she saw it on the news that he had indeed been in Edinburgh. My aunt im law was not impressed as she didnt get his autograph!!


----------



## Firefly

Just had the unfortunate business of watching Spiderman 3, it was dismal.


----------



## GOLLUM

Thanks for the warning then....

Watched *Adrian Monk - Season 4*. Sadly ideas are starting to flag after such a brilliant start to this series (Seasons 1 & 2).


----------



## Joel007

I just watched _Big Nothing_ with Simon Pegg and David Schwimmer (sp?)

I quite enjoyed it, enough plot twists to keep me interested, and a good pairing of the rather crazy and random Simon working well with David's knowledgeable but timid and clumsy character. 
Entertaining violent comedy


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The 1950s House Of Wax with Vincent Price. Some of the scenes, created to exploit the 3D fad, seem a bit hokey without the gimmick, but the movie was enjoyable enough. It had some rather well put-together scenes, and some rather melodramatic ones. A bit of a mixed bag, but overall satisfactory if far from scary to my jaded modern sensibilities. Vincent Price is supremely creepy of course.


----------



## Pyan

Firefly said:


> Just had the unfortunate business of watching Spiderman 3, it was dismal.


I'd been looking forward to this, but have to agree with you, Firefly. I did like the Sandman f/x, but oh dear, the rest of it!


----------



## HoopyFrood

The emo dancing, the emo dancing, argh! 

Venom was cool, they should've used him more.


----------



## Pyan

I'm looking forward to_ Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer_, too - I hope I haven't jinxed that one as well!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, that looks cool. The Silver Surfer looks great!

_Magicians_ is released this Friday, WOOP! I'll be going along on Friday to see if I can spot myself in the audience at the end, tee hee (I think I'll  be able to because I've already seen myself in the trailer ).


----------



## HardScienceFan

a thingy called The Day after Tomorrow
I remember a lot of Ice,and a vague performance by Gyllenhaal and Quaid


----------



## Pyan

_Johnny English._
If they could lose 9/10ths of the "comedy", and re-cast most of the parts, it would make a half-decent spy movie.


----------



## gully_foyle

The Black Dahlia. Still trying to figure out the plot. Can anyone tell me who the guy in the glasses was meant to be?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Woo HOO I watched one of my favourite films last night. I'm going to show my ever-hidden gory side here, so prepare yourself, I know I don't do this often 

It's the film Warrior King. One man's journey to get his elephants back, because they've been kidnapped (elephant-knapped, I should say). Not the greatest plot, but man, the film is _awesome_. The end scene has the guy (played by Tony Jaa) breaking the arms and legs of about seventy bad guys. Ah, the crunching of bones! And he doesn't break an arm in the same way twice. He's very inventive when it comes to arm and leg breaking  The film has everything...car chases, a fight in a burning building, a boat chase, an exploding helicopter, a chase on a _segway,_ for the love of Cthulhu, arm breaking and some brilliant fighting scenes and, of course, elephants!


----------



## ravenus

*13 Tzameti - George Babluani*

Apart from the dumbass pseudo-poignant ending I thought this was a pretty good gritty French thriller. It's about an everyday workman who picks up a letter meant for someone else with the promise of making some big money and goes in his place, only to discover that he has walked into a setup where he has to play a game of survival with bets being placed on the contestants. Because it's in French AND in Black & White, you see words like "existential" used to describe the movie. Bull****. Just ignore the hype and you find a decent enough though never-particularly-ambitious movie (I liked it a good deal more than *Hostel*, for example).

Of course one of the weaknesses of the film for certain people would be that the conclusion of the survival tournament is foregone...you know who's going to come out alive. But all the same I really liked the claustrophobic gritty grounded atmosphere that envelops the protagonist while he's going through the macabre tournament. It perfectly exudes the sensation of a guy feeling completely f****d over and reminded me of my schooldays when we used to go for scout camping sessions: The toilets would be vomit-inducing filthy (and always out of water) and I'd never dare to enter them; during the 3 day schedule of awful food and vigorous morning exercises and hiking I'd keep frantically praying that my bowel movements wouldn't give way before I reached the comfort of my clean toilet at home. 

So what was I saying? Oh yeah, this movie is a pretty good thrill ride so long as you're not expecting something extraordinary.


----------



## daisybee

I watched a film called Special the other night, with Micheal Rapaport.
It was about a normal bloke who loves comics who takes part in a drug trial and weird stuff happens. I don't want to spoil it because the plot is pretty simple, but I thought it was really good. I like unpolished films with heart and Micheal Rapaport was really believable. It was sad and thought provoking.


----------



## Urien

Blood diamond. Leo was excellent; now he's older he is convincing in the hard man roles who'd a thunk it.


----------



## Gothic_Angelica

The Crow Wicked Prayer, I borrowed it on dvd


----------



## BookStop

I finally saw The Illusionist, and while the mood of the movie was nice, the simplicity of the plot made it really dull. Man, I hate it when movie folk assume the audience is dim.


----------



## Sathai

Yesterday I watched Volver. Thought it was quite good.


----------



## ravenus

*District B13 - Pierre Morel*

B13 is another of the French movies that's not about deep layered philosophical narrative, but about providing cheap & instant thrills.

In the story B13 stands for the name of one of Paris' seediest districts where apparently all the deadbeats and losers congregate. Local boy Leito crosses the drug boss and ends up in prison while his sister is captured by the boss. Damien, a hardass cop, is given the mission of defusing a neutron bomb that lands up with the drug boss. So Leito and Damien must pair up to make their way leaping and kicking through the gangsta-packed by-lanes of B13 and reach their respective aims.

As you will have guessed this is not a movie that you will relish for its devious plotting, so it gets annoying when midways you're made to sit through a good chunk where Leito and Damien argue about freedom and equal rights with dialog that makes all the dubbed Asian movies look like they were written by Shakespeare at his savviest. However all is not lost, for the action scenes (which employ a mix of Thai boxing and the free style running as seen in the opening moments  of  _Casino Royale_), when they happen, kick ass good and hard. A couple suffer from too-many-jump-cuts-itis but there are still several exciting moments here.


----------



## Anomander

I saw Last King of Scotland last night on DVD. nice.


----------



## SharonMoore

"300" & it was great.


----------



## fantasy noob

sin city i dont remeber much of it tho i wasnt in my right mind


----------



## Quokka

*The Club* (1980) based on the play by David Williamson. As far as I know its the only movie made about Australian Rules Football and its actually very good.

The movie bases the story in the real life club of Collingwood (in the play the club is never named). Some good performances particularly from Graham Kennedy as Ted Parker, who has loved Football and Collingwood FC all his life but never had the talent to play the game and so becomes involved in the administraion side of things as a way of being part of his club.

There's a bit more Hollywood in the movie than play with the plot line taking the team from the bottom of the ladder to the grand final. But over all a good portrayal of  the difficulties and conflicts as football moved from an amatuer sport to a proffessional business with some nice comedic moments mixed in.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Magicians* on Friday. It stars Robert Webb and David Mitchell from Peep Show and That Mitchell and Webb Look. It was quite a good film, a few laugh-out-loud moments. 

Managed to spot myself in the audience at the end a couple of times, yay.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *The Last King of Scotland* which was a damn good movie, with a genuinely scary performance by Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin. I also liked that the protagonist, a young medico who becomes Amin's personal physician and advisor is not portrayed as an outright hero but someone who makes mistakes and must pay for them.

Also saw *The Man Who Would Be King*, a cracking film adaptation by John Huston of a Rudyard Kipling story. It's about 2 former British soldiers in 19th century India hatching an audacious plan to become kings of a remote central Asian country called Kafiristan, and one of them ends up being taken for a God, until...Excellently paced, filled with cheeky quote-worthy dialog and hosting career-best performances from both Michael Caine and Sean Connery, this one's a thorough old-skool entertainer.


----------



## daisybee

Watched The Golden Child last night. Still cracks me up.

Give me the knife....Pleeeaase..


----------



## Foxbat

Watched a short film called The Signalman. It's a ghost story based on a Dickens short story and worth a look.

Also watched The Last King Of Scotland....a damn fine movie with a wonderful piece of dialogue: _If we had monkeys in Scotland, we'd probably deep fry them._

The scariest thing about that statement is that it is probably true.


----------



## Munkeygames

Versus a very silly Japanese Horror film that manages to be a cross between Hard Boiled and Brain Dead

Before that Spidey 3 which was dissapointingly average


----------



## Sathai

Yesterday I watched Notes on a Scandal. I thought it was pretty good.


----------



## Lissa

I have watched some pretty crappy movies lately so I won't mention them.  The last good one I saw was Beowulf and Grendel...what's not to like about Gerard Butler?


----------



## Highlander II

Haven't been in here in a while... I am v. bad.

Maybe that's why I had to sit through a bad movie that even Hugh Laurie falling down couldn't fix - ugh.

I may have to go watch House, just to get over it.  But I watched, recently, "Girl From Rio" and "The Fountain" (since it released last week).


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Shrek 2* last night.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Me again? No one watched any films lately, then? 

I watched *Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End *on Thursday. I'm not a great fan of the films but they're entertaining at least. Jack Sparrow is brilliant but he didn't seem to do much in this final film. The love/hate thing between Will and Elizabeth was just annoying and their getting-married-while-fighting-in-a-life-threatening-storm was needlessly dramatic. Also, the plot seemed to move all over the place...too much was shoved into one film and people kept doing things and changing sides and their reasons weren't really explained!

But meh, I got to dress as a pirate to watch it, so it wasn't all bad.


----------



## Culhwch

Just watched _Predator_. So bad it's good. 

_I'm gonna bleed you, real quiet like, and leave you here..._. That guy is so freaky looking. Talk about crazy eyes.


----------



## Lenny

I've just finished watching *Severance* - it's like _The Office_, crossed with _Shaun of the Dead_, crossed with _Deliverance_. Brilliant film, and one I've been wanting to see since it came out.


----------



## Lenny

Two and a half hours later, and I've just finished watching *Hot Fuzz* - another film I've been wanting to see since it came out. Absolutely brilliant!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, I freaking _love _that film! I saw it twice at the cinema and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the DVD.

Delightfully gory. Wonderfully funny. Fantastic film!


----------



## Rane Longfox

Watched _Pirates 3_ at the cinema yesterday afternoon, and my new dvd, _Stranger than Fiction_ last night.

Both pretty damn good


----------



## Lenny

Third film today... oooh! Get me! 

*Borat*, this evening. Rather, shall we say, strange. My favourite bit has to be one of the deleted scenes - Borat in the supermarket asking what every single item in the cheese section is. You just have to admire the patience of the fella who is showing him around the supermarket.


----------



## HardScienceFan

TROY,am still watching it,....  sort of,like


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've just watched *Fight Club*. Pretty darn good! And yay, get me, I worked out the twist at the end. Although there were a number of clues:

1. Flashes of "Tyler" at the beginning when the guy's got insomnia.
2. No one says the guy's name until you find out about Tyler.
3. Tyler is pretty much the antithesis of the guy...everything that he's not.
4. The biggest clue for me was the line "If you wake up in different times and different places, will you be a different person?

Anyway, very good film, enjoyed it!
The song at the end was very cool as well


----------



## HardScienceFan

HoopyFrood said:


> I've just watched *Fight Club*. Pretty darn good! And yay, get me, I worked out the twist at the end. Although there were a number of clues:
> 
> 1. Flashes of "Tyler" at the beginning when the guy's got insomnia.
> 2. No one says the guy's name until you find out about Tyler.
> 3. Tyler is pretty much the antithesis of the guy...everything that he's not.
> 4. The biggest clue for me was the line "If you wake up in different times and different places, will you be a different person?
> 
> Anyway, very good film, enjoyed it!
> The song at the end was very cool as well


So we both have seen Brad this evening!
Your movie is way better!
I loved FUGHT CLUB,sorry fight club,Norton was great also!


----------



## Rane Longfox

Yeah, but the book was so much better than the film (that applies to both the Illiad and Fight Club, thinking about it)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Very true about the Illiad (great book, that) and I've just recently bought the book of Fight Club for my friend for her birthday...I'll probably pinch it...I mean, borrow it from her and read it. After seeing the film, I can certainly see how it would be a great novel.


----------



## Allegra

*Copying Beethoven.* Excellent 2006's movie featuring the last years of Beethoven, directed by gifted Polish director Agnieszka Holland. Beethoven was played by Ed Harris wonderfully so as the German actress Daine Kruger as Anna Holts the fictional copyist. The scenes of 9th symphony premier was brilliant. I sometimes daydream time-traveling back to 1824's Vienna to see this greatest ever symphony's premier. This film replayed the event except Beethoven didn't actually conduct according to the history but he was indeed forced turning around at the end to see the stormily applauding audience cos he couldn't hear.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Will finish Troy _tonight._
Dammit,I wish I looked like Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom.
Yes,girls,men can be insecure too.
I look in the shaving mirror and think,h**l,compared to Brad I look like 
Pinhead,run over by a truck.
Never mind
Hey everybody,who else thought Hektor's woman looked way better than Helen of Troy.I mean,it was supposed to be the face that launched a thousand ships.I am NOT saying she could launch a submarine,but .....she lacked something,dunno what.


----------



## Allegra

Don't worry about Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom, Ben.  I assure you they are not every woman's type. And Helen of Troy, I remember that was Daine Kruger too. I wasn't very impressed about her acting in Troy but in Copying Beethoven she was very good, reminded me a bit of Meryl Streep.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Allegra said:


> Don't worry about Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom, Ben. I assure you they are not every woman's type. And Helen of Troy, I remember that was Daine Kruger too. I wasn't very impressed about her acting in Troy but in Copying Beethoven she was very good, reminded me a bit of Meryl Streep.


And what were Petersen's acting directions?
"Look gorgeous,look gorgeous.
Yes that looks OK, right,kiss Orlando.....,no on the mouth..
oh,you were distracted
and action...
Orlando dear,don't look so,so,British
Cripes,ze people I haff to fwork wizz


----------



## manephelien

Pirates of the Caribbean 3. A fun, light, entertaining summer movie, and a bit of a laugh. It could've done with a little bit of tightening up and a slightly less convoluted plot. Johnny Depp is brilliant in anything he's in.


----------



## Sathai

Last night I watched Over the Hedge. Cute movie.


----------



## Highlander II

Recently - watched _Flight of the Phoenix_ - the remake... not bad, but not great either - mostly watching it to make screencaps for making icons for a friend... that's why I watch a lot of the stuff I get on Netflix....


----------



## Talysia

Watched Miami Vice (the recent film) last night. Not too bad.


----------



## Gav

I am just watching the end of I, Robot but the last movie I saw in the cinema was 28 Weeks later.  It is suprisingly good.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Some movies have plot holes. Little plot holes that a dragonfly might squeeze through, or great gaping holes that you could drive an SUV through. That's all kid stuff though; there is another class of movie that is nothing but hole with a few scattered shards of plot strewn about the carcasses of the creativity, intelligence and basic coherence of everyone involved in cobbling the whole mess together. Such a movie is *Ring Around The Rosie *(2005), which is even confused about what it is called - there's a prominently featured double-barreled subtitle to the movie: 'Fear Itself: Dark Memories'. 

The story, such as it is, consists of a young woman learning that her grandmother, (the very talented Fracnes Bay, wasted in a botched deathbed scene that could have been filmed better by an orangutang with a mobile-phone camera) has left her an old family house in the woods, and going there to wind things up and sell it. It seems she has troubled memories of some some sort - there are flashes of little girls singing 'Ring around the rosie', apparently some American corruption of the famous nursery rhyme about the Black Plague (just about the only genuinely creepy allusion in the whole movie) and wakes up in a sweating, shivering mess after dreaming about all this. In her grandparents' house, she continues to be highly tense and paranoid, jumping at shadows, reflections and being reduced to a screaming wreck when she mistakes a bunch of rather puny mice for rats.  Her boyfriend senses her tension, and offers to stay with her while she packs things up, but of course, she refuses, like any protagonist in a braindead horror flick. 

In the week ahead, the woman continues to jump around nervously, have hallucinations and also to be alternately intrigued and scared by a mysterious caretaker who seems like a cross between a Norman Bates style psycho and a creepy guy from a redneck horror movie. The girl's sister turns up to help out, and what follows is a labyrinthine sequence of creepy incidents involving much danger to life and limb, running around screaming and madly flailing, attempted rape and murder, ambiguous glimpses of repressed memories and o forth. It's all pretty yawn worthy after a while - as if the writer attended the class on Twists In The Tale in Creative Writing 101 and then proceeded to bunk the rest of the course, smug in posessing one little nugget of knowledge of plot devices, at least. 

Finally the girl runs screaming out of the house, into the arms of her conveniently-returned boyfriend who points out 'You're sister's been dead for 17 years.' Yes that's right, that's the big reveal. Wow. After that, the heroine finally cracks a smile after around a 100 minutes of maintaining an expression of frozen discomfort, remniscent of a child who has just eaten cod liver oil and all is well, even if just about nothing at all has been explained or resolved to any real purpose. Ambiguity has an a honoured place in horror storeytelling - sheer vagueness, however, does not.  It seems as if the writers on this film spent all their creativity thinking up multiple titles for the movie, commited collective seppuku and were then replaced by a brain-damaged janitor found sniffing cleaning fluid in a broom closet. A waste of time for all concerned.


----------



## HBP

Pirates of the Caribbean. Very interesting at times, i enjoyed the movie. It seems Jonny Depp improves his proformance every time and Orlando Bloom keeps the face that girls always scream over.


----------



## Anthony G Williams

knivesout said:


> It seems she has troubled memories of some some sort - there are flashes of little girls singing 'Ring around the rosie', apparently some American corruption of the famous nursery rhyme about the Black Plague (just about the only genuinely creepy allusion in the whole movie).


I read recently that the supposed origin is a myth - the rhyme wasn't written until the 19th century or thereabouts, and the symptoms described in the lyrics aren't those of any sort of plague anyway....


----------



## ravenus

*Street FIghter II - The Animated Movie*

This one will have most appeal for fanboys of those games since the major SP is supposed to be the appearance of all the superstars of the franchise and their trademark moves. I haven't played any of the SF games but I still found this a decent popcorn flick with lots of action.

The plot has M. Bison aiming to gather the top fighters of the world and brainwash them into becoming terrorists (Yeah, absolutely credible and grounded in reality storyline there  ). He zeroes in on Ryu being judged as the potential best fighter and is trying to locate him. Ryu is generally shuttling between various Asian countries (including Calcutta, where he witnesses a street fight between a Sumo wrestler called Honda and a weird guy wearing skulls who I guess is supposed to be some Indian wrestler, w00t!). Meanwhile, Ken is sulking about looking for a rematch with Ryu. Chun-Li and Guile are Interpol agents trying to foil Bison's dastardly plans. There are appearances by several other (as I gather) stars of SF including DeeJay, Sagat and Vega. Anyway it's about how various twists and turns occur each of which leads to a fight scene so there's plenty of ass-kicking happening. The animation is not awesome brilliance but pretty good all the same and it's nice to see if you've nothing else in particular to do.


*Sword of the Beast - Hideo Gosha*

I have never seen any other movie by this director but this glimpse convinces me that at least as far as action-packed Samurai films go he is another film-maker near the class of Kurosawa and Kihachi Okamoto (_Samurai Assassin, Sword of Doom_). The 'beast' here is the master swordsman Gennosuke (Mikijiro Hira) who has been ostracized from his clan for assassinating the clan counselor. Gennosuke who actually performed the deed for the sake of radical reform had been betrayed by his instigator and is now on the run from the family and friends of the murdered counselor. He meets up with a buffoonish laborer who has the idea of illegally panning for gold in the mountain stream. There they meet with the warrior Jurota of another clan who has collected a significant amount of gold for his clan, and Gennosuke aims to take it from him by force.The rest of the proceedings introduce various twists and turns in the fates of both Gennosuke and Jurota, forcing both of them to re-examine their morals.

Sword of The Beast is a fast-paced action-filled movie but also a very tightly executed moral drama. Gosha, like the other experts of Samurai movies, makes excellent use of the moving cameras and wide-screen lenses in his depiction of the expertly executed combat sequences. Mikijiro Hira in the title role refers to himself as a wolf and truly, he exudes a wolfish charm, similar to the great Tatsuya Nakadai in _Yojimbo_.

ON the whole very much recommended for people that like the works of Kurosawa and Okamoto.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Finished Troy.
The acting comes and goes in that one.Direction very uneven.
How the act can you go wroing with Pitt,O'Toole??
Petersen is obviously comfortable with largescale action,but the rest....
verdict:good in spots.
So  SAFFRON BURROWS was Andromache!!
_Babelicious
Yes,I can be that shallow_


----------



## daisybee

Just watched Spiderman 3, and well, apart from Harry I didn't really like it, too much going on, tioo many bad guys/possibly good guys. I want one big bad to be afraid of..good special effects but there seemed a lot, and I can't be the only person who can not follow those sequences without getting a headache trying to work out whos where etc.. Oh and I get it-forgiveness is important. I did like the black suit though..


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

ravenus said:


> *Sword of the Beast - Hideo Gosha*
> 
> I have never seen any other movie by this director but this glimpse convinces me that at least as far as action-packed Samurai films go he is another film-maker near the class of Kurosawa and Kihachi Okamoto (_Samurai Assassin, Sword of Doom_).


Oh cool. I've got a movie by him called *Violent Streets* on my stack of movies to be watched.


----------



## HBP

Just watched Notes On A Scandal. Rather interesting movie. Everyone has a urge to do something not fully thought about. It so happens her desperation for sex lead her to being with a fifteen year old. (That her i mentioned she is a teacher, the fifteen year old is her pupil).


----------



## Sathai

Last night I watched M. Very good film, kind of makes you uneasy while watching it. Peter Lorre is so young in it too, I almost didn't recognize him.


----------



## Winter Lord

Pirates 3: At World's End


----------



## Antares

I just watched "300."

Wow, is all I can say: Gritty, bloody, violent...And a lot of hot ab shots.

Yeah, I liked it!


----------



## dustinzgirl

Just watched Hostel 2...way better than hostel 1!


----------



## DarkIntentions

Watched POTC 3.

Silly and pointless film.


----------



## Stenevor

Just seen Mother Night based on the Kurt Vonnegut book. No idea how it compares to the book as its one I havent read. A bit dark and depressing but worth a watch, Nick Nolte was very good as Howard Campbell Jr.


----------



## Rane Longfox

Saw *Magicians* at the cinema tonight. I think I saw Hoopy in the audience, so that was all good 


Good fun film - Mitchell and Webb are funny guys, when they're not working as demon-spawn for Apple. The ending was a bit predictable though.


----------



## ilthaniel

Last movie I saw was Bridge to Terabithia. Not exactly what I expected it to be, but certainly not bad.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Rane Longfox said:


> Saw *Magicians* at the cinema tonight. I think I saw Hoopy in the audience, so that was all good



Yeah, my two seconds of fame. Woop!


----------



## Sathai

Today I watched Grand Illusion.


----------



## fantasy noob

saw like half of . .  str. .  strangl....strangers with candy haha it was pritty damn funny 

colbert is great in this one a little fruity but he always is


----------



## Quokka

Watched_ Children of Me_n earlier today...

**Spoilers**


Which I thought was pretty good, though I liked the premise/idea more than the actual story. Great cinematography and style, nice choice in actors and I liked that they left it fairly vague about how the fertility rate had dropped to zero. But if your going to do that and leave the end goal dark and mysterious, you need to add something otherwise there's the risk of it just being characters going from A to B which is what CoM felt a bit like to me.

There were a couple of things, particularly once they got inside the refugee camp that broke the 'suspension of disbelief' for me. Was that a really easy birth for a first time? Also the scene as they're leaving the building and the soldiers stand aside stunned as the baby passes but when the shooting begins again they all totally ignore the group leaving, if you had been shocked enough by the sight of the first baby born in 18 years surely some of them would have tried to help or at least shield the baby as they left?

One really big plus for me was that despite all that was going on, I don't think Clive Owen ever picked up a gun which made a very nice change from the standard everyday-man turned rambo heros.

Overall (IMO) a good movie, well above the usual sci-fi fare but maybe a bit short of what it could have been.

Edit: Just had to add that CoM also contains the best car chase scene that I have seen in a long time


----------



## Connavar

Agree about car chase where Julian Moore's character dies were great.  


I also liked the movie alittle less after they got in the camp. Before that there were a good SF feel to it.

As usuall Clive Owen is always good when he plays english and not american where he have to fake thorriblely.


----------



## Allegra

Watched _Pan's Labyrinth_ last night. A Spanish film weaves 1944's reality in Spain with a fairy tale, sad and ridiculous. Now recommended.


----------



## The Ace

Still laughing at, "Shaun of the dead."  What a cracker.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Paris, Texas* by *Wim Wenders*. Man, what a DRAG. I'd been told by a person whose opinion I reasonably respect that this film moves slowly but the payoff is really worth it. Well, she was half-ways right...the film moves at an glacial pace (although these days, that seems to be occurring much faster, eh?), but the so-called payoff...the emotional showdown between the 2 characters which is supposed to reveal the reason why their lives have become utterly frayed...comes off at the end of an unreasonably long build-up as contrived and seriously not worthy of the time given up to the movie till that point. At 90 min this might have been a very good, even great movie; at 2 1/2 hours there's an awful lot of empty reels. The only consolation I have is an immensely good in most parts lead performance by Harry Dean Stanton (apart from his climactic monologue, conveyed almost entirely in glances and shrugs) and some nice visuals of the Southern US. Ry Cooder's non-committal acoustic noodlings only added to my ennui.

Wim Wenders has a brilliant eye for visuals and can make great movies (*Wings of Desire* is an all-time favorite with me) but, despite all the acclaim and hoopla it has, this one is not IMO one of his best offerings.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Ace, I saw Shaun of the Dead again not to long ago, forgotten how much I loved that film, I recall the first time I went to see it, I had had a crappy day at work and it really perked me up.  "I dsont think I can shoot my flatmate, my ? and my mum all on the same day"
I am off to see Romolus my father tomorrow night, shall advise, it is supposed to be good.


----------



## Triceratops

Saw Pitch Black last night.  Okay, not a bad premise, since we seem to be running out of fresh idea lately.  I'm starting to like Vin a bit more.  He's got that stereotypical Alpha male thing goin' on, and I don't think he needs all of the testi attitude.  But, hey, I guess it's working for him.

Tri


----------



## j d worthington

I also watched *Pan's Larbyrinth* just the other day (I'd intended to see it in the theater, but the winter weather being what it was...). Beautiful film; very moving, and I highly recommend it. (I will admit, however, to a very big soft spot for Guillermo del Toro's more "personal" films, whereas his Hollywood films are ... candy-floss....)


----------



## HardScienceFan

Ravenus,i am glad to see I am not the only one who thought that one was an exercise in mental fatigue.
for all the hullaballoo


----------



## Happy Joe

I did a subtitle marathon;
Pans Labyrinth and Apocalypto, followed these up with A Night At The Museum.  
Pans Labyrinth; (Spanish with subtitles) Not sure about this one, An arty film about a little girl in a fascist country.  Mostly OK but some of the effects (toad death in the tunnel) reminded me of mediocre 1963 effects.  I would not rate it highly (Guillermo's Hell Boy was a more entertaining film) give it a C.
Apocalypto (English subtitles), another OK film. Gibson may have confused the Aztec and Maya to some extent but overall pretty enjoyable.  Give it a C+
Night at the museum another OK film.  A no thought required family film (no subtitles required), enjoyable to see and with a few laughs. Give this one a C.

Enjoy!


----------



## Teir

Potc 3


----------



## Sibeling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I hated Harry Potter, his fiends and Voldemort who pranced around in a black nightgown (I just don't like martyr kids and stupid-looking villains), but all the CGI things were good.


----------



## Rane Longfox

Lock Stock. Vinnie Jones rocks my world


----------



## fancying_fantasy

Georgia Rule

Huge disappointment


----------



## HardScienceFan

Why?
just interested.


----------



## HBP

Primeval. Terrifying movie. Try to imagine urself being eaten by a 10 ton crocodile. Not a pleasant image is it... Really nice for once in a movie the evil continues to live on. Although its based on a true story.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Watching _The Prince of Tides_ on cable at the moment.

Wanted to rent _Pan's Labryinth_ at Blockbuster, but all copies were out when I was there.  Maybe next time.


----------



## The Ace

Just seen "Night at the Museum," pleasant but unspectacular.  Ricky Gervais is as funny as he always is, though (as a rain-crash).


----------



## j d worthington

Saw *Pirates III*; while I have some problems with it, and feel there were some things that could have been trimmed or tightened up, I did enjoy it, and felt that it gave a nice ending to the set... and yes, I think that scene following the credits added a nice element to the film, and made things a bit more poignant.


----------



## ravenus

*TIME AFTER TIME (1979) - Nicholas Meyer*

TAT is a relic of the early 80's SF genre which mixed in teen romance with bubble-gum science, having a specific kinship with the *Back to The Future* franchise. It was made by Nicholas Meyer, most famous for having written and made a film adaptation of the post-modern Sherlock Holmes novel *The Seven Per Cent Solution*, where Watson, in a bid to cure Holmes' cocaine addiction takes him to Vienna to consult with Sigmund Freud.

Meyer continues his obsession with popular Victorian culture, this time mixing in 2 famous real-life personalities of that age, H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper. In this story, a young and earnest Wells actually invents a Time Machine. Unfortunately his close friend, surgeon John Leslie Stevenson, is the Ripper and uses the invention to escape into the future. Wells, fearful of what he has unleashed unto his imagined 'utopia', resolves to track down and return the Whitechapel murderer and this quest takes him to...1979 San Francisco.

While the premise may excite genre fans, what is important to understand is that the film doesn't take particular pains to be faithful to the history of either character or play up their peculiarities. Wells, played with a charming naivety by *Malcolm MacDowell* (who had earlier played the ferocious Alex in *A Clockwork Orange*) is, apart from a few scenes of cute references, never particularly identifiable as the author of an immense sweep of literature; he could be just another well-meaning anachronistic English hick bumbling his way through the big bad Yank city. Through most of the narrative Jack seems far more comfortable with the technology and mores of the future than the supposed science savant Wells is, and there are few scenes where the characters actually resonate. One is where Jack shows a horrified Wells snatches of television, depicting brutal murders, wars and violent cartoons. "In my time I was considered a freak", he grins, almost ruefully, "here I am an amateur."

Apart from the cat & mouse games that occur between Wells and Jack, the film gives significant attention to a burgeoning romance between Wells and 20th century bank-teller Amy Robbins, a pleasantly stoned looking character, whose approach is quite 'forward' by any standards (inviting a total stranger for lunch and discussing your sexual habits with him at first meeting?), and who is charmed by Wells' naive idealistic curiosities and mild shocks at all her free revelations (despite his claims to be an advocate of free love). Although never particularly touching, the romantic scenes, thanks mainly to the chemistry between the lead actors, have a frothy charm that to a good extent covers up the glaring deficiencies of the plotline.  David Warner turns in a suitably chilling portrayal of the villainous Ripper and the visual effects share the cheerful camp of other movies of that age.

If you're willing to accept that the main characters are never strongly related to their real-life counterparts and that a good part of this movie is a cheeky romantic comedy, it's a pleasant enough watch.


----------



## j d worthington

ravenus said:


> ,,, a pleasantly stoned looking character, whose approach is quite 'forward' by any standards (inviting a total stranger for lunch and discussing your sexual habits with him at first meeting?), and who is charmed by Wells' naive idealistic curiosities and mild shocks at all her free revelations (despite his claims to be an advocate of free love)....


 
At the time this film was made, that behavior would have scarcely raised an eyebrow. It was all over the place, believe me. And the fact he was flustered by it seemed to me a rather tongue-in-cheek comment on "how free is your definition of 'free'?"....

I've always had a fondness for this film, despite its many flaws. The chemistry between the leads is indeed quite good, for one thing, and it makes some nice social commentary along the way... both about violence in society and also about how often the seemingly most ephemeral aspects of a society may be the longest-lasting...


----------



## littlemissattitude

I, too, have always been quite fond of _Time After Time_.  I will definitely second j. d.'s assessment of Amy's "forward" behavior and choice of subjects to talk about to a virtual stranger to have been quite normative in the US at the time the film was made.  That was pre-HIV, after all, and the sexual revolution of the sixties was still in full swing.

As for myself, I watched _The Departed_ this afternoon.  Very good Academy Award-winning film (Best Film and Best Director for Martin Scorsese...finally), with very good performances from all involved.  I was especially impressed with Leonardo DiCaprio (who I don't necessarily always enjoy watching) and, of course, with Jack Nicholson, who manages to make a certain amount of scene-chewing work for the character he plays rather than taking away from the performance.  Special mention for the music, which was wonderfully evocative and appropriate.


----------



## Quokka

_It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_

I really like that movie, I don't think there's ever been a better ensemble cast, lets stack it with as many stars as possible, movie. The cast, the cameo's, the fact that everyone is going at 100mph in or out of a car, it just works really well.

Apparently there may be a sequel and after _Rat Race_ I can only hope it never gets off the ground.


----------



## dustinzgirl

The Shooter....Marky Mark has come a looong way from the Funky Bunch, I find myself enjoying his films...as long as he doesn't make any music....


----------



## littlemissattitude

Quokka said:


> _It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World_
> 
> I really like that movie, I don't think there's ever been a better ensemble cast, lets stack it with as many stars as possible, movie. The cast, the cameo's, the fact that everyone is going at 100mph in or out of a car, it just works really well.



But you haven't _really_ seen it until you've seen it the way it was meant to be seen, in Cinerama (although it was filmed using a different process than the original Cinerama).  It shows how old I am, but I did see it that way, when it was first out in the theatres...I should add that I was very young at the time. 

But, yeah, it was a good movie.

By the way, the same thing goes, only even more so for _How the West Was Won_, which was filmed using the original three-projecter Cinerama process.


----------



## j d worthington

littlemissattitude said:


> But you haven't _really_ seen it until you've seen it the way it was meant to be seen, in Cinerama (although it was filmed using a different process than the original Cinerama). It shows how old I am, but I did see it that way, when it was first out in the theatres...I should add that I was very young at the time.
> 
> But, yeah, it was a good movie.
> 
> By the way, the same thing goes, only even more so for _How the West Was Won_, which was filmed using the original three-projecter Cinerama process.


 
The fact that I also remember seeing films using the process (yes, I remember the Panavision name on those films!) _does_ make me feel old... And I agree... if you've not seen these on the big screen, using that process... you've not seen them properly. It's an incredible experience!....

(Damn, but I wish they'd do a revival of Abel Gance's *Napoleon*, with a genuine three-screen projection, and live music. Now, _*that*_ was amazing.....)


----------



## fantasy noob

alpha dog - i will say i was a bit secptical aboot this one cuzz its ahs justin timberlake in it, i will say there was alot of violence which i like and alot of pot smoking that sex scene was pritty deadly too but it left me thinking "why god did i just do that, i want my 2 hours bac"

flight of the pheonix- id have to say that its a great movie, alittle farfechetd but ok, the part i most like was when the red one got shot it was all slow-mo and stuff that was cool

signs- one of my favorite movies its just all comes together, very creepy it just seems like if it happened it would happen that way or similar, i also lovfe hjow everything copmes together at the end with the water and "swing away"


----------



## Gothic_Angelica

V for Vendetta I really like it, its a new addition to my small dvd collection


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Against All Odds_


----------



## swish

_The Darwin Awards. _Worth while.


----------



## Tea is my copilot

Nacho Libre, because my sister enjoys every form of brain damage she can get.
Some parts were actually entertaining *sigh*


----------



## HardScienceFan

Dunno if it was mede for cinema,but I liked Northanger Abby.
Jane Austen adaptation.Tea,take note,possible role here for U?


----------



## Tea is my copilot

Oh Northanger is more on the realistic side of Austen's writing.
I loved it for that but also felt a bit cheated.
"So life isn't all 'Pride and prejudice'? Nice going, Jane!"

And no, I don't see a role for myself in anything


----------



## j d worthington

Not sure I'd call it that, actually. It was a wonderful send-up of the Gothic (and its effects on readers of the time), though... even if it was written -- what? 20? -- years before being published....


----------



## steve12553

Just got back from *the* *Rise of the Silver Surfer*. Not bad. Better than the first one. Part of Father's Day by someone many of us know.


----------



## Memnoch

*BRICK* (hailed as the next Donnie Darko, erm it isn't!!)- watched this on DVD last night (Gave Freddie v's Jason on terrestrial TV a miss!), good if a little surreal, at times it's got it's own language and takes awhile to get out of it's own ass. The leads the kid from 3rd rock all grown up, class acting all round.


----------



## Steffi

Now normally I would never watch any of the Fast and the Furios movies....not my thing at all....*BUT* I watch Tokyo Drift because the hubby wanted to watch it and I was really surprised as to how good it was.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

steve12553 said:


> Just got back from *the* *Rise of the Silver Surfer*. Not bad. Better than the first one. Part of Father's Day by someone many of us know.


 
Just saw this myself & echo Steve's comments. It was better than the 1st one but as I hated the 1st one that's fairly faint praise.
The whole franchise is aimed at a younger demographic than say X-Men though so as long as you go in there expecting superhero slapstick and "mild peril" then you know what you're in for. 
The surfer is pretty much the real star of this movie as evidenced by the trailers and even the name of the film but even his character is rather poorly fleshed out and his very sparse dialogue doesn't help things. I hope there's an extended/directors cut for the dvd because this movie gives the impression that a lot was left on the editing floor due to time constraints.
My overall impression:
Watchable if you like superhero movies, but poor if you don't.


----------



## Quokka

I watched _Altered States_ (1980) last night for the first time and it holds up suprisingly well for a 27yr old sci fi movie. It's a shame I missed the first 15 minutes or so, but as it was on pay-tv I'll likely catch it on repeat in the next few days.

*SPOILERS*

I thought the acting was extremely good, particually Hurt but also the surrounding cast. The make up for the initial regression scenes works fine and although during Hurt's last experience in the isolation tank there was an element of "Look what we can do with special effects now!" there's also a feeling of them being used to give an impression of what was happening and not neccessarily show complete realism, which worked fairly well. 

The only point I thought that the SFX got in the way of the film was the ending where for me it really detracted from the final scene. The script gets very 'wordy' in places but then again this isn't a high school rebel out saving the world but an experience by a group of scientists so its not really out of place. 

One maybe silly point was that I thought the film used nudity really well, it's never gratuitous but continually reminded the viewer of the characters humanity.

It doesn't look like there were any sequels which is nice and suprising, there's plenty of room left for sequels yet very little they could add before becoming 'monster movies', now days there would probably be a dozen .

Over all a really enjoyable movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched, ah....*Sense and Sensibility* last night. Not my usual choice of film (wasn't even _my_ choice) but my friends wanted to watch it. It wasn't too bad, I suppose, I've read the book so I knew the storyline.

But tonight, oh woes of woes, I'm being forced to watch *High School Musical*. If I don't make an appearance on the Chrons after tonight, it's because I didn't make through the traumatic event...


----------



## iansales

*Eragon*. It was pants. And you can tell the book was written by a teenager. The teenage hero was always right, even when he wasn't


----------



## Sathai

The other day I watched Pan's Labryinth. Thought it was pretty good. Sad and moving.


----------



## Lucien21

FF2 - Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Certianly better than the first one, but hardly likely to win awards.

Reasoably good fun.


----------



## HoopyFrood

My friends and I had a 'musical' night last night. Thus we watched *High School Musical* (yes, I managed to survive it! It was bearable, at least) and then we also watched *The Phantom of the Opera*.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Saint Ralph...

It was like, the saddest movie on the planet.


----------



## MsGudBod

The last 2 movies I saw were Shrek the third and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

I loved both of them, but I always enjoy a good movie with no or low profanity, parental cautions, etc.  I think the world is too full of the ugliness of reality.  The movies for my large family is one of the few family outings we can indulge without being stared at. The point of a movie for me is to escape reality from time to time, which is why I love scifi. It is my escape.

And I agree with you Winter that the dialogue was sparse for such a heavy character, but I think this is just an introduction, like in the comic book.  He went on to become as much a part of the story as their nemesis, Dr. Doom.  The movies never capture the comics spirit.  My greatest example:  The last Superman movie.


----------



## Lenny

Sathai said:


> The other day I watched Pan's Labryinth. Thought it was pretty good. Sad and moving.



Saw that last week. Brilliant film. You can see why it won a BAFTA for best costumes.

---

Tonight we watched an adaptation of a Virgina Woolf novel - *Orlando*. It has to be the strangest film I've watched for a long time.

So serious, yet the underlying humour was hilarious. And one could not but giggle at the fashions.

To me, the whole film seemed like a series of sketches.


----------



## Sathai

Lenny said:


> Tonight we watched an adaptation of a Virgina Woolf novel - *Orlando*. It has to be the strangest film I've watched for a long time.
> 
> So serious, yet the underlying humour was hilarious. And one could not but giggle at the fashions.
> 
> To me, the whole film seemed like a series of sketches.


 
Is that the one with Tilda Swinton? Loved the music in that one.


----------



## Connavar

_*Orlando*_ is still the wierdest and most fantastical movie i have seen !


----------



## Quokka

Rented a couple of DVD's for the weekend. _Casino Royal_ was ok and I really liked the new bond. After the first half an hour or so I was thinking this could actually be really good, it kind of dropped away as the movie went on and by the end I thought it was ok and a nice re-start for the series but not as good as it could have been.

Spoiler
One thing that did annoy me was that they seemed to have gotten so many things right; good actor for bond, nice opening chase sequence, good feel to the movie etc but then it got let down by some sloppy writing.

Bond creates a diversion at the hotel and all the security staff run _out_ of the CCTV room and leave it open so that Bond can wander in and take his time looking at dvds? There were a few scenes like that where I thought it wouldn't have been that hard to write a better excuse for a scene they wanted?


Also watched _The Pursuit of Happiness_, I think I'd have enjoyed reading or hearing Chris Gardner's story in person more. The movie wasn't bad but for me it always felt like a hollywood movie rather than a true story (something the music kept reminding me of).


----------



## Viktor Kuprin

My daughter treated me and her little brother to _*FF2 - Rise of the Silver Surfer*_. During a closeup scene of Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) and Ben Grimm's girlfriend, Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington), their distorted collagen-injected lips inspired one wag in the theater to yell out "CATFISH!"

Having read the original FF "Galactus Trilogy" as a kid, I was very disappointed that the film doesn't show Galactus, one of Marvel's most charismatic cosmic villains. Instead you see a vortex of space junk that looks like a bad outtake from _*Twister*_.


----------



## Culhwch

I got out _Casino Royale_ on the weekend, too, interestingly. Much better than the more recent Brosnan Bonds - Craig's Bond is a lot grittier, rougher and harder - but, yeah, there were those odd moments that were a let down. But it is Bond, you have to check at least some of your disbelief at the door.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've just watched* Hannibal*. Woo hoo, what a delightfully gory film...especially the, ah, interesting dinner at the end.


----------



## Sibeling

HoopyFrood said:


> I've just watched* Hannibal*. Woo hoo, what a delightfully gory film...especially the, ah, interesting dinner at the end.


 
I've seen it, and it probably is my least favourite of all Hannibal films. The first was frightening, it had suspense, Red Dragon was a detective film where the crime is solved, so it had intrigue, Hannibal Rising (while predictable and not really credible) at least had that hot French actor, but Hannibal is just lots of meaningless violence.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Elizabeth I* tv mini series/movie by HBO.

I must say Hellen Mirren is absolutly fantastic in the role.  The best period drama i have seen.  Jeromy Irons was great also.  Also the guy she called pigsy was very good too.

She was great when she played the happy,naive queen.  She was scary as hell when she was the angry,cruel queen.  

I havent seen the movie Queen yet but now i have to see it soon !


----------



## HardScienceFan

HABLA CON ELLA,
by Alomodovar
words fail me for this one
yes folk,Ben's waterworks worked overtime again


----------



## Mighty mouse

FF2 - Rise of the Silver Surfer
I know, I know, it's for kids but should it depend, not on a suspension of disbelief, but on a suspension of intelligence?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just returned from the cinema after watching -- surprise, surprise -- *Fantastic Four, The Silver Surfer etc* (there's really _nothing _to watch at the cinema at the moment. But it seems there are a few good releases coming soon...*The Simpsons*, *The Golden Compass* *cough* _The Northern Lights_ *cough* etc) It was mildly entertaining at least, the Silver Surfer was cool.


----------



## Sathai

Last night I watched Bridge to Terabithia. Had to get the tissues out for that one.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Why
Just curious
i had that with 'Habla con ella'
good direction,acting,plot,score,sets,?


----------



## Sathai

A death occurs. It was just very sad seeing the other character's grief.


----------



## HardScienceFan

if the" NRC Handelsblad" says this
  Anders was de film niet heel mooi geweest, want dat is-ie nu, maar prachtig.
it MUST BE a good one!
Famous actors /voices in this one?


----------



## ilthaniel

I thought positive Dutch reviews were meant to warn you what movie not to go to?.. 

Just watched Analyze That.. Funny, but not a movie I'd go to the cinema for... Allthough I must admit that I'd say that about most Comedies...


----------



## Knight_of_Nights

Last movie I saw was POTC 3. I saw it once on its own and thought it was pretty good, although got slightly confusing, almost as though the creators tried to get a bit too clever. I then saw it again in a movie marathon of all three epinsodes. I was quite tired of pirates by the end. However I did not sleep, so I am happy.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Requiem for a Dream,By Aronofsky

Just about the third time i saw it,and it gets to me every time

10 out of 10 for a very dark,disturbing movie,with great acting,depicting the depredations of addiction


----------



## Allegra

Kinsey
About Schmidt

Both good.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Allegra said:


> Kinsey
> About Schmidt
> 
> Both good.


Jack is good in that one,huh,Ally?
Best he's done for a while


----------



## Culhwch

Got out two DVDs over the weekend. _Children of Men_ was very good, I thought. An intriguing idea, a well-realised future reality, and just plain beautifully filmed. I loved all those long tracking shots, just artfully done. _The Departed_ on the other hand was a bit of a let down. Maybe a victim of it's own hype, more than anything. After all the talk I was expecting something a bit more than what was a barely skewed, run-of-the-mill gangster film, with what felt like a tacked-on shock ending. Good performance by Leo DiCaprio, though, as well as Ray Winstone. To me, Jack Nicholson will never be anything but Jack Nicholson, so I couldn't take him seriously in this one...


----------



## Allegra

HardScienceFan said:


> Jack is good in that one,huh,Ally?
> Best he's done for a while


 
Yeah, anyone else would have killed the film. Jack has an on screen impact.

Saw Pride and Prejudice last night. Not up to the standard, more like a TV production. I couldn't even finish it.


----------



## Sibeling

Back To The Future

I love the movie, one of my favourite comedies.


----------



## Sathai

Last night I watched Ghost Rider. It was ok, nothing I would watch again though.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Live free or die hard

That was a super cool movie to watch. I loved it. But, I'm a huge Bruce Willis fan too. Anyways, great actions sequences. I swear, every action sequence comes directly from GTA. I've done all of those playing GTA, LOL!


----------



## Majimaune

Last movie I saw...umm...oh yeah thats right. Stranger Then Fiction. I thought it was quite good seeing as I don't like Will Ferral all that much.

Ask me again later and it will probably be different cause I will watch one today sometime.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Got an advance copy of The Last legion, due out August I think, with Colin Friels.  Its a bit hard imagining him as a Roman, so the thing was always going to struggle.  Bad acting didnt help.  Kind of glad I dont have to go and see it at the cinema when it comes out because I would have felt I wasted my money.


----------



## Foxbat

Just (re-) watched _Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter And Spring. _An enchanting and thought provoking Korean movie


----------



## Sabina

Last movie I saw... It's maybe - "Astronaut's Wife", with my favourite actress Charlize Theron!
So, I have found some her rare photos there
She so beautiful...


----------



## Sathai

The other day I watched Sophie's Choice. Excellent movie.


----------



## Highlander II

In the theatre?  Er - "The Fountain",  i think.

In general?  Uh - "The Great Los Angeles Earthquake" - which was viewed with the intent of grabbing screenshots of one Michael T. Weiss in his pre-Pretender days. *g* and... "Maybe Baby", I think - Hugh Laurie *g*.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

"Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer". Light entertainment, not particularly great but I sat through it without complaining.


----------



## ravenus

Over the past few days I saw...

*Silence of The Lambs*
Of course I've seen this before...on a very worn VHS copy. Seeing it now on this kickass new CE DVD made a world of difference. The fantastic background score just stands out now and every grisly detail is clear as day. Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins totally rock here.

*Reniassance*
French b/w animated noir-style movie with loads of awesome visual style and a story which, even if derivative of so many SF movies, is not half bad and the ending really works great.

*Hot Fuzz* it was pretty darn cool, although the extended climax was trying. I'd have also preferred it to be 20min shorter, but otherwise loads of fun. The fat guy gets the better role this time.

Also saw this interesting if flawed South American horror *This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse* featuring a character called *Coffin Joe*. For those interested,  put up a big review *here*.


----------



## The Ace

*Flyboys*, supposedly based on a true story, Hollywood largely avoided F*cking it up, certainly, the Fokker triplanes, Gothas, HP 0/100s Nieuport 17s etc. actually looked the part and it was made very clear that the _Escadrille Lafayette_, were a small part of the allied forces on the Western Front.  My only quibble was the climax.  That was one hell of a shot for a revolver.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just been to see *Shrek the Third*. I really enjoyed it, there were quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. For me, anyway, but I tend to laugh at really obscure things! I loved when the female characters started kicking butt, that was cool. 

I've just purchased the *Hot Fuzz* (WOOP!) and *Shaun of the Dead *box set, so I have hours of viewing pleasure ahead. I LOVE *Hot Fuzz*. Never seen *Shaun of the Dead*, which is shocking, what with me being a zombie and comedy fan...


----------



## Rothgar

TRANSFORMERS - good flick... would have been great with some tweaking to gear it more toward adults (add some drama, subtract some comedy)  It was a rush to feel like I was 8 years old again watching giant robots fight.  

Overall it was worth the admission price.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, couldn't help myself...just watched *Shaun of the Dead*. Very good, very good indeed. Nice mixture of all-out zombie gore and good old comedy, and even some quite tragic moments. 

Have to say that I still love *Hot Fuzz* more though


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Hot Fuzz* is a bloody awesome movie.


----------



## Culhwch

Just watched _Lady Jane_, a 1986 film starring a very young Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes, concerning the title character's nine-day reign as queen. Though apparently largely historically inaccurate, quite a good film.


----------



## Sathai

Last night I watched Queen Margot. Quite bloody, but good.


----------



## PTeppic

Die Hard 4.0
Having already seen Pirates, Shrek, Ocean's, Fantastic and Spiderman, (it should have been an awesome summer) this is the first to REALLY rock the boat and make we want to see it again. Ocean's 13 wasn't bad, though a tad long. This was the others put together. Almost unremitting action, snappy, smart and funny dialogue, seemed to be plenty of nods to previous movies, a plot that holds together (so long as you don't think about it too much), and did I mention the unending action sequences?

(And still looking forward to Bourne and Potter)


----------



## mosaix

Die Hard 4.0 - about an hour ago.

Agree with PTeppic - great stuff.


----------



## Talysia

Saw _Poseidon_ a little while ago.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Talysia said:


> Saw _Poseidon_ a little while ago.


p Adventure the remake?


----------



## littlemissattitude

Culhwch said:


> Just watched _Lady Jane_, a 1986 film starring a very young Helena Bonham Carter and Cary Elwes, concerning the title character's nine-day reign as queen. Though apparently largely historically inaccurate, quite a good film.



I liked that one, Culhwch.  I'm a sucker for historical dramas, even when they turn out to be not especially historical in content.  It's Hollywood (even when it isn't a US production), and so I don't expect too much in that respect.  I've written about that here before, I think.

Have you ever seen _Anne of the Thousand Days_?  Richard Burton as Henry VIII and Genvieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn.  It's very good.

My most recent is a rewatch of _The Mummy_ (the recent version).  It seems that when I come upon that one playing on cable I have to watch it.  Good fun.


----------



## Culhwch

littlemissattitude said:


> I liked that one, Culhwch. I'm a sucker for historical dramas, even when they turn out to be not especially historical in content. It's Hollywood (even when it isn't a US production), and so I don't expect too much in that respect. I've written about that here before, I think.
> 
> Have you ever seen _Anne of the Thousand Days_? Richard Burton as Henry VIII and Genvieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn. It's very good.


 
Don't get me wrong, LMA, I don't mind when historical accuracy gets thrown out the window in the name of a good movie. I'd watch docos or read a book if I really wanted to know what happened. I don't see why some people get so put out over a little Hollywoodisation. It's entertainment, people! 

And no, not seen that one, but will keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the tip!


----------



## Nesacat

Pirates ... World's End. It was such a muddle of a movie. An insane number of threads running along and getting knotted and tangled. Myths being pulled every which way, none of which made much sense and to top it all the kraken dies in a totally illogical, unnecessary fashion.


----------



## steve12553

littlemissattitude said:


> My most recent is a rewatch of _The Mummy_ (the recent version). It seems that when I come upon that one playing on cable I have to watch it. Good fun.


 
I know what you mean. I do the same thing with that and about 2 dozen other movies. Buying the DVD doesn't help either, I still have to watch them on TV when they show up.


----------



## Kostmayer

Lethal Weapon 2. One of the films I have to watch whever its on. 

Am a casual fan of the series, but this ones by far the best. Mel Gibsons mullet, Joe Pesci, Patsy Kensit, and last but not least - Joss Ackland, complete with dodgy South African accent.

(I say dodgy, I wouldn't know a real one if I heard one).


----------



## Markida

Desperado. I just love that movie. Antiono Banderas, spanish guitar, and guns fights a plenty, what more could you ask for?


----------



## Talysia

After finally getting the chance to play some of the dvds that we've got on special offer, but have languished in a cupboard until we've had time to watch them, I saw Zathura earlier.  Not a bad film, but I won't be watching it again.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Triplettes de Belleville
everything it is rumoured to be
Knocked me three feet backward


----------



## caligula79

*Cinema Snob Reviews*

I've been doing these videos where I play an uber-pretentious cinema snob who reviews low budget exploitation flicks.  I figured you out there would like some of them!

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.


----------



## Sathai

The other day I watched Shirely Valentine. I thought it was a funny and heart-warming movie.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The Last Mimzy - A ghastly travesty of a classic Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner and CL Moore) short story. The most un-charismatic child stars ever and a treatment that makes Spielberg's ghastly War Of The Worlds shine in comparison. 

Perfume: A decent version of the rather creepy novel. It does tend to somewhat humanise Jean-Baptiste Grenouille a little more than I'm comfortable with, but it's not a Rice-ian glorification of a monster, and the movie is visually very rich with some god performances. 

Anna Karenina: Black and white melodrama. Greta Garbo. The feast in the beginning is awe-inspiring, but I couldn't help sympathising most with Karenin, apart from his illy insistence on not getting a divorce.


----------



## Abbot

last movie I watched was ASHrek the Thrid and I thought compared to the first 2 it was a real big let down, although Im watching the 5th harry potter movie tomorrow, I cant wait.


----------



## Markida

I'm watching that at the weekend   Although I think it's gonna sad me out a little, just like the book did


----------



## Susan Boulton

Saw Flag of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, back to back yesterday....

Superb!!!

Scenes from both are still lingering in my mind this evening. Of the two I think letters is the better film. It was, for a war film, gently paced, detailed and made the characters very "human". Flags, through very good I found a little disjointed in its story telling, and sadly the soldiers blurred into one, they all became merely fresh faced young men totally lost and over powered by what they had been thrown into. Maybe that was the intention, But it set you a pace back from the characters and what they were going through, by not having a strong main character you could identify with. This Letters had in the form of the young soldier, lost and frightened, the same as his America counterparts, yet the performance was stronger and more layered.


----------



## Majimaune

I believe it was HP and the PoA. It was on tv last night so I just sat and watched it.


----------



## Adasunshine

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

xx


----------



## jemcaesar

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. It's like an apple turnover: visually appearing, mouth-watering when you first see it, fun, light and fluffy, but ultimately not very memorable.


----------



## Knight_of_Nights

jemcaesar said:


> Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End. It's like an apple turnover: visually appearing, mouth-watering when you first see it, fun, light and fluffy, but ultimately not very memorable.


I know exactly what you mean...and that is the last movie I saw at the cinemas...but the last movie I saw was one at friend's house although I didn't watch it properly...I was...distracted. I watched Cool Runnings though. Love that movie. And yes I've seen it a whole heap of times.


----------



## Kostmayer

Pans Labyrinth. Really liked it, though I think its one of those films that needs watching a few times.

And Pan was wonderfully creepy, though he did remind me of Bib Fortuna a bit.


----------



## Majimaune

Knight_of_Nights said:


> I watched Cool Runnings though. Love that movie. And yes I've seen it a whole heap of times.


That is a cool movie. Now i want to watch it. Last movie I saw was either Bend It Like Beckham or HP PoA. It was on tv the other night.


----------



## Sirathiel

After a DVD marathon on Saturday (Harry Potter 1-4), I went to watch part 5 in the cinema on Sunday night.
Very well made movie in my opinion. A few small peeves that have roots back in movie no. 3 (never got an explanation for who moonie, prongs, wormtail etc. are..., but calling Sirius in the newest one by his nick name from back when... *shakes her head*). All in all - a good experience... *off to wait for the seventh book*

~Sira.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Movies recently seen: 

Pan's Labyrinth, which I liked a lot. Multi-layered, fantastic, realistic, horrific and magical. 

The Last King Of Scotland: A pretty engaging movie, and a scary one, showing how seductive evil lunacy can be. Forest WHitaker's performance really is the centerpiece here. 

The Queen: A movie that succeeded in making me sit through a story about a family and an incident I have no interest in at all, without being bored. Quite an achievement, that. 

Casablanca: So many plot holes, such irresistable entertainment. I can see why this one is still such a favourite.


----------



## Alia

Hello Knivesout!

1408 was the last horror flick... 

Harry Potter: Order of the Pheonix

An American Haunting... now the scared the hell out of me!


----------



## Pyan

_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phœnix._


----------



## manephelien

Gojira, the original Japanese Godzilla movie from 1954. Pretty good, actually, even if the crying scenes made me cringe because they seemed so fake.


----------



## Connavar

An old goood very old goodie!


Jackie Chan at his craziest action mode in *Police Story* (1985)

Corny dubbed like all HK movies of that time but awesome action scenes and good comedy scenes.

The final fight is so sick, i was drooling of delight 

The final stunt he did was so crazy when he slides down that pole. I saw a documentary where you saw people giving him standing ovation when he did that stunt.

YouTube - Police Story Mall Fight Jackie Chan

You see the stunt i mean in 07:02


----------



## Kostmayer

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I've never been that interested in the series, but am now considering going back and reading all the books just to see how the whole Ron/Hermy thing works out. 

Not like I don't already have a mile long to read list as it is..


----------



## TK-421

The Queen: Very good and Helen Mirren is outstanding.

Little Miss Sunshine: One of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The Grandpa rocks! If you liked the Royal Tennebaums (another of the funniest movies out there) you will love this one.

Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End: A little odd at time and somewhat disjointed. A little too many storylines. If you did not see 1 and 2 forget it.

The Shooter: Horrible. Mark Wahlberg is either great (i.e. Boogie Nights and The Departed) or not so great...actually not even good (i.e. Planet of the Apes and this one, The Shooter).


----------



## Stenevor

Saw Apocalypto last night. I really enjoyed it. Great make up and costume, lots of good action sequences, found myself quite desperate for the guy to escape. Id even go so far as to say its worth watching again and I cant remember the last film Ive watched twice.

Also seen both seasons of Rome over the last couple of weeks. Cant fault it really, providing you can accept it as entertainment and not a totally accurate history lesson. A good mixture of drama, action, sex, comedy and soap.


----------



## Connavar

Rome was a great show. Just like any good Historical Fiction it showed the world of that time period very well.

The second season was great when it showed the struggle for power beteween Marc Anthony and Octavian. Sad it had to end this soon.

Who cares if the history wasnt that accurate.


----------



## Triceratops

I don't know how I missed this one at all, but my roomate brought home the rental of the Truman Show, staring Jim Carey.  I did like it a lot, thought it was unique and had a grand theme--coporate immorality and greed.  Also watched the remake of KING KONG, which I thought was done surprisingly well,  Naomi Watts was cast perfectly--the rest of the cast, including Black, I'm not so sure they fit the storyline.

Tri


----------



## Culhwch

Just come from _Order of the Pheonix_. Good without being great. _Azkhaban_ is still my Potter movie benchmark, I'm afraid...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yup, I went to see _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ last night. I actually quite enjoyed it, I didn't think I would as I'm not usually a fan of the films and it was this book that put me off the Harry Potter series. But no, it was good.


----------



## ravenus

Saw this recently made Western called *Seraphim Falls *(Pierce Brosnan & Liam Neeson), which I thought was really quite good. My detailed review at link below:

*Seraphim Falls review*


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Ai No Corrida* aka *In The Realm of The Senses*. It's not for you if unshaven crotches make you uncomfortable, and I wouldn't waste my breath arguing with anyone who tries to tell me about how it's just a pretentious and boring porn film.

But I'm not calling it sex trash either.


----------



## DarkIntentions

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix.
My fave so far!
But i still support Voldemort? ..Is that wrong?


----------



## Stenevor

Syriana. Unfortunately I didnt have the benefit of subtitles during the Arabic sections, it was still ok without them though. Not as complicated as some say and no amount of dirty tricks in the oil business would suprise me.


----------



## ravenus

My detailed review of *Ai No Corrida / In the Realm of The Senses*

[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Tasteful tale of sexual obsession or snobby art porn with unshaven crotches? Here's what I thought of it...
[/FONT]


----------



## Lucien21

*The Simpsons Movie*

Laughed for 87 mins. What more can I say?

Spiderpig Spiderpig Does everything a Spiderpig does.


----------



## PTeppic

Simpsons Movie - laughed out loud and had to cover my mouth to avoid being embarrassingly loud
(preceded by)
Die Hard 4.0 - best action movie of the summer, so far
(preceded by)
Harry Potter 5 - creditable effort, and perhaps works better second or third viewing (especially having read 6 and 7)
(preceded by, on a long and busy movie day)
The Illusionist - lovely movie, shame the ending was so predictable


----------



## sky_blue

Midnight Run


----------



## littlemissattitude

_2010_ - a wonderful film that I like a lot.


----------



## Lucien21

PTeppic said:


> Die Hard 4.0 - best action movie of the summer, so far


 
Sorry,

That title belongs to "The Transformers" - Robots in Disguise.

Easily the best blockbuster of the year.

Although I was pleasantly surprised that DH4 didn't suck.


----------



## Soggyfox

Smoking Aces - enjoyable watch and worth an evening in.


----------



## Culhwch

Just watched _Gattaca _on DVD. A beautiful, subtle science fiction film.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2*, which is a very different film from its predecessor and a pretty darn entertaining one in its own right. Detailed review *here*


----------



## Kostmayer

littlemissattitude said:


> _2010_ - a wonderful film that I like a lot.



Love this film too - very underated in my opinion.



sky_blue said:


> Midnight Run


 - also a good film 

Am watching Raiders of the Lost Ark - have to sit on my hands to stop myself from saluting Indy back.


----------



## Lenny

Tonight I watched *Airplane*. Absolutely loved it!  However many decades on, it might be a bit out of context, what with disaster films not being _the_ craze, but the gags are still brilliant, and the film itself is very good.


----------



## HardScienceFan

correct asessment Len,although the poking fun at cliches is still very much to the point


----------



## Connavar

_*Lady Vengance*_ in vengance series with movies like _*Old Boy *_and_* Sympathy for Mr Vengance.


*It was not as sick those two movies cause this movie deal with how to plan and get the vengance than why like the other two movies.


Still it was a great movie.  Very dark and alot great action,great camera work._


----------



## matt-browne-sfw

The Postman with Kevin Costner. Great film! It's based on the novel by David Brin.


----------



## Majimaune

First half of Two Towers E.E. Didn't feel like watching the whole thing.


----------



## Yeoman

I saw daredevil when it was on BBC1 a few days ago.


----------



## manephelien

The Good Shepherd. Quite good, although not quite what I expected. I guess I expected a bit more action, this was quite cerebral.


----------



## Connavar

matt-browne-sfw said:


> The Postman with Kevin Costner. Great film! It's based on the novel by David Brin.




You must really love this movie, i saw it in your fav SF movie list.


I thought the premise of the story was alot better than the actual movie.


The movie that killed off Kevin Costner's career.  Cant say im sad about that never liked the guy except in Wyatt Earp movie.


----------



## Stenevor

V for Vendetta - Cant compare it to the comics as its at least 15 years since I read them last but it was better than I was expecting, the ending was a bit preachy though.

Children of Men - I thought it worked as a look at a society in meltdown and some of the action sequences were pretty good. Apart from that there wasnt a lot to it, very weak storyline I thought. Never really understood how Clive Owen keeps getting all these leading roles.


----------



## ill69

Harry Potter 5. Good movie!


----------



## Majimaune

I beg to differ on that.


----------



## Lenny

> V for Vendetta - Cant compare it to the comics as its at least 15 years since I read them last but it was better than I was expecting, the ending was a bit preachy though.



Now that's something I didn't know - the film was based on comics.

Brilliant film, I thought. I especially loved the fight scene in the Underground station. Some amazing filming there.


----------



## Connavar

Stenevor said:


> V for Vendetta - Cant compare it to the comics as its at least 15 years since I read them last but it was better than I was expecting, the ending was a bit preachy though.
> 
> Children of Men - I thought it worked as a look at a society in meltdown and some of the action sequences were pretty good. Apart from that there wasnt a lot to it, very weak storyline I thought. Never really understood how Clive Owen keeps getting all these leading roles.




I own the comic, the movie was pretty good movie version except the lame preachy ending.   Much darker in the comic.


Clive Owens i cant stand either.  Specially how he ruined Sin City for me....


I only liked him in one movie, that was one he played a croupier that tries to write a book.  He was great in that.  Always thought he should have done dark crime or spy stuff cause it the style suit him.


----------



## Stenevor

I have Sin City to watch when I get around to it, I didnt actually know Clive Owen was in it. He was pretty dreadful in King Arthur too, no screen presence whatsoever. I still liked the film though.


----------



## Gio

O brother where art thou?

Good stuff, pretty funny, got George Clooney and all. And while I don't like country music, the "soggy bottom boys" are pretty good..

Also, the Bourne Supremacy. It's nothing like the book. At all. But it's still a good movie, few surprises, good car chase also.


----------



## mirinda

The Bourne Ultimatum not as good as the first by far but still pretty good.


----------



## Majimaune

I watched Return Of The King EE today as I was home sick with nothing better to do then cough.


----------



## manephelien

Star Wars OT over three nights.


----------



## Talysia

Saw Batman Forever and Batman and Robin the other night, and it made me realize how much I prefer the most recent version.


----------



## Soggyfox

I watched Outlaw, Children of Men and Fearless on sunday afternoon.


----------



## Gio

American History X.


----------



## Nesacat

*The Returner* starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Ann Suzuki, Kirin Kiki, Goro Kishitani.

The movie is set in the future and humans are fighting an alien army. The female protagonist Milly (Suzuki) travels back in time in an attempt to alter the course of history and save mankind.

She pretty much arrives in the middle of a gang war between Miyamoto (Kaneshiro), a gunman, and Mizoguchi (Kishitani), Japan's crime lord. 

She manages to convince Miyamoto to help her fight the aliens after she gets it through to him that she is very real and from the future.

The action sequences are awesome. I love the scene where a huge Boeing transforms into an alien. Lots of CGI. Lots of wire-work. Think Matrix only with a better story line.

These people went on to do Casshern, which is also an awesome movie.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Just finished watching Pan's Labyrinth.  I've never seen this movie before. I really enjoyed it.  I didn't know much about it so I had no preconcieved ideas. It was really very good.


----------



## Nesacat

Loved that movie too Tanga ... del Toro is working on The Mountains Of Madness. Tail crossed it's as good as this one.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Yes Nesa its a bit of an ask, but I am sure he is up to it.  I didn't know if I would enjoy it or not but it was very captivating, sort of sad to though.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Gio said:


> O brother where art thou?
> 
> Good stuff, pretty funny, got George Clooney and all. And while I don't like country music, the "soggy bottom boys" are pretty good..
> 
> Also, the Bourne Supremacy. It's nothing like the book. At all. But it's still a good movie, few surprises, good car chase also.



helemaal mee eens


----------



## jackokent

Saw the Simpsons movie last week and whilst I found it slow and meandering in places I've been giggling about spider pig ever since.


----------



## Kostmayer

Brick.

Its about a High school loner who infiltrates a drugs ring to find out the truth about his ex girlfriends death. Script was apparently inspired by old 40's film noir and it shows  The heroes a great character.

And its got that cute girl out of Heroes in it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've finally watched _The Simpsons' Movie_. It was good, I do love The Simpsons...but it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. Small parts such as the binoculars bouncing back and hitting the guy made me chuckle, but then unexpected, silly things like that amuse me. Oh, like the hammer hitting Homer in the eye! Heh! But yes, not as funny as I expected and it did seem like an extended episode rather than a film. Still enjoyable, though. And shock, nekkid Bart! I mean, I knew there a scene involving him skating naked, but I wasn't expecting it to be so...revealing  

Oh, and some great little digs at things around the place. Like Mr Burns: "At last, the rich white man is in control!" or Homer picking up the Bible "This book doesn't have the answers!" Or the rather scary (in that it could easily be real!) scene with the government monitoring all phone calls.


----------



## HardScienceFan

i watched the adaptation of "the Shed" 
excellent scenario,by a talented English girl


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched Ken Loach's *The Wind That Shakes The Barley. *
Set in 1920s Ireland, it's about the troubles and ultimately leads to brother against brother.Quite a good movie.


----------



## Serin

Last night I watched Wait Until Dark (1967). To me it is a classic and very well done. Audrey Hepburn was a very beautiful and talented actress.


----------



## Locksmith

I watched _The History Boys_. The best film I've seen in a while, which I hadn't really expected.


----------



## manephelien

Watched the original Star Wars movies on three consecutive nights. Wonderful as always.


----------



## TK-421

_Night at the Museum_: A 'groaner' with little genuine humour. Mickey Rooney was funny.

_300: _Never thought mass killings in battles could be so perrtty  Better than I anticipated though.


----------



## Maxwell Jennison

Stardust: Just got back from it. Very entertaining. I highly recommend it.


----------



## manephelien

Tron. Awesome. I loved the funky special effects and the plot was fun too. It's funny how the movie's become such a cult classic, in spite of not attracting all that many viewers when it came out.


----------



## TK-421

_The Good Shepherd: _Again, a stellar performance by Matt Damon. And Angelina Jolie was pretty good as well. Did not know it was directed by Bobby DeNiro. Does not move very fast but is very interesting nonetheless. I liked it.


----------



## Connavar

_*28 weeks later

*I give it 10/10 cause it was the scariest most disturbing Zombie movie i have ever seen.  The first zombie attack in the movie was so sudden and horrible and shocking that i was in shock and scared state in the rest of the movie.

The worst was the minutes that wents beteween
 zombie scenes those were scarier than any zombie scene cause you expect it to happen at anytime literally seeing things that werent there.

I watched it late at night with my sister and we were acting like kids wathing the movie, trying not to see what was happening etc

The  thing they did the best was that every zombie scene was so sick,realistisk that it really looked like people was been eaten alive, they were so fast and horrid that you were scarred until you could relax when someone got attacked again 


There was one stupid plot hole that the military did when they were protecting the civilians in that storage room.....

But still that couldnt hurt the overall enjoyment of the movie.
_


----------



## tangaloomababe

Conn I couldn't watch that movie.  I saw maybe the first ten minutes and had to turn it off.  I am sure its good but it gave me the creeps.  I wouldn't have slept for a week if I had watched it.

I watched A Very Long Engagement last night, have seen it before but I think its a beautifully done move.  The war scenes are so well done and its a wonderful story.  A long movie but well worth the watch.


----------



## sanityassassin

I watched Heartbreak Ridge for the first time in about 15 years and still really enjoyed it


----------



## Connavar

tangaloomababe said:


> Conn I couldn't watch that movie.  I saw maybe the first ten minutes and had to turn it off.  I am sure its good but it gave me the creeps.  I wouldn't have slept for a week if I had watched it.
> 
> I watched A Very Long Engagement last night, have seen it before but I think its a beautifully done move.  The war scenes are so well done and its a wonderful story.  A long movie but well worth the watch.



I couldnt sleep after i watched it.

I tried to force myself to dream sweet fantasy(the kind males has easy to dream about....)  but the only thing i could dream about was a brit zombie eating me 

I didnt sleep over an hour before i was too tired to dream at all.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Its not zombie's that bother me so much, I watched Shaun of the dead, ok so it has humor in it despite being a little violent.  I think it was that first zombie attack, that was it for me.  I think the guy got bitten by a zombie, so they shot him, ahhhhhhhh, off button quick smart.  Havn't they made a sequel or did I imagine that?


----------



## Talysia

Saw _The Lake House_.  Not a bad film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

tangaloomababe said:


> Havn't they made a sequel or did I imagine that?



More of a prequel . *28 weeks later* is the film that follows *28 days later*. 

Oh dear...there's possibly a third film coming out in 2009...which _might _be called...get this...*28 months later*. 

I'm quite sure I've watched *28 Days Later*, but I've seen so many zombies films that they all kind of roll into one after a while (well, the recent ones have...the old classics like the Romero films and the Evil Dead films always stand out).


----------



## Stenevor

I watched A Room for Romeo Brass this afternoon. Its a low budget British film using mostly amateur actors apart from Bob Hoskins who shows up for a couple of scenes. I enjoyed it though it has the same theme as other Shane Meadows films - what happens when teenagers get exposed to an unhealthy adult influence. Its not as nasty as Dead Mans Shoes or Made in England though and has a few laughs.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I went and saw the new Die Hard movie Saturday night.  I am not a real Die Hard fan but for leave your brain at the door, over the top action, its up there.


----------



## Quokka

Airplane! Still one of the funniest movies ever made.... and dont call me Shirley


----------



## GOLLUM

Why not call you Shirley? You look alright to me....

I saw Vidocq, a french film starring Gerard Depardieu. I thought it was quite entertaining and a visual feast to boot along with some good action sequences. The story basically follows the apparent death of french detective Vidocq in 1830s Paris at the hands of the Alchemist. The Alchemist is something of an urban legend, said to possess a mirror mask which steals the souls of its victims. So it's up to Vidocq's young biographer and his partner to track down the truth behind the legend whose presence has been attributed to several grissly murders. Recommended.


----------



## ilthaniel

Last movie I watched is Jarhead. Not bad, but unfortunately the tele didn't really agree with all those bright scenes during the day in the desert and gave up showing the movie... I probably should watch it again on a tele that doesn't do this...

By the way Gollem; is that a van Gogh you're using as an Avatar?


----------



## gully_foyle

*A Very Long Engagement* (Un long dimanche de fiançailles) which was a very long movie. This is a very dark version of Amelie, set during and after the Great War. Again Audrey Tautou is looking for the love of her life, who may or may not be dead. Visually stunning, Jeunet has a wonderful eye, but the story peters out after a while and ends just a little bit lamely.  I don't think Audrey Tautou lends much to the story. She was a wonderful pixie like character in Amelie, but her face doesn't lend itself to serious roles (think Da Vinci Code).  I think Jeunet's greatest works was with Caro, especially City of Lost Children.


----------



## Locksmith

Watched _A Scanner Darkly_ at the weekend. It was visually impressive/interesting. Unfortunately Mrs Locksmith had to explain to me what was happening several times. I blame it on a tiring week at work, but fear I'm turning into my mum.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I actually made the effort to watch tv for the first time in months last night, because there was a film on that I've been wanting to see for quite some time: _A C*ck and Bull Story_, featuring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and a handful of other great actors. I've been wanting to watch it because I love those two guys, but I have to say that, although there were a handful of laugh out loud moments, it wasn't as good as I expected. Still, now I can say I've finally seen it.

(Damn, filter won't allow the word that means a male chicken (among other things ))


----------



## Stone

> By the way Gollem; is that a van Gogh you're using as an Avatar?


 
Unmistakenly Van Gogh, probably something from his Starry Starry Night phase 

As to the last film i watched, well that would be *A Sound of Thunder.*

Whoever said they don't make good sci-fi anymore was right, adapted from a Ray Bradbury novel i watched the whole 98 mins of this crap on SKY yesterday afternoon and was thoroughly unimpressed.   A good idea for a film ruined with poor acting and even worse special effects 

A Sound of Thunder (2005)


----------



## GOLLUM

Stone said:


> Unmistakenly Van Gogh, probably something from his Starry Starry Night phase


Correct weight Sir....


----------



## ilthaniel

Well, in my defense I have to say that the style also resembles that of Edvard Munch, especially if you're looking at such a small picture...


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> More of a prequel . *28 weeks later* is the film that follows *28 days later*.
> 
> Oh dear...there's possibly a third film coming out in 2009...which _might _be called...get this...*28 months later*.
> 
> I'm quite sure I've watched *28 Days Later*, but I've seen so many zombies films that they all kind of roll into one after a while (well, the recent ones have...the old classics like the Romero films and the Evil Dead films always stand out).



If they are as good as the new one they can *28 Years Later* too if they want


----------



## Nesacat

Transformers again with a friend. She had not seen it yet. It's still odd that he's not a Beetle and the fight looked worse the second time around. But am keeping my tail crossed for the next two movies.


----------



## GOLLUM

Nesacat said:


> Transformers again with a friend. She had not seen it yet. It's still odd that he's not a Beetle and the fight looked worse the second time around. But am keeping my tail crossed for the next two movies.


Hey! how many times are you going to watch that film?...


----------



## HardScienceFan

Am trying to find time for
*21 grams*


----------



## Memnoch

I borrowed DOOM off my 14 year old nephew last night after the dross that was England v Germany.

. . . . DOOM is an appropriate title although AWFUL or POINTLESS would also suffice


----------



## Locksmith

Watched Pan's Labyrinth last night, which was enjoyable, even if it left me feeling rather melancholy.


----------



## Serin

The other night I watched Dracula Prince of Darkness, one of the Hammer films. And I thought Phillip Latham character, the butler was very creepy. I have been trying to think of other creepy butlers, although Lurch from The Addam's Family comes to mind! There must be many others so I'll have to get thinking.


----------



## Nesacat

GOLLUM ... it was one too many times ... however the kids in audience made up for it. Now I understand about voices that can bend sheet metal.

Memnoch ... DOOM is certainly appropriately named. Though DOOM is quite an understatement for the absolute dross that was the movie.


----------



## pixymiss

Last night i watched 1408  the new Stephen King film, hmm, John Cusack as main character... 
Erm, hmm, scared me shedless for a while then i got into it... 
yes.. not bad, not bad at all...

_ also watched The Illusionist.............. that was blummin BRILLIANT!!   loved it... _


----------



## Nesacat

Illusionist is brilliant. Loved it too.

Watched Ratatouille yesterday. Cried my eyes out of course.  Wonderful food. If you love food and the whole idea of preparing and eating good food .... it's worth a watch.

Am probably going to cook ratatouille over the weekend.


----------



## pixymiss

Just watched Spiderman3... i know i`m a tad behind... but i have a busy life..

quite liked it!


----------



## Stenevor

Sunshine - I liked the idea behind the film, it looked good, quite tense and atmospheric and it was going along quite nicely untill it inexplicably turned into a slasher/stalker film for the last half hour. Unnecessary and ruined it a bit for me. Soundtrack was a bit sparse but good, I think it was Sigur Ros.


----------



## pixymiss

ok, so i`m having a bit of a movie binge just now... 

have just watched White Noise2  hmm, not as jumpy, nice little plots, i`d even let my 12 year old girl watch this one..


----------



## Quokka

_The Day The Earth Stood Still. _

_*Spoilers*_

Holds up so well that a movie like _Independance Day_, made 50 years later really adds nothing to the plot or quality of the movie just more pretty colours and SFX distractions. Michael Rennie was great as Klaatu, I loved all the little smiles that made him seem like a parent indulgining a small child and the minimalist look to the ship and Gort I think has helped with it aging so well. One of the few times I thought that it really showed its age was when, Klaatu warned that humans were becoming a risk to other planets with their 1950's Atomic technology, which seems a bit of a stretch.

I'd be interested in reading the short story on which it was based _Farewell to the Master_ (Harry Bates) which I think lacks some of the religious links that were added for the movie.


----------



## gully_foyle

I tried watching Vidocq, on Gollum's recommendation, but fell asleep. We watched Dr No, for a laugh, and Day of the Triffids. I loved DotT, despite the cheesy effects the tension was still there. The old british movies were great for that. Two that I would love to see again would be the original Quatermass and the Pit, and The Day the Earth Caught Fire, which to my memory is a good vision of rampant global warming.


----------



## Locksmith

I love The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Watched it years ago, but it remains with me, especially the ending. 

I watched Apocalypto. I'm sure it's horrifically historically inaccurate, but I enjoyed it anyway. 

However, the main story seemed to be a re-hash of Braveheart. I kept imagining the main character would say "Whatever it takes, wherever you go, a wull find yooo." (But in Maya)


----------



## j d worthington

Quokka said:


> I'd be interested in reading the short story on which it was based _Farewell to the Master_ (Harry Bates) which I think lacks some of the religious links that were added for the movie.


 
This is one time I felt the story was a bit of a letdown, in a way... not that it's a bad story (it's actually quite good) but it is _vastly_ different from the film. Same basic idea, _completely_ different developments....

Also, the film has that wonderfully quirky Bernard Hermann score... one of the best (and wonkiest) uses of the theremin to date....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Argh! Theremin! They sound so bad!

Last film I saw was the Simpsons movie, which was disappointing. Much like the new episodes, there were some hilarious moments/lines, but the plot was dumb and the characters' have lost consistency and that innocent feel which I used to love.


----------



## littlemissattitude

gully_foyle said:


> Quatermass and the Pit



Ah, yes.  One of my favorites. Of course I first met it as _Five Million Years to Earth_, actually as the second feature the first time I saw the original _Planet of the Apes_, when I was about 12 years old.  Ah, the memories. 

And, Hilarious Joke...theremins may sound cheesy sometimes, but I got the opportunity to play with one once (in a hands-on science exhibit at a museum in San Diego...oddly enough at about the same age as when I first saw _Five Million Years to Earth_), and it was a real kick to experiment with.

And, as far as last film seen...probably _Saved_ the other night on cable.  Funny, funny movie which deals with misfits in a Christian high school.  Has Macauly Culkin in it, and Patrick Fugit, who was in _Almost Famous_, which is also a good movie.  I didn't really think I would like it, but had heard good reviews...and I've watched it three or four times since I first discovered it a year or so ago.


----------



## ravenus

Saw this pretty enjoyable if not always consistent Werewolf film called *Ginger Snaps*. My detailed review *here*


----------



## j d worthington

littlemissattitude said:


> And, Hilarious Joke...theremins may sound cheesy sometimes, but I got the opportunity to play with one once (in a hands-on science exhibit at a museum in San Diego...oddly enough at about the same age as when I first saw _Five Million Years to Earth_), and it was a real kick to experiment with.


 
On the theremin... yes, they're often very badly used, and end up sounding ridiculous. There's even a certain touch of that with the main theme to *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, though the "otherworldly" sound of the theremin, coupled with such simple touches as the piano, work quite well even in the theme. As for the other uses of it in the film, such as when Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) is taken inside the ship by Gort -- those are absolutely perfect, as they are muted and produce a feeling of unease and uncertainty absolutely suited to the scene... no other instrument would have done nearly so well. Hermann was a master when it came to choosing the right instrument to attain particular emotional effects, and this even applies to his use here of the theremin (just as it does to his use of the serpent in *Journey to the Center of the Earth*, or the wood blocks in *The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad*).

As for *Quatermass and the Pit*... are you referring to the original television broadcast, or the Hammer Film? I've seen both and, while the Hammer production is a wonderful little film, I must admit to a preference for the original television production, as it had more room to breathe, and to create a truly eerie atmosphere....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I must admit that my lasting memory of the theremin is one of someone playing a popular song on it, which was truly awful. For ambient music I imagine there's a chance it might possibly work okay...


----------



## TK-421

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix*: Best movie of the series so far despite the fact they left out quite a bit from the book (but I guess you can't put everything in or else it would be way too long). It moved very fast. I saw the Imax version with awesome sound, a 8-storey tall screen, digital projection and 20 minutes including the Hall of Prophecies and fight with the Deatheaters and Voldemort in 3-D. Really cool.


----------



## j d worthington

Hilarious Joke said:


> I must admit that my lasting memory of the theremin is one of someone playing a popular song on it, which was truly awful. For ambient music I imagine there's a chance it might possibly work okay...


 
Ouch! Yes, that would explain it. I can think of _darned_ few popular songs that could be adapted to the theremin without sounding like a chorus of the damned with a really, really bad tummyache.....


----------



## TK-421

*The Black Dahlia: *Somewhat disappointing. It's based on fictional events and characters that hover around the true, famous yet-unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia in Hollywood in 1947. Too much cramed in the plot despite names like Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johanssen, Hillary Swank and Aaron Eckhart. The murder itself seems like more of a sideshow.


----------



## Locksmith

I remember being quite disappointed with The Black Dahlia too, TK. I just felt no real connection with the characters. I can still picture some of the scenes, so I guess it was quite visually impressive, but I don't recall feeling terribly involved with the story.


----------



## littlemissattitude

j. d. worthington said:


> As for *Quatermass and the Pit*... are you referring to the original television broadcast, or the Hammer Film? I've seen both and, while the Hammer production is a wonderful little film, I must admit to a preference for the original television production, as it had more room to breathe, and to create a truly eerie atmosphere....



It was the Hammer film.  I haven't had the chance to see the television version.  Perhaps someday...I'd like to have the opportunity to compare the two.


----------



## Rosemary

I watched *Frances* the other night. Frances was a real person, an actress with what most people thought was a mental problem.  The mental health system was absolutely barbaric back then.  Really, I'm the last person who should be watching something like that!


----------



## Quokka

_12 Angry Men_ I watched this again last night as my wife had never seen it. Great movie, I guess one of the last black and white ones before everything became colour. In some ways it's aged more than _Bridge on the River Kwai_ (which was released the same year) but the issues raised remain every bit as relevant and a good script is a good script, plus what a cast! 

I wonder if it was a play first? Not just because of the use of the one setting but alot of the direction seemed like it was for a live stage. Either way I'd enjoy watching a live version of this.... if done properly .


----------



## HardScienceFan

of course it was a play first Quok!!!


----------



## j d worthington

Quokka said:


> _12 Angry Men_ I watched this again last night as my wife had never seen it. Great movie, I guess one of the last black and white ones before everything became colour. In some ways it's aged more than _Bridge on the River Kwai_ (which was released the same year) but the issues raised remain every bit as relevant and a good script is a good script, plus what a cast!
> 
> I wonder if it was a play first? Not just because of the use of the one setting but alot of the direction seemed like it was for a live stage. Either way I'd enjoy watching a live version of this.... if done properly .


 
Yes, it was originally a stage play (as was *Inherit the Wind*, made into a film in 1960) and has been staged many times since. And yes, it is a great film... superb cast, wonderful performances, and excellent direction.

Incidentally, many films continued to be made in black and white long after this point (1957). *Judgment at Nurembeg*, for instance, was 1961; *To Kill a Mockingbird*, 1962; *The Elephant Man* in 1980; and so on. (And let's not forget the granddaddy of all slasher films, *Psycho*, 1960.) It largely depended on what the director thought worked best for the film, as low-cost color stock made that available even to the really small independent filmmakers since at least the 1960s.

Here's a partial list of black-and-white films for the past 4 decades:

List of recent films in black-and-white - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched a couple of films this week, seems I've been a-rambling with friends. Watched *Hot Fuzz* again last Saturday, such an awesome film.
Then when we reached my friend's house, she'd been promising that we could watch *Evil Dead* (woop!) because she'd bought it. Turns out she'd actually bought *Night of the Living Dead* (which is still a cool film, of course!). Her reasoning for this? "Well, they're zombies and they're evil so I thought it was the Evil Dead film!" Zombie newbs...there's no helping them!


----------



## TK-421

j. d. worthington said:


> Here's a partial list of black-and-white films for the past 4 decades:
> 
> List of recent films in black-and-white - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


 
Thanks for that JD.

I spotted some great films on that list:
Raging Bull
Shindler's List
Pleasantville
Ed Wood
American History X
Sin City
Good Night and Good Luck


----------



## Allegra

And I spotted a few I wish to see on the list:

*Good German*
*The Call of Cthulhu*
*Coffee and Cigarettes* 
*The Saddest Music in the World*

Thanks, J.D.


----------



## Stenevor

King of Kong - Niche US documentary on classic video games high score competitions, Donkey Kong to be specific. Entertaining enough that it might crossover to a wider audience (oddball characters, controversy, a feeling that a lot of underhand stuff was going on)  but good nostalgia anyway if like me you remember the 80's.


----------



## HardScienceFan

i never turn down a good documentary
damn scarce though,good documentaries


----------



## gully_foyle

*Le Doublure (or The Valet)*. I mildly enjoyed The Closet and The Dinner Game, but this was just lame tripe. Suggest you all avoid it.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*. Amazing. The casting and the special effects I thought were especially good.


----------



## HoopyFrood

The tv actually had a moment of clarity and showed something _good_ for once...just finished watching *Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring*. I forget how brilliant these films are. Although I swear Elijah Wood goes through the entire film, nay, the entire series with the same distraught look on his face  Watching one film always gets me in a _Lord of the Rings_ mood, so I'm about to watch *The Two Towers* (which has one of my favourite and most memorable moments ever in it:The march of the Ents. I love it. Absolutely love it.) And then if I'm still awake and not suffering from a _Lord of the Rings_ overdose, I may watch *The Return of the King* as well. My favourite _Lord of the Rings_ film. I love the battle for Pelennor Plains. And when Gandalf rides out to fight off the Nazgul, another fantastic moment. Anyway, I'll stop wittering on and go and watch them.

Oh...they're the extended versions...which means I might not sleep at all tonight  (Ooh, that means I get to see the Mouth of Sauron...that bit is awesome...)


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> I love the battle for Pelennor Plains.



Yes the charge of the Rohirrim into the ranks of the Army of Mordor down the hill has to be one of my favourite bits as well - along with the bit where Gandalf breaks the bridge with the Balrog on it, and Legolas bringing down the Oliphaunts.


----------



## Abbi

Well, Ive just re-watched the original version of The Fog.   Still an atmospheric little film I reckon, although my partner thought it was slow moving.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Heh, watching *Two Towers* now (multitasking...I have the Chron in a _tiny_ window in the corner of the screen. ) and I burst out laughing when Legolas declared "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" 

Anyone who's seen the song will know what I'm on about...otherwise everyone else can just look at me bemusedly. I'm used to it.


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> Heh, watching *Two Towers* now (multitasking...I have the Chron in a _tiny_ window in the corner of the screen. ) and I burst out laughing when Legolas declared "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"
> 
> Anyone who's seen the song will know what I'm on about...otherwise everyone else can just look at me bemusedly. I'm used to it.


Aaaaargh.  You're evil, Hoopy.  I'll have that damn song in my head for the next six weeks now...

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard.  Isengard.  Isengard."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Muhaha...mind you, it's stuck in my head as well now!

And I've gone for it...my Lord of the Rings marathon. I'm now 42 minutes through *Return of the King*.


----------



## Quokka

For some reason everyone had DVD sales on for fathers day, row after row of war and John Wayne movies but I did manage to pick up one handy 3 in 1 pack.

I watched _The Island_ last night and wasn't really a fan, the original idea was ok although there were some major holes in the plot: that is one big facility to keep hidden and alot of staff who never have the thought of being a whistle blower?

There were some nice touches and the two leads were fine but it all gets lost in over the top chases and scenes we've all seen before.

Still _The Island_ wasn't why I bought the pack, I also got _Bladerunner_ and _2001: A Space Odyssey_ neither of which I've seen the whole way through so that's next Friday taken care of .


----------



## Locksmith

Watched _The Last King of Scotland_, which I thought was an interesting and enjoyable movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Went to see *1408* at the cinema earlier. It was...all right. But being such a staunch Stephen King fan, I couldn't help noticing all the differences. Like the ending for one, of course. The guy's supposed to set himself on fire! And the room just wasn't evil enough...yeah, some pretty weird things do happen, but I have to say it was a little too..._normal_. Like crazy people coming at him with sharp implements all the time. What I love about the short story is that everything just goes so _crazy_ at the end of it, with the weird voice from the telephone and the melting walls. And it's heightened even more by the fact that a lot of the story is only told through what you hear on the tape recorder. The beginning wasn't too bad, though, and of course there was always going to be more in the film than the story, because 1408 is only a short story. But I do wish they'd used more from the story, like the crooked door and voice over the telephone.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Brokeback Mountain*, finally. Good movie from a brilliant director. I'll have to watch Brokeback to the Future again now that I have the full context.


----------



## Adasunshine

_Finally_ got around to seeing Serenity the other night, really enjoyed it!

xx


----------



## Princess Ivy

last film i saw was 'ultraviolet'. screamingly funny (though i don't think it was meant to be), i think it may be up for a raspberry.


----------



## Memnoch

Adasunshine said:


> _Finally_ got around to seeing Serenity the other night, really enjoyed it!
> 
> xx


 
I agree buying the Firefly seies when I get chance surprisingly good film.

Watched *"Bring it on 2 all or nothing"* (with girlfriend of course)   it was quite good lol . . . 

  NOTHING  to do with the exceptionally cute Hayden Panitere (Heros cheerleader to talk about type cast lol) being the lead I promise.


----------



## TK-421

*The Last King of Scotland: *An excellent film. Forrest Whittaker deserved very bit of that Oscar he got for playing Idi Amin. The scene where Dr. Garrigan (the young Scottish docter) meets Idi Amin for the first time is one of the best I have seen in any film. Highly recommended and all based on true events and people.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Went to see Bourne Ultamitum.  I had never seen any of the Bourne movies until last week, watch identity and supremecy then went along to the cinema last night to see the lastest one.
I am not a huge fan of these, don't get me wrong, they are entertaining and interesting but I am just not a car chase beat em up person.  But the rest of the group loved it, so it must have been good.


----------



## Adasunshine

Just watched *Ghost Rider* and thought it was ace!

xx


----------



## Aniri

In the movie theatre, _Transformers_.  At home, _Alpha Dog_.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Havn't seen Ghost Rider, but I am glad you enjoyed Serenity, I loved it, sort of tidied up a few loose ends from Firefly


----------



## gully_foyle

Saw *The Last King of Scotland* last night. I'm a big fan of Forrest Whitaker,  especially after Ghost Dog. Last King was really good, but it gets a bit brutal towards the end. I guess you would expect that given it's about Idi Amin.


----------



## Kostmayer

Big fan of Forrest Whitaker also, though theres precious little of him about. Ever since watching Ghost Dog I've been waiting for an audiobook of Frankenstein read by him.

Anyways, last film saw was Carlito's Way. Definitely one to watch over and over again. Al Pacino and Sean Penn are amazing in this.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I watched the Bourne Identity last night. It was alright, but there were some loose ends, and too many nothing moments, for mine.


----------



## Culhwch

Just watched _The Ring 2_. Bit creepy, but I couldn't remember much of the first one so a lot of it was lost on me....


----------



## j d worthington

Well, not film, per se, but I've just started rewatching _The Prisoner_ series... it's a bit eerie, given some of the discussions we've been having on surveillance, how much of this thing remains relevant....


----------



## woodsman

Kingdom Of Heaven DVD. I enjoyed this more than I expected given what averyone had told me about it, so an enjoybale surprise. Not the greatest film ever by a huge stretch though...


----------



## Culhwch

Was that the director's cut, Woodsman? I've heard Ridley Scott argue that it's far better than the cinematic cut he was allowed, though I've not seen it myself.

Just watched _Flyboys_. A real popcorn flick, favouring Hollywood over historical accuracy, but enjoyable for all that. And better than the similarly themed _Pearl Harbour_, though that's not hard.


----------



## Sibeling

*Hot Fuzz*, and I loved it. It was even funnier than "Shaun of the Dead".


----------



## littlemissattitude

Just finished watching _The Aviator_ again.  Good film.


----------



## Locksmith

Sibeling said:


> *Hot Fuzz*, and I loved it. It was even funnier than "Shaun of the Dead".


 
Hah, jinx, I watched that last night. I agree - top film. Some very well observed bits about the police force (my sis is a bobby) and village life in England.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Even though it deviates from the book, and you just can't beat the book, no way no how, as a film it's very entertaining. I love Zaphod and I love the scene made of wool!


----------



## Sephiroth

_Hot Fuzz_ for me as well.  Superb, just as good as _Shaun of the Dead_.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, I absolutely _love_ *Hot Fuzz*, it's easily one of my favourite films. I love the simplicity of the plot as well! It could be something devious and complicated, but no! It's simply because "well, she did have a very annoying laugh", or because of spelling mistakes in the local newspaper. Awesome.


----------



## TK-421

I just saw Hot Fuzz as well. It was funny. Some bad slasher movie bits in it. But bad in a good way. I didn't regret renting it.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *The Wild Blue Yonder* made in 2005 by Werner Herzog. Splicing together documentary footage from a 90's NASA space expedition and an underwater shoot in the Antarctic, Herzog doctors a story about the discovery and exploration of another planet called The Wild Blue Yonder. Brad Dourif gives an enjoyably hammy performance as an alien from TWBY.


----------



## j d worthington

Well, due to the way the last week has gone, I felt like watching something presenting some serious emotional carnage combined with an apocalyptic theme.... So a rewatch of Romero's *Day of the Dead*... it's really surprising how well that film holds up... it seems to become better (to me, anyway) with repeated viewings)....


----------



## woodsman

Sorry Culhwch I'm not sure. Hot Fuzz is amazingly good IMHO. 

Rewatched the Hunt For Red OCtober last night.


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> Well, due to the way the last week has gone, I felt like watching something presenting some serious emotional carnage combined with an apocalyptic theme.... So a rewatch of Romero's *Day of the Dead*... it's really surprising how well that film holds up... it seems to become better (to me, anyway) with repeated viewings)....



Something very shocking...I've just realised I haven't seen this film! I am appalled, _appalled!_ 

Anyways, just watched _Blades of Glory_. Ah, a funny film. Chazz and Jimmy are so lame, it's hilarious.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Something very shocking...I've just realised I haven't seen this film! I am appalled, _appalled!_


 
Hoops! I don't believe it! Oh, you've just shattered my world, child! Bad Hoopy! Bad Newt!

If you've _not_ seen it, and you like Romero's films, you definitely should see this...


----------



## HoopyFrood

I know, I know *Hangs head in shame* Needless to say I shall rectify this egregious error as soon as possible!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Saw two movies back to back on Sunday at the cinema.

_Knocked Up _and _Die Hard 4.0_. Both really excellent (I'd never seen a Die Hard before).


----------



## Sephiroth

Then you need to watch _Die Hard_.  It's a classic action movie.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I should. I also thought _Die Hard 4.0_ was better than _The Bourne Identity_ which I recently saw for the first time.


----------



## Sephiroth

I've heard the _Bourne _films are good, but haven't watched them yet.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched Evil Dead, the uncut version earlier. Gods, I love the old horror films, and the reason is mostly the effort involved. No CGI for these guys, it's all make up, puppetry and stop motion. I love it, even if others sneer at how fake it looks. Like the final bit of Evil Dead, with the prolonged section where the demons are burning and melting. The effort in that part alone! It must have taken so long to film. 

Hopefully I'll be watching Evil Dead 2 sometime soon! Love that film even more than Evil Dead!


----------



## ravenus

What you like is a matter of preference (...) but even CGI takes a great deal of effort and patience to do right. Yes, I like physical FX better too


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, I'm not saving that CGI is merely _click click and away we go, _I've seen the amount of detail that goes into things like the animated movies like Monsters INC, where they pretty much design each individual hair on Sully.   But I definitely prefer the old ways of creating special effects. And it looks much more real to me as well, probably because it uses something tangible and real, even if sometimes it is just heavily applied make up or clay monsters jerking along in a stop motion technique (but at the same time, when done right, can be absolutely amazing), rather than something that I can see has been produced through a computer. CGI certainly has it moments too, I'm not completely against it; I just don't like gratuitous use of it. I love Silent Hill but I didn't like how all the monsters and beasties were CGI. They didn't feel 'real' and thus weren't overly scary.


----------



## Anthony G Williams

I've just seen the latest Harry Potter film in Imax format, with the last 20 minutes in 3D. Wow....


----------



## Serin

An old b/w film called Dead Of Night. Made by Ealing, it wasn't a comedy though. A group of people who all have spooky tales to tell meet up in a house and share their stories.


----------



## j d worthington

Serin said:


> An old b/w film called Dead Of Night. Made by Ealing, it wasn't a comedy though. A group of people who all have spooky tales to tell meet up in a house and share their stories.


 
Very nifty film. Michael Redgrave's, I'd say, still qualifies as the best of the bunch...


----------



## ravenus

Ravenus' detailed review for...*The Wild Blue Yonder






*


----------



## HoopyFrood

I went to the cinema earlier and watched *Run, Fatboy, Run*. Quite predictable, but funny nonetheless. Especially the really lame fight and, my favourite bit, the blister scene: "You do it then!" "I can't, I'm scared!"


----------



## Serin

j. d. worthington said:


> Very nifty film. Michael Redgrave's, I'd say, still qualifies as the best of the bunch...


 

I know who Googie Withers, Sally Anne Howes, and Mervyn Johns were, but I couldn't figure out Michael Redgrave was in - the one with the mirror and the different room, or the one with the ventriloquist's dummy.  Both were very good, in fact the whole film was very good, but that dummy was creepy with a capital C!


----------



## Robert M. Blevins

*'Robinson Crusoe on Mars - The Restoration'* by Criterion Video. They were nice enough to send us an advance copy for review.

Unbelivable...stunning job by the geniuses at Criterion. I posted up on another thread about it.


----------



## Mirela

V for Vendetta◘◘◘ again!
the idea is great

p.s. the money making industry never stops...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Independence Day*. Damn, I love that film. Definitely one of my favourites.


----------



## Dave

HoopyFrood said:


> I went to the cinema earlier and watched *Run, Fatboy, Run*. Quite predictable, but funny nonetheless.


I also thought that. Not the best of Simon Pegg's work, but worth seeing. Before that I saw Bourne Ultimatum.


Sephiroth said:


> I've heard the *Bourne *films are good, but haven't watched them yet.


I'm the opposite! I've seen all the *Bourne* films and they ARE good. I've heard the *Die Hard* films are good, but I haven't seen them yet (except parts of the original on TV, on in the background.)


----------



## PTeppic

*Shoot'em Up*
Quite funny, gory (in a if-we-make-it-funny-it's-not-so-bad) way and pretty damn violent. Loads of shooting deaths, with an ironic (if not post-modern) message on gun-ownership into the bargain...


----------



## Culhwch

_Hot Fuzz_. Brilliant, a very fitting follow-up to _Shaun of the Dead_.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Children of Men*, great movie, but I probably should have thought twice before letting my heavily pregnant partner watch it. Although, I wasn't to know.....

Also, did anyone see a resemblance to ZPG? Particularly the last scene. Z.P.G. (1972)


----------



## TK-421

*Breach *with Chris Cooper (one of my favs), Ryan Phillippe (who is actually quite good in this movie) and Laura Linney.

It's the true story of how they caught Robert Hanson, the FBI agent who was spying for the Russians and is known as the worst breach in US intelligence history. I enjoyed it. Chris Cooper delivers another very good performance as always.


----------



## Aniri

I watched a few over the weekend.
_Green Street Hooligans _- LOVED it.
_Stranger than Fiction_- Unfortunately, I fell asleep, but my husband said it was really good.
_Idiocracy_- Wow...ummm...yeah...that was scary.
_Waiting_- Funny & gross.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched a few films the last day or so. I watched the *Return of the King* when it was on tv yesterday, even though I had my marathon only a couple of weeks ago. And then about an hour later I watched *Road Trip* with my friends. And about an hour ago I finished watching *Evil Dead 2* with my friends. Who jumped all the way through the film, and cowered behind jumpers and cushions. Ha. Useless


----------



## The Ace

They're not dragons, Hoopy.  Watched '*Return of the King* ,' again as well absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Vincent Tauscher

Unfortunately, I watched "The Marine" with John Cena.... painful....


----------



## Brigitte

I caught "Saw II" this past weekend.  I liked it in some ways.  I thought the first one was much better.  Don't know if I'll go see the third or fourth.


----------



## Quokka

_Blade Runner_ (Directors Cut) which I had never seen before, ummm.... wow.


----------



## Highlander II

Er - until I tossed in _Highlander_ last night, the most recent film was _Highlander: The Source_ - which was an evil evil evil canon-raping piece of garbage.  It made _Highlander II_ look brilliant (though, I'm biased in favor of HL:II anyway, that's not really the point).  Do NOT go out of your way to watch HL:V.


----------



## Aerandir

*Meet the Fockers - *It wasn't as good as it' predicessor, but few sequels are. I've never been a fan of Streisand well..becuase I'm a heterosexual male, and she did annoy me several times through out the movie.

I thought the story line was lacking, and filled with the same slap stick fluff that so many movies have tried to pull off. The first one was a bit irritating because you couldn't help wanting to slap the screen each time Stiller did something stupid which actually made the movie worth watching. You got into it. This time it didn't do that for me. I was just waiting for the next stupid comment to come out of their mouths, and I was not waiting very long in between stupid comments.

1 out of 5 stars

I have three more movies in the mail box right now. I can't remember which ones they are, but I'll let you know what I thought of them after I give 'em a gander.


----------



## Emotionless

The last film i saw was saving private ryan which deffo has to be one of my faves and saddest film ive ever seen and ive seen titanic


----------



## dustinzgirl

PTeppic said:


> *Shoot'em Up*
> Quite funny, gory (in a if-we-make-it-funny-it's-not-so-bad) way and pretty damn violent. Loads of shooting deaths, with an ironic (if not post-modern) message on gun-ownership into the bargain...



I really want to see this movie soooo bad.

Saw BloodRayne 2 instead.

I want my hour and a half back.



Culhwch said:


> _Hot Fuzz_. Brilliant, a very fitting follow-up to _Shaun of the Dead_.



I've seen this about fifty times (recorded it off ppv, much to my man's dismay). I love it! 

"yarp!"

"yarp!"

"...narp?"

LOL.

Oh, god, simple things amuse simple minds.


----------



## Adasunshine

40 Year Old Virgin - about the fourth time I've seen it but it's still very funny!

xx


----------



## j d worthington

Well, I was talked into watching *Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon*....

mmmm.... nice cast; good performances; some very good ideas there... and, like Branagh's Frankenstein... the corpse never got up off the table. (Okay, given the final moments of the film, that's a bad joke... but fitting....)

I think the problem with what we're seeing these days with this sort of thing... they have these really nifty ideas, and get together a really good group of people to do it... and even know how to do something visually very interesting... but they simply don't think the damn' things through, so they end up with these choppy, regurgitated messes that hold together about as well as a cobweb in a tornado.....


----------



## Stenevor

The Big Lebowski. Hadn't seen it for years, brilliant. I'd totally forgot how funny it is.


----------



## gully_foyle

Stenevor said:


> The Big Lebowski. Hadn't seen it for years, brilliant. I'd totally forgot how funny it is.



For anyone who has never seen this movie....

_Way out west there was this fella I wanna tell ya about. Goes by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. See, this Lebowski, he called himself "The Dude". Now, "Dude" - there's a name no man would self-apply where I come from. But then there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place so darned interestin'. See, they call Los Angeles the "City Of Angels"; but I didn't find it to be that, exactly. But I'll allow it as there are some nice folks there. 'Course I ain't never been to London, and I ain't never seen France. And I ain't never seen no queen in her damned undies, so the feller says. But I'll tell you what - after seeing Los Angeles, and this here story I'm about to unfold, well, I guess I seen somethin' every bit as stupefyin' as you'd seen in any of them other places. And in English, too. So I can die with a smile on my face, without feelin' like the good Lord gypped me. Now this here story I'm about to unfold took place in the early '90s - just about the time of our conflict with Sad'm and the I-raqis. I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? Sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about the Dude here - the Dude from Los Angeles. Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude. The Dude, from Los Angeles. And even if he's a lazy man - and the Dude was most certainly that. Quite possibly the laziest in all of Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide. Sometimes there's a man, sometimes, there's a man. Well, I lost my train of thought here. But... aw, hell. I've done introduced it enough. 

_This is the funniest movie on the planet.


----------



## Serin

I know it's an oldie, but it is definately a goodie. Quatermass And The Pit. 1967 with Andrew Keir.


----------



## Mouse

Rush Hour 3. Jackie Chan totally cracks me up!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Star Wars: Episode One. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Goonies. To which my hubby said "Again?" And I said: "We haven't watched it for like, six months. Go play a video game or something."

Also, since I haven't been feeling good and been kind of feverish, I like to have a cup of soup, tea, and cuddle up with some good movies, so it was Goonies, Flight of the Navigator, and Terminator.  I know, I'm a dork.


----------



## Harpo

This one:
Amazon.co.uk: The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash [1978]: DVD: Eric Idle,John Belushi,Dan Aykroyd,Neil Innes,Michael Palin,Rikki Fataar,John Halsey,George Harrison,Gary Weis

The only music film funnier than Spinal Tap


----------



## gully_foyle

Loved The Rutles, a classic.

Watched the Coen Brothers version of The Ladykillers last night. Mildly amusing. Would love to see the old Ealing version with Alec Guinness in it.


----------



## daisybee

Transformers & Bourne Ultimatum.

Now I really want to read the Bourne books.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Bells from The Deep*, a 1995 documentary by Herzog on various religious and faith practices and superstitions in Russia. It takes some patience especially in the earlier parts but is on the whole a pretty interesting anthropological document, with some nice visuals to boot.


----------



## tarifa

Stir of Echoes.  Kevin Bacon hearing/seeing dead people, director of 6th sense but not as good


----------



## ravenus

Stir of Echoes was not made by the director of Sixth Sense (Manoj Shyamalan), but by (mainly) writer David Koepp.


----------



## Majimaune

Back to the Future 1 because it was on TV last night. Such a good movie though.

Kenny before that. Its a great movie as well with some great one liners. _"I wonder what sort of curry this guy ate."_


----------



## Sephiroth

Watched _Killers_.

It was _very _strange, and there was some bad acting, but I liked it.  _Very _strange.......


----------



## BakaTensai

I saw _Sunshine_.  Highly recommended!

Sol is dying so we send a ship to try to jump-start it.  I liked how it shows the mental and physical stresses of what that kind of journey creates, and how the characters respond to it.


----------



## Adasunshine

Jurassic Park (it was on Sci Fi... I just can't seem to resist it when it's on)

xx


----------



## Allegra

*Beyond Borders.* Quite good. I wonder if Angelina Jolie's commitment to Africa started from there?


----------



## tarifa

ravenus said:


> Stir of Echoes was not made by the director of Sixth Sense (Manoj Shyamalan), but by (mainly) writer David Koepp.



must be remembering the write up off the wrong box! At least that explains it!


----------



## j d worthington

*The Corpse Bride*... flawed here and there, but I find it a somewhat perverse but charming tale... Okay, when it comes to things like this, I'm a big kid... so sue me....


----------



## Quokka

Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. So very very silly but still alot of fun


----------



## Diana Levin

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phenoix


----------



## Hawke

Shoot Em Up, was quite good but very very random and strange....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Fight Club, amazingly well made and totally mind-blowing movie.


----------



## ravenus

Saw Roman Polanski's *Chinatown* which is a damn good film noir with great performances by Jack Nicholson, Fay Dunaway and John Huston, although the way it ends might not be palatable to those who look for a more wrapped up conclusion.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Painting with Fire*, a documentary of the life and work of godlike fantasy artist *Frank Frazetta*. It's rather full of talking head interviews, which can get occasionally dull for a feature length piece, but there's a lot of interesting stuff to be garnered about Frazetta's life and his influence on the genre. Alongside several illustrators (I don't know anyone other than Brom), we also have lots of input from *Ralph Bakshi* (who made a Frazetta inspired animation film called *Fire & Ice*) and *John Milius* (who made the *Conan the Barbarian* movie) Frazetta himself comes across as an interesting man, aware of the importance of his work as an artist. He's had a varied life (at one point of time was a champion baseball player), and at a later stage also suffered setbacks (multiple strokes, pun unintended) but came back from them, even teaching himself to draw with his left hand.

And of course there are numerous displays of Frazetta's awesome artwork presented quite nicely.


----------



## tarifa

ravenus said:


> Stir of Echoes was not made by the director of Sixth Sense (Manoj Shyamalan), but by (mainly) writer David Koepp.


 
Yep, mixed up the boxes, its the Village thats done by Shyamalan 

I figured it out tho, both DVD boxes are sepia pictures on black background an i substituted the blurb, wierd association


----------



## Culhwch

I saw _Stardust _last night, and _Lady in the Water_ this afternoon. Neither was great, but both were fairly enjoyable fantasy fare.


----------



## daisybee

Watched Freedom Writers last night, and I liked it. Very inspirational, and Hilary Swank didn't aggravate me as much as she usually does. Good film.


----------



## Culhwch

daisybee said:


> ...and Hilary Swank didn't aggravate me as much as she usually does.


 
Haha, there's a statement that rings true.


----------



## Culhwch

Just finished watching _Blood Diamond_. Better than I had expected. Strong performances from DiCaprio, Hounsou and Connelly, and an engrossing story. 

And now I've got on _Back to the Future Part III_.


----------



## gully_foyle

Ratatouille. I enjoyed it, but my 3yo daughter got pretty bored.


----------



## woodsman

I thought Blood Diamond was one of the better films I've watched this year, but then I haven't seen that much good stuff, except; wathced Hot fuzz this morning which was absolutely awesome! - Again!


----------



## Connavar

Hot Fuzz i could have download in a bad quality like many leechers but im a big fan of those guys that i waited for the dvd.  Gonna rent it it and hope its as fun as i hope.

Other than im gonna watch Jackie Chan Drunken Master II for the 15th time


----------



## woodsman

Drunken master - legendary!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Re: _Blood Diamond_. I only saw this because my friends wanted to go to the cinema, and I certainly wasn't impressed when I heard that it had DeCaprio in it -- but it was a really good film! A very powerful one. And despite my reservations about the guy, DeCaprio, as Cul said, played a strong performance and I actually found myself feeling quite sad at the end. And anther thing I also liked -- I may be wrong, but I don't think he and the woman even _kissed_ during the entire film. I hate when relationships and sex are just thrown into a film because it's one of those things a film 'has' to have nowadays  So the lack of it was quite refreshing. Great film.


----------



## Giovanna Clairval

The silver surfer, the latest with the fantastic4.

Oh God, oh God. And they have budgets for these things.


----------



## Ginkus

Severance. Great movie if your a big horror fan.


----------



## Culhwch

_Pan's Labyrinth_. A great movie. Beautifully shot, evocative, magical, heartbreaking. One of the best fantasy movies I've seen recently.


----------



## daisybee

Stomp The Yard- I am a total sucker for films with dancing in them. Could vaguely describe the story, but I could definitely show you some of the stepping moves!  

Watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind the other week and was totally enthralled by it. Had no idea what to expect really, but it seemed very real, despite the surreal idea behind it. Great film, great story. 
Just- why Jim Carrey??


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Johnny Gaddaar* (Johnny Traitor) a brilliantly made home-grown Indian crime thriller that pays a lot of homage to the 60's-70's thrillers from Bollywood, and the most fun I've had at a movie in recent times.

For those interested, my detailed review of it *here*


----------



## woodsman

Culhwch - Glad you like Pna's Labyrinthe I thought it was one of the bet Fantasy films I'de ever seen but lots of people don't seem to like it so....


----------



## Majimaune

I guess it was Robots for me. It was on TV the other night so I just sat down and watched it (as you do) Funny movie that one.


----------



## urchin

The Night Strangler.

Darren - RIP.....Simon - RIP......


----------



## Spade

Perfume... and then I tried to watch Fast Food Nation.


----------



## SidMarl

Sense and Sensibility


----------



## quixotic

Madame de Bovary


----------



## Majimaune

Ratatouille. Funny stuff.


----------



## woodsman

The 300 directors cut DVD or some such. 
I saw this when released at the Local cinema and think this versions better but whilst it's quite a good film it goes very wierd in several places e.g. people withcrabs claws and the monsters etc???????


----------



## daisybee

Blades of Glory.  LMAO. But then I do that a lot.


----------



## Tillane

Sleepy Hollow, for the umpteenth time.  *Happy sigh...*


----------



## ravenus

I saw the animated film *Superman Doomsday*. Haven't read the Doomsday comics as such, but this was the best Superman thing I've seen since, well, *Superman II*. Kickass 75 min ride.

*Update:* My detailed review *here!*


----------



## GOLLUM

I saw studio Ghibli's production of *Tales From EarthSea* based on Book 4 Tehanu. Whilst it may not have followed exactly along the lines of the book I really quite enjoyed this adaptation. Certainly much better than the TV effort. The DVD also featured scenes from the Ghibli Museum which was great because I only recently visited that location as part of WorldCon in Japan. I also recall getting to skip through the original storyboards for the film, which was quite something.

OH and I should add the animation looked great, some of the detail that went into the background shots is nothing short of extraordinary.


----------



## j d worthington

*The Resurrected* -- an (updated) adaptation of Lovecraft's *The Case of Charles Dexter Ward*.

A flawed film, certainly; yet I find a lot of strengths in this little effort; and even some of the performances that I didn't originally care for (such as John Terry's) have grown on me, until I find there's a lot more there than I would have originally given credit for. Certainly the exploration of the catacombs is very well done, as (save for a moment here and there) is Chris Sarandon's performance as Ward and Curwen... he actually does Curwen very well (though not quite as HPL envisioned him... yet not altogether inappropriately to that vision).

Let's just say that it's a more intelligently done horror film than most, and one that is very much a "sleeper"; I suggest that, like *Dagon*, if you don't care that much for it, revisit it after a while, and you may find more there than at first met your eye....


----------



## TK-421

*Blades of Glory: *Totally retarded, over-the-top stuff. Some good funny scenes though. You really have to be a Will Ferrel fan to appreciate the humour.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just watched Batman Begins. Not too bad at all, nice reinvnsion of the Batman legend.

Sorry Superman Doomsday? Is that an animated film?


----------



## ravenus

Yes it is an animated film...made by the people that made the Batman animated series.


----------



## Majimaune

I just watched Pirates 3. It was a *cough* pirate copy from China *cough* Good movie though.


----------



## ravenus

*Planet Terror* was damn good in most part, although I'd say it's stretched out with some dull bits in its extended avatar, including a crap cameo by Tarantino. The gore FX even with their deliberate low-budget looks are quite awesome.


----------



## Tillane

_Daywatch_.  Completely daft, but wonderful nonetheless...


----------



## Inkreator

THX - 1138


I've watched it once when I was much younger, I barely could recall one scene from it. But this watching refreshed my memmory and I must say what a splendid film it is.


----------



## PTeppic

Undead day, with "Resident Evil: Extinction" (perhaps the best of the lot, but it stopped when it was just getting going) and "Black Sheep" (not quite funny enough, consistently, but a good little vampire sheep flick!). MBaaah!


----------



## Majimaune

Tarzan and the Back to the Future 2 were on TV last night. Both great movies. Watched them both.


----------



## Cerberus

Just watched Casshern.


----------



## Spade

Dementia 13
Black Snake Moan
Overlord (1975)


----------



## Quokka

*Rocky Balboa* which was pretty good, I've had it sitting near the tv for ages without getting around to watching it but I ended up putting it on last night, it's hard to expect alot from Rocky 6 but especially considering the last one this was actually a sequel worth making and a nice way to end the seris.


----------



## Majimaune

I haven't seen any of those movies Quokka.

Saw _Death At A Funeral _yesterday with friends. Funny movie. Recommend you see it.


----------



## Mithridelle

_Silence of the Lambs_ once more...


----------



## tarifa

human traffic


----------



## Majimaune

Oceans 13


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched_ X-Men_ and_ X-Men 2_ last night. Mayhap we'll be watching _X-Men 3_ sometime very soon


----------



## Harpo

"Blackmail" (silent version) in Trafalgar Square


----------



## Pyan

_A Matter Of Life And Death...._


----------



## Cerberus

Gangs of New York


----------



## littlemissattitude

Just finished watching _The Trouble with Harry_, a very funny Hitchcock film.  Now _The Man Who Knew Too Much_ (James Stewart and Doris Day) is on.  AMC is having a Hitchcock marathon today.


----------



## Majimaune

Watched _Cool Runnings_ at a friends last night. No matter how many times you see it its brilliant.


----------



## Ginkus

30 Days of Night. Love them crazy sharkish vampires.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Well, whaddaya know, I watched _X-Men 3_ earlier!

And thus ends the _X-Men_ marathon. Still, it was good as I hadn't seen the second film before. Now I know the complete story


----------



## Mithridelle

_My Girl_ 1. I was caught between being amused and being depressed when that little boy got stung to death by bees.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just returned from watching _Stardust_ at the cinema. I enjoyed it and it certainly made me laugh a few times. I couldn't help rooting for Septimus, though; I really wanted that guy to win, become immortal and rule as king.


----------



## Quokka

*Dirty Rotten Scoundrels  *Was suprised to realise that this now 20 years old, very funny movie with Michael Kaine and Steve Martin playing the stereotypes of refined englishman and brash american to perfection.


----------



## HardScienceFan

DRS
quok,love you man
That brings back some memories
brilliant duo,Caine/Martin


watched 

* Sur mes levres*
with Vince Cassel
effing brilliant

is it a crime movie 

is it a love story?

who cares?


----------



## Mithridelle

Perfume: The Tale of a Murderer.


----------



## Lenny

I saw *Being John Malkovich* last night. Brilliant film! Rather strange, but it was right up my street. I think I might watch it again today.


----------



## Mithridelle

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer


----------



## Lirael

Well, today, I watched Stardust. It was really good, actually, although the ending was too fairy-tale-like. Other than that, very well done. The acting was superb, and there were many moments that made my friend and I laugh! =D


----------



## TK-421

Lenny said:


> I saw *Being John Malkovich* last night. Brilliant film! Rather strange, but it was right up my street. I think I might watch it again today.


 
If you liked that one, you'll love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's Kaufman and Gondry at their best.


----------



## TK-421

*Transformers: *It was corny, it was thin, it was a little bit dumb, but it was fun to watch and them explosions are sure perrrtty. Shia LaBeouf was really good in it. He delivers lines with an ease not seen since a young Dan Akroyd or Bill Murray. I hope they make a sequel. More than meets the eye!


----------



## Lenny

TK-421 said:


> If you liked that one, you'll love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's Kaufman and Gondry at their best.


 
I've seen it.  I have to admit that when the two women were tumbling through Malkovich's memories it made me think of *Eternal Sunshine*.

---

On the subject of Transformers - Michael Bay would love to direct the sequel... but he's displeased with Paramount (the studio who own the rights to Transformers, I think) and their decision to not back the Blu-ray format.

I'm trying to find the original article that PSU.com quoted from, just to give it that extra bit of credibility.

Michael Bay frustrated with DVD, wants Blu-ray instead :: PlayStation Universe (PSU)


----------



## iansales

*300*. It was rubbish. All that guff about life, liberty and the American, er, Spartan Way. The Persian Immortals were apparently some species of orc, and they were ruled by Xerxes, a 10 foot tall drag queen who thought he was a god. Greece looked like Mordor - oh, and everyone kept on referring them to themselves as Greeks when, AFAIK, there was no such entity as "Greece" at that time. *300* gives graphic novels a bad name...


----------



## ravenus

TK-421 said:


> If you liked that one, you'll love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's Kaufman and Gondry at their best.


I'd say Gondry's best so far is *The Science of Sleep*. That's a genuinely touching movie and surpasses ESoTSM in imagination.


----------



## HardScienceFan

thanx for the tip, Ravenus
ESOTSM was brilliant,and I trust your opinion
If you say SoS is even better
.....


----------



## Mithridelle

Take the Lead - it has Dante Basco in it!

*dissolves into squeals*


----------



## Majimaune

Night Watch. Very strange but good.


----------



## Mithridelle

Mulan - Disney is the greatest!


----------



## HoopyFrood

_V for Vendetta_. I liked it; especially loved how verbose V was  Must have been a beast of a script to learn, especially all those v's Weaving had to learn when he first meets Evey!  

We also played _V for Vendetta_ drinking game -- so, anytime we saw the mask, or anytime someone mentioned the letter V, or we saw a V, or the number five, or whenever V did something cool, or whenever there was an explosion, we had to drink. Yeah, we were drinking quite often


----------



## Lenny

Haha. The last bit must have really got you all. I can imagine it now! A group of students, passing out around a TV, the *1812 Overture *playing in the background.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Heh. Although our hearts weren't truly in it, really -- every so often someone would pipe up "Explosion!" or "Oh, come on, V was awesome then!" I don't think anyone even got particularly drunk last night. Well, I certainly didn't, but then I don't much anymore.

Oh! We also drank every time Stephen Fry appeared on screen. The legend


----------



## SpaceShip

Just watched the Count of Monte Cristo for the umpteenth time.  Not as good as the book but still a great story.


----------



## TK-421

*Bobby: *The story of the people who were there in 1968, when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. Excellent cast and good movie. Actually written and directed by Emilio Estevez.


----------



## Pyan

_*Stardust*_...not bad at all.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Jason and The Argonauts*, a superb old-skool adventure movie with wonderful stop-motion SFX work by the great Ray Harryhausen. My full review *HERE*


----------



## gully_foyle

I'm watching The Manchurian Candidate at the moment, the Denzel version. Channel 10 have cut to ads just before Meryl Streep gives Liev Schrieber a good hard snog. Have they censored it, or did the actual movie pussyfoot around the scene that made the 1964 version so memorable?


----------



## Culhwch

Just finished watching _Sunshine_. Quite good, I thought...


----------



## Constantine Opal

Culhwch said:


> Just finished watching _Sunshine_. Quite good, I thought...


 
Was pleasantly surprised by that the other day acksherly... but the last film I did watch was the Alien Nation: The TV Movie (Pilot) last night in bed


----------



## dwndrgn

Catwoman.  What carp.  They could have done so much better!  ugh.


----------



## GOLLUM

dwndrgn said:


> Catwoman. What carp. They could have done so much better! ugh.


I'm amazed you even bothered to watch it, I would've thought you had been made aware of what crap this film is already....


----------



## grave999

Just reviewed 28 days later.it's perfect!


----------



## Nesacat

Stardust this morning. It's a wonderful movie. And you get to see Robert de Niro as you've not seen him before.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Recently I've watched the DVD version of _Othello_, _Goldeneye_ and also _Goldfinger_.


----------



## Adasunshine

Stardust which I thought was fabulous
Superman Returns which I also enjoyed and
Grease... I just can't say anything bad about this film... 

xx


----------



## Mad Tam McC

I've seen two films this weekend

'Run fat boy run' - fairly good.
'Startdust' - very good.

What do they have in common, they both have people in them playing versions of their TV characters.

In Run fat boy run - David Walliams is in a shop wanting to buy something. The only difference was Thandie Newton was serving and not Matt Lucas shouting 'Margret'

In Stardust. Ricky Gervais says 'You having a laugh'. His character deserved to die for that.

At least in Stardust the ghost David Walliams didn't say 'I'm a lady'.

Please please, all actors don't do your TV routines in films.

Apologies to anyone who's not British as the above semi-rant won't make much sense.


----------



## Pyan

*The Empire Strikes back*, part of the complete series being shown every Sunday on ITV1.


----------



## Allegra

*Nightwatch*, the Russian film based on the popular novel by Sergei Lukyanenko. Ridiculous and too bloody. I can't compare it with the book as I haven't read the book.



Nesacat said:


> Stardust this morning. It's a wonderful movie. And you get to see Robert de Niro as you've not seen him before.


 
Ah, I'm looking forward to seeing *Stardust*! (no fan of Robert de Niro though)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Quite different to the book, actually. The kid isn't his son in the book and only plays a minor role. And a few other things (I forget, I'm afraid, been a while since I read it). But I really enjoyed the film, I loved how stylised it was; even the subtitles were interesting when I watched it at the cinema.


----------



## Giovanna Clairval

Stardust. I didn't expect to see a humorous and romantic tale. Wonderful.

A box-office success in Paris.

And yes, Nesacat, Robert de Niro plays a very unusual role (with delectation, it would seem)


----------



## Quokka

Transformers and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Atleast the Fantastic 4 did something different, I think this is the first superhero movie where I actually preferred the first/ introductory movie over the sequel... and Fantastic 4 wasn't great the first time around. As I posted in the Transformers thread I enjoyed it well enough and am looking forward to a sequel.


----------



## Mithridelle

I watched _Wrong Turn_ again - eek!


----------



## GOLLUM

Just watched Studio Ghibli's *Porco Rosso*. Man, this must be one of my all-time favourite Ghibli offerings. They also had a neat feature where you could switch b/w storyboard and actual final film whilst watching the movie. Also, when I watched it in English and then started checking it out in Japanese with English subtitles, it was amazing how much more stuff I picked up on.

I love that pig!!...


----------



## grave999

Porco Rosso is good!I get nearly 10 Ghibi's animations on my computer,haha!
But I like <Nausica> the most.


----------



## TK-421

*Spiderman 3: *I really liked the first 2 movies but this last one seemed a little lost. The plotlines were not great and I'm just glad this whole revenge thing with Harry is over. It seemed like they tried to pack in too many characters. I did like Venom.


----------



## Nesacat

GOLLUM ... Have a look see at Pom Poko and let's see how raccoons take you. 

Giovanna .... Ummm yes. I am never ever going to see de Niro in the same light again. As has been said elsewhere in this forum, the next time he's standing over someone with the gun I'm going to be wondering what exactly he has on underneath.

Allegra ... it's okay if you're not fond of him ... in fact it might be even better.


----------



## zedlav

Cashback: A clever and funny romantic comedy kind of thing. Despite saying that it was a romantic comedy, it kind of breaks the mold by being both clever and funny and only the ending felt like belonging to the genre. 8/10

Shoot 'Em Up:Because Cashback felt too much like a chick flick, I watched Shoot 'Em Up right afterwards. If you liked the restaurant scene in Kill Bill and/or Clive Owen's BMW ad-films, you will love this one. If not, you'll probably like it anyway. It was deliberately campy, over-the-top, ironic shooty goodness. Very fun. 8/10


----------



## Mithridelle

Halloween. That movie cracks me up!


----------



## Majimaune

X-Men 2. It was on TV last night. Good film though.


----------



## gully_foyle

*In the Heat of the Night *with Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger. A bit dated and massive plot holes, but still can't fault Sidney in anything and the tone of the movie was well maintained.


----------



## GOLLUM

Nesacat said:


> GOLLUM ... Have a look see at Pom Poko and let's see how raccoons take you.


Yes, that's one of the ones I'm missing from my collection. I aim to have the entire set before I'm done...

Currently watching season 3 of Columbo. I love that series, Falk really finds his niche here. Local video shop has all 7 seasons...


----------



## Culhwch

Just finished watching _Disturbia_, which I thought was quite good, for what it was. Only thing that ticked me off was that Shia kept being surprised by the fact that he was spotted when he was standing in full view of the window in a room lit by a dozen lamps...


----------



## tarifa

Babel hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


----------



## Stenevor

Hot Fuzz - Had its moments but I was a bit disappointed. I wouldnt call them one trick ponies but after Spaced and Shaun of the Dead I started thinking I had seen it all before. The way they move from one shot to another(dont know the technical term) which seemed quite original on spaced now really grates with me. I even fell asleep during it.

At the moment I'm watching Curb Your Enthusiasm series 6 after downloading the first 8 episodes. Great stuff.


----------



## Majimaune

Attack Of The Clones and I realised why I hate it so much. It was so bad.


----------



## daisybee

This is England. Thought it was brilliant-disturbing, but realistic and thought provoking.


----------



## Culhwch

_The Number 23_. Not too bad, though nothing spectacular...


----------



## TK-421

Factory Girl: I've always been intrigued about Andy Warhol and now that I have seen this movie (and a few years back I Shot Andy Warhol), my opinion of him has changed somewhat. This is a great movie but tragic. It's literally a poor girl self-destructing before your eyes and everyone abandoning her in her time of greatest need. Sienna Miller is outstanding as is Guy Pearce as Andy. Even Hayden Christensen is pretty good in this movie. Filmed in an interesting way to match the crazy times it documents.


----------



## Quokka

Star Trek: The Next Generation, _All Good Things_ pt 1&2

Ok not a movie but the final 2 hour episode of the next gen series, I've barely seen any ST in years and I really enjoyed revisiting this. The science is pure hokum but it was a nice way to end the series and still better then most of the Star Trek movies.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I watched Blade Runner last night, havn't seen it for ages.  It is still a stunning film visually and I still think Rugter Hauer has the best role in it as Roy Batty.  Enjoyed it heaps.


----------



## GOLLUM

Watched season 5 of Columbo...


----------



## tarifa

the Bourne Ultimatum - fast and furious


----------



## Talysia

The Devil Wears Prada.  Not a bad film, but not my favourite.


----------



## Harpo

I just finished watching this classic:
Invaders from Mars (1953)

And earlier this evening I watched 28 Days Later


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Basil Rathbone in _Son Of Frankenstein (for the umpteenth time)_

Not as good as the two James Whale efforts but great fun nonetheless


----------



## Culhwch

_Walk The Line_. I knew little to nothing about Johnny Cash, but I really enjoyed this. Fantastic performances from the leads.


----------



## Nesacat

30 Days of Night at a press screening. Was terrible. An absolute gore fest and a pointless one at that. The aim seemed to be to see how much fake blood one could possibly use in one movie.


----------



## GOLLUM

Thanks for the warning Nesa, I'll stay clear of this one...LOL!


----------



## littlemissattitude

Harpo said:


> I just finished watching this classic:
> Invaders from Mars (1953)



Oh, Harpo...I love that movie.  Haven't seen it in years, though.  The remake was crap, I thought.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Godzilla Final Wars*, which is probably one of the worst Godzilla films ever made. Basically the idiot director Ryuhei Kitamura (*Versus*) wanted to make some Matrix clone and shoehorned it into a Godzilla instalment. Loud non-entertaining all-round crap. If you like modern-day Kaiju see any of the Shusuke Kaneko films instead.


----------



## GOLLUM

I've never been a fan of Godzilla, so I don't think I'll be loosing any sleep over that one.

Just watched another couple of Columbo DVDs, I love the way he always outsmarts the criminals...


----------



## Kissmequick

Scum happened to be on last night so I watched that.  Not exactly a happy film... But powerful. 



Was Ray Winstone ever really that young?


----------



## Nesacat

ravenus said:


> Saw *Godzilla Final Wars*, which is probably one of the worst Godzilla films ever made. Basically the idiot director Ryuhei Kitamura (*Versus*) wanted to make some Matrix clone and shoehorned it into a Godzilla instalment. Loud non-entertaining all-round crap. If you like modern-day Kaiju see any of the Shusuke Kaneko films instead.



Agreed ... I love Godzilla so tend to pick up all his movies. This was an abomination. The director deserves to be stalked forever by Godzilla.


----------



## GOLLUM

Nesacat said:


> Agreed ... I love Godzilla so tend to pick up all his movies. This was an abomination. The director deserves to be stalked forever by Godzilla.


Hey finally something we disagree on, can't really stand the Godzilla movies, not sure why exactly....


----------



## Nesacat

My brother, cousins and me grew up on Ultraman and Godzilla. They liked Ultraman and I fell in love with Godzilla. It's survived the years. Probably explains the liking for HPL and the Kraken.

On another note ... the trailers for Beowulf looks wonderful and it will be opening soon (tomorrow).


----------



## GOLLUM

Wel maybe because I didn't grow up so much with Godzilla although I caught a couple of films early on is the difference here. Perhaps I should look again.

OH Beowulf won't be out here for a while yet I think, *SNIFF* Still I'm glad you get to see it Nesa, seeing you missed out on that other Gaiman film for so long.


----------



## Morpheus42

Movies i watched in the cinema (in last 15 days):

*30 days of night:  idea was nice..  but damn.. the movie was crap 
+Rush Hour 3:  was fun to see
*American Gangster:  liked that one too.
+Stardust:  enjoyed it very much.
*Eastern Promises: worth seeing.

(I went to see the movies with a "*" without knowing that that would be the movie. You find out when the movie starts)


----------



## HardScienceFan

Geld te veel?


----------



## Morpheus42

zou je wel denken heh.  Die met sterretje zijn 5 euro.  1 keer per week.


----------



## HardScienceFan

5 euro
da's doenbaar
sorry folks
lapse into the mother tongue

won't happen again


----------



## Morpheus42

lol.. catching. 
That is indeed do-able once a week.


----------



## HardScienceFan

you IT guys make lotsa dough
IT is rumoured


----------



## ravenus

Nesacat said:


> The director deserves to be stalked forever by Godzilla.


Only Godzilla doesn't stalk...he lays the STOMP 
I have only seen sporadic efforts from the Godzilla movies. I really like the original *Godzilla/Gojira* film made by Ishiro Honda and I also liked *Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah* made by Shusuke Kaneko.


----------



## Morpheus42

HardScienceFan said:


> you IT guys make lotsa dough
> IT is rumoured


Well... this rumour is not so true for the poor-IT family I belong to.


----------



## clovis-man

"Lars and the Real Girl" Very worthwhile.


----------



## littlemissattitude

GOLLUM said:


> Hey finally something we disagree on, can't really stand the Godzilla movies, not sure why exactly....



Not even _Bambi Meets Godzilla_, Gollum?


----------



## GOLLUM

littlemissattitude said:


> Not even _Bambi Meets Godzilla_, Gollum?


AH well YES there's always an exception. That's one of my favourites, a true classic!....


----------



## Majimaune

_Mada who ha?
Not who ha. Asgar._

Can you guess?


----------



## Talysia

Escape to Victory on dvd.


----------



## Mighty mouse

American Gangster
This I found dull. Perhaps the subject has been _done to death_.
I still think Ridley Scott is one of the top ten shooters and try to see his pieces but wish he would make more SF, where his iconic sense of imagery imparts an almost visceral punch (perhaps the only real requirement of the genre).


----------



## GOLLUM

Just finished viewing the first series of Star Gate 1. I thought some of the episodes were really good and I can't wait to get my hands on the second season from my boss who has all 9 seasons plus No. 10


----------



## Connavar

Tell us what you thought about it  in SG1 forum.   


Stargate seasons 1-8 was the best SF show i have seen ever in tv.


Just have to say it gets better and better.  Season 2+ is awesome IMO, S1 is lame compared to that since they havent explored much or opened the story arcs that will dominate much of the series.


----------



## GOLLUM

I'll let you know my thoughts on these. I figured there wasn't much scope for the writers to continually come up with new and innovative scripts but I was wrong!


----------



## Talysia

I saw Mission Impossible III last night.  Not too bad, although I was distracted when I watched it.


----------



## Culhwch

_Spiderman 3_. Pretty poor all round. Same old same old, but with added attraction of genuinely embarrassing, can't-stand-to-watch moments. The dance scene, for instance...


----------



## Connavar

The dance scene and the onle 70's thing with when he walked around town was so cheesy that me and my brothers laughed at how bad it was.


Man in the comics Symbiot arc made Spidey dark,creepy but the movie was a joke and not in a good way.


I thought the movie was horrible overall, the only got Venom's look right and the character of Sandman.


----------



## gully_foyle

Star Wars, the Star Wars (aka A New Hope) was on the telly last night. Finally got to confirm what I suspected since I was a kid, that there is an aussie actor from a 70's c grade TV show called Cop Shop in it. He's the imperial officer asking "TK 421, why aren't you at your post?" Thanks Wookieepedia!


----------



## Nesacat

ravenus said:


> Only Godzilla doesn't stalk...he lays the STOMP
> I have only seen sporadic efforts from the Godzilla movies. I really like the original *Godzilla/Gojira* film made by Ishiro Honda and I also liked *Godzilla, Mothra & King Ghidorah* made by Shusuke Kaneko.



No he should stalk the guy forever and ever let him suffer for always. Yes those two movies are very good. I recently bought a set of DVDs which basically covers a period of time with one Godzilla movie per year. It had the two mentioned above and several others all of which were pretty good.

Spiderman 3 was terrible. I watched it on a flight without any sound and it was still terrible. They did manage to get Venom right but that was about it.


----------



## Culhwch

I thought Venom looked pretty dodge, but then, I've never been a fan of the comics so I'm not the best judge.


----------



## Connavar

He didnt look good or as cool as the comics.


But compared to how off the rest of the movie was they did "great work" with Venom.

I hope for Spiderman's rep they never make another movie.......


----------



## Harpo

"How To Murder Your Wife" starring Jack Lemmon & Terry-Thomas


----------



## heyfoureyes

I just saw _Beowulf_ in IMAX 3D.  The 3D effect felt very natural after a brief adjustment period, and really drew me into the dream of the movie.  There was some perhaps gratuitous violence for the purpose of showing flying objects, but I'm admittedly a bit sensitive. 

I would recommend the film!


----------



## Rosemary

After reading Beowulf a number of times, I'm afraid the film might be a bit of a let down!

The last movie was an old one.  The Mansion by the Canal.  Was set in Belgium, with lots of canals, lines of straight trees and lots of mud. Still, it was quite a good film and I enjoyed it.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Harpo said:


> "How To Murder Your Wife" starring Jack Lemmon & Terry-Thomas



You don't say whether you liked this one or not, Harpo.  If you did, and if you haven't seen them yet, you might like _Under the Yum Yum Tree_ (1963) and _Good Neighbor Sam_ (1964).  GNS especially is very funny.  I saw it again maybe two or three years ago and it held up quite well, I thought.


----------



## HoopyFrood

_Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_.


----------



## Culhwch

HoopyFrood said:


> _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_.


 
Ah, a classic of the 'no hopers travelling back in time to abduct historical figures in order to pass their high school test' genre...


----------



## GOLLUM

Nesacat said:


> Spiderman 3 was terrible. I watched it on a flight without any sound and it was still terrible. They did manage to get Venom right but that was about it.


I also watched this movie en route to visit a certain feline guru with sound and it was pretty bad. The original, as in most cases, is still the best adaptation of a comic book hero I have ever seen followed by Batman Returns.


----------



## Nesacat

Several movies seem to make perfect sense without any sound, which is possibly quite worrying. I saw both Fantastic 4 movies without sound along with the 2nd and 3rd Spiderman movies. All on flights.

Venom was not as good as in the comics but in that awful movie, he was the best by far. He's far more awesome in the comics.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Culhwch said:


> Ah, a classic of the 'no hopers travelling back in time to abduct historical figures in order to pass their high school test' genre...



Indeed! I'd forgotten just how dopey and amusing Bill and Ted were. A very entertaining film, especially as I hadn't seen it for _years_.

And I have to agree, Venom wasn't great (and should've been used much more) but in that train wreck of a film, he was the best bit. Oh, Peter's dancing. *Shakes head*


----------



## Nesacat

That man should never have been allowed to do any dancing, especially on a movie. I do like Bill and Ted. It's goofy, does not pretend to be otherwise and is a whole lot of fun.


----------



## TK-421

Flags of our Fathers: Incredible cinematography. Clint does it again. Felt it dragged at some bits. But overall, good story about how the war was "sold" to Americans.


----------



## Mary Hoffman

Elizabeth - the Golden Age. We were getting well into the Spanish Armada and no sign of Francis Drake - was this absurd bit of history-schlock going to make Ralegh defeat the Spanish? And then suddenly there he was - on a ship. But Ralegh still did the heroics. Not altogether unenjoyable and Cate B. certainly much less annoying than she was as Galadriel.

Mary
PS. I do agree Spiderman 3 was dreadful!


----------



## Harpo

Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban.  

I've never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the films.  The DVD happened to be around so I just gave it a look.  It's ok, but I'm not bothered about getting into the whole series.


----------



## GOLLUM

Yep, I saw Order of the Phoenix this week. It was OK but nothing special.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I really liked Order of the Phoenix, which is strange because I didn't have very high expectations.

I saw 'Pursuit of Happyness' on DVD on friday night, I found it somewhat inspiring.


----------



## Culhwch

Two Disney films yesterday_, Bridge to Terabithia_ and_ Meet the Robinsons._ _Bridge _was alright, but having read the book some of the emotional impact was taken out of it. _Robinsons_ I really like. Very zany, but a lovely story as well, I thought.


----------



## TK-421

Sicko: Another great and entertaining documentary by Michael Moore. Makes me proud to be a Canadian. Just outrageous.


----------



## Allegra

TK-421 said:


> Sicko: Another great and entertaining documentary by Michael Moore. Makes me proud to be a Canadian. Just outrageous.


 
Thanks for the reminder.

_Barber of Siberia._ Pretty good. I always liked Julia Ormond.


----------



## gully_foyle

Sunshine. Hmmm, I know it had a CERN scientist as special advisor, but there's alot of stuff that don't make no sense to me. Its okay as a thriller, although I'll agree with other posts that it does sort of lose it towards the end. Very pomo and ultra-derivative. When they're eating around the galley table with chopsticks I expected an alien to burst out of someone's chest. Lots of 2001 ripoffs (homages). It reminds me a bit of Event Horizon, which I enjoyed.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched _Sunset Boulevard_ last night - wonderful movie - and I'm ready for my close up Mr de Mille


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just been forced (OK, it's not so bad, I guess) to watch _The Sound of Music_.


----------



## Spade

Watched The Prestige for the umpteenth time, A+; then Lions for Lambs, C+; and High Crimes, C


----------



## ravenus

HoopyFrood said:


> Just been forced (OK, it's not so bad, I guess) to watch _The Sound of Music_.


LOL. I dozed through most of this as a kid, wondering when the fight scenes would begin


----------



## tangaloomababe

Spade: I could watch Prestige over and over, I love that movie, far better than The Illusionist!!!

I sat through The Heartbreak Kid with Ben Stiller.  I didn't really enjoy it at all.  I thought it might be good but really I just don't see Ben Stiller as humerous, I should have gone on past experience of Meet the Parents and Meet the Flockers, neither of which I liked.  Infact Meet the Flockers has the destiction of being the ONLY movie I have ever left the cinema before it finished!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## woodsman

I thought _Meet The Parents_ was ok, but not the sequel....

Just rewatched _Dude where's My Car _Actually love this film. Just pure randomeness plus the fact I find myself rrelating to the two leads and that could be one of my dreams. 

Rewatched _Fight Club_ as well, still awesome in my opinion!


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Fight Club* is an awesome film, I keep meaning to watch it again sometime soon.

Just watched *Batman Returns*. A good film. I prefer *Batman Forever*, though. Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey just make that film.


----------



## Spade

tangaloomababe said:


> Spade: I could watch Prestige over and over, I love that movie, far better than The Illusionist!!!


 
It's definitely my favorite film after The Lord of the Rings. I'm going to introduce my mom to it tonight. I even bought the book thinking I was going to enjoy it more... nope. The film stands head and shoulders above it.


----------



## Mithridelle

Halloween 2


----------



## Bant Warick

HoopyFrood said:


> *Fight Club* is an awesome film, I keep meaning to watch it again sometime soon.
> 
> Just watched *Batman Returns*. A good film. I prefer *Batman Forever*, though. Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey just make that film.




Best start running boy cause I'm getting my shotgun 
Batman forever is a terrible film, and don't get me started on Batman and Robin. They just lost touch of the whole dark knight theme and started moving towards the camp 60's thing.
Batman returns is without a doubt my favourite of all five films


----------



## HoopyFrood

Boy? Heh. 
Yeah, I agree with Batman and Robin -- so cheesy! I also agree that there is less darkness as the films progress, but I just love the Riddler in Batman Forever, he's awesome


----------



## Nesacat

Just came from watching Beowulf and that was a good movie. Okay ... so I was cheering for the dragon.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Blades of Glory*. I love this film more and more every time I watch it. Chazz and Jimmy are just so lame


----------



## Lanista

I bought "Mortal Kombat" for a fiver...its wicked, despite the silliness. But, boy does Robin Shou have big hair.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Mortal Kombat! I freakin' love that film, watched it so many times when younger, it truly was a film of my childhood. "You wee pathetic fools, I've come for your souls!" "I don't think so!" 

'Course, if I watched it now, I'd probably be so bemused. Or maybe not. It was an awesome film


----------



## McMurphy

American Gangster and Beowulf.


----------



## Lanista

HoopyFrood said:


> "You wee pathetic fools, I've come for your souls!" "I don't think so!"
> 
> 'Course, if I watched it now, I'd probably be so bemused. Or maybe not. It was an awesome film


 
Its cgi hasn't aged well, and it's a daft film with bad acting. But the fight scenes are great, even today.

My fave line..."Those were five hundred dollar sunglasses, asshole."


----------



## Culhwch

Three in the last two days: _Transformers_, a bit so-so, enjoyable for what it is, but I expected too much, I think; _Elizabeth: The Golden Age_, which I really enjoyed, despite the historical innaccuracies - but, hey, we're talking entertainment, not education here; and _Zodiac_, which I thought was very absorbing, great performances and direction.


----------



## woodsman

Watched: Pulp Fiction, A Hard Days Night and Saving Private Ryan t'other night in a bit of a film session! Looking forward to Queen live at the bowl tonight!


----------



## biodroid

Beowulf - The CG was amazing but I thought it was too offbeat. I guess I have never really heard of Beowulf before so pardon my ignorance. It wasn't a bad movie i was just expecting a Hollywood romp is all.


----------



## Culhwch

_The Last Kiss_. Not too shabby. Thought the end was a bit trite, though.


----------



## tarifa

The Illusionist - slow but ok, if you didn't see it coming


----------



## GOLLUM

I really liked the Illusionist actually. I also didn't find it slow but well paced.


----------



## Kissmequick

Bubba Ho Tep.  Bruce Campbell as Elvis! A nicely silly comedy that had me giggling pretty much the whole way through. 

And Lucky Nymber Slevin which I thoroughly enjoyed too- The only problem with those kind of films is my hubby always guesses the ending about half way through. Except for Sixth Sense which he managed to figure out about 10 minutes into the film, and ruined the twist for me. Swine.


----------



## clovis-man

Kissmequick said:


> Bubba Ho Tep. Bruce Campbell as Elvis! A nicely silly comedy that had me giggling pretty much the whole way through.


 
And Ossie Davis' last film. A goofy movie, but also a classic in many ways.

Jim


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Invaders from Mars_...the 1953 original.  Funny thing; I'd always seen this on our old black and white TV and had no idea that it was in color.


----------



## Rosemary

Watched the newer version of Jane Eyre.  So much was missing, especially the 'dramatic atmosphere' that was in the original.


----------



## Serin

The Mothman Prophecies.


----------



## Quokka

_Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End,_ I liked the cinematography/effects and a lot of the humour but it ran for a good hour too long. At times it really had that Disney matinee feel and at others it seemed to be going for Lord of the Rings epic? 

Spoiler
The Maelstrom scene was brilliant but it really should have been the finally


Also watched _Rambo: First Blood,_ with the sequels getting more and more over the top it's easy to forget that the first one was actually a pretty decent movie.

And the Sci-fi channel had the first V mini-series from the 80's I hadn't seen that in decades. It was amazing how much of it I remembered, Robert Englund as the goofy alien, the human/alien romance and of course Diana .


----------



## Circus Cranium

_(Invaders from Mars_...the 1953 original._)

_SO weird, I just got that as a gift. Looking forward to it!


----------



## nj1

Because I Have A Two Year Old Daughter I Just Watched Barney Goes To The Fair For The 50'th Time.

God I Hate That Purple Menace


----------



## jackokent

Was on a plane recently and watched Underdog (which I shouldn't have laughed at but did - possibly something to do with the free airline vodka) and Pans Labyrinth (which completely blew me away, it's amazing).


----------



## Lucien21

*Golden Compass* - Some decent SFX and good performances by Nicole Kidman/Sam Neill. Rest of the movie was pure exposition bollocks. Avoid 4/10 

*The Assassination fo Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford* - Best film of the year. Beautifully shot and performances by Pitt and Affleck worthty of oscars. Music by Nick Cave was haunting. Maybe a tad long and talkie for most people but the best intellegent western since Unforgiven. 9/10


----------



## Pyan

*The Golden Compass*

Excellent SFX, stays quite close to the book, with a few minor divergences, but worth seeing, not least so you can make your own mind up on whether it subverts the Church.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Heartbreak Kid*

Very funny, ridiculously so, takes a while to get going but when it does its superb. Uncle Tito is the bomb. Screw off!


----------



## Quokka

nj1 said:


> Because I Have A Two Year Old Daughter I Just Watched Barney Goes To The Fair For The 50'th Time.
> 
> God I Hate That Purple Menace


 
I'm starting to feel the same way about Dora 

Watched _Walk the Line_ again last night and again came away thinking that the two leads both gave amazing preformances.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Jackokent



> Pans Labyrinth (which completely blew me away, it's amazing).


 
Yes thats pretty much what I thought when I watched it for the first time Jack... Its just wonderful and beautifully filmed, I think I have given it to so many people now and said "Watch"!!!!

I have a copy of American Gangster which I play to watch later tonight, shall let you know what I think.


----------



## Locksmith

Watched _300_, which I really enjoyed, and _Die Hard 4.0_, which I didn't enjoy quite so much (seemed to be trying too hard to be something other than a Die Hard movie - I think they were better when they went for a narrow scope rather than epic).


----------



## Starbright

Like some of you have mentioned, Pans Labyrinth is amazing.. 
But the last movie I saw was Evan Almighty.. It was just terrible.. I love Steve Carrell.. But the movie was horrendous..


----------



## ScottSF

Flock of DoDos.  Documentary on ID v. Evolution conflict.  It came down on the side of Evolution (of course because the film maker is a scientist) but it also had a some critique on how the science isn't always be communicated well by scientists.  I still want to see the Nova special on Kitsmiller v. Dover but this movie seemed warm non-confrontational.  He treated the pro ID people with respect which is something, sadly, I may have not bee able to do.  He was able to disagree with them and still like them as people.  I had to reflect on my own dogmatic loyalties that may get in the way of friendships sometimes.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Lucien21 said:


> *Golden Compass* - Some decent SFX and good performances by Nicole Kidman/Sam Neill. Rest of the movie was pure exposition bollocks. Avoid 4/10/



Ummm...that was Sam Elliott.


----------



## Lucien21

ooops so it was.


----------



## November

Watched _Borat_ last night.  Very funny! but  not recommended for the easily offended.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched _Devils Of Darkness_ (1965) last night. A very ordinary, very average British vampire movie. Nothing to write home about.


----------



## Kissmequick

Thanks to my daughter I watched Black Beauty ( ok yeah I loved it when I was a kid) which led to a discussion about why horses get shot

And I watched The Brave again. Man that film screws with my head. 

Oh, and Barney isn't allowed in our house, or I'd have mangled the telly by now


----------



## Cerberus

Event Horizon and Shrek the Third


----------



## tarifa

with nail and I


----------



## littlemissattitude

_The Blob_ (1958).


----------



## KateWalker

Tremors 2, and it was absolutely horrid (rented movie)

Last movies I saw in the theater were No Country For Old Men (very good, done by the guys who did Fargo) and The Mist which I was pleasantly surprised by. Really liked that one.


----------



## GOLLUM

Just finished watching the 1937 acadmey award winnnig film *The Life Of Emile Zola*. I realy liked this film, esepcially the court case surrounding the scandal of Captain Dreyfuss, who was wrongly accused of treason with the army staff keeping silent even after they had confirmed amongst themselves that he was innocent. Fortunately it took the courage and conviction of writer Zola amongst others to fight the good fight that saw Dreyfuss reinsated after spending time on Devil's Island. Dissapointing but not unsurprising that it took the french army until 1995 to formally acknolwedge his innocence!

Sadly Zola died soon after from CO poisoining. Foul play was suspected and apparently a builder on his deathbed did admit years later to sealing off the chimney in Zola's house under political instructions in order to silence him via CO buildup.


----------



## Foxbat

_From Beyond - _A pretty good adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft from the 80s and now available on DVD.


----------



## Thadlerian

The Golden Compass. I'll be voicing my opinions on it as soon as my final exam is done.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_ again last night, to initiate a friend who hadn't seen it before.
Not technically a film, but I also watched the _Mighty Boosh Live _yesterday.


----------



## Talysia

Back to the Future, Part II.  Talk about a blast from the past.


----------



## Quokka

_The Simpsons Movie,_ not much of a movie but still a few good laughs and_ The Proposition _Australia's contribution to the western.


----------



## HoopyFrood

_The Golden Compass_. Already had my rant with my friends so I'll leave it at that.


----------



## nj1

The Last Legion. Didn't enjoy it at all perhaps cos i read the book and found that a lot of the story isn't in the film, also Ambrosinus' awful Welsh accent really annoyed me, 
If you've read the book DON'T watch this film. Infact don't bother at all.


----------



## Mad Tam McC

The original Bedazzled with Pete and Dud.

So so so so good, whereas the remake was terrible (apart from the Columbian drug dealer scene).

Highlights: The seven deadly sins. (Rachel Welch as Lust and Barry Humphries as Envy) and Dudley More dressed as a nun on a trampoline, oh and George Spigott's (aka the horned one) pointless acts of evil.


----------



## Foxbat

Dario Argento's _Profondo Rosso._ I love the Italian horror meister's use of the Goblins for the soundtrack


----------



## Serin

Scrooge. The musical version with Albert Finney.


----------



## Talysia

Lol, I remember watching that one when I was younger, Serin.

(Congrats on getting 100 posts, by the way)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Hot Fuzz_ again. Fantastic moofie.


----------



## Quokka

_Beowulf_ and to be honest was a little disapointed and I kept expecting Shrek to walk out on screen.

In some ways its seems that the better CGI gets the more it stands out that it isn't real, your mind seems to know that your looking at a picture not a person.


----------



## Quokka

Also watched _This is England_ the other night and it was good but with a similar storyline I think _Romper Stomper_ did it better.


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got around to watching _Alien versus Predator_ for the first time and, frankly, I don't know why I bothered. This film is very poor and has the usual regurgitated ending with the queen. Yawn.


----------



## clovis-man

Quokka said:


> In some ways its seems that the better CGI gets the more it stands out that it isn't real, your mind seems to know that your looking at a picture not a person.


 
I had the same trouble with *Mr. Magorium*.

Jim


----------



## Serin

Talysia said:


> Lol, I remember watching that one when I was younger, Serin.
> 
> (Congrats on getting 100 posts, by the way)


 


Thanks Tal, there was a time when I thought I never would. Hope it doesn't take me so long this time to reach the second one.


----------



## AE35Unit

Errm, last SF film I watched was ashamedly Transformers!
I was determined not to, but part of me had to, for a laugh, and laugh I did.
I never watched the TV series, was too old for it when it was on, used to watch Blockbusters instead


----------



## AE35Unit

actually no, I think the last one I watched was the Simpsons Movie, far far better, even tho its not SF.(unless you take it to mean Stupidly Funny!)


----------



## 4Greg

Charlie Wilson's War....not sci-fi...but a pretty good film.  Last Sci-fi/Fantasy was "Golden Compass" and before that "Beowulf" in 3-D Imax....fun...though, not completely satifying.


----------



## Mithridelle

The Princess Diaries

Yay - Mith watched a chick-flick for once!!!


----------



## Culhwch

_Ocean's Thirteen_, much better than the just plain bad _Twelve_, and _The Descent_, which was very creepy...


----------



## Pyan

clovis-man said:


> I had the same trouble with *Mr. Magorium*.
> 
> Jim


My local cinema is only showing that as a day-time children's film, last showing at four pm, Jim....is it worth giving up a Saturday afternoon for?


----------



## clovis-man

pyan said:


> My local cinema is only showing that as a day-time children's film, last showing at four pm, Jim....is it worth giving up a Saturday afternoon for?


 
*Magorium's Emporium* was enjoyable, but I honestly could have just as easily waited for the DVD. Some of the humor was obviously directed at adults (I'm thinking of the hospital scenes) and Dustin Hoffman played his part very well. But the rest of the film was replete with so much CGI that it became a blur after a while.

Jim


----------



## littlemissattitude

Mithridelle said:


> The Princess Diaries



I watched that again last night as well.

Before that, _Latter Days_.  Good movie, but you don't want to watch it if you are uncomfortable with homosexual characters and situations.

And the other night, _Mary Queen of Scots_.  The first time I'd seen it all the way through.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Dario Argento's _Cat O'Nine Tails_. More of a murder mystery rather than the expected Gothic fare from the maestro of mayhem. Enjoyable nonetheless


----------



## ravenus

Oh I think Gothic was more a deviation for Argento, his expected fare being the slasher flick.


----------



## Connavar

*Die Hard 4.0


*Decent action,decent funny moments with Justin Long.  Decent villain.

The only bad thing was there was not one cool action scene ala Die Hard movies that makes the series one of the best action series i have seen.

Also not one funny wise crack by MacLane, even the last YYKMF was a lame one...

Only Willis and the funny Justin Long saved the movie from being bad IMO.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well actually I've just watched A Scanner Darkly,what a strange film! Is it me or was Dick obsessed with drugs? I quite liked it but I'm not sure of its cartoon like format,would it have been better filmed conventionally? Also it was a neat twist having Keanu Reeves's character working for a company that is secretly using him to investigate the company he worked for! Another thing about films based on Dick stories,they're instantly accepted by dick fans,yet when a film gets made of an asimov or clarke story the critics come out!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Well actually I've just watched A Scanner Darkly,what a strange film! Is it me or was Dick obsessed with drugs? I quite liked it but I'm not sure of its cartoon like format,would it have been better filmed conventionally? Also it was a neat twist having Keanu Reeves's character working for a company that is secretly using him to investigate the company he worked for! Another thing about films based on Dick stories,they're instantly accepted by dick fans,yet when a film gets made of an asimov or clarke story the critics come out!




Well you cant judge Dick themes by a hollywood movie really no matter how close it is to his story.


He had many themes.  Drugs seem to be more frequent in his later stories. 


The director says PKD has inspired him.  Its usually better when the director is someone that admire the writer's work.  He will follow it and understand it better to make a good movie.

Asmov doesnt seem to have that luck.


----------



## AE35Unit

When was the story or book written? I find Dick an intriguing man,i remember a documentary on him possibly in 92,was very interesting and yet he's not what i class as my kind of SF writer. His is social fiction more than science fiction to me who was brought up on space travel stories,but I still like to read his works.


----------



## Stenevor

AE35Unit said:


> When was the story or book written? I find Dick an intriguing man,i remember a documentary on him possibly in 92,was very interesting and yet he's not what i class as my kind of SF writer. His is social fiction more than science fiction to me who was brought up on space travel stories,but I still like to read his works.


 
It was inspired by his life around 1970 after one of his marriages broke down. Dont know when the words were written but it came out in 1977. If youre interested in a good biography try Emmanuel Carrere - I Am Alive And You Are Dead: A Journey Inside The Mind Of Phillip K Dick. I'm not a big biography reader but enjoyed this one. Gives details of the inspirations behind lots of his work(useful for explaining exactly what was going on in some of his more confusing books) as well as his private life(he seemed to have a thing for young women who he could dominate and hardly ever took LSD). I remember the documentry too, it was either on The South Bank Show or Arena, cant remember which.


----------



## AE35Unit

Aye it was Arena,watched it upstairs on me portable! 
I quite like biographies actually,have read a few including Asimov(In memory still yet green etc) and Clarke's. Would like to read Aldiss's,Bury my Heart in WHSmith I think its called. Have also enjoyed Norman Wisdom's,Frankie Howerd's and Spike Milligan's


----------



## Stenevor

Actually after a quick look at my shelves, Ive realised I have read lots of biographies, just not many lately. Most of them concerning drug addled musicians.


----------



## nj1

Just to get in the Xmas mood, I sat down and laughed my way through National lapoons Christmas Vacation. Hilarious, Funniest Xmas movie ever!


----------



## Mithridelle

Black Sheep.

I will never look at a sheep the same way again...


----------



## BloodAndSouls

I should probably watch Black Sheep. Being a Kiwi and all, I'll probably be the first to get it if the sheep ever do go crazy. It'd be good to know what to do!

I think the last movie I watched was _Cleopatra_ (the old one with Liz Taylor). I love all 320 minutes of it!


----------



## Quokka

Futurama: Bender's Big Score.

Has the advantage of being the return of a series that probably was cut too short and so there's a nice balance of jokes/characters that are familiar without being worn out. If your not a fan of Futurama you may well enjoy it but if you are a fan it's pretty much brilliant


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Melvin and Howard_ (1980)

This is the fictionalized story of Melvin Dummar, who claimed after Howard Hughes' death to have picked up an old man claiming to be Hughes in the desert once and given him a ride.  In gratitude, supposedly, Hughes wrote Dummar into his will, which came to be known as the "Mormon Will" because it came to light at the Mormon church's headquarters in Utah.  The will was ruled to be a fake, but Melvin Dummar has become sort of a living legend because of the whole deal.

The story is of special interest to me because when the whole thing was going in in real life and I was still a good, church-going girl, Melvin Dummar's cousin was my Sunday school teacher.  Poor man...had the same last name as Melvin and looked like him (so much that he couldn't deny being related), and was thoroughly mortified at what his cousin had gotten involved in.  He walked around for a good long time with a perpetual look of embarrassment on his face.


----------



## gully_foyle

The Simpsons Movie. Wow, what a let down!


----------



## Cayal

gully_foyle said:


> The Simpsons Movie. Wow, what a let down!



You are one of few then.


----------



## Pyan

_Thunderbirds,_ the 2004 live-action one.
Well, I was bored.....


----------



## AE35Unit

Actually we enjoyed The Simpsons, the giant glass dome reminded me of The Veils of Azlaroc by Saberhagen


----------



## Cayal

Most of the world enjoyed the Simpsons.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I felt a little let down by The Simpsons' film as well. I was expecting something fantastic  but I can say that I've watched better Simpsons' episodes. It was good but not as good as I thought it would be.


----------



## Adasunshine

Star Wars IV: A New Hope.  

I'm trying to get my children into it... so far it's working but unfortunatley they prefer the most recent three movies to the - imho - better older three movies... they'll learn 

xx


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> I felt a little let down by The Simpsons' film as well. I was expecting something fantastic  but I can say that I've watched better Simpsons' episodes. It was good but not as good as I thought it would be.




What did you expect?  Did you really think hollywood execs would let Groening and co write their kind of humor on a movie that big?


I saw from the first scene it wasnt written like a  Simpsons ep, it was too much HAHA humor instead of the ironic,adult,little dirty humor of The Simpsons.


I thought it was funny despite it had been made too much into hollywood movie.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched Disney's *Enchanted* and absolutely loved it. I'm just a big kid at heart. But aside from that, the humor was wonderful. The singing and dancing in the park; The cockroaches cleaning the bathtub; the chipmunk trying to play charades. Just great.

Jim


----------



## Foxbat

Watched John Carpenter's _The Thing._ An oldie but a goodie

As for the Simpsons movie -  I got the same feeling watching it that I get listening to somebody who tells a joke but elaborates too much and ruins the punchline.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Thing is class,i just love Carpenter's films tho. Have you read the story that was the basis of the film,by John W Campbell? Who Goes Where I think its called,and then there's the later novelisation by ADF which isn't bad.


----------



## The Ace

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," not a patch on the TV series.


----------



## AE35Unit

> "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," not a patch on the TV series.
> ***************
> 
> 
> T


Still pretty good fun tho,loved it


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> The Thing is class,i just love Carpenter's films tho. Have you read the story that was the basis of the film,by John W Campbell? Who Goes Where I think its called,and then there's the later novelisation by ADF which isn't bad.


 
Actually, Carpenter's film is much truer to the Campbell story than the original James Arness film. Even used the proper names of the characters.

Having said that, my younger son has just given me a dvd of the older film. We'll sit down and watch it together in the next couple of days.

Jim


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Heidi_.  The only Shirley Temple movie I can tolerate, and it really is only because that was one of my favorite books when I was very young.


----------



## Connavar

I saw* Pan's Labyrinth.*


I thought it was beautiful, violent, magical and sad.  An almost perfect movie with great acting.  Very nice idea to have a story about the horric reality and a fairy tale.The end got to me so much.  It didnt help that melody was so sad.

The director is becoming one of my favs i cant believe the same guy that a great action movie like Blad II which i saw two days can do a movie like this.

Its movies like this you wanna see more of.  A very original movie.  Cant it believe it didnt even best Foriegn movie at the Oscar.

If it was an american movie about The American Civil War and a fairy tale then it would have prolly won like 10 oscars....


----------



## ravenus

John Frankenheimer's *Seconds (1966)*. This was a damn good take on the theme of "What if you had a chance at making another life?". Shot brilliantly in B/W and spliced with surgical precision, this bleak surreal venture shares some kinship with Hiroshi Teshigahara's *The Face of Another*. Brilliant performance by this actor called Rock Hudson, who I believe was something of a star in those days.


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> The Thing is class,i just love Carpenter's films tho. Have you read the story that was the basis of the film,by John W Campbell? Who Goes Where I think its called,and then there's the later novelisation by ADF which isn't bad.


 
I have a copy of _Who Goes There _in a short story collection and clovis-man is right, Carpenter's is much closer to the story. Still, I do have a soft spot for the Arness movie and still watch it now and again.

Watched Dario Argento's _Demons_ last night. It's the first time I've seen it and I have to say, I think it's one of his poorest movies. Think I'm gonna give Demons 2 a miss.


----------



## ravenus

What? Are you talking about the Demons where people watching a horror film are attacked by ghoulies? That was made by *Lamberto Bava*, Mario's son; Argento was a producer. I personally think it was a great campy film, ideal for get-together-with-a-big-bag-of-popcorn movie nights.


----------



## Rosemary

I actually managed to watch a two part movie on the TV... not something I usually do, but as so many folk here enjoy Terry Pratchets books I decided to give it a try.

It was Hogfather, and it was nice to see some well known actors in it.

I thought some parts were quite good but on the whole I didn't really enjoy it that much.  Certainly not enough to make me go rushing out to buy one of his books.


----------



## GOLLUM

My sister watched that too. She liked it very much actually.


----------



## Foxbat

ravenus said:


> What? Are you talking about the Demons where people watching a horror film are attacked by ghoulies? That was made by *Lamberto Bava*, Mario's son; Argento was a producer. I personally think it was a great campy film, ideal for get-together-with-a-big-bag-of-popcorn movie nights.


 
Oops! Yes. that's the one. My mistake. I thought Argento was director. I still feel that Demons was quite poor though, with nothing to really make it stand out from the crowd. Still, each to their own


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Guess Who's Coming to Dinner_ - a classic.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Hart's War*
with Bruce Willis and 
whatshizname
Colon Farrell

uneven, to say the least

anybody seen it?
destined for the homevideo market,is what i think


----------



## clovis-man

Rosemary said:


> I actually managed to watch a two part movie on the TV... not something I usually do, but as so many folk here enjoy Terry Pratchets books I decided to give it a try.
> 
> It was Hogfather, and it was nice to see some well known actors in it.
> 
> I thought some parts were quite good but on the whole I didn't really enjoy it that much. Certainly not enough to make me go rushing out to buy one of his books.


 
I TIVO'd it so I could watch it without the commercials (deadly in a four hour mini-series). But even at that, it dragged. The premise was good, but to the neophyte like myself, unacquainted with the Discworld milieu, it got a little thick. And four hours (minus the adverts) was too long.

Jim


----------



## Horizon

Annie Hall, can't say no to a bit of Woody. A solid 9/10


----------



## VionesspXmoone

The Garbage Pail Kids movie(brought back childhood memories), Spaceballs, Evil Dead, and right at this moment Eraserhead.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Hehe. I have to say AVP and Hellraiser....


----------



## Pyan

_Meet Me In St Louis_ - *Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, *dr. _*Vincente Minnelli *_(1944)

Boy, they don't make 'em like that these days.....


----------



## Culhwch

_Lantana_, an Australian flick. Much hyped when released a few years back, but it didn't impress me much...


----------



## GOLLUM

Golden Compass. For what it covered it was good but it really wasn't long enough and therefore left out too much for my liking!


----------



## AE35Unit

Rosemary,don't let that Hogfather presentation put you off,it was too long and not that well done. A lot of the acting was very wooden,especially Teatime. The book is sheer joy in comparison.


----------



## Pyan

What Unit said....


----------



## TK-421

Live Free or Die Hard: Totally over the top but alot of fun for an action flick. I actually liked it. And the Mac Guy is pretty good in it as well.


----------



## Adasunshine

Transformers - lots of fun!

xx


----------



## HardScienceFan

Million Dollar Baby

great movie,the ending no barrelful of laughs

Recommended,but bring hankies along


----------



## Pyan

_Dungeons and Dragons._

What?


----------



## fantasy noob

beowulf-ummmm what can i say lots of screaming, and angelina is hot muahahah

-FN


----------



## AE35Unit

Nah that Angelina woman is too skinny,i like mine with a bit of meat on,something to hang on to in case of an earthquake.


----------



## fantasy noob

ya shes a little skinny and her lips are a little to big but shes still hot


----------



## bruno-1012

'Its a Wonderful Life' last Sunday.

Took the entire family to it (9 of us).

Usually its just me taking my mum as a Christmas tradition but managed to get everyone along this time.

Will be sitting down to go through the Harold Lloyd Collection and complete Laurel and Hardy (21 discs) over the next month...Oh and a few Loony Tunes.....Guess which DVDs I got!


----------



## fantasy noob

i just started watching the empire strikes back, can someone tell me what the four legged walkers are called? isnt it like at-ta's or something


----------



## Pyan

_The Queen_, with* Helen Mirren*.
Excellent.



(*At-At*s, FN: [SIZE=-1]*A*ll *T*errain *A*rmored* T*ransports.)[/SIZE]


----------



## Thadlerian

Tales from Earthsea by Goro Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

After reading Ursula Le Guin's response, I got pretty much what I expected - a bad adaption of _Earthsea_.

But at the same time, I sit here, one day later, and feel that I _want to_ like that movie, that some of its parts really charmed me, despite me not being willing to admit it...


----------



## Nikitta

fantasy noob said:


> beowulf-ummmm what can i say lots of screaming, and angelina is hot muahahah



There was certainly something good to look at for us women too. Mmmm! Yes!


----------



## Nikitta

Lately we've watched American Gangster, Beowullf and I am Legend.


----------



## fantasy noob

thx pyan i knew it was something like that 

yes nikkita i bet there was, im watching i am legend right now but i hate my slow computer doesnt do movies online very well


----------



## gully_foyle

A Wonderful Life with James Stewart. Suitably appropriate holiday movie. It was pretty good, but didn't quite live up to all the hoo ha.


----------



## Cayal

Bourne Ultimatum - again

10 billion out of 10.


----------



## Adasunshine

The Devil Wears Prada - I rather enjoyed it.

xx


----------



## AE35Unit

The Devil Wears Prada,god I hated that film! The missus liked it tho!(chick flick?)


----------



## Rosemary

AE35Unit said:


> Rosemary,don't let that Hogfather presentation put you off,it was too long and not that well done. A lot of the acting was very wooden,especially Teatime. The book is sheer joy in comparison.


Well, maybe if I get time, will borrow the book from the library and then let you know which was best.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched the latter half of two films today (so technically I've watched a full film, really) *Home Alone 2* and *Meet the Fockers*, both shown on tv.


----------



## AE35Unit

I don't know about the home alone films but Meet the Fockers is class!


----------



## Nikitta

I just re-watched Goodbye Lenin together with my boyfriend's mother and her boyfriend. They hadn't seen it before, but I had.

I still liked it and still got both amused and moved by it and they liked it too.


----------



## Overread

just saw Transformers - the new one.
to cut it short - was not totally impressed/ was not transformers, but it was something else and should have had the guts to stand on its own feet == I also felt that I was not watching a film, but a series of loosly connected scenes - it was not edited together well


----------



## Pyan

_Night at the Museum_ - *Ben Stiller*.

Fluffy nonsense, but great fun.


----------



## gully_foyle

Dreamgirls (Ms Foyle's choice last night). Looked good and loved Effie's voice, but musicals don't really do it for me.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched _Sunshine _last night. I thought it hit on some interesting themes of how and_ if_ we should survive. 

For a few brief moments, I thought the crew had another HAL on their hands. Unfortunately, the truth was much worse than that. 

A good movie spoiled by the silly need to inject a token psycho into the proceedings.


----------



## weaveworld

_300_, better than I thought it would be x


----------



## Pyan

Foxbat said:


> A good movie spoiled by the silly need to inject a token psycho into the proceedings.


Yes, I thought that too - the sudden change from hard SF to horror was quite jarring, to say the least.
But I loved the overall tone of the film...I saw it at the cinema, and the soundtrack and the literal _brilliance _of the screen pushed you into the back of the seat....amazing!


----------



## ravenus

Saw Hitchcock's *The Man Who Knew Too Much* (1956), which was pretty decent, but ran a bit too long for a relatively straight thriller.

*Castle of Blood* by Antonio Margheriti was an atmospheric Gothic ghost story with some great B/w photography, but less fun than similar films like Mario Bava's *Black Sunday*

Saw the first episode of *Life in The Undergrowth*, BBC's docu-series on insect life hosted by Richard Attenborough...going by it this shall be a very cool series indeed


----------



## Woodfoot

At the cinema - _The Golden Compass_

At home - 2 last night which were _Walk the Line_ and _The curse of the Golden Flower_


----------



## Thadlerian

In one sitting last night: The Rescuers and The Rescuers: Down Under. Although the latter was a favourite of my childhood, I can now see the overwhelming superiority of the former.

The Rescuers is probably the only Disney movie to rival a Miyazaki.


----------



## AE35Unit

Thad,what on  Earth is a Miyazaki?


----------



## Stenevor

Just watched Control, it was good, well worth watching if your a Joy Division fan. I cant see it crossing over to mass market though however many good reviews it gets.


----------



## Overread

AE35Unit said:


> Thad,what on Earth is a Miyazaki?



essentially studio Ghibli productions - anime - and totaly quality!:
stuff like this:
Amazon.co.uk: Howl's Moving Castle [2005]: DVD: Hayao Miyazaki

Amazon.co.uk: Tales From Earthsea [2007]: DVD: Goro Miyazaki

Amazon.co.uk: The Cat Returns: DVD: Hiroyuki Morita

Amazon.co.uk: Princess Mononoke (Special Edition): DVD

Amazon.co.uk: Nausicaa Valley Of The Wind: DVD: Hayao Miyazaki

I strongly suggest seeing it all - and very very stronly suggest watching the last two


----------



## Thadlerian

AE35Unit said:


> Thad,what on  Earth is a Miyazaki?


Oho, you don't know? Then you've got lots of great stuff to look forward to! 

By "Miyazaki", I meant Hayao Miyazaki, a Japanese animated film director. He has made a number of awe-inspiring animated films that outshine Disney in every way. The list includes titles like Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind, My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

Get your hands one one of those, or any other signed Hayao Miyazaki, and you're in for a real treat!

EDIT: Damn you, Overread, beating me to it!

EDIT 2: Though, the quality of Tales From Earthsea and The Cat Returns is rather negotiable.


----------



## Overread

Thadlerian said:


> EDIT 2: Though, the quality of Tales From Earthsea and The Cat Returns is rather negotiable.


 
true - I have not seen the earthsea - but one has to remember that its still ahead of most of the rest of the market

- I feel really sorry for Ursula, 2 films, 2 different companies and 2 muck-ups; though the first is without a doubt the worst - its still a bad run of affaires.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh i don't really like Manga,reminds me of Pokemon


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Oh i don't really like Manga,reminds me of Pokemon


 
Trust me... this is in a _completely_ different league... beautiful films....

As for me... had a chance to sit and watch *From Beyond* (the director's cut). I have to agree that it's much better than I recall it being.... Though it may seem an odd word to use when it comes to Stuart Gordon's films, it really is much more nuanced than I had recalled it being. I've watched it now a couple of times, and there really is a lot of thought that went into that thing; while by no means traditional Lovecraft, they really did think about the story, and the implications of some of that tale do set the tone (and the boundaries) for this particular film.

Incidentally... there's a lot more put back in the film than just the bit with the pineal gland. Listening to the commentary track, there was a fair amount of material cut, and much of it really does add new layers to the film....


----------



## AE35Unit

I've seen bits of Ghost in the Shell but I find it hard to watch what is essentially a cartoon,and take it seriously. Plus its never shown on telly anyway!


----------



## AE35Unit

Ravenus,Life in the Undergrowth is brilliant. I'm a big Attenborough fan and have all his books. Look out for his final major series,Life in cold Blood,about reptiles,coming in 08!


----------



## ravenus

Hmm...I wonder how involved he is. Already in *Planet Earth* (gob-smacking gorgeous series btw), he was only doing voice-overs in the studio and sounding rather tired. The Beeb should identify and promote a successor ASAP.


@Unit:
Me thinks you're prejudiced. Just because something is drawn doesn't make it automatically less thoughtful than what's done with live actors. For example, Studio Ghibli have made some of the most visually enchanting and emotionally interesting films. Check out something like *Princess Mononoke* or *Grave of The Fireflies*. You will not really find better fleshed out characters in live action films.


----------



## AE35Unit

Animated films are ok if done humorously a la Shrek etc,which i love,but if you're gonna do a serious film make it a film rather than a cartoon. 
As for Attenborough,well he is 85 next year and yet he is still working. In a recent interview he still seems like that young lad on his first big outing. Full of enthusiasm and life.


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> Animated films are ok if done humorously a la Shrek etc,which i love,but if you're gonna do a serious film make it a film rather than a cartoon.
> As for Attenborough,well he is 85 next year and yet he is still working. In a recent interview he still seems like that young lad on his first big outing. Full of enthusiasm and life.


 
Personally, I think if an animation is good enough, I see no reason why it cannot be viewed seriously and deal with serious and thought provoking themes. Still, each to their own.

Edit: I should add that most of the biggest Hollywood movies (serious and otherwise) rely heavily on CGI nowadays - which is - essentially - animation.


----------



## Pyan

_Bride and Prejudice_....a great Bollywood take on Jane Austen.


----------



## AE35Unit

The thing is tho,all the manga/anime I've seen all looks the same,the characters are kids and so have big eyes,a japanese trend I suppose. Just doesn't appeal to me. And CGI is a tool for making scenes that may well otherwise be impossible,but thats not the same as animation per se


----------



## Pyan

Might be a good poll/thread to start in general-media-discussion, Unit - Animation v. Live Action or something similar.


----------



## Joel007

ravenus said:


> *Grave of The Fireflies*



Noooooooooooooooooo!


----------



## GOLLUM

Joel007 said:


> Noooooooooooooooooo!


Why? Grave Of The Fireflies is one of the most moving pieces of animation I've ever come across. A mini matserpiece of anti-war sentiment irrespective of the medium.


----------



## Doug Graves

*Legendary Weapons of China*


----------



## Thadlerian

AE35Unit said:


> The thing is tho,all the manga/anime I've seen all looks the same,the characters are kids and so have big eyes,a japanese trend I suppose.


Another good thing with Miyazaki/Ghibli - it doesn't look very much like ordinary animé (by the way, animé is cartoons, manga is comics). There is an even child/adult proportionality (Porco Rosso has a middle-aged man as main character), and eye size approaches normal. There are few standard anime cliches present - no cross-eyes, no giant tears or sweat-drops, no speedy-background lines, no pulsating forehead veins or simplified faces to express anger or suprise, no unnaturally proportioned female bodies, and so on. None of the things that are likely to cause antipathy towards animé are present, except perhaps for low framerates and sparse use of gesticulation while talking.


GOLLUM said:


> Why? Grave Of The Fireflies is one of the most moving pieces of animation I've ever come across.


I think that was his point, only expressed with fewer words and more spontaneousity


----------



## GOLLUM

Thadlerian said:


> I think that was his point, only expressed with fewer words and more spontaneousity


Really?.....This does not compute..


----------



## AE35Unit

Well i just sat thru Taladega Nights and i was left thinking why! Why did i bother,it is a dreadful movie!


----------



## Pyan

_Monty Python's Life of Brian_...never palls...


----------



## AE35Unit

Pyan,now you're talking class,sheer effin class mate!


----------



## HardScienceFan

*hums "always look on th e bright side of life"*
Buster Keaton's *THE GENERAL*


----------



## Hilarious Joke

'Death at a Funeral'. Funny.


----------



## AE35Unit

1408 
Quite good creepy Stephen King fare,based on a short story apparently.
Anyone know the story and the book containing it?


----------



## gully_foyle

The Great Waldo Pepper was on the box on NYE (sad, I know). Love that movie.


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> 1408
> Quite good creepy Stephen King fare,based on a short story apparently.
> Anyone know the story and the book containing it?


 
1408 (short story - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just to add my ten pence worth (it's always more than two pence when concerning King ) the short story in the book is much better than the film (mind you, I'm likely to say that every time). As evil as the room is in the film, it really is an evil freaking room in the book. Absolute, all-out crazy evil. You should definitely check it out, AE35.

*Everything's Eventual* as a whole is a good read (even though it's been a while since I've done so!)


----------



## AE35Unit

J D that link didn't quite work. 
Frood,so its from a collection called Everything's Eventual?


----------



## Cayal

AE35Unit said:


> 1408
> Quite good creepy Stephen King fare,based on a short story apparently.
> Anyone know the story and the book containing it?




I liked this movie but I didn't understand why the room was as it was.

Last movie - V for Vendetta. 8/10.


----------



## Foxbat

_Angels With Dirty Faces_ - an absolute classic! 

The diminutive Jimmy Cagney is still Hollywood's best tough guy


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> J D that link didn't quite work.
> Frood,so its from a collection called Everything's Eventual?


 
Yes, so I noticed, when I just tried it. Yet, when I looked it up under the links provided within that little bit, the first one led me right back to the article I'd originally posted. Must be a fault in the system somewhere...

1408 (short story) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This one seems to be working fine....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yup, *Everything's Eventual*, AE35. It's not so hard to miss in bookshops now, because since the film, publishers have taken to printing the book with *1408* in big numbers on the front as if it's the title of the entire collection. 

And Jaire, there's no reason given (that I can remember, it's been a while since I've read the story, so forgive me if I'm wrong) for why the room it's like that. You don't always get explanations for things with King, and in this case...it's just an evil room. Perhaps you can just put it down to being on the thirteenth floor, and that the numbers add up to thirteen...


----------



## Cayal

Bah that's no good.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well apparently he was travelling thru time and he sort of did it himself,or his subconscious made him do it.  I missed bits of it cos our little one was crying.


----------



## ravenus

Saw the 1939 film *Adventures of Sherlock Holmes* with Basil Rathbone in the titular role. Rathbone himself is pretty okay (with an admirably unrecognizable disguise at one point in the film) but nowhere as effective as Jeremy Brett in the latter day Granada series and the film is too tame to garner much excitement.


----------



## AE35Unit

Thats class Raven. My brother is BIG collector of Arthur Conan Doyle,he has all the Jeremy Brett episodes and lots more besides,including the professor challenges stuff,which i love.


----------



## Stenevor

Watched 40 Year Old Virgin on New Years Eve. Not my usual type of film but made me laugh which was all I wanted.


----------



## AE35Unit

Good one Sten,and that guy is seriously funny. You should try Evan Almighty,he's good in that(can't remember his name)


----------



## Stenevor

Its Steve Carell. He was good in Little Miss Sunshine and I have heard that he is good in the american version of The Office but I have yet to see it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Steve Carell,thats his name! Well i hope the US version of the office is better than ours. Can not stand it,so un funny!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

What? I adore the British 'The Office'! One of my favourite shows ever.


----------



## Stenevor

Hilarious Joke said:


> What? I adore the British 'The Office'! One of my favourite shows ever.


 
I liked it too but it does seem to be a 50/50 thing, either you love it or hate it.


----------



## Pyan

Can't stand it..makes me cringe.

Just got back from _*Enchanted*_. 
Light, enjoyable, and stuffed full of Disney in-jokes.


----------



## AE35Unit

The office,or as i like to call it,the Orifice is pants,so uncool. Its like marmite,but i'd rather eat marmite. If i ran an office and he worked there he'd be finding another job,thats how bad it is!  

Just watched Knocked Up,which i thought would be pants but turned out pretty good,and that Steve Carelk guy has a cameo in it. Also OR,you look a little like the guy named marty in it,but only at the start!


----------



## Omphalos

Just watched Things to Come, by H.G. Wells on Turner Classic Movies last night.  It was really dated (made in 1936), but was pretty good over all.  The settings were amazing, and they must have had over a thousand extras.  It was not a Hollywood production.  I had no idea that British production houses ever made anything that big.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh we have TCM,wish i'd known that was on Omphalos,love that film. Must get the book.


----------



## Nesacat

Alien vs Predator 2. It was a media preview. I wish the Alien or Predator would just come right now and massacre the people who made this one. Predalien indeed. Sheesh.


----------



## Humaren

I just received Pirates of the Carribean: At worlds End for Christmas (Didn't get to see it in theater). Of all the trilogies I've seen, POTC holds up as one of the best. The Matrix for example; Ground breaking first movie, and a what the .... last movie. POTC sets sail and hold true on corse to the end.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I also enjoyed the Pirates movies.

I just watched The Bourne Ultimatum, and thought it was excellent!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and wasn't let down by this movie. Tried to read the books, but couldn't get into them, but I love love love the movies.


----------



## gully_foyle

Just watched *The Lodger* which I taped off the tel the other night. They were running an ancient Hitchcock marathon. I didn't realise this one was silent. I haven't seen many silent movies, and probably Metropolis was the only one of note, but this one was fantastic. It has all the Hitchcock hallmarks and shows what a master of suspense he was. Next I get to watch the 39 steps, which I've seen. Unfortunately the tape ran out before I could record The Lady Vanishes, though I've seen that one too. You have to love Hitchcock.


----------



## AE35Unit

Hi Gully. Not heard of The Lodger,but one of The finest Hitchcock movies has to be Rear Window,the original with James Stewart and Grace Kelly,brilliant film! You still using tapes! So last century,get yourself a DVD writer mate-we got one for less than £200,also has a huge hard drive,which we use a lot.(haven't actually used the DVD writer bit yet)


----------



## Ice fyre

I saw I am Legend at the weekend and thought it was a rather good film got a bit sentimental at the end but overal not a bad film.


----------



## Overread

Saw The Nothern Lights last night......
good film, but not that impressive - rather bitty scene cutting - I felt that each scene was an info dump more than part of a story -- and my two biggest questions:

1) highly trained army of death + big open snowy plains + good lighting - and they miss a charging bear in armour? and they miss and army charging them as well??

2) why oh why does the institution blow up like a villens base in a bad spy movie?

likes:
1) pan has a childs voice - somthing I never thought of in the books - mostly because of his lines

2) pan and hester got too few lines - they needed more lines


----------



## Anthony G Williams

Just seen *Contact*, the 1997 film of Carl Sagan's SF book.

A serious and mature, but also very dramatic, exploration of the issues around alien contact, and easily the best film of its type I've ever seen. IMO the film deserved on Oscar, and so did Jodie Foster who was brilliant in the lead role of the obsessed astronomer.


----------



## ravenus

I loved *Contact* too.


----------



## Joel007

pyan said:


> Can't stand it..makes me cringe.
> 
> Just got back from _*Enchanted*_.
> Light, enjoyable, and stuffed full of Disney in-jokes.


 
I enjoyed Enchanted  I was laughing at bits no one else was laughing at... again!


----------



## daisybee

Mr Brooks-at first I was like what the heck?? Then I loved it. Although I do NOT like Kevin Costner or Demi Moore. Don't know why.


----------



## Majimaune

Finally saw Hot Fuzz again and realised why I wanted to see it so badly.


----------



## Overread

Hot Fuzz great film there!!!!!!!!


----------



## AE35Unit

Hot Fuzz is doubly funny for me cos its partly set in a Somerfield store and I work at Somerfield! 
I felt disappointed with the movie tho,all hyped up but nowhere near as funny as the previous Shaun of the Dead,also starring Simon Pegg


----------



## Overread

I found it more humerous that Shaun of the Dead myself - didn't they do - or were planning to do another comedy?


----------



## Majimaune

I haven't seen Shaun Of The Dead cause I haven't been able to find it but my friends say its great.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, I think Hot Fuzz is much better than Shaun of the Dead, despite being an absolute zombie freak. Hot Fuzz is definitely one of my favourite films.


----------



## Majimaune

Hoopy, how could it not be?


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Ed Woods' _Bride Of The Monster -_ hilariously bad - but any prospective viewer would be well advised to watch Tim Burton's Biopic of Ed just to see the reason for the explosion at the end of this movie.


----------



## ravenus

In movies I last saw *The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)* by Fritz Lang, about the Moriarty-like titular arch-criminal who controls an empire of crime and can bend people to his will by hypnosis. The film got a lot of buzz for its supposed anti-Nazi leanings (for which it was banned in Germany by Goebbels), but is in most part an okey-dokey crime thriller with some striking scenes, like the assassination in the car and the hypnosis of Mabuse's psychiatrist Dr. Baum. There are too many peripheral characters to have a close bead on and even the shots are generally more static and less striking than in M, although Lang's inherent cinematic eye still pulls out some nice visual tricks with mirrors and lighting.


----------



## Pyan

*Pitch Black* (again) Great film, even if the astrophysics are a tad dodgy...


----------



## Pyan

Joel007 said:


> I enjoyed Enchanted  I was laughing at bits no one else was laughing at... again!


Same here, Joel...did you spot Pumbaa in the book-signing queue?


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched the DVD of Jeff Wayne's stage version of _War Of The Worlds _filmed at the Wembley Arena.

I picked this up in a bargain bin and thought it might be worth a look.

Now I have to say that I'm not a big fan of stage musicals but this one just blew me away. Anybody with a decent sized screen and sound system can give themselves a real treat if they get this disc. 

The acid test is - if I had the chance, would I part with my hard earned cash to go see this show? 

Absolutely!


----------



## AE35Unit

Not actually a film but rather a collection of the greatest movie car chases as compiled by Top Gear magazine. Mad Max of course is on there and a film I've not seen yet,Ronin,but top of the list has to be Bullit!  
As you can see young Matthew enjoyed it too!


----------



## Pyan

Enjoyed it? He looks as if he's in the _middle_ of one!


----------



## AE35Unit

He he I'll make a petrol head of him yet (even tho neither of us has a car and we'd rather they didn't burn petrol but ya know what i mean )


----------



## Tillane

La Cite Des Enfants Perdus (The City Of Lost Children).  Ron Perlman's best to date, I'd say...


----------



## Adasunshine

Night at the Museum - thought it was great!

xx


----------



## Woodfoot

My other just made me watch Bridget Jones but thats okay as i am now watching Constantine  might even do a late nighter and watch Boondock Saints or Daywatch as well


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea we enjoyed Night At The Museum too,i like Ben Stiller tho and our lass works at Blockbuster so we get free movies!


----------



## Woodfoot

AE35Unit said:


> Yea we enjoyed Night At The Museum too,i like Ben Stiller tho and our lass works at Blockbuster so we get free movies!


We got one of our shops in darlington might even be near Blockbusters!


----------



## AE35Unit

What shop would that be Woodfoot? Anywhere near Grange Road?


----------



## Woodfoot

AE35Unit said:


> What shop would that be Woodfoot? Anywhere near Grange Road?


Hein Gericke but not sure what road its on


----------



## AE35Unit

Ah the big motor bike shop on Northgate opposite the Odeon. The nearest blockbuster is the tiny one in North Road,she doesn't work in that one tho.


----------



## Wybren

We saw I am legend the other day, It was pretty good


----------



## HardScienceFan

Hotel Rwanda
uh
leaves you speechless


----------



## AE35Unit

Not heard of Hotel Rwanda,about the war there?


----------



## HardScienceFan

are you kidding
Yes,about the war there
the director kept a low profile with the atrocities
but still
the effect of hate, genocide on common people,trying to live a decent life
and then finding themselves doing courageous things
because of an inner sense of decency ,or morality
Terrific acting,too
Don Cheadle is totally convincing,and so is the supporting cast


----------



## AE35Unit

Honestly i'd not heard of it. I'm old you see,i don't keep up with current affairs or read newspapers. Don't even have a radio! Now if it had been about the gorillas there i might be interested...


----------



## Pyan

*Passport to Pimlico*, (1949) an _Ealing Comedy_ starring[SIZE=-1] Stanley Holloway[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] and Margaret Rutherford.

Very funny in parts, but chiefly worth watching for the evocation of London after the war.
[/SIZE]


----------



## AE35Unit

I think i've seen that one. My mom,living in Wolverhampton at the time, used to tell me how during the war  she could see Coventry on fire in the distance. As a kid she'd probably be fascinated but as an adult that must be scary as hell!


----------



## Rothgar

*Stardust!  *Having not read the book yet I couldn't be dissapointed with a comparrison, so I was able to really enjoy it.  I thought it made a great fantasy story, and was very entertaining.  However, I'll still have to pick up the novel one of these days.


----------



## Talysia

_Premonition_.  Not a bad film, but I didn't like how it ended.


----------



## The Ace

*The Battle of the Bulge,* I just love the moment when the Germans, urging the Bastoigne garrison to surrender are puzzling over the reply, 'Nuts.'

Sometimes speaking the language just isn't enough.


----------



## Brigitte

I'm a few weeks late, but I saw that Disney movie "Enchanted" over the holiday.  Definitely a good one to take the kids I was babysitting for that day.  I thought it was all right overall (I was expecting something pretty bad, since I'm not a Disney fan).


----------



## AE35Unit

I'm looking forward to watching Enchanted when it comes to DVD! Looks fun!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Gladiator* earlier. And I mean _watched_ it, didn't hear much of it, as I mostly laughing insanely with my friends, catching up with them after the Christmas holiday.


----------



## Wybren

I'd like to see enchanted. Gladiator was on here the other night, had to turn it off though as young Zach was enjoying the fight scenes too much for my liking.


----------



## clovis-man

HoopyFrood said:


> I watched *Gladiator* earlier. And I mean _watched_ it, didn't hear much of it, as I mostly laughing insanely with my friends, catching up with them after the Christmas holiday.


 
Don't know if it was cameraderie or amusement at the film that occasioned the laughter, but you might get a chuckle out of watching *The Fall of the Roman Empire*, a 1960s film that tells the same story as *Gladiator* with some different embellishments. Stephen Boyd plays the Russell Crowe part and Christopher Plummer is Joaquin Phoenix. The Richard Harris part is played by  Alec Guinness. You can see where I'm going with this. The contrasting parts played by the different actors are interesting to watch. The earlier film also features James Mason, Omar Sherif and Sophia Loren.

Jim


----------



## clovis-man

Wybren said:


> I'd like to see enchanted. Gladiator was on here the other night, had to turn it off though as young Zach was enjoying the fight scenes too much for my liking.


 
Don't know Zach's age, but *Enchanted* is wonderful viewing for just about any age. Kids will be enthralled and adults will be entertained and amused.

Jim


----------



## littlemissattitude

Currently watching _Jesus Christ Superstar_.  It's been years since I've seen it.  I'd quite forgotten how good it actually is.


----------



## Overread

tescos is evil - DVD sale - all a mess with different titles on the shelves: wandered through and got the complete collection of Mad Max and also FF Spirits withine - so have been having a trip down memory lane and watching them


----------



## AE35Unit

Jesus Christ,Superstar,wears frilly knickers and a playtex bra... 

So far I've managed to avoid that film.:-S


----------



## littlemissattitude

AE35Unit said:


> Jesus Christ,Superstar,wears frilly knickers and a playtex bra...
> 
> So far I've managed to avoid that film.:-S



Actually, I think it was Herod in the frilly knickers and bra...

Speaking of...have you ever seen _The Magic Christian_ (1969)?  Near the beginning it has Laurence Harvey reciting from Hamlet and stripping...and if I remember correctly he is wearing a garter belt and stockings when it gets down to that part.  And later on, there is Yul Brynner in drag, crooning to Roman Polanski.  Now there's a sight....  God, how I love that twisted little film.  Wish someone would show it on cable somewhere.  I still can't believe they let myself and all my little junior high friends into the theater to see it when it first came out.

Sorry.  Just got caught skipping down memory lane. 

Anyway...I think we've all got films we avoid like the plague.  For me it's the _Rocky_ films and that horrid thing with Tom Cruise and the jet planes...that's it, _Top Gun_.  Yecchhh.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

For me its horror movies. Alas, I'm seeing _I Am Legend _tonight! But I guess that's not really horror, plus I like most sci fi movies I've seen. Or should I be afraid?


----------



## Culhwch

Saw _Knocked Up_ last night. Deiverting, but ultimately not the comedy masterpiece I'd seen it made out to be.


----------



## AE35Unit

Littlemiss,i tend to avoid films with jesus or christian in the title,if at all possible.


----------



## AE35Unit

Cul,Knocked Up was a surprise for me. I was expecting it to be quite boring after the first few minutes,but it developed into something quite funny,and as a father of 2 little uns,poignant.


----------



## littlemissattitude

AE35Unit said:


> Littlemiss,i tend to avoid films with jesus or christian in the title,if at all possible.



Understandable, if you are Christian or conservative and trying to avoid being offended.

On the other hand, if you avoid them because you aren't wanting to be preached to about religion, the film I was talking about will definitely not do that.  It is basically a satire about greed, with the thesis that everyone has their price.  The title refers to the name of a boat..erm, ship, stars Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, and was written by (among others) John Cleese and Graham Chapman.

But, yeah, if you are easily offended (and not just around religious issues), it is probably best not to see it, as it is seriously politically incorrect among other things.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, it amazes me that my junior high friends and myself were let into the theater to see it in 1969 when it was released (I was  12 or  13 years old at the time).  It was rated M (now PG), but I honestly think if I were rating it at the time it probably should have been rated R.


----------



## woodsman

Lord of the Rings trilogy... .. .


----------



## Tillane

Nochnoi Dozor (Night Watch).


----------



## HardScienceFan

good one Till?

THE LAST EMPEROR
a visual feast,tad slow at times
but gripping

i still think Miranda Richardson overdubbed a voice in the edition i saw


----------



## Tillane

Yeah, pretty decent.  The slightly gimmicky subtitles took some getting used to, mind; still, it's worth a look.  So is the sequel, apparently.


----------



## HardScienceFan

always wonder about plagiarism

wasn't there a Danish 'Night Watch',too?


----------



## Tillane

Not to mention a Spanish one, and another based on an Alistair MacLean novel.  All very different though, I think.


----------



## woodsman

I enjoyed the Last emporer Ben, although, yeah tis slow but well made IMHO.


----------



## Pyan

*A Night at the Opera*, starring the_ Marx Brothers._ Imitated, but never equalled. The scene in the Opera House, with the scenery going up and down, always has me in stitches.


----------



## Stenevor

I saw Knocked Up too. It was funny in places but could have done to be edited down by a good 40 minutes.


----------



## nj1

V for Vendetta.
Got this cheap and enjoyed it. Apparently based on a graffic novel. 
Well written and a decent plot. It's about how a government can take things too far by manipulating the media just to get and keep hold of thier power. Starred Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well its not often i turn a film off but Ronin didn't go the distance. Just didn't do it for me.
Helen just came in with  a copy of 300. I'll have to watch that on my own,she doesn't fancy it.


----------



## Humaren

AE35Unit said:


> Helen just came in with a copy of 300. I'll have to watch that on my own,she doesn't fancy it.


 Good movie. I received it for Christmas and believe it lived up to the hipe. I think you'll enjoy it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Doesn't fancy *300*?! What's not to fancy...gratuitous violence and lots of blood...my kind of film, indeed 

I've just watched -- wait for it -- *Octopus 2*!! A giant Octopus terrorizing the good people of New York. I think my friend bought it for a pound from some random shop. It was amusing, at least.


----------



## gully_foyle

*The Bourne Ultimatum*. Great action and an improvement on no 2, but the plot was pretty thin and only served as a coat rack on which to hang the action.


----------



## Culhwch

_28 weeks later..._ Had nothing on the original. Plot holes you could have driven a truck through.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Watched _Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers_ last evening for the first time in ages.

Has logic problems you could drive a semi through, and I have major objections to the female character, who spends the whole film screaming and crying and clinging to her man.  But still...a rollicking good example of 50s science fictions flicks.  Not as good as _The Day the Earth Stood Still_, of course, but then nothing is, is it?


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> A giant Octopus terrorizing the good people of New York.


Oh dear, Cousin Ollie...tut, tut....

Watched a bit of _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ this afternoon...gods, don't they look *young*....!


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea i saw it too and said the same pyan. I remember seeing the trailer for it while at the cinema and looking forward to seeing it. The early ones are much better,funny,less serious,and Dumbledor looks really big and imposing; a lot of the magic has gone since


----------



## Joel007

pyan said:


> Same here, Joel...did you spot Pumbaa in the book-signing queue?



The second time around I did!


----------



## clovis-man

littlemissattitude said:


> Watched _Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers_ last evening for the first time in ages.


 
Fun to watch once in a while. Ray Harryhausen's saucers were great. Funny to see Hugh Marlowe as the hero after he was the slimy little weasel boy-friend in *Day the Earth Stood Still*.

Jim


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.
Quite funny,and a film with Adam Sandler I laughed at!


----------



## Pyan

*Re-animator*, based on the Herbert West stories by _HPL_.

Though "based" is putting it a bit strongly....


----------



## tangaloomababe

Have just seen "I am Legend" Which was Ok, but nothing to write home about and
The Golden Compass, which I almost fell asleep watching, it was very disjointed and seemed to go on and on and on!!!!


----------



## Culhwch

_Hostel: Part 2_, very ordinary. I think I'm well past this gornography fad. Give me old fashioned scares any day.


----------



## Nesacat

HoopyFrood said:


> I've just watched -- wait for it -- *Octopus 2*!! A giant Octopus terrorizing the good people of New York. I think my friend bought it for a pound from some random shop. It was amusing, at least.



Absolutely my kind of film .... anything with a ginormous creature with world domination on it's mind is good to go. Am so going to have to try and find this over Eastercon. I've got several but none with an Octopus. This will be a splendid find.

Any idea where I could find it Hoopy?


----------



## christyrocks99

Technically, the last movie I saw was Shaun of the Dead on the TV last nite (2nd time)
Cinema wise it would be St. Trinians for the second time...it is good.
Oh, I also saw The Goonies for the first time last nite, bless Sean Astins little heart!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Nesacat said:


> Absolutely my kind of film .... anything with a ginormous creature with world domination on it's mind is good to go. Am so going to have to try and find this over Eastercon. I've got several but none with an Octopus. This will be a splendid find.
> 
> Any idea where I could find it Hoopy?



I don't really know, I'm afraid, Nesa. My friend has a habit of buying these random, not-so-professional-looking DVDs in random shops. Another memorable film that we watched was Psycho Cop -- man, the acting in that was...phenomenal...

Well, whaddya know, it's actually on Amazon:

Amazon.co.uk: Octopus 2 [2001]: DVD: Michael Reilly Burke,Meredith Morton,Fredric Lane,Yossi Wein

He's a very big Octopus, I assure you..!


----------



## Stenevor

Solaris - The 2002 George Clooney one. Probably a bad idea to watch it so soon after reading the book as I spent most of it playing spot the difference. I enjoyed it anyway, nice soundtrack, atmosphere and acting OK. Ive got the original 1972 Tarkovsky one to watch too but I am going to leave it for a few weeks.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well I just watched 300,actually we both did in the end. Humaren was right,I did enjoy it! 

Stenevor,if you liked the new Solaris you should like the original. But when I rented it it was on 2 disks,which was strange. Its very slow moving and mysterious,but worth the effort I feel. Never read any of Lem's books,must give one a try.


----------



## j d worthington

pyan said:


> *Re-animator*, based on the Herbert West stories by _HPL_.
> 
> Though "based" is putting it a bit strongly....


 
I'm not so sure about that, Pyan.... While taking vast liberties with the tales, the majority of those liberties are actually based on things within the tales themselves, in one way or another. (The major exceptions, of course, being the romance of Megan and Dan... and, of course, the in-your-face... err, so to speak... sexuality.) If you have a chance, you should listen to the commentary tracks and watch the interviews with Paoli and Gordon. Oddly, they're both very conscientious about their approach to HPL's work, and have enormous respect for the man's craft....


----------



## Pyan

j. d. worthington said:


> Oddly, they're both very conscientious about their approach to HPL's work, and have enormous respect for the man's craft....


But didn't you think that the whole slow-building, atmospheric,  "feeling of dread" miasma that, to me, hangs over just about all of HPL's work was short-circuited? A lot of the appeal of the work was lost, in my view, by the gore and violence being so graphically depicted.....
And



Spoiler



how on earth does the head of Dr Hill speak without a windpipe and lungs, which were often several yards away?


Anyway....

Just watched the film version of the *Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Joel Shumacher* _Phantom of the Opera_..lavishly-staged, wonderful sets and costumes; just a shame the cast's voices didn't seem to be up to it at times....


----------



## j d worthington

pyan said:


> But didn't you think that the whole slow-building, atmospheric, "feeling of dread" miasma that, to me, hangs over just about all of HPL's work was short-circuited? A lot of the appeal of the work was lost, in my view, by the gore and violence being so graphically depicted.....
> And
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> how on earth does the head of Dr Hill speak without a windpipe and lungs, which were often several yards away?


 
Yes, there is that (about Dr. Hill)... but as for the atmosphere... I'm afraid I've never quite got that with the Herbert West stories in general... too highly-colored, phasing into self-parody. Let's face it, those stories are decidedly over-the-top.... 

Incidentally, if you'd like a look at a little more serious take on the tales, try "An Imperfect Solution", by Christian Matzke:

An Imperfect Solution: A Tale of the Re-Animator (2003)


----------



## Pyan

j. d. worthington said:


> Let's face it, those stories are decidedly over-the-top....


True, true...possibly the reason why they were chosen for filming, rather than some of the more subtle work.
Oh, and thanks for the link.


----------



## HoopyFrood

There's a head...that talks!?

Awesome...

Reminds me of "Fair Elenor". Definitely one of my favourite poems


----------



## j d worthington

pyan said:


> True, true...possibly the reason why they were chosen for filming, rather than some of the more subtle work.
> Oh, and thanks for the link.


 
If you're interested in more info on Lovecraftian cinema offerings:

January 2008 news

And yes, Hoops... there's a head that talks... among other things.....


----------



## Pyan

j. d. worthington said:


> among other things.....



Yessss.....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oooh...awesome. I like things with decapitated heads that talk and move still. Like "The Breathing Method" by Stephen King, too. 

Yah, I know, I'll leave now...



			
				Azathothington said:
			
		

> ... among other things....





			
				The Green One said:
			
		

> Yessss.....



And intriguing....


----------



## j d worthington

pyan said:


> Yessss.....


 
Not going to touch that one with a 90-foot bargepole, Pyan....


----------



## Pyan

You have to see it really, Newt....preferably by yourself.....


----------



## HardScienceFan

American Psycho

Christian Bale is terrific in that one


----------



## scifimoth

Re-watched Pan's Labyrinth last night...

Such an amazing movie.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw _The Golden Compass _for the second time.

I don't think its as bad as everyone is making out. Well in my opinion anyway.


----------



## Rosemary

*Onegin - *A drama made in 1998.  

A jaded aristocrat moves from 1820s St Petersburg to his new estate in rural Russia.  History and Russia are two of my favourite subjects and so this was interesting, not only for the story line but for the historical notes and how the Russians lived in those days.  The troikas gliding over snow through silver birch woods, the lavish estate houses and the dress code of the day was fascinating. 

Hooray, I'm getting better at watching a movie...used to only manage 10 minutes before turning it off, no matter if it was a movie I had always wanted to see.


----------



## Tillane

Re-watched _Sympathy For Lady Vengeance_ last night.  Not an easy film to watch, but very good.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Rented The Robinsons on DVD. It was pretty cute.  Just love the part where the dinosaur says 'I have a big head...and little arms'. If you saw it or the previews for it you know what I'm talking about. I do enjoy the animated movies these days.


----------



## clovis-man

Did a search here before posting this. Nothing much relevant that has been posted recently about *Dreamcatcher*. Some comments here & there about how the book bites. I haven't read the book. Quit reading SK novels some years ago. But I have to say the movie was interesting. Just watched the DVD today.

First you have to get past the usual King stuff: Childhood cameraderie Persisting into adulthood beyond all reason, equal amounts of slime and sentimentality, special powers granted to people who didn't ask for them, bad jokes, etc.

Maybe the film was able to distill all the chaff into a coherent tale where the book couldn't (?). Anyway, I thought it worked pretty well. Good pacing and reasonable suspense even though some things were pretty predictable. Worth seeing IMO.

Jim


----------



## HoopyFrood

The book is pretty good, if I may add a comment, I certainly enjoyed it. But I think I do agree, although I haven't seen the film, that it probably makes the storyline coherent. I've read the book twice and the ending always gets me...quite confusing. Mind you, it's been a few years now, maybe if I read it once more...third time's the charm.....


----------



## woodsman

Donnie Darko - loved it, great filum and in my opinion pretty thought provoking. I fell asleep afterwards.... 

BUt no a god film dunno why I haven't watched it before...


----------



## Serin

Since my last visit I have watched quite a few films and the ones that stick in my mind are Premonition, it wasn't how I thought it was going to be, and it confused the heck out of me. Night At the Museum, that was hilarious, and an old b/w film called The Earth Dies Screaming.


----------



## Morpheus42

Yesterday:  TBS.  
A dutch movie... was actually quite ok for a dutch movie.

Tuesday last week: National treasure II.
Like I.  Ok to watch.


----------



## Foxbat

Ed Woods' _Orgy Of The Dead -_ So bad it's godawful! 

Not one redeeming feature. could have done better myself.

Avoid like the plague.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ever seen his Plan 9 From Outer Space? Now that is bad and gives SF a bad name,i.e. Sci fi (god i hate that euphemism!)


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> Ever seen his Plan 9 From Outer Space? Now that is bad and gives SF a bad name,i.e. Sci fi (god i hate that euphemism!)


 
At least I found Plan 9's ineptitude quite amusing. I quite like Ed Wood stuff like _Bride Of The Monster_ and _Night Of The Ghouls_ for their amusement value but Orgy proves that Plan 9 is not the worst film ever made. 

What's worse is that it is supposedly derived from the Ed's novel of the same name. It must have been about one page long because there is nothing in this film


----------



## Nikitta

We just saw *National Treasure, the Secret Book* and are not very impressed by it. It's not directly bad, but not good either - a popcorn movie. Neither of us have seen the first movie, but found no problems following the plot in this one despite of that - just a problem caring about the characters and what happened to them.


----------



## TK-421

Three recently:

*The Simpsons:* I know most say it's just a long episode but I laughed all the way through the movie. Classic line: "Blessed penis."

*The Kingdom:* Cannot believe a talented actor like Chris Cooper was in this garbage. Felt like watching an episode of CSI:Riyadh. The short timeline of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was the best part.

*Shrek the Third:* Well, for a third time around it wasn't all that bad. Some very funny scenes.


----------



## Steve S

Finally saw 28 weeks later last night - perhaps didn't quite have the impact of the first film but I still really enjoyed it. There were some powerful shots of a ruined London (it's easy to forget what a cinematic city it is!) and some impressive set pieces, all underpinned I thought by an intelligent subtext. Sadly there were a few plot holes but I didn't think that detracted too much - looking forward to 28 Months Later!


----------



## MG1962

Cloverfield - Lived up to my expectations, and a nice long over due scratching of monster movie itch


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched the epic and completely man-tastic (as my friends would say) *Commando* starring the one and only Governator last night. Truly a film of my childhood, I watched it so many times when a young lass!


----------



## Tillane

Ah, yes.  Commando.  Whatever happened to Rae Dawn Chong anyway?  And of course, Jenny grew up to live an, ahem..._Charmed_ life.

Just finished watching *A.I. * Not bad, I suppose.  Except in places, where it was bloody awful.  Still, Jude Law was good fun.


----------



## gully_foyle

Fave line from Commando:

Arnie: "You very funny Solly. That's why I kill you last."

Later, while Solly is being dangled over a cliff:
Solly: "I thought you were going to kill me last!"
Arnie (in best deadpan Arnie voice): "I lied." Drops him off cliff.

Saw the Hitchcock version of *The 39 Steps*, the man was a master of suspense and cinema (and blonde leads).


----------



## Adasunshine

*Good Night and Good Luck* - I thought it was a great film, well executed and the topic very interesting.

xx


----------



## Pyan

_Carry On Camping_...
I know, I've absolutely no taste in films....will watch anything.


----------



## Adasunshine

There be nothing wrong with the Carry On films... I was raised on the damn things... they are my dad's humour to a T!

I have a soft spot for Cowboy, Matron and Jungle meself!

xx


----------



## Lucien21

Unfortunatly is was Alien V Predator: Requiem which is a mess of a film once again sullying 2 great franchises.

No plot, No characterisations, lousy dialogue, low budget casting and effects, Only 1-2 half decent scenes in the film.

3/10


----------



## Pyan

Adasunshine said:


> There be nothing wrong with the Carry On films... I was raised on the damn things... they are my dad's humour to a T!
> I have a soft spot for Cowboy, Matron and Jungle meself!
> xx



Oh, there's nothing wrong with them, but in these PC times....

_Khyber's_ my own favourite..the dinner scene in the Residency, with lumps of ceiling falling on the table, and the stiff upper lips...priceless.


----------



## Connavar

I saw two action thrillers by John Woo and Chow Yun Fat full of melancholy.

They were also great and full of hardcore shoot out scenes alà classic Yun Fat and Woo 

They were shown in a row the two movies called *A Better Tommorow* I and II


----------



## AE35Unit

pyan said:


> Oh, there's nothing wrong with them, but in these PC times....


 
Forget being PC, that stuff gets on my wick!
Carry On brought me up on humour. Theyre not all great but when theyre good theyre very very good!


----------



## Nesacat

*Hoopy* ... yay ... thanks ... am so going to get this. Giant octopus  And yes ... always a bonus having something like a head that talks.


----------



## nj1

Last two were Alien V Predetor. Not a bad film.
Then turned over and enjoyed THIRTEENTH WARRIOR again. Great film. 
Does any one know if T.W. is based on a book and if so who is it by?


----------



## j d worthington

nj1 said:


> Last two were Alien V Predetor. Not a bad film.
> Then turned over and enjoyed THIRTEENTH WARRIOR again. Great film.
> Does any one know if T.W. is based on a book and if so who is it by?


 
Yes. *Eaters of the Dead*, by Michael Crichton.


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> Yes. *Eaters of the Dead*, by Michael Crichton.



Good to know, i too enjoyed the movie.


Will prolly buy the book then, i hope its even better than the movie.


----------



## nj1

Thanks JD, will add that to my reading list. Have you read it and what did you think?

Just looked him up on fantastic ficton
Michael Crichton

Didn't know he did Jurrasic Park ,Sphere, Westworld and others.


----------



## j d worthington

Interesting... those are the sorts of novels (and one screenplay: *Westworld*)for which I'm most familiar with Crichton, beginning with *The Andromeda Strain* and *The Terminal Man*....

You know, Conn... I haven't read that novel since it came out, so my memory of it may not be accurate; but I recall thinking it was an interesting take on the matter, but not all that notable. I did, however, enjoy his inclusion, in his citing of references at the end, Alhazred's *Necronomicon*....

Oh, and the last movie I saw... a rewatch of *Pumkinhead*, for the first time in many years. I still feel the film has some flaws, but it's nonetheless got a lot of the feel of a genuine folktale to it, and is well worth seeing (though I'd avoid the "sequel" like the proverbial plague)....


----------



## littlemissattitude

I just watched _Cars_.  Well, I think I missed about the first five or ten minutes, but it counts.  Fun movie.  Also, not a movie, but there was a _Torchwood_ marathon on BBC America today, and I sat and watched a good portion of that.


----------



## Lith

I watched Osamu Tezuka's *Metropolis* last night.  It's an anime from a few years ago, and sort of a loose remake of the old Metropolis.  And by loose remake, I mean only a couple vaguely familiar shots and a great city.  Otherwise it's completely different, with a new infusion of Babylonian myth (complete with a Tower of Babel).  It's beautiful, but I wish I could say I found it interesting.  I kept having to rewind parts because I'd spaced off, and ultimately I'm not sure it meant much.  It's a mild disappointment because I've been trying to get my hands on a copy for the last five years now.  But on the upside, I'm glad I didn't actually buy it.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *Juno*. Interesting, enjoyable film with terrific casting. An indie film! The music in it was acoustic and I thought quite superb.


----------



## Wiglaf

My most recent (on DVD) were _Pathfinder_ and _Bloodrayne 2._

I apparently go in for high brow cinema.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Pitfall* by Hiroshi Teshigahara, about the murder of a miner and its consequences, both political and supernatural (yes!). I also saw this awesome Czech film called *The Cremator*, about a funeral parlor owner who is so consumed by his trade that he goes completely bat-**** becoming a hardcore Jew-burning Nazi in the process.


----------



## TK-421

3:10 to Yuma: What an outstanding film. I like westersn and this modern version is reallt encouraging that we may see more. Both Bale and Crowe are great as opposites. The best western since Unforgiven. Stark yet beautiful scenery. An expected appearance by Peter Fonda. Highly recommended.


----------



## Lith

I liked 3:10 to Yuma.  I didn't think it was perfect, but more in the vein of a classic Western, which is an uber-rarity these days.  And I really liked the themes they were working with.  The cinematography was good, but not breathtaking, and actually I liked it that way- it's almost daringly simple, by today's standards.

Unfortunately its dismal box office means we probably won't see more like it for a long time.


----------



## clovis-man

TK-421 said:


> 3:10 to Yuma: What an outstanding film. I like westersn and this modern version is reallt encouraging that we may see more.


 
I hope so too. I have to admit that, for me at least, the ending scenes stretched the bounds of credibility almost to the breaking point. But worthwhile nonetheless. Another underrated western that slipped by almost unnoticed was *Open Range*. I watched it with a friend in the theater when it first came out. He leaned over about halfway through and whispered to me: "This is better than *Unforgiven*." Not sure I'd go that far. But any kind of decent western is a rare beast, unfortunately, and appreciated by me.

Maybe that's why I like *Firefly* so much. 

Jim


----------



## woodsman

Not a huge western fan I'd have to say..... (sorry)

Rewatched *Zulu* again for the umpteenth time!! Still love it, although Always get weird looks singing a bit of base along of the Welsh lads!!


----------



## clovis-man

woodsman said:


> Not a huge western fan I'd have to say..... (sorry)
> 
> Rewatched *Zulu* again for the umpteenth time!! Still love it, although Always get weird looks singing a bit of base along of the Welsh lads!!


 
There are some pretty basic similarities beween *Zulu* and many westerns. I have always liked it also.

Jim


----------



## woodsman

True, I suppose I'd never thought of that!


----------



## nj1

I love ZULU, always gets the hair standing on the back of my neck when the lads start singing in the face of certain death. Then again I am Welsh


----------



## clovis-man

nj1 said:


> I love ZULU, always gets the hair standing on the back of my neck when the lads start singing in the face of certain death. Then again I am Welsh


 
There's a lot to generate interest in this 1964 film. Benchmark performances by Stanley Baker and Nigel Green. Michael Caine's very first feature role. And the participation of the Zulu, which was somewhat complexified by the (then) repressive South African government's refusal to allow any of those who were filmed to watch the completed motion picture. They were afraid it would arouse rebellious feelings.

Jim


----------



## Pyan

*Van Helsing*, for the second time. Gods, what a _noisy_ film....


----------



## AE35Unit

Not actually a film,tho I thought it was, Family Guy,Star Wars Blue Harvest. Seriously funny! 
Couldn't work out why Blue Harvest tho...


----------



## ravenus

That was the working title of one of the SW films, to keep off media attention while it was being filmed or something like that


----------



## HardScienceFan

Gus van Sant's *ELEPHANT*

Scary in the extreme,although it's not a horror movie.
Agonizingly slow buildup,great camerawork and directing.
The penultimate shot in the freezer locker is terrifying.
No explanations provided,althought there is a HINT of one
Brilliant,full of very Un-American strokes of genius


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Jurassic Park* earlier. Man, I love this film. I really, really do. Good acting, loads of suspense and drama throughout, lots of sciencey stuff to make you feel clever (!) and, of course...DINOSAURS.

Every time I watch this film, I revive my lifelong desire to be a paleontologist. I'm doing the wrong course...


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> Every time I watch this film, I revive my lifelong desire to be a paleontologist. I'm doing the wrong course...



Alas, Hoops, I fear that RL palaeontology isn't quite that exciting...and Indiana Jones isn't your average archaeologist, either.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, I know, I know! I don't expect to be whisked away to a park full of real dinosaurs  And I snicker at the opening where they find what looks like a complete velociraptor (velociraptor my arm, nine feet long?? Get your facts straight Sam Neil! ) under nice crumbly sand -- sure, like that's going to happen. I'd be just happy with the hard slog of chipping through metres of rock to find a single jawbone or something...ah, the paleontologist life for me...

Don't worry, I am under no impressions whatsoever that paleontology is a case of finding a complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton on a cliff face somewhere, or even finding anything at all for most of the time...I just mean that the film perks up my interest in dinosaurs again and makes me realise just how freaking interesting they are...


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> (velociraptor my arm, nine feet long?? Get your facts straight Sam Neil! ) under nice crumbly sand.


I rather think that they were slightly inflated for the film...isn't there someones law that says "All film monsters are at least as big as the hero"?


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Mutters* Quite clearly a more of a deinoychus than a velociraptor...


----------



## Tillane

Ah, Hoopy; part of going to uni is realising that you're doing the wrong course.  I think half the people I met at DMU were in the same boat - as was I...

Oh, and just finished watching _This Island Earth_.  Somehow, I just can't seem to get the _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ version out of my head, though.


----------



## Adasunshine

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

xx


----------



## Lucien21

*In the Valley of Elah*

Part social commentary about the effects of war and part murder mystery.

Tommy Lee Jones plays the retired MP who teams up with Charlize Theron to solve the murder of his son who went AWOL after returning from Iraq.

Great acting and a decent storyline.

*3.5/5*

*Sweeney Todd - Demon Barber of Fleet Street*

Tim Burton and Johnny Depps take on the Sondheim play of the same name.

A Dark and ever so bloody Musical as Johnny Depp seeks revenge for his wrongful imprisonment. He returns to find his wife dead and his daughter in the hands of the judge who set him up.

He moves in to his old house above a pie shop (worst pies in London) and soon is slaughtering his customers and Helena Bonham Carter is turning them into great pies. (Better than the local cats then)

Wonderfully moody cinema with great acting and surprisingly good singing (Johnny Depp is a David Bowie soundalike)

*4.5/5*


----------



## nj1

Last night I came home from the pub and was in time to watch most of The Chronicles of Riddick. Man I love this film! I really like the part of the plot about Riddick being the last Furion(spel?), though the 'keep what you kill' was a bit unreal,  spoiler* Hightlight he kills the emperor and gets to keep the empire and no-one thinks to polish 
Still an exelent Sci Fi film in my book! Also enjoyed Pitch Black which was on last week, though I forgot to post it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched almost all of *The Naked Gun*.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Licence to Wed. Robin Williams is a funny priest but the film's rather dull. The kid in it tho is hilarious. Watch the DVD extra!


----------



## TK-421

*Stardust: *I actually enjoyed this fairy tale/fantasy. It's a little bit like Legend, Labyrinth or The Princess Bride. The story is a little strange but the ending is feel good of course. The special effects are actuallt pretty good. See it if you want something light. The fact that my wife liked it and didn't complain about my choice in movies this time made me like it even more.


----------



## MontyCircus

American Hardcore.  It's a documentary about the hardcore punk scene in the late-70's, early 80's.

Horrible, horrible music.  But it was interesting and frightening just to hear them talk about the things that went on at those concerts/riots.


----------



## HoopyFrood

To continue the trend I seem to be on, I watched Naked Gun 2 1/2 last night.


----------



## Quokka

_Lucky You_ wasn't expecting alot but was probably still disappointed. I like all the main actors and Eric Bana and Robert Duvall were both ok but Drew Barrymore just seemed to be playing Drew Barrymore. In the end I think the script let them all down and I'm left with the urge to go out and rent _Rounders_ again.


----------



## Nikitta

Last night we re-watched Monty Python's Meaning of Life. That one is always good.


----------



## Allegra

Around Xmas time I watched *Apt Pupil*, based on Stephen King's novel. I haven't read the book so no comparison to talk about. But the film is _very_ good. Both Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro did a wonderful job. Wagner's music chosen for the film score is meaningful. Highly recommended.


----------



## PTeppic

Just got back in from watching "Cloverfield" (in the UK). Different kind of monster movie, but I wouldn't want the film style to be repeated too much. Almost got nausea and it was annoying after a while. Great effects and general plot though.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Hot Rod,what a waste of 90 minutes. Not even the outtakes were funny


----------



## gully_foyle

*Stardust*, it got panned by the critics here, but I really like it and "gasp" so did Ms Foyle. It reminded me a bit of The Princess Bride and I think De Niro's pirate character probably lifted a bit from that movie. Can anyone tell me who David Walliams (Little Britain) played?


----------



## ravenus

Saw (not my first time. but after a really long interval) *Superman 4: The Quest for Peace*, which, once you forgive its C-grade technical values and lackluster direction, is actually a decent Superman story. Would be very interested in seeing this screenplay get resurrected in animation form.


----------



## woodsman

*V for Vendetta *- again! I still love this film.


----------



## Pyan

gully_foyle said:


> Can anyone tell me who David Walliams (Little Britain) played?


Sextus, Gully...one of the ghostly brothers....


----------



## HoopyFrood

I loved the brothers in that film. Especially Septimus. I really wanted him to win


----------



## Artur

The last movie I saw was: Charlie Wilson's War.
It's a very good movie where we see the war differently. Besides actors are excellent.


----------



## Adasunshine

Click - it was alright... typical Adam Sandler movie but I enjoyed it

xx


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Sweeny Todd*. It was awesome! I love Tim Burton films, so dark and visually stunning. And the singing was great, especially from Depp. A nice dark, funny film (I think I had a smile on my face for most of it) -- and I have to say I was on the edge of my seat for most of it, waiting for him to cut some throats. But that's me. I'm ghoulish. 

But apart from the spurting blood, as I say, a very good film. I loved the lyrics of some of the songs, especially the one with Depp and Bonham Carter deciding who to put into the pies...


----------



## Anthony G Williams

Just watched Déjà Vu, the 2006 thriller featuring alternate timelines. An exciting and entertaining film, spoiled by a casual disregard of the implications of the main feature of the plot, which makes a nonsense of the story. I'll be posting a review on my SFF blog in due course.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *Sweeney Todd *last night. Like Hoopy, I enjoyed it and thought the singing was excellent. I loved the duet with Sweeney and the judge in his barber's chair, about pretty women. I personally am not a fan of gore but it was so stylised it worked a treat in this movie. However, personally, I thought it was a little too dark by the end and was left feeling a tad depressed. Still, worth seeing!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Well, yes, not a happy ending at all, but I certainly wasn't expecting one (Spoiler: Although I didn't expect the crazy woman to be his wife!) And yes, the gore was quite stylised...the bright red of the blood was particularly good against the dark background of the city and the dim rooms. Especially the ending, with the puddle spreading around the bodies of 



Spoiler



Sweeny Todd and his wife.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

As to the first spoiler, I certainly did not expect that either! OH! And how good was the sea sequence! Hilarious. The casting in this movie, though probably typical of Tim Burton, what with his wife Helena Bonham-Carter and one of he's favoured actors, Johnny Depp, was brilliant. They can sing!

And Ali G was also amazingly great.

But, spoiler: What about the poor kid?! Now he'll have to go back to being dirt poor. I can't stop thinking about how unfair that is!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I didn't realise which character "Ali G" played until the credits at the end! He was very good. And yes, Depp and Burton are a great team now. And Bonham Carter has the look down now, she's always got crazy hair and dark eyes, it seems 

And the seaside sea! Priceless! Absolutely brilliant.

Spoiler: Oh, that kid...I don't care  No one stabs Johnny Depp and gets away with it!


----------



## Cayal

I watched Sweeney Todd as well. I enjoyed it. Thought it was a slow start but picked up. I worked out who the first spoiler just a bit before.

I've seen Helena Bonham Carter twice in my life (ST and HP) and she looked like a strung up drug addict both times.


----------



## clovis-man

Jaire said:


> I've seen Helena Bonham Carter twice in my life (ST and HP) and she looked like a strung up drug addict both times.


 
Maybe. But she's a pretty foxy chimpanzee in Burton's *Planet of the Apes*. 

Jim


----------



## Lucien21

*Juno*
16 Juno is a mature and way too cool to be true teenager who after seducing her best friend ends up pregnant.
Here starts possibly the funnist film of the year and of any other. 
_Vanessa Loring: Your parents are probably wondering where you are. 
Juno MacGuff: Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into? _
Ellen Page is superb as the wisecracking Juno who uses humour to mask her insecurities. After getting pregnant she first looks into an abortion and then decides on adoption. After finding their advert in a Pennysaver magazine (next to the exotic birds) she meets with rich couple who will adopt the baby. Jennifer Garner is the seriously uptight wife and Jason Batement her ex grudge singer husband who Juno immediatly bonds with.
So Superb acting, superb music throughout (includ. YouTube - Anyone else but you - Moldy Peaches) and a hilarious script.
A sweet and funny coming of age movie.
*5/5*
*Cloverfield*
So the most hyped movie of recent times. Blair Witch meets 9/11 and Godzilla.
Wow it actually lives up to the hype. Entirely shot in camcorder (warning film not for the motion sickness sensitive) we start in New York at a party for Rob who is going to Japan. Suddenly there is a huge explosion. New York is under attack from an unknown force.
What follows is a scary as sh*t voyage across New York as Rob and a small band of people try to survive amongst the chaos and reach Robs girlfriend.
Catching glimpses of a huge monster running amok in the city while the Army battle it with tanks and rockets. It is mostly non stop from the bridge attack to the pants wetting subway tunnel journey to the finale.
Superb SFX as you get glimpses of the monster, it's damage and the army attacking.
Thankfully it never explains the attack or the monster which adds to the mystery and suspense. Ufortunatly the easter egg after the end suggests a sequel and this is one film that really doesn't need one.
Refreshingly Brilliant.
*5/5*


----------



## AE35Unit

Well i just watched Dark Star.Really big budget eh  
I came to realise its a take off of 2001,shame the sound quality is so poor,had to crank the volume up which got scary when Carpenter fired his synth up! 
I love the elevator scene,so funny. The film needs a re master,or even a remake,Mr Lucas/Spielberg. And yes the cowboy music is silly but does make sense at the end.


----------



## DeepThought

*Beowulf!* script done by Neil Gaiman! and some other guy, a lot of changes to the original poem...though I'm not complaining  its very, very good...its got, nobility, betrayal, courage, human frailty and of course its achingly tragic; just the way I like it  I've watched it like 5 time already not once without my eyes misting...its short, though its a damn beautiful movie!

Cheer's, DeepThought


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Hey DeepThought, you know gramatically it should be 'Cheers, DeepThought'?


----------



## DeepThought

Is it? your not kidding right? OMG!, I didn't know..., well, coming from a country who's people utter to one another in a harsh guttural tongue , its no wonder my grammar and even my command of the English language for that matter, is rather clunky. But still its no excuse, glad that you point it out for me, _Hilarious Joke_, and thanks. 

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## Anthony G Williams

DeepThought said:


> But still its no excuse.


Actually it's "it's". 

With most words, the apostrophe is used before an "s" to indicate "belonging": so it's "Johnny's bike", because the bike belongs to Johnny. You have to be careful over words which end with "s" (such as when the word is a plural noun) as the extra "s" is often missed off, as in "the inhabitants' bikes". 

"Its/it's" is the exception to the "belonging rule". Here, the apostrophe is only used to indicate that words have been shortened and run together. So you write "it's" instead of "it is" - but not in any other circumstances. So it would be "it's too late" but "the bike had its own place". This is very problematic for native English speakers, who often get it wrong. The apostrophe is used in other circumstances where words are run together ("he's late again" for "he is late"). It also used to be used in the middle of a word to indicate that the word had been shortened, but this is now uncommon and best ignored.


----------



## AE35Unit

Spot on there Anthony! I did all this in an english class i took ages ago but I still put the wrong 'its' in from time to time. I'm lazy and people may think i can't spell but it's just a case of me being lazy! 
I also forgot to use a capital letter for 'I' a lot-internet makes one lazy


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Just saw 3:10 to Yuma. Thought it was really good. I do enjoy Christian Bale and thought he was good in this movie. Pretty decent western actually.


----------



## DeepThought

Anthony G Williams said:


> Actually it's "it's".
> 
> With most words, the apostrophe is used before an "s" to indicate "belonging": so it's "Johnny's bike", because the bike belongs to Johnny. You have to be careful over words which end with "s" (such as when the word is a plural noun) as the extra "s" is often missed off, as in "the inhabitants' bikes".
> 
> "Its/it's" is the exception to the "belonging rule". Here, the apostrophe is only used to indicate that words have been shortened and run together. So you write "it's" instead of "it is" - but not in any other circumstances. So it would be "it's too late" but "the bike had its own place". This is very problematic for native English speakers, who often get it wrong. The apostrophe is used in other circumstances where words are run together ("he's late again" for "he is late"). It also used to be used in the middle of a word to indicate that the word had been shortened, but this is now uncommon and best ignored.



Thanks Anthony! quite kind of you to point this out to me (I need all the help I can get...and very grateful to any), this is very informative. 

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've just watched *Alien vs. Predator 2* at the cinema. I haven't seen the first one. Methinks it didn't particularly matter. I love the Alien and Predator films but this film was...bad. No plot, the dialogue was quite appalling and if it wasn't for the killing every so often I would've got bored. And even with the killing I did...Didn't particularly care for the characters and actually wanted the Predator to kill them all, and the end scene have him triumphant on a pile of bodies. It was missing that key ingredient that makes the previous separate films so good (well, apart from the fact that they're just...ruddy good!) The _suspense_. None of it here. Well, there were some half-hearted attempts. What makes the Alien films especially pretty nerve-wracking is the fact that the Aliens just pop up whenever they please and lunge out, scaring you silly. Or not. Which makes it even more on-the-edge-of-your-seat worthy. But here it was "Ooh, is Alien/Predator going to appear?"...well, yes. They do. I know we know what Alien and Predator look like now, which means the mystery isn't there anymore (and if they were trying to get it again with the 'PredAlien', it failed) but that doesn't mean suspense can't be done...
One beaut of a line though: "The Government doesn't lie to people!" Although it was clearly thrown in because it's going to get the typical reaction. 

I love Alien. I love Predator. I think I'll stick to watching them in their respective, and awesome, films.


----------



## Pyan

Yes, well....If you thought this one was bad, you_ really_ don't need to bother with the first _Alien v Predator_...makes _Requiem_ look like _Citizen Kane_....


----------



## HardScienceFan

Spielberg's _War of the Worlds_


----------



## daisybee

The Bourne Supremacy. 

I really love those films-never get bored at all. And Jason Bourne is so much cooler than Bond. Yeah I said it.


----------



## Talysia

Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli's _Howl's Moving Castle_.  What can I say?  I love the film, and I find that watching anything by that studio gives me a lot of inspiration for my writing.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

daisybee said:


> The Bourne Supremacy.
> 
> I really love those films-never get bored at all. And Jason Bourne is so much cooler than Bond. Yeah I said it.


 
Those movies are the best! LOVE the Bourne movies....and Matt Damon for that matter.  I think they are better than Bond as well.


----------



## HardScienceFan

i loved the fight scenes in the BSup
best i've seen in a long while


KUNDUN
great movie,tad slow in the beginning,but gaining momentum


----------



## ravenus

Saw the original *Hellraiser*, written and directed by Clive Barker, which has its appreciable points but is also wrapped up in a very half-assed manner.


----------



## Morpheus42

Talysia said:


> Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli's _Howl's Moving Castle_.  What can I say?  I love the film, and I find that watching anything by that studio gives me a lot of inspiration for my writing.


I like that one.. They have made more good animations.


----------



## BladeOfFire

I am currently watching: Evita


----------



## tangaloomababe

Every once in awhile I pick up a movie and watch it without any knowledge of what it is about. I did that recently. I saw "No Country for Old Men" What can I say, very very violent, not my cup of tea but still in some bizzare way rather engrossing but rather long and the ending....................

Blade of Fire: Yes I watched Evita recently, like to sing along.


----------



## BladeOfFire

tangaloomababe said:


> Every once in awhile I pick up a movie and watch it without any knowledge of what it is about. I did that recently. I saw "No Country for Old Men" What can I say, very very violent, not my cup of tea but still in some bizzare way rather engrossing but rather long and the ending....................
> 
> Blade of Fire: Yes I watched Evita recently, like to sing along.


 
The movie is so sad, I cry everytime It's so good though.


----------



## Allegra

_Dead Poets Society_. Very good.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Night of the Demon* by Jacques Tourneur, a generally well-done adaptation of the M.R. James witchcraft/occult story _Casting the Runes_. It's not in the same league as the films Tourneur made for Val Lewton (*Cat People* and *I Walked with A Zombie*), but that's because the original story doesn't have the kind of emotional punch that the stories of these films had. It also has its flaws - a loud background score that significantly reduces the eeriness factor of some brilliantly atmospheric shots and a protagonist who is so much of a smug asshole you really don't care if he dies.

But it's still worth watching as an example of old-skool suspense/horror with awesome B&W photography.


----------



## Culhwch

_The Simpsons Movie_, which wasn't quite as bad as I expected, and before that _Sweeney Todd_, which was very good, I thought.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

_City of Lost Children_ -- confusing, but awesome to look at.  A few days before that it was _Lady in the Water_.  My expectations for that one weren't at all high, so I was pleasantly surprised, when it might so easily have gone the other way.

Now that we've subscribed to Netflix, by husband and I may end up watching four or five movies a month, instead of our usual two a year.


----------



## Culhwch

I've always wanted to see _City of Lost Children_, and in fact borrowed it fromt he library where I worked just the other weekend, but never found time to watch. Must check it out again...


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> I saw *Night of the Demon* by Jacques Tourneur, a generally well-done adaptation of the M.R. James witchcraft/occult story _Casting the Runes_. It's not in the same league as the films Tourneur made for Val Lewton (*Cat People* and *I Walked with A Zombie*), but that's because the original story doesn't have the kind of emotional punch that the stories of these films had. It also has its flaws - a loud background score that significantly reduces the eeriness factor of some brilliantly atmospheric shots and a protagonist who is so much of a smug asshole you really don't care if he dies.


 
I enjoyed this film many years ago when I saw it. The Demon was pretty cheesy, but the nasty little man trying to pass the runes was fun.

Jim


----------



## Lucien21

*National Treasure 2*

It was OK. Not as fun as the original, but not bad either.

The plot was over the top with the break ins and the kidnapping being way too easy.

Some funny bits and some decent car chases and stunts.

*2.5/5*


----------



## BladeOfFire

I just saw V For Vendetta. Can you say ONG. It was the best movie that I have ever seen about how the world can become through our current choices.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_V for Vendetta_ is a seriously underrated movie.


----------



## BladeOfFire

How? Like the R rating or something else?


----------



## JadeTrickster

Hey, I just saw V for Vendetta as well. Wait a minute.....I think I saw it next to you BladeOfFire!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

It did pretty badly in cinemas and is not as widely known and acknowledged as it should be.


----------



## BladeOfFire

Exactly. I bet someone was trying to hide it by making it R. That way not very many people would want to see it. I think someone is slowly taking away our rights.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I hadn't even thought of that! Nice conspiracy theory! Now let's go blow up the government.


----------



## j d worthington

*Night of the Demon* (U.S. title: *Curse of the Demon*) is quite a nifty little film. Saw it again about two years ago myself, and -- aside from the demon at the end (insisted on by the producers, iirc; Dana Andrews' reaction when coming out of the screening was a dismayed "Where did _that_ come from? We didn't have any monsters at the end of our film!") -- not a bad handling of James' "Casting the Runes". Actually, I'd say it improves with later viewings. And I think the point was seeing Andrews' character shaken from his smug views to an acceptance of something which completely destroyed his belief system; and on that, I think he did quite a good, nuanced performance.

My own latest: Due to time constraints, a rewatch of *Rough Magik*, with the very quietly menacing Paul Darrow. It really is such a damn' shame the BBC didn't pick this thing up as a regular series.....

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The H.P. Lovecraft Collection Volume 2: Rough Magik

While not taken from any particular Lovecraft tale, it is very Lovecraftian in tone, and handles the whole with a nice balance of subtlety and bravado....


----------



## Quokka

Hilarious Joke said:


> It did pretty badly in cinemas and is not as widely known and acknowledged as it should be.


 
Really? I know it didn't do great in the cinema's but I always thought it was fairly highly regarded and rated since. I've been meaning to see it again as it didn't grab my attention the first time around.

I had to post this as a movie I yet again didn't watch. Hired out _Three Kings _for at least the fourth time and still took it back without watching it


----------



## Culhwch

Good movie, _Three Kings_. Get it again and watch it...

Just finished watching _Half Nelson_. Very good film.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Quokka said:


> Really? I know it didn't do great in the cinema's but I always thought it was fairly highly regarded and rated since. I've been meaning to see it again as it didn't grab my attention the first time around.


 
Yeah I think it has found somewhat of a second life on dvd, BUT I still think it should be regarded as as brilliant as _The Matrix_.


----------



## Stenevor

Persepolis - The animated film based on the autobiographical graphic novel. Sparse but excellent monochrome animation. Tells the story of a young girl growing up in Iran during the overthrow of the Shah, the Islamic Republic, the war with Iraq and how she copes being sent off to Europe before returning. Funny, moving and recommended if you can find it, the version I saw was in french with english subs. There was an item about it on this weeks Culture Show on BBC2 so if anyones interested you could watch it on BBC iplayer for a few more days(item starts just after 30mins if you want to skip straight to it and avoid the rest).


----------



## woodsman

*V for Vendetta* is one of my favouritest films and offers a great deal to think about! It recieved a fair bit of pre release coverage here, in the U.K. I remember pictures of the Houses of Parliment exploding featuring prominently in several tabloids.....

Great film though, highly reccomended. Rewatched *Fight Club* apparently they're making more of Palahniuk's (sp?) work into films, I'd love to see lullaby.


----------



## Adasunshine

Ratatouille... What a load of fun! I love Disney Pixar movies and this was no disappointment.

xx


----------



## Wybren

I got to escape yesterday and got to see 27 dresses, pretty good actually.

I am now watching cars for the  1 millionth time this year.


----------



## HoopyFrood

_Finally_ watched *300*. I love stylised films like that. And violence and splashing blood is always good. But really, visually it was fantastic. I can imagine that it would've been awesome on the big screen at the cinema.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh yes,300 is bloody good,but i was expecting it to be pants cos everyone was sick of the hype and so dissing it. But it even had a decent story and sort of likeable characters!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I loved 300! Have it on DVD. Great visual movie, and I enjoyed the story as well. I really liked Gerard Butler as Leonidas.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I should think it did have an interesting story, seeing as it's based* on a real battle...


*I feel like I should add _loosely_ here to avoid angering some people


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

That is true Hoopy.  I think people sometimes forget that it is a _MOVIE_, which is meant for entertainment purposes, not historical. Isn't that what a documentary is for?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

But you have to admit the truth of that story is pretty amazing.


----------



## BladeOfFire

Hilarious Joke said:


> But you have to admit the truth of that story is pretty amazing.


 
I completely agree with you. There was so much truth behind themovie.


----------



## Enchantedfire7

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


 
The new Rambo! Beeping AWESOME!


----------



## Harpo

Having recently caught the second half of "Casino Royale" on TV, I went out and bought the DVD, which I am now watching.

It's the amazing and daft 60s version, with David Niven & Peter Sellers
YouTube - Original Casino Royale Trailer


----------



## Anthony G Williams

Harpo said:


> Having recently caught the second half of "Casino Royale" on TV, I went out and bought the DVD, which I am now watching.


 
I think that the theme music was the best thng about that - very catchy!


----------



## woodsman

Enchantedfire7 said:


> The new Rambo! Beeping AWESOME!


Goood!But,

DAyum, still waiting. Doesnae come out here till Friday, week. It'll be the first time I've been to t'cinema since Rocky Balboa and won't go again till the new Indiana Jones comes out. I really should watch some other stuff.


----------



## Simian

_Near Dark_, which has to be one of the most under-rated horror films ever made.


----------



## ravenus

Well it had quite a cult fan base so I'm not sure about under-rated...as compared to something like *The Innocents* (1961 version), which received a much later DVD release and only a bare-bones package at that.


----------



## Steve S

*Come and See* (bought it on DVD) - not an easy watch on any level but an incredible piece of cinema, thoroughly recommended.


----------



## Thadlerian

Pixar's Ratatoille on DVD. Cute, and pretty atmospheric, but otherwise a very average movie.


----------



## ravenus

I saw the film called *The Saragossa Manuscript* based on a fantasy novel by Jan Potocki. I watched this over 3 or 4 settings, the film being nearly 3 hours long and me getting to watch only late at night. It has a leisurely but amusing story-within-a-story-within-a-story tapestry, the quality of stories varying. You have some macabre and some bawdy tales. It's pretty well shot, amusingly acted  and a pleasant watch.


----------



## Talysia

Bit of an odd pair, but here we go.

Deja Vu.  Not a bad film in itself, although I did see the ending coming.

A Matter of Life and Death.  This was on just a little while ago, and it's the first time I've seen it for a while.  I have to say, I enjoyed it, too.


----------



## Connavar

I saw* Hitman*.

It was surprisingly good.  Timothy Olyphant was perfect as the stoic 47 !

Great action,good acting by the lead, he really was 47 even down to cool and slow walk,nice timed music.    Dougrey Scott was also a bonus.

I would rate it 8/10 ,cant wait for the sequal.

As a fan of the game same scenes was eye candy.  They took many scenes directly from the games, i was like i did that and this ,i was in that room in the game and so on.


I was afraid of seeing the movie as fan of the games cause i would be mad seeing hollywood ruin 47 but it was far from that.

It was produced by Luc Besson just like the first great Transporter movie.  Keep using Besson !


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Young Frankenstein* earlier. Good film, I have my English teacher to thank for getting me onto it, he was obsessed with it...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Seven was on TV, and I of course couldn't change the channel.  Great movie, even after seeing it many times.


----------



## Wybren

I watched Ratatouille last night, it was very good. Cars is now on for the 100th time this week.


----------



## BladeOfFire

I just finished Roll Bounce.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Was in need of a comedy...so we went for the classic Romzomcom...*Shaun of the Dead*.


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> the classic Romzomcom.



What a great word, Hoops!


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh yes Shaun of The Dead,great film. Much better than their later Hot Fuzz


----------



## HoopyFrood

Really? I definitely prefer *Hot Fuzz*, I think it's awesome. I especially love the plot, how it could be so dramatic and complicated, but in the end it really is because "Well, she did have an annoying laugh" or "did you see all those spelling mistakes?" Heh.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea i found it a huge disappointment. Was really looking forward to watching it but it was like an ok movie,rather than a great movie. Plus it was partly set in my workplace,Somerfield


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Help_ - the Beatles' second film.  Saw it yesterday on television, the first time I'd seen it in years.  Silliness, but still very good silliness.


----------



## Quokka

_Finding Nemo_ - each Pixar film has it's own charm but imo _Finding Nemo_ really is Pixar at it's absolute best .

_Batman_ - This seemed alot more dated then I remembered it, still love Jack as the Joker but I think _Batman Begins_ is now my favourite.


----------



## Mithridelle

Terminator I and II. 

WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Mr. Vampire*, an intentionally cheesy slapstick Hong Kong supernatural horror comedy. Breezy and quite hilarious.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_The Astronaut Farmer_.  The technical side of the story had holes you could drive truck through, but the story part of the story was by far good enough that the technical stuff really didn't matter.


----------



## DeepThought

*Dune*; finally, 20 years after I've seen it for the first as a seven year old (I think it was the year it first came out 1987?). Ahh...it stirs such memories...

*Bladerunner*; I've watched this five times already, have to say; my favorite _SF_ film of all time.

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## sarakoth

DeepThought said:


> *Dune*; finally, 20 years after I've seen it for the first as a seven year old (I think it was the year it first came out 1987?). Ahh...it stirs such memories...
> 
> *Bladerunner*; I've watched this five times already, have to say; my favorite _SF_ film of all time.
> 
> Cheers, DeepThought


 
I guess you're into the dreary, drawn-out kinda movies 

Last movie I saw was Rambo. Kind of disappointed.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Saw Good Luck Chuck. Mostly because it has Dane Cook in it and he cracks me up.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Gegen die Wand

absolutely riveting,at times ruthless
great acting
great directing
immensely believable
and moving
with a great open ending
a Love story with a capital L


----------



## Wybren

I just watched Surfs up with zach


----------



## HardScienceFan

and what did he think of it,wybe?
oww

WW you are back

YAY!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Wybren

He thought it was ok. then we started watching Ratatullie(sp?) and now he is asleep.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Ratatouille,about the rat?
Ratatouille is a French dish,originally
the title is a pun
saw a trailer ,and it looked pretty good


----------



## littlemissattitude

_The Martian Child_.  Based on an award-winning novel by David Gerrold.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Last night I watched _The Prestige_.  Mixed emotions:  didn't like the characters and some of the surprises weren't, the unrelentingly grim tone depressed me, but it kept my attention and I thought parts of it were very clever.

_The Illusionist_ should arrive the day after tomorrow.  I thought it would be interesting to watch them one after the other and compare.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I still prefer The Prestige to The Illusionist anyday Teresa, so it will be interesting to see what you think of the latter.
Watched 3.10 to Yuma and honestly it was ok but I hated the ending and it was really just another western.  Not that I have anything against western, but they have to be darn good to make an impact.
I want to see "There will be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis, because he makes movies so infrequently, they are usually very good.  Shall get back to you on this one, hopefully this weekend.


----------



## Morpheus42

Yesterday we went and got to see _Rendition_:  Was not impressed.

Tuesday last week we got _John Rambo_ as a movie:     Good movie if you like a very graphic show of people being killed.

Tuesday two weeks ago we saw _No country for old men._:  Now that was a good one. The best of the three for sure.


----------



## Nesacat

*Lair of the White Worm*, which I found at the pirates. It's been such a long time since I saw this one. Not much at all like the Bram Stoker book and nothing much at all when compared to what CGI can do now. But I have a fondness for it nevertheless. The giant, demented looking worm and the exaggerated flames. 

Also finally saw *Sweeney Todd*. It's very good but takes some getting used to. Johnny Depp was singing for goodness sake. Yes, yes, I knew it was a musical and all but it was still startling. It's well done though. The costumes and hairstyles are gorgeous and he and Bonham-Carter play their roles frighteningly well.


----------



## Wybren

HardScienceFan said:


> Ratatouille,about the rat?
> Ratatouille is a French dish,originally
> the title is a pun
> saw a trailer ,and it looked pretty good



Yep the one about the rat. it was very good, your nephews would enjoy it.


----------



## Nesacat

Loved *Ratatouille*. Have seen it several times and am probably going to watch it several more times. Meera Cat seems to like it too. Actually searched out a recipe and made this dish after watching the movie and yes, it's wonderful. Very comforting.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the latter half of *The Terminator* last night. It's been a looong time since I've watched it. The ending is pretty damn scary, that robot just won't die.


----------



## Mary Hoffman

Stardust, last night and loved it!

Mary


----------



## BladeOfFire

Today I watched follow the stars home. It was on the hallmark channel. A very good movie if I say so myself.


----------



## DeepThought

I've just re-watched *Bladerunner* _again_!; think I'm going insane over it.



Spoiler



_Roy_ saves _Deckard _from the fall (even though the latter had killed all his friends); It's touching that in the moment of his death he loved life. Makes me wonder who is the machine and who is human.

"_I've seen things you people wouldn't believe: attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain...Time to die._"

This scene moved me in a way that I never thought a movie could.

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## Esioul

........ ........ ........ ........ Flash! Ahaaa!


----------



## AE35Unit

.........saviour of,the Universe!....dum du dum dum da


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched the latter half of *Rush Hour 2* last night (I keep turning on the tv and finding myself halfway through interesting films). I like Rush Hour films. Hell, I like most films with Jackie Chan in them. Especially the comedy ones.


----------



## AE35Unit

Not seen any of the Rush Hour films. Helen isn't keen on MrChan


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

_The Illusionist_, which I enjoyed -- and on this one the twist actually caught me by surprise.  _The Prestige_ was possibly the better movie, but it left me feeling empty.  This one didn't.


----------



## woodsman

HoopyFrood said:


> I watched the latter half of *Rush Hour 2* last night (I keep turning on the tv and finding myself halfway through interesting films). I like Rush Hour films. Hell, I like most films with Jackie Chan in them. Especially the comedy ones.


 
Moi aussi. I love that film so was glad it was on. Then watched *Carnosaur 2* I think it was which was pretty shocking. 

Followed by one of Will Smiths better performances in: *Men In Black. *


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Stardust last night. Another 'why?' film.

What on earth was Robert de Niro doing in such tosh?
Its one of those films that cant decide what it is. Fantasy, historical piece or comedy.
No focus.


----------



## Lucien21

Stardust is a great film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lucien21 said:


> Stardust is a great film.


 
Each to their own i suppose, but i wish that when they do a historical piece they would use language from that era. It just looks wrong when a character in the 1800s is talking as if they were in this day ang age, it just becomes a fancy dress farce.
If theyre gonna do funny, do it properly funny, not half and half


----------



## Esioul

I wodnered if it would end up being like that, but I mgiht see it anyway, providing I have time on Sunday evening to go to the cinema.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Went to see "There will be Blood"  last night.  Loved the movie, a pretty long one, running 168mins but that made it all the more enjoyable.  It felt like it was over in a very short time.

Daniel Day Lewis what can I say.  I love this guy as an actor he is almost unequalled.  He brings such conviction to a part.  Could be Oscar No 2 for him coming up I think.  The ending left me slightly perplexed at the time but now I have had time to mull it over, it wasn't that bad.  
Well worth going to see!!!


----------



## HoopyFrood

We were supposed to watch *There Will Be Blood* for my creative writing class, but it doesn't seem to be showing at the local cinema for some reason.

I've just watched one of the horror films my friend bought me for my birthday last year. *My Little Eye*. Some interesting camera work, but not particularly chilling and everything seemed to happen in the last twenty minutes or so.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Hoppy I have never heard of it, was it enjoyable though?  You must do your best to get along to see There will be Blood.  It won;t be the same on DVD, its a move made for the big screen.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched a couple of great films tonight. My friend brought *Night Watch* over and we watched that, which is one of my favourite films. I love how stylised it is, right down to the subtitles. And then when that finished and we turned on the tv, *The Cell* had just begun. I've watched this a few times now and it's a good film, about the only one I can bear when starring Jenifer Lopez. And again, nicely stylised. I like stylised films.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

AE35Unit said:


> Watched Stardust last night. Its one of those films that cant decide what it is. Fantasy, historical piece or comedy.



To me, it seemed pretty obvious that it wasn't trying to be any of those things.  I viewed it as a fairy tale, and it was quite good on those terms.

I usually have problems with blatant anachronisms, even in fairy tales, but I don't remember anything bad enough to spoil my pleasure in this one.


----------



## Culhwch

_Shrek the Third_, which was more of the same; _Vacancy_, which was an effective little thriller and a pleasure after the recent dire run of gornography; and _Severance_, which was quite a lot of fun...


----------



## Pyan

What's_ gornography,_ Cul? 
Is it a new film descriptor, like RomZomCom, or just a typo?


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Not seen any of the Rush Hour films. Helen isn't keen on MrChan



Have she seen any of his great HK movies ?


Its not really fair to Mr Chan to judge him by some lame hollywood movies like Rush Hour,Medalion,Tuxedo when he is a HK movie legend known for hardcore martial arts movies.

I have seen alot western peeople do that, makes me a long time fan cringe.


----------



## HoopyFrood

pyan said:


> What's_ gornography,_ Cul?
> Is it a new film descriptor, like RomZomCom, or just a typo?



I don't know whether RomZomCom is an established film genre yet, seeing as there's only been about one film that can be described as such (apologies if there are more, I can only think of one...) but gornography is the word used for all the gratuitously gory films that are coming out recently, that like the splash the blood around as liberally as water, and seem to concentrate on hurting and killing people in as many horrific ways as possible -- films like *Saw*, *Hostel* etc.


----------



## Culhwch

HoopyFrood said:


> I don't know whether RomZomCom is an established film genre yet, seeing as there's only been about one film that can be described as such (apologies if there are more, I can only think of one...) but gornography is the word used for all the gratuitously gory films that are coming out recently, that like the splash the blood around as liberally as water, and seem to concentrate on hurting and killing people in as many horrific ways as possible -- films like *Saw*, *Hostel* etc.


 
What she said. Though I am glad to see you picture me sitting around watching a kid's movie followed by some smut, Py...


----------



## Pyan

Ah...I am enlightened. Thank you.

And I always pictured you as a cinemavore, Cul...if it's on the screen, you'll devour it.....


----------



## Culhwch

For the most part true, though I will try my best to avoid the more distasteful things. Renee Zellweger, for instance. Shudder.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> I don't know whether RomZomCom is an established film genre yet, seeing as there's only been about one film that can be described as such (apologies if there are more, I can only think of one...) but gornography is the word used for all the gratuitously gory films that are coming out recently, that like the splash the blood around as liberally as water, and seem to concentrate on hurting and killing people in as many horrific ways as possible -- films like *Saw*, *Hostel* etc.


 
Ah. I've only heard the term "torture porn" in connection with this type of bilge....


----------



## Wybren

Watching Lilo and Stitch at the moment


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched a film called Wedding Daze earlier,not bad actually


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult* earlier.


----------



## biodroid

The Kingdom and Disturbia. Kingdom was very good but Disturbia has been done before (same old, same old)


----------



## ravenus

Saw Mel Brooks' *Blazing Saddles* which had some pretty good laugh moments although it's not in the same league as *The Producers* or *History of The World Pt. 1*


----------



## Allegra

_Silk_. Not at all as good as the brilliant _The Red Violin_ - also directed by François Girard.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Shaun of the Dead* again -- it was on tv. Now I've switched over and *Bram Stoker's Dracula* is on. The music in this is great, it reminds me of drama at school as we always used to use it for our pieces...


----------



## Urien

Die Hard 4.0

It was ok, but I felt it was missing something. Willis felt more of a cipher than a real person this time.


----------



## Quokka

_Easy Rider_, interesting movie and it must have got thousands onto the roads . I also saw some of _Chinatown_ the other day (one I really want to go back and watch all the way through), Jack Nicholson is such a character himself it's easy to forget just how good an actor he really is.


----------



## Tansy

At the cinema it was Cloverfield

On DVD it would be Amelie...yet again


----------



## ravenus

Saw a couple of episodes from the *BBC Sherlock Holmes Collection* with the rarely-less-than-awesome *Peter Cushing* as Holmes. The screenplays are average, production values are shaky (Interiors done in videotape) compared to the sumptuous layout for the Granada series, and nothing quite matches up to Jeremy Brett's moody brilliance in the titular part, but Cushing is a perennial sturdy with a strong grasp of the character and pleases when he is on screen.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night watched *Invasion* quite good,Nicole Kidman continues to look gorgeous, followed by *The Nanny Diaries* with Scarlett Wotsitface,turned out to be an ok movie tho I got annoyed at all these career driven women who hardly notice or have time for their kids! Why do these people bother to have kids?


----------



## Wybren

I think to some people kids are an accessory : (

I watched a combination of Lilo and Stitch, Toy Story 1 & 2, Ratatouille and Surfs up yesterday, trying to work out what it was that Zach wanted to watch


----------



## AE35Unit

Sadly true Wyb. I could feel myself getting angry with this posh business woman and her useless husband who would say 'keep the kid quiet tonight,i have some work to get thru' or she would take a vacation from being a mother cos she's stressed. I wanted to shout at the TV 'For f***'s sake woman,wake up!! The poor kid was really badly behaved because he didn't have anyone to communicate with.


----------



## GOLLUM

Day Watch. It was OK but I liked Night Watch better...


----------



## roddglenn

I watched In the Valley of Elah the other night.  

Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon find out that their son has gone AWOL (absent without leave) from the army shortly after returning home from a tour of duty in Iraq.  The story weaves an intricate web of mystery around this basic premise and keeps you guessing all the way through and makes excellent use of garbled video clips found on the son's mobile phone.

I drew some similarities with No Country for Old Men, not just in both films having some of the same cast (Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Barry Corbin).  The film had a similar quiet brooding about it and also used minimal use of music throughout (although obviously more than No Country which only had end credits music).  Jones played a similar character too, quiet, knowledgeable, authoritative, sad and quite lonely (despite being married to Susan Sarandon).  His acting was as always impeccable - standout scenes were talking on the phone to Sarandon and having to tell her about their son and also his two visits to the morgue -one on his own and the second time with Sarandon.  Sarandon gave a solid performance too, along with Charlize Theron and the rest of the supporting cast (including Jason Patric, James Franco and those already mentioned).  

Overall an excellent film and one for the collection.


----------



## Culhwch

Watched _Little Children _tonight. I don't know, it really left me feeling empty. Great perfomances from Kate Winslett and Patrick Wilson, but unsatisfying on the whole. Last night was _Premonition_, which wasn't great. Stupid ending. Stupid, stupid ending.


----------



## Sathai

I watched Stardust which I thought was great. I also watched Becoming Jane which was ok.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I watched Definately, Maybe, which was good for a chick flick .


----------



## littlemissattitude

Currently watching _The Right Stuff_...again.

But, I'm a little ticked at the schedulers at History Channel and AMC.  Just as _The Right Stuff_ was starting to screen on History Channel, AMC was starting _The Day The Earth Stood Still_.  How dare they make me make a decision like that so early on a Sunday morning?


----------



## DeepThought

*Firestarter*,  Mark L. Lester; adapted from Stephen king's famous novel of the same name. As usual, I found the movie inferior to it's text-medium counterpart, though have to admit it's leagues better than the drivel Hollywood is churning out these days...

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Hannibal*, which was a beautifully shot and pretty entertaining flick on the whole. I just love the climax, surreal and funny.


----------



## Quokka

_Licence to Wed _(pretty much under protest), the only suprising thing was I didn't find Robin Williams half as annoying as I have in most of his recent movies roles but that was purely by comparison with the other actors and the script.


----------



## j d worthington

ravenus said:


> Saw *Hannibal*, which was a beautifully shot and pretty entertaining flick on the whole. I just love the climax, surreal and funny.


 
Got to admit that I prefer the ending of the book; but there is absolutely no way a major studio was going to go for _that_ one....


----------



## ravenus

Never got to reading it since I personally thought SoTL was a prosaic sort of book compared to the brilliant movie made of it.


----------



## Pyan

*Jurassic Park*, for the umteenth time...


----------



## Overread

j. d. worthington said:


> Got to admit that I prefer the ending of the book; but there is absolutely no way a major studio was going to go for _that_ one....


 
*mumbles mutters and grumbles and scribbles another book onto the "To Read" list*
and here I thought at thread on films was safe from such


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Saw Definately, Maybe. I thought it was a very cute movie. A pretty good chick flick I must say.


----------



## DeepThought

Not just one movie...original three Starwars movies back to back; *A New Hope*, *Empire Strikes Back*, *Return of the Jedi*. Lost count of the number of times I've watched these gems, beats the crap out of the butchery that was the 'prequels'.

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## dekket

I believe the last movie I saw was Aliens vs Predator: Requiem


----------



## Allegra

_Alien Autopsy_
_Deja Vu_
_Memoirs of a Geisha_

All quite good in their own ways.


----------



## gully_foyle

Ray. Some solid acting, but an otherwise conventional biopic.


----------



## Xwing Mom

National Treasure 2...well worth the wait.


----------



## j d worthington

Overread said:


> *mumbles mutters and grumbles and scribbles another book onto the "To Read" list*
> and here I thought at thread on films was safe from such


 
Whoever you are, wherever you hide, we will seek you out, and we will add to your towering TBR pile.....

By the way... I've got a great deal on this new house down the street... just in case you need some extra room....


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Run Fat  Boy Run,(with Simon Pegg of Hot Fuzz.) A very funny film tho in reality there's no way he'd be able to run that marathon!


----------



## j d worthington

A rewatch (for the first time in quite a while) of *The Legend of Hell House*. While I wish they'd left in some connections (such as Lionel having suffered from polio, which plays a major part in character interaction and motivation where Ann is concerned), and despite the fact that John Hough has never struck me as a particular brilliant director... the film works rather well, and there are some very nice directorial touches here that shows he could do some excellent work at times; not to mention the cinematography is extremely important to the feel of this one....


----------



## Quokka

*Brazil*, simply superb. In fact it was so good I feel like having a short rant about it. Luckily there's already a thread so I won't inflict it here .


----------



## Foxbat

*The Brain That Wouldn't Die *Good, old fashioned B movie nonsense.


----------



## Ceres

Gattaca-required viewing for a study project on the themes of dystopian societies, eugenics.


----------



## Omega

The 40 Year Old Virgin, someone told me that Seth Rogen is in it and he's good and I have to agree the lead Steve Carrell is also great, although it took me 15 minutes to get into the movie, once I did it was very enjoyable.


----------



## Wybren

watching Madagascar ATM


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Last night:  _Something Wicked This Way Comes_.  Of course there was no way the fabulous prose in the book could be translated into a movie, but I enjoyed it anyway.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Control at a tiny independent cinema in Berlin

Film 7.5
Music 9.5
Venue 9.5
Seeing Sam Riley at airport 10


----------



## tangaloomababe

I watched "Death at a Funeral"  I really enjoyed it, laughed alot.  I have not seen a particuarly funny movie in awhile, so this was a nice change.


----------



## HoopyFrood

A rather violent and leave your brain to one side night. Watched *Shoot 'Em Up* first. Despite having something only really resembling a plot, some cheesy lines and the usual obligatory sex and torture scenes, I actually really enjoyed it. First, the gun fights were fantastic -- so many different ways to kill off large groups of men involving guns...and sometimes a carrot. And the parachuting scene was just madness. The ending was good, too -- the most agonising  showdown ever, with both men desperately trying to raise their guns first!

And then we watched the *Dirty Sanchez* film. Jackass is all right, but for some reason I really like watching the crazy Welsh guys in Dirty Sanchez do horrible, violent -- but amusing -- things to one another.


----------



## Mighty mouse

A bit of retro, the stylish Underworld.
Selene is a vampire who hunts lycans (werewolves, they murdered her original family, she was saved and then turned by the vampire Lucian).
Another theme is that a human bitten by a vampire or werewolf inherits their memories. Alas she learns in the film it was actually the vampires that murdered her family. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention but would not the inherited memories have told her that?


----------



## Tillane

Finally got around to watching *There Will Be Blood*.  Absolutely astonishing film, and with a real _tour de force _performance from Daniel Day Lewis.  Not a film for those who want a sympathetic lead character, though...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Have to say I loved the *40 year old virgin*. 

Just rented *License to Wed* with Robin Williams. I was pleasantly surprised. Not the greatest movie, but it had its moments. And Mandy Moore didn't annoy me like I thought she might.


----------



## Locksmith

So was I the only one who watched 40 year old virgin and thought at the start - hey, he's got quite a cool life... 

I watched the Simpsons Movie, which was rubbish. Like a bad episode of the Simpsons with the disadvantage that it wasn't over in 25 minutes.


----------



## Allegra

Tillane said:


> Finally got around to watching *There Will Be Blood*. Absolutely astonishing film, and with a real _tour de force _performance from Daniel Day Lewis. Not a film for those who want a sympathetic lead character, though...


 
I'm looking forward to watching this film! The way I like Daniel Day-Lewis, he'd better not to be sympathetic. Another impressive film of his is _The Unbearable Lightness of Being_, in which he was not only 'sympathetic' but pathetic!


----------



## annapathy

I recently viewed *The Bad Sleep Well* by Akira Kurosawa. Needless to say, I was in tears by the end of the movie.


----------



## Aniri

The Spiderwick Chronicles.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

10 000 Bc.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Was just flicking through the channels and saw something about to start -- *Predator*. Score! One of my favourite films. So I'm watching that now.


----------



## Overread

ahem
*taps paw*
are you not meant to be writing an essay?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Quiet, you!

I love this film, it needs to be watched. And I can do both. Multitasking. I do it well!


----------



## Tillane

Just got through watching *In The Mood For Love*.  For the...umpteenth time.  Love it.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Ginger Snaps*
Has anyone else seen this one?

Anyone???????????


----------



## chopper

Blade Runner - the new cut; bought it on DVD at xmas and only just got around to opening the lovely package (5 discs............)
only problem is that proper TV is out due to decoration,  so having to watch stuff on PC.


----------



## ravenus

HardScienceFan said:


> *Ginger Snaps*
> Has anyone else seen this one?
> 
> Anyone???????????


I did, and it was a pretty nice female adolescence black comedy mixed with horror piece. I also saw the sequel GS: Unleashed, which was not as good , but still had its moments as a more straight-ahead horror story.
I had in fact reviewed GS, but the site where it was put up is currently out of action.

*Edit:* Oh what the hell, I'll just paste the review here 

*GINGER SNAPS - John Fawcett*


 In *RL Stevenson*'s tale of _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_, the character of Utterson describes Hyde in these words, "I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why...he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point.  He's an extraordinary looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way." In the visual medium of course we can rarely have it that way, so cinematic Hydes have always come with easily describable deformities and abnormalities, and one of the more popular variations in film of this theme (mixed with some European folklore) is that of the Werewolf. Shuttling between the human, usually repressed side and the hot-blooded animal side, the Werewolf is, as *Stephen King* postulates in his delightful chronicle _Danse Macabre_, a representation of the conflict between the orderly Apollonian and wanton Dionysian sides of human nature.


 Pompous ******** aside, the archetype Werewolf film is about an otherwise introverted and nondescript protagonist finding bloody release once the fur rises. 2000's _Ginger Snaps_ is another effort that explores this theme. To make things more interesting, _Ginger Snaps_ has two protagonists, Ginger and Brigitte, who with their intense exclusion of the rest of the world and tendency towards unusual activities like making a high school project composed of mock suicide tableaux, handsomely earn their reputation as the prominent weirdos on campus. Also, they're both running rather late to puberty. The main story picks off when the older Ginger, a little after her first period, is attacked by a werewolf. This sparks of a series of changes,  both physical and psychological, which upsets the emotional equation of the nerdy sisters and sets the further course of increasingly violent events.



In several online reviews, _Ginger Snaps_ comes highly recommended, praised for its intermingling of the themes of werewolves and difficult female adolescence. Apart from the gender, the theme is not particularly novel and in the early parts I was beginning to consider the film as a decent effort, but with some noticeably lazy plot contrivance (a drug-dealer who is also an expert on Werewolf lore) and weighed down by over-hype. But then it turned out to have a strong middle, with some really clever black comedy drawn from those elements. Ginger being presented with a crimson sauce dripping cake on her first period, or Brigitte diverting her stereotype suburban sitcom mother (*Mimi Rogers*, hilariously good) from noticing a corpse in the freezer with , "Mum, what do boys WANT?" are but a couple out of several moments that elicited hearty chuckles from me. It is also admirable that an emotional bond is depicted between the sisters without resorting to the usual mush.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Tillane



> Finally got around to watching *There Will Be Blood*. Absolutely astonishing film, and with a real _tour de force _performance from Daniel Day Lewis. Not a film for those who want a sympathetic lead character, though


 
yes Till I saw this movie a couple of days before Daniel got his 2nd best actor oscar and I knew he was in with a massive chance.  Its a great film and he is absolutely brilliant. A wonderful actor.

I had been working outside all this morning and finally came inside and sat down to watch Sence and Sensibility however I turned the tv on and just starting was Dr Zhivago.  Havn't seen this movie in years, so that was it for another 3 hours or so, just watched Dr Zhivago.  Still havn't seen Sense and Sensibility but that can wait for another day...............


----------



## AE35Unit

Ginger Snaps was a brilliant film,loved it but wouldn't want to p*** her off!


----------



## Tillane

_*Raiders of the Lost Ark*_, for the umpteenth time.  And still I love it...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched a blast from the (recent) past. *Scary Movie*.


----------



## Pyan

Jurassic Park III...one eye on it, one here....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched the latter half of *White Noise*. I watched this at the cinema when it first came out, it's quite a jumpy film when watched properly. But the endings somewhat lame.


----------



## Lioness

Last Movie I saw at the cinema was Beowulf, I loved it.

last movie I saw at home was The Fifth Element, and the one before that was Stardust.

I love Stardust, for all its an adaptation of a book, its really good.


----------



## Spade

Most recent: Requiem for a Dream
Before that: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Inland Empire, and No Country For Old Men


----------



## Quokka

*TOTAL RECALL *and I swear this movie gets better with age, it was released pretty much at the height of Arnie's popularity (1990) and from memory I don't think it got a whole lot of respect being disregarded as an overly violent action movie with a strange plotline. I've no idea how this movie relates to PK Dick's story _We Can Remember It For You Wholesale _but judging by the other adaptions I'm guessing its only a starting point. Still taking this as a stand alone movie I think it holds up really well and is actually one of Arnie's better movies.

Edit: and having recently seen some of V and Starship Troopers I have to say I really like Michael Ironside as an actor.


----------



## Culhwch

Last night I watched _Die Hard 4.0_, which was a bit of a guilty pleasure. I figured it would suck if only due to the track record of Len Wiseman, but it had all the things that made the earlier films fun, just with more ridiculous explosions... Before that it was _The Fountain_, which I thoght was visually very accomplished but lacked a little focus - which is a shame, because it had the potential to be great.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched Troy last night. Not sure what others here think, but I quite enjoy the movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Watched Troy last night. Not sure what others here think, but I quite enjoy the movie.


well,I thought it was pants personally. I guess women watch it for Brad Pitt but his performance was rubbish!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm in the house by myself tonight. So I decide to watch a horror film, of course. I'm watching a Korean film at the moment, *Doll Master*. I'm not a fan of dolls at the best of times, so this is promisingly creepy. Especially when the crazy house that they are in have dolls everywhere, even half hanging out of the ceiling and holding light bulbs to act as strange lights. The dolls! They keep moving! Argh!


----------



## zabylin

Oddly enough I just rented Troy, but I haven't watched it yet.

The last movie I saw in theaters was Sweeney Todd, which I absolutely loved.  But the actual last movie I watched was The Libertine. Basically b/c Johnny Depp, and John Malkovich were in it, but I wasn't altogether impressed, though it was okay.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

AE35Unit said:


> well,I thought it was pants personally. I guess women watch it for Brad Pitt but his performance was rubbish!


 
Eric Bana's not too shabby either.  I will agree with you on the acting though, not Brad's best work to date for sure.

I am hoping to watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I have it sitting here on DVD, its just finding the time to watch it.


----------



## Tillane

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I am hoping to watch The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I have it sitting here on DVD, its just finding the time to watch it.


Great film.  Better soundtrack (Nick Cave & Warren Ellis)...


----------



## gully_foyle

Control. A somewhat depressing biopic about a brilliant young man and how much of a mess he was. Anton Corbijn undoubtedly has a great eye, but the telling was a bit dispassionate. Curtis was a serious young man, but I think somehow Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People did him more justice, even though he was a minor character. The music was great ofcourse.


----------



## ravenus

*No Country for Old Men*. While the film had some really good bits, I found the Tommy Lee Jones thread very mediocre and soporific and it brings down the overall impact of the film a great deal for me.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched 101 Dalmations for the first time(the original)
Much better than the new version!


----------



## Culhwch

_Shoot 'Em Up_. Turgid waste of celluloid.


----------



## Lith

An old BBC version of George MacDonald's The Light Princess. Wow. Just Wow. 

Was it awful! They'd improvised a lot of stuff into the story to "Disney-ify" it, and ran roughshod over MacDonald's much more clever and punchy story. The kind of awful usually reserved for the bottom of Hollywood's rather large barrel. Oy...


----------



## gully_foyle

Great night of TV, except the ads. Galaxy Quest, which I absolutely love, followed by Hitch Hikers, which on my third viewing, despite the late hour, I am really starting to appreciate, despite the over sentimentality. Maybe, at the end of the day, it was not a stand out movie in its own right, but it was a homage to one of the greatest pop culture icons of the latter half of the last century.


----------



## Stenevor

La Haine - A day in the life of 3 french teenagers following a riot on their estate in which a friend of theirs was put in hospital by the police. All the way through you can see its going to end badly but the ending still comes as a shock. Good, powerful film though the 3 main characters are so idiotic half the time its hard to have any sympathy for them.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Red Dragon*, the 3rd Hannibal Lecter movie. This one had a huge starcast and a potentially interesting story but was very mediocre to sucky all the way, thanks to a poor screenplay and horrible direction.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> Saw *Red Dragon*, the 3rd Hannibal Lecter movie. This one had a huge starcast and a potentially interesting story but was very mediocre to sucky all the way, thanks to a poor screenplay and horrible direction.



No forget Red Dragon, go find the original version,Manhunter from 1986,before Silence of the Lambs. Brian Cox plays Hannibal and its a far far better version than the newer one. Gorier but better. The bad guy in red dragon just doesn't look menacing enough,but in Manhunter he is nenacing!


----------



## Aniri

_Eastern Promises_--rented it off cable this weekend.
_Beowulf_--rented from Netflix and also watched this weekend.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

What did you think of Eastern Promises? It is on my list to get through blockbluster, just curious if its good.


----------



## Aniri

Lady of Winterfell said:


> What did you think of Eastern Promises? It is on my list to get through blockbluster, just curious if its good.


 
I would rate it a 2 out of 5 stars.  I like Viggo, so I was mesmerized by him and what is up with him speaking Russian??  Did he learn this for the movie??? If so, then I am impressed!  I understood him better than most of the Russian actors  I was not crazy about the ending--kind of left me "_That's it?"._


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Yeah, that's mostly why I want to see it, for Viggo. 

Well, its next on my movie list, but we have to watch The Assasination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford first, its been sitting here for awhile now.


----------



## Pyan

The *Wind in the Willows* (_1996, Steve Coogan, Eric Idle, Terry Jones_)

Great fun, but the plot suffers from the usual _film-makers know better than the original author_ syndrome.


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> No forget Red Dragon, go find the original version,Manhunter from 1986,before Silence of the Lambs. Brian Cox plays Hannibal and its a far far better version than the newer one. Gorier but better. The bad guy in red dragon just doesn't look menacing enough,but in Manhunter he is nenacing!


 
Problem is, in the novel *Red Dragon* he _wasn't supposed to be menacing_. To all appearances, he was a nebbish. And, in reality, Francis Dolarhyde was a nebbish... it was his alter-ego, the Red Dragon, that was the brutal monster that destroyed both Dolarhyde and his victims. That's one of the most disturbing aspects of Harris' novel -- he opens by showing you the horrific murder of the family, and gradually takes you into Dolarhyde the person, someone who, when he finds a chance at redemption, really is a man fighting for his soul, but doomed to lose. So you end up feeling torn, wanting this _man_ who is emerging to succeed and life a fulfilled life with someone he cares about, but then you're condoning the monstrous acts he did before. At the same time, you, too, feel the horror of someone fighting to actually _build_ a sane personality, who is constantly overshadowed by this almost separate entity known as the Red Dragon. In that, the newer version was much, much closer than *Manhunter*, and paid more attention to the aspects of the tale that get the audience to question their own perceptions along the way...


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> Problem is, in the novel *Red Dragon* he _wasn't supposed to be menacing_. To all appearances, he was a nebbish. And, in reality, Francis Dolarhyde was a nebbish... it was his alter-ego, the Red Dragon, that was the brutal monster...



Well I read Red Dragon)the only Thomas Harris book I have read) and I found him quite menacing!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Beowulf,fantastic CGI! Great movie over all too!
 Can't help thinking it would have been a lot cheaper just use real actors! And did they have to use Angelina Jolie! Mind you it suited her playing the baddie!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I take it your not a fan of Angelina Jolie AE?


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I take it your not a fan of Angelina Jolie AE?



Not really. I can't believe Brad Pitt left Jeniffer Aniston for that! Wants his head looking at, or did she tempt him just like in Beowulf? Wouldn't work on me,she's too skinny!


----------



## chopper

believe it or not i've only just got around to watching the extended version of Return of the King. crikey, it dragged a bit.

good fun, all the same.


----------



## littlemissattitude

RE: the Manhunter/Red Dragon controversy...I have to say that of the two, I am partial to Manhunter and didn't like Red Dragon nearly as much.  Of course, that might have to do with the presence of William Peterson in Manhunter as well as the climax of the film being set to Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which is a favorite of mine.

I don't know, Edward Norton just didn't do it for me in Red Dragon, and while I generally like Philip Seymour Hoffman's performances (all the way from Twister to Almost Famous to Capote), I didn't like him in Red Dragon at all.  I'm still convinced that they did the remake just so they'd have a version with Anthony Hopkins doing his Hannibal thing.

But that's just me.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Beowulf,fantastic CGI! Great movie over all too!
> Can't help thinking it would have been a lot cheaper just use real actors! And did they have to use Angelina Jolie! Mind you it suited her playing the baddie!


 

I haven't even seen this movie, but from previews alone, I highly doubt it's going to follow the story at all. That's the problem with mythology movies-the filmmakers take WAY too much into their own hands. I absolutely refuse to watch any film based off ancient mythology, because I know they'll only screw the story up.


----------



## Talysia

Recently watched _Quatermass and the Pit_, 1967 Hammer version.  I'll be watching the original soon to compare notes.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Talysia said:


> Recently watched _Quatermass and the Pit_, 1967 Hammer version.


 
That would be the one that was released here in the States as _Five Million Years to Earth_.  One of my favorite films, all-time.   First saw it on a double bill with _Planet of the Apes_, way back when.


----------



## j d worthington

Talysia said:


> Recently watched _Quatermass and the Pit_, 1967 Hammer version. I'll be watching the original soon to compare notes.


 
There are strong similarities, but a lot of differences as well. One of the things I prefer about the original is that it had more room to breathe, and so you ended up with some very atmospheric, eerie things going on there... something they just didn't have time to develop properly in the 90 minutes or so of the Hammer version. Both are well worth seeing, but I have to admit to a preference for the original broadcast version, and even to a preference for AndréMorell as Quatermass, even though Andrew Kier did put in an excellent performance....


----------



## HardScienceFan

Ice Age 2

Brilliant


----------



## Foxbat

*The Lives Of Others*. Its Oscar was well deserved


----------



## Tansy

Last 2 movies I watched were Stardust which I loved and Atonement which I wouldn't call enjoyable but was compelling and a tad sad


----------



## The_Warrior

I saw....well this is hard fo me, becuase I'm doing this one thing to my own self, that I would turn on the same exact movie, every time I go to sleep, for a whole week. Don't ask y why-It's just that I think I don't get annoyed too much, so this does the trick. Last week it was Disney's The Black Cauldron. This week it was Small Soldiers. I try to pick movies that I haven't seen for a long time, so that I can keep them in my mind fo ever 0_0.

So yeah.


----------



## Tansy

omg shoot em up - pile of poo and not at all what i expected

Control - like it and the music but can see why people didn't, twas a tad depressing

No Country for old Men - bf loved it and I really wanted to but it just bored me, incidentally the first time I've agreed on a film with my mother, I must be gettting old 

Troy - was ok but prefer Orlando  Eric and Brad are ok though


----------



## ravenus

I used to sometimes wonder if Ingmar Bergman had ever made bad movies in his life and yesterday I found out...*Music In Darkness*. It's one of his early movies and apart from a couple of nice images it's a pile of empty melodramatic poo.

I also saw most of *Manhunter* (fell asleep a third short of the end, but more because I was tired). I know both are based on the same book, but Red Dragon, apart from the intro sequence and additional material for Anthony Hopkins to ham his way through,  seems to even follow the script for Manhunter verbatim. But I liked this one better in general. Will Graham is depicted in a more burned out fashion and not the "I look discomfited because I just crapped my pants" style that Ed Norton had in RD. And the combination of visuals and (synth-based) music is plain better here.


----------



## The Ace

*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.*  I much preferred Gene Wilder's eccentric but kind portrayal of Willy Wonka, to Johnny Depp's cynical one.

 Although both mucked about with the book, Wilder's was superior, the twee Hollywood ending of the later one was just boring, and Roald Dahl himself considered such exploration of Wonka's background unnecessary.


----------



## The_Warrior




----------



## ravenus

Over the course of time, I'm almost done seeing the *Firefly* series and this is hands down one of the most entertaining things I've seen in recent times. Good writing (if sometimes a tad excessive), generally like-able characters, no emocore ******** and lovely old-skool action-adventure. George Lucas should watch this and relearn how to make a fun space-fiction movie...or better still he should fund these guys to do another season or whatever.


----------



## UltraCulture

Watched *The Last Mimzy* last night, if it ever got released at the flicks I missed it, it was a fantastic film.


----------



## TorrnT

Watched Mr Brooks, Throughly enjoyed the movie, Some have made comment on Demi moore's performance being poor and other minor details.
I can live with minor details if there is a well conceived plot. And I personally found Mr Brooks to be a very fine movie with a great performance from Kevin Costner and supporting actors.

 "No Country for old men" which I watched also, disappointed me. One critic said "it was the King with no clothes" and i have to agree, ok so there is a Point being made, and i get it, but i am too well burrowed into my traditional film format (or what constitutes as traditional format) to fully appreciate this film as a whole.
This film will remain controversial and for that alone the Coen brothers can pat them selves on the back, But I wont be paying to watch another of their movies, if its like NCFOM.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched Heartbreak Kid, with Ben Stiller(and his dad Jerry, a really funny old guy!)
It started as an okish  film, but soon got to be quite funny and the language and sex content was quite surprising(it tells you at the start that the film has been edited for content!)

Stiller is on great form but you get to hate his character(well I did, the way he treated women, not good!)


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> Over the course of time, I'm almost done seeing the *Firefly* series and this is hands down one of the most entertaining things I've seen in recent times. Good writing (if sometimes a tad excessive), generally like-able characters, no emocore ******** and lovely old-skool action-adventure. George Lucas should watch this and relearn how to make a fun space-fiction movie...or better still he should fund these guys to do another season or whatever.



Join the club and wait till you see the last ep and get annoyed for it getting canceled.

Heh i saw the "new" star wars movies in cable a week ago and i really thought " what happened to Lucas...., he should have went to Whedon for help on how to write action-adventure in space"


----------



## ravenus

Oh I did see the last ep and it was like all preceding stuff, pretty entertaining. And they had some interesting stuff for another season. Shep Book is still an enigma, and what the Alliance intends River for, the silly blue-gloved people that look like Matrix leftovers...And is the girl that plays Kaylee cute or what? 

 with regards Lucas, I think he made the mistake of confusing his movies with Frank Herbert's novels and getting into thinking that people wanted to hear his characters sitting around having leaden politics and stock market discussions.


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> Oh I did see the last ep and it was like all preceding stuff, pretty entertaining. And they had some interesting stuff for another season. Shep Book is still an enigma, and what the Alliance intends River for, the silly blue-gloved people that look like Matrix leftovers...And is the girl that plays Kaylee cute or what?
> 
> with regards Lucas, I think he made the mistake of confusing his movies with Frank Herbert's novels and getting into thinking that people wanted to hear his characters sitting around having leaden politics and stock market discussions.



You are very lucky you knew it was canceled.  I saw it without knowing how short the tv show was and what happened to them.  I saw the movie first then the series.  If i met the people in fox that canceled it in a dark alley, i would beat them to a pulp and not feel the least bit guilty 

Kaylee hehe she was soo cute   Everyone thinks that.  When i saw the actress get a recurring role in Stargate Atlantis. It made many old Firefly fans including me go "whee Kaylee is back "  

I saw the blue gloved people in the comics mini, they were pretty good villains the little you saw of them there.

Shep Book mystery annoys me most.   They could have atleast told us who he was in the movie.


Hehe well said about Lucas.  You are so right he forgot or let his ego get the better of him.  The old movies was epic space adventure. Simple,fun if alittle cheasy.  Sure he was "inspired" by Dune but the new movies he for some crazy reason thought the movie fans would care for political discussions.   But he deserves a break in that he went from having Harrison Ford the classic hero actor to people like McGreggor,Hayden,Sam Jackson.....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Aw man, I liked the new movies. I may even prefer them to the old ones, because the scope is bigger, and the graphics are better. I respect that a lot of people like the old ones better for a myriad of reasons. But I also think you won't like the new movies if you constantly try and compare them to the old ones. The new ones will often not stand up to the massive nostalgic value many people place on the originals. But they should be enjoyed in their own right. And I reckon McGregor, Hayden and Sam Jackson were great.

On a totally different note I saw _Horton Hears a Who _today. One of the best children's movies I've seen in a long time. Better than _Ratatouille_. I still boggle at how good computer animation is, and it does wonders for Suessish architecture. I grew up on Dr Suess, and I still love that sense of ridiculous that you see in this movie. Its awesome. And its funny! Seriously, take your kids to see it if you have any, they will love it. Even if you don't have kids, see it for some wholesome fun and spectacular visuals.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Finally watched *The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*. Not at all what I expected that movie to be like but I did like it.

One thing I noticed was that Jesse was 34 years old (I think) in the movie, but Brad Pitt is 44. And Bob Ford was supposed to be 19/20, but Casey Affleck is 32 years old. I know that usually the actor is not the same age as the person they are playing, but that seems like quite a big difference.

Also, I think Casey Affleck is a much better actor than his brother Ben.


----------



## Connavar

Hilarious Joke said:


> Aw man, I liked the new movies. I may even prefer them to the old ones, because the scope is bigger, and the graphics are better. I respect that a lot of people like the old ones better for a myriad of reasons. But I also think you won't like the new movies if you constantly try and compare them to the old ones. The new ones will often not stand up to the massive nostalgic value many people place on the originals. But they should be enjoyed in their own right. And I reckon McGregor, Hayden and Sam Jackson were great.
> 
> On a totally different note I saw _Horton Hears a Who _today. One of the best children's movies I've seen in a long time. Better than _Ratatouille_. I still boggle at how good computer animation is, and it does wonders for Suessish architecture. I grew up on Dr Suess, and I still love that sense of ridiculous that you see in this movie. Its awesome. And its funny! Seriously, take your kids to see it if you have any, they will love it. Even if you don't have kids, see it for some wholesome fun and spectacular visuals.



Im not nostalgic i have seen the old movies many times over the years.  Sure they looked dated but they were great stories.


I personlly find it sad that people think that computer graphics makes movies better.


Saying something is good only for nostalgia is a not a good excuse IMO.  Cause you see the old movies on tv yearly.  Some arent as good you remembered and some like Clint Westerns,7 Samurai,Casablanca,Star Wars are timeless.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Fair call Connavar, on the nostalgia.

I would say though that computer graphics _do _make the visual effect of movies better. Computer graphics allow for scenes in the realm of imagination to look truly real, on a massive scope. I agree that computer graphics do not _necessarily_ make movies better, but you have to admit that they allow for a much greater sense of realness in fantasy and sci fi movies especially. Some of the most thrilling scenes in the new movies, and there are many, are so well polished and often can only be done because of the advanced technology we have.


----------



## Allegra

Caught an old old film on MGM - _The Trails of Oscar Wilde_. Peter Finch(?) is really good.


----------



## The Ace

*Beowulf *- Interesting concept.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've watch quite the handful of films lately. I've watched *The Forgotten*, which started off well but then just made me laugh when people started shooting off into the air. Also watched *Silence of the Lambs*, a fantastic film that I haven't watched in ten years or more. Also *The Eye*, which had some nice jumpy bits, at least. And *Sin City*, which I really enjoyed, because I _love_ stylised films. And also caught sections of various _Indiana Jones_ films that were on tv.


----------



## kyektulu

The Ace said:


> *Beowulf *- Interesting concept.



Thats the last one I saw at the cinema and other than that I am Legend, the latter was a big disapointment, they killed off the dog and it was the only good thing in the film!!!


----------



## meenu

i enjoyed The Princess Bride  on  yesterday.


----------



## TorrnT

The princess bride, one of my all time favorite films with great title song, I loved the humor in that film, I often felt the Shrek films had an essence of the PB film. Is due another showing soon.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Enchanted last night. Was really looking forward to this but what a huge huge disappointment! Kids would love it tho.


----------



## Pyan

*The African Queen *- _Bogart and Bacall._ Sublime...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Saw *Bee Movie* the other night. Not a great movie, but pretty cute.


----------



## Urien

The Brave One-Jodie Foster

Pretty good.


----------



## Connavar

pyan said:


> *The African Queen *- _Bogart and Bacall._ Sublime...



A Bogart fan ?

IMO the coolest actor pre Clint western era.


Im trying to get his movies and watch more of him.  Key Largo is my next movie to see.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Black Balloon.

An Australian film about a boy with autism and how his brother and family deal with it. I hope it reaches foreign shores, its a thought-provoking movie with great acting.


----------



## Talysia

Tales from Earthsea.

Whilst it isn't my favourite Ghibli/Miyazaki film, it's certainly well up there on the list.  The animation was beautiful, and the story was pretty good, too.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I haven't seen any movie in ages and now I've gone and seen two in two days. I saw _Never Back Down_, which was surprisingly good. It made me want to work out heaps and punch something. There's some random attraction to fighting I think a lot of guys have, which is one of the reasons _Fight Club_ was such an awesome movie (well there's a lot more to it, obviously).


----------



## kyektulu

I watched Total Recall last night on the telly, I think its a top film, one of those you always tune in2 when its on the box.


----------



## AE35Unit

just watched August Rush,a brilliant brilliant and moving film. I could identify with the boy with his innate feeling for music, I feel like that too at times. 
In some ways its like a modern day Olivert Twist with Robin Williams playing the Fagin character.
(Nice Gibson J 200 too!)


----------



## Connavar

I saw _*The Asphalt Jungle*_ a brilliant Film Noir from 1950.

Sterling Hayden was very impressing and another great tough guy actor who had world weary look that made me almost stare at him in every scene. Sam Jaffe was also great in it.

The best Film Noir and heist movie i have seen so far.


Next im gonna see *The Killing *cause of Sterling Hayden is in it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Mars Attacks*, yet another film from my childhood. Haven't watched it in years. I like it, though, it's quirky. And I forgot that it had quite an extensive cast list.


----------



## gully_foyle

We watched *Bobby*, which was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. A good movie that is definitely worth watching. 

Forgot to mention last week we watched *Ascenseur pour l'echafaud*, which was a nice little bit of French noir.  Keep an eye out for it Conn.


----------



## Quokka

*Almost Famous* a little bit dramatic, a little bit deep and very funny, I always find myself stopping to watch a minute or two of Almost Famous when it's on TV and end up watching it all the way though. I love this quote/scene:

William (talking on the phone) - He's okay. He is on acid, though. I can't really tell. How do you know when it's kicked in?

Russell - I am a golden god!


----------



## ajit

well i love ALL of shahrukh's movies except kank...but the one i really loved was om shanti om...he was so super in it...and yeah after om shanti om its namsate london and jab we met...


----------



## ajit

Jodha Akbar, Sunday, Rama Rama kya hai Drama, Om Shanti Om, Jab We Met, Welcome.......

i am waiting 4 Tashan 2 come out...........that movie's will be hot

yeah i watch all new movies......all d time


----------



## Connavar

gully_foyle said:


> We watched *Bobby*, which was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. A good movie that is definitely worth watching.
> 
> Forgot to mention last week we watched *Ascenseur pour l'echafaud*, which was a nice little bit of French noir.  Keep an eye out for it Conn.



An old Noir or a newer one ?

Heist ?  There are many Noir on my list that i wonder about the qaulity of this.

Have you seen *The Asphalt Jungle* ?


----------



## AE35Unit

Well we put a film on called Black Sheep about genetically modified sheep in New Zealand.(has the byline The Sheep have gone baaaad!)
Sounded like it could be funny(from the same team that brought us Shaun of the Dead) but it was utter pants. I picked up my DS half way thru to play Arkanoid.


----------



## P. R. D.

Johnny Depp, Matt Stone and Tray Parker, Adam Sandler - those guys are my favorites. 
The last movie I saw - Saving Silverman.


----------



## sarakoth

Blood Diamond 

Great movie. Highly recommended. Has something to offer for everyone.


----------



## gully_foyle

Connavar said:


> An old Noir or a newer one ?


Old Noir.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

To continue my cinema-going streak (4 times in the last 8 days):

_Be Kind, Rewind_

I would be interested to see what other Chronites have to say about this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed when they actually made the movies, but it took a while to get into it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We just watched *Michael Clayton* last night. Good movie, though I was a little confused until about half way through the movie.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *The Masque of Red Death*, a loose but nicely done adaptation by Roger Corman of Edgar Allan Poe's story of the same name. Lush production design with terrific use of colors and some really well-constructed dream and dream-like sequences make this a worthwhile watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

Actually the last film I watched was Man of the Year in which Robin Williams plays a stand up comic who gets elected president. Serious and funny in equal measure.


----------



## Talysia

I saw Ghost Rider the other day.  Not my favourite of the marvel adaptations...


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Blades of Glory* last night, for the nth time. It's still awesome, though. And then afterwards I watched *Sleepy Hollow*. Great film.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Sarakoth



> Blood Diamond
> 
> Great movie. Highly recommended. Has something to offer for everyone


 
100% agree with you on that Sarakoth, I loved this movie, just brilliant.

I am watching an oldie but a goodie tonight.
The Last Valley with Omar Sharif and Michael Caine, its a really good movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring*. Extended version.


----------



## steve bolger

I agree, just saw this recently and was very disappointed.


Talysia said:


> I saw Ghost Rider the other day. Not my favourite of the marvel adaptations...


 ​


----------



## j d worthington

ravenus said:


> Saw *The Masque of Red Death*, a loose but nicely done adaptation by Roger Corman of Edgar Allan Poe's story of the same name. Lush production design with terrific use of colors and some really well-constructed dream and dream-like sequences make this a worthwhile watch.


 
This is certainly one of the most beautiful of the Corman adaptations visually; Nicholas Roeg was the cinematographer for this one and, despite some reservations about Roeg as a director now and again, his eye was always superb....


----------



## ravenus

Heh yeah, I am now looking to see *Tales of Terror* and *The Raven*, both of which have been given high ratings by my trusted SF/Fant/ Horror reviews site

As for Roeg, I suspect films like *Bad Timing* may be among the ones that divide people. I liked it a good deal 

Anyway, yesterday I saw *Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan*, which is a less campy telling of the Tarzan story than one normally sees. The movie was damn good up to the last third, when it devolved into a bit much of treacly drama (with the grandfather character just stopping short of being the annoying old eccentric everyone is supposed to find lovable). But still worth a watch, and some gob-smacking visuals to boot.


----------



## Wybren

I saw The Golden Compass the other day. I was a little disappointed with the adaptation. They could have done a lot more with it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Well, who'd've thunk. Tonight I watched *Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*. Extended version.

Betcha can't guess what's for watching soon...


----------



## Wybren

HMMM not *LOTR: Return of the King* extended edition perhaps 

I got that for christmas when it first came out and I still haven't watched it. I think I should do it soon though


----------



## gully_foyle

Die Hard 4.0. Totally OTT and complete fun.


----------



## Talysia

gully_foyle said:


> Die Hard 4.0. Totally OTT and complete fun.


 
Same here.  Just saw this last night.


----------



## AE35Unit

La Vie En Rose,the story of Edith Piaf. A brilliant portrayal of a true star,also known as Le Mome Piaf(the Little Sparrow)
I was left feeling quite emotional at the end!


----------



## tangaloomababe

I watched "Into the Valley of Elah" over the weekend. Tommy Lee Jones. It was quite long but I was captivated throughout.  A very thought provoking movie but quite sad also.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Wybren, you must be psychic. 

Just watched *Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King*. Extended version. What a fantastic film.


----------



## Wybren

I must take mine out of the plastic and watch it. I should start Zach on his education of fine movies.

Last movie I watched was Leroy and Stitch


----------



## Hilarious Joke

You seem to watch that movie a fair bit, Wybe .


----------



## Wybren

OH no that is Lilo and Stitch your thinking of HJ. Leroy and Stitch is only a recent addition to our collection, however that will become something that Zach will wish to watch over and over and over again.


----------



## Reading_fanatic

Um Porco Rosso by Hayao Miyazaki


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I love Porco Rosso.

I rewatched _The Shawshank Redemption_ today. It truly is one of the best movies ever made.


----------



## Quokka

Groundhog Day was on again, I'm starting to know how Bill Murray felt  but it is a great movie and one of the best romantic comedies.


----------



## Morpheus42

*Doomsday(2008)*
Typical "turn off brain action movie".
Mix of "mad max", "28 days" and others.....  If only they had picked the good parts of those.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *American Gangster* for the first time. I'm not a big fan of Ridley Scott but I did enjoy this movie. Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## Who's Wee Dug

The Colour of Magic, I did enjoy it and David Janson as Rincewind was a lot better than I thought he would be.

Next Tales of Earthsea from Studio Ghibli.


----------



## CharleneHaines

"The Mist", based on Stephen King's novel... excellent movie! I especially loved the little twist as the end.


----------



## gully_foyle

Beowulf. Boring.


----------



## BookStop

Just saw Juno last night. It was just as good as the critics say, which imo doesn't happen very often.


----------



## Mighty mouse

The Brave One
The effect a piece of casual violence has on a person's life. Uncomfortable, edgy but oddly memorable.
Some sequences are so searing you later try to extract perhaps more from the film than there is.  I write this because I wanted to sum it up but can't. Perhaps it pivots on how we try to regain control after a trauma.


----------



## DeepThought

Watched *Cloverfield* yesterday. Best movie by far I've seen this year. Loved the way it shifted gears from total mundane normality to utter chaos (total 360, felt as though someone hit my head with a sledge hammer) and it even did this in phases; you thought you got a handle on the film, then BAM your scared sh*t out of your wits. It did this over and over gain and held this momentum to the bitter end of the movie (which I think is brilliant), psychological torture, but in an entertaining way . A weird blend of Sci-Fi, mind-bending Horror and thriller delivered in a tight package without the bloat and  fluff. I just wish they made more film's like this unlike the  endless formulaic crap Hollywood seems to be is churning out.

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## BookStop

Saw The Eye last night. it's a remake of a Chinese film, I believe. It was alright, not terribly good, nor terribly bad. Predictable, but nice effects.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *The Eye* a couple of weeks ago. It had some nice jumpy bits, at least.

I'm trying to watch *There Will Be Blood* at the moment, for my creative writing class.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I watched *Forgetting Sarah Marshall *last night, which was hilarious. It was kind of weirdly put together though, like stuff happens that doesn't really have a bearing on the plot. Still worth seeing.


----------



## Culhwch

Hilarious Joke said:


> I watched *Forgetting Sarah Marshall *last night, which was hilarious. It was kind of weirdly put together though, like stuff happens that doesn't really have a bearing on the plot. Still worth seeing.


 
I might give that one a shot on DVD. I must say I haven't been overly impressed with any of the recent spate of Apatow and friends flicks. People act like they are the second coming in comedy at the moment, but I just don't think they are anything necessarily special or different....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Awww. I'm a fan . But then again, I'm still pretty damn immature.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *The Raven*, a Roger Corman movie, which loosely riffs the famous poem by EA Poe and extends it to a battle of wits and knowledge between two wizards. This is a charming little movie, a sort of spoof on the old-skool horror film, with giants like Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, enjoying a little laugh at their own legacies of evil, with a nice supporting turn from Peter Lorre (the pedophile murderer from Fritz Lang's M). Good fun.

Also saw *4 months 3 weeks and 2 days*, a Romanian film (apparently set during Chaucescu's time) about a university girl who is trying to help her blundering friend get an abortion. The movie is shot in a very low-key quasi-docu realistic fashion, which can make some of the scenes wrenching. There is no gratuitous explicitness and no cheap sentimental manipulation, but you are still discomfited by the kind of harshness the girls are going through. The scene where the abortionist lays down his terms and conditions and describes the procedure is something that still makes me squeamish.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched I Am Legend last night, pretty good actually(I was expecting it to be pants!). 
It was a shame about the dog tho!!


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched There will be Blood.............again. I love this movie!


----------



## HardScienceFan

"the Grudge"

with 
Buf
er

SM Gellar

good

scary


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched Eastern Promises last night. Good movie...but it was quite gory.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Fargo* at the moment.


----------



## Tillane

Watched _The Abyss_ last night, for the first time in around a decade.  I'd forgotten just how truly average a film it is - and just how _bad _an actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is.


----------



## ravenus

*Tales of Terror*, another Roger Corman adaptation of Poe's stories, this time taking a compendium of _Morella_, _The Black Cat_ (mixed with some _Cask of Amontillado_) and _The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar_. Good fun, especially The Black Cat with its hallucinatory visuals and the delectable interplay between Peter Lorre and Vincent Price.


----------



## Quokka

*Capricorn One *about a faked Mars landing. Not bad, there's definitely some suspension of disbelief needed but if you can do that there's a fairly enjoyable movie here, some nice dialogue and a good ariel chase scene towards the end.


----------



## HardScienceFan

"In this world"

Good,thought provoking
Impressive throughout
recommended

the perspective of the refugee so well visualized

must see


----------



## BookStop

Watched The Water Horse with the kiddies. Not too bad wth a certain kind of charm.


----------



## Wybren

Footrot flats


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Fight Club* at the moment. I love this film.


----------



## Tansy

Pathology - was entertaining enough but a little predictable. Milo is cute though


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm watching *The Masque of the Red Death* at the moment.

And just to elaborate, it's like "Spot the Poe Tale" with this film. I've seen a raven, the mention of a heartbeat, something that looks rather pendulum-like, and there was definitely Hop-Frog in one of the scenes a moment ago...

LOL...Hop-Toad. Hop-Frog story indeed. Burning!


----------



## Voldemort

Natural Born Killers! Gah! Oliver Stone really did well with that one, it's my favourite movie ever.


----------



## TorrnT

Just watched "Mystic river" A very stirring tale... 8/10


----------



## Stenevor

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - I prefer the book but it was still a good watch.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Depp and Del Toro
Can't go wrong there,Sten.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched the Golden Compass,booooring. A kids film not really suitable for kids,or Harry Potter for girls.
Yawn


----------



## HoopyFrood

Have you read the books, AE35? Much better -- there was so much of them taken away in the film. Stupid film. Bah.

I've just watched *Fantasia*.


----------



## Wybren

Oh the movie is not a stitch on the books Larry. I only recently read them and WOW.

I watched Mr Magoriums wonder Emporium which was really lovely.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Have you read the books, AE35? Much better -- there was so much of them taken away in the film. Stupid film. Bah.
> 
> I've just watched *Fantasia*.



No I've not read the books, but the film has put me off-toolong winded chils fantasy.
I hardly get to read these days, has to be short and sweet(am struggling with a boring Jiohn Brunner book)


----------



## Talysia

Saw _Fierce Creatures_ last night.


----------



## Foxbat

I can't believe I'm typing this......saw Rocky Balboa on DVD (very cheap) decided to buy and watch. Normally, I can't be bothered with old Sly but for some reason, sat down to view this. A bit twee and sentimental in places but, once that fanfare started and he was getting into training, I have to admit I started to enjoy it. 

By the time of the big fight, I was on the edge of my seat.

Not a bad film if you can pick it up in the bargain bin


----------



## Allegra

Talysia said:


> Saw _Fierce Creatures_ last night.


 
I watched this a couple of years ago, Tal. It's made after the brilliant classic comedy *A Fish Called Wanda* with the same cast(if you haven't seen that one don't miss it!). Apparently the film makers wanted to repeat the success of Wanda unfortunately that didn't happen.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a strange one,a film called Across the Universe,actually a music set in the 60.s but not looking very 60s ish at all. Music was,ok,better if it was just the original songs.(to remedy this I am now playing Beatles,Love,the recent re do thing,first playing)


----------



## gully_foyle

Watched Atonement. A good film, although I was not satisfied by the ending. Particularly good if you need to counteract all the anti-depressants you've been taking lately.


----------



## Connavar

I saw a movie called *The Photo* from HK.  It was very good thriller until a cheap ending that ruined almost everything.

It was special, a PI thriller very good visually and great soundtrack.  Some of the songs i couldnt stop drumming my fingers to.


----------



## Mouse

Son of Rambow. Was really funny. And the kids could actually act, which was good!


----------



## BookStop

I really want to see Son of Rambow - the previews do look really good.


----------



## Mouse

I'd recommend it, it was really good!


----------



## Stone

> I'd recommend it, it was really good!


 
Ditto!

Saw this last weekend followed by In Bruges - not normally a Colin Farrell fan but i really enjoyed it


----------



## AE35Unit

Whats that In Bruges about?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched the latter half of *Alien vs. Predator*; just this half was much better than its sequel. And as cool as the Predator is, the Aliens just have a special place in my heart. 

And now, to complete this delightful film showing, I do believe *Predator 2* is on now...


----------



## Stone

> Whats that In Bruges about?


 
Basically a black comedy about 2 hitmen (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson)sent to Bruges to cooldown after their most recent hit goes wrong.

imdb linky if you want more - In Bruges (2008)


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a film called Martian Child,about a young boy who believes he's from mars. Quite good actually,i think he has Asperger's Syndrome. John Cusack played a good part as his adopted father,a SF writer coming to terms with fatherhood and a strange prodigal child.


----------



## john rush

I just watched a movie named "my boss my hero",it's very interesting,a story about black society.


----------



## BookStop

I just finished watching Gone Baby Gone. It was really good, and I'd recommend it. The acting was really great, it seemed very believable, and the twists surprised me.


----------



## sarakoth

Iron Man!! Iron Man!!

So good I have to repeat it.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Sophie Scholl
Sophie Scholl

ditto
moving,significant,terrific acting.
The acting in the scene treating her interrogation by the Gestapo is out of this world.
highly recommended


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Iron Man* at the cinema. It was really good. The actiony bits were great, but it wasn't *SMASH* all the way through, it had some nice slow, subtle bits, too. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I also saw *Iron Man*. How good is the very end!


----------



## Simian

Watched *Downfall* last night, one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Bruno Ganz is absolutely mesmerizing as Hitler, and the film as a whole is a fascinating insight into the death spasms of the Third Reich. It's not without its flaws; the ending is a bit of a historical fudge and some of the minor characters are treated more sympathetically than they perhaps deserved (particularly Ernst-Gunther Schenck) but overall it was an impressive, sobering piece of film making.


----------



## woodsman

Watched *Anchorman *on dvd last night, would be interested to hear what anyone else thought of it!?


----------



## sarakoth

Hilarious Joke said:


> I also saw *Iron Man*. How good is the very end!



You mean the scene with Samuel L Jackson after the credits? It wasn't really much.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Forbidden Kingdom*, the Jackie Chan - Jet Li starrer which sucked significantly less than I feared it would. IN fact it's a breezy not-taking-itself-too-seriously if also never remarkable poprcorn movie with some decently staged fight scenes. The best of these of course is the duel between Chan and Li which comes midway in the movie. Had it been made by Tsui Hark some 10 years ago when both the kung fu meisters were nearer to their peak, this could have been something really special.


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> Just watched *Iron Man* at the cinema. It was really good. The actiony bits were great, but it wasn't *SMASH* all the way through, it had some nice slow, subtle bits, too. I enjoyed it.



Not SMASH all the time was great IMO.  Some superhero movies these days are 90 mins action scenes.  It gets tiring.

This actually had good story,acting to make it.  Many hail it as the best marvel superhero since Spiderman 2.  I do too.

Downey Jr got Iron Man/Stark perfectly, i should know i have read him in the comics.

It was a good origin story, which is why the small amount of action was good.  It was about telling who Stark is. 

Plus you cant say that fight scene in Gulmira wasnt cooler than 99% of superhero movies


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Thing on DVD. What can I say,its a classic,and if you've not seen it I highly recommend it. But then I love John Carpenter films. Anyone reckon there could be an overdue sequel?  I've also read the original John Campbell story Who Goes There,class! Alan Dean Foster later did the novelisation,also not bad.


----------



## Wybren

Pirates of the Caribbean, the curse of the black pearl. it was on telly last night.


----------



## tyr

ravenus said:


> Saw *Forbidden Kingdom*, the Jackie Chan - Jet Li starrer which sucked significantly less than I feared it would. IN fact it's a breezy not-taking-itself-too-seriously if also never remarkable poprcorn movie with some decently staged fight scenes. The best of these of course is the duel between Chan and Li which comes midway in the movie.



I saw Forbidden Kingdom too. Agreed with Ravenus for the best fighting scene of the movie. The story is so stereotype, you can guess almost the whole story plot.


----------



## Pyan

Just watched _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ on BBC1 - possibly the worst print that I've ever seen of the film - all crackly, and thin vertical white lines...
But still the best Indy film, IMAO.


----------



## Moogle

Saw Harold & Kumar 2 (Escape from Guantanamo Bay [or something similar]). 

Even if you're into stoner comedies, wait for the DVD because it's basically the same story/jokes as the first movie. Not that there wasn't a bit of originality in this, but I wasn't laughing nearly as hard as when I saw the first one in theatres. (Maybe my smoking 'tabacky' wasn't as good as it was the first time around.)


----------



## Quokka

*Stardust,* Good movie and I enjoyed it a lot more then I thought I would.


----------



## GOLLUM

Yes it was good, looking forward to meeting Neil tonight. I'll see if there's another film on the horizon, I heard Good Omens may be a goer.

EDIT: I saw the first 2 episodes of The Crow:Stairway To Heaven TV series (22 episodes) and I thought it was quite well done. Having commentary added made it omre interesting to view.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched Juno on DVD the other night. Pretty good movie.


----------



## Pyan

Watching *Jason and the Argonauts* (1963)...

Harry Harryhausen _rocks_...


----------



## Tillane

Watched that earlier on today, Py.  Great film - and I still love those skeletons.


----------



## ravenus

Saw Howard Hawks' 1946 film version of Raymond Chandler's novel *The Big Sleep*. The script which uses a lot of Chandler's original dialog is smart and brisk, but I personally felt the film suffered a bit from not having a stronger emotional focus on the moral decay described in the novel.


----------



## Majimaune

Soon to be Indiana Jones, Lost Ark. Its on TV soon


----------



## Lucien21

Iron Man

Pretty decent blockbuster entertainment 

7/10


----------



## HoopyFrood

A few: *Jumanji*, *Transformers* and *Edward Scissorhands*.


----------



## Kostmayer

Ghost Dog.

Those wacky mafia bosses crack me up.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*The Motorcycle Diaries.*
Great.
One of those movies that doesn't look and feel like a movie.
Recommended
Special EFX:None
Acting:Ten out of ten


----------



## j d worthington

pyan said:


> Watching *Jason and the Argonauts* (1963)...
> 
> Harry Harryhausen _rocks_...


 
PYAN! I'm shocked! It's _Ray_ Harryhausen.... tsk, tsk....


----------



## HoopyFrood

_Twk-tissh!  _

*Jason and the Argonauts* is freaking amazing, though. As is *Clash of the Titans*. Fantastic.

I'm about to watch *The Mummy*, I believe.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Gone Baby Gone. It was alright, bit slow at times but not to bad. I liked Casey Afflect]k in the lead role, I actually have not seen him in anything before.

Originally posted  by Pyan



> Just watched _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ on BBC1 - possibly the worst print that I've ever seen of the film - all crackly, and thin vertical white lines...
> But still the best Indy film, IMAO.


 
The local tv station is running the three Indy movies for three weeks also Pyan.  I loved Raiders, last night was the Temple of Doom (my least favorite) and next week is Last Crusade which is pretty good also.  Still Raiders remains my fav.  Have to wait for the new one to see where it rates.


----------



## HoopyFrood

My collector's edition boxset of the *Ring* trilogy arrived today (which also includes, I found out when I opened it, Hideo Nakata's *Sleeping Bride*) and I couldn't resist it. Just watched the first one. Awesome. I think I prefer the second one, if I'm remembering correctly. I'll have to watch it soon and make sure.


----------



## Adasunshine

Blades of Glory - excellently stupidly funny

xx


----------



## daisybee

Watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall last night-better than expected and made me laugh through my nose at one point-one to watch again definitely.


----------



## ravenus

Saw Mike Leigh's *Secrets and Lies*, which I thought was a very nice bittersweet comedy. Even though it's a women dominated film, I thought Timothy Spall's performance was quite noteworthy.

Also I saw this short film called *The Bespoke Overcoat*, based on a Russian ghost story and made by Jack Clayton, the man who also helmed the superlative The Innocents (in fact, this is a bonus feature on my BFI DVD of The Innocents). Nice humorous and poignant ghost story with lovely dialog and some excellent visual tricks.


----------



## Lucien21

tangaloomababe said:


> Watched Gone Baby Gone. It was alright, bit slow at times but not to bad. I liked Casey Afflect]k in the lead role, I actually have not seen him in anything before.


 
He is superb in the Jesse James movie from last year.


----------



## BookStop

daisybee said:


> Watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall last night-better than expected and made me laugh through my nose at one point-one to watch again definitely.


 
Totally one of the better comedies I've seen. I'd go so far as to say best movie so far this year. I know - I sound crazy, but I laughed and laughed and laughed during the whole movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Mr Magoriam's Wonder Emporium last night,a great little film. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as always


----------



## Lucien21

*Speed Racer*

Probably a bit of a marmite movie. It will split the audience into love/hate, but I must admit I didn't hate it as much as I thought and actually enjoyed it at times.

Be prepared for a pastel coloured assault on the senses as this film is like watching a computer generated kaledescope at times. 
The races are multicoloured, fast and furious as the cars flip, corkscrew and do some kind of strange car kung-fu to stay on the track. There is absolutly no basis in realistic physics in this movie. It really is a living cartoon.

Unfortunatly off the track things are a bit boring, the plot is wafer thin, the twist you see coming a mile off and Speed's family are a tad annoying (They certainly could have done without the not-funny comedy little brother and his monkey sidekick). Christina Ricci as the girlfriend is a cute as a button though so that's not bad.

It is all very fake and pointless. So why was I having fun .

I'm fairly sure this movie is like some kind of LSD fueled dream and any moment I'm going to get the withdrawl.

*5/10*


----------



## TorrnT

Watched Donnie Darko for the first time.... (there are rumours of a sequel involving his sister) I do not get the premise for some of his acts (how does he get the axe into solid bronze), however I do understand his decision to enter the worm hole.
IMDb rated this film 8.3/10  (that is quite high for them) obviously alot of people understand the plot much better than I.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Jumper and overall I was disappointed, a waste of Samuel L Jackson's time and talent, the man is better than this.  Far to many questions left unanswered and if there is one thing I like in a movie is a decent explaination, this movie has far more questions than answers.  Pretty disappointing really.


----------



## ravenus

Watched a few movies at a friend's place:

*Verboeten* - A WW2 melodrama by Samuel Fuller about an American GI who falls in love with a German woman that saves his life, and the influence on their relationship by the post-war occupation of Germany by the Allied forces. Pretty good.

*CJ7* - Hong Kong funnyman Stephen Chow's take on ET, which has some nice moments. Decent time pass on the whole, and preferable to ET as entertainment.

*Princess* - This was a Danish films we watched without subtitles. But we got the basic plot about a former preacher who takes revenge on a porn business for having caused the downfall of his sister. Done in very stylish animation (with some mixture of live action), this one was engaging for its runtime, although I'm sure we could have got it a lot better if we had the english subs.


----------



## daisybee

BookStop said:


> Totally one of the better comedies I've seen. I'd go so far as to say best movie so far this year. I know - I sound crazy, but I laughed and laughed and laughed during the whole movie.


 
I get what you mean-I laughed my *** off at some points-which unless watched can't really be explained-LOVED the puppets and Russel Brand was pretty cool!


----------



## AE35Unit

Hmmm Russel Brand and cool in the same sentence,hmmm. The fact that that muppet's in it kinda puts me off it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Saw T*he* *Golden Compass* this weekend. Total let down, I did not really enjoy the movie. The beginning felt very choppy to me and I did not like the ending at all.


----------



## daisybee

AE35Unit said:


> Hmmm Russel Brand and cool in the same sentence,hmmm. The fact that that muppet's in it kinda puts me off it.


 
Ha! He is an annoying prat- and I had to talk my mate into giving the film a chance, but don't be put off by his presence because his character is funny. Honest.


----------



## Alia

I try very hard to stay on top of the new movie releases... last movie I watched which was awesome, was The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Dan in Real Life* with Steve Carrell last night. I really liked it, it's a very cute movie, I would recommend it.


----------



## Ice fyre

I watched an oldie from the sixties I think "Scream and Scream again" Peter Cushing and Vincent Price in a Horror about medical technology producing souless monsters.

I thougrhly enjoyed it, a sort of cold war thriller crossed with a classic scream cheapo! Worth the money I pay for cable!


----------



## Quokka

*Cat People* (1942) I've been enjoying seeing some of the older scifi/horror movies lately and thought this one was great, they did so much with so little special effects.

Is it film noir or inspired by it? Or maybe it's just the age of the film but it seemed to have that feeling that modern films like Sin City, LA confidential etc try to achieve.


----------



## BookStop

Alia said:


> I try very hard to stay on top of the new movie releases... last movie I watched which was awesome, was The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li!


 
I can't hardly wait to see it myself - It was that good, huh? I just adore Jackie Chan - mmmm - and Jet Li is not too bad either.


----------



## GoodyGoody

Alia said:


> I try very hard to stay on top of the new movie releases... last movie I watched which was awesome, was The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li!



I've heard alot about this movie, Do you recommend it?


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched the rather excellen Bee Movie! 
Thing is everyone involved in the movie was raving about Seinfeld yet i've never seen his show. Helen said she has but found his character really annoying! Luckily the film was brilliant!


----------



## tyr

I watched _Sunshine_. At first it seems as a good SF movie, but I disappointed with the second half of the movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched about three-quarters of *The Crow* last night.


----------



## Nesacat

And what do you think of The Crow *Hoopy*? It's one of the movies I like best.

*Quokka *... another of my favourite movies. Always worth being watched again. Yes, they did wonderful things with very little in this one.


----------



## Connavar

Quokka said:


> *Cat People* (1942) I've been enjoying seeing some of the older scifi/horror movies lately and thought this one was great, they did so much with so little special effects.
> 
> Is it film noir or inspired by it? Or maybe it's just the age of the film but it seemed to have that feeling that modern films like Sin City, LA confidential etc try to achieve.


 

Its prolly Film noir and the genre existed famously way before two movies.


The 40's-60's was Film Noir at its best.  Even Stanley Kubrick did a famous one.  They even won oscars,the actors atleast.


----------



## scifi_vision

Gattaca - a good movie
PI - obscure and alternative but a good movie too


----------



## Quokka

Connavar said:


> Its prolly Film noir and the genre existed famously way before two movies.
> 
> 
> The 40's-60's was Film Noir at its best.  Even Stanley Kubrick did a famous one.  They even won oscars,the actors atleast.



I was assuming that *Sin City* and *LA Confidential* didn't start Film Noir, I kind of half understand what Film Noir is without really knowing the specifics of what defines it but one of the things I found myself thinking while watching *Cat People *was how hard some movies (like those two)  work at trying to achieve the same 'feel'. Whereas there's an honesty to *Cat People* a lot of the times modern versions not suprisingly have that staged feeling, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. So in the end I'm also wondering, how much of this style was the intent of the people who made *Cat People* and how much is a result of it being a 1940's movie with the term Film Noir being applied later?

Sorry that's probably even more confusing then my first post.


----------



## Connavar

Quokka said:


> I was assuming that *Sin City* and *LA Confidential* didn't start Film Noir, I kind of half understand what Film Noir is without really knowing the specifics of what defines it but one of the things I found myself thinking while watching *Cat People *was how hard some movies (like those two)  work at trying to achieve the same 'feel'. Whereas there's an honesty to *Cat People* a lot of the times modern versions not suprisingly have that staged feeling, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. So in the end I'm also wondering, how much of this style was the intent of the people who made *Cat People* and how much is a result of it being a 1940's movie with the term Film Noir being applied later?
> 
> Sorry that's probably even more confusing then my first post.



I know i was just saying that kind of movie was big then.  Didnt even know you were dissing those two modern versions.


I dont know what kind of movie Cat People is.  Some movies at time was just naturaly hard ala Film Noir without trying cause of the times.  Some movies tried and did the Film Noir thing well cause those kind of movies was in vogue .   I mean Humprey Bogart played every famous hardboiled PI in several of his movies.  When the big stars did it of course the others follow.  Marilyn Monroe became noticed in a great hiest Film Noir called Ashpalt Jungle. 

 By the way i recommend Sterling Heyden movies like Asphalt Jungle if you want this kind movie.  I saw him for the first time like a month ago and his presence was impressing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Am about to watch Hellraiser properly for the first time. I know its Clive Barker but isn't this based on a book called The Hellbound Heart? And how many movie sequels were there?


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh well i finally got to watch it and well its not a horror film its a gore fest. I want to be sacred not repulsed. Are there no decent true horror films out there that don't insist on buckets of blood on set?


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm just watching *Along Came Polly* at the moment. It's better than I thought it would be (the strange French guy at the beginning!), but has the typical cringey moments


----------



## tangaloomababe

I will actually admit to watching Enchantment last night, its partly animated and partyly real.  I actually havn't laughed so much for ages.  I expected it to be terribly corney, and it was, but it was corny to the point that it was also funny.  Lightweight but highly enjoyable.


----------



## BookStop

Introduced  my teens and thier friend to *Big Trouble in Little China* - they loved it, as I knew they would.


----------



## Tormented Seeker

It was a while ago now, but I'm still under the impression of it - *There Will Be Blood*. This is a remarkable movie; never before have I seen a human act so bloody good as Daniel Day Lewis did in this movie. Not only did he create an intriguing, unique, jaw-dropping character through his performance, but he got so into him that I honestly picture Daniel Plainview (the main character) as a separate entity from DDL. Even though I know it's only a movie, a work of fiction, I can't stop thinking how that man really existed once (he did actually, or at least someone that character was based on but that's not my point). 

I've seen it three times now and I expect to watch it again, and probably again after that etc.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Well, finally went to see Ironman because the husband kept bugging me.  I was actually pleasantly surprised. I thought it was much better than Spiderman.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched 27 dresses last night, a romantic comedy. It was alright, nothing special.


----------



## Culhwch

Watched _30 Days of Night_ last night. A good concept, I thought, but really poorly executed. There were far too many holes, and the first half kept jumping around with no explanation, like the film-makers were forced to make cuts...


----------



## ktabic

Ironman. Technically I saw it with some friends, but none of us knew each other was going so only met each other afterwards. Thought it was pretty cool, and a nice line in humorous moments


----------



## Stone

*Doomsday*

Crap acting, crap story (i.e. ripped off absolutely every other post apocalyptic movie i have seen), crap continuity (the bentley anyone ) - but in saying all that i actually enjoyed it.  

Odd


----------



## AE35Unit

I'm actually looking forward to watching that. Even more now i know there's a continuity error featuring a Bentley


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by tormented seeker



> It was a while ago now, but I'm still under the impression of it - *There Will Be Blood*. This is a remarkable movie; never before have I seen a human act so bloody good as Daniel Day Lewis did in this movie. Not only did he create an intriguing, unique, jaw-dropping character through his performance, but he got so into him that I honestly picture Daniel Plainview (the main character) as a separate entity from DDL. Even though I know it's only a movie, a work of fiction, I can't stop thinking how that man really existed once (he did actually, or at least someone that character was based on but that's not my point).
> 
> I've seen it three times now and I expect to watch it again, and probably again after that etc.


 
No its not just a movie TS, its stunning, Daniel Day Lewis nothing short of brilliant.  I have seen this movie twice now and will watch it again.  It leaves a lasting impression, probably the best thing I have seen in years..............

Last night I watched Lars and the Real Girl, different but funny, I really enjoyed it!


----------



## Quokka

*The Karate Kid* a black hole of eightiesness.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Ratatouille*. Quite a cute little movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I watched *Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull* last night. It had some somewhat illogical parts all the way through, but they could be forgiven, it was an Indiana Jones film after all. But by the end I was clutching my head and thinking "Why! Why!" The ending -- no, not good.


----------



## Overread

oh --- is it that bad then?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Well, without giving anything away, it's not that it's not good in the bland, boring sense. But it was just...ah, it's hard to say without saying what happens, but as I said, it's a case of "Why! Why is this happening? What, you who made this film, possessed you to have this kind of ending?" I suppose others probably enjoyed it -- judging by the reaction of others in the cinema, some certainly did. But personally I didn't like the plot, it was just a little too outrageous (which is certainly saying something, seeing as he's already been after the Arc and the Holy Grail -- which, as I was saying last night, is perhaps why this was the only thing they could do to beat them, this plot in this film. This will seem like rambling if you haven't seen it, but will make more sense if/when you do).


----------



## Overread

I think directors in america should only be allowed to make something like 7 films then stop - seems the more that they make the more "creative" and "inventive" they get -- and the worse the films get


----------



## ravenus

Overread said:


> I think directors in america should only be allowed to make something like 7 films then stop - seems the more that they make the more "creative" and "inventive" they get -- and the worse the films get


*Martin Scorsese:

No. 10 Raging Bull
No. 11 King of Comedy
No. 16 Last temptation of Christ
No. 20 Cape Fear
No. 22 Age of Innocence
No. 25 Casino*

'Nuff said


----------



## Culhwch

The wife and I saw _Iron Man_ today. Loved it. So many films lately have been promising so much, but this one actually delivered. Perfectly cast, lovingly directed, a superhero film to equal _Batman Begins _and _X-men I _and _II_. I'll look forward to the inevitable sequels...


----------



## BookStop

I saw El Orfanato last night on dvd. I really enjoyed it, altough it's not really scary like the previews make it out, at least, not in the traditional sense. The cinematography was gorgeous, the mood tense and creepy, and it kept me glued to the screen even when my drink needed refilling. I definitely recommend it.


----------



## Lucien21

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.

Decent film nearly ruined by bloody stupid ending.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Amytiville,the 2005 version. I was expecting it to be rubbish but it was actually sacrier in parts than the original,especially the ending! And the thing is its all based on true events!


----------



## HoopyFrood

During my sixth form years, I saw _many_ new horror films at the cinema. Most were utter crap, to put it bluntly, but *Amityville* I saw twice in less than a week; enjoyed it a lot. As you say, very scary in parts.


----------



## Connavar

Lucien21 said:


> Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
> 
> Decent film nearly ruined by bloody stupid ending.




I heard about aliens and the like, lost interest totaly AND im a huge Harrison Ford fan.

I just hope Baby Mama with Tina Fey gets here fast so my siblings dont force me to see Indiana Jones


----------



## Adasunshine

*Bobby* - was pleasantly surprised!

xx


----------



## ravenus

Saw *[Rec]*, a Spanish horror movie that takes a reality show style shaky cam perspective on a contagious virus spreading through a quarantined apartment building that turns its victims to blood-crazed animals that attack the other human beings. It takes chunks from Romero's *Crazies* and *NoLD* and Neil Marshall's *The Descent*,and is pretty effective and claustrophobically scary in the first third but I thought that the rest of the film suffers somewhat from not having many more ideas and being predictable enough to even estimate in which approximate frame the next zombie pop-up will occur. Not that its ever bad, but I'd give this a 3/5 than an unreserved thumbs up.

Apparently it is to have the mandatory crappy Hollywood remake, called *Quarantine*.


----------



## ktabic

I've got [Rec] on order, sounds better than some of the zombie movies I've seen. Will have to avoid Quarantine like a plague-infested zombie.


----------



## UltraCulture

Watched the latest Indy on Sunday at the Uk's first Cinema De Lux(Derby), the film was ok.

The cinema was sommat else though, I plumped for the Directors Hall and enjoyed a nice beverage in the Lounge, the theatre was great, waiter service, leather seats, cracking sound.


----------



## BookStop

Saw *Over Her Dead Body* last night with Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, and Eva Longoria Parker. Was better than I thought it would be. In fact, we all really enjoyed it. The kids loved it too, although I should point out is is rated PG-13 and has a couple inappropriate moments.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched* Lars and the Real Girl.* Interesting movie, and I love Ryan Gosling, he did an excellent job.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull*. I guess it was pretty fun, and the effects were unreal, and I liked Shia LaBeouf; but there were a couple of really frustrating things about it. Still, as I said, quite fun.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Lady of Winterfell



> Watched* Lars and the Real Girl.* Interesting movie, and I love Ryan Gosling, he did an excellent job


 
I saw this a couple of days ago also Lady, very interesting, I laughed and felt sad and all other emotions, most interesting.

Last night though I watched Before the Devil knows your dead and I really liked this movie, excellent, well worth a watch.


----------



## Omphalos

Hilarious Joke said:


> *Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull*. I guess it was pretty fun, and the effects were unreal, and I liked Shia LaBeouf; but there were a couple of really frustrating things about it. Still, as I said, quite fun.



I guess Ill see that one on DVD.  I like Indiana Jones movies, but that babbling little man-child LaBeouf drives me a little nuts.


----------



## HardScienceFan

if repost,sorry for that

THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL:
no plot,no SFX,no CGI,but stunning nonetheless.
Seeing is believing.
It hovers between documentary and movie,and in the end you realize the distinction is irrelevant with movies like this
I don't do synopses,but:
a mother camel rejects her young.
The tribe of indigenous people that is portrayed in this movie depend on camels,like Indians used to depend on the buffalo,and Laps on reindeer.
(it's not clear if they consider the rejection a bad omen).
The services of a musician are called upon*,but he's far away from where the nomadic tribe is now.
So a quest ensues.

apparently they believe in the magical powers of music


as some of you may have gathered,i don't particularly care for what Hollywoo spits out 80 % of the time.
This is about as far away from Hollywood as you can get
Famous actors in this movie: NOne,of course


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the latter half of *Shrek II* last night.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

tangaloomababe said:


> I saw this a couple of days ago also Lady, very interesting, I laughed and felt sad and all other emotions, most interesting.


 
It certainly did have a range of emotions that it made you feel throughout the movie. I think I am liking it more the more I think about it.


----------



## HardScienceFan

_*Constantine*_,with Keanu Reevs and Rachel Weisz.
I thought it was pretty good.
rent it,by all means


----------



## Connavar

HardScienceFan said:


> _*Constantine*_,with Keanu Reevs and Rachel Weisz.
> I thought it was pretty good.
> rent it,by all means



Yeah sure if you dont know the John Constantine Alan Moore created.

When i read in interview with Keanu that they wouldnt get the sequal made i was as happy as a little kid on christmas 


I dont mind the americanization of everything in the movie too.  I would like this movie if it was an actor who could act instead the eternaly stiff Keanu....


----------



## ravenus

Saw the first 3 episodes of *The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.*, which are pretty fun overall, even if the MacGuffin of the orb is being abused by the plot writers and the dialog is less consistent in its wit than I'd have liked it.


----------



## Teutoniclegion

Saw don't Mess with The Zohan this morning and it hilarious


----------



## AE35Unit

HardScienceFan said:


> _*Constantine*_,with Keanu Reevs and Rachel Weisz.
> I thought it was pretty good.
> rent it,by all means



Yea we enjoyed that one too!


----------



## Quokka

*Red Planet

*My theory for how this movie got made:

Someone read Kim Stanley Robinson's _Mars Trilogy_ and thought "Hey there's a movie in this".  Deciding to do some extra research they watched _Pitch Black_, _Short Circuit_ and the _Lost in Space_ movie back to back. At 5pm they turned off the DVD player, at 5:07pm they forwarded the final script to production.

IMO you could use something like the _Mars Trilogy_ as either the basis or the background for a fairly decent sci-fi movie but _Red Planet_ misses it by an absolutely incredible amount.


----------



## gully_foyle

I thought James Cameron was going to do something at the time *Red Planet *and the other Mars stinker, *Mission to Mars*, came out, but alas it did not materialise.

Last night I watched *Pan's Labyrinth* and thought it was very good, tho Mrs Foyle found it to grim to watch.

On my last biz trip I watched *Golden Compass* on the hotel's in house movie system. When I checked out they didn't charge me for it. The hotel reception staff must have realised it was a stinker and it would be embarrassing to charge anyone for it.

Seriously, I thought it was a bit absurd, particularly the lame characterisations of the demons and the bear and the cold fish (sorry I meant Nicole Kidman). The experimentation on the children was ripped of from *The City of Lost Children*, which is a fantastic movie. Oh well, filled in a boring night.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Gully you are right about The golden Compas, its a shocker, even with Daniel Craig in it, I kind of lost interest in it half way through and starting skipping bits it was so tedious but Pan's Labyrinth is a different movie altogether, it was fantastic.
Tonight we went to see the new Indy movie, I thought it alright, maybe not the best thing I have ever seen but still it was like catching up with old friends, we are both that bit older and slower.  The ending sort of lost it for me, but the rest was not to bad.


----------



## Talysia

*Sunshine*

Well, I started to watch it, at least.  For some reason, I couldn't get into it.  I'll have to give it another try, possibly when I'm in a better frame of mind for watching films.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Starsky and Hutch. Switched it off after 5 minutes.
Have ordered the special DVD with sitxy minutes cut out


----------



## ktabic

Just watched Land of the Dead. Not bad, or at least not as bad as I had heard. Still could have been so much better. Didn't spot the Simon Pegg cameo until I watched the special features


----------



## Overread

I am Legend

This was very different to what I thought it would be - espcially with Will Smith as the lead - a refreshing role to see him in and an intersting film. A little overdone with the CGI I felt and the zombies were a little strong to be belivable, but I think wills acting really one through (that scene with the dog in the lab )


----------



## HardScienceFan

a movie wihich i thought would be incredibly bad,but turned out to be half-decent:

_*Behind Enemy lines*_,with Hackman and Owen Wilson.

It held my attention at least
the villains were dastardly,ruthless,homicidal  psychopaths
Bit hey,that's Hollywood 
Just as long as you realize a lot of US Marine Corps propoganda was thrown in


----------



## ravenus

*Mother of Tears - Dario Argento*
The long-delayed last installment in Argento's mater trilogy. This was quite fun thanks to lots of campy laughs (generated by the clumsy script and awful acting), a breakneck pace and a huge helping of gore in the killing set-pieces, even if they're not as imaginative in concept as the killings in the  previous films.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Mighty Mouse



> Starsky and Hutch. Switched it off after 5 minutes.
> Have ordered the special DVD with sitxy minutes cut out


 
M.M. they would have to send me the eddition with at least 12o minutes cut out before I watched it, however I like your version better than the original.  This is one of those "stinker" movies that should be listed on the Worst Movies of all time.  Its wowful


----------



## Lioness

On saturday I watched the 2nd Death Note. It was goooooood.


----------



## BookStop

Watched Indiana Jones. 

I think it was alright. I know a ton of fans have been wildly disappointed, but I had a good time. It was no Lost Ark, by any means, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

Perhaps my expectations weren't high from all the criticisms I've read about it.


----------



## Joel007

I was forced into watching *Sex and the City* last night. I kept almost falling asleep, kept awake only by the uncomfortable position my neck ended up in. It was a story... well, film anyway, about some women making lots of stupid mistakes and then regretting them. I feel that 2 and a half hours of my life have been unjustly stolen from me. Nothing happened.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, poor Joel...*Pats his shoulder* I've warned my friends what I'd do to them if they made me watch that film.....


----------



## Joel007

I'm emotionally scarred for life now.

Thank you for your support on the long road of recovery, which may eventually return me to some semblance of wholeness again.


----------



## Mighty mouse

> they would have to send me the eddition with at least 12o minutes cut out before I watched it, however I like your version better than the original. This is one of those "stinker" movies that should be listed on the Worst Movies of all time. Its wowful



Perhaps the most unwelcome return since Hendrix threw up on stage


----------



## Talysia

Recently watched Wild Hogs and Back to the Future 3.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Enchanted* over the weekend. Pretty cute for a kids movie. As well as *Pirates of the Caribbean* I and II.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Austin Powers *(the first one).


----------



## AE35Unit

face/off. Never seen it before,it was ok. A bit over dramatic in parts and the explosions seemed to involve fireworks!


----------



## UltraCulture

watched *Control* last night, a film about the life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, t'was very good.


----------



## Memnoch

New Indy Jones film . . . still not 100% sure if I liked it!


----------



## Tansy

Watched Bad Boy Bubby at the reccommendation of a friend. I now feel soiled and am wondering about said friends taste in films


----------



## Overread

Stardust

overall I think I liked where this film started, the charcters, where it was heading and such. However I feel that it got a bad case of poor cutting and editing built onto a possibly weak script - there were holes in logic (I know its for kids, but kids have logic!) not to mention some grey areas where things just did not add up right. In the end one could watch it but is left with that feeling that there was once so much more that is now missing from the story


----------



## Mouse

I loved Stardust!! ^

Last film I saw was Forbidden Kingdom, with Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Which was good!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

It's too bad about Indiana Jones. It seems most people didn't like it too much. I still haven't seen it, but am slowly losing my desire to go see it. 

We watched *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* last night. Good movie, they are definately getting darker in tone.


----------



## Memnoch

Do watch it, there are just a few uncomfotable moments, where the dialogue seems wrong or misplaced and certain fights just make u cringe the guys in his 60's 

BUT - it's like meeting an old friend (whos a bit cornier , aged and filled out a bit and not quite how u remembered!) and there are some scenes which really take u back and genuinley enjoyable. Not keen on the main plot though.


----------



## woodsman

12 Monkeys

Love this film. 

Also, re-watched one of my favourites: Good Will Hunting.

Mirror Mask - best thing I've seen in ages, a must see IMHO. So... yeah no words.


----------



## WizardofOwls

I broke down and decided to watch several of the movies I've wanted to see over the past few years but never got around to seeing. All were excellent! They were:

The Golden Compass
The Seeker
Pan's Labyrinth
Eragon
The Water Horse
Bridge to Terabithia

I highly recommend all of them!


----------



## Pyan

*Galaxy Quest*  

*By Grabthar's Hammer*, one of the funniest and best SF spoofs ever made. 
Not for rabid "Star Trek" fans, though....


----------



## Wybren

Oh Galaxy Quest is brilliant. I haven't watched that in ages.

I watched something the otherday, had Kevin Spacey in it 21 I think it was called


----------



## Tillane

I caught the latter half of Galaxy Quest last night, too.  Such a funny film.

And then I went and spoiled it by watching the awfulness of Blade: Trinity.  Really, really bad movie.


----------



## Memnoch

Tillane said:


> Blade: Trinity. Really, really bad movie.


 
Completely agree what a horrible way to finish the trilogy (I won't include the new none Snipes film)

The first is a classic, unbeatable opening scene in the "Blood" rave. The 2nd once I got into I loved.

The 3rd oh my god Wesley's teeth don't fit!! The curse of to many " support hero sidekick" characters, completely miscast!! Just horrible!!

Hence I turned to my Birthday pressie of Alias season four Dvd's to escape the trauma of sitting through that tripe! . . . Does a T.V. series, Dvd set count as what movie I last watched? Dunno but love Alias . . . so far anyway!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*. It's a good movie, as our all the Harry Potter movies, but I think it is my least favorite of the ones made so far. But at least Daniel Radcliffe got a haircut for this one, as opposed to his shaggy look in Goblet of Fire.


----------



## Constantine Opal

Tillane said:


> I caught the latter half of Galaxy Quest last night, too. Such a funny film.
> 
> And then I went and spoiled it by watching the awfulness of Blade: Trinity. Really, really bad movie.


 
Were we sharing the same TV? I have to say, Trinity is er.... well. Erm... nope, you've got me there. But I'd rather watch that then Eastenders!!! 


I'm watching Blues Brothers at the mo'. Not very sci fi really! But brilliant all the same.


----------



## Tillane

Constantine Opal said:


> Were we sharing the same TV?


Depends.  Were you watching Star Trek: TNG before switching to Galaxy Quest?

Memnoch - glad it wasn't just me who was thinking that about the sidekicks.  I wanted to give Ryan Reynolds and damn side kick (and face kick) by the end of the movie.  Horrible performance.  And as for Triple H...there are just no words.

On the happy side, I watched the brilliant _Lady Vengeance_ this evening.  Cracking film.  Now _that_ is how you end a trilogy.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Team America: World Police* at the moment.


----------



## Lioness

Yesterday I watched Hide and Seek and Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within.

Both of them were really good, but Hide and Seek scared me. I'm glad I had a pillow and a boyfriend to squeeze.


----------



## ravenus

Lioness said:


> ...Hide and Seek scared me. I'm glad I had a pillow and a boyfriend to squeeze.


And you call yourself Lioness? Oh wait...


----------



## Talysia

Watched Shrek 3 last night.  Not as good as the first two, but pretty good overall.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Vantage Point last night, it was ok, pretty fast moving and had you guessing, easily watchable.


----------



## Memnoch

after burning on a lunchtime picnic yesterday, my girlfriend made me sit through *13 going on 30,* double torture, although J Garner is hot and great in Alias, there is something not quite right about the film. Like an underlying erm is this right sort of thin, as in her mind shes still 13!!


----------



## Lioness

ravenus said:


> And you call yourself Lioness? Oh wait...


 

Well...I did quite enjoy watching it...I like scary movies...just not watching them by myself.

The night after I watched it...I'm very glad I didn't wake up in the middle of the night.


----------



## Wybren

Ever After


----------



## Memnoch

Wasn't my last film but finally went to watch *Ironman* Sat at the Flix, always got to get the cinematic experience for big budget films.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I liked Ever After, I thought it was quite cute.

Watched *Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story*. Not a deep movie by any means, but did make me laugh quite a bit.


----------



## Memnoch

Wasn't my last film but finally went to watch *Ironman* Sat at the Flix, always got to get the cinematic experience for big budget films.

Absolute class, perfect casting, it's great to see Marvel have ditched the major film companies and are funding the films now themselves, they have had some serious fallouts in the past with other films and movie companies getting there way with Directors scripts etc (Original Hulk prime example!) So can't wait to watch the new one!! The calibre of actors they are getting is amazing. Robert Downey Jnr, Tim Roth, Ed Norton (One of my all time fave actors!) Who would see them usually in these type of films? They bring so much to the table!!


----------



## BookStop

I just got back from watching ... I must be way more tired thanI thought...Seriously, this is silly...i can;t hink of what movie I just saw...I mean, just....Oh wait...

Run Fat Boy, Run...that was it. It's not like I didn't enjoy it. I did really. Made me laugh outloud many times...I'd totally recommend it to almost anyone - nice, light, funny film. As to why everything about momentarily escaped me, well, night all.


----------



## AE35Unit

BookStop said:


> I just got back from watching ... I must be way more tired thanI thought...Seriously, this is silly...i can;t hink of what movie I just saw...I mean, just....Oh wait...
> 
> Run Fat Boy, Run...that was it. It's not like I didn't enjoy it. I did really. Made me laugh outloud many times...I'd totally recommend it to almost anyone - nice, light, funny film. As to why everything about momentarily escaped me, well, night all.



Lol,excellent film,if rather implausible.(anyone who's done any running will know what I mean)


----------



## Tansy

Watched Tarantino's *Deathproof* at the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not what I was epecting but a good psychotic romp nonetheless  

Also saw *Rocky 6 *and was pleasantly surprised, while slightly unrealistic give Slly's age I thought they portrayed the has been fighter quite well and it make you feel for him. However, as usual the fight was way over the top  if not quite the same as the previous films.

Oh and introduced bf to *Team America* the other night since in was on TV and he had never seen it

*Juno* arrived yesterday so that is next on the list


----------



## AE35Unit

Well theres a film on now on the Sci-Fi channel called Earthstorm about a meteor that crashes into the moon and effects the earth somehow. Looks pretty naff plus I don't have time to watch it before going to work.

I've come to the conclusion that the Sci-fi channel is cr@p!


----------



## Culhwch

Went and saw _Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_ this morn, and I was pleasantly surprised after some of the reaction here on the boards. A lot of fun.


----------



## BookStop

We watched *The Other Boleyn Girl* last night. I really enjoyed it, although Anne didn't really seem nasty enough to screw her sis over like that.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

BookStop said:


> We watched *The Other Boleyn Girl* last night. I really enjoyed it, although Anne didn't really seem nasty enough to screw her sis over like that.


 
Glad to hear you liked it. I haven't heard much about the movie. I read the book, and we're renting the movie tonight, so now I'm looking forward to it after hearing a good recommendation.


----------



## TK-421

The Golden Compass. Not sure what to make of it. Was OK.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Well, watched *The Other Boleyn Girl,* and unfortunately I wasn't overly impressed. It was alright, but I think having read the book spoiled the movie for me. They changed quite a bit from the book, and so I didn't enjoy the movie nearly as much.


----------



## christyrocks99

Last film I saw was Pathology which was quite good, it was an 18 so me and my friend had to get her parents to buy the tickets...


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm being forced to watch *Bridget Jones' Diary* at the moment. People keep saying "You don't know that you don't like it if you haven't seen it". Well, I had a fair idea, thanks


----------



## gully_foyle

*I am Legend*. I've been avoiding it cause I'm not a huge fan of Will Smith and I haven't read the book yet. Will Smith was surprisingly restrained in his role and quite good. The ending wasn't overly satisfactory. I hope the book is good.


----------



## BookStop

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Well, watched *The Other Boleyn Girl,* and unfortunately I wasn't overly impressed. It was alright, but I think having read the book spoiled the movie for me. They changed quite a bit from the book, and so I didn't enjoy the movie nearly as much.


 
You read the book... first? Well, of course you weren't impressed. 
I am thinking of now reading the book because I enjoyed the movie and I am certain the book blows the movie away, as they always do. I never read the book because I thought it was too far into the genre of romance to keep my interest.


----------



## Adasunshine

*Sex and the City* - Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!

xx


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Looks at Ada in disbelief*



Each to their own, of course. But I'd have to be tied into a chair to be made to watch that. 

I'm watching...um...the...um...*The Music Man* at the moment.


----------



## AE35Unit

I'd have to be bound and gagged then tied to the chair to watch it. In fact i'd rather staple my ears to a horse!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

BookStop said:


> You read the book... first? Well, of course you weren't impressed.
> I am thinking of now reading the book because I enjoyed the movie and I am certain the book blows the movie away, as they always do. I never read the book because I thought it was too far into the genre of romance to keep my interest.


 
I know, I know.  I shouldn't have been surprised seeing as how that's usually how it works, books are much better than there movie counterparts.

I would recommend reading the book, especially if you enjoyed the movie, I thought it was quite good. It's really not a romance story, so I wouldn't worry about that aspect. It has romantic aspects (obviously) but it is more about the scheming family and competition between the two sisters. Anne Boleyn was quite tame in the movie compared to how Philippa Gregory wrote her. But I think you'll like the book.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Indy Jones. Kinda fun, but there were some really frustrating things about it.


----------



## Lucien21

The Incredible Hulk

6/10


----------



## Adasunshine

HoopyFrood said:


> *Looks at Ada in disbelief*
> 
> 
> 
> Each to their own, of course. But I'd have to be tied into a chair to be made to watch that.
> 
> I'm watching...um...the...um...*The Music Man* at the moment.


 
LOL!!!

I have my excuses.  I was an impressionable young teenager when the show started and ultimately I blame my hormones and youth for my love affair with SATC, of course now I'm older I really don't have any excuses at all... but that's not the story I'm sticking to!!! 

In all seriousness, if you loved the show, you'll love the film but from the sounds of it Hoopy, you're not a lover of the show!!!

Apparently, I'll be watching *3:10 to Yuma* later tonight so we'll see how that goes.

xx


----------



## Quokka

*The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957)

Good movie with some really impressive special effects.  I think being  black and white might actually have been an advantage here because the merger of the real footage and the over sized sets/props is great. What was suprising is that if you put aside why he's shrinking there's also a fairly decent storyline that holds up well right to the end.


----------



## BookStop

The fam went to *Kung Fu Panda* yesterday. It was awesome! We loved it. The theater was sold out and folks applauded at the end. The only disappointing thing about it was the lack of lines for Jackie Chan. he's one of the reasons I was drawn to the movie int he first place.


----------



## AE35Unit

Quokka said:


> *The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957)
> 
> Good movie with some really impressive special effects.  I think being  black and white might actually have been an advantage here because the merger of the real footage and the over sized sets/props is great. What was suprising is that if you put aside why he's shrinking there's also a fairly decent storyline that holds up well right to the end.



If i'm not mistaken the film is based on a book by Murray Leinster,or is it Jack Williamson?


----------



## DeepThought

*No Country for Old Men* - Loved the characters  and _Javier Bardem_ was awesome! But the ending was sort of anticlimactic...though it leaves much to ponder...which is good. I'm now half a mind to check out _Cormac McCarthy's_ novel.
*

One Missed Call* - Usual Hollywood supernatural thriller. Final Destination, The Ring, The Eye etc. etc. They kind of all look the same to me, nothing special nor original. Boring repetitive crap. I forced myself to watch it only to spend a few minutes with my family (they like this sort of films ).

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## Quokka

AE35Unit said:


> If i'm not mistaken the film is based on a book by Murray Leinster,or is it Jack Williamson?



Richard Matherson, who also did the conversion to screenplay so no wonder the film seems to gel so well together as a whole.


----------



## Reading_fanatic

The incredible Hulk. It wasn't bad, not brilliant but not bad either.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Currently watching *Kung Fu Hustle*. Been meaning to watch this for a while. It's very good -- very over the top and amusing.


----------



## UltraCulture

Watched Cloverfield and National Treasure book of secrets last night.

I thought National Treasure was great, and Cloverfield OK.

Thanks for reading my indepth reviews.


----------



## ravenus

Saw this totally over the top "SF/Fant with boatloads of masala" Indian film called *Dashavataram* (10 Avatars). Indian actor Kamalahaasan essays 10 roles here with the help of prosthetic make-up effects. It's full of all kinds of plotholes but that only serves to make the goofy fast-paced proceedings all the more enjoyable.

For those interested in this stuff, My detailed review


----------



## Tansy

Watched Juno on Friday - found it quirky and charming and really enjoyed it


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Underdog. Such a laugh,its like Superman meets Cats and Dogs but funnier. And i never knew it was based on a 60s TV cartoon series!


----------



## Nyomimi

Went to see Ironman on Monday.   It rocked, of course


----------



## Lioness

Yesterday I was home from school because of the teacher's strike, so I watched Elizabeth and The Last Samurai.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Hot Fuzz*.

Favourite lines:
Skinner: "Well, he did murder Bill Shakespeare".
Nicholas: "What?!...Oh..."


----------



## Ross

Drillbit Taylor with Owen Wilson.

Thought it was pretty good, but i'm easily amused


----------



## Quokka

*Komodo vs Cobra* after seeing some CGI monsters on the ad breaks I tried to watch this one but seriously it's about as dire as they come. Instead I ended up flicking to watch some more of *The Usual Suspects* and *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels*. I think I've posted recently about both movies (they're doing the rounds on pay tv) by contrast The Usual Suspects is such an incredibly good movie and  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has some good laughs.


----------



## BookStop

We went to see The Ruins last night. It was pretty bad, but not quite so bad that it was unintentionally funny.


----------



## Adasunshine

Anchorman - just funny.

xx


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched National Treasure 2. It was OK,like a poor man's Indiana Jones.
Helen Mirren is still hot!


----------



## FONTAINE

I watched the new hulk movie, it was ok better than spiderman


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Just Married on Tv Last night, that is so delightfully funny, not brain numbing, but just plain good fun.


----------



## Overread

Curse of the Golden Flower

takes a while to get started and for you to start really picking up the plot, but once you do its a wonder that holds you to the edge of your seat.
And in typical Eastern style - its ending is not final nor all explaining


----------



## Kostmayer

Charlie Wilson's War.

Tom Hanks was brilliant, but he's easily outdone by Phillip Seymour Hoffman.


----------



## DeepThought

Watched these last week:

*Iron Man* - Not what I hoped it would be but what I thought it would be...

*Dark Floors* - Boring. Apparently antagonists in this movie were members of a Finnish heavy metal band...

*Shutter* - Very much like The Grudge though with enough twists and turns to stump anyone familiar with the cookie-cutter-structure/template of such movies.

*There Will Be Blood* - Religion, Politics and Oil; what better ingredients to cook up a nasty explosive plot and some phenomenal acting to boot. Really enjoyed this one.

*Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning* - Shows the back story of the gruesome but shadowy characters of the first movie; Leather face (guy with the chainsaw), the "Sheriff" etc. sadistic, perverted, depressing  and of course graphic but fortunately does not go overboard...Not the kind of movie I usually watch but it ain't that bad.

Cheers, DeepThought


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Jumper* over the weekend. I was not overly impressed.


----------



## Ross

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane

That girl is hottttttt!

Heard nothing but bad comments from people I know who watched the film. But as a fan and not a total critic of films I said "I'll find that out for myself".

Watched it and I was decently impressed. Not the greatest film but no where near as bad as what my friends were making out.


----------



## HoopyFrood

The tv is finally doing something right for once! Two of my favourite films are on tonight. First, about to start shortly, is *The Grudge*. And a little later, *From Dusk Till Dawn* (a favourite childhood film....what? Surely you've come to expect this from me now? )


----------



## Shiryu

You Don´t Mess With The ZOHAN!!!!


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by THE LADY


> Watched *Jumper* over the weekend. I was not overly impressed.


Yes I have to agree Lady, I thought this would be good and I was actually quite disappointed and what a waster of Samuel L Jackson's acting ability!

Originally posted by Deep Thought



> *T**here Will Be Blood* - Religion, Politics and Oil; what better ingredients to cook up a nasty explosive plot and some phenomenal acting to boot. Really enjoyed this one.


 I would almost say this was my favorite movie. almost!!!! Its just brilliant and Daniel Day Lewis should make more than the odd movie every once in a few years, he is just sooooo talented.


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> *From Dusk Till Dawn* (a favourite childhood film....what? Surely you've come to expect this from me now? )


You mean, used to you coming out with statements that make me feel old?  Yes.

A friend lent me *The Machine Girl* yesterday, a very wierd, very over-the-top Japanese schlock horror film that owes a debt of gratitude to Planet Terror.  Except it's _far_ gorier.


----------



## Joel007

Watched _The Cleaner_. Fairly predictable (figured it out by halfway), but presented well enough that I enjoyed watching it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Tillane said:


> You mean, used to you coming out with statements that make me feel old?  Yes.



Ah, Till, what's ten years between friends?


----------



## manephelien

Black Hole. Much better in a lot of ways than I feared, and a quite interesting take on the human condition. The FX hold up pretty well too.


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> Ah, Till, what's ten years between friends?


Generally speaking, it's a decade.

Specifically speaking, it's the entirety of my 20s.


----------



## Connavar

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Watched *Jumper* over the weekend. I was not overly impressed.



I saw it a couple of days ago.   Thought it was even worse than i expected. It was alittle dump, not even one normal,quiet scene.  It was almost 90 minutes action scene after another.

Only thing i thought was interesting was the british jumper.


----------



## Tansy

ah the kid out of Billy Elliot and King Kong.. Jamie Bell is it?

Bf wants to watch Jumper  - might have to dissuade him


----------



## Talysia

Watched Final Fantasy:  Advent Children last night, and really enjoyed it.  Mind you, I am a little biased, though.


----------



## Connavar

I saw last night on tv a really good and very dark Film Noir called*Detour* (1945)

It was very dark and how things only went bad for the main character and his bad luck.  Alot of inner dialouge made it clear it was a novel before.


_New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts hitchhikes to Hollywood to join his girl Sue. On a rainy night, the sleazy gambler he's riding with mysteriously dies; afraid of the police, Roberts takes the man's identity. But thanks to a blackmailing dame, Roberts' every move plunges him deeper into trouble._


----------



## Happy Joe

10,000BC; slow, almost ponderous... used the fast forward control more than once.
Good visuals, fair acting, fair story.
The critics were right on this one.

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just switched over the channel and found that *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* is on. Haven't seen this for ages!


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

_Prince Caspian_.  They added in quite a few things that weren't in the book, but I enjoyed it anyway.


----------



## Highlander II

I watched several episodes of _Las Vegas_, but the last movie was _The Young Visitors_, of which I was making screencaps of Mr. Hugh Laurie for icon making at a later date.


----------



## PTeppic

Seen two flicks this week:

"Teeth" - the indie Sundance thing, which was okay, though no bloke will come out able to walk straight.

(and)

"Wanted" - which in out-and-out action, stunts, effects, banted/dialogue, and all that makes me want to go to the movies, it's utterly one hundred out of ten. Will be hoping to see it again over the weekend. Slight suspension of disbelief of course, but assuming that, awesome.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Just switched over the channel and found that *The Rocky Horror Picture Show* is on. Haven't seen this for ages!


 
Bleh,ruddy hate that film


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Be Kind Rewind,a very funny film,and also touching near the end. We just loved the Fats Domino song Feet's too Big sung by Mos Def!


----------



## Tansy

Munich is on atm and I am BoOOOORRReeeeEEEED


----------



## HoopyFrood

Not quite a film, but hardly a tv programme (well, it _is,_ but...oh, screw it) I'm watching *Bottom Live* at the moment. I love the tv series, it was (sorry, Till!) one of my favourites when I were a kid. Used to have to ask to stay up until 9:30pm so I could watch it...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Darn, double post. But now *Hannibal* is on the tv.


----------



## Ross

HoopyFrood said:


> Darn, double post. But now *Hannibal* is on the tv.


 
You seen *Hannibal Rising*? Some weird stuff there


----------



## Reading_fanatic

The Full metal Alchemist movie the Conquerors of Shamballa. It's a really good end to the whole series.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Untraceable

Competent thriller but with a strange pertinence about it.
It has an internet lab hunting a serial killer. Looking at the reviews on IMDB there are references to SAW, a film I have not seen (not into hard horror, cut and slash).

Having read the book and been forewarned, I could never bring myself to watch that scene at the end of Hannibal and here, had I known, I would not.
I am anti censorship but is some vanilla  'content includes disturbing scenes' really appropriate? 
It can be argued that in todays society that awareness rather than naivety is a necessary survival trait but is it worth the disturbing imagery?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ross said:


> You seen *Hannibal Rising*? Some weird stuff there



I can't say I have. But more weird than watching someone eat their own brain? Intriguing.....


----------



## Tillane

the young 'un said:


> Not quite a film, but hardly a tv programme (well, it _is,_ but...oh, screw it) I'm watching *Bottom Live* at the moment. I love the tv series, it was (sorry, Till!) one of my favourites when I were a kid. Used to have to ask to stay up until 9:30pm so I could watch it...


I'll let you off...this time.

Got bored and watched *Nikita* for the umpteenth time last night.  Which I have just realised was made before Hoopy was even born...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Are you sure about that? Imdb tells me it was released in 1990. I'm not _that_ much of a young'un


----------



## Tillane

Well, damn.  I thought it was older than that.  I knew the American re-make was early 90s, but thought the original was early-mid 80s.  Oh, well: can't be right all the time.

Or even most of the time...


----------



## scalem X

Really, Hoopy, you're not that young?

Is Nikita much better than point of no return?


----------



## Tillane

Infinitely better, I think.  I've never been one for re-makes, and *Point of No Return* (or _*The Assassin*_, as I think it was called over here) is no exception.  Apart from anything else, Anne Parillaud is much wilder than Bridget Fonda in the title role, and much more believable.

And I'm a huge fan of Luc Besson, which helps.


----------



## Ross

HoopyFrood said:


> I can't say I have. But more weird than watching someone eat their own brain? Intriguing.....


 
The weirdest film i've seen (hardly watched any of it because I had to turn it off) is a french film called *Irreversible. *

I turned it off when the main guy goes to a gay club called the Rectum. It's got all the strobing effects and guys doing erm....disgusting things to each other. I was like errrrrr *puke* ......*turn off* (it was that bad for me except I didn't exactly puke, just felt like it)


----------



## Lucien21

Kung Fu Panda   - Great fun  8/10
Prince Caspian - Bah!!  6/10
Wanted - Mad but ace 8/10


----------



## BookStop

*The Forbidden Kingdom* - a fun little movie, not terribly cerebral or anything, but dang, I could watch Jackie Chan and Jet Li all the live long day..


----------



## Wybren

Kung Fu Panda


----------



## scalem X

> The weirdest film i've seen (hardly watched any of it because I had to turn it off) is a french film called Irreversible.
> 
> I turned it off when the main guy goes to a gay club called the Rectum. It's got all the strobing effects and guys doing erm....disgusting things to each other. I was like errrrrr *puke* ......*turn off* (it was that bad for me except I didn't exactly puke, just felt like it)


It's not a bad movie though...

I watched a Hercule Poirot just now, something with End House in the title.


----------



## Foxbat

Akira Kurosawa's _Rhapsody In August. _

A beautiful, moving film that was both enjoyable and thought provoking.


----------



## Ross

scalem X said:


> It's not a bad movie though...
> 
> I watched a Hercule Poirot just now, something with End House in the title.


 
Didn't get far enough to find out

Watched Superhero Movie - really enjoyed it


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Jumper*. Was expecting to hate it but I enjoyed it,pretty entertaining. Was left openended tho,of course. 8/10


----------



## littlemissattitude

Foxbat said:


> Akira Kurosawa's _Rhapsody In August. _
> 
> A beautiful, moving film that was both enjoyable and thought provoking.



That is a wonderful film, Foxbat.  I've seen it two or three times.

My most recent viewing was _Charlie Wilson's War_, with Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Julia Roberts.  Good movie.

I've also recently seen _The Trouble With Angels_ (again...it's one of my favorites) and _Hairspray_ (the musical), which was good enough that I went out and bought it on DVD.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Mean Girls_, which was hilarious, and _About a Boy_, which was okay. Haven't been to the cinema in ages though.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Post 500! I'd like to thank Lindsay Lohan, for starring in the movie that made my 500th post... I'm just so happy.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Amores Perros*, which had some decent moments (I quite liked the first plot about the guy who pits his dog in fights because he wants to elope with his sis-in-law) but at 2 1/2 hours is freaking long for a narrative that in several parts is too predictable and doesn't have the substance to offset its predictability. At maybe an hour less this would have got higher rating from me.


----------



## gully_foyle

Watched one of the Star Trek Next Gen movies the other night, can't remember the specific title, but it's the one where they chase the Borg back in time.

Anyway, a little observation for one of our members. There is a scene outside the enterprise where Picard, Worf and a disposable ensign are trying to release the comms dish before the Borg do something evil with it. As usual there isn't just a big red button they can hit and its done, its the usual routine of programming a computer and then having to move a big heavy switch. In triplicate, of course. You get the picture? Strangely I noticed that the units referred to when they were programming the computers were called *AE35* units. I got to verify it twice, so I'm pretty sure. Obviously a little nod to 2001.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just saw Kill Bill 1 + 2. I've seen them before but thoughrly enjoyed them again. 

Just as a aside i saw the boys and girls who played the main bodyguard element of the crazy 88 at the Edinburgh festival under the name of Chunbarra. Good stuff!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the first half of *The Fifth Element* last night. Every time I watch this, I watch a little bit more of it, but I'm still yet to see all of it. One day, perhaps (at this rate, it'll take another five viewings until I do...)


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched the first half of *The Fifth Element* last night. Every time I watch this, I watch a little bit more of it, but I'm still yet to see all of it. One day, perhaps (at this rate, it'll take another five viewings until I do...)



Oh excellent film,worth watching! Multi pass!
Sounds like Ryan at work who falls asleep every time he tries to watch Hitch Hikers Guide!


----------



## Tillane

Yeah.  My mum's like that with _*The Hunt For Red October*_.  I've lost count of the number of times she's fallen asleep halfway through it...

And as a Luc Besson fan, I'd have to say *The Fifth Element* is well worth watching.  I'd watch it for Gary Oldman's performance on its own.


----------



## HoopyFrood

It's not like I fall to sleep during it (well, OK, last night I stopped watching to move upstairs to bed), I just seem to be unable to watch it all the way through. But as I say, one day I shall! If only to find out what the hell happens.


----------



## Tillane

Hmm.  I'd have thought all the silliness and latter destruction and general mayhem would have appealed to you...


----------



## AE35Unit

Tillane said:


> Yeah.  My mum's like that with _*The Hunt For Red October*_.  I've lost count of the number of times she's fallen asleep halfway through it...
> 
> :



Oh well thats quite understandable with that film Till


----------



## Ice fyre

Just watched Jet Li's the One, quite a nice piece of nonsense, incredibly violent but inventive with it. Now watching a Beatles pastiche called "The Rutles"


----------



## Kostmayer

gully_foyle said:


> Watched one of the Star Trek Next Gen movies the other night, can't remember the specific title, but it's the one where they chase the Borg back in time.
> 
> Anyway, a little observation for one of our members. There is a scene outside the enterprise where Picard, Worf and a disposable ensign are trying to release the comms dish before the Borg do something evil with it. As usual there isn't just a big red button they can hit and its done, its the usual routine of programming a computer and then having to move a big heavy switch. In triplicate, of course. You get the picture? Strangely I noticed that the units referred to when they were programming the computers were called *AE35* units. I got to verify it twice, so I'm pretty sure. Obviously a little nod to 2001.



Ah First Contact. Well, such safety procedures are highly sensible, you don't want 3 people going for an evening stroll on the deflector dish and accidentally ejecting it into the final frontier now.

And sleeping through The Hunt for Red October is a stoning offence!


----------



## BookStop

Got _Three Kings_ from the library. Was really good.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Yo Bookstop
i liked it
it's  a weird movie,with an unexpected message
for me that one got four stars out of five 
it starts out uncomplicated,but then...


----------



## BookStop

Oh, I know what you mean. It had unexpected nuances that entertained the heck out of me.


----------



## HardScienceFan

personally i think that might be due to the Cloonster.
Interesting hypotheses,innit?
George likes movies with a message,and so do I


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Fool's Gold* over the weekend. I enjoyed it, thought it was a cute movie. Also watched* The American President* last night, and I did enjoy that one as well, although I have seen it before.


----------



## Paperkut

I think was ... The Incrdible Hulk 4/5,  good  , enjoyable but not great...


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched THE BUCKET LIST. Very good and very nearly made my eyes water slightly.


----------



## Paperkut

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched THE BUCKET LIST. Very good and very nearly made my eyes water slightly.


 
The Bucket list is a slow movie :S dont like a bit


----------



## Pyan

Finally got to see CoN - Prince Caspian.


----------



## littlemissattitude

I watched _The Black Dahlia_ last night.  Not a good movie, really, I didn't think.  But it was...I don't know how to describe it.  Intriguing.  I thought a lot of it was either overacted or underacted, but it seemed like DePalma was trying to make a movie that looked like it was made in the 40s, and that seemed to sort of fit.

_Hollywoodland_, which came out at about the same time and was also very _noir_, was much more successful in seemingly trying to do about the same thing.  Maybe I'll watch that tonight.

Also, it occurred to me that while I was on vacation I saw a couple of good movies that I wouldn't have otherwise, simply because the motel cable had HBO.

_The Queen_ was much better than I had expected, and so was _We Are Marshall_.  I wouldn't have watched either of them if I hadn't been in a motel room with nothing else to do, but I'm glad I saw both of them.

I also saw some of _V for Vendetta_.  It was on late at night, and I fell asleep not because I wasn't interested in it, but just because I was really tired.  I'd like to see the rest of it at some point.

Edited to add, for Lady of Winterfell:  I really love _The American President_.  Good movie.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

You should see the rest of _V for Vendetta_, it's a brilliant movie.


----------



## Ross

Watched:

"The Ruins" - crazy film but pretty good.

"Pathology" - Really enjoyed this film. Absolutely loved the ending:d


----------



## Ross

Just got back from the pictures. 

Watched Hancock with Will Smith

Really enjoyed it


----------



## Quokka

*Transformers*, for the second time. The plot could have been a lot stronger and I really wish they'd stop giving Michael Bay these movies but still I thought it was enjoyable enough, they waited till the technology was there to do it right and I thought they got a good balance between updating it for today and paying tribute to the 80's cartoon. It's a shame that (imo) with a few tweaks it could have been a good movie rather then a good CGI blockbuster... but I'm still looking forward to the sequels, if only for more giant alien robots jumping about the screen, so I suppose it did it's job .


----------



## Ross

Quokka said:


> *Transformers*, for the second time. The plot could have been a lot stronger and I really wish they'd stop giving Michael Bay these movies but still I thought it was enjoyable enough, they waited till the technology was there to do it right and I thought they got a good balance between updating it for today and paying tribute to the 80's cartoon. It's a shame that (imo) with a few tweaks it could have been a good movie rather then a good CGI blockbuster... but I'm still looking forward to the sequels, if only for more giant alien robots jumping about the screen, so I suppose it did it's job .


 
I think I have to agree. Could have been better but thought it was still an enjoyable film. 

Also think Shia LaBeouf is a brilliant actor.


----------



## gully_foyle

Errrm *Bender's Big Score*, the *Futurama* feature length episode. They were playing it as regular episodes on the telly here, but I saw it at the video store and madame Foyle told me to get whatever I wanted, so I did. I'm glad they're back.


----------



## BookStop

We saw _Wall-e_ today . Brilliant film imo, one of the best I've seen.


----------



## HardScienceFan

1_Jake Kasdan's *Orange County*
2_Harlin's *Exorcist*: _*the beginning
*_
 1: mediocre;even Jack Black and some guest appearances can't make up for
a cliche -ridden script,lack of chemistry between Hanks and Fisk,and an ending you could see coming from miles away.
some cardboard supporting roles didn't help either
2: _so bad,it is laughable._
Lots of pointless gore,violence,all the horror cliches ever invented regurgitated once more,the supposedly cataclysmic/eschatological battle with the demon good for a belly laugh.

Peeps,when you see this one in the video rental store,run.
Don't be tempted.
They should _*give *_you money with this one

Everyone in it probably needed money for the rent.
The director must have been possessed by a cinematographic devil,to think that he could make this one and get away with it.
Tar and feathers,please


----------



## Adasunshine

St Trinian's - 'twas ok
John Tucker Must Die - Guilty pleasure

xx


----------



## clovis-man

*WALL-E*. Saw it with my grandkids. Fascinating for both adults and kids. Beautifully conceived and displayed. We learned all over again that cockroaches are one of the planet's most resilient creatures and that Twinkies have a half-life of about 1000 years. We also were shown that humankind can pretty much mess anything up, but that there may be hope for us in spite of ourselves.


----------



## Tansy

The Fountain


What a load of [insert expletive here]

Going to sue them for the 90 mins of my life I wasted


----------



## Culhwch

I watched _I Am Legend_ on Saturday night. I wasn't expecting a great film, but I quite enjoyed it. It's been some time since I read the book, so I can't speak for the accuracy of the translation, but I thought the film was very effective. Some great shots of an empty New York, and Will Smith did a solid job of the last man on earth going slowly insane. The effects on the 'vampires' were the biggest letdown. I think a film like _28 Days Later_ shows just how successful makeup on live-action actors can be in that situation, so to fall back to CGI, and less than convincing CGI at that, was a bit unnecessary.


----------



## Ice fyre

I agrree to some degree about I am legend, the cgi vampires were a bit of  a let down. Overall a good film a rather good performance from Will Smith, whom overall I do like generally.

I wasted 90 odd minutes of my life watching the third Pirates of the Cariibean film, did not take ot it, there were some attempts at doing something different which i felt fell flat. Naff performances a ridculously awful script far too long wold have been a good film at half the length had they cut out Orlando and whatever her name was!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched a bit of *Ultraviolet*, not impressed at all. Also watched *The 5th 
Element*, which I enjoyed a bit more.


----------



## Ross

Tansy said:


> The Fountain
> 
> 
> What a load of [insert expletive here]
> 
> Going to sue them for the 90 mins of my life I wasted


 
The one with Hugh Jackman?

I felt exactly the same!


----------



## clovis-man

Tansy said:


> The Fountain
> 
> 
> What a load of [insert expletive here]
> 
> Going to sue them for the 90 mins of my life I wasted


 
The word I would use to describe it is "glacial". And that's being kind. How Rachel Weisz got herself mixed up with this film is beyond me.


----------



## Tansy

That's the one - we must have been drunk when we thought the trailer looked good, they must have showed the only action bits in the entire film - or just made some up 

It felt like it was 8 hours long.. and nothing happened, the monkey stole the show


----------



## Ross

Tansy said:


> That's the one - we must have been drunk when we thought the trailer looked good, they must have showed the only action bits in the entire film - or just made some up
> 
> It felt like it was 8 hours long.. and nothing happened, the monkey stole the show


 
The things that didn't happen didn't make sense either!


----------



## Overread

Hancock

Was very different to what I thought it was going to be - more subtle in many areas than a normal US hero based film. I liked it and Will did well, like in I am Legend, with a (slightly) more serious role than he is usually seen in!


----------



## Connavar

Overread said:


> Hancock
> 
> Was very different to what I thought it was going to be - more subtle in many areas than a normal US hero based film. I liked it and Will did well, like in I am Legend, with a (slightly) more serious role than he is usually seen in!



People need to stop thinking him only as comedy,action star.

He has been nominated for oscars twice for drama movies 


I will see the movie when it premiere here next week cause Will Smith always entertains no matter what kind of movie.  I dont care for superhero these days.  I have avoided Hulk,Wanted like they were the plague cause they dont interest me anymore.


----------



## Overread

we have been rather oversaturated in them as of late from Hollywood - there are only a few I will watch galdly - The new Batman is looking good and the first was a good strong film (I might even start to accept Cane as the Butler) - after that I would list this film, slight comedy in it but more serious and not your typical hero film.


----------



## Connavar

Overread said:


> we have been rather oversaturated in them as of late from Hollywood - there are only a few I will watch galdly - The new Batman is looking good and the first was a good strong film (I might even start to accept Cane as the Butler) - after that I would list this film, slight comedy in it but more serious and not your typical hero film.



Batman i will watch for Bale is awesome.  Im a fan of Batman comics, still read them.  The first movie was a disappointment if you knew the character like me.  Still it was better made then most superhero these days.

Thats why i have been looking forward to Hancock, its not typical superhero movie.  Its not five minute in it he will become the amazing spider man and save the world from his nemesis the green goblin.....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Funnily enough, I just watched _Batman Begins _this morning. It was pretty good! The main reason I watched it is in anticipation of _The Dark Knight_, which looks like it will be sensational. Wouldn't mind seeing _Hancock_ either.


----------



## Ross

Thought Hancock was really good.

Personally don't think Will Smith get's the credit he deserves. 

Don't think he's made a bad film in my eyes.

And Fresh Prince was awesome And still is.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Will Smith is quite the sci fi fan hey!

Men in Black, I, Robot, Independence Day, I Am Legend, Hancock...


----------



## AE35Unit

Ross said:


> Thought Hancock was really good.
> 
> Personally don't think Will Smith get's the credit he deserves.
> 
> Don't think he's made a bad film in my eyes.
> 
> And Fresh Prince was awesome And still is.



Spot on there,he even pulled off serious drama too in Happyness,a great film,albeit with dodgy hair! And he never looks any older!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Oooh I loved Happyness.


----------



## AE35Unit

Hilarious Joke said:


> Oooh I loved Happyness.



Yea we did too!


----------



## Ice fyre

I actually do like Will Smith, when he gets a decent script he can act well. He just needs to be directed well as well. Like Jim Carey, who was amazing in the Truman show, when they reel it in and think about it they realise that they dont have to be so over the top and utilise their acting muscles!

Just my opnion


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Semi-Pro* last night. Not all that funny.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Spiderwick Chronicles*
Quite good actually for a YA fantasy! I thought the guy acting as Molgoruth looked like Edgar Friese from Tangerine Dream! I've seen him on you tube and he does look like that! Turns out its good old Nick Nolte


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Layer Cake*,with Daniel Craig
goodun,albeit grim


----------



## BookStop

*10.000 bc* - it was awuful


----------



## Talysia

Batman Forever.  Not my favourite of the Batman films, but still pretty enjoyable.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Hancock. I thought it was pretty good, Will Smith was excellent, and I especially liked the first half of the movie. However I thought the twist wasn't done quite right, and parts were confusing, and Charlize Thereon wasn't that spesh. Still, you gotta love Jason Bateman and overall it wasn't bad.


----------



## Ross

Hilarious Joke said:


> Hancock. I thought it was pretty good, Will Smith was excellent, and I especially liked the first half of the movie. However I thought the twist wasn't done quite right, and parts were confusing, and Charlize Thereon wasn't that spesh. Still, you gotta love Jason Bateman and overall it wasn't bad.


 

Which parts did you find confusing?


----------



## AE35Unit

*No Country For Old Men*
Great film,very noir and slow but i enjoyed it. Strange ending tho,well actually the true ending would i believe be before the actual ending,where the bad dude walks away. What comes next,the bit that everyone says is a daft ending is more like an epilogue. Thats my take on it anyway.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> *No Country For Old Men*
> Great film,very noir and slow but i enjoyed it. Strange ending tho,well actually the true ending would i believe be before the actual ending,where the bad dude walks away.


 
In the conventional wisdom attached to "language of the cinema", when the last you see of a character in a film is their back as they walk away, it symbolizes their impending death. But with the Coen brothers, you just never know.


----------



## AE35Unit

Are the Coen brothers the ones that made O Brother Where Art Thou? I loved that film but still haven't seen the ending!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Are the Coen brothers the ones that made O Brother Where Art Thou? I loved that film but still haven't seen the ending!


 
Yep. See link for complete list:

Coen brothers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Foxbat

_The Legend Of The Shadowless Sword._

It had the usual storyline of good guys versus bad guys (or perhaps that should be persons rather than guys because two of the leading cast were female). 

Although formulaic in plot and somewhat predictable, it did have a lot of swordplay done in the finest Wuxia tradition. The camera was used as artistically as one might expect from this kind of movie. 

In conclusion, despite it's failings, an enjoyable romp of swords and heroic deeds through tenth century Korea. 

I can think of worse ways to spend a saturday afternoon.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Wall-e*. I thought it was very cute and I quite enjoyed it.  Pixar always does a good job. I liked the short that they showed at the beginning as well.


----------



## Talysia

The Bourne Ultimatum.  Good film.


----------



## Grimward

Lagging a bit, I know, but saw _*I Am Legend*_ last night.  One of Wil Smith's better performances.


----------



## Tansy

Watched *Once*, which was lovely, and *Notes on a Scandal*, which left me distrusting all lonely old women , this weekend


----------



## Marcus15

"Ironman"

I liked it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Pulp Fiction. *Well, watching it right now.


----------



## Highlander II

*Indiana Jones... Crystal Skull* - it was your typical Indiana Jones film.  I liked it.

I also saw *Street Kings*, which is like *The Big Easy* w/o the good parts.  The only good part of Street Kings is Hugh Laurie's Capt Biggs.


----------



## angelamia

I just finished up watching the new Futurama movie: The Beast With a Billion Backs.  Amazing... I'm so glad they brought that show back, even if it is only in movie form.


----------



## vivek

hancock last weekend...did not like it much...hoping to catch the kung fu panda flick this saturday


----------



## HardScienceFan

_*KASSABLANCA
*_
good,albeit slightly disturbing
I think the director purposefully used some sterotyping to make a point
i love anti-racism movies,especially when love plays a part


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Starsky & Hutch*

Love it. Funny and has a great cast including Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughan, Carmen Elektra, and Snoop Dogg!


----------



## vivek

oh man...i saw kung fu panda on Thursday night..IMHO it's the movie of the year so far

absolutley fantastic special effects, rich characterization,spectacular animation....awesome voiceovers...regular dosages of subtle and over the top humour...jack black is outstanding

easily 5 out of 5...i would give it 6 if possible

worth watching on the big screen


----------



## Spade

Wall-E  4.5/5
Just Cause 2.5/5


----------



## Morpheus42

tuesday two weeks ago: *The Strangers*: Bad. Was even bad in being horror/thriller.
tuesday last week: *The Air I Breath*: Worth seeing. Was enjoyable.

tuesday: *Children of Huang Shi*: Good movie. Liked it most for the story and scenery.


----------



## Pyan

*Journey to the Centre of the Earth - 3D*

Extremely undemanding fun - and amazing 3D effects. Worth a view, if only for the high quality Michael Caine-style glasses you get.


----------



## Tansy

I saw Beowulf in 3d and the effects were the best thing about it


----------



## Ice fyre

I just watched the Robocop special edition and the documentary attached to it. Interesting stuff, I'm amazed the film got made, the Robocop suit got delivered a day before filming and no-one had the faintest idea what it would look like. We saw the early designs and they were Judge Dredd almost exactly! The DVD has the directors version so I'm watching that soon!


----------



## Ross

The Happening.

Thought it was a decent film. Mark Wahlberg seemed to struggle at some points during the film with his character being a softly spoken Science teacher.

The two don't go together


----------



## Mithridelle

_The Dark Knight_.

Heath really put all of his effort and acting spirit into this movie. I loved it.


----------



## Lioness

Last night at a sleepover I watched Borat and Enchanted. I really didn't like Borat, it was funny, but had horrible taste. Too crude for me by far. Enchanted was excellent, I loved it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched 10,000BC. Is a bit different to the original,with Phoenicians and Egyptians. Just annoyed that the box mentions sabre tooth tigers. No such thing!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_The Dark Knight_.

Amazing movie. I thought _Iron Man _was great but this is just so much more complex and brilliant. You won't recognise Heath, but his portrayal of the Joker is extremely well done, very creepy. I also thought Aaron Eckhart was excellent.


----------



## Spade

The Dark Knight A+
Get Smart B+


----------



## BookStop

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched 10,000BC. Just annoyed that the box mentions sabre tooth tigers. No such thing!


 
eh?....


----------



## Carmine Boy

The Dark Knight. Best comic book movie ever. Heath Ledger's Joker was outstanding. Both psychopatic and charismatic, I couldn't turn my eyes away whenever he was on the screen. The rest of the cast were stellar but Heath stole the show.


----------



## Mithridelle

I laughed at too many inappropriate moments during _The Dark Knight_. The pen trick had me in near hysterics. Heath was an absolute knockout in this movie. He really did steal the show.

...

He's Australian too.


----------



## Cayal

He was.

The Dark Knight - 15 billion out of 10. It was that damn good (and yes the pen trick was quite funny). Everyone in that movie was quite good, but Heath was truly amazing.


----------



## Mithridelle

Didn't want to remind myself of that tragedy.

Yes he was. His best performance ever.


----------



## AE35Unit

just watched The Orphanage,a nice classy ghost story,how they should be made,even tho it was subtitled. Del Toro makes some good movies!


----------



## Rothgar

I just got back from The Dark Knight. WOW...  It was amazing! Everything about it clicked.  I'll have to go see it at least one more time in the theater!


----------



## Culhwch

Can't wait to see it, Rothgar. Hopefully this week...

Watched _Atonement_ last night, and while it wasn't 'as near perfect a film as you'll find', as the box yelled at me, it wasn't bad at all. Quite effective non-linear story-telling, and very well shot.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw _Hancock _again last night. After the twist isn't really that great. But the first part I enjoy .


----------



## Nesacat

Several friends and I went on a movie marathon last night. We started with Hellboy 2, went on to Journey to the Centre of the Earth and ended with War of the Dragons.

The first two were a lot of fun and the third had the worst plot in all creation but it had amazing CGI, which was what we had been there for. The dragons and great serpents were awesome.


----------



## Lucien21

Wall-E

Superb movie 9/10


----------



## tangaloomababe

Saw "The Bank Job" last night and I think I am in love with Jason Statham.  A really good film, its been awhile since I enjoyed a movie this much. Probably rate it 8.5 / 10, ok 9/10.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*the Tailor of Panama*
Pierce Brosnan does a nice balancing act between an amoral spy,amiable rogue,oversexed git,and totally self centered opportunist
Geoffrey Rush dependable as always,as was Jamie Lee Curtis
ending could have been better,i think


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Saw *The Dark Knight* on Saturday and thought it was great. Lots going on in that movie, but what a movie!


----------



## sunnye

kongfu panda
so lovely


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Cloverfield. I was expecting it to utter garbage but was fascinated once it all kicked off. The style made it all seem all too real,like watching it on the news,excellent!


----------



## ravenus

Saw Marcel Camus' *Black Orpheus* (incidentally, Marcel is the brother of writer Albert), which is a reinterpretation of a Greek legend (Orpheus losing his wife Eurydice and going to the Underworld to bring her back) as a contemporary musical set in Brazil. The film has a couple of pretty good ideas, some excellent shots and a charming lead pair (even if Orpheus is quite the cad here), but this whole modern-day interpretation (which also contains some really shitty conversions for the fantastic elements of the story) strips it of the mythical and magical qualities and what we are left with is a mostly mediocre and undernourished love-story.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Last night we watched *Meet Bill* with Aaron Eckhart. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Tansy

Derailment and Inside man - both with the rather yummy Clive owen - both good films with unexpected twists


----------



## littlemissattitude

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Last night we watched *Meet Bill* with Aaron Eckhart. I enjoyed it.



Thanks for the recommendation.  I've been seeing that in the video store and wondered if it was any good.  I like Aaron Eckhart a lot.

Watched _Keeping Mum_ earlier.  Funny movie.  Have also seen in the past few days: _National Treasure 2_, _Night in the Museum_ (again).  I liked _National Treasure 2_ a lot better than I liked the first one, even though I really don't like Nicholas Cage much at all.  _Night in the Museum_ is really a kids' movie, but I like it a lot.

Also tried to watch _Gone Baby Gone_, but I fell asleep.  Not that it was a bad movie.  I really liked what I saw.  But, I was really tired the night we watched it (movies are a part of my best friend's strategy to provide stress relief for me since my mother broke her hip the other day) and I just sort of couldn't keep my eyes open.


----------



## Ashley R

Went and saw *Wanted* last night.

Any film that starts with the opener A Thousand years ago, which feature a loom of fate is not setting itself up as a neo-realist portrayal. Anyway, Wanted has Angelina Jolie, guns and fast cars to entertain one and what more can you ask for?


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

littlemissattitude said:


> Thanks for the recommendation. I've been seeing that in the video store and wondered if it was any good. I like Aaron Eckhart a lot.


 
You're welcome! Hopefully you'll enjoy it as well. 

We watched *Beowulf* last night. I guess it was alright. Perhaps it would have been better in 3D, but I just wasn't all that impressed.


----------



## Tansy

Lady of Winterfell said:


> You're welcome! Hopefully you'll enjoy it as well.
> 
> We watched *Beowulf* last night. I guess it was alright. Perhaps it would have been better in 3D, but I just wasn't all that impressed.


 
It was the 3D that made the film for me - not intention of watching it on DVD as it wouldn;t be the same

If I hadn't been so impressed with the effects the film would have been just ok


----------



## Adasunshine

Golden Compass - meh...

xx


----------



## ravenus

Ashley R said:


> Anyway, Wanted has Angelina Jolie, guns and fast cars to entertain one and what more can you ask for?


Angelina Jolie to be shot and run over? Kidding, I know a lot of people like her 

Anyways,  I saw *The Mindscape of Alan Moore*, a pretty well made docu that relies mostly on interview footage with that messiah of the serious comic book. Moore, as may be expected from his profile, is an immensely knowledgeable and compelling, if sometimes really loopy speaker. His musings on everything from his childhood (in an incest community where "even the dog shares the same harelip") and aimless youth to getting into the comics writing biz and the inspiration for the various celebrated comics series he did (although he does not talk about *Promethea* here, maybe too recent?) make for great listening and his thoughts on spiritualism and the modern monotheistic vein of Western society also has several moments of interest, even if it sometimes gets a l'il too pompous and fruity. I also liked that the docu used a lot of cool imagery to underline Moore's words.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Edison*
Timberlake,Spacey,LL Cool J,Morgan Freeman,Dylan McDermott,Cary Elwes,in no particularr order of importance.
verdict on Timberlake:he *can* act.
Some good stuff in there,and some standard thriller stuff.
Could have been better,but could also have been a LOT worse.
the ending
again,just my verdict:the director lost the plot a bit in the ending.
Won't say what it is ,but as *denouements* go,not good enough


----------



## Carmine Boy

The Dark Knight was awesome. Heath Ledger gave a career defining performance as a Joker. You will not be able to take your eyes away from the screen whenever he's on it. The other cast members particularly Aaron Eckhart were also good but Ledger was just leaps and bounds ahead of the whole cast. 

Its a long movie so I caution you to not bring drinks to avoid any potty breaks.


----------



## gully_foyle

I finally got to watch Hancock, and hey, I thought it was fun. I think the naysayers are being overly cynical, the two halves have a different tempo for sure, and the second half could have been better explored, but I didn't go in expecting too much.


----------



## Celeritas

I took a dirty-eared, squabbling wolfpack of nephews out to see the jackie chan/jet li film today.

if you go, take your kids. they will dig it to no end. the hero goes back to ancient chinese days to return the monkey king's magic staff to him to free him from a stone prison and together defeat the evil jade warlord. he learns chinese martial arts at the hands of a drunken daoist scholar/begger/immortal played by jackie chan sporting dreadlocks. and then there's the lovely sparrow, a girl hellbent on revenge on the jade warlord for killing her family. and a strange smartalec warrior monk played by jet li who also stars as the monkey king. 

the kids will love it. I however was bored stiff anytime chan and li were not squared off against each other. the story is strange and the bumbling child of suburbia that is the hero was totally weak to me.

my two cents.


----------



## Adasunshine

Clerks II - funny

xx


----------



## Overread

Wall-e!

Definatly worth going to see on the big screen - good old family fun film!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Kung Fu Panda

Not as good as I thought it would be. It was alright though.


----------



## BookStop

We saw *The Strangers* this weekend. It was pretty intense. I had no expectations at all as we went on a whim and didn't even know what we were going to see. I like what the director did for the film, and the acting was top notch.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*Io Non Ho Pauro*
excellent
how to do much with very little


----------



## jezelf

Carmine Boy said:


> The Dark Knight was awesome. Heath Ledger gave a career defining performance as a Joker. You will not be able to take your eyes away from the screen whenever he's on it. The other cast members particularly Aaron Eckhart were also good but Ledger was just leaps and bounds ahead of the whole cast.
> 
> Its a long movie so I caution you to not bring drinks to avoid any potty breaks.


 

I saw Dark Knight at the weekend. Totally agree with Carmine Boy on the performances. Overall entertaining, and worth seeing though the story seemed to be drawn out a bit for me. I don't mind sitting through a long film, but it felt like it had a few needless scenes, or just inflated ones. 

Heath Ledger stole the show. If it wasn't for him I would had been happy to wait until it came to DVD.

Having said that I can't deny there where a few 'cooooll' moments.


Want toe see Wall.E next. Looks great and heard good things. Pixar always delivers.


----------



## Morpheus42

Last tuesday: Wall-E : fun for (almost ) all ages.

Last saturday: pulp-fiction again.   still good


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Ultraviolet* was on the TV. Not a good a movie. I didn't really even watch it all, just had it on while I was cleaning the house.


----------



## Tansy

Snowcake - was a really good film and a good view into autism


----------



## Highlander II

"The Dark Knight" and "Deception" - neither was particularly awe-inspiring, though Heath Ledger as the Joker is really freakin' awesome!  I just had a hard time dealing with a Batman who sounded like he was wearing a retainer.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Had a bit of a Tarantino weekend. Watched *Reservoir Dogs*, which was fantastic. And *Kill Bill*, which was very good, too. I love the camera work in Tarantino's stuff.


----------



## Tansy

It's his dialogue I love 

Huge Tarantino fan


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm fast becoming a fan, methinks.

I forgot to mention that I also watched *Seven Year Itch* as well. Despite having heard and seen parts of a few Marilyn Monroe films (who hasn't?) this was the first that I'd seen in full (mostly). The main guy's running monologue throughout was very funny. And  Marilyn Monroe was truly, truly beautiful (_stop the presses, breaking news_! But it was only when seeing her in the film that I really saw it).


----------



## Overread

HoopyFrood said:


> Had a bit of a Tarantino weekend. Watched *Reservoir Dogs*, which was fantastic. And *Kill Bill*, which was very good, too. I love the camera work in Tarantino's stuff.


 
*makes a mental note to oneday see all of Reservoir Dogs and to see Pulp Fiction - which appears to be missing from Hoopy's list
*


----------



## HoopyFrood

If you care to go back a few pages, Mr OR, I watched *Pulp Fiction* a few weeks ago. Well, kind of. Was a little distracted. But it was good. *Reservoir Dogs* has been the best of the lot so far though. I love the little continuous shots that you get, like when the camera follows Mr Blonde out of the warehouse, to his car, and back again. It's those kinds of things that impress me (I like the technical bits of films).


----------



## tangaloomababe

Re watched "House of Sand and Fog" I love this movie.  Ben Kingsley is just brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Highlander II said:


> I just had a hard time dealing with a Batman who sounded like he was wearing a retainer.



That comment gave me the laugh I've needed so badly today. Thanks.


----------



## Talysia

Fantastic Four:  Rise of the Silver Surfer.  Actually, I watched the second half of it, so I can't compare it properly just yet, but I didn't like it as much as the first film.  Still, not bad.


----------



## Ice fyre

Saw Batman last night quite enjoyed it but was dying for a wee about 20 minutes from the end so was in abject agony by the time the finale came around! Overall a very good film if a bit long, nice to see the scarecrow still around. Heath ledger was amazing as the Joker.


----------



## jezelf

Tansy said:


> It's his dialogue I love
> 
> Huge Tarantino fan



Just my opinion but...

 The problem for me is most of Tarantino characters monologues all begin to sound like they would come from the same character after a while ( usually I can see Tarantino himself saying it all ) and  I wish he wouldn't be in his own movies he's always annoying  and overacts.

I saw Death Proof not so long along - all the first half was a waste of time. There’s all this talk going on which is just tedious to sit through but you think it must be important for the plot and then it's all wiped away. Which in one way, is a good experiment, but ultimately pointless. Kirk Russell was good in it. The trailers didn't show any of the first half, so you're expecting most of what you see in the second half, wondering when the pace is going to pick up and then it's disappointing. I didn’t really care what happened to the characters, any of them and the only one remotely interesting was Kirk Russell’s but he was still shallow. That might have been the point, not to care about the girls, so you would root for the bad guy, but it didn't work for me. some scenes felt like they *wanted* to be in Pulp Fiction.

There's no doubt his films have been ground breaking, - even if most of it is 'influenced' from many other films -  but Tarantino is a bit hit and miss for me. I thought Pulp fiction was the highlight of his films so far - which I saw again on TV the other week. I remember the first time I saw the Bruce Willis in the shop scene and he's walking down with the sword. That is a masterpiece of cinema. I've never been SOO tense and on the edge of my seat before. I felt my heart pounding - still a great scene. Things that leave it up to your imagination are always winners.

In the end there's only so many times you can use his technique before it starts seeming like it's more his muse than carefully constructed for the flow (in which ever way it's chopped). The audience become an after thought. 

BTW. The Writer's Journey has an analytical break down on Pulp Fiction. Worth a read. 

Sorry. Didn’t mean to rant.


----------



## Wybren

I saw "The Forbidden Kingdom" and I really enjoyed it. Was going to see Batman last week but was really ill and couldn't go.

I think Pulp Fiction is by far Tarrantino's best film, Though I did enjoy the Kill Bill movies, True Romance and From Dusk Till Dawn. I have yet to see Resevior Dogs, even though I have it on DVD and I thought Jackie Brown was average.


----------



## ravenus

I entirely second what jezelf says. I liked RD, PF and JB but his latter day films have an undesirable quotient of "Look at me the (obnoxious) film geek who has seen so many obscure/cult movies and am referencing them".


----------



## AE35Unit

Took the kids to see Wall E today,what a cracking film,great on so many levels. Katie fell asleep on my lap half way thru. Will definitely buy it on DVD when it comes out. 
Oh look out for Ice Age 3 next summer!


----------



## Tansy

HoopyFrood said:


> If you care to go back a few pages, Mr OR, I watched *Pulp Fiction* a few weeks ago. Well, kind of. Was a little distracted. But it was good. *Reservoir Dogs* has been the best of the lot so far though. I love the little continuous shots that you get, like when the camera follows Mr Blonde out of the warehouse, to his car, and back again. It's those kinds of things that impress me (I like the technical bits of films).


 
My fave is True Romance but Pulp and Dogs are close seconds 

Jackie Brown is good, From Dusk till Dawn is wonderful in schitzophrenic way(a Tarantino/lost boys/a-team hybrid, Deathproof was fun, enjoyed the kill bills, don't actually think there is one of his I haven'[t enjoyed on some level


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Poltergeist on DVD,a classic,even tho there's a bad edit part way thru with about 30 seconds missing in this 25th anniversary edition.


----------



## Ice fyre

I do like Tarintino, Kill Bill is a good film but I think Pulp Fiction is his best. The dialouges in Pulp Fiction are a bit more diverse, I do agree that a lot of his work could be taken as him ranting, but I love the style and execution of his work. He does pastiche (Kill Bill) so well. Though I couldnt sit thorough Resevior Dogs, which I still find odd as I like all the other films I've seen he's done. Not sure if it was the swearing or the violence or a mixture of the two.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Sleuth *with Michael Caine and Jude Law. It was just ok for me.


----------



## Wybren

Watching Alvin and the Chipmunks at the moment.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched Wanted today.

I really enjoyed it.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched "Legend" ultimate edition director's cut last night ... Boring, the fast forward button got a real workout.  It may not be the worst movie ever made but it certainly deserves honorable mention as a contender (I don't remember the theater version as being this bad).

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

Finally saw *The Dark Knight*  last night.   Waited a couple days after the premiere to wait for family and friends.


It was sick, it was so much better than i expected despite the hype. I kept thinking before hand that Nolan couldnt make an awesome Batman movie to someone who wanted Batman translated well to movie.

Its hard to believe to that the people behind Begins and who IMO ruined Falcone,Ras and other batman villians got Dent,Two-face,Joker,Maroni and co almost perfect.


One of few movies i have ever had the urge to see more than once in theatre.

Ledger was awesome. He was perfect as sick part of Joker but what impressed me most what when he made laugh and smile cause he was funny to in some parts too. They focused too much on the sick Joker but it was nice seeing he could be funny too. 

How he looked when he walked out the hospital and blew the hospital again. Plus at the end when he was talking upside down to Bats and truly laughed like the Joker.

Only thing that wasnt so hot was sometimes they went too far with the talk about heroes,shining in armour. Things that was made you cringe of hollywood cheese. That isnt anything at all compared 2,30 awesome movie. 

I liked how Batman was done too, the bike was typical superhero fun stuff. Totaly Batman coolness when he took down the Joker truck with the lines.

The fact that he became outlaw and he had to take down Swat and look even more like an outlaw was awesome. The tragic,dark ending was surpsingly fresh. Its totaly right that Batman doesnt end to happy. Its not Superman or spidey.


Speaking about Rachel im glad she is dead maybe im a Batman purist but i thought it was pointless to make up a love interest for him. Bruce isnt Clark/Supes he doesnt need a Lois. Specially not one that is made up when there are many others from the comic like Catwoman.


I dont care if Nolan does a Batman 3 or not it must be done with the same actors minus Ledger of course ,it will still be awesome if its done in similar vein. More Batman this time though. Hoping for Two Face too.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Peeping Tom*, which is one of the most genuinely intense and creepy psycho/stalker films I've seen. Preceded Hitchcock's *Psycho* by a few months and IMO betters it in the amount of discomfort the lead character raises.


----------



## Talysia

I saw Spiderman 3 last night.  Not my favourite of the three, but not bad, either.


----------



## nj1

Connavar said:


> Finally saw *The Dark Knight* last night. Waited a couple days after the premiere to wait for family and friends.
> 
> 
> It was sick, it was so much better than i expected despite the hype. I kept thinking before hand that Nolan couldnt make an awesome Batman movie to someone who wanted Batman translated well to movie.
> 
> Its hard to believe to that the people behind Begins and who IMO ruined Falcone,Ras and other batman villians got Dent,Two-face,Joker,Maroni and co almost perfect.
> 
> 
> One of few movies i have ever had the urge to see more than once in theatre.
> 
> Ledger was awesome. He was perfect as sick part of Joker but what impressed me most what when he made laugh and smile cause he was funny to in some parts too. They focused too much on the sick Joker but it was nice seeing he could be funny too.
> 
> How he looked when he walked out the hospital and blew the hospital again. Plus at the end when he was talking upside down to Bats and truly laughed like the Joker.
> 
> Only thing that wasnt so hot was sometimes they went too far with the talk about heroes,shining in armour. Things that was made you cringe of hollywood cheese. That isnt anything at all compared 2,30 awesome movie.
> 
> I liked how Batman was done too, the bike was typical superhero fun stuff. Totaly Batman coolness when he took down the Joker truck with the lines.
> 
> The fact that he became outlaw and he had to take down Swat and look even more like an outlaw was awesome. The tragic,dark ending was surpsingly fresh. Its totaly right that Batman doesnt end to happy. Its not Superman or spidey.
> 
> 
> Speaking about Rachel im glad she is dead maybe im a Batman purist but i thought it was pointless to make up a love interest for him. Bruce isnt Clark/Supes he doesnt need a Lois. Specially not one that is made up when there are many others from the comic like Catwoman.
> 
> 
> I dont care if Nolan does a Batman 3 or not it must be done with the same actors minus Ledger of course ,it will still be awesome if its done in similar vein. More Batman this time though. Hoping for Two Face too.


 

I watched Dark Knight last night and although I loved the film, I felt that much of the violence was heavily cut to accomadate the 12A rating. The film could have been much better if it was released at a 15 or even an 18 rating. I just think it's a shame that some of the film was cut just to sell more tickets and to be honest if my daughter was 12 i doubt i'd alow her to watch a film that so dark in places, Ledger was awesome and frightening.
I hope there'll be a directors cut version when comes out on DVD.


----------



## Serin

The last film I watched was Next with Nicholas Cage. Thought it was a good film, too.


----------



## Nesacat

Watched *Painted Skin* with Morpheus (he went back on Oct 12 ). It's based on the old legend of the fox spirit and was rather nicely done.


----------



## ktabic

Had a bit of a zombie weekend. 
Saturday watched *Resident Evil*. Was thinking Milla Jovanovich would be great as a running partner in the event of a zombie attack. But then remembered that evenone around her gets infected, so maybe not. This was followed by *Land of the Dead*. Still tosh.

Sunday the zombie theme continued, with *Shaun of the Dead* making the end of the world a riot of laughs. This was followed by *[rec]*, good hand-held camera stuff, and a really scary little girl. And a nice take on the cause of zombies. Recommended.

Somewhere in the weekend I also managed to fit in five episodes of *Stargate SG-1*


----------



## AE35Unit

Last one we watched was THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Waste of time,load of rubbish,hour and a half of your life you'll never get back!


----------



## BookStop

Went and saw Eagle Eye last week - it was alright, wasn't expecting much, so wasn't disappointed at all.

Watched the entire Back to the Future Triligy with my sickly son this weekend. He's feeling better today, and now we can say we watched them all.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Mirrors* at the cinema. Started off well; nice atmosphere, the burnt department store was particularly eerie and the lighting was effective. There was a jumpy moment every five minutes or so, too. Then the plot started up and was pretty good to begin with...but then unfortunately fell flat on its face. Not a good explanation for all the mirror business, really. 

But just for the first half alone, it was definitely better than some of the new horror crap I've seen over the last few years.


----------



## christyrocks99

Watched *Cloverfield *at my sisters. It was better at the cinema but still good on the small screen!!!


----------



## ravenus

*The Eye 2*, a sequel to a pretty decent Asian Horror film that is much better in almost every way. This one was quite gripping and easily kicks the *** of those boring Ring and Grudge series.

*Hellboy 2* (this one was at the cinema screen). While I wasn't jumping out of my seat in joy, it was a decent action-oriented film with some great CGI sequences. It also had a good conflict motivation for the 'bad guy' - In fact I'm not sure we had a 'good' ending at all.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Burn After Reading*. Bizarre, but hilarious. Brad Pitt is fantastic.


----------



## Talysia

Independence Day.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I thought Brad Pitt was great in that movie too HJ.  I think he made me laugh every time he was on screen.


----------



## Tansy

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Mirrors* at the cinema. Started off well; nice atmosphere, the burnt department store was particularly eerie and the lighting was effective. There was a jumpy moment every five minutes or so, too. Then the plot started up and was pretty good to begin with...but then unfortunately fell flat on its face. Not a good explanation for all the mirror business, really.
> 
> But just for the first half alone, it was definitely better than some of the new horror crap I've seen over the last few years.



Saw it at the weekend and thought it was ok for a scary movie - they usually make me laugh but it was quite atmospheric


----------



## Barbarella

ravenus said:


> *The Eye 2*, a sequel to a pretty decent Asian Horror film that is much better in almost every way. This one was quite gripping and easily kicks the *** of those boring Ring and Grudge series.
> 
> *Hellboy 2* (this one was at the cinema screen). While I wasn't jumping out of my seat in joy, it was a decent action-oriented film with some great CGI sequences. It also had a good conflict motivation for the 'bad guy' - In fact I'm not sure we had a 'good' ending at all.


 
Last film I saw was HellBoy, I didn't think much of it.


----------



## TK-421

rewatched Interview with the Vampire on the plane. Some very good role playing by Brad Pitt.


----------



## ravenus

Just got Spl Ed DVD's of Jackie Chan's *Police Story 1 & 2*, so I watched the first film last night (Of course, I have already seen it several times as a kid)...still good fun with massively kickass opening and closing action sequences.


----------



## Simian

*Wanted*. Violent, puerile and oddly misogynistic. The sort of film an angry 15 year old might make if he'd just been dumped by his girlfriend.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *A Bug's Life* at the moment.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Predator last night, havn't se this movie in ages but I was wacthing it with my son and partener and they seemed to know the movie word for word, all the one liners

'COMMON KILL ME"

"IF IT BLEEDS WE CAN KILL IT"

" THEY GOT YOU PUSHING TO MANY PENCILS AT THE CIA"

I don't think I have laughed so much even watching a comedy.


----------



## jezelf

Watching 'Cape Fear' on TV. Haven't seen it for years. 

Last film I saw that I loved was 'Pans Labyrinth'. Great tale. I love a fantasy adventure with a good story is set just within or out of living memory- makes it keep it magical.

Saw "Zathura - A Space Adventure" which reminded me of Jumanji. Also took me back to other films of the same feeling when I was that age. Liked it.

Last film I saw recently I hated was 'In the name of the King' - how bad is that? I missed that it was a Dungeon Siege tale until it was too late. Thats what you get for watching a trailer of the good bits cut quickly to make it look better than it was.

Im tempted by the genre, but should had listened to my instincts when I found out the cast. Burt Reynolds as a king and Jason Statham as a farmer who happens to farm with a sword strapped around him at all times. John Rhys-Davies was the best actor in it, but he couldn't save it. I like Reynolds and Liotta in their more familair roles, but not in this. Matthew Lillard was awful as the King's nephew.

If I ever make a film, I'll make a point to check the credits - to know who not to hire for casting...and screenplay. It bugs me when period films have 21st century slang words or phrases....I better stop or I'll rant for ages.

Ghost Town looks good though, might make the trip to the cinema for that and always tempted to go see James Bond.


----------



## J-Sun

_2010_, again - finally replaced my VHS with a used DVD. This doesn't seem to be a highly esteemed movie, but competing with _2001_ is a tough job. I love it myself.

Talysia mentioned _Independence Day_. Wil Smith just had a little spaceship. Regarding the Monolith, I'd say I *got* to get me some of *these*!


----------



## Barbarella

J-Sun said:


> _2010_, again - finally replaced my VHS with a used DVD. This doesn't seem to be a highly esteemed movie, but competing with _2001_ is a tough job. I love it myself.
> 
> Talysia mentioned _Independence Day_. Wil Smith just had a little spaceship. Regarding the Monolith, I'd say I *got* to get me some of *these*!


 I thought the technology took a jump backwards in that film.
Keyboard !!!!
In 2001 the crew just talked to HAL.


----------



## gully_foyle

Be Kind Rewind, which was surprisingly pleasant. The critics here panned it, but it was okay for a friday night dvd.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, forgot...watched *Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark* t'other night.


----------



## Overread

how could you forget that?
carrots eating your mind away?

and only film seen recently from me is only a semi film - Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society


----------



## Wybren

Pineapple Express, It was a great laugh! I recommend it if you enjoy movies in the Cheech and Chong, Harold and Kumar kind of style.


----------



## Foxbat

_*Grand Prix* _starring James Garner, Yves Montand and Eva Marie Saint.

An oldie but a goodie


----------



## J-Sun

Barbarella said:


> I thought the technology took a jump backwards in that film.
> Keyboard !!!!
> In 2001 the crew just talked to HAL.



I was thinking they only did that prior to HAL's voice recognition being re-jiggered, but I may not have noticed all of it. I did notice the monochrome text mode-looking display when Floyd was checking _Discovery_'s orbital decay before the mission, though. And, naturally, the giant "chip closet" of HAL's doesn't look like what you'd figure a third-millenium computer would look like, but that was a necessary holdover from 1968/2001.


----------



## Urlik

I watched Galaxy Quest the other night and found it quite enjoyable.

and it works on so many levels with jokes about SF conventions and the casts and writers of SF shows.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Samurai I - Musashi Miyamoto*, the first in a trilogy of films about a character who goes from being a wild fighter to a disciplined Samurai. A little on the melodramatic side, but still good with a powerful lead presence from *Toshiro Mifune*, the star of so many Kurosawa films before they fell out of each other.


----------



## Wybren

I loved Galaxy quest, I saw it when it came out at the cinemas years and years ago, and I still would watch it today over many other movies.


----------



## TK-421

*Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: *Was pretty good. I am a big fan of Indy films. The storyline wasn't as good as the previous three but still enjoyable. The only character that really bugged me was the one played by Ray Winstone (Mac).

*Ironman: *Hands-down one of the best superhero movies ever. Not overdone but not underdone either. Robert Downey Jr. was prefectly cast for this role. "Truth is...I am Ironman!" Just awesome!. Remember to keep watching until after the credits for a surprise.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I'm glad someone else loved that line from *Iron Man* as much as I did TK.


----------



## Reading_fanatic

I last saw Appleseed. I don't see why people didn't like it I thought it was really not that bad.


----------



## Tansy

Watched Burn after Reading while floating over the North Sea and it was ok, Brad Pitt played a great part, Malkovitch is starting to look like Richard Wilson.. was waiting for him to say "I don't bellliiieeveee it"


----------



## afroelf

I saw "In Bruges" last weekend - excellent: A gangster movie set in Bruges with a juxtapositon of medievil and contemporary crime. This weekend I am hoping to see "The Band's Visit" which is a film about an Egyptian band stranded in Israel for a weekend.
I tend towards the art movie circuit as the drek shown at the commercial cinemas is just too terrible. Well, with te exception of something with either Daniel Craig or Brad Pitt - if they are in something I would watch it even if the plot was point drying.
Another amazing film I saw recently was "Into the Silence" about Chartrusian Monks in France - really incredible and worth looking out for. They are a silent order, so the film is  - naturally- pretty silent.


----------



## Pyan

_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_, newly acquired on DVD.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Close Encounters of the Third Kind*


----------



## Vladd67

Which version?


----------



## Culhwch

_The Last of the Mohicans_. Great stuff.


----------



## j d worthington

A re-watch of John Carpenter's *The Fog*. I still find this one (despite flaws) to be a rather well-told old-fashioned ghost story, with a great deal of charm, atmosphere and genuine tension, and with a minimum of gore and almost no gratuitous violence....


----------



## kyektulu

Last film I saw was Speed and Batman film last night on telly.

I forgot how crap Clooney is at Batman, he is too fresh faced, never seen a day of hardship in his life...


----------



## kyektulu

j. d. worthington said:


> A re-watch of John Carpenter's *The Fog*. I still find this one (despite flaws) to be a rather well-told old-fashioned ghost story, with a great deal of charm, atmosphere and genuine tension, and with a minimum of gore and almost no gratuitous violence....



I much prefare Carpenters The Fog, the new version is crap.

Why are they constantly remaking old movies and balling them up!!!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Vladd67 said:


> Which version?



There's more than one? Oh, do you mean the reissue version? It was on tv and I wasn't playing incredibly close attention to it, so I'm not entirely sure.


----------



## j d worthington

kyektulu said:


> I much prefare Carpenters The Fog, the new version is crap.
> 
> Why are they constantly remaking old movies and balling them up!!!


 
Kye... I couldn't agree more. I had to accompany my older sister to see that (she doesn't like going to movies alone), when I was living down there for a while, and a worse waste of film it would be difficult to find... though Hollywood certainly seems intent on trying to outdo themselves....

For example, Zombie's remake of *Halloween*....



HoopyFrood said:


> There's more than one? Oh, do you mean the reissue version? It was on tv and I wasn't playing incredibly close attention to it, so I'm not entirely sure.


 
Yes, there are at least two I'm aware of. I much prefer the original theatrical release; the later edition I saw (with all the things inside the ship, etc.), was simply boring as hell; far too drawn out. It made me think of those repeated shots in *Star Trek: The Motion Picture*, of George Takei looking "awestruck" (though I'd be tempted to say stunned or stoned) which kept coming up. It was supposed to make the impression that what we were seeing was truly awe-inspiring, but all it made me feel was a need to yawn repeatedly....


----------



## HoopyFrood

LOL. "The film's still a little short." "OK...add more shocked-face clips, that'll do it..." Are you sure it wasn't the same clip? Was the background the same every time...? 

Agree with the new The Fog version hating. Went to see it during my sixth form years of "Let's see every new horror film that's released at the cinema." Definitely one of the worst I watched (and that's saying something...)


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> LOL. "The film's still a little short." "OK...add more shocked-face clips, that'll do it..." Are you sure it wasn't the same clip? Was the background the same every time...?
> 
> Agree with the new The Fog version hating. Went to see it during my sixth form years of "Let's see every new horror film that's released at the cinema." Definitely one of the worst I watched (and that's saying something...)


 
Let's just say, if it makes *The Grim Reaper* (aka *Antropophagus*) look good... you're in trouble....


----------



## HoopyFrood

You know...and this is just a feeling, I'm not entirely sure...but I'm starting to think that you're not too keen on that film...


----------



## j d worthington

Compared to the current crop, it's beginning to grow on me....


----------



## PTeppic

Solace, Quantum of Solace

Not sure what to make of it... was slightly cramped in my (supposedly "superior") seat and got leg-cramp at one point. They seem to have taken a film and a half and crammed it into a cut-down single slot, with more twists and turns that a Tour de France mountain section. Whilst undoubtedly more realistic, can't we have a nice big bad guy, a trade-markable henchman and huge base to blow-up in the final reel?


----------



## ravenus

*The Last Wave* by Peter Weir. Here a white Aussie lawyer is defending a group of aborigines accused of killing one of their fellow-abo's. He starts getting weird dreams and begins to realize that he may have more of a connection with the aborigines than he previously thought. Although there are some good moments and kickass visuals this follow-up to* Picnic at Hanging Rock* was quite patchy and nowhere as well-realized as it should have been.


----------



## Lucien21

*Quantum of Solace.*

More or less one long chase sequence after another. Sadly there ain't much plot or decent bad guys.

However it is a thrilling ride, the action sequences are fun and there is an obvious nod towards Goldfinger.

Not as good as Casino Royale, but fun nevertheless.

p.s Product placement in Bond movies is getting waaaaaay out of hand. Mind you I want one of those wall screens and table top computers than MI6 had.


----------



## Connavar

That worries me that they seem to have went from the calm and coolness of Casino Royal to action feast.

I wont like it if its action feast mostly.....

I dont want Brosnan Bond cliche feast of lame action movies, i want Casino Royale 2 !


----------



## Heebie

Michael Moore's "Sicko"

Now I feel like a Liberal after watching it.


----------



## Nesacat

Watched *Painted Skin* again on Halloween with a good friend. I must say it was a lot better for having someone who could actually understand Mandarin because the sub-titles were absolutely ridiculous.

Have been invited to a special showing of *Quantum of Solace* and am entirely not sure now if I really wish to see it as I rather liked *Casino Royale*. I'll probably go along anyway. There's not too many Bond movies I've not seen.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Mist. Wasn't sure what to expect but its a good un. Quite tense with some humour but man that religious woman got on my nerves! I don't want to spoil things but well,I got quite upset at the end. Can't say anymore,too upsetting. Not often a film can do that! Very good!


----------



## Nesacat

Yes the ending was upsetting ... startling and upsetting. Wanted to slap the religious woman too.


----------



## Ice fyre

I just saw the cottage on Saturday starring Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith and Jennifer Ellison, crude gory, but actuallly quite funny in places in a tasteless sort of way. Watched Dusk till dawn after it which was good.

I want to see the mist, I've heard its quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

It is a great film,but it does have a ring of 'Scientists bad,religion good' about it.
As for the bible basher,I'd have sent her out first. There is a classic line in there I liked. Excuse me here:
'If I ever wanted a friend like you I'd s**t one out!'  That from a so-called Christian too!


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> It is a great film,but it does have a ring of 'Scientists bad,religion good' about it.


WHERE?! As I recall, *The Mist* has a pretty obvious "Religion is for the Nutters" vibe. I don't recall Science getting any judgment passed on it, favorable or not.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Vantage Point* -- a good film, although I admit that I was getting slightly annoyed by the sixth time the damned clock went back to 11:59am (but then I'm generally irritable at the moment ). But a nicely made film and I always enjoy creatively-different films.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> WHERE?! As I recall, *The Mist* has a pretty obvious "Religion is for the Nutters" vibe. I don't recall Science getting any judgment passed on it, favorable or not


 Well there was a scene where the religious faction   proclaimed it was the scientists that have brought this upon us all.  
You may say yea,but they were religious nutters but there are two sides to every coin! They believe they are right and we,the scientific thinking lot believe we are right. But religion aside the mist and its associated beings WAS created by scientists,just like the monsters in Jurassic Park and the monster in Frankenstein etc.


----------



## katiafish

I just saw Wanted, quite liked it in pure eye candy kind of way, not deep but pretty with lots of action. From the same Russian director who did Night /Day Watch, so some pretty cool camera action. Day Watch was waaaay too long  in my opinion, good, just too stretched out.


----------



## Wybren

Watching Labrynth at the moment


----------



## Connavar

*Quantum of Solace

*I saw on tueday and it was a dissapointment.  It was just an action scene to another from the car chase to the end.

Only saved by the actors Craig,Dench,The russian actress etc

Lame a so called drama director making an action movie without any real good action scenes even.  The camera was always too shaky.

Casino Royale was 10 times better in action scenes and story,characters,spy,cool scenes.

Solace gets from  6/10 simply for the actors and not for the lame backward drive to Brosnan movies....


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Leatherheads* last night. It was alright, nothing special.


----------



## Simian

*Grave of the Fireflies*. One of the most profoundly moving animated films I've ever seen.


----------



## sloweye

Wybren said:


> Watching Labrynth at the moment



love that film, love that sound track.


Watched 'Human Traffic' again, Ah the memories of Early 90's clubbing


----------



## The Ace

'*The Forbidden Planet*,'  again.


----------



## afroelf

j. d. worthington said:


> A re-watch of John Carpenter's *The Fog*. I still find this one (despite flaws) to be a rather well-told old-fashioned ghost story, with a great deal of charm, atmosphere and genuine tension, and with a minimum of gore and almost no gratuitous violence....


 
The original will always be my ultimate teen sleepover horror movie. It was doing the rounds on video - VHS or Betamax - when I was about 13 and it was very popular to watch at sleepovers.  Needless to say it was so terrifying that one watched it thru your fingers and had nightmares for months afterwards.  We all used to vacation at a beach town down the coast that had fog banks that would roll in off the sea just like in the movie - it would scare the pants off us.
I had the opportunity of watching the original a few years ago on TV, and cannot believ how hard I laughed at the whole thing - plot (come on!) execution, leper acting etc. Being now in my mid thirties I could not get back in tough with the inner creepyness, but willl never forget the terror it inspired in me and my friends back in the early 1980s.For that reason alone it must be in my personal top 10 films of all time.
 - Did anyone see the "Devils Triangle"?


----------



## ravenus

Finished up the *Samurai* Trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune, my review of it *HERE*


----------



## katiafish

Just finished watching City of Women by Frederico Fellini. I will have to think about it, first impression - mildly disturbing.


----------



## Tillane

Watched *Regeneration* last night.  Very harrowing, but such a good film - great performances from Jonathan Pryce and James Wilby in particular.


----------



## sloweye

M*A*S*H , cant help it, still love it.


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched _Iron Man_. It was OK entertainment but, frankly, I don't see what some folk were raving about. 

I'd been led to believe that it was the best thing since sliced bread. The bread wins hands down.


----------



## katiafish

Iron Man rules. It may not be the BEST thing since the sliced bread, but it still is well fun. Watched it last night for the 3rd time, still  like it a lot.


----------



## sloweye

Rewcorded the second part of 'Sharpe's Peril' last night so i could watch the whole thing as a movie, it was brilliant. They didnt stray to far from the format of old, 3 hours well spent


----------



## TK-421

"The truth is...I am Ironman!"


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched the new Indiana Jones film last night. It was OK,very predictable of course-indy finds the skull,gets outside to find Men With Guns. It was entertaining tho-you can't be too critical of what is after all a boys own adventure type story. Its fun!


----------



## Simian

*Quantum of Solace *at the cinema. Not a patch on *Casino Royale *I'm afraid. The story and direction were all over the place, and after the bar had been raised so high by Bond's last outing this one seemed like a step backwards. That said, Craig was very good and there was enough to suggest that the franchaise still has some legs in it.


----------



## afroelf

Frankly I would watch Daniel Craig mow a lawn. Comes out here on Friday - so I guess next week will be when i will mosey down to our local cinema to see it.
Saw Elizabeth - the 1998 one- on TV last night. Still a very good film. 
ALthough I do hate the tendancy of many filmmakers to film the tudors as living in maginificent palaces but with no furniture. 
Have'nt they heard of how famous English furniture making and wood carving was before the reformation? How most of it was burnt which is why there are so few examples of it left? Or is history a step too far?


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> Finished up the *Samurai* Trilogy starring Toshiro Mifune, my review of it *HERE*


 
The Musashi tales are classics and for the time they were filmed, the cinematography was quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

IRON MAN. It was OK. Good disengage the brain action movie,certainly much better than the new Hulk film it follows. Did anyone else see the bit at the very end,after all the credits,with Samuel L Jackson mentioning the next film?


----------



## Urien

No Country for Old Men. Bleak and oblique, like the book. Worth watching, but the kind of movie that leaves you feeling a little hollow. It sucks hope out of the universe.


----------



## AE35Unit

andrew.v.spencer said:


> No Country for Old Men. Bleak and oblique, like the book. Worth watching, but the kind of movie that leaves you feeling a little hollow. It sucks hope out of the universe.



Such a good movie!


----------



## Simian

I don't know if I've ever seen a movie quite like *No Country For Old Men*. The last twenty minutes or so veered so wildly off course from what you might expect, even from a Coen brothers film, that it left me genuinely unsettled. Sadly too few movies have the courage to do that.

Last film seen: *Memento*. It might have suffocated on its own cleverness but for the performances of Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano, but I enjoyed it a lot.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

AE35Unit said:


> IRON MAN. It was OK. Good disengage the brain action movie,certainly much better than the new Hulk film it follows. Did anyone else see the bit at the very end,after all the credits,with Samuel L Jackson mentioning the next film?


 
Unfortunately I did not, but I have heard quite a few people mention it. We are going to rent it and watch it again so we'll have to look for it this time 'round.


----------



## Connavar

andrew.v.spencer said:


> No Country for Old Men. Bleak and oblique, like the book. Worth watching, but the kind of movie that leaves you feeling a little hollow. It sucks hope out of the universe.



You dont watch alot dark movies do you ?

I have seen old film noir that was so bleak that i felt depressed by the lack of hope that No Country seems like happy disney musical in comparison.

It was very good movie but i didnt see the bleakness.  Maybe i read and watch alot dark crime stories that are more about criminals,killers and not anyone that is near good.

Nice in No Country that the bad guy escaped alive for once.  Many hollywood movies annoy me that always some useless punk kills the uber killer just because he is the good guy and not because he can do it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Unfortunately I did not, but I have heard quite a few people mention it. We are going to rent it and watch it again so we'll have to look for it this time 'round.



I remember the name Avenger or Venger but it rings no bells. But then I've never read a single Marvel comic. I read the proper comics,Beano Whizzer and Chips etc


----------



## christyrocks99

The last film I saw was *Into the Mirror *in World Cinema this lunch time. It's the original version of the new film *Mirrors* and it's Japanese. Needless to say it was so brilliant!! Also watched *Goodbye Mr Chips* and *Mona Lisa Smile* in Media Studies this week, both I've seen before and both are brilliant films, especially Mona Lisa Smile...Ahhh, the joys of college!

Also saw the new bond film last week, not as good as *Casino Royale* story line terms but I thought it was still pretty good although I disagree with the lack of Gemma Artertons on screen time, grrr!!!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Chronicles of Narnia,Prince Caspian. A dark yet cute fantasy romp,trouble is its been so long since I watched the first one I can't remember what went on! I wonder if C S Lewis's books were like this? I never watched or read The  Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid so I never heard of Narnia till these films came out!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched KUNG FU PANDA,awesome!


----------



## Talysia

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  I found it enjoyable, although I predicted a few of the outcomes.  I still liked it, though.


----------



## Tillane

A friend of mine appears to be trying to find the worst films ever made, with the specific intent of getting me to watch them.  And, more fool me, I keep doing just that.

So, yesterday it was the turn of *I Am Omega*, a very low budget, TV Movie version of - yes, you guessed it - _*I Am Legend*_.  "Starring" Mark Dacascos.  And with virtually no script - which, actually, was probably a good thing, seeing as how the cast seemed intent on screwing up the few lines they had.

It was, needless to say, abysmal.  I'm trying to think of something it had to redeem it, but I'm really struggling.  The script was poor, the acting was poor, the cinematography was poor, the soundtrack was bizarre (and poor), the mutants were about as scary as a small white kitten with a tickly cough, there was zero tension, zero excitement...  Mind you, by the end of the film I was laughing heartily at just how bad it was, so I suppose it wasn't a complete waste.


----------



## katiafish

Seen *Sin City* for the first time on Sat. Loved it! Absolutely beautiful lighting. And then seen *Tank Girl* on Sunday. Good laugh, amusing and silly. I can see how the fans of the comic hated the film, but it is still good in its own right.


----------



## TheEndIsNigh

Quantum and i thought it was rubbish


----------



## katiafish

"I have seen old film noir that was so bleak that i felt depressed by the lack of hope that No Country seems like happy disney musical in comparison."

Try Japanese film Naked Island! It is not a crime drama or anything, but i think probably the most bleak depressing heartbreaking film i have ever seen.


----------



## afroelf

I am off this week to see Son of Wambo, or Ramwo or whatever it is called.
Never saw the original , but have read the book. DOubt it will help me though.


----------



## BookStop

I watched the best bad film last night. Undead or Alive starring Chris Kattan and James Denton. It was so very bad...it was hilarious. I don't know what made me pick it up int he first place, but I'm glad I did. It helped that I was a bit tipsy when we watched it, and I would recommend anyone out there who is thinking about watching it, have a little to drink first....

The writing is bad, the filming uninteresting, and the costumes and prop people were obviously not into making anything look remotely authentic. The ending was pure brilliance though and overall a great movie experience.

Undead or Alive (2007)


----------



## sloweye

That looks really funny BookStop. Shaun Of The Dead meets The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. 

Gonna keep and eye out for a copy of that


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Reservoir Dogs* again last night. I think it just improves each time I watch it. LOVE IT.


----------



## Harpo

Watched Cloverfield yesterday, it was ok


----------



## kale

Please don't watch Frank Darabont's *The* *Mist* if you're a fan at all of Stephen King's novella. I bought it with great expectations after enjoying both *The* *Green* *Mile* and *The* *Shawshank* *Redemption*.
It ultimately fails in every conceivable area. Which is a real shame because the director had promised so much with reputation alone.


----------



## ravenus

Oh well, I liked *The Mist* a deal more than *The Shawshank Redemption*...couldn't bear to check out *The Green Mile* which from the few glimpses I came across seemed a total treacly mess. Anyway,  saw...

*The Mummy*...not the Brendan Fraser film but the 1932 version with Boris Karloff in the title role. The film appears to borrow most of its trappings from the Lugosi film of *Dracula*, right down to religious talismans that repel the vampiric villain and a convenient Van Helsing-esue know-it-all...played by the same actor that played Van Helsing in the Lugosi film. Apart from a few really good scenes, like the soundless moment where the Mummy first awakens and the back-story where his original punishment to Mummy-dom is depicted, the film is middling on the whole, suffering from staginess in the performances and direction. Karloff as usual is quite good and the scaly weathered make-up he has is pretty effective.

I also caught *Quantum of Solace* on the big screen which was quite effective as a brainless action ride, although I do like Casino Royale more as a film. The opening credits song has to be one of the worst, though.


----------



## ravenus

Having a fever at the moment, I did the best possible thing under the circumstances...watched *Apocalypse Now*, which more than exceeds my memories of it being one of the most incredibly visionary films of all time. Copolla's story may not have anything new or different to say, but the way he tells it completely blows away even most of the other good war films made.

Actually the Brando bit was a little underwhelming after all the stuff before it, but then that's likely because FC was getting completely screwed over by Brando who only shared the quality of unmitigated nut-headedness with his character.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched *Ocean's 11* again. I love this movie; I love gambling, I love the big cast, I love the way Rusty's always eating, I love the humour, and I love the clever plot (or maybe I'm just easily impressed).


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched Hellboy 2 last night; It wasn't as good as the first one (seemed like Del Toro used it more to exhibit his like of surrealistic effects than trying to make a good movie ("Look I've got a big budget; see what special effects I can do!")(not a Del Toro, or artsy movie fan). 
The movie was watchable and had good production values but seems to lack good continuity. 
verdict; fair

It really bodes ill for The Hobbit, IMO.

Enjoy!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Hilarious Joke said:


> Watched *Ocean's 11* again. I love this movie; I love gambling, I love the big cast, I love the way Rusty's always eating, I love the humour, and I love the clever plot (or maybe I'm just easily impressed).


 
I'll second that! Love that movie.  And Rusty _is_ always eating.


----------



## katiafish

Mars Attack last night. Perfect, as usual.


----------



## j d worthington

A re-watch of *The Resurrected* (based on HPL's *The Case of Charles Dexter Ward*). It's an odd one -- alternately very, very good and seriously flawed to mediocre. Nonetheless, there's something about that little film that keeps pulling me back to watch it again, and I do enjoy a great deal of it.

Also, from what I hear -- true or not, I don't know -- O'Bannon had quite a bit of interference from the studio in what made the final cut of the film, including choice of takes. It would be very interesting to see a director's cut of this one, and see whether or not it's an improvement....


----------



## NGH

Elizabeth I, one of my favorite movies.
Before that, Kung Fu Panda for the very first time. I had to pause it for fear of choking on my own laughter.


----------



## ravenus

*The Last Vampyre*, a feature length Granada Sherlock Holmes film with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke.

I had once seen this a long while back and found it singularly contrived and dull. But the generally good to excellent quality of the Granada Sherlock Homes adaptations, and the fact that I'd dozed through several moments of the film then, made me decide to give this another chance.

The verdict holds. Even casting aside any purist notions, this is an unforgivingly sloppy and contrived script filled with complete cockamamie that goes nowhere and turns up nothing in the way of entertainment.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull* last night. I didn't much like it. Even if I don't compare it to previous Indy movies (which are much better) I just didn't think it was a very good movie.


----------



## sloweye

*Underworld: Evolution*. wasnt overly impressed, started well but got dull and predictable by halfway through. When i rented it my dvd player was Knakered so didnt get to watch it, dont fell as if i was missing out now.


----------



## starri

The last movie I saw was 'Queen of the Dammed'. Fantastic music , a bit slow in places but enjoyable if you like vampires!


----------



## Reading_fanatic

Black Sheep. simple Horror comedy.


----------



## biodroid

I saw *The Happening, *thought it wasn't too bad but not as good as Signs or the Village, very interesting idea, makes you think twice before you see the wind blow through the trees  The other one I saw was *Speed Racer*, even though it was corny in some parts I really liked the action, it had a decent story with good morals and fairly decent acting. The sfx were great for a stylised movie and it reminded me a lot of the game Trackmania which I love.


----------



## katiafish

La Dolce Vita by Fellinni. Beautiful but sooooooo loooong!!


----------



## afroelf

Harry Potter and the mystery of the disappearing storyline - think it was supposed to be the order of the phoenix, but so superficial I forget.


----------



## Serin

A Matter of Life and Death.  A very, very good film.


----------



## BookStop

Reading_fanatic said:


> Black Sheep. simple Horror comedy.


 
I keep hoping I'll come across this one in the vdo store.


----------



## Steve S

I saw City of Ember a couple of weeks ago; I enjoyed it although the story was rather slight. The production design was incredible and it touched upon some interesting themes, not a classic but worth seeing.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I watched the New Journey to the Centre of the Earth with Brendon Frazer, sorry to say it was pretty awful, could be just me but I found it really bad, jokes bad, story bad, give it a big miss.............


----------



## starri

Has anyone yet found a film that not only has a brilliant special effects but good acting and a great storyline?!!


----------



## Urien

^Staying in genre... how about LOTR? Or Bladerunner, or Alien?


I saw "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"... the title says it all, self-consciously worthy with ACTING, mood lighting and long pauses. Think Merchant Ivory make The Wild Bunch.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched the Highlander trilogy last night (felt the urge for a blast from the past).
All directors cuts and the second movie (best watched third) was the renegade cut (big improvement).

The new "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" was shot as a 3D kids' movie so don't expect much from it  (although its not terrible if watched in the proper frame of mind).

Enjoy!


----------



## sloweye

2nd one is best not watched at all

*hunts through yet another box*

Highlander, Highlander......... dam you Joe, you couldnt watch something i had un packed could you!


----------



## woodsman

High Plains Drifter. Awesome, loved it.


----------



## kale

*Gone Baby Gone*- Based on a Dennis Lehane novel directed by old wooden chops Ben Afleck. Great film, wish I hadn't read the book then I could have enjoyed it more...


----------



## tangaloomababe

Kale: I liked Gone Baby Gone, think it let it's self down in the middle but overall a good movie.


----------



## j d worthington

Finally had a chance to see a film I've been curious about for going on 30 years... the film version of *The Final Programme* (a.k.a. *The Last Days of Man on Earth*). Not nearly as bad as I expected, though the ending was a distinct letdown. I get the point, but it seemed rather pointless, whereas the figure in Moorcock's novel makes several points at once. Some darn good performances, though, and Finch and Runacre (as J.C. and Ms. Brunner) were damn' near perfect....


----------



## Pyan

andrew.v.spencer said:


> I saw "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"... the title says it all, self-consciously worthy with ACTING, mood lighting and long pauses. Think Merchant Ivory make The Wild Bunch.



LOL - thanks, andrew - put it exactly into seven words...


----------



## UltraCulture

Watched Dogma last night, fan...bloody...tastic, love it.


----------



## sloweye

anything by Kevin smith is gold, i'm off to find my copy of Jersey Girl now.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Wall e on DVD. Its not actually out till monday but we got to rent it early cos my other half works at Blockbuster  
Love this film,so good!


----------



## jojajihisc

Happy Joe said:


> .The new "Journey To The Center Of The Earth" was shot as a 3D kids' movie so don't expect much from it  (although its not terrible if watched in the proper frame of mind).



I agree. Not nearly as bad as I was expecting.


----------



## manephelien

Quantum of Solace. Not as bad as some reviews made me think it would be. And Daniel Craig is always easy on the eyes.... *dreamy*


----------



## jezelf

Just saw Iron Man last night and really enjoyed it as superhero movies go. I think I prefer the superhero who doesn't have super powers -even though they have loads of cash and are brain boxes - Batman, Iron Man, it's more one you can relate and aspire to as its about the moral values and ideals than having the abiltiy to have x-ray vision or spin a web. 

Saw School of Rock the other day, another one I've kept meaning to see. Really enjoyed that one too!


----------



## littlemissattitude

Just finished watching Season 4 of Doctor Who on DVD last night.  Have also recently watched Seasons 1 through 3, plus both seasons of Torchwood.  Very good for taking one's mind off things when life isn't wonderful.

Also, recently saw both seasons of Dexter.  Amazingly strange but very good.


----------



## sloweye

The Three Musketeers (Oliver Reed one)

Came free with the paper today, had forgotten how much i like it. only have it on a well worn vhs cassette.


----------



## ravenus

Saw this French heist movie called *Le Cercle Rouge aka The Red Circle* by Jean-Pierre Melville (famous for that kickass hitman flick *Le Samourai*). Standard story but pretty nicely made, austere and paced like a well-oiled watch, with some great use of simple editing techniques that sustain the tension. This is quite worth your time even if the proceedings are a little too low-key at times as the French are wont to do, trying to give a preposterous crime flick as this an arty existential air.


----------



## starri

I've just been watching the first Men in Black.
I love it!
Have any of you watched the made for TV 'Neverwhere' by Neil Gaiman? I'd love to see this as a film but can't think who would be good in the roles!


----------



## kale

Just watched *Outpost*- a quirky, English horror film. Starring Ray Stevenson who played Titus Pullo in a cracking HBO/BBC production, Rome. 
Basically it's about a band of mercanaries battling ressurected, super soldiers of the Third Reich in a present day unnamed eastern european country. If the idea of that tickles your fancy it's worth 80 mins of your valuable leisure time...


----------



## sloweye

Hot Fuzz (for the umteenth time)
i never get board of it


----------



## HoopyFrood

Great film, that. And yeah, I can watch it again and again and again...

I recently had *Outpost* bought for me by a friend (because I'm such a fan of horror) and I enjoyed it -- some genuinely jumpy moments and, as I said in my post around this here thread, made the more scary by the fact that it wasn't some useless bunch of teenagers but hardened soliders...


----------



## tangaloomababe

Well I had a busy movie weekend.  Saw Narnia Pt 2 Prince Caspian and I thought it was pretty good, I don't remember ever reading this one and I have read a few of CS Lewis's Narina tales.  I think the children in this are good.

Saw the new James Bond Quantum of Solace.  So much action, maybe to much, a little thin on story line but overall it was alright, don't know what I was expecting but I like a little bit more story to my movies.


----------



## katiafish

Have watched Casanova by Fellinni, on a dreadful VHS copy, it is definately my favorite of his films, so worth watching. Im thinking about getting it on DVD.


----------



## sloweye

After my Hot Fuzz jount i decided to break out the *Shaun of the dead* dvd.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a unbeatable comedy pairing.


----------



## Foxbat

Laurel and Hardy in _Sons of The Desert. _

Still absolutely hilarious. One of the very few comedy duos that makes me guffaw without reservation


----------



## Happy Joe

Saw Wall-E; enjoyable, family rated animation... 

Saw Outpost last week; the Nazi leftovers in a bunker has been done before, but this is the best variation yet... worth a look.

Enjoy!


----------



## katiafish

I thought I'd never say this, but no amount of CGI can help a film, and that's a fact. Saw Ultraviolet yesterday, it was absolutely terrible. Horrendously bad. Not even funny bad, just crap.


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> Saw this French heist movie called *Le Cercle Rouge aka The Red Circle* by Jean-Pierre Melville (famous for that kickass hitman flick *Le Samourai*). Standard story but pretty nicely made, austere and paced like a well-oiled watch, with some great use of simple editing techniques that sustain the tension. This is quite worth your time even if the proceedings are a little too low-key at times as the French are wont to do, trying to give a preposterous crime flick as this an arty existential air.


 
Melville is a genius. Too low-key ?

Thats what makes french Film Noir a treat. Sure i have only seen Melville movies but they are awesome. Not too flashy everything about the characters,their coolness etc 

Have you seen _*Le Doulos*_(1962) ?

A bitersweet movie about a couple of criminals friends. I got the crazy luck of seeing it on tv a late night. Really good movie visual,technique wise and acting,story wise.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Sloweye : Shaun remains one of my favorite movies, who would have thought a zombie movie could be so funny, damm I think I will watch it today.  You know I still have not watched Hot Fuzz, I have it and everyone else has seen it but I just have not watched it yet.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Bought *Wall-E* on DVD and watched it. Just as cute the second time around!  Also watched *Fellowship of the Ring* on TV. Which was good, of course.


----------



## Culhwch

Missed _Wall-E_ at the cinema, so I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival at my local Blockbuster! Last weekend we watched _The Other Boleyn Girl_, which was quite good, I thought, desoite suffering the handicap of starring ScarJo. Also watched _Reservation Road_, which was pretty good as well, and had some great performances by Joaquin Pheonix and Mark Ruffalo, and _Death Defying Acts_, which wasn't great but also had some good performances from Guy Pearce and Saoirse Ronan...


----------



## AE35Unit

The new X-Files movie which bored me to death,as well as driving my dog crazy,and before that Hancock which was just silly.


----------



## Foxbat

*Saints & Soldiers *

Picked it up cheap and gave it a viewing. 

A war film that sends out the usual message that, behind all the ferocity of conflict lurks a small forgotten thing called Humanity. 

It's a message that's been done time and again but that does not diminish this fine movie. 

Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## sloweye

Culhwch said:


> Missed _Wall-E_ at the cinema, so I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival at my local Blockbuster! Last weekend we watched _The Other Boleyn Girl_, which was quite good, I thought, desoite suffering the handicap of starring ScarJo.



The other boleyn girl was suprisingly good. i normaly avoid these type of film but i quite enjoyed it.


----------



## kale

Watched *Everything* *is* *Illuminated *starring Frodo himself, Elijah Wood. A very slow burner that reaches its satisfying conlusion with aplomb. If you like independent films that touch a nerve, you wont go wrong in renting this little gem out.


----------



## AE35Unit

starri said:


> Has anyone yet found a film that not only has a brilliant special effects but good acting and a great storyline?!!



Quite a few actually. A.I. ,I Robot, Wall e,to name a few


----------



## sloweye

i would agree with those AE


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Blades of Glory* for about the twenty thousandth time the other night. It just never stops being funny. And yesterday I sat in bemusement, watching the latter half of *Time Bandits*. What a weird film. But seeing as it was written my two of the Pythons...


----------



## Wybren

Saw Tropical Thunder, and it wasn't bad, I loved Robert Downey Jnr's take off of Russell Crowe.


----------



## Pyan

Watched the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton _Cleopatra _yesterday - still an amazing spectacle after forty-five years...


----------



## katiafish

Watched Into The Wild. It was weird because i liked the idea and the nature in the film but not the guy himself, found him very arrogant and so find it hard to sympathise. Also saw Junebug, really liked that and Science of Sleep sort of liked that too. Then had CGI withdrawal and watched Transformers.


----------



## Ice fyre

I just watched Lady in the Water and was bitterly disapointed. A very disjointed poorly directed badly lit mess. I didnt even rate the cast who i felt struggled with a from what I could see a script that was half finished and poorly conceved.

I normally like Mr Shaylums films but this one was a great disapointment, he normally takes the natural world and puts a spin on it and fills his films with wonder and darkness that comes with the Human condition. this film was not up to his usual standard.


----------



## Wybren

I haven't yet seen that one, but I found that after the 6th Sense they all started to go down hill.


----------



## Interference

Die Hard IV - surprisingly effective and enjoyable.


----------



## Happy Joe

Decided to go B&W last night; H. Bogart in Sahara.

Enjoy!


----------



## Ice fyre

I actually liked Unbreakable Wy and the Village was a brilliant piece of cinmematography, moody atmospheric, I felt the dialouge seemed to capture the feeling of underlying paranoia and claustraphobia, the twist while mildly obvious was satifying. Unbreakable was moody but deeply powerful.


----------



## Wybren

I felt I was left wanting by unbreakable- I thought it needed more like it finished too soon, I didn't mind the village , I really didn't like signs but I am not sure if it was more to do with Mel Gibson than anything else but I have wanted to see the lady in the water. Still I think he just set the bar too high for himself with Sixth Sense.


----------



## Ice fyre

Think he was quite lucky.

Signs was all about paranoia and i wasnt really that impressesd. Started well had a good build up but the end was a bit of a let down. Unbreakable, had a few problems but overall it was good. I just hope the Happening is better!


----------



## BookStop

The Sixth Sense wasa great, but I haven't been overly impressed since. The Village and Unbreakable were both ok, and Signs had an interesting quality that made it highly watchable for me. Unfortunately, Lady inthe Water was not very good, and The Happening was complete rubbish. By the end of that movie I was feeling quite ambivalent toward Mark Wahlberg. Love him usually, but if the movie had gone on much longer with his whiney expression I think I would've ended up hating the actor (which is not cool - not his fault, script just bad).

What book was The Village based off of - I can't remember, even though my daughter and I both read it just a few years ago - it's driving me crazy


----------



## Ice fyre

I didnt know it was based on a book! Probably why I thought it was so good. I agree mostly with you, the script was weak, I seem to remmber the Village was in part improvised? Could be wrong, but I think the cast carried it, it could have been awful but the cast were up to making the script work.


----------



## Morpheus42

_Kung Fu Panda_:   Enjoyed it


----------



## Tillane

I remember there being a big kerfuffle when *The Village* was released regarding its similarities to a book called *Running Out of Time* by Margaret Haddix, but I think Shyamalan is still insisting his movie was an original idea.  Could be wrong, though.

Oh, and for the record I've only liked the two movies of his - Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.


----------



## sloweye

King Arthur, the Clive Owen one.
I just think Ray Winston rules in this movie.


----------



## BookStop

Tillane said:


> I remember there being a big kerfuffle when *The Village* was released regarding its similarities to a book called *Running Out of Time* by Margaret Haddix, but I think Shyamalan is still insisting his movie was an original idea. Could be wrong, though.


 
That was it! There were minor differences. There was no monster, girl wasn't blind....I think everything else was pretty close. Thanks, that was drivin me nuts, not being able to scrape the danged name out of my tired old brain.

Wanted came out on dvd yesterday, and we were lucky  enough to get the last copy on the shelf. Watched it already too - just as entertaining as I rememer.


----------



## Happy Joe

Last night; Prince Caspian. The animal effects didn't seem as good as in the first one but it was a fairly good movie.

Enjoy!


----------



## Robbie The Rowboat

sloweye said:


> King Arthur, the Clive Owen one.
> I just think Ray Winston rules in this movie.



Prefered Excalibur, yeah it's eighties cheese and everyone hams it up like a Full English Brekkie But there's some great faces and cameos (Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren and Gabriel Bryne).

It's got a legendary, theatrical quality despite being completely anachronistic and Arthur's conception, with Uther wearing his full plate to bed...ouch!

Can't go wrong with a bit of Ray Winstone though...'I'm a cockney...I'm a cockney...apples and pears'...*shuffles off*


----------



## Quokka

*We Own the Night* which was pretty average and *The Incredible Hulk* which was about the same although I did like that even though it's not a direct sequel to *Hulk* it still pretty much takes the story up from there and doesn't go back to retell the origins.


----------



## starri

Morpheus42 said:


> _Kung Fu Panda_: Enjoyed it


 
I loved Kungfu Panda, though I still think the Incredibles was slightly better. Am looking forward to seeing Caspian.

I also enjoyed Stardust but the book was better.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched the *Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer* special last night, the one with Burl Ives. Such a classic!


----------



## starri

it's good to see you getting into the Christmas spirit. Will have to get the Grinch out or White Christmas.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Yep, Christmas is my favorite time of year. Just waiting for the Peanuts special to come on Tv.


----------



## sloweye

o0O(( muppets Christmas Carol))


----------



## Interference

Used to have a long list of must-watches for Chrsitmas, but I've turned a bit Scrooge over the last couple of years.  No tree, no decking the halls, about the only leftover is the carols and dinner with the family.

But I think I'd still watch any version of A Christmas Carol, it's such a resonant story, I think.  When I was a youngster, I got tremendously upset when Mum got us to clean the house while Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol was on telly; I loved Richard Williams' animated version with John Mills and I was happy enough with the Muppets and Michael Caine.  I've even cheerily watched Bill Murray, George C Scott and the ultimately appalling Kelsey Grammar versions, and I have a reprint of the Teen Titans comic that dealt with the same theme in about sixteen pages, but Alistair Sim's was by far the best of any of the post-Dickens retellings, in my view.

And before you ask, yes, I have a John Leech-illustrated copy of the original, too 

Christmas .... bah ......


----------



## ktabic

The Mummy: Tome of the Dragon Emperor. Not to bad. But a number of plot holes. Really big plot holes.


----------



## Ice fyre

Yeah Sloweye Muppets Christmas carol is a wonderful seasonal film, its a  favourite for us, Ironically the production team did claim (or maybe it was gonzo) that it was one of the most accurate due to their being a narrator.

Hmm they obviously discounted the talking and dancing animals It is one of my all time favourite films though, I can almost sing some of the songs by heart.


----------



## kale

Watched *The Heartbreak Kid*. Good, entertaining Farrely Brothers comedy. Don't think I've seen a bad Ben Stiller movie. The usual gross out moments help you cringe and laugh at the same time. Just wish they hadn't edited the donkey scene. Dont ask...


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched Star Wars,Clone Wars,the animated movie. Pretty good,tho the ending seemed rushed. 
Tonight we have rented The Dark Knight to watch


----------



## sloweye

And you will not want to return it AE


----------



## AE35Unit

kale said:


> . Don't think I've seen a bad Ben Stiller movie.



Oh I have. Zoolander!


----------



## sloweye

NNNNNOOOOO!!!! Zoolander rocks. all the cameo's and comedy.

"I think i've got the black lung pop"   HAHAHAHA brilliant


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> NNNNNOOOOO!!!! Zoolander rocks. all the cameo's and comedy.
> 
> "I think i've got the black lung pop"   HAHAHAHA brilliant



Oh no we watched it so far and had to turn it off. We were like what a pile of ****!
That and Napoleon Dynamite


----------



## Interference

I loved Zoolander -- and _I'm_ oooooold


----------



## AE35Unit

Well I just watched Dark Knight. It was ok,nothing special. Overhyped cos of who was in it. And the trouble with such films is the bad guy is always cooler than the good guy. Was bored


----------



## sloweye

*feels for AE's pulse*

just checking your still with us

Dark Knight, board????


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *feels for AE's pulse*
> 
> just checking your still with us
> 
> Dark Knight, board????


Lol

Thing is we're both full of cold and very tired,just was glad when it was finished. I loved Batman Begins. Out of all the Batman films that was the only one I'd want to watch again. The films do take themselves too seriously tho. They need to remember where they come from,a madcap 70s hit TV series. I'd love to see them do it like that- do it for laughs.


----------



## sloweye

i thought Mr. Ledger played a blinder in it.
I love the old series to but this is true Batman.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *My Name Is Bruce* (directed by and starring Bruce Campbell AS Bruce Campbell) yesterday and it was embarassingly lame. Most of the jokes were either tired or so amateurish they made you cringe. Campbell himself and Ted Raimi occasionally raise a couple of chuckles amidst the truckload of dreck. But on the whole this was like Bubba Ho-Tep without any of the good stuff in Bubba Ho-Tep.

Stick to being in front of the camera, Bruce, leave the direction bit to others.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> ...Out of all the Batman films...They need to remember where they come from,a madcap 70s hit TV series...


Well, they tend to think, they came from a 40's comic book  Batman got more sanitized and family-friendly in the late 40's and 50's as post-WW2 America settled down to becoming the ultimate consumerism-driven society.
I liked *Dark Knight* because apart from Ledger's over-hyped (IMO) and underwhelming (IMO again) Joker act, it reminded me a lot of the late 70's Batman comics, where Bat-sy was serious but not the perennially depressed psychopath vigilante he became in some of the later comics. Darknight *Detective*, that was the key. *Batman Begins* was a big huge yawn to me, overly portentous and full of hot air.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ah you see I've never read any of those 'serious' comics,so my first experience of batman is those early ludicrously OTT shows!


----------



## Wybren

Watched " Employee of the month last night" Not bad and Jessica Simpson can at least act.


----------



## Reading_fanatic

Vexille


----------



## Quokka

*The Bank Job*, no idea how accurate it was but it was an entertaining 90 or so minutes.

*Hellboy 2: The Golden Army*, the characters and the world around them are great as is the relationship between Hellboy and Liz but I wasn't too fussed with the main storyline.


----------



## Jimmy Magnusson

I saw *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* last night, and I found it quite entertaining.


----------



## katiafish

Watched Fellinni's Cazanova again in digitally remastered copy, it is beautiful, the colours are actually just amazing. Also watched The Whale and The Squid which is a good film but disturbed me somewhat because was a bit too close for comfort.


----------



## woodsman

*Lawrence of Arabia* _-_ still awesome, directors cut or whatever is very long. 

and before that:*Cool Runnings *- totally amazing, how'd I missed this???


----------



## Lillyanna

The last movie I watched was *Fred Claus* --- but I'm not interested in saying anything about _that_.  The movie I watched just before it (rented through RedBox) was *Hancock*.  Mmm... most interesting superhero movie I've seen in a long time.  It was (to my relief) refreshing to have a less predictable storyline.


----------



## ravenus

Ingmar Bergman's *Persona*, which, even if I don't count it amongst my absolute fav Bergman's, is still a 'cracking' fractured reality movie and well worth the watching.

Also saw the 1939 film adaptation of *Hound of The Baskervilles* with Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. With nice looking locations and a hound that isn't half bad, this is a brisk and mostly enjoyable ride, and Rathbone is clearly having a good time.


----------



## Happy Joe

Last night; Kelly's Heros...

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> Well, they tend to think, they came from a 40's comic book  Batman got more sanitized and family-friendly in the late 40's and 50's as post-WW2 America settled down to becoming the ultimate consumerism-driven society.
> I liked *Dark Knight* because apart from Ledger's over-hyped (IMO) and underwhelming (IMO again) Joker act, it reminded me a lot of the late 70's Batman comics, where Bat-sy was serious but not the perennially depressed psychopath vigilante he became in some of the later comics. Darknight *Detective*, that was the key. *Batman Begins* was a big huge yawn to me, overly portentous and full of hot air.



I have read alot of Batman comics usually from the 80s to now but i liked the 70s too.  It is classicly famed for making Batman more,dark, more mature before the hole Dark Knight psychopath of Frank Miller got copied to death.  Neal Adams drawn Batman is hard to beat.

I disliked Batman Begins too.  I tried to look at outside my love for Batman but it was too much much for me.  Nolan wasted too many great characters.  Carmine Falcone ?   Ra's Al Ghul Batman's classic Bond villain was ruined too.   The Dark Knight only worked for because they got Joker right at times and Two Face was near perfect.

Batman still stucks outside Bale's acting.  I mean he cant fight and he looks too silly and heavy with the armour when he is trying to be Batman.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Jimmy Magnusson said:


> I saw *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen* last night, and I found it quite entertaining.



That got crap reviews, but I liked it when I saw it on DVD.


----------



## katiafish

Connavar said:


> I have read alot of Batman comics usually from the 80s to now but i liked the 70s too.  It is classicly famed for making Batman more,dark, more mature before the hole Dark Knight psychopath of Frank Miller got copied to death.  Neal Adams drawn Batman is hard to beat.
> 
> I disliked Batman Begins too.  I tried to look at outside my love for Batman but it was too much much for me.  Nolan wasted too many great characters.  Carmine Falcone ?   Ra's Al Ghul Batman's classic Bond villain was ruined too.   The Dark Knight only worked for because they got Joker right at times and Two Face was near perfect.
> 
> Batman still stucks outside Bale's acting.  I mean he cant fight and he looks too silly and heavy with the armour when he is trying to be Batman.



Im glad Im not the only one who feels that way about bale being batman. He is not charismatic and he is very heavy with all the armour, like a tank.
I also wasnt *that *impressed with Ledger's perfomance but it seems since the guy is dead it is some kind of sacrilege to say anything negative about it.


----------



## BookStop

We watched Christmas Vacation last night. Still one of the best Christmas movies.


----------



## sloweye

V for Vendeta, i've not bothered with it before. it wasnt to bad but not something i'm in a hurry to watch again.


----------



## Interference

The 39 Steps, Hitchcock.  Watched it with a mate over the weekend.  Still very cleve, still terribly witty, even after all these years.  The movie's held up quite well, too.


----------



## Jinxs

hmm Pinapple Express it wasnt that great.....


----------



## Interference

slayerette said:


> ice age very cool!





   





it made me chuckle


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

BookStop said:


> We watched Christmas Vacation last night. Still one of the best Christmas movies.


 
That is a hilarious movie! We watch it every year with my parents.


----------



## Jinxs

yeah I love Christmas Vacation it is a classic...Also Christmas Story is a good one!


----------



## sloweye

Bourne identity, hadnt realy seen these films so i gave it a go. better than Bond i supose. my brother in law is gonna lend me the others.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched MEN IN BLACK and now gonna watch the sequel! Brilliant!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the latter half of *The Addams Family* (awesome) and *Austin Powers in Goldmember*. Which I can practically quote off by heart, it seems.


----------



## Tillane

Watched *The Bourne Identity* last night, *The Bourne Supremacy* tonight.  Great films both.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Far From the Madding Crowd* at the moment.


----------



## sloweye

Phantoms - ben Afflek should not be aloud to act in anything but Kevin Smith movies.


----------



## Lillyanna

Last night I watched the Studio Ghibli movie for *Earthsea*. It was nice... but not nearly as good as the actual storyline in *The Farthest Shore*.



I think watching it might have also given some spoilers for *Tehanu*, which I haven't read yet.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Pretty crazy day of film watching -- after *Far From the Madding Crowd*, watched most of *Ghostbusters II*, then caught the end of the *Muppet Christmas Carol*, then *Wallace and Gromit*, the *Curse of the Wererabbit*, and then part of *Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls*.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched The Dark Knight on DVD. It was okay but it won't set the world on fire.


----------



## HardScienceFan

*The New World*
Exceptional,no other word for it.
Mesmerizing,perhaps.


----------



## Quokka

*The Dark Knight *which I liked more than I thought I would, after all the hype about Heath Ledger's performance I was expecting to be disappointed by it but he was very good.


----------



## HardScienceFan

QUOK!
YO!!

if you like daring cinema,you'll like "the new world"


----------



## Erunanion

The last film I watched was the Addams Family on Film4 a couple of nights ago.  Recapturing happy memories of watching it as a child, and frankly enjoying it for its wonderfully subversive humour as well.  I also watched the Disney version of Hercules, which really was a childhood favourite.

The most recently-released film I watched was, I think, Wall-E, and my skill with superlatives fail to describe just how much I love that film.  If you haven't watched it, you won't understand - if you have, you will share my love


----------



## Tillane

Watched *The Sting* yesterday.  Never gets old, never gets dull, never fails to make me smile.  Love it.


----------



## gully_foyle

Not a movie, but a quirky little production called *I Am Bob* was on the telly last night. Hilarious!


----------



## sloweye

Elf - Oh how i wish i hadnt watched it, avoided it for all this time but i gave in lastnight.


----------



## gully_foyle

How could I forget?! Die Hard 2 was on the telly last night too. Yes, I agree it is one of the best christmas movies.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

sloweye said:


> Bourne identity, hadnt realy seen these films so i gave it a go. better than Bond i supose. my brother in law is gonna lend me the others.


 
They are all great films, so if you enjoyed the first one, you'll definately enjoy the next 2. Excellent!


----------



## sloweye

LoW, If the brother in law ever remembers to bring them over

Avoided them as i thought it was another Bond wanna be, but, yeah it was ok


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Well tell him to get on the ball and bring them over, you're missing out! 

The first Bond movie I saw was Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. Never had any interest really in the Bond movies, but I did enjoy that one. But I love the Bourne movies, they are some of my favorites. I tried to read the books once but just couldn't get into them.


----------



## sloweye

The only Bond's i liked were Moonraker, coz of jaws and his girlfriiend, and Live and let die, for the karate.
YouTube - James Bond Moonraker Cable Car & Ambulance Scene

Cant find the karate clip, dam it!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

That guy has some nice teeth. 

Can really tell technology has come a long way.


----------



## sloweye

He is great. and it was so funny when i first saw him walking off with the girl


----------



## Ice fyre

I saw Hellboy II, a very good film, I thought the design was amazing the acting was rather good and it gelled well, didnt drag at all was over too quickly. 

I agree with the comments on the Dark night, was a good film but a bit too long. I liked heath ledger as the joker he brought new life to the role. But generally just a bit too long.

American Gangster was Saturdays offer for me, interesting film, not bad well acted and felt well directed. 

Its the season so watched muppet Chrismas Carol, love that film!

Think Curse of the were rabbit needs an outing, looking forward to the next one in the series being shown over Christmas. Gotta love Wallace and Grommit!


----------



## TK-421

Finally saw *Hellboy*. Not bad. Too many loose ends in my opinion.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Continuing with the epic amounts of film watching...Watched (no choice in the matter) *The Parent Trap* (Lindsey Lohan one), *Elf*, and today my friend gave me an early Christmas present of the original *The Omen* so we watched that.


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> today my friend gave me an early Christmas present of the original *The Omen* so we watched that.


Just so long as you didn't waste your time with the travesty of a remake that was on FilmFour last night...

As for myself, I decided I needed some fun this afternoon and spent a happy couple of hours watching *Kill Bill Vol 1*.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, I saw the remake at the cinema when it first came out. But the old originals are always the best. 

To continue the film watching...just finished watching *Chicken Run*.


----------



## AE35Unit

Caught *Elf* yesterday on telly. SO funny!


----------



## Omphalos

I failed to resist temptation and my prophetic abilities to spot crap at 100 meters and went to see the new Klaatu Reeves flic, The Next Day that the Earth Stood Still.  Mrs. Connely was as pretty as ever, but the movie itself blew.  Choppy, sappy, unoriginal and unbelievable, it is not worth more than a buck for the DVD.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Quantum of Solace_. Disappointing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Omphalos said:


> I failed to resist temptation and my prophetic abilities to spot crap at 100 meters and went to see the new Klaatu Reeves flic, The Next Day that the Earth Stood Still.  Mrs. Connely was as pretty as ever, but the movie itself blew.  Choppy, sappy, unoriginal and unbelievable, it is not worth more than a buck for the DVD.



I so want to see that!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> Elf - Oh how i wish i hadnt watched it, avoided it for all this time but i gave in lastnight.



Oh Elf is a brilliantly funny film!


----------



## Heebie

I just watched Wanted.  I thought it was really good, in a stupid, harnless kind of fun sense.

I looked it up on IMDB and I was surprised at how bad other people thought it was.


----------



## Interference

The original was so clever and far ahead of its nearest rivals, it's a shame they seem to have decided to turn it into schlock of the most puerile kind while all around it are trying to remain credible.


----------



## ktabic

Watched *Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior* over the weekend. Didja know Zhaan is in it?
Also *Dark Knight*,* Hancock* and *Raiders of the Lost Ark*.


----------



## Interference

Interference said:


> The original was so clever and far ahead of its nearest rivals, it's a shame they seem to have decided to turn it into schlock of the most puerile kind while all around it are trying to remain credible.



Sorry, chaps and chapettes, I was talking about _The Day The Earth Stood Still_, there, didn't realise it had become so separated from the comment I was commenting on 

Saw the tail end of one of the Star Wars films - Send In The Clones, I think - and was stunned by how cunning the direction was.  Matching all that blue-screen work to the CGI was an infinite tour-de-force.  Huge respect.  Mind you, the acting still sucked and the plot was soiled pants.


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> Watched *Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior* over the weekend. Didja know Zhaan is in it?



Who? Never heard of Zhaan...


----------



## Happy Joe

Jeese!.. Now I'm going to have to look at the credits to figure out who Zhaan was/is...

Quiz time... one of the actors in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome also had a part in Ben Hur (the late 50s version with C. Heston)... can you name the actor/characters?

Watched Quigley Down Under last night (has my favorite bad guy in it).

Enjoy!

Got it... Virginia Hey


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *The Fellowship of the Ring* yesterday. I believe *Iron Man* is next on the list...


----------



## katiafish

I have watched Prince Caspian on Sat. I liked it better than the first one, its quite dark.


----------



## gully_foyle

Happy Joe said:


> Quiz time... one of the actors in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome also had a part in Ben Hur (the late 50s version with C. Heston)... can you name the actor/characters?


Frank Thring? A wonderful aussie thespian, may he rest in peace. No relationship to the director of rather lurid DVDs.


----------



## ktabic

AE35Unit said:


> Who? Never heard of Zhaan...



Zhaan, the bald blue flower-power one from Farscape. Was in Mad Max 2 as a warrior woman with quite wild hair. Was watching the movie and knew I reacognised her from somewhere.
As Happy Joe spotted, Virginia Hays.


----------



## ktabic

gully_foyle said:


> Frank Thring? A wonderful aussie thespian, may he rest in peace. No relationship to the director of rather lurid DVDs.



Yeah, thats who I think it is as well.

Hmm, I can see this becoming a movie trivia thread


----------



## Happy Joe

Yep! Frank Thring... (you both get a cookie!)

A separate movie quiz/trivia thread sounds like a good idea.

Watched Mummy 3 - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor last night but couldn't get into it for some reason. Didn't find much wrong with it, It just didn't grab me.

Enjoy!


----------



## Lioness

Twilight. It was very well adapted, a little scary, and very intense. I loved it.


----------



## sloweye

*Die Hard 2* - I dont know why i keep watching the Die Hard films, they just dont grab me..........oh, wait, thats right....my DVD player is messing about


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*A Charlie Brown Christmas*. Very cute, as always!


----------



## AE35Unit

*batteries not included
Wonderful piece of cinema!


----------



## MJBIZ1

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


 
The last movie that I watched was Donnie Brasco. It seemed as though everyone I knew had seen it ages ago except for me so bought the DVD at the supermarket, great film!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Casper* earlier. Watching *Bruce Almighty* at the moment.


----------



## sloweye

*Flight of the Navigator *- need in say anymore the classically brilliant!


----------



## HoopyFrood

OH MY GODS, YOU DIDN'T!!

I am SO envious, that is possibly my favourite film. I was just saying to my mum today that I hadn't seen it in ages and wanted to. Was it on tv? If I've missed it for another year, I shall not be impressed...


----------



## christyrocks99

*Twilight - *Saw it last night with my friends. It was good and Rob Pattinson was looking pretty good I might add, but it was no where near as good as the book. They changed so many bits and it was a little rushed.

I bought *The Godfather Trilogy *on DVD today, hoping to broaden my horizens


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> OH MY GODS, YOU DIDN'T!!
> 
> I am SO envious, that is possibly my favourite film. I was just saying to my mum today that I hadn't seen it in ages and wanted to. Was it on tv? If I've missed it for another year, I shall not be impressed...



No, don't panic.i got it in a bundle of those free with the news paper DVD's. 4 for 50p in Charity shop. Privates on parade, nuns on the run,flight of the navigator and Merlin (Sam Neill one). i don't know if its on this year


----------



## Tillane

Sat for four hour and watched a somewhat odd double bill last night, starting with Powell & Pressburger's *A Matter Of Life And Death* (which has perhaps the best opening line ever: "This is the universe.  Big, isn't it?").  I must have seen this film dozens of times, but it never fails to impress.

Then, idly channel-hopping, I came across the very beginning of the brilliant but chilling *Conspiracy*.  Not exactly the most Christmassy of films, but absolutely spellbinding - and if ever I needed reminding of how good Kenneth Branagh can be when he puts his mind to it, his performance as Heydrich more than accomplished it.


----------



## katiafish

Oooh lets see.. saw V for Vendetta for the firs time, sort of enjoyed it but glad didnt buy it on DVD, King Kong (again), History of Violence (loved that).


----------



## Ice fyre

I watched Clerks II which was fabulous but sooooo wrong, I loved the film due to the slagging off LOTR gets, not at all justified but terribly funny just the same. to Quote "there is only one Return and it has Jedi in it!" or something close! 

I saw Conspiracy as well Sloweye indeed not a Christmasy production but fabulously acted well scripted and just absorbing. Its the sort of film you see the start of and get hooked! Have you seen Downfall yet Slow? Its all in German and charts the last few weeks of the Nazi regieme. Very Dark and powerful film of the same mold I would say to Conspircy.


----------



## sloweye

Ice fyre said:


> I watched Clerks II which was fabulous but sooooo wrong, I loved the film due to the slagging off LOTR gets, not at all justified but terribly funny just the same. to Quote "there is only one Return and it has Jedi in it!" or something close!
> 
> I saw Conspiracy as well Sloweye indeed not a Christmasy production but fabulously acted well scripted and just absorbing. Its the sort of film you see the start of and get hooked! Have you seen Downfall yet Slow? Its all in German and charts the last few weeks of the Nazi regieme. Very Dark and powerful film of the same mold I would say to Conspircy.




That was Til's Post Ice

Watched King Kong...... What a load of kak. to think i will never get that time back.


----------



## Ice fyre

sloweye said:


> That was Til's Post Ice
> 
> Watched King Kong...... What a load of kak. to think i will never get that time back.


 
Arrgh back the freezer for me I think! Just havent woken up yet! At 3 in the afternoon that tells you how bad the weekend was!


----------



## katiafish

sloweye said:


> Watched King Kong...... What a load of kak. to think i will never get that time back.


Thats probably best describes how i feel about it too... Its wrong on so many levels.. And yet i find myself watching it again and again, may be it is some subconcios desire to punish myself


----------



## Interference

I trust no one's speaking of the 1933 version


----------



## Tillane

Hope not.  The original's the only version that was worth watching - in anything, the 1976 version was worse than sitting down to watch Jack Black and co muck about.  Only thing I can never really forgive Jeff Bridges for, too.  He should have known better...


----------



## christyrocks99

Watched *Inkheart* today. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but still not my first choice in Movie. I was also given *The Dark Knight* on DVD for Christmas today by the same friend I saw it in the cinema with.

I saw that *King Kong *in the cinema...the relief on peoples faces when it ended was brilliant. Apart from that it wasn't bad. The 3 disc DVD is pretty good.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Religulous w/ Bill Maher. I loved it.

Disaster Movie--way better than Epic Movie but still not all that great.

Iron Man and the new Hulk were pretty good.

The best movie this week: Wall-E! AWESOME!


----------



## sloweye

Interference said:


> I trust no one's speaking of the 1933 version



Oh hell no. the Jack black one, that dude should not try to make real films, stick to the comedy, he's good at that.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Polar Express on ITV,one of THE best christmas movies. Damn fine CGI and a nice steam loco too!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Flight of the Navigator *- need in say anymore the classically brilliant!



Oh man its been so long since I saw that movie. We both like it but its not on this year. Underrated!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ruddy love that film.

Just watched *Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory*. Gene Wilder = Absolute Legend.


----------



## AE35Unit

Having a TV film day today. Black Beauty followed by Railway Children(both new versions) and now watching Mary Poppins


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Big*, haven't seen that in years, and then *Madagascar*.


----------



## sloweye

_Merlins Aprentice_ and quite enjoyed it


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Pirates of the Carribean_. I think it's one of my top five movies ever, love it to bits.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Rear Window last night before bed. Has two ingredients for a great film,Hitchcock and James Stewart! Oh and a nice Exacta camera!


----------



## GOLLUM

Watched a DVD documentary on H.G. Wells from the local library, quite interesting actually.

Also watching *Kenneth Clarke's* classic lengthy series *Civilization*, quite good so far it's widely regarded as one of the best series on the development of western art and cluture ever produced.

*From the Dark Ages through 1969, British arts scholar Lord Kenneth Clark spends almost 11 hours tracing the history of Western Civilization through its visual, architectural, written, and musical arts in this monumental 13-part series for the BBC. Whether strolling through the ruins of Roman civilization, well-preserved Gothic cathedrals of Europe, or the streets of 1960s-era New York City, Clark is equally comfortable dispensing his vast perspective of the arts as they relate to the advancement of Western culture, as well as a dollop or two of dry Scottish humor. This two-year project involves visits to 113 museums in 11 countries, bringing a vast catalogue of paintings, sculpture, and buildings to the viewer's attention. By framing his tour of the arts with historical events and eras, Clark helps viewers keep chronological track of artists and their work in a surprisingly effortless manner. The visual tour is further augmented by readings from the likes of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and the music of the greats, from Bach to Beethoven. The five-tape series is subtitled A Personal View by Lord Kenneth Clark, and viewers might not always agree with his conclusions, but they will most definitely appreciate the enormous effort and immense body of knowledge that made this series possible. *


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched most of *Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest* last night. Worth watching just for the island scenes alone.


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched most of *Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest* last night. Worth watching just for the island scenes alone.



I got a jar of dirt,I got a jar of dirt! 
Me too, always thoght it was a long trailer for the third film rather than a real movie.

(oh, and flight of the navigator again, just cos i can. And i may hook the Video player up later so i can watch TRON!)


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh man I havent seen Tron for ages!


----------



## MontyCircus

Last I saw was *Get Smart*.  I was falling asleep (still a bit jet-lagged), in and out of it...it seemed okay'ish...

I saw that right after *The Dark Knight* and *Iron Man*.  Dark Knight seemed like it was 4 hours long, and I hate how it's so humourless and proud that it's got nothing fun or entertaining in it.  To me it's just damn boring.  Didn't like *Batman Begins* either.  Give me Spiderman or X-Men any day.  Just because a superhero movie has some humour or fun, doesn't mean it's *Batman & Robin* bad.

And *Iron Man*, well it sure did take a looooooooong time to get going didn't it?  Wow.  Sitting in a cave for an hour.  Jesus.  Robert Downey Jr. was awesome I thought as a playboy and snakey, arrogant businessman.  But the plot just wasn't really there.  The big, bad villain ended up being some bald executive.........what?  And the final battle was a TOTAL AND COMPLETE RIP-OFF OF ROBOCOP 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (little robot guy battling big bad robot guy...with a gatling gun on his right arm...ends up on his back, piggy-back style...etc.etc.etc.)  Made me sick and disgusted.  Also, at least Robocop 2 didn't have G-rated censoring of all the violence.

Also, saw Jim Carrey's *Yes Man*.  What a sad, pathetic going-through-the-motions paycheck movie from all involved.  They didn't even try to put any jokes in the film.  Much worse than any of Adam Sandler's latter-day attempts for example.  Just wretched.

I've been in China..................did anything watchable come out in 2008?


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched SCHOOL OF ROCK on TV. Good film.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Hellboy 2, it was good fun, I guess.

Highlander The Source. Um...if this was the 80's it would have been much better. Sadly, this is the new millennium and even high school kids can make better scenes.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Tropic Thunder*. It was alright, had its funny moments.


----------



## sloweye

*Interview with a Vampire - *I really dont know why, it just makes me shout at the telly,and i hate Tom Cruse. i'm gonna have to find the time to read the book again now.


----------



## Quokka

*There Will Be Blood* Daniel Day Lewis is great (and a touch scary) in this and it was interesting but it was also a little too long to say I enjoyed it all the way through.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Howl's Moving Castle* at the moment. It's on tv so it's got the English dub which I'm really not liking. I've never watched it in this version and I keep spotting how much they've changed the words in translation.


----------



## Allegra

Quokka said:


> *There Will Be Blood* Daniel Day Lewis is great (and a touch scary) in this and it was interesting but it was also a little too long to say I enjoyed it all the way through.


 
That's the best film I watched in 2008!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Interview with a Vampire - *I really dont know why, it just makes me shout at the telly,and i hate Tom Cruse..



I sort of watched that last night while recording it,but found it boring this time round. I actually think Tom Cruise isn't that bad its just I find it hard to take vampire movies seriously!


----------



## GOLLUM

Maybe not a film BUT...I just finished watching the last episode of Miriam Margoyle's Dickens In America, based on his *American Notes For General Circulation*.

I really enjoyed this 10 part series and will be getting American and Italian notes to read.


----------



## AE35Unit

GOLLUM said:


> Maybe not a film BUT...I just finished watching the last episode of Miriam Margoyle's Dickens In America, based on his *American Notes For General Circulation*.



Oh i remember catching that half way thru on BBC4 a while ago. Was interesting and I wish I'd caught it from the beginning


----------



## Foxbat

If...  Which (apparently) one of the best British movies ever made. 
I thought it was boring, pretentious rubbish.


----------



## GOLLUM

AE35Unit said:


> Oh i remember catching that half way thru on BBC4 a while ago. Was interesting and I wish I'd caught it from the beginning


Well you can laways get a copyt of Dicken's american notes. Both this and his Italian notes are aviaalble through Penguin books.


----------



## Pyan

_Jurassic Park_ - the CGI is looking a wee bit dated now, but it's still one of the best SF films I've ever seen.


----------



## ktabic

*The Adventures of Baron Munchausen*, the Gilliam/88 version. Ah, I've missed this.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Lemony Snicket's A Series of Misfortunate Events* yesterday. I used to read the books years ago and found them rather annoying after a while, but the film was pretty good. Made a visually entertaining film.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Doubt_, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep.  Heavy subject matter, but a very good film that asks some essential questions about doubt and certainty.

On cable, saw _P.S., I Love You_...also good, but if you are inclined to cry at movies, this one could consume a whole box of tissues.


----------



## Pyan

*Starter for 10.*

Coming-of-age movie, set around the British quiz show _University Challenge_. Great fun, a good way to while away a couple of hours.


----------



## GOLLUM

Recently watching *Julian Fellowes Investigates* which is a BBC production where Julian Fellowes examines unsolved Victorian murders. Quite fascinating with actors playing the parts of the prinicpal characters and Fellowes coming up with plausible explanations as to the goings on and a considered opinion as to whodunnit.


----------



## Grimward

ktabic said:


> *The Adventures of Baron Munchausen*, the Gilliam/88 version. Ah, I've missed this.



Love this film.  And to think Robin Williams didn't want his name associated with it!!!  King of the Moon was hysterical, and wasn't that a very young Uma Thurman playing Venus?  Great movie.

Liked Snickets too, Hoops.  Carey was perfect as Count Olaf.

Just finished watching _*12 Monkeys*_ for what was probably the 8th time.  Wasn't much else on....


----------



## Foxbat

*Black Watch* - a film of a play that looks at the war in Iraq from a soldier's perspective. Hard-hitting, thought provoking and touching. The language is rich with expletives and the cast of characters are all -without exception- absolutely immense. 

This is something very very special.


----------



## Culhwch

Last night we watched _The Incredible Hulk_. So much better than the Ang Lee version of a few years back. I'd heard some folks say it was better than _Iron Man_ but I don't think it quite reached those heights, but then I'm not a big Hulk fan, so maybe that was it...


----------



## GOLLUM

Watching on New Year's Hitchcock's an adapatation of Du Maurier's novel Jamaica Inn. I remeber liking it at the time and so far it's not let me down.


----------



## Wybren

Watched Clerks 2 last night, pretty good for a sequel


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *The Dark Knight*. I enjoyed it (second time I've seen it) but think Batman Begins was better.


----------



## Highlander II

Recently - I watched "Iron Man", again, and I'm still not all that impressed with it.  Mostly, I've been watching BtVS and House, MD - marathon style! =)

Oh - and I saw most of Wall-E.  eh - it was okay, I guess, but it didn't impress me all that much.


----------



## littlemissattitude

_Marley & Me_.  Good movie; anyway, I liked it.

Edited to add: I really liked _Wall-E_.  I didn't think the last part of the film really lived up to the first 45 minutes or so, but the beginning part is classic.  Classic film-making, not just classic animation.


----------



## BookStop

I watched Burn After Reading. It was entertaining, very subtle dark humour, and probably spot on to the way things are. I really enjoyed it.

Yesterday watched Hellboy II. It looked fantastic, but had pretty lame story and acting. The kids didn't even care for it, and thier taste is often immature for some reason.  It was disappointing, as I didn't think the first hellboy was all that bad.


----------



## Pyan

Went to see the new _Day the Earth Stood Still_ last night, starring Keanu Reeves.

Good effects, and err...good effects...


----------



## GOLLUM

Not much in the acting department then?


----------



## Allegra

Has anyone seen *Inkheart*? The book was fun but I think I'll go to the cinema when there aren't so many screaming kids. I'm looking forward to see Paul Bettany playing Dustfinger.


----------



## Pyan

GOLLUM said:


> Not much in the acting department then?



Acting? There was supposed to be acting in it?

On my list as well, Allegra...


----------



## sloweye

*The Great Escape *(cos ya have to)


----------



## gully_foyle

Watched *Romulus, My Father*, one of these bleak Aussie movies that our critics are lambasting in the press at the moment. I really liked it.


----------



## littlemissattitude

BookStop said:


> I watched Burn After Reading. It was entertaining, very subtle dark humour, and probably spot on to the way things are. I really enjoyed it.



I'm glad to hear that _Burn After Reading_ is good; I've been wanting to see it but have hesitated because of some of the comments I've heard about it.  I'll have to rent it now.


----------



## ktabic

Grimward said:


> Love this film.  And to think Robin Williams didn't want his name associated with it!!!  King of the Moon was hysterical, and wasn't that a very young Uma Thurman playing Venus?  Great movie.



Robin Williams didn't want to be associated with it? Makes sense I suppose, it's the only film with Robin Williams in that I haven't wanted to destroy utterly.

And yes, thats a young Uma Thurman. Along side an impressive Oliver Reed.

The little girl (Sarah Polley) later went on to be attacked by trolls and zombies. 



Grimward said:


> Just finished watching _*12 Monkeys*_ for what was probably the 8th time.  Wasn't much else on....



I must admit, the Gilliam movies constantly rate amongst my favorites. Don't think there has been one yet that I disliked.


----------



## sloweye

*The Fly - *Brilliant as always and *Carrie *as it followed on the TV, again brilliant.


----------



## Highlander II

I've skipped through several movies lately, but as I didn't get them for 'watching' so much as 'making screencaps', I'm not sure they really count.  Things such as 'Stir of Echoes' (which was rather lame) and "Surviving Christmas" (which was beyond lame)...


----------



## sloweye

Watched *Carry On Screaming* this afternoon. One of the best IMO


----------



## Quokka

*The Day the Earth Stood Still* (2008) just impossibly bad.


----------



## Happy Joe

Tropic Thunder; had fun trying to spot the big name actors with bit parts, the movie itself was OK, too.  Not great but worth a rental, IMO.

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Babylon A.D.* the other night. Didnt know what to expect but Vin Diesel does his usual best. Shame it ended so badly. And I dont mean the story, just that it seemed to be going somewhere then bang, end credits! Rushed job!


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by Gully



> Watched *Romulus, My Father*, one of these bleak Aussie movies that our critics are lambasting in the press at the moment. I really liked it.


 
You know Gully this is one of those movies I keep meaning to see, I have head good reports about it, I must get around to it.

Watched Last of the Mohicans again.......... Its been awhile so I thought I would watch it again.  I love this movie, one of my favs..........................................

Got a copy of Slumdog Millionaire last night so I will watch that very soon, it is supposed to be very good, so I shall report back.


----------



## TK-421

*Burn after Reading*: Alot of fun. Love the Coen Brothers and this one lives up to the standard. Brad Pitt was great.

*The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor*: Totally lame and predictable. Avoid it. Maria Bello is no Rachel Weisz.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Damm TK thats one I have also but have not watched yet.... so many people have said its really good (Burn after Reading) I must try tp make some time to watch it.

Your right about The Mummy movie, It was very average and I thoroughly missed Rachel


----------



## Ice fyre

I just watched the animated version of Geroge Orwells "Animal Farm" I got the special edition quite cheap. It has a fantastic documentary with Tony Robinson, a Stay Tooned special about the making of the film. I like the way Tony Robinson can pitch a lecture like this to appeal to children and adults alike.

The animation was spectacular the art, amazing, the story moves at a good pace and thought I've never read the book, (which I must do!) I'm told it stays very faithful to it. A tad depressing but well cant have everything!

Also watched Cloverfield, an interesting film, not awful but not brilliant, I actually found myself quite interested and sad when the end came, the creature is not badly produced although I'm sure its size chnges from time to time Not sure how I felt about it, was watchable and the acting wasnt tooo bad. I would say rent ti dont buy it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I saw *Hancock* over the weekend. Not quite what I expected, but it was entertaining at least.


----------



## Ashley R

Went and saw Twilight, and actually quite enjoyed it. Chick flick, just so you know.


----------



## jordanasmith

yes man........gr8 movie....jim rocks...


----------



## HoopyFrood

There's been a lot of Carry On's on tv lately, so I've watched part of *Carry On Screaming*, *Carry on Cruising*, *Carry on Cowboy*, part of *Carry on Cleo* and *Carry on Jack*. I adore Kenneth Williams. What a legend. 

Watching *Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD* at the moment.


----------



## Ice fyre

I actually watched a documentary on Kenneth Williams, he was a sad tortured man, never felt he was good enough, constantly in pain with stomach problems. Really felt sorrry for him.

Just watched Ben Hur last night was in a sword and sandal mood got the Ten commandments maybe tonight.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Kung Fu Panda* last night, and I thought it was a really fun movie. I would definately recommend it.


----------



## Moonbat

Yeah, I might re-watch kung fu panda, it was good. Got to learn that finger hold (LOL)

I watched 'Righteous Kill' recently, didn't like it, too predictable, two old great actors seem to have lost all their skill.
Is it just me or have De Niro and Pacino not made a good film between them for 3 decades? Answer on a postcard please,


----------



## TK-421

Moonbat said:


> Is it just me or have De Niro and Pacino not made a good film between them for 3 decades? Answer on a postcard please,


 
It might be just you, Moonbat. While I have not yet seen Righteous Kill and admit that both actors have done some stinkers in their carreers, going back 30 brings us 1979 and both have done some brilliant roles during that time.

Case in point:

*Robert De Niro:*
Raging Bull (1980) -probably his best ever role
Brazil (1985)
The Mission (1986)
The Untouchables (1987)
Midnight Run (1988)
Goodfellas (1990)
Awakenings (1990)
Cape Fear (1991)
A Bronx Tale (1993)
Casino (1995)
Heat (1995)
Wag the Dog (1997)
Jackie Browne (1997)
The Score (2001)

*Al Pacino:*
Scarface (1983)
Sea of Love (1989)
Dick Tracy (1990)
Glenngarry Glenn Ross (1992)
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Carlito's Way (1993)
Heat (1995)
Donnie Brasco (1997)
The Insider (1999)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Angels in America (2003) TV mini-series
The Merchant of Venice (2004)


----------



## tangaloomababe

Heat (yes a fantastic movie, with both Pacino and Di Nero involved and wonderfully directed by Michael Mann, nobody could call that a "stinker of a movie"

Originally posted by Ice Fyre



> Just watched Ben Hur last night was in a sword and sandal mood got the Ten commandments maybe tonight.


Now we are talking epic, classic movies.  Who could not love Ben Hur!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw _Frost Nixon _last night. I thought it was excellent, but the best movie I've seen in a while was _The Curious Case of Benjamin Button_.


----------



## ktabic

*Time Bandits*. Been ages since I last saw it. Still a fun movie


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> *Time Bandits*. Been ages since I last saw it. Still a fun movie



I ruddy love that film! Yet nobody I speak to has even heard of it. Its a corker!


----------



## sloweye

When i was a kid i got in trouble coz of the *time bandits*, quite rightly so. i tryed to glue the beta max tape in to the player so my dad couldnt take it out. in my child mind it would mean it was the only film we could ever watch.
Lucky really as both tape and player survived. Great Film


----------



## AE35Unit

Good grief Beta Max! You know I bet there's an alternative universe out there where beta max survived.


----------



## sloweye

I still have some tapes for the Beta max, just no player.


----------



## Morpheus42

Recently saw _Lawrence of Arabia_.
Was good to finally see the whole movie ( for some reason i've only seen bits of it,  all a long time ago )


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> I still have some tapes for the Beta max, just no player.



I wonder if films on beta are collectible yet. I was suprised to sell Shrek on VHS on ebay a while ago. Fetched a lot more than I expected!


----------



## Moonbat

> It might be just you, Moonbat. While I have not yet seen Righteous Kill and admit that both actors have done some stinkers in their carreers, going back 30 brings us 1979 and both have done some brilliant roles during that time.



ok, sorry, 30yrs was a bit much, but....

Heat was/is one of the worst re-makes of a bad film I have ever seen, never have I been so bored for so long by so few!
I think Heat is a *stinker* of a film, a real let down. Except for Val kilmer's wig.

And the score!!!!! What?!? Poke my eyes out with red hot crab's pincers! That was an empty film, empty as heaven and hell.


----------



## GOLLUM

Well, I was innocently channel surfacing around midnight and spotted the beginning of *The Incredible Shrinking Man*, based of course on that classic novel by Richard Matheson, *The Shrinking Man*. 

I've never seen this 1957 B&W production and I must say that it was quite cleverly shot using limited but cleverly executed "special" effects to illustrate the main character's ever shrinking self ( ...but ultimately growing sense of self-awareness and enlighment). I found it to be quite convicnig and apart from the obvious removal of any sexual references, presumably to pacify 1950s American sensibilities and that of their strict censorship laws, an enjoyable experience. Having only re-read the book recently I was again struck at how profound a novel this is, at least it was and still is to me. 

Recommended.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Hilarious Joke said:


> I saw _Frost Nixon _last night. I thought it was excellent, but the best movie I've seen in a while was _The Curious Case of Benjamin Button_.


 
I'm glad to hear that you liked Benjamin Button. I want to see that movie, but hadn't heard much about it yet.

I watched *The Two Towers* the other day, and am now onto The Return of the King. (extended edition for both.)


----------



## GOLLUM

Finished watching James and the Giant Peach, a disney adaptation of Dahl's classic story.

I really quite liked it and it apparently it took the folks three 3 years to complete this stop-gap animation feature. I have the collected short fiction of Roald Dahl so I really must put thast towards the top of my to-read pile.

Next I'll be watching a movie on Jasckson Pollock's life after digging into my sausages with sundried tomato and wild basil paste/dressing MMMMMMMM......


----------



## Interference

Watched _The Descent_ last night and wasn't disappointed.  Better, I think, than I'd heard it was.  A proper ending, too, in spite of the faux escape.  Is this the same plot as _The Cave_ (made in the same year; haven't seen it), but Hollywoo-ed?  Because _Descent_ definitely shone if only for its absence of gun-play and maccho heroes saving (or not) the women.


----------



## AE35Unit

Moonbat said:


> ok, sorry, 30yrs was a bit much, but....
> 
> Heat was/is one of the worst re-makes of a bad film I have ever seen, never have I been so bored for so long by so few!
> I think Heat is a *stinker* of a film, a real let down. Except for Val kilmer's wig.
> 
> And the score!!!!! What?!? Poke my eyes out with red hot crab's pincers! That was an empty film, empty as heaven and hell.



Remake? I didn't know it was a re make! All i know is the one i watched i enjoyed


----------



## gully_foyle

*Madagascar 2: Escape to the Lion King* with my daughter.
Actually, I didn't think it was based on the Lion King much. I had a good chuckle at the gags.


----------



## sloweye

*The Decent - *What the hell were they thinking when they made this film, what a steaming pile of donkey droppings, i know now why i never watched it before. Insomnia has a lot to answer for this time!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *The Decent - *What the hell were they thinking when they made this film, what a steaming pile of donkey droppings, i know now why i never watched it before. Insomnia has a lot to answer for this time!



Never heard of that one before,that bad huh


----------



## Moonbat

> Remake? I didn't know it was a re make! All i know is the one i watched i enjoyed


 
Yup 'fraid so, it was a remake of 'LA Takedown' a similar film but with less famous actors, a worse director and a lot less money. But it was as bad if not worse than Heat.


Do you find that when people say a film isn't good, you expect less and so think it is better. I myself have had this exact problem with several comedies that I expected to be superb and was dissapointed with, only to re-watch them with (obviously) lower expectation and actually liked them. Mystery Men is one of them, and Tropic Thunder another. Also the first time I watched B ig Lebowski; my step-bro had raved on and on and on about it, but the first time I watched it I wasn't too impressed. It wasn't until I watched it a second time and didn't have to follow the plot that I enjoyed the dialogue.

So Interference may have enjoyed Descent more as he was expecting less, where as sloweye was expecting more.

I think Heat can be labelled as a 'let down' of a film after so much De Niro/Pacino hype.


----------



## GOLLUM

Well, I just finished watching the tradic yet strangely uplifting story of American artist Jackson Pollock. What a complex and interesting character! Ed Harris directs and plays the lead role in this entertaining biopic film. He even bears an uncanny resemblance to Pollock, which is kind of handy I guess when you're wishing to play that character and apparently spent several years coming up to speed with Pollock's techinque (including the so-called "drip technique" for which he is most famous) so that parts of the images/paintings we see are done by Harris himself. He's very good in the role.

I also thought Marcia Harden was excellent in the role of Lee Garson, Jackson's wife and staunch supporter both through and after his life. In fact she won the Oscar for her role in this film which doesn't surprise me at all. The remainder of the cast also do a good job.

8/10 and recommended.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Get Smart* last night. Not bad, worth a rental but glad I didn't see it in the theatres.


----------



## sloweye

AE35Unit said:


> Never heard of that one before,that bad huh



Yes AE, it was that bad. *cringes as he posts the trailer*
YouTube - THE DESCENT Theatrical Trailer


----------



## Happy Joe

Decent; agreed it was bad... (so bad that I gave away the DVD as it was a waste of valuable shelf space).
Totally different from The Cave. The Cave was pretty fair (it did degenerate a bit into a OMG are we ever gonna get away from the monsters flick).  It broke new "ground" in the filming of underwater cave sequences. I also liked the ending. 


Last night; Death Race, not bad/better than expected. Lots of mindless vehicular destruction and shooting, supported by an actual plot.

Enjoy!


----------



## sloweye

I just got so desperate for something to watch, in hind sight i shoud have just headed for the Red Dwarf box set. I refusd to give the film space on my shelf from word go. i gave it the benifit of the doubt as it was on Tv. Oh how i wish i hadn't.


----------



## Adasunshine

Chuck & Larry thing... rather amusing but not even a tenth as good as the film I watched the day before... *The Dark Knight*... I thought it was all hype but it's sooo not, one of the best films I have seen for a very long time...

Ooh and I also went to see The Spirit which was unadulterated brain candy... anything that gets Samuel L Jackson hamming it up in a Nazi uniform is ok by me!

Others I've seen over the festive season are:

Kung Fu Panda - Funny
History Boys - Loved it
Madagascar 2 - Funny
Batman Begins - Excellent
Wall:E - Very cute

xx


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. Been years since I saw this. We have the box set with 3 disks-3 versions. The Special Edition is 2 minutes shorter with a different ending but they cut the funny garden scene from the original.


----------



## sloweye

*The breakfast club -* need i say more, fantastic film.


----------



## Adasunshine

sloweye said:


> *The breakfast club -* need i say more, fantastic film.


 
You just bought yourself another Saturday!

One of my favourite films of all time! 

xx


----------



## Happy Joe

Last night; Wanted; an effects/assassin/action movie. 
It combined aspects of the Matrix (bullet time and CG) Jumper (people with an exceptional power) and various assassin movies.  Quite violent, once it gets going, totally unrealistic but a fair to good movie, for fans of this sort of thing.

Enjoy!


----------



## tangaloomababe

Saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night, its very long but I enjoyed it.  Its not one of those fast action paced movies but it moves along with a quiet calm. Although sad at times, alot of the time it is still a very uplifting film.  One of the very few films I have enjoyed that has Brad Pitt in it.  He has never been a favorite of mine  but he has redeemed himself in this movie.


----------



## Morpheus42

Last evening, on a friends suggestion, i watched *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*.
An enjoyable 'heist-film' with humor.


----------



## canjo

Last night I watched the Dark Knight. What a fantastic film.
When I first heard that Heath Ledger was playing the Joker I was convinced it was a very bad decision. But wow..... He was brillian in it. Its a shame he died.
Heath's best performance ever!


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Wall-E* two weeks ago.  


It was clearly the best movie of 2008.  Better than Dark Knight,Iron Man,In Bruge etc

Great story,great animation,very cute.   First time robotic love didnt bore me.


----------



## Ross

Bedtime Stories. 

A happy family film which I don't think ya can get enough of


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Hancock.

Not bad, got a little lost with exactly what he was supposed to be (other worldly being). Good comedy and loved the prison scene and the actual head up a** scene LOL!

...and what was with the freaky monster that appeared during the battle scene?


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Morpheus42 said:


> Last evening, on a friends suggestion, i watched *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*.
> An enjoyable 'heist-film' with humor.


 
What a great movie! Haven't seen it in awhile, but I should watch it again. If you liked that movie, you should watch *Snatch*.  Great movie.


----------



## Overread

Mongol - Really liked this film. Though the story has some gaps, and huge time periods are cut out to condence it to fit the time slot it does tell the core story very well. I also really enjoyed the fact that it had cinimatography (ok quite a bit was probably CGI or enhanced but still it was there) rather than just action or words - periods when the camera just pans or looks out on a sight and you watch it. This is something that you just don't see in many modern films - you have to turn the clock back to the days of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for such use of the camera.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *West Side Story* last night. I've never actually seen the entire film, but I new practically all the songs in it due to performing in a school production and rehearsing for about four months...


----------



## sloweye

Oh, i love _west side story,_ Covered it for GCSE music. i still have all the sheet music for it.

*Runs off to the shed to unbox that DVD/CD*


----------



## littlemissattitude

Saw "The Spirit" yesterday.

Interesting film.  The story was fairly pedestrian, I thought, and the violence was a bit much...although not over the top for the genre, probably.  Still, it was very stylishly done and managed to keep me interested.


----------



## GOLLUM

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *West Side Story* last night. I've never actually seen the entire film, but I new practically all the songs in it due to performing in a school production and rehearsing for about four months...


So what part did you play Hoopy?....


----------



## Ross

Watched Defiance and thought it was a brilliant film.

Tempted to read the book now.


----------



## Lirael

The last movie I watched all the way through was "In The Land of Women" which was actually very refreshing! It was mainly character based and, despite not having much of a plot, never had a dull moment. The characters were all believable...although Kristen Stewart's felt underdeveloped. Despite that, I'd recommend it to anyone who's tired of the cliched films we tend to see most of.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched Batman Begins last night.
I'm not a big Batman fan but the Dark Knight was good enough that I rented the first one in this Batman series.  It was a good movie also, giving background info on how Batman became tough/learned to fight etc.

Enjoy!


----------



## sloweye

*Nemesis -* Hadn't watched a Trek movie in ages and it was the first that came to hand.


----------



## HardScienceFan

_*The Corpse Bride*_

exhiliarating,Offbeat
Brilliant design
great voices(Depp,Watson)
a feast for the eye


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Thank You For Smoking*. Brilliant dark, satirical film.


----------



## Cayal

Seven Pounds.

I'm kinda liking Will Smith's more serious acting side (Pursuit of Happyness, I am Legend). His character is a little dark as well.

Very good movie.


----------



## Lioness

The Lake House. It's the second time I watched it and I forgot how good it is. It was exactly what I needed to get out of my bleak mood.


----------



## BookStop

HoopyFrood said:


> *Thank You For Smoking*. Brilliant dark, satirical film.


 
I loved that movie - makes me want to watch it again as I hardly remember any of the details.


----------



## TK-421

*Hellboy 2: *It was OK. Not as good as the first one. Selma Blair is very hot.


----------



## Connavar

_*Shadow of a Doubt(1943)*_ with Josepth Cotton,Teresa Wright and by Alfred Hitchcock.

My first real Hitchcock movie since seeing some of others on tv when you are zapping around doesnt really count.

It was really good.  Subtle,tense,with great acting.  Cotton specially was a great a bad guy.


----------



## Ice fyre

I just watched "FAME" its really the first time I've seen it all the way through, I used to love the TV series as a child. Its odd to watch it after all these years. The movie is a bit more adult than the TV series I noticed.


----------



## Happy Joe

Merlin; War of the Dragons... worthless waste of time. Poor acting, directing and paced like a television soap opera trying to fill the time slot without substance; ponderous.

Appaloosa; slow, mostly boring western with a few OK parts.

Enjoy!


----------



## Rosemary

sloweye said:


> *The breakfast club -* need i say more, fantastic film.



I usually only watch documentaries these days but *The Breakfast Club *was for me, a marvelous film as well Slow!  Filmed in the same room and the same four high schoolers doing detention.  Another thing that struck me as odd at the time, there was only ONE swear word and that was said at just the right part of the movie.


----------



## Ice fyre

I watched a zombie western, which I cant remmber the name of, but I just watched it as it was sooo bad! OOOOO the pain!


----------



## Tillane

Wasn't _*The Quick & The Undead*_, was it, Ice?  Saw that a year or so ago (a "friend" lent me the DVD), and it was utterly god-awful.


----------



## sloweye

Rosemary said:


> I usually only watch documentaries these days but *The Breakfast Club *was for me, a marvelous film as well Slow!  Filmed in the same room and the same four high schoolers doing detention.  Another thing that struck me as odd at the time, there was only ONE swear word and that was said at just the right part of the movie.



Seem to have struck a chord with that one just a shame i cant find 16 candels or pretty in pink

*Freddy V's Jason - *but only coz my Dad said he hadn't seen it


----------



## tangaloomababe

Slumdog Millionaire : - and for anyone that is thinking of going to see it "RUN" it is a wonderful film, probably the best thing I have seen in awhile. I highly recommend it to all!!!


----------



## Interference

_Castaway_ - meh.  Pretty pointless.  Whole thing could have been done in ten minutes.  Or done better in the time they gave it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Finished up *The Return of the King* Extended Edition. We have Horton Hears a Who and Don't Mess with the Zohan waiting to be watched next.


----------



## Moonbat

Get Smart

Basically Johny English for Americans, I like Steve Carrell, but who can do comedic acting like Rowan? Fair few I say, fair few.


----------



## Happy Joe

Mirrors
A pretty good supernatural thriller, worth a rental...

Enjoy


----------



## hikari-sa

STEP BROTHERS i found it humurous. Last sci-fi movies was the pathfinder


----------



## Foxbat

_Scream Of Fear _An old Black & White Hammer film. It's a decent little thriller with a nice twist at the end.


----------



## Overread

Time Bandits - curtesy of the Daily Mail (not my choice but I make sure to nab any decent DVD that comes my way). 

I do love those old Pre CGI films and those old days when things were really made to be scary for kids - or at least spooky and creepy! Always thought the ending of this was really strange.


----------



## Lioness

Shall we Dance?

It's the third time I've watched it and I love it to bits. I've got to get my hands on the original Japanese version and watch that.


----------



## dask

Moonbat said:


> Get Smart
> 
> Basically Johny English for Americans, I like Steve Carrell, but who can do comedic acting like Rowan? Fair few I say, fair few.


 
Michael Palin perhaps?


----------



## Michael01

*The Incredible Hulk* - and it was great.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Bangkok Dangerous *,not bad. Now watching *You don't mess with the Zohan*


----------



## BookStop

I just got in from seeing *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*_._ I really wanted to like it - the story just sounded so intriguing - but I found it a little dull and uneven, like it couldn't decide if it was about Benjamin's life, or Benjamin's love life. It wasn't bad exactly, just not engaging enough to be good.


----------



## sloweye

*Ice Age - *As it was on the telly and i quite like it


----------



## Rodders

AVP Requiem. I really thought this was a bad movie. I did enjoy the first one.


----------



## Foxbat

_*The Gorgon* - _An old Hammer movie directed by Terence Fisher. 

It's that standard tale of old castle with dark sercret and frightened villagers - except instead of Dracula, we have Medusa's sister(the giveaway is in the title). 

Nothing startling but not bad to watch and not too heavy on the brain


----------



## nj1

Snakes on a Plane, on TV late last night, i have watched it before but could'nt resist the cheese!!!!!


----------



## gully_foyle

*Tropic Thunder*. Despite the attempt to meld mush with slapstick at the end it was pretty good. Tom Cruise deserves an Oscar.


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Ice Age - *As it was on the telly and i quite like it



Its great isn't it!
Have you seen the sequel?


----------



## nj1

AE35Unit said:


> Its great isn't it!
> Have you seen the sequel?


 
*ICE AGE : THE MELTDOWN* is on ITV1 at 17:30ish today


----------



## HoopyFrood

Also watched *Snakes on a Plane* last night -- some delightfully nasty deaths, which was about the best thing you could say about it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Horton Hears a Who*, and I thought it was pretty cute. Definately worth a watch!


----------



## Happy Joe

Eagle Eye; a pretty good techno-thriller... worth a look.
Terrorism, anti-terrorism, assassination attempt, chases, crashes, high tech weapons, explosions, computers, counter inteligence... its in there.

Enjoy!


----------



## the_faery_queen

one missed call. which i saw on cable. which was ok. seen worse (shrooms) seen better. passed away a boring sunday tho so what more can i ask for


----------



## Dagny

Finally saw The Dark Knight. 

I really expected to be more blown away. Heath Ledger was awesome. Christian Bale was just eh. I really like Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman and Maggie Gyllenhall, but the movie just felt like a cheap James Bond rip off.


----------



## sloweye

*Without A Paddle - *on van DVD player as our power keeps going off.


----------



## Foxbat

*Eye Of The Beast *- Extremely silly and formulaic flick about a giant squid that develops a taste for Human Sushi. All the boxes are ticked but, ultimately, this film falls flat on its face.

Still, who'd have thought that _Google Earth_  could be put to such good use (watch and see)


----------



## Moonbat

*Pineapple Express* - Funny, if a bit soppy. It is sort of a farce, where guys get mixed up in some gangster war, but then somehow survive all the killing and become friends. 

Also started watching *the 40yr old virgin* last night on E4, but couldn't stay up for it all, it goes on for a while, but do love that comedy, very amusing.


----------



## Allegra

*Shattered* aka *Butterfly on A Wheel* - I don't know why it got two names. An excellent psychological thriller and more. Pierce Brosnan played a memorable 3 dimensional villain, there is so much depth in his acting, you can forget about Bond. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time and the ending comes a great surprise. If you wish to watch the film, don't watch trailers or read spoilers, it'll spoil the fun.

*The Departed* - great cast and acting but not a great film. Oscar winner? Unconvincing. 

*88 Minutes* - a thin, weak thriller. Waste of time.


----------



## dask

SCREAM OF HORROR. This is the fourth movie in the "Hammer Films: Icons Of Horror" collection. The other three are THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB; THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL; THE GORGON.

I enjoyed them all but the big surprise was SCREAM OF FEAR. More in the Hitchcockian vein than supernatural horror, this film blithely lets you think you know where it's going, then smashes your knees while you're eyeing the pretty sky. Worthwhile.


----------



## Foxbat

dask said:


> SCREAM OF HORROR. This is the fourth movie in the "Hammer Films: Icons Of Horror" collection. The other three are THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB; THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL; THE GORGON.
> 
> I enjoyed them all but the big surprise was SCREAM OF FEAR. More in the Hitchcockian vein than supernatural horror, this film blithely lets you think you know where it's going, then smashes your knees while you're eyeing the pretty sky. Worthwhile.


 
I also have the Icons of Horror collection and agree that Scream Of Fear was the big (pleasant surprise). In fact, I'd go further and say that it is the best of the collection


----------



## sloweye

*The legue of extraordanary Gentelman - *Re watching a lot of these slightly older films at the mo.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Don't Mess with the Zohan* last night. It was alright, nothing special.


----------



## Happy Joe

Righteous Kill; a pretty good police whodunit... with a twist.
As a side note it stars De Niro and Pacino.

Enjoy!


----------



## Morpheus42

I saw *Hit and Run* last night...  Predictable. I don't know why they call it a thriller. Was not impressed at all. But at least now I know another use for xmas tree string lighting.


----------



## Interference

Happy Joe said:


> Righteous Kill; a pretty good police whodunit... with a twist.
> As a side note it stars De Niro and Pacino.
> 
> Enjoy!



Cast looks good, but the plot reads as a very lame, sub-_Cold Case_, cop thriller.  I'm sure Pacino and De Niro bring something to the party, but even the names they're given (Turk and Rooster) made me wince a little.

Still, haven't seen it, will probably watch it, will probably be largely disappointed, but I won't let that distress me for too long.


----------



## BookStop

*Tropic Thunder -* it was alright. The first half funnier than the last, but not bad overall. I laughed.


----------



## Happy Joe

City of Ember; lame flick for very young (or intellectually challenged, very young, children).
This one makes the most recent "Journey to the Center of the Earth" look like a good movie.

While I have never seen Cold Case (I rarely watch the tube except for movies) I expect that you are probably correct, Interference. There are so many outright poor movies that even barely adequate plot and acting seems "pretty good". I must admit that the ending surprised me, otherwise the movie would not have been much.

Enjoy!


----------



## BookStop

Happy Joe said:


> City of Ember; lame flick for very young (or intellectually challenged, very young, children).
> This one makes the most recent "Journey to the Center of the Earth" look like a good movie.


 
Oh, really?  That is a shame; the books are very good and I remember the trailer looked amazing. Ah, well. At least we have the books.


----------



## Sadie Sin

Wall-E It was cute got it for my husband he likes movies like that.


----------



## Happy Joe

Max Payne; An OK police/drug (with undertones of Norse mythology) shoot'em up based on the video game of the same name. Most video game movies haven't been anything to rave about and this one follows the trend. It is watchable, though, with predictable gunfights explosions etc. and not a waste of money to rent.

I liked Wall-E and it is one of the rare animated films to make it onto my video shelf.

Enjoy!


----------



## sloweye

*Califoria Man - *Oh how i love this film, in fact i forgot just how much i love it.


----------



## Aeris

I'm pretty sure it was *Braveheart. *I love that film. It makes me want to cry every time.


----------



## Sadie Sin

Run Fat Boy Run it was funny I love Simon Pegg movies


----------



## Foxbat

Hellboy II. Not as good as the first one, but good fun nonetheless


----------



## Constantine Opal

If I'd answered yesterday, I could have proudly announced 'Tales from Earthsea', but today? Jumper. Not a bad film per se, but to name it after an item of clothing...


----------



## Happy Joe

I revisited, Bladerunner directors cut; still pretty good but starting to show its age.

Enjoy!


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched Andrei Tarkovsky's *Stalker *(again!)

It's a film I revisit often because I always seem to notice things I never noticed before. It's probably Tarkovsky's best movie (in my uninformed opinion)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Stranger Than Fiction*.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Made me think.


----------



## ravenus

*The Wrestler* - terrific movie with great lead performance from Mickey Rourke as Randy The Ram. Liked this a good deal even if I wasn't really into the WWF thing. I appreciate that it clocks in at a trim less than 2 hrs running time and doesn't bore you with montages and training shots.

*Tropic Thunder* was a pretty decent big-budget war movie spoof, although kinda dated and it would have been much better if 20min shorter. Nice sendoffs of *Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan*, and hahaha Russell Crowe. The bits with Matthew MacCoughnahey (or however else you spell it) as the star agent were boring. Tom Cruise under all the makeup is still Tom Cruise but he seems to be having such a ball with the role you can almost forgive him for being a tight-arsed scientologist control freak in real life


----------



## Tillane

*X-Men: The Last Stand*. Hokum.  _Enjoyable_ hokum, but hokum nonetheless.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Over the weekend I watched *Pineapple Express*. Definately got a few laughs out of me.


----------



## Moonbat

*A Quantum of Solace*

I didn't see any solace, let alone an entire quantum! I did enjoy it though, more so than Casino Royale (which was, in my opinion, rather slow and un-bond-ish) gonna watch 7 pounds this week. Should be good, though I hear it will make me cry, but that sounds like a challenge of how emotionless I can be! And I can be as emotional as a Belgian Motorway.


----------



## Aeris

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Over the weekend I watched *Pineapple Express*. Definately got a few laughs out of me.


 
Hahaha oh that movie...Usually when I see movies in a movie theatre, I can contain myself and just kind of giggle on the inside, but the scene in the woods made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants (ALMOST). It was way more violent than I had anticipated, but funny nonetheless.

Definitely not for everybody though.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I also loved that movie. James Franco is awesome.


----------



## Tickle

I just watched Dark Knight (It was good), The Mummy 3 (ok, but the other 2 are better), XFiles (sucked).


----------



## Rosemary

I actually got to sit still long enough to watch *Serenity* last night.

Some of the characters were good, parts of the flying bits of junk had a good battle but apart from that I wouldn't say it was a good movie.  

I'm practising sitting quietly and watching movies on my own, something I haven't been able to do for years, otherwise I would have turned it off.


----------



## Aeris

Well, if you didn't watch the whole series on DVD, it probably WOULD be a little empty...

The last movie I watched was *Son of Rambow*. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a gentle movie. I can't wait to watch it again.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Eagle Eye.

Eh.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Yeah, I loved James Franco in Pineapple Express. He did great.


----------



## Tickle

I watched Eagle Eye last night. I have to say that I enjoyed it very much. The action was crazy and the stuff the antagonist did was impressive.


----------



## gully_foyle

*In Bruges*, fantastic.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I liked Serenity Rosie, its a nice addition to the Firefly story, yes it probably could have been better but it retains the humor of Firefly and we learn a little more about River. I do like our unamed man He has a sinister feel to him) I think Josh Whedon should do another one (movie) maybe improve on it.
Lately I have seen
Of Mice and Men with Gary Sinese and John (with a long name) Its alright, watchable but not necessarily memorable. 
Also saw 7 pounds on the weekend, a little slow, not tied up very well and really just another movie about Will Smith doing a good deed, we need him to be bad occassionally!
Still think Slumdog Millionaire is the best thing I have seen in a long time.
Hope to see Grand Turino tonight.


----------



## HardScienceFan

_KINSEY_,with Liam Neeson

good acting,loads of integrity
a sensitive subject,handled with a modicum of tact


----------



## MontyCircus

gully_foyle said:


> *In Bruges*, fantastic.



Yeah, that was pretty good.  Some really funny moments.

Last I saw was *Lethal Weapon 3* today, not as good as *2* (which I think is the best), but fun.

Last I saw in theatres was *Revolutionary Road*, which gave me a hell of  a lot to think about.  What makes a marriage work, what destroys it, what makes a person happy, what the hell is wrong with society.  It's been almost a week and I'm still talking to my family about it daily.  Anyone read the book?  Apparently it's a classic.

It really scared the hell out of me.


----------



## mirinda

The Happening and Burn After Reading. Horrible. Not worth the money to rent.


----------



## ktabic

Rewatched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Still enjoyed it


----------



## Ashley R

Twilight. Vampire chick flick. Loved it.


----------



## Moonbat

I watchde *7 Pounds* the other night, I have to agree a little slow and almost pointless, I expect the book is better, probably more focus on the new relationship he has. I have to say it was a bit predictable and if it wasn't dealing with such an emotional subject then it would have been empty.

I watched *Serenity* ages ago and loved it, but then I watched an episode (my firsT) of firefly and realised they are one and the same. I'll have to catch more episodes of the series.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Blindness*, the new film from the guy that made *City of God* and *The Constant Gardner*, based on a novel by Jose Saramago.

*My Detailed Review*


----------



## gully_foyle

*Lars and the Real Girl* which was surprisingly good, given it wasn't overly soppy and did not stray into Weekend at Bernies territory.


----------



## Michael01

ravenus said:


> Saw *Blindness*, the new film from the guy that made *City of God* and *The Constant Gardner*, based on a novel by Jose Saramago.
> 
> *My Detailed Review*


 

I had to read that book in college. I couldn't stand it. I didn't finish it and faked it on the paper.  Interesting concept, though.  It was just hard to read.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Gully I loved Lars and the Real Girl, its odd but a good movie.

Daw Gran Torino on the weekend, I really liked it but as for the character Clitt Eastwood play, you couldn't like him (but maybe thats the idea)


----------



## sloweye

*Troy - *I only watched it as it had Sean Bean in it, wasn't a bad film apart from Mr. Blooms poor acting!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Back to the Future II* yesterday -- made me realise how cleverly linked all the films are.


----------



## Nesacat

*Inkheart *last night. Rather different from the book but very enjoyable all the same; especially after a very exhausting week.


----------



## Interference

Zoolander - it's my guilty secret.  I've really enjoyed it three times, now.  Damn.  Not a secret anymore.  I suppose I'm just left with the guilt.


----------



## sloweye

Not the only one that harbours that secret inter, i've even perfected magnum


----------



## Interference

use it wisely


----------



## sloweye

I keep it for best, blue steel is for every day use


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Returned to the LotR Trilogy, watched the Fellowship of the Ring at the weekend will watch the first part of the Two Towers tonight.


----------



## Joe Meils

I saw Inkheart on Sunday. I've never read the books, but I found the story pretty satisfying. Great cast of characters! Helen Mirren as the crazy bookish aunt is worth the price of admission alone... and Andy Serekus (sp?) as the villian was just too good! The man has a talent for playing slime. (is that a compliment?)


----------



## BookStop

Watched _In Bruges_ last night - great film.


----------



## sloweye

*The Legue of Gentelmens Apocalypse. 
*Not to everyones taste but i love it, probly coz i'm from a place thats very local


----------



## Connavar

I watched some of *Conan Destroyer* last night on tv.

It was so bad and looked so lame action,character,story wise and everything that i felt so dirty,wrong for seeing it.....


----------



## Interference

2003 _Italian Job _- not bad, particularly because it didn't emulate the original too much ... just enough, I'd say.


----------



## Adasunshine

Bolt... Loved it loved it loved it! 

Definitely one to watch with the kiddies!

xxx


----------



## gully_foyle

*Pineapple Express*, funny with some great slapstick moments. However, I think it would have been a lot funnier if I'd had some Pineapple Express, or something akin to it.


----------



## woodsman

The Patriot & Unforgiven...


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Get Smart. Quite funny. Steve Carell is hilarious,Terence Stamp is in menacing form and Alan Arkin is a legend!


----------



## BookStop

I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed Idle Hands. No laughing!


----------



## sloweye

Thats one of my faves BS, in fact i'm gonna have to watch it later on DVD.

I'm Under The Bed!

Hahahaha!


----------



## AE35Unit

BookStop said:


> I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed Idle Hands. No laughing!



Hmmm never heard of that one. Who's in it etc etc?


----------



## sloweye

It's an old comedy horror AE, it has Seth Green in it.



Really worth seeing, funny!


----------



## AE35Unit

Nope,still none the wiser! And who's Seth Green when he's at home?


----------



## Vladd67

Seth Green - Seth Green


----------



## AE35Unit

Vladd67 said:


> Seth Green - Seth Green



I must be too old,never heard of him...


----------



## Vladd67

Not a Buffy or Austin Powers fan then?


----------



## AE35Unit

Vladd67 said:


> Not a Buffy or Austin Powers fan then?



Never seen Austin Powers and don't want to and not a fan of TV series


----------



## BookStop

AE35Unit said:


> Hmmm never heard of that one. Who's in it etc etc?


 
Devon Sawa is the main character - he was the kid in the first Final Destination film - along with Seth Green, Jessica Alba, and Vivica Fox in supporting rolls.

It's a horror/comedy and really quite funny despite the absurdity. 'Idle hands are the devils playgound' is the premise, and Anton (Devon), being a lazy bum, has very idle hands. especially the right one.


----------



## Interference

BookStop said:


> ... has very idle hands. especially the right one.



Why? Is he left-handed?


----------



## Morpheus42

Last Tuesday I've watched *Bolt*
Was fun animation


----------



## Jason_Taverner

Doomsday, was not great, Pinapple express was fun, Zak n Mirm make a Porno was great loved it, if you think rom-com-porn is funny, and Semi Pro coz I am all about Jackie Moon


----------



## sloweye

AE35Unit said:


> Nope,still none the wiser! And who's Seth Green when he's at home?



The best i could find for ya mate 
YouTube - Idle Hands Trailer


----------



## rowengaurd

tropic thunder and oh dear god i was in stitches, although i haate Jack Black it was a really enjoyable watch!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> The best i could find for ya mate
> YouTube - Idle Hands Trailer


 
lol, "sorry about your bush"


----------



## sloweye

I'm gonna call 9-1-1, whats the number.
A seriously funny film.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw _Ghosttown _yesterday. I liked it, and not just because I'm a big Ricky Gervais fan.


----------



## sloweye

*The Ringer* - Wasn't as bad as i'd been told.
_ (but note, i didn't say it was thet good either)_


----------



## Moonbat

*Gran Torino *- Good film, loved it, had me chuckling and even a tear at times. Loved Clint's growl, made the whole film worthwhile.

On a side point, is there anyone better at growling than Clint Eastwood? (please see Gran Torino for evidence of growl I am refering too)


----------



## Emphyrio

The last movie I saw was *Slumdog Millionaire*, about two weeks ago now. I thought it was fantastic. The plot, the acting, the soundtrack - everything was sublime.


----------



## j d worthington

Finally had a chance to watch *Sweeney Todd*. I was a bit chary about this one, as I know Sondheim took liberties with the original story, but I quite like the film. Certainly bleak enough (though not without its moments of ghoulish humor), and I did like the way the main character went from a sympathetic figure to a monster to, finally, a figure both of horror and pity. Well worth the wait, in my estimation....


----------



## tangaloomababe

I seen a couple of movies latley

Revolutionary Road with Kate Winslett and Leo what a thoroughly depressing film it was. There was nothing even mildly happy about it, did I like it? I don't know!!!

Also watched Doubt with the brilliant Phillip Seymour Hoffman. A good film, probably not the best he has done, that would be reserved for Capote but worth watching.

Oh Moonbat no I don't think anyone can growl quite like Clint, a great film Gran Torino!


----------



## clovis-man

Emphyrio said:


> The last movie I saw was *Slumdog Millionaire*, about two weeks ago now. I thought it was fantastic. The plot, the acting, the soundtrack - everything was sublime.


 
Great film. Just be prepared for the grim side of the story. But the almost unthinkable optimism shown more than makes up for it.

A lesser known film from last year, but one which has two Oscar nominations (best actress and best original screenplay), is *Frozen River*. One of the best independent films you'll see and a gripping story. It just came out on DVD.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a anglo french production called The *Fox and the Child*,a touching family drama narrated by Kate Winslett about a young girl who befriends a fox,or believes she does. We put it on for the kids to watch but we enjoyed it more than they did. Not sure where it was supposed to be set but there were wild cat,bear and wolves,and lots of snow in Winter! Nice film!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*The Rainmaker* with Matt Damon. Great movie.


----------



## Spade

Saw V. Barely made it through though... mediocre at best.


----------



## clovis-man

Spade said:


> Saw V. Barely made it through though... mediocre at best.


 
Do you mean the television series?


----------



## Vladd67

I think Spade means Saw 5 not watched V


----------



## Interference

Thank God for that


----------



## clovis-man

Hey. It could have been W.


----------



## Connavar

*Rambo*

Short but a very good,different War movie.  The best i have seen Stallone do in many years.

Also the most realisticly brutal war movie ever.    Not many war movies makes war,death look so horrible that your forget they arent dying for real.   Nasty stuff.


----------



## Wybren

Zach and Miri Make a Porno - It was very funny


----------



## clovis-man

Wybren said:


> Zach and Miri Make a Porno - It was very funny


 
If you liked that one, you should try *The Amateurs*. See the web site:

The Amateurs Movie Official Website


----------



## Saeltari

He's just not that into you. Wasn't too bad. I liked the bartender and jennifer's story line best.


----------



## Ross

The new *Friday the 13th*

It was a typical Friday the 13th film. How and when people were going to die could be guessed most of the time. That being said, it still was a pretty decent film. Exactly what you expect from a Jason film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Went to the cinema today to see *Bolt*. Wasn't expecting it to be all that good but you know what? It was superb! Loved it! Really funny and great characterisation-the pigeons are spot on  
But is it me or do all Pixar's people characters look the same,especially the girls. The girl in it is very similar to the woman in The Incredibles (which we watched later on DVD) and the girl in Bee Movie! Oh and Boo in Monsters Inc.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Dark Water* earlier. All right, I guess. Not the best Asian Horror film I've watched, but still better than some of the crap churned out by Hollywood.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Just saw *The Reader*. It was pretty good.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Sin City* last night. Brilliantly stylised, I love visually impressive films like that.


----------



## ravenus

*The Illusionist* - It was very arbitrary from the get go, the romantic angle was ultra-boring, the CGI looked cheap. *The Prestige*, which was released almost concurrently and has some plot overlaps, owns this movie's ass several times over. The only decent thing about this movie as Paul Giamatti.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Flight of the Navigator* after lord knows how many years. Its a classic but I strangely thought there was more to it!


----------



## nj1

Watched HANCOCK for the first time last night, it was an OK but nothing special.
Once that finished though , THIS IS SPINAL TAP was just starting on itv4, one of my fav films ever!! laughed my socks off


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> .
> Once that finished though , THIS IS SPINAL TAP was just starting on itv4, one of my fav films ever!! laughed my socks off



Never actually seen that.


----------



## sloweye

WHHHHAAATTT! Educate yourself man!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> WHHHHAAATTT! Educate yourself man!



Films about overblown american rock bands don't appeal to me,tho i never realised this was comedy tho


----------



## sloweye

it is funny, and its a British rock band.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I strangely seem to be getting my way with films lately. Usually my friends won't watch my collection of horror films (they're all such wimps) but first *Dark Water*, and now, wonder of wonders, I got them to watch the original *Ring* (*Ringu*) film tonight. It's good for them -- makes them hardy. I got this treatment when I were a mere slip of a girl of five and onwards!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> its a British rock band.


Does such a thing exist?  oh yea,punk rock


----------



## sloweye

AE35Unit said:


> Does such a thing exist?  oh yea,punk rock



Well yeah! Black sabbath, Iron Maiden and a few more.


----------



## nj1

@ AE35Unit

This is Spinal Tap is a Spoof Documentary about an english rock band who try to make a come back tour of USA and all sorts of things go wrong.

Wiki Page for you info
Spinal Tap - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you ever get chance to watch it, enjoy, it's classic!


----------



## J-Sun

Wow, how weird is that. I just watched Spinal Tap a couple of nights ago for the first time in years - found a VHS in a used bookstore - that made me look for the DVD, but they didn't have it. And it's actually even funnier than I remembered and that was pretty damn funny.  It is an absolute classic.

I started to quote favorite lines, but I don't want to defuse them for AE35Unit who must go get it right now. Hurry. Go.


----------



## Allegra

_Mamma Mia!_ I don't usually go for musical films but this one is exceptional - great, great fun! Meryl Streep is just brilliant. Poor Pierce Brosnan sang like being strangled but still loveable.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> I just watched Spinal Tap a couple of nights ago for the first time in years - found a VHS in a used bookstore - that made me look for the DVD, but they didn't have it. And it's actually even funnier than I remembered and that was pretty damn funny.  It is an absolute classic.
> 
> I started to quote favorite lines, but I don't want to defuse them for AE35Unit who must go get it right now. Hurry. Go.



Will have to see if Blockbuster have it. My other half works there so I'd get to see it for free!


----------



## Interference

_My Super Ex Hero Trash Rubbish Waste Of Celluloid And Uma Thurmin_ was on last night.

Didn't like it


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Wanted* over the weekend. I didn't really like it.


----------



## clovis-man

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Watched *Wanted* over the weekend. I didn't really like it.


 
I've been toying with the idea of having Netflix send it to me. What was the downside that would make me avoid it?

I did watch *Undertaking Betty*, a clever comedy from 2002 starring Alfred Molina and Christopher Walken as undertakers. If you liked *Death at a Funeral*, you'll like this one also.


----------



## nj1

Interference said:


> _My Super Ex Hero Trash Rubbish Waste Of Celluloid And Uma Thurmin_ was on last night.
> 
> Didn't like it


 
Yep, managed about 30mins of that and then my brain could take no more, shockingly bad


----------



## HoopyFrood

Bit of bedtime viewing before I go to sleep; watching *Ring (Ringu) 2*. 

Watching this has made me realise I have gaps to fill: need to buy (remake) _Ring 1 and 2_, _Ju-on 1 and 2_, _The Grudge 2_ and _Rasen_. Need them all!


----------



## BookStop

My son is home today and we just watched *Dr. Horrible* again - Gotta say, I love it, love it, love it, and haven't yet gotten tired of watching it. If you haven't yet seen it, I recommend it whhole-heartedly.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Bender's Game*, coinciding with the fact that I was reading Ender's Game, but the two are not related except by title and the former was definitely funnier.

I tried watching *Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow*, but it was just so awful I had to give up.


----------



## clovis-man

BookStop said:


> My son is home today and we just watched *Dr. Horrible* again - Gotta say, I love it, love it, love it, and haven't yet gotten tired of watching it. If you haven't yet seen it, I recommend it whhole-heartedly.


 
Agreed. Joss Whedon is impossibly creative. A science fiction musical in a laundromat and a town hall meeting. You have to watch it repeatedly to catch all the nuances. I love the good, I mean bad, Doctor's sidekick, "Moist".


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

clovis-man said:


> I've been toying with the idea of having Netflix send it to me. What was the downside that would make me avoid it?.


 
I just felt that the storyline was blah, and I wasn't that blown away by the special effects either. I felt like the movie was kinda cheesy. 

That's my two cents.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I really liked _Wanted_! I thought it was cool! Gnarly, even!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Well there you go! Perhaps it just wasn't my kind of movie.


----------



## DeepThought

I've recently watched *Lost* and *Supernatural* up to season 4. Both excellent series. Last movie: *Gran Torino* (Clint Eastwood) slow moving but ultimately very enjoyable; the ending came as a bit of a shock to be honest...but I guess that's what made it great.


----------



## Laughing Man

After much wait, got to watch the second part of the half-epic *Battle of The Red Cliff*. China's pride and HK's most expensive production to date, first part released back in July last year was rather impressive... however the bar it raised IMO was not reached by the second part which I felt was a bit rushed.

There was supposed to be a UK release, a "summarised" version of the two parts which was dated for January but somehow it got knocked off... perhaps because it didn't perform very well in its own country. A shame though, a great story (Book - Romance of the three Kingdoms, Game - Dynasty Warriors) and a great director (John Woo) had me anticipatin much more than what I got. I usually love Johhn Woo films but in all honesty I don't think he was suited to direct this kind of film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched *Burn After Reading* which was strangely entertaining! 
Tonight we watched *Night In The Museum* again,this time with our step son David who found the monkey hilarious!


----------



## dask

NEW IN TOWN. Yeah, I know. My wife made me go see it. 

Still, it was pretty good.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

AE35Unit said:


> Last night we watched *Burn After Reading* which was strangely entertaining!


I thought that movie was great. I keep wanting to rent it again, Brad Pitt was hilarious!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Longriders*  one of my favourite Westerns  with a great soundtrack from Ry Cooder


----------



## littlemissattitude

Finally saw _The Dark Knight_ last night, on DVD.

Not bad.  I'm not a Batman fan and never have been, and I've never been able to sit through an entire Batman movie.  Ever.  I sat all the way through this one, though, and I'll have to admit that it was mostly because I was mesmerized by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker.  I also thought that Aaron Eckhart's performance was very good.  Christian Bale's Batman voice was kind of...um, I just didn't like it, found it annoying.  But overall, I think it was a good movie that managed to entertain but also raised some interesting issues if you look for them.


----------



## Allegra

*The Bourne Ultimatum*. Pretty good. I like the Bourne films.

*The Walker*. A gay son of a senator, escort of high society's ladies played by, you won't believe it - Woody Harrelson. I generally like him but he just doesn't fit this profile and his exaggerated Southern accent is annoying.


----------



## Wybren

St Trinnians, it was a great one to watch without having to think to much. Good for a bit of a laugh.


----------



## sloweye

*Pathfinder: *Legend of the ghost warrior.
i enjoyed it. its about the Vikings Trying to invade America years before columbus ever got there. not in any way historicly accurate but an enjoyable bit of Fantasy.


----------



## Interference

Allegra said:


> Woody Harrelson. I generally like him but he just doesn't fit this profile



I just don't like him at all and have seen no films he's been in.  There's something about him, about the personality he can't conceal because he isn't that good an actor (even by Hollywood standards), that I find distinctly off-putting.

Was that a rant?  I don't think that was a rant.  It was a reasoned argument ....


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Fargo* (love it), *Wizard of Oz*, *Jumanji*, part of *Batman and Robin* (cheesiest _Batman_ film ever) and *Kill Bill 2* (Tarantino = legend).


----------



## clovis-man

There may be some mild spoilers below.




littlemissattitude said:


> Finally saw _The Dark Knight_ last night, on DVD.
> 
> Not bad. I'm not a Batman fan and never have been, and I've never been able to sit through an entire Batman movie. Ever. I sat all the way through this one, though, and I'll have to admit that it was mostly because I was mesmerized by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker.


 
I watched it for similar reasons. And after he had been awarded a posthumous Oscar. I wanted to be impressed. But my reaction was only lukewarm. If you take away his "Jerry-Lewis-as-Nutty-Professor" voice inflections and the constant lip licking, his performance seemed adequate, but not spectacular. IMHO, of course.



littlemissattitude said:


> Christian Bale's Batman voice was kind of...um, I just didn't like it, found it annoying. But overall, I think it was a good movie that managed to entertain but also raised some interesting issues if you look for them.


 
I kept trying to tell myself that the gravelly voice was part of his disguise, but it just didn't work. I agree about the issue thing, but maybe in an off-kilter way. The theme of having all the villains as deformed and/or bestial in some way seemed to echo the Nazi mentality fostered by Hitler and his henchmen in attacking the Jewish population. Aaron Echhart's character only turned bad when he became scarred. And "the" "Batman is right out of the National Socialist insistance that our leader must be both intrinsically superior and above the law. But then who else could accomplish a Hong Kong extradition?


----------



## christyrocks99

*Slumdog Millionare *I cannot describe to you how brilliant that film was, it so deserved all those awards and Danny Boyle is now a hero in my eyes!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Burn After Reading*. This was a rewatch, and it wasn't as good as the first time. But I still think Brad Pitt's character is terrific.


----------



## Dagny

Starter for 10, with James McAvoy. 

Cute movie, kinda a chick flick.  James McAvoy, how do I love thee, let me count the ways! But how can you be so adorable, yet be so unphotogenic at the same time?


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Hancock*. Enjoyed the first half of it, surly superhero flying around drunk was awesome. Then suddenly, halfway through, TANGENT so far into left field that it hit a crowd member, and it all got very silly.


----------



## littlemissattitude

HoopyFrood said:


> *Hancock*. Enjoyed the first half of it, surly superhero flying around drunk was awesome. Then suddenly, halfway through, TANGENT so far into left field that it hit a crowd member, and it all got very silly.



I actually kind of liked _Hancock_.  I liked it a lot better, at any rate, than I thought I would.

Last film seen was _Iron Man_.  I liked Robert Downey Jr's performance in that a lot.  Even Gweneth Paltrow was tolerable, and I don't like her much at all.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I definitely enjoyed the first half a lot. It was after she threw Hancock out of the house, after that it just got silly for me. I like twists/surprises a lot, they're one of my favourite narrative devices, but that one was just too much out of the blue.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I'm with you Hoops.


----------



## nj1

Am currently watching Zack Snyder's re-make of DAWN OF THE DEAD. Don't know if I like it as much as the original but its still a cool film. (except the zombie baby, that was just stupid IMO). Anyway, Ive seen it before so am off to bed as i can't keep my eyes open for much longer


----------



## AE35Unit

Can't believe I just sat thru *Speed Racer*,what a pile of pants! Its ok if you're 12 i suppose but really!


----------



## Foxbat

*Othello *(the Oliver Parker adaptation, with Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Fishburne). 

Great stuff!


----------



## ktabic

*Skinwalkers*. Don't bother. It's really not worth it. It's always a bad sign when I feel the good guys should be wiped out for their stupidity.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Juno*, ****1/2. I thought Ellen Page was great and I liked seeing a teen angst movie that didn't treat the teenagers like kids.


----------



## Wybren

ktabic said:


> *Skinwalkers*. Don't bother. It's really not worth it. It's always a bad sign when I feel the good guys should be wiped out for their stupidity.



oh bugger, I wanted to see that one for one of the bad guys in it


----------



## HoopyFrood

Foxbat said:


> *Othello *(the Oliver Parker adaptation, with Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Fishburne).
> 
> Great stuff!



Yeah! Othello = best play ever written, in my opinion. I love it. I have the Ian McKellen as Iago version.


----------



## Cudaer

*Death Race* As an action movie a reasonable adaption of the original. *Jason Statham* Wasn't bad as the main character. The only dissapointment was the note at the end of the film stating that the cars were driven by professional stuntmen and that this should not be repeated at home. 

I was looking forward to going outside, rigging my car with sub-machine guns and armour plating, then going out on the road to take pot shots at passing motorists - never mind Sigh!


----------



## AE35Unit

Cudaer said:


> . The only dissapointment was the note at the end of the film stating that the cars were driven by professional stuntmen and that this should not be repeated at home.
> 
> I was looking forward to going outside, rigging my car with sub-machine guns and armour plating, then going out on the road to take pot shots at passing motorists - never mind Sigh!



Lol yea those health and safety bods are such spoilsports aren't they! 
So is this a remake of the 70s film Death Race 2000(which I've never seen)?


----------



## Cudaer

Yeah - and it wasn't bad, which is suprising for a remake!


----------



## AE35Unit

Cudaer said:


> Yeah - and it wasn't bad, which is suprising for a remake!



I just might have to rent that one!


----------



## Rothgar

Saw *WATCHMEN* this afternoon.  They did a fantastic job trying to be as true to the story as possible though the ending was altered a bit which was mildly disappointing.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Saw *WATCHMEN *yesterday. I thought it was terrific. Rorschach may be one of my favourite film characters, along with the Joker and Captain Jack Sparrow.


----------



## Foxbat

HoopyFrood said:


> Yeah! Othello = best play ever written, in my opinion. I love it. I have the Ian McKellen as Iago version.


  Have you seen it performed on stage? It has an even greater presence there  and is worth going to see. 

As for *Watchmen*, it's getting pretty decent reviews (strangely enough some slight criticism that it's too close to the Graphic novel). 

This is one I will definitely make the effort to go and see.


----------



## AE35Unit

I have never read any graphic comic so have no idea what Watchmen is all about. It features characters from different stories,like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?


----------



## Ross

Watched *Underworld: Rise of the Lycans*

Really enjoyed it, love the *Underworld* films, and despite there being no Kate Beckinsale it was still brilliant in my eyes.

Rhona Mitra handles the pressure on her to "replace" Beckinsale very well, even though they are two different characters all together.


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> I have never read any graphic comic so have no idea what Watchmen is all about. It features characters from different stories,like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?



No, you won't need any back story.  I's self-contained just like when it was released in comic form all those years ago.

Moore wanted to use extant DC heroes originally, but when the editors saw what he was going to do to them, they balked and he and David Lloyd invented a whole raft of new ones that they could tamper - with was that a spoiler?


----------



## Clansman

I saw Watchmen on Saturday night.  Still don't quite know what to say about it.  The lack of the 24th Amendment to the US Constitution was interesting (five Nixon elections?), if I have the right number on that amendment that limits presidential terms to two, passed after FDR died.

I got the distinct impression that there was too much character development and not enough plot.  Not having read the graphic novel, I didn't know what to expect.  Rorschak (or however you spell his name) is a really neat character.  Actually, they are all pretty neat, and the film does a great job of exploring them.  My complaint is that the plot seemed to be secondary to that exploration.  Great effects and superbly done fight scenes.

My step-son said it was "sick".


----------



## ktabic

Ahem, *Watchmen* . What was up with his nose?! Otherwise great


----------



## Stylus

*Watchmen*

Ironically, my favourite bit was the opening montage - the one sequence that departed most from the book (what works in one medium, doesn't for another, I suppose).

And I don't think Alan Moore would have enjoyed it (but that probably goes without saying).


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched most of *Zoolander*.


----------



## christyrocks99

Watched some, not all, of *Rebel Without a Cause* it's actually really good, James Dean is such a talented actor, shame really.


----------



## Ross

*Slumdog Millionnaire*

Was a little iffy about watching it, but man am I glad I did.

Fantastic film and a brilliant ending. Also the perfect ending.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Was the ending any good, Ross?


----------



## Wybren

My dad saw that one and said it was one of the best movies he has ever seen


----------



## Overread

Hmm perhapse I should watch the DVD of that film then - when it comes out


As for me Just watched Ghost in the Shell - first time I ever noticed that the miniseries has changed the major's hair colour to purple! (or the film changed it to black)


----------



## Grimward

Saw _*Iron Man*_ (finally) last weekend.  Excellent.  Very true to the comic book (have Iron Man's comic origin, too, although as a reprint), at least as much as a movie allows for such things.  Robert Downey Jr. was almost perfect (Tony Stark comes off as a little taller in the comic).  

(little spoiler here)



Nice twist to place it in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam, and the subtle way they worked S.H.I.E.L.D. into the plot was a deft touch, indeed.


----------



## Ross

Grimward said:


> Saw _*Iron Man*_ (finally) last weekend.  Excellent.  Very true to the comic book (have Iron Man's comic origin, too, although as a reprint), at least as much as a movie allows for such things.  Robert Downey Jr. was almost perfect (Tony Stark comes off as a little taller in the comic).
> 
> (little spoiler here)
> 
> 
> 
> Nice twist to place it in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam, and the subtle way they worked S.H.I.E.L.D. into the plot was a deft touch, indeed.



If you watched the new *HULK* film, Tony Stark appears right at the end  talking about selling a "new weapon". Why? I dunno. They going to make a HULK vs Iron Man?


And yeah, the ending of Slumdog Millionnaire was awesome lol. I think everyone would agree with me if they watched it


----------



## katiafish

Watchmen 
Love love love love it. Wanna see it in 3D. Had to hide away from some of the violence, but apart from that it is perfect superhero movie. PERFECT! Complete intrinsic disfunctionality of the characters is just fantastic. I can go on but I shouldn't 
(Shows complete disregard to original comic whateva.)


----------



## biodroid

The Mummy 3: Tomb of the dragon emperor, not a bad movie, much better than the second one. I like Rob Cohen movies, simple with decent stories, lots of action and good sfx. Also saw True Lies and realised it was a great movie. Everything worked well together in that movie and I think I can safely say anything James Cameron works on is instant gold


----------



## Foxbat

*On The Waterfront.*

 Still a classic


----------



## sloweye

Watched *The Odyssey*, apart from a few mistakes wasn't a bad version of the tale.


----------



## j d worthington

Watched an oldie last night: *Nightmare Castle*. An oldie, but not really a goodie (though certainly better than a lot of horror films of the period), but it was enjoyable watching Barbara Steele, at least....


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor* last night. I thought it was awful. I_ loved_ the first 2 Mummy movies, I thought they were great fun. In this one, I thought the writing was bad and terribly cheesy. It was quite a let down.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Totally agree with you there, Low. The third film was a mockery. 


I went to see *Watchmen* last night. I loved it. I could literally turn myself inside out saying how much I loved this film. Excellent in all aspects. I love the graphic novel genre of film, cinematically they are just brilliant.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

'Mockery' is a good way to put it. Guess thats what happens when you have a completely different person do the writing and directing from the original 2 movies.  (Stephen Sommers wrote and directed the first two Mummy movies, Rob Cohen directed and Alfred Gough/Miles Millar wrote this Mummy movie.


----------



## Lioness

Went to BF's house and watched _The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_.
Oddest and most random movie I have ever seen (including And now for something Completely Different) but it was funny.


----------



## sloweye

*300* - Hummm!!


----------



## sffhound

Hellboy II, The Golden Army. God I love that movie!


----------



## Pyan

*Nanny McPhee*...surprisingly enjoyable, if a touch sentimental...


----------



## Wybren

Yeah it isn't a bad movie Pyan.

I watched *The Water Horse* last night with Zach. Quite a good movie except that it doesn't fit in with either the Kelpie or the Each Uisge myths, but other than that it has a good story.


----------



## Foxbat

sloweye said:


> Watched *The Odyssey*, apart from a few mistakes wasn't a bad version of the tale.


 
If that's the version with Armand Assante and Isabella Rosselini, I agree with your observations.


----------



## Perpetual Man

In a time when it seems that I just don't have the tiem to watch movies, had a nice little treat when I went to the cinema and saw Watchmen


----------



## ravenus

j. d. worthington said:


> Watched an oldie last night: *Nightmare Castle*. An oldie, but not really a goodie (though certainly better than a lot of horror films of the period), but it was enjoyable watching Barbara Steele, at least....


Is this the same as *Castle of Blood* by Antonio Margheriti (or however else it is spelled)? I remember that being a sort of poor man's *Black Sunday*, some nice moments, but nothing memorable.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Not a movie...but watched the first three episodes of _Firefly_.  I'd never seen any of it before, and I'm definitely hooked.  I love the way that space opera and horse opera is blended.  I was really skeptical that it could work, but it does.


----------



## ravenus

Ah, you're in for a treat. FF is a great fantasy series, with nicely developed characters, generally interesting plots, spiffy dialog, and old-school swashbuckling fun.


----------



## Connavar

*Alien*, it was as good as its rep.  First time i have seen it, only seen Alien 4 before this.

It was well done,well acted and the creepy alien monster worked.  I watch it early in the day and the monster still freaked me out.  Great effects for 70s movie.

Ripley was hardcore and there were so many quality actors in the movie.  John Hurt,Ian Holm for example.


----------



## clovis-man

littlemissattitude said:


> Not a movie...but watched the first three episodes of _Firefly_. I'd never seen any of it before, and I'm definitely hooked. I love the way that space opera and horse opera is blended. I was really skeptical that it could work, but it does.


 
If you follow the whole series through, then watch *Serenity*, you'll have experienced the ultimate in space westerns. Without giving anything away, by the time you're done, you'll see how Summer Glau could so easily segue into the *Sarah Conner Chronicles*.

Enjoy!


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> *Alien*, it was as good as its rep. First time i have seen it, only seen Alien 4 before this.
> 
> It was well done,well acted and the creepy alien monster worked. I watch it early in the day and the monster still freaked me out. Great effects for 70s movie.
> 
> Ripley was hardcore and there were so many quality actors in the movie. John Hurt,Ian Holm for example.


 
Scared the tweet out of me when I first saw it in the theater. Excellent ensemble cast, as you note. Also good performances from Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto and Veronica Cartwright.

A great "haunted house" movie.


----------



## sloweye

*Ghostship - *hasn't got any better since the last time i saw it


----------



## Foxbat

*Downfall *- a great film about Hitler's final days.


----------



## AE35Unit

*How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.*  Brilliantly funny! Jeff Bridges is fantastic in it,legend!


----------



## bluerayarchangel

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


 
*Could you please explain the ending to me  I have seen it a couple of times, and I still don't know if God forgive him or not, because his head explodes.    so I don't get it.   thanks,*


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> Scared the tweet out of me when I first saw it in the theater. Excellent ensemble cast, as you note. Also good performances from Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto and Veronica Cartwright.
> 
> A great "haunted house" movie.



It was a good space SF too the little there was.   The broken down ship,the planet, the technology looked good despite being 30 years old.  

No cheezy music, any mood setters.  They directed well.  

I will see the other two in the weekend.  I have the special edition dvds.  I wonder if the special edition lenght of the movie is better than the cinema version of the movie.


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> I will see the other two in the weekend. I have the special edition dvds. I wonder if the special edition lenght of the movie is better than the cinema version of the movie.


 
A few extra scenes in *Aliens*. Doesn't harm the flow too much, but could have been left out. With the third film, it doesn't really matter, IMHO. I didn't like it anyway.


----------



## Happy Joe

Punisher; war Zone...
Typical Hollywood comic book movie; Unrealistic fights/gun battles, near invulnerable, hero, excessive gore/splatter.
OK to rent if you like this sort of thing but I wouldn't buy it.
I liked the last Punisher movie better, this was definitely a step down on all counts.

Enjoy!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *The Dark Knight* again, and enjoyed it as much as before.


----------



## Allegra

*The Exorcist* (1973) - excellent. Quite close to the book. The visualized horror and creepy soundtrack make it scarier than the book. Good cast and acting. 

*Mist *- didn't like it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Little Nicky*


----------



## alvysinger

The Unbearable Lightness of Being -- with Daniel Day Lewis.

Has a wonderfully bleak final scene. I recommend.


----------



## Allegra

alvysinger said:


> The Unbearable Lightness of Being -- with Daniel Day Lewis.
> 
> Has a wonderfully bleak final scene. I recommend.


 
I also liked that film. Not as good as the book but quite good. Daniel Day Lewis really is a talented actor. But his acting in _There Will Be Blood_ is the finest.


----------



## Sargeant_Fox

Lately I've been watching some Brothers Quay animation shorts. They make brilliant stop-motion animation, which is dark, crepy and surreal. They're little nightmares full of ancient, dusty machinery, badly-lit sets, disfigured dolls and hybrid creatures.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Changeling although a good movie it took a very nasty twist in the middle and worried me that it is based on a true story. How sad and tragic. But Angelia was good.


----------



## Happy Joe

A friend brought over the Disney version of "Mighty Joe Young" last night; It was pretty well done (although I still like the original better).

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Most of *Interview with a Vampire* and part of *Police Academy*.


----------



## Wybren

LOL that is an interesting combination Hoopy

My other half convinced me to watch Twilight, way too much Teen Angst for me


----------



## sloweye

_*Sharpes Challange*_ - I love the Shape stories and on DVD each is a film in its own right.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Twilight.

I was forced to.

Sigh. 

Vampires who sparkle in the daylight. What is the world coming too?


----------



## Vladd67

Babylon AD thats 86min I'll never get back


----------



## dustinzgirl

Vladd67 said:


> Babylon AD thats 86min I'll never get back



It wasn't THAT bad. Kind of a decent premise, kind of a lot of crappy acting.


----------



## Vladd67

I think there must be a decent directors cut out there somewhere


----------



## Grimward

dustinzgirl said:


> Twilight.
> 
> I was forced to.
> 
> Sigh.
> 
> Vampires who sparkle in the daylight. What is the world coming too?



Yet another nail in the coffin of this film for me....

*Looks around to find Ursa, exercising his ventriloquist training*


----------



## Lioness

Pan's Labyrinth...wow.

And I'm in love with the soundtrack.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Pan's Labyrinth is amazing.


Watched *Airplane*.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Quantum of Solace*. I enjoyed it, though sufficient time had passed since watching Casino Royale that I missed most of the references.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Austin Powers* and then *Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle*.


----------



## biodroid

Death Race, cars with guns are always cool in my books and Eagle Eye, this one was very good too. Shia Le Booooooff acted his butt of in this one and did a good job of it for his age.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Wall-e* again on Friday, and then rented *Role Models* on Sat. It was pretty decent, and had me laughing at parts.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Went to see *Watchmen* again, because it's just so awesome. Seemed shorter this time. Also, read the graphic novel between this and the last time, so could pick up the nuances this time. 

Was also the first time going to the cinema by myself. Not that there's anything dramatic in that. But was the first time.


----------



## Wybren

I am thinking of doing that next week, seeing *Watchmen* on my day off.

Watched *Forgetting Sarah Marshall* I dont think it would have been as funny without Mr Brand in it


----------



## Tickle

This last week I've seen the following:

Sex and the City Movie - This movie was great. It made me laugh & cry. Great movie.

Max Payne - This was cool. My husband was very pleased that it stayed close to the video game. A lot of action.


----------



## Moonbat

I watch Warlords last night, very good, the kunf fu wasn't too mythical, and the story is based on a true tale, very interesting. Although it's always the same, everything is going fine, until it is ruined by a woman!

Tonight I plan to watch Chocolate, not the Jonny Depp namby pamby romantic one, but the Kung Fu one that is (apparantly) more brutal than Ong Bak (which is a modern martial arts classic)

I saw Max Payne a few weeks ago, and I haven't ever played the game, but the whole thing was a bit odd for me, nice graphics of the fiery demons, but was it all just due to the drug?


----------



## Mighty mouse

Wanted
Father searches for his abducted daughter sold into the Parisian drug sex trade. 
A hard, blunt film with Liam Neeson as a ruthless undercover operative no longer on a leash. Dispicable subject, depicted with some clarity.


----------



## Laughing Man

Mighty mouse said:


> Wanted
> Father searches for his abducted daughter sold into the Parisian drug sex trade.
> A hard, blunt film with Liam Neeson as a ruthless undercover operative no longer on a leash. Dispicable subject, depicted with some clarity.



I think you mean *Taken* ...

Just finished watching Kurosawa's *Throne Of Blood*, not his best but still amazing.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Yes, Taken!
My bad


----------



## HoopyFrood

Addams Family Values and now Fantastic Four.


----------



## Wybren

Kung Fu Panda

I don't mind Fantastic Four except for Ioan Gruffudd's accent


----------



## biodroid

Mighty mouse said:


> Wanted
> Father searches for his abducted daughter sold into the Parisian drug sex trade.
> A hard, blunt film with Liam Neeson as a ruthless undercover operative no longer on a leash. Dispicable subject, depicted with some clarity.


 
Wanted was an awesome movie anyway even if Angelina Jolie looked anorexic. Cool action with lots of curving bullets.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Kidulthood.

Interesting film.  Extremely violent and profane...it definitely earns its R rating...but exceptionally well-written by Noel Clarke (who, for us science fiction fans, played Mickey in Doctor Who).


----------



## DeepThought

I watched these recently:

*The Whole Wide World*. Based on The One Who Walked Alone(a biography of Robert E. Howard). I've yet to read the book, so no clue as to how good/faithful an adaption. Nevertheless fascinating to see REH Portrayed in a movie, thought the actor did a decent job at it as well.

*Underworld: Evolution*. Obviously not on par with the first movie but neither was it a total disappointment; kept things interesting enough, at least up _till_ the last few moments...

*Children of Men*. Not as boring as I initially thought.The first half of the movie was actually fairly interesting even with the simple plot. But I suspect a complex story and interesting characters weren't what the director had in mind ...The premise was thought-provoking and some of the scenes were indeed memorable (to say the least) however, I'd be lying if I said I really enjoyed it.

*Quantum of Solace*. Was not really impressed, considering all the hype and the excellent Casino Royale. The antagonist and his entourage (always a distinguishing factor in all Bond movies) leaves much to be desired.... Being the second movie in a trilogy could be the reason I guess. Other than that, Bond is leaner and meaner this time (if that's even possible) and the theme behind the movie much more darker. Brilliant action sequences as always, reminiscent of Jason Bourne movies.

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*. All Potter movies were excellent adaptions and this one's no exception. By far the darkest and the most depressing of the lot, the film captures this bleak mood without holding anything back and in effect manages to stay extremely faithful to the book. I thought the scenes featuring Magic use, wizard duels and battle skirmishes were very well dealt with. Especially the climatic scenes towards the end where two powerful forces collide...was mesmerizing. All in all have to say, I very much enjoyed this.


----------



## katiafish

Short Cuts.. as with anything that was really hyped by my friend, it was a bit of a disappointment and little boy dying made me upset  Tom Waits is great though, but he is just great in general.


----------



## Happy Joe

A Quantum of Solace;  Overall, fair.  Watchable; if not up to Casino Royale.
It was hampered by a sufficiently evil/memorable villain (really great hero stories need a great villain, IMO).
The stunts were well done although chases sometimes seemed to be a bit on the long side (I was hoping for a bit more than a stunt/chase movie, but it was not surprising given the reviews).
It also seemed that they killed off characters when their part in the story was done.

Enjoy!


----------



## littlemissattitude

I liked Quantum of Solace more than I liked Casino Royale.  Yeah, it was pretty much one long chase scene...I think they had every kind of chase it is possible to film, which scores extra points just for that.  And they were, overall, good chases.

And lord help us all, Daniel Craig sits a motorcycle just exactly like Steve McQueen did...it's enough to make a grown woman giddy.  This grown woman, at any rate.

It also helped that this was the first time since Sean Connery quit the role that I actually felt like I was watching James Bond up there on the screen, rather than a wannabe.  Daniel Craig's performance was most of the way there in Casino Royale, but I thought he really hit all the right notes as Bond in Quantum of Solace.


----------



## dustinzgirl

littlemissattitude said:


> I
> And lord help us all, Daniel Craig sits a motorcycle just exactly like Steve McQueen did...it's enough to make a grown woman giddy.  This grown woman, at any rate.



OK now I have a reason to watch it. 

_Role Models_. Hilarious flick, not for kids.


----------



## christyrocks99

The last half of this really wierd, but ultimately very good, Mexican film although I do not know the name. It was about this guy whose mum died in a horrific accident when he was a kid and lost her arms in the process and he's had hallucinations ever since which cause him to kill any woman (or transvestite) he gets intimate with.
We watched it in World Cinema today and my friend got so scared she came out in floods of tears.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Howl's Moving Castle*


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Taken* in the cinema after work.   

It was better than i expected even if i had high hopes cause it was Luc Besson written,it had good rating from everyone who have seen that i know.

It was the ideal spy/action thriller. It had alot well done action scenes,good acting,emotion to it. For a simple story i enjoyed the film in every scene. 

Its also bonus there was an actor who could really act too, it makes these kind of movies better just like Bourne. When i read spy,action thriller books i picture a movie well done as Taken. Meaning if there was ever a movie version. 

Best film i have seen in many months. Even though i dont go to the cinema often these days its the best since the summer of 2008 for me.

Now i crave after more Luc Besson and other Liam Nesson starring movies.  Shame there cant be a sequal.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Religulous

Not a bad film, but don't watch it if you're religious and easily offended.

I do think Bill Maher could have been not quite so snarky in places.  A lot more people would be more likely to consider the points he makes if he hadn't gone out of the way to make fun of the folks and the ideas he doesn't agree with.  I mean, if you're going to make a film pushing a point of view, especially a point of view that could be offensive to some of the folks you're trying to convince of your positions, I would think you'd want to cut the snark a bit.  On the other hand, Maher is essentially a stand-up comic, and snark is what he does.

He does make some very good points.  For example, he asks, "Why is believing something without evidence good?"  This is a question I've been asking for years.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Addams Family*. Hamlet bit is just classic.


----------



## Tillane

_*Watchmen*_ for the third time.  Ye gods, I love that movie...


----------



## Mighty mouse

> He does make some very good points. For example, he asks, "Why is believing something without evidence good?" This is a question I've been asking for years.


As a corollary it could be added that if there is a god it would probably dislike both religion and the religious.


----------



## HoopyFrood

And now *Addams Family Values*.

Watchmen is rather awesome, kick-ass, fantastic, brilliant etc etc isn't it.


----------



## Tillane

Oh, indeedy.  Without identifying with any character...honest...Rorshsach is perhaps the coolest ginger anti-hero (for which, read psycho) in history...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Rorschach is amazing (and so sketchy) but Ozymandias is my favourite.


----------



## Vladd67

Daywatch - Way to Russian for me,


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Witness*,an 80's thriller where an Amish boy sees a murder and to protect him, the cop (*Harrison Ford*) has to integrate himself into the anti-modernity anti-violence Amish community. Made by *Peter Weir* (_Picnic at Hanging Rock_), this is for most part an interesting and visually ravishing off-kilter thriller, which succeeds in presenting its characters without the stereotypic "A-hole cop amongst the crazy folks played for laughs" manner. But the romance element between the cop and the boy's widow mother comes off as contrived, and the climax could have also been better IMO.


----------



## nj1

Watched *THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT* last night at the cinema, enjoyed it, it was good to watch a horror film thats not based on a homicidal maniac torturing people.


----------



## BookStop

*I love you, man* - very funny. Jason Segel is obviously hilarious, but Paul Rudd's awkward character really made the movie. I recommend it.


----------



## Connavar

Vladd67 said:


> Daywatch - Way to Russian for me,



What so negative about that.

Did you see the first movie ?

Im a fan of the books because they are clever urban fantasy with so much Russian style to it.   That makes it different.   Refereshing after so many anglo saxon versions...


----------



## Cudaer

Last night I watched* Eagle Eye* and was pleasantly suprised how good it actually was. It was a movie with plenty of action and a good SF element. The other plus point for the movie is that they keep the main theme of the story hidden until later in the film. You might find this a strange notion, but believe me in this film it really works. I will warn you though, after watching the film you may become quite paranoid...I won't say why because that might spoil it for you!!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Night Watch is one my favourite films, perhaps because of its...Russian-ness, if that's what it is. It's refreshingly different to American films, brilliantly stylised. I haven't watch Day Watch yet, despite meaning to, although was a bit disappointed to hear that it was more 'Americanised' than it's prequel.


----------



## Tillane

*Night Watch* is definitely the better of the two.  It isn't that _*Day Watch*_ is a bad movie _per se_, but I think that with the success of the first film in both Europe and the States (particularly the latter, I suspect), the makers got a little caught up trying to please both the domestic and foreign markets - and ended up making a bit of a mess of it.

It'll be interesting to see how they've approached *Twilight Watch*, which I believe comes out either later this year or early 2010.


----------



## misscousins

Tremors

The first one, for the 30th time in my life.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

BookStop said:


> *I love you, man* - very funny. Jason Segel is obviously hilarious, but Paul Rudd's awkward character really made the movie. I recommend it.


 
Glad to hear that, I have been looking forward to this movie! Just have to wait until it comes out on DVD.


----------



## katiafish

Don'T mess with the Zohan

Embarasingly funny, very silly but funny.


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> Night Watch is one my favourite films, perhaps because of its...Russian-ness, if that's what it is. It's refreshingly different to American films, brilliantly stylised. I haven't watch Day Watch yet, despite meaning to, although was a bit disappointed to hear that it was more 'Americanised' than it's prequel.



Have you read the books ?

I like a story who is about supernatural beings against eacother in an eternal cold war and then the characters can think,talk about being a Young Pioneer as a child,the hole sovjet thing.   Its urban,historical Russianness adds alot of layer to the stories.  

Shame if you saw the movies first.  I hear they are much more action,simple than the books.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I've read *Nightwatch* and have *Daywatch* on my bookshelf, needing to be read (along with about a hundred others. Bah). I did watch the film first, but I don't often make comparisons between books and films because they are very different mediums. What I like about films are film attributes, what I like about books are book attributes. They both have their good and bad points (except for when a film complete tears apart a book and makes a mockery of it; then I just rant (cough *Northern Lights* cough)). _Really_ enjoyed the film, though, as said, mainly because of its technical features; it was dark, it was stylised, right down to the subtitles. Amazing.


----------



## Wybren

Yeah I hear you on Northern Lights Hoopy.

Took TM to see "Monsters v's Aliens" today. Not exactly a great movie for a toddler, bit too much killing in it for your normal kids movie. It kinda reminded me of Mars Attacks but with less plot and with nifty CGI.


----------



## Overread

*makes note to get and watch the Nightwatch - and possibly read it too*
I always meant to watch it but never got round to it!


----------



## dustinzgirl

The Spirit...

er...monologuing melodrama much?

Say that tens times fast and you'll have the whole movie.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Ok not really a movie, so I am cheating a bit, but it is startng to feel like a long continious movie.  I have gone back to the begining of Doctor Who and working my way through it all again.  I loved Christopher Eccleston, he made a fantastic doctor, a shame he only did the one season, but David Tennant is great also. I'm just starting on Season 3 now.


----------



## j d worthington

tangaloomababe said:


> Ok not really a movie, so I am cheating a bit, but it is startng to feel like a long continious movie. I have gone back to the begining of Doctor Who and working my way through it all again. I loved Christopher Eccleston, he made a fantastic doctor, a shame he only did the one season, but David Tennant is great also. I'm just starting on Season 3 now.


 
Beginning with Eccleston? Hardly the beginning.... I've been going through the whole thing, from the first episode ("An Unearthly Child") on, and I'm finally at the next-to-last Troughton story, The Space Pirates. Perhaps we should compare notes at some point on the benefits of each approach.....


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched a film called Eagle Eye last night. A lot better than the blurb on the back suggests. A Big Brother watching us kind of movie


----------



## fishi

I saw the trailor of night at the museum2..
It grew curiostiy in me .. so i rented the movie night at the museum..
Loved the movie..
WOrld full of FAntasy*
Waiting for the next part to release..


----------



## Interference

A lot of people saying that about Night in the Museum - isn't Rickie Gervais in that?  It's the only thing putting me off.


----------



## Wybren

I didn't mind night at the museum, Ben Stiller is not on my list of favourites but the rest of the cast more than made up for that.


----------



## AE35Unit

Interference said:


> A lot of people saying that about Night in the Museum - isn't Rickie Gervais in that? It's the only thing putting me off.


 
Yea he is unfortunatley, and he plays a nasty typical office sort. i think this is how they see us brits!


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Wicker Man* is on at the moment.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I love Ricky Gervais!


----------



## Grimward

Almost watched _*The Wicker Man*_ the other night, Hoopy.  Alas, twas not to be.  Started _*Moby Dick*_ last night (Orson Wells as the priest...hee hee!), but couldn't keep my eyes open.  Oh well....


----------



## Waziwig

MIni review of KNOWING, staring Nicholas Cage.  Um, where do I start ... um,...
Okay, it starts off a little like da Vinvci code, and then ... goes a bit twilight zone.
Its the only movie I've seen that, as the lights came back up, I said 'wtf?'
In retrospect, it stands, with only one (1) overt Christian quote, which is fairly easy to ignore.  Three and a half stars!
(Seriously- don't read any spoilers, and get to see it in the cinema!)


----------



## Waziwig

MIni review of KNOWING, staring Nicholas Cage.  Um, where do I start ... um,...
Okay, it starts off a little like da Vinvci code, and then ... goes a bit twilight zone.
Its the only movie I've seen that, as the lights came back up, I said 'wtf?'
In retrospect, it stands, with only one (1) overt Christian quote, which is fairly easy to ignore.  Three and a half stars!
(Seriously- don't read any spoilers, and get to see it in the cinema!)


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by JD
Beginning with Eccleston? Hardly the beginning.... I've been going through the whole thing, from the first episode ("An Unearthly Child") on, and I'm finally at the next-to-last Troughton story, The Space Pirates. Perhaps we should compare notes at some point on the benefits of each approach..... 






 

Oh JD I couldn't go back that far, I didn't really get into the doctor until Patrick Troughton took on the role, so I never really new the Hartnell Doctor. Jon Pertwee was up there with my favorites maybe dare I say more than the brilliant Tom Baker. After Tom's reign I sort of lost touch with the beloved doctor for many years and Colin Baker put me of for a long time. 
It was only with the resurgence of Christopher Eccelston's doctor that I started to enjoy him again. JD you enjoy those early years and drop me a line when you get to 
Pertwee
Baker (Tom) or
Eccelston and Tennant.
There was a particualar episode in the Pertwee years I loved, but only have vague memories of now.

I found Eccelston's doctor to be highly amusing with a lovely wacky sence of humor, I wish he had done another stint.


----------



## Interference

Hilarious Joke said:


> I love Ricky Gervais!



So does Ricky Gervais


----------



## ktabic

HoopyFrood said:


> *The Wicker Man* is on at the moment.



The Woodward one or the Cage one?

I watched Starship Troopers 2. Won't be bothering with that one again.


----------



## HoopyFrood

There's only one The Wicker Man film (just like there's only three Indiana Jones films...)

Didn't watch it all, unfortunately. Will definitely have to one day soon.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Bolt* over the weekend. I really enjoyed it, and thought it was very cute. Would definately recommend it.


----------



## ktabic

HoopyFrood said:


> There's only one The Wicker Man film (just like there's only three Indiana Jones films...)



Yes, this is true. One The Wicker Man, two Star Wars (Ewoks? No!) and three Indiana Jones films.


----------



## misscousins

I watched two movies since my last post.

Resident Evil
Fluke

I liked Fluke better because it makes people think deeply and I love storylines like that as it's like a story with a moral, but you don't get your nose rubbed in it.

I liked resident evil for one thing only, and that is "the licker" it seemed to be the first original creature created in fiction for a long time; usually writers pick off from what already exists in mythology and metamorphose it.


----------



## Overread

Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome!

I now have a desire to play Fallout Tactics!


----------



## Vladd67

Connavar said:


> What so negative about that.
> 
> Did you see the first movie ?
> 
> Im a fan of the books because they are clever urban fantasy with so much Russian style to it.   That makes it different.   Refereshing after so many anglo saxon versions...


I enjoyed the books my comment about it being too Russian was influenced by my recent viewing of Red Heat During the Bus chicken game Belushi says something along the lines of This is way too Russian for me.
Talking of the books what is with the pathetic claim that Sergei Lukyanenko is Harry Potter Russian style. A more blatent attempt to cash in you would be hard to find. The Watch books are modern Russian classics without the need to link them to a famous name with which they have no connection. Just seen on Amazon the directors cut of both watch films available in one set for £4.99.


----------



## Jimmy Magnusson

I watched *Lost and Delirious* last night (which you can see on Google Video: Lost And Delirious), and I really liked it. I especially liked the journey and change that Mischa Barton's charachter went through (as well as Piper Perabio's), although I wanted more rage and insanity. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I suppose Valerie in V for Vendetta could qualify, but that's fairly subdued.


----------



## Jimmy Magnusson

Jimmy Magnusson said:


> I watched *Lost and Delirious* last night (which you can see on Google Video: Lost And Delirious), and I really liked it. I especially liked the journey and change that Mischa Barton's charachter went through (as well as Piper Perabio's), although I wanted more rage and insanity. Does anyone have any recommendations for me? I suppose Valerie in V for Vendetta could qualify, but that's fairly subdued.



Likewise (damn edit time limit), Jodie Foster in *The Brave One* (Stanger Inside if you're in Europe) is another example.


----------



## Foxbat

*Sophie Scholl *An excellent German movie about the White Rose student resistance movement in Munich 1942.


----------



## clovis-man

Sticking with 1942 Germany: *Downfall*, a 150 minute detailing of Hitler's last days in the bunker. Fascinating and well acted. Some of the English subtitles were not exact translations of the dialogue, but close enough and the mood was captured quite well.


----------



## BookStop

Saw Monsters vs. Aliens - it was cute, nothing special but enjoyable


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Chicken Run* earlier.


----------



## Esioul

Biozombie. I recommend it to everyone.


----------



## Vladd67

The Day After, brought back some memories of the 80s


----------



## Shadow Trooper

*My First Venture into Sci-Fi?*

About to take the family to see 'Race to Witch Mountain' and had a thought.....

Now I'm sure this must be on another thread somewhere in the Chrons but I'm positive the original Escape to Witch Mountain was the first Sci-Fi film I went to see and probably was the key that unlocked my interest in Sci-Fi and wondering....what's up there 

And no I don't mean between my ears when I say what's up there!


----------



## dustinzgirl

I think I will pass on the new Race to Witch Mountain and watch the originals. I'm not big on remakes, I just hunt down the original and buy it. LOL. HA HA HOLLYWOOD TAKE THAT!

Anyways...

I keep trying to watch "Blindness" which is about a virus that makes everyone blind. But it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sooooooooooooooooooo boring I can't get into it. I mean.....it is very boring. Did I mention it was boring?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Speaking of remakes, it seems that *Clash of the Titans* is being remade.




WHYYYYYYYYY!? *Shakes fist at sky*


----------



## dustinzgirl

HoopyFrood said:


> Speaking of remakes, it seems that *Clash of the Titans* is being remade.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> WHYYYYYYYYY!? *Shakes fist at sky*



I refuse to accept that. 

We should form a coalition and march.

PS: Blindness is starting to get better now, after the first 40 minutes....but still lame....


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> Speaking of remakes, it seems that *Clash of the Titans* is being remade.


*smashes fist repeatedly off desk*

Why do they insist on trying to ruin the memories of my childhood?  _*Why*_?

Stupid, no-good, money-grubbing swines.  Probably wouldn't know an original idea if it came up and gave them a haircut.

Ahem.  Sorry.  Don't know what came over me.  I'm alright now.


----------



## Wybren

Watched "The day the earth stood still" last night, and Keanu played an alien incredibly well, for once his limited range didn't let the film down.


----------



## Overread

Witch Mountain recently got the makeover treatment 
and I have heard rumors of a making of The Dark Crystal 2 -- I can only worry at what might come from that 

ps Tillane - you sound good and sane to me those are very similar to my thoughts!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I know, Till, I was appalled when I heard it. Why. WHY do you have to touch the great films of old. It's a classic, an absolute classic, a classic of classics, so leave it the hell alone! Hollywood, get an original idea for once!

It's going to be horribly CGI-ed. It's going to mauled and computerised and just plain horrible.


----------



## Wybren

I was just reading on the Dark crystal two and they have much of the original group who worked on it - Brian Froud, David Odell etc.. and they are working on ideas that Hensen had had for a sequel so it could actually be good.


----------



## Overread

yes but I remember the Phantom Menace - that had the same director as the original 3 films -- heck he messed up the retouching of the original films!

so I just hope that CGI maddness and general hollywood disease have not got to the DC2 group (though considering the puppets on Farscape they better have puppets in DC2!)


----------



## Tillane

Overread said:


> ps Tillane - you sound good and sane to me those are very similar to my thoughts!


Sane.  Sane.  Nope, you've lost me there...

It really does boil my p...er, blood to see Hollywood constantly remaking classic films, though.  Fair enough, remaking a bad film might seem like a dumb move (if the original was no good, who's going to want to see the remake?), but at least you've got somewhere to go other than down.  Remaking stuff like _*Clash of the Titans*_ or *The Wicker Man* is like saying "well, yes, the Mona Lisa's very nice, but wouldn't you like a new one with Julia Roberts' smile?"  No.  No, I fricking wouldn't.  And I don't want these remakes, either - or the upcoming ones of _*Fahrenheit 451*_ or _*Escape From New York*_, either.  Or the gazillion other ones that'll no doubt follow.

What's really scary is the speed movies are being remade these days.  I mean, from _*Ringu *_to *The Ring* was quick, but at least the former had a chance to hit cinemas before Hollywood decided to buy it up and repackage it.  Now they're not even waiting that long: new vamp flick *Let The Right One In* hadn't even hit European cinemas before Hollywood snapped it up for an American remake.

The really sad thing?  All that is accomplished by this, aside from new cinema releases becoming more predictable that a really predictable thing, is that it puts writers out of business.  After all, why pay for something original when you can buy up something literally pre-made for...well, probably for more money, actually.  But half the hassle.

Sigh.


----------



## Overread

I have to agree - its really sad - heck even anime are getting hollywood treatment (oh and since even most tame anime is way too risky for the average american its getting a major waterdown in content, and I am just refering to the religious factors in anime). Neon Genesis, Dragon BallZ (ok they can't get that one wrong, big hunky guys and aliens blowing stuff up with big booms and superpowers -I mean they can't get that wrong surly?)


----------



## Shadow Trooper

HoopyFrood said:


> Speaking of remakes, it seems that *Clash of the Titans* is being remade.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> WHYYYYYYYYY!? *Shakes fist at sky*


 

I don't have too much of a problem with remakes; if done well. I loved Clash of the Titans and the remake will more than likely _*not*_ be as good as the original to me.

However, nowadays if you put the old films on to watch, todays generation probably wouldn't give it a second look. These remakes may give them the opportunity to see something really good.

And before you ask, at this point no, I can't think of a remake that is better than the original; at this moment


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Oh yes, the Race to Witch Mountain* (Remake Alert for all those whose Rage may soar!)*

For me it didn't have the magic the original had. 

However, if you take it for what it is (a Disney film made essentially for kids (maybe 7-14yrs)), then I think it was a good film (7 out of 10).

My son enjoyed it (he's 7); although he did seem to enjoy the parts with the evil suped up assassin alien in it .


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, speaking of remakes once more...Watching *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*. As much as I love Johnny Depp, I love Gene Wilder just that little bit more, and *Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory* will always be my favourite.


----------



## Ross

The new version of Willy Wonka does my head in!

Those umpa lumpa's are just a pain in the arse. Ruined them in the new version.


----------



## Happy Joe

A friend loaned me "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (the DVD set came with a copy of the 1951 original) so I watched both...

Both are fair movies, although; the original is definitely showing its age.

Enjoy!


----------



## gully_foyle

*Australia*, what a cringe inducing, poorly acted, overblown, cliche ridden pile of kangaroo doo doo. 

I know Baz Luhrmann is the king of epic camp, I loved Romeo and Juliet, but this one did not know whether it wanted to be a serious movie or a high camp movie, and just fizzled in the middle.

I hope people who watch it do not think a) this is what Australia (the country) is like or b) this is the best Australian film making has to offer.


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Watching Close Encounters on TV at the mo'. 

It's been a few years since I saw it last but it is a great film. Hope they don't try to remake this classic!


----------



## Runya

Blood And Chocolate.

I kinda recommend it if you are not bored of the 'good werewolf' saving 'her love'... bla bla bla


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* earlier.


----------



## Wybren

gully_foyle said:


> *Australia*, what a cringe inducing, poorly acted, overblown, cliche ridden pile of kangaroo doo doo.
> 
> I know Baz Luhrmann is the king of epic camp, I loved Romeo and Juliet, but this one did not know whether it wanted to be a serious movie or a high camp movie, and just fizzled in the middle.
> 
> I hope people who watch it do not think a) this is what Australia (the country) is like or b) this is the best Australian film making has to offer.



I was very intent on not seeing Australia from the beginning and now I am even more determined not to see it. My dad saw it on the plane coming back from his last holiday and said it was like it should have been 2 movies instead of one.


----------



## biodroid

The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu. It was ok, the only thing that sort of saved it was the SFX. Max Payne was a total balls up, I heard it got good reviews but I thought it was pretty crap but better than Babylon AD. Marky Mark should have choseb a better movie or at least a better plot. I think that if an actor plays the role of a game character they should play the game as well to get a good feel for what the character is really like.


----------



## Rosemary

I wasn't interested in watching *Australia* either. 

I actually watched a film, on the TV though.  *Lost In Austen.*  Give me an Austen book to read any day as the film seemed to me to be so stupid.  I know it was 'fantasy' but it was still stupid!


----------



## Sapphie

Runya said:


> Blood And Chocolate.
> 
> I kinda recommend it if you are not bored of the 'good werewolf' saving 'her love'... bla bla bla



OMFG I totally undoubtedly, no questions asked what-so ever  _LOVED_ that film!! It sooooooooooooo good!!!!! Its great 

Urm.... I'm not totally sure what the last post is about.... But the last film I watched was Clueless.... I can't really explain it... Blonde american rich girl loses her popularity then gets it and falls for her brother thats not really here brother. Your average Chick Fick


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* earlier.


 
I had forgotten all about that movie. I used to watch it all the time when I was growing up.


----------



## katiafish

Mongol. It was good, i liked it. I hope there is a sequel though...


----------



## ktabic

gully_foyle said:


> *Australia*, what a cringe inducing, poorly acted, overblown, cliche ridden pile of kangaroo doo doo.



What?! You mean it isn't an accurate depiction of life in the land down under? 



gully_foyle said:


> I hope people who watch it do not think a) this is what Australia (the country) is like or b) this is the best Australian film making has to offer.


 
Haven't watched that many Australian films. Managed about 40 minutes of Australia. But watched all of Rompa, Black Water and some other one whose name escapes me (two police officers and a crim broken down somewhere), and enjoyed all of those.


----------



## ktabic

Oh, and I forgot. The Mad Max films. For some reason I always forget they are Australian.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow*. I like any film that has an unusual look to it. Can't say much more about anything else, as I only really had one eye on it. At intermittent points.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Blade Runner
Still almost depressingly good. I suspect the new Red Dwarf was actually sponsored by Warner Bros whose sales of the Blade Runner DVD have probably increased tenfold!


----------



## BookStop

x_pyrofyre said:


> OMFG I totally undoubtedly, no questions asked what-so ever _LOVED_ that film!! It sooooooooooooo good!!!!! Its great
> 
> Urm.... I'm not totally sure what the last post is about.... But the last film I watched was Clueless.... I can't really explain it... Blonde american rich girl loses her popularity then gets it and falls for her brother thats not really here brother. Your average Chick Fick


 
_Clueless_ is a modern retelling of the Jane Austen novel, _Emma_.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Day The Earth Stood Still on our brand new LG 32 inch HD tv. Ok its nowt like the original,in fact its like a totally different story but we rather enjoyed it! It kind of reminded me a bit of Childhood's End by ACClarke except the aliens were here to save us not the planet. 
Either way its good stuff!


----------



## mosaix

Withnail & I.

Some great moments in it.


----------



## Foxbat

Zhang Yimou's *Hero*. It's a thing of beauty


----------



## DeepThought

Seen these recently:

*RED*. A Korean war vet goes after the teenage delinquents responsible for the death of his beloved dog. Considering the protagonist's background and mental state...I had initially anticipated a gore filled killing spree. But surprisingly the movie takes a very different approach...Bill Cox's portrayal of this enigmatic character was fascinating. His complexity coupled with a believable antagonist made the whole film very unpredictable. Great movie, highly recommended.

*Resident Evil: Degeneration*. A 3D animated movie. Not in the same continuity as the three excellent movies sharing the former half of the title. The story is simply a bloated and extended version of a plot-thread taken from the myriad of such in the successful PS1/2/3 games. The whole thing had the look and feel the video game and is probably geared mostly towards the fans of the franchise. Though it is self-contained enough to be watchable, I suspect it would hardly make any impression on non-gamers as it did with me.

*Death Proof*. two-thirds of the whole movie was all dialogue. This could hardly be called character development...There was a very disturbing/cool car chase/stunt scene towards the end but the "climax" took much of the punch out of it IMHO... Tarantino can certainly write and the whole movie is very stylized as with all of his movies. No doubt most up-and-coming aspiring young film makers and Tarantino fans will wet their pants over this. But I've seen very little of the hallmarks of a great film in this (in the conventional sense anyway), perhaps this was intentional...either way this was not my thing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Bladerunner after a long time! This time tho its the director's cut for the first time and its brilliant. Up there with 2001 for me!


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Ring* (American version). Ah, but I do love it.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> *The Ring* (American version). Ah, but I do love it.



Tis good. We got 1 and 2,box set


----------



## dask

EYES OF A STRANGER. Good little slasher. Better than the "bomb" Maltin tossed at it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Quantum of Solace* last night. Not as good as Casino Royale in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

AE said:
			
		

> Tis good. We got 1 and 2,box set



Yes, same here. Bought it the other day to expand my horror collection that little bit more. I also have the original Rings 1, 2 and 3 in a box set.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> . I also have the original Rings 1, 2 and 3 in a box set.



3?
 Didn't know there was a third!


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Went to see Monsters vs Aliens. A little disappointing compared to the Toy Story/Shrek standard of storyline and humour.

For what they were I would have given Toy Story and Shrek 7-8 out of 10. This only got to 7 at best.

Although my son and his friend (aged 7) was happy enough


----------



## HoopyFrood

AE35Unit said:


> 3?
> Didn't know there was a third!



Yeah. Well, it's called *Ring 0*, actually, and is the prequel to *Ring*, taking place thirty years before the events in that film. Haven't watched it yet, though.

And while looking up this, I see the third American film will be made in 2011. Yeah!


----------



## Runya

Just watched Pinocchio with my little sister... *grins*


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *Children of Men*. I was underwhelmed.


----------



## Runya

clovis-man said:


> Just watched *Children of Men*. I was underwhelmed.



It's not such a great story. I felt it needed something else. However, I can see why the movie was created...


----------



## clovis-man

Re: *Children of Men*:



Runya said:


> It's not such a great story. I felt it needed something else. However, I can see why the movie was created...


 
I don't disagree. I felt my interest in where the story was going waning after the first 30 minutes. This isn't a new idea and was much better expressed in Brian Aldiss' 1964 novel *Greybeard*.


----------



## Runya

I don't know that movie  I'm a bit more of a 'contemporary' chick *grins*


----------



## Rodders

I watched Hellboy 2: The Golden Army which i really enjoyed and Babylon AD which i enjoyed a lot more than i thought i would.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Rodders said:


> I watched Hellboy 2: The Golden Army which i really enjoyed and Babylon AD which i enjoyed a lot more than i thought i would.



Bablyon AD was good if you didn't pay very much attention to you know, plot, acting, ect ect

lol

I watched A Sound of Thunder...which I loved much more as a short story than as a movie...but I blame the actors, who don't really seem to like, care, about the story, I think they were drastically underpaid to pay for all those awe inspiring special effects. But, the plot and story is frakking awesome.

Now I'm watching Six Pack with Kenny Rogers...I love this movie, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.


----------



## Theleb K

Scooby Doo 2: 'Monsters Unleashed' (my son's choice...)


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Yes Man. Jim Carrey on cracking form. Hilarious!


----------



## dustinzgirl

Theleb K said:


> Scooby Doo 2: 'Monsters Unleashed' (my son's choice...)



By law, everytime they say scooby dooby doo, you also have to say it, loudly and comically.

I love scooby doo!


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Monsters Inc*. Just brilliant. And a very clever idea.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> *Monsters Inc*. Just brilliant. And a very clever idea.



Yea its class. I do believe the new Monsters v Aliens is Monsters Inc 2


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Got around to watching Twilight yesterday.

I actually didn't think it was too bad (7/10). Essentially a love story with some vampires thrown in. 

Apparently there are 3 or 4 novels written in the series and from my point of view that makes sense as I feel the movie seemed to be laying down a general foundation for other releases to follow.


----------



## AE35Unit

Shadow Trooper said:


> Got around to watching Twilight yesterday.
> 
> I actually didn't think it was too bad (7/10). Essentially a love story with some vampires thrown in.



The words Avoid and Plague come to mind here!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Quantum of Solace. Now i been informed that if I was a true Bond fan I'd hate this film,and tho I do miss the gadgets and think Daniel Craig isn't right for bond i enjoyed it. Not as much as Casino Royale tho


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Quantum of Solace. Now i been informed that if I was a true Bond fan I'd hate this film,and tho I do miss the gadgets and think Daniel Craig isn't right for bond i enjoyed it. Not as much as Casino Royale tho


 
You know, it was a tad brutal in spots, but I have to remind myself that a great deal of the appeal of the first 3 or 4 Bond films was wrapped around the violence. No esoteric karate chops for Sean Connery. If he had to hit the bad guys over the head with a toilet seat or whatever other piece of furniture and/or appliance came to hand, no problem. Electrocute them with a space heater; hey, those were just the rules of engagement. Anything else would have been too much like Inspector Clouseau v. Kato. So I think it is appropriate and finally gets us away from the effete Roger Moore/Pierce Brosnan spectre (no pun intended).


----------



## AE35Unit

I'm not sure what effete means but I wouldn't compare Moore(the worst bond) to Brosnan(one of the best)


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> I'm not sure what effete means but I wouldn't compare Moore(the worst bond) to Brosnan(one of the best)


 
I'm not sure I can spell it, let alone define it. I guess my impression of the last two Bonds prior to Craig are lumped together somewhat unfairly. I agree that Brosnan was much better than Moore and I liked *Goldeneye* a great deal. But the image of James Bond straightening his tie while demolishing his surroundings in a tank didn't work for me at any level. I think Connery's Bond was appropriately gritty and that's what I like (so far) with Craig.

I suppose any other comparisons would be too shrouded in the mists of time to be relevant.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> I'm not sure I can spell it, let alone define it. I guess my impression of the last two Bonds prior to Craig are lumped together somewhat unfairly. I agree that Brosnan was much better than Moore and I liked *Goldeneye* a great deal. But the image of James Bond straightening his tie while demolishing his surroundings in a tank didn't work for me at any level. I think Connery's Bond was appropriately gritty and that's what I like (so far) with Craig.
> 
> I suppose any other comparisons would be too shrouded in the mists of time to be relevant.



I need to re watch Goldeneye as i only saw it once and it seems like ages ago. And it was the first blu ray movie. At the moment we have a ps3 on loan so have a week of blu ray film watching before it goes back


----------



## Rodders

Was there an appreciavble difference in picture quality?


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Was there an appreciavble difference in picture quality?



Yea its like looking at a big photo! Quite amazing the detail you get!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We also have a Blu-ray player. The picture is quite remarkable.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Technically a short film, called *Hibernation*. It was simple, and lovely.


----------



## Urien

Run Fat Boy Run.

It was ok, not a Simon Pegg side splitter; but he is a superb comedic actor so made the best of the material.


----------



## Runya

*A Beautiful Mind*


----------



## Vladd67

Dragon Hunter
Mmmm not exactly LOTRs


----------



## clovis-man

andrew.v.spencer said:


> Run Fat Boy Run.
> 
> It was ok, not a Simon Pegg side splitter; but he is a superb comedic actor so made the best of the material.


 
I loved it. Simon Pegg is very good (You need to watch the *Spaced* comedy series to get an idea of how his wit evolved) and a perfect foil for Hank Azaria's "too-big-for-his-breeches" character.


----------



## Vladd67

Before *Spaced* I quite enjoyed the series he did called *Hippies*


----------



## AE35Unit

Vladd67 said:


> Before *Spaced* I quite enjoyed the series he did called *Hippies*



I never saw any of those series but I do remember seeing possibly his first appearance on TV. It was in a sitcom with Julia Sawallha which was a spin off of another sitcom called As Time Goes By I think. Long time ago so i may have wires crossed.


----------



## Tillane

That'll be *Faith In The Future*, I think.  If memory serves (and it probably doesn't), it was a sequel to _*Second Thoughts*_.

Think he might have been in another sitcom around the same time, *Asylum*.

I'm a paid-up Pegg devotee, in case you haven't guessed...


----------



## Vladd67

This might help
Simon Pegg


----------



## AE35Unit

Tillane said:


> That'll be *Faith In The Future*, I think.  If memory serves (and it probably doesn't), it was a sequel to _*Second Thoughts*_.
> 
> Think he might have been in another sitcom around the same time, *Asylum*.
> 
> I'm a paid-up Pegg devotee, in case you haven't guessed...



Thats the one! Not great but better than the one that gave birth to it if I remember. Was an awful long time ago tho! Thanks for the memory jog Till!


----------



## Tillane

No probs, AE.

Just looking at that IMDb link, Vladd - I'd forgotten just how good the cast for *Asylum *was!  Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Julian Barratt, Adam Bloom, Norman Lovett...  And written by Edgar Wright and David Walliams!  Amazing.

_Edit: Of course, I wouldn't have *known *most of them at the time..._


----------



## AE35Unit

Hmmm don't remember Asylum! 
But now i remember his character in Faith in the Future Jools. I remember when he first came in,he burst onto the scene,it was like Woa where'd he come from,and I said to my mom something like I reckon he could be in his own show in the future.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Whoa, Julian Barratt? Weird!

Just watched most of *Total Recall*. I remember watching that when very young -- needless to say, the parts I really remember are what happens if you go outside on Mars, and the weird chest-baby thing ("_Open your miiiiiiind_"). Some crazy animatronics used. I really admire that kind of stuff.


----------



## clovis-man

Vladd67 said:


> This might help
> Simon Pegg


 
Apparently I've only scratched the surface! Fascinating.

I can hardly wait to see him as Scotty.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Apparently I've only scratched the surface! Fascinating.
> 
> I can hardly wait to see him as Scotty.



Yes that was surprise for me. I didn't realise Star Trek was a comedy!


----------



## dask

MUNICH. Pretty darn good, well made, shoot 'em upper.


----------



## Urien

Little Miss Sunshine. Very funny quirky road movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Beowulf again,this time in Blu Ray. Stunning!


----------



## Sapphie

The Notebook, again lol. It's soooo awesome, I love ittt!!!


----------



## Runya

*A Walk To Remember*


----------



## kirgi08

Sad ta say the last I last saw in a "theater" was "My Father The Hero".'08.

I don't get out much.


----------



## AE35Unit

kirgi08 said:


> Sad ta say the last I last saw in a "theater" was "My Father The Hero".'08.
> 
> I don't get out much.



Lol you get out more than me. I've never even heard of that one!


----------



## nj1

Watched The PERFECT STORM on BBC3 last night. Enjoyed it, Clooney and Damon were quite good together and the storm scenes were well done imo.


----------



## Vladd67

Remember watching The Perfect Storm during a flight to South Africa, turbulance certainly added to the experiance of the film


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

nj1 said:


> Watched The PERFECT STORM on BBC3 last night. Enjoyed it, Clooney and *Damon* were quite good together and the storm scenes were well done imo.


 
I don't think Matt Damon was in it, was he??? Or was there a different Damon in the movie that I can't remember. It's been awhile since I've seen it...


----------



## christyrocks99

We watched this really funny and really clever film in Media called "Waitress" it was so good the class didn't want to go home at 4:20 and that NEVER happens in Media Studies!!


----------



## nj1

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I don't think Matt Damon was in it, was he??? Or was there a different Damon in the movie that I can't remember. It's been awhile since I've seen it...


 

You're quite right lady, it was Whalberg (sp?) not Damon, i tend to get them confussed sometimes


----------



## dask

Started to watch ZOMBIE 3 today. I really do like Lucio Fulcio, but this was so agonizingly cheap and amateurish I gave up. What was he thinking?


----------



## jojajihisc

The Spirit....sucked.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Madagascar

And before that it was ... Madagascar.

What can I say, there are children in the house.


----------



## j d worthington

Teresa Edgerton said:


> Madagascar
> 
> And before that it was ... Madagascar.
> 
> What can I say, there are children in the house.


 
Oooooooooohhhhhh, yes.... I remember that sort of thing. I got to where I heard *The Little Mermaid*'s "Under the Sea" in my sleep....


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

I've about reached that point with "You've Got to Move It, Move It!"


----------



## j d worthington

Teresa Edgerton said:


> I've about reached that point with "You've Got to Move It, Move It!"


 
Well, on the bright side, it only took me about 18 years or so to get to where I can stomach the song again....

*ahem* And the last film I saw was a re-viewing of *Rough Magik*....


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

nj1 said:


> You're quite right lady, it was Whalberg (sp?) not Damon, i tend to get them confussed sometimes


 
Ah yes, it was Mark Wahlberg.

Although I have to say I prefer Matt Damon between the two, so it would have been alright with me if he had been in it.


----------



## dask

THE ORPHANAGE. Good ghost story. Excellent photography. The spanish actress Belen Rueda is fascinating. Rated R for disturbing content, but I didn't see anything worse than what was in THE HAUNTING, probably the scariest movie ever made, and it was rated G. Strongly suspect the rating was for use of the "s" and "f" words. Recommended.


----------



## Lobolover

J,D,-look on the bright side, there's stil _Hellfire _from the Hunchback of Notre Dame .


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Iron Man on blu ray. Good but boy does it take time to get going!
And a lead in to The Avengers with Samuel L Jackson at the end!


----------



## AE35Unit

Well i just watched Blade Runner on blu ray,the final cut and to be honest I couldn't see anything different between this one and the director's cut version I have! I must have blinked!


----------



## BookStop

dask said:


> THE ORPHANAGE. Good ghost story. Excellent photography. The spanish actress Belen Rueda is fascinating. Rated R for disturbing content, but I didn't see anything worse than what was in THE HAUNTING, probably the scariest movie ever made, and it was rated G. Strongly suspect the rating was for use of the "s" and "f" words. Recommended.


 
I loved this movie, it was very haunting and atmospheric, which tends not to be the case with most of today's horror choices.


----------



## clovis-man

Double Netflix feature last night:

*Vicky Christina Barcelona*: Typical Woody Allen overwrought, overly verbal tongue-in-cheek comedy. I think I'm done with Woody.

*Sink The Bismarck*: From 1960, a somewhat stereotyped piece about the last real ship to ship naval battle in history. Adequate acting and some interesting stock footage to lend authenticity.


----------



## littlemissattitude

jojajihisc said:


> The Spirit....sucked.



Hmmm.  I actually liked The Spirit.  Had no idea what it was, going in...I went with a friend who wanted to see it...and ended up enjoying it a lot.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Hellboy again,on blu ray this time(the PS3 goes back tomorrow)
You know I've never read any Lovecraft but I get the feeling the monsters in that movie are like something from his Chthulu mythos


----------



## BookStop

We saw 17 again, starring Zac Ephron as a grown man in a teen's bod.... It was much better than you'd think. We all quite enjoyed it, esp the girls.


----------



## ktabic

Watched Beowulf & Grendal. Despite Grendal being nothing more than a large hairy man, it is really a rather good movie. Tells a different story from the Gaiman Beowulf (which came out a couple of years after this one)


----------



## Foxbat

*The Baader Meinhof Complex *An excellent German movie chronicling the events of the Red Army Faction throughout their ten year spree of murder, robbery and kidnapping. Highly recommended.


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> Watched Beowulf & Grendal. Despite Grendal being nothing more than a large hairy man, it is really a rather good movie. Tells a different story from the Gaiman Beowulf (which came out a couple of years after this one)



Doesn't that film use real actors rather than (very good) CGI in t'other one?


----------



## nj1

watched TAKEN starring LIAM NEILSON last night, very enjoyable edge of the seat thriller/action film, LN was attempting to rescue his daughter from some evil Albanians and kicked some butt on the way.


----------



## ktabic

AE35Unit said:


> Doesn't that film use real actors rather than (very good) CGI in t'other one?



Yes, all live action. Some spectacular landscapes and good acting. Still slightly disappointed at Grendal being a big hairy man, but he does act the part quite well.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oots for the win...I'm waiting and waiting to see what's under that umbrella. 

*The Ring 2. *


----------



## Urien

Rendition... Absorbing but depressing movie about the darker tactics of the CIA. In addition the director pulled a cheap stunt with the time line.

NOT a popcorn munching movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> Yes, all live action. Some spectacular landscapes and good acting. Still slightly disappointed at Grendal being a big hairy man, but he does act the part quite well.


 
Whenever I hear the words Beowulf or Grendel I think of that book by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle!


----------



## ktabic

HoopyFrood said:


> Oots for the win...I'm waiting and waiting to see what's under that umbrella.



But you've already met me!  Oh, you mean the one over at Giants.



AE35Unit said:


> Whenever I hear the words Beowulf or Grendel I think of that book by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle!



Not read any of those (is it a series?) Might have to add them to the TBR pile.

In a vague attempt to stay on topic, it's not a film but film length chunks of Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles


----------



## biodroid

*Twilight* - which I thought was very soppy but an interesting take on vampires even though all the cliches are present. Typical teen movie IMHO and too over dramatised.

*Quantum of Solace* - not your standard 007 fare but it was a great movie lots of action and a good plot but without the fancy gadgets that make Bond a Bond movie. The far fetched feeling was fleeting like in the previous Bond film but nevertheless it was well worth it.


----------



## Lioness

HoopyFrood said:


> Oots for the win...I'm waiting and waiting to see what's under that umbrella.
> ]





Me too...


----------



## dustinzgirl

Pay It Forward....

Everytime I see this movie it makes me cry, so I try to change the channel before the ending, but I didn't this time because I was typing, and now I'm crying and my whole day is ruined.


----------



## nj1

X-MEN3, on film4 lst night. Haven't seen the other two movies but i did like this one, cool fight scenes!


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> Not read any of those (is it a series?) Might have to add them to the TBR pile.



Yea there's two that I know of.(Dragons of and Legend of Heorot)
 IIRC I've only read the first one. Excellent book,well worth a read and quite a size too!


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Oots for the win...I'm waiting and waiting to see what's under that umbrella.
> 
> *The Ring 2. *



Oots? Whats this?


----------



## Shadow Trooper

Recorded Idiocracy on Sky+ and watched it last night. What a waste of my time! Expected something better as it had one of the Wilson brothers in it. It was crap (IMO).


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a horror  from the 80s on DVD called Near Dark. Its a lost film apparently,only rediscovered in 2003 and is kind of an interesting take on the vampire theme.


----------



## Allegra

Another film paired with Richard Gere and Diane Lane: _Nights in Rodanthe_. Totally different from _The Unfaithful_ but equally good thanks to the extraordinary acting of Diane Lane.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oots - The Order of the Stick. It's a webcomic, and I recognised Ktabic's avatar because it comes from there.

*Wolverine* - pretty good, although it did just feel like filler-back story. Nothing really major seemed to happen. But it was entertaining enough, and some very funny lines. Loved Ryan Reynolds, as usual, and there needed to be more of Gambit.


----------



## littlemissattitude

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched a horror  from the 80s on DVD called Near Dark. Its a lost film apparently,only rediscovered in 2003 and is kind of an interesting take on the vampire theme.



I saw that a long time ago, probably when it first came out on video, before DVDs were around.  I recall that I liked it.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

_City of Ember_, rented from Netflix, though I had originally hoped to see it when it was still in theaters.  I'd liked the book pretty well, and the trailers ... well, as trailers do, they made it look very appealing.  Unfortunately, I found it rather slow.

It always fascinates me how much material they can cut _out_ in the process of making a book into a movie, and so often end up with something that drags compared to the original.


----------



## BookStop

Teresa Edgerton said:


> _City of Ember_, rented from Netflix, though I had originally hoped to see it when it was still in theaters. I'd like the book pretty well, and the trailers ... well, as trailers do, they made it look very appealing. Unfortunately, I found it rather slow.
> 
> It always fascinates me how much material they can cut _out_ in the process of making a book into a movie, and so often end up with something that drags compared to the original.


 
That is very true, Teresa. My family enjoyed the movie, but I ha dthe misfortune of reading the book first, so I know what a pale comparison it was.


----------



## AE35Unit

littlemissattitude said:


> I saw that a long time ago, probably when it first came out on video, before DVDs were around.  I recall that I liked it.



It has a young Bill Paxton in it,looks so weird to see him as a trying to be cool dude!
And Lance Henrikson who,well,never looks any different but always brings something to whatever he's in.


----------



## clovis-man

Re *Near Dark*:



AE35Unit said:


> It has a young Bill Paxton in it,looks so weird to see him as a trying to be cool dude!
> And Lance Henrikson who,well,never looks any different but always brings something to whatever he's in.


 
I'd actually forgotten about this movie. It also has Jenette Goldstein in it as a third vampire. So, much of the *Aliens* crew is featured (Goldstein was Vasquez). My favorite line is when Bill Paxton has just slurped up the blood from the neck of a scruffy barfly and says: "I hate it when they ain't been shaved."


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Liar Liar again. I so love Jim Carrey when he's on form!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *X-Men: The Last Stand*


----------



## mosaix

*Little Miss Sunshine.*

I'm not really sure what to say about it. There are some very funny moments and some not-so-funny moments. We rented it on CD and I don't think we would have unless my daughter hadn't recommended it. But having seen it, it's not the worst film I've ever seen.


----------



## Duchessprozac

I quite enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine. My ex recommended it to me, saying it was the funniest thing ever. Whilst it wasn't, I did enjoy it. I especially enjoyed Steve Carell's manic depressive uncle, and the part with the body.

Over all I'd give it an 7.5/10

And I tried to watch Meet The Spartans earlier. I heard it was Realllly Bad, but I wasn't prepared for how godawful it really was, I actually turned it off after about 30 minutes. It wasn't even so bad it was funny, just really, really, really bad.


----------



## BookStop

My husband brought home _Role Models_ after having it recommended to him by 3 different people. It had a few funny moments, but overall was simplistic and crass, and not good. I really don't get people sometimes. Has anyone seen it? Liked it?


----------



## Foxbat

*Duelist  - *A somewhat confusing and vague storyline merely acts as an undercoat to the true varnish of this Korean movie. Beautifully shot  and edited, this film  is packed with wonderful sword play and stunning visuals.

Absolutely fascinating


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Star Trek the Motion Picture,the director's edition. Now this is part of the Star Trek collector's edition and has music from STTNG all over it. This is the first time I've played this particular disk-it was still in in cellophane wrapping,and   I kinda miss the old theme tune! 
Wrath of Khan next(I'm determined to  get my 3 year old boy into SF )


----------



## nj1

since i'm looking after the little nipper today, we've just watched SNOW WHITE (again!!) and are now watching OLIVER (1968) on Watch.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Star Trek the Motion Picture,the director's edition. Now this is part of the Star Trek collector's edition and has music from STTNG all over it. This is the first time I've played this particular disk-it was still in in cellophane wrapping,and I kinda miss the old theme tune!


 
Jerry Goldsmith is responsible for the "new" theme and the rest of the score for this movie. But, if you listen carefully, the Alexander Courage theme pops up during the film.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Jerry Goldsmith is responsible for the "new" theme and the rest of the score for this movie. But, if you listen carefully, the Alexander Courage theme pops up during the film.



Just watched the second one,Wrath of Khan,the old theme is on this one and it looks old. Whereas the first film had a makeover for the collection,the rest have been left alone.
I love the chemistry between bones and spock. The bit where Kirk and Bones prepare to beam down and spock says 'Be careful Jim!'
Bones leans towards spock and says 'WE will!'
 Love it!


----------



## Duchessprozac

Watched Repo! The Genetic Opera earlier.

Its basically a gothic rock Musical with Anothony Head playing a Repoman who collects organs from those who weren't able to keep up their payments on them, whilst trying to keep his nasty job hidden from his sick daughter. Paul Sorvino, Nivek Ogre and Paris Hilton play the dysfunctional famiy that run the organ donors. Oh and it also has Sarah Brightman lending her talents to the film in a small role too.

The plot is rather convoluted to write up here, but it's a pretty fun movie, very over the top sci-fi, quite a lot of gore, but nothing on par with the director's previous works on Saw 2-4. 

Oh and you see Paris Hilton's face fall off after rushed surgery, which I found rather amusing in and of itself.


----------



## Cayal

Fast & Furious

It is what it is. Typically like the rest and enjoyable if you take it what it is.

7/10


----------



## dask

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Hammer Film with Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee as the creature. Severely deviating from the book but still enjoyable.


----------



## DeepThought

*Day of the Dead*: Crappiest zombie movie I've seen.

*Diary of the Dead*: Not your usual zombie fare. Think Cloverfield but with zombies, though not quite as good.

*Wolverine VS Hulk*: Very good 2D animation. Not much of plot. non-stop mayhem from start to finish. I suspect the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine would share similarities to this.

*Thor VS Hulk*: Similar to previous but with a bit more substance...Since the characters are based of Norse mythology.

Also watching Merlin (BBC series). Looks very promising from what little I've seen thus far.


----------



## AE35Unit

dask said:


> Severely deviating from the book .



You can say that again!
Fun tho


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Star Trek 4,the Search for Spock. Good stuff-i just love Spock


----------



## Nesacat

On the flight to and from Amsterdam, in no particular order:

The Da Vinci Code
Mission Impossible 3
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace


----------



## AE35Unit

Nesacat said:


> On the flight to and from Amsterdam, in no particular order:
> 
> The Da Vinci Code
> Mission Impossible 3
> Casino Royale
> Quantum of Solace



I've never been on a plane but I couldn't imagine myself watching movies while up there. Too busy looking out the window!
Good selection of films there BTW


----------



## Nesacat

It's a night flight so it's pretty much just pitch dark the whole time, plus I tend to sit at the aisle so I can walk around. Very useful the individual screens they have nowadays. There was a ery good selection of movies on these flights.


----------



## Runya

Step Up 2

I really like it.


----------



## ktabic

The Legend of Hell House. Pretty good. Some surprisingly good bits.


----------



## Urien

*Swoghoggler 4: This time it's a bouffant*. Someone told me it didn't exist; so I looked it up and they were right. Its not thereness was both stark and alarming. Unless you want an existential experience, I suggest avoidance.


----------



## dask

ktabic said:


> The Legend of Hell House. Pretty good. Some surprisingly good bits.


 
Good movie, I liked it a lot.


----------



## mosaix

Hot Fuzz

Excellent!


----------



## mosaix

AE35Unit said:


> I've never been on a plane but I couldn't imagine myself watching movies while up there. Too busy looking out the window!



That lasts about 30 minutes AE, especially if you're over the sea after that its "I wonder what's on next?"


----------



## AE35Unit

mosaix said:


> That lasts about 30 minutes AE, especially if you're over the sea after that its "I wonder what's on next?"



Oh I'm not so sure. I'm forever curious. When I'm in a car i can't read or sleep,have to see where we're going,or have been. Even at night.


----------



## ktabic

Theres also the point that if you spend to much time looking out the window, you get a neck cramp.

Just watched *The Fall of the House of Usher*. Text is better.


----------



## Urien

Once flying to New York I saw the northern lights out of the window, silent, eerie and oddly lonely. (The less successful brothers of snap, crackle and pop).


----------



## littlemissattitude

Watched an interesting, if a bit strange, film called "Velvet Goldmine" on cable today.  Not sure exactly how I feel about it yet.


----------



## Hobbiton

The Wrestler - Awesome film. One of my all time faves now.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The War of the Worlds. Man its been too long since I saw this original version. Amazing effects for its day and I forgot that they used a Flying Wing to deliver the A-bomb. That plane was way well ahead of its time!   But then so was the film! Must read the book sometime,am curious as to how Wells envisioned the alien ships.


----------



## mosaix

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched The War of the Worlds. Man its been too long since I saw this original version. Amazing effects for its day and I forgot that they used a Flying Wing to deliver the A-bomb. That plane was way well ahead of its time!   But then so was the film! Must read the book sometime,am curious as to how Wells envisioned the alien ships.



I seem to remember they were just cylinders that crashed into the ground making huge craters. The Martians exited by unscrewing one end from the inside.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched The War of the Worlds. Man its been too long since I saw this original version. Amazing effects for its day and I forgot that they used a Flying Wing to deliver the A-bomb. That plane was way well ahead of its time! But then so was the film! Must read the book sometime,am curious as to how Wells envisioned the alien ships.


 
If you mean the attack vehicles, Spielberg's version of the tripods was more accurate technically. But George Pal's vision of the green tinged saucer/cobras was unique and still effective all these years later. 

The thing about the H. G. Wells book that struck me was that the lack of modern communication left attack survivors wondering who had prevailed. Were we going to be extinct? What had happened in the next county, etc.? It added a great deal to the suspense.


----------



## AE35Unit

I like the alien ships on the Jeff Wayne album cover. Would like to have seen that visualised! Alas it never came to pass but I do like the modern version too.


----------



## Vladd67

*Rollerball* the 1970s version, a triumph of the individual


----------



## AE35Unit

Vladd67 said:


> *Rollerball* the 1970s version, a triumph of the individual



Oh man i haven't seen that in a long time! My brother and i both love it. When we were growing up together we loved it and you could often hear us going round the house saying Jonathan,jonathan... 
Memories!


----------



## Duchessprozac

*Highlander: The Source

*Oh boy was it terrible. the story I could have put up with even though it was moronic, and had little to do with the previous Highlander lore, but the acting was subpar, the script was bad, the direction terrible and the special effects and fight scenes were godawful


Oh and the music. Why did they have to have some emo cover of Princes of the Universe? If they couldn't afford the rights to the Queen version, they shouldn't have bothered.

I'm just trying to think if it's as bad as Highlander II


----------



## HoopyFrood

There's this thing that the local cinema has started doing -- mystery movies. You literally don't know what film you're going to be watching until the film actually starts; they even take away the title off the certificate screen. It's not until the title appears in the film itself that you know what you're watching (unless you recognise it sooner, which might be case). So my friends and I went along to this tonight, not really knowing anything about it, what films they might show, etc. Turns out, what they do is show a film that's going to be released soon, so it's technically an advanced viewing. They took away our mobile phones before we went in, and did checks throughout the film to make sure we weren't filming it. There's also the option of being able to leave in the first twenty minutes and get a full refund.

So, the film started and it got about twenty seconds in when a very distinctive ship appeared on screen. We were watching *Star Trek*! I was a little disappointed, as I hadn't really been planning to watch it, and I had already made up my mind that it would be just an over the top, Hollywood-ised version of the classic tv programme.

And it pretty much was; as two of my friends said, it was "Jock Trek" and "Star Trek on steroids". Frst friend also really enjoyed the tv series, so she was overall rather unimpressed with the film, from a fan stance. She said it took all the more cheesey, over the top stuff from the series and made it into a film. So yes, ardent fans may feel a little let down.

I admit I watched a few episodes of Star Trek back in the day, and enjoyed them, but was never a die-hard fan. And this film had pretty much everything that I hate about Hollywood films; shaky camera angles, some cringeworthy lines, good-looking young things prancing about (especially Kirk) and too, too much CGI.

However. I. Loved. It.

I really, really enjoyed it. I don't think I can quite express how much I did. It was just a thoroughly _entertaining, enjoyable _film. One of my friends, who wasn't all that interested in the film, found it more enjoyable just sitting next to me, because apparently I was rather excitable throughout. But I couldn't help it, I was just really enjoying it. The shakey camera angles really did add to the drama and the suspense, the cheesey lines worked because this is Star Trek, after all, even if it's all big and shiny. And when doing space stuff, CGI is only the really feasible thing to use, and it was amazing. 

The handful of characters that we followed were brilliant; Kirk got a tiny bit annoying at the beginning, being all rebellish and whatnot, but he was very amusing, particularly in his earlier scenes with Bones. Simon Pegg was great as Scotty, although felt a little out of place at times. You couldn't help smiling every time a character you knew appeared on screen. And Spock, the real, original Spock is in it! I didn't know that! I got very excited when he appeared. 

And some classic, classic lines. 
"Live long and Prosper"
"I'm giving her all she's got, Captain!"
"Fascinating..."
Young Spock used his trademark Vulcan grip. 
And the best line in the entire film, that I'm going to be repeating endlessly: "Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" 

I'm still not entirely sure why I enjoyed it so much, apart from the fact that all the elements just seemed to come together nicely, but enjoy it I did, and because of such I had a really good night out, very happy and relaxed, which was _great_.

Blimey, if that wasn't a gushing rant...


----------



## clovis-man

Great review HF. I'm likely to have a similar reaction. Won't be able to control myself.


----------



## AE35Unit

Sounds good to me Hoop! So did Simon Pegg do the pants accent? And did they use the original theme tune rather than the dreadful Jerry Goldsmith tune?


----------



## Nesacat

Star Trek has opened here and I might go catch it this weekend if I can get tickets. It's the Mother's Day weekend so things will be a bit crazy, especially given that all the cinemas close to me are in malls.


----------



## AE35Unit

AE35Unit said:


> Sounds good to me Hoop! So did Simon Pegg do the pants accent? And did they use the original theme tune rather than the dreadful Jerry Goldsmith tune?



Thats scots accent! Ruddy predictive text!forgot to check and too late to edit! Type scots on your phone and you get pants!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, Simon Pegg does the accent. It's a little odd, seeing as I know what Simon Pegg sounds like (kind of like the reverse of David Tennant -- it's weird hearing him with his natural scottish accent) but he does it well. He really adds humour to the film. He comes in about two thirds of the way through and I was waiting for him to show up for all that time. 

The storyline of the film was pretty good, too. It wasn't overly complicated, but it was very engaging. My friends and I agreed that it was better for it to have focused more on Spock than on Kirk (you do get Kirk moments, but the main storyline centres more around Spock), and of course, their growing relationship. There probably could've been less "Kirk's being a maverick and going against orders, but in the end he's going to be right" moments, but then it is Kirk. It all just...worked. I can't explain it. Perhaps this is just me going weird, perhaps everyone else will hate it!

The main theme tune didn't crop up until the end - to my knowledge, anyway, but I admit to being wrapped up in the film and hardly noticing any of the music. I think the cinema that I went to added to the experience; very dark, very loud, and the film is so visually dependent, too. The camera gets this glare over it every so often, as if it's getting the glare from a star or planet, and it should be annoying, but it just fits into the overall film.

OK, I've got to stop going on now. I enjoyed it, I think that's clear. I think if you just head in there without any expectations (so please, ignore all this! It's a crap film!), sit back and realise that it is just a flashier version of the tv series, then you'll probably enjoy it. I hope you do.

Oops...I came here for a reason. I watched *Background to Danger* today, a 40s noir thriller which is only really loosely based on the book of the same name. It had George Raft as the main character. Lots of soft filters and irreverent lines delivered through tight jaws and stony, determined faces. I enjoyed it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ah Hoopy I just realised you said it was a mystery movie,you buy your ticket but have no idea what you're gonna get! That could turn out an expensive mistake! Our cinema is cr@ppy and we're loathe to fork out money unless its likely to be a good film. We usually just wait till it comes out on DVD tho. We get free rentals which is cool!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Hoopy did say you can leave within the first 20 minutes and get a full refund. Sounds pretty fair to me. 

Movies are so expensive now, I think the last film I saw in the theatre was The Dark Knight. Now we just rent them through the mail.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I really like the idea of the mystery movie, and if it continues in the same vein, it'll all be new releases that aren't even out in the cinemas across the country yet. Plus, as billed, it makes you watch genres and films you might not be inclined to watch - as I said in my first post, I would not have gone to the cinema to see Star Trek, and now I realise I would've missed out on a great experience; so it works both ways.

Also, as I said, you can leave within the first twenty minutes (part of me, last night, was preparing myself for it to be Hannah Montana, and I would've been up and out in _twenty seconds_) and get a full refund. Two people did walk out last night. Not Star Trek fans, it seems.

The cinemas are pretty cheap around here, too (not like back at home, where it's about £7. Madness).


----------



## Runya

*Twilight*.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> I really like the idea of the mystery movie, and if it continues in the same vein, it'll all be new releases that aren't even out in the cinemas across the country yet. Plus, as billed, it makes you watch genres and films you might not be inclined to watch - as I said in my first post, I would not have gone to the cinema to see Star Trek, and now I realise I would've missed out on a great experience; so it works both ways.
> 
> Also, as I said, you can leave within the first twenty minutes (part of me, last night, was preparing myself for it to be Hannah Montana, and I would've been up and out in _twenty seconds_) and get a full refund. Two people did walk out last night. Not Star Trek fans, it seems.
> 
> The cinemas are pretty cheap around here, too (not like back at home, where it's about £7. Madness).



I imagine there must be some kind of rating filter in use too. Cos otherwise you might go in with young kids or teenagers only to find the film is an 18!
Sounds great if you're single tho!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, that's the only thing you're told about the film, the certificate.


----------



## clovis-man

HoopyFrood said:


> My friends and I agreed that it was better for it to have focused more on Spock than on Kirk (you do get Kirk moments, but the main storyline centres more around Spock), and of course, their growing relationship.


 
Just out of curiosity: Was there any hint of the traditional story line (ala *The Menagerie*, etc.) that has Spock a member of the Enterprise crew before Kirk arrives on the scene? Trivial, I know, but I'm always interested in how much revisionism takes place in such prequels.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Spock is definitely already there when Kirk the young maverick turns up, working for the Federation's Starfleet. He's also technically a member of the Enterprise before Kirk, but that's because of the film's events (I won't go into too much detail and spoil it all). 

I missed it slightly, but something my friend said after watching it feasibly removes this particular film from the linear events that have happened through all the tv series.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. Timeless classic!
Anyone know what the weird german plane is that chops the big guys head off in the scene when Indy and Marion escape from the snake pit. Its like an early version of a Flying Wing.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Anyone know what the weird german plane is that chops the big guys head off in the scene when Indy and Marion escape from the snake pit. Its like an early version of a Flying Wing.


 
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding when the film first came out that it was simply a fanciful construct not representative of any real aircraft. Cool, though, until they torched it.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding when the film first came out that it was simply a fanciful construct not representative of any real aircraft. Cool, though, until they torched it.



Yea that makes sense although the Germans did have some pretty strange big planes! Usually for night reccies


----------



## mirinda

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. That movie was two hours too long.


----------



## fishi

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched The Yes Man. Jim Carrey on cracking form. Hilarious!



yea ....its vry funny!
worth watching!
recently i came to knw dat the dvd of the movie is releasing!
i wud grab it fo sure


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Star Trek 4, the Voyage Home. Funny how our tastes change over time. Used to not like this one much but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I love it when Bones says to an amnesiac Spock 'Boy you really HAVE boldly gone where no-one's gone before!'


----------



## katiafish

Wolverine. 
Brainless. But Hugh Jackman in a vest or no top with shiny shiny metal out of the knuckles... 
I liked it!


----------



## katiafish

Oh, also saw Lust. Caution.

Disturbing at best. Beautiful cinematography, worth seeing, but definitely not a "fun" film to watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Trek 5,the Final Frontier. Only seen this one once before. Another that uses the theme from TNG tho i think that is its original theme as it was filmed in 1989


----------



## Rodders

Star Trek 5. urgh. Poor you. There is a theory that all the odd ones were't so good. i don't know about that, but ST5 certainly holds up that theory. (Especially as you got the undiscovered Country to watch next. Apart from the Wrath of Khan, that has to be the best trek film.


----------



## Tillane

Re: the TNG music.  Goldsmith originally did that score back in '79 for The Motionless Picture, and it was reused for the TV series plus four or five of the films.  Never liked it.

On a happier note, I just watched the wonderfully daft (and gory) *Planet Terror*.  Great fun.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Star Trek 5. urgh. Poor you. There is a theory that all the odd ones were't so good. i don't know about that, but ST5 certainly holds up that theory. (Especially as you got the undiscovered Country to watch next. Apart from the Wrath of Khan, that has to be the best trek film.



Actually I quite enjoyed it! I like all of em really. Prefer the old crew tho!


----------



## Rodders

Dude, there's NO WAY i'm getting involved in that one. 

On a side note, are you looking forward to the new one? Are you going to see it? Do you think that the differences between this and all that has gone before is too much?


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Dude, there's NO WAY i'm getting involved in that one.
> 
> On a side note, are you looking forward to the new one? Are you going to see it? Do you think that the differences between this and all that has gone before is too much?



Yea i'm looking forward to it,but I look forward to any new SF movie. I don't know how it compares,people will tend to say it won't be as good as the original no matter what film or series it is. It may be pants,or it may be brilliant,there's just no way of knowing. And i'll be waiting till it comes out on DVD when i'll be able to watch it for free.


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Star Trek 4, the Voyage Home. Funny how our tastes change over time. Used to not like this one much but I thoroughly enjoyed it!



I just saw this again recently and had the exact same reaction. It was one of the most popular Trek films back in the day, but I didn't really like it. Awhile ago I watched all six straight through over the course of a few days (like you seem to be doing  ) and really enjoyed it this time.



Tillane said:


> On a happier note, I just watched the wonderfully daft (and gory) *Planet Terror*.  Great fun.



Also saw this one recently. And it is indeed a blast.

The last movie I saw wasn't *Death Proof* (the other part of the "Grindhouse" double feature), though - it was *Reservoir Dogs*. Definitely not *Pulp Fiction*, but definitely interesting.


----------



## Jimmy Magnusson

I've just made my way through all four Kino's Journey movies... All fantastic, but Emerging Lanes is on the top of the list.


----------



## Duchessprozac

Just got round *The Dark Knight* for the first time since I saw it at the cinema and I am truly blown away at how good a movie it is.

I am also still baffled how the BBFC only gave it a 12. For the first time ever, I believe they actually gave a movie a certificate lower than it deserved. I mean, it's more violent and mature than Daredevil and they gave that a 15.


----------



## AE35Unit

Duchessprozac said:


> Just got round *The Dark Knight* for the first time since I saw it at the cinema and I am truly blown away at how good a movie it is.
> 
> I am also still baffled how the BBFC only gave it a 12. For the first time ever, I believe they actually gave a movie a certificate lower than it deserved. I mean, it's more violent and mature than Daredevil and they gave that a 15.



Yea i believe we said that when we watched it. Definitely one for grown ups! And yet Star Trek Nemesis is a 15!(Wrath of Kahn is a 12)


----------



## HoopyFrood

I guess that was back before the days of the newfangled "12a" though.

Watched *Pineapple Express* again last night. Very funny.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

I've just got back from seeing the new Star Trek film. Amazing film! I've never been too much into the whole Trek thing. I enjoyed it when I was younger, but thats about it. I loved the new film, its a great film. The actors are above par and take on their respective roles with severe talent for emulation. Spock is brilliant, a spitting image for Nemoy, and he's an exellent actor. The plot was great, kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The effects are quality as well. They even take all the sound out of some of the space scenes, so its a little more believeable. 

The chemistry between Spock and Kirk is spot on, and is the driving force behind this exelent film. I'd love to ask a question that bothered me about this film, that I don't remember happening in the original series, but I don't want to spoil the plot.

I would recommend this film to absolutely anyone, although the plot does conatin some great sci-fi only space-time continum, black hole theries and alternate timelines stuff, but other than that its one of the best films I've seen in a very long time. And that's coming from someone who's not a Star Trek fan.

How many times did I just use the word 'film'?


----------



## HoopyFrood

I gave pretty much exactly the same review/gush of my feelings about the film a few pages back. So it wasn't just a weird fluke on my part; the film seems to generally be having this affect on people (at least on those that enjoyed the series but wasn't a huge fan; I'm the same). I really, really enjoyed it.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

It was just such a well made and thought out film. I was worried as J J Abrams of 'Lost' was doing it and by the look of the new cast, it was going to be some sort of Teen Trek, but it turned out to be a surprisingly emotionally charged film. I just thought the actors completely made it the movie it was. Of course, you have to forgive Simon Pegg's awful scottish accent, but other than that, it was top notch entertainment. Over too quick though. Could have stretched it out, but that's being REALLY picky.

Am I missing something here? Why has it spell checked the word 'movie' above? Am I being thick or something? Are my eyes missing something? O.K, I'm going to bed now.......so tired.....


----------



## Foxbat

Picked up *Son Of Rambow* on DVD and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps a touch overly sentimental at the end but, that aside, a very good movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched On The Buses,an old comedy produced by the Hammer company,better known for their string of horror films


----------



## Grimward

Watched _*The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*_ again.  Love the Nautilus as represented in that film!


----------



## ktabic

Death Race, the new one. Not as bad as I thought it would be. But only just.


----------



## The DeadMan

I just saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I thought it was the best X-Men movie yet.


----------



## katiafish

Saw the New Star Trek. Loved it. Everything was already said about it that i would have said, the only thing, well two things I didnt appreciate about it were: Crazy camera shaking and zooming, it was making me a bit dizzy after a while, and a hardcore color correction they have put on it in post production.. I might be biased though, its my job to notice things like that..


----------



## BookStop

we went to see Wolverine today. I liked it even though i know it has gotten some bad press, but really, what do people expect. Yes, ok they introduced a new character just for the sake of intorducing him, and yes, nothing was fresh and unexpected except...well, i won't spoil it. It beat the heck outta X-men 3.


----------



## Michael01

I just saw Star Trek on Imax with my son.  It was awesome!  I honestly think it's better than all previous Star Trek movies, although I'd have to agree with Katiafish about the "crazy camera shaking."  There were a few scenes where it was hard to see what was actually happening, but otherwise ... I want _more_!


----------



## The DeadMan

I am going to see the new Star Trek movie today. I can't wait!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I'm hoping to see the new Star Trek movie soon as well. But this weekend we watched *Madagascar 2*. Not quite as good as Madagascar, but still an entertaining movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm glad to hear that everyone's enjoying the new Star Trek movie. It really was awesome.

Watched *From Russia with Love* today.


----------



## AE35Unit

Not a film but a ghost story from 1976 based very closely on a Dickens story 
The Signal-Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## MontyCircus

*Burn After Reading*

A really, really shitty Coen Bros. movie.  The only one I've really liked from them is their classic, *Fargo* (which they basically ripped-off to re-make it as *Burn After Reading*).

I think they just got lucky with *Fargo*, I pretty much hate everything else they've ever done.


----------



## clovis-man

MontyCircus said:


> *Burn After Reading*
> 
> A really, really shitty Coen Bros. movie. The only one I've really liked from them is their classic, *Fargo* (which they basically ripped-off to re-make it as *Burn After Reading*).
> 
> I think they just got lucky with *Fargo*, I pretty much hate everything else they've ever done.


 
Now, now. Don't mince words. Tell us what you really think.


----------



## MontyCircus

clovis-man said:


> Now, now. Don't mince words. Tell us what you really think.



More?  Okay 

Clooney and Pitt star in it, in a movie that makes the Ocean's 11 franchise seem like cinematic classics.

Everyone is just goofing around in a goofy movie, filled with goofy characters in goofy situations.

Oh isn't it all just so wacky!

So you've got all of these goofy, stupid characters running around.  Meanwhile, John Malkovitch plays this really, really bitter CIA agent that loses his job in the opening scene and proceeds to use every minute of his screen time screaming at people.  He's the most unlikeable character in recent memory.

So the plot is, as said before, taken from Fargo (with some minor alterations), changing the hilarious and interesting for the annoying and tedious.

Throw in George Clooney and his "dildo rocking chair" contraption and you've got yourself one hell of a horrible movie.

Did it win any Razzies?  Surprisingly no.  And the majority of critics liked it.  I guess they saw the magic words "Coen Brothers" on screen, assumed it's a quality film and switched their minds off.

Case in point, this review from Time Magazine:



> Either the Coens failed, or I didn't figure out what they're attempting. I must be like Harry or Osborne, pretending to a sophistication I lack. Burn After Reading is a movie about stupidity that left me feeling stupid.



So what we have here is a movie reviewer who just saw a horrible film.  But that horrible film was directed by the Coen Brothers (imagine Jesus had a twin and they directed movies together); so therefore, the reviewer must be missing out on what must have been oodles of genius in every frame 

Honestly, it's friggin' horrible.  And anyone who says differently is a Coen fanboy or has never seen *Fargo* (seriously, if you've never seen it, just go and buy it already).


----------



## Connavar

I say watch *Miller's Crossing* before dissing them


----------



## mirinda

I saw Burn After Reading and I feel I lost a few hours of my time I'd rather have spent scrubbing toilets. If there was actually plot in that movie I didn't see it. I didn't like Fargo either I don't know what the big deal was about it.


----------



## clovis-man

MontyCircus said:


> I guess they saw the magic words "Coen Brothers" on screen, assumed it's a quality film and switched their minds off.


 
Actually, the Coens have gotten their share of bad reviews. IIRC, *Intolerable Cruelty* and *The Ladykillers* were uniformly panned. But *No Country for Old Men* seemingly redeemed them temporarily. No guarantees in show biz.

However, since the thread is about bad actors, I guess I have to come to the defense of George Clooney. Certainly *Michael Claytyon* was a great role and he has had others as well. *Good Night and Good Luck* comes to mind. OTOH, ever since Brad Pitt hit the screen in *A River Runs Through It*, I've considered him a lightweight. But* Twelve Monkeys* was okay and I think he's had some others that were worthwhile as well.

So, as pointed out earlier, a bad movie shouldn't serve to consign the actors to eternal damnation. Of course, some actors have a tendency to continually pick bad roles. Sean Connery is a good example. He's had some real stinkers. But even in the James Bond days, he could put out a film like *The Hill* to prove that a good acting job in a good role in a good movie can work wonders.


----------



## clovis-man

clovis-man said:


> However, since the thread is about bad actors..........


 
Oops. Wrong thread. Oh,well. Another attack of oldtimers disease. My apologies.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Ha ha ha, insightful nevertheless.

I very much enjoyed *Burn After Reading*, I thought it was hilarious.

I saw *Four Weddings and a Funeral *today. How embarassing.


----------



## BookStop

I liked *Burn after Reading* too - funny stuff and not all that unrealistic.


----------



## Fried Egg

*Cloverfield*

One might be tempted to describe it as a cross between "War of the Worlds" and "Blair Witch Project" but this is better than either of those films.

Filmed entirely on a hand held camcorder by one of the protagonists of the story, at first one feels slightly nausiated by the shaky screen but eventually you get used to it and it lends a sense of realism to the otherwise fantastic events, a sense of it really happening (and you really being there).

What is actually happening? You as the audience are in as much ignorance as the protagonists, only glimpsing some of the larger picture when a tv newsflash is caught on camera. Is it an alien from out of space? Or a result of some secret government experiment gone wrong? Personally, I detect some vaguely lovecraftian theme in that this may be one of the Old Ones rising from the depths and slumber to reclaim it's realm.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I enjoyed Burn After Reading also. Thought it was quite funny. Loved the bit where Brad Pitt calls John Malkovich.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Ha ha ha same. Or their meeting: "Appearances can be deceptive!"


----------



## BetsySnow

I too watched Star Trek. I loved it.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Fanboys.

So funny! 

And sad. I cried.


----------



## biodroid

Star Trek and it was brilliant


----------



## Foxbat

Franco Zeffirelli's interpretation of the classic opera double bill -  *Cavalleria Rusticana* and *Pagliacci.*

Not as good as a live performance but otherwise very worthwhile.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Foxbat said:


> Franco Zeffirelli's interpretation of the classic opera double bill -  *Cavalleria Rusticana* and *Pagliacci.*
> 
> Not as good as a live performance but otherwise very worthwhile.



O.K, now I look completely ridiculous saying *Monsters vs Aliens*. 
Anyway, good film - very funny and my 3 yr old loved it.


----------



## Tillane

*Star Trek*.  Poorly written, complete and utter nonsense.  I didn't hate it...but I didn't much like it either.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Noah Phoenix said:


> O.K, now I look completely ridiculous saying *Monsters vs Aliens*.
> Anyway, good film - very funny and my 3 yr old loved it.


 

Don't feel ashamed about M vs. A. I saw that with my brother and we both liked it. And my brother is fourteen.


----------



## biodroid

Tillane said:


> *Star Trek*. Poorly written, complete and utter nonsense. I didn't hate it...but I didn't much like it either.


 
I think it's the best Star Trek ever made and none of the others can compare but anyway... Watched Taken this weekend and it was brilliant, a very emotional film with great action and Neeson is very spry for his age, doing all those fight scenes.


----------



## Foxbat

Noah Phoenix said:


> O.K, now I look completely ridiculous saying *Monsters vs Aliens*.
> Anyway, good film - very funny and my 3 yr old loved it.


 
That's on my _'to watch list'_ too. If it's as good as Monsters inc, I'll be quite happy


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Tillane said:


> *Star Trek*.  Poorly written, complete and utter nonsense.  I didn't hate it...but I didn't much like it either.



I'm surprised, Tillane! You're the first person I've heard put it down. I really enjoyed it...


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Tillane said:


> *Star Trek*. Poorly written, complete and utter nonsense. I didn't hate it...but I didn't much like it either.


 

Am I allowed to agree with you here? All except the "I didn't hate it" part....because I really found it a load of tripe.

The green girl was kind of hot, though.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Manarion said:


> Am I allowed to agree with you here? All except the "I didn't hate it" part....because I really found it a load of tripe.
> 
> The green girl was kind of hot, though.



Only cause she was in her bra! You need a missus, mate.


----------



## Tillane

Manarion said:


> Am I allowed to agree with you here?


Please do - I think I'll need all the back-up I can get...

A friend and I have been ripping it to shreds on our respective blogs.  I mean, I have no problem saying that it's an entertaining movie.  Some of the set pieces are well done, and for the most part the pace of the thing doesn't let up.  My big huge problem with it was the plot.  There were just too many "oh, come _on_!" moments for me.  Don't want to post details at the mo - probably still quite a few who haven't seen it, and I don't want to post spoilers - but suffice to say I thought a lot of it was hopelessly contrived.


----------



## ktabic

Busy week movie wise.
Star Trek. Not bad. Is it just me or does that ice critter look like the Slayer from BG2?
Gosford Park. Quite enjoyed this.
The Midnight Meat Train. Vinnie Jones in another role he really is perfect for.
Last of the Living. NZ zombie film. Good fun.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched part of *Batman Forever* earlier. Not my favourite Batman, actor-wise, but of the earlier _Batman_ films, definitely my favourite. Something about Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey prancing about on screen together that I just love...


----------



## Rodders

The Fifth Element was on again the other night. I love that film. Truly entertaining.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Bedtime Stories. I'm not that big a fan of Adam Sandler but this one is very good! Its also the first film I've seen with Russel Brand in. I normally think of him as a waste of space but he's quite funny in this!


----------



## gully_foyle

Inflight movies and I didn't feel like going for the serious choices. So I watched *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, pap and an insult to the original. They weren't even trying with that script. And *Twilight* cause I was curious, took me back to *The Lost Boys* which was a great movie. Apart from the sullen/pouty/sultry routine from the two leads it wasn't a bad flick.


----------



## AE35Unit

gully_foyle said:


> Inflight movies and I didn't feel like going for the serious choices. So I watched *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, pap and an insult to the original. They weren't even trying with that script.



 I enjoyed that movie. Its funny but when a sci fi film comes out i look forward it and as long as its 'good' sci fi I'll enjoy it and not care about the screenplay or script(loved the new War of the Worlds even tho its nothing like the original). And yet if I'm reading a book I get really fussy! I guess movies are more for entertainment than mental stimulation,tho its nice if every now and then a really well made SF film that doesn't necessarily rely on lots of action sequences. But that is a rare beast indeed so in the meantime I enjoy the sci fi ride.  Keanu Reeves does seem very typecast though!


----------



## Rodders

Didn't Father Ted call it "Chewing Gum for the eyes"? 

I must admit, when i watch a movie, i want to be entertained for the most part. There are very few really good, serious movies.

I'm not sure if Hollywood is trying to do justice to the old movie. To be honest, i don't think they want to or particularly care. But at least a new version will bring it to a new audience.


----------



## wolfgirl

I love Tommy Lee Jones--but I have to admit, perhaps I'm just a bit dim, but I really didn't quite understand this movie. The same goes for "There Will Be Blood". Just saw that one on DVD last week, and I didn't quite get that one, either. "Wolverine", however, was great! And "Monsters vs. Aliens" in 3-D was outstanding.


----------



## wolfgirl

biodroid said:


> I think it's the best Star Trek ever made and none of the others can compare but anyway... Watched Taken this weekend and it was brilliant, a very emotional film with great action and Neeson is very spry for his age, doing all those fight scenes.


 

I got to see "Taken" in the theaters. As soon as I saw the preview, I knew Liam Neeson was going to kick some serious you-know-what! Great flick!


----------



## wolfgirl

Duchessprozac said:


> Just got round *The Dark Knight* for the first time since I saw it at the cinema and I am truly blown away at how good a movie it is.
> 
> I am also still baffled how the BBFC only gave it a 12. For the first time ever, I believe they actually gave a movie a certificate lower than it deserved. I mean, it's more violent and mature than Daredevil and they gave that a 15.


 
"The Dark Knight" was, indeed, dark! And it was an all-around good movie: very well-written and well-acted. While I am sure that Heath Ledger's untimely demise played a factor in the films's popularity, it would be impoosible to deny his true genius in filling the role of "The Joker". The only other person I can think of who would have done as good of a job as he would be Jonny Depp. 

I sincerely hope they continue this current genesis of "Batman"; these new ones have very mature characters with none of the campiness of the previous versions. And I also hope they continue with Morgan Freeman's character. It's one of my favorite things about the movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Didn't Father Ted call it "Chewing Gum for the eyes"?
> 
> I must admit, when i watch a movie, i want to be entertained for the most part. There are very few really good, serious movies.
> 
> I'm not sure if Hollywood is trying to do justice to the old movie. To be honest, i don't think they want to or particularly care. But at least a new version will bring it to a new audience.



The only trouble with that is that a new audience,by that I mean young audience is they'll get swept away by the wam bam action aspect of the movie,associate that with SF then years later will say,yea I used to love sci fi when I was younger! Also if they watch the original after seeing the new one they'll think it boring!


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> I guess movies are more for entertainment than mental stimulation



Don't listen to him, Bergman, Fellini, Woody, Truffaut ...


----------



## AE35Unit

Interference said:


> Don't listen to him, Bergman, Fellini, Woody, Truffaut ...



Ah,I should have said modern SF movies are more for entertainment than than mental stimulation! Tho I've never seen any Fellini or Bergman. But then  they didn't  make any SF movies...


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> Ah,I should have said modern SF movies are more for entertainment than than mental stimulation! Tho I've never seen any Fellini or Bergman. But then  they didn't  make any SF movies...



Science, _Fiction_ and Fantasy - that's _three_ things  

(Oh and before I get mail complaining about me leaving out Eisenstein, he was just after the fade-out )

(and so was Fritz Lang ...  )


----------



## AE35Unit

Who on earth was Eisenstein?


----------



## Interference

Sergei Eisenstein - Battleship Potemkin, surely you remember


----------



## AE35Unit

Interference said:


> Sergei Eisenstein - Battleship Potemkin, surely you remember



Heard of it vaguely,but never seen it. A WWII movie?


----------



## Rodders

Not Necessarily. If you're going to be seduced by Sci-Fi, then it doesn't matter what gets you into it, but something will. 

I was drawn in by Star Wars. I still love films like silent running, Logans run, the day the earth stood still and the old TV series like the Invaders and Star Trek TOS.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Not Necessarily. If you're going to be seduced by Sci-Fi, then it doesn't matter what gets you into it, but something will.
> 
> I was drawn in by Star Wars. I still love films like silent running, Logans run, the day the earth stood still and the old TV series like the Invaders and Star Trek TOS.



Yea I got seduced by sci fi but am in love with SF.


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> Heard of it vaguely,but never seen it. A WWII movie?



Oft parodied and homaged - famously in _The Untouchables_ (with the untouchable Costner and unimpeachable Connery) and Gilliam's _Brazil_ - but yeah, essentially a war movie (revolutionary Tzarist, in this case) but widely regarded as a seriously masterful piece of cinema with then-experimental editing techniques in wide use today.


----------



## Rodders

AE35Unit said:


> Yea I got seduced by sci fi but am in love with SF.


 
 Pffft. Semantics.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I saw *Star Trek* yesterday, and I really liked it. The thing that bothered me about it was the constant 'lens flare' effect. Way overdone I thought. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Ross

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I saw *Star Trek* yesterday, and I really liked it. The thing that bothered me about it was the constant 'lens flare' effect. Way overdone I thought. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it.



Think I have to agree. Very enjoyable film. Kirk is a funny guy


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Hugely entertaining,wish there were books like this!
But how on earth does he manage to keep his hat on!


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Hugely entertaining,wish there were books like this!
> But how on earth does he manage to keep his hat on!


 

If you've never seen it, he actually loses his hat at one point in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Almost loses his arm getting it back.


----------



## Grimward

Watched _*Children of Men*_ last night.  Clive Owen was pretty good, but (as per usual), I think Michael Caine (for the lesser part he had) was great.  Interesting concept, although they kind of gloss over why Britain managed to maintain (if it can be called that) some semblance of "civilized" (and those should be read as pretty heft quote marks!) society and the rest of the world failed....maybe the book explains this better?  Anyway, worth the watch!


----------



## Noah Phoenix

I loved *Children of Men* too. Great idea, still have the book to read...will get there one day...


----------



## dustinzgirl

12 Rounds. 

For about 12 minutes.

I'd like my 12 minutes back.


----------



## AE35Unit

Manarion said:


> If you've never seen it, he actually loses his hat at one point in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Almost loses his arm getting it back.



Ah,thats in Temple of Doom actually,when he's trapped with Short Round.


----------



## AE35Unit

Grimward said:


> Watched _*Children of Men*_ last night.  Clive Owen was pretty good, but (as per usual), I think Michael Caine (for the lesser part he had) was great.  Interesting concept, although they kind of gloss over why Britain managed to maintain (if it can be called that) some semblance of "civilized" (and those should be read as pretty heft quote marks!) society and the rest of the world failed....maybe the book explains this better?  Anyway, worth the watch!



Good film! Don't you think Owen would make a good James Bond?


----------



## bobbo19

Busy week movie wise. 

First i watched *The Life of Brian* by Monty Python. Seriously funny!
Second i watched *300*. Really cheesy and overdone but entertaining nonetheless.
Third i watched *Wanted. *Again cheap thrills but nothing spectacular.


----------



## Rodders

AE35Unit said:


> Good film! Don't you think Owen would make a good James Bond?


 
Owen Wilson? 

Just kidding. He'd probably make a good Indiana Jones too.


----------



## AE35Unit

bobbo19 said:


> Busy week movie wise.
> 
> First i watched *The Life of Brian* by Monty Python. Seriously funny!
> .



Love that film! So full of funny moments!


----------



## Grimward

I do think he'd make a pretty decent 007, sir Unit, now that you mention it.  Having just nabbed whatshisname, though, it might be a while before they're looking....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched *Star Trek*. Thought it was great.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Changeling. Anyone not familiar with it will think its sci fi but no its a true story about a woman in the late 1920s who comes home to find her son missing. Later he is found only its not her son! Angelina Jolie does a great job and its the first time I've seen John Malkovich playing a good guy! 
Good film but tissue may be required!
And people mention 'the good old days'!


----------



## Connavar

*Le Deuxième Souffle* by Jean-Pierre Melville my favorite french dirctor.

A film from 1966 who was another sparse,lean dark,depressing Film Noir by Melville.  

Also just ordered a 6 DVD box with his most famous movies.  I never buy new DVD movies only rent them.   Melville films are too good and have converted me to atleast buy his films on DVD.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Star Trek 6,the Undiscovered Country. Good one!
And a little sad at the end as they bow out of the series to let the new crew in. TNG is good but  the old crew will always be missed! May they live long and prosper! Can't wait to see the new one!


----------



## Esioul

Saw the new Star Trek film, so much better than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised. Saw Coraline yesterday- it was pretty good, mybe a bti rpedictable.. although I haven't ready the book so maybe that would have added mroe to it for me. I saw it in 3D though, actually the first 3D film Iv'e seen so that was pretty exciting.


----------



## Rodders

How has 3D come on over the last few years Esioul? Do you still have to wear thos silly glasses?


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Watched *Journey To The Centre Of The Earth* (The Brendan Frasier one) last night. Awful effects, bad acting, poor story, badly written script, cheesy and no allot of point to it. But for some strange reason, I couldn't hate it, however much I try. I actually liked it, despite it being a bit rubbish. Just harmless fun I suppose.


----------



## Foxbat

*Chronicles Of Riddick. *This is the first time I've seen it. Have to say it looks great but plot-wise, I can only describe it as tedious rubbish.


----------



## Grimward

Minor Spoilers Follow










Ah, now that one is a guilty pleasure for me, Foxy.  This film is a continuation of characters from _*Pitch Black*_, which gives a little more background to Jack/Kyra (just a little, and barely enough to explain her evolution into a trained killer).  I thought it slow the first time I watched it, too, but watched it again and it grew on me.  Now when it's on I will still sneak a peak if there isn't anything else more appealing....


----------



## dustinzgirl

Grim, have you seen the cartoon (lol, or anime, whatever) version? It was really good. And creepy. Very, very creepy. 

*The Day the Earth Stood Still*, the OG version again followed up with the new Keanu one. And, as a first, like, ever, I really liked the new version, I thought I would hate it considering 1-its a remake and 2-its got boring face in it. I think that may be blasphemous in some way. My 10 year old loved it too, but he kept asking me (on both versions) what math they were doing on the blackboard. Sigh, if only I knew. LOL. The little guy was actually kind of obsessed with it lol, but he's at his dad's this weekend so he can bug his dad about it, right!


----------



## Grimward

Didn't know there was an animated version, Dusty....thanks for the heads up.  Will check it out.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Watched *Bolt* at midnight last night, after my boy woke up with croup and needed distracting. Christ. Good film, very funny. But I've forgotten most of it already, so didn't leave a lasting impression. The hamster is awesome though!


----------



## clovis-man

Speaking of guilty pleasures: I actually bought the box set which includes both *Pitch Black* and *The Chronicles of Riddick* as well as the anime feature which bridges the gap between the two live action films. Not exactly one for the time capsule, but entertaining nonetheless. I have to say, though, that anyone calling himself a "necromonger" would have been laughed out of the locker room at my high school.


----------



## Esioul

Rodders said:


> How has 3D come on over the last few years Esioul? Do you still have to wear thos silly glasses?


 
Well they gave us some glasses, not the red-blue kind though. I coudlnt' be btoehred to put in mycontact lenses that morning so I was worried it would be horrible ahving those and the 3D ones, but they were huge, so it was fine. 

Iv'e no diea hwo 3D was a few years ago as this was the first 3D film I saw, but it was exciting 

The new Star Trek film in 3D would have been something, though.


----------



## Foxbat

Grimward said:


> This film is a continuation of characters from _*Pitch Black*_, which gives a little more background to Jack/Kyra (just a little, and barely enough to explain her evolution into a trained killer). I thought it slow the first time I watched it, too, but watched it again and it grew on me. Now when it's on I will still sneak a peak if there isn't anything else more appealing....


 
I enjoyed *Pitch Black* but, perhaps, *Chronicles Of Riddick* suffered from the same disease as the *Matrix* sequels and *Star Wars* prequels - over-elaboration of the myth which just destroys the original magic. 

Never seen the Anime version and probably never will because I'm unlikely to spend any more cash on anything else related to this franchise.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Noah Phoenix said:


> Watched *Bolt* at midnight last night, after my boy woke up with croup and needed distracting. Christ. Good film, very funny. But I've forgotten most of it already, so didn't leave a lasting impression. The hamster is awesome though!



Aw I'm sorry your little guy has croup! Big huggles!

And, while not a movie, I'm watching UFC...Matt Hughes is da MAN!


----------



## Urien

Transformers; good special effects but absurd, lame and silly. Apart from that it was a lot like Citizen Kane.


----------



## Interference

urien said:


> transformers; good special effects but absurd, lame and silly. Apart from that it was a lot like citizen kane.



rotfl !!!!


----------



## Foxbat

*Frost/Nixon. *Quite enjoyed this and had some good acting.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Frost/Nixon. *Quite enjoyed this and had some good acting.


 
I quite agree. Saw this this past week as well. Not only were the roles well played, but the entire seamy saga was transformed into a captivating "story" that made you actually care about the players.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched "Underworld; Rise of the Lycans" last night but couldn't get into it for some reason.  Quite a few bit characters return and are fleshed out in this prequel.
Tatopolis isn't a bad a director.

Enjoy!


----------



## Interference

"Tatopolis" is where the director comes from, I think you'll find


----------



## j d worthington

Romero's *Land of the Dead*. I've been watching one of these films a week, and I have to say that this is rather weaker than the previous two... but still a strong film overall; and its social satire is (as is usual with Romero) particularly biting (if you'll pardon the expression ).

I tend to agree with his reservations about his working with the big studios, as those tend to be his weaker films, overall; and certainly here there is -- oddly -- more focus on gore than in his independently-produced films; even so, in comparison to many, the gore is rather restrained here, almost distanced, as if seen from far off; while the focus on characters and situations is more intent and sharper. Certainly, the gore and violence in his other films (with the exception of the final shots of the "zombie feast" in *Day of the Dead*) are more affecting, have more of a brutal feel, like a punch in the mouth (quite intentionally so, to increase the realization of the milieu in which the characters are living), but there's a lot less of it, really (even in *Day of the Dead*, save for the final resurgence of the zombies into the compound, the amount of gore and violence amounts to less than 5 minutes of the 90+ minutes of the film).

Not sure, but I get the feeling that the larger amount of bloodiness may have been the influence of Hollywood, which may also be why it has less impact here, as well. In the previous films, it was almost never gratuitous, but served to make various points, in either metaphor or in character development or interation; here, the majority of it (not all, but the majority) does have more of a perfunctory, "give-the-audience-what-they-want" feel to it, as if Romero bowed to the demand for such scenes, yet his real interest was in the story: the characters, situations, and points of social commentary he wished to make.

I also like the way he continues to develop the "mythos" here, blurring the lines between the zombies and the living more and more with each film.

Haven't seen *Diary of the Dead* yet (I've seen each of the others at least 2-3 times; the first three several more times than that); but it's on order, and I should (I hope) be able to see that one by next week....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Gotta love weapon-wielding zombies. 

I have the biggest urge to watch *Dawn of the Dead* lately. I haven't seen it since...probably primary school days. Too long. Must be bought...


----------



## Pyan

*Night at the Museum*, on TV tonight.

Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller, as usual, but it's a wonderful, over the top, performance by Dick Van Dyke, hamming it up playing a villain for a change.

Handy, actually, because I hope to see the sequel on Tuesday...


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Gotta love weapon-wielding zombies.
> 
> I have the biggest urge to watch *Dawn of the Dead* lately. I haven't seen it since...probably primary school days. Too long. Must be bought...


 
I picked up the "Ultimate Edition" of it about three years ago; contains not only the original U.S. theatrical release, but the extended version and the European version (edited by Dario Argento), as well as an entire disc of extras. Got it for a really good price (not much more than I would have paid for the single version a year or two before that), so....


----------



## Lobolover

"*Zardoz*"

Partialy to be able to write about it in here P)

Overall, a thing with potential, though it's structure kind of loses itself and there is no coherent line at times . Now I mean "coherent" only very losely, especialy in such films, but look at , say , "Brazil", it had a strange ending, but the majority of it, even if sheerly insane , had some form or relation to real world situations (only made sheerly mind boggling) and the like and was understandable . Here , it seems half the movie doesn't know where it wants to go, and by the time it finds out, it's too late . Also, the "mindf**k" portion greatly decreases in the later half of the movie, which makes the last photomontage scene(s) apear to jarr slightly after the straightforward ending


----------



## Interference

John Borman is one of those ideas men who never quite pulls it together on set.  Zardoz is one of his weirder efforts, hugely enjoyable Sean Connery.


----------



## Happy Joe

Dragonquest;  Poor acting, poor production values, mediocre effects, looked like a cheap made for TV movie. 

Transporter 3; more Jason Statham, no surprises, a good effort, and a good example of these movies.  I enjoyed it.

Enjoy!


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> Never seen the Anime version and probably never will because I'm unlikely to spend any more cash on anything else related to this franchise.


Yea, you're not missing anything there. Not bad but nothing special.


----------



## Tillane

*Outpost*.  Nazi zombies and Ray Stevenson of *Rome* and *Punisher: War Zone* fame.  Nuff said, really.


----------



## HardScienceFan

_*the departed*_

good movie,bit violent

Jack Nicholson:awesome
diCaprio:ditto


----------



## Lobolover

Uhm J.D., our of curiosity, what _did _you edit there just now ?


----------



## Grimward

Another guilty pleasure; _*Major League*_, a hysterical must for baseball fans, whether they live in Cleveland or not....cheesy of necessity, and trite even, but Bob Uecker is asphyxiatingly (making words now, I am!) funny in several places, and Berenger/Russo manage to make the side plot almost bearable.


----------



## Shadow Trooper

pyan said:


> *Night at the Museum*, on TV tonight.
> 
> Ben Stiller plays Ben Stiller, as usual, but it's a wonderful, over the top, performance by Dick Van Dyke, hamming it up playing a villain for a change.
> 
> Handy, actually, because I hope to see the sequel on Tuesday...


 

Went to see Night at the Museum 2, I'd probably give it about 7/10 myself, but due to just how much my son and wife loved it, it brought the rating up to 8/10, for a fine family film.

It took a little while to get started but once it did it was very much like the previous film but on a bigger scale.

Funny parts for the family was when the bad guy (Kahmunrha) was trying to impress upon Ben Stiller, that he: 1. Should give him the magical tablet. 2. Not talk and 3. Not try to grab the object from him (the object the bad guy was holding).

Well of course Ben tried all three and I found the reaction of Kahmunrah was hysterical (he just goes off on one (but in a funny way)).

The other one which had the missus laughing out loud was where during the big battle at the end you had the 2 monkeys Dexter and Able beating up one of Al Capone's henchmen via instruction given by a Bobble head Einstein figurine (Kick, slap, kick, slap!). Well you've gotta see it I guess


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Body of Lies* this weekend. Thought it was pretty good. Not great, but good. Thought DiCaprio was quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Trek 8,Generations. Good film,Data is hilarious in it. Also great to see Kirk and Picard together. I miss Spock and Bones tho!


----------



## clovis-man

Finally saw the new *Star Trek*. I have to say that I went in with no real expectations. But the overwhelming reaction from this jaded curmudgeon, who has seen the "ongoing mission" from it's inception in the 60s, was one of nostalgia. The film-makers proved to be respectful of the traditions, notwithstanding the liberties afforded by the temporal space concatenations. The characters were fun (Simon Pegg was a hoot) and all the little dialogue zingers were great. Lots of action and plenty of room to continue with another film (would you expect anything else?).


----------



## Happy Joe

Transporter 1; Transporter 3 got me started so I'm going to re-watch the whole series (all 3).

Outlander; (surprised me) A pretty good mesh of crashed space ship (w/survivor) vikings and alien monsters.  Kind of a different take/variation of the Beowulf/Grendel thing (vaguely similar but different) and much better that the Beowulf movies released over the last couple of years. Fairly good flick - worth a rental.

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Trek 8,First Contact. Probably the best one so far!


----------



## j d worthington

Okay... so I blew my scheduled activities following work yesterday, which included the loss of some sleep, and watched* Dreams with Sharp Teeth*. (Well, I've been waiting for the darned thing to be released since I first heard of it about a year or more ago....) A very enjoyable piece of film, and in some ways I wish there was more of it; I'd certainly like to see (as extras) various of the interviews, excerpts from which are included in the body of the film.

It is, though, a very loving tribute to the man; and I'd also like to see a more objective documentary done on him; I think one could be done, and one which would nonetheless be very interesting indeed. But, aside from that minor quibble, I found it to be well worth the investment of both money and time, and will watch this one several times, I have no doubt.

If nothing else, watching him does make one thing Gaiman is absolutely correct when he notes that Harlan is (and has always been) engaged in a single piece of performance art known as Harlan Ellison; something which is a bit strange, a bit frightening, a bit annoying, but fascinating to watch.

The stories... well, the stories speak for themselves, and I agree with those who think they will last, _long_ after we're all gone....


----------



## Vladd67

The 39 Steps, although some scenes I have trouble taking seriously since I saw the stage comedy version. But still an old favourite of mine.


----------



## Happy Joe

"Spirit"; run, don't walk away from this if given the oportunity... its is a stinker!  Words like Bad/Awful don't begin to describe it.

"Against the dark"; the best part was that Steven Segal was not in most of the film; repetitive predictable infected zombies eating people.
Finally, someone attacks zombies with a Katana... (have none of them ever seen "Zulu"?  Wouldn't a combination of club and stabbing assegai work better?)  Certainly no one, except in this film, would wander around in such a situation (Zombie infested building) unarmed.

Skip it; unless you are a Segal fan (or are obsessed with bad zombie films).

Enjoy!

(You may wonder why I am watching such bad films; well, I got another one of those, "see all the movies you can stand" subscriptions, from the local rental outlet and I ran out of the first quality releases... searching for hidden gems...)


----------



## Noah Phoenix

I thought *Spirit* was pretty awful as well, but not as bad as *Max Payne*. Crikey. Whoever made that film hadn't even played the game, and didn't ask anyone that had played the game. In fact, I dont think they even knew they were making a film of a game. I know its right to do 'interpretations' of games or books in film, but come on. At least get the theme right. Max Payne INVENTED bullet time in console games, and he had two shootouts that lasted all of about 6 seconds in the film. WTF? I was expecting a revenge fuelled bullet fest and I got a badly scripted depressing mess. Have they never heard of John Woo? And no-one tell me he WAS involved with the film, or I might just commit suicide, as the worlds over for sure.


----------



## Vladd67

Happy Joe said:


> (You may wonder why I am watching such bad films; well, I got another one of those, "see all the movies you can stand" subscriptions, from the local rental outlet and I ran out of the first quality releases... searching for hidden gems...)



And still looking by the sound of it.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Just watched *Doubt* last night, which has Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryle Streep in it. Thought it was good. But, "I have doubts!".


----------



## BookStop

I finally talked the kids into watching Iron Giant with me - man, I love that film!


----------



## Happy Joe

Ba'al; a not terrible budget flick (return of an evil Babylonian god, due to evil people, archaeologists, burglary, hidden artifacts, double cross, insanity).  I was surprised by this one, it was actually OK, low budget but they did things acceptably when they needed to... Not a gem but at least it was a shiny rock (solid) as opposed to the soft stinky stuff that I have have been watching.

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> "Spirit"; run, don't walk away from this if given the oportunity... its is a stinker!  Words like Bad/Awful don't begin to describe it.



I thought Spirit would have rated higher. Isn't it in the same vein as Sin City?


----------



## Werewoman

House on Haunted Hill w/Vincent Price. I'm a sucker for Vincent Price.


----------



## clovis-man

Werewoman said:


> House on Haunted Hill w/Vincent Price. I'm a sucker for Vincent Price.


 
Funny you should mention that........... I just acquired a copy of *The Last Man on Earth* starring Mr. Price. It was the first of the three film versions of Richard Matheson's novel, *I Am Legend*. Next was *The Omega Man* with Charlton Heston and then (they finally got the title right) the current version with Will Smith.

I hadn't seen The Vincent Price version in many years. I have to say that, although its lack of any budget whatsoever showed, it was at least reasonably faithful to the novel. Fun to watch.


----------



## Happy Joe

> I thought Spirit would have rated higher.


 
It is an attempt at comedy, that tried to use absolutely every hackneyed cliché from low budget 40s and 50s movies (as well as some from more modern flicks); simply pathetic, IMO. I started to smile maybe once. I haven't seen Sin City.

Yesterday;
Battle planet; made for scifi channel; not particularly good, but not a stinker. Future soldier sent to a planet in a secret suit; meets alien, befriends alien, semi-obvious double-cross twists.

Australia; enjoyable romantic adventure set in Australia just before and after the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor.
Low points; rose colored, politically correct, viewpoint with a vaguely feminist overemphasis on one woman's success in the face of overwhelming odds and included, I am relatively certain, a romanticized view of aboriginals.
I enjoyed this one, in spite of its faults, and it will be added to the library.
Definitely worth, at least, a rental!

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* at the moment. 

Surprising, I know.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone*. Man, they were young when this one was filmed.


----------



## katiafish

Indiana Jones the chrystal scull one, was surprised that Harrison Ford doesnt look too bad there.. Hmm, 5 out of 10

And Spirit is a stinker eh? Just rented it out to watch on the weekend, so I guess I'll watch it anyhow.


----------



## Happy Joe

Spirit probably has a niche audience; depending on your sense of humor, you may like it.  (Post back with your impressions).

Yesterday;
Screamers- The Hunting;  A continuation of the Screamers series of movies from years ago;  Small killer-bots released on a planet were thought to have wiped out life.  A survivor sends a message, triggers a rescue mission with a limited window of opportunity...
Moderate budget look, shows obvious plot similarities to the Alien films, Lance Hendrickson is not aging well...
This one surprised me; a fair movie and true to its predecessors,  Screamers fans (there must still be some out there) will want to see it; it would not be a waste of the rental fee for general scifi fans, IMO.

Silent Venom; Snakes on a submarine... notable for its extremely poor large snake CG... skip it.

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> Australia; enjoyable romantic adventure set in Australia just before and after the attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor.
> Low points; rose colored, politically correct, viewpoint with a vaguely feminist overemphasis on one woman's success in the face of overwhelming odds and included, I am relatively certain, a romanticized view of aboriginals.
> I enjoyed this one, in spite of its faults, and it will be added to the library.
> Definitely worth, at least, a rental!
> 
> Enjoy!


When I heard it was coming out I was hoping that film would be about the country in general, the 'Australianess' of the place and its people but I see from your post that  its another war film. Pearl Harbour down under? I enjoyed Pearl Harbour(other half hates it) but we already have a film about that, its called Pearl Harbour.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Amadeus,Director's cut. Its a long film and yes I know its not a faithful portrayal of the man or the events but its a superb film! I even got a bit emotional at the end. 
One thing that is fact tho,he was buried in a pauper's grave which is ridiculous!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Ghostbusters*. Retro. I love it. And I love Bill Murray. 

I cannot believe it's being remade. Is nothing sacred?


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Just watched *Ghostbusters*. Retro. I love it. And I love Bill Murray.
> 
> I cannot believe it's being remade. Is nothing sacred?



I love the version in Be Kind Rewind


----------



## Fried Egg

*Paycheck*. Better than I expected.


----------



## MontyCircus

HoopyFrood said:


> Just watched *Ghostbusters*. Retro. I love it. And I love Bill Murray.
> 
> I cannot believe it's being remade. Is nothing sacred?



*Ghostbusters* might be my favourite movie of all-time.  It's just magic.

It's not being remade...rebooted maybe I guess you could say.  *Ghostbusters 3* will have the original cast reunite and hand over the Ghostbusting duties to a new generation.

If the new cast is decent then who knows...could end up being watchable...could happen!


----------



## Happy Joe

Re: "Australia"


> I see from your post that its another war film. Pearl Harbour down under?


 
Mostly its about An English Lady that travels to Australia during WWII and ends up trying to revive a cattle station along with her problems on a cattle drive and her interaction with the social order. The Japanese attack happens at the end and does not detract from the story ... Pretty good story, not a war story per se (your other half should like it).

Yesterday;
Dune, SciFi channel director's cut (2 disks); I liked this better, overall, than the original Dune movie theater version as I felt it explaned the story better; still long with some boring parts; Dune fanatics will probably like it.

Enjoy!


----------



## Interference

No original ideas left in Hollywood.  I guess we've seen all the films there will ever be already.

Relaunching Ghostbusters?  Pah!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Carry On Up the Khyber*. And couldn't help myself spotting the Orientalism...


----------



## Saeltari

Star Trek, the new one. Great fun! Very well done. My father, a die hard Star Trek fan since the original series also thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ghostbusters is great! I used to watch that every year on Halloween for 13 years, still watch it off and on. 

If they can invigorate it as well as was done with Star Trek I will be a very happy, smiley fellow!


----------



## Interference

They had a _lot_ of false starts with ST, though ...


----------



## Allegra

*Babel*. Quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> Re: "Australia"
> 
> 
> Mostly its about An English Lady that travels to Australia during WWII and ends up trying to revive a cattle station along with her problems on a cattle drive and her interaction with the social order. The Japanese attack happens at the end and does not detract from the story ... Pretty good story, not a war story per se (your other half should like it).
> 
> !


Na she's not a fan of romantic films,especially not war films. Its usually me that enjoys such films. I loved Titanic,she hates it. I enjoyed Pearl Harbour,she couldn't stand it.


----------



## ravenus

*Los Cronocrimenes aka Timecrimes*, a slasher film with time travel elements or a time travel film with slasher elements, both ways a nice little piece of mind-****. You could say it's contrived and after a point predictable but that's part of the design of the film and works well for it. I won't put in more details because you'll appreciate this one best when you watch it without many preconceptions.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Terminator Salvation. As a summer effects fest is as good as they get, but you may as well leave your brain at home. The plot twist can be seen from the first moment you see the other main character, and it doesn't add anything to the whole Terminator universe.
But I did love it. There was a lot of money spent on it, I'm not sure on how much, but every penny went into the effects; they're awesome. It's a true guys film with plenty of thrilling chases and plenty of explosions. The bit with the Terminator bikes is great, and the finale with a certain Californian governor is a great addition, and worked very well. Christain Bale, however, just didn't do it for me. It seems he's on Batman autopilot. He's exactly the same in that film as he is in this, and it's a shame he was involved, as Sam Worthington is the opposite, He's a true joy to watch, and a great actor, someone I'll definitely be watching out for. It looks a little like Bale's scenes were written in at the last minute after he got involved, as the plot is clearly trying to centering on Worthington's character.
All in all thoough, a good film!


----------



## The Procrastinator

Wolverine and Star Trek. Out of the two I enjoyed Trek more, but thats not to say Wolverine wasn't fun - it was. Both movies were great escapism, absorbing and enjoyable. Wolverine had better baddies - Trek had a sexy Kirk and Spock and great freshness.

I want to see Terminator Salvation just because I've seen all the other Terminators, but from all I've heard I am not in great expectation (I still think the first one was the best by far). I am intrigued by the Sam Worthington thing though. Have you seen him in Getting Square, Noah? A great little Aussie film, very funny, starring him and David Wenham. Watch it if you haven't seen it.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

I'll look it up, thanks! Looks like he will be one to watch, he's in the Clash of the Titan remake as Perseus. Its worth seeing, its a great movie. I wasn't expecting much, an I was pleasantly surprised.


----------



## HoopyFrood

The Blob (1988). Gods, I love animatronics. My friends may look back on them and laugh (and sometimes the effects can be a little amusing) but I can't get enough of them. Screw CGI!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched 7 Pounds. Wasn't sure what to expect really but it is a good film,worth sitting thru to the end.


----------



## Grimward

*300*.

Liked the use of light and the grainy "texture" the film had.  Thought the Persian freaks and the Spartan hunchback were a little overdone, but not enough to push me away.  Not bad, not bad.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Slumdog Millionaire*, yey! It was cool.


----------



## J-Sun

_Moonraker_. I think it and _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ were the only two Connery-Whazzizname-Moore Bond flicks I'd never seen until recently, having studiously avoided them. I was right the first time on both counts.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

gully_foyle said:


> *Slumdog Millionaire*, yey! It was cool.


I thought it was good, but not worth all the hype. Very overrated, I thought.


----------



## Duchessprozac

Grave of the Fireflies. A beautiful yet utterly depressing anime by Studio Ghibli about a young teenage boy and his little sister trying to, and ultimately failing to, survive in Japan at the end of WWII after their mother is killed in a bombing raid.

One of only a handfull of movies that has made me sob.


----------



## BookStop

We saw UP today; it was absolutely heartwarming and gushy, and we loved it. Well, Wade and I did. The kids didn't enjoy it as much i don't think. Not sure why.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Matrix*. Still awesome.


----------



## Saeltari

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 

Interesting story, bit cliched but a decent movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> _Moonraker_. I think it and _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ were the only two Connery-Whazzizname-Moore Bond flicks I'd never seen until recently, having studiously avoided them. I was right the first time on both counts.



Moonraker,tho quite SFnal-is NOT the best introduction to Bond. Should have made Dr No your first stop.


----------



## Vladd67

Noah Phoenix said:


> I thought it was good, but not worth all the hype.


What film is?


----------



## gully_foyle

Noah Phoenix said:


> I thought it was good, but not worth all the hype. Very overrated, I thought.





Vladd67 said:


> What film is?


Exactly! To think a film is good these days is an ever rarer thing.


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> Moonraker,tho quite SFnal-is NOT the best introduction to Bond. Should have made Dr No your first stop.



No, as I said, it was one of "the only two Connery-Whazzizname-Moore Bond flicks I'd never seen until recently". So the Lazenby (remembered his name) and _Moonraker_ were my _last_ stops for those. I've now seen all of them and those two (along with _Live and Let Die_) are the worst of the series up to that point (unless _View to a Kill_, which I haven't seen in a zillion years and don't remember well).


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Vladd67 said:


> What film is?


Er, hows about the name of the film included in the quote I posted? *Slumdog Millionaire.*


----------



## Jimmy Magnusson

I just saw Azumi. Entertaining, fast, colourful, and not too deep. 7/10, do see it if you like asian sword-fighting action films.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Terminator Salvation
1-3 I found .. diverting but this is just Mad Max with terminators, botox for the mind.


----------



## ktabic

Terminator Salvation. Not to bad. I want to know where they got all the fuel from.


----------



## Happy Joe

Defiance; about Jewish people surviving/fighting the Nazis during WWII. It didn't strike me as particularly good or bad... 

Serenity; a pretty good movie taken from the television series Firefly...   I watched occasional episodes of the television series, but couldn't get into it, this movie brings them together as chapters in a story.  Scifi fans should watch this one at least once (worth a rental, IMO).

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Mask*. Absolutely love it. This, and Ace Ventura, seem like Jim Carey's just been let loose to do whatever he wants.


----------



## Urien

*Taken* with Liam Neeson. Ex-CIA field operative's daughter gets kidnapped. Liam goes on a one man ruthless rampage to get her back. Exciting and brutal. I do like a relentless character.

Hoopy,

I loved the Mask when I first came out... I soooo wanted a yellow zoot suit.


----------



## ktabic

*The Crow*. Still a superb film. Am no sure that it has been an inspiration for many other movies.
*Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*. Total B-movie, but fun. Although the final fight was a bit short.


----------



## Urien

Also saw *Lady in the Water* last night by M Night Shyamalan. It was panned when first released, and you think, this film maybe it loco. But it does have tremendous symbolism and humanity, it is wrapped up in it's own tight little fairy tale world (even if it is an apartment block). If one does view it just as a fairy tale then (on the second viewing) for me it works.

Ktabic,

Who won, the shark or the octopus?... No wait, I might just get it out.


----------



## Happy Joe

Rio Lobo; An old John Wayne western; still pretty good...

Enjoy!


----------



## clovis-man

Urien said:


> Also saw *Lady in the Water* last night by M Night Shyamalan. It was panned when first released, and you think, this film maybe it loco. But it does have tremendous symbolism and humanity, it is wrapped up in it's own tight little fairy tale world (even if it is an apartment block). If one does view it just as a fairy tale then (on the second viewing) for me it works.


 
I just considered it an "urban" fairly tale, so I enjoyed it. I especially liked the fate of the critic (Bob Balaban) as it played out, betrayed by his own hubris.

I'e seen two films in the past couple of days:

*Terminator Salvation*. I actually enjoyed it. Great action sequences. And my only lingering complaint is that it turned out to be just another chapter in the disjointed saga. So we're ripe for another sequel, no doubt.

*Up* (3-D). The reviews have been good, so I was prepared to enjoy this one. But it even exceeded expectations. Great story with appealing characters. After a while I even forgot to be impressed with the 3-D. I recommend this one highly to anyone of any age.


----------



## Foxbat

I'm taking a bit of a liberty here because it's not actually a movie - been working my way through *Band OF Brothers *on DVD.

 I never caught this when it was first aired and this is my first time viewing it. I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this very impressive piece of wartime drama. 

Great stuff


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Rewatched *Casino Royale*.

Fun. Soooo much better than *Quantum of Solace*.


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> I'm taking a bit of a liberty here because it's not actually a movie - been working my way through *Band OF Brothers *on DVD.
> 
> I never caught this when it was first aired and this is my first time viewing it. I have to say I'm thoroughly enjoying this very impressive piece of wartime drama.
> 
> Great stuff



Brilliant series,loved it!


----------



## Rodders

I've tried unsuccessfully to watch Next. Nothing wrong with it, i just couldn't get into it. 

Have started waching Babylong 5 from start to finish. On Season 1, episode 2 at the mo. Loving it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I've tried unsuccessfully to watch Next. Nothing wrong with it, i just couldn't get into it.
> 
> Have started waching Babylong 5 from start to finish. On Season 1, episode 2 at the mo. Loving it.



I enjoyed Next,another PKDick story tho I can't remember what its originally called


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> I enjoyed Next,another PKDick story tho I can't remember what its originally called


 
*The Golden Man* (1954)


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> *The Golden Man* (1954)



Ah now I remember,thanks for the reminder! Its a shame that hollywood can't keep the stories original name,but then again Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a bit of a mouthful.


----------



## Pyar

I just saw Night of the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and before that I saw Up. NotMBotS was ok, definitely not as good as the first one. If anyone was going to see it in theatres I would just saw to wait until it comes out until DVD to see it.

Up was amazing. Nothing short of brilliant. And this comes from the person who said Wall-E was one of the best movies ever. It seems like Pixar just can't go wrong. The 3D animatoin was done so well and cleverly. The story was very touching, and not something you would expect at all. I was reading the other thread about Hollywood Losing It, after seeing this movie I have tons of confidence in Hollywood. The people over at Pixar aren't losing it at all. If you can I would recommend you go and see this while its still in theatres!


----------



## John

I recently saw 'Bolt'.I loved the movie, its a hilarious film and I loved it from start to finish, a must watch for all generations.


----------



## AE35Unit

John said:


> I recently saw 'Bolt'.I loved the movie, its a hilarious film and I loved it from start to finish, a must watch for all generations.



Ha,I watched that with the kids yesterday,great film! The sequence at the start has some great SF elements!


----------



## BookStop

Hubby and I saw the Hangover on our date night - hilarious movie.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Hilarious Joke said:


> Rewatched *Casino Royale*.
> 
> Fun. Soooo much better than *Quantum of Solace*.


 
I agree. I enjoyed it more than Quantum of Solace as well.

I watched the end of *Top Gun* the other day. Classic.


----------



## WizardofOwls

Watched P. S. I Love You last night. Yeah, I know, its a chick flick, but I thought it was a good movie nonetheless.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Empire of Passion* by Nagisa Oshima, a sexual morality tale about a woman and her lover who jointly murder her husband only to be swallowed by their respective guilt complex. Also the dead husband returns as an archetype J-horror ghost. It has an often spectacular visual sense and some scenes are terrific, but on the whole conventional and certainly not in the same league as *In The Realm of The Senses*, which is one of my favorite films.


----------



## weirdside

Just saw Resident Evil: Degeneration, which was an absolute blast only because of how incredibly bad it was.  Before that I saw Gran Torino, which blew me away.  Eastwood's performance was brilliant and I didn't want the movie to end.


----------



## AE35Unit

weirdside said:


> Just saw Resident Evil: Degeneration, which was an absolute blast only because of how incredibly bad it was.  Before that I saw Gran Torino, which blew me away.  Eastwood's performance was brilliant and I didn't want the movie to end.



Am wanting to watch this. I'm a Eastwood fan both as actor and director and love the Dirty Harry films. He's rather old now tho isn't he. I was surprised when I heard he was resurrecting the role and thought it wouldn't be any good but it seems thats not the case! He's still got it huh


----------



## weirdside

> Am wanting to watch this. I'm a Eastwood fan both as actor and director and love the Dirty Harry films. He's rather old now tho isn't he. I was surprised when I heard he was resurrecting the role and thought it wouldn't be any good but it seems thats not the case! He's still got it huh



Most definitely!  I'd put his performance in Gran Torinio in my top 3 acting performances with Jude Law as Giggalo Joe and Heath Ledger as the Joker.  You really feel for this grizzled old man in the H'mong ghetto, and he does a great job of showing how this old man, Walt, changes over time.  It's weird because good character development is sorely missed nowadays.


----------



## Vargev

hmmm....last film i saw, on dvd would have to Star Trek II : Wrath of Khan, that film never gets old on me.

At the cinema would have to have been Gran Torino, it geniunely was a fantastic film, though i am looking forward to seeing transformers - revenge of the fallen.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Yesterday I saw *The Hangover*, which I thought was quite hilarious.


----------



## deaconllq

The Taking of Pelham 123.  GAG!   Aaaaargh!  Cough ...cough....choke.  Yuck!  (I think you get the point)


----------



## AE35Unit

Bolt,again. Twice.5 year old Katie loves it!


----------



## ravenus

*Nordwand aka North Face*, a conventional but entertaining and visually spectacular old-skool adventure-drama based on a true pre-WW2 story about the heroic attempt of a German duo to reach the summit of the Eiger mountain. The convincingly rugged and arduous mountain climb is set against the background of a bunch of truffle-munching easy-goers talking about Aryan pride and the importance of the successful attempt to prove German superiority.


----------



## Trebuchet

Singing in the Rain. 

I love that film so very much.


----------



## j d worthington

deaconllq said:


> The Taking of Pelham 123. GAG! Aaaaargh! Cough ...cough....choke. Yuck! (I think you get the point)


 
I'm assuming this is the recent remake? I noticed that had been done, and I'm afraid I immediately shut down on the possibility with that one. The original was a good film, with a very good cast, and a nice, taut thriller. I simply can't imagine them doing anything to improve on that particular effort, only turning it into complete dreck....

(As a side note: This one is inextricably intertwined with *The Laughing Policeman* in my head, as both of them were playing simultaneously -- iirc -- in theatres in my area, and there was a similar ad campaign going on for each....)

Myself, I just watched *The Mole People* for the first time in years. I'd forgotten several of both the film's strengths and faults, and came away from it feeling a good deal better about it than I recall being the case before... but oh, that "dance"... OUCH!


----------



## HardScienceFan

Ice Age two.

great animation,great fun


----------



## Grimward

You and me both on _*Wrath of Khan*_, Vargev.  Ricardo Montalban (sic) made such a great bad guy....

_*Ladyhawke*_, again two nights ago.  Always like Rutger Hauer.  Toss in Michelle Pfieffer and Mathew Broderick, lay down a back track from Alan Parsons, and you can't go wrong in my book.

_*Hancock*_, finally, last night.  Interesting twist on superhero, but nothing Marvel didn't do 30 years ago in their comic books...(minus the flying, can anyone say "Luke Cage"?).


----------



## deaconllq

"I'm assuming this is the recent remake? I noticed that had been done, and I'm afraid I immediately shut down on the possibility with that one." from J. D. Worthington

You are correct, and an excellent decision. It was one of those impulse choices. A night away from the kids, nothin' to do. Hey! Why not ruin it by watching a film written for the brainless by the brainless. This movie was so bad, they actually had a character (James Gandolfini as the Mayor) comment on the idiocy of a major plot point.

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT  The Taking of Pelham 123


They need to transport ransom money across Manhattan in 20 minutes. Let's say four medium suitcases worth. So, now we have our excuse for high speed driving, car crashes, motorcycle flips, pedestrian near misses ect. (you know, high drama  ) All followed by screaming sirens and the staccato of the helicopters overhead. After all is said and done (with tragic consequences). The Mayor wonders why they just didn't use a helicopter to transport the money. Anyone in their right mind is already thinking that, but to tell the audience and make them acutely aware that they saw this major flaw but didn't give a rat's behind. Just infuriating.


----------



## j d worthington

I think the greatest "spoiler alert" which can be given with this film is the fact that it even exists....

Speaking of horrendous ideas for remakes... the.... okay, I can't use the terms which come to mind, or I'd find myself quickly banned from the site, supermod or no... are (apparently) in the process of doing a remake of *The Incredible Shrinking Man*! Yep, that's right, a remake of the classic film with Grant Williams in a stunning performance as Robert Scott Carey, the synecdochical figure for modern man. Only this time, it's to be a comedy vehicle with -- wait for it --

*EDDIE MURPHY!*​ 
If you see my name in the headlines due to my engaging in multiple homicides, please send any donations to my legal defense fund. I'm sure you'll all understand.

The absolute horror I feel at this travesty is made all the more intense by having just watched the original for the first time in some years, and -- despite some technical flaws which _could_ be improved by modern resources -- finding that it remains as immensely powerful a film as I remember -- perhaps even more so. One of my top 5 films of all time, I'd say -- that ending is (despite the semi-mystical aspects of it) one of the most moving in cinema history, and that these (again, fill in the appropriate obscenities depending on your level of outrage) want to turn this into a comic abortion starring one of the most talentless hacks to ever turn a buck (at least, if one is to judge by his work of the past 20 years or so) will, I hope, should it actually be made, the _completely_ empty theatres it will so richly deserve....


----------



## Interference

In the comic, right after the TV series hit the airwaves, there's a frame featuring the Bruce Banner looking at a TV through a shop window saying, "They've turned my agony into a soap opera."

It it possible that the movie-going demographic is completely incapable of understanding allegory?

Or perhaps Mr Murphy will say, right at the end of the movie, "I never felt this muthafugin small since that time me and Big Bertenia got it on in the back of her daddy's 747" or something that'll really drive the whole lost-but-not-defeated message home.


----------



## Moonbat

Saw Transformers 2 at the weekend, and was pleasantly syurprised...with the amount of slow motion running from Megan Fox  
Looking forward to Bruno.

Also watched Death Sentence with Kevin Bacon (finally got round to it) and was mildly surprised, I enjoyed bits of it, very intense. But too similar to that Michael Douglas one, what was it called? Falling Down. Anyway I'm wondering what is the original 'man snaps after taking too much cr*p and kills everyone' movie? I expect there is a classic out there that I haven't seen.


----------



## Interference

Not sure, but Falling Down was certainly one of the _best_.  Favourite line: I'm the bad guy?  How did _that_ happen?


----------



## deaconllq

j. d. worthington said:


> I
> that these (again, fill in the appropriate obscenities depending on your level of outrage) want to turn this into a comic abortion starring one of the most talentless hacks to ever turn a buck (at least, if one is to judge by his work of the past 20 years or so) will, I hope, should it actually be made, the _completely_ empty theatres it will so richly deserve....



J.D. Here is an article that addresses the concept of remakes and the skew toward youth in Hollywood. It makes excellent points concerning those topics AND is a hearty pat on the back to those of us "seasoned" individuals who have something to say despite our decades of distance from our teen years.


An Age Old Problem-- What Hollywood is Not Letting You See - Movie Mom


----------



## j d worthington

Bravo. And thank you. I'm definitely going to have to keep that one around.

I'd also suggest reading Ellison's introduction to his screenplay *I, Robot*, which entails the sort of looniness that went into why that version wasn't filmed (it would have made one hell of a film!), as well as his introduction to Strange Wine: "Revealed at Last! What Killed the Dinosaurs! And You Don't Look So Terrific Yourself" (reprinted in *Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean Bed*) and "Somehow, I Don't Think We in Kansas, Toto" (available in *The Essential Ellison*). After working in this industry for 40+ years, he has some doozies to tell....


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Elizabeth *over the weekend. I thought it was only ok, but I'm not really sure why. I found it slightly boring.


----------



## Culhwch

After having seen _Terminator Salvation_ last weekend, my wife and I have watched the _Terminator _and _Terminator 2_. Great films. Makes me want to watch the Alien Quadrilogy, and perhaps move onto the _Back to the Future_s. They just don't make like that any more...


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched The Gunfighter,a classic western with Gregory Peck.


----------



## Grimward

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I watched *Elizabeth *over the weekend. I thought it was only ok, but I'm not really sure why. I found it slightly boring.



I did too, milady, and was a bit disappointed, come to think of it.


----------



## Connavar

*Miracle At S.t Anna*

A very good and different World War II movie.   Spike Lee shows he hasnt lost his touch.

I hope people see it and not stay away because the lead characters are played by virtually unknown black actors.


----------



## gully_foyle

I got to see *Star Trek 90210*, actually I really really really enjoyed it and I thought the new Spock was great.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I went to the theatre this weekend and saw *The Proposal*, which has Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in it. I thought it was very good and very funny.


----------



## ravenus

*Terminator Salvation* was a pretty decent summer action movie..except for all the bits featuring that supreme fathead Christian Bale, which is about 70% of the film. Seriously his role should have been a cameo appearance. The guy who played Marcus did a pretty nice job and the action scene where Marcus and Kyle Reese are being chased around by a zoo's worth of Terminator species is worth watching.

Also saw *Alibaba Aur 40 Chor* (*Alibaba & The 40 Thieves*), an 80's fantasy Bollywood film. This is one of those movies that actually turned out better than my memories of watching it as a kid. The photography and the camera effects are quite decent (although primitive compared to Hollywood at that time) and it moves at a fast clip.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

*Transformers Revenge of the Fallen*. Great summer blockbuster. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Awesome effects. Optimus Prime is a legend. Good childhood memories from the toys and the cartoon series, and apart from the whole Bumblebee incident, it's pretty faithful. The entire film is really about a bunch of alien robots beating the bejesus out of each other. There are some great new robots, the twin Smart Car alikes are funny, as is the little radio controlled car Deceptacon. The plot is a no brainer, and there is one slightly stupid line near the end that I can see some taking offence to. An American soldier in the desert of Egypt says something like "What are we doing in this god-forsaken desert?" I'm not too sure the Egyptians or the Jordanians, who are also included in the comment, would see it that way. A clumsy line that doesn't even sit well in the scene.
Oh, and Megan Fox being taken completely advantage of. Seriously, is anyone really that stupid to not realise the _only_ reason you're cast is because you're arse looks awsome in a pair of denim shorts? And boy does she look good...hmmm...Fox.....
Anyway, the film won't be Oscar nominated, but its a hilarious visual feast, and you don't even need your brain! Bonus! 
Makes a change from the usual crap that takes itself way too seroiusly. If you felt a little down and depressed after watching Terminator Salvation, then this is the perfect antidote. It is a little long, but I was so entertained, I didn't really notice. And that's the whole point of a summer effects-filled blockbuster; to entertain. 

And it did it in bucket loads.


----------



## ktabic

*Lifeforce* (1985), Britain has a space program and manages to bring back to Earth space vampires who proceed to lay waste to London. Good fun in a B-movie way.


----------



## weaveworld

Blast from the Past


----------



## j d worthington

Mine was *The Monolith Monsters* (1957). This is an odd one, in that it has all the things a science fiction story of the period _should_ have: a fairly intelligent, literate script; some very good performances, headed by Grant Williams (again); the people in it actually investigate and look to science to find answers to the dilemma they face, rather than panicking like a troop of Chicken Little wannabes; it has a thoroughly alien menace which isn't "evil" and isn't "good"... it simply is, yet the threat it poses is more devastating than any 10,000 other movie monsters one can think of... and yet, it somehow never quite makes the emotional connection with the viewer. It isn't a bad film in any substantive way; it simply doesn't quite gel; yet it is a very interesting film which respects the intelligence of its audience much, much more than the bulk of sff films, and it should have been better.

It's not the sort of film they're every likely to remake, but it's a pity it didn't quite make the grade, as it is a film worth watching... it's just a minor, but interesting piece, rather than something truly memorable. (Though, once again, I have to put in a word for Williams' performance here. He never had the charismatic appeal of a "star", but the man always put in a damn good, usually understated, performance with a lot more depth and layering than the bulk of big name actors I see around today....)


----------



## AE35Unit

J D I well remember seeing The Monolith Monsters as a kid and being intrigued by it. I'll be happy if they show it on TV again-been an awful long time!


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> J D I well remember seeing The Monolith Monsters as a kid and being intrigued by it. I'll be happy if they show it on TV again-been an awful long time!


 
Glad someone else out there has seen it. Usually the title only receives blank looks (at best) or snickers (at worst), and it deserves neither. And for fans of Golden Age sf... well, this is one of those stories that, if done in prose, would have fit right in with several of the sf magazines of the 1950s....


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched HONDO, a 1953 Western with John Wayne. Not bad apart from the usual overly strong music and use of speeded up photography to give an impression of action(I thought they were over that by then!) 
Notable for being in colour,for being shown in 3D in certain cinemas(it shows,with deliberate thrusts towards the camera that look odd) and for being probably the earliest film to feature this line:
'You ready Buck?'

'Yea I was born ready!'


----------



## Pyar

I just saw *Spirited Away*, what a great movie! The plot was a little slow and sometime confusing but the animation and concept was amazing. Now I know why it is such a highly acclaimed movie.


----------



## deaconllq

Agreed! The movie has stayed with me from the moment I watched it. You should go on a binge. Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky. All excellent. Yes they move slowly at times. However, that is an excellent time to sit back and enjoy the stunning animation.


----------



## Overread

Well its sorta watched - well half way though at the moment - The Good the Bad and the Ugly (on the telly!). 

And I am reminded why its a film similar to the Ghibli films mentioned above - its a film which does move slow and does make you sit and watch the screen. Something that is fast missing from Hollywood films these days where its all action action action.


----------



## AE35Unit

Excellent film OR,one of my favourites!


----------



## clovis-man

Overread said:


> Well its sorta watched - well half way though at the moment - The Good the Bad and the Ugly (on the telly!).
> 
> And I am reminded why its a film similar to the Ghibli films mentioned above - its a film which does move slow and does make you sit and watch the screen. Something that is fast missing from Hollywood films these days where its all action action action.



I just read a review of *Public Enemies* in a Bay Area newspaper this morning that was critical because there wasn't enough action. Give me a break. OTOH, the New York Times had good things to say because it took the time to explore the period feel and get to know the characters. Guess which one I'll pay attention to.


----------



## Pyar

deaconllq said:


> Agreed! The movie has stayed with me from the moment I watched it. You should go on a binge. Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky. All excellent. Yes they move slowly at times. However, that is an excellent time to sit back and enjoy the stunning animation.




Oh no so much to watch not enough time! I'll watch them whenever I have free time.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

*Superman Returns*. O.K, not a great movie or anything, but it kept me interested and I quite enjoyed it. A little too many in-jokes maybe, and the whole Superman has a son thing was a little silly, but it worked for the film, so hey-ho. Good special effects, and the guy who played the titular hero was a very good match to Christopher Reeves, he sounded and acted very alike. All in all, an O.K watch.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Overread said:


> Well its sorta watched - well half way though at the moment - The Good the Bad and the Ugly (on the telly!).
> 
> And I am reminded why its a film similar to the Ghibli films mentioned above - its a film which does move slow and does make you sit and watch the screen. Something that is fast missing from Hollywood films these days where its all action action action.



I agree that Hollywood is all action and special effects orientated at the moment, but it's not all bad. Its hopefully just a fashionable phase. I'm actually enjoying all the 'big bangs' at the moment, its all a good distraction from the harsh brain work of writing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Noah Phoenix said:


> *Superman Returns*. O.K, not a great movie or anything, but it kept me interested and I quite enjoyed it. A little too many in-jokes maybe, and the whole Superman has a son thing was a little silly, but it worked for the film, so hey-ho. Good special effects, and the guy who played the titular hero was a very good match to Christopher Reeves, he sounded and acted very alike. All in all, an O.K watch.



We rented that once and stopped watching after half an hour or so. Must try it again sometime.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

AE35Unit said:


> We rented that once and stopped watching after half an hour or so. Must try it again sometime.



Yeah, I can see why you would have. It's no Oscar winner, but a little brainless visual fun can do good sometimes. It's just a harmless family film, really.


----------



## Rodders

I thought the casting on that was superb. When i look at Clark Kent or Superman, i really see Christopher Reeve.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Rodders said:


> I thought the casting on that was superb. When i look at Clark Kent or Superman, i really see Christopher Reeve.



I thought that was the best part about the film. It was like watching Christopher Reeve all over again.


----------



## Werewoman

I _miss_ Christopher Reeve. I can't imagine anyone else as Superman.


----------



## AE35Unit

Am now watching Dean Spanley,a film with Peter O Toole. It was rented for my other half to watch while I'm at work but I had to phone in sick(fever,dizzyness) so now I'm watching it. Its based on a book by Dunsany- I noticed JD mentioning that name on here!


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh that was a lovely film! Peter O Toole was fabulous,and the filming really put you into that time. I love films like that,films that make you feel something. Hollywood eat your heart out!  
(I want to find some Dunsany now!) 
Now watching Young Victoria.


----------



## AE35Unit

And Young Victoria tho well done was less enjoyable. Partly because our monarchy is SO complicated!


----------



## Fal

Transformers II and I LOVED it!!!!


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Am now watching Dean Spanley,a film with Peter O Toole. It was rented for my other half to watch while I'm at work but I had to phone in sick(fever,dizzyness) so now I'm watching it. Its based on a book by Dunsany- I noticed JD mentioning that name on here!


 


AE35Unit said:


> Oh that was a lovely film! Peter O Toole was fabulous,and the filming really put you into that time. I love films like that,films that make you feel something. Hollywood eat your heart out!
> (I want to find some Dunsany now!)


 
I must admit that I wasn't even aware of that one (or had long forgotten about it). Sounds like something I would like to see. Glad you enjoyed it; and I think you'll enjoy Dunsany, should you give him a try....


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> I must admit that I wasn't even aware of that one (or had long forgotten about it). Sounds like something I would like to see. Glad you enjoyed it; and I think you'll enjoy Dunsany, should you give him a try....



Been checking him out on Fantastic Fiction. Baron or Lord Dunsany,his full name is quite elaborate!
Have you read the book on which this film is based,My Talks with Dean Spanly? I got a feeling that maybe Walt Disney may have taken this idea to create Lady and the Tramp!


----------



## j d worthington

Actually, no, I've not read that one. Most of my reading of Dunsany has been his fantasy tales, with a few other scattered stories or a novel here and there. But the man was somewhat prolific, so there is a large amount I've not read; but, having read about it in essays and articles on Dunsany, I am more than a little intrigued... and I know I like his work in general, so eventually I'll get around to it....


----------



## Rippers

Seen a few in the last few days but 'Push' was the last. Very similar to Hero's, I thought. I liked that it was set in Hong Kong, which made for an interesting backdrop, and I found the characters instantly likeable. Overall, i enjoyed it.


----------



## MontyCircus

The best movie of 2009, *Revolutionary Road* 

I think it's the third time I've seen it, and it's still by far the most frightening thing I've ever seen.

I read that this movie not making the final cut of best picture nominations is part of what prompted the Academy to enlarge the list to 10.  *Slumdog* and *Milk* were pretty average films.  *Benjamin Button* really was unbearable.  Didn't see *Frost/Nixon* or *The Reader* yes but I doubt I'll like them either.

I've shown it to some of my Chinese friends and there is a pretty big cultural gap which makes the situation in the movie (an unfulfilling, unhappy marriage in suburbia) completely alien to them.  One of them, after seeing the movie, said "I don't understand what they were fighting about".  Haha.  In China it's very, very common for the husband and wife to live in separate cities from each other, meeting only once a year for Spring Festival...you know...to catch up on things.  So the wife just deals with living alone and the husband finds a lover.  Marriage really is a transactional thing in China.  If you're a girl and say...26 years-old, then you marry whatever single man happens to be around (preferably who owns a house and car).  When you're 28 you have your child.  And that's basically your life checklist.  I'm not sure love, (at least as understood in Western culture), exists in China.  Wacky.


----------



## weaveworld

Nim's Island


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> Actually, no, I've not read that one. Most of my reading of Dunsany has been his fantasy tales, with a few other scattered stories or a novel here and there. But the man was somewhat prolific, so there is a large amount I've not read; but, having read about it in essays and articles on Dunsany, I am more than a little intrigued... and I know I like his work in general, so eventually I'll get around to it....



Well having seen the film I would definitely say this was fantasy. But quiet fantasy. Its rather like the book Fluke by James Herbert. You know about a man who thinks he's a dog and vice versa. Don't want to give too much away but it deals with reincarnation.


----------



## ktabic

*Contact* just finished playing here a few minutes ago. Damn fine movie.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Fight Club*.


----------



## deaconllq

The Hangover


----------



## Werewoman

I know this technically doesn't count, but the Sci-Fi channel is showing a Twilight Zone marathon in honor of the 4th of July and I've been watching it for the last two nights in a row. I like the ones they are showing tonight because they are the older ones from the 1960's. One episode had Don Rickles and Burgess Meredith in it. PRICELESS!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Marley and Me. Cute but annoying. How many realise its based on true events? The people really were that stupid and irresponsible? Some guys just don't have a clue about dogs! 
Now watching Superman Returns. Oh hum. After all the crap of the TV series i'm bored with it. And really he should be renamed Impossible Man!
I mean he stops the plane from crashing but he's in mid air. There's nothing to push against so he would be driven into the ground with it. 
As Scotty would say Ye cannae change the laws of physics••• 
But thats sci fi for ya!


----------



## ktabic

Just back from cinema (followed by pub and random meal with friends) having watched *Public Enemy*. Bales doesn't sound like Batman, Depp doesn't look like Jack Sparrow, and Mr Manhattan isn't J Edgar Hoover. Not a bad film, some pretty good shoot outs, but summed up by one of the watches I went with with the comment now I want to watch Heat.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

Dukes Of Hazard. Oh, dear oh dear. Never mind eh? Worth looking at for the cars ( I was always dissapointed that The General Lee wasn't a Tang, I've loved them since I sat in my Grandad's as a five year old, and being a Brit, we don't see many over here.) Jessica Simpson is a tart, end of. Other than that, if I ever hear either Sean William Scott or Jonny Knoxville shout Yee-Har! one more time I'm going to start killing...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Home Alone* at the moment.

Ah, grown men being hurt in various inventive ways is amusing...

Within the film, I mean.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a neat western from 1966 called The Professionals with Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster. 4 guys each with his own special talent are recruited to rescue the kidnapped wife of a rich man from the clutches of a renowned mexican bandit(played by Jack Palance) but things don't turn out as expected. 
Nearly every western i've ever seen always portray Mexicans as dirty nasty buggers,worse than Indians. I'm sure they weren't like that at all. But then neither were the Indians how they were depicted in movies!


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Home Alone* at the moment.
> 
> Ah, grown men being hurt in various inventive ways is amusing...
> 
> Within the film, I mean.


 
*recalling various scenarios around the Chrons* Um... yeah....

Last night, I watched a film I'd not seen since I was quite a young child: *Monster on the Campus* -- a part of that 6-disc set I picked up recently. Not nearly as good or intelligent as most of the others on there, but still a good cut above a large chunk of what was coming out at that time. It at least offered a rationale, however daft a one, had something of a point (or message, if you prefer), and overall some quite good performances (as well as a few that were quite forgettable). And, despite the makeup being more of a full-head mask, it was a quite nifty looking one that I still quite like.

Not a great film, rather poor in some ways... but I still got a kick out of watching it, and it was a great little trip down memory lane....


----------



## AE35Unit

Noah Phoenix said:


> Dukes Of Hazard. Oh, dear oh dear. Never mind eh? Worth looking at for the cars ( I was always dissapointed that The General Lee wasn't a Tang, I've loved them since I sat in my Grandad's as a five year old, and being a Brit, we don't see many over here.) Jessica Simpson is a tart, end of. Other than that, if I ever hear either Sean William Scott or Jonny Knoxville shout Yee-Har! one more time I'm going to start killing...



Have managed to avoid that film so far. The General Lee is a Dodge Charger isn't it? 
Saw one at a recent vintage american car rally.


----------



## SpaceShip

Just watched the epic "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" again for the first time since the '60s and had forgotten what a great film it was. Thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Nearly every western i've ever seen always portray Mexicans as dirty nasty buggers,worse than Indians. I'm sure they weren't like that at all. But then neither were the Indians how they were depicted in movies!


 
There were a lot of reasons for that, the major one being that a fair number of the border-crossers who didn't just blend in were outlaws (the ones who blended in, of course, tended to do just that, and so were forgotten). And of course raids from Pancho Villa and the like didn't make most Americans any more fond of such folk, either.... Then there's the whole fact that both the North American and Mexican cultures were involved for so long in establishing who owned the various territories, as well, and both sides used a lot of less-than-savoury characters in that struggle....


----------



## HoopyFrood

J.d.worthington said:
			
		

> *recalling various scenarios around the Chrons* Um... yeah....



Such slander.


Well, libel.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Such slander.
> 
> 
> Well, libel.


 
Wanna go for "accurate reporting"....?


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> There were a lot of reasons for that, the major one being that a fair number of the border-crossers who didn't just blend in were outlaws (the ones who blended in, of course, tended to do just that, and so were forgotten). And of course raids from Pancho Villa and the like didn't make most Americans any more fond of such folk, either.... Then there's the whole fact that both the North American and Mexican cultures were involved for so long in establishing who owned the various territories, as well, and both sides used a lot of less-than-savoury characters in that struggle....



The portrayal has alwar struck a dischord with me,because on the screen we see lazy dirty womanizing low down good for nothings of a low intelligence,and yet also there's this amazing music ability and heritage at the same time. They'll show  them lazing about after being up to no good while there is incredibly rich and articulate guitar music playing. It never quite gelled for me.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Jurassic Park*

OhmygodIloveit.

'Cept they ain't velociraptors.

And Cretaceous Park would be more fitting.



But ohmygodIloveit.


----------



## Rinman

Since there isn't rules on if we can / can't post portions or a full, I watched a bit of the 1953 version of War of the Worlds...kind of laughed a bit.

PEW PEW PEW!!! ZZZT!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!! ZZZT!!! ZZZT!!! PEW PEW PEW!!!


----------



## Rippers

We're off to see the new Transformers 2 tomorrow, so thought we'd watch the first again. I really enjoy that film. I love everything about it- the charicters, the wonderful effects and I love the sound. It gives me chills when I hear the unmistakeable sound of a Transformer. 

And, I'll admit it right now, I kind of fancy Bumble Bee. But thats not as bad as my friend who fancies 'Brian' from Family Guy.


----------



## christyrocks99

> And, I'll admit it right now, I kind of fancy Bumble Bee. But thats not as bad as my friend who fancies 'Brian' from Family Guy.


 
How can you fancy a robot in disguise or a cartoon dog? I guess this is one of those things were it's the personality that matters...

I watched Ice Age 2 on TV today, ya gotta love that Scrat


----------



## AE35Unit

Rinman said:


> Since there isn't rules on if we can / can't post portions or a full, I watched a bit of the 1953 version of War of the Worlds...kind of laughed a bit.
> 
> PEW PEW PEW!!! ZZZT!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!! ZZZT!!! ZZZT!!! PEW PEW PEW!!!



Things was different back then thats for sure,but it remains a classic,certainly better than anything that Ed Wood could produce! 
I love both it and the remake equally.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Nearly every western i've ever seen always portray Mexicans as dirty nasty buggers,worse than Indians. I'm sure they weren't like that at all. But then neither were the Indians how they were depicted in movies!



Hollywood likes to portray ridiculous extremes. With Native Americans, it seems always to be either the Noble Redman or the Sneaky, Cruel Savage. We get a similar dichotomy with Mexican culture, e.g., *The Magnificent Seven*, which includes both extremes. A couple of exceptions might be *Jeremiah Johnson* and *All The Pretty Horses*, even though the books from whence they sprang may not have been so kindly.

Back on topic: Just finished watching a DVD of *Shaun The Sheep* episodes. Nick Park's comic genius knows no bounds.


----------



## Rippers

Watched Transformers 2 in the cinema. Had one of those rare sittings where there was just us too. 

Thought this was a cracking film, and don't know why it's met with average reviews. Yeah, it was long, but it really filled the time and it didn't feel like a long film (eg Watchmen)

Plus, I cried at several points (SFF seems to make me cry more than any other genre, somehow) and I got to watch those sexy Autobots. Grrrrrrrr


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Man on the Moon on the iPlayer. Its fascinating how the Russians got up there first,coming from nowhere and beating the US! I guess they were really making up for lost time after techno phobe Stalin! 
To think it was 40 years ago since man made his 'first steps into the universe' as they often put it. And also sad how we've not managed to do anything further! Come on we should be talking about the first Mars walks by now!


----------



## Noah Phoenix

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Man on the Moon on the iPlayer. Its fascinating how the Russians got up there first,coming from nowhere and beating the US! I guess they were really making up for lost time after techno phobe Stalin!
> To think it was 40 years ago since man made his 'first steps into the universe' as they often put it. And also sad how we've not managed to do anything further! Come on we should be talking about the first Mars walks by now!



I watched the first programme, but missed the others, will have to catch up!
It was very informative, I never knew those guy's died in the test stage. I don't know how anyone could have ever said it was all staged. But yeah, we should be making more progress, but every country these days seems intent on threatening each other over resources. I mean, how are we ever going to discover the Prothean ruins on Mars or the Mass Relay the other side of Pluto if we don't actually _go_ there?


----------



## AE35Unit

Noah Phoenix said:


> I watched the first programme, but missed the others, will have to catch up!
> It was very informative, I never knew those guy's died in the test stage. I don't know how anyone could have ever said it was all staged. But yeah, we should be making more progress, but every country these days seems intent on threatening each other over resources. I mean, how are we ever going to discover the Prothean ruins on Mars or the Mass Relay the other side of Pluto if we don't actually _go_ there?



Others? This was just one long program,100 minutes long. Ray Bradbury popped up a couple of times given his impression of it all. 
When that was screened the other night on BBC Four,there was a program before it about a guy hoping to interview Neil Armstrong. He sent him emails but never actually got to meet him. Like Aldrin and others he's probably sick of the same questions over and over.


----------



## deaconllq

Run, fat boy Run!   Thought it would be silly/wacky .... instead it was sappy/sweet.


----------



## Jev

This really bad horror film called 'Dolls.' Annoying kid and wretched parents hole up with two hookers and a nebbishy waste of space in the house of a geriatric couple that makes possessed killer dolls. It's very, very Eighties.

One-half star out of five, if only because it was such a product of its time. Thought it might be good for a laugh; am now regretting wasting the TiVo space (even if only temporarily.)

The last film that I saw in the cinema was 'Public Enemies.' It was OK, definitely worth two hours' waste of time (unlike 'Dolls'), but not great art by any means. Still, they filmed about 10 miles away from my law school while I was in my last year there (the jailbreak in Crown Point), so I wanted to see it to recognize the town next door, and I did. (Three stars out of five.)


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Went to the movie theatre and saw *Away We Go*. I quite enjoyed it, plus some of it was filmed here so that's always exciting. 

Also saw *Superman Returns* on TV. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't horrible either. As others have said, they did a really great job casting Clark Kent/Superman. He really was very close to Christopher Reeve.

I know its not a movie, but we have also been watching *The Tudors* on DVD. Just watched Season 2 finale, and now have to wait for Season 3 to come out on DVD. I'm quite enjoying it, even if it isn't always historically accurate.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Went to the movie theatre and saw *Away We Go*. I quite enjoyed it, plus some of it was filmed here so that's always exciting.
> 
> Also saw *Superman Returns* on TV. It wasn't spectacular, but it wasn't horrible either. As others have said, they did a really great job casting Clark Kent/Superman. He really was very close to Christopher Reeve.
> .


Now i didn't think it was that close. In fact I thought the guy acting as Lois Lane's new beau looked more than a bit like Reeve!


----------



## Noah Phoenix

AE35Unit said:


> Now i didn't think it was that close. In fact I thought the guy acting as Lois Lane's new beau looked more than a bit like Reeve!



The guy that played Superman didn't look like Reeve, but he acted and sounded spot on.


----------



## Lacedaemonian

*The Hangover *- I was a little put off by the hype but it struck all the correct comedic chords for me.  This is a man-flick.  Women may think they enjoy it but they simply will not understand.


----------



## Connavar

*Aliens*

Now i understand finally why it isnt called Alien 2 but Alien*(s) *

It was a brilliant SF/horror. I liked how more broad in scope it was than the first. You saw more of the company,the world of the series how things work. Ripley was hardcore and the visual,effects was great. Now i get why Alien series is so loved, not saying the first film wasnt quality too.

A movie that shows not all modern SF films by hollywood arent brain-dead garbage...

Easily a *10/10* film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

This week I have mostly been watching:

*Behind Enemy Lies* (Owen Wilson in a serious role. Whoa).
*Seven* (love it)
*The Untouchables
Keeping Mum *(A nice black humoured British film)

Er...probably others, but I forget.


----------



## Interference

Connavar said:


> A movie that shows not all modern SF films by hollywood arent brain-dead garbage...



Freudian double-negative?    Elegantly done


----------



## blacknorth

Deluge - 1933. About a tidal wave which engulfs NY.

This film was presumed lost for many years until Forest Ackerman discovered a print in an Italian film vault. It's dubbed into Italian, with English subs, but well-worth seeing for its early technical prowess.


----------



## Interference

Wow!!! Any details?  Director, leads, distributer???


----------



## blacknorth

Interference said:


> Wow!!! Any details?  Director, leads, distributer???



Deluge (1933)

Nice write-up by dan51:

_  Back at the start of the "talkies", in 1933, RKO Studios produced this compelling vision of the Earth destroyed by natural disasters.  Until recently, this was a lost film, all prints of it presumed gone.  I managed to obtain a VHS copy of this, essentially, low budget production directed by Felix Feist.  For cinema historians, this is highly recommended viewing; just don't expect CGI perfection, for we're talking decades before our glorious computers were invented.

The first twenty minutes are the most terrifying I can recall.  For apparently no rhyme or reason, scientists discover that the Earth's weather has drastically changed:  The barometers are dropping rapidly, the wind velocity is increasing, and a mysterious, unscheduled solar eclipse has occurred.  Unlike most science-films, no pseudo-scientific explanations are offered.  the world's officials and citizens are thoroughly baffled and horrified.  To worsen the disturbing mystery, Earthquakes and tidal waves then break out, destroying and sinking most of the land on our planet, leaving the world a vast ocean with millions dead.

The spectacular sequence of the destruction of New York is spellbinding and memorable.  Though the effects are naturally dated, they are nevertheless convincing and frightening.  Buildings crumble, people perish and a tremendous flood buries the world's largest city (though some may not consider that to be any great tragedy).  The sense of doom and dread convey an overpowering deluge.  The film's title conveys a double meaning;  a gigantic flood and a state of being overwhelmed.  As the tag line reads, EARTH IS DOOMED!  And that's no phoney promo, DELUGE lives up to its hype. A one of a kind effort and an early experiment in special-effects.

The story's opening is directed in an eerir Twilight Zone manner. Believable dialogue and an astute lack of sopomoric jargon enhance its credibility and effectiveness.  A totally impossible nightmare plagues the human race, and no one knows how or why.  Obviously, no solution to the bizzare occurance prevails.  Reality and illusion converge with catastrophic results.  Its grim, somber tone is undeniable and unrelenting.  They don't make paranoia like they used to.

However, the film's main drawback is that once the devastation is over, the excruciating tension diminishes and we're left with a standard tale of a group of survivors marooned on a strip of land that still remains above water, a few miles away from where New York once was.  Though not bad (remember it was still the first of its kind), it still pales considerably compared to the powerful and unforgettable opening.

If DELUGE had concentrated solely on the catastrophie, and the suspenseful events leading up to it, it could have been a great classic.  As it is, it's still quite a unique effort (considering its low budget) and an interesting curio.  Perhaps Irwin Allen saw this back in his childhood.

Check this out, but don't expect an Industrial Light and Magic enterprise and Harrison Ford.  We're talking nearly seventy years ago. It was 'Famous Monster's' Forrest J. Ackerman who uncovered the only known existing print (way back in the eighties) dubbed in Italian and sub-titled, giving it a foreign film cinema verite appearence.  Very honorable deed, Forrey, but why did you wait so long to tell us?

_Edit - forgot to mention this film is not available on any format - but if anyone wants a copy let me know. Makes a fine addition to any post-apocalypse collection.


----------



## AE35Unit

Blacknorth,would you be able to burn that to a DVD? I'm curious about it but lack VHS player.


----------



## blacknorth

AE35Unit said:


> Blacknorth,would you be able to burn that to a DVD? I'm curious about it but lack VHS player.



No problem - check your PM's.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Adios Sabata,an OK spaghetti western I only watched because Yul Brynner was in it. Pretty average with the usual whistling music(why do they all have that?) 
Apparently its the second of a trilogy,the other two having Lee Van Cleef as Sabata. Why do the TV channels always show just one of a trilogy rather than showing all 3?


----------



## Grimward

_*Titan, AE.*_

Could have been better (lead character reminded me of counterpart in Anastasia a little too much!), but not bad.


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> the usual whistling music(why do they all have that?)



Fashion, of course.  When Leone took American box offices by storm, his unique take on western film was soundtracked with Morricone's unique take on western film music.  Prior to him, it had been native drums and brass sections, but he went to the heart of the instruments available in 19th century America and orchestrated his music for guitars (Spanish-American influence), ethnic whistles and rattles (native inhabitants) and orchestra (European influences).  Every other European (and some American) film maker saw this as part of the formula for revitalising the Western Genre at the box office (even the long-running and hugely popular TV western series The Virginian recruited Morrecone to write the theme for their final two seasons) and, as with all bandwagons, nobody wanted to be left behind.


----------



## J-Sun

Connavar said:


> *Aliens*
> 
> Easily a *10/10* film.



Welcome to the club!  I think the first one is great, too, but the second is more... well, more!

I just - finally - saw _Destination: Moon_. Although it doesn't remind me too much of _Rocket Ship Galileo_, Heinlein's association does not seem to have been a token thing - it's pretty Heinleinian film in many thematic/philosophical ways.

It does have its flaws: it's kind of slow and not particularly dramatic except when some drama is kind of manufactured (especially the floating spaceman, though the almost "Cold Equations" landing/takeoff issues were great) and, to my post-1950 eyes, the special effects sometimes fall down - they seem to have the biggest problem simulating zero or 1/6 G, and the "space walk" stop motion looks kind of _King Kong_ish, but it's not a problem. At least they were cognizant of the scientific issues. I loved that this was a very "hard SF" movie with no lost worlds under the surface of the moon or any concessions to the romances and whatnot of usual movies. And it did attain a sense of wonder and a kind of emotion by the simple truth of the thing: as they walked about on the moon and viewed the Earth hanging there, they experienced exalted feelings that came through to me. In many ways, it was completely different from the reality of 1969 but in many essentials - though I always dispute that this is SF's job or even particularly important - it was, indeed, prophetic.

It also seems to have launched the wave of 50s SF films and *must* have helped lay the groundwork for JFK not sounding like a complete loon in 1961 - it had to make the public more susceptible to the concepts.

Cool flick, very worth watching, though one shouldn't expect the excitement of _Aliens_. 

EDIT: forgot to mention that, in once case of not being prophetic, they used a single-stage atomic engined rocket. But I have to say, it's a damn shame our real rockets didn't manage to look like that.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*.

AND! *Home Alone 2*. Tv gold!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched the christmas 2006 special of Doctor Who with Katherine Tate. Funny but now I know why I don't watch Doctor Who!


----------



## ktabic

*Sunshine Cleaning*, not SF, but an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.


----------



## clovis-man

Re *Destination Moon*:



J-Sun said:


> It also seems to have launched the wave of 50s SF films and *must* have helped lay the groundwork for JFK not sounding like a complete loon in 1961 - it had to make the public more susceptible to the concepts.



If you liked the approach taken in filming this movie, you might like *Conquest of Space* from 1955 also. Similar take on a flight to Mars. Special effects are not so special, as you might expect, but it holds up fairly well anyway.

Conquest of Space (1955)


----------



## J-Sun

Thanks for the tip - I'll keep it in mind. Bonestell, Ley, rockets from designs by von Braun. That much sounds very interesting.


----------



## StarDemon

SunShine DVD, I'm a Huge Space Sci-fi Fan


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched...erm...*Assault on Precinct 13* (the John Carpenter one) and then *Commando* (mantastic).


----------



## Rodders

I really didn't rate Assault.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I...didn't quite pay attention to it, in all honesty.

I'm watching *The Fly* at the moment. The Vincent Price one. I've seen the Jeff Goldblum one a few times, but never this one. It's awesome.


----------



## Overread

Laputa - Castle in the Sky 
and it dawned on me that I need more Ghibli films in my collection!


----------



## ktabic

*Feast*. Not bad at all. Quite fun, in a gorey monsters devour misfits in sprays of blood sort of way.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> I'm watching *The Fly* at the moment. The Vincent Price one. I've seen the Jeff Goldblum one a few times, but never this one. It's awesome.



I love the ending in that one!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a strange british 'comedy' called Confetti about 3 couples in a wedding competition. Filmed like Best in Show. 
Don't bother!


----------



## biodroid

Saw *Ice Age 3* in 3D and it was awesome, definitely the best of the trilogy. Watched *Burn After Reading *and that was a load of bollocks. I think I am going to miss the Coen brothers future releases. I felt like burning the disk after watching


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *Bruno*. Wow. Don't see it with your mum.


----------



## Rodders

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched a strange british 'comedy' called Confetti about 3 couples in a wedding competition. Filmed like Best in Show.
> Don't bother!


 
Have you seen "Drop Dead Gorgeous" with Kirsten Dunst? That was a very funny film. Similiar sort of mockumentory feel as best in show, but about a beauty pagent. Great fun.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Have you seen "Drop Dead Gorgeous" with Kirsten Dunst? That was a very funny film. Similiar sort of mockumentory feel as best in show, but about a beauty pagent. Great fun.



Meh,sounds like a Chick Flick. To be honest I'm not keen on these kind of films. Best in Show is tolerable.


----------



## Urien

"Hulk", The terminally dull, self-absorbed, joyless nonsense that was Ang Lee's rampaging comic book monster.


----------



## Interference

One of the first "blockbusters" I ever fell asleep in.


----------



## Moonbat

> I saw *Bruno*. Wow. Don't see it with your mum.


 
I saw this last night (sans mum). Absolutely brilliant. The look of pain on a man's face when he is at a cage fighting match and is watching two grown men strip to thier pants (underpants) and hold each other was priceless.

The funniest thing I have seen in a long time.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Ha I didn't see it with my mum either (thank goodness).

I loved the martial arts scene. Bloody oath that was hilarious.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* yesterday on Tv.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Few things:

1.) Yup, the ending to *The Fly* is brilliant. Heeeeelp meeee...
2.) I saw *Confetti* at the cinema, I believe. I'm a fan of a few of them, especially Martin Freeman and Robert Webb, but that's just not my kind of film. Although I think I heard that portions of the film were actually improvised, which ups the respect for the actors.

3.) Went to see *Bruno* this evening. VERY funny, but at the same time, I was doing a lot of "Oh, god, no..." Particularly when I saw things such as "Alabama" pop up on the screen. And as outrageous as Bruno is, I think you often find yourself much more shocked by the things the people he is 'interviewing' say. Some...interesting...social commentary.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Me again.

I am in the midst of the Extended _Lord of the Rings_ marathon. We've been going since 1 o'clock and are in the middle of *The Two Towers* now. Lord of the Rings Fatigue is starting to set in. We'll be breaking for dinner after this one, then onto *Return of the King*...


----------



## Pyar

I saw *Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince* last night at the midnight showing. It was amazing! I think the best movie yet. The cinematics were wonderful and the comedy hilarious. Even though it was 2 hours long it kept me more then engaged, I didn't even realize that the time went by! What a great movie.


----------



## ktabic

*Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome*. Excellent apocalyso stuff, although I still prefer The Road Warrior.


----------



## Grimward

Saw AE35UNIT's second feature length film, *2010: The Year We Made Contact*, the other night.  Very passable (always liked Roy Schieder, for some reason.....)









SPOILER!!!






Have to remember to look for that second sun next year!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Iron Man* at the moment. Great film. I love how it's not action all the way through (which, with a suit like that, it could easily do) but actually takes time to see the construction of the suit, which is more interesting. 

One thing though...confess that I don't know much about Tony Stark/The Iron Man stuff. But why, when you have a suit so very powerful and...well, armoured, would you have your one weak bit all lit up and on show in the middle of it?


----------



## Grimward

I own a copy of the origin in Tales of Suspense #39 (it's too bad that I don't have the original!), Hoops; the original power supply was a series of minature batteries built into the chest plate, and nothing at all like the Hollywood version. The link here on Marvel's wiki provides a pretty good summary of that origin issue....


I liked the film, too.


----------



## ktabic

I thought the whole light thing (alright, arc reactor) in the chest was just because it looked cool?

From my vague memories, I'm sure Ironman can use the chest light as a weapon of some sort, which is why it shows.


----------



## Grimward

You are correct about the chest weapon, and I seem to remember it being a scanner at one point, too....


----------



## ktabic

A multifunction light thingy! Bit like a sonic screwdriver then.


----------



## Ice fyre

I have not long seen Bruno, and I thnk I will need therapy for a while! I agree with Hoopy assesment a lot of hiding behind ones hands going nooooooooo! The anti gay preacher was the funniest thing for years!


----------



## sidewinder

in no particular order

get smart
iron man
transporter 3
sin city (blu ray)
taken


----------



## AE35Unit

Knowing with Nicholas Cage. An interesting apocalypse tale that gets more and more sfnal towards the end.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Nannie Diaries*. Much better than I expected. Really quite clever and intelligent.


----------



## ktabic

The Quatermass Experiment. Still good.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Death Becomes Her *has just started. *DEATH BECOMES HER*!!

I absolutely love this film, but I haven't seen it in years (watched it a lot when I was young; remember going around the primary school playground, drooping my head all over the place). Now it's on. Yeah!


----------



## Tillane

Just watched _*The Bourne Supremacy*_ with my mum.  I (as always) loved it.  My mum fell asleep.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Been a _Studio Ghibli_ day. My housemates were watching *Spirited Away* when I came down this morning, so watched the last bit of that. Then we watched *Howl's Moving Castle*. Now is *Princess Mononoke*. I don't know how much I like this one...not because it's not good, but it's so much more violent and bloody...


----------



## ktabic

*Cherry 2000*. There is some distinctly weird stuff in that film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Shaun of the Dead*'s on tv.

Love it.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Honestly, and shamefully, The Dark Half. I forgot how bad the ending was.

Wish I could have another Studio Ghibli day.  Stupid laptop AC.


----------



## manephelien

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Enjoyed it!


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Been a _Studio Ghibli_ day. My housemates were watching *Spirited Away* when I came down this morning, so watched the last bit of that. Then we watched *Howl's Moving Castle*. Now is *Princess Mononoke*. I don't know how much I like this one...not because it's not good, but it's so much more violent and bloody...



What on earth is Studio Gibbley?


----------



## HoopyFrood

The famous Japanese makers of many awesome anime films. *Spirited Away*, *Howl's Moving Castle* and *Princess Mononoke* are all the top three ranking anime films in Japan (*Spirited Away* has even won an academy award). They also made other films such as *Laputa: Castle in the Sky* and *Tales from Earthsea*, among many others. The animation is just...beautiful, the characters often weird, and the stories strange and fantastical.


----------



## Wybren

Just watched "Ghost Town" it was funny and sad.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> The famous Japanese makers of many awesome anime films. *Spirited Away*, *Howl's Moving Castle* and *Princess Mononoke* are all the top three ranking anime films in Japan (*Spirited Away* has even won an academy award). They also made other films such as *Laputa: Castle in the Sky* and *Tales from Earthsea*, among many others. The animation is just...beautiful, the characters often weird, and the stories strange and fantastical.



Ah,Manga!


----------



## Connavar

Miyazaki is vastly overrated in the west like he is the only accepted good anime director.

Princess Mononoke was beautiful story though.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Went and saw *Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince*. I thought it was pretty good. They changed some things I didn't agree with, but I did still quite enjoy it.

Also this weekend, watched *Click* and *The Princess Bride*.


----------



## deaconllq

Watched Gandhi again. Wow. Pure and simple.


----------



## Urien

The Patriot. Mel Gibson deals death to Nazi Brits in a slavery absent proto-American wonderland.


----------



## Runya

The Butterfly Effect 2.

It was a little annoying at the end.

Either way, it teaches us that we _cannot_ play God no matter what.


----------



## BookStop

Watched Fanboys. Pretty stupid, but I must admit...I laughed.

Yesterday we watched the Haunting in Connecticut. It was ok. I liked that it didn't rely on traditional gross outs. Overall, it wasn't really scary though.


----------



## J-Sun

Watched _Alien_ and _Aliens_ for the umpteenth time - partly because it recently came up on this thread, I believe, but more because I'd just seen a bunch of old grade-Z SFFH movies and I wanted to see something a little more convincing and compelling. Freakin' superb movies, there.


----------



## Culhwch

_Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_. Just comedy gold.


----------



## blacknorth

_The Death of Adolf Hitler_, with Frank Finlay as Hitler.

Now this was a strange and fascinating film. Made for television by LWT in the early 70's, it's the most obscure of all the various bunker films, but, I think the best. The reason for this is that it departs somewhat from the Trevor-Roper version of events and introduces an extra-ordinary plot turn - that Hitler spent the last few days of his life searching for the infamous and missing written Holocaust order, not to destroy it, but to include it in his final testament.

In a way this film offers a very different perspective on the dictator - almost a disturbing companion piece to George Steiner's _Portage to San Christobel of A.H._


----------



## AE35Unit

Cadillac Records,the story of Chess Records,the biggest blues label. Muddy Waters,Howlin Wolf,Little Walter,Etta James-fabulous! 
 I don't know how factually correct it is but man there sure is some good music playin! And Howlin Wolf and Muddy hated each other bad huh! 
Mos Def was great as Chuck Berry,but I never knew the Beach Boys took his song! Willie Dixon,what a talent,a real unsung hero there!
But Etta James oh man she had something. I aint never heard any of her music before but Wow I liked what i heared! I think Beyonce did well there! 
I guess the guys who were around when this was happening would have a better idea of how it went,I'm just a newbie but well, if I wasn't interested in the Blues I would be now!


----------



## TK-421

I saw Watchmen. Finally. Very faithful to the graphic novel. I can see how it would "loose" people. It had some pretty gruesome and graphic scenes.

Rorschach was brilliantly played.


----------



## AE35Unit

Madagascar 2.
Funny as expected and a bit Lion Kingish


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *The Hangover* last night...very funny in some parts, particularly when they first wake up after the night before. And Mr Chow...oh, my. 
*
House of Flying Daggers* has just started on t'tv.


----------



## AE35Unit

About to watch Franklyn. Looks creepy


----------



## BookStop

Just got home from Harry Potter ...pretty good, but I'm thinking I wouldn't've been able to follow it all with any sort of understanding had I not read the book.


----------



## Interference

Culhwch said:


> _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_. Just comedy gold.



Totally agree


----------



## AE35Unit

Franklyn: a strange dark and rather boring/pointless dark fantasy.


----------



## Tillane

HoopyFrood said:


> *House of Flying Daggers* has just started on t'tv.


Yep, just finished watching that meself.  Very pretty.  Not all that good, but very pretty.


----------



## Rinman

The Matrix (Again)


----------



## MattyK

Me too. I can still remember when I saw it at the cinema...totally baffled! Had to watch it again before it made any sense!


----------



## Wybren

I Love You Man. Very funny.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Saw *Ice Age 3* last night. In 3D. Was the first time I'd watched a 3D film, it was rather good. 

Rudy, a white Baryonyx so much bigger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex? Really? And what was with the incredibly angry Anklyosaur that could swing its tail all over the place. Although was cool to see a Baryonyx making an appearance, rather than the usual suspects.

Yeah, all right, it was a kid's film...


----------



## AE35Unit

Hoopy,you know with your knowledge and passion for palaentology you should maybe look into that as a career! Maybe paleobiology?


----------



## HoopyFrood

The only reason I know so much about dinosaurs is because for more than a decade, between the ages of about 6 to 16, I wanted to be a palaeontologist. I was all set to do it at university. But then I got into writing and other stuff in a big way and veered off that course.

Would still love to do a bit of digging up of dinosaurs at some point...

I think I'd have to make a giant u-turn with qualifications now if I wanted to go down that route.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea but you're young. Plenty of time yet. I'm over the hill with no qualifications and no direction. Well I got an A level in photography but thats like a hobby you know?


----------



## Arwena

Saw Harry Potter: the Half-Blood Prince on Wednesday. Any discussion thread around here?


----------



## BookStop

Watched *The Machinest* again last night. Even though I knew the outcome as I had watched it ....maybe 5 years ago, I loved it and had forgotten just enough to keep me glued to every word, camera view, plane on Christian Bale's face... Can't recommend it enough.


----------



## nj1

Watched *SLEEPERS *on the weekend, stars Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman amoung others. It's about a group of teenagers who get sent to a junvile detention facility where they were abused by the guards, then try to get revenge. Good film, suposedly base on a real story.


----------



## ktabic

*Watchmen*. I'm sure there are parts of the DVD that I didn't see at the cinema. But thats probably a memory thing. Not quite as good on a large TV as it is on a cinema screen.


----------



## Jev

I saw 'Bruno.'

... with a five-year-old kid in the theater. I wish I could say I was joking.

I am not much for censorship as a rule, but wow, that was some seriously misguided parenting going on there.

The movie, however, was pretty hilarious--it still amazes me what Sacha Baron Cohen can get away with.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jev said:


> I saw 'Bruno.'
> 
> ... with a five-year-old kid in the theater. I wish I could say I was joking.
> 
> I am not much for censorship as a rule, but wow, that was some seriously misguided parenting going on there.
> 
> The movie, however, was pretty hilarious--it still amazes me what Sacha Baron Cohen can get away with.



Err i'm surprised the theatre allowed the parents to take him in! Shocking!


----------



## Jev

Rated R, so accompanied by parents or guardians, kids can go in. It was at a mall theater with a notoriously lax policy (the place the local kids all went as teenagers... you get the idea). I saw some rated R films as an adolescent (I think my first was 'My Left Foot,' when I was about 7 or 8)--but it still amazed me that this kid was sitting there. I have to wonder what questions he asked his parents that night.

Some films are R-rated because the MPAA (US rating system) is really puritanical and conservative, and IMO shouldn't be R-rated. Some films should be R-rated for many of a variety of reasons, and aren't wrong decisions by the MPAA. While 'My Left Foot' falls into the former camp for me, 'Bruno' definitely falls into the latter.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*. I know quite a few people around here didn't like it, but I quite enjoyed it. It was definately a long movie, but I liked it.


----------



## AE35Unit

But isn't R a 12a over here? Which would mean he was underage,parent or no.(i'm not sure of the different ratings in the US and the UK)


----------



## Jev

I'm not sure on the correlation, but R means any kid can go in--no matter how young--if an adult accompanies. Obviously, that accounts for screaming babies at the Terminator films, or what have you. To quote from http://www.mpaa.org/flmrat_ratings.asp :



> An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.


That 'inappropriateness' is not a dictum, though.

Having looked at Wikipedia to check 12a, it seems young kids can go in too with a parent accompanying. So it seems more similar to the US's PG-13, which does not _require_ kids under 13 to be accompanied, but 'strongly suggests' it. Edit: Upon checking http://www.bbfc.co.uk/, your 18 rating (same age as our R rating) does not permit minors to view/rent/etc. the film, but ours will permit minors to view if accompanied by an adult. (If I recall correctly, a minor still can't rent an R-rated film, though.)


----------



## j d worthington

Jev said:


> Some films are R-rated because the MPAA (US rating system) is really puritanical and conservative, and IMO shouldn't be R-rated. Some films should be R-rated for many of a variety of reasons, and aren't wrong decisions by the MPAA.


 
There are also cases where they've let things which are extremely violent and degrading to women go unchallenged with a PG-13, yet threatened to give a film an X rating for one expletive "too many" (whatever that means, as it seems to vary depending on the members of the board at the time...). And, of course, now we have all the old Universal Horror classics labeled with PG and PG-13, believe it or not....



Jev said:


> (If I recall correctly, a minor still can't rent an R-rated film, though.)


 
This may have changed, but -- when I was working at a Blockbuster a few years ago, they could, if the store had the parents' prior permission verbally and it was noted on the account. I believe that's a general rule with all general video rental places.


----------



## Connavar

*Public Enemies*

I saw it last night it was very good, i enjoyed the camera work,visual style. How they didnt make a romantic hero of Dillinger. Depp was awesome. I liked Bale and Crudup as Hoover too.


----------



## Pyar

I saw *V for Vendetta* again last night. One of my favourites. Reminds me once again of an important lesson: "The people shouldn't be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of its people."

I'll leave you with an awesome quote.


> Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
> 
> – V's alliterative introductory monologue upon meeting Evey


----------



## Connavar

V was  more cerebral,less hollywood in Alan Moore comic.  I enjoy V For Vendetta movie but they cut out a bit too much of V political,social issues to make more adventure,action in the later half of the film.


----------



## Clansman

I saw _*Dark Matter.*_  Very good, but very depressing.  Makes you mad about academia (though Hollywood did take a few liberties on how PhD dissertations are defended/examined) and the politics that abide there.  Kept me awake all night.  Should have watched a horror flick, although, I got to read, so maybe it was a good thing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Kung Fu Panda. I put it on for Matthew but err I ended up watching it instead


----------



## AE35Unit

Bee Movie.
I just love the humour in it!
' But you're a bee,how did you learn to talk?'

''mummy daddy honey,you pick it up ''

Or
 I can't concentrate when you have that panicky tone!
 Its not a tone,I'm PANICKING! 
Or when the mosquito comes into the office 
' what,you're a lawyer too!'

'' oh i was already a blood sucking parasite,I just needed the brief case!''


----------



## Culhwch

Yeah, that was a pleasant surprise, AE. Need to add it to my collection...

As for me - who you gonna call? _Ghostbusters_!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Ocean's Thirteen_. Very enjoyable. _Ocean's Eleven _may be in my top ten movies of all time. Shame about _Ocean's Twelve_.


----------



## Aoratos

_Highlander._ "There can only be one!"


----------



## BookStop

I am going to be watching Heathers later this eve  I noticed it was rated R, but  i can't remember why it would recieve that...I know my 14 year old wants to watch it; i'm afraid i've talked it up a bit over the years.


----------



## AE35Unit

Whats this R rating? Whats its equivalent in England?


----------



## BookStop

R is for restricted for under age 17, I guess you guys have an 18 rating that is similar, but I don't remember Heathers having anything more objectionable than what would rate a pg13, or not recommended for those under 13. 

Times have changed though, and things that would've got an R rating in the eighties may or may not be ok for the average teen today. Just like many PG movies that should be appropriate for all kids might be too violent or sexy and get a stricter rating now. Jaws comes to mind. A movie at the time rated PG, so parental guidence, but kind of violent and would probably get a PG13 today.


----------



## Adasunshine

Bolt... _again_. I do like it but I think I've seen it at least 7 times already this week and the children still don't seem to be tiring of it's Disney charms...

xx


----------



## J-Sun

BookStop said:


> I am going to be watching Heathers later this eve  I noticed it was rated R, but  i can't remember why it would recieve that...I know my 14 year old wants to watch it; i'm afraid i've talked it up a bit over the years.



I dunno - maybe something to do with the sex, profanity, serial killing, attempted mass murder, and getting off scot-free.


----------



## clovis-man

*Rocky Balboa*. I think the Rocky string is finally over. Actually, I thought it was about a movie ago, but was apparently mistaken. Now I can get on with my life.


----------



## Fried Egg

I just watched "Metropolis" (the new anime one) and I thought it was brilliant. Visually stunning in combination with classic, old time tunes gave this film both an ultra modern and stylishly old feel at the same time. I've not seen the original mind you.


----------



## BookStop

J-Sun said:


> I dunno - maybe something to do with the sex, profanity, serial killing, attempted mass murder, and getting off scot-free.


 
*Heathers* profanity is the only thing any worse than what is on good ol' regular tv. (seriously, every questionable thing int he movie has also been explored in Desperate Housewives which my teen girls watch on abc)We let her watch, with an apology beforehand if the cursing were to bother her. She handled it fine, and thought, as I do, that it was quite funny. We like dark comedies around here.

Last night we continued on our vintage-brilliant-films kick with an in home screening of *Edward Scissorhands*. The kids absulutely loved it! I'd forgotten just how good it is, and am so glad we watched it again.

We're trying to find a rental copy oF *The Gods Must Be Crazy* for our next movie night.


----------



## tangaloomababe

WellI finally got around to watching "Burn after Reading" I have been meaning to watch this movie for sometime.  It is really really good. I was very suprised and not being a fan of Brad Pitt  I was actually suprised but I loved his character.  Its an excellent film, much better than Duplicity which I watched last week.  
Speaking of Duplicy although its a good film and I liked the idea behind it, I just found it to messy and at times hard to follow, maybe a second watch would answer a few questions.


----------



## J-Sun

BookStop said:


> *Heathers* profanity is the only thing any worse than what is on good ol' regular tv. (seriously, every questionable thing int he movie has also been explored in Desperate Housewives which my teen girls watch on abc)We let her watch, with an apology beforehand if the cursing were to bother her. She handled it fine, and thought, as I do, that it was quite funny. We like dark comedies around here.



Well, there are references to "sword fighting" and such that aren't profane but probably wouldn't make the _Desperate Housewives_ cut - I dunno, though. It might make the _Two and a Half Men_ cut. (I don't watch either show enough to be sure.)

I should make it clear that I posted because I'd coincidentally seen the movie for the second time the night before your post, but I forgot to say that.



BookStop said:


> Last night we continued on our vintage-brilliant-films kick with an in home screening of *Edward Scissorhands*. The kids absulutely loved it! I'd forgotten just how good it is, and am so glad we watched it again.



That is indeed an excellent flick. So you're also on a Winona streak. 

-- Oh, might as well say that I last watched _A Shot in the Dark _ for the zillionth time. Speaking of sex and death and comedy 1964-style.


----------



## AE35Unit

Not a film but watched the final episode of Quantum Leap last night. I never saw the series when it was on originally but its showing on Sci-Fi Channel throughout the week. The finale was touching!


----------



## AE35Unit

Tinkerbell the Movie,twice!
My daughter loves it! 
Now watching Underdog.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched 2001 : A Space Odyssey,first time in widescreen. I'm still amazed that this film was made in 1968 with no CGI! Some sophisticated sets for its time,like the rotating station which was actually a giant rotating set! Superb!


----------



## tangaloomababe

Originally posted by
AE35:


> Not a film but watched the final episode of Quantum Leap last night. I never saw the series when it was on originally but its showing on Sci-Fi Channel throughout the week. The finale was touching!


 
I loved this series AE, I watched every episode and then last year got them all on disc, it may not have been the best show going around, maybe a little soppy at times but I loved so much about it, not the least Scott Bakula and how poor Sam Beckett delt with each new situation he was thrown into.  The last episode I cried, not because it was sad but because it was the last one!!!


----------



## biodroid

Seeing as I spoilt my experience by reading the Order of The Phoenix before watching the movie I decided not to read any potter books till after that books movie I have watched, therefore I watched the Half Blood Prince and thought it was excellent and will read the book in a month or 2 time because the story is still too fresh in my mind. This definitely is the best Harry Potter film IMHO and the visuals were very epic and well done, they definitely conveyed that dark gloomy feeling.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> Seeing as I spoilt my experience by reading the Order of The Phoenix before watching the movie I decided not to read any potter books till after that books movie I have watched, therefore I watched the Half Blood Prince and thought it was excellent and will read the book in a month or 2 time because the story is still too fresh in my mind.



Expect a lot more deaths in the book than you'll see in the film!


----------



## BookStop

My hubby and I decided at the last moment to run out and see *Drag Me To Hell*. Seriously fun and horrific without being overloaded with traditional gore to scare ya. I really liked it, not terribly campy like Raimi's older films, but still humorous enough so that at the end of every 'scare' I kept glancing at Wade to see if he was smiling as big as I was. He was.


----------



## mushroomyakuza

Really? I didn't enjoy Drag Me to Hell. Thought it was very....slow, or something. Hard to put my finger on it.

The last thing I saw in the cinema was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Disappointing, but predictably so. At home, I last watched The Usual Suspects, for the one hundred and seventy sixth time. Or thereabouts. Tell a lie, actually; I just watched a film on Film4 tonight called The Escapist with the legendary Brian Cox. If you get a chance, watch it.


----------



## Wybren

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. I liked it, it had impressive 3d cgi graphics. For those not up with the games though, it would be a little confusing - as my husband discovered.


----------



## dask

Put my wife on a train this morning to attend a painter's workshop in Oregon. She'll be gone for a week. Haven't felt this cruddy in a long time. Thank goodness I had a Paul Naschy flick I hadn't seen yet on the video shelf. EVIL HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE: cheap, stupid, but great fun to watch. Just what the mad doctor ordered to relieve the blues, at least for an hour and a half or so.


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> Expect a lot more deaths in the book than you'll see in the film!


 
Ooooohhh, now I must definitely push to read it ASAP.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I went to the theatre this weekend with my husband, and we saw *The Hangover*. I thought it was hilarious!


----------



## Jev

Just watched 'The Pope of Greenwich Village' off of my TiVo today.

Liked it, although Eric Roberts' line delivery every so often went into dopey territory and made me laugh, occasionally at the wrong times. I don't think I've seen Mickey Rourke in anything besides 'The Wrestler' -- he was good here and believable here, although I was glad when they gave the explanation of his character being half-Irish: With his character's name being Charlie Moran, I was starting to wonder how he was related to the Italian gangster story that the film tells, besides just being Roberts' cousin.

Thought it needed a stronger ending: In the cut I saw, at least, the film ends with the final (fairly predictable) twist and then no real denouement. 'State of Grace' is a stronger '80s/'90s low-key gangster film to me, although maybe that's because Gary Oldman and Ed Harris are miles better supporting players than Eric Roberts.

Solid, might rewatch at some point: Three stars out of four.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I went to the theatre this weekend with my husband, and we saw *The Hangover*. I thought it was hilarious!



I had to laugh yesterday. I was on the bus coming home from town and there was a young couple behind me. The girl was saying 'I watched the Hangover the other day,but can't remember what happened!'
Just tickled me.


----------



## crazzycat

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" very funny and cool, anybody see it?


----------



## 3dfan

crazzycat said:


> "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" very funny and cool, anybody see it?


  I saw it couple day s ago - very funny, as we all expected, and also watched recently Hush - awesome thriller - advise to watch!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Recently saw *Ice Age 3* as well. Saw it in 3D, which was awesome.

Films I've recently seen:

*Live Free or Die Hard *(as in *Die Hard 4.0*) Mantastic. John McClane is still awesome. And got to say his famous line...while _shooting himself_. Kick-ass.
*Pineapple Express*...just brilliant. 
*Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind*. 
Pretty sure there were others, but they elude me. 

And repeatedly...the film I'm currently making/editing


----------



## Interference

And which of thiese is still your favourite? 

_(Question for punctuation gurus: Does the question mark go before or after the smiley?)_


----------



## HoopyFrood

Most definitely loving the last one, even if editing [the most budget film ever] is _Argh!_-worthy.

And I'd say after. Not because of punctuation, but because it just looks better!


----------



## Interference

Okay  !

(Argh!-worthy  - Lol)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Oh, wait, no I meant smilie after the punctuation! Duh. Sorry.


----------



## Interference

_Yaaay!! _

(you're quite right - it _does_ look better )


----------



## ktabic

HoopyFrood said:


> And repeatedly...the film I'm currently making/editing



So whens the premiere and are we invited?


----------



## HoopyFrood

It's almost into post-production stage (which sounds incredibly more professional than it actually is...which is just me on my laptop with editing software); a few short scenes and close ups to do...

...it might appear on...YouTube or summat eventually... If you want to dress up fancy while watching it on there, go ahead!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Star Wars - The Phantom Menace.* It's what I'm watching while I'm working out.


----------



## AE35Unit

Mall Cop. This Adam Sandler produced comedy with Kevin James could have been so much better but they made it a PG so the humour is restrained. The trailer looked a LOT better than the film. OK if you're 12 i guess and don't mind the typical american crock sound track!


----------



## clovis-man

Danny Boyle's *Sunshine*. An atmospheric SF thriller. Well done and well acted.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Danny Boyle's *Sunshine*. An atmospheric SF thriller. Well done and well acted.



Yea I enjoyed that one!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the *Dark Knight* last night (Hype aside, Heath Ledger really did do an outstanding performance with the Joker) and watched *The Grudge* tonight. I've seen it a million and one times, but it's always funny to watch how creeped out other people get when seeing it.


----------



## BookStop

clovis-man said:


> Danny Boyle's *Sunshine*. An atmospheric SF thriller. Well done and well acted.


 
Hey, I just watched that too! I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected - not so much a thriller as a feast for the eye.


----------



## clovis-man

BookStop said:


> Hey, I just watched that too! I liked it, but it wasn't what I expected - not so much a thriller as a feast for the eye.



Agreed. That too!


----------



## ktabic

AE35Unit said:


> Yea I enjoyed that one!



Yes, that was a good film. Much enjoyed.

Friday I watched *All The Boys Love Mandy Lane*, pretty good, and yesterday *Stealth*, could have been better,and *Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode 2* (ok, that ones not a film, just hilarious).


----------



## Urien

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

Underlit and a bit CGI jerky at times, but better than I expected and Michael Sheen was excellent. Worth a look.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Watchmen* last night. Almost as good as the first time I watched it (saw it twice when it was out at the cinema...the first time was just like _whooooa_). That film is just...brilliance.


----------



## Riselka

Just saw a film called *Outlander*, starring Jim Caviezel, which only enjoyed a very limited run in a few select theatres around the world, before being released on DVD.  It was very good - good acting, very good CGI elements, and a very original storyline.

I thought the description of "Beowulf meets Predator" was very appropriate.

Would highly recommend it to anyone ... two thumbs up!


----------



## Grimward

Finally saw _*HP and the Half Blood Prince*_.  With a couple minor exceptions, I liked it as much if not more than any of the films to date.....


----------



## ktabic

Just saw *Pathfinder*. Entertaining enough.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Walkabout with Jenny Agutter -drool- 
What a strange film that was!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Walkabout with Jenny Agutter -drool-
> What a strange film that was!



A very young Jenny Agutter. This was one of the first of the wave of Aussie films to hit the international circuit. In the same mold as Peter Weir's *Picnic at Hanging Rock*. Both excellent.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Saving Private Ryan* was on the tv this weekend, so I ended up watching it. It's been quite awhile since I've seen it, but still a good movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> A very young Jenny Agutter. This was one of the first of the wave of Aussie films to hit the international circuit.



Yea she was 16 when they were filming,(18/19 when it was released) thus allowing the director to exploit her coming of age  for the nude scenes,which she objected too when she saw the film later.


----------



## Rodders

Ahhhh Jenny Agutter. One of my first crushes after seeing Logans run for the first time.


----------



## nj1

Watched Quantum of Solace on Sat. It was good but wasn't as good as the previous one IMO. The action was good but a bit hard to follow in places. I do like the no-nonsense, direct action Bond that Craig plays, but this one felt a bit too heavy on the action.
3 out of 5.

Also the constant scooter references were beyond me?


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> Watched Quantum of Solace on Sat.•••.  the constant scooter references were beyond me?



Scooter references?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Kill Bill Vol.1* this evening. Love the _Kill Bills_.

Quentin Tarantino, I would sell my soul to have your job...


----------



## Urien

The Matrix: Reloaded... again. I'd forgotten how much of a come down from the original this was.

The lowlight had to be the Pagan Goat Dance (see Dragnet). That was funny and embarassing... we're about to be annihilated, so let's have a rave, no under 40s allowed.

Other nonsense was the philosophical nonsense; and perhaps worse of all the sudden emergence and irritating following of secondary characters, all in all an elevator to tedium.


----------



## bzuka

"He is just not that into you" funny and witty drama


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

My husband and I watched *Watchmen* last night, and I have to say I wasn't impressed. I really just didn't enjoy it. I have never read the comic, so perhaps I would have liked it more if I did.


----------



## ravenus

Lady of Winterfell said:


> My husband and I watched *Watchmen* last night, and I have to say I wasn't impressed. I really just didn't enjoy it. I have never read the comic, so perhaps I would have liked it more if I did.


Or perhaps liked it less if you had


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *Mrs. Brown*. A 12 year old film about Queen Victoria. Well acted and well presented. For those who've never heard of it:

Mrs Brown (1997)


----------



## Riselka

*Mrs. Brown* is a fantastic film!  Dame Judy was great, as usual, but Billy Connolly's performance was absolutely amazing.

I'll always wonder if Brown knew my great-grandfather, as he was a coachman at Balmoral during Queen Victoria's reign.


----------



## Bev Stayart

Coco Chanel -- a very enjoyable film.


----------



## nj1

AE35Unit said:


> Scooter references?


 
Yep, The loss of Bond's Vespa seemed a major part of the plot.


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> Yep, The loss of Bond's Vespa seemed a major part of the plot.



Hmmm i must have blinked,or gone out to make a cuppa


----------



## ktabic

Vespa (actually Vesper) was in the first Craig Bond Movie, Casino Royale. The one Bond had a crush on and was betrayed by.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *Alien Trespass* on its first day of direct-to-dvd release, thanks to Netflix. A spoof/send-up of 1950s SF flicks, it tries very hard to capture the mood of the era. A problem with a movie like this is that the fine line between parody and outright silliness is hard to negotiate. I can't tell you that they entirely succeeded, but they didn't utterly fail either.

Broad hints of *It Came From Outer Space*, *The Day The Earth Stood Still* and *The Blob* made it amusing. 

Things I liked the best:

The cool lobby cards from *Destination Moon* and *The Man From Planet X* in a kids bedroom.

The (adult) bedroom scene in which the hero keeps one foot on the floor (a Hollywood censors rule in those days).

A plethora of cool late 1950s cars abounded, but the police car was a 1953 Chevy.

Most shocking moment:

Robert Patrick has aged terribly since Terminator 2.


----------



## thatollie

Righteous Kill - De Niro and Pacino were great together.


----------



## Noah Phoenix

*Twilight*.
Better than being punched in the face, just about.
Advanced apologies to all Americans here, but this film was the bast example I've seen recently of how a captivating and well written book can so easily be turned into cheesy overblown rubbish thanks to Hollywood. (The last time was the equally good book but awesomely cack *Inkheart*) Whilst Bella was well cast and played her part well, the guy that played Edward needs a punch in the face. Looks aren't everything, mate.
Although it did keep me watching, in the end, I forgot most of the visual imagery, and I can only now remember lines from the book rather than the film, which was so not my sort of book, but I still enjoyed.
Hollywood should stay away from converting books into cack, IMHO.


----------



## AE35Unit

VALKYRIE
Excellent. Such a shame it never worked and that Goebells never bit down on the cyanide pill!


----------



## AE35Unit

Well last night before hitting the sack a film came on TV that I'd not seen before. It was called The Howling and was made in 1981. Boy was it bad! Kind of a poor mans An American Werewolf in London,but set in the US. Just awful!


----------



## AE35Unit

WATCHMEN
What an utterly pointless waste of 2 hours! Just glad I didn't have to pay to see it! I suppose if you were a reader of the comics it might make some sense but I didn't know any of the characters,apart from a naff batman!


----------



## nj1

AE35Unit said:


> Well last night before hitting the sack a film came on TV that I'd not seen before. It was called The Howling and was made in 1981. Boy was it bad! Kind of a poor mans An American Werewolf in London,but set in the US. Just awful!


 
American warewolf in London was on Scifi (UK) tonight and just finished.
fabulous film! Some fantastic imagery, loved the changing, the chase through the tunnels (tube station), but I also enjoyed the humour, The sarcasm of his dead mate (I'm bad with names) and the sargeant was hilarious


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> American warewolf in London was on Scifi (UK) tonight and just finished.
> fabulous film! Some fantastic imagery, loved the changing, the chase through the tunnels (tube station), but I also enjoyed the humour, The sarcasm of his dead mate (I'm bad with names) and the sargeant was hilarious



Yea its a classic! And it has Jenny Agutter in it as a nurse! That bumps  it up to 10/10


----------



## Riselka

With all this talk of Jenny Agutter recently, maybe it's time to watch LOGAN'S RUN again, eh *AE35Unit*?


----------



## Tillane

Just back from watching *Moon *(yeah, I know.  I'm always a bit slow at getting around to these things.).  What can I say?  It's a really good, intelligent film, with a great central performance from Sam Rockwell.  It (very clearly) owes a debt of gratitude to films like 2001 and Silent Running, but is none the worse for that.


----------



## BookStop

Tillane said:


> Just back from watching *Moon *(yeah, I know. I'm always a bit slow at getting around to these things.). What can I say? It's a really good, intelligent film, with a great central performance from Sam Rockwell. It (very clearly) owes a debt of gratitude to films like 2001 and Silent Running, but is none the worse for that.


 
That is one I really want to see, sadly it's not here yet. Glad to know it's worth the wait.

I watched The Colour of Magic over the last couple of days witht he kids. I figured we'd enjoy it (Hogfather is a new holiday favorite for us) but I underestimated just how much I'd(we'd) love it! It's absolutely ridiculously fun!


----------



## Lenny

I still haven't seen TCoM. I half want to, because it's Discworld, and half don't because I fear they've murdered it...

---

I've watched a lot this weekend. 

On Friday I watched *Back to the Future*, and *Back to the Future Part II* (I'd forgotten how much I love them!), followed by B*ack to the Future Part III*, *The Addam's Family* (funnier than I'd remembered... maybe I just understand the jokes better now) and *Blade Runner *(waste of time and effort. I imagine the book is fantastic, as the concept is great, but the film was terrible!) and Saturday. Today I watched *Addam's Family Values* and *Casper* (so much I didn't remember! How I've missed it).

Strangely, that's five films starring Christopher Lloyd (BttF and AF), and three starring Christina Ricci (AF and C). Interesting how I never really paid attention to the actors when I was younger... and it's a shame how old the films are - Lloyd is now 70, and Ricci is nearing 30.

One last thought - to say that all seven films are quite old (late eighties, early nineties), the special effects are pretty good. I don't know if it's just the techniques they used, but in their own ways, they're more realistic than modern films. I was particularly impressed by Casper.


----------



## Rothgar

Just got back from seeing *District 9*.  It was a different type of movie, but enjoyable.


----------



## AE35Unit

Tillane said:


> Just back from watching *Moon *(yeah, I know.  I'm always a bit slow at getting around to these things.).  What can I say?  It's a really good, intelligent film, with a great central performance from Sam Rockwell.  It (very clearly) owes a debt of gratitude to films like 2001 and Silent Running, but is none the worse for that.



A bit slow? Crikey it'll be near christmas before I get a chance to see it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Riselka said:


> With all this talk of Jenny Agutter recently, maybe it's time to watch LOGAN'S RUN again, eh *AE35Unit*?



Absolutely! I'd quite like a copy of that film actually!


----------



## BookStop

Lenny said:


> I still haven't seen TCoM. I half want to, because it's Discworld, and half don't because I fear they've murdered it...


 
Sadly, I have the books on my bookshelf and I know I'll get tot hem one day because I like Pratchett's style, but I haven't yet read any but Hogfather. I don't know if the movie was butchered, but it was good fun.


----------



## Riselka

AE35Unit said:


> Absolutely! I'd quite like a copy of that film actually!



It is available to buy still - in both region 1 and 2 - and there's a region 1 BluRay coming out in the fall.  I've got the snap case version with the original movie poster artwork.  Got it for $6.99 Cdn a while back.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We rented *I Love You Man* this weekend. It was a decent movie, but not as funny as I was hoping it would be.

Also watched *Ratatouille*, its the second time I've seen it, and I still liked it.


----------



## ktabic

John Carpernter's *The Thing*. Now I know why all science research stations come with an armoury.


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> John Carpernter's *The Thing*. Now I know why all science research stations come with an armoury.



Excellent film!


----------



## blacknorth

The Horror at 37,000 Feet - 1973 TV movie starring William 'The ****' Shatner.

Pretty enjoyable actually.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Went to see *Inglorious Basterds* earlier. Was...somewhat excited, seeing as it's a Tarantino film. Really enjoyed it, it had all the Tarantino hallmarks; violence, blood, comedy both downright hilarious and very dark, abrupt deaths, separate storylines that gradually come together, and just general great cinematography. And a Mexican standoff. Really enjoyed it. The bar scene was...whoa. The actor who played Landa was great; mainly because the character was awesome. So disconcerting, you could never tell just how much he knew...


----------



## Wybren

I saw Bride Wars the other night, not bad for a chick flick.

I want to see that Inglorius Bastards, I havent seen a Tarantino film I havent liked yet.


----------



## BookStop

Saw District 9 last night. I liked it even though it wasnt anthing like what I expected, but my significant other had issues with the feasibility of the story ( he found the tale unrealistic and silly). He just couldn't get past some things, whereas I had no issues at all. I really enjoyed it and definitely would recommend it to sf fans.


----------



## PhoenixRising

Last movie I saw at the cinema was Ice Age 3 in 3D!  Seriously recommend it! It was awesome and you get these great James Dean looking glasses  lol.

Last movie I watched at home was Hellboy 2  Gotta love Nuada lol. Yes, i'm a silly girl. So sue me lol.


----------



## Tansy

Watched Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds last night and really enjoyed it


----------



## Urien

*Australia*. Alas I didn't really like it: Luhrmann (the director), started out in surreal style (see Moulin Rouge), but dropped it half way through, do it or don't do it, half-committed looks worse than either. It was waaaay too long at nearly three hours. I found the child difficult to understand at times, (as did characters in the movie with Nicole Kidman translating more than once). And the name was a misnomer, the film should more accurately have been called Northern Territory.

I'm a Luhrmann fan; here I think he got caught between serious or surreal, funny or straight, epic or twee and as the result the movie suffers. Nice cinematography at times though.


----------



## Connavar

I saw for the first time *Vertigo* by Alfred Hitchcock.

A great tense thriller.   I thought how can he do something good with so simple story.  When it ended i was so freaked by all the messed up things that happened.  One of those depressing,wonderfully tragic stories.

The sound effects,music was half of the movies greatness since there were many scenes without dialouge for minutes.   It was shockingly clear how the music,sound got you on the edge. 

Specially in these days when the only time they are used are for action scenes, then some popular hip hop,rock songs to sound cool....


----------



## Happy Joe

I did a "hordes of creatures attack" night last night; watched *I Robot* and *Underworld; Rise of the Lycans*  (kind of a strange combination).

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Spongebob The Movie. Brilliant. Had to watch it twice cos of the kids!
David Hasselhoff doesn't take himself seriously at all!


----------



## clovis-man

Re:* Vertigo*



Connavar said:


> The sound effects,music was half of the movies greatness since there were many scenes without dialouge for minutes.   It was shockingly clear how the music,sound got you on the edge.



All thanks to the genius of film composer, Bernard Herrmann.


----------



## Tillane

Just back from seeing _*Inglorious Basterds*_.  Could have been a great film.  Wasn't.   Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent put in excellent performances, but they were thoroughly let down by Pitt playing...well, actually, I'm not sure what he was trying to do.  Didn't work, whatever it was.

I'm a great fan of Tarantino's stuff, particularly _*Pulp Fiction*_ and _*Kill Bill 1/2*_, but this...left me largely cold.  There's a great story in it surrounding Laurent's character, but Tarantino keeps interrupting it with the story of the Basterds which, while gory fun in places, actually only succeeds in spoiling things.

Oh, and before I forget.  Mike Myers.  On screen for all of two minutes and I still wanted to scalp him.  Awful.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched 2010 The Year We Make Contact. Been a while since I watched it and well its nowhere near 2001. And funnily enough it looks dated much more than the first film even tho 2010 was filmed in 1982! Peter Hyams is OK as a director I suppose but he aint no Kubrick or Scott. There were a few examples of bad science in the film, such as the airbraking manouvre round Jupiter. Flames and noise in space! I don't think so. Also there's a scene aboard the Leonov where Floyd is making an analogy and holds a pen up in the air,lets go and it hovers in a way an object would in zero G. And yet they have an artificial gravity aboard the ship! 
But Roy Scheider did a good job as Floyd and it was good to see Keir Dulleia reviving Bowman,and not looking any older! Oh yea and good to see Clarke sat on a park bench near the start.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

District 9. Thought it was great, though the first half was terribly depressing.


----------



## Culhwch

Tillane said:


> Just back from seeing _*Inglorious Basterds*_. Could have been a great film. Wasn't. Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent put in excellent performances, but they were thoroughly let down by Pitt playing...well, actually, I'm not sure what he was trying to do. Didn't work, whatever it was.
> 
> I'm a great fan of Tarantino's stuff, particularly _*Pulp Fiction*_ and _*Kill Bill 1/2*_, but this...left me largely cold. There's a great story in it surrounding Laurent's character, but Tarantino keeps interrupting it with the story of the Basterds which, while gory fun in places, actually only succeeds in spoiling things.
> 
> Oh, and before I forget. Mike Myers. On screen for all of two minutes and I still wanted to scalp him. Awful.


 
I don't know if this is true or even if it were heavily tongue in cheek, but I heard that Brad Pitt declared there should never be another WWII movie made, because Tarantino had achieved perfection with this film. A refreshing change from Tarantino playing his own 'I'm the greatest director ever' card and letting his cast do it for him...

Oh, I'm rewatching the Indiana Jones movies, half way through _Crusade_. Now that's film-making.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> Re:* Vertigo*
> 
> 
> 
> All thanks to the genius of film composer, Bernard Herrmann.


 
Indeed. Perhaps my very favorite among Herrmann's scores -- which is saying considerable, as he also did those for *Citizen Kane*, *The Seventh Voyage* *of Sinbad*, *Jason and the Argonauts*, *The Day the Earth Stood Still* (1951), *Psycho*, *North by Northwest*, *The Mysterious Island*, *The Devil and Daniel Webster*, *Taxi Driver*, *Cape Fear* (1962), *Fahrenheit 451*....

My own recent watching has been somewhat different: a documentary on HPL: *The Eldritch Influence*. Well, largely a documentary, though they apparently felt it was necessary to have a bit of a joke in there at one point with a fake Cthulhu Cult. Otherwise, quite a nice little piece (though I look forward to the new one: *H. P. Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown*, supposed to be released on DVD in October....

And a very odd little film I saw many, many years ago... *The Devil's Rain* (1975). Peculiar little thing, alternately complete tosh and eerily effective. Though I can't help but wonder how on earth they managed to get together a cast like that for a film like that.... I mean: Ernest Borgnine, Keenan Wynn, Ida Lupino, Eddie Albert......?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Tillane said:


> Just back from seeing _*Inglorious Basterds*_.  Could have been a great film.  Wasn't.   Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent put in excellent performances, but they were thoroughly let down by Pitt playing...well, actually, I'm not sure what he was trying to do.  Didn't work, whatever it was.



Brad Pitt's strange accent did grate when he first appeared on screen. Some of the Basterd bits were hilarious, though. 

Christoph Waltz was amazing. His character was so disconcerting. He was always so pleasant. And you could never tell just how much he knew...


----------



## Interference

No actor should try accents this far into their career, it just doesn't work.  Peter Sellers got away with it because he _never_ used his own voice in a film or on radio - and because he was a fabulous character actor.


----------



## Tillane

Culhwch said:


> I don't know if this is true or even if it were heavily tongue in cheek, but I heard that Brad Pitt declared there should never be another WWII movie made, because Tarantino had achieved perfection with this film. A refreshing change from Tarantino playing his own 'I'm the greatest director ever' card and letting his cast do it for him...


Tongue _very_ firmly in cheek, I'd say.  It only just barely classifies as a war film.  War films, for the most part, have some small kernel of truth in them (even if it's heavily obscured by artistic licence or propaganda or both).  Tarantino isn't interested in historical accuracy and so doesn't bother with it: what he's saying with the film is "why can't we make a WWII film like a spaghetti western?"  The Basterds part of the film is essentially just WWII as gory entertainment, an egregiously violent fairy story with little if any basis in reality.  For myself, I much prefered the other side of the film, which was essentially a tense, personal thriller.  Pitt and the Basterds are just blood-spattered fluff.



> Brad Pitt's strange accent did grate when he first appeared on screen. Some of the Basterd bits were hilarious, though.


I'd be interested to know what anyone from Tennessee made of his accent, given that the character was supposed to be from some hick town there.  Can't think they'd take kindly to it.

There were a few (usually grisly) laughs to be had, I admit.  I just think it would have been a better film without the Basterds.  Wouldn't have been a Tarantino film, though.


----------



## Urien

*The Bank Job:* Jason Statham and a motley gang of villains rob safety deposit boxes in the early seventies. Only problem is unbeknownst to the robbers they've been set up, and what's in that vault is political dynamite. Fun, clever and engaging. Worth a look. 

On Inglorious... Mr Tarantino lost me at Kill Bill... It was too comic book, too absurd. From what I've read Inglorious seems partially similar; I'd like him to step away from the pastiche or homage.

Meanwhile does J.D. ever scare anybody else? The man is a walking font of knowledge. Someone should plug him into the NASA mainframe. Watch out J.D., no doubt even now some shady black op defense dept is wondering how you might be used.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Pssh, he probably just Wikipedia's everything....


----------



## Urien

... I think maybe HE IS wikipedia...


----------



## Connavar

Urien said:


> *The Bank Job:* Jason Statham and a motley gang of villains rob safety deposit boxes in the early seventies. Only problem is unbeknownst to the robbers they've been set up, and what's in that vault is political dynamite. Fun, clever and engaging. Worth a look.
> 
> On Inglorious... Mr Tarantino lost me at Kill Bill... It was too comic book, too absurd. From what I've read Inglorious seems partially similar; I'd like him to step away from the pastiche or homage.
> 
> Meanwhile does J.D. ever scare anybody else? The man is a walking font of knowledge. Someone should plug him into the NASA mainframe. Watch out J.D., no doubt even now some shady black op defense dept is wondering how you might be used.



The Bank Job was a nice surprise when i rented earlier this year.  A smaller film in budget but quality heist film.    It was top 5 downloaded films of 2008 i saw in a list.  In the middle of a superhero dominated list.  Plus it made alot over it cost in US Box office.


----------



## Urien

Conn,

Thanks I didn't know that; it's good to see a smaller budget movie (where few things blow up) have some success.

For the Brits out there, I did keep expecting the Sweeney to turn up... "You're ******* nicked sunshine." Jack Regan, what a copper.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Went and saw *Inglorious Basterds* this weekend, and I thought it was good. I enjoyed it more than Kill Bill I think, although its been awhile since I've seen it. Other than the extremely annoying lady sitting behind us saying 'Oh, No!' 'Oh my Gosh!' 'Oh, he knows!' etc etc through the _entire_ movie, it was enjoyable.


----------



## Riselka

Loved *The Bank Job*.  It's a fantastic heist film, made even more fantastic by the knowledge that it's loosely based on a real life event.

I was in the mood for some comedy on the weekend, so I watched *It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World*, and *What's Up, Doc?*  They certainly drive home the point that what passes for "comedy" these days, isn't.

I also watched another Jason Statham film ... the unrated version of *Death Race*.  If you like a lot of blood, guts, and mayhem, this film is for you.  It's worth it just to see Joan Allen play a character with a real potty mouth.


----------



## j d worthington

Riselka said:


> I was in the mood for some comedy on the weekend, so I watched *It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World*, and *What's Up, Doc?* They certainly drive home the point that what passes for "comedy" these days, isn't.


 
Pffft. What passes for "comedy" these days, isn't even farce. It's sheer mind-numbing idiocy.....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Pffft. What passes for "comedy" these days, isn't even farce. It's sheer mind-numbing idiocy.....


 
*gasp*

Judd Apatow and his gang have created a new wave of comedy, and I for one, am having a surf!


----------



## Connavar

Judd Apatow is typical hollywood not getting how to make good comedy.   The Hangover and their kind is not funny to me.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Thanks, guys, for getting me sucked into Wikipedia again 

I didn't know who Judd Apatow is (rectified) and certainly didn't realise he made all those comedy films. Have to say that I like *Pineapple Express* _a lot_ and love Seth Rogen a little bit too much (and Paul Rudd). 
*
The Hangover*, although good, didn't make me laugh as much as I expected, which I don't like to say too loudly because all my other friends seemed to love it. The guy with the beard was just _too_ weird.


----------



## Interference

One word.
_
Zoolander._

Two more words ...

_Very funny._


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> I didn't know who Judd Apatow is (rectified) and certainly didn't realise he made all those comedy films. Have to say that I like *Pineapple Express* _a lot_ and love Seth Rogen a little bit too much (and Paul Rudd).


 
Man I love *Pineapple Express*, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd too much too (and it's more suspicious given that I'm a guy - NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT ). *Knocked Up* is probably my favourite comedy movie.


----------



## Urien

*Amercian Gangster*. Ridley Scott directed, Russell Crowe and Denzil Washington starred. An interesting and compelling movie; Washington is great as the cool rational gangster, more logical and clinical than his bling counterpoints; Crowe's ultra-honest but louche cop is less watchable; and owing to the narrative you see less of Crowe V Washington than I would have liked.

The movie felt like a close cousin to Serpico, with a nod to Scarface.


----------



## biodroid

Fast and Furious 4 - very good even though there is almost no street racing or racing for that matter and Underworld: Rise of the lycans - I really thought this one was the best in the series.


----------



## Lioness

Coraline!

It was awesome. Darker than I expected, and I'm glad I didn't see it as a little kid. I would've been scared 

It was awesome though...Danny Elfman is a great composer, his music just fits the movie like a glove.


----------



## Skipbee

Cinema: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Wasn't very impressed.

Home: Imposter. I enjoyed it. Not amazing but still very underrated.


----------



## Lioness

Oh yes. At home I watched The Third Man, for my English class.

It was ok. I can see how it was a classes, but I guess I've been brought up on snazzy effects and bright colours and awesome atmospheric music. The Third Man had no snazzy effects, but quite good camera angles; all in black and white, which was used very effectively; and a bloody annoying zither sountrack that seemed to bear little relevance to the events happening in the movie at the time. It did sometimes, but a lot of the time it just seemed annoying.

Still, I am watching it again, to see whether it is better on a second viewing, and also because I can't write an essay on it in just one viewing.


----------



## Tansy

Just watched Doomsday and it was entertaining


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Inkheart* on DVD yesterday. I've never read the book, but I enjoyed the movie.


----------



## clovis-man

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I watched *Inkheart* on DVD yesterday. I've never read the book, but I enjoyed the movie.



Same here. I thought it dragged a little in places, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Just watched *Sunshine Cleaning* with Amy Adams and Alan Arkin. A very dark comedy, but worthwhile. I'm beginning to think Amy Adams can play almost any part convincingly.


----------



## Kayla

Inglorious Bastards, twas superb and tonight am off to see Funny People....tbh I love watching the trailers the most


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

clovis-man said:


> Same here. I thought it dragged a little in places, but enjoyable nonetheless.


Yeah, I would agree with that. A little slow/awkward in parts, but overall very enjoyable.



Kayla said:


> Inglorious Bastards, twas superb and tonight am off to see Funny People....tbh I love watching the trailers the most


 
That's a lot to pay for the trailers.  You can watch them online for free.


----------



## nj1

while i've been online, my missus has been watching Miami Vice and i've been watching abit as you do. WTF!!!!, worst bl**dy film i ever not really bothered watching. good job most of my attention was elsewhere or i would have launched something at the tv. and was it just me or did farrell look really sleazy wit that tash?


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> while i've been online, my missus has been watching Miami Vice and i've been watching abit as you do. WTF!!!!, worst bl**dy film i ever not really bothered watching. good job most of my attention was elsewhere or i would have launched something at the tv. and was it just me or did farrell look really sleazy wit that tash?



I caught bits of this film,which I've never seen. Lol I just read your message out loud and my other half said 'Yep,told you it was a load of sh**e!'


----------



## nj1

Whats worse is that she's now watching some Rob Snieder crap called Hot Chick... i think its time i had a quiet word with her...


----------



## AE35Unit

Interference said:


> One word.
> _
> Zoolander._
> 
> Two more words ...
> 
> _Very funny._



Which part was funny? The credits?


----------



## AE35Unit

nj1 said:


> Whats worse is that she's now watching some Rob Snieder crap called Hot Chick... i think its time i had a quiet word with her...



We enjoyed that film actualy. Rob Sneider we like!


----------



## Rothgar

nj1 said:


> while i've been online, my missus has been watching Miami Vice and i've been watching abit as you do. WTF!!!!, worst bl**dy film i ever not really bothered watching. good job most of my attention was elsewhere or i would have launched something at the tv. and was it just me or did farrell look really sleazy wit that tash?


 
Most definitely agree with you. When we rented it we had trouble with the dvd crapping out on us with fifteen minutes left. We never bothered getting another copy to see the rest of the movie.


----------



## Allegra

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Went and saw *Inglorious Basterds* this weekend, and I thought it was good.


 
I'm looking forward to seeing that one!

Recently watched: 
*The Reader*, very good. I'm really impressed by Kate Winslet. 
*Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince*, quite OK.


----------



## ktabic

I watched *The Man Who Fell to Earth *for only the second time. Still not sure I understood all of it, convinced there is some meaning lurking just out of comprehension. But still, a good film. Bowie makes a pretty good alien.


----------



## AE35Unit

ktabic said:


> I watched *The Man Who Fell to Earth *for only the second time. Still not sure I understood all of it, convinced there is some meaning lurking just out of comprehension. But still, a good film. Bowie makes a pretty good alien.



He does doesn't he! 
I think I've seen that film all the way thru once. Everytime it comes on telly I miss the start and my other half isn't keen.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw Coraline today. Fantastic animation. Pretty great movie.

Paid extra to see it in 3D. Not worth it I thought! Although I don't think it was working for me exactly - perhaps that's my eyes or the goggles I got or something.

Anyway, the sound didn't work during the previews and for the first three seconds of the movie so they gave everyone a complimentary movie pass! Hooray!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Reader *Winslett and Fiennes were immense and surrounded by a cast of very high quality, which included the always excellent Bruno Ganz. 

Pleasantly surprised at just how good this film is. Top notch stuff.


----------



## Lenny

I'm three quarters of the way through *The Adventures of Baron Munchausen*, and I'm loving every minute!

There's a lot to laugh at, and some particularly Python-esque moments. One that springs to mind is Vulcan showing Berthold the ballroom, and yelling in his ear: "NICE, ISN'T IT?". I'm pretty sure it's straight from something Python, but I won't hold it against him. Still made me laugh.

EDIT: And now I've started *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*. Six minutes in, and I'm liking it.

I've got the book somewhere -  I ought to read it.


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> Which part was funny? The credits?



The cre-he-hee-edits, oh-hoho, don't remind me, _arahahhahhahhaaa!! I'm cryin', hee-hee-here ....
_


----------



## tangaloomababe

I watched an oldie but goodie a couple of days ago.
The Boys from Brazil with Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier and James Mason, add a very very young Steve Guttenburg and it was a really good movie.  By all account it had a massive budget to work with.  I guess with three big names like those mentioned most would go for their pay.  If you have never seen it, without giving to much away.  Peck plays the role of Josef Mengler (doctor to Adolf Hitler) and Olivier is a Nazi hunter.  I really enjoyed watching this again.


----------



## Quokka

More Barbie princess/fairy movies than I care to remember, over the last couple of months that is, just Mermaidia today. Sure they're just rolling ads for Mattel toys but so were the Transformers and He-man cartoons that were favourites of mine as a kid. My daughter loves them and they're not_ quite_ as annoying as I would have thought (mind you I was expecting really really annoying), at least until the replay count gets too high.


----------



## clovis-man

Finally got up the nerve to watch the new *The Day The Earth Stood Still* on DVD. There were things I didn't like: the overly snarky Kathy Bates character, the overly anthropomorphous Gort (who didn't even get to make up his own name), the plethora of Roger Ramjet military types, etc. 

But, at another level, I thought it was better suited to the 21st century than the original film from the cold war 1950s could ever be. The cynicism about humankind's future, if nothing else, fit the "updated" scenario well. In the original, the scientists just got Klaatu to trust us by virtue of their superior intellect. No such deal in the remake. We had to make a trade off of Machiavellian proportions. But maybe that is appropriate, considering how recalcitrant the human animal tends to be.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Ace Ventura, Pet Detective*. Ah, Jim Carey, how I love you. 

Lo-hoooo-ser-herrr. 

Also watched *Chicken Run* yesterday.


----------



## Wybren

Watched *District 9* today. Brilliant, and kinda weird and not at all what you expect from an alien movie.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Shichinin no samurai*(Seven Samurai) by Akira Kurosawa with Mifune and co.   It was a lot of mundane,realism in it.  The down side of the honour,glory of the Samurai.  Also great action,sword scenes for 1954 film.   

Full of memorable characters,great acting.   I laughed alot at Toshiru Mifune's samurai wannabe thug,peasant.  Must be the only 3 hour film i have seen that wasn't too long,you wish was 4 hours instead.

One of rare movies i would rate a perfect 10/10.   Sure it got huge classic rep but it fully deserves it,wasnt weaker than the high expectations.


----------



## nj1

Quokka said:


> More Barbie princess/fairy movies than I care to remember, over the last couple of months that is, just Mermaidia today. Sure they're just rolling ads for Mattel toys but so were the Transformers and He-man cartoons that were favourites of mine as a kid. My daughter loves them and they're not_ quite_ as annoying as I would have thought (mind you I was expecting really really annoying), at least until the replay count gets too high.


 
Thanks to my three year olds little tantrums, today I have watched BARBIE - PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER 4 times along with BARBIE - 12 DANCING PRINCESS 2 times.

My head was about to explode , thank god i managed to pinch my missus's DS and buried myself in touchmaster for awhile


----------



## AE35Unit

The other night we watched The good,The bad and The Weird, an entertaining and funny take on the old classic western, this one set in Manchuria, wherever that is!

Just watched The Boat that Rocked. Brilliant film, loved it!


----------



## clovis-man

*Wanted*. Vapid script. Mailed-in performances. Pointless story. Loom of fate, my .....

I liked James McAvoy much better as Mr. Tumnus.


----------



## Quokka

nj1 said:


> Thanks to my three year olds little tantrums, today I have watched BARBIE - PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER 4 times along with BARBIE - 12 DANCING PRINCESS 2 times.
> 
> My head was about to explode , thank god i managed to pinch my missus's DS and buried myself in touchmaster for awhile



My daughter got a new one for being good. I was sure we already had the one she picked so after a lot of discussion she agreed to buy another one. Of course when we got home she was right. You've got to love getting an 'told you so' and a sigh from a 4 year old . 

Thankfully that night I caught *Robocop* on tele, it's definitely starting to age especially the stop motion animation but it's still one of the better sf movies of the 80's (and there were some great ones). Plus you have to love the ED-209.


----------



## Tansy

Also watched and enjoyed *The Reader*


----------



## Overread

Wybren said:


> Watched *District 9* today. Brilliant, and kinda weird and not at all what you expect from an alien movie.



Managed to get to see it on Friday - the whole family went (ok it was my brothers birthday). At first I was worried that it would keep that documentary esq. theme going the whole way through - luckly the lead actor (don't remember the name) and script was humerous at the start and they eventually dropped it 

I really hope they don't make a sequal though - I don't think you can recapture that film again in a second version (at least not easily)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just spread the joy that is *Evil Dead* to some crazy friends who had never seen it before (tut). I don't care what anyone else says, I absolutely love the blood and the prosthetics and the claymation. I think I just have a thing for budget horror films.

Speaking of which, we also watched the zombie film that I filmed/directed/acted/edited (  ) after Evil Dead.


----------



## Quokka

*Love the Beast* - A documentary about Eric Bana and a 1974 XB Falcon Coupe (pretty much the model of car from Mad Max) that he has owned since a teenager. 

I really enjoyed it, it's not over fast moving or dramatic but Bana, his friends and family are easy to watch and it's interesting to see in what ways possessions can be important to people. At this point Bana could own a dozen Falcon Coupes each customised to what ever he wants but for Bana owning that car never seemed to be about that.


----------



## Connavar

*Riffi*(1955)

It was a quality heist film Noir.   Not Jean-Peirre Meiville level though.

Jules Servesin as Tony was great.


----------



## Constantine Opal

Knocked Up, Judd Apatow movie - Seth Rogan is just delicious. To me anyway!


----------



## Grimward

_*Coraline*_, with my daughters.  Loved it!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Had a fight night tonight...my friends and I watched both *Street Fighter* and *Mortal Kombat*. Ah, takes me back; real childhood watching, they are. Although I seem to say that a lot. I watched a hell of a lot of films back when I were a young 'un, it would seem. 

Get over here!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched an entertaining little British SF comedy called 'FAQ About Time Travel'
Quite funny!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Carried on the wonderment that is _Evil Dead_ by watching *Evil Dead II* (definitely my favourite). I love Ash. There are a few characters I would love to play. On stage, it would so be Iago, without a doubt. In film...Ash!


----------



## Happy Joe

Mutant Chronicles - a CG movie, not bad once you get used to the color and lack of attention to physics.

Enjoy!


----------



## Allegra

*The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button* - not bad, not great. I doubt if it could have been any better though. I haven't read the book but I think it's very difficult to deliver a brilliant film adaptation, curiously.

*The International* - so-so, nothing outstanding.


----------



## Mighty mouse

Gamer
Reminded me of the line about the restaurant, 'All the taste had been siphoned out of the food and put in the menu'. Gave up after 20 minutes.
GI Joe
Visuals so slick they make your head spin with dialogue that made 'The vampire diaries' seem like Nabakov. Empty


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Army of Darkness (Evil Dead III)*

HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE? And me being the _Evil Dead_ fan that I am. It. Is. Hilarious. Especially the scene with the tiny Ash-s. And the lines in it! I've just watched the theatrical ending on YouTube (for those who couldn't take the despairing ending). Hail to the King, Baby. Haha.


Now I am watching *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari*, 1920s silent film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched Georges Melies *A Trip to the Moon (1902)*. The Moon is full of mushrooms! 

And also *The Inn Where No Man Rests* *(1903)*. Oh, I liked this one. So clever!

Ah, one more: *L'homme a la tete en caoutchouc (1901)*. This one's hilarious. 
*
*


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Just watched Georges Melies *A Trip to the Moon (1902)*. The Moon is full of mushrooms!
> 
> And also *The Inn Where No Man Rests* *(1903)* Oh, I liked this one. So clever!



Classic flicks there Hoops! I've never seen either!

Last night we watched *Angels and Demons*, quite a good movie, as was Da Vinci Code, of which this is the prequel.
But anti matter-does it really exist? And if it meets matter will the result really be so explosive?
A couple of quite poignant coincidences- 
 a)the real pope died just after the film was released and b) scientists were later working on the Hadron Collider, echoed in the movie!


----------



## Fried Egg

Antimatter


> Furthermore, mixing matter and antimatter would lead to the annihilation of both in the same way that mixing antiparticles and particles does, thus giving rise to high-energy photons (gamma rays) or other particle–antiparticle pairs.


----------



## AE35Unit

Fried Egg said:


> Antimatter


But isn't anti matter just a theoretical proposition, just like black holes and string theory?


----------



## Fried Egg

AE35Unit said:


> But isn't anti matter just a theoretical proposition, just like black holes and string theory?


No, anti-matter has been observed and even manufactured (see article). Also, there is emerpical evidence for black holes as well, they are not mere theoretical propositions.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Allegra said:


> *The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button* - not bad, not great. I doubt if it could have been any better though. I haven't read the book but I think it's very difficult to deliver a brilliant film adaptation, curiously.


 
I myself haven't read the story either, but I have heard they really aren't anything alike. The only thing they took from the story was the aging backward, but all the other parts of the story were different.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Still on my silent film binge...

Watched *Frankenstein (1910)* a short while ago. The monster is creepy...and very effective. Very much liked the creation scene. 

Now I have *Nosferatu (1922)* and *Faust (1926)* lined up.


----------



## Fried Egg

Just watched "The Innocents" which I heard was an adaptation of Henry James' "Turn of the Screw". A very well made horror film that sent shivers down my spine. Just check out this shot:


----------



## HoopyFrood

Now that may have to be watched.

Just finished watching *Blood Diamond*. Very good film indeed. Will now go back to *Nosferatu*. Max Schreck is one creepy guy...


----------



## Culhwch

I really liked _Blood Diamond_, must revisit it. I think Edward Zwick is a very underrated director. 

Most recently watched Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_. A classic of modern animation.


----------



## Happy Joe

Crank 2; very over the top, if you liked the first one this one is occasionally funnier, more violent, and (mildly) pornographic.
Not something for the Victorian/Edwardian mindset.

I liked it...

Enjoy!


----------



## Interference

Fried Egg said:


> Just watched "The Innocents" which I heard was an adaptation of Henry James' "Turn of the Screw". A very well made horror film that sent shivers down my spine.



There was an adaptation on BBC7 last week, as well.  Eery story.  In the bg of that photo is Jason King star, Peter Wingard, from when he was still an actor.  He later played some pointless role in Di Laurentiis' _Flash Gordon_, though he still managed (in Flash Gordon) to imbue the word "Earth" with all the disgust and disdain his character felt for the planet 

Once again, a talent misused and now pretty much lost.



HoopyFrood said:


> Still on my silent film binge...
> 
> Watched *Frankenstein (1910)*.....



Ooo, don't think I've ever seen that one ...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched a movie last night called *Sunshine Cleaning*. It has Amy Adams and Emily Blunt in it. It was funny at times, and sad at times. Over all a pretty good movie.


----------



## Tillane

Watched *Dead Snow* last night.  How can I describe it...

Oversexed medical students?  Check.
Isolated cabin?  Check.
 Nazi zombies?  Check.
Chainsaws?  Check.
500 litres of fake blood?  Check.

Yeah.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Interference said:


> Ooo, don't think I've ever seen that one ...



It's good; it's only about eleven minutes long (if I'm remembering correctly) and has a monster that is closer (in my view) to Shelley's than the one that became so popular after the later Boris Karloff 1931 version. There's some really interesting uses of mirrors in it, as well.


----------



## Tansy

Outlander, Dorian Gray and Gamer have all been watched by me this week

Enjoyed them all


----------



## Quokka

*Kung Fu Hustle* First time I've watched it since seeing it in the cinema years ago, really funny movie with some great over the top visuals.


----------



## PJH

Franklyn. Really wierd, but also weirdly good.


----------



## j d worthington

Hoops: Those are some wonderful films you've been watching (or are preparing to watch in at least one case, yes?). I'm a big fan of Milies, and would love to own more of his stuff (I'm lucky enough to own copies of a very small handful, including *La Voyage dans la Lune* -- wonderfully odd little film).

Have you ever watched Wegener's *The Golem* (1920)? Based (loosely) on Gustav Meyrink's novel, it is a truly magnificent piece of filmmaking, with some very effectively eerie moments.

And yes, that production of *The Innocents* is _very_ much worth catching. A superb adaptation of Henry James' tale, which manages to both maintain the ambiguity as to the genuineness of the haunting and have a truly terrifying performance by Wyngarde as Peter Quint... even given his small amount of screen time and lack of dialogue! (He also puts in a very memorable performance in the film *Burn, Witch, Burn*, which is based, not on Merritt's novel of that title, but Fritz Leiber's *Conjure Wife* -- known in the UK as *Night of the Eagle*. A somewhat flawed film in some aspects, but nonetheless well worth seeing.) I'd highly recommend it, putting it up there with Robert Wise's production of *The Haunting* (1963) and Lewis Allen's film of *The Uninvited* (1944) as being among the best ghostly tales on film.

Oh, and I would also highly recommend Dreyer's *Vampyr* (1932, based loosely on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's superb tale "Carmilla") and *Day of Wrath* (1943)....

Myself... surprisingly, I have managed (albeit in fits and spurts) to view three films in the past 10 days: *The Masque of the Red Death* (Roger Corman, 1964 -- perhaps the best of his Poe adaptations, thanks in part to Beaumont's and Campbell's script and some fine performances; and a joy to the eye at the very least, thanks in part to Nicholas Roeg, who makes a much better cinematographer than director, in my opinion); *The Crimson Cult* (1968 -- poor Karloff and Lee!); and John Carpenter's *The Thing* (1982 -- despite its flaws, still a damn' fine film, and to me it really captures the atmosphere of Campbell's "Who Goes There?" beautifully... although without the somewhat optimistic ending JWC had).


----------



## biodroid

Zack and Mirri Make a Porno: what a funny movie and definitely not for the kids


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> Hoops: Those are some wonderful films you've been watching (or are preparing to watch in at least one case, yes?). I'm a big fan of Milies, and would love to own more of his stuff (I'm lucky enough to own copies of a very small handful, including *La Voyage dans la Lune* -- wonderfully odd little film).
> 
> Have you ever watched Wegener's *The Golem* (1920)? Based (loosely) on Gustav Meyrink's novel, it is a truly magnificent piece of filmmaking, with some very effectively eerie moments.
> 
> Oh, and I would also highly recommend Dreyer's *Vampyr* (1932, based loosely on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's superb tale "Carmilla") and *Day of Wrath* (1943)....



I managed to finish watching *Nosferatu*, which I _really_ enjoyed -- when he pops up out of his coffin on the ship, wah! Such an atmospheric film. Still need to see *Faust*, haven't found time to do that yet.

*The Golem* was another one I was going to watch, but it all depends on finding them somewhere on the internet.  

I'd also like to find *The Man Who Laughs*, because I rather liked Conrad Veidt in the *Cabinet of Dr. Caligari *(loved the expressionist settings in that little film). 

I have an ever-growing lists of films I need to see...


----------



## Happy Joe

Posted yesterday but for some reason it didn't take (might have been the virus issue I experienced, should be fixed now).
X-men Origins; Wolverine; fair to good. Not bad for a sequel but not as good as the first movies.
Return to the House on Haunted Hill; not bad, again a sequel.
Stargate SG-1; Children of the Gods. Original broadcast pilot snagged this one to file with the other Stargate movies.  Not bad; television production values.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> *The Golem* was another one I was going to watch, but it all depends on finding them somewhere on the internet.
> 
> I'd also like to find *The Man Who Laughs*, because I rather liked Conrad Veidt in the *Cabinet of Dr. Caligari *(loved the expressionist settings in that little film).
> 
> I have an ever-growing lists of films I need to see...


 
Yes, I believe it is available on the 'net... though I'm not sure just where (likely several places, as it has long, iirc, been in public domain). As for *The Man Who Laughs* -- suffers a bit from coincidence and melodramatic license stretched too far toward the end, but that's a minor complaint about an otherwise magnificent film.

Or, as Ray Bradbury said about it nearly 20 years ago (after not having seen it since the silent era) "The darned thing still works!" It does, indeed....

(Incidentally, just as a bit of trivia: did you know that Jack P. Pierce, the man who created the most famed of the Universal Monsters -- with the exception of Chaney's Quasimodo and Phantom -- was also the one who created the makeup effects for Veidt in that film? Not to mention, of course, that the appearance of Gwynplaine also inspired Bob Kane when creating The Joker -- the last being a perhaps overly quoted fact, but it may add some interest as well....)

I would also suggest Leni's *Waxworks* -- an uneven film, but some parts of it are truly superb. Also his The Cat and the Canary, which influenced James Whale in parts. (Largely a combination of mystery, comedy, and melodrama, it has some very eerie moments in it, as well.)

*The Black Cat*, with Karloff and Lugosi, is also well worth seeing, as it is very influenced by the German Expressionist movement... not to mention it getting away with some very sly, nasty touches which, had the censors picked up on them, would have had them near burning down the studio....)

If you can find it someplace, look for a documentary titled *Universal Horror*, by Kevin Brownlow, which is both a good deal of fun and very informative about several aspects of the early horror films; as well as his *Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces*, an excellent (and touching) tribute to the famed silent film star...


----------



## UltraCulture

Just about to watch *Bowfinger*,Steve Martins last decent film which is a shame.


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> Yes, I believe it is available on the 'net... though I'm not sure just where (likely several places, as it has long, iirc, been in public domain). As for *The Man Who Laughs* -- suffers a bit from coincidence and melodramatic license stretched too far toward the end, but that's a minor complaint about an otherwise magnificent film.
> 
> I would also suggest Leni's *Waxworks* -- an uneven film, but some parts of it are truly superb. Also his The Cat and the Canary, which influenced James Whale in parts. (Largely a combination of mystery, comedy, and melodrama, it has some very eerie moments in it, as well.)
> 
> *The Black Cat*, with Karloff and Lugosi, is also well worth seeing, as it is very influenced by the German Expressionist movement... not to mention it getting away with some very sly, nasty touches which, had the censors picked up on them, would have had them near burning down the studio....)
> 
> If you can find it someplace, look for a documentary titled *Universal Horror*, by Kevin Brownlow, which is both a good deal of fun and very informative about several aspects of the early horror films; as well as his *Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces*, an excellent (and touching) tribute to the famed silent film star...



Yes, *The Cat and the Canary* is another I have listed to watch. Telling you, I have loads to get through! Much appreciate the suggestions, will certainly be on the lookout for them. I am on the hunt for all that I can to fill in these terrible gaps I have. I really want to see *The Man Who Laughs* just to see Veidt again -- his movements and his face as he steps out of the cabinet in *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari* is definitely one of the things that stays with me from that film.

I also hope to eventually reach the era of films with sound, too. And If I'm really good, I might be able to get onto colour! I know what you mean about *The Masque of the Red Death*, I'd really like to see that again. And also would like to see *The Pit and the Pendulum* with Price.

So many films. 

The fact that a lot of them are public domain, though, makes my task a little easier.


----------



## sloweye

Solaris, the 1972 version ... Why, why did i sit through it...WHY!


----------



## j d worthington

sloweye said:


> Solaris, the 1972 version ... Why, why did i sit through it...WHY!


 
That film certainly seems to have a sharp divide in responses. Myself, the only problem I had with it was that long driving sequence (and even that I've seen a defense of). Otherwise, I found it a fascinating and disturbing film... and that last shot was like a punch in the gut, with the impact of its implications....

 Oh, and yes, Hoops, most (not all, but most) of the Corman Poe films are worth seeing, despite their wide variance from the source material. They each have their own quirks and oddities (frequently of a tongue-in-cheek nature, sometimes of a quite grim and grisly one), but they're very interesting, nonetheless. And, if you've not seen it, try to catch Corman's (well, it's under his name, at any rate, though the directors included a young Francis Ford Coppola and Jack Nicholson, among others) *The Terror* (1963), which was filmed in (roughly) three days, using sets which had just been used from *The Haunted Palace* (in order to be connected to the Poe sequence; the actual story is taken from Lovecraft's *The Case of Charles Dexter Ward*).

The story is that Corman found he had use of the sets for those extra days and, always loath to not pinch every penny until it screamed, wept, and cried for mercy, decided to make another film with the materials (and some of the people) at hand. Some sources I've seen have it that it was *The Raven* which had just been finished -- which would make more sense, as it also featured Karloff and Nicholson, and the same sources cite that they were at Corman's disposal for those extra days.

Here's Wiki's bit on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terror_(1963_film)

Wonky, seriously flawed film, but with some oddly compelling things to it.....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Dude, I shall certainly try. Thanks.


----------



## j d worthington

LOL... Sorry to be throwing out so many suggestions at once. It's just a case of one association leading to another, I'm afraid....


----------



## HoopyFrood

No, no, s'all good, you moose. And I keep doing the same; every time I watch one, I find even more that are queuing up behind it. 

When it's not such a brain-frazzling hour, I shall be returning to note down all the suggestions here.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Up* in 3d! I loved it.


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> Solaris, the 1972 version ... Why, why did i sit through it...WHY!


Actually I watched this a few years ago, and altho it was slow going I did enjoy it. The only annoying thing about it was the fact it was on 2 DVDs! Halfway thru you get the message Insert Disk 2.
Very odd!


----------



## Happy Joe

> Halfway thru you get the message Insert Disk 2.
> Very odd!


 
Early DVDs were single layer, so many movies needed 2 disks; I get the same thing with my copy of "Robin Hood Price of Thieves".

Today you get movies on dual layer dvds with double the capacity/runtime.  Some dvd players will stutter for a split second when they automatically switch layers.

Enjoy!


----------



## ktabic

HoopyFrood said:


> *The Golem* was another one I was going to watch, but it all depends on finding them somewhere on the internet.


Like here? (archive.org, the first stop for my public domain needs )

Sadly the only film I have watched recent was a short planetarium demo. I'm convinced there was a borg cube that transformed into the rubik borg cube of death, at the end of it, but others just said it was an advertising logo.


----------



## Happy Joe

Lat night alien 3 extended version; I liked it much better than the theatrical version, although it wasn't as polished, it answered many questions left open by the original.

Since I now have a netflix subscription; I'm going to try the other extended versions in this series.

Enjoy!


----------



## Foxbat

*City Of Lost Children*

It's been a long time since I've seen this. Forgotten how much I enjoyed this minor masterpiece until I watched it again. Wonderful


----------



## Rodders

I've never seen that, but it's always been one of those films that i "Meant" to see.


----------



## dask

LOST HORIZON. Intriguing Capra cautionary tale about the perils of what to believe and when to believe it. Ronald Colman takes center stage with his usual ease accompanied by a very young Jane Wyatt (hot, hot, hot!).


----------



## Rodders

There was a film on TV last night called District 13. No Plot, but likable characters and an enjoyable enough movie. Kind of like Taxi, but with Parkour.


----------



## Moonbat

District 13, I caught some of that last night. I've read on here today that a sequel is coming out. I agree the plot was slightly absurd, but it did give good license for all that free-running and Parkour. I'm sure the cop form it was in Die Hard 4.0 and has been a few action films since.

It interested me asI saw District 9 a few weeks back, I wonder how many district films there are? Is there a 'District' that started it all. I know 13 cames before 9 but maybe there are others. I will go check it out methinks.


----------



## Moonbat

my typing is terrible. 





> 13 cames before 9


!!!
anyway, there is a District 25, but its a short documentary, and a tv show called 'the district' lpenty of films with 'district attorney' in. But no District 2 through 8 and 10 through 12. I noticed in District 13 when they had to difuse the bomb, the last 3 characters of the code were d13, but when it was typed in the display said b13. Well, as I thought, the film is called 'Banlieue 13' and so even though it was subtitled as d13, it was actually b13.

Also, as a side point, I might be waffling here, when he gave them the bank account over the phone he used the phonetic alphabet and it was the english one, Charle Delta Foxtrot, but it made me wonder if that was artistic subtitling or do they use that phonetic alphabet internationally? and what happens in countries where they have letters not included in our alphabet? Sorry. Ignore my childish questions.


----------



## Rodders

Perhaps the phonetic Alphabet is an agreed constant across the globe?


----------



## Rosemary

I actually watched a film!  *The Black Narcissus* filmed in 1947 and staring Deborah Kerr.

The book was much better, so I was disappointed, as the film missed so much out.


----------



## clovis-man

Saw *The Informant*. Great film. Matt Damon was superb. 

Also saw *Inglorious Basterds*. Tarantino never has learned that it isn't always necessary to go over the top. Too long and too much.


----------



## jackokent

Saw Dorian Grey on a couple days ago.  Enjoyed it but a bit tacky if you compare it to the book.


----------



## j d worthington

jackokent said:


> Saw Dorian Grey on a couple days ago. Enjoyed it but a bit tacky if you compare it to the book.


 
Which version was this? (There have been at least three I am aware of.)

After my earlier conversation with Hoops, I ended up going up to the storage cabinet and hauling home a large selection of films and, as I've not been able to watch movies for quite some time, I've been on something of a binge, watching one a night just before going to bed. Lately I have seen:

Kevin Brownlow's *Universal Horror* (1998) -- a quite good documentary on the subject of the early horror films, Universal's in particular, which also deals with some of the social elements which went into their conception and design (as well as popularity and impact). Clips from a lot of films which have become, unfortunately, rather obscure and difficult to obtain, but many of which look as if they would be both fascnating and a great deal of fun. If this one hasn't been released on DVD (my version is a taping of the original broadcast on TCM), it darned well ought to be. Brownlow's work is almost always well worth seeing. (He also did one on Lon Chaney, one on Harold Lloyd, two on Buster Keaton, one on Abel Gance, and one on Chaplin... among other subjects.)

*The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (1923) -- Still the best film version of the tale, and Chaney's Quasimodo remains a powerful performance. (For that matter, Norman Kerry -- who starred opposite Chaney in several films -- brings to the role of Phoebus some very nice touches. He is, in my view, a rather underrated actor who did more with his romantic leads than is at first apparent... in part because he was working opposite the charismatic and unforgettable Chaney.)

*The Phantom of the Opera* (1925) -- The other of Chaney's two most remarkable films (which is saying something, if you've seen much of his work), and a personal favorite of mine. A restored print, using the two-tone technicolor sequences, making that Red Death costume very impressive indeed.

*The Old Dark House* (1932) -- James Whale working with Boris Karloff, Gloria Stewart, Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, and the irrepressible Ernest Thesiger. Very much in the "Cat and the Canary" school of blending horror, suspense, and humor, based on J. B. Priestley's 1927 novel, Benighted. A surprising amount of the humor here remains crisp and refreshingly witty and intelligent (especially in comparison with so much modern "humor" in films), and there are some very fine touches throughout, though I would agree with Karloff that it really didn't make the best use of his abilities.

*The Unknown* (1927) -- Chaney again, this time opposite not only Norman Kerry but a very young Joan Crawford... someone about whom I have never felt particularly fond, but here she does quite well, and looks stunning (I've never found her particularly attractive, either, with rare exceptions). Another of the truly grotesque tales of distortion and disfigurement which brought together both Chaney and director Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks). A melodrama, but well done, and with some genuinely uncomfortable sequences. Again, Chaney's performance is superb, bringing a convincingness to a role which otherwise could so easily fall flat on its face.


----------



## katiafish

I have watched The Spirit. I liked it..


----------



## Happy Joe

Sin City another overly violent, mostly black and white, multi-story, video comic book;
It was watchable (barely) (I liked it better than The Spirit (also a video comic book); Samuel L Jackson almost saved that movie). 
Tarantino (as a guest director) didn't help (I tend to avoid his films).

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

*The Mission *by Johnny To, Hong Kong coolest crime,action thrillers director.

It was my first DVD haul of a new DVD since i had to watch more of Johnny To.    

A very cool,different gangster film.   Early in his career but still worth the dvds price.


----------



## Tillane

_*Blood: The Last Vampire*_.  Generic and fairly naff, but there are some entertaining fight sequences.  I've seen worse.


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> After my earlier conversation with Hoops, I ended up going up to the storage cabinet and hauling home a large selection of films and, as I've not been able to watch movies for quite some time, I've been on something of a binge, watching one a night just before going to bed. Lately I have seen:
> 
> *The Hunchback of Notre Dame* (1923) -- Still the best film version of the tale, and Chaney's Quasimodo remains a powerful performance. (For that matter, Norman Kerry -- who starred opposite Chaney in several films -- brings to the role of Phoebus some very nice touches. He is, in my view, a rather underrated actor who did more with his romantic leads than is at first apparent... in part because he was working opposite the charismatic and unforgettable Chaney.)
> 
> *The Phantom of the Opera* (1925) -- The other of Chaney's two most remarkable films (which is saying something, if you've seen much of his work), and a personal favorite of mine. A restored print, using the two-tone technicolor sequences, making that Red Death costume very impressive indeed.
> 
> *The Old Dark House* (1932) -- James Whale working with Boris Karloff, Gloria Stewart, Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, and the irrepressible Ernest Thesiger. Very much in the "Cat and the Canary" school of blending horror, suspense, and humor, based on J. B. Priestley's 1927 novel, Benighted. A surprising amount of the humor here remains crisp and refreshingly witty and intelligent (especially in comparison with so much modern "humor" in films), and there are some very fine touches throughout, though I would agree with Karloff that it really didn't make the best use of his abilities.



Dude, no way, you are watching all the films I had planned once upon a time. Well, definitely *The Old Dark House*, anyway, only I don't think I could find it anywhere. Or maybe my internetz searching power is failing me. The two Chaney films were also ones I wanted to catch, having read about how good the guy was.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Dude, no way, you are watching all the films I had planned once upon a time. Well, definitely *The Old Dark House*, anyway, only I don't think I could find it anywhere. Or maybe my internetz searching power is failing me. The two Chaney films were also ones I wanted to catch, having read about how good the guy was.


 
*Phantom* is, I believe, available in its entirety on the net -- there's a thread on the film somewhere hereabouts which provides a link. Other than that, there are numerous prints available for rent or very cheap purchase -- but be careful about that, as only a few are the restored, full prints, which can make a _big_ difference.

And over the last two days, I've now managed to catch *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari* (actually 1919, rather than 1920) and Tod Browning's *Dracula* (1931) with Bela Lugosi; both, again, in restored prints....


----------



## Happy Joe

Got a surprise last night; a friend gave me a "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" DVD;
I remember seeing it in my youth but it stands up surprisingly well today even considering its low budget (except for the special effects and a few continuity issues).
Overall a much better movie than I expected/remembered.

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> *Phantom* is, I believe, available in its entirety on the net -- there's a thread on the film somewhere hereabouts which provides a link. Other than that, there are numerous prints available for rent or very cheap purchase -- but be careful about that, as only a few are the restored, full prints, which can make a _big_ difference.
> 
> And over the last two days, I've now managed to catch *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari* (actually 1919, rather than 1920) and Tod Browning's *Dracula* (1931) with Bela Lugosi; both, again, in restored prints....



Yah, as I say, it's probably my poor internetz searching skills. I don't think I tried looking for the Chaney films yet, but I definitely know I couldn't immediately find The Old Dark House.

The dates of Caligari lied to me and deceived...I saw 1919 at one point, then 1920 at another. I didn't know which to believe. I am young and lost! 

And also tired, which is why I am so manic.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Yah, as I say, it's probably my poor internetz searching skills. I don't think I tried looking for the Chaney films yet, but I definitely know I couldn't immediately find The Old Dark House.
> 
> The dates of Caligari lied to me and deceived...I saw 1919 at one point, then 1920 at another. I didn't know which to believe. I am young and lost!
> 
> And also tired, which is why I am so manic.


 
Ummm... does this mean you are in a perpetual state of being tired...?

On *The Old Dark House*... that one may still (possibly) be in copyright; I'm not sure. The two Chaney films are not, though the restored versions may be (or not; I'm not certain how the law works on that where films are concerned, or if anyone actually filed for the copyright). But if you can find them, all three are definitely worth seeing... though Whale's little opus is a bit too tongue-in-cheek for many....

As for Chaney himself -- he was one of *the* great actors of the silent era, whether in such horrific thrillers as these, or with more mainstream work (*Tell it to the Marines*, for example, which is a very nifty little film with one of his best performances). A lot of the films he was in are melodramas and of the conte cruel type, which means a lot of coincidence and some badly stretched and contrived situations, but his performances almost invariably make them worth watching. High points would be *The Unknown* (see above), *The Penalty* (1920) quite daring for its time, and raised the ire of the censors for several reasons; *Mr. Wu* (1927), in which Chaney plays both the grandfather and the grandson -- a figure who is an "Oriental menace" in some ways, but a deeply realized character and quite sympathetic -- unusual for the time; *He Who Gets Slapped* (1924) and *Laugh, Clown, Laugh* (1928): both takes on the Pagliacci figure, with strong similarities and strong differences; *West of Zanzibar* (1928), which _really_ pushed the boundaries in a lot of ways; *Shadows* (1922), a terrible melodrama, but a magnificent performance, again casting Chaney as a very sympathetic Oriental at a time when there really wasn't much but antagonism toward people from the East; and *The Unholy Three* (both versions, each has its own strengths, and the second is his only talking picture, made during his final illness).

(It's a pity *London After Midnight* is still a "lost" film, iirc, though there has been an interesting "stills reconstruction" of it which at least captures some of the magic of the film. _That_ film, by the way, has the rather bizarre history of having been used as a defense in a murder trial in England during its original release....)

I'm not sure just where you'd find them (though they do sometimes show up on cable here in the U.S.), but they _are_ out there, and if you can come across them, they are well worth seeing....


----------



## HoopyFrood

> Ummm... does this mean you are in a perpetual state of being tired...?


Pish, I will take no more abuse of this kind from you, young man. I am a wise and worldly older one now, I demand respect!

Or just ignore me, as I have a extra spoonful of tiredness heaped onto the earlier lot. Wooooooooot.

Considering your most detailed explanations (many thanks) I may end up exploding in an Orientalism mess when watching such films. Would be interesting viewing. As before, I shall certainly endeavour to search all of these out. Many gaps to fill. Shall aspire to do so. Definitely no lack of wanting to watch all of said stuff.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Considering your most detailed explanations (many thanks) I may end up exploding in an Orientalism mess when watching such films. Would be interesting viewing.


 
Just keep in mind that this was the height of the "Yellow Peril" idea, and contrast what Chaney does with such characters with the usual presentation of the period. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Even when his character is doing monstrous things (as in the later part of Mr. Wu), there is some rationale with which one may sympathize; and there is a nobility to the characters, a deep humanity, that he manages to convey through both large and subtle touches.



> As before, I shall certainly endeavour to search all of these out. Many gaps to fill. Shall aspire to do so. Definitely no lack of wanting to watch all of said stuff.


 
I don't know how much this would help with your search, but it will at least give you titles and a bit more information, especially should you choose to rent such (going in with others of similar interests, perhaps?):

lonchaney.com - VHS and DVD Lon Chaney Sr.

http://www.lonchaney.com/


----------



## Foxbat

Hoopy - *The Old Dark House* is (or was) available on region 2 DVD (I know...I have a copy). I bought it on the net but can't quite remember where. There is a web address on the box and says to visit www.networkdvd.co.uk

Hope this helps.

Update: The Old Dark House is indeed available at the above web address for the princely sum of £9.78


----------



## Lioness

Young Victoria. I went and saw it today with BF, and I really liked it. It was a nice blend of awesome dresses and nice music, and the cinematography was beautiful. It also helped that the two German princes were quite good looking. It got me crying at one point, though not for long.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Kite Runner*. A sobering tale of cultural relativity.


----------



## bobbo19

Sin City is great. Enthralls from beginnig to end. All strands of the story are good and the film is perversely funny. 

The last film i saw was the 51st State. Great film set in Liverpool with Samuel L Jackson as the main protagonist. 

Film i really want to see is District 9. Anyone recommend it?


----------



## HoopyFrood

I knew there was something else I meant to say here.

Yes, I love Sin City. Mind you, I am a fan of that graphic novel genre of film anyway. They are always so visually brilliant. And Tarantino is only listed in the credits because he directed one scene in the film; beyond that, I don't think he was much included.


----------



## j d worthington

Since I seem to be on an old horror/suspense binge, I decided to follow up Tod Browning's version with the Spanish version of *Dracula* (1931), directed by George Melford. Made on the same sets, filmed at night while Browning's was done by day (at least, so I understand it from various film histories), it is an interesting contrast.

Technically (cinematography and the like), it is often much more complex and polished than Browning's version; it is also nearly half again as long (Browning's coming in at just over 74 minutes, the Spanish version clocks in at just over 103. Some of the performances are quite good, though Carlos Villarias can't hold a candle to Lugosi -- albeit he does have his moments now and again which are rather effective. It also has some very good atmospheric moments now and again, as well as a somewhat broader strain of humor. Not anywhere near as memorable as the Browning/Lugosi film, but interesting and even entertaining, in its own odd way.....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Are we, like, sharing brains at the moment? (Scary thought)...

Yet another film I was hoping to watch (one day, eventually, hopefully) and the other version, to see how they compare. I heard about the sharing sets and thought it very cool...crafty stealing of sets. Forward planning. I like it.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Are we, like, sharing brains at the moment? (Scary thought)...


 
Um, yeah... a very scary thought. (Trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near what my twisted little mind tends to be like....)



> Yet another film I was hoping to watch (one day, eventually, hopefully) and the other version, to see how they compare. I heard about the sharing sets and thought it very cool...crafty stealing of sets. Forward planning. I like it.


 
As I understand it, more than one of the studios at the time were, for a while, filming both domestic and foreign versions of several oftheir films simultaneously; some were in French, some German, and so on... most in Spanish. This is, from what I hear, one of the few which holds up relatively well as an example of cinematic art today.

It has been released both on videotape and (as I recall) on the Dracula set of the Legacy Collection (I believe that was the generic title) which dealt with all their famed monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon; collecting all the major films into a single set for each creation.

EDIT: Yep, found a listing for them at Amazon -- this page shows each of the sets, I think (save, possibly, for The Invisible Man)....

Amazon.com: dracula 1931 - DVD: Movies & TV


----------



## Who's Wee Dug

bobbo19 said:


> Sin City is great. Enthralls from beginnig to end. All strands of the story are good and the film is perversely funny.
> 
> The last film i saw was the 51st State. Great film set in Liverpool with Samuel L Jackson as the main protagonist.
> 
> Film i really want to see is District 9. Anyone recommend it?


Yes I watched that the other week a bit dark and violent in places shows how Man's inhumanity to other races can escalate through ignorance and fear. IMO it's well worth watching. (subtitles in parts though)

Also watched Dead Snow, dark Norwegian zombie horror all subtitles, not my cup of tea as the saying goes.


----------



## Foxbat

Who's Wee Dug said:


> Also watched Dead Snow, dark Norwegian zombie horror all subtitles, not my cup of tea as the saying goes.


 
Watched this one too recently. They should have called it Dead Cliche. Very Poor.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> *The Old Dark House* (1932) -- James Whale working with Boris Karloff, Gloria Stewart, Raymond Massey, Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, and the irrepressible Ernest Thesiger. Very much in the "Cat and the Canary" school of blending horror, suspense, and humor, based on J. B. Priestley's 1927 novel, Benighted. A surprising amount of the humor here remains crisp and refreshingly witty and intelligent (especially in comparison with so much modern "humor" in films), and there are some very fine touches throughout, though I would agree with Karloff that it really didn't make the best use of his abilities.



Watched this tonight. I had forgotten that I'd already seen it some years ago. Clever and creepy. The split mirror scene at the beginning was especially unsettling. And Whale was always good at splicing snippets of scenes together to create a threatening mood.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> Watched this tonight. I had forgotten that I'd already seen it some years ago. Clever and creepy. The split mirror scene at the beginning was especially unsettling. And Whale was always good at splicing snippets of scenes together to create a threatening mood.


 
Indeed he was. Whale was a good director, with a strong theatrical sense...

And last night, I watched Nosferatu (1922) again (I've seen this one several times, and it remains one of my favorite silent films). Do wish I had *Shadow of the Vampire*, though, to go with it....


----------



## Happy Joe

The Thaw; low budget horror movie. 
Obnoxiously preachy about global warming in the leading credits. 
Better than some cheap flicks but it still has actors portraying insultingly emotionally immature characters. (Its been a while, hopefully todays' youth are not really this poorly prepared or as ignorant as they are portrayed in movies).
Overall it was watchable/not bad.

...Also waiting for District 9 (and a few others) to be released on DVD...

Got a 2 terabyte drive to add into the HTPC, for movie storage...

Enjoy!


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> And last night, I watched Nosferatu (1922) again (I've seen this one several times, and it remains one of my favorite silent films). Do wish I had *Shadow of the Vampire*, though, to go with it....



A really fun movie. Willem Dafoe outdid himself as Max Schreck. It was a hoot when members of the film production staff were discussing his wonderful "acting" abilities and when Dafoe complains to John Malkovich about his setting a "mean table".


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, it is a good film indeed. Manages to be both an homage and a parody, and is a very nice match for the original. (I've always had trouble with Herzog's remake, despite some superb moments and some very, very good performances... and, in general, a strong liking for Herzog's work. There's just a bit too much of broad humor there for my taste, and it detracts from the genuinely eerie and quite powerful atmosphere he builds up in other portions of the film, leaving it an extremely uneven whole, from my perspective. I'd love to have a copy of the soundtrack, though....)

I've got to get a copy of *Shadow of the Vampire* at some point.....


----------



## j d worthington

Well, as an odd coincidence (as I've had both in my "to read and see" list, but quite a distance apart in schedulng), my most recent film was Paul Wegener's *The Golem*, last night -- at the same time that I'm reading Meyrink's novel of the same name. Vastly different, though each makes use of the same materials (the legendary Rabbi Loew's creation of the being and the ensuing consequences), but one focuses on that story proper, while the other seems (at ths point) to use it as background and resonance for other concerns....

Wonderful film; not the first time I've seen it, by any means, but this one was a lovely restored print from Kino, which I bought just before moving to Austin, and which has lain in storage ever since, without ever having been viewed.....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched about three quarters of *Princess Mononoke* last night (to be finished soon). At the moment I'm watching *Capote* because I have to; good stuff so far, though. Can't stop watching films with a screenwriter-y eye now.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Can't stop watching films with a screenwriter-y eye now.


 
I know what you mean. Not a bad thing, though; and seeing it through such a "lens" can lead to a lot of interesting insights with film that others might easily miss....

As for my own viewing -- continuing the present trend by watching James Whale's *Frankenstein* (1931). Yep, a restored print here, too. I've seen lots of prints with one or the other censored scene replaced, and occasionally with both, but generally the sound quality on the "In the name of God, now I know how it feels to _be_ God!" line is generally very poor... here it was crisp and clear; and the footage with Maria's drowning was also quite pristine. The reaction of the creature at that point is a high point, as is the moment when they shut the skylight, and he mutely asks his question of his creator; a very touching moment, as he is so like a bewildered, lost child....

At any rate, I keep expecting to be disappointed with a film like this, which I've seen so many, many times over the years, but for me at least, it still delivers. There are some very good performances here, not least of course being Karloff's, and it really works as a film, I think, better than the vast majority of adaptations of Mrs. Shelley's little novel. It isn't necessarily a good adaptation, but I'd still argue it's a good _film_.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Confederate States Of America *

Intertesting and thought provoking film but not something I'd return to.

As for *Frankenstein* - I think it's a good example of a film _building_ on a book rather than just following it.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> As for *Frankenstein* - I think it's a good example of a film _building_ on a book rather than just following it.


 
That's a _very_ good way of putting it, I think....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Finished watching *Princess Mononoke* this evening. Ending's still always bit shocking.


----------



## gully_foyle

Saw *Moon* last night. It was pretty good. Sort of a distillation of themes from *2001, Solaris, Outlands* and a bit of Heinlein's *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*. I particularly appreciated the low tech effects, CGI doesn't do it for me (are you listening George Lucas?). Sam Rockwell was excellent. 4 stars.


----------



## biodroid

Wolverine, very cool movie, not the best I've seen but still highly enjoyable, I like going into characters origins. The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, pretty good for a chick flick, I laughed quite a bit in this movie and McConnaghey is a pretty good actor too, I just think he should stick to action like in Sahara.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

I hated Wolverine.  In fact, I never liked any of the freaking X-men movies because, as usual, they were just too far from the comics and original series. For one, Rogue was NOT a teenager, and for two, Gambit was a part of them....



Last movie I saw was The Constant Gardner. Seen it before and didn't much care for it, didn't much like it better this time around either. But then again, I've seen worse......*Sounds of Music coming to mind*


----------



## Quokka

*UP* So far Pixar don't seem to do bad movies so although it's no Nemo for me there's still plenty to like about it and the little mini movie before it was a good laugh.


----------



## Foxbat

*Inland Empire *

A bit bamboozling but (as usual from David Lynch) a beautifully shot movie.


----------



## Rodders

Serenity was on TV last night. Absolutely gutted when wash gets it. (No pun intended.) Great film. Why did they ever stop Firefly, i ask myself?


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Little Miss Sunshine*. Excellent film, truly is.


----------



## clovis-man

*Zombieland*. I think we have a "serious" rival to *Shaun of the Dead* here. Early in the movie our hero is being chased by a zombie who accosts him in the men's room. The zombie has toilet paper stuck to his shoe. That should give you a hint about the type of humor involved. Well worth seeing.


----------



## Diggler

*Orphan*

Had some plot issues. Though overall a very enjoyable horror that was a cut above the horror garbage that gets around. Has a nice twist at the end which you should refuse anyone to tell you about if you haven't seen the film.

*9*

Thin plot, though great animation and really quite enjoyable if you want something that is simple and looks good.

*Trouble the Water*

Must see look at Hurricane Katrina and it's aftermath through the eyes and lens of an impoverished African American family living in one of the burroughs. It really is a shame that people should have to endure this kind of sorrow and hardship just because they happen to be poor.


----------



## j d worthington

Continuing on my current trend, I last night watched Karl Freund's *The Mummy* (1932) with Boris Karloff. This one has, it seems to me, always been rather an underrated film. Granted, the "horrific" scenes (in the usual Hollywood sense) are extremely sparse; but the actual tension of the narrative of malign supernatural forces at work begins within the first few minutes, and doesn't end until just about the last five seconds of the film. I think that most people don't "get it" that Ardath Bey is a living mummy, not a mummy given life again, but a semblance of life... hence his peculiar appearance, and the fact that his touch leaves the mouldy mark of the grave. It's a very understated piece, really, but I think it is one of the best for that very reason: it plays things quietly and subtly, in comparisn to most of the Universal films in the genre (and, for that matter, most films in the genre, period!), and Karloff's performance is truly notable. It is also of interest as one of the handful of films actually directed by Karl Freund, who had been cinematographer on such films as *The Golem* (1920), *The Last Laugh* (1924), and *Metropolis* (1927), and whose last film (as director) was Peter Lorre's first American film, *Mad Love* (1935). As an interesting bit of trivia, Freund later went on to be cinematographer for the *I Love Lucy* television show for a number of seasons....

And I just finished watching an early Universal film, a 1912 production of *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*. Whether this is the entire film or not, I'm not certain, but it is certainly a substantial part of it, and I've long wanted to see this one out of curiosity. The entire thing is quite primitive, of course, but one thing I do like about it (despite the ridiculous fangs) is that they present Hyde as the dwarfish, stunted creature Stevenson describes... not quite so obviously monstrous in appearance as he was to become with Barrymore, March, and most later versions (with the exception of the portrayal by Spencer Tracy, of course). For those interested in such obscure bits of early cinema, here's a link to the thing, which has long been in public domain:

YouTube - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1912 / Lucius Henderson) - Sepiatone


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> I think that most people don't "get it" that Ardath Bey is a living mummy, not a mummy given life again, but a semblance of life... hence his peculiar appearance, and the fact that his touch leaves the mouldy mark of the grave.



The close-up of Karloff in the film seems to provide a very strong clue, however.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Wolverine earlier. It was ok,  a few duff silly moments tthat make you go Oh please! I really should stop watching such lo brow drivel but they're entertaining I suppose!
Never read the comics so I can't compare.


----------



## jojajihisc

*Adventureland*

Mediocre comedy about a carnival worker.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *The Dish*.

This is a fact based story about the 1969 Apollo 11 moon mission and the key role that an Australian receiving dish plays in the television broadcast of the first moon landing. It's a good natured tale which pivots on the interesting and atypical characters at the dish site, headed up by Sam Neill.

Recommended.


----------



## j d worthington

Watched John S. Robertson's *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1920) with John Barrymore. Again, I have the good fortune to have a copy of the restored print, and it really is a lovely film in a lot of ways. Barrymore, like Mansfield, did the transformation in one single, unedited take (save for the closeup of the hands immediately afterward), which is really quite remarkable, given the way he managed to change his appearance without aid of makeup or special effects. It remains relatively faithful to the plot of Stevenson's book, and even several of the philosophical queries it raises, though it does introduce a few rather hackneyed points (Millicent's father "tempting" Jekyll into his fall much the same way as Lord Henry Wotton tempted Dorian Gray, for example), but these weren't particularly overdone, and didn't detract from the film as a whole. Interesting that Barrymore's Hyde varies (depending on his emotions at the time) from being a somewhat shaky, almost doddering creature, to a spidery figure, to an absolutely manic, primate-in-a-rage characterization which certainly captures the fiendishness of the figure, if not the exact physical description given by the author. (For one thing, Barrymore is much too tall to quite manage that.)

An interesting and enjoyable take on the story, if quite short (67 minutes).

Tonight -- circumstances permitting, I'll be tackling what is often considered the definitive film version, the Rouben Mamoulian film of 1931, starring Fredric March....


----------



## Diggler

*The Day After Tomorrow*

A guilty pleasure of mine on Blu-Ray (which made it even more guilty)


----------



## Diggler

jojajihisc said:


> *Adventureland*
> 
> Mediocre comedy about a carnival worker.



This was definitely marketed as something that it was not. It really was nothing more than a teen romance with smatterings of comedy. Just re-watch Superbad instead.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*500 Days of Summer*

Has already become one of my favourite movies.


----------



## blacknorth

j. d. worthington said:


> Continuing on my current trend, I last night watched Karl Freund's *The Mummy* (1932) with Boris Karloff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dxVAw_Vpk



Doesn't this feature the wonderful, ahem, Zita Johann? I've set aside one of her rare film appearances for watching this weekend - _The Sin of Nora Moran_.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> The close-up of Karloff in the film seems to provide a very strong clue, however.


 
I'd have thought so, yes; but it's surprising the number of people who just don't "get" it with that one. It's almost as if, if it ain't wearing those rotting bandages, it ain't a mummy! (Or somesuch....)



blacknorth said:


> Doesn't this feature the wonderful, ahem, Zita Johann? I've set aside one of her rare film appearances for watching this weekend - _The Sin of Nora Moran_.


 
Eeee-yep. You know, I don't believe I've ever seen anything else with her. She did rather well, I think, with the material here; certainly she plays the character with more complexity than one would expect. I'll have to see if I can't find a few of her other films and see...

And I have also watched James Whale's *The Invisible Man* (1933), with Claude Rains. Even more than with Frankenstein or The Old Dark House, Jimmy Whale's theatrical background is in evidence here. Nor do I consider this an entirely bad thing; he is excellent with his pacing and staging a scene and knows how to pull out tremendous performances from very divergent actors. (I mean, one would expect Una O'Connor, with that teeth-grating shriek of hers and her broad comedy approach, to quite spoil things; but Whale uses her not inconsiderable talent to very good effect here, just as he did later with *The Bride of Frankenstein*.) (Speaking of which: all the other things aside, it was a stroke of sheer genius-_cum_-chutzpah to cast her in the same film with Ernest Thesiger, a man who practically defined -- without ever quite stepping over that boundary into excess -- the term "camp".)

By the way... for those who don't know, this was Claude Rains' film debut; and, as has been said, it would be difficult to come up with a more unusual debut as a film actor than to play a character whose face the audience never sees until the last few seconds of the film! Yet Rains puts in a magnificent performance, managing to elicit a certain amount of sympathy while nonetheless being one of the most horrifically cold human monsters in cinema history.

Oh, and a correction on dates (see, Hoops, you ain't the only one!): The Rouben Mamoulian *Jekyll and Hyde* was released, apparently, in 1932, not 1931....


----------



## Lobolover

_The Prince and Me_ (grunt), do not even ask

And, this may come as a shocker , but this pile of crap actualy has two sequels , exceding even the horrificly terryfying Princes Diariess - and the third movie seems to undermine the only creditable (however small) achievement the original movie had by picking a real country  . The third movie, however , due to lack of creativity, takes place in an invented country that has just about as much existence as "Genovia" . Granted I did not see it, but the plot summary is sufficient for me , especialy since that was the only creditable part in the first film - granted they shot Copenhagen in Prague, gave the Prince the most Danish name they could think of (Edward) , did not notice there has been a queen in Denmark for over 30 years, and actualy showed their complete lack of knowledge about danish history by mentioning a "KIng Gustav IV. in 1502" - except there has never been a Gustav regnant in Denmark , as oposed to Sweden . Yes, maybe I am being a littlee to detailed, but with a movie so bereft of things to keep you interested, the "minor" flaws come out prety quickly .

I would have to say that even Fran Drescher's cinematic opus "The Beast and the Beautician" made more sense (though the main actor just gave up looking his role halfway through the film by shaving his moustache, looking like an american actor that just got lost on a tour of the palace)


----------



## Happy Joe

Speaking of piles...

I saw "Land of the Lost"  last night.
If you thought last summer's "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was intellectual entertainment then you might like this one...

Enjoy!

P.S. save your time and avoid this flick.


----------



## j d worthington

Last night's offering was Robert Florey's *Murders in the Rue Morgue* (1932), with Bela Lugosi. This one is something of a disappointment, really. Even though its only real connections to Poe's tale are the central plot element of the murderer, and the presence of Dupin, I could forgive that. There are some interesting ideas here, too, but they aren't given enough time to develop properly. Lugosi is fun to watch, of course, though he does take it over the top here a fair amount; and Leon Ames (credited here as Leon Waycoff) as Dupin, though not Poe's Dupin, nonetheless puts in a good performance, as does the female lead, Sidney Fox. But the main problem is that it varies between some very good ideas and hackneyed development, not enough attention to atmosphere (though where it is there, it is quite good), and too little time to really develop the story well.

That said, Freund's cinematography is first class -- the use of the camera here is quite creative, and adds entire layers of meaning to what is going on on the screen; the majority of the secondary players here put in very good performances; the comic aspects, whether farcical or gallows' humor, are actually quite good in most cases; and they don't rely _too_ much on the man in the ape suit, preferring to go for a genuine primate as much as possible, and utilizing the stand-in only for sequences where such would not have been feasible, or for long shots. Unfortunately, it still looks like a man in an ape suit (albeit a well-constructed one), so lessens the effect considerably.

All in all, a mixed bag; worth seeing, but hardly as good as it could have been with the talent involved -- including a young John Huston, who wrote some of the additional dialogue.....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> And yes, that production of *The Innocents* is _very_ much worth catching. A superb adaptation of Henry James' tale, which manages to both maintain the ambiguity as to the genuineness of the haunting and have a truly terrifying performance by Wyngarde as Peter Quint... even given his small amount of screen time and lack of dialogue!



Okay, I'm afraid you finally lost me with this one. And don't get me wrong. I wasn't front-loaded to dislike this movie. First of all, I'm a big Deborah Kerr fan. I think I've been infatuated with her ever since *King Solomon's Mines*. And a few other little films like *An Affair To Remember* weren't half bad either.

I guess, in a couple of ways this was a period piece. First of course, was the 19th century setting. But second were the 1961 mores and folkways which governed the character portrayals. One could only hint at despicable behavior, never spell it out. But even though I was a citizen of those times, I found the melodramatics difficult to endure. Only a couple of years later, *The Haunting*, from Shirley Jackson's novel, with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom portrayed a supernatural tale with much more panache and zeal.

*The Innocents* just didn't work for me.


----------



## Lobolover

JK.D. from what I gather, Lugosi did not speak english and only memorised the lines by heart .


----------



## AE35Unit

*Monsters V Aliens*
Just too good to keep to the kids!!


----------



## j d worthington

Lobolover said:


> JK.D. from what I gather, Lugosi did not speak english and only memorised the lines by heart .


 
That was true when he was playing Dracula on the stage; but by the time he had made the film, he had become a (relatively) fluent English speaker; by the mid-1930s, as far as his comprehension and vocabulary -- not the pronunciation, which always remained strongly influenced by his origins -- he could well have been a native of the U.S.; much as was the case with Peter Lorre....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Chinatown*, with Jack Nicholson (I mean he's in the film, not sitting next to me also watching it) at the moment.


----------



## Happy Joe

I got a surprise over the weekend;
Saw "This Island Earth" on DVD;  I was amazed that it was in color...
The last time that I saw it was in the 50s or early 60s on a black and white television.  After viewing you really see where a lot of shows got many of their ideas (star trek and others).
This one is a keeper and is going on the library shelf (and the hard drive).

Enjoy!


----------



## Diggler

*Goodfellas* Great film, though it kind of didn't hold up due to some pretty bad acting from Lorraine Bracco. Looked sweet in HiDef though.

*Shaun of the Dead* Absolute classic! You could re-watch this movie over and over and still find yet more references to pop culture horror. Also looked damn sweet in HD.

I have just too many HDDVD's to watch, I went on a buying bonanza with them after the format war and have clocked up some 140 so far. Most are still in shrink wrap : /


----------



## ktabic

Last movies I watched was *Evil Dead*, *Evil Dead 2* and *Army of Darkness*, back to back. Groovy. 

Bruce Campbell FTW.

Might have to try a George Romero session next.


----------



## mygoditsraining

Brokeback Mountain, in between my other half's interminable march through the Gossip Girl Season 1 box set.

Next up is Grave of the Fireflies, which will undoubtedly be a very sad evening.


----------



## clovis-man

Happy Joe said:


> I got a surprise over the weekend;
> Saw "This Island Earth" on DVD;  I was amazed that it was in color...
> The last time that I saw it was in the 50s or early 60s on a black and white television.  After viewing you really see where a lot of shows got many of their ideas (star trek and others).
> This one is a keeper and is going on the library shelf (and the hard drive).



If you get a chance to see the *Mystery Science Theater 3000* movie, it will make *This Island Earth* look much different. Still and all, it's a much better film to watch than many give it credit for. Both "versions" are in my permanent library.

It's that time of year. Watched *The Wolfman* (1941) for the umpteenth time. Always fun. Although at this point, I keep seeing things that are more and more amusing, i.e., Bela Lugosi gets to be a real honest to goodness wolf while poor Lon Chaney Jr. has to just have a bad haircut and run around on doggie tiptoe. Also, I'm always struck by how the "intelligentsia" in the movie get to smoke straight billiard pipes while the lowly gravedigger is relegated to puffing on a bent Oom Paul (This is true in other films of the period as well, e.g., James Whale's Frankenstein movies). I also like the shooting stand that Ralph Bellamy puts up to spot the werewolf from. Should work great since it's all of about two feet off the ground.


----------



## Diggler

mygoditsraining said:


> Next up is Grave of the Fireflies, which will undoubtedly be a very sad evening.



This is a very, very depressing movie. Get your wife a big box of tissue's. I'm a blokey bloke and I even had to wipe my eyes during this one...


----------



## Diggler

*Surrogates* Great concept ruined by a rather mediocre murder/mystery plot.


----------



## j d worthington

Hadn't been able to watch any films the last few nights, but tonight I watched the grandaddy of 'em all when it comes to prehistoric survival flicks: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's 1933 classic of stop-motion animation: *King Kong*.

This is one of those films I've always had a soft spot for, so I can never be entirely objective about it. Yes, I note the flaws these days -- the depiction of the natives, for instance, is anything but flattering... but neither are they villainous, really. By their own lights they are simply trying to survive. As a matter of fact, there _is_ no "villain" in this piece, which is rather unusual for the period. Though, in its uncut version Kong does some pretty grisly things; several times he chomps down on people, one of whom he tears in half; not to mention those he deliberately squashes by slowly stepping on them and smashing them into the ground. And then there's the "el" he wrecks and bashes about....

And though Fay Wray's Ann Darrow _is_ a screamer, she's a much more complex character than that, and Fay puts in a quite good performance -- rather difficult, when you're up against the competition she had. Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot also do very well. And then there's the score, by Max Steiner (who also wrote the score for Gone with the Wind)....

But the star of the piece, of course, is that oversized animated model, Kong; and even today, despite the advances, the work here remains remarkably good, and Kong comes to life and becomes a memorable and layered character.

It's been a while since I've watched this one, but it still holds up well for me; it certainly outdoes its successors artistically, in my opinion, despite the somewhat dated "smart" dialogue. After all these years, it remains one of my favorite films.

I have to admit, though, I can't help but wonder: what was up with all the D's in the main characters' names: Ann *D*arrow; "Jack" *D*riscoll; Carl *D*enham....


----------



## Happy Joe

I'll check out the *Mystery Science Theater 3000* version of "This Island Earth"; Thanx...

Went with a relative oldie last night (seems to be a bit of a trend recently);
Treasure of the Sierra Madre ...
...still classic ... still good...

Saving Frankenstein and Wolfman and their meeting for the end of the month...

... need to get copies of the original Kong and the sequel (Mighty Joe Young)...

Enjoy!


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *the graduate* for the first time a few days ago, and was pleasantly surprised. I sort of knew the story and have seen so many homages to it in other filsm that I thought it wouldn't hold anything for me, but it wasn't all that bad.

Also I loved the sound track Simon & Garfunkel at his best (at Simon's best that is)

Going to watch *the orphanage* tonight, looks scary.

I also went to the cinema and watched *'couples retreat'* at the weekend, Asolutely awful, so annoyed I even agreed to go. That's not to say that it didn't make me laugh at points, but I hate the hollywood romantic comedies where every relationship turns out perfect and they still have a screenplay written well enough to include funny scenes. It sickens me!


----------



## j d worthington

Moonbat said:


> Going to watch *the orphanage* tonight, looks scary.


 
I don't know as I personally would call it scary so much as eerie... but also poignant. A very good film; definitely worth seeing.

H. J. -- actually, *Mighty Joe Young* is not a sequel to *Kong*, but an independent film in its own right. There was, however, a sequel: *Son of Kong*, with Armstrong reprising his role as Carl Denham. Not a patch on the original, but fun; also a good deal more comic than the original, though it does have its moment or two of pathos as well. A minor piece, but enjoyable....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Time Travelers  - *hocum from the 60's that I've watched many times but I always had a soft spot for this one (especially the ending).


----------



## Diggler

*Jackass: The Lost Tapes*. If you've seen the TV series, then do not even bother. There was nothing "lost" as far as I could tell as it was just repeats of stuff already seen.

*The Tournament*. Utterly absurd action flick that redeems itself by having not only great action (and there is LOTS) but also huge smatterings of gore and bloody violent deaths. If you're in the mood for a "leave your brain at the door" movie, then you really can't go wrong with this.


----------



## Happy Joe

j.d. -- Its been a while since I saw the original King Kong series of movies I was aware of "Son of" (but do not remember seeing it, unless I am confusing Mighty Joe Young with "Son of Kong".  One of them (maybe both) has a ship going back to the island and another young woman finds a different giant ape (though not as large as King Kong), and a cave... about all I remember (perhaps a touch of the "Old Timer's desease"... its been 40 years, or more)).  I'll stick "Son of Kong" next to the other two on my list of DVDs to keep on the look out for.

Today; Transformers 2.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

That would be Son of Kong. Mighty Joe Young has the ape bought for the heroine when it is only a small critter -- about the size of a young chimpanzee.

And last night's offering for me was *The Mystery of the Wax Museum* (1933), directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Lionel Atwill and, once again, Fay Wray; in an early technicolor (what they called "two-strip technicolor") format which definitely enhances the effect of this one, giving it something of the feel of the hand-tinted postcards of the earlier parts of the twentieth century. It is quite a nifty little film, in some ways much better than the remake (of which I am also quite fond), The House of Was (1953), with Vincent Price. For one thing, it has a more complicated set of subplots, which interplay nicely; for another, it is handled as a contemporary, rather than slightly period (first decade of the twentieth century) piece, giving it a rather less distanced feel.

And, of course, it has Fay Wray....

This one has been remade twice: the Vincent Price film twenty years later, and that dreadful farrago of nonsense put out in 1925... which only marginally touched on this one at all. (To give an idea of how bad I feel that one was: the best thing about it was Paris Hilton, who at least played a mildly sympathetic -- if nitwitted -- character. Now, you can't get a less warm recommendation than that....)

The thing works, oddly, despite the fact that it makes absolutely no sense on so many levels... one of the prime examples being that "mask" he wears. Sorry, but explain again how he can have so much expression and actually talk when his face is made of a stiff wax which cracks when hit? I mean, a great scene, yes... but total nonsense. And for those who object that Lovecraft, for example, used such: yes, he did. But he didn't have such figures speak ("The Festival") or, if they did, their lower features were obscured by a beard, making the movement of the lips obscured and uncertain ("The Whisperer in Darkness", "Through the Gates of the Silver Key")... and all such were seen in very dim light, yet the narrators still found the face to be too pale and unnatural; something no one does within the film.

However, it is still an enjoyable little melodrama, with some very effectively eerie moments. Also, just to indicate how times changed: In the original film, the sculptor's assistant was a junkie who is going through withdrawal symptoms. In the 1953 remake, this is toned down to someone who is getting the shakes because they need their "sauce"; they're an alcoholic, rather than a drug addict....


----------



## j d worthington

Tonight it was Edgar G. Ulmer's 1934 film, *The Black Cat*, with Karloff and Lugosi. Not a film one hears mentioned a lot, but it's a rather good nasty little piece of work with some quite good performances (even David Manners is at his best, I think) and involves a revenge tale which centers around treason, murder, Satanism, the Great War, and sadism (fairly subtly handled, but I can see how this one ran into problems with the censors in some parts). There is, of course, no actual supernaturalism here, but a suspense story with a Gothic atmosphere; and the film is highly influenced (as was Mystery of the Wax Museum) by the German expressionist films and the Bauhaus movement in architecture, giving even the settings a truly bizarre feeling blending the rational and irrational, even barbaric. It is also one of the relatively few films where Lugosi's character is actually rather sympathetic, while Karloff's is a genuinely demonic figure... at least, until it comes to the skinning scene.....

And, as was noted by his daughter, Ulmer really did get by with a heck of a lot here, especially when he has Karloff's character carrying his pussycat while walking through those stone corridors housing the remains of his dead wives, carefully preserved and encased in glass.....


----------



## Happy Joe

As expected; *Transformers 2* was a 14 year old's idea of an action movie (explosion/destruction fest with some immature sexual jokes strung together by a very thin plot line), the target audience was obvious.
It was watchable; by using the fast forward on the remote... I would give it a C; watchable, not terrible, glad that I didn't waste time/money seeing it in a theater.

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

_Finally_ seen the end half of *Fifth Element*. I always watch up to a certain point and then no further for some reason (the blue lady singing). But now I know how it all ends. Woot. 

Talk about tense with the match, jeez.


----------



## Quokka

*Glengarry Glen Ross* I had mentioned to a friend how I thought 12 Angry Men was up there with the best movies ever and this was his reply. I can see his point, great movie and as with 12 Angry Men an amazing cast.


----------



## Diggler

*Mary and Max* an Australian Claymation film starring Eric Bana, Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The story is about a young friendless girl who lives with her obscenely dysfunctional family. She finds the name of a man named Max in a telephone book (Hoffman), who lives in New York and decides to send him a letter. Max who is also wrought with demons decides to reply back and their friendship has begins.

This a very good movie. It was funny, poignant and also unluckily very sad at times. Older Australians will spend a fair amount of their time laughing at the Aussie references (Babies are found in beer glasses). Non Australians may not understand a bit of the humour, though they will just enjoy the movie because it is so good.

I don't really give movies a 10 as I feel it's a cop-out, but for me it really does deserve every one of them.


----------



## j d worthington

Continuing with (what else?) the "classic" horror film fest; this time it was 1935's *Bride of Frankenstein*, once again directed by James Whale, and featuring Karloff (no first name in the credits -- a common practice at the height of his popularity), Colin Clive, and Dwight Frye, and adding the wonderfully wicked Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius.

I have to agree with the view history has taken of this one: as a film, it does surpass the original (one of the rare such instances with sequels); and Whale's abilities as a director had grown enormously in the intervening years. On nearly every level the technical achievements of this one are really quite excellent; and the pacing and script in general are of the same calibre. A few glitches remain in the film due to changes made during production or to placate the censors (this one ran into a lot of resistance from the censors of the time, both here and abroad, on a number of levels, from charges of necrophilia in one scene to "making a fool of a king" in another), but they are mostly minor points, and often easily overlooked unless one knows what to look for, or you happen to be one of those people who is exceptionally keen on minutiae of continuity. The performances are also nearly all top-rate; and the sentimental aspects of the film often manage to be genuinely touching without losing in the least their sometimes biting satirical edge.

Yes, it takes extreme liberties with Mary Shelley's work; yet it also adapts various minor bits and pieces of it as plot points or references, showing a familiarity and respect for the original material quite surprising with the circumstances of the project. And, if anything, the influence of the German expressionist cinema -- of which Whale was very fond --  is even more heavily in evidence here than in the original. Some of the moments in the film are almost balletic in movement, with a beautiful flowing, even sinuous quality rare in films of any kind, let alone the horror genre.

In all, a film that well stands the test of time, and my estimate of this one simply increases as the years go by....


----------



## Foxbat

*Dementia *(1955)

This one gets a favourable write up from various sources but I wasn't that impressed. It had a few nice shots (very Freudian) but was fairly stuffed with visual cliches (although that may be a bit unfair because perhaps at the time it was not perceived as such). 

This movie has absolutely no dialogue and some fairly poor acting. Apparently the filming was by the same guy that worked for Ed Wood.

Worth a watch from an interest point of view but I don't think I'll be returning to it.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Planet of the Apes* - Halfway through infact - they're about to put their stinking paws over Taylor


----------



## BookStop

We went to see Zombieland last night 
It was fun, dorky, and made me laugh like a loon.


----------



## Happy Joe

Irwin Allen"s Lost World (1960); fair, paced a bit slow for today's viewer, but still a favorite.

I see this as one of the late 50s early 60s, must have, Saturday Matinée Classics for the library, along with "Mysterious Island" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth".

Enjoy!


----------



## Rodders

I watched Star Wars: The Phantom Menace last night. Aaprt from the adverts, it was an enjoyable romp. No where near the original trilogy though.


----------



## Diggler

*Moon*. Excellent movie that I really can't say anything about as it would just ruin it for everyone. Sam Rockwell, yet again, proves he is one of the greatest actors of our generation.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Shawshank Redemption*


----------



## Diggler

*Paranormal Activity*. Very much in the vein of *The Blair Witch Project*. Overall not bad, and had some really creepy bits in it.


----------



## j d worthington

My last was *The Raven* (1935), directed by Lew Landers (or, as it was originally, Louis Friedländer -- as it is in the credits for the film). Decidedly a minor effort from Universal, rather lacklustre in many respects, though Karloff's performance is really quite good, and some of the technical aspects are notable as well: sets, lighting, some of the camerawork, etc. But Lugosi's performance varies between being on a level with Karloff's and being ridiculously histrionic; while several of the other performances are either simply bland or forgettable.

The connection to Poe is both extremely stretched (as with The Black Cat) and thoroughly nonsensical, using the idea of Poe's work being full of torture and villainy of a merely physical sort; true enough with "The Pit and the Pendulum", which plays a major role here (though even there the actual torture is more psychological than physical, although having physical components), but overall a gross and stupid simplification, and which detracts from the film's already limited potential.

There are some nice moments, though, which are quite effective (if sadistic), and once again I can see where this one riled the censors and critics, as it really did push the boundaries for the time....

Not truly _bad_, but decidedly uninspired.


----------



## Happy Joe

The 1939 version of "Gunga Din"... Getting closer (sporadically) to j.d. in time...
Gunga Din; Good mix of humor and adventure (1930s/40s style).

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

Happy Joe said:


> The 1939 version of "Gunga Din"... Getting closer (sporadically) to j.d. in time...


 
Well, I just messed that one up, as I now seem to be all over the map! 

Yesterday, being my day off and also housebound due to heavy rain (as I have no car), I ended up watching three films:

*The Haunting* (1963), directed by Robert Wise from Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House -- a film that I've seen many times and still manage to get chills from. A darned fine film all the way around. As has been said, it is not only one of the scariest of the haunted house films, but also the classiest. Nice, subtle touches rather than extravagant special effects, and excellent performances lead to a much, much more effective film than anything they could have put on the screen with visuals. (I have to admit, though, that I'd like to see it on the big screen again -- now, that was an experience!)

*Dracula's Daughter* (1936), directed by Lambert Hillyer. An odd film, which I would almost hesitate to call a horror film at all, were it not for certain sequences and the connection to the original. This is not to say it's a bad film -- actually, I'd say it's a rather good film, but it's not likely to be what most people expect. Quite a restrained film, even for the time, which gives it a certain amount of class; and some very good performances and some delightfully eerie set pieces. Yet it, too, ran afoul of censorship troubles due to its hints of lesbianism (very carefully and tastefully handled, of course).

And the "still reconstruction" of *London After Midnight* (orig. 1927; reconstruction 2002) -- the only way anyone is likely to ever see this film again, as the last known surviving print was destroyed in a fire in the 1960s. There are problems with such reconstructions, yet if done well they can be enjoyable and give at least a ghost of a notion as to what the original film was like. Such is the case here -- and it makes me wish all the more that someone would discover an unknown print out there, as I'd love to see the original. Several have expressed doubt that it would stand up after all the anticipation (it being perhaps the most sought-after of lost films), but given what we can see here, and the team of Lon Chaney and Tod Browning (not to mention Henry B. Walthall and Conrad Nagel), I'm not at all sure they're correct. At any rate, I think it would outdo its remake (*Mark of the Vampire*, 1935), despite the fact that that one is a rather good film in its own right....


----------



## ktabic

*Franklyn*. Good film, superbly do. Great special effects and mood in the other city. Slightly let down a possible plot fail at the end. But otherwise great.


----------



## Diggler

*Public Enemies*. Utter boredom! The acting on Johnny Depp's part was flat and uninspiring. Christian Bale just played Christian Bale (as he does). The action scenes were quite decent, though the shaky cam really just grated on me.


----------



## Happy Joe

IMO; shaky cam movies should be internationally banned as cruel and unusual punishment (crimes against humanity)...

Last night George Pal's 1953 version of "War of the Worlds"; a bit heavy on the religion at the end but otherwise good.

Enjoy!


----------



## Rodders

Ha Ha. No one seems to like shaky Cam do they? Why do they insist on having that technique? OK, it was a good touch the first few times it was seen, but since then it doesn't seem to be worth the bother.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Gods, I detest shaky cameras. It puts me right off a film. And the whole filming-over-the-actors-shoulder thing. Meh. And since I've started all this scriptwriting malarky I notice these things a thousand times more now.


----------



## Overread

Urgh I detest shaky camera -- unless its a budget film and they really could not do better then I hate it! Very few films work well with the intentinal shaking of the camera and its clear most films overdo the effect for dramatics - Firefly was filmed mostly handheld and its hardly noticable at all (that is the series was I don't know about the film)


----------



## j d worthington

Seen a couple more in the "classic" horror lineup:

*Son of Frankenstein* (1939), directed by Rowland V. Lee -- an old favorite, and in most ways still a very good film: superb performances, a good script, good pacing and direction, and oh, my! those sets!!!! Now here's where the German Expressionist cinema was really showing its presence! (As a result of this sort of thing, I've always wanted to live in a place that looked like the Castle Frankenstein seen here... darned near like a funhouse rather than a residence, but oh, how neat it all looks!) Karloff's last outing as the monster was given a prize send-off, and Lugosi, Rathbone, and Atwill are all excellent in their performances. The only problem with this one is certain points of continuity with the previous films (ain't no way Henry and Elizabeth's child could have grown up, let alone had a son of his own, in the time span given -- not specified in the first two, but the costumes and various other things give the game away)... but otherwise, a very, very nice piece of filmmaking all around.

*The Wolf Man* (1941), directed by George Waggner and written (original script, anyway) by Curt Siodmak (also author of *Donovan's Brain*) -- Despite my intense fondness for this one, it does have some serious glitches here and there, especially with continuity (Larry's change of clothes, for instance, between his transformation and stalking as the titular lycanthrope; was this particular werewolf fashion conscious, or simply aware he looked better in darker colors rather than light?) and so on... yet the darned thing still works, and works beautifully, on a lot of of levels. Also some very good performances from Claude Rains, Chaney, and the rest of the crew... and of course, Evelyn Ankers (for whom I think I've carried something of a torch since I first saw this film as a very small child). And, of course, it has perhaps the quintessential tragic monsters of all cinema history, as Larry is a totally innocent, even genuinely good, man, caught in this thing by an attempt to help someone else, and thoroughly damned as a result. How can one not sympathize with his plight? For all its flaws, I'd still count this as one of the genuine classics of the genre....


----------



## Diggler

Rodders said:


> Ha Ha. No one seems to like shaky Cam do they? Why do they insist on having that technique? OK, it was a good touch the first few times it was seen, but since then it doesn't seem to be worth the bother.



I am of the impression that shaky cam is used to hide inconsistencies in action sequences. They can possibly spend less on the quality of the scene by making it nigh on impossible to make anything out


----------



## Foxbat

*The Tin Drum: *A film that is both enthralling and macabre in its own inimitable way.


----------



## Mouse

I saw *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus*. Was pretty good! Very strange, but good. Going to see *9* on Wednesday.


----------



## Moonbat

Saw *Mesrine: Public Enemy no 1* on Wednesday, haven't seen the first part, but was pleased with this, a long cops and robbers story, apparantly not as interesting as the first part, but great acting and a very enjoyable film. Then saw *Drag me to hell* on Friday, what a load of pants. I was told it was quite good, but apart from all the gloop and stuff going in her mouth it was rubbish, I did find the swearing goat amusing though. Then watched *Colin* on Satuday, not bad, obviously very cheap but a good idea, would have been better if it had been done professionally.


----------



## Culhwch

Diggler said:


> *Public Enemies*. Utter boredom! The acting on Johnny Depp's part was flat and uninspiring. Christian Bale just played Christian Bale (as he does). The action scenes were quite decent, though the shaky cam really just grated on me.


 
Yeah, I watched this over the weekend, and was solidly underwhelmed. With so much talent in front of and behind the camera I'd have expected a lot more.

Also watched *The Evil Dead* for the first time. Evidently you had to be there. Not so bad it's good. Just so bad. So very bad.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watch the second one! They have a slightly larger a budget, and also realise they can't take themselves that seriously with such a premise (and the acting gets a hell of a lot better, which isn't at all difficult), so it's even more surreal and gore-tastic! 

And if you really want so-terribly-bad-it's-awesome, tongue-firmly-in-cheek stuff, then watch the third one, Army of Darkness. Hail to the King, Baby!


----------



## ktabic

Going with Hoopy here, Evil Dead 2 is far better (and far funnier as well) than Evil Dead. 

Ans Army of Darkness just has to be seen.

Groovy.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a film called Ghost Ship this Halloween. Not my usual sort of film, but i thoroughly enjoyed it. A Good ending.


----------



## Connavar

I saw* Up* earlier tonight, it had premiere a couple of weeks ago here.  

It was brilliantly done,it was dramatic story,quality characters and hysterically fun.   People died off laughter in the cinema, not ha-ha humour but cause of the characters,mostly the dogs,Russell,situations.     It was hard watching the 3D version of the movie with the glasses for me i had to sweep away laughing tears all the time.  Seriously !

By far the best of what Pixar have done,more mature,balanced than their other movies.

Really special how its so unlike most animation films these later Pixar films, like Simpsons at their best its more adult.   Its good there are quality western animation that aren't cute kids stuff.


----------



## woodsman

I think shaky (ish) camera works on peep show an thats about it.

Saw *This Is It* at odeon and *The Usual Suspects* at home.


----------



## Culhwch

HoopyFrood said:


> Watch the second one! They have a slightly larger a budget, and also realise they can't take themselves that seriously with such a premise (and the acting gets a hell of a lot better, which isn't at all difficult), so it's even more surreal and gore-tastic!
> 
> And if you really want so-terribly-bad-it's-awesome, tongue-firmly-in-cheek stuff, then watch the third one, Army of Darkness. Hail to the King, Baby!


 
I'll check out the second one. I have actually seen _Army of Darkness_, though years ago now, and remembered enjoying its tongue firmly in cheek attitude, which is why I grabbed _Evil Dead_ when I saw it here on the shelves at work.

I think a lot of these cult movies have to be seen in the context of the time period. I have no doubt a majority of teens today, on seeing _The Lost Boys_, say, or _The Goonies_, would be positively underwhelmed...


----------



## j d worthington

Rodders said:


> I watched a film called Ghost Ship this Halloween. Not my usual sort of film, but i thoroughly enjoyed it. A Good ending.


 
Ummm... which one was this, Rodders? There have been at least _five_ of that title that I'm aware of....

My own viewing? Well, let's see...

*The Mummy's Hand* (1940) -- the first of the "sequels" (if they can be called that) to the 1932 Universal film, The Mummy. They used some of the same storyline surrounding Im-ho-tep for Kharis here, with consequent confusion about several items; they introduce the tanna leaves concept; and they had Tom Tyler (better known for his work in Westerns, which occupied the majority of his career -- and he isn't all that well known even for those, iirc) playing the mummy. An off-beat one; some quite good moments here, as well as some thoroughly idiotic ones. Surprisingly (especially considering the darned little he was given to work with) Tyler does a fairly creditable job as the Mummy, becoming an almost sympathetic character (after all, whereas Karloff's Mummy was in full control of his own actions and therefore quite culpable, Kharis is controlled by others, and has darned little say in what he does). Too much reliance on the comic elements here for it to really work as a horror film, but nonetheless entertaining; and Cecil Kelloway puts in his usual affectionately befuddled performance (it's difficult not to be somewhat fond of the man; he always seems so darned genial!). So-so, but nothing special.

*Son of Dracula* (1943) -- another film with Lon Chaney, Jr. Again, some very good moments -- some are truly atmospheric and eerie, and there are some great concepts here... but it never really gels, and Chaney's Dracula is never really given much of a chance to be anything notable. He has a moment or two where he radiates a certain menace and one can see where, with better material, he might have done quite well... but what he has here is mediocre. Some of the supporting performances, however, are rather good; and there are some unusually intelligent ideas floating around in this one (which, sadly, are not explored). This one had potential, but unfortunately potential is all it remains.

*Return of the Vampire* (1944) -- Lugosi's last straight performance as a vampire (his remaining appearances being in comic films), this one is, albeit uneven, surprisingly good in several ways. Quite a few good performances; a rather good script; some marvelous set-pieces; an unusual link between the vampire and werewolf (with the werewolf, Andreas, being a sympathetic character who nonetheless does some quite despicable things); some very nice camera work and sets, as well as a musical score which has its own odd eerieness at times; and introducing a new vampiric character with his own strange and mysterious past (never fully explained, which allows the character to remain intriguing). The main flaw with this one is the final few seconds, where they make the dreadful mistake of "breaking the fourth wall" and addressing the audience directly. Other than that, a somewhat minor but quite worthy little film of its type.

And *Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man* (1943) -- Chaney, Jr. and Lugosi again. You know, I loved this film when I was a kid, and I still retain a fondness for it even now; but it is at this point that so many of the things about horror films which have been parodied ever since get into full swing: the villagers marching around from place to place carrying torches, threatening to burn or blow everything up; the ridiculous climax which leaves an obvious opening for the return of the monsters; Frankenstein's creation as nothing more than a killing machine devoid of any personality; the pompous ass of an innkeeper (or mayor, or burgomeister, or judge, or what-have-you) with his inane pontifications that no one listens to despite all the obvious signs that something just ain't quite right in them ruins up on that there hill... and so on, and so forth.

Which is a pity, really... as there are some very good things about this little opus: very good performances by Lionel Atwill, Dennis Hoey (better known as Inspector Lestrade in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films), and (as always) a quite lovely performance by one of the "grand old dames" of stage and screen, Maria Ouspenskaya, as well as a deepening of the character of Lawrence Talbot, with a consequently memorable performance by Chaney; some truly atmospheric and creepy moments; and even some good moments (and a potentially great concept) between the monster and Talbot -- not to mention the lovely and charming Ilona Massey as the Baroness Frankenstein. (Her performances have been called "mannered", but that suits the character here to a "t", and she does very well with it as a result.) But Universal was, by this time, rather milking their franchise(s) without necessarily having regard to the quality of the scripts (albeit not consistently so), resulting in films that remain somewhat enjoyable and entertaining, but a far cry from what they might have been with a bit more care in that department.

Ah, well, nostalgia has its price....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Spiral Staircase *A movie from 1946 that proves the old musical adage also applies to film. The notes you don't play can be as important as those that you do. Several very unsubtle modern day film makers could learn a lot from this great little movie.


----------



## Happy Joe

Stay Alive; a supernatural thriller about a group of computer gamers that keep getting murdered in ways similar to the manner that they die in the video game.
Its the first movie about younger folks that I have seen in a while that did not portray them as imbeciles.  I enjoyed it and its going into the library.  

Rating; Good, worth a rental.

If they come out with the game; I not sure that I would play it...

Enjoy!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Eagle Eye*. I would say it was entertaining.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> *The Spiral Staircase *A movie from 1946 that proves the old musical adage also applies to film. The notes you don't play can be as important as those that you do. Several very unsubtle modern day film makers could learn a lot from this great little movie.


 
Agreed. Damn' fine film..... Film historian Robert Osborne once quoted an early review of Wise's The Haunting on this one, where the reviewer in turn quoted Keats: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter". I assume this is what you refer to here; and yes, it is _very_ appropriate....


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> Agreed. Damn' fine film..... Film historian Robert Osborne once quoted an early review of Wise's The Haunting on this one, where the reviewer in turn quoted Keats: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter". I assume this is what you refer to here; and yes, it is _very_ appropriate....


 
Ah! So that's where it comes from. And here's me thinking that some great old Jazz or Bluesman said it. 

Anyway, yep, what Keats said


----------



## j d worthington

Completely off-topic here, but... when I had a bunch of the old _Weird Tales_ magazines from the '30s-'50s, there was a full-page illustration on the inside cover (iirc) of one using this as a motto; the artist was Virgil Finlay, and it was an absolutely marvelous and evocative fantasy image....


----------



## Harry Kilmer

The Yakuza (1974) - one of if not the best East-meets-West films, and very under appreciated.


----------



## Diggler

Culhwch said:


> Yeah, I watched this over the weekend, and was solidly underwhelmed. With so much talent in front of and behind the camera I'd have expected a lot more.
> 
> Also watched *The Evil Dead* for the first time. Evidently you had to be there. Not so bad it's good. Just so bad. So very bad.



*The Evil Dead* is one of my all time favourite films. The acting is just pitiful, but the gore and camera work are pretty well top notch for the budget.  Even though I loved the whole series, the second and third really became something akin to the 3 Stooges with gore. Though I will admit that the third has some really, really funny stuff.

I'd probably avoid Peter Jackson's *Bad Taste* as you could swear it was a homage to *Evil Dead *


----------



## UltraCulture

Went to see *The Vampires Assistant *last week(my arm was twisted).

seemed like a rather long episode of some mediocre tv series.


----------



## Foxbat

*Come And See *Russian, 1985.

Apparently the title is derived from the book of Revelation (come and see the carnage and devastation wrought by the four horsemen of the apocalypse).

Set in Soviet Belarus in 1943, this is the story of a young partisan's struggle to survive against a backdrop of Nazi atrocities within the region. 

Some of the battle scenes are frighteningly realistic (no surprise when you discover that director Elem Klimov used real ammunition in the shoot...pun intended).

So what's it like? Brutal, horrific, uncompromising, compelling. 

In a word - brilliant!


----------



## Happy Joe

GI Joe- Rise of Cobra; another comic book movie with impossible/ implausible mechanisms, transformations and action.  I liked it better than Transformers 2.  If you don't expect it to be anything but a video comic book/live actor, CG effects, cartoon, it is watchable.

Worth a rental; if you like this sort of thing.

Enjoy!


----------



## Rothgar

Happy Joe said:


> GI Joe- Rise of Cobra; another comic book movie with impossible/ implausible mechanisms, transformations and action. I liked it better than Transformers 2. If you don't expect it to be anything but a video comic book/live actor, CG effects, cartoon, it is watchable.
> 
> Worth a rental; if you like this sort of thing.
> 
> Enjoy!


 
I just watched that last night.  Disappointed by the acting and a lot of the story gimmicks.  I wasn't expecting too much but I was hoping for more.  I'd rather watch the cartoon.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Invasion of the Bodysnatchers* (1956) at the moment. And then a little later, *The Fly* (earlier version) is on too. Scifi Friday, it would seem! Woo hoo.


----------



## woodsman

The Two Towers extended edition.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched the new Star Trek-easily the best film this year so far!


----------



## Foxbat

Still to see the new Star Trek movie but I've heard many good reports on it.

Watched *Cool Air* from Lurker Films. Not bad at all


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> Still to see the new Star Trek movie but I've heard many good reports on it.


Oh J J Abrams did a good job on this, lots of old school touches,anamorphic lenses rather than digital,actually shaking the camera physically rather than a digital effect-it looks and feels the dogs taters! Kirk is spot on!


----------



## Happy Joe

I too, have heard good things about the newest Star Trek movie and am waiting for the dvd release (November 17th, in the US).. Followed by Angles and demons on the 24th (again, in the US).
...Somewhat disappointed in this year's movies so far...

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

Have you seen *Up* ?

That movie saved hollywood movies rep this year for me in the cinema.   After disappointments of most of the movies i have seen except Ingolouris Bastards,Wolverine.


----------



## christyrocks99

Literally just finished watching *The Full Monty, *my boyfriend's always going on about it so I wanted to see what the fuss was about. It's not bad, pretty funny but I've seen funnier.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Omega Man *despite its many flaws, this adaptation of Richard Mathieson's classic novel is still worth watching.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> Watched *Cool Air* from Lurker Films. Not bad at all


 
Yes, it's rather a good little film. In fact, considering that it was made by someone who is not a professional filmmaker, it is amazingly good. (It certainly beats the vast majority of films Hollywood has done from HPL's work.) And Jack Donner's performance is exceptional...


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Literally just now finished watching What Dreams May Come again.


One of my top three favorite movies even if it isn't for everyone.


----------



## Happy Joe

> Have you seen *Up* ?


 
Not yet I'll rent it later if someone doesn't brig it over (I normally rent a new movie to see if its good enough to purchase)... due for DVD release (US) Nov. 10 as I recall. I am also awaiting the DVD release of Inglorious Bastards (December, maybe) and thought Wolverine was a fairly good movie, and added it to the library.

Unfortunately; truly GREAT, must have movies don't come along very often.

Last night: Creature From the Black Lagoon, not Great, but one of my favorite early 50's monster flicks. (Sometimes there is no accounting for taste).
Still looking for copies of "Them", and "Forbidden planet" in the pre-viewed media emporiums. One of my friends requested more 50s sci-fi after viewing "This Island Earth" for, I believe, the first time.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

Happy Joe said:


> Last night: Creature From the Black Lagoon, not Great, but one of my favorite early 50's monster flicks. (Sometimes there is no accounting for taste).


 
A flawed film, certainly, but nonetheless worthwhile. Logical holes are there in plenty -- the creature's motivation for carrying her off, for instance -- but otherwise a more intelligent take on the theme than many. And, I'll admit, I've always had a fondness for that particular critter... the costume is simply a work of art; and, following Universal's tradition of sympathy for the outsider, one can feel a great deal for the beastie here (and, for that matter, in the two sequels).

Of course, it doesn't hurt that I actually got to see the thing in 3-D about thirty years ago (on a double bill with *It Came From Outer Space*, no less) on the big screen.....


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Terminator: Salvation.

Not a bad film, but not up there with the first two. Maybe the franchise should have ended there - although I did love the series.


----------



## christyrocks99

Just started watching *Die Hard 4, *got bored, switched it off.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched Fargo with some of my Creative Writing posse this evening. Was great, I don't get much chance to talk to them in the seminars.


----------



## Moonbat

This wekeend I have watched: *Public Enemies* With Jonny Depp, a biopic of the life of John Dilinger. I thought this was ok, not great but pretty good, the female lead was very well played and I enjoyed the (garbled) history lesson with the likes of Baby face Nelson and others. Then I watched *'The Counterfeiters' *A German subtitled film about a concentration camp that utilized some Jews (particularly the infamous forgery expert) to create fake stirling and dollars. Was very good, a bit dark and depressing but a very interesting watch. Then late last night I watched *'The Entity' *Classic horror from 1981, I wanted to watch it ever since I saw it listed in a top ten of horror films, It wasn't very scary, but is a shocking and terrifying story and was really well done. It says it is based on a actual events, but I don't think I want to believe that. Still I hear they are remaking it, I expect the remake will be much worse.


----------



## Culhwch

Watched most of _Deep Impact_ on TV the other night. Of the numerous films in the 'Meteor Threatening All Life On The Planet' genre, I prefer this one, though I still fell asleep before she hit...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched part of *First Men on the Moon* earlier, mainly because I saw that it had Harryhausen creations in it. Only I wasn't able to watch up until a Selenite appeared, alas...


----------



## christyrocks99

Okay I know this wasn't the last film I saw but I thought it was still worth a mention; *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *which I thought was pretty good. I think I'd have to watch it a second time though to really appreciate it as there's so much to take in what with a fairly complex story-line, all the pretty male actors and the awesome cinematography. Ledger rocked in his final performance of course.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> A flawed film, certainly, but nonetheless worthwhile. Logical holes are there in plenty -- the creature's motivation for carrying her off, for instance -- but otherwise a more intelligent take on the theme than many. And, I'll admit, I've always had a fondness for that particular critter... the costume is simply a work of art; and, following Universal's tradition of sympathy for the outsider, one can feel a great deal for the beastie here (and, for that matter, in the two sequels).
> 
> Of course, it doesn't hurt that I actually got to see the thing in 3-D about thirty years ago (on a double bill with *It Came From Outer Space*, no less) on the big screen.....



I saw *The Creature From The Black Lagoon* when it first came out in the days of my youth and it was in 3-D. When I saw *It Came From Outer Space*, around the same time, they had pulled the plug on 3-D theatrical presentations, so I had to just imagine how it would have been. Earlier this year I was able to get a DVD copy of ICFOS in 3-D. But it's the kind that uses the cheesy red/green glasses, so it was underwhelming. Worth a shot though.


----------



## Diggler

*Black Dynamite* This was a great homage to Blaxploitation films of the 70's, very funny stuff.

*Land Of the Dead*. It's got zombies, so good in my books. Though the dialogue was cornball and some of the acting was pitiful.

*The Children of Men*. Been meaning to read the book. Though this was a damn fine film.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*In The Electric Mist*, I thought it sort of ran of the rails in the eleventh hour, with the film-makers apparently running out of time and patience. Still, it's given me reason to seek out the novel it was based on.


----------



## clovis-man

*Bottle Shock*. The story of California wine ascendancy in the 1970s. It's much better than that sounds. Alan Rickman has a great role. Think of it as *Sideways* without the nudity. Recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Story of Anvil *Although not my kind of music (Heavy Metal) this rockumentary turned out to be a quite touching tale of two guys that never gave up on their dream. 

A surprisingly good film


----------



## mosaix

Well just finished watching *Shane* on DVD. I first saw it in the year of its release, 1953, when I was just seven years old. My Dad took me.

I have to say I thought it was a great film then but  didn't realise just how good a film it was. The directing it absolutely excellent.

There's an early role for Jack Palance as the arch-baddy. Each time Palance appears there's a dog that slinks away hanging its head - brilliant. 

It was nominated for six Oscars, but surprisingly only won one (Best Cinematography).


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched  moon, an interesting mix of 2001, Silent Running, Solaris and Bladerunner. It wasnt what i was expecting and I think Helen was expecting it to be boring but we both enjoyed it!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, one of the better horror films made in recent years.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Death Note.

I gave up on the series about 2/3rds of the way through - the fencing between L and Kira and all the rule manipulating got a bit dull.

I liked the film though - especially the grumpy chief - tomorrow the sequel I think.


----------



## Connavar

knivesout said:


> *In The Electric Mist*, I thought it sort of ran of the rails in the eleventh hour, with the film-makers apparently running out of time and patience. Still, it's given me reason to seek out the novel it was based on.



Heh we saw it last night,rented it.   I thought it was a bit original for rental crime film and Tommy Lee Jones was very good,hardcore as Dave.   The end of the crime was a bit rushed but it was good.


James Lee Burke series it is based on is pretty famous and i knew of it before hand.  Close to reading it before.   Now i'm even more interested.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

They should just make Tommy Lee Jones a bonafide Sheriff already. Of whatever he wants to be Sheriff of.


----------



## Overread

Pan's Labyrinth

Fantastic film, very moody and dark and rather bloody too. I also liked the fact that it was not translated - it works well in a fantasy tale that I can't understand a single word they are saying, makes it more unreal in a real kind of way (since the language is fully developed and not heavily based on simply swapping words for other words)


----------



## Culhwch

Watched _District 9_ over the weekend. Great film, certainly one of the best and most original SF films I've seen in the last ten years or so.


----------



## Connavar

knivesout said:


> They should just make Tommy Lee Jones a bonafide Sheriff already. Of whatever he wants to be Sheriff of.



He impressed me so much that i will look for his recent films like the war movie he got nominated for an Oscar for.

I thought he was done but he showed he still got with this movie.

I hope for a sequel to Mist film just to see him being a sheriff again.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Do you mean *In The Valley Of Elah*? I've heard good things about that one, too. 

Revisited an old favourite last night: *Ginger Snaps*. A 90s teenager horror film that manages to sidestep everything that made teenie horror flicks in the 90s so terrible and actually delivers a gripping, often poignant tale (with suitable buckets of gore of course).


----------



## biodroid

Watched Monster vs Aliens, very fun movie with great graphis and then Knowing which I thought was excellent and really enjoyed it.


----------



## ktabic

Foxbat said:


> *The Story of Anvil *Although not my kind of music (Heavy Metal) this rockumentary turned out to be a quite touching tale of two guys that never gave up on their dream.
> 
> A surprisingly good film



Ha! I watched the same film on Saturday. Yeah, it is surprisingly good.


----------



## The DeadMan

I watched a movie made in 1990 called Texasville. It is the sequel to The Last Picture Show which was made in 1971. The original cast from The Last Picture Show were reunited for Texasville. I never cared much for The Last Picture Show, but Texasville is a very good movie and can be seen and understood even if you have never seen The Last Picture Show. Texasville is a simultaneously serious and funny movie with some really great acting by Jeff Bridges, Randy Quaid, Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, and Annie Potts.


----------



## Runya

I watched The Godfather II ... I wish I had watched The Godfather I first


----------



## Casshern

the last film i saw is Basil The Great Mouse Detective... i remember it as a kid as being amazing.. time hasnt been kind to it.. it was dreadful.. i just wnated to kill basil of baker street again and again and again..

maybe im too old for disney now


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Sixth Sense* at the moment. I _love_ this film. But I won't be able to watch it all. Damn damn damn.


----------



## GOLLUM

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Sixth Sense* at the moment. I _love_ this film. But I won't be able to watch it all. Damn damn damn.


Why not??


----------



## HoopyFrood

It's nearing midnight, I'm knackered after work, and I need an adequate amount of sleep if I want to be coherent in my seminars early tomorrow morning.


----------



## GOLLUM

HoopyFrood said:


> It's nearing midnight, I'm knackered after work, and I need an adequate amount of sleep if I want to be coherent in my seminars early tomorrow morning.


You should be here in Melbourne with moi. It's 11am Tuesday morning and I'm about to go out for my morning walk, a bite to eat and do some reading at the local lake/park.

Good luck with the seminars.

Signing off...


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> It's nearing midnight, I'm knackered after work, and I need an adequate amount of sleep if I want to be coherent in my seminars early tomorrow morning.



Tsk, no stamina, these young 'uns...


----------



## j d worthington

Well, the child _has_ been ill....


----------



## HoopyFrood

I didn't get to sleep until about the time it ended anyway, and didn't sleep that well even then, so I should've just watched it to the end after all. 

Ah, well. 

And unlike some crazy people around here, some of us need normal amounts of sleep.


----------



## Connavar

I saw _*The Box *_with Frank Langella who saved the movie acting wise for me. 

Cinema wise it was between it and Saw 6 my friend like lame horror films.

It was very cool from SF fans POV,  they mentioned ACC famous rule about advance Science being no difference from Magic, the male lead collected Astounding Science Fiction.

It was decent in thriller/horror/SF way.   They didnt explain everything neatly in the end which i liked and my friend hated of course....

I thought man this film was SF/Horror like I Am Legend and in the credits after the end i saw: _Based on the Short Story Button,Button_ by* Richard Matheson*.

Talk about i laughed at that


----------



## nixie

I sat and watched Eight Legged Freaks last night, terrible film but strangely complying


----------



## Harry Kilmer

nixie said:


> I sat and watched Eight Legged Freaks last night, terrible film but strangely complying



Scarlett Johansson will do that to a movie.


----------



## j d worthington

Actually, I thought that one was a hoot. It was _soooo_ over-the-top (deliberately -- I mean, they give the _giant spiders_ dialogue in voices which sound like the Chipmunks on speed!), I simply found myself completely caught off-guard by it, and had a blast....


----------



## Rodders

The original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. What a movie. What an ending.


----------



## blacknorth

Rodders said:


> The original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. What a movie. What an ending.



You should look up a certain back issue of Fantastic Universe. When I saw that cover, I soured on the film a little.


----------



## blacknorth

This evening I watched the 1988 film adaptation of Angela Carter's _The Magic Toyshop_. Again. Great credit to the cast, particularly Caroline Milmoe and Tom Bell, and to the effects people who manipulate dolls and models and frail toys with a skill that puts CGI to shame.

Highly recommended to everyone if you can find a copy, though not at all suitable for young children.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I didn't know there was an adaptation of The Magic Toyshop! Must find it...


----------



## GOLLUM

knivesout said:


> I didn't know there was an adaptation of The Magic Toyshop! Must find it...


Ditto.... I just never knew anyone had done that.... 

I'll have to get my skates on then. Angela Carter is possibly my no. 1 female writer (esp. short story form) of all time! Well OK, I can't quite discard Virginia Wolf but still...


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally saw the new Star Trek movie; I enjoyed it immensely!
Other comments have been right on; "one of the best movies this year".

Enjoy!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched a movie called* Adventureland*. Not a spectacular movie, but a decent watch.


----------



## Quokka

I am so getting old, watched the second Transformers movie the other night and although some of the giant robots were great and I could have forgiven it being a bit long and very over done I just couldn't get past how sexist every shot of the female actors were. I know their target audience is pre teen/teen males but every shot of Meagan Fox and Isabel Lucas seemed like some sort of slow pan calender shot. Add in the two twin robots and it completely ruined what could have been a few hours of mindless fun.

Which is a shame because I'd give them 10 out of 10 for keeping the Transformers characters spot on, Optimus, Bumblebee and especially megatron/starscream/soundwave. I didn't care at all about the physical updates but again I'm hardly their target audience.

Compare it to the Star Trek movie and as others have said I was so pleasantly suprised. All the action, sfx and sexy actors that a block buster must have and yet it still managed to build a storyline that I (as a casual trek fan) and my wife (who really isn't) both really enjoyed.


----------



## Rosemary

I actually sat and watched a Harry Potter movie tonight   The Order of the Phoenix, just for a change.  

I found it was relaxing, loved most of the characters and most of all the beautiful building that is Hogwatch (sp?).  Many of the special effects I thought were very well done.


----------



## Fried Egg

Urban Ghost Story

A superb supernatural/psycological drama. With a skillful blend of gritty inner city life and the hint of supernatural that never quite makes it's presense unambigiously felt leaving the investigators and viewers guessing.

Impeccable pacing and gradual build up of suspense and tension make this film an absolute masterpiece. All kinds of themes are touched upon here and were expertly handled. I cannot recommend this film highly enough.

It takes a lot to bring a tear to my eye these days and this film, I'm not ashamed to admit, succeeded.


----------



## The DeadMan

I just watched "*Near Dark*". As far as I am concerned it is one of the best Vampire movies ever made. It was released in 1987 and was over shadowed by several other movies released at the time. It stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright,  Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenette Goldstein. I recommend this movie to any Vampire Movie fan.


----------



## blacknorth

Two Hal Holbrook films.

_Rituals_ - a take on _Deliverance _that's much more; by the end of the film he was almost reduced to an animal. Some horrific scenes, but well worth watching.

_Murder by Natural Causes_ - a mentalist unravels a plot by his wife and her lover to kill him. This was a TV movie of the Week from the 70's but it's one of the best murder mysteries I've ever seen. It's much more clever than Sleuth, and is brilliantly performed by Holbrook and Katheine Ross. Seriously, one of the best films of the 70's. 

Tonight I'm going to complete a Holbrook trilogy with _When Hell Was In Session. 
_


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Ice Age 3,Dawn of the Dinosaurs yesterday.Very good but very misleading for youngsters, as the ice age came after the dinosaurs,and why were the mammoths shown as being way smaller than the T rex? Mammoths were huge,way bigger than elephants,yet they look tiny in this film!


----------



## AE35Unit

The DeadMan said:


> I just watched "*Near Dark*". As far as I am concerned it is one of the best Vampire movies ever made. It was released in 1987 and was over shadowed by several other movies released at the time. It stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright,  Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenette Goldstein. I recommend this movie to any Vampire Movie fan.



I have that on DVD and watched it recently. Its not bad I suppose if you like that sort of thing.


----------



## dustinzgirl

The DeadMan said:


> I just watched "*Near Dark*". As far as I am concerned it is one of the best Vampire movies ever made. It was released in 1987 and was over shadowed by several other movies released at the time. It stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright,  Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Jenette Goldstein. I recommend this movie to any Vampire Movie fan.



I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Near Dark. One of the best!


I watched 2012. 

If you have no understanding of physical science then its a really great movie.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

The Big Heat - I'm on a film noir kick at the minute.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Glengarry Glen Ross*. Excellent film with an excellent cast.


----------



## Rodders

Watched Star Wars last night on the goggle box last night. Brilliant!! 32 years on and it's still got it. A true Bona Fide Classic.


----------



## Runya

Step Up 2

I love the dancing... gives me goose bumps.


----------



## Morpheus42

_Up_: (3D) It was quite enjoyable.

_Surrogate_: Interesting concept. Was fun but felt like they could have done something better with it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Watched Star Wars last night on the goggle box last night. Brilliant!! 32 years on and it's still got it. A true Bona Fide Classic.



absolutely!


----------



## Connavar

Harry Kilmer said:


> The Big Heat - I'm on a film noir kick at the minute.




Its a classic one ?    Which others have you seen ?

It doesnt getter better than a quality film Noir imo.

Do you watch European ones too ?   I dig Dassin's Rififfi,Melville films like Le Samurai.


----------



## Allegra

*The Boy in Striped Pajamas* - quite good.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Connavar said:


> Its a classic one ?    Which others have you seen ?
> 
> It doesnt getter better than a quality film Noir imo.
> 
> Do you watch European ones too ?   I dig Dassin's Rififfi,Melville films like Le Samurai.



I've watched White Heat (Top of the world, Ma!), Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, The Yakuza (really need to find someone else who has seen this), In a Lonely Place, Force of Evil.

Le Samurai is on my to watch list.


----------



## jessie~mai

new moon - i loved it, that is ignoring kristen stewart and robert pattersons bad acting and akward kissing scenes, and totally focusing on taylor lautner


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*2012*.

I went to see this for the special effects, but ended up enjoying it for more than that, although it was lame in parts.


----------



## j d worthington

Harry Kilmer said:


> I've watched White Heat (Top of the world, Ma!), Double Indemnity, Out of the Past, The Yakuza (really need to find someone else who has seen this), In a Lonely Place, Force of Evil.
> 
> Le Samurai is on my to watch list.


 
Great list, that. On *The Yakuza*... *raises hand*

Actually, I had a friend who used to be a d.j. for many years, and was at a rerelease of *The Yakuza*, at which he had a chance to talk to Sydney Pollack about the film; apparently it was high among his favorites out of the films he had made, and he never could understand why it didn't have a larger audience.... I'd have to agree..... Damn' fine film, and one of Mitchum's best performances....


----------



## Connavar

I watched *Zombieland* and it was really funny and pure awesome.

One of few quality movies i have seen in the cinema this year.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> I watched *Zombieland* and it was really funny and pure awesome.
> 
> One of few quality movies i have seen in the cinema this year.


Hmmm,not seen any trailers for this one and the title is hardly inspiring!


----------



## blacknorth

j. d. worthington said:


> Great list, that. On *The Yakuza*... *raises hand*
> 
> Actually, I had a friend who used to be a d.j. for many years, and was at a rerelease of *The Yakuza*, at which he had a chance to talk to Sydney Pollack about the film; apparently it was high among his favorites out of the films he had made, and he never could understand why it didn't have a larger audience.... I'd have to agree..... Damn' fine film, and one of Mitchum's best performances....



_The Yakuza_ was rather good, and I'm not such a fan of Pollack. The film has a cult following which revolves largely around Ken Takakura. 

I think Mitchum was on a roll at that time - _The Friends of Eddie Coyle_ is simply splendid.


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Hmmm,not seen any trailers for this one and the title is hardly inspiring!



Will its a movie that takes a piss on zombie films 

Its not suppose to be a serious,inspiring title.   
The movie is months old in US, weeks old in Sweden.  I'm not sure about UK.

It topped US BO as a very small film budget wise so it must have done something right now.   Not a expensive,heavily marketed film exactly.

To me it was really funny and disgusting,scary at times like good zombie films.

It was like Shaun of the Dead, not acting wise as funny, brilliant but funny in the same way.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Zombieland*'s been out for quite some time, to my knowledge. And there was the usual tv advertisements for it, although I didn't see a huge amount of publicity for it. It looked rather good, though, I'll have to make the effort to catch it when it's released. 

And yes, it's certainly not supposed to be a serious film!


----------



## Connavar

Along with Up,Taken it was the only films i enjoyed in the cinema this year.

All time low.    Wolverine,Terminator and co i will try to forget 

I havent seen many films because i refuse to go with people who want to see crap like 2012,Transformers....


----------



## Harry Kilmer

blacknorth said:


> _The Yakuza_ was rather good, and I'm not such a fan of Pollack. The film has a cult following which revolves largely around Ken Takakura.
> 
> I think Mitchum was on a roll at that time - _The Friends of Eddie Coyle_ is simply splendid.



Aye, he was one of the greats.

Just watched Criss Cross. Great film, but Burt Lancaster was a bit wimpy in it. Femme fatales will do that to you I guess.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Videodrome*. Frankly, a bit of a mess. Terribly ham-fisted, unsubtle and essentially confused treatment of a potentially interesting idea.


----------



## Happy Joe

Demons and Angels;  the followup movie to DaVinci Code, I liked this one it has a good amount of action and chasing about (although I am starting to dislike the "look what I know" style of movie do to their similarity).  This is destined to become a part of my movie library.
Definitely worth a rental if you like mystery thrillers/action mysteries.

Enjoy!


----------



## Happy Joe

Oops! I Had a dyslexic moment; the above title should have been Angels and Demons!

Just watched FarCry; on line, based on the video game, it is better than many/most Ewe Bole movies... which isn't saying much...
All of the production values of a television program, and the acting/directing expected in a VanDamm movie (without VanDamm).
This one is mostly watchable, might be worth a rental if you like budget action movies... or have an hour or two with nothing productive to do.

Enjoy!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Prince Of Darkness*. A somewhat overlooked but, I think, very good John Carpenter movie. It has one of the best cliffhanger endings ever.


----------



## clovis-man

*2012* today. The disaster movie to end all disaster movies. But as with any such apocalyptic exrtravaganza, the ending gets a little overheated. Still, you won't nod off while watching it.


----------



## jessie~mai

transporter 3
not as good as the first two 
and the ginger girl annoyed me 
and not enough fast driving and fighting 
"/


----------



## blacknorth

The Wizard of Speed And Time... yay!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

blacknorth said:


> The Wizard of Speed And Time... yay!



Now there's a film title I haven't heard in years


----------



## Foxbat

*Tarantula *
Enyoyable 1950's hokum about aforementioned giant arachnid with a penchant for stripping people (of their flesh).

Some great dialogue (in a bad is good sort of way)



> *Prince Of Darkness*. A somewhat overlooked but, I think, very good John Carpenter movie. It has one of the best cliffhanger endings ever.


 
I really like this one too.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Tarantula *
> Enyoyable 1950's hokum about aforementioned giant arachnid with a penchant for stripping people (of their flesh).
> 
> Some great dialogue (in a bad is good sort of way)


 
Bonus points if you can identify the jet pilot at the end of the movie.


----------



## blacknorth

Harry Kilmer said:


> Now there's a film title I haven't heard in years



Yes, it does seem to have been unfairly forgotten, despite being an amazing demonstration of skill and effort (or perhaps because of).

A while back Mike Jittlov made the film available for free on the net.


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> *2012* today. The disaster movie to end all disaster movies. But as with any such apocalyptic exrtravaganza, the ending gets a little overheated. Still, you won't nod off while watching it.




Thanks for making it the biggest weekend Opening for international market ever with 250+ Million dollars 

I didnt see it out of taste,principle but 6 of my 7 siblings saw it together with a cousin.....

Now there will be 2014 and many similar CGI feast.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Bonus points if you can identify the jet pilot at the end of the movie.


 
Nah, you've got me there. The voice and eyes seem familiar but I can't identify.
I did however notice that the scientist is Mister Waverley from Man From Uncle.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> Nah, you've got me there. The voice and eyes seem familiar but I can't identify.
> I did however notice that the scientist is Mister Waverley from Man From Uncle.


 
That would be Leo G. Carroll who also played Cosmo Topper in the 1950s *Topper* tv series.

The pilot is Clint Eastwood.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> The pilot is Clint Eastwood.


 
Damn! I knew those eyes were familiar.
He also had a bit part in *Creature From The Black Lagoon*.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *The Ugly truth* last weekend. It was so so, definately not the best romantic comedy I have seen.


----------



## blacknorth

The Final Programme. Started out well but really lost it after 40 minutes. I mean really lost it. Runacre goes some way towards redeeming certain parts.

Moorcock can't have been happy.


----------



## j d worthington

blacknorth said:


> The Final Programme. Started out well but really lost it after 40 minutes. I mean really lost it. Runacre goes some way towards redeeming certain parts.
> 
> Moorcock can't have been happy.


 
That is an understatement. He has frequently voiced his feelings about that film, and they are not pretty....

However, Finch also did a very good Cornelius Finch and Moorcock have been longtime friends, and _that_ bit of casting, anyway, met with Moorcock's approval. Runacre also did quite a nice turn as Miss Brunner, I thought.

I picked up the thing some time back, having long heard all about it from both sides; and, to be honest, I think it has a bit more to it than it is given credit for... it is just that it deviates so oddly from the symbolism of Moorcock's work while remaining relatively faithful to the plot. This is not to say it isn't a flawed film -- it is, at times quite horrendously. Just that I wouldn't quite put it as being as bad as most. Still, I could very easily have done without the final outcome... but I suppose an "all-purpose hermaphrodite" might have been just a teensy bit difficult to pull off special-effects wise.....


----------



## Prototype

I saw _*Sunshine*_ last weekend, which I was really impressed by. Not at all what I was expecting; the missus had to explain the ending to me though. I didn't previously understand the science of time at the centre of the sun! I think that was really clever.

This week I watched _*I Love You, Man*_ which was extremely funny!


----------



## Sparrow

We rented _Bruno_... gawd is that a funny movie!

Probably not as well done as _Borat_, but more sidesplitting laughter to be sure.
Sacha Baron Cohen is amazing, he stays in character throughout, doesn't give a damn who gets hurt and lampoons Western Culture for what it is.

Sacha is what other edgy satirists only hope to be. Relevant.


A+ rating... definitely not for the kiddies.


----------



## Foxbat

*Village Of The Damned *(1960). Great little movie.

No special effects to speak of.....just a bunch of creepy kids...kind of reminds me of my home town


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, all the kids did a rather good job there, especially Martin Stephens (David), not to mention George Sanders' performance.

As a side note, there is a little story about those two which you may or may not have heard. It seems that Sanders was very fond of chess, and always looking for someone to have a game with. He was also very good, so he almost invariably won. One day, during a break, he asked the general question, "Does anyone here play chess?", and little Martin piped up: "Me, sir." Sanders was struck by this, not to say _amused_, and condescendingly took the little boy into his trailer to play a game. After they had been gone for a while, the door opened, and Sanders appeared, wearing a thoroughly _bemused_ expression. Upon being asked: "What is it?" he replied in amazement: "He _beat_ me!"....

My recent viewing has returned to the Universal films, with the final entries in the Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolf Man set, *House of Frankenstein*  (1944) and *House of Dracula* (1945), and with the studio's first foray into a tale of lycanthropy, *The Werewolf of London* (1935). Each has both strengths and flaws, but the first two suffer very badly from a complete (or near complete) disregard of the continuity with the preceding films, which would have made them much, much stronger. Still, some good performances from various members in each, and it is nice to have a resolution to the tale of Lawrence Talbot, I must admit... even if it really doesn't bear too close an examination.

The Henry Hull piece is a bit odd, but it definitely has its own charm and genuinely eerie moments. The problem is that Hull is not a very sympathetic character, so it becomes a trifle difficult to care much when this horror overtakes him. Still, I rather like the film, and it is always interesting to see Warner Oland at work....

I just looked up Hull on imdb... and I'd love to see his performance as Magwitch in the 1934 version of *Great Expectations*....


----------



## clovis-man

*The Men Who Stare At Goats*. Clever idea and a good cast with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. But the film seemed to meander with little direction a lot of the time. Amusing, but ultimately not satisfying. Still, it had its moments.


----------



## Allegra

clovis-man said:


> *The Men Who Stare At Goats*. Clever idea and a good cast with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. But the film seemed to meander with little direction a lot of the time. Amusing, but ultimately not satisfying. Still, it had its moments.


 
Great cast. I'm looking forward to see it.

Watched *2012*. Eye candy alright, breathtaking visual effect. I still think John Cusack plays bad guys better. Is the black president in fashion in Hollywood? Thomas Wilson, David Palma... None as handsome as the real one though. 

Also watched DVD *Rosemary's Baby*, classic, and the music!!


----------



## Parson

Saw my (I'm afraid it's true) one movie a year. But what a good movie! _Blindside_ is better than the trailers and better than I expected!!


----------



## Connavar

_*Outlander*_ a cliché ridden film but entertaining alien comes to Viking settlement fights a monster kind of way.

I expected some decent entertainment and it didn't disappoint.  Specially since it wasnt my money that rented the film


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> Yes, all the kids did a rather good job there, especially Martin Stephens (David), not to mention George Sanders' performance.
> 
> As a side note, there is a little story about those two which you may or may not have heard. It seems that Sanders was very fond of chess, and always looking for someone to have a game with. He was also very good, so he almost invariably won. One day, during a break, he asked the general question, "Does anyone here play chess?", and little Martin piped up: "Me, sir." Sanders was struck by this, not to say _amused_, and condescendingly took the little boy into his trailer to play a game. After they had been gone for a while, the door opened, and Sanders appeared, wearing a thoroughly _bemused_ expression. Upon being asked: "What is it?" he replied in amazement: "He _beat_ me!"....
> 
> My recent viewing has returned to the Universal films, with the final entries in the Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolf Man set, *House of Frankenstein* (1944) and *House of Dracula* (1945), and with the studio's first foray into a tale of lycanthropy, *The Werewolf of London* (1935). Each has both strengths and flaws, but the first two suffer very badly from a complete (or near complete) disregard of the continuity with the preceding films, which would have made them much, much stronger. Still, some good performances from various members in each, and it is nice to have a resolution to the tale of Lawrence Talbot, I must admit... even if it really doesn't bear too close an examination.


 
I am a very bad loser at Chess and would have probably wrecked the trailer in a fit of pique if I'd been beaten by a creepy kid.

As for House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula...definitely the poorest of the bunch but still worth watching just to hear that wonderful solo Cello during Talbot's transformation process. 

One day I'm gonna learn that piece on my trusty ol' geetar (and use an E-Bow to emulate the Cello)


----------



## Happy Joe

In a totally different vein;
I did a Fast and Furious night last night; 1, 2, and 4 (3, Tokyo Drift, doesn't follow the storyline/main characters).  Not bad, for an evening of mindless action ... (no great acting, message or mental effort there).  
When viewed in context with the other movies 2 is not terrible.

I did see a groaner last week, Reborn; a nearly totally worthless (as are all in the slasher/torture genre) waste of time and money... avoid this one.

... Looking forward to Night At the Museum 2 and Terminator 4 next week although they did not get outstanding reviews.

Enjoy!


----------



## HardScienceFan

Batman
the beginning
Freeman,Bale,Caine,Oldman
Need i say more?


----------



## clovis-man

Happy Joe said:


> ... Looking forward to Night At the Museum 2 and Terminator 4 next week although they did not get outstanding reviews.


 
Critics, shmitics. I enjoyed both of them.


----------



## Allegra

*Inglourious Basterds*. Loved it! I've seen only two Taratinos - *Pulp Fiction* and this, both fabulous.


----------



## biodroid

Terminator Salvation - Awesomely awesome, Drag me to hell - really weird and disgusting movie, Inkheart - decent movie but not much SFX, good story and idea though.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

I saw *2012* a few days ago and I can't remember when last I laughed so much during a disaster flick. 

The destruction was so over-the-top, the hair-breadth escapes from death so ridiculous, that I cackled like a loon through most of the movie. The melodramatic script was a hoot too. I had such fun predicting the next cliche to tumble out of the characters' mouths. 

It was great. I really enjoyed the movie purely based on its utter ridiculousness. And Woody Harrelson was really funny. 

Another movie I watched was *My Sister's Keeper*. I haven't read the Jodi Picoult book the film is based on and I have no intention of reading it. (Picoult is an able and entertaining writer but IMO she falls short in creating characters you can think of as real people.)

Anyway, the movie was ok in that Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin did their best with the material they were given and poor Cameron Diaz dug deep into her bag of acting tricks but...ultimately this movie sucked. The mother (Diaz) was so damned selfish. She couldn't even listen to the wishes of the daughter she was fighting so hard to keep alive. Everything boiled down to what the mother wanted and believed to be right. I despised the mom character and itched to reach through the screen and smack some sense into her. The rest of the family were simply too unselfish and too good to be true. The actress playing the dying girl had a stoned smile on her face that I think was meant to be beatific. Beatific was *not* the word that came to mind when I saw that near ever-present grimace. 

Now for the cherry on top...*Up*. 

I loved this movie! It was funny, engaging and action-packed (if you haven't seen it yet, it has one of the funniest fight scenes I've ever seen in a movie). I'd recommend this movie to anyone and everyone. I felt happy after watching it and I think that's high praise.


----------



## Moonbat

Saw *Paranormal Activity* last night and was pleasantly surprised and scared. The fear factor really peaked at the end and made what waas a slow and simple story into a very interesting and scary movie (IMHO)
For such a cheaply made film it was very well done, it goes to show that sometimes seeing less is more. 

Also was *Land of the Lost* with Will Ferrell in, terrible, I love Will Ferrel and I lost track of this movie (my girlfriend was distracting me) and I usually enjoy his films. Not a good film.


----------



## BookStop

I know what you mean about* 2012*, Db, and had it been a little shorter I could've kept that happy warm feeling I got from seeing something so ridiculous and cheesy (not that I 'm sure they meant it that way). The special effects were outlandish but fabulous. The acting was a bit horrid, and it starred John Cusack, so I am blaming the writers and director. obviously it wasn't Cusack's fault, because I love him. It felt like the movie was nearly 3 hours long, and an hour and a half would've made for a fun flick instead of puttering out so at the end.

I rewatched *the Orphanage* a couple days ago. Damn, that movie is downright haunting.

I have rented *Tokyo Zombie* to watch either tonight or tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed that it's a goodie.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

BookStop said:


> The acting was a bit horrid, and it starred John Cusack, so I am blaming the writers and director. obviously it wasn't Cusack's fault, because I love him.


 
I agree 100%. It's _*never*_ John Cusack's fault. Ever. The poor man did the best he could with what they gave him. I can only assume he took the role because a) they paid him oodles of money and b) he thought it would be a mindlessly fun experience.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Children Of The Damned* last night.  I got the impression that the writers weren't sure where to go with this one. 

Not nearly as good as its  predecessor but I've seen worse (_much _worse).


----------



## UltraCulture

Prototype said:


> I saw _*Sunshine*_ last weekend, which I was really impressed by. Not at all what I was expecting; the missus had to explain the ending to me though. I didn't previously understand the science of time at the centre of the sun! I think that was really clever.
> 
> This week I watched _*I Love You, Man*_ which was extremely funny!


 
I rented this(ILY,M) a while back not expecting much, but totally loved it.

I think I've said "slappin da bass" everyday since.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I bought *I Love You, Man* and I also enjoyed it muchly. I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd, but I think it was Jason Segel that made this movie.


----------



## ktabic

Prototype said:


> I saw _*Sunshine*_ last weekend, which I was really impressed by. Not at all what I was expecting; the missus had to explain the ending to me though. I didn't previously understand the science of time at the centre of the sun! I think that was really clever.



Sunshine is one of those hidden gems. Nobody ever seems convinced when they first hear about it, but most enjoy it. Rewatched it again a couple of weeks back.

Finally got around to watching *Moon*. Other than the plot hole the size of the moon and the slowness of Sam in figuring out whats happening to Sam and a distinct lack of microgravity, a good film.


----------



## Rodders

I really enjoyed Sunshine and agree with Ktabic that it is underrated. I must say that the soundtrack really impressed me on this one.


----------



## Happy Joe

Sunshine seems to be one of those love it or hate it flicks...
I bought it on the strength of real people reviews... It sits yet on the shelf (after 1 viewing) and will likely never get placed into the video jukebox (HTPC) in the TV room... 

Night at the museum 2; a fairly good watchable family movie.
Terminator 4; I enjoyed this one more; worth a rental (I bought it to complete the set).

Enjoy!


----------



## jojajihisc

*Rise of the Footsoldier* - I liked it although I tend to favor almost any film based on a true story, but a warning to the squeamish - it is full of some really brutal violence.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Foxbat said:


> Watched *Children Of The Damned* last night.  I got the impression that the writers weren't sure where to go with this one.
> 
> Not nearly as good as its  predecessor but I've seen worse (_much _worse).



The boy who acts as the leader of the cuckoos was really good though.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched the latter half of *Van Helsing* yesterday.

What a strange mishmash of literary characters it is. And rather a bad film overall, really.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *Tell No One* last night, a French thriller, it was quite good. A bit of a whodunnit more than a thriller, but well worth a watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night watched * Night at the Museum 2* in which hollywood plays fast and loose with history. Great fun tho!
Then *Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince*, easily the best one yet.


----------



## Foxbat

knivesout said:


> The boy who acts as the leader of the cuckoos was really good though.


  Agreed. Actually, I'd say most of the acting in this movie wasn't too bad, it was more the script and plot that seemed to let it down a little.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *UP* the other day. Definately entertaining, if not the best Pixar/Disney movie.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

My Fellow Americans.

Wouldn't say the script is a masterpiece, but it has some great lines and and James Garner and Jack Lemmon are brilliant together.


----------



## ktabic

*Pandorum*. Great fun, great sets, decent characters, ok monsters, slight confusion towards the end.


----------



## Lioness

Tristan and Isolde. So pretty, and rather nice.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

*FAQ about Time Travel*

An under-the-radar film co-produced by HBO & the BBC. A great example of how to do more with less. The vast majority of this film is set within one location; an english pub, and features primarily the 3 lead actors (Chris O'Dowd as Ray, Mark Wootton as Toby and Dean Kelly as Pete) and their journey through time via a pub toilet.

I started writing up a premise for this film and then realised I was making it sound rubbish and complicated when it is neither. It's an enjoyable indie comedy with some brilliant set-piece moments and one-liners. Highly recommended


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched the latter half of *Van Helsing* yesterday.
> 
> What a strange mishmash of literary characters it is. And rather a bad film overall, really.



Look at the trailer for *Solomon Kane,* the original literary character Van Helsings kind took inspiration from.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Frost / Nixon (Nixon / Frost?)  - Michael Sheen as Frost has hair very similar to mine. I think I need a haircut.


----------



## Vladd67

Rollerball (2002) - Now there was a remake to many.


----------



## Connavar

_*Once Upon a Time in the West*_(1968)

Why rent crappy movies when the library has 2009 DVDs of classic films....

This western was great even if not as great as Leone's best westerns.  Henry Fonda,Charles Bronson was really good in it.   Ennio Marricone is always a treat too.


----------



## blacknorth

One Way Out - Mr Bob Peck made for a very poor architect but a very thoughtful assassin.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Bob Peck was a great actor. Especially in Edge of Darkness - I hope the remake of that doesn't suck too much.


----------



## Culhwch

Lioness said:


> Tristan and Isolde. So pretty, and rather nice.



I like that one too! Guilty pleasure...

We watched _Up_ tonight. Excellent film - Pixar succeed yet again. Not entirely what I expected but still a wonderful tale beautifully told.


----------



## blacknorth

Harry Kilmer said:


> Bob Peck was a great actor. Especially in Edge of Darkness - I hope the remake of that doesn't suck too much.



Yes, he was brilliant. Such a sad loss at a youngish age. Hard to believe it's been ten years. 

I loved Edge of Darkness up until the last episode, then I thought it dropped the ball a little. Still a superb series though. Unfortunately, the writer, Troy Kennedy-Martin, died this year.


----------



## nj1

It's been a day of films today. Took the nipper to see Planet 21... It was OK. not what i would call a good film but she enjoyed it (then again she's three and a half).
Then we came home and watched Bedknob and Broomsticks (nostalgia) and then Cool hand Luke (ace film).
So not a bad day eh!!


----------



## Rodders

blacknorth said:


> Yes, he was brilliant. Such a sad loss at a youngish age. Hard to believe it's been ten years.
> 
> I loved Edge of Darkness up until the last episode, then I thought it dropped the ball a little. Still a superb series though. Unfortunately, the writer, Troy Kennedy-Martin, died this year.


 
We shall forget about Slipstream.  God, that was a poor film.


----------



## BookStop

I watched *The X-Files: I want to believe*

Quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. Gah, I hate to spoil it for any suckas that are thinking they might want to see it, so I won't go into details, but dudes, seriously. The plot was just about the dumbest thing I've ever, ever watched, and I've watched some real stinkers.


----------



## Rodders

It's a shame to see something that was so good sink so low.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Woman in the Window.

Middle aged professor gets himself into a tight spot when he has a drink with a beautiful young woman. Serves him right the dirty old bugger.


----------



## Happy Joe

Megafault;  A poorly made, poorly conceived fictional (It ignores all science; so it can't be science fiction) movie about an earthquake fault that chases people (in trucks, helicopters and airplanes) across the US. 
A real stinker...

Enjoy!


----------



## Interference

Harry Kilmer said:


> Woman in the Window.
> 
> Middle aged professor gets himself into a tight spot when he has a drink with a beautiful young woman. Serves him right the dirty old bugger.



Dirty old buggers have feelings too,  you know


----------



## ktabic

*Dead Snow*. Nazi Zombies attack unsuspecting Norwegian medical students. Gore follows.


----------



## Interference

Zombies with political leanings goose-stepping across Norway - this I gotta see.


----------



## blacknorth

An Englishman Abroad, on BBC2 last night. Gorgeous Alan Bennett play about the spy Guy Burgess (simply fabulous turn of events by Alan Bates). A famous film in its time, sadly forgotten now.

Hoping for a DVD release.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Interference said:


> Dirty old buggers have feelings too,  you know



Heh, no offence meant old son. I've nothing against dirty old men, I plan on being one myself one day.



Interference said:


> Zombies with political leanings goose-stepping across Norway - this I gotta see.



Do Nazi Zombies goosestep? Can they get their legs that high?


----------



## Interference

They can dance, can't they?  I've seen Thriller


----------



## littlemissattitude

Recent viewing:

In the theater: *Pirate Radio*, which I believe was released in the UK as *The Boat That Rocked.*  I understand that it didn't get very good reviews, but I liked it a lot.

On DVD:

*Magnolia* - amazing film, despite the presence of Tom Cruise, who I don't like at all.

Also, rewatches of *Charlie Wilson's War* and *Doubt* - both very, very good films.


----------



## Culhwch

ktabic said:


> *Dead Snow*. Nazi Zombies attack unsuspecting Norwegian medical students. Gore follows.


 
I'd have never pegged Al Gore as a Nazi sypathiser...

I'd actually only been thinking of this movie earlier today and wondering what the title was - so cheers, I'll be tracking it down forthwith!


----------



## HoopyFrood

> My brain is always in screenwriterly mode when watching films now. Even to the point where I'm breaking down the stuff on screen into a script in my head. Well, at least it shows that all the stuff I'm learning's going in at least.


I hated that when I was taking a playwriting/screenwriting class, years ago.  I mean, it was helpful in that it indicated that I was learning something.  On the other hand, it made it very difficult to enjoy films for awhile.  It's better now; I've learned to turn that on when I want it and off when I just want to watch the movie.

Edited to add...apoligies to you, Hoopy, for screwing up your post.  It's what happens when a mod has been away for awhile and doesn't notice that she's clicked the edit button rather than the reply button.  If another supermod knows how to restore the post as it was, please, please do.  I feel like such a fool right now.


----------



## Foxbat

*Che *(1969) Starring Omar Sharif and Jack Palance.

I'd never seen this movie until last night and it was panned by the critics when it first appeared. However, I thought it was ok and watchable.

It also appears fairly accurate (although completely omits Guevara's Africa mission). It's done in a pseudo-documentary manner that I thought worked quite well (once you get past the notion of Sharif as Guvara and Palance as Castro).


----------



## Moonbat

Watched a few films this weekend. To start with there was *Fermat's Room *a Spanish film about four Mathematicians locked into a shrinking room and forced to solve brain teasers/mathematical puzzles. Wasn't bad, I liked parts of it, even if the subtitles were hard to read sometimes. Wasn't the best ending but worth a watch if you like brain teasers.
Then watched *The Devil's Backbone *one of Guillermo Del Toro's early films, I thought it was brilliant. He has a great way of mixing the occult with reality, much like *Pan's Labyrinth*. It was well directed and I have to say I'm a fan of his style (Del Toro's that is) If you have liked his other work you'll probably find this one quite good too. I did foresee several of the plot points, but just when I thought it was settling into a ghost story it was derailed by the reality of a selfish and violent man. Very entertaining.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Seven Days in May.

John Frankenheimer at his best. One of my fave directors.


----------



## jackokent

Saw *Paranormal Activity* at a very lively cinema.  Half way through the police came in and carted a whole load of drunk teenagers out.  It was all very exciting but I am sure the film suffered by comparison.  Also some woman was giving a loud running comentary all the way through, basically explaining everything she could see on the screen.  I am sure it would be quite an atmospheric film given the righ ambiance.  Not sure I would have been particularly scared but probably more scarey than a lot of much more expensively done visual effects films.  Hats off to it. Shame there was so much hype about it though.


----------



## blacknorth

Harry Kilmer said:


> Seven Days in May.
> 
> John Frankenheimer at his best. One of my fave directors.



I enjoyed that one, especially Kirk Douglas's rather thankless role.

Last night I watched Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution on BBC4, about the spy Anthony Blunt. Great piece of work altogether.


----------



## ktabic

Redcliff, the really long version but comprehensible version.


----------



## littlemissattitude

A Hard Day's Night.

It was on cable last night.  One of my favorite films.


----------



## The DeadMan

littlemissattitude said:


> A Hard Day's Night.
> 
> It was on cable last night.  One of my favorite films.



I liked that movie and I also liked "Help". I wish they would show it on TV also.


----------



## Foxbat

*Gormenghast *Watched all four episodes of the BBC adaptation over the last couple of nights on DVD. Most enjoyable


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

*Inglourious Basterds* - QT's somewhat revisionist take on late WW2. I'm not a fan of QT's work to be honest as I view him as a style over substance director (have to put John Woo in that category as well really) but I enjoyed this movie despite the no doubt deliberate jarring way it was filmed and scored - at times it had a spaghetti western feel to it. The standout performance in the movie was that of Christoph Waltz as SS Colonel Hans Landa who was engrossing, intelligent, charming and chilling with every minute of screen time he was given. Brad Pitt was hardly in it (and this was a good thing). It felt a tad long and was probably gratituously violent even for a war movie but still a decent movie none the less.

Oh, and don't go watching it expecting _any_ historical accuracy whatsoever.


----------



## clovis-man

Re *Inglorious Basterds*:



Winters_Sorrow said:


> Brad Pitt was hardly in it (and this was a good thing).


 
I thought his limited role was well-played. I have to laugh every time I think of him saying "buon giorno".


----------



## The DeadMan

I watched "Love Actually" on TV. It's sort of a "Chick Flick" but it is also a very good Christmas Movie. I think it is fast becoming a Christmas Classic.


----------



## Allegra

clovis-man said:


> Re *Inglorious Basterds*:
> 
> 
> 
> I thought his limited role was well-played. I have to laugh every time I think of him saying "buon giorno".


 
Tell me about it! 



Winters_Sorrow said:


> The standout performance in the movie was that of Christoph Waltz as SS Colonel Hans Landa who was engrossing, intelligent, charming and chilling with every minute of screen time he was given.


 
I absolutely agree. Christopher Waltz was brilliant, you can say he stole the show. I think he'll get a Golden Globe for it - he deserves it! The French actress Melanie Laurent was really good too. Her personal quote on imdb:

_"When I read the script [of 'Inglourious Basterds'], I was like, wow, it's been my dream to kill Hitler since I was like four so I was kind of like Shosanna already. I'm Jewish. I read the script together with my grandfather and he told me, 'You have to make that movie, please.' So it was not just for me, it was for my family._" 

You can tell it's going to be an excellent film from the very start.


----------



## Wybren

*Fanboys* is the last one I saw, about a group of Star Wars fans going on a road trip to break into the Skywalker ranch to watch the Phantom Menace before it is released at the cinema. It was a fun movie and worth a watch if your not in the mood for something that requires too much thinking.


----------



## BookStop

The DeadMan said:


> I watched "Love Actually" on TV. It's sort of a "Chick Flick" but it is also a very good Christmas Movie. I think it is fast becoming a Christmas Classic.


 
Love Billy Mack! "I feel it in my fingers, i feel it in my toes.."


----------



## littlemissattitude

The DeadMan said:


> I liked that movie and I also liked "Help". I wish they would show it on TV also.


 
Yeah, I like "Help" as well.  It's fun.  I wish they'd show it more often, but I get why "A Hard Day's Night" gets shown more often;  it's a classic.

What I'd really like is to see "Let It Be" again.  And what's up with "Yellow Submarine" never getting shown?  It was fun, too.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh man I just watched Anvil,about the struggling metal band who influenced Metallica, Slayer etc . It was pretty cool!


----------



## dask

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Whew! Excellent, but is that the way it really ends, or is my dvd defected. Is the epitome of nihilism an ending?


----------



## clovis-man

dask said:


> NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Whew! Excellent, but is that the way it really ends, or is my dvd defected. Is the epitome of nihilism an ending?


 
Don't read this if you are leary of possible spoilers:



I learned in a film lecture that whenever the last thing you see of a character in a movie is his or her back, it means they will die soon. FWIW.


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> Oh man I just watched Anvil,about the struggling metal band who influenced Metallica, Slayer etc . It was pretty cool!


 
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie


----------



## Connavar

I made sure Luc Besson,Morrel get their money for the great film _*Taken*_.

I saw it in the cinema and rented it yesterday.   One in a 1000 movies i like enough to do that.

It was almost greater in the second viewing.


----------



## dask

clovis-man said:


> Don't read this if you are leary of possible spoilers:
> 
> 
> 
> I learned in a film lecture that whenever the last thing you see of a character in a movie is his or her back, it means they will die soon. FWIW.


 
Didn't know that. Thanks. Movie makes a little more sense.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Home Alone*!

Classic Christmas viewing.


----------



## The Ace

I can understand McAuley Culkin's parents leaving him behind, thougfh, it'd be so tempting.


----------



## littlemissattitude

I'm currently watching "Capote" on IFC.  Re-watching, actually.  I own it on DVD, but stumbled on it on cable just as it was coming on.

Stunning, stunning film.


----------



## clovis-man

Just finished watching *Triumph of the Will*, the Leni Riefenstall propaganda edifice that chronicled her view of the 1934 Nuremburg rallies. Hard to endure and truly frightening.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Just finished watching *Triumph of the Will*, the Leni Riefenstall propaganda edifice that chronicled her view of the 1934 Nuremburg rallies. Hard to endure and truly frightening.


 
You should watch *The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. *She has many interesting and enlightening things to say on this film and her other works.


----------



## biodroid

*2012 *- great movie I really felt the doom and gloom protrayed not like Day after tomorrow which was also good but not as doomy. A long movie but it goes by quickly. Watch out for the Bentley scene!!


----------



## Interference

littlemissattitude said:


> A Hard Day's Night.
> 
> It was on cable last night.  One of my favorite films.



I can't help but approve of your good taste


----------



## Vladd67

The Ace said:


> I can understand McAuley Culkin's parents leaving him behind, thougfh, it'd be so tempting.



Leave him behind? I would take him out and dump him.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

Allegra said:


> I absolutely agree. Christopher Waltz was brilliant, you can say he stole the show. I think he'll get a Golden Globe for it - he deserves it! The French actress Melanie Laurent was really good too. Her personal quote on imdb:
> 
> _"When I read the script [of 'Inglourious Basterds'], I was like, wow, it's been my dream to kill Hitler since I was like four so I was kind of like Shosanna already. I'm Jewish. I read the script together with my grandfather and he told me, 'You have to make that movie, please.' So it was not just for me, it was for my family._"
> 
> You can tell it's going to be an excellent film from the very start.


 
The scene with her and Waltz in the cafe was fantastically well done. Milk, anyone? 

Also watched *Sunshine Cleaning* recently, a movie about a struggling single mum cleaner who starts her own business with her slacker sister cleaning up after crime scenes. Had some funny moments and Amy Adams was charming as always in the lead role. Still wanted more from it really though as it seemed to drift along without much of a story to it - which I suppose makes it more lifelike! 

However, I kept expecting her to burst into song and have a legion of rats, pigeons and cockroaches come in and help but that's probably more to do with me than the filmakers


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> You should watch *The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. *She has many interesting and enlightening things to say on this film and her other works.


 
I ought to look that one up and find some time to watch it. A complex person, and there's a good deal more to that story than most are aware of, from what I understand, especially concerning that particular film.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Public Enemies* over the weekend. I thought it was pretty good. I would like to watch it again, as it was hard to hear where we were watching it.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> You should watch *The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl. *She has many interesting and enlightening things to say on this film and her other works.


 
I have a copy of this interesting film and it includes some of the footage from *Triumph of the Will*. But it also paints a fairly sympathetic portrait of Riefenstahl. So one can be unprepared for the impact of her work. I had seen *Olympia* many years ago and found it to be surprisingly engaging. But the portrayal of the Nazi rally at Nuremburg was disturbing. More than I bargained for.


----------



## blacknorth

The Upturned Glass, with James Mason and his then wife, Pamela Kellino. Mason plays a brain surgeon with certain dubious but heroic qualities - those qualities lead him into some very dark places and in the end... well... the end is completely uncompromising.

This was brilliant. I had expected a minor British thriller in the post-war manner, but as a psycho-soap drama this one surpassed all my expectations and is much better than The Seventh Veil. I also noted a production credit for Mason and a writing credit for his wife, which explains why the film has some very innovative scenes, and probably why it has remained so obscure.

Next up - 2012.


----------



## littlemissattitude

clovis-man said:


> Just finished watching *Triumph of the Will*, the Leni Riefenstall propaganda edifice that chronicled her view of the 1934 Nuremburg rallies. Hard to endure and truly frightening.


 
Oh, I absolutely agree that it was frightening.  I saw it in a film class years and years ago, and I still remember the creepy, unsettled feeling I got while watching it.


----------



## BookStop

'Tis the season to watch christmas movies, fa la la la la, la la la la. Elf, preceded by 4 Christmases.
Scrooged, Hogfather, and Christmas Vacation are in the house


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched "Captain Blood"; as with most old movies it is paced a bit on the slow side for modern viewer.  Still it is a very good movie and definitely shows the evolution from silent films to talkies.  (Has many aspects of silent movies that were discarded in later films).

Also saw the Restored version of "Spartacus"  I was amazed at the amount of material that had been hacked away for television showing.  Again a very good classic film.

Enjoy!


----------



## Pyar

I just saw *Moon* the other day. I think one of the best Sci Fi movies of the year. If you get a chance to see it go! The acting is great with Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey. I also recently saw *Up in the Air* and *It's Complicated*. Both were great films! George Clooney and Anna Kendrick were great in *Up in the Air* and Meryl Streep was amazing as always in *It's Complicated*.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

How was Alec Baldwyn in the latter, Pyar?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Watchmen* at the moment.

Gods, I adore this film.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Me too!

(adore it that is, I'm not watching it right now...)


----------



## BookStop

Me three! (and hubby big 4)can't remember if I hinted at extended fam to buy the dvd for hubby's xmas though - if not, I guess I'll have to hit an after sale.


----------



## Happy Joe

I had eliminated Watchmen  from the viewing list, due to the reviews.
...But since so many like it; it has been added back onto the list...
Thanx...

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> I had eliminated Watchmen  from the viewing list, due to the reviews.
> ...But since so many like it; it has been added back onto the list...
> Thanx...
> 
> Enjoy!


I really did not enjoy that film! I suppose one who read the comics might enjoy it but I never did so didn't know who was who,and thought the Batman character was so wussy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

I assume you mean Dan/Night Owl II? He's supposed to be wussy...it goes with the whole impotent nature of him (both metaphorically and...er...well, literally). And the fact that they aren't really real superheroes with amazing power (apart from Dr Manhattan who has them all and yet is becoming increasingly apathetic). It's about the clash of very different perspectives. 

I hadn't read the graphic novel prior to watching the film. I was confused through the first bit, but by the end I was blown away -- especially with what Ozymandias did (he's my favourite character). The graphic novel is brilliant, too, by the way, an excellent read.

It's such an amazingly well made film and each time you watch it you pick up even more things.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

I loved the film too, definitely one of the better comic book adaptions.

Just watched Day of the Jackal.

Edward Fox is a dangerous bugger (I like the phrase Dangerous Bugger, must use it more often), and David Jacobi is always watchable. Michael Lonsdale is also brilliant in this.


----------



## Pyar

Hilarious Joke said:


> How was Alec Baldwyn in the latter, Pyar?



He was ok. The movie was really about Meryl Streeps character. His character was kind of annoying lol. I guess he played the character the way it should be portrayed but it wasn't anything extraordinary.


----------



## j d worthington

Harry Kilmer said:


> I loved the film too, definitely one of the better comic book adaptions.
> 
> Just watched Day of the Jackal.
> 
> Edward Fox is a dangerous bugger (I like the phrase Dangerous Bugger, must use it more often), and David Jacobi is always watchable. Michael Lonsdale is also brilliant in this.


 
Yes, Fox is almost the epitome of "less is more" in that film -- such an understated performance, yet he makes it into one of the most disturbing characters I've seen on the screen; definitely not a person into whose way you want to get.

My own viewing has been of a couple of little oddities:*I lunghi capelli della morte* (a.k.a. *The Long Hair of Death*; 1964) with Barbara Steele, and *The White Gorilla* (1945), with Ray "Crash" Corrigan... certainly one of the most bizarre films I've ever seen! Unfortunately, that does not save the film... it is simply a bad film (albeit with some good, if unconscious, humorous moments). The Steele film is chiefly worthwhile for her performance and for a genuinely eerie moment or two; but is definitely one of the weakest films I've ever seen her in. An interesting watch, for someone who has a fondness for the lady, but not much else....


----------



## AE35Unit

Last film I watched was Terminal Velocity which was on TV last night. Its very rare we actually watch movies on TV for some reason. This one was OK for a Charlie Sheen vehicle. I didnt watch it all as i had to walk the dog part way through but had to see it thru to the action packed ending. Prefer him in 2 1/2 Men tho…
BTW when i  saw the title I immediately thought of Bob Shaw's novel Vertigo as that was its alternative title


----------



## Steffi

At last got to see Pan's Labyrinth and Being John Malkovich on Film 4 the other night.

Loved Pan's Labyrinth, very dark but just right for that time in history.
Being John Malkovich - once I got past the initial weirdness the 7th 1/2 floor, a good movie, John Malkovich was brilliant.


----------



## Rosemary

*Aliens* at last!  For an older film I thought the acting was great, especially Signorny Weaver


----------



## Rodders

I watched Spiderman 3 last night for the first time and really enjoyed it. 

Aliens was also on last night too. 20 years old and still gripping.


----------



## Allegra

Welcome me to the club, *Watchmen *fans here! Saw it this afternoon, S-U-P-E-R! I got the book but haven't read it yet. I'll let the film sink a bit - still excited about it, then dig in the book!


----------



## Steffi

Welcome The series of books are brilliant. Glad you loved the film......the book is even better....enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

The graphical novel is indeed amazing, I enjoyed it a lot. Glad they changed the ending for the film, though.

Watched that great Arnie film yesterday, Jingle All the Way. Also watched part of Family Man and also half of What Women Want.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

The Crimson Kimono - Very early appearence by James Shigeta (Die Hard, The Yakuza). Am disappointed in myself that it took half of the film for me to recognise him.

And before that, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Definitely Val Kilmers best part, and has the funniest interrogation scene I've ever seen. Eight per cent chance indeed.


----------



## nj1

Watched STAR TREK the other night thanks to the missus picking up the DVD cheap in ASDA. Enjoyed it alot. Then again I've always enjoyed any Star Trek.
The only thing i didn't like was sometimes Kirk was too arrogant, he was always confident in the original series IMO but never arrogant.


----------



## BookStop

Harry Kilmer said:


> The Crimson Kimono - Very early appearence by James Shigeta (Die Hard, The Yakuza). Am disappointed in myself that it took half of the film for me to recognise him.
> 
> And before that, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Definitely Val Kilmers best part, and has the funniest interrogation scene I've ever seen. Eight per cent chance indeed.


 
Oh, I love Kiss Kiss bang Bang, esp Val Kilmer!


----------



## thesoothsayer

Just back from Avatar. Last movie before this at the cinema was Dark Knight. And before that was Transformers. I guess tonight is part of my once in 18 months pilgrimage to the cinema.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Ogre *A thought provoking movie starring John Malkovich. 

It looks at the blurred lines that sometimes exist between acts of good and evil. Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## Culhwch

Watched _Near Dark_ just recently. Must say I expected more. It was a bit of a mess, really...


----------



## Happy Joe

District 9; Disapointing...
It starts poorly, giving background data via an, overly long, amateurishly filmed (poorly cut) documentary/interview sequence that was far from entertaining, and jumped around excessively spoiling any budding interest... I got through this by using the fast forward and skip chapter buttons (never a good sign). 
The center portion of the film contained an acceptable story with really excellent creature effects.
If you skip most of the ending interviews the end is OK.

It may be my excessive use of the fast forward but this movie leaves many information holes and unanswered questions.

A pathetic effort for Jackson. If this is an example of his current level then The Hobbit should be taken away from him and given to Ewe Bole, he couldn't do much worse.

I cannot recommend this one.

Enjoy!

Edit; For examples of well crafted, entertaining documentaries see the work of Ken Burns.


----------



## clovis-man

Happy Joe said:


> District 9; Disapointing...
> It starts poorly, giving background data via an, overly long, amateurishly filmed (poorly cut) documentary/interview sequence


 
I believe the idea was to simulate an "amateurishly filmed" local tv news segment. It worked for me.



Happy Joe said:


> For examples of well crafted, entertaining documentaries see the work of Ken Burns.


 
For a series of multiple zoomed and panned views of the same still photos and interviews with "experts" designed to elicit a couple of tears at the appropriate moment, that's exactly where I'll go. After *The Civil War*, I'm afraid that Burns' overly self-indulgent marathon films have left me cold. But I do have to admit to having watched most of them.


----------



## dask

A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Alastair Sim. Superb! Without doubt the best-cast film ever.


----------



## Happy Joe

> I believe the idea was to simulate an "amateurishly filmed" local TV news segment.


A convincingly accurate simulation of failure is still failure in my book..  ("Honest! I failed because I was simulating low quality!" ...doesn't work for me!).   Low quality is low quality; simulated or not.  Had they cut at least half of the interview portion I may have been able to tolerate it, but I have little patience with ineptitude.  
Our local television stations produce better interview work than this (If they didn't I would change the channel).  It was almost as bad a "shaky cam" in movies (simulated, "bad" is still "bad").

I kind of agree on Burns though he's the best televising documentarian I've seen recently.  I dislike documentaries but at least Burns' work is, smooth, watchable and entertaining, part of the time (the interviews flow well).

If I had seen District 9 in a theater; I would have walked out during the poor/simulated poor interview section of the movie.  I'm just glad that I didn't waste  the time/money.

Epic Failure!.. IMO.

Enjoy!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

The Incredibles.

Bendygirl is rather fetching.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Finally got the chance to just sit and watch tv and joy of joys, *Billy Elliot* is on.


----------



## littlemissattitude

dask said:


> A CHRISTMAS CAROL starring Alastair Sim. Superb! Without doubt the best-cast film ever.


 
I saw that version of *A Christmas Carol* not long ago, on DVD at my best friend's  house.  It's the only version of it that I can sit through and actually enjoy.

Right now I'm watching *Air America* on cable.  Haven't seen it in awhile.  I love the part where Mel Gibson's character talks some people out of shooting him and his buddy by insulting their firearms and promising to take them to a better arms dealer.


----------



## Foxbat

*Lust For Life  *Possibly Kirk Douglas's finest performance


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Charade* (1963), an amusingly convoluted thriller starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, as well as Walter Matthau. Mixes together suspense, comedy and romance in a mostly effective manner, although the incessant attempts to show romantic tension between the two leads came across as contrived. 

*The Dream Team *(1989), a film that I liked a lot as a child. It presents a remarkably romanticised picture of mental illness and treatment, but is still an enjoyable experience on its own terms, helped a great deal by the excellent performances from the four main actors.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching me some Hamlet (my second favourite Shakespeare play). The David Tennant one. Don't like the Ophelia so far, but the rest of the cast seems pretty good. 

I wish I'd seen it on stage. This televised versions all good and atmospheric, but it must have been so powerful on stage. 

I get the feeling that Tennant's going to be good at the mad side of Hamlet.


----------



## Tillane

Went to see *Nine *with the family this afternoon.  Beautifully shot, entertaining (Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench are both on good form) and some of the set-piece numbers are quite good, but on the whole it's not the most satisfying piece of cinema I've ever taken in.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Terminator:Salvation*
Very good,very slick and I hardly recognised Star Trek's Chekov as Kyle Reese!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Funny People* last night. It was a pretty decent movie, and had its funny moments. A bit of drama in it as well.


----------



## Interference

knivesout said:


> *Charade* (1963), an amusingly convoluted thriller starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, as well as Walter Matthau. Mixes together suspense, comedy and romance in a mostly effective manner, although the incessant attempts to show romantic tension between the two leads came across as contrived.



One of my all-time favourites.  The definition of RomCom started and ended with this kind of film.  Nothing that followed have that lightness of touch and subtlety.

That said, Cary Grant was far too old to go chasing after Audrey 

Mancini's music for it is hugely underrated.  Not just the song, but check the fight on the roof with George Kennedy - understated or what?  Sheer brilliance.



And, while I'm here, Alistair Sim is the definitive Scrooge and his is undoubtedly the best ever version of the tale.  Sheer perfection.


----------



## Foxbat

*Stroszek  *Personally, I think this is one of Werner Herzog's finest movies.
Sometimes moving, often darkly comic and with one of the most bizarre endings of any movie makes this a worthwhile viewing.


----------



## Happy Joe

Terminator Salvation; I like this movie. It is the best scifi that I have seen this year, and will join its predecessors on the library shelf.
A good solid scifi action movie.

If you are a Terminator fan or like EOTW movies; this one is highly recommended.

Enjoy!

I missed the Chekov connection entirely...


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Deluge*, a rare disaster movie from 1933! It is dubbed in Italian with englissh subtitles and not at all bad!
Here's what it says about it in my Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Clute/Nicholls, 1993)
Deluge (1933) RKO. Dir Felix E. Feist…Screenplay John Goodrich, Warren B Duff,based on 
_Deluge_ (1928) by *S Fowler Wright*. 70 minutes.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Currently watching *Victor/Victoria* on BBCAmerica.  One of my favorites; can't count how many times I've seen it.


----------



## littlemissattitude

I guess it's movie day.  After *Victor/Victoria* was over, I watched *Escape to Witch Mountain* (the original) and then *That Thing You Do*.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Wizard of Oz*


----------



## Interference

_Farewell My Lovely_ - Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe - _excellente_, exquisite lighting.

Immediately prior to this, Orson's _The Stranger_ with Edward G Robinson - weak, but utterly fascinating.


----------



## Foxbat

Stuck on *Pan's Labyrinth* last night (again!). It's fast becoming one of my all-time favourites


----------



## Pyan

Well, until yesterday I thought that no-one could play a woman pirate with less charisma than *Keira Knightly* in _Pirates of the Caribbean III_ - then I watched *Geena Davis* in _Cutthroat Island_, and realised how wrong I could be...


----------



## Daisy-Boo

pyan said:


> Well, until yesterday I thought that no-one could play a woman pirate with less charisma than *Keira Knightly* in _Pirates of the Caribbean III_ - then I watched *Geena Davis* in _Cutthroat Island_, and realised how wrong I could be...


 
LOL

(Thanks for making me laugh on a Monday morning.)


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Foxbat said:


> Stuck on *Pan's Labyrinth* last night (again!). It's fast becoming one of my all-time favourites


 
It's a beautiful film. I'm so glad you like it.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Interference said:


> _Farewell My Lovely_ - Dick Powell as Philip Marlowe - _excellente_, exquisite lighting.
> 
> Immediately prior to this, Orson's _The Stranger_ with Edward G Robinson - weak, but utterly fascinating.



Farewell My Lovely is a great film. I've got The Stranger on my PVR ready for watching later.

Watched "The Chronicles of Riddick" last night. Very underated film.


----------



## Rosemary

'Eragon' - just for light entertainment and to see how it matched the book.


----------



## Interference

And did it?


----------



## Rosemary

No it didn't Inter!  Too much left out as usual


----------



## Interference

Sorry about that   I think film makers need lessons in reading sometimes ...


----------



## littlemissattitude

*10 Things I Hate About You*...rounded out my movie-watching marathon last night.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched a couple from the 80s;
From beyond; an OK story about creatures from the 4th dimension... based loosely on a Lovecraft story.

High Spirits; an amusing (no belly laughs but a number of chuckles) comedy about a haunted castle in Ireland  (it was fun trying to spot some of the, then, relatively unknown stars and look at their early work.

Enjoy!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Runaway Train.

1980's film about a couple of Convicts who escape from a maximum security prison only to sneak onto a train about 5 minutes before the driver falls off his perch (and the train).

Couple of very good performances from Jon Voigt and Eric Roberts, and a terrific screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.

And I watch too many films.


----------



## AE35Unit

Harry Kilmer said:


> Runaway Train.
> 
> 1980's film about a couple of Convicts who escape from a maximum security prison only to sneak onto a train about 5 minutes before the driver falls off his perch (and the train).
> 
> Couple of very good performances from Jon Voigt and Eric Roberts, and a terrific screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.
> 
> .


Ah yes, quite a good film that!


----------



## Moonbat

I saw *Avatar* on the 27th and was a little dissappointed, but then I saw *Sherlock Holmes* on the 29th and was really very pleased. I have always liked the immense brain power of Holmes and this film, whilst not playing up to it too much, did have some marvellous bits. I think they will have sequels and I think they will be good, Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law were very good together, this film worked really very well, much much better than Avatar.
I went shopping after christmas and took my list of sci-fi films recommended by you lot to HMV, I came back with *Soylent Green* (not watched it yet) and *Altered States* (not watched it yet) and also *FAQ about time travel* (watched it today). It started off well but sort of descended into a farce and quite light comedy. if you haven't seen it SPOILER otherwise; how come the whole thing happened? When the guy first sees his dead face with a beard he hears the other guy spilling a drink which then erases the notes on the paper and resets time, so why didn't it all reset early. anyway not bad, but I'm hoping for more from the other two.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Happy Joe said:


> Watched a couple from the 80s;
> From beyond; an OK story about creatures from the 4th dimension... based loosely on a Lovecraft story.
> 
> High Spirits; an amusing (no belly laughs but a number of chuckles) comedy about a haunted castle in Ireland (it was fun trying to spot some of the, then, relatively unknown stars and look at their early work.
> 
> Enjoy!


 
*High Spirits* was fun.  I saw it when it was originally released in theatres here in the States.

And @Moonbat, *Altered States* is, I think, a very good film, made more interesting by the fact that Paddy Chayefsky, who wrote both the screenplay and the novel that it was based on, disowned the film.  Also, it was the first film appearance for both William Hurt and Drew Barrymore. 

And now, for my recent viewing...no movies, but I just finished rewatching (via On Demand on my cable system) the first part of *The End of Time*...Doctor Who, of course.

Also, I was at my best friend's place over the past couple of days, and we watched several episodes of the old *Columbo* TV series, as well as about two thirds of *The Irresponsible Captain Tylor*, an anime series from the early/mid-1990s.

I'm not a huge fan of anime, but I've been enjoying this series very much.  Also, it's amazing how much more I've liked watching the *Columbo* episodes this time, as oppposed to when I saw them when they were first broadcast back in the 1970s.


----------



## clovis-man

littlemissattitude said:


> And @Moonbat, *Altered States* is, I think, a very good film, made more interesting by the fact that Paddy Chayefsky, who wrote both the screenplay and the novel that it was based on, disowned the film. Also, it was the first film appearance for both William Hurt and Drew Barrymore.


 
At the time it was released, it was one of those either love it or hate it films. I loved it. Strong performances by several actors. I thought it was great when Charles Haid, as a tenured professor, claimed he was certain that William Hurt's research was hogwash because, after all, he was the president of the journal club. A lot of the academic claptrap portrayed rang especially true for me and reminded me of my graduate school days.


----------



## ravenus

*The Motorcycle Diaries* was a very beautiful to look at and decent if never particularly exploring under the skin of its characters. Gael Garcia Bernal does a good job in the lead role.

*In The Folds of The Flesh*, an Italian murder movie, which had some bizarreness (an incestuous family with a daughter having a penchant for seducing and murdering men) and camp value, but it's not something I'd recommend heartily to anyone.

*Black Book* by Paul Verhoeven (*Robocop, Total Recall, Starship Troopers*) is a decent if underwhelming Dutch thriller set in the last segment of WW2 about a Jewish girl trying to survive in Nazi-dominated Holland and getting affiliated with various revolt groups. The bulk of the movie is a watery *Dirty Dozen* take with few of the entertainingly quirky caricatures and bad-ass elements of that movie. After two-thirds the film gets more interesting and actually has a heroic Nazi figure being hunted by the rebels. Decent but not great.

*Anguish* - a dreadful movie that tries to do *Psycho* (nerdy person with crazy domineering mother goes murder happy) but with more gore and the added conceit of having a "movie within a movie, and what is real". Saw some 2/3rds of it before deciding that going any further was a complete waste of time.

*Shortbus*
Basically what this movie tries to be is like Todd Solondz's superlative bleak comedy *Happiness*, but with hardcore sex content. What it actually turns out as is a pale, lifeless riff on that sort of movie, which tries to sell you on transexuals, S&M hookers and homosexuals being the most wonderful sort of companions to advise you through life. Think 70's pr0n but with none of their charm, naivety and fun sex.

*The Passenger*
This is another Michaelangelo Antonioni movie where the lead character goes a wandering through large parts of the film. Here Jack Nicholson (in one of his few instances of playing a character who's not a snarky wiseass and actually doing well at it) plays a journalist who takes advantage of the death of another resident at his hotel in Africa and takes on his identity because he's tired of his own life. This leads him into all kinds of situations. The film is pretty decent and has some fine visuals, and the chemistry between Jack and Maria (*Last Tango in Paris*) Schneider is credible. Damn good watch on the whole.


----------



## The Ace

*The Magic Roundabout *with Tom Baker voicing the baddie, Zeebad.  Meant for kids but I loved it.


----------



## Wybren

I saw "The Invention of Lying" it was a funny and beautiful movie, I am not a real Ricky Gervais fan but this movie was good.


----------



## Rosemary

I actually watched another film!

*Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kings*


----------



## Foxbat

Too cold here to do anything much on Hogmany so stuck on *War Gods Of* *The Deep. *An enjoyable bit of sixties hokum with Vincent Price ranting and raving as usual


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *The Bourne Ultimatum*. Great film, as are the other Bourne movies.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Well I have seen Avatar and also Zombieland.  In a weird sick way I loved Zombieland, the best thing since Shaun of the Dead.  Poor Bill Murray! For once the American movie makers have produced something extremely funny, well done.


----------



## clovis-man

*The House of Fear* - (1945) A Sherlock Holmes movie with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Based on the A.C. Doyle story, "The Five Orange Pips", this is one of many such tales brought to the screen. A pale copy of the original, it was still good fun.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> *The House of Fear* - (1945) A Sherlock Holmes movie with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Based on the A.C. Doyle story, "The Five Orange Pips", this is one of many such tales brought to the screen. A pale copy of the original, it was still good fun.


 
Despite their lack of adherence to the original material, I love the Rathbone Holmes movies


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre *and *Coraline*, both of which I enjoyed a great deal.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *The House of Fear* - (1945) A Sherlock Holmes movie with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Based on the A.C. Doyle story, "The Five Orange Pips", this is one of many such tales brought to the screen. A pale copy of the original, it was still good fun.



I always loved the Basil Rathbone Holmes films, even tho theyre a million miles away from how A.C.Doyle  imagined holmes to be, as my A.C. Doyle-collecting brother would often inform me!


----------



## Connavar

*Yes Man *- first really funny Jimmy Carry film in years.   We saw it together many of us on movie night and we almost died off laughing so much.

*Bride Wars* - surprisingly funny for a movie type i usually avoid like plague.  My sisters choice for movie night of course......

*I Love You Man* - so predictable,not funny at all except the charisma of the two leads.   Why i never usually watch the movies of this gang.   Their reign over hollywood comedy must die.  Their movies are very cliche.


----------



## Thadlerian

Sherlock Holmes - standard action flick with minor steampunk tendencies. Nothing new under that sun.


----------



## Rosemary

15 minutes of *Edward Scissorhands*.  I'd heard so many people say what a great movie it was, so thought I would watch it.

What a load of.... rubbish!


----------



## Interference

Erk!  I love Edward Scissorhands ...


----------



## Rosemary

Interference said:


> Erk!  I love Edward Scissorhands ...



That's ok - we all have different taste in film material as well as in books Inter.


Rosie


----------



## Interference

Books?  You read _books_?????


----------



## bobbo19

Avatar, seen it 3 times now. Absolute EPIC. Everyone go and see now (in 3D of course)


----------



## Rosemary

Of course I read books Inter!! Why, don't you? 

I think I would like to see Avatar, bobbo.  The clips that's I've seen look quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

i just sat thru Transformers 2,Revenge of the Fallen. Oh dear!


----------



## AE35Unit

bobbo19 said:


> Avatar, seen it 3 times now. Absolute EPIC. Everyone go and see now (in 3D of course)


not fair,all this 3D stuff!


----------



## Interference

Rosemary said:


> Of course I read books Inter!! Why, don't you?



Errm, yes, of - of course I do *googling definition of book to see if porn magazines fit the definition*


----------



## littlemissattitude

Interference said:


> Erk! I love Edward Scissorhands ...


 
I think it's interesting...I'm really in between you and Rosemary in my feelings about *Edward Scissorhands*.  I really liked the film when I saw it when it first came out in theaters, but I can't sit through it now.  It isn't that I don't like it anymore.  I think it is a good movie.  But it just doesn't hold my interest enough to watch it all the way through now.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Roaring Twenties *Hollywood's finest tough guy (Jimmy Cagney) stars along with a rising young actor called Humphrey Bogart. 

Fantastic stuff


----------



## ravenus

knivesout said:


> *The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre *and *Coraline*, both of which I enjoyed a great deal.


By coincidence even I watched Sierra Madre last week or so. Excellent movie, and it probably has one of Bogart's best performances.


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> By coincidence even I watched Sierra Madre last week or so. Excellent movie, and it probably has one of Bogart's best performances.


 
And the most famous line from the film wasn't by Bogey...........

"Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!" — [Alfonso Bedoya from Treasure of the Sierra Madre – 1948]


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The thing with *Edward Scissorhands *is that, like every Tim Burton movie, it takes the unexamined stance that being different is equal to being better. Consolation-fantasies for the outsiders, if you will. I do enjoy some of his stuff, but his simplistic philosophy and gothic-is-the-new-twee sensibility have been increasingly putting me off his works.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Hawk the Slayer* A fair amount of familiar faces in this one. Rather a high bodycount as well.


----------



## Happy Joe

Haven't seen Hawk the Slayer in years; as I remember it was a bit of a groaner (but not awful). Is that the one with; the elf, the dwarf and Hawk and a sword with a blue marble in the hilt (and bad background music)?
It was regularly viewed when I had it on VHS though...(sticks it on the "DVDs to watch for" list).

Enjoy!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Thats the one. There was also a one armed man (Played by W Morgan Shepard - G'Kars Uncle, Data's Grandfather, and prison warden of Rura Pente - among others) armed with an automatic crossbow.

I think him and the elf too out about 99% of the baddies between em.


----------



## manephelien

Star Trek: First Contact. My favorite Trek movie by some margin.


----------



## Foxbat

*Let The Right One In*

An excellent horror film from Sweden. Brutal, touching and quite haunting. If you like your gore a bit thought provoking then this is the one for you.

Highly recommended


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Foxbat said:


> *Let The Right One In*
> 
> An excellent horror film from Sweden. Brutal, touching and quite haunting. If you like your gore a bit thought provoking then this is the one for you.
> 
> Highly recommended


 
I loved the book and now you've made me even more eager to see the film. Is it subtitled in English?


----------



## Moonbat

It is subtitled, and was Jonathon Ross's and Mark Kimode's movie of 2009.
I got it for christmas and loved it, apparantly there is going to be a hollywood remake! 

I have watched quite a few movies over this holiday period, but I have a few qualms.
Someone, I'm not sure who, but someone here said that *Alternate States* was a good sci-fi film, so I bought it and watched it and it isn't. It is rubbish, really bad. The book might be ok, but the film was awful. Really really bad, IMHO
*Soylent Green* was good, I liked that, but it ended a bit quick. *The hangover* was excellent, very amusing. *Hurt Locker* was ok, but not (as Rubert Duvall says) the film of the decade! *The taking of Pelham 123* (recent remake) was pretty good, but fairly slow and not quite all it was hyped up to be.
But I did get to see *a beautiful life* which was briliant, very funny and yet very sad, it isn't often that a film can give you so much of both ends of the emotional spectrum, what a chracter Guido is/was.


----------



## Connavar

So weird seeing people rave about a Swedish film, most of them are not worth watching thse days.   Crappy teenage films about drinking or action films that think they are hollywood.....


----------



## Vladd67

Moonbat how did Pelham 123 compare with the original? The other night I started to watch Starsky and Hutch with my wife, we got as far as them riding bikes looking like Easy Rider and my wife said enough was enough and turned it off.


----------



## Moonbat

I haven't actually seen the orignal Vladd!  sorry
But I have reason to believe it is close to or as good as the original, it definitely isn't a remake in the vein of Starsky and Hutch which was a kind of tongue in cheek nod to the comedy aspects of the series.
It wasn't that thrilling though, and I think it was supposed to be a thriller.


----------



## The DeadMan

I went and saw Avatar today. I have to admit I was very impressed. Not only were the special effects great, it was a good story with lots of action. James Cameron has done it again. I would recommend this movie to anybody who likes Science Fiction.


----------



## ravenus

*Santa Sangre (Alejandro Jodorowsky)*

This was a brilliant trippy film. The lead character is the son of a  crazy couple that run a circus. He is sent to an asylum at an early age  after witnessing a violent argument between his parents in which his mum  splashes acid on his dad's crotch and the dad in return chops off her  arms. The rest of the film is a surreal yarn in which he meets his  mother as an adult and is compelled to use his arms as an extension of  hers, even if it means he has to kill various women. In a way, the movie  is like *Psycho* as told from Norman Bates POV. Terrific visual  sense as well, similar to the films of Dario Argento.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *Carrie* last night for the first time, I had heard about almost all the bits in it, including the pigs blood, the flying knives and even the term 'dirty pillows' I really enjoyed it, directed by Brian De Palma it had a similar soundtrack to his *Scarface* (or so I thought, I'm sure I could here the similarities, maybe depalma used the same person to do the music) good 80's film. I wonder what the book is like.


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally got a copy of Them!; a solid B&W "B" movie from 1954 with giant ants.. (Always liked this one for some reason).  I also need to watch it again to look for unknown stars early in their careers.

Last Days of Pompeii (1935)  It was interesting to see how they did "Effects" in the years after sound was introduced, also it was kind of fun watching the physical over acting and strange posturing of the actors (a hold over from the silent era).

Enjoy!


----------



## Foxbat

Happy Joe said:


> Finally got a copy of Them!; a solid B&W "B" movie from 1954 with giant ants.. (Always liked this one for some reason). I also need to watch it again to look for unknown stars early in their careers.


 
That's a movie I also have a soft spot for.

Watched George Romero's *Knightriders.* It's a far cry from his normal zombie fare but an enjoyable film nonetheless.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *Jump Tomorrow*, a delightful little film about the struggle of two different people attempting to control their own destinies. A good natured examination of fortuitous relationships.

Jump Tomorrow (2001)

Then treated myself to a viewing of *The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad*. Haven't seen this one for some time. Like many old movies, I first saw it when I was in high school. I thought it was amazing at the time. Holds up surprisingly well today.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Then treated myself to a viewing of *The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad*. Haven't seen this one for some time. Like many old movies, I first saw it when I was in high school. I thought it was amazing at the time. Holds up surprisingly well today.


 
Good choice. I love all the Sinbad movies done around that time. Frankly, I'm a sucker for a Harryhausen film


----------



## Riselka

Got my hands on a copy of the extended version of Peter Jackson's KING KONG yesterday, and watched it last night.

Kind of makes you wonder why, if the added scenes were cut to bring down the length of the film, Jackson didn't cut some of the rather boring first hour of the film instead.  I definitely will not be watching the theatrical version again.


----------



## Connavar

For once i was lucky zapping channels i found  *A Street Car Named Desire* just when it started playing on a channel.

A really emotional,a bit sick,depressing film but very enjoyable.  Marlon Brando was great playing Stanley Kowalski who wasnt likeable.  Vivian Leigh did also great work.

My first film with her, i cant see her playing Scarlett O'Hara after Blanche heh.


----------



## AE35Unit

We got ourselves a Blu Ray player and tonight we watched Star Trek on it. Great film, probably the best from 09, but to be honest we couldn't see any difference between blu ray and regular DVD with this one.


----------



## clovis-man

Just got home from seeing *It's Complicated*. IIRC, the reviews were mixed on this film. Maybe it's because I'm an old codger, but I thought it was great. Meryl Streep was fantastic. Alec Baldwin was, well, Alec Baldwin. Steve Martin was funnier than in both *Pink Panther* films combined. And John Krasinski showed why he is such an excellent young comedian.

Highly recommended for any movie buff over the age of forty-five.


----------



## littlemissattitude

clovis-man said:


> Just got home from seeing *It's Complicated*. IIRC, the reviews were mixed on this film. Maybe it's because I'm an old codger, but I thought it was great. Meryl Streep was fantastic. Alec Baldwin was, well, Alec Baldwin. Steve Martin was funnier than in both *Pink Panther* films combined. And John Krasinski showed why he is such an excellent young comedian.
> 
> Highly recommended for any movie buff over the age of forty-five.


 
I'd really like to see this, but I dislike Alec Baldwin just enough that it could keep me from going to see it.


----------



## JDeathscript

Hi- I'm new to the forum, I'm looking forward to digging in. I recently watched the 1977 animated version of 'The Hobbit', it's less scary than I remember as a kid. And it's pretty true to the novel to boot.


----------



## clovis-man

littlemissattitude said:


> I'd really like to see this, but I dislike Alec Baldwin just enough that it could keep me from going to see it.


 
Don't let that stop you. I happen to like Alec Baldwin just fine, but he just sort of played himself in the movie. However, the rest of the story isn't all that dependent on his particular acting chops. And it is very entertaining.


----------



## clovis-man

JDeathscript said:


> Hi- I'm new to the forum, I'm looking forward to digging in. I recently watched the 1977 animated version of 'The Hobbit', it's less scary than I remember as a kid. And it's pretty true to the novel to boot.


 
Welcome aboard. Have you considered introducing yourself in detail in the "Introductions" segment? It's at the bottom of the "General" heading.


----------



## JDeathscript

I hadn't noticed that thread yet, thank you. I will.


----------



## CyBeR

clovis-man said:


> Then treated myself to a viewing of *The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad*. Haven't seen this one for some time. Like many old movies, I first saw it when I was in high school. I thought it was amazing at the time. Holds up surprisingly well today.



This caught my eyes a few days ago and I actually searched for this film. Watched it yesterday and I can say I enjoyed it. Apart from some films I've watched as a child, this is the oldest piece of cinema I ever watched (apart from Disney) and it was really enjoyable...I really couldn't believe they could do stuff like that in terms of special effects way back in 1958. Quite impressive. 

Apart from this, and in quite another hemisphere, I watched *The incredible Hulk* from 2008 as well yesterday. It was actually great, especially since I went into it with absolutely no expectations at all for the film. I was pleasantly surprised to see the character treated right and accepted that there can be a mature story there, plus some nice character development, without over-exposing Hulk himself. 2008 was a good year for super hero films. 

Watched *The wild blue yonder* the day before yesterday and I can say I was really impressed by it. Werner Herzog may be a bit of a crack pot but the idea behind the film was really great and the message it lets across was impressive. Certainly not a film for anyone, especially taking into account the fact that it's ultra low budget in a way.


----------



## clovis-man

Re *The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad*:



CyBeR said:


> This caught my eyes a few days ago and I actually searched for this film. Watched it yesterday and I can say I enjoyed it. Apart from some films I've watched as a child, this is the oldest piece of cinema I ever watched (apart from Disney) and it was really enjoyable...I really couldn't believe they could do stuff like that in terms of special effects way back in 1958. Quite impressive.


 
Much is owed to stop-motion photography genius Ray Haryhausen. No CGI in those days. Everything was accomplished via incremental, miniscule movements of model figures. If you thought the skeleton was okay, you should see the gaggle of them he created in *Jason And The Argonauts*.

IMDb Video: Jason and the Argonauts 1963


----------



## CyBeR

I'm actually a big fan of stop motion animation films...*The nightmare before Christmas*, *James and the giant peach*, *Corpse bride*, *Vincent*, plus the stuff from *Beetlejuice* (yes, quite a bit of Tim Burton in there). I just couldn't expect that high quality in the '50s.
I'll watch *Jason and the Argonauts* when I'll find it. Seems interesting enough for a chance.


----------



## Interference

I think Tim Burton's finest stop-motion animation was Helena Bonham-Carter in _Planet of the Apes._

Mreaa_aowrr_.


----------



## clovis-man

Interference said:


> I think Tim Burton's finest stop-motion animation was Helena Bonham-Carter in _Planet of the Apes._
> 
> Mreaa_aowrr_.


 
Ha, I wouldn't stoop to being so catty, but only observe that she made a better looking chimpanzee than a human.


----------



## littlemissattitude

clovis-man said:


> Ha, I wouldn't stoop to being so catty, but only observe that she made a better looking chimpanzee than a human.


 
Thanks for that, clovis-man.  I completely laughed out loud at that, because it's' so true.  Anyway, it's been kind of a crappy week, and I appreciate the laugh.

/threadjack

I'd like to get the thread back on track, but I haven't seen any movies in the past couple of days.  I did watch a couple of episodes of *Maigret* on DVD at my best friend's place earlier tonight.  Hadn't seen that before; not bad.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I love Simenon's Maigret novels, but have never seen, or indeed heard of, the TV series. Must look it up.


----------



## littlemissattitude

knivesout said:


> I love Simenon's Maigret novels, but have never seen, or indeed heard of, the TV series. Must look it up.


 
I had never heard of it, either, novels or series.

It's a Granada TV production, if I remember correctly, and all the French characters have English accents, which we were laughing about while we watched.  But the two episodes I saw tonight were pretty good; I certainly never saw what was coming in either of them.  Then again, I'm sometimes pretty dense about things like that, so YMMV.

I will look for the books.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The books are brilliant; the French equivalent of noir. Georges Simenon was one of the best French writers of the previous century, in my opinion and there's a lot more to him than Maigret. You can download and read the Paris Review interview with him here: The Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 9


----------



## littlemissattitude

knivesout said:


> The books are brilliant; the French equivalent of noir. Georges Simenon was one of the best French writers of the previous century, in my opinion and there's a lot more to him than Maigret. You can download and read the Paris Review interview with him here: The Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 9


 
Then it wasn't just me.  I was thinking as I was watching one of the episodes that it seemed quite satisfyingly noir-ish.

And, thanks for the link.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I don't really subscribe to Simenon's thoughts about paring down language, and I live for the day when I can include the word 'crepuscular' in a published piece, but he has a lot of interesting things to say about literature and writing and his own remarkable writing process.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Oh, and the last movie I saw was *Spaceballs *which was as silly and enjoyable as I recalled it being.


----------



## littlemissattitude

knivesout said:


> I don't really subscribe to Simenon's thoughts about paring down language, and I live for the day when I can include the word 'crepuscular' in a published piece, but he has a lot of interesting things to say about literature and writing and his own remarkable writing process.


 
I will definitely have to read that, then.  I'm always interested in process, almost to the extent of being obsessed by the subject.  In fact, whenever I get a chance in panels at cons, I try to ask whoever is available to share something about their process.

Oh, and *Spaceballs*...haven't seen that in years.  Silly movie, as I recall (well, it is Mel Brooks, after all), but there's nothing wrong with a silly movie now and then.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched a DVD of *D.O.A.* (1950) with Edmund O'Brien. A film noir tale, the story line is almost as incomprehensible as Bogart's *The Big Sleep*. But who cares. The plot is that Edmund O'Brien finds he has been fatally poisoned and spends the last day of his life trying to find out who "murdered" him. I saw this when I was a lad and still remembered the thug character played by Neville Brand who kept hitting O'Brien in his understandably tender midsection and taunting: "Soft in the belly, eh"


----------



## CyBeR

Watched two films with my girlfriend yesterday...
First was *Dorian Gray*, from 2009, and it's honestly not worth talking about. 
The second however was the incredible *Where the wild things are*, directed by Spike Jonze. I must say...the film blew me away. A trek through the last battle between a boy and the passage of time, a farewell to childhood in a fist fight with no rules...I loved it. Imagery, psychology, symbolism and development...I can't believe such a film can exist in a world where "film for children" mean for it to have CGI animated rodents that sing in ultra-high pitched voices.


----------



## PTeppic

Just got back from a cinematic double-bill: *Avatar* (in 3D, my second showing) and *Daybreakers*. No need to add any more about the first. Though the second was quite respectable. Low budget, but decent effects, a sensible plot (nice inverse of the usual) and fair quantity of action. If some ways, more entertaining (and less bladder straining) than Avatar.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Finally got round to *The Stranger*. Edward G Robinson and Orson Wells are great as always.


----------



## Interference

We always talk about Welles' directing talent, but few seem to take the time to lament the fact that he was a prodigious acting talent too.


----------



## Sarahsque

I want to see that one!

This week, I saw *Sherlock Holmes* and *The lovely bones*.
*Sherlock Holmes* was very entertaining (I've never read the books though) but I particularly liked the movie soundtrack. I have a thing for movies with good orchestral music!
I bawled my eyes out watching *the lovely bones*. Walked out feeling depressed and in need of a chocolate fix. All in all it was also a good movie. Good soundtrack and directing. Just not a feel-good movie!


----------



## Interference

I love the fact that they still make films with orchestral tracks, even though so many tend to go the easy route of using current (or prospective) chart-toppers.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched District 9. At first I was like,oh its done in documentary style,its gonna be crap but it turned out pretty good!


----------



## blacknorth

Patterns - written by Rod Serling, with knockout performances by Van Heflin, Everett Sloan and Ed Begley. I can't recommend this film highly enough - totally uncompromising and gripping from start to finish. It really deserves to be much more widely known.


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally located a copy of "Fortress"; A pretty good (Australian?) movie (made for television?) about a schoolteacher and her class that are kidnapped and held for ransom. 

"Wyvern", a dragon like critter thaws from the receding glaciers and puts the munch on a small town; fair, a watchable movie, worth a rental.

"Key Largo" a 1948 drama with H. Bogart & Edward G. Robinson, with L. Bacall.  Slowly paced (as was the style at the time) but the performances were enough to keep up interest.  Black and white, I couldn't find a wide screen copy.  A pretty good flick for a 40s drama. It won an academy award at the time, if I recall correctly.

Enjoy!


----------



## Interference

I love Key Largo.  Very stage-presented, but utterly engrossing and atmospheric, imho.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Yes, I thought *Key Largo *was a really tight and gripping narrative too - another Bogart starrer with wonderful sustained tension is *The Desperate Hours*. 

This weekend I watched *Heavenly Creatures*, a fascinating and disturbing look at teenage fantasy and its darker side and *Duck Soup*, a riotous bout of Marx Brothers madness.


----------



## Rothgar

500 Days of Summer


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Finally got to see *Let The Right One In*!

It's quite faithful to the book (probably because the author is involved in the film) which is good and bad. Having read the book I understood the context but that might not be the case for those who hadn't.

I liked that there was so little dialogue. Is that usual for Swedish films?


----------



## Lioness

Saw Sherlock Holmes, and really really enjoyed it. So much so that I'm going again tomorrow.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I'm glad to see so many people enjoying the new Sherlock Holmes. I haven't seen it yet, but hope to soon. 



Sarahsque said:


> I want to see that one!
> 
> This week, I saw *Sherlock Holmes* and *The lovely bones*.
> *Sherlock Holmes* was very entertaining (I've never read the books though) but I particularly liked the movie soundtrack. I have a thing for movies with good orchestral music!


 
I love good movie soundtracks! I'll have to really listen for this one now.


----------



## Connavar

Sarahsque said:


> I want to see that one!
> 
> This week, I saw *Sherlock Holmes* and *The lovely bones*.
> *Sherlock Holmes* was very entertaining (I've never read the books though) but I particularly liked the movie soundtrack. I have a thing for movies with good orchestral music!
> I bawled my eyes out watching *the lovely bones*. Walked out feeling depressed and in need of a chocolate fix. All in all it was also a good movie. Good soundtrack and directing. Just not a feel-good movie!



You should not worry about the difference of the books vs Film.   RDJ is far from the real Sherlock Holmes in the stories.

Have it made you wonder about reading the stories ?

I like Robert Downey Jr but i have no interest in the film.  I'm no purist either,have barely read the books.

I will rent the DVD because i adore RDJ


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> You should not worry about the difference of the books vs Film.   RDJ is far from the real Sherlock Holmes in the stories.
> 
> I like Robert Downey Jr but i have no interest in the film.  I'm no purist either,have barely read the books.
> 
> I will rent the DVD because i adore RDJ


Yea I feel like about that movie. I would just end up annoyed!


----------



## Connavar

Plus i plan to see several other less fun but more interesting films for me.

Daniel Day Lewis new one even if its a Musical.  *Informant* with Matt Damon.

*A Serious Man* by Coens etc

*A Book of Eli*


----------



## Sarahsque

Connavar said:


> You should not worry about the difference of the books vs Film.   RDJ is far from the real Sherlock Holmes in the stories.
> 
> Have it made you wonder about reading the stories ?
> 
> I like Robert Downey Jr but i have no interest in the film.  I'm no purist either,have barely read the books.
> 
> I will rent the DVD because i adore RDJ



I'm definitely interested in reading the books now. I knew nothing of Sherlock Holmes. I only assumed he was a detective. I actually liked how RDJ portrayed his character in the movie (Even though I had nothing to compare it to) There were several attributes that made me think "That's probably a typical Sherlock Holmes habit"

Of course, the way a movie is filmed and the music used is really important to me. Hence, I liked it more than the story line. You gotta watch it


----------



## AE35Unit

Sarahsque said:


> I'm definitely interested in reading the books now. I knew nothing of Sherlock Holmes. I only assumed he was a detective. I actually liked how RDJ portrayed his character in the movie (Even though I had nothing to compare it to) There were several attributes that made me think "That's probably a typical Sherlock Holmes habit"
> 
> Of course, the way a movie is filmed and the music used is really important to me. Hence, I liked it more than the story line. You gotta watch it


Oh I've read a fair bit of Conan Doyle and tho I've not seen this film I feel certain he is nothing like how he would be portrayed in the books! Holmes wasn't a mystic, wasn't involved in the supernatural, he was just a uber-observant, seriously dedicated investigator. There is very good chemistry between Holmes and Watson tho. Ever seen the TV series from the 90s with Jeremy Brett? Well that's pretty close to Holmes! No deerstalker, no magnifying glass and a thinning pate. Quite serious and very intelligent! He was so focussed on his work that he could be seen as unapproachable. And was also a fair description of Conan  Doyle himself!


----------



## Sarahsque

AE35Unit said:


> Holmes wasn't a mystic, wasn't involved in the supernatural, he was just a uber-observant, seriously dedicated investigator. There is very good chemistry between Holmes and Watson tho.



I want to argue with this point you made but it would ruin the movie for you. Just go and see it! You will enjoy it


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched a movie called The Proposition, an Australian film starring Guy Pearce, mind you it didn't look anything like the Guy Pearce we are used to.  Not a bad film, although a little to violent. Love watching movies on the ABC (no adds)


----------



## littlemissattitude

Watched "The Glass-Bottom Boat" (1966) this afternoon on TCM.  An oldie, but a fun movie, with Doris Day and Rod Taylor.

There's one part, if you see it, where the characters are observing rocket engine tests...the place where that is was on a mountain across the valley from where I grew up, oh, maybe a couple of miles away as the crow flies.  I could see it from my bedroom window.  They really did test rocket engines there, including the ones that took the Apollo missions to the moon...and they were really loud tests.  It sometimes sounded like the whole mountain was going to take off.

I like this movie a lot, but it tends to make me homesick whenever I see it.


----------



## dwndrgn

Saw Sherlock Holmes this weekend.  Excellent entertainment.


----------



## CyBeR

I've watched "Public enemies" yesterday and it was a thoroughly enjoyable cops and robbers flick. I've always believed that Johnny Depp and Christian Bale would make a great A-team in a film, though I would've enjoyed seeing them switching roles for a change (can you guess who's playing the charismatic robber and who's playing the hard case officer?). 
Great film, it tried its best to seem like one of the old films of the genre and succeeded in most regards to that.


----------



## Moonbat

> You should not worry about the difference of the books vs Film. RDJ is far from the real Sherlock Holmes in the stories.


 
I saw Sherlock Holmes over Christmas and it inspired me to go out and get the books. I found a collection of all the sherlock holmes tales (all 8 of them) but I refrained from buying it and purchased just the one. 
I have finished reading 'the sin of four' and I did enjoy it. I was surprised to see parts from the film actually coming directly from the book. The bit about the watch and the scratches around the key was lifted directly from 'the sign of four'
The book starts and end with Holmes taking drugs, rather amusing, but he was such a brain that if he didn't have something to keep his brain going he would take either cocaine or morphine. They didn't include that in the film though.
I thought the film was quite acurate to the character of Holmes that I read. The mysticism was part of the mystery that Lord black was conjuring. Although I am perplexed by how he was a Lord?
I will probably read the rest of the Sherlock Holmes tales now, as the first one was riveting, as good as the film.


----------



## BookStop

I saw SH not too long ago as well. It was a good movie, not brillinat or anything, and nothing was too unexpected, but good nontheless. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law seemed to have spectacular chemistry. Maybe this will lead to a whole string of good movies.


----------



## Blitz

9 (as in the animation 9, not the new musical 'nine')

it was entertaining enough  something new, but not as thrilling as I had hoped.


----------



## AE35Unit

Slumdog Millionaire, an at times disturbing but overall very good film!


----------



## Grimward

Finally saw *Watchmen*.  Great film.  As I was always mostly a Marvel comic fan, I'd never picked up the comic book (DC Comics) previously, and wish I had.  Enjoyed the story, liked the grittiness of the world and the characters, etc.  Will definitely watch this one again (and probably several times!).


----------



## Connavar

Moonbat said:


> I saw Sherlock Holmes over Christmas and it inspired me to go out and get the books. I found a collection of all the sherlock holmes tales (all 8 of them) but I refrained from buying it and purchased just the one.
> I have finished reading 'the sin of four' and I did enjoy it. I was surprised to see parts from the film actually coming directly from the book. The bit about the watch and the scratches around the key was lifted directly from 'the sign of four'
> The book starts and end with Holmes taking drugs, rather amusing, but he was such a brain that if he didn't have something to keep his brain going he would take either cocaine or morphine. They didn't include that in the film though.
> I thought the film was quite acurate to the character of Holmes that I read. The mysticism was part of the mystery that Lord black was conjuring. Although I am perplexed by how he was a Lord?
> I will probably read the rest of the Sherlock Holmes tales now, as the first one was riveting, as good as the film.



Read them in order they were realesed.   When you read the arrogant,asocial Holmes you wont see the guy that is played by RDJ.

It depends on different stories.   In general he is closer to Adrian Monk from Monk tv than the guy in the film.


----------



## Happy Joe

Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince; honestly for some reason I couldn't get into the movie, even though it seems well made (though a bit dark for may tastes).  I'll try again another time.

Princess of Mars; worse than terrible, modernized (ruined) version of the novel;  terrible scripting, rubber masks, awful acting, better creature effects than I expected.  Save your time for something more constructive, or entertaining; like watching paint peel.

Enjoy!


----------



## CyBeR

Saw "The Matrix" again yesterday with my girlfriend. She hadn't watched it yet and I had the chance to see the blu-ray version. The film stood the test of time quite nicely, though the dialogue is so embedded into pop culture now that every line they spoke were for me throwaways to some place on the internet or another.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Avatar*.

I thought it was great. Really beautiful.


----------



## clovis-man

After having watched the 1951 *D.O.A.*, I tried to get through the 1988 remake with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. I couldn't finish watching it. It seemed to only be a chance for the two main players to spend time on the screen together. Time wasted.


----------



## Rothgar

Baby on Board..... the fiance's pick... don't waste your time.


----------



## Happy Joe

African Queen; still a great movie.

Note; by happy happenstance this was the 500th movie read into my Home Theater PC... its about half full; Hurray!

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> African Queen; still a great movie.
> 
> Note; by happy happenstance this was the 500th movie read into my Home Theater PC... its about half full; Hurray!
> 
> Enjoy!


Ah now that IS a good film!


----------



## clovis-man

Happy Joe said:


> African Queen; still a great movie.


 
One of my all time favorite movie lines is delivered by Katherine Hepburn:

"Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above."


----------



## Vir

i just watched new moon, it was ok but alot of the scenes seemed like they had been rushed but given they made it in one year im not surprised


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Stargate* with Kurt Russel and James Spader-had it on DVD a while ago and just got round to watching it again. Could have been an epic,specially if they'd used the music in the promo reel! As it is its an ok movie. And you know I've never seen any of the TV series!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

clovis-man said:


> One of my all time favorite movie lines is delivered by Katherine Hepburn:
> 
> "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above."



hah, yes! She managed to deliver that line with such prim disapproval. 

I watched *A Matter Of Life And Death *last night. I admit the ending was a foregone conclusion after a while, but everything about this film is crafted with so much care and skill. I've already seen *A Canterbury Tale*; I'm going to have to hunt down all of Powell & Pressburger's films now.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Doomsday* - Massive plotholes, but lots of gory deathscenes, a one eye warrior chick, and Bob Hoskings.


----------



## Sarahsque

I saw New Moon from the twilight saga. I'm embarrassed to say that after fighting it for so long - I am tempted to read the books.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Creation, the story of Darwin's development of The Origin of Species. Quite a moving story and its amazing to think that we know so little about this man that created something that changed the world!


----------



## Wybren

Watched Fantastic Mr Fox the other day, not bad at all, not exactly like the book, it is kind of like the book with more added to it, and very well done.


----------



## Rodders

I watched the Incredibles for the first time last night. Quite entertaining.


----------



## Grimward

You must not have children of elementary school age then, Rodders; mine practically dragged me to the video store to rent The Incredibles when it came out, even though they'd seen it in the movies already!

Watched _*Ms. Congeniality 2: Armed and Dangerous*_ last night.  I'd rate is just below OK; it needed a strong Michael Caine performance like the first one got, but there's no worthy successor to be found here.  Pass this one by....


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Dial M for Murder


----------



## j d worthington

Daisy-Boo said:


> Dial M for Murder


 
Interesting you should mention that. My last film (and the first in some time, unfortunately), was a viewing last night of one of Hitchcock's lesser-known (over here, anyway) pieces, *Stage Fright* (1950). Hitch at, if not the top of his form, not too far from it with his blending of humor and suspense (and the dialogue here is much less artificial than in, say, *North by Northwest* between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint), with a rather nasty little ending to be frank (which nonetheless literally brings the film full circle to the first shot and adds a bit of gallows humor beneat the surface). Great cast, too: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd, Michael Wilding, Sybil Thorndike, and the superb Alastair (here Alistair) Sim, whose casting (and performance) was sheer genius....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*A Study In Scarlet*, the BBC production with Cushing as Holmes. These are not the most accurate adaptations at times, but Cushing's avuncular, resourceful Holmes is always a treat. I also like Basil Rathbone's suave, dynamic Holmes but I think Cushing brought more character to the role than anyone other than Brett. Brett was very, very good but his was a particular kind of interpretation, stylised in its own way, and I think Cushing's has as much integrity even if it is less idiosyncratic.


----------



## clovis-man

knivesout said:


> *A Study In Scarlet*, the BBC production with Cushing as Holmes. These are not the most accurate adaptations at times, but Cushing's avuncular, resourceful Holmes is always a treat. I also like Basil Rathbone's suave, dynamic Holmes but I think Cushing brought more character to the role than anyone other than Brett. Brett was very, very good but his was a particular kind of interpretation, stylised in its own way, and I think Cushing's has as much integrity even if it is less idiosyncratic.


 
Jeremy Brett's interpretation did have the advantage of actually following Conan Doyle's story lines. You had to search for them on occasion in the Rathbone series. OTOH, I'm sure a title such as *The House Of Fear* looked much better to the studio execs than *The Five Orange Pips*.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

j. d. worthington said:


> Interesting you should mention that. My last film (and the first in some time, unfortunately), was a viewing last night of one of Hitchcock's lesser-known (over here, anyway) pieces, *Stage Fright* (1950). Hitch at, if not the top of his form, not too far from it with his blending of humor and suspense (and the dialogue here is much less artificial than in, say, *North by Northwest* between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint), with a rather nasty little ending to be frank (which nonetheless literally brings the film full circle to the first shot and adds a bit of gallows humor beneat the surface). Great cast, too: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Todd, Michael Wilding, Sybil Thorndike, and the superb Alastair (here Alistair) Sim, whose casting (and performance) was sheer genius....


 
Interesting you should mention *Stage Fright* and *North by Northwest*.  

I bought a box set of five or six Hitchcock films and those two are included. 

I enjoyed Dial M for Murder. I thought Ray Milland as Tony Wendice was outstanding.


----------



## Rothgar

*Moon* was a neat story.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I went and saw* Sherlock Holmes* yesterday. I thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed both Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in this one.


----------



## j d worthington

Daisy-Boo said:


> Interesting you should mention *Stage Fright* and *North by Northwest*.
> 
> I bought a box set of five or six Hitchcock films and those two are included.
> 
> I enjoyed Dial M for Murder. I thought Ray Milland as Tony Wendice was outstanding.


 
I've always liked Dial M for Murder... though I _still_ want to see it in the original 3-D version....

And as I had a day off eek, I watched another Hitchcock film I've been meaning to see for quite some time: *Topaz* (1969). Not his best, but not at all bad, either; some very good performances, and a very nicely paced (and intelligent) spy thriller... and watching this one makes me realize all over again just how damn' poor and mindless such things have got to be these days....


----------



## Xelah

Sarahsque said:


> I saw New Moon from the twilight saga. I'm embarrassed to say that after fighting it for so long - I am tempted to read the books.



That's it.  You're off my friend's list.

Though I must confess that my girlfriend at the time drug me to see the first movie... but she had to bribe me to do it.

My last movie... Sherlock Holmes.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *Gamer* last night, I just couldn't resist. I enjoyed it, it was fun and an interesting take on the digital world, some bits were very well realised, like Simon's computer room 360 screen thing. A bit far fetched and didn't finish well, the old megalomaniac trying to rule everyone for nothing more lofty than money and power, ho hum.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

j. d. worthington said:


> I've always liked Dial M for Murder... though I _still_ want to see it in the original 3-D version....


 
I wasn't aware it was originally in 3D. But then again, I've never watched a 3D movie. I plan to see Avatar soon and that will be my first 3D movie.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched "Zulu" and "The Long Ships"... both movies are showing their age...
though Zulu is holding up better.

Enjoy!


----------



## Rodders

I have finally gotten round to watching Charlton Heston's Omega Man. I must admit, that having seen this, i really want to go and get the Book. I thought that the ending was a lot sadder than the recent I am Legend as the Family were still human, just different. They could be communicated with. 

I felt that I am Legend portrayed the lonelyness better. Of the two, i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that i preferred the Will Smith one.


----------



## Moontravler

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I went and saw* Sherlock Holmes* yesterday. I thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed both Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law in this one.


 
I eyed this one since I'm a Holmes fan, but it looked so... kind of.. trashy?  So it's not? or...?  Anything fans of sir Arthur Conan would enjoy?

Anyway, I need to go see Avatar tomorrow. So that would have to wait in any case.


----------



## Overread

Having seen the trailers for Sherlock Holmes I have the gut feeling that one will see a good action film which draws upon the names and general ambiance of the characters from the books. I would not expect anything much more indepth than that really from an action orientated film (esp. when its an original story line for the screen).

In cases like this I often wish they would just own up that its an idea steal and give the characters their own names and a chance to develop into something a little more than a weak copy.


----------



## clovis-man

Rodders said:


> I felt that I am Legend portrayed the lonelyness better. Of the two, i'm going to go out on a limb here and say that i preferred the Will Smith one.


 
Vincent Price gets my vote.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058700/


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Vincent Price always gets my vote too. 

Last night I revisited *Dracula: Prince Of Darkness*, the third in Hammer's series of Dracula films. While the second film, *Brides of Dracula*, featured Cushing's Van Helsing, but no actual Dracula, Christopher Lee dons the velvet-lined cape and plastic fangs once again in this one, famously refusing to utter a single word because the script was atrocious. There's no Cushing, but Andrew Keir (who also made an excellent Quatermass) dons the robes of Father Sandor, a formidable, rifle-wielding monk who serves as the evil Count's nemesis of the moment. It's standard franchise-padding fare, but the sets are still fairly sumptuous and the atmosphere suitably eerie. A good mid-level Hammer offering; Hammer series usually start strong and then gradually slip for a while before suddenly hitting a very rapid decline, usually as the 70s advance.


----------



## AE35Unit

Get Smart on Blu ray. Steve Carrell is brilliant,such a laug


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Moontravler said:


> I eyed this one since I'm a Holmes fan, but it looked so... kind of.. trashy? So it's not? or...? Anything fans of sir Arthur Conan would enjoy?


To be honest, I haven't read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories (they are on my TBR list though!). I used to watch the TV shows with my dad when I was younger, and I have heard they were very accurate to the stories. The movie wasn't really anything like them.

It isn't actually based on any stories that Sir Arthur wrote, they made up the storyline for the movie. I think if you can go in to the movie just knowing that they took the characters Watson, Holmes, and Irene from the stories, you can enjoy it for the movie it is...not necessarily an accurate representation of the stories. But again, I haven't read them.  



Overread said:


> Having seen the trailers for Sherlock Holmes I have the gut feeling that one will see a good action film which draws upon the names and general ambiance of the characters from the books. I would not expect anything much more indepth than that really from an action orientated film (esp. when its an original story line for the screen).


 
Well said OR, I would say that is a pretty good description.


----------



## Rothgar

I watched *Gamer* last night.  It was better than expected and had a few interesting ideas thrown in.  Didn't know Michael C Hall from Dexter was the big bad before watching it.


----------



## Pyan

I watched the first twenty minutes of *Starship Troopers III: Marauder*, but had to turn off, because I couldn't hear the soundtrack for the rumbling noise from RAH's grave. 

"Rotating Robert", his neighbours are calling him...


----------



## Brett Howell

*Drag me to Hell

*Slow movie, generic horror scare tactics - but generally a good laugh, and decent ending. It was ok, but not something I'd rave about.


----------



## CyBeR

Brett Howell said:


> *Drag me to Hell
> 
> *Slow movie, generic horror scare tactics - but generally a good laugh, and decent ending. It was ok, but not something I'd rave about.



Hated the ending of that one. It was simply...I dunno...too easy to predict. For the whole film, it would've been so much better for a happy ending there...curve ball. 

Went to see "Sherlock Holmes" today with my girlfriend. She's a fan of the character, I had just finished up two of the books so we were both in there pretty hyped. 
And we both loved the film. 
There's actual chemistry between characters and I really enjoyed the take on Watson in this. I always felt the character was done a disservice in other incarnations, since he's usually used to put Holmes on a higher pedestal. 
As for Holmes himself...he was a bit slower than in the book, but his point where he explains everything is simply gold...Holmes right there. Downey does a remarkable job with the character and his attitude...and from what I've read, he really wasn't far off. Holmes boxes...gets up to no good if he's bored...has his moods again if he's bored. He's not quite as polite as the book version, but it makes for much satisfying character in the film. 

If you're a Sherlock fan and want to go watch the film: go with an open mind. It's less cerebral but it sets the time tone nicely (music helps a lot this time). 

Also saw "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs"...awesome watch, give it a try.


----------



## Overread

pyan said:


> I watched the first twenty minutes of *Starship Troopers III: Marauder*, but had to turn off, because I couldn't hear the soundtrack for the rumbling noise from RAH's grave.
> 
> "Rotating Robert", his neighbours are calling him...



oh my and I thought Starship Troopers 2 was bad! 
I only managed about the same length of time watching that as you did - even flicking back in half way through (having wondered if my earlier assessment had been overly harsh) I only managed another 5 mins before giving up on it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Immense fun!


----------



## blacknorth

High Treason - Kenneth Griffith, Andre Morell and Liam Redmond in the UK thriller from the late 40's - Soviet agents plan to take over the UK by sabotaging power stations. Strangely, the IRA planned the same thing in the early 90's.

Anyway, the film was very good, with some fantastic location work around a very vintage London.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Kingdom* with Jamie Fox, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner. An action/thriller/international intrigue/detective story. The story centers on FBI participation in an investigation of a terrorist massacre in (the kingdom of) Saudi Arabia. Well presented and intense. Worthwhile.


----------



## Allegra

*House of Sand and Fog* - what an incredible film! Ben Kingsley is simply brilliant. Recommended highly.


----------



## Rothgar

*Pandorum* - The plot was much more original and interesting than I expected.  It was enjoyable, and reminded me a lot of the first time I played Unreal and Half-Life with the creepy flickering lights.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Just now finishing up watching *Twister* on cable.  Or, should I say, rewatching.  It's one of those films that I just can't resist when I come across it.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Watched two Hitchcock movies on the weekend: *Stage Fright* and Strangers *on a Train*.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Isle Of The Dead*, an excellent little thriller that sees war, plague and ancient superstition all contributing to a taut drama amongst a group of people under quarantine on a Greek island. Boris Karloff is in fine form here with a complex and ambiguous role. 

*Sullivan's Travels*, a classic comedy that manages to work in some social commentary and a love interest.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

Seen Sullivan's Travels. Great movie.

Watched *2012* last night. A very over the top disaster movie filled with plot holes, spectacular set piece destruction and improbably tacked on "happy" ending. Definitely leave the brain disengaged for this one.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Winters_Sorrow said:


> Watched *2012* last night. A very over the top disaster movie filled with plot holes, spectacular set piece destruction and improbably tacked on "happy" ending. Definitely leave the brain disengaged for this one.


 
I have a theory that 2012 is really a comedy in the guise of an adventure flick. That's the only explanation I can think of. Why else would I laugh so hard at all those scenes of destruction and impossible escapes?


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

But at least the dog survives eh?


----------



## Interference

*Avatar *3D - The most real experience I've ever had.  The story could have done with a bit more work, but who was watching for the story?


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Winters_Sorrow said:


> But at least the dog survives eh?


 
Oh thank goodness for that!


----------



## dask

Just saw the most amazing film excerpt on the ARTS channel: "Professor Borg's Strange Dream" from WILD STRAWBERRIES, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was like a lost episode of the TWILIGHT ZONE. Part fantasy, part horror, part splat, I couldn't turn away. Whoever thinks dream stories are dumb needs to have their brain scrubbed with soap. This was eye-popping. (Besides, was it really a dream...?)


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Watched *Monty Python And The Holy Grail *again after a long time. It was not as consistently good as I recall - the best bits are really in the first 20 minutes or so and nothing really matches up to Arthur's encounter with the anarcho-syndicalist peasant - but still deeply silly and fun.


----------



## j d worthington

Daisy-Boo said:


> Watched two Hitchcock movies on the weekend: *Stage Fright* and Strangers *on a Train*.


 
Well? And....?


----------



## Daisy-Boo

j. d. worthington said:


> Well? And....?


 
 Forgive the lack of detail. I'm fighting a nasty cold and my energy levels were extremely low when I posted my comment.

*Stage Fright*

Overall rating: Excellent

*Alastair Sim (Commodore Gill):* Simply superb - funny, ironic, practical and unflappable.
*Michael Wilding ("Ordinary" Smith):* I never knew he was such a hottie in his day. I was rooting for him from his first scene with Eve Gill.
*Jane Wyman (Eve Gill):* I think this is the only film I've seen Jane Wyman in and I think she was well-cast for the role. Pretty but not beautiful, clever but somewhat innocent - I found her to be very believable and sympathetic. She reminded me of plucky girl detectives like Nancy Drew.
*Marlene Dietrich (Charlotte Inwood):* I had high expectations of her and I wasn't disappointed but there was one silly little thing niggling at me - her pencilled eyebrows kept distracting me.
*Richard Todd (Jonathon Cooper):* What a nasty, slimy little creep he turned out to be. A very satisfying villian in all respects.

*Strangers on a Train*

Overall rating: Very good. I would've rated it as excellent but I think it was just a tad too long.

*Farley Granger (Guy Haines):* Solid performance and he had my sympathy. 
*Robert Walker (Bruno Anthony):* The real star of the film. I hated and pitied Bruno Anthony, often at the same time. (How sad that Robert Walker died at the very young age of 32, in the year that this film came out.)

There was one scene (not involving Robert Walker) that surprised me a great deal. That was the scene where the Morton family (papa, Anne and little sister Barbara) tell Guy the news about his wife's murder. Barbara makes a disparaging comment about Miriam, something along the lines of Miriam being a slut so why all the fuss about her death. Papa Morton chastises her and comments that Miriam's lifestyle made her no more deserving of such a tragic end than anyone else and that her life had value too. I thought it was a very liberal point-of-view for its time.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got round to watching Soylent Green. What a brilliant film and very deservedly given it's classic status. I cannot believe that i've been a Sci-Fi fan for 33 years and have never seen this film.


----------



## Happy Joe

Broken Arrow; a sanitized family viewable western with Jimmy Stewart.

Still a good enjoyable movie...

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

D-B: a very good summation, in all (though personally I've never had any trouble about Strangers on a Train in that respect). And yes, Sim was simply marvelous. Why isn't this film better known???? It certainly deserves to be.

And continuing with the Hitchcock, I revisited *The Birds* last night, for the first time in about ten years. In some ways, this still remains one of my favorite Hitch films, despite some annoyingly artificial touches -- the intercutting of Tippi Hedren's reaction shots with the fire racing up the petrol to the car, for instance, is more than a shade overdone, as is the leaning of the lovebirds in the car -- but these are minor quibbles concerning an otherwise very odd and disturbing film. Some very solid performances (I especially like Suzanne Pleshette, who really isn't onscreen that long, but makes a very memorable, sympathetic, and nuanced character) and no few very effective tableaux.

For some reason, I've never got around to reading Daphne du Maurier's story, which I should (I believe it is collected in *Echoes from the Macabre*). And of course Evan Hunter (who did the screenplay) is better known as police-procedural writer Ed McBain, creator of the 87th Precinct; and certainly the pacing of this one shows considerable craft....


----------



## Happy Joe

Pandorum; A good, solid, Si-fi suspense, thriller.
A crewman awakes from hibernation on a space ship apparently alone and trapped (doors don't work), he has temporary amnesia from the hibernation, power is failing...
I liked this one; real actors, real sets, appropriate use of CG, decent creature effects, lots of running/chasing, a bit of gore and several twists that I didn't see coming.

After I watch it again, its destined for my movie library...

Enjoy!


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> For some reason, I've never got around to reading Daphne du Maurier's story, which I should (I believe it is collected in *Echoes from the Macabre*).


 
"The Birds" is a mini-masterpiece and would have made a fantastic bit of cinema had it been faithfully adapted. Don't know what Hitchcock was thinking.


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> "The Birds" is a mini-masterpiece and would have made a fantastic bit of cinema had it been faithfully adapted. Don't know what Hitchcock was thinking.


 
I am uncertain how much of this was Hitchcock and how much Evan Hunter -- though I'm betting more the former. But I doubt he was interested in a faithful adaptation, more in the idea sparked by her tale. Which is odd, really, given his adaptation of other work (*Rebecca*; *Jamaica Inn* -- though the latter was uncredited).

As I mentioned, though, this is one of his films of which I am very fond, perhaps because it is, in some ways, quite atypical in stepping into the genuinely weird class rather than a suspense film (or a black comedy such as *The Trouble With Harry*).... That scene where she is waiting outside the school, for instance... while quite predictable, is nonetheless very effective and genuinely creepy, and for the first time you really get the feeling of just what a menace this is, and how quietly and suddenly it can be upon you.....


----------



## dask

In this era of the remake and super-tech cinema this is one story which needs to be made again following Du Mauier's map; Doyle's THE LOST WORLD would be another.


----------



## CyBeR

Happy Joe said:


> Pandorum; A good, solid, Si-fi suspense, thriller.
> A crewman awakes from hibernation on a space ship apparently alone and trapped (doors don't work), he has temporary amnesia from the hibernation, power is failing...
> I liked this one; real actors, real sets, appropriate use of CG, decent creature effects, lots of running/chasing, a bit of gore and several twists that I didn't see coming.
> 
> After I watch it again, its destined for my movie library...
> 
> Enjoy!



I am so pleased to see people enjoying "Pandorum". I walked out of the cinema that day fully pleased with the film. It's not overly original but it's so solid that it's more than worth the admission price. 
I hate that people rate this film down based on originality. It's a Sci-Fi film that goes right to the core of the genre and in that extent it works marvelously. 

I've watched "The invention of lying" a few days ago and found it rather interesting. Not a solid comedy as I was expecting, but a rather good film nonetheless. I do believe there will be many people offended by the jabs at religion.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

CyBeR said:


> I've watched "The invention of lying" a few days ago and found it rather interesting. Not a solid comedy as I was expecting, but a rather good film nonetheless. I do believe there will be many people offended by the jabs at religion.


 
I watched this movie last night, and had the same feeling about it. I thought it would be more of a comedy than it was, but it was still a cute movie.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Blood On Satan's Claw *, a so-so 70s British horror flick which has an eerie first act but relies a bit too much on sex and the evil children motif and a bit too little on plot. The biggest let-down is when the main adversary of the evil cult declares that he is going to use 'undreamed-of measures' to vanquish them and all he does is track down the cultists using dogs and then skewer the fiend and his main minion with a really big sword.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *High Society* (1956) a couple of days ago and then watched *The Philadelphia Story* (1940) tonight. Interesting contrasts in movies with virtually identical scripts. Aside from the music in the later movie, there was absolutely nothing to recommend the notion of re-doing such a great film with a such great cast. And Katharine Hepburn even had better legs than Grace Kelly. Interesting and slightly weird fact: Bing Crosby, who played Cary Grant's role 16 years later, was actually a year older than the suave Mr. Grant. Too bad Cary was no singer.


----------



## manephelien

Stargate (1994)


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Trek Insurrectio.
F.Murray Abraham so makes a good baddy!


----------



## CyBeR

I've watched "The princess and the frog"...and I have this to say:

WELCOME back Disney! You have been missed!

It was a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy tale brought to life. Great characters, great music, fantastic animation (2D, oh how I've missed you too) and a general feel good vibe from start to end. I loved it and really don't care it's aimed more at girls rather than boys, I enjoyed it too much.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Fly(1958)
Wonderful 50s hokum with the typical sound effects,all wires and tubes in the lab. I love ot when the investigator says to Vincent Price "Look, I never was much of a science fiction reader"

Did you know the screenplay was written by James Clavell,and that it had 2 sequels,the second in 1965 never released on video until 2007!


----------



## Rodders

AE35Unit said:


> Star Trek Insurrectio.
> F.Murray Abraham so makes a good baddy!


 
I really enjoyed ST: TNG: Insurrection and thought it was an extremly underrated film. Personally, i thought that it was much stronger than the other TNG efforts.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Holiday Inn*, which had a completely ridiculous plot, elaborate song and dance sequences and was pretty much totally entertaining.


----------



## Thadlerian

Where the Wild Things are. I am near speechless - I don't think I've ever seen a movie with such insight. And done that well.


----------



## CyBeR

Thadlerian said:


> Where the Wild Things are. I am near speechless - I don't think I've ever seen a movie with such insight. And done that well.



Completely agree. That was one of the best films to come out in 2009 and it's a shame it didn't get as much market share as it deserved. It's one of the better films that can appeal to all ages without making fun of itself or being stupid at times. Kids will get what it's about and adults will taste the finer psychological aspects...


----------



## Runya

Last movie I saw: The Da Vinci Code.

I think it's pretty nice.

and before that, I saw Avatar.

_Amazing_ movie.


----------



## Dimentio

*District 9*. 

Wonderful, entertaining, disturbing.


----------



## The DeadMan

Vanishing Point - One of the great classic car movies. Maybe dated by todays standards, but still quite watchable.


----------



## littlemissattitude

The DeadMan said:


> Vanishing Point - One of the great classic car movies. Maybe dated by todays standards, but still quite watchable.


 

I remember seeing *Vanishing Point* when it first came out, in 1971.  Excellent movie.  I haven't seen it in years, but I'd love to see it again.

I am currently watching *10 Things I Hate About You*.  I usually like my Shakespeaere remakes to be more, oh, traditional, but I think they really did a good job with this one.


----------



## Happy Joe

Saw Vanishing Point at a drive in theater (very rare now).

Watched Beau Geste last night, still pretty good, for an oldie.

Enjoy!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

A delightfully trashy disaster movie called *Quantum Apocalypse*. Think of 2012 but with a made-for-TV budget. Bad acting, cheesy script, so-so special effects. What more could you ask of a good trashy movie?

Also watched about halfway through *The Abyss*. I was reminded of how smoking hot Ed Harris was back then. I'll probably watch the second half tomorrow night.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

littlemissattitude said:


> I am currently watching *10 Things I Hate About You*. I usually like my Shakespeaere remakes to be more, oh, traditional, but I think they really did a good job with this one.


 
I really liked this one. I also thought they did a really good job with it.


----------



## The DeadMan

I watched another classic car movie that not many people have seen, "Two Lane Blacktop". It stars Warren Oates and James Taylor. The Driver (James Taylor) and The Mechanic (Dennis Wilson) are two car freaks driving a 1955 Chevy throughout the southwestern U.S. looking for other cars to race. They are totally dedicated to The Car and converse with each other only when necessary. At a gas station, The Driver and The Mechanic, along with a girl (Laurie Bird) who has ingratiated herself into their world, meet G.T.O.(Warren Oates), a middle-aged man who fabricates stories about his exploits. It is decided to have a race to Washington, D.C., where the winner will get the loser's car. Along the way, the race and the highway metaphorically depict the lives of these contestants as they struggle to their destination. _  Written by  Rick Gregory {rag.apa@email.apa.org} _


----------



## Grimward

Watched _*The Hammer*_ a couple nights ago.  Expected a cliched, been-done-a-thousand-times boxing movie, was quite surprised and satisfied with it, even the parts that had been done a thousand times before.  The interplay between Carolla and Juergensen was fresh, and more than made up for some of the worst moments between Carolla and Robert Brown.  Feel-good movie, to be sure, but worth the watch!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Up in the Air*. It was great.


----------



## j d worthington

Alfred Hitchcock's *Marnie*. Again, one for which I've always had a certain fondness. But watching it again after all these years, I find that my fond memories really didn't do this one justice; it's a much better film than I remembered, and many of the performances here are excellent. And, considering that it isn't a "typical whodunnit" or suspense film, the pacing is really quite remarkable, with no fat whatsoever. Beautifully shot, and with a wonderful use of color, and one of the most emotionally powerful films in Hitch's entire oeuvre. Flaws it has; but in comparison they really are so minuscule to the overall achievement....

(And I must admit to always having quite liked the bit of dialogue when he pulls her out of the ship's pool after her suicide attempt, and manages to revive her: "Why didn't you just jump over the side?" "The idea was to kill myself, not feed the damn' fish....")


----------



## Rothgar

*Book of Eli* - it was not much of what I was expecting.  A lot of wasted potential, and several plot holes you could drive a tank through.  The only part I can give them points on are the action scenes.  As one guy I was with said after the show 'It was the greatest movie that ever sucked."


----------



## Rodders

Die Hard 4.0 was on last night. (What can i say, the wife's in love with Bruce.  )

If you don't take it too seriously, it's an enjoyable enough film.


----------



## Foxbat

*Doctor Zhivago *   One of my all-time favourites. Superb photography, superb acting, superb sets. Simply....superb


----------



## Culhwch

My wife and I watched _Blindness_ yesterday. Very well made movie, and more than a little disturbing.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Pulp Fiction* the other day. I've always seen bits of it, never the whole thing in one sitting. Really enjoyed it. Love Tarantino's dialogue.


----------



## j d worthington

Did a couple of Hitchcock-centered documentaries last night. The first was an episode of Richard Schickel's old series, The Men Who Made the Movies, titled simply "Alfred Hitchcock" -- quite an interesting set of interviews (and views), narrated by Cliff Robertson.

The other was "Obsessed with Vertigo", about the making of the film and its restoration a few years ago, which saved this one from disappearing into oblivion (it was already in pretty poor shape, with the various film elements having suffered considerable damage over the years: fading colors in a film which makes great use of that particular strength; varying shrinkage of some of the elements, causing a distortion between different parts of the film, and so on.....

Both provide quite a bit of information, and some fascinating insights......


----------



## AE35Unit

If you count documentaries I just watched The Making of 2001-fabulous! Clarke, Douglas Trumbull, even Keir Dullea, all talking in 2001! Theres a few more extras to see, and one to hear, an audio interivew with Kubrick made in 1966.

Edit, I just saw your post J.D., spooky, you too watched a making-of documentary!


----------



## littlemissattitude

j. d. worthington said:


> Did a couple of Hitchcock-centered documentaries last night. The first was an episode of Richard Schickel's old series, The Men Who Made the Movies, titled simply "Alfred Hitchcock" -- quite an interesting set of interviews (and views), narrated by Cliff Robertson.


 
There's an episode of that series about Raoul Walsh, who lived across the street from me when I was very young. I saw it on a PBS rerun quite a while after it was first aired in 1973, but I never saw any of the other epiisodes. Interesting show.

More on topic, I haven't seen any movies in the past few days, although I just finished watching a couple of episodes of *Bones*. Always a good way to spend a little time.

EDITED TO ADD: I love "making of" documentaries, DVD extras, and so forth.  Sometimes I'll put on a DVD just to listen to the commentary rather than to actually watch the movie.


----------



## GOLLUM

Culhwch said:


> My wife and I watched _Blindness_ yesterday. Very well made movie, and more than a little disturbing.


Yes. I quite enjoyed that too but it wasn't as good as the book.


----------



## Culhwch

I didn't realise there was a book! Will have to track it down...


----------



## GOLLUM

Yes it's by one of my favourite Latin American writers in Jose Saramago.

I own all of his currently translated work, funny that... but I've only read a portion of this including the novel Blindness.

The copies we have in Australia seem to either come from the  publisher Harvill or Vintage Classics range (incl. Blindness)

If you source a copy and enjoy his style I'll be happy to recommend other works by him...


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The book *Blindness *was incredibly harrowing. My mother is a fan of Saramago, and has almost convinced me to try some of his other works, they're not usually this bleak.


----------



## GOLLUM

You're right, it's certainly one of his darker novels.

For anyone interested you may want to pick one from the following. I haven't read them all yet but my understanding is they're amongst his best:

The Stone Raft
Death At Intervals
The Double
The Gospel According To Jesus Christ
Baltasar & Blimunda.


----------



## Allegra

Three superhero films in a row:

*V for Vendetta* - WOW! I haven't read the book but really loved the film. I think it's as stunning as *Watchmen*: the story, acting, dialogue, cinematography, music. Now I have perhaps even better thing to look forward - the book! 

*Iron Man* - entertaining to say the most, the best thing is Downey Jr.

*Superman Returns* - entertaining to say the most, the best thing is Kevin Spacey.


----------



## Happy Joe

Lost City Raiders; an better than average apparently made for sci-fi channel movie.
Not terrible (but not particularly good) movie about rising seas submerging the land (its up to some, sometimes illicit, marine salvage people (scroungers) to save the planet).
If the rental is cheap and you have nothing else to do/see (or its on TV) then it might be worth a look.  Just don't expect too much...

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

littlemissattitude said:


> EDITED TO ADD: I love "making of" documentaries, DVD extras, and so forth. Sometimes I'll put on a DVD just to listen to the commentary rather than to actually watch the movie.


 
Yes, I do that too, at times; especially if I am doing something where I can only periodically look up at the screen....

And last night, after a very tiring and stressful day, I decided to revisit that little oddity *Cast a Deadly Spell*, with Fred Ward, Juliane Moore (whom I don't generally care for, but here I thought she did an excellent job), David Warner, etc. A mixture of Lovecraftian mythos and hardboiled detective, set in an alternative world L.A. where, in 1948, "everyone uses magic"... except for P.I. Phil Lovecraft... who is given the assignment of tracking down a stolen copy of the _Necronomicon_....

A mixture of noir, comedy, horror, and just the just plain bizarre which works surprisingly well. I've now seen the film about four times, and I keep expecting to find myself disappointed when I return to it; so far that has certainly _not_ happened.....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> And last night, after a very tiring and stressful day, I decided to revisit that little oddity *Cast a Deadly Spell*, with Fred Ward, Juliane Moore (whom I don't generally care for, but here I thought she did an excellent job), David Warner, etc. A mixture of Lovecraftian mythos and hardboiled detective, set in an alternative world L.A. where, in 1948, "everyone uses magic"... except for P.I. Phil Lovecraft... who is given the assignment of tracking down a stolen copy of the _Necronomicon_....
> 
> A mixture of noir, comedy, horror, and just the just plain bizarre which works surprisingly well. I've now seen the film about four times, and I keep expecting to find myself disappointed when I return to it; so far that has certainly _not_ happened.....


 
An underrated or, perhaps unnoticed, film. I thought Fred Ward was perfect for the role. The Lovecraft linkage is obvious, but I also thought there was a touch of Zelazny in it as well.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> An underrated or, perhaps unnoticed, film. I thought Fred Ward was perfect for the role. The Lovecraft linkage is obvious, but I also thought there was a touch of Zelazny in it as well.


 
Hadn't thought about it, but I believe you're right. *A Night in the Lonesome October*, anyone....?


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Princess and the Frog*

Very good music and singing. An entertaining animated film but not the best one I've seen. I think *Up* has a better story.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Hadn't thought about it, but I believe you're right. *A Night in the Lonesome October*, anyone....?


 
I haven't read this, his last, book. But I think it may be the most appropriate. I was thinking more along the lines of *Madwand* and *Jack of Shadows*.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> I haven't read this, his last, book. But I think it may be the most appropriate. I was thinking more along the lines of *Madwand* and *Jack of Shadows*.


 
Yes, those would definitely fit....


----------



## nj1

I finally managed to watch SHERLOCK HOLMES on the weekend. Really enjoyed it, I thought the relationship between Downey and Law was good and provided a nice bit of humour. A tad over the top in parts, but thats todays cinema.  8/10


----------



## Allegra

I also enjoyed *Sherlock Holmes*, thought it's a well-done parody.

Also watched *The Men Who Stare At Goats* and liked it, though it could have been better. Really enjoyed Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges acting. McGregor is truly a versatile actor.


----------



## Connavar

Has anyone seeing *Thirst* yet ?   By the great director of *Oldboy* Chan-wook Park.

I was thrilled to see it will have premiere here in feb 19.   Its the first Asian to get to cinema here that istn HK,Ong Bak since OldBoy in 2004!

Its a vampire thrillers by a master director for those of you who dont know his films.  New York Times had it in top 10 film of 2009 list.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Saw *Avatar* in 3D on Monday. I expected very little in the way of an interesting plot and wasn't proven wrong: one-dimensional human bad guys vs the near-saintly Na-avi. But the special effects made up for all of that. What an amazing world they created. My niece and I were enthralled by the Na-avi and Pandora. An entertaining experience but one that will be remembered for the CGI, not the plot or even the acting.


----------



## ktabic

Dead Space: Downfall. A pre-equal to a computer game. Not bad really.


----------



## Rodders

ktabic said:


> Dead Space: Downfall. A pre-equal to a computer game. Not bad really.


 
Is that a film or a game? I quite like the look of Dead Space as it looks like an excellent story drive SF Game.


----------



## ktabic

Dead Space: Downfall is a animated film and pre-equal to the game. I'm now tempted to get the game to find out what happens next. It does look rather good.


----------



## CyBeR

Rodders > "Dead Space" has an ok story as a game, but you won't get most out of it without "Downfall" and the comics that back it up. The story in the game is functional, but not much more. 
Anyway, a more indepth review here, if you're interested. 

Tried watching 'Dragon Wars' last night, for the second time. I tried, I really did...but fell asleep half way through. I don't think I'll try again.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *1408* on cable. John Cusack is given free rein to react to the manifestations of an "evil room". It certainly retained my attention.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *The Godfather* at the moment. Haven't actually ever watched it all the way through. Exciting.


----------



## littlemissattitude

j. d. worthington said:


> *Cast a Deadly Spell*


 
I've never heard of that film, before, j. d., but I'm going to have to see if I can find it.  It sounds like something I'd really like.

I'm sitting here watching *Twister* for the second time in just a few days.  It's one of those movies I just can't seem to resist.  Yeah, it's cheesy.  Yeah, it has just about every disaster-movie stereotype except the nun who sings.  But it always keeps me interested.  And it has Philip Seymour Hoffman in it, which is always a plus.


----------



## Diggler

Avatar, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love watching Twister just to pick out all the continuity errors


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *A Fish Called Wanda* last night on the telly. Kevin Klein's character is soooo annoying-you want to lay him out!


----------



## Connavar

*Straw Dogs* by Sam Peckinpah and with a young Dustin Hoffman.  I saw it randomly on tv and i thought it was very tense,well acted.  There was some brutal scenes like a rape scene that almost feel too real.   Nice ending to the film,great brutal end.


Also rented with a friend *Largo Winch* which was a decent James Bond wannabe the only memorable things was the lead actor and Kristen Scott Thomas.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Watched the 1952 film adaptation of *The Importance Of Being Earnest*. Quite a delightful experience, especially Edith Evans as the formidable Lady Bracknell. 'A Handbag?' indeed!


----------



## Culhwch

_Fletch_ tonight. My wife has us on a bit of a Chevy Chase trip of late...


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> *Straw Dogs* by Sam Peckinpah and with a young Dustin Hoffman.  I saw it randomly on tv and i thought it was very tense,well acted.  There was some brutal scenes like a rape scene that almost feel too real.   Nice ending to the film,great brutal end.


Yea that film was banned for quite a long time!


----------



## j d worthington

littlemissattitude said:


> I've never heard of that film, before, j. d., but I'm going to have to see if I can find it. It sounds like something I'd really like.


 
Well, you'll have to watch it on VHS, I'm afraid. For some odd reason, even though the (sort of) sequel to it, *Witch Hunt*, has been released on DVD (iirc), the original has not. Which is a pity, because, as I understand it, the sequel really is a let-down, with Dennis Hopper taking the role played by Fred Ward in *Cast a Deadly Spell.* At any rate, it is still available online periodically, and you may run across copies of it for sale in stores now and again, both for quite small prices....


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> Watched *A Fish Called Wanda* last night on the telly. Kevin Klein's character is soooo annoying-you want to lay him out!



I watched this movie with my mother once. She's one of those people who talk back to the characters. She had a few choice words for Kevin Kline.


----------



## BookStop

Just introduced the kinder to *Legend of Drunken Master*, my favorite kung fu movie. They loved it, of course!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Batman Begins. - great car, great actors and the nipples are on the hot DA and not the batsuit.


----------



## CyBeR

Watched 'Halloween 2' last night. Great film, good photography and quite brutal...what a slasher should be like. This is probably what I always thought the genre should be, not just perverts with masks. 

Also watched 'Starchaser - The legend of Orin'. Very good 80s animated film with a story resembling 'Star Wars' most of the time, it did the job of filling up my evening.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Lust For Life*, which as usual I liked a great deal.


----------



## littlemissattitude

j. d. worthington said:


> Well, you'll have to watch it on VHS, I'm afraid. For some odd reason, even though the (sort of) sequel to it, *Witch Hunt*, has been released on DVD (iirc), the original has not. Which is a pity, because, as I understand it, the sequel really is a let-down, with Dennis Hopper taking the role played by Fred Ward in *Cast a Deadly Spell.* At any rate, it is still available online periodically, and you may run across copies of it for sale in stores now and again, both for quite small prices....


 
S'okay.  I still have a VCR which worked last time I tried it.  I'll keep an eye out for the tape.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Them!

For a 50's SciFi flick this is pretty damn scary.


----------



## Moonbat

This wekend I have watched *Zombieland *a brilliant zombie movie, yes its just the same as the toher, apocalyspe scenario with a few survivors battling agaisnt Zombies, but with such a great sense of humour that I thoroughly enjoyed it, a Zombie Bill Murray is worth watching any day. Then last night I went to see *A Prophet* (or une Prophete) a french gangster film, about a young lad that goes to prision and the story of how he survives his 6 years stretch. Very realistic, not as violent as I thought it might be, very well made with some excellent characters. Not entirely sure why is should be called the prophet, but a very cool French criminal flick, very much enjoyed it.


I also bought *Thirst* a Korean vampire movie that I shall be watching in the next few hours, Yay!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Time-traveller's Wife* not bad, a lot better than I expected!


----------



## Foxbat

*Mega-Shark Versus Giant Octopus*

I laughed my way through this hilariously bad movie.

It seems the director got *The Bumper Book Of Film Cliches* for his Christmas


----------



## j d worthington

*Vertigo*. If I had to pick a single film by Hitchcock, this would be it....


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *The Mystic Masseur*, a film directed by Ismail Merchant who was involved in the production of *Howard's End* and *The Remains Of The Day*. It's a good natured tale of a young Indian inhabitant of Trinidad who supports his ambition of writing and publishing books by becoming a folk healer. It follows him through the point at which his fame induces him to try his hand at politics. Adapted from the novel by V. S. Naipaul, it features Aasif Mandvi as the main character, Ganesh Ramseyor. Anyone who watches *The Daily Show* will recognize him as one of Jon Stewart's "correspondents". It also features prolific Indian actor Om Puri and Ayesha Dharker, who was also wonderful in the recent movie *Outsourced*.

A worthwhile movie, beautifully filmed. Although filled with comical moments, it remains respectful of the cultural elements that overflow throughout.


----------



## littlemissattitude

*Avatar*, last night. First time I've been out to a movie at night in...well, I can't remember the last time.

Didn't see 3-D, which was fine. Overall, I liked it much better than I thought I was going to.


----------



## Happy Joe

Batteries Not Included; a cute Spielberg movie, quite old now but still good.
I found a used copy to add to the home theater computer.
Definitely worth a rental, although its old enough that it may be hard to find.

Enjoy!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Dead Heat.

2 policemen tackle a group of unstoppable bank robbers. When one is killed in the line of duty, he takes a jolt from in a ressurection machine and set about hunting down the zombies.


----------



## Highlander II

The last movie I saw was _Sherlock Holmes_, which I found rather fun and enjoyable. =)

Anything else I've seen wasn't overly memorable - obviously. XD


----------



## AE35Unit

Caught most of Interview with a Vampire last night. Its ok but I want to read Anne Rice's book written in 1976


----------



## lew82

Observe and Report with Seth Rogan - decidedly average.....


----------



## biodroid

*Yes Man* with Jim Carrey, I could not stop laughing. Basically, Ace Ventura meets The Truman Show (character wise not story wise).


----------



## Daisy-Boo

j. d. worthington said:


> *Vertigo*. If I had to pick a single film by Hitchcock, this would be it....



It will be in my grubby little paws on Saturday! *Hitchcock: The Complete Collection*, arrives tomorrow and on Saturday morning I'm off to the Post Office.


----------



## BookStop

Just watched *A Midsummer Night's Dream. *It was very entertaining and I, as well as my oldest, enjoyed it very much!


----------



## j d worthington

Daisy-Boo said:


> It will be in my grubby little paws on Saturday! *Hitchcock: The Complete Collection*, arrives tomorrow and on Saturday morning I'm off to the Post Office.


 
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. Personally, I find it an almost exquisite piece of filmmaking on nearly every level; and Herrmann's score is up there among his very best....



BookStop said:


> Just watched *A Midsummer Night's Dream. *It was very entertaining and I, as well as my oldest, enjoyed it very much!


 
Which version? I've always had a strong fondness for the William Dieterle/Max Reinhart version....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Ghost And Mrs. Muir*, the movie not the TV series. Overall a sweet little film with a memorable performance by Rex Harrison, although I felt the ending could have been handled a bit more subtly. 

Revisited *The Picnic On Hanging Rock*. Wonderful atmosphere, gorgeous music and such finely-pitched ambiguity. The Mulholland Drive of horror films?


----------



## clovis-man

knivesout said:


> Revisited *The Picnic On Hanging Rock*. Wonderful atmosphere, gorgeous music and such finely-pitched ambiguity. The Mulholland Drive of horror films?


 
Peter Weir has done some intriguing films. From *Picnic At Hanging Rock* and *The Last Wave* to *Gallipoli*, *The Year Of Living Dangerously* and *Master And Commander*. And some other good ones in between. I don't think I've ever seen a bad Peter Weir movie.


----------



## j d worthington

knivesout said:


> *The Ghost And Mrs. Muir*, the movie not the TV series. Overall a sweet little film with a memorable performance by Rex Harrison, although I felt the ending could have been handled a bit more subtly.


 
True... though even so, this was remarkably subtle by today's standards.... And, again, another film with a lovely score by Bernard Herrmann....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

clovis-man said:


> Peter Weir has done some intriguing films. From *Picnic At Hanging Rock* and *The Last Wave* to *Gallipoli*, *The Year Of Living Dangerously* and *Master And Commander*. And some other good ones in between. I don't think I've ever seen a bad Peter Weir movie.



Thanks you very much for the list, I'm going to try and watch as many of these as I can.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched UP, one of the best animateds I've seen in a long time! Not only is it good on the level of an animated but it has a real story,and is quite touching in parts!


----------



## CyBeR

Just got back from seeing 'The book of Eli". Great film, with a pretty nice twist at the end. As long as you're not opposing everything religious with a passion, you may enjoy this post-apocalyptic flick.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *The Hurt Locker* last night. What a tension filled film. Well done. Gritty images. Characters you care about.

Highly recommended.


----------



## j d worthington

Still going through the Hitchcock films (though in no particular order); watched *Psycho* last night. I've always felt it was something of a pity that I came to this one as late as I did, so that the "twist" was already so well known, and Norman and his mother were such iconic figures; it would have been interesting to see how I would have reacted had I not known so many of the twists and turns of this one so long ago... and I must say that that leaning so on that aspect is the film's great weakness (though it may also be seen as a great strength for those who have no knowledge of the film and therefore may be given that surprise).

That aside, it is a film which still holds up very well indeed, with some excellent performances, some delightful graveyard humor, and a very effective atmosphere... not to mention just being a genuinely creepy little tale with some quite effective cinematic touches, and a fine score by Bernard Herrmann (again....). It is also interesting to see what Joseph Stefano (who is perhaps better known as the first-season proucer and, with Leslie Stevens, creative force behind _The Outer Limits_ television series) made of Robert Bloch's little novel... which, for those who do not know (if any such exist), was inspired by the real-life case of Ed Gein, who frankly makes Norman Bates look like a sweetie in comparison....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Still going through the Hitchcock films (though in no particular order); watched *Psycho* last night. I've always felt it was something of a pity that I came to this one as late as I did, so that the "twist" was already so well known, and Norman and his mother were such iconic figures; it would have been interesting to see how I would have reacted had I not known so many of the twists and turns of this one so long ago... and I must say that that leaning so on that aspect is the film's great weakness (though it may also be seen as a great strength for those who have no knowledge of the film and therefore may be given that surprise).


 
I saw this movie with a college chum in the fall of 1960 when I was a naive and unsuspecting freshman. It scared the living tweet out of both of us. I had read nothing about it beforehand and sat down in the theater totally without a clue as to the shock that was in store for me. It was tough taking a shower after that for some time. Bumping off Janet Leigh (a major star) that early in the film was also a shock. So much so that I wasn't sure what had happened. But Hitchcock's graphic zoom out while focused on Ms. Leigh's eye as she lay face down in the shower was a genius move that removed any doubt about the horror of what I had just witnessed.

It wasn't until years later that I learned that Hermann's score was for strings only. Hard to believe that so much menace and fright could be elicited with just those few instruments.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Cool Runnings on telly last night-good stuff and one of John Candy's last films?


----------



## Connavar

*District 13: Ultimatum

*A french action film written by Luc Besson, not great action as the first film because it was not the director of Taken,Transport like the first film.

Still Parkour running around,jumping style is amazing and there were hardcore stunts martial art moves.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Host*   An enjoyable Korean monster flick that has it's giant tongue firmly embedded in its monstrous cheek. Worth a watch


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Gran Torino*.

Hadn't seen this before. Really really good.


----------



## Pyan

Watched Apocalypto last night on Film4 - very interesting film, and one you should see at least once...


----------



## Duchessprozac

Planet Terror

I'd held out for it to show on tv but had to give in and buy it as it looked like it was a no show.

I'm glad I did buy it, though, as I thought it was awesome!

Just a cheesy, gorey, stylish zombie movie with it's tongue firmly in it's cheek.

I loved it.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

LIke JD, I'm also working my way through Hitchcock's movies. This weekend I watched *The Birds* and *Vertigo*, two films I watched years ago, though I forgot most of the details so it was like watching them for the first time.

*The Birds*

*Tippi Hedren* as Melanie Daniels
*Rod Taylor* as Mitch Brenner
*Jessica Tandy* as Lydia Brenner
*Suzanne Pleshette* as Annie Hayworth
*Veronica Cartwright* as Cathy Brenner

Still frightening after all these years. Hitchcock's story of the small town of Bodega Bay in California becoming a target of vicious and seemingly organised attacks by the entire bird population makes for chilling viewing, even now when CGI has become so sophisticated.

The lead actors are believeable and very likeable and there is good chemistry between the two leads (Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren).

I really enjoyed this film and will definitely watch it again. The disc also includes an interesting "making of" documentary (a standard extra in the box set of 12 Hitchcock films).

*Vertigo*

*James Stewart* as John "Scottie" Ferguson
*Kim Novak* as Madelein Elster
*Barbarba Bel Geddes* (Miss Ellie!) as Midge 
*Tom Helmore* as Gavin Elster

I think it takes a genius to make James Stewart unlikeable and I grew to dislike Scottie intensely as the film progressed. My initial sympathy for him waned as the obessessive, manipulative side of his character came to the fore. I also disliked how he treated his friend Midge. 

I think the film is brilliant but very dark. I didn't find much in it that spoke well of human beings in general. Having said that, I will watch it again because I think its one of those films from which you learn something new every time you watch it.


----------



## Connavar

Daisy-Boo said:


> I think the film is brilliant but very dark. I didn't find much in it that spoke well of human beings in general. Having said that, I will watch it again because I think its one of those films from which you learn something new every time you watch it.



Its a brilliant,dark film.   I would have no respect for it if they sugar coated it when it came to human beings. 

The ending is very tragic.  My sis was angry at Stewert's character.  We agreed he should have jumped off,died not the poor girl.....

After this movie and Shadow of a Doubt i saw why Hitchcock is legendary. 

I will Rear Window,Birds and see how they compare to great Vertigo.


----------



## Interference

Daisy-Boo said:


> LIke JD, I'm also working my way through Hitchcock's movies. This weekend I watched *The Birds* and *Vertigo*, two films I watched years ago, though I forgot most of the details so it was like watching them for the first time.
> 
> *The Birds*
> 
> *Tippi Hedren* as Melanie Daniels
> *Rod Taylor* as Mitch Brenner
> *Jessica Tandy* as Lydia Brenner
> *Suzanne Pleshette* as Annie Hayworth
> *Veronica Cartwright* as Cathy Brenner
> 
> Still frightening after all these years. Hitchcock's story of the small town of Bodega Bay in California becoming a target of vicious and seemingly organised attacks by the entire bird population makes for chilling viewing, even now when CGI has become so sophisticated.
> 
> The lead actors are believeable and very likeable and there is good chemistry between the two leads (Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren).
> 
> I really enjoyed this film and will definitely watch it again. The disc also includes an interesting "making of" documentary (a standard extra in the box set of 12 Hitchcock films).
> 
> *Vertigo*
> 
> *James Stewart* as John "Scottie" Ferguson
> *Kim Novak* as Madelein Elster
> *Barbarba Bel Geddes* (Miss Ellie!) as Midge
> *Tom Helmore* as Gavin Elster
> 
> I think it takes a genius to make James Stewart unlikeable and I grew to dislike Scottie intensely as the film progressed. My initial sympathy for him waned as the obessessive, manipulative side of his character came to the fore. I also disliked how he treated his friend Midge.
> 
> I think the film is brilliant but very dark. I didn't find much in it that spoke well of human beings in general. Having said that, I will watch it again because I think its one of those films from which you learn something new every time you watch it.



My mouth is just watering and being an annoying bore on all subjects I know even a little about, I can't resist mentioning that Bernard Herman's score for The Birds contains no conventional musical instruments, but a synthesised scrore to represent the bird sounds.  The birds themselves are so fleetingly glimpsed when they're attacking that Hitch got away with stuffed birds on a stick and some very fleeting shots of sillhouettes superimposed in post.

I'm sure I'll think of something equally dull to say about Vertigo in a couple of minutes


----------



## j d worthington

Actually, though I knew about those things mentioned, I always enjoy seeing such brought into a discussion... so I, at least dont find them boring.

And yes, Herrmann's score for *Psycho* was strictly for strings. He was goo at that sort of thing; one of the best, and almost consistently brilliant, from his score to *Citizen Kane* to that wonderful score for *The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad* to the classic Hitchcock scores he did, to the evocative work for *Taxi Driver*, and even the quite eerie score for what I view as a distinctly mediocre film, *It's Alive* (the last work he did, iirc). After all, who but Herrmann would have had the _chutzpah _to use the Serpent for the giant lizards in *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (or, for that matter, to darned near give Harryhausen heart-failure by making the poker-faced statement that he was using "Turkey in the Straw" for the theme for the giant chicken in *Mysterious Island*)?

C-M: I envy you that experience. Must have been quite... shocking. And yes, that was the first time such a thing had ever been done, killing off perhaps the biggest star in the film, and our point-of-view character for nearly half the film, leaving the audience without moorings, completely uncertain about what to expect. (Though it must be said that that particular aspect comes, of course, from Robert Bloch's novel.)

As for Scottie... I have a somewhat different take on him, after all these years. I see him more as a very complex character, and a man who was genuinely driven beyond the brink, and never quite came all the way back before being handed yet another jolt, running into the woman who really was (though he didn't know it) the Madeleine he had fallen for, yet wasn't... and then finding she really _was_, when he himself tried bringing the dead back to life. A man of rather poetic sensibilities who is himself haunted -- even possessed -- by a ghost as much as the supposed Madeleine was. All this does make him cruel toward the end, and even unintentionally cruel along the way; but then, how would any of us feel were we to fall, and fall hard, for someone as strange, mysterious, and seemingly genuinely haunted as Madeleine, only to lose that person because we had a weakness which we could not overcome just enough to allow us to get up those few remaining stairs... having to watch that person plunge to their death... and then be faced with their Doppelgänger just as we seem to be recovering our balance after at least one year (or possibly more) in an asylum? To be constantly caught between the present person and the past, and then to find the extremely cruel trick which has been played on our deepest emotions? I think quite a few of us would get _a lot_ nastier than Scottie were we to be genuinely faced with such a situation. At the same time, he _is_ cruel, and at times unlikable, because of his obsession, however understandable it may, upon reflection, be.

And, of course, Judy's own character elicits sympathy to the point of almost erasing her part in the murder, yet there is certainly reason to believe she knew what she was getting into when she originally got involved in that one.

In short, it's a brilliant film because there is no easy out; for all its bizzarrerie, these react like genuine people to their strange situation, and no one is entirely innocent or guilty (even Midge pulls a rather cruel stunt of her own, don't forget) except, perhaps, Elster. It's a film where I find that people's reactions to the various characters often change and become more complex over the years, and I would not hesitate to say it is Hitchcock's greatest film; a genuine piece of art in the truest sense of the term.

Oh, and lest I forget the point of the thread... Last night I watched Stuart Gordon's *Re-animator*, another film which has grown in my estimation over the years. And, considering this was (if I recall correctly) his first film, Gordon showed enormous abilities as a director. It really is a very well-constructed piece of work, with some excellent performances and a delightfully over-the-top (yet often quite subtly nuanced) script, and some superb camera work. For all that HPL himself would most likely have been out for blood due to the sexual elements of the film, in many ways it shows the same level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that he himself brought to so much of his work....


----------



## Interference

j. d. worthington said:


> And yes, Herrmann's score for *Psycho* was strictly for strings.



I was saving that story for when DB got to it


----------



## j d worthington

Interference said:


> I was saving that story for when DB got to it


 
Ah, well... C-M beat us _both_ to the punch!


----------



## Interference

Ah!  So I see   Seems like it may be one of the most widely known little-known-facts there are


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Foxbat said:


> *The Host*   An enjoyable Korean monster flick that has it's giant tongue firmly embedded in its monstrous cheek. Worth a watch



I enjoyed this one quite a bit, too.


----------



## The DeadMan

I just watched the silent vampire classic "Nosferatu", but with a twist.  It had a musical soundtrack by "Type O Negative".  The spooky music  really spiced up the old classic.


----------



## ravenus

Damn, it's been a looong time since I last posted here. Some of the stuff I saw this month:

*36 Quai des Orfevres*
Tackily scripted police movie where one cop frames another in a criminal rap. Seesm to have gotten a stupid amount of hype on account of its being in French. Gerard Depardieu plays "le bad cop with le big nose".

*Harishchandrachi Factory*
Indian film about the journey of pioneer movie maker Dadasaheb Phalke towards the making of India's first feature film- frequently charming and funny, and affectionate towards the subject matter. Well worth watching.

*Thirst*
Different sort of Vampire movie from the guy who made *Oldboy*. It works brilliantly up to a point after which I thought it had a jarring change of tone. Ending again is brilliant. Well worth watching on the whole.

*Wolfman*
This was pretty viewing. They're sticking to the old style horror, none of your crap steadicam / wolfvision / twats in leather. Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving have some excellent dialog. Very good visuals including a killer dream sequence in the middle. Gore is decent. Chop off some 20 min of that half-assed romance angle and it would have been even better.

*Paranormal Activity*
This one operates on the crudest level of the "things that go bump in the night" scares. And it frequently works. See it alone and late in the night for the best effect.


----------



## ravenus

Note: I've moved the Sherlock Holmes posts to a new thread. Please continue this interesting debate here:
Sherlock-Holmes-movie-tv-radio-adaptations


----------



## Interference

The DeadMan said:


> I just watched the silent vampire classic "Nosferatu", but with a twist.  It had a musical soundtrack by "Type O Negative".  The spooky music  really spiced up the old classic.



Nosferatu _needs_ spicing up?


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Sea of Sand*, a World War 2 film made in 1958 starring Richard Attenborough about the events leading up to El Alamein.
Now its some manga film for the kids,My Brother Totoro from studio gibli


----------



## Happy Joe

The extended version of Dune; It clarifies some things, but can be ponderous/boring if you are not a Dune fan.

Enjoy!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Now its some manga film for the kids,My Brother Totoro from studio gibli


 
*My Neighbor Totoro*, a film by Hayao Miyazaki, is a real gem. Even old curmudgeons like me can enjoy it and it holds the attention of pre-teens quite remarkably.

Tonari no Totoro (1988)


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Over the weekend I saw *Wolfman*, which I thought was just ridiculous. I didn't enjoy it at all. Special effects were certainly nothing special and I found the dialogue cheesy.

Also saw *Terminator Salvation*, which I did enjoy. I did realize though that I haven't seen any of the other Terminator movies all the way through. I had to have my husband explain a few things to me.


----------



## HoopyFrood

> *Paranormal Activity*
> This one operates on the crudest level of the "things that go bump in the night" scares. And it frequently works. See it alone and late in the night for the best effect.



Really, really want to see this. Apparently not released until March, though (bah, humbug). Love horror and it's the more subtle bumps, footsteps, and doors opening by themselves that creep me out.


----------



## ravenus

Lady of Winterfell said:


> Over the weekend I saw *Wolfman*, which I thought was just ridiculous. I didn't enjoy it at all. Special effects were certainly nothing special and I found the dialogue cheesy.


It is cheesy...just like the 1941 Wolfman movie was. That's part of why it's fun. You want Hamlet, you watch Hamlet


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *My Neighbor Totoro*, a film by Hayao Miyazaki, is a real gem. Even old curmudgeons like me can enjoy it and it holds the attention of pre-teens quite remarkably.
> 
> Tonari no Totoro (1988)



Yea I found it quite enjoyable, and tho I normally cant stand the look of  manga/anime/whatever(all big eyes and pointy bits) I had to watch this one-the scenery was drawn beautifully, and being a Miyazaki film its all hand drawn!


----------



## Diggler

Speaking of My Neighbor Totoro. I watched *Ponyo* the other night. Another fantastic effort from Miyazaki!


----------



## ravenus

*Wes Craven's New Nightmare*

This was one of the better sequels in the Elm Street series, with a meta-film angle about the demon that is Freddy wreaking havoc in the lives of the people that worked on the movies. Climax is all bollocks, though.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched "Gamer" last night; similar overall to Death Race (a con gets a chance at freedom if he can survive).  Lots of chasing, shooting, explosions, gore,  some distracting attempts at artistic film cutting techniques (I wish film makers would get over this; its not as bad as shaky cam but it still detracts from the watch-ability and overall quality of the film).
Overall I would class it as a good film, definitely worth a rental.

Enjoy!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched* Star Trek *tonight. Was such as experience watching it at the cinema. Still an enjoyable film second time around.


----------



## Foxbat

*Phenomena      *
Not Dario Argento's best film but worth watching anyway.


----------



## Happy Joe

Surrogates; typical action/detective scifi flick some chasing, some shooting, not particularly outstanding, watchable, moderately entertaining.
...worth a rental...

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The Princess and the Frog* at the cinema with my 5 year old on my knee-precious! A decent Disney with great 1930s jazz music!


----------



## nj1

AE35Unit said:


> Watched *The Princess and the Frog* at the cinema with my 5 year old on my knee-precious! A decent Disney with great 1930s jazz music!


 
My little one's 4 tomorrow so we're off to watch that too! Sounds like I won't fall asleep maybe


----------



## ravenus

*The Fall*
A visually ravishing movie from Tarsem and this time with a plot that works better than the turd that was The Cell. Tim Burton could learn something from this film.


----------



## Foxbat

*Legend Of The Overfiend* *& Legend Of The Demon Womb* 

Seriously disturbing Japanese Anime. Somewhat confusing in places.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Uncanny   *A strong cast (Ray Milland, Peter Cushing, Joan Greenwood, Donald Pleasance) can't camouflage the fact that this is a very poor offering from the Hammer stable. Avoid.


----------



## nj1

Since it was her birthday yesterday, we watched UP in the morning on DVD, good stuff! then when to cinema and watched PRINCESS AND THE FROG, nice take on the fairytale and like AE35UNIT said some nice tunes, all in all a good day for kids films


----------



## Pyan

Watched *Night Watch* _(Ночной дозор)_  - stylish, noirish...different.


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> *Legend Of The Overfiend* *& Legend Of The Demon Womb*
> Seriously disturbing Japanese Anime. Somewhat confusing in places.


Heh heh. LoTO is the first Urotsukidoji, right? I've seen that. It's far less accomplished than something like *Akira* but still quite interesting and the spectacle after the Overfiend arises is well worth seeing.


----------



## ravenus

*Chaser aka Chugyeogja*
One has to ask about these darn Koreans - what do they chew on, and where can one get some? This is another mightily impressive directorial debut (Hong-Jin Na), about a cop turned pimp on the trail of a guy that's doing away with his women. On the other hand these guys sometimes seem all too attracted to nihilistic climaxes and general grisliness just to make their movies look cooler. Still, this is a very good watch.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Lifeforce *, a super-cheesy adaptation of a pretty cheesy Colin Wilson novel. They should just have called it Boobs From Outer Space! There are some moments that stand out, such as the initial view of the bat-creatures in the alien spacecraft, but on the whole poor pacing and acting hobnail what potential in the premise.


----------



## Culhwch

_Zombieland_ - I quite enjoyed this. I expected a lesser, Americanised take on _Shaun of the Dead_, but it was its own film. I quite liked the humour, and didn't even mind that it got a little schmalzy.


----------



## biodroid

*Cloudy with a chance of meatballs* - I haven't laughed so much in a movie since Dumb and Dumber.


----------



## ravenus

Culhwch said:


> _Zombieland_ - I quite enjoyed this. I expected a lesser, Americanised take on _Shaun of the Dead_, but it was its own film. I quite liked the humour, and didn't even mind that it got a little schmalzy.


Yeah, even though I am pretty much burned out on the Zombie film genre (yes, it has become its own genre now), this was a very decent watch.


----------



## Ice fyre

I just saw Moon, which took my breath away! One man in a wonderful set playing against himself. Simple yet brilliantly done. Must have cost a millionth of Avatars budget, but a film on a par with 2001 a Space oddesy! Fantastic, I reccomend it with all my heart!


----------



## Moonbat

This weekend I have watched: *500 Days of Summ*er which was quite funny and nicely done, I liked the direction and thought it was very charming (whatever that means) then there was *Road to Perdition*, a Tom hanks gangster flick which I thought looked better the first time I saw it, bvut was still very well done if a little slow, then I was coerced into wathcing *Changling*, which was very good, a very interesting true story about corrupt police in 20's america, I thought it was very well done, wasn't overly impressed with Angelina's acting but was a good film. Then I managed to watch *Zatoichi*, a brilliant japanese film about a blind swordsman ridding a town of an evil gang. Not so much on the man rididng the town story, but very well done and brilliantly shot, I loved the tap dance (stomp style) at the end.


----------



## clovis-man

Moonbat said:


> Then I managed to watch *Zatoichi*, a brilliant japanese film about a blind swordsman ridding a town of an evil gang. Not so much on the man rididng the town story, but very well done and brilliantly shot, I loved the tap dance (stomp style) at the end.


 
Was this the 2003 version? It's in my Netflix queue. I've seen pretty much all of the original bilnd swordsman movies from the 1960s starring Shintaro Katsu. I always enjoyed them too. I loved it when he would eat something like a rice cake and end up looking like George Costanza from Seinfeld. And his ability to outsmart all the guys in the back room games of chance was also great. Not to mention his "underhand" sword technique. Great fun.


----------



## Interference

Fantastic Four: Th Silver Surfer one.  Surprised to see the critics liked it - or at least the ones writing in the Radio Times - but not surprised comics fans didn't so much.  I mean, Norrin (o is it Norinn?) helping Sue because "you remind me of" his girlie?  Gimme a break (unless that's in the comic of course, in which case, "Go team!").

Reasonable enough action adventure, but a little light on the whole Galactus conceptualisation (except for a couple of shadows, they seem to have abandoned the Kirby image completely), particularly the cosmic significance of his existence, which I think deserved a bit of exploration.

Overall, meh.  I'd watch it again but I wouldn't be proud of myself.


----------



## Ice fyre

I actually didnt mind the first one, was good knock about fun, felt ironically the most flexible charicter was played by the most wooden actor, loved the lad who played the human torch and Ben Grim, wished the invisible girl had been invisible more often! 

May try to watch ths one sometime!


----------



## Interference

Ermmm, I may just be falling into a trap, here, but I was tempted to ask for a percentage of my ticket fee refunded for every minute Ms Alba turned invisible   - excpet I didn't pay for a ticket, so ... well, you get my drift


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Sixth Sense*. Love it. And this time I can stay and watch it all.


----------



## Interference

What'll you give me not to reveal the ending? *evil grin*


----------



## HoopyFrood

Absolutely nothing because I've seen it loads of times (hence the "Love it") and I kinda guessed at the ending the first time I saw it, anyhoos.


----------



## Interference

Darn.  Has _everybody_ seen this damned film?  How's an annoying bit of interference like me gonna make a decent living around here ... *grumblegrumble*


----------



## HoopyFrood

It's been parodied and referred to (including, most recently, in Lonely Island's interesting song that I shouldn't probably say the title to here) so much that even if you haven't seen the film, you'll know the ending. My housemate is watching it for the first time at the moment and she knows how it ends.


----------



## j d worthington

Errr... I knew how it ended the first time I saw the film, without all the hype. That was clear from the early scene with the mirror..... Still, the film is a good film overall; I just wish Night wouldn't rely so damned much on "twist" endings which, with any experience, one can see coming a mile or two away....


----------



## HoopyFrood

I like Night's stuff (well, the second half of The Village kinda petered out a bit...) I like twist endings, even if you can piece it together as you go. Audiences like to work.


----------



## j d worthington

It isn't a "twist ending" I object to. It is one that I can see coming as early on as I could here; within the first -- what? -- five minutes of the film. _That_ annoys me. I'll admit to not having seen his last three films, but I did like much of the quality of his work, save for that aspect. And, frankly, if a film relies too much on a twist in the tail (rather than having that as only one dimension of the whole) then it's a gimmick rather than a well-crafted piece of work. A twist is fine if, once you have already seen it, the film not only holds the interest but actually improves for you artistically on other levels. It is this aspect where I think Night has some serious problems he needs to work on....


----------



## Lobolover

Say , J.D. , I just now realised I never told you I recently saw "Plan 9" ? Had the dubious pleasure as well ?


----------



## j d worthington

Lobolover said:


> Say , J.D. , I just now realised I never told you I recently saw "Plan 9" ? Had the dubious pleasure as well ?


 
Errr... no. I've never made it all the way through an Ed Wood film at a single sitting. I have a fondness for the man's love of film and his desire to do film, but the films themselves I find on the level of having bamboo shoots shoved under my fingernails....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, I suppose he has become a little too known for his twist endings.


The Sixth Sense is a pretty fine film. For me, anyway.


----------



## j d worthington

Well, as I noted in my first post, I think it is a good film overall. While the twist is certainly there, the story focuses on the characters and the situations, and the symbolism and such, rather than relying entirely on that ending. As a result, it remains a fairly strong film after repeated viewings. *Signs*, on the other hand, was simply insulting....


----------



## HoopyFrood

I forgot about *Signs*.

Silly, silly ending.


----------



## Lobolover

I found Plan 9 to not be that horrible , but rather boring because of it's confusingness . Simply and bluntly put , even though people clearly see saucers above hollywood and it makes front page news , it aparently is stil insufficient to "prove" the extra terestrials' existence and so the only logical solution is to......raise a bunch of zombies . Nope , never explained .


----------



## Diggler

ravenus said:


> Heh heh. LoTO is the first Urotsukidoji, right? I've seen that. It's far less accomplished than something like *Akira* but still quite interesting and the spectacle after the Overfiend arises is well worth seeing.



I've always had a partial spot in my heart for *Fist of the North Star*. But seriously, Legend of the Overfiend (and it's sequel) were Mills & Boon with sicko sex and obscene violence.



ravenus said:


> *Chaser aka Chugyeogja*
> One has to ask about these darn Koreans - what do they chew on, and  where can one get some? This is another mightily impressive directorial  debut (Hong-Jin Na), about a cop turned pimp on the trail of a guy  that's doing away with his women. On the other hand these guys sometimes  seem all too attracted to nihilistic climaxes and general grisliness  just to make their movies look cooler. Still, this is a very good  watch.



This was a great film. You should watch (if you haven't seen them yet). Joon-ho Bong's Memories of Murder, Madeo (Mother) and Barking Dog's Never Bite. Much like his most well known film, The Host, his films are serious, but also satirical and quite funny.


----------



## Diggler

j. d. worthington said:


> Errr... no. I've never made it all the way through an Ed Wood film at a single sitting. I have a fondness for the man's love of film and his desire to do film, but the films themselves I find on the level of having bamboo shoots shoved under my fingernails....



Oh, cmon... The man was a Genius!


----------



## Foxbat

Just seen *The Grudge *for the first time. It's pretty predictable and formulaic but  enjoyable nonetheless.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Plan 9 *is by no means good...but I've sat through it, amazed and fascinated, three times.


----------



## GOLLUM

Pray tell us more J.P. I'm afraid I've never even heard of this.


----------



## Diggler

Foxbat said:


> Just seen *The Grudge *for the first time. It's pretty predictable and formulaic but  enjoyable nonetheless.



Which one? The US remake was terrible at best. The Japanese version, while I enjoyed the film, was extremely disjointed and dragged on for too long.


----------



## Foxbat

Diggler said:


> Which one? The US remake was terrible at best. The Japanese version, while I enjoyed the film, was extremely disjointed and dragged on for too long.


 
The Japanese version. It seemed to try and emulate a compendium of shorts from different character perspectives (but keeping the plot the same) whilst ignoring chronolgical sequencing to allow for more creative editing (which can work sometimes but not really in this case).


----------



## Happy Joe

Viewed "The Canyon" last night; An inexpensively made movie about how many bad decisions a functionally unconscious couple can make and still (kind of) survive in the wild. (A relatively unflattering, but semi-realistic, example of the knowledge and intelligence level of average Americans...)
The depiction of wolves was not good; for realism's sake they should have been feral dogs. (Yes, they can attack people).

I, pretty much, liked the movie and could recommend it as a rental on a slow day.

Enjoy!


----------



## ravenus

Diggler said:


> This was a great film. You should watch (if you haven't seen them yet). Joon-ho Bong's Memories of Murder, Madeo (Mother) and Barking Dog's Never Bite. Much like his most well known film, The Host, his films are serious, but also satirical and quite funny.


I've seen and loved *Memories of Murder* and *The Host*. *Madeo* was meh to start with, although it does get interesting later. That film would have been better as a 1 hour TV drama.
I also like Park Chan Wook's *Oldboy* and *Thirst*. Haven't seen any other work of his except the segment he did for *3 Extremes*.

btw today I rewatched an old B/W favorite - *Black Sunday* by Mario Bava


----------



## Lobolover

knivesout said:


> *Plan 9 *is by no means good...but I've sat through it, amazed and fascinated, three times.



How did you not fall asleep ?


----------



## Diggler

Foxbat said:


> The Japanese version. It seemed to try and emulate a compendium of shorts from different character perspectives (but keeping the plot the same) whilst ignoring chronolgical sequencing to allow for more creative editing (which can work sometimes but not really in this case).



You are right, it was a complete mess. The only thing that really kept me interested was the female ghost, who was extremely creepy. Otherwise I really don't understand the fuss. Japan has made far better horror films like Dark Water, Kwaidan Cure and Audition.



ravenus said:


> I've seen and loved *Memories of Murder* and  *The Host*. *Madeo* was meh to start with, although it does  get interesting later. That film would have been better as a 1 hour TV  drama.
> I also like Park Chan Wook's *Oldboy* and *Thirst*. Haven't  seen any other work of his except the segment he did for *3 Extremes*.
> 
> btw today I rewatched an old B/W favorite - *Black Sunday* by Mario  Bava



You really have to watch the other two parts of Park Chan Wook's 'Vengeance' series. Which are *Sympathy for Mr Vengeance* and *Sympathy for Lady Vengeance*. Oldboy sits in the middle of these two, though there is no reference between them. While on Chan Wook Park, I really do recommend seeing *Joint Security Area* (JSA). It is one of my favourite Korean films, and was the movie that got me into Park's films.

Bava is a true great of cinema in general! I used to own *Blood and Black Lace* on laserdisc years ago, I have no idea what happened to it though? I haven't actually seen a Bava film in close to 10 years, so I'm really hoping that you felt *Black Sunday* held up.

The last film i watched was *The Bourne Identity* in HD. While being a fantastic remake, with a killer Mini car chase, just didn't look that great in High Def. It was obviously the choice of filming in the middle of winter that created this.


----------



## Rothgar

Law Abiding Citizen.  Dark, gruesome, clever and enjoyable.  Gerard Butler has been on a roll lately.


----------



## littlemissattitude

*The Taming of the Shrew*, Taylor and Burton version.  I hadn't seen it in years and had forgotten how much fun it is.

I've also been rewatching episodes of the Ninth Doctor's season of *Doctor Who*.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Lobolover said:


> How did you not fall asleep ?



I can't explain it. I think it's just the _badness _of it all. I am very, very glad I only made my partner watch this with me _after _we got married, because she gave me the strangest look once it was all over and I sat there looking smug and satisfied with all the staggering ineptitude we had just witnessed.


----------



## Foxbat

Try *Night Of The Ghouls* or *Orgy Of The Dead* if you want to see how bad Ed Wood can _really_ be


----------



## ravenus

knivesout said:


> I am very, very glad I only made my partner watch this with me _after _we got married, because she gave me the strangest look once it was all over and I sat there looking smug and satisfied with all the staggering ineptitude we had just witnessed.


I suspect this is the sort of thing that will go very much against you in a court of law


----------



## Connavar

I saw *The Big Sleep* on TCM i thought for once they showed a real classic and not a film from 2001 or something..

I have read the novel but i have never seen The Big Sleep before.  I loved it, visually great,writing wise and great actors in it.  I thought Bogart was great,ice cool in others films i have seen but he gave Marlowe a depth he didnt have in the novel.


I enjoyed the film more than the book.   I have to see his other famous detective film.


----------



## Interference

You will _die_ of sheer rapture when you see Maltese Falcon, then (the Bogart one)


----------



## ravenus

*Outlander*
Whoever thought a movie about Vikings squaring off against alien creatures could be so dull and devoid of joy? Sheer waste of time, this Army of Dampness.


----------



## Lobolover

knivesout said:


> I can't explain it. I think it's just the _badness _of it all. I am very, very glad I only made my partner watch this with me _after _we got married, because she gave me the strangest look once it was all over and I sat there looking smug and satisfied with all the staggering ineptitude we had just witnessed.



I just cannot see what is so entertaining on the plot . Even the first screening was a little dull for me , because it made no sense but was not surreal enough to make that into a plus .


----------



## clovis-man

Re *Plan 9 From Outer Space*:



Lobolover said:


> I just cannot see what is so entertaining on the plot . Even the first screening was a little dull for me , because it made no sense but was not surreal enough to make that into a plus .


 
How can it not be entertaining? Poor Ed Wood trying to create witty dialogue with a set the size of an apartment patio and actors with talent to match. Tor Johnson and Vampira sleepwalking toward the strangely not very elusive humans.The character of Eros (played by that film icon Dudley Manlove) getting all snarky about the idiot humans. If all that doesn't put a grin on your face, then you are taking life much too seriously.

And as far as being the worst movie of all time, I would have to give it kudos compared to *Manos: The Hands of Fate* or *Robot Monster* (my personal top vote getter: A movie filmed at a hole in the ground).


----------



## Lobolover

I liked everything Johnson was in , but everything else was just saturated in nonsensicalness . I mean , how exactly does government officials claiming that there are no such things as UFO's change the fact they allowed their clearly visible apearance over hollywood to make front page news ? Or how does it change the fact that this _advanced alien civilisation_ (flaps hands in air for emphasis) thinks of letting three armed earthmen aboard their ship while being completely unarmed themselves , and later destroy the one important part of their ship which would make them _*not *_burn to cinders ?

And for that matter :

*How in the name of god do zombies prove the existence of aliens ?*


----------



## clovis-man

Lobolover said:


> *How in the name of god do zombies prove the existence of aliens ?*


 
Ow! Ow! Too much! Brain hurt!!


----------



## Lobolover

Your stupid earth mind hurts ?


----------



## Interference

I guess it's  a case of, "Well, if zombies exist ... sure, why not ... ?"


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> And as far as being the worst movie of all time, I would have to give it kudos compared to *Manos: The Hands of Fate* or *Robot Monster* (my personal top vote getter: A movie filmed at a hole in the ground).


 
Sorry. I have to disagree. Without doubt the worst movie ever made was *The Creeping Terror *- a carpet from outer space that eats people too stupid to run away. Still, it is hilarious in its own charming little way


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I have to see this!


----------



## Diggler

Foxbat said:


> Sorry. I have to disagree. Without doubt the worst movie ever made was *The Creeping Terror *- a carpet from outer space that eats people too stupid to run away. Still, it is hilarious in its own charming little way



Actually I think *B.T.K. Killer* by Ulli Lomell was probably the worst film I've ever seen, and I have seen a lot over the years. The film would repeat certain sequences (like the killer laughing) over and over, ad nauseum, till you were ready to go into epileptic seizures.

This film quite literally made Plan 9 seem like Citizen Kane in comparison.

Also anything with the name *MOVIE* attached to it is guaranteed win.


----------



## BookStop

We watched *The Wrestler* last night...it was very, very good, but so sad.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *Away We Go*, a 2009 movie with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph as a pair of young professionals expecting a child having major self doubts. they go on a strange odyssey visiting several acquaintances who all demonstrate some version of "how not to raise a child". Good acting from an ensemble cast. Worthwhile.


----------



## Connavar

Interference said:


> You will _die_ of sheer rapture when you see Maltese Falcon, then (the Bogart one)



I will look forward to that one, i just have to read the novel first big Hammett fan.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Watched *Rear Window* a few days ago. The film was much funnier than I expected. Not laugh-out-loud funny but rather, wry-smile funny (if that makes any sense). I'm working my way through Hitchcock's films and I love his female characters. They're complex and real, unlike so many female characters in modern films.


----------



## Interference

Hitchcock's wit is all through every one of his films - though I suppose you could say the writers had something to do with that - though strangely his one (almost) comic film (The Trouble With Harry) kinda failed to deliver.  Too broadly humourous for him, I think.

He's accused of selecting female "types" when casting, but this is ignoring the fact that he never allowed his female characters to play a secondary role to the male lead.  Grace Kelly is vital to Stewart in Rear Window (and even in Dial M For Murder is more than merely a potential victim), Tippy Hedron key to the psychological undercurrent of The Birds, Janet Leigh (of course) dominates Psycho even after her 20-odd minutes screen time, only in Rope do we truly miss the feminine centre around which all the plots and action are allowed to revolve elsewhere in his work.

In another era, perhaps he would have got away with casting women in lead roles (imagine Carry Grant and Grace Kelly swapping roles in To Catch A Thief - intriguing possibilities, no?) but we can be grateful that his actresses were never subservient to either the script or the male lead.

Two cents, please


----------



## Daisy-Boo

I have *The Trouble With Harry* in my collection but haven't watched it yet. 

I've also read those accusations of him casting female "types" and if he did so, he did a damn good job of it. LOL.

I agree with your assessment of the importance of his female characters. Think of *Stage Fright*, where Jane Wyman and Marlene Dietrich played two of the (IMO) three major roles. 

I read an article recently where the writer stated that there are far fewer strong female roles in film today, than there was in the Golden Age of Hollywood. I'm inclined to agree with that, but only to a certain extent. I think far too many mainstream films (based on what comes to our shores) do not have female characters that I identify with. However, indie and art films are usually better represented in that regard.

In any case, I'll always have much love for Hitchcock.


----------



## Overread

Appaloosa - this is not a film and this is not something I should like.

Yet it is indeed a film feature and it is indeed something I like. If you've ever watched and liked Firefly then you might like this - its got that very same feel - similar music - but a much bigger budget for visuals. It's also not written like a film, its a series stripped of its filler episodes and pushed into a film format. As a film it really does not work fully well, but if this had been a series it would have been Firefly grade (that means darn good )


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Connavar said:


> I will look forward to that one, i just have to read the novel first big Hammett fan.



Movie and book, both are brilliant.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *Moon*. I think I've seen too many SF movies. This one struck me as having elements of *Silent Running*, *2001: A Space Oddysey* and *Bladerunner*. All rolled together. But once I got past that, it was an interesting film. Sam Rockwell was great. Some plot holes, but no problem. Intriguing and enjoyable.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Yeah, I thought Moon's plot kinda fell apart if you thought about it too much but I liked it anyway because it was a break from the usual effects-laden SF movie and was built around a really good acting performance.


----------



## Happy Joe

I did a mystery SciFi double last night;
"Whiteout" a relatively straight up murder mystery set at the south pole. Fair, moderately entertaining; but I still wonder if there are really police/marshals on/in Antartica... (Other holes become apparent as the plot develops; but I won't spoil it).

"Battlefield Earth" Some how I have missed this one until now (It wasn't much of a loss). 
About what you'd expect from a movie based on a L. Ron Hubbard book; not much.
I kept thinking that the movie had potential, but it never materialized.
Not really terrible, but not particularly good or worth seeing. A large number of, relatively glaring, plot holes. This movie was somewhat better than I expected, relatively good production values, but hampered by the lack of a sufficiently evil bad guy, and a sufficiently heroic good guy. A relatively high buget movie that is better than many low budget movies.
Might be worth a rental if you like early Travolta.

Enjoy!


----------



## Moonbat

*Australia *the infamous flop of an epic. I watched this with a very open mind and I must admit it wasn't all that bad. My girlfriend couldn't get past the terrible pidgeon english spoken by the Narrator, but I forced her to see it through, she still insists it was rubbish. I, however, saw some good points. I think it suffers from too much comedy early on, so that the drama isn't taken seriously enough. I thought Nicole Kidman was actually very funny at the start, especially the Kangaroo bit 
Over the 150 minutes it didn't really achieve what it set out to do, it was fairly epic and very interesting, I was unaware of the Japanese attacks on thier way home from Pearl Harbour (please tell me this wasn't fictional) but I thought it had some good performances. Its not *Braveheart* but nor is it *Kingdom of Heaven*


----------



## ktabic

Happy Joe said:


> but I still wonder if there are really police/marshals on/in Antartica



I want to see that movie sometime.
Amazingly yes. There are two US special Deputy Marshals stationed in Antarctica. These aren't 'proper' Marshals, they work in other areas and have been sworn in as Marshals. 
The only other police in Antarctica I've heard of are New Zealand police, while they where investigating a murder (in the US part of Antarctica)



Moonbat said:


> *Australia *the infamous flop of an epic. I watched this with a very open mind and I must admit it wasn't all that bad.



Oh good, I should be seeing this one soon. Am glad it's not as bad as it's made out to be.


----------



## Thadlerian

Moon. Not sure what I think of it yet.


----------



## Diggler

Happy Joe said:


> I did a mystery SciFi double last night;
> "Whiteout" a relatively straight up murder mystery set at the south pole. Fair, moderately entertaining; but I still wonder if there are really police/marshals on/in Antartica... (Other holes become apparent as the plot develops; but I won't spoil it).



Whiteout was just plain bland. Bland setting, bland looking lead (quite an achievement for Kate Beckinsale), bland story. I had the whodunnit aspect worked out withing 30 minutes 



Moonbat said:


> *Australia *the infamous flop of an epic. I  watched this with a very open mind and I must admit it wasn't all that  bad. My girlfriend couldn't get past the terrible pidgeon english spoken  by the Narrator, but I forced her to see it through, she still insists  it was rubbish. I, however, saw some good points. I think it suffers  from too much comedy early on, so that the drama isn't taken seriously  enough. I thought Nicole Kidman was actually very funny at the start,  especially the Kangaroo bit
> Over the 150 minutes it didn't really achieve what it set out to do, it  was fairly epic and very interesting, I was unaware of the Japanese  attacks on thier way home from Pearl Harbour (please tell me this wasn't  fictional) but I thought it had some good performances. Its not *Braveheart*  but nor is it *Kingdom of Heaven*



Australia was typical Baz Luhrmann. Cheesy, silly, light hearted entertainment. I actually quite enjoyed it. This was because I really did know what to expect, due to being an Aussie, and growing up with Luhrmann films. The only real gripe I had was with Nicole Kidman, who honestly could not act her way out of a primary school play.


----------



## Jon Sprunk

Saw *Shutter Island* this week. Although it ran a tad long (2 hrs 18 mins), it held my attention the whole way through. The ending was predictable, but that didn't alter my enjoyment of the film.


----------



## Happy Joe

I didn't dislike *Australia*; agreed it is nothing special but still, I didn't feel ripped off basically an average, moderately entertaining, movie experience.

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Mrs Doubtfire*,first time on DVD. Last time I saw it was on a crappy copied VHS-I forgot just how good it is!


----------



## j d worthington

Re-watched Sweeney Todd a couple of nights ago. Had intended to just pop it in and catch a couple of the set-pieces before going to bed, and ended up watching the whole thing, not getting to sleep until after 3:30 a.m.... I know a fair number of people had trouble with this one, but I keep being amazed at how good it is; it is certainly a biting piece, and the flow of the whole thing is exceptional; there really isn't a pause anywhere in the narrative... which is why I simply couldn't turn it off.....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto   *An amusing animation that is definitely *not* for the kids.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *The Wolfman *tonight and i Loved it. 

Cinematography was outstanding, i liked the dark visual,the athmosphere. Very good werewolf horror that kept you on edge of the seat. I liked how the sound effect was used so well. I choosed to see it for the three quality male actors. Anthony Hopkins was a pleasure to watch as usual.

The only thing that wasnt so good was the plot,ending but thats not their fualt. Its an old story it cant end different than that.

Worth the ticket because it was surprising vivid,horrific,quality visuals. Almost hope for a sequal if it was that kind of story. Or a new Werewolf film by the same director.

I also saw *The Terminator* , a film i underrated so much because of the great sequal.  It was more like Alien, it felt like SF/Horror and SF/Action like T2.

Story wise it told better story of the future,everything.  The music,the cold machine hunting them.  I have new found respect for Cameron,Arnold,Hamilton.

Only like 3 time i have seen this movies but first time in many years. Felt like a new film.


----------



## CyBeR

I'm currently rewatching old Disney animations with my girlfriend. We got through 'The sword in the stone' (held back by the bland story and the fact that it is after all a teaching film), 'Meet the Robinsons' (unexpected good 3D effort...time paradoxes and all), 'The Aristocats' (I can never find anything bad to say about this), 'Tarzan' (I finally gave it a second chance...much better than my previous opinion of it years ago) and '101 Dalmatians' (insanely good as well). 

I nearly forgot how expressive 2D animation once was. Intertwined between all these the anime film 'Dead Leaves' and I must say it was completely subpar. Was funny, but nothing I'd carry in my memories for long.


----------



## Talysia

It's been a while since I watched many films, but I recently saw _LadyHawke _for the first time, and thought it was ok.  More recently, I rewatched _The Haunting _(1963 b/w version), and enjoyed it much, much more.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
*
Based on a Darren Shan book (I haven't read his books though).

John C Reilly as Lartan Crepsley (Vampire)
Willem Dafoe as Gavner Purl (Vampire)
Chris Massoglia as Darren Shan (Vampire)

Salma Hayek, Orlando Jones, Jane Krakowski, Ken Watanabe and Frankie Faison as some of the Freaks.

Darren Shan is a 16-year old who lives a normal (and boring) life, until he and his best friend Steve, visit a freak show that has just come to town. A series of events leads to Darren becoming a half-vampire (he can walk in the day). He unwittingly breaks a 100-year old truce between Vampires (non-lethal, peaceful blood drinkers) and the Vampaneze (they kill their victims).

I didn't expect much from this movie and was therefore pleasantly surprised to find how much I liked it. Chris Massoglia as Darren Shan held his own against experienced actors like Reilly and Hayek and was very likeable.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Couples Retreat* last week. I thought it was pretty cute and definately had some funny parts.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Horton Hears a Who*
Put it on for matthew to watch,but I enjoyed it more!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Coraline*,on Blu-Ray. 
Wonderful film-this is my kind of fantasy! Definitely not a kids film tho! If I were 10 i'd be hiding behind mum at certain scenes!
So this is what Neil Gaiman does for a living huh


----------



## Foxbat

*Inferno *Although this suffers from the usual Argento-esque script incohesion, it is more than made up for by the fantastic lighting and colours used in the sets. Looks absolutey gorgeous -  which still makes it worth watching despite some story confusion.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I loved *Suspiria*, which also answers well to the description you've given and keep meaning to watch more of Argento's work.


----------



## BookStop

*Th Invention of Lying* was pretty good, if not a bit slow on towards the end.

*Pandorum* was really awful. I hate to say it, because I was really looking forward to a good sf horror, but so many things didn't make any sense...shame, because the basic story and effects were good, but just got ruined by bad writing and directing.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> *Coraline*,on Blu-Ray.
> Wonderful film-this is my kind of fantasy! Definitely not a kids film tho! If I were 10 i'd be hiding behind mum at certain scenes!
> So this is what Neil Gaiman does for a living huh


 
That's a very encouraging comment AE. I've resisted watching the movie because I loved the book and was afraid that the movie would be "too Hollywood", if you know what I mean.

I'm going to put aside my reservations and watch it with an open mind.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Coraline is a very good movie. I still love the book a bit more, but it's a very good movie.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Thanks knivesout, I'm definitely going to watch the movie then.


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> *Inferno *Although this suffers from the usual Argento-esque script incohesion, it is more than made up for by the fantastic lighting and colours used in the sets. Looks absolutey gorgeous -  which still makes it worth watching despite some story confusion.


WELL. I loved Suspiria but was absolutely bored by this one. I didn't think it looked at all as good, and Keith Emerson's score was blah.


----------



## ravenus

The 1954 film of *20000 Leagues Under The Sea* is one of the most  badass things Disney has ever produced. A spectacularly mounted  live-action adventure yarn with lavish steampunk production design,  gorgeous underwater footage and a solid performance from James Mason as  Captain Nemo.


----------



## Moonbat

I've just watched *Pandorum* and I liked it. It was very thrilling and had an interesting twist at the end. It also had a few plot holes, but I don't mind them. I would have been more interested to see them land and start populating the new planet, but neh, you can't have everything.
All in all a pleasant viewing.


----------



## Thadlerian

Avatar, for the third time. I had managed to locate some friends who hadn't seen it. But this was probably the last time - it wasn't quite as exciting this time over.

Awesome movie, though.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*District 9*. Very different movie, and quite entertaining.


----------



## The DeadMan

Lady of Winterfell said:


> *District 9*. Very different movie, and quite entertaining.


I saw that at the movie theater. I liked it very much. I wonder if there will be a sequel to it where the aliens come back to rescue their people?


----------



## j d worthington

Another Hitchcock for me: *I Confess* (1953) with Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, and Karl Malden. A little too theatrical for my tastes, but not a bad film... just a bit too contrived and melodramatic (the result, perhaps, of it being an adaptation of a stage play). Some good performances, and some very good tableaus, as well as a good score by Dmitri Tiomkin and a rather subdued (overall) direction by Hitchcock... little of his wry humor is obviously evident (though it is there is you look) save for the opening of the film and certain little touches throughout (which could as easily be chalked up to characterization). (The theatricality or melodramatic quality was more in the script and incidents than the actual direction or visuals.) I would call it one of his minor films, but still worth a watch....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Hot Fuzz* at the moment.

Recently I watched *Working Girl* and *Crocodile Dundee* (starting to think that the end scene is an inspired bit of screenwriting).


----------



## ravenus

*Justice League: The New Frontier*
Animated JLA movie set in the 50's where issues develop between  superheroes and the US government, and then a massive extra-terrestrial  threat turns up. While I'm all for trimming a plot to its bare  essentials and keeping a brisk running time, this one takes it too far. I  assume the source comics are more substantial with the build-up and  resolution of the superhero conflict. Some damn good spectacle sequences  though (and one very clever scene of Manhunter watching TV), making it  worth the watch.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Another Hitchcock for me too: *Marnie*, with Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren. A little melodramatic but not in a bad way. I find Tippi Hedren to be a very engaging actress and thought she was well-cast in the title role. Marnie is an interesting and complex character. There is a scene early in the movie where she asks her mother why she (the mother) doesn't love her (Marnie). It was a touching scene that could easily have been over-acted but Hedren handled it perfectly. I felt her sadness and despair.


----------



## Diggler

I watched Minority Report. Some of it was a bit cheesy and the film definitely veered far from PKD's original short. Definitely one of the best PKD adaptions though.


----------



## MeriPie

*Legion.* Bit disappointed because I've been desperate to see it since the trailers first came out... It started off really well but just fell a bit flat, and the end didn't excite me at all. I wasn't very tense or particularly worried, especially when the baby survives a car crash where the car flips 8 or 9 times. The thing's clearly superhuman so not such a major worry about saving it. There's also no explanation of why anything much is happening and lots of 'epic' one-liners and statements about hope etc. 

Also Paul Bettany didn't take his shirt off and I was expecting shirtless action. Very sad.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

The DeadMan said:


> I saw that at the movie theater. I liked it very much. I wonder if there will be a sequel to it where the aliens come back to rescue their people?


 
I wondered that as well, since they left that bit open at the end. And will it be a peaceful rescue or not?


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I watched *The Abominable Dr. Phibes *last night. Wonderful, over-the-top campy weirdness. I do prefer movies that slather Vincent Price in less make-up and allow him to use his wonderful voice to better effect, but really, this was great - like an Argento movie remade by the people who did the Batman TV series with Adam West.


----------



## j d worthington

knivesout said:


> ...but really, this was great - like an Argento movie remade by the people who did the Batman TV series with Adam West.


 
All right... I have been duly repaid for my comment about Cthulhu and Cordwainer Smith....


----------



## Diggler

I watched *Ninja Assassin*. Made by the director of *V for Vendetta*. I would describe it as live action Manga. Silly story, woeful acting, great action and obscenely violent.. What more could you want!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Watched Hitchcock's *Torn Curtain* about 3/4 way through last night. I was disappointed. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews are both actors I enjoy watching but there was little chemistry between these two on screen. I simply didn't buy them as a couple. 

Also, it's the first Hitchcock film I've watched where I don't particularly like the female lead character. She seemed to be more of an accessory than a character in her own right. I thought Hitchcock's earlier films had much more interesting female characters. 

I'm not sure if I'll watch it to the end.


----------



## ravenus

Diggler said:


> I watched *Ninja Assassin*. Made by the director of *V for Vendetta*. I would describe it as live action Manga. Silly story, woeful acting, great action and obscenely violent.. What more could you want!


You forget to add, they had *Sho Kosugi*, who is as Ninja as it gets for the people that grew up on the cheesy Ninja movies of the 80's.


----------



## Happy Joe

"F4 Vortex", a German tornado movie; slow, ponderous (outright boring for the most part) about a tornado striking Germany.  It could have been cut down from 2 hours to an hour or 90 minutes and would have been a better movie, IMO.

"Ninja", another American rased in Japan, turns into a ninja, movie; totally predictable, another reahash of the same old storyline, OK for a modern Ninja movie.

Enjoy!


----------



## Nessa

2012 from Emmerich in dvd, I didn't like screenplay but special effects were good


----------



## Diggler

ravenus said:


> You forget to add, they had *Sho Kosugi*, who is as Ninja as it gets for the people that grew up on the cheesy Ninja movies of the 80's.



You're right, no cheesy ninja movie is complete without Sho Kosugi, who was also the best actor


----------



## dask

3:10 TO YUMA, remake with Russell Crowe. Well made western with plenty of action but suffers from hard-to-swallow ending.

TOKYO GORE POLICE: Buried within the bad special effects of this all gore, no horror butcher shop flick beats the pulse of a good idea. But even hot (really hot) Eihi Shiina is unable to keep it alive. This film died way before it terminated.


----------



## Nexus

The Damned United

Bought it on DVD yesterday, watched it. It's pretty good, Michael Sheen puts in a good performance as Clough, capturing him perfectly.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Seven Days in May*

Great ensemble cast, but the highlight has to be Burt Lancaster and Frederic March. The confrontation scene between The President and General Scott is superb.


----------



## blacknorth

Harry Kilmer said:


> *Seven Days in May*
> 
> Great ensemble cast, but the highlight has to be Burt Lancaster and Frederic March. The confrontation scene between The President and General Scott is superb.



Thought Kirk Douglas stole this one with a thankless, understated performance.

If you liked it you might also like Twilight's Last Gleaming.


----------



## clovis-man

*Zatoichi, The Blind Swordsman *Zatôichi (2003)

This 2003 film comes not very closely on the heels of the seemingly endless Zatoichi films featuring Shintaro Katsu. This one stars in the title role and is directed by Takeshi Kitano. I'm not sure if this is intended to be an homage to the older series of films and TV shows or something to be enjoyed _sui generis_, but it is both relentlessly bloody and rhythmically inventive. Scenes of labor in rice fields are choreographed. The closing scene with a Japanese "Stomp" version is at once fascinating and totally out of place.

If you liked the earlier films, this one (which reprises virtually all of their elements) will also be appreciated.


----------



## BookStop

*Zatoichi* - One of my favorite movies!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I quite enjoyed Zatoichi too. 

Last night, I watched *Hands Of The Ripper *a Hammer Horror which tried to take a more psychological approach to horror, with the usual Hammer plot gaps and an 11th-hour reversion to supernaturalism. It still managed to build up to a predictable yet very effective climax.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Saving Private Ryan* at the moment. Just about fifteen minutes in and gripping my cup of tea so very tightly.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Downfall of Berlin   Anonyma*

Based on the diaries of a woman trying to survive in the last days of Berlin 1945.

Brutal in places and well directed, this movie is worth watching.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Saving Private Ryan* at the moment. Just about fifteen minutes in and gripping my cup of tea so very tightly.



I remember watching this for the first time at the cinema. After that long opening scene I realised I had sat through it as tense as a wire and had to make an effort to relax my body. An amazing scene.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, that opening scene...phew. Just amazing. 

Must've been quite the experience at the cinema. I'm glad I got to see Jurassic Park at the cinema, even though now all I can really remember is that it was _very_ loud. 

Watching *Audition* at the moment, a Miike Takashi film, lent to me by a friend. He said I wasn't even allowed to read the back cover blurb, so I'm going into it totally clueless.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Audition* at the moment, a Miike Takashi film, lent to me by a friend. He said I wasn't even allowed to read the back cover blurb, so I'm going into it totally clueless.


 
Hooo, boy. This is a reaction I'd love to see....

You know, you really should follow this up with another of his films: *The Happiness of the Katakuris*:

The Happiness of the Katakuris - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yep, that's right... death, ruination, lies, deceit, murder, and all sorts of mayhem... done as a musical comedy, with "claymation sequences" thrown in....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yes, I think that's why he's lent it to me, and told me not to look at anything about it, so he can ask for my reaction afterwards.

Musical comedy and claymation. There's a combination.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Yes, I think that's why he's lent it to me, and told me not to look at anything about it, so he can ask for my reaction afterwards.
> 
> Musical comedy and claymation. There's a combination.


 
Well, the claymation is only a very minor part of the whole, but it does rather jump out at you when it appears... and is among the more perverse images in an already twisted film.

The thing is... the bloody thing _*works!*_ It is actually a brilliant little film. Not only that, but it is, oddly, one of the most _uplifting_ films I've ever come across. A truly bizarre experience, but well worth seeking out....


----------



## ravenus

Kathryn Bigelow's *Strange Days* is, even with its flaws, a pretty darn good futuristic noir thriller. Ralph Fiennes as the weasely Lenny was awesome!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Tomb Of Ligeia*, the last Corman/Price Poe 'adaptation'. Very lush production but not an especially inspired take on the subject-matter, reducing it to a sort of lesser _Rebecca _with over the top Gothic atmosphere.


----------



## j d worthington

knivesout said:


> *The Tomb Of Ligeia*, the last Corman/Price Poe 'adaptation'. Very lush production but not an especially inspired take on the subject-matter, reducing it to a sort of lesser _Rebecca _with over the top Gothic atmosphere.


 
I'm afraid I'd have to agree with you on this one. Some very nice things scattered throughout there, but it does'n't cohere very well. I will say, however, that it is miles beyond *The Oblong Box*....


----------



## Rodders

I watched Colossus, the Forbin Project last night. 

A good film that's crying to be remade IMO.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Alice in Wonderland*.

Thought it was great. Especially the cheshire cat (Stephen Fry).


----------



## Nesacat

Solomon Kane ... after I borrow one of his swords to kill the people on the censor board, I'll go see it again. It occured to them, for some unfathomable reason, to chop dialogue.


----------



## Mouse

Hilarious Joke said:


> *Alice in Wonderland*.
> 
> Thought it was great. Especially the cheshire cat (Stephen Fry).



I'm going to see this on Tuesday. 

Last film I saw was *Easy Virtue. *With Jessica Biel and the lovely Ben Barnes. Seen it a couple of times now, I love it.


----------



## BookStop

Just got back from *Alice in Wonderland* 3D. It was very, very good, but I think 3D technology was wasted on this one.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *The Wrestler* this morning, I have been waiting to see this as I have read good things about it and I wasn't disappointed. A brilliant film, I would have prefered a happeir ending, but I loved the no holds barred (pun intended) look at wrestling, especially the lower end of the fame/money scale. I thought it was a very good film, well worth watching. Personally I used to enjoy a bit of WWF when I was younger and although it wasn't really the 80's when I watched it, I loved the look of Mickey Rourke, his hair flicking was particularly amusing.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I watched the Korean Horror film *Thirst*, which was essentially *Therese Raquin *with added vampiric action. Lots of ham acting, a 2-hour plus running time that was at least 40 minutes hysterical over-reacting and overemphasis that could have been edited out and an attempt to keep too many balls in the air all at once only to have them all come crashing down.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Moonbat said:


> I watched *The Wrestler* this morning, I have been waiting to see this as I have read good things about it and I wasn't disappointed. A brilliant film, I would have prefered a happeir ending, but I loved the no holds barred (pun intended) look at wrestling, especially the lower end of the fame/money scale. I thought it was a very good film, well worth watching. Personally I used to enjoy a bit of WWF when I was younger and although it wasn't really the 80's when I watched it, I loved the look of Mickey Rourke, his hair flicking was particularly amusing.


 
I agree with you - brilliant film. I can't imagine anyone else but Mickey Rourke in the lead role. As big and muscular as he is, you see his vulnerability and just want to hug the big guy.

I was once an avid fan of WWE. About 10 years ago they toured South Africa and I bought tickets for myself and my then 9-year old niece. We sat in the second row (only because front-row tickets were sold out, LOL). It was a brilliant show! I have much respect for what they put their bodies through and for their commitment to entertaining their audiences.


----------



## ktabic

*Vanilla Skies*. Didn't really do anything for me. But then I've watched several similar films recently.


----------



## Wybren

Watched *Keinohrhasen* (Rabbit without ears) this afternoon, it was pretty good for a romantic comedy, and (german aside) I found the dialogue refressingly different from the norm, there are some topics of conversation that I dont believe they get away with in an American or British film. While the ending was predictable (All romantic comedies have predictable endings mind you) it was an enjoyable movie.


----------



## ravenus

knivesout said:


> I watched the Korean Horror film *Thirst*, which was essentially *Therese Raquin *with added vampiric action. Lots of ham acting, a 2-hour plus running time that was at least 40 minutes hysterical over-reacting and overemphasis that could have been edited out and an attempt to keep too many balls in the air all at once only to have them all come crashing down.


Oh come, i thought Kang-ho Song did an excellent job in the lead role. Not having read the book on which it is based, I saw the romance angle as a sort of inverted "Superman" romance (the girl being attracted to a guy that can lap over buildings and have incredible strength, so what if he has to slurp blood once in a while). It had some nice tongue-in-cheek too, although the change in tone after you-know-who goes vampiric was VERY jarring and sullied the elegance of the proceedings that far.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Sunshine*-very good!


----------



## Foxbat

*Attack On Leningrad* (Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino)saw some poor reviews for this but picked it up cheap so gave it a go. Based on the true story of a journalist trapped during the siege, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. 

In the end, I thought it was a worthwhile watch


----------



## Tillane

Went to see _*Alice In Wonderland*_ at the weekend, and really enjoyed it - despite the fact that I had a noisome teen sat behind me, kicking the back of my chair throughout.  Visually, it's an absolute treat, as you'd expect from Burton.  I have a few quibbles - I think the Bandersnatch could have been better realised, and Absolem was...well, let's just say I'm glad he wasn't around too long - but mostly it looked great.  There are a couple of neat little visual pointers to Burton's earlier films, too, most obviously the tree at the bottom of the rabbit hole, which is straight out of _*Sleepy Hollow*_.  Oh, and as a last point on the visuals - I went to see it in 2D (my eyesight won't allow me to watch 3D movies), and as I was leaving the theatre heard a couple saying that they reckoned it was better in 2D than 3D.  Can't corroborate that, but I'll say this: you could see all the 3D cues, and I'm not sure it would add a lot to the experience.

Performance-wise, Helena Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp pretty much steal the show.  Bonham-Carter is wonderfully OTT as the Red Queen (and seems to be channelling Miranda Richardson's Queenie from Blackadder at times), while Depp's Hatter veers between manic daftness and melancholy.  Stephen Fry is good fun as the Cheshire Cat, as is Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee (though I think the characters would get very annoying after a while), and Crispin Glover is nicely noxious as the Knave of Hearts.  Mia Wasikowska has a bit of a thankless task as Alice, surrounded as she is by top performances, but does fine nonetheless.  The only real disappointment was Anne Hathaway, who seemed to be playing the White Queen as some kind of half-demented Earth-child: no doubt it was intended that way, but it wasn't half distracting at times.

Anyway, bit of a ramble, that.  Point is, it's good fun, and two hours very enjoyably spent.


----------



## ravenus

*Alice...*was shot in 2D so that would be the better way of seeing it. I hear they turn the story towards some LoTR style good-v/s-eeevil conflict.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Four Christmases.* It was alright, nothing special.


----------



## Talysia

Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  Oddly enough, it was the first time I'd seen it all the way through.


----------



## Mouse

Just seen Alice in Wonderland today in 3D. I enjoyed it too, though probably would've been just as good in 2D. I also had annoying kids next to me, chatting about what was happening. Seriously, talk _after_ the film! Gah! And their dad/granddad was chatting away with them too!


----------



## The DeadMan

I also went to see Alice today and enjoyed it very much. I went to a 12:00 matinee and there were only a handful of people there, so I didn't even have anybody sitting close to annoy me.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

blacknorth said:


> Thought Kirk Douglas stole this one with a thankless, understated performance.
> 
> If you liked it you might also like Twilight's Last Gleaming.



Will add it to the list


----------



## ktabic

*Resident Evil: Degeneration*. An all CGI film based on the games and nothing to do with the other Resident Evil films. Not bad.


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Avatar.* I was quite underwhelmed actually. Very pretty and everything but I like a bit more story if it's going to be a long movie. I didn't think it lived up to the hype, but then I suppose not many things ever do! All in all not a bad way to spend an evening, but nothing that special.


----------



## Diggler

The DeadMan said:


> I also went to see Alice today and enjoyed it very much. I went to a 12:00 matinee and there were only a handful of people there, so I didn't even have anybody sitting close to annoy me.



The Wife is an avid Tim Burton fan, so we'll be seeing this tomorrow. Hopefully, there won't be too many people, as we'll be seeing a weekday matinee as well.

Last movie I watched was Rec 2. It was pretty much the same thing as Rec, though nowhere near as good. The story was just stupid, with a lot of religious overtones. The only good parts of the film was a higher budget, which allowed for better FX and some quite amazing head cam work.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

ravenus said:


> Oh come, i thought Kang-ho Song did an excellent job in the lead role.


I'll give you that. He had a quiet dignity that stood out. 

The first half of the film promised much, I almost expected a Martin-esque exploration of what it is to be or become a monster, but the interminable second half considerably killed a lot of the goodwill established earlier on. By the time the quite decent ending came along, with the former priest's visit to the camp of his followers, it resolved a plot thread that was fascinating, had potential for great development but was relegated offstage most of the time in favour of a romantic melodrama.


----------



## Nesacat

Crawled home and 5am and I am sure anything the cat dragged in would have been in better shape. I therefore sat and watched *Godzilla *movies with Meera. The original Japanese ones where Tokyo gets pretty much leveled each time. You've got to admire this city. I love these movies. Huge monsters. Tiny matchbox cities. Mayhem. Flames everywhere. And the exaggerated sound effects. Splendid perk-up.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

_Invictus._

Decent movie, but certainly not Oscar-worthy.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched* Before the devil knows you're dead *last night and really enjoyed it, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is always a great pleasure to watch and was particularly slimy in this tale of a robbery gone wrong, Ethan Hawke was pretty good although he seemed to remind me to Tom Cruise at times (not sure why, probably the accent) Marisa Tomei had her boobs out in several scenes so that was another bonus, and Albert finney had his usual mouth open gawp.


----------



## ravenus

I saw* Fantastic Mr. Fox* last night, which is a Wes Anderson meets Stop-Motion movie. Pretty decent and much more happening than some of the other Wes Anderson movies I have seen. George Clooney was good in the lead role.


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Detroit Rock City.* Seen it lots of times but still makes me chuckle. Set in the 70's four teenage boys lose tickets to see KISS playing in Detroit (the clue's in the title ) and embark on a series of adventures trying to find a way into the concert. It's not a deep meaningful movie but it's definitely worth a watch if you don't want anything too challenging!


----------



## jojajihisc

*Surveillance* (2008)

Demented horror flick posing as murder mystery. Director Jennifer Lynch should seek out a new style besides that of her father.


----------



## clovis-man

*Kronos*.  From 1957. I hadn't watched this flick in decades. It was so bad it was good. I loved all the "High Voltage!!" signs all around that tipped you off as to how the next death was going to occur. So much stock footage used that Ed Wood must have been jealous. And Jeff Morrow as the heroic scientist (I had a hard time not thinking of him as Exeter from *This Island Earth*).

Mild fun. Now I'm good for the next forty years.


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally saw "Moon", also "Universal Soldier - Regeneration"
"Moon" kept me guessing for the first 15 minutes or so after that it was just slow (it has near zero potential for me to watch it again).
Universal Soldier-R was almost pathetic, in places, (a last attempt from some once popular action stars).
I would rate Universal Soldier-R as the more enjoyable movie although neither was terrible, neither was particularly good.  Both are potential rentals on a slow day.

Enjoy!


----------



## Nexus

Shutter Island was awful.

I haven't seen any other Scorsese films, so dunno if I'd like them.


----------



## Esioul

Alice and Wonderland. It was quite good, would like to have seen it in 3D though.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Admiral* (Russian)
An extremely romanticised view of the rise and fall of Aleksandr Kolchak.

This is a sumptuous Russian epic of the Civil War that reaches Zhivago-esque proportions. Great costumes, very good battle scenes on both land and sea, good acting and a decent (if rather finely whittled version of events).

My one great problem with this movie is this: there are significant scenes that show the birth of the _Red Terror_ during the Russian Civil War but absolutely nothing to indicate the brutality and suffering done to the population under Kolchak's _White Terror. _This is an extremely skewed piece of filmmaking that reveals to the audience an almost Spartacus-like Russian leader that is betrayed by weaker minded individuals. The reality was significantly different.

Still, as film entertainment, I enjoyed the spectacle and will probably watch it again.


----------



## ktabic

Finally got around to watching District 9 last night. Couple of plot holes that kinda leapt out at me, but otherwise a fine movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *The Fourth Kind*,a creepy  bit of alien abduction cinema with Millia Jovovovovovovich


----------



## littlemissattitude

Just finished watching *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, followed by *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*. Roommate and I are working our way through the series. Again, for her. It was the first time I'd seen *Goblet of Fire*.

I've got *V for Vendetta* out of the library; haven't ever seen all of it (fell asleep when I tried to watch it on cable, but it had been a very long day of travel, so maybe it wasn't the movie). I'd intended to watch it tonight, but after the two HPs, I doubt I'd stay awake. Maybe tomorrow, then.


----------



## ravenus

littlemissattitude said:


> I've got *V for Vendetta* out of the library; haven't ever seen all of it (fell asleep when I tried to watch it on cable, but it had been a very long day of travel, so maybe it wasn't the movie)


Believe me, it WAS the movie.


----------



## Mouse

I watched *Assault on Precinct 13* last night as it was on the telly. And John Leguizamo happened to be in it. Missed the beginning though. And got distracted halfway through, but what I did see seemed decent enough!


----------



## Talysia

Finally got to see Stardust last night, and I enjoyed it more than I thought.


----------



## AE35Unit

Talysia said:


> Finally got to see Stardust last night, and I enjoyed it more than I thought.


Is that the silly hocum flick about a girl who is a falling star, with magic and a man goat?


----------



## ktabic

*Jennifer's Body*. I found it pretty entertaining, is a mite predictable in places.


----------



## Connavar

*Slumdog Millionarie*

It was a good emotional story, i enjoyed the kids growing up on the streets of a huge city. It was a very well done film,the different parts of the film hanged well together.   

It was nice,different to see a big film about Bombay,India. Different than emotional,sappy films from american that usually win Oscars.


----------



## Tillane

Just back from _*The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo*_.  It's good - Noomi Rapace is suitably intense as Lisbeth, and Michael Nyqvist is more or less exactly what I expected of Blomkvist - but it does feel somewhat rushed.  Quite a chunk of subplot has been excised in order to make the film easier for an audience to follow (and, no doubt, to make it a reasonable length), and while I can understand why this was done it does make the film uneven in places.  I'd heard Mark Kermode's review before going, and have to say that I  think he's broadly right when he says that it is not a film with smooth edges: there are shifts in pace and twists throughout, and there are scenes which are tough going (anyone who's read the book will know which ones), but it's worth seeing and I'll definitely be going to see *The Girl Who Played With Fire* as and when it's released.


----------



## Talysia

AE35Unit said:


> Is that the silly hocum flick about a girl who is a falling star, with magic and a man goat?


 
Lol - yes, that's the one.


----------



## BookStop

Just watched *Whip It* starring Ellen Page, directed by Drew Barrymore. I picked it up mostly becasue it is about Roller Derby which rocks imho, and the movie did not dissappoint. We watched it as a family and loved it!


----------



## Rodders

Connavar said:


> *Slumdog Millionarie*
> 
> It was a good emotional story, i enjoyed the kids growing up on the streets of a huge city. It was a very well done film,the different parts of the film hanged well together.
> 
> It was nice,different to see a big film about Bombay,India. Different than emotional,sappy films from american that usually win Oscars.


 
On a slightly related note, have there ever been any Bollywood SF or F films?


----------



## Rosemary

*Sister Act* with Whoopie Goldberg, one of my favourite comedians!


----------



## Connavar

Rodders said:


> On a slightly related note, have there ever been any Bollywood SF or F films?



Thats a really good question.    

There has been the usual music,dance with SF,Fantasy setting of course but not an actual SFF film.

I know there are some serious,non-musical bollywood films.  Should look around for SF.


----------



## bunnypeaches

Talysia said:


> Finally got to see Stardust last night, and I enjoyed it more than I thought.


 
 Personally, I think the book's better. But when I started a thread on here just about everyone disagreed with me on that one.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Well, not quite. The book _is _better, but the movie wasn't a freakish monstrosity either. In other words, not as bad as Tim Burton's version of anything. 

I watched *Rebecca *again over the weekend. I'd last seen it when I was 10 or 11, so it was interesting revisiting it. Some excellent atmosphere and a fantastic performance from Judith Anderson as the very creepy Mrs. Danvers, as well as a small appearance by Rathbone's Watson, Nigel Bruce in typical bumbling oaf mode. 

Carrying on with the theme of husbands who may or may not have bumped off their spouses, I also saw *Dark Passage *a Bogart/Bacall starrer with an extremely unlikely but gripping storyline. Interesting use of subjective point-of-view camera angles and once again a great performance as a villainous dame by Agnes Moorehead. I found both Bogart and Bacall a little subdued and disappointing in this film, though.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Connavar said:


> Thats a really good question.
> 
> There has been the usual music,dance with SF,Fantasy setting of course but not an actual SFF film.
> 
> I know there are some serious,non-musical bollywood films.  Should look around for SF.



Well, there was the Hrithik Roshan flick, *Koi Mil Gaya* which was essentially about a moron meeting an alien. But it has the usual song and dance too. There was also a terrible TV serial in the 80s called *Space Station Zigma*.


----------



## ravenus

There have been a fair number of Bollywood fantasy films (and some would  argue that most of bollywood's output comes under the fantasy label). Off hand stuff that comes to mind (most of these are campy on account of their low budgets and not exactly fine aesthetics):

*Hatimtai* - an arabic themed episodic story about a noble and generous warrior. There are different adaptations, I refer to the 1990 version.

*Pataal Bhairavi* (Goddess of the Underworld) - Quest fantasy with Aladdinesque story elements.

*Mahabharat* (1965) - heavily abridged and simplistic adaptation of the ancient epic, with some decent optical effects

A lot of these films were made by this bloke called Babubhai Mistry whose main interest was in doing optical effects. He did a large number of low-budget mythologicals and fantasies from the 40's onwards to the 80's.

SF is very rare in Indian films. Given that a large proportion of the country's movie-going population is illiterate it's a very hard sell and Indian SF films in are mainly just fantasy films with an illusion of technology thrown in:

*Mr. India* - Do-gooder Invisible man (he's got a watch-like gadget that provides the invisibility on tap) with a load of schmaltzy kids battles  Mogambo, a pastiche megalomaniac with henchmen named Dr. Watson and Fu  Manchu.
*Mr. X in Bombay* - Older film, same invisible man schtick. I think there's also a flying car somewhere in here.
*Shreeman Funtoosh* - Bloke zapped by crazy scientist's invention is transformed into a superhuman "iron man". as the effect wears off he finds himself shrinking alarmingly.


----------



## ravenus

*Star Wars: A New Hope*
Re-watch. Fun enough, even if George Lucas' script and dialog suck mightily.

*Live & Let Die*
Entertaining flick with James Bond v/s Da Boyz in Harlem. It was Roger Moore's first Bond outing so his square jaw isn't entirely buried under the flab he later put on. Some hilarious camp dialog:
Black cab driver to Bond "Hey man, for twenty bucks more, I'd take you to a Ku Klux Klan cookout!"


----------



## Allegra

My last weekend was dedicated to DVDs and popcorns. Watched:

*Julie and Julia* - fantastic, made me laugh, made me wonder just what a genius Meryl Streep is (I went on YouTube to watch the real Julia Child cooking an omelette), and mostly - it made me very, very hungry! 

*Revolutionary Road* - good film, slowly developed tension. Both Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were excellent.

*Surrogates* - good idea, thin plot and paper thin characters, guess it's not easy to put much flesh and blood in them. 

*Elegy* - a clichéd story of an old professor obsessed with a young student, but the film was finely made, Ben Kingsley once again blew me away with his powerful and sensational performance. Nice soundtracks added some beauty to the film as well. 

*The Proposal* - a typical popcorn romantic comedy but Sandra Bullock was good in it.


----------



## Connavar

knivesout said:


> Well, not quite. The book _is _better, but the movie wasn't a freakish monstrosity either. In other words, not as bad as Tim Burton's version of anything.
> 
> I watched *Rebecca *again over the weekend. I'd last seen it when I was 10 or 11, so it was interesting revisiting it. Some excellent atmosphere and a fantastic performance from Judith Anderson as the very creepy Mrs. Danvers, as well as a small appearance by Rathbone's Watson, Nigel Bruce in typical bumbling oaf mode.
> 
> Carrying on with the theme of husbands who may or may not have bumped off their spouses, I also saw *Dark Passage *a Bogart/Bacall starrer with an extremely unlikely but gripping storyline. Interesting use of subjective point-of-view camera angles and once again a great performance as a villainous dame by Agnes Moorehead. I found both Bogart and Bacall a little subdued and disappointing in this film, though.



*Dark Passage* is a famous David Goodis Noir from the pulp paperback era.
He is a light Jim Thompson.

I must see this film didnt know it even existed but Bogart/Bacall are very impressive together usually.


----------



## ktabic

I watched a subtle but moving film exploring the seedier side of human civilisation and the challenges that the people living and working there face. *Zombie Strippers*.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *The Informant, *which stars the wonderful Matt Damon. I quite enjoyed it. I thought it was funny, and it was an interesting way to tell the story.


----------



## bunnypeaches

Unfortunately the other half made me watch Dumb & Dumber last night. Not my thing at all. But I'm planning on watching The Boat That Rocked tonight, and I seem to remember quite enjoying it when I watched it the first time, though I can't remember much more than the general plot of the movie.


----------



## Interference

Sounds like grounds for divorce to me


----------



## clovis-man

ktabic said:


> I watched a subtle but moving film exploring the seedier side of human civilisation and the challenges that the people living and working there face. *Zombie Strippers*.


 
Surprised I never saw this one in the list of Academy Award nominees for best screenplay.


----------



## bunnypeaches

Interference said:


> Sounds like grounds for divorce to me


 
 Agreed.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I watched a couple of 80s BBC adaptations of Oscar Wilde plays, *An Ideal Husband*, which was visibly made on a shoe-string budget but is held together by a very charismatic performance by Jeremy Brett and *Lady Windermere's Fan *in a ponderous, earnest performance that maximised all the potential for prolix melodrama in this most wordy of Wilde's plays.


----------



## Moonbat

I watch *A Serious Man* last night, the latest Coen brothers film and it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. It had some slightly amusing moments and some good dialogue, but it really lacked the larger than life characters that made *The big lebowski* so brilliant. It was very jewish as well. It seems, as a non-Jew or Goy, that some films can be very Jewish, I've not noticed this with any other race/religeon. But if you are, like me, a fan of the coen brothers then it is worth a watch.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

ktabic said:


> I watched a subtle but moving film exploring the seedier side of human civilisation and the challenges that the people living and working there face. *Zombie Strippers*.


 
_*snigger* _


----------



## Foxbat

*RAN*

Akira Kurosawa's Samurai-style retelling of King Lear has all the bits to be expected; tragedy, war, betrayal, murder......all cobbled together with fantastic cinematography.


----------



## Happy Joe

"The Fourth Kind"; a gimmick movie about contact with extra terrestrials.
The gimmick; supposedly its true and they try to prove it by inserting split screen footage and other footage in a very distracting way.

I nominate this for one of the worst movies ever conceived; every time I started to get into the movie or relate to the characters they terminated my interest by distracting me with the gimmick (inserting split screen video or a film clip).

Enjoy!


----------



## Talysia

Salem's Lot.  It's been a while since the last time I watched it so it was interesting to see it again.


----------



## GrownUp

ktabic said:


> I watched a subtle but moving film exploring the seedier side of human civilisation and the challenges that the people living and working there face. *Zombie Strippers*.



What is this film? Where can I get it?


----------



## Foxbat

*The White Ribbon *Tensions,violence  and repressed anxieties mount in a puritanical German village on the eve of the first world war. 

This film got pretty good reviews and I agree that it is a fine film, but is quite heavy going in places. 

All in all, if looking for something thought-provoking then this is a worthy choice.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Happy Joe said:


> "The Fourth Kind"; a gimmick movie about contact with extra terrestrials.
> The gimmick; supposedly its true and they try to prove it by inserting split screen footage and other footage in a very distracting way.
> 
> I nominate this for one of the worst movies ever conceived; every time I started to get into the movie or relate to the characters they terminated my interest by distracting me with the gimmick (inserting split screen video or a film clip).
> 
> Enjoy!


 
I watched this last night and I pretty much agree with you.

I don't mind split screen viewing per se (*Prime Suspect*, for example, makes good use of the technique) but the way its used in The Fourth Kind is too distracting and annoying. 

Also, the so-called archive footage of Dr. Abigail - after the first 10 minutes or so that grating monotone she uses made me want to reach through the screen and slap some duct tape over her mouth.

There is not a trace of humour in this film and I didn't find a single likeable character. I don't know why aliens would bother to abduct any of these people. And if they did, I'm sure they would return them promptly.


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> "The Fourth Kind"; a gimmick movie about contact with extra terrestrials.
> The gimmick; supposedly its true and they try to prove it by inserting split screen footage and other footage in a very distracting way.
> 
> I nominate this for one of the worst movies ever conceived; every time I started to get into the movie or relate to the characters they terminated my interest by distracting me with the gimmick (inserting split screen video or a film clip).
> 
> Enjoy!


I actually found this strangely entertaining,and creepy! The fact that they used real video footage tied in with the drama added an edge to make things believable. But the spooky moment for us was the distorted mouth of Dr Tyler near the end-that was freaky! I think they should have got Cissy Spacek to play the part tho rather than that Milla Jovovovovovich woman


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> I actually found this strangely entertaining,and creepy! The fact that they used real video footage tied in with the drama added an edge to make things believable. But the spooky moment for us was the distorted mouth of Dr Tyler near the end-that was freaky! I think they should have got Cissy Spacek to play the part tho rather than that Milla Jovovovovovich woman


 
The distorted mouths and levitating was pretty good though I found the time display on the clocks (3:33AM) the truly scary part. The reason being that I read Will Storr's book about his investigations into the supernatural and one of the ghost hunters he speaks to talks about the ghosts having a fondness for 3:33AM.


----------



## AE35Unit

Daisy-Boo said:


> The distorted mouths and levitating was pretty good though I found the time display on the clocks (3:33AM) the truly scary part. The reason being that I read Will Storr's book about his investigations into the supernatural and one of the ghost hunters he speaks to talks about the ghosts having a fondness for 3:33AM.


hmm, i didnt get the significance of that and wondered why they kept showing 3:33 on the clock! (funny, 333 is half of 666...)


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Big Fish.* Seen it about a million times but I still love it to pieces. A story about a man who likes to tell tall tales and his son who wishes his dad would just tell the real version of events. Needless to say, the son learns a lesson in the end and the reality of events and imagination end up all blurred together. A lovely, pretty film with Ewan McGregor as the main character and all sorts of other familiar faces. 

I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes quirky (though normally I hate that word) 'Alice in Wonderland' kind of stories


----------



## AE35Unit

bunnypeaches said:


> *Big Fish.* Seen it about a million times but I still love it to pieces. A story about a man who likes to tell tall tales and his son who wishes his dad would just tell the real version of events. Needless to say, the son learns a lesson in the end and the reality of events and imagination end up all blurred together. A lovely, pretty film with Ewan McGregor as the main character and all sorts of other familiar faces.
> 
> I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes quirky (though normally I hate that word) 'Alice in Wonderland' kind of stories


Good film yes!
BTW i see from your avatar you've been watching My Cousin/Friend/Brother Totoro lately!(can never remember the proper title!)


----------



## Foxbat

*The Prestige *
A clever script that displays as much sleight of hand as the magician protagonists made this a thoroughly enjoyable film


----------



## Mouse

AE35Unit said:


> BTW i see from your avatar you've been watching My Cousin/Friend/Brother Totoro lately!(can never remember the proper title!)



Neighbour. 

Last film I saw was *Snakes on a Plane.* Funny funny stuff.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just got back from the late screening of *I Love You, Philip Morris* (I took a flask of tea with me and everything, I'm getting old in my twenty two years). Enjoyable film. Ewan McGregor was very sweet. Carey and McGregor were cute together, particularly during their first flirting and the dancing scene.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Snakes on A Plane?  Horrible movie.



Last I saw was Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It rubbed off on me.


----------



## kokosdera

3 days ago I saw *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus*. It has the beautiful scenes and cinematography, but I found the story logic has problem. And I think it has the most pathetic devil character that I've ever seen. My point: 6 out of 10.

2 days ago I saw *Shutter Island*. It has better stories than Parnassus. I won't spoil more. My point: 8 out of 10


----------



## Culhwch

I watched *Gentlemen Broncos* this week, by the writer director of *Napoleon Dynamite*. An interesting concept with comedic potential - a successful SF writer who's out of publishable ideas steals the story of a teenage writer after he enters it in a competition. About one laugh the entire hour and a half. More of the same *Napoleon* schtick - awkward characters, odd familial situation, an unexplained eighties pastiche in a contemporary setting, general bizarreness - that really only worked the one time, coupled with a truly deplorable notion of what popular SF entails. I'm not sure how much the filmmakers were taking the mickey as opposed to how close they thought they were to the truth. Either way, not in the least bit humourous. Sam Rockwell can't even save it. Seriously, don't bother. Watch something with some small merit instead, like *2012*, or paint drying.


----------



## Mouse

Manarion said:


> Snakes on A Plane?  Horrible movie.



Yeah it was! But it was so bad it was good.


----------



## Esioul

Snakes on a Plane is legendary!


----------



## ravenus

*Das Boot (Director's Cut)*
Wolfgang Peternsen's lavishly mounted and convincing looking late WW2  submarine drama (based on true experiences) was originally made as a  mini-series, so this 3 1/2 hour cut is still abridged, but long enough  for me to see it in 2 sittings. Pretty good on the whole with a fair  number of taut sequences where the German U-boat is looking for ships to  destroy or escaping from the wrath of destroyers with depth charges.  Good writing and credible performances help immensely too.

*Food Inc.*
A focused and (seemingly) incisive look at the policies of giant  corporations that  control what you eat and how your food is grown/bred,  and why in the USA burgers are cheaper than veggies.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Paranormal Activity. I can honestly say it spooked nay unsettled me. The lo budget documentary style really gives it an edgy feel. The ending,well **** me I jumped!! That's the kind of horror I like,none of this slasher monster crap-real horror.
Had to go upstairs afterwards,just to check on the kids…


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Kill Bill Vol. 1* because it was on TV. I'd kind of forgotten a lot of it though, so I enjoyed it


----------



## Foxbat

*The Hurt Locker*  Thought this was a very good movie and probably deserved its Oscar. The downside is that watching this film made me realise just how much of a coward I really am. 

No way could I do that job!


----------



## Talysia

Wild Wild West, on tv.  Not my usual cup of tea, I must admit.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Little Nikita*, on TV last night. A so-so film, rescued by the luminous presence of River Phoenix as the teenage son of Russian sleeper spies. I feel a little sad every time I see him on screen. Sidney Poitier plays the FBI agent who's trying to root out the spies.


----------



## ktabic

Watched *Bride of Reanimator* over the weekend. Much more of a direct Frankenstein retelling than the original Reanimator, although it's ending is much closer to the Lovecraft Herbert West story than the original.


----------



## Overread

Talysia said:


> Wild Wild West, on tv.  Not my usual cup of tea, I must admit.



I'm always sad that that is about the only (good) real life action steampunk film out there. It's such an underrepresented genre and yet it has so much potential


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally got around to seeing "2012"; action packed with some of the best (sometimes unbelievable; but good looking) cgi action/planet destruction that has yet been put on film. Predictable plot, but fairly good acting; overall very enjoyable... I recommend this one, its going into my video library.

Enjoy!


----------



## Talysia

Overread said:


> I'm always sad that that is about the only (good) real life action steampunk film out there. It's such an underrepresented genre and yet it has so much potential


 
I couldn't agree more.  I really liked that aspect of Wild Wild West, and I can't help but wish that there were more films in the steampunk genre.


----------



## Connavar

*Five Minutes of Heaven *with Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt.  

A movie i only rented because Neeson was in it turned out to a very good,serious film.  Quality acting,a great script.

One of the few good things about hollywood these days is Liam Neeson is back and doing many films these days.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Man Who Knew Too Much*, with James Stewart and Doris Day. 

Stewart and Day, with their son, are on holiday in Marrakech when they are caught up in international espionage and a murder plot. Their son is kidnapped to prevent them from revealing what they know. They follow the trail of the kidnappers to London, where they work on getting their son back.

I thought the film was patchy. Some parts were really good and there was some humour too. But other parts seemed a little weak. The behaviour of the police simply didn't make much sense to me, but since I don't know much at all about how English policemen operated in the 50s this could just be my ignorance talking.

Stewart and Day made a charming couple and I was reminded once again that Day had a lovely singing voice and an engaging screen presence.

The film is well worth watching but I think the modern viewer will have to suspend belief at certain points.


----------



## j d worthington

Daisy-Boo: Have you seen the original of this? This is the only time Hitch repeated himself, and I must say that, in some ways, I definitely prefer the original:

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

It's a smaller, tighter film, which gives it a bit more of a feeling of claustrophobia and intensifies the paranoia. Still flawed, but well worth viewing....


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Inter: I haven't seen the original, only clips from the bonus material on the DVD.

Interesting bit of trivia from the "making of" documentary...Hitch mentions that he thinks his remake is better than the original. He told Francois Truffaut that he thought the 1934 film was the work of a talented amateur and the 1956 film was the work of a professional.


----------



## The DeadMan

I went and saw Repo Man yesterday. It stars Jude Law and Forest Whitaker.  It was entertaining but it wasn't one of the best movies I have see. It does however have a lot of action and a surprise ending, so I would recommend it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Face/Off* at the moment. Seen it a few times, but I live with some people who didn't have one of those childhoods that involved watching millions of films.


----------



## Overread

Castle in the Sky - I need more Ghibli - great as they are the few I own I know off by heart now (barring Grave of the Fireflies, but that is not light viewing) Still a great film


----------



## ravenus

* In the Mood for Love - a touching depiction of simmering romance with a gorgeous violin motif playing at several points in the film...I do however wonder if the "not happy" ending is purely because that looks better to the snobs at Cannes*


----------



## Moonbat

*An Education* - i've been waiting to watch this highly acclaimed British film, it was nominated for a few awards but didn't really win. The lead Carrey Mulligan (i think) was pretty good, but the film seemed to lack any real substance, I kept expecting it to twist into something darker and more emotional, more dramatic, but in the end it was fairly light and so simple that I wasn't really sure that I liked it at all. It did look good and the era (60's) was well caught. It was a subtle film, not hammering home any seriously shocking emotion, but telling a simple (often told) story quite well. I shouldn't have expected much more. i'm hoping to buy *Silent Runnings* this weekend as I've heard it is a very good sci-fi film. We will have to see.


----------



## The Ace

*The Magnificent Seven*, not a bad story but unsurprising when you consider they nicked it.


----------



## j d worthington

Moonbat said:


> i'm hoping to buy *Silent Runnings* this weekend as I've heard it is a very good sci-fi film. We will have to see.


 
*Silent Running* is an odd little film. The science in the thing falls flat on its silly face right off the bat; but darned if the film doesn't work as a _story_ quite beautifully... due in no small part to the performances of Bruce Dern and the four "drones"... all played by multiple amputees: Mark Person, Steven Brown, Cheryl Sparks, and Larry Whisenhunt, who were working under the added difficulty of playing characters which are very much machines, do not have the "cutesy" element of so many robots, and did not have a line of dialogue (save for some hissing now and again.) Nonetheless, the chemistry between this group is very affecting, genuinely touching, and done with a surprisingly light hand....


----------



## HoopyFrood

For some strange reason I watched the whole of *The Son of the Mask* which was on tv today. Such a bad, bad film. Oh, so silly.


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Zombieland*. Pretty funny, I prefer Shaun of the Dead though


----------



## bunnypeaches

Overread said:


> Castle in the Sky - I need more Ghibli - great as they are the few I own I know off by heart now (barring Grave of the Fireflies, but that is not light viewing) Still a great film


 
 I bloody love the Ghibli films with a passion.


----------



## Mouse

Castle in the Sky is a good'n!

Currently watching a very weird film on the TV. About an alien dude with white eyes sending this pokey thing into people's hearts and then sucking out their brains. Or something.


----------



## Connavar

Memories of a Murder(2003) another great Korean film.  Visuals,acting wise and the great story,writing.   A very powerful story.

Must be one of the best if not the best crime drama i have seen.  For a film about chasing a serial killer it was much more. 

The Korean cinema must have its Golden age these days like Hollywood in the 70s with Godfather,Scorsese films etc


----------



## Disturbed Dee

New Moon


----------



## BookStop

I am kind of in love with *Fantastic Mr Fox*! It's bizarre at first and a little hard to get in to, and I had to convince the children to just give it a try. We all loved it in the end, just terrific.

Had a george Clooney weekend and watched *Men Who Stare at Goats* too, good film with some funny bits but not amazing like *Fox*.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Capricorn One

*Good plot, and a fantastic beginning, but after that it descended into a standard chase movie, and not a paticularly good one.

Its a shame, the scene where Hal Holbrook takes the astronauts onto the Mars set and tries to talk the Astronauts into going along with the fraud is brilliantly written and acted. Even OJ's afro and Sam Watersons eyebrows do a good job.


----------



## Connavar

*The Conversation*(1974) by Francis Ford Coppola.

A weird film with great acting by Gene Hackman as the akward Henry Caul. One of those movies where the music has surprisingly good quality, a big part of the film.  

I have a new found respect for Gene Hackman for his early works that i havent had the chance to see.   The French Connection films i will rent next from  Lovefilm.se renting site i joined.   Otherwise i would never found older films,world cinema for the actual rental stores.


----------



## clovis-man

Just saw *Millions*, a Danny Boyle (*Sunshine*, *Slumdog Millionaire*) film from 2004. It's about the issues that pop up when a seven year old boy stumbles on a bag of stolen Pounds and what each person involved sees as the way to deal with it. Bordering on fantasy, this gem of a movie is at once comical, thought provoking and life affirming. Recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

*Zombieland   *Thought it was ok - but nothing worth writing on a forum about.

Oops! I've just done that


----------



## Moonbat

Well this weekend I have watched Both *Twilight* and *New Moon* and to tell you the truth they weren't as bad as I had feared. Twilight was actually quite good. I think they suffer from showing too much of the Vampire's powers, *Lost Boys* only showed glimpes of flying and powers so it left a lot to the imagination, *Twilight* on the otherhand seemed to have a little too much 'jumping' where the obvious use of harnesses kind of detracted from the whole thing. I think *Twilight* was better than *New Moon* although I did like Martin Sheen and Dakota Fanning in *New Moon*. Also went to the cinema and watched *Shutter island*, which was pretty good. It started off with a hint of Hitchcock, but had too many dream sequences and didn't really get the twist right, it sort of slowly untwisted rather than hitting you with a big twist at the end. i did enjoy it though, it was a good film, well worth watching.
Went shopping on Saturday and bought 4 DVD's haven't watched them all yet, but did watch *Ong Bak the beginning* last night and was pleased but a little disappointed with the ending, I was expecting Tein to batter everyone, but he didn't and it sort of ended with a setup for a sequel (even though it is sort of a prequel) Also watch *the motorcycle diaries*,which was very good, made me want to go on a long journey and/or start a revolution.

Couldn't find *Silent running* or *Brainstorm*, so will have to search on line for them, but looking forward to *Sympathy for Mr Vengence* and *Angel-A*


----------



## HoopyFrood

*The Fully Monty* has just started. I do so love this film, funny and clever.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

HoopyFrood said:


> *The Fully Monty* has just started. I do so love this film, funny and clever.


 
This is one of my all-time favourites. I've watched it about 5 or 6 times and I'm as entertained every single time.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

New Moon, and do I have to say that it was the biggest piece of disappointment ever to come out in the fantasy genre.


Well, okay, maybe not quite THAT bad, but the Twilight series' popularity sure as hell isn't justified in MY opinion. Sappy teenage love story, cliche vampire/werewolf rivalry....


They didn't even film it in Forks. It wasn't even filmed in Washington. It was filmed in my state in a town called St. Helens. I think the director and the producers should all be dragged out into the street and shot.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Manarion said:


> New Moon, and do I have to say that it was the biggest piece of disappointment ever to come out in the fantasy genre.
> 
> 
> Well, okay, maybe not quite THAT bad, but the Twilight series' popularity sure as hell isn't justified in MY opinion. Sappy teenage love story, cliche vampire/werewolf rivalry....
> 
> 
> They didn't even film it in Forks. It wasn't even filmed in Washington. It was filmed in my state in a town called St. Helens. I think the director and the producers should all be dragged out into the street and shot.


 
_*Hands Manarion a pistol. And a rifle. And a submachine gun. Also some grenades.*_

Be prepared. That's my motto.

(It really isn't my motto but I thought it was appropriate under the circumstances.)


----------



## TK-421

Julie and Julia. Rather enjoyed it. Made me want to eat good food.


----------



## blacknorth

Ransom. Not the ghastly Mel Gibson remake but the orginal film starring Glenn Ford, a version which seems rather obscure these days. Anyway, it was great - I never really rated Ford as an actor of much power but in this he was spellbinding, particularly his appearance on television surrounded by heaps of dollar bills and his sweaty hands sliding across the bible.

Highly recommended if you can find a copy.


----------



## bunnypeaches

I'm watching _An American in Paris_ as we speak, I like pretty films that are easy to follow and lots of cheeriness. It's like a holiday for my brain. The world would be much more fun if people really burst into song every few minutes!  

Although it might get really irritating really quickly...


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Just watched *Star Trek* (the 2009 movie). I loved it. Loved. It.

I was wary of all the hype when the movie was released, worried that reality would disappoint. Happily, I wasn't at all disappointed. I thought the movie very well-cast, especially Zachary Quinto as Spock (I didn't once think of him as Sylar), John Cho as Sulu and Anton Yelchin as Chekov.

The opening scene had me in tears. It wasn't a quiet, ladylike crying either. We're talking the ugly red-eyed crying, with lots of nose fluid (sorry if that's TMI). I really liked how they did the scene - dialogue at beginning and end but in between, just flashing images of the scared but brave Kirk Sr, his wife giving birth, the crew fleeing the doomed starship and so on. The music was sad and haunting but didn't overwhelm the visuals. 

At several points during the movie I cheered when familiar lines were uttered: "Dammit! I'm a doctor, not a physicist!", "I'm giving her all she's got Captain!". 

Also, I admit to cheering _and _clapping when Leonard Nimoy appeared. The man is a legend. That is all. 

I'm definitely watching the film again and am looking forward to the sequel.


----------



## Rothgar

*Drag Me To Hell.*  It had several similarities in style to Evil Dead.  I thought it was much better than The Gift.  I would never want to be in a Sam Raimi movie.  The way his actors get beat up and covered in mud, blood, and other filth.... no thanks.


----------



## j d worthington

Rothgar said:


> *Drag Me To Hell.* It had several similarities in style to Evil Dead. I thought it was much better than The Gift. I would never want to be in a Sam Raimi movie. The way his actors get beat up and covered in mud, blood, and other filth.... no thanks.


 
Pshaw! Compared to what happens to the actors in a Dario Argento film, Sam's vic... errrr, stars, have it easy....

Lately my film watching has been very sporadic, but in the last week I have managed to re-watch three:

*Rough Magik* -- the feature entry in vol. 2 of _The H. P. Lovecraft Collection_ from Lurker Films; originally intended as the pilot for a Lovecraft-based British television series, this never got beyond this episode... which is a pity. Despite some technical problems (day-for-night is always problematic, for instance), it really is a rather good little piece: quietly suspenseful, atmospheric, intelligent, and overall well-acted and produced; and, of course, Paul Darrow as Mr. Moon is a touch of pure genius.

*Dagon* -- Stuart Gordon's adaptation of both the title story and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"... a film I haven't seen in a couple of years now, and one which frankly just seems to get better with each viewing. The layering in that film is really quite surprising, especially considering the subject-matter and the "in-your-face" approach of the film as a whole. Nonetheless there is an enormous amount of thought to what they do here; and, despite the liberties taken, there is also a genuinely deep respect for Lovecraft and desire to be true to his work spiritually if not always literally (and they actually stick pretty close to the major and even many of the minor elements of the tale itself, come to that). Again, Ezra Godden basing his perormance on his love of silent film star Harold Lloyd may prove a bit jarring to many, but I think it works quite well, as one is hardly prepared for the transition Paul (his character) goes through along the way. And Macarena Gomez' performance is itself very memorable; she strikes me here as having something of that same screen presence as the young Barbara Steele, and what she brings to the role of Uxia has long had me wanting to see her get a great many more roles in English-language films....

And another Hitchcock: *Rebecca*. It has been years since I last saw this film complete, and the copy I have is in pristine condition... my, what a film! While I disagree with those who think this is Hitch's best, I would agree that it isn't all that far off, either....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Pretty much the same reactions I had when I first watched *Star Trek* (at the cinema, too), Daisy. Well, apart from the sobbing. I don't really do that. But cheering when Nimoy came on (I was _not_ expecting that in the slightest!), loving the familiar lines; it was just an awesome film that just..._worked_. I wrote a rather gushing post about it here in this thread a while ago. 

I really want to see *Drag Me to Hell*, my housemate tells me it's good. As in hilarious and yet jumpy. The fact that you've described it, Rothgar, as similar to the Evil Deads has made me want to watch it even more. I love those films.

Also WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT *Paranormal Activity*. If someone wants to buy it for me, I shall reward them with...er...eternal gratitude. 

Watched the animated *BFG* film earlier. Trippy.


----------



## AE35Unit

2012, a rather good piece  of entertainment with the odd Indiana Jones moment! 
I love what they can do with special effects these days!


----------



## AE35Unit

nuts double post!


----------



## Connavar

*White Heat(1949)*

A great film Noir and the kind of noir i like with criminals double crossing each other.

James Cagney was so intense,powerful in his role.   Oh how i hope he did other film Noir or darker roles.

For once TCM showed a real classic and not some lame comedy from 1990s....


----------



## AE35Unit

Earlier I watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the original, superb! 
And just watched Planet 51,very funny with  lots of jokes only us grown ups will get! Lots of nods to classic sci fi films in there from The day the Earth Stood Still when the ship lands, Alien-one of the creatures on the planet is a mini HR Giger alien thats like a pet  dog. Also i noticed a couple of SF authors in there. One of the main characters is called Lem and there's a cab driver called Clarke.   
A very entertaining kids film for grown ups that pokes fun at the UFO brigade and conspiracy theorists !


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> *White Heat(1949)*
> 
> A great film Noir and the kind of noir i like with criminals double crossing each other.
> 
> James Cagney was so intense,powerful in his role. Oh how i hope he did other film Noir or darker roles.
> 
> For once TCM showed a real classic and not some lame comedy from 1990s....


 
Have you seen *Public Enemy*, Connavar? If not, you really should try to catch that one (I think you'd also find *Little Caesar* to your liking)....

Certainly, Cagney's career was peppered with such rules, but I think Cody Jarrett was the most manic character of that type....

As for the note about TCM... I haven't had an opportunity to watch them in the past 4+ years... have they really descended to focusing so much on such recent comedies? They certainly didn't use to.....


----------



## Adasunshine

Inglourious Basterds... rather meh but enjoyed Christoph Waltz's performance immensely (and didn't know he'd won the Oscar until I commented on his performance to my other half who then informed me about it... nice to know I'm not a complete bimbo with my acting performances!)

Hoping to go see Dragon 3D with the kiddies tomorrow!

xx


----------



## blacknorth

Dracula, with Denholm Elliott as the Count and Susan George as his food supply.

Really the best adaptation I've seen to date. Elliott simply exudes whatever charm the night has for lonely hearts.

Made by ITV for its Mystery And Imagination strand in the 1960s, it's feature length, set-bound, but literate and compelling and well-acted.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Adasunshine said:


> Inglourious Basterds... rather meh but enjoyed Christoph Waltz's performance immensely (and didn't know he'd won the Oscar until I commented on his performance to my other half who then informed me about it... nice to know I'm not a complete bimbo with my acting performances!)



He has won an inordinate amount of awards for that role; but he deserves every single one.


----------



## nj1

My daughters got toncilitus (sp?) so she had control of the TV ALL day, got to watch (for the umpteenth times) BEAUTY AND THE BEAST followed by SCOOBY DOO ( the one without all the stars) and followed up by THE LION KING which was a first for me.

The missus wanted to watch a DVD tonight but my brain has melted!


----------



## nj1

As I'm typing away here, my missus is watching THE ITALIAN JOB (remake) on channel 4 (UK), I looked up a they blew the explosives around the truck and to my supprise saw SPIDER MAN running in the crowd , never noticed that when I watched it before


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> Have you seen *Public Enemy*, Connavar? If not, you really should try to catch that one (I think you'd also find *Little Caesar* to your liking)....
> 
> Certainly, Cagney's career was peppered with such rules, but I think Cody Jarrett was the most manic character of that type....
> 
> As for the note about TCM... I haven't had an opportunity to watch them in the past 4+ years... have they really descended to focusing so much on such recent comedies? They certainly didn't use to.....



Public Enemy,Little Ceasar i dont know anything about, if they are similar i will look for the dvds,VHS.

Jarrett might be his most maniac role but i really liked how he carried the role even when he was a regular criminal and not manic,sick. I will look for his other famous roles to watch.  An actor i always only knew his name before.

TCM usually only shows musical,comedy from 50s, and the great Gene Kelly who was the greatest dancer i have seen(along with M.Jackson).  Other than that they are showing 80s films,1990s film that are forgettable and not even modern classics. 

Once in awhile they show old classics everyone have already seen like Bogart films but usually there is nothing classic about them.   

I dont want to see Point Blank from 67 by Boorman, i want classics of Bogart,Cary Cooper,Wayne,Hitchcock,Stewetr,Henry Fonda,Marlon Brando etc


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS which was quite entertaining! Much more so than the next film I watched, THE IMAGINARUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS which I found quite tedious. Its one redeeming feature was Christopher Plummer,brilliant and superbly wizardly. The whole film was just like one of those weird dreams you have and wonder what the hell is going on. 
There were scenes that I really liked but on the whole no, not something I'd watch again.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> Public Enemy,Little Ceasar i dont know anything about, if they are similar i will look for the dvds,VHS.


 
Public Enemy is the one which put Jimmy Cagney on the map (Little Caesar did much the same for Edward G. Robinson), and both are almost unrelentingly grim crime dramas. Cagney's final shot in Public Enemy remains a bit of a jolt even today, some 79 years later.



> Jarrett might be his most maniac role but i really liked how he carried the role even when he was a regular criminal and not manic,sick. I will look for his other famous roles to watch. An actor i always only knew his name before.


 
This might prove helpful for winnowing through his films, and finding which ones you'd be interested in:

James Cagney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Though I would also suggest the 1934 version of *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, one of the most beautiful adaptations of Shakespeare's play, and with an astoundingly good cast....



> TCM usually only shows musical,comedy from 50s, and the great Gene Kelly who was the greatest dancer i have seen(along with M.Jackson). Other than that they are showing 80s films,1990s film that are forgettable and not even modern classics.


 
That is a decided change, if so. While they certainly never ignored more recent films, they've always had a tendency to show a wide range of classics, from the early silent era on, including such as the reconstructed *Greed* (1924), one of Erich von Stroheim's few films as director, and that wonderful restored version of *Lost Horizon* (1937)....

Incidentally, I wouldn't shy away from *Point Blank*... that is a damn fine film, and as far as the noir elements, it certainly deserves its reputation. Marvin's performance there is one of the most brutal you're likely to encounter before at least the late 1980s....


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got round to watching *District 9*. 

I liked it


----------



## BookStop

The fam and I went to see *How to Train Your Dragon* today. Loved it, loved it, loved it!


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw "Hitman" on TV last night. It was quite entertaining. It starred  Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott and Olga Kurylenko. It took me about 1/2 way through the movie to realize that Timothy Olyphant is the same guy that stars in the new TV show "Justified" on FX. "Justified" is also a good watch!


----------



## Adasunshine

How to Train Your Dragon 3D! Loved it but then am a sucker for anything involving Dragons!!! xXx


----------



## BookStop

You know, Ada, I didn't think I was going to like it. Figured it would be too juvenile and cartoony for my tastes. (I remember the book when my kid were younger) I loved the movie too. It's just that good and charming. you're not a sucker


----------



## Uraeus

I did think it looked very silly.


----------



## ravenus

*Kaliyattam* (traditional story-presenting folk-dance form), a very faithful Indian film adaptation of  Othello with south-side movie star Suresh Gopi playing Othello as a small-pox marked  folk-dance artiste who is instigated into suspecting on his new bride.  Not particularly great overall but has its several good moments -  mainly in Gopi's performance and some deftly edited visuals.

*Lady  From Shanghai*
Another Orson Welles film with a troubled  production history, but I thought this came off quite well. Welles plays  a reckless Irish seaman who meets up with a woman that's all over him  and her rich husband who is all manner of creepy. It's like Raymond  Chandler but without a prominent detective character. Like with the  Marlowe stories, the whodunnit aspect is kinda loose and not  particularly relevant to the experience. It's more about the  increasingly bizarre and perverse characters and situations the  protagonist comes up against. Apparently Welles' original cut was about 2  1/2 hours long. I don't know what kind of material was there in the  60min that was chopped off for the release, but I'm pretty happy with  what I saw.

Also re-watched the first *Hellraiser* film.  Good fun.


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> Public Enemy is the one which put Jimmy Cagney on the map (Little Caesar did much the same for Edward G. Robinson), and both are almost unrelentingly grim crime dramas. Cagney's final shot in Public Enemy remains a bit of a jolt even today, some 79 years later.
> 
> 
> 
> This might prove helpful for winnowing through his films, and finding which ones you'd be interested in:
> 
> James Cagney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> Though I would also suggest the 1934 version of *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, one of the most beautiful adaptations of Shakespeare's play, and with an astoundingly good cast....
> 
> 
> 
> That is a decided change, if so. While they certainly never ignored more recent films, they've always had a tendency to show a wide range of classics, from the early silent era on, including such as the reconstructed *Greed* (1924), one of Erich von Stroheim's few films as director, and that wonderful restored version of *Lost Horizon* (1937)....
> 
> Incidentally, I wouldn't shy away from *Point Blank*... that is a damn fine film, and as far as the noir elements, it certainly deserves its reputation. Marvin's performance there is one of the most brutal you're likely to encounter before at least the late 1980s....



*Point Blank* i saw a few years ago before i was an avid fan of noir books,films.  Still it was too artsy film with the sound,tricks.  Lee Marvin is always cool but the film is not memorable to me.  Must be a generational,American thing because many famous crime writers,directors love the movie.  People i admire,respect.  

Afterward i learned it was an adaptation on my fav crime book of them all The Hunter by Richard Stark/Westlake.  The Iconic criminal Noir book turned into a film like that is worse than when i first saw it.....


----------



## Devil's Advocate

The DeadMan said:


> I saw "Hitman" on TV last night. It was quite entertaining.


Really? I'm surprised. I saw _Hitman_ in the cinema when it came out, and I thought it was horrible. Timothy Olyphant did a very bad job as Agent 47; I didn't buy him, at all. Of course, it's possible I went in with certain prejudices, being a big fan of the games. Still, I thought it sucked.

I saw _Alice in Wonderland_ and _Shutter Island_ a couple of weeks ago. Both very good movies. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see _Alice_ in 3D; I'm sure it would have been even better. I'm a huge Johnny Depp fan, but I have to say, Helena Bonham Carter completely stole the show as the Red Queen. She was terrific.

_Shutter_ was really good, too. Better than I expected, in fact. Interesting twist at the end, as well.

I'm planning on watching _Clash of the Titans_ this weekend (that's Friday/Saturday for us). Any one seen it? The reviews have been fairly mixed so far. The one constant seems to be that everyone agrees the 3D was handled poorly. True 3D movies are filmed with special equipment, but in the case of _Titans_, they added the 3D effects after the fact (undoubtedly trying to cash-in on the success of _Avatar_ and _Alice_), and apparently it looks bad.

*EDIT* Whoops! Just noticed there's a separate thread for _Clash of the Titans_...


----------



## The DeadMan

Devil's Advocate said:


> Really? I'm surprised. I saw _Hitman_ in the cinema when it came out, and I thought it was horrible. Timothy Olyphant did a very bad job as Agent 47; I didn't buy him, at all. Of course, it's possible I went in with certain prejudices, being a big fan of the games. Still, I thought it sucked.


I'm not really into games, but I have found that if someone is  a fan of a game or in my case a book that is made into a movie, the movie rarely stands up to the book or game. I have seen several movies that I liked that others didn't because they had played the game or read the book and I hadn't. 

I am planning on going to see "Clash of the Titans" either today or tommorrow.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *White Zombie* (1932) at the moment, which is said to be the first feature length zombie film. Has Bela Lugosi as the voodoo master Murder Legendre. Murder as your first name...how cool is that.


----------



## ravenus

Devil's Advocate said:


> ...but in the case of _Titans_, they added the 3D effects after the fact (undoubtedly trying to cash-in on the success of _Avatar_ and _Alice_), and apparently it looks bad.


Alice's 3D was a cash-in too, because they didn't shoot the film using 3D cameras.


----------



## Connavar

The DeadMan said:


> I'm not really into games, but I have found that if someone is  a fan of a game or in my case a book that is made into a movie, the movie rarely stands up to the book or game. I have seen several movies that I liked that others didn't because they had played the game or read the book and I hadn't.
> 
> I am planning on going to see "Clash of the Titans" either today or tommorrow.



I have enjoyed every Hitman game and i thought Olyphant was perfect as 47.  How he walked just like in him in the film,when they were chasing him around in his Russian hotel gave me chills of pleasure because i was a fan of the games.   I didn't expect it to be good because most video game films suck.

Hitman is the rare example.  Even serious reviewers gave it 3/5 stars.

Over here we are hoping for a sequel.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *White Zombie* (1932) at the moment, which is said to be the first feature length zombie film. Has Bela Lugosi as the voodoo master Murder Legendre. Murder as your first name...how cool is that.


 
Odd little film, that. Parts of it are absolute rubbish, while others are pure gold in terms of atmosphere and even visually. Of course, certain parts of this were also taken from a chapter in William Seabrook's account of his travels in Haiti, *The Magic Island*, said chapter portions having been publishe with a title you might find of interest: "Dead Men Working in the Cane Fields".....

My own viewing has once again been very limited, though I did have a chance to rewatch another Lovecraft-related short, Bob Fugger's *The Terrible Old Man*. This is an odd one in that, while it updates the tale to have it in the present day, it obviously refers (via featuring the jars with the thieves' names on them) to the events of the original tale, thus giving a feeling of patterns repeating over time. The Terrible Old Man himself is, in some ways, even more repulsive and nasty than in HPL's tale, and the actor (Paul Abbott) manages to convey a fair amount of menace at points. Flawed, but there are some very, very nice things here, too....


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yeah, I know about Seabrook. The reason I was watching White Zombie (and intend to go through a few more of the early zombie films) is because I'm reading a rather detailed history of zombies in cinema.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Yeah, I know about Seabrook. The reason I was watching White Zombie (and intend to go through a few more of the early zombie films) is because I'm reading a rather detailed history of zombies in cinema.


 
There are some interesting takes on the theme from those years, both within and outside the "traditional" view of the subject... I think *The Ghoul*, with Karloff (a rather nicely atmospheric piece), might even apply....

Incidentally, if you've not read the Seabrook, I'm not sure how much of the book proper you'd find interesting, but certainly his chapters dealing with voodoo and zombies should be right up your alley....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Bridge *(German with English subtitles)
A pretty decent anti-war movie from 1959. Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Clash of the Titans and let me tell you what a disappointment THAT piece of tripe was!


I'm waiting for Hollywood to get a movie based off Greek mythology right, but I'm not holding my breath. At least they had Perseus kill Medusa, THAT much was correct. None of the rest of it was, though....


First off, not once do I ever recall Hades trying to overthrow his brother Zeus. 

Secondly, it was not Perseus who rode Pegasus, it was Bellerophon.

Thirdly, Io was not cursed with "agelessness" as the movie suggested. She did NOT refuse the god's advancements-said god being Zeus, the lecher-and as a result was turned into a white cow by Hera.

Fourthly, they couldn't even get the aftermath of Medusa's death right. Perseus plastered her head on his shield, the Aegis-which was given to him by Athena, btw-and in the movie he simply pulled it out of a wrapped cloth blanket he carried.

And finally-but correct me if I'm wrong on this score, seeing as how I've yet to come across a story actually concerning the kraken-I don't think Perseus was the one who killed the kraken. Or indeed, if the kraken ever was killed.

Once again I think they tried to roll all of the ancient Greek heroes into one, the same way Disney did with the animated Hercules movie. *sigh* When will anyone ever get Greek mythology RIGHT for a movie!?!


----------



## Devil's Advocate

ravenus said:


> Alice's 3D was a cash-in too, because they didn't shoot the film using 3D cameras.


Good point. I didn't know that.

I guess Tim Burton simply spent more time in refining the 3D effects than the _Titans_ guys did.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

I'm back from a four-day weekend (Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in SA, so there was lots of reading and movie-watching time.)

*Shutter Island*

I read the Dennis Lehane book a few years ago so I went into the movie knowing the basic plot but fortunately that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie. It was good - well-written and well-acted. (Then again, I'd watch Mark Ruffalo read from the back of a cereal box so I'm not particularly objective where his acting skills are concerned.) Di Caprio was competent and watchable but I could easily imagine someone else in his role.

It was a pleasure seeing Ben Kingsley again and I think he brought a depth to his character that a lesser actor wouldn't have been able to manage. His acting was very understated but he still conveyed much.

However, Shutter Island is not a great film. It lacks a certain something - I'm not quite certain what that is. It's a good solid film and I'd recommend it without any qualms but it ain't no *Vertigo* or *Rear Window.*

*Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs*

I expected to like this animated film and there were some entertaining parts but overall - a big disappointment. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, except Steve the monkey. Maybe I expect too much from an animated film but throughout the movie I found myself really irritated by the characters' behaviour. I was left with a general feeling of grumpiness after watching this film.

*X-Men Origins: Wolverine*

I enjoyed this movie way more than I expected. I especially liked the scenes in the beginning, showing the Logan brothers fighting in various wars over many long years. It reminded me of a book called *Casca: The Eternal Mercenary* by Barry Sandler. I got a sense of the weariness of death and destruction that James Logan (Wolverine) started feeling.

I like Liev Schreiber and don't see him in enough movies and I think he did a good job with the material he was given, which wasn't much. There is no real explanation given for his blood thirst. He's not a psychopath (though they painted him as such throughtout most of the film) and there is only the vaguest sense of what he _might_ have endured before the brothers struck out on their own. His character was painted in broad strokes and I think he was way more interesting than they allowed him to be. On a lighter note, I loved his animal-like bounding when he attacked. That was so cool. 

Also, Hugh Jackman is just...he's so...he's like...

I'm sorry, I'm still distracted by thoughts of his magnificent torso. I need some time to regather myself.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

I didn't like X-men origins at all. I don't even like X-men at all, but I'm a big enough fan of both Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart to find the first X-men movies tolerable.

But alas, I was granted not such a reprieve with Origins as neither were used in it....


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw "Clash Of The Titans" yesterday and I wasn't impressed to say the least. The 3D effects were poorly done and the action scenes were blurry. The overall story and acting were an improvement over the 1981 movie, but that's about the best thing I can say about it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Mata Hari* A very average film but...hey...anything with Greta Garbo is good enough for me


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just watched *Kick Ass* at the cinema.Was very good, very funny. Mindy was the best without a doubt, the most kick ass of the lot. My childhood was wasted on normal things! Unexpectedly dark and gory though, more so than I thought it would be anyway -- particularly when Kick Ass goes out for the first few times, and the bit involving Big Daddy. 

"Bazooka?................................OK." Hah. 

And when you first meet Mindy and her dad...excellent, just excellent.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Cloverfield again, this time on Blu ray and on a decent TV,knockout!


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

AE35Unit said:


> Watched Cloverfield again, this time on Blu ray and on a decent TV,knockout!


 

What planet are you from, AE?

How could Cloverfield ever be a knockout? (Unless it puts you to sleep, of course. )

I highly doubt even a good TV and Blu-ray could make that film salvageable.


----------



## AE35Unit

Manarion said:


> What planet are you from, AE?
> 
> How could Cloverfield ever be a knockout? (Unless it puts you to sleep, of course. )
> 
> I highly doubt even a good TV and Blu-ray could make that film salvageable.


Oh once you get past the first part it gets really good. the documentary style really makes it seem realistic, and you feel that youre watching a newscast rather than a movie. Worked for us! Looking forward to the sequel too!


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

I've seen the entire thing, AE, and I have to strongly disagree with your opinion. Not a single second of that movie was good, and I believe that everyone who was involved in its making should have been hung by their ankles with their heads buried in fire ant hills.


----------



## AE35Unit

Manarion said:


> I've seen the entire thing, AE, and I have to strongly disagree with your opinion. Not a single second of that movie was good, and I believe that everyone who was involved in its making should have been hung by their ankles with their heads buried in fire ant hills.



Well theres two here that liked it! Lets face it, if that happened for real you'd be excited!


----------



## Allegra

TK-421 said:


> Julie and Julia. Rather enjoyed it. Made me want to eat good food.


 
Same here. I never heard of the name Julia Child before, after watching this film I went on youtube to check, wow, Meryl Streep was like her double!   




Daisy-Boo said:


> Also, Hugh Jackman is just...he's so...he's like...
> 
> I'm sorry, I'm still distracted by thoughts of his magnificent torso. I need some time to regather myself.


 
Okay that's the next film I'm going to see.


----------



## Foxbat

*Rope  *I'm working my way through my new Hitchcock boxed set and it's been years since I watched this movie. I'd forgotten just how good this film is


----------



## J Riff

Cloverfield ...grrrrrr... it could have been so good. With 20 minutes of meaningless babble and needless 'character development' left out - it may have been a barnburner. Or at least a re-watchable flick. 

 I watched something called ' Nine miles Down ' ...a and it was_ hellishly_ bad ...  (that's where hell is, ysee ?  )


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched PUSH last night. It was OK,kind of like Heroes for grown ups,and it got a bit confusing in parts. Young Dakota Fanning is  very good,a rising star there!


----------



## ravenus

*The Descent 2*
An efficient if formulaic sequel with the ludicrousness factor turned high, but with a couple of pleasingly intense scenes (like the Sheriff's demise ). End twist was absolute balderdash.


----------



## Lioness

A French movie called _Welcome_. I really really enjoyed it.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

*Best Seller*

80's action flick with Brian Dennehy as a Policeman and bestselling author, and James Woods as a proffesional killer and the subject of Dennehys latest book.

Pretty decent plot, but the highlight is James Woods performance. Its one of his best roles, he oozes dangerousness whilst still coming across as unassuming and even likable.


----------



## clovis-man

*Lions For Lambs*. Made in 2007, this is a fairly obvious anti-war film geared for the times, i.e., just before the end of the previous administration. But good performances from Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*9*
Quite a good animated film about nine "stitchpunks" created by a scientist as humanity dies in a war with the machines they created. Stitchpunk #9 is the protagonist. 

*I Love You, Man*
Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are very watchable and funny in this "bromance". I was very pleased to see Jane Curtin, playing Rudd's mother. She's an under-used comedic talent. JK Simmons as Rudd's father made me laugh every time he appeared.

*Zombieland*
Woody Harrelson has fun playing the slightly crazy tough guy. Jesse Eisenberg is the narrator and his geeky but endearing contrast to Harrelson makes them a surprisingly good team.

The film is not your usual zombie flick. Instead, it's really about the relationships huma beings form with each other. I thought its heart was in the right place and I enjoyed this film very much.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched three film this weekend and they were
*Brokeback Mountain* - finally got round to watching the gay cowboy movie and wasn't that impressed. the scenery was amaxing, but the story was a little light and they weren't even cowboys they were sheperds, it was set in the 60s and 70s for crying out loud, everyone knows cowboys are from the olden times. The first gay scene was a bit suprising, sure I knew it was coming but it sort of came in a rush. It wasn't bad, but not all it was cracked up to be.
*Silent running* - a film critic said it was his favorite sci-fi movie of all time and I was stupid enough to think that meant it was good. It was pretty naff really, nothing that wasn't obvious, and how stupid was he that he didn't relaise the extra distance from the sun was going to effect the growth of the trees. In fact.. no wait I'm not going into the plot holes (science-wise) because there were too many of them
*Sympathy for Mr Vengence* - the best of the three films I watched, very Park Wook Chan, and a bit slow, but a wonderful plot and a very interetsing film, he is a great director and the wierdness scale is always quite high. I felt there were a lot of good things about this film, odd characters, lots of brooding silent shots and as I said a great plot with a very well worked out story.


----------



## Urien

*Get Carter.* A tremendous preformance by Michael Caine as the charismatic but soulless gangland enforcer. 

It's 1971, Carter has gone to Newcastle to find out if his brother was murdered. It's a dark, decaying depressing place, peopled by characters that reflect the collapsing environment. Caine as Carter cuts through them with no remorse only a burning anger. One of the best amoral performances I've ever seen. Still has the power to shock all these years later.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Star Trek: Nemesis* Not good the first time I saw it, not good the last time (that I will ever see it).


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

IN 2003, the BBC made a movie called *Eroica *about the first performance of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. I watched it last night, and quite liked it, all in all. It takes liberties with the facts as we know them, interpolating several incidents that never took place, or happened earlier, giving us a sort of telescoped picture of all that went into the making of this symphony. The focus wanders from the music in the third and fourth movements, but the DVD contains a take without the dramatic interludes to satisfy those who crave a recreation of a period performance, costumes and all, without extraneous factors. Still, I liked it because it achieved the goal of bringing this wonderful piece  of music to life in context, reminding us how strange and revolutionary  it must have seemed at the time.


----------



## j d worthington

Moonbat said:


> it was set in the 60s and 70s for crying out loud, everyone knows cowboys are from the olden times.[...]


 
Unless you are being facetious, I wouldn't attempt to convince a fair number of people in the American southwest of that, considering cowboys (yes, the genuine article) are still very much with us....

As for *Silent Running*... sorry you didn't care for it. This is one which I try to caution people about: do _not_ look at it as science fiction, or you _will_ be disappointed. It is a modern fable with sf trappings. The science is completely nonexistent; it is the story itself, and the emotional aspects (and the interaction between certain characters) which makes this film worthwhile. Seen as such a parable, it is really quite effective, even beautiful in its own odd way....

For my own viewing... recently watched *The Howling* for the first time in years. Still find it an uneven, but entertaining, film. Certain things I really like about it; others simply went too far over the top. But I've never been able to stomach any of the sequels....

Aside from that, I've been watching a few short films here and there, but I hope to actually watch a _feature_ (gasp!) sometime soon....


----------



## littlemissattitude

Saw *Julie and Julia* over the weekend.  Loved it.  Of course, I saw it as all about writing, not all about cooking or anything else.

Also saw *The Princess & the Frog*...lovely traditional animation and a pretty cool story.

And, more appropriate to the Chrons, I watched *District 9*.  Fabulous film, for all that I didn't really expecct to like it.  I like films that have a lot of different levels to them, and this one certainly does.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

I've yet to see Princess and the Frog-which I, despite being a guy and it being of a rather romantic nature I do intend to watch, especially for the traditional hand-drawn animation-but I have seen the other two. (Julie and Julia was forced upon me at first.)


While I have to grudgingly admit that J&J was of a decent quality, I far preferred District 9......




The last movie I have seen was yet again rewatching Iron Man. Still an instant classic in my book.


----------



## frake

i have watched twilight.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Welcome Frake! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you enjoy it for its poignant underlying commentary on the prejudices that still exist in modern society? Did you detest it for its bland, superficial expression of a sappy teenage romance? I want your opinions!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Hilarious Joke said:


> Welcome Frake! Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did you enjoy it for its poignant underlying commentary on the prejudices that still exist in modern society? Did you detest it for its bland, superficial expression of a sappy teenage romance? I want your opinions!


 
Classic. That is all.


----------



## bobbo19

The Blindside, good film


----------



## Moonbat

> Unless you are being facetious, I wouldn't attempt to convince a fair number of people in the American southwest of that, considering cowboys (yes, the genuine article) are still very much with us....


 
I was being facetious JD. Although when I heard about the cowboy love story I did envision something more like Unforgiven with Boy George!
I watched The Thing last night and it was brilliant, (the '82 Carpenter version) I was very impressed with it, I knew enough to know a bit but I didn't know nearly enough not to enjoy it.


----------



## j d worthington

Moonbat said:


> I was being facetious JD. Although when I heard about the cowboy love story I did envision something more like Unforgiven with Boy George!


 
I really do need to stop misplacing my sense of humor... I'm worse at that than I am at losing my spectacles....



> I watched The Thing last night and it was brilliant, (the '82 Carpenter version) I was very impressed with it, I knew enough to know a bit but I didn't know nearly enough not to enjoy it.


 
Yes, that one has always felt a lot closer to Campbell's original story, to me. (Mind you, I also have a high regard for the original film version, as well.) Great score, too....


----------



## HardScienceFan

Monster House

Great animation.

Good oldfashioned fun

recommended


----------



## Connavar

*Kick-ass*

I thought the movie was pure awesome,hilarious. I had seen the trailer i expected a film that was funny,superhero. I didnt expect a serious superheros story. Everyone the theater including me laughed almost at every scene.

When it was serious with Hit girl,Kick-ass,Big Daddy it was good enough but when it was being funny it was so awesome. Hit-Girl was totally the star, the little girl actor was very good in the role she surprised. Made me believe she could be that bad-ass.

I have read Wanted and other the top,trying to be funny Mark Miller comics. I dont for a sec believe the comic is as much fun as the movie. I give the director,the writers,actor probs for making it so good,funny.

It was a fresh breath after all these grim,gritty superheroes or over the top action,serious superhero.


----------



## The DeadMan

For some reason the  movie theater in my area is going to wait until next Friday to show Kick-ass. I was planning on seeing it but I will now have to wait.


----------



## clovis-man

*A Serious Man*. One (or two) things about Coen Brothers movies: They totally immerse you in the subject at hand and you should never expect poetic justice. Well, not usually anyway.

Very worthwhile.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

How to Train Your Dragon.


There's a few issues I had with it, but all in all, it wasn't actually that bad. And I felt that they managed to get a decent depiction of what a general European dragon looked like with the Night Fury, even if I felt that the others weren't so accurately depicted.


And as far as humor went, yes, it had plenty of it. I would recommend this one to anyone who hasn't seen it. Of course, I didn't watch it in 3D, but it was enjoyable all the same.


----------



## ravenus

Karn Maeshalanadae said:


> How to Train Your Dragon.
> 
> ... I felt that they managed to get a decent depiction of what a general European dragon looked like with the Night Fury, even if I felt that the others weren't so accurately depicted....


You have dragons in Europe?

*Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Terry Gilliam*

This movie was definitely big on Tarsem's mind when he made *The Fall* (which I also liked a good deal). The script gets muddled and pat at times (possibly due to the film's very troubled production history) but it's still very entertaining and whimsical, and bolstered by a visual sense that's way ahead of most other films.
And Uma Thurman as a nekkid Venus is TASTY!


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

I'm not from Europe, and dragons don't actually exist anymore. (I am still, however, a firm believer of them being a now-extinct species.)


No, all the studies I've made on European dragons point to them being of the wyvern variety. (At least, the Western European ones, since it was the Vikings and a set of Isles which could have only been what would have become Britain that the movie took place in. And as I said, those were studies I myself made. I'm sure I could be far, far wrong on many accounts.)


----------



## ktabic

ravenus said:


> *Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Terry Gilliam*



Ah, great film. Full of preposterous ideas. Always enjoy watching this one.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched most of *Full Metal Jacket* last night-never realised it was a Kubrick film! And I always confuse it with Platoon!
Quite horrific!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> Watched most of *Full Metal Jacket* last night-never realised it was a Kubrick film! And I always confuse it with Platoon!
> Quite horrific!



I much prefer the first half, when they're still at boot camp (is that the correct term?). I thought Vincent D'Onofrio was superb as Leonard Lawrence, the poor recruit who is viciously picked on by Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.


----------



## Tillane

Saw *Kick Ass* for the second time yesterday.  What can I say?  Awesome film - Chloe Moretz has a bright future ahead of her, methinks (me hopes).  Oh, and with the added bonus that it's had the Daily Mail in fits of gibbering apoplexy.

Result.


----------



## AE35Unit

Daisy-Boo said:


> I much prefer the first half, when they're still at boot camp (is that the correct term?). I thought Vincent D'Onofrio was superb as Leonard Lawrence, the poor recruit who is viciously picked on by Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.


Yea me too ,and that crazy sergeant! Cant quote any of it cos its all swearing


----------



## bunnypeaches

*Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs*. Nothing special, I started reading a book part way through. But it just wasn't my kind of humor, I know other people who really enjoyed it so it can't be that awful.


----------



## AE35Unit

bunnypeaches said:


> *Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs*. Nothing special, I started reading a book part way through. But it just wasn't my kind of humor, I know other people who really enjoyed it so it can't be that awful.



Oh we loved that one!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> Yea me too ,and that crazy sergeant! Cant quote any of it cos its all swearing



You should read the Wikipedia entry for the film. There is a section on the casting of the gunnery sergeant. I would love to see that audition tape.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

bunnypeaches said:


> *Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs*. Nothing special, I started reading a book part way through. But it just wasn't my kind of humor, I know other people who really enjoyed it so it can't be that awful.



I'm with you on this one. I found it disappointing.

Also, it bothered me to see so much food go to waste. I know it's an animation but still, I kept thinking that it would've been nice if one of the characters had the idea of shipping excess food to people who needed it. I grew up poor and remember how we made every bit of food count. To see food being wasted like that makes me very uncomfortable.


----------



## Moonbat

This weekend I have watched (in order) *The Descent part 2*, not bad sequel, fairly obvious plot and pretty well done, a surprising ending but I enjoyed it throughout. A clever idea and the first one was really good, this sequel wasn't that good, but worth a watch. *The beat that my heart skipped* a french film by the director of *une Prophete*, very good, about a sort of real estate gangster that gets back into his piano playing roots. I enjoyed the piano parts and the film was great but not as violent as I expected. A fairly slow and interesting film, if you like piano (the instrument not the film) then you might enjoy it. *Rosemary's Baby*, Polanski at his peak, it was very chilling, a classic thriller without any frights or gore but wonderful realised antichrist film. They don't make them like that these days, I haven't seen a chilling thriller like that for a while. I have no desire to laud it over Polanski (after what he has done) but that was a very well made film.


----------



## bunnypeaches

Daisy-Boo said:


> Also, it bothered me to see so much food go to waste. I know it's an animation but still, I kept thinking that it would've been nice if one of the characters had the idea of shipping excess food to people who needed it. I grew up poor and remember how we made every bit of food count. To see food being wasted like that makes me very uncomfortable.




Same here, I hate wasting food! Unless it's actually got mould growing all over it, it's still edible in my opinion. The other half is one of those people who throws stuff away on the day it goes out of date, and I think one of the worst arguments we've had in the 3 years we've been together was about him throwing out a load of perfectly good apples (not even a little bit wrinkly, for heaven's sake!) just because they were out of date. 

Oh, and I watched half of *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *last night and loved it, I intend to finish watching it tonight, so I hope the ending isn't a big let down, or I'll look like an idiot for posting this


----------



## The DeadMan

bunnypeaches said:


> Same here, I hate wasting food! Unless it's actually got mould growing all over it, it's still edible in my opinion. The other half is one of those people who throws stuff away on the day it goes out of date, and I think one of the worst arguments we've had in the 3 years we've been together was about him throwing out a load of perfectly good apples (not even a little bit wrinkly, for heaven's sake!) just because they were out of date.


I agree about not throwing out food because it's past it's expiration date. When I was a kid the only foods with an expiration date were milk and bread and even then we drank the milk if it smelled okay and ate the bread, if as you said, it didn't have mold on it. If it was just stale we made toast!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Smiles Of A Summer Night*, an altogether delightful romantic farce with tragic underpinnings.


----------



## AE35Unit

Finally watched Avatar. Brilliant of course and to be honest theres no need for 3D! The film made us quite angry tho-I'm not sure we would behave like that if we found a Pandora. I hate the typical gung ho attitude shown in so many films from the US, it really paints  americans in a bad light in our eyes!


----------



## The DeadMan

AE35Unit said:


> Finally watched Avatar. Brilliant of course and to be honest theres no need for 3D! The film made us quite angry tho-I'm not sure we would behave like that if we found a Pandora. I hate the typical gung ho attitude shown in so many films from the US, it really paints  americans in a bad light in our eyes!


Everybody seems to think that the solders in this movie are U.S. Marines. They are not. They are ex-Marines and ex-Army hired by a large corporation as mercenaries to exploit Pandora. Even though the corporation is American it doesn't represent the American government. I think most corporations are about the same no matter which country they are from, which means, out for themselves.


----------



## AE35Unit

The DeadMan said:


> Everybody seems to think that the solders in this movie are U.S. Marines. They are not. They are ex-Marines and ex-Army hired by a large corporation as mercenaries to exploit Pandora. Even though the corporation is American it doesn't represent the American government. I think most corporations are about the same no matter which country they are from, which means, out for themselves.


Yea but it occurs in so many films from Hollywood,the whole 'Come get some!' woop ass attitude,look at Aliens and Predator and countless others. Really does not make americans look good to those outside the states.


----------



## biodroid

Punsiher: War Zone - what a load of donkey trollop. Bad directing, poor acting and more of a kill fest than the first Punisher with Tom Jane in it. The first one was pretty good and dark and well thought out.


----------



## The DeadMan

AE35Unit said:


> Yea but it occurs in so many films from Hollywood,the whole 'Come get some!' woop ass attitude,look at Aliens and Predator and countless others. Really does not make americans look good to those outside the states.


It's fiction. It sells tickets and DVD's.  Just like certain stereotypes for those from other countries, which are also not true.


----------



## nj1

Watched NED KELLY on ITV4 last night, I've seen it before but had forgotten how good a film it is, Ledger was really good in the lead role and shows how good an actor he was becoming


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> It's fiction. It sells tickets and DVD's. Just like certain stereotypes for those from other countries, which are also not true.


 
Yeah but I'm with Larry. It's boring, and stereotypes simplify people and races, often detrimentally.


----------



## Happy Joe

Avatar on DVD; a good film; worth purchasing...
In answer to those complaining about gung ho action films; they are fictional "action" stories and as such they need to be exciting/have action; it makes a much better story than "please don't hit me" or "can't we all just work together"...(boring, I wouldn't waste my time).
I didn't particularly care for the noble savage attitude of the film (there is no such thing; never has been) or the new age/gaia parts. I really hated the "horses"; surely they could have come up with something less obviously horse like but still ride-able for an alien ecosystem.
This film did get the important parts, right; an evil bad guy that the audience can hate and feel good when the good guys beat him...then every one lives happily ever after (I like unrealistic endings).

Enjoy!


----------



## Foxbat

*Marnie  *I'm a sucker for a good Hitchcock film


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Foxbat said:


> *Marnie *I'm a sucker for a good Hitchcock film


 
Good film. Tippi Hedren was on top form. 

I wish someone other than Sean Connery played opposite her. He's on record as saying he thinks there's nothing wrong with slapping a woman around sometimes. Which made the wedding night scene on the ship even more horrific for me.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)*

I have mixed feelings about this film. I liked Denzel Washington's flawed but essentially good, Walter Garber. John Turturro had a subdued but nevertheless impressive supporting role as the hostage negotiator giving advice and encouragement to Garber. 

John Travolta was the weak link. Oh, he gave a bravura performance, stomping and raging appropriately. But. We've seen it all before, many times. I'm more than a little tired of the psychopathic anti-hero cliche.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*City Island*, starring Andy Garcia and Juliana Margulies. 

This is a film that couldn't seem to make up its mind about what it wanted to be - family drama, comedy or farce. It started off on a fairly serious note, with Andy Garcia talking about his greatest secret, followed by scenes of his volatile family life. 

As Garcia's secrets are revealed the film meanders into comedy, descends into (bad) farce and ends on a highly unlikely "hey we're all so happy" note. I simply did not buy that ending. This film could've been so much more, especially with actors of the calibre of Garcia and Margulies (who I adore in The Good Wife). There are times when Garcia is given scope to show his character's depths and those are the best scenes in the film. Also, the always annoying Emily Mortimer was there, doing her lost little waif act and frankly, the film could've done without her.

Overall, a disappointing film.


----------



## bobbo19

Shutter Island. average did not really impress me


----------



## Connavar

*Iron Man 2* i saw it on the premiere earlier tonight.

It was awesome,fun superhero film as we all expected. Funny,strong performance by RDJ.  Surprisingly well acted by the new actors in this film, they got the minor characters right too.  I enjoyed the new Rhodes,Nick Fury,Romanov/Black Widow.

A rare superhero series this one i actually cant wait for the next film in the series.  While other superhero series i got tired of years ago.


----------



## ravenus

Saw the 1940 version of *Thief of Bagdad*, which had some pretty good (technicolor) visual sense, and solid presence from a brooding Conrad Veidt and a winsome athletic Sabu. But I didn't enjoy it greatly - too stodgy and stilted in the dialog (Miles Malleson, of all people!). The rare relief came from the sassy interplay between Sabu and the genie (Rex Ingram). The spider attack sequence looked very stupid.


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> Saw the 1940 version of *Thief of Bagdad*, which had some pretty good (technicolor) visual sense, and solid presence from a brooding Conrad Veidt and a winsome athletic Sabu. But I didn't enjoy it greatly - too stodgy and stilted in the dialog (Miles Malleson, of all people!). The rare relief came from the sassy interplay between Sabu and the genie (Rex Ingram). The spider attack sequence looked very stupid.


 
This film would appear from time to time on television in the 1950s (black & white, of course). Heavily cut, it was still enjoyable. In the early 1970s, there was a film festival in San Francisco in which a newly remastered, uncut print of *The Thief of Baghdad* was shown at the Palace of Fine Arts. I drug my father-in-law and my wife's youngest siblings (about 9 and 10 years old) across the Bay Bridge to see it. It was magical. The colors were vibrant. The painted backdrops and the pastel soaked dock architecture leapt out at us. The story truly seemed larger than life.

Although not Shakespearian in stature, the young lovers, John Justin and June Duprez were appropriately handsome and beautiful. As noted, Rex Ingram and Conrad Veidt were great. Sabu, who died an untimely death at age 39, was perfect for the lead role. Mary Morris, the diminutive british character actor with the big voice, played Jaffar's accomplice, Halima. Her small stature was masked by the towering headpiece she wore. She also played the part of the six-armed automaton assassin, if I'm not mistaken.

For 1940, I thought that the "special effects" were reasonably good. Just a little willing suspension of disbelief is all that's called for.


----------



## ravenus

clovis-man said:


> I *drug* my father-in-law and my wife's youngest siblings (about 9 and 10 years old) across the Bay Bridge to see it. It was magical. The colors were vibrant. The painted backdrops and the pastel soaked dock architecture leapt out at us.


*Dragged*, you mean. I hope 
The automaton assassin was awesome to be sure. I would have been terrified if I'd seen it as a kid. But the spider thing should not have been attempted in the manner it was. The old King Kong movie had far more convincing creature FX.


----------



## Happy Joe

I only saw the Technicolor version of Thief of Baghdad in the last year (it added a lot to my memories). It still holds its own over most of the flick (except for the spider sequence).

Speaking of bad FX, I have been collecting a bunch of 1950s Universal sci-fy/monster movies (all B&W), over the last couple of weeks;
Tarantula (probably the biggest spider ever put on celuloid...)
The Mole People
The Land Unknown
Deadly Mantis
and The Lost Continent (possibly the worst dinosaur FX ever done, but some cheap CGI may be even less acceptable).

Most are quiet enjoyable, when viewed in the right frame of mind, and the indie movie makers could learn a lot from these.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

H. J.: They could indeed! (Then again, there's that bizarre and twisted little piece, *Eight-Legged Freaks*....)

*Thief of Baghdad*... yes, the spider sequence has its problems, but this is a film I've always loved dearly; having seen it on the big screen more than once, I have to agree that in many ways it could give most of the fantastic films since a good run for their money as far as sheer quality....


----------



## Happy Joe

Ha... Eight Legged Freaks; haven't yet seen it but its on my "look for" list along with the "tanna leaf" Mummy movies from the late 30s/early 40s.

I spend a couple of hours every week or so shopping for previously viewed movies... (home theater/a movie library is neat but the cost of hardware is less than the cost of software).

Just watched "Scaramouche" and "Court Jester" both from the 50s. On first impression Scaramouche wasn't great (I'll give it at least a couple of chances) but Court Jester still makes me laugh.

Enjoy!


----------



## Talysia

Race to Witch Mountain.  I don't know what I was expecting, having seen the original films years ago, but it was still fairly enjoyable.


----------



## Happy Joe

"Damage" with Steve Austin (an American "wrestler"), not very good, its a fight movie with some slow parts, might be worth a rental if you like fight movies; or get bored watching the grass grow.

Enjoy!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Happy Joe said:


> "Damage" with Steve Austin (an American "wrestler"), not very good, its a fight movie with some slow parts, might be worth a rental if you like fight movies; or get bored watching the grass grow.
> 
> Enjoy!


 
I watched the first 15 minutes or so of this movie but switched off when it came to the scene in the coffee shop where the woman spoke about her daughter needing the heart transplant. That scene, and the one where the waitress's toothy boyfriend approaches Austin about fighting for money, told me all I needed to know about the film.

And it's a pity because I think they had the germ of an interesting little film. Austin is no great actor but he has an imposing screen presence. I thought that a film along the lines of The Wrestler would've been really interesting. Austin as an ex-con, still coming to terms with his violent past, trying to make a life for himself without resorting to violence and learning to forgive himself for the terrible crime he committed. They wouldn't even have needed much dialogue. A film like that could be observational - allowing us to "spy" on his life.


----------



## nj1

Watched SHUTTER ISLAND last night.....Meh....saw the twist a mile off, but enjoyed Di Caprio's acting, he's probably one of Hollywoods best at the moment IMO


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *Iron Man 2*. Pretty good, loved the following fight sequence (slight spoiler):

The one between Iron Man and Rhodes.


----------



## ravenus

*Kung Fu Panda*
Didn't have big expectations so was pleasantly  surprised by a decent generally entertaining movie with some kickass action  scenes. But Jackie Chan got really shafted on this - an animated tribute  to the Kung Fu movies of yore and all he gets is half a sentence of  dialog and no memorable character moments? my fav character in this was  the goose that plays Po's dad - also one of the few authentic Hong Kong  accents in the film.

*Hot Tub Time Machine*
To some extent the censorship on Indian screens may have spoiled this, but this tale of millennium middle-agers going back in time to the 80's played like a lame version of the significantly more enjoyable *The Hangover*.

*Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus*
Terrific, except when it pays  attention to its silly and shallow plot. Gilliam's visual sense totally rips a  new one and even that Heath Ledger fellow is not half bad in this one. Christopher Plummer  and Tom Waits have fun playing off each other.

*Coffy*
Fast paced fun blaxploitation flick improved further by  the tremendously (and I mean tremendously) sexy presence of Pam Grier.  Two Thumbs up for eye candy


----------



## bunnypeaches

*How To Train Your Dragon*. Pretty good actually, I thought it'd be really cheesy. I mean, anything with dragons in it has got my vote anyway but this was quite original for a kids movie. Although a lot of films I've seen lately have an underlying "love me daddy, love meeee" theme, which kind of leaves me cold. Anyway, to sum up: I really enjoyed it and would happily watch it again


----------



## Mouse

I saw *Hotel for Dogs*. Alright, except we have a Tesco Value DVD player and every ten mins a little 'Tesco' logo would appear and blank out the film.


----------



## bunnypeaches

Mouse said:


> ...we have a Tesco Value DVD player and every ten mins a little 'Tesco' logo would appear and blank out the film.


 
 What?! I've never seen that before, that's lame!


----------



## Moonbat

I have a tesco value DVD player (cost me less than £20) and that doesn't happen on mine. the Tesco logo only appears when I switch it on or when there is no disc in the player.


----------



## Mouse

Mine was about £15 I think. It's done it a couple of times, it's almost like a screensaver on a PC. Well, it's exactly like that actually.


----------



## bobbo19

Saw *Iron Man 2* and did not reate it as highly as the first. still an epic ending though...


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> *Kung Fu Panda*
> ........... my fav character in this was the goose that plays Po's dad - also one of the few authentic Hong Kong accents in the film.


 
James Hong. This guy is incredibly active as an actor. See his list of credits at the IMDB website:

James Hong

My favorite has to be his portrayal of David Lo Pan in *Big Trouble In Little China.*


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Stars Wars: Episode IV* at the moment. Well, it is 4th May.

Watched most of *Seven Year Itch* earlier. Ah, Marilyn. So beautiful.


----------



## Diggler

*The Road*: In my opinion, just as good as the book. Bleak and depressing, but a realistic tale of what might happen if we keep following this path.

*The Book Of Eli*: Not bad PA actioner from the Hughes Brothers. I wasn't really expecting much (even though I do like the Hughes Brothers previous efforts) and was pleasently surprised.

*Survival of the Dead*: George Romero, has gone back to grass roots and created a woeful 6th film in his Dead series. I swear this was nothing more than a remake of *Day of the Dead*, which was equally dreadful. Though Day of the Dead had better FX.


----------



## ktabic

*Cape Fear*, an oldie, but had never seen it before.


----------



## clovis-man

ktabic said:


> *Cape Fear*, an oldie, but had never seen it before.


 
So, which Robert? Mitchum or DeNiro?


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Lovely Bones* which was gripping, but...odd. I can see the emotional appeal but I don't think the postmortem redemptive arc actually makes any sense or resonates for me.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Happy Joe said:


> Speaking of bad FX, I have been collecting a bunch of 1950s Universal sci-fy/monster movies (all B&W), over the last couple of weeks;
> 
> The Mole People


 
Awwww. I love *The Mole People*. It's so cheesy, but still fun. Haven't seen it in years, though. Have to look for it.

Edit to add: I finally saw *Sherlock Holmes* the other day, on DVD.  I really didn't expect much from it except to enjoy the presence of Robert Downey Jr., but I ended up liking it a lot.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Dark Knight* again last night, this time on Blu Ray. Not a bad film, Ledger's performance is superb but Batman annoyed me wth his gravelly voice when in Bat mode-why??
And the ending is such a cliche,I mean the very ending when Commissioner Gordon makes that cheesy speech-straight out of a 1950s cheesy comic! I don't like when they try to make a film look or sound like a comic-it doesn't quite work-its a fillum!
And what's the deal with the Penguin? We know he's a regular so why make it look like he died and ignore him!
That's the trouble with such 'requels', we know who dies and who  doesn't die,takes the edge off things!


----------



## ktabic

Watched *Get Carter* last night. The original one with Michael Caine,


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Watched *Dark Knight* again last night, this time on Blu Ray. Not a bad film, Ledger's performance is superb but Batman annoyed me wth his gravelly voice when in Bat mode-why??
> And the ending is such a cliche,I mean the very ending when Commissioner Gordon makes that cheesy speech-straight out of a 1950s cheesy comic! I don't like when they try to make a film look or sound like a comic-it doesn't quite work-its a fillum!
> And what's the deal with the Penguin? We know he's a regular so why make it look like he died and ignore him!
> That's the trouble with such 'requels', we know who dies and who  doesn't die,takes the edge off things!



The clichè ending is not comic like its hollywood 100% 

As reader of Batman comics for years the comics have never been that much of a clichè.  Its Hollywood they have to dumb it down so everyone can like it and go "oh our poor hero is a wanted criminal now"

I dont even care about Batman 3 now.  Iron Man 3 is more important to me despite i dont read Iron Man comics and Batman is my fav hero. Iron Man movies is actually fun and nothing like Batman's fake voice.


----------



## Happy Joe

"Shooter", an action movie about an ex black ops sniper recruited to prevent a presidential assination... frame ups and double crosses ensue... Pretty fair movie if , like me, you like lots of shooting and explosions... definitely worth a rental; I bought it.

"Sherlock Holmes"; not as good a movie as some of the older versions (or even the BBC series), a less than traditional take on the great sleuth, but acceptable, I enjoyed it, in spite of Mr. Downey. Definitely worth a rental (purchased this one too).

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *9* earlier,very enjoyable post apocalyptic tale,kind of a dark and earth-bound Wall-e with a bit of AI. 
I loved the fact that its labelled as 'stitch punk'!
The only thing is parents,this is NOT a film for the little ones,even tho its found in the kids section in the rental store!


----------



## Connavar

*A Tale of Two Sisters*(2003) another great korean film and yet another from 2003.  Every Korean film i have seen almost is from 2003.  Did they max out that year i wonder.

It was also one of rare films that was so creepy,actually scary that i was seeing things every dark corner of the living room when i saw it.  One of those great horror that makes your mind trick you into seeing horrible things they never really show much of.  It was more supernatural horror and not straight one.   I would rate it 4/5.

Also saw *The Proposition* - i only rented it for Guy Pearce really but John Hurt was a nice surprise.  It was very weird film.  It was gritty western at times and just plain weird often.  I would rate it 3/5.  Visually,acting wise strong but storywise it lacked something.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> The clichè ending is not comic like its hollywood 100%
> 
> As reader of Batman comics for years the comics have never been that much of a clichè.  Its Hollywood they have to dumb it down so everyone can like it and go "oh our poor hero is a wanted criminal now"
> 
> I dont even care about Batman 3 now.  Iron Man 3 is more important to me despite i dont read Iron Man comics and Batman is my fav hero. Iron Man movies is actually fun and nothing like Batman's fake voice.



I wouldn't know such, I never have read comics and certainly wouldn't read them now. I always think comics are for kids,teenagers. Looking forward to seeing Iron Man 2 tho- just hope its first half is more exciting than the first one.


----------



## ravenus

*Midnight Meat Train*

Versus director Ryuhei Kitamura reins  in his hyperkinetic shooting style to give a more atmospheric thriller.  It is very effective in parts but the silly looking CG gore and  conventional filler parts keep things tepid. The end is so half-assed I  had to read the Clive Barker Story to figure out what the MMT is all about.  That's better but still not very good.


----------



## ravenus

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *The Lovely Bones* which was gripping, but...odd. I can see the emotional appeal but I don't think the postmortem redemptive arc actually makes any sense or resonates for me.


REALLY?! A lot of the reviews were quite scathing.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Like I said, it didn't, eventually, work for me.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Like I said, it didn't, eventually, work for me.


It doesnt appeal to me either!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> I wouldn't know such, I never have read comics and certainly wouldn't read them now. I always think comics are for kids,teenagers. Looking forward to seeing Iron Man 2 tho- just hope its first half is more exciting than the first one.



You dont have to read comics to know what is typical hollywood and not.

Doesnt matter if its superhero film or Avatar they make the same predictable stories,endings.  Meaning their blockbuster films.


----------



## Ross

Went to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street.

Was pretty good but wasn't the same without Robert Englund as Freddy.

But all in all it was a typical horror/slasher movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> You dont have to read comics to know what is typical hollywood and not.
> 
> Doesnt matter if its superhero film or Avatar they make the same predictable stories,endings.  Meaning their blockbuster films.


Iron Man 2 is a blockbuster, that works(well hopefully)


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Men in Black* earlier. Love it. And then *The Mummy*.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> And then *The Mummy*.


 
Err... which one?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Alas, nothing but the Brendan Fraser version.


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Iron Man 2 is a blockbuster, that works(well hopefully)



Yeah Iron Man movies are a dying breed as fun blockbuster film.  In the premiere of the last one people was laughing,gave the movie a standing ovation when it was done. 

Not because its the greatest film but because it was so much fun and actually worth the higher movie ticket prize of today.

Normally i dont pay for that kind of film, i go after critical acclaimed films or action,thriller directors,actors i trust.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Alas, nothing but the Brendan Fraser version.


 
You know, I have a fair amount of fondness for that particular film. Flawed, ridiculous, silly thing that it is, it nonetheless has its charm (for me, at any rate)....


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> Yeah Iron Man movies are a dying breed as fun blockbuster film.  In the premiere of the last one people was laughing,gave the movie a standing ovation when it was done.
> 
> Not because its the greatest film but because it was so much fun and actually worth the higher movie ticket prize of today.
> 
> Normally i dont pay for that kind of film, i go after critical acclaimed films or action,thriller directors,actors i trust.


I'm lucky as I dont have to pay to watch the latest movie


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> You know, I have a fair amount of fondness for that particular film. Flawed, ridiculous, silly thing that it is, it nonetheless has its charm (for me, at any rate)....



Indeedily. Adore John Hannah and Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser's all right, too, so the cast is great. And yes, entertaining film.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Shutter Island, which started well and then began to grate on me with its heavy-handed imagery and predictably unpredictable twists. I still like a lot of things about it, including the inclusion of an early Mahler work I had never heard before, but all in all a disappointing experience.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

HoopyFrood said:


> Indeedily. Adore John Hannah and Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser's all right, too, so the cast is great. And yes, entertaining film.


 
I met John Hannah recently - he was in a local book store where I'm a frequent customer. He was very polite and unassuming. Signed an autograph for me too.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Burning Plain* - Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, Robin Tunney, Danny Pino and others.

This is one of those films where they cut back and forth in time. (I think that the TV series *Damages* does it better though.) I can't say too much because that would give away the story (though about halfway through, or even earlier, you'd probably guess the twist-in-the-tail).

It was an average film, neither good nor bad. It held my attention for the duration but that's about it.


----------



## ktabic

Last night, while doing the ironing, I watched *Infestation* (predictable but pretty fun) and *FAQ About Time Travel* (good laugh, lots of references to other time travel movies). Yes, there was a lot of ironing.


----------



## Connavar

Daisy-Boo said:


> I met John Hannah recently - he was in a local book store where I'm a frequent customer. He was very polite and unassuming. Signed an autograph for me too.



Have you seen him in *Spartacus: Blood and Sand* ?

You should asked what he thought about his best role so far imo.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Connavar said:


> Have you seen him in *Spartacus: Blood and Sand* ?
> 
> You should asked what he thought about his best role so far imo.


 
I watched the first episode of Spartacus and realised (after asking myself for the 50th time if the show was for real or a gigantic soft porn prank) that I was not its target audience.


----------



## Connavar

Daisy-Boo said:


> I watched the first episode of Spartacus and realised (after asking myself for the 50th time if the show was for real or a gigantic soft porn prank) that I was not its target audience.



The sex scenes get fewer after 3,4 eps.  Historical,storywise the show is hailed and become much bigger than creators expected.  They went to start with gory violence,sex scenes because its a cable channel like HBO who likes to flaunt their status as cable.  True Blood had early on rabid,disgusting sex scenes....


You think Hannah,Lucy Lawless would be in soft porn prank ?


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Connavar said:


> The sex scenes get fewer after 3,4 eps. Historical,storywise the show is hailed and become much bigger than creators expected. They went to start with gory violence,sex scenes because its a cable channel like HBO who likes to flaunt their status as cable. True Blood had early on rabid,disgusting sex scenes....
> 
> 
> You think Hannah,Lucy Lawless would be in soft porn prank ?


 
I was being facetious with the soft porn comment.

I thought the first episode was formulaic, predictable and downright boring. Sex scenes, even explicit ones, don't turn me off. But these were simply ridiculous.

I did not feel the same way about True Blood. 

Spartacus is simply not my kind of series.


----------



## Connavar

Yeah of course you must like historical fiction to like Spartacus,Rome,Tudors etc

Heh funny sex scenes in Spartacus was tasteful incomparison to True Blood.  But we see our fav shows in different light than others.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Finally had the chance to crack into my Hitchcock collection. 

Watching -- for the first time, shockingly -- *Psycho*. 

Firstly, way to go, Marion, getting everyone you meet suspicious about you. Mind you, I think I'd probably be the same with that much money in my bag. I'd probably be the same if I stole a packet of sweets.

It's a shame I know the ending, Norman seems like a likeable enough guy. A little intense at times, perhaps. But I know that's supposed to be the way for the twist. 

Whoa, the detective! That was somewhat surprising.


----------



## Tom_Falter

I have seen Iron Man. It's just "wow". There are some wonderful information about Iron man at various sites. it's just wonderful man! check out some interesting information at FamousWhy.com


----------



## Moonbat

It seems that I haven't posted for a while, so I probably can't tell you all the films I have watched since my last update, but here are a few of them, in no particular order.
*The man from Earth* a very acomplished sci-fi discussion film, it was brilliantly wirtten but poorly performed and directed. The conversation between faculty members and their departing colleague who claims to be 14500 years old, ranged from the simple to the brilliant. I thought that some of the religious tales were a bit obvious, but I really liked it.
*The city of Lost Children* was brilliant! It looked great and had some wonderful direction, the story was a bit simple and didn't end in the best way, but the tale of a fairground strong man searching for his lost little brother (petite frere (I hope my spelling is right)) with the help of a street urchin was heart warming and very well realised. Not sure the names of the actors, but the lead was the guy who plays Hellboy, and I saw him last week in Alien Resurection with the other main character (playing 6 clones and a professor) as the guy in the wheel chair. It looked a bit wierd at times, but the camera follwing the flea was great. thoroughly enjoyed it.

*Arlington Road* was very good, the twist got me right at the moment it is supposed to, although on retrospect I found a few scenes a little less than perfect. Not sure who died int he car crash, but it was very well done, with an eloquent twist on the story. I am a fan of Tim Robbins and felt he put in a solid performance.

*The Boat that Rocked* was better than I expected having heard plenty of bad things about it. I dind't realise it woudl have a teenage love story at its heart, but it was pretty good, a great soundtrack. some fairly obvious twists. Great work from Kennth Branagh, it's nice to see him acting great characters again.

*The Box* was much better than I expected, and although it was odd and didn't really explain much about the intricate nature of the plot I really liked it. I didn't expect it to be so sci-fi, but in the end I was plesantly surprised. I'm sure there were plot holes, but the basic idea was very clever and well realised. If you like Sci-fi you might enjoy this, but don't complain to me if you don't.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Continuing with my Hitchcock jaunt and going with *The Birds* today. Haven't seen this one all the way through before. Here goes.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched The Impostors (1998) An "hommage" to Laurel and Hardy, it would seem. With a fascinating ensemble cast that includes Stanley Tucci (the creator of the story), Oliver Platt, Alfred Molina, Steve Buscemi, Hope Davis, Billy Connolly, Woody Allen, Isabella Rossellini and Tony Shalhoub, this film starts out in great style. But toward the end it gets a little crazier than required. Tucci and Platt are two out of work actors in the first half of the 20th century who can't seem to do anything right. Fleeing from Alfred Molina, they end up on a ship which includes him as a passenger. The ship is populated with wackos of one type or another, so let the slapstick begin.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Another day, another Hitchcock. Today, *Marnie*.


----------



## Toby Frost

Iron Man 2: pretty weak, I thought. Downey Jnr is painfully irritating (yes I know he's supposed to be etc but he's still a tedious git). Action was sparse and unconvincing. I'm getting bored of seeing Superheroes with Issues (in fact, slightly bored of superheroes full stop).

The Ghost: quite creepy low-key thriller with a couple of very strong performances. The story is both totally paranoid and weirdly believable. Euan McGregor's not especially good though. Worth a look.


----------



## Happy Joe

Snagged a double; The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb; 1940s, B&W, both on the same DVD.
Unfortunately these are chopped/cut down versions (television stations used to do this to make movies fit the time slots), running about an hour each.  Although a bit jumpy (due to the inexpert trimming) still enjoyable (in the right mind frame).  Note; the second movies has  many cut scene/flashbacks from the first with some extra story line, the heroes are now old and their adult offspring get to deal with the Mummy.  
These almost looked/viewed like a serial although I believe they were intended as a movie and its sequel.

If you are not a fan these can be skipped.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

Happy Joe said:


> Snagged a double; The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb; 1940s, B&W, both on the same DVD.
> Unfortunately these are chopped/cut down versions (television stations used to do this to make movies fit the time slots), running about an hour each. Although a bit jumpy (due to the inexpert trimming) still enjoyable (in the right mind frame). Note; the second movies has many cut scene/flashbacks from the first with some extra story line, the heroes are now old and their adult offspring get to deal with the Mummy.
> These almost looked/viewed like a serial although I believe they were intended as a movie and its sequel.
> 
> If you are not a fan these can be skipped.
> 
> Enjoy!


 
Actually, these were short films (as most of the Universal horror films of this period were): *The Mummy's Hand*, for instance, had a running time of 67 minutes, while *The Mummy's Tomb* was _exactly_ 60 minutes in length. So these aren't (likely) cut-down versions, but the originals. I agree, though, that the editing was sometimes a bit rough, and this caused some confusing or unsatisfactory transitions....

Hoops: What did you think of *Psycho*, *The Birds*, and *Marnie*?

As for my own viewing: I recently rewatched Aaron Vanek's *The Yellow Sign* (2001). Although a small, independent film, with all the flaws that entails, it manages quite a good atmosphere and sense of the nightmarish, and David Reynolds puts in a rather good performance as the Watchman (not quite the way Chambers depicted him in the tale, but that might have proven just a bit difficult to accomplish without a _much_ larger buget, and his presence is definitely impressive). Some serious liberties taken with the story itself, but I also think they work quite well, in general.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for the more obscure weird films that center around storytelling, atmosphere, and the like rather than gore or physical horror....


----------



## gully_foyle

*Hot Fuzz* on the telly the other night. Love it, though the plot falls apart half way through. Couldn't figure out which Iain M Banks book(s) Bill Baillie was reading.


----------



## ravenus

j. d. worthington said:


> You know, I have a fair amount of fondness for that particular film. Flawed, ridiculous, silly thing that it is, it nonetheless has its charm (for me, at any rate)....


Me too. It's the only one in that series that remembers to have a modicum of old-world charm and even a wee bit of horror.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *The Machinist* last night. Christian Bale, as I said elsewhere, really does put his body through some to get into a role. Like when he buffed up for *American Psycho*. Never really through much of him before (literally), but really starting to respect him as an actor. The Machinist was good, but considering how weird the film was generally, I also expected the denouement to also be more...well, weird. 

Watched *Vertigo* today, as my ongoing quest to devour my Hitchcock collection. And after today's viewing, really quite like James Stewart now. I especially enjoyed the first half of the film, and the relationship between Scotty and the bra-making woman (I forget her name now, alas). 

And to answer your question, J.d, been liking them just fine. *Psycho* has been, without a doubt, my favourite so far. I was just so surprised and taken by Norman Bates. I think, having heard the name mentioned so much and the things it has become synonymous with now, I just was not expecting the character to be as he was in the film. 

People with so many issues and problems and weird relationships; it's all good viewing.


----------



## ravenus

*Brokeback Mountain*
Not particularly impressed with the screenplay but Ang Lee directs with a quiet sure hand and Heath Ledger's performance is a revelation (after I thought him an overrated bore in the Batman movie)


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

HBO presentation, You Don't Know Jack. Actually a very good movie, I found. Better than some biographical ones I've seen, and it was played out pretty well, I thought. I believe they got Al Pacino to play Dr. Kevorkian simply because he looked more like him than other actors might have, but of course Pacino is at the top of the A-list and his performance was great. The others played their parts well as far as I know.


----------



## Toby Frost

> I thought him an overrated bore in the Batman movie



Ledger was ok, but the film was so obsessed with being dark it forgot to give the Joker any jokes. To my mind, Jack Nicholson still owns that role.


----------



## Foxbat

*Sherlock Holmes *
Really enjoyed this one.


----------



## biodroid

*Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant* - very cool movie actually nice action a pretty generic story but John C Rielly played his part well.

*Surrogates* - this was good dispite the poor reviews, better than Gamer IMHO


----------



## nj1

Saw WATCHMEN for the first time last night. £6 in Tesco... worth the £6 but i'm glad i never went to the cinema to watch it as i found it a bit over long (the missus actually fell asleep twice).

Was watching the fabulous YOUNG GUNS 2 on five until Dr Who started... was torn which way to go but Dr Who won out in the end as i've seen YG's loads of times.


----------



## Foxbat

*The First Of August*  (English subtitles) The first part of a trilogy based on the struggles of the Chinese Communists starting in early 20th Century. The first part deals with the uprising of that date in 1927 and is a well filmed but deeply sanitised and romanticised account of the events leading up to the revolt in Nanchang.

Quite simply, this is Action Propaganda along the lines of Braveheart meets Spartacus with a sprinkling of the Little Red Book. Confusing for the viewer that lacks any knowledge of 20th century Chinese history, it is, nonetheless a decent if deliberately skewed movie.

Mao makes a brief appearance halfway through and again at the end (and is on a par with John Wayne’s _‘Truly he is the of God’_ moment). I expect the second part of this trilogy will be of the long march and will be just as sterile a retelling as this one was. I fully expect to see Mao exit a burning building with a child under his arms just like Kurt Russel in Backdraft……but then again I’m a known cynic.

Still, if watched with a fair bit of scepticism, it’s not the worst I’ve seen.


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> *Sherlock Holmes *
> Really enjoyed this one.


You, Foxbat, YOU? Does this mean I should actually give this a spin? Yes, I don't expect any faithfulness to the Doyle stories, but is it an actually fun movie or another soulless display of what these fancy computers can do?


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> I especially enjoyed the first half of the film, and the relationship between Scotty and the bra-making woman (I forget her name now, alas).


 
I assume you mean Midge, played by Barbara Bel Geddes -- quite an accomplished actress, that one.... Stewart played some very complex characters himself, I think you'll find. (Though I'd love to have seen the stage version of *Harvey*, in which I understand he made the character a good deal edgier and slightly sinister....)


----------



## BookStop

Was feeling nostalgic this weekend and got a couple borrowed movies fromthe library. 
*Monty Python and the Holy Grail* is just as hi-larioius as I rmember from my last viewing some 5 years ago. The kids quite enjoyed this one as well, and my 11 year old is now quite the accomplished "Ni" sayer.
*BladeRunner *was a bit of a disappointment though. My attention span must not be what it used to be, as I got bored during allt he long scenes with nothing but ambiance, and the shadowing visuals were more of an eye-strain than anything else. ( I kind of wish I had left this movie alone and just remembered it fondly instead) Rutger Hauer was excellent though - I love that man - and I jsut got the significance of my t -shirt with the origami unicorn on it. *slaps forehead*


----------



## Foxbat

ravenus said:


> You, Foxbat, YOU? Does this mean I should actually give this a spin? Yes, I don't expect any faithfulness to the Doyle stories, but is it an actually fun movie or another soulless display of what these fancy computers can do?


 
I would take the Sherlock link with a pinch of salt and treat it for what it is....just a good old fist fight, lots of running, jumping and a few puzzles to solve.... against a Victorian background. Some nice CGI that is not over the top and reasonably subtly applied. Good fun but definitely not Sherlock as we know him


----------



## Daisy-Boo

biodroid said:


> *Cirque du Freak: The Vampires Assistant* - very cool movie actually nice action a pretty generic story but John C Rielly played his part well.
> 
> *Surrogates* - this was good dispite the poor reviews, better than Gamer IMHO


 
I enjoyed *Cirque du Freak* too. It was quite a sweet little movie.

I agree with you about *Surrogates*. I also enjoyed it more than I expected I would. It's not a great movie but it's not a bad movie either.


----------



## clovis-man

Two period pieces:

*My One And Only* is set in 1953 or thereabouts and is loosely based on the young life of George Hamilton. It involves his mother, played by Renee Zellweger, leaving town after finding her band leader husband, Kevin Bacon, in flagrante delicto with a chorus girl. The ensuing odyssey and the collection of strange characters that Zellweger & her two sons, George & Robbie encounter is highly entertaining.

*The Secret Life of Bees* happens in the civil rights era of the early 1960s and is a fairly faithful adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel. Good cast (Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning et al) and a good, albeit sometimes unsettling story. Worthwhile.

Something else both movies have in common: excellent film scores by Mark Isham.


----------



## Happy Joe

"Sorcerer" a remake of "Wages of Fear". I much prefer "Wages" (in spite of the ending and subtitles)...
Both movies have criminals/low lifes transporting nitroglycerin (the main component of dynamite) over rough terrain in heavy trucks.
A fair movie (Sorcerer) worth a rental.
(Now I have to locate a copy of "Wages of Fear" for the library).

Enjoy!


----------



## mosaix

*"Like Minds".* An interesting but disturbing movie.


----------



## ravenus

*The Adventures of Robin Hood*
In this days of fancy computers and post-processing a lot of movies come off having a dour or sterile look. Why can't they use some of this fancy **** to render a movie that looks as vibrant and colorful as this classic 1938 rollicking adventure? The technicolor look is simply dazzling and eye-popping. I'd seriously consider going blu-ray for this.
I hear the new film with Russell Crowe renders Robin as yet another dour cynical costumed hero. Screw that.


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> I hear the new film with Russell Crowe renders Robin as yet another dour cynical costumed hero. Screw that.



Yeah what happened to the merry hero these days when even Robin Hood must be a dour,cynical hero.  I want Erroll Flynn type Robin Hood and not Crowe being himself,growl.

I rather watch a traditional Robin Hood(2006 series).


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> I assume you mean Midge, played by Barbara Bel Geddes



That's the oojamawhatsit. I knew it was something monosyllabic like that.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Dark Passage.

Bogart and Bacall steaming up the screen as per usual.


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw the new Robin Hood Wednesday and I wasn't impressed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I expected either. I would recommend waiting for it to come out on DVD.


----------



## Starbeast

Just finished watching_ TOMMY BOY (1995)_, it's still a brilliant film.​


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Gran Torino*, i was hugely impressed by the film and Clint as an actor yet again.  He made his character come out alive in a great,toned down way.  I liked how powerful,contemporary the story was. Multicultural,racial tensions,gangs,an old bitter man etc

The trailers made the film look like Clint was making a simple tough man film and i wish i had seen it in the cinema and not on cable tv.


----------



## Rothgar

Saw Iron Man 2 tonight.  I thought it was a good strait forward sequel.  Though Whiplash did seem somewhat weak for a villain.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Criss-Cross* (1949), a noir flick which combines a caper and a love triangle to work up to a starkly cynical conclusion. A bit wordy and melodramatic at times, but once the caper plot gets under way, things zip along nicely. Some excellent character acting in minor supporting roles, particularly by Alan Napier (Alfred in the old Batman series) as an alcoholic criminal mastermind and Joan Miller as a perennially sozzled barfly.


----------



## clovis-man

Hunkered down in front of the TV for a couple of days recovering from a virus. Watched two Jimmy Stewart films.

1. *The Man From Laramie*. Made in 1955, I remember seeing this in the theater when I was a kid. I thought it was an absolute gripper at the time. Today, it's hard to believe how poorly written the script is. Stewart's character just isn't believable. The best performance was by Donald Crisp as the erstwhile cattle baron. 

2. *Bell, Book and Candle*. This 1958 movie mixed witchcraft with bongos and the beat generation. I imagine it seemed pretty adventurous at the time of its filming, but now just comes across as a standard romance with a twist or two. Kim Novak was Kim Novak. Jimmy Stewart was a better natured "Scotty" from *Vertigo* (made the same year). The best roles were played by Elsa Lanchester as Aunt Queenie and Ernie Kovaks as the sodden author Sidney Redlitch.


----------



## Pyan

*Topsy-Turvy* - Mike Leigh's superb musical drama about the conception, writing and first performance of _The Mikado,_ by Gilbert and Sullivan.

Jim Broadbent is excellent as W. S. Gilbert, full of doubt whether or not his talent as a writer has vanished, and Allan Corduner plays Sir Arthur Sullivan, who has a potentially fatal kidney problem, and is determined to enjoy himself while he can. 
The film brings out the claustrophobic nature of Victorian life, and the importance of the liberation that the theatre brought to the people of the era, shown by many gloriously colourful shots of _The Mikado_ in performance.

Highly recommended.


----------



## Vladd67

I saw Robin Hood yesterday, I went not expecting too much and I enjoyed it. Mind you it helped that the tickets were free as I had won them from our local radio station.


----------



## clovis-man

pyan said:


> *Topsy-Turvy* - Mike Leigh's superb musical drama about the conception, writing and first performance of _The Mikado,_ by Gilbert and Sullivan.


 
Agreed. Fascinating stuff.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Key Largo, which never grows old how ever many times I watch it!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Langoliers (1995)*

Based on the Stephen King novella of the same name. I'm a fan of cheesy movies (which I expected this one to be) and Stephen King so I watched this movie in a very positive frame of mind. I wasn't disappointed either. 

The movie stayed true to the book and King made an appearance towards the end so I assume he was probably quite involved in the film behind the scenes.

There were no standout performances and the special effects were endearingly low-rent. The Langoliers scared me, in spite of the aforementioned low-rent CGI. The cast worked well together and Bronson Pinchot was convincing as the off-his-rocker Craig Toomey. The film is no cinematic classic but it's well worth a viewing.


----------



## The Procrastinator

Vladd67 said:


> I saw Robin Hood yesterday, I went not expecting too much and I enjoyed it.



That pretty much sums me up, too! Mind you it takes about an hour and a half to get to our nearest cinema, so we usually go as a group and make an evening of it, go out for dinner etc, so it was all fun. We don't go often as you might imagine, so we tend to wait for a blockbuster - something that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

I'm not sure if Ridley Scott has added anything classic to the Robin Hood mythos (probably not) but I really enjoyed Russell and Cate in this movie (Robin and Marian), plus Walter Locksley and Prince/King John - and William Hurt hardly sounded American at all, gold star him. I also really enjoyed the longbows. The arrow shots were the only thing that really made it worth seeing at the cinema I thought - the battle scenes were full of visual confusion (and surprisingly little blood btw) so the big screen wasn't really an advantage there. You wouldn't say a movie without faults, but it had good actors and was pretty entertaining overall. Much preferred the character scenes to the battles though.


----------



## Happy Joe

Finally saw *Hurt Locker*; over all a fair, reasonably watchable film. I did not care for the style in which it was filmed; preferring smoother, more polished techniques over the somewhat choppy presentation. It was, also, excessively long, IMO; I found myself reaching for the fast forward button near the end.
Worth a rental...

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Prince of Persia* in the weekend, i wasnt sure about seeing it but someone else paid for my ticket so a free movie is hard to turn down.

Im so glad it wasnt my money that paid for the ticket because it was so silly,stupid and the british accent was annoying.  The action,stunt scenes was well done but every scene with Jake,Gemma Arterton was so badly written,so silly in the delivery. I could barely watch it.

They ruined a potentially great series for me.


----------



## ColdBurn

Connavar said:


> Yeah what happened to the merry hero these days when even Robin Hood must be a dour,cynical hero.  I want Erroll Flynn type Robin Hood and not Crowe being himself,growl.
> 
> I rather watch a traditional Robin Hood(2006 series).



Having seen the film last night I can heartily agree.  I think Crowe and Scott  fell in love with the idea of Robin Hood being of  the yoeman class so that we ended up with a hero who approaches every challenge as if he was a modern guy who couldn't get out of taking his kid to soccer practice.  The only endearing character is Oscar Isaac's Prince John. Overall, except for some exciting battle scenes, the  film is as dull and contrived as Prince of Thieves, only with less humor.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Zombieland* the other night and really enjoyed it -- very funny in parts and I liked the 'rules'. Also very much liked the use of a very small cast (apart from all the hundreds of zombies, of course).


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *An American Haunting* earlier...was all right. A few jumpy bits. It was a bit too...obvious, though. You don't need to spoon feed the audience everything.


----------



## Rodders

I recently watched the Hollywood remake of Taxi. Nowhere near as good as the original.


----------



## Aoratos

Just saw *Prince of Persia* today.  It was Disney, so I wasn't expecting anything too serious, but I liked it.  Alfred Molina was a hoot.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *Surrogates*. A fairly simple story once you figure out who is who. But entertaining nonetheless.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Avatar* on DVD on my conventional non 3D and definitely non plasma/lcd TV. Not quite the same is it?


----------



## ravenus

*Lust, Caution* (Ang Lee) - A young amateur actress in Japan  occupied China becomes part of a militant revolutionary group and agrees  to seduce a high-ranking official into dropping his guard and setting  him up for assassination. As expected complications develop. A mostly  brilliantly executed slow-burning emotional cat and mouse game, with  revelatory performances from newcomer actress Wei Tang and the  formidable Tony Leung. But despite what Ang Lee may say, the explicit  sadism-tinged sex scenes seem to me as much of an unnecessary and  distasteful addition as the rape scene poor Peter Cushing had to  enact in *Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed*.

David Lean's film adaptation of *Oliver Twist* was a fast-paced and  engaging experience with awesome sets, beautiful camerawork and some  kickass evil performances, especially Alec Guinness as Fagin.


----------



## The DeadMan

I don't know if it qualifies as a movie as it was only one hour long, but I watched "Blood - The Last Vampire" live action last night on Chiller. I wasn't expecting much even though I really liked the anime, but it was actually very good. The special effects were good but not great, but it was enjoyable overall.


----------



## biodroid

Prince of Persia -  And was pleasantly surprised as this was actually a very good movie as far a game to movie adaptations go. It blows Tomb Raider and Doom out the water by far.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Outlander* (2008), a blend of SF and medieval norse history with James Cavaziel and John Hurt. Basically Cavaziel as Kalain lands in a space ship in 701 AD and is taken prisoner by the Norse inhabitants and tho at first they treat him as an enemy they soon realise they are both fighting the same enemy…
Interesting little film, kind of Alien meets Excalibur meets The Thing. Hurt is brilliant as the old Norse King!


----------



## ravenus

I thought *Outlander* was a terrible film, neither cheesy enough to be fun, nor good enough to be considered in any other light. The design of the enemy creature was also quite ho-hum. I am told that the Antonio Banderas film *13th Warrior* is a better riff on this type of story.

Watched *Taxi Driver* yesterday after more than a decade. Damn good movie with a brilliant performance from De Niro, wonderfully moody night-time photography and an evocative score with some lovely sax. A gem from the time Scorsese could make fantastic movies under the 2 hour mark. Now sadly, he appears to have lost that skill.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched the original *Bad Lieutenant* at the weekend, with* Harvey Keitel*. I was expecting more but it was actually quite slow and a little bit boring. I'd seen this in Video shops when I was a kid, but never watched it until now, but wasn't impressed. There was some good bits, and Keitel defnitely seemed hopeless and despairing, he crying in the church was quite good. I'm sure if I had watched it in the 80's I would have loved it more.


----------



## ravenus

And then tonight I saw this 2008 Finnish horror movie called *Sauna*.
 Boy, this was a very intriguing movie. In the aftermath of a medieval  Finland-Russia war, representatives from both the countries are marking a  border. On the Finnish side are two brothers, one of whom is an aging  brutal soldier and the other his academic brother. On the way they are  involved with the murder of a Russian sympathizer farmer (and perhaps  his daughter too) and each of the brothers is burdened with his own  context of guilt. Along with their Russian counterparts they come to  this mysterious village with the titular sauna. The movie is weird  really, it has a kind of Tarkovski meets Guillermo Del Toro vibe.  Sometimes it gets a little too enigmatic for me and I'm not sure  everything comes together in the end but it's still interesting and  gorgeously shot, and might be more rewarding on repeat watch.  Recommended for those who like the idea of an atmospheric, slow-burning mostly psychological horror.


----------



## Toby Frost

If it helps at all, I saw the original *Bad Lieutenant* in the mid-90s, and it was awful then.


----------



## Mouse

I watched *Ghost Town* the other night, which was ok. Now I've just watched *Serenity* for the second time. Weirdly the first time I watched it, what happens to Wash (won't say in case people haven't seen it) didn't affect me (apart from making me jump) but this time... gah! I blame Dollhouse, which has made me love Alan Tudyk so much.


----------



## Culhwch

I just finished watching _The Dark Knight_ for the first time since I saw it in the cinemas. I was largely unimpressed with it back then, but watching it in thirty minute 'episodes' on the bus to and from work, I enjoyed it much more. In the cinema I thought it over-long and far too convoluted, but this time through I didn't mind so much - I'm sure due to the fact it wasn't one sitting. A solid movie. I'm still in awe of Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Despite liking it more this time around, I still don't understand why they went to all the effort of building Harvey Dent up, tearing him down, and then killing him fifteen minutes later. He was Two Face for all of a day, and menaced a couple of cops, a mob boss, and Gordon's family, then splat. Done. Missed opportunity.

Last weekend I saw almost all of _Avatar_. Almost all - I fell asleep as the final battle got underway. I find really have no impetus to go back and watch the end, either. I must say, I was very, very unimpressed with this movie. I just didn't see the point. Why bother 'dressing up' as Na'vi, when the Na'vi knew they were actually human? I thought it was going to be some espionage thing, but no. People clothes. Guns. I don't know. As my wife said, _Pocahontas_ did it so much better. _Dances with Wolves_, as well.

Although one thing I took away from it - Giovanni Ribisi could totally pull off the Joker if Christopher Nolan changed his mind about the third Batman film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Sherlock Holmes*. I was expecting to hate this film as I enjoy the books and stories and just knew it wouldnt be done to Canon. Having said that I did find it enjoyable and would watch it again. Thing is the character of Mycroft,with his tall gaunt appearance with short slick hair,is how I'm used to thinking of Holmes-thats pretty close to how Doyle imagined him-hence why Jeremy Brett is so highly regarded amongst Sherlockians,to use an Americanism.


----------



## ravenus

A close friend came home today with his 6-year old daughter and so we saw *Up* and *Sleeping Beauty*. Re-watches but good fun.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> A close friend came home today with his 6-year old daughter and so we saw *Up* and *Sleeping Beauty*. Re-watches but good fun.


Up is such a good film, but has a really sad beginning!


----------



## Mouse

*Up* made me bawl the whole way through!! So tragic! Good film though.

I've not seen anything since Serenity, but I've got Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus to watch.


----------



## jvalentine

Inglourious Basterds, Another superb movie from Tarantino. 
Everything is forgiven because "Inglorious Basterds" is so entertaining and at the end of the day that's what matters.

Dish TV


----------



## clovis-man

*Crazy Heart*. I'm not a CW fan, but this was a good film and a good story. Jeff Bridges was about as crusty as he could get and created a believable character.


----------



## einlanzer

Watched _Memento _today, the first movie since _Donnie Darko_ that made me think about the plot even after the closing credits.

Next in line is _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_ with Jim Carrey.


----------



## Lenny

I watched *Titan A.E.* a couple of days ago... it was truly terrible!

I had hopes for it, I really did, but then I sat down and pressed play. The dialogue was cringeworthy, the action sequences were awful (how can that happen with a hand-drawn animation? You can throw in as many special effects as you want and it will still work!) and the plot moved so fast that it could probably lap Bolt in a 100m sprint...

There was one part I hated more than any other. One part that killed a little of my insides. One part that nearly forced me to turn it off - the fixing of the shuttle on the drifter colony. I don't know what is was about it - I usually don't mind the Rockyesque training/building/feel-good sequences, but this one made me throw up in my mouth.

All in all, I recommend it to anyone who has some brain cells to kill. No, seriously - I had a pounding headache the whole of the next day.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Twilight Zone: The Movie*

It was interesting to watch younger versions of John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd. The film was entertaining but no great shakes.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Burton's Alice in Wonderland for the third time.  Bought it on DVD from Safeway a while ago. It's either good or bad depending on your expectations. Don't set them TOO high, but it's certainly a film worth salvaging if you can. Depp as the Mad Hatter was good, but I would have to say the classic character is actually the March Hare. He provided a mad humor to a movie that otherwise is full of doom, gloom, and dark.


----------



## digs

Mouse said:


> I watched *Ghost Town* the other night, which was ok. Now I've just watched *Serenity* for the second time. Weirdly the first time I watched it, what happens to Wash (won't say in case people haven't seen it) didn't affect me (apart from making me jump) but this time... gah! I blame Dollhouse, which has made me love Alan Tudyk so much.


"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!" Alan Tudyk has been incredible in every single thing I've seen him in - great sense of comic timing and equally capable of being either moving or menacing. So many others fail at being even one of those things. An awesome overlooked actor who sadly (or luckily?) may never really hit the mainstream.

Coincidentally I _just _rented *Ghost Town*...had my eye on it a while ago and happened upon it at the video store just now. Haven't watched it yet, but I did just watch *An Education*. Excellent! Great ensemble cast.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Coincidentally I _just _rented *Ghost Town*...had my eye on it a while ago and happened upon it at the video store just now. Haven't watched it yet, but I did just watch *An Education*. Excellent! Great ensemble cast.


 
I think *Ghost Town *is a great moofie. I'm a big fan of Ricky G.


----------



## Mouse

digs said:


> "I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!"



That almost started me off wailing again!! 

He should definitely be in more things. I was going to check out 'Death at a Funeral' (the 2010 version) as it has James Marsden in it, who is _hot_, but then I found out there was a 2007 version with Alan Tudyk in it... and I think I'm gonna have to find the '07 one instead. He's fantastic.

HJ, yeah I do like Ricky Gervais too, and he was good in the film. He just seems to play the same character all the time though.

Edit: to stay on topic, the last film I saw was *Run, Fatboy, Run* which was on the tellybox last night. Pretty good, make me laugh out loud anyway.


----------



## A_J_Lath

Not SF or Fantasy, but a weird little 'slice of life' drama by Shane Meadows called 'A Room For Romeo Brass'

Saw it on telly last night. Essentially, it's about two young lads who make friends with a local oddball - however, the local oddball turns out to be a hell of a lot odder than they thought, and all sorts of unpleasantness emerges. It was actually quite a gripping film. Well recommended.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched another oldie last night "King Solomon's Mine" 1953 w/Stewart Grainger... the best of the Solomon's mines movies, IMO.  Very good, its got a permanent place in my library.
Last weekend a friend (who professes to be a John Wayne fan) dropped by so I screened "Legend of the Lost" for them a well made though slow paced (by modern standards) action/drama with Sophia Loren... not one or Wayne's best but a fair, if lesser known, movie.

Enjoy!


----------



## blacknorth

The Face Behind The Mask

The esteemed Peter Lorre goes batshit in this 40s b-movie curio which was very rewarding indeed.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> He should definitely be in more things. I was going to check out 'Death at a Funeral' (the 2010 version) as it has James Marsden in it, who is _hot_, but then I found out there was a 2007 version with Alan Tudyk in it... and I think I'm gonna have to find the '07 one instead.


 
I recommend it, I think it's a very funny movie. And Tudyk is quite excellent, but plays what probably is a very different role to the ones you've seen before.


----------



## clovis-man

Hilarious Joke said:


> I recommend it, I think it's a very funny movie. And Tudyk is quite excellent, but plays what probably is a very different role to the ones you've seen before.


 
That's for sure. But I think his character makes the movie.


----------



## Mouse

Yep, I watched it yesterday. *Death at a Funeral* that is. The British version. And God only knows why anybody thought it needed to be remade. It was hilarious!! Made me laugh out loud more than once. And I think I love Alan Tudyk even more now!


----------



## Culhwch

Yeah, that movie was great - I have no idea why the Americans remade it. If it had been a foriegn language film, then fair enough, but really, come on.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

We Americans seem to remake every movie these days. Even those that should have no business being remade into mockeries, such as Clash of the Titans or Planet of the Apes.


----------



## Culhwch

But those I understand. It's decades after the fact. New technologies, new audiences, all that. This is a three year old English film. It truly baffles me.

I would like to know how the American version holds up - these things tend to lose something in the 'translation'...


----------



## Mouse

Baffles me too, Cul. When I heard it was a remake, I thought the original would be really old. But three years?

I read an interview with Chris Rock and from what he was saying it sounds like he either hasn't seen the original film, or just didn't get the humour. He said something along the lines of the original film being 'drama, drama, drama, big joke, drama, drama etc.' and said that in his version of the film they were changing it to 'little joke, little joke, little joke, big joke, little joke, little joke, etc.' Which to me kinda makes me think they're going to be turning it into a slapstick. 

There _were _lots of little jokes in the original version, I was laughing the whole way through. I guess he just didn't get it. (The interview's on Orange.co.uk's website if anybody was interested.)


----------



## ColdBurn

Mouse said:


> Baffles me too, Cul. When I heard it was a remake, I thought the original would be really old. But three years?
> 
> I read an interview with Chris Rock and from what he was saying it sounds like he either hasn't seen the original film, or just didn't get the humour. He said something along the lines of the original film being 'drama, drama, drama, big joke, drama, drama etc.' and said that in his version of the film they were changing it to 'little joke, little joke, little joke, big joke, little joke, little joke, etc.' Which to me kinda makes me think they're going to be turning it into a slapstick.
> 
> There _were _lots of little jokes in the original version, I was laughing the whole way through. I guess he just didn't get it. (The interview's on Orange.co.uk's website if anybody was interested.)



Actually, from my American perspective, I think Rock is dead on.  He's essentially differentiating between the British sense of humor and the American in their basest forms. As  a British comedy, the film must pretend to an intelligent premise.  As an American comedy it must be idiotic pandemonium without pretense.  Not necessarily slapstick, but the pace must be accelerated and the references redefined.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Night And The City*, which I liked a lot. Sort of like the exact antithesis of the 'hero's journey'.


----------



## Culhwch

ColdBurn said:


> As a British comedy, the film must pretend to an intelligent premise.


 
Just like _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ and _Shaun of the Dead_...

You're right, though, there is a fundamental difference in the American and British (and Australian) sense of humour. It's interesting that Brits and Australians are much more likely to 'get' and enjoy American humour than vice-versa, though. Probably a sympton of overexposure to American culture.


----------



## j d worthington

Considering most of the comedies I've seen over the past 25 years, I think the bit about "not necessarily slapstick" bordered on absolutely hilarious itself. Subtlety in humor in this country simply doesn't seem to exist when it comes to comedic films. This was by no means always the case, even for really successful films; but over the past quarter century, one may as well be using the genuine slapstick -- it'd be about the same level of wit. (My apologies to any Punch and Judy or _Commedia dell'arte_ fans....)

My own recent foray into movies -- the first in some weeks -- was Hitchcock's *Notorious*. On many levels, a wonderful film. But the MacGuffin here was just a bit difficult to take, and nearly ruined the film for me. A _leeetle_ bit of care in choosing such a gimmick would be appreciated....


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Well I don't think American humour is so bad. I love (and I know people will disagree with me) Apatow and crew.

And while I think the original *Death at a Funeral *was excellent, maybe the American one will be good as well. I love love LOVED the original British version of *The Office*, but I also really like the American one. In fact, I think along with *Entourage*, *The Office *(American) is currently one of the best shows in syndication.

*prepares for lambasting*


----------



## digs

*bastes lamb*

Yeah, you like that!? Now it's all tender and succulent!

I am likewise of the opinion that UK and US humour both have their place. I am, however, firmly against Trinidadian humour.


----------



## Mouse

j. d. worthington said:


> Considering most of the comedies I've seen over the past 25 years, I think the bit about "not necessarily slapstick" bordered on absolutely hilarious itself. Subtlety in humor in this country simply doesn't seem to exist when it comes to comedic films. This was by no means always the case, even for really successful films; but over the past quarter century, one may as well be using the genuine slapstick -- it'd be about the same level of wit. (My apologies to any Punch and Judy or _Commedia dell'arte_ fans....)



Yeah, that was my point, only you've said it better.  

I'm not a big fan of American comedy films. After I'd posted here I was trying to think of one that had actually made me laugh and the only one I can think of is 'Dude, where's my car?' which actually doesn't validate my viewpoint at all! Generally though, I do prefer British humour. 

Anyway, on topic, the last film I saw was *The Italian Job* the American version (why? why do it?!) and that was only because it was on TV. Anyway, I only watched about ten minutes, then (after frowning at the TV for a while, wondering if that really was The Italian Job) I went to bed.


----------



## J Riff

I watched Avatar for the 2nd time and decided it was a fantasy. 
Then I watched Mouse Hunt, and it was hilarious.  
Next will be Gymkata, again, maybe.


----------



## Quokka

Mouse said:


> Anyway, on topic, the last film I saw was *The Italian Job* the American version (why? why do it?!) and that was only because it was on TV. Anyway, I only watched about ten minutes, then (after frowning at the TV for a while, wondering if that really was The Italian Job) I went to bed.



I noticed the original *The Italian Job* is on TV on saturday night, never having watched it I'm hoping to do so Saturday. The last movie I did see was another british comedy, *Hot Fuzz*. One of those movies I've been meaning to watch for ages, I even hired it out a couple of times and didn't get time to put it on. It all gets very silly of course but it's very very funny and there's so many nice touches all through it from the endless movie references to the action movie special effects and gimicks.

Edit: Two others I've recently ticked off the meaning to watch list are Toy story 1 and 2. Love animation, love Pixar and yet I've never seen them . Brilliant movies the pair of them, on TV to advertise the 3rd one I'm sure but my 4 yr old daughter and me had a ball watching them.


----------



## Mouse

I do love Hot Fuzz! From my neck o' the woods too.


----------



## clovis-man

*Iron Man 2*. Had to try to catch it in a theater before it it moved on to DVD limbo. Not profound, but quite entertaining. Scarlett Johansson as an action figure and Mickey Rourke as the villain were fun.


----------



## mygoditsraining

The Departed.  I love Jack Nicholson in this movie. Hell, I love Jack Nicholson.  In this, he's especially good.


----------



## Lenny

Sat down with a group of friends and watched *The Human Centipede* tonight.

I rather enjoyed it! The acting wasn't particularly bad (they couldn't have found a better person to play Dr. Heiter), the gore was implied with bandages rather than actually being there and the story was nowhere near as daft as it sounds. OK, maybe it was, but it fit in quite well with the film (which was well made, I must say).


----------



## digs

*Reservoir Dogs*. So good! 2 hours passed before I knew it and then suddenly it was over...

And with that, I have officially watched every Tarantino film (I have a certificate and everything!) Rankings:

1. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Reservoir Dogs
4. Death Proof
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
6. Jackie Brown
7. Pulp Fiction


----------



## Quokka

In the fine print does it mention Dusk Till Dawn?


----------



## digs

Wasn't that Rodriguez?


----------



## Quokka

You're right actor/writer/producer but didn't direct... my apologies .


----------



## digs

Nonetheless, I will always have a soft spot for that movie. It's just so horrendously, hilariously atrocious...


----------



## ravenus

I saw this "damn good fun in several parts" French spoof movie called *OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies*. What this spoof does best is recreate  the 50's Connery-era Bond flick and ratchet up the racial stereotyping  and political incorrectness (one of the more humorous sequences is when  the Bond-like lead character on a mission in Cairo assaults the muzzein  caller for disturbing his sleep). Like many spoofs the plot flags after a  while but it's still worth watching if you go in for this sort of  thing.

Also caught the sequel *OSS 117:* *Lost in Rio*. It's really less of a  sequel and more of a  retread of the earlier movie, but it's better done  on the whole (even  if it lacks action scenes with the gusto of the first  film) and worth  watching. This is a great antidote on the whole to the  general  sterility of that *Quantum of Solace* movie.

Also done with watching *Inglourious Basterds*. Best Tarantino film   so far IMO, and apart from a needless use of slow-motion, some hugely   incongruous music, a super-annoying Eli Roth and a couple of stupid-ass   "let me show you what a film buff I am" sequences, his least   self-indulgent effort. And Hans Landa eats Hannibal Lecter's liver for   breakfast.


----------



## ktabic

*Space Cowboys*. Been meaning to watch this for years and finally got around to it. Tommy Lee Jones easily outacts the others in the movie.


----------



## Lenny

digs said:


> Nonetheless, I will always have a soft spot for that movie. It's just so horrendously, hilariously atrocious...



I watched it a couple of months back - I was just settling in for a pretty standard guys-on-the-run-from-the-law film... it completely threw me! My housemates came running because they heard my loud, ah, exclamation of surprise.

From that point onwards, it was quite hilarious.

---

I'm being forced to watch* Jennifer's Body* tonight. It sounds quite boring to me, but the people I'm watching it with (ex-corridor, again) insist. I thin I'd prefer to watch *The Human Centipede* again...


----------



## digs

Lenny said:


> I'm being forced to watch* Jennifer's Body* tonight. It sounds quite boring to me, but the people I'm watching it with (ex-corridor, again) insist. I thin I'd prefer to watch *The Human Centipede* again...


Haha, I can't bring myself to watch *The Human Centipede*. I used to pride myself on not being squeamish but I seem to be losing my apathy towards horrendous violence and gore - I couldn't even watch *Saw*. Must be a symptom of ageing. The world has wearied me.

I was actually considering renting *Jennifer's Body *the other day. I hate Megan Fox, but I like Amanda Seyfreid and it also contains one of my favourite people in the world, Amy Sedaris. Plus, it was written by the woman who wrote *Juno*, so I thought it would be kind of clever and quirky. From what I hear though, it's not...


----------



## Lenny

It was... strange. Not sure I enjoyed it. It's much more of a teen girl flick than I thought it would be, and some of the acting isn't great. It whiles away an evening, but unless you really like that kind of thing, you'll probably be left feeling unsatisfied.

As for *The Human Centipede*, it's a lot less gory than I was expecting - bandages are used to imply gore and a lot of the acting lessens the effect. Yeah, there's blood and you see him doing a bit of slicing, but no stitching and you don't see the centipede without the bandages. Otherwise, the rest it what you expect to see from a standard action film - you see far worse things in *Kill Bill*. Heck, *From Dusk Till Dawn* out-gores THC by a long shot.

True, it leaves you feeling a bit squeamish, but not terribly so.


----------



## Happy Joe

Screened several movies for the first time last light;
"Push"; a pretty good mental powers, chase, action film.... entertaining.
"From Paris With Love"; staring John Travolta, again a pretty good, shoot'em up, spy, action film. Travolta obviously was having fun in this one, I'm normally not much of a Travolta fan, but found this film enjoyable.
"The Quick and the Dead", a made for TV western; I would class this one as good solid entertainment.
I lucked out; no bummers this time arround...I would say they are all worth buying, and certainly worth renting.

Enjoy!


----------



## Quokka

The original *The Andromeda Strain*, I've seen it before but noticed it was on again so thought I'd catch the first few minutes, which of course means I've ended up sitting down and watching it all over again.

The finally isn't as strong as the rest of it but still an absolute SF classic.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll*
Andy Sirkis is epic as Ian Dury-what a great film!
Dury was full of one liners, little takes on life like "Never let it be said I let my failure go to my head."
Brilliant!


----------



## AE35Unit

mahwishjutt said:


> movie you saw
> 
> [UR=h ttp://justhitz.blogspot.com//]Movies[/UR] | [UR=htt p://justhitz.blogspot.com/]Hollywood movies[/UR] |[UR=h ttp://justhitz.blogspot.com//]Download Hollywood Movies[/UR]



err,that looks like Spam to me!


----------



## Urien

Finally saw *Avatar. *Thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I'd made the effort to see it in the cinema. It is however, Dancing with Elvish Smurfs. Which I couldn't get out of my head. 

Naughty bad evil corporation. (Le yawn).


----------



## AE35Unit

Urien said:


> Finally saw *Avatar. *Thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I'd made the effort to see it in the cinema. It is however, Dancing with Elvish Smurfs. Which I couldn't get out of my head.
> 
> Naughty bad evil corporation. (Le yawn).



We just bought it on Blu Ray-pre owned


----------



## clovis-man

*Invictus*. Have to admit, it was much better than I thought it would be. Kudos to Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood. Matt Damon was okay too.


----------



## Culhwch

Ah, I want to see that. Thanks for the reminder.

The wife and I watched _The Duchess _over the weekend. I didn't expect much but surprisingly I enjoyed it. Ralph Fiennes is always watchable, even playing a *******...


----------



## ravenus

Haven't seen this one but IMO Ralph Fiennes is *especially* watchable when playing a *******. It's the nice guy type he doesn't do so well.


----------



## felicityclarity

saw alice in wonderland in the theatre recently.  i loved the visuals so much i wish i'd gone to the 3d showing instead.  has anyone seen both, was the difference powerful?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *Get Him to the Greek*. There were some strange sequences, but overall I thought it was pretty good. Russell Brand is always funny, but the unexpected hilarity came from Sean Combs.


----------



## BookStop

Took the kiddies to see Toy Story 3. It was pretty good, but I think maybe not as good as the first couple. I don't know, maybe it's me and I'm just used to the Toy Story model so it's not as impressive...Good though, recommend everyone see it


----------



## Culhwch

ravenus said:


> Haven't seen this one but IMO Ralph Fiennes is *especially* watchable when playing a *******. It's the nice guy type he doesn't do so well.


 
I don't know about that, _The Constant Gardener_ is one of my all-time favourite films...


----------



## Lenny

He makes a nice Voldemort.  Apparently he was in *The Hurt Locker*, too - I have to say that I didn't recognise him.

I saw *The Constant Gardener* a couple of years back - me mam is a John le Carré fan, so we all sat down to watch it. I don't know what it was about it, but all four of us hated it.

---

Last film I saw was *The Wolfman*. Not bad... I liked Anthony Hopkins, but I doubt I'll watch it again. Some nice effects, though... apart from one horrible moment near the end where the computer graphics are disgustingly visible - everything looks like it's made from wet clay. Really off-putting.


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw Jonah Hex yesterday. I have never read the comic book so I had no preconceptions about the movie. Despite all the bad reviews, I found the movie very entertaining. It was fast paced and action packed, which after all is what this type of movie is supposed to be. I would recommend it to anyone who likes action movies and/or westerns.


----------



## J Riff

The Jonah Hex comics were a peak in ...cowboy comics, read 'em all. The English is hilarious, whole sentences go by without a properly spelled word. Gotta see it. AND Toy Story 3 ! Fun.


----------



## Toby Frost

I didn't really get *The Constant Gardener* to be honest. It seemed a bit afraid of admitting it was a thriller.

I saw *Apocalypto* last night, and rather enjoyed it. It reminded me of watching a hard-fought game of rugby: every few minutes I found myself thinking "Ooh, that must have hurt!" Although I regard Mel Gibson warily to say the least, it was nice to see a film in such an unusual setting that was still pretty accessible.


----------



## Moonbat

*Ralph Fiennes* was one of the British soldiers in the *hurt locker*, I think he was the commander of the unit that all got shot really easily and so the bomb disposal experts had to act like snipers for hours to rescue themselves from a situation that they had got into by assuming that the British were actually enemy forces because they were wearing very thin disguises.

I watched *The Walker* with* Woody Harrelson*, a political thriller where woody plays a gay man that 'walks' rich women from one place to another, he gets mixed up in a murder. Really well acted by Woody, not seen him as such a camp charcater, I thought the film was a bit slow and nothing special, but woody's performance was very good.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_Control_ - Ian Curtis/Joy Division. One word - brilliant.


----------



## HardScienceFan

Les choristes

Typically French,understated,assured direction,acting spot on

No element of the fantastic whatsoever,but wonderful

if you love music go see this one


----------



## gully_foyle

*Solaris*, the recent one. Pretty dismal the first time and didn't get much more from it the second time. The actress playing Rheya was awful and the flashbacks of their relationship were either dull or cringeworthy. I tried sitting through the Russian version once, but got lost on the highway flyovers of Tokyo. Should I have stuck with it?


----------



## Toby Frost

I saw *Conan the Barbarian* last night! I can't believe I've got this old without watching it. It was very entertaining indeed. James Earl Jones is great and even Arnie has so few lines he's ok. I still can't decide whether it was meant to be that ridiculous, though.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Daybreakers*; a different take on vampire films.  What happens after vampires take over and humans (the food supply) become an endangered species?
Pretty good flick...

Enjoy!


----------



## ravenus

gully_foyle said:


> *Solaris*, the recent one. Pretty dismal the first time and didn't get much more from it the second time. The actress playing Rheya was awful and the flashbacks of their relationship were either dull or cringeworthy. I tried sitting through the Russian version once, but got lost on the highway flyovers of Tokyo. Should I have stuck with it?


I quite liked the new film, and I thought it had one of George Clooney's best performances. Have you read the book?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Wild Target* at the cinema a few days ago. Really enjoyed it. Wasn't rolling in your seats hilarious (although plenty of funny bits), wasn't constant action, but just a very well written film. Completely the stuff I've been learning for the past year, really! Bill Nighy's character was great and Rupert Grint wasn't bad either (but then he was always the one of the three Potter film children who could act) and Martin Freeman's creepy grin was awesome (but then I am a Freeman fan anyway).


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Alice in Wonderland* last night. Entertaining,great performances but I'm spoiled by the version I remember as a kid-nothing will ever beat that for me! My favourite character has to be Cheshir Cat!
One thing tho-this is not for small children! Is that how the original book is,dark and slightly scary?-I've never read it (shame on me!)


----------



## Lenny

Decided I'd watch *The Machinist* tonight, as it's been on my shelf since Christmas.

Strange film. Very strange. Good, but it disturbed me a little. The idea was pretty decent, and it was executed well, but it was still an odd film.

I really enjoyed the music, though - it didn't fit at all! Reminded me of the background music to the old Casper game on the PS1 - sort of Disney styled cartoon horror.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I remember commenting on the music to my housemate when I watched it as well. Can't remember what exactly, but also along the lines of how it didn't seem to fit.


----------



## gully_foyle

ravenus said:


> I quite liked the new film, and I thought it had one of George Clooney's best performances. Have you read the book?


Yes, but not recently. I seem to remember the planet had a more active role in the book.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Hellboy 2* on DVD and it turned out better on second watch. DVD also  had a kickass making of docu, which shows that a surprising amount of  visual FX in the film were practical rather than digital.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Toy Story 3*. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Culhwch

Hilarious Joke said:


> *Toy Story 3*. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.


 
Haven't been to the cinema in a long while, but I think this will be my next trip!


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *The Woodsman* with Kevin Bacon as a recently released from Prison Child Molester battling against his dark desires and trying to get on with his life. I thought it was a very good film, not as funny as I thought it might be, but well made and brilliant to handle such a tricky subject so well.
Then last night I watched *Rashomon* by _Akira Kurosawa_, wasn't what I expected, but very good. The special Edition DVD came with a little booklet about the film and points out that it has been copied so much that the narrative style might not be so shocking for a modern viewer, I feel that was certainly the case. I think I have seen the narrative idea handled better with films like *usual suspects*, but I did really enjoy it, I do love Kurosawa films and I'm looking to watching *Ran *also by Kurosawa.


----------



## ravenus

Moonbat said:


> I watched *The Woodsman* with Kevin Bacon as a recently released from Prison Child Molester battling against his dark desires and trying to get on with his life. I thought it was a very good film, not as funny as I thought it might be, but well made and brilliant to handle such a tricky subject so well.
> Then last night I watched *Rashomon* by _Akira Kurosawa_, wasn't what I expected, but very good. The special Edition DVD came with a little booklet about the film and points out that it has been copied so much that the narrative style might not be so shocking for a modern viewer, I feel that was certainly the case. I think I have seen the narrative idea handled better with films like *usual suspects*, but I did really enjoy it, I do love Kurosawa films and I'm looking to watching *Ran *also by Kurosawa.


*@ Woodsman:* I think the movie would have been disastrous if it had tried to be funny. The scene of his redemption comes a little pat but I liked the whole build-up of the character and Kevin Bacon pulls off a difficult performance just right.

*@Rashomon:* Glad you liked it. Along with these you should also check out the following Kurosawa movies, if you haven't already:

High & Low
Yojimbo
Seven Samurai
Kagemusha


----------



## AE35Unit

just watched *Astroboy* on DVD. Altho it does steal from at least 3 well known films (A.I., Pinochio and Oliver Twist) and it doesnt really work as a kids film (my Matthew would find parts of it quite frightening) I did enjoy it!


----------



## Talysia

Saw _X-Men Origins: Wolverine _last night.  Aside from a few moments, it wasn't too bad, and on the whole I quite enjoyed it.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched *Pirate Radio*; Not as funny as I had hoped but an enjoyable, humorous, look at the past with some good tunes that I haven't heard in a long time.

Enjoy!


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> just watched *Astroboy* on DVD. Altho it does steal from at least 3 well known films (A.I., Pinochio and Oliver Twist) and it doesnt really work as a kids film (my Matthew would find parts of it quite frightening) I did enjoy it!


Giving kids a decent scare once in a while is quite good for their overall development. Sage advice from a bachelor


----------



## philoSCIFI

Vitus
Vitus (2006)

I was surprisingly impressed.


----------



## Orionis

Avatar. I was underwhelmed. Pretty colors though.


----------



## Freelancer

_*War of the Worlds.*_ Wasn't bad, but wasn't good either. Actually I enjoyed it, I liked many of the scenes, but the ending was very cheap and short. The idea was good, but they closed it very-very fast, with few sentences, while it deserved quite more. I don't need explanations or anything, because the ending was completely logical, but there was no prelude which leaded to the ending at all. It's just happened with a really good reason, but without any real background this made that good reason completely unbelievable and cheap. Tom Cruise's character was believable, but the two kiddo was very  annoying.


----------



## Urien

*Angels and Demons*. It was ok, but there was no reason given for the actions of the main bad guy. Still, Rome looked nice.


Freelancer,

The kids in *War of the Worlds*, I so wanted them to get fried, especially the obnoxious teenage boy. Though screamer girl was a close second. Some great scenes though; the brave but futile defence of the ridgeline being the best (for me).


----------



## digs

*Toy Story 3 *with HJ. I _may _have cried just a little. There was something in my eye...POIGNANCY.

It's pretty amazing that all three instalments of the Toy Story trilogy are incredibly fun, humorous and emotional and I can't think of a single bad or boring moment in any of them. Pixar can't put a foot wrong these days! Except for *Cars 2*, but I haven't seen the first one so I guess I shouldn't judge.


----------



## Lenny

I watched *3:10 To Yuma* yesterday.

Whilst the ending seemed a little... odd (definitely out of character!), I enjoyed the rest of it. It's been a while since I last saw a good Western.

It reminded me so much of parts of *Red Dead Redemption*! I swear Rockstar modelled bits of their game on the Evans' Ranch, Bisbey (sp?) and the landscape in the film.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> Giving kids a decent scare once in a while is quite good for their overall development. Sage advice from a bachelor



Ah but Matthew is autistic and certain things really frighten him-there were parts of that film that appear threatening to him and once upset we never hear the end of it! He used to freak at the part in the Spongebob Movie when the man in the diver's suit comes towering over spongebob abd patrick with its menacing green eyes. And katie used to freak at those red slugs on the BBC 3 ads, one would come running towards the screen and we had to change channels quick!


----------



## gurneyman

"The Book of Eli"

   Not bad....could've been better, could've been much worse. Considering all the post-apocalyptic flicks that have been forced down our throats throughout the years, this one was somewhat refreshing. 
  Kinda tough to go wrong with Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Malcolm McDowell all in the same movie.


----------



## Lenny

Just watched *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus* - really liked it! It's definitely one of Gilliam's best, and a brilliant return to form for him, in my opinion.

Some of the effects look a bit dated (I imagine that you'd need an incredibly huge budget to make something like that in incredible quality), but they do well enough .

The whole thing is terrifically strange, which was wonderful to see. I look forward to his future projects.


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Wolfman* ... a good enough film worthy of the name. I didn't think that Benicio DT was a good pick for the part (especially after the poor reading of a few lines of Shakespeare early in the flick (He is an actor playing a supposedly good actor.. didn't work for me). Note; Lon Chaney Jr. was not a particularly good actor either, this carries the tradition on...
Over all a pretty solid film, better than I expected from the reviews; see it if you like classic old monster movies...

Enjoy!


----------



## Lenny

I also watched *The Prestige* last night - a Nolan brothers film starring Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale (Scarlett Johansson too, but meh) about two magicians in a bitter rivalry who try to outdo each other.

Pretty decent film with some very clever bits (the final secret behind "The Transported Man" is brilliant!), but it is slightly let down by the SF aspect that seems to have been shoe-horned in.


----------



## Triffids

*Valhalla Rising*

Watch only the first chapter then turn it off.


----------



## Lenny

That bad? I've got it down on my "To Watch" list.


----------



## Triffids

The look and feel of the film was great I thought and the way it was shot also. But the story.... it was good until chapter one ended then just dragged on and on and on. I don't mind slow paced films but this one i just couldn't handle, especially when nothing happens and you sit there wondering what the hell is going on most the time.
Such a shame really, still it was better then Solomon Kane.


----------



## Culhwch

My wife and I watched _Alice in Wonderland_ last night - fairly enjoyable, if not great. I love Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, but they've done better...


----------



## digs

*Ratatouille*. I'm on a bit of a Pixar binge at the moment. I really liked it - not quite as good as say *Up* or *Toy Story *(any of them), but still a great film. Watch it if you like fun and happiness.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Howl's Moving Castle* today. Story is a *Spirited Away*  retread but it's still very good, with some touching moments, and the  visuals are downright astounding. This is another Miyazaki classic.


----------



## The_African

The Day the Earth Stood Still and I liked it. I'm not counting Harry Potter or Fellowship of the Rings since I never finished either.


----------



## mr kite

Went to see The Collector . I enjoyed it fans of Saw will like it as its from the writers  of ...... Saw .
And on dvd . Soloman Kane . not bad for a English film !


----------



## HoopyFrood

_Finally_ watched *Quarantine*. Was good -- very fast paced once it got going. S...er, stuff went down and then escalated very quickly. And the rabies-infected people were a nice alternate zombie creature and were scary-looking. Gonna have to find out how they did that make-up (there's a featurette on the DVD, which is why I mention this -- plus when I procrastinate, I tend to experiment with make up and make scabs and cuts and stuff...)


----------



## No One

Hey Hoopy 

I haven't seen *Quarantine *from start to finish but I know it's pretty much a shot-for-shot remake of the Spanish original - *Rec*. I'm a fan of Jennifer Carpenter through Dexter, but I'd still recommend the original and, to a slightly lesser extent, the sequel.

And I thought the Medeiros girl at the end was much more effectively done in the Spanish version. The first thing to really creep me out in a long while.

And don't be so sure about the alternative zombies - they might just be a clever bit of misdirection


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Waves*

I really want to see *Rec* (I was after *Rec*, in fact, but the shop only had *Quaratine*) -- I know *Quarantine*'s shot-by-shot remake, but I can't help thinking that *Rec*'s just gonna be even more scary. 

Me and my housemate were discussing if Carpenter fainted much while filming...she was hyperventilating for almost the entire final twenty minutes! And they were pretty long shots (Love continuous shots...they make me happy).


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> (Love continuous shots...they make me happy).



I don't care that I'm turning into Park chan-wook's promo-boy on these threads, but if you don't know who that is I have one word for you (and everyone else):

Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy, Oldboy 

That is, one word said 15 times


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm yet to see *Oldboy*, but I have seen *Sympathy for Mr Vengence*, which was awesome. I love the...well, quite frankly, the weirdness of those kinds of films! Waking up to find that someone's nicked off with your kidney! Brilliant.


----------



## No One

I'm glad you liked _Sympathy for Mr Vengeance_ - that bodes well . I do rate that very, _very _highly, but _Oldboy _is Chan-wook's masterpiece imo.

Not sure how much you know of his stuff, but I'd recommend anything he's done (his latest film _Thirst_, a vampire horror replete with Chan-wook's trademark odd, dry, twisted humour, I thought was brilliant). His first film JSA (Joint Security Area) I only recently saw and that was also brilliant (a bit rough around the edges compared to his other stuff but still far superior than the usual ilk). Then there's also _Lady Vengeance_ (or some people seem to call it _Sympathy for Lady Vengeance_). That's rather brilliant too.

I'm also not ashamed to admit that I hugely enjoyed _I'm a Cyborg but that's Okay_, which is essentially a romantic comedy written for his 12 year old daughter  Obviously, he doesn't do romantic comedies like anyone else and I find it hard to believe this was panned by critics in Korea. I think it's _massively _underrated.

There. I have done my duty by Park Chan-wook and hopefully will create yet more loyal fans in good people like yourself.

And just to be on-subject, the last film I watched was called _Castaway on the Moon_, which was essentially a romance. Except that was also S. Korean. And very, very good, funny and well filmed. And it wasn't a Park Chan-wook film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I have a friend who's also a bit of a Park Chan-Wook fan, so she's slowly showing me the films. She has *Oldboy* and *Lady Vengeance*, so no doubt I'll see them eventually. Don't worry, there's hope for me yet!

I really enjoy East Asian stuff, particularly the horror. Very good, atmospheric horror with actual _plots!_


----------



## No One

yeah - Japan makes a lot of good flicks too.

The original _Ring _is one of my faves. At the risk of sounding demented, Sadako is _so_ beautiful 

Sorry for the temporary thread hike, but I've been scouting for some new Asian films to watch. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


----------



## mr kite

No One said:


> (his latest film _Thirst_, a vampire horror replete with Chan-wook's trademark odd, dry, twisted humour, I thought was brilliant).


 
Your not wrong there No One Thirst is brilliant 
Have you seen Premonition the japanese 2004 film , I really like that one and don`t be put off if you saw the Sandra Bullock poor remake


----------



## AE35Unit

Lenny said:


> Just watched *The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus* - really liked it! It's definitely one of Gilliam's best, and a brilliant return to form for him, in my opinion.
> 
> Some of the effects look a bit dated (I imagine that you'd need an incredibly huge budget to make something like that in incredible quality), but they do well enough .
> 
> The whole thing is terrifically strange, which was wonderful to see. I look forward to his future projects.



Really? You must have seen something we didnt cos to us it was utter  boring pants! Pointless badly done fantasy-Gilliam has done far better than this!


----------



## No One

mr kite said:


> Your not wrong there No One Thirst is brilliant
> Have you seen Premonition the japanese 2004 film , I really like that one and don`t be put off if you saw the Sandra Bullock poor remake



Cheers mr kite. 

And no, I have not seen Premonition the japanese 2004 film. But I will now


----------



## Connavar

HoopyFrood said:


> I'm yet to see *Oldboy*, but I have seen *Sympathy for Mr Vengence*, which was awesome. I love the...well, quite frankly, the weirdness of those kinds of films! Waking up to find that someone's nicked off with your kidney! Brilliant.



Korean thrillers,dramas are so weird in general.  They feel like horror sometimes that mess with your mind.

I dont buy DVD films since im a collector of books but i never miss buying Chan-Wook Park. Along with Johnny To,Jean-Pierre Melville he is the only director i collect.

Hehe i laughed at you thinking *Sympathy for Mr Vengence *is weird because i saw it after Old Boy and had to compare its weirdness. 

Me and my friends we still have trouble understanding the messed up things that happened,the ending of Old Boy* *


----------



## PTeppic

Double-headed sparkly vampires (*The Twilight Saga: Eclipse*) with a 3D ogre (*Shrek: Forever After*). Couldn't move for teenagers in the first and tweenies in the second. Bah.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Clash of the Titans* earlier (the classic, awesome one) and now I'm watching *Ghostbusters*.


----------



## Riselka

Most recents films watched ... *Red Cliff* (part 1 & 2), *The Warrior* (aka. *Musa*), *House of Flying Daggers*, and *The Emperor and the Assassin*.  Great Asian cinema!


----------



## Connavar

*The French Connection*, a dvd i rented for Gene Hackman and his 70s era films mood im on.   I thought it was very minimalistic,very good crime film. Wasnt too much drama,felt more real.  Popeye and his partner was interesting.   Weird watching a young Rob Schnider.

I like Gene Hackman more these days that i have seen him in his prime,older movies like The Conversation,French Connection.  I dont see him only as the Clint Eastwood villain actor i knew him after seeing his 90s movies with Clint.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Clash of the Titans* earlier (the classic, awesome one) and now I'm watching *Ghostbusters*.



Clash of the Titans and Awesome in the same sentence,hmmm
Ghostbusters is mint tho! An absolute classic!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yeah, I really like *Clash of the Titans* (original...I make that very clear). Part childhood nostalgia (Christmas family viewing) and part ardent love for stop motion animation.


----------



## No One

How can anyone not love Harryhausen's work? Still haven't seen the new one (which I'm hoping, at most, will be a fitting tribute effects-wise to the original master, if not a good film).

And Ghostbusters - where else in all the universe are you ever gonna see a giant staypuft marshmellow man? I had to dig this up:

"As a duly-constituted representative of the City of New York, and on behalf of the County and State of New York, the United  States of America, the Planet Earth and all                its inhabitants, I hereby order you to cease                and desist any and all supernatural activity                and return at once to your place of origin                or next parallel dimension."


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> *The French Connection*, a dvd i rented for Gene Hackman and his 70s era films mood im on. I thought it was very minimalistic,very good crime film. Wasnt too much drama,felt more real. Popeye and his partner was interesting.


 
There are some serious liberties taken with the film, at least as respects the account by Robin Moore of the actual case; I think you might find the book itself very interesting as well. This is not to knock William Friedkin's film, which is indeed deserving of its reputation; simply that, given your reaction to the film and your interest in such stories, I think you'd find it worth you while to look up a copy of the book as well. (Oh, and you may be interested to know that the screenplay for *The French Connection* was written by Ernest Tidyman, who created the character of John Shaft....)

My own most recent was in honor of the holiday: *1776*, the 1972 film version of the Broadway musical (yep, musical) by Peter Stone and Sherman Edwards. I've always quite liked this film, but this time I got to see the restored director's cut... and oh, my, what a difference that makes! I am very impressed with this one indeed... beautifully paced, with often sterling camera work and direction; and a set of superb performances by a cast which is first-rate.

Seeing this version is very odd in a way because of some of the things which were cut from the theatrical release, such as the "Cool Considerate Men" number... which was, apparenly, cut at the request of then-president Richard M. Nixon because he didn't like the way it presented conservatives... so he asked his buddy Jack Warner to axe it, and he did... and in fact, destroyed all copies (he thought) as well as the negative! Only much later did a single copy of the footage for that sequence surface... and that only because someone connected with the editing thought it should be preserved and obeyed direct orders.....

I hadn't realized that Stone, Hunt (the director), & Co. had it in mind when doing the original show to "decardboardize" the often very two-dimensional versions of these figures, at times affectionally poking fun at them, at times criticizing them quite severely, and at times simply showing them for the flawed, complex human beings they really were... but I do recall that when I saw this in my graduating year of high school (I graduated in 1976), I was at first only attending because it got me out of a class which had become a complete bore, but found the characterizations so very human that the film quickly caught my interest. If anything, this version improves on that tremendously, and I find it still has the power to move me deeply in various ways, from outright laughter to a lump in the throat....


----------



## Talysia

I was finally able to see the most recent version of *Star Trek* last night, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought.


----------



## biodroid

Saw Eclipse (Twilight saga) on Saturday and thought it was a lot better than the first 2 movies. More witty and quirky, better VFX and the story was actually getting somewhere. And it was a lot less soppy.


----------



## AE35Unit

I have thankfully managed to avoid all the Twilight saga,and it shall remain that way thank you!
Last night watched Something something something Dark Side-not a film as such but a tribute to Star Wars-Empire Strikes Back courtesy of Family Guy


----------



## Sephiroth

It's good to see Park Chan-wook getting some love, here.  His vengeance trilogy is great (I agree with No One that _Oldboy _is the magnum opus).  I haven't seen _JSA _(though I'd like to), and I haven't seen _Thirst_, yet.


----------



## Tillane

Sephiroth said:


> I haven't seen _JSA _(though I'd like to)


You'll have to be quick.  The government will be scrapping it before too long...

*tumbleweed drifts across the thread*

Ahem.  Anyway.  Got to agree on Park Chan-wook.  Love all his films, but _*Oldboy*_'s definitely the best of a good bunch.

On a slight tangent, Tyneside Cinema are currently showing a number of films in tribute to Dennis Hopper, and I caught _*Blue Velvet *_on Thursday.  For free.  Can't beat that...


----------



## No One

*rubs his eyes a bit*

Like the howls of a wolf-pack in the bleak, formulaic forest that is the film industry...it warms my heart to hear my call echoed by fellow Chan-wook fans.

And the last film I saw (or rather saw again since I got it on DVD) was _District 9_. Marvelous film. One of the most unlikely heroes I think I've ever seen. The actor is amazing. 

So's the music score. 

And the Mech *drools* Mmmm, the Mech...


----------



## Wybren

I really enjoyed District 9

unfortunately for me, the last movie I saw was Thomas the Tank Engine Magical Railroad.


----------



## No One

Wybren said:


> I really enjoyed District 9
> 
> unfortunately for me, the last movie I saw was Thomas the Tank Engine Magical Railroad.



lol - you have my sympathies.


----------



## Michael01

Just saw *The Last Airbender*, so I guess that makes it the last movie I saw.  

Not as bad as I expected considering all the negative hype surrounding it.  Could have been much better, but I still enjoyed it.  There were a few "moments," anyway.


----------



## J Riff

I see Airbender is the new McDonalds promo flik so I thot I'd avoid it..
Watched TOY STORY 3 ... fun, Barbie and Ken are good in it. )


----------



## Michael01

Yeah.  There's seems to be a consensus that possibly it's only redeeming qualities were the performances of Shaun Toub (Uncle Iroh) and Dev Patel (Zuko).


----------



## J Riff

JONAH HEX

 I had high hopes. How could they mess up something so simple as a western? I had the first 75 Jonah Hex comics. Any one of them was better than this.
 Hex has powers... he can talk to dead people. There's a ....snakey shapeshifter guy... there's ...I lost track. I wanted a western, but I got J. Hex superhero who saves all of America from being blown up by a super-weapon(invented by Eli Whitney) in the hands of an insane general.
Dang. Durn it.


----------



## clovis-man

*Blind Side*

Not a bad film. Not sure Sandra Bullock was worthy of best actress, however. The adoptive kid brother was great, though.

As far as football flicks go, I enjoyed *The Express* more.


----------



## ravenus

*Sherlock Holmes - Guy Ritchie*
(thanks to foxbat for giving the good word on this)
This Guy Ritchie movie is really more of a "buddy" action film set in  the Victorian age, and to give it some name association, the Sherlock  Homes property has been employed. Characters are unmoored from their  origins and memorable lines are taken wholly out of context. If you want  to be a Holmes purist, almost every frame of this film will give you  something to whine about.
But if it's a fast paced pulpy no-brainer action thriller you want, this  movie fits the bill well. The plot mechanics, like an elaborate version of the silly "original" stories they came up with for the Holmes radio plays with Rathbone, are entertainingly  ridiculous, Downey and Jude Law have good chemistry (suspiciously better  than with their respective betroth-eds) , the action is frequently good  and the visual FX never reach the overwhelming proportions they take in  other more expensive Hollywood productions. Also there's significantly  less dialog here than in some other Guy Rithcie films I've seen, WHICH  IS GOOD!


*The House with Laughing Windows - Pupi Avati*

It's another Italian Horror/Slasher. A failed painter turned restorer  comes to an isolated (island?) village to restore a macabre painting by a  long-gone local painter about whom the local people whisper of several  perversities. As the restorer settles to his work and tries to delve  deeper into the history of the painter, weird stuff happens around him.
A lot of the fear factor in this film is generated from the atmosphere  of isolation and decay and strangeness, calling to mind bits of MR James, Clive Barker and the  non-cosmic horror of Lovecraft. It works well in those parts and the  slasher bits are functional. On the whole recommended viewing for the  hardcore horror fan.


----------



## Happy Joe

I took a classic moment and watched the original *King Kong*....
Still enjoyable.

Enjoy!


----------



## ravenus

*Harry Brown*
More Death Wish than Gran Torino. Decent old-skool violence fun, and Michael Caine's performance is studied and consistent, but I doubt I'll want to see it more than once.


----------



## Lenny

*Solomon Kane*

I was quite looking forward to it, after being told how brilliant it was by a guy at work, butttttt... the acting was poor, and the special effects had that computer-generated shine to them that really put me off (it's a relatively recent film, so I'm not sure if I only notice the effects because I've got a small interest in the technology behind these things).

The music was quite nice though, and the locations were brilliant - the castle, particularly.


----------



## blacknorth

Be Kind Rewind.

Quite enjoyble, until the end, which was the usual life-affirming rubbish.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Animal Kingdom*.

I generally don't really think Australian films are that great on average but every now and then there's a gem and this is one. If you get the chance to see it, I think you should take it.


----------



## Culhwch

Never even heard of that one, HJ!

We watched _Shutter Island_ today. Quite good - excellent performances, capably directed. I'd read the book so the big reveal didn't have quit the impact it might have, but still a very good film.


----------



## daisybee

The last film I saw was Killers last night.

Umm. Ashton Kutcher looks good in it. It was okay. Not particularly funny though, it seemed stuck between genres. Half rom-com, half action spy film. Nice to see Tom Selleck, but the film got a bit messy and I didn't for a second believe the romance between the leads. Bit of  a wasted idea, because it could have been really funny.

Get Him To The Greek-I saw that last week, and that was way funnier than I expected it to be...a bit awkward at times, but good awkward if that makes sense. I really liked Sergio, and the Jeffrey scene. Loads of scenes had the whole audience laughing, which I haven't heard for a while!
It had  a few serious moments thrown in that felt a bit out of place, but Russell Brand was good as Aldous Snow, and Jonah Hill quite liekable as Aaron, which surprised me as he is usually really annoying. P Diddy totally stole the film though.


----------



## AE35Unit

blacknorth said:


> Be Kind Rewind.
> 
> Quite enjoyble, until the end, which was the usual life-affirming rubbish.


We loved that film!!


----------



## Riselka

Recently watched *DEAD SNOW*, a freakin' hilarious Norwegian zombie flick - very dark humour.

Thoroughly enjoyable!


----------



## mosaix

*The Devil's Backbone*

A 'ghost' story of sorts set in an orphanage during he Spanish civil war.

Enjoyable.


----------



## No One

AE35Unit said:


> We loved that film!!



Yeah but people should know that this unit is projected to fail within the next 72 hours...

And Mosaix - more than agreed. The Devil's Backbone is a very good film. Preferred Pan's Labyrinth though (same director).

The last film I saw was Warrior King. It sucked.

(kidding)


----------



## citri

I just watched The Departed a day or two ago. It was pretty good in general. Sometimes felt like it could have been developed a little more but the ending, weird as it was, was actually kind of satisfying in a morbid sort of a way.


----------



## AE35Unit

No One said:


> Yeah but people should know that this unit is projected to fail within the next 72 hours...
> 
> 
> 
> (kidding)


They've been saying that for years now....


----------



## mr kite

*Death Note*
Not bad really , I didn`t know it was an Anmie series until after I watched it  .
That explains Ryuk in the film


----------



## clovis-man

*The Last Station*.  Probably the best acted movie I've seen in quite some time. Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti and James McAvoy were outstanding. A fascinating story about a fascinating time in history, made human by the interplay of the characters.


----------



## thatollie

Fellowship of The Ring - My brother's first taste of LotR, I'm trying to convert him to all the stuff I like.


----------



## ravenus

*The Secret In Their Eyes*
Damn good Spanish movie, which mixes a subtle relationship story of a  court investigator and his younger attractive female boss with a murder  investigation, and is told in multiple flashbacks. Wonderful acting by  all the players and the woman (Soledad Villamil) has such beautiful  enquiring eyes.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched Hatchi: A Dog's Tale. Had both of us blubbing!


----------



## Lenny

mr kite said:


> *Death Note*
> Not bad really , I didn`t know it was an Anmie series until after I watched it  .
> That explains Ryuk in the film



There's a film?! Oooooh, happy days. 

I'm watching the series at the moment and I'm rather enjoying it. I'll have ot hunt the film down, methinks.


----------



## daisybee

*Dance of the Dragon*. It was a bit slow, but gorgeous and I really liked the understated feel of it. Rose above the usual formulaic stuff by the performances, and I found myself quite moved.  A lovely film.


----------



## Doctor Crankenstein

Just saw the new Karate Kid.

It wasn't that bad. Jackie Chan's character was very different to the kind that he normally plays, more serious and depressing. I prefered the original mentor, Miyagi, both character and actor. Jackie Chan Is a fantastic actor I just don't think this role suited him.

The little Kid was an incredible actor. I didn't realise till the very end that he was Will Smith's kid, not that that matters...

I don't understand why they called it the karate kid, other than the connection to the original. I mean... It wasn't even karate It was kung fu. 

Also I think it would be beter if they strayed further from teh original. Towards the end (the tournament) It was practically a play-by-play of the original. 

In communist china the Fu Kung's YOU


----------



## Fried Egg

I saw a Spanish Film called "Timecrimes". A classic time twisting story about a man witnesses a crime and then, whilst trying to escape the perpetrator, ends up hiding in a time machine that sends him back half a day. It turns out that he was the perpetrator of the crime and now has to go through the motions again in order not to change the past. Things go a bit wrong however and he has to go back in time again...


----------



## AE35Unit

Doctor Crankenstein said:


> Just saw the new Karate Kid.
> 
> It wasn't that bad. Jackie Chan's character was very different to the kind that he normally plays, more serious and depressing. I prefered the original mentor, Miyagi, both character and actor. Jackie Chan Is a fantastic actor I just don't think this role suited him.
> 
> The little Kid was an incredible actor. I didn't realise till the very end that he was Will Smith's kid, not that that matters...
> 
> I don't understand why they called it the karate kid, other than the connection to the original. I mean... It wasn't even karate It was kung fu.
> 
> Also I think it would be beter if they strayed further from teh original. Towards the end (the tournament) It was practically a play-by-play of the original.
> 
> In communist china the Fu Kung's YOU



hmm perhaps they should have just made it a whole new film project,dropped the karate kid 2 idea. But then people would just say, oh its a karate kid ripoff…
But yes Will Smith jr is a fantastic little actor-he was great in the Pursuit of Happyness!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> But yes Will Smith jr is a fantastic little actor-he was great in the Pursuit of Happyness!


 
I agree.

I rewatched on DVD *Up in the Air *this morning. Brilliant movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Hilarious Joke said:


> I agree.
> 
> I rewatched on DVD *Up in the Air *this morning. Brilliant movie.



Hmmm not heard of that one!


----------



## Culhwch

With George Clooney - I liked it as well (Clooney is so likeable), very bittersweet...


----------



## AE35Unit

Culhwch said:


> With George Clooney - I liked it as well (Clooney is so likeable), very bittersweet...



yea I like Clooney too,and think he should be in the new A team movie instead of Liam Neeson as hannibal.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> With George Clooney - I liked it as well (Clooney is so likeable), very bittersweet...


 
I'm also a fan of Clooney, particularly in *Ocean's 11 *and *13 *(*12 *was terrible, IMHO...).


----------



## Culhwch

Yeah, _Ocean's Twelve_ was a dog's breakfast. Almost as bad as _Batman and Robin_.


----------



## AE35Unit

Culhwch said:


> Yeah, _Ocean's Twelve_ was a dog's breakfast. Almost as bad as _Batman and Robin_.



yea,boring film! not seen Batman and Robin,imagine it to be pants unless they did it tongue in cheek (these films are taken far too seriously)


----------



## Urien

*Ocean's 12* dreadful tosh; proves that a bunch of big stars need to more than just turn up and see what happens.


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw My Life In Ruins , starring Nia Vardalos and Richard Dreyfess. Nia Vardalos plays a  Greek tour guide named Georgia who attempts to recapture her kefi (Greek  for mojo) by guiding a ragtag group of tourists around Greece and  showing them the beauty of her native land. Along the way, she manages  to open their eyes to the wonders of an exotic foreign land while  beginning to see the world through a new set of eyes in the process. Richaed Dreyfuss plays a world wise and also funny guy who has lost his wife but not his love for life. He shows Goergia (Nia Vardalos) that there is more to life than ancient history or plans for the future.


----------



## jojajihisc

Hilarious Joke said:


> I'm also a fan of Clooney, particularly in *Ocean's 11 *and *13 *(*12 *was terrible, IMHO...).



Thought 11 was great, 12 wasn't quite as bad as most say and 13 wasn't as good as most say. Go figure.

My latest was *The Missing Person*. A noirish mystery starring the underrated Michael Shannon.


----------



## mr kite

Lenny said:


> There's a film?! Oooooh, happy days.
> 
> I'm watching the series at the moment and I'm rather enjoying it. I'll have ot hunt the film down, methinks.


 
Glad to broaden your outlook Lenny 

But lo !
Iv`e just watched *Death Note 2 *and it was excellent !
I think you will enjoy these films
I did


----------



## AE35Unit

jojajihisc said:


> Thought 11 was great, 12 wasn't quite as bad as most say and 13 wasn't as good as most say. Go figure.


I think all 3 are boring but there you go!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> I think all 3 are boring but there you go!


 
And to think all this was started by a 1960 Rat Pack romp. When I first saw it (the year it came out) I thought it was pretty entertaining. Awfully tame by today's standards. Of course, it was responsible for one of my all time favorite movie quotes (spoiler):

"What's that noise?"
"The deceased is being cremated."


----------



## daisybee

TiMER

I liked the idea and for the most part loved it...till it spoilt itself and sort of depressed me. 
Emma Caulfield (BTVS) was good in it, I didn't like her before but she won me over. The idea that you can know who the one is with a timer was well executed and I liked how the idea was questioned, like before and after TiMERs...and whether we just have one true love (whatever that means-never understood the distinction myself), or we should just follow the paths our hearts take on their own. 

Didn't like the ending. At All. Ah well.


----------



## Triffids

*Predators*

Was good i suppose, still not worth the £7.55 i paid to see it. Also i got robbed on the Pick n' Mix.


----------



## Rand

daisybee said:


> TiMER
> 
> I liked the idea and for the most part loved it...till it spoilt itself and sort of depressed me.
> Emma Caulfield (BTVS) was good in it, I didn't like her before but she won me over. The idea that you can know who the one is with a timer was well executed and I liked how the idea was questioned, like before and after TiMERs...and whether we just have one true love (whatever that means-never understood the distinction myself), or we should just follow the paths our hearts take on their own.
> 
> Didn't like the ending. At All. Ah well.



That's also the last movie I saw.  I agree with pretty much everything you said about it, although I think I liked it more.  Funny thing about the ending - I was trying to remember if I also thought it was bad, and realized that even though I only watched it a few days ago I can't remember the ending.  I guess that means I wasn't thrilled with it either, my memory is usually rather good.

Last one I saw prior to that was an obscure thriller called Cravings. Slow, not for the action oriented, but an interesting character study about some badly damaged people who enter each other's lives at the worst possible time.


----------



## mrajan

Recently i watched Rec 2 horror movie it was ok


----------



## Orionis

*Vicki Christina Barcelona* directed by Woody Allen.

I have never been a huge fan of Penelope Cruz (sure she looks good, but as far as acting skills - meh) until this movie. I was impressed with her in this one.


----------



## Lenny

Finally got around to watching *Avatar* tonight.

It's not bad. I really enjoyed the first half hour or so (which was the SF part, naturally), and some other bits were good. I did get the feeling, every now and then, that Cameron simply wanted to show off what his server banks could achieve, giving us sweeping shots of glorious scenery, rather than give us a good story. It was also very slow. When I reached the 1hr 45min mark, it felt like I'd been watching it for three hours...

My main gripe is that for a film with such a high budget, and all the hype surrounding the technology (more or less entirely shot against green screen), there were times when the CGI stood out like a sore thumb. I don't know whether it's because I was upscaling the SD DVD to 1080p through my PS3, or if I've become finely attuned to CGI somehow, but the odd bit here and there really jarred against my vision - the scenes with human and Na'vi definitely weren't right, a couple of times the Na'vi figures looked like clay (in some parts they reflected light when they shouldn't, and at other times they looked like they had incredibly low-res textures) and parts of the forest just didn't work.

I must say, though, that it is a very pretty film. I'd probably watch it again if anyone lent me it on Blu-ray (maybe even in 3D if someone gives me the glasses; my primary computer monitor supports 3D) just so I can see it properly in hi-def.


----------



## StormFeather

Re-living my childhood - recorded *Dark Crystal* earlier and am watching now.  Despite it being nearly 30 years old, it's still impressive (for me at least!)  

However, I won't be in a hurry to let my 5 year old watch it - I know it would give him nightmares in an instant


----------



## Tillane

Saw *Inception *this evening.  Tremendous film - I'd recommend it to anyone who'd like to see a blockbuster with half a brain (which is something of an anomaly these days).  Ellen Page and Cillian Murphy are both really good, and DiCaprio isn't bad, either.  Favourite film so far this year.


----------



## ravenus

*Sleuth (1972)* - unforgivably long at 138 min with a flabby second half, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with Alec Cawthorne as inspector Doppler, but as a showcase of two magnificent actors - Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine - playing off against each other with some immensely witty dialog, worth watching.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Last movie I saw was "The Lucky Ones". I think I liked this movie more then I should. Haha. It's a good one.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Tillane said:


> Saw *Inception *this evening.  Tremendous film - I'd recommend it to anyone who'd like to see a blockbuster with half a brain (which is something of an anomaly these days).  Ellen Page and Cillian Murphy are both really good, and DiCaprio isn't bad, either.  Favourite film so far this year.



Just saw *Inception* yesterday, as well, and agree that it's a terrific film. Along with *Shutter Island* and *Alice in Wonderland*, it was my favourite movie of the year, too.

(Interesting how two of my three favs this year starred DiCaprio... the guy really knows how to pick 'em.)


----------



## Lenny

Watched *Inception* tonight and I'm more than happy to add my recommendations to that of Till and DA.

The concept is simply beautiful, and the execution is fantastically well done - some of the effects are quite incredible. Definitely one I'll buy when it's released.

Interestingly, Nolan was influenced by the films around when he started work on the script - *The Matrix*, *Dark City* and *The Thirteenth Floor*. You can definitely pick up on The Matrix and Dark City inspiration (I can't comment on The Thirteenth Floor as I haven't seen it).

DiCaprio is quickly becoming one of my favourite actors - he's been in some brilliant films over the last few years; he's a solid actor.


----------



## Pyan

*Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure* - a most bodacious movie, indeed...


----------



## Lenny

Just re-watched *The Incredibles*. Whilst it is looking dated (2004! Would you believe it? Time flies), it's still one of my favourite Pixar films. The musical score is, well, incredible. We bought the main theme for our college Big Band last term - I'm really looking forward to October now.


----------



## PTeppic

A week later than intended, *Predators*. And I thought it worked really well. There's one obviously stupid scene, where the writer/director sent their brain out to buy the coffee instead of thinking, but apart from that it's not as bad as it might have been.


----------



## ravenus

Orionis said:


> *Vicki Christina Barcelona* directed by Woody Allen.
> I have never been a huge fan of Penelope Cruz (sure she looks good, but as far as acting skills - meh) until this movie. I was impressed with her in this one.


You could also check out the Spanish films she did with Pedro Almodvar. I liked *Volver* a great deal and thought she was terrific there.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Lenny said:


> DiCaprio is quickly becoming one of my favourite actors - he's been in some brilliant films over the last few years; he's a solid actor.


Definitely.

The best move of his career was to take time off after *Titanic*. He knew he was in danger of being typecast as a "loverboy" and wisely decided to take a couple of years off, let the hype around the movie die out, then came back in *Gangs of New York*, remaking his image into that of a 'serious' actor. And he hasn't looked back.

Well played, Mr. DiCaprio.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *The Asphalt Jungle*, a damn good heist-gone-wrong movie  from the great John Huston, with  some excellent writing and performances.


----------



## Urien

*In the Valley of Elah. *Tommy Lee Jones ex-soldier hunts for the truth about the murder of his son who is just back from Iraq. Charlize Theron helps.

War takes away moral compass and brutalizes. Not a new thought, well acted, but slow and depressing as a dark day in hell. Very heavy handed and probably a little unfair on the military. Worth it if you're in a happy place and want to leave.


----------



## Lenny

*Repo Men* - in the not so distant future, people can buy artificial organs at sky-high prices. However, should they fall behind on payments (~$618,000 for a liver, I think it was, plus interest if you take out the monthly payment plan), Jude Law and/or Forest Whitaker will come along with a knife and reclaim it for The Union.

Quite a good film. Gory in parts, but then again, it _is_ a film about guys who rip organs out of bodies...

Whilst I enjoyed it, it's a film that very much follows a formula - I found it quite easy to predict a number of plot points. And, possibly the most unforgivable thing about it, the ending 



Spoiler



is ripped straight from Terry Gilliam's *Brazil*


. Sure, that doesn't make the twist less expected, it just dampens the effect... a lot.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Rewatched *I Love You, Man *on DVD. Jason Segel is excellent in this, I thought.


----------



## Happy Joe

Its been awhile since I posted, I've been checking out some low budget movies;

*Lost treasure of the Grand Canyon*: a reasonably enjoyable takeoff of the 1950s and early 60s lost civilization movies.  The biggest mistakes here were the relatively low budget cg "god" (needed more color and some better textures) and the fact that the audience is not informed that this movie apparently takes place during the late 1800s or early 1900s (there were unexplored areas on earth, at least, into the 1960s).
If you like "The Mole People" and movies like it then this one is worth a rental.

*Dog Soldiers*; a squad of soldiers meats up with unexpected creatures during a training mission in Scotland.  Lots of shooting some gore and a couple of twists; over all, enjoyable and a relatively surprising movie in term of quality. 

Both of these were good enough to make it onto my video library shelves, and into the HTPC (I've a soft spot for monsters and lost civilizations).

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> he Mole People" and movies like it then this one is worth a rental.
> 
> *Dog Soldiers*; a squad of soldiers meats up with unexpected creatures during a training mission in Scotland.  Lots of shooting some gore and a couple of twists; over all, enjoyable and a relatively surprising movie in term of quality.
> 
> Both of these were good enough to make it onto my video library shelves, and into the HTPC (I've a soft spot for monsters and lost civilizations).
> 
> Enjoy!


Funny, I watched that film a while ago and enjoyerd it. Then I recently read *The Keep* by _F Paul Wilson_ and was reminded of that film!


----------



## bunnypeaches

Watched *Goodfellas* again the other day. Love, love, love that movie. Now it's put me in the mood for gangster films again though, so I think I might go for *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels* later


----------



## ravenus

Saw *The Maltese Falcon (1941)*. Plot's more serviceable than anything, but the dialog and the performances (especially Sidney Greenstreet and Humphrey Bogart)! Climax is awesome: movies had balls then.


----------



## tygersmovie

Hotel Terminus -- as far as 4 1/2 hour documentaries about the Holocaust go, this one was fascinating and never felt slow.


----------



## AE35Unit

We watched *The Lovely Bones* last night, which was a lot better than I expected! Quite moving in parts.


----------



## tygersmovie

Murders in the Rue Morgue


----------



## Lenny

Just watched *The Thirteenth Floor*. Kinda dull, with some iffy acting, but the concept was interesting.

As with *The Matrix* and *Dark City*, It's easy to see where Nolan got some of his inspiration for *Inception* in TTF.


----------



## Rodders

I watched the first Aliens vs Predator Wednesday night. I remember it being badly slated when it was released, but i thought that it was a great action film. Very underrated in my opinion.


----------



## Happy Joe

I agree, I have never understood the hate associated with the first Alien vs. Predator movie.  Sure it has some things wrong with it but I have always found it enjoyable; not great but fully acceptable. 

The second one; now there is a movie to stimulate the gag reflex... terminal degenerative sequalitus at its worst.

Enjoy!


----------



## mr kite

I have had a overload of film watching this week so I just thought one post should do it 
So then I will rate them out of five Stars 

Inception - 5 Stars

A Prophet - 5 Stars 

Shutter Island - 4 Stars 

Predators - Erm 2 Stars


----------



## Lenny

Just finished *The Illusionist*. All I have to say is that it's dull and badly acted.


----------



## philoSCIFI

Hallmark Hall of Fame's *Brush with Fate*


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Crazies*, the new one.
Not seen the Romero original but this one is pretty sucky,to be polite! Cliche ridden and well pretty tame for a horror film. 
But then I'm not much of a slasher horror fan, altho if I was I reckon I'd be disappointed with this effort.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oops, double post!


----------



## thatollie

*Inception *and it was brilliant.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> *The Crazies*, the new one.
> Not seen the Romero original but this one is pretty sucky,to be polite! Cliche ridden and well pretty tame for a horror film.
> But then I'm not much of a slasher horror fan, altho if I was I reckon I'd be disappointed with this effort.


Romero's Crazies was a damn good film, IMO. Gets a little meandering after a while and is on the whole not as accomplished as Dawn and Day of The Dead, but quite interesting nonetheless with some lovely moments.
Slasher? The original film at least was about a mysterious sickness that's spreading around a town and the authorities attempt to quarantine it. Where's the slasher element?


----------



## Connavar

Inception was very good, i wouldnt call it brilliant that would cheapen the word since it had some flaws.

I only wish he explained the ability of controling dreams better, in a SF way but its hollywood they dont expect much from the audience.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Hitman last night. I rather embarrassed to admit that i quite enjoyed it.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> .
> Slasher? The original film at least was about a mysterious sickness that's spreading around a town and the authorities attempt to quarantine it. Where's the slasher element?


Well in this new version theres quite a bit of blood and typically mindless zombie like bloodlettting. One scene has a Crazy (read Zombie-yawn) attacking female patients with a garden fork. Theyre tied down to hospital beds and he comes along and violently puts the fork through their bellies.
Nice! :/


----------



## Lenny

*Resident Evil*.

I've never played the games so I can't give an educated comparison between the film and the series. I can tell you, however, that the acting wasn't brilliant, and the effects were quite poor, particularly for something from 2002.

Still, it whiled away an afternoon, so I shan't complain too much.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> Well in this new version theres quite a bit of blood and typically mindless zombie like bloodlettting.


Slasher films AFAIK are not defined by the presence of gore. Usually a slasher flick uses the plotline of a lone murderer (known or unknown, natural or supernatural) that undertakes a spree of killings, like in *Peeping Tom* or *Nightmare on Elm Street* or (yawn) *Halloween*.


----------



## ravenus

*Night of Fear*

Funded in part by the Australian Film Development Corporation, this movie turned out to be a pretty damn good predecessor to *Texas Chainsaw Massacre*. An unidentified redneck type goes about raping and murdering women that land up in his vicinity. There are several parallels to the events in TCM and it seems quite probable that Tobe Hooper saw this film and used it as a template for TCM, significantly upping the intensity.

*House of Long Shadows*

Another of those films that's not essential to watch but appealing to those with a liking for classic horror cinema. This one is mainly notable for its bringing together those solid old-world Gentlemen of the genre - Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price and John Carradine - for one last hurrah (none of them were ever paired up for a movie again).
The plot takes the Old Dark House Template. A bestselling American author (Desi Arnaz) takes on the challenge of writing a brooding emotional novel to best "Wuthering Heights" within 24 hours in a supposedly uninhabited manor in Wales, but he finds his work interrupted and the manor not quite uninhabited. To quote "There appears to be more happening here than in Times Square". Enter the heavyweights who bring with them a class and gentility that offsets the weaknesses of the plotting. Nobody is straining any acting muscles but everyone appears happy to be amongst old friends. It also helps that the secluded Gothic setting of the film protects it from being overly sullied by modern touches, and even the parodying of genre cliches is done with affection and respect. Fans of the classic Hammer and Corman films will appreciate this.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> Slasher films AFAIK are not defined by the presence of gore. Usually a slasher flick uses the plotline of a lone murderer (known or unknown, natural or supernatural) that undertakes a spree of killings, like in *Peeping Tom* or *Nightmare on Elm Street* or (yawn) *Halloween*.


Well I dont know that much aboiut that genre because I tend to avoid such horror films like the plague. I like scary films not gory films.


----------



## Steve S

Just watched 'Let the Right One In'. I was extremely impressed; wonderful acting; beautiful, poetic script; stunning cinematography. Genuinely unsettling as well, especially the more you think about the various levels of story and meaning. Gory? Yes. Scary? Hell yes. But intelligent, moving and thought-provoking cinema.


----------



## Tillane

Steve S said:


> Just watched 'Let the Right One In'. I was extremely impressed; wonderful acting; beautiful, poetic script; stunning cinematography. Genuinely unsettling as well, especially the more you think about the various levels of story and meaning. Gory? Yes. Scary? Hell yes. But intelligent, moving and thought-provoking cinema.


And an even better book.

Went to see an old favourite at the cinema today, Jeunet's_* La Cité des Enfants Perdus*_.  Still wonderfully weird, I'm happy to report.


----------



## ravenus

*@AE35Unit:*


> Well I dont know that much aboiut that genre because I tend to avoid  such horror films like the plague. I like scary films not gory films.


In which case you must see *Peeping Tom*, which is a slasher with no gore and tremendously creepy. I personally rate this film higher than Hitchcock's slasher *Psycho*.

*@Steve:*


> Just watched 'Let the Right One In'. I was extremely impressed;  wonderful acting; beautiful, poetic script; stunning cinematography.  Genuinely unsettling as well, especially the more you think about the  various levels of story and meaning. Gory? Yes. Scary? Hell yes. But  intelligent, moving and thought-provoking cinema.


Oh I saw it recently too but this "vampire movie for people that don't like vampire movies" was not  quite the invigorating experience for me. Actually, there are some  scenes that are good (the last swimming pool scene while entirely  predictable is presented with a pleasing sleight of hand) and the teens  in the lead roles are mighty fine. But tell me there isn't a truckload  of humdrum filler material here set to a mind-numbing piano score that  calls for a concentrated caffeine drip. At least a quarter of the  running time could have been easily shaved off, especially given that  the movie works with mostly stereotype.
George Romero's *Martin* completely owns this as an emotionally wrenching film with a vampire character.


----------



## clovis-man

Tillane said:


> Went to see an old favourite at the cinema today, Jeunet's_* La Cité des Enfants Perdus*_. Still wonderfully weird, I'm happy to report.


 
And even though I had to watch *City of Lost Children* instead , I concur. Maybe Ron Perlman's best role.

Same directors: *Delicatessen*. Also very good for the same wonky reasons.


----------



## biodroid

I saw *Remember Me* not too bad, *Alice in Wonderland *- really liked this and *The Lovely Bones *What a story this movie had, it was really thrilling and the SFX were done well too.


----------



## digs

I watched *Date Night *and *Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs *on the plane to New Zealand. Both had scenes that left me shaking with suppressed laughter.


----------



## Connavar

Rodders said:


> I watched Hitman last night. I rather embarrassed to admit that i quite enjoyed it.




Why would you be ?  Its one of the best video games movies ever.  It was like 7/10 film.  Egbert the rated reviewer said it was very good for what it was.  It had some flaws directly but action,main character wise it was very good.

Having played the series for years i know well adaptation it was.


----------



## biodroid

Conn - Timothy Olyphant played the character well as well. I enjoyed the movie despite never having played the game. I guess thats why enjoyed the Prince of Persia movie because I hadn't played the game.


----------



## Connavar

biodroid said:


> Conn - Timothy Olyphant played the character well as well. I enjoyed the movie despite never having played the game. I guess thats why enjoyed the Prince of Persia movie because I hadn't played the game.



Timothy Olyphant was so perfect in the role, the way he walked around as 47 so freaky well copied from the game and so cool.   He is a good actor you should see him in Justified, he makes US Marshal look better than ever in tv,film.


----------



## Foxbat

For the first time in quite a few years, I sat down and watched *Last of* *the Mohicans. *

Despite it's flaws, this is a movie I really enjoy - helped along by a stirring Celtic rooted soundtrack.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Book Of Eli*. A trifle overdone, but the concept was interesting and some surprises toward the end made it worthwhile.


----------



## Lenny

David Lynch's *Eraserhead*. I can't say much about it, other than it's easily identifiable as a Lynch film, because I haven't the faintest idea what it is I've just watched.

By far the strangest thing I've ever, _ever_ seen.


----------



## clovis-man

Lenny said:


> David Lynch's *Eraserhead*. I can't say much about it, other than it's easily identifiable as a Lynch film, because I haven't the faintest idea what it is I've just watched.
> 
> By far the strangest thing I've ever, _ever_ seen.


 
My older son is a huge David Lynch fan and actually has an *Eraserhead* refrigerator magnet. To me it seemed like a really bad dream put onto film. The dinner with the parents scene was more creepy to me than the more obvious ones. 

"Well Henry, what do you know?"

"Oh, I don't know much of anything."


----------



## starrypawz

Toy Story 3. I had to go see it as I owed it to my inner child as I loved the Toy Story movies when I was little.
It's defiently worth watching, and has some absoutley hillarious moments in it but is also pretty dark for a kids movie.


----------



## Riselka

Foxbat said:


> For the first time in quite a few years, I sat down and watched *Last of* *the Mohicans. *
> 
> Despite it's flaws, this is a movie I really enjoy - helped along by a stirring Celtic rooted soundtrack.



One of my absolute favourite films.

The director's cut on DVD, or the theatrical cut on tape?

I've got both (VHS is the widescreen series version), and would really like to know why Michael Mann decided to shorten up some of the scenes for his director's cut.  The longer scenes, especially the one in the burial ground where Hawkeye is telling Cora about the stars, are so much better.  Plus he dropped the song by Clannad for the director's cut.

Not sure what I think about the lengthened scene at the end.  It has its good points, and it has its bad points.  Sometimes I'm into Chingachgook's existential speech, and sometimes I'm not.

One thing's for certain ... it's a film that really needs to have a two disc special edition with a lot of extras.  Why they couldn't at least have included the behind the scenes featurette that's on the VHS copy I have, on the DVD, I'd really like to know.


----------



## ravenus

*Tale of Despereaux* -  gorgeous looking, zippy and in several parts pretty cool animated fairy tale adventure. Yes, you can show it to your brats too (if they aren't very squeamish, some dark bits here).


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw Salt today. It was really a quite good movie. It was convoluted enough to keep your interest and had plenty of action scenes and car chases. Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber were very good in their roles as CIA agents. I also liked Chiwetel Ejiofor of Serenity and Children of Men fame. All in all a good action movie.


----------



## Lenny

The new *Clash of the Titans*.

I've not seen the original, so I can't join in the argument about it being awful and how, back in my day, films weren't all about effects (etc. etc.), but I did enjoy this new version immensely. The special effects were quite brilliant and quite a bit of the acting was top notch (I'm particularly impressed with Sam Worthington - he seems to have risen from nowhere to take three huge roles in just two years). Whilst short, the swordplay sequences were very good - it almost makes me wish I could dance like that!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Shrek Ever After*
Took the kids to the cinema to see this. Excelent as usual and they pulled out all the stops for the CGI and look of the film. It had a darker and more cinematic feel and was hugely entertaining-not just for the kids! 
Can't believe its the last one tho!


----------



## Lenny

Last night: *Constantine*.

A bit daft, but I suppose it's to be expected from a comic book adaptation. The visuals were rather good, and I liked the way Satan was depicted - something of a strange fellow, with a bad temper if annoyed, rather than a continuously evil being.

This morning: *Death Race 2000* (the original, not the remake from a few years back).

A live-action *Wacky Races*! Nowhere near as shocking as the title implies, and quite tame by today's standards. I quite enjoyed it.

This afternoon: *Resident Evil: Apocalypse*.

The second RE film. A lot better than the first (in the few years between the two films, effects improved significantly). I'm not really a fan of zombie games or films, but I thought it was good. However, the tension you usually feel with zombie films (and which I did feel a bit in the first) just wasn't there. Probably my fault for looking on IMDB at who is in the third film...


----------



## Dovecam.W

Casino Royale (2006) - Blu-Ray, last night

It was my third time to watch this movie. Enjoy James Bond and Bond Girls


----------



## Rodders

Die Hard was on last night. Still a thrilling film 20 years on.


----------



## Mouse

Saw Toy Story 3, in 3D. Loved it. Much better than the first two, darker (the creepy, scary baby?!), and funnier. I love Ken.


----------



## Starbeast

I saw *IRON MAN 2* three times in the theater and I just rewatched *FARGO* again on tv.


----------



## Boneman

*Heartbreaker: *hilarious French Film last night. *Galaxy Quest* on DVD the night before - the best ever spoof SCIFI film.


----------



## Lenny

Last night: *Mission to Mars*.

An old one that I've seen before, but I still enjoyed it. A few bits that probably aren't totally scientifically correct, but it's a decent film (apart from the very end. Endings like that make me vomit...).

Just finished: *Resident Evil 3*.

Whilst maybe not as good as the second, it's still a lot better than the first and I did like it; I haven't seen enough post-apocalyptic world films (and even fewer that don't deal with zompocalypse). Whilst it's starting to get dafter (a few hundred Milla Jovovich's isn't necessary a bad thing, it's just a rather silly plot device), with some seriously questionable traits displayed by Alice (I'm sorry, where did this whole psychic power come from?!), I don't see it as a film to take too seriously - as the old simile goes, it's satisfying like a McDonald's is satisfying; it fills the gap.


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Inception*. Yeah, the hype? I'm in on it. I was actually expecting every hyped up review to be true. I wasn't disappointed. There was only 1 person I encountered before I saw the movie that didn't like it. Oh poor confused soul... lol. j/k

I like the movie a lot. I don't know if I love it just yet, but I definitely enjoyed every minute of it. Almost 3 hours and not once did it feel "too long". This is a great movie. I highly recommend it.


----------



## biodroid

*Inception *- What an awesome movie, very complex and well explained. The ending worked for me despite the people saying it was not that great.


----------



## HoopyFrood

All alone in the house, so I watched *Paranormal Activity*. The second time I've seen it; if this has been the first, I think I'd be a bit more edgy. _Finally_ a well made horror film! Someone finally understands that less is more, and that building an atmosphere really works. The repetitive nature of it, returning to the bedroom at night, really puts you on edge, because you can't help _looking_ for things after a while. But the more stuff that does happen, the more you dread returning the bedroom for another night! 

Definitely needs to be watched in the dark with no interruptions on the first viewing. You need to get the proper effect, 'cos it's a good'un.


----------



## Wybren

I had some time to kill while I put the car in for a service so I went and saw *Creation  *I think it was very well made and in parts very emotive. I also saw *Toy story 3* which was fantastic.


----------



## No One

Must see *Toy Story 3*...

But, funnily enough, I just saw *Paranormal Activity*! For the first time. In the dark. No interruptions. Freaky.

Was very, _very _good. The night footage was more than effective and I'll re-affirm my longstanding allegiance to the ideal of Less-Is-More.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Well! _You_ saw Paranormal Activity this evening, too? Pretty much at the same time? It's almost as if we'd...like..._planned_ to watch it around the same, eh? Now that's spooky. 

Heh.


----------



## elvet

Just saw another couple of good films
*The Education* is a coming of age story about a 16 year girl who gets swept away from her acedemic path to Oxford by a dashing older man. It's a British film set in the 50s and it's a wonderful study of how misleading parental advice can be when marriage trumps education most times.
*Coco Avant Chanel* (French with English subtitles) follows the famous designer from her orphanage roots to when she just starts to become famous. I'm not sure how truly autobiographical it was, but it did put into perspective the impact of her comfortable, elegant clothes on the frou-frou and corsetted restraints of the time.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Orphanage* A pretty good movie that has its fair share of chills.


----------



## AE35Unit

A film called *Blind Side*
Not normally my kind of thing (abandoned kid discovered and fostered, becomes football legend) but I enjoyed it!


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> All alone in the house, so I watched *Paranormal Activity*. The second time I've seen it; if this has been the first, I think I'd be a bit more edgy. _Finally_ a well made horror film! Someone finally understands that less is more, and that building an atmosphere really works. The repetitive nature of it, returning to the bedroom at night, really puts you on edge, because you can't help _looking_ for things after a while. But the more stuff that does happen, the more you dread returning the bedroom for another night!
> 
> Definitely needs to be watched in the dark with no interruptions on the first viewing. You need to get the proper effect, 'cos it's a good'un.


~Did you see the extras, the alternative endings? In the states they showed one of the lamer endings-we got the scary ending!


----------



## No One

*Shutter Island* - hmm, expected more from this.

A film with a strong director (Scorsese), a great cast and a good script, but it felt like there was something better trying to get out, or in. And whoever did the music score had a _real _easy pay-day. Since when does a few strokes of a cello or double-bass and someone banging their head against a piano constitute a score?

Good - but I bet the novel was heaps better.

AE35 - I'll have to see it first, but I like the sound of the "throat" ending for *Paranormal Activity*.


----------



## Lenny

I re-watched *Shutter Island* on Saturday - there is so much you can pick up from watching it again that you just miss the first time.

If you've not seen it yet, look away.






Watching the film, you notice how bad some of the acting and filming apparently is - people are always staring at DiCaprio, the plot seems disjointed and doesn't seem to flow properly, and their are some fantastic continuity issues.

Watching it again, you realise that everyone on the island knows DiCaprio is a patient but they're either in the know and are watching him to see what he does in situations, or aren't and instead are giving him confused looks because they're not sure what's going on. DiCaprio is also quite crazy - whilst I'm yet to work out why, his mental instability could go a long way to explain the continuity issues and the disjointedness of the plot, particularly if we take it as the whole thing being from his perspective.

There may be quite a bit more to it that there first seems.


----------



## No One

[*Shutter Island* SPOILERS]


Heya Lenny! Now I can hear you over those blasted vuvuzelas 

No doubt there'll be aspects to pick up on and the film has a lot of strong points (and some weak ones - the "plan" of role-playing their deadliest patient through his madness is just shy of ludicrous). I'm sure the big twist has been done before, even if it was well done here. For instance, Kim Jee-woon's *A Tale of Two Sisters* has similar undertones and is even more of a must-see twice film, at least imo. That film improves hugely on a second viewing, while I'm not so sure that *Shutter Island* would yield as much. Time will tell and I'll post a revised opinion if and when.


----------



## biodroid

*Clash of the Titans *- The new one and I thought it was great, I couldn't care about the bad reviews I thought it was cool. *It's Complicated - *Typical chick flick, well written and well acted, not too bad just a bit too long.


----------



## Starbeast

*I just saw this again for the 10th time*


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I watched *Adam *on the plane from NZ to Brisbane. It was alright.


----------



## The DeadMan

philoSCIFI said:


> *Inception*. Yeah, the hype? I'm in on it. I was actually expecting every hyped up review to be true. I wasn't disappointed. There was only 1 person I encountered before I saw the movie that didn't like it. Oh poor confused soul... lol. j/k
> 
> I like the movie a lot. I don't know if I love it just yet, but I definitely enjoyed every minute of it. Almost 3 hours and not once did it feel "too long". This is a great movie. I highly recommend it.


I saw Inception yesterday and I agree it was a very good movie. It kept my attention for the entire movie. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more of Michael Caine in the movie as he is one of my favorite all time actors.


----------



## Allanon

Law Abiding Citizen - Very good apart from the conclusion, don't want to spoil it so i'll let you make you're own minds up, i just thought it was too simple and ending


----------



## ravenus

Ursula Andress gets screen credit before Toshiro Mifune & Alain Delon for Red Sun? Blasphemy.


----------



## Interference

In America?  You betchya.  In Japan or France?  Not a chance.


----------



## Foxbat

*Hierro   *A decent start  but ultimately disappointing and rambling  Spanish Psychological thriller.


----------



## AE35Unit

Took the kids to see Cats and Dogs 2:The Revenge of Kitty Galore. Fabulous, very well done, great for kids and adults. The opening sequence is done in a James Bond film style with Shirley Bassey singing a Pink song-great stuff! And I want a GSD even more now!


----------



## Lenny

*A Perfect Getaway* - not a bad film. Nothing amazing, but it was well done. A beautiful setting, and quite a nice twist.

Timothy Olyphant and Milla Jovovich are both rather good in it.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Transporter 2 last night. Absolute Rubbish, but enjoyable rubbish.


----------



## Culhwch

_Inception_. Great film.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Good The Bad & The Ugly *still my favourite western


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> *The Good The Bad & The Ugly *still my favourite western



Oh yes,I love those Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns with Clint Eastwood. Enjoyable fluff.


----------



## Allegra

*The Ghost Writer*, finally got the DVD from the rental! I can't believe the media gave this excellent political thriller such a low key treatment, is it because of Polansiky's case or something more? The film received a Silver Bear in Berlin IFlm Festival in Feb. but premiered quite late in the US and UK. 

Compare to the book *The Ghost* by Robert Harris which I'd recommend to anyone, the film is quite faithful to the main storyline, some dialogs are word by word. A few changes are well done especially the end. The cast is great, I can't think any better choices for the main characters. Ewan McGregor's leading role played flawless. The tension, atmosphere and music are all very Polanski.


----------



## gurneyman

"Clash of the Titans", enjoyed it quite a bit. much better than the original with Harry Hamlin, although i am a big fan of Ray Harryhausen. Good to see the owl from the original do a cameo.


----------



## Captain Campion

Salt.
Saw it last night. Not exactly Science Fiction I know, but it could have been in regards to some of the action sequences (i.e. our heroine might actually have been a space alien--at least that's the only way I could have bought some of the circumstances she survived without a scratch).

This movie included just about everything that I hate about action movies starting with the indestructible hero. Seriously, after thirty minutes of the film you realize an army could not put a scratch on this woman. No suspense whatsoever in that regard.

She jumps from one moving truck top to another and never so much as twists an ankle. 

I like action flicks, but this was a cartoon.


----------



## Rosemary

The Golden Compass    Oh I know it's a childrens film but I was recovering at the time and anything would have done!

I was very disappointed with Kidman's acting.  Certainly didn't portray an evil woman very well.

Was quite happy with the story line though.


----------



## Culhwch

Have you read the book, Rosemary? I was really disappointed with the film, I expected a lot more. I did like Sam Elliott as Lee Scorseby, but I thought Ian McKellen was miscast as Iorek. Kidman, well, she hasn't really impressed me for a loooong time.


----------



## Rosemary

No I haven't read the book, Cul.  No doubt I will enjoy it more, as I usually read the book first for that reason.

Yes, I must admit I liked Sam Elliott's acting in it.  Some of the animation wasn't too bad either.


----------



## The Ace

*Team America- World Police.

*I have to admit, I loved it.

Freedom isn't free, you have to wrest it from the CIA.


----------



## Lenny

I saw that a few years back, Ace. I wasn't paying much attention and didn't rate it too highly in the end, but there were some brilliant bits - "I'm so rone-ry" and "MATT DAY-MON" spring to mind. Indeed, I can't hear Matt Damon's name without repeating "MATT DAY-MON". 

---

*Splice*.

The trailers make it out to be a terrifying horror, but in fact it's more of a look at the moral implications of playing God with human DNA.

The long and short of it: two scientists splice human DNA with animal DNA, creating a chimera.

Not a brilliantly ground-breaking film, but it's decent, if a little freakeh (you know, the _freaky_ kind of freaky) in parts.


----------



## Lenny

And I've just finished *Ghost in the Shell: Innocence*.

Not as confusing as the first GitS film, but I can't work out if that's because I've seen the first series, or if it's just less... confusing.

Either way, I didn't really enjoy it. The art style really put me off and the story could easily have been done in a stand alone episode in one of the series.

At least the voice actors were the same as those in the first series.


----------



## Overread

True quite a few didn't like the second film - I think part of it is because parts were used more as a test of abilty by the art studio rather than as story building - eg the battleship attack point as well as the 10min music carnival (in the original film the 10min or so music in the middle actually contained a part of the story as you notice the major spotting an identical body copy of herself and finishing with the "dollshop" which helps to build a part of the image of the major and her questionable mindset  about her existance).

edit Innocence also had a very poor subtitling - I suspect an incentive to watch the dubbed. Thankfully I'm not a diehard either way so which ever works the better for the story


----------



## Lenny

I must have found a version with good subs, because they didn't seem too bad to me. Well, no... the bit right at the start with the helicopter thing isn't great - it started with the dubs automatically as I played it, and the voice actor definitely said a lot more than just the "OPERATION" that the subs say. However, the rest of the film seemed fine.

The carnival really annoyed me. Whilst it's nice to see that the studio can do something fancy, if it adds nothing to the story then I don't see why it should be in the final edit. I didn't mind the battleship attack as much.


----------



## biodroid

*Shutter Island - *Really good psychological thriller, even though you kinda knew the end you just weren't sure.


----------



## ravenus

*Predators* - I never thought this would hold any great promise but it was still way more wretched and terrible than I expected.


----------



## bluespider100

*Inception* - I like how the movie made me think, how they use "sedatives" to force someone to sleep and dream.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Shutter Island*. I thought it was gonna be a bloody horror but instead it was a very good psychological thriller! Good one!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *The Darjeeling Limited* a few nights ago. Oh, what an excellent film. Real screenwriterly stuff. 

Although damn you, Cracked.com, for making me notice blue and orange everywhere now.


----------



## Rodders

Total Recall. Outstanding 80s SF.


----------



## Tansy

Inception and the last shot made the movie, apart from that I found it enjoyable but predictable and felt it had been "dumbed down" from what it could have been story wise


----------



## ravenus

*Girl with The Dragon Tattoo*
Pretty decent movie with some good scenes (and a taut performance from Noomi Rapace) till the last half-hour, even if the murder mystery is totally predictable. What follows is an entirely skippable, long and dreary epilogue.

*Get Carter*
Bloody good old-skool Brit thriller with Michael Caine as a bad-ass gangster with an ice-pick sharp gaze out to investigate and revenge himself on the blokes that killed his brother.


----------



## Starbeast

*Night Drive* It was a tv movie made in the 1970's. It was a gripping tale about a woman who has a long drive to a hospital to see her son, but on her way she witnessed a man killing a policeman on the road. Throughout the night this guy chases her, also she didn't see his face clearly at the crime scene and has no idea what he looks like....I won't say how it ends, but it was very intense.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Surrogates*
Good film, based on a graphic novel by two blokes I've never heard of apparently!
Tell you what, Bruce Willis's human character reminded me of Philip K Dick!


----------



## dustinzgirl

Hot Tub Time Machine.

Absolutely hilarious. Although I and my man are the only 2 people who think so, and our older kids. Everyone else thinks its dumb. I LOVED it.


----------



## Tillane

Just watched *The Untouchables* for the umpteenth time - and I still love it.


----------



## Lenny

Watched all but the last twenty minutes (bad copy ) of *.45* on Wednesday - not bad. Not brilliant. A revenge film that plays out like a bad gangster film - I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. If I get the urge, I might find the last twenty minutes, but I'm not holding my breath.

Last night I sat through *Screamers* - an old SF about a mining colony on a distant planet that gets abandoned and then attacked by their own weapons. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel like any love had gone into it. Rather, it was a simple action film that happened to be on a distant planet... So much could have been done with a storyline of artificial intelligence becoming sapient, but nothing was. Shame, really.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lenny said:


> Last night I sat through *Screamers* - an old SF about a mining colony on a distant planet that gets abandoned and then attacked by their own weapons. It wasn't bad, but it didn't feel like any love had gone into it. Rather, it was a simple action film that happened to be on a distant planet... So much could have been done with a storyline of artificial intelligence becoming sapient, but nothing was. Shame, really.


isn't that the one based on Second Variety by Philip K Dick?


----------



## Rodders

Yeah, it's not too bad a film to be honest.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Defiance*, a WWII film with Daniel I-hate-my-job Craig about a band of brothers who saved 1200 jews from the Nazis. True story and quite good!


----------



## Lenny

Yep, that's the one, AE.

---

Tonight a friend and I watched *28 Days Later*. After everything I've heard about it, I was expecting something terrifying. Instead, I got a take on the zombie genre that was somewhat refreshing to me (I've not seen many zombie films - this was different) with little to no scare and some very bad accents. Not bad, though - I'm going to find and watch the sequel at some point.

We also gave *Mike Bassett: England Manager* a re-watch. Hilarious! Even more so now that I'm old and wise enough to understand it.

I can't wait to see what the English press say about Chelsea's new signing, [Brazilian] Ramires, over the coming season!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Riki-Oh. 

Oh, it's so bad, it's ruddy brilliant! The dubbing! And the subbing! Which didn't even match! The acting! The absolutely random plot! And best of all, totally the best of all, the prosthetics!!

A guy punching through people's stomach and destroying fists and popping out eyes and another who pulled out his own intestine in order to strangle someone!


Loved it, if you can't guess.


----------



## Overread

Heh 28 weeks later is sadly a poor show when compared to the original - it somewhat lacks the refreshing approach that 28 days presented and is a somewhat simpler storyline. A few interesting twists, but overall a rather average zombie film.

*Goes to find out what Riki-Oh is all about now*


----------



## Rodders

I just finished watching the Last Starfighter. I remember this being so good when i originally watched it, but it hasn't aged at all well. Still, it was entertaining enough. 

I also watched the remake of Lost in Space. Again, average fair but i didn't think that it deserved the slating that it got when it was first released.


----------



## ravenus

Sw *The Girl Who Played with Fire*, the second film in a trilogy that started with *The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo*. Noomi Rapace's character is becoming more like Jason Bourne now. But decent time-pass popcorn flick (I had nachos).


----------



## Lenny

*Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow*.

Absolutely delightful! It's your usual mad scientist trying to destroy the world fare, with cheesy action, amusing lines thrown back and forth between the cast and killer robots!

Bits of it reminded me of the game Uncharted 2, bits of Indiana Jones and bits of James Bond (in his dafter years, of course).

I'm amazed that they managed to get some big name actors, particularly as it was the director's first film.

It's not particularly clever, nor does it need any thought, but it's a great film to sit down and watch, whether alone or with friends/family.


----------



## j d worthington

*The Devil and Daniel Webster* (retitling of *All That Money Can Buy*; 1941). A film I have had a fondness for since childhood, but one which is seldom seen (to my knowledge). Unfortunately, this is another case of a film which, though critically lauded in its initial release, suffered from various vicissitudes over the years, until no complete version of the thing existed... until a version (under yet another title) was discovered as part of the estate of the director, William Dieterle, which served as basis for the recent DVD restoration -- which I do not have... yet; what I do have is an earlier VHS version which nevertheless restored all but roughly 2 minutes of the 30 which had been cut over the years, though some of this was taken from poorer prints and therefore the quality (most notably sound quality) varies considerably.

It is a film with a somewhat complex history: based on the short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Stephen Vincent Benét, who co-wrote the screenplay, it was also directed by Dieterle, who was one of those who fell under suspicion during the Red Scare and the investigations of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, which effectively scotched his career for nearly two decades... ironic, given the fact that this film is a wonderful example of the American Tall Tale and has a very warmly patriotic tone. Brilliant performances by Walter Huston as "Mister Scratch", Simone Simon as Belle, Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster (one of Arnold's best performances, which is saying considerable, as he was a fine character actor), Anne Shirley as Mary Stone, Jane Darwell as Ma Stone, and Jeff Corey as Tom Sharp, as well as a host of very good to excellent performances by the rest of the cast. (I have seen some criticism of James Craig's performances as Jabez Stone for being too highly drawn, but I would say it fits the character and tall tale aspects of this one very well, and is an admirable foil to Arnold's often understated Webster.)

A fine film, one which runs the gamut from, as noted, a warm (though not overly sappy) patriotism to low comedy to the genuinely eerie (as with the party scene and Miser Stevens' soul, or the trial with the "jury of the damned", made up of some of the most infamous characters in early American history (the tale is set in the 1840s). Those who like their fantasy with a few roots, or with that feeling of folk tale, might well want to catch this one, along with such pieces as *On Borrowed Time* (1939), *Death Takes a Holiday* (1934), or *Outward Bound* (1930)....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> *The Devil and Daniel Webster* (retitling of *All That Money Can Buy*; 1941).
> 
> (snip)
> 
> A fine film, one which runs the gamut from, as noted, a warm (though not overly sappy) patriotism to low comedy to the genuinely eerie (as with the party scene and Miser Stevens' soul, or the trial with the "jury of the damned", made up of some of the most infamous characters in early American history (the tale is set in the 1840s).


 
I first saw this film in my youth and thought it was fantastic. A viewing within the last year was also enjoyable, but I had the same criticism of the over-the-top portrayal of Jabez. However, Edward Arnold and Walter Huston more than made up for any shortcomings.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Solomon Kane*
Not anywhere near as good as I'd hoped iy would be. I was looking forward to it but it was disappointing. Great to see Robert E. Howard's name up there tho!


----------



## BookStop

Took my girls to see Scott pilgrim vs, the World, and it rocked! Brilliant fun this movie, and i recommend it to geeks and non-geeks alike. (yes, I know I am a geek...)


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Spiderwick Chronicles*, saw it on DVD. It was pleasant enough. It probably would have been more fun to watch it with one of the grandchildren.


----------



## Rothgar

*Daybreakers *- an interesting take on vampires.  I'm not sure if it was also supposed to be a commentary on population explosion and limitations on food supplies, but it did add a neat element to the story.


----------



## Boneman

Knight and Day - actually a very enjoyable romp, since it doesn't take itself too seriously...


----------



## ravenus

Lenny said:


> *Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow*.
> 
> Absolutely delightful! It's your usual mad scientist trying to destroy the world fare, with cheesy action, amusing lines thrown back and forth between the cast and killer robots!


It reminded me a lot of the Max Fleischer cartoons. I liked it a lot too, even if Jude Law struck me as wrong for the part. The film needed a hero with a  classic American swagger.
Done with the "*Girl who...*" trilogy. The last one (*Girl who kicked a hornet's nest*) was a courtroom drama. Good entertainment on the whole, and I would be interested to see if some new adventures come out of this. Noomi Rapace = kickass


----------



## CyBeR

Watched 'Legend', from 1985. I watched it once on TV when I was a young boy, and never could forget The Lord of Darkness, his fantastic look and the haunting voice. IT was an excellent fantasy film, with some excellent make-up and voice work. If you're a fan of the genre, and enjoyed other stuff such as 'Willow', go for it.


----------



## BookStop

That's tom Cruise and Mia Sera right? I did love that movie. So it has held up ok, then?


----------



## CyBeR

Incredibly so even. The make-up is simply fantastic, especially in this CGI day and age, not to mention the fantastically haunting dialogue. It was strange at first to hear characters talk in rhymes and poetry basically, but it really does reinforce the sense of a fairytale. 
Yes, it holds up really well. After this, I'm searching for 'The neverending story', another beautiful films that I've enjoyed as a kid.


----------



## BookStop

I loved that one too, CyBeR. Sometimes I don't go back and rewatch much loved films because I'm afraid they will have lost something and I will be disappointed, therefore ruining the warm-fuzzy memories.


----------



## clovis-man

CyBeR said:


> Watched 'Legend', from 1985. I watched it once on TV when I was a young boy, and never could forget The Lord of Darkness, his fantastic look and the haunting voice. IT was an excellent fantasy film, with some excellent make-up and voice work. If you're a fan of the genre, and enjoyed other stuff such as 'Willow', go for it.


 
An underrated Ridley Scott classic. Tim Curry outdid himself all decked out in horns, creepy contact lenses and pounds of make up. Probably Mia Sara's best role. Tom Cruise was young enough to not muck up the story and the two soundtracks (take your pick, Tangerine Dream or Jerry Goldsmith) were both great.

Trivia "gee whiz" fact: Did anyone recognize Robert Picardo (Star Trek Voyager's holographic doctor) underneath all the make up as Meg Mucklebones?


----------



## CyBeR

BookStop > I like going back to some films, just to put them straight in my head, or to finally understand them. There are a few films out there (one called 'The cursed book' I believe) which I've watched when I was really young and in my mind those are a mess of surreal stuff that I really can't seem to make heads or tails of. For 'Legend' I only really remembered the devil and was so anxious to see it again, just because I remember how hauntingly fantastic it was. 
And to my great surprise, many old films that I watch now haven't really lost their appeal. Of course I find 'Escape from Los Angeles' to be a big pile of steaming poo at this time (only rewatched 'Escape from New York' but it's basically the same), but nonetheless, the rule seems to be for great films to have endured. 

Clovis > I really did not even spot him. And I agree, Tim Curry did a fantastic job with the role...I feel sorry for him really, those horns must've weighted a tone, especially since they were leaning in front.


----------



## clovis-man

CyBeR said:


> Clovis > I really did not even spot him. And I agree, Tim Curry did a fantastic job with the role...I feel sorry for him really, those horns must've weighted a tone, especially since they were leaning in front.


 
The story I heard was that once he got a glimmer of the fantastic impact all the makeup, engineered voice and accoutrements would have, he was absolutely bonkers to get rolling.


----------



## j d worthington

He absolutely hated getting into that rig, though... it was not only an extremely long process, but the contacts were, so I understand, quite painful for him.

An odd film, but yes, I'd agree that it has a considerable amount going for it, even aside from Curry's performance.

It is also interesting to note that the screenplay was written by William Hjortsberg, who also wrote that very strange (but also quite good) occult noir novel *Falling Angel*, which was adapted into the film *Angel Heart* (currently being remade, I understand)....


----------



## AE35Unit

Put *Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief * on and turned it off after 30 minutes-just drivel-ok if you're about 12. Instead I watched *In the Shadow of the Moon* a documentary of the men who put their footsteps on another world-just fabulous. Everyime I watch this stuff I get kinda emotional-its what this SF stuff is all about-why I'm here.


----------



## The Procrastinator

The last movie I saw was _Ten Canoes_, an Aboriginal "fable" that I highly, highly recommend. Don't expect fast-paced, but if you're interested in storytelling, ancient societies, humour, and the many complexities of human life then you'll like this movie. Impossible to describe in a way that does it justice. 

And on the topic of old movies that wear well, I rewatched _The Dark Crystal_ earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Stood up very well to the twenty-five year (or more) viewing gap! Still enchanting, and very well made.


----------



## Lenny

*Prince of Persia*

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. I went into it thinking that it would be a truly terrible video game adaptation, but instead I enjoyed it and came out half-wanting a sequel.

I was amongst those who were, shall we say, confused by Gyllenhaal's casting but in the end he did a better job than I expected. Indeed, the whole cast did, although the English accents throughout, whilst consistent (none of this rubbish of a Scot, American, Englishman and token European all from the same town talking in widely different accents), didn't much lead to the illusion of it being Persia.

What I really liked about the film were the action sequences. Newell must be a huge Ubisoft fan, because a lot of it put me squarely in the mind of Assassin's Creed (true, it's not PoP but both AC games use the same, albeit much-improved, free-running mechanics) - Gyllenhaal did actually resemble the Prince of Persia. I was impressed by the dagger's time-manipulation animation, too.

The ostrich-racing scene (and, indeed, the parts surrounding it) was fairly amusing, but it didn't fit well with the rest of the film, although that won't stop me from saying I'll happily watch the film again.


----------



## Happy Joe

Saw a couple of poor films and one OK (not particularly good) one.
Percy Jackson... Lightning Thief; teen superpowers movie might be acceptable by younger teens and preteens, but even the CGI/makeup/animal effects left a lot to be desired (no tail on the satyr, for example).
Legion; another, diner location, end of the world movie, loosely based on biblical myth; can't really say any thing good about it. Shooting a program inside a diner might have worked for a 1950s Twilight zone but this didn't, at least for me. The fast forward button was heavily used (unsuccessfully) in an effort to find something entertaining here.

Book of Eli; started fairly well and was largely OK (inspite of major holes) until it became overtly promotional of the naively unrealistic premise that the (King James version) Bible is all that is needed for civilization to recover and people to be happy/civilized...

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Clash of the Titans*
Well, at least its an improvement on the original pap
They didn't get to meet the Hydra tho, and Liam Neeson's make up did not look good! The CGI was very ropey in parts and  Persues looks too clean cut with short hair like that,no no no! And his Australian accent crept out -didnt notice that in Avatar!


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

CyBeR said:


> Watched 'Legend', from 1985. I watched it once on TV when I was a young boy, and never could forget The Lord of Darkness, his fantastic look and the haunting voice. IT was an excellent fantasy film, with some excellent make-up and voice work.



I watched at the theater when it first came out ... actually, I think I watched it at least twice ... and I think I was one of the few people I knew who didn't hate it back then.  I've seen it on TV since, and then on DVD.  It's nice to hear some praise for it for a change.  I was never enamored of Tom Cruise's performance, and it doesn't get better with time, but practically everything else was marvelous.


----------



## Lenny

*Beowulf*

I'd settled myself down with a pizza, pint of some strange Coca Cola substitute and both cats, to watch a high-budget film about the famous Anglo-Saxon poem, and what did I get? A damned cartoon straight out of uncanny valley!

The story wasn't bad, but you can't give a film good marks if they've adapted someone else story (even if the screenplay was co-written by Neil Gaiman). The acting wasn't brilliant, and everything was covered in a shiny clay that made things totally ugly and horrible to look at.

All in all, a _*huge*_ disappointment.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lenny said:


> *Beowulf*
> 
> I'd settled myself down with a pizza, pint of some strange Coca Cola substitute and both cats, to watch a high-budget film about the famous Anglo-Saxon poem, and what did I get? A damned cartoon straight out of uncanny valley!
> 
> The story wasn't bad, but you can't give a film good marks if they've adapted someone else story (even if the screenplay was co-written by Neil Gaiman). The acting wasn't brilliant, and everything was covered in a shiny clay that made things totally ugly and horrible to look at.
> 
> All in all, a _*huge*_ disappointment.


Strange, I thought it was a superb film! (apart from mrs Pitt being in it)


----------



## Riselka

Finally got around to seeing *Stardust*, and thoroughly enjoyed it!


----------



## CyBeR

Watched 'The prince of Persia' with the girlfriend a couple of nights ago. Was a more enjoyable film than expected, though it'll never be Disney's new 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. It's enjoyable, great fun, the main characters have a certain charm about them...but the overall film lacks the great charm that was accomplished in Pirates. 
Fun for an evening watch...and I think it would've been fun in 3D as well.


----------



## Lenny

*Brazil* with the family last night. They really enjoyed it, and I noticed quite a few things that I missed the first time round.

Still a brilliant film, definitely one of Gilliam's best.


----------



## Interference

Definitely, a gem of a film - and oh, so sad.  Gilliam is hugely undervalued - this and _Fisher King _are among the best films of that generation, imho.


----------



## ravenus

*Tell No One* - French thriller that takes the basic plot of The Fugitive and adds its own twists. Nicely done in a gritty William Friedkin-esque manner even if it is equally preposterous in its own way.


----------



## Lenny

*The Crazies* (2010 remake)

It's been a while since a film scared me, and this managed it a couple of times in the first half hour. After that, though, it lost its edge. Some of the acting was good (I'm starting to really like Timothy Olyphant - can't wait for *Hitman 2*!) and the story was different (people turning into cold-blooded killers rather than plain old zombies was a nice twist - same as the original?), but it did become somewhat generic in the end and even left itself open for a sequel - you'd have thought it would be common knowledge by now that it's people who escape (like them) that always end up carrying the virus into the next film.

Still, I enjoyed it.


----------



## Moontravler

*Fight Club*. I saw it long, long ago, before I knew there was a book by Chuck Palahniuk, so I had to watch it again, now that I do know.

Well, the movie was like.. like a movie of a book by Chuck Palahniuk -violent and contraversial, yet also humorous, even though most of it is rather black humour. One of those: "Makes you think" movies.

Even though I didn't quite agree with what was being said, I actually enjoyed much of the movie.. -except for the bit about where they get the fat from... - that was really yucky.


----------



## ravenus

*Kill Bill (complete)* - A decent revenge flick with a few excellent visual and action moments volume bogged down tremendously by incessant "look at me ain't I cool" posturing and reams of terribly indulgent monologuing.
This could have been a really good ONE 2-hour long film, but of course our Mr. Tarantino wants to show you what an awesome film buff he is, so you have it in two increasingly flabby installments.


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> *Tell No One* - French thriller that takes the basic plot of The Fugitive and adds its own twists. Nicely done in a gritty William Friedkin-esque manner even if it is equally preposterous in its own way.



Actually its a novel by Harlan Coben and that isnt so old.  It was a bit similar to The Fugitive with the wife thing but there were no heroic Harrison Ford type hero that was escping,saving himself.

I enjoyed it more than i thought when i saw it on cable a year ago.  It was pretty thrilling,smart for that kind of film.  Liked the main french actor.


----------



## CyBeR

Harry   Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban   2004   8       
Titan AE   2000   8       
Enchanted   2007   8       
Harry Potter and the Goblet   of fire   2006   6 
      The karate kid   2010   9       
Inglorious Basterds   2009   9 
      Session 9   2001   7       
The rescuers   1977   8       
Gladiator   2000   10   

Been a bit busy with these these days. 
Also tried watching the remake for 'Friday the 13th' yesterday, and it didn't sit so well with my girlfriend's stomach. So we changed to 'Uncle Buck' from 1989...fun film really, if you want to remember the young kid from 'Home alone'. I really miss this kind of films...they're rare now, and really unconvincing. Whereas, Buck really has a persona, a heart if you wish. It's a family comedy that entertains, not just wrestles a few giggles out of you from time to time. 
Whoever saw it, cannot say that they haven't laughed like mad at the head shaving threat.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh Cyber,  I love Uncle Buck! 
 John Candy was a real funny man, sadly missed!


----------



## mosaix

Blues Brothers. Very funny.


----------



## Mouse

Inception. Nonsense.


----------



## No One

*Dead Snow*. Norwegian zombie flick.

Needed to find it's feet quicker and tricks were definately missed with the nazi zombies (which were essentially the undead in uniform) but good for a few laughs.


----------



## Lenny

*Dawn of the Dead* (2004 remake)

Entertaining.

When I think of zombie films, these days I tend to think of a group of survivors trapped in a shopping centre (don't know where I got it from. Probably heard it in passing when DotD was released) - it's kind of nice to see my thoughts play out in front of me.

Whilst it was somewhat predictable in parts there were bits that surprised me, though not any that really scared me (are the things I'm watching simply not scary, or have my years of trawling the internet desensitised me and left me harder to scare?).

I think I lot more could have been done to emotionally attach us to the character of Andy, though part of me thinks he was just there for comic relief.

One of the better zombie films I've seen, definitely. I look forward to watching the original (and the rest of that series).

---

Mouse!


----------



## Mouse

Lenny said:


> Mouse!



Heh heh! Enjoyable nonsense.


----------



## Lenny

I suppose I'll grudgingly accept that.

I do believe I'm yet to meet anyone who has seen *Inception* and thought it was absolute rubbish. Plenty of people haven't been able to follow it, but no-one yet who hasn't enjoyed it.

I'm going to see it again next Friday at the local IMAX D) with me mam - we were going to go as a family, but then my sister saw it with a friend and my dad doesn't seem too interested (we haven't shown him the trailers yet, though).


----------



## Mouse

I didn't think it was rubbish, but I didn't think it was as good as I was expecting. And it was just a bit too long for me. My mind was wandering. I did enjoy it towards the end when all the action was kicking off.


----------



## CyBeR

Lenny said:


> *Dawn of the Dead* (2004 remake)
> 
> Entertaining.
> 
> When I think of zombie films, these days I tend to think of a group of survivors trapped in a shopping centre (don't know where I got it from. Probably heard it in passing when DotD was released) - it's kind of nice to see my thoughts play out in front of me.
> 
> Whilst it was somewhat predictable in parts there were bits that surprised me, though not any that really scared me (are the things I'm watching simply not scary, or have my years of trawling the internet desensitised me and left me harder to scare?).
> 
> I think I lot more could have been done to emotionally attach us to the character of Andy, though part of me thinks he was just there for comic relief.
> 
> One of the better zombie films I've seen, definitely. I look forward to watching the original (and the rest of that series).
> 
> ---
> 
> Mouse!



Me and some friends watched that one one New Year's party. We were about 9 people, or more, crammed on a double bed and around it, on makeshift trench beds. 
"BOOOM! HEADSHOT!" was heard from the guys, and the girls were giggling with us (yeah, I have a very interesting set of friends, none of them what you'd expect to find). Definitely my favorite zombie film, followed very close by 'Zombieland'. Heck, if you can't make it scary, make it entertaining.



Mouse said:


> I didn't think it was rubbish, but I didn't think  it was as good as I was expecting. And it was just a bit too long for  me. My mind was wandering. I did enjoy it towards the end when all the  action was kicking off.



That's exactly what a friend of mine commented on 'The dark knight'.  Yeah, Nolan seems to make films a tad long (someone pointed that out in  the 'Inception' thread here). For some viewers, that's not really  helping I'm noticing.


----------



## blackgoatofthewoods

Survival of the Dead. Not very good considering it came from the master of zombie movies. 
A little disappointed, especially because it a Romeo creation.


----------



## BookStop

Mouse said:


> I didn't think it was rubbish, but I didn't think it was as good as I was expecting. And it was just a bit too long for me. My mind was wandering. I did enjoy it towards the end when all the action was kicking off.


 
We seem to be cut fromt he same cloth, Mouse, because you wrote exactly what I was thinking of inception


----------



## PTeppic

A very busy weekend here.

*The Expendables* on Friday. Started as a standard actioner, but by the finale was 120% adrenaline, mainlined.

Yesterday caught the *SE* of *Avatar 3D*. Yes, I think I could spot (some/most?) of the extra material, including one or two important ones (that I'm very surprised were cut from the original, for the sake of 8 minutes).

Also yesterday caught *Scott Pilgrim vs. The World*. What an imaginative, well-executed and genuinely fun and funny film. A hint samey by the end, but a pleasure to watch.

Finally, expecting to see *Toy Story 3* later today.


----------



## Tillane

Just back from seeing *The Girl Who Played With Fire*.  Pretty good: they've obviously pared it back a fair bit from the novel, but Noomi Rapace is excellent again as Lisbeth Salander and the central plot fairly zips along (certainly didn't seem like 2hrs 10).  Looking forward to the last in the series now - roll on November!

Oh, one last thing.  I know some people don't like subtitles, but it was a little disappointing to see the cinema only half-full today.  I hope people aren't waiting around for the Hollywood remakes - they won't be as good.


----------



## ravenus

*And Then There Were None* - Decent fun humorous take on one of  Agatha Christie's really good books, if you don't mind that it chickens  out on the bleakness of the source.

*Samurai Rebellion* -  Damn good Samurai movie about a clan leader (Toshiro Mifune) who is  initially coerced to accept his Lord's discarded mistress as a wife for  his son and then asked to return the woman. Badasserie ensues.


----------



## Mouse

BookStop said:


> We seem to be cut fromt he same cloth, Mouse, because you wrote exactly what I was thinking of inception





I also saw *Anchorman* recently. But didn't watch it all cos it was rubbish.


----------



## No One

*Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead*.

The only film ever made by playwright Tom Stoppard, with perfect performances from Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Out of curiosity, am I the only person on Earth who's seen, and loves, this film?


----------



## Rodders

I just finished watching Ridley Scott's Legend. Not as good as i remember, although Tim Curry is superb as Darkness. 

I didn't think the Tangerine Dream Soundtrack fit the film either. I wonder why it was decided to not have the Original Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack?


----------



## AE35Unit

Just sat thru *Furry Vengeance*
Not good! Bad acting, bad comedy,bad CGI, and full of eco v city cliches. 
One good line in the film tho when Brandon Fraser's character's psychologist says "Denial-its not just a river in Egypt!" I like that!


----------



## Moonbat

Last night I watched *footloose* -Wow! what a hilarious film, not only did it have some of the best haircuts this side of mars, but the tractor chicken scene was beyond funny, and Chris Penn's dancing was so awesome that it must have inspired David Brent's (from the office).
Also watched *the prophecy* recently and was pleasanty surprised, but my GF insisted it was rubbish and so has the next 5 choices of films to watch. she used one last night on *footloose*, which I enjoyed so not all bad.

Saw *Scott Pilgrim* *vs the world* at the weekend and loved it, brilliant film, perfect for the computer generation. I loved some of the one-liners, Ed Wright is always very witty, but this was a seriously cool film. I loved the Vegan, that was all funny, and so many other bits were cool as well. Couldn't believe Macauley Culkin's (sp) little brother plays Scott's room mate! That made me feel old.


----------



## No One

*Pi* - I've seen this around a dozen times and it never fails to impress. 

Darren Aronofsky's first and, in my opinion, best film by far (not that there's anything wrong with *Requiem for a Dream *or *The Wrestler* - far from it - but they simply don't compare for me).

Dark, original, intelligent, and highly recommended.


----------



## CyBeR

AE35Unit said:


> Just sat thru *Furry Vengeance*
> Not good! Bad acting, bad comedy,bad CGI, and full of eco v city cliches.
> One good line in the film tho when Brandon Fraser's character's psychologist says "Denial-its not just a river in Egypt!" I like that!



I was actually wondering how bad this one was. With such a title it'd be a miracle not to end up with a piece of crap film.

Saw 'I am legend' yesterday. Surprised me honestly, I expected it to be much worse. I prefer the original ending...stays true to the book.


----------



## digs

*Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

*It was pretty good! I learned after that heaps of it was improvised, which is even more impressive, cos it was pretty funny in parts.


----------



## Lenny

Went down to visit some friends in Cornwall and on Sunday we sat down and watched *High School Musical 1*.

I've been trying to avoid it for years; every time it comes up in conversation I walk away and find a different conversation. Alas, my better attempts at getting out of watching it failed and I was forced to sit through 97 minutes of awful, wooden acting, even worse singing with the most dull plot I've ever had to follow.

I'm glad that my fears were not unfounded.


----------



## Moonbat

Well, My GF used choices 2 & 3 with *Little Fish* and *Looking for Eric* respectively.

I thought both were ok, nothing special, *Little fish* was darker than I thought it would be, Kate Blanchett looked very normal and kind of Australian, I liked Hugo Weaving, he was good. *Looking for Eric* was a bit slow and rubbish in parts. I am a Liverpool fan so Eric Cantona is not God, he's closer to the devil, but more arrogant. Like I said, both films were ok, nothing brilliant, but worth a watch.


----------



## Mouse

*Marley and Me*. Except that I couldn't watch it all, and had to turn it off before the end cos it was too sad!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Abduction Club*
Watched this late last night on TV. Set in the 18th century its about a clause which states that the youngest sons don't necessarily rarn rights to their father's finances which forces a group to be set up with the films title, and they 'abduct' rich ladies so as to be secured a wealthy future. Of course plans go don't go quite according to plan in the film...


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> *Marley and Me*. Except that I couldn't watch it all, and had to turn it off before the end cos it was too sad!



That film annoyed us as it just showed typical clueless dog owners! The premise of the film is that the dog is a pain but really its all down to the stupid owners who have no idea how to bring up a dog!
And if you thought that sad you won't want to watch Hatchi! Now that is a good dog film and one that got a lump in our throats!


----------



## Mouse

Ah, I missed the beginning of Marley and Me, but they did seem to be shouting at the dog a lot! I got up to the bit where the dog went out and his stomach twisted and he had to go to the vets. Was almost bawling by the time the dog came home from the vets so had to stop watching! 

Couldn't watch Hatchi then! Fluke always gets me. 

(I almost cried at Hotel for Dogs too!)


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> Ah, I missed the beginning of Marley and Me, but they did seem to be shouting at the dog a lot! I got up to the bit where the dog went out and his stomach twisted and he had to go to the vets. Was almost bawling by the time the dog came home from the vets so had to stop watching!
> 
> Couldn't watch Hatchi then! Fluke always gets me.
> 
> (I almost cried at Hotel for Dogs too!)


Its just incompetance. They had not the slightest clue abpout dog rearing! And a labrador for gods sake! If one breed is motivated by food its that one! They can eat and eat and many mature specimens are dangerously overweight, and yet for puppy training you can use that to your advantage! They just didnt even bother trying in that film (I'm hoping the book is more realistic!)
And Hatchi is a fantastic movie, it really is one of the best!


----------



## Lenny

*Taken*.

Believe it or not, this is the first film I've seen in which Liam Neeson takes the lead. It was good. His character seemed like a paranoid parent until we actually saw what he could do. Although it devolved into a generic man-against-the-world action film, the reason for him coming out of retirement was a new one for me.

Yeah, I enjoyed it. Nothing spectacular, but it was a decent way to waste time before the football.


----------



## Captain Campion

Lenny said:


> *Taken*.
> 
> Believe it or not, this is the first film I've seen in which Liam Neeson takes the lead. It was good. His character seemed like a paranoid parent until we actually saw what he could do. Although it devolved into a generic man-against-the-world action film, the reason for him coming out of retirement was a new one for me.
> 
> Yeah, I enjoyed it. Nothing spectacular, but it was a decent way to waste time before the football.


 
I plan to show that movie to all of my daughter's boyfriends when that time comes (I have a few years).

I thought it was a great popcorn movie. Not exactly award-winning, but fun.


----------



## clovis-man

*American Splendor*. A made for HBO film starring Paul Giamatti as comic author Harvey Pekar. A fascinating tale, well filmed and well acted. Anyone who doesn't see something of themselves in the character portrayals is guilty of excess hubris.

American Splendor (2003)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Kick Ass*
Totally over the  top and silly
Loved it !


----------



## jojajihisc

*Youth in Revolt* - Original, funny and maybe underrated.


----------



## Redthing

*Three Amigos* - Just watched it at work!


----------



## biodroid

*The Hurt Locker - *very good movie, lots of tension and gripping.


----------



## No One

*Four Lions* - hilarious (and a little bit touching). 

No doubt the story of four British wanna-be terrorists will kick up a stink in some circles, but what do you expect from Chris Morris? Loved it.


----------



## ravenus

*Rampage - Uwe Boll*
Youth builds himself a custom armored suit and goes on a rampage shooting up the town. Uwe Boll returns to the Postal theme but this time in a mostly humorless vein.  It's a fairly crude and mean-spirited movie but in these days of torture  porn movies, I guess that's not much of a knock against. In its limited  way, it's actually bolder and more anarchist than the much hyped Fight Club.
Caveats:  First 15 min are tremendously boring, although once the carnage begins it does not let up. Also the near constant use of shaky-cam might have you heaving.


----------



## Lenny

*28 Weeks Later*

A lot better than the first, I think. The first zombie really shocked me and I liked the idea that he would hunt specific people down.

It will be interesting to see if a third is made.


----------



## Redthing

*Canadian Bacon*...Michael Moore's greatest film!


----------



## Harry Kilmer

No One said:


> *Four Lions* - hilarious (and a little bit touching).
> 
> No doubt the story of four British wanna-be terrorists will kick up a stink in some circles, but what do you expect from Chris Morris? Loved it.



Watched this recently. A brilliant mix of hilarity and poignancy.


----------



## Pyan

*Transformers* (2007) - one of those films that you've just got to keep watching, as it leaps from pinnacle to pinnacle of sheer, mind-numbing mediocrity, sustained to the last shot of out hero and heroine actually canoodling _while lying on the bonnet of Bumblebee_...


----------



## philoSCIFI

*Smoke Signals*


----------



## Moonbat

*The Edge of Love* - a biopic of Dylan Thomas with Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller and Cillian Murphy. Not too bad, interesting story, could have done with more poetry though. I picked up a book of poems once it finished and it shed some more light on the meaning of a few of them. He certainly had a powerful style, I do enjoy a biopic that adds credence to an artists work. I found similar revelations after watching the Rimbaud story with Di Caprio - *Total Eclipse*


----------



## Mouse

*Scott Pilgrim vs the World*. Which was weird. But I enjoyed it anyway.


----------



## Allegra

AE35Unit said:


> That film annoyed us as it just showed typical clueless dog owners! The premise of the film is that the dog is a pain but really its all down to the stupid owners who have no idea how to bring up a dog!
> And if you thought that sad you won't want to watch Hatchi! Now that is a good dog film and one that got a lump in our throats!


 
You are right there AE. Well I did exactly the same thing as Mouse - turned it off before the end. Can't and won't watch anything that's sad about animals especially dogs! 

Last film saw *The Greatest* at friends' house. I'm not big on family dramas but Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon's acting is really good.


----------



## Riselka

philoSCIFI said:


> *Smoke Signals*



My favourite part:

YouTube - Smoke Signals - John Wayne's Teeth

I enjoyed that film, but I enjoyed Adam Beach in *Dance Me Outside* more.

The actor who played Thomas in *Smoke Signals* is now a doctor in Vancouver.  He works out of St. Paul's Hospital.


----------



## Connavar

*Salt* - suprisingly it was pretty good not Bourne,Taken level but still.

The story was a bit generic too big scope but the main actors fit their  roles very well and the action was enjoyable straight to point,not too  flashy like Bourne movies.

I dont like Angelina Jolie but she impressed me in this movie and i look forward to the sequel.

The music was pretty cool, i actually thought many times i wanted some of the songs. Specially the one screaming Salt !


----------



## AE35Unit

pyan said:


> *Transformers* (2007) - one of those films that you've just got to keep watching, as it leaps from pinnacle to pinnacle of sheer, mind-numbing mediocrity, sustained to the last shot of out hero and heroine actually canoodling _while lying on the bonnet of Bumblebee_...



You thought that was bad watch the sequel- you'll discover new levels of crapness you never knew existed!


----------



## biodroid

Hehe, technically they just took the 1st movies screenplay and added more crap to it especially screaming ex-agents and friends. I thought it was terrible as well.


----------



## Leon_Constantine

I've just watched The Terminal where Tom Hanks plays the leading role. That's a great movie. Getting into the difficult situation he didn't start to despond, he found friends, he found a job ( besides no one job ). He wasn't holding a grudge against the boss of security department. People, his friends, followed him for his kindness and perpetual positive attitude. even though this movie is drama  I woldn't call it in this way.


----------



## Redthing

I watched *Willow* earlier, out of boredom. Out of the way, peck!


----------



## clovis-man

*Cloverfield*. Let's see.......... that would be The Blair Witch Project (1999) meets "9-11" meets It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) . Okay, it was moderately scary. But the message being delivered via the medium got a little tedious after a while.


----------



## biodroid

Clovis-man - at least it wasn't a long movie. Imagine if it was 2.5 hours long of running around and people exploding...


----------



## Moontravler

Hmmmmmmm...... what do people around here think of what Hollywood did with *The Golden Compass*?   <_<


----------



## AE35Unit

Leon_Constantine said:


> I've just watched The Terminal where Tom Hanks plays the leading role. That's a great movie. Getting into the difficult situation he didn't start to despond, he found friends, he found a job ( besides no one job ). He wasn't holding a grudge against the boss of security department. People, his friends, followed him for his kindness and perpetual positive attitude. even though this movie is drama  I woldn't call it in this way.



Yes that is a good film!


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *Cloverfield*. Let's see.......... that would be The Blair Witch Project (1999) meets "9-11" meets It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) . Okay, it was moderately scary. But the message being delivered via the medium got a little tedious after a while.



Oh I like cloverfield, once you get past the boring start the documentary style reall creates a tense atmospher and makes it seem more 'real'. 
Supposed to be a sequel on the way!


----------



## AE35Unit

Moontravler said:


> Hmmmmmmm...... what do people around here think of what Hollywood did with *The Golden Compass*?   <_<



Hmmm not a great fantasy lover, and this is not a great fantasy! Isn't it based on some books by a well known fantasy author?


----------



## Moonbat

The 'His dark materials' books are actually quite good, for childish fantasy. I enjoyed the three novels, I especially liked the last one and the scene with the *spoiler* Death of God *spoiler* but the movie was, as it almost always the case a highly distilled version of the book.
Some of the main points were kept quite well, but it got caught up in being a fantsy epic instead of a good story.
I heard that they are having problems turning the following two books into films in hollywood because of the anti-religous slant that they have and the well known chrisitan influence in Hollywood. I read somewhere that Hollywood is changing the books so much that Phillip Pullman (the author) has stopped the films being made.

On that note. I watched *Percy Jackson and the lightening Thief* last night, and although it was cheesier than a Domino's pizza it had some good moments and Greek mythology is always good for a story. the lead actor (some young lad) was terrible and was so bad at portraying any kind of emotion that I couldn't really emphasise with his character. The casting of Steve Coogan for Hades was also pretty bizarre, as he doesn't really have the evil edge to him, well that and I will always think of him as Alan Partridge. An enjoyable family romp of a film, but no substance and mostly filled up with special effects. I think there are more books to the series, but I don't know. Actually just looked them up there are 5 books (i think) called
PJ and the lightening theif
PJ and the sea of monsters
PJ and the titan's curse
PJ and the battle of the labyrinth
PJ and the last olympian

So looks like we might have four more cheesy films with an awful lead actor. There were also some terrible plot holes in the film, like the cow that flips the car (somehow) and the fact that three 16yr olds (or at least PJ is only about 16) can get into a casino in Vagas and gamble!!!! I didn't like the pronunciation of Minotaur, I have always said it as Mine-Oh-Tour, but they said it as Min-a-Tar!


----------



## AE35Unit

Percy Jackson was just awful-turned it off after 20 minutes. It was worse than watching Buffy!
Oh and I've always said Min Oh Tor!


----------



## CyBeR

AE35Unit said:


> You thought that was bad watch the sequel- you'll discover new levels of crapness you never knew existed!



I'm one of the very few people that really didn't mind both the 'Transformers' films, except for the main character who was HORRIBLE on all accounts. Plus, miss Fox can't act to save her life (hated 'Jennifer's body'). But otherwise, flashy robot fights, especially in the second film. Sure, it's cheesy and somewhat overwritten for what it's meant to be, but it's also based on a line of toys and some rather crappy cartoons...so really no expectations there. 
Plus, I'm one of those guys that can really act braindead at a film that has all these shiny things moving around and punching each other. If it's fun to watch, I enjoy it. 

And on the other spectrum, I've watched 'Kingdom of Heaven', the Director's Cut yesterday. 
I must say that when I've watched this back in 2005 I was a little bored halfway through. It wasn't bad then, I was just too young to appreciate it. 
But now, the Director's cut really impressed me. I may not remember the film well from when I first watched it, but this was totally different. A nice historic based epic film, with a great cast of characters and fantastic performance all around from the actors. I really enjoyed the story, and it had a lot more emotion than 'Gladiator' (another of Ridley Scott's greatest films) and a lot more of the human element. 

It's insane to see just how different these Director Cuts can be at times.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Date Night*, a low key comedy with Steve Carel. Not a  brilliant film but it was entertaining,and it nearly made me late for work!


----------



## Boneman

Moontravler said:


> Hmmmmmmm...... what do people around here think of what Hollywood did with *The Golden Compass*? <_<


 
I saw it a while back and have to say that despite some real heavyweights, the acting was _very_ unconvincing. I assume that the direction did this, rather than the actors themselves. I found the elements of tension were badly missing from the film, which had been so well handled in the book. And since Christian America has flexed its righteous muscles, I'm not sure we'll be getting any more of the trilogy, will we? 

Saw *Inception* last night: thought it was great. But, as I've said before, I hate ambiguous endings, and thought the last shot was an unnecessary "I'll-hold-your-nose-to-the-page-moment-just-in-case-you-hadn't-considered-it... There were a hundred ways that could have been handled better. But presumably, they're just setting up for a sequel?


----------



## Redthing

Moontravler said:


> Hmmmmmmm...... what do people around here think of what Hollywood did with *The Golden Compass*?   <_<



I absolutely loved the books, but the movie was horrible. I agree with Boneman, the acting wasn't really all that great. The parts that were supposed to be totally cool really weren't...the whole movie was just _blah_. Too bad, I was hoping they were going to film the entire trilogy... but after seeing how awful the first one was, I'm not expecting them to.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *O' Horten*. A Norwegian film by the director of the wonderful *Kitchen Stories*. About a just retired railroad engineer and the quirky things that interrupt his orderly life. I loved it.


----------



## Moontravler

I actually rather liked the atmosphere of The Golden Compass, but as mentioned, it did skim over a lot of what went on in the book (as movies are wont to do, though it really felt abridged to me in this case). 

'Bad' as it might have been, what a shame that something like religious militancy could put a stop to a movie series in the third millenium in the supposed free West.... *shakes head in disbelief*   (However I do think the film's box-office performance also played a large role - which might or might not have been influenced by the "anti-Christian" accusations)

One would think this is the era of freedom of expression for our Western civilization,- but not in America, it seems..


----------



## AE35Unit

Who wrote the Golden Compass books? Even tho I don't read fantasy much its gonna bug me!


----------



## Lenny

_Philip Pullman_. The first book is *Northern Lights* in the UK.


----------



## AE35Unit

Thank you Lennis! Should havw known it would be Book One of...


----------



## ravenus

Saw the latest *Resident Evil* film, in 3D to boot. There were a couple of  cheerfully absurd moments like when they're fighting some unexplained  (at least for me who has not seen any of the previous RE films) 7-foot  masked giant with a massive battle-axe, with cheesy "throw stuff at the  screen" 3D, but on the whole a ho-hum Matrix clone movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *2001 a space odyssey* for the first time on Blu Ray-it never gets old! And I got emotional right at the end-something that's never happened before! Not sure who I was thinking of there!


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit, I tried to watch that 2001 but it was such a bore to me. All I remember is a spaceship coming in to dock but it took like 10 minutes with Swan Lake playing in the background or monkeys going ahem, ape over the monolith. Maybe the book is better.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> AE35Unit, I tried to watch that 2001 but it was such a bore to me. All I remember is a spaceship coming in to dock but it took like 10 minutes with Swan Lake playing in the background or monkeys going ahem, ape over the monolith. Maybe the book is better.



Lol, Swan Lake! Strauss would be laughing at that one  (its the Blue Danube by Johann Strauss)
The reason not a lot happens is because Kubrick was one for absolute accuracy and in space exactly that happens-not a lot, and in silence!
The book isn't bettter but is different (saturn instead of Jupiter) and the ending (or beginning?) is explained somewhat.


----------



## Connavar

I rented the dvd version of *Public Enemy(1931) *with the amazing James Cagney.  By far the oldest film i have seen and a great,subtle gangster film with great acting.  A film that was more shocking even today with the violence being unseen than many overly violent films.  

Cagney body language,face said more than a million words.  Like Scorcesse says in the documentary in the DVD, the start of modern screen acting that way he acted.  He is close to surpassing Humprey Bogart as my fav classic era actor.  

I must find more of his films instantly !


----------



## AE35Unit

2010 Odyssey 2. Blu ray rental. There's not so much difference between DVD and Blu ray on this one, unlike 2001 which is really different on blu ray!
Oh if only someone else had directed it, maybe Lucas, Spielberg or better, Kubrick! Peter Hyams-who??


----------



## AE35Unit

*Amelia* the story of the most famous aviatrix who disappeared over the pacific in 1937


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Scott Pilgrim vs. the World*. I enjoyed it - direction was good, and I'm a pretty big fan of Michael Cera.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Tooth Fairy*
Great fun!


----------



## Lenny

Last Saturday: *Iron Man 2*.

The film seemed somewhat disjointed, but I enjoyed it. Though, to be honest, I rather more enjoyed my second acquaintance with the whole JARVIS system (his computer and UI) and all the SFy bits than the story.

The introduction of Shield was nice, as was Captain America's half-finished shield within Tony's father's possessions. "Just the thing I need!".

Sunday: *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World*.

I went in with high expectations and it delivered, right from the chip-tune, 8-bit Universal intro. Some truly hilarious moments, and the various nods to this, that and the other kept me entertained. "Cool, coins!".

Wednesday: *Se7en*.

If I hadn't seen similar films, I'd have been more disturbed. As it is, my years of life on the internet have desensitised me somewhat - the only moment that even registered on the eugh-ometer was the *Sloth* victim.

Kevin Spacey freaks me out a little, too. _Can't think of a quote._

Tonight: *Jurassic Park*.

Seventeen years later, it's still a good film (with a brilliant couple of themes to boot). I've finally discovered Samuel L. Jackson's character in it, too!

The animatronics are wee bit dated now, and some of the movement is quite jerky, but I must admit to feeling some fear during the raptor scenes.

Two quotes (out of order): "This is a UNIX system. I can use UNIX" and "Oh? Clever girl". The second quote comes from the raptor keeper/hunter as he lines up to take a shot at one raptor, only for the pack leader (his arch-nemesis) to sidle into view at his side.

Next:* Jurassic Park 2*!

EDIT: No, *Shaun of the Dead* instead.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Bah, raptors. They are not raptors! Far too big.

But this is a well-known argument now, so meh. It's still an awesomely excellent film.


Also, the sloth victim is the guy on the bed, isn't it? That bit where he suddenly starts moving again always makes people jump.


----------



## Lenny

Fah. Technicalities, technicalities. They only get in the way of good storytelling! You should know this, being an author, dreamweaver and visionary yourself.

And yes, the moving fellow is the one that got me.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Touche.

I'm off to fight some flying utensils and Scotch Mist...


----------



## Lenny

*Shaun of the Dead*

So many references to films that I didn't get when I first watched it, but I do now ("Initial claims that the virus was caused by rage infected monkeys have now been dismissed as bu...", for example). Saying that, I reckon there are quite a few that I have yet to pick up on.

An enjoyable film, as ever, and still only of the few Zombie comedies that actually works.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Bah, raptors. They are not raptors! Far too big.
> 
> But this is a well-known argument now, so meh. .



Absolutely, you tell em Hoopy


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Saw *Tomorrow When the War Began *tonight. While some of the acting and scripting was lame, I still enjoyed it. It's such a great premise, and was pretty well shot. I think I will have to read all the books again.


----------



## AE35Unit

Hilarious Joke said:


> Saw *Tomorrow When the War Began *tonight. While some of the acting and scripting was lame, I still enjoyed it. It's such a great premise, and was pretty well shot. I think I will have to read all the books again.



Never heard of that one, what book is it based on?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Never heard of that one, what book is it based on?




Well the book and the movie are both Australian, which is probably why you haven't heard of them. The books are written for a young adult market, but certainly hold appeal for older readers. I think it is fair to say they are amongst Australia's favourite books. *Tomorrow When the War Began* is the name of the first book in the series of seven.

Basically they tell the story of a group of seven teenagers who go camping for a weekend and come back to find their town (and their country) has been invaded. I'm not sure if it would be your sort of thing Larry, but I enjoyed them muchly the first time I read them, and I definitely think you should see the movie if you get the chance.


----------



## MrBobbles

Inception.

Almost too brilliant for words in places, and sometimes confusing and contrived in others. (Though much more of the former than the latter.)

Thoroughly original film. Loved it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Hilarious Joke said:


> seven teenagers who go camping for a weekend and come back to find their town (and their country) has been invaded. I'm not sure if it would be your sort of thing Larry, but I enjoyed them muchly the first time I read them, and I definitely think you should see the movie if you get the chance.



Invaded by Aliens? I'd give it a go-after all I read Wyndham's *The Midwich Cuckoos* which, while not  hardly action packed made for good reading. Of course its a matter of whether the film gets shown on UK TV-tho there's always Tesco film rental I suppose.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Invaded by Aliens? I'd give it a go-after all I read Wyndham's *The Midwich Cuckoos* which, while not hardly action packed made for good reading. Of course its a matter of whether the film gets shown on UK TV-tho there's always Tesco film rental I suppose.


 
Haha not by aliens, by some unnamed Asian army (one reviewer called them the Coalition of Australia's Manifest Racism ).


----------



## AE35Unit

Hilarious Joke said:


> Haha not by aliens, by some unnamed Asian army (one reviewer called them the Coalition of Australia's Manifest Racism ).



Well, it depends on your definition of Alien I suppose...


----------



## Rodders

I watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine last night. I remember it getting slated, but i enjoyed it. A pretty good action movie IMO.


----------



## Williamlk

The Expendables!    Mindless, mindless, mindless.....but I still loved it.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Pandorum last night. A bit dark, but a very enjoyable film IMO. Great ending.


----------



## biodroid

U-571. Very good movie, I preferred it to Hunt for Red October


----------



## Happy Joe

Robin Hood; more of a drama than an action flick.
Since I was expecting more action I didn't like it all that much on first viewing (although it wasn't terrible)... I'll give it another chance when I'm in the mood for something a bit dramatic.

I hate historical anachronisms; the pheasant is an oriental bird introduced into Europe and the Americas as a game bird (you have to be watching, near the beginning, to see it). 

Enjoy!


----------



## Williamlk

Ok, I just watched_ Hot Tub Time Machine_ last night.  I was not a fan.  I like stupid humor, but this was just *beyond *stupid!


----------



## No One

Okay, not particularly well-versed in Russian films, but 2002's *Russian Ark *was more than interesting.

Without going into too much detail it's set in St. Petersburg's Winter palace/Hermitage museum and uses various rooms and themes to represent different ages, epochs and rulers throughout Russian history (no doubt with a host of involved symbolism that I'd like to throw at a certain bear ). Suffice to say, it's more than a touch surrealistic, but the sequence of endless grand rooms and crowds is more than impressive. 

That said, basically _nothing _happens in this film that could be filed under conventional drama. I don't imagine it would be to everyone's tastes - or really, anyone's for that matter. 

Except mine apparently. I like uniqueness in films and this is unique. Ergo, I like.

Oh, and the entire film is a one-shot.


----------



## gully_foyle

I found *La jetée* at my local video chain store and watched it as a curiosity. This was the film that inspired Gilliam's *12 Monkeys*. It is mostly a photo montage with a voice over. Interesting.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Death at a Funeral*, remake, tho I can't remember the original! Very funny film!


----------



## FireDragon-16

Resident Evil: Apocolypse. Pretty good, but I thought they were trying to end the series...this just sets it up for another movie. Not that I'm complaining!


----------



## Rosemary

*Serenity:* to be honest I thought it was rubbish.  Apart from the character, River, the acting was terriblel.


----------



## BookStop

Not a fan of Firefly Rosie?


----------



## Rosemary

No, I'm afraid not, BookStop.  I watched the first 15 minutes before giving it away.  Just not my sort of film I'm afraid.


----------



## digs

I _love _Firefly and Serenity! They seem to be a bit polarising though; I think Joss Whedon is like that in general. I can't help but automatically love anything he does though.

Just saw *Easy A*. While I laughed in parts it wasn't as funny as I expected, but I still really enjoyed it. Emma Stone is quickly becoming one of my favs.


----------



## Mouse

Rosemary said:


> *Serenity:* to be honest I thought it was rubbish.  Apart from the character, River, the acting was terriblel.



 Even The Tudyk?! I'm afraid The Tudyk and terrible acting don't go together, Rosemary. 

I love Serenity. And Firefly. And Alan Tudyk. And I love that his surname is _Tudyk_. 



digs said:


> I _love _Firefly and Serenity! They seem to be a bit polarising though; I think Joss Whedon is like that in general. I can't help but automatically love anything he does though.



Same.

On topic, I actually can't remember what the last film I saw was. Probably Scott Pilgrim.

AE35 Unit:



> *Death at a Funeral*, remake, tho I can't remember the original! Very funny film!



Watch the original!! It's soooooooooooooo funny.


----------



## soulsinging

Rosemary said:


> No, I'm afraid not, BookStop. I watched the first 15 minutes before giving it away. Just not my sort of film I'm afraid.


 
I think she meant the tv series, not the movie.

In any event, Serenity is easily my fav movie. I loved the tv series and while the movie is in some ways very different from the show, it was everything I could've hoped for and more. In a sense, it's the movie the Star Wars prequels should have been. That said, if you didn't care for the show or have never seen the show, I can't imagine the movie being all that engaging.

Last movie I saw was Fantastic Mr Fox, which I watched the other night. Pretty entertaining really. Not as funny as Royal Tenenbaums or his other movies, but the animation really helped him move forward a bit I think.


----------



## digs

Mouse said:


> Even The Tudyk?! I'm afraid The Tudyk and terrible acting don't go together, Rosemary.
> 
> I love Serenity. And Firefly. And Alan Tudyk. And I love that his surname is _Tudyk_.


Haha, yep. He's another one who can't put a foot wrong. I've seen him in such a variety of rules and he always steals the show.



soulsinging said:


> In any event, Serenity is easily my fav movie. I loved the tv series and while the movie is in some ways very different from the show, it was everything I could've hoped for and more. In a sense, it's the movie the Star Wars prequels should have been. That said, if you didn't care for the show or have never seen the show, I can't imagine the movie being all that engaging.


Although I love Firefly now, I saw Serenity before I knew anything about it (except for my sister saying how great it was), so I got to see it with fresh eyes. I still thought it was a brilliant movie, but didn't fully appreciate it until I'd watched the series. It was kind of bittersweet, because by the time I fell in love with Firefly it was well and truly over.


----------



## Captain Campion

digs said:


> I _love _Firefly and Serenity! *They seem to be a bit polarising though; I think Joss Whedon is like that in general*. I can't help but automatically love anything he does though.
> 
> Just saw *Easy A*. While I laughed in parts it wasn't as funny as I expected, but I still really enjoyed it. Emma Stone is quickly becoming one of my favs.


 
I've noticed that. There are some people who just hate his stuff. Honestly, I find his characterizations and use of dialogue to be first-rate.

I loved the Firefly series (as short as it was) and thought Serenity was okay (given the constraints it was made under, I understand the shortcomings and appreciate the effort).


----------



## Interference

I loved the whole lot - watched them in one go.  Of course, his Buffy credentials were enough for me to be hopeful, but having recently watched Buffy again, I think Firefly exceeded any suspected potential.

What am I saying - I think I'm saying Firefly was very much better structured than Buffy, and very good throughout - Buffy had weaknesses, mostly because the various "relationships" were practically all tedious distractions.

I'm glad Serenity got made.  It would have left the series with too much unexplored.  Instead, we have a glimpse of what subsequent series would have had in store for us.  Looks like it would have been really good.


----------



## Mouse

I still have two episodes left of Firefly to watch. I'm saving them. Then I'm going to watch Serenity again.


----------



## Captain Campion

Mouse said:


> I still have two episodes left of Firefly to watch. I'm saving them. Then I'm going to watch Serenity again.


 
I think the last episode--I believe it was the last--was possibly the best of the series ("objects floating in space" or something similar). I'm sure opinions will vary, of course.


----------



## Happy Joe

Green Zone, Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans 2010;
All were not terrible...

Green Zone suffered because the story is, largely, history now, nothing new (anti-climatic) and as a result only the action bits were interesting. Worth a rental if you like Matt Damon.

Prince of Persia Sands of Time; a video game movie, fair , worth renting if you like FX movies although the 3D, slo-mo gimmicks detracted from the movie quite a bit.

Clash of the Titans 2010; a remake of the Harryhausen flick.  I like it better than the original.  Fully acceptable as a movie and I cannot understand the reason that it was panned in many reviews (probably distraction due the the 3D, I wish people would give up on this gimmick and leave it for the preteens).  This was way better than the Percy Jackson flick and has been added to my library (700th movie on the hard drives).
Definitely worth a rental and worth purchasing for aficionados of effects, or myth based movies.

(I am getting incredibly tired of unrealistic, CGI, slo-mo jumps across chasms and stupid 3D effects where objects are flung at the audience)...

Enjoy!


----------



## mr kite

*Resident Evil 3*D*  . *I loved it  

I thought it was the best of the lot .


----------



## soulsinging

Captain Campion said:


> I think the last episode--I believe it was the last--was possibly the best of the series ("objects floating in space" or something similar). I'm sure opinions will vary, of course.


 
I really didn't like that episode the first time through. It's one of my favorites now. I think it was partly that it was the end of the road which was a bummer and also it seemed such an abrupt and odd note to end on, which wasn't their fault, but still left me with such an unfulfilled feeling. Serenity hit that spot though!



			
				digs said:
			
		

> Although I love Firefly now, I saw Serenity before I knew anything about it (except for my sister saying how great it was), so I got to see it with fresh eyes. I still thought it was a brilliant movie, but didn't fully appreciate it until I'd watched the series. It was kind of bittersweet, because by the time I fell in love with Firefly it was well and truly over.


 
Interesting. I would think it would be rather confusing. I'm glad to be found wrong, though I'm still happy to have seen the series first. For me, I grew so attached to the characters and the nuances of their relationships that some of the events in Serenity were really gut-wrenching in a way I don't think I could have appreciated without the show. It managed to balance being unpredictable/surprising, true to the characters, upping the stakes for the big screen, filling in holes left by the early cancellation, and giving a positive ending that felt like it was earned the hard way and not a cop out.

I'll get off my fanboy horse now... I'm truly obsessed with Firefly!


----------



## Mouse

I'm the same as digs. I saw Serenity first. I've still not seen Serenity since watching Firefly, but I know I'm going to totally bawl my eyes out when Wash gets it! I mean, I almost bawled when I wasn't so attached to the character!

I'm glad nobody's saying what the last ep is about!!

On topic, last film I saw was *Big Momma's House*. And that was only for about ten minutes while I was changing channel on the TV.


----------



## soulsinging

Mouse said:


> I'm the same as digs. I saw Serenity first. I've still not seen Serenity since watching Firefly ... I mean, I almost bawled when I wasn't so attached to the character!
> 
> I'm glad nobody's saying what the last ep is about!!


 
There are those that might say they wish you'd not said what the big movie is about  Might want to mark that spoiler...


----------



## Mouse

Done.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Infidel* with Omid Djalili. Very funny film and a good story. Its a question of faith!


----------



## Captain Campion

Just saw "The Town".
It's best described as a "Heat" wannabe. Not nearly as good, but not a bad popcorn movie. I thought all of the actors hit their spots well but the action was underwhelming. Again, in my opinion not bad, but not quite as great as some of the critics make it out to be.


----------



## Rodders

I watched 9 last night. It was enjoyable enough, but i doubt if i'll watch it again. I do agree with what people say about lack of plot. 

Superbly animation though. You can amost lip read these characters now.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Knocked Up* last night. Quite funny even though the guys in the film are complete d*cks!


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Losers*; a fair A team style action film; pretty vanilla neither outstandingly good nor bad.

Enjoy!


----------



## Rodders

District 9. Superb, absolutely superb.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> District 9. Superb, absolutely superb.



Yea I enjoyed that too! Supposed to be a sequel coming, District 10....


----------



## digs

District 10 is where they keep fairies and pixies who cross into this plane of existence illegally. Early buzz from critics says it's one of the goriest, grittiest, most hard-hitting fantasy dramas of recent times.


----------



## Rosemary

I'm trying to broaden my knowledge of Science Fiction but it's obviously not going to be by film!

I watched Starship Troopers (1997) on TV the other night and I'm afraid I thought most of it was a load of rubbish!  The only scenes I did like were of the space craft flying silently through the heavens and the music,


----------



## j d worthington

Rosie: I can't say I disagree with you. I've never been able to sit through that thing without chipping tooth enamel. I'd suggest looking up a copy of *Charly*, with Cliff Robertson (from Daniel Keyes' *Flowers for Algernon*). Or possibly *Silent Running*, with Bruce Dern. There are a lot of good sf films out there -- it is just that few of them are of recent vintage....

The last few days I've been watching films to get to sleep; my latest crop included *West Side Story* (a film which I love dearly), *The Invisible Man Returns* (a _very_ young Vincent Price!), *The Terror* (early Corman/Jack Nicholson and very late Karloff), and *The Legend of Hell House*, which I still feel is one of the more intelligent haunted house films....


----------



## AE35Unit

Rosie, for films check out Moon, a very good  psycho-drama that happens to be set in space. Also Fahrenheit 451, Soylent Green and there's also stuff like the Andromeda Strain, Who? (if you can find it),and as  JD said, Silent Running.


----------



## Tansy

I really enjoyed Moon, wasn't what Ii was expecting from the title, guessed the twist quite early though


----------



## soulsinging

Major League on dvd last night... still a classic. I may have to be the Wild Thing for Halloween!


----------



## Rosemary

Thank you JD and AE for your suggestions of other Science Fiction films to watch.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't think much of Starship Troopers


----------



## Mouse

Night at the Museum. Which is on right now. 'Why are you slapping a monkey?' Best. Line. Ever.


----------



## Riselka

*The Prince of Persia* ... meh.  I've seen better.  It didn't exactly grip me.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Descent 2*; scary cave flick...much better than the first one (although the guy with the shovel needed some explanation as to his motivation).  Worth a rental.

*The Stranger*; Super FBI agent with amnesia rampages both friend and foe... probably worth a rental if you are really bored some weekend afternoon.

Enjoy!


----------



## Boneman

*Eats, shoots, leaves. *Nope, that wasn't it: erm... *Eat, pray love? *That one with Julia Roberts. Was very over-indulgent, and too long, but quite enjoyable nonetheless. Not the sort of film I'd ever see again.


----------



## No One

I've got to come out in defense of *Starship Troopers*, which was by a long way one of the more enjoyable cinematic experiences and nothing but fun, IMO. Also, there are very few films that hold up in terms of special effects after nearly 15 years, but this is one of them. Great film!

That said, the previously mentioned *District 9* (truly awesome), *Silent Running* (brilliant and oh-so-sad) and *Moon *(minimalist and rather excellent) I agree are all well worth watching.

I've just finished watching Akira Kurosawa's *Yojimbo *(1961). It's no *Seven Samurai*, but the handful of Kurosawa's films I've seen are all undeniable classics.


----------



## AE35Unit

No One said:


> I've got to come out in defense of *Starship Troopers*, which was by a long way one of the more enjoyable cinematic experiences and nothing but fun, IMO. Also, there are very few films that hold up in terms of special effects after nearly 15 years, but this is one of them. Great film!.


Agreed, it was fun. It  gets a bad rap mainly  because of the title-people see that and go Oh it was nothing like the book!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

By a strange coincidence, I watched the excellent, darkly comedic film *The Old Dark House *last night, only to hear that its female lead, Gloria Stuart passed away the same day.


----------



## GOLLUM

On a slightly different tact I'm currently watching the 1972 french film of "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks". I recall watching this movie over 30 years ago now and it is bringing back some fond memories, albeit the "dubbed" English voices range from good to middling and the animation is not exactly revolutionary but Tintin and the gang in full stride, albeit not an original Herge comic strip, is still an enjoyable thing to behold...


----------



## Connavar

Rosemary said:


> I'm trying to broaden my knowledge of Science Fiction but it's obviously not going to be by film!
> 
> I watched Starship Troopers (1997) on TV the other night and I'm afraid I thought most of it was a load of rubbish!  The only scenes I did like were of the space craft flying silently through the heavens and the music,



Starship Troopers is as much good SF film as movie novelisations in SF book form is good SF book....

Watch Alien series,older SF films mostly.   The last 20 years or so have really bad SF in hollywood.

Pandorum,Moon i would recommend of new films.


----------



## clovis-man

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> By a strange coincidence, I watched the excellent, darkly comedic film *The Old Dark House *last night, only to hear that its female lead, Gloria Stuart passed away the same day.


 
It really is a fun movie. I hadn't realized that Gloria Stuart was in it, i.e., didn't make the conection between her in her younger roles with her role in *Titanic*.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Ironman 2*; not nearly as good as the first one, but still moderately enjoyable...

When will film makers, and real people too, learn that argumentative behavior gets really old, really fast, is not enjoyable to watch and detracts from the movie, and life, if continued beyond a certain point.

Enjoy!


----------



## j d worthington

Gloria Stuart also played Griffin's love interest, Flora, in James Whale's The Invisible Man (1931). And yes, The Old Dark House is a wonderful little film. Thessiger is priceless....

Larry, when it comes to *Starship Troopers*, with me it wasn't because it wasn't like the book -- a truly faithful adaptation would have been terribly dull visually, and the latter portion would have seemed quite out of place. It is simply that I find that whole film as annoying as the sound of a dentist drilling on my teeth. I know it satirizes Heinlein and many of the ideas in the book, but I think it does so with about as much real wit as is shown by *Idiocracy*, which is a complete botch-up (in my opinion) on C. M. Kornbluth's classic tale, "The Marching Morons"....


----------



## Interference

No One said:


> I've got to come out in defense of *Starship Troopers*, which was by a long way one of the more enjoyable cinematic experiences and nothing but fun, IMO.



Personally, I found it tribalist, racist and imperialist.  There was no consideration of the aliens' pov, relegating the entire project, in my view, to the status of some of the worst westerns made in the old pre-PC days.


----------



## Rosemary

I must admit I have never read the book.  If I had, then I probably wouldn't haven't bothered watching the film.


----------



## No One

Interference said:


> Personally, I found it tribalist, racist and imperialist.  There was no consideration of the aliens' pov, relegating the entire project, in my view, to the status of some of the worst westerns made in the old pre-PC days.



No doubt it's a kind of love it or hate it film, but tribalist, racist, imperialist? Yeah...because humanity is none of these things. 

Oh, just saw *Mars Attacks* (not for the first time). Great fun.*


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

clovis-man said:


> It really is a fun movie. I hadn't realized that Gloria Stuart was in it, i.e., didn't make the conection between her in her younger roles with her role in *Titanic*.



Here's one of her best scenes in *The Old Dark House* YouTube - The Old Dark House Clip


----------



## clovis-man

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Here's one of her best scenes in *The Old Dark House* YouTube - The Old Dark House Clip


 
Ah yes. The distorted mirror was a great James Whale touch, too.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Death at a Funeral (2007)*
Its good, but the US remake is far funnier.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Carriers*; poor EOTW (end of the world) (pandemic) film about teens making bad decisions.  Avoid this one unless you like depression inducing teen films.

Enjoy!


----------



## soulsinging

'I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco." Ranks with Stop Making Sense and the Last Waltz as one of the best music films ever made, though it's not a concert film. It charts the process of the band recording their breakout album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Completely unknown to the band or filmmakers at the time, the process would lead to the firing of a crucial band member as well as an album so fresh, the record company refused to release it and dropped them. The story of their attempts to release the album (which went to #1 and is widely regarded as one of the best of the last 15 years) is a fascinating look at the music industry... from album recording to promotion and business to ironing out creative differences. If you have any passion for rock music, you should check this out.


----------



## Mouse

AE35Unit said:


> *Death at a Funeral (2007)*
> Its good, but the US remake is far funnier.



 No way!


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *The Killer Inside Me *with Casey Affleck last night. I mean he was in the film, not in my house watching the film with me.  My Girlfriend didn't really like it, too much violence against women. I thought it was going to be better, it seemed a little shallow and lacking any real depth. the violence isn't the worst I've seen but was quite realistic and at times unwarranted. Overall not such a good film.

I did, however, watch it on my new Blue-Ray player. I haven't watched Blue Ray before and although my GF said it was no different to DVD I thought I could see more detail. Not sure if the new format is worth the extra cost. And there are no where near as many releases on BR, also our DVD collection is nearing 600 so that's a lot to replace. But I suppose you have to move with the times. I mainly bought it because a) it was cheap and b) we have a new HD TV with nothing HD to watch on it.

Got a few more Blue-rays to watch, but haven't yet:
*Bad Lieutenant* (2010 remake)
*Armoured*
*Blood* (a samurai vampire hunter)
*Brothers*


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> No way!


Oh yes! I saw the 'new' version first, didnt even know there was an original! Theyre quite similar dialogue wise but the US version has better knoiwn comedy actors, Chris Rock, Martin Lawrenece, Danny Glover etc etc-just so funny compared to our offering!
Both films share one actor tho, Peter Dinklage, the dwarf 'love interest'


----------



## ktabic

Interference said:


> Personally, I found it tribalist, racist and imperialist.  There was no consideration of the aliens' pov, relegating the entire project, in my view, to the status of some of the worst westerns made in the old pre-PC days.



So quite in keeping with the book then? IIRC the Starship Troopers book is the one where they happily nuke a civilian, but alien, population and don't worry about it.

I watched *Wild Geese 2* recently, nothing particularly good about it, and *The A-Team* movie, which was great fun.


----------



## Mouse

AE35Unit said:


> Oh yes! I saw the 'new' version first, didnt even know there was an original! Theyre quite similar dialogue wise but the US version has better knoiwn comedy actors, Chris Rock, Martin Lawrenece, Danny Glover etc etc-just so funny compared to our offering!
> Both films share one actor tho, Peter Dinklage, the dwarf 'love interest'



Nooooo! I refuse to watch it. The trailers look far too OTT for me, that's not what the original film was about. I've never laughed so much at a film, the guy who plays Howard is hilarious and Alan Tudyk is brilliant as usual. Not even naked James Marsden can tempt me to watch the 2010 version!

(I've a feeling I've already ranted about this film in this thread, so I'll shut up now!)


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> Nooooo! I refuse to watch it. The trailers look far too OTT for me, that's not what the original film was about. I've never laughed so much at a film, the guy who plays Howard is hilarious and Alan Tudyk is brilliant as usual. Not even naked James Marsden can tempt me to watch the 2010 version!
> 
> (I've a feeling I've already ranted about this film in this thread, so I'll shut up now!)



Well there are very few films in which the remake equals or is better than the origianl, but this is such a film! A comedy is meant to be funny-the british version just looks staid in comparison! Good but not brilliant LOL like the remake.


----------



## ravenus

Interference said:


> Personally, I found it tribalist, racist and imperialist.  There was no consideration of the aliens' pov, relegating the entire project, in my view, to the status of some of the worst westerns made in the old pre-PC days.


You forgot to mention nudist, he lost no opportunity to display bared breasts/butts . The aliens were bugs. BUGS! What next, blame *Men in Black* for its insensitivity to aliens?

Yea, now some of the last few things I saw (you will also notice that I am pimping *my blog* here, apologies ):

*The Planets [BBC]* - Visually ravishing series on our solar system and the space expeditions undertaken. My detailed take *HERE*

*A Touch of Frost* - Nice old-school Brit detective series. Saw the first 2 seasons, detailed impressions *HERE*

*Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh)* - This is something of an acquired taste. A 4 hour adaptation that takes in every line compiled from the play. Looks sumptuous and has some great moments (Kate Winslet is a winner as mad Ophelia and Derek Jacobi's Claudius is mostly impeccable) but also IMO suffers from having really way too much wordage in the scenes (I duck from the missiles thrown by the "faithful adaptation" lovers), actually diminishing the emotional impact. Still worth watching at least once, if you like the stuff that Shakespeare writes.

* Murder on The Orient Express* - Lovely looking and generally pleasant adaptation of a famous novel that I haven't read. Catch my review *HERE*

*Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (Nagisa Oshima)* - which was alright as a film, not entirely gripping. A clash of Japanese and Western cultures, and suppressed desires set during WW2. I think it gets a little too hung up on the formal structure, even if that is one of the film's themes. But still notable as a very non-traditional film by a Japanese maker. *In the realm of the senses* is still my fav Oshima of the few I've watched.


----------



## No One

ravenus said:


> The aliens were bugs. BUGS! What next, blame Men in Black for insensitivity to aliens?



LOL - and bugs that suck your brains out no less! Seems Rosie has opened a can of worms here...

Anyhoo, saw *Zodiac *(2007) yesterday. Very good overall, strong performances and whatnot, but looooooooong. Definitely a watch-once film.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Boondock Saints *and* Boondock saints 2*;  violent, a bit over the top shoot 'em ups with a quirky sense of humor.  I liked both and they are going into my library.

Enjoy!


----------



## soulsinging

Happy Joe said:


> *Boondock Saints *and* Boondock saints 2*;  violent, a bit over the top shoot 'em ups with a quirky sense of humor.  I liked both and they are going into my library.
> 
> Enjoy!



I'm a huge fan of the first one, but never saw the second. I was afraid they'd ruin the first one for me.


----------



## Interference

ravenus said:


> The aliens were bugs. BUGS!



I once wrote a Star Trek fanfic where an arachnophobic ensign nearly started an instellar incident.


----------



## BookStop

I went to see the horror(ish) flick, _Let Me In_. It was excellent! The acting was flawless, which is amazing considering the stars are children and the subject matter is haunting. I would recommend this to anyone, but don't be expecting typical horror fare.


----------



## Moonbat

> I went to see the horror(ish) flick, _Let Me In_.


 
Is the remake of *Let the Right one in*? A swedish Vampire movie? I love the original and was wondering how hollywood would handle its customary remake.

I saw *Armoured* yesterday, an armoured truck heist movie, it wasn't bad but fairly average, a little predictable. Also Watched *Bad Lieutentant* (remake) with Nicholas Cage and was very unimpressed. I have seen the original and wasn't that impressed by that (I only saw it recently and it may have aged with time (as things usually do)) but it was a different movie, the orignal had a great downward spiral of the main character, this one doens't seem to stick to that premise at all. SPOLIER It ruins it with a happy ending, he is still pretty bad, but just when you expect it all to collapse around him everything goes right SPOILER I would actually recommend not watching


----------



## BookStop

Moonbat said:


> Is the remake of *Let the Right one in*? A swedish Vampire movie? I love the original and was wondering how hollywood would handle its customary remake.


 
It is a remake, which is surprising because it doesn't seem to have been attacked in the way hollywood is prone to do. Each scene seems well thought out, all dialog absolutely necessary, the ambiance is amazing, and the acting couldn't be better. I haven't seen the original, but plan on it so I can see exactly what is different.


----------



## digs

Ooh, I want to see that.

Last night I saw *Despicable Me*, which was surprisingly good. It wasn't a work of art like a Pixar movies, but it had its moments.


----------



## j d worthington

Another couple of older horror/sf films:

*The Invisible Man's Revenge* (1944) which, despite some quite good moments and good comic acting by some of the secondary players, was not at all well thought-out nor executed... though the look is also quite good. Carradine does well, though isn't given enough to really shine; and Gale Sondergaard is simply wasted in the part she was given. Also, unlike its predecessors, you simply cannot sympathize with the main character here at all. Whereas Rains' Griffin, though quite the homicidal maniac, nonetheless has a grandeur to him which one can admire, here you have a rather cheap character with no redeeming qualities whatsoever... which rather saps the dynamism of the entire thing. Pity, as it had such potential....

*The Crawling Eye* (aka *The Trollenberg Terror*; 1958) -- another odd mix which has some rather good performances, a genuine tension in places, and then falls apart quite badly. The menace of the (American) title doesn't help, either. Still, I think this film deserves better than it usually gets, as there is an intriguing story, the aforementioned good performances (a few are really _very_ good), and the ability to achieve suspense and eeriness at times despite all odds; but still definitely a "B" picture (Janet Munro, at least, deserved better).


----------



## Connavar

*The Hidden Fortress* - another quality Kurosawa,Mifune film.  They show how a timeless a film from the 50s can be.

Not the best by Kurosawa but it was good in that it was more social,satire of a story.  The two greedy farmers chasing gold the whole film was hilarious.


----------



## Mouse

Saw *27 Dresses* and then something with Drew Barrymore doing an awful accent, think it was called *Ever After*. Maybe. Both were on TV. Both hideously depressing.


----------



## Boneman

Just saw *Dagenham Girls *- the trailers lied... the film was ten times better than they made out! If the lead female doesn't win a  Bafta, I'd be very surprised


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *The Magician* last night. An Australian film, very low budget, but doesn't detract from the film. Pretty impressive film considering the low amount of actors and cost. Started a little slowly, but the main character 'Ray' was brilliant and it had some very amusing points in it. Shot in a mocumentary style it follows Ray, a hitman as he goes round sorting out a few people. Films like this really inspire me to write an achievable screenplay. Only 83 mins.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Four Lions*, a sort of funny film about bumbling muslim terrorists in Britain.


----------



## mosaix

Saw *The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo* last night.

I was a little apprehensive as I'd enjoyed the trilogy immensely. I really enojoyed the film. It stayed close to the original plot line with a couple of sub-plots removed or truncated. This isn't surprising as the book is long and complex and would have been difficult to incorporate in its entirety.

The film is dubbed into English but its so well done that, after five minutes or so, I forgot all about it.


----------



## Moonbat

> The film is dubbed into English


 
The version I watched wasn't. Nor was *the Girl who played with fire*. It's subtitles all the way for me


----------



## Happy Joe

*Splice*; generic, medium budget, misguided genetic scientists make monster, monster goes bad, monster kills scientist, monster dies, movie.
Rating; pretty bad, the fast forward button got a real workout trying to find something on this DVD with entertainment value, a waste of time and rental money.

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

mosaix said:


> Saw *The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo* last night.
> 
> I was a little apprehensive as I'd enjoyed the trilogy immensely. I really enojoyed the film. It stayed close to the original plot line with a couple of sub-plots removed or truncated. This isn't surprising as the book is long and complex and would have been difficult to incorporate in its entirety.
> 
> The film is dubbed into English but its so well done that, after five minutes or so, I forgot all about it.



Hehe i thought only some Americans watched dubbed European films 

The remake is being shot here in our city,they have cut off many of the main streets for a freaking remake.  Fans like you are not even waiting for it.

You should have watched the real film, why watch a Swedish film without the swedes.....


----------



## ravenus

*Twins of Evil*
Entertaining Hammer horror where vampirism meets witch-burning. The  title is a bit misleading since only one of the twins is disposed to  evil. Old standard Peter Cushing stars as a  Christ-loving witch-hunter with a yen for torching suspected women. Atmospheric and engrossing in most  part. Since this was one of the latter Hammer films we see more gore  than in their classics, even a naked boob (or two).
Apparently this was part of what is called the *Karnstein Trilogy*. Would it be worth my while to check out the other films?*

Pumping Iron*
...or how Arnold Schwarzenegger won Mr. Olympia for the 6th time in a row. This was a reasonably fun docu-drama. Apparently a fair amount of the quotes and events in this film were scripted to pump Arnold up, so one can't say how much is real, but it was decent entertainment and a nice look at the club of dedicated bodybuilders. Lou 'Incredible Hulk' Ferrigno, Franco Colombu and the amateur Mike Katz come off as really nice dudes.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *Moon*, which was predictable and implausible, and should  have been way less than feature film length. But it had its decent parts  with Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey's performances. Plus it looks damn  good for a $5 million movie.


----------



## j d worthington

The last couple of films I have seen are (again) re-viewings:

Ken Russell's *Gothi* (1986), which remains a favorite for reasons too complex to to into here, save that I am fascinated with that get-together at the Villa Diodati, the actual set of tales which inspired its outcome, and of course those literary things which emerged from the rather broad mixture of discussions and experiences related to it... all of which are addressed in one form or another (with indications of an unusual amount of actual research!) within the film. I will say, however, that, though I know most people prefer his *Lair of the White Worm*, and I will agree that that is a more _accessible_ film, I think *Gothic* is much the finer performance....

And *The Devil Rides Out* (aka *The Devil's Bride*; 1968), one of the relatively few Hammer films where Christopher Lee gets the chance to be a "good guy" for a change. As an atheist, I am less than struck with horror at the idea of "devil worship" and all it implies, but I think they handled several things rather well here, and the film does manage some very good tension and an eerie atmosphere at several points. The ending falls flat, but the sort of resolution it has makes that pretty much inevitable. I haven't read Wheatley's novel in so long I really can't recall how closely the film follows it (though the screenplay was written by Richard Matheson), but it definitely has its good points....


----------



## clovis-man

It's October and time for creature features. Watched *Dracula's Daughter* (1936) and *Son of Dracula* (1943) from The Legacy Collection.

As slow paced as it is, the older film has an economical quality to it that prevents the plot from meandering and has a satisfying ending. Despite his Bing Crosby-like voice, Otto Kruger makes a fine hero. And Gloria Holden overcomes a somewhat matronly appearance to be an effective, albeit unwilling lady vampire. The newer film suffers from having cast Lon Chaney Jr. as Dracula. He's much too twitchy and snarky to be effective in the role and that was matched by the wooden portrayal of the girl inexplicably under his spell as played by Louise Allbritton.


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> Ken Russell's *Gothi* (1986), which remains a favorite for reasons too complex to to into here, save that I am fascinated with that get-together at the Villa Diodati, .



That name rings a bell-is there a link with Frankenstein there?


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> That name rings a bell-is there a link with Frankenstein there?


 
How about *Tommy* and *Altered States*?


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Resident Evil: Afterlife* yesterday and i enjoyed it.  

3D visuals was not hype this time, it was pretty cool looking.  I just wish they didnt overdo the slow motion action scenes.

It was pretty good action,horror.  The most impressive action wise in the series so far plus it had several scenes,characters direct from the last two Resident Evil games that made me smile of as old fan of the series.

Overall i enjoy this series mostly because Alice is like The Last Action Heroine, a dying breed. Resident Evil 5 is one of few sequals i look forward to.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> How about *Tommy* and *Altered States*?



Eh? I was referring to the mention of Villa Diodati in JDs post. It sounds familiar but I can't place it!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

AE35Unit said:


> Eh? I was referring to the mention of Villa Diodati in JDs post. It sounds familiar but I can't place it!



Diodati was the Villa near Lake Geneva where the Shelleys, Byron and Polidori had the famous spooky-story contest that resulted in the writing of Frankenstein.


----------



## Foxbat

*It! The Terror From Beyond Space *
Enjoyable Fifties hokum. The spaceship crew has two women scientists that seem to spend most of their time either cooking or screaming

You can really see where O'Bannon got his inspiration for both Darkstar and Alien scripts.


----------



## j d worthington

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Diodati was the Villa near Lake Geneva where the Shelleys, Byron and Polidori had the famous spooky-story contest that resulted in the writing of Frankenstein.


 
As well as Polidori's "The Vampyre", a plagiarism of Byron's own unfinished novel which began with that same night; and both of which contributed to Le Fanu's writing of "Carmilla", as I understand it. The combination of all these (plus *Varney*), in turn heavily influenced Stoker's handling of the theme in *Dracula*....

I have (somewhere around here, I believe) a rather poor translation of the original story collection which inspired this famous contest between this group to produce "ghost stories" -- *Phantasmagoriana*... or at least so the story goes. (There has been argument over whether it was this French translation or the English translation Tales of the Dead which was actually used; though, as I recall, Mary actually refers at one point to the French title.) There are differences between the German/French version and that of the English and Greek, as can be seen in this article:

Tales of the Dead - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The tales were interesting, if not always particularly good; and one can see elements of them in Mary's novel, as well as Volk's screenplay (or at least Russell's version of it on film).

My latest viewing was *The Devil's Own* (aka *The Witches*; 1966) -- rather a good film overall, though I must admit that I find such rituals (on film or in real life) frankly risible rather than riveting. Aside from that, a great deal of quite effective work there, and Joan Fontaine is excellent. I'd not seen this one before, and am not sorry to have finally done so....


----------



## j d worthington

Continuing on with the same genre (surprise! surprise!), with the 1963 Robert Wise film, *The Haunting* (based, for those who don't know, on Shirley Jackson's *The Haunting of Hill House*). This has always been a favorite, and remains one of, if not the, most intelligent films on the subject, with excellent performances all 'round (even if Julie Harris' character does get on the nerves a bit), and superb direction. (I have seen the remake; wish I hadn't; would love to make dogfood out of the people responsible for that abortion. 'Nuff said.)

For anyone interested in films about ghosts, hauntings, etc., or just a generally intelligent, suspenseful, and atmospheric take on the whole matter, this (along with *The Innocents* [1961] and, albeit to a slightly lesser degree, *The Uninvited* [1941]) is a film I highly recommended....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Continuing on with the same genre (surprise! surprise!), with the 1963 Robert Wise film, *The Haunting* (based, for those who don't know, on Shirley Jackson's *The Haunting of Hill House*). This has always been a favorite, and remains one of, if not the, most intelligent films on the subject, with excellent performances all 'round (even if Julie Harris' character does get on the nerves a bit), and superb direction.


 
I don't usually like to do "me too" posts, but this film is as good as J.D. states. Shirley Jackson's novel is also well worth ones time. In addition to the acting and atmospheric milieu, I am always struck by the Humphrey Searle score as well. Not creepy, that would be inappropriate. More like terribly edgy. Insures that you won't nod off, which is almost impossible anyway. One of the best films of the genre.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Diodati was the Villa near Lake Geneva where the Shelleys, Byron and Polidori had the famous spooky-story contest that resulted in the writing of Frankenstein.



Ah so I was correct!


----------



## j d worthington

And last night I went from the at least near-sublime to the ridiculous (but fun), with William Castle's *House on Haunted Hill*. This remains one of my personal favorites of Castle's films, though I also have a fondness for *13 Ghosts* and *The Night Walker* (which I saw again relatively recently). You can generally drive a fleet of trucks through the logical holes in Castle's films, but they are nonetheless great fun and appropriately eerie in spots (like a well-done ghost train), and this is one of the best. Von Dexter's score is quite good, too, though I think my favorite piece of music from this one is the main title theme, which was done by Richard Kayne and Richard Loring, and sets the mood (both the truly creepy, the suspenseful, and the silly) quite admirably. (And I must admit to a liking for the somewhat melancholy tone of the oboe as used here... very nice touch.)

(Von Dexter also did the score for several other Castle films: *The Tingler*, *13 Ghosts*, and *Mr. Sardonicus*.) 

Sometimes you've just got to let go and enjoy a "spook house" style of film... especially when you have a cast like this....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Speaking of Villa Diodati, last night I watched *The Bride Of Frankenstein *(1935), which begins with a rather farcical depiction of the Shelleys and Byron in a living room during a storm, when Mary reveals that there was more to her tale than she had previously shared, setting the stage for the sequel. James Whale seems to have consciously decided to play this one for laughs, but after an initial mix of farcical and horrific elements, the story starts to take on a real dramatic weight. Boris Karloff brings new nuance to the role, despite his stated objections to making the monster speak, and Ernest Thesiger is simply sublime as Doctor Pretorius, turning in a performance that is arch and even campy at times while being suitably crazed and downright sinister. The pacing was a bit uneven, as it often is with these classic Universal horror films, with a lot happening in the first and last 15 minutes and several stretches in between where the plot achieves near-stasis. Still, it builds to a gripping climax with Karloff delivering one of the all-time great horror film lines: 'We belong dead' before pulling the plug on Pretorius' scheme.


----------



## j d worthington

There are also moments when that one achieves an almost balletic movement which is simply enchanting. The cinematography is also generally very fine in this one.

My own viewing continues in the same vein... um, unintentional pun there: Hammer's *Horror of Dracula* (or simply *Dracula*, depending on which side of the pond you were on) from 1958, Christopher Lee's first appearance in the role; followed by something again in the ridiculous but enjoyable strain, *Invasion of the Saucer Men* (which I had forgotten was directed by Edward Cahn.... Cahn is one of those directors who never put in a truly sterling film (that I am aware of) but almost always put in a very workmanlike, competent, and solid job. I've yet to see a film of his I didn't enjoy to a greater or lesser degree (unlike some, who feel his She-Creature is one of the worst films the genre ever produced; flawed it most certainly is, but I would argue there are some quite good things about it, as well, despite serious logical flaws). *Saucer Men* was based, by the way, on a story by sf writer Paul W. Fairman... though it is one I have yet to read....

And tonight's offering was the first "official" sequel to Lee's performance (the Dracula film released between the two did not feature the Count, though it did have Cushing's Van Helsing): *Dracula: Prince of Darkness*. Overall, I quite like this one, though that ending, I feel, is quite flat. Somehow, drowning the Count by shattering the ice and letting him slip into the flowing water just doesn't work... no real cinematic impact, I'm afraid, even though it is noted in various vampire tales that they can't cross running water....


----------



## AE35Unit

*Wild Target*
A quite funny thriller with Bill Nighy as an assasin who falls for his target, with disastrous results. I love Nighy, always makes me smile. 
(Also has Rupert Grint from Harry Potter)


----------



## Allanon

*Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs*

Sat down on Saturday night with wife and kids and watched this. without doubt one of the funniest films i've seen in a while! All I can say is....... STEVE!

Anyone who has seen it will understand.


----------



## AE35Unit

Allanon said:


> *Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs*
> 
> Sat down on Saturday night with wife and kids and watched this. without doubt one of the funniest films i've seen in a while! All I can say is....... STEVE!
> 
> Anyone who has seen it will understand.



Yea, funny film, tho I don't recall a Steve reference!


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> Yea, funny film, tho I don't recall a Steve reference!



Seen it but can't recall either.


----------



## Boneman

*Wall Street Money Never Sleeps* wasn't bad, but not as good at the first. Meandered a bit in places. Michael Douglas is looking old, all of a sudden... but he's having real struggles with his health.


----------



## Allanon

biodroid said:


> Seen it but can't recall either.


 
The Monkey with the thought translation headband!! YOUTUBE it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Allanon said:


> The Monkey with the thought translation headband!! YOUTUBE it!



Can't do ytubeou, it don't workeo on my phoneo


----------



## Rosemary

The 1966 version of *Rasputin* with Peter Lee.

It was awful   I thought the acting was atrocious and the Tsarina and her maids looked and sounded nothing like Russian!

It must have been an older version I watched years ago because that was much better even in black and white.


----------



## ravenus

*Dracula Has Risen From The Grave*
The proceedings are hokier than usual, Dracula does little other than glare through red  contact lenses on most occasions, and one misses stalwart vampire hunter  Peter Cushing, but this is still a very good-looking and reasonably  enjoyable Hammer bloodsucker.


----------



## Jennifer Kirk

The most recent film I saw was 'St Trinians: Legend of Fritton's gold' or some such longwinded title. Given I enjoyed the previous St Trinians film (and liked the early B&W ones too) I was very disappointed. It seemed to have lost its way and wasn't very St Trinians at all. The CG stuff too to put a pirate galleon on the Thames just looked cheap and nasty. The uniforms too seemed to have taken too much of the Britney Spears approach to school uniforms and just looked stupid. 

All-in-all I'd give it two stars out of six - and that 's being generous. 

Prior to that I watched '16 block' which has Bruce Willis in it, but like you've never seen before. This film weas something special with Willis putting in what was in my opinion his best performance ever. It's a simple premise, but never once did it seem boring or drawn out. Mos Def too puts in a credible performance and there are a few other big name actors in there to boot. I'd give this one a five and a half out of six stars.


----------



## GrantG

I saw Inception this weekend. It was good.


----------



## Harry Kilmer

Die Hard. Got in on DVD but still watch it on TV whenever its on. Great action film, but also full of great characters and some brilliant lines.


----------



## Diggler

Piranha... What was I thinking? What were the thousands of people on IMDB thinking giving it a score of 6.6!?

Piranha was by far one of the worst movies of the year for me. Absurd plot, absurd acting, absurd 3D and absurd gore FX. The only good part of the whole movie was seeing a few hundred jocks and trollops getting eaten... And the end credits.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Jonah Hex*; a comic book based movie.  Not good but probably OK for comic book fans.  Sometimes the over the top comic bookishness detracted greatly from the picture.
I would rate this at the low end of acceptable for rental (only slightly better than bad/terrible).

Enjoy!


----------



## Connavar

Happy Joe said:


> *Jonah Hex*; a comic book based movie.  Not good but probably OK for comic book fans.  Sometimes the over the top comic bookishness detracted greatly from the picture.
> I would rate this at the low end of acceptable for rental (only slightly better than bad/terrible).
> 
> Enjoy!




As fan of the comic series i find it almost offending by you saying it was over the top comic bookishness.  Because Hex series isnt a fantasy western or a superhero there is nothing over the top about it.  He is a hardcore bounty hunter,doing his grim work through the west.  He is hugely inspired by Eastwood 60s,70s westerns.

Its Hollywood who made him very different,over the top.  Just like Guy Ritchie made Sherlock Holmes an over the top action film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> Just like Guy Ritchie made Sherlock Holmes an over the top action film.


a hugely enjoyabel movie!


----------



## Connavar

I was more disgusted by that movie and thought it would have been an enjoyable film if it was not an adaptation of the smartest,most cerebral character in crime fiction.  You dont have to a purist to dislike a dirty,street thug looking version of Holmes....

But today everything has to be about action to be enjoyable apparently.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> I was more disgusted by that movie and thought it would have been an enjoyable film if it was not an adaptation of the smartest,most cerebral character in crime fiction.  You dont have to a purist to dislike a dirty,street thug looking version of Holmes....
> 
> But today everything has to be about action to be enjoyable apparently.


With films I think you just have to disengage the brain, forget its based on a well known book and enjoy the fun!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> With films I think you just have to disengage the brain, forget its based on a well known book and enjoy the fun!



Sure some Comedy,blockbuster action films like Resident Evil or Iron Man but not Holmes imo. I can watch many different tv versions,movie versions.

I rent more movies i need my brain these days.  The cinema is dominated by blockbuster only or remakes.  I rent older films.

I saw a Bogart film as my latest film. The Treasure of Sierra Medra from 1947. 

Big DVD rental fan these days.  I watch more movies that way.  Next is  a Stephen Chow hong kong james bond parody hehe.


----------



## Happy Joe

About the movie Jonah Hex;


> As fan of the comic series i find it almost offending by you saying it was over the top comic bookishness. Because Hex series isnt a fantasy western or a superhero there is nothing over the top about it.


 
Sorry if you were offended but while the movie had some fairly good sequences it left much to be desired by me (the down sides far outweighed the upsides). It was a neat concept, though, and had potential (the reason that I rented it).

Oh come on; like dual Gatling guns attached to a horse is not over the top and unrealistic (though very much in the vein of comics).
I did like the dynamite throwing pistols, though, good concept (different) that could probably be made to work (kind of) although the explosion results (like most Hollywood effects) were unrealistic at best.

Apparently I was not alone in my opinion;
Rotten Tomato gives the movie "Jonah Hex" a 13% critic rating with a 30% audience liked it rating (43702 users rated it).
Meta Critic gives it a 33 out of 100 critic score and a 3.5 out of 10 audience score (both generally unfavorable).

No reflection on the comic just not a particularly good movie.

Enjoy!


----------



## No One

Budget zombie flick *Cemetery Man *(1994 - Italian title: *Dellamorte Dellmore*).

Apparently something of a cult classic, but I didn't think much of it. Good, but far from the greatness of Raimi's *Evil Dead*s or Jackson's *Braindead*.


----------



## Diggler

No One said:


> Budget zombie flick *Cemetery Man *(1994 - Italian title: *Dellamorte Dellmore*).
> 
> Apparently something of a cult classic, but I didn't think much of it. Good, but far from the greatness of Raimi's *Evil Dead*s or Jackson's *Braindead*.



I loved this film and ranks highly on my Italo Horror collection.. While it was extremely schlocky, the production values and general acting, were a fair few steps above Italian Genre films.

But hey, it's all a matter of personal taste


----------



## ravenus

I like Cemetery Man a great deal too. It looks ravishingly good (Anna Falchi too, mama mia!) and the spiraling of the narrative as it proceeded was quite interesting too.


----------



## Rosemary

*The Shawshank Redemption*.  I felt it started off rather slow and very depressing, which of course it was if you had been jailed for life! 

However, I persevered and in the end I was quite lured in to the story.  I wouldn't go as far as to say it was enjoyable though.


----------



## Connavar

Happy Joe said:


> About the movie Jonah Hex;
> 
> 
> Sorry if you were offended but while the movie had some fairly good sequences it left much to be desired by me (the down sides far outweighed the upsides). It was a neat concept, though, and had potential (the reason that I rented it).
> 
> Oh come on; like dual Gatling guns attached to a horse is not over the top and unrealistic (though very much in the vein of comics).
> I did like the dynamite throwing pistols, though, good concept (different) that could probably be made to work (kind of) although the explosion results (like most Hollywood effects) were unrealistic at best.
> 
> Apparently I was not alone in my opinion;
> Rotten Tomato gives the movie "Jonah Hex" a 13% critic rating with a 30% audience liked it rating (43702 users rated it).
> Meta Critic gives it a 33 out of 100 critic score and a 3.5 out of 10 audience score (both generally unfavorable).
> 
> No reflection on the comic just not a particularly good movie.
> 
> Enjoy!



I was offended by stupid hollywood producers,director than by you.  This is the danger of bad adapations people assume the comic version is exactly same version and as bad.

I dont really care the comic will always be there on the shelfs, i was only hoping for it because Josh Brolin is a perfect look,hardcore actor for Hex.


----------



## No One

*Dead or Alive* (2002, by Miike Takashi, director of such family fun films as *Audition *and *Ichi the Killer* - and NOT to be confused with the film based on the computer game).

So glad I found this on DVD a while back. No subject, no theme is safe from Takashi and this film is no exception to his "slightly" extreme body of work. 

This one also includes the most ridiculous, ape-scat, amusing and bemusing final five minutes I've probably ever seen in a film. I think it was Takashi's way of telling an overbearing studio that it was his film and he'd do whatever he wanted with it. 

And boy does he.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Dracula's Daughter *(1936). After watching a couple of James White's excellent contributions to Universal's classic horror portfolio, this comparatively weak effort, directed by Lambert Hillyer, struck a particularly discordant note. Bogged down by cheap attempts at humour and romance, wooden acting and absurd dialogue, this film fails to really get off the ground even in the last 15 minutes, those crucial last 15 minutes of a horror film when a sudden burst of energy, inventiveness and pace can redeem any number of past infelicities. Some critics have praised Gloria Holden's Countess Zaleska and Irving Piche's Sandor, but the only performance that briefly rose above the level of basic dialogue recitation and glassy-eyed staring was Nan Grey's very brief turn as a doomed victim. The camerawork fails to conceal the multiple takes required to coax even this dismal level of peformance out of the players and the pace doesn't meander so much as plummet quickly to a nadir from which it never ascends. There's no sense of immediacy, of threat or even of the campy yet sinister evil conveyed in a film like *The Old Dark House*. This one's only for the completists.


----------



## j d worthington

Hmmm... I had a rather different take on this one from yourself, J.P. While I don't think it is a sterling effort, I find several things about it quite evocative; perhaps oddly, they seem to grow more so upon repeated viewings. And the way they baited the censors with the scene you mention has always had me appreciating _that_ one....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

It had potential but it had no sterling set pieces such as Whale always ensured even in his weaker efforts and not much of a cast either - basically it stands or falls on Holden's performance, which didn't work for me. To be fair, many viewers feel that she did bring a nuanced blend of creepiness and self-loathing to the role, but those eyebrows!


----------



## biodroid

Rosemary said:


> *The Shawshank Redemption*.  I felt it started off rather slow and very depressing, which of course it was if you had been jailed for life!
> 
> However, I persevered and in the end I was quite lured in to the story.  I wouldn't go as far as to say it was enjoyable though.



I think it was supposed to convey that feeling as he was falsely accused so he would be feeling depressed but he did not let it get to him as you saw by the schemes he plotted out to make him an asset instead of a prisoner. Have you seen The Green Mile, I thought it was much better although Shawshank was still very good.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *Cargo* last night. A german sci-fi film. Not bad at all, it was pretty predictable once it got going, but the size and scope of thr ship was brilliant and the idea wasn't all bad just a little obvious. I did enjoy it and would place it alongside Pandorum as a new sci-fi in space type film. Worth a watch if you like that sort of thing. It's not got the excitement or pretty set pieces of something like Riddick, but it has some impressivly dark sets (or was it all cgi?)


----------



## dask

THE LAST HOUSE OF THE LEFT (remake) I know slasher films with no supernatural element are considered horror and I won't contest that validity here, but these rape/revenge revues strike me as being little more than crime thrillers like DEATHWISH where people, rightly or wrongly, wander around doing little more than breaking the law. That said, DEATHWISH was a great movie and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake is not without a certain unrelenting power. Violent and vile, it didn't really put me in the desired Halloween mood but did force me to lock the front door to keep the crappy out rather than keep it unlocked to let the creepy in.


----------



## AE35Unit

dask said:


> THE LAST HOUSE OF THE LEFT (remake) I know slasher films with no supernatural element are considered horror .


Not by me they're not! If it aint scary or creepy then how can it be a horror? Some film makers need to visit a dictionary now and then...


----------



## Starbeast

*Hannie Caulder (1971)*

In this western film, a woman (Raquel Welch) seeks vengeance against three men (Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam & Strother Martin) who attacked her, she has help from a gunslinger (Robert Culp) and a gunsmith (Christopher Lee). Warning: Violent & Graphic - rated "R"


----------



## dask

Starbeast said:


> *Hannie Caulder (1971)*
> 
> In this western film, a woman (Raquel Welch) seeks vengeance against three men (Ernest Borgnine, Jack Elam & Strother Martin) who attacked her, she has help from a gunslinger (Robert Culp) and a gunsmith (Christopher Lee). Warning: Violent & Graphic - rated "R"


 
Haven't seen myself but I want to now. This might be the best cast ever assembled for a movie.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> If it aint scary or creepy then how can it be a horror? Some film makers need to visit a dictionary now and then...


Horror does not necessarily refer to scary. It also applies to feelings of dismay and revulsion.
definition at Merriam-Webster

Anyway, today I saw:

*Cobra Verde* - Klaus Kinski plays a former bandit sent out on a crazy mission to revive the slave trade in a 19th(?) century African province. It's not quite awesome the way *Aguirre* And *Nosferatu* were and Klaus Kinski definitely showing signs of wear here but it's still worth watching and a gorgeously captured movie from Werner Herzog.

*My Best Fiend* - Werner Herzog reminiscences about his tumultuous relationship with Klaus Kinski. Most of the stuff here is the same as in the Kinski chapter from the book *Herzog on Herzog*, which I read previousy so not many surprises for me but a decent watch all the same.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> Horror does not necessarily refer to scary.


It does in my book-I'm old school


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Not by me they're not! If it aint scary or creepy then how can it be a horror? Some film makers need to visit a dictionary now and then...


 
"Old School"? Hmmm... Seems to me Ann Radcliffe had something to say about this nearly 200 years ago:

[/quote]"They must be men of very cold imaginations,' said W—, 'with whom certainty is more terrible than surmise. Terror and horror are so far opposite, that the first expands the soul, and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the other contracts, freezes, and nearly annihilates them. I apprehend, that neither Shakspeare nor Milton by their fictions, nor Mr. Burke by his reasoning, anywhere looked to positive horror as a source of the sublime, though they all agree that terror is a very high one; and where lies the great difference between horror and terror, but in the uncertainty and obscurity, that accompany the first, respecting the dreaded evil?"[/quote]

from her essay on "The Supernatural in Poetry" (1826):

LitGothic | On the Supernatural In Poetry | Ann Radcliffe

Then there is Sir Devendra P. Varma, who also draws such a distinction:

[/quote]The difference between Terror and Horror is the difference between awful apprehension and sickening realization: between the smell of death and stumbling against a corpse.[...] 
Terror thus creates an intangible atmosphere of spiritual psychic dread, a certain superstitious shudder at the other world. Horror resorts to a cruder presentation of the macabre: by an exact portrayal of the physically horrible and revolting, against a far more terrible background of spiritual gloom and despair. Horror appeals to sheer dread and repulsion, by brooding upon the gloomy and the sinister, and lacerates the nerves by establishing actual cutaneous contact with the supernatural...[/quote]

--from *The Gothic Flame* (1957)​ 
One rises from the idea of the Sublime, the other from the German Schauer-Romantik. So, yes, such films are "horror", but they are not "terror"....

And that is an appropriate point to mention my last couple of films: *Die, Monster, Die* (aka *Monster of Terror*), adapted (very freely) from Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space", and *The Curse of Frankenstein*, which featured the first coupling of Cushing and Lee; both of which tended to blur that boundary a bit, but were mostly of the "horror" variety... (though the first also tended toward the absurd at times)....


----------



## AE35Unit

It is an odd ocurrance that today one who is terrified is one who is scared, and one who is horrified is one who is repulsed- I favour the former in my reading but was such  a distinction recognised as such in past times?


----------



## StormFeather

I saw *'Tron'* the other day.

When I was little, I went to the US with my parents, to stay with a contact from my Dad's work. One of the things I remember is that me and my brother slept in the equivalent of the sitting room (not used to apartment living and I was about 5 so memory is sketchy). One night, my brother, who is 5 years older than me, put on the TV, quietly, and we watched Tron together. All I remembered from then was the bikes bit. 

It's still quite cool and I found it enjoyable. Even thought the graffics are now naff, it's still got a charm, and the menace of the MCP is still palpable.

Doubt it could be re-worked effectively with our current understanding of technology though


----------



## biodroid

A Nightmare on Elm St (2010) - It was ok.
Backup Plan - Very bad


----------



## dask

"Terror and horror are so far opposite"? Depends on who's writing the dictionary. The dictionary on my computer says horror = intense fear, and terror = intense fear.


----------



## The Procrastinator

Which just goes to show how good dictionaries on computers can be. 

"Terror and horror are so far opposite, that the first expands the soul, and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the other contracts, freezes, and nearly annihilates them."

Terror as the nova, horror as the black hole...what a thought provoking definition. Much more evocative than "intense fear".

Anyway the last movie I watched was Wall-E. Finally got around to seeing this, I'd heard it was either boring or ground breaking so I was curious. Unfortunately my own review tends more toward the "boring". Might appeal to kids? Haven't quite finished watching it, got interrupted towards the end and haven't bothered to go back yet. Oh well I guess you can't expect every Pixar film to hold gems for adults.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh Sanders, Wall-e is superb, definitely not just for kids!


----------



## The Procrastinator

I like a good kids movie - loved Monsters Inc and the Incredibles. But it helps to be in the mood. Maybe I just mistook my mood, or maybe my inner child is fussier than yours.  Or maybe I just should've had some Whisk-E first!


----------



## Boneman

Watched *Inside Man *last night with Clive Owen and Denzel Washington - Brilliant! And I didn't see the ending coming...


----------



## Tansy

The title kinda givesit away lol, but yeah Inside man is a great film


----------



## sloweye

Actualy watched *Iron Man* (the first one) and it wasn't quite as bad as i expected.


----------



## j d worthington

Not meaning to take the thread off-topic again, but as a reply: The two are related, and have often been used interchangeably, but a very precise use of the terms, considering their etymology and associations, would tend to support the distinction. Skeat's *Etymological Dictionary of the English Language* gives some idea as to why. Though defining "horror" as "dread, terror", in tracing its origins, it notes that it comes from the Latin _horrēre_, "to bristle, be rough; also to dread, with reference to the bristling of the hair, esp. as a token of fear or pleasure", and its Sanskrit root means "to be rough"; whereas "terror", defined as "dread, great fear", originates with the Latin "_terr__ōrum_, acc. of _terror_, dread. Allied to _terr__ēre_, to frighten, to scare; orig. to tremble". While both have their origins in a physical response (the bristling of the hair; trembling), one is _more closely_ allied to emotional origin than to the actual physical reaction.

Among several, sometimes contradictory, definitions for "horror", the OED has the following: "a painful emotion compounded of loathing and fear; a shuddering with terror and repugnance; strong aversion mingled with dread; the feeling excited by something shocking or frightful. Intense dislike or repugnance. (The prevalent use at all times.)" whereas all the definitions of "terror" focus entirely on the emotions of fear, fright, dread, or those things which elicit such an _emotional_ response.


*The American Heritage Dictionary* (online version) defines horror as: 
An intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear. See Synonyms at fear.
Intense dislike; abhorrence.
A cause of horror.
_Informal_ Something unpleasant, ugly, or disagreeable
and terror as: "intense, overpowering fear"; "one that instills fear"; or "the ability to instill fear".

As for my own viewing: last night I watched both Roger Corman's *The Haunted Palace* -- an adaptation by Charles Beaumont of Lovecraft's *The Case of Charles Dexter Ward*; and William Castle's *13 Ghosts* (not to be confused with the remake of a few years ago). Again, both flawed films -- Beamont obviously did not care for Lovecraft and it shows, yet the film does achieve some quite effective moments; while Castle's film is full of logical inconsistencies and his usual oddities... but a highly enjoyable film for all that. A cinematic ghost train, nothing more. (I'd love to see this in the theatre the way it was intended; where one had to put on the glasses to see the ghosts properly... it still gets shown that way at revivals at times....) Oddly, the second film actually comes closer to terror than the first, generally speaking....


----------



## vector7

I was up all night watching *Pixar's Up* last night. Blows away most other live-action movies with its opening ten minutes. 

Iron Man is one of the better made super-hero movies after Christopher Nolan's Batman reboot. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is just brilliant.


----------



## sloweye

I had put it off for so long, glad i've seen it now. may even take a look at the second one.

Up really is a fantastic film.


----------



## Rodders

Star Trek: Insurrection. 

I have to say that of the Next Generation movies, this one was a favourite of mine. (Still no where near as good as the Original cast Trek movies though. A shame really, because i felt that the Next Gen movies cheapened a superb series.)


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The Changeling (1980) a mostly very subtle ghost story that builds an incredibly effective atmosphere of brooding and foreboding despite some over the top sound effects and a few cliched bits which may not have been that cliched at the time. There are moments towards the end where it gets a bit over the top, but the crux of the story is a sufficiently horrific human act to serve as the jumping-off point for the supernatural terror that ensues, so the story never loses the weight that it requires to justify the irruption of the bad numinous.


----------



## j d worthington

I saw The Changeling for the first time a few years ago, and I would tend to agree. A sadly forgotten film, which actually has some very effective eerie qualities indeed....

My last two nights' viewing went from Hammer's *Revenge of Frankenstein*, which was still when they were doing quite good films in the genre. My one objection, really, to this one is that they introduced the possibility of the creature turning to cannibalism, only to shy away from it, making it a rather extraneous element. It manages to increase the suspense in a couple of scenes, but is largely superfluous and unnecessary. They needn't have actually focused on it, but either doing away with it altogether or allowing it to come much closer to actually occurring would, I think, have made the film much stronger.

Tonight's film was *The Uninvited*, which I haven't seen in about 5 years. This last could almost be described as a romantic film with strong ghostly elements (some of which do indeed manage to raise the hair on the back of the neck), but whether you describe it this way, or as a modern ghost tale, or a supernatural mystery, despite the fact that it hasn't held up as well over the years as, say, *The Haunting*, it still remains a very finely done film with excellent performances, and a beautiful film to watch (it was, in fact, nominated for the Academy Award for best cinematography). It has been far too long since I read Dorothy Macardle's (I have also seen it as MacArdle) novel to be able to remember how closely the film version followed it, but seeing the film again has got me hankering to look up a copy of the thing now....


----------



## Lacivetta

Winter's Bone, and really liked it.  The book *is* better and I was dreading (now there's a word to fit in wtih horror and terror - a precursor to either?) it being made a hash of but I thought it came over pretty well.  Course you can't have the beautiful elegant spare writing of Daniel Woodrell on screen, but the imagery almost made up for it.


----------



## sloweye

*The Boat That Rocked* - (IMO) fantastic, funny and a great ending.. one to be watched more than once i think. 

((set on a pirate radio ship... i'll say no more incase you haven't seen it))


----------



## Jennifer Kirk

I have just watched Star Wars episode IV (A new hope). I've seen it before, but years ago. This film still blows me away, and it's amazing to think that the stable fayre at the cinema when this was released in 1977 was stuff like Smokey and the Bandit - no wonder it did so well. 

It's still as good today as the day it was made; a tribute the the 'think big' approach of Lucas and his team at the time. This film is one of the classics for all time, and deservedly so.


----------



## sloweye

Heeeey! no fair picking on The Bandit


----------



## Jennifer Kirk

sloweye said:


> Heeeey! no fair picking on The Bandit



Sheriff Beauford T. Justice was the man!


----------



## sloweye

I'm gonna have to dig that out now, so glad i found on DVD. The bargin price of a quid


----------



## Happy Joe

*Predators*; pretty good movie, much better than Predator 2 or the last P vs. A  disaster.
In my view this is a worthy followup to the original Predator movie and somewhat better than the first Predator vs Alien movie (I thought it got undeserved bad reviews).
Its probably worth a purchase if you are a Predator fan and definitely worth a rental (even for non fans).

Enjoy!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

j. d. worthington said:


> Tonight's film was *The Uninvited*, which I haven't seen in about 5 years. This last could almost be described as a romantic film with strong ghostly elements (some of which do indeed manage to raise the hair on the back of the neck), but whether you describe it this way, or as a modern ghost tale, or a supernatural mystery, despite the fact that it hasn't held up as well over the years as, say, *The Haunting*, it still remains a very finely done film with excellent performances, and a beautiful film to watch (it was, in fact, nominated for the Academy Award for best cinematography). It has been far too long since I read Dorothy Macardle's (I have also seen it as MacArdle) novel to be able to remember how closely the film version followed it, but seeing the film again has got me hankering to look up a copy of the thing now....



I watched this last night. I liked it quite a bit. It struck me that this, along with *Rebecca* and *I Walked With A Zombie* would make a good triple bill of romantic spook movies (always bearing in mind that *I Walked...* features zombies and not spooks).


----------



## j d worthington

Oh, indeed. That would be a great triple feature!

Last night's entry for me was *The Reptile* (1966). I seem to have been in a Hammer phase a lot lately.... Not the best of Hammer's films, but one of which I am quite fond, and one with a lot of very atmospheric, effective, and quite beautiful things to it.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Truth About Cats And Dogs*. If this one got two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert, they must have been standing on their heads. Janeane Garofalo was like a zombie. She'd have been better in *Night of the Living Dead*. Uma Thurman, playing an air-head blonde was a much more appealing character. But that sure couldn't save it.


----------



## ravenus

*Little Big Soldier* was one of the better recent Jackie Chan films. It's not a particularly great film but Jackie looks very comfortable in his role and exudes a good deal of mellow charm as the farmer turned reluctant soldier.


----------



## dustinzgirl

The Last Airbender 

LOVED IT! I think they did an awesome job following the world created in the cartoon!


----------



## AE35Unit

dustinzgirl said:


> The Last Airbender
> 
> LOVED IT! I think they did an awesome job following the world created in the cartoon!


That cartoon serieds annoys me! Why the arrow on his head?


----------



## Foxbat

*The Stone Tape *A Nigel Kneale tale about the concept of data storage given a very Lovecraftian bent. Not bad for 1972 (despite the cheesy effects)


----------



## True Blue Mug

_The Social Network - _didn't quite feel like a David Fincherfilm. Still, interesting enough.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just stayed up for quite some time in order to watch, first, *Cronos*, which was very good. Couldn't help thinking how disturbed that girl is going to be, though. And then *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*, which I've never seen properly and lived up the good stuff I hear about it.


----------



## sloweye

*One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest *is a film i will watch over and over, its awesome. i had it on VHS and the tape snaped it was watched so often, so i forked out for the DVD.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Easy A*. Quite good.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Continuing to follow close in JD's footsteps, I watched Ken Russell's *Gothic*. Like the other Russell film I've seen, *Mahler*, it is a bit too studied-ly OTT to be taken altogether seriously and the imagery veers between the genuinely weird and compelling to the gratuitous and sensationalistic. In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, this really is a very entertaining movie, a little schizophrenic in its mix of a great deal of accurately researched detail and almost juvenile speculation. A lot if its power comes from the excellent performances and of course the visual brilliance.


----------



## AE35Unit

Going to see *Despicable Me* at the cinema later.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched Clint Eastwood's *Midnight in the garden of good and evil*, which I'm sorry to say I was disappointed with. Clint's other films have been so good that I was expecting more. This was an adaptation of a book based on true events. Kevin Spacey was very good, and the lady chablisse (sp) was a great character, but the film didn't have the emotional impact of things like *Mystic River*, *Million Dollar Baby*, *Gran Torino* or *Unforgiven*. Still not bad, but just not up to his great standards.

Will hopefully watch *Social Network* later today.


----------



## sloweye

*MacGyver fans look away now!
*








Very much to MacGyver what Austin Powers is to Bond. It was worth a laugh or two.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Dark City* last night and i wonder how i ever missed that film.  I never heard of before CBR interview with the director about some new work.  

I dont think many films are brilliant, i thought this one was.  People over use the words original,different  but not this time.  Visually great looking,story,themes wise very strong film. Great ending too, didnt make it too good. One of those films you want to see again to see what you missed.


Also saw *From Bejing with Love* a Hilarious James Bond parody with Stephen Chow.  From 1994 and before Chows great Shaloin Soccer but this one was good in a different way and not as much over the top.


----------



## AE35Unit

AE35Unit said:


> Going to see *Despicable Me* at the cinema later.



Can safely report tis an excellent and most funny film!


----------



## HoopyFrood

And tonight, the second of Del Toro's films, *The Devil's Backbone*.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Connavar said:


> I saw *Dark City* last night and i wonder how i ever missed that film.  I never heard of before CBR interview with the director about some new work.
> 
> I dont think many films are brilliant, i thought this one was.  People over use the words original,different  but not this time.  Visually great looking,story,themes wise very strong film. Great ending too, didnt make it too good. One of those films you want to see again to see what you missed.



I agree with your assessment of this film. When things like The Matrix became so big, I could never understand why, when Dark City had already been there and done it much better.


----------



## clovis-man

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> I agree with your assessment of this film. When things like The Matrix became so big, I could never understand why, when Dark City had already been there and done it much better.


 
I also thought *Dark City* was vastly underrated. My only quibble was that I thought Kiefer Sutherland's character was poorly realized. But overall, a well put together story and film event.


----------



## Connavar

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> I agree with your assessment of this film. When things like The Matrix became so big, I could never understand why, when Dark City had already been there and done it much better.



I thought similar thoughts watching it did whats human,what real in a better, more literary way.  Like a great novel of PKD or another writer good with those themes.

I had heard only some vague talk about Dark City before and by the title i thought was an action film or something.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Iron Man 2*,  rather good! (What's all this hinting at the Avengers tho?)
Its funny because I never read Marvel comics as a kid so never even heard of Iron Man till I saw the first film.


----------



## sloweye

*No Country for old men* - Not for me, i thought it was tripe. I had been told it was a fantastic film but....um.....na!


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *No Country for old men* - Not for me, i thought it was tripe. I had been told it was a fantastic film but....um.....na!



Oh I loved that film!


----------



## sloweye

It was just one of those, when it got to the end i just thought.... well i'll never get that time back again.
Maybe it was over sold to me, if it wasn't so hyped by my mates i might have though it was ok. but i went in to it expecting wonders that just wern't there.


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> *Iron Man 2*,  rather good! (What's all this hinting at the Avengers tho?)
> Its funny because I never read Marvel comics as a kid so never even heard of Iron Man till I saw the first film.



Avengers is a team of strongest,most popular Marvel superheros who tend to group in the comic version to work together against biggest threats to the world.

They are a making a movie version of it and they are building up the film in other films like Iron Man,Thor,Captain America.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> Avengers is a team of strongest,most popular Marvel superheros who tend to group in the comic version to work together against biggest threats to the world.
> 
> They are a making a movie version of it and they are building up the film in other films like Iron Man,Thor,Captain America.



A bit like League of Exyraordinary Gentlemen then, altho I believe that has nothing to do with Marvel!


----------



## ravenus

I saw this hilarious, campy and bizarre Indian snake-woman movie called *Hisss*, which was directed by David Lynch's daughter Jennifer. My detailed review of it *HERE*


----------



## Moonbat

We watched *The Social Network* yesterday and I wasn't all that impressed. I thought it wasn't really my type of film, but I saw a couple of interviews that made me think otherwise. So we went to t'cinema and watched it. It was ok, but not a grand and as amazing as people are making it out to be. It was sort of a documentary about the creation of facebook and the ensuing lawsuits. I'm not sure it had any deep massage about greed, or betrayal or anything. I found it interesting because it was about the creation of FB and I thought that was interesting. A little over hyped for a film that didn't even take you to the end of the story. It ends in the middle and then wraps things up with a few on screen notes about what happened to all the characters.
It has left me thinking about the message of the film, I think it says that either:
1. You can steal an idea from someone and it wont matter because when they sue you you'll just pay them off with a small fraction of what you've earnt.
or
2. You don't have to have an idea because if their idea is big enough you can sue them and get a massive amount of money.

Oh, and as for Eduardo, always read something before you sign it.

We saw a trailer for a remake of *Green Hornet*, it looked kind of rubbish, but I didn't know they were making it.


----------



## CyBeR

AE35Unit said:


> A bit like League of Exyraordinary Gentlemen then, altho I believe that has nothing to do with Marvel!



The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a series of Vertigo comics if I'm not mistaken, a subsidiary of DC Comics. 

Uh, my bad, it's WildStorm, but still under the wing of DC Comics. With DC the films are usually lightyears away from their source material, whereas Marvel has the good nature of trying to make adaptations that are as honest to the comics as possible (it's my honest opinion that 'Thor' will be a geek-fest). 
'The Avengers' will be a really interesting film...I don't think as much as the story is concern but more of how insanely interesting it's gonna be to see a freaking AVENGERS film in a cinema. 

Watched 'How to lose friends and alienate people' a couple of days ago. It's a really interesting film, especially since I really never cared for Simon Pegg as an actor so far. I may just look differently at 'Shaun of the dead' and 'Hot fuzz' after this film. 
The comedy is adequately witty, the characters are humanly flawed and I had a really good time watching it. Could've done without Megan Fox though...


----------



## AE35Unit

The Avengers will cause some confusion amongst Brits of a certain age (ahem) as we had a TV series of that name!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Annnnd, and this will come as no surprise, onto the third Del Toro film to be shown this weekend, *Pan's Labyrinth*.


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> Annnnd, and this will come as no surprise, onto the third Del Toro film to be shown this weekend, *Pan's Labyrinth*.



Pan's labyrinth is very good film, i bought it for my ex... about six months after we split up i bought it form myself too


----------



## j d worthington

Continuing with the current trend:

*The Gorgon* (1964): This was actually the first Hammer film I saw as a lad, and it has remained, despite some flaws, a personal favorite. Wonderful cast, including a rather despicable Pat Troughton before he took over the role of the Doctor from William Hartnell, with some fine atmospheric touches and an equally fine sense of tragedy (so often allied to the best terror tales).

*The Mummy* (1959): This is an odd one, taking as it does most of its elements from the sequels to the original Universal; lavishly done, and once again featuring notable pacing and direction by Terence Fisher. A film that still holds up quite beautifully after more than half a century.

*Oasis of the Living Dead* (1981): Wouldn't have watched this one, save for sheer accident, but I can't help but ask: How in hell can anyone manage to make a tale featuring WWII zombies, a treasure hunt for $6+ million in gold, beautiful naked women, a clash of cultures and their beliefs (with attendant noble sorts reaching out for understanding), a dashing sheikh, and an exotic location... among the most boring films of all time? Now _that_, children, takes a special sort of talent.... 

*The Fog* (1979): Faulted, yes; flawed, yes (especially that opening titles sequence -- just what the heck is all that electronic nonsense doing in there, and how does it any way relate to the ghosts or their incursion?). But, despite that, this film still holds up very well for me, with a lovely atmosphere of the classic ghost tale, yet holding just enough innovations from that model to be a modern example of the form; with some quite good performances and especially good set-pieces. I still argue that this is one of Carpenter's best films. And (having had to watch the darned thing) I wouldn't suggest touching the remake with a 1,000-foot barge pole....


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

j. d. worthington said:


> Continuing with the current trend:
> 
> 
> *The Fog* (1979): Faulted, yes; flawed, yes (especially that opening titles sequence -- just what the heck is all that electronic nonsense doing in there, and how does it any way relate to the ghosts or their incursion?). But, despite that, this film still holds up very well for me, with a lovely atmosphere of the classic ghost tale, yet holding just enough innovations from that model to be a modern example of the form; with some quite good performances and especially good set-pieces. I still argue that this is one of Carpenter's best films. And (having had to watch the darned thing) I wouldn't suggest touching the remake with a 1,000-foot barge pole....



I like this one a lot, too. I think my absolute favourite among Carpenter's films is *Prince Of Darkness*.


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, that's a good one, as well, though I haven't seen it in some years now.

Tonight I watched Romero's *Diary of the Dead*, a film which I feel is often sadly underrated. As a zombie film per se, it may not be as strong as other entries in the series; but for its use of the material for such sharp observations about current attitudes, our approaches to and abuse of, technology (especially the communications technologies such as the internet, videocameras, and the like) and where the line is between the two... as well as some rather dour observations on humanity in general, this one need fear comparison with nothing else the man has done....


----------



## Rodders

I watched Bad Santa last night. Nice endin, but i doubt i'll watch it again. (The wife hated it.)


----------



## PTeppic

Was looking forward to "RED", which I caught at the weekend, and (for once) it didn't disappoint. Excellent premise, well executed. Some good fun too.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I watched Bad Santa last night. Nice endin, but i doubt i'll watch it again. (The wife hated it.)


Ha, I have a photo on devciant art called that!


----------



## HoopyFrood

What a treat! Got home from work and saw that one of my favourite films (although I haven't seen it properly since I were a kid) was on -- the original *Dawn of the Dead*! Missed the first hour, but it's still going now.


----------



## dustinzgirl

AE35Unit said:


> That cartoon serieds annoys me! Why the arrow on his head?



If you watched the movie and the cartoon you would know.....

Me and the kids LOVE the cartoon.

We saw *Resident Evil *whatever the newest one's called....really liked it, if I ignore logical conclusions.....Caydence was so impressed she slept through the whole thing, and the guy in the movie theater made some comments about not letting babies cry through the theater...lucky for him I had my polite hat on. Anyways, I think it takes a lot to impress Caydence, she's also slept through a Billy Idol concert and her dad's heavy metal music. She just don't care, LOL.

Oh and we watched* Red* which is a cute & funny Bruce Willis and John Malchovich and Morgan Freeman and that mom chick from Weeds...anyways, they are these old CIA guys and the bad CIA guys are trying to kill them. Basically tried very hard to be your classical witty spy movie. It was OK. Had some funny parts, but they are mostly in the trailers, anyways, lol. Oh and it had a twisty ending that wasn't TOO predictable...but was kind of still predictable....


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *The Reaping* with _Hilary Swank_ last night, glad to see the supporting actor was _Idris Elba_. But the film, well..It had some good chilling moments but then ruined it with the silly ending. It was supposed to be a twist, but it just ruined the only scary thing about the film. A bit too biblical for my liking although I did like the bit when Hilary's character went: (from IMDB)



> In 1400 B.C., a group of nervous Egyptians saw the Nile turn red. But what they thought was blood was actually an algae bloom which killed the fish, which prior to that had been living off the eggs of frogs. Those uneaten eggs turned into record numbers of baby frogs who subsequently fled to the land and died. Their little rotting frog bodies attracted lice and flies. The lice carried the bluetongue virus, which killed 70% of Egypt's livestock. The flies carried glanders, a bacterial infection which in humans causes boils. Soon afterwards, the Nile River Valley was hit with a three-day sandstorm otherwise known as the plague of darkness. During the sandstorm, intense heat can combine with an approaching cold front to create not only hail, but also electrical storms which would have looked to the ancient Egyptians like fire from the sky. The subsequent wind would have blown the Ethiopian locust population off course and right into downtown Cairo. Hail is wet, locusts leave droppings spread both on grain, and you have got mycotoxins. Dinnertime in ancient Egypt meant the first-born child got the biggest portion which in this case meant he ate the most toxins, so he died. Ten plagues. Ten scientific explanations.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Aliens*, the longer version. There's once scene of wonky acting and the moon buggy is clearly a toy, but it's still superb.


----------



## AE35Unit

Toby Frost said:


> *Aliens*, the longer version. There's once scene of wonky acting and the moon buggy is clearly a toy, but it's still superb.



There's a longer version??

Well I came back into the room last night after doing the dishes to find Dawn of the Dead on TV. That soon went off!


----------



## Moonbat

By Hoopy



> What a treat! Got home from work and saw that one of my favourite films (although I haven't seen it properly since I were a kid) was on -- the original *Dawn of the Dead*! Missed the first hour, but it's still going now.


 
Then by AE35Unit



> Well I came back into the room last night after doing the dishes to find Dawn of the Dead on TV. That soon went off!


 
What a brilliant example of personal preferences and differing opinions.


----------



## AE35Unit

Moonbat said:


> By Hoopy
> 
> 
> 
> Then by AE35Unit
> 
> 
> 
> What a brilliant example of personal preferences and differing opinions.



Ha ha yea. It was on after a docu on the history of horror. But I hate low brow cheap slasher films-they give horror a bad name.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Whhoooa, are you calling *Dawn of the Dead* a cheap slasher film? Romeo's Living Dead series is laden with all kinds of commentary on society -- *Dawn of the Dead* being particularly about consumerism, commercial excess, large corporations. There's much more to to than just people shooting zombies (or getting nommed by them).   



Something which I only noticed last night, at the very end of the film -- when Peter's legging it across the roof and a zombie grabs his gun, throwing away the one it's already holding, and looks at it bemusedly...which is perhaps the first sign of the 'evolving' zombies? As they start remembering how to use tools and weapons in later films of the series.


----------



## Mouse

Well, *Dawn of the Dead* was also the last film I saw. Hilarious stuff. Zombies on escalators?! Funniest thing I've seen in ages. Loved it.


----------



## ravenus

The film adaptation of *The Last Temptation of Christ*, which if occasionally meandering, was still a brilliant and moving alternate take on the man known as Jesus of Nazareth.


----------



## j d worthington

HoopyFrood said:


> Whhoooa, are you calling *Dawn of the Dead* a cheap slasher film? Romeo's Living Dead series is laden with all kinds of commentary on society -- *Dawn of the Dead* being particularly about consumerism, commercial excess, large corporations. There's much more to to than just people shooting zombies (or getting nommed by them).
> 
> 
> 
> Something which I only noticed last night, at the very end of the film -- when Peter's legging it across the roof and a zombie grabs his gun, throwing away the one it's already holding, and looks at it bemusedly...which is perhaps the first sign of the 'evolving' zombies? As they start remembering how to use tools and weapons in later films of the series.


 
Not the first sign. There are other things in there which indicate Romero is beginning to explore that territory -- and the recognition that "we" and "they" are the same -- such as the bit with the baseball player and nun zombies, etc. Those form touching yet ironic bits of that recognition on our part of the kinship, and the odd connection the zombies sometimes make with those they face, where one senses they feel a dim curiosity or perhaps even a remote memory of their lives, resulting in an anomalous lack of violent reaction on their parts.

And yes, Dawn of the Dead quickly got critical attention because of its commentary on the consumerist society, just as Night did for its notes of racial tension and the theme of clashing (and crumbling) cultural norms; Day for its criticism of various political ideas of the Reagan administration and gung-ho militarism (as well as the running theme in many of Romero's films of the scientist who becomes too detached and involved with the problem as an abstract problem rather than a human problem, etc.); Land of the Dead with its jabs at the Bush administration's social policies; and Diary with its examination of our "communications culture" and the addictions which emerge from it (as well as the battle over competing views of reality via the media, corporate and private... that comment about -- I'm paraphrasing here -- "when so many versions of reality are so widely disseminated, in the end it all becomes noise", is a very real danger we see threatening to undermine even further the function of critical thinking and the ability to sift truth from fantasy or opinion).

Yep, Romero's zombie films have been noted for over 40 years as vehicles he uses for examining and criticizing society's self-destructive tendencies and, when you get down to it, the actual bloodletting, violence, etc., take up relatively little film time in comparison to the character-development and storytelling....

My latest was a much older film featuring an earlier form of "zombie", as it were: *The Ghoul* (1933), a Gaumont-British film which, despite some very wonky aspects, is a very effective bit of eerie atmosphere overall. Heck of a cast, too: Boris Karloff, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger (in a more or less straight performance, with very little of his "camp" in evidence)... It stumbles here and there, but on the whole I think it is a delightful little bit of a semi-supernatural thriller, with "oriental menace" elements.... (Karloff doesn't have much dialogue, and the latter part of his performance is, perforce, somewhat exaggerated, but he also manages to both exude menace and elicit sympathy even then....)


----------



## HoopyFrood

j. d. worthington said:


> Not the first sign. There are other things in there which indicate Romero is beginning to explore that territory -- and the recognition that "we" and "they" are the same -- such as the bit with the baseball player and nun zombies, etc. Those form touching yet ironic bits of that recognition on our part of the kinship, and the odd connection the zombies sometimes make with those they face, where one senses they feel a dim curiosity or perhaps even a remote memory of their lives, resulting in an anomalous lack of violent reaction on their parts.
> 
> And yes, Dawn of the Dead quickly got critical attention because of its commentary on the consumerist society, just as Night did for its notes of racial tension and the theme of clashing (and crumbling) cultural norms; Day for its criticism of various political ideas of the Reagan administration and gung-ho militarism (as well as the running theme in many of Romero's films of the scientist who becomes too detached and involved with the problem as an abstract problem rather than a human problem, etc.); Land of the Dead with its jabs at the Bush administration's social policies; and Diary with its examination of our "communications culture" and the addictions which emerge from it (as well as the battle over competing views of reality via the media, corporate and private... that comment about -- I'm paraphrasing here -- "when so many versions of reality are so widely disseminated, in the end it all becomes noise", is a very real danger we see threatening to undermine even further the function of critical thinking and the ability to sift truth from fantasy or opinion).
> 
> Yep, Romero's zombie films have been noted for over 40 years as vehicles he uses for examining and criticizing society's self-destructive tendencies and, when you get down to it, the actual bloodletting, violence, etc., take up relatively little film time in comparison to the character-development and storytelling....
> 
> My latest was a much older film featuring an earlier form of "zombie", as it were: *The Ghoul* (1933), a Gaumont-British film which, despite some very wonky aspects, is a very effective bit of eerie atmosphere overall. Heck of a cast, too: Boris Karloff, Ralph Richardson, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger (in a more or less straight performance, with very little of his "camp" in evidence)... It stumbles here and there, but on the whole I think it is a delightful little bit of a semi-supernatural thriller, with "oriental menace" elements.... (Karloff doesn't have much dialogue, and the latter part of his performance is, perforce, somewhat exaggerated, but he also manages to both exude menace and elicit sympathy even then....)



While writing mine earlier, I could just positively feel a post like this coming. 



(hey, it's been a while, and you miss it)


----------



## Toby Frost

Basically there is a Director's Cut of Aliens, which includes scenes at the space colony leading up to the aliens taking over, which are ok if a bit rough around the edges, and more excitingly a scene later on where the marines safeguard the perimeter with automated sentry guns (which is great). None of it is strictly speaking vital, but it's cool.

Oh, yes, and I agree about Romero. His films are of varying quality, but they've always got ideas behind them. In a way it's a shame zombies are so much the flavour* of the month.


* human flesh, to be precise.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Whhoooa, are you calling *Dawn of the Dead* a cheap slasher film? .



Basically yea! All such films are pointless drivel to me, not real horror at all! Do it as a comedy and I'll buy the ticket, otherwise, wide berth!


----------



## dustinzgirl

AE35Unit said:


> Ha ha yea. It was on after a docu on the history of horror. But I hate low brow cheap slasher films-they give horror a bad name.



I looooooooooove cheap slasher flicks!

I'm  watching scooby doo, lol


----------



## Wybren

I took my son to see Despicable Me yesterday. It was great, I want a minion now.


----------



## soulsinging

AE35Unit said:


> Basically yea! All such films are pointless drivel to me, not real horror at all! Do it as a comedy and I'll buy the ticket, otherwise, wide berth!



Like Zombieland?

I'm curious what you consider good horror. I'm not a horror fan at all really, but have always been under the impression that Romero is widely regarded as one of the more intelligent and artistic horror directors. When I think cheap slasher, I think Saw, Hostel, and the like.

I watched Cowboy Bebop this afternoon. Pretty good really.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Speaking of Romero, last night I revisited his 1977 film, *Martin*, which I found every bit as disturbing as I'd recalled. You can read my reactions in more detail on my blog, but beware of (very subtle) spoilers. 

I'll have to watch *The Ghoul*. I can scarcely conceive of Thesiger playing it straight!


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Basically yea! All such films are pointless drivel to me, not real horror at all! Do it as a comedy and I'll buy the ticket, otherwise, wide berth!


 
I'm no fan of "cheap slasher films" -- in fact, I abominate the genre -- but, take it from me, Romero does not fit into that category in any way, shape, or form. There is violence and gore in (some of) his films, but they are, almost without exception (*Creepshow* being such, and that was an affectionate _hommage_ to the old EC Comics) intelligent, well-crafted films with loads of social commentary, character, and story. "Slasher films", on the other hand, are concerned _only_ with the violence and opportunities for nudity (which is why Psycho doesn't really fit as a slasher film, either, though it has often been considered as beginning the genre). Romero's films don't often have nudity, and the violence is seldom gratuitous per se. In his zombie films, it is true, there is a fair amount of violence and gore, but that is an inevitable concommitant of the situation: the dead rising, with only primitive areas of the brain (i.e., the "R-complex") working... or so it seems, until they do something surprisingly human.... 

I really would suggest watching *Dawn of the Dead* from start to finish and looking at the different layers on which it works. (E.g., the station manager who tears into his assistant for taking down the running banners giving the locations of rescue stations... not because he wants people to get to safety, but because if they aren't up, "people will stop watching!" All this while at the same time they are broadcasting an interview with one of the experts looking for a solution to this crisis, who is trying to remind people that these are not their loving relatives, but animated appetites, and when someone dies, "they get up and kill! The people they kill then get up and kill!", ad infinitum. The reason the assistant took down the banners? A lot of those stations were no longer functional, and sending people there would put them right in the hands of the walking dead. A more savage commentary on how little the media is often concerned with public safety when compared to ratings is difficult to find.) It also is a story with a great deal of compassion and pathos and, in general, a fine tale, well told.

Besides, it's scarcely more violent than *Macbeth*, when one gets down to it....



Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Speaking of Romero, last night I revisited his 1977 film, *Martin*, which I found every bit as disturbing as I'd recalled. You can read my reactions in more detail on my blog, but beware of (very subtle) spoilers.
> 
> I'll have to watch *The Ghoul*. I can scarcely conceive of Thesiger playing it straight!


 
Yes, that does rather take some doing, doesn't it? It isn't entirely straight -- he does go slightly over-the-top at times, but not enough that one can be certain it isn't a serious characterization....

And yes... *Martin*. Now, _there's_ an intensely disturbing film; one of the truly unique takes on the vampire, and a genuine classic. Highly recommended.

Oh, and Hoops: You betcha!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

j. d. worthington said:


> I really would suggest watching *Dawn of the Dead* from start to finish and looking at the different layers on which it works.... A more savage commentary on how little the media is often concerned with public safety when compared to ratings is difficult to find.) It also is a story with a great deal of compassion and pathos and, in general, a fine tale, well told.



*Martin *touches on this theme as well, with the radio show Martin calls in to and the host whose response is to tell Martin that this is doing wonders for his ratings - would he like to come over to the studio and do a show sometime? The lag between Martin's conversation on the phone and the broadcast seemed a telling detail to me - illustrating the way that things don't seem to be real to many of us until validated by the media gods.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *Hunger* last night, a film about a hunger strike at HMP Maze during the 'troubles' with the IRA. Quite a brutal film, being an Englishman I'm never sure where to stand on the IRA/troubles argument, but I usually sit in the unionist camp (not literally I'm safe at home in surrey) but this film was rather appalling in terms of the treatment of the prisoners, and yet I found it hard to emphasise with them. Very interesting to see some of the conditions they were kept in. They seem to have brought alot of the problems on themselves, smearing faeces over the walls, basically being uncooperative under the guise of being a politcal prisoner. The film had some great moments, the scene between Bobby Sands and the priest was really good, but there was also a 5-10 minute scene of a prison guard sweeping up urine, and a 5 minute scene of a man trying to entice a fly onto his finger, so it did have some padding as I would call it.
Can't believe how skinny Michael Fassbender looked at the end, quite amazing that an actor can put himself through this, I wonder how they get so skinny yet (probably) in a safe way, controlled starvation?


----------



## CyBeR

Reading this topic I just realized that I never watched a Romero film. Sure, I had a go at 'Night of the living dead' a long time ago, but I was a kid and insanely afraid of the dark. You can imagine that seeing zombies didn't really make me watch the film at that point.
I really enjoyed the remake of 'Dawn of the dead', but I'm pretty certain there won't be much connection between that and the original. 

I watch zombie films as a form of fun entertainment. I can't conceive them as being scary (unless you count 'Quarantine' in with this lot...that was scary enough to give me some frights) since, well, it's the walking dead eating people...not really a day to day occurrence. But they're fun on occasion, and I really should look more into the genre.
Watched 'Doghouse' a couple of weeks ago. That was a funny film, even if for the Gilette Fusion ad that kept popping on screen every 5 minutes.



Moonbat said:


> Can't believe how skinny Michael Fassbender  looked at the end, quite amazing that an actor can put himself through  this, I wonder how they get so skinny yet (probably) in a safe way,  controlled starvation?



Try watching 'The machinist' and immediately after 'Batman Begins'...I get scared at Bale's dedication to his roles.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *The January Man* on TV. The film is so-so if not for the great cast and performance. Kevin Kline is just brilliant.


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> I really would suggest watching *Dawn of the Dead* from start to finish and looking at the different layers on which it works. !


Is that the early black and white one they keep showing the same clips of? Never seen it to be honest, I might add it to my Tesco list. I just don't like the genre of films it spawned and the general 'dirtying' of the horror genre because of it, from Texas chain saw massacre to Nightmare on Elm Street (yawn) to the endless Saw films.


----------



## Moonbat

> Try watching 'The machinist' and immediately after 'Batman Begins'...I get scared at Bale's dedication to his roles.


 
I have seen the *Machinist* and I was impressed by Bale's physique, the film was bit slow. I think Fassbender in *Hunger* is even more skinny than Bale in *Machinist*, but it is a close one.

I think *Quarantine* is a remake of the spanish film *Rec* which was very scary, perfectly paced so that it culminates in a big fright.


----------



## Lenny

I do like Christian Bale - he's been in some very good roles over the years. Some quite strange ones at that, too.

*Quarantine *is my list of things to watch. I might give *Rec* a look, also.

I'd like to see *Despicable Me*, and I think I'm going to the local cinema at some point to see *The Social Network* and, of course, *Back to the Future* when it's out. I'd also quite like to see *Red*.

---

Last film I saw was *Resident Evil: Afterlife*. For all the daftness in the trailers, it was quite good and I rather enjoyed it... apart from the really daft moments with clones, giant hammers and the "mouth dogs".

Before that I re-watched *Princess Mononoke*. It's nowhere near my favourite Ghibli film, but it's still enjoyable.


----------



## vector7

Nice choice of movie. *Rec *is really an interesting take on a zombie outbreak. Its a thrilling movie. 

I surely want to catch the *Red* soon.

The last movie I saw was the original doggy-movie *Beethoven*. Family fun. Nothing else.


----------



## BookStop

I went and saw Red this weekend, it was good but nothing excitiing. I did love John Malchovich though, that guy is always brilliant.


----------



## AE35Unit

BookStop said:


> I went and saw Red this weekend, it was good but nothing excitiing. I did love John Malchovich though, that guy is always brilliant.



There's somethibg about Malkovich! Anyone seen Being John Malkovich? Is it a documentary?


----------



## Thing

Last film I watched was Y Tu Mama Tambien, a very funny Mexican road-trip style movie.



Lenny said:


> Before that I re-watched *Princess Mononoke*. It's nowhere near my favourite Ghibli film, but it's still enjoyable.



Watched this for the first time as well recently, currently going through all the Studio Ghibli anime films (I'm hooked!) and I think Mononoke sits between Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro as my second favourite.


----------



## j d worthington

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Martin *touches on this theme as well, with the radio show Martin calls in to and the host whose response is to tell Martin that this is doing wonders for his ratings - would he like to come over to the studio and do a show sometime? The lag between Martin's conversation on the phone and the broadcast seemed a telling detail to me - illustrating the way that things don't seem to be real to many of us until validated by the media gods.


 
It has been a while since I saw *Martin*, so I'd forgotten about that level but, yes, it is much the same. Romero extends that scrutiny in Diary of the Dead to include those of us who post on YouTube, make our little documentary films, etc., as well; and he certainly does not exclude criticism of the more professional makers of such things, either. By inference at least, _all_ are suspect....



CyBeR said:


> I watch zombie films as a form of fun entertainment. I can't conceive them as being scary (unless you count 'Quarantine' in with this lot...that was scary enough to give me some frights) since, well, it's the walking dead eating people...not really a day to day occurrence.


 
I think the reason Romero's films work on this level is that he focuses on character interaction and their very real responses to a situation where, as he put in Diary, "God changed the rules on us" and they find themselves, perforce, "playing along". Thus he builds tension because these aren't just nameless, faceless, victims -- not even the ratbastards -- but people caught in the middle of this insane hell, and responding to it well or badly, humanely or at the lowest, most self-aggrandizing level. And, over the course of the series, he even develops a viewer sympathy for the zombies, beginning with *Dawn* and (apparently; I've not yet had the chance to see the film) culminating in *Survival of the Dead* which, from what I've seen, takes as its idea how much we hold onto or lose our own humanity by our treatment of them.



AE35Unit said:


> Is that the early black and white one they keep showing the same clips of? Never seen it to be honest, I might add it to my Tesco list. I just don't like the genre of films it spawned and the general 'dirtying' of the horror genre because of it, from Texas chain saw massacre to Nightmare on Elm Street (yawn) to the endless Saw films.


 
No, *Dawn* was the second of the Romero films; it takes place, for the most part, in a shopping mall, where the protagonists hold up as civilization crumbles. And the commentary he makes using this setup is many-leveled.... The one you seem to be thinking of is the original *Night of the Living Dead*, which was done in a very grainy black-and-white format to capture much of the feel of the newsreels of the period (as well as for budgetary reasons). It is more of a starkly horrific film in some ways as a result, and certainly made one heck of an impact when it came out, as nothing quite like it had been done. Oh, you had flesh-eating zombies before, iirc, but not with a good, solid story and good character development/conflict, let alone the political critiquing inherent in the film. This one has long been considered a classic of the horror genre (with good reason), and has even been given a place in the Museum of Modern Art....

As for the other films you mention... despite some serious flaws, the first *Nightmare* film also has some good strengths, especially the way Craven blurs the boundaries between dream and reality so well. (The other films in the series are, to me, without merit I'm afraid.) *Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (the original) also has its good points, but _that_ is one which I have to give its due without having any liking for whatsoever. I've managed to sit through it twice; the second time was over 20 years after having seen it the first time around, and I watched it just to see if my memories were correct. They were. I still felt, after watching it, that I should be taking a bath with lye soap and a wire brush to get clean again.... As for the *Saw* films -- I refuse to waste my time there. Torture porn I can do without....



AE35Unit said:


> There's somethibg about Malkovich! Anyone seen Being John Malkovich? Is it a documentary?


 
Nope: Being John Malkovich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The last film I saw was a very peculiar thing from 1934, *Chloe, Love Is Calling You*... a film which I am surprised has even been allowed to see the light of day at this point, as it is one of the most racist things I've seen in ages... in some ways, it even outdoes *Birth of a Nation* on that front! The general set-up isn't bad, and could have made for a good film, but the stereotypes of the black characters is appalling, and the fact that they had such a large cast of black actors and actresses playing such parts somehow makes it even more so. (Though I will admit that Georgette Harvey, who plays Old Mandy, does put in a quite creditable performance, despite the drawbacks of the script.) It almost took a sympathetic turn with the situation with Old Mandy and Chloe (and does so with Jim), but then chose to play the former up as a thoroughgoing bad lot, weakening what could have had some genuine integrity as a tale.


----------



## ravenus

Re-watch. *The Terminator*. Ah-nuld. Awesome.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

And - thud! - I watched a more or less mindless zombie flick last night, *Tombs Of The Blind Dead*, a 1971 Spanish film. Some attempt is made at an original backstory involving Templar knights, Egyptian ankhs and blood sacrifices, but basically it's pretty much the zombie film template with fresh meat delivered up to the slow-moving but unstoppable terrors, midnight resurrections and so forth. Much of it is beautifully shot with a great sense of atmosphere, like the scenes of the horse-riding undead knights galloping in slo-mo in a sort of eerie semi-twilight, but the film is undermined by gratuitous bits of sex and nastiness and a mediocre script.


----------



## j d worthington

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> And - thud! - I watched a more or less mindless zombie flick last night, *Tombs Of The Blind Dead*, a 1971 Spanish film. Some attempt is made at an original backstory involving Templar knights, Egyptian ankhs and blood sacrifices, but basically it's pretty much the zombie film template with fresh meat delivered up to the slow-moving but unstoppable terrors, midnight resurrections and so forth. Much of it is beautifully shot with a great sense of atmosphere, like the scenes of the horse-riding undead knights galloping in slo-mo in a sort of eerie semi-twilight, but the film is undermined by gratuitous bits of sex and nastiness and a mediocre script.


 
Yes, that's one of those oddities of this little sub-genre. Had it not been for those weak points, it would have been a very memorable film, as the atmosphere is often extremely well done. (This holds for what excerpts I've seen of some of the sequels, for that matter.) Unfortunately, it is a grievously flawed film, so I can't ever say it would be in my top recommendations. But, for those who love this sort of story, I would also say it is one of the more memorable experiences _just_ because of the atmosphere....

Oh, and I should have mentioned another little tidbit concerning *The Ghoul*: it was co-scripted by Roland Pertwee, father of Jon....


----------



## CyBeR

Has anyone here watched the film 'Joshua', from 2007?
If so, please tell me that I'm not the only one that found this to be insanely STUPID.


----------



## Toby Frost

I must agree that I thought the Chainsaw Massacre was of little merit. It was just... well, crappy, really. Imagine Scooby Doo crossed with a Rob Zombie video and that's really it. It had only one good (2-second) moment: when the villain rages at the heroine's escape as dawn breaks. Only that moment had the epic quality really good horror has. Otherwise, it had nothing to say or deliver but very cheap thrills. Alien, the Shining, Dawn of the Dead and The Thing all have something big about them, despite the small casts. It's a sense of horror that goes beyond the mere fear of pain and into a realisation of how small you really are. 

Was that pretentious? Probably.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching "Termintator: Salvation." last night. I have to say that i found the whole thing a bit underwelming. Not a bad film, but Christian Bale was definately miscast. He was evry much still in Batman mode. A shame, this could have been a superb film.


----------



## HoopyFrood

CyBeR said:


> Try watching 'The machinist' and immediately after 'Batman Begins'...I get scared at Bale's dedication to his roles.



Oh, so much. And also watch *American Psycho*, when he buffs up a crazy amount, too. It was after watching *The Machinist* that I really started to respect Christian Bale as an actor -- he goes through some craziness to get into roles! I agree with Moonbat that *The Machinist* is a bit slow. It has some potential to be really weird and chilling, and I felt a little let down by the ending. 

'ang about, I've just realised I bought that film but now I can't remember where I put it...crap...

*Quarantine* is goooood. I really need to watch *Rec*, though, apparently that one is even better.


----------



## Moonbat

*Being John Malckovich* is not a documentary it is a weird comedy. It directed by one of the guys in *three kings*, the idiot guy that has to get told not to shoot things. It is a brilliant film with a wonderful performance by Cameron Diaz as...wait for it....not the beautiful lead. A real gem of a film.

*Rec* (the original) is very good. I haven't seen *quarantine* but as it is the Hollywood remake of a new spanish horror I'm inclined to think that the original will be better.
I did really like Christian Bale after *Equilibrium*, but since he started doing *Batman* he has kind of reverted to type, in *Terminator 4* rise of the machines he isn't very good at all, which is a shame because the film could have been cool, but sucked.


----------



## j d worthington

Toby Frost said:


> I must agree that I thought the Chainsaw Massacre was of little merit. It was just... well, crappy, really. Imagine Scooby Doo crossed with a Rob Zombie video and that's really it. It had only one good (2-second) moment: when the villain rages at the heroine's escape as dawn breaks. Only that moment had the epic quality really good horror has. Otherwise, it had nothing to say or deliver but very cheap thrills. Alien, the Shining, Dawn of the Dead and The Thing all have something big about them, despite the small casts. It's a sense of horror that goes beyond the mere fear of pain and into a realisation of how small you really are.
> 
> Was that pretentious? Probably.


 
A little story about that final scene, told by Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface) himself: Apparently (and this backs up what I've heard from others who worked on the film, such as Ed Neal (the hitchhiker), whom I used to run into occasionally at the local sff bookstore), this shoot was insanely pressured for time and, toward the end, no one was getting any sleep, the film was running out, the money had run out, and in general, it just got to be an exercise in torture as a film actor (or maker). So, when Tobe Hooper (whom all agree is, overall, a very nice man who made a really nasty film) told Gunnar he needed him to really go crazy with that chainsaw at the end, he did... and what Tobe didn't realize was that Gunnar was so low on sleep that he simply lost it and was actually after Tobe with that chainsaw... and no, these had not been doctored.  He snapped out of it before any harm was done, but Tobe Hooper didn't know until much later how very close he came to not only losing his camera, but quite possibly his head, in making that final scene....

And my latest was another Hammer release: 1962's remake of *The Phantom of the Opera*. While not among their best, I've always been immensely fond of this film, despite (or because of?) Lom's performance as (as I have heard it described) "a rather seedy phantom". At any rate, for me the film holds up quite well after all this time, and I loved seeing it again....


----------



## Connavar

BookStop said:


> I went and saw Red this weekend, it was good but nothing excitiing. I did love John Malchovich though, that guy is always brilliant.



Same feeling that makes me want to see this movie when it has premiere over here.  Normally i would not watch a generic action film like it on cinema but John Malkovich,Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman is just too good a chance to miss.

Specially over here those actors are relagated to DVD strictly realeses even with ther best films thanks movies with the likes of Shia Lebeouf,Megan Fox....


----------



## Starbeast

*I just watched it for the first time *​


----------



## AE35Unit

Starbeast said:


> *I just watched it for the first time *​



It? I don't see a film title unless you mean IT? Hmm a youtube link, that's why I can't see it...


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> It? I don't see a film title unless you mean IT? Hmm a youtube link, that's why I can't see it...


 
Oops! I forget not everybody can see Youtube.


*CHAPLIN (1992)* starring: ROBERT DOWNEY JR, DAN AYKROYD, ANTHONY HOPKINS, MILLA JOVOIVCH & KEVIN KLINE (and more)

The movie is about the silent film star CHARLIE CHAPLIN. It's biographical, stylish and filled with marvelous acting, great film!


----------



## dask

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH with Vincent Price. Saw it a long time ago, enjoyed it more this time. Constant downer of a movie provoking my wife to ask "Doesn't anything good happen?" Well, yeah. A dumb poodle gets killed. (At least it looked like a poodle.) What else you want?


----------



## dask

"Terror and horror are so far opposite." 

I know I shouldn't do this but oh, what the heck. In the battle between "horror" and "terror" I remain a conscientious objector. These two nitro-terms are what they are and will not be swayed by wrath or reason til the evolution of language dictates otherwise. The fighting and tactics of syntactics I leave to qualified generals like Radcliffe and Varma. That's not to say I haven't done some snooping around, and though I have no desire to support a lost cause I thought I would, if only as a sort of public service announcement, relate what I found be it accurate or inaccurate, important or impertinent.

The OED is the Amazing Fantasy 15 of lexicology. Wish I had one, but as its importance is matched fully by its bulk I am forced to tote around a collegiate dictionary. The Merriam Webster is my tool of choice. As everyone knows most words in English have a multiplicity of meanings, some subtle, some mind-thumping (check out "ravish" to see what I mean); some definitions take up very little space while others like "set" occupy over half a page. In the explanatory notes MW says the arrangement of these definitions, or senses, are "historical: the sense known to have been first used in English is entered first." The definition listed first for horror is a "painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay" and first for terror is "a state of intense fear." What this seems to suggest is that at some point in their respective histories, while not mirror images, horror and terror could be used interchangeably.

What's the point. I'm not sure. I'm centainly not trying to knock Radcliffe and Varma out of the ring. Perhaps any word misused often enough will eventually become legitimate ("peruse" strikes me as an example of this) making the evolution of language a neverending war between words where victory is frequently bestowed upon the loser.


----------



## ravenus

*Piranha 3D*
You'll never mistake it for Hitchcock but as a tribute/rehash of the cheesy 80's tits n' gore creature feature, full marks!!!


----------



## j d worthington

dask: That's why I went into the etymology of the words elsewhere -- this shows both their close alliance and the subtle difference in their original meanings, and how, used precisely, the meanings have continued to be allied but not the same. As noted, one stresses (from its origins on) the physical response, while the other stresses the emotional or mental.

Interestingly enough, my latest viewing also had a point where it addressed this issue: *Dr. Terror's House of Horrors* (1965), the first (iirc) of Amicus' entries in this genre, and starring many of the staple actors of the Hammer films: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, etc. You even have an appearance by Bernard Lee ("M." of the original Bond films). (It also has Roy Castle, playing the sort of role he so often did, which is why I've never been a big fan of the man; though I will agree that what he did, he did very well....)  A fairly successful little anthology film, with some very nice touches to it, and a rather good atmosphere in spots. 

At any rate, Cushing's (the main title's) character is actually a Dr. Schreck (a nod, perhaps, to Max Schreck of *Nosferatu* fame?); a name which one of the characters mentions being a German word meaning "fear, horror", etc., to which Cushing's character replies, "A more exact translation would be 'terror'", indicating that even as late as the 1960s, there was still _some_ popular recognition of the difference between the terms.


----------



## ravenus

> Cushing's character replies, "A more exact translation would be  'terror'", indicating that even as late as the 1960s, there was still _some_ popular recognition of the difference between the terms.


Or at least with Peter Cushing, that man of elegance and preciseness


----------



## clovis-man

One from 1957: *Night of the Demon*. Released as *Curse of the Demon* in the U.S. With Dana Andrews as the skeptic psychologist, the movie really features the wonderful role played by Niall MacGinnis as the evil Dr. Karswell. Hadn't seen this one in decades. Enjoyed it all over again.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Man From Planet X *(1951)

At first glance, this movie appears a child of its time (typical alien invasion movie) but it has more intelligence around it than that and a nice, ambiguous ending. 

I can think of worse ways of spending seventy-odd minutes


----------



## dask

DRAG ME TO HELL. Pretty good Halloween fare.


----------



## AE35Unit

Starbeast said:


> Oops! I forget not everybody can see Youtube.
> 
> 
> *CHAPLIN (1992)* starring: ROBERT DOWNEY JR, DAN AYKROYD, ANTHONY HOPKINS, MILLA JOVOIVCH & KEVIN KLINE (and more)
> 
> The movie is about the silent film star CHARLIE CHAPLIN. It's biographical, stylish and filled with marvelous acting, great film!



Oh excellent film!


----------



## Culhwch

Indulged in a _Back to the Future_ marathon to celebrate the 25th anniversary....


----------



## AE35Unit

Culhwch said:


> Indulged in a _Back to the Future_ marathon to celebrate the 25th anniversary....



Good grief, 25 years! Now on blu ray too!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Predators*
Adrian Brodie so doesn't suit this film! And Alien is still better than this samey series


----------



## No One

AE35Unit said:


> [B ]Predators[/b]
> Adrian Brodie so doesn't suit this film! And Alien is still better than this samey series



Agreed that Adrian Brody just didn't fit the part. 

And it always amazes me how scriptwriters constantly fail to elicit even a half decent film out of a classic creature creation.

Poor film.


----------



## clovis-man

*Red*.

Wild and wacky. Willing suspension of disbelief is absolutely required. The best use of a good ensemble cast that I can remember in some time. Compares favorably with *True Lies *IMHO. My kind of movie.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Near Dark* (1987), a rather good vampire flick with a few flaws, but overall a gripping and fairly unique tale that works in a love story without romanticising vampires or vampirism. I thought that was a particularly deft touch, even there was at least one large hole elsewhere in the plot.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> *Predators*
> Adrian Brodie so doesn't suit this film! And Alien is still better than this samey series


More than anything else it is to me a sequel made to a film that never asked for one.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> More than anything else it is to me a sequel made to a film that never asked for one.



It struck me as a remake of the first film, minus Arnie!
And I noticed a scene with a glaring error. They discover a plant and the doctor blokey warns the others not to touch it. He then tells them its latin name, which made me pick up the box again to read the synopsis. Yup, supposed to be on an alien planet so what's an Earth plant doing there?!?


----------



## BookStop

I got to watch *Something Wicked This Way* *Comes* last night and although it is clearly dated and somewhat oversimplified, I enjoyed it, as did the kinder.


----------



## Thing

*District 9* - Really enjoyed it. Chris, an alien trying to get home, and Wikus, the main character trying to get back to his wife, get caught between a greedy arms manufacturer and power-hungry Nigerian gangsters, very entertaining!


----------



## Perpetual Man

I watched the Fisher King for the first time in a while last night and was reminded just what a good movie it is!


----------



## Riselka

*SUCK* - a great little Rock and Roll vampire musical flick, with appearances by a number of well known musicians.

http://www.youtube.com/v/kOHghfrww8I


----------



## j d worthington

My recent viewing:

*The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb* (Hammer, 1964). An enjoyable piece, if not as good as its predecessors; some very nice touches, and with a gorgeous use of the color for which Hammer was so famous. I must admit, though, that I hate seeing poor Michael Ripper get such a tiny, insignificant part here....

*Donovan's Brain* (1953). An old favorite, and one which holds up surprisingly well, due in large part to the performances of Lew Ayres, Gene Evans, and Nancy Davis (yep, Mrs. Reagan). Adapted from Curt Siodmak's novel of the same name, this is one of at least three film versions, but is generally viewed as the best. (The others were The Lady in the Monster, from 1944 and The Brain from 1963.) While the direction and cinematography do not draw attention to themselves, they are rather well done, and enhance the general air of menace as the brain of Warren Donovan increases its hold on those about it....

*The Manster* (1959) -- One of those films where one asks: why? Not that a really good film couldn't be made using this basic material (with some radical changes), but you have some good talent here which is almost completely wasted (save for a handful of moments). There are also some quite atmospheric sets and set pieces, and bits where it really does work... but overall, definitely one to be watched as a B-movie lover rather than looking for quality fare.... (However, it must be added that Sam Raimi payed tribute to this one in *Army of Darkness*; so that might appeal to the film buffs out there....)


----------



## AE35Unit

Perpetual Man said:


> I watched the Fisher King for the first time in a while last night and was reminded just what a good movie it is!


That is such a good film!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ah, Hallowe'en, and I'm spoilt for horror choice. Watched a large portion of *White Noise* earlier. A film with potential, I watched it at the cinema when it came out, but as usual, the monster reveal at the end ruined it.

Now *The Innocents* is on. Creepy opening tune. I like. And children are always creepy as.


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> It struck me as a remake of the first film, minus Arnie!
> And I noticed a scene with a glaring error. They discover a plant and the doctor blokey warns the others not to touch it. He then tells them its latin name, which made me pick up the box again to read the synopsis. Yup, supposed to be on an alien planet so what's an Earth plant doing there?!?


I think the aliens prepare the environment for their prey species. But really, if you want to pick logic holes, this is hardly the film to watch.

Anyhoo, I saw *Universal Soldier*, the 1992 film with Van Damme & Dolph  Lundgren. It's basically a Robocop/Terminator knockoff with a shitty  plotline about resurrecting dead soldiers from Vietnam as  mind-controlled physically-augmented flesh puppets for crack military missions. Despite a budget 3  times more than what Cameron had for the first Terminator film, it looks  cheaper. But if you're not picky, there're some energetic shootouts and  big-scale chases and the humor actually works better than in Emmerich's  latter day films like Independence Day & Godzilla.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

j. d. worthington said:


> *The Manster* (1959) --



Huh. This one's in my to-be-viewed queue. Couldn't resist the title.


----------



## Starbeast

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Huh. This one's in my to-be-viewed queue. Couldn't resist the title.


 


Great movie, but when I saw it as a child on tv late at night, I thought it was shocking and disturbing.


----------



## clovis-man

*Mad Love*.

Peter Lorre and Colin Clive. Great for a 1935 thriller. Lorre was supremely creepy.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Oh, that's another one I must watch! I'm a huge fan of Lorre and I need to get out of the horror rut I've been in lately (not that I mind, but I sense my wife would like a change of pace).


----------



## j d worthington

On the subject of *Mad Love* and Lorre: I recall film historian Robert Osborne mentioned that on the basis of this film, Charlie Chaplin declared that Lorre was the greatest actor of the period. I've always thought that was an interesting note....

J.P. -- have you seen *The Face Behind the Mask*? Quite a good little melodrama with some strong romantic and sentimental elements to it, and Lorre's character goes through a development not dissimilar to that of Laughton's Quasimodo, though he begins much more innocently at first, before becoming a rather vicious character who once again redeems himself by the end of the film. At any rate, he plays a character with whom one can easily sympathize, and it's quite a lovely little film in several ways....


----------



## sloweye

Watched *Black sheep*, just the one question......... WHY?

(See the way i controled my language then.... masterful that)


----------



## Mouse

Black Sheep is hilarious!!


----------



## sloweye

I like silly comedy, don't get me wrong. but that was just..... WHY?
It's like that and snakes on a plane were trying to 'out kak' each other.


----------



## Mouse

Snakes on a Plane is hilarious!


----------



## sloweye

But that was only funny coz it wasn't suposed to be


----------



## Mouse

Was it not?! 

Back on topic... I can't remember the last film I saw. Think it was Dawn of the Dead and I think I've mentioned that already.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Inside Man*, bank robbery yarn with a twist starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. Not bad at all!


----------



## Constantine Opal

Brigadoon... I kid you not. It's how I roll.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Stone Tapes*, one of Foxbat's recent views - and quite an effective sf/horror film it turned out to be, with some truly terrific concepts and moments despite  an overall rather mediocre cast.


----------



## Connavar

*Solomon Kane,  *Even the most hardcore Robert E Howard fan would agree James Purefoy of Rome fame was perfect,hardcore enough for Kane.  The action,the visuals i enjoyed too. There was only one big problem with the film.

It was written like all the typical hollywood clichè story,melodrama almost   ruined a perfectly fine film.
In the end the story,the many reasons for Kane to be just like another million avenging hero left a sour taste in my mouth.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> *Solomon Kane,  *Even the most hardcore Robert E Howard fan would agree James Purefoy of Rome fame was perfect,hardcore enough for Kane.  The action,the visuals i enjoyed too. There was only one big problem with the film.
> 
> It was written like all the typical hollywood clichè story,melodrama almost   ruined a perfectly fine film.
> In the end the story,the many reasons for Kane to be just like another million avenging hero left a sour taste in my mouth.



Yea I was looking forward to that film but was disappointed. I mean, it wasn't as bad as some hollywood films but something about it felt wrong. The Cornish  accent for a start! Very odd!


----------



## sloweye

Connavar said:


> *Solomon Kane,  *Even the most hardcore Robert E Howard fan would agree James Purefoy of Rome fame was perfect,hardcore enough for Kane.  The action,the visuals i enjoyed too. There was only one big problem with the film.




I forgave it all the short commings, purely based on the fact the hero had a west country accent. Bill Baily must have been doing kartwheels.


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> I forgave it all the short commings, purely based on the fact the hero had a west country accent. Bill Baily must have been doing kartwheels.


Eeer, I were thinking the same thing!


----------



## mosaix

_*Local Hero.*_

Unexpectedly good. Some lovely moments, the whole thing done with a delicate touch.


----------



## mbtshoes2010

Thanks for your share.very good.


----------



## AE35Unit

mosaix said:


> _*Local Hero.*_
> 
> Unexpectedly good. Some lovely moments, the whole thing done with a delicate touch.



I got the music in my head now!


----------



## CyBeR

Went to the cinema with the girlfriend and saw 'RED'. A very entertaining Bruce Willis flick, with a very nice performance by Mary-Louise Parker. It was lighthearted fun, with a great cast (though I would've preferred more action by Morgan Freeman...but he was never the actiony sort) and great action for the most part.
Really a popcorn flick, but then again that's most of what I'm expecting from Willis. He's got a nice way of bringing charisma to a role and it shows that he's grown comfortable in such roles. Great movie, I recommend it for a good time.


----------



## Foxbat

*Pu-239  *A pretty decent and thought provoking thriller with some good performances from its cast. Well worth a watch


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> *Pu-239  *A pretty decent and thought provoking thriller with some good performances from its cast. Well worth a watch


Wow, I hadn't even heard of this movie thus far.
I just got done with the first season of this Brit detective TV series called *Wire in The Blood*. It's a little too sub-sectioned in that almost all the episodes in this season have dealt with serial killers and hard evidence always plays second fiddle to psychological profiling. But it's very well done and Robson Green's performance as the shrink who analyses the cases is very engaging.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Raw Deal *(1948), a pretty gripping if sometimes melodramatic noir with two dames battling for the heart (and soul) of a hero turned thug and the requisite gloomy ending.


----------



## ravenus

Heheh, I didn't see the film year before and I was trying to connect that plot with this early Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Heh, I'd like to see that one too. It's supposed to be especially bad.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

How To Train Your Dragon. For a freshly new computer animation child's movie it's pretty good. I would recommend seeing it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Karn Maeshalanadae said:


> How To Train Your Dragon. For a freshly new computer animation child's movie it's pretty good. I would recommend seeing it.



Yea we gonna be renting that soon!


----------



## Lenny

*The Social Network* - whilst some of it will be dramatised, or even pure fiction (it's based on the book _The Accidental Billionaires_), it's still a nice look at the founding days of Facebook. It's also quite a good film, and Trent Reznor's soundtrack is very nice.

*RED* - I've been looking forward to this for a while, and it delivered.  Nothing too serious and some decent action. I do like John Malkovich, too!

*How to Train Your Dragon* - I'd heard good things about it, so I thought I might as well watch it. A proper feel-good film with some incredibly amusing dragons.

*Predators* (2010) - not much to say. It borrows heavily from the first film (with a huge reference in the middle... but no mention of the second, or any of the AVP films) and doesn't deviate much from the idea of Predator films. Decent, but nothing extraordinarily special.


----------



## Foxbat

*World Without End *Apparently this piece of 1956 hokum was the first Sci-Fi film done in Cinemascope. Unfortunately they didn't have a special effects department for this movie......at least I don't think they did going by the giant spiders on show....it seems they replaced the Special Effects Dept with a Soft Furnishings Dept.


----------



## Moonbat

*Down in the Valley* - Edward Norton as a cowboy with issues. Not what I was expecting and a fairly good plot. All the actors were convincing, including young Maculkin (not Macauley but his brother - who is also in Scott Pilgrim) and the soundtrack was rather nice. I don't think it was a brilliant film, good is being generous, so I'll just call it a film without any positive or negative connotations.

My girlfriend bought *Black Death* with Sean Bean and *The Collector* yesterday so we will probably be watching them over the weekend. 

Are there any bonfire night based films? (not V for Vendetta, but something more normal. I suppose the wicker man has its bonfire moments.)


----------



## sloweye

Lenny said:


> *Predators* (2010) - not much to say. It borrows heavily from the first film (with a huge reference in the middle... but no mention of the second, or any of the AVP films) and doesn't deviate much from the idea of Predator films. Decent, but nothing extraordinarily special.



Totally with you there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Ghostbusters. *nothing more to say


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *World Without End *Apparently this piece of 1956 hokum was the first Sci-Fi film done in Cinemascope. Unfortunately they didn't have a special effects department for this movie......at least I don't think they did going by the giant spiders on show....it seems they replaced the Special Effects Dept with a Soft Furnishings Dept.


 
As a lad, I actually went to the theater to see this movie when it was first released. The title seemed to indicate that it might be a serious SF effort. Oh, well. The spiders are about the only thing that sticks in my mind after all these years. And that's not a good thing.


----------



## Tansy

the last movie I saw was saw.. 3d


disappointing lol as expected


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Thirst* last night a korean vampire thriller by the great director Park who made Oldboy,vengance trilogy. His newest film from 2009/2010.

It  was amazing and a very mature modern take on the classic horror  vampire.  The one that is a monster who cant stop his urges for blood. Exactly my ideal take on the vampire story. The acting,the script,the camera work was excellent. Very hard to watch at times because sexually,vampire violence wise it didnt hold back any punches.

I can only wish more often hailed director made vampire stories so they can be more mature and not just slasher film.


----------



## mr kite

Thirst is a quality film indeed connavar 

*Saw 3D. *
Great finish to a great franchise .


----------



## No One

Connavar said:


> I saw *Thirst* last night a korean vampire thriller by the great director Park who made Oldboy,vengance trilogy. His newest film from 2009/2010.
> 
> It  was amazing and a very mature modern take on the classic horror  vampire.  The one that is a monster who cant stop his urges for blood. Exactly my ideal take on the vampire story. The acting,the script,the camera work was excellent. Very hard to watch at times because sexually,vampire violence wise it didnt hold back any punches.
> 
> I can only wish more often hailed director made vampire stories so they can be more mature and not just slasher film.



Very well said! 

As a rabid fan of Park Chan-wook, I'll just say this man has yet to make an average, let alone bad, film. *Thirst *is no exception. And the sex scenes are something else. One in particular had me laughing my a**e off while simultaneously peeking through my fingers. Horrific and hilarious, and as a film chock full of Park's style and brilliance.


----------



## Snowdog

Some teen nonsense called Eurotrip which was on TV last night. Don't know why I kept watching except I could comfortably disengage my brain. Michelle Trachtenberg from Buffy was in it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *How to Train Your Dragon* amazingly good feel good movie as well as being a visual feast-the level of CGI on these films is staggeringly good! Oh and the dragons are definitely based on cats! But why oh why are vikings always shown wearing those ridiculous horned helmets!?! So wrong! Oh they're all scottish too, apart from the young lad named Hiccup.


----------



## sloweye

Watching *Blade Runner *now on BBC3.....s'all good.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

TBH I found *Thirst* pretty meandering and flawed. Can't really beat *Martin*.


----------



## Connavar

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> TBH I found *Thirst* pretty meandering and flawed. Can't really beat *Martin*.


 
Martin ?  A similar film ?

Park is anquired taste, he is very subtle,very weird.  His moves go from meandering to brilliant in the same film.

Have you see his other films ?   Its not as brilliant as Oldboy Thirst.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I've seen his stuff since having it recommended by several of my friends; probably not a taste I'm going to acquire. Subtle? Slick perhaps, but also quite muddled. I did like *Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance *but his other work is strictly meh-worthy for me.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching The Watchmen last night. I really enjoyed it as i haven't had any exposure to the original materiel. 

I'll try and settle into Avatar tonight.


----------



## biodroid

*Toy Story 3* which was the best in the trilogy IMO and *How to train your dragon*, very good movie as well, I heard good things about it and it lived up to my expectations even though Jay Baruchel is a stupid actor.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> *How to train your dragon*, very good movie ...Jay Baruchel is a stupid actor.



Which one did he play? (Never heard of him)


----------



## biodroid

He was the scrawny viking kid who learnt not to kill the dragons. I think he also played in Sorcerers Apprentice and Shes out of my League.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> He was the scrawny viking kid who learnt not to kill the dragons. I think he also played in Sorcerers Apprentice and Shes out of my League.



Ah the lead role! I thought he was ok! Not seen either of those 2 films-why do you say he's a stupid actor?


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> Martin ? A similar film ?


 
Judge for yourself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_(film)

My latest viewing:

*Invasion of the Body Snatchers* (1956). The original film version of Jack Finney's most famous work. I hadn't seen this one in ages, but it holds up very well. No surprises, but a good, solid film which still manages to be tense and disturbing -- in part because it has a damn fine cast and in part because of the genuine Cold War paranoia which lay behind the production, and which permeates the film. Not without its faults (the line about kissing Becky has got to be one of the most notorious howlers in movie history), this is still a film I would recommend to anyone who loves a good suspense, horror, or bit of sf melodrama type film. And if you are one of the lucky few who does not know the general plot, you're in for some nasty twists and turns.

*The Other* (1972). A somewhat understated, extremely creepy adaptation by Tom Tryon of his best-selling novel. Again, an excellent cast, headed by the superb Uta Hagen, with solid, often quite atmospheric, direction by Robert Mulligan; intelligently done, with plenty of twists, but even if you know the major twist in advance, this one is still guaranteed to unsettle and disturb. It also has the artistry to be both horrifying and tragic simultaneously. Not one I hear mentioned often, but one of the best films of the genre from the 1970s, and far and away one of the most intelligent. (And for those who might be wondering, the novel is a fine performance as well. Tryon was an actor-turned-writer, and that career change was a boon to all who enjoy seeing a true craftsman at work.)


----------



## ravenus

Saw a Disney movie last night, *The Princess & The Frog*, which could be fun for your kids, if you have any. For me, it was okay. Some terrific visuals, especially during the song "Friends from the other side", and I liked the Baron Samedi-esque bad guy.


----------



## J Riff

PIRANHA 3D

 It's a bloodbath. Lots and lots bikinis and nude people, mostly women being chomped down on by the Piranners. Hideously inane characters, all deserve to be eaten, most are but a sequel is set up at the end, so that giant piranhas will be the next installment. Whatser'name is good as the  nude girl who is eaten.


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> Ah the lead role! I thought he was ok! Not seen either of those 2 films-why do you say he's a stupid actor?



He's just got that poor me I'm the skinny guy that gets beaten up all the time stereotype about him. But then again he is just starting out so he might improve and hopefully I will like him more as an actor.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> Saw a Disney movie last night, *The Princess & The Frog*, which could be fun for your kids, if you have any. For me, it was okay. Some terrific visuals, especially during the song "Friends from the other side", and I liked the Baron Samedi-esque bad guy.



Oh excellent film, not just a kids film, and the music is great!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Kung Fu Hustle* last night. What a mad film. Very enjoyable, though.


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Kung Fu Hustle* last night. What a mad film. Very enjoyable, though.



That film is epic, still has a place on my shelf..... right next to Kung pow!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Haha, *Kung Pow*. OK, that one is even _more_ mad.

It's bad...it's wrong...it's badong!


----------



## sloweye

I have a masive collection of 70's - early 80's kung fu films, most are just as funny without meaning to be.


----------



## Lenny

Saw *Silent Hill* last night. The final scenes in the town didn't do much for me, but I liked the very ending. Most of the film had me on edge, which is rare these days. It wasn't a particularly brilliant film, but I think the fact that the town looked a lot like Ravenholm had an effect on me. After all, we don't go to Ravenholm...

Oh, and Pyramid Head - I know a lot about the character, so although it was interesting to see him, I don't think he made a very good appearance; the reason for his being wasn't that good.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Scott Pilgrim vs The World* and it was funny in offbeat,random and very nerdy way.  It was the funniest movie i have seen in long while.  I was laughing alot at the sick jokes,effects,the timing of Cera and co.

Directed by Shaun of the Dead director which makes it a must for the fans of that film.


----------



## BookStop

I agree with your assessment, Conn. I thought it was brilliant film, and just loved it! Cera made for a great leading man.


----------



## sloweye

*Daybreakers* - Meh!... s'all right, not quite as good as it could have been.


----------



## No One

*Scott Pilgrim vs The World* was also the last film I saw and I agree with Connovar and Bookstop. Good fun with some great laughs.

Director Edgar Wright is always sharp and a lot of this film reminded me of his work on the brilliant *Spaced*.


----------



## Connavar

BookStop said:


> I agree with your assessment, Conn. I thought it was brilliant film, and just loved it! Cera made for a great leading man.



I didnt know anything about the film really i saw it only to rebel against all the generic,bad films i saw listed in the cinema. Jackass 3D,Saw 3D,Due Date(desperate for Hangover BO),10 lame computer animations from Dreamworks thinking to fool people they are Pixar.

It was a nice surprise the movie turned to be so much fun 

Cera i thought was overrated before, people thougth the guy in Zombieland/Social Network was a bad copy of him but i liked that guy better.  Cera impressed alot in this lead role though.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*. I thought it's quite entertaining, as a film, since I haven't read the book.


----------



## AE35Unit

Allegra said:


> Watched *The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen*. I thought it's quite entertaining, as a film, since I haven't read the book.



Hmm I didn't realisde it was based on a book- I thought it came from a comic series.


----------



## Allegra

It is based on Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's comic series, AE. Some reviews complaint about adding an American hero to the film for apparent marketing reasons, etc. But I guess they would have to have the writers permission to do that?


----------



## Riselka

*Somewhere In Time* ... I'd never seen this film before, although I've heard from several people over the years that it was very good.  I quite enjoyed it.  It was interesting to watch it for a second time last night, and observe some of the similarities between it, and the film *Titanic* listed on this page of its official website:

Articles


----------



## J Riff

For Your Height Only - a James Bond send-up...starring a midget James...I know, sounds awful, but somehow it hangs in. The little guy has some moves all his own. Ridiculous.
 Has anyone seen SKYLINE..(?) yet? (is that is, Skyline?) the new SciFi blockbuster that's opening about now I think.


----------



## Moonbat

*The Disappearance of Alice Creed* brit flick starring Gemma Arterton. Actually pretty brilliant. Very tense and some not too obvious twists. It kept going all the way to the end (that sounds stupid, of course it did) in that it didn't become boring. I really enjoyed this. It looked like it could have been done on a small budget, no big crowd scenes or anything. A real lesson in how to make a cheap film (not that it was cheap)
This was the film that* 44 inch chest* should have been.


----------



## Mouse

*Pan's Labyrinth*


----------



## Captain Campion

Skyline.
I'm a sucker for alien-invasion movies, so I took the wife to go see 'Skyline' last night, despite the negative reviews.

For most of the movie, I felt the reviews were unfair. The effects were very good, the alien creaturs/devices were neat, and the action sequences were actually a lot of fun. In fact, about 3/4 of the way through I thought "this is actually an okay movie" despite some weak acting on the part of one or two of the participants and, honestly, the characters being 2-dimensional (at best) cardboard cut-outs. 

None of that killed the movie...until the end. Arguably the worst movie ending in history, to the point that it drags down any review of the film.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Toy Story*, put on for the kids but its much too good just for the little ones! And now onto TS2


----------



## BookStop

I saw Skyline as well. Um, wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It wasn't that I hated it, but I wouldn't say liked either. I do agree with the Captain's assessment that the effects were good, and the action was exciting-esque. I suppose if somoene expected nothing but fun action with no substance, they might enjoy it.

Oh, and the ending: Stunningly horrible.


----------



## sloweye

May all the Gods bless ITV2 for its repeated playings of..... *Back to the future!
*_Awesome _


----------



## j d worthington

Last night I watched two "giant mutant menace" films: *Them!* and *The Black Scorpion*. And oh, what a contrast!!!

For all the problems with the inverse square law which invalidates *Them!* in its actual premise, the film itself remains a damned fine one: well structured, very well paced, with fine performances and good dramatic tension (not to mention an appropriate and not overly-heavy use of sentimentalism for emotional modulation), this one holds up very well indeed. Even though the ants themselves do look quite dated in a sense, they are well-done (in fact, they were so well-done that the female lead in the film has maintained that it was a good thing Jack Warner pulled the plug on the budget, forcing use of black-and-white, as they would have been too attractive to be genuinely frightening if seen in color as originally intended), and they do manage to convey menace quite well at times. For me, this is one which still deserves its reputation.

*The Black Scorpion*, on the other hand.... It's a pity that Willis O'Brien was connected to this, given his stance as a pioneer of stop-motion animation and his connection to King Kong; for, despite some very nifty animation shots and a rather enjoyable close-up aspect of the titular menace now and again... ouch! this thing hurts! The dialogue is frequently more than risible and, after a promising beginning, the film's pacing and structure become both choppy, disorganized, and (alternatively) too bloody drawn-out! resulting in a complete loss of any tension the film has built up. Several of the performances, too, vary from lackluster to simply howlingly bad. Richard Denning, who did a quite creditable job in *The Creature from the Black Lagoon*, is simply not capable of carrying the starring role, for one thing; and that fact alone gravely weakens the film from the get-go. This one is only for the die-hard fans of the "mutant monster menace" type of sf-horror film of the 1950s. Some quite good moments, and some promising concepts, but overall... ugh!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I need to watch *Them!*!

Over the weekend I revisited the original *The House On The Haunted Hill*, a film which tiptoes between stylish suspense and self-parody, resulting in a rather complex and enjoyable tale with Vincent Price, in fine form, as the centerpiece of all the shenanigans and occasional chills. 

Also watched *To Ride The High Country *, a most gripping Western directed by the great Sam Peckinpah.


----------



## Captain Campion

Them! is one of my all-time favorites. Certainly has held up over time much better than most of those 50s SciFi flicks.


----------



## johnmarsh

i saw last movie avatar really cool movie


----------



## biodroid

*Knowing - *Nic Cage does a good job in this movie and it was a very good one as well.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Avatar last night. I really enjoyed it a lot more than i thought i would. OK, It's no Terminator, but it was a well made movie.


----------



## Perpetual Man

This weeks movie night in the Perp household saw us settle down to an old favourite (we're mostly watching them there movies these days) and really enjoyed (again) Serenity. This time , however we took the liberty of watching it on Blu-Ray, and enjoyed it immensely.


----------



## biodroid

Despicable Me, quite good in a cutesy kind of way but very well made


----------



## sloweye

*Idle hands -* as i hadn't watched it in ages. still gives me a good laugh.

*Avatar - *not a bad film [FONT=&quot]despite the major over-hyping.
[/FONT]


----------



## No One

Not for first time - Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse B-movie, *Planet Terror*.

Great cast, great script (and music from Rodriguez himself) and great fun.


----------



## sloweye

No One said:


> Not for first time - Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse B-movie, *Planet Terror*.
> 
> Great cast, great script (and music from Rodriguez himself) and great fun.



Check out '*Machete*' if you get the chance, very very funny


----------



## sloweye

Oooops!

I apologise but i didn't wait for that trailer to load up as my internet is so slow, i've just watched it and there is some swearing in it, which to be fair, you dont usualy get in a trailer. Very sorry.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hannah and her Sisters* (1986)- I'm a sucker for Woody Allen films!


----------



## No One

sloweye said:


> Check out '*Machete*' if you get the chance, very very funny



Certainly plan to SE - the, originally mock, trailer for that comes with Planet Terror (which you probably already knew, but I thought I'd fill in the gaps ).

Should be rather hilarious.


----------



## vector7

Was watching *Die Hard 2*. Yippie kay-yay .... Oh forgot, this is a family friendly site. Awesome movie.


----------



## Red 13

I've watched and rewatched Scott Pilgrim vs The World. I love it!


----------



## soulsinging

On Jabba's barge in Return of the Jedi... I've been working my way through all week... soooo good!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched *The Social Network*. Really enjoyed it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Renaissance   *A pretty decent Sci-Fi thriller with its own distinctive visual style.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched Brain Dead earlier. Apparently it was shocking that I'd never seen it.

So...much...blood! And amazing prosthetics. I love the 80s, early 90s horror.


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched Brain Dead earlier. Apparently it was shocking that I'd never seen it.
> 
> So...much...blood! And amazing prosthetics. I love the 80s, early 90s horror.


You should look for an 80s australian horror called Bad Taste! Really cheesy effects and a bit that made me feel sick!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Hah. That would be Peter Jackson's other similar film before he made *Braindead*. I saw *Bad Taste* in a shop today, after I'd watched the other film. Looks as prosthetically brilliant.

And those cheesy effects fill me with more joy than any amount of CGI could ever. 



Was watching the start of Braindead and pointed out to No One that the scenery looked a lot like the Paths of the Dead from the Lord of the Rings film. Turns out I was right! (Thanks Wiki)


----------



## No One

Re: Braindead - fine spot with the Paths of the Dead, Hoops. 

But I reckon Jackson was chosen for Lord of the Rings soley for his expertise in using forced perspective (as with zombie baby!). Okay, maybe not.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I'm sure there was _loads_ (reuse of certain locations expected) that Jackson used as experience from Braindead!

Fighting giant rat women on top of burning houses was definitely mirrored in the scene with the cave troll.

Probably...


And see, I toldja, toldja about the scenery! Should always believe a Hoopy.


----------



## Williamlk

Star Wars with my 4 year old son...It's never too early to start them off in the right direction.


----------



## Foxbat

*An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe *Vincent Price is sublimely intense in this film of a live one-man performance of _The Tell Tale Heart_, _The Cask Of_ _Amontillado_, _The Sphinx_ and _The Pit And The Pendulum._

Unfortunately the DVD quality is not that great. Still, it's worth a look for any fans of Price (plus the movie comes as part of a double bill DVD with _The_ _Tomb Of Ligeia_)


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> *An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe *Vincent Price is sublimely intense in this film of a live one-man performance of _The Tell Tale Heart_, _The Cask Of_ _Amontillado_, _The Sphinx_ and _The Pit And The Pendulum._
> 
> Unfortunately the DVD quality is not that great. Still, it's worth a look for any fans of Price (plus the movie comes as part of a double bill DVD with _The_ _Tomb Of Ligeia_)



2 words-want it!


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> And those cheesy effects fill me with more joy than any amount of CGI could ever.




Nothing say's massacre quite like a couple of pounds of minced meat and a bottle of cheap tomato sauce


----------



## ravenus

*JCVD* It's more than a little ironic that it took a failed career  to do this, but JCVD is the best film Van-Damme EVER did and his  performance (especially in a poignant and revelatory monologue) evokes the same sympathy as what Mickey Rourke did in * The Wrestler*.*

Universal Soldier: Regeneration* Less fun than the first *US*,  which was in itself a B-level *Terminator* knockoff but it has a great  location standing in for the Chernobyl reactor and some br00tal fight  sequences. After *JCVD*, Van Damme is sadly back to blankness territory.  Dolph Lundgren steals the show even with his shorter role.


----------



## clovis-man

*Clipped Wings (1953)*

One of the later "Bowery Boys" films with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. And one of the sillier ones. Gorcey's character, "Slip Mahoney", fills the dialogue with outlandish malapropisms. The two main characters mistakenly enlist in the Air Force. The story is ludicrous, but mildly amusing nonetheless. I used to love the earlier fims they did as "The Eastside Kids".


----------



## sloweye

*Zombieland*..... coz i love it!


----------



## biodroid

sloweye said:


> *Zombieland*..... coz i love it!



I thought it was corny and cheesy, you only get to see zombies in the first and last 10 minutes of the movie and the Bill Murray scene was just stupid.


----------



## sloweye

It was suposed to be, thats why they call them zom-coms


----------



## AE35Unit

Anyone familiar with a film called Session 9? Seems to have dropped off the radar when released in 2001!


----------



## sloweye

Can't say i have but i just looked it up, i'll have to find a copy. it looks interesting.


----------



## j d worthington

AE35Unit said:


> Anyone familiar with a film called Session 9? Seems to have dropped off the radar when released in 2001!


 
Yes. It's an odd film; understated, slightly too pat in the ending; but overall a fine eerie suspense film; at times quite unsettling.


----------



## Connavar

biodroid said:


> I thought it was corny and cheesy, you only get to see zombies in the first and last 10 minutes of the movie and the Bill Murray scene was just stupid.



Hehe the opposite of the reason you like the film.  Zombie movies are stupid usually in Hollywood thats why Zombieland was so funny.  The rules of his cracked me up.

Your post,comment about the zombies made me somehow think of people watching Mel Brooks western and saying why isnt it a good serious western. 

Zombieland,Shaun of the Dead are my fav zombie films because they joke about the genre.


----------



## Foxbat

*Monster From The Ocean Floor *
Mediocre monster tosh from 1954
Avoid.


----------



## Snowdog

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, same territory as The Long Riders, but more charm.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Ended up watching both *Hot Fuzz* _and_ *Shaun of the Dead* last night.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well Disney-Pixar have done  it again- *Toy Story 3* is brilliant!


----------



## Riselka

I watched the super extended version of *Avatar* last night.  Thought the added scenes made a significant improvement to the film.


----------



## sloweye

*Close encounters of the third kind* about to start on ch5 (uk)


----------



## ravenus

*Ed Wood* Had seen this earlier but that was a LONG time ago. All things considered, this is probably my favorite Tim Burton film, and my favorite Johnny Depp film. And Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi is so spot on with the accent and mannerisms, it's eerie.

*Plan 9 from Outer Space* the real Ed Wood's most famous film. A little dull for even its short running time but yes, this one has its charms and was a nice follow-up after watching the biopic, especially when comparing the scenes in the actual movie and how they were depicted in Burton's film.

*The Black Cat* A Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff vehicle where Lugosi has the stronger role and unusually, a positive role (Karloff still has the advantage of being IMO the better actor). This one was OK with some good atmosphere and these 2 stalwarts, but the plotting is sloppy and the mediocre background score makes too much of itself.

A nice thread developing through those films. Will watch *Mars Attacks!* tomorrow, Burton's stab at the exploitation SF film of the 50's.


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Close encounters of the third kind* about to start on ch5 (uk)



Doo Doo Doo Dah Dooooooo....love that film! Its not so hot on Blu Ray tho apparently.


----------



## Foxbat

ravenus said:


> *Ed Wood* Had seen this earlier but that was a LONG time ago. All things considered, this is probably my favorite Tim Burton film, and my favorite Johnny Depp film. And Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi is so spot on with the accent and mannerisms, it's eerie.


 
I agree. I find it's even more interesting if you watch it after viewing *Bride Of* *The Monster *because a large part of Ed Wood was centred on the making of this film. Also, watching Ed Wood helped me understand the logic of the explosion at the end of Bride of the Monster. It made me


----------



## ravenus

Did actually watch *Mars Attacks!* It's somewhat inconsistent and  brings in a bunch of pointless cameos in a bid to rehash the flavor of  the 70's disaster movie, but in its good moments, this is an immensely  fun and clever movie, and Tim Burton's visual homage to 50's era pulp SF  is fantastic. Ack Ack Ack!


----------



## blacknorth

Alien Hunter, with James Spader and some plot ripped from Alien and The Thing; so bad I wanted it to be true.


----------



## ravenus

*Terror in a Texas Town* may have been a low-budget Western but the solidness of the script and direction, and very respectable performances, make this an easily worthwhile watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

blacknorth said:


> Alien Hunter, with James Spader and some plot ripped from Alien and The Thing; so bad I wanted it to be true.



Is this the film where the guy is always putting gel in his hair, and when queried about it he opines 'Dry hair is for squibs!'?t


----------



## Rodders

Just finished watching Legion. Yes, it was silly and i doubt that i'll watch it again but there were some chilling bits in it.

For those of you that like the Mighty Boosh, there's a bit near the begining that's just like Nanageddon.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Just finished watching Legion. Yes, it was silly and i doubt that i'll watch it again but there were some chilling bits in it.
> 
> For those of you that like the Mighty Boosh, there's a bit near the begining that's just like Nanageddon.



Ha, I just saw this over on sfx 
Have never heard of Legion and can't stand Mighty Boosh so have no idea what the nanageddon is!


----------



## j d worthington

On *The Black Cat* -- Yes, I think it suffers from the flaws you mention. However, as far as the minor weird films of the era go, it was rather good... and certainly Ulmer & Co. managed to "get by" with a number of thoroughly inadmissable things at the time, things which didn't just shock the censors (and some audience members) of the time, but did add to the characterization and sense of creeping menace. The actual connection with the cat, though, has always seemed to me completely superfluous....

My own viewing (last night) featured:

*The Devil Doll* (1936) -- based (rather loosely) on A. Merritt's *Burn, Witch, Burn*, this one features Lionel Barrymore in a role where he frequently appears in drag... a role which is often reminiscent of Lon Chaney's in *The Unholy Three*, to which this film often bears a considerable resemblance, including the bit with the jewels and the hollow toy. (Both films were directed by Tod Browning, who also wrote the story/adaptation for this film; the others sharing credit for the script here include Guy Endore -- of Werewolf of Paris fame -- and Erich von Stroheim, as well as Garrett Fort, about whom I know nothing.) Some weak spots, but on the whole a very good film, with some wonderful performances and very effective imagery.

*Bedlam* (1946) -- the third and final film Karloff did with Val Lewton, and a wonderful film. Karloff is superb as Sims, but Anna Lee manages to still steal the show as Nell Bowen. Based (supposedly) on Hogarth's series of pictures, "The Rake's Progress", it is often a very powerful and grim film, but with Lewton's usual tendendy toward compassion and a humanistic view. Highly recommended.


----------



## ravenus

I was not too fond of *Bedlam* when I saw it. Compared to the other two Lewton-Karloff films, it was for me more mundane and lacking in impact. While *Body Snatcher* was the most entertaining overall, *Isle of The Dead* had a wonderfully nuanced performance from Karloff.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

My assessment of those three films is about the same as ravenus'. I recently revisited *Isle Of The Dead *and thought it held up remarkably well. 

This weekend I watched *My Neighbour Totoro *- liked it a great deal as well. I kept fearing they would opt for one of the cheap and easy ways to bring tension into the story - killing the mothers, cutting the tree - but thankfully the story was a lot gentler while still having a real sense of suspense when needed. 

I also watched a fantasy film called *The Magic Sword*, nothing especially original but entertaining enough with a decent turn by Basil Rathbone as a wicked sorcerer, rather overshadowed by Estelle Winwood as a sorceress.


----------



## biodroid

*Edge of Darkness* - Very realistic cop thriller, quite good except for it being quite depressing. *Knight and Day* - fun action romp that was well done, I liked it.


----------



## Rodders

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

I was actually quite bored with this film and couldn't wait toi switch it off.


----------



## Moonbat

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1* - I was really keen to see this, but I was a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to all the great bits in the book, but most of them were left out. Looking back it did have some good moments, but I wanted more. I'll just have to pin all my hopes on *pt 2*.


----------



## biodroid

Moonbat said:


> *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1* - I was really keen to see this, but I was a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to all the great bits in the book, but most of them were left out. Looking back it did have some good moments, but I wanted more. I'll just have to pin all my hopes on *pt 2*.



Hehe, thats why I will only read the book once I have seen the movie because I read Order of the Phoenix before the movie and was severely dissappointed, that way I can then feel more excitement at reading the book because it will fill in the missing gaps from the movie.


----------



## ravenus

Moonbat said:


> *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1* - I was really keen to see this, but I was a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to all the great bits in the book, but most of them were left out...


I hope these great bits are not about the characters waxing on the sort of bread they used to have back in the Shire...oh wait, wrong series


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, *Isle of the Dead* is certainly a subtler film, quiet, understated, and even poetic in its approach. When it comes to *Bedlam*, however, I would still maintain that it offers a good deal more than indicated above. For one thing, I think it utilizes an aspect common to the Gothic genre extremely well -- that being the persecution and confinement of such a heroine in such an environment as threatens both life and sanity -- and, while there is no actual supernaturalism involved, there are touches of the ghostly atmosphere here and there in the film, such as the calling of her name by the inmates, "parroting" something they've heard... and which is handled without one ever seeing a single one of them actually mouth the word, so that it seems to emerge from the very surroundings themselves. (For some reason I can't quite define, this aspect reminds me very strongly of certain touches in *The Devil and Daniel Webster*; especially the party that Jabez Stone throws, with the ghostly guests.) There are a lot of subtle touches such as this to the film, which put it (in my view) squarely on a footing with, say, *I Walked with a Zombie*, *The Body-Snatcher*, or *The Seventh Victim*, if not quite as high as Isle of the Dead.



Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> I also watched a fantasy film called *The Magic Sword*, nothing especially original but entertaining enough with a decent turn by Basil Rathbone as a wicked sorcerer, rather overshadowed by Estelle Winwood as a sorceress.


 
Ah, yes... Bert I. Gordon. For all their flaws (and they have a many), I've always had a soft spot for some of his films... especially this one and *The Amazing Colossal Man*. (Poor Manning! While his plight is the exact reverse of Scott Carey's, he is still very much the victim of a cruel quirk of fate.... And I always had a feeling that, perhaps subconsciously, what happened to him in that film influenced the genesis of the Hulk....)


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

They're certainly entertaining movies, and to their credit they try not to soft-pedal villainy too much, as seen in the way two princesses get thrown to the dragon quite early on in *The Magic Sword*, although the slaughter itself is thankfully not shown. I can imagine this film having a much deeper impact on me had I seen it as a child. 

Last night I watched a very weird and funny Polish SF satire/comedy film called *Sex Mission *(1984). Despite the title and the flashes of nudity throughout it isn't even a soft porn but a rather rollicking satire in that robust but not entirely cynical manner that I associate with Eastern European satire in general, taking on both sexual politics and the more official variety. basically, two men are selected for an experimental mission where they are put in suspended animation, to be revived after three years. Instead, they are revived some 50 years later when a war involving biological weapons has wiped out the male species and women reproduce through cloning, basically, living in underground shelters for fear of radiation on the war-torn surface. Considerable hilarity ensues as the two bumbling male captives try to grapple with this new reality and escape the women's two solutions to the situation - killing the men or 'naturalising' them by turning them female.


----------



## ravenus

Foxbat said:


> I agree. I find it's even more interesting if you watch it after viewing *Bride Of* *The Monster *because a large part of Ed Wood was centred on the making of this film. Also, watching Ed Wood helped me understand the logic of the explosion at the end of Bride of the Monster. It made me


I saw this one today. Decent corny fun, although I have to say Bela Lugosi's attempts to look diabolical fall wholly flat here. He looks like a harmless, kindly old uncle even when he's whipping Lobo or talking about raising an army of atomic supermen


----------



## laniquesmith

I saw Repo Men. After over a year of avoiding this movie I finally saw it. I was pleasantly surprised. ☺


----------



## Mouse

Last film I saw was *Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*. Made me cry with laughter.


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Expendables*; one of the best action flicks that I have seen this year; so far its a tie between this one and *Predators* for best actioner of 2010, IMO.  
*Predators* has best Sci-fi at this point, IMO.  Dances with Smurfs/Ferngully on steroids (Avatar) for best CGI flick (not enough rewatchability for best scifi), IMO, although  I have yet to see the extended version. 
Ironman 2 Clash of the Titans and Price of Persia are all also rans. 

I have hope that *Salt* will bring it to at least a 3 way action tie for first, and *Machete* is a possible dark horse...

Enjoy!


----------



## No One

Mouse said:


> Last film I saw was *Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*. Made me cry with laughter.



Haven't seen that (want to though) but might I recommend *Shark in Venice* (I believe it's from the same studio).

So bad. So hilarious.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Saw *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1*. Was pretty good, beautifully shot. Last part should be a cracker.


----------



## AE35Unit

*A Chrsitmas Carol*, the new CGI one with Jim Carey. Excellent CGI it is too!
I never tire of this story and its message that life is far too short to waste!
Not a film for young kids tho (it never was intended as a children's piece but rather a commentary on social conditions at the time)


----------



## Pyan

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Pt 1)*

Dark, enjoyable, close to the book, but an _awful _lot of camping....


----------



## Foxbat

Mouse said:


> Last film I saw was *Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*. Made me cry with laughter.


 
Yeah. I love the scene with the Jumbo Jet


----------



## No One

Aw man, there's a scene with a jumbo jet!? Gotta see me that film...

Meanwhile, I've seen *The Expendables* and have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It wasn't just nostalgia either (though there was, undoubtably, a bit of that involved), but rather just some cracking action. Nevermind the plot, of course - that's as bog-standard as can be.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *The Usual Suspects* earlier. Seen it before, but not paying all that much attention, so awesome to watch it properly.

And poof, like that, she's gone...


----------



## sloweye

No One said:


> Meanwhile, I've seen *The Expendables* and have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It wasn't just nostalgia either (though there was, undoubtably, a bit of that involved), but rather just some cracking action. Nevermind the plot, of course - that's as bog-standard as can be.



Great film, i loved it. one DVD i'll be investing in. Loved Jet Li in it.


----------



## clovis-man

*X-Men Origins: Wolverine*

Not having read any of the comics, I still thought this was a reasonably well told story, for what it is.


----------



## ravenus

*Dial M for Murder*
Not one of the best Hitchcock films but a decent one all the same, with a droll performance from Ray Milland as the murderous husband.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Black Sunday/Mask Of Satan*. Yes, Barbara Steele. But still, not a particularly original or gripping movie. Or perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. And despite all that, there are one or two moments where the imagery well and truly hits home.


----------



## dask

Easter parade


----------



## Steve S

Bride of Frankenstein - one of the films I had been meaning to see for years but had never got around to it! I was very impressed, and will now endeavour to catch up on more classic universal horror!


----------



## ravenus

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Black Sunday/Mask Of Satan*. Yes, Barbara Steele. But still, not a particularly original or gripping movie. Or perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. And despite all that, there are one or two moments where the imagery well and truly hits home.


I love this. Granted the plot's a hodge-podge - are these devil worshipers or vampires? But Bava's technical finesse more than compensates. It has great mood (with some hilarious moments) and I think it's quite the thing for a lazy afternoon/night.


----------



## Mouse

No One said:


> Haven't seen that (want to though) but might I recommend *Shark in Venice* (I believe it's from the same studio).
> 
> So bad. So hilarious.



Cheers! Will check it out.


----------



## dask

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Black Sunday/Mask Of Satan*. Yes, Barbara Steele. But still, not a particularly original or gripping movie. Or perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. And despite all that, there are one or two moments where the imagery well and truly hits home.


I used to think Barbara Steele was the hottest thing, right behind Haley Mills. Kids them days!


----------



## Captain Campion

Just watched the remake of "Clash of the Titans" on DVD.
It seemed as if the production team lost pages of script because the story chopped, danced, and otherwised refuse to flow. The effects were just okay, not as neat as I expected from a remake, given the potential. But in terms of acting and writing this one has to be one of the worst in recent years. Uggh.


----------



## j d worthington

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Black Sunday/Mask Of Satan*. Yes, Barbara Steele. But still, not a particularly original or gripping movie. Or perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for it. And despite all that, there are one or two moments where the imagery well and truly hits home.


 
I would agree with the latter option, and with Ravenus' take on it. The film definitely has its flaws, but it is chock-full of atmosphere, and Bava's direction and the cinematography are exceptional. However, if you're not in the right mood for it... yep, it can go pffft rather quickly, as I know from experience....*wince*



dask said:


> Easter parade


 
Now, _that's_ not a title I expected to see around here! Wonderful little film, though....



Steve S said:


> Bride of Frankenstein - one of the films I had been meaning to see for years but had never got around to it! I was very impressed, and will now endeavour to catch up on more classic universal horror!


 
It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I managed to catch that one -- it was then being shown as part of a film class my wife was in, and I attended the screening. Definitely worth the wait; a lovely film on so many levels, with (at times) an almost balletic movement to it....



dask said:


> I used to think Barbara Steele was the hottest thing, right behind Haley Mills. Kids them days!


 
Okay, I think I just did my psyche some serious damage trying to get my head around that combination.....

Most recently, I went back and re-watched *Beyond the Wall of Sleep* (2009). This one has had a strange effect on me, and one I've not been able to quite define. To put it simply, it's a gawdawful film in nearly every way (save for the score, which is actually rather good, often atmospheric, and at times quite lovely). The acting is, by and large, so over the top that it loses any possibility of connecting with the audience even as farce (there are one or two minor roles where this is not the case, but it remains true for all the major ones); the alterations to Lovecraft's story are, by and large, ludicrous, unnecessary, poorly constructed, unoriginal, and frankly lame; the research on the level of medical/scientific knowledge/practice at the period is nonexistent (a definite no-no when dealing with a period Lovecraft piece); and the editing -- ye gods!!!!!!

I've never been a fan of this tendency for slash-cuts, jumpy cinema verite, vacillating between black-and-white and color, montage-gone-mad which seems so popular -- at least since someone saw the credits for Seven and thought that was the way to do an entire film; but, when used sparingly, or for particular purposes, it can be quite effective and get across a particularly psychological or dramatic point. Here, it is used for roughly 95% of the actual film and, while in certain parts it is done to make a particular point or to foreshadow a development, etc., on the whole it is gratuitous and annoying as hell!

Yet, for all that... I found myself going back and watching it. I must admit that I feel slightly more kindly toward it this time (though obviously not much), but I still would love to knock together the heads of the people responsible for butchering what actually had the potential to have been a rather fine film, if they hadn't vomited everything "kewl" about every cheap horror movie made for the past 40 years back into a single production!

There are some fine touches here and there; a melancholy feel to some of the early portions of the film (greatly enhanced by the score); some interesting ideas about the interrelationship between the dream world and our own waking experience; even an attempt to link this to the "Cthulhu Mythos" which had some potential but ended up being simply silly... but had some nice elements along the way. But all of this goes for naught, as the film as a whole is one of the most amateurish, overblown, nonsensical, moronic, and simply bad efforts at filmmaking I've seen... and I've sat through numerous exhibits of _student_ films in my time.....


----------



## dask

Go ahead, watch it again. You may like it a little more. After a baker's dozen it'll be your favorite film.


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> Go ahead, watch it again. You may like it a little more. After a baker's dozen it'll be your favorite film.


 
I can just feel the love....


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to watch the new restored version of* Metropolis.*

Personally, I didn't think that the new footage (extremely poor quality when compared with the rest of the movie) added much to the existing versions. It certainly didn't propel the plot or produce any major surprises. It did, however, flesh out the character of The Thin Man a bit more. 

There are still bits and pieces missing (e.g. the fight between Rotwang and Frederson that allows the real Maria to escape Rotwang's clutches) but this is probably about as whole as we will ever see it. 

I don't think people who have only seen previous versions will have missed out on an awful lot if they never get around to watching this newest reconstruction.

It's been a while since I've watched Metropolis and any excuse to see this masterpiece should be utilised  so - on that alone - I urge every fan of Metropolis to go get yourself a copy, press play, turn down the lights and enjoy.....


----------



## blacknorth

AE35Unit said:


> Is this the film where the guy is always putting gel in his hair, and when queried about it he opines 'Dry hair is for squibs!'?t



Too late, I've wiped that viewing experience from my memory so I can't say yea or nay.


----------



## WanderingWind

The last movie I saw was Law Abiding Citizen, which was a pretty good movie. I would recommend seeing it.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Umberto D *(1952), an Italian film about an old-age pensioner struggling to pay off his debts and look after his dog. I thought it was brilliant.


----------



## ravenus

*Asylum* was a decent anthology horror from Amicus. There was no real standout episode but the acting was of a good standard and the overall package was pleasant and professionally executed.


----------



## Rodders

I bought the Avatar extended version last night, but the second disc didn't work. Bugger!!


----------



## True Blue Mug

Just saw a movie called _Uncertainty_, all style and no substance. So gimmicky...


----------



## The Ace

..and the worst film ever made.

Film4 have just shown, 'The Dark is Rising : The Seeker.'

Unfortunately, I read the book, unlike David L. Cunningham who directed this pile of sh*t and proved that Christopher Ecclestone  was desperate for cash after, 'Dr Who,' and Ian McShane will bend over  and drop his trousers for anyone who gives him money.

This is a travesty, substituting special effects and American accents for Susan Cooper's excellent work.

What really hurt was the daft, but loveable and artistic, Max being turned into a bully, but that was symptomatic of this director's treatment of the large (Will had eight siblings), chaotic, but loving and close-knit Buckinghamshire Stanton family.


----------



## Starbeast

ravenus said:


> *Asylum* was a decent anthology horror from Amicus. There was no real standout episode but the acting was of a good standard and the overall package was pleasant and professionally executed.


 

Great movie, when I was a kid, I thought the story which had the wrapped body parts moving around was truely disturbing and freaky!


----------



## AE35Unit

The Ace said:


> ..and the worst film ever made.
> 
> Film4 have just shown, 'The Dark is Rising : The Seeker.'
> 
> Unfortunately, I read the book, unlike David L. Cunningham who directed this pile of sh*t and proved that Christopher Ecclestone  was desperate for cash after, 'Dr Who,' and Ian McShane will bend over  and drop his trousers for anyone who gives him money.
> 
> This is a travesty, substituting special effects and American accents for Susan Cooper's excellent work.
> 
> What really hurt was the daft, but loveable and artistic, Max being turned into a bully, but that was symptomatic of this director's treatment of the large (Will had eight siblings), chaotic, but loving and close-knit Buckinghamshire Stanton family.



No oscar nominations here then


----------



## ravenus

Starbeast said:


> Great movie, when I was a kid, I thought the story which had the wrapped body parts moving around was truely disturbing and freaky!


Heh. I'm sure if I had seen it as a kid I would have had the lights on at night for a month. I found a lesser effort like *The House That Dripped Blood* scary then.


----------



## sloweye

Ok, the doctors really need to let me get back to work.... i'm sitting here watching *Raw Deal.*


----------



## ravenus

*Police Academy* Childhood fav still has its stupid fun moments.


----------



## Perpetual Man

After a lot of hints, Mrs Perp. managed to get me to watch The Deathly Hallows. 

Have to say I rather enjoyed it, shame about it ending halfway through, and I wish I'd taken some tissue, for Mrs Perp, of course...


----------



## AE35Unit

*A Clockwork Orange*
I'm sure its a good film but i dont like it. Im not comfortable with gratuitous violence, just turns me off, especially rape. But theres parts of it that work (this is a Kubrick film after all) and one or two references to 2001! In a record store theres an LP of the soundtrack and much later he drinks drugged wine from the same crystal goblet as the end of 2001!
Yep I'm a geek


----------



## sloweye

*Those magnificent men in their flying machines * as good as ever


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Those magnificent men in their flying machines * as good as ever



Just caught bits of this on tv- I remember watching it as a kid,always near christmas. I forgot it was set in 1910, and so crass now!
It was always on with Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and i guess I confuse the two.


----------



## sloweye

I remember watching it with my grandad. It's one that doesnt get played very often now. Nice to see it getting air time.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Inception *
Boy did I have trouble staying awake thru this one! Dull and disappointing


----------



## Foxbat

*The Third Man *
They don't make 'em like this anymore.
Wonderful stuff


----------



## blacknorth

Run for the Sun - crazy Nazi quisling Trevor Howard and his faithful mass-murdering side-kick Peter Van Eyck chase poor ole Richard Widmark all over the shop in a hilariously bad film that even I couldn't see through to the end. Yep.


----------



## blacknorth

Foxbat said:


> *The Third Man *
> They don't make 'em like this anymore.
> Wonderful stuff



They certainly don't. Odd Man Out was superb too.


----------



## ktabic

Mouse said:


> Last film I saw was *Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*. Made me cry with laughter.



Awesome film in it's cheapness. I especially like the fact they reuse the same footage about four times, within minutes of each other. Still much fun was had watching it (with friends and alcohol).

Watched *30 Days of Might: Dark Days* this evening. Mostly good, I really should get a hold of the graphic novels sometime. Oh, and horrah for vampires that actually rip peoples throats out, instead of the glittery stalking emo virgins that seem to be the current crop of vampires.


----------



## Foxbat

blacknorth said:


> They certainly don't. Odd Man Out was superb too.


 
I've never seen that one. A quick search rveals James Mason in the starring role so I must make the effort to track this one down.


----------



## dask

ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING. You know, it was pretty darn good.


----------



## sloweye

Things really are getting bad... *Con Air.*


----------



## Rodders

Let the right one in. Superb.


----------



## No One

Must satisfy urge to splurge... *reviews page*

Yeah, expected more from *Inception*. Still liked it, but too much architecture built around the inspiration...

*The Third Man*. A classic. No denying that...

*Adventures in Babysitting*! Heh...

*Con Air* - gets worse with each viewing (love the avatar though SE )

Ah, *Let the Right One In* (I'm assuming you mean the original and not the re-make, which has an altered title. *Let Me In*, maybe). Highly rate the original though.

For my part, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* on tv last night. Still love it. The music score is just incredible and the action (and we all know there's only one fight in this film) is jaw-dropping. And a great cast too. I still much prefer this over the many pretenders that have come since to the lavish, asian epics, genre.


----------



## biodroid

*The A-Team* - real good action romp that is a better tv to movie conversion.
*Harry Potter 7 part 1* - excellent movie nuf said.
*Shrek forever after *- Better than the dissappointing 3rd movie but not as good as 1 and 2
*The Time Travelers Wife* - I thought this was going to be stupid but was actually surprised at how complex and emotional it was.

*AE35Unit* - I enjoyed Inception, yip it was slow in places but was really a well told story and great visuals and an excellent idea of dream theiving.


----------



## ravenus

*The First Great Train Robbery* by Michael Crichton was an  entertaining  book as I recall. The film (scripted & directed by Crichton) appears  to skimp on the fine details but is good escapist fun in its own way,  gorgeous looking and well-acted...and what's more cinematic than a  train?


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Sorcerer's Apprentice * last night. Very entertaining and a neat reference to the marching mops scene in Fantasia (so have to get that on DVD if possible )
Oh. Can anyone tell me the difference between Fantasia and Fantasia 2000?


----------



## Kyndylan

Hmm, I watched *Speed* a couple of days ago, more to try and persuade my wife that action films can be entertaining. She enjoyed it, so mission accomplished!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> Watched *Sorcerer's Apprentice *last night. Very entertaining and a neat reference to the marching mops scene in Fantasia (so have to get that on DVD if possible )
> Oh. Can anyone tell me the difference between Fantasia and Fantasia 2000?


 
Oh, about 50 years. The original was a labor of love combining the talents of great musicians and great music with the talents of great animators. The 2K version is pretty much something cobbled together to get some box office returns.


----------



## alchemist

biodroid said:


> *The A-Team* - real good action romp that is a better tv to movie conversion.


 
Saw it at the weekend. My overall impression was "Meh."


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Oh, about 50 years. The original was a labor of love combining the talents of great musicians and great music with the talents of great animators. The 2K version is pretty much something cobbled together to get some box office returns.


Ah so it is a different version then, not just a re-release!


----------



## sloweye

alchemist said:


> Saw it at the weekend. My overall impression was "Meh."



I thought the A-team was done well, it didn't trounce all over my childhood memories like the dukes of hazzard, the hulk or starsky & hutch. it was fairly true to the series.


----------



## biodroid

sloweye said:


> I thought the A-team was done well, it didn't trounce all over my childhood memories like the dukes of hazzard, the hulk or starsky & hutch. it was fairly true to the series.



That's what I thought as well. I thought all the other tv to movie remakes were so-so.


----------



## sloweye

Mind, I do remember them being a bit more creative the last time they were in a fireworks factory


----------



## biodroid

I also noted the classic shoot 2 bullets at the car and it ramps up and rolls but this time it was more realistic. The ship sequence was excellent though.


----------



## sloweye

*Kickass.....* and it was. Now i know theres gonna be a list of people telling me it was toop, but apart from the God-awful Nick Cage i thought it was great.


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *Kickass.....* and it was. Now i know theres gonna be a list of people telling me it w
> as toop, but apart from the God-awful Nick Cage i thought it was great.


Yea I enjoyed that one, and thought Cage was good in it-but then I tend to like the actor.


----------



## BookStop

Ok, Kickass, wonderful film! Nick Cage, horrible actor, but..in this case he fit the role well I thought.


----------



## sloweye

He has spoiled some really good films, they went form good films to...ok films soon as he was cast.


----------



## AE35Unit

He was good in Next, Knowing and Sorcerer's Apprentice (also the early Raising Arizona)
Ghostrider however...


----------



## sloweye

The keep casting him in so many 'hard man' roles, he is about as scary as a teddy with a bunch of daisys. i always end up shouting at the screen, him and sprout head should do all their films together. that would half the number of films i have to avoid


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> The keep casting him in so many 'hard man' roles, he is about as scary as a teddy with a bunch of daisys. i always end up shouting at the screen, him and sprout head should do all their films together. that would half the number of films i have to avoid



Sprout head?


----------



## sloweye

> Sprout head?



Sorry, Leonardo Dicaprio.



> (From movie forum)
> Instead, it is a musketeerist dictatorship, run by petulant, _sprout_-faced Louis XIV (_Leonardo DiCaprio_) under the watchful eye of the loyal, *...*





> (Movie forum 2)
> *...* in alot of good movies i think the problem is that he looks like a _sprout_


----------



## biodroid

I think ol' Sprout Head has matured in his acting and is choosing better movies, Shutter Island, Inception, The Departed. He acted very well in those ones.


----------



## ravenus

Caught *Star Trek (2009)* and *Adventures of Robin Hood* on Blu-Ray. Also saw the humongous making of feature for *Avatar*.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> I think ol' Sprout Head has matured in his acting and is choosing better movies, Shutter Island, Inception, The Departed. He acted very well in those ones.


I liked him in Titanic too, but thats just me!


----------



## clovis-man

*High Plains Drifter*

I've only gotten glimpses of scenes from TV broadcasts over the years since it first came out in 1973 and I never figured out what it was about. Now I have a better idea. Eastwood could be at least mildly arcane even in his earlier days.

The Mono Lake setting is surreal.


----------



## ravenus

*Commando Director's Cut* - Good mindless fun tinged with nostalgia.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *High Plains Drifter*
> 
> I've only gotten glimpses of scenes from TV broadcasts over the years since it first came out in 1973 and I never figured out what it was about. Now I have a better idea. Eastwood could be at least mildly arcane even in his earlier days.
> 
> The Mono Lake setting is surreal.



I love those Clintt Eastwood westerns!


----------



## sloweye

Watching *Star Trek *again, still love it but still think Simon Pegg (although i love his work) was the wrong choice for Scotty.


----------



## ravenus

@sloweye: I think he will being his own spin to Scotty. I hope the inevitable sequel will expand Scotty's role, he was quite underused in this one.

I saw *Wings of Desire* on blu-ray yesterday. I really love this film even if it gets a little too arty in parts. Followed that up with *Terminator 2*. The blu-ray transfer is not exceptionally better than with the DVD's but the Picture-in-picture "making of" track makes this well worth.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Alien*
Wonderfully dark and atmospheric. The only time the film dates is when they access a computer-typical 1979 intellivision-era sounds and clunkiness. They should have just used a portal with voice like 2001 (interesting that the main computer is called Mother)


----------



## ravenus

AE35Unit said:


> *Alien*
> Wonderfully dark and atmospheric. The only time the film dates is when they access a computer-typical 1979 intellivision-era sounds and clunkiness. They should have just used a portal with voice like 2001


Charming clunkiness > generic timelessness.


----------



## Steve S

Just watched the Devils Backbone - very impressed, wonderful imagery and atmosphere. I think Pan's Labyrinth is a better film, but Devils Backbone is still outstanding. I'll think I'll be heading over to Amazon to purchase the DVD as I want to see it again!!


----------



## vector7

> The Other Guys



Starring Mark Wahlberg and that other guy (forgot his name [Not intended]). Actually a good buddy-cop movie.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Avatar* Extended Cut today which was a great blu-ray showcase. Movie holds up terrifically as a visual treat, and without 3D glasses actually looks more crisp and colorful. The extended scenes are mainly a prologue on Earth for the Sully character and additional info about Neytiri and her sister. Nothing too earth shattering here but the scenes worked better than the extended footage for *Aliens* and *Terminator 2* which I mostly found quite boring.

Also saw a terrific Japanese animation film called *Millennium Actress*. Made by Satoshi Kon who also made *Perfect Blue* and the *Paranoia Agent* series, the film tracks the life of an actress as she searches for a man she once met as a child. Visually brilliant with terrific stylistic touches


----------



## Star Girl

*Soylent Green *
Brilliant film. I can't believe I'd missed it until now!

*The Road*
An all over beautiful looking film to show the sadness so well. While the story is subtle yet powerful. 

*The Mist*
An easy story, yet scary and sad. The ending was so shocking, I didn't think an ending could be so cruel.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Aliens*
Great sequel complete with bad 80s hair 
I'd forgotten this was a James Cameron film- the look is very similar to Ridley Scott's.

Must admit that I find the bunch of so callled marines seemed very undisciplined-  could hardly imagine such an unlikely rag tag team working in deep space! When you watch and read about the Apollo missions and see the astronauts with the 'right stuff' then see films like this its laughable.


----------



## No One

AE35Unit said:


> *Aliens*
> Great sequel complete with bad 80s hair
> I'd forgotten this was a James Cameron film- the look is very similar to Ridley Scott's.
> 
> Must admit that I find the bunch of so callled marines seemed very undisciplined-  could hardly imagine such an unlikely rag tag team working in deep space! When you watch and read about the Apollo missions and see the astronauts with the 'right stuff' then see films like this its laughable.



Interestingly, after reading Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I wiki'd some of his work - including the entry for Starship Troopers. Apparently, James Cameron had the cast read the book so they could grasp the attitude he wanted to give the marines.

I imagine that might explain a lot with regard to their discipline, or lack thereof.


----------



## ravenus

*@AE35Unit:* Did you happen to get the Alien antho on Blu-ray? I suspect that's why your view queue is all Alien atm 

Me, I saw *Terminator 2* on the Skynet Edition blu-ray. The  best reason to see this disc is the damn good pic-in-pic making of that can be run alongside of the movie. Transfer-wise this is actually disappointing because they appear to have run the film through some automated de-noising program that has stripped away grain and detail leaving the blu-ray image barely better than the Extreme Edition DVD I got before. Still, it was cheap.


----------



## AE35Unit

ravenus said:


> *@AE35Unit:* Did you happen to get the Alien antho on Blu-ray? I suspect that's why your view queue is all Alien atm


No I borrowed Dad's DVD set


----------



## Mouse

Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Very good. Even though there was the mysterious disappearance of Prince Caspian's Spanish accent.


----------



## CyBeR

I've just sat through the 2 and half hours of '2001: A space odyssey'...
Well...if I hadn't read the book prior to watching, I do believe a lot of my impressions right now would've been: "What the Hell did I just watch?" and "I really need to watch this again". I must honestly say that I hadn't had this sense of things amiss but still right in front of me since I've first watched 'The end of Evangelion' years back. I was a lot dumber back then.


----------



## sloweye

Ok so it not the last movie i watched but it's going to be the next, so just a heads up for any UKers who haven't spotted it... tonight, 10:35 ITV1 - Falling Down.. Awesome flick


----------



## AE35Unit

CyBeR said:


> I've just sat through the 2 and half hours of '2001: A space odyssey'...
> Well...if I hadn't read the book prior to watching, I do believe a lot of my impressions right now would've been: "What the Hell did I just watch?" and "I really need to watch this again". I must honestly say that I hadn't had this sense of things amiss but still right in front of me since I've first watched 'The end of Evangelion' years back. I was a lot dumber back then.


Oh i've lost count of the number of times i've watched it- still looks fresh even tho it was made in 1968


----------



## Foxbat

*Stroszek  *One of my favourite Herzog movies. Watched this for the umpteenth time and still finding something new in it.


----------



## ravenus

*Toy Story 3* was damn good fun for a one-time watch.


----------



## Baiten

*Agora*. Very interesting movie, made me think.


----------



## ktabic

*The Mist*. Not a bad horror, but damn, that ending was depressing.
Also the The Book of Eli. Kinda slow paced, and could have been about 10 minutes shorter, but some really impressive scenery.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just finished watching *Home Alone 2*. Proper Christmas viewing. And as I said last time, watching grown men take that many knocks and injuries...just classic. And Tin Curry, of course. "I love you!"


----------



## ravenus

*Quatermass and The Pit* - Pretty cool Hammer stab at SF with interesting ideas and solid British acting, let down some by bargain bin props and optical effects.

Mydetailed review *HERE*


----------



## Foxbat

*The Tunnel*  An interesting 1934 film about building a tunnel under the Atlantic linking New York and London. It's got a bit of melodrama chucked in to flesh out the characters, and the tunnel itself becomes as much an obsession to the main character as Moby dick was to Ahab.


----------



## No One

ravenus said:


> *Quatermass and The Pit* - Pretty cool Hammer stab at SF with interesting ideas and solid British acting, let down some by bargain bin props and optical effects.
> 
> Mydetailed review *HERE*



I thought *Quatermass *was very sophisticated by Hammer's standards. I enjoyed it, particularly the tie-ins to various historical superstitions in the area. Naturally, the effects rather let down the writing and performances, but still, a good piece.

Speaking of oldies, I saw Tod Browning's *Freaks *(1932) recently. Really brought back memories of seeing it as a young 'un, which I wasn't sure I had.

Even so, an incredible piece - grotesque and moving - and most certainly one of a kind as this managed to offend the sensibilities of a pre-war, non-PC, public (to say nothing of bringing Browning's career to its knees).


----------



## ravenus

Yea, the success of *Dracula* and *Frankenstein* series sort of limited the studio's horizons, I think. With all their good points those films were not as much food for thought as this one and a couple other efforts like *The Damned*.


----------



## Tansy

ktabic said:


> Also the *The Book of Eli.* Kinda slow paced, and could have been about 10 minutes shorter, but some really impressive scenery.



Saw this at the cinema and it was ok - loved the fall out  scenery, other half switched off once it went religious then it redeemed itself at the end


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I'm enjoying a small Hitchcock revival - watched *Vertigo *and *Rear Window* and have The Birds lined up for tonight. I'm enjoying revisiting these movies a great deal - Hitchcock is such a meticulous storyteller, yet he never packs his movies with more detail than is needed.


----------



## ravenus

*Robocop* extended cut the 20th Anniversary Edition DVD! Shame MGM, for not putting it out in the original 1.66:1 ratio (you can notice the cropping in a fair number of scenes. On the other hand the OOP Criterion edition is in the correct ratio but non-anamorphic, eww). Everything else owns. Great extras...which is why I didn't get the barebones blu-ray.


----------



## ravenus

*Story of Ricky*
Wholly awesome Hong Kong low-budget Martial Arts meets Gore meets WTF OTT-ness movie. Highly recommended to all non-pansies.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Is that the one also known as Riki-Oh? 'Cos I freaking LOVE THAT FILM.

The budget effects! The dubbing! The poor, poor dubbing! The dialogue! Just everything about it is so awful, it's _amazing_. I must own this film one day. I love crazy prosthetics at the best of times, but those are something else. Tying your own tendons together...


----------



## BookStop

Ok, I just watched the trailer for that, and it looks like possibly the worst movie ever made!!! I think it looks fairly AWESOME!


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> Is that the one also known as Riki-Oh? 'Cos I freaking LOVE THAT FILM.
> 
> The budget effects! The dubbing! The poor, poor dubbing! The dialogue! Just everything about it is so awful, it's _amazing_. I must own this film one day. I love crazy prosthetics at the best of times, but those are something else. Tying your own tendons together...



Yup, Riki-Oh is also known as The Story of Riki (thanks to Hoops for originally pointing the film out to me!).

A truly awesome spectacle of perfectly rendered awfulness. The dialogue is priceless, such as Riki-Oh punching through a man only to be threatened by a guard waving a stick, "Another move and I'll hit you!" 

Oh, and "His kung-fu is unorthodox!" amongst just about every other word of dialogue. I laughed myself silly all the way through that film.


----------



## sloweye

*The Terminator - *Big cheesey grin  Love this film.


----------



## ravenus

Heh, I saw Riki-oh in Cantonese with subs. The subs were funny but I assume that's not a fault of the translation, I think the movie is hilarious in itself. Inept technically yes, but man some of the ideas were so completely wow - the "gut-strangling" scene for example, catch that happening in any of the FX-fetish movies from Hollywood.


----------



## j d worthington

No One said:


> Speaking of oldies, I saw Tod Browning's *Freaks *(1932) recently. Really brought back memories of seeing it as a young 'un, which I wasn't sure I had.
> 
> Even so, an incredible piece - grotesque and moving - and most certainly one of a kind as this managed to offend the sensibilities of a pre-war, non-PC, public (to say nothing of bringing Browning's career to its knees).


 
Have you ever read "Spurs", the original short story by Tod Robbins? If anyone thinks Browning's film version gets nasty, they really should try going to the source....

(For those interested, it can be found in Peter Haining's anthology, *The Ghouls*....)


----------



## No One

j. d. worthington said:


> Have you ever read "Spurs", the original short story by Tod Robbins? If anyone thinks Browning's film version gets nasty, they really should try going to the source....
> 
> (For those interested, it can be found in Peter Haining's anthology, *The Ghouls*....)



I know of it, but have never come across it. Cheers for the pointer. 

On a similar note (in relation to the film *Pi *from another thread) I also hadn't read Arthur C. Clarke's The Billion Names of God, but I have now . Very interesting. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that short story provided some inspiration for the film.


----------



## Rodders

I watched the Time Machine (the Original version) this afternoon. I'd forgotten how enjoyable his film actually is.


----------



## Grimward

Watched "How to Train Your Dragon" with my kids.  Fairly predictable, but I liked it anyway.  Toothless did remind me a little too much of Snitch, for some reason.....


----------



## ravenus

*Robo-Geisha*
This one comes across mostly as a poor man's Takashi Miike film. It looks good and all but there's a disappointing lack of energy that makes tepid even scenes of bikini warriors shooting shurikens out of their butts or squeezing out corrosive "breast milk from hell" (their words not mine). Last 30 min damn good, with protagonist in quasi-tank form battling a (non-Howl's) moving castle.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Bell, Book and Candle*, which had its moments and a great performance by Jack Lemmon, but was ultimately rather annoyingly sexist and not funny enough.


----------



## Culhwch

Christmas marathon yesterday - _Home Alone_, then _National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation_, then _Gremlins_.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Project A* from 1983.  An early more comic version of Jackie Chan movies.  Him and Sammo Hung was really fun together.  Thanks to a newer dvd for once i saw an old movie of his with cantonese audio and not dubbed horrible souther US sounding Jackie Chan.

As usually the scenes after credits showing Jackie hurting himself in the fight scenes,falling from a roof without a line in the wrong way etc was  fun in a morbid way.


----------



## ravenus

Re-watched an old favorite, *Sanjuro*


----------



## AE35Unit

*Nativity!*
Brilliant film!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*The Last Exorcism *which begins promisingly with an evangelical priest losing his faith and then descends to the level of a medieval passion play in the last few minutes. There is a truly terrifying film to be made on exorcism from a completely rational and humanistic perspective, and I need to stop being naive and thinking it will ever be made. 

*Bunny And The Bull *which is a quirky comedy/coming of age movie that I found quite delightful for the most part. A sort of catharsis by anamnesis narrative.


----------



## Mouse

*Edward Scissorhands* on TV. And *Toy Story 3* on DVD.


----------



## RoninJedi84

Got the newest Christmas Carol the other night on PPV. Daughter walked off after 20 minutes, wife fell asleep. Bah humbug!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Winter's Bone*, a taut, harrowing tale that makes Mystic River look like a light Wodehousian romp, and easily one of the best releases of 2010.


----------



## soulsinging

Over the last 2 days I've seen:

True Grit (remake)- Perhaps the most straightforward Coen brothers flick, but still a great movie. Damon and Bridges both give fantastic performances and the young girl is excellent as well. Probably the best western since Unforgiven.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World- Shows its comic book/video game origins proudly, but is a riot nonetheless. Michael Cera's act is wearing thin, but the movies other players are so good that they carry it despite him.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang- A personal favorite of mine, Val Kilmer is utterly hilarious in a dark comedy send up of classic film noir. Robert Downey Jr is also fantastic and there are plenty of allusions to Chandler and the like.


----------



## Connavar

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Winter's Bone*, a taut, harrowing tale that makes Mystic River look like a light Wodehousian romp, and easily one of the best releases of 2010.



I have been waiting for the 7 janauri premiere of that film for weeks.  Only thing that makes doubtful is i wonder how similar it is to the book.

The novel is by Daniel Woodrell a literary strong noir writer i like to read.  Hope its not one of his best books since the movie its the only quality one on cinema right now.


----------



## sloweye

*I am Legend. *why? why did i watch it? I liked the book and put off the film for so long. i shouldn't have given in


----------



## AE35Unit

sloweye said:


> *I am Legend. *why? why did i watch it? I liked the book and put off the film for so long. i shouldn't have given in



Hmm i loved it and bought it on DVD


----------



## digs

*Megamind*. I actually really liked it. It has a pretty clever plot and great voice actors.


----------



## sloweye

AE35Unit said:


> Hmm i loved it and bought it on DVD



It's so wrong after reading the book, I just spent the whole film going "well that's not right"


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Mary Poppins* at the moment. Yeeeah.


----------



## sloweye

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Mary Poppins* at the moment. Yeeeah.



Diagnosis chim chim-in-ey Chim chim cher-oo!


----------



## Star Girl

sloweye said:


> It's so wrong after reading the book, I just spent the whole film going "well that's not right"


>_> Don't get me started. So many things wrong with that film.


I watched the 1960 *The Time Machine*... I do love H.G Wells so this film did annoy me quite alot as its like a watered down version of the book. Also the guy who made it didn't really get the point of the book. 
However that time machine design is just beautiful. 

So I turned over and watched *Jurasic Park: The Lost World*.


----------



## sloweye

Star Girl said:


> >_> Don't get me started. So many things wrong with that film.



I think we shoud find out where Francis Lawrence lives and go egg his house (and make him actualy read the book)


----------



## HardScienceFan

The Golden Compass

and Van Helsing

One could have been much better,the other was totally superfluous


----------



## HoopyFrood

Haha, Ben, you summed those up amazingly well!

Hello, by the way!!


----------



## alchemist

The Departed. Excellent stuff.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *The Endurance*:

The Endurance (2000) - IMDb

A fascinating documentary detailing the amazing Shackleton Antarctic expedition of 1924. Interestingly, this fateful south pole trip is remembered hardly at all in comparison to the heroic and ultimately tragic earlier Scott expedition. A film dramatizing it was done in 1948:

Scott of the Antarctic (1948) - IMDb

But the newer film featuring Liam Neeson as the narrator (and a much more pronounced Irish accent) is well worth a viewing.


----------



## Foxbat

*She Wore A Yellow Ribbon *
Recently, I seem to have developed a taste for John Ford westerns

@clovis-man  You might want to check out *Shackleton* (with Kenneth Branagh).


----------



## Connavar

Star Girl said:


> >_> Don't get me started. So many things wrong with that film.
> 
> 
> I watched the 1960 *The Time Machine*... I do love H.G Wells so this film did annoy me quite alot as its like a watered down version of the book. Also the guy who made it didn't really get the point of the book.
> However that time machine design is just beautiful.
> 
> So I turned over and watched *Jurasic Park: The Lost World*.



I saw *The Time Machine* the day before yesterday on TCM.  I actually enjoyed it.  Much closer to the book,more heart in it than the newer version from a few years ago. 

Of course it wasnt as much science fictional as the novel but Rod Taylor was well casted,it was visually strong.  Only the fight with fuzzy morlocks was making me almost laugh.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea the new version of The Time Machine is pretty bad-not as good as the new War of the Worlds. 
Saw most of Antz earlier-I do like those films!


----------



## Mouse

Saw *Tron* at the cinema last night. Orange Wednesday and it _still_ cost me £12.50. That's for one ticket!! Was the film worth £12.50? No freaking way.


----------



## sloweye

Mouse said:


> Saw *Tron* at the cinema last night. Orange Wednesday and it _still_ cost me £12.50. That's for one ticket!! Was the film worth £12.50? No freaking way.



And they will be asking soon why less and less people are going to the cinema


----------



## Mouse

I know, I couldn't believe it! I even asked the girl behind the desk if it was right!


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> Saw *Tron* at the cinema last night. Orange Wednesday and it _still_ cost me £12.50. That's for one ticket!! Was the film worth £12.50? No freaking way.



Yea, thats what happens when people download dodgy movies! Cinemas and rental stores have to fight it out!


----------



## sloweye

The only tome i've paid that much was for fright night at the bluewater cinema. but that was five horror films running from dusk until dawn (no not the film  )



> *AE35: *Yea, thats what happens when people download dodgy movies! Cinemas and rental stores have to fight it out!



You'd think they would bring prices down to combat it not push prices up and make people do it more eh?


----------



## Mouse

Apparently it was an extra four pound summat just cos it was 3D.


----------



## sloweye

I'd have said you keep the glasses and i'll keep me £4


----------



## Mouse

That's the thing though, I already had my own glasses! God knows what the extra money's for!


----------



## sloweye

Should have taken a friend and opened the fire escape for them, just to get the feeling of value


----------



## clovis-man

*True Grit*

Another triumph for the Coen brothers. I believe Jeff Bridges intended an homage to John Wayne, but IMHO, did him one better. 13 year old Hailee Steinfeld was much better than Kim Darby from the original film. Beautifully filmed and directed. Don't miss this one, no matter what you may think about the 1969 version.

My favorite quote from Jeff Bridges: "Well, that didn't pan out." (I guffawed out loud)


----------



## Pyan

*Tremors*, for the umpteenth time - just love that film...


----------



## AE35Unit

Mouse said:


> Apparently it was an extra four pound summat just cos it was 3D.



Ah, so youre paying for the extra tech! Crackers. Im glad i cant see this gimmicky 3D!


----------



## Connavar

My cousin and his wife paid the extra expensive ticket for *Tron 3D *and then they were told before the film the 3D projectors wasnt working so they paid much more for the regular 2D version.

Thats one of the reasons 3D is just a gimmick that i avoid if there is a choice.  Im no pirate who download all his movies, you just must give me better movies than Harry Potter 10,Transformer 10 for me to go the cinema.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea the cinemas are way too expensive! Mouse for your 12.50 you could rent 3 films for 3 nights, 2 bags of popcorn etc and be able to go make a cuppa whenever you like.  The only time we go is to take the kids as a treat and use our 20 quid family ticket! But if 3D is gonna be that expensive then its doomed!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> Yea the cinemas are way too expensive! Mouse for your 12.50 you could rent 3 films for 3 nights, 2 bags of popcorn etc and be able to go make a cuppa whenever you like.  The only time we go is to take the kids as a treat and use our 20 quid family ticket! But if 3D is gonna be that expensive then its doomed!



I pay for a monthly DVD rental site that gives me 4 movies a month for how long i want for 99 swedish kronor. Which is less than 9 punds and cheaper even movies that arent 3D.  Thats why most of my films this year have been DVDs.  For example The Centurion just came out on DVD and on way to my mail box.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> I pay for a monthly DVD rental site that gives me 4 movies a month for how long i want for 99 swedish kronor. Which is less than 9 punds and cheaper even movies that arent 3D.  Thats why most of my films this year have been DVDs.  For example The Centurion just came out on DVD and on way to my mail box.


Yea we do that too thru Tesco online. Can also access Love Film via our new PS3!


----------



## My Atomic Tales

Zombieland. I love zombie movies, mainly because they're the only supernatural creatures which actually scare me.


----------



## ravenus

Saw Primeval, which was a fun monster movie (I'm surprised at the poor response it has got) , although I really wanted the annoying protagonists to DIE! Gustave FTW!


----------



## littlemissattitude

Not a movie, but we've been watching a lot of old Perry Mason epsodes around here in the past week or so.  I'm really enjoying them, which kind of surprises me.  There is a lot more comedy in them than I remember from when I saw them as a very small child.

Last movie I saw in a theatre was Tangled and, just before that, the newest Harry Potter.  Quite liked both of them.


----------



## Perpetual Man

At long last settled down and watched AVATAR, well.... wow


----------



## Lioness

Saw the 2009 adaptation of Dorian Gray. It's different from the novel, but I loved it!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Wall-E* at the moment. First time viewing. I've heard people raving about it a lot and that usually puts me off (contrary like that) but all right, so far, very good. Very clever, all the stuff about shipping off the earth to leave it to be cleaned, the fat humans on the ship etc.

Hahaha. May have suffered some bone loss...


----------



## sloweye

Concidering it came out among that glut of CGI films its one of the better ones.


----------



## No One

Had one eye on Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull...or whatever it's called.

Words cannot describe how much I wish there was a Delete button on my head...


----------



## sloweye

No One said:


> Had one eye on Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull...or whatever it's called.
> 
> Words cannot describe how much I wish there was a Delete button on my head...



Damn right, the Jones series ended after the temple of doom for me.


----------



## Mouse

Lioness said:


> Saw the 2009 adaptation of Dorian Gray. It's different from the novel, but I loved it!



Yay! Also loved it.



No One said:


> Had one eye on Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull...or whatever it's called.
> 
> Words cannot describe how much I wish there was a Delete button on my head...



Same here. Didn't watch it all, just caught the bit with the aliens.


----------



## Dale_M

Just re-viewed The Green Mile for the tenth time, although it's been more than a year since I last saw it.  Damn, I still think it's the best film I've ever seen...


----------



## Foxbat

*They Live *
One of John Carpenter's best as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I agree, there's a strong cheese factor, but the central conceit is wonderfully simple and chilling. 

Finally watched the big vampire flick of a couple years back, *Let The Right One In*, which I found to be quite gripping, a very chilling little tale and a better antidote to sloppy, soppy vampire romance than certain other contenders.


----------



## sloweye

Just watched *The Grufalo* with my sisters little'un. Not sure of it counts but it's kind of a mini movie.


----------



## ravenus

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Finally watched the big vampire flick of a couple years back, *Let The Right One In*, which I found to be quite gripping, a very chilling little tale and a better antidote to sloppy, soppy vampire romance than certain other contenders.


Martin >>>>> LTROI


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Sure, but LTROI >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thirst.


----------



## Connavar

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Sure, but LTROI >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thirst.



A swedish film better than Park film that is just wrong 

You should the see american version Let Me In apparently its an original,one of the best american vampire horror films in years.

Im not kidding some fans claim that.


----------



## ravenus

I don't agree with the LTROI-Thirst comparison. Thirst had its share of great moments. Sure it was disjointed and tried to bring in too many elements (and the ghost of the retard son was just plain stupid) but I liked it a very good amount.


----------



## alchemist

Just saw Megamind. Fun for all the family. Throw in a bag of fruit pastilles and you have 90 mins of peace.
Re Indiana Jones, in descending order...
I - a classic
III - almost as good. Connery perfectly cast
II - very good
IV - what the hell were they thinking?


----------



## No One

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Sure, but LTROI >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thirst.



As a fan of Chan-wook in the same way that a man dying of thirst (no pun intended) is a fan of water, I'll always overlook whatever perceived weaknesses there might be in his work simply because the strengths are so great.

Given the immensity of pap that is the modern vampire genre, *Thirst *and *Let the Right One In* are two of the best in recent years. They're very different films, but they're also both excellent imo.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I realise that Asian filmmakers get this automatic pass in genre circles these days, but *Thirst *was far too much of a mess to get my vote. 

I revisited an old favourite last night: *The Big Lebowski*. Much inane hilarity ensued.


----------



## No One

Well we can at least agree on *The Big Lebowski*. 

One of the very best.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Lives Of Others *One of the best films ever to come out of Germany

*Prince Of Darkness* This movie starts off well but eventually loses the plot and evolves into something resembling a zombie-fest....but I still love it


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

That's true about *Prince Of Darkness*, but before it runs off the rails I thought it had some of the eeriest moments I've seen in a horror film. An odd movie, it could easily have been a real masterpiece.


----------



## Connavar

About Asian directors getting automatic pass ?  Too often i find genre fans ignorant about good Asian cinema.  They know only the guy who made Old Boy,John Woo.  Many great directors like Johnny To is underrated.

*Thirst* was not his best work but still vastly different,more mature take on vampire movies these days.  The only reason LTROI comparison was funny to me is because Swedish cinema is terribly dominated by crime movies that are movie series of famous book series.  Even if i havent see LTROI yet im proud of it getting international acclaim more than Stieg Larsson movies that is just another crime series...


----------



## Foxbat

*The Comeback   *A fairly decent 70s horror flick from independant film maker Pete Walker.


----------



## philoSCIFI

The Kids Are All Right


----------



## Austin55

I have watched Unstoppable a few days a go.Treat to watch this movie.The movie is basically based on a train without any person having control of it.


----------



## TK-421

Yogi Bear in 3D with the family. Kids loved it. I laughed out lound. Can't stop talking like Yogi now. 

Hey Boo Boo! Let's go nab some picka nick baskets! (lame, I know...)


----------



## sloweye

*Terminator 3* - well i bought it, might aswell watch it + it still has comedy value.


----------



## sloweye

*X-files- i want to belive  *CH4 (uk) now!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*How To Train Your Dragon*. Finally got around to seeing this, loved it even if I didn't understand why the Vikings all spoke in Scottish accents.


----------



## biodroid

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *How To Train Your Dragon*. Finally got around to seeing this, loved it even if I didn't understand why the Vikings all spoke in Scottish accents.



Hehe, didn't the main character also speak with an American accent even though his father was a Scottish-Viking?


----------



## Rodders

I finally got to watch Wall-E last night. Surprisingly good actually. I wiuld've liked to have seen more of the Earth at the beginning though.


----------



## ravenus

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *How To Train Your Dragon*. Finally got around to seeing this, loved it even if I didn't understand why the Vikings all spoke in Scottish accents.


Damn. I saw the first 15min of this and was like, Haven't I seen this whole "Unlikely hero finds his destiny and becomes the CHOSEN ONE" plot some in some 500 other movies?


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Oh the plot was completely predictable from the word go. I really liked the dragon, Toothless and the long scenes of dragon flight. 

Watched another equally predictable, but also enjoyable animated film, *Despicable Me*.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

biodroid said:


> Hehe, didn't the main character also speak with an American accent even though his father was a Scottish-Viking?



That, too.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched *Inception *for the second time. Great movie. Still confused about some things!


----------



## clovis-man

*The Affair Of The Necklace* with Hillary Swank, Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Walken, Adrien Brody and The Mentalist's lead player, Simon Baker. A lavish costume drama. With the featured cast, I had high expectations. But the sum is not always equal to its parts. Based on some factual 18th century France happenings, it was interesting, but not amazing.

Worth a Netflix viewing.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Kick Ass last night. Great fun. Chloe Moretz and Nic Cage were fantastic. I loved the way that Big Daddy spoke like Adam West's Batman.


----------



## alchemist

Me too. I was highly impressed. Looking forward to McLovin as an arch-villain in the future.


----------



## ravenus

\m/ Jackie Chan - *Legend of Drunken Master* \m/
I also saw the original *Drunken Master* (1974) which was damn good  fun, but the action in the sequel, particularly the furious climactic  battle is in a whole league of its own.


----------



## Null_Zone

Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Felt a little rushed but the actor playing the cousin was able to do that rare thing of being an annoying brat but still watchable.


----------



## Mouse

Will Poulter. ^ I think most child actors are crap, but that kid is amazing. Check out Son of Rambow. Plays a completely different character to Eustace!


----------



## Null_Zone

Mouse said:


> Will Poulter. ^ I think most child actors are crap, but that kid is amazing. Check out Son of Rambow. Plays a completely different character to Eustace!


 
It's already on the Lovefilm list, just behind Pirahna 3D.


----------



## Mouse

Awesome. Hope you enjoy it!


----------



## sloweye

Watching *Run Fat Boy Run *right now.


----------



## clovis-man

sloweye said:


> Watching *Run Fat Boy Run *right now.


 
A fun film. Simon Pegg doesn't get enough credit for being as humorous as he is.

Just saw *The King's Speech*. Wonderful movie. Though they really did seem to have it in for Wallis Simpson. And I had to chuckle thinking of Helena Bonham-Carter as the Queen Mum. Great cast. Well acted.


----------



## biodroid

*Tron: Legacy *- I thought it was awesome, I prefer this movie to Avatar any day.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *The King's Speech* at the weekend, really enjoyed it, very emotional. Was very well acted, and best actor wouldn't be a surprise, but I don't think it is that good, best film would be a bit too far. Also watched *The Escapist* with _Joseph Fiennes and Brian Cox_ which was really rather good, although left me not knowing what happened at the end, whether any of it was real or just imagined. Then watched *The expendables* last night, really liked it, was amusing and entertaining. I have gone of pure action films recently with the terrible *A Team* movie and *Salt* being rubbish, but this one had enough fun action to keep me amused. Thought it was well worth the cost of the Blue Ray.


----------



## Allegra

*Road to Perdition* - pretty good.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Allegra: I love Road to Perdition. I like that fact that Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Paul Newman all acted out of their normal characters.  Its a great movie.

Just watched a movie called The Company Men.  Its about the downturn in America and stars Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and another guy who I keep forgetting his name.  It was a really really good movie.  Well worth the watch!


----------



## Moonbat

Finished 2 movies last night, firstly Dance with a Stranger starring a very young Rupert Everett and Miranda Richardson about the last woman to be hanged in Britain, thought it would be good, but was very slow and rather boring. Seems like he deserved it in the end. then watched Scorcese's *The King of Comedy* with robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Barnhard, wasn't as funny as I expected, but had some good moments, and was quite good. I'm not a fan of De Niro (except in taxi driver/deer hunter/raging bull and Godfather pt2) and I don't think he was very golod in this, Sandra Barnhard was very good, and the overall piece was pretty impressive, but not that funny, and not that dark either.


----------



## megan8788

the last movie that i saw is Tangled. It was fabulous.


----------



## soulsinging

Last night I finally saw Inception and it definitely lived up to the hype. One of the most fascinating and thrilling movie experiences I've had in a while.

I'm currently watching Brick, a totally underrated film noir satire.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*North By Northwest*, which I continue to like a lot although a couple of things struck me: the movie really is a bit long for its own good, particularly the first half, and the sexual chemistry between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in the train scene doesn't really work, which come to think of it is probably why some parts seem to drag on.


----------



## Connavar

*Dead Reckoning* a 1940s film Noir with Bogart and a stunning classic hollywood blond who was very good as femme fatale.

Not Bogey's best film but it was very dark story,characters and used the shadows so well.  Good choice when i added it and 5-7 other Bogey films in my Love Film list.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Oh, neat must watch this. Bogie is one of my few screen idols, but I haven't seen all his films yet.


----------



## Connavar

I cant get enough of him, im 4 movies behind my monthly 4 Dvds Love Film list so i choose to watch Bogey films by the year they are realesed. I dont care if its biggest or smalles film.  I see he has several films with Raoul Walsh of The Big Sleep fame. I hope those are specially good.


----------



## ravenus

*El Libro de Piedra aka The Book of Stone* - Cliched and not sophisticated the way *The Innocents* was, but this 1969 Mex-horror has a solid share of old-school creepiness. Wish I'd seen it as a kid, I would have been totally petrified then.


----------



## ravenus

Saw a kickass Aussie crime family movie called *Animal Kingdom*. Mr. Scorsese should announce his retirement because the young 'uns are beating him at his own game.


----------



## sloweye

Watched *Hot Shots *last night after my internet decided to cut me off from the chrons. 
I can't help it, i love the sillyness of these films.


----------



## Connavar

*Winter's Bone* was a great minimalistic film with top notch acting and a wonderful script.  I was impressed by the lead actress,the stunning ozarks backround. It was a powerful,heartbreaking story and was easy to feel for the girl,her family because unlike most hollywood dramas they felt so real. Didnt feel as fake as the usual melodramas that win oscars because its about a true story.... 

I hope the director can built on this great film and the movie wins more international awards.


----------



## No One

sloweye said:


> Watched *Hot Shots *last night after my internet decided to cut me off from the chrons.
> I can't help it, i love the sillyness of these films.



 Here to agree – twice – with Sloweye, as I also saw *Hot Shots*! So many gags to choose from, but I love the pilot-speak: “Sphincter Mucus Niner Ringworm, roger!”

Secondly, on a perverse whim, I decided to watch *I am Legend* (sorry Slow ) - just to see how it could go wrong. I was thinking of posting a lengthy comparison actually, but that post would be waaay too long a list of moaning and groaning. I mean, I really wasn’t expecting much (which is usually a good time for a film to impress) but it was worse than I’d feared. Okay, so I’ll have a bit of a moan…

Given how dry and matter-of-factually the book is written, it’s surprising to see how the film can so spectacularly fail to capture the same sense of physical and psychological desolation (I’ll say nothing about how the dog was handled – suffice to say I found it much more effective in the book).

 No dissemination of vampire lore (instead doing away with the historical accounting of vampirism and using a mutated cure for cancer as the cause of the outbreak - bah) and only the most cursory glossing over of Neville’s enforced routine – although it did establish that he watches Shrek a lot. That's time well spent.

  Also didn’t expect virtually EVERYTHING that moves in this film to be CG (and on occasions like this it just feels like lazy directing under someone who couldn’t be bothered to make the vamps threatening in any other way). Not that they _were_ threatening in any way...

  AND – horror of horrors! – the triple whammy crappy ending (replete with the good-hearted woman and the fact that there are suvivors in the mountains). So whereas literary Neville is ultimately hailed as a vampiric boogeyman in the new world order, celluloid Neville is the man who cured the world. The film should have been called *I am Mad Scientist*!

Legend indeed. Pfft.

  Now I’m torn between watching Starship Troopers or Hot Shots part deux…


----------



## sloweye

first of all, I hate to say i tol..... ah, who am i kidding! Told ya so 

And yeah, thats everything i thought of the film summed up right there... The dog, oh how wrong!

Troopers / Hot shots.....Troopers / Hot shots.....Troopers / Hot shots..... Ahhhhhrrrrgg!


----------



## No One

sloweye said:


> first of all, I hate to say i tol..... ah, who am i kidding! Told ya so
> 
> And yeah, thats everything i thought of the film summed up right there... The dog, oh how wrong!
> 
> Troopers / Hot shots.....Troopers / Hot shots.....Troopers / Hot shots..... Ahhhhhrrrrgg!



I really was going to add that you can say "I told you so!" (but I didn't doubt your own appraisal. Like I said, I was just curious how such a simple story could go so horribly wrong).

And I too am finding the choice of killer bugs and utter silliness a difficult one...


----------



## sloweye

I need a new copy of Troopers, my Ex killed to VHS versions... It's a wonder i stayed with her, the cold hearted beast


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Revisited *Tremors*, which contains no original ideas whatsoever but still, or perhaps therefore, manages to be one of the most flat-out entertaining monster flicks ever. The sequels got progressively worse, as I recall.


----------



## clovis-man

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Revisited *Tremors*, which contains no original ideas whatsoever but still, or perhaps therefore, manages to be one of the most flat-out entertaining monster flicks ever. The sequels got progressively worse, as I recall.


 
You recall correctly. But the first was great fun.

Just watched *Joyeux Noel*, a French film about the "fraternization" of soldiers on the front lines on Christmas Eve 1914. A little over the top, but well portrayed for all that. Loosely based on events that occurred during that time. Well worth a viewing.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Wrestler* .......no frills, no fancy CGI, just a high quality movie that kind of kills off the _'they don't make 'em like they used to'_ argument (of which I am extremely guilty at expressing). 

Sometimes it's good to be proved wrong.


----------



## No One

*Year One*, with Jack Black and Michael Sera. 

Not a classic, but very funny nonetheless.


----------



## Forve

Just saw a *Taxi Driver* for second time, great movie, makes u think that there is much more philosophical in taxi driving than meets the eye


----------



## Foxbat

*Butterfly's Tongue *
This Spanish film is witty, intelligent and very moving in places. An absolutely superb movie and one that I will watch many more times.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Rebel Without A Cause* which I'd never seen in its entirety over the years. Sometimes heavy-handed, and the wild kids of yesteryear seem almost decorous in their sartorial choices but overall very effective and helped along by some excellent performances.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The King's Speech*. Pretty good. Geoffrey Rush is terrific as always.

Speaking of popular Australian actors, I was at lunch today and I saw Cate Blanchett!


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

ravenus said:


> *El Libro de Piedra aka The Book of Stone* - Cliched and not sophisticated the way *The Innocents* was, but this 1969 Mex-horror has a solid share of old-school creepiness. Wish I'd seen it as a kid, I would have been totally petrified then.



Interesting choice of words! I just watched this and I agree, perhaps not very subtle or original, but it still creates quite an effective atmosphere.


----------



## pmonkey

the last film i watched was a *Day The Earth Stood Still* on blu ray, look s very good on thath format.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *Prince Caspian* on the old tellybox. Yum yum yum. Somebody box me up some of _that _to go.


----------



## sloweye

Watched *Zombieland *again this afternoon... just cos it's awesome!... gore, chuckles and woody... perfect


----------



## biodroid

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> Revisited *Tremors*, which contains no original ideas whatsoever but still, or perhaps therefore, manages to be one of the most flat-out entertaining monster flicks ever. The sequels got progressively worse, as I recall.



Also saw this one the other day, good mindless entertainment, Tremors 2 was pretty good as well.

Watched the new *Predators*, was quite dissappointed with it. For a scary action SF horror it had very little of it. No new Predator movie will ever live up to the original Arnie version IMO.

*I love you Phillip Morris* - Good story and Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor both play gay very well, was a bit freaked out by the intimate scenes between the 2 but the story was good.


----------



## No One

I felt like I’ve been neglecting two of my favourite cinema scenes and had a hankering to watch something South Korean or Japanese. I opted for the 2008 S. Korean film *The Chaser*, directed by Na Hong-jin, and I’m still feeling the effects of it. Oh my. This film is so good it made me realise I haven’t seen anything of this quality for a _long _while. So I can’t resist a bit of a rave.

It bears a resemblance to 2003’s *Memories of Murder*, which was based on the factual case of South Korea’s first known serial killer, and a very good film that was. The Chaser is even better (but isn’t, as far as I know, based on true events).

In a lot of ways the film is deliberately, and oh-so-hugely, frustrating – showing that a murderer hardly even needs to be competent given the red-tape of the legal system. It also managed to evoke quite a few strong emotions along the way. And then some. There are a couple of scenes of disturbing violence (very disturbing in one instance), but it’s not gory or exploitative in that department. 

I could pick at a couple of points, but that would be extremely short-sighted of me given the film’s strengths, so I won’t.

In a word – brilliant brilliant brilliant.


----------



## sloweye

*centurion*... Errrrr, yeah, not bad i supose although (and i'm probably wrong) i thought the 9th met their demise in the south. but it was entertaining enough.


----------



## Connavar

*Machete* i saw because a group of my classmates,their friends wanted to see it. It was best movie ever people talked me into. Usually its crappy drama,romance they drag me to...

Machete was so fun in over the top way that every scene was priceless in gore,great action or just the director making a parody of his famous actions films like Desperado.  Dany Trejo was beyond awesome and i hope truly for more Machete films.

Very few hollywood movies i laughed so much with. It was both good action,good parody.


----------



## sloweye

Connavar said:


> *Machete* i saw because a group of my classmates,their friends wanted to see it. It was best movie ever people talked me into. Usually its crappy drama,romance they drag me to...
> 
> Machete was so fun in over the top way that every scene was priceless in gore,great action or just the director making a parody of his famous actions films like Desperado.  Dany Trejo was beyond awesome and i hope truly for more Machete films.
> 
> Very few hollywood movies i laughed so much with. It was both good action,good parody.



It is a 100% fantastic film


----------



## littlemissattitude

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Rebel Without A Cause* which I'd never seen in its entirety over the years. Sometimes heavy-handed, and the wild kids of yesteryear seem almost decorous in their sartorial choices but overall very effective and helped along by some excellent performances.


 
One of my favorite movies. And graced with the backdrop of the Griffith Park Planetarium, which is one of my favorite places in the world. I grew up going there several times a year on family outings and school field trips.

Oh, and edited to add that the last movie I saw was *The Court Jester*.  An old movie (1955), starring Danny Kaye.  It was the first time I  had seen it, and I was skeptical going in.  Turns out, it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.  Part of that could be that I was watching it with a group of friends, all of whom have the same twisted sense of humor I do, but whatever it was, it was funny.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The local planetarium was one of my favourite places growing up too, which I suppose added some resonance to those scenes.

I like most of the Danny Kaye film I've seen, and he was one my grandfather's favourite comedians; will look out for The Court Jester.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Zombieland last night. It was great fun.


----------



## Null_Zone

sloweye said:


> *centurion*... Errrrr, yeah, not bad i supose although (and i'm probably wrong) i thought the 9th met their demise in the south. but it was entertaining enough.


 
From memory they were transferred to the Eastern Empire command but the record of that transfer was lost in the West leading to the whole lost legion thing.

Still a enjoyable film though, not Dog Soldiers or Descent good but I liked it.


----------



## sloweye

Null_Zone said:


> From memory they were transferred to the Eastern Empire command but the record of that transfer was lost in the West leading to the whole lost legion thing.



That is one version i heard, that they were sent to Germany. but i'm sure i read somewhere they were knocked off the chart around cambridgeshire and the few left were sent south to join another legion which was later given a kicking too. 

But i think this is best left to another thread now before i get a slaped wrist from a mod


----------



## No One

Okaaay... *Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl*!

It took all of a minute to realise this was (co-)directed by the same director/special effects artist that also did Tokyo Gore Police, what with the many fountains of excessive blood and ridiculously extreme, manga-esque, violence.

If Sam Raimi ever had a mental breakdown and ingested large quantities of psychodelic substances, I reckon this is the sort of film he'd make. Utter, utter madness and good fun.

Also saw *Machete*, which is awesomely good. I'd give Planet Terror my preference, but with any luck Rodriguez isn't done with making films of this (anti-)quality.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched *In the Mouth of Madness* last night, a John Carpenter film based on the mythos of HP Lovecraft. I was very keen to watch a bit of Lovecraftian cinema, but ultimately I was dissapointed, mainly because of the poor quality of the dialogue. The film had some great spooky moments and bits of it were up there with Carpenter's high standards, but I think it was let down because it seemed a bit cheap (made in 1995) and as I mentioned before the screenplay didn't really live up to the idea behind it. Most of the early dialogue is so poor that the film struggles to pull itself up out of the TV movie scenario. The last 5th of the film is also a bit of a flop, as the tension that has been built and the horror is all sort of lost when the main character returns to reality and sort of forgets alot of the things he has done (which we haven't seen). I will still look for other Lovecraftian cinema, but I doubt I'll watch this one again.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Night of The Hunter* (1955): My review


----------



## joyUnbounded

A Serious Man. I have no review. It was filled with tonnes of very subtle moments. I enjoyed it. 

Great first post, I'm so deep. God bless me.


----------



## clovis-man

joyUnbounded said:


> A Serious Man. I have no review. It was filled with tonnes of very subtle moments. I enjoyed it.
> 
> Great first post, I'm so deep. God bless me.


 
I enjoyed it also. But then I'm a Coen Bros. addict. It was not up to their ususal standards, but was apparently just an attempt by them to rekindle some childhood memories. I still wonder about the outcome of the big storm. Perhaps God needed to bless us all.

JU: Why not tell us about yourself on "General"; "Introductions". Welcome.


----------



## sloweye

*The search for spock.* Never a bad thing to say about this one.


----------



## Mouse

*I am Legend*. On tv now. Watching it with the dog... Toooo sad!  Although the dog's now barking his head off at Will Smith.


----------



## sloweye

Mouse said:


> *I am Legend*. On tv now. Watching it with the dog... Toooo sad!  Although the dog's now barking his head off at Will Smith.



Makes me glad for south park re-runs on Viva  Aweful film.


----------



## No One

sloweye said:


> Makes me glad for south park re-runs on Viva  Aweful film.



Wholeheartedly with SE on that (on both I am Legend and South Park).


----------



## Forve

Just finished watching *King of Comedy* one of Deniro/Scorsese's classics, though not as outspoken. Great performance by Deniro (I think he said that this was his favorite role, funny that it has nothing in common with his usual taught guy-gangster characters) as usually. Quite sad that the first think that comes to my mind nowadays when hearing his name is meet the *******.


----------



## Moonbat

Shouldn't that be *meet the fockers*?
How did you get such a rude word, i thought the system blanked them, oh well.
I watched *King of Comedy* not long ago and I thought it was ok,  but not that good. I have to admit I'm not a fan of De Niro, I was, until I read a biography of him and then I realised that he has only played a few characters in his entire career, so I went off him.
Watched *Margot at the Wedding* last night, by the guy that did *Noah and the Whale*, and again a pretty disappointing film. It had its moments of really good dialogue and some very skillfully crafted tender moments, but ultimately it suffered from a poor ending and nothing much happening. I think I knew it would be a bit like that, but I thought with such a strong cast (kidman, jason-leigh, black, turturro) maybe it had something good to offer, but it was pretty slow and boring, and didn't really tell its stroy very well, it sort of left too much open. Maybe that's the style that he has and that people like, but I was annoyed, especially at the end when nothing happened except she ran for the bus (leaving behind her handbag!). Also there wasn't a wedding! so Margot wasn't actually at the wedding. Stupid film!

*A Serious Man*, was a bit of disappointment as well, I am a big Coen brothers fan and that film was a bit simple and slow for my liking. I liked the rabbis (what is the plural of rabbi? Rabbius, Rabbees) but I didn't think it was very good. Very much looking forward to *True Grit* though.


----------



## Forve

Moonbat said:


> Shouldn't that be *meet the fockers*?
> How did you get such a rude word, i thought the system blanked them, oh well.



not sure, how it works here, but on some forums it just blanks if u just write **** without any addons.

P.S
yeah i was right


----------



## No One

Another South Korean flick - *Brotherhood of War*. It's touted as Korea's answer to Saving Private Ryan, which is an obvious comparison.

Not as good as that, and there's a couple of scenes that don't sit so well with the general visual excellence, but still very good.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

sloweye said:


> *The search for spock.* Never a bad thing to say about this one.



Totally.


I watched *[REC]*. Not sure why I bothered.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *A Bay of Blood*, which has some very good visual moments (Mario Bava is an expert at shooting in dim light) but on the whole disjointed and never particularly involving.


----------



## ravenus

sloweye said:


> *The search for spock.* Never a bad thing to say about this one.


Saw this as a kid and liked it tremendously then, although that was probably because it was one of the few English language films I didn't have any trouble following (because I'd already read the comic book based on the film )


----------



## Moonbat

> by the guy that did *Noah and the Whale*


 
Oops, that should be *Squid and the Whale, *Noah and the Whale are a band. 

I can't believe you didn't like [Rec]  Jay. I thought it was really very good. It was paced so well that it built up the tension right to the ending. I must admit that [rec] 2 isn't as good. But I'd like to hear why you didn't like it?


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Well, it may be a matter of personal taste. *[REC] *was a pretty well made of its kind - shaky-cam horror - a lot better in terms of pacing and narrative coherence (how all the shots were made, the sequence, gaps, and so on) than some other examples. But the story? It was just another interchangeable zombie flick with some religious/scientific mumbo-jumbo tacked on at the end. I look for a certain atmosphere, a touch of the truly weird in a horror film, something films like this seem to have no interest in delivering. More horrifying than terrifying, it brings the thrills but little else.


----------



## Moonbat

ah, ok. I agree that the religious mumbo jumbo was a little bit odd and didn't really give us a believable reason for the zombies. Then again what reason for Zombies is believable (28 days later?)

So, out of interest, what modern horrors do you like. I'm trying to gauge the relevance of your tastes to my own? So if you say The happening I'm going to ignore you from now on.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Heh. 

Well, my tastes are very close to ravenus'. I can't say I am an expert in the horror films of the last ten years, I tend to watch the older stuff more, but I liked Pan's Labyrinth a lot, even if you may argue it was more fantasy - dark fantasy _is _horror - I did think 28 Days Later was a better example of a zombie flick. I'm not so worried about rational explanations, but the Vatican stuff in [REC] just seemed like it was thrown in because that sort of angle might be popular in the light of Dan Brown's success. I'm not a Catholic or indeed any sort of believer, but I don't like lazy storytelling. Among older stuff, faves include Martin by Romero, Picnic At Hanging Rock, I Walked With A Zombie, Romero's trilogy, early John Carpenter, The Beyond (mostly for the ending), Suspiria, Bride Of Frankenstein and others.


----------



## Connavar

*High Sierra(1941)* one of the last classic era gangster movies in hollywood and it had Bogart as a complex gangster, robber.  Directed by Raoul Walsh and written by John Huston i can see why it was Bogart first critical,box office hit in a lead role. 

I liked how Bogey changed his voice,manners when he was playing a dangerous robber.  Not too many Bogey films in a row after this i gotta save something.   Maybe i should search for classic horror,sf movies.

I also liked the bonus feature that showed how Bogey had to fight his way  from small time roles in gangster movies to win the lead role,more  complex heavy gangster. Cant believe how Warner Bros couldnt see his appeal,talent even after High Sierra and he had to do Maltese Falcon to become the biggest star.


----------



## ravenus

*Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* - Apart from the sloppy fourth wall narrator ********, this was a decent 90's noir spoof, alright for a one-time watch.


----------



## No One

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> I look for a certain atmosphere, a touch of the truly weird in a horror film, something films like this seem to have no interest in delivering. More horrifying than terrifying, it brings the thrills but little else.



Surely that's a too-high demand to ask of the genre? While I agree that the very best of horror films will fulfill those Lovecraftian criteria, I wouldn't expect one in ten or even twenty horror films (of any period) to truly capture that in the way literature can.

I wouldn't count *Pan's Labyrinth* as meeting those requirements (as much as I love that film) nor would I count *28 Days Later* (or any zombie flick that I've seen) as coming remotely close. Hideo Nakata's original *Ring *is the only one that springs to mind at the moment, what with the apocalyptic connotations of the ending and the mystery of Sadako's parentage - or maybe Kim Jee-woon's *A Tale of Two Sisters*, which is ultimately dictated by internal rather than external forces (kind of ).


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

No One said:


> Surely that's a too-high demand to ask of the genre? While I agree that the very best of horror films will fulfill those Lovecraftian criteria, I wouldn't expect one in ten or even twenty horror films (of any period) to truly capture that in the way literature can.



What's the point of not having high standards? 

I look for those few moments when the presence of the bad numinous, to borrow China Mieville's phrase, is evoked. I find it films such as *Prince Of Darkness*, which at other moments can be quite hokey indeed, in the earlier sequences of *Messiah of Evil*, before it somehow degenerates into a zombie flick, in those last few moments in *The Beyond*, and yes, even in *Pan's Labyrinth*. There are even specific sequences in Roger Corman's Poe films or the works of Hammer that achieve that effect. 
*
28 Days Later* isn't quite an example of that sort of thing; but I liked it more as a good post-apocalyptic film, a subgenre that I think it has more affinity to than the zombie flick. 

And yes, those moments are a lot fewer and further between in films than in literature. They're still worth looking for.


----------



## No One

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> What's the point of not having high standards?



Oh, I agree. I was only intimating that you might have enjoyed *Rec *but for the filter of your own criteria (just occasionally, all-out in-your-face horror can have it's own merit, if only for entertainment purposes). I for one was glad to see that Rec wasn't just another pseudo-logical virus-related zombie outbreak like so many others, even if the sequel went too far into The Exorcist territory.

Speaking of the truly weird, David Lynch's *Eraserhead *now springs to mind. Not a horror film in the strictest sense, but I'd be lying if I didn't find it deeply unsettling.


----------



## Moonbat

I'd have to agree that *Pan's Labyrinth* is a wonderful film, I personally wouldn't class it as horror, more of a drama with fantastical elements. The thing I admire most about Del Torro's work is his mix of the real (and dramatic) with fantasy/horror.
I don't think it was particularly scary, but then again I haven't been truly scared by a film for a long time (I mean a modern film, the original Wolfman was too scary for me, then again so was the thriller vid) there are a few that are unsettling as No One puts it, I think *Rosemary's baby* could be one of them, that's why I might enjoy *Black Swan* (although I have heard mixed reviews, one half of it was in German! a ha ha ha ha ha  )
Where would you put things like the *Omen*? And *The Exorcist*? would this be included in the high horror of yours?
I'm trying to remember all the recent horror I have seen, and see if you think any of it is any good. *[Rec]* was one of the better ones IMHO.


----------



## Foxbat

*Sweeney Todd *This film seems to get good reviews so it looks like I'm in a minority here. The movie looked good but the music was terrible and, frankly, I was bored halfway through. I won't be watching this one again.


----------



## ravenus

*Scott Pilgrim v/s The World* - I think you have to be someone who gets his/her panties wet at seeing video game motifs and hearing midi sounds to like this movie because otherwise it's just wholly uninvolving CG wankery.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Scott Pilgrim v/s The World - I think you have to be someone who gets his/her panties wet at seeing video game motifs and hearing midi sounds to like this movie because otherwise it's just wholly uninvolving CG wankery.


 
Well I liked the movie because of its humour and bizarrely frantic action but each to their own


----------



## ravenus

*Fitzcarraldo*
I can't believe this movie is 2 1/2 hours long. I didn't look at my  watch once through the running and there wasn't a single wasted moment. Bloody awesome too, even if the idea of Klaus Kinski as an Irishman  that can charm his wife into willingly parting with huge sums of money  for a crazy venture is laughable.


----------



## sloweye

*X-Men 1,2, last stand & Origins*... Love it, Love it, Love it and... um... Love it


----------



## Mouse

Origins gives me rage. ^


----------



## sloweye

Yeah, bits of it dont quite fit, but all in all it was entertaining. (although Gambit being my fave X-man i think he sould have been featured in the earlier films)


----------



## Mouse

That's the reason Origins gave me rage. They screwed Gambit right up! (Although Taylor Kitsch = super pretty hotness)


----------



## Moonbat

127 hours. Brilliant. Very emotional ending. I would give my right arm to see this film again 
Sorry, that was in poor taste. But seriously a very good film, the main actor was very good and, as usual, Danny Boyle directs with skill and flair.

I seriously recommend seeing this film.


----------



## sloweye

Moonbat said:


> 127 hours. Brilliant. Very emotional ending. I would give my right arm to see this film again
> Sorry, that was in poor taste. But seriously a very good film, the main actor was very good and, as usual, Danny Boyle directs with skill and flair.
> 
> I seriously recommend seeing this film.



Yet, not so good in book form. far to much techincal climbing stuff you just don't need to know.

That said i really do want to see the film


----------



## mosaix

_*Invictus*_ directed by _*Clint Eastwood*_, starring _*Morgan Freeman*_ as Nelson Mandela.

The story of South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup win and the birth of a nation. 

Very moving.


----------



## sloweye

*Logans Run. *Despite being tac-tastic (by modern standards) still and awesome film.


----------



## ravenus

*Les Diaboliques* - decent old-skool thriller, but too dependent on all manner of coincidence and the plot twist is telegraphed way in advance. Not a must-see.


----------



## ravenus

*Battle Royale*
First half was pretty meh for me, but the dramatic tension improved greatly in the second half and some scenes were awesome. I still prefer Yakuza Graveyard, among the (very few) movies I've seen by that director.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith last night. I was rather surprised to find that when i'd finished spitting bile, it was quite enjoyable.


----------



## ravenus

Rodders said:


> I watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith last night. I was rather surprised to find that when i'd finished spitting bile, it was quite enjoyable.


The film or the spitting bile exercise?


----------



## crys

sloweye said:


> *Logans Run. *Despite being tac-tastic (by modern standards) still and awesome film.


 
Agreed, and I actually love the '70s kitsch of this film. Like the bit where Logan and Jessica climb onto the monorail thingy and the shot shifts to a panoramic view, I never fail to laugh at those ''special effects'' - pure Thunderbirds scenery!


----------



## sloweye

crys said:


> Agreed, and I actually love the '70s kitsch of this film. Like the bit where Logan and Jessica climb onto the monorail thingy and the shot shifts to a panoramic view, I never fail to laugh at those ''special effects'' - pure Thunderbirds scenery!



Ah yes, landscapes by Hornby 


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Stardust* at the moment. Septimus for the win (alas, otherwise...).


----------



## cornelius

The Tourist. Wasn't very fond of it, I found it highly predictable...


----------



## sloweye

*Predator - *Still good (IMO)

*Predator 2 - *Still not so good (IMO)


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I think my gnomic utterances have resulted in me setting myself up as an oracular horror fan and it frightens me!!!

To be honest, horror films still do prey on my fears - if not while watching them, then later in my dreams (I suspect that terror is my substitute for awe). Even [REC] contributed some dream imagery, particularly from the scene where the little girl bites the cop. I agree that the supernaturalish twist was a change from the recent slew of viral zombies, but that aside, I just don't care for movies that give you a set number of people in an enclosed space for the alleged joy of watching them die in nasty ways over the next couple of hours (although [REC] was just 80 minutes long). The Exorcist is a pretty film, I think, and I like things like Rosemary's Baby as well. I've been disappointed by several recent exorcism-themed films, though. 

And I second Foxbat on Sweeney Todd, if he means the ridiculous Tim Burton version.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Oh, and I watched The Court Jester, a ridiculous Robin Hood-esque musical comedy starring Danny Kaye. I enjoyed it a great deal.


----------



## Foxbat

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> And I second Foxbat on Sweeney Todd, if he means the ridiculous Tim Burton version.


 
Yes. That's the one I mean. Don't know what Burton was thinking with this one.


----------



## biodroid

sloweye said:


> *Predator - *Still good (IMO)
> 
> *Predator 2 - *Still not so good (IMO)



Even though Predator 2 might be worse than 1 it still beats the modern "re-boot" and AVP series hands-down 

Watched Salt - was an ok movie, been done before with a decent twist that surprised me. 6/10

The Last Airbender - Never saw the cartoon series therefore I enjoyed the movie and can say that IMDB rated it very low (most likely the die hard fans of the cartoon hated the movie) I enjoyed it tremendously, I give it a 7/10.

Prince of Persia - Seen it before and loved it again, 7.5/10


----------



## Moonbat

I have watched a few films this weekend. I have already mentioned *127 hours*, which I thought was great. But I (we) also watched *The World according to Garp*, which was ok. Not as amazing as my GF made out, but quite a good tale. Some funny bits, some emotional bits, but kind of annoyed me when everything always ended up with people shooting other people (gun obsessed Americans).
There were some very serious points made in the film, about protest, and politics, but I prefered *Cider House rules* as a 'based on a John Irving book' film.
Watched *Scott Pilgrim* again last night and I love it. I know someone here said it was rubbish (2 and a half hours of CG w***ery, I think was the actual quote, even though it is only 1hr 52 mins) but I love it. I think it is really very cool. It has the usual Edgar Wright style, it has moments of comedy, it has great graphics and nods to lots of computer gamery. One of my favorite films of 2010.


----------



## No One

Another war-related South Korean film - *Silmido*.

Imagine The Dirty Dozen (in this case 31 convicts), only instead of being trained and sent to fulfill their mission, a change in administration orders the mission to not only be cancelled, but for the unit to be eradicated.

I had no idea that this was based on true events (although according to Wiki it's disputed as to whether or not they were actually criminals). Not a great film, but a very decent one and moving too.


----------



## sloweye

*Beowulf -* good, but still think it could be better
*
300 - *awesome as always.


----------



## crys

Outland - starring Sean Connery. Okay it's a western set in space, but I like westerns. Talking of Sir Sean, must see if I can track down a cheap copy of Zardoz.


----------



## Connavar

No One said:


> Another war-related South Korean film - *Silmido*.
> 
> Imagine The Dirty Dozen (in this case 31 convicts), only instead of being trained and sent to fulfill their mission, a change in administration orders the mission to not only be cancelled, but for the unit to be eradicated.
> 
> I had no idea that this was based on true events (although according to Wiki it's disputed as to whether or not they were actually criminals). Not a great film, but a very decent one and moving too.



Good to see people here watching Korean films, they are usually so good. Have you seen *Brotherhood of War* from 2004 ?  One of the biggest movies ever in Korea.  It is also the most moving,epic,realistic war story film i can remember seeing.  

Have you seen *The Good,the Bad,the Weird ?  *

I rented it and it had 3 of the better male actors in Korea and one of the best directors.  It was a weird,fun and really good homage to Spagetti western.


----------



## No One

Connavar said:


> Good to see people here watching Korean films, they are usually so good. Have you seen *Brotherhood of War* from 2004 ?  One of the biggest movies ever in Korea.  It is also the most moving,epic,realistic war story film i can remember seeing.
> 
> Have you seen *The Good,the Bad,the Weird ?  *
> 
> I rented it and it had 3 of the better male actors in Korea and one of the best directors.  It was a weird,fun and really good homage to Spagetti western.



Oddly enough, I posted about *Brotherhood of War* a few days ago. Twas a hasty post and I realise I neglected to mention that it is a very moving film, but I thought it could've been stronger in places. Visually beautiful though.

And yeah, Kim Jee Woon's *The Good, the Bad, the Weird* is one of my faves. Love that film. Great actors, great directing, and one of the best sustained action scenes that I've seen in years.


----------



## KaptariMind

*The Keep*

And no... I don't want to talk about how I found a copy on DVD.  

*The Exorcist*

Still terrifying!


----------



## AE35Unit

The Other Guys. Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg in cop caper comedy- worth a watch!


----------



## ArmageddonsAngel

The fourth kind-

I thought it was a great premise, and for the amount of special effects, or lack there of, it was an incredible story. I had to research the events to see if it was actually based on fact (as claimed)

The verdict is still out...

I loved it.


----------



## mosaix

*The King's Speech*, both amusing and deeply moving as well.


----------



## Connavar

No One said:


> Oddly enough, I posted about *Brotherhood of War* a few days ago. Twas a hasty post and I realise I neglected to mention that it is a very moving film, but I thought it could've been stronger in places. Visually beautiful though.
> 
> And yeah, Kim Jee Woon's *The Good, the Bad, the Weird* is one of my faves. Love that film. Great actors, great directing, and one of the best sustained action scenes that I've seen in years.



Th ending could have been in better in *Brotherhood of War  *but it was a strong story,portrayal of war.

Kim Jee Woon is so suprising *A Tale of Two Sisters *was creepy,classic horror strong and then he does a very fun,cool action,western.  Song Kang Ho,Lee Byoung Ho is my fav korean actors.  I have seen 4-6 films with each of them.  

I ordered *Tyhpoon* and *Bad Guy* as my next Korean rentals.  Typhoon has the lead actor of Brotherhood of War and Bad Guy is my first film of Ki-duk Kim who is hailed for Iron 3,Samaritian Girl.


----------



## Radix

"Flesh For Frankenstein" (1973)

lol...saw this one when it first came out but haven't seen it 
again 'till now- horribly wonderful...
& I didn't remember it being as funny as it was-

probably didn't help that ever time *Udo Kier* spoke I
thought of Ren (from Ren & Stimpy)


----------



## ravenus

Not a movie, but I saw an interesting documentary "*Glorious Technicolor*", which was included on my* Adventures of Robin Hood* blu-ray. As the title suggests, this one documents the development of color and in particular the 3-strip technicolor process that brought vivid hues to the screen. Nice ground covered, including the impact on film aesthetics by the arrival of color.
Also that classic WB cartoon *Robin Hood Daffy*. In HD, it looks better than I ever remember. "Yoicks! And awa-ay!!" 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Also saw Pixar's *Up* with the Cine-explore option, which has the director's commentary supplemented with a lot of production stills and video inserts overlaid on the main feature.  Didn't see this fully as I was beginning to fall asleep but it was quite interesting and revealing.


----------



## Riselka

crys said:


> Outland - starring Sean Connery. Okay it's a western set in space, but I like westerns. Talking of Sir Sean, must see if I can track down a cheap copy of Zardoz.



I recently found a cheap DVD of ZARDOZ at a thrift store.  Had never seen the film before, but after hearing so much about it on various websites, I just had to see for myself.

Maybe repeated viewings will help, but after the first viewing I just have to say ... WTF???

But hey, it was worth it just to see Sean Connery in that outfit.


----------



## sloweye

*Social Network. *i wasn't as impressed as i'd hoped to be.


----------



## AE35Unit

Gown Ups, quite funny with lots of comic talent (oh and Adam Sandler  )
Lame ending tho! But i reckon Kevin James is the new John Candy!


----------



## Null_Zone

Changeling.

Not that great, would have probably worked as a TV series. The mother that is alway right, the evil men and the good priest.

Add in really awfull pacing and I was more interested in the popcorn.


----------



## clovis-man

crys said:


> Outland - starring Sean Connery. Okay it's a western set in space, but I like westerns.


 
*High Noon*, to be exact. Eat your heart out, Gary Cooper.



KaptariMind said:


> *The Keep*
> 
> And no... I don't want to talk about how I found a copy on DVD.


 
And how did you like it? This is a film that gets a lot of bad press. Personally I liked the quirky roles played by Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn and Gabriel Byrne. Not to mention the Tangerine Dream soundtrack.

Just watched *How To Train Your Dragon*. Great fun.


----------



## sloweye

Watchet *Becket* (1964) on TV earlier, with Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. Still a pretty good film despite being poorly shot and acted in places.


----------



## ravenus

*Sullivan's Travels* - a snappy and amusing movie by Preston Sturges about a film director that wants to experience poverty and suffering so he can make a movie about it. The slapstick elements are hit-n-miss but the dialog is hilarious (and, when it needs to be, biting) and the acting is uniformly professional.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

That was a pretty good film. Did you know that Aleister Crowley was nearly Sturges' stepfather at one point?


----------



## ravenus

Really? It would have been cool to see a Preston Sturges movie about Crowley


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Sturges' mother was one of Crowley's Scarlet Women. Apparently Sturges and Crowley hated each others' guts.


----------



## biodroid

*Going the distance* - a bearable chick flick that wasn't too bad.
*Wall Street, Money never sleeps* - Really liked this one, good story about businesses and stock brokers trying to nail each other


----------



## Moonbat

*Black Swan* - not bad, not brilliant but pretty good. Have to admit I wasn't too pleased with the ending, but the ballet (at the end) was very good and the whole thing was a decent film. Have seen 3 big films at the cinema this year so far: *King's Speech*, *127 Hours* and *Black Swan*. Although *Black Swan* had the weakest central performance (*King's Speech* being the best closely followed by *127 Hours*) it did have the best plot/story telling. It was, after all, a thriller and so should have the twist and turns that the other two lack. But I think that *127 Hours* was the most emotional, but I think that the one I would most like to re-watch would be *Black Swan*, so kind of mixed feelings about it, I don't think it was the best film out of the three, but through the plot stands up as a re-watchable film. 
Not a bad performance by *Natalie Portman*, but I don't think she had enough depth to show the darker side, and if I'm really critical I didn't feel that *Aaron Aronofsky* (sp) really caught the split personality psychosis, it was good, but it lacked something, there wasn't anything shocking or dark enough (when it came to the paranoia and split personality) so I think it fails as a film that is meant to explore the doppleganger type juxaposition between the light and dark in everyone (wow look at all those long words, its almost as if I know what I'm talking about!) Worth a watch but not as good as the Wrestler.
I did love the ending when

SPOILER

She is dancing as the black swan and feathers start to grow on her arms eventually turning her into a swan like creature as she finishes the Black Swan section

SPOILER


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Ok fine I'll admit it I saw *Tangled*. And enjoyed it.


----------



## booksforlunch

_*The Green Hornet*_, just yesterday.

And I loved it!


----------



## alchemist

*28 Weeks Later*
It had a lot to live up to, and almost succeeded. A tendency to kill off any character we could care about, coupled with an over-dependence on gore (yeah, I know it's horror) let it down. Not sure about the final scene either.


----------



## Mouse

Hilarious Joke said:


> Ok fine I'll admit it I saw *Tangled*. And enjoyed it.



I so want to see that. Is it wrong that I think the main animated dude looks hot?!


----------



## HoopyFrood

He looks like an CGIed version of the dudes from El Dorado. They were awesome.


----------



## ravenus

Re-watched after a long while, *Interview with The Vampire*. Detailed impressions on my blog HERE


----------



## cornelius

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Well, bits of it.


----------



## ravenus

I saw *The Stone Tape*, a pretty interesting BBC produced movie about a scientific team working on storage technologies that sets up office in an old house, only to find it haunted, and then sets out to analyze the haunting phenomena. Good writing from Nigel 'Quatermass' Kneale and solid British acting make this worth the look see.


----------



## No One

*Kingpin *- with Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray. And Vanessa Angel. Oh my.

Been a long while since I last saw this but it's hilarious as ever.


----------



## slack

Gave *Blade Runner* another spin last night.

Beautiful of course, but this time the story felt a little flat. Or slow maybe.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Monsters* last night, brilliant film. Done on the cheap by a special effects specialist and looked amazing, one or two shots were so beautiful, like the one following the boat in the morning. A very good film, not too over the top, but some great aliens (a bit like octopi and cuttle fish) and quite a poingant story. I really enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone that like Sci-fi/monster movies. Though don't expect the usual monster detroying a city type movie, this was a fantastic film.

Big thumbs up


----------



## No One

Just seen *Perfume: The Story of a Murderer*, and most excellent it was too.

I'd be very curious to read the book now.


----------



## sloweye

*John Carpenter Presents Vampires 2: Los Muertos. 
*The one with Jon Bon Jovi... why do i do these things to my self? i mean its not like i don't know Jon Bon Jovi hasn't done anything worth while since Slippery when wet!


----------



## vjukumar1

Last time I saw most popular movie that is "Titanic" such was the great movies and I like most. I like actress and her acting.
Thanks


----------



## ravenus

@sloweye:
I thought even the first *John Carpenter's Vampires* was an awful film and would never have considered going in for another helping of that crap. 

Anyhoo, re-watched *Zodiac* today. While I liked this the first time I saw it in the theater, I loved it more on revisiting. Brilliantly plotted and paced and superb performances all around (especially liked Mark Ruffalo as investigator David Toschi). David Fincher's best overall film, methinks.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *The Fighter* at cinema, starring _Marky Mark Walhberg_, _Christian Bale_ and _Amy Adams_. Good film, great boxing film, probably the most realistic boxing film I have seen, they even filmed the fights with a tv camera so it looked less cinema and more like the real thing. I have to admit that this was a really good film, a couple of great performances from _Bale_ and _Adam_, _Walhberg_ is ok, looks the part. Quite uplifting and a great representation of real life boxing. Some amazing bits that made me want to look up the real fights (which I have just done on You Tube) looks like they were a bit leniant with dramatising the fights, but still pretty close to the real thing.
If you like boxing you'll probably like this film, if you like biopics you might like it. If, like me, you love film then you'll most likely enjoy this. Another good film worth watching if you get the chance. IMHO


----------



## ravenus

*Despicable Me*
Noticeably below Pixar level, but this CG cartoon about a wannabe  super-villain has a lovely retro-futuristic look and, even with all the  cliches, is reasonably amusing. Worth a watch, more so if you have  kiddies.


----------



## sloweye

*The Corpse Bride* - Darkly enjoyable as always.


----------



## sloweye

*Hot Fuzz.*... AWESOME! (as always) what more needs to be said


----------



## Tansy

*The Mechanic* - entertaining but extremely predictable


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> *Despicable Me*
> Noticeably below Pixar level, but this CG cartoon about a wannabe super-villain has a lovely retro-futuristic look and, even with all the cliches, is reasonably amusing. Worth a watch, more so if you have kiddies.


 
I had a little trouble warming to this film at the start, but as soon as the three little tykes entered the fray, it became much more entertaining. In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Pyan

_The Mummy Returns_, fluff for a Saturday evening. Good fun, though...


----------



## ravenus

*Ip Man
*An entertaining (highly dramatized) adaptation of the story of a legendary Chinese Kung Fu practitioner who defied the occupying Japanese military.
He later went on to teach martial arts to, among other people, Bruce Lee.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Some Like It Hot*. Never managed to watch this all the way through. Hilarious. Marilyn Monroe, so beautiful. Sigh.


----------



## biodroid

*Grown Ups* - It was an ok movie, a bit forced and silly in some places.
*The Other Guys* - Nice taske on the police action comedy, it tried to be intelligently funny but was bogged down in places. Mark Wahlberg can actually do comedy pretty well.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Damned United *A movie about Brian Clough's 44 days in charge of Leeds United. Wasn't sure if I'd like this one but it turned out to be a damned fine film


----------



## ravenus

*Devil ("Night" Chronicles 1)* - dumbass movie, but in a nice lulzy way.


----------



## ravenus

*Titus (1999)* - Based on the play Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare,  this movie some tremendously fun bits amidst a significant amount of  Baz Luhrmann inspired "what is this ****?" material. Even Hopkins'  performance appears schizophrenic, going from absolutely wicked to  desultory, sometimes in a single scene.


----------



## KaptariMind

Speaking of _The Keep_:



> And how did you like it? This is a film that gets a lot of bad press. Personally I liked the quirky roles played by Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn and Gabriel Byrne. Not to mention the Tangerine Dream soundtrack.



I really enjoyed it. The characterization is seriously cool, and I like the way it was filmed. From what I understand, Michael Mann was never happy with the way he was "forced" to edit the film, so I'd love to see a "director's cut." I've just started reading the book and it's pretty good so far. There's a lot more going on.


----------



## clovis-man

*Push.*

Since I was able to watch and enjoy *Inception*, I had my powers of concentration sufficiently honed to see this one. A wild romp through a series of quirky characters with even quirkier abilities. A little hard to see who was going to do what to whom at times, but generally enjoyable. The ending was a little flat, though.

But no worries. I understand they're planning a TV series.


----------



## Menion

*The Machanist* Christian Bale kinda disturbed me with his ultra skinny body in this. _If you havn't seen it CB the main character looks like he has anorexia. _Great film though!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Megamind* - Entertaining enough animated feature starring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pit and Jonah Hill.

*Black Swan* - A film that is surrounded by loads of Oscar buzz but it left me cold.

*Bullitt* - I rewatched this Steve McQueen classic. As far as I'm concerned, it still has one of the best car chase scenes in cinema history.

*Moon* - Loved it and I plan to re-watch it again soon.

*Star Trek: The Movie* 

*Dark City* - I highly recommend it!


----------



## Foxbat

ravenus said:


> *Titus (1999)* - Based on the play Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare, this movie some tremendously fun bits amidst a significant amount of Baz Luhrmann inspired "what is this ****?" material. Even Hopkins' performance appears schizophrenic, going from absolutely wicked to desultory, sometimes in a single scene.


 
I really enjoyed this movie. On Hopkins' performance, I think, given the horrors and betrayals foisted upon Andronicus and his family, a pedulum of emotions and insanity worked just fine for me. 


As for me.....been watching *The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser *based on a true story from 1828, I think this is one of Herzog's best (and strangest) movies.


----------



## ravenus

@Foxbat:
You may be right about the pendulum of emotions bit, but the mish-mashing of different era settings and props didn't work for me at all. It looked like somebody came up with a "Let's do it like that Romeo + Juliet movie" idea and did it in a half-assed manner. I haven't read the play itself but the movie version of Saturninus is such a whiny fop you wonder why Titus thought it was a good idea to bow down to his rule at the start.


----------



## ravenus

*The Big Boss* - Early Bruce Lee film that's way too plodding and unpolished to be much fun.


----------



## Foxbat

@ Ravenus: I think the reason why Titus is so accepting of Saturnine is that he is a man that begins by seeing the world totally in black and white. He acts purely on what he believes his principles to be (hence his refusal to show any mercy to Tamora's son who_ *Must *_be sacrificed no matter what the consequences. Hell, the man even kills one of his own sons (despite losing 21 of them in a recent war with the Goths). To Titus, Saturnine should by all rights and laws be emperor. It is irrelevant to Titus' way of thinking that this man is a weak and easily manipulated fop.

As for the mish mash of era settings, this is quite a common thing to do with Shakespeare plays (Remember Ian Mckellen driving around in a jeep and calling his kingdom for a horse in Richard III). It also occurs on stage quite a lot. I once saw Hamlet in 20th century garb but with Kendo instead of sword fights (brilliant by the way). I've also seen Titus Andronicus set in a modern abattoir (which actually seemed quite appropriate given the horrors in this play).

I understand that mixing eras and styles is not to everybody's taste but I rather liked it.


----------



## ravenus

@Fox:
I wouldn't have a problem if they picked a time and set the story there. I loved an Indian adaptation of Macbeth as a contemporary gangsta tale, as also of course Kurosawa's samurai version. Even R+J was generally alright with me because the culture jar was nicely ingrained in the film's spirit. But in this one the entire look was to me empty posturing, a fashion designer's vanity. Anyway, to each his own.

Btw I must ask if you've seen/heard of *Die Farbe*, a German language B&W film adaptation of The Color Out of Space.


----------



## Foxbat

The Indian Macbeth sounds interesting. I remember an old American Gangster take on the same story (I think it was called Joe Macbeth).

Never seen Die Farbe but may have to make the effort now that you've mentioned it


----------



## Foxbat

*Shadow Of The Vampire *A movie I always enjoy watching every now and then


----------



## ravenus

*The American* - not everyone's idea of an assassin movie, but I liked it.


----------



## sloweye

ravenus said:


> *The Big Boss* - Early Bruce Lee film that's way too plodding and unpolished to be much fun.


Awesome film that one. it's that golden harvest style that makes the kung fu movie what it is.

_________________________________________________________________

*Mr. Nice.  *A lot better than i though it would be and not to far from the book. impressed.


----------



## sloweye

*Bronson. *Not a bad film given the subject matter.


----------



## No One

Foxbat said:


> *Shadow Of The Vampire *A movie I always enjoy watching every now and then



Excellent film.

Yesterday I saw *3:10 to Yuma*, a Western with Christian Bale and Russell "fighting round the world" Crowe. Both were brilliant and the film was very, very good.

And just earlier I saw *Paranormal Activity 2*. It was hard to see how this could be anything but a re-hashed cash-in, but - shock of shocks - I actually rather liked it. Sure, you know what to expect if you've seen the first film, but it expounds on the bond between the spirit/demon that haunts the family, acting as both a prequel and sequel.


----------



## sloweye

No One said:


> And just earlier I saw *Paranormal Activity 2*. It was hard to see how this could be anything but a re-hashed cash-in, but - shock of shocks - I actually rather liked it. Sure, you know what to expect if you've seen the first film, but it expounds on the bond between the spirit/demon that haunts the family, acting as both a prequel and sequel.



Damn it! this mean's i'll have to watch it now...s'all your fault


----------



## planetocean

The last DVD I say which was SALT. A good movie actually.


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> *The American* - not everyone's idea of an assassin movie, but I liked it.



Visually very good film but the director needs to know learn to tell a story too.  You could see his backround wasnt in film directing.

It could have been better,calm stylish assasin film.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Santa Sangre* on my new blu-ray. Re-watch, but as always a gorgeous and surreal experience.


----------



## Lenny

I've been mainly watching TV series recently (since Christmas I've worked through *Dexter*, *House* and *League of Gentlemen*), but I got back into watching films this week (I've got another series to watch, *The Big Bang Theory*, but if I start it I won't get any work done for weeks!).

So, the three I've watched this week:

*Centurion* - a story of some Roman soldiers trying to find a way back into England after being ambushed, and later hunted, by fierce Picts. Pretty decent, with some beautiful landscapes. Interesting to note the similarities with the next film I watched (both are Neil Marshall films).

*Doomsday* - a virus breaks out in Scotland, eventually leading to the entire country being quarantined. A few decades later, the virus breaks out in London and a team is sent into Scotland to try and find the cure. You can see the obvious inspiration from Mad Max, and other post-apocalyptic films. No zombies, surprisingly, and it adds nothing new to the table, but it wasn't bad.

*City of Embers* - kind of like *Logan's Run* for children. When the end of the world rolls around, a team of scientists and engineers build an underground city, Ember (lit by millions of lamps hanging from the ceiling of a cavern) and leave instructions for getting back into the outside world, that are to be opened 200 years later. Obviously the instructions get lost, until they are found by one of the main characters. Slightly daft in parts, and again there's nothing new, but it's a good film and, I'd argue, a fantastic way to introduce kids to vault-dwelling in a post-apocalyptic world.


----------



## sloweye

*The King's Speech* - Fantastic, didn't think i'd like it but yeah, fantastic and highly recomended.


----------



## No One

sloweye said:


> Damn it! this mean's i'll have to watch it now...s'all your fault



Re: Paranormal Activity 2 - apologies . Obviously my expectations were sub-zero going into it, so that may have helped a little, but as sequels/prequels go I'd stand by it.

Just seen *V for Vendetta*, which I liked despite hearing mixed opinions. Still, there's always something heartwarming about seeing the Houses of Parliament blow up!

Would like to check out the graphic novel, which I daresay is likely to be better (and probably darker).


----------



## Diggler

*Sanctum 3D*. While being a half decent adventure film, was held back by unlikeable characters, woeful acting and atrocious over use of Aussie accents and vernacular. This was the second 3D film I have seen, and it was just too much 3D for my liking. Tron, being the other 3D movie that I have seen, was more an accentuation of the film rather than the gimmickery of Sanctum.


----------



## J Riff

I'm still not watching _Paranormal Activi_ty 2. And the _V for Vendetta_ graphic novel was excellent, probably why they made the flick. Too bad about _Judge Dredd_.


----------



## crys

Rear Window - I hate to be negative but if Hitchcock made a worse film, I haven't seen it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Marmaduke. Good for a laugh even if I find the american treatment of such dogs very disagreeable!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Batman Begins* last night. Mmm, Cillian Murphy. Seems to get more attractive the sketchier he got. I have issues, according to my housemates.


----------



## Mouse

Agreed. ^ Prettiness with crazy eyes.


----------



## Allegra

No One said:


> Re: Paranormal Just seen *V for Vendetta*, which I liked despite hearing mixed opinions. Still, there's always something heartwarming about seeing the Houses of Parliament blow up!
> 
> Would like to check out the graphic novel, which I daresay is likely to be better (and probably darker).


 
I really liked the film too but yes, the graphic novel is better.


----------



## ravenus

The *V for Vendetta* film is a Pee-of-Ess in comparison to the comic book. The characters in the film appear to be leading very cushy lives watching their nice Sony flat-screen televisions all the time, and you really wonder if boring programming was cause enough to go about wearing masks of revolt 

I saw a few old favorites I recent acquired on blu-ray:
*Kagemusha
Enter The Dragon*
and a few episodes of the BBC series *Life*.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

I find it a little weird that people think Guy Fawkes masks are V masks. A reference to a reference, like singing along to that wretched Kid Rock song about singing along to Sweet Home Alabama. Brr. The 21st century, who needs it.


----------



## clovis-man

*Salt*. Pretty good action film even though you could pretty well figure out what was going on and who the bad guys were from the beginning.


----------



## Pyan

crys said:


> Rear Window - I hate to be negative but if Hitchcock made a worse film, I haven't seen it.



Try watching _The Paradine Case - IMDB_...


----------



## woodsman

*El Cid* I've always found the man intriguing and having really enjoey Ben Hur some years ago I was looking forward to this. Whilst undeniably epic, with some gorgeous on location scenes the film itself sent me to sleep.


----------



## ravenus

Watched the Bruce Lee docu, *A Warrior's Journey*, and frankly all the "found" footage for his abruptly cut short magnum opus *Game of Death* only adds up to a very boring movie with a stupid plot and incredibly crappy not-even-lulz-worthy dialog. Terrific Nun-Chaku duel scene with Dan Inosanto, though.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched RED, hugely entertaining... a comic adaptation apparentlly. Karl Urban (Star Trek's Bones) played a CI A op. and I couldn't help thinking he'd make a James Bond!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched RED, hugely entertaining... a comic adaptation apparentlly. Karl Urban (Star Trek's Bones) played a CI A op. and I couldn't help thinking he'd make a James Bond!


 
I enjoyed RED very much too. Helen Mirren in that beautiful white evening gown, perfectly coiffed hair...and a huge machine gun. Who could resist?


----------



## AE35Unit

Daisy-Boo said:


> I enjoyed RED very much too. Helen Mirren in that beautiful white evening gown, perfectly coiffed hair...and a huge machine gun. Who could resist?



Indeed! Shes so hot! Inspired by Martha Stewart in this role!


----------



## crys

pyan said:


> Try watching _The Paradine Case - IMDB_...


 
Hmm, Gregory Peck in a courtroom drama. . . will need to track this one down, though I'm guessing that _To Kill A Mockingbird_ it's not.  

Just now I'm watching _Soldier_ starring Kurt Russell.


----------



## No One

I've just been watching some of *Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Story*. A documentary really, with narration by good ol' Bill Shatner.

Watching nuclear explosion after nuclear explosion is dizzying. To think of where all that energy is coming from is just incredible (putting aside the terror).

Oh, and a great music score for added drama. Not that it needed it.


----------



## Mouse

*Gnomeo and Juliet*. All the funniest jokes had been shown in the trailer already but it was a fun film. I liked the little Shakespeare references here and there.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Mole People *

So-so Sci-Fi hokum from 1956.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

*Social Network* - The movie made me so jealous, I wish I could invent something _hip_ that millions of people would love and as a result become filthy rich.


----------



## No One

Foxbat said:


> *The Mole People *
> 
> So-so Sci-Fi hokum from 1956.



I remember seeing that one covered by Mystery Science Theatre. They don't make 'em like that anymore, but maybe that's a good thing...

I've just seen *Devil *(2010 I think). Basically a no-budget flick about five people in an elevator and one of them is, surprise surprise, the devil. Given that there was nothing special about the script (co-written by M. Night Shyamalan) or performances, it did well to end up in "Meh, 'salright" territory.

I suppose at least the detective wasn't played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Alien* at the moment, first and classic. Turned it on just in time for the infamous chest bursting scene.


----------



## WizardofOwls

I watched *The Whale Rider* for the first time last night and I AM IN LOVE!!!! Awesome, AWESOME movie! I highly recommend it!!! This will be one I'll watch over and over again!


----------



## J Riff

The Green Hornet. No buzz here. Bugged me.


----------



## Foxbat

*Cthulhu  *This 2007 effort of a gay Seattle professor going home for his mother's funeral (and other subsequent creepy happenings) was Ok. 

It had some decent photography and provided a fair doom-laden atmosphere. Very little of Cthulhu actually here (apart from an image on a man-hole cover) but reasonable nonetheless.


----------



## Tansy

Just watched *Splice* and *Buried*

buried was a little bit diff from the norm ish. One man in a box, but still guessed the ending  and in the first few seconds

Splice was interesting and worth a watch


----------



## Rodders

It's been a good weekend as far as Sci-Fi on the TV. I watched Alien on Friday and Aliens and X-Men Saturday. (I was going to watch Soldier too, but i was too tired.) 

I can't believe that Aliens is nearly 30 years old already?


----------



## Rodders

I watched Alien 3 last night. I remember this getting slated pretty badly when it was originally released, but after watching it last night realised that it wasn't that bad. OK, it wasn't as tense as Alien or as exciting as Aliens, but not too bad an effort.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Fighter*. I really enjoyed it - Christian Bale was especially good I thought.


----------



## J Riff

SIGNS w/ Mel Gibson.
Hadn't seen it. Aliens. Crop Circles. Trapped in the basement by Aliens who can be defeated by throwing water on them. The Aliens leave Earth, and Mr. failed-major-leaguer kills the stranded Alien in the house with his HR-record baseball bat, just after the alien saves the kid who would have died if it hadn't intervened... but he clobbers it to death anyway, with the bat, and the movie ends.
Sorry, that was more of a spoiler review than an opinion... but it was good, and then the spoilage crept in at the end. Oh well.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched a couple of films this weekend, not least *Gainsbourg* a slightly odd biopic of the french musician. Interestingly surreal in p-laces but eventually followed the usual self destructive downfall of the rich and famous. Although he had some obvious charm and oodles of talent it turns out he wasn't a very good man, particularly to women and his children. But some amazing songs, I think the comic side of it (comic as in cartoon not amusing) tried to portay his own repulsion of his looks, even though he was obsessed with women and sex.
Then went to the cinema to see *True Grit*, and although I am a major _Coen brothers_ fan I have to say that it wasn't great. It was good, but it wasn't all that compelling, the characters didn't really grab you, _Jeff Bridges_ was brilliant as was _Mat Damon_ and the young girl, but the story was kind of lacklustre. It  lacked emotional content, we just weren't that bothered by the outcome. Some good scenes, but nowhere near the coen's best, not as good as their last effort, *No Country for old men*, but better than some of their other recent attempts (*a serious man*, *burn after reading*, *ladykillers*). A bit odd, but at the end the girl says 'a quarter of a century later' and she reckons _Damon_ would have been close to 80, which meant he was supposed to be 55 ish during the film, (no way) and that meant that _Jeff bridges_ character *Roster Cogburn* would have been a fair bit older and possibly lived into his 90s or further, with his lifestyle I find that hard to believe.
Anyway, of the films out so far this year not the best I have seen. Shame.


----------



## AE35Unit

Despicable Me- epic fun!


----------



## fitzchivalry

Case 39 - Renee Zellweger. Was really good, one of the best I have seen for a while, in the creepiness department.


----------



## ravenus

*Charade* - an entertaining mishmash movie inspired by Hitchcock's Cary Grant films

My review *HERE*


----------



## biodroid

Megamind - I preferred this to Despicable Me and was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was.


----------



## Tansy

Kick Ass - great fun


----------



## WizardofOwls

J Riff said:


> SIGNS w/ Mel Gibson.
> just after the alien saves the kid who would have died if it hadn't intervened... but he clobbers it to death anyway, with the bat, and the movie ends.


 
The alien didn't save the kid. It tried to kill him with poison gas. The kid's asthma attack saved him from inhaling the gas.


----------



## J Riff

Really!? That's even lamer! Seriously?
The lamest aliens ever..."Fred, there's a visitor from the Stars in the living room... it seems to have forgotten its RayGun... could you take the bat to it please?
Now I have to watch it again. Thanks, WOO.


----------



## clovis-man

Just watched *Brassed Off*. Very enjoyable and great music.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Just watched *Brassed Off*. Very enjoyable and great music.


Brilliant film! RIP Pete Postlethwaite!


----------



## ravenus

For me *Signs* was a crap movie looong before the climax.


----------



## Starbeast

WizardofOwls said:


> The alien didn't save the kid. It tried to kill him with poison gas. The kid's asthma attack saved him from inhaling the gas.


 


J Riff said:


> Really!? That's even lamer! Seriously?
> The lamest aliens ever..."Fred, there's a visitor from the Stars in the living room... it seems to have forgotten its RayGun... could you take the bat to it please?
> Now I have to watch it again. Thanks, WOO.


 


ravenus said:


> For me *Signs* was a crap movie looong before the climax.


 

The movie *Signs* had potential, but the movie just quickly ended with a human clubbing an alien to death and water used to splash on the invaders like acidic aftershave. If the film had a clever ending or incredible bizarre twist (other than water & baseball bat) to defeat the gassy outworlders, the movie would have been phenomenal as well as rememberable. For me the movie was ok, and I enjoy the spoof of it from *Scary Movie 3*, that relieved the taste of the bitter ending from the original film.


Recent movies I've seen worth mentioning: *City Slickers 2, Alien vs Predator, Terminator, The Man Who Would be King *and* Bruce Almighty.*


----------



## soulsinging

Moonbat said:


> Then went to the cinema to see *True Grit*, and although I am a major _Coen brothers_ fan I have to say that it wasn't great. It was good, but it wasn't all that compelling, the characters didn't really grab you, _Jeff Bridges_ was brilliant as was _Mat Damon_ and the young girl, but the story was kind of lacklustre. It  lacked emotional content, we just weren't that bothered by the outcome. Some good scenes, but nowhere near the coen's best, not as good as their last effort, *No Country for old men*, but better than some of their other recent attempts (*a serious man*, *burn after reading*, *ladykillers*). A bit odd, but at the end the girl says 'a quarter of a century later' and she reckons _Damon_ would have been close to 80, which meant he was supposed to be 55 ish during the film, (no way) and that meant that _Jeff bridges_ character *Roster Cogburn* would have been a fair bit older and possibly lived into his 90s or further, with his lifestyle I find that hard to believe.
> Anyway, of the films out so far this year not the best I have seen. Shame.



Interesting. I rather agree... I enjoyed True Grit, but it didn't really leave much of a mark on me. It was flawlessly executed and the acting and dialogue were fantastic, but something about it underwhelmed. Certainly did not have the impact of No Country.

I've got to disagree with you on Burn After Reading though... that movie cracked me up to no end. The last scene has some of the funniest lines of dialogue I've ever seen in film.

"What'd we learn here?"
"I don't know sir."
"I don't f***in know either. Well, we learned not to do it again I suppose. Hell if I know what we did."
"Yes sir."

Last movie I saw would have to have been Serenity at the end of my Firefly marathon Saturday. Otherwise I've simply been addicted to Stargate SG-1 on netflix.


----------



## Starbeast

soulsinging said:


> Interesting. I rather agree... I enjoyed *True Grit*, but it didn't really leave much of a mark on me. It was flawlessly executed and the acting and dialogue were fantastic, but something about it underwhelmed. Certainly did not have the impact of No Country.


 
I too thought *True Grit* was good, but not great, mostly because we knew the original story. But if they created a sequel with all of the great actors who were in the movie remake and continued the adventures of Rooster Cogburn, then I think it would have been something great to see.


----------



## WizardofOwls

Wow... I LOVED Signs. I cant believe you guys didnt like it. I loved the whole everything happens for a reason thing. The boy has asthma because someday an alien was going to try to kill him with poison glass. The girl has an obsession/compulsion with water so that on the day the alien attacked her brother, there would be plenty of ammunition sitting around for the uncle to use against the alien. The uncle set the batting records (both good and bad) so that the bat would be in the living room to use against the alien who would try to kill the nephew.... well you get the point. And ALL of this happened so that a priest could regain his faith. 

Sorry, I liked it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Been going thru all the Star Wars movies again, just watched A New Hope. It never gets old!


----------



## mosaix

I watched *The 25th Hour* on TV last night. Never heard of it before, it was strangely compelling.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Tucker & Dale vs Evil*

Last night I wanted to watch something that asked very little of me and would give me a few laughs. And that's exactly what this film delivered. _Alan Tudyk_ is Tucker and _Tyler Labine_ is Dale. This summary from IMDB:



> Two lovable West Virginian hillbillies, are headed to their "fixer-upper" vacation cabin to drink some beer, do some fishin', and have a good time. But when they run into a group of preppy college kids who assume from their looks that they must be in-bred, chainsaw wielding killers, Tucker & Dale's vacation takes a bloody & hilarious turn for the worse


----------



## Boneman

_The King's Speech _If Colin Firth doesn't get the Oscar for best actor, then it confirms what I've thought for a very long time: that these awards are nothing to do with acting, but are political statements_. Hurt Locker_ won how many? Come on, it was crap acting, crap direction, crap story, crap everything...

Rant over. King's Speech was brilliant....


----------



## shaun45

last film i watched was clerks 2 if you like jay and silent bob then you will love this brilliant film and good for laughs and werid looks


----------



## Boneman

WizardofOwls said:


> Wow... I LOVED Signs. I cant believe you guys didnt like it. I loved the whole everything happens for a reason thing. The boy has asthma because someday an alien was going to try to kill him with poison glass. The girl has an obsession/compulsion with water so that on the day the alien attacked her brother, there would be plenty of ammunition sitting around for the uncle to use against the alien. The uncle set the batting records (both good and bad) so that the bat would be in the living room to use against the alien who would try to kill the nephew.... well you get the point. And ALL of this happened so that a priest could regain his faith.
> 
> Sorry, I liked it.


 

Yeah, some aspects were great.... but the Aliens had the ability to cross the universe, but not wear raincoats...come on...


----------



## Foxbat

mosaix said:


> I watched *The 25th Hour* on TV last night. Never heard of it before, it was strangely compelling.


 
If you are talking about the Anthony Quin movie from 1967 then it's a favourite of mine.

If it's the other one (2002) I've yet to see it.

Been watching *Inland Empire* myself.....don't know what to say about this one.......


----------



## clovis-man

Boneman said:


> Yeah, some aspects were great.... but the Aliens had the ability to cross the universe, but not wear raincoats...come on...


 
Re *Signs*, there were certainly some obvious flaws. But I liked the aspect that you could never be sure if anything was real until the end. The two kids and Joaquin Phoenix with Reynolds Wrap hats seemed to underscore this. I generally give Shyamalan the benefit of the doubt in his films.


----------



## ravenus

clovis-man said:


> ...I liked the aspect that you could never be sure if anything was real until the end.....


Damn right. At various points it seemed so incredible and unreal that I was sitting in a cinema hall watching this crock


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

ravenus said:


> Damn right. At various points it seemed so incredible and unreal that I was sitting in a cinema hall watching this crock



Score!


----------



## Foxbat

*Forbidden World* (1982) Cliched Roger Corman Sci-Fi monster hokum that borrows heavily from other movies. Nothing special.


----------



## Leadbelly

enemy at the gates


----------



## biodroid

Leadbelly said:


> enemy at the gates



excellent movie, a bit disturbing in some scenes but a great war story


----------



## Connavar

Boneman said:


> _The King's Speech _If Colin Firth doesn't get the Oscar for best actor, then it confirms what I've thought for a very long time: that these awards are nothing to do with acting, but are political statements_. Hurt Locker_ won how many? Come on, it was crap acting, crap direction, crap story, crap everything...
> 
> Rant over. King's Speech was brilliant....



Hurt Locker was terrible and won for political reasons like a Iraq war film i suspect. They loved those things true stories setting the oscars.

Because i have seen slow,boring films won oscars but none as weak as Hurt Locker.  When an action war film puts me to a sleep and im a huge action,war film fan there is something really wrong with it.

I wish when a female director won it was for much better film.....


----------



## Moonbat

I made the mistake of listening to Robert Duvall when he said that his film of the decade was *Hurt locker*. bought the DVD and was suitably unimpressed. For a film about something so tense it seemed to lack tension.
Pretty rubbish really, very surprised it won so many plaudits when it wasn't very good.
Have been seeing some reviews on bad oscars choices recently, it seems *Hurt locker* isn't an isolated issue. Sometimes they get it right, but sometimes (*My cousin vinny*) they get it very very wrong.

anyway, watched *Red* last night, not the new action thriller, but quite a dark film with Brian Cox about a man whose dog is shot by some boys and he tries to get justice but ends up getting revenge and not feeling too good about it.
I have put off watching this film for some time as it sounded slow and boring, but was pretty good, quite upsetting and not exactly a jolly film, but well acted and worth a watch.


----------



## ravenus

Oh I liked *Hurt Locker* a good deal. I've never been to a War Zone myself but the combination of dread, paranoia and ennui that the squad in the film faces came across quite palpably to me. It was definitely one of the best Hollywood films of that year.

Last night I started watching *Frost/Nixon* at about 1 a.m. and to  my surprise found myself awake and attentive for the full length of the  film. I have no clue how well it ties in with the actual events of David  Frost's interview of the impeached president, but the film does a nice  job of representing the guillotines that hang on both Nixon and his  interviewer and how that influences their cat-and-mouse game. Frank Langella  as Nixon sounds like he's rolling marbles in his mouth, and Nixon's  drunk phone call to Frost which triggers the final outcome sounds like a  dramatic device conjured up for the film, but it's on the whole worth  watching, if you're not a huge stickler for historical accuracy.


----------



## Foxbat

I also quite enjoyed Frost/Nixon (especially Michael Sheen's perfomance as Frost)

As for me, I've been watching Bela Tarr's *The Man From London *
This black and white movie based on a Georges Simenon novel has a basic detective  plot about a poor frenchman witnessing a murder and finding a case full of money. Tarr has stripped this kind of movie right to the bone with some fine cinematography, suitably moody music and long, lingering shots that really accentuate texture in monochrome. The dialogue is sparse and action is almost non-existant.

This film has sometimes been called an anti-thriller filled with existentilist dread. There are some lighter, almost Lynchian moments but, for the most part it sticks to the no-compromise reduction of the thriller into something much darker and sparser.

Highly acclaimed by many and well received at Cannes, I have to admit that, frankly, for all the director's obvious skills, I found this one a bit of a bore (philistine that I am).


----------



## woodsman

Now I want to watch Hurt Locker - I'd only heard good things about it, at least Avatar didn't win that year, ay! 

Watched *Being John Malkovich* last night, interesting film and concept, certainly had me a little disturbed. Will probably watch this one again at some point.


----------



## J Riff

_but the Aliens had the ability to cross the universe, but not wear raincoats...come on... _
heh,hehHeh,HeH,HAH!

 I. for one- din't much like _No Country fer Old Dudes_.... much. OK, I watched it 3 times anyway. The beginning was entrancing, and I sat there thinking come on, come ON...there's a way to make this work! But then it turned into a comic book ending. The first half, tho, is fabulous and almost believable.
 There was a way for dude to make off with the $$ but he was just a bit too dim... but then Mr. pneumatic cattle-killer gizmo became the story and that turned me off.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Sat down and watched a film for the first time in what seems like ages last night, a new film as well, not one we've seen before.

And what a great film too, *Inception* - had to pay attention!


----------



## Rodders

Return of the Jedi was on terrestrial TV last night. It'#s been a while since i've seen this, so it was hugely enjoyable. Still looks good nearly 30 years on.


----------



## J Riff

Oh good, _Inception _is next up here, looking forward to it.


----------



## mr kite

*True Grit .*
Enjoyed it .
Matt Damon ? .Strange casting but I think he just pulled it off.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Inception* is freaking awesome. The same night, after watching it at the cinema, I dreamt that I was talking to some guy and suddenly everyone in my dream stopped and turned to look at me. It wasn't until I started talking inanely about the weather or something to the guy that everyone stopped looking at me. Weird feeling. 

Watching some nice Sunday viewing. *Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring*. Extended, of course.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Road*. A fairly faithful adaptation of McCarthy's book. Could have done with a little less of Charlize Theron. Cameos by Guy Pierce and Robert Duvall were good. Slow moving, but gripping.


----------



## WizardofOwls

Watched SyFy's Earthsea last night and LOVED it! Watching Race to Witch Mountain now.


----------



## No One

soulsinging said:


> I've got to disagree with you on Burn After Reading though... that movie cracked me up to no end. The last scene has some of the funniest lines of dialogue I've ever seen in film.
> 
> "What'd we learn here?"
> "I don't know sir."
> "I don't f***in know either. Well, we learned not to do it again I suppose. Hell if I know what we did."
> "Yes sir."



I saw this just a couple of days ago for the first time and I'm inclined to agree.

Also saw *Barton Fink* (more Coen Bro's) and liked that even more, maybe. John Turturo (sp?) - brilliant (although, for the record, the Coen brothers always seem to get a brilliant cast, but we're talking about the Jesus here ).


----------



## Connavar

*True Grit

*I enjoyed it and it was surprisingly funny thanks to some of the dialouge and making fun of the texas Ranger.  The little girl was very good and Bridges was great in his role.


----------



## merry gentry

Just watched The Green Hornet.  Personally, I think it didn't know what kind of movie it wanted to be and Seth Rogen came across pretty stupid most of the time.   But that's just my opinion.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Great Buck Howard*. This little gem of a film is either vastly underrated or underexposed. Not much of a stir about it at any point after its release AFAIK. But John Malkovich's channeling of _The Amazing Kreskin_ (not to be confused with _The Amazing Criswell_ of *Ed Wood* fame) into this role is great fun as well as a reasonably credible look at the human spirit. I recommend it.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

merry gentry said:


> Just watched The Green Hornet. Personally, I think it didn't know what kind of movie it wanted to be and Seth Rogen came across pretty stupid most of the time. But that's just my opinion.


 
IMO, you've given a very accurate description of *The Green Hornet*. You also have more staying-power than I do because I couldn't make it past the first 30 minutes.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Vanishing on 7th Street*: A so-so horror starring Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo. All the lights go out everywhere and nearly everyone disappears, leaving behind whatever they were wearing at the time. Four survivors find each other (the three mentioned above plus a 12-year old boy) and try to figure out what happened and how they can get to a safer place. Lukewarm performances and a complete lack of suspense.

*Megapython vs Gateroid*: A silly, utterly stupid plot with hammy acting by 80s pop singers Tyffany and Debbie Gibson, that I enjoyed a hell of a lot more than Vanishing on 7th Street. Pythons and alligators are fed a super-steroid that allows them to keep growing uninhibited.  My best moment was just after Tyffany and Debbie Gibson emerged from the river after an epic catfight. They take a look around and see no-one. Gibson says, "_I think we're alone now_." Tyffany replies, "_There doesn't seem to be anyone around_." I totally cracked up.


----------



## biodroid

The Mummy - good fun. 
Minority Report (Blu-Ray) - This movie never gets old for me and it was remastered well on BD.


----------



## Connavar

mr kite said:


> *True Grit .*
> Enjoyed it .
> Matt Damon ? .Strange casting but I think he just pulled it off.



Maybe Damon wanted to get off alittle his usual casting of the action hero,the charismatic lead role.

A character that made fun of,different role for him that i thought he played very well.  Gutsy move.


----------



## ravenus

*Zatoichi meets Yojimbo*
A meeting of 2 renowned cinematic badasses and directed by Kihachi Okamoto (Samurai Assassin, Kill!)...sadly turns out to be a meandering and mediocre entry. Incidentally this is my first Zatoichi movie and I was impressed by Shintaro Katsu's performance as the blind masseur-swordsman. While I don't automatically say Tatsuya Nakadai was a weaker choice for Kagemusha, it would have been interesting to see what Katsu would have done with the role, if he hadn't tried to be one-up on Kurosawa.


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> *Zatoichi meets Yojimbo*
> A meeting of 2 renowned cinematic badasses and directed by Kihachi Okamoto (Samurai Assassin, Kill!)...sadly turns out to be a meandering and mediocre entry. Incidentally this is my first Zatoichi movie and I was impressed by Shintaro Katsu's performance as the blind masseur-swordsman. ....


 
Try to see some of the earlier blind swordsman films. They can be a lot of fun. But, by the time this one was made, the series had pretty much run out of steam. Even though it got to be a cliche, it was great to watch our masseur hero slice and dice the villains while everone stood around with their mouths open and then hear the quiet "snick" of his sword being sheathed.


----------



## Captain Campion

clovis-man said:


> *The Road*. A fairly faithful adaptation of McCarthy's book. Could have done with a little less of Charlize Theron. Cameos by Guy Pierce and Robert Duvall were good. Slow moving, but gripping.


 
I thought it was a particularly well done movie, so much so that it depressed the crap out of me. The scene with how he treats the robber sticks with me as a testament to man's inhumanity to man.

Give me a zombie apocalypse over an all-out nuke war any day.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Burke and Hare*. It was brilliant! Everyone is in it even the legendary *Ray Harryhausen*!
 Never seen him actually in a film before!


----------



## AE35Unit

Poltergeist was on late last night so we stayed up till 1 watching that.. Daft really cos we have it on DVD! Worth a watch tho!


----------



## StormFeather

I watch Poltergeist too!!!

And found it ridiculous that this time, from the view of a parent of little kids (including a blond-haired little girl) I went all weepy at the bits where Carol Anne was lost and calling for her Mummy. 

Mind you, the large glass of red wine may have also had an effect . . .


----------



## AE35Unit

StormFeather said:


> I watch Poltergeist too!!!
> 
> And found it ridiculous that this time, from the view of a parent of little kids (including a blond-haired little girl) I went all weepy at the bits where Carol Anne was lost and calling for her Mummy.
> 
> Mind you, the large glass of red wine may have also had an effect . . .



Yea like when she takes a bath, leaving the kids on their own- yea right! But the bit where Carol-Anne comes back and she says Hello daddy- chokes me EVERY time!


----------



## No One

AE35Unit said:


> Yea like when she takes a bath, leaving the kids on their own- yea right!



Oh I dunno, I rather liked that scene...

I seem to be on a quest to watch the Coen brother's backlogue of films lately. It's strange that I've never done it before, what with Big Lebowski and Fargo being two of the best.

So I just watched *The Hudsucker Proxy* (had only partially seen it before). It took a little while to warm to, but I surely did. Then a hula-hooping kid had me rolling in laughter and I was sold. Excellent film (and cast - and Bruce Campbell! ).


----------



## AE35Unit

*Skyline*
Not bad, even if tho there wasnt a single Nissan Skyline anywhere in the film


----------



## woodsman

*Proof*  Wouldn't say it was a great movie by any stretch, I did however enjoy it and think all the actors put in pretty strong performances. 

Rented *There will be Blood*  but not got around to watching it yet.


----------



## J Riff

I AM NUMBER FOUR - he has super powers cos' he's an alien, he's in high school, it's a teen romance. There's a good battle on the football field at the end. Saw it last night, it's fading fast, I think good wins over evil.... yea.
 Up next: TRON


----------



## Rodders

Just finished watching Superman 3.


----------



## HoopyFrood

J Riff said:


> I AM NUMBER FOUR - he has super powers cos' he's an alien, he's in high school, it's a teen romance. There's a good battle on the football field at the end. Saw it last night, it's fading fast, I think good wins over evil.... yea.
> Up next: TRON



Huh. The book looked so much more than that. Really can't judge a cover.

Watching *Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*. Once again, extended, of course.


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> Watching *Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers*. Once again, extended, of course.



Oh. Joy.


----------



## J Riff

TRON needs the big screen. It gets a lower rating than the original from most critics. Great frisbee action, tho, and motorcyles.


----------



## Arkose

just finished LOTR: fellowship extended of course.  I am watching currently the extra DvD that came with my extended edition that goes into depth about the movie, writer, themes and so forth. I love watching these extras!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Wolfman*. 
Great cast, good acting, superb SFX, but still a load of old phooey!


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Nadunisi Naaygal aka Midnight Dogs* yesterday. This Tamil language Indian serial killer-filler about a sex-obsessed psychotic is stupefyingly prosaic and dull, a hodge-podge of *Psycho* and *Sivappu Rojakkal aka Red Rose (*another Tamil language Indian psycho killer movie), both infinitely superior. The characters  are so cut-and-dry I don't feel any shock or revulsion whatever nasty  thing happens to them and the director seems more concerned about which  unlikely ass-crack he can place the camera.

Saw *Psycho* itself with the commentary track on blu-ray. Movie  looks great on the BD format, with awesome contrast and shadow detail - And did you know Bates' jacket is actually pinstriped?  The commentary has a lot of  interesting anecdotes, like how Perkins was allowed by Hitchcock to  bring in a lot of his own suggestions on how to play Bates, the various manipulations he achieved to obfuscate the audience's perceptions of Mother and why he included that shtoopid psychiatrist explanation scene at the end.

Also saw *Sympathy for Lady Vengeance* by Park Chan Wook (*Oldboy*), a very good looking and reasonably well made revenge movie, but has a climax and epilogue that go on forever.


----------



## mrphantuan

Really!? That's even lamer! Seriously?
The lamest aliens ever..."Fred, there's a visitor from the Stars in the  living room... it seems to have forgotten its RayGun... could you take  the bat to it please?
Now I have to watch it again. Thanks, WOO.


----------



## brownwhite

*Drive Angry 3D”
*
Its a good Movie........


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Area 51*
A bad SyFy movie about, you guessed it, aliens in Area 51. Bruce Boxleitner is a suitably gruff army colonel. The CGI is so-so. Don't waste your time.

*Cronos*
The 1993 film by Guillermo del Toro, about Jesus Gris, an antiques dealer, who discovers an ancient mechanical device that turns him into a vampire. Mainly in Spanish with English sub-titles, the film also stars Ron Perlman (one of my favourites). I enjoyed it very much and appreciated that del Toro used few of the usual vampire themes. Gris is the most human vampire I've encountered so far in film. The girl who plays his grand-daughter is in some ways scarier than he is. Highly recommended.

*Monsterwolf*
Another SyFy movie. Not as bad as Area 51, this just about qualifies as a so-bad-it's-ok movie. The CGI wolf was laughable and was much scarier when it could only be heard and not seen. 

*Breaking and Entering*
A drama set in London, starring Jude Law, Robin Wright-Penn and Juliette Binoche. Martin Freeman is also in the cast but is criminally under-used. Law plays an affluent architect who opens new offices in the Charing Cross neighbourhood. The office is burgled (twice) by two young thieves working with a criminal syndicate. 

One of the thieves (who has a talent for parkour) is given Law's laptop. (This is a magical laptop because it seemingly has endless battery life.) The burglaries set off a chain of events that culminate in Law becoming deeply involved with the young thief's mother, while still trying to negotiate a complicated home life with his partner (Wright-Penn) and her daughter, who is on the Autism spectrum.

This is not a bad film but neither is it as good as it thinks it is. It makes for rather pleasant and undemanding viewing. I didn't become emotionally invested enough in any of the characters to really care what happened to them.


----------



## AE35Unit

Due Date
Epic fun with hard assed Robert Downey Jr and some beardy bloke I've never heard of!


----------



## Arkose

I finished the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and now I am watching the appendixes and secret clips.  I think I enjoy the appendixes just as much as the trilogy, so much detail. I really love it.


----------



## Mouse

Have you seen the Easter egg of Dominic Monaghan winding up Elijah Wood, Arkose? Hilarious. 

I agree though, the extras on TLotR DVDs are brilliant.

Last film I saw... I can't actually remember. I saw snippets of Knight's Tale. Does that count? Love Alan Tudyk.

Ooh, actually, the last film I saw was a mini-film called 10 Things I Hate About Camping. Funny.


----------



## Arkose

Mouse said:


> Have you seen the Easter egg of Dominic Monaghan winding up Elijah Wood, Arkose? Hilarious.



I love the interview, freaking hilarious. I thought it was awesome to have it hidden in the appendixes like that.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw *The Way Back*. Great story.


----------



## cornelius

AE35Unit said:


> Due Date
> Epic fun with hard assed Robert Downey Jr and some beardy bloke I've never heard of!


 
Jack Galifianakis. He keeps being cast in the same role, but he brings it masterfully. Saw Due Date in the cinema- lolled.

Saw smoking aces 1 and 2 the other day.

Smoking aces had a nice cast, great music and a predictable but great twist at the end. Some rant about the scenery being bad, but I think the setting is more about the characters than the place where they perform their tricks. 

Smokin aces 2 had a pretty mirky cast, even Vinnie Jones (remember Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? Snatch?) wasn't doing his usual play. There are some mentionings of stuff that happened in movie 1, and there is a character that returns, but that's about all concerning 1 and 2 being tied together. The plot ran thin,  the characters ran flat, and all of that was stitched together with some of the cheapest pyrotechnics I've seen in a movie that was made in this decade. Still, don't let my opinion stop you from seeing it, I know some people that like this movie.


----------



## Allanon

I watched *Avatar *for the first time the other day!!


----------



## Luc Valentine

Saw_ The Adjustment Bureau_ at its first showing in my area last Friday. Went to the first show so I could write an online review, but would have gone anyway because, well, it's Philip K. Dick. Before that, I rented _Dark City_, which I had watched a few days before.


----------



## IainRichmond

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.



MONSTERS. Gareth Edwards shows that budget is not everything. He crafted a story that has great depth, unusual pace and a story world that we could all learn from (its creation).

Refreshing film making that claims 'INDIE' roots, but pushes viewers to experience more through the power of thought and vision. Music score, special effects and an intelligently sparse dialogue make this a must see movie, in my humble opinion.


----------



## No One

cornelius said:


> The plot ran thin,  the characters ran flat, and all of that was stitched together with some of the cheapest pyrotechnics I've seen in a movie that was made in this decade.



That was right about the time I stopped watching, I think.

*One Night at McCools*. Always hilarious. Village people!


----------



## Leadbelly

Fellowship of the ring extended version, director/producers/writers commentary.


----------



## ravenus

*Inside Job* - a documentary that reveals the scummy inner workings of financial corporations which led to the global recession of '08 and why this will happen again and again. Makes you scared to invest your money in anything.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Social Network*. Kinda creepy, but the Harvard crew dudes were hilarious. Good film, but there was a definite squirm factor.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Continuing the Sunday tradition: *Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* (extended, of course). The best one of the lot. Apart from the looooong ending.


----------



## biodroid

HoopyFrood said:


> Continuing the Sunday tradition: *Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King* (extended, of course). The best one of the lot. Apart from the looooong ending.



Hehe, I am busy with a LOTR-athon and just completed Two Towers last night, tonight I will do ROTK.


----------



## ravenus

I saw a recent film adaptation of *The First Men in The Moon*, which was quite decent within its limited means. I especially liked the actors portraying Cavor and Bedford. *Richard Scheib*'s review describes it pretty well.


----------



## Rodders

I just watched Battle: LA. It wasn't too bad. I have seen better, but i have seen a lot worse. I think i have a bit of a crush on Michelle Rodrigues though. How embarrassing.


----------



## alchemist

*V for Vendetta.* I was underwhelmed.


----------



## clovis-man

ravenus said:


> I saw a recent film adaptation of *The First Men in The Moon*, which was quite decent within its limited means. I especially liked the actors portraying Cavor and Bedford. *Richard Scheib*'s review describes it pretty well.


 
Scheib's review pretty much blows off the 1964 Ray Harryhausen film as too comical, etc. But I saw it when it was new and watched it again a year or so ago. I thought it had aged rather well. The trailer for the new film certainly doesn't make it look like Shakespeare. So I'm left wondering what the fuss might really be about.


----------



## ravenus

I haven't seen Harryhausen's film so I don't know about that. This wasn't Shakespeare but neither was Wells' novel.


----------



## No One

Finally got round to seeing *A Scanner Darkly *and thought it was excellent. 

The rotoscoping effect just had my eyes constantly admiring the surrealism of the visuals (as far as I know I’ve only seen it used once before, in the brilliant *Waking Life* – also by director Richard Linklater). In the latter case, the effect used a huge variety of different styles for different scenes, but in both films it’s just amazing how the nuances of human action and expression are retained. 

Putting that stuff aside, it's also an extremely good script adapted from Philip K. Dick’s work (now there’s summat I don’t say every day!). I haven’t read the book – yet – but there’s no denying this is a very strong script. I also like the fact that there’s no real resolution to the film. It explores, it delves, it asks questions, but delivers little by way of the standard formula with regard to the ending. I’ll go ahead and assume that’s somewhat true of the book. 

I really should look into more of Richard Linklater’s work (and Philip K. Dick, obviously).


----------



## cornelius

Rock 'n' Rolla. Had a blast, going to be using quotes from that movie for a couple of weeks again. 

Don't hurt me Arch, I'm only little!


----------



## Foxbat

*Maniac *(1963) A pretty decent thriller from the Hammer stable.


----------



## No One

*A Nightmare on Elm Street *(2010).

I don't really know why I bothered, but I've always thought there was a lot of potential to the Kreuger idea. There still is.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Snorkel *(1958) Another thriller from Hammer Studios. A good movie with a nice little twist at the end


----------



## Interference

No One said:


> *A Nightmare on Elm Street *(2010).
> 
> I don't really know why I bothered, but I've always thought there was a lot of potential to the Kreuger idea. There still is.



Check out Nightmare in Marvel comics, including Dr Strange stories after _Strange Tales #110_

http://marvel.wikia.com/Nightmare_(Earth-616)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Fallen*
Good Denzel Washington chiller thriller- watch out for the cat!


----------



## ravenus

*The Law*
A pretty good movie by Jules Dassin about the power-plays between the people of a small Italian province seething with ego and desire. A quick resolution with a smack happy ending doesn't stop you from being absorbed by the bulk of the proceedings. And Gina Lollobrigida is a treat to watch!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Primal Fear*„ legal drama with a cool twist. An early Edward Norton film in which he does a fabulous part, as always.


----------



## Connavar

*The Drunken Angel*(1948)  Another Kurosawa,Mifune and Shimura film.  A bittersweet little film with Mifune in top form.


----------



## ravenus

*Microcosmos*
Unless you have an unreasonable phobia for insects and sundry tiny creatures, you must, really MUST, see this tremendously beautiful documentary. It's different from the BBC type of nature series in that it's almost entirely composed of visuals set to oftentimes brilliant music, no fact-doling narrator here.

Roger Ebert's review HERE


----------



## ravenus

Connavar said:


> *The Drunken Angel*(1948)  Another Kurosawa,Mifune and Shimura film.  A bittersweet little film with Mifune in top form.


I personally found this film uneven and needlessly melodramatic. Not as good as the well-known Kurosawa films. Have you seen *High & Low*? That's a fantastic modern day film by Kurosawa. (My review of H & L HERE)


----------



## Connavar

ravenus said:


> I personally found this film uneven and needlessly melodramatic. Not as good as the well-known Kurosawa films. Have you seen *High & Low*? That's a fantastic modern day film by Kurosawa. (My review of H & L HERE)



Yeah it reminded me of a play in that it was a bit too melodramatic.  Alot of it worked with Matsunaga was a fool not listing to his doctor.  It was certaintly not near top level Kurosawa but still it worked well enough thanks to quality actors like Shimura and Mifune.

Shimura who i know well as Kanbie from Seven Samuria i didnt even recognize as the doctor.


----------



## No One

Interference said:


> Check out Nightmare in Marvel comics, including Dr Strange stories after _Strange Tales #110_
> 
> http://marvel.wikia.com/Nightmare_(Earth-616)



Interesting! Thanks for the pointer 

Noticed *Fallen *got a mention earlier from AE35 - was just chatting about that the other day with someone, having seen it a long time ago. Can't remember much beyond a few scenes, but my lasting impression is a good one. Will have to track it down again.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Los Sin Nombre*, a Spanish adaptation of Ramsey Campbell's novel *The Nameless*. Not bad at all, although some of the changes done to the original story do not work in its favour, especially the Nazi angle and the watered-down version of the girl's abilities.


----------



## Pjodor

Logan's Run and I think it was pretty good.
imdb.com/title/tt0074812/


----------



## AE35Unit

*Monsters*
Do yourself a favour, paint the ceiling instead and watch it dry for hour and half! More action that way!
If this were a book I'd have put it down half way thru- if I'd got that far!


----------



## AE35Unit

No One said:


> Interesting! Thanks for the pointer
> 
> Noticed *Fallen *got a mention earlier from AE35 - was just chatting about that the other day with someone, having seen it a long time ago. Can't remember much beyond a few scenes, but my lasting impression is a good one. Will have to track it down again.



Yes it is worth tracking down!


----------



## alchemist

*The Happening.* I found it hard to believe that the man who made Unbreakable had really sunk as far as the critics said he had. I was wrong; they were right.


----------



## AE35Unit

alchemist said:


> *The Happening.* I found it hard to believe that the man who made Unbreakable had really sunk as far as the critics said he had. I was wrong; they were right.



We enjoyed that one! As a botanist it resonated with me!


----------



## alchemist

The plant angle was interesting, and there were some tense moments. But the awful acting, clunky dialogue, and ack of a "normal" character ruined it for me.
It could have been so much better.


----------



## mosaix

Two weeks ago I watched original _*Big Sleep*_ starring _*Humphrey Bogart*_ and _*Lauren Bacall *_(1946). I didn't realise just how good the directing was until tonight when I made the mistake of watching the 1978 version starring _*Robert Mitchum*_ and directed by Michael Winner - it is truly dire.


----------



## Leadbelly

Utu- which incidentally was directed by Greg Murphy who was a unit director on LOTRs.


----------



## Connavar

mosaix said:


> Two weeks ago I watched original _*Big Sleep*_ starring _*Humphrey Bogart*_ and _*Lauren Bacall *_(1946). I didn't realise just how good the directing was until tonight when I made the mistake of watching the 1978 version starring _*Robert Mitchum*_ and directed by Michael Winner - it is truly dire.



One of those rare films i thought was better than the novel version.  The director impressed me since i already knew how good Bogart,Bacall are.  I have to see more Hawks films.


----------



## mosaix

Connavar said:


> One of those rare films i thought was better than the novel version.



I know what you mean, Conn. I read the book in December, I think (Along with the Maltese Falcon). As a result I decided to watch the film again and it brought an extra dimension to the story. Bogart is just immense in the role.


----------



## simplemind

The movie Avatar.


----------



## clovis-man

mosaix said:


> Two weeks ago I watched original _*Big Sleep*_ starring _*Humphrey Bogart*_ and _*Lauren Bacall *_(1946). I didn't realise just how good the directing was until tonight when I made the mistake of watching the 1978 version starring _*Robert Mitchum*_ and directed by Michael Winner - it is truly dire.


 
You are right on the money. Ironically, the Mitchum film was very faithful to the Chandler novel. But it just didn't have that spark that Bogey/Bacall created (not to mention Bob Steele in one of the best ever villain roles).

Conn, if you want to explore Howard Hawks, don't neglect this one: The Thing from Another World (1951) - IMDb


----------



## clovis-man

*Paul*. I'm a fan of Simon Pegg, but didn't have really great expectations for this one. I was pleasantly surprised. It was great fun, moved along nicely and the characters all formed a workable combination of "not quite in their right mind" people. Recommended for sure. Kristen Wiig seems to now be firmly on her way to a post SNL career.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Blade Trinity* has just started. Bit meh, but there's nothing else on. Plus, Ryan Reynolds...


----------



## Connavar

*The Singing Detective *BBC mini series from 1986 and i say without hyperbole its among the best tv series mini or ongoing i have ever seen.  

Philip Marlow story is so cool noir,great musical and so a powerful,personal story at the same time.


----------



## Starbeast

*Uncommom Valor (1983)* A retired army officer gathers a motley crew of Vietnam Vets to invade Laos in order to rescue his son who's still Missing in Action.
starring: Gene Hackman, Robert Stack, Fred Ward, Reb Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Patrick Swayze, Harold Sylvester, Tim Thomerson & Michael Dudikoff

One of my favorite films.


----------



## woodsman

*GATTACA* recommended by my A-Level biology teacher, took me a few years but worth it. Really liked the ideas of this film and it scared me half to death. Thurman wasn't the best though IMHO. A film everyone should watch.

*Dead Poets Society* - Robin William is much better than his comedy but not at the heights of Good Will Hunting (a favourite of mine). Enjoyed the film on the whole though, very interesting.


----------



## Captain Campion

Just saw Battle: Los Angeles.
I enjoyed it for what it was: pure action with video game elements and could probably qualify as a recruiting video. As many have said, it's simply Black Hawk Down with extraterrestrials. Certainly it suffers from all the weak spots that any aliens-invade-Earth movie is going to suffer from (they have the technology to travel across space and don't have the means to wipe us out with the push of a button? They have to resort to street-to-street fighting?) and several other 'seriously?' moments.

I enjoyed it. The same way I enjoy a Big Mac now and then. 

One note, the movie did include something that's really starting to annoy me. It starts with an action scene, then does the whole "36 hours earlier" bit and rewinds to what should have been the start of the movie to begin with. This gimmick has gotten way old (Battlestar Galactica made me sick with how often they started using it). This is lazy writing, IMHO and needs to be ditched already.


----------



## Captain Campion

AE35Unit said:


> *Monsters*
> Do yourself a favour, paint the ceiling instead and watch it dry for hour and half! More action that way!
> If this were a book I'd have put it down half way thru- if I'd got that far!


 
Agreed. Netflix'd this one last week. Expected something suspenseful and found a character study about two uninteresting, stupid characters. 

The director decided that the best way to craft an atmosphere of foreboding/dread/supsense was to show military helicopters either flying around or destroyed in the jungle/along roads/etc. This works when used sparingly, but it seemed like every other scene had either functioning military hardware flying around or crashed hardware that was supposed to make us go 'ooooo, that's creeeepppyyy'. After the 10th time, it loses that effect.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I actually liked *Monsters*. It was really nicely shot I thought. I can see why people would have a problem with the ending though.


----------



## Rodders

I watched A Quantum of Solace for the first time Saturday. What a cracking movie. 

Don't me with the ZOhan was on last night and was pretty funny for an Adam Sandler movie.


----------



## geordie bob

I watched a film called donnie brasco last night and really enjoyed it,I wauld recomend it to fans al pacino.


----------



## AE35Unit

Half watched *Megamind*
Kids got bored halfway thru and turned to their DSs.


----------



## AE35Unit

Captain Campion said:


> Agreed. Netflix'd this one last week. Expected something suspenseful and found a character study about two uninteresting, stupid characters.
> 
> The director decided that the best way to craft an atmosphere of foreboding/dread/supsense was to show military helicopters either flying around or destroyed in the jungle/along roads/etc. This works when used sparingly, but it seemed like every other scene had either functioning military hardware flying around or crashed hardware that was supposed to make us go 'ooooo, that's creeeepppyyy'. After the 10th time, it loses that effect.



The highlight of the film for me was when the aliens met at the petrol station ,that was quite cool. The rest of it, forgettable.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched plenty of films since my last update including, but not limited to, 
*Resident Evil Afterlife* - Not bad, still a bit silly, but ok action
*Awesomest Maximus* - National Lampoons sppof of epic battle flicks, really bad, the traditional family humour of the older NL films has been replaced with half naked women and drug references, not that funny at all.
*The 4th Kind* - Really got me thinking, not sure if it is real or not, but if the 'actual footage' is real then you almost have to believe in ETs or else the FBI have some special stuff they are testing on the residents of Nome. I enoyed this, not particularly scary but a decent extra terrestial film.


----------



## Moonbat

Aw 
Just checked Wiki


> Controversy
> On September 2, 2009, an investigation by Kyle Hopkins and the _Anchorage Daily News_ examined the validity of the film's premise, and its relation to actual disappearances that have occurred in and around the town of Nome. The investigation found no specific events to back up the claims in the film and also revealed that unsolved deaths in Nome are no more a majority of disappearances (just as in other remote areas).[8]
> On November 12, 2009, Universal Pictures agreed to a $20,000 settlement with the Alaska Press Club "to settle complaints about fake news archives used to promote the movie." Universal acknowledged that they created fake online news articles and obituaries to make it appear that the movie had a basis in real events.[9]


 
So for all my belief it wasn't real footage at all. I should have known better.
Still at least Who Frame Roger Rabbit is based on a true story


----------



## Interference

OM(gentle expletive)G, now we can't even trust Hollywood to tell us the truth 

Or did the FBI get to them?  And who was this so-called "Kyle Hopkins"?

And so on and so on, add your own favourite CT response.  What really bugs me is that it takes a very low level of integrity to invent archive footage and press cuttings to sell a flaming movie, knowing there will be some who will believe it real.  In ten years, maybe less, that footage will come up again and again and people won't know how and why it was created in the first place.

Hollywood (et al) have the resources to convince us that fantasy is real, but this is surely the difference between a story-teller and a liar, an actor and a con man, a love scene and porn.  Being convincing and including your audience in the fantasy is a wonderful skill.  Doing likewise to deceive is despicable.

Would I have felt the same about Welles' _War Of The Worlds_ broadcast?  Strangely, I've no idea.  Out of my era.  Welles' saving grace is that he didn't set out to deceive.  But I'll bet he revelled in the fact that he had, in private.

And if I may paraphrase the philosopher, Ben Parker, "With great special effects departments comes great responsibility."


----------



## mosaix

Good post, Interference.


----------



## Interference

TY, Mosaix 

It's from the heart.


----------



## Starbeast

Moonbat said:


> Aw  So for all my belief _The Fourth Kind_ wasn't using real footage at all. I should have known better.


 

I was skeptical at first, so being a Ufologist I checked out the facts and uncovered what I feared........movie hype.

But I did like the film, it was a good "what if" movie. _What if_ aliens that were mentioned by real ancient cultures were to return and reestablish themselves slowly into our human society before they arrived by the thousands to continue their experiments on us. This would be a very scary senario if those demon-like beings came to Earth.


----------



## crys

Just finished watching _Something The Lord Made_... what a beautiful film. Don't think I've ever seen a bad Alan Rickman movie.


----------



## No One

*The Man Who Wasn't There*. Yep, another Coen Brothers film and yet another winner.


----------



## ravenus

crys said:


> Just finished watching _Something The Lord Made_... what a beautiful film. Don't think I've ever seen a bad Alan Rickman movie.


Really? What about in that series in which he plays an effete wizard?


----------



## Starbeast

*Bulletproof Monk (2003)* It's still fun, exciting and Chow Yun-Fat is very cool in the film.


----------



## Demonomania

Last watched *Yogen (Premonition) - 2004 - *A nice little j-horror, not anthing we havent seen from them before but I enjoyed it.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Typhoon* a Korean action thriller that was so cliche  story,character,sappy music like the worst Hollywood thrillers with John  Travolta or someone like that.

I expect better from Korean films that gets realesed internationally. That film took the place of a korean film that was better.


----------



## Lioness

No One said:


> *The Man Who Wasn't There*. Yep, another Coen Brothers film and yet another winner.



I love that movie...

I've recently seen *Rango* and *The Adjustment Bureau*

Both were fantastic.


----------



## Foxbat

*Blue Remembered Hills* Not exactly a movie - more a play for television but fantastic nonetheless. It's been a long time since I had seen this Dennis Potter masterpiece and it still enthralls me.


----------



## Mouse

Just got back from seeing *Killing Bono* with the lovely Ben Barnes being extra sexy with an Irish accent. *sigh* He's so beautiful I want to laminate his face.


----------



## Lenny

I've just returned from seeing the new film from Zack Snyder - *Sucker Punch*.

It's a good film. Although the story isn't particularly new or interesting, and we've seen the slo-mo 360 camera pan shots in so many films since 300, it chugs along quite nicely, with some fantastic action sequences.

I must admit that it left me confused for about thirty minutes after it finished, but I think I've got it sussed now.


----------



## Connavar

I finally saw *The Fighter* which i found to a very real story about the people of Lowell,the boxning brothers.  Alot of quality acting by Bale,Adams,Mellisa Leo.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hurt Locker*
Not what I was expecting but it was alright. Dropped off in the middle then picked up again but despite the action and anticipation it is a bit boring!


----------



## Riselka

I found a copy of Kino's THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS knocked down considerably in price the other day, so I finally bought it.

WOW!!!

The added scenes, and slight reordering of other scenes has really made an improvement in the film.  It finally seems quite cohesive in its storyline.  The added footage may be quite grainy, and cropped due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, but they're a welcome addition to the film.

I'm still holding onto my copy of Kino's RESTORED AUTHORIZED EDITION for the added special features though.


----------



## AE35Unit

Riselka said:


> I found a copy of Kino's THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS knocked down considerably in price the other day, so I finally bought it.
> 
> WOW!!!
> 
> The added scenes, and slight reordering of other scenes has really made an improvement in the film.  It finally seems quite cohesive in its storyline.  The added footage may be quite grainy, and cropped due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, but they're a welcome addition to the film.
> 
> I'm still holding onto my copy of Kino's RESTORED AUTHORIZED EDITION for the added special features though.


I really want to see/own this! I watched Giorgio Moroder's version a while ago and felt the music spoilt it!


----------



## Riselka

AE35Unit said:


> I really want to see/own this! I watched Giorgio Moroder's version a while ago and felt the music spoilt it!



If you live in North America, I understand that it's available through Netflix.  But, you have to be careful which version you get off Netflix, as they have at least 2 or three of the versions of it available.

Moroder's version was my introduction to METROPOLIS - I rented it years ago.  I wouldn't mind having a copy of it, since it is a bit of a novelty.

But, the real deal is a whole lot better.  It's amazing to see things in it, that have obviously influenced many films that have been made since.  And the soundtrack ... let's just say that I have the feeling it was a major influence in John Williams score for STAR WARS.


----------



## AE35Unit

I remember reading one of Asimov's memoirs, and he mentioned that he saw Metropolis at the cinema as s kid and not at all being impressed by it! Talk about precocious!


----------



## Riselka

It was a bit of a box office bomb, which was why it was so heavily edited after its initial release.

Now it's considered to be one of the most important motion pictures ever made.


----------



## AE35Unit

Riselka said:


> It was a bit of a box office bomb, which was why it was so heavily edited after its initial release.
> 
> Now it's considered to be one of the most important motion pictures ever made.


Indeed, and rightly so!


----------



## Riselka

AE35Unit said:


> Indeed, and rightly so!



Maybe if Asimov had seen it in the form that Fritz Lang originally released it, he may have been a little more impressed.

Very few people saw it in that form.

Well, until now.


----------



## AE35Unit

Riselka said:


> Maybe if Asimov had seen it in the form that Fritz Lang originally released it, he may have been a little more impressed.
> 
> Very few people saw it in that form.
> 
> Well, until now.


Yea, good point!


----------



## Moonbat

*Source Code*
Wow! What a film, directed by Duncan Jones (Zowie Bowie) the guy who wrote and  and directed Moon, and I must say that this is one of the best sci-fi films I've seen in a while. A clever idea that has been done before but was handled much better in this film than in others. I really enjoyed it , the ending was a bit slow, but overall the film was really good. I'd love to hear what the rest of you think of this, as sci-fi enthusiasts i'd be interested to hear what you think.
I prefered it to moon, it had a few plot holes, and some dodgy science that was brushed over, but ultimately it was a very well realised vision of multiple universes and the possibilities of sending people back in time.
I must also admit that it has given me an idea for this months 75 word story .


----------



## AE35Unit

The Book of Eli
Dark and ultimately pointless post apoc film with Denzel Washington.  Good to see Frances de la Tour and an uncredited Malcolm McDowell!


----------



## CyBeR

*Sucker Punch*

A whole lot smarter than it's being given credit. Underneath those layers of sword fighting against robot samurai, steampunk nazi robot zombies, orcs and robots, there's a pretty smart idea, coupled with a very smart execution that doubly confirms the film's title. 

I never expected to be insanely appreciative of the film, since it was basically geek bait over geek bait with a side order of geek bait, but it proved to surpass a lot of my expectations. My geeky side hasn't been this giddy in the cinema since I've watched *2012* (shut up, the set pieces were jaw dropping). 
The fight choreography I think is so far unmatched. A lot of people will find it confusing, a lot of people will find it boring, but as far as I am concerned, this is the best I've seen since *Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children*'s Tifa fight. Most of the stuff here makes that fight scene seem as dated as *Super Robot Grendeizer* (HA! Get THAT reference).

All in all, great time at the movies for myself. Don't go in with preconceptions and you may be surprised.
Also, if you're not big on fighting scenes or random set pieces, save your money for something else entirely.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Magdalene Sisters. Horrible example of religion abuse!!


----------



## Riselka

ARN: THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR 

I really liked this Swedish production. The acting is good, the storyline - based on a trilogy by Jan Guillou - is compelling, and the cinematography is beautiful. 

The DVD available here is a truncated version made from a two movie production that aired in Sweden. Although it's obvious there's much missing, what remains is quite entertaining. It would be nice to have a player capable of playing multiple regions, so I could see the two disc version available in Europe though. 

YouTube - Arn The Knight Templar - Official Trailer


----------



## clovis-man

*Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs*. Some like this one, I believe. Sorry. I couldn't get into it. Way over the top.


----------



## crys

_Awaydays_ - nasty, violent film; superb (though incongruous) post-punk soundtrack.


----------



## Connavar

Riselka said:


> ARN: THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR
> 
> I really liked this Swedish production. The acting is good, the storyline - based on a trilogy by Jan Guillou - is compelling, and the cinematography is beautiful.
> 
> The DVD available here is a truncated version made from a two movie production that aired in Sweden. Although it's obvious there's much missing, what remains is quite entertaining. It would be nice to have a player capable of playing multiple regions, so I could see the two disc version available in Europe though.
> 
> YouTube - Arn The Knight Templar - Official Trailer




The film had historical fiction part down in Jerusalem scenes,battles but too long romantic scenes ruined alittle.

The trilogy of books is much better and more about how Sweden as a nation was created in those time.  

That is if you like to read historical fiction.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs*. Some like this one, I believe. Sorry. I couldn't get into it. Way over the top.


Lol, it is a kids film!


----------



## Riselka

Connavar said:


> The film had historical fiction part down in Jerusalem scenes,battles but too long romantic scenes ruined alittle.
> 
> The trilogy of books is much better and more about how Sweden as a nation was created in those time.
> 
> That is if you like to read historical fiction.



Historical Fiction is actually the form of fiction I prefer over anything else.  And being a girl, I rather liked the romantic scenes.  From what I get from the featurettes on the DVD, they were aiming to make it more the story of Arn and Cecelia, than focusing on the battles and whatnot.

So far, only books 1 and 2 of the trilogy are available here.  But I have the feeling if I want to read them I'm going to have to special order them, as I don't see them on the shelves of the bookstores here.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Nothing too exciting, but watched Terminator 2 again on Saturday, still an excellent romp, and the special effects are still superb.

In most cases.


----------



## AE35Unit

*THX 1138*
A very early SF film by George Lucas- very bleak and quite odd!


----------



## Norlan

Faster, it was alright. Extremely predictable and kind of cheesy but it was what i expected


----------



## Daezarkian

The A-Team remake.  MUCH better than I expected, pretty well paced, and had numerous witty one-liners.  My favorites were a line involving 3D bullets, and another regarding how the team went from a plane to a tank plummeting through the sky.  

Great mindless shoot em' up action.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Poseidon (2006)*
Starring: Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Emmy Rossum (amongst others)
A solid B-movie, with good performances and pacing and an acceptable script - there were fewer cringe-worthy emotional scenes than I thought there would be. I had fun trying to figure out who would die, in what order and how. The special effects and technical aspects of the film were very good. I felt sorry for the actors for being in the water for most of the film and having to endure the sheer physical aspects of their roles. I enjoyed the film and can recommend it to anyone wanting to see a reasonably undemanding but entertaining movie.

*Battle: Los Angeles (2011)*
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodrigues, Bridget Moynihan, Ne-Yo (amongst others)
I enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would and, for me, that was in large part due to Aaron Eckhart. He has a steady, warm and likeable on-screen presence and he imbued his character with much more than was offered by the script and the plot. The film was action-oriented, not character-oriented but Eckhart made me care about his character. I wanted him to survive.

As for the action - the film did not disappoint. I felt the tension during the battle scenes and there was always a sense that anyone could die. We don't get to see all that much of the aliens up close (except for one rather grisly scene) and I think that worked in the context of the film. The POV was that of the soldiers on the ground, in the midst of the fighting. The shaky-cam in these scenes were not jarring. However, I couldn't see the need for the shaky-cam in the non-combat scenes - those were simply annoying.

The film is very pro-military, the Marines in particular, but I have no problem with that. I think it was done well in context and rarely went over the top. This film is worth a viewing.


----------



## cornelius

Donnie Darko. You read that right. Finally watched it. I did get the Frank refferences in other media and parodies, but that was about all I knew from the film before watching it, aside from the soundtracks. The friend I borrowed it from warned me that the end was quite a shocker...


The pieces of the puzzle come together nicely, but I did predict a couple of elements which made me feel like I spoiled the movie for myself. All in all I enjoyed it, which is rare for a movie that gets a "cultlabel".


----------



## AE35Unit

cornelius said:


> Donnie Darko. You read that right. Finally watched it. I did get the Frank refferences in other media and parodies, but that was about all I knew from the film before watching it, aside from the soundtracks. The friend I borrowed it from warned me that the end was quite a shocker...
> 
> 
> The pieces of the puzzle come together nicely, but I did predict a couple of elements which made me feel like I spoiled the movie for myself. All in all I enjoyed it, which is rare for a movie that gets a "cultlabel".



I didnt enjoy that film, in fact I felt it utterly pointless and unwatchable!


----------



## cornelius

AE35Unit said:


> I didnt enjoy that film, in fact I felt it utterly pointless and unwatchable!


 
Well I admit I was using a very... broad interpretation of "enjoy". I managed to watch it in one sitting. If I had to rate it, I would give it a 5 out of 10. Maybe the fact I had spent most of that day in the sun and finally going out for a run again clouded my judgement.

I would say that it's more like an episode of some weird series than an actual movie, you could have easily cut out some of the parts and lose nothing of the actual story. Some passages were very bland. Didn't like the way Donnie walked around and grinned like a dopehead all the time either.Or how things like hypnosis are portrayed. Or how most emotional reactions are totally off key.

 I wish they would have gone a little deeper into the whole wormhole thing. I basically find the concept interesting and the scenes with "Frank" are... different. But I expected more of this cult movie.


----------



## Connavar

*Vengance*

by Johnnie To with french Johnny Halliday in the lead.  A film very  much inspired by La Samourai.  As usual very cool,strong  visuals,minimalistic style.  But acting wise it was not his best and the  ending was a bit weird,weak.  Still he took a simple revenge story and  made it fun.  The final gun fight was very very good without John  Woo/Chow Yun-Fat moves.

A must for Melville/La Samourai fans.


----------



## AE35Unit

cornelius said:


> Well I admit I was using a very... broad interpretation of "enjoy". I managed to watch it in one sitting. If I had to rate it, I would give it a 5 out of 10. Maybe the fact I had spent most of that day in the sun and finally going out for a run again clouded my judgement.
> 
> I would say that it's more like an episode of some weird series than an actual movie, you could have easily cut out some of the parts and lose nothing of the actual story. Some passages were very bland. Didn't like the way Donnie walked around and grinned like a dopehead all the time either.Or how things like hypnosis are portrayed. Or how most emotional reactions are totally off key.
> 
> I wish they would have gone a little deeper into the whole wormhole thing. I basically find the concept interesting and the scenes with "Frank" are... different. But I expected more of this cult movie.


Ah 5 out of 10, you're too generous


----------



## ravenus

*Terror by Night*
Terrible plotwise but a gamely performed Sherlock Holmes adventure with Rathbone and Bruce. This one's set aboard a train and Holmes must protect the Star of Rhodesia diamond from the clutches of Col. Sebastian Moran.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I really like *Donnie Darko*. And I still don't really get it.


----------



## Foxbat

Hilarious Joke said:


> I really like *Donnie Darko*. And I still don't really get it.


 
You're not alone


----------



## Lemmy

AE35Unit said:


> Lol, it is a kids film!



Aww... you poor... you.  Just because a film is animated or all-CGI, it doesn't mean it's for kids only. Ever seen movies like Toy Story? Shrek? Tangled? If not, you should. You just might get a surprise.

Anyway back on topic. The last movie I saw was *The Marine*, starring John Cena. And put it this way: Have you ever seen a movie so bad you just want to tear your own eyes out with a fork? If you see this one, you want to put them back in, just so you can tear them out again and run over them with a car. Then run over yourself with a train. The horror! (I would insert a smiley here, but I couldn't find a puking smiley.)


----------



## Interference

It would be quite a task to list all the films that have made me feel that way.  I've often come away from a film feeling so sad that resources had been wasted in such an appalling way.  The time and money given to the cast and crew is only a fraction of it.  How about the oil burned to get people from location to location, the animals slaughtered to feed everyone, the waste products left by the make-up, the energy used by the lighting, the film that was used, the amount of coffee drunk during pre- and post-production, the drugs and parties that went on after the wrap, the inconvenience to the locals on location, the wildlife and ecology frightened, disrupted or destroyed, the list is tragic and almost endless.

And yet this is going on someone's show-reel so they can get other jobs destroying our planet's resources for no good purpose.

Sometimes I wonder - which is a sad place to be, for me - if we just shouldn't stop making films like that altogether.


----------



## Connavar

*Warrior's Way*

I was very pleasently surprised by how good the action was,how good the leading actors was in their roles.

Not to talk about the visuals, a film that actually used the computer effects so well. 

Sword action was the highlight, i have seen this good sword action since Zatoichi.  Sure its more over the top Ninja sword action.


----------



## Foxbat

*We Are What We Are* A fairly decent Mexican movie about a family of cannibals.


----------



## Mouse

I watched the first twenty minutes of _Despicable Me_ before I got distracted.


----------



## Leadbelly

Whip it - I'm fast becoming a fan of Ellen Page's.


----------



## slack

*Pi*.

Brilliant.


----------



## ravenus

*Gaslight (1944) - *my detailed review


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*How Do You Know?*

A rom-com starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson.

A light-hearted bit of fluff of a movie. Entertaining viewing if you just want to veg out in front of the box. I rather enjoyed it, though mostly because of Paul Rudd. He's such a likeable, sincere and funny actor. He makes even the most mundane material sparkle on-screen. Owen Wilson reigned himself in quite well and his comedically under-stated performance was rather sweet. Reese Witherspoon was nice and not annoying. Jack Nicholson sometimes looked as if he wasn't quite sure what he was doing there.

As for as rom-coms go, this one was actually quite good.


----------



## cornelius

Hilarious Joke said:


> I really like *Donnie Darko*. And I still don't really get it.


 
I _think _I get it. Looks like I'm the only one who doesn't like it, but doesn't hate it either.


----------



## CyBeR

Connavar said:


> *Warrior's Way*
> 
> I was very pleasently surprised by how good the action was,how good the leading actors was in their roles.
> 
> Not to talk about the visuals, a film that actually used the computer effects so well.
> 
> Sword action was the highlight, i have seen this good sword action since Zatoichi.  Sure its more over the top Ninja sword action.



Sword "action" is right, since there was really no sword "fighting" in the whole film. I think that's what disappointed me regarding this film: people just get slashed in interesting ways, but apart from one insane moment when two swords clash tip to tip, there's really no interaction of the sword-y kind.

But otherwise, I agree: fantastic visuals, great lead characters and a sense of uniqueness about the whole thing.
I still kinda regret not hearing the line from the trailer in the actual film.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Hellboy again last night. A great action film IMO.


----------



## clovis-man

Monarch of the Moon (2005) - IMDb Good for a couple of laughs. The concept of a 1940s serial sendup is a good one, but not terribly well executed.


----------



## Lemmy

Just finished *Frankenstein *and* Bride of Frankenstein*, both from the 1930s and starring Boris Karloff. Don't be alarmed that they are a bit old, black and white, mono sound and the picture is a bit bad at times. These are two of the best movies ever made, even today. Plus, Bride brilliantly continues where Frankenstein left off, simply by saying Mary Shelley was telling Frankenstein to two other people and continuing the story with Bride of Frankenstein. The whole movie, or both movies if you will, are absolutely fantastic. And just when you think you've seen it all, enter Elsa Lanchaster in one of the best and most heartbreaking performances I've ever seen. She doesn't do much, but what she does, she does Perfectly with a capital P. If there ever was such a thing as movie magic, this is it.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Up*
I always get an melancholy feeling when watching this film that the kids dont get. Its a wonderful film but slightly sad at the same time, but it all comes good for the old man,  and the boy, in the end!


----------



## biodroid

*The Last Starfighter - *Good old 80's action SF, not a deep story but entertaining. The CG in this movie has an extremely low polygon count which resembles an old 90's 3D game. But it was still nice to watch.


----------



## Rixon

I watch Faster movie yesterday,the rock has made a good rule,the story of the movie about three friends,they all are thief,but they were caught by a gang,and they killed all of them ,but the rock remain alive,he was sentenced to the jail,when he come back from the jail,he takes his revenge by killing all of them who killed his friends.


----------



## biodroid

Thanks Rixon, now I don't need to watch it.


----------



## Interference

You'll miss the car chase


----------



## biodroid

Interference - do you know the time in the movie that occurs in? I can just FFWD to it and have a look, I guess I can rate it just from that scene


----------



## Interference

I think it starts right after the titles, Biodroid.  And continues, in one form or another, till they run out of hardware.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Animal Kingdom *for the second time.

Fantastic Australian movie about a crime family. I urge everyone to see it if they get the chance.


----------



## Lemmy

*Universal Soldier*. No idea why. It's not horrible, but it's far from good. Dolph Lundgren is great as always, but Van Damme... *groan*


----------



## biodroid

Van Damme only knows 2 styles of acting and that's the crane kick and the slow-mo face shake after the crane kick.


----------



## CyBeR

*Your Highness*...so much fun, if you're in the right mindset for it. Most dick jokes per minute in a long time now.


----------



## Riselka

Watched a film called *QUILLS* last night - a fascinating, albeit disturbing at times, look into the final part of the life of the Marquis De Sade. Very well written, and very well acted. It's quite humorous in spots. 

Geoffrey Rush put in a brilliant performance as the Marquis.


----------



## jerrylewis

It is the death race 2 i have watched in theater.I have never watched to any movie after this.


----------



## ravenus

*Apropos speech defects - My Fair Lady & The King's Speech*


----------



## Lemmy

biodroid said:


> Van Damme only knows 2 styles of acting and that's the crane kick and the slow-mo face shake after the crane kick.



Don't forget punching a snake. 

Anyway, latest films?

*The Butterfly Effect *and... um... *The Butterfly Effect 2*.

TBE stars Ashton Kutcher, but it's still pretty darn good. That says a lot. TBE2 on the other hand... *groan* I couldn't even find a story in there, and in the end I was left with a feeling of "that's it?". It felt like they gave up and just ended the movie at random. But do yourself a favor of watching the first one if you haven't. It's brilliant. The first one gets a full score from me. The second has the score printed on the cover after the title.


----------



## alchemist

*Monsters*- Wow!

I have rarely been so underwhelmed. It didn't work as sci-fi, horror, thriller, action adventure, romance, or nature documentary. And was there a reason they couldn't book a flight out?


----------



## AE35Unit

*Tron Legacy*
Nice follow up. Amazing cgi job on Bridges face! And I love the music- so that's who Daft Punk are!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

A SyFy movie called *Ferocious Planet*. SyFy has a talent for making comedies that masquerade as science fiction and this movie is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed its awfulness.

A scientist creates a machine (powered by cold fusion) that allows us to see into other dimensions. (Oh and that nifty dimension-viewing machine AND its power source all fit into a case not much bigger than a briefcase.) Only, something goes wrong during the demonstration and that section of the building, plus the people in the room, get transported to an alt-Earth that is inhabited by ferocious dinosaur-like creatures. Mayhem and bloody, screaming deaths ensue, before the scientist and the military guy (who has a Past) fix up the machine using spit and bubble-gum or something like that, and they leave Dino-Earth.


----------



## Connavar

_*The Maltese Falcon*_

A real classic that was better than i expected. The camerawork,the cast,the writing.  

Its almost shocking how loyal the director/script writer was to Hammett's writing,dialogues.  The only thing they cut away was the sexuality that conduct code didnt allow be shown and Spade relationships with the different women in the novel and sex scene with Brigid.

Bogart by far coolest and most mimic and impressive PI role.  He didnt look like Sam Spade of the novel but he was perfect as Spade.  He captured the grin,the mean,dark side of Spade.  

The most perfect adapation of a novel i have seen and it didnt have to change everything from the book like they do 99% of the adapatations today.


----------



## Starman

I liked this movie and it got me interested in noir. I'm for other good ones now.


----------



## Lemmy

The last movie I saw was *Poltergeist *on blue-ray. My monitor is a combined computer monitor/TV, and I use the playstation3 as the blue-ray player. It's only 24" (the TV, not PS3), but the sofa is pretty close it, making it look bigger than it really is. Now simply turn up the sound, switch off the light and have fun. After midnight, when everyone else is asleep.

I know this movie is pretty old by now. In fact it's so old they made two crappy sequels and a crappy tv-series already, plus they are working on a crappy remake. It's easy to think this movie is crappy too, but it's far from it. I think the best way to describe this movie is "sweet mother of all that's holy, where the hell is f***ing light switch!"  Or should I say... "They're heeeere!"  (yeah, that sounds so lame in writing. Imagine a young girl saying it instead.)

True, the effects are a bit bad at times, and it's not exactly the best actors out there. But still, it's one hell of a movie. There are scarier movies out there by now, but not many.

Oh, and for the record, are poltergeists real or not? There are tons of proof throughout history either way...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Love and Other Drugs*

I actually quite enjoyed this. And my husband said it wasn't too bad either, as chick flicks go.  I would recommend it.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Social Network*

I really like this movie. Well written, directed, acted and scored.


----------



## Leadbelly

*Harry potter and the deathly hallows pt 1 *
An OK movie I guess, if you can get past the endless camping scenes, it's certainly a long way from the first movie/book.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Lemmy said:


> The last movie I saw was *Poltergeist *on blue-ray. My monitor is a combined computer monitor/TV, and I use the playstation3 as the blue-ray player. It's only 24" (the TV, not PS3), but the sofa is pretty close it, making it look bigger than it really is. Now simply turn up the sound, switch off the light and have fun. After midnight, when everyone else is asleep.
> 
> I know this movie is pretty old by now. In fact it's so old they made two crappy sequels and a crappy tv-series already, plus they are working on a crappy remake. It's easy to think this movie is crappy too, but it's far from it. I think the best way to describe this movie is "sweet mother of all that's holy, where the hell is f***ing light switch!"  Or should I say... "They're heeeere!"  (yeah, that sounds so lame in writing. Imagine a young girl saying it instead.)
> 
> True, the effects are a bit bad at times, and it's not exactly the best actors out there. But still, it's one hell of a movie. There are scarier movies out there by now, but not many.
> 
> Oh, and for the record, are poltergeists real or not? There are tons of proof throughout history either way...



I love subtle ghost films so the first half of Poltergeist I just love (you know, before trees start crashing through windows and stuff). The part where the chairs are suddenly stacked on the kitchen table -- holy crap!

Did a fair amount of research when trying to write my own poltergeist film script. Was basing it on late 70s poltergeist case in Enfield, UK. The investigator said something interesting -- poltergeist cases seem to happen to children around the age of puberty after a traumatic event, perhaps creating a large amount of energy, as it were. The girl would exclaim and make odd noises (and eventually say whole sentences in a gruff voice) that was similar to symptoms of Tourettes syndrome. The entity, the guy thus postulated, could be a form of full body tourettes syndrome that is kinda...shoved outwards to the surrounding area. 

In a similar vein, I was up by myself the other night watching *The Exorcist*.


----------



## Lemmy

Yeah, I've heard about poltergeists being centered around a child. Usually a girl, for some reason, and they usually happen when said child is experiencing strong feelings like anger. Some theories say it's not ghosts at all, but some form for telekinesis. But a scary movie with ghosts or a movie about an angry six-year old girl? I'll go with the ghosts. 

Anyway, just watched *Scream 4*. It's been ten years since the last one, and personally, I think they could just as well have waited ten years more before making this. It's not bad, it's just... _boring_. We've seen it all before in three movies, so a fourth was pretty unnecessary. It was creepy when the phone rang in Scream 1, but when we get the exact same conversation and the exact same questions in Scream 4, it's kinda predictable. Sure they claim there's new rules and all that, but I didn't see much of that. Sure a gay guy got killed, but it doesn't affect the rules that he admit he was gay _after _he got stabbed a few times. It would have been much better if he was openly gay through the whole movie. And who didn't see the ending coming? God forbid they make Scream 5.


----------



## Foxbat

*Die Die My Darling *(aka Fanatic)

This is an enjoyable Hammer flick from 1965. Its cast includes Stephanie Powers and Donald Sutherland but the real jewel in the crown for this flick is the last movie appearance of  the formidable Tallulah Bankhead.


----------



## Grimward

*The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.*

Enjoyed it, even thru its departures from the Book (which I still think is the best in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series).


----------



## AE35Unit

*Shelter*
strange paranormal flick with Julian Moore.  Multiple personality/ demonic posession/religious fervour, not bad


----------



## Mouse

*Made of Honour. *Which was on the tellybox last night. Ok so I didn't watch it all, started halfway through and turned off before the end but what a load of crap!

Why in these films do these women agree to marry some guy, who they apparently love, then ditch him at the alter when another guy decides he now wants her and declares he wanted her all along?! What about the poor guy you just dumped, missus? Oh no, wait, he's _fine_ because he loves you and he just wants you to be happy so off you trot and he'll forget about all the humiliation and wasted money. 

Bloody stupid! I always feel bad for the other guy in these types of film.

Also, while I'm ranting, why is it called Made of Honour?! I get the play on words, but the bloke who's the maid of honour (daft anyway) isn't honourable at all, is he?! No! He ruins another man's happiness. Made of Dishonour maybe.

Gah! Just... gah!


----------



## Chaoticheart

*Return of the Killer Tomatoes* (busted out the old VCR). Truly, it is a film so bad that it loops around and becomes great. I also maintain that it is the best film in George Clooney's repertoire.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*My Neighbour Totoro* is on at the moment. However, I am torn. *Spirited Away* starts soon on another channel and I do like that one. But I've seen that one and not My Neighbour...

Maybe I should just keep switching between the two. Two minutes of one, two minutes of the other...

Apparently bank holiday weekends are not complete without a lot of Studio Ghibli. Not that I'm complaining in the slightest.


----------



## Foxbat

*Devil Doll *A fairly decent chiller from 1964. What is it about ventriloquist's dummies that frightens us so?


----------



## HoopyFrood

Two parts uncanny valley, one part _how is it moving without anyone to control it??_ perhaps.


----------



## Lemmy

Just finished *Awake*. I'm pretty sure it was originally suppose to have Brad Pitt as the main character and get a theatrical release, but the one I saw had Hayden Christensen and was on tv. If that's not enough warning, it's all about a guy who wakes up during a heart transplant, but can't move or tell anyone. It sounds creepy enough, but it's done really, really bad. First of all, he wakes up during surgery and barely feels any pain? So... what's the point? All it does is prove that he can't act. The rest of the so-called actors aren't much better, and the story such a cliché you probably know everything about it already from reading this. Hint 1: He'a filthy rich and recently married. Hint 2: You don't need more hints. Avoid at all cost.

Btw if you want really gross, I saw a movie once about a guy who woke up during autopsy. And I mean "left the table" wake up, not "darn can't move" wake up. It ended with a woman punching him in the stomach so the wound opened up again, and all his intestants fell out. While he was still alive. Now that's gross.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Splice last night. I wasn't hugely impressed to be honest. It wasn't bad, just hugely predictable.


----------



## Gamblor

Just watched Lars Von Triers AntiChrist.

The first 4/5s are beautifully directed and I was thinking that I must watch more Von Trier - some beautiful imagery and an interesting subject. 

Now, I had heard about all the controversy surrounding this film but being a horror fan i was quite looking forward to this aspect. 

However this film is not really scary, it is however very difficult to watch the graphic and nauseating imagery in the final fifth of the film. Wow there was some sick stuff that came out there. 

Anyway, the director is obviously talented and I will check out his other stuff but this film is not for the faint hearted.


----------



## Lemmy

I watched AntiChrist and fell asleep...  Though if you want Von Trier at his best, you  might want to watch the danish mini-series Riget and Riget 2. They are pure awesomeness.  Although they are in danish, I'm pretty sure they were released internationally as Kingdom. We're talking ghosts, voodoo and stuff. Even a guy trying to turn another guy into a zombie in Riget 2. 

They were later remade as Kingdom Hospital by Stephen King, but I haven't had a chance to see that version yet.


----------



## Riselka

I've got Riget I, and Riget II on DVD - titled in English as The Kingdom, Series One, and Series Two.  They're in Danish with English subtitles.  Definitely worth a watch.

If you're going to purchase them, you might want to do so fairly soon, at the kind of prices they're currently listed at on amazon.  My copies were put out by Koch Lorber, but Lorber is now paired with Kino, and the price they're listed at on Kino's website is ridiculously expensive.  (They seem to only be listed there under 'Educational Pricing'.)

Whether or not they'll be listed at those exorbitant prices once amazon no longer has any Koch Lorber copies, and has to get them from Kino, I have no idea.

I was amazed to find my copies for an incredibly cheap price at a thrift store - they'd never been opened.

Amazon.com: The Kingdom - Series One and Two: Udo Kier, Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Kirsten Rolffes, Peter Mygind, Søren Pilmark, Holger Juul Hansen, Ghita Nørby, Baard Owe, Birgitte Raaberg, Jens Okking, Otto Brandenburg, Annevig Schelde Ebbe, Morten Rotne

Search Results - Kino Home Video

I saw some of the Kingdom Hospital episodes put out by Stephen King.  In my opinion, it's not nearly as good.


----------



## Foxbat

*Kwaidan *(1965) Masaki Kobayashi's superb collection of four ghost stories. All of them have great sets and some fine cinematography. My personal favourite of the four is  _*The Woman Of The Snow*. _

At over 180 minutes running time, it's a bit of a marathon but very rewarding to watch. Highly recommended


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Kwaidan *(1965) Masaki Kobayashi's superb collection of four ghost stories. All of them have great sets and some fine cinematography. My personal favourite of the four is _*The Woman Of The Snow*. _
> 
> At over 180 minutes running time, it's a bit of a marathon but very rewarding to watch. Highly recommended


 
Great film. Especially considering how long ago it was made. I especially liked "Hoichi The Earless" not only for its ghostly tension, but also because it recounts historical incidents from the battle of Dan-No-Ura.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Great film. Especially considering how long ago it was made. I especially liked "Hoichi The Earless" not only for its ghostly tension, but also because it recounts historical incidents from the battle of Dan-No-Ura.


 
Yes, they are all great stories. Hoichi The Earless makes me want to learn to play the Biwa


----------



## Mouse

Just seen *Limitless* at the cinema. Dull in the beginning... and in the middle. Picked up towards the end, but God the main character was smug. Smug smug smug. Kinda predictable, but all right.


----------



## alchemist

*Jumper*, for the second time. Not as bad as it first appeared. In fact, quite enjoyable, although Hayden Christensen can't act his way out of a paper bag.


----------



## blacknorth

A Kind of Loving, 1962. John Schlesinger's beautiful adaptation of Stan Barstow's famous kitchen-sink novel

Alan Bates and June Ritchie were beyond superlative in this film; natural, graceful and heart-broken to the right degree and in correct order.

Probably my favourite Brit movie of the 60s, and one that I watch every couple of years.

Don't miss it if it comes your way.


----------



## Lemmy

I did a double-feature and watched *The thing from another world* and the Carpenter remake *The Thing*. They are both pretty darn good movies when watched independently, but they are even better if you watch both together. In many ways they are identical (scientist in the Antarctica finds a spaceship buried under the ice and unleash a deadly alien), but they are two very different movies. The original focus heavily on the alien stalking the corridors and fighting an enemy you don't know (and clearly an inspiration to Alien), but the remake is more about paranoia and not being able to trust anyone. Both are excellent and well worth watching.


----------



## clovis-man

Lemmy said:


> I did a double-feature and watched *The thing from another world* and the Carpenter remake *The Thing*. They are both pretty darn good movies when watched independently, but they are even better if you watch both together. In many ways they are identical (scientist in the Antarctica finds a spaceship buried under the ice and unleash a deadly alien), but they are two very different movies. The original focus heavily on the alien stalking the corridors and fighting an enemy you don't know (and clearly an inspiration to Alien), but the remake is more about paranoia and not being able to trust anyone. Both are excellent and well worth watching.


 
The Carpenter film is the one that is faithful to John Campbell's original story. But, as you say, both are classics in their own way. Would you believe there may be a prequel in the works?

Who Goes There? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## Pyan

*Independence Day *(1996) - on TV for the Bank Holiday afternoon.

Enjoyable hokum, though even _my_ suspension of reality was severely tested by the revelation that the Critters-from-Another-World apparently use Windows 95...


----------



## Moonbat

I have watched quite a few films recently, lets see if I can remember them. 
In no particular order (except that in which I remember them)
*Fair Game* - not as good as I hoped, interesting, but not really very thrilling, I have seen better political thriller type films. *Naomi Watts* is good (as always) and *Sean Penn* wasn't bad, but the film just didn't get into the nitty gritty thrills that I expected, I suppose because it was based on real life. and we all know real life is boring!

*Wake Wood* - what a pointless film, a couple lose thier child to a dog attack then a year later they move to some small Irish village/town called Wake wood, where, through the process of some ancient ritual, people who have been dead less than a year can be brought back to life for 3 days (as long as there is a dead body to use so someone has to die and be utilised) but if they are dead more than a year then they become evil and kill lots of people. Kind of ridiculous premise and not very well done. Lots of animal violence, girl killed by dog, man killed by bull, dog skinned alive after being hit by a car.

*Little Fockers* - I'm not a big fan of the Focker films but this one (as most of them did) made me laugh a few times, *Owen Wilson's* character is quite amusing, but I don't like *Robert De Niro* (I once thought he was great but then I read a biography and since then I think he sucks, his old stuff is brilliant, but I don't think he has done anything good since *awakenings*) and Ben Stiller is never as funny as he when he is being silly. Still it made me laugh out loud several times and is probably worth a watch. Just hope they don't do anymore.

umm. I think that is it. no wait! I also saw most of *Princess Mononoke* a Anime film about, hmm not entirely sure  some sort of battle between humans and animals and gods, something to do with a forest and the spirits that live there. I thought it was brilliant, very cool. Will have to try and watch it all sometime.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Football Factory* 
A pretty decent film but extremely violent. It left me thinking..._why do people actually live like that? _


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

alchemist said:


> *Jumper*, for the second time. Not as bad as it first appeared. In fact, quite enjoyable, although Hayden Christensen can't act his way out of a paper bag.


 
That's what I thought watching him in the Star Wars movies.


----------



## Lemmy

clovis-man said:


> The Carpenter film is the one that is faithful to John Campbell's original story. But, as you say, both are classics in their own way. Would you believe there may be a prequel in the works?
> 
> Who Goes There? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Of course, if you want a movie-version of the book, go with Carpenter. But if you want a great movie loosely inspired by the book, either will do. 

Prequel? Ancient news. There's an Alien-prequel, two more Terminator-movies and a new Jurassic Park _trilogy_ that doesn't have anything to do with the first one planned. There's even a Mortal Kombat web-series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy, starring Jeri Ryan Michael Jai White. And it's pretty good, too. And that's for starters.


----------



## Overread

*wishes that Hollywood would just leave the darn classics alone - or at least hire some halfdecent screen writers and directors so that its not a total mess*

As for the last film - Nausicaa - Valley of the Wind. I have to say, no matter what they do with CGI, contrast and bright shiny stuff this old-school art direction of this and several other older animations will always be enjoyable! And the story is just great (plus you get Patrick Steward doing the english voice over - I mean can you get any more awesome into a single film -- well aside from adding wolves of course )


----------



## clovis-man

Lemmy said:


> Prequel? Ancient news. There's an Alien-prequel, two more Terminator-movies and a new Jurassic Park _trilogy_ that doesn't have anything to do with the first one planned. There's even a Mortal Kombat web-series called Mortal Kombat: Legacy, starring Jeri Ryan Michael Jai White. And it's pretty good, too. And that's for starters.


 
Yeah. Who'd want to do anything original anyway. That would be too much like work.


----------



## cornelius

*RED - *Retired Extremely Dangerous. 

I expected a light, funny action-packed movie. It was a bit ligther even, and not as funny as I thought. All in all not too bad, you have to watch this type of movies with the proper mindset, which pretty much comes down to this: "jump" from gunfight to gunfight and don't think too hard during the segways inbetween.


----------



## Demonomania

*Source Code* - Nice Little sci-fi film. Not too filled with hard science but very, very enjoyable.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Fantastic Mr Fox*

What an odd movie. I quite liked the animation. I think I quite liked it. But it was strange!


----------



## Riselka

*The Island*

I enjoyed it for what it was.  It didn't explore the ethics behind what was going on very deeply, but I didn't really expect that of a Michael Bay film.  It does reference quite a few other films in its content.

Lots of great action sequences, and another great performance by Sean Bean as a baddie.  It's definitely my favourite Michael Bay film now.


----------



## clovis-man

Red Cliff (2008) - IMDb

Beautifully filmed. Amazing scenes and camera angles. Good action. But underneath it all, it still seems like just a large scale martial arts pic. But it is undeniably "epic".


----------



## Riselka

clovis-man said:


> Red Cliff (2008) - IMDb
> 
> Beautifully filmed. Amazing scenes and camera angles. Good action. But underneath it all, it still seems like just a large scale martial arts pic. But it is undeniably "epic".



Did you see the 5 hour epic version, or the 2 1/2 hour chop job they made for US consumption?

I've got the 5 hour version, and was blown away by it.


----------



## clovis-man

Riselka said:


> Did you see the 5 hour epic version, or the 2 1/2 hour chop job they made for US consumption?
> 
> I've got the 5 hour version, and was blown away by it.


 
I watched it via netflix online, so I guess I got the mini-epic. But 2 and 1/2 hours seemed to be enough for me.


----------



## Tonk Rivers

I just watched Monsters, was pretty bored by it all.

Before that, Troll Hunter, a much better film. Recommend.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *I Am Number Four *which was surprisingly good sf action.  A less clichè,predictable version of The Jumper.

The action scenes was done well, the alien story wasnt too bad.

Actually hope to see a sequel which is rare for me in this kind of film i usually feel like i wasted my money.


----------



## Lemmy

My latest was *Godzilla vs Mothra*. What a weird movie. I sort of hated it and sort of loved it. Ironically I think it would have been much better if it hadn't been a Godzilla movie. Basically we're talking an old legend about a giant bug thingy called Battra that almost destroyed the world, but it was stopped by another bug called Mothra. When one returns, the other also returns, obviously. And so the chaos and carnage we all love begins. But putting Godzilla in there seemed a bit unnecessary.


----------



## No One

Lemmy said:


> My latest was *Godzilla vs Mothra*. What a weird movie. I sort of hated it and sort of loved it. Ironically I think it would have been much better if it hadn't been a Godzilla movie. Basically we're talking an old legend about a giant bug thingy called Battra that almost destroyed the world, but it was stopped by another bug called Mothra. When one returns, the other also returns, obviously. And so the chaos and carnage we all love begins. But putting Godzilla in there seemed a bit unnecessary.



But Godzilla is king  (Japanese version only!).

*Raising Arizona*. It's been long due to make my collection.


----------



## Lemmy

Of course, Godzilla isn't called the King of Monsters for no reason. Even though his (or her?) name is Gojira, not Godzilla. The name 'Godzilla' is simply an english misinterpretation. Anyway, I love the original, and many of the ones with him beating the crap out of other monsters are pretty awesome. Except Biolante, though. Godzilla vs a flower? Um... no.  But for some reason Godzilla vs Mothra stands best on it's own with Mothra fighting that other bug. But that's just my opinion.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *Dinner for Schmucks.* Unfortunately I was umimpressed, and I generally like Paul Rudd.


----------



## clovis-man

Lemmy said:


> Of course, Godzilla isn't called the King of Monsters for no reason. Even though his (or her?) name is Gojira, not Godzilla. The name 'Godzilla' is simply an english misinterpretation. Anyway, I love the original, and many of the ones with him beating the crap out of other monsters are pretty awesome. Except Biolante, though. Godzilla vs a flower? Um... no.  But for some reason Godzilla vs Mothra stands best on it's own with Mothra fighting that other bug. But that's just my opinion.


 
Okay. You started this. My personal favorite is *Godzilla V. King Kong* (1962). When I first "saw" it, I was on a date with my future spouse. We were miniature golfing and the course was next door to a drive-in theater. The movie was on. We could not hear any of the sound, but the picture was great. So it was like this: putt, watch the lizard jump up and down on the monkey, putt, watch the monkey jump up and down on the lizard, putt, watch the............well, you get the idea.

A surreal experience.


----------



## Lemmy

How often can you say you lost at miniature golf thanks to a giant lizard fighting a giant monkey?


----------



## Starbeast

*Astro Zombies (1969)* - Cult movie legend John Carradine needs fresh body parts to create cyborgs.

I heard this film was one of the worst ever made, and I ignored the movie for many years. However when I finally watched Astro Zombies I found it entertaining, it was fiendishly weird, but a cool B-movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*Stop Me Before I Kill *(1961)
This Hammer Film  was written and directed by the highly capable Val Guest.

Whilst some of the plot twists  are not the finest ever devised, the atmospheric camera work combined with good acting from  the cast and a decent script makes this a very watchable thriller.


----------



## ravenus

*Hobo with a Shotgun*
It's another *Death Wish* type rampage movie, but Rutger Hauer's performance and the general craziness level of the script keep things fresh and interesting. And yes, lots and lots of gore too. Recommended if you like that sort of movie.


----------



## Metryq

ravenus said:


> It's another *Death Wish* type rampage movie



I've seen the first _Death Wish_ movie recently, but not the sequels, and it is hardly a "rampage" movie—that is, unless you happen to be one of those people who think a person should never defend himself, or that disarming all the law-abiding citizens will make crime go away?

The movie does not advocate vigilantism, either. Protagonist Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) engaged in it, but that does not mean the filmmakers support the idea. It was part of a spectrum running from defenseless victim through self-defense to vigilante extremism. Sometimes movies throw things at audiences to get them thinking and talking—and _Death Wish_ created quite a stir when it was released.


----------



## ravenus

*Hobo* doesn't make the lead character look a right and proper hero either, so I'm not sure I get what you're talking about here. Both films IMO are about characters who decide that the legal process as it stands is not taking care of crime and decide to take it on themselves.


----------



## Null_Zone

Zulu.

On Film4, loved it as much as ever except from the visting friend who has decided he's related to a couple of guys who won VC's there. Seems to make him an expert on all things Zulu/British Army despite never mentioning it when I visited him last week.


----------



## clovis-man

Null_Zone said:


> Zulu.
> 
> On Film4, loved it as much as ever except from the visting friend who has decided he's related to a couple of guys who won VC's there. Seems to make him an expert on all things Zulu/British Army despite never mentioning it when I visited him last week.


 
If he was churlish, then he's probably related to Henry Hook. 

Wonderful movie that, despite stereotypes, holds up well after so many years (Michael Cain's very first starring film role).


----------



## Lemmy

Metryq said:


> I've seen the first _Death Wish_ movie recently, but not the sequels, and it is hardly a "rampage" movie



Heston had a machinegun in Death Wish 2. And we're talking heavy, two-handed macinegun, not a silly uzi or something.  But yeah, the first two thirds are pretty dull even in that. I haven't seen the rest, though.

Anyway, the last movies I saw was *Alien *and *Aliens*. Both are excellent, but two very different movies. Which isn't surprising, seeing Alien is a horror movie and Aliens a warmovie. With aliens. So... what's for dinner?


----------



## natalienoo

Inception & Alice in Wonderland - I plopped wee little reviews in the appropriate threads.  Both enjoyed, but then again I'm easily pleased.  

I tend to be 2-3 years behind movie releases.  I think the last film I went to see at the cinema was Avatar.  Depressing really, but in the area of Germany I live there's painfully few movies shown that haven't been dubbed senseless.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Astro Zombies (1969)* - Cult movie legend John Carradine needs fresh body parts to create cyborgs.
> 
> I heard this film was one of the worst ever made, and I ignored the movie for many years. However when I finally watched Astro Zombies I found it entertaining, it was fiendishly weird, but a cool B-movie.



*The Astro Zombies *is one of my favourite films.  It's got everything! including solar powered robot zombies, erotic performance dancing, a girl looking down a microscope the wrong way round, John Carradine strapping a lampshade to a corpse's head and some of the most sublimely meaningless techno-babble outside a Star Trek film:


> "Now Franchot, the time has  come to test our new brain.  We must feed this memory circuit through  the emotional quotient rectifier to determine if there is any residual  impurity....
> 
> (Seventeen or so switches switched, buttons pushed, and rheostats twiddled later...)
> 
> "I've  introduced into the console the electrolitic limiters which should  disallow interference with the programmed patterns function within the  body mechanism.  Actuate the heart circuit.  Excellent!  Before we can  recall our first creation, we must attempt to override his emotional  index by stepping up the voltage and transmission frequency...
> 
> (More  buttons, switches and rheostats are expertly fondled and suddenly  screen is full of red flashing lights! The buttons, switches and  rheostats are expertly, but rapidly, fondled in reverse order till they  stop.)
> 
> "It's obvious the frequency and voltage boost will not  effect an override... Franchot, remove number nine from the thermal  freeze casket and prepare him for brain transfer and total  astro-mobilisation....


I would encourage everyone to see it.  I said once, I don't think Ted Mikels directed this movie, I think he just found it in trash  cans around Hollywood and glued it together with industrial strength  wallpaper paste.


----------



## Metryq

Lemmy said:


> Heston had a machinegun in Death Wish 2. And we're talking heavy, two-handed macinegun, not a silly uzi or something.



Heston was not in _Death Wish II_. Perhaps you're thinking of _The Omega Man_? Heston handled several automatic weapons in that film. Pretty much any automatic weapon requires two hands—especially lightweight weapons like the MAC-10. And pistols with burst, like the Beretta 93R, are merely a showy way to waste a lot of ammo. You'll score more hits with a semi-auto or a revolver. 



> ...and Aliens a warmovie. With aliens.



That was only the action sugar coating, much of which seemed to be straight out of _Starship Troopers_. The main theme of _Aliens_ was motherhood—Ripley finding a new daughter to replace the one she lost in hypersleep, Newt finding a new mother to replace the one she lost to the bugs, and both mothers knocking heads to insure the survival of their children.


----------



## ravenus

*Silkevejen (2004)* by Jytte Rex. Sort of Bergman-lite, leisure  pace but engaging enough and the combination of fantastic imagery and  music is flat out wonderful.


----------



## ravenus

Saw *Thor* at the cinema. Fast-paced nonsense, passable entertainment. 3D sucks immensely, at least at the cinema where we saw it.


----------



## Rodders

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Nonsense, but enjoyable enough. Perhaps all the negativity i heard made me think it was worse than it actually was.


----------



## biodroid

Rodders said:


> Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Nonsense, but enjoyable enough. Perhaps all the negativity i heard made me think it was worse than it actually was.



I also thought it was good, lived up to the other 3 very easily with better SFX.


----------



## Magnus85

Insidious



Brilliant. Almost pissed my pants and smiled all the way through.


----------



## Metryq

_Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull_ was terrible. All of it. I'm not sure which was worse: Indy surviving the nuked fridge, or the gun powder floating through the warehouse.


----------



## HoopyFrood

MUST see Insidious. MUST. No one wants to see it with me, though. Wimps.

I'm loving the Films For Life thing going on on Film 4 at the moment. Today I watched *Breakfast at Tiffany's*. Never seen it before. Very enjoyable film! Puts to shame everything so called a 'romantic comedy' these days. Loved the party scene and the stealing in the shop.


----------



## Interference

I used to argue with my at-the-time gf that my romantic comedies were better than her romantic comedies.  I mean, come on, _His Girl Friday_ or _Love Actually_?


----------



## alchemist

Metryq said:


> _Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull_ was terrible. All of it. I'm not sure which was worse: Indy surviving the nuked fridge, or the gun powder floating through the warehouse.


 
What he said. I saw all four again at Christmas, and it really brings home the differences.


----------



## A. S. Behsam

An animation; "Megamind". Watched it with family and my little cousin and it was so funny! XD
_Movie_... hum... Black Swan I think. Yep. Black Swan.


----------



## Tansy

Thor - phwoar


----------



## Diggler

*Thor*. Great fun little flick. Went and saw it in 3D at Gold Class, which is just the only way to catch flick on the silver screen.

*Madeo*. Nominated for best foreign film at the Satellite's. This was a great film, though felt too similar to the directors previous effort *Memories of Murder*


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1*

I thought it was pretty good. It's been awhile since I read the book, so I didn't really notice what they may have left out or changed. Very much looking forward to the conclusion.


----------



## biodroid

I bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 1 and Tron Legacy on BD and so glad I did. These are my fave movies of the year to date but still need to check out the mid year cinema releases.


----------



## TheEndIsNigh

Thor: Prefered the comics. 

Saw it in 3D. I thought it was too dark not particularly suited to 3D.

Why can't they just film the original series without the 'modern interpretations'. 

It was just the prologue to the next film, I'll give that a miss.


----------



## AE35Unit

THE KING'S SPEECH
Surprisingly good! Firth did the part well, also Timothy Spall as Churchill!
But it was Australian Jeffrey Rush that did it for me- such an underrated and under used actor!


----------



## Lemmy

*Fantastic Four* Watched while drunk as hell. on tv. watched on tv, not drunk on tv. duh... although taht would be cool.

story: five astronauts go into space. spaceship blown to pieaces by cosmitc radiation. astronerds turn to superheroes. except hte dude inside hte spasceship, sealed from the rest. he's sealed himself in the inside of the ship, yet ends up a villain and more powerful than any of the others? riiiiight...

it's not all bad, though. asctually it's pretty good. it doesn't care about the comics it's based on, so the whole origin thingy is all new. even so, it's now as bad as I feared. I mean the characters and uniforms are pretty close to the comics, and they live in a tower. for that matter, the villain is Victor von Doom, just like in the comics. Von Doom looks a lot like he's suppposed to in the end, after a somewhat long transformation. but hey, it's an origin movie, so what do you expect?

all in all, it surprised me. I hated it the first time, but the second time it's not that bad. but I'm drunk, so what do I know.  and it's far better than the sequel. take silver surfer, one of the most powerful creatures in the entire universe. remove his surf board, and he's suddenly powerless? and let them all fight Galactus, except "a big robot in space is stupid, so let's turn him into a fog"? seriously? so let me review both movies right here and now.

Fantastic Four: 7/10
Fantastic Bore 2: don't bother


----------



## ravenus

*Se7en*
Engaging as always, and now one of the most fantastic looking films I've seen on the blu-ray format. This one just slays...


----------



## Mouse

I rarely sit and watch a film all in one go, unless I'm actually at the cinema. I tend to get bored and distracted (unless they're _really_ good) so...

_Finally_ got round to watching the end of *Despicable Me*. I watched the first half hour a few weeks ago, watched the last part yesterday. It was all right, actually. The little minions were quite funny.

Then I watched the start of *Tangled* (went out with the dog, did some housework...) then watched the end of it. And again, it was all right but it kinda felt like something was missing. Plus I hated that the bloke was called Eugene. I mean, it's not even funny.

Oh yeah, then I started watching *The Matrix* last night on telly, but I've seen it a dozen times already so I went to bed.


----------



## Metryq

I picked up _Windtalkers_ at the library before noting that the director was John Woo. The story wasn't bad, but it was the predictable orgy of bullets and explosions. Many movies these days have so many visual effects shots that the work load must be spread amongst several post houses. John Woo films require the services of several pyro effects houses—kind of a "five alarm fire" deal.


----------



## Foxbat

*Blood Simple *Zhang Yimou's take on the Coen Brothers film has his trademark sumptuous visuals and a nice vein of humour running through it. Worth a watch in my opinion


----------



## ravenus

*Cronos* by Guillermo Del Toro and *Yojimbo* by Kurosawa, re-watches but now on lovely blu-ray. Also watched the director's commentary on the silly but very fun Hitchcock spoof *Charade*.


----------



## biodroid

*Afterlife - *a bit of an odd mystery movie about dead people waking up in a funeral parlour and discussing how they should be buried etc.

*Paranormal Activity 2 - *Not as good as the first with recycled scares from the first movie. This one lost it's believability.


----------



## Moonbat

*The Green Hornet* - pretty poor for an action cominc flick, but much funnier than most comic book gero films. A few cool moments (like the first Kato fight) but mostly a bit rubbish, Christopher Waltz (from Inglorious Basterds) was good as the villain, but not a great film.
*Another Year* - Mike Leigh film, a bit slow and depressing really, he has a talent for realistic dialogue and believable characters, but the film itself was a bit slow and depressing, if I saw it right the moral of the story is 'have a varied and fulfilling life or you might end up sad and lonely' not exactly a revelation.


----------



## Member

*Gentlemen Broncos*
Good for a few laughs: 4/5

*Thor*
Didn't care for it, at all: 2.5/5


----------



## AE35Unit

WAKEWOOD
A strange pagan ritual type horror set in Ireland, with Timothy Spall.


----------



## Tansy

Insidious - dreadful


----------



## Lemmy

*She
*Stupid title for a decent movie. We're talking Peter Cushing and two friends on a journey to find a lost city, Ursula Andress as "She Who Must Be Obeyed" and sir Christopher Lee as her bodyguard. It's a slow movie, but pretty good and well worth sitting through for the... _interesting_... ending. Not quite what I expected.
*Verdict: 7.5/10*

*The Crow*
I admit I'm not the correct person to review this one. First of all, I have a big poster of The Crow in my bedroom. Second, I borrowed the soundtrack from a friend, then bought it from him since I didn't bother look for it in the stores. It's by far my favorite soundtrack of all times.

I'm not quite sure what it is that makes it so great, but it's near perfect. The music is perfect. The actors perfect. The violence is pretty awesome, yet never takes front seat. I mean it's a violent movie that doesn't focus on violence, if that makes any sense. Basically he and his wife was attacked on Halloween. He got killed. She got raped and died on the way to the hospital. One year later, a crow brings his soul back so he can get revenge. It's really violent, but I can't help feeling his sorrow the whole time. And the ending... god, it's beautiful...
*Verdict: 10/10*

*The Crow 2: City of Angels*
This time a father looses his son and dies. Then he returns to avenge his son, or some crap like that. It's nothing like the first one, yet it rips off the first one with every change it gets. It's not horribly bad, just... meh. It has it's moments from time to time, but it pales in comparion to the first one.
*Verdict: 5/10*

*The Crow 3: Salvation*
No. No, no, no. Enough is enough!!!!!
*Verdict: 1/10*

*The Crow 4: Wicked Prayer*
It has Tara Reid on the cast list. 'nough said.


----------



## Diggler

*Source Code*: I had high hopes for this one, and was not let down. There were some slight gripes, but overall a fantastic little film that didn't overstay it's welcome.
*
Gnomeo & Juliet*: I was really expecting this to be crap, but for essentially a family movie, I enjoyed it. Not award winning by a long shot, but an enjoyable popcorn flick.


----------



## Tansy

I enjoyed Source Code too Diggler - saw it awhile back

Watched Planet 51 - was a bit predictable but the animation was amazing


----------



## JunkMonkey

Lemmy said:


> *She
> *Stupid title for a decent movie.



It's what the book was called.

She: A History of Adventure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My only real gripe with the movie (that I recall - it's a long time since I have seen it) is that the character Billali wasn't subtly renamed.  All the way through I heard it as 'Bill Haley' and kept expecting him to burst into 'Rock Around the Clock'.


----------



## Diggler

Tansy said:


> I enjoyed Source Code too Diggler - saw it awhile back



It was a very good film. I especially liked the small nuances through out, giving the impression that time does not repeat itself verbatim.


----------



## AE35Unit

BURLESQUE
Boring Christina Gorilla vehicle,  even worse it has a singing Cher! Yuk


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit - I say that about all musicals. They make no sense and are totally unreal.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> AE35Unit - I say that about all musicals. They make no sense and are totally unreal.



Yea I tend to hate musicals- except for Wizard of Oz which is epic!


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> Yea I tend to hate musicals- except for Wizard of Oz which is epic!



Ok, I have one musical I do like but doubt will ever watch it again. The Sound of Music.


----------



## Diggler

The missus loves musicals. Personally I think there's something creepy about people randomly breaking out into song and dance routines... Unless it's a Takashi Miike movie


----------



## Demonomania

*13 Assasins*

The new film by Takashi Miike, and whilst not as good as some would make you believe it's still a solid samurai flick. Doesn't come close to the classic Babycart series of film.


----------



## No One

Demonomania said:


> *13 Assasins*
> 
> The new film by Takashi Miike, and whilst not as good as some would make you believe it's still a solid samurai flick. Doesn't come close to the classic Babycart series of film.



Ooh, didn't know about this one. Any Miike Takashi (Takashi Miike) film is worth a watch.

Keeping with the theme of Japanese films, I've just recently seen *Tetsuo: The Iron Man* (for what might as well have been the first time).

Just about as raw as raw can be and as crazy as crazy can be.

I rather loved it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Kick Ass *Thoroughly enjoyed it


----------



## slack

*Moon*

Heard about it for awhile, and finally got around to seeing it yesterday. Wonderful film. Great atmosphere, great acting. Reminded me of the classic 70's sci-fi.


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> *Kick Ass *Thoroughly enjoyed it



There was one change from the comic that I thought was an improvement, while the other changes were ill-considered. Overall fun, darkly tongue-through-cheek humor. The rocket pack was too over-the-top, along with the king pin "getting a ride" on a bazooka shell. 

Good, but the comic was much better.


----------



## Tansy

The 2nd Tron and Skyline - both pants lol


----------



## Tansy

slack said:


> *Moon*
> 
> Heard about it for awhile, and finally got around to seeing it yesterday. Wonderful film. Great atmosphere, great acting. Reminded me of the classic 70's sci-fi.



Moon was cool

Only musical I've ever enjoyed was Moulin Rouge and I find that musical fans hate it whilst those of us not into musicals seem to like it


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Thor*. Pretty good.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*How Do You Know*. I thought it was pretty cute...I enjoyed it more than the last Paul Rudd movie I watched, Dinner for Schmucks.


----------



## Starbeast

*Zontar: The Thing From Venus (1968)*

A remake of the Roger Corman film _It Conquered the World (1956)_

If you like "B" movies that are cheesy, weird and so bad it's good, check this one out. I've seen this film a few times in the past, and just watched it again today.


----------



## biodroid

*Faster - *Actually a very good movie about revenge and a few twists to keep it interesting.
*Little Fockers - *I laughed myself silly in this one. Same calibre as the previous 2 and de Niro is a good comedic actor.
*Dear John - *Ummm...aaaahh...Apart from the prettiness that is Amanda Seyfried this movie wasn't bad, it wasn't great either.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Zontar: The Thing From Venus (1968)*
> 
> A remake of the Roger Corman film _It Conquered the World (1956)_
> 
> If you like "B" movies that are cheesy, weird and so bad it's good, check this one out. I've seen this film a few times in the past, and just watched it again today.




All of Larry Buchan's Corman remakes are horribly compulsively awful (with the possible exception of _In the Year 2889_ which is too boring to be interesting).  _Curse of the Swamp Creature_ has to be my favourite.


----------



## clovis-man

*Beverly Hills Ninja*. A sad send-off for Chris Farley.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> All of Larry Buchan's Corman remakes are horribly compulsively awful (with the possible exception of _In the Year 2889_ which is too boring to be interesting). _Curse of the Swamp Creature_ has to be my favourite.


 
I saw _Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966)_ last month, I like how that one ended.

Your're right about _In the Year 2889 _it was a very poor remake of the better Roger Corman movie_ Day the World Ended (1956). _There was a much better monster suit in that film, plus a young Mike Conners acting as the trouble maker in the movie.


----------



## Diggler

Demonomania said:


> *13 Assasins*
> 
> The new film by Takashi Miike, and whilst not as good as some would make you believe it's still a solid samurai flick. Doesn't come close to the classic Babycart series of film.



I am very much looking forward to this. It'll probably be the only Sword play film the wife will watch, aside from Takeshi Kitano's *Zatoichi*.

Last film was *I Am Number Four*, which was utter crap! Stupid story, woeful acting, generic setting and dull FX.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> Your're right about _In the Year 2889 _it was a very poor remake of the better Roger Corman movie_ Day the World Ended (1956). _There was a much better monster suit in that film, plus a young Mike Conners acting as the trouble maker in the movie.


 
It was so early in his career that he had to invent a sexy nickname for himself: "Touch".


----------



## AE35Unit

Tansy said:


> The 2nd Tron and Skyline - both pants lol



Oh i enjoyed both, especially Tron2! Really good! I love Michael Sheen's Bowie pastiche! And great music by Daft Punk!


----------



## Diggler

AE35Unit said:


> Oh i enjoyed both, especially Tron2! Really good! I love Michael Sheen's Bowie pastiche! And great music by Daft Punk!



Yeah I agree. *Tron: Legacy* was far better than I expected. We saw this twice in 3D, because it was so well done. Plus the soundtrack is fantastic (and I really don't like Electronica).

*Skyline* was not too bad, but it was an absolute masterpiece compared to *Battle: LA*


----------



## Member

*Thx 1138* 3/5
*The Mechanic* 3.5/5
*Solaris* 4/5
*Watchman - The Complete Motion Comic* 2.5/5


----------



## Interference

Tansy said:


> Only musical I've ever enjoyed was Moulin Rouge and I find that musical fans hate it whilst those of us not into musicals seem to like it



I like musicals, particularly the older ones (although there are some awful ones I wish I could forget) but I also liked Moulin Rouge.

The fantasy elements made it work for me.

I mean, I know I'm strange, so that isn't the issue, but am I significantly more strange than others?  Perhaps that's a question for another forum


----------



## digs

_Thor_. I enjoyed it. Felt the story was a little fragment/disjointed in parts, but overall it was fun and looked awesome. I don't particularly care about _Captain America_ but I'm looking forward to _The Avengers._


----------



## biodroid

*Thor  *- Really good movie, good story, good visuals and pretty good acting as well.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Grosse Pointe Blank*. Not impressed.


----------



## No One

*Tetsuo II: Body Hammer*.

Didn't really enjoy this one. A much more conventional (though I do use the word lightly) re-hash of the first film, that doesn't work nearly as well for sheer allegory (and general madness).


----------



## Tansy

Interference said:


> I like musicals, particularly the older ones (although there are some awful ones I wish I could forget) but I also liked Moulin Rouge.
> 
> The fantasy elements made it work for me.
> 
> I mean, I know I'm strange, so that isn't the issue, but am I significantly more strange than others?  Perhaps that's a question for another forum



There is always an exception to a rule, or should that be an interference lol


----------



## alchemist

*The Social Network *- surprisingly good. I've been let down by many an Oscar nominated/winning film, but not this one.


----------



## clovis-man

Lady of Winterfell said:


> *Grosse Pointe Blank*. Not impressed.


 
I thought Dan Aykroyd as the rival assassin was great and the whole "I'm a professional killer." "Yeah, right." thing was pretty amusing.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

Finally watched *Cropsey*, which I thought was balanced, compelling and quite chilling. Also re-visited *The Shining*. Still brilliant.


----------



## Allegra

*The Tourist*. Why wasn't I impressed? It's not much betther than *Mr & Mrs Smith*.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Dilemma
Kevin James 'comedy' that isnt at all funny but still remains a good film! Your best mates wife is cheating on a guy, do you tell him?


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

clovis-man said:


> I thought Dan Aykroyd as the rival assassin was great and the whole "I'm a professional killer." "Yeah, right." thing was pretty amusing.


 
Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood while watching it; I was super tired and just found it a bit annoying as opposed to funny or entertaining. Oh well.

Watched *Tangled* last night...I thought it was very cute. It's been forever since I've seen a real Disney movie with singing.


----------



## J-Sun

_*When Worlds Collide*_.

Short: didn't like it. Less short: When Worlds Collide thread.


----------



## nj1

Went old school the other night and indulged myself by watching COOL HAND LUKE for the gazilianth time...classic, my two fav lines being 'shaking the tree boss' and 'What we got here is.. failure to communicate' both lines regulary popping up when in work.

On a side note: talking to a colleage today who's 30 years old and NEVER heard of SPINAL TAP... I was stunned to say the least and persuaded him to download it asap. How someone live 30 years and be ignorant of the Tap I'll never know


----------



## Interference

Welcome home, NJ1


----------



## nj1

Interference said:


> Welcome home, NJ1


 
Why thank you very much  I have been silently lurking around but haven't had time to get much reading done (work and baby = no free time) hence the lack of posts


----------



## Interference

You sent the baby to work?


----------



## nj1

I know.. I know.. some people think 3 months is too early but i believe everyones got to pull thier own weight. Still i'm starting to regret it, the drool on my keyboard i can deal with but finding there no milk left for a cuppa is unforgivable


----------



## Interference

Well, switch to herbal, it's the only sensible option for the new parent 

and congratulations - on surviving the _first_ three months


----------



## Starbeast

*The Time Travelers (1964)*

I heard good reviews about this movie from a few people here in the SFFC, so I finally checked it out. Now I too am a fan of the film. It was interesting, fun to watch and I really like how this weird sci-fi tale ended. An excellent movie.


----------



## Diggler

Went and saw the latest instalment of *Pirates of the Carribean*. While it's been getting mixed reviews from critics, I really enjoyed it. Though watching anything in Gold Class is an enjoyable experience (except for Battle: LA)


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> *Pirates of the Carribean 4*. I really enjoyed it.


 
Really? I watched the trailer twice and it didn't seem interesting to me. I'll wait for it's release on Netfilx. I don't feel like spending 8 bucks at a matinee showing. I'm not a Jack Sparrow fan, I like Captain Barbossa.


----------



## Diggler

There was a fair bit of Barbossa, but it was still a Jack Sparrow affair. You pay $8? We went for the cheap Gold Class at $23 per ticket! Plus $65 in food for the pair of us


----------



## Connavar

_*Pirates of the Carribean 4:  On Stranger Tides*_

It was better than film 2,3 easily and it was very enjoyable,fun film to see.  The story could have been written better, it wasnt new to me since i read the novel it is based on the fourth film.  I saw every story scene coming which was a bit boring but Depp is amazing again, Rush almost stole with the show with Barbosa and Cruz must be in the next film.   She played her character well, could fight with the male heroes,villains unlike Keira K.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *The Time Travelers (1964)*
> 
> I heard good reviews about this movie from a few people here in the SFFC, so I finally checked it out. Now I too am a fan of the film. It was interesting, fun to watch and I really like how this weird sci-fi tale ended. An excellent movie.



Ib Melchior, the director, is one of those obscure but vastly underrated screenwriters who actually 'got' SF.  He also wrote the original story  for  _Deathrace 2000_ (1975), and his _The Angry Red Planet _(1959) and _Robinson Crusoe on Mars _(1964) are  weird little pleasures.  
My favourite of his films though is _Journey to the Seventh Planet _(1962) which, if it hadn't been shot in a week and starred John Agar, would easily have a great wee film.  As it is it's an odd film which looks now like a cross between_ Solaris_ and a Ray Bradbury story I can't recall the name of from the _Martian Chronicles_.  Definitely worth a look.
*
*


----------



## J-Sun

Connavar said:


> _*Pirates of the Carribean 4:  On Stranger Tides*_
> 
> It was better than film 2,3 easily and it was very enjoyable,fun film to see.



So is it one actual movie and not half a movie like 2 was (which, when 3 wasn't worthwhile, made 2 retroactively even less worthwhile than it originally seemed)?


----------



## Member

*Primer* 3.5/5
*Altered States* 4/5


----------



## No One

When it comes to B-movies they're either bad bad or good bad. Fortunately, I've just encountered the latter with...

*Ninja vs Alien*! 

So a group of ninjas investigate a comet and come face to face with an interstellar menace, replete with men in crappy ninja suits fighting men in crappy alien suits (except for the typically sexy female ninja, who looks so good in her, mostly pvc/rubber, outfit that even aliens take a liking to her. One fight scene borders on pornographic* and I was wiping away tears before there was even any, um, penetration**).

Naturally there's some crazy fighting involved (I've never seen an alien having a "John Woo" moment before - more tears there), with terrible effects interspersed by some surprisingly decent moments of choreography. 

Did I mention it's Japanese? Does that even need be said? Anyway, it was marvelous.


*But seriously, not how you're thinking.
** See above.


----------



## JunkMonkey

No One said:


> When it comes to B-movies they're either bad bad or good bad. Fortunately, I've just encountered the latter with...
> 
> *Ninja vs Alien*!



And that is enough of a recommendation for me; I'm off to see if it's available on Blockbusters rental site - after I've watched *Hell Comes to Frogtown.*


----------



## No One

Re: *Hell Comes to Frogtown*. Never did see that one.

*a quick google later*

Hah! Rowdy Roddy Piper! That's going on the list... cheers Junkmonkey.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I wouldn't rush it turned out to be a rather dull film.  I was very disappointed.  The best joke comes in the first 10 seconds.  After that it goes downhill rapidly but never makes it to the 'so bad it's good' depths.  Pretty meh.


----------



## Diggler

*The Last Exorcism*:

I really didn't know what to expect from this. It is essentially a Blair Witch style mockumentary following a southern exorcist wishing to expose the truth of exorcisms. They inevitably get embroiled in what could possibly be a real case of possession. This was a real slow burner, with a chilling climax.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched a South Korean film called *A bittersweet life*, I think I was expecting too much as I was disappointed. It had a few (far too few) good moments but wasn't nearly as good as the on box reviews made it out to be.
If you like your Asian action films (not Kung fu) then you might enjoy it, it had a poignant narration but lacked any real bite at the end. There was one funny scene with the gun salesmen, but probably tried to too hard. possible 6/10


----------



## Connavar

Moonbat said:


> Watched a South Korean film called *A bittersweet life*, I think I was expecting too much as I was disappointed. It had a few (far too few) good moments but wasn't nearly as good as the on box reviews made it out to be.
> If you like your Asian action films (not Kung fu) then you might enjoy it, it had a poignant narration but lacked any real bite at the end. There was one funny scene with the gun salesmen, but probably tried to too hard. possible 6/10



Do you rate it low because of you thought it was action film ? Or it wasnt well written,directed enough ?  Its known for gangster film that was written well,directed.  Hailed for the director,actor.

It is one of my personal fav korean films, i liked how calm, not too dramatic for gangster type film. 

What did you think of the famous beat down scene in the rain ?

The director has done a hilarious western action homage that you might like if you like westerns.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Almost finished watching *Watchmen*. Great visuals, get soundtrack, great characters, just love it. Near the bit where Adrian does his thing. Adrian = one of my favourite fictional characters.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I agree, excellent film. Though my favourite is Rorschach.

I saw *Bridesmaids *yesterday. Pretty funny.


----------



## Diggler

*Drive Angry*

I get the feeling that Nicolas Cage is going through some sort of mid-life crisis. He's been starring in all sorts of ridiculous action films, that do nothing but tarnish his once great reputation. This is yet another one of those career killing films.

Where to start? Nicolas Cage, the oh so droll anti-hero, breaks out of Hell to chase down the satanic equivalent of Billy Ray Cyrus, before he can sacrifice a baby and bring hell to earth. Meanwhile he is chased by a highly charismatic minion of Satan, who calls himself "The Accountant", so he can be sent back to Hell.

This movie was just garbage! Cage's hard-bitten and emotionless character was cringe worthy. The female lead could not act her way out of drama class. The FX ranged from ho-hum to abysmal. The only really good thing to come out of this movie was the couple of cool cars. But I could just watch a movie like *Bullit*, *Mad Max 2*, or god forbid *Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry* for better car chases, acting and overall enjoyment.


----------



## svalbard

Just watched *I Come With The Rain* last night. It stars Josh Hartnett, Elias Koteas amongst others. It is...well...unusual to say the least. It involves a serial killer, Asian mobsters, elements of mysticism etc. To be honest it is all over the place at times, but it works.


----------



## Foxbat

*Fear In The Night *(Hammer 1972)
A pretty good thriller starring Peter Cushing, Joan Collins, Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson. Definitely worth a watch if you think all Hammer did was Gothic Horror.


----------



## Starbeast

*Sharktopus (2010)*

Yep, another Roger Corman film, this creature feature follows the old guidelines of a genetic monster which was created for a government, accidently breaks loose from it's controllers and goes on a rampage. I just watched this film, I didn't feel any suspence about the movie, nor like any of the characters, I just wanted to see the half octopus/half shark monstrousity run amok. This film did have great potential for a horror/comedy, but the creators of the movie wanted to make it more of a (so-so) drama, with only a sprinkle of comedy.

Not Rated: Some gore and a lot of bikini shots.

Stars: Eric Roberts & features Hector Jimenez (Nacho Libre & Epic Movie) who should have been used as the comedy relief.


----------



## No One

Moonbat said:


> Watched a South Korean film called *A bittersweet life*, I think I was expecting too much as I was disappointed. It had a few (far too few) good moments but wasn't nearly as good as the on box reviews made it out to be.
> If you like your Asian action films (not Kung fu) then you might enjoy it, it had a poignant narration but lacked any real bite at the end. There was one funny scene with the gun salesmen, but probably tried to too hard. possible 6/10



I was somewhat disappointed after high expectations too. I'd recommend a second viewing though, somewhere down the line, because only then did I really appreciate it.

And a correction to make on *Ninja vs Alien* - it is, in fact, *Alien vs Ninja*. I lost sleep over that.


----------



## Diggler

*The Tunnel*

The first full length feature film to be offered for free over the internet. The Tunnel is a Cinema Verite style, low budget Australian horror film. 

The movie is based around a TV crew who explore the myriad network of abandoned tunnels underneath Sydney. Little do they know, they are being hunted by a monster that lives there.

This movie, as I stated earlier, has actually been offered as a free download via Bittorrent. The funding for the films production was generated through Government grants, and donations from the public. The quality of the production is top notch, with excellent use of surroundings and good acting from the protagonists. 

The only real gripe I had was issues with continuity during the second half. There are excerpts of interviews with the crew throughout the film, which generally works well for the type of movie it is meant to be. But it killed off a lot of the tension during the second half.

You can download this film (for FREE) from here 

Overall I give this a 7/10


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Sunset Blvd.* Very creepy and disturbing, fully deserves its classic status.


----------



## biodroid

The Tourist - was completely bored with this movie, I think sticking needles in my eyes would have been more entertaining.

Easy A - Chick flick but not too bad, I preferred this movie to The Tourist.


----------



## Boneman

*The Ghost *- got a bit bored with the characters deliberately mumbling words they are reading, so we're kept in the dark, as it happened over and over again (could be my tinnitus... did anyone actually hear what they are saying in the cinema? I was watching a DVD at home). And I thought the ending was crap... absolute crap.


----------



## Moonbat

By Connavar relating to *A Bittersweet Life*


> Do you rate it low because of you thought it was action film ? Or it wasnt well written,directed enough ? Its known for gangster film that was written well,directed. Hailed for the director,actor.
> 
> It is one of my personal fav korean films, i liked how calm, not too dramatic for gangster type film.
> 
> What did you think of the famous beat down scene in the rain ?
> 
> The director has done a hilarious western action homage that you might like if you like westerns.


 
and from No One



> I was somewhat disappointed after high expectations too. I'd recommend a second viewing though, somewhere down the line, because only then did I really appreciate it.


 
Connavar, I'm not sure that I thought it was an action film, I was surprised at the fighting in the first scene as that wasn't what I expected. I was expecting something with great twists or graphic ganster style gore (not gratuitous but shocking) and in the end I just wasn't blown away by it. It was sat on our DVD 2-b-watched shelf for several weeks and I finally got the Missus to agree to watch it (she actually fell asleep during it, so I might get a re-watch) so I was looking forward to it, probably too much.

It was a calm(ish) gangster film but in places it seemed emotionless, and slightly dull.

The beat down scene in the rain? If it is the one I'm thinking of then 'neh' it was ok. The escape fight was ok, but still nothing special.

What is the name of the Western? Is it the Good the Bad and the Weird? (or something like that) because I haven't watched that and have been intrigued by it.

Any hoo, thanks for the replies, I'm maybe being harsh on it.

A very good film that I watched was

*We are what we are*. A Mexican cannibal film, that doesn't succumb to the usual shock/horror gore that you might expect. More of a drama than a horror film, it was very good with some interesting relationships between the cannabalistic family. It even ended with a decent crescendo of the events that we see. I think it was a very good film and well worth a watch.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Adjustment Bureau*

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp, Anthony Ruivivar, Michael Kelly

A politician (Matt Damon as David Morris) meets a free-spirited young woman (Emily Blunt as Elise Sellas) and the two feel an instant connection. Circumstances keep preventing David and Elise from going forward with their relationship. David is particularly tenacious in trying to make the relationship work. One day he accidentally walks in on members of the Adjustment Bureau doing their work. They explain to him that they ensure that the overall Plan goes ahead as written and that he can never reveal what he has seen and heard about them. The Plan says that he absolutely cannot be with Elise. So does he respect the Plan and stay away from her? Or does he risk everything to be with her?

This is essentially a love story with a science fictional (fantasy?) setting. I'm not a huge fan of love stories but I liked this one. The film is not overly-sentimental and the scenes where the two talk about their feelings for each other are not over-the-top. Blunt and Damon have good chemistry and I found them to be a believable couple. The scenes where they flirt are particularly sweet and funny.

But the one person who makes the film work for me is Matt Damon. He was fully committed to the role and I found myself rooting for him throughout. I grew to like David and I wanted him to find a way to be with the love of his life. Elise made less of an impression on me but that could be because we only really see her when she is with David and there is very little to indicate who she is when she's not with him.

There are two chase scenes where I got the strong impression that Damon was channelling Jason Bourne. But that didn't detract from my enjoyment. 

I'd rate this film as a solid 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.


----------



## No One

Moonbat said:


> What is the name of the Western? Is it the Good the Bad and the Weird? (or something like that) because I haven't watched that and have been intrigued by it.



Yep, you got it right Moonbat. Love that film. 

From the same director there's also *A Tale of Two Sisters*, which I rate very highly and *The Foul King*, which was one of his earlier films. Thought that was brilliant too, but might not be for everybody. Hard to tell. If nothing else, I guarantee good film-making. 

Speaking of Kim Jee Woon, I should head off to the Korean cinema thread...


----------



## blacknorth

Four Sided Triangle.

This is an old British fantasy/sf film from the 1940s, based on a novel by William Temple. Two scientists build a replicator, they fall out over the same girl, the loser replicates the girl, with tragic results.

Not at all bad, the rural English setting really helps it a lot. The actress playing the girl is miscast, else the cast is fine. Funny seeing all those valves and tubes and primitive diodes making up a post war austerity replicator. Which was the theme, I suppose. Shortages, not only of raw materials, but of human stuff too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *The Time Travelers (1964)*
> 
> I heard good reviews about this movie from a few people here in the SFFC, so I finally checked it out. Now I too am a fan of the film. It was interesting, fun to watch and I really like how this weird sci-fi tale ended. An excellent movie.



After you reminded me of this one, Starbeast, I went and watched it again.  It has its clunky moments - the 'comedic' moments were particularly heavy handed - but it still stands up head and shoulders above most of the SF dross of the period. And I was reminded of a thought I had the first time I saw it.   I may have mentioned it somewhere before but I can't find it.  This film was made in 1964, in it various stage magic tricks are used to simulate incomprehensible future technology.

Clarke's oft quoted third law, 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' dates from 1973.

Beating Arthur C Clarke to the draw by 10 years?  I'd be proud of that.


----------



## Connavar

Moonbat said:


> By Connavar relating to *A Bittersweet Life*
> 
> 
> and from No One
> 
> 
> 
> Connavar, I'm not sure that I thought it was an action film, I was surprised at the fighting in the first scene as that wasn't what I expected. I was expecting something with great twists or graphic ganster style gore (not gratuitous but shocking) and in the end I just wasn't blown away by it. It was sat on our DVD 2-b-watched shelf for several weeks and I finally got the Missus to agree to watch it (she actually fell asleep during it, so I might get a re-watch) so I was looking forward to it, probably too much.
> 
> It was a calm(ish) gangster film but in places it seemed emotionless, and slightly dull.
> 
> The beat down scene in the rain? If it is the one I'm thinking of then 'neh' it was ok. The escape fight was ok, but still nothing special.
> 
> What is the name of the Western? Is it the Good the Bad and the Weird? (or something like that) because I haven't watched that and have been intrigued by it.
> 
> Any hoo, thanks for the replies, I'm maybe being harsh on it.
> 
> A very good film that I watched was
> 
> *We are what we are*. A Mexican cannibal film, that doesn't succumb to the usual shock/horror gore that you might expect. More of a drama than a horror film, it was very good with some interesting relationships between the cannabalistic family. It even ended with a decent crescendo of the events that we see. I think it was a very good film and well worth a watch.



Expectations is never a good thing, it can ruin a perfectly good film for you.  Not saying it did for you in this case.   To me it was just a korean film i rented, didnt know it was one of the most hailed films in that country.   I thought it was emotionally strong when it had to be, frankly i wish for more calm,smart gangster films like it.

Still you might like the western that is The Good,the Bad,the Weird.  A very fun homage to Spagetti Western.


----------



## Member

*Fantastic Planet* 3.5/5
The whole movie is on youtube if anyone is interested.


----------



## AE35Unit

BLACK SWAN
A slightly strange ballet movie with Natalie Portman


----------



## D_Davis

Connavar said:


> Expectations is never a good thing, it can ruin a perfectly good film for you.  Not saying it did for you in this case.   To me it was just a korean film i rented, didnt know it was one of the most hailed films in that country.   I thought it was emotionally strong when it had to be, frankly i wish for more calm,smart gangster films like it.
> 
> Still you might like the western that is The Good,the Bad,the Weird.  A very fun homage to Spagetti Western.



_A Bittersweet Life_ is a modern masterpiece. Love it.

Don't care for _The Good,the Bad,the Weird_. It meanders far too much, and lacks dramatic tension.

Do you dig _Memories of Murder_?


----------



## Foxbat

*Neds *

Brutal, bleak, depressing, brilliant. This is the work Peter Mullan will be remembered for. 

It's as simple as that.


----------



## Connavar

D_Davis said:


> _A Bittersweet Life_ is a modern masterpiece. Love it.
> 
> Don't care for _The Good,the Bad,the Weird_. It meanders far too much, and lacks dramatic tension.
> 
> Do you dig _Memories of Murder_?




*Memories of Murder* is one of the best crime dramas i have ever seen from any part of the world.   It was deep, had many levels and a hearbreaking story,case for the detectives.  

That detective and the one from Bittersweet life are my favs after the great Chan Wook-Park of Old Boy fame.

Those kind of movies make me search for any korean film i see hoping for another brilliant film.


----------



## D_Davis

Connavar said:


> *Memories of Murder* is one of the best crime dramas i have ever seen from any part of the world.   It was deep, had many levels and a hearbreaking story,case for the detectives.
> 
> That detective and the one from Bittersweet life are my favs after the great Chan Wook-Park of Old Boy fame.
> 
> Those kind of movies make me search for any korean film i see hoping for another brilliant film.



Heck yeah. _MoM_ is just awesome.

Did you see _Mother_?


----------



## Connavar

D_Davis said:


> Heck yeah. _MoM_ is just awesome.
> 
> Did you see _Mother_?



No im still waiting for the DVD to arrive in Love film rental site.  I have waited for swedish dvd since last year.   Enough is enough i will buy an import dvd that works on our dvd region.

Have you seen _*I Saw the Devil*_ ?   By Kim Jee-woon of_* A Bittersweet life*_ and _*Tale of Two Sisters*._

Its a 2010 film that just got here on DVD and it has one of my fav actors in Byung-hun Lee.


----------



## D_Davis

Connavar said:


> Have you seen _*I Saw the Devil*_ ?   By Kim Jee-woon of_* A Bittersweet life*_ and _*Tale of Two Sisters*._
> 
> Its a 2010 film that just got here on DVD and it has one of my fav actors in Byung-hun Lee.



I just looked this up earlier today! I'm going to be renting it soon. Byung-hun Lee is awesome.


----------



## Diggler

Connavar said:


> *Memories of Murder* is one of the best crime dramas i have ever seen from any part of the world.   It was deep, had many levels and a hearbreaking story,case for the detectives.
> 
> That detective and the one from Bittersweet life are my favs after the great Chan Wook-Park of Old Boy fame.
> 
> Those kind of movies make me search for any korean film i see hoping for another brilliant film.



I second that Connavar, *Memories of Murder* is fantastic! *Madeo*, also by Joon-ho Bong, is so similar in core story to Memories that it lost most of it's impact for me. Though technically it is still a great film with a fantastic twist at the end.

While I liked *I Saw the Devil*, I really disliked the ending. I can't say any more about it, because I don't want to ruin it for other people.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (*1985) - a Charles B.  Pierce pictures inc. production written by Charles B. Pierce, produced  by Charles B. Pierce, directed by Charles B. Pierce and starring Charles  B. Pierce - and his son Chuck.

oh the pain!


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (*1985) - a Charles B.  Pierce pictures inc. production written by Charles B. Pierce, produced  by Charles B. Pierce, directed by Charles B. Pierce and starring Charles  B. Pierce - and his son Chuck.
> 
> oh the pain!



The poor mans Orson Welles!


----------



## Interference

Welles is the only man in the history of cinema to pull that trick off: Discuss


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> Welles is the only man in the history of cinema to pull that trick off: Discuss



And even he only got away with it once.


----------



## Interference

Debatably true, though I'd argue in favour of _F For Fake_.


----------



## nj1

Probably a bit behind everyone else in this but watched INCEPTION for the first time on DVD. Another solid film for DiCaprio (who currently ranks quite high in my fav actors) and another film i'd wished I'd watched in the cinema, think i would have been impressed with 3d version methinks


----------



## JunkMonkey

nj1 said:


> Probably a bit behind everyone else in this...



If you're a bit behind, nj1, I'm miles away.  I still haven't seen _Avatar _(mind you, the list of films I should have seen is staggeringly comprehensive).

*Interference*, I'd forgotten about_ F for Fake_.  Many years since I saw it.


----------



## Connavar

Diggler said:


> I second that Connavar, *Memories of Murder* is fantastic! *Madeo*, also by Joon-ho Bong, is so similar in core story to Memories that it lost most of it's impact for me. Though technically it is still a great film with a fantastic twist at the end.
> 
> While I liked *I Saw the Devil*, I really disliked the ending. I can't say any more about it, because I don't want to ruin it for other people.



Interesting i thought me and No One was the only fans that see korean films pretty regularly, nice seeing people knowing the films you talk about.



Mother doesnt sound so similar to Memoirs of murder in the synopsis at-least will be interesting see how good it is.


----------



## clovis-man

Someone mentioned this one in a somewhat favorable light somewhere. Can't find it now.

*Voyage To The Seventh Planet*

Which is, of course, Uranus. they insisted on calling it "Yoo-Rahn-Us". Well, anyway, I finished watching it via Netflix feed as an exercise in morbid fascination. Not clever, not well filmed, not well acted, etc. One of those movies that you are sorry to discover that MST3K never got around to.


----------



## Moonbat

> Welles is the only man in the history of cinema to pull that trick off: Discuss


 
If the trick is to write, direct, star in AND produce then you might be right.
I'm not sure if he produced it but *Ben Stiller* and *Tropic Thunder*,
How about the *Monty Python* crew and *Holy Grail/Life of Brian*
There's always *Woody Allen* (again I doubt he produces his films)
*Kevin Smith* in *Jay and Silent Bob strike back*
*Dennis Hopper* in *Easy Rider*
*Kevin Spacey* in *Beyond the Sea*

Although I think most (if not all) of these miss out on the produced part.

Then again, I myself have written, directed, star in and produced my own film 'The Beast of Bodmin' or B.O.B for short. 
Part 1 (of nine) can be seen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=821w2ytOHVI
but I'm sure you'll all agree its not upto Welles' standards.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Someone mentioned this one in a somewhat favorable light somewhere. Can't find it now.
> 
> *Voyage To The Seventh Planet*
> 
> Which is, of course, Uranus. they insisted on calling it "Yoo-Rahn-Us". Well, anyway, I finished watching it via Netflix feed as an exercise in morbid fascination. Not clever, not well filmed, not well acted, etc. One of those movies that you are sorry to discover that MST3K never got around to.



I think that was probably me.  Sorry you didn't like it.  I find it a fascinatingly odd little film.  It was (as I understand) shot in a week - in Denmark of all places and for its time was far more cerebral than most of the radioactive monster insect crap of the period.

Here's the synopsis from IMDb


> A U.N. space expedition to the planet Uranus discovers a bizarre world  right out of their own heads, featuring places and people the crew  members recall from childhood. It's all part of a fantasy created by the  planet's master, a giant, pulsating brain that can also turn their  worst thoughts into reality.



For 1962 this was cutting edge SF cinema.  I just wish they had spent some money on the thing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Not that spending a lot of money guarantees the film will be good.  Great films can be made for very little money. Last night I watched *Katalin Varga, *a 96 minute feature completed for a total of £28,000 in 2009 by a first time director.  Very Low Budget.  It's slow  compulsive, fascinating and beautifully acted. A simple story of revenge.    Romanian & Hungarian with English subtitles and a _brilliant_ soundscape.


----------



## No One

Just watching *Face Off*. And they've, um, just had their faces taken off (a somewhat ludicrous but rather neat scene). 

Good film though. I think Travolta and Cage are excellent in this. 

Plus, Gina Gershon.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Thor 3D*

I shelled out the extra money to watch this in 3D and was very pleasantly surprised. The only other 3D movie I watched was Avatar and I wasn't too impressed with the 3D effects. So I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing Thor in 3D. My only complaint is that the camera work is sometimes too frenetic and I felt a little queasy at times when the camera was whirling around the characters.

Thor was very ably and charmingly played by Chris Hemsworth. He made Thor's transition from an immature and arrogant oaf to a mature adult very believable. Also, he looks unbelievably good without a shirt. 

Anthony Hopkins didn't strain himself playing the wise and grave Odin and I think he hit all the right notes.

For me, the breakout star was Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Loki could very easily have been a one-dimensional villain but the writing and the acting elevated Loki to so much more than that. Loki is not truly good or bad and in his heart, he believes that his actions are not selfish or bad.

Stellan Skarsgard is sorely under-used and Natalie Portman's role could've been played by any competent 20-something actress. Portman's assistant had a deadpan humour and delivered her lines with great comic timing.

Thor is a rollicking action ride and with wonderful fight scenes. What we see of Jotenheim and Asgard is very impressive (made even more so by the 3D effects) - in fact, Earth looks rather drab and uninteresting in comparison.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

*Chinatown*. I have no idea why I remembered this one as being a fun romp. Instead, I was left with a sense of soul-crushing bleakness. Great film and a reminder of a time when Nicholson was an actor, not just a grumpy-mask to be cast in comedies-by-incongruity.


----------



## Diggler

Connavar said:


> Interesting i thought me and No One was the only fans that see korean films pretty regularly, nice seeing people knowing the films you talk about.
> 
> 
> 
> Mother doesnt sound so similar to Memoirs of murder in the synopsis at-least will be interesting see how good it is.



Late reply here. We went away for a long weekend houseboat holiday! I love Korean movies Conn. Madeo has the same elements, such as the murder and pinning it on the mentally challenged protagonist. Though it is more about the Mother trying to clear his name. Thinking back on it, I was probably too harsh on the film due to these minor similarities.

As for Korean films, some of my personal favourites would be *My Sassy Girl*, *Joint Security Area*, *R-Point*, *The Chaser* and of course the *Vengeance Trilogy*. Being a Crime fan Conn, I'd recommend you watch *The Chaser* if you haven't


----------



## Member

*Interplanetary* 1/5
(That's being generous)


----------



## ravenus

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy said:


> *Chinatown*. I have no idea why I remembered this one as being a fun romp. Instead, I was left with a sense of soul-crushing bleakness. Great film and a reminder of a time when Nicholson was an actor, not just a grumpy-mask to be cast in comedies-by-incongruity.


LOL@romp. He was also terrific in *The Passenger* by Antonioni. Have you seen *Manorama 6 Feet Under*, a Hindi film that riffs on *Chinatown*? 
My review


----------



## ravenus

Haven't visited this site for a good while after I received some malware warnings and my PC was genuinely infected. Hopefully, all is well now.

I saw Inception, which was alright but not as much as the hype went - My gripes in detail  *HERE*

*True Grit* was a fairly fun Western, nothing particularly novel or striking, but moves along at a good pace and nice performances from Matt Damon and the lead girl.


----------



## Diggler

*X-Men: First Class*

This was a fantastic return to form after the rather lacklustre Wolverine. Set in the early 1960's, it follows the early formation of the Mutant allegiance that will become The X-Men. The sets and clothing were fantastically kitsch, and even gave the movie a James Bond type of feel. Everyone played their roles well, though the stand outs were James McAvoy as Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik.

There are some great in-house jokes and some legendary actors have minor roles. The highlight of the film I can't mention, as I really don't want to spoil it. I have to say, this to me, is the best film in the X-Men series to date. It is low on cheese and high on class. A great effort that I'm looking forward to seeing again! 5 out of 5.


----------



## Member

How have you even seen that movie yet, Diggler?
I'm happy it got a good review, though. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it
after the giant turd that is _Thor_ stained my eyeballs a few weeks ago  =/


----------



## biodroid

Member said:


> How have you even seen that movie yet, Diggler?
> I'm happy it got a good review, though. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it
> after the giant turd that is _Thor_ stained my eyeballs a few weeks ago  =/



Surely Thor wasn't that bad? At least not as bad as DareDevil and The Punisher 2. Thor was very entertaining, I really enjoyed it.


----------



## Member

It wasn't an awful film, it just wasn't a very good one in my opinion.
But I think The Village is the greatest movie ever made, so my opinions  are usually filed under acquired taste.

Later biodroid


----------



## blacknorth

The Naked Runner, starring Frank Sinatra and Peter Vaughn.

This one is pretty obscure and not half-bad - I'd read the novel by Francis Clifford a while back and thought it great, so I was interested to see how it panned out onscreen. Rather than copy it all out you can read my IMDb review here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062029/usercomments-7


----------



## JunkMonkey

Member said:


> *Interplanetary* 1/5
> (That's being generous)



Which, curiously, makes me now want to see it.


----------



## Member

JunkMonkey said:


> Which, curiously, makes me now want to see it.


I gave it a 1 because in the first 5 minutes there were boobs and halfway funny slapstick, but from then on out It's not even accidentally watchable. =/


----------



## Diggler

Member said:


> How have you even seen that movie yet, Diggler?
> I'm happy it got a good review, though. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it
> after the giant turd that is _Thor_ stained my eyeballs a few weeks ago  =/



We went to a pre-screening on Wednesday Night (Tuesday for most everyone else north of here). Thor wasn't too bad, it was just layered in a fine coating of cheese


----------



## Diggler

*Stake Land*

Set in a post apocalyptic America, vampires have become the dominant species. While this sounds similar to Daybreakers, that's where the similarities end. Vampires in this film are bloodthirsty predators, that are more akin to zombies that prowl at night searching for unsuspecting victims. This is a great lower budget film that has a great story and some rather poignant scenes. 4 out of 5


----------



## Demonomania

Zatoichi (89) and (03)

Kitano's take on Zatoichi is a modern masterpiece


----------



## Starbeast

Demonomania said:


> Zatoichi (89) and (03)
> 
> Kitano's take on Zatoichi is a modern masterpiece


 

I too enjoy Zatoichi movies, I became a fan of the blind swordsman when I saw *Zatoichi vs Yojimbo* as a kid on tv. Check out the scene I put in the "Favorite Movie Scenes" thread from a Zatoichi film.

I still have to find the original tv show episodes of the blind swordsman.


----------



## Diggler

*Gummo*

What can only be described as a stereotypical montage of the rural south of America and dissolute youth. Eye opening, and seriously whacked cinema from Harmony Korine. definitely not for the squeamish or easily offended.


----------



## Boneman

Went to see *Last Night *last night. Keira Knightley and Guillaume Canet have amazing chemistry, but the interractions between Sam Worthington and Eva Mendes were flat and lifeless, and not believable at all. I felt Sam Worthington sucked the life out of every scene he was in. He looked as though he'd been hypnotised, and had to wear an expressionless mask the whole time. Overall a reasonable film, but I hate unfinished stories...


----------



## svalbard

*Spolier Alert*(I am the man who revealed the identity of Kaiser Soze in the Usual Suspects to a number of friends as we sat down to watch the movie. Thankfully they are still firm bosum buddies.) 

I watched True Grit a couple of nights ago. As a fan of the Duke I awaited to find fault. None could be had. This is a brilliant movie with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon(especially him) providing outstanding roles.

But it was the the ending, the very last minutes of the show that provided the ultimate stripping of Western Culture as Mattie Ross met up with Cole Younger and Frank James. Signature Cohen Brothers material.


----------



## clovis-man

*Shutter Island*. Even for Scorsese, this was a little over the top. But still intriguing for all that.


----------



## Mark_Lawrence

I saw 'Predators' on DVD - much better than I feared, less good than it could have been, but over all a fun 'beer&chips' movie.


----------



## soulsinging

Just finished episode one of BBC's Planet Earth on bluray. Looking forward to learning a thing or two this week!


----------



## blacknorth

The Wicksboro Incident.

Quite amusing sendup of Area 51 and the X-Files.


----------



## william b

Hello. I'm new and here is what I've recently watched.
Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides (liked it very much), 
Krull (an 80s science fantasy film), 
On the Town (old fashioned Hollywood musical).  
Toy Story 3 (liked it). 
I'm looking forward to the Planet of the Apes prequel later this summer.  
  Oh.  And I saw a clever movie called TiMer about a world where people find out how much time they have until they meet their true love.  Some people have zeros on their timer.  some have a several decades.  Everyone changes their social behavior based on what their timer says.


----------



## ravenus

Had a Val Lewton weekend with *Curse of The Cat People* and re-watches of *The 7th Victim, The Body-Snatcher, I Walked with A Zombie* and the documentary *Shadows in The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy*


----------



## ravenus

william b said:


> Hello. I'm new and here is what I've recently watched.
> Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides (liked it very much),
> Krull (an 80s science fantasy film),
> On the Town (old fashioned Hollywood musical).
> Toy Story 3 (liked it).


Welcome to the forums WIlliam b


----------



## Member

*Dead Alive* 4/5
Dare I say on par with the Evil Dead series, or even the House series.
Yes, I dare.


----------



## william b

ravenus said:


> Had a Val Lewton weekend with *Curse of The Cat People* and re-watches of *The 7th Victim, The Body-Snatcher, I Walked with A Zombie* and the documentary *Shadows in The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy*


My favorite Val Lewton film is I Walked With a Zombie.  
  Thanks for the nice welcome.


----------



## JunkMonkey

ravenus said:


> Had a Val Lewton weekend with *Curse of The Cat People* and re-watches of *The 7th Victim, The Body-Snatcher, I Walked with A Zombie* and the documentary *Shadows in The Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy*



That sounds like a good way to spend a weekend.  I'm jealous.


----------



## Grimward

*Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief*

Rather poor job of character and plot development, but watched it with my daughter.  She just finished a section on greek mythology in school, and enjoyed the references, while I had fun watching it with her, so I guess it worked.  Definitely better choices out there, though.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Rewatched *I Love You Man* before bed. I quite enjoy this one, though it's not brilliant (like the Apatow movies, imho), I do really like Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.


----------



## Diggler

Hilarious Joke said:


> Rewatched *I Love You Man* before bed. I quite enjoy this one, though it's not brilliant (like the Apatow movies, imho), I do really like Paul Rudd and Jason Segel.



While I liked it, I found a lot of the blokey comedy to be kind of embarrassing. I watched *Rio*, which was a relatively enjoyable, though overly childish animated feature. *Rango* was far better.


----------



## Starbeast

I watched two awesome made for tv movies, *The Night Stalker (1971)* and it's sequel *The Night Strangler (1972)*.

It was fun watching my tv hero Carl Kolchak (brilliantly played by Darren McGavin) trying to stop the vampire in Las Vegas, Nevada and the immortal psycho in Seattle, Washington. Both movies are still great and very atmospheric.




I watched *Monsters (2010)*, what a waste of time that was, pure fertilizer.


----------



## biodroid

*Scott Pilgrim vs The World - *A very entertaining and original movie even though Michael Cera is the biggest geek of all but he can fight well.

*The next three days - *Not a bad movie, just dragged out and some of the things Crowes character does did not make sense in the movie but a good tense thriller.


----------



## Starbeast

*Redneck Zombies (1988)*

Beer infected with radioactivie government waste turns moonshine drinkers into flesh munching ghouls. A low-budget but funny Troma movie. And dig this, it claims to be filmed in ENTRAILVISION

Recommended only for people who enjoy goofy horror B-movies


----------



## HardScienceFan

Children of Men

grim,with a tinge of hope
Mike Caine:excellent performance
Owen:   ditto

a must see,but bring pink glasses


----------



## Starbeast

*Hidalgo (2004)*

Actor Viggo Mortensen plays a cowboy in the year 1890 who (with his horse named Hidalgo) participates in the world's longest horse race across the Arabian Desert, which is sponsored by a sheik played by Omar Sharif.

This is such a beautifully filmed movie with plenty of great moments and action, I highly recommend it. I can't count how many times I've seen this magnificant film.


----------



## No One

Who watches the *Watchmen*? Um, me? Well, only a third of the way through this extended version of three and a half hours and loving the more fully fledged realisation of the graphic novel.

Also good to see the animated pirate story included, even if it maybe doesn't sit quite so well side by side with the live action of the film (and I still doubt it'll tie into the film as well as it did the GN, but at least it offers that allegorical comparison to practically every character in the film, most especially to Adrian Veidt).

And now for something completely different: *Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*.

With lightning flashes created by momentarily upping the brightness and contrast; shots repeated endlessly (though sometimes in reverse, just to shake things up a bit); battleships that fire their forward guns to try and hit a lateral target (it can also fire down into the water apparently, and we're not talking depth charges); and the obligatory stock footage of a jet that in one instant is an F-15, the next an F-18, then 15 again, then 18 again, and finishing with what looked like an F-22. That's good continuity.

And to say that's the tip of the iceberg is a bit of an understatement. That said, while this has the novelty of a gigantic shark leaping at aircraft and chowing on bridges, I'd give Shark in Venice the nod for it's even cheesier scripting and acting. And Stephen Baldwin. Close call though.

Summary: recommended


----------



## Mouse

Ah Mega Shark. Pure brillness.

I've just come back from seeing *X-Men First Class*. Good stuff.


----------



## JunkMonkey

...and I've just watched *X-Men:The Last Stand *and was bored rigid.  Apart from Halle Berry's bum in those leather trousers, I can't think of a single moment of the film that wouldn't have been improved by less CGI, more acting (though given the script there was bugger all for anyone to work with), and no Vinnie Jones.  God, than man can kill a movie dead in its tracks.  But at least it was better than the second *Fantastic 4 *film - but then so was *Confessions of a Window Cleaner*.


----------



## Steve S

Watched RED last night - formulaic, undemanding fare that I confess I actually quite enjoyed!


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Hidalgo (2004)*
> 
> Actor Viggo Mortensen plays a cowboy in the year 1890 who (with his horse named Hidalgo) participates in the world's longest horse race across the Arabian Desert, which is sponsored by a sheik played by Omar Sharif.
> 
> This is such a beautifully filmed movie with plenty of great moments and action, I highly recommend it. I can't count how many times I've seen this magnificant film.


 
I completely agree. I once showed it to my elderly Mother-in-law. It was the only movie I had on hand that I thought wouldn't gross her out. She watched the whole thing without a word and just as the race was ending asked, "Is this almost over?"

You just can't please everyone. Good thing I didn't show her the director's cut of Lord of the Rings.


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> I completely agree. I once showed it to my elderly Mother-in-law. It was the only movie I had on hand that I thought wouldn't gross her out. She watched the whole thing without a word and just as the race was ending asked, "Is this almost over?"
> 
> You just can't please everyone. Good thing I didn't show her the director's cut of Lord of the Rings.


 
That is so true, there can be movies that you feel excited about and you want to share the fun, but then the person who is watching it with you begins to make comments and shows a disinterested face. You feel awful cause the person you wanted to see the film just doesn't get the same thrill as you. However it can also happen the other way around too, that instance played out when a friend of mine wanted to show me and anime he really liked. So I watched the film, I liked the animation, but the story was so typical that I knew what was going to happen throughout the movie.

Then there are movies that you know someone would really like, but they are hard to convince to see it. This happened to me when I dragged a friend into the theater to see the movie _Kung Fu Hustle_, I told him in advance the film is subtitled and easy to follow (I've already watched it twice). But when the movie began, it starts off violent and in another language, he suddenly turns to me and says:

"Hey, you didn't say I had to read the movie. And where's the comedy?"

I told him to be patient, and he gave the film ten minutes to get better!

Just under ten minutes he was laughing hard and had a big smile on his face, and when it ended he told me he loved the movie. Today, he owns it, he watches it with english language and he has seen it over thirty times.


----------



## Member

Sanctum 2.5/5
True Grit (2010) 4/5


----------



## Diggler

*End of Days:* It's the year 2000, Y2K is going to render the world useless, and people are out partying (like it's 1999). Meanwhile Arnie tries desperately to gain some acting ability and stop Satan from bringing hell to earth. A really stupid movie bolstered by Gabrielle Byrne's great role as the big man from down below.

*Escape from LA*: Kurt Russell hams it up, like everything else in this terrible sequel to Carpenter's EXCELLENT Escape From New York. Kurt Russell walking around in skin tight dominatrix leather, like he has jock rot, while trying so hard to be a post apocalyptic Clint Eastwood was just unbearable. We had to turn it off after 30 minutes!


----------



## clovis-man

*Snow Cake*. A Canadian film with Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver about a man's unusual encounter with an autistic woman after a tragic traffic collision takes the life of Weaver's daughter. Very good. Great portrayals by both.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448124/


----------



## slack

*X-Men: First Class.

*Bored by the special effects and weak characterization. It was amusing to watch serious scenes backfire (You're fine just the way you are, Hank. Don't let anyone say differently. Vomit.). Story boils down to this:

Oh noes. EVIL.
We need to assemble a team.
MOAR TRAINING.
FINAL BATTLE.

Ugh.


----------



## Boneman

*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *- whoo, not what I was expecting, but what a great film, harrowing bits notwithstanding... Thank God the Swedes made it, and not Hollywood.


----------



## Boneman

clovis-man said:


> *Snow Cake*. A Canadian film with Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver about a man's unusual encounter with an autistic woman after a tragic traffic collision takes the life of Weaver's daughter. Very good. Great portrayals by both.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448124/


 

Have to check this one out. Was it put on general release in the UK? I don't remember seeing it, but will usually walk a mile to see Alan Rickman.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Hangover 2*

Pretty much the same as the first but in Thailand. Not very good, but some scenes were funny.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Did you like the first one HJ?

I watched *The Kings Speech*. I thought it was very good, and Colin Firth did an excellent job. The acting was spot on by everyone really.


----------



## clovis-man

Boneman said:


> Have to check this one out. Was it put on general release in the UK? I don't remember seeing it, but will usually walk a mile to see Alan Rickman.


 
As far as I can tell, it's a Canadian film. So couldn't say re UK distribution. Can't imagine it would be hard to find. I got it via Netfix here in the U.S.


----------



## Diggler

*Jackass 3.5*: If you like this sort of stuff, it's hilarious. If you don't, well it'll be stupid. We thought it was funnier than Jackass 3D.

*Supervolcano*: A BBC docudrama about Yellowstone National Park going cataclysmic. Not too bad.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Pink Panther (2006)*

Funny film update of the original Blake Edwards movie series which starred Peter Sellers. The new flick with Steve Martin, Jean Reno and Kevin Kline was pretty good.


----------



## biodroid

*Red & Heareafter - *Red was very entertaining but Hereafter was just the slowest movie I ever saw.


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to watch *Black Swan* - a brilliant take on madness, duality, obsession and the quest for perfection. Interesting watching the end of this movie and then watching the end of *The Wrestler. *


----------



## Diggler

*The Fighter*: Excellent film about Mark Wahlberg trying to break free from his smothering family and succeed as a world class boxer. The cast was just brilliant, especially Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, as Wahlberg's overbearing and destructive family members. Bale is back to form after his abysmal roles in Batman, Terminator and Public Enemies.

As for *Black Swan*, I'd love to see it, but my wife has got it into her head that it is for perverts (due to "that" sex scene). This means I will not be watching it any time soon, or I will bear the brunt of her wrath for an extended period of time : /


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

clovis-man said:


> *Snow Cake*. A Canadian film with Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver about a man's unusual encounter with an autistic woman after a tragic traffic collision takes the life of Weaver's daughter. Very good. Great portrayals by both.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448124/



I liked this one quite a bit too. 

*Vinyan *, a film about a European couple's quest to find their son, lost in the 2004 tsunami. A very disturbing film with rich imagery and an effective blurring of the line between reality and nightmare.


----------



## Foxbat

*Shadow *From Italian Director Federico Zampaglione.
Apparently this is his first film and done on a meagre budget. 

Set in a gloomy Alpine forest inhabited by a character called Mortis, this is actually a pretty decent horror movie that does a good job of hiding its cash starved origins. My only criticism is the somewhat cliched conclusion. I think Mr Zampaglione may have a pretty decent career in the horror genre if he can just add a touch more depth to his storylines.

My verdict - worth a watch for any horror fan.


----------



## Diggler

*Conviction* starring the always brilliant Sam Rockwell as a man convicted of murder, and Hillary Swank as his sister that will go to any length to prove his innocence. The real downside to the film, was disjointed flashback sequences that just came out of nowhere with no discernible reason. This created quite a bit of confusion for us during the first half of the film.

The highlight of the film for me was Juliette Lewis, as a worn out alcoholic barfly in two minor sequences in the film.


----------



## Interference

biodroid said:


> *Red & Heareafter - *....



That sounds like a cop buddy movie


----------



## biodroid

Interference said:


> That sounds like a cop buddy movie



Hehe, that is a bit of a coincidence. Pity I can't get money for making up names for movies.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched* Black Swan* last night. I don't know what to say about it, other than it was psycho. Natalie Portman did a superb job though, definately earned her Oscar.


----------



## Member

Red Riding Hood 3/5
Kill the Irishman 3/5
Meh, on both accounts.


----------



## Foxbat

*Insomnia* It's been quite a while since I've seen this one so watching it again last night (when I couldn't sleep) reminded me that I quite like this film


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Paul* earlier,  a surprisingly well made and fun film with lots of SF movie references! 

Now watching *Cahill, United States Marshall* a 70s John Wayne western.


----------



## The DeadMan

I saw "Green Lantern" today. I highly recommend it if you are a Green Lantern fan. It definitely lives up to all the hype. I was worried that Ryan Reynolds would be a  goofy Green Lantern but he was actually great in the part.


----------



## Starbeast

The DeadMan said:


> I saw "Green Lantern" today. I highly recommend it if you are a Green Lantern fan. It definitely lives up to all the hype. I was worried that Ryan Reynolds would be a goofy Green Lantern but he was actually great in the part.


 
Thanks for the review *Deadman*, I wasn't sure if I should spend money to see it in the theater. I've noticed with the recent DC comic movies that they stopped making campy films, they probably paid close attention to the Marvel movies. They could see the good drama and grittiness which kept them from making another film like _Batman and Robin,_ I'm glad. Even George Clooney commented about his own performance in B&A, he said:

"I killed Batman."

Plus George thought that was the last Batman movie ever to be made.


----------



## Diggler

*Romance and Cigarettes*: John Torturro tries his hands at directing with this rather odd comedy/musical about Brooklynites and extra marital affairs. Quirky, original and quite fun, with a great cast! 4/5


----------



## Rodders

The Day the Earth Stood Still was on last night (The remake, not the original.) I hadn't seen this before, but read a lot of negative comments on it so i was quite surprised that i enjoyed it. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the original and Gort should've been used more but it wasn't a bad film at all.


----------



## clovis-man

*Tron Legacy*. Some things should be left alone. It was more like "Tron Rerun". Same devices, similar plot. Even Jeff Bridges couldn't save it (and the evil clone, Clu, had that "I'm really just a cartoon" look about him throughout). No surprises. Not a lot of fun.


----------



## Foxbat

*Gods and Generals* A pretty decent marathon of a  film  (around 3.5 hours) of the opening rounds of the American Civil War. Makes me wonder how different Gettysburg might have been had Jackson survived and taken part.


----------



## Decker

I just watched the 1957 _Cyclops_ that was on TCM this past weekend. Delightfully bad. It scared the pants off me as a kid though.


----------



## Diggler

*Get Low*: Based in the 1920's, an old hermit (Robert Duvall) decides to hold a funeral party while he's still alive. He enlists the help of the local funeral director, and his employee (Bill Murray and Lucas Black) to fulfil his wish. While the story was relatively thin, the acting by the cast was impeccable. 3.5/5


----------



## Mouse

Having no internet means I'm having to watch TV and films and stuff. So, two for me.

*Kick Ass* and *Paul*. Both were all right.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

_Thor, Limitless, Braveheart, The Village_, really enjoyed watching those films.


----------



## JunkMonkey

You enjoyed _The Village_?!


----------



## alchemist

*Black Swan* - meh. As an exercise in making a film about psychosis; brilliant. As a feature film where I'm meant to become engaged with the characters, wonder about the outcome, and be entertained; tripe. It felt like Madness by the Numbers - a child-like adult, overbearing mother, high-pressure situation, grotesque characters, colourless landscape. Who wouldn't go mad? A soul-less film.

*The King's Speech* - excellent. I cared a lot more about the king than I did about the ballerina.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> You enjoyed _The Village_?!


 
Hey, I liked it. There's such a thing as "willing suspension of disbelief".

Unfortunately, some of Shyamalan's more recent efforts have not been good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Hey, I liked it. There's such a thing as "willing suspension of disbelief".
> 
> Unfortunately, some of Shyamalan's more recent efforts have not been good.



I guess my disbelief suspending string wasn't strong enough.  I worked out the killer twist in the first three minutes and it had William Hurt's name on the opening credits.  A painful seven or eight hours of my life followed.  (Well, that's what it felt like.)

Tonight I fed my addiction for crappy 1980s SF with *Deep Star Six *(1989) - _Alien _underwater! Not bad to start with, a cast of (to me) unknowns (and Miguel Ferrer) putting in solid workaday performances as your standard mixed bag of a mixed-sex crew who have just spent the last 6 months in an deep sea installation. Someday someone is going to make a film about a bunch of working Joes (and Jos) stuck together in a big tin can in a hostile environment without throwing a monster into the mix. Maybe it's just me but often I find the bits before our crew encounter the rapacious carnivorous THING much more interesting than all the running around screaming and doing stupid things just so they can get eaten that happens afterwards. After a while of watching crap like this, the game of guessing which of our crew are going to get eaten (and the order in which they get ate) gets pretty boring too. You're black, you're the hero's best friend, and you got kids who send you cute drawings? you're f*cking doomed, you are. And don't ever say "When we get out of this I want you to come visit me on my farm....". Speeches like that act as some sort of aperitif for rampaging rapacious carnivorous THINGs. It's like rubbing barbecue sauce all over yourself and shoving a sprig of rosemary up your bum - don't do it!

In _Deep Star Six _the THING is a rapacious giant carnivorous crustacean of some kind. The crew do all the usual stupid things they have to do to get eaten - and get very wet while they do it. As usual the two crew members voted most likely to survive in the first three minutes survive. And, as usual, the laws of physics don't make it past the first act.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Tonight I fed my addiction for crappy 1980s SF with *Deep Star Six *(1989) - _Alien _underwater! Not bad to start with, a cast of (to me) unknowns (and Miguel Ferrer) putting in solid workaday performances as your standard mixed bag of a mixed-sex crew who have just spent the last 6 months in an deep sea installation.


 
Well, the Captain Laidlaw character was played by Taurean Blacque (the ultimate stage name) who immortalized the role of detective Neal Washington on *Hill Street Blues*. But that's not exactly icon status.


----------



## clovis-man

Possible mild spoilers:

*Super 8*. How do you describe a film that's a melding from among *E.T.*, *Goonies* and *Close Encounters*? And I mean that in a good way. Spielberg's influence is palpable. You've got the usual band of kids: one serious, one chubby and mouthy, one a brainiac, one who's into demolition and, of course, the pubescent girl who will drive at least a couple of them nuts.

You've got the evil gov't establishment types and something they're all trying to chase down which is, of course, misunderstood. Intertwined with the surface plot are the stories about the relationships and problems that the characters have. The latter is probably the best part. But things move fast and there is plenty of action.

So my overall impression is simply of an entertaining summer movie which will suit a variety of tastes and offend very few. Oh, and it may be a good date flick: my wife practically jumped into my lap about 5 or 6 times.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Adjustment Bureau*- yet another dull Philip K Dick adaptation!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Source Code*. I like the non-sciency parts (only coz the sciency parts didn't make sense). Thought it should have ended five minutes earlier.


----------



## Connavar

*Samurai Rebellion(1967)*

A calm story about the injustice of Samurai system from the POV of a vassal family who has to give even their wives to their clan lord.  The family leaders son wife must go to clan Lord just because he wants her and their only choice is seppuku or getting slaughtered by the clan army.

Toshiro Mifune was the reason i picked this film of course and he didnt disappoint.


----------



## Pandorum

*Pandorum (2009)*

Was sold as a horror film but instead comes off as a Mystery/Adventure/Epic type film. Its has common scifi tropes like creautre-on-a-space, space madness, morlocks, and ect. The title of the movie seems to be a fusion of the mythological words Pandora (Greco-Roman) and Pandemonium (Christianity) which seems to play a big part in the movie's direction. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that there are metaphors relating to stuff like the Ages of Man in Mythology(the movie starts off taking about the space age), Odyssey, Gods of Wars, Dante's Inferno, Noah's Ark and ect. If you're able to pick this up than you might find this flick both thought-provoking and engaging. However the cons of this movie are that most of the characters are underdelevoped but memory loss plays a put in the story so its kinda of excused. There is also the editing in parts of the fight scenes that are too fast and there isn't any subtitles for some the foreign languages being spoken, through there is not much of it.

Overall, its well paced, has passable acting, and has good twist at the end. Total fanboy of this movie.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

JunkMonkey said:


> You enjoyed _The Village_?!


 
Hell yes!  Not only does it feature one of the greatest soundtracks I have heard in a movie, in recent times - by James Newton Howard(ex: The gravel Road), it also boasts an amazing cast; Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sigourney Weaver, Brendon Gleeson, Adrien Brody etc, etc.

I live in London, while a beautiful modern city, its essentially a concrete world. Which is why movies with large open fields, traditional houses and forests appeal to me greatly.

The Village had all those features.


----------



## svalbard

The Village is a great movie. I concur.

Latest viewing was*The Lion in Winter*

What has happened to acting after this.The two leads eat up the screen. Awesome.


----------



## clovis-man

svalbard said:


> The Village is a great movie. I concur.
> 
> Latest viewing was*The Lion in Winter*
> 
> What has happened to acting after this.The two leads eat up the screen. Awesome.


 
And some great quotes:

*Prince John*: A knife! He's got a knife! 
*Eleanor*: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Sand Pebbles* (1966) Steve McQueen stars in this excellent movie set in 1926 China on the brink of civil war. Not without its flaws (one being that it's a bit on the long side), this film is still definitely worth a viewing.


----------



## Lurk

*Krull* (1983).  Despite the semi-obvious dubbings of some characters voices and a few cheesy scenes this movies was great.  For being made in 1983 the graphics were really cutting edge.  Not to mention the fact that it had Liam Neeson in it.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Time Travelers Wife*. Despite the title, this is NOT SF. It's a love story. And no matter how often the main character jumped back and forth in time, he could never get a good shave.


----------



## Interference

Unless someone explains how it's done, I'm not fussed whether or not I see (or read) that one.


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *The Time Travelers Wife*. Despite the title, this is NOT SF. It's a love story. And no matter how often the main character jumped back and forth in time, he could never get a good shave.



Was enjoyable tho, and Id argue that it is sf...


----------



## No One

Following in my quest of all things Halo - I've recently seen *Halo: Legends*. Seven short stories very much in the same mould as the Animatrix stuff.

A couple weren't so great, most were pretty good, and a couple were rather excellent.

Also caught most of *Trading Places* last night. Been a long, long while since I last saw that and still a great film.


----------



## J-Sun

I like _*Trading Places*_, too - dunno if it quite makes the 'great' cut to me (only about half a dozen comedies do), but it's very good.

I finally watched _*The Wolf Man*_ (the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. one). Strangely, I can only recall having seen one wolfman movie before and it was probably a 50s one involving a teenage wolfman. I don't remember what I thought of it. As far as this "classic", I was very underwhelmed. I wonder what I'm missing. The wolfman special effects seemed pretty awful and we were obviously on a set all the time and this had the worst "we're not really driving in a car" scenes ever, but you can't really hold that against it, anymore than you'd hold a bouncy rubber bat against _*Dracula*_. But Lon Chaney, Jr. seemed surprisingly clod-like as a normal human, the ham-handed romance was poor, Evelyn Ankers had no effect on me (except the negative one of bizarrely being a... ahem... not entirely proper woman for a 1941 movie), the entire ending sequence was completely predictable (though perhaps it might have been less so 70 years ago - though probably not), there was simple human distress at the how and whom of the climactic scene but no real psychological depth that I could see - (brief major (theoretical) spoiler digression): 



Spoiler



I'm speaking of Larry Talbot being killed by his dad - maybe if it had been the girl's father or fiancee maybe - or the girl herself.


 Incidentally, mom must have been _huge_ for Claude Rains to have had a part in producing Lon Chaney, Jr.  There's more stuff but I just didn't like this one. There's a decent story dying to get out, I guess, but the execution and details were poor. And this was even written by someone (Curt Siodmak) who I understand is supposed to be a 'real' author.

I have no idea what I've seen in the course of my life but, in the past couple of years or so, I've seen (or re-seen) (ranked best-to-worst) _*Frankenstein*_ (truly good), _*Dracula*_ (understandable classic after allowances), *The Mummy* (terrible, but with a great core or seed in it), *The Wolf Man*, and *Bride of Frankenstein* in the "Universal horror series". But I'm not a horror fan in general, just liking a couple of modern-era ones and having a strange interest in these old Universal flicks, so what do I know?


----------



## Connavar

I saw* Redbelt* and it was great little film that was a serious story about a judo fighter that didnt want be involved in the commercial circus,fake MMA competitions.  Chiwetel Ojifor was great in the role, has grown into one of my fav younger actors.

Also saw *The King's Speech *which was better than i thought because historical films like this are usually too dry.  Firth and Rush showed two quality actors can carry any story. You got more understanding for the role of being a symbol for the people, a king that must follow strict rules. 

I was also surprised to see Guy Pierce in the film. Rush and Pierce are two of my 3 fav Aussie actors


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> I finally watched _*The Wolf Man*_ (the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. one). Strangely, I can only recall having seen one wolfman movie before and it was probably a 50s one involving a teenage wolfman. I don't remember what I thought of it. As far as this "classic", I was very underwhelmed. I wonder what I'm missing. The wolfman special effects seemed pretty awful and we were obviously on a set all the time and this had the worst "we're not really driving in a car" scenes ever, but you can't really hold that against it, anymore than you'd hold a bouncy rubber bat against _*Dracula*_. But Lon Chaney, Jr. seemed surprisingly clod-like as a normal human, the ham-handed romance was poor, Evelyn Ankers had no effect on me (except the negative one of bizarrely being a... ahem... not entirely proper woman for a 1941 movie), the entire ending sequence was completely predictable (though perhaps it might have been less so 70 years ago - though probably not), there was simple human distress at the how and whom of the climactic scene but no real psychological depth that I could see - (brief major (theoretical) spoiler digression):
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I'm speaking of Larry Talbot being killed by his dad - maybe if it had been the girl's father or fiancee maybe - or the girl herself.
> 
> 
> Incidentally, mom must have been _huge_ for Claude Rains to have had a part in producing Lon Chaney, Jr.  There's more stuff but I just didn't like this one. There's a decent story dying to get out, I guess, but the execution and details were poor. And this was even written by someone (Curt Siodmak) who I understand is supposed to be a 'real' author.


 
Well, then I expect you'll love the latest 2010 version with Benicio Del Toro in the title role (He hardly needs any makeup for the transformation). I just watched it last night.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780653/

Lots of FX. No endless whining by Lon Chaney, Jr. ("Please doctor, you've got to help me"), no echoing of voices around the soundstaqe which doubles as an outdoor scene (I love the shooting blind that is all of 3 feet off the ground). And the ending is a major twist on Curt Siodmak's original script (which gets due credit). But, for all that, the new film can't capture the 1940s charm of the original. Flawed as it is, it still evokes a Halloween Night mystique. However, I liked the 2010 film more than I thought I would.

Completing the "crature feature" trifecta, I have also watched *Predators* with Adrien Brody in a very atypical role as well as the remake of *Clash of the Titans* with Sam Worthington in the Harry Hamlin role (How come Sam was the only person in the film with a marine haircut? For that matter why was Liam Neeson, as Zeus, dressed like Sir Lancelot?). Both of these were reasonably entertaining, but not "classics" by any stretch of the term.


----------



## Diggler

*Transformers: Dark of the Moon*

Thoroughly enjoyable popcorn extravaganza of mechanical violence, silliness and bimboism. The girl who replaced Megan Fox was absolutely horrid! She could not act and looked like an ape or a transvestite at times. The highlights of the film was the FX and the 3D. Both were impeccable! The 3D was integrated so well that it seemed like a natural thing.

Leave your brain at the door, take this film for what it is and you will be highly entertained. If you're looking for any type of substance, then you would never have even bothered considering this film! 8/10


----------



## slack

*Gattaca*

Smart, stylish science fiction. Enjoyed the film very much.

*Girl, Interrupted*

Another great film. Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie turn in great performances.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*The Fighter*

Good, good movie. Christian Bale was superb.


----------



## biodroid

Diggler said:


> *Transformers: Dark of the Moon*
> 
> Thoroughly enjoyable popcorn extravaganza of mechanical violence, silliness and bimboism. The girl who replaced Megan Fox was absolutely horrid! She could not act and looked like an ape or a transvestite at times. The highlights of the film was the FX and the 3D. Both were impeccable! The 3D was integrated so well that it seemed like a natural thing.
> 
> Leave your brain at the door, take this film for what it is and you will be highly entertained. If you're looking for any type of substance, then you would never have even bothered considering this film! 8/10



Is it better than *Transformers: Rise of the Fallen*?


----------



## Chaoticheart

*Me and Orson Welles.*

Went in hesitantly given it stars Zac Efron, but it turned out to be a very good film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Chaoticheart said:


> *Me and Orson Welles.*
> 
> Went in hesitantly given it stars Zac Efron, but it turned out to be a very good film.



The book was an entertaining little read too.


----------



## Diggler

biodroid said:


> Is it better than *Transformers: Rise of the Fallen*?



I haven't seen the second film for a long time, but I remember not liking it too much. Don't get me wrong though, this film had a lot of silly situations, cringe worthy acting, corny dialogue and everything else you would expect from a Michael Bay Transformers film. Though, I was easily able to suspend my disbelief and watch it for what it was. A Michael Bay Transformers film.

It would be hard pressed to win anything other than Best FX (and it does have pretty damn amazing FX) or maybe a few MTV awards. Though you don't go into a film like this expecting to see the next Citizen Kane or Godfather. You go in to eat popcorn and be entertained for a couple of hours. And entertained I was


----------



## J-Sun

clovis-man said:


> Well, then I expect you'll love the latest 2010 version with Benicio Del Toro in the title role (He hardly needs any makeup for the transformation). I just watched it last night.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780653/
> 
> Lots of FX. No endless whining by Lon Chaney, Jr. ("Please doctor, you've got to help me"), no echoing of voices around the soundstaqe which doubles as an outdoor scene (I love the shooting blind that is all of 3 feet off the ground). And the ending is a major twist on Curt Siodmak's original script (which gets due credit). But, for all that, the new film can't capture the 1940s charm of the original. Flawed as it is, it still evokes a Halloween Night mystique. However, I liked the 2010 film more than I thought I would.



Well, I can't stand Del Toro but, other than that, it sounds interesting. Good notes on the '41 one, too. For me, with the smoke rolling across the soundstage in the darkness, I could _almost_ get that mystique (mistyque?) but it just didn't quite get there for me.

On the other hand, I finally watched *The Invasion of the Body Snatchers* (1956) (mini-review on relevant thread) and it was really really good.

Also watched _*One Million Years B.C.*_ This movie had no redeeming qualities except (1) Raquel Welch in a fur bikini and (2) Martine Beswick in a fur bikini and (3) the two of them having a catfight. But, then, if I'm honest, those are all the redeeming qualities I really need.

(I am annoyed that, as I immediately noticed from the trailer and as wikipedia confirms, what would have been a fourth redeeming quality -  Martine Beswick in what looks like an incredible dance number - was cut from my US version. )


----------



## blacknorth

High Plains Invaders. Bunch of aliens terrorise the Old West to get the goodies from a uranium mine.

I enjoyed this one - acting and CGI were a bit ropey, probably budget constraints, but it was fun.


----------



## Boneman

Transformers 3 - same formula, but this time, a decent love interest!! British, ye!! How the heck they got a pg rating with the swear-words and sex-talk is beyond me. I only went because my son asked me, and it doesn't cost me anything. We watched it in 2D, can't stand 3D at the moment... even Pirates was out of focus too often.


----------



## Diggler

Boneman said:


> We watched it in 2D, can't stand 3D at the moment... even Pirates was out of focus too often.



You missed out on the best 3D that I've had the pleasure to watch. Pirates looked gimmicky from the 3D previews, so we saw that in 2D, and Sanctum my eyes were constantly out of focus. Even Tron, which had some pretty decent 3D, was still blurry and out of focus for large sections.

As I said in another post, the 3D in transformers was so good that you spent most of your time forgetting it was in 3D. It was mainly used to add depth and dimension to the film, rather than the dated 1950's style poke things out of the screen style of other films.

People have said that the 3D in Transformers is comparable to Avatar. I never saw Avatar at the cinema (or 3D for that matter), but if it was as good as this, I missed out on a real treat.


----------



## Boneman

Diggler said:


> You missed out on the best 3D that I've had the pleasure to watch. Pirates looked gimmicky from the 3D previews, so we saw that in 2D, and Sanctum my eyes were constantly out of focus. Even Tron, which had some pretty decent 3D, was still blurry and out of focus for large sections.
> 
> As I said in another post*, the 3D in transformers was so good that you spent most of your time forgetting it was in 3D. It was mainly used to add depth and dimension to the film, rather than the dated 1950's style poke things out of the screen style of other films.
> 
> People have said that the 3D in Transformers is comparable to Avatar. I never saw Avatar at the cinema (or 3D for that matter), but if it was as good as this, I missed out on a real treat.


 

Aah.... wish I'd known that*(these posts move so quickly sometimes!) . Avatar _was _good in 3D, which is why Pirates was so disappointing.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I saw Woody Allen's latest film *Midnight in Paris*. It was a really nice movie - really makes you want to go there.


----------



## Starbeast

*Super 8* wasn't bad and it made me watch *The Goonies* again which is still very cool. Then I was in the mood for some adult action movies, I watched *The Punisher (2004)* which was very violent (John Travolta makes a great villian) and the not so violent *Sniper 2* with Tom Berenger (great suspense). Both were fun to see again.


----------



## Diggler

Boneman said:


> Aah.... wish I'd known that*(these posts move so quickly sometimes!) . Avatar _was _good in 3D, which is why Pirates was so disappointing.



Still kicking myself for not seeing Avatar. Though at the time we weren't really into the whole cinema experience.


----------



## J-Sun

Got a VHS of _*Who Framed Roger Rabbit*_ for a quarter. I think this is just the second time I've seen it and I know it's the first in a zillion years and, while it loses some of the wow factor of the mixed live-action/animation after the first viewing, it's still a lot of fun. Totally worth the quarter.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Citizen Kane *thanks to new digital box that can record things you miss on tv.

The story maybe isnt up to the level of the films rep as the best in hollywood history but the directing of Wells, the visuals impressed me alot.


----------



## mosaix

_*Cinema Paradiso.*_ _Director's cut (2003).

_I am reliably informed that there are at least 3 different "director's cuts" - each with different endings.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Bridesmaids*, I indulged my wife and it was pretty funny, but also made me realise how stunning Rose Byrne is.


----------



## clovis-man

gully_foyle said:


> *Bridesmaids*, I indulged my wife and it was pretty funny, but also made me realise how stunning Rose Byrne is.


 
I'm a fan of Kristen Wiig, but I've been resisting going to see this one. Everyone who's seen it tells me it's hilarious. I may weaken.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

clovis-man said:


> I'm a fan of Kristen Wiig, but I've been resisting going to see this one. Everyone who's seen it tells me it's hilarious. I may weaken.


 
If you're a fan of Kristen Wiig, you must see it!


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Just saw *Transformers: Dark of the Moon* over the weekend.

A decent movie for what it was (apart from the horrible name). Let's face it, we don't go to see _Transformers_ for the clever storyline or the top-notch acting. We just want to have some fun. To that end, the first one was quite good, and the second was terrible.

This one is somewhere in between. Much better than the second, not quite as enjoyable as the first (probably because the first was 'new').

And really, it's probably enough with the franchise now.


----------



## LittleMissy

Hmmm, last movie I saw was *The King's Speech*.

I took my mum to the cinema for her birthday, that was what she picked!  I'd seen the trailers but had decided it wasn't 'my kind of film'.  But I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

The actors portrayed their characters REALLY well, and you definitely got a feel for the King and what he had to go through, and how important his role truly was!  All-in-all I'd say this one rated a 5/5 for me   I do so love it with you have no expectations for a film and then it turns out to be one of the better ones you see


----------



## clovis-man

Hilarious Joke said:


> If you're a fan of Kristen Wiig, you must see it!


 
Turns out you were right. I think the strength of the movie was that Kristen Wiig didn't feel like she had to do everything herself. Chris O'Dowd and Melissa McCarthy were great in their roles. The AC/DC tennis match was good. The Brazilian food aftermath went way beyond potty humor and the airplane ride to (almost) Vegas was another highlight. Overall, just a good package of entertainment, no matter how hackneyed the theme may be.


----------



## Foxbat

*Scanners* Although many years have passed since I last saw this movie, viewing it again confirms that  I still think this is one of Cronenberg's best movies.


----------



## Highlander

The Perfect Host (2010) - first shown at Sundance Festival in Jan that year.  Now avsilable on pay-per-view in the States and in some cinemas (from June 2011).  (With David Hyde Pierce) - A psychological thriller about a fugitive on the run who crashes a dinner party.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I saw *The Hangover Part II* over the weekend. Pretty funny...not as good as the first, but definately still funny. I actually liked that it followed the exact same formula as the first movie.

Also watched *True Grit* last night, and enjoyed it. The hubby and I were surprised how funny it was. Don't get me wrong, it's a drama, but there were some pretty funny lines in there.


----------



## Mouse

The Rock with Nic Cage and Sean Connery. Was on telly and I fancy I've seen it before.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Ratatouille *on the plane. Was somewhat underwhelmed.


----------



## Diggler

*Wake Wood*: A return to Hammer's roots, with a very English (well Irish) horror story about re-animation.


----------



## Lioness

*Transformers 3*

Never again.


----------



## Metryq

Lioness said:


> *Transformers 3*
> 
> Never again.


----------



## Highlander

Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows part I - in anticipation of next weeks part II (for which I have tix)  Will be watching it in 3D as well


----------



## svalbard

Diggler said:


> *Wake Wood*: A return to Hammer's roots, with a very English (well Irish) horror story about re-animation.



This was not a bad attempt at a horror movie. It was also well cast. Aidan Gillen seems to be appearing in a quite a few shows at the moment. A good twist at the end.


----------



## J-Sun

_*Moon*_. I have mixed feelings about this one, but I'm glad I saw it and will give it at least one re-watch. Parts of it are the proverbial "great science fiction movie" and parts of it are just not well thought out or properly paced and the ending feels a bit off.


----------



## Diggler

svalbard said:


> This was not a bad attempt at a horror movie. It was also well cast. Aidan Gillen seems to be appearing in a quite a few shows at the moment. A good twist at the end.



It was quite a decent lower budget horror. I also didn't expect the twist at the end. Today was one that is likely to get Starbeast excited... *2019: After the Fall of New York*.

Legendary schlock "Italo Trash" from Sergio Martino. This was a blatant rip-off of Escape From New York. Silly, absurd, poorly acted and every stupid thing you could expect from 80's Italian cinema. Though highly enjoyable, in a camp way. 4/5


----------



## Connavar

I saw *The Duellists* from 1977 and Ridley Scott's first film.  It was surprisingly fine little historical film. Wonderful visuals and strong acting, pretty realistic sword action.  It impressed me more than any Scott films from 90s and 2000s.

Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel was really good in the film.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

I"m not sure if this means that last movie that we payed to get into a theater with the big thing of popcorn that you climb into and the big drink, or the last movie we saw anywhere. But- the last movie I saw was this foreign film that they said was a true story about a guy who was a paraplegic and wanted to die. He was living with his family and would have dreams about being out in the world. Was pretty good. Not as depressing as one would think. I don't remember the name of it though. Before that it was probably a repeat of a movie I'd already seen. My definition of a great movie is if you see it on you have to stop and watch it.


----------



## J-Sun

JustPassingThrough said:


> I"m not sure if this means that last movie that we payed to get into a theater with the big thing of popcorn that you climb into and the big drink, or the last movie we saw anywhere.



I'd never thought about it before, but I've always taken it to mean any movie any how. For instance, I watched _Moon_ on DVD.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Let's see: The last movie in the theatre that I saw was G.I. Joe.

The last one at home was the foreign one I mentioned earlier.

My friends and I keep making mention that we need to designate one night as movie night so as to catch up on everything that's out there.


----------



## Connavar

J-Sun said:


> I'd never thought about it before, but I've always taken it to mean any movie any how. For instance, I watched _Moon_ on DVD.



I watch 90% of my films in DVD thanks to my lovefilm account.  Why waste money on bad films on the cinema when you can rent Kurosawa,Orson Welles, new european films from UK,France


----------



## dask

TRUE GRIT by the Coen Brothers. Very good, I enjoyed their version despite being a fan of the John Wayne original. I could accept all casting differences except one. Robert Duvall did such a great job as Ned Pepper that as good as his replacement was the wheel was a little sqeeky. Still, thoroughly enjoyable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> I'd never thought about it before, but I've always taken it to mean any movie any how. For instance, I watched _Moon_ on DVD.



99% of my films are watched on DVD or download.  I live 80 miles from the nearest cinema.  On the  roads round here that's a 5 hour + round trip.  Long way.  Too far.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just finished watching *American Beauty*. Shockingly, never watched it before. I won't bore you. You all know it's ruddy brilliant.


----------



## Diggler

*Dogtooth*: This was an extremely strange little film from Greece. The parents of three seemingly adult children have led them to believe that the world is a wasteland, and the only safe place is within the confines of their compound home. 

Funny, weird and downright creepy in parts. This film is a satirical look at the molly coddling society we have become. Choosing to hide our children from reality, rather than letting them learn from their own mistakes, and a broad stab at censorship.

A definite 5/5


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Hmm. Almost sounds like something that M. Night Shaymalongadingdong (no idea on spelling) would do.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Resident Evil: Extinction last night. This was a poor movie.


----------



## No One

*Shadow of the Vampire* - just to remind myself of what a terrific film it is.


----------



## Freelancer

*Screamers* - Old, low budget, quite different than the original novel, The Second Variety, but it's still better than most of the present movies labelled as sci-fi.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Freelancer said:


> *Screamers* - Old,



WHAT?!?  1995 isn't 'old'.  1927 is 'old'  1939 is 'old'   1995 is er... - not that recent.


----------



## HoopyFrood

JustPassingThrough said:


> M. Night Shaymalongadingdong (no idea on spelling)



Hahaha. 

Watching *Terminator II* at the moment. 'Cos it's on tv.


----------



## Freelancer

JunkMonkey said:


> WHAT?!?  1995 isn't 'old'.  1927 is 'old'  1939 is 'old'   1995 is er... - not that recent.


You have a point.


----------



## Diggler

*The Last Circus*

I have been a fan of Alex de la Iglesia since catching his wildly original Accion Mutante on television in 1993 (yes our TV used to be that good!). Since then he has made a name for himself with outlandish and rather kooky films centred around violence and Catholicism.

The Last Circus starts during the Spanish Revolution where a Circus clown is enlisted to fight against the rebels. His son watches his father lose, get thrown in jail, then executed during a botched escape. It then moves on to 1972, and the young boy has grown up and joined a dysfunctional circus as a sad clown. He and the female trapeze artist start a relationship. Though her partner, the lead clown, is a violently jealous and sadistic man. Which leads to violent life changing events.

I enjoyed this film. It was irreverent, dark and amusing. But it just didn't really have the same sort of impact on me as Iglesia's previous efforts.

6.5/10


----------



## Diggler

JustPassingThrough said:


> Hmm. Almost sounds like something that M. Night Shaymalongadingdong (no idea on spelling) would do.



If Hollywood chose to remake it, I'd hope they'd hire M. Night Shaymalongadingdong to direct!


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Saw *Super 8* a couple of weeks ago.

Decent film, but one that was pretty anti-climactic. In fact, the movie sort of started going downhill after the alien kidnapped the girl.

And speaking of which, when will Hollywood get tired of shoving pre-pubescent puppy love down our throats? Am I supposed to be touched or impressed by the 'love story' between the kids? At least when it's adults, we can pretend that they "lived happily ever after"; am I supposed to kid myself into believing that these two even made it through high school?

Note to Hollywood: enough with 13-year-old lovebirds who risk their lives for each other. We're not buying it.

6.5/10


----------



## Connavar

*Dead Man's Shoes* from 2004 by the english director famous for the film This Is England.  This film is better than the more famous one of his.  It was one of most real,brutal revenge stories i have seen. Hard to watch emotionally because you know people are to terrible to weaker people all the time. A calm film that was so toned down it became much more.


----------



## Highlander

*Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows part 1* - to remind myself of it before watching the last chapter. (in 3D)


----------



## Mouse

*Knocked Up*. On telly so missed the first part. I usually don't find these sorts of films funny, but this one had me giggling. Plus Alan Tudyk automatically makes any film awesome.


----------



## HoopyFrood

That does seem to be on tv a lot of late. Watched most of it the other night and noticed, for the first time, "Omguh! It's Wash!"


----------



## Mouse

It put a grin on my face as soon as I saw him!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Devil's Advocate said:


> Saw *Super 8* a couple of weeks ago.
> 
> Decent film, but one that was pretty anti-climactic. In fact, the movie sort of started going downhill after {Big Snip}
> 
> 
> 6.5/10



Oh Thanks! I didn't need to know that.  Are there guidelines for spoilers on this thread / forum?


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Whoops! My bad. That was stupid of me. I can't even edit it out, anymore...

Sorry about that.


(Although in my defense, it doesn't ruin the movie. You could tell that would happen after 17 minutes and 34 seconds into the movie.)


----------



## biodroid

Mouse said:


> *Knocked Up*. On telly so missed the first part. I usually don't find these sorts of films funny, but this one had me giggling. Plus Alan Tudyk automatically makes any film awesome.



You should see him in Transformers 3, a brilliant character and the best film out of the trilogy. Even Patrick Dempsey plays a role he is not used aka the romantic comedy.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2.


----------



## Connavar

*Hanna*


A really smart take on spy/action thriller that is the best i have seen in the genre in years along with Bourne Ultimatum.  The young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was surprisingly good in her role, Chemical Brothers music in the action scenes was just awesome.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Kill Bill. Both of them.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Hey, I like 'em.


----------



## Mouse

biodroid said:


> You should see him in Transformers 3, a brilliant character and the best film out of the trilogy. Even Patrick Dempsey plays a role he is not used aka the romantic comedy.



Ta. Didn't know he was in that. I'll now have to watch it!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Invasion  *- the 4th film version of Jack Finney's _The Body Snatchers. _ And a miserable experience it was too.  Very poor.


----------



## Diggler

*We Are What we Are*

After the patriarch of the family dies suddenly, the eldest son is forced to become the leader and take up the responsibilites of keeping the family fed. This involves hunting down people to be slaughtered for the families consumption.

While the film is marketed as a horror, it is in fact more a family drama. The children have been forced to take on dangerous responsibilities they have never had to endure before.

4/5


----------



## JustPassingThrough

The Bucket List.

Watching it as we speak. So far, so good.


----------



## terryweide

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. A little different than I thought it would be, but pretty enjoyable.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Dang- and I'm still waiting to see the Half Blood Prince!


----------



## Rangerton

Grown ups with Adam Sandler. A good funny film, but then I like Adam Sandler!

3/5


----------



## Foxbat

*The Great White Silence* (1924) This is Herbert Ponting's official record of Captain Scott's ill-fated South Pole Expedition. Recently restored and released by the British Film Institute, this film is compelling, sobering, powerful and deeply moving.


----------



## HoopyFrood

No One's making me watch films, the fiend. We've just watched *The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou* -- as usual for Wes Anderson, a very colourful, beautiful film with excellent dialogue. Damn him and his film abilities. 

And next up is *Unbreakable*.


----------



## clovis-man

HoopyFrood said:


> No One's making me watch films, the fiend. We've just watched *The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou* -- as usual for Wes Anderson, a very colourful, beautiful film with excellent dialogue. Damn him and his film abilities.
> 
> And next up is *Unbreakable*.


 
Both very entertaining movies.

Just watched *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One*. I am no longer anxious to see part two. Perhaps my problem is that I have never read a Rowling story.


----------



## JustPassingThrough

Space Balls


----------



## Mouse

Marley and Me on TV last night. Saaaaaaad!!


----------



## HoopyFrood

clovis-man said:


> Both very entertaining movies.



Yeah, enjoyed both!

Now it's my turn to reciprocate and I'm going to make him watch *Little Miss Sunshine*.


----------



## Connavar

Me im on TV movies, tv series dvd run.   I saw *The Sign of Four* the first Sherlock Holmes film/tv series with the always brilliant Jeremy Brett.  He is so perfect as Sherlock Holmes that somehow fit with the impossible ideal picture of the famous sleuth i have as a fan of the books.  Im obsessed about him, i have forgot everyone other actor who has ever played Holmes that i know


----------



## alchemist

HoopyFrood said:


> Now it's my turn to reciprocate and I'm going to make him watch *Little Miss Sunshine*.


 
A cruel and unusual punishment.

*Tron Legacy* - better than expected. CGI young-Jeff-Bridges was funny.

*Paul *- quite good. I laughed heartily at the "Leave her alone, you bitch!"


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> Yeah, enjoyed both!
> 
> Now it's my turn to reciprocate and I'm going to make him watch *Little Miss Sunshine*.



No prizes then for the last film I saw...

Excellent flick. Can't quite fathom how I've missed this one over the years. Highly recommended.


----------



## WizardofOwls

Saw 2012 again, for like the 100th time. LOVE the special effects, but think the premise - world destruction in 2012 - is groundless and completely stupid.


----------



## LittleMissy

Went to the cinema with the family yesterday to watch *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2* - which I loved!!!  (think I may have to start a new thread to discuss this one 'though - if anyone else is interested in discussing it that is... we shall see!)

Also saw *I am Number 4* back at mum's house on Virgin Movies.  Wasn't wuite sure what to expect from this as a film as I'd never heard of it before.  It was about a group of 9 aliens who had escaped to Earth and were hiding from some other aliens that wanted to kill them - and of course, they had some super cool powers!  It was okay.  However, I felt kinda like that missed something out from it.  I think it said in the end titles that it was based on a book, so many I'll check that out of my library and see it that's any better.


----------



## deaconllq

*Iron Man 2*  Am I supposed to like a rich, spoiled, misogynistic ass who actually is the one who plunges the world into danger only to extract it after the body count has piled up?


----------



## AE35Unit

Battle:Los Angeles, pretty good!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

deaconllq said:


> *Iron Man 2* Am I supposed to like a rich, spoiled, misogynistic ass who actually is the one who plunges the world into danger only to extract it after the body count has piled up?


 
If *Iron Man 2* is anything like *Iron Man* then I'd say "No. You most definitely do not have to like him". 

I found Robert Downey Jr (and Tony Stark) insufferably smug. In fact, RDJ is getting more smug with each passing year. I now actively avoid any film he's in.


----------



## AE35Unit

Daisy-Boo said:


> If *Iron Man 2* is anything like *Iron Man* then I'd say "No. You most definitely do not have to like him".
> 
> I found Robert Downey Jr (and Tony Stark) insufferably smug. In fact, RDJ is getting more smug with each passing year. I now actively avoid any film he's in.



We thought both were very good!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

AE35Unit said:


> We thought both were very good!


 
Many people loved both movies (I see rave reviews all over the web) but I'm simply not one of those people. I was bored throughout the first one and didn't even bother with the second. I think I would've liked Iron Man if RDJ hadn't starred. As I said in my previous comment, I find him insufferably smug. I used to be a big fan (and would watch something simply because he was in it) but over the years I've just grown bored with his snarky, been-there-done-that performance style.


----------



## antiloquax

I started to watch the first "Iron Man" with my wife. She gave up quite quickly, complaining that it was a film about welding!

I have recently watched most of "Limitless". I thought the idea was quite nice, but was a bit disappointed with what they did with it. Surely there are better things to do with that sort of brain-power than make lots of money? Haven't watched the last 30 minutes and not sure if I will bother.
a


----------



## clovis-man

Something of a double feature for me:

*The Four Feathers* (1939)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031334/

and *The Four Feathers* (2002)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240510/

The older film was made on the eve of the Second World War, yet had more of an anti-war message than the later film (which was made 100 years after the A.E.W. Mason book was published). Oddly, the older film, made by Zoltan Korda, is less ethnocentric than the 2002 remake. The later film features a needless role played by Djimon Hounsou that equates to a "Man Friday" to Heath Ledger's Faversham. Korda is well known for his ethnically authentic supporting characters, if not his leading role players. Moreover, even with the 1939 characterization of the Sudanese enemy as the "Fuzzy-Wuzzies", there was more credence given to the opponents of the British expeditionary force as a legitimate foe than the 2002 attribution of the Sudanese as simply following the dictates of the Mahdi, and messing up the chronology of the tale in the process.

No contest in terms of acting. Wes Bentley was a pale version of Ralph Richardson's Captain Durrance. June Duprez was a low key leading lady in her day, but much to be preferred over Kate Hudson's vapid performance. Heath Ledger was, at least, on a par with the role of Harry Faversham as played by John Clements in 1939.

Still, it was fun to see both in the same day.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2*

It's all over  Snape was such a great character.


----------



## Susan Boulton

Hubby away, so I am spending a bit more time in front of the goggle box.

The Eagle, quite good. Chuckled at the fact all the Romans had American accents (was the director trying to say something  )

Avatar (again) I enjoy spotting the amount of small detail that was crammed into the scenes, knowing that they are for the most part CGI.

Star Trek!. What's not to like lol It also has three very good looking men in the main roles....


----------



## Connavar

The New Centurions from 1972 with young Stacy Keach and George C. Scott.

One of the best,real police drams i have seen from US and you could see it was based on a book by an author known for that kind story.  It was not shoot them up cop drama more like a realistic take on the never-ending urban crime hell some police on the streets deal with.


----------



## FeedMeTV

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which was just on ITV


----------



## Diggler

*Exit Through The Gift Shop*

Great documentary about 'Street Art" and some of the most influential people involved in the movement. While it had a story about the documentarians increased involvement, and selling out, it kind of made me wonder whether this was more mockumentary than documentary.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Fascinating guy Banksy. One of my favourite quotes of his:



> “I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me. ”


----------



## Metryq

Hilarious Joke said:


> Fascinating guy Banksy. One of my favourite quotes of his:



Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?


----------



## Diggler

Hilarious Joke said:


> Fascinating guy Banksy. One of my favourite quotes of his:



I'd actually never heard of him before this film. But I found his art to be highly original and really quite inspiring.


----------



## Gabriel007

X-Men: First Class

It's neither good nor bad, but it's entertaining enough to keep my interest.


----------



## alchemist

Cars 2 (in old-school 2-D): excellent visuals (especially Tokyo) and it entertained the kids. Lacked the charm of the first, and whatever message there was about friendship got lost in the explosions and flying cars. Verdict: not great.


----------



## Diggler

*Survive Style 5+*

Funny and irreverent. Survive Style 5+ is A kaleidoscopic journey of self discovery and existentialism within modern day Japan. It follows 5 separate groups of people, who's lives all inevitably intertwine with each other in some way. The ad executive that constantly has visions of bizarre advertisements. The man who is hypnotised into thinking he's a bird or the man who buries his wife every night, to come home and get beaten senseless by her, are truly wonders to behold.  This is absurd cinema at it's finest, and is the sort of film only the Japanese could possibly transfer onto celluloid.

5/5


----------



## Moonbat

After 16 months of having it on our DVD harddrive we finally got round to watching *A complete history of my sexual failures* - a rather amusing documentary about a film maker who decides to interview all his past girlfriends to find out what went wrong, at times hilarious, sad, touching and too bizarre to believe some of it wasn't faked, this was much better than we had anticipated and had some moments of true hilarity and insight. I think Sacha Baron Cohen might have stolen one of the scenes for his Bruno film, but it was much funnier/more disturbing in this film. 

Also watched *The Other Guys* with Mark Whalberg and Will Ferrell the other night, really quite funny in places, a shame it had to have hollywood style action interspersed with the comedy, as the comedy was sometimes brilliant and the action was nothing special. Some great lines and wonderful small parts for the Rock and Samuel L Jackson.


----------



## Pyan

*Harry Potter 8* (or *HP7 Pt2*, if you prefer)

Generally good winding up of the saga. One or two moments when I thought "Huh? That's different!", but all-in-all fairly close to the book. Some really good set-pieces, and the gradual disintegration of Voldemort (I mean, over the film, not literally) was an excellent piece of work by Ralph Fiennes.

7½/10


----------



## svalbard

Ironclads with James Purefoy. I expected more out of this Medieval movie. Watching it I wondered why did they have to : 1. Change History 2. Invent characters and 3. Ignore History.


----------



## Abd-L-zeez

its shrek 4 .. it was good but not as goo as shrek 2


----------



## No One

Moonbat said:


> Also watched *The Other Guys* with Mark Whalberg and Will Ferrell the other night, really quite funny in places, a shame it had to have hollywood style action interspersed with the comedy, as the comedy was sometimes brilliant and the action was nothing special. Some great lines and wonderful small parts for the Rock and Samuel L Jackson.



"Aim for the bushes!" 

Just seen *Mutant Girl Squad*: a heart-warming, subtext-filled, drama of what it's like to be a social freak - subtly directed, elegantly written, beautifully acted...

...yeah right.

I'm not even a big fan of Yoshihiro Nishimura's work (having co-directed this), whose films don't so much require a suspension as a lobotomy of disbelief. If you had a drink every time there's a fountain of blood on-screen, you'd never make it to the end of the film for retching over the sink.

Utterly, utterly, utterly bizarre - to say nothing of nipple-swords and, er, "posterior" chainsaws.

Occasionally brilliant, frequently hilarious, but _probably _not to everyone's taste.


----------



## j d worthington

My own viewing has been rather sparse, but in the last few weeks I've had a rather diverse set of things:

*Bell, Book and Candle* (with Kim Novak and James Stewart)
*Patton* (with George C. Scott)
*Nixon* (with ... well, you name it!)
*A Few Good Men* (my first time to actually see the entire film)
*Bullitt* (ditto, believe it or not!)
*The Cincinnati Kid*
a documentary on Steve McQueen
*The French Connection*
*Clash of the Titans* (the original)
*The Taiking of Pelham One Two Three* (ditto)
*A Bridge Too Far*
*Scaramouche* (1923)


----------



## Tillane

j. d. worthington said:


> *Clash of the Titans* (the original)


This has been on Channel 4...or 5 (I forget which) almost every day for the last fortnight.  And I've been good, and only watched it twice.


----------



## clovis-man

*Idiocracy* with Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph. One of the silliest SF movies you're ever likely to see. The premise is that natural selection has expired and the stupid inherit the Earth. Watch this and then think about what's going on in Washington D.C. right now. Hmmm. Maybe not so far-fetched after all.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> *Idiocracy* with Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph. One of the silliest SF movies you're ever likely to see. The premise is that natural selection has expired and the stupid inherit the Earth. Watch this and then think about what's going on in Washington D.C. right now. Hmmm. Maybe not so far-fetched after all.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/


 
My problem with this film is that it is obviously taken from C. M. Kornbluth's "The Marching Morons" -- not only the idea, but large sections of the plot and action, and even parts of the dialogue -- without benefit of even an acknowledgment. Sorry, but that sort of thing... well, to avoid being vulgar, let's just say I tend to react like a bull does to a red flag (according to folklore, anyway....)


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> My own viewing has been rather sparse, but in the last few weeks I've had a rather diverse set of things:
> 
> *Bell, Book and Candle* (with Kim Novak and James Stewart)
> *Patton* (with George C. Scott)
> *Nixon* (with ... well, you name it!)
> *A Few Good Men* (my first time to actually see the entire film)
> *Bullitt* (ditto, believe it or not!)
> *The Cincinnati Kid*
> a documentary on Steve McQueen
> *The French Connection*
> *Clash of the Titans* (the original)
> *The Taiking of Pelham One Two Three* (ditto)
> *A Bridge Too Far*
> *Scaramouche* (1923)



Lot of quality films there and The Cincinnati kid i thought was a film ?

What do you think is the best George C Scott film other than Patton ?

I saw a film *The New Centurions* with him being very human, strong in it and felt to see more of him.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> What do you think is the best George C Scott film other than Patton ?


 
Yep, *Cincinnati Kid* was a film, and one with a rather troubled production, it seems. Originally it was to be directed by Sam Peckinpah, but he did some things with his version to which the producer took extreme umbrage, and was fired early on. I've not read the novel, so can't say how well it compares with that; but speaking of it strictly as a film, I thought it was quite good, with some excellent performances and some very nice subtexts going on....

On Scott... oddly, despite my liking of the man's work, I've actually seen very little of it, so I don't feel competent to answer that one....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> On Scott... oddly, despite my liking of the man's work, I've actually seen very little of it, so I don't feel competent to answer that one....


 
I'm not any kind of authority, but it would be hard not to like his portrayal of Gen. Buck Turgidson in *Dr. Strangelove*. One of my favorite roles of his is that of a mentally unbalanced latter day Sherlock Holmes, Justin Playfair in *They Might Be Giants* (1971). Unfortunately, it seems to be hard to find a copy for viewing these days.


----------



## Moonbat

I have just come back from watching *The Tree of Life* at the cinema, and I must say with all my heart that it is ATROCIOUS. I don't think I have ever seen such an awful film, definitely not seen anything that rubbish at the cinema.
In short it is a load of pretensious twaddle, if only I could swear I'd tell you how bad it really is. There isn't much I can say about it except that it somehow spreads 20mins of story telling over 2 and half hours.
Full of nonsense whispering, arty shots (which in themselves aren't bad but just too many of them) and pointless infuriating moments of quiet stuff.
There's a whole section that is hubble space telescope pictures in some feeble attempt to show the birth of the universe/galaxy/earth or something, I recognised plenty of them from NASA picture of the day, but it was trying too hard to get some deep message across and I didn't feel that there was one.
I am fond of art movies, but this is the worst pile of c.r.a.p I have ever seen. I can't even begin to calm down, to think I wasted £20 on watching it, and 150 minutes of my life. 
Please please please do not see this film! I'm begging you for your own sake.

Saying that, I'm sure someone will find it good, we only went becuase we saw it got a 5 star review somewhere, I'd be interested to hear if anyone thinks it is anything better than awful.
Remember *The tree of life* is terrible.


----------



## No One

*Blades of Blood* - had no idea what to expect from this as it was just a random choice of South Korean film.

It predominantly follows one man's vengeful journey, encompassing his training at the hands of a Zatoichi-like (i.e: blind) master swordsman, wrapped in a somewhat complicated civil war breaking out across Korea in the face of an impending Japanese invasion.

It hits predictable plot points pretty much throughout, but goes to show that even with a lack of originality something can still be brilliantly directed, written, performed and be genuinely funny and moving (are you paying attention James Cameron!?).

The swordplay was also superb, not overly choreographed, but slick and with a lot of (for lack of a better word) _oomph!_ Plus I though the antagonist played his part exceptionally well.

Will definitely be keeping an eye out for this one to add to my foreign film legion.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Captain America*

I enjoyed it! I thought it was good fun. Looking forward to *The Avengers*!


----------



## Susan Boulton

Hilarious Joke said:


> *Captain America*
> 
> I enjoyed it! I thought it was good fun. Looking forward to *The Avengers*!


 
So did I, loved the setting, but somehow I don't think the character will work as well in the present day.


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> Yep, *Cincinnati Kid* was a film, and one with a rather troubled production, it seems. Originally it was to be directed by Sam Peckinpah, but he did some things with his version to which the producer took extreme umbrage, and was fired early on. I've not read the novel, so can't say how well it compares with that; but speaking of it strictly as a film, I thought it was quite good, with some excellent performances and some very nice subtexts going on....
> 
> On Scott... oddly, despite my liking of the man's work, I've actually seen very little of it, so I don't feel competent to answer that one....



Funny enough Sam Peckinpah has become one of my fav directors and the one i get most dvds of after Kurosawa.  I saw Getaway film of him and it was my first Steve McQueen film in many years.  I have forgot how cool he could be and he was the only real good thing about the film.

For Peckinpah film it was pretty weak specially compared to the great,weird Jim Thompson novel.   I blame Walter Hill screenplay mostly.

What was the documentary you saw then ?  

Shame about Scott i was hoping for someone who knew his best films.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We went and saw *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2*. I thought it was a great ending to a great series of movies. It's a bit sad there won't be anymore books or movies coming out.

Also rented *The Adjustment Bureau*, which I thought was quite good. Even my husband liked it.


----------



## Foxbat

*A Warning To The Curious* (1972)

A pretty good BBC adaptation of the MR James story. It was done as part of their_ Ghost Story For Christmas_ series.

Personally, I thought it was a cracker....(yes, that was intended)


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> Shame about Scott i was hoping for someone who knew his best films.


 
Conn, does this mean you don't trust my recommendations??

As far as Peckinpah is concerned, you should see *Ride The High Country *from 1962. It was intended to be the last film made by Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott. They reasoned that they were both at the end of their respective careers and wanted to go out with a winner. McCrea had second thoughts and made a couple more. He should have stopped with this one which I consider a classic.


----------



## Connavar

No clovis i saw your post and i noted those film down.   I meant i was hoping for one of you to know alot of his films.


*Ride The High Country *i saw last year and was one of films that made focus on Peckinpah films.   I have seen it, Killer Elite, The Head of Alfredo Garcia, Straw Dogs, Getaway.   I have Billy Kid film and Wild Bunch left.  I have seen Wild Bunch on tv many time but never sat down to watch it.

In my Lovefilm account list i have 7 Peckinpah films


----------



## soulsinging

Raiders of the Lost Ark. Just put on Temple of Doom. I'm doing the marathon today. This movie does not improve with age... the opening song and dance number is one of the worst intros in movie history... is this Indy the ass-kicking nazi-fighter or Singin in the Rain?


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I watched *True Grit*, and enjoyed it. I thought Matt Damon did pretty good, I would never have pictured him in a western, but I thought he pulled it off.


----------



## j d worthington

The documentary I saw was a TCM production, *Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool*. Quite informative, and with some very interesting personal accounts and observations from friends, his widow, his first wife, and son (as well as various people from the industry who worked with him, incluiding several stuint men who respected him highly... something they don't often do).


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *The Ninth Gate*, a weird paranormal thriller with Johnny Depp (1999)


----------



## Diggler

*Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes*:

Went and saw this one tonight, and loved it! What I expected to be a summer action flick turned into something so much better. Thoughtful and poignant in parts, Andy Serkis was so believable as Caesar, the main protagonist of the film, that you could feel, and understand his pain and anguish. 

Be warned, this is nothing like what the trailer portrays. It is not an action film, rather a very well done drama, with some amazing action near the end. The film is about the evolution of ape, rather than the destruction of man.

8.5/10


----------



## Foxbat

*Dinocroc vs Supergator *

Stupid, ridiculous, badly acted, cliched monster hokum. But, strangely, I enjoyed it. It should have a caption at the beginning saying _'Please disengage_ _brain before viewing'._

If you were a fan of Megashark Vs Giant Octopus then you will probably like this


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> It should have a caption at the beginning saying _'Please disengage_ _brain before viewing'._



Instead of subtitles, maybe home videos should offer an optional MST3K video silhouette track. Just press the "Sarc" button on your remote.


----------



## Diggler

*Ironclad*:

Historical "Hack n Slash" extravaganza. While the story was one dimensional and the production was not very high, the film still has it's merits. Giamatti as the megalomaniacal King John was great, as per usual and the film kept quite a decent pace. While it was no award winner, it still held my interest for 120 minutes. 

6/10

*Captain America*:

Finally Marvel have managed to get a decent rendition of Captain America to the big screen. A fantastic popcorn flick that should be enjoyed for what it is. It was also great to see Hugo Weaving getting some more roles outside of Australia too.

7/10


----------



## slack

*Cowboys and Aliens*

Nearly every cliche in Hollywood is used, and even though some moments are downright cringeworthy, it was an enjoyable flick. Nice to see Sam Rockwell get some time to shine among all the other A-listers. He is instantly likeable, and provides some laughs.


----------



## clovis-man

slack said:


> Nice to see Sam Rockwell get some time to shine among all the other A-listers. He is instantly likeable, and provides some laughs.


 
He was great in *Galaxy Quest* and had the best line in the movie:

"Oh, that's not right!"


----------



## Diggler

clovis-man said:


> He was great in *Galaxy Quest* and had the best line in the movie:
> 
> "Oh, that's not right!"



Yeah Sam Rockwell has always been the quiet achiever. And obviously has good sense when picking roles, because he rarely picks a dud character.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Highlander 2  *- that was three days ago and I've still not stopped laughing.


----------



## Tansy

Super 8 - it was entertaining but had the typical Hollywood twee ending


----------



## Oskari

*Winter's Bone*

A deceptively beautiful movie. Ugly on the outside; beautiful on the inside. If you want to know (from my opinion) what great storytelling is all about, do yourself a favour and watch it. If you can get passed the ugliness, you will be rewarded with genuinely well-crafted character arcs and superb atmospherics. The acting is solid. I really liked the full-roundedness of the main characters, especially the character known as, Teardrop.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tansy said:


> Super 8 - it was entertaining but had the typical Hollywood twee ending




One of the main reasons I don't watch Speilberg's films.


----------



## Star Girl

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1*
Well actually this weekend I watched 7 Harry Potter films, now I'm not a fan of the books and I watched these out of curiousity... wow these are terrible films. 

Okay I'll be fair, the score is beautiful in each and every film, the acting is good and the sets looks great. 
But really I know that these films expect you to have read the books but I'm the one person who hasn't and I didn't understand much, simply because they never explained anything. If I hadn't been watching them with my friend who did read the books then I really wouldn't have gotten any of the missing plot points, especially in the last 4 or so films. 
It really does expect you to fill the blanks in yourself. Which is a little irritating. For instance in 'The Order of the Phoenix' in all the film they never actually tell you what The Order of the Phoenix is. They mention 'The Order' and they talk about the group they formed, but they never actually let you know what it is. I assumed it was the main group fighting Voldemort... but thats just a guess. I know if they mention 'The Order' you kind of assume, but there could be many orders of such things in this world... so you can't really be sure. 
I know I'm going to be whinged at for not reading the books and why watch the films if I didn't read the books, but I never got in to Harry Potter and the films are always haunting me so I gave them ago... and they were terrible.


----------



## Cayal

Diggler said:


> It was also great to see Hugo Weaving getting some more roles outside of Australia too.



Aside from Lord Elrond, V, Agent Smith, Megatron?


----------



## Diggler

Cayal said:


> Aside from Lord Elrond, V, Agent Smith, Megatron?



Lord Elrond he was chosen due to his being Australian, a great actor and being so damn close to New Zealand. Megatron and V were nothing but voice roles. There was even questions about whether He even played the role of V. This has done nothing to further his career abroad.

Also out of these 4 roles in international films, in the past 11 years, He has starred in more than 10 Australian films, multitudes of Aussie short films and a couple of tv episodes.

As I stated, it is good to see him getting some more roles out of Australia!


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> *Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes*:
> Be warned, this is nothing like what the trailer portrays. It is not an action film, rather a very well done drama, with some amazing action near the end. The film is about the evolution of ape, rather than the destruction of man.


 
Thanks for the reveiw, I was expecting an action movie.



*Tales From the Crypt (1972)*

Great anthology of horror stories that were taken from the original 1950's EC comic books. I really liked the theme of the movie by having a seemingly sinister man relay the terrible and horrible deeds that people commit, only to let them know that Hell is the reward for evil doers.


----------



## Tansy

JunkMonkey said:


> One of the main reasons I don't watch Speilberg's films.



Me too the other half talked me into watching it


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tansy said:


> Me too the other half talked me into watching it



My wife and I came to an unspoken arrangement several years ago not to talk each other into watching films.   I think I'd watched too many films starring with former cast members of _Friends_ and there's no way in hell she'd even look at the cover of anything with chainsaws, slime beasts, or David Lynch's name on it - though I did manage to get _The Straight Story_ past her radar by faking a coughing fit during the opening credits and distracting her.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> and there's no way in hell she'd even look at the cover of anything with chainsaws, slime beasts, or David Lynch's name on it



This is all the stuff my wife likes... The weirder the better seems to be her latest fad.


----------



## marsh987

The last movie I saw Rise of t Planet of the Apes. _In this movie using 3D. This is superb movie
_​


----------



## Moonbat

Super 8 is a J J Abrahms film, Speilberg just produced it.
But it is very much a homage to Speilberg.


----------



## Connavar

Isnt he the bad guy in Captain America ?   Weaving is too good to work only in Australia.

I would like to see him star in a film and not just be the cool villain or someone like V.

In V For Vendetta really his voice made the film, some other normal voice would sound lame.  V had to be mystery man, you cant see his face in the costume.  That would not be the famous story it was adapting.


----------



## Joel007

Finally watched _The Book of Eli_. Cracking good show


----------



## Diggler

Connavar said:


> Isnt he the bad guy in Captain America ?   Weaving is too good to work only in Australia.
> 
> I would like to see him star in a film and not just be the cool villain or someone like V.
> 
> In V For Vendetta really his voice made the film, some other normal voice would sound lame.  V had to be mystery man, you cant see his face in the costume.  That would not be the famous story it was adapting.



It looks like he'll be making a return for *The Hobbit*, and he's slated to take a starring role in The Wachowski rendition of David Mitchell's *Cloud Atlas* too. Anyways, it's still good to see him doing some films, even if they are just local efforts. Which I highly recommend sourcing out Little Fish. One of Weaving's best roles.

As for movies watched. *Scream 4*:

Was nothing more than a remake of Scream 1. Tried so hard to be intelligent and funny, but came across as pretentious and silly.


----------



## clovis-man

Diggler said:


> It looks like he'll be making a return for *The Hobbit*, and he's slated to take a starring role in The Wachowski rendition of David Mitchell's *Cloud Atlas* too. Anyways, it's still good to see him doing some films, even if they are just local efforts. Which I highly recommend sourcing out Little Fish. One of Weaving's best roles.


 
Another good one of his, albeit a supporting role: *Bedrooms and Hallways* (1998)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126810/


----------



## Diggler

I have not seen that one. The wife would probably enjoy it, so I may be able to talk her into it


----------



## Tansy

JunkMonkey said:


> My wife and I came to an unspoken arrangement several years ago not to talk each other into watching films.   I think I'd watched too many films starring with former cast members of _Friends_ and there's no way in hell she'd even look at the cover of anything with chainsaws, slime beasts, or David Lynch's name on it - though I did manage to get _The Straight Story_ past her radar by faking a coughing fit during the opening credits and distracting her.



I'm lucky in that we normally have similar tastes and both love a gore fest or a weird tale or 2 

He feels the same as me about cheesy Hollywood endings I think he just fancied a monster flick in this instance lol


----------



## AE35Unit

Pirates of the Caribbean 1. It was weird watching it after playing the lego game!


----------



## Diggler

*Save The Green Planet*:

How this Cult Classic Korean effort slipped under my radar, I really don't know. A mentally deranged UFO nut kidnaps his former employer, who he believes is an Alien, and proceeds to torture the crap out of him. While being a comedy, this film had some seriously sadistic things happen in it's duration.

8/10


----------



## Boneman

*Beuautiful Lies* with Audrey Tatou. I loved the two previous films by this Director (Pierre Salvadori: Hors de Prix - Audrey Tatou's best ever film - and Apres Vous with Daniel Auteuil) but this one fell horribly flat, I'm afraid. Had a great premise, but not one of the three main characters had any redeemiong features, and the ideas ran out about a third of the way through the film, leaving it to limp to a predictable finish. Shame.


----------



## AE35Unit

Sherlock Holmes.  Great fun- there must be a sequel!


----------



## Foxbat

*Inferno *

Mayhem, murder and horror against a pallette of lush colours and fine cinematography -  Dario Argento style


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Fighter* true story with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. Very good!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I loved *The Fighter*. Christian Bale was absolutely brilliant.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

AE35Unit said:


> Sherlock Holmes. Great fun- there must be a sequel!


 
If you're talking about the one with Robert Downey Jr, there _is _going to be a sequel. I can't remember when its supposed to come out though. 



Hilarious Joke said:


> I loved *The Fighter*. Christian Bale was absolutely brilliant.


 
I completely agree!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The Wrestler* last night. Despite the fact I hate wrestling big time this was a good film! Mickey Rourke nailed it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> If you're talking about the one with Robert Downey Jr, there _is _going to be a sequel. I can't remember when its supposed to come out though.


Yea. Ive seen it before but my other half got it for xmas.


----------



## J-Sun

_The Adventures of Baron Munchausen_. While not the worst thing I've ever seen, this was very disappointing - I can see how someone might love it but it had no (positive) effect on me at all. (IMO, the opening scenes and the introduction of the "two worlds" are so mishandled that the movie would just lumber along and never take flight even if it weren't holding itself down every step of the way.) When it does the obligatory fantasy things, they're naturally uninspired and, if it tries anything of itself, it's worse. No characters to get attached to, despite all the trying. Decent enough theme but not worth sitting through two hours of offputting semi-random fancies.

Also a waste of Jonathan Pryce and Uma Thurman (plot/character wise) and a something-bad if not a "waste" of Robin Williams.


----------



## LittleMissy

Last film I watched Was *Paul*, which I borrewed from a friend.  It was suitably cheesey for my tastes and I loved picking out all the various sci-fi references.  Of which I picked out more than my friend did.  Alas most of it was lost on her as she's not actually a sci-fi fan.  She only watched it because she likes Simon Pegg's stuff, and because her fiancé is a sci-fi fan 



AE35Unit said:


> Sherlock Holmes. Great fun- there must be a sequel!


 
Yes there is a sequel.  They've finished filming so I guess it will be out either late this year, or early next year.

I too enjoyed this film although I found I had to leave most of what I knew about Sherlock Holmes outside!  A bit too Americanised for me...  However, that said, thoroughly enjoyable entertainment value   I will be watching the sequel too!!!


----------



## clovis-man

LittleMissy said:


> Last film I watched Was *Paul*, which I borrewed from a friend. It was suitably cheesey for my tastes and I loved picking out all the various sci-fi references. Of which I picked out more than my friend did. Alas most of it was lost on her as she's not actually a sci-fi fan. She only watched it because she likes Simon Pegg's stuff, and because her fiancé is a sci-fi fan


 
I enjoyed it for *ALL* of those reasons (although marriage status has nothing to do with it).


----------



## Boneman

AE35Unit said:


> Sherlock Holmes. Great fun- there must be a sequel!


 
Saw a trailer for it the other night when I went to see Beautiful Lies (spelt correctly, this time!), and it looks good!


----------



## Quokka

*Taken* 

Overall a good movie but imo let itself down by glossing over somethings to much in true hollywood fashion.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Insidious*
Not bad! I so want a house with really creaky doors!!


----------



## alchemist

Battle: Los Angeles - a big sack of clichedom and a silly premise. Apart from that it was okay.


----------



## biodroid

The Mechanic - The remake with Statham, not a bad movie, lots of leaky brain syndrome.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Rango*

It was alright...nothing special.


----------



## Foxbat

*Two Minute Warning  *This 1976 thriller stars the likes of Charlton Heston, Walter Pidgeon, David Janssen and Beau Bridges. It's a bit of a slow burner but it builds up to a pretty good climax.


----------



## No One

*Trailer Park Boys: The Countdown to Liquor Day*.

I've been re-watching some Trailer Park Boys of late, which I think is brilliant, and just recently found out there was a second film.

I didn't think it was as good as the first film/slash christmas special, and it took a while to get going, but it delivered lots of laughs by the end.


----------



## Diggler

*Quarantine 2*:

Really woeful second film, which has absolutely nothing to do with Rec 2. 2/5

*The Holy Mountain*:

Alejandro Jodorowski's masterpiece is a semi-rendition of Rene Daumal's Mount Analogue. While having some rather gruesome scene's involving animals (which I generally detest), this is still one of the greatest films ever created. Hypnotic, surreal and enthralling from beginning to end. 5/5


----------



## Metryq

Michael Crichton's _Looker_ has "'80s" written all over it, thus making much of the action rather campy. However, the then-fictional technology was insightful. Full-body 3D scanning of people is no longer the massive undertaking shown in the film. In fact, with LIDAR it is possible for one to scan an entire city. Computer animating people is commonplace today. Computer technology has also made it possible for artists to tweak every detail of an image for optimum effect. Even the eye-tracking technology shown in the film has been realized.

The robot janitor looks very clunky by today's standards. Crichton could have pushed the streamlining of that a bit, but either didn't spend much time on it, or didn't want audiences to find a more futuristic design unbelievable. Crichton gave greater attention to domestic robots in _Runaway_, starring Tom Selleck.

The one piece of technology that remains fictional—to the best of my knowledge—is the Looker gun. The execution of this device was awkward. A flash from the Looker could immobilize a victim, and make the user appear invisible once the victim snapped out of his trance. The same name was given to a subliminal messaging system that could be broadcast by TV.

Spider Robinson described an invisibility system used at a fictional theme park in _The Free Lunch_. Carefully targeted flickering lights interfered with the saccades of the human eye to render others invisible.

Flickering lights can induce seizures in people, a reality Crichton used in _The Andromeda Strain_. _The Professional Lighting Handbook_ warns of this in the section on strobe lights. There is also an LED flashlight that can incapacitate a target, even inducing vomiting. 



> "There's one wavelength that gets everybody," says IOS President Bob Lieberman. "Vlad calls it 'the evil color.'"



There is a deleted scene from _Looker_ that explains the murders. (I can't find a link, but the video clip is on the Web somewhere.)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Red Riding Hood*. Fairytale yarn with a difference from Twilight director.  It was...ok! So is this what the twilight films are like, only more 'romantic'?


----------



## Glen

*Paul*

Comedy sci-fi road trip from Simon Pegg & Nick Frost (playing similar characters to their "Spaced" roles) who help an alien find his way home. Five  stars (that's out of five in case anyone reading this has a non-Aussie system of rating films with stars).


----------



## Quokka

Conan 3D, on par with an episode of Xena

...and I'm so not a fan of 3D. It's worth it sometimes like with Avatar and in a very few cases it can actually add something to the film but usually I'd rather just skip the glasses.

Just noticed on SBS tonight is _American Splendor_, think I'll be watching that again to try and renew my faith in movies being worth the film they're no longer printed on  If anyone in Oz hasn't seen it and doesn't mind an indie flick it's well worth catching.


----------



## Starbeast

*Horror Express* (1972)

I like these late night B-movies. Besides a good story, we are treated with actors Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas.


----------



## Foxbat

*Saturn 3*   Kirk Douglas, Farrah Fawcett, Harvey Keitel and a very unstable robot. 

The opening shot is a straight steal from Star Wars, the score for the space scenes was obviously designed to create the same audio-visual effect as Thus Spake Zarathustra did for 2001. The shots of the spacecraft skimming the canyons and craters was another Star Wars (skimming the Death Star) moment. Keitel's helmet held more than a passing resemblance to Darth Vader's.

_In Space no one can see you plagiarise_

Apart from those little acts of naughtiness, this movie was  ok for its time (1980)


----------



## Metryq

I'm not sure which robot was scarier—Hector from *Saturn 3*, or the ABC robot from *Judge Dredd*. Both were amazing practical effects. I'd love to have a Bob Burns-style Halloween with one of those actuated props answering the door. (And then I'd be sued to my last penny for all the kids needing counseling.)


----------



## alchemist

Source Code - some questionable science, but enjoyable hokum nevertheless.


----------



## Mouse

*Shrek 4*. Was all right, not that funny though. I thought Shrek 3 was better. And it was too loud. That, or I'm getting old.


----------



## Metryq

Mouse said:


> And it was too loud.



That reminds me of Huey Lewis in *Back to the Future*—"I'm sorry
fellas. I'm afraid you're just too darn loud"—where _loud_ had nothing to do with volume.


----------



## LadyLara

The Thing. Mainly because it happened to just be on TV. But it's a great film


----------



## Diggler

*Cowboys vs Aliens*

We went in with very low expectations and walked very happy. It's a fluff film, and if watched in the same way is quite entertaining.

*American Grindhouse*

A documentary detailing the growth of Exploitation cinema, from the birth of film, to modern times. Very entertaining and quite interesting little film, which had some great contributors including William Lustig, H.G Lewis, John Landis and Fred Olen Ray among others. I would have hoped for some Euro Trash in there as well, but it was "American" Grindhouse. Not World Grindhouse.


----------



## clovis-man

*Rango*. Wacky, but enjoyable. The first time I've ever heard "The Ride of the Valkyries" played on a banjo. The various voices were fun. Johnny Depp especially gets high marks.


----------



## Terrible Tempest

Battle: Los Angeles. To say it was average would be flattery.


----------



## Mouse

The King's Speech. A teeny bit dull, but pretty good at the same time.


----------



## Adasunshine

An Officer & A Gentleman.  My boss bought it for me as a leaving present, she was appalled I'd never seen it. 

Summary? Good but predictable and fabulously 80s 

xx


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> *Rango*. Wacky, but enjoyable. The first time I've ever heard "The Ride of the Valkyries" played on a banjo. The various voices were fun. Johnny Depp especially gets high marks.




I just got that as Blu Ray DVD from Lovefilm.  Johnny Depp has always had a funny voice,  he was made for a role like this.  I havent had time to see it, people i live with are ignorant when it comes to animated films.


----------



## clovis-man

*Cowboys & Aliens*. Fun film. Lots of action. Good use of the main characters. However (spoilers): The credibility quotient took a major nosedive and the cornball factor skyrocketed when the Apaches showed up. But then the whole space western thing is a major reach anyway. So it made perfect sense that the aliens would lasso their victims, that they were really just interstellar claim jumpers and that their mother ship looked like it was straight out of the industrial revolution.

Overall, very enjoyable. Just don't overthink it.


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> *Cowboys & Aliens*. Fun film. Lots of action. Good use of the main characters. Overall, very enjoyable. Just don't overthink it.


 
Really Cool Sci-fi flick, one of the best this summer!

*Scarface (1932)*

Howard Hawks diirected this intense, violent and heavy drama about the rise and fall of a gangster.


----------



## PTeppic

Juts got back from "*Final Destination 5*". Have to say, surprisingly good. There's a load to laugh about, albeit quite gruesomely. The effects are good and the deaths tolerably inventive. And nice twist.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity 2*
Nowhere near as good as 1 (its a prequel) and I was beginning to find it pretty lame. Then it got going and I jumped out my skin. I love films that do that!


----------



## Oskari

*Rise of the Planet of the Apes
* 
Firstly, this movie just made my top 10 or so greatest SF movies. I'm very picky and, generally, avoid commercial TV and Hollywood. I'm super picky about science fiction because I care about the genre enough not to tolerate 'colour by numbers' production. Nine out of ten times I am disappointed, and that's fine. I expect it. I think too many writers, directors, producers, etc. take the lazy route with genre fiction, i.e. they understand their target audience (or part of it) and then throw money at their expensive paint set just to 'colour by numbers'.

Okay, off my espousing plank!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not perfect, but it is quite marvellous. It suffers from some typical Hollywood cliches: the pretty woman with little function and the lab boss who thinks only of money.

Besides that, this is masterful storytelling. Of course, the star of the show is a CGI ape called Caesar. As the hero of the story, his character arc is beautifully realised.

This movie manages to expore a number of themes without distraction. In fact, the sub-themes only add to the bigger story. For instance, a minor theme that I found very exciting was the nature of pet ownership and its possible consequences. I don't think twice when I see a lead attached to a dog's collar, but I might think thrice if I see a toddler being dragged around a supermarket on one.

I think what they've managed to do is tell a great science fiction story but keep it firmly rooted to humanity. I think this is always vital. No compromise. Ever.

Now, I just can't wait for my partner to get home from QLD so I can take her to see it. It may turn out that my views change. They sometimes do.


----------



## slack

*The Wrestler*

When he turns and says, it's only out there that I get hurt, sums it up well. Great portrait of a strong, flawed character. Been a fan of Aronofsky's work since I saw _Pi_.


----------



## Oskari

The Wrestler was a great movie. Rourke and Tomei were surperb, especially Rourke. The screenplay was great, clever enough to avoid cliches and that all-too-annoying habit of Hollywood to end with a smile on everyone's face. I think the whole production of this movie was top notch!

Other indie American movies I would list fairly high would have to include, *Slingblade* and *Into The Wild*. I really have a soft spot for that movie in particular.


----------



## Connavar

*Rango*

It was weird, more original animation and more fun than i expected.  Depp voice was so perfect for the lizard and i also thought the music or Hans Zimmer choices made the film strong.  Alot of great music used in the film.  

You dont have to copy Pixar films to a quality animation of this type.


----------



## slack

Oskari said:


> Other indie American movies I would list fairly high would have to include, ... *Into The Wild*.


They're selling that movie for five bucks here. I considered picking it up because I vaguely remember hearing it was good. 

Lately I've just been rewatching old greats. Watched *Pulp Fiction* one and a half times in the last two days -- the half just because it was like five in the morning and my eyelids were thousand pound weights.

But, what a great one.


----------



## Oskari

Go and buy *Into The Wild* for five bucks. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Go and buy *Into The Wild* for five bucks. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


 
I second that.


----------



## Vargev

I watched Stephen Kings dreamcatcher last night, my parents have it on VHS (I know they live in a time warp) and it caught my eye, so when it was shown on TV, I watched it. I wasn't very impressed to be honest.


----------



## biodroid

I thought Dreamcatcher was one of the better SK books to movies version second to the green mile


----------



## Oskari

IMO, the best SK book to movie was *Stand By Me* (or have I got the writer wrong?)

Just to add weight to my opinion.

Stephen King indicated, on the special features of the 25th anniversary  Blu-ray set, that this is the first successful translation to film of  any of his works.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Stand By Me* was King, yes. Novella. 

_Dreamcatcher_ always confused the hell out of me at the end, maybe the film would help. 

I turned on the telly earlier, had my back to it and heard some music and thought, "Huh, sounds like *Edward Scissorhands*". Turned around and sure enough, it was.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vargev said:


> I watched Stephen Kings dreamcatcher last night, my parents have it on VHS (I know they live in a time warp) and it caught my eye, so when it was shown on TV, I watched it. I wasn't very impressed to be honest.



Nothing wrong with VHS.  Second hand tapes are so cheap these days I can afford to watch all sorts of stuff I never got round to seeing -  for pennies.  Sometimes I find things that have never been (and probably never will be) released on DVD.  Most of them godawful ***** that defies watching in any format but, as I like godawful ***** that defies watching, this is hardly a hardship.


----------



## HoopyFrood

We have a VHS player in our house. Actually we have two. One was given to us, the other we actually went out to buy. We gained a few vuss tapes from friends and we often buy others from charity shops for about 25p -- entertaining, old films that we can just stick on when we want to watch something. We have an entire standing bookshelf of them now.


----------



## j d worthington

Well, with things reaching 110°F today, and the air conditioning in the front part of my house having gone kaput... it was just too bloody hot to do much of anything save ask for somebody to baste me now and again.... So, following AE's comments on Matheson's novel, as I had pulled out the film *The Legend of Hell House* for a rewatch, I spent some of this afternoon doing that, in the one truly cool room I have at the moment....


----------



## thatollie

Once Upon A Time In The West

It's still genius.


----------



## biodroid

Green Zone with Matt Damon and have to say it was very gripping. Much better than the Hurt Locker, better story and high octane action.


----------



## Rodders

Stealth was on again the other day. This has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I have to say that it's a better movie than people give it credit for.


----------



## TheTomG

Watched "Priest" on DVD last night and enjoyed it. The train reminded me of Rodney Matthews' work, though admittedly his train is somewhat more massive! http://www.rodneymatthews.com/hmhero.htm Maybe that's just because so much of my head is in the 70s haha!


----------



## Oskari

Just been thinking, how can this thread be relevant when there's so little time to do anything else but click, refresh, on my browser every other minute on this forum.


----------



## TheTomG

Celll phone while on the couch for the win! Movies AND keeping up with events and news in the Chron Realm. Gotta love tech!

EDIT this also applies when in clothes stores while wife and son look for school shorts for him, like just now for instance. Never be away from Chrons again!


----------



## lorien89

Got round to watching Red Riding Hood last night, was really disappointed to be honest, was expecting something in the way of Company of Wolves but was a little too Twilight for my liking. Shame though becuase he set desig and general atmosphere was spot on...


----------



## clovis-man

*The Snow Walker*. A film by Charles Martin Smith, who famously starred in *Never Cry Wolf*. Both films are based on stories by Farley Mowat. Both involve adventures in the arctic tundra. Both are quite good. I was unaware of *The Snow Walker* until I stumbled on it while browsing through Netflix.


----------



## Mouse

I saw *The Sorcerer's Apprentice* with Nicolas Cage. It was good enough. 

(Nicholas Cage is in the film. He wasn't in the room with me.)


----------



## TheTomG

lorien89 said:


> Got round to watching Red Riding Hood last night, was really disappointed to be honest, was expecting something in the way of Company of Wolves but was a little too Twilight for my liking. Shame though becuase he set desig and general atmosphere was spot on...



Ah I had hopes it might have a Company of Wolves type feel to it, I love that movie. True the special effects show their age a little, but I love the whole dreamlike nature of it and the bizarre little mini stories that get told throughout it.

Anyway, not watched Red Riding Hood yet, probably will still watch it some time, but with more managed expectations.

Mouse, I do wonder if watching with Nicholas Cage in the room would have made the movie experience better or worse, or if you'd actually have seen much of the movie at all!


----------



## Mouse

I'd be too busy staring at him, thinking, _What the hell is Nic Cage doing in my front room?!_


----------



## Connavar

*Cowboys and Aliens*

It was better than i expected.

Daniel Craig was hardcore as expected and it was pretty convincing looking western with SF elements.  I have not seen a good western in many years specially a film where everyone acted like they were in a western.  Good action, some nice humor made it alot of fun to watch.

Harrison Ford, Keith Carradine,Sam Rockwell was impressive, i liked the older, growling Ford.  He has always been a huge fav of mine.


----------



## CyBeR

*Cowboys and Aliens* as well.  Not as good as I expected, but a damn fun time at the films. In most things I agree with Connavar above, the rest in the topic.


----------



## Foxbat

*Silent Hill*

I have to say the main reason why it has taken me so long to get around to watching this movie is because of all the bad reviews that I've read about it.

My thoughts: Visually this is twisted, disturbing, horrific and utterly gorgeous.

The first half of the movie was a real feast of monsters and creepy jiggery pokery. In the latter half of the movie, it began to disappear up its own backside a little as it almost slipped a disc trying to explain itself out of its own convolutions.

The end.....well, I suppose there will still be an ongoing debate about that for quite a while yet.

So, on the whole, I have to say that despite its flaws and horrific navel gazing - I really enjoyed it.

Perhaps that says more about me than it does about the movie


----------



## CyBeR

I found *Silent Hill* to be a great horror film and am utterly convinced that most of the bad commentary it's getting is because of displeased fans of the games that just can't get over themselves.


----------



## Mouse

*The Covenant* which is about man witches. I watched it because the super pretty Taylor Kitsch is in it.

As a film, it was ok. Watchable nonsense. Although they introduce a lot of characters all at once and (apart from Taylor Kitsch) I couldn't tell who was who for quite a while as the actors all kinda looked the same.

As I was watching I kept thinking one of the other actors looked vaguely familiar and was also kinda pretty and turns out it was the lovely Chace Crawford (who needs to be older before I can feel ok about thinking he's hot!). Anyway, I then watched the extras and interestingly (well, interesting to me as a writer) the director bloke talked about how they introduced all the characters at once and because of that, he chose actors who looked really different. I'm thinking eh?! 

So yeah, apart from cloned actors, an ok film. One really freaky scene involving spiders which made me itch!


----------



## antiloquax

Just been to see "Super 8". I enjoyed it very much!

a


----------



## Foxbat

CyBeR said:


> I found *Silent Hill* to be a great horror film and am utterly convinced that most of the bad commentary it's getting is because of displeased fans of the games that just can't get over themselves.


 
I suspect you may be right.


----------



## Connavar

Im not a fan of *Silent Hill* games and i thought it was brain dead horror that couldnt scare even an infant.

Blaming the fanboys of the games is a very weak defense.  Personally i dont see how you could like it if you are not a fan of the games that is willing to forgive it being so weak film.


----------



## CyBeR

Let's be fair here, it's hard to find a good, engaging horror film. Even *Quarantine* that scared the pants off of me a couple of times is just a standard zombie flick once you strip it down to the bare basics. 
But I found *Silent Hill* engaging and fun. It was visually pleasing for me, the whole mood of the film was very eerie and nicely done and the story presented itself well (unlike that of some of the games *cough* *Silent Hill 4: The room**cough*). 
It's by no means as bad as the original *Halloween* or *Jason X* or *Cursed* or *An American Werewolf in Paris* and so forth. When a film manages to make the cute girl next to you squirm and stick to you more...I'd say it's done its job quite well.


----------



## Foxbat

Well, I've never played or even seen the game Silent Hill but I enjoyed the movie. Confusing and flawed, yes, but I certainly wouldn't call it brain dead.


----------



## Christopher Lee

The last movie i saw was Conan the Barbarion released this year. The story is very, very rushed and very straight forward and to the point, AND the dialogue is terrible (Jason Momoa is a much better actor than that).

I did like the special effects and I always like watching Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang act.  They rushed it, is simply my diagnosis.  Seeing as they're already writing a script for a sequel, i feel they could have slowed the plot for this one down a bit.  

But then again, I read so much that I often times forget the time constraints of film.


----------



## Mouse

*Wonder Boys*. I'm doing the LoveFilm free trial thing (mostly because I get a £20 Amazon voucher!) so that's why I'm watching lots of films lately.

I had no idea what this film was about as I just typed 'Alan Tudyk' into the search on LoveFilm and this came up so I rented it. Turns out he's barely in it. Still, it was an interesting film. About writers writing actually. And one of the writers was called James Lear. Which I found hilarious. (Google it.)


----------



## Star Girl

*How to Train Your Dragon* - Great film! I loved it so much! I loved the story and the characters were so good.


----------



## Rodders

I watched *the Hangover* last night. Not bad.


----------



## slack

Rodders said:


> I watched *the Hangover* last night. Not bad.


Ohh, in the face! IN THE FAAACE!


----------



## Connavar

CyBeR said:


> Let's be fair here, it's hard to find a good, engaging horror film. Even *Quarantine* that scared the pants off of me a couple of times is just a standard zombie flick once you strip it down to the bare basics.
> But I found *Silent Hill* engaging and fun. It was visually pleasing for me, the whole mood of the film was very eerie and nicely done and the story presented itself well (unlike that of some of the games *cough* *Silent Hill 4: The room**cough*).
> It's by no means as bad as the original *Halloween* or *Jason X* or *Cursed* or *An American Werewolf in Paris* and so forth. When a film manages to make the cute girl next to you squirm and stick to you more...I'd say it's done its job quite well.



I find *Final Destination  *semi fun in shut of your brain type film.  Also the fact there isnt many good horror films from hollywood these days doesnt make Silent Hill better.   

If you dont want lower your standards you know there is good horror films from europe like Spain, South Korea, other countries.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Silent Hill* would be my all-time favourite horror film -- _great_ music, completely eerie and downright horrible at times -- if it weren't so ruddy CGI-ised! 

Just watched Riki-Oh for the second time. Laughed almost all the way through. My god, it is the _perfect_ blend of bad in all ways that makes it transcend into bloody fantastic. 

Rogan's kung-fu is unorthodox! 

Brilliant. 



And next is *The Thing*! I love me some 80s body horror.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Gorgon  *a fairly decent Hammer flick from Terence Fisher.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Warrior King* earlier. Man, I love this bone-crunching, face-kicking film. And if it teaches us anything, it is to NEVER steal Tony Jaa's elephant. Just...don't

Where're my elephants, indeed.


----------



## alchemist

*Four Lions* - a jihad satire. Fabulously funny.

"Is a wookie a bear?"


----------



## biodroid

Gnomeo and Juliet - It was ok, a bit cheesy but it had big name actors voicing the movie which saved it a bit.

Warriors Way - What a load donkey trollop, the worst story and the worst acting in a movie in a while. I can't believe Geoffrey Rush actually acted in it, what a waste of his acting skills. Kate Bosworth looked really nice in the movie but she was the worst actor there.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Captain America*

I saw it in 3D on Saturday night. I'm not crazy about 3D but it was used well in Captain America. The film has a good plot and though you have to suspend belief in some respects, that doesn't interfere at all with the enjoyment of the movie.

The acting is solid and Chris Evans is well-cast. The supporting cast is spot-on, particularly Tommy Lee Jones as the craggy Army general, with a deadpan sense of humour.

CGI is used well, especially for pre-transformation Steve Rogers. I never felt that the CGI overwhelmed the actors and the story.

I highly recommend this film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Daisy-Boo said:


> *Captain America*
> 
> I saw it in 3D on Saturday night. I'm not crazy about 3D but it was used well in Captain America.


  So how often_ is_ the sheild thrown in the audience's face?

I watched:

*Colossus: The Forbin Project* (1970) - another one of the Great SF films of the early Seventies - that brief moment when Hollywood got away from radioactive gigantism and bikini-girl craving sea monsters long enough to make a few films in which characters and_ ideas _were the at the centre of the story.  Another film about to be buggered up  forever by a Hollywood remake.  (Starring _Will Smith_!?) 
_ Colossus_ (1970) is  one of those wonderful low-key, ambiguously ending tales about the  dangers of putting all your eggs in one sciencey basket.  The original  is about both sides in the Cold War (gods! that seems so long ago)  handing over control of their nuclear arsenals to giant, incorruptible,  emotion-free, and utterly impregnable super-computers.  (The rational being that the computers are programmed only to act in defence and are incapable of attacking.)  In true  Frankenstein tradition things go a bit awry when the computers team up, decide they are smarter than the human race, and  take over.  For the betterment of Man, you understand; to make Man  happy, free from war, famine, and disease.  All they require in return  is blind obedience.  At the end of the film the Human Race is utterly screwed facing a conformist, rigidly controlled, future and the computers are in control.    The whole thing, like most good SF, is an allegorical view of the period in which it was written and, like most good SF, has resonances for the present day and the future too.
The sequel will probably have lots of explosions and people crawling around  tunnels lugging infeasibly large hand guns as a crack team of sweaty American action heroes tunnel into the giant computer and blow it up - thus saving the world with only seconds to spare.  There will be hero with a troubled past relationship (almost certainly with someone who helped design the thing in the first place - an estranged wife perhaps? - and here's a guess: the killer password they find they need turns out to be the name of their daughter's kitten? and sh*tloads of CGI; buckets, and buckets, and buckets of it.) and I'm not looking forward to  it one little bit.  Go see the original before it's messed with.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

JunkMonkey said:


> So how often_ is_ the sheild thrown in the audience's face?


 
 A few times but it's not overdone.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> *Colossus: The Forbin Project* (1970) Another film about to be buggered up  forever by a Hollywood remake.



Let's hope not. And if you're interested in sequels, read the original "Colossus trilogy" by D.F. Jones (_Colossus, The Fall of Colossus, Colossus and the Crab_). The movie is based on the first book. As might be expected, the book is better than the movie. The two things that really irritated me about the movie version were:

The noisy parties on the other end of the video phones where someone must shout to everyone to quiet down. It's not necessarily unrealistic or anything like that, but the filmmakers made it too long, two often, and thus it was too annoying. The same sort of thing is done when the President is talking with the Russian ambassador, while Forbin is talking with his team in the background. Maybe this was deemed some kind of "cinema verité," but it came across as simply annoying.
Maybe two or three times there are references to "burn outs." Dr. Markham tells Forbin that an infra-red satellite had a power failure, but Colossus switched over. Another time when Colossus is taking a long time to respond, Dr. Markham (again) suggests that maybe there was a burn out. I don't think any vacuum tube computers were still in use in 1970, although resistors and capacitors were the size of sausages, and transistors looked like spinach cans. (Watch the opening titles. Oh, those refrigerator-sized hard-drives are a hoot!) I wouldn't think of building an untouchable, perpetual computer with such hardware, but then the book took place in a future with flying cars. Although, the future in the book still had the two superpowers locked in a Cold War—something even Clarke had in _2010: Odyssey Two_. (Who but the economists would have foreseen it? And now we wait for the other shoe to drop...)
Anyway, the books are a good read. The "son of Colossus" mentioned at the end of the movie (a new computer designed by Colossus) is finally defeated in the second book just when humanity unexpectedly really, _really_ needs the protection.

Historical note: A real computer named *Colossus* was built by the British to break codes during World War II.

Movie note for American SFFC members: For some bizarro reason, a recently made Region 1 DVD is still cropped for NTSC! This movie is 2.35:1—the really wide widescreen—and the opening title matte paintings of Colossus must be seen. Get yourself a Region 2 copy and run it through Handbrake so that you can watch it on your computer.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched (well, forced to, heh) *I'm a Cyborg* last night. Was very nice, reminded me of Del Toro and the mixture of fantasy and the real (and the fantasy covering the dark reality). I love that type of fantasy, that encroaches on normal life. 

We were gonna watch *Planet Terror *but the DVD was buggered, got a crack somehow, so we watched...*Evil Dead II*! Best. Film. Ever. I love it and always will.

Groovy.


----------



## Star Girl

*Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel* Such a fun film with so many laughs. I think this film is just a must for any Science Fiction fan. I watched it on Iplayer a few months ago then had to go out and buy it just so I can watch it whenever I like.

*The Man From Earth *One of my favourite films. I love how this film doesn't do anything fancy, it doesn't even have any flash backs which you would think a film like this would have. However instead it captivates you by listening to the mans story as the other characters are, so this way you (like the characters) can decide whether the main character is lying or telling the truth. Wonderfully written with a great cast.


----------



## Diggler

Connavar said:


> I find *Final Destination  *semi fun in shut of your brain type film.  Also the fact there isnt many good horror films from hollywood these days doesnt make Silent Hill better.
> 
> If you dont want lower your standards you know there is good horror films from europe like Spain, South Korea, other countries.



I agree Connavar. American horror can generally be a cookie cutter affair. Japan, Korea, Spain, Europe, etc have made some extremely good horror/gore films in the past. Some get noticed (and remade), others don't.

Some of the small collection of brilliant films that aren't from the US, include.

Haute Tension (France)
Frostbitten (Norway?)
Shutter (Thailand)
Alone (Thailand)
Cure (Japan)
Dark Water (Japan)
Let the Right One In (Sweden)
The Devil's Backbone (Spain)
R-Point (Korea)
Arang (Korea)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> .
> 
> Movie note for American SFFC members: For some bizarro reason, a recently made Region 1 DVD {of Colossus: The Forbin Project} is still cropped for NTSC!



Point of order, chairman.

NTSC has very little to do with the screen ration (the shape of the image) so to say it has been cropped for NTSC isn't true.  NTSC is the analogue television system used in the USA, Canada, Japan and a few other countries.  It's true that NTSC  has a standard for a frame ratio of 4:3 but so does PAL (the analogue television system used in Britain, Australia China and a lot of other countries - most of which used to be part of the British Empire), and for all I know in SECAM (the analogue television system used in France, Russia and various parts of their former Empires.)


----------



## TheTomG

Just watched 'Limitless' and thought it was a great movie, funny as well as thought-provoking, some surprises, some not surprises, but overall I liked it a lot. NZT to help on your next novel, anyone?


----------



## Lomexray

Last movie i saw was The Green Hornet. I thought the movie was amazing. If you saw Shrek forever after it was like that 3D the characters were kind of pooping out but nothing else. All cast performance  was good. Cameron Diaz and Christopher Waltz were amazing. I recommended everyone to watch this movie.


----------



## CyBeR

*Green Lantern* yesterday, at a very out of the way cinema, with 3 more people in the room (two o which were with me). 
And the film? Honestly not as bad as the reviews would have you believing. It's somewhere in the middle of the superhero pile of films, along stuff like the *Spider-man 3* and *X-Men Last Stand*. I know those two are generally regarded as crap, but for me the real crap of this genre are *Batman Forever*, *Fantastic Four* and *Daredevil*.


----------



## terryweide

I rented Paranormal Activity a few days ago. I thought it was a scary movie while I was watching it, but the effect didn't linger. Meaning that days later, I'm not still frightened it.

Overall, I thought it was well done, but I had the same problem with it I had with the original Amnityville Horror. Once doors start opening and closing on their own, pots and pans start rattling for no good reason, dogs start growling at nothing, and people start levitating in the air, why does anyone stay in a house like that and why is there invariably one character who says, "Nothing's going on, it's all in your imagination."? (Well, see, Terry, if everyone got scared and ran away, the movie would end.) Heh...


----------



## TheTomG

Lomexray said:


> Last movie i saw was The Green Hornet. I thought the movie was amazing. I recommended everyone to watch this movie.



Yep I really liked this movie too, the humor was way better than I had expected as I had thought it was going to take itself pretty seriously, and it made it a much better film than I had been anticipating. Great fun!


----------



## Mouse

TheTomG said:


> Just watched 'Limitless' and thought it was a great movie, funny as well as thought-provoking, some surprises, some not surprises, but overall I liked it a lot. NZT to help on your next novel, anyone?



Ooh, now I watched *Limitless *at the cinema and both me and my friend commented on how smug and annoying the main character was! And that bit with the blood at the end? Stupid _and_ gross. 

I didn't want the guy to win. I wanted to punch him in his stupid, smug, junkie face.


----------



## Sea Lion Books

Planet of the Apes, great movie.


----------



## Terrible Tempest

Limitless. <Yawn> All that brain power and that's the best he could do? The whole thing felt as stale as beer on a bar floor to me.


----------



## FeedMeTV

Mouse said:


> Ooh, now I watched *Limitless *at the cinema and both me and my friend commented on how smug and annoying the main character was! And that bit with the blood at the end? Stupid _and_ gross.
> 
> I didn't want the guy to win. I wanted to punch him in his stupid, smug, junkie face.



I haven't seen it but this made me laugh!


----------



## TheTomG

I think smugness goes with the territory with that drug! Plenty of holes in it of course, and yep the blood wouldn't have enough of anything in it to have an effect and was most likely there for the grossness factor.

I like the whole question though of whether you are still yourself or not. How much enhancing can you do before you are no longer you? How tempted would we all be to use something that would improve our thinking and creativity? That was where the whole self confident smugness comes in, was it really the same person just enhanced?

I was reminded a bit of the e-therapy concept in Our Friends From Frolix 8.

Oh and I always hate when anyone does the 'use the other 80% of your brain' bit, as if the brain would have all that wasted space. I did like the idea of being able to recall stuff you had glimpsed and make new connections though, that seemed more intriguing and feasible.

Anyways, I liked it,sparked lots of thoughts for me which is what I like in my stuff!


----------



## Diggler

*Attack The block*

What could have been quite an enjoyable film was marred by three things. A lack of comedy (Nick Frost did say a couple of funny things). The Chav characters were despicable, I actually hated them from the outset and was really hoping they were going to die quickly, and the "leet" speak. Do people with an intelligence level above double digits actually speak like this?

2.5/5


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> NTSC  has a standard for a frame ratio of 4:3



Thank you, JunkMonkey. I've worked as a video engineer for over 20 years, and with multiple Standards. I believe most people here understood my point: that a Region 1 DVD released as late as 2004 was cropped to fit legacy TV screens—otherwise known as pan-and-scan—rather than letterboxed (yuck, waste of lines) or anamorphic. "Cropping" means cutting off some of the image, so letterboxing and anamorphic are not cropping.

And this was not an isolated instance. I've bought foreign discs on several occasions when a movie's full aspect was not available in the US.


----------



## Diggler

I'm assuming it's a matter of source cost. In this day and age Anamorphic is pretty much the standard, though we still seem to get slews of 4:3 TV shows on cable here (Australia).


----------



## Metryq

Diggler said:


> I'm assuming it's a matter of source cost. In this day and age Anamorphic is pretty much the standard, though we still seem to get slews of 4:3 TV shows on cable here (Australia).



TV shows will appear in the aspect they were shot. I don't know the current percentage, but before the turn of the century most post-produced (non-live) TV shows were shot on film. The film might, or might not have a wider-than-TV aspect. Of course, some cable companies will feed "basic" subscribers HD channels in Standard Def—even when the cable feed is digital.

_Colossus: The Forbin Project_ had been released in the US prior to 2004 in letterboxed widescreen on Laserdisc. The VHS release was cropped pan-and-scan. Each came from a separate master. So if the publisher wanted to save money on the DVD (by not shooting a third master in anamorphic), one would expect they'd at least use the existing letterbox. Since an anamorphic was telecined, why not in the US, too?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> I'm assuming it's a matter of source cost. In this day and age Anamorphic is pretty much the standard, though we still seem to get slews of 4:3 TV shows on cable here (Australia).



Mind you most people don't seem to notice the difference.  I'm always surprised at the  perfectly intelligent, literate people I know who see nothing wrong in watching shows broadcast 4:3  stretched to 16:9 on their TVs because they either don't know how to change the aspect ratio or, more often than not, don't notice that there is anything wrong with the image in the first place.  I guess they have this feeling that unless they are using *all *their TV's screen they're not getting their money's worth.


----------



## CyBeR

*Evil Dead 2: Dead by dawn*..amusing is about as accurate as I can describe this film. Bruce Campbell's performance was pretty good, given what he had to work with.


----------



## Mouse

FeedMeTV said:


> I haven't seen it but this made me laugh!



Ha. Thanks! 

Tom, it wasn't that I didn't like the film, I just didn't like that character!


----------



## TheTomG

Mouse, I know what you mean about the character - I had more empathy and understanding for the struggling artist version than the smarmy smug "enhanced" version (just the kind of person who, should I meet them in real life, I would have a strong and persistent itch to smack in the gob.)

He was particularly annoying at the end I would say, when his smugness factor had gone off the top of the scale.

Evil Dead 2, always great to see a horror with a sense of humor! Must get around to watching that again sometime.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> Mind you most people don't seem to notice the difference.  I'm always surprised at the  perfectly intelligent, literate people I know who see nothing wrong in watching shows broadcast 4:3  stretched to 16:9 on their TVs because they either don't know how to change the aspect ratio or, more often than not, don't notice that there is anything wrong with the image in the first place.  I guess they have this feeling that unless they are using *all *their TV's screen they're not getting their money's worth.



I'm a real stickler for aspect. If it's stretched I just find it unwatchable. My main issue is that there are a LOT of American shows played on cable here, that have been produced in the past 2 years, that are broadcast in 4:3 ratio.


----------



## Adasunshine

Face/Off last night on BBC Three... can't resist meself a bit of Nicholas Cage Action movie! 

Seen it many times before but still enjoyed it for the mindless action film it is!

xx


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> I'm a real stickler for aspect. If it's stretched I just find it unwatchable.



Agreed. Do you get upset by misplaced apostrophes, and people saying 'a dice' too.  I'm telling you, people, it's damn hard being a pedant in the modern world.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> Do you get upset by misplaced apostrophes, and people saying 'a dice' too.



Can I "axe" you a question?

He "should of..."

"Nook-ya-ler" power plant

Don't make funna me. I talk English good!


----------



## svalbard

Apollo 18 last Sunday. It was dire.


----------



## thatollie

Last night I watched the new Brighton Rock, it was quite good.


----------



## CyBeR

svalbard said:


> Apollo 18 last Sunday. It was dire.


I'm actually very curious of this one. Is it really as bad as the reviews say it is?

Saw *Dogma*. Apart from the fact that the film was funny in itself, it was even more amusing that I watched the last half of Season 4 of *Supernatural* afterwards. Couldn't help but notice the huge similarity in quite a few themes.
Glitch in the Matrix...


----------



## Connavar

*Source Code*

It was a pretty dark, enjoyable take on time travel, mission like that.   I like the lead actors, it was very thrilling to watch.   The ending annoyed me alittle though, it was alittle too predictable.


----------



## TheTomG

I liked Source Code too - I actually thought it was going to stop a little earlier, and that would have been a good and atypical ending (not going to say more to avoid spoilers.)


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> Agreed. Do you get upset by misplaced apostrophes, and people saying 'a dice' too.  I'm telling you, people, it's damn hard being a pedant in the modern world.



LOL. Unluckily my grammatical skills are terrible. So I'm terrible when it comes to apostrophe placement. Though I am very particular about my type of English. I was raised under UK English, and find the inclusion of US English into Australia quite infuriating. No offence to American's, It's just a cultural thing.

Oh, I watched *Red State*

In my opinion, I felt it was one of Kevin Smith's best films. The only downside is it felt kind of rushed. It's a shame Kevin Smith has given it up, because this movie showed me that he had the ability to create something far more thought provoking than pop culture geekdom. 4/5
*
Bridesmaids*

I really don't get into comedies that much. I'm probably boring, and in turn find comedies boring too? Bridesmaids was not the case! This movie was downright hilarious! Unluckily I had a cold while watching this, which resulted in an extremely sore chest from too much laughing. 4.5/5


----------



## Mouse

I watched, on DVD, half of *28 Days* (that's 28 Days, not 28 Days Later) before our DVD player died.

Last night on TV I watched *Dodgeball*.

God I love Alan Tudyk.


----------



## Adasunshine

Last night I watched Hop and Priest.

Really enjoyed both of them. Hop was a big hit with the children and Mr Brand's voice didn't grate against me as much as I thought it would! 

Priest was good, nothing like a vampire movie before bedtime :S

xx


----------



## Connavar

TheTomG said:


> I liked Source Code too - I actually thought it was going to stop a little earlier, and that would have been a good and atypical ending (not going to say more to avoid spoilers.)



The ending was not bad but that kind of story needs more of a twist ending, surprise ending.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Due Date, (which i thought was hilarious) and Paul. (Less so, but still a funny movie.)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> Originally Posted by *TheTomG*
> 
> 
> _I liked Source Code too - I actually thought it was going to stop a little earlier, and that would have been a good and atypical ending (not going to say more to avoid spoilers.)_


 
Completely agree. 

I saw *Horrible Bosses*. Pretty funny, better than I expected.


----------



## Interference

In (approximate) reverse order:



Inception - not the movie I was hoping for (a bit like Avatar in that respect), but nonetheless, entertaining and fun.  Either I missed an important plot point or there was a gaping loop-hole that allowed the ending to play out as it did.  I might spot it in a re-watch.  I'm encouraged to see diCaprio has matured into something like an actor, though.

I Am Legend - ah, the acting thing again.  Will Smith really is _very_ good.  CGI vamp-zombies were disappointing, but the story wasn't.

I think all films with dogs should begin by telling us whether the dog dies or not....

Dark Knight - Impressive (I hadn't noticed being annoyed by Bale's Bat-voice in Batman Begins, but it grated here), especially the leading player, Ledger's Joker.  Most comics adaptations suffer from too much history and back-story, thankfully Batman had Frank Miller's re-boot to provide everything necessary for an entertaining franchise.  Keep 'em coming.

Wolverine - Meh.  Ok, but unnecessary.

Green Lantern - Too much history to draw from, too little imagination from the film-makers.

Green Hornet - Much better than it had any right to be.

Transformers - What in the world made them think this would make a good idea for a film?  Nothing original, nothing to see, move along....

Watchmen - Brilliant.  Nice story-board provides stunning filming.  Thought-embracing magic from Moore's mind.

Captain America - Ok, even good, in parts.  The CGI(?) of Steve Rogers-to-Cap boggles me, though, which is annoying.

Thor - Just annoying.  I missed Don Blake when he was written out of the comics and I miss him here.  Some super heroes need jocks (no, Ace, I'm not being irreverent about Scotsmen) more than they need actors and I'm afraid that isn't enough for me, 'cos I ain't a teenage girl (don't get me wrong, I really _like_ teenage girls, but that isn't the same thing).

Iron Man 1 & 2 - Together, they make a really impressive adventure film.  Happily, neither Batman nor Iron Man need to be played by jocks 

Will The Avengers live up to to the hype?  Could anything?

Spiderman 3 - Could have been worse.  I was impressed by the weaving-together of the various threads (almost web-like weaving?) to make a coherent story, less so by the re-write of the back-sory.  Was that in the comics?  Nice re-casting of Uncle Ben, though.  I waited in vain to see how they were going to kill off Gwen, as they'd used up her scenario on MJ in the first film, but it didn't happen.  Ah, well.  At least her hair was (mostly) right 

Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Adding my voice to the chorus of WHAT HAPPENED TO GALACTUS????  Poor film.  Even Jessica Alba's mere presence (in the first film, that was enough for me - perhaps I'm getting old at last....) didn't make up for this film's multitude of shortcomings.

Maybe I've watched too many in one go, but I'm finding Stan Lee's cameos annoying, now.

Still going through the back-cat of films I _have_ to see, so there's still time to find something wonderful -- fingers crossed, folks 



I'm jonesing for Dr Strange, though.....


----------



## Interference

(as a side-bar, I found this link to Kevin Conroy's view of Bale's voice... http://screenrant.com/kevin-conroy-calls-christian-bale-batman-voice-mikee-54681/)


----------



## biodroid

Mars needs moms - Cute little SF movie for kids, good CGI and the animation is very realistic.

Fast Five - What an awesome heist movie, not really a Fast and Furious movie except for the end sequence (no pimped out rides). Probably one of the best chases I have seen in a very long time, it beats any Michael Bay highway scene hands down.


----------



## Interference

Source Code - Groundhog Day for grown-ups.  Why is everything a love story?


----------



## antiloquax

I went to see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". I enjoyed it a lot. Some nice touches - female chimp called "Cornelia", Caesar building 3D jigsaw of the Statue of Liberty.
My wife and I wondered if it was over-doing it a bit when the Caesar refused to kill any humans ...
On the whole, though, a very satisfying prequal.
a


----------



## Interference

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel - Mostly still unanswered, but enjoyable enough romp.  Lousy ending.


----------



## Diggler

*The Greatest Movie Ever Sold*

Not really an expose of advertising in films. Rather an entertaining documentary about advertising in film. Wasn't exactly enlightening, but was enjoyable nonetheless.

*Mother's Day*

Not too bad horror thriller from the director of *Repo: The Genetic Opera*. Took some serious liberties on story and was literally nothing like the original film. This you could say is a good thing, as the original was an extremely sordid little number.


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> *Mother's Day*
> 
> nothing like the original film. This you could say is a good thing, as the original was an extremely sordid little number.


 
You ain't kidden, the original was nightmarish and brutal. However you do get to see the bad guys get theirs at the end.

Hmm, I haven't seen the new movie. But now I want to view the 1980 _*Mother's Day*_ film again.


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> You ain't kidden, the original was nightmarish and brutal. However you do get to see the bad guys get theirs at the end.
> 
> Hmm, I haven't seen the new movie. But now I want to view the 1980 _*Mother's Day*_ film again.



The original Mother's Day is quite close to my heart. My Step Father hired it out for me when I was 11 years old when I was sick from school one day. We watched the movie together that afternoon. I have never asked him what he thought of it. LOL


----------



## CyBeR

Watched today *Source Code*. Better than I had hoped it would be and the ending honestly surprised me some. Call me a cynic if you must, but that ending was refreshing.


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> The original Mother's Day is quite close to my heart. My Step Father hired it out for me when I was 11 years old when I was sick from school one day. We watched the movie together that afternoon. I have never asked him what he thought of it. LOL


 
I just watched it again last night, and after so many years later, it's still a real freaky film for a B movie. I can still remember back it 1980 when people were yelling at the theater screen at the bad guys, and shouting advice to the victims.

Mother's Day (1980), is truely an absurd and violent movie, but I noticed through the decades that films are still pushing for more graphic horror and twisted killers. Movies like Psycho (1960) and Two Thousand Maniacs (1964) created by (the father of gore flicks) Herschell Gordon Lewis, paved the way for cult movie followers who want weird and disturbing films.


I also watched *The Matrix: Reloaded* (2003) and *My Favorite Brunette* (1947)


----------



## clovis-man

*Muppets From Space* because it's good for me. Good soundtrack too.


----------



## Abernovo

I watched _Moon_ (2009) on HBO a couple of weeks ago. Quite good. No flashy effects, just a claustrophobic story.


----------



## Highlander

I came across _Johnny Mnemonic_ a few days ago - so captivating that I fell asleep for the last 15mins... Not sure whether I was really concerned if he did live to the end or not.

I first saw _Moon_ at the cinema and enjoyed it (and it was a British made SCI-FI film as well!)


----------



## Connavar

*Twilight Samurai(2003)*

A wonderful Samurai drama that was a great story of social realism.  It was not a story of high born, wealthy Samurais with alot of honor.  It was story of a poor low born Samurai.  He had the honor of being samurai, not a peasant but not much more.  He didnt have enough money, honor to be a regular mid class Samurai.   A real story about poor people that history forgets when it remember the famous names.


----------



## clovis-man

Thanks, Conn. I just added *The Twilight Samurai* to my instant viewing queue on Netflix.


----------



## Foxbat

*Profondo Rosso *(1975) 
Not as good as Suspiria but still a pretty decent offering from the mind of Dario Argento. As always, loved the music provided by Goblin.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *Profondo Rosso *(1975)
> Not as good as Suspiria but still a pretty decent offering from the mind of Dario Argento. As always, loved the music provided by Goblin.


 
Deep Red is an awesome movie and has a cool theme by Goblin. I'm working up the nerve to see _Suspiria (1977)_ again soon.



*Rocky 2*, (1979) great drama and excitement by writer/director/actor Sylvester Stallone, he did such a great job filming this movie.


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> Thanks, Conn. I just added *The Twilight Samurai* to my instant viewing queue on Netflix.



The lead actor Sanada is top level serious actor or how about:

_In 1999 and 2000, he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in their production of King Lear. This marked the first time a Japanese actor had performed with the theatrical group and earned Sanada an MBE._


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> I just watched it again last night, and after so many years later, it's still a real freaky film for a B movie. I can still remember back it 1980 when people were yelling at the theater screen at the bad guys, and shouting advice to the victims.
> 
> Mother's Day (1980), is truely an absurd and violent movie, but I noticed through the decades that films are still pushing for more graphic horror and twisted killers. Movies like Psycho (1960) and Two Thousand Maniacs (1964) created by (the father of gore flicks) Herschell Gordon Lewis, paved the way for cult movie followers who want weird and disturbing films.
> 
> 
> I also watched *The Matrix: Reloaded* (2003) and *My Favorite Brunette* (1947)



Yeah, I haven't seen Mothers Day for many years, but I still have some of the nastiness seared into my brain. I could just imagine this playing in some sleazy 42nd street cinema back in the 80's. It is the epitome of trash cinema and definitely one of the most memorable.

I watched *Griff the Invisible*. This was a quirky little Aussie film starring Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), in a polar opposite role to what most know him for. Shy, reclusive and just plain odd, Griff lives a double life as a customer liason officer by day, and superhero by night.


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> *Muppets From Space* because it's good for me. Good soundtrack too.


 
For me, it is one of the best puppet (& Muppet) movies I have ever seen. And a classic collection of tunes in the film. Brilliant movie.



Diggler said:


> It is the epitome of trash cinema and definitely one of the most memorable.


 
Nothing like a good cult classic on a dull night.

*Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) - *featured on* Mystery Science Theater 3000*


----------



## Diggler

While not a cult classic, I am tempted to watch the new *Return of the Jedi* so I can hear the "NoooOOOooooooOOOooooo" in all it's surround sound glory tonight. Otherwise I might watch a trashtastic classic


----------



## Foxbat

*These Are The Damned* (1963)

A pretty decent (if fairly gloomy) Hammer film with Oliver Reed in the cast. Worth a watch.


----------



## Adasunshine

*Grease*... again! Introduced my boys to it much to my other half's dismay! 

He was even less impressed that they both loved it 

xx


----------



## Metryq

_Star Trek_ (2009)

I hadn't seen this since first release in the cinema, and it's even worse than I remembered, which I didn't think was possible. And now more of the same dreck is in the works.


----------



## Diggler

*Man Behind the Sun*

Chinese produced shockudrama based around Unit 731, a WWII Japanese science group that did experiments on Chinese and captured allies. The film has a serious notoriety attached to it due to the use of real cadavers during the filming. This is just a genuine feel good family film, that is guaranteed to scar your loved ones for life! 3/5

*Suspiria*

I finally got to see the Blu-Ray release of this, one of Dario Argento's greatest films. To finally see this as Argento had intended is beyond amazing! Jaw dropping cinematography, sets and use of colour. Plus the killings are even more chilling due to so much more detail. 5/5


----------



## biodroid

Love and other drugs - very good.
Pirate of the Carribean: On stranger tides - it wasn't bad, it also didn't feel like a POTC movie, just had something missing.


----------



## HoopyFrood

*Death Becomes Her* is on! One of my favourite, favourite films, especially as a kid. I used to go around the playground with my head flopping all over the place.


----------



## svalbard

Just finished watching *13 Assassains*. It was really enjoyable with some cracking action scenes.


----------



## Foxbat

*Down By Law *(1986  B&W)

A quirky film from Jim Jarmusch. Starring Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni, this movie is definitely worth a viewing.


----------



## BookStop

HoopyFrood said:


> *Death Becomes Her* is on! One of my favourite, favourite films, especially as a kid. I used to go around the playground with my head flopping all over the place.


 
This is one of those movies where I've specifically thought about joining a streaming movies service to view as I remember loving, loving, loving it and i think my kids would get a huge kick out of watching this one. (mystery men is my other silly movie I want to share with the kinder)


----------



## Interference

Metryq said:


> _Star Trek_ (2009)
> 
> I hadn't seen this since first release in the cinema, and it's even worse than I remembered, which I didn't think was possible. And now more of the same dreck is in the works.



I liked it


----------



## Connavar

Star Trek was one of few fun SF films in hollywood in recent years.   I look forward to the sequel very much.  I prefer it to all those stupid SF action films.

Of course nostalgic old fans wont like the new film.   I never cared for Star Trek myself before.


----------



## Mouse

I watched the last half of *He's Just Not That In To You. *On telly last night. Even stayed up to watch the end of it. I must be getting old, or I'm turning into a girl cos I actually quite like these stupid girl films now. *sigh*


----------



## Interference

Connavar said:


> ....Of course nostalgic old fans wont like the new film.   I never cared for Star Trek myself before.


Don't be so quick to mis-judge us oldie-die-hardies, Con.  I was impressed with the affection for TOS that clearly ran through the movie.  And the casting (apart from Pike, who should have been younger to have had Spock by his side) was shockingly brilliant -- and I have a few niggles about messing with our Universe (as this is clearly meant to be a no-holds-barred re-boot).


----------



## Marvin

The Social Network - hard to believe the time scales involved in the Facebook phenomenon! I would love to know what really happened.

I like this Jesse Eisenburg fellow, loved 'Zombieland' too, great stuff.


----------



## Diggler

Connavar said:


> Star Trek was one of few fun SF films in hollywood in recent years.   I look forward to the sequel very much.  I prefer it to all those stupid SF action films.
> 
> Of course nostalgic old fans wont like the new film.   I never cared for Star Trek myself before.



Yes, it was a nice bit of freshness in a rather staid genre at the time. I've always been what you could call a "Star Wars kid" and never really taken much notice of Star Trek. I did find The Next Generation compelling. Just not compelling enough to seek out the series on DVD or anything like that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Spermula*  a film so bad IMDb tries to deny it's existance.  Try it; look it up:

http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all;q=Spermula

(Actually if you sneak up on it via one of the actors you can find it, though why it doesn't turn up in a title search is a curiosity.)

_Spermula _started out life as a arty French erotic horror flick which looks like it was set in the 1930s but fell into the hands of American distributors who edited it with a chainsaw, added footage from_ Silent Running, _and dubbed it with a script that sounds like it was written by the_ Firesign Theater_.  It's about a bunch of aliens who take on human form to reduce the human race to slavery by felating every man in world to impotence.  They have seven days - most of which they spend languishing about semi-naked, as if posing for a Penthouse shoot, and indulging in desultory (slightly off-screen) m***********.  

I have no idea what the original was supposed to be about but it must have been weird before the addition of the bizarre soundtrack.  The only film I've ever seen with a dwarf shooting down a model aeroplane with a shotgun.

More WTF! moments per reel than most films.

"You know I don't like to be disturbed while I'm folding my underwear!"


----------



## Metryq

Diggler said:


> I've always been what you could call a "*Star Wars kid*"



Was that _you_ in that infamous Web video?


----------



## Diggler

Metryq said:


> Was that _you_ in that infamous Web video?



I could only dream of being the Star Wars kid!


----------



## Foxbat

*Centre Stage *(1992) Chinese withn English subtitles. 

The story of Chinese actress Ruan Ling-yu, and her short yet glorious film career and her eventual suicide aged 25 in 1935.

This movie is something a of a hybrid. Part bio-pic, part documentary and part historical recreation of key scenes from her movies (much of which is no longer available). Maggie Cheung is excellent as the tragic figure of Ruan who rises to stardom only to be hounded by malicious gossip and the tabloid press, which eventually leads her to take her own life.

Personally, I found this film haunting, thought provoking, tender and extremely moving. It is a well directed movie and it never seems like an intrusion when it switches between playing out the scenes to discussion/research on set between actors and director. It’s not the norm but it works.

Some absolutely ridiculous and astronomical prices are being demanded in some quarters (£135 was the highest I came across for a region 1 import) but I managed to source a copy for £23 through Amazon. Still steep but much more accessible than the previous quote. 

I’d have no hesitation in recommending this movie to anybody with a taste for something a bit different.


----------



## Diggler

*Horrible Bosses*

I was so looking forward to seeing this film, but was ultimately disappointed. For me this was a generic comedy with only a couple of moderately funny scenes. Go see Bridesmaids instead, because that was funny! 2.5/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Sherlock Holmes* with Robert D. Jr. It wasn't great, but it was pretty good.

*Young Frankenstein* is still a comedy classic

*Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind* great cool/weird movie


----------



## Foxbat

*King Kong Versus Godzilla *
The last time I saw this movie, I was about five years old.

A load of nonsense, but I suppose watching this is better than hitting yourself in the face with a large mallet (but only just)


----------



## Diggler

*Cloverfield*

I saw this at the cinema a few years back, and while enjoying it, never really thought it was superb or anything like that. I have had the DVD for a few years now, and finally decided to revisit this "found footage" flick again.

I have to say that the film really hooked me in this second time around. The camera guy annoyed the crap out of me, and some of the dialogue was quite ridiculous, and there were a couple of other niggling issues with pacing from time to time. But damn does this movie pack a whallop in the tension department! Unluckily, if you don't like these types of films, you're likely to not like it period (like my Wife). If you are a bit more open minded, and are not affected by vertigo, then you really should enjoy this. 4/5

*Man on the Moon*

Jim Carrey imitating Andy Kaufman.... I lasted all of 10 minutes before turning this off! I have never liked the irreverent and downright stupid comedy styles of people like Carrey or Kaufman. So I just wasn't willing to go any further with this film. I am only basing this on my personal experience. If you like Jim Carrey or Andy Kaufman, then you would probably enjoy this. 1.5/5


----------



## Interference

I watched this years ago and, against my will, enjoyed it.  I've never been a fan of Carrey, but I wanted to know what all the fuss was about Kaufman.  I think Carrey did well.

The only other time I've thought Carrey might have anything like the talent everyone said he had was _Truman_ and that was more for what he _didn't_ do than for what he did.  Nothing else I've seen him, which I'll be honest is mostly trailers for films I've no intention of seeing anyway, in has helped me revise that opinion.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Red House*
Edward G. Robinson harbours a dark secret in this so-so thriller from 1947.


----------



## thatollie

Princess of Mars (2009)

Was it supposed to be that stupid? I really liked the stupidity.


----------



## JunkMonkey

It was an Asylum product (I don't like to call their stuff 'films').  What did you expect?


----------



## thatollie

Ah, now I understand, they're just awful filmmakers.


----------



## Adasunshine

Family night it was tonight and this week's film was... *drum roll*...

*Paul*

I laughed a _lot_, as did we all!

Currently 'watching' *A Prophet*... can't say it's my cup of tea hence me being on here.  Light and fluffy is my usual!

xx


----------



## Starbeast

thatollie said:


> Princess of Mars (2009)
> 
> Was it supposed to be that stupid? I really liked the stupidity.


 
I was curious about _Princess of mars._ I'll check out a trailer for it, I've only seen a poster of the movie.



Foxbat said:


> *King Kong Versus Godzilla *
> The last time I saw this movie, I was about five years old.
> 
> A load of nonsense, but I suppose watching this is better than hitting yourself in the face with a large mallet (but only just)


 
I'm aware it's not the type of movie for everyone. I really enjoy that ape vs mutant dinosaur movie flick. I saw it long ago as a kid too, I just watched it a couple of weeks ago. It has good characters, funny moments, a return to Skull Island and giant monsters. A harmless fantasy movie that the whole family can watch.



svalbard said:


> Just finished watching *13 Assassains*. It was really enjoyable with some cracking action scenes.


 
I really want to see that. I heard about it and I didn't want to see any action scenes from the film trailers.



Diggler said:


> *Suspiria*
> 
> I finally got to see the Blu-Ray release of this, one of Dario Argento's greatest films. To finally see this as Argento had intended is beyond amazing! Jaw dropping cinematography, sets and use of colour. Plus the killings are even more chilling due to so much more detail. 5/5


 
I just watched it and then behind the scene interviews. Both were very entertaining.


----------



## Diggler

Interference said:


> I watched this years ago and, against my will, enjoyed it.  I've never been a fan of Carrey, but I wanted to know what all the fuss was about Kaufman.  I think Carrey did well.
> 
> The only other time I've thought Carrey might have anything like the talent everyone said he had was _Truman_ and that was more for what he _didn't_ do than for what he did.  Nothing else I've seen him, which I'll be honest is mostly trailers for films I've no intention of seeing anyway, in has helped me revise that opinion.



Actually, *The Truman Show* and *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* were quite good films. Though, as you pointed out, it's what he doesn't do that makes the difference.


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> I just watched it and then behind the scene interviews. Both were very entertaining.



I never watch the extra's. I think out of the 3125943 dvd's, Blu-Rays and HD-DVD's I own, I've only watched the extras on a handful of them.


----------



## j d worthington

Hmmm... Been a while since I posted here, and this time it's... rather odd. The most recent I saw was watching Burton's film of Stephen Sondheim's  *Sweeney Todd* (the original Sondheim play was written with Hugh Wheeler) again... I know this isn't popular with some, but I think it was quite well done (though shorter than the original musical), and I quite like the unrelentingly grim... yet oddly humanistic... ending and the way it was handled. I have seen this film several times now, and my liking (and respect) for it grows with each viewing....

The other isn't, technically a film, but is also a video of a production of a Stephen Sondheim musical (this time with James Lapine), *Into the Woods*, which I have only seen bits and pieces of before. This time I got the bloody thing and finally got to see it from start to finish. Much lighter, overall, than *Todd* (albeit it does have its darker moments), but I very much like the way Sondheim uses such "mythic" material to address the human condition. The broader tone of this production (whereas the Burton is, naturally, reined in quite a bit, given the difference between stage and film) seems perfectly suited to it; and I thought it was a delightful and at times rather moving piece. (It was also at times deliberately silly and at others intentionally outrageous. And it was wonderful to see how Sondhein & Co. made hash of the entire "fourth wall" taboo, not to mention having a narrator for a play... who is an integral part of the play....)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> Actually, *The Truman Show* and *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* were quite good films. Though, as you pointed out, it's what he doesn't do that makes the difference.



I find Carey annoyingly OTT mannerisms unwatchable for the most part but I thought his turn in _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ was pretty well judged.


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> I never watch the extra's. I think out of the 3125943 dvd's, Blu-Rays and HD-DVD's I own, I've only watched the extras on a handful of them.


 
I like looking behind the scenes and listening to the actors and actresses speak about their experiances, etc.

Actor Udo Keir who had a small role in the movie _Suspiria_, was a fan of director Dario Argento, and wanted to be in another movie of his. After  many years his wish came true and Mr Keir was in Dario Argento's _Mother of Tears_.

*Jonah Hex* - The supernatural cowboy from DC Comics, wasn't a bad movie, it was a watchable steampunk horror adventure. I read some of Jonah Hex's weird western comics in the past, good stuff. I did also like the cartoon short stories DVD featuring other DC characters besides the supernatural cowboy Mr Hex....*The Return of Black Adam*


----------



## j d worthington

After having watched Burton's film, I got hold of a copy of an older video of the stage play of *Sweeney Todd*... something I've not seen the entirety of before, and haven't seen any of for many, many years. Some interesting differences there; a bit broader, of course, given the different media; but also some bits which would have taken a bit too much time in the film version are included here, which add depth to the characters. There is also (something I'd completely forgotten) the "Ballad of Sweeney Todd" which runs throughout the thing, and which would have been completely out of place in a film of that sort, yet works very well on the stage; recalling the original material (*The String of Pearls*) and the various takes on it since, as a popular legend or urban myth. (Incidentally, this is one of those techniques used in *Doctor Who* at one point, with "The Gunfighters"... rather well, I thought on a re-viewing a few years ago.)

However, in watching it this time, it became evident that, though Burton had to let that ballad go, he kept at least part of its emphasis in subtle ways, especially the final scene of the film, specifically Depp's performance and delivery....



> Sweeney wishes the world away,
> Sweeney's weeping for yesterday,
> Hugging the blade, waiting the years,
> Hearing the music that nobody hears....
> Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd:
> He served a dark and a hungry god
> To seek revenge might lead to hell
> But everyone does and seldom as well
> As Sweeney... Sweeney Todd...
> The demon barber of Fleet Street.


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> I like looking behind the scenes and listening to the actors and actresses speak about their experiances, etc.
> 
> Actor Udo Keir who had a small role in the movie _Suspiria_, was a fan of director Dario Argento, and wanted to be in another movie of his. After  many years his wish came true and Mr Keir was in Dario Argento's _Mother of Tears_.



I actually like the behind the scenes stuff as well. Just the other half is not really into all the behind the scenes stuff, and I don't really want to bore her to tears with it


----------



## Foxbat

*X The Unknown* (1956)

A radioactive, flesh melting creature emerges from the depths to rampage through the Scottish countryside. A fairly decent horror/SciFi offering from Hammer and (I think) best described as a Quatermass movie without Quatermass.


----------



## Foxbat

*In The Mood For Love*


Set in early sixties Hong Kong, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung star in this sumptuous and stylish slow burner of heart-felt friendship and unresolved desire. It has an economic yet perfect soundtrack to contrast the fine visual effect of director Wong Kar-Wai. 

Quite simply, a fine movie.


----------



## Phoenixthewriter

*Bridesmaids*

I wish I had something more fun to type out there, but sadly, Bridesmaids was the last film I watched.  Still itching to catch the Fast and Furious film though.  I love movies


----------



## Foxbat

*Damnation Alley*
George Peppard and Jan-Michael Vincent star in this 1977 post apocalyptic road movie based (extremely loosely) on the Zelazny novel of the same name. 

They battle giant scorpions and killer cockroaches in the real star of this movie - the Landmaster vehicle.

All in all, the skies may be burning in Damnation Alley but it's really a fairly tepid affair.


----------



## No One

*Stalker *(1979). Based loosely on Roadside Picnic, directed by Andrey Tarkovsky, and written by the Strugatsky brothers.

The film strips away virtually all of the sci-fi elements - and most characters - to focus on the heart of the story, which if nothing else helps to highlight the book's complicated purpose.

This comprised of long stretches of "stalking" in which tension, not action or any visual aid, is the priority, and long stretches of conversations pondering the meaning of many things. 

I'd be hard-pressed to say I thought it was great, but I definitely liked it and can't deny it's status as a classic. Not for everyone though.


----------



## alchemist

Phoenixthewriter said:


> *Bridesmaids*
> 
> I wish I had something more fun to type out there, but sadly, Bridesmaids was the last film I watched.  Still itching to catch the Fast and Furious film though....



Don't. Save yourself two hours of the worst acting ever. A female friend was recommending this for months. It was only after I saw it that I found out she was only looking at the muscles.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *X The Unknown* (1956)
> 
> A radioactive, flesh melting creature emerges from the depths to rampage through the Scottish countryside.


 


Foxbat said:


> *Damnation Alley*
> George Peppard and Jan-Michael Vincent star in this 1977 post apocalyptic road movie based (extremely loosely) on the Zelazny novel of the same name.


 
A pair of great cult classics.


*The Killer Shrews *(1959)

Giant mutant shrews pester people on an island. Lame and silly movie with bad dialogue, but funny with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew making comments about it throughout the movie.

*Tarantula* (1955)

Giant spider escapes a laboratory, attacks cattle and people, then is destroyed a very young Clint Eastwood piloting a jet.


----------



## thatollie

Two great westerns . . .

Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid

&

The Magnificent Seven


----------



## Foxbat

No One said:


> *Stalker *(1979). Based loosely on Roadside Picnic, directed by Andrey Tarkovsky, and written by the Strugatsky brothers.
> 
> The film strips away virtually all of the sci-fi elements - and most characters - to focus on the heart of the story, which if nothing else helps to highlight the book's complicated purpose.
> 
> This comprised of long stretches of "stalking" in which tension, not action or any visual aid, is the priority, and long stretches of conversations pondering the meaning of many things.
> 
> I'd be hard-pressed to say I thought it was great, but I definitely liked it and can't deny it's status as a classic. Not for everyone though.


 
I'd say your comments kind of sum up my feelings towards this movie too.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *The Prestige* for the 2nd time, as good as the 1st time; also *Dorian Gray*, Colin Firth is a good choice for Lord Henry but the actor for Dorian Gray is quite ordinary and not even as handsome as Dorian Gray should be.


----------



## Mouse

Allegra said:


> ... the actor for Dorian Gray is quite ordinary and not even as handsome as Dorian Gray should be.



Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!! _That_ is Ben freaking Barnes. The most _beautiful_ man on the planet! Gah! 

I am in shock.


----------



## Allegra

Hm...may be he is just not my type. I'm thinking more in the line of...ah, can't think of one, someone more striking with more, uh, striking eyes and nose and mouth, may be more like the Greek gods sculptures sort.


----------



## Interference

Striking eyes - aquiline nose - interesting mouth - You're talking about Marty Feldman, aren't you?


----------



## Allegra

Marty who? Googling....oh gosh. Striking indeed!


----------



## Mouse

Allegra said:


> Hm...may be he is just not my type. I'm thinking more in the line of...ah, can't think of one, someone more striking with more, uh, striking eyes and nose and mouth, may be more like the Greek gods sculptures sort.



Almost eight hours later and still I am shocked. Shocked and appalled! His Benliness has very striking eyes, they're almost black. Pah, I say. Pah!

And Inter? Whatever floats your boat.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Watchmen*

Quite an interesting take on superheros. I have never read the DC comic, nor have I seen any trailers for the film, and I must say that nearly three hour movie was filled with an entertaining and highly gritty world where superheros exist. Definately not for kids. Man-a-live, what a movie.


----------



## j d worthington

Hmmm. On *Dorian Gray*... he's not at all a bad-looking chap, but he lacks the classic look (at least in the film clips I've seen) to fit him for Dorian. There was a particular look to the character which this one lacks; Barnes has been made too much a stereotypical good-looking sort, and consequently tends, in my opinion, to blend in. Other shots of him I've seen show him as capable of filling the role, I think; but the way he was made-up, tonsored, dressed, and shot for the film completely misses the mark on this one, to me. Hurd Hatfield may not be today's idea of the ideal, but he carried the role beautifully in the 1945 version, including an increasing iciness as Dorian lost more and more of his humanity. I think I'd plump for the earlier version over this; too much of sensationalism seems to permeate this version, making it a far cry from Wilde's novel in tone... ironic, given the hue and cry _that_ raised originally....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Blood Of Dracula's Castle*

John Carradine stars in this excruciatingly bad movie made worse by an excruciatingly bad transfer to DVD. Frankly, it looks as if somebody was on holiday, got bored and said to his friends _"Let's get the Super 8 and make a Dracula movie!"_

Oh, by the way, Dracula ain't here. I think he had better sense than to flash a fang in this pile of unadulterated tripe. What Carradine was thinking, appearing here, I'll never know. Apparently, the director of this movie was eventually shot to death. I wouldn't be surprised if it was by a disgruntled moviegoer.

About as entertaining as toothache. Avoid.

PS I bought this as part of a _'Gorehouse Greats'_ collection. I shudder to think what other gems await me in this box.


----------



## Adasunshine

Shorts

Caught it on Sky this afternoon, absolutely loved it, a really great family film that had us all cracking up! 

xx


----------



## Mouse

j. d. worthington said:


> Hmmm. On *Dorian Gray*... he's not at all a bad-looking chap, but he lacks the classic look (at least in the film clips I've seen) to fit him for Dorian. There was a particular look to the character which this one lacks; Barnes has been made too much a stereotypical good-looking sort, and consequently tends, in my opinion, to blend in. Other shots of him I've seen show him as capable of filling the role, I think; but the way he was made-up, tonsored, dressed, and shot for the film completely misses the mark on this one, to me. Hurd Hatfield may not be today's idea of the ideal, but he carried the role beautifully in the 1945 version, including an increasing iciness as Dorian lost more and more of his humanity. I think I'd plump for the earlier version over this; too much of sensationalism seems to permeate this version, making it a far cry from Wilde's novel in tone... ironic, given the hue and cry _that_ raised originally....



Ooh, an opportunity to discuss beautiful men?  

I didn't know Hurt Hatfield, JD, so I Googled him. To me, he's not hugely dissimilar to Ben Barnes, especially if you check out BB in Easy Virtue, where he's got his hair done in that sort of way. Both dark haired too, and Dorian was supposed to be blond.

I know Oscar Wilde had a thing for blonds, but Ben has that 'boyishness' that I associate with Dorian Gray (and OW). I wouldn't call Ben handsome, to me 'handsome' is quite plain. I'd say he was beautiful, like Dorian Gray should be. Course, it's all a matter of taste and as Dorian is described as being incredibly good looking, I picture him as someone I'd find good looking - if I try to picture a blond actor playing Dorian, I can't do it because I'm a brunette kinda girl.

As for the 'iciness,' I'd say Ben does a pretty good job towards the end of the film. You mention film clips, so I guess you've not seen the whole thing? It's really not like the book at all, the ending is different and there's a whole invented character in there. Dorian Gray in the book doesn't redeem himself at all, whereas he gets the chance to in this film version.

I've not seen any other versions of DG, but I want to. I'll try to find the Hurd Hatfield version. I was going to get a boxset of Wilde plays that's on Amazon, it's got The Picture of Dorian Gray on it, but I've just read the reviews and it's not Hurd Hatfield.

Also, wasn't Dorian Gray inspired by John Gray the poet? If his hair was tousled he'd not look so far off from Ben Barnes either. 

I see I've gone quite far off topic... I can't remember the last film I saw. Pondering watching Dorian Gray again though.


----------



## Allegra

j. d. worthington said:


> Hmmm. On *Dorian Gray*... he's not at all a bad-looking chap, but he lacks the classic look (at least in the film clips I've seen) to fit him for Dorian. There was a particular look to the character which this one lacks; Barnes has been made too much a stereotypical good-looking sort, and consequently tends, in my opinion, to blend in. Other shots of him I've seen show him as capable of filling the role, I think; but the way he was made-up, tonsored, dressed, and shot for the film completely misses the mark on this one, to me. Hurd Hatfield may not be today's idea of the ideal, but he carried the role beautifully in the 1945 version, including an increasing iciness as Dorian lost more and more of his humanity. I think I'd plump for the earlier version over this; too much of sensationalism seems to permeate this version, making it a far cry from Wilde's novel in tone... ironic, given the hue and cry _that_ raised originally....


 
Spot on, JD! I haven't seen the 1945 version, didn't even know there was one. And I agree with your opinion about the film. I think it's impossible to make the film as intellectual and subtle as the novel.

Watched *In Bruges*, it's said to be a black comedy but more like a gray drag. I watched only 1/3 and gave up. It's a shame for the beautiful city Bruges.


----------



## j d worthington

Not meaning to keep this off-topic, but... to address the points made earlier. Actually, in the earlier film version, there is an ambiguity as to whether Dorian redeems himself or not; whether he is acting out of a tiny remaining love for her, or whether it is indeed nothing more than hypocrisy, vanity, and self-love.

I think my problem with Barnes is that he is too "pretty" here -- as I noted above, I've seen other examples where I think he would have fit the role better, physically speaking -- and lacks anything particularly memorable to set him off from many another such in film (or otherwise). Hatfield had something just a trifle odd about his appearance which, to my mind, suited him to the role better; and, as I said, his performance I found to be the better of the two (I checked out the film earlier this morning and watched it); the more recent film, I would say, goes for the obvious and sensational too often; it is too graphic in its depiction, rather than using suggestion properly... which can be all the more disturbing and shocking than whatever they actually put on the screen imagistically. (I realize Dorian in the novel is much more emotional; but I would say that does not carry as much power on screen as it does on the page. In this instance, the increasing lack of emotion conveys Dorian's corruption as vividly in a dramatic sense as the alteration of the portrait does in a visual sense.)

There is also, I think, one other advantage the 1945 version has over any of the more recent versions: the film as a whole is in black-and-white, the only color (and a vivid technicolor it is, too) portions being of the portrait itself, thus emphasizing it as a genuine character, a haunting genius with a personality of its own... without the rather cheap effect the 2009 film used of having the figure move and emerge from the canvas. That, to me, spoils the effect entirely, as it cheapens what is going on and turns it into a simple monster, rather than the mirror of Dorian's soul which it is meant to be. (In this, there is a good deal of resemblance between the portrait and Frankenstein's creature, who also in many ways acts as the doppelgänger of its creator.) It also makes the impact of the portrait, since these scenes are used quite sparingly, immensely more impressive... and that painting, by the way is a genuinely beautiful work of art; I would imagine that was where a fair amount of budget for the film actually went....

Incidentally, while I've not seen a listing for the artist who painted the uncorrupted Dorian's portrait, the final version of the painting is in the Art Institute of Chicago. The youthful Dorian painting was apparently bought many years later by a friend of Hurd Hatfield and given to him as a surprise....


----------



## Diggler

No One said:


> *Stalker *(1979). Based loosely on Roadside Picnic, directed by Andrey Tarkovsky, and written by the Strugatsky brothers.
> 
> The film strips away virtually all of the sci-fi elements - and most characters - to focus on the heart of the story, which if nothing else helps to highlight the book's complicated purpose.
> 
> This comprised of long stretches of "stalking" in which tension, not action or any visual aid, is the priority, and long stretches of conversations pondering the meaning of many things.
> 
> I'd be hard-pressed to say I thought it was great, but I definitely liked it and can't deny it's status as a classic. Not for everyone though.



The book was great... The games were great... The movie was sort of great. I found it to be extremely long winded, and put far too much emphasis on conversations involving life, the universe, and just about anything else that was on the writers mind. I did love the cinematography though.


----------



## biodroid

Big Momma's House 3 - It was ok, not a fan of Martin Lawrence but at least he wasn't so full of himself and irritating like his other movies.

The Road - I have never felt so morbid after watching a movie. Could this movie be the bleakest most depressing movie ever made?


----------



## Rodders

JJ Abram's Star Trek was on last night and i have to say that i loved it. There were a lot of nods back to the original series that i liked and i really thought that it envigorated what had become a tired franchise. 

My wife hated it. "It's the most offensive thing i've ever seen. I hope they don't make a second one." I didn't have the heart to tell her.


----------



## Metryq

Rodders said:


> There were a lot of nods back to the original series



I'm with your wife on this one, and all the "nods" are why. _All_ of the Trek films have been like this, except _The Wrath of Khan_. All of these "nods" make the production look more like a _Saturday Night Live_ parody than any attempt to do something new—which was the whole point of "rebooting" the franchise, right? One of the less obvious examples was Old Spock giving Scotty the warp-beaming trick. That's right out of _The Voyage Home_: "How do we know he didn't invent the thing?" A more overt example is Kirk banging the Orion in Uhura's quarters. Puh-leese.

I realize it was meant to be an alternate universe, which gives the writers license to do anything they want, but how can rebooting everything since Kirk's birth reshuffle things so that _all_ the characters go through academy at the same time? That, to me, is enslavement to franchise more than anything else.

Then there are petty annoyances that look like they were included for 10-year-olds, such as McCoy repeatedly injecting Kirk in the neck. It wasn't funny the first time. People hated JarJar Binks in _Phantom Menace_; why would making Kirk flop around like him be a good idea here? And when did the _Enterprise_ become steam-powered? Scotty beaming into the water works was terribly juvenile, and using a brewery as a set for engineering made the _Enterprise_ look more like the _Titanic_ than as a high-tech starship. 

The distortion of the characters is what irritated me the most: Kirk acting like a total jerk (if you'll pardon the alliteration, but language is moderated on a forum) during the _Kobayashi Maru_ sim. (I could write a treatise on what is wrong with this scenario in every film, including the one that introduced it. But the problem here is that there was no _Kobayashi Maru_, and thus no passengers to rescue.) Sulu forgetting the "parking brake." Spock and Uhura delaying a critical beam-out to get kissy-faced? COME ON! Even tomcat Kirk never did that.

And why is it necessary to drill a hole all the way to the center of a planet when you're going to attack it with a black hole? Because it gives the writers lots of silly time to have action-movie sequences packed with digital effects.

I could go on, but I'll leave this with one last comment. I remember when the lens flare filter first appeared in Photoshop, and then every 3D animation package on the market. Lens flares quickly became over-used. And the fastest way to get booed off a digital art forum was to use a lens flare. The 2009 _Enterprise_ bridge was light sources and lens flares directly into the camera everywhere you looked.


----------



## Diggler

biodroid said:


> The Road - I have never felt so morbid after watching a movie. Could this movie be the bleakest most depressing movie ever made?



This is one of the most underrated, ignored and important films of recent years. It allayed the message of the book so convincingly that most everyone chose to ignore it. Obviously the public is in no need of a reality check...


----------



## biodroid

Diggler said:


> This is one of the most underrated, ignored and important films of recent years. It allayed the message of the book so convincingly that most everyone chose to ignore it. Obviously the public is in no need of a reality check...



I did think it was quite good but all that depression and cannibalism. I guess the point was made very well.


----------



## Diggler

biodroid said:


> I did think it was quite good but all that depression and cannibalism. I guess the point was made very well.



You should check out *Ghosts... Of the Civil Dead*. It was the director's first film, and is a stark and violent look inside a prison that is on the verge of social collapse due to an extended lockdown.


----------



## Connavar

*Harry Brown*

Michael Caine in his one of his best roles in many years.  He was stunning as vulnerable old man who was totally alone in urban nightmare.

Even before the UK riots this film was very topical, modern.  Not only UK who has social problems, the ills of modern urban life.  Its easier to understand the kids who were violent, damaged in the film because the huge gap between rich, poor in that country.  Read some social issues article that made UK sounds like Third World country....


----------



## Interference

Metryq said:


> .....I realize it was meant to be an alternate universe, which gives the writers license to do anything they want, but how can rebooting everything since Kirk's birth reshuffle things so that _all_ the characters go through academy at the same time? That, to me, is enslavement to franchise more than anything else....



Having to pick one thing short enough to quote for a reply, but really all I want to say is:

I can't disagree with a single word of your crit, but I still enjoyed the film immensely.  Maybe I'm less of a trekker than I thought I was 

I wasn't quite as analytical as you evidently were, though I did have some mini-cringes over most of the Scotty/Spock-time-travel-mucking-about aspects, of which the latter are always tiresome and the former miscast, but I couldn't help thinking "At least the aren't getting anything _wrong_, exactly (as "they" had with the whole Zefram Corchoran/Warp-Drive inventor characterisation in whichever abysmal Next Gen movie that was).

I liked the Kirk/McCoy relationship, hated the Spock/Uhura one.  Sulu's handbrake error was pathetic and I try to forget it.  Actually seeing Kirk's Kobayashi Maru solution debased the concept, in my view, as I'd imagined him being much more subtle about it and less self-satisfied and it took me a while to start liking Kirk - more Shatner than James T, I think - but I got there, in the end.

But I think what finally tipped the balance for me was that there was at least a suggestion that they were aware of TOS, far more than there ever was in Next Gen or anything else that followed, and for me the failure of the hugely successful franchise was that it was never "my" Trek.  This, at least, came very close.


----------



## slack

*no country for old men*

terrific. the film has a great look, and i was particularly struck by the way they played with light/shadow. just a very rich film on many levels.


----------



## Starbeast

slack said:


> *no country for old men*
> 
> terrific. the film has a great look, a very rich film on many levels.


 
I watched this movie for the first time when I was in a real bad mood. When it finished, I felt great.



*Fievel Goes West* (1991) Funny cartoon western adventure, great movie. Sequel to _An American Tail (1986) - _about a Russian mouse faimly coming to America.

*Pure Luck *(1991) Danny Glover & Martin Short star in this comedy about two men (one very accident prone) searching for a missing daughter.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Just watched Thor - and boy am I peeved. (I would use other more inappropriate language but don't want to be censured.)

I keep asking myself, why do these directers keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over again? What idiocy goes through their heads? And these are two great guys, J Michael Strazinsky of B5 and Joss Whedon of Buffy. Between them they could make a ripper. But some stupid ***** said, why not make a film that's visually so dark you simply can't see anything on a normal tv on a normal day? Why not let them watch a bloody radio? 

Grief that pisses me off! I want my money back!

Sorry for the negativity, but I hate this, especially when it keeps happening. Idon't really care if dark adds to the atmosphere. I couldn't give a pig's rear end if it makes things more scary. And as for artistic they can stick that where the sun don't shine - their cameras apparently. The V in TV is for vision. Without it, its just radio, and I don't pay thousands of dollars to buy a radio.

Cheers.


----------



## Interference

Besides which, Psy, the film was otherwise a disappointment, anyway.  I must've missed the Strazcinsky/Whedon involvement, otherwise I'd have screamed a little louder.


----------



## JunkMonkey

> I keep asking myself, why do these directers keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over again? What idiocy goes through their heads? And these are two great guys, J Michael Strazinsky of B5 and Joss Whedon of Buffy. Between them they could make a ripper.


Come on. Fair dos. I think it's a bit unfair to blame one of the writers and the uncredited director of a 'post credit scene' for the F-stop the cameraman uses. 



> why not make a film that's visually so dark you simply can't see anything on a normal tv on a normal day?


Because it_ is_ a film, and not TV; they're different things.  Daytime soaps are lit very differently from any film on earth.  And even when TV has the time and money to go for a 'high quality', 'filmy' look it's still not lit the same way as a film intended to be seen in the cinema (or at least it's graded differently in post).  When I watch a film on the television I have all the lights off and the curtains drawn.  Make it as dark in the room as possible.  It's worth the effort.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey, Psychotick still has a point. The director of a film typically consults with the DP (director of photography, or "cameraman") on the look he wants. Directors might also have a hand in the post processing work (color tints, day-for-night, etc).

Whoever is responsible, a film in which one cannot _see_ what is going on is a failed effort. A director can use any number of creative approaches to maintain mystery until the time is right to reveal something, but a black screen should not be one of them. Blue "moonlighting" or high contrast splashes of light are enough to tell the audience that it is dark, yet still permit them to understand what is going on.

Another technique that falls into this category is the current trend in "ShakyCam™" fight scenes. I'd rather see a well-choreographed fight scene or other action. A shaking camera and quarter-of-a-second edits only annoy me. That's for ADD audiences.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> JunkMonkey, Psychotick still has a point. The director of a film typically consults with the DP (director of photography, or "cameraman") on the look he wants. Directors might also have a hand in the post processing work (color tints, day-for-night, etc).
> 
> Whoever is responsible, a film in which one cannot _see_ what is going on is a failed effort. A director can use any number of creative approaches to maintain mystery until the time is right to reveal something, but a black screen should not be one of them. Blue "moonlighting" or high contrast splashes of light are enough to tell the audience that it is dark, yet still permit them to understand what is going on.



My point was that trying to watch a film in a well-lit room, with god knows what reflected off the screen and your pupils contracted to pinpricks because of the ambient light, is just asking for disappointment.

Personally I really hate Day for Night especially those scenes in a million and one cheap Westerns when the characters are sat around a weirdly blue camp fire that seems to throw no light of its own.

I'm not sure that I agree about directors never using a black screen.  One of the creepiest and best openings for a film I know is done to a black screen.  _The Brain That Wouldn't Die_ opens with a black screen and a woman's voice whispering, "Let me die.... please... let me die..."  Creepy as hell.  The rest of the film is utter ***** and would have benefited from the lens cap being on the camera and there being no tape in the Nagra for the whole shoot.



Metryq said:


> Another technique that falls into this category is the current trend in "ShakyCam™" fight scenes. I'd rather see a well-choreographed fight scene or other action. A shaking camera and quarter-of-a-second edits only annoy me. That's for ADD audiences.



I agree, rapid fire editing is fine in its place but it seems to be the only game in town these days.  I watched a couple of old studio programmers the other day and was struck by how wonderfully long the takes were.  Framing and composition and acting were up on the screen; you could actually watch the _actors_ act.  It must be hell being a film actor these days I've no idea how you put in a decent performance knowing that whatever you do it'll get sliced to bits in the editing suite with the director cutting on every other word.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> My point was that trying to watch a film in a well-lit room, with god knows what reflected off the screen and your pupils contracted to pinpricks because of the ambient light, is just asking for disappointment.



I agree, and until recently video couldn't hold a candle to film for latitude. Now there are HDR (high dynamic range) video systems that exceed film's latitude for presentation. That's hardly widespread, so there is still a lot of compression involved in home video.

But the audience must still be able to see _something_. The horror movie you noted is a limited example. If the whole movie had been people stumbling about in the dark because the director thought it was "artsy," then the director should find a new medium.

Like any technique, day-for-night can be done well, or done badly. I've seen moonlight cast shadows, but the "gamma curve" of the scene is quite different from afternoon sunlight. Some of those poorly done day-for-night shots in old westerns were probably done on the cheap because the whole film was shot in a week. (No union workers at night.) Sometimes one has to work within limits. 

Film stocks and electronic cameras also improve with time. What passes for studio lighting now would have been near blackness for older equipment. Among the many reasons electronic devices replaced film in astrophotography is the electronics are far more sensitive than any film stock. I first saw bioluminescence off the fantail of a dive boat over 20 years ago, and there's no way the video cameras back then could have picked it up. Now people shoot "*Tron surfing scenes*" with off-the-shelf cameras.


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> ....I've no idea how you put in a decent performance knowing that whatever you do it'll get sliced to bits in the editing suite with the director cutting on every other word.



Michael Keaton used to slow down the editing by never moving his eyes and head at the same time - the editors had to wait till the eyes were looking in the same direction as that in which his head was aimed before they could effectively cut to what he was looking at


----------



## No One

*13 Assassins*, by Takashi Miike.

More than any other director I can think of, Takashi is a chameleon, adapting his style from film to film. This is no exception. It screams tribute to Akira Kurasawa but still carries a few signature moments to mark it as his own - namely some real nastiness at the outset (Takashi has had a lot of practice at establishing depraved individuals) and a touch of the downright strange (with regards to a certain developement in the final scenes).

It could've done without some implausibly constructed defences which required suspension of belief, and it would've benefited with an extra 15-20 minutes to get to better know the 13 samurai individually. It may be a two-hour film, but when the last 45 minutes is one giant action sequence, then there's not much room left for character.

It wasn't quite all that I'd hoped it would be, but expectations were high and it's still a keeper.


----------



## psychotick

Hi Metryq and Junkmonkey,

I still feel cheated by Thor. I feel that for at least half the show I was watching radio. And you can tell me all you want that I should have been sitting in a dark room with the tv brightness set up all the way, and my answer will still be the same. No. Granted that may add to a movie, but in the end a dvd is meant to be played on a normal person's telly under normal conditions. If you can't see anything, its not a movie its just a sound track and some dialogue. And that's a rip off.

The last movie that was this bad with this same fault was AVP Requiem, and I was so peeved I damn near threw a brick at the dvd.

I'm seriously thinking about writing a letter of complaint - its just a question of who to.

Cheers.


----------



## JunkMonkey

psychotick said:


> Hi Metryq and Junkmonkey,
> 
> I still feel cheated by Thor. I feel that for at least half the show I was watching radio. And you can tell me all you want that I should have been sitting in a dark room with the tv brightness set up all the way, and my answer will still be the same. No. Granted that may add to a movie, but in the end a dvd is meant to be played on a normal person's telly under normal conditions. If you can't see anything, its not a movie its just a sound track and some dialogue. And that's a rip off.


 
Personally I would have thought that DVDs were supposed to recreate the look, as closely as possible, to films as they would be seen in the cinema.  The marketing of DVDs (certainly in the early days) was heavily weighed to giving the impression it was a near cinematic experience.  
And I think we have a different ideas of what 'normal conditions' are.  For me the normal conditions for watching a _film_ on DVD is to as I described earlier. Darkened room, no distractions and in my sweetspot seat, dead centre screen.  


psychotick said:


> The last movie that was this bad with this same fault was AVP Requiem, and I was so peeved I damn near threw a brick at the dvd.



I've not seen _AVP Requiem_ but the reviews I have read make me think that throwing a brick at the screen is probably the only sane response to it - whether you can see it or not.


----------



## P.G.Bell

I saw "Let Me In" - the American remake of "Let The Right One In" - at FantasyCon in Brighton last weekend. I'd not seen the original so have no basis for comparison (except the book, which is excellent) but I rather enjoyed it. John A. Lindqvist was there to introduce it and he likes it too - although he did admit to preferring the original.


----------



## Diggler

*Real Steel*

Boisterous and silly at times, I just could not help but enjoy the frenetic energy, heart and soul of this robot rendition of Rocky. Yet again, if you want to be entertained, see this. If you feel the need to nitpick, don't bother.

7.5/10


----------



## Starbeast

*Frenzy* (1972)

Alfred H.'s disturbing and suspenseful movie about a serial killer. It's the first time I've seen this gem of a film. Rated "R"


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> *Frenzy* (1972)
> 
> Alfred H.'s disturbing and suspenseful movie about a serial killer. It's the first time I've seen this gem of a film. Rated "R"



This was one of my favourites from many years ago. His use of black comedy was very much prevalent in this film.


----------



## Starbeast

Diggler said:


> This was one of my favourites from many years ago. His use of black comedy was very much prevalent in this film.


 
Great film. Henry Mancini was asked originally to do the music score, I liked his music more than Alfred's choice, Ron Goodwin.


----------



## Interference

Goodwin, though, was a stalwart of British film at the time and to some extent might be considered a more "suitable" choice for this return-to-the-homeland flick.


----------



## Starbeast

Interference said:


> Goodwin, though, was a stalwart of British film at the time and to some extent might be considered a more "suitable" choice for this return-to-the-homeland flick.


 
I know it was for Alfred, but after I heard both themes, I had to go with Henry.


----------



## Connavar

I havent even heard about Alfred H film called *Frenzy*.  He has become a huge fav first only in recent years thanks to seeing for the first time *Vertigo*, *Foreign Correspondent*, *Shadow of doubt *.

A film of his about a serial killer sound fascinating, time to hunt for the DVD in lovefilm!


----------



## Abernovo

Remember *Frenzy* from years back. Good film.

Became a fan at the age of 15, laid up in a plaster cast. One of the channels (only 4 of them back then) had a Hitch season. Took my mind off the broken bones.


----------



## mr kite

*Frontier(s)*

It makes Texas Chainsaw look like the Mad Hatters Tea party .


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Sixth Sense*. 'cos it's on and I like it and it's a good ghost film. With an actual _plot_.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Abernovo said:


> Became a fan at the age of 15, laid up in a plaster cast. One of the channels (only 4 of them back then) had a Hitch season.



Right. When I were a lad there were only two channels and both of them were in black and white and looked like they were painted by Rolf Harris on corrugated cardboard.  ....... and I had to lick road clean with my tongue........

Tonight I watched* Thunderpants* (2002)   A good old-fashioned family film about an 11 year old boy with uncontrollable flatulence.  I really don't know why Disney didn't pick this one up because it's a real 'follow your heart' story.  A young boy surmounts all the obsticles to find his gift and achieve his dream - with fart jokes, (lots of fart jokes) it also has opera singing, a kid facing a firing squad, ritual humiliation, more fart jokes, and some cracking OTT performances  before climaxing in the launch of a shuttle rescue mission powered by a tube stuck up our hero's arse.  It's hilarious.  I can thoroughly recommend it to all.


----------



## J-Sun

Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

-- Laurie Anderson


Saw _Aeon Flux_ (2005), the talky live action version of some dialog-less MTV cartoons. (Yeah, I'm slow.) By almost any standard, this was awful. Taken seriously as a film about real people doing real things it certainly was. But as pretty colors flying through the air to impinge on my retinas, it actually had some cool aspects. They just ruined it by trying to explain what they were doing with lots of dialog and lifting concepts from every other SF/F movie they could and plopping them down in a tired, yet mostly nonsensical, fashion.

I can see Charlize Theron's performance being savaged or appreciated. I myself have to wonder what was in (or on) her head trying to go around as a blonde, because she makes a fantastic brunette. I thought her flat, low delivery of her lines was good - if she has to talk, that's how. And I think she did a fantastic job with her physical movements. That can't have been easy to do - I mean just the walking and whatnot - not the special effects stuff.

So I dunno - I'm glad I saw it and would probably watch it again despite it not being good (left brain) because it was good (right brain).


----------



## Interference

I found the story extremely weak. I'm afraid it failed to engage me at all.  I was a little annoyed that the actors were directed to perform as though they were cartoons.  Surely the whole point of switching media like this is to _add_ a dimension.  Left and right brain are in accord over the possibility of ever seeing this one again by choice.

Also saw Johnny English - I know, I know, but I was curious.  Perhaps the lingering memory of a pre-Bean comic actor called Rowan Atkinson seduced me, perhaps it was the Aston Martin, but there really was very little else of merit that I could see in this tired, formulaic spy-spoof.


----------



## thatollie

Interference said:


> Also saw Johnny English - I know, I know, but I was curious. Perhaps the lingering memory of a pre-Bean comic actor called Rowan Atkinson seduced me, perhaps it was the Aston Martin, but there really was very little else of merit that I could see in this tired, formulaic spy-spoof.


 
If you ever feel the need to watch a spy spoof again, take my advice and watch Spy Hard (again?).


----------



## Interference

Leslie Nielsen?  Might be worth looking into, at that   Thank you.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *X The Unknown* (1956)
> 
> A radioactive, flesh melting creature emerges from the depths to rampage through the Scottish countryside. A fairly decent horror/SciFi offering from Hammer and (I think) best described as a Quatermass movie without Quatermass.


 
 I actually found this one to be scary when I first saw it as a kid. Pretty pedestrian by today's standards, but well done anyway. Dean Jagger lends an air of credibilty as the lead actor. I have an old VHS copy. I guess it's out on DVD now.


----------



## Adasunshine

Was sucked in by *Stuck On You* last night... I love that film, forget how good it is! 

Was also put through the mill by my son and was made to watch both *King Ralph* and *Johnny English*, not sure which was worse really although I laughed a bit at both.  Didn't realise Jackie Tyler was King Ralph's love interest, wonder what the Doctor would make of that? 

Was also pulled in by *My Sister's Keeper*, caught it about mid way through and found it pretty harrowing, non-stop tears so turned it over but seems like it was well put together and acted, might watch it when I'm less emotional 

xx


----------



## slack

*se7en*.

Seen it many times before, and it never fails to be entertaining. The atmosphere is palpable, unrelenting. There are so many great shots that just leave me stunned, like during the chase scene when Mills dangles out the fire escape and it's shot from above, the water dripping in, and later on in the alley when he gets smacked and you see John Doe's shadow approach in the reflection of pooling water, and the shot of the gun against Mill's head, and the extreme narrow depth of field. Truly inspired filmmaking. 

It's also interesting to watch the character of Mills develop through the film. In order for the ending to be credible, we have to believe that this is a man who is capable of doing something impulsive, rash, and every one of his scenes is devoted to that end.


----------



## Interference

Adasunshine said:


> ....I laughed a bit at both....



Happily, I've been spared King Ralph so far, but I suspect the laughs in Johnnie English happened around the time Peter Howitt (I never watched Bread again after he left the cast) blinked and Atkinson was accidentally allowed to utilise his talent.

Looked at Spy Hard and realised I'd seen it before.  Found the sight-gags were several dozen times better than the verbals, overall much better than J.E., though.  

I wonder what might happen if someone had the courage to make a "silent movie" these days.


----------



## HoopyFrood

"What's in the box? What's in the box?!"

I'm about to watch *Role Models*. I bought it as a present for the house, 'cos we all rather like it.


----------



## thatollie

HoopyFrood said:


> "What's in the box? What's in the box?!"
> 
> I'm about to watch *Role Models*. I bought it as a present for the house, 'cos we all rather like it.


 
Great film, and I think the gag reel in the extra features is a classic of extra features history. God bless DVD.


----------



## Allegra

*Moulin Rouge*, I'm in love with the film from the beginning to the end. Everything is fabulous - acting, music (even though Ewan McGregor sang a bit spring chicken-ish, no matter, I'm a big fan of his), dance, filming... It was a real treat.


----------



## Diggler

*The Thing*

Seeing that I had high hopes of seeing the remake on Thursday, I felt like watching John Carpenter's version. This was the HD-DVD version, which looks mighty spiffy in 1080P. While the film has aged a bit, the FX still holds up pretty damn well with some extremely creepy looking monsters.

Unluckily, my chances of seeing the new Thing is not looking good. It seems they intend on only doing a limited release that won't be available in the particular cinema we want to view it. Have not been having much luck, I also missed out on Fright Night because of the same issue.

*The Green Lantern*

I really don't know what all the fuss was about. Maybe old age is kicking in with me, and my tolerance of films has grown. I quite liked this film. It was light, fluffy, silly and really quite an enjoyable ride.

*A Boy and His Dog*

Don Johnson as a teeny bopper, using his trusty telepathic K-9 friend to hunt down chicks in a post apocalyptic wasteland. Based on Harlan Ellison's classic novella of the same name. This is a great flick that I unluckily fell asleep through due to excessive consumption bourbon.


----------



## Connavar

*Thor*


I saw Green Lantern few days before and its a huge difference in how you adapt a comic,space hero to film version. GL film made GL story so boring, campy and not epic space cop story like the comics. Thor which i never liked in the comics was made to be awesome. Looked awesome, nice effects when he used his powers. An actor that fit the role so well. Script, storywise i bought into the world of Thor instantly.

I hope to see more Thor films. His awesome powers must be used much more in Avengers film and next Thor film.


----------



## slack

*Social Network. *

Pretty good. It just seemed like the film moved too fast. Few, if any, scenes left an impression. The Zuckerberg character (Eisenberg) came across so robotic and unsympathetic. That may just have been how the script was written, though.

I thought Timberlake stole the scenes he was in. The score was pretty good, especially the opening credits piece. Glad to see Reznor got a nod for his work. Some of the music came from his earlier _Ghosts_ material.


----------



## biodroid

*Priest - *Good movie even though it had low ratings. Lets just say it was fun, nothing new, but entertaining at least.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Connavar said:


> *Thor*
> Thor which i never liked in the comics was made to be awesome. Looked awesome, nice effects when he used his powers. An actor that fit the role so well. Script, storywise i bought into the world of Thor instantly.
> 
> I hope to see more Thor films. His awesome powers must be used much more in Avengers film and next Thor film.



So pretty awesome then?


----------



## TheTomG

Captain America, in 2D, with no sound, cramped up in a plane. It looked decidedly uninteresting. Initially I avoided plugging in the headphones as my plan was to sleep in case I wanted to watch it later with my family, and to try and make the dang flight pass quicker; later I didn't plug them in as there seemed to be no need in order to understand what was going on, after I found I couldn't sleep as I was too uncomfortable. Sadly the movie was not interesting enough to make the time pass any quicker.

I did also see Limitless on an earlier flight, again with no sound, slept through most of that since it was a slightly more comfortable aircraft and I hadn't been cooped up in planes and airports for so long at that time, but saw enough to note how it had been cleaned up pretty severely, which was amusing to me for some unknown reason.


----------



## Connavar

JunkMonkey said:


> So pretty awesome then?



Best marvel superhero since Iron Man 1 so yeah it was pretty awesome.  When you wish it was 1 hour longer its a good thing 

I look forward to Avengers because Thor, Cap America has been so well adapted in their films as superheroes.   Iron Man/Stark is not as interesting since IM 2.  Too much RDJ and too little Stark.


----------



## Foxbat

*Gomorrah *

A very good Italian movie. Worth watching.


----------



## Diggler

*The Thing* (2011)

What is best described as a prequel/remake of John Carpenter's film from 1982. The film does a good job of standing on it's own. Set at the Norwegian Scientific Research Station, in The Antarctic, a group of American scientists are invited to excavate and study an alien life form found frozen in the ice. What happens after the excavation, it's not hard to work that one out.

The film is really your standard "Thing" affair. The tension builds to a crescendo, then explodes beyond. Though unlike Carpenter's version, this film uses a much more blatant, straight up approach when dealing with who is it and who isn't. The star of this film is the Alien, not the characters. 

As for the Alien, all I can say is WOW! H.P. Lovecraft has obviously been the main inspiration for the FX in this film, and what an amazing effort it is. The Alien, in all it's different iterations looks stunning! 

While this movie will not re-invent the wheel, and is nowhere near as good as John Carpenter's version from close to 30 years ago, the attention to small details makes it a fantastic companion piece to the original.

7.5/10


----------



## Foxbat

*Senna  *A great film which (in my opinion) displays just how important editing is to movie making. 

Senna is a 'must see' for any F1 fan.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Matrix*.   I first saw this when it first came out and I thought it was a pile of vastly overated crap.  Now many years later and having watched many more much worse movies since I thought it might be worth giving it another try.   

I still think it's crap.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Matrix*.   I first saw this when it first came out.


The Matrix is gay??


----------



## Rosemary

Not a SFF film I'm afraid 

I managed to watch right to the end of *My Sisters Keeper*.  Wish I had realised what it was about though   Rather too sad for me at the moment.

Still, I thought it was very well done on that subject and the acting was very good.


----------



## Foxbat

*Thor *
I got it on DVD after some favourable comments here. I still had my doubts when I sat down to watch it but found myself thoroughly enjoying it. 

I didn't realise that J. Michael Straczynski had a hand in writing it.....no wonder I liked it


----------



## thatollie

AE35Unit said:


> The Matrix is gay??


 
You didn't know? Oh well, I'm sure you act differently around it now that you do.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rambo 2*

*Beverly Hills Cop 2*

*Waynes World 2*

It was fun watching all three of these films which I haven't seen in a long time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Matrix Reloaded *(2003) - more of the same but with more slo-mo and Keanu Reeves wearing a cassock.  And a real dubious morality which (for all the fanboy knicker-wetting about how deep and philosophical these movies are) boils down to us being asked to root for religious fundamental terrorists as they kill vast numbers of innocent bystanders, blow up power stations, and similar delights. 

What fun.


----------



## mike1366

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Matrix*.   I first saw this when it first came out and I thought it was a pile of vastly overated crap.  Now many years later and having watched many more much worse movies since I thought it might be worth giving it another try.
> 
> I still think it's crap.



Just watched The Matrix again. It's still, for me, the most exciting Science Fiction movie yet made and my no. 1 favourite film. But I know some people really don't like it and I'm interested in their point of view. So, if The Matrix is crap, what are the great SF films that you think I should be watching instead?

And as for the sequels - yes I agree. Utter *****.


----------



## mike1366

Apparently I can't say Sugar Honey Ice Tea without being ****!


----------



## j d worthington

Automatic filter does that, I'm afraid.

On *The Matrix*... I don't see it anywhere near that high on the ladder, but I do think it's a very enjoyable, visually rich film (the sequels I don't even find particularly interesting visually, as all they do is take the same things a little further; nothing particularly new there); with some mildly interesting philosophical or metaphysical points.

I don't know as I'd say _you_ specifically should be watching them (depends on your tastes), but from my perspective, I would list at least the following as better films overall:

*Metropolis* (1926): despite its dating in some respects, still one of the most visually dynamic films in the field, and with a great deal of iconic imagery; also almost the quintessence of what sf was originally about

*Forbidden Planet* (1956): again, dated in certain respects, but still both an entertaining film and a relatively intelligent adventure-sf film, with some stunning visuals, and again a perfect example of the sf of the "Golden Age"

*2001: a space odyssey* (1968): perhaps the iconic film of the genre, certainly the most accurate in terms of science of its day, with one of the most awe-inspiring themes (I mean the text of the film not the music) of any; visually stunning, and handled with a maturity and daring which has seldom been matched

*A Clockwork Orange* (1971): antoher visual feast, and one which tackles the other side of sf: the concern with social/moral issues and how we respond to them. Disturbing and unpleasant, but one of the most relevant films ever to come out of the field

*Blade Runner* (1982): again, visuals which set the high-water mark, performances which did the same, and a film which combines the best of sf with its indebtedness to numerous other literary and film genres; a film whose layers only become more numerous rather than diminished with numerous viewings

These are by no means all, but they are certainly some of the major ones. To be frank, I've not been overly impressed by much sf in film; it is mostly fairly mindless adventure/eye candy without substance; which seldom advances the genre (outside of the technical aspects of the visuals) beyond what it was capable of in the 1920s... hardly a ringing recommendation for how the field has been handled, given the potential. This is, of course, something of an overstatement, but as a general rule, I'm afraid it is more accurate than not....

The last film I saw was *The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada* (2005), a rather bizarre film which deals with friendship and reclamation (of a particularly extreme, violent sort) in an unconventional, grotesque, and at times horrific fashion; not entirely successful, at times banal; but also at times very powerful, and an oddity worth seeing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

mike1366 said:


> Just watched The Matrix again. It's still, for me, the most exciting Science Fiction movie yet made and my no. 1 favourite film. But I know some people really don't like it and I'm interested in their point of view. So, if The Matrix is crap, what are the great SF films that you think I should be watching instead?
> 
> And as for the sequels - yes I agree. Utter *****.


 

I would question the Science in this Science Fiction film for a start:

Prophesy?  The whole premise that humans put out enough BTUs to keep the vast machine civilisation goig? (OK the sky is dark denying them sunlight wouldn't geothermal be a better way to go?  or if you have to heatfarm an organism try something as exothermic as humans but a little less troublesome.  Cows.  Grass and sex.  There a lot simpler than a whole 20thC city civilisation to look after - and cows don't carry guns, or have a complex belief system etc etc.)

The bit that really made me laugh out loud though was the moment when Trinity brings out hero back from the dead with a  kiss. Oh, _come on! What_!?!? Somehow we managed to get from a semi-decent looking, what _is_  going on? SF distopia (until we get to the battery speech the film looks fine), into a la-la Disney world where dead people are  bought back from the dead with a whisper of love.  No way!  I expected  her to start singing, dancing around the Nautilus with bluebirds to joining in the chorus. This sort of  thing is fine in fairy tales. Makes sense in fairy tales, the magic kiss part of the  fairy story rule book - but in a 'science fiction' film? Pants!

      Until!

      I realized it did make sense! Think about it. For the first  umpty-x years of his life in The Matrix Reeves' character was a computer  programmer. He lives alone in a room with computers. He's a hacker.  He's a nerd. A social misfit. Now, just at the moment he's popping his  clogs, a female woman of the opposite sex finally comes on to him? This  is it! He might get sex! "F()ck this being dead lark," he's thinking  with the last firing neurons in his head, "I might get to do sex - with  someone else in the room! I'm going back!" 


So, a few better SF films: (none of them perfect, but better)

_Colossus: The Forbin Project_ (soon to be a ballsed-up remake).
_Moon_
_Solyaris
1984
Gattaca
Parts: the Clonus Horror
A Scanner Darkly
Invasion of the Body Snatchers x2
Wall:E
Circuitry Man
Contact 
Dark City
The Truman Show
eXistenZ
Blade Runner
Tron
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension_
the list goes on...


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rats!  That last post of mine is stuffed full of typos.  I did mean to come back and edit it but I had to watch _The Return of Wonder Woman _with my daughter and now I can't.  

How long does the 'Edit' button stay up before the opportunity is missed?


----------



## TheTomG

I enjoyed and enjoy The Matrix still. I don't mind the living battery thing as I took that as part of the underlying Gnostic philosophy of the piece - that the world is a fake, and created that way so something can feed of us. Sure, it doesn't add up scientifically, but worked for me metaphorically.

So as well as reality-bending that I love in any format be it book or film or stage play, it also had some cool special effects and nifty new camera techniques, pretty cool action, and a comic book superhero vibe to it.

Not to say it compares to something like Blade Runner, but I felt it was a good movie. Good enough that, like Highlander, it should never have had the mystery and novelty destroyed by crappy sequels.


----------



## JunkMonkey

You see there's another one.  _Highlander._  Dreadful film.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> How long does the 'Edit' button stay up before the opportunity is missed?



Less than an hour and forty-nine minutes, anyway.


----------



## Moonbat

Dinner for Schmucks (Hollywood remake)
I did enjoy this,m it made me laugh at times, and it has made me even more determined to see the original, but for all the jokes and sillyness it was still the usual formulaic hollywood story.
The gag reel was good, just watching the random ad-libbing from the comedy actors was very amusing. Notr entirely sure it was that close to the original premise, set up very succinctly in the first 10 mins, but then the actual dinner wasn't until the last 20 (of a 109 min film).
Not bad, made me chuckle but by no means a comedy classic.


----------



## HoopyFrood

As usual when No One visits, watched lots of films. We finally managed to watch *Planet Terror* which was...well, adjectives escape me at the moment. Also watched *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World*, which is just an all-round awesome film. And also watched the second installment of *Paranormal Activity*.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Tin Drum* A strange movie but one I like very much.


----------



## Allegra

*Batman Begins* - I don't know why I didn't see this before, it's so much better than all the previous superhero stuff, loved it. Christian Bale is fabulous. My next one no doubt should be *The Dark Knight*.

*Everyone Says I Love You*, very Woody Allen, quite entertaining.

Watched again *The Legend of 1900* and sighed again: what a hugely underrated masterpiece!


----------



## biodroid

Hoopy - did you also find the believable factor of Paranormal Activity 2 was just not there, like it was just another scary movie?


----------



## clovis-man

Allegra said:


> *Everyone Says I Love You*, very Woody Allen, quite entertaining.


 
The hospital dance scene was great.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Dead* 
A pretty decent zombie road movie set in war torn Africa.
It might be a low budget production but (even though only stereo) I thought the soundtrack was good and the cinematography even better. One shot that stood out for me - a silhouette of a zombie against a gorgeous African sunset. This film can be picked up reasonably cheaply on DVD and if zombies are your thing, you should be fairly satisfied with this.


----------



## HoopyFrood

biodroid said:


> Hoopy - did you also find the believable factor of Paranormal Activity 2 was just not there, like it was just another scary movie?



I think the first one had such a believable factor because it had the couple actively recording (in all senses) what was going on, it felt like a proper ghost hunt. I don't think I got as involved with these characters this time, too. I spent the first half of the second film saying "Just look at the damn cameras and see!" The repetition was still there and quite effective, although I think it got a bit too over-dramatic at the end which, yeah, wasn't so believable. Problem with this type of film is trying to find something new each time, especially when it's the same entity coming back. I have deep worries about the third film, as the adverts seem to show it really going over the top -- that one does seem to have become just another scary film. I hope not.


----------



## Allegra

clovis-man said:


> The hospital dance scene was great.


 
Yes, it's also my favourate scene.


----------



## CyBeR

*Johnny English: Reborn

*Absolutely entertaining if nothing more. A few of the humoresque were a bit drawn out, but overall entertaining. I've always been a fan of Rowan Atkinson when he talks, so this made my day. 

Connavar, have you tried to read the end of Thor V2? Just before the whole Marvel Civil War event there was the Thor ending...give it a read if you're interested in the character, it's a great bit of comics storytelling.


----------



## Quokka

*The Other Man*, always like watching Liam Neeson, there was a good cast around him and an interesting idea but it just never came together (imo).


----------



## pinky

real steel. The best ever movie i've seen this month!


----------



## Phoenixthewriter

I finally sat down and watched Apocalypto, it was on Neflix and I was actually very interested in seeing it.

Absolutely incredible film.  It isn't half as gory or brutal as people claimed it to be.  Mel Gibson despite all the crap people have been giving him, has a talent for film making.


----------



## Starbeast

CyBeR said:


> *Johnny English: Reborn*
> 
> Absolutely entertaining


 
Hmm, the preveiw wasn't gret, but since I like Rowan, I'll give it a chance.



pinky said:


> *real steel*. The best ever movie i've seen this month!


 
Nice to meet you Pinky. Have you ever seen the the Twilight Zone episode where robot boxers were the new sport? I've been avoiding CGI robot movies since I saw _Transformers 3_, but I may check this one out.



Phoenixthewriter said:


> *Apocalypto*, Absolutely incredible film.


 
I really enjoyed it too, great depiction of how tribes lived and fought each other before other countries arrived.

*Rambo 3* (1988) Not a bad film, it's still a treat to watch. 

*Star Wars* (1977) It inspired me to be a Jedi for Halloween. 

*Mystery Men *(1999) Action/comedy in a world were superheros exist. Still an awesome movie.


----------



## Memnoch

*Water for Elephants!!*

I think the film was just an opportunity for R Patz to actually smile, ALOT, it actually gets annoying the amount he inanely smiles, it's an ok film of a well worn reflective type, done miles better elsewhere: Titanic for instance, but I have always loved Reece Witherspoon so 5/10. Plus the bi polar baddy's the baddy from inglorious basterdz and is immense, so charismatic.


----------



## Quokka

*Dogma* I'm hit and miss with Kevin Smith films but I've always liked this one. Overly violent, foul language, childish jokes, bad special effects and probably blasphemous but it's not a dumb movie.


----------



## Bugg

Despicable Me.  Loved it.


----------



## Diggler

Starbeast said:


> I've been avoiding CGI robot movies since I saw _Transformers 3_, but I may check this one out.



Yeah it's not too bad. I called it a boisterous Rocky film with Rock-em Sock-em robots


----------



## FireDragon-16

I finally got to watch Captain America. I can't wait for the Avengers to come out now...


----------



## Connavar

CyBeR said:


> Johnny English: Reborn
> 
> Absolutely entertaining if nothing more. A few of the humoresque were a bit drawn out, but overall entertaining. I*'ve always been a fan of Rowan Atkinson when he talks, so this made my day.
> *
> Connavar, have you tried to read the end of Thor V2? Just before the whole Marvel Civil War event there was the Thor ending...give it a read if you're interested in the character, it's a great bit of comics storytelling.



You dont like Mr Bean ?  I have lost faith in your taste in comedy 


Thanks about Thor comics recommendation because since i like some good superhero series i have wondered where to try Thor in his long history of comic series.  Good to know there are fans like you who like superhero comics.  Most people who read comics in these forums are many who call comics books Graphic Novel when they read collections of Watchman, Sandman.


----------



## CyBeR

Come on, Black Adder (the WW I one) kicks mister Bean's bottom any day of the week. 
I haven't read comics in a while. I fell out with Marvel with their whole One More Day scheme, and never really reconnected again. And DC...well, after 52...it's been so hard to find something exciting anymore with them, and their whole R.I.P. arc really bothered me. 
And I'm waiting for Image comics to publish so much Invincible and Wolfman to read like there's no tomorrow for days on them. Oh, and Bomb Queen too. 

From what I've read from Thor, after the end of V2 (I hope I'm not mixing up volumes, but anyways, the one just before Civil War), the new series that started after World War Hulk is also good. Haven't read much from it, but what I've read I've enjoyed then.
Oh, and most anything with Gamma Ray Bill is also awesome.


----------



## Connavar

CyBeR said:


> Come on, Black Adder (the WW I one) kicks mister Bean's bottom any day of the week.
> I haven't read comics in a while. I fell out with Marvel with their whole One More Day scheme, and never really reconnected again. And DC...well, after 52...it's been so hard to find something exciting anymore with them, and their whole R.I.P. arc really bothered me.
> And I'm waiting for Image comics to publish so much Invincible and Wolfman to read like there's no tomorrow for days on them. Oh, and Bomb Queen too.
> 
> From what I've read from Thor, after the end of V2 (I hope I'm not mixing up volumes, but anyways, the one just before Civil War), the new series that started after World War Hulk is also good. Haven't read much from it, but what I've read I've enjoyed then.
> Oh, and most anything with Gamma Ray Bill is also awesome.




Black Adder is his best tv show i agree but Bean is close second imo.

I was huge Spiderman comics fan before One more day crap, i havent read him since then what 4-5 years.  Marvel im a fan of Daredevil,comics marvel(Nova,Gaurdians), Criminal, Captain America.

You should try DC new relaunch of their Universe with a new first issue of their series.  Comics i couldnt get into i tried now.  I got 7 new DC comics last month.  They have new comics that isnt superhero in their DCU.

I enjoyed Planet Hulk,World War Hulk but Loeb dumb Red Hulk disgusted me.

Mostly though im Image,Dark Horse,other indy reader.  Walking Dead is better written than all other american comics!


----------



## Diggler

I just don't Mr Bean at all. Much like Andy Kaufman and Jim Carrey, it just grates on me.

I watched *Super 8*... I wanted to like it, but it was ploddingly slow, and really didn't make much sense in the end.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Red Shoes* (1948)

Powell and Pressburger at their best.


----------



## Metryq

*Endhiran* (aka "Robot")

You may have seen clips (*1*, *2*) of this "Indian Terminator" on-line, but the problem is, I can't figure out if he's Big Endian, or Little Endian. 

The movie is all over the map, doing every conceivable robot gag in the book. Weighing in at almost 3 hours, the filmmakers certainly had time for it. Don't expect logic; _Endirhan_ doesn't know whether it is serious drama, or tongue-in-cheek comedy, and frequently detours into song and dance numbers. This movie doesn't need the MST3K treatment because that's built-in, too. 

I found the DVD on the shelves of the local library and decided to give it a try. My brother always said that *Infra-Man* was the ultimate party movie. But if you want something even more bizarre with modern production values as "wallpaper" on your big screen, pick up _Endhiran_.


----------



## Diggler

*Contagion*

Well thought out, and definitely thought provoking look at a virus that goes epidemic across the planet. The only gripe I had was that it had to spread itself too thinly between the multitude of characters embedded into the story.

4/5


----------



## soulsinging

Brick, an underrated little gem starring Joseph Gordon Levitt of Inception and 3rd Rock from the Sun fame. It's mostly a film noir, but set in hs so it's a very unique blend of dark humor, satire, and engaging straight mystery.


----------



## clovis-man

*Bad Teacher*. Kind of a one joke movie. But not dreadful. And Lucy Punch as teacher Amy Squirrel is an absolute hoot.


----------



## Diggler

*Everything Must Go*

Poignant and enjoyable comedy drama starring Will Ferrell.

4/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Simpsons: The Movie* (2007) - Homer causes Springfield Illinois biggest catastrophy, but saves the city from total destruction. Nonstop wacky humor.

*Fun With Dick & Jane* (2005) - Fantastic remake of the dull 1977 movie. One of Jim Carrey's best movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Fun With Dick & Jane* (2005) - Fantastic remake of the dull 1977 movie.


Wash your mouth out! 


Starbeast said:


> One of Jim Carrey's best movies.



[Insert snide remark about starting from a low baseline here. ]


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> [Insert snide remark about starting from a low baseline here. ]



Ooh!  Ooh!  I got one, _I got one_....

Actually, more than one....


----------



## Interference

Diggler said:


> I just don't Mr Bean at all.



A mildly interesting experiment in modern silents, but nothing spectacular and ultimately irritating.

Rowan Atkinson, though, is an extremely proficient performer whose brightest hours were Not The Nine O'Clock News and Blackadders II-IV.

im_e_ho, of course


----------



## Mouse

Toy Story 2. God I hate Jessie.


----------



## CyBeR

clovis-man said:


> *Bad Teacher*. Kind of a one joke movie. But not dreadful. And Lucy Punch as teacher Amy Squirrel is an absolute hoot.



I went with my mom and girlfriend to that one, was my suggestion. Holy damn was it a dirty movie hehe.


----------



## Connavar

soulsinging said:


> Brick, an underrated little gem starring Joseph Gordon Levitt of Inception and 3rd Rock from the Sun fame. It's mostly a film noir, but set in hs so it's a very unique blend of dark humor, satire, and engaging straight mystery.




Its an underrated film for sure but highly rated by film fans that know their noir films.   I like the way it was written, the way they spoke like quality film noir.

I have had hope for Gordon Levitt ever since this film.  Hope he still becomes lead actor roles.   He is too talented to be minor roles in films like Inception.


----------



## clovis-man

Re: *Bad Teacher*



CyBeR said:


> I went with my mom and girlfriend to that one, was my suggestion. Holy damn was it a dirty movie hehe.


 
And the one I watched was the unrated version.


----------



## alchemist

*Bridesmaids* - a proper laugh out loud comedy, and a good story about friendship underneath.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*
Battle in Heaven* 2005 - piece of arty Mexican s**t full of  stupendously long shots in which nothing happened.  Most of them were of  nothing.  Look! some traffic on the street.  Look! some people  walking.  Look! some more people walking. Look! our 'hero' is a bovine  Mexican non-actor who stared at things that were off-screen a lot.   Occasionally the camera would hand-held pan from looking at his profile  to follow his eyeline and we would see what he was looking at, the pan  would then often continue past whatever he was looking at, come round in  a full 360º and find HE HAD MOVED! s**t on a stick! The fat Mexican  has moved! My willy sphincters could hardly contain my f*****g water!  After 45 minutes I started to watch it at FF  X2.  It didn't make any  difference except I had to read what few subtitles there were a little  bit faster.  I turned off at the 50 minute mark.  Imagine yourself being  trapped in a cinema with the most obnoxiously pretentious 'I'm going to  challenge and then redefine the whole diegesis in the narrative  structuralism of cinematic language,' type arty ****** film student as he  shows you seventeen hours of unedited rushes of rusty oil tanks by the  side of a railway line.  That would be preferable to watching this.  It  would be preferable because *a*. you wouldn't have to see vastly overweight bovine Mexicans f*****g and *b*. you could grab the director and force-feed the  little tosser with the endlessly spooling film till he exploded.


----------



## Diggler

Interference said:


> A mildly interesting experiment in modern silents, but nothing spectacular and ultimately irritating.
> 
> Rowan Atkinson, though, is an extremely proficient performer whose brightest hours were Not The Nine O'Clock News and Blackadders II-IV.
> 
> im_e_ho, of course



I never looked into Black Adder, but I do remember friends and acquaintances speaking very highly of it in the past. I must admit, I'm not really one that should pass judgement on comedic actors, seeing that I find most comedy to be far from funny.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> *
> Battle in Heaven* 2005 - piece of arty Mexican s**t full of  stupendously long shots in which nothing happened.  Most of them were of  nothing.  Look! some traffic on the street.  Look! some people  walking.  Look! some more people walking. Look! our 'hero' is a bovine  Mexican non-actor who stared at things that were off-screen a lot.   Occasionally the camera would hand-held pan from looking at his profile  to follow his eyeline and we would see what he was looking at, the pan  would then often continue past whatever he was looking at, come round in  a full 360º and find HE HAD MOVED! s**t on a stick! The fat Mexican  has moved! My willy sphincters could hardly contain my f*****g water!  After 45 minutes I started to watch it at FF  X2.  It didn't make any  difference except I had to read what few subtitles there were a little  bit faster.  I turned off at the 50 minute mark.  Imagine yourself being  trapped in a cinema with the most obnoxiously pretentious 'I'm going to  challenge and then redefine the whole diegesis in the narrative  structuralism of cinematic language,' type arty ****** film student as he  shows you seventeen hours of unedited rushes of rusty oil tanks by the  side of a railway line.  That would be preferable to watching this.  It  would be preferable because *a*. you wouldn't have to see vastly overweight bovine Mexicans f*****g and *b*. you could grab the director and force-feed the  little tosser with the endlessly spooling film till he exploded.



Sounds like something my wife should watch when she's have a bout of insomnia!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> Sounds like something my wife should watch when she's have a bout of insomnia!



I wouldn't suggest it. Not if you ever wanted sex again.


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> *
> Battle in Heaven* 2005 - piece of arty Mexican s**t full of  stupendously long shots in which nothing happened.  Most of them were of  nothing.  Look! some traffic on the street.  Look! some people  walking.  Look! some more people walking. Look! our 'hero' is a bovine  Mexican non-actor who stared at things that were off-screen a lot.   Occasionally the camera would hand-held pan from looking at his profile  to follow his eyeline and we would see what he was looking at, the pan  would then often continue past whatever he was looking at, come round in  a full 360º and find HE HAD MOVED! s**t on a stick! The fat Mexican  has moved! My willy sphincters could hardly contain my f*****g water!  After 45 minutes I started to watch it at FF  X2.  It didn't make any  difference except I had to read what few subtitles there were a little  bit faster.  I turned off at the 50 minute mark.  Imagine yourself being  trapped in a cinema with the most obnoxiously pretentious 'I'm going to  challenge and then redefine the whole diegesis in the narrative  structuralism of cinematic language,' type arty ****** film student as he  shows you seventeen hours of unedited rushes of rusty oil tanks by the  side of a railway line.  That would be preferable to watching this.  It  would be preferable because *a*. you wouldn't have to see vastly overweight bovine Mexicans f*****g and *b*. you could grab the director and force-feed the  little tosser with the endlessly spooling film till he exploded.



Get off the darned fence, won't you?


----------



## j d worthington

Diggler said:


> I must admit, I'm not really one that should pass judgement on comedic actors, seeing that I find most comedy to be far from funny.


 
I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But then, it has long since struck me that far too many people confuse _comedy_ (which I like) with _farce_ (which I generally abominate). The two are _not_ synonymous.....


----------



## JunkMonkey

j. d. worthington said:


> I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But then, it has long since struck me that far too many people confuse _comedy_ (which I like) with _farce_ (which I generally abominate). The two are _not_ synonymous.....



Good point. Where does slapstick fit in?  Personally I always though most of Oscar Wilde's plays could have been improved with a custard pie fight somewhere.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> I wouldn't suggest it. Not if you ever wanted sex again.



Hehe.. Maybe I won't mention it then! 



j. d. worthington said:


> I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But  then, it has long since struck me that far too many people confuse _comedy_ (which I like) with _farce_ (which I generally abominate). The two are _not_ synonymous.....



Agreed J.D. I find so much comedy to be just absurdist. There's nothing there other than a couple of stupid gags and annoying characters making fools of themselves. Mr Bean and Ace Ventura are at the top of this list for me.

Oh, I watched some of *The Re-Animator* last night, but I drank too much and fell asleep about half way through. I was enjoying it though.


----------



## SciGeek

The Hunger - vampirey film with David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve & Susan Sarandon. Wasn't as good as i remember from my distant youth when i originally saw it, but at least it wasn't all moping teenage vampire ala Twillight...


----------



## Starbeast

*Coneheads* (1993) It's still a wonderful alien comedy.

Continuing "_The Munsters_" marathon too.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Girl On The Bridge  *A fairly decent French movie starring Vanessa Paradis.

*Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train  *Another French film which I thought was a bit long drawn out - but one the critics seemed to like. Not exactly bad but I'd call it interesting rather than entertaining.


----------



## Quokka

*THOR* 

Enjoyed it a lot, its no cinematic masterpiece but it works really well as both a stand alone movie and as a build up to The Avengers. Some nice humour in it and I thought Chris Hemsworth was perfect as Thor, I didn't think some of the other actors/roles worked quite as well but once you got past the central four or five characters they are such minor roles that they were hardly deal breakers.

Plus knowing more about the comic book universes than anyone who doesn't read them has any right to I love all the trivia, referenecs and tie ins .


----------



## Interference

I'm definitely going to have to have another look at that one, I wasn't nearly as impressed as others seem to have been, though the Asgard scenes, in hindsight, worked a lot better for me than the Earth-bound.


----------



## Quokka

For me it was one of those movies that moved along quick enough that the faults didnt bother me too much. 

Thor's friends were forgettable but one real irritation was a box of go lean crunch cereal! You kind of expect product placement now days but it just seemed blatant how they got 3 or 4 shots in and then had Natalie Portman bring it out for one more.


----------



## Interference

I'm surprised they didn't work it into the script 

"Yummy," she says, "just what I'll need in case of inter-dimensional invasions..."

I was also a bit miffed at how they relegated Don Blake to off-screen/ex-romance status, especially as his clothes actually _fit_ Thor!


----------



## svalbard

*Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy*.  Great movie with an awsome cast performing at their best.


----------



## TheTomG

"Screamers" which I'd been wanting to see for a while since I'm a PKD fan. It was disappointing really, I'd read somewhere it was a good adaptation of the short so was expecting something brilliant, and expectancy can often lead to disappointment.

Maybe I just knew the story too well, maybe it all seemed done before thanks to movies that preceded it and had similar themes like Terminator, maybe the effects were a bit too long-in-the-tooth now. Certainly the ending annoyed me.

Anyway, wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Still wanting to see Radio Free Albemuth if ever it shows up somewhere, and of course we have Pixar adapting King of the Elves, so there may be another good PKD movie yet!


----------



## JunkMonkey

David Lynch's *Dune* (not for the first time) which in a weird and grudging way I quite like for the first half of its run time, then things just get absurdly crammed in and it gets farcical.  Afterwards, in a fit of pure masochism, I watched great chunks of the TV edit from which Lynch had his name removed.  Bewilderingly dreadful.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> David Lynch's *Dune* (not for the first time) which in a weird and grudging way I quite like for the first half of its run time, then things just get absurdly crammed in and it gets farcical.  Afterwards, in a fit of pure masochism, I watched great chunks of the TV edit from which Lynch had his name removed.  Bewilderingly dreadful.



I've never read the book, but have heard this film was virtually ruined by Producers and the Studio. If only these people learned to give directors creative freedom, they would have more Lord of the Rings, and less Dune's.


----------



## j d worthington

JunkMonkey said:


> Good point. Where does slapstick fit in? Personally I always though most of Oscar Wilde's plays could have been improved with a custard pie fight somewhere.


 
_Any_ comedy can be improved with a custard pie fight.... (Okay, so the secret's out... I would _kill_ to be in one of those gigantic pie fights they used to stage for the movies......)

Slapstick is... an odd one. I've seen very enjoyable slapstick, and things I felt were just as painful an experience as having my teeth drilled without anaesthetic....

My most recent movie was watching the Collector's edition of Stan Winston's *Pumpkinhead*. Low-budget, definitely, and it certainly has its flaws. But it is, nonetheless, quite an effective little film with a genuine feel of folktale at times, some quite good performances (Lance Henrikson and Florence Shauffler being high on that list), and that rarity of horror films from the 1970s on, a moral structure... and not (save for one scene indicating the sheer deliberate cruelty of the creature) all that much gore....

(As a side note: several years ago I attempted to watch the sequel to this one, and yanked it out of the machine after about 25 minutes, when steam was coming out my ears. Poor Andy Robinson! I never even bothered with the third.)


----------



## clovis-man

Re the David Lynch *Dune*:



Diggler said:


> I've never read the book, but have heard this film was virtually ruined by Producers and the Studio. If only these people learned to give directors creative freedom, they would have more Lord of the Rings, and less Dune's.


 
Sorry, but I would have to lay most of the blame at Lynch's feet. His "vision" of Herbert's tale was not clear.



j. d. worthington said:


> My most recent movie was watching the Collector's edition of Stan Winston's *Pumpkinhead*. Low-budget, definitely, and it certainly has its flaws. But it is, nonetheless, quite an effective little film with a genuine feel of folktale at times, some quite good performances (Lance Henrikson and Florence Shauffler being high on that list), and that rarity of horror films from the 1970s on, a moral structure... and not (save for one scene indicating the sheer deliberate cruelty of the creature) all that much gore....


 

A great Halloween movie. some really eerie moments. And I agree about the sequels. Just painful.

I've been watching *Nosferatu *and still find it enjoyable after all these years. I played a DVD of *The Bride Of Frankenstein* for my 14 year old granddaughter whose attention span generally only lasts until her next text message. She told me she thought it was "really good". High praise coming from her.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> I've never read the book, but have heard this film was virtually ruined by Producers and the Studio. If only these people learned to give directors creative freedom, they would have more Lord of the Rings, and less Dune's.



Trouble is if we left it just to the director to put whatever he/she wanted on screen we would end up with more hugely long and self-indulgent piles of tripe that would bore 90% of the target audience to tears. Hollywood history is littered with them already. The first example that comes to mind: Marlon Brando's cut of _One eyed-Jacks_ was allegedly _5 hours _long.  That was taken away from him PDQ and is probably the better for it.

Don't underestimate the importance of producers.  They're not just the ones finding the the money and spoiling the directors vision, they are an incredibly important part of the artistic process too.  Most people will have a fair expectation of what they're going to get when they see Jerry Bruckheimer or Joel Silver's name on the opening credits as producer, no matter who is directing the actual film.  (Just as people knew what to expect from a Hall Walllis, Sam Goldwyn, Roger Coreman, or David O'Selznick film.)

Films are a business.  Directors are artists (or at least craftsmen).  There will always be a conflict between the two.   Sometimes you can get too close to what you are making you need someone looking over your shoulder, like the guy who used to sit behind Caesar holding his laurel wreath during a Triumph, who would occasionally lean forward and whisper; "Remember thou art only mortal - and that scene with the dog is a piece of s**t."


----------



## Allegra

j. d. worthington said:


> I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But then, it has long since struck me that far too many people confuse _comedy_ (which I like) with _farce_ (which I generally abominate). The two are _not_ synonymous.....


 
I absolutely agree with you, JD. Unfortunately there are more brainless crappy farce than comedies. 

Watched* Repo Men*. It has an inventive but sickening and depressing concept. Too many repeated gory scenes seemingly just for the sake of being gory which made me wonder if the film makers were obsessed with butchery. Pity to see Jude Law in such a badly made movie.


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> Trouble is if we left it just to the director to put whatever he/she wanted on screen we would end up with more hugely long and self-indulgent piles of tripe that would bore 90% of the target audience to tears. Hollywood history is littered with them already. The first example that comes to mind: Marlon Brando's cut of _One eyed-Jacks_ was allegedly _5 hours _long.  That was taken away from him PDQ and is probably the better for it.



You are right, if they are given too much freedom then it can quite easily go the other way. I just find it unusual that they would hire a director on their merits, and then strip them away. Guillermo Del Toro left Hollywood after the fiasco that was Mimic, and Jodorowski virtually gave up film making after his first mainstream film after producer Alexander Salkind, threatened him with sacking at the first sign of any type of creativity.

I feel that if you are going to go out on a whim and hire a director of this type of calibre, you must give them the freedom they need to allay the result you originally hired them for.



clovis-man said:


> Re the David Lynch *Dune*:
> Sorry, but I would have to lay most of the blame at Lynch's feet. His "vision" of Herbert's tale was not clear.



You're most likely right there Clovis. I haven't seen the movie in many, many years. Plus haven't read the book, so I'm no person to judge them.

I watched *Deadgirl*. Which was a surprisingly seedy little horror film about a pair of outcasts that find a living dead girl in an abandoned mental hospital. Just let your most sordid imagination work out the rest.


----------



## Rodders

I saw Four Feathers today and i have to say that it was pretty funny with quite a sad ending. A delicate issue tackled quite thoughtfully. Well done Chris Morris.


----------



## BookStop

I watched Trick 'r Treat, 4 short, dark Hallow's Eve tales. Quite fun.


----------



## slack

*Moneyball*

Don't even care about baseball, but I thought this was fantastic. Didn't know Aron Sorkin was involved until I saw his name in the credits, but I'm not surprised. Well written, well acted film. Quiet, too, which kind of surprised me. There were lots of moments when the film got very silent, and I guess it is because so many other movies cover everything up in sound effects and music that when they are absent, as they are in this film, it is noticeable and the power of silence is revealed.


----------



## No One

slack said:


> *Moneyball*
> 
> Don't even care about baseball, but I thought this was fantastic.



That's how I feel about *Any Given Sunday* - I've only ever had a passing interest in american football, but the film is just tremendously good.

Anyway, my older superhero-mad brother has lent me *Green Lantern*, *Thor *and *X-Men: First Class*, of which I've seen the latter two.

I was particularly interested in First Class because of Mathew 'Kick Ass' Vaughn, but this didn't feel as well handled as his previous outing. Needed more Hitgirl! Overall I find myself a little ambivalent about it - some things I liked, some not so much. Lots of nice touches, let down by some incredibly weak characters (the silly flying girl, for instance - bleh). Still a damn sight better than X-men 3 though.

I went into Thor with lower expectations and actually enjoyed it, especially as this was always going to be one of the more difficult adaptations to carry off. Sure, you can pick these flicks to pieces if you want, but it was fairly solid, if predictable. Would love to have seen Loki's kids though


----------



## Starbeast

*Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home *(1986)

*Brotherhood of the Wolf *(2001)

*King Kong *(2005)


----------



## alchemist

Starbeast said:


> *Brotherhood of the Wolf *(2001)



What did you think? I was a little disappointed after having my hopes raised by a fantastic trailer.


----------



## Starbeast

alchemist said:


> What did you think? I was a little disappointed after having my hopes raised by a fantastic trailer.


 
I saw *Brotherhood of the Wolf* twice in the theater subtitled and multiple times on DVD, plus I own the soundtrack. 

I consider the film as a beautiful looking horror/action/mystery. To me it is one of the best original movies of all time. I know it's not for everyone, so recommend this movie to people who want something out-of-the-ordinary.


----------



## J-Sun

_*GalaxyQuest*_, for the second time, I think. Still looks like it ought to be an awful movie and it's still surprisingly good when actually watching it.


----------



## Diggler

*In Time*

Set something like 115 years in the future, human beings have been genetically modified to stop aging at 25 years of age. Once they hit 25, they have 12 months left to live. The commodity in this future is time. This film is a Dickian style dystopic action flick. Not the greatest film made and definitely flawed in many ways, but still an enjoyable one never the less. 2.5/5

*May*

How this one had slipped under my radar for so long, I really don't know? a quirky little horror comedy about a disturbed girl who is incapable of fitting in with society, so descends further into madness. 4/5


----------



## JunkMonkey

Diggler said:


> *In Time*
> 
> Set something like 115 years in the future, human beings have been genetically modified to stop aging at 25 years of age. Once they hit 25, they have 12 months left to live.



What a brilliant budget-reducing idea!  I can just see the directors pitching the idea to the producer.  "Everyone is dead by the age of 26. We can cast this whole thing with up and coming wannabees.  No need for any older established expensive stars..."


----------



## FireDragon-16

I finally got to watch the original _Footloose, _and I really liked it (especially the music). Now to see the new one and see if they compare...


----------



## Connavar

*Contagion*


It was a smart,calm film with many characters.  Impressive cast helped the story with their level of talent as actors.  I liked how the virus story showed other parts of the world and not limited to US perspective.  US family POV, them dying and panicking.

Only real minus is that it should have been little longer, see more negative issues like people looting,fighting,being afraid.   Almost too calm,clever.  Humans are not like that when they are desperate.


----------



## Connavar

*Contagion*


It was a smart,calm film with many characters.  Impressive cast helped the story with their level of talent as actors.  I liked how the virus story showed other parts of the world and not limited to US perspective.  US family POV, them dying and panicking.

Only real minus is that it should have been little longer, see more negative issues like people looting,fighting,being afraid.   Almost too calm,clever.  Humans are not like that when they are desperate.


----------



## Starbeast

*Cheech & Chong's: Up In Smoke*  (1978) Two strangers meet and both experiance high times and adventure while striving to be professional musicians. (comedy) Cheech Martin, Tommy Chong, Stacy Keach, Tom Skerritt & Strother Martin

*From Dusk To Dawn* (1996) Two armed and dangerous criminal brothers head for a rendezvous in Mexico, they take a family hostage and unknowingly enter a den of vampires. (strong graphic violence) Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, Cheech Martin, Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, John Saxon & Danny Trejo

*Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace* (1999) The saga of Star Wars begins!


----------



## Diggler

JunkMonkey said:


> What a brilliant budget-reducing idea!  I can just see the directors pitching the idea to the producer.  "Everyone is dead by the age of 26. We can cast this whole thing with up and coming wannabees.  No need for any older established expensive stars..."



That and also they could fill the film with nothing but sexy young people... Which they did. 

Watched *Crazy Stupid Love*. Which the wife and I really enjoyed.

As for Contagion Connavar. I agree that people were just too sedate. There should have been mass hysteria, wild looting and total anarchy. Though, we do live in the age of indifference.


----------



## j d worthington

Diggler said:


> *May*
> 
> How this one had slipped under my radar for so long, I really don't know? a quirky little horror comedy about a disturbed girl who is incapable of fitting in with society, so descends further into madness. 4/5


 
I recall seeing *May* when it was first released on DVD, and overall I thought it was quite well done, and very disturbing, yet at times quite touching. However, there was something about the film -- what specifically it was, I do not recall -- which struck me as rather jarring and (though this may sound odd in context) mean-spirited; unnecessarily cruel in approach. Still, I would recommend it for those looking for something a little different in the field....


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to see* X Men First Class*. 
In my opinion this is the best of the X Men movies by a country mile. Thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> Finally got a chance to see* X Men First Class*.



That's on my list.



> best of the X Men movies by a country mile.



Glad to hear it, but I'm having trouble making the conversion. One of the reasons I prefer SI is that a meter is a meter, and a ton is a ton—no short tons or long tons to puzzle over if the user fails to mention which; no country miles, nautical miles, or _sea_ miles...


----------



## Foxbat

Metryq said:


> Glad to hear it, but I'm having trouble making the conversion. One of the reasons I prefer SI is that a meter is a meter, and a ton is a ton—no short tons or long tons to puzzle over if the user fails to mention which; no country miles, nautical miles, or _sea_ miles...


 
LOL! Sorry. That's us damn Europeans for you


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> LOL! Sorry. That's us damn Europeans for you



No need to apologize—consider my alias. The map on Wikipedia shows only three countries not using SI. I assumed the Brits resorted to Imperial units only when stopping at the local tavern.

(The Euro was a mistake, however...)


----------



## Starbeast

*Dick Tracy* (1990) Late 1930's detective hero returns to the big screen in an updated "comic book" like movie and battles a slew of freaky villains. (action) Warren Beatty stars and directed this film.

*Clash of the Titans* (2010) Marvelous remake of the original film.


----------



## alchemist

*Max Payne* - I had low expectations and even these were not met. An incoherent mess.


----------



## Diggler

j. d. worthington said:


> I recall seeing *May* when it was first released on DVD, and overall I thought it was quite well done, and very disturbing, yet at times quite touching. However, there was something about the film -- what specifically it was, I do not recall -- which struck me as rather jarring and (though this may sound odd in context) mean-spirited; unnecessarily cruel in approach. Still, I would recommend it for those looking for something a little different in the field....



You did have to feel for the title character. She was a rather disturbed and misunderstood character that tried hard to fit in, though was incapable due to her underlying mental issues. I have to agree, it is quite disjointed at times and there are some disturbing moments. But if someone enjoys off kilter films, they can't go wrong with this.


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, and Angela Bettis' performance is excellent, as she manages to skillfully walk a very fine line between the repulsive and disturbing aspects of the character and those with which we can so easily relate.


----------



## Rangerton

Watched unstoppable last night. It was ok, but wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again.

It's meant to be based on a real event. Anyone know the true story of this?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*In the Cut *(2003) I was driven to watch _In the Cut _by perversity (it's listed in my current non-fiction read, 101 Movies to Avoid: The Most Overrated Films Ever)  and it was the first of many films mentioned in the book that I came  across in my To Be Watched Pile.  (Part of me really wants to  alphabetize the 200 or so VHS tapes and DVDs in there but that way  madness lies.  I know it.  But it's still tempting.)  So, _In the Cut_. Crap film. Meg Ryan shows us her bits, and everyone who has ever seen  ANY thriller movie in which the investigating cop has an affair with the  heroine can chant-along-a-plot from there on in.  Honestly, it's like  the opening credits of Hanna-Barbera's _Hong Kong Phooey*_

 "Who is this psycho-serial killer? The hunky detective? NO!...  Cornelius Webb                           the Gacy obsessed student? No  way man!... Detective Ritchie Rodriguez  the mild mannered hunky  detective's partner? - could be!..." 

   'Could be' my arse.  It's ALWAYS the detective's partner. (That was a  spoiler by the way.) Any flimsy credibility the plot may have started  out with disappeared around the 45 minute mark when, after having hot  and rumpy sex (Meg Ryan's bits, people!), our heroine and our detective  have a little confessional session in which he tells her about how he  lost his cherry, and she mentions the fact that he had seen her before  (as he suspected), she watched him getting a blow job at the place and  time where the killer's last victim was last seen.  On hearing this the  killer obsessed 'tec half-heartedly asks her a couple of questions, and  after establishing that she has not only seen the victim - and almost  certainly the killer - on the night of the murder, looks at his watch  says 'I gotta go' and leaves.  No reason.  He just leaves.  He leaves  because the plot would have fallen on its stupid fat face if he had  stayed in the room another second.  *One* more question and the  detective would have realised the only other person with the small (but  distinctive enough to be seen across a room too dark to make out  people's faces) tattoo on the inside of their wrist was... da da daaaa!!!!!  His Partner!

 At which point the movie would be over and we wouldn't be able to spend  the next hour looking at Meg Ryan's bits, while wondering just how and  why she would even_ consider _having sex with the piece of s**t, emotionally stunted, moron detective (in order to make this plot point even _vaguely _plausible  the script has to drag in Kevin Bacon to  broad-brushstoke in a  previous lover as a total twitching, stalking, cartoon fruitcake.  It  really is as ham-fisted as that.)  

   And talking of ham-fisted, the only other male (ie potential killer)  with talking words in this show is one of Ryan's character's students.   He's obsessed by the serial killer John Wayne Gacy and turns in his  assignments liberally splattered with red, blood-like fluids. (I don't  know why he didn't just walk around with a red painted kipper nailed to  his forehead.) And why is every male in this show desperate to get in  dowdy frump English teacher's knickers in the first place?  Apart from  being there to feed the films screamingly obvious misandrist 'feminist'  agenda item that all men are sexual predators and would shag a fridge if  it was warm and didn't move too fast .

   I suspect - though I have no evidence - that the only reason this film  got made (and the only reason people went to see it) was because Meg  Ryan wanted to get away from her wholesome Nice Girl Next Door image and  flashing her pubes in a serial killer flick seemed the way to go.

As career moves go it seems to have been a real f*** up.


----------



## Metryq

*Batman* (1966)

This one took me back to my childhood. As slick as the spate of "recent" Batman movies are, nothing tops the campy stylings of the 1960s TV series and this spin-off movie. (It was filmed after the first season episodes, but premiered the series in Europe.) The cast is superb.

My favorite scene is when Batman is running all over a busy waterfront trying to dispose of a very cartoony, cannonball-style bomb with a hissing fuse. They really ham it up with nuns, baby carriages, lovers cruising by in rowboats, and a raft of ducklings. Today's audiences wouldn't understand the conservative humor.


----------



## soulsinging

Metryq said:


> *Batman* (1966)
> 
> This one took me back to my childhood. As slick as the spate of "recent" Batman movies are, nothing tops the campy stylings of the 1960s TV series and this spin-off movie. (It was filmed after the first season episodes, but premiered the series in Europe.) The cast is superb.
> 
> My favorite scene is when Batman is running all over a busy waterfront trying to dispose of a very cartoony, cannonball-style bomb with a hissing fuse. They really ham it up with nuns, baby carriages, lovers cruising by in rowboats, and a raft of ducklings. Today's audiences wouldn't understand the conservative humor.



Loved this scene!

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."


----------



## Foxbat

I love the 60s Batman. Not only was it hilarious but it often had the delectable Julie Newmar as the best ever Cat Woman (although in the movie, it was Lee Merriweather.....another stunner)

I've recently been watching *Delicatessen  *- one of my all-time favourite movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Damn!  I now have to go watch* Batman* again.  It's a terrifyingly brilliant film.  I just love that shot with Alfred driving the Batmobile - wearing a mask with his glasses on top.

Apart from anything else I want to see if the figures reflected in the window of the still up there ^  are crew members, onlookers, or part of the mis en scene.  If they're onlookers or crew then  *Metryq* has discovered an as yet unreported goof for this film.

Remember the date folks, this may be the first time anyone (outside of France) has ever used the overly pretentious 'mis en scene' in connection with the 1966 Batman film.  Be humble; this is history we are making here!


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey, I had to look up "Mise en scène." Wikipedia features a production still from _The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari_. The first time I saw that film, I remember thinking, "So this is where Bugs Bunny got his set design!"

In film and television production classes we were taught that scenes shot without natural sound were scripted and slated "MOS." The inevitable question "why MOS rather than WOS?" was asked. The prof then explained that there were many German directors in Hollywood when talkies arrived. It became a running joke with stage crew to affect a comical German accent and cry, "Ve shoot zis scene mit-out sound!"

@Foxbat, my favorite "food film" is _Tampopo_.


----------



## Interference

I LOLled


----------



## J-Sun

soulsinging said:


> Loved this scene!
> 
> "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."



Yep - the scene was hilarious enough but I completely lost it when West delivered that line.


----------



## JunkMonkey

For Metryq,

http://gosh-wow-productions.blogspot.com/2008_05_04_archive.html


----------



## Interference

The power of the press?

I just had to watch it again and laughed, in a good way, all the way through.

One thing, though: Wouldn't Frank Gorshin have made_ the most perfect _Joker?  He could even have done quite a spectacular "straight" version, had the times been ready for such a thing.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey, don't start muscling in on Ursa Major's territory! That was groan-worthy, and it made me chuckle. Mr. Novick, the high school literature teacher who introduced me to so many old films (including _Caligari_), might have smiled at that, at the risk of cracking his face.



Interference said:


> Wouldn't Frank Gorshin have made_ the most perfect _Joker?  He could even have done quite a spectacular "straight" version, had the times been ready for such a thing.



"Straight," as in the "evil clown" trope that is getting a little thread-bare in Hollywood? Gorshin could have played the character any way the director wanted it—the entire cast was excellent. But I hear his trademark Riddler laugh whenever I see him in some other production. 

(When I first picked up a metal cutting tool called a "nibbler," I paused and thought how that sounded like a Batman bad guy. "Holy corn on the cob, Batman!")


----------



## Quokka

*Batman* (1966) The movie that also gave us the Shark Repellent Batspray... handily stored in the Bat Helicopter right next to the Barracuda, Whale and Manta Ray Repellent Batsprays... Ready for whenever you need to explode foam sealife .

The reunion/bio movie *Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt* (2003) is suprisngly good as well, some good laughs and behind the scenes trivia for fans of the 60s series.


----------



## Foxbat

Metryq said:


> @Foxbat, my favorite "food film" is _Tampopo_.


 
I've never seen that one but I'll look out for it.


----------



## Mouse

I watched *Wilde* this afternoon. Very good, but felt like it could've been much longer... probably cos I find Wilde so fascinating though. It did occur to me while I was watching it that unless you know Oscar Wilde's story, you wouldn't get the film at all. It skips around a bit and certain things just happen without including the back story (Constance's death for instance).


----------



## Allegra

*Limitless*. Really enjoyed it, very clever and entertaining. Only the ending is a bit rushed.


----------



## FireDragon-16

I finally got to see *The* *Ugly Truth* which I thought was hilarious!

I also rewatched *The Last Unicorn* which I haven't seen in years...God I feel old.


----------



## Starbeast

*Split Second* (1992) Still one of my favorite movies of all time.

Set in the near future, global warming has caused water levels to rise, and a mysterious killer is stalking an anxiety-stricken paranoiac cop (Rutger Hauer) in London. Warning: Graphic Violence! Also stars - Kim Cattrall, Neil Duncan, Alun Armstrong, Pete Postlethwaite, Ian Drury, Robert Eaton & Michael J. Pollard


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Beneath The Planet Of The Apes* on telly last night. God! It was awful.


----------



## thatollie

Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Warning: Graphic Violence! Also stars - Kim Cattrall



All Kim Cattrall films should have warnings on them.


----------



## Foxbat

*Singin' In The Rain*
Simply a superb movie


----------



## FireDragon-16

Foxbat said:


> *Singin' In The Rain*
> Simply a superb movie


 
Love that movie! A little sad that I can't watch it right now since our VCR's broken though...


----------



## Moony

Finally sat down and watched Thor for the first time.It wasn't great but much much better than I thought it would be.I wouldn't mind watching it again.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

"Catch me if you can" and "Conspiracy Theory", more humour and comedy in those films than most comedy films.


----------



## Mouse

I _love_ Catch me if you can! ^

I watched the first ten minutes of Twilight on TV last night but it was so awful I could actually feel my brain hurting. So I watched Russell Howard's Good News instead.

Then I watched the end of *King Arthur*. Which I've seen before.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Amazon Warrior *( 1998 ) in a post-apocalyptic America where  everyone has clean hair and good teeth, and suspiciously well-maintained  fences can be seen in the background, Tara, last of the Amazons, is  hired to guide two women through dangerous territory.  Plodding rubbish  with clumsy fight sequences, even clumsier dialogue and a budget that  must have been in in the low dozens.  One sequence in particular, where  the 'King' hires our heroine, looks like it was filmed round the edges  of a Renaissance Fair, not _at _a Renaissance Fair, round the  edges.   As in:
 "Quick, while no one is looking we can get all these  costumed extras for free - yeah, well, they'll be standing with their  backs to the camera watching something interesting happening out of  sight of the camera - but they'll cost nothing!"  

Total bilge, starring the producer  and a lot of actors who went on to appear in such classics as his _Vampire Time Travelers.  _Some  of the actresses got their norks out (I love that word) thus leading us  to the conclusion that no matter what, fire flood, famine, or the end  of the world by all-out nuclear heck, the plastic boob implant industry  will be alive and well and operating in California.  
One of those films  where you know the actors walking towards the screen have hit their  marks because they're suddenly where the reflectors are adding fill  light.


----------



## Quokka

Had movies added to the pay tv so doing a bit of a silver screen binge...

The Usual Suspects: Love it, a definite all time top 10 favourite. One of those movies I can enjoy scene by scene, line by line. 

Dr Strangelove: So funny and Peter Sellers is brilliant in all his roles but I love George C. Scott's Buck. 

And finished it off with The Whole Nine Yards, yet another favourite, it's light hearted and Matthew Perry seems to work so well  because he's just playing Chandler which is possibly just playing Matthew Perry but its a great cast all round and I always end up laughing out loud.

Well it beat 24 hr news and 2 and a half men repeats at least .


----------



## Interference

thatollie said:


> Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides



I don't nay-say as much as others about this series, but this final installment was a vast disappointment.  Almost pedestrian.  I loved _At World's End_.


----------



## thatollie

I thought At World's End was a little bit off. It's like they were trying too hard to be weird.


----------



## Interference

It had a dreamlike quality, which I like.  Also, it advanced us beyond the first film, which the second tried not to do.

On Stranger Tides started well and had a great title, but there the excitement ground to a premature halt.

I hear there's a danger there'll be more.  I wonder why....


----------



## thatollie

What exactly ground the excitement to a halt for you? I honestly didn't feel that way.


----------



## Interference

Penelope Cruz


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> All Kim Cattrall films should have warnings on them.


 
I'm not a fan of a lot of her work, but I do like Kim Cattral in _Split Second _(watched it again this morning), _Star Trek 6: Undiscovered Country & Big Trouble in Little China._



Interference said:


> I don't nay-say as much as others about this series, but this final installment was a vast disappointment. Almost pedestrian. I loved _At World's End_.


 
The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie trailer didn't look that great to me. The third flick in the series was weird, but I did see more of my favorite character, Captain Barbossa. (sorry Johnny)

*National Lampoon's: Vacation* (1983)

A dark comedy about a family's adventure to their favorite amusement park. Stars - Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid & John Candy


----------



## Interference

Watched _Quiz Show_ again a couple of nights ago and was re-impressed by Redford's direction.  Great movie that ought to have a long life.

Also, _The Life Aquati_c which failed me on so many levels that it came as a pleasant surprise when it didn't.  Perhaps it may benefit from a re-watch, now the preconceptions have been put to rest.  Directorially commendable, stylistically quirky and interesting; plot and story - meh....


----------



## Starbeast

Interference said:


> *The Life Aquatic* which failed me on so many levels that it came as a pleasant surprise when it didn't. Perhaps it may benefit from a re-watch, now the preconceptions have been put to rest. Directorially commendable, stylistically quirky and interesting; plot and story - meh....


 
I really like that movie, good cast and music. It's like a trippy adventure of _The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau._


----------



## Interference

I loved the music, of course   I just felt it fell between a couple of stools, neither of which had been placed on a level floor to begin with.

As I say, I'm willing to have another crack at it - no pun intended  - now I know it isn't another Bill Murray romp, which, as I recall vaguely, the theatre trailers made it appear.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> Also, _The Life Aquati_c which failed me on so many levels that it came as a pleasant surprise when it didn't.  Perhaps it may benefit from a re-watch, now the preconceptions have been put to rest.  Directorially commendable, stylistically quirky and interesting; plot and story - meh....



After I finished watching it I turned to my wife and said "I wish I'd liked that more than I did" and she said "me too" and she has the _Royal Tennebaums_ in her all time top 10 films.

Tonight I rewatched Douglas Trumbull's 1983* Brainstorm*, another film I wished I liked more than I do.  It starts out as a great little hard SF film playing with ideas about new breakthrough technology, turns into an evil corporation/military combine thriller, has a brief sequence of clumsy slapstick comedy before having a mystic, revelatory, light-show ending.   It's a bit of a mess. An interesting one but a mess.  It might have been a bit less of a mess if one of the stars, Natalie Wood, hadn't died in the middle of the shoot.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> It's a bit of a mess. An interesting one but a mess.



_Silent Running_ and _Brainstorm_ were movies that grew out of special effects. Trumbull has done some amazing research and development of new imaging technologies, but he's not a storyteller. Tests showed that 60 frames-per-second is the "frame rate of the brain," and from that Trumbull created the Showscan format. _Brainstorm_ was to have been released in this format, but it didn't happen.

While _Brainstorm_ revolved around the "brain VCR" concept technology, _Strange Days_ (1995) used it as a dramatic tool to tell an allegorical thriller about Judgment Day. The POV cinematography and sound design are _exceptional_.


----------



## clovis-man

*Battle: Los Angeles*

A movie that tells us that all you need is a squad of determined U.S. Marines to take on any alien invaders. Good actions scenes, but hackneyed dialogue for the most part. A little too much testosterone for my tastes.


----------



## Connavar

*Immortals *

I saw it last night the 3D version.   The gods action scenes was pure  awesome but the action for Thesseus was not as good.  I enjoyed parts  but overall i liked less than i thought.  It was badly paced, too little  good actions scenes until the end.  Also it took itself too seriously  like it was a serious drama about greek mythology.  Many cheesy  lines,writing the calm parts of the film.   A weaker version of 300 it  was.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Phantom Menace* on the ray that is Blu! Oh yea!


----------



## Interference

Connavar said:


> *Immortals *
> 
> I saw it last night the 3D version.   The gods action scenes was pure  awesome ....



Because of the emphasis on FX and the 3D gizmology, I think it's already coming to be known as a Geek Tragedy


----------



## Starbeast

*True Lies* (1994) Action/comedy with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a super spy who causes far more damage then the bad guys and takes no prisoners, he just obliterates them with overkill.

*Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me* (1999) Mike Myers is groovy baby as he returns to portray the title character and the sinister Dr Evil in this surreal secret agent flick.


----------



## Interference

*Signs* on telly.  Ok, it's an impressive study of a man who loses and then regains his Faith, but what the heck were all those crop circles and aliens about? 

I think that either it was the prolonged sub-plot of an alien invasion movie (a side-dish for _War Of The Worlds_, perhaps?) or, which is more likely, an intense and affecting story with a candy coating.

In the end, I got really pissed off at Gibson for rediscovering his Faith like this.


----------



## AE35Unit

Interference said:


> *Signs* on telly.  Ok, it's an impressive study of a man who loses and then regains his Faith, but what the heck were all those crop circles and aliens about?
> 
> I think that either it was the prolonged sub-plot of an alien invasion movie (a side-dish for _War Of The Worlds_, perhaps?) or, which is more likely, an intense and affecting story with a candy coating.
> 
> In the end, I got really pissed off at Gibson for rediscovering his Faith like this.



I kinda like it :/


----------



## alchemist

clovis-man said:


> *Battle: Los Angeles*
> 
> A little too much testosterone for my tastes.



Anybody else read this as "testosterone for my testes"? No?

*Waveriders *- a documentary on the history of surfing and the Irish influence thereon. Informative, interesting, but overlong. A little too much staring out to sea, "it's in my blood, man".

*X-Men First Class* - pretty good. Fassbender was fantastic (although I noticed his Irish accent only came out when he turned evil), McAvoy also excellent. I was mildly underwhelmed by the first films, but this one impressed me.


----------



## Metryq

alchemist said:


> *X-Men First Class* I was mildly underwhelmed by the first films, but this one impressed me.



I saw this one on video recently, too. It was well cast and, yes, impressive, but _this_ one left me feeling a little underwhelmed, while I enjoyed the first film the most.

I never read any of the X-Men comics, so I was the "perfect" audience for the first film. (I understand that all of the movies have taken liberties with the characters and situations. But if I understand correctly, superhero comics get "reinvented" every so many years anyway.) The first _X-Men_ drops us into the middle of the action and builds around a strong central theme.

_First Class_ was better than _Last Stand_ and _Wolverine_, but it felt fragmented. The focus was supposed to be on Charles and Erik, although there never seemed to be any chemistry between them. The first two movies gave me a better sense of their friendship, despite their opposing ideologies. In the second film Wolverine asks the Professor how Magneto would know how to hide from Cerebro. With one line, Charles told us volumes about his relationship with Erik, "He helped me build it." (_First Class_ tells a somewhat different story about the origin of Erik's helmet.)

Also, the Cuban missile crisis seemed a bit grandiose for a first outing—kinda like James Bond _movie_ villains always trying to conquer the world. At the end of it all, Charles is lying there crippled on a beach, while his "sister" just ups and leaves. (Not a very good showing on her part, I must say.) Then the credits start rolling. Underwhelming? I was reminded of a line from _Amadeus_: "Do you know you didn't even give them a good bang at the end ... so they knew when to clap?"


----------



## Metryq

I just saw _The Secret of Kells_. I must read up on all the history and mythology covered in this film. The art is fantastic—perfect for a story about "illumination."


----------



## Interference

*Hancock* - Worked right up to the exposition.  Still, at least it wasn't as weak as it might have been.  I didn't know it was Charleze Theron so I didn't realise I was meant to make allowances for the acting and ended up guessing (more or less) their secret history   Having seen her in Aeon Flux, I would have been better prepared if they'd revealed the cast in opening credits.

Oh, and so there's no doubt: I really liked it


----------



## Starbeast

*The Incredible Hulk* (2008) - Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth & William Hurt

Dr. Bruce Banner is pursued by the U.S. military because his body and research holds the secret of the Hulk's power. However the government tries to duplicate the Gamma Experiment and creates a monster.

Unlike the first HULK movie in 2003 which was more of a drama (like the original tv show), this sequel is fast-paced and action-packed, like the comic books.


----------



## Interference

I liked the musical references back to the TV series - and that Bixby's cameo was on a telly in _My Favourite Martian_ - his finest work?   I also liked the Super Soldier Serum making an appearance, tying the current crop of Marvels together rather neatly, I thought.


----------



## Starbeast

Interference said:


> Bixby's cameo was on a telly in _My Favourite Martian_ - his finest work?  I also liked the Super Soldier Serum making an appearance, tying the current crop of Marvels together rather neatly, I thought.


 
I believe that Bill Bixby scene on the tv was from _The Courtship of Eddie's Father _(I watched that show long ago)_._ *Lou Ferrigno* who played the HULK back in the 1970's tv show made a cameo in this film (security guard who gets a free pizza). Plus *Stan Lee* (former editor of Marvel Comics) who helped create the HULK back in the 1960's had a cameo too (man who drank tainted soda).

Besides the brutish monstrosity of the ABOMINATION appearing in this film, we also get a chance to see the origin of another HULK villain, the diabolical super genius who calls himself, "the Leader".


----------



## Interference

Apologies to the Bixby Estate - I didn't know of _The Courtship...._ and jumped to an erroneous conclusion - and not for the first time, either 

Yeah, I spotted Mr Ferrigno  and Stan's cameos are in every one of the Marvel Entertainment movies since .... I may have to research it, but would _Spidey I_ be close?  But his cameo in _Heroes_ was, I thought, unnecessarily contrived 

And am I right in thinking that, with the exception of Wolverine, Mr Lee was creator or part-creator of all the Marvel heroes filmed so far?  And that includes next year's Dr Strange, which I am particularly looking forward to (with fingers tightly crossed) and would even consider it a unique opportunity to prove the validity of 3D to thems as nay-says.

The Leader was there too?   Which bit?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Would someone please tell Hollywood producers it's not _obligatory _to have an actor from a previous version of the story appear in a remake.  I for one am sick and tired of it. What used to be a knowing joke has just become another desperate box to be checked off the production schedule and a distraction for the viewer from the story being played out.  Hitchcock in his later years made sure his wee cameo appearances were all in the first few minutes of the film because he knew half the audience would be distracted by looking for him and not paying attention to the film. 

Apparently, now, not even_ being dead _exempts you from this tedious chore.


----------



## Rodders

I saw A Night At The Museum last night. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Starbeast

Interference said:


> The Leader was there too?  Which bit?


 
He was the other scientist helping Dr. Banner to cure himself (Mr Blue). When the Abomination knocked him down, some of the serum dripped onto the scientist's head wound.


----------



## Interference

Ahhhhh, I did wonder about that scene!  Now I knows.  Cheers, Star, you're a - er - star 



JunkMonkey said:


> Would someone please tell Hollywood producers it's not _obligatory _to have an actor from a previous version of the story appear in a remake.



Agreed.  I'll notify them at once.  And they'll ignore me.  Like always.


----------



## JunkMonkey

They don't listen to me either.


Friday Night with the kids:
*The City of Ember* ( 2008 ) -  I  enjoyed it more than I expected but it didn't make much sense in the  end.  The closed world civilisation which has forgotten its history and  where no-one (apart from our heroes) questions the existence of a world  beyond the city boundaries is a tired old Science Fiction trope - but  done here with some nice set design.  The inclusion of giant insects and  moles (which are not apparently in the book) skews the whole film into  making you think that the humans here have been miniturized in some way  to survive the holocaust mentioned in the prologue sequence. (Which is  another old SF idea, see James Blish's 1952 story 'Surface Tension' for a  good example).  This 'miniaturization' is hinted at several times during the film  obliquely (one of the old Mayors, whose portraits we see at one point,  is called Podd which is as near as damn it the name of the father in the  Borrowers books) or overtly; a  character finds a piece of beetle and  looks it up in a book. points at the picture and asks his father how  they used to be so little when they aren't now?   There's a giant carniverous  mole rampaging round the tunnels below the city eating people!  Things  like that. The fact that the heroes, when they finally make it to the  surface, appear to be normal sized human beings is just confusing and  unsatisfying.


----------



## FireDragon-16

JunkMonkey said:


> *The City of Ember* ( 2008 ) - I enjoyed it more than I expected but it didn't make much sense in the end. The closed world civilisation which has forgotten its history and where no-one (apart from our heroes) questions the existence of a world beyond the city boundaries is a tired old Science Fiction trope - but done here with some nice set design. The inclusion of giant insects and moles (which are not apparently in the book) skews the whole film into making you think that the humans here have been miniturized in some way to survive the holocaust mentioned in the prologue sequence. (Which is another old SF idea, see James Blish's 1952 story 'Surface Tension' for a good example). This 'miniaturization' is hinted at several times during the film obliquely (one of the old Mayors, whose portraits we see at one point, is called Podd which is as near as damn it the name of the father in the Borrowers books) or overtly; a character finds a piece of beetle and looks it up in a book. points at the picture and asks his father how they used to be so little when they aren't now? There's a giant carniverous mole rampaging round the tunnels below the city eating people! Things like that. The fact that the heroes, when they finally make it to the surface, appear to be normal sized human beings is just confusing and unsatisfying.


 
I agree, on the whole I really liked the movie a lot more than I expected, especially since I'd read the book beforehand. 

However, the animals really didn't make any sense at all--they don't fit in with anything to do with the story. 
Based on the book, I don't think miniaturization was supposed to come into play at all, so why they tried to spin it that way in the movie confused me...


----------



## Metryq

*Primer*: A low-budget time travel tale with some interesting facets. I'm annoyed that the filmmakers allowed logical paradoxes, when the bulk of the film is an examination of time travel. (So what else is new?) The movie is also shot in a "cinema vérité," documentary style, so one might wish to turn on the captioning. (The characters frequently interrupt one another and talk over each other.)


----------



## Foxbat

*Circus Of Horrors* (1960)
A mundane tale of a rogue plastic surgeon acquiring a circus (as plastic surgeons do). Frankly the only disturbing thing about this movie was Donald Pleasance with hair.


----------



## JunkMonkey

FireDragon-16 said:


> I agree, on the whole I really liked the movie a lot more than I expected, especially since I'd read the book beforehand.
> 
> However, the animals really didn't make any sense at all--they don't fit in with anything to do with the story.
> Based on the book, I don't think miniaturization was supposed to come into play at all, so why they tried to spin it that way in the movie confused me...



It also puzzled me that the 'Builders' made such a contrived complex and dangerous exit by water-chute.  Was that in the books, or was it added to give a visual ride for the films final act?  The film did have good things going for it.  I liked that the boy and girl leads weren't romantically linked (though I can see this would have added to the levels of unfulfilled expectation that this film generates). Martin Landau was wonderful - he always is - and the design elements were great (until the water-chute where it suddenly started looking very cheap and tacky.)


----------



## Foxbat

*Batman Year One* 
Firstly, as far as I'm aware, this is only available as a US import.
Secondly, I have not read the Frank Miller story on which this is based so can't comment on its faithfulness (or lack of).

Having said all that, I have to state that I thoroughly enjoyed this animated movie. It is a dark (as we have come to expect from recent Caped Crusader outings) and strong storyline done to some pretty decent animation. It chronicles Wayne's evolution to the Dark Knight and the genesis of the close relationship between he and Commisioner Gordon. Catwoman makes an appearance and is thoroughly amusing in her own psychotic little way. 

For any fans of  the Dark Knight or superheroes in general, I'd thoroughly recommend giving this one a look.


----------



## Connavar

Foxbat said:


> *Batman Year One*
> Firstly, as far as I'm aware, this is only available as a US import.
> Secondly, I have not read the Frank Miller story on which this is based so can't comment on its faithfulness (or lack of).
> 
> Having said all that, I have to state that I thoroughly enjoyed this animated movie. It is a dark (as we have come to expect from recent Caped Crusader outings) and strong storyline done to some pretty decent animation. It chronicles Wayne's evolution to the Dark Knight and the genesis of the close relationship between he and Commisioner Gordon. Catwoman makes an appearance and is thoroughly amusing in her own psychotic little way.
> 
> For any fans of  the Dark Knight or superheroes in general, I'd thoroughly recommend giving this one a look.



I have seen that film "online" and plan to get the DVD when it gets here, becomes cheaper.   Big Batman comics,old cartoon tv series fan.

I have read the classic Batman Year One story it is based on.  Its very respectful, faithful adapatation.   The voice acting, the sound,music,action was good enough to add new things to old story for me.

Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame was the best Gordon so far with respect to Gary Oldman.   Batman Voice actor could have been much better.  He is no Kevin Conroy from the old animation films,tv shows.


----------



## Extollager

The last movie I watched was _Odds Against Tomorrow_





It's stylish but it's not an exercise in style at the expense of storytelling.


----------



## alchemist

*Hellboy II* - it did exactly what it said on the tin. No pretention to be anything other than a comic book actioner, and that's what it was. Enjoyable enough, but not worth spending money on.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Plan 9 From Outer Space* - for the umpteenth time.  It just gets funnier each time I see it.


----------



## FireDragon-16

JunkMonkey said:


> It also puzzled me that the 'Builders' made such a contrived complex and dangerous exit by water-chute. Was that in the books, or was it added to give a visual ride for the films final act? The film did have good things going for it. I liked that the boy and girl leads weren't romantically linked (though I can see this would have added to the levels of unfulfilled expectation that this film generates). Martin Landau was wonderful - he always is - and the design elements were great (until the water-chute where it suddenly started looking very cheap and tacky.)


 
In the book they do have too escape using an underground river, but as far as I can tell, she didn't write it to be _that _much of a thrill-ride. In the book, the biggest issue was that the tunnels were dark so they really couldn't see where they were going/what they were doing

On another note, my dad purchased a copy of *Stand By Me* that we watched today. It was a good movie and I loved seeing all the actors that weren't all that much and are now fairly big


----------



## Moonbat

I have seen *The Hangover Pt II*, *Horrible Bosses* and *Gnomeo and Juliet* recently.

*Hangover Pt II*, amost the same the first one, same plot device, which is actually quite good and seems to come (it is probably old but I can only remember it) from *Dude, where's my car?* Where they work through the 'forgotten' last evening to find out where something is. In the Hangover Pt II's case it is the younger brother of the man getting married's wife to be. It has some very amusing moments, my favortie was at the end when they have run a speedboat onto the shore that Alan (the best character) throws the anchor overboard.
Then there was *Horrible bosses*, which was much better than I anticipated. Three big name bosses, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell (playing Donald Sutherland's son) and Jenifer Aniston. The three main charcaters were less know, but it had some very amusing moments, but only bug is they didn't deal with Jenifer Aniston's character very well, it felt a bit tacked on at the end.

Then, *Gnomeo and Juliet*, a terrible idea for a film, but eventally well done. By the looks of the credits it was re-written four times. It had a few funny moments, some nice humour, but ultimately would never stay faithful to the ending of its namesake. I have seen worse animated films, but I have also seen alot better.


----------



## AE35Unit

I put CARS 2 on for the kids the other night while I did tea and stuff. I didnt get to watch it but the kids loved it, and Michael Caine plays a Bond-esque DB5! Top notch!


----------



## Interference

Beware of film titles that pun......


Would it be cruel of me to suggest that Jennifer Aniston may indeed have been tacked on cos her acting career is so - shall we say - naff?


----------



## Starbeast

*Ip Man* (2008) - Donny Yen

Great film about the amazing true life story of a master of martial arts!

*Prince of Persia* (2010)

Excellent fantasy tale based on the video game of the same name!

I highly recommend both movies!  They were awesome!


----------



## Adasunshine

*Breaking Dawn* (yes really...)

Really enjoyed it but then I'm a fan of the books, takes me back to my *cough* more innocent years

*Burke & Hare (2010)*

Funny and enjoyable but made light of some pretty gruesome murders.  

xx


----------



## Metryq

*Breaking Wind*, really?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*A Bizarre Love Triangle* (aka_ Cheoleobtneun anaewa paramanjanhan nampyeon geurigo taekwon sonyeo_ 2002) My first foray  into Korean film.  Within a framing device set at a wedding on the moon  sometime in the near future (with some very very dodgy special effects  and costumes that push all the wrong campness buttons) a guest tells how the three parents of one of the grooms got together (sorry, just told you the socko twist ending).  This turns out to be a long story of teenage lesbian lust, kick-boxing, burglary, babies  dying on operating tables, fruit f***k**g and sundry other everyday  Korean pastimes, culminating in one of the central characters having a  life changing revelation as she sh*ts herself in a public toilet.  It  was at this point - somewhere about the two hour mark (the film is only  93 minutes long) that it finally dawned on me that I was watching 'a  comedy' and I was supposed to be finding all this stuff funny.  I can  see why it was in the pre-owned bin of my local Blockbuster.  It's going back.

What I learned from this film:  


I do not understand Korean humour.
You can show men sniffing artificial vaginas, women holding huge rubbery double-ended dildos, and wave strangely gyrating life-size artificial penises around on screen in a cert 15 film in the UK.


----------



## slack

Saw *Horrible Bosses* over the weekend. 

Charlie Day carried this movie; if it wasn't for him it wouldn't have been funny at all. Even so, it was only mildly amusing. Some lines are pretty graphic, and I guess the writers thought that was funny, but it just got tiresome after awhile.


----------



## Foxbat

*Quiet Flows The Don*

(2006) Starring Rupert Everett (it appears that this movie may have been filmed earlier than this date but was kept in an Italian bank vault for quite some time -haven’t a clue why).

Based on Mikhail  Sholokov’s novel, Quiet Flows The Don tells the tale of Gregor, a Don Cossack. He attempts to find fulfilment through armed service but finds his troubled life becoming a mirror of the troubles within his country. First, the Great War and then the Russian Civil War heap tragedy and atrocity upon the people. Villages are decimated and abandoned whilst the country splits into various factions fighting for the idealogical mastery of the empire. Meanwhile, the River Don – lifeblood of the region flows quietly onward.

At almost three hours long, this movie starts off at a fairly slow pace and it is well into an hour before things start to pick up. Where this film succeeds is in displaying the devastating effect the troubles within Czarist Russia had on its ordinary citizens. Where this movie fails is in its love interest. It’s just too cheesy for my liking. So, all in  all, it’s a fairly average ‘worth a look’ kind of movie.

Apparently the 1957 version is much closer to the novel but, weighing in at 6 hours long, I think it will be quite a while before I get around to having a look at that one (if ever).


----------



## natalienoo

Watched *How To Train Your Dragon* last night.  It was a cute flick.  I enjoyed the way they gave different dragons different animal-like qualities.


----------



## No One

JunkMonkey said:


> *A Bizarre Love Triangle* (aka_ Cheoleobtneun anaewa paramanjanhan nampyeon geurigo taekwon sonyeo_ 2002) My first foray  into Korean film.  Within a framing device set at a wedding on the moon  sometime in the near future (with some very very dodgy special effects  and costumes that push all the wrong campness buttons) a guest tells how the three parents of one of the grooms got together (sorry, just told you the socko twist ending).  This turns out to be a long story of teenage lesbian lust, kick-boxing, burglary, babies  dying on operating tables, fruit f***k**g and sundry other everyday  Korean pastimes, culminating in one of the central characters having a  life changing revelation as she sh*ts herself in a public toilet.  It  was at this point - somewhere about the two hour mark (the film is only  93 minutes long) that it finally dawned on me that I was watching 'a  comedy' and I was supposed to be finding all this stuff funny.  I can  see why it was in the pre-owned bin of my local Blockbuster.  It's going back.
> 
> What I learned from this film:
> 
> 
> I do not understand Korean humour.
> You can show men sniffing artificial vaginas, women holding huge rubbery double-ended dildos, and wave strangely gyrating life-size artificial penises around on screen in a cert 15 film in the UK.



That sounds...unique 

As a big fan of South Korean cinema I can't resist a reply to this. Don't give up on the whole country because of one film! Korean cinema actually has a very strong sense of humour that is easily translatable to western audiences for the most part and I'm sure with more films under your belt you'll start to see that.

Might I suggest anything by two of Korea's foremost directors, Park Chan-wook (my personal favourite director from anywhere in the world) and Kim Jee-woon. Of the former's work you simply _must _see *Oldboy *before coming to any conclusions, but don't stop there. There are a heck of a lot of very good to great films made in south korea - it's just possible that A Bizarre Love Triangle isn;t one of 'em 

Oh, and the last films I watched were *Green Lantern *(which despite a weak conclusion I thought was enjoyable enough) and *Despicable Me* (which featured two rather priceless moments in a sky-coloured pyramid and the delivery of the line "It's so FLUFFY!").


----------



## HoopyFrood

No One said:


> *Despicable Me* (which featured two rather priceless moments in a sky-coloured pyramid and the delivery of the line "It's so FLUFFY!").



Strange, that was the last film I watched, too...



It's so fluffy I'm gonna dieeeee!


----------



## j d worthington

Despite having wanted to see it for some time, I just got a chance to watch *The Stone Tape* (1972), written by Nigel Kneale.... Not as tight or as well-constructed as *Quatermass and the Pit* (the original television production of 1958-59 is what I refer to here, though I also like the Hammer theatrical film), but perhaps a bit more so than *Quatermass* (1979); and the direction was at times lifeless and/or jarring; some of the performances were a bit too much now and again as well. However, all that said, a good piece, and one I will be looking to add to my collection whenever I actually have the money to do so. A very nice handling of the theme and, despite its flaws, capable of some very good atmosphere and a good "thriller" of its sort....


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> Strange, that was the last film I watched, too...
> 
> 
> 
> It's so fluffy I'm gonna dieeeee!



It's a small, small world


----------



## Tecdavid

The last movie I saw at the _cinema_ was Deathly Hallows Part 2. I liked it, although it seemed too much like the _whole_ film was the final battle of the series, rather than a complete instalment.
I saw a film at home just a few days back, but I can't remember its name! I'll have to get back to you...


----------



## TL Rese

i watched 'gremlins' on tv the other nite.  luved it as a kid, and happy to say that i still think it's great. - a classic!


----------



## FireDragon-16

natalienoo said:


> Watched *How To Train Your Dragon* last night. It was a cute flick. I enjoyed the way they gave different dragons different animal-like qualities.


 
We loved that movie in my house! Favorite line: "_Thank you for nothing you useless reptile_"


----------



## JunkMonkey

No One said:


> That sounds...unique
> 
> As a big fan of South Korean cinema I can't resist a reply to this. Don't give up on the whole country because of one film! Korean cinema actually has a very strong sense of humour that is easily translatable to western audiences for the most part and I'm sure with more films under your belt you'll start to see that.



Please don't get me wrong, I'm not damming a whole nation's cinema on the strengths (or weaknesses) of one film.  That would be like watching _Confessions of a Window Cleaner _and dismissing the whole of British film history  (which I have - and nearly did).  My line about not getting Korean humour was serious.  With _Confessions of a Window Cleaner _I knew what I was supposed to be finding 'funny' - some of the 'jokes' in it were so old they were preceded by a man waving a red flag.  It was hard to miss them.  With _A Bizarre Love Triangle _I was just lost; I didn't recognise the fact that it was comedic till very near the end.


----------



## Connavar

*Drive*

A noir drama/thriller with one of the best young actors in Hollywood in Ryan Gosling was a huge surprise to me.  It was a calm very stylised film,with great visuals and with sudden scenes of extreme violence.  It was like film noir by Jean-Pierre Melville or the more subtle Sam Peckinpah films.

A film that you must see if you like films in general and not whatever genres you prefer.  Easily one of the best films in recent years and shame they dont make calm films like this anymore.  Its either clear social issue melodrama or special effects dumbed down action films.

Ryan Gosling had few lines, acted mostly with his face,body very effectivly like a young Pacino/De Niro.  Not saying he is that great but his used his body,face really well to say more than words could.


----------



## slack

Connavar said:


> *Drive*
> 
> A noir drama/thriller with one of the best young actors in Hollywood in Ryan Gosling was a huge surprise to me.  It was a calm very stylised film,with great visuals and with sudden scenes of extreme violence.  It was like film noir by Jean-Pierre Melville or the more subtle Sam Peckinpah films.
> 
> A film that you must see if you like films in general and not whatever genres you prefer.  Easily one of the best films in recent years and shame they dont make calm films like this anymore.  Its either clear social issue melodrama or special effects dumbed down action films.
> 
> Ryan Gosling had few lines, acted mostly with his face,body very effectivly like a young Pacino/De Niro.  Not saying he is that great but his used his body,face really well to say more than words could.


When I first saw the previews it looked like such a typical mind-numbing action flick.

Haven't seen it yet, but glad to hear it might be a film with substance.


----------



## Diggler

*Immortals*:

Tarsem Singh's Immortals is just as stylish as The Fall, though lacks a lot of the charm of the former film. The story is a very much ad-libbed tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. The acting by most and the story are not so great, but this is redeemed by sumptuous sets, photography and some amazingly violent action scenes. 

If you have a thing for men running around in their underwear, a penchant for Peplums or want to see a three dimensional female bottom then this is the movie for you! If you just want to be entertained, then this is also a good choice. 

3.5/5


----------



## FireDragon-16

*The Three Musketeers (2011):*

Normally I like these kinds of movies, but this didn't quite live up to my expectations. I'm not going to lie, I did like the movie somewhat, it was funny but there were some things that I got a little annoyed with. For example: They made Louis out to be a complete idiot and slightly gay. 

I've never read the book so it's possible that he is supposed to be clueless but based on the other movies I've seen he's not really completely clueless, just unobservant.

I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5


----------



## Moonbat

*Drive *is definitely on my list of films to see.

We watched *Point Blank* last night a new film by *Anything for Her* director _Fred Cavaye_. Although it was refreshingly short (we clocked it at 76 minutes, but DVD says it is 81) it was really good.
*Anything for her*, was a very good intense thriller with some lovely plot twists, it was recently remade by Hollywood into *The next Three days*, *Point Blank* is wonderfully tense, it starts well and after about 30 mins it is so brilliantly intense and thrilling without big action sequences or anyhting like that, just plot and story and well directed acting.
There is a great scene in the subway (metro) that was very well done.

On a side note, we recieved our surround sound speakers yesterday, so our cinema room is taking shape. We need to get the cinema red curtains (for the windows not the screen) a foot stool and a whole bunch of movie posters for the walls. And that's not even mentioning the Death Star lamp shade I am working on.


----------



## Connavar

slack said:


> When I first saw the previews it looked like such a typical mind-numbing action flick.
> 
> Haven't seen it yet, but glad to hear it might be a film with substance.



Thats because even in an 80% calm film with substance the trailer must use the only action scenes there is in the film.

It won an award in the biggest Film awards there is, best director award in *Cannès film festival.* I doubt mind-numbing action flicks ever won an award there


----------



## Tecdavid

_Now_ I remember the name of the one I saw at home.* Knowing*, with Nicholas Cage.
I didn't like it, really, thanks to the ending, which was pretty nihilistic and anti-climatic.


----------



## Mouse

Somebody mentioned men running around in their underpants?



I caught a bit of The Scorpion King on TV earlier. All I can say is wow. And not in a good way.


----------



## Metryq

Tecdavid said:


> anti-climatic.



I think you meant "anti-climactic." Those meteorologists never did anything to you.


----------



## Tecdavid

Metryq said:


> I think you meant "anti-climactic." Those meteorologists never did anything to you.



My bad. Thanks.


----------



## Starbeast

Mouse said:


> I caught a bit of The Scorpion King on TV earlier. All I can say is wow. *And not in a good way*.


 
I only made it as far as twenty minutes then removed the rented disk.

*The Ghost and Mr Chicken* (1966) - Don Knotts

Mild and delightful horror comedy about a newspaper employee investigating an old haunted house.  I love it!


----------



## Metryq

Starbeast said:


> *The Ghost and Mr Chicken* (1966)



*"Attaboy, Luther!"*


----------



## Rangerton

*Made in Dagenham*


Women machinists at Ford motor co. in Dagenham,(but not the only plant) go on strike for equal pay in 1968. 

A film that shows the hardship of women and their families, who fought for the right of equal pay for women.


I was going to say a MUST watch for women, but make that a MUST watch for everyone!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Was moping around the house earlier, thinking "I want to watch Home Aloooone..." Should know by now that the tv wouldn't fail me at this time of year.

Managed to catch the best bit (two grown men getting hilariously beaten) of *Home Alone II*.

Now watching *The Incredibles*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Radioactive Dreams* (1985) - A (possibly) not yet released on DVD piece of Big Box Video Trash from the glory days of Big Box Video Trash. _Radioactive Dreams_  is the everyday story or two four year old boys left alone in a bomb  shelter with nothing to read but hard-boiled detective fiction.  They  emerge 16 years later to a post-apocalyptic  wasteland full of the usual   MTV vibe post punk post _Mad Max_ bestial types.  This time the tribes were a_ little_  odder than the usual hairy biker types vs peaceful farmers, one tribe  for instance was called The Disco Mutants and consisted of seven year  boys wearing white suits who carried big hand guns and said 'Fcuk' a  lot. In the end it all got very irritating with our two heroes looking  more and more like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis wandering around an  endless series of early MTV music videos. Videos from back in the days  when they pretended to tell a moodily lit 'story' and didn't just fill  the screen with jiggling well-tanned body bits. The film seemed very  familiar somehow, though I'd never seen before.  Only when I looked  director Albert Pyun up on IMDb did it click.  He also directed _Alien in LA_  which was very similar in that it featured a lot of pointless wandering  around in a MTV style Mad Maxiverse.  Unusually for a 1980s PostApoc  flick there were no noticeable displays of fingerless gloves - though  there was at least one incidence of that other good old 80s PA Flick  cliché, the burning oil drum.


----------



## Diggler

Mouse said:


> Somebody mentioned men running around in their underpants?



You'll like it then Mouse


----------



## Foxbat

*Kandahar *Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf's pre 9/11 film about Nafas, an Afghan woman based in Canada, taking a perilous journey through Afghanistan to find her sister is simply brilliant. Filled with striking images, cultural contradiction and the ever-present burqa, this movie tells us much about this war ravaged country.

Every Westerner who has an opinion on the Afghan situation should watch this.


----------



## Starbeast

*Wolfhound* (2007) - based on a best-selling Russian novel by Nikolia Lebedev.

Not a bad "sword and sorcery" flick. 



_Kandahar_ is a great film.


----------



## THX-1138

I saw Cast Away yesterday... I had already seen it. The last new movie was... The Lincoln Lawyer, I think. I enjoyed both.


----------



## biodroid

Let Me In - It was ok, very slow, not the best story but at least the vampires don't sparkle.


----------



## clovis-man

*Traitor* (2008) Very good performances by Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce in a film that attempts to put a human face on terrorism. Some interesting twists and turns keep you guessing and some gritty action scenes keep you riveted to the screen.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Ides of March*. I thought it was really really good!


----------



## Foxbat

*Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee* doesn't cover as much as the book and is much more tightly focused on the latter stages of the struggle.
Having said that, I thought this was a good and fairly honest representation of the book.


----------



## Bugg

*Kick-Ass*.  Loved it!


----------



## Metryq

Bugg said:


> *Kick-Ass*.  Loved it!



It was good, then lost it in the final round. The comic was much better, with Dave ping-ponging back and forth between wanting to be a masked crusader, then never doing it again—and having a new and evolving reason each time. But tying together Rasul (K-A's first goon assignment) and Katie, then having her weep for the thug later was a nice addition.


----------



## ktabic

*The Scorpion King 2*.
I must now go and watch a different movie immediately in order to change this.


----------



## BookStop

Beginning to make the Christmas movie rounds. *Christmas Vacation* being the first watched of the season, then *Love Actually*. *Hogfather* is ont he menu for today


----------



## Metryq

ktabic said:


> *The Scorpion King 2*.
> I must now go and watch a different movie immediately in order to change this.



Is that like going to confession to clear your conscience—you don't want to suddenly get hit by a bus now and have _The Scorpion King 2_ be the last film you saw? (The way Hamlet couldn't strike down Claudius while he was praying—the movie's the thing... )


----------



## Forgotten Realms

The last movie I saw in cinema was "Inception". I enjoyed it very much as to me astral travelling in form of dreaming is quite familiar.


----------



## Foxbat

*Howl's Moving Castle *
A thoroughly enjoyable piece of animation


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *The Golden Compass*. It's not as bad as people say, really. Ok, so they screwed up the ending, but they might've included the real ending in film two. I wish they'd done the next two, just to see how they would've handled it.


----------



## ktabic

Metryq said:


> Is that like going to confession to clear your conscience—you don't want to suddenly get hit by a bus now and have _The Scorpion King 2_ be the last film you saw? (The way Hamlet couldn't strike down Claudius while he was praying—the movie's the thing... )


Yeah, thats pretty close.
Now the last movie I watched is *The Road Warrior* (aka Mad Max 2). Much better.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Nutty Professor* (1963) - Jerry Lewis

*The Nutty Professor* (1996) - Eddie Murphy

Both are excellent films I watch now and then.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Foxbat said:


> *Howl's Moving Castle *
> A thoroughly enjoyable piece of animation



Looove that film so much. I had it on DVD, but it went missing between houses, alas...



Mouse said:


> Currently watching *The Golden Compass*. It's not as bad as people say, really. Ok, so they screwed up the ending, but they might've included the real ending in film two. I wish they'd done the next two, just to see how they would've handled it.



Oh, I dislike that film a great deal. Pretty to look at, but stripped of all the book's substance. 

And didn't stand very well as a film in its own right. Two friends who hadn't read the books had very little clue as to what was going on.


----------



## biodroid

*Source Code* - I highly recommend this movie, it was just refreshingly good and Jake Gyllenhaal actually plays the part well.

*The Roommate* - It was an ok thriller, the only problem is it's been done hundreds of times before.


----------



## Foxbat

*Fearless *Jet Li plays legendary Huo Yuanjia in this martial arts romp set in the early twentieth century. Two places where this movie trips over its own feet: First - it attempts to mirror Huo's personal tragedy and path to enlightenment with the trials and tribulations of China of that time. It comes across a bit clumsy. Second - Some of the obvious wirework and CGI means that certain conflicts stray more into Wuxia rather than Wushu.

Having said all that, the fight sequences were great and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite its flaws. Certainly worth a look (or two)


----------



## FireDragon-16

Most recently, I watched *Frequency *(2000) which is a story about a New York cop who begins using his dad's old CB radio and realizes that he's talking to him...across 30 years! It was a really great paradoxical kind of thing. Of course, I love Jim Caviezel so I'm a little predjudice but...

I also watched *Conspiracy Theory *(1997) with Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. It was pretty good.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Muppets* (2011). Amy Adams and Jason Segel are perfect for this one. And, of course Kermit and the crew are lots of fun. Oddly, this turns out to be a better than average musical too.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *Fearless *Jet Li plays legendary Huo Yuanjia in this martial arts romp set in the early twentieth century.


 
Excellent movie, I've been thinking about watching this film again.

*48 Hours* (1982) - Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy

A tough cop and a wise cracking convict join forces to stop a couple of dangerous men and recover stolen money.

*The Island of Dr. Moreau* (1996) - Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis and Ron Perlman

One of my favorite H.G. Wells stories is pushed to the limits with wild and eccentric performances by all involved in this nightmarish movie which features outstanding creatures created by special effects master Stan Winston. I understand that this film is not for everyone, but I love it.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> Excellent movie, I've been thinking about watching this film again.
> 
> *48 Hours* (1982) - Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy
> 
> A tough cop and a wise cracking convict join forces to stop a couple of dangerous men and recover stolen money.
> 
> *The Island of Dr. Moreau* (1996) - Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, David Thewlis and Ron Perlman
> 
> One of my favorite H.G. Wells stories is pushed to the limits with wild and eccentric performances by all involved in this nightmarish movie which features outstanding creatures created by special effects master Stan Winston. I understand that this film is not for everyone, but I love it.


 
I loved *48 Hours*! 

I recently put *The Island of Dr. Moreau *on hold at the library so now I'm just waiting for it to come in...it could be awhile


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching *Scott Pilgrim vs. the World*.


----------



## Foxbat

*Blonde Venus *(1932) Starring Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant.
Extremely mediocre melodrama with uninteresting storyline and flat characters. 

I wouldn't bother with it unless you are a rabid Dietrich fan.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched an odd film last night called *Choke*. It starred *Sam Rockwell* (I think he is a very good actor) And *Angelica Houston*, with  *Kelly Macdonald*. It was adapted from a *Chuck Palahnuik* book.
Although it was rather a strange mix of plots, one being about a man who visits his mother in a mental hospital/home, she doesn't recognise him and thinks he is one of her lawyers, whilst we flash back to his youth where it becomes apparant that she manipulates him and keeps stealing him from his foster parents for brief jaunts across state lines, whilst also being about his sex addiction. At times it is funny, then emotional. I did enjoy it, but it was a strange mixe of stories. Worth a watch if you like *Sam Rockwell*, or (i'm guessing) *Chuck Palahnuik*


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Blonde Venus *(1932) Starring Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant.
> Extremely mediocre melodrama with uninteresting storyline and flat characters.
> 
> I wouldn't bother with it unless you are a rabid Dietrich fan.



Or, presumably, a rabid Cary Grant fan.

Tonight I watched:
*Star Pilot *(1977) - an American dubbed version of the 1966 Italian film _2+5: Missione Hydra_. Somewhere between 1966 when it was made, and 1977 when it was released in America as part of the _Star Wars _feeding frenzy _2+5: Missione Hydra_ accumulated footage from at least two possibly three other films. The American distributors edited in footage from _Doomsday Machine _(which was originally shot in 1967 - after the release of _2+5: Missione Hydra_ - and which in turn contained footage from an earlier, 1962, Japanese film _Yôsei Gorasu_). I think I spotted a bit of _The Green Slime _in there too but I may be wrong.    I don't know what was cut out to make room for all that stuff but the original has got to be  more coherent than this version which was crammed with more trash SF  clichés than average with apparently no attempt to join them together in  any way.  Knowing he was stuffed from the get go, the director hit upon  a stunning device of distracting the audience from the plot  deficiencies by dressing the insanely yummy heroine in a variety of  costumes that cunningly alternated between LOOK AT MY TITS! and LOOK AT  MY ARSE! subtlety.  Even when she wasn't wandering around in nothing but  a small piece of net with some feathers sewn on the crotch she had  obviously been instructed to flirt with the camera as much as possible.   Every time there's a scene of earnest clunking dialogue going on, she  just walks in, waves her arse at the camera bounces up and down, and  does just about everything she can to get the audience to look at her  perky girl bits - short of holding up a hand-written sign saying '*LOOK! TITS*'!  She  can't even get a coffee cup in the background without doing an arabesque  in tight hugging 'Look at my Bum' pants:




She's upstaging us again, isn't she?




Weightless overhead writhing - two years before _Barbarella._




Oh no! They forgot to restore 
her 'artificial weight'...




What the average girl, kidnapped by aliens,
and about to be attacked by men 
in gorilla suits wears of an evening.




And this is what she looks like from the neck up.​ 
I may well watch this one again - just to see if I can  make any sense of it.  I do know, however, that if I ever get to direct  a film it is going to have a sequence in which a woman is dropped onto a  trampoline in slow motion. As attempts to simulate weightlessness goes  it wasn't bad.  As attempts to show us the heroine's knickers go it was  pretty desperate.   Looked like fun though.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Blood On Satan’s Claw *(1971)
Patrick Wymark stars in this movie about mysterious goings on in an early seventeenth century English village. The unearthing of the remains of some ‘fiend’ starts the mayhem (cue Hammer style young maiden dropping her dress, baring breasts and wishing to be ravished). Witchcraft, sacrifice and general skulduggery ensues in this fairly decent picture.


----------



## Mouse

Watching *Sunshine* on TV at the mo. Cillian Murphy is pretty.


----------



## Starbeast

*Babes in Toyland.* (1934) a.k.a. - _March of the Wooden Soldiers_

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star in this delightful and surreal child-like tale in a storybook fantasy world.


----------



## JLawrenceDavis

Currently watching the end of _The Producers_ (2005).  Lots of enjoyable songs.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> *The Blood On Satan’s Claw *(1971)
> Patrick Wymark stars in this movie about mysterious goings on in an early seventeenth century English village. The unearthing of the remains of some ‘fiend’ starts the mayhem (cue Hammer style young maiden dropping her dress, baring breasts and wishing to be ravished). Witchcraft, sacrifice and general skulduggery ensues in this fairly decent picture.


 
My major complaint about that one was how it disintegrated toward the end. Until then, you really had a rather interesting little film going there, with some genuinely eerie moments. Despite that flaw, not a bad film, overall....


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> My major complaint about that one was how it disintegrated toward the end. Until then, you really had a rather interesting little film going there, with some genuinely eerie moments. Despite that flaw, not a bad film, overall....


 
Yep. 'Satan' didn't take much of a beating. If only all bad things were that easy to deal with.


----------



## Quokka

Harry Potter part 2. It was always going to be hard to wrap up an 8 movie series and I'm not it's biggest fan but it was ok, though in the end I liked the first half of the series more than the second.

I only read a one or two of the books but throughout the movies I think the overall design and casting has been near flawless and there's likely to be box sets and fan sites for the series for a long long time to come.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The In-Betweeners*.

Pretty good.


----------



## THX-1138

Hilarious Joke said:


> *The Ides of March*. I thought it was really really good!


Oh yes, I saw that also. I liked it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Persepolis *Animated coming of age story of a young Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. Poignant in places, very funny in others. 
Every teenager goes through the rebellious stage but this film shows what it's like trying to do that inside an oppresive regime.

The movie is  a real eye opener to ignorant Westerners like myself who know little or nothing about this country and its people. 

Highly recommended.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Persepolis *Animated coming of age story of a young Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. Poignant in places, very funny in others.


 
Agreed. Excellent film.


----------



## Adasunshine

*Fanboys*

Really enjoyed it!

xx


----------



## Quokka

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

I wouldn't be suprised if I've posted that 5+ times in this thread. Definitely one of those movies where I just have to stop and watch a few minutes when I notice it's on... and then get up after the credits, which is what happened again today.

Brilliant SF but by far the most suprising thing about it is how rarely they manage to get close to it even 41 years later!


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched...er...wait, I know this.

Oh, Wall-E on Friday night. Always good, no matter how many times you watch it. And then Glengarry Glen Ross on Saturday night. Brilliant, the dialogue is mesmerising. And then last night I had to let No One have a pick of film, so we watched Bound. Which was very good, too, tense and the main dude was awesome, very Steve Bruscemi like. And Gina Gershon is stunning...


----------



## JunkMonkey

Quokka said:


> The Andromeda Strain (1971)
> 
> I wouldn't be suprised if I've posted that 5+ times in this thread. Definitely one of those movies where I just have to stop and watch a few minutes when I notice it's on... and then get up after the credits, which is what happened again today.
> 
> Brilliant SF but by far the most suprising thing about it is how rarely they manage to get close to it even 41 years later!



Have you seen the remake?  It is Ubercrap of the finest water.  It's so not close to brilliant SF it almost comes round at it from the other side.

My review on another site.


----------



## Connavar

THX-1138 said:


> Oh yes, I saw that also. I liked it.



Good to know you two liked this film.  Ryan Gosling is one of fav actors these days.  After Drive, Half Nelson, other smaller films in recent years.  

Hehe funny enough i didnt see this movie when it came out in november because people didnt want to go and see a "serious" film when we went to theatres. Friends,cousins, others saying big screen cinema is not for those movies and its for Transformers and Reel Steel, Immortals etc.  Dumb big blockbusters yeesh..... 

I will see in the weekend alone and laugh at those foolish opinions and no respect for quality cinema


----------



## J-Sun

HoopyFrood said:


> And then last night I had to let No One have a pick of film, so we watched Bound. Which was very good, too, tense and the main dude was awesome, very Steve Bruscemi like. And Gina Gershon is stunning...



You mean Joe Pantoliano? He was - everyone was good. And, yeah, a great film - stylish, tense, clever, more-good-adjectives.


----------



## Moonbat

I just watched *Fast and Furious 5: Fast Five* I know, I know a silly film about cars and criminals, but it does what it set out to do very well. I'm not usually a fan of *Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson* but I think he was well cast in his role. Some pretty good action, but ultimately a silly film for silly young boys, and I'm certainly silly, though not so young anymore.

Also, last night I watched *Knowing*. It started so well, actually chilling and quite scary, but finished kind of lame. I would have prefered angels to aliens (although it was obvious they were supposed to be both) but they sort of had to tie up the story and it was a bit lame. The very end was ok, qith the End of The World.
I also liked the action set pieces for the first two disasters, they were well done.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Moonbat said:


> Also, last night I watched *Knowing*. It started so well, actually chilling and quite scary, but finished kind of lame. I would have prefered angels to aliens (although it was obvious they were supposed to be both) but they sort of had to tie up the story and it was a bit lame. The very end was ok, qith the End of The World.
> I also liked the action set pieces for the first two disasters, they were well done.



Totally agree.  About time someone took Proyas' digital toybox away from him and made him make real films again.  * Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds*, * The Crow*, and * Dark City*   are great.  All have a very strong visual identity. * I, Robot*   and * Knowing*   just turn into pixelfests and the ending of _Knowing_ is beyond awful.


----------



## Starbeast

*Alien Nation* (1988) - James Caan, Mandy Patinkin & Terrece Stamp

In the near future, a race of refugee aliens (called Newcomers) arrive on Earth and we allow them to live freely among us. Everything is cool for a few years until James Caan's law enforcement partner is killed during a robbery, he begins to suspect there is something more going on. James sees an opportunity to investigate his freind's death when there is an alien integration program in his department and he teams up with a Newcomer (Mandy). James discovers that his Newcomer partner is hiding a secret that could threaten the aliens existence, but it can shed light to a string of Newcomer murders.

I love this movie, I rewatched it a couple of days and then again today.


----------



## Quokka

JunkMonkey said:


> Have you seen the remake?  It is Ubercrap of the finest water.  It's so not close to brilliant SF it almost comes round at it from the other side.
> 
> My review on another site.



I haven't yet, I was interested when I heard about it, as it seems like such an easy story to remake with a bit of a technology/biology update and just keep the basic story and I like bad SF movies enough that I thought I'd enjoy it either way but the reviews are so dire that I havent bothered until I see its on tv. 


As a kid I was gutted when they cancelled the Alien Nation TV series which followed the movie.


----------



## Starbeast

Quokka said:


> As a kid I was gutted when they cancelled the *Alien Nation TV series* which followed the movie.


 
That was a pretty good show, I even enjoyed seeing one the tv movies too. I'm trying to locate the episodes to watch along with the other tv movies I missed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Alien Nation* (1988) - James Caan, Mandy Patinkin & Terrece Stamp
> 
> In the near future, a race of refugee aliens (called Newcomers) arrive on Earth and we allow them to live freely among us. Everything is cool for a few years until James Caan's law enforcement partner is killed during a robbery, he begins to suspect there is something more going on. James sees an opportunity to investigate his freind's death when there is an alien integration program in his department and he teams up with a Newcomer (Mandy). James discovers that his Newcomer partner is hiding a secret that could threaten the aliens existence, but it can shed light to a string of Newcomer murders.
> 
> I love this movie, I rewatched it a couple of days and then again today.



I gave up on it.  It wasn't badly done to start with but I started to loose it when nasty  villains throw one of the nice peaceful Aliens in the sea and he dies a horrible  painful death. "Sea water's like battery acid to them!"  I can't even  start to work out the body chemistry of the aliens which allows them to  get high on sour milk (pH of 4.4 - mild acid) but dissolve in sea water  (pH 8 - slightly basic).   
Another stumbling block for me was the villain's accent. In the backstory we're told a quarter of a million aliens are processed through  immigration and learn English with remarkable speed - the alien half of  our hero partners (a demihero?) tells the human half he learned English  in three months - they landed in America, they live in America. They  have assimilated to American culture incredibly well in three years. Why  then is the bad guy alien the only person _in the whole movie_ who doesn't have an American accent - in fact he has a _British _accent?   Answer: Because he is played by Terrence Stamp.  And he's the villain.  To the collective chicken brain that was running Hollywood at the time,  all villains had British accents.  Even ones that were supposed to be  from a different species and have travelled untold light years to get  here!

Deep stupidities like that dramatically de-suspend my disbelief.


----------



## Interference

The chicken-brains still cast Englishmen (usually) as the villain in this type of flick.  It takes the mystery out of mysteries, which is nice for people.


----------



## Connavar

*The Bad Guy*

A brutal,different and difficult to watch drama/thriller by one of the best directors in Korea.  The Bad Guy in the title was a gangster, pimp who didnt speak more than once in the film but he was so well played by the actor with his face.  The gangster become obsessed about a 21 year old college girl.  He forced her into his life just because of that.

A dark love story and but overall a good story about social misfit.


----------



## Bugg

Predators. It wasn't awful, which surprised me.

Despicable Me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4i7vS_UO4Q&feature=related


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> Deep stupidities like that dramatically de-suspend my disbelief.


 
I agree with your points, the movie *Star Wars* is a great example showing that British accented people join the Empire, while southern U.S. accents join the rebels. Russians were the villians in the movies for quite a while, before that it was Chinese and Native American Indians (both usually played by white people in make-up). Today Hollywood likes to use Arabic people as villians or rude people (and 99% percent of the actors are either from India like in _*True Lies*_ or white actors playing sterotypes).

Then there's the continuity problems in many films, I could even pick out flaws from *Alien Nation* as well. But after many years of veiwing films, I look beyond the technical mistakes (including seeing the microphone over *Thor*'s head ) and watch the movie as a whole.

Last word, when "rude and crude", "one-sided opinionated" or these awful "casual sex" (etc.) types of films and tv shows pop up, I watch something else immediately. 

It's tough to find a good movie now-a-days. I am looking forward to see the new *Three Musketeers* film and *Red Tails*, the movie about the WWII Tuskegee pilots.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> I agree with your points, the movie *Star Wars* is a great example showing that British accented people join the Empire, while southern U.S. accents join the rebels. Russians were the villians in the movies for quite a while, before that it was Chinese and Native American Indians (both usually played by white people in make-up). Today Hollywood likes to use Arabic people as villians or rude people (and 99% percent of the actors are either from India like in _*True Lies*_ or white actors playing sterotypes).


 
Actors like Warner Oland wouldn't have even had a career if not for the penchant in the early days of using white actors for ethnic roles. Known as "yellow face", it allowed Luise Rainer to win an Oscar for best actress in a role for which Anna May Wong should have gotten the part in *The Good Earth* (1937). OTOH, would it be a good thing for someone other than Michael Pate (an Australian actor) to have played the part of Native American leader Puma in *McLintock* (1963)? Things do get terribly confused and casting decisions are often influenced by things which have nothing to do with getting the best actor for the job. But we insist on believing otherwise. See Ralph Linton's seminal article on cultural origins:

http://virgil.azwestern.edu/~dag/lol/American.html

Okay, now I'll go find another thread to hijack.


----------



## alchemist

*In The Valley of Elah* -- what started as a decent mystery story turned into a parable on what war can do to good men. Fine as it is, but the mystery element fizzled out and left me wondering when the twist was coming. It didn't and it was an anticlimax.

*Shooter* -- Mark Wahlberg cast very well as he kills many people. A pretty good action thriller.


----------



## THX-1138

Moonbat said:


> I just watched *Fast and Furious 5: Fast Five* I know, I know a silly film about cars and criminals, but it does what it set out to do very well. I'm not usually a fan of *Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson* but I think he was well cast in his role. Some pretty good action, but ultimately a silly film for silly young boys, and I'm certainly silly, though not so young anymore.


I didn't like Fast 5. And I liked the other F&F movies. I thought Fast 5 was trying to pack far to much into one movie. In all that crap about introducing the characters and having them size each other up, there was only _one_ street race! IN COP CARS! The appeal to silly young boys like me is to imagine life as a street racer, but this one just didn't seem believable enough this time around. The whole heist thing just isn't for these characters, they can't pull it off. They just sound stupid. A "heist team" cast needs to be full of criminals who are criminals specifically because they're smart and can get away with such things. The F&F dudes are already well-established as idiots. And then there were clear plot holes. The other ones had simple, linear plots, but at least they were consistent. They bought and stole like 50 cars to find a way to beat the security cameras. Then they realized the only option was to steal cop cars, and use them. Then what to they do? They paint the cop cars black and just go in and drag the safe out!!!! So they stole all those cars, including 4 cop cars, for no reason whatsoever? WTF


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Then there's the continuity problems in many films, I could even pick out flaws from *Alien Nation* as well. But after many years of veiwing films, I look beyond the technical mistakes (including seeing the microphone over *Thor*'s head ) and watch the movie as a whole.
> 
> Last word, when "rude and crude", "one-sided opinionated" or these awful "casual sex" (etc.) types of films and tv shows pop up, I watch something else immediately.



Continuity problems I can live with.  I worked as a script supervisor on a couple of shorts and in editing on a couple of features.  It's hard making _everything_ match, and in therse days of DVD and downloads where everyone can instantly replay and review footage they're easier to spot (and even without I'm always spotting boom shadows for instance) but if the film is working well then the odd continuity glitch isn't going to matter.  

What throws me out of the film are those moments where the story comes off the rails.  When the characters do some dumb thing just so the film doesn't just stop.  (Best example I can give from a film I have seen recently - and forgive me if I have banged on about this before - is the moment in _In the Cut _when our killer-obsessed detective finds a possible material witness who, it is instantly obvious, was possibly the last person to see the latest victim and WITH THE MURDERER!  His reaction?  To look at his watch and say "I gotta go." and leave. Why? Because if he had stayed in the room for another 5 seconds he would have asked the only obvious question left to him and worked out the killer's identity via the stupidly obvious visual clue the film makers had been waving in our faces for the previous 40 minutes - and the film would have stopped dead. Crap like that.


----------



## ktabic

*Conan the Barbarian 3D*, without the 3D part. Actually not bad. Quite enjoyed it. Next up is *Carriers*, but it will have to wait awhile since I seem to have decided to watch *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* Seasons 1 through 7.


----------



## J-Sun

ktabic said:


> I seem to have decided to watch *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* Seasons 1 through 7.



What are these seasons 6 and 7 of which you speak? I know there were two special episodes after season 5 called "Once More with Feeling" and "Tabula Rasa", but I'm pretty sure that was it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Forbidden Planet* (1956)

Yep, the classic. I just had to see it again.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Forbidden Planet* (1956)
> 
> Yep, the classic. I just had to see it again.


 
This is one I watch a couple of times a year, whether I need to or not.


----------



## kythe

Not really a movie per se, but I've been watching the "Cosmos" series with Carl Sagan on netflix instant for the last few days. I can't believe I've never seen it before. 

I'm so impressed with the way he intertwines science, history, philosophy, and religion. It's not just an astronomy documentary, it's almost like taking an introductory science course in college. I find myself wanting to take notes to try to remember it all and make sure I understand it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Super 8, brill film, apart from the annoying blue streaks!
Before that Rise of the Planet of The Apes. Superb!


----------



## TheTomG

I loved Cosmos as a kid it was great! That whole inter-disciplinary approach was great too, showing how so many different things come together to make up what we know.


----------



## Metryq

kythe said:


> I find myself wanting to take notes to try to remember it all and make sure I understand it.



The book version of _Cosmos_ is recommended, then. Some of the stuff in the broadcast version originally appeared in other Sagan books, such as _The Dragons of Eden_ and _Broca's Brain_.

The TV series definitely set a new standard in science/nature/educational programming. The production values became easier to match as computer animation evolved. The only other series I can think of to match the linking and cross-referencing of ideas is James Burke's _Connections_.


----------



## J-Sun

Metryq said:


> The only other series I can think of to match the linking and cross-referencing of ideas is James Burke's _Connections_.



Absolutely. I loved _Cosmos_ and it merits all the applause but I feel like _Connections_ doesn't quite get the attention it deserves.


----------



## Starbeast

kythe said:


> Not really a movie per se, but I've been watching the "Cosmos" series with Carl Sagan on netflix instant for the last few days. I can't believe I've never seen it before.
> 
> I'm so impressed with the way he intertwines science, history, philosophy, and religion. It's not just an astronomy documentary, it's almost like taking an introductory science course in college. I find myself wanting to take notes to try to remember it all and make sure I understand it.


 


TheTomG said:


> I loved Cosmos as a kid it was great! That whole inter-disciplinary approach was great too, showing how so many different things come together to make up what we know.


 


Metryq said:


> The book version of _Cosmos_ is recommended, then. Some of the stuff in the broadcast version originally appeared in other Sagan books, such as _The Dragons of Eden_ and _Broca's Brain_.
> 
> The TV series definitely set a new standard in science/nature/educational programming. The production values became easier to match as computer animation evolved. The only other series I can think of to match the linking and cross-referencing of ideas is James Burke's _Connections_.


 


J-Sun said:


> Absolutely. I loved _Cosmos_ and it merits all the applause but I feel like _Connections_ doesn't quite get the attention it deserves.


 
*COSMOS* was truely an amazing program, it _was_ like listening to a teacher in astronomy class. I had hoped so much that humankind could leave Earth and travel deep into space and see the many beautiful wonders of the universe. It made me want to be an astronaut, I wanted to go beyond what humans know by exploring other worlds that are able to sustain life.

I also enjoyed the theme from the show which was scored by Vangelis. Later I began collecting their other CDs. 

I'm currently watching episodes of *The *_*Rifleman* _(1960's tv show). Great drama about a man and his son living in a small town in Virginia in the late 1800's. The father, Lucus McCain, would usually have to help rid the town of bad guys using his rapid firing weapon. And his son Mark would learn lessons in life guided by his good-hearted loving dad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Tank Girl*  Stupid fun.


----------



## Quokka

*White Irish Drinkers*

Nothing too original but an entertaining movie and Stephen Lang is brilliant, he's been getting a lot of work since Avatar but he was given a bit extra here to show his skills. He's fast becoming a favourite and hope to see him in more movies without the army uniform.


----------



## Foxbat

*John Carpenter's Vampires.*
Perhaps it's not his best movie but I really like it. 

Mad, blood-filled and violent, it carries a simple message: _Don't **** with us Humans you bad breathed piece of Vampire ****!_


----------



## Connavar

*The Shadowboxer*

A film i rented only because of Helen Mirren but she had too small role for my taste.  I have a soft spot for Helen Mirren these days not because she looks great, carries herself so well. but because i adored seeing her portray Jane Tennison when i finally saw the real Prime Suspect in DVD last year.   I have seen many films,series with her now.

This was not her best film, an hit-man film that looked,sound good but tried to be too different, weird.

The only bonus was seeing Helen Mirren didnt play a classy lady.  She played a bad guy/girl.


----------



## ktabic

J-Sun said:


> What are these seasons 6 and 7 of which you speak? I know there were two special episodes after season 5 called "Once More with Feeling" and "Tabula Rasa", but I'm pretty sure that was it.


They may not have been the best episodes, but I'm a completionist, I must watch them all, good and bad. I did the same with B5.

*Cosmos* is a superb series. I watched it for the first time about 6 years ago. Its his fault I'm doing an Astronomy degree now. I must get my DVDs back from the parents and watch it again. After Buffy. *Connections* is another superb series. I think some of the connections made are a bit.. iffy. But still inspiring and shows just how much of the past had to happen to make our current technology.

They are remaking *Cosmos*. This really worried me until I dug into the people who are doing it, which includes Sagan's widow. It could work out well.

*Tank Girl*! Yay! I saw that at the cinema, but I think I was the only one amongst my friends that liked it.

*John Carpenter's Vampires* was another one I enjoyed. No soppy emovamps, no learned scholars, or desperate teenagers. Just blood, fangs and stakes.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Over the last couple days, I've seen *Push, Blade: Trinity *and *Cellular*. 

They weren't too bad, all though I thought Blade felt a little cluttered, like there were too many people they were trying to bring in so the story was more about them than Blade but other than that...


----------



## JLawrenceDavis

Caught _Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows_ yesterday and going with other friends today.  Good flick; very entertaining.


----------



## Moonbat

Me too, in that I saw it yesterday. I loved it, I was a fan of the first one, and now I am a fan of the second one. Very cool steam punk movies.
In the film there is an castle in Switzerland that is built into the mountainside and has a giant waterfall coming out of it, I was wondering if it was a real place? Does a place that that really exist or was it CGI? (I just checked on-line and there is no castle listed as a location, so must have beeb CGI, shame would have been a feat of engineering to build such a thing)

Minor point, and possible spoiler
How did Holmes know about the fishing/trout metaphor in time to draw a flick book worth of sketches in the red book, as I'm sure he was only told it moments before whilst he was attached to a hook.

But I did like the film, well worth a watch if you enjoyed the first one.


----------



## Rodders

I watched the INbetweeners movie. It was OK, just a long episode though. I also watched the Hangover 2 which was just the same as the Hangover.


----------



## ktabic

Quick break from the *Buffy* watching to watch *Daybreakers*. From the trailers I was expecting some gun-toting action hero movie. It wasn't like that and actually slightly more interesting.


----------



## Connavar

*Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn*

Became the first film i have ever seen in the cinema twice. Second time wasnt of course as surprising adventure,fresh as the first time but it was still fun adventure and Haddock was so funny i had tears in my eyes the second time too.

Visuals its easily the best looking computer animation i have seen so far. Stunning, disgustingly good looking.


----------



## Metryq

_The Hidden_ (1987) with Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri.

I love pulling this one out every now and then. It is a darkly humorous action tale of an extra-terrestrial cop chasing an identity-shifting criminal to Earth. Told with a completely straight face and directed as serious drama, it has some great moments.

"I want to be President."


----------



## Adasunshine

Well the children *cough* appear to be controlling the TV at the moment and I was [obviously] forced to watch *The Santa Clause*.... 

xx


----------



## TL Rese

mission impossible: ghost protocol - surprisingly good! =)


----------



## Foxbat

Metryq said:


> _The Hidden_ (1987) with Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Nouri.
> 
> I love pulling this one out every now and then. It is a darkly humorous action tale of an extra-terrestrial cop chasing an identity-shifting criminal to Earth. Told with a completely straight face and directed as serious drama, it has some great moments.
> 
> "I want to be President."




It's been so long since I've seen this movie, I'd forgotten it even existed. Must get me a copy soon.


----------



## Starbeast

*2012*, I finally saw it and it was pretty much like I imagined it would be. Lot's of eye candy with a weak plot.

*March of the Wooden Soldiers* (1934 - a.k.a. Babes in Toyland)

Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel's classic fantasy adventure. Fun for the whole family! I watched the colorized version, it didn't look bad at all.


----------



## Adasunshine

Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief.... meh...

xx


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to see *Captain America. *I enjoyed it. Nothing cerebral here but it was fun


----------



## Adasunshine

Just watched *Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader* with my little 'uns... really enjoyed it but then I'm a sucker for anything Narnia! 

xx


----------



## Starbeast

*ALIEN 3* (1992) - Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dutten, Charles Dance, Pete Postlethwaite & Lance Henriksen

Lt. Ripley escaped planet LV-426 (_Aliens _1986), but unfortunately unbeknownst to her Xenomorph eggs were onboard, they hatch and accidently start a fire which activates an emergency safety program that ejects the hypersleep chambers into an escape craft which crashlands on Fiorina 161. Upon awakening she is befriended by a doctor who informs her that she is in a prison facility with about two dozen free roaming criminals. A little later, when people start dying she suspects a Xenomorph is to blame.

Some people compare this movie to the original because of the "cat-and-mouse" killings, but I don't see it that way, because the Xenomorph aliens are intellegent hunters and problem solvers. The creature's large elongated heads not only contain a deadly inner mouth which they use to punch holes in victims, but there is also a good-sized brain in there.

I really enjoy this film, I rewatch it at least once a year. I chose it as a holiday movie to watch with relatives, even my mom likes it.  She's a Lt. Ripley fan.


----------



## biodroid

Real Steel, was a pretty good movie but tHe kid annoyed me.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Finally watched the original *Halloween *and *Nightmare on Elm Street. *I know they aren't exactly christmas, but I put them on hold at my library around halloween, which was apparently the same idea as every single other person in the county, so I just now got them...


----------



## Adasunshine

Bit of a movie marathon yesterday, also managed to squeeze in...

*Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban* which I always enjoy although the missing explanation of Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs always grates against me.

I then watched *Burlesque* which was a rehashed old formula but still enjoyable if you're not too particular about what you watch! 

xx


----------



## Foxbat

*Titus* Not to everyone's liking but Julie Taymor's take on Shakespeare's maddest and bloodiest play is a real favourite of mine


----------



## Metryq

_Run, Lola, Run_

Deplorable excess of "style" perched on top of a concept executed more skillfully in _Rashomon_ and _Groundhog Day_.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Black Hole*(1979) Despite its faults, I like this movie. Maximillian is still one of the most menacing robots around.

There's talk of a remake but, to be honest, I'm getting pretty sick and tired of this constant movie regurgitation so I hope they don't bother.


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> I'm getting pretty sick and tired of this constant movie regurgitation so I hope they don't bother.



Fat Chance Productions

presents

A Been There, Done That film​
Oh, they'll bother, and pat themselves on the back for their brilliance. If you've seen the twitchy trailer for _Prometheus_, you know the very same director is remaking his own movie. At least when Kubrick was approached about directing _2010: The Year We Make Contact_, he told the studio that he wasn't interested because he did things right the first time.


----------



## Rosemary

*The Postal Man* written by Terry Pratchett.  I made myself watch both episodes but there was nothing I found funny or interesting.  Sorry, Pratchett frans 

Now I know why I haven't read any of his books - they are just not my kind of reading.


----------



## clovis-man

Metryq said:


> Oh, they'll bother, and pat themselves on the back for their brilliance. If you've seen the twitchy trailer for _Prometheus_, you know the very same director is remaking his own movie.


 
Most trailers are twitchy these days. Those that aren't generally give away the entire movie. But I have to admit that I'm not sure of the motivation for this one. OTOH, if you have to do a prequel to a "series" (using the term reluctantly) of movies, you might as well have it done by the maker of the original. Ridley Scott may not always hit the ball out of the park, but he's usually interesting.


----------



## Foxbat

Metryq said:


> Oh, they'll bother, and pat themselves on the back for their brilliance. If you've seen the twitchy trailer for _Prometheus_, you know the very same director is remaking his own movie.


I just don't get it. What the hell is the point of Prometheus? Even the trailer title sequence is the same style as Alien. Is this Narcissism gone completely bonkers? 

Mark Cousins' recent superb 15 part documentary on film espoused the theory that film was driven by innovation and passion and not by money.
I was almost believing him until this. 

At least with Ridley Scott, if he produces tripe, it's usually good looking tripe. Perhaps I should just  be grateful for small mercies.


----------



## Foxbat

Spent my day off watching *The Incredible Shrinking Man *(1957).
An oldie but a goodie (but the novel is even better).


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*

Rather fun but too long - I found myself shifting in my seat about 15-20 minutes before the end. The uncanny valley was distracting and, at times, quite creepy too.


----------



## Connavar

Daisy-Boo said:


> *The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn*
> 
> Rather fun but too long - I found myself shifting in my seat about 15-20 minutes before the end. The uncanny valley was distracting and, at times, quite creepy too.



Did you see it in 3D?   When i saw the trailer without 3D i thought the uncanny valley was too much, the animation looked worse.  Seeing in the original 3d version in the cinema it was impressive and i forgot about it being distracting.

I didnt think it was too long because i forgot about the time, how long it was. First i saw it i was surprised outside the theatre how long it actually was.


----------



## FireDragon-16

*White Christmas*. Gotta love it!


----------



## Daisy-Boo

@Connavar

I saw it in 2D. I saw it with my sister and niece and they enjoyed it unreservedly so I think I'm the only one who felt it carried on a bit too long.


----------



## Connavar

Daisy-Boo said:


> @Connavar
> 
> I saw it in 2D. I saw it with my sister and niece and they enjoyed it unreservedly so I think I'm the only one who felt it carried on a bit too long.



Well than i understand what you mean with uncanny valley.  Its not a 2D film, normally 3D is a gimmick but the animation quality of Tintin made the 3D look great.

I just hope it makes enough for a sequel.  Make a sequel i want for once


----------



## Mouse

Watched *Tucker and Dale vs Evil *earlier today, with the lovely Alan Tudyk. Films where people end up in the chipper? Good.

Now watching *Shrek the Third* on TV. This one makes me angry because I love Prince Charming and always wanted him to kick Shrek's butt.


----------



## Cam Winstanley

Inexplicably and against all my better judgement, I've just watched the second Transformers film. In my defence, my 7-year-old son wanted to see it so it wasn't really out of choice. In a world of terrible Michael Bay films, this one seems to be voted the worst by most people - even by Michael Bay - but you know what? I thought it was better than the first one. Less attempts at humour, more stuff blowing up and seemingly endless sequences of Megan Fox running in slo-mo. Something for the dads then. Also, it's the only film I've ever seen where a B1 bomber does a bombing run. All that aside, it's not really Citizen Kane...


----------



## Connavar

*The Ides of March*

Another impressive role by Ryan Gosling and i liked watching a film about the political game.   Seeing the political game that decide who has the powers to change his country, world somewhat.


----------



## Metryq

_Sergeant York_, the original Forrest Gump.

That Medal of Honor scene sounds like typical Hollywood embellishment, but one can look it up in the history books.


----------



## thatollie

Duh, The Muppet Christmas Carol.


----------



## clovis-man

RE: *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows*:



Moonbat said:


> Me too, in that I saw it yesterday. I loved it, I was a fan of the first one, and now I am a fan of the second one. Very cool steam punk movies.
> In the film there is an castle in Switzerland that is built into the mountainside and has a giant waterfall coming out of it, I was wondering if it was a real place? Does a place that that really exist or was it CGI? (I just checked on-line and there is no castle listed as a location, so must have beeb CGI, shame would have been a feat of engineering to build such a thing)


 
Anyone who has read "The Adventure of the Final Problem" will automatically think "Reichenbach Falls" when seeing the castle in the movie. A nod to the AC Doyle origin of Holmes if not to the story line as such. Robert Downie plays the part as if it was written by Ian Fleming: Holmes as a devil-may-care action hero. But the film is very well done. Great film editing, absorbing drama, great action. Even some literate dialogue. I'm sure there will be more.


----------



## J-Sun

Metryq said:


> _Sergeant York_, the original Forrest Gump.
> 
> That Medal of Honor scene sounds like typical Hollywood embellishment, but one can look it up in the history books.



That the "turkey shoot" scene? I wonder how that'd hold up. I saw _Sergeant York_ and _Pride of the Yankees_ when I was a kid and recalled loving them. I recently saw _Pride_ again and, while it's still good and I'd still insist everyone see it once, it didn't really, um, "hit" the way it did the first time.


----------



## alchemist

*2012* - quite stupid, as expected, but also exciting and tense at times, which was unexpected. Although the constant cycle of people driving/flying a hair's breadth away from falling into the abyss got tiring.


----------



## The Spurring Platty

A Christmas Story...

"you'll shoot your eye out kid....HO HO HO"


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *Dorian Gray* with the beautiful Bin Bons looking perfectly pretty.


----------



## Metryq

I introduced a friend to _Rashomon_.

It's not color, 3D, surround sound, or have digital FX. When it was over, the friend said, "Well, that was pretty pointless," then began to detail all the "problems" with the film. I let him go on for a minute. When the chatter slowed down, he looked thoughtful and amended, "Hmmm, I guess it was rather interesting."

The time-delayed effect of a great film.


----------



## Starbeast

*X-Men: First Class*

Great film, I want to see it again!


----------



## Mouse

Ben Barnes again for me, I'm afraid. This time *Killing Bono*. Which is very good, whether you like U2 or not.


----------



## Starbeast

*Justice League of America* (1997 - live action) 

I think it was a made for tv movie and only aired once because it was extrememly rotton.

Anyway, the *Martian Manhunter* searches and recruits people with extraordinary powers, trains them and gives them superhero costumes.

*Green Lantern*, the *Atom*, *Flash*, *Fire* and *Ice* are teamed up to battle the evil Weatherman! Sounds good? That's what I was hoping for, you have to see this weird flick to believe it, but why bother.


----------



## Abernovo

*The King's Speech*.

Hardly science fiction or fantasy, I know, but a very good portrayal of a speech impediment and its impacts.


----------



## alchemist

*X-Men Origins - Wolverine* -- pretty good, pretty dark but not great by any means. And was that a CGI Patrick Stewart at the end? Honestly, Hollywood; it has its limitations.


----------



## Jeni

*The Smurfs *

Totally SMURFTASTIC!


----------



## j d worthington

Picked up a copy of Stuart Gordon's film *The Dreams in the Witch House*, based on HPL's tale. I've seen it before, but not since it was first released. This time, for just over $3, I simply couldn't resist going for it. Not his best -- five minutes less than an hour doesn't give it room enough to breathe properly, I think -- but a rather interesting adaptation, with some very good ideas; and I think the performances are generally quite good. The extras on this DVD also made quite a nice little package.

Not my favorite, but one I'm quite glad to finally have on my shelves nonetheless....


----------



## dask

The Polar Express


----------



## Foxbat

Spent the entrance to the new year watching *Closer To The Edge *- an incredible film about the world's most dangerous road race - The Isle of Man TT.

Focusing primarily on Guy Martin, this is a movie to rival *Senna*. It gives a real insight into the hazards and the type of people who take part. 

Quite simply, this is a film not to be missed by anybody with a liking for motorsport.


----------



## Boneman

*Cowboys and Aliens *great idea, just not performed very well... As I said elsewhere, the lighting man was absent. It seemed the director said: "I know! Let's have virtually every action sequence in the dark, that'll add atmosphere..." You couldn't see a bleedin' thing half the time.


----------



## Metryq

alchemist said:


> *X-Men Origins - Wolverine* -- pretty good, pretty dark but not great by any means. And was that a CGI Patrick Stewart at the end? Honestly, Hollywood; it has its limitations.



Patrick Stewart is listed in the IMDb as "uncredited." So even though he was not in the end title credits, he actually appeared in the movie (not CGI). The film featured many composite shots with virtual backgrounds—and the cameo with Xavier was definitely one of them, as I have seen a draft version of _Wolverine_ with incomplete FX sequences. Xavier was shot on an indoor soundstage with green walls and match-move tracking points. Stewart was probably in and out in less than half a day.

These shots are heavily polished—color correction, noise reduction, gamma curves—the works. Such retouching may have made Stewart look a bit artificial. Makeup (or digital work) may also have been used to try to make him look a few years younger. 

Anyway, no single example of CGI should be used to praise or damn the entire technology. _The Curious Case of Benjamin Button_ (2008), _Avatar_ (2009) and _Tron Legacy_ (2010) all featured CGI people that were "realistic" or at least aesthetically pleasing even when presented in artificial environments (such as an alien jungle or a virtual world). So much depends on the skill of the artists, and even then a director may order overtly unrealistic images, such as the cartoony effects and amped up color in _Speed Racer_ (2008).

The truth is, straight photography is "artificial" because the lighting, lenses and even the "latitude" of recording media are less than the gestalt of eye/brain vision. HD, HDRI and parallax 3D are just the beginning, but we're not up to _Brainstorm/Strange Days/The Matrix_ systems yet.


----------



## FireDragon-16

*War Horse: *I'll freely admit that _I_ cried for various segments of the movie, my dad will admit to tearing up and my little brother won't admit to anything (though I saw tears a few times ).

Amazing movie, I highly recommend it! Wonderful cinematography, and a wonderful score by John Williams.

5/5


----------



## thatollie

Toy Story 2 on Blu Ray.


----------



## Foxbat

*Apollo 18* Yet another of those 'found footage movies' (Yawn). 

It's not a very bad film.....just not a particularly good one. Somebody please stop this Blair Witch bandwagon.


----------



## Interference

FireDragon-16 said:


> *War Horse: *I'll freely admit that _I_ cried for various segments of the movie, my dad will admit to tearing up and my little brother won't admit to anything (though I saw tears a few times ).
> 
> Amazing movie, I highly recommend it! Wonderful cinematography, and a wonderful score by John Williams.
> 
> 5/5



On seeing it advertised, I made particular note NEVER TO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!

I really don't need my tear-ducts manipulated -- they work just fine without any cinematic, artificial aids, thank you 



Foxbat said:


> *Apollo 18* Yet another of those 'found footage movies' (Yawn).
> 
> It's not a very bad film.....just not a particularly good one. Somebody please stop this Blair Witch bandwagon.



I didn't hate it.  I'm ok with the occasional "real-time footage" movie, but it's lazy writing, I think.  If they'd written this as a drama they'd have been forced to think more seriously about the nature of the "menace".


----------



## Metryq

Interference said:


> On seeing it advertised, I made particular note NEVER TO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!



Odd how often movie trailers achieve exactly the _opposite_ of what they were created for.


----------



## Foxbat

Interference said:


> I didn't hate it. I'm ok with the occasional "real-time footage" movie, but it's lazy writing, I think. If they'd written this as a drama they'd have been forced to think more seriously about the nature of the "menace".


 
I just feel the whole 'found footage' thing has been done to death and has now become  a cliche. 

On your thoughts on writing this as a drama - I agree entirely.


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> I just feel the whole 'found footage' thing has been done to death and has now become  a cliche.



Exactly, it's a gimmick for making the wild story seem more "real." I've lost count of all the old novels that begin with a long-winded prologue about how the person who really experienced the adventure told the story to the author of the book, or perhaps handed over the manuscript before setting off again into the wild.


----------



## Interference

Damn!  There goes another opening chapter for my novel


----------



## Starbeast

*Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows *Great film, I was mesmerized by it's awesomeness!

*Diamonds Are Forever *(1971) Sean Connery's second to last Bond film, he's so cool.

*Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension *(1984) Cool weird flick, I haven't seen it since the 1980's.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Interference said:


> On seeing it advertised, I made particular note NEVER TO WATCH THIS MOVIE!!
> 
> I really don't need my tear-ducts manipulated -- they work just fine without any cinematic, artificial aids, thank you
> QUOTE]
> 
> Oh come on, we all need to have our tear ducts excercised every once in a while!
> 
> On another note, I watched* Rise of the Planet of the Apes *and it was great!


----------



## Foxbat

*House Of Flying Daggers *To be frank, any of Zhang Yimou's movies are worth watching for their sheer beauty alone


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Cowboys & Aliens*, was pretty much what I expected some sillyness with regards to weak science and implausability, but ultimately enjoyable.

Also, forgive me, but I watched *What's up Doc*, a Barbara Striesand comedy, the script made me chuckle a few times, and she was certainly a looker in her day, but pretty weak premise for a film, and not that impressed, but also not as bad as I might have feared, my GF got a box set for christmas so I expect I'll be watching a few more before long. 

But, Watched *Chinatown* last night, and wasn't that impressed. It started very well, but by the end I had sort of lost interest. I think that it has probably aged, and we've become used to the stories and the way they are told. Not a bad film, really rather good, but not the amazing best film I was expecting.


----------



## Mouse

I saw *Doghouse* which has the detestable Danny Dyer in it. Unfortunately all the good characters got killed by zombies, while Danny Dyer got away.


----------



## Interference

Same thing happened in _Severance_.  I couldn't believe he'd turn out to be the hero.  My money was on Nigel Planer....


----------



## Mouse

Just IMDB'd that. I remember seeing the beginning of it, then turning it off because of matey.


----------



## Interference

I watched because I'd heard his name mentioned a few times and thought, "Why does everyone seem to dislike this young chappy so very fervently?"

I found out 


Almost watched _The Mask_ - the situation made it very nearly unavoidable - but managed to escape during the dance number.  Was this scripted?  Plotted?  _Acted_?  It was as though the supporting cast had been warned not to try too hard - Carrey was gonna try and steal their scenes, anyway.  I find it very difficult to find something nice to say about what I saw -- except that it didn't have Danny Dyer in it 


I'd resigned myself to the inescapability of the situation and was honestly looking for something to say about it afterwards that would go down well with the audience at hand.  Very soon, though, the dreadful prospect of possibly having to watch _Dumb and Dumber_ immediately afterwards froze my blood - and sweetened my relief at being offered a means of escape.


----------



## Arkose

The last movie finished: RED

Current Movie: Fellowship from LOTR, Blu-ray, extended edition.


----------



## Abernovo

Arkose, was that *R.E.D.* with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich?

Loved that film. Have to say they were totally outacted by Helen Mirren and Brian Cox, but those two generally do steal the show.


----------



## Arkose

Abernovo said:


> Arkose, was that *R.E.D.* with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich?
> 
> Loved that film. Have to say they were totally outacted by Helen Mirren and Brian Cox, but those two generally do steal the show.



Ya, I love it. Great comedy and play on bad novels.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last night it was *Shadow of the Vampire* a not bad little Vampire flick which plays with the silly notion that Max  Schreck, the actor who played the vampire Count Orlok in Murnau's  _Nosferatu_, was a real vampire playing an actor playing a vampire.  Great cast headed by John Malkovich (who can do no wrong - apart from _Mutant Chronicles_),  Willem Dafoe (who was Oscar nominated for this part), Udo Kier, and  Cary Elwes (who are both favourites and both far funnier than you  remember).

Tonight: the original* Planet of the Apes *with my 9 year old daughter - and, after successfully hiding the case from her, the Statue of Liberty shot came as a shocker to her.  Job done.

Neither had the Dwyer in.  The only film I've seen of his was the bloody awful *The Last Seven *(2010).  He was pretty s**t but so was everyone else. - Apart from Daisy Head - daughter of Anthony Head - who has inherited some acting ability.  She's one to watch out for.


----------



## alchemist

*The Guard* - Brendan Gleeson is the eponymous slightly-smarter-than-he-looks Irish cop. Don Cheadle is the stereotypical straitlaced FBI agent looking for the drug smugglers. Took a while to find its feet (too much gratuitous effing) but ended up with the right blend of comedy and drama. Worth seeing.

*Super 8* - brilliant. A more grown up ET and the kids were great. Nay, SUPER!


----------



## Mouse

Saw *Puss in Boots* last night at the cinema, even though I don't like cats! Was very good actually, better than the last couple of Shrek films.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Socerer's Apprentice*

I could stand watching only half of it. I got tired of the dweeby kid who seemed to be mimicing Nicholas Cage's character and making Jame's Dean expressions, plus the CGI magic didn't impress me. I did like the choice of villain played by actor Alfred Molina.


----------



## Interference

Another plus: No Danny Dyer


----------



## alchemist

*Indiana Jones 4 *(again, for the kids) - I won't give it the dignity of its full name. A travesty of a film that burnt the good name of the previous three films and urinated over their ashes. Second time around, I was able to identify one of the problems - the action sequences were too cartoonish, whereas in previous films there was a real feeling of danger.


----------



## Mouse

Interference said:


> Another plus: No Danny Dyer



Ha! Always a bonus.


----------



## biodroid

X-Men: First Class - brilliant movie, tightly plotted, well acted and great sfx.
Real Steel - Feel good movie with an annoying kid in it.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

The Skin I Live In - directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya.

The summary from the (linked) IMDB page: 
_A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession._

I highly recommend this strange, difficult, sometimes repulsive but always fascinating film. I've enjoyed every Almodovar movie I've seen and so far this is one of my favourites.


----------



## Connavar

*Bob Le Flambeur*

A bittersweet early gangster film by Jean-Pierre Melville. Not as polished, great his later noir films but it had more charm, dry sense of humor than his other later films. Bob was a great character and as always his films are so stylised and beautiful. I like the cynical, bleak mood, ending as usual. He is so original Melville that its nice to see his earlier more imperfect works. I like how first 40 minutes just seets the mood,vibe of the story, characters. Brave move for gangster, heist story.


----------



## clovis-man

*Changeling* with Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. A gritty tale told in appropriate Noir fashion. Jolie is really good at portraying this character without resorting to over-acting. Well done all around.

And then (for something completely different) *Invaders From Mars* (1953). Some silly moments, but overall good at portraying this formulaic tale. I found it fascinating that the adult characters so readily accepted young David's insistence that we were being taken over by Martians. Sort of like he had said: "You know there's a Commie cell group just down the street." to which the eager reply was: "Of course there is! Let's get 'em!" And so much stock footage used that it looked like Ed Wood had a hand in the production.


----------



## Starbeast

*Animal House* (1978)

Rude and crude, but still funny today with a great soundtrack and cast.

*Halloween* (2007)

Rob Zombie's shocking and graphic remake of John Carpenter's original horror film. I liked it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Escape From Planet of the Apes * (1973) - confirming rule 7 of the Junk Monkey low budget film rule book.  'All time machines/travel in low budget movies take you to Los Angeles in the year the film was made - no matter how hard you try to make them go somewhere more interesting.'   A not bad attempt at a Get Out of Jail Free card from the writer who blew up the whole planet - and by implication the entire population of the previous two films.  
While we weren't looking two of the apes from the previous films, plus another we hadn't met before, somehow managed to salvage a sunken spaceship, worked out how to fly it and did just that minutes before the world exploded and the shockwave hurled them back through time.  Some serious suspending of disbelief had to be done.  Better directed than number two which had a real hurried look about it with some of the blocking looking very underdeveloped and  hamfisted.  Though there was one moment in this one when a short pan to establish someone sat in a room was followed by a cut back to the starting point of the pan - which started again in the same direction but then turned into a dolly shot instead.  That was clunky.

Only two more to go.

Danny Dyer did not exist when this film was made.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> *Escape From Planet of the Apes *(1973) - Only two more to go.


 
I'm a tremendous fan of the original series. After you watch all five films, be sure JunkMonkey to see the documentary *Behind the Planet of the Apes,* narrated by Roddy McDowall, it's fantastic.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Warhorse*. I liked it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Knightriders*(1981) Nothing to do with talking cars.
George Romero's movie of a travelling Renaissance fair is basically built around the code of Arthurian combat with motorcycles. It stars Ed Harris as a man obviously born into the wrong time period and the film is peppered with medieval style jousting.

Like his Zombie movies, this other side of Romero film-making also leans heavily on themes. The main one here being compromise or staying loyal to your dream.

All in all, it's an interesting and enjoyable movie and certainly worth watching if you're a Romero fan


----------



## Starbeast

*A Christmas Carol* (1938)

Still my favorite version of Dicken's classic tale starring Reginald Owen as Scrooge.


BTW *Foxbat*, I heard there would have been more motorcycle action in _Knightriders,_ but the main actors kept getting hurt. Romero couldn't afford stuntmen.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched the new *Footloose *last night. I loved it!

I made sure to watch the original before I even considered watching this one, and considering that they updated the movie to make it more relevant to this generation, I think they did a good job sticking to the storyline.


----------



## Winter Lord

*Kung Fu Panda 2*; the villian was much better in this one.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> BTW *Foxbat*, I heard there would have been more motorcycle action in _Knightriders,_ but the main actors kept getting hurt. Romero couldn't afford stuntmen.


 
That explains the good quality expressions of pain during the fights - I thought they were acting


----------



## Starbeast

*Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life* (1983)

Their shockingly outrageous and comical masterpiece was fun to watch again after many years.

*Mysterious Island* (1961)

Actor Herbert Lom makes a great Captain Nemo in this sequel to _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)._ Cool special effects by Ray Harryhausen and a magnificant film score by Bernard Herrmann. I've seen this movie countless number of times.


----------



## Moony

Conan the Barbarian (2011)  
I do like Jason as Conan better than Arnold.He was much more Conan to me.


----------



## clovis-man

*Mars Needs Women *(1967)

One of the schlockiest SF films you could imagine. But oddly nostalgic for someone like me who has lived through the 1960s.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Winter Lord said:


> *Kung Fu Panda 2*; the villian was much better in this one.


 
Want to see that so bad!! Got it on hold at the library, but I'm like 700th in line so it's going to be a bit...


----------



## Interference

*G-Force* - Happily impressed, though it was a slow starter and the mawkish plot-twist was just irrelevant, I think.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Deadly Mantis* (1957)

A giant insect is thawed out of an iceberg and begins munching on people. Bullits, fire and missles cant stop it!


----------



## mr kite

Watched Mission Impossible 4 yesterday .   
Enjoyed it .


----------



## Starbeast

*The Giant Gila Monster *(1959)

Mix hot rods, a huge hungry reptile with rock and roll and you've got a cool creature feature. I just watched this on Mystery Science Theater 3000 show hosted by Joel Robinson and his funny robot sidekicks, but this film is still great without their wacky commentary.


----------



## JunkMonkey

And every can for free! (And legally.)

http://www.archive.org/details/giant_gila_monster


----------



## Starbeast

Thanks for the link JunkMonkey, I just finished watching *Alien Contamination* (1980). 

It's a surreal ripoff of _ALIEN_, with a huge mind-controling creature brought back from Mars. The movie has pulsating exploding alien eggs, lab rats exploding, infected humans exploding and the hypnotic one-eyed beast enjoying people to feast upon.

A weird and messy film. Music by GOBLIN


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Alien Contamination* was indeed a total mess. I loved it.  More than I can say about *The House of America *(1997) which I just finished. Based on one of those plays that gets public funding and is 'Important' and 'Says Something' and when it's translated into film looks exactly like a play that's been translated into a film.  Yes, they may be standing in a field 'opening out the play' but they're still talking stage dialogue not film dialogue. 
So, _House of America_. Wales. Tom Jones. Coal mining. Depression. Getting pissed. Smashing up  the pub toilets. Unemployed. Coal mining. Incest. Mam's in the loony  bin, nice room she got though. Suicide. Coal mining. Murder. Did I miss  anything? Story obvious from about three minutes in and money from the  Arts Council of Wales. "Well, that _Trainspotting_ made a lot of money last year so it's obvious the world is gaggin' for Celtic fringe post-industrial misery innit?"  

No.


----------



## Interference

Pull my eyes out and stuff my ears with putty, I just watched _Starship Trooper_s _2_&_3_.

2 was okayer than 3, admittedly, but golly heck, guys.....


----------



## wookie8472

Interference said:


> Pull my eyes out and stuff my ears with putty, I just watched _Starship Trooper_s _2_&_3_.
> 
> 2 was okayer than 3, admittedly, but golly heck, guys.....



firstly, no one should ever watch starship troopers 2 or 3. ever. they are eye rotting crap.

secondly, i just watched transformers 3 after my twisted brother said it was better than the last one. he lied.
transformers 3 is the second worst film of all time, after the second one. how these travesties of film making get made is a mystery. the second one was full of sexual inuendo and overt sexual content that no 12 rated film should have been allowed to get away with. its a kids film, and it was more like a porn film. 
to top that, they actually got funding for a third film.
spielberg and micheal bay should be tortured and killed with nothing but a blunt spoon and malice. 
f*****g peadophilic scum and film making amateurs.


----------



## biodroid

Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I enjoyed it a lot, it was the best of the 3 and that annoying Peter was only in it for a few seconds so that that made the movie worthwhile. Great visuals too.


----------



## Moonbat

*Julia's Eyes* (*Los ojos de Julia*) a brilliant spanish horror film by *Guillem Morales*. A real masterpiece of suspense and thrills. I don't want to give any of it away, but it has to be one of the best horror films I've seen in recent years.


----------



## Connavar

*Chinatown*

It was very stylish like classic era PI film noirs but it had a terrible ending.  A cardinal sin in PI stories is not to end as pointlessly as Chinatown.   Nicholson was great as Jake though.


----------



## Starbeast

*Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn* (1987)

A fantastic horror film which some people call a brushed-up version of the original Sam Raimi _Evil Dead_ gore flick, but I think the first one stands on it's own. I still remember (years ago) being in a soldout theater watching this sequel with people screaming and laughing throughout the movie, and the huge applause after it finished. Plus everyone leaving the theater uttering, "I can't wait to see the next movie".


----------



## Bugg

*Rise of the Planet of the Apes*.  I really enjoyed it.  Didn't think I was going to at the start, but once the 'human interest' part of the story was out of the way I thought it picked up considerably.


----------



## Interference

I never got the point of Transformers, even as a kid it just didn't make any sense to me that a robot that looked like a car would then look like a robot when it came to fighting.  KITT, Bond's Aston, Supercar, Thunderbirds and others made considerably more sense.  When I watched the first Transformers film I hoped all would be made clear at last, that the robots had choses this technique as a rapid-deployment method or somesuch and, while on Earth, looking like a car was an advantage.  But this was never explored and all hopes were dashed as soon as the first cute noises were heard coming from Bumblebee.

So, not buying in to the Transformers mythos, I can't honestly be bothered looking at anymore.  It's a toy franchise, end of story.

I watched something before I watched the Starship Trooper abominations, but can't remember what..... Oh, yeah, *Cowboys and Aliens*.  A meagre film that started brilliantly and mysteriously, was well performed and believably designed (my telly had difficulty with all the night scenes because they clearly took authenticity to the ulitmate extent) but ultimately, sound and fury signifying nothing.  The redemption aspect was twee, to say the least, and the action sequences as lame as you might expect.

And at last, Hollywood comes clean: Here's something we can kill without letters from the PC Brigade!!  Well, I hate to tell you this, Hollywood, but I still reckon that even alien life has rights.


----------



## BookStop

Bugg said:


> *Rise of the Planet of the Apes*. I really enjoyed it. Didn't think I was going to at the start, but once the 'human interest' part of the story was out of the way I thought it picked up considerably.


 
I had reservations too. Loved the original POTA movie, but hated the remake. This movie was fantastic, though; not at all what I expected. Can not recommend it enough to anyone who likes SF, or animals.

I thought it was also incredibly realistic, well, the idea, not necessarily all the movie sequences. Scary to think we might could actually do those types things int he near future.


----------



## Interference

*Rise of the Planet of the Apes* - Well made, completely convincing CGI (up to about 2/3rds of the way through, thereafter I didn't really mind the occasional clunkiness) and laudably well-told story, tipping just enough of a hat to its predecessors (though the "damned dirty ape" line struck me as an unnecessarily exact quote) to show us where it fits in the chronology without labouring anything too much.

Minor criticism: The mandatory Hollywood Cartoon villains were completely surplus to requirements.  Well-drawn characters and motivations would as easily suited the mood.  Their inclusion, for me, broke the fourth wall.

All in all though, I think that this would have been entertaining and occasionally moving, even if Danny Dyer had been in it


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Spawn *(1997) - What. A. Piece. Of. S**t.  I really hope I don't watch anything as bad as this all year.

Where is Danny when you need him?


----------



## FireDragon-16

*Unknown (2011): *Got a twist that you may or may not see comjing, either way it's still really good.


----------



## JacksonMakayla

Last Sunday i went see  velayutham movie. its the sentiment movie like brother and sister.. i will enjoyed lot because i have one brother...


----------



## Interference

Sentiment is all right in its place but I dislike films that manipulate me too obviously.


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Where is Danny when you need him?



Ha! 

Last film I saw was an old Tarzan film on the telly with Ian (Bilbo Baggins) Holm in it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Astro Boy* (2009)

Wow! I just watched this updated movie of the original Astro Boy from the 1960's anime series (which I barely remember). It was great, I loved it. I was also surprized at some of the voice actors who were chosen for the film.


----------



## Rangerton

*Hereafter (2010)*: Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Matt Damon.

The lives of three people, from different parts of the world, come together through their encounters with the afterlife.

A very good film which I highly recommend.


----------



## Interference

_*X-Men: First Class*_ - marred only by having David Cameron playing Xavier and a couple of old-timer chronology niggles, this turned out to be pretty good stuff.  I was happy to see Charles and Eric (Erik/Erich/Magnus?) forging a believable friendship and working relationship and many of the best scenes were between these two.


----------



## Snowdog

An old war film, The Bridge At Remagen. Robert Vaughn was excellent.


----------



## Starbeast

*Beast From Haunted Cave* (1960)

This Roger Corman feature is a little slow, but it has a very spooky looking monster in the movie which you see at the end.  The usual odd characters with typical dialouge, still a fun B-flick.

*Jekyll & Hyde* (1990)

A great made for tv movie with good special effects and the very talented actor Michael Caine as Dr Jekyll. I haven't seen this since it first appeared on television. What a treat it was to rewatch last night.


----------



## Triceratops

Just saw Planet of the Apes (Newest) and was totally surprised, in a good way. They spent more than half the movie developing Ceasar's transition from smart ape to almost human in comprehension and intelligence. It DID suspend my disbelief and made it very credible.

Tri


----------



## j d worthington

*The New Daughter* (2009), a film by Luiso Berdejo, with Kevin Costner (not someone I am particularly enamored of) and Ivana Baquero (the girl from *Pan's Labyrinth*). Not entirely sure how I feel about this film, but overall, I think it's a rather interesting little piece, with some good, if occasionally odd, performances, and a few nice twists and turns. Also, the tension of the relationship between the father and daughter is done rather well, I thought, and both Costner and Baquero played that nicely.

I'm going to have to watch this again at some point, but as it stands, I would say it isn't a startlingly good film, but one that certainly has its points of interest....


----------



## alchemist

*Deja Vu* -- Denzel Washington investigates a terrorist attack and does a little time travelling in the process. Surprisingly good.


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> Kevin Costner (not someone I am particularly enamored of)



Slamming my fingers in the car door (not an activity I am particularly enamored of)


----------



## alchemist

Snowdog said:


> An old war film, The Bridge At Remagen. Robert Vaughn was excellent.



I met someone from Remagen once, in New Zealand. I mentioned the film.

A week later, I met someone else from Remagen. She was the other guy's cousin.

On topic, *G-Force*, the one with the guinea pig secret agents. The kids loved it, and, you know what, I loved the action scenes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Obviously watching movies with the kids night, tonight I saw* Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D *(2011) - which was better than  number 3.   The kids loved it.  I laughed aloud several times despite my  better judgement.    The only thing that really spoiled my reluctant  enjoyment was my irrational hatred of Ricky Bloody Gervais whose  smugness just annoys the tits off me. (Even when he's just doing a voice  for a robot dog and doesn't thrust his very punchable self-satisfied  face at the camera I find myself wanting to throttle the man.)


----------



## Starbeast

*Lethal Weapon 2* (1989)

Still a wild ride rewatching cop buddies (Mel Gibson and Danny Glover) with fast-talking actor Joe Pesci stop the evil bad guys in this thrilling sequel. Great blend of action and drama with bits of comedy.

*Gamera vs Guiron* (1969)

Classic giant monster movie with GAMERA, the enormously big, fire blasting, flying turtle who protects humans. In this sequel, two kids are abducted by female aliens who live on a planet on the opposite side of the sun, Earth's twin world. The aliens want to eat the kids brains to absorb the boys knowledge about Earth so they can leave their monster infested planet. Gamera shows up to rescue the kids and battles the mighty GUIRON, a huge beast with a blade shaped head that is sharp enough to slice or chop-up other challenging behemoths.

It's such a wonderful weird flick.


----------



## j d worthington

J-Sun said:


> Slamming my fingers in the car door (not an activity I am particularly enamored of)


 
*chuckle* Not _quite_ to that level, but you get the idea.... To be fair, though, he really did put in quite a nice understated but nuanced performance here and was very believable... save for the few instances where the script called for those actions (seemingly inevitable in any horror film these days) where the term "boneheaded" comes to mind....


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Gamera vs Guiron* (1969)
> 
> <snip>
> 
> It's such a wonderful weird flick.



In one of the English dubbed versions - I believe there are two - this film contains one of the greatest lines in cinema history:

"You're right; we'll eat their brains _after _we've fixed the ship."


----------



## Valko

Captain America in 3D, thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Deathly Hallows pt 1 3D, I can see why this version wasn't released at the cinema. Very poor 3D that does nothing for the film


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> *chuckle* Not _quite_ to that level, but you get the idea.... To be fair, though, he really did put in quite a nice understated but nuanced performance here and was very believable... save for the few instances where the script called for those actions (seemingly inevitable in any horror film these days) where the term "boneheaded" comes to mind....



Well, I might have partly been reading my own feelings into your comment.  It seems like I have seen in something where he was bearable - it sounds like in this movie he had to be a team player and that would help.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> In one of the English dubbed versions - I believe there are two - this film contains one of the greatest lines in cinema history:
> 
> "You're right; we'll eat their brains _after _we've fixed the ship."


 
Some things don't translate well, but it can have very entertaining results. A lot of the older Godzilla movies are like that.

*Dumb and Dumber* (1994)

A couple of goofs (Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels) on a wacky and dangerous adventure to return a suitcase, still funny. 

*Mortal Kombat* (1995)

In my opinion, the best video game made into a live action flick, great cheesy fun.

"Let Mortal Kombat begin!"


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows *Great film, I was mesmerized by it's awesomeness!


 
Watched that the other night! It was amazing and the end was a shock! Hope that means they've got another idea for one coming.

I did feel sorry for Irene though...that sucked for her


----------



## Starbeast

*Independence Day* (1994 a.k.a. - ID4)

A fun "War of the Worlds" themed film with great special effects and big-name actors for the main characters.

*The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr  Hyde* (1968)

Magnificant character actor Jack Palance stars in this Dan Curtis production of Robert Louis Stevenson's sci-fi/horror clasic novel. Actor Denholm Elliott portrays the doctor's best friend.


----------



## No One

*The Troll Hunter* - I'd been looking forward to this one, which is probably why I was somewhat let down by it.

There just wasn't enough in there to cut it loose from the shackles of a fairly formulaic, and predictable, escalation in events. Worth watching, but by no means great.


----------



## THX-1138

The Descendants and 127 Hours. 2 phenomenal movies.


----------



## AE35Unit

Apollo 18. Dumb. I can't believe they actually expect us to buy this as true fact!


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Apollo 18. Dumb. I can't believe they actually expect us to buy this as true fact!



I guess that's why it's called 'Science Fiction' and not just 'Science'.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> I guess that's why it's called 'Science Fiction' and not just 'Science'.



No no no no no, the film was presented not as sf but as a document of what the government covered up, to explain why the Apollo program was cancelled. It was done like a documentary, with a link to a website where the 'truth' is presented!


----------



## Wybren

I watched  Horrible Bosses the other night. It was quite funny.


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> No no no no no, the film was presented not as sf but as a document of what the government covered up, to explain why the Apollo program was cancelled. It was done like a documentary, with a link to a website where the 'truth' is presented!



Oh, puh-_lease_, Larry!  There can't have been any intent to make people believe it was true, any more than _Blare Witch_ was intentionally deceptive.


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> *Apollo 18*. Dumb. I can't believe they actually expect us to buy this as true fact!


 
I knew it wasn't real, but I was curious to see it.

*Caddyshack* (1980)
A rewatchably great wacky adult spoof on golfers with great acting and fun silliness.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> Oh, puh-_lease_, Larry!  There can't have been any intent to make people believe it was true, any more than _Blare Witch_ was intentionally deceptive.



There wouldn't have been a cast list otherwise.  
The found footage / mocumentary genres are legitimate story telling techniques.  One has to suspend one's disbelief and collude with the story tellers just as people have had to suspend their disbelief and collude with the story tellers from time immemorial - and before.
Context is important.  No one likes being lied to, yet we pay people to lie to us on a regular basis. What are actors, writers, directors and story tellers after all but paid liars? _
Apollo 18_ was released, as a feature film, in cinemas.  If there really had been an Apollo 18 mission and, somehow, footage from it had been returned to the Earth by some mysterious means, and the footage had shown that maybe THERE WERE ALIENS LIVING ON THE MOON!*  don't you think it might have made the papers first? or the TV news? or something???
By paying your money and going to see a film in a cinema about something as outrageously bonkers as aliens living on the moon eating American astronauts (maybe) the audience is complicit in a game of 'let's pretend'.  No one ever really expected anyone to think this was 'the Truth'.  Pretending it was true is all part of the game.

*Maybe, I haven't seen the film.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *I saw the Devil last night*. It was fairly good, some gruesome bits and as my GF said, how messed up are we that we watch films about people this messed up. It was suitably enthralling, with a few moments of depth, but mainly an excuse to see psychos do psychotic things. Some of the gore was quite realistic, but ultimately it seemed a little bit tired, maybe I've watched too many of these kinds of films to be impressed with them anymore.
I thought the main two actors were very good, and the supporting cast wasn't bad either. Well directed, good soundtrack, but just a bit too cliche on the whole plot.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Legend Of Hell House *(1973)
After reading the book, decided to watch the movie. All of the extreme violence has been removed from the movie version and replaced by a fine brooding atmosphere. 

More reliant on camera angle and minimal special effects than explicit horror, I felt that the movie was not too bad at all


----------



## Allegra

Watched the Swedish *The Girl...*Trilogy, very European and very okay. I don't understand why Hollywood had to do a remake of *The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo*, to strip off the European essence? I had a look at the trailer, Daniel Craig looked more like a cop from NYPD than a Swedish journalist and the Girl looked a cheap copycat.


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> There wouldn't have been a cast list otherwise.
> The found footage / mocumentary genres are legitimate story telling techniques.  One has to suspend one's disbelief and collude with the story tellers just as people have had to suspend their disbelief and collude with the story tellers from time immemorial - and before.
> Context is important.  No one likes being lied to, yet we pay people to lie to us on a regular basis. What are actors, writers, directors and story tellers after all but paid liars? _
> Apollo 18_ was released, as a feature film, in cinemas.  If there really had been an Apollo 18 mission and, somehow, footage from it had been returned to the Earth by some mysterious means, and the footage had shown that maybe THERE WERE ALIENS LIVING ON THE MOON!*  don't you think it might have made the papers first? or the TV news? or something???
> By paying your money and going to see a film in a cinema about something as outrageously bonkers as aliens living on the moon eating American astronauts (maybe) the audience is complicit in a game of 'let's pretend'.  No one ever really expected anyone to think this was 'the Truth'.  Pretending it was true is all part of the game.
> 
> *Maybe, I haven't seen the film.



Wow!  Do you channel many of your crits like this?  And please don't try and pretend you aren't psychic, either, such tom-foolery diminishes us both.  

There's plenty of footage on You Tube showing aliens and their vessels and cities and ancient structures and goodness knows what else; it's all good fun and makes demands on that ol' suspension of d.  But all things considered, it must be pretty hard to get the Welles Effect in a movie theatre.


----------



## AE35Unit

Either way Apollo 18 was not a brilliant film. I didnt find the documentary style worked here as there was no way I was gonna believe any of this happened!  Plus it's full of bad science.  One exmple, one of the astronauts feels blood dripping on his face from above. Err no!


----------



## Interference

AE35Unit said:


> Either way Apollo 18 was not a brilliant film....



Agreed.  It felt like a student movie to me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> Wow!  Do you channel many of your crits like this?  And please don't try and pretend you aren't psychic, either, such tom-foolery diminishes us both.
> 
> There's plenty of footage on You Tube showing aliens and their vessels and cities and ancient structures and goodness knows what else; it's all good fun and makes demands on that ol' suspension of d.  But all things considered, it must be pretty hard to get the Welles Effect in a movie theatre.



Almost impossible these days I would have thought. The only time I can remember almost falling for The Welles Effect (I like it!) was watching _Alternative 3_ back in 1977:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_3

Totally believable till I realised I recognised one of the astronauts as an actor (Shane Rimmer). Until then I was hooked, lined, and sinkered.


----------



## J-Sun

_The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension_ for the severalth time. Absolutely maniacally brilliant craziness.


----------



## JunkMonkey

"The Deuce you say!"

I concur.


----------



## CyBeR

*The Thing* prequel from 2011. 
God was it bad. Not even horrible bad...just boring bad. It had ONE scare at best and the rest was just so...uninspired. It was like watching *Dead Space* in an Antarctic setting...just even more boring.


----------



## Valko

CyBeR said:


> *The Thing* prequel from 2011.
> God was it bad. Not even horrible bad...just boring bad. It had ONE scare at best and the rest was just so...uninspired. It was like watching *Dead Space* in an Antarctic setting...just even more boring.



I couldn't agree more. Please don't waste your money or time on this film


----------



## JunkMonkey

Talking of bad:
*Shark in a Bottle* (2000) - A slacker, accident prone, postal  worker, wanted for the possible slaughter of several co-workers, is  forcibly recruited to work as a hit man. _Shark in a Bottle _is  one of those films that really makes you think and ask it some fundamental questions.  Questions like: *Who* the **** thought this script was worth _reading_ beyond page three let alone spending all the time and money and effort to shoot the bugger?  *Why*  does our 'hero' keep returning to his flat when he knows the 'bad' guys  want to kill him (actually this one is pretty easy to answer: A. The  budget didn't let him go anywhere else. B. None of the neighbours ever  complained about the powerful handguns being fired in it all day  -  someone did call the cops when he blew it up though.) * When* are  cheapo crappy film makers going to stop using the "It looks like ****.  I  know! Let's pretend we're being mysterious by using some Angelo  Badalamenti-like music over the _really_ boring bits! You know, to give it a David Lynchy feel...."  *When *is it going to end?   *Why* is the remote control all the way over there?  *Was* that supposed to be a twist ending?  (*Were *we _really_ supposed to forget about the dead hitman in the bathroom?)  *Is* this supposed to be a comedy?

 One of the longest 94 minutes of my life.  Dreadful.


----------



## FireDragon-16

*V/V: The Final Battle (1983/84): *Not bad all things considered. It was quite an interesting commentary on the Nazis though...

*Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011): *I liked it a lot actually


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> Talking of bad:
> *Shark in a Bottle* (2000) - A slacker, accident prone, postal  worker, wanted for the possible slaughter of several co-workers, is  forcibly recruited to work as a hit man. _Shark in a Bottle _is  one of those films that really makes you think and ask it some fundamental questions.  Questions like: *Who* the **** thought this script was worth _reading_ beyond page three let alone spending all the time and money and effort to shoot the bugger?  *Why*  does our 'hero' keep returning to his flat when he knows the 'bad' guys  want to kill him (actually this one is pretty easy to answer: A. The  budget didn't let him go anywhere else. B. None of the neighbours ever  complained about the powerful handguns being fired in it all day  -  someone did call the cops when he blew it up though.) * When* are  cheapo crappy film makers going to stop using the "It looks like ****.  I  know! Let's pretend we're being mysterious by using some Angelo  Badalamenti-like music over the _really_ boring bits! You know, to give it a David Lynchy feel...."  *When *is it going to end?   *Why* is the remote control all the way over there?  *Was* that supposed to be a twist ending?  (*Were *we _really_ supposed to forget about the dead hitman in the bathroom?)  *Is* this supposed to be a comedy?
> 
> One of the longest 94 minutes of my life.  Dreadful.



For a self-proclaimed "junk monkey", you're mighty tough to please


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> For a self-proclaimed "junk monkey", you're mighty tough to please



I have a masochistic streak a mile wide.  When it comes to films.  And there's a difference between 'Junk' and 'Rubbish'.  Junk has possible reuse/resale/intrinsic or curiosity value.  

Rubbish does not.

Re _V/V: The Final Battle_  I want to make a remake / mashup of this and _V for Vendetta _and call it *V vs.V*.  Now that _would_ look good on a poster.


----------



## Jeni

Ive seen The King's Speech and Australia this week on dvd. The King's Speech wasn't quite as dreary as I expected it to be, but Australia was the biggest pile of [insert expletive here] I have seen for a long, long, long time. Having said that, I did manage to stay awake for the whole film, which I didn't manage when I saw Cowboy's & Aliens.


----------



## psychotick

Worst movie of late that I've seen? Face Off? Nicholas Cage and John Travolta, two great character actors, a premise that's shockingly clever and fresh. It should have been brilliant. Instead it's awful. 

Both actors spend the entire movie acting over the top and turning the entire thing into a pantomime. They have to be the worse shots on the face of the planet since with machine guns everywhere neither one of them can hit the other in at least a dozen different gun battles. It's far too long. Lots of creepy scary moments with heavy music, but nothing ever happens. By I think the second hour I was beginning to wonder if this thing would ever end, or if the two of them would simply run around shooting at each other and missing of course, until they died of old age. (Or I did.)

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Thing On The Doorstep *From Lurker Films Strange Aeons DVD. It gets mixed reviews but I really liked this one. Granted the acting was a little wooden but I think it set successfully  out to achieve what Lovecraft always did well - mood. In fact, out of all the Lurker Films discs, I think I enjoyed this one the most. Very good job for a low budget set up.


----------



## Starbeast

CyBeR said:


> *The Thing* prequel from 2011.
> God was it bad. Not even horrible bad...just boring bad. It had ONE scare at best and the rest was just so...uninspired. It was like watching *Dead Space* in an Antarctic setting...just even more boring.


 


Valko said:


> I couldn't agree more. Please don't waste your money or time on this film


 
"Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo.....!" 

Too bad, I had high hopes for a good sci-fi/horror flick. You'd think the creators of this prequel would make great efforts to put together a cool monster movie. But instead it's just another "golden" opportunity wasted.


----------



## Bugg

Source Code.  Thought it was pretty good until the last five minutes spoiled it a bit.


----------



## Foxbat

*Calling Dr Death* (1943) Reasonable murder mystery B movie starring Lon Chaney Jr who plays his standard tortured soul type character.


----------



## Starbeast

*Slayground* (1984) - Peter Coyote, Billie Whitelaw, Philip Sayer, Bill Luhr & Mel Smith

A robbery goes wrong and a sadistic killer is hired to even the score in this action/drama.

It was a great surprise when I was over a friend's house and discovered this movie was on the Independent Film Channel. I haven't seen this little favorite film of mine in a long time, what a cool treat.


----------



## j d worthington

*A Tale of Two Sisters* (2003). A visually stunning film and a puzzle at the same time. I'm not at all sure I'd include it in horror, as so many have done, save in the broadest sense of that term; but it certainly has its horrific moments. It is more a study of guilt and dissociative personality couched in fantastic terms. Some of the sequences, however, are quite nightmarish and disturbing, while the story overall is very strong on character and the complex emotions of a guilt-ridden household haunted by past wrongs and cruelties.

Not entirely sure how I feel about all aspects of it, but my general impression is very favorable.


----------



## HoopyFrood

I have that; keep meaning to watch it eventually (I'm sure someone will keep nagging me).

Watched *Juno* t'other night. It's a nice indie film, not one of my favourites but good nonetheless, and I do so love Ellen Page.


----------



## Starbeast

*Highlander *(1986)

"There can be only one."


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> *Highlander *(1986)
> 
> "There can be only one."


 
Been wanting to watch that so bad lately! I can't though because our VCR is broken and we don't have it on DVD


----------



## geordie bob

Killer Elite - wot a waste of an evening.


----------



## psychotick

Hi Starbeast,

Amen to that - Highlander, one of my all time favs. There should have been only one.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## AE35Unit

Starbeast said:


> *Highlander *(1986)
> 
> "There can be only one."



Still managed to avoid watching these.  I came close a while ago but the sound wasnt working


----------



## Foxbat

*Wierd Woman *(1944) Decent  mystery starring Lon Chaney Jr as a professor studying south pacific rituals(or something of that ilk). Throw in a woman scorned (the excellent Evelyn Ankers) for good measure. Add a pinch of voodoo style magic and Chaney delivers his stock tortured soul style character.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Do I detect a box set, Foxbat?


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Do I detect a box set, Foxbat?


You certainly do


----------



## psychotick

Hi AE35Unit,

There's only one to watch, the first. One of the best movies ever, followed by the two worst sequels ever made. They would have been simply terrible in their own right, but as a follow on to Highlander, aaagh!!!


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm starting to think I may be the only person on the planet who thinks _Highlander _is  a godawful piece of **** - actually this is not true. I know of one other. First time I saw it I watched it with my GF of the time.  She turned to me afterwards and said something along the lines of, 'This may be the only film ever made where the sequel has_ got _to be better than the original'.  She was wrong but then her favourite film was _The Song Remains the Same_ and she hated Pedro Almodóvar.  Odd girl. (Nice boobs though.)


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> I have that; keep meaning to watch it eventually (I'm sure someone will keep nagging me).



Nag? Me? Never 



j. d. worthington said:


> *A Tale of Two Sisters* (2003). A visually stunning film and a puzzle at the same time. I'm not at all sure I'd include it in horror, as so many have done, save in the broadest sense of that term; but it certainly has its horrific moments. It is more a study of guilt and dissociative personality couched in fantastic terms. Some of the sequences, however, are quite nightmarish and disturbing, while the story overall is very strong on character and the complex emotions of a guilt-ridden household haunted by past wrongs and cruelties.
> 
> Not entirely sure how I feel about all aspects of it, but my general impression is very favorable.



These were exactly my sentiments on first seeing the film. It's definitely a must-see-twice to pick up on certain nuances and to see what's really happening in certain scenes. Second time round I felt incredibly sorry for the father figure.

And while we're on the subject of Korean film...*cough* *Oldboy **cough*.

I swear I'll stop doing that someday, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on something like that.


----------



## HoopyFrood

No One said:


> Nag? Me? Never



Hah, didn't even mention your name. You have just confirmed your nagging ways!

The things I put up with...


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> Hah, didn't even mention your name. You have just confirmed your nagging ways!
> 
> The things I put up with...



Oi, I'm doing it for your own good.

*Snicker*

Just to be on topic though - I caught most of *The Abyss* the other day. Y'know, from when James Cameron knew how to make good films.


----------



## alchemist

*Cowboys and Aliens* - It had *cowboys*. It had *aliens*. It had *and*. 

Enjoyable, despite the inevitable plotting issues.


----------



## Starbeast

psychotick said:


> Hi Starbeast,
> 
> Amen to that - Highlander, one of my all time favs. There should have been only one.
> 
> Cheers, Greg.


 
That's for sure Greg. Even though Michael Ironside (whom I really like) plays a villain in the second installment, the film was so bad, I refuse to watch it ever again.



FireDragon-16 said:


> Been wanting to watch that so bad lately! I can't though because our VCR is broken and we don't have it on DVD


 
Do the "quickening" and run to relative or friend's house to watch it!



AE35Unit said:


> Still managed to avoid watching these. I came close a while ago but the sound wasnt working


 
Oh no! I hope you get to see the original. 

I have this feeling in the back of my mind that some where, some one, is thinking of remaking the original. All of us here should gather together and stop em'.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> Do the "quickening" and run to relative or friend's house to watch it!


 
I've actually considered that. It will be coming with me the next time I babysit or housesit...whichever comes first!


----------



## Starbeast

FireDragon-16 said:


> I've actually considered that. It will be coming with me the next time I babysit or housesit...whichever comes first!


 
Excellent. Have a great time watching it.

And speaking of having a great time watching a movie, I just viewed...

*Megamind* (2010)

Surprisingly good animated superhero vs supervillain flick. Fast paced and funny with a great rock n' roll soundtrack (Ya just can't beat classic rock).


----------



## CyBeR

*Star Wars Episode V - The empire strikes back*
Watching the Star Wars trilogies with my girlfriend since she's never seen them before. Stubborn as a mule she is about watching each of these, despite the fact that she actually enjoys them while watching (past boyfriends be damned that they don't know how to get a girl interested into films by any other way except nagging).


----------



## Foxbat

I wasn't aware that John Carpenter had made a film recently until I came across *The Ward*. It's a horror set in the women's ward of a Psychiatric hospital. It's Carpenter's usual group of characters under siege and, to be frank, it's murder by the numbers with the usual cinematic horror cliches thrown in for good measure. Interesting twist at the end though.

All in all, it's better than his previous effort (Ghosts of Mars) but not brilliant. However, perhaps this step improvement is an indication that the horror meister is finally getting back on track


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> *A Tale of Two Sisters* (2003). A visually stunning film and a puzzle at the same time. I'm not at all sure I'd include it in horror, as so many have done, save in the broadest sense of that term; but it certainly has its horrific moments. It is more a study of guilt and dissociative personality couched in fantastic terms. Some of the sequences, however, are quite nightmarish and disturbing, while the story overall is very strong on character and the complex emotions of a guilt-ridden household haunted by past wrongs and cruelties.
> 
> Not entirely sure how I feel about all aspects of it, but my general impression is very favorable.



It made me think of older horror stories that wouldnt probally seen as horror by todays readers,viewers.  More creepy,messing with your mind.

It is the best so called horror film i have seen in recent years or the last 10 years or so.  Because its horrific moments was about the things you couldnt see, the things you imagined coming.  The story, the the study of guilt and the characters was a nice bonus.  I only hoped for a creepy film.  Most modern horror films are mindless stuff that isnt creepy,horrific at all to me.

Its interesting the director is rated for gangster film noir, police thrillers other than this film.  Not even a horror director that might make similar film in the future.


----------



## AE35Unit

Toy Story 2 on blu ray. Love it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Err guys,  why did the word 'blu ray' become a link in my post?


----------



## Mouse

^ Brian's skimlinks.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> Excellent. Have a great time watching it.
> 
> And speaking of having a great time watching a movie, I just viewed...
> 
> *Megamind* (2010)
> 
> Surprisingly good animated superhero vs supervillain flick. Fast paced and funny with a great rock n' roll soundtrack (Ya just can't beat classic rock).


 
Love *Megamind*! Have the movie poster on my bedroom door! 

We watched *Monty Python and the Holy Grail *last night. Stupid humor, gotta love it


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> All in all, it's better than his previous effort (Ghosts of Mars) but not brilliant. However, perhaps this step improvement is an indication that the horror meister is finally getting back on track


 
Did you see his entry in the _Masters of Horror_ series, "Cigarette Burns" (2005)? I thought that one was rather well done, and had a very effective atmosphere to boot.



Connavar said:


> It made me think of older horror stories that wouldnt probally seen as horror by todays readers,viewers. More creepy,messing with your mind.
> 
> It is the best so called horror film i have seen in recent years or the last 10 years or so. Because its horrific moments was about the things you couldnt see, the things you imagined coming. The story, the the study of guilt and the characters was a nice bonus. I only hoped for a creepy film. Most modern horror films are mindless stuff that isnt creepy,horrific at all to me.
> 
> Its interesting the director is rated for gangster film noir, police thrillers other than this film. Not even a horror director that might make similar film in the future.


 
I've found that much of the best "horror" (so-called) of the past 10 years or better has been coming out of the Asian and Spanish film industries. Not all of these are first-rate, of course, but they have had some quite good pieces, and at least have shown more imagination and ability than America has for a very long time... sadly. Also, a few of the independent films coming out of the UK have been worth catching as well....


----------



## Starbeast

j. d. worthington said:


> Did you see his entry in the _Masters of Horror_ series, "*Cigarette Burns*" (2005)? I thought that one was rather well done, and had a very effective atmosphere to boot.


 
One of John Carpenter's best short films! I also enjoyed seeing actor Udo Kier in it.


----------



## thatollie

I watched All The President's Men. It was really interesting, but it didn't have the same sense of danger as the book.


----------



## J-Sun

thatollie said:


> I watched All The President's Men. It was really interesting, but it didn't have the same sense of danger as the book.



It's been eons since I read the book (dunno where it went) so I can't say how they compare to me but I saw the movie for the first time in about those same eons when I picked up a used VHS not too long ago. It wasn't as strong as I remembered but I still think it's a very good movie.


----------



## thatollie

J-Sun said:


> It's been eons since I read the book (dunno where it went) so I can't say how they compare to me but I saw the movie for the first time in about those same eons when I picked up a used VHS not too long ago. It wasn't as strong as I remembered but I still think it's a very good movie.


 
I did enjoy it a lot, I just don't think it conveys the fear and disgust that was on virtually every page of the book.


----------



## J-Sun

thatollie said:


> I did enjoy it a lot, I just don't think it conveys the fear and disgust that was on virtually every page of the book.



Yeah - the movie focused more on the "excitement of the hunt" and, at the same time, gave a pretty good feel for the unromantic fact checking, confirmations, wrestling with deadlines, and so on. The Deep Throat meetings were pretty tense and I think there was a good feel for "oh wow this is huge" which led, in turn, to some fear but not too much on the disgust. More the sardonic intonations about "CReeP" and so on.

I dunno though - Robards did a pretty good job of conveying disgust but you got the idea that was a more generalized feeling with him.


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> Did you see his entry in the _Masters of Horror_ series, "Cigarette Burns" (2005)? I thought that one was rather well done, and had a very effective atmosphere to boot.
> 
> 
> 
> I've found that much of the best "horror" (so-called) of the past 10 years or better has been coming out of the Asian and Spanish film industries. Not all of these are first-rate, of course, but they have had some quite good pieces, and at least have shown more imagination and ability than America has for a very long time... sadly. Also, a few of the independent films coming out of the UK have been worth catching as well....


Never seen Cigarette Burns but will make an effort to. I have a fairly decent collection of Asian and Spanish films. I'm a big fan of Asian - not so much of the horror aspect but film techniques and quality in general (*Spring, Summer Autumn, Winter & Spring *is one of the most beautiful films I've seen). But I still have a soft spot for Carpenter and just want him to get back to making great films


----------



## j d worthington

I think what impresses me about so many of the "foreign" "horror" films is that they are using the material to address very real human concerns; for its metaphorical possibilities, giving things the resonance of myth, while never losing sight of the genuine human experience at the heart of it all. Thus you have del Toro, with his films about the Spanish Civil War, couched in fantastic terms, or *Tale of Two Sisters*, with its focus on family tragedies, guilt, the disintegration personalities, and lovelessness; and so on....

I first saw "Cigarette Burns" on a double-bill with Gordon's film of "The Dreams in the Witch House", and was quite impressed; it was the first time I'd _liked_ a new Carpenter film in quite some time....

And, speaking of Gordon, I just rewatched *Re-Animator* for the first time in quite a while. I never fail to be impressed by the pacing and intense focus of that film. It's a bravura effort coming from anyone, but as a first film from a new director... it really is quite amazing.


----------



## Foxbat

Masters of Horror Volume 1 (with Cigarette Burns and Dreams Of The Witch House) now ordered


----------



## Foxbat

*The Enemy Below *(1957)
Still one of my favourite war movies


----------



## Starbeast

*Lethal Weapon 3* (1992) Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci & Rene Russo

Not only a great action film with bits of comedy, but this movie also has good drama too. I especially like the scene when Mel helps Danny to talk about a kid who Glover knew that was killed.


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> Did you see his entry in the _Masters of Horror_ series, "Cigarette Burns" (2005)? I thought that one was rather well done, and had a very effective atmosphere to boot.
> 
> 
> 
> I've found that much of the best "horror" (so-called) of the past 10 years or better has been coming out of the Asian and Spanish film industries. Not all of these are first-rate, of course, but they have had some quite good pieces, and at least have shown more imagination and ability than America has for a very long time... sadly. Also, a few of the independent films coming out of the UK have been worth catching as well....



What did you think of Pan's Labyrinth ?  Not horror but there was that scene with the little girl and that monster wow.   

Indy UK films ?  Link ?  Also i tend to avoid american horror they are remakes of slashers, the others are far from first rate.  When its about spanish and asian sure i hope for first rate but as long as they are not the weak stuff that people think are good horror in the west(USA/hollywood really) im fine.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Alien 3*
Not the best but still worth watching! ( borrowed Dads box set, slowly getting thru it)


----------



## Overread

Alien 3 - needs to be the extended directors cut version; it improves things so so much (though they weaken and take the dog death out and replace it with the cow).


----------



## AE35Unit

Overread said:


> Alien 3 - needs to be the extended directors cut version; it improves things so so much (though they weaken and take the dog death out and replace it with the cow).



Well I cant remember a dog dying in the original but i clicked on Extended Edition ( never actually watched it all the way thru,  or I have and cant remember)


----------



## Foxbat

*The Bicycle Thieves *(1948)  A man's life begins to unravel after the theft of his bicycle in post-war Rome. It might sound like a very simple tale but this film is both captivating and tragic - displaying vividly the hardship inflicted by this seemingly unimportant crime (but it's not without its moments of humour either).

This is probably (in my opinion) the pinnacle of Italian Neo-Realism and well worth watching


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> Well I cant remember a dog dying in the original but i clicked on Extended Edition ( never actually watched it all the way thru, or I have and cant remember)


 
The dog was the host (hence the dog-like alien).


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Big Swap* (1998) - a group of friends, all of them irritating smug  middle-class professional wankers*, swap partners a couple of times and  the wheels come off their semi-perfects lives.  

Whoop de do.

A terribly  wordy script full of place-holder dialogue like: "I thought we could try  that new restaurant.  You know the one on the high street." delivered by far too  many characters who are introduced en masse.  We're given a voice over guided  tour of the whole cast in the first couple of minutes and after that we're on our  own. Three minutes later the wheels are starting to come off  relationships we know nothing about - and we're supposed to care?  Oh  come on!... it's hard to generate any sympathy for the simultaneous  emotional problems of ten total strangers. 

One of the leads now writes  for preschool CBeebies regular Chuggington. 

If the French had made this (even on this budget) it would have been sexy, elegant, sophisticated, and smart.  The French would have known how to make this film.  (They should do, they've done it often enough.)  But because it's British it's just awful. British Film just didn't know how to do sex. 


*I don't think I quite meant that to read like it does.   Nice work if you can get it though.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *The Bicycle Thieves *(1948) A man's life begins to unravel after the theft of his bicycle in post-war Rome. It might sound like a very simple tale but this film is both captivating and tragic - displaying vividly the hardship inflicted by this seemingly unimportant crime (but it's not without its moments of humour either).
> 
> This is probably (in my opinion) the pinnacle of Italian Neo-Realism and well worth watching


 
Interesting. I haven't seen this film, but did see *Beijing Bicycle*, a 2001 movie from China that seems to have the same story. Didn't think of it as a remake, but that may be the case.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276501/


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Interesting. I haven't seen this film, but did see *Beijing Bicycle*, a 2001 movie from China that seems to have the same story. Didn't think of it as a remake, but that may be the case.
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276501/


 
Reading the storyline, it doesn't appear a straight remake, however, it sounds like it might have borrowed a few things from Bicycle Thieves.


----------



## Starbeast

*They Came From Beyond Space* (1967)

Hokey, a little slow, but fun to watch B-movie. The late great actor Michael Gough had a bit part as the leader of the aliens.

Based on the novel by Joseph Milllard: _The Gods Hate Kansas_


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> What did you think of Pan's Labyrinth ? Not horror but there was that scene with the little girl and that monster wow.


 
I had both that and *The Devil's Backbone* in mind with Spanish films; but I've seen others which were also quite well done. Even *The Others*, despite a certain diffuseness and predictability, managed a powerful atmosphere and captured much of the feel of classic ghost stories beautifully.

Asian "horror" has its failures, of course, but there have been quite a few well worth watching. I've always preferred the original Japanese version to the horrid remake of *The Ring*, in part because it relies on a good script and performances (and suggestion), and I think it is considerably more disturbing as a result. And that final shot, with its symbolic implications, is utterly chilling.

The indie UK films I was referring to were things I saw when I was working for a while at a video store; I'd have to look through a listing of such things to recall specific titles; I just recall thinking that several of them showed a great deal more creativity and imagination, and were able to provide a genuine atmosphere, much better than anything I had seen in years from this side of the pond....

Though, to be fair, I shouldn't be quite that severe. Some of the small filmmakers have turned out some quite interesting things over the last several years. The production values are often restricted, and there are sometimes problems with the talent being as good as they would ideally be; but they do show a genuine imagination and creativity, and a good deal of promise. I see this a lot, for instance, with the amateur and indie filmmakers who take their inspiration from Lovecraft's work. Moore's production of *Cool Air*, for instance, is very well done, as is *Out of Mind*, by Raymond Saint-Jean, does a lovely job with the material, capturing much of the magic of HPL's vision without following anything slavishly (and despite limited budget special effects); the HPLHS film of "Call of Cthulhu" is surprisingly good, though I've not yet had a chance to see their new production of "The Whisperer in Darkness". And so on.

I'm a little more reserved about *Strange Aeons* -- a.k.a. "The Thing on the Doorstep" -- than some, but still would give it strong credit for originality and some very fine moments. I was actually more taken with *Chilean Gothic*, which is a -- surprise! -- Chilean production built around "Pickman's Model"; again, it by no means follows the story slavishly, yet it captures the menace and strangeness, and the essence of it very well.


----------



## thatollie

J-Sun said:


> Yeah - the movie focused more on the "excitement of the hunt" and, at the same time, gave a pretty good feel for the unromantic fact checking, confirmations, wrestling with deadlines, and so on. The Deep Throat meetings were pretty tense and I think there was a good feel for "oh wow this is huge" which led, in turn, to some fear but not too much on the disgust. More the sardonic intonations about "CReeP" and so on.
> 
> I dunno though - Robards did a pretty good job of conveying disgust but you got the idea that was a more generalized feeling with him.


 
Well, the moral message appears to be that hard work and determination gets results, which is hard to argue against. The tenseness of the Deep Throat meetings was played well in the film but was even better in the book, especially the meetings just before and after the Halderman piece.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *They Came From Beyond Space* (1967)
> 
> Hokey, a little slow, but fun to watch B-movie. The late great actor Michael Gough had a bit part as the leader of the aliens.
> 
> Based on the novel by Joseph Milllard: _The Gods Hate Kansas_



I love the way they used the dolly tracks as part of the scenery in that film.  Great bit of low budget set design


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> I love the way they used the *dolly tracks* as part of the scenery in that film. Great bit of low budget set design


 
Heh heh, it's a fun/weird movie. I love the head-gear moments. 


*A Nightmare on Elm Street* (remake) - I was very disappointed, and worst of all, a non-frightening Freddie.

*Pulp Fiction* (1994) - Yikes. I haven't seen it in a while. I like and dislike this film. My brain hurts.

*Trading Places* ( 1983) - Surprisingly still good. Great cast.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Alien Resurrection*

Incredibly silly but still worth watching!


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> *Alien Resurrection*
> 
> Incredibly silly but still worth watching!



Because Weaver and Ryder are, in their radically different ways, quite attractive? That's all I can think of. 



Starbeast said:


> *Pulp Fiction* (1994) - Yikes. I haven't seen it in a while. I like and dislike this film. My brain hurts.
> 
> *Trading Places* ( 1983) - Surprisingly still good. Great cast.



Yeah, I watched _Trading Places_ again not too long ago and was also surprised at how well it held up. Ameche, Bellamy, Ackroyd, Murphy, Curtis. Not too shabby.

Could you expand on your take on _Pulp Fiction_? I love it but it's definitely not all simple sunshine and roses.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> Because Weaver and Ryder are, in their radically different ways, quite attractive? That's all I can think of.



Well lets say the movie wouldnt be the same without em! Ron Perlman is always fun to watch in any film too!


----------



## Mouse

I watched the new pirates film *On Stranger Tides*. Pretty good actually. I didn't get some of it, but then, I couldn't understand what Penelope Cruz was saying half the time.


----------



## alchemist

*The Ghost* - a very good thriller, let down by a nonsensical ending. And if I'd known Roman Polanski was involved, I'd probably have stayed away in protest.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I just saw Priest. Yes its a film based on a video game. Yes it's cheesy, lacks anything in the way of a decent plot and quite frankly a script. There's a point at which the strong silent approach becomes just plain mute. But I enjoyed it, mainly because finally, finally, finally - we have a decent vampire!!! (Yes that deserves three exclamation marks. Hell it deserves way more then that.)

Good luck any teenage girl trying to ask herself, does he care for me? Yes he does - you're food and that's the way it should be!

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## svalbard

*Valhalla Rising*

A strange movie about a group of Scottish Crusaders who take a wrong turn and end up in America/Canada. I saw this a few years ago, but was the worse for wear at the time, and last night I took the chance of watching it in a sober state of mind. The movie is still a puzzle. It could be a work of genius or complete b*****ks. Enjoyable all the same.


----------



## Christopher Lee

I actually just saw _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  _I haven't read the books yet, but the movie was quite good.


----------



## clovis-man

Two obscure films via Netflix streaming. Both deserve more recognition.

*Get Low* (2009) with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray. A story very loosely based on some historic events. It involves a snarky hermit (Duvall) who wants a funeral to be held for him before he dies so he can see what is said about him. But there's more going on than meets the eye. Pretty well acted.

*Gunless* (2010) with Paul Gross as The Montana Kid. When he strays into Canada he finds that the "code of the west" doesn't necessarily apply. Some funny stuff here. Sometimes a little goofier than needed, but still fun. Hard to see Paul Gross on the other side of the Royal Mountie uniform (as in *Due South*), but he mostly makes it work.


----------



## FireDragon-16

*Eraser (1996): *Arnold action flick about a witness protection program deputy known as the "Eraser". If you end up in the program (and need it) he'll completely erase you. He ends up protecting a woman who realized the company she was working with (with DoD contracts) was dealing to the other side in an operation that included members of witsec as well as the undersecretary of defense.

*Friday the 13th (2009):* Pretty good remake...too much sex/language for my taste but other than that not too bad

*Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): *Another remake, ok, not the worst remake I've seen, but definitely not the best either. Seemed to be slightly more "innocent" when it came to the teens though


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Well lets say the movie wouldnt be the same without em! Ron Perlman is always fun to watch in any film too!



I take it you haven't seen _The Mutant Chronicles_ then?

I wondered, when I watched_ Alien Resurrection _recently, how much of the ragtag, semi-piratical crew Whedon came up with for it mutated into the ragtag, semi-piratical crew of _Firefly._


----------



## CyBeR

*A very Harold and Kumar Christmas*

So offensive that it puts the whole genre of offensive films to shame, literally to shame. 
It had its merits, had its laughter but I think it tried way too hard to offend every last person in the audience. 

*Redline

*Anime film. Forgot the last time I got so giddy at a film (probably *2012 *for all the silliness on screen). This was pure candy for the forgotten anime fan in me. Great art direction (Mad House always deliver in that regard), great action, a pretty good story and nice characters. I was impressed more than I care to say really. 



			
				FireDragon-16 said:
			
		

> *Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): *Another remake, ok, not the worst  remake I've seen, but definitely not the best either. Seemed to be  slightly more "innocent" when it came to the teens though.


Finally someone that agrees that that film wasn't the Devil's handiwork. Way too much hate for these remakes.


----------



## Starbeast

J-Sun said:


> Could you expand on your take on _Pulp Fiction_? I love it but it's definitely not all simple sunshine and roses.


 
I thought it was imaginative and very much like a gritty graphic pulp crime magazines (very violent) with heavy profanity and lives crossing each other.

*Red Green's: Duct Tape Forever* (2001) - Steve Smith & Patrick McKenna

Fans of the public broadcast _The Red Green Show_ (1991 - 2006) will enjoy the funny dry-wit of those wacky Canadian's, handyman Red Green (Steve S.) and his nerdy nephew Harold Green (Patrick M.). In this film the men try to save their beloved clubhouse hangout The Possum Lodge, from a sinister land developer.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Hugo*  A lightweight plot, but I enjoyed it, and it was my first experience of 3-D.  The end, when they used actual footage from the Melies films, was one of the best parts.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Red Green's: Duct Tape Forever* (2001) - Steve Smith & Patrick McKenna
> 
> Fans of the public broadcast _The Red Green Show_ (1991 - 2006) will enjoy the funny dry-wit of those wacky Canadian's, handyman Red Green (Steve S.) and his nerdy nephew Harold Green (Patrick M.). In this film the men try to save their beloved clubhouse hangout The Possum Lodge, from a sinister land developer.


 
Love all the Possum Lodge stuff. Remember, if the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy! And my personal motto: "Any tool can be the right tool."


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> Love all the Possum Lodge stuff. Remember, if the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy! And my personal motto: "Any tool can be the right tool."


 
Bow your head for the Man's Prayer:

"I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess."

A friend of mine who introduced me to the show many years ago (and turning me into a fan), surprised me by loaning me the movie _Duct Tape Forever_ which he bought recently on DVD (incudes extras and a mockumentary). I had no idea there was a movie.

See you at the Possum Lodge Clovis-man, and "Keep your stick on the ice".


----------



## THX-1138

Toy Story 3 was great.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> See you at the Possum Lodge Clovis-man, and "Keep your stick on the ice".


 
I will. I just ordered a copy of the film.

"Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together."


----------



## Foxbat

*Cigarette Burns *(as recommended to me in this very thread)
Interesting, thought provoking and, ultimately, I enjoyed it. 

The movie itself felt like a cross between Ring and In The Mouth Of Madness. There was a section I found a tad confusing (the end of the scene with the french filmmaker for those that have seen it -_ fade to_ _white, released from chair, filmmaker on floor_). I'm not sure but I suspect this was a deliberate insertion of _Deus ex Machina_ to display that there was something more fundamental at work here than just the search for a lost movie (unless I missed something). And the cigarette burns? Could they be interpreted as halos? 

All in all, one I shall have to watch again - and one which shows that Carpenter can still produce something really worth watching


----------



## Warren_Paul

Last movie I watched was the remake of Conan the barbarian, and honestly, I thought the plot and script, acting, was all terrible. But I'm thinking it was intended to be badly done, which in someways made it funny. 

The dialogue between Conan and the main female lead was entertaining though, but otherwise I really can't say anything positive about it.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Been wanting to watch *Green Hornet* for a while now, mostly because it has Christoph Waltz in it and No One managed to track it down and bring it along over the weekend. I like the more obscure, different hero stories, as it were. Thing is, Seth Rogen tends to always play Seth-Rogen-with-a-tiny-bit-of-acting which is all well and good for those many Atapow and co. films he's been in, and his improvisational ways work in Pineapple Express, but here it was just didn't fit. It also meant that Kato had to be turned into some kind of supergenius that can do everything and more in order to adequately explain why Brett Reid wouldn't be dead in two seconds flat. 

However, I did like the whole "we don't know what the hell we're doing but we'll do it anyway" aspect, liked the downplayed threat (no world about to end or anything like) and any film where the main guy and girl don't get together because the film understands that just because there _is_ a woman involved doesn't automatically means she'll get with the guy is a film that I like. 

And Christoph Waltz. Oh, how I love you. His opening bit was almost like his opening in Inglorious Basterds. He does disconcerting so well -- affable, confused old dude one moment, dangerous crime lord the next.

Plus the jubilant "I'm ungassable!" which made us both laugh a great deal.

And finally, nice little nod to the original Kato. Still can't believe that Bruce Lee played that role. No One and I always say it must have been damn' scary being in filmed fights with him. I feared for Burt Ward during the Batman/Green Hornet mash up.


----------



## Interference

I think the Kato/Supergenius was, in some ways, a respectful acknowledgement of Lee's contribution to cinema.  He was side-tracked far too much by Hollywood back then and we lost out.  _Kung Fu _springs immediately to mind, of course.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Didn't mind Kato super-geniusness in itself -- I think what irked me is that it just highlighted even more how useless Britt Reid was.


----------



## Interference

But at least in the movie (which I also enjoyed) they didn't try to pretend otherwise


----------



## Foxbat

*Sharktopus*  50% Shark. 50% Octopus. 100% Mince.

Bad acting. Cliched. Poor CGI.

I liked it


----------



## No One

HoopyFrood said:


> And Christoph Waltz. Oh, how I love you. His opening bit was almost like his opening in Inglorious Basterds. He does disconcerting so well -- affable, confused old dude one moment, dangerous crime lord the next.
> 
> Plus the jubilant "I'm ungassable!" which made us both laugh a great deal.




Don't forget the following lines: "You said I'm boring. My gun has two barrels. That's not boring."


----------



## HoopyFrood

Haha, yes! I knew there were more funny lines, but could only remember the gas one.


----------



## AE35Unit

*X Men: First Class*
Well titled!


----------



## AnyaKimlin

This week 101 Dalmations one example where for me anyway Disney improved on the book.


----------



## CyBeR

The original *Jurassic Park*...I had never seen it before. 

Blew my mind honestly. I knew the dinosaurs in the film were very well made...but now that I've seen the film I have a new respect for the special effects team that worked for this. That was freaking amazing.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *Sharktopus* 50% Shark. 50% Octopus. 100% Mince. Bad acting. Cliched. Poor CGI. I liked it


 
I enjoyed that obscure flick too, I liked how the creature moved on land.. Did you see Roger Corman's cameo?


*Gladiator* (2000) - Such a great movie to rewatch for the upteenth time.

*Abbott & Costello Meet Capt. Kidd* (1952) - Stiil a funny musical.

*The Night Strangler* (1972) - Kolchak vs an immortal killer. Awesome!


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> I enjoyed that obscure flick too, I liked how the creature moved on land.. Did you see Roger Corman's cameo?


 
Yes I did - but I remember saying to myself  _What the hell is Stan Lee doing in this movie?_ It wouldn't be so bad but he looks nothing like Stan Lee


----------



## j d worthington

*Ringu* (1998). I hadn't seen this in a few years, and gave it another viewing recently... and was pleasantly surprised to find that much of this film is even better than I recall it being. I much prefer the character relationships here, including the subplot with Yoichi's father (and its inevitable consequences for Yoichi), while the mother's actions at the end are both more believable, more sympathetic, and yet even more horrifying... not to mention that final shot, which just send chills down my spine. (It reminds me, in a certain way, of the final shot of Tarkovski's *Solaris*, with related emotions, though _much_ different implications.) And the much, much subtler approach to the entire thing, including the final appearance of Sadako, simply impresses me one hell of a lot more than _*anything*_ whatsoever in the American remake.


----------



## Warren_Paul

CyBeR said:


> The original *Jurassic Park*...I had never seen it before.
> 
> Blew my mind honestly. I knew the dinosaurs in the film were very well made...but now that I've seen the film I have a new respect for the special effects team that worked for this. That was freaking amazing.



Yeah, the first Jurassic Park was good, the second was alright, but I think they kinda went the way of Pirates of the Caribbean, gradually got worse, although that's just my opinion.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Kissed *(1996) - strangely beautiful little romance about a female necrophiliac.
*Marriage Italian Style* (1964) - after all the Sword and  Peplum, wobbly-set SF, Super-criminal caper, and photocopy Spaghetti  Western films I've watched over the last few years it's nice to be  reminded that the Italians could, and did, make some damn fine films  when they wanted to.


----------



## Connavar

Interference said:


> I think the Kato/Supergenius was, in some ways, a respectful acknowledgement of Lee's contribution to cinema.  He was side-tracked far too much by Hollywood back then and we lost out.  _Kung Fu _springs immediately to mind, of course.



In hindsight Hollywood overlooking him made him legendary.  He would not get the chance to do HK martial arts film if he was stuck as chinese sidekick roles in Hollywood.  

I saw online a letter he wrote to himself in 1969 after him failing in US and saying he would come back as being world famous actor,fighter.  Just before he became huge.  Talk about being dedicated, believing in himself.  Shame he died doing films technically couldnt do his martial arts justice. If he had lived to the 80s where HK films was awesome fight wise.


----------



## CyBeR

Warren_Paul said:


> Yeah, the first Jurassic Park was good, the second was alright, but I think they kinda went the way of Pirates of the Caribbean, gradually got worse, although that's just my opinion.



I actually really enjoyed the sequels to the *Pirates of the Caribbean*, even the fourth film in the series. 
I only care for entertainment for most films...and the sequels for me were very entertaining, especially the third film.


----------



## Rangerton

CyBeR said:


> I actually really enjoyed the sequels to the *Pirates of the Caribbean*, even the fourth film in the series.
> I only care for entertainment for most films...and the sequels for me were very entertaining, especially the third film.



I don't normally like sequels, but was surprised at how good the fourth film was (I didn't enjoy the second and third ones). But then I think the fourth just made me realise how good an actor Johnny Depp is.


----------



## Warren_Paul

CyBeR said:


> I actually really enjoyed the sequels to the *Pirates of the Caribbean*, even the fourth film in the series.
> I only care for entertainment for most films...and the sequels for me were very entertaining, especially the third film.



oh yeah your not alone with that, its just my personal opinion that they got worse.

I think going off general reception, the second one was considered the worst of them all but If profit figures is anything to go by, they were all successful movies.



Rangerton said:


> But then I think the fourth just made me realise how good an actor Johnny Depp is.



Johnny Depp is a brilliant actor.


----------



## Starbeast

*Full Metal Jacket* (1987) - I really enjoy watching the beginning of this movie, Stanley Kubrick captured the realism of basic training.

*House of 1000 Corpses* (2003) - Another flim I enjoy seeing the beginning of, sure it's violent, gory and an inspiration from _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ (1974), but not a bad first attempt of horror by Rob Zombie.


----------



## j d worthington

Starbeast said:


> *House of 1000 Corpses* (2003) - Another flim I enjoy seeing the beginning of, sure it's violent, gory and an inspiration from _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ (1974), but not a bad first attempt of horror by Rob Zombie.


 
I think what I like about that one most of all is nothing to do with the movie itself, but the looney menus and specially-filmed material which center around them on the disc. Sid's, especially, is really well done....


----------



## Huttman

I finally saw Cowboys and Aliens on DVD and enjoyed it very much. I am going to purchase this one partly because of the somewhat all star cast. Daniel Craig, Clancy Brown, Sam Rockwell and of course Harrison Ford are all some of my favorite actors and lets not forget the beautiful Olivia Wilde. I like how Mr. Ford's character was a departure from most of his usual choices, but alas in the end....big smiles for this film.


----------



## Starbeast

j. d. worthington said:


> I think what I like about that one most of all is nothing to do with the movie itself, but the looney menus and specially-filmed material which center around them on the disc. Sid's, especially, is really well done....


 
Sid Haig is great in _House of 1000 Corpses_ as the dangerous and foul-mouthed clown known as Captain Spaulding. I concur that he was fun to see in the DVD menu. I wanted to see more of him in the film, and I did the next best thing, I watched the sequel.

*The Devil's Rejects* (2005) More fightening and disturbing than the original horror flick _House of 1000 Corpses._ 

Rob Zombie wrote and directed this film that even most movie critics enjoyed.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol* and frankly it was better than i expected.  Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner had nice chemistry for humor.  The plot,story was so over the top but it fit the action,the thrills.  Decent film to see at home but more fun in loud in the cinema.

The best in the series except Mission Impossible II was better action.  Not great or very good film like the last Bourne or Taken but enjoyable for what it is.


----------



## THX-1138

The Fly (1986)


----------



## Pyan

Sleepless in Seattle...


----------



## J-Sun

Sorry, I didn't hear you. What was that?


----------



## Starbeast

*Judge Dredd* (1995) A fun version of the very violent comic book series, featuring Sylvester Stallone as the tough cop in the future. Armand Assante is a great villain.

*The Quest* (1996) Not a bad Jean-Claude Van Damme movie about an international fighting challenge where the winner recieves a huge solid gold dragon.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> *Judge Dredd* (1995) A fun version of the very violent comic book series, featuring Sylvester Stallone as the tough cop in the future. Armand Assante is a great villain.


 
That was a great one! 

Did you know they're remaking this with the title *Dredd*, starring Karl Urban as Dredd? Not sure how I feel about it...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/combined


----------



## biodroid

Zookeeper - Don't watch it, I found stabbing myself with a pen more entertaining.


----------



## geordie bob

Source code - Me and wor lass really enjoyed it


----------



## CyBeR

I've just watched *Ghost in the shell 2.0*....and I'm not happy with it. 
The sound was definitely better than in the original film...but I've found the orange tint to be absolutely agonizing now and for the life of me I can't understand WHY they chose to reanimate some of the best parts of the film in 3D. I'd expect something that is supposed to be an upgrade to actually have better visuals, cleaned up animation frames and enhanced detail...not the exact other way around. Everything that is in CLEAR 3D now looks absolutely ugly (the helicopters were an actual pain to even see). 
I will never understand the craze for "enhanced editions"...as fans we'll never want CHANGES, just clean ups and we're more than happy to pay for an HD edition (I'm planning an anime film collection on blu-ray...this will NOT be among those films, but the original will be).


----------



## Metryq

CyBeR, I agree with you on _GitS 2.0_. I've also been trying to divine the purpose behind the _Evangelion_ movie tetralogy. It has lots of CGI replacements (rendered with a cel shader) for mechanical things, but why is this series constantly being re-imagined (_Death & Rebirth_, the _Angelic Days_ manga, etc)? The new movies are a total re-write and make no sense at all... but then some fruit-loop fan threatened Anno's life because he didn't like the ending of the original series.

By the way, as soon as you get a good stack of Blu-rays going on that new collection, HD2 with 4K resolution will come out!

"Time to buy the White album again." —K


----------



## CyBeR

I'm not in a hurry to start that collection (money trouble + it's insanely hard to get blu-ray anime films here). But I do understand it'll be frustrating as it's extremely difficult cu have a collection whose format will not become obsolete in a few years. 
The Evangelion re-imagining (I'm not calling it a remake, it just isn't one) I've put off watching until all the films are out. I don't want to start on it and end up in the middle, I want to see it all head to tail. I've just recently rewatched the original series (8th time I guess) and it's still among my favorite anime of all time, so I'm giving the films their fair chances. 
I think Evangelion was never a definitive project to start with. The original series has its fruity moments and I think that's why we keep seeing these spinoffs. I don't particularly mind them (I compartmentalize really well so I view a lot of things on their own values) since for me the only "real" story for Evangelion is set into episodes 1-24 + End of Evangelion. Everything else...it's fluff as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## Starbeast

*Samson vs The Vampire Women* (1961) a.k.a. - The Saint Against the Vampire Women

Wow, what a gem of a B-movie I've found. 

Santo (Saint), a real-life Mexican wrestling hero, made a string of these weird horror flicks. He ususally plays himself, a nice guy who helps others, and (in the movies) battles evil where ever it rises, from the grave or otherwise.

I watched this with Mystery Science Theater 3000 commenting on the film too. 


*Fire Dragon-16*, thanks for the info about the new Judge Dredd movie.


----------



## THX-1138

Terminator. I had already seen it several times.


----------



## Starbeast

*Hobgoblins* (1988)

Yikes! What a silly 1980's teenage flick with monsters. The wacky battle ending with the little nonblinking, puppety, pointy-tooth creatures makes the long film worth it.

Warning: Beware the garden tool fight scene at the beginning of the movie. If you can make it past that, you can finish the film, I guess.


----------



## biodroid

THX-1138 said:


> Terminator. I had already seen it several times.


 
It never gets old, I have the box set so I watch it every few months.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Maybe it's about time we had an 'I Confess' thread hereabouts*.  

I've never seen any of the Terminator films.



* if there is one I couldn't see it.


----------



## yaxomoxay

- ” the fog” by carpenter. I liked it.
- ”children of the corn”. pretty lame.
I also suggest ”I saw the devil”. not really scifi or horror, but pretty good.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I've never seen any of the Terminator films.



On principle or it's just worked out that way? I've never seen any after the first two on principle but the first two are a couple of my favorites so, if nothing's stopping you, I'd say "go for it".


----------



## Starbeast

*The Big Wheel* (1949) - Mickey Rooney & Thomas Mitchell

Good movie drama about a determined race car driver.

*Daddy-O* (1959)

Small-time rock singer gets mixed up with thugs who want him to be a driver for them. Watchable flick with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew commenting through the movie.

*JunkMonkey*, you surprised me that you haven't seen the _Terminator_ movies. The first two flms are the best. Check them out when you can.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> On principle or it's just worked out that way? I've never seen any after the first two on principle but the first two are a couple of my favorites so, if nothing's stopping you, I'd say "go for it".



Just never seen them.  No principle involved.  Means, motive, and opportunity have never presented themselves at the same time.


----------



## Foxbat

*Johnny Stecchino  *Mildly amusing Italian movie starring Roberto Benigni


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *The Big Wheel* (1949) - Mickey Rooney & Thomas Mitchell
> 
> Good movie drama about a determined race car driver.


 
I saw this a veerrry long time ago. I recall it being proof positive that Mickey Rooney's ego was much bigger than his body.


----------



## yaxomoxay

Foxbat said:


> *Johnny Stecchino  *Mildly amusing Italian movie starring Roberto Benigni



Watch ”il piccolo diavolo”, if you haven't already.


----------



## Adasunshine

*The Artist* - I can't put into words how much I loved this film...

*Red* - Really enjoyed it, thought Helen Mirren was ace!

*Paul* - again...  I never tire of watching this film

*Just Go With It*... a typical Happy Madison movie but that just makes me love it all the more, I like that Adam Sandler focuses on the happy and cheesy but then I'm very easily pleased! 

xx


----------



## Steve S

The Mist - loved it! A simple premise, superbly executed. The Lovecraftian monsters were frightening, the locked-in humans even more so. Proof, if needed, that horror can be intelligent and challenging. And that ending...


----------



## HoopyFrood

Had a bit of a mehish day and generally been tired this week, so I bought takeaway food and came home to watch Army of Darkness for the nth time.

SO. FUNNY. 

The mini Ashes. Especially the one that slides. "Surf's up!" Had to watch that twice. The skeleton arms in the graveyard. And, of course, the lines. "Yo She-bitch. Let's go." Love it all.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Adventures of Chris Fable *(2010) - when I'm President of   Everything I'm going to make sure all HD cameras are fitted with  ultra-smart detection technology - coupled with on-board GPS and a small  explosive charge.  The cameras will be programmed to explode if they  detect that they are being used to film people pointlessly wandering  around in woods.   

"Okay," the chip says to itself.  "That's the  fifteenth setup within two hours in a wooded location.  Arm the bomb!"   

There's a lot of pointlessly walking around in woods in _The Adventures of Chris Fable_ (aka _The Wylds,_ aka _The Blair Bunyan Project)_. It's a 'contemporary' reworking of _Pilgrim's Progress _shot  in Montana with a cast of first-timer amateurs and a few not very good  jobbing actors.  And it is awful.  Not 'so bad it's  funny' type awful but just painfully 'this is painfully awful' type  awful.  It's hard to feel sorry for them but there are people out there  who seriously thought this was worth making.  It's Christian allegorical bull***t at it's most insultingly inept.  I'm not a Christian.  Far  from it.  'Born again Atheist' is what I put on application forms but I  notionally respect the concept that other people have a need to believe  in something 'bigger than themselves'.*  Bilge like this undermines that  respect.  I think the makers of _The Adventures of Chris Fable _thought  they were 'spreading the word'.  They're not.  They're preaching to the  converted and helping us non-converts loose any respect we may have for  modern Christianity.  I'm now off to watch something with lots of naked  women, ritual disembowelment, and graphic, pointless, repeated violence  to take the taste of this film out of my head.



* I choose to believe in elephants  when that particular urge comes over me.  They're bigger than me.  Or better still Blue Whales;  I've seen and touched an elephant but I've never seen a Blue Whale so I  have to take their existence on trust.


----------



## Foxbat

There's been a few mentions of *Kolchak The Night Stalker *on the forum recently so I decided to sit down and watch this one again. I was not disappointed. Time simply does not age this movie. I enjoyed it just as much now as I did when I first saw it so many years ago.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Last Samurai *I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise but I love this film. His finest work in my opinion


----------



## kd5

My wife & I have been rewatching the *Star Trek* movies (2-Disc CE/DC/DE all), We watched *Star Trek: The Motion Picture*, then *The Wrath Of Khan*, *In Search Of Spock*, last night we watched *The Voyage Home*, next will be *The Final Frontier*. The only one I don't have is *Insurrection*. -kd5-


----------



## biodroid

*Super 8 - *Awesome movie, not sure why it was dissed but it worked for me, very entertaining, well acted and the SFX were brilliant. JJ Abrams does it again.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Chronicle* at the cinema, pretty darn good. I thought it was very interesting, the end was quite a step up from the rest of the film, but for once it was undersatandable why the super villain is as angry as normal. In most films the over the top cartoon villains have no discernable reason for hating everything so much, but this really worked, and we could emphasise with Andrew as to why he was so angry. Really good film, if a bit annoying it was done in mocumentary style.

Then, watched *Kill List* on DVD, very disappointed, I had heard good things, but this just descended from an ok hitman film into some kind of wickerman-esque pile of nonsense. Really not that pleased with this film.

And also saw *Hatchett* on Friday night, very very poor film, a friend said it was good, but was so awful that it made me laugh. such a waste of a film, where *Kill list* was bad it at least tried to be something good, this was all just tongue in cheek graphic violence for no other reason than to amuse, and the jokes were lame.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Limitless. I want one of those Pills, think of all the things you can get done. Oh and War Horse (how many tissues did I use? Lots!!!) But I think I like the book better.


Foxbat I have not seen Night Stalker for years, didn't even know it was still around, used to give me nightmares! That and Twilight Zone, but Nightstalker was scarier.


----------



## Foxbat

tangaloomababe said:


> Foxbat I have not seen Night Stalker for years, didn't even know it was still around, used to give me nightmares! That and Twilight Zone, but Nightstalker was scarier.


 
You can pick it up fairly cheaply on DVD from Amazon


----------



## Tiffany

*War Horse*, it was a lovely film & I cried nearly all the way through it.


----------



## Interference

Foxbat said:


> There's been a few mentions of *Kolchak The Night Stalker *on the forum recently....



As one of the ones who may have mentioned it, I decided to track down a couple of eps on You Tube after I read this.  I've had a pleasantly entertaining evening as a result.  Thank you, FB 

Now, if anyone else mentions _Warhorse_ being good because it made them cry, *I'm gonna t'row somet'in' atya!* *_grrrrrrrrrr_*


----------



## tangaloomababe

Interference: I read the book first, so really when I went to see War Horse I shouldn't have cried, but I still did.  We went to see War Horse Gold Class so there were only 10 other people in the cinema and they were all crying!!! 
They should have sold them on the way in, I came prepared!  Sometimes we just need a good cry!


----------



## FireDragon-16

We watched the *Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole *the other day. It was actually quite good, and I loved the score


----------



## Tiffany

FireDragon-16 said:


> We watched the *Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole *the other day. It was actually quite good, and I loved the score


 

I love that film too, saw it in the cinema & have it on DVD.


----------



## Interference

tangaloomababe said:


> We went to see War Horse Gold Class so there were only 10 other people in the cinema and they were all crying!!!
> They should have sold them on the way in, I came prepared!  Sometimes we just need a good cry!



The cinema should provide tickets on a Crying/Non-Crying basis.  The Crying section is pre-supplied with hankies and drainage.  The Non-Crying section faces away from the screen 


If I want a good cry, I just have to think of -*sniff*- _her_.....


----------



## Tiffany

I like that, LOL


----------



## Interference

Thank you, I'm here all week.  Try the shrimp


----------



## yaxomoxay

” Let the right one in”.
Beautiful movie.


----------



## Foxbat

yaxomoxay said:


> ” Let the right one in”.
> Beautiful movie.


 
I agree. Great film


----------



## Wish

Drive. 

Pedestrian story, but so much style in the direction and soundtrack that you don't notice. Kind of a long, bloody, music video. But I enjoyed it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Doctor Who* (1996) Paul McGann & Sylvester McCoy

I discovered this film by accident and I wasn't disappointed, this is a great made-for-tv movie full of suspence.

*Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981)

George Lucas & Steven Spielberg made this magnificant homage to those cliffhanger films of the 1940's with actor Harrison Ford as the whip-wielding, two-fisted hero. I just love that music film score by John Williams.


----------



## j d worthington

Starbeast said:


> *Doctor Who* (1996) Paul McGann & Sylvester McCoy
> 
> I discovered this film by accident and I wasn't disappointed, this is a great made-for-tv movie full of suspence.


 
I must admit that I've always been underwhelmed with this one. The script went walkabout very quickly, and they completely lost track of anything which really tied in with the Doctor throughout the run of the series... that is, as far as characterization, the concept, etc. Though I do think that McGann, had he been given a good script, would have made quite a good Doctor for a longer run....


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Drive* last night, have been really looking forward to seeing this film, but I was a little underwhelmed. The story was ok, but it was all a bit thin, not enough happened, there wasn't enough thrill to the plot, and apart from the driver being quite a cool character the rest was mediocre at best. Not sure why this has got such rave reviews, it was, as Wish says, a long music video. Lots of silence from the characters whilst loud ambient music plays. Too much style over substance with this one, pretty disappointed with it, but that is often the way if i have high hopes for something.


----------



## Starbeast

*Kingdom of the Spiders* (1977) William Shatner

One of Bill's better movies outside of Star Trek (if that's possible). I haven't seen this horror flick since it was released, and to my amazement, it was still fun to watch.

I'm a tremendous fan of arachnids, and they don't bother me (even when handling them). But this film did a good job of making the spiders (tarantulas) creepy. This movie has lots of great B-movie moments, and the soundtrack was a nice touch.

*Spider-Man* (2002) Tobey Maguire & Willem Dafoe

I had to see this spectacular Spider-Man movie again. Being the Marvel comic book fan that I am, I love it.


----------



## Wish

I remember that Shatner spider movie. Traumatized me when I was a kid. 

In retrospect, as an old man now (23), I respect the ending.


----------



## Starbeast

Wish said:


> I remember that Shatner spider movie. Traumatized me when I was a kid.
> 
> In retrospect, as an old man now (23), I respect the ending.


 
I forgot how it ended, but the creators of the film said they would leave it to the viewers to decide. I say the spiders won.



*Wheels of Terror* (1990)

Made-for-TV movie about a mysterious driver in an old muscle car abducting children. A creepy, but interesting little film.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *Kingdom of the Spiders* (1977) William Shatner
> 
> One of Bill's better movies outside of Star Trek (if that's possible). I haven't seen this horror flick since it was released, and to my amazement, it was still fun to watch.
> 
> I'm a tremendous fan of arachnids, and they don't bother me (even when handling them). But this film did a good job of making the spiders (tarantulas) creepy. This movie has lots of great B-movie moments, and the soundtrack was a nice touch.


 
Never seen this one but will have to look it up. For the record, Spiders are my favourite subject for photographing....absolutely beautiful

Brian's recent post on Vidocq had me curious so I went out and sourced a copy.....only to find (despite being bought through Amazon UK) that it only contained French or German sound and subtitles. I managed a few minutes but couldn't understand a word of it. Have now ordered a US copy (which does have English). Make way...idiot coming through


----------



## Metryq

Foxbat said:


> so I went out and sourced a copy.....only to find (despite being bought through Amazon UK) that it only contained French or German sound and subtitles.



For future reference, if you should run into a similar situation, you can use a player like VLC (*videolan.org*) to display an alternate subtitle. VLC is multi-platform and plays DVDs and media files of all types. (I read that an update to be released very soon will support Blu-ray playback, as well.) What you will need is the alternate subtitle track, and that is easy:

Do a Web search for "moviename SRT" and you will find a plethora of sites carrying the needed file. SRT is a common subtitle file that one can open with any text editor. The file will look something like this:



> 1
> 00:01:26,855 --> 00:01:28,413
> I feel like you're driving me
> to a court-martial.
> 
> 2
> 00:01:28,523 --> 00:01:30,514
> This is crazy. What did I do?
> 
> 3
> 00:01:30,625 --> 00:01:32,058
> I feel like you're going to
> pull over and snuff me.
> 
> 4
> 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,560
> What, you're not allowed to talk?
> Hey, Forrest!
> 
> 5
> 00:01:34,663 --> 00:01:35,857
> We can talk, sir.
> 
> 6
> 00:01:35,964 --> 00:01:39,730
> - Oh, I see. So it's personal?
> - No, you intimidate them.
> 
> 7
> 00:01:39,834 --> 00:01:42,997
> Good God, you're a woman. I honestly...
> I couldn't have called that.



With VLC, *File > Open disc...*

The movie will start to play immediately. You may wish to pause it, or not, as the next step takes only a few seconds:

*Video > Subtitles Track*

Select the SRT file. And that's it. It's possible that you might have a timing mismatch if the SRT file was created from a different release of the movie than the one you are viewing, but this does not happen too often. I think VLC may have controls to advance or delay the subtitle track by a given amount of time, but I have never had to use such a function.


----------



## Diggler

It can be quite technical but if you go to www.subscene.org you can download many subtitles for different films. If you convert your dvd movie to divx (or xvid) you can then use the subtitle file (with the same name as the divx) on a disc and it will usually play on a dvd player with divx support. The only issue would then be sync of subtitles to the audio, which is another matter again.

We watched *Hugo*, which was just brilliant! *The Three Musketeers*, which we turned off and were going to see *The Grey* tomorrow night.


----------



## Foxbat

Thanks for that info folks. I'll keep it in mind the next time (and there probably will be a next time)

Meanwhile, I've been watching Guy Pearce in *Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark.*  It's a fairly mediocre horror and, frankly, the sight of my ex in the morning was much more frightening than this movie.


----------



## Metryq

Diggler said:


> If you convert your dvd movie to divx (or xvid)...



I considered converters, such as *Handbrake*, or extractors, such as *MakeMKV* (both multi-platform). But the beauty of VLC is that it will play the disc and SRT file with no conversion—especially the long-winded conversion to DiVX and back to disc. Anyone using a file-based home entertainment center (Apple TV, Roku, Plex, etc.) might consider conversion to facilitate group viewing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> Select the SRT file. And that's it. It's possible that you might have a timing mismatch if the SRT file was created from a different release of the movie than the one you are viewing, but this does not happen too often. I think VLC may have controls to advance or delay the subtitle track by a given amount of time, but I have never had to use such a function.



If this happens you could always try editing the SRT file.  I'm not sure about the timings but I once had an English subtitle file for a Czech SF film with so many typos that I had to go through the whole thing and correct them before I could watch the film.  I did it in Notepad and it worked just fine.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> If this happens you could always try editing the SRT file.



Fixing typos is easy, but sometimes one might run across mis-timing due to any number of variables—the difference between NTSC and PAL/SECAM telecine processes, different releases of the feature where the program stream may contain different company logos at the beginning, director's cuts, etc. 

The most common mis-timing is due to the program start (logos and such, as noted above). In Handbrake this can be fixed by advancing or delaying the SRT by some amount. I think VLC can do this, as well, but I'm not sure where the controls are. (Command line?) There are other players that can handle external subtitle files, but one would have to search them out for each OS. I mentioned VLC because it is multi-platform and does so much so well.

I like to use subtitles for foreign languages (like British English—What did he say?) or because of the dynamic audio range so common these days. (Set the volume for people talking softly, then get blown out of your chair by someone calling out "Hello, anyone home?" too loudly.)

On rare occasions, one might run into variable mis-timing throughout the feature, due to director's cuts, or someone being very sloppy when they created the subtitle file. To correct such problems, there are apps that can automatically re-time entire spans of the program. (On the Mac I use Subtitles theEditor.)

This sort of detailed involvement would be for the file-based media center, as opposed to the original problem described by Foxbat. If only it were as simple as the translated hostage video seen in _Iron Man_ (where Pepper simply types in "translate" and the _audio_ is synthesized into English). Ten years from now we'll look back at that scene and think nothing of it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> I like to use subtitles for foreign languages (like British English—What did he say?)



LOL.  I have the same problem with US English - especially with the modern grumbly-mumbly American school of film acting where no one understands what 'diction' and 'clarity' mean.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just logged into the old Twitter machine and saw *Death Becomes Her* was trending, so legged it downstairs to turn on the tv. As it is, I'm having to watch it on ITV+1 and I've missed half an hour.

But my gods, I love love love this film! May be one of my favourites. I used to act it out in the playground.


----------



## Memnoch

I've just watched *J. Edgar*, with me not being much into American history, I have no real point of reference to the FBI, bar X Files and misc films/shows throughout my life to base opinions. I found the film very involving, although Eastwood/ or the writer, is clever directing the story from Hoovers perspective, as he obviously embellishes his own personal involvement in arrests through history during major cases. I found the acting immense and moving, with Leo quality as ever and *ARMIE HAMMER* (not to be confused with a Toothpaste) turning out a quite mesmerising understated performance as Tolson, Hoovers number two and best friend, for those not familiar with the actor in question, Armie plays the Winklevoss twins in Social Network and the Devils other son in the AWESOME Kevin Smith show, Reaper. (RIP)

A recommended watch, if you like similar (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy etc)


----------



## Interference

JunkMonkey said:


> ....especially with the modern grumbly-mumbly American school of film acting where no one understands what 'diction' and 'clarity' mean.



Mum!!  I didn't know you'd joined


----------



## Diggler

Metryq said:


> I considered converters, such as *Handbrake*, or extractors, such as *MakeMKV* (both multi-platform). But the beauty of VLC is that it will play the disc and SRT file with no conversion—especially the long-winded conversion to DiVX and back to disc. Anyone using a file-based home entertainment center (Apple TV, Roku, Plex, etc.) might consider conversion to facilitate group viewing.



Yeah it's definitely a slow, arduous and long winded approach to getting a movie to display subtitles. It's just second nature to me because I converted my whole dvd collection to xvid for storage on our media pc. 

We went and saw *The Grey*. This was a great mix of horror, action and thriller as a group of plane crash survivors are hunted by a pack of wolves in Alaska. 4/5


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity 3*
Best so far, creepy as hell!


----------



## Metryq

Diggler said:


> Yeah it's definitely a slow, arduous and long winded approach to getting a movie to display subtitles. It's just second nature to me because I converted my whole dvd collection to xvid for storage on our media pc.



Same here. I still have all the discs in storage, but the graphic below nails the situation perfectly. The media center is easier to use and I don't have to put up with all the "baloney" _every single time_ I want to watch a _Trek_, for example. 

It starts with the notices from the FBI, the CIA, Interpol, and the KGB—30 seconds each, and all repeated in Spanish and French, despite everything else on the disc being strictly English—warning me of the dire consequences of _watching_ the contents of the disc.

Then there are the classic _Doctor Who_ discs all pushing the new series (which I hate) with unskippable ads, followed by a Monty Python-ish animated anti-piracy pitch for another unskippable 2 minutes. 

Sixty seconds of animated menus—playing the theme song that I am about to hear anyway—all billed as a "bonus feature." I bought the disc to watch the episodes, not computer generated add-ons that are actually kinda tacky.


----------



## AE35Unit

Most of the time you can either skip or fast forward!


----------



## Foxbat

Re this ongoing debate - my dvd collection is now well over 5000 discs. I really don't fancy putting all those on a PC. 

The point Metryq makes about all those ridiculous trailers and stuff is very true. I don't think the manufacturers realise that they are really annoying many of their customers with all that unskippable tripe. 


Just watched *Alien Resurrection*. It's been quite a while since I've seen this and I have to say it's kind of grown on me


----------



## AE35Unit

The worst ones are the Disney films!  So many trailers! And as for Fast Play- it takes twice as long!


----------



## j d worthington

Interesting... I've got quite a few of the _Who_ discs, and I have no trouble skipping past these things. For myself, even without the ethical question, I'd be buying these simply to encourage them to keep coming out with the entire run of the show; plus there are often some very interesting extras on several of them....


----------



## Foxbat

It is becoming  a very real and ridiculous problem. I'm not interested in having trailers or stupidly long loading animated menus. I have very little interest in  extras but at least they are a choice you can make voluntarily.

When I buy a film, at the very least, I want to be able to go to the start of the film right away.

I even have a few discs with standard commercials (as seen on TV) on them now! 

What makes it worse is that I am not a pirate (but I am irate) and pay good money to put up with this kind of nonsense.


----------



## Metryq

j. d. worthington said:


> Interesting... I've got quite a few of the _Who_ discs, and I have no trouble skipping past these things.



The discs may be programmed differently. I'm referring to US Region 1 discs. With a set-top player, some things can't be skipped but they can be shuttled. Some things won't accept any command—even stop. (One can always eject the disc and get right back to square one.) On some of the _Doctor Who_ discs, the ad for the new series can be skipped, on others not. The annoying anti-piracy animation _must_ be watched. You are guilty, even when proven innocent.

Some computer players can jump over anything. Some are even smart enough to jump straight to the main program (usually the longest title), or to the top menu, such as VLC. VLC doesn't brake for moose, either, and it can be a mess.

In order to stay on topic with this thread, I tried to watch _Mirrormask_ this morning. Got about 20 minutes or so into it (not counting the mandatory headers) and had stop. Other reviews here suggested it might be fun, but it's just not my kind of film. Too contrasty and drug-trippy for me. I didn't bother rewinding the disc.


----------



## Starbeast

*Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Python* (1989)

String of best bits and sketches from the show.

*The Longest Yard* (2005)

Remake of the 1974 film. Convicts battle prison guards in a game of football. Wild, dark humored, with a fitting soundtrack makes this a great movie.



Foxbat said:


> It is a ridiculous problem, having trailers or stupidly long loading animated menus. I have very little interest in extras but at least they are a choice you can make voluntarily.
> 
> When I buy a film, at the very least, I want to be able to go to the start of the film right away.


 
I agree with you and the others. "We want the show! We want the show! We want the show!"


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> I agree with you and the others. "We want the show! We want the show! We want the show!"



Usually I would agree with everyone on this but currently I'm working my way through a huge box of 1980s / 90s VHS tapes I got given and I'm finding the trailers for long-forgotten films  utterly fascinating. (_Blade in Hong Kong _anyone? My cry of "Holy Cow! That's Anthony Newley!" had my wife come running because she'd thought I'd hurt myself.)

Tonight I watched _Dust Devil  _a piece of supernatural, serial-killer weirdness from South Africa/Namibia.  The director's cut, not the hacked original release. Not great but not bad.


----------



## Foxbat

*Angels With Dirty Faces* The great Jimmy Cagney stars alongside Humphrey Bogart in one of my all-time favourite films. I never get sick of watching this one


----------



## Chaoticheart

Finally watched 'The Covenant'. Never have I regretted watching a film so much. Honestly, there are B movies with more believable acting than this pile of trash.


----------



## biodroid

Cowboys & Aliens - It was ok, just sad to see the screen writers responsible for writing Lost and the new Star Trek could produce such a dull script.

Captian America - It was ok too and Hugo Weaving should never again attempt a German accent, he was not good at it, as much as I like him he did not pull this one off.


----------



## CyBeR

I've watched *Hugo* with the girlfriend a couple of days ago. Now that's a film that I'm willing to bet was badly hurt by its own trailers. Seeing as the film changes direction in the second half and moves into territory that's more adult oriented (the preservation of old films...I really don't think a child in the audience gave a toss about that) it's pretty weird that they didn't convey anything of the sort in the trailers. As good as the film may be, I can't help but expect people to be miffed at the change of direction (there are SO MANY of these people that can't handle a change in a film...I'm literally sick of them in cinemas).


----------



## Interference

Took me almost three days, but I finished Keanu's *The Day The Earth Stood Still*.

What a pity they decided to give this film a title that is so exactly similar to that of a classic film which I have loved since childhood.  How shameful that they didn't have the nerve to allow this slight tale to have its own title, its own "giant robot" and a surfing scene.

But by the end of viewing, I was still wondering what the plot was about.  Is this Hollywood Tree-Huggery at its lamest?  Is Earth, in the end, once threatened with outright destruction, merely reduced to a [spolier - seriously, I'm not kidding, unless I missed the whole point] non-technological society only because a mom and her son have a good old weep over a husband and father's grave?

Yes, there is hope for the human race, but personally I'll look to fixing some of the things that really are wrong with our society and leave the emotional hang-ups and inabilities of some to let go of the past as the domain of modern psychiatry.  A more courageous film might, perhaps, have addressed the greed and selfishness of humanity with a bit more grit and insight.

But this is the Hollywood malaise, isn't it?  To get funding for anything like this, whose target is box-office, you need to deal with people who might just pull the plug if you pointed out the moral grey areas in which they labour.

So this hampered, ham-strung, lumbering cliche of a movie was doomed at the outset.  And then they cast Keanu, just to settle the issue once and for all.

He is often, shall we say, a mediocre screen presence, but rarely have I been embarrassed while watching him.  Not since _Dracula_, anyway, but he had stiff competition from Winona in that one, so really the compound effect had me reeling in horror, rather than embarrassment.  A successful horror flick, then, you might say   As I say, I don't really view this as a remake of anything, but by making it seem so, however superficially, I found myself re-casting in my imagination as I watched and missing the nobility of Michael Rennie's original performance.

On the plus side, the sphere was a nice idea and the opening ten minutes or so motored along quite nicely and should have been attached to a far more faithful remake.


----------



## Metryq

Interference said:


> Took me almost three days, but I finished Keanu's *The Day The Eart Stood Still*.
> 
> ... the nobility of Michael Rennie's original performance.



My brother told me the "remake" was a bomb, but I gave it a shot anyway. I hated the film right from the police state "you will come with us now" scene, attempting to emulate the cloak-and-dagger opening of _The Andromeda Strain_. I lasted until sometime after Keanu and company drive into the woods somewhere, then my clutching fingers finally found the remote through the haze of blinding pain.

But let's not get all misty about the original, either. I loved Rennie's performance and certain aspects of the film. Overall, it is a one-worlder's wet dream. The allegedly more advanced civilizations of other planets found it necessary to saddle themselves with a doomsday weapon in order to keep the peace. In the _Trek_ episode "The Day of the Dove" Mr. Spock comments to Dr. McCoy, "Those who hate and fight must stop themselves, Doctor. Otherwise, it is not stopped."


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> But let's not get all misty about the original, either. I loved Rennie's performance and certain aspects of the film. Overall, it is a one-worlder's wet dream. The allegedly more advanced civilizations of other planets found it necessary to saddle themselves with a doomsday weapon in order to keep the peace.



I'd always taken the original to be a not too subtle reworking of the Jesus  myth.  A stranger from above brings a message of peace,  lives amongst the common people, (using the name 'Carpenter' just in case we needed a hint) gets killed and is brought back from the dead before departing.


----------



## Mouse

Chaoticheart said:


> Finally watched 'The Covenant'. Never have I regretted watching a film so much. Honestly, there are B movies with more believable acting than this pile of trash.



I watched this a little while ago - got the DVD from LoveFilm because I knew the lovely Taylor Kitsch was in it.

I commented on it on this thread. I agree, it was a pretty crappy film, but the trouble I had with it was that all the main guy characters looked the same!


----------



## Connavar

Foxbat said:


> *Angels With Dirty Faces* The great Jimmy Cagney stars alongside Humphrey Bogart in one of my all-time favourite films. I never get sick of watching this one


 
I have seen that film because im a big fan of Bogey, i have seen many of his films.  I discovered similar affection for Cagney afer seeing White Heat.

It was like christmas and Iid put together to see my two fav classic hollywood actors in the same film.

There only reason i got Lovefilm internet film rental acount is for Cagney,Bogart,Kurosawa films 

I like this film alot but it doesnt compare to Public Enemies, White Heat, The Big Sleep, Maltese Falcon.


----------



## Wish

Contagion. 

It's well-done for the most part, but the amazing cast was wasted except for Laurence Fishburne.


----------



## j d worthington

JunkMonkey said:


> I'd always taken the original to be a not too subtle reworking of the Jesus myth. A stranger from above brings a message of peace, lives amongst the common people, (using the name 'Carpenter' just in case we needed a hint) gets killed and is brought back from the dead before departing.


 
Question: Who here has read the original story which was the basis for the Robert Wise film... "Farewell to the Master", by Harry Bates? That might have an interesting connection to your comment, as well....


----------



## Eversummer

Just finished the Windtalkers (again).


----------



## Diggler

Watched an extremely good Aussie crime/drama called *Noise*. It was a multi-layered story about a disillusioned street cop with tinnitus, who is called to man an information caravan where a young girl had been murdered.

I don't really give much Aussie films a chance, but am usually pleasantly surprised every time I do.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Question: Who here has read the original story which was the basis for the Robert Wise film... "Farewell to the Master", by Harry Bates? That might have an interesting connection to your comment, as well....


 
I always thought the film was just emblematic of cold war paranoia, but this works also. The short story, as well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> I always thought the film was just emblematic of cold war paranoia, but this works also. The short story, as well.



I'm just wondering if I have a copy anywhere in my tottering piles of books.  I have read it but was many, many years ago.


----------



## Metryq

"Farewell to the Master" can be found on-line. I am aware of the Christ symbolism in _The Day The Earth Stood Still_, but one would be hard pressed to make the same case for the short story. In the short, an extra-terrestrial spacecraft lands, and a humanoid steps out, accompanied by a robot, Gnut. It's been a while since I read the story, but if I'm remembering correctly, the alien is shot, as in the movie, and the robot becomes immobile.

The bulk of the story is a reporter discovering that Gnut moves during the night, and the reporter observes some bizarre occurrences, such as an ape running out of the spacecraft. In the end, the reporter talks to Gnut and learns that with a high technology, the dead can be brought to life from the patterns of an audio recording. However, the technology is not perfect. If the playback comes from a different machine than the one that made a recording, the variations result in imperfections, and the "clone" dies very quickly. SPOILER 



Spoiler



Gnut therefore requests the exact recording device that was used to capture the alien's voice on arrival. 

As the robot is getting ready to leave, the reporter apologizes to Gnut for what happened to his master. Gnut replies, "You are mistaken. _I_ am the master."

Ooh, twist ending, but the reader never learns the exact relationship between Gnut and the humanoid—pet? Slave? Citizen to cop, as in the movie?


 The whole thing was about the twist ending.

*Farewell to the Master*
http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/bates-farewell-to-the-master.html


----------



## j d worthington

I'll be replying to the spoiler part here, so anyone who wishes to avoid such....

It was that "twist" to which I was referring, to some extent. The "resurrection" and final "ascension", with the Master in control... those seem to me to have some interesting echoes of the Christ-figure aspect. Also, as I recall (it has been some years for me, as well) the "twist" was actually prepared for in subtle ways all along....


----------



## THX-1138

I watched Serenity some time last week. It was great.


----------



## Metryq

j. d. worthington said:


> I'll be replying to the spoiler part here, so anyone who wishes to avoid such....
> 
> It was that "twist" to which I was referring, to some extent. The "resurrection" and final "ascension", with the Master in control... those seem to me to have some interesting echoes of the Christ-figure aspect. Also, as I recall (it has been some years for me, as well) the "twist" was actually prepared for in subtle ways all along....



In the short story, Klaatu was revived, then died again quickly, which makes the Christ analogy an awkward fit. Also, I don't believe there is any confusion in the Bible over Christ being "the master"—he was always understood to be the "son" of god, yet also part of a three-part single entity. (Actually, about that "confusion"...) 

The "subtle" foreshadowings of the "resurrection" were things like the gorilla running out of the ship. Maybe he had eaten an apple Gnut had forbidden him to eat?

The movie is an even tougher fit. The "advanced" extra-terrestrials _created_ the doomsday robots they placed over themselves. The robots are not defensive, aimed outward, and the ETs are not "worthy" souls living in blissful peace. They must be flawed and war-like, otherwise they would not need to be coerced into passivity. Yet Klaatu presumes to preach down to the Earthlings—he comes promising wholesale destruction, not individual judgment.

Seeing as _The Day The Earth Stood Still_ came out in 1951, one could easily interpret the movie as the commie propaganda of "useful idiots": everyone must live under the coercive "peace" of a single, unified body, or face destruction.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> Seeing as _The Day The Earth Stood Still_ came out in 1951, one could easily interpret the movie as the commie propaganda of "useful idiots": everyone must live under the coercive "peace" of a single, unified body, or face destruction.



That's possible, though I think the Great Hope at the time was the United Nations rather than International Communism.  I take Klaatu's words the end of the film to be an exhortation rather than a dire warning. The film is open to more than one literal interpretation - which is what makes it a great film and why we are discussing it 60 years after it was made. (Hands up anyone who thinks the remake will even be _remembered_ in 60 years.)  I'm sure the Christ imagery is not accidental. After all 1951 was the year that _When Worlds Collide _was mining Old Testament biblical imagery and loading animals two by two into a giant space ark.


Edit: This is from a copy of the script I found on line.  Whether the words here are exactly as they appeared in the film I'm not sure but as we're talking intention and meaning here that's not that important.



> KLAATU
> We of the other planets have long
> accepted this principle. We have
> an                           organization for the mutual
> protection                           of all planets -- and
> for the complete                           elimination of
> aggression. A sort of
> *United Nations *on the Planetary                           level...
> The test of any such higher                           authority,
> of course, is the police                           force that
> supports it. For our                           policemen,
> we created a race of robots--
> 
> (indicating Gort)
> 
> Their function is to patrol the
> planets -- in space ships like this                           one --
> and preserve the peace. In                           matters of
> aggression we have given
> them absolute power over us.​




My bold.


----------



## Metryq

JunkMonkey said:


> The test of any such higher authority, of course, is the police force that supports it.



Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? The law of unintended consequences is always lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on well-intentioned people. Or colloquially: the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

In D.F. Jones' _Colossus_ trilogy, the machine was invented for the very same reason as Gort. But I'm not terribly impressed by the UN, which seems to gobble resources, push corrupted policies like "global warming," and generally fail at their intended purpose.

I realize that _The Day the Earth Stood Still_, like any work of art, can have as many interpretations as their are viewers. And I choose to view it as a cautionary tale, not a blueprint for the future.


----------



## clovis-man

Metryq said:


> But I'm not terribly impressed by the UN, which seems to gobble resources, push corrupted policies like "global warming," and generally fail at their intended purpose.


 
Well, now we're just getting into politics.

My favorite Klaatu quote: "_I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it_." So maybe that's why Gort and his mechanical brethren have been given "_absolute power_". Nobody can be trusted to not be stupid, whether it's we puny Earthlings or supermen from the stars.

So to take it to another religious level, it may depend on whether you believe in free will (we can blow ourselves up if we want or destroy the Earth if we want) or predestination (we know what's best for you, so we'll enforce the "rules" dogmatically). You pays your money and takes your choice.


----------



## Rangerton

*Witness for the prosecution*

Starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton. Directed by Billy Wilder (1958)

An excellent courtroom drama were Tyrone power is accused of murdering a wealthy widow. All three stars are at their best.

I especially liked the warning at the end to cinema goers not to divulge the ending to anyone yet to see the film


----------



## Metryq

clovis-man said:


> So maybe that's why Gort and his mechanical brethren have been given "_absolute power_".



Which brings us full circle to the Law of Unintended Consequences. If these guardian robots were not set up correctly in the first place... Ask any software engineer if coding and debugging is ever _completely_ finished. An artificially intelligent machine might be even more risky. Keep in mind that we're talking about a civilization that is setting up such a trap because they've already admitted their flaws. It's a real bummer to find out your anti-grav calculations are wrong _after_ you've stepped off the cliff.

As to your question about free will or predestination, I'd rather take the risk that I'm in control of my own destiny, than to surrender outright. (Put another way, "It is better to be judged by 12 men, than carried by 6.") If free will is an illusion, then it will make very little difference, right?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> "It is better to be judged by 12 men, than carried by 6.")



Or 15.  Nothing to do with anything really but in Scotland we have 15 people in a jury.  We also have three verdicts they can deliver too.  

Scotland's been part of a United Kingdom with England and sundry other bits and pieces of the British Isles for 305 years and we still haven't managed to unify the legal system within the nation's borders.  Fun concept a Universal Peacekeeping force may be but I can't really see it happening any time for the next couple of millennia - if British history is anything to go by.


----------



## Wish

Cowboys and Aliens. 

It was good until the aliens showed up.


----------



## Warren_Paul

Wish said:


> Cowboys and Aliens.
> 
> It was good until the aliens showed up.




I liked it, in a tacky, badly done sort of way. Its one of those movie's which had a certain amount of seriousness to it, but was never supposed to be completely taken seriously.


----------



## clovis-man

Re: *Cowboys and Aliens*:



Warren_Paul said:


> I liked it, in a tacky, badly done sort of way. Its one of those movie's which had a certain amount of seriousness to it, but was never supposed to be completely taken seriously.


 
Just the title should tell you not to look for *War and Peace *(which didn't make a very good film anyway). But I thought it was entertaining. There are plenty of pretentious flicks out there. Nice to have one that isn't.

Speaking of which: Went to see *One for the Money* yesterday with my spouse. I have never read an Evanovich book. But I thought the film was clever and (you guessed it) entertaining. My better half has read all 18 of the numbered novels and all the others by the same author as well. She thought it was pretty well done and followed the novel pretty faithfully.


----------



## Mary Hoffman

The Artist. Quite enjoyed it but it didn't live up to the hype. I had seen all the best bits as clips already!


----------



## AE35Unit

Fright Night (2011)
Sucked big time. Supposed to be a comedy? It just reminded me of bad 80s horror. Never seen the original... is it better?


----------



## Foxbat

*Dressed To Kill*  Mediocre Brian De Palma thriller. Nothing special.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Fright Night (2011)
> Sucked big time. Supposed to be a comedy? It just reminded me of bad 80s horror. Never seen the original... is it better?



It's a modern Hollywood remake.  Of course the original is better.  Goes without saying.


----------



## AE35Unit

Horrible Bosses,  brill film
"So we're taking murdering advice from a guy who got 10 years for pirating a Ethan Hawk movie?!"


----------



## THX-1138

Hellboy. Liked it.


----------



## AE35Unit

3:10 to Yuma, (2007)
Vastly different to the original. And I still never quite understand why Wade does what he does at the end! Good films both tho.


----------



## Wish

Apollo 18. Watchable, but it should've been a lot better.


----------



## Connavar

*African Queen*

A film i rented because of Bogart/Huston and i wasn't disappointed it was an epic film,journey on those rivers.  With a top director and great actors like Bogart, Hepburn you can make any story exciting to watch.

Next i think i will rent a K. Hepburn film and see her other top roles.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Cronenberg's *Scanners* (1980) - which I had never seen before and was a hell of a lot better than I was  expecting; partially I think because I expected gory horror and I got  well thought through SF. Terrific music.


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> Next i think i will rent a K. Hepburn film and see her other top roles.


 
Conn: Give *The Philadelphia Story* a try.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Cronenberg's *Scanners* (1980) - which I had never seen before and was a hell of a lot better than I was expecting; partially I think because I expected gory horror and I got well thought through SF. Terrific music.


 
I agree with everything you say. In fact, despite being one of his earlier works, I still think it's one of his best.


----------



## Foxbat

I've been watching *The Baader Meinhof Complex* (again!). It's an excellent German movie about the exploits of the Red Army Faction - aka The Baader Meinhof gang. Well worth watching - especially if you grew up (like me) hearing the names of these people regularly on the news but still being too young to understand what it was all about.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> Next i think i will rent a K. Hepburn film and see her other top roles.


 
That leaves quite a bit of territory, given the range of her performances (usually damn' fine ones, to boot). A couple of suggestions, though -- again, quite famous ones: *Adam's Rib* (1949; comedy) and *The Lion in Winter* (1968; drama, with Peter O'Toole playing Henry II, and featuring the first film role of Anthony Hopkins as their son Richard, as well as a truly superb cast in general). The last is a personal favorite of mine, not only of Kate's films, but of film in general. Screenplay by James Goldman from his stage play; some of the best teeth-rattling dialogue ever filmed....

I would also suggest *The Madwoman of Chaillot* (1969), which is quite a marvelous film in its own right....


----------



## dask

Clint Eastwood's THE CHANGELING, written by J. Michael Straczynski, one of the better current comic book writers.


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> Conn: Give *The Philadelphia Story* a try.



I think i will start with something less comedy, romantic like Lion in The Winter which she won an oscar for.

I like her heavier, stern roles in African Queen.


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> I think i will start with something less comedy, romantic like Lion in The Winter which she won an oscar for.
> 
> I like her heavier, stern roles in African Queen.


 
My favorite *Lion in Winter* quote:

Prince John: A knife! He's got a knife! 
Eleanor: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians!


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> My favorite *Lion in Winter* quote:
> 
> Prince John: A knife! He's got a knife!
> Eleanor: Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives! It's 1183 and we're barbarians!


 
That film (or play) is full of such lines. I must admit that, for showing the peculiar dynamics that often exist between siblings, the following is one of my favorites:

John: My God, if I were on fire, nobody would pee on me to put it out.
Richard: Let's strike a flint and see....


----------



## Wish

The Thing (2011). Not surprising anyone, it's inferior. The CG didn't help.


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> That leaves quite a bit of territory, given the range of her performances (usually damn' fine ones, to boot). A couple of suggestions, though -- again, quite famous ones: *Adam's Rib* (1949; comedy) and *The Lion in Winter* (1968; drama, with Peter O'Toole playing Henry II, and featuring the first film role of Anthony Hopkins as their son Richard, as well as a truly superb cast in general). The last is a personal favorite of mine, not only of Kate's films, but of film in general. Screenplay by James Goldman from his stage play; some of the best teeth-rattling dialogue ever filmed....


 
I decided to see *The Lion in Winter *before i saw your post because i felt a mature,late Hepburn role along with O'Toole would be something to watch. 

Once again our taste in types of film even is close. The way im build i rather see a film like that than comedy, romance like many of her early roles.


----------



## AE35Unit

Wish said:


> The Thing (2011). Not surprising anyone, it's inferior. The CG didn't help.



That should not have been remade! Carpenter's vision is more than adequate!

Today I watched Tower Heist. It was ok, but now whenever I hear Eddie Murphys voice I see a donkey in my head!


----------



## Interference

Carpenter?  What about the original Hawks version?  Brilliantly handled, if antique in places, dialogue.

On the whole re-make issue, I wish they'd stop re-writing the films they remake.  Most of the time the original script, the dialogue and plotting, are perfectly fine and need very little in the way of up-dating for modern yoots.  Cases-in-point: Planet of the Apes; The Day The Earth Stood Still; True Grit; The Italian Job and many, many more.


----------



## AE35Unit

I actually enjoyed Day the Earth Stood Still, it needed updating! 

Just watched *The Awakening*, a british horror set in a 1920s boarding school.


----------



## Wish

Interference said:


> Carpenter?  What about the original Hawks version?  Brilliantly handled, if antique in places, dialogue.
> 
> On the whole re-make issue, I wish they'd stop re-writing the films they remake.  Most of the time the original script, the dialogue and plotting, are perfectly fine and need very little in the way of up-dating for modern yoots.  Cases-in-point: Planet of the Apes; The Day The Earth Stood Still; True Grit; The Italian Job and many, many more.



The old-timey Hawks version has nothing in common with the Carpenter version except the weather, though it is pretty well done by old-timey sci fi horror standards. 

The 2011 Thing isn't a remake, it's a prequel - though with that in mind an embarrassing amount of it is just a re-hash of the Carpenter one.

The new True Grit is actually a case for remakes, because not only is it well done, it's a far more faithful adaptation of the book. 

There's nothing wrong with the idea of doing remakes or updates; nobody's going to dispute that the 1982 Thing has a right to exist despite the 50s one. It just gets irksome because often they aren't needed, or they're poorly done.


----------



## Starbeast

*Burial Ground *(1979 - a.k.a. _The Nights of Terror_ & _Zombie Horror)_

A professor accidently raises the dead and is killed before he can warn his invited guests which arrive shortly and are also attacked by zombies. It's not bad for a gore flick, it just needed a better director.

*Munsters Go Home* (1966)

Great dark comedy and a treat for fans of the _Munsters_ TV show (like me). Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) learns he inherited an estate in England and travels there to be Lord Munster. Good story and great cast includes: Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick --John Carradine, Terry Thomas, Bernard Fox, Hermione Gingold & Richard Dawson.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> I decided to see *The Lion in Winter *before i saw your post because i felt a mature,late Hepburn role along with O'Toole would be something to watch.
> 
> Once again our taste in types of film even is close. The way im build i rather see a film like that than comedy, romance like many of her early roles.


 
I think you'll find a lot to like in this one. First-rate performances by all; a superb score by (of all people) John Barry (perhaps best known for scoring many of the James Bond films); and an excellent script by the original playwright, adapting his play to the screen (with additional material). If you enjoy this, you may also want to take a look at another he scripted dealing with the era of the Plantagenets, *Robin and Marian* (1976), which stars Sean Connery as an aging Robin Hood and Audrey Hepburn as Marian. Somewhat flawed, but overall another fine venture by Goldman, with a very good execution on the screen....


----------



## Tiffany

Saw the new Muppet movie, yesterday, with my friend. It had a bad write up, but neither of us thought it a bad film. We both like the Muppets anyway. I think the people doing the revues either didn't like them, or are too young to remember them.


----------



## Interference

Wish said:


> There's nothing wrong with the idea of doing remakes or updates; nobody's going to dispute that the 1982 Thing has a right to exist despite the 50s one. It just gets irksome because often they aren't needed, or they're poorly done.



I'll confess right away to a degree of sloppy thinking.

I actually enjoy most of Carpenter's films and thought his _Thing_ was very creditable indeed.  Haven't seen the Bridges _True Grit_ but have heard good things about it and a re-envisaging of a novel, I suppose, shouldn't really be a matter for concern or annoyance.  In fact, it's closer to my original argument of "adaptation" rather than "remake".

Another strong argument against my suggestion is, of course, _Psycho_.

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy _The Day The Earth Stood Still_ in its modern guise, but I suspect I might have accepted it more readily had it not purported to be a re-make at all.  It was this, and other films of recent years, that turned my mind to considering inferior remakes, particularly, and how much better off they might have been had they not meddled so much with the original material.

I still think I have the ghost of a sound concept hidden somewhere within my ill-expressed gibberish


----------



## Foxbat

*The Beyond* Lucio Fulci's tale of an old hotel sitting on the gates of hell provides us with gratuitous eye gouging, bad acting, poor set lighting, creamola foam faces and a pretty senseless script.

Still, the ending showed a lot of promise because it allowed me to eject the DVD and go and do something less boring instead.


----------



## Interference

Can one still get creamola foam somewhere in the UK???


(serious q.  My brother and I used to love the stuff.  Esp. sticking our licked fingers into the tins.)


----------



## Michael01

Well, it's been nearly a year since I went to the theater, but my son and I saw _Green Lantern_. I thought it wasn't bad and we enjoyed it. A few days ago I watched _Stan Helsing, Monster Hunter _on Netflix.


----------



## Foxbat

Interference said:


> Can one still get creamola foam somewhere in the UK???
> 
> 
> (serious q. My brother and I used to love the stuff. Esp. sticking our licked fingers into the tins.)


 
I found this  http://www.allmarksweets.co.uk/cate...ramola-Fizz/?gclid=CLf0kL36ya4CFYUgfAodqXoZBA


----------



## Foxbat

Just been watching *Dark Portals: The Chronicles Of Vidocq *(aka Vidocq)

Paris 1830 is a powder keg of dissatisfaction. The peasants are in revolt. Charles X grip on the throne is becoming more precarious by the day.

Amongst this mayhem, Eugene Vidocq searches for The Alchemist. Is he a ghost or the  murderer stalking the city? Fantasy and reality intermingle as this dark tale unfolds.

Very stylish  film filled with colour and texture and well executed action sequences.
There’s a lot of CGI here as we follow the characters into the murky underbelly of nineteenth century Paris in search of the truth, but it never really detracts from the tale.


Fascinating fact: Apparently Vidocq  actually existed and is credited with creation of the first private detective agency.  

All in all, Dark Portals is a fine French movie that is worth a look.


----------



## clovis-man

*Ed and His Dead Mother*. A very silly movie about reanimation with Steve Buscemi and Ned Beatty.


----------



## J-Sun

_*The Hunt for Red October*_. Sean Connery is a Soviet-with-Scottish-accent sub commander who implausibly steals a zillion-dollar high-tech nuclear supersub and Alec Baldwin is the CIA analyst who even more implausibly gets involved (to the extent of dives into the freezing ocean from a helicopter and gunplay). With a great supporting cast including Tim Curry, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Fred Thompson, the South African ambassador from _Lethal Weapon II_ as a Soviet ambassador, two of the four female lines from Gates McFadden, etc. This is probably the third (fourth?) time I've seen it and it's great. From McTiernan, who did _Die Hard_, which is another of the best action flicks.


----------



## Triceratops

10,000 BC.  A lot of improbable tech for such a long time ago. CGI wasn't too bad, but I missed the first 45 minutes of it. Looks like they discovered metal smithing way back then.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Boxing Helena* (1993) -   Julian Sands is an actor I am  coming to find perversely, weirdly compelling.  Last film I saw him, in  Ken Russell's _Gothic_, he spent the entire movie playing Percy  Bysshe Bash Bosh Shelley lurching around like Julian from the Famous  Five, grown up a bit, and having first year uni fun pissed out of his  tiny little head on Newcastle Brown and coke. Nose coke, not 'the real  thing' coke.  I don't think anyone has ever tried drinking Newcastle  Brown and Cola. (I may be wrong.)

In _Boxing Helena_ Sands is supposed to be a brilliant surgeon, with a  galloping case of the Oedipuses, getting a fixation on Helena, Sherilyn  'Twin Peaks'* Fenn.  He ends up keeping her captive in his house  and  amputating all her limbs to stop her running away. Sands played this one   like a British Crispin Glover without the charisma.  (Luckily for him  the rest of the cast didn't know what they were trying to do either.   Bill Paxton turns in a particularly cringe-making performance.)  I spent  half the film just wondering what Sands was trying to do.  He was  obviously trying to 'do' something but I have no idea what.  Maybe it's  just me but I was pretty disappointed by the film. It's been on my 'must  get round to' list for a few years now.  People had warned me off it as  a 'weird and horrible' film (And these were people who know me!?  "I's a  begging you, Brer Fox, jess don't go an' throw me in thet briar  patch!") But it just wasn't weirdly perverse enough.  It was aiming to  place itself in the creepy psycho-sexual darklands mapped out by  Davids Lynch and Cronenberg et al, and ended up in expensive, backlit  humping, softcore erotic thriller territory - without the thriller bit.   And then it all turned out to be a _dream_! F**k that.  

*and the rest of her's not bad too... (baboom-tish!)


----------



## AE35Unit

Contagion
Scary stuff!


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *Boxing Helena* (1993)In _Boxing Helena_ Sands. It's been on my 'must get round to' list for a few years now.
> 
> People had warned me off it as a 'weird and horrible' film (And these were people who know me!? "I's a begging you, Brer Fox, jess don't go an' throw me in thet briar patch!") But it just wasn't weirdly perverse enough. It was aiming to place itself in the creepy psycho-sexual darklands mapped out by Davids Lynch and Cronenberg et al, and ended up in expensive, backlit humping, softcore erotic thriller territory - without the thriller bit. And then it all turned out to be a _dream_! F**k that.
> 
> *and the rest of her's not bad too... (baboom-tish!)


 
I wouldn't even class this film as weird and horrible - just horrible. A complete waste of time and money - and with an ending that could have been thought up by a five year old.

 It was directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch but to have the name Lynch anywhere near this is like writing _Kilroy was here_ on the Mona Lisa.


----------



## Tiffany

JunkMonkey said:


> *Boxing Helena* (1993) - Julian Sands is an actor I am coming to find perversely, weirdly compelling. Last film I saw him, in Ken Russell's _Gothic_, he spent the entire movie playing Percy Bysshe Bash Bosh Shelley lurching around like Julian from the Famous Five, grown up a bit, and having first year uni fun pissed out of his tiny little head on Newcastle Brown and coke. Nose coke, not 'the real thing' coke. I don't think anyone has ever tried drinking Newcastle Brown and Cola. (I may be wrong.)
> 
> In _*Boxing Helena*_ Sands is supposed to be a brilliant surgeon, with a galloping case of the Oedipuses, getting a fixation on Helena, Sherilyn 'Twin Peaks'* Fenn. He ends up keeping her captive in his house and amputating all her limbs to stop her running away. Sands played this one like a British Crispin Glover without the charisma. (Luckily for him the rest of the cast didn't know what they were trying to do either. Bill Paxton turns in a particularly cringe-making performance.) I spent half the film just wondering what Sands was trying to do. He was obviously trying to 'do' something but I have no idea what. Maybe it's just me but I was pretty disappointed by the film. It's been on my 'must get round to' list for a few years now. People had warned me off it as a 'weird and horrible' film (And these were people who know me!? "I's a begging you, Brer Fox, jess don't go an' throw me in thet briar patch!") But it just wasn't weirdly perverse enough. It was aiming to place itself in the creepy psycho-sexual darklands mapped out by Davids Lynch and Cronenberg et al, and ended up in expensive, backlit humping, softcore erotic thriller territory - without the thriller bit. And then it all turned out to be a _dream_! F**k that.
> 
> *and the rest of her's not bad too... (baboom-tish!)


 


Foxbat said:


> I wouldn't even class this film as weird and horrible - just horrible. A complete waste of time and money - and with an ending that could have been thought up by a five year old.
> 
> It was directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch but to have the name Lynch anywhere near this is like writing _Kilroy was here_ on the Mona Lisa.


 


It was an awful film. I have the DVD.


----------



## Connavar

*Touch of Evil *

My second Orson Welles film after Citizen Kane but i think this one convinced me of Welles legendary status more. What looked like a simple story became much more because he is such an artist with the camera,lighting, the use of shadows, the screenplay that was dripping with the corruption of the characters.  Every picture, frame was so powerful that i felt like staring at them.

I can see why clueless Hollywood excec would change the film from his original version.  He let the camera do all the work with longer scenes that moved, the character/actors do the work.  Not as many crazy twists, as much melodrama as usual in film noir.  One of few DVD films i own and it was great choice myself if i may say so


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> *Contagion *Scary stuff!


 
The cool thing is, some parts were filmed near where I live. I still haven't seen it yet.

*The Invisible Woman* (1940)

Sci-fi comedy about a scientist who creates an invisibilty machine, and tests it on a fashion model. Unfortunately, a crime boss hiding in Mexico finds out about the device and sends his bungling henchmen to steal it. I've never seen this movie before, and wasn't it bad.
Stars: John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce, Shemp Howard (from the 3 Stooges), Charles Ruggles, Oscar Homolka & Margaret Hamilton (famous for being the wicked witch in _The Wizard of Oz_).

*3 Days of the Condor* (1975)

A reader for the U.S. intelligence office is targeted for death along with his fellow employees, but he stepped out for lunch and is not there when the assassins kill everyone. The reader (code named _Condor_), returns and finds everyone dead, not long afterward he discovers he was supposed to be eliminated too. Great film I haven't seen in a while.
Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow & John Houseman.


----------



## mosaix

I'm a member of a fairly loose film club here in my home town. Once a month, one of four couples take it in turn to choose and host the showing of a film in their home. Only the host couple know the name of the film, the rest of us turn up and watch the film whether we like it or not (we usually do - except me when it's a musical ).

Anyway, tonight we were treated to _*Jacques Tati's*_ film *Mon Oncle*. I have to say it's the funniest film that I've seen in twenty years. The direction and photography are also superb.


----------



## Diggler

*Contraband*: This movie was so generic and bland that I spent most of my time fidgeting and trying to ward off sleep. The characters had virtually no back story, the performances from everyone was average. To add insult to injury, the story was just plain insulting for a crime flick. Plot holes, character flaws and half-ass twists did not help this terribly boring movie.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *The Beyond* Lucio Fulci's tale of bad acting, poor set lighting, creamola foam faces and a pretty senseless script.
> 
> Still, the ending showed a lot of promise because it allowed me to eject the DVD and go and do something less boring instead.


 
One man's trash, is another man's treasure.

I first saw this 1981 flick under a different title: _*Seven Doors of Death*._ I was stunned to see this gory end-of-the-world movie, and when it finished, I said, "That was wild". Now it's a freaky favorite of mine, and yes, I knew it wasn't for everyone. Ya know, it's not something to gather the family together and watch. "Great acid scene, eh grandma?" No, no.

Oh, Foxbat, you didn't mention the fresh-ripping spider scene. I like arachnids, but, yeesh..ooo...blah..

Anyway.

*Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff* (1949)

A who-done-it dark comedy set in a hotel with Lou Costello as a bellboy framed with multiple murders and Bud Abbott as the hotel's detective. A funny old movie, but, the ending left me with unsettling questions about Boris Karloff who plays a mystic (and the title character).


----------



## clovis-man

mosaix said:


> Anyway, tonight we were treated to _*Jacques Tati's*_ film *Mon Oncle*. I have to say it's the funniest film that I've seen in twenty years. The direction and photography are also superb.


 
My favorite part was the recurring scene of the street sweeper preparing to do his job, but never quite getting around to doing it. A little commentary on the French civil service system.

Have you seen *Mr. Hulot's Holiday*? Another Tati masterpiece.

After languishing for literally years on my Netflix list of movies "not yet available", I finally got to see *They Might Be Giants* again. It just popped up in my instant queue. So I had to watch it. Probably 30 years since I last saw it. With George C. Scott, Joanne Woodward, Jack Gilford and Rue McClanahan, this 1971 film is the story of a man who thinks he is Sherlock Holmes, a delusion triggered by the death of his wife. With Woodward as his Watson, the story is really about how we can come to co-opt another person's world view, valid or not. A little wacky now and then, it still shows off some fine performances by the lead actors in their prime.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> Oh, Foxbat, you didn't mention the fresh-ripping spider scene. I like arachnids, but, yeesh..ooo...blah..


 
How could I forget?

Watched *The Frozen Ghost* (1945) Lon Chaney Jr. and Evelyn Ankers star in this mediocre murder mystery about a mentalist and a wax museum. 

Not horribly bad but nothing particularly special either.


----------



## mosaix

clovis-man said:


> My favorite part was the recurring scene of the street sweeper preparing to do his job, but never quite getting around to doing it. A little commentary on the French civil service system.



Yes very funny, CM. I have to say, without giving too much away, my favourite part was the continuing theme of the whistling and the lamp-posts, especially the line "steering required!" 



> Have you seen *Mr. Hulot's Holiday*? Another Tati masterpiece.


No, but it's next on my list.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> *African Queen*
> 
> A film i rented because of Bogart/Huston and i wasn't disappointed it was an epic film,journey on those rivers.  With a top director and great actors like Bogart, Hepburn you can make any story exciting to watch..


One of my favourites there Conn!


----------



## Starbeast

*Head* (1968)

The Monkees surreal and excellent music filled film.

I've been talking to others about the loss of Davy Jones and the wild movie he made with Mike, Peter and Mickey, so I felt it was time to see it again.


----------



## Wish

Hugo. 

More or less lived up to the hype. Recommended.


----------



## Rodders

I watched D.A.R.Y.L on Sunday afternoon.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> One man's trash, is another man's treasure.



Apart from, according to the newly formed Junk Monkey's second insight into Sturgeon's Revelation, the 10% of everything that_ everyone _thinks is crud*.  And I would put the tedious, leadenly paced, join the  dots, LA Cop vs serial killer crap I watched last night in that category.  *Final Combination *(1994) a film made even more plodding and dull than the  script delivered, by having Michael 'The Plank' Madsen as our hero, and Lisa 'am I in this movie' Bonet as our love interest.  Oh the sexual tension. Both of them looked about as interested in each other as a couple of small kitchen appliances in a showroom window. 

A sample witty 'flirtatious' dialogue:

Her: "So, what about you?"
Him: "What about me?"

Trust me.  That was as good as it got.

A film so awful the killer had to jump out of character, and then through several really stupid and pointless hoops just so the film could end on a car chase.  Then he did something totally unexpected, unexplained, and conveniently off-screen 'after he was dead' so we could have the inevitable fistfight in the hero's huge hanger-like loft apartment.

Not even trash.


* Explanatory Venn diagrams will be sent, on request, under plain wrapper.


----------



## ktabic

*Helldriver*. A Japanese movie involving alien-infested zombies, exploding heads, pyramid head reminiscent guards, weird families and copious and improbable blood spray. Oh, and a chainsaw-katana.
It actually had a surprisingly almost-coherent story, until the last 20 minutes or so.
And the opening credits where 40-something minutes into the film.


----------



## Tiffany

Watched the DVD of *The Bucket List* last night.
I don't usually watch films like that, it was very emotional, but well made & well acted.


----------



## mosaix

Saw _*Safe House*_ last night. If you want your pulses racing, non-stop action, car chases, not-very-specific violence and intrigue than this is the film to watch.


----------



## No One

*Let Me In*

It's a rare occasion that I have anything positive to say about remakes, but this is one of them. While still arguably pointless in terms of production but for the possibility of someone who can't read subtitles, this is still more than worth the watching, even for those who have seen the original.

It's not quite as understated as it's Swedish counterpart, but by western terms it's still very subtle (with the exception of a couple - imo - unnecessary uses of CG). It's superbly directed where it doesn't follow an almost scene for scene replication of the original (which, by the way, was beautifully done) and most importantly the kids here are every bit as good too. Chloe Grace Moretz has got one heck of a future ahead of her.

I would still marginally favour the original overall, but given how good *Let the Right One In* is, that's saying summat.


----------



## Starbeast

ktabic said:


> *Helldriver*. A Japanese movie involving alien-infested zombies. It actually had a surprisingly almost-coherent story, until the last 20 minutes or so.


 
You stoked my interest. I just watched a tiny bit of the movie trailer. Thanks *Ktabic*.



No One said:


> *Let the Right One In*


 
A friend told me to check this movie out. Thanks for the reminder *No One*.

* ALIEN* (1979)

Tonight's midnight movie!  Yeah baby!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Cook The Thief His Wife And Her Lover* By far my favourite Peter Greenaway movie. Great music accompanies murder, torture, style and  colour ambience.....all topped off with a cherry in the form of the wonderful Helen Mirren.

Simply a masterpiece.


----------



## Starbeast

*Midnight Express* (1978) - Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt & Paul Smith

Loosely based on a true story about a man (Billy Hayes) who was caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey.
Olver Stone won an Oscar for the script, and so did Giorgio Moroder for his eerie film score.


----------



## AE35Unit

Starbeast said:


> *Midnight Express* (1978) - Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt & Paul Smith
> 
> Loosely based on a true story about a man (Billy Hayes) who was caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey.
> Olver Stone won an Oscar for the script, and so did Giorgio Moroder for his eerie film score.



Excellent film! And I had the Moroder soundtrack on tape once! Tape, sheesh!


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> Excellent film! And I had the Moroder soundtrack on tape once! Tape, sheesh!


 
I had the album. Today I want the CD. But I have to be sure that both versions of the movie theme is on it, one intrumental, and one with lyrics (just like the album).


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *In time* with Justin Timberlake. PLot - everyone can live for ever but time is a commodity, when they reach 25 they stop aging but have to earn the time to keep on living. A simple and clever sci-fi idea taken to extremes very well in places, but the film sort of lacked the real bite that it could have had. It started well, Justin Timberlake walks into a room with a gorgeous looking 25 year old waiting for him and says 'Hi Mum' it kind of shocks you.
It then goes on to be a little bit interesting in its use of the word time and how it affects people, time becomes money and people are robbed by 'minute men' for their hours/days/months
Unfortunately the film doesn't go far enough and becomes a sort of Equillibrium battle against the system (but without the Gun kata) as Justin and the daughter of a very rich man steal and give away time to the people in the Ghettos.

As I said, a promising premise, but a flawed film poorly executed (except for some small bits of scenes).


----------



## Diggler

*John Carter*

What can I say? While the film will not change the face of cinema it does succeed in offering a very enjoyable romantic SF that stays some what close to Burroughs vision of a Mars inhabited by aliens.

I have only read a small sampling of Burroughs first in his Mars series. As far as I can tell there has still been many liberties taken with the story, though I was pleasantly surprised to find many similarities between the book and film as well.  The movie is far from being an Avatar, but more along the lines of Star Wars episode IV. Having a wonderful air of romanticism, cheesiness and digestible humour that made Star Wars so timeless and unforgettable.

I feel that this will fit into the love or hate categories for most people. Take it for the entertaining, silly and story driven movie that it is and you will be happy. If you are quick to pick out flaws, expect more action or better FX, then you will be better off looking elsewhere.

Two last things is the 3D. I found it quite lacklustre. While I laud the production crew for going for a more subdued approach to 3D, it literally seemed non existent most of the time. I also found the film to suffer visually due to a lower quality picture with the 3D, and would have preferred a crisper, non 3D version to view. Though this is my opinion. The other is the violence. This is surprisingly quite violent in parts, with limb hacking, blood spewing and other scenes that will possibly affect a younger audience

Overall I give it a 4/5 and am looking forward to the sequel which is already in the works.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ferocious Planet *Multi-dimensional mayhem  when new wonder machine goes wrong. Pretty mundane stuff ensues as our intrepid heroes attempt to return to their own dimension on an extremely low budget. 

It's not the worst I've ever seen and it's probably a good way to spend your time if you are having trouble sleeping.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Scarface Mob  *(1959) This is actually episodes one and two of The Untouchables. It was put together to form a feature length pilot movie of the classic series starring Robert Stack. Great stuff


----------



## yaxomoxay

John Carter.
I loved it.


----------



## Wish

The Hellstrom Chronicle. 

Enjoyed it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Outrage* (1973 - made for TV)

Intense drama set in urban California and based on a true story, about a man (played by Robert Culp) who is pushed to the limits by a gang of hotrod driving teenagers. Eventually enough is enough and Robert Culp fights back!

This movie emerged at a time when vigilante movies were on the rise, and poeple were into films that showed average people getting victimized and then taking the law into their own hands when no help seems available.

A hard film to locate, but a great recommendation for this type of movie.


----------



## j d worthington

Wish said:


> The Hellstrom Chronicle.
> 
> Enjoyed it.


 
I seldom see this one mentioned; yet it has stuck with me ever since I saw it, back when I was in high school in the early '70s. Have you ever read Frank Herbert's novel, *Hellstrom's Hive*? It takes several elements of Wolper's little film as its inspiration, and is one of the most chilling sf novels I've encountered....


----------



## Foxbat

*The Spirit Of The Beehive *(1973) Interesting tale of a young girl living  in post civil war Spain (1940). The film Frankenstein comes to the village and has a profound effect on her. She drifts off into her own fantasy world and attempts to find the monster......

This is a fairly good movie but a little slow paced. The theme of post-civil war ruin is not new but, here, it is fairly well (and subtly) handled as we see the world through the eyes of a child. You could call it a proto-Pan's Labyrinth


----------



## Allegra

*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011), liked it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Flesh Gordon *(1974) any way you look at it _Flesh Gordon_ is  a real mess of a film with dodgy non-acting, wobbly camera work,  rubbish sets, hardly any jokes, very variable special effects, no plot, no rhythm - and it makes me laugh.  It's so naïvely enthusiastic it's  just wonderful.  Porn's Golden Age of Innocence, 'let's get naked and  make a movie' fun.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Hands Of Orlac *(1924) Conrad Veidt stars in this tale of a world famous concert pianist who loses his hands in a terrible accident - only to have them replaced by the hands of a murderer. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth ensues whilst this enjoyable piece of German silent cinema moves to its conclusion. 

I should add that this DVD was the Kino version and is a very good transfer of a very old movie.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *The Hands Of Orlac *(1924) Conrad Veidt stars in this tale of a world famous concert pianist who loses his hands in a terrible accident - only to have them replaced by the hands of a murderer. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth ensues whilst this enjoyable piece of German silent cinema moves to its conclusion.
> 
> I should add that this DVD was the Kino version and is a very good transfer of a very old movie.


 
Redone as a "talkie" in a 1935 film, *Mad Love*. With Peter Lorre as the surgeon performing the operation, this isn't a bad effort either. I haven't seen it, but another *Hands of Orlac* was made in 1960, this time with Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Redone as a "talkie" in a 1935 film, *Mad Love*. With Peter Lorre as the surgeon performing the operation, this isn't a bad effort either. I haven't seen it, but another *Hands of Orlac* was made in 1960, this time with Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee.


 
I haven't seen either of the remakes but I like Peter Lorre so will definitely keep an eye out for them.


----------



## j d worthington

Yes, *Mad Love* is a rather good film in its own right -- directed by Karl Freund, who also did the Karloff Mummy -- and starring Colin Clive, as well. As a bit of trivia... after seeing this film, Charles Chaplin is reputed to have said that Peter Lorre was the greatest film actor.....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Yes, *Mad Love* is a rather good film in its own right -- directed by Karl Freund, who also did the Karloff Mummy -- and starring Colin Clive, as well. As a bit of trivia... after seeing this film, Charles Chaplin is reputed to have said that Peter Lorre was the greatest film actor.....


 
Ah, yes. Forgot to mention that Colin Clive was the recipient of the hands of the disturbingly nonchalant murderer. But Peter Lorre is the basis of many creepy moments that are still chilling even almost 80 years after the fact.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Fountain *This Darren Aronofsky film is one I keep returning to. Peeling back its multiple layers and we find something of a love story told with style, beauty, and replicating itself in three different ways. It's something of a spiritual piece that examines our fear of death and struggle with life.

Hugh Jackman stars alongside Rachel Weisz and, in Jackman's case, I think this is by far his best performance in any movie I've seen him in. He ain't no Olivier but he hits the spot in this one.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Wages of Fear* (1952)

A poor little town in South America, is the location for Southern Oil Company. A mishap causes a huge fire, nitroglycerin transported in trucks on dangerous roads is the quickest way to blow out the fire. Four drivers are chosen from a motley group of stranded people from all walks of life who need the money, and two thousand dollars (per man) can buy their ticket out.

Remade as _Sorcerer_ in 1977, with music score by Tangerine Dream.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Blood Simple *(1984)  meh.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *Blood Simple *(1984) meh.


 
Zhang Yimou's remake is (I think) worth a look(and looks so much better). 

It's also a bit ironic - a Chinese remake of a Hollywood movie. Usually, it's the other way round.


----------



## Connavar

JunkMonkey said:


> *Blood Simple *(1984)  meh.



I felt exact same way when i saw it.  

I had a great run with Coen films like Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man and then Blood Simple was just too simple and not thrilling, smart enough to be thier usual level.

Time to see Fargo and co and forget Blood Simple ever happened to me.


----------



## J-Sun

After _Reservoir Dogs_ (now its own thread) I took a break with an _Animal House_ rewatch before moving on to another viewing of _Apocalypse Now_ (original version). It can't have the hypnotic explosive effect of a first viewing but it's still an amazing film.

All kinds of weird resonances: the US soldier's shooting spree in the news. It turns out today's the anniversary of My Lai. (Both more viscerally relevant to _Platoon_, but thematically covered in _AN_.) And I gather _AN_ borrows from "Heart of Darkness" and the last book I read was Silverberg's _Downward to the Earth_ which, while Silverberg has directly riffed "Heart" elsewhere and is using it to different purposes in _DttE_, has a similar (mostly land) journey structure with colonial motifs.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Don't be afraid of the Dark* with *Katie Holmes* and *Guy Pearce*, written (in part) by *Guillermo Del Toro*. Kind of a kids horror, which is a bit odd as it is rated 15. It would have terrified me at aged 10, but now I kind of enjoyed it. Not all that scary but Guilllermo does have a wondefully creative imagination and his creatures are always a great blend of ancient and new. Worth a watch just for the intricate design of the house.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Best of Sex and Violence *(1981) - not really a movie but a  straight to video compilation of sordid and sleazy seventies film  trailers (wall to wall tits and kung-fu) linked by the late immortal  John Carradine.  A glorious wallow in pre-compacted trash with a  genuinely laugh out loud funny joke in one of the links that I fully  intend to use at the first opportunity.


----------



## Diggler

*Blue Eyes Of the Broken Doll*

Partners in exploitation crime Paul Naschy and Carlos Aured, dish out a small slice of Giallo Spanish style. Naschy plays a drifter that is hired to help tend to a country mansion owned by three odd sisters. One is a harlot (Eva Leon), one in a wheelchair (Maria Perschey) and the last with a disfigured arm (Diana Lorys). Not long after a series of murders start scarring the town with young nubile mamsitas being hack up with a meat cleaver and their eyes plucked out.

This film was an obvious cash in on the popular Italian Giallo's of the 60's and 70's. Though done with far less flair than their Italo counterparts. The first killing doesn't happen till around the halfway mark. While there's some nudie bits for the men before this, it's not enough to keep you amused, or awake for that matter.

While I will give the film a plus for some very good camera work, and some typically cute leading ladies, the rest of this film was just plain boring.

2/5


----------



## Warren_Paul

*Thor. 3/5.* Art and special effects very good, story was alright, but some bits came with a bit too much cheese. Some scenes overdramatised without good reason. The villain was a bit too obvious. But overall was an entertaining watch.

*The Three Musketeers. 2.5/5.* As full on cheese as it comes. The plot was strange, the characters tacky, big name actors that didn't suit their roles. Special effects were good, but story left a lot to be desired. Much better off watching _Man in the Iron Mask_ than this.

*Lost Future. 2/5.* The premise sounded like potential, post-apocalyptic earth, and it starred Sean Bean - who is one of my favourite actors - but the acting is terrible (with the exception of Sean Bean and Johnathan Pienaar). The script and effects poorly done. The story had potential, but it fell flat with amateur labelled all over it.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Best of Sex and Violence *(1981) - not really a movie but a straight to video compilation of sordid and sleazy seventies film trailers (wall to wall tits and kung-fu) linked by the late immortal John Carradine. A glorious wallow in pre-compacted trash with a genuinely laugh out loud funny joke in one of the links that I fully intend to use at the first opportunity.


 Sounds Great

Watched *Excalibur *last night. There's been a lot of discussion of it here recently so I was itching to see it once more. It's still as enjoyable to me now as when I first saw it. A classic (at least to me)


----------



## gully_foyle

*Malcolm*, a cute reminder of my home city before it got too big.


----------



## Starbeast

*Robin Hood* (2010)

I finally watched this Ridley Scott film starring Russell Crowe. It was a very good version of the classic tale. Seems to be an opportunity for a sequel, by the way this movie ended.

*Gas Hole* (2010)

Excellent documentary showing how OIL was monopolized by 1899, car companies perfecting vehicles that could get over 140 MILES PER GALLON in the 1950's and other important detailed information on the subject.

Highly recommended film!


----------



## Behni

Last night I watched Aliens. I have the boxed set and want to watch them all prior to Prometheus. Not looking forward to the fourth one as the newborn alien gives me nightmares...


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Day After Tomorrow *
Aye its good n all, but I so wish they wouldn't use the phrase Global Warming, its so misleading and just breeds nay sayers. Its Climate Change.


----------



## svalbard

Winters Bone. This is a pretty good movie.


----------



## Rodders

I watched the movie version of HHGTTG last night and found it rather entertaining. It doesn't hold a candle to the book, radio series or TV series, but it was good fun and they did kind of put their own stamp on it. 

I also watched I, Robot. Again, a very enjoyable movie that deserves more credit than it gets IMO.


----------



## Metryq

Rodders said:


> I watched the movie version of HHGTTG last night



Please don't "text" with a full keyboard in front of you; what is "HHGTTG"? Thanks.



> I also watched I, Robot. Again, a very enjoyable movie that deserves more credit than it gets IMO.



I found myself liking _I, Robot_ "more than I should" because of the score. There are many worthwhile features to the movie, but the writers blew it when they got to the bit about Sonny having two brains. Working backwards, I'll mention the little details first.

Since Dr. Calvin had been ordered to decommission Sonny, and she had already learned that he had two brains, why the decoy of decommissioning an alternate NS-5? She could have blitzed Sonny's "official" brain without touching the hidden one in his chest. On top of all this, there would be some way of confirming which NS-5 had been decommissioned—serial numbers, MAC addresses—_something_. So a simple shell game with the robots would not have worked.

The two brain ploy was pivotal to the entire mystery of Dr. Lanning's death, which is why this plot hole ruins the whole movie. Dr. Calvin explains that Sonny has the Three Laws but can "choose" not to follow them. This makes no sense at all. Sonny can't have two brains equally in control of his actions—one must be dominant. Depending on which brain that is determines whether or not Sonny is constrained by the Laws.

All in all, the movie is not based on the _I, Robot_ anthology by Asimov, but on Roger MacBride Allen's novel _Caliban_, set in Asimov's robots universe. The novel features a massive roll-out of New Law robots designed to avert the collapse of terraforming on Inferno, a colony world. The theme of the book is the atrophy of human society from over-reliance on robots and the "trap" of the Three Laws. The New Law robots, however, will not mix with humans, so humanity is still declining even if the planet survives.

Enter Caliban, an experimental No Law robot intended purely for laboratory study. The researchers wanted to see if Caliban would formulate his own morality (his own Laws). But Caliban appears to be guilty of an apparent murder before "escaping" from the lab. The fate of the world literally depends on finding him.

Too bad the movie dropped the ball.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea Id like to know what HHTTG is too! Im acronymically challenged!


----------



## Aaron Stone

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Are you google-ly challenged as well?


----------



## AE35Unit

Aaron Stone said:


> Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Are you google-ly challenged as well?



Duh of course! Epic film!


----------



## Starbeast

*Devilfish* (1984)

Director Lamberto Bava directed this film about a large prehistoric shark with big teeth and tentacles that enjoys munching on people. This is Mr Bava's version of _JAWS_, except with a poor screenplay, bad acting and so-so special effects. However, Lamberto keeps your interest with fast paced direction and the fantastic crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000 make it a funny film. Worth a watch for B-movie monster fans.


----------



## J-Sun

_*Plan 9 from Outer Space*_, again. While the tinfoil saucers on strings (and especially the flaming one) and not-Bela Lugosi are easy, and there are a million other things to choose from, I think my favorite is the two guys and the girl in the "plane". I have never seen a film capture solidity, groundedness, and a lack of mechanism and electricity like those "plane" scenes. It's really magical. 

-- I left out that you can totally feel all those "passengers" in "the back" of "the plane", too.

Oh. And honorable mention for the fact that it's daylight -- no dark -- no dusk -- wait, dark again.


----------



## Metryq

Aaron Stone said:


> Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Are you google-ly challenged as well?



Hmmm, then we seem to have an extra "H" in there where one should find a "G," depending on whether the first word is two words, or hyphenated yet still deserving of another letter in the acronym. Google's reply was "Perhaps you mean _HHGTTG_?"

Yes, of course. It should have been obvious to anyone. I read the books once, which is fine when one is 13. And I saw the movie—once—which was too many times.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Metryq said:


> I read the books once, which is fine when one is 13. And I saw the movie—once—which was too many times.



Agreed.  I first came across it in its original Radio outing (which was fun), then there were the novels (which were less so), then the text adventure (played on an Amstrad PCW) then it was an LP (Google them, you whipper-snappers) and then a TV show... by the time the _film_ finally arrived it was so reworked and mined out I'm surprised anyone even noticed.

'Epic' it was not.


----------



## clovis-man

Re the Hitchhikers movie:



JunkMonkey said:


> 'Epic' it was not.


 
I don't think it was meant to be epic. Just amusing. In that sense, I think it was successful. If nothing else, the Busby Berkeley treatment of the dolphins departing the Earth was entertaining.


----------



## Rodders

I went to see Silent Running at the cinema last night. It was a double bill with 2001. Unfortunately i had a 03:00 start this morning so i couldn't stay for 2001.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I hadn't been too worked up about seeing yet another heist movie, and a bit weary of Ben Stiller. But the GF brought home a rental of *Tower Heist* and it turned out to be hilarious throughout.  

Great sneaker cast.  Alan Alda starts out so _Hawkeye_ sweet, then turns so evil.  Matthew Broderick... always funny.  Judd Hirsch?!?  (In case you wondered whatever happenned to Judd Hirsch)  Eddie Murphy has some moments. And some very funny unknowns.

Pretty good heist flick, too.

Fun.


----------



## Foxbat

Rodders said:


> I went to see Silent Running at the cinema last night. It was a double bill with 2001. Unfortunately i had a 03:00 start this morning so i couldn't stay for 2001.


 
Wow! That's a great double bill! Pity you had to miss half.


----------



## Connavar

*The Artist*

I just saw this film which i thought was hyped because the nostalgic story,being a silent film but i forgot about that when the film started.  The lead actor carried his role so well that i totally forget he was an actor playing George Valentin, its easy to get lost in the wonderful story, the music,the atmosphere and in the quality acting.  

It was hard not smile through the whole film with Valentin and to feel sad in sadder parts of the story.   The black and white visuals, camera work was stunning in away that only the best black and white films could be.

Im a believer now this film is special and not hyped because of a sappy silent actor story and the nostalgic feeling.


----------



## clovis-man

Good testimonial, Conn. Now I'll have to see it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*She Freak* (1967) - Whoohoo!  Total grade A WTF? paydirt.  The  story is minimal,  gold-digger waitress from a small town joins the  carny and marries the boss of the Freak show.  He gets killed by her  roustabout lover and in revenge the freaks carve her up and put her in  the show - the end. (It's a rehash of Tod Browning's _Freaks_ - a  film which still has the power to disturb and gave The Ramones some of  their most meaningful lyrics.)  The style here is incredible.  Short  bursts of dialogue sometimes rendered inaudible by lousy on-location  recording and other times by inappropriately loud music slapped on in  editing, interspersed with long (sometimes very long) silent 'sequences'  (I'm being generous here) of documentary-style footage shot in a real  carnival with whole  catalogues of almost not terrible jazzy library  music filling up the soundtrack.  It's insane.  Over half of this movie  is silent footage of people putting up tents, eating candy floss, or  riding the waltzers, occasionally our heroine appears and wanders around  past these real fairground punters - in one shot she takes _50 seconds!_  to aimlessly wander across from one stall to another - and occasionally  she interacts with other characters in that under-rehearsed, 'we have  no real lines to say here' way that people used to do in cheap holiday  commercials.  Overly large gestures, smiling and nodding, Catalogue Man  style pointing and uncomfortable body language.  Everything screams,"We  don't know what we're supposed to be doing but we're getting paid to be  here and the camera's running so we had better do _something!_"  an insane delight.  The director went on to make several other films, only one of which I have seen: the gloriously awful _Space Thing_!



​ 
_She Freak_ makes _Space Thing_ look like quality goods.


----------



## Foxbat

*Slade In Flame *(1975) Glam rockers Slade star in this excellent and gritty film about the rise of fictional band Flame. Very good performances from the band (considering they are not known for their thespian abilities). Great music and  pretty good cinematography. The only let down is the poor sound quality. This film has been under most radars for far too long and it really deserves a bit more exposure. Recommended


----------



## Foxbat

Whiled away the time waiting for F1 Quali highlights by watching 

*Batman: Under The Red Hood*.  Watching this film, that famous Nietzsche quote came to mind - _When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you._ This animated movie is very dark and gripping. Frankly, I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I thought it better than any of the live action Batman movies


----------



## Mouse

I watched The Monkees film *Head* today. Weirder than I remember!


----------



## clovis-man

Went to see *John Carter* yesterday. I figured I should see if the bad reviews were justified. While not one for the time capsule, I thought it was reasonably good. It tried to preserve some of the world view of ER Burroughs, which turned out to be something of a mixed blessing, i.e., commendable for the attempt, but unfortunate in some of the execution. Overall, however, I found it enjoyable.

I could hear the loud sounds of *The Hunger Games* coming through the walls at the multiplex. Somehow, despite the YA fervor about this one, I doubt if it's ten times better than *John Carter* as the hyperbole would lead one to believe............... Just my snarky comment for the day.


----------



## Geddon's Wall

Last film at the cinema - Sherlock Holmes 2 - readily recommended.
Last film on DVD - I've just watched Jonah Hex. An antidote to the wisecracking of Wild Wild West. Very dark, but a good film nontheless.


----------



## Geddon's Wall

I believe that the 'official' shorthand for the hitchhikers guide is either HHGG or H2G2 (I used to be a member (Researcher) before the Beeb kicked it into touch).


----------



## Interference

The movie, though, satisfied on more levels than it disappointed, I think.  I watched it with someone who knew nothing about the origins, nor anything about its various other incarnations, and they enjoyed it quite a lot.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*The Rum Diaries.*

I really wanted to like this movie.  I'm a big fan of Hunter S Thompson.

I've excused any negative remarks about the movie:  "Well, the novel is one of the first things he wrote... he wasn't able to get it published until he had become otherwise famous. It is what it is; from it's own time and place."  

The novel is an interesting period piece regarding weird American/Puerto Rican politics in the sixties and an interesting insight into the development of Thompson as a fledgling journalist; especially looking back through the perspective of his later works.

The novel is, more or less, a series of vignettes, on a reasonably coherent theme.  Most of the episodes are very powerful, emotionally and thematically.

The movie is so chopped up, that I thought I had fallen asleep, or the disc was skipping.  So I watched it again another evening.

The movie skips across the novel like a stone on a pond, and utterly fails to gather any sense of the intensity of the writing.

Read the Book.


----------



## biodroid

John Carter - I thought it was good, don't care about reviews on movies. I make up my own mind. And I heard people were comparing it to Avatar which is just stupid. It's nothing like it. Anyway, great sfx and a good story and the acting wasn't bad either.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Chained Heat* (1983) - Linda Blair goes to jail.  The jail is full of drug dealing lesbians, corrupt, sadistic guards, an even more corrupt warden (whose idea of fun is to tape himself having sex with prisoners in the office Jacuzzi) and even more more evil outside contractor (Henry Silver having fun hamming it up) who takes prisoners home for the weekend to parties.  In short all the usual Women in Prison staples (obligatory shower scenes, racial tension plenty of sweary words and ultra-violence - at least two rapes, one drowning (in the Jacuzzi), and I lost count of the fatal stabbings and beatings. 

And it was as boring as hell.  The 'climactic' prison riot is one of the most lacklustre  ever staged for film.  _Prisoner Cell Block H_ with T&A.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Red Dog*, it was okay but like a lot of aussie films it was a bit cute and a bit ruff. Must admit I've spent a bit more time with my dog since we watched it.


----------



## J-Sun

A maybe-second viewing of _*The Jerk*_. I'd forgotten how fantastic Bernadette Peters was in this and Jackie Mason is also very good. Ironically, Steve Martin is not at his best in his first star vehicle. The movie has an adequate storyline and some funny lines but the pacing is all wrong (dunno if that's co-scriptwriter Martin's fault, director Carl Reiner's, or just whoever did the editing), where it drags briefly at several points and the pseudo-dramatic pre-climactic scene isn't very good. So mixed feelings there but I can't think of a better Peters movie for me, not being a fan of musicals and such.

Anyway, while it falls short of being truly great for me, it's pretty good. The best Reiner/Martin movie I've seen, though, hands down and far away, is _Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid_ which I'd put in the top few comedies of all.


----------



## HoopyFrood

We started watching Grudge 2 but I have never been so bored and uninterested in a film. I think that's the first time I've turned off a film from sheer boredom. So we watched Chocolate instead. Jeeja Yanin is so kick ass! Wish I had mad martial art powers.


----------



## clovis-man

Started to watch *Oceans 13*. Only got about 30 minutes into it before boredom took over and I had to stop. Awful.


----------



## Starbeast

*Unstoppable* (2010)

Uninteresting and predictable runaway train movie, blah.

*Austin Powers: Goldmember* (2002)

Raunchy, and still very funny third film in the _Austin Powers_ seires. I can't wait for a fouth movie.

*PHANTASM* (1979)

I just love this film. The characters, the music, the black Barracuda muscle car, the deadly sphere, the spooky hooded creatures, the Tall Man and the overall eeriness of the film. A B-movie masterpiece!

I posted the trailer and extras in the "General Film Discussion" section, a while back.


----------



## Aaron Stone

Just saw *Hunger Games* in theaters. Loved it. Favorite character - definitely Caesar Flickerman. Stayed surprisingly close to the book, the things they changed were still good, and some scenes were copy/paste out of the book, which makes me happy. Overall, excellent movie.


----------



## j d worthington

*Phantasm* is an odd little film. Coscarelli is very uneven with this one, yet it has always been a favorite of mine. I can't help but think of it as being very similar in feel to some of the wonkier stories which were published in _Weird Tales_ during its heyday; say, something by Hugh B. Cave, with a little more savvy thrown in. And yes, the score by Myrow and Seagrave, also remains a favorite of mine... especially the main theme....


----------



## Connavar

I watched *The Cincinnati Kid* with Steve McQueen and Edward G.Robinson, Karl Malden.  It was calm,simple story that was carried well by the actors.  I was impressed how cool, low key Robinson played his role.   The theme song, the music was pretty cool.   The film had a real surprising end to me that made the overall story better.  More films should have an ending like that.


----------



## Marvin

*Senna *very well made, with some very interesting background. The most shocking thing for me was being reminded that Roland Ratzenberger was killed on same weekend!


----------



## Starbeast

*Conan the Barbarian* (1982)

Being a (1970's) fan of the CONAN Marvel Comic book & magazine series, I couldn't wait to see Robert E. Howard's character on the big screen, and I wasn't disappointed. Great "sword and sorcery" flick which boosted Arnold Schwarzenegger's carreer.

At the time, I was also looking forward to see James Earl Jones in the movie because I've enjoyed him in other films.

*Kelly's Heroes* (1970)

Still one of the weirdest and coolest World War 2 movie ever made, which included big stars at their best.


----------



## THX-1138

The Hunger Games. I liked it.


----------



## Rodders

Avatar was on the gogglebox Sunday.


----------



## MemoryTale

I saw I Robot for the first time last night. I feel oddly conflicted. It's a thought provoking film, but only if you don't think about anything.


----------



## Starbeast

*Zoo Keeper* (2011) 

Better than I thought it was going to be. Predictable, but entertaining enough to sit through. I was surprised to hear Sylvester Stallone and Nick Nolte's voices in the movie where animals can talk, but the beasts keep it a secret to humans.

*X-Men: First Class* (2011)

Great to watch this one again. It is so cool to see more heros and villains from the comic books of Marvel brought to life on the big screen.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*The Final Cut* was just on one of the movie channels.  A bit of a sleeper.  I don't recall ever hearing about this.
A strong SF premise: an implant enabling the replay of a deceased person's entire memories.  Robin Williams playing dead serious ?!? (so to speak) 

A reasonably interesting exploration of the implications of having one's deep thoughts exposed to public scrutiny.  A bit of a mystery/thriller hook to hold the plot together.

Generally, rather melodramatic.  I'll call it a three out of five stars; because 2 and a half sounds mean.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364343/


----------



## clovis-man

Put this in the "worst movie" thread by mistake. Should have put *Oceans 13* there instead.

_TCM was showing *Scott of the Antarctic* today in observation of the 100th anniversary of that ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. I've seen bits and pieces of the movie over the years, but this is the first time I actually sat and watched the entire movie. John Mills was properly courageous in the title role with a host of British character actors surrounding him. For the time it was filmed (1948), it was as realistic as the medium could sustain._


----------



## Foxbat

*Outpost* (2008). I enjoyed it. A good low budget horror that creates a fine claustrophobic atmosphere. You can pick this up pretty cheap and that makes it an even bigger bang for yer buck. Definitely recommended


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *Outpost* (2008). I enjoyed it. A good low budget horror that creates a fine claustrophobic atmosphere. Definitely recommended


 
Oh yeah, that is a good one, great atmosphere of paranoia and very spooky at times too.

*Bride of the Monster* (1955)

One of director/writer Edward D. Wood Jr's. better films. Bela Lugosi makes a terrific mad scientist and Tor Johnson as his bodyguard/assistant are the best characters to enjoy in this campy, quirky, creamy goodness of a film, with only a few chewy chunks. Awesome B-movie fun!

*The Amazing Transparent Man* (1960)

If I hadnt seen this low-grade flick without the funny commentary by the crew from Mystery Science Theater 3000, I would have walked away from this boring drama.


----------



## Moonbat

Recently seen, *The blind side*, the film that won *Sandra Bullock* her best actress oscar. It wasn't bad, I do like a good sports movie, and this one didn't have too much sports, got me a bit tearful at times. It is basically a story about 'big Mike' a young man with no father, a crack taking mother, no where to live until he is taken in by a rich family who help him to acheive his grades in school so he can play football (American football) and be a blind side blocker/tackler. Really quite good in places and based on a true story.

Then just watched, *City of violence*, a Korean film that had twinges of *kill bill* about it, was a fairly basic revenge movie, not bad martial arts in places. Had some nods to things like *warriors* (the old gangland movie) and possibly *goodfellas*, ok film, worht a watch if you like korean martial arts/gangster films.

Also watched *Mo*, a channel four film about  Mo Mowlam and her part in the Northern Irish peace process, her brain tumor and the end of her life. Quite moving in places, used some real footage of Blair, had me in tears when he said 'and of course our one and only Mo'referring to her help in bringing peace to Ireland (maybe that should be cease fire, and I think it has recently been broken, but 10years wasn't bad) Julie *Walters* as Mo was brilliant and quite a good biopic.

Also watched *Shadow of the Vampire*, having never seen *Nosferatu* I can't really comment on how good some bits looked, but I thought it was funny, *Willem Defoe* really does have an evil looking face. I think the only time I've not seen him looking evil was in *a life aquatic with Steve Zissou* (and was only becuase he wore hilarious shorts).

Watched the last three of them today!!!


----------



## clovis-man

Moonbat said:


> Also watched *Shadow of the Vampire*, having never seen *Nosferatu* I can't really comment on how good some bits looked, but I thought it was funny, *Willem Defoe* really does have an evil looking face.


 
You really need to see the silent film and then you will be even more impressed with the job that Dafoe does in bringing Max Schreck "to life".


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> Oh yeah, that is a good one, great atmosphere of paranoia and very spooky at times too.
> 
> *Bride of the Monster* (1955)
> 
> One of director/writer Edward D. Wood Jr's. better films. Bela Lugosi makes a terrific mad scientist and Tor Johnson as his bodyguard/assistant are the best characters to enjoy in this campy, quirky, creamy goodness of a film, with only a few chewy chunks. Awesome B-movie fun!


 
Along with Tim Burton's Ed Wood, this makes a great half of a double bill. Much of the Ed Wood biopic is centred around the filming of Bride Of The Monster. Ed Wood is also worth watching because you get an understanding of why that inexplicable explosion took place at the end of Bride Of The Monster


----------



## Gumboot

clovis-man said:


> Went to see *John Carter* yesterday. I figured I should see if the bad reviews were justified. While not one for the time capsule, I thought it was reasonably good. It tried to preserve some of the world view of ER Burroughs, which turned out to be something of a mixed blessing, i.e., commendable for the attempt, but unfortunate in some of the execution. Overall, however, I found it enjoyable.
> 
> I could hear the loud sounds of *The Hunger Games* coming through the walls at the multiplex. Somehow, despite the YA fervor about this one, I doubt if it's ten times better than *John Carter* as the hyperbole would lead one to believe............... Just my snarky comment for the day.




These two are the most recent two films I've seen, and while I enjoyed both, and while "ten times better" might be an exaggeration, as far as I am concerned there's no contest.  "The Hunger Games" is an exceptionally good film, and vastly better than the still pretty decent "John Carter".  And just to be clear that I am not swept up in the teen mania over it, I'm a 30 year old male Assistant Director in the film industry.

In fact, "The Hunger Games" is probably the best film I've seen in the last 12 months (excluding films I've rewatched...).


----------



## Foxbat

Gumboot said:


> In fact, "The Hunger Games" is probably the best film I've seen in the last 12 months (excluding films I've rewatched...).


 
Not seen the film or seen the books but I have a question. Doesn't the plot sound a bit like Battle Royale?

Myself, I've been watching *Brain Twisters *(1991). Tedious SF thriller. Avoid.


----------



## Starbeast

*Battle: Los Angeles* (2011)

Unthrilling adventure about a platoon of soldiers saving civilians and figuring out how to defeat them enemy aliens (same story as _Battlefield: Los Angeles_ which was direct to video - released nearly the same time).

The aliens wanted Earth's water, so they decide to engage in a ground war to forcibly take it. Dumb idea. They could have snuck in at night and sucked up the Great Lakes fresh water, or they could have taken chunks of ice from the Earth's poles. Either way, people wouldn't believe the sightings of UFO's and nothing would have been done about it.

Anyway, I won't see this uninteresting flick again.

*The Priest* (2011)

Surprizingly cool monster movie. My nephew told me I'd like it, he was right. I won't give away any spoilers, but this is one of the best creature features I've seen lately that's new.


*Foxbat*, just watched the movie *Ed Wood* a few days ago (for the 20th time). I figure it's time again to see _Bride of the Monster_ & _Plan 9 From Outer Space._


----------



## dask

WEST SIDE STORY. Finally saw it. Great. The tricky problem of combining rumble with dance was solved beautifully and believably. Rita Moreno wasn't just hot, she was ouch hot. OUCH!


----------



## Moonbat

Had the termerity to watch *Spartacus* yesterday, not bad at all, slightly long and none of Kubrick's usual flair but a solid film and some interesting bits. I was just waiting for someone to say 'I'm Spartacus and so's my wife!' but it didn't happen. 

Then watched *Dead snow*, a Norweigan (I think) Nazi Zombie flick, not bad either, slightly better than I thought it'd be, funny in places and some good gore. Interesting that the subtitltes refered to a country as Finnmark!


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> WEST SIDE STORY. Finally saw it. Great. The tricky problem of combining rumble with dance was solved beautifully and believably. Rita Moreno wasn't just hot, she was ouch hot. OUCH!


 
I had wanted to see that film since I was a child, but every time (and I do mean every time) the damn' thing was broadcast, the bloody power would go out about halfway through, and come on again during the end credits! This has to be one of the weirdest coincidences in my experience....

At any rate, about 15 years ago, it was showing on TCM, but I had to go to work just after it began, so I set up the VCR to tape it and watch it when I came home... and, for the first time, actually got to see the whole thing, in the proper ratio... and was blown away. An absolutely gorgeous film, with fine performances, beautiful cinematography, and superb direction by Wise & Co. It quickly made it to my short list of favorite films, and has stayed there since....

As for Rita Moreno -- I have had a crush on Natalie Wood since I can remember, but yes, Rita set the screen on fire with this one, and her performance is one of the highlights even in this fine company.... (I am also very fond of the handling of "America" -- the sheer energy of that piece, and the way it is performed and filmed, make it one of the best musical numbers I've ever seen....)

Incidentally, it is interesting to compare the lyrics in the film version with those of the original stage version, which are_ quite_ different....


----------



## Starbeast

*Fugitive Alien* (U.S. release 1987)

Campy and unitentionally funny movie inspired by STAR WARS. Basically about an alien who becomes a traitor to his warrior race because he doesn't want to kill humans. Fast-paced and wild cheese covered fun. BUT this is only half the story, the second part is entitled _Star Force: Fugitive Alien II._ I can't wait to see this cool/weird sequel.

*Girls Town* (1959 - a.k.a. _Innocent and the Damned_)

Rev-up your hotrod daddy-o and scope out the chicks in this fairly good teenage "bad girl" movie. This flick is hysterical with Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew making with the wacky commentary.

Dig this cast man: Mamie Van Doren, Mel Torme, Paul Anka, Harold Lloyd Jr, Charles Chaplin Jr (plus other famous actor's children ) and featuring The PLATTERS.

*Moonbat*, I thought *Dead Snow* was an awesome dark humored zombie gore film!


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> Incidentally, it is interesting to compare the lyrics in the film version with those of the original stage version, which are_ quite_ different....


I did notice that. During "America" I had to make a phone call and missed it and when I watched it later on YouTube I noticed, well, I call them substantial differences in the lyrics. I  only have the Broadway recording and listen to "America" frequently at work. "Automobile in America" sounds much better than "Cadillac zoom in America."


----------



## Connavar

*The Hunger Games*

I refused to see this film until i had read the book which i have not read yet but my sister paid for my ticket and convinced me to see it because of how much i like Jennifer Lawrence after Winter's Bone. 

I didnt regret it. It was pretty enjoyable and darker,more mature than usual YA SF or Fantasy book/film series that have been popular in recent years.
The flaw was that the ending was rushed and they didnt portray Peeta and Katniss relationship so clearly by the end. 

Jennifer Lawrence carried more than half of the film and she made you care,believe in Katniss.


----------



## hopewrites

Finally got around to watching *Karate Kid* today.
after decades of being surrounded and inundated by the lines and character references I was pleased that it held some surprises for me. All my school friends saw it when it came out and it has been a cultural icon since. Found myself crying when he said "Home of Brave, Land of Free, But no doctor come" so often in life things dont work out the way we think they should or assume they will, that he was so in love with his wife, and so proud to have a son who would be born American, that he was so willing to serve the country he loved and believed in, only to lose what he cherished most, while he was far away and helpless... well it was just heart breaking and I had to pause it so that I could finish crying. Then to see that young man, put aside his troubles and care for someone who was hurting far more than he was, made me cry a little more.

When describing the scene to me my friends forgot to mention the free flowing beauty of his back yard and the subtle artistry in the fence construction. I was pretty sure that I would not be sorry that I bought it before I had even seen it, but I didnt know i would regret not having seen it sooner.


----------



## Rodders

Stardust was on TV last night and it wasn't as bad as i was expecting it to be. 

I also watched something on Saturday with the missus called Akeela and the bee. I'm rather embarrassed to admit that i was totally taken in by it.  (I missed the ending though.)


----------



## Warren_Paul

Rodders said:


> Stardust was on TV last night and it wasn't as bad as i was expecting it to be.
> 
> I also watched something on Saturday with the missus called Akeela and the bee. I'm rather embarrassed to admit that i was totally taken in by it.  (I missed the ending though.)



Stardust is like one of my favourite comedies of all time, love it!


----------



## Moonbat

*



Akeela and the bee

Click to expand...

* 
I saw that several months back and, like you was totally taken in by it. It was actually a very good film with some good performances. I mean it isn't a memento or a Resevoir dogs, but it was enjoyable family fun.

I could tell you how it ended, depending on how far through you got.


----------



## Rodders

Nah, it'll probably be on again in the next couple of weeks. I'll catch it again.


----------



## Mouse

Warren_Paul said:


> Stardust is like one of my favourite comedies of all time, love it!



Stardust is one of my favourite _films_ of all time. (But it's a _field_!)

Last film I saw was Rush Hour... I want to say 2.


----------



## J-Sun

"Peeka peeka - risky business"

For the severalth time. Rebecca de Mornay and some anonymous schmuck in a quintessentially 80s flick about entrepreneurialism. Shot like a drama, generally acted like one, very funny, recommended. Special award to Joe Pantoliano as "Guido, the Killer Pimp" and to the guy whose line that is.


----------



## Starbeast

*Cheech & Chong's: Nice Dreams* (1981)

Thomas Chong did an excellent job of directing this third film in the series. Wild, wacky and wonderfully weird adventure of two friends who are looking for their stash of cash.

*Blade Runner* (1982)

Ridley Scott's directorial masterpiece. For me, this is still the best sci-fi drama ever made. Such a beautiful movie to dazzle your eyes, accompanied with the haunting score by Vangelis. I like the narration by Harrison Ford in this original film.


----------



## Rodders

The Other Guys. I found this rather amusing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Apple *(1980) - again!  I'm a masochist. Here's what I wrote in my film diary about it last time I watched it.  It hasn't got any better, but has got a lot funnier, since.  For one thing I'd forgotten that Joss Ackland sings 



> *The Apple* - every now and then I just get totally lost for words. Back in the dark days of the eighties _Cannon Films _nearly  took over the movie world. They owned Thorn EMI, cinema chains, movie  studios, the works. Coming from practically nowhere they achieved all  this by promising the Earth to anyone with more than $50 to invest, some  interesting accounting practices, and sheer ****ing chutzpah. And they  made movies. Loads of movies. 43 in one year. None of them were any good  and only the ones starring Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson took a cent  after their first week.
> _The Apple_ was their big musical.
> I have never seen _Can't Stop the Music_, the Village People's only movie, but I'm going to make a stab and say _The Apple_ is probably ten times camper, twenty times worse, and has to be much funnier.
> _The Apple_ has a paper thin story. In a totalitarian DiscoFuture (1994) where everyone wears silver suits with _*huge *_shoulders,  And cars look suspiciously like late 1979 models with transparent domes  and huge fins pasted on to them, a sweet innocent girl singer is  seduced by the dark side and signs to the biggest agent in the business,  the Satanic Mr Boogalow.
> 
> 
> 
> .
> Please allow me to introduce myself, .
> I'm a man of wealth and... oh...​
> Her true love doesn't sign but instead wanders about for a bit trying to  remember what his acting teacher told him to do in what was going to  turn out be his only movie appearance; he gets drugged and has his  brains ****ed out at a Disco Orgy and finally meets a bunch of Hippies  led by Joss Ackland (trying manfully to pretend he isn't in the movie by  hiding behind a huge beard). The girl sees the error of her ways and  walks out on Mr Boogalow and she and her boyfriend live happily in the  park with the lovely flower people - aaaaaaah! BUT! Just as the Disco  Police lead by the evil Mr Boogalow and his lawyers are about to arrest  the "Refugees from the sixties" for helping her break her contract, and  two minutes from the end of the movie, our wooden hero looks skyward and  mumbles 'I'm sure Mr Topps will come and rescue us...' to which his  missus looks somewhat puzzled - as does everyone in the audience -  because this is the first time _anyone_ has heard the name 'Mr  Topps'. Cue heavenly music. Enter badly matted flying Gold Rolls Royce,  Enter Joss Ackland (again) in a white suit and long blond wig (this time  trying to hide behind a very dodgy Southern accent) who whisks them all  off to heaven. The End. Seriously, that's it. A real, genuine unabashed  Deux Ex Machina ending.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> Chariots of the Acklands​
> According to the IMDb the audience at the premier were given  complimentary copies of the soundtrack. They threw them at the screen  causing 'extensive damage' (to the screen presumably, I don't think we  can hold them responsible for damaging the movie. Far too late for  that). I don't blame them for throwing things but can't help thinking  they would have been better throwing them at the director.


----------



## thatollie

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Apple *(1980) - again! I'm a masochist. Here's what I wrote in my film diary about it last time I watched it. It hasn't got any better, but has got a lot funnier, since. For one thing I'd forgotten that Joss Ackland sings


 
I must watch this movie.


----------



## gully_foyle

*The Pirates! Band of Misfits*. What fun. Sometimes taking the kids to the movies pays off (till smarting from The Smurfs).


----------



## Foxbat

*Grizzly Man *

Werner Herzog's hypnotic and moving account of the life and death of Timothy Treadwell. Whilst I have no doubt that Treadwell was a troubled soul, what he seemed to yearn for is what most of us seek - a sense of belonging. For him, it seemed to be within an idealised world of bears. This was, ultimately to lead to the death of both him and his girlfriend.

Whatever your thoughts on Treadwell the person, there can be no doubt that his own footage incorporated into Herzog's film is quite incredible. After 13 summers spent with these animals, he captured some truly magical moments.

It's been a long time since a film has left me with such mixed emotions but this one really does hit home. It's tinged with sadness, thought provoking, fascinating, and quite exceptional. It will probably produce heated debate wherever it's shown and I just can't recommend this one highly enough.


----------



## JunkMonkey

thatollie said:


> I must watch this movie.




Do I encourage everyone to watch this film.  Most people back away when I tell them it makes _Grease 2 _look like _Gone With the Wind_.


----------



## thatollie

JunkMonkey said:


> Do I encourage everyone to watch this film. Most people back away when I tell them it makes _Grease 2 _look like _Gone With the Wind_.


 
I just so happen to be a weirdo.


----------



## Foxbat

*Dark City *I never tire of watching this one


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched *Some Like It Hot* last night, as I have it on DVD. It's just...brilliant. So very funny, I especially love Tony Curtis' millionaire act. And Marilyn Monroe, as always, just so beautiful. *wistful sigh*

And the brilliance of the last line, of course.


----------



## Pyan

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Some Like It Hot* last night, as I have it on DVD. It's just...brilliant.



In my top ten all-time favourites as well. There isn't a duff line or scene in the whole film.

The original trailer is on YouTube:


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Lion in the Winter* and i liked it very much how it was both a film and a play at once.  I know it was a play originally but as play literary student i just loved the long scenes of dialogue and great actors.  No wonder Katherine Hepburn won the oscar, she played a bitter but very strong woman who was hard to like her actions but i couldn't help finding her fascinating as a character.  Good to see Peter O'Toole in his prime and not playing old man roles.


----------



## Starbeast

*Tucker and Dale vs Evil* (2010)

I highly recommend this horror/comedy movie! I just watched it a few hours ago and I loved it. Fast-paced, gory and funny!

Basically, it's about college kids and country folk on vacation.....and that's all I'm going to say. So if like horror with your comedy, SEE THIS.

*HoopyFrood* and *Pyan*, _Some Like it Hot_ is a classic. I love the ending.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> I saw *Lion in the Winter* and i liked it very much how it was both a film and a play at once.  I know it was a play originally but as play literary student i just loved the long scenes of dialogue and great actors.  No wonder Katherine Hepburn won the oscar, she played a bitter but very strong woman who was hard to like her actions but i couldn't help finding her fascinating as a character.  Good to see Peter O'Toole in his prime and not playing old man roles.


 
As a follow-up, you may also want to look up a copy of* Becket *(1964), which featured a much younger O'Toole playing Henry as well....


----------



## juelz4sure

X-Men First Class and I was pretty satisfied by the story


----------



## Connavar

j. d. worthington said:


> As a follow-up, you may also want to look up a copy of* Becket *(1964), which featured a much younger O'Toole playing Henry as well....



How much younger could O'Toole have been when Beckett is only 4 years before Lion in the Winter   Maybe they made him older than he was in Lion in the Winter ?

Im moody follower of actors because now i feel like getting films of O'Toole in his best roles after my Hepurn mode.


----------



## HoopyFrood

pyan said:


> In my top ten all-time favourites as well. There isn't a duff line or scene in the whole film.
> 
> The original trailer is on YouTube:



I love that song at the end of the trailer. Her voice has a lovely unique lilt to it. 

Watching *James and the Giant Peach* at the moment.


----------



## Tillane

Just back from seeing _*Headhunters*_.  A totally ludicrous film, but if you turn your brain onto its lowest setting and just go with it, it's nicely-paced, slightly gory fun.


----------



## Interference

Connavar said:


> Im moody follower of actors because now i feel like getting films of O'Toole in his best roles after my Hepurn mode.



Make room for Peter O'Toole's_ What's New Pussycat,_ then.  Though not in anyone's top ten movies, he still performs with sizzling sensuality and wit.


----------



## j d worthington

Connavar said:


> How much younger could O'Toole have been when Beckett is only 4 years before Lion in the Winter   Maybe they made him older than he was in Lion in the Winter ?


 
Correct. What I should have said was "much younger_ appearing_", and that he most definitely is. Look up some of the images from the film online, and you'll see what I mean....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Correct. What I should have said was "much younger_ appearing_", and that he most definitely is. Look up some of the images from the film online, and you'll see what I mean....


 
He was 30 by the time he had his first major film role as T.E. Lawrence in 1962. Didn't get much younger after that.

My favorite line from *What's New Pussycat*, although not featured in the IMDB quotes is when Ursula Andress is about to take off her jumpsuit and he says: "Now put that away."


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Snowtown *really quite impressed. About a week ago my GF and I hit HMV and came out with more DVDs than we should, but amongst them were

*50/50* - dark comedy about a cancer victim's survial rate - not bad at all, quite heart warming.

*Red State* - *Kevin Smith* horror/action about a far right ultra conservative church that start the film protesting at a funeral for a homosexual and end up kidnapping and killing some teenage boys. I enjoyed this, it had a great evil preacher and I think it also had some good commentary on freedom of speech.

*Take Shelter* - A man sort of prophesises an on-coming storm through his dreams and so tries to prepare his family for it whilst being worried that he is going mad. Good inplaces, very slow, looked wonderful, great acting by the central character

Then *Snowtown* - an Australian film about the serial killer *John Bunting* and his relationship with a teenage boy. Very powerful film, probably the best of the four, and certainly the most compelling. Scary in places, worrying and not as graphic as it could have been.

Also had the guts to watch *Anti-christ* today (great film for Easter Sunday) by *Lars Von Trier*, I thought this was good, the graphic violence was incredibly shocking, it wasn't that there was loads of it, things like se7en and hostel have much more but it was the nature of it. A seriously disturbing film that was, at times, a bit pretencious, but ultimately quite a good film, some lovely cinematography and good performances, just not sure if I will ever the get those images out of my head.


----------



## svalbard

Just watched *Agora*. I was really skeptical about this movie, but was pleasantly surprised that I ended up enjoying it. The movie is set in Alexandria 400AD and deals with the conflict between the growing Christian religion and the Pagan faiths. Overall it was a pretty good film with good production values and a firm grasp of the history of the time.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Kill the Irishman* with Ray Stevenson of Rome,Punisher Warzone fame.   Based on true story of irish-american gangster Danny Greene, other mob gangs in Cleveland in the 70s.  It had some pretty good acting by Stevenson,Chris Walken, Val Kilmer.  The script,directing was rushed in the end but overall it was good gritty gangster drama of old.

IMBD haters are calling the film a clichè, not as cool as Scorcese films.  Real world gangsters are predictable sickos and not as cool, great as Pacino or De Niro playing one in a film.


----------



## Interference

Moonbat said:


> ....things like se7en and....



I always want to say "Sesevenen" when I read this wacky title


----------



## JunkMonkey

Interference said:


> I always want to say "Sesevenen" when I read this wacky title



I just want to shoot the tosser who thought it up.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> I just want to shoot the tosser who thought it up.


 
I agree. It's a stupid title. In fact, all that type of wordage is stupid.
It took me ages to work out what m8 was. I thought it was talk about a motorway.


----------



## Connavar

Interference said:


> Make room for Peter O'Toole's_ What's New Pussycat,_ then.  Though not in anyone's top ten movies, he still performs with sizzling sensuality and wit.



I cant remember what i have seen Lawrence of Arabia other than O'Toole was looking like a blond satan as Hammett wrote in Maltese Falcon about the looks of Sam Spade.

Next for me of his films is his most famous role and Pussycat film with a title that for some reason sounds so dirty to me


----------



## Starbeast

*Dirty Harry* (1972)

Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is a no-nonsense, tough and street-smart detective who's after a psychotic serial killer called, Scorpio. Still a great movie to watch, plus a cool soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin.

This film was created as a tribute to the police officers of San Francisco who gave their lives in the line of duty. Several scenes in the movie were reenactments from actual crime incidents.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Dirty Harry* (1972)
> 
> This film was created as a tribute to the police officers of San Francisco who gave their lives in the line of duty. Several scenes in the movie were reenactments from actual crime incidents.


 
Does that include this one?

_I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?_

_ 


_


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Does that include this one?
> 
> _I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?_



 I would guess not but I would also guess (with some confidence) that just about every SF police officer _since_ has said it.

Today I watched _The Empire Strikes Back _with the kids and Dario Argento's _Profundo Rosso_ without them.  Both were a lot better than I was expecting though on the third or fourth time of watching _Empire_ looks very creaky in places.  The kids enjoyed it.


----------



## Triceratops

Starship Troopers. I'm told the book is ten times better than this movie. It was okay, I guess, because I've just written something like it and I like action/ adventure and bug-stomping. But, man, Denise Richards and that *****-eating grin of hers drove me to thoughts of bashing out those picket fence teeth with a ballpeen hammer. Oh, she got on my nerves!

Chris


----------



## Rodders

A long weekend spent eating drinking and catching up on movies. 

The Other Guys which i found hilarious.

Hot Tub Time Machine. Entertaining enough but i doubt if i'll watch it again. 

Dead Space: Downfall. I've been meaning to watch this for a while. It was OK but didn't tell me anything new about the Dead Space story. (That said, access to the internet would do that.  ) 

The Thing. I quite enjoyed this to be honest. I can understand the confusion as to whether it's a remake or a prequel, but there is only so far you can take the story given it's premise and location. There was a lot of Homage to John Carpenters The Thing which i liked.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Finally watched *The Firm *with Tom Cruise, not bad at all and one of the few times when my mom says that she kind of liked the movie better than the book.

Also watched *Ferris Bueller's Day Off *in full. Amazingly funny! 

I recently found the first season of the original *Get Smart* at the library and we've been watching that. The show is hilarious! Max is a complete idiot yet somehow he always manages to get the job done.

What else have I watched lately...


----------



## J-Sun

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched *Some Like It Hot* last night, as I have it on DVD. It's just...brilliant. So very funny, I especially love Tony Curtis' millionaire act. And Marilyn Monroe, as always, just so beautiful. *wistful sigh*
> 
> And the brilliance of the last line, of course.



Inspired me to re-watch two of my three Wilder films which is also both my Marilyn Monroe movies. I agree that _Some Like It Hot_ is a brilliant film but Curtis and Lemon in drag is kinda nightmare inducing.  Seriously, I think that, while _The Seven Year Itch_ could be paced a little more tightly, I prefer it. I think Ewell does a sort of amazing job (The Secret Sex Life of Walter Mitty) and Monroe is even more mesmerizing in _Itch_ than _Hot_. But both are excellent.

Incidentally, is Curtis' millionaire voice in _Hot_ just generic or abstract? He almost sounds like it's supposed to be some kind of Australian but it'd be even funnier if he was making fun of whatever it is that Cary Grant tried to speak.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> Incidentally, is Curtis' millionaire voice in _Hot_ just generic or abstract? He almost sounds like it's supposed to be some kind of Australian but it'd be even funnier if he was making fun of whatever it is that Cary Grant tried to speak.


 
It was hard for him to overcome his natural Bronx accent. He's famous for a line in an early movie, *The Son Of Ali Baba*: "Yondah lies the castle of my faddah."


----------



## J-Sun

clovis-man said:


> It was hard for him to overcome his natural Bronx accent. He's famous for a line in an early movie, *The Son Of Ali Baba*: "Yondah lies the castle of my faddah."



Okay - so it's a kind of Bronx/English? Or Bronx/"upper crust New English" (so to speak)? Makes sense. I guess it would be hard to try to speak one accent on top of another with neither being your natural one and the original might get involved.


----------



## HoopyFrood

J-Sun said:


> Inspired me to re-watch two of my three Wilder films which is also both my Marilyn Monroe movies. I agree that _Some Like It Hot_ is a brilliant film but Curtis and Lemon in drag is kinda nightmare inducing.  Seriously, I think that, while _The Seven Year Itch_ could be paced a little more tightly, I prefer it. I think Ewell does a sort of amazing job (The Secret Sex Life of Walter Mitty) and Monroe is even more mesmerizing in _Itch_ than _Hot_. But both are excellent.
> 
> Incidentally, is Curtis' millionaire voice in _Hot_ just generic or abstract? He almost sounds like it's supposed to be some kind of Australian but it'd be even funnier if he was making fun of whatever it is that Cary Grant tried to speak.



It really is a difficult accent to place. I'm not always very good at pinpointing accents as it is and that one particularly so. All I know is that I love the sound of it!

Aw, Lemmon especially in drag is amazing!

And yes, if I watched the *Seven Year Itch* I'd probably end up saying that was my favourite instead. Then I'd watch *Some Like It Hot* and change again! I do love the closed nature of the *Seven Year Itch* -- I enjoy films based on plays, like *Glengarry Glen Ross* -- and I love the constant monologuing and little fantasies! Very funny. 

And I could watch Marilyn in just about anything.


----------



## Interference

Curtis was indeed doing an impression of Cary Grant's slightly Americanised Bristol accent in SLIH, later parodied by numerous impressionists and in such popular entertainments as Fancy in _Top Cat_.


----------



## Foxbat

*Fitzcarraldo* Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski may have had a tempestuous working relationship but they made great movies together. Fitzcarraldo is a brilliant example of that fact.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Fitzcarraldo* Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski may have had a tempestuous working relationship but they made great movies together. Fitzcarraldo is a brilliant example of that fact.


 
A fascinating movie. The juxtapositioning of vastly divergent cultures is mesmerizing.


----------



## James Beam

Battleship.

Cool.


----------



## monsterchic

Hunger Games...good movie, but could have followed the book a little better


----------



## Starbeast

*Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides* (2011)

*The Thing* (2011)

Both of these movies were surprisingly good. 

Geoffrey Rush is awesome as Captain Barbossa, even the character of Capt. Black Beard was great, and ol' Capt. Jack Sparrow was typical. I'm just glad this movie wasn't as weird as the third film.

The _THING_ prequel was done rather well I thought, and since I didn't see any of the trailers for it, I didn't know what to expect. I liked the tension of not knowing who is the shape-shifting being from outer space, along with the bizarre transformation effects.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Fitzcarraldo* Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski may have had a tempestuous working relationship but they made great movies together. Fitzcarraldo is a brilliant example of that fact.



A mesmerising and wonderful film (marred only by a couple of really tatty model shots near the end).  The whole boat winching (in the non Scottish sense) over the mountainside sequence is one of the most terrifying bits of film I know.  Turns out the reason the sequence was so terrifying was because it _was_  terrifying. The documentary_*Burden of Dreams* _about the making of _Fitcarraldo _shows that the designer of the pulley system gave it a 70%  chance of failing with a 'catastrophic' loss of life unless the film  makers made changes. They didn't. He quit.

Tonight I watched *Videodrome* for the severalth time.  I'd forgotten how funny it is.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> The documentary_*Burden of Dreams* _about the making of _Fitcarraldo _shows that the designer of the pulley system gave it a 70% chance of failing with a 'catastrophic' loss of life unless the film makers made changes. They didn't. He quit.


 
They wouldn't get away with it nowadays. Health and Safety you know

Watched* The Ghost Train *(1941) Starring Arthur Askey. Thought it was mildly entertaining but didn't find Askey funny at all.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Lebanon* last night, was quite good, the claustrophobic nature of it all being filmed from within the tank was very good. I wasn't the most plotted film, but was different and an enjoyabe watch.


----------



## Mouse

Wall-e (I never thought that name worked properly for anybody other than the Americans. I sure as hell don't pronounce it how it's intended to be pronounced). But anyway, enjoyed what I saw of it - I missed the beginning and the end.


----------



## Metryq

Mouse said:


> Wall-e (I never thought that name worked properly for anybody other than the Americans. I sure as hell don't pronounce it how it's intended to be pronounced). But anyway, enjoyed what I saw of it - I missed the beginning and the end.



Then you may have missed the acronym: Waste Allocation Load Lifter—Earth model. Sounds like the name "Wally." The first part of the movie is the best. Telling a story with no dialog and a mechanical figure that does not have facial expressions can be a real challenge. Pixar "started" there with "Luxo, Jr."


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> didn't find Askey funny at all.



You're not alone.

"Remember, people once laughed at Arthur Askey, and History has proved them wrong." - Alexie Sayle


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> You're not alone.
> 
> "Remember, people once laughed at Arthur Askey, and History has proved them wrong." - Alexie Sayle


 
Good quote

Watched *Copycat* last night. This one never seems to get much of a mention (possibly because it was overshadowed by the release of Se7en a month earlier) but I like it.

On the downside, it's your common-or-garden serial killer flick. On the upside, it's got Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter in it and it holds its suspense quite well. Certainly worth a look.


----------



## HareBrain

Films I saw on a plane.

1. *The Iron Lady* -- Giles from Buffy cast as Geoffrey Howe!
2. *A Dangerous Method* -- watch eminent psychologist Carl Jung administer spanking sessions to Kiera Knightley. Awkward viewing in an aircraft cabin filled with kids.
3. *The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo* -- run-of-the-mill thriller with some lurid elements to keep people awake.


----------



## Mouse

Metryq said:


> Sounds like the name "Wally."



Yeah, that's what I meant by 'I don't pronounce it how it's intended to be pronounced.' Wall-e doesn't equal Wally in my accent.


----------



## alchemist

Immortals -- stunning set pieces, hokey dialogue and more oiled-up homo-eroticism than you can shake a stick at (not a euphemism!). Add in Freida Pinto's bum and there's something for everyone.

I enjoyed it and didn't need to use my higher cortical functions once.


----------



## Foxbat

*Corman's World* Very good documentary on the work of Roger Corman. I was surprised to see just how many actors and directors owe debts of gratitude to this man.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Mouse said:


> Yeah, that's what I meant by 'I don't pronounce it how it's intended to be pronounced.' Wall-e doesn't equal Wally in my accent.



It's obvious that it's supposed to be Wally, but I'm the same. The hypen break makes me say wawl-e (as in the boundary marker usually made of bricks) rather than wally.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Corman's World* Very good documentary on the work of Roger Corman. I was surprised to see just how many actors and directors owe debts of gratitude to this man.



Yeah, but as an editor said to me once in the cutting rooms at Corman's Venice studios, "All those people got famous after they _left"_.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Yeah, but as an editor said to me once in the cutting rooms at Corman's Venice studios, "All those people got famous after they _left"_.


 
True. But you don't get famous unless you get a start and that's what Corman provided.


----------



## Connavar

*I saw The Devil (2011)* - a brutal South Korean thriller about a man avening on the serial killer who killed his wife.  He puts a tracker on the killer to find him every day and beat him,torture him before he kills him.  Its like an answer to Park-Wook's revenge trilogy.  This is anti-revenge film.  A really good film if not the director best, it made me feel sick to my stomach because it was brutal,dark in a real way


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *The Birdcage* the other day. That movie was hilarious! 

Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria were amazing! 
And Gene Hackman's line: "What?" as he stands there not quite understanding what's happening around him


----------



## JunkMonkey

FireDragon-16 said:


> Watched *The Birdcage* the other day. That movie was hilarious!
> 
> Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria were amazing!
> And Gene Hackman's line: "What?" as he stands there not quite understanding what's happening around him



Try looking out the original it was better - and didn't have Robin Williams in it (which is always a good thing in my books).


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Try looking out the original it was better - and didn't have Robin Williams in it (which is always a good thing in my books).


 
*La Cage aux Folles* is a very good film and stands up well more than 30 years after it was made _sui generis_. But the American film has its own appeal. You might say that having Robin Williams in a "straight man" role actually added to the film. And Nathan Lane was absolutely, amazingly over-the-top.


----------



## Starbeast

*Tower Heist* (2011)

Not a bad movie about employees robbing their heartless boss's hidden stolen money. It was nice to see Eddie Murphy and Matthew Broderick again in a good film.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Intruder *(1962) Directed by Roger Corman, starring William Shatner.
Adam Cramer (Shatner) calls himself a social reformer as he arrives in a small town in the US South. His real agenda is to incite unrest and protest against black children being integrated into what were once white only schools. He soon finds, however, that it's not that easy trying to control a mob.

Anybody who thinks that Corman only directed low-budget horror or monster movies should see this one. Granted, it's still fairly low budget and it does have its flaws but this is easily the best movie Corman has ever made. It's a real gem with a great performance from Shatner (I can't believe I just wrote that line but it's true!). This is an absolute must-see for Corman fans.


----------



## j d worthington

The Shatner we have all come to know and... um, I think I'll leave that bit there.... Anyway, Shatner has put in some very fine performances here and there in his career. His performance in *The Brothers Karamazov* was by no means a shoddy bit, for instance. And no, Corman had a much wider range in which he worked, doing all sorts of films. He himself has done some fine direction (not to mention some real stinkers), as well, and a wider acquaintance with his productions can be a distinct eye-opener....


----------



## branche

several days ago,i watched Titanic ,on 3D of course.I watches in cinema with my family.It was pretty good in 3D.It reminded me of many memories.But the feelings were different.And I found this film was too long.it started at 21:25 and ended at 24:30.


----------



## JunkMonkey

j. d. worthington said:


> TAnyway, Shatner has put in some very fine performances here and there in his career.



I have a soft spot for  Shatner.  He does comedy very well and appeared in a few really odd films in his career - and not just in English.  Take a swatch at the 1966 film _Incubus _which was only the second (and ante-penultimate) feature film made completely in Esperanto. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus_%281966_film%29


----------



## AE35Unit

Puss In Boots.  Good Dreamworks fun with some nice blu ray extras!


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> I have a soft spot for  Shatner.  He does comedy very well and appeared in a few really odd films in his career - and not just in English.  Take a swatch at the 1966 film _Incubus _which was only the second (and ante-penultimate) feature film made completely in Esperanto.


 
He was also quite good in *The Andersonville Trial*, a 1970 television dramatization directed by George C. Scott. That was longer ago than I had realized.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065399/


----------



## Connavar

*The three Musketeers *

I enjoyed the beginning of the film as light entertainment that i could enjoy the fencing,sword action scenes and rest my brain from thinking too much.

But in the end it stopped being fun because of the worst writing,script i have seen in any adapatation of the story.  Good actors in it Matthew McFadyen, Ray Stevenson, Christopher Waltz, Luke Evens.  Orlando Bloom was so silly as over the top villain that it was comical.  They made him also look very silly in some future retro look, the writing was so bad for his character.

Plus big minus was the whole fake look everything had that was green screen.  Cheap look.   The sword action and the steam-punk elements was the only things that didnt make the film bad and i mean almost Uwe Boll bad.....


----------



## Diggler

*The Warriors*

While the movie is extremely dated by today's standards and has some exceptionally corny acting, it still manages to hold up due to excellent photography, locations and cool gang outfits.

Watch it on Blu-Ray (I have the HDDVD) and be blown away by a magnificent print that is so damn vibrant you need to wear shades!


----------



## Menion

*The Hunger Games*
Alot better then I thought it would be, great actors and effects. Can't wait to see if they make the sequel!


----------



## Foxbat

*Immortals  *Thought it was OK but lacked that certain something.


----------



## Foxbat

*Cassadaga *Pretty decent, if flawed, horror flick but, considering this was done on a fairly low budget, I'd forgive its sins and give it a watch. 

As dear old Yogi might say....hey, hey, hey - smarter than your average slasher


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*A Dangerous Method*.

Interesting. Made me want to read more about Freud and Jung.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Thor*
Just what I expected, a pile of hogwash with good CGI and little else!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lemming *(2005)  - A young couple find a lemming jammed in their waste pipe and then  their boss' wife shoots herself dead in their spare bedroom.  After that  things start to get a bit strange.  Interesting but very French - ie  over-long and not as unsettling as it thinks it is.


----------



## Starbeast

*Billy Madison* (1995) Not bad, raunchy, but not bad. 

A few scenes in the movie really made me laugh, and the penguin confused me at first.

*Naked Space* (1983) a.k.a. - _Spaceship - The Creature Wasn't Nice_

Micro-budget, B-movie, spoofing _ALIEN (1979)._ Cheesy comedy, with goofy fun. 

_starring:_ Leslie Nielsen, Patrick Macnee, Gerritt Graham, Cindy Williams & Bruce Kimmel (film's writer, director & actor)


----------



## Rodders

Corrina Corrina. I love that movie.


----------



## thatollie

My Name Is Nobody


----------



## Starbeast

*Taste the Blood of Dracula* (1970)

Gothic good fun for adults with the mighty Count from Transylvania. Still, one of my favorite vampire flicks from the great and ghoulish Hammer company. (Rated - R) Awesome cast!


----------



## clovis-man

*Burke And Hare* (2011). Featuring Tom Wilkinson, Simon Pegg as Burke, and an interesting cast featuring Jessica Hynes, Andy Serkis as Hare, Christopher Lee (in a hilarious unintelligible cameo), Tim Curry, Isla Fisher and even a brief appearance by Jenny Agutter. This is a really dark comedy about the famous Edinburgh anatomy murders that is enjoyable on many levels. Worth a watch.


----------



## Diggler

*The Avengers*

Great fun Marvel Superhero extravaganza. This film, for me, is second to *X-Men: First Class *and actually exceeded my expectations. If you like superhero flicks, Marvel Comics or any of the superheroes in the film. Then you can't go wrong.


----------



## j d worthington

*God on Trial* (2008). Though I have some quibbles with it, overall I found it to be an immensely powerful drama with some sterling performances and very taut direction. Hard to watch at times, but very compelling....


----------



## Foxbat

*Jackson County Jail* (1976) Reasonable gritty flick starring Yvette Mimieux and Tommy Lee Jones.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Hugo* last night, and was not impressed. For a film that won 5 oscars (all technical) and was nominated for best film, most of it was very boring. I thought *Chloe Morentz* (spelling) was awful, and she is usually good, the line where she says 'you don't like books?' was dire.
The film got a little bit better for the second half, but it was still very boring. It had *Sascha Baron Cohen* in as a train station guard, he was obviously supposed to be a comic character and yet most of what he did I didn't find funny at all. I know this was a film aimed at kids, but I am quite happy to watch kids films and I rarely find them so boring. I am really quite disappointed in *Scorsese* for such a rubbish film. Talking about *Christopher Lee* in strange cameos, he has a small part in this film, but it doesn't seem to come off, at one point I was lead to believe that he would turn out to be Hugo's God-father, but it didn't happen, *Ben Kingsley* ended up saying 'this child belongs to me' which wasn't strictly true. But oh, well. It was probably better than the *Adam Sandler/Jenifer Aniston* film that we started watching but turned off after 10 minutes because it looked so awful.


----------



## AE35Unit

*In Time*
Interesting SF where Time is a commodity rather than money with Justin Timberlake. I prefer his acting to his music 
The film is like a mix of Logan 's Run,  Robin Hood and Bonnie and Clyde!


----------



## clovis-man

*Moneyball*. A sports movie with a much different twist. Well acted. Brad Pitt was quite good. Very much worthwhile.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Haunted Palace* (1963) Arkham is not a happy place. Add a dash of Poe, a peppering of Lovecraft, a smidgeon of dry ice and a slice of shadows. Saute with a wonderfully overpowering soundtrack.

Mix it all together in a Corman directed movie and what have you got?

Actually, what you've got is a pretty good piece of American Gothic. It might have been done on a low budget but Vincent Price is top-notch in this movie. Lon Chaney fills a creepy supporting role whilst Debra Paget and Cathie Merchant  get to heave their ample bosoms in this dark tale of irate villagers with torches (now there's a surprise)

Despite my flippancy, this is worth a watch


----------



## j d worthington

*The Haunted Palace* is one of those odd pieces which neither entirely works, nor entirely doesn't work, and can hit people distinctly either way. Charles Beaumont was not a fan of HPL -- in fact, he cordially disliked his work pretty much all 'round -- and it shows in the sometimes lackadaisical and unsympathetic (as in not being at all in tune with the original author's intention) handling of the material in his script... yet he was also a very talented writer himself, and there are elements of this one which are nonetheless quite good. A strange entry in the Lovecraftian cinema range, but I agree, worth a watch.

(Incidentally, I have something of a fondness for Debra Paget, who was also in the "M. Valdemar" segment of the Corman/Poe *Tales of Terror*; to me she had an air of quiet tragedy about her performances which made her a fine choice for a Gothic heroine....)


----------



## Mouse

Saw *The Avengers* (Assemble) last night at the cinema. 

I enjoyed it. I've not seen the other character films, so didn't fully understand what accent Thor was doing. First of all I was wondering why Loki sounded English and Thor American if they were brothers, then realised Thor wasn't doing 'American' exactly. I guess it was supposed to be Asgardian.

I don't really like the character of the Hulk. Or Ironman - though I could tolerate him by the end. Quite liked Captain America (though watching too much Team America means I was mentally doing the 'f*ck yeah' every time he was on screen.)

Also, pretty amusing film, though I was the only person in the cinema not laughing. Somebody even clapped. I mean, contain yourself!


----------



## Susan Boulton

*The Iron Lady*


Actually watched this film last night and was quite surprised that it wasn't the total whitewash of her character others had lead me to believe. It didn't try to justify her decisions, which I thought it would, just showed you them. (Actually treated the audience as if it had a mind of its own to judge the content with, and actually confimed my long held opinion of the woman.) Was surprised at how many well known British male actors there was. Both Anthony Head (playing Geoffrey Howe) and Richard E Grant (playing Michael Heseltine) were great. Both gents don't look like the men they were playing, but I noticed that both had their hair done in the style of said former Cabinet Ministers and through superb acting created their persona, just as I remembered them to be.


----------



## Mouse

Mouse said:


> I've not seen the other character films, so didn't fully understand what accent Thor was doing. First of all I was wondering why Loki sounded English and Thor American if they were brothers, then realised Thor wasn't doing 'American' exactly. I guess it was supposed to be Asgardian.



Just found out the actor is Australian. That'll be why I couldn't place his accent then! (Not that I don't know what an Australian accent is - more that I knew he wasn't doing 'American' or 'English')


----------



## Foxbat

*MacBeth *(1997) Fairly decent portrayal of 'The Scottish Play' by Jason Connery and Helen Baxendale in the lead roles. Unfortunately, the transfer to DVD was not great and looks like it's been a straight port from video. Watchable but very grainy in places.


----------



## Starbeast

*Contagion* (2011)

It was alright. More realistic than _Outbreak_, and not as much action, but it was alright.

*The Green Mile* (1999)

One of Stephen King's best movies adapted from a novel. Even though I've seen this powerful supernatural drama before, I still get emotionally drained after watching it.

"Heaven, I'm in Heaven..."


----------



## sonic

*In Time *(2011)
A movie with such a great premise and such a low delivery. It could have been much-much more than it was (the general idea of making "time is money" into movie) while the ending was probably one of the worst in movie history. Timberlake was rather good for my surprise.


----------



## Foxbat

*Tower Of London* (1962)

_In the tower, History is the first victim_
Just thought I'd dream up my own tagline there for this Corman directed movie. 

Vincent Price plays Richard III in this medieval romp that casts aside historical accuracy. Still, Price makes a good job of playing the misshapen maliferous megalomaniac as he dispatches his competitors with guile and ease. Unfortunately, they keep returning from the grave to tell him of his fate.

Watching this is a nice way to spend a lazy sunday morning


----------



## No One

Mouse said:


> Also, pretty amusing film, though I was the only person in the cinema not laughing. Somebody even clapped. I mean, contain yourself!



Just got back and I clapped - I daresay it was at the same moment.  Most surprisingly, for the usually reserved british theatre-going public, most of us in there (and it was packed) did likewise! That's a rare thing. 

Ultimately a leave-the-brain-by-the-door film, but who didn't know that already? Go. Watch. Enjoy. Lots of good humour in there and some awesome moments for the kid in us to OOH at.

But my god do prices in cinemas take the proverbial nowadays.


----------



## Mouse

I can't bear clapping at the cinema! Makes me cringe. 

(Which bit did you clap?)


----------



## No One

Mouse said:


> I can't bear clapping at the cinema! Makes me cringe.
> 
> (Which bit did you clap?)



Spoiler! (sort of, but not really, so look away now and no highlighting)



>>>Hulk and Loki. Cracked us all up.


----------



## Mouse

Yep, it is the same!


----------



## Starbeast

Mouse said:


> Saw *The Avengers* (Assemble) last night at the cinema.
> 
> pretty amusing film, though I was the only person in the cinema not laughing. Somebody even clapped. I mean, contain yourself!


 
Back in the 1970's in America, people would talk to the screen.

Examples:

"Get out of the HOUSE!"

"Get'em Bruce Lee, get them!"

"Don't go in that room, jump out a window and run away. Look out! Here he comes again! Get the knife, get the knife. AHHHH! RUN. Don't look back, just run. It's TOO LATE! AAAAHHHHH!"

*American Movie* (1999)

Excellent documentary about a struggling young film maker from North America named Mark Borchardt, who has a great desire to make horror movies. 

I've seen this quite a few times long ago, and it was time to watch it again.

*Kllldozer *(1974 - made for TV)

Great little B-movie gem from the past. I haven't seen it in ages.

A meteor containing an evil alien spirit crashes to Earth, then a construction bulldozer touches the rock from space and passes the evil spirit into the vehicle. Nuff said. Weird/cool good fun.


----------



## Metryq

Starbeast said:


> *Kllldozer *(1974 - made for TV)
> 
> Great little B-movie gem from the past. I haven't seen it in ages.



Ditto. I remember seeing that on TV and being grossed out by the scene where one hard-hat tries to hide in a corrugated drain pipe. (Unlike KICKASS where digital FX were used to show one poor sap in a car crusher.)

_Of course_ people talk to the screen. Audience reaction and participation is the only reason to see a movie in cinema these days. Yapping on your cell phone during the movie is wrong, but booing the bad guys, cheering the hero, and generally engaging in the public sport of movie-going is what it's all about.

While watching the first TERMINATOR, I remember the scene where the T-800 approaches the first house. This tiny, yappy dog is barking in the yard. Somewhere down in the audience I heard a woman's distressed voice cry, "Oh no! He's going to eat it!"

Oh, the memories.


----------



## Rodders

The Incredible Hulk was on last night (the Edward Norton one). It was OK but i doubt if i'd watch it again.


----------



## Allegra

*War Horse* - excellent film, a touching story and amazing cinematography. Just hope the horses didn't suffer much during filming.

*Dolores Claiborne *- another well-done by Kathy Bates. Same as *Misery*, it's almost like Stephen King wrote the books for her to play.


----------



## Foxbat

Rodders said:


> The Incredible Hulk was on last night (the Edward Norton one). It was OK but i doubt if i'd watch it again.


 
Exactly my feelings too.


----------



## Connavar

Mouse said:


> Saw *The Avengers* (Assemble) last night at the cinema.
> 
> I enjoyed it. I've not seen the other character films, so didn't fully understand what accent Thor was doing. First of all I was wondering why Loki sounded English and Thor American if they were brothers, then realised Thor wasn't doing 'American' exactly. I guess it was supposed to be Asgardian.
> 
> I don't really like the character of the Hulk. Or Ironman - though I could tolerate him by the end. Quite liked Captain America (though watching too much Team America means I was mentally doing the 'f*ck yeah' every time he was on screen.)
> 
> *Also, pretty amusing film, though I was the only person in the cinema not laughing. Somebody even clapped. I mean, contain yourself!*



I clapped because it was funny,amusing from nowwhere somtimes. Typical Whedon Firefly creator humor.  Hulk lines for example.  Fans loved that and almost everyone clapped,laughed at times.   Best response from Marvel superhero i have seen in cinema.  It was alot of fun and didnt take itself too seriously like X-Men,Batman films does too often.

Team superhero film is hard to make serious but easy to make fun,great action.  The last half of the film with characters being truly themselves perfectly and awesome action scenes made me smile alot.  Im superhero fan in comics but i never like team comic books like Avengers,JLA.  

Technically not as strong as The Dark Knight or Spiderman I but easily the best adaptation of superhero comics.


----------



## Mouse

I do know _why_ people clap. My point is - we don't in the UK (or didn't - we seem to be turning into Mini-America) tend to clap at films. I mean, the Hulk can't exactly hear you.


----------



## Connavar

Mouse said:


> I do know _why_ people clap. My point is - we don't in the UK (or didn't - we seem to be turning into Mini-America) tend to clap at films. I mean, the Hulk can't exactly hear you.



I think its the first time i ever clapped at film.  Usually i see The Artist,Winter's Bone type film.  I avoid blockbuster other than few superhero.

My clapping was really because my body was shaking with laughter and i didnt know i was clapping 

Normally few films are that fun or i avoid the cheap thrills type films.


----------



## Mouse

It was definitely a good film! I'm just not a clapper.


----------



## JunkMonkey

My brother used to work as a projectionist in an art house cinema.  He was bemused once sometime during the 90s when, after a screening of _Der Rosenkavalier_ (1962)  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056426/ the entire audience gave it a standing ovation.


----------



## clovis-man

Audience reactions in movie theaters are hard to figure. If people are applauding, I sometimes think some just don't want to be the ones who *aren't* clapping. So the clapping is for each other, not the people on the screen.

When I first saw *Young Frankenstein*, lo these many years ago, it was in a Los Angeles theater. In the grave digging scene, when Marty Feldman began shoveling dirt all over himself, the audience went nuts. I watched it again in Fresno a week later and there was absolutely no audience reaction to the same scene. How come? Demographics? People in L.A. are smarter? People in Fresno don't like dirt? No clue.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> My brother used to work as a projectionist in an art house cinema.  He was bemused once sometime during the 90s when, after a screening of _Der Rosenkavalier_ (1962)  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056426/ the entire audience gave it a standing ovation.


 
And I saw this film in the 1960s in a Sacramento theater. I felt no urge to applaud and, apparently, neither did the rest of the audience. It was pretty good, though. Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf at the height of her career.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Audience reactions in movie theaters are hard to figure. If people are applauding, I sometimes think some just don't want to be the ones who *aren't* clapping. So the clapping is for each other, not the people on the screen.


 
Maybe it's us reserved British, but I've bever witnessed clapping in a cinema.

I think often that an audience leaving in utter silence can be a better indication of a film that's been enjoyed. I know that in my case, the silence is an indication that I'm still pondering what I saw. On the other hand, if it's been a bad film, I usually voice that opinion to whomever I'm with as soon as the credits roll.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I may have expounded this here before but I have a long held theory that films that affect you make you move differently.  At its crudest when you come out of a Fred Astair movie you feel you can dance, when you come out of a superhero film you feel like you can fly - and your body reacts as if it can.  Just like when when we were kids and came out of the Saturday morning matinees - those of us old enough and British enough to know what I'm talking about... will know what I'm talking about - we came out 'being' robots or Zorro or whatever was playing that week.

To me an audience leaving in utter silence means 'the wrong kind of film'.  Stolid art house vagueness with nice camerawork and lots of shots of **** all happening for long periods.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Just like when when we were kids and came out of the Saturday morning matinees - those of us old enough and British enough to know what I'm talking about... will know what I'm talking about - we came out 'being' robots or Zorro or whatever was playing that week.


 
For me in the U.S. it was Hopalong Cassidy.

http://www.hopalong.com/


----------



## Foxbat

*The Eidelweiss Pirates *A fictional movie but based on the real life events of a group of youths in wartime Germany who stood up to and rebelled against the Nazi regime. It's a bit of a cliched storyline in the use of two brothers (each on opposite sides) but it's still worth a watch.


----------



## Allegra

Foxbat said:


> I think often that an audience leaving in utter silence can be a better indication of a film that's been enjoyed. I know that in my case, the silence is an indication that I'm still pondering what I saw.


 
I agree. For example the Oscar winning Italian film *Life is beautiful*. I remember after the film ended no one moved, the audience just sat there until the last chord dropped and the screen went blank. Then people got up silently, many with teary eyes. 

Watched drama-documentary *Van Gogh Painted With Words* on Youtube the other day - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xir2M0cM9v4. Since BBC's *Sherlock *I became a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, now I'm a bigger fan! His Van Gogh is totally convincing and his voice, wow!


----------



## Foxbat

Allegra said:


> I agree. For example the Oscar winning Italian film *Life is beautiful*. I remember after the film ended no one moved, the audience just sat there until the last chord dropped and the screen went blank. http://


 
Love that film


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*The Avengers 3D
*

What a film! Great special effects, costumes, story and acting. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was filled with thrilling action scenes and humour galore. The pace never flagged. Joss Whedon did a fabulous job. I highly recommend this film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Daisy-Boo said:


> *The Avengers 3D
> *
> 
> What a film! Great special effects, costumes, story and acting. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was filled with thrilling action scenes and humour galore. The pace never flagged. Joss Whedon did a fabulous job. I highly recommend this film.



Thank you, Mrs Whedon.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

JunkMonkey said:


> Thank you, Mrs Whedon.



 Sorry for the gushing but the movie was really that good.


----------



## Finnien

Fantastic news - I can't wait to see it.  Maybe that'll mean Joss will have an easier time finding some sort of distribution for his *Much Ado About Nothing*.  Shakespeare with Nathan Fillion, Amy Acker, and Fran Kranz done by Joss Whedon?  Who cares if he did it in his back yard in two weeks.  It's going to be great.

Plus, Cabin in the Woods was terrific as well.  It looks like Whedon's year.


----------



## woodsman

Also saw Avengers in 3D.

Actually really enjoyed it - can't beat a few huge guys running around hitting things and Scarlett, oh wow. What I really enjoyed was the the humour although it may have just been me, when you're the only person p&*$"@# themselves laughing you do wonder! Nice to see a hero film which seemed to embrace not being taken seriously! 

Now I just want Serenity II, Please?? 
Not convinced about 3D though. Not sure it adds anything and at times seems to detract.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Woodsman, I loved the humour too and so did the audience I viewed it with. And Scarlett was kick@ss.


----------



## Foxbat

Recently watched *Into The Abyss - *the title of Werner Herzog’s exploration of the death penalty. Right at the very start, Herzog lays his cards on the table by stating his opposition to the death penalty and it is to his credit that (in my opinion) this film gives a balanced and neutral view. By looking into one case (a triple homicide) Herzog explores the crime, the criminals, the circumstances and the effect on the families of the victims.

It is a thought provoking, moving and insightful piece of work. His filming is unobtrusive and allows all involved their chance to voice feelings and opinions on the matter. It is a trip into the human psyche, a gaze into the titular abyss. 

Some critics have viewed this film as anti-capital punishment but I do not think it is as straight forward as that. To me, this film is simply a statement on the nature of the importance of life in all its forms, and Herzog shows great respect for his audience by allowing them to draw their own conclusions.

I have always enjoyed Herzog’s work and this documentary coupled with a slightly earlier work (Grizzly Man) shows that this German director  still has the ability to bring something profound to the world. Long may it continue. 

Personally, I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next.

Highly recommended.


----------



## J-Sun

_District 9_. Once was enough, thanks.



Interference said:


> Curtis was indeed doing an impression of Cary Grant's slightly Americanised Bristol accent in SLIH, later parodied by numerous impressionists and in such popular entertainments as Fancy in _Top Cat_.



Forgot to reply. Good to know - glad my suspicions weren't completely off base.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched a lovely film called *All in the Family *with Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas and his son Cameron. Great to see kirk still acting in his 90s! Legend!

Later will be watching *Warhorse*


----------



## No One

There's no dedicated Avengers thread that I see, so I'll ask here and hope it's not too much of a derailment, but there was something in the film I initially forgot to mention, something that frankly shocked me (and the friend I was watching it with). I was wondering if anyone else thought so too.

I'm referring to the use of the, um, "Q" word 

Don't know what I mean? It's in the scene with Loki talking to Black Widow. It's a word that seemed to be relatively common at one point some years ago, but has, as far as I know, fallen away into obscurity since. I hadn't heard it used in many a year, but when it came up my jaw practically hit the floor. Granted, my understanding of the word is slightly different to how it's precisely defined online, but the connotations are very much the same.

I know that Joss Whedon is up on his English lingo, and maybe US audiences and younger UK viewers simply aren't familiar with the word at all (I've no idea), but how he managed to sneak that one by the censors is beyond me. Not that I'm complaining - it helped lend some real weight to Loki's despicableness in the scene.

Alas, me and my friend were sat at the front of the theatre, so I couldn't see if anyone else reacted to it around me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

"the Q word?"  What the hell does that mean? "the Q word?"  If you mean 'Queer'? why don't you just say it?  Queer.   Queer.   Queer.  I just typed it three times and the world didn't end.  This is getting ridiculous - sorry if this sounds trollish* but if we are going to carry on like this not using words but referring to them instead only as 'the insert letter here' word, then that is going to limit the euphemisms available to the English speaking world to 26.

So far the letters C, F, and N are pretty well spoken for so in this regard we're down to 23.  And I can't see many sweary words on the horizon starting with Z or X. So were down to 21.  What happens if someone decides that _another_ word (ie not '****') starting with the letter F is derogatory, insulting, belittling, or a bit NSFW?  Does it become 'The other F word'?  

Fword2 that for a game of soldiers!

Mind you, I'm still smarting over the fact that my wife didn't allow me to call my son Cnut.**



Oh, and I watched a film today.  _Snow White_ with Miranda Richardson.  Not terrible. The kids liked it.  Though the presence of tarmacked roads and racoons in Generic Euro Fairytale land was a bit odd.



* - or even Daily Mailish - I am, by inclination, a raving lefty, ban the bomb, tree hugging Guardian reader.

**Cnut the Great (985 or 995 – 12 November 1035), also known as  Canute, was a king of  Denmark,  England,  Norway and parts of  Sweden. 

I wanted to call him 'Toshiro Thundercats' for a while; she vetoed that too.


----------



## No One

Hehehe, I'm sorry about that JunkMonkey! It didn't even occur to me what someone else might read into it. No, I was most certainly not referring to the word Queer.

I guess I'll just have to spell it out, though I really tried avoiding it because for me it feels like I might as well be typing, well, Cnut.

The specific phrase used by Loki is "mewling quim". There. I'll leave it at that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I think that proves my point.  

Aha! 'Quim'.  Good word.  Fred Quimby's name on the Tom and Jerry cartoons always got a giggle out of me.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Yeah, someone asked Loki himself (well, the actor) about that on Twitter:

@twhiddleston 'mewling quim'? Really?

Tom Hiddleston ‏ @twhiddleston
An intensely inaccurate description of darling Scarlett. But kudos to Joss for smuggling medieval rudes into blockbustings.

Also, queer has hardly fallen out of use in recent years. It's been taken back and had its derogatory nature stripped. Now it's used by people to avoid those annoying binary labels. Lots of people identify as queer. 


(And I think general avoidance of swearing isn't on the person's behalf, but because of the family nature of the site).


----------



## No One

Whedon finds a way. Gotta love him.


----------



## Connavar

woodsman said:


> Also saw Avengers in 3D.
> 
> Actually really enjoyed it - can't beat a few huge guys running around hitting things and Scarlett, oh wow. What I really enjoyed was the the humour although it may have just been me, when you're the only person p&*$"@# themselves laughing you do wonder! Nice to see a hero film which seemed to embrace not being taken seriously!
> 
> Now I just want Serenity II, Please??
> Not convinced about 3D though. Not sure it adds anything and at times seems to detract.



The humor isnt surprising really the guy who wrote Firefly with Mal,Jayne and co can make even Hulk funny.

The 3D didnt add much but it didnt look bad either.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I watched the first episode of_ Buffy_ the other day - I've never seen any episodes before - and was surprised and pleased to find how funny it was.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Final Programme *(1973) As far as I'm aware, this is the only Moorcock book adapted for the big screen. Jon Finch stars as Jerry Cornelius in this very 70s film. Sometimes a bit of a mess but worth watching if you're a Moorcock fan (which I am).


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> I watched the first episode of_ Buffy_ the other day - I've never seen any episodes before - and was surprised and pleased to find how funny it was.


 
All of the *Buffy* episodes are available on Netflix streaming. I'm trying to catch up also (not to mention the *Angel* episodes as well).


----------



## JunkMonkey

Reverting for a moment to the subject of sneaking words into scripts.  Tonight I watched Alfonso Brescia's  _La guerra dei robot _(1978),  I can't help wonder how or why the translators called one of the characters 'General Gonad' but I'm sure they had their reasons.

I can recommend   _La guerra dei robot_ for many many reasons: the delirious script, "It's crazy! A harvest of human flesh!"; the music, which is dead pure early experimental synthcrap; the 'climactic' space battle, which is one of the dullest and most repetitive pieces of film making ever committed to screen - and I do include some of Andy Warhol's early efforts here; but mostly I recommend it because its got Yanti Somer wearing skin tight wet-look leather.  And that can't be bad.



​ vlcsnap-269528 by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Reverting for a moment to the subject of sneaking words into scripts.  Tonight I watched Alfonso Brescia's  _La guerra dei robot _(1978),  I can't help wonder how or why the translators called one of the characters 'General Gonad' but I'm sure they had their reasons


 
Sort of like Larry David playing the snarky nun, Sister Mary Mengele in *The Three Stooges*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Thinking about it, the phrase 'General Gonad' pretty well sums up the movie.


----------



## THX-1138

The Avengers.


----------



## FireDragon-16

We saw _The Avengers _on Friday. Took forever to find a show that wasn't sold out...we ended up getting tickets for a 9 pm show, but it was worth it!


----------



## alchemist

A bit passe now with everybody watching The Avengers, but *Invictus*. I expected to be cynical but I got a chill down my spine at the end. Even the rugby scenes were pretty authentic. Freeman was, as ever, tremendous.


----------



## Boneman

Just saw 'safe' with Jason Statham. The kill count is higher than usual, and there were real attempts to give the character some depth, but I'm getting really fed up with the shaking camera which (supposedly) enhances action scenes. The girl steals the film, and I'm sure he's left one bad guy alive for a sequel...


----------



## FireDragon-16

Boneman said:


> Just saw 'safe' with Jason Statham. The kill count is higher than usual, and there were real attempts to give the character some depth, but I'm getting really fed up with the shaking camera which (supposedly) enhances action scenes. The girl steals the film, and I'm sure he's left one bad guy alive for a sequel...



Really want to see that...


----------



## No One

*Save the Green Planet*. 

Arguably a slightly cumbersome mix of really good humour and more than a tinge of darkness in this S. Korean film, but it's only the second time I've seen it and I enjoyed it even more this time round.


----------



## Jammill Khursheed

Avengers [HATES adding this bit] Assemble

Simply the greatest super hero MOVIE of all time (for super hero FILM I still have to favour X-Men 1 or First Class though.)


Jammill


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Life of Brian* for the first time, it was fun,good intro song and i like the satire about things like the different parties.  I would rate it 8/10, very good and fun but not the best i have by Cleese and co.  Mostly i have seen only few eps of the show and Fawlty Towers.  Im not old fan of theirs.

I also saw *Moon*, the 2009 SF which i thought was smart,emotional and showed me how much you can storywise with so little.  Not many characters, different scenes but good SF thriller story.  This is the kind down to earth,smart SF i want to see more today.  Sam Rockwell, Spacey did really good job.

I hope to see more films like *Moon* from the director and less american generic SF like* Source Code*.....


----------



## clovis-man

Connavar said:


> I saw *Life of Brian* for the first time, it was fun,good intro song and i like the satire about things like the different parties.


 
Did you notice that "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" as sung by Eric Idle while being crucified is the same tune that Jack Nicholson plays on the piano in *As Good As It Gets*?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mario Bava's (1968)* Danger: Diabolik *- one of the best scores Morricone wrote.   And the sexy as hell Marisa Mell never looked better too.  Love it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Girl With the Dragon Tattoo* (2012)

I was curious about this film. Later I discovered that the movie is a remake. But...yikes! It was an intense, shocking, dark film, and definately not for everyone. I like these weird crime solving films. Now I must see the original.

*Planet Hulk *(2010)

Great animated feature with the incredible HULK. It reminded me of a few of his comic tales from the past where Hulk would be else where other then Earth battling in gladiator-styled fights to the death. Another fantastic adventure for the green superhero.


----------



## Jammill Khursheed

CLOVIS - That's not the wierdest cross-film musical link... The song Mark Whallberg is singing in the recording studio in *Boogie Nights* is the same song from the original animated *Transformers* film when Optimus Prime arrives to save the day... SO wish I hadn't lost the CD soundtrack to that I had when I was a kid  

Jammill


----------



## Saturnfly

I finally watched Tron: Legacy and was pretty blown away by the special effects. I also loved that they had a younger Flynn, it was sort of creepy in a cool way. Daft Punk did an amazing job with the music. That's what I was most excited about. I loved the scenes where Flynn's son first gets into the grid. It is truly a film unlike any other, despite it's often uninspired script and bland character development.


----------



## nightdreamer

*Firelight* (1997).  Not new, no starships or elves, no obvious special effects, but an awesome production.


----------



## THX-1138

District 9.


----------



## J-Sun

THX-1138 said:


> District 9.



Just saw that myself. What did you think?


----------



## THX-1138

The more I think about it, the more I like it. I want there to be a sequel, set 3 years latter, called District 10. District 10 is where they moved the Prawns. It'd be even harsher, basically a concentration camp. And the ship comes back to rescue the Prawns and turn the main character human again.


----------



## J-Sun

Hm. I was hoping to have someone to gripe with.  I didn't like it. But I'm glad you did.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Cabin in the Woods* (Josh Whedon) last night, actaully really pleased it was better than I had expected. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but it takes the usual 'kids in the woods hunted and killed by a menace of some sort' and then twists it further. It is obvious from the start that there is something bigger going on but the last third of the film really picks up and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I wish they had left it more open for a sequel, but in all honesty it was a pretty good horror film, not too much jumpiness but enough, and some creative monsters.


----------



## rand00

I have watched The Avengers 3D last saturday. It was great.


----------



## Starbeast

*Creature From Black Lake* (1976)

Gem of a B-movie about a group of teens exploring a swamp creature legend. I'm glad I stumbled across this forgotten monster flick.

*Hidalgo* (2004)

I love this magnificent film. Truely the best horse race movie I've ever seen. Set in 1890, with actors Viggo Mortensen & Omar Sharif.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Hidalgo* (2004)
> 
> I love this magnificent film. Truely the best horse race movie I've ever seen. Set in 1890, with actors Viggo Mortensen & Omar Sharif.


 
I totally agree with you. But just to show that there are "horses for courses", we showed this movie to my mother-in-law when she was in her mid 80s. She sat quietly through the entire story and then, about 5 minutes from the end said: "Is this about over?"


----------



## Rodders

The Truman Show. I forgot how good this was.


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> I totally agree with you. But about 5 minutes from the end (mother-in-law) said: "Is this about over?"


 
I think that's sweet that she gave it a chance.

*Terror Toons 2* (date unknown)

I liked the first cheap-looking horror B-movie _Terror Toons_, but this sequel made me roll my eyes and keel over. I wanted to drive off a cliff in a rocket car with (Looney Toons) Wile E. Coyote, crash, then have a huge boulder crush us both.

I had to watch something I like immediately afterwards.

*Terminator 2: Judgment Day* (1991) Fantastic sequel with Linda Hamilton, Arnold  Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick.


----------



## Cayal

rand00 said:


> I have watched The Avengers 3D last saturday. It was great.



What's the 3D like?


----------



## Moonbat

> What's the 3D like?


 
Unnecessary!


----------



## Foxbat

*Dracula *(1931) watched with the alternative score - written by Phillip Glass and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The music adds a real edge of menace to what is still my favourite Dracula movie


----------



## Starbeast

*Paul* (2011)

Rude and crude, but not a bad movie with actors Simon Pegg & Nick Frost helping an alien from another galaxy to get home. A bit heavy on the profanity, they could have inserted more jokes instead.

*Nazis at the Center of the Earth* (2012)

This was one of the best new B-movies I've seen in a while. I won't give anything away to those who like horror with their sci-fi.

I'm happy I discovered a great new weird flick! I had a good time with this one.


----------



## clovis-man

I like your latest avatar, Starbeast. Torgo: he of the tremendous thighs and not so tremendous intellect.


----------



## Starbeast

clovis-man said:


> I like your latest avatar, Starbeast. Torgo: he of the tremendous thighs and not so tremendous intellect.


 
Heh heh.

The story behind *Manos: The Hands of Fate* (1966) is incredbly weird and fascinating. A short documentary called _Hotel Torgo_ was were I discovered more about the making of the movie.

Check it out on: *Joe Bob Briggs Monstervision Drive-In Reviews Official Site.*

There are also a lot of great fan-made tributes to the film on Youtube.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *Nazis at the Center of the Earth* (2012)
> 
> This was one of the best new B-movies I've seen in a while. I won't give anything away to those who like horror with their sci-fi.
> 
> I'm happy I discovered a great new weird flick! I had a good time with this one.


 

Now you've really gone and done it! I'm so intrigued by this title, I'm going to have to go and find me a copy. I hope you're satisfied


----------



## Darth Angelus

The Avengers.


----------



## clovis-man

Yeah. Me too. Went to see *The Avengers* this afternoon. Got to give Joss Whedon credit. He took a train wreck of a scenario and made it into a story that you could get behind. And I'm not much on the super-hero thing. Would have liked to see more of Gwyneth Paltrow and less of Cobie Smulders, but Whedon made up for it by demolishing Wall Street.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> Now you've really gone and done it! I'm so intrigued by this title, I'm going to have to go and find me a copy. I hope you're satisfied


 
*Don't* watch any of the trailers, just see it. I found _Nazis at the Center of the Earth_ by accident at a rental store.


*Waking Ned Devine* (1998) & *Kung Fu Hustle* (2004)

Two amazing movies I had to show my visiting aunt, she loved them.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Not the last movie I watched but I had to share:

My two daughters, aged 10 and 7, have two friends over tonight for a sleepover (the friends are also sisters and classmates to my two).  Do they settle down watch a nice, animated Disney film or anything else ultra girly and cute fluffy bunnies and so on? 

No. 

The younger daughter elects to introduce her best friend to her current heroine _Xena: Warrior Princess _while the eldest is downstairs yelling things like "You cut his brain out! you bloody baboon!" as she introduces her friend to the original 1968 _Planet of the Apes_.

It's moments like this that I suspect that, as a parent, I'm doing something right.


----------



## alchemist

*Shame* - it would have made an interesting 15 minute short, but I do like for something to change in a feature length film rather than get a snapshot of how miserable someone is. Well-acted and all, but I wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> The younger daughter elects to introduce her best friend to her current heroine _Xena: Warrior Princess _while the eldest is downstairs yelling things like "You cut his brain out! you bloody baboon!" as she introduces her friend to the original 1968 _Planet of the Apes_.
> 
> It's moments like this that I suspect that, as a parent, I'm doing something right.


 
You must be very proud of them.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I am. I'm currently reading Number One HG Well's_ The War of the Worlds _for a bedtime read.  We're having great fun. _ Day of the Triffids_ next.  There's nothing like a classical education.


----------



## Connavar

*John Carter*

The film captured more of the spirit,the adventure of the book than i expected.  

The guy playing John Carter might not look like the mature cavalry soldier i imagined reading the book but he was believeable when he grew from being new to Barsoom to more heroic,great warrior.  Dejah Thoris,Tharkas was very well done.  Dejah Thoris was gorgues and the girl playing carried her well.  A minus was the sudden revelation of Sola being Tas Tharkas daugther.  It was sudden and from nowwhere for the people i was watching with and didnt know that beforehand like me.


----------



## Mouse

Conn - that guy'd be Taylor Kitsch. *swoon* Not seen John Carter myself yet.

As for me... James Bond. Currently on TV - I don't know which one it is and let's face it, they're pretty much all the same. God, I detest James Bond. Such a pervy scumbag. I'd punch him right in the face.


----------



## Sho Pi

The last film I've seen is Captain America.

Have yet to see the Avengers.


----------



## Connavar

Mouse said:


> Conn - that guy'd be Taylor Kitsch. *swoon* Not seen John Carter myself yet.
> 
> As for me... James Bond. Currently on TV - I don't know which one it is and let's face it, they're pretty much all the same. God, I detest James Bond. Such a pervy scumbag. I'd punch him right in the face.



Daniel Craig is the real film James Bond, sure he is a male pig like in the books but he is much less player,more hardcore,realistic spy an action thriller series can be.  I like Sean Connery,Roger Moore but their version is more Austin Powers than the literary James Bond who is hardcore like Craig Bond,Jason Bourne type assasin.

John Carter is pretty cool film you must see it if you are SF fan.


----------



## FireDragon-16

I saw *The Losers (2010)*. 

It was pretty funny and it had Chris Evans in it, so I'm not complaining too much . 
The ending did make me wonder if they were considering making a sequel...I'm kind of rooting for one just because I feel that they have to tie up some of the loose ends that weren't fully finished by the end of the movie, but I also think it's pretty good on its own. Anyone else who's seen it care to offer an opinion?


----------



## clovis-man

*The Wrong Box* from 1966 with a very young Michael Caine. Ably supported by Sir Ralph Richardson, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook as well as an amazing appearance by Peter Sellers as Dr. Pratt, the corrupt physician with a stupendous collection of cats. A great comedy about a lottery scheme called a Tontine. The survivor of a group pact (in which everyone who dies except the last member gets nothing) is awarded all the money invested for them over a long period of years. As one would imagine, as we get to the last few, things get pretty conspiratorial and therein lies all the grist for the comedy. A great movie of the time (1966) if perhaps seen as a little overly silly by today's standards. The funniest character is that of Peacock, the aging butler, played wonderfully by Wilfrid Lawson.

Highly recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> *The Wrong Box*



Agreed. A great film Ralph Richardson was particularly wonderful in this and Nanette Newman was almost bearable.

Tonight I watched *Django*, an over-long (at 90 minutes it dragged) 1966 plotless, rambling Spaghetti Western which only exists to make Sergio Leone's films look like staggering works of genius. (Which in some ways they are.)


----------



## Rodders

The Avengers Assemble. A very, very good action movie IMO. It was also my first 3d experience too so a double whammy there. 

I also watched something called Take the Lead on terrestrial TV the other night. Apart from a samey ending, i found this to be quite an engaging movie.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Rodders said:


> I also watched something called Take the Lead on terrestrial TV the other night. Apart from a samey ending, i found this to be quite an engaging movie.



That's a really good one! It's actually based (at least in part) on actual events, so I thought that was pretty cool.

Anyway, I watched the new *Winnie the Pooh (2011)* as well as *The Italian Job (2003).

*I watched Winnie the Pooh with one of the kids I babysit, and while it is obviously geared more towards the younger kids, I found it quite entertaining. Of course, I've always liked Winnie the Pooh so...plus Zooey Deschanel sings quite well.

The Italian Job was the remake and I haven't seen the original, so I can't compare the two, but I thought it was quite good.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

The Avengers, best movie of the year so far.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_The Dictator _took more at the box office last week though.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18173761


----------



## DBurseth

Final Destination and Total Recall.
Checking out the oldes...


----------



## Mouse

Just watched Meet the Spartans on the telly. Got really bad reviews on IMDB. I actually thought it was pretty funny.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

Yog-Sothoth said:


> The Avengers, best movie of the year so far.


 
Scratch that, THE RAID is.


----------



## Connavar

*Attack the Block*

A film i have waited a whole year to see it appear as DVD.  It was fun,good action. You can make good alien action without too much money.

The guy playing Moses has alot of potential. He looked alot like a young angry Denzel Washington.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Wife took the kids out for the day so I totally ignored the sunshine and sat indoors and watched:

*Barbarella *(1968) - A film which ageing, sad old man that I am I find very funny, mildly erotic, and just fun to look at.

Followed by 

*Alien Cargo *( 1999 ) - A made for TV movie that looks like it's going to be yet another deep-space OMIGOD! THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE ON-BOARD EATING PEOPLE! piece of SF wallpaper but turns out (after a  clunky opening act) to be a not that bad piece of 'hard SF'. No huge  plasma guns, no self-destruct buttons, no men in rubber suits, none of any of  the other usual Sci-Fi channelly crapinesses.  And an amazingly unusual downbeat ending too.  Not that the ending _is _amazing but the just the fact that it is downbeat at all is remarkable -SPOILER: 



Spoiler



our likeable hero and heroine don't make it.  They're not dead at the end of the film but they are well and truly ****ed and they know it. They're resigned to their fate, and have just said goodbye to their only possible hope of rescue.


 It's a good inevitable ending.  I have watched far too many films where some amazingly out of nowhere, pulled out of the  scriptwriter's arse, twist ending saves everyone in the last minutes of  the film.  Sometimes when a film has engaged me, and even when I like  the characters in deadly peril, I sometimes just sit there _willing_  the film to end badly.  Sometimes I want the film-makers to have the  courage to let the story run where it has to and not manufacture a happy  ending just to keep the card-filling preview audiences from  having to  actually _think_.  Five stars to these guys for doing that.

The ending totally saves this film.  Even though I called it a 'not that bad piece of 'hard SF'' it still had more than  its fair share of "erm, I'm not sure that's right....", and "Ooh, isn't  that handy for our heroes..." moments.  Most of them forgiven, in hindsight, because of the ending.

(And no stars to me for splitting that infinitive.)


----------



## FireDragon-16

*Passengers (2008): *Kind of an interesting take on _The Sixth Sense _in the sense that people don't realize they're gone...pretty good and Anne Hathaway did a great job. For people who think she can only do funny, this is a good example.

*Outlander (2008): *Jim Caviezel flick about a man from another planet who crash-lands on earth during the Iron Age. He ends up bringing a creature with him that starts attacking a nearby Norse village and he has to earn their trust and stop the creature. I thought it was great.

*Boondock Saints (1999): *I liked it to an extent...I had a bit of trouble with the excessive use of F***, but that's just my personal opinion. I liked the fact that they were taking on the people that others would only talk about getting rid of but wouldn't dare touch. I think that I was kind of like Willem Dafoe's character in the fact that I wouldn't be sure whether or not to condemn them or join them... 
And it had Norman Reedus in it, so that's a huge plus


----------



## Susan Boulton

Iron Sky; what can I say... I loved it!

Funny with a very serious undercurrent. Though I can see a lot of folk being offended by it.  A modern day Dr Strangelove.


----------



## AE35Unit

THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Good creepy outing for Daniel Radcliffe, and a Hammer revival. Does the job!


----------



## Mangara

Avengers Assemble. I'm a massive Hulk fan so enjoyed it immensely.

The Matrix is currently on the TV. Classic!


----------



## Metryq

I just discovered a 2010 production of THE TEMPEST starring Helen Mirren at the local library. What a fantastic production.


----------



## Mouse

Stardust. Best. Film. Ever. (Contains Ben Barnes, which is a bonus).


----------



## FireDragon-16

Mouse said:


> Stardust. Best. Film. Ever. (Contains Ben Barnes, which is a bonus).


 
Agree 110%!


----------



## Mouse

FireDragon-16 said:


> Agree 110%!



 I'm pleased there's a fellow BB appreciator here!


----------



## Starbeast

*Wagon's East* (1994)

This was an ok time-waster, a comedy western with the late, great, actor John Candy in his last movie. Not a great movie, just an ok film.

*The Grim Reaper* (1980 - a.k.a. _Anthropophagus_)

Hunk of junk horror flick of boring nonsense. I only checked it out because I heard there are cult movie fans who like this killer cannibal film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *The Grim Reaper* (1980 - a.k.a. _Anthropophagus_)
> 
> Hunk of junk horror flick of boring nonsense. I only checked it out  because I heard there are cult movie fans who like this killer cannibal  film.



This from someone who uses a character from _Manos_ as an avatar????  But I totally agree,*The Grim Reaper* is an incredibly boring piece of ****.

Tonight I watched *My Darling Clementine* (1946) which is not only one of the best Westerns ever but also one of John Ford's greatest films - this may be a tautology.


----------



## Alex The G and T

"2010" Wow, that doesn't come up very often.  Sure, "2001" is on one classic movie channel, or another, all the damn time; but I haven't seen "2010" since back-in-the-day.

It's been about 30 years since I read Sir Artie's originals; where some of all this, somehow, coalesced into something which made some sort of sense.

And yet, this "2010" flick was pretty good in a mystical sort of fashion.  The hyperventilating in space suits, during EVA activities was a bit overworked; though it did add to the general sense that the people who made these movies were _tripping_.

The ending was strangely gratifying, in a New Ageist sort of fashion. 

I'm sticking to the premise of my 75 worder for May:  Dangerous Drugs were involved in the making of these movies.


----------



## Foxbat

Just watched *Nazis At The Centre Of The Earth *(first brought to my attention by Starbeast). 

Poor acting, poor CGI and ridiculous plot. I read a review recently that said it looked like a script written by a six-year-old and filmed by a twelve-year-old. 

Oh how I laughed when you-know-who made his appearance.

I enjoyed it. I wonder what that says about me?


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> This from someone who uses a character from _Manos_ as an avatar????  But I totally agree,*The Grim Reaper* is an incredibly boring piece of ****.


 
*Manos: The Hands of Fate* (1966) was voted the worst horror movie ever made. But, when the tv program Mystery Science Theater 3000 showed the film _Manos, _a new generation of B-movie fans enjoyed the frighfully bad production.



Foxbat said:


> Just watched *Nazis At The Centre Of The Earth *(first brought to my attention by Starbeast).
> 
> Poor acting, poor CGI and ridiculous plot. I read a review recently that said it looked like a script written by a six-year-old and filmed by a twelve-year-old.
> 
> Oh how I laughed when you-know-who made his appearance.
> 
> I enjoyed it. I wonder what that says about me?


 
I showed the movie to a friend who is a World War Two buff, he thought it was the most outrageous WW2 related movie he'd ever seen, he said: "That was so awful." He did laugh when you-know-who made an appearance. 

Meanwhile, I still delighted upon seeing the absurd film again. I really like this movie, it is something different, not another one of those a rude and crude films with know-it-all characters (that gets old real fast and sickens me).


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> Meanwhile, I still delighted upon seeing the absurd film again. I really like this movie, it is something different, not another one of those a rude and crude films with know-it-all characters (that gets old real fast and sickens me).


 
It's actually given me the urge to go buy *Iron Sky* now. Nazis on the moon sounds fun


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> It's actually given me the urge to go buy *Iron Sky* now. Nazis on the moon sounds fun


 
I want to see that too. The first trailer I saw for _Iron Sky_ did not lead me to believe that the film is going to be a comedy, but the recent trailer I veiwed made it clear that it will be a dark humored film. A comedy? Well, this Earth invasion movie is going to be stranger than _Mars Attacks (1996)._

*Godzilla vs Megalon* (1976)

An ancient race of people called Seatopians who live underground decide to invade the surface world with a giant cockroach named Megalon. 

Wild and weird battle sequences highlight the last of the "quirky and friendly" Godzilla films. This movie was the final time Toho Studios wanted Godzilla to be a good monster.


----------



## Metryq

I just borrowed *SOURCE CODE* from the library. It's watchable and managed to avoid the paradoxes that are par for the course for too many time travel stories. However, don't expect it to make any sense.

A soldier is the point man for an anti-terrorism mission that is part QUANTUM LEAP and part SEVEN DAYS. The head honcho explains that the project is not "time travel," even though they are projecting the soldier's consciousness to an event several hours earlier. There is also some fluff about the afterglow of a lightbulb that has been turned off, and that the human brain stores the experiences of the last eight minutes of life. Since the project is not reading the last eight minutes of anyone's memories, I don't see how this has anything to do with the story. The project head might just as well have said, "There was a duck taking off from the lake nearby the train, which means we can project your consciousness back into time into the body of someone else and let you replay the scenario over and over again like a videogame until you get it right." Make sense? Good.

The soldier is told that he is really being projected into quantum alternate realities. This avoids all the paradoxes, yet presents other problems—the information he gathers is somehow still relevant to the universe he comes from. In the end, the soldier gets the girl (a must for any Hollywood movie), although he is highjacking the life of the guy he was projected into. Maybe I missed a point and all of these alternate realities were somehow stored in the "source code" of the computer, but then it wouldn't explain the "new world" and the soldier's continued existence at the end of the movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched some sci-fi hocus called The Darkest Hour. Students travelled to russia,  aliens come down, are invisible, feed on energy and go round microwaving everyone.  More holes than swiss cheese!  Why are they always students??


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Manos: The Hands of Fate* (1966) was voted the worst horror movie ever made. But, when the tv program Mystery Science Theater 3000 showed the film _Manos, _a new generation of B-movie fans enjoyed the frighfully bad production.



I presume you are avidly following the restoration process:

http://www.manosinhd.com/

For those not in the know, the original workprint (which since the film was shot on reversal stock means a spliced edit made with the actual film that went through the camera) turned up on eBay and is being restored as we speak.  

Trash movie fans the world over are wetting their collective knickers in anticipation....

For those of you who can't wait there's a PD copy on Archive.org

http://archive.org/details/manos_the_hands_of_fate


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> I presume you are avidly following the restoration process:


 
Nope. I was unaware of this development. But thanks for letting me know.
 Heh heh, a high quailty version of MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE, that's wild.

I've been enjoying the MST3K version with all it's zany movie comments, now and then. But, I may view the high quality version at least once out of curiosity.

Perhaps if actor John Reynolds (who played Torgo) was still alive, he'd be happy to hear that his character will live forever in the hearts of fans that like absurd movies.

Rest in Peace John. I'll always remember you as Torgo, the goat-legged man.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Prometheus* tonight

It was bleak, atmosphere strong as the first two aliens movies but not great like them. Little different film, less Aliens monster horror/action.  Interesting bleak SF you dont see often in big budget films or indie SF films.

I enjoyed more until the weak ending.  

Noomi Rapace had terrible,at times annoying Brit accent that makes swedish actors look bad.  She isnt Ingrid Bergman exactly either in swedish actress talent wise.  

Idris Alba did the best job of the actors and then Fassbender.


----------



## Grimward

*New Year's Eve.*

My daughters twisted my arm, and while it wasn't great, it was enjoyable.  Robert DeNiro brings magic to every role he plays, however small or brief.  In places predictable, in others no so much.  And yes, patterned off Valentine's Day, but not cloyingly so.  Lots of familiar faces besides DeNiro's, too.


----------



## clovis-man

*Conquest Of Space*. A 1955 film that tries to be realistic by the knowledge of the time as interpreted by Chesley Bonestell and Willy Ley. Of course, by today's standards, it's hopelessly either out of date or just flat wrong. But the effort is commendable for the year it was filmed. A trip to Mars with a psychotic commander threatening to sabotage the voyage. So some excitement there. But no aliens or monsters. Just a quiet red planet. Worth a watch if you're into nostalgia.

I first saw it in the theater when I was a kid. It seemed to me like I was really there, then.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047947/


----------



## Arkose

Last night I saw _Snow White and the Huntsman_, a decent movie. What I enjoyed the most was that I was able to watch _Mirror Mirror_ last weekend. It is interesting the two different takes on the same story. One being the over-the-top comedy style and the other a more dark and serious movie. Each had its up and downs. I did enjoy both evil queens, and how the mirror on the wall was done. I thought that Lily Collins was a better Snow White (or maybe it was just the more common?) than Kristen Stewart.

Here is a question; If Snow White Kills someone would she still be "pure of heart."


----------



## THX-1138

Blade Runner.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Road* 

Based on Cormac MCarthy's novel, this film only needs one word to describe it.....Magnificent.


----------



## Liese

Just saw a German version of Tom Sawyer from last year. Excellent cast, good script and they managed to make Germany and Romania almost look like St. Petersburg. Very light-spirited. Maybe it will be shown in the cinemas in France or Sweden.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Date Night* with _Tina Fey_ and _Steve Carrell_ and thought it was very good, it made me laugh out loud plenty of times and although a little bit cliche was very very funny. Both of the main actors are great comic actors and together with the freedom to ad lib a bit they had so many funny lines. Good supporting performance from _Mark Wahlberg_ too.

Also watched *Martha Marcey May Marlene* last night, was really looking forward to it as I had heard great things, but was disappointed, not as good as the critics made out, quite slow, boring and none of the great open twist plot that I was lead to believe. I can't believe one magazine likened it to *Memento*! shocking misrepresentation. Good performance by _Elizabeth Olsen_ very impressive but not wowed by the film as much as I thought I would be.


----------



## Rodders

Tron Legacy. Despite it's shortcomings, i quite liked this. It was good to see the old characters again but there were some things that didn't add up. 

Wanted was on the gogglebox the other day. WOW, that was a silly movie.


----------



## svalbard

Prometheus. Not as dark as the trailers would you think, but it was a good piece of filmmaking. I would put it third best in the Alien series of movies after Alien and Aliens.


----------



## Foxbat

*Appropriate Adult *It's a two part series rather than a film so perhaps I'm cheating putting it here. If so, I apologise.

 The story of killers Fred and Rose West  seen through the eyes of the 'appropriate adult' present at Fred's interviews. This is truly chilling stuff but done in a very subtle manner. Superb acting throughout means that the awards this miniseries received are richly deserved. 

British drama at its finest.


----------



## Mouse

*Slither* starring Nathan Fillion. Gross and funny.


----------



## clovis-man

Mouse said:


> *Slither* starring Nathan Fillion. Gross and funny.


 
I DVR'd this one and am about half-way through it. Pretty goofy. I wanted to see it because it has Fillion and Elizabeth Banks in it.


----------



## Mouse

I'm watching it at the mo on TV. I'm alternating between pulling a disgusted face and laughing. Nathan's brilliant, as always.


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

*Predators *- Excellent, gave me a throw-back feeling of the original Predator film with Arnold. This is one really saved the franchise after the disgusting AvP movies. Adrian Brody is a great actor. 

*Man on a Ledge* - Didn't expect much, but it was better than I thought. If you like phone-booth, you will enjoy this one as well.


----------



## TomS

The Beatles *Help*

A review? Come on! It's The Beatles. "I can say no more..."


----------



## RcGrant

*The Lazarus Project* - and I loved it. Making the most of my Netflix account.


----------



## Starbeast

*From Hell IT Came* (1957)

A member of a Polynesian tribe is wrongfully accused and put to death, but his vengence returns in the form of an unstoppable murderous tree monster. 

I just watched this hard to find, cult classic B-movie and I still enjoyed seeing it again. This was one of my favorite creature films I remember watching as a kid. 

*The Giant Spider Invasion *(1977)

Spiders from a black hole arrive on Earth, grow to the size of a house and eat people.

Unintentionally hilarious monster B-movie, made even funnier with snappy comments made by the crew of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Filmed in Wisconsin and a very cool movie poster, attracted me to see this creature flick at the drive-in long ago. I love it


----------



## Foxbat

*Iron Sky  *Black comedy about Nazis on the moon. Looks great and sounds great (lots of Wagner in snatches of Gotterdammerung and Tannhauser remixes). Unfortunately the jokes become a bit cack-handed halfway through and have run out of steam long before the end of the movie.

My advice is that waching this is still better than a kick in the teeth so buy it on DVD but only at a budget price.


----------



## gully_foyle

A.I. Should have been good. Maybe a more robotic kid and half an hour shaved off would have helped. Jude Law was good.


----------



## biodroid

Men in Black 3. It was excellent, i think it tops the first one and destroys the second one. Great FX and the characters were quirky as usual if not better. Josh Brolin plays K exactly like Tommy Lee Jones does. I hope they make an MIB 4


----------



## FireDragon-16

*Madagascar 3* this was great, it is definitely my favorite of the three and I think they do a good job of attempting to bring the story around to a close...


----------



## Lucyycul

Watched independance day again recently. love the old president speech!


----------



## Rodders

Bridesmaids. It was OK.


----------



## biodroid

Rodders - I tend to give those chick flicks a miss, the wife loves them but they are all the same especially when the typecast actor like Catherine Heigl plays in them, or even Jennifer Aniston.


----------



## clovis-man

biodroid said:


> Rodders - I tend to give those chick flicks a miss, the wife loves them but they are all the same especially when the typecast actor like Catherine Heigl plays in them, or even Jennifer Aniston.


 
Well, neither Heigl nor Aniston were in this one (I agree about Aniston, btw, but Heigl was fine in *One For The Money*). However, I thought it was pretty entertaining because of Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy. Entirely different types of flick chicks.


----------



## bobbo19

Girlfriend dragged me along to Snowwhite and the Huntsman, rated it 6/10 mediocre at best imo. She loved it mind!


----------



## Moonbat

*Bridemaids* is a totally different chick flick to the sort that have been around for some time. It is a sort of gross out/embarassment comedy but written by and starring women. It made me laugh in several places, I would suggest you give it a try.


----------



## alchemist

I agree on *Bridesmaids*; it's a cut above the rest.

I saw *Prometheus* last night (see dedicated thread). Stunning in its visual appeal, and also in its stupidity.


----------



## Connavar

*Stake Land *

A low buget vampire horror film, a post apocalyptic vampire film. Sort of Mad Max meets I Am Legend.  It was surprisingly good,interesting world and actually creepy.  I liked the hunter characters. These kind of films usually suck and you have to forgive anything to enjoy them but this was actual a good film.  More like a good SF/Horror vampire book.


----------



## Lucyycul

Connavar said:


> *Stake Land *
> 
> A low buget vampire horror film, a post apocalyptic vampire film. Sort of Mad Max meets I Am Legend.  It was surprisingly good,interesting world and actually creepy.  I liked the hunter characters. These kind of films usually suck and you have to forgive anything to enjoy them but this was actual a good film.  More like a good SF/Horror vampire book.


 

Ive skyplussed that one to watch. i m a sucker for a good vampire movie


----------



## Connavar

Lucyycul said:


> Ive skyplussed that one to watch. i m a sucker for a good vampire movie



Heh i saw it with my cousine who has a dreambox that takes in mostly brit channels so we saw the film in some Sky movie channel.  

Im sucker for good vampire horror films because they are so rare.  They feel more literary, like reading a good vampire novel i mean the classic ones, the dark ones and not the fantasy hero ones.


----------



## CyBeR

Went to see *Prometheus* last night. Was a lot better than expected, with some nice ideas here and there and at least it tried to not treat the audience as complete imbeciles (though by some of the people in the room, I think that it may have overestimated said audience). 
While I enjoyed some of the stuff in it, I couldn't help but wonder why the characters would behave so completely uncharacteristic in some situations. I expect someone that encounters some weird, new species to not go ahead and try to touch it the first chance they got. 

Otherwise...not a bad film in my opinion. Some great answers for the Alien series, lots of questions still floating around though.


----------



## Boneman

*The Dictator*. Some good one-liners, but like Mel Brooks, keeps falling into the trap of 'clever' observations that aren't 'funny'. Then I came home and watched* The Adjustment Bureau*  which I loved. That Emily Blunt is brilliant...


----------



## FeedMeTV

*Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol* - very enjoyable and lots of Tom Cruise running which is always entertaining (he looks so speedy!).  The shots of him dangling off a building made me feel a little faint though as he was very, very high up...


----------



## JunkMonkey

Just showed my kids _Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones_.

Christ I was bored - apart from the unintentional giggles watching Ewan McG struggling under the weight of undeliverable lines like:

"Those Federation starships are taking off. Target them - quickly!"

The kids seemed to like it, though my oldest thinks, '_Doctor Who _is better'.


----------



## Foxbat

*Coriolanus *Ralph Fiennes stars in and directs this Shakespearean tragedy of stubborn honour, war, revenge and betrayal.

It always impresses me that, although written over four hundred years ago, Shakespeare's plays can still be relevant in this modern age. Coriolanus is no exception.  Simply superb.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Prometheus*, some of it was okay, in a classic SF way, but the plot holes and, as someone mentioned, the behaviour of the characters, required me to suspend too much disbelief.


----------



## FireDragon-16

We saw *Battleship* the other day and while I think it was _ok_, it definitely wasn't worth the price of a regular ticket. We have a 2nd run theater nearby, and tickets are only $2...I would have been willing to pay that for the movie, but if we could go back I would stop my dad from buying the ticket (I'm fairly certain he'd make a different choice given the chance as well...)


----------



## megamaniac

I saw Prometheus.  The 3D one is only $3 more, but some people say it's not worth it.  The movie looked cool, FX were nice. 
Yes, the plot, the story, does make too much sense; as in why point to a planet that is actually a military base, why leave only cave drawings not star maps or exact coordinates, or other high tech artifacts leaving no doubt of alien visitation?

Did life on Earth begin with an SJ's suicide, his DNA spreading in water?  ok, but humans evolved 1Billion years later; thus the SJs were in for a real long wait.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Pluto Nash* (2002)  Dear gods!  I haven't had my intelligence insulted quite so comprehensively and so frequently in such a short time for ages.  Nothing worked.  Nothing.  Apart maybe from the sexy 'female' robot, she had a nice bum.  But when it gets to the point that the best thing you can say about a film is that a bit part player had a cute arse you know you're in trouble.

Serves me right for having watched the sublimely wonderful *The Double Life of Veronique *(1991) the other night.


----------



## svalbard

*Stakeland* It had it's flaws, but it was still a pretty good vampire movie.


----------



## Mouse

*The War of the Roses* featuring Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito. It was all right. The ending was a bit daft.


----------



## J-Sun

_*A Fish Called Wanda*_ for the severalth time. This film is _not_ on the SPCA's list of favorite films. Still, very clever and funny and enjoyable with great performances from the two ex-Pythons (Cleese, Palin) and the two Americans (Kline, Curtis).

(If anyone hasn't seen this but has seen _Fierce Creatures_ (not a sequel, but featuring the same cast) and didn't like that one, don't be put off - this one's better.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

It's obviously International Dog Squashing Movie Day.


----------



## Shane Enochs

*That's My Boy*.  I wasn't impressed.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> It's obviously International Dog Squashing Movie Day.



I think that might be hilarious but I'm not sure I get it - was there another movie which featured the squashing of the dogs (Pluto Nash, The War of the Roses)? (And let's not forget the fish!)


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Chicken Run*

The kinda Kiddie flick that adults can enjoy. There's another level of gags and innuendo that only the parental units appreciate.  For starts the _Stalag 17_; _Hogan's Heroes_ vibe. 

The Year 2000 was prime time for me to be  taking kiddies to the movies.  Fond memory.

No kiddies in the house, tonight, when it came up on HBO.  We are not ashamed to still love it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> I think that might be hilarious but I'm not sure I get it



Both  *A Fish Called Wanda *and *The War of the Roses* featured the demise of dogs. (Though I believe the producers wussed out on_ War of the Roses_ and included, in the released cut, a shot of the dog being alive _after_ it had been supposedly killed, cooked, and eaten.)


----------



## Mouse

It's the cat that gets squashed in the* War of the Roses*. The dog supposedly gets turned into pate but I presume the wife was just being even more of a bitch than she had been throughout (and God, she was awful) by saying that as, as JM says, they show a shot of the dog alive afterwards. (Which I'm pleased about because I was ready to stop watching! And I'm not weird like that about films - *Easy Virtue*, one of my favourites, has a dog squashing scene.) 

Oh! Anyway, last night at the cinema I saw *Snow White and the Huntsman*. I enjoyed it but I now realise I'm going to struggle with any film with that Thor guy in because he _sucks_ at accents. I mean, really sucks. The guy playing William was mighty fine though.


----------



## J-Sun

Thought that might be it. Thanks for the information.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Dead Man's Shoes* for the second time, a real belter of a film. *Shane Meadows* directing and pretty damn fine job too, *Paddy Constantine* in one of his best roles, and *Toby Kebble* (of Rocknrolla fame) doing an inspired performance as Antony. I think this is Meadows' best film, a better, more original film than This *is England.*


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> It's the cat that gets squashed in the* War of the Roses*. The dog supposedly gets turned into pate but I presume the wife was just being even more of a bitch than she had been throughout (and God, she was awful) by saying that as, as JM says, they show a shot of the dog alive afterwards. (Which I'm pleased about because I was ready to stop watching! And I'm not weird like that about films - *Easy Virtue*, one of my favourites, has a dog squashing scene.)



Really?  It nearly destroyed the film for me, a real mistake, a huge heavy-handed, Disney Producer, sop to the squeamish moment that threw me right out of the show.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Oooh.  This is Page 666.  Let's all watch _The Omen_!


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Really?  It nearly destroyed the film for me, a real mistake, a huge heavy-handed, Disney Producer, sop to the squeamish moment that threw me right out of the show.



Yeah, because if it'd had been true - that she really _had_ done that, it would've just come across as too vindictive to me. I mean, you've got to be one evil psycho to do that. Yeah, she was a cow, but she wasn't evil.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Then I think we'll have to agree to differ.  I thought it was totally out of character for her to have just pretended to have killed the dog.


----------



## Mouse

But even pretending to have done it was still a nasty thing to do. So she was still a bitch.


----------



## Starbeast

*Robin Hood: Men in Tights* (1993)

Years ago I viewed this movie and didn't like it all, I thought it was just awful. I recently rewatched this movie and really enjoyed it, I was LOL, especially when actor Dom DeLuise appeared, man-alive, he was too funny.

I must have been in a bad mood the first time I saw this Robin Hood spoof. 

*Breakdown* (1997)

Actor Kurt Russell portrays a man searching for his wife after she seemed to just disappear. I've never seen this before, and this was an awesome thriller. I highly reccomend this movie to those who enjoy intense dramas.


----------



## THX-1138

Pitch Black.


----------



## JunkMonkey

THX-1138 said:


> Pitch Black.



You are forgiven.


----------



## Allegra

J-Sun said:


> _*A Fish Called Wanda*_ for the severalth time. This film is _not_ on the SPCA's list of favorite films. Still, very clever and funny and enjoyable with great performances from the two ex-Pythons (Cleese, Palin) and the two Americans (Kline, Curtis).


 
I absolutely love that film! I agree, _Fierce Creatures_ is not at all as good.


----------



## THX-1138

JunkMonkey said:


> You are forgiven.


What do you mean?


----------



## Starbeast

*Hulk vs Thor* (2009)

Animated action mini-movie where Loki the villainous Asgardian, uses the Hulk to defeat his half-brother Thor, but, looses control of Dr Banner's alter ego. The enraged Hulk smashes his way into the realm of Asgard, threatening the lives of everyone there!

Great story, I finally got my chance to see this and the following film.

*Hulk vs Wolverine* (2009)

Animated action mini-movie which retells the tale of the first battle between these two mighty Marvel characters (loosely based on a 1970's Hulk comic).

Awesome story featuring other characters from the Marvel Comics universe.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> You are forgiven.



Aside from killing off Claudia Black, I didn't see anything to do penance for. Fairly good film. One could argue differently re the sequel.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Aside from killing off Claudia Black, I didn't see anything to do penance for. Fairly good film. One could argue differently re the sequel.



Actually you are a bit right (I'm not so sure I would go as far as say 'fairly good' - I noted in my film diary that it was 'better than I expected').  I was confusing it with the sequel which _was_ shockingly awful.

I'll not be queuing up to see the next one:
*The Chronicles of Riddick: Dead Man Stalking*


> Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick  fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful  and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the  galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater  scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick  unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home  planet of Furya to save it from destruction.


THX, I withdraw my forgiveness 

Last night I watched *The Night Evelyn Came out of the Grave *- _La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba _(1971) - Gothic Grand-Guignol bonkers Eurosleasotrash. At least three stabbings, one poisoning, one wheelchair bound character beaten to death with a rock and fed to a cage full of foxes, one naked woman running across a lawn in slow motion, ghostly apparitions at seances, dead wives rising from the tomb, and raving lunatics running away from white clad orderlies; whippings, striptease, a busty woman strapped to a trestle and threatened with a red hot branding iron, a villain thrown into a swimming pool full of corrosive chemicals - and very little plot linking all this fevered action together. Or maybe there was too much plot linking them all together but it was so incoherent as to be impossible to follow. Great fun.  This is the second time I have watched this pile of steaming Italian horseshit this year.  The first time the print the DVD was transferred from was so awful as to be nearly unwatchable.  I found another copy in a junk shop last month, a German release dubbed English as an option.  Better print.  Still horseshit.


----------



## THX-1138

Well I liked Pitch Black. Never seen Chronicles of Riddick. I've heard the games are good but the movie sucks.


----------



## Mouse

Just come back from seeing *Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter* with my bro. We enjoyed it. Daft but fun. _And_ it had Alan Tudyk in it! That was a nice surprise.


----------



## Wybren

I went on Sunday to see *"Cabin in the Woods"* with a work friend. It is only on limited release in Australia, only one Cinema per state which is a shame as it is a great movie. Sure its no Oscar winner, but I love the mix of humour and gore.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Just watched *Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone* for the first time in years. Still fun.


----------



## Anathem

*Ted*, was freakin' hilarious!


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *Tower Heist* and *Johnny English Reborn*. Both were really funny.


----------



## hopewrites

Went to see *Brave* with my mum and dad. I recommend anyone who is a daughter seeing it with her mum. Cant say dads and sons couldnt enjoy it, but there are enough movies for them out there if not that i'm not too concerned.

spoiler Loved that they each had their own seroget to talk to, and the 3rd party realization that if I had just talked to my mum instead of my room (I didnt have a horse) things probably would have worked out better for me. Spoiler

just twisty enough to throw off the predictable parts, just predictable enough to make the twists delightfully unexpected. creating hope and drawing it out just long enough to truly enjoy its fulfillment.


----------



## THX-1138

Watched Amazing Spider-Man yesterday.


----------



## Moonbat

> Watched *Amazing Spider-Man* yesterday.


 
So did I, was pretty disappointed. I had read that it was an emotionally deeper spiderman than the Toby Maguire films, but I don't think it worked, and I prefered the 1st Toby Maguire film (with the origin story) to this one. All in all I was let down by it.
I'm pinning my hopes of *Dark Knight Rises* being good.


Just watched *Cell 211* (or Celda 211 as is Spanish - and I think there is a planned American remake for 2013) and have to say it was much better than I thought it would be, it started really well and threw you into the story early on. Not the greatest ending (lets see how Hollywood changes it) but well worht a viewing. A good crime thriller.


----------



## Huttman

I saw Brave. I love Pixar and this movie was great fun. It did not have the emotional depth other Pixar movies have had, but it was very well done and the hair animation was jaw dropping. This movie has great potential for a sequel.


----------



## j d worthington

Having a little trouble with insomnia lately, so I have managed to fit in a couple of documentary films, at least: Kevin Brownlow's *Universal Horror*, and *Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces*. I've seen both before, more than once, but I still find them both very interesting and engaging....


----------



## clovis-man

Watched *Season of the Witch* on Netflix streaming. Pretty much just a Nick Cage pot-boiler with some assistance from Ron Perlman. Former crusaders transporting a suspected witch for trial. And, of course, they get much more than they bargained for. Tolerable.


----------



## Cayal

The Amazing Spider-man. Better than the trilogy imo.


----------



## gully_foyle

I had been dying to introduce my kids to Star Wars since I knew I was going to have kids, but I wanted them to see it like I did, on a huge screen, not a little box (or a slightly larger flat screen). But waiting for it to come back to the big screen was going to take aeons, and these 3D re-releases probably meant Lucas was going to add a meeting between Jar-Jar Binks and Obi Wan (maybe this time he will put the light sabre to good use!). Anyway, the solution? Bring home the projector from work. My 4 year old was confused. My 8 year old was enthused. I was nearly in tears when that Star Destroyer came over my head.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Another Earth*, an emotionally mature piece of sci-fi. Not really sure it should count as sci-fi more sci-fantasy as all scientific repercussions of another Earth appearing in the sky and (over 4 years) moving closer to Earth are completely ignored, but an interesting look at the human condition through the lens of parallel worlds.
Quite impressed by the lead actress (who also wrote it and produced it, along with another film of hers *'Sound of my voice*' about a cult leader) Brit Marling.

Not too sure about the amatuer style filming, lots of jerky zooms and poor focus, but I guess that is what comes from making a film cheaper than $100 million. Or is it just a style to try and hide lower production values?


----------



## THX-1138

Moonbat said:


> So did I, was pretty disappointed. I had read that it was an emotionally deeper spiderman than the Toby Maguire films, but I don't think it worked, and I prefered the 1st Toby Maguire film (with the origin story) to this one. All in all I was let down by it.


Really? I thought it worked.


----------



## Moonbat

I don't think Andrew Garfield displayed the emotion well enough, I thought the last third of the film was neh! and overall I found it less engaging than the previous origin story. It had some ok moments, but the Lizard wasn't great and the attempt to bring more emotion to the story just sort of failed and made him a whiney spidey. IMHO


----------



## THX-1138

I agree about the Lizard. He's not really the highlight of the film to me. Imho it was a lot deeper than the original.


----------



## Cayal

Moonbat said:


> I don't think Andrew Garfield displayed the emotion well enough, I thought the last third of the film was neh! and overall I found it less engaging than the previous origin story. It had some ok moments, but the Lizard wasn't great and the attempt to bring more emotion to the story just sort of failed and made him a whiney spidey. IMHO



I disagree. I didn't see him as a 'why did daddy leave me, woe is me' kind of person. It was brought up once (from memory) with Uncle Ben and it seemed legit seeing as it was a pretty relevant question.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Cayal said:


> I disagree. I didn't see him as a 'why did daddy leave me, woe is me' kind of person. It was brought up once (from memory) with Uncle Ben and it seemed legit seeing as it was a pretty relevant question.



I agree. Plus I think that Andrew Garfield is a better Spiderman all across the board...

Anyway, I recently watched *Country Strong* and I thought it was pretty good even though I didn't see Kelly/James ending, but I _did_ see the Beau/Chiles ending (I think that one was kind of obvious from the beginning, but that's just me )


----------



## Rangerton

*1066* an excellent film made by channel 4 (uk). Tells of the battles at Fareford (I think) and Stamford Bridge, before ending with the battle of Hastings. It is told from the view point of the commoners, not the noblemen, which makes a change.

Narrated by Ian Holm (not the only LRR connection  )

A good watch, and resource, for any aspiring writer of medieval stories.


----------



## Starbeast

Cayal said:


> The Amazing Spider-man. Better than the trilogy imo.


 
Oh-man, I've got to see it!

*RED* (2010)

Excellent DC Comics movie, fast-paced action film and packed with great actors! I just discovered this mighty gem.

*Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows* (2011)

I loved watching this two more times after it came out of the theaters. For me, this is the best Sherlock Holmes movie I've ever seen.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)* today. It was really good, and I loved all his disguises! It reminded me a little of the book *Born of Silence *by Sherilyn Kenyon, and everything that Darling suffers through. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I plan on finding a copy to have at my house at my earliest possible convenience .


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Forbidden Plant *(1956) - part of my summer 'Introduce my kids (aged 10 + 7) to some of the Great SF movies before all the teenage, 'you know, d'uh, that's, like, so _Old..._*' *cynicism s*** kicks in project'.

They loved it.  

I was struck for the first time - after many viewings - how incredibly hammy some of Walter Pidgeon's moves are.  That arm throwing gesture he makes as he dies is dead pure Victorian melodrama.

*Morbius*: The fool! The meddling idiot! As though his ape's brain could contain the secrets of the Krell!


----------



## Galacticdefender

I just watched *Das Boot* for the first time. That is an amazing movie. Filmed in 1981, and the special effects are very good even by today's standards. Totally captures the feeling of living on a German U-Boat. I think this is one of the best war movies out there, and I would recommend it anyone who is even slightly interested in the history of WW2. Awesome movie.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Snow White and the Huntsman*.  Yes, I know, but the trailer made it look like it would be either be very good or very, very bad.  I thought I'd take the risk.

My husband and I decided that it was fun, so long as we didn't let ourselves dwell on plot holes, improbabilities, things left unexplained, etc.  Some of it was visually stunning.  It wasn't as dark as I thought it would be.


----------



## Mouse

I thought it was fun too, Teresa. Daft but enjoyable.


----------



## J-Sun

Galacticdefender said:


> I just watched *Das Boot* for the first time. That is an amazing movie. Filmed in 1981, and the special effects are very good even by today's standards. Totally captures the feeling of living on a German U-Boat. I think this is one of the best war movies out there, and I would recommend it anyone who is even slightly interested in the history of WW2. Awesome movie.



Unsurprisingly, I'm going to say it's too long (and there are versions even longer than what I have, I think) but I agree that it's a must-see movie. Some movies I like to see again and again - with this one, I don't think I'll do that, but it's still great and I'm glad to have seen it at least once.


----------



## j d worthington

That last I saw was not a complete film, but all that remains of an early short which featured a double role by Lon Chaney... *Alas and Alack*, from 1915 (the date given at the beginning of the piece is mistaken, as Chaney only appeared in one film in 1913, and this is recorded as having been released 10 October 1915), in which he plays "the hunchback Fate" in a fairy tale which a fisherman's wife tells to her child, and the fisherman himself (obviously the real-life counterpart of the figure in the tale). Pure melodrama, but it has some lovely touches to it, and even a little bit of magic which faintly echoes to this day....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHMxsuHuPTI


----------



## AE35Unit

*John Carter*
Where do I start...
They kept it on mars, first mistake-come on Disney, your audience isnt stupid!
The jumping, gets old really quickly!
The visual tone, mars is a cold cold planet,  but they made it look like the sahara!
The context,  its cowboys and indians, again!

And finally, the Star Wars references, George Lucas wont be happy, but he aint fool enough to go up against Disney!
I sort of tried to enjoy it, but failed! I liked the homage to the author at the end tho,!


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Batman Begins* and then *The Dark Knight* in preparation for *The Dark Knight Rises* on saturday

Pretty good films, I doubt the new one will live up to the hype


----------



## Allegra

Moonbat said:


> Just watched *Batman Begins* and then *The Dark Knight* in preparation for *The Dark Knight Rises* on saturday
> 
> Pretty good films, I doubt the new one will live up to the hype


 
Totally loved the first two and I've been looking forward to the 3rd!  The Denver shooting incident certainly casted a dark shadow on the film's opening.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Would someone please explain the fascination with the Dark gothicy moody doom-laden angsty-wanky Batman because I find him a tedious self-obsessed bore.

I saw *The Dark Knight* a couple of years ago when I realised it was directed by Christopher Nolan whose _Memento_ had really impressed me.  The Dark Knight was a real disappointment - just another Hollywood special effects heavy superhero movie.  I was bored.  Mind you, I'm not the target audience. I'm not a teenager and have long since pretended to myself that I still I am one.  Maybe that's it.


----------



## Rangerton

Just watched *Real steel* could have called it Rocky's robots 

I enjoyed it though. Hugh Jackman played a good part, and the kid in it is very good.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Just finished *The Blue and the Gray. *

Filmed in 1982, it's the story of the civil war yes, but in reality, I think it's actually the story of one of the families and how they made it through the war, especially when the Geyser's fought for the south and the Hale's (their cousins) fought for the north, and John Geyser refused to fight for either. According to reviews, it's one of the best movies about the civil war and seems to stick fairly close to what happened.

I highly recommend it!


----------



## FeedMeTV

Saw *The Dark Night Rises* last night - I've heard there have been some negative reviews but I thought it was brilliant.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Amazing Spider-Man* (2012)

I thought it was a pretty good retelling of the Spider-Man origin, but I wasn't satisfied with new Peter Parker, he seemed grungy rather than clean cut. I did like going back to the original comic book idea of inventing his web-shooters. I was thrilled to see another classic Spidey villain "the Lizard" on the big screen.

I was asked by people which Spider-Man I liked better, the original three, or this new film. I didn't want to compare the movies, because I felt they were both very different, but since I was forced to make a decision, I had to say I love the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films the best.

*Spider-Man 3* (2007)

Yep, I was in the mood for more of Marvel Comics wall-crawling web-slinger. I haven't seen this movie in a few years, but I was blown away at how great it was. Peter Parker discovers who really killed his uncle and battles the classic villain "the Sand Man" along with one of his newer and most popular villain, "Venom".

I am aware that director Sam Raimi was rushed to make this movie, but I thought he did an awesome job of bringing closure to the trilogy. For me, this film could have been titled: The SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, for it's drama, as well as action.

To heck with the critics!


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> *John Carter*
> They kept it on mars, first mistake-come on Disney, your audience isnt stupid!
> The jumping, gets old really quickly!
> The visual tone, mars is a cold cold planet,  but they made it look like the sahara!
> The context,  its cowboys and indians, again!


 
Okay, you're gonna have to explain this to me.

"John Carter *of Mars*". So why should it not be on Mars?

Burroughs liked to talk about John Carter's "Earth trained muscles". So jumping is part of the deal. So is smashing, flinging and otherwise beating the stink out of the bad guys.

Mars is not a hospitable destination for space explorers. We know that now. But Burroughs in 1912 probably wasn't playing all that fast and loose with known science.

Cowboys & Indians. Well, this is about good guys and bad guys. Paint 'em up any way you like.

The film certainly had its faults. Ironically, however, the thing that probably kept it from being a box office hit was that it actually tried to follow the original story to a large degree. Much better fan appeal these days to re-write everything and proceed any way you choose. Just use the title. The blazes with the story.

(Oh, and congrats on 5000 posts!)


----------



## Metryq

clovis-man said:


> But Burroughs in 1912 probably wasn't playing all that fast and loose with known science.



It was "known" at the time that Mars was unlikely to support advanced life, but that didn't stop Percival Lowell's reported observations from becoming a sensation. Similarly, spectrographs of Venus showed that it could not be the rain forest imagined by some, but that did not stop sci-fi writers from using the idea late into the 20th century.

Steam punk is just one genre where known violations of science or at least technology are par for the course. And Einsteinian Relativity never stopped writers from invoking faster-than-light starships.

I haven't seen JOHN CARTER yet, but I know it will not have the one thing that I liked most about the books: the flowery language—including every character's penchant for long soliloquies—and the completely over-the-top superlatives of John Carter.


----------



## J-Sun

Metryq said:


> It was "known" at the time that Mars was unlikely to support advanced life, but that didn't stop Percival Lowell's reported observations from becoming a sensation.



Then again, I've seen a 1953 encyclopedia (_The Standard International Encyclopedia_, William H. Hendelson, Editor-in-Chief) that says Mars' "seasons are quite similar to ours. Its atmosphere is like ours and has clouds. The telescope reveals reddish spots that are thought to be continents and greenish tints which are considered bodies of water. The proportion of land to water is directly reversed from that of the earth, fully three-fourths being land."

That much, huh? 

Things then were probably much as now - there are the life-skeptics who see a barren solar system (I have to include myself - though I'd be happy to be proven wrong) and then there are the life-believers who insert life under the surface of Mars and in moons and everywhere they possibly can where it hasn't been verified that life absolutely _isn't_. So it depends on who the person listens to.

As far as Burroughs playing fast and loose, though, his method of travel to Mars and the nature of Dejah Thoris and various other things say that strict adherence to science would never get in the way of his telling a yarn. Then again, those two points aren't much different from FTL and "just alike but for the bumpy foreheads" of more recent things generally called SF - gotta get there somehow and, since Carter's method of locomotion meant he couldn't take any ladies with him, there had to be an alien one there for him.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun and Metryq: Interesting posts. I had to chuckle because I had resisted the urge to quote Wikipedia. But it's true that the whole canals controversy (and a lot of other things) never got solved until we got a better look at Mars via the Mariner spacecraft in the 1960s. One thing I noted while I was digging was that as early as 1909, a spectrographic analysis had shown that there was very little water in Mars' atmosphere. So wouldn't that make for a good premise of a Martian desert?


----------



## Alex The G and T

I've pretty much had my fill of comic book super hero movies; but my daughter made me watch _The Green Hornet._

Turned out that the movie is pretty funny, in a _Hangover_ fashion.  Better, the flick is quite campy, in the tradition of the olden radio plays upon which the original was based.

Reminded me of a weekly, goofball spoof "The Brown Hornet and Leroy" which was on my pop radio station, when I was tennish inage, in the late 60's.

***

On a side note... I saw an episode of the Adam West, 60's Batman tv shows recently.

I had forgotten how campy _that_ was; and resolved the mystery of why Captain Kirk talked that way he did:  Adam West pioneered that ridiculous, staccatto delivery of mock-dramatic lines slightly before, or about the same time as Kirk debuted.


----------



## hopewrites

side note to your side note. I live in the same town as Adam West.


----------



## gully_foyle

hopewrites said:


> side note to your side note. I live in the same town as Adam West.


Isn't he the mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island?


----------



## Mouse

I don't care _what_ planet it's set on, I want to see John Carter for Taylor Kitsch. That guy is fine.

Last film I saw all the way through was *Shelter*.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Mouse said:


> I don't care _what_ planet it's set on, I want to see John Carter for Taylor Kitsch. That guy is fine.


 
Completely agree!


----------



## Mouse

My dear, you have excellent taste.


----------



## Connavar

Mouse said:


> I don't care _what_ planet it's set on, I want to see John Carter for Taylor Kitsch. That guy is fine.
> 
> Last film I saw all the way through was *Shelter*.



John Carter only for Taylor Kitsch ? 

And you call yourself SFF fan


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> Okay, you're gonna have to explain this to me.
> 
> "John Carter *of Mars*". So why should it not be on Mars?
> 
> Burroughs liked to talk about John Carter's "Earth trained muscles". So jumping is part of the deal. So is smashing, flinging and otherwise beating the stink out of the bad guys.
> 
> Mars is not a hospitable destination for space explorers. We know that now. But Burroughs in 1912 probably wasn't playing all that fast and loose with known science.
> 
> Cowboys & Indians. Well, this is about good guys and bad guys. Paint 'em up any way you like.
> 
> The film certainly had its faults. Ironically, however, the thing that probably kept it from being a box office hit was that it actually tried to follow the original story to a large degree. Much better fan appeal these days to re-write everything and proceed any way you choose. Just use the title. The blazes with the story.
> 
> (Oh, and congrats on 5000 posts!)



Well when I heard about this film. I was under the impression it was set on an undisclosed planet, but no, they kept it on mars. Silly. And the jumping,  particularly when he first gets to mars, was laughable. And theres a bit where he falls at speed, hits a shelf and just shoots back up again. Sorry but no matter how strong you are, you try that and your legs would snap! Its about as SF as superman! Still entertaining in parts mind...oh and I believe the reason it bombed was because of one name-Disney!


----------



## Lenny

Having watched *Batman Begins* and *The Dark Knight* in preparation over the weekend, like Moonbat, I've just come back from watching *The Dark Knight Rises*.

It was a good film, but not the best of the trilogy (which has to be the second). It did feel like two shorter films stitched together, and I think lacked cohesion throughout, but although it fell flat in a lot of places, the build up to the end was magnificent, and the end was very satisfying (however, I must admit I'm pleased that Nolan and Bale don't want to do more - the trilogy is done, and they're leaving it at that).

I think the best way to describe it is as if the first film was trying to act like the second.

Got to add, with appearances from Teal'c and President Henry Hayes, I so want to believe that TDKR takes place in the same timeline as *Stargate*!


----------



## Cayal

Dark Knight Rises - Great movie. Not sure if better than Dark Knight, but that's a high standard regardless.


----------



## Moonbat

I pretty much agree with _Lenny_. It was good with a great ending (the real ending with Jason Gordon Levitt) and some wonderful set pieces, but overall lacked the standout performance of *Dark Knight*.
I think that although *Tom Hardy* is a good actor, he was unable to really epxress himself as he had a big mask thing across most of his face. His voice was annoying too, too expressive and almost pantomime villain. A good film, a great trilogy, but not the best of the three.
Incidentally it is currently number 10 on IMDB, with a score of 9.2 (which, if it keeps will put it joint second with *Godfather*, behind *Shawshank *at no. 1) *The Dark Knight* is number 8, and only has 8.9 (but 600000 more votes)


----------



## Sfactor123

Last film that I watched was Miley Cyrus' LOL. I liked this film and enjoyed watching it, though I believe 

that the film could have been way better than what it is. Miley was joy to watch as always and other cast 

members like Demi Moore and Douglas Booth were also decent in their roles.

I would give this film a rating of 6/10.


----------



## Kylara

The Adam West Batman film...just because it was on...absolutely hilarious, ridiculous and infuriating (they just happen to have a machine to separate the bits of coloured sand that are the delegates, nice and neatly labelled in the bat cave, with _exactly _the right number of tubes...) but I do love how everything must have "bat" put in front of it and it did amuse me...well worth a watch if you fancy laughing at a film...

Oh I saw TDKR and got mightily peeved by the whole ending...sperlunking annoyances wandering through stuff (trying to avoid spoilers here  ) and the wrong name...


----------



## kopfarm

Last film I watched was Real Steel, which wasn't as bad as I had expected.  Found the kid quite annoying though.


----------



## hommystyle

My last watched movie is "The Raven"


----------



## Nerds_feather

I watched Attack the Block on the plane here. Found it annoying. Watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes on the very same plane. Found it surprisingly good.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Something called "Dirty Dingus McGee" (Frank Sinatra, 1970) came up on the all _Oater_, all the time channel.

Pretty much unwatchable.   I just enjoyed thinking that the subtitle should have been:  "Every Woman in all of the Wild West ached to Clean his Dingus."


----------



## FireDragon-16

Mouse said:


> My dear, you have excellent taste.



Why thank you for noticing 

Watched *American Reunion* last night. It was hilarious, and I liked how they tied it up with the other three. I just hope that franchise is done. I liked the first three (I, II, Wedding) but the others didn't really do anything, especially since (except for band camp), none of them were related to the originals in any way...


----------



## Connavar

*Batman: The Dark Knight Rises*


There were some flaws to that whole idea of a regular Gotham civilian would have the trigger to the bomb. I thought the idea of Bruce Wayne giving up Batman,faking his death in his 30s is not a good idea. I rather see Batman die than give up because he couldnt be it anymore. Thats taking realism thing too far. 

Still i thought it was the best film in the series, a fine ending. More epic and Bane was very belieable, awesome villain. Toying with Batman mentally,physically just like Knighfall arc. Anne Hatheway was surprisingly good as Catwoman. Elegant looking one who reminded me of Darwyn Cooke,Tim Sale version look wise, character wise. 

Batman could actually move,fight looking like a superhero even if it was not the cool martial arts you see in the comics. 

Great film but the ending was too much for me as Batman fan.  Too much realism based ending.  Nolan is really good director but i hope next director makes Batman in the mold of superhero story.


----------



## alchemist

*Terminator Salvation* - muck. Bale's gravelly, over the top, alpha-male voice grated from the start and set the tone for a film without any subtlety. It's funny how, over time, writers/directors can lose the feel for what made a film/series good in the first place.


----------



## Kylara

ummm that would be Schwartzy, who they also CGd into salvation if I remember correctly


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Abyss* (1989) - which I had never seen before and now consider  the three or four hours hours I spent watching the 'Extended Special Edition  Director's Cut With Added Patronisingly Simplistic Message Content' to be  utterly wasted.  Wish I'd watched the shorter funnier version, though I  suspect I would have lost my patience with it at the same point.  Our  hero falls for 30 minutes straight down the abyss, buffeted and bouncing  off a undersea cliff and lands RIGHT NEXT to the nuclear bomb he has  come to defuse and then we have the whole 'don't cut the blue wire' gag.   Oh Come on!


----------



## Alex The G and T

My highschool buddy, Hoyt Yeatman, won an academy award for the special effects in _The Abyss_.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Connavar said:


> *Batman: The Dark Knight Rises*
> 
> 
> There were some flaws to that whole idea of a regular Gotham civilian would have the trigger to the bomb. I thought the idea of Bruce Wayne giving up Batman,faking his death in his 30s is not a good idea. I rather see Batman die than give up because he couldnt be it anymore. Thats taking realism thing too far.



Um, in the future, if you're going to put stuff like this in, could you add a *spoiler alert* and possibly change the color? This way, people who have yet to see the movie (like me) can skip over and those that want to know can still find it. It's kind of disappointing to find out like this especially when I've been dying to see this.

On another note, since this is already here, it's already been stated that both Bale and Nolan are finished with Batman so maybe he decided to die as a way of bringing Bale's reign as Batman to an end? Just my opinion...


----------



## Connavar

FireDragon-16 said:


> Um, in the future, if you're going to put stuff like this in, could you add a *spoiler alert* and possibly change the color? This way, people who have yet to see the movie (like me) can skip over and those that want to know can still find it. It's kind of disappointing to find out like this especially when I've been dying to see this.
> 
> On another note, since this is already here, it's already been stated that both Bale and Nolan are finished with Batman so maybe he decided to die as a way of bringing Bale's reign as Batman to an end? Just my opinion...



Heh i deleated that spoiler long ago.  You need spoiler tags now.

I just thought à better end was needed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Alex said:


> My highschool buddy, Hoyt Yeatman, won an academy award for the special effects in _The Abyss_.



Well deserved too.  It looked great.  It was just the incredibly hackneyed 'evil warlike humans don't deserve to live,  powerful godlike aliens nearly destroy us but we're saved by an individual selfless act of love' crap that sank the film for me.


----------



## Starbeast

*Batman: The Dark Knight Rises *(2012)

It was far better than I thought it was going to be, so much happening within this nearly three hour feature (which didn't seem that long). My heart thumped strongly every time Batman went into action with my favorite tune "Molossus" blasting as the background music.

What a tremendous closure to director Nolan's vision of Gotham's ultimate vigilante in this Batman trilogy. Great and gritty comic book tale!

*Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977)

Still a magnificant film, injected with a great cast and wonderful special effects.

"If this is just nerve gas, how come I know everything in such detail. I've never been here before.

How come I know so much? What is going on around here?

WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE!"

It was pretty cool to see _Dr J Allen Hynek*_ in the film as well.

*He worked on Project Bluebook as a skeptic on Ufology, but became a believer in beings from elsewhere after he investigated hundreds of close enounter cases personally.


----------



## Connavar

*Mad Max (1979)*

I cant believe what im about to say but i saw the first Mad Max for the first time yesterday.  I have seen the second many times and i almost thought it was the first Mad Max for some reason.  I like to forget the weak third one.

It was pretty good looking, interesting messed few years in the future story.  The car chases,the feel of speed of the bikes,cars felt very exciting.  Amazing for some small Aussie film.  When Gibson became Mad Max looking for revenge, the film became grim,hell on wheels revenge i wish was longer.

Gibson should have done more grim action,adventure films and less wisecracking cop hero like in Lethal Weapon.


----------



## Metryq

INTO INFINITY (aka THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, 1975)

I've been curious about this production since first learning of it. I was 10 at the time SPACE: 1999 first aired, but I missed this when it appeared in the US. Now that I've finally seen it, I can say it was not worth all the effort. As an "educational" piece, this movie crashed so hard that even a _Journey to the Center of the Earth_ would not find it. The characters were all one-dimensional long before they reached the speed of light—and in a matter of minutes, too. I think one's spine would leave an impression in steel under that many Gs.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Connavar said:


> Heh i deleated that spoiler long ago. You need spoiler tags now.
> 
> I just thought à better end was needed.


 
So I just saw this, and I have to say, it was amazing!

I think the ending was a great way (as I stated earlier) to bring about the end of Nolan/Bale's Batman reign, but it leaves it open for someone else to come in and go off on the Robin tangent...


----------



## J-Sun

*John Carter*. Long story short, there's all kinds of things wrong with the movie but there's all kinds of things right. It certainly doesn't deserve to become the illustration in the dictionary by "flop" (or "bomb" or "disaster" or whatever) - I actually thought it was fun and am glad I finally got around to seeing it.

I think the main problem was that while it deviated a bit from the book (and made some things worse but actually improved others) it actually adhered too closely and the movie-makers knew the story too well. They tried to keep a lot in, so just telegraphed the vague ideas of Carter's friendship with Tars, his bond with Woola, his love for Dejah - if you know the book, you know what they're talking about but I doubt it would work for people unfamiliar with the book. The movie pulls off the neat feat of being too long in absolute time, but being too rushed in terms of telling story components, while still managing to be action-packed and exciting for the most part. Three different paces in the same movie. But too much time is devoted to the (good but) relatively boring frame story and not enough to Barsoom. Still, the movie looks fantastic (especially the Dejah Thoris part) and it was fun and exciting and the people seemed to be at least trying to make a decent flick and came reasonably close.

-- I gotta go to wikipedia immediately before I type stuff. It includes the line "While John Carter looks terrific and delivers its share of pulpy thrills, it also suffers from uneven pacing and occasionally incomprehensible plotting and characterization." Gotta learn to be concise. That's it exactly.
___
Footnote 1: I guess I'd rather the guy playing Carter not attempt a lame fake Southern accent but couldn't they have hired a Southerner? Even aside from pure (lack of) accent there was general intonation problems. It bothered me when the guy was pegging him as a Virginian on the basis of Carter calling him "sir", because the actor delivered it wrong, like it was a rank rather than a social honorific. Especially as it should have been delivered as an empty honorific.

Footnote 2: Perhaps the biggest box office problem was Disney not seeming to be behind it or knowing how to sell it? It should have kept the faith, keeping "Mars" in the title, and sold it (it only partly is, but advertising is lying) as a retro-chic steampunk thing. Steampunk is still a distressingly big deal, right? And there's still some key dialog and the JC*M* glyph at (after) the end - I wonder how late the name change happened? The title (with or without Mars) may be a case of greed, too. I don't see _A Princess of Mars_ for the title, although it certainly could be, but I think the earlier _Under the Moons of Mars_ would have been an excellent title. But it doesn't sound as franchise-y as "John Carter [of Mars]". So, ironically, there won't be a franchise. -- Apparently the name change was early and the marketing in general was terrible and the director was inexplicably heavily involved in messing it up.


----------



## Mouse

Not good at the old accents, is he, Taylor Kitsch! ^ Couldn't do Gambit's one in the Wolverine film either. I'll forgive him cos he's pretty. 

Last film I saw was *Maurice* with a young Hugh Grant in it. Very sweet film.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Day of the Beast* (1995)

A priest must stop the anti-christ from being born. An excellent creepy horror film mixed with bits of very dark comedy. I haven't seen it for a while, but this movie still delivers hellish entertainment.

Highly recommended for horror fans!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Ice Age 4*
Took the kids to the cinema yesterday, brill, best one yet!


----------



## planetocean

AVENGERS that was a good movie on some scenes had me at the edge of my seat that good. I hope they make another one. It was interesting seeing all the heroes together and at the end they go their own ways for now.


----------



## Connavar

*Moonrise Kingdom
*
I didnt know what to expect from this, i knew the director other films by rep only. It was a very charming,witty,fun film to watch. I like the different,colorful look and the camera work and even the music fit the mood. No wonder he got so many quality actors like Tilda Swinton,Norton etc

I didnt expect to enjoy,smile,laugh so much at this film. I saw mostly as a protest against all these dump summer films.

It reminded me of The Artist, very nice style,wit that makes you enjoy it in a way mostly film these days dont.


----------



## Harpo

The last film I watched was Vertigo, which I'd never seen before - it's great and I want to see it again soonish.


----------



## Abernovo

You'd never seen Vertigo?  Now you know what you were missing.  Just in case you haven't seen this either, Harpo, I'd suggest *Rear Window* as well.

*Kokowääh* (2011). Far from SFF, but an enjoyable comedy from Til Schweiger about modern family dynamics. There were subtitles - my German isn't good enough.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Last night I rewatched *The Dark Knight*. Certainly the best of the trilogy, maybe my favourite 'superhero' movie ever made.


----------



## Alex The G and T

One of the classic movie channels was running a Johhny Weissmuller marathon, yesterday.

The only one I actually watched, most of, was *Tarzan and His Mate* (1934)  Hollywood was dead serious about these movies, and J Weismuller is quite the acrobat.

Lots of Mystery Science Theater type commentary from the peanut gallery on the Alex Sofa that night, to be sure.

Jane is soooo Hollywood.  These people allegedly live, as animals in the jungle; yet they are so clean and well dressed.  Their coifs are impeccable down to the last stray dyed wisp of platinum blond hair.

Tarzan lives, mostly naked in Equitorial Africa.  Can we give him a tan?  Maybe a smudge of Jungle Mire on his ankle?  Jane really needs to be more naked more often.  She's an aspiring Ape-woman, right?  She is relentlessly clothed in this movie.

In honor of the Johnny Weissmuller marathon, I tuned up Ray Steven's "Guitarzan" on youtube.   

I'm in a quandary about which presentation is more deliciously absurd.


----------



## Foxbat

*The 25th Reich*.

Pretty ordinary (very)low budget alternate WW2 nonsense that tries to be too many things. The script is all over the place and the (attempted) humour is poor. Probably would have been much funnier if the makers had tried to be really serious about this film. An interesting idea badly executed.

Having said all that, I'd probably watch it again if it were a choice between this movie or a frontal lobotomy.


----------



## clovis-man

The Swedish version of *The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo*. Some liberties taken with plot details, but very well done overall. Noomi Rapace is a good Lisbeth. Better than I might have thought after seeing her in *Prometheus*. Not that she was bad in the latter, just a very different character.


----------



## Connavar

clovis-man said:


> The Swedish version of *The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo*. Some liberties taken with plot details, but very well done overall. Noomi Rapace is a good Lisbeth. Better than I might have thought after seeing her in *Prometheus*. Not that she was bad in the latter, just a very different character.



Her terrible english accent almost ruined Prometheus for me.


----------



## Mouse

*I Love You, Philip Morris*. Too sad! I almost bawled. Jim Carrey was actually pretty good.


----------



## Starbeast

*Black Magic With Buddha* (1983)

Hard to find low-budget horror film about a desperate man wanting to improve his life by worshipping a brain demon who grants him wishes. A bit gory and freaky flick with music tracks lifted from ALIEN and PHANTASM, not bad, entertainingly weird.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec*
Directed by Luc Besson, this is a French comedy/fantasy  that begins with a pterodactyl flying over the streets of early 20th Century Paris. By the end of the movie, the story is a bit all over the place. Nevertheless, this movie with its feisty female  protagonist is very enjoyable and well worth a watch.


----------



## Mouse

*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*. On TV. Urgh, too sad. Why are so many films so damn sad? It was also a bit creepy and weird.


----------



## Gary Compton

Watched Sentinel last night with Michael Douglas. Great film if you like "President assassination." type films


----------



## Triceratops

Watched the Perfect Storm again. And was very sad, again. Wow, it's kind of a docu-drama.

chris


----------



## Starbeast

*The Leech Woman* (1960)

I finally watched this low-budget movie about a wonder drug from an African tribe that can make women young, a little hokey, but not bad.

*Captain America* (2011), *Thor* (2011) and *Iron Man 2* (2010)

These were all fun to see again.


----------



## Rodders

Captain America. It was ok. 

I also watched the Green Lantern which I thought was fun.


----------



## biodroid

The Dark Knight Rises - excellent movie with a great ending that leaves a few things open and closed.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched a few recently that have been good.

Just watched* A Lonely place to die*, with *Melissa George*, not bad, started poorly but got better.
Saw *Lawn Dogs* last night with *Sam Rockwell* and a very young *Mischa Barton*, quite a good film, some bits left unanswered but altogether entertaining.

Also saw *Cold Souls* with *Paul Giamatti*, pretty odd sci-fi film, where he can store his soul to feel better, I liked it, I think *Paul Giamatti* is a very good actor and he was cast well in this film inspired by a dream in which* Woody Allen* thinks he soul looks like a chickpea.

Before that the films were pretty poor, *The Innkeepers*, a rubbish horror that didn't live up to the hype, *The Raven*, a terrible film with* John Cusack* playing Edgar Allen Poe trying to solve some murders based on his stories, it seemed to be a great idea, trying to be a bit *Sherlock Holmes* (the *Guy Ritchie* versions) in that it was gothic and yet modern, not quite steampunk but close, but it just didn't work, I think it was badly directed or acted or scripted, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, anyway a bad film that should have been better.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Brute Man* (1946)

Based loosely on (title actor) Rondo Hatton's own trajic life (handsome as a youth, but he became disfigured by acromegaly), however the movie protrays the disfigured man as a mad killer. Not bad drama.

*The Green Slime* (1969)

One of my ultimate favorite science fiction cult classic movies! 

The story: An organism is accidently brought aboard a space station, where it quickly grows and multiplies into dangerous hideous monsters.


MOONBAT - Thanks for the warning about _The Raven_


----------



## j d worthington

Over a period of several days, I saw the final, eponymously-titled *Quatermass* serial (1979) with John Mills. Despite a few flaws, I think this one holds up quite well, and was intelligently done (also one of the darkest things to come out of that era, which was rather prone to dark visions to begin with).

And this weekend I watched Tod Browning's *Dracula* (1931) again. I don't know how many times I've seen this film over the years since I was a kid; but, oddly, in watching it the last few years, I have come to think considerably more highly of it than I used.....


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> And this weekend I watched Tod Browning's *Dracula* (1931) again. I don't know how many times I've seen this film over the years since I was a kid; but, oddly, in watching it the last few years, I have come to think considerably more highly of it than I used.....


 
If available to you, I suggest you watch this with the alternative soundtrack performed by The Kronos Quartet. It really adds something to an already fine film.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> If available to you, I suggest you watch this with the alternative soundtrack performed by The Kronos Quartet. It really adds something to an already fine film.


 
It was a score by Philip Glass that you are likely referring to. Although since the original film version pretty much had no score, it's hard to think of it as an "alternative". Interesting, but I've never been a Philip Glass fan. John Adams, yes (another minimalist American composer), Philip Glass, no. Just a matter of taste, I guess.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> It was a score by Philip Glass that you are likely referring to. Although since the original film version pretty much had no score, it's hard to think of it as an "alternative". Interesting, but I've never been a Philip Glass fan. John Adams, yes (another minimalist American composer), Philip Glass, no. Just a matter of taste, I guess.


 
Well, considering an excerpt from Swan Lake was used as a soundtrack in both Dracula and The Mummy from that era (and that's what most folk have seen them with) I'd say that 'alternative' is a suitable word. And, yes, it was written by Philip Glass and I'm not a big fan of his stuff either, but in this instance, I think he got it right.


----------



## clovis-man

I have to admit that if the Kronos played the tune from a toothpaste commercial, I'd listen to it.


----------



## Lobolover

I find I've fallen out of habbit of watching new movies, mostly. I either see something I already have seen, am denied seeing something new by the other people sharing the tv, or just watch something that completely fails to make an impression.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Silver Fleet* (1943) Starring Raplh Richardson and Googie Withers. This tale of resistance in newly occupied Holland is actually very good and worthy of a watch for anyone with an interest in good old war-time drama


----------



## clovis-man

*Panic*. The story of a reluctant contract killer who wants to get out of the family business. It features an amazing cast of character actors including William H. Macy in the featured role, John Ritter, Donald Sutherland, Tracy Ullman and Barbara Bain. Despite this, the film unrolls in quite understated fashion. Despite some less than credible moments, the story is captivating.


----------



## Gordian Knot

Just watched King Arthur on BluRay again. Totally love this film. The first to put Arthur into the historical context of when he might have really existed.

Stripped out is all the French Romance story characteristics that are usually such a staple of King Arthur films. Stories that were written a couple centuries after Arthur had lived. No plate armor. No grail quests. No courtly love. If you have seen Excalibur, you know what I am talking about.

No, this King Arthur is fairly faithful to a historical event that we know actually happened, where a British leader rallied the Britons to an epic defeat of the Saxons at the Battle of Badon Hill. Dealt the Saxons a defeat that stopped their advance into Britain for a generation.

We don't know if this leader was really a guy named Arthur or not. But he is often attached to this great battle.

I enjoyed the acting of all the major players, though admittedly, having Guinevere turned into a Woad warrior women was a stretch. (The Woads were the indigenous population of Britain, displaced by the Britons, who were then conquered by Rome).

Arthur's struggle between his fond memories of Rome, and the brutal realities of his adopted homeland is totally believable. As is his final decision which path he will follow.

The battle sequences were awesome and also rather original. One is a fight between Arthur and his remaining knights against a Saxon army of about 200 men; the battle takes place on a frozen lake.

The final battle is also original, and a clever way for a smaller force to decimate a much larger one. Talk about the fog or war! lol.


----------



## Starbeast

*Lockout* (2012)

Similar to _Escape from New York (1981),_ but the tough wise-mouth hero tries to rescue the president's daughter who is trapped on a space prison orbitting Earth. Not bad, good effects and violent.

*Descendents* (2012)

A very different kind of "zombie" movie. Humans begin to evolve naturally to combat the world-wide zombie problem. The main character is a child who evolves into the next phase of human revolution.

Fair warning: Violent, gory and sickenly boring.

I just had to see how this little girl was going to survive loneliness, stavation, rogue soldiers (etc.), I was hoping for a big payoff. I guessed the ending about mid-way, and I was very disappointed to see I was right.

However the extras included two cool music videos, I only remembered the name of one band:

Voodoo Zombie - _Manicomio_ (listening to it now)


----------



## Cayal

The Bourne Legacy

I give it about a 7/10

It was good but not as good as the originals. Renner played the role well and I am really happy they didn't make him a Bourne duplicate, he had a totally different personality which was good.
They also did a good job in tying the story in with the Bourne Ultimatum, making it run along side what happened and did it pretty well. It change TBU a little but nothing major.

But the main story fell a little short.


----------



## Kylara

Colombiana

Fairly good, but some serious issues in the second half of the film...waaaay too much of the FBI being able to do stuff, seemingly without warrants, or order or anything, and then disappearing, even though they know what's happening, only to jump back in at the very end...some good set pieces and a very promising opening, but let down a bit by the second half.


----------



## Rodders

The Green Lantern? Not a good movie at all in my opinion.


----------



## Mary Hoffman

John Carter, on DVD last night. So bad I couldn't finish it.


----------



## Rodders

Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgandy

It was ok, I doubt if I'd watch it again though.


----------



## j d worthington

Finally had a chance to see the second Quatermass serial (*Quatermass II*) in its entirety over a few days. I've only seen small bits of this one before (though I have seen the film version), and I must say that, save for the technical aspects of the ending -- the limited abilities of the time -- it stands up very well. Quite suspenseful and done at a pace which is, of course, totally alien to today's ADHD television approach, but which allows a slow, convincing buildup in both atmosphere and detail, with several fine performances. (Even Roger Delgado's somewhat minor character here makes quite an impression.)

I've wanted to see these since I was a very small child -- and now I have, save, of course, for the first, of which only two episodes exist visually -- and for my money this was very much worth the wait. A fine set of stories, overall....


----------



## Foxbat

*Night Of The Hunter *(1955) Robert Mitchum stars in this Charles Laughton directed thriller about a religious nut terrorising two children in order to find out where their late father hid his ill-gotten gains. 

Very nice cinematography and lighting here(especially interior scenes) that was obviously heavily influenced by German Expressionism (as was all Film Noir). The story starts off pretty well and seems to be heading in the direction of  a sort of proto-Cape Fear but then descends into a hurried muddle for the last twenty minutes or so. Definitely worth watching but (unfortunately) suffers from a poor conclusion.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I caught the second half of _The Fall of the House of Usher_ (1960) Vincent Price, last night.  It didn't seem to capture the spirit of the story.

Usher was too evil and not nearly raving mad enough.  The _special_ (as in retarded) effects, when the house burned, were laughable.

I kept hearing a Muppet saying, "Hello, my name is Vincent Twice.  Vincent Twice."

And thinking that Alan Parsons captured the story better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HlzQfVylBM


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Nights of Terrror *(aka _Le notti del terrore _1981) -  tedious Italian zombie flick with some gratuitous nudity, a modicum of  pointless wandering around corridors trying to generate some tension,  and lots of gore (I seem to have found an uncut version 13 minutes were  cut before it got a certificate on its initial release). Watched the  last third on FF and don't think I missed any subtleties.  Nice line in  spelling mistakes in the end titles though.  As the last of the  protagonists dies under the zombies onslaught in the final shot, the image  freezeframes and a caption appears:



> The earth shall tremble.... graves shall open.... they shall come  among  the living as messengers of death and there shall be the nigths  of  terror.... "Profecy of the Black Spider"



The only thing that saved it from instant forgettability was the spookily weird 26 year old actor playing a ten year old boy.  And there's not many films where an incestuous, 10 year old, one-armed zombie bites his own mother's breast off.  Not an image I wish to have repeated in front of me so I doubt if I will watch it again.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *Volcano*. I detest this film. It's so sweet it makes me want to puke.


----------



## alchemist

Rodders said:


> Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgandy
> 
> It was ok, I doubt if I'd watch it again though.



I never understood the cult status of that film. It's good, but not _that _good.


----------



## clovis-man

*Real Steel*. Nicely filmed, but terminally sappy. The kid was even more annoying than the Episode 1 Anakin Skywalker.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Just watched Battleship on DVD. It's a reasonable popcorn movie with good special effects and a great soundtrack, but the acting (Rihana) is poor, and there are some absolutely glaring plotholes.

I mean apart from the obvious problem of apparently trying to start up a decommissioned battleship in an hour or so (though at least to the tune of Thunderstruck which makes all the difference), where did all the old guys suddenly pop up from? Were they sitting on thebattleship simply waiting for someone to come and ask them to get the ancient ship running? Why? Because no one called them as far as I could see.

But then there's the really big one. The ship is decommissioned. So why would it have ammunition on board?

After that there are the other done for effect issues. Like battleships and destroyers apperently have to be up close and personal to duke it out like an old fashioned pirate movie. Actually most of the big battleships could fire at targets right over the horizon. And if you dropped an anchor to try and stop a battleship at full speed, not to mention spin it around so that it could fire a broadside (something a battle ship doesn't need to do by the way), you'd rip the anchor mount right out of the hull and not change the ship's course a single inch.

It was like they wanted to turn hundreds of thousands of ton ships into speed boats.

But at least it was fun. And Rihana should stick to singing.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## clovis-man

*Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame*. An elaborate Chinese costume drama which follows a "Sherlockian" type of story. Lots of super acrobatic martial arts, special effects and a convoluted plot keep you glued to the screen because you're afraid to miss a subtitle. Very entertaining, if not one for the time capsule.


----------



## CyBeR

Went out to the cinema this Wednesday (long live Orange Wednesdays) with the little lady and two friends to watch *Brave*. 
...well...it was definitely NOT a story we were expecting. I'd not call it weaker or stronger than the usual Pixar stuff...but it was nothing we expected. For once the trailers did not show much of what was in production and that was sincerely nice.

The mother - daughter redemption story was cute, though it felt kinda empty for most of the time, as the film felt a tad pointless here and there. But in the end, it got moving, got some tension going and an action scene that really left us breathless.

Not what we expected, but a good film nonetheless.


----------



## Mouse

I watched *Mirrormask*,which is sort of like Pan's Labyrinth but weirder. I enjoyed it. Didn't get some of it, mind, but twas lovely to look at.

And then I watched *A Knight's Tale* with the lovely, lovely Alan Tudyk (doing a very dodgy accent, but this man can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned).


----------



## Yog-Sothoth

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just watched Battleship on DVD. It's a reasonable popcorn movie with good special effects and a great soundtrack, but the acting (Rihana) is poor, and there are some absolutely glaring plotholes.
> 
> I mean apart from the obvious problem of apparently trying to start up a decommissioned battleship in an hour or so (though at least to the tune of Thunderstruck which makes all the difference), where did all the old guys suddenly pop up from? Were they sitting on thebattleship simply waiting for someone to come and ask them to get the ancient ship running? Why? Because no one called them as far as I could see.
> 
> But then there's the really big one. The ship is decommissioned. So why would it have ammunition on board?
> 
> After that there are the other done for effect issues. Like battleships and destroyers apperently have to be up close and personal to duke it out like an old fashioned pirate movie. Actually most of the big battleships could fire at targets right over the horizon. And if you dropped an anchor to try and stop a battleship at full speed, not to mention spin it around so that it could fire a broadside (something a battle ship doesn't need to do by the way), you'd rip the anchor mount right out of the hull and not change the ship's course a single inch.
> 
> It was like they wanted to turn hundreds of thousands of ton ships into speed boats.
> 
> But at least it was fun. And Rihana should stick to singing.
> 
> Cheers, Greg.


 
I saw Battleship and enjoyed it. After reading your post, however, they clearly fooled me and millions of others on the accuracy part; I actually thought that anchor manouvre was 'genius'.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> I watched *Mirrormask*,which is sort of like Pan's Labyrinth but weirder. I enjoyed it. Didn't get some of it, mind, but twas lovely to look at.



One of my kids' favourite films - they like _Coraline _too.  I'm doing something right.

Meanwhile last night I had a serious assault on my Yet To be Watched DVD and VHS pile (currently about 300 films) and watched 



Fulci's *City of the Dead *(1980) which I abandoned after 10 minutes  because the transfer was so crappy it was unwatchable (serves me right  for buying things on the 23rd Century label)
*Demon House *(1997 aka _Night of the Demons III_) - in which a bunch of obnoxious 20 somethings playing a bunch of  obnoxious high-schoolers hide out in a 'possessed' house and die one by one.  As if we cared.
*The Stendhal Syndrome *(1996) - During which my on/off 'Dario Argento is  ****' 'Dario Argento is great' pendulum swung right over to the  'great' side of the net and then back again and then ended up in a corner pocket. (End mangle metaphor mode.) This  film is not 'great' but it was certainly disturbingly compulsive watching.


----------



## Cayal

alchemist said:


> I never understood the cult status of that film. It's good, but not _that _good.



I dont find Will Ferrell funny at all.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Undead Dead* (2010)

This was actor (and editor of Famous Monsters Magazine) Forrest J. Ackerman's last film, he played the part of a wheel chair bound zombie who gets set ablaze. It was nice that he was in a horror film not long before he passed away, but _The Undead Dead_ was a just a real bad and boring trash film. I fell alseep during this movie that took itself too seriously, wrong move, they should have injected comedy to help pan out the poor script.

*2012 Zombie Apocalypse *(2011)

Surprisingly entertaining, like another version of the series_ The Walking Dead._ The ending was ok, but overall it was fun to watch. I could easily view this again and again.


----------



## FireDragon-16

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> I mean apart from the obvious problem of apparently trying to start up a decommissioned battleship in an hour or so (though at least to the tune of Thunderstruck which makes all the difference), where did all the old guys suddenly pop up from? Were they sitting on thebattleship simply waiting for someone to come and ask them to get the ancient ship running? Why? Because no one called them as far as I could see.



They were around because of the decommissioning ceremony and they even said when the others showed up that they'd been waiting for someone to call them up...

On another note, we watched *The Bourne Legacy* the other day. I really liked it, I think this might be my favorite of the 4 so far. Love Jeremy Renner!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Forrest J. Ackerman's last film, he played the part of a wheel chair bound zombie who gets set ablaze. It was nice that he was in a horror film not long before he passed away, but _The Undead Dead_ was a just a real bad and boring trash film.



... like most of the films Ackerman appeared in.

 I can only think of two that I would watch again:  _The Time travellers _and _Queen of Blood_.  In both he is barely on screen, though his moment in _Dracula vs. Frankenstein_, where he managed to misread his only line twice, is worth looking out for.


----------



## alchemist

Cayal said:


> I dont find Will Ferrell funny at all.


 
I agree, apart from *Elf*. But then, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

I picked up *Iron Sky* in my local DVD store on Saturday, but put it down again and took one for the alchemissus, *This Means War -- *a fairly silly romcom, with a number of laugh out loud moments.

She says I can get *Iron Sky* next time. Is this wise?


----------



## Rodders

The Dark Knight Rises. Superb.


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> One of my kids' favourite films - they like _Coraline _too.  I'm doing something right.



Excellent! Coraline's also good. Book's better. 


I also agree with the Anchorman comments. I turned it off halfway through. But I do love Elf.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last night _Voyage to the End of the Universe _which is a dreadfuly choppy American International re-edit of the chuffing brilliant 1964          Czechoslovakian film_ Ikarie XB 1.   _Which I only watched because I couldn't find my copy of the original_.

__

_
_ vlcsnap-358193 by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr_​

Tonight, my Dario Argento-meter is definitely read 'crap' to 'very crap'  after watching _The Church.
_


----------



## AE35Unit

The Hunger Games part 1 (well, there's 4 books so...)
Pretty good actually!


----------



## Sapha

The web version of Luke Scott's short dystopian film (20 minutes) *LOOM* starring Giovanni Ribisi and Jellybean Howie. Well worth the 20 minutes of your time.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Blood of the Vampire* (1958)

Excellent movie about a sinister man conducting blood experiments in an insane asylum. Great atmospheric gothic horror film in vivid color.

*Cosmic Monsters* (1959 - a.k.a. _Strange World of Planet X_ & _The Crawling Horror_)

Tame sci-fi flick featuring a weird experiment gone wrong by causing insects & arachnids to grow huge, then an alien shows up and tells them to stop it.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Black Cat* (1934). Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi locked in mortal combat in an Art Deco chamber of horrors. What's not to like?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Cosmic Monsters* (1959 - a.k.a. _Strange World of Planet X_ & _The Crawling Horror_)
> 
> Tame sci-fi flick featuring a weird experiment gone wrong by causing insects & arachnids to grow huge, then an alien shows up and tells them to stop it.



God I'd forgotten about this one.  A dreadful film.  I remember it chiefly for  being a master-class in the differences between American and British screen acting styles of the period.  (The Film is British with a nominal American 'Star' parachuted in to help foreign sales.)  The Brits just talk and talk and endlessly talk in that clipped British acting  style that has, thankfully, long disappeared. Stage trained actors taking turns delivering their  lines towards each other before they forget them (preferably without  moving their lips). The American in the cast, Forrest Tucker (you can see why I put the word 'star' in quote marks up there now, can't you?)  managed to get out some of his lines as if _he actually meant them_ - even if he knew they were garbage.


----------



## Action Avenue

*Apollo 18 *(Avoid it at all costs.... not worth the time, in my opinion.)


----------



## clovis-man

*The Drum* (1938). With Raymond Massey as the bad Indian and Sabu as the good Indian, this is the most outrageous example of British colonial hogwash I can think of. Somehow, I can remember liking it as a youngster, but now it can't hide its jingoistic warts.

Readily equaled, if not surpassed, by many American "cowboys and Indians" flicks, I should hasten to add.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> God I'd forgotten about this one. (*Cosmic Monsters*)  A dreadful film.  I remember it chiefly for  being a master-class in the differences between American and British screen acting styles of the period.  (The Film is British with a nominal American 'Star' parachuted in to help foreign sales.)  The Brits just talk and talk and endlessly talk in that clipped British acting  style that has, thankfully, long disappeared. Stage trained actors taking turns delivering their  lines towards each other before they forget them (preferably without  moving their lips). The American in the cast, Forrest Tucker (you can see why I put the word 'star' in quote marks up there now, can't you?)  managed to get out some of his lines as if _he actually meant them_ - even if he knew they were garbage.


 
Yeah, it was boring with all the lip-flapping. The "male only" mentality at the lab was inadvertantly funny. I knew when the new female computer specialist showed up, she'd be attractive enough to change their narrow minded attitudes. Very typical in early films.

The only thing I enjoyed in the film were the giant bugs munching on human faces. But I wished it was the "stuffed shirts" in charge of the weird science who get eaten, I would have laughed and cheered.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Terror Train *(1980) - Somewhere in Los Angeles in the late  seventies, in a dark and secret room, were three barrels.  The barrels  were full of small pieces of paper each with a single word written on  them.  Every full moon, studio executives high on coke and naked, save  for Gucci bondage gear, ritually sacrificed their personal assistants on  an altar before their phallic golden idol.  Smeared with their victims'  blood, the executives then called upon the chthonic gods of Hollywood  to bless them at the box office.  The high priest summoned forth three  of the anointed and, as one, they plunged their arms deep into the  barrels.  Each pulled out a single piece of paper, opened it, and then  read what was writ thereupon:  'Frat Party' read the first, 'Train' read  the second, 'Psycho killer' read the third.  There was a moment's  silence.  Heads were bowed.  The gods had spoken.  An acolyte picked up  the phone and dialled Jamie Lee Curtis...


----------



## Stephen4444

*The Bourne Legacy* I went to the movie theater to see this. I had really liked the action and special effects of the last two in the series. I was actually a little disappointed in this film. I was expecting too much based on the previous two.


----------



## clovis-man

Had something of a *Jesse Stone* marathon over the Labor Day weekend. The first four movies (CBS) are available for streaming via Netflix. So I watched *Stone Cold*, *Night Passage*, *Death In Paradise* and *Sea Change*. I have to say that I've watched Tom Selleck in a lot of things, from *Magnum P.I.* onward (My younger son has a functional replica of the Ferrari he drove back then). I can't think of a role better suited for him than that of police chief Jesse Stone. Good stories (worked over a little from the Robert Parker novels) and a good supporting cast including Viola Davis, Saul Rubinek and William Devane. Some typical hard boiled detective tropes (can I use that word?), but well acted and well filmed.

There are four more available for purchase via Amazon streaming. And I am a weak person.


----------



## CyBeR

Went and saw *The Expendables 2*.

People that have enjoyed the first fill, will likely enjoy this one too.
If you feel what was missing from the first one was a big barrel of cheese, or some more goofy violence a lá Rambo, you'll most likely enjoy the sequel.

Worst thing about the film: Chuck Norris. I mean seriously, he looks, acts and sounds like the Handy Man from that old series and fits into this like a square peg in a round hole. 
Second worst thing about the film: Van Dame. The man has not aged well. 

Best thing about the film: Jason Statham and the buddy buddy relationship with Silvester Stalone. I really liked their banter and I really liked the action sequences in which they were ducking it out one on one.

If they would have cut away 90% of the pointless shooting and moments in which the characters are just seen walking with weapons at their hips, vaporizing everything in sight, I feel it would've been a much better film.
However, I really enjoyed it and liked that, after *Safe*, Stathan got some more time to actually do some cool things. 

But GOD how I hated every bit of Chuck Norris in this - people were laughing in the cinema as he told one of the most tired Internet jokes about Chuck Norris...bleah -.


----------



## Metryq

CyBeR said:


> I really liked their banter and I really liked the action sequences in which they were *ducking* it out one on one.



So, there was some fowl play?


----------



## CyBeR

Hehe,just saw it. Yes, there was fowl play. Quite a lot of people getting their heads plucked off.


----------



## Foxbat

*4D Man* Interesting Science Fiction movie from 1959. All in all, a reasonable effort - with Robert Lansing playing the lead being the main strength of this film.

Unfortunately it is ruined by its absolutely godawful soundtrack.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

_The Hands of Orlac_ (1924)

An oldie but goodie that was playing on TCM. Oldschool expressionist with a touch of Sci-Fi.


----------



## AE35Unit

Action Avenue said:


> *Apollo 18 *(Avoid it at all costs.... not worth the time, in my opinion.)



Oh it wasnt that bad actually. Silly but hooky.


----------



## clovis-man

Dante DiBenedetto said:


> _The Hands of Orlac_ (1924)
> 
> An oldie but goodie that was playing on TCM. Oldschool expressionist with a touch of Sci-Fi.


 
I watched it too. The pacing was absolutely glacial. I'm sure that it was supremely suspenseful in 1924, especially with the surreal sets. I prefer the Peter Lorre version, *Mad Love*, which was also shown on TCM.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

clovis-man said:


> I watched it too. The pacing was absolutely glacial. I'm sure that it was supremely suspenseful in 1924, especially with the surreal sets. I prefer the Peter Lorre version, *Mad Love*, which was also shown on TCM.



Let's just say, I was in a head-space that didn't mind the glacial pacing. 

And I love pretty much anything with Peter Lorre, if not for the simple fact that he's in it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *4D Man* Interesting Science Fiction movie from 1959. All in all, a reasonable effort - with Robert Lansing playing the lead being the main strength of this film.
> 
> Unfortunately it is ruined by its absolutely godawful soundtrack.



And it has Lee 'Catwoman' Meriwether.  Fwaaar!   And you're right the crash! bang!! wallop! Jazz soundtrack is dire.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> And it has Lee 'Catwoman' Meriwether. Fwaaar! And you're right the crash! bang!! wallop! Jazz soundtrack is dire.


 
She's a great looking girl but, for me, there will only ever be one Catwoman - the delectable  Julie Newmar


----------



## Gabe.

For me it was *Starship Troopers: Invasion*. I'm not going to lie it is not Citizen Kane, but it was a fun story - a perfect of example of how even done to death themes can still be cool if you put enough CGI in. Actually, the whole film is CGI, so be prepared for a whole lot of exposed digitised breasts.


----------



## Snowdog

*Star Trek (2009)*. I'm not a Trekkie or Trekker whatever they're called but I did enjoy all the previous Star Trek films to some extent. This film, though, was so bad I switched it off 3/4 of the way through. It has an 8 out of 10 rating on IMDB which I find just incomprehensible.

The film I watched previous to this tripe was *Key Largo*. A simple story but great acting and great characterization. I suspect most of the 8 out of 10-ers for Star Trek would have switched it off after 10 minutes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

No one would dare switch off a Claire Trevor movie in my presence.


----------



## AE35Unit

Snowdog said:


> *Star Trek (2009)*. I'm not a Trekkie or Trekker whatever they're called but I did enjoy all the previous Star Trek films to some extent. This film, though, was so bad I switched it off 3/4 of the way through. It has an 8 out of 10 rating on IMDB which I find just incomprehensible.
> 
> The film I watched previous to this tripe was *Key Largo*. A simple story but great acting and great characterization. I suspect most of the 8 out of 10-ers for Star Trek would have switched it off after 10 minutes.



How strange of imDB, me Id give it 10/10- Star Trek was a brilliant film, best ST movie so far!

Just watched Pirates, a  really really funny film!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Trial *a 1993 adaptation of Kafka's story. Screenplay by Harold Pinter and starring Kyle MacLachlan. A fairly faithful transfer to the big screen that eschews the expressionist approach of Orson Welles' 1962 version. Instead, we have a very grounded film in very real locations (although filmed in Prague, the location of the city of Joseph K is still unnamed). 

This down-to earth approach gave me a real feeling that this event could easily have been happening during the Red Terror of early communist years. It is this very precise feeling of time and space which contradicts Kafka's original generic tale of one man being pounded down by beauracratic madness and procedure. And just as in the novel, the trial never actually takes place. But then perhaps the trial we think of is not one of legal procedure but one of a man's trial of survival against the weight of modern existance. 

The question is - did it work? Up to a point. Good acting performances, wonderful score and great cinematography. 

Still, it left me somewhat unmoved, as if something crucial was missing in this version. 

Perhaps its grounding in real locations somehow shattered the whole concept of the original story?

Five out of ten sounds about right.


----------



## Abernovo

*Cowboys and Aliens* (2011), courtesy of the satellite.

One of those movies where you can see the good story that lurks deep down inside, but the screenwriters and director didn't really try to bring it out. Decent concept, poorly done, which is a pity. It was a real opportunity for a good Weird West movie, but it looked like it had been phoned in, by the numbers.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Abernovo said:


> *Cowboys and Aliens* (2011), courtesy of the satellite.
> 
> One of those movies where you can see the good story that lurks deep down inside, but the screenwriters and director didn't really try to bring it out. Decent concept, poorly done, which is a pity. It was a real opportunity for a good Weird West movie, but it looked like it had been phoned in, by the numbers.



I agree completely!

We watched *Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close* (2011). Great movie! My mom did spend the entire time crying (which we knew she would...), but it was still a good movie. I loved how his dad was still there even if he wasn't _physically_ there.


----------



## Snowdog

*Red: Werewolf Hunter*

One of those films made by the Sci-Fi Channel I think. It was competent enough, decent acting. Obviously a vehicle for Felicia Day. I think she's supposed to be the descendant of Red Riding Hood but I don't remember that actually being mentioned in the film. The werewolves were extremely unscary CGI. All-in-all pretty forgettable.


----------



## CyBeR

Snowdog said:


> *Red: Werewolf Hunter*
> 
> One of those films made by the Sci-Fi Channel I think. It was competent enough, decent acting. Obviously a vehicle for Felicia Day. I think she's supposed to be the descendant of Red Riding Hood but I don't remember that actually being mentioned in the film. The werewolves were extremely unscary CGI. All-in-all pretty forgettable.



I long for a decent werewolf film. I haven't seen one since *Ginger Snaps*, and even that wasn't anywhere near as good as *Dog Soldiers*. The genre seems pretty dead and buried, with no chance of seeing anything worthwhile in it for a long time now. *The Wolfman* was a decent effort, but it wasn't a horror film (and made no pretenses as such)...


----------



## JunkMonkey

By happen-stance I watched a werewolf film last night.  _ The Beast must Die _(1974) which was basically _The Most Dangerous Game_ meets _Ten Little Indians_.  "One of you in this room - is a WEREWOLF!"

It was based on a short story by James Blish. I've no idea what the story is like but the film is very dull.  Actually I think I do know what the story was like as the dialogue of the film was awfully talky and full of  stuff that would have looked fine on the pages of a book but which sounded stilted and dull coming out of the mouth's of actors.  I suspect the scriptwriters just transferred the dialogue straight from the story to the screen.

Peter Cushing's attempt at a Norwegian accent was entertaining in a car-crashy sort of way.


----------



## Snowdog

I saw that as well. It was OK. Not great by any means but probably better than Red: Werewolf Hunter.

I can't remember the last good werewolf film I saw. Nothing recent anyway.


----------



## Rodders

The Fifth Element was on TV the other day. Still entertaining after all these years.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

Freakonomics.

'Twas an interesting movie. The money experiment was especially enlightening.


----------



## Colbey Frost

Return to OZ because my daughters made me! Found it to be a bit slow, but enjoyed seing some of the old gang!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> The Fifth Element was on TV the other day. Still entertaining after all these years.



Stop making me feel old.


----------



## Colbey Frost

JunkMonkey said:


> Stop making me feel old.



You know what made me feel old? Hearing that the main guy from Farscape is 50 soon.... wtf


----------



## svalbard

*Four*

Not bad, a bit twisted with some cracking dialogue. It had plenty of holes, but the performances made up for it.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

An odd and occasionally wonderful interpretation of *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, starring Lindsay Duncan and Alex Jennings.

I don't know if it was originally made for TV in Britain, or was released as a movie, but I watched it on Netflix.

In my opinion, some of the costuming was atrocious, some of it whimsical and inventive (loved the rude mechanicals!), and it seemed disjointed, as though two different designers were working on two different concepts for the play.

But the performances were _amazing_, and brought the dialogue to life in a way I had never experienced before. 

They did cut down a lot of the speeches from the play, though.  Some of my favorite lines were cut, which was a little distracting, but it did serve to focus my attention on other lines that (for all the times I have watched the play, and for all the different interpretations) never really struck me before, and did so this time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Is that the version with the umbrellas, Teresa?  I remember seeing it years ago and was pretty bowled over by Ms Duncan - who is just great in everything I have seen her in. I lent my copy to someone during a school production of the Dream that I was helping out with - and never got it back.   Ours was a dreadful production.  I was prompt during the show, and at one point had to do some serious hissing off to get Bottom back on track - the actor had skipped the entire first act.


----------



## Snowdog

*The Matrix*. The first time I'd seen it as well, I never fancied it for some reason. When Neo first woke up in that huge chamber with tubes coming out og him I immediately had a vision of Philip Jose Farmer's *To Your Scattered Bodies Go.* The idea of millions of sleepers inhabiting a virtual world and thinking it real is nothing new, and I thought the idea of the machines using human bodies as batteries a bit weak. If they've got the technology to do that surely they'e able to shove a few solar collectors into orbit. Nevertheless it was a good film and I quite enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Snowdog said:


> I thought the idea of the machines using human bodies as batteries a bit weak.



Only a _bit_?  It sank the whole show for me.  I was really quite intrigued up till that moment - then it all went female breasty parts up really fast. 

If you had trouble with that one, Snowdog, I would avoid the others.  I made myself watch the other two recently.  About five and a half hours of my life I concider totally wasted. (I know the run time of the two sequels is only 4.5 hours but I had to rewatch the second half of the last one because I forgot I was watching it.  I didn't go to sleep; I just forgot I was watching it and only remembered at the end credits.)

Last night I watched  *Octaman* (1971) - in an unnamed 'primitive South American country'  (populated by three white people doing Mexican bandit accents) a group  of scientists discover a man squid hybrid mutant monster which then  kills most of them.  Any resemblance to 1954 monster movie classic _The Creature from the Black Lagoon_  is wishful thinking on the director's part.  (He not only directed but  wrote this flaccid pile of marching mollusc poo - and also wrote _The Creature from the Black Lagoon._)  One of those films where day and night are interchangeable from shot to  shot within the same scene and even after they have edited together  every single inch of footage they ran through the camera (there can be  no other explanation) - it still only runs to 76 minutes.  Boring as  hell. I did fall asleep.


----------



## Snowdog

I was wondering about whether to get hold of the Matrix sequels. I don't think I'll make it a priority.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> Last night I watched  *Octaman* (1971) - in an unnamed 'primitive South American country'  (populated by three white people doing Mexican bandit accents) a group  of scientists discover a man squid hybrid mutant monster which then  kills most of them.  Any resemblance to 1954 monster movie classic _The Creature from the Black Lagoon_  is wishful thinking on the director's part.  (He not only directed but  wrote this flaccid pile of marching mollusc poo - and also wrote _The Creature from the Black Lagoon._)  One of those films where day and night are interchangeable from shot to  shot within the same scene and even after they have edited together  every single inch of footage they ran through the camera (there can be  no other explanation) - it still only runs to 76 minutes.  Boring as  hell. I did fall asleep.


 
I like OCTAMAN, sure it was a cheap monster movie, but for me it's a so-bad-it's-good flick.

It was RICK BAKER's (Star Wars, MIB etc.) first special effects film. When Rick made the monster suit, he wasn't happy at how it looked and asked the director not to show the whole suit, just quick shots.

However, the film makers loved the monster costume so much that they showed it as often as possible. Mr Baker was upset, BUT, it gave him expossure for his next projects until he was asked to help with Star Wars, and the rest is history.

*The Monster of Piedras Blancas* (1959)

B-movie about a creature that hangs around a lighthouse because the man who operates it, feeds the monster dog food to keep it from searching on land for something to eat. But when the sea beast doesn't get any more food, he begins to attack people. Typical horror movie for it's time, I haven't seen it in quite a while, still fun to watch though.


----------



## Foxbat

*Royal Wedding *(aka Wedding Bells) This light musical from 1951 stars Fred Astaire and Jane Powell dancing their way through romance from New York to London. I'm not usually big on these types of movies but I found this one to be full of clever dance numbers and quite amusing in places.  It also has Sarah Churchill co-starring (daughter of Winston).


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

JunkMonkey said:


> Is that the version with the umbrellas, Teresa?



That's the one.  I'm tempted to buy it, because I know I'll want to see it again.



> Ours was a dreadful production.  I was prompt during the show, and at one point had to do some serious hissing off to get Bottom back on track - the actor had skipped the entire first act.



I bet the actors playing in the scenes with him were ready to kill him!


----------



## FeedMeTV

*Pride and Prejudice* - the Keira Knightly one.  Not a patch on the BBC version.


----------



## Metryq

Snowdog said:


> I was wondering about whether to get hold of the Matrix sequels. I don't think I'll make it a priority.



Sometimes hyperbole can be funny, and the fight with the gang of Agents Smith in REVOLUTIONS had me laughing, but be ready to shuttle over the rave sex scene. Monica Bellucci in latex was also worth a few minutes of my time. Skip the third movie. The gun mechas guarding the gates were cool, but the series had long since run out of gas by the time the third movie arrived.


----------



## Vince W

*Alien Director's Cut (2003)* - Not sure about this one. It's good, but I'm not sure the added scenes add all that much to the film. In fact there were a couple of things introduced that take away from the entire franchise. I'll continue through the anthology blu rays and see how the other director's cuts fare.


----------



## Snowdog

*The Silent Partner* - Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer. I saw this a long time ago and remembered it as being a good film. I didn't remember all the nudity, which I suppose is a point in its favour, since films with lots of nudity are often remembered just for that. This is actually a tense, well-made thriller which still holds up well. It also raises the question as to how honest any of us would be if suddenly faced with the opportunity of stealing a lot of money without much chance of being caught.


----------



## JunkMonkey

That is a goody, Snowdog. A tense thriller and sadly nearly forgotten. I didn't mind the nudity (was there any? It's years since I saw it  - 3rd August 2006 I'm so anal.  I keep lists.) But I did think the killing of the girl in the flat was gratuitous and didn't make sense.  From my IMDb review at the time:


> Where the film goes slightly wrong for me is when Elaine (Lomez) visits Reikle in jail. Up until that point we had seen everything from Cullen's side of the story (I'm sure there is some arty deconstructionist term for it, but what I mean is that we as viewers only knew what Cullen knew). Suddenly we were taken away from his story and presented with a different relationship. Later, and this is the only other time we stray away from Cullen's view of the situation, Elaine and Reikle break into Cullen's apartment and he kills her. These two scenes unbalance the film for me, as the only reason I can see for them being in the movie is to let the film makers show Elaine's murder on screen. It's gratuitous. To make matters worse Elaine provokes Reikle's fit of rage by suddenly, out of nowhere refusing to do what Reikle wanted knowing, as she does, that he is a violent nutter who has killed people before. It doesn't make sense. It would have been a much better film if Cullen had been 'abandoned' in the restaurant and then returned home to find her body. But on screen violence sells.


Is it available on DVD now.  I had a VHS copy - I was given it when a friend had a clear out - but sold it on eBay (for a tenner I think).


----------



## Foxbat

*Aliens *Even all these years later, Cameron has never surpassed this absolutely superb movie.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

Jackass 3.5

Never been a big fan of Jackass, but it was on so I gave it a go. Incredibly funny.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Avengers*
Expected it to be horrifically bad, but it was alright. Visually spectacular,  and quite funny. Yes its ridiculous and far fetched but fun.


----------



## CyBeR

I never expected *Avengers* to be bad, based on the previous Marvel films which were all ranging from absolutely awesome (*Iron Man*, *Captain America*), to merely good (*Thor*, *Hulk*).

Saw a couple of days ago *Superman vs. The elite*. One of the many animated films that DC Comics puts out every year, this was one of the much better ones honestly. Even if the end is a bit weak, the ideas by which it works are very interesting and well produced, kept back only by the fact that they resorted to some childish tricks to get a point across. 
The idea of the film is one that's usually raised in comics: if heroes have the power to destroy these demented supercriminals and end their reign of terror forever...why don't they? And it's quite well handled, the film is quite dark and the characters are all good in how they are developed.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well I never read any marvel or DC comics as a kid so didnt know the characters that well. In fact I didn't know Iron Man was a marvel creation


----------



## Snowdog

JunkMonkey said:


> That is a goody, Snowdog. A tense thriller and sadly nearly forgotten. I didn't mind the nudity (was there any? It's years since I saw it  - 3rd August 2006 I'm so anal.  I keep lists.) But I did think the killing of the girl in the flat was gratuitous and didn't make sense.  From my IMDb review at the time:
> Is it available on DVD now.  I had a VHS copy - I was given it when a friend had a clear out - but sold it on eBay (for a tenner I think).



It comes out in dialogue that Reikle                           is already a murderer twice over. His brutal rape of the girl early on shows him as a psycopath with a murderous temper. He sets Elaine on to Cullen to find the money but she falls for him instead. She doesn't break into Cullen's flat, she is taken there by Reikle, who suspects (but doesn't know for sure) that her loyalties are now with Cullen. When she admits as much he kills her in a fit of jealous rage. The method he uses is opportunistic. It was shocking but not gratuitious in my opinion because it was in keeping with his character.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Yes, in keeping with his character but  those were the only times we as viewers really went away from Cullen's narrative line.  I think the only reason the filmmakers took us away from that tight 'we only know what Cullen knows' side of the game was to be able to show the murder on screen instead of having Cullen come home and find a head in his fish tank.  That's what I meant by gratuitous - and the fact that she acts out of character to provoke his fit of rage.  She knows he's murderous psychopathic *******.  She would have lied.  (I think.  As I said it's many years since I have seen it and I am going from memory and a couple of notes I made at the time.)


----------



## Snowdog

I don't think we know enough about Elaine to say that what she did was out of character for her, even though it was so dangerous. 

There were lots of scenes without Cullen in them, including scenes involving Reikle. If the film set out to be only from Cullen's POV, then putting in the two scenes you mention would indeed have been jarring, but I don't think the film ever set out to do that. We saw Reikle beating up the girl early on, and as a Santa (before he entered the bank), scenes with Julie and other bank employees. 

We needed Elaine's death scene to illustrate Reikle's character in a way that words couldn't have conveyed. That in turn allowed us to accept Miles in effect planning Reikle's death.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm just going to have to get hold of a copy and watch it again.  

I'll get back to you on this one.


----------



## Starbeast

*Track of the Vampire* (1966 - a.k.a. _Blood Bath_)

Schizophrenic artist, who changes into a vampire, then brings his victims back to his lair to paint their portraits and sell them to people who enjoy his morbid artwork. It's a surreal, disturbing and dark humored B-movie horror flick set in Venice, Italy during the "beatnik" period (look it up if you're too young to know what a "beatnik" is).

This is another one of my ROGER CORMAN (produced) favorites. Midway through production he fired director (& writer) Jack Hill, and hired Stephanie Rothman to complete the film. Some bits of footage were added from a Yugoslavian vampire film, but it didn't help much because the movie is still a little disjointed.

However the main character is played excellently by William Campbell, and as an added bonus, you can see a very young Sid Haig in the film.


----------



## Gabe.

I just saw *Enemy of the State*.

It's a good movie, a thriller that does it's job. Will Smith is the lead and he is talented and perfectly suited for the action hero role, mixed with a good amount of comedy. He does his one liners well and adds some good levity to a plot that threatens to be thick with seriousness.

Overall, good for a bit of fun.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Mozart's Sister* (original title: _Nannerl, la sœur de Mozart_)

It took a while to get used to the subtitles, but after that it was fairly engrossing.  Not a fantasy, but the writer was obviously fantasizing, filling in the gaps in the story of her life with the most improbable events.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Brain From Planet Arous* (1957) B movie stalwart John Agar goes to investigate strange goings on at the aptly named Mystery Mountain. He discovers a diabolical space brain out to rule the world in this fairly decent picture.


----------



## svalbard

*Take Shelter* Michael Shannon is family man Curtis who begins to have nightmares about an approaching apocalypse and decides to build a storm shelter in his back yard. To say his wife, wonderfully played by Jessica Chastain, is concerned about the strange actions of her husband is to put it mildly. It is an unusual movie, well acted and with a sense of tension and foreboding building throughout. It gets 5 stars from me.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Three Musketeers*.  The steampunk one that I originally wanted to see at a theater when it first came out, but mercifully did not.

Their use and misuse of the original plot was silly, the dialogue dreadful, and the story full of moments where characters turn up having accomplished the seemingly impossible without explaining how.  In short, the script was about as bad as a script can be.

But I can forgive much in a costume drama if I like the costumes and sets, and there were airships, and Matthew Macfadyen (with that script and that direction there is no way he could have been actually _good_, but ... well, I do like Matthew Macfadyen), so it was worth the rental fee.  Just.


----------



## Metryq

Gabe. said:


> I just saw *Enemy of the State*... Overall, good for a bit of fun.



And some of the most ridiculous lines I've ever heard. Smith and Hackman are on the roof of a tall building with a live satellite looking straight down at the tops of their heads. Someone points to Hackman's character and asks, "Who is this helping him?"

"We don't know. He never looks up."

"Oh, he's good!"

Who needs MST3K? So many movies spoof themselves.


----------



## CyBeR

Started watching *Connan*. I didn't get far with it. For one thing, my girlfriend kept squirming at the violence; for another, it was pretty damn dreadful, *Animal Master* movie level. Maybe I'll try another day and see if I can get through it.

Also, watched *The Dictator*. As background I can say that the only thing I marginally liked with this actor was *Aly G in the house*, and I couldn't stomach *Borat* or the gay one at all. That being said, I laughed my heart out during *The Dictator*. Whoever greenlighted this film gets a cookie from me, for the sheer audacity of it all. After this and *A very Harold and Kunar Christmas *I can honestly say that I'm happy there are still productions out there that are not afraid of pissing off everyone and anyone.  This was gold and it had me revising my opinion on the actor. Great stuff.


----------



## biodroid

CyBeR - I have always been a fan of Sasha Baron Cohen, I thought him playing a gay F1 driver in Talladega Nights was good as well. Borat was brilliant, he has a sneaky way of pushing peoples angry buttons.


----------



## CyBeR

With *Borat* I have some qualms regarding the production of the film, as some rural people here in Romania got shafted quite nicely. It's, of course, of no consequence in the grand scheme of things as such things happen everywhere, at any time, but it adds to my displeasure with the film. There was something in that humor that irritated me more than it managed to amuse and thus I couldn't watch it for more than 15-20 minutes I believe.
I also saw him in *Hugo*, a few months back, and I thought he was a really good fit for that role. So, nothing against the actor himself...just some of his material doesn't work for me at all. 
*The Dictator* however...
I admit, I haven't laughed this much for a film in quite a long time. It's hard finding good comedies these days.


----------



## biodroid

I didnt notice you live in Romania, that does make sense why you dont like it, i dont blame you because he most likely doesnt know the cultures and traditions either so he probably sterotyped the character which is poor form.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

CyBeR said:


> I admit, I haven't laughed this much for a film in quite a long time. It's hard finding good comedies these days.



I laughed hysterically for almost the whole movie during *Bruno*.

Last movie I saw was *The Trouble with Spies* (1987)

Cute, but Donald Sutherland is not the most convincing 007 wannabe.


----------



## PTeppic

Premium Rush


----------



## CyBeR

biodroid said:


> I didnt notice you live in Romania, that does make sense why you dont like it, i dont blame you because he most likely doesnt know the cultures and traditions either so he probably sterotyped the character which is poor form.


I'm one of those people that's incredibly hard to offend, so I didn't much find anything offensive in the material itself. It just did not appeal to me. 
What I was referring was the fact that the people from the village where the film was shot got paid a little over 10RON per person (which currently is like 2 Euros, back then it was 3), and were not provided with adequate translations or explanations of what was going on. Again, stuff like that happens, and it happens anywhere, to a lot of people, but it's somewhat grating when it's in your own backyard - especially since I did a bit of translator work in my teens for a few days in my own grandparents' village, to mediate between some medical teams from the UK and the villagers that mostly did not understand ONE single word from the foreigners, what was asked of them, what was offered and so on -. I realize this may be just me grasping at any circumstance that would justify my dislike of the film...but them's the works. 

I watched today two very amusing films. 

First one was *Men in Black 3*, codenamed: Men in Black - We're-telling-the-same-story-again-just-with-a-'60s-backdrop-and-a-younger-actor-instead-of-Tommy-Lee-Jones-who-now-resembles-a-walking-fossil. 
I laughed and I enjoyed the silly little story and I wish they'd actually make more, as campy as this one or even more. It was good, clean fun, with almost no brain teasers and a pretty pleasant twist that you pretty much see coming at one point. A lot better than I actually held hope it would be, only marred by the fact that they chose to retell the same basic story that was in the first film. Oh well. At least it explains something, somewhat, from the very first film. 

Second was *Pirates: Band of misfits*, which would probably instantly appeal to fans of *Wallace and Gromit*. Again, pure, clean fun. Again, nothing too sharp about it - except that it reminded me of a certain Neil Gaiman short story...which is something I've been waiting AGES to be able to say -.


----------



## Foxbat

*Night Creatures* (aka Captain Clegg) This 1962 Hammer picture stars Peter Cushing and Oliver Reed. Set in the 18th Century, it's a tale of smugglers and spectres. Pretty decent film

Fascinating Fact: Apparently (according to IMDB)Hammer were due to film an adaptation of I Am Legend under the title of Night Creatures. The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) said they would not pass the film. Being contracted to provide their US distributors with a film entitled Night Creatures, they merely changed the name of the already complete Captain Clegg. 

I did wonder about the title as I watched it. Now I know.


----------



## Connavar

svalbard said:


> *Take Shelter* Michael Shannon is family man Curtis who begins to have nightmares about an approaching apocalypse and decides to build a storm shelter in his back yard. To say his wife, wonderfully played by Jessica Chastain, is concerned about the strange actions of her husband is to put it mildly. It is an unusual movie, well acted and with a sense of tension and foreboding building throughout. It gets 5 stars from me.



That film i missed recently on cable channel and i know it will be something special because Michael Shannon is so good at damaged,troubled characters.  He is the only reason i want to see the film.  Big fan of his work in Boardwalk Empire, David Croneberg films.


----------



## clovis-man

I'm probably the last person on Earth to see *The Hunger Games*. I thought it was okay. Woody Harrelson was great. Elizabeth Banks was unrecognizable. But the ending was predictably unsatisfying even considering that there are two more books from which movies will inevitably be made.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched a film called Dreamhouse with mr Bland, Daniel Craig. Weird psycho thriller starring his real wife.


----------



## Snowdog

clovis-man said:


> I'm probably the last person on Earth to see *The Hunger Games*.



No you're not 

*Freebie And The Bean* - James Caan and Alan Arkin. A '70s buddy cop film. Very un-PC, since they beat the **** out of suspects to elicit information, steal, shakedown shopkeepers (at least James Caan's character does). Very funny in places, not at all suitable viewing for our modern po-faced society.


----------



## Connavar

*Evil Dead*

I have heard about this film often, seems like it has cult status and i have seen Ash comics around.  It was weird seeing a very young Bruce Campbell, for me he is the older joker in Burn Notice,Xena,Spidey etc

I was impressed by the creepy atmosphere,the camera work in the film. It was wonderfully disgusting fun to watch its graphic horror. Normally i dont like that style but i enjoyed this film alot.  Sure it looked dated because its low budget but i was surprised i didnt just find silly 30 years later. 

Sam Raimi had wicked talent making the film when he was barely in his 20s.


----------



## Vince W

*Dredd*

This film truly captures the Dredd of the comics. Karl Urban pretty much nailed Dredd. I'll be seeing it again very soon.


----------



## biodroid

Battleship, bang, explode, repeat. My kind of movie, I must say I liked this movie more than all 3 Transformers movies combined.


----------



## AE35Unit

Snowdog said:


> No you're not
> 
> *Freebie And The Bean* - James Caan and Alan Arkin. A '70s buddy cop film. Very un-PC, since they beat the **** out of suspects to elicit information, steal, shakedown shopkeepers (at least James Caan's character does). Very funny in places, not at all suitable viewing for our modern po-faced society.



Great film!!


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

Vince W said:


> *Dredd*
> 
> This film truly captures the Dredd of the comics. Karl Urban pretty much nailed Dredd. I'll be seeing it again very soon.




Yeah, just saw it myself. I never read the comics, but this was an awesome movie.


----------



## kshRox

AE35Unit said:


> Great film!!


 
I gotta see it again.
I was like 10 years old when I saw it the first time!

Very un-PC!!!!!

Thank God! too many uptight, PC, uber-controllers out there!


----------



## JunkMonkey

kshRox said:


> I gotta see it again.
> I was like 10 years old when I saw it the first time!



You have a time machine?



Judge Dredd (1995) : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113492/

Dredd (2012) : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/


----------



## kshRox

JunkMonkey said:


> You have a time machine?


 
Yea, but Guy Pearce borrowed some parts off it during an argument with Christopher Lloyd, then used them in a movie he was in and hasn't brought them back you so - long story short

it's not running right now . . .


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

The difference between the two Dredds makes the younger not even worth mentioning, which is something I'm not quick to judge about cheesy 80s/90s action movies, as they hold a special place in my heart.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *One for the Money* yesterday. Having read the books, I don't think Katherine Heigl was the best choice for Plum...I think they could have made it better if they'd made the movie a few years ago and used Sandra Bullock as Plum. That being said, it was still entertaining.


----------



## clovis-man

FireDragon-16 said:


> Watched *One for the Money* yesterday. Having read the books, I don't think Katherine Heigl was the best choice for Plum...I think they could have made it better if they'd made the movie a few years ago and used Sandra Bullock as Plum. That being said, it was still entertaining.


 
I heard the same criticism before I saw the movie. But I don't really know her, so I thought she was fine. Debbie Reynolds as Grandma was a hoot.


----------



## Triceratops

Watched The World's Fastest Indian, and was quite shocked that it wasn't about a track star in the Olympics. But man, I loved it totally! What a performance by Hopkins. Gads he can really pull it off.

chris


----------



## Rodders

Dredd 3D. I rather enjoyed it. Ok, the story wasn't that strong, but Mega City certainly deserves another visit.


----------



## Allegra

Triceratops said:


> Watched The World's Fastest Indian, and was quite shocked that it wasn't about a track star in the Olympics. But man, I loved it totally! What a performance by Hopkins. Gads he can really pull it off.
> 
> chris


 
That's a reminder for me - I've been wanting to rent it for some time but keep forgetting about it!


----------



## clovis-man

Allegra said:


> That's a reminder for me - I've been wanting to rent it for some time but keep forgetting about it!


 
A really good film and story. Burt Munro had to be the world's most easy-going speed fanatic. Got along with just about anyone, but had to set that record.


----------



## Mouse

I watched half of *Nausicaa* before I realised that I'd already seen it. Then I watched *Beautiful Thing*, which was dead sweet.


----------



## Vince W

Saw Dredd again. Loved it again.


----------



## Mouse

clovis-man said:


> A really good film and story. Burt Munro had to be the world's most easy-going speed fanatic. Got along with just about anyone, but had to set that record.



I meant to comment but totally forgot. Yes, I agree. Really sweet film.


----------



## Moonbat

I have just watched *The Raid*, an Indonesian action film, (written, edited and directed by the welshman Gareth Edwards) very cool martial arts sequences, with lots of shooting too. Such a simple plot idea but well executed, I was particularly impressed by some of the fight scenes. I think this has to rate alongside *Ong Bak* as a great new martial arts film.

but it lead me to another point, of which I am going to open this thread, 

What movie baddy has been the hardest to kill?

In the raid, the bad guy (well sort of main baddy's right hand man/attack dog) takes on two guys, ends up with a tube of glass stuck in his neck and is still kicking their asses. That's pretty hard.


----------



## Foxbat

*City Of God* There are very few words needed to describe this Brazilian ganster movie. Simply Brilliant sums it up nicely


----------



## matle

I finally got round to seeing The Machinist - its a really tense film that does a good job of pulling you along with it.


----------



## Mouse

Just watched Spiderman 2 (I think) on TV. It was a bit rubbish. Now there's a film on called Gamer. Which also looks pants.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Gamer_ almost defines pants. 

Rule One of the JunkMokey Guide to Crap SF Films.  All SF Films set in futuristic jails are rubbish.  Not just some of them, ALL of them.  (Apart from maybe _Wedlock_ but even that goes wrong at the end.)

Have you got to the bit where he pisses in the petrol tank yet?


----------



## Mouse

Not yet, unless I've missed it. John Leguizamo's just appeared though, so it's looking up.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Nuts!  I just watched a film which breaks My Rule 1. (What are the chances eh?)
*  984: Prisoner of the Future *(aka _The Future Man _1982) is a low budget Canadian Made for TV feature that mashes up the Orwellian and Kafkaesque (Kafkawellian?) and makes an interesting hybrid.  Not great but, so far, the best thing on the Mill Creek 50 movie box set _Sci-Fi Invasion _that I'm working my way through at the moment.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Mouse said:


> Just watched Spiderman 2 (I think) on TV. It was a bit rubbish. Now there's a film on called Gamer. Which also looks pants.



In regards to the Sam Raimi Spiderman movies (nothing against him as a director), but I think that Toby Maguire was a _horrible_ choice for Spiderman.

Gamer was just plain stupid...no other words to describe that 90 minutes I will never get back (granted when I watched this I didn't have anything else going on, but I could have found something much more worth the time).


----------



## gully_foyle

Last Friday night, home alone, so I watched *The Adventures of Tintin* and *John Carter.* Tintin was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. Just didn't quite do it for me, didn't capture the essence of the books in my mind. Maybe the animation style had me a) wondering why not just film it and b) wishing it was a bit more classically animated. As for John Carter, I've been a fan of A Princess of Mars and wish the environmental aspects of the story were in this movie, however, I thought this film was excellent, in style, effects and story. Well done Andrew Stanton. I don't know why it failed, I think it beats any of the Star Wars prequelogy. Maybe it's a sleeper.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *The Woman in Black* last night. I thought that they did a good job with the scary elements right up until the end...for me it felt kind of anti-climactic. 

Spoilers (highlight to read):

I thought Jennet's 'last pass' thing that happened at the house was a bit of a let down, especially since the movie seemed to have been building up to that specific point. I was glad that Arthur was able to get his closure with his wife's death even though it meant dying himself, but at least he was able to do so with his son.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched The Thing (2011)
Remake, prequel, whatever, but it was OK, a norwegian affair with a nod to Carpenter at the end.
The female lead was the equivalent of Alien's Ripley but with less balls. Not bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ripley had balls!?  She hid them well.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> Ripley had balls!?  She hid them well.



She sure did!


----------



## Wybren

Went to a Fox product night last night and was treated to "The Bachelorette" Which was actually ok, there were some funny lines in it, and overall didn't suck.


----------



## littlemissattitude

I finally got to see The Avengers a couple of nights ago on DVD. I thought it started out a little slow, but I ended up quite liking it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Wybren said:


> overall didn't suck.



I'm sure they'll put that on the posters:
*The Bachelorette*
'overall didn't suck'​


----------



## Foxbat

*The Eagle* Roman adventure which is a bit slow in places but has good photography and fight scenes.  Not brilliant but not bad


----------



## CyBeR

Watched *The adjustment bureau*. An overall slow film with some good ideas and some fun moments. Didn't exactly love it, but it was good nonetheless.


----------



## Moonbat

Just saw *Snow White and the Huntsman*, in places a really good retelling of a classic, the start was good showing the not often told rise to power of the evil Queen, but the film was let down by poor acting.

1st example when Charlize Theron is ranting at her brother was pretty bad, but completely outdone by Snow White's rousing speech. I can't imagine that the director actually thought it was good, he must have just had enough of trying to get her to deliver her lines without sounded completely crap.

So, all in all, not as bad as I expected, but really let down by terrible acting. The dwarfs were impressive: Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Toby Jones, Ray Winston, Nick Frost and Eddie Marsan (plus two more I didn't know)


----------



## blacknorth

Battleship.

Words fail me.


----------



## Alex The G and T

_Grand Theft Parsons_, a sleeper from aught three.
Quirky weirdness over the disposal of a corpse. Allegedly based on a true story.

Senseless Sensibilities, Hokum philosophical; ala _The Big Lebowski._

Shoulda been another , so called, "Cult Classic;" despite a weak ending.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338075/


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Out Of The Past *last night*. *The film that propelled Robert Mitchum to stardom. 

Some have said that this film noir is the best of its genre. It has fine acting, good (convoluted) plotline, great cinematography and  all directed by the very capable Jaques Tourneur. I don't know if it's the best of the genre but it's certainly up there near the top


----------



## Rodders

Sherlock Holmes. Mark Strong was as good as ever.


----------



## Tannara Young

*Inception *- I enjoyed all its layers, but I was frustrated that they completely side stepped the question of the morality of messing with people's dreams.


----------



## J-Sun

*Casino Royale* (2006) for the second time (once on TV and now on a 1 buck DVD). We're missing some usual movie things to greater or lesser degrees but picked up some book things (including a great line) and this is one of the better Bond movies - arguably the best in some ways but it could use considerable tightening (3+ major segments spanning almost two and a half hours) and it's debatable how the move to greater realism while still being a fantasy really works. But, overall, I liked it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Gods And Monsters *It has depth, tenderness, humour and some superb acting (and a wonderfully apt score to boot). Quite simply one of my favourite films.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Snow White and the Huntsman, not as bad as I expected!


----------



## J-Sun

*The Thing from Another World* (1951) for the second time. This is such an antithetical movie to me. Mad scientists are evil and there are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know and so on. I've wondered what Campbell made of them taking out key elements of his story, adding other "distractions", and making such un-Campbellian points. But, that aside, it's a great movie and I love it. Nicely paced, exciting, with tricky, fast-paced interlocked dialogue, expressions, and gestures and just nifty. A handful of scientists and soldiers and a pretty girl[1] trapped on a frozen base at the pole try to survive the unkillable Monster from Beyond!!

[1] Actually, the pretty girl is also pretty smart, pretty bold, and wears pants and everything - I don't want to say she's 1951's Princess Leia but she's not as purely decorative as is usual in such movies.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> *The Thing from Another World* (1951) with tricky, fast-paced interlocked dialogue, expressions, and gestures and just nifty.


 
Typical Howard Hawks dialogue. Like a French bistro: Everybody talks at the same time.



J-Sun said:


> [1] Actually, the pretty girl is also pretty smart, pretty bold, and wears pants and everything - I don't want to say she's 1951's Princess Leia but she's not as purely decorative as is usual in such movies.


 
Yeah, but she keeps making coffee for the guys. I liked the tall, angular Norwegian blonde type with the long braided hair. No lines to speak of, but I wouldn't mess with her. 

Just kidding. A classic movie, despite liberties taken with the original story.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Crash 2* - I may have to take my eyeballs out and boil them before I watch anything else.  Dreadful.


----------



## Dante DiBenedetto

Frankenweenie.

Cute, but not all that great.


----------



## Cayal

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra playing the music live.

Amazing to hear.

10/10


----------



## Rodders

I watched Looper yesterday. Not bad, but certainly no Matrix.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> I watched Looper yesterday. Not bad, but certainly no Matrix.




That's good.  So worth watching then?


----------



## MemoryTale

Just saw Jurassic Park on telley. It's aged really well.


----------



## Foxbat

*Amores Perros* A car crash links three different stories in this Mexican movie. Well filmed and directed, packed with great acting and a good strong storyline means this film reeks of quality. One word of warning - I hope special effects were used because this movie contains a lot of fairly brutal dog fights. Not for faint of heart animal lovers.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Prometheus.
Not bad at all, and 2 more sequels in the pipeline...


----------



## Starbeast

*Safe* (2012)

Great tension and action. I recommend this violent thriller.

*Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance* (2011)

Not great, but not bad. I understand it's tough to make a PG-13 film about a violent comic book supernatural hero. I noticed the creators had to show off excellent animation, rather than gore.

To me, I think they should have gone with a "Mad Max" style of "R" rated, action, road war flick. But that's just me thinking that.

So, I understand the limitations of a "PG-13" rated movie. They want a wider audience age range.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I still can't sit through the entirety of *The Abyss*.  It _should_ promise to be a great "First Contact" flick; but the contrived angst, and clumsy dialog between the crewmembers, and the horsehockey cold-war diversion with the dumpkoff nuclear terrorist; just kill it for me. 

I was friends, in High Schoo,l with Hoyt Yeatman.  He won some sort of prize for a groundbreaking claymation project; which was a mathematical journey along the Number Line.  (I can't even find that on a web search (ca 1970))

When we were teens, I watched him spend a thousand hours, making a 4 minute demo project in my Dad's Basement laboratory; experimenting with the sort of stop-motion effects popular among the Fantasist filmakers of the 50's; ala "Sinbad"

  The following clip features my Dad in the do-rag, also playing his personal pipe organ;  overdubbing the intro: http://home.comcast.net/~pqboom/videos/royalraid.movThe clip was something, I gather, that Hoyt made to promote his resume.

(Here's Dad's Pipe Organ: http://home.comcast.net/~pqboom/tour/pipeorgn.html

Hoyt went to Hollywood, founded  _Dream Quest Images_ sold same to Disney; and, meanwhile, won an academy award for visual effects in _The Abyss._

All of that and I still have been unable to make myself sit still through this entire movie.  It's cheesey.

Case in point:  I'm writing this while the movie is still in progress.

I'm sure that Hoyt is on to bigger and better things; he never seemed the type to crash over Cocaine and Hottubs.  I haven't talked to him in thirty years.  I don't spend much time schmoozing in Hollywood.

Looks like Hoyt is still working. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0947087/

But I still can't sit through _The Abyss_.


----------



## Foxbat

Last night I watched *Space Amoeba *(aka Yog The Monster From Space).
Aliens go to work on a Pacific island and grow things like crabs to monstrous proportions in this Japanese (very badly dubbed) monster fest. It was dire -but things could have been worse - I could have spent the night watching even more inane drivel like the X Factor. 

Compared to that, Space Amoeba is a masterpiece.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'll have to look out for that one, Foxbat. 


Last night I watched *Future Hunters *(1986) a brilliantly dreadful leather fetish spiky car  _Max Mad 2_ lite post-apoc time-travel flick which somehow segues into a _Romancing the Stone_ type contemporary adventure featuring Nazis, lost tribes of Amazon warriors, troglodyte midgets, Mongol horsemen, Kung-fu masters, helicopter chases, aeroplane crashes, biker gang rape, semi-naked women fighting to the death above pits of crocodiles *and *an exploding volcano. 

Pure Grade-A bumdrizzle.  I may watch it again tonight.


----------



## Boneman

Just saw *Looper. *Would have been an excellent short film... But any film with Emily Blunt is all right by me...


----------



## j d worthington

*Phantom of the Opera* (1962). The Hammer version certainly has its flaws, but I've always had a strong fondness for it; perhaps because it was the first film version I saw (as opposed to stills of Chaney) as a child... but I would argue there are some very fine points about this one, too....


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> *Phantom of the Opera* (1962). The Hammer version certainly has its flaws, but I've always had a strong fondness for it; perhaps because it was the first film version I saw (as opposed to stills of Chaney) as a child... but I would argue there are some very fine points about this one, too....


 
I love the Chaney version but I don't think I've ever seen the Hammer one. I'll have to look out for it


----------



## FireDragon-16

My brother and I watched *Final Destination 2* last night. It's been forever since I saw that, they really are creative with how they make each person die.


----------



## Allegra

*The Machinist* (2004). I'm very, very impressed by the skeletal Christian Bale's brilliant performance in this dark, haunting cult movie. It deserves to be re-watched.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Fairy* (La Fee), with Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon.  Whimsical, unexpected, and charming.  I'm eager now to see their other movies.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> I love the Chaney version but I don't think I've ever seen the Hammer one. I'll have to look out for it


 
It's quite a different take, while using some of the same ideas from the novel. A bit more sympathetic (if seedy) Phantom; the disfigurement is acquired, rather than natal (as per the 1942 Universal remake with Claude Rains), etc. But Terence Fisher does a rather creditable job as director, and it has a good cast; a fair amount of humor, and also some very nice gothic touches... and even a small appearance by Patrich Troughton as a rat catcher; one of those performances where, the first few times I saw the film, I didn't even realize it was Troughton....


----------



## AE35Unit

Top Cat the movie. If you loved the original TV series, and I did, dont watch this travesty. And if youve never seen the original definitely avoid it. Absolute suckage!


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> *Top Cat* the movie. If you loved the original TV series, and I did, dont watch this travesty. And if youve never seen the original definitely avoid it. Absolute suckage!


 
Now I know it's the end of the world. I didn't like the original 1960's cartoon. I was watching Space Ghost and Speed Racer.

Top Cat, a movie? I think I'll quote Luke Skywalker from episode 5.

"NNNNOOOOOooooNOOooooooo....."

"Luke, join me, and we'll rule the galaxy as father and son."

".................................................ok."

*Split Second* (1992)

Rutger Hauer is a London cop in near future, facing a mysterious and dangerous killer. Stars Kim Cattrall, Neil Duncan, Alun Armstrong, Pete Potslethwaite, Ian Drury, Robert Eaton and (a great character actor of mine) Michael J. Pollard.

Great sci-fi/fantasy flick with an awesome cast of talented people.


----------



## JunkMonkey

"We need bigger f*cking guns!"

Is it available on DVD? I only have a battered VHS copy.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> "We need bigger f*cking guns!"
> 
> Is it available on DVD? I only have a battered VHS copy.


 
"We had lunch with him."

Yes JunkMonkey, we need BFG's. Like in the *DOOM* video game.

So many great things happening in that movie, great dialogue, marvelous cast, cool soundtrack etc. etc. etc...

I've rented the film on DVD. Try asking a DVD store clerk, if you can order one.

What does the cover art of the VHS box look like?

*Abbott & Costello meet the Mummy* (1955)

This classic comedy team always makes me laugh.

The weird thing about this movie is the fact that, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello call each other by their real names, rather than the characters listed in the end credits.

It's kinda cool I thought, it's just them being themselves.


----------



## clovis-man

'Tis the season.........

*I Married a Witch* (1942). A clever tale about a blonde witch (Veronica Lake, of course) wanting revenge on the descendant of the man who burned her and her father Daniel (played nicely by Cecil Kellaway) at the stake. But romance rears its ugly head as the descendant, played by Fredric March gets out of his marital commitment to Susan Hayward (a strange bit part for her) to pitch woo to Ms. Lake. Lots of tongue in cheek humor and witchcraft special effects (not too bad for 70 years ago).


----------



## Alex The G and T

Often as not, when I fall asleep watching tv; I awake, in the middle of the night, to the sound of poorly simulated orgasms in some cable-TV, feeble porn.

 Tonight was far-and-away weirder.  I opened one eye, and thought I was watching some bizzarre music video spoof. Then I was quite surprised that this level of idiocy had actually been extended, stretched, and beaten into a feature length movie.

The tone was irritatingly manic, and "campy;"  but the dialog was clever/funny enough  to keep me watching.

My wife drifted downstairs, looking for pie.  She asked, "What the **** are you Watching?"
I replied, "I have absolutely no idea, I'm just glad it isn't lonely-housewife-porn."

And what better endorsement could there be for something that might have been a "Cult Classic;" but no one ever knew it existed.
*Sgt Kabukiman NYPD* (1990)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117609/plotsummary


----------



## JunkMonkey

> And what better endorsement could there be for something that might have been a "Cult Classic;" but no one ever knew it existed.
> *Sgt Kabukiman NYPD* (1990)


Erm... I've seen _Sgt Kabukiman NYPD




Split by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr
_


----------



## randomfromamber

Saw Looper yesterday and...well, it didn't wow me, though I'm at loss to really understand why (well, maybe my expectations were too high - that never helps). But it's a very clever movie, that's for sure, and the ending is pretty neat.


----------



## Mouse

*Knowing*. Just finishing on TV now. Honestly, films like this start quite good and you think 'ooh, how they gonna end this then?' and then it's like they don't know either, so they crack out the aliens.


----------



## Scott R. Forshaw

Grabbers. An quaint Irish film littered with Aliens and plenty of drinking and shenanigans. It was somewhat tongue in cheek, but a worthy watch, nevertheless. I love a good low budget flick, especially when done well.


----------



## Kapelvig

I watched a film called *The Perfect Host* last night. Quite weird, fairly enjoyable, but a bit overlong I found. The best thing about it is you get to see David Hyde Pierce (Niles from _Frasier_) playing _very _much against type and looking like he's really enjoying it!


----------



## biodroid

Snow White and the Huntsman, not a bad movie. American Reunion, hilarious as always and a bit more risky with the nudity but overall a good addition to the franchise. If you liked the first 3 this is recommended. Includes a few surprise twists.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Wizards of the Lost Kingdom *(1985) - Entertainingly beyond  dreadful kiddy sword and sorcery bollocks that had the whole family in  hysterics for 72 minutes.  Some seriously **** set design, crappy  acting, pointless 'action' sequences, and some _unbelievably_ awful writing let us have more fun on a Friday Night Movie and Pizza session since we realised _Doctor Who and the Daleks_ was just too stupid _not_ to make fun of.  24 hours later we still haven't worked out the point of  one of the major 'characters' in _Wizards_.   The character was a seven foot tall Wookie-like thing, with no visible  face, that appeared to be made from old sheepskin rugs sewn together in  a dark room.  None of us have any idea what it actually_ did _for  the whole film. It just stood there and occasionally went 'Gnneor!', at  which point someone would say, 'What's that, (insert name of forgettable  character here)? dwarfs on horseback heading this way?" or some such  plot (hah!) advancing statement.  Towards the end of the film -  presented with the mind-numbing dilemma of how to keep the audience from  noticing the woolly Wookie never actually did anything - the heroes  just left him behind.  'See you later' they said, and off they went to  the insurmountable obstacle of a raging river and vast waterfall.  A  noticeable lack of lighting here suggesting a very cheap location shoot -  which (_Light Bulb_!) would explain why they didn't take the  Wookie too; one less costume, plane ticket, overnight accommodation etc.  (I can be so slow sometimes.)  Anyhow, the insurmountable obstacle  raging torrent waterfall is crossed when our hero bloke leaps in the  river to rescue a passing naked woman from the churning muddy brown  waters.   A moment which which prompted this from my eldest: "Look, Dad!  A naked woman  in chocolate!" - my kids know me so well it's horrifying. The naked  woman turns out to be a mermaid and, because they 'passed the test' of  trying to save her, she throws a rainbow across the sky and somehow (not  shown on screen or explained) our heroes are on the other bank meeting  up with Woolly carpet dude who presumably... just... walked across a  bridge?  Flew? Tunnelled his way past the expensive to shoot bit?  Who  knows? 

72 minutes of that. Dreadful.  

There was a sequel.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Kapelvig said:


> I watched a film called *The Perfect Host* last night. Quite weird, fairly enjoyable, but a bit overlong I found. The best thing about it is you get to see David Hyde Pierce (Niles from _Frasier_) playing _very _much against type and looking like he's really enjoying it!



I really wanted to see that! I love Frasier and David Hyde Pierce is an amazingly talented actor. I was interested to see if he would be able to pull something like this character off considering he usually is more comedic than not.


----------



## Huttman

Someone loaned my wife and I Legends of the Fall and they highly recommended it. It reminded me of the movie Aliens. That's right, Aliens. The only thing different was the fact it had no space ships or aliens in it. Here, though, is my take on the similarity to Aliens; it got to the point of, which character is going to die next? What a depressing film. I felt the need for a Zoloft after watching it. I wanted to like it.....but.... Nice scenery, though.


----------



## Connavar

I law Looper last weak and it was a good,smart SF that actually looked like a good cyperbpunk novel, a weird PKD novel/short story.  Which is saying something since usually hollywood idea of SF is stupid action SF film with Keanu Reeves or Shia Lebouf...

Good ending and very stylised,cool looking film.  I didnt disappoint my expectations at all.


----------



## Moonbat

Saw *Looper* this weekend, I have to agree it was a decent sci-fi film, some interesting concepts, but some rather large science fiction plot holes. I wont go into them here, but I think we (here at Chrons) could probably put it all apart as we did to *Prometheus*.


----------



## Kapelvig

FireDragon-16 said:


> I really wanted to see that! I love Frasier and David Hyde Pierce is an amazingly talented actor. I was interested to see if he would be able to pull something like this character off considering he usually is more comedic than not.


It's definitely well worth a watch. Hyde Pierce is excellent, and there are moments of black comedy which he pulls off very well.


----------



## Connavar

Moonbat said:


> Saw *Looper* this weekend, I have to agree it was a decent sci-fi film, some interesting concepts, but some rather large science fiction plot holes. I wont go into them here, but I think we (here at Chrons) could probably put it all apart as we did to *Prometheus*.



Yeah there was some plot holes i thought about while watching but any SF fan these days is hungry for decent,good SF film we cant demand utter brilliance when they are usually.......


----------



## svalbard

*Cinema Paradiso* I picked it up on DVD for a few quid yesterday many years after watching it for the first time. It is still a magical movie with a brilliant music score.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> _
> 
> _​


​ 


Thanks for the photo JunkMonkey. Rutger is cool in this movie.


*Prometheus* (2012)​ 
I avoided all movie previews before I watched this film.​ 
Wow! It was really wild and amazing. It was one of the best sci-fi movies I've seen this year. ​


----------



## Foxbat

svalbard said:


> *Cinema Paradiso* I picked it up on DVD for a few quid yesterday many years after watching it for the first time. It is still a magical movie with a brilliant music score.


 
It's one of my all-time favourites and you've just given me the urge to watch it again

Just watched a collection of BBC ghost stories released by the BFI. Some really interesting stuff. One stand-out is called The Ash Tree. Worth a look.


----------



## Kapelvig

Foxbat said:


> Just watched a collection of BBC ghost stories released by the BFI. Some really interesting stuff. One stand-out is called The Ash Tree. Worth a look.


That's an M.R. James story isn't it? I didn't know the BBC had made a version of that - might have to check it out! Have you seen the 1960s BBC adaptation of _Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad_? That's a very good one - subtle but effective. I'm a big fan of M.R. James - _The Mezzotint_ is one of my faves.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Thanks for the photo JunkMonkey. ​



You're welcome.


----------



## Action Avenue

My wife and I watched *The Adventures of Tintin*.  It was fairly good.  The CG animation was really well done and the story kept me interested.  My wife wasn't crazy about it, but she didn't complain too much.


----------



## kshRox

Looper!!!

OMG - I loved it.
My type of story.
Wasn't just a mindless shoot 'em up but plenty of action, ambiguous hero's, hard choices, a cool scifi premise, true heroism and a protagonist that grew as a character over the course of the story plus, the ending while difficult in some ways and even sad in others was absolutely brilliant.  An intelligent thriller!!!

I've always really liked Bruce Willis but JGL just climbed into my list of cool action guys.  I like that he plays intelligent characters rather than just testosterone junkies.

Can't stand Gerard Butler for that reason - talk about a butt scratching cave-man (sorry if there are any Butler fans out there - both of you  )


----------



## littlemissattitude

The other day I watched *Whip It*, from a few years ago. It was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut and starred Ellen Page. It's a "girl coming of age" story. I liked it a lot.


----------



## Mouse

Just seen *Frankenweenie* at the cinema. Turns out, films with animated dogs in make me ridiculously sad too!


----------



## AE35Unit

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
Oh my god, what can I say? An hour of my life Ill never get back!


----------



## j d worthington

As I'm at home recovering it was a double bill for me:

*The Old Dark House* (1932), dir. James Whale
*The Gorgon* (1964) dir. Terence Fisher

Both classics of their kind, both a wonderful experience....


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> As I'm at home recovering it was a double bill for me:
> 
> *The Old Dark House* (1932), dir. James Whale
> *The Gorgon* (1964) dir. Terence Fisher
> 
> Both classics of their kind, both a wonderful experience....


 
*The Old Dark House* is wonderfully evocative. Nightmarish even by today's standards. Why would any sane person want to climb those stairs?

Probably spurred on by the appearance of the new miniseries on Reelz of the same name, I purchased a DVD copy of *World Without End*, a 1956 SF film about a team of four macho astronauts who accidentally time travel to a future Earth where the women are all voluptuous and the men are all wimps. I know, a 13 year old boy's dream in 1957. Featuring Hugh Marlowe and Rod Taylor, there are lots of post-apocalyptic conflicts and deeds of derring-do. Pretty corny, but entertaining nonetheless.


----------



## Foxbat

*Batman *(1966). Adam West is still my favourite incarnation of the caped crusader and this movie still makes me laugh


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> *World Without End*, a 1956 SF film about a team of four macho astronauts who accidentally time travel to a future Earth where the women are all voluptuous and the men are all wimps. I know, a 13 year old boy's dream in 1957.



And a lot of standing in a row across the screen taking it in turns to deliver the dialogue too.  I don't know about a 13 year old boy's dream but as a middle-aged man I know I appreciate the pointy-cone boobed satin mini-dressed female costumes  more than most things in this.    The Giant Rubber Spider attack and rocketship footage was re-used in _The Queen of Outer Space_ - which if you are looking for similar movies featuring cheap sets and 1950s 13 year old boys wet dreams - is a must see. If for no other reason than it has both of Joi Lansing in: 






And *Batman* _is_ brilliant.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> The Giant Rubber Spider attack and rocketship footage was re-used in _The Queen of Outer Space_ - which if you are looking for similar movies featuring cheap sets and 1950s 13 year old boys wet dreams - is a must see.


 
Yeah, I didn't mention the rubber spider because even as a 13 year old, I was thinking, "This is really lame!" Now I just find it highly amusing, sort of like the octopus scene in *Ed Wood*.


----------



## kshRox

JunkMonkey said:


> If for no other reason than it has both of Joi Lansing in:


 
This is brilliant!
Some things need to come back in style.


----------



## j d worthington

*The Horror of Dracula* (or, in the UK, simply *Dracula*) (1958)
*The Phantom of the Opera* (1925)

Quite a contrast, yes, but both films I love dearly....
\


----------



## Grimward

Nothing quite so classic here, but being a Marvel Comics fan from a long ways back I enjoyed *Captain America*, even with the liberties Hollywood took with Bucky and Cap's disappearance.


----------



## The Holy Drunk

littlemissattitude said:


> The other day I watched *Whip It*, from a few years ago. It was Drew Barrymore's directorial debut and starred Ellen Page. It's a "girl coming of age" story. I liked it a lot.



Whip It is one of those films that on paper seems pretty generic (excusing it uses roller derby over music or whatever to 'liberate' the teen) but I think works really well. Good cast, good dialogue and some decent laughs. Plus the other Wilson brother is in it. No, the _other_ other Wilson brother.

Last new movie I saw was Taken 2 and it was a crippling disappointment. I loved the original's straight forward action and the sequel simply removed that element, leaving Liam Neeson to talk menacingly down a phone and dance with some Albanians in front of a shaking camera for 90 minutes. I'm shocked its done so well at the box office, I wasn't angry or appalled by the film, simply bored. Even if you take the opinion the general audience are zombies looking for cheap thrills... Taken 2 doesn't _have_ any cheap thrills.


----------



## J-Sun

*Argo*. Half a dozen Americans escape the embassy in Iran as everyone else is captured. They hide out in the Canadian ambassador's house while a plot is concocted to rescue them under the guise of a film crew making a Canadian Star Wars knockoff called Argo. Since the hostage situation had no humor whatsoever, the film is an uneasy blend of serious drama and humor. And since the plot basically involves learning a cover story and walking through an airport, it's thinly spread over a running time of two hours. But, ironically, despite having a largely excellent (and strangely TV-centric) cast and so much time, there are so many roles that there are basically no characters and none of these spiffy actors (Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Victor Garber, etc.) have a whole lot to do. And there's a large dose of Hollywood narcissism, of course. Still, it was well done and interesting and full of snippets of Walter Cronkite and Star Wars figures and whatnot. And it dovetails nicely with my rolling my eyes at the (US Presidential) debate last night when they were arguing over how messed up the Middle East is these days. Yeah, cuz everything there has been nice and calm and sensible throughout all time. So it can spark interesting political conversations. Basically, not quite a good movie, but not a bad one - fair enough.

Incidentally, I have little idea why it was rated R. There was a semi-distant, not particularly graphic (but startling, even though you know it's coming), scene of a guy getting shot and of people having been hung and whatnot, but nothing you don't see on the news. No sex/nudity. Quite a bit of profanity but hardly more than PG-13, though the signature line is used several times and includes an F, so maybe that did it in and of itself.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Prisoner of Zenda* (1952). The fifth version of this story put onto film. It had the positive feature of Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr in the lead roles with James Mason playing a tasty villain. Lots of plotting and "palace intrigue" (literally). Entertaining in part because of the dual role played by Granger. But not nearly as enjoyable as the pairing of Granger and Kerr two years earlier in *King Solomon's Mines*.

My first viewing of this film today cleared up a filmic conumdrum for me: In Blake Edwards' *The Great Race*, (1965), Ross Martin famously gets out of the sword duel with Tony Curtis by leaping from a window after commenting on fighting and running away allowing him to fight another day. But instead of landing in the moat, he crashes into a row boat that was under the window. James Mason does exactly the same thing in *Zenda* (even including the "run away" line and tossing his sabre at Granger before he leaps). But no boat, just a swan dive into the moat (splashy landing, though. No hope of a medal). Apparently Douglas Fairbanks did the same thing in the 1937 *Zenda*. So now, 40 plus years later, I finally get Blake Edwards' joke.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Re: getting the actors straight, Clovis-man... it was Douglas Fairbanks Jr.


----------



## Connavar

*The Frontline*(2011)

A grim,very realistic war story about South Korean company who is cannon fodder in the front-line in the Korean war.  It was a film that made me forget it was a film because it showed in so stark way men who was afraid of dying,sick of dying for nothing and leaders that makes them die for a hill that have changed hands over 30 times between South Korean and North Korean forces.  No melodrama, no epic heroic storytelling that glorify war.  

Man the Korean know how to use their history, experience of the Korean war in telling terrible, sobering and scary war stories.


----------



## The Holy Drunk

Connavar said:


> *The Frontline*(2011)



A very good film, if incredibly horrible. Was it Stanley Kubrick who said all war films are inherently pro war in some form? Regardless I think the Frontline is a bulletproof argument against that idea.


----------



## clovis-man

The Holy Drunk said:


> A very good film, if incredibly horrible. Was it Stanley Kubrick who said all war films are inherently pro war in some form? Regardless I think the Frontline is a bulletproof argument against that idea.


 
Don't know if it was Kubrick, but his *Paths of Glory* was one of the best anti-war films ever.


----------



## Foxbat

*Chernobyl Diaries. *Nicely filmed but pretty formulaic stuff. 

*Legends Of The Superheroes.* Absolutely dire 70s TV special. Why oh why did I buy this? (shipped all the way from the USA) 

I am going to force myself to write one hundred times:

_When curious, go to YouTube, do not...repeat...do not reach for wallet._


----------



## alchemist

*The Last Airbender* - it wasn't as bad as all the critics said. It was worse.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alchemist said:


> *The Last Airbender* - it wasn't as bad as all the critics said. It was worse.



Suddenly find myself compelled to buy it....

must ignore Fobat's advice.... must ignore...

Tonight I watched:
*R.O.T.O.R.*        (1988 ) - this one has long been on my must-see  crap film list.  One of those films I have read about in other people's  lists of all time not greats - but I didn't read too deeply in case I  spoiled it for myself.  Another of the endless, cheap 1980s_ Robocop_  knock offs (known in our house - well, inside my head - as  'Robocopies').  This one was made in Texas by people who nearly never  worked again for instance Jayne Smith, third on the cast list, has only  one other IMDb credit, as 'Mary Turd' in_ Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders. __R.O.T.O.R. _is wonderful mess.  There is nothing that works.  It's full of '_Dark Place_' acting...




Our hero has a 'Thinks!' moment... "Hmmmmm, I wonder..."
Actually, what he's really trying to work out is how the  single bag they arrived at the hotel with in the shot before this turned  into the three bags they were carrying as they entered their room.
​

...long shots of nothing happening, characters who appear from nowhere  and disappear just as quickly, dialogue that circles round on itself  several times in an attempt to make sense but fails, and at least one  character whose name changes during the film - for most of the film  she's 'Sonya' at the end of the film she's being called 'Tony' and in  the end credits, I guess as a fudge, she's called 'Sony'_. _ It's  full of the most gloriously inept staging too, my favourites being the  life and death struggle between the killer robot on the rampage and the  female assistant scientist body builder which we can't see because the  'hero' is getting in the way helping the girl victim over a fence. (The  female assistant, the future 'Mary Turd', has an extraordinary screen  presence, apart from looking like a bloke on steroids _and_  hormones, and obviously unable to deliver the simplest of lines without  pausing for a break half way through, she also has the most incredible  haircut I have seen in a film for years. Black curly hair with a wide  silvery white streak running from  front to back.  It looks like a  well-permed skunk shaped into a mullet.)   




Skunk Mullet​ 
Another brilliant piece of staging was the moment where our girl victim,  being pursued by a relentless killer robot, reverses out of a gas  station, does a handbrake turn, and drives back away in the direction  she just came from - for no other reason than the camera was in the way  of her driving forward.  That incompetent. Loved it.  
A close reading of the end credits also helps explain some of the  on-screen weirdness.  A lot of the 'dialogue' of this film happens off  camera.  For instance often conversations taking place in driving cars  are delivered to our ears while we watch long shots of the car driving,  intercut with two shots of the back of the actors' heads - the camera in  the rear of the car.  The end credits have a 'thanks' for an actor's  group and specifically the two actors who re-voiced our heroes. Whether  the film was shot Italian style, MOS and the voices dubbed later or the  original actors were so bad, or unavailable to do the ADR, I have no  idea, but it help the general air of weird in both performances.  Up  there with _Yor: Hunter From the Future, Troll 2 _and all the rest.  Class crap.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

> (The  female assistant, the future 'Mary Turd', has an extraordinary screen
> presence, apart from looking like a bloke on steroids _and_  hormones, and
> obviously unable to deliver the simplest of lines without  pausing for a break
> half way through, she also has the most incredible  haircut I have seen in a
> film for years. Black curly hair with a wide  silvery white streak running from
> front to back.  It looks like a  well-permed skunk shaped into a
> mullet.)


 
I loled.

I saw *Argo *last night. Pretty much agree with J-Sun's assessment. I don't understand why they didn't explore the six fugitives more - I thought there was a lot of potential there. Still, a hell of a plot, and true!


----------



## clovis-man

*Apollo 18*. I think they spent some money on it, but it just came off like "The Blair Witch in Space". On the positive side, it didn't go over 90 minutes.


----------



## Foxbat

*The City Of The Dead *Christopher Lee stars in this 1960 movie of witchcraft in a small New England town. Pretty decent film


----------



## Foxbat

*Frankenstein* (1910) Just watched this movie for the first time. It's only 13 minutes long and in pretty poor shape. Still, at 102 years old, it's a wonder it still exists in any form. It's not really a movie that can be compared to the present but it is pretty fascinating to watch. I though the monster creation sequence was particularly well done considering the infancy of the movie industry at that time. In conclusion, if you are a bit of a movie geek then this is worth tracking down (it's available on various sites on the internet).


----------



## Rodders

Iron Man.


----------



## biodroid

Prometheus - It was ok, it suffered a lot from plot holes I thought and certain characters aka Charlize Theron didn't actually have anything to do with the story. Great visuals.


----------



## Foxbat

*Cockneys Versus Zombies. *There's nothing new here and it's not something to stimulate the old grey matter. Still, it was fun to watch (especially Honor Blackman blasting away with an AK47). 

I enjoyed it but the poor zombies didn't stand a chance


----------



## kshRox

Argo.

I saw some previous posts that were lukewarm towards the film.
I loved it and highly recommend it for the following reasons.

Ben Affleck got his history right and correctly identified the highly illegal black operation in 1953 which set the stage for the 1979 Muslim uprising in Iran.

The 'period' details in the film were excellent.  From the grooming and fashion to the backgrounds both indoors and outdoors captured the time period perfectly.  Having lived through this period in America as a teenager I felt transported back in time.

The film felt menacing from the beginning and period shots of Dan Rather and other 'media' shots brought back the feeling of tension from the time.  This suspense carried throughout the film.

I think other than some tension building 'chase' scenes towards the end of the movie they did not go over the top on the 'spy' aspects of the film.  These were regular people in a spectacularly grave and dangerous situation.  This 'realism' I felt was kept and over-dramatic heroics were avoided.  All the characters were very real showing an aspect of true heroism foreign to over the top poser idiots like Statham & Butler.

Rating - 5 Passports


----------



## JunkMonkey

kshRox said:


> Argo.
> 
> I think other than some tension building 'chase' scenes towards the end of the movie they did not go over the top on the 'spy' aspects of the film.  These were regular people in a spectacularly grave and dangerous situation.  This 'realism' I felt was kept and over-dramatic heroics were avoided.  All the characters were very real showing an aspect of true heroism foreign to over the top poser idiots like Statham & Butler.
> 
> Rating - 5 Passports



I think you just sold me on seeing this.


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

*I SAW THE DEVIL*: a south korean revenge movie.  great character piece actually watching a victim of a serial killers husband turn into a killer for revenge.  the violence was really brutal though. it was a fantastic movie but if you can't stomach violence than i wouldn't watch it.


----------



## Foxbat

cyrusDCmonster said:


> *I SAW THE DEVIL*: a south korean revenge movie. great character piece actually watching a victim of a serial killers husband turn into a killer for revenge. the violence was really brutal though. it was a fantastic movie but if you can't stomach violence than i wouldn't watch it.


 
I'm quite partial to Korean movies, might have to hunt this one down


----------



## Mouse

*The A-Team*. On telly, I used to watch the reruns of the TV show at my dad's place when I was little. Still love Murdock.


----------



## Starbeast

*Iron Sky* (2012)

I didn't like it, the film just wasn't entertaining.

*Return of the Living Dead* (1985)

Still funny and emensely cool. Great main title music too.


----------



## littlemissattitude

The Holy Drunk said:


> Whip It is one of those films that on paper seems pretty generic (excusing it uses roller derby over music or whatever to 'liberate' the teen) but I think works really well. Good cast, good dialogue and some decent laughs. Plus the other Wilson brother is in it. No, the _other_ other Wilson brother.


 
Interesting. I saw the credits, but I didn't realize he is from that Wilson family. It was strange, though; I felt like he was familiar as I was watching the movie, but couldn't figure out why, as I don't recall seeing him in anything else. Looking back at his credits, though I have seen a couple of films he's been in (*The Royal Tennenbaums* and *Zoolander*). Works with his family a lot, apparently. I'm a fan of Owen's work, but not so much of Luke's.

My most recent movies were both re-watches on cable. Turner Classic Movies showed *The Mummy* (1932) on Halloween night, and of course I had to watch that, since it is one of my favorite movies in the world. The other day I also re-watched *Grand Theft Parsons* (2003), which is loosely based on events following the death of musician Gram Parsons in the 1970s. It's sort of an odd movie (well, it's got Johnny Knoxville in it; of course it's odd), but I like it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1.* 
With all the publicity surrounding The Dark Knight Rises, this animated feature almost slipped under my radar. Chaos in Gotham city brings Batman out of retirement in an adaptation that is dark, fast paced and brutal. Quite simply, it's great stuff that delivers a good story but also explores the morality of vigilanteism and is worthy of a place in any collection of Batman movies. The biggest compliment I can pay to this film is that I will definitely be getting part 2.....absolutely no question about it.


----------



## clovis-man

littlemissattitude said:


> Turner Classic Movies showed *The Mummy* (1932) on Halloween night, and of course I had to watch that, since it is one of my favorite movies in the world.


 
Me too. Boris all polite and menacing at the same time: "Excuse me. I dislike being touched. An Eastern prejudice." And the close-ups of his wrinkled face and luminous eyes. CGI could never top that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Labyrinth* (1986) - Friday night Pizza Movie Night with the kids.  The kids loved it the first time we saw it watched on my battered old much watched VHS tape.  This time it was on DVD.  The first time I have seen when it hasn't been panned and scanned for 4:3 TV/Tape. It was like watching it for the first time all over again.  A joy of a film.


----------



## kshRox

Mouse said:


> *The A-Team*. On telly, I used to watch the reruns of the TV show at my dad's place when I was little. Still love Murdock.



I'm not a big Liam Neeson fan but I did enjoy this film and felt Liam as well as the rest of the ensemble captured the flavor of the original series.

Not one of my favorites, but an enjoyable ride.


----------



## Foxbat

*Lisa and The Devil *(1973) Telly Savalas and Elke Sommer star in this Mario Bava picture. This version is the original cut (not the House Of Exocism version). It's a movie filled with dreamlike sequences and symbolism and, whilst I enjoyed it, I think it's the kind of film that is better viewed more than once.


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

JunkMonkey said:


> *Labyrinth* (1986) - Friday night Pizza Movie Night with the kids.  The kids loved it the first time we saw it watched on my battered old much watched VHS tape.  This time it was on DVD.  The first time I have seen when it hasn't been panned and scanned for 4:3 TV/Tape. It was like watching it for the first time all over again.  A joy of a film.


I had the same experience when i first watched it on dvd too.  this is a classic, i pray it never gets remade, we'd end up with a CGI mess.



Foxbat said:


> I'm quite partial to Korean movies, might have to hunt this one down


it's worth watching for sure.  Koreans do revenge films better than anyone.  i will say though that both Oldboy and A Bittersweet Life were better though in my opinion.

*Crank*: this is possibly the most insane movie i have ever seen...and i loved it!


----------



## Rodders

I watched Real Steel last might. It was ok. Predictable but entertaining.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *The Name of the Rose* (1986) last Sunday. Excellent! The cast of monk actors are incredible. And of course, there is Sean Connery - you just have to erase the 007 image on this one.


----------



## glutton

Dark Floors. Lordi as monsters chasing around people in a hospital!


----------



## AE35Unit

TINTIN
Was not sure what Id make of this as I never read the TinTin books as a kid but it was certainly well made! Due to the motion capture tech the CGI is superb!


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> Prometheus - It was ok, it suffered a lot from plot holes I thought and certain characters aka Charlize Theron didn't actually have anything to do with the story. Great visuals.



Plotholes? Well not to worry, the two sequels willl sort those out!


----------



## clovis-man

*Dark Shadows*

Remember the old saw: "I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out"? Well, I went to a comedy and a drama broke out. What was Tim Burton thinking? All the elements were there for an entertaining send-up, but he couldn't resist getting all serious. And what's with his obsession with including Helena Bonham-Carter in all his films? Her character was totally superflous. I've already forgotten the details of this pot-boiler.

But on the bright side, all the episodes of the original soap are available from Netflix via streaming. So for a really good laugh..............


----------



## Action Avenue

*Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter *was the last movie I watched.  It was ok, but seemed to suffer from poor editing at times.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> *Dark Shadows*
> What was Tim Burton thinking? All the elements were there for an entertaining send-up, but he couldn't resist getting all serious. And what's with his obsession with including Helena Bonham-Carter in all his films? Her character was totally superflous.



They're married, Clovis.   If I was married to her I'd be obsessed too...


----------



## clovis-man

re: Helena Bonham Carter



JunkMonkey said:


> They're married, Clovis.   If I was married to her I'd be obsessed too...


 
I knew that, but it's still no excuse for a wasted role. She was fine in other  Burton movies like *Alice In Wonderland*, *Big Fish* and *Planet of the Apes*. In fact, I thought she made a great chimpanzee. But there was enough happening in *Dark Shadows* without the Dr. Hoffman character.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Easy A the other night. It was pretty funny.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> But there was enough happening in *Dark Shadows* without the Dr. Hoffman character.


 
Hmmm. Not seen Burton's *Dark Shadows* (not entirely sure I want to), so I can't comment on whether or not Hoffman belongs there, but certainly in the original series she was a central character for a great deal of the run....


----------



## kshRox

j. d. worthington said:


> Hmmm. Not seen Burton's *Dark Shadows* (not entirely sure I want to), so I can't comment on whether or not Hoffman belongs there, but certainly in the original series she was a central character for a great deal of the run....



I typically like Burton/Bonham/Depp movies but mmm, no.
If I had it to do over wouldn't expend too much energy to see Dark Shadows.

Bonham was Ari in Planet of the Apes?
yeesh, for some reason that just kinda creeps me out.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Hmmm. Not seen Burton's *Dark Shadows* (not entirely sure I want to), so I can't comment on whether or not Hoffman belongs there, but certainly in the original series she was a central character for a great deal of the run....


 
I know you are correct about this and perhaps I was too churlish in my post. However, I didn't watch very many of the DS episodes (there were over 1200 apparently) and don't really know how important the Hoffman character was in the series. It just seemed to me that in the short space provided by a feature film, including her was not a good use of cinematic time and resources.



kshRox said:


> Bonham was Ari in Planet of the Apes?
> yeesh, for some reason that just kinda creeps me out.


 
If you can get a copy of the DVD, there is a fairly extensive "making of" segment that shows her with and without all the makeup and prosthetics. Most of her movie roles are decidedly unglamourous. But as a member of Pan Troglodytes, she's pretty cute.


----------



## kshRox

clovis-man said:


> If you can get a copy of the DVD, there is a fairly extensive "making of" segment that shows her with and without all the makeup and prosthetics. Most of her movie roles are decidedly unglamourous. But as a member of Pan Troglodytes, she's pretty cute.



She is definitely interesting looking, not beautiful or glamorous, but there is definitely something very appealing in a sexual way about her. (imho - I think she's hot - although she is showing her age now as was apparent in Dark Shadows)

In the POtA remake - Chimp girls interest in the protagonist seemed to be more than just scientific which I found humorously disturbing.  To find out Chimp girl was Bonham just makes me kinda go - yeesh.


----------



## AE35Unit

Action Avenue said:


> *Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter *was the last movie I watched.  It was ok, but seemed to suffer from poor editing at times.



Like that was the worst thing to worry about!


----------



## AE35Unit

COWBOYS AND ALIENS.
Strangely watchable. Daniel Craig as the man with no name that takes no crap off anybody. He is the perfect cool as a cucumber tough guy!
Tho the costume department were having a laugh-the hat they gave him is ridiculous!


----------



## Mouse

I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! Thought it was silly but fun.

Currently watching *The Contractor* on TV. Staring Charles Dance and Lena Headey, who are both in Game of Thrones too. Will probably go to bed before the end though. And I fancy I've seen it before.


----------



## clovis-man

kshRox said:


> She is definitely interesting looking, not beautiful or glamorous, but there is definitely something very appealing in a sexual way about her. (imho - I think she's hot - although she is showing her age now as was apparent in Dark Shadows)


 
Then you might want to see *The Wings Of The Dove* for one of her more "revealing" roles.


----------



## alchemist

*Inbetweeners, the movie* -- surprisingly funny.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel* - which is both smart _and _funny.  I can thoroughly recommend it. Without giving any of the plot away three ordinary blokes go out for a pint and find a time rift in the toilets of  their local pub.  Complexity ensues with no Hollywood bull**** heroics or gratuitous violence just three blokes trying to get back to their pints.


----------



## kshRox

clovis-man said:


> Then you might want to see *The Wings Of The Dove* for one of her more "revealing" roles.



Just looked it up on imdb.org, sounds interesting - I'll have to rent it.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> *Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel* - which is both smart _and _funny.  I can thoroughly recommend it. Without giving any of the plot away three ordinary blokes go out for a pint and find a time rift in the toilets of  their local pub.  Complexity ensues with no Hollywood bull**** heroics or gratuitous violence just three blokes trying to get back to their pints.



Yes, enjoyed that one!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Uninvited* (1944) Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey star in this haunted house mystery. It is atmospheric, has a good score and is well worth a watch. The effects used are obviously not up to today's standard but very good for its time. Also, they are used sparingly with much more emphasis on mood and atmosphere. I think the twist in the story is a bit predictable but a very good film nonetheless and one I will revisit in the future.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Toy Story 3 *- which, even though I did see it at the cinema, made me howl like a baby on DVD.


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

*Blitz*: decent acton film seeing aiden gillen as a cop killer was pretty cool.
*Crank 2-High Voltage*: more insane than the first, Bai Ling whos english needed subtitles, living heads in a jar and full body turrets...greatest movie ever made!
*Battle Royale*: makes hunger games look like thomas the tank engine.  brilliance!


----------



## dask

Last Saturday night I watched TOPPER. Great movie. Anyone know if the books are as good?

This morning watched TAKEN. Good action flick. Liam Nesson does this type of thing quite well and would make an effective Bond-type spy in not the actual Bond. A little baffled as to why he had to go to such lengths to get into his daughter's apartment when the kidnappers managed it without breaking any doors or windows. Didn't hurt the story one bit, though.


----------



## clovis-man

dask said:


> Last Saturday night I watched TOPPER. Great movie. Anyone know if the books are as good?


 
In addition to *Topper*, Thorne Smith wrote other fantasy type books that ended up on the screen. *Turnabout* (1931) became a film in 1940 (same title) and *The Passionate Witch* (1941) became the movie *I Married a Witch* in 1942. The movies were fun and Smith was a very popular writer in the first half of the 20th century. His books were big sellers. I have yet to read any of them, but my parents did and liked them a great deal.


----------



## dask

clovis-man said:


> In addition to *Topper*, Thorne Smith wrote other fantasy type books that ended up on the screen. *Turnabout* (1931) became a film in 1940 (same title) and *The Passionate Witch* (1941) became the movie *I Married a Witch* in 1942. The movies were fun and Smith was a very popular writer in the first half of the 20th century. His books were big sellers. I have yet to read any of them, but my parents did and liked them a great deal.


 
Good information. I'll keep my eye open. Thanks.

Tonight we watched MY MAN GODFREY. Ever wonder what the Addams Family's next door neighbors would be like? Here they are, not quite so beastly but just as bizarre


----------



## Rangerton

Watched Immortals, wasn't as good as I'd hoped


----------



## Boneman

*The Saphires *- Chris O'dowd is excellent and the film is very moving - based on real events (as much as the film makers allow, anyway) and there are shots of the real women at the end of the film, with some teeny bio words.


----------



## j d worthington

Dask: Yes, Smith is definitely worth looking up. One of the more urbane and actually funny writers of such fiction. You might also want to look up his *The Night Life of the Gods*, in which... well, I'll just direct you to the Wiki article on Smith, and let you see what it has to say about that one....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorne_Smith#Works

Several of his works were brought back into print in the 1980s-90s, so you shouldn't have too much trouble tracking them down.....


----------



## Abernovo

*Love* (2011), an independent science fiction film that starts out quite well, but at the end becomes a little more than a poor copy of 2001: A Space Oddysey. It's a pity, because up until the last twenty minutes, it is an intelligent and original movie.

Another if-only-they'd-followed-through-on-the-promise film. Most of it was good, though, so maybe William Eubank, the director, is one to watch out for in the future. The star, Gunnar Wright, also carries the film well, which is impressive as he's the only actor on-screen for a significant portion of the movie.

3/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Valhalla Rising* (2010)

Vikings seek glory in battle when they wish to fight in the crusades, however, they get involved in a strange voyage.

I won't say anymore, but I really enjoyed this intense and violent drama. I got lucky and watched it for free on IFC (twice). Excellent movie.


----------



## FireDragon-16

My brother and I saw *Brave* at the second-run theater. We both loved it, and there were several times that the whole audience was laughing (yes, all 12 of us ). He did roll his eyes at me when I went nuts over the Celtic knots that were in the title and the Celtic snowflakes over the ending credits, but what can I say? I love them! (And before you ask, I'm not Celtic or Irish or anything like that, I just think they're awesome)

At home, we watched *The Help* for the first time. I thought it was a great movie, although I was saddened that there was a time when people thought like that (plus there are still some who think so today )


----------



## AE35Unit

*Men in Black 3*
Sheer unadulterated fun! Smith never looks any older- sadly not so for Mr Jones! But the guy who plays the younger K is spot on!


----------



## AE35Unit

FireDragon-16 said:


> At home, we watched *The Help* for the first time. I thought it was a great movie, although I was saddened that there was a time when people thought like that (plus there are still some who think so today )



Superb film!!


----------



## clovis-man

*Sweeney Todd*. I'm beginning to believe they'll make a musical out of anything. The darkest movie I've seen in recent memory. Not everyone's cup of tea, or even mine for that matter.

Great soundtrack, though.


----------



## j d worthington

clovis-man said:


> *Sweeney Todd*. I'm beginning to believe they'll make a musical out of anything. The darkest movie I've seen in recent memory. Not everyone's cup of tea, or even mine for that matter.
> 
> Great soundtrack, though.


 
Not unusual for one of Sondheim's musicals to have a fair amount of darkness to it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Sondheim

I will admit, though, that this particular piece had perhaps the grimmest ending -- both in incident and implication -- that I've seen in quite a while. (Perfectly fitting, though, and makes his point very impressively.)

However, if you'd like to see something which deals with about as dark a subject but with a bizarrely lighter approach, you should look into Takashi Miike's *The Happiness of the Katakuris*... which is also about people dying (LOTS of people dying), yet is also a musical, featuring live action, claymation, and some of the most out-there humor since the days of Python....

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304262/


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> *Sweeney Todd*. I'm beginning to believe they'll make a musical out of anything. The darkest movie I've seen in recent memory. Not everyone's cup of tea, or even mine for that matter.
> 
> Great soundtrack, though.



I refuse to watch it. Stupid idea!


----------



## Action Avenue

Just watched *The Amazing Spider-Man *almost a week ago.  It was not a bad flick, but not as good as the Raimi/Maguire installments.  Thought it was entirely unnecessary to rehash the origin story for this iconic character.  The screen time might have been better utilized developing the Dr. Connors character a little more.


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> I refuse to watch it. Stupid idea!


 
I agree, musicals are soooooo dumb and annoying and unrealistic.


----------



## clovis-man

j. d. worthington said:


> Not unusual for one of Sondheim's musicals to have a fair amount of darkness to it...


 
I'm sure you're right, but my benchmark for Sondheim is *A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum*. A much different approach to the musical and one of my all time favorites. The most sinister line in the whole thing is when Miles Gloriosus says (in the movie version): "And now back to Rome for a quick trial and some slow executiuons". But strictly played for laughs.


----------



## AE35Unit

Arthur Christmas.
Bloody marvellous!


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> I refuse to watch it. Stupid idea!





biodroid said:


> I agree, musicals are soooooo dumb and annoying and unrealistic.



I'd generally agree but I think this is actually a great movie. I've seen it more than once and, every time, when they first start singing I cringe and groan and roll my eyes but, after awhile, you actually kind of forget that's what they're doing and it starts to sound normal - something like how people might just talk under normal circumstances but, when angry, they might scream. Well, these people sometimes talk and, when totally demented, they sing. And this is one demented movie. Very intense, dark, good-looking (or horrific-looking as the occasion calls), well-acted. I dunno - I wouldn't ordinarily touch a live-action serious musical with a hundred foot pole but I saw this for whatever reason, and I actually liked it.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> I'd generally agree but I think this is actually a great movie. I've seen it more than once and, every time, when they first start singing I cringe and groan and roll my eyes but, after awhile, you actually kind of forget that's what they're doing and it starts to sound normal - something like how people might just talk under normal circumstances but, when angry, they might scream. Well, these people sometimes talk and, when totally demented, they sing. And this is one demented movie. Very intense, dark, good-looking (or horrific-looking as the occasion calls), well-acted. I dunno - I wouldn't ordinarily touch a live-action serious musical with a hundred foot pole but I saw this for whatever reason, and I actually liked it.



I just get visions of him singing, in jolly manner, Im going to cut your throooooatt...
Its just wrong! What next, Saddam Huseein the musical?


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> I just get visions of him singing, in jolly manner, Im going to cut your throooooatt...
> Its just wrong! What next, Saddam Huseein the musical?



Yeah, a Saddamusical would suck.  But there's really nothing in this movie that's done in a jolly manner. That would actually be the thing I think would give most people the most trouble is that it's a really really dark -  almost unrelievedly dark - movie. There's one bizarre segment with a splash of the Burtonesque color but it's only there to underscore the impossibility of any jolliness. But, like clovis-man said, it's not everyone's cup of tea, and for a variety of reasons.


----------



## PTeppic

Small British comedy/horror, "*Love Bite*"


----------



## j d worthington

On *Sweeney Todd*: It isn't that the film (or the stage play, for that matter) doesn't have its lighter, even comic, moments: "The Worst Pies in London"; "By the Seaside", etc., would certainly qualify. But these are more in the nature of giving the audience a much-needed breather from the otherwise starkly horrific story of corruption, revenge, murder, and cannibalism. Burton has said that his intention was to handle this as a classic horror film, and I think there is a fair degree of that in the finished product. It also has much from classic tragedy to it, including the idea of Todd being (in essence) almost a puppet in the hands of the darker gods (due to his pursuit of revenge at all costs) until he has an epiphany which reveals to him that he has completely lost his humanity, and is truly damned... and then you have one final fillip which takes this horrifying moment even one step beyond....

No, there is damn little jollity to be had in this film. It is one of the darkest, grimmest films to come down the pike in a _looong_ time....


----------



## clovis-man

*Sweeney Todd* again: The only scene which gave me a chuckle was when the boy was explaining how he was given gin to help him sleep at the workhouse. As Helena Bonham-Carter starts to walk away, he says: "Leave the bottle."


----------



## dask

So, if Sweeney Todd were being rated using the four star system, how many stars would it get?


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched The Lorax with the kids- loved it, even tho I never knew it was a Dr. Seuss story!


----------



## kshRox

j. d. worthington said:


> On *Sweeney Todd*: It isn't that the film (or the stage play, for that matter) doesn't have its lighter, even comic, moments: "The Worst Pies in London"; "By the Seaside", etc., would certainly qualify. But these are more in the nature of giving the audience a much-needed breather from the otherwise starkly horrific story of corruption, revenge, murder, and cannibalism. Burton has said that his intention was to handle this as a classic horror film, and I think there is a fair degree of that in the finished product. It also has much from classic tragedy to it, including the idea of Todd being (in essence) almost a puppet in the hands of the darker gods (due to his pursuit of revenge at all costs) until he has an epiphany which reveals to him that he has completely lost his humanity, and is truly damned... and then you have one final fillip which takes this horrifying moment even one step beyond....
> 
> No, there is damn little jollity to be had in this film. It is one of the darkest, grimmest films to come down the pike in a _looong_ time....



Oh, no, this is a dark and sinister movie . . . . 

MWAHAHAHAHAHA  - I LOVE IT!!!!

And HBC was hot as the little lady cookin' up them pies!

SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!


----------



## kshRox

dask said:


> So, if Sweeney Todd were being rated using the four star system, how many stars would it get?



I'd wouldn't give it any stars

But I would give it 5 Strait Razors


----------



## J-Sun

dask said:


> So, if Sweeney Todd were being rated using the four star system, how many stars would it get?



Kinda tough to answer, in that it seems like almost an all-or-nothing movie to me - a lot of people would give it 0 or 1 and a lot of people would give it 3.5 or 4 (or 5 straight-razors ). I have an incomplete, unmaintained db where I gave it 4 of 5 stars in 2009, so I guess 3.5 from me?


----------



## dask

kshRox said:


> I'd wouldn't give it any stars
> 
> But I would give it 5 Strait Razors


 
Huh, is that good or bad?


----------



## j d worthington

I'll be honest and say that, despite the material being taken from Sondheim (for whom I have considerable respect), I was a bit leery about this one at first; but it quickly won me over. Even the first number... the contrast between Antony's take on coming home to London and the pure venom in Sweeney's voice (and manner), not to mention the use of the "Dies Irae" motif, let me know I was in for an interesting ride.... I'd rate it quite highly; certainly one of Depp's best performances, and he is hardly the only one to do things to a turn here.

As I mentioned, there is humor in this film (though a fair amount of it is very much gallows humor, or about as black an ironic humor as it gets), but overall it really is a very bleak story. It's a pity they couldn't keep "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" from the stage production intact (though they did use portions of it here and there), as it nicely bookends the tale and makes a few very nice points of its own... for example: Sweeney, in effect, slamming the door of Hell in Mrs. Lovett's face even as she asks for forgiveness... all done without a word, mind you... carries very well the point of how such hatred continues to raise a whirlwind long after the original participants are gone. Not to mention the fallout concerning Toby within the main story....


----------



## dask

So, a person's time would not be wasted watching it? (Serious question.)


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> So, a person's time would not be wasted watching it? (Serious question.)


 
For my money, no. I've watched it several times over, and find it holds up quite well each time. In fact, I find new things to like about it with each viewing....


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> For my money, no. I've watched it several times over, and find it holds up quite well each time. In fact, I find new things to like about it with each viewing....


 
Okay, I'll give it a try sometime, but what about the music. Does it have good songs, anything really catchy like "Thank You Very Much" from SCROOGE?


----------



## Starbeast

*Cabin In The Woods* (2012)

Excellent horror movie of a different kind. Cool and freaky.

About time someone puts out a horror flick that's not typical.


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> Okay, I'll give it a try sometime, but what about the music. Does it have good songs, anything really catchy like "Thank You Very Much" from SCROOGE?


 
Catchy songs? Not really. Sondheim doesn't do much of that, I would say. His are more musically challenging (and, according to both Helene Bonham Carter and Angela Lansbury -- who played the role on the stage -- almost physically exhausting to perform; for example, with several of those sung by Mrs. Lovett, he doesn't really leave much in the way of a pause for breath....). This is not to say that several of the songs aren't memorable; I think no few are. But they aren't essentially simple tunes for one to hum or sing to oneself the way so many "show-stoppers" are. (Then again, neither is "America", from *West Side Story*, for which he wrote the lyrics. It is nonetheless an extremely memorable number for all that.) Even those which are made a part of a singer's repertoire are seldom of that nature... e.g., "No One is Alone", from *Into the Woods*, which Bernadette Peters has performed beautifully:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLKbc2hvxk


----------



## Foxbat

*Jaws. *After all these years, that scene with the hole in the bottom of the boat still makes me jump.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> *Jaws. *After all these years, that scene with the hole in the bottom of the boat still makes me jump.


 
I think my favorite scene from that one is probably when they are all sitting around the table talking, and Quint relates his tale of survival in the Second World War.... The entire delivery there is absolutely spot on....


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

lasts nights double bill:
*Transporter* and *Transporter 2*: been on a Statham kick huh?  well, enjoyed the hell out of these movies.  mindless action with some great and somewhat inventive fight scenes.  fun movies worth watching.


----------



## AE35Unit

dask said:


> So, if Sweeney Todd were being rated using the four star system, how many stars would it get?



Minus 1


----------



## FireDragon-16

cyrusDCmonster said:


> lasts nights double bill:
> *Transporter* and *Transporter 2*: been on a Statham kick huh?  well, enjoyed the hell out of these movies.  mindless action with some great and somewhat inventive fight scenes.  fun movies worth watching.



Love those movies!


----------



## PTeppic

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (pt 2)


----------



## j d worthington

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Hammer's second film featuring Christopher Lee as the infamous count. A very odd film; quite atmospheric and effective overall (though not without a large dash of humor), but the ending has always struck me as both rushed and flat, even ridiculous. Running water used in such a fashion just lacks impact for me, I'm afraid... nor am I at all convinced that it matches up to any lore concerning the vampire. (Yes, there is the bit that they can't cross running water -- common to many of the supernatural kinds, including witches, ghosts, and certain goblins -- but as a method of _killing_ or _destroying_ them? Uh, no....)


----------



## AE35Unit

PTeppic said:


> Twilight: Breaking Dawn (pt 2)



Oh you poor thing!


----------



## JunkMonkey

The last film I tried to watch was *Resident Evil* which I have never seen.  I nearly gave up after five minutes when it became  obvious the top-secret super sciencey place in the (vastly overlong) opening sequence had a bio-hazard  containment area that _shared a ventilation system_ with the rest  of the building - ONLY BECAUSE THE MOVIE WOULD HAVE STOPPED IF IT HADN'T.   But I persevered for 30 minutes (most of which was spent analysing  Milla Jovovich's acting.  I quickly realised she was doing this film  with two expressions:  Mouth Open and  Mouth Shut.  Both worked. - it  worked in _The Fifth Element_, why change a winning formula?) I  persevered until the moment that I realised that none of the elite  troops on this deadly search and destroy mission was going to have the  wit to jam open _any_ of the endless number of doors that kept closing behind them.  Just put something in the door jam, you morons!


----------



## clovis-man

*Lincoln*.

Should be a lock for an Oscar or two. Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones were extraordinary. Sally Field was a tad overwrought as Mary Lincoln. But the overall intensity for a story that we know all too well already is quite an accomplishment. Amazing attention to period detail helps tremendously also. High marks to Spielberg (yet again)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Brave*
Superb piece, great story, great hero(ine), and the rendering on these films is mind blowing!


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

*The Prestige*: another great Christopher Nolan film.  awesome movie, great story and solid acting.


----------



## j d worthington

Having mentioned *Into the Woods* earlier, I realized I hadn't seen the thing in a goodly while, so pulled out my copy... and have ended up watching it twice this week (both times split up into two days, just before bed). My fondness for this one grows with each viewing, and my admiration for Sondheim's abilities grows by leaps and bounds. Lord, how wonderfully structured these things are!


----------



## Foxbat

cyrusDCmonster said:


> *The Prestige*: another great Christopher Nolan film.  awesome movie, great story and solid acting.


 
I found this to be one of those extremely rare movies which is actually an improvement on the book (which I felt was rather disjointed).


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> Catchy songs? Not really. Sondheim doesn't do much of that, I would say. His are more musically challenging (and, according to both Helene Bonham Carter and Angela Lansbury -- who played the role on the stage -- almost physically exhausting to perform; for example, with several of those sung by Mrs. Lovett, he doesn't really leave much in the way of a pause for breath....). This is not to say that several of the songs aren't memorable; I think no few are. But they aren't essentially simple tunes for one to hum or sing to oneself the way so many "show-stoppers" are. (Then again, neither is "America", from *West Side Story*, for which he wrote the lyrics. It is nonetheless an extremely memorable number for all that.) Even those which are made a part of a singer's repertoire are seldom of that nature... e.g., "No One is Alone", from *Into the Woods*, which Bernadette Peters has performed beautifully:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnLKbc2hvxk


 
I've always considered "America" a catchy tune. Once I get it into my head I'll be da da da da-ing all day long.


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> Having mentioned *Into the Woods* earlier, I realized I hadn't seen the thing in a goodly while, so pulled out my copy... and have ended up watching it twice this week (both times split up into two days, just before bed). My fondness for this one grows with each viewing, and my admiration for Sondheim's abilities grows by leaps and bounds. Lord, how wonderfully structured these things are!


 
Is this horror also?


----------



## j d worthington

dask said:


> Is this horror also?


 
No... though there are certainly fantastic elements enough about it. In this, Sondheim weaves together a collection of fairy tales ("Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rapunzel", etc.), into a single narrative where the characters and themes of each interact. As with quite a few musicals, it contains much frivolity (in the positive sense of that term), is lighter in tone, has plenty of humor, and a goodly portion of outright comedy... yet grows increasingly serious in tone the further one goes.

One of the things I like about Sondheim (aside from the structure, mentioned above, which is always nearly perfect) is that he uses mythic materials to, in an entertaining fashion, explore aspects of the human condition. *Into the Woods* uses the fairy tales for precisely what fairy tales do so well: to look at life lessons, making decisions, realizing the consequences of our actions, etc. The woods themselves represent life; the trips into the woods take a bunch of insular characters, wrapped up in their own little worlds, and expose them to the larger world, with all its cruelties and kindnesses, stupidities and selfishness and generosities and moments of wisdom and compassion.

Also, with Sondheim, the songs are not simply tunes tacked onto a story, but the medium used to tell the story itself. When you really look at it, there is little actual "dialogue" in *Into the Woods* or *Sweeney Todd*, for example; just moments here and there. It is like a modern descendant of the older plays, where there were bits of prose scattered here and there, but the majority was in verse of one form or another, because one can say in verse (or song) a great deal more than can be said in normal prose, because of the careful choice of words, the rhythms, etc.; the compression, as it were, of language to carry more content with less words. Sondheim uses this skillfully, so that even his lighter songs (and this is much more true for the more serious pieces) become really quite complex in what they convey on different levels. And yet he does this with a masterful ability at storytelling which never seems to flag.

As for this particular version of *Into the Woods*... it was broadcast on PBS's American Playhouse back in 1990, with the original Broadway cast (Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Robert Westerfeld, Tom Aldredge, Chuck Wagner, Danielle Ferland, etc.), and later released as (if memory serves) a laserdisc and VHS recording, and is also available now on DVD. It is, quite simply, a delight.

As for use of the word "catchy"... perhaps we have in mind different meanings for the word. When I think of a "catchy" tune, it is usually something relatively simple (also light), but which catches the listener's ear and repeats in his or her head almost endlessly... like a round, for one example. Ballads are another; commercial jingles being the most pervasive (and not all commercial jingles are without merit, though most are). "America", on the other hand, is really quite a complex musical number, with a variety of tempos, vocal changes, and intricate, interweaving lyrics. It does, however, remain memorable, sticking with a person; and I'd say several of Sondheim's songs have that quality.


----------



## Rodders

Sherlock Holmes: Shadow Games. (?)


----------



## kshRox

Took my kids to see The Guardians.

I think I loved it as much or more than them! 
So, tell me, what is your center?


----------



## gully_foyle

A bit of a Le Carre fest, first of all Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with one of Gary Oldman's best performances ever, and Then Richard Burton as The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Have to see if I can find a copy of Sir Alec Guiness in Smiley's People now.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Rodders said:


> Sherlock Holmes: Shadow Games. (?)



I think you mean Game of Shadows.

My mom and I saw Skyfall over the weekend. We both loved it, and I have to say, next to Sean Connery, Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond.


----------



## dask

j. d. worthington said:


> No... though there are certainly fantastic elements enough about it. In this, Sondheim weaves together a collection of fairy tales ("Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rapunzel", etc.), into a single narrative where the characters and themes of each interact. As with quite a few musicals, it contains much frivolity (in the positive sense of that term), is lighter in tone, has plenty of humor, and a goodly portion of outright comedy... yet grows increasingly serious in tone the further one goes.
> 
> One of the things I like about Sondheim (aside from the structure, mentioned above, which is always nearly perfect) is that he uses mythic materials to, in an entertaining fashion, explore aspects of the human condition. *Into the Woods* uses the fairy tales for precisely what fairy tales do so well: to look at life lessons, making decisions, realizing the consequences of our actions, etc. The woods themselves represent life; the trips into the woods take a bunch of insular characters, wrapped up in their own little worlds, and expose them to the larger world, with all its cruelties and kindnesses, stupidities and selfishness and generosities and moments of wisdom and compassion.
> 
> Also, with Sondheim, the songs are not simply tunes tacked onto a story, but the medium used to tell the story itself. When you really look at it, there is little actual "dialogue" in *Into the Woods* or *Sweeney Todd*, for example; just moments here and there. It is like a modern descendant of the older plays, where there were bits of prose scattered here and there, but the majority was in verse of one form or another, because one can say in verse (or song) a great deal more than can be said in normal prose, because of the careful choice of words, the rhythms, etc.; the compression, as it were, of language to carry more content with less words. Sondheim uses this skillfully, so that even his lighter songs (and this is much more true for the more serious pieces) become really quite complex in what they convey on different levels. And yet he does this with a masterful ability at storytelling which never seems to flag.
> 
> As for this particular version of *Into the Woods*... it was broadcast on PBS's American Playhouse back in 1990, with the original Broadway cast (Bernadette Peters, Chip Zien, Robert Westerfeld, Tom Aldredge, Chuck Wagner, Danielle Ferland, etc.), and later released as (if memory serves) a laserdisc and VHS recording, and is also available now on DVD. It is, quite simply, a delight.
> 
> As for use of the word "catchy"... perhaps we have in mind different meanings for the word. When I think of a "catchy" tune, it is usually something relatively simple (also light), but which catches the listener's ear and repeats in his or her head almost endlessly... like a round, for one example. Ballads are another; commercial jingles being the most pervasive (and not all commercial jingles are without merit, though most are). "America", on the other hand, is really quite a complex musical number, with a variety of tempos, vocal changes, and intricate, interweaving lyrics. It does, however, remain memorable, sticking with a person; and I'd say several of Sondheim's songs have that quality.


 
Again I appreciate the time and effort you put into answering my often overly simple questions. If nothing else you've whetted my interest in seeing a movie that until now I didn't know existed.

"Catchy"? Well don't wanna start no war but the dictionary on my computer says, among other things, catchy is "memorable" in part because it is "simple". In my defense I'll just say it's in my nature to bend the meaning of words like Superman bends steel.


----------



## Extollager

gully_foyle said:


> A bit of a Le Carre fest, first of all Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with one of Gary Oldman's best performances ever



I thought this was a really bogus movie.  Admittedly I have admired the BBC miniseries ever since it was shown in the States around 1980.  

But just take for example the hokey lighting in the movie.  Almost every scene is shot in what would be unlikely-dim lighting; for example, the Jim Prideaux classroom.  *(But* -- note this -- when Guillam is spying on the sex scene going on in a room across from him, the lighting of the bedroom is brilliant.  Words fail me for how contemptible this is.)  So it's constantly in one's face that this is a Moody Story of Betrayal, etc.  Give me a break.  By the 1970s, believe me, electrical lighting _had _been invented and installed even in schoolrooms and people's apartments.


----------



## AE35Unit

Isnt that what they call noir?


----------



## Starbeast

*Cars 2* (2012)

Surprisingly good animated sequel, with an excellent adventure plot. (watched it twice)

*The Last Exorcism* (2012)

Not bad, not great, but not a bad little creepy movie with an ending that pleased me. Filmed in a documentary style.


----------



## dustinzgirl

Lawless and Snow White and the Huntsman

I was actually pretty darn impressed with both of them, and it takes a LOT to impress me!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tonight I wallowed in that wonderful piece of  crap  the Italian, _Star Wars_ bandwaggoner *Starcrash*.  I love_ Starcrash_. A seriously great bad film whichever way you slice it.  It's a  whole banquet of awful.  There's so much to choose from: Christopher Plummer as the Emperor of the Universe, David Hasselhoff as his son Simon, Caroline Munro running around in leather bikinis and see throu PVC space suits (sometimes at the same time), an annoying robot side kick that looks like a dildo with arms....   Imagine Barbarella scripted by A E van Vogt and filmed by Italians with no money.  _That_ good!

"Imperial Battleship.... Halt the flow of time!"

"Look! Amazons on horseback - I hope they're friendly!"

A classic.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Tonight I wallowed in that wonderful piece of  crap  the Italian, _Star Wars_ bandwaggoner *Starcrash*.  I love_ Starcrash_. A seriously great bad film whichever way you slice it.  It's a  whole banquet of awful.


 
I just checked it out via Netflix on my PC. You neglected to mention that it's a Roger Corman vehicle, that poor John Barry got co-opted for the music and that it "stars" Marjoe Gortner (sporting his evangelist perm). I'll see your "awful" and raise you an "abominable".


----------



## Starbeast

*The Wild One* (1953)

I finally watched this Marlon Brando movie, interesting film. Biker gangs plodding through life with no direction and without a care until someone gets hurt. Kind of an ugly reflection on life, showing teens who were brought up in this world without parental guidance, like stray dogs running in packs.


----------



## cyrusDCmonster

Foxbat said:


> I found this to be one of those extremely rare movies which is actually an improvement on the book (which I felt was rather disjointed).


agree 100%  the only other case i can think of is Battle Royale where i enjoyed the movie more than the book which i thought was awesome!

so last night i bought and watched The Dark Knight Rises, we got it early in oz (i know the US has to wait an extra week which sucks).  awesome, awesome movie, great ending to the trilogy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> I just checked it out via Netflix on my PC. You neglected to mention that it's a Roger Corman vehicle, that poor John Barry got co-opted for the music and that it "stars" Marjoe Gortner (sporting his evangelist perm). I'll see your "awful" and raise you an "abominable".



As I understand it Corman wasn't involved in the production side.  He bought the film already completed for US distribution (music and all) and made some cuts (5 minutes if memory serves - mostly from the interminable and 'Space Battles' (which consisted mainly of the same three FX shots over and over again and lots of pointing and shouting from the cast.  "On the left!",  "Look out!", "Fire!", "Yes! We got him!" etc.).

It is a wonderful film.  The 'sequel' is crap.


----------



## Connavar

*The Wild Bunch*

Im a big fan of Peckinpah but i have never seen this famous western of his. I always thought it was like Magnificent 7 or Dirty Dozen type action but i was really surprised and impressed by the depth of the story,the characters. 

The writing,directing for the characters showed in very minimalist way so well how they reacted to each other, the group of men was to each other. I enjoyed for that and the way the film showed the dark side of human condition. Mapache, the whole corruption,evil. It was more than action western and a bleak story but there was goodness,idealistic elmements too. It destroys his other westerns before it in comparison, that it was much deeper than violent westerns.

Actors wise i was impressed by William Holden that i dont know from anywhere else. He acted so much with his face,body that showed so much. Perfect Peckinpah style of directing and not making it simple for the audience.


----------



## JunkMonkey

JunkMonkey said:


> It is a wonderful film.  The 'sequel' is crap.



To clarify:  The 'sequel' that was made was crap. Minor very soft core porny sf that used a lot of the Special Effects shots from Starcrash at random intervals. A E van Vogt wrote a script for a real sequel but it was never made.

I'd love to read it if anyone knows were to find a copy.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> As I understand it Corman wasn't involved in the production side.  He bought the film already completed for US distribution (music and all) and made some cuts (5 minutes if memory serves - mostly from the interminable and 'Space Battles' (which consisted mainly of the same three FX shots over and over again and lots of pointing and shouting from the cast.  "On the left!",  "Look out!", "Fire!", "Yes! We got him!" etc.).


 
Only mildly relevent: have you seen the 1972 movie documentary, *Marjoe*? A fascinating look at a chameleon. I especially like the shots of him as a "child evangelist", describing how he copped Mick Jagger's moves for his "act" and pouring out a paper sack of money on his motel bed while singing : "Thank you Jesus!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-NwKD9laZw


----------



## JunkMonkey

I don't think anyone outside of the US knows who he is apart from Stracrash.  But thanks for the link I followed my nose and found the the whole movie here (in parts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-O9aNl2Xrk

Looks fascinating.


----------



## Oct125

A French film called _Black Heaven_. At least that's the translation -in French it's something like Autre Monde, which means other world. The description makes it seem like it could be sci fi, but it's not really. It does involve people caught up in a virtual reality game that they take too seriously.


----------



## dask

HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN on Svengoolie. Boris Karloff was ideal as the evil mad scientist hell-bent on revenge and John Carradine as a more faithful to the book Dracula. Lon Chaney, Jr. repeats his role as Wolfman as easily as if he never left the set of the first film. Great sets, great camera work, great film from a great era.


----------



## JunkMonkey

From memory HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN does have the smallest torch and pitchfork wielding mob of all the Universal horrors.

Last night I watched two films.   Let me tell you, people, _Outlaw of Gor _is one crappy, crappy, crappy film.  But it looks like _Citizen Kane_ next to _A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell_.


----------



## Starbeast

dask said:


> HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN on Svengoolie. Great sets, great camera work, great film from a great era.


 
*Svengoolie* is a great movie host. I remember watching the original Sven back in the 1970's. At that time, there wasn't much film editting (less commercials), so movies were 99% uncut. Which meant horror movies from around the world showed all of the graphic violence. YIKES!!



JunkMonkey said:


> Last night I watched two films.   Let me tell you, people, _Outlaw of Gor _is one crappy, crappy, crappy film.  But it looks like _Citizen Kane_ next to _A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell_.


 
I've noticed _A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell_ on the video store shelves, but my instincts kept telling me not to bother with it.

As for _Outlaw of Gor_, I thought about checking it out on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I'll let you know if I survive the experiance.

Speaking of Svengoolie, I watched a movie on his show the other day...

*Curse of the Werewolf* (1961)

Still a good film with the great actor Oliver Reed playing the troubled man who becomes a werewolf by night. However, his girlfriend is the only one who can tame his savage urges.


----------



## Rodders

I have had a free weekend this week and have had a little bit of a film fest. 

A Fantastic Fear of Everything. I love Simon Pegg'ss work, but just couldn't get into it at all. I turned it off after 30 minutes. Does it get better? 

Repo Men (Forrest Whittikar and Jude Law) not a great movie, but I did like the future cityscape. 

Crazy, Stupid, Love. I really enjoyed this. Steve Carroll is on top form in this one. 

Horrible Bosses. I enjoyed this too. 

Grown Ups. Puerile, but funny. 

I also watched Alan Parsons Mid Morning Matters. Hilarious.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> I've noticed _A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell_ on the video store shelves, but my instincts kept telling me not to bother with it.



Whatever they're offering to pay you... it's not enough.



Starbeast said:


> As for _Outlaw of Gor_, I thought about checking it out on an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I'll let you know if I survive the experiance.



_Outlaw of Gor_ is not the best MST3K but it's not bad. Makes a_ very_ dully film watchable.

I've seen three films by _Outlaw'_s director, John 'Bud' Cardos, _Outlaw, Mutant,_ and _The Day Time Ended_.  They all seem to feature totally ineffective heroes who quite often do very little to further the plot let alone resolve anything.

I'm off to find more.  The man is either utterly incompetent or playing some weird game subvertingthe B-movie tropes he has to play with  and frelling with the expectations of the audience.


----------



## J-Sun

_*Cat People*_ (1943) a day or few ago and _*The Curse of the Cat People*_ (1944) tonight. Weird damn movies. I guess they're supposed to be horror but, like the "horror" I like, there's nothing remotely scary about them, but just weird and gothic/noir and maybe slightly suspenseful. And I spent a good portion of the first one wondering why Flash Gordon was getting married to the cat woman and a good portion of the second one wondering how Flash had fathered Newt (and why his and the Mrs.' hair had gotten darker since the first movie). The second one, especially, is completely unhinged. It's like Lawrence Welk dropped some bad acid. They're kinda terrible and kinda neat. I dunno.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> _Outlaw of Gor_ is not the best MST3K but it's not bad. Makes a_ very_ dully film watchable.
> 
> I've seen three films by _Outlaw'_s director, John 'Bud' Cardos, _Outlaw, Mutant,_ and _The Day Time Ended_.  They all seem to feature totally ineffective heroes who quite often do very little to further the plot let alone resolve anything.


 
*Outlaw of Gor *- Mike T. Nelson and his robots (from MST3K) helped me to survive this trash pile that even Jack Palance couldn't save. I felt bad that Jack was is this 1980's mess. But if I watched this film without MST3K, I wouldn't make it beyond five minutes.

*Mutant* - Director Bud's best of the bunch. I liked this little B-movie, Wings Hauser vs zombies, cool/weird. A bit slow, but not bad to watch.

*The Day Time Ended* - Besides seeing _Mutant_ in the theater, I saw this hunk of junk. The only thing I enjoyed in this flick were the few moments where stop-motion (special effect) creatures appeared with the laughable acting and remaining special effects.

If MST3K returns, they should include this glop of goo for one of the episodes to rip on.


*Parts: The Clonus Horror* (1979)

A good idea for a bad movie. But it's so bad it's good, and that's what I liked about it. Actors Peter Graves and Dick Sargent are a treat to see in this dated film, along with the bad acting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Outlaw of Gor *- Mike T. Nelson and his robots (from MST3K) helped me to survive this trash pile that even Jack Palance couldn't save. I felt bad that Jack was is this 1980's mess. But if I watched this film without MST3K, I wouldn't make it beyond five minutes.
> 
> *Mutant* - Director Bud's best of the bunch. I liked this little B-movie, Wings Hauser vs zombies, cool/weird. A bit slow, but not bad to watch.
> 
> *The Day Time Ended* - Besides seeing _Mutant_ in the theater, I saw this hunk of junk. The only thing I enjoyed in this flick were the few moments where stop-motion (special effect) creatures appeared with the laughable acting and remaining special effects.
> 
> If MST3K returns, they should include this glop of goo for one of the episodes to rip on.
> 
> 
> *Parts: The Clonus Horror* (1979)
> 
> A good idea for a bad movie. But it's so bad it's good, and that's what I liked about it. Actors Peter Graves and Dick Sargent are a treat to see in this dated film, along with the bad acting.




Do you see what I mean about the heroes in these films being pretty useless?  Despite all his running around what does Wings Hause's character actually_ DO _in this film? He manages to get driven off the road by rednecks, gets his  brother killed, fails to save a ten year old boy from a horrible death, looses a barfight and is rescued by the sheriff, gets himself wanted for murder by running away at just the  wrong moment. He's useless.  At one point he's snooping about, getting  to the bottom of things, when he is captured by a gang of evil chemical  wate dumpers who are filling the standard, B-movie old mine just outside  of town with toxic sludge.  He's about to be thrown into a mile deep  pit of chemical waste when the doors of the shed fly open and his newly  acquired  love interest drives her car into the mix.  The hero dives  through the open window of the car and she speeds away. Hurrah! Our hero  was rescued by his girlfriend. (And it's she who bumps off the bad guy behind it all when_ she _knocks the villain into the mile deep  pit of chemical waste.)   In the final moments of the film he's  helplessly backed into a corner of the besieged shop, with rampaging  monster, mutant, leech people about to eat him (and his girlfriend) when  he's _again_ rescued, in the final moments of the film, by the sheriff, a character we  had been lead to assume had died a couple of reels previously.

I sort of liked _Parts_.  I could forgive the tatty acting (central actor was far too old for the part) because of the ideas and the downbeat ending.  I like downbeat endings.  - though Keenan Wynn's bit dragged - much better than the remake.


----------



## Action Avenue

Watched *X-Men First Class* probably about a week ago or so.  It was really good.  Enjoyed the different characters that have been woven into the X-Men mythology.  Great action and good storyline make the mark in the movie I would recommend to any fan of the genre.


----------



## Huttman

I finally caught MIB 3. I enjoyed the first two but this one was really outstanding. It had the same quirkiness the first two had and also the deep touchy moments were not lost with this movie either, especially the end. Josh Brolin was incredible in the role of young K, and although Tommy Lee Jones looks much older, he does a great job too. Will Smith is great in everything I have seen him in and I was glad he was able to take his character a notch up. Big thumbs up for me. Oh, love the portrait of the pug!


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> Do you see what I mean about the heroes in these films being pretty useless?
> 
> I sort of liked _Parts_.  I could forgive the tatty acting (central actor was far too old for the part) because of the ideas and the downbeat ending.  I like downbeat endings.  - though Keenan Wynn's bit dragged - much better than the remake.


 
I saw exactly what you mean about *Mutant (a.k.a. Night Shadows)*, however it was fun to watch because of all the quirks involved.

*Parts* wasted the talant of Keenan Wynn (the main reason I didn't mention him). It was inadvertantly funny when Keenan opens his door to see a man bobbing up in down on his garbage, I couldn't help but laugh.

JunkMonkey, it's just so much fun to watch these dated films, to see the clothing, the hair styles, to hear the music scoring and most importantly, the way people spoke decades ago. 


*The Spongebob Squarepants Movie* (2004)

This is such a wonderful animated adventure (combined with a little live-action), and even though I stopped watching the cartoon show years ago, I still like viewing this funny and wacky flick. It's always a treat to hear the voice of actor Clancy Brown (the best villian in the Highlander series), along with the other voices of actors Jeffrey Tambor and Alec Baldwin. Plus David Hasselhoff spoofs himself.


----------



## clovis-man

*Secret of the Incas* (1954)

I last saw this movie when I was 12 or 13 years old, about the time it hit the theaters. I loved it at the time. Charlton Heston plays the rogue-ish inspiration for Indiana Jones in *Raiders of the Lost Ark*. From the beat up fedora and leather jacket to the "find the treasure" scene using a reflected light source, Harrison Ford (Did I mention that Heston's character is named Harry?), George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg owe much to this film.

After this many years, the movie has lost much of its lustre, but is still notable for its use of location scenes in Peru and a lot of native costumed indigenous extras for local color. There is conspicuous usage of Yma Sumac in musical interludes taken directly from her popular album of the time, "The Voice of the Xtabay", and lip-synced by her in the movie soundtrack.

Thomas Mitchell plays the villain in the piece and Robert Young (Marcus Welby) is the Dudley Do-right type archaeologist. Worth a watch. Can be streamed from Netflix.


----------



## Riddick

Expendables 2. Was frickin' hilarious haha


----------



## AE35Unit

*Expendables*
Anyone with a muscle is in this uber action flick! Not bad
 Got the sequel to watch soon too.


----------



## AE35Unit

Had a bit of a Harry Potter fest. Watched the first two with the kids (my 8 year old is reading the books) then finally watched The Deathly Hallows 1&2.
Over at last!


----------



## Foxbat

*Ted*
Mildly amusing but it's also too formulaic. 
Nothing to write home about.


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> *Ted*
> Mildly amusing but it's also too formulaic.
> Nothing to write home about.


Parents are renting this for their kids! It most definitely is NOT a kids film!


----------



## Foxbat

AE35Unit said:


> Parents are renting this for their kids! It most definitely is NOT a kids film!


 
Most definitely not


----------



## Triceratops

Saw He Girl, Kick Ass and Seabisquit. All of them worth the time


----------



## Steve S

Predators - adequate Saturday night fare, but not a patch on the cheesy 80s original!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Expendables 2*
Insane violent fun!


----------



## J-Sun

_*Dark Star*_. Finally.

I have a new all-time favorite film. (Okay, maybe not quite, but I loved this _awfully_ great movie.)

"I was hanging from the elevator for half an hour."
"You know how I got this job?"
"Phenomenology."


----------



## Foxbat

J-Sun said:


> _*Dark Star*_. Finally.
> 
> I have a new all-time favorite film. (Okay, maybe not quite, but I loved this _awfully_ great movie.)
> 
> "I was hanging from the elevator for half an hour."
> "You know how I got this job?"
> "Phenomenology."


 
It is a very good movie and superbly funny


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> It is a very good movie and superbly funny


 
Computer: Sorry to interrupt your recreation, fellows, but it is time for Sgt. Pinback to feed the alien. 

Pinback: Awww, I don't wanna do that! 
*http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0460469/*


----------



## Riddick

Watched the Immortals last night. Awesome movie haha


----------



## Starbeast

J-Sun said:


> _*Dark Star*_. Finally.
> 
> I have a new all-time favorite film. (Okay, maybe not quite, but I loved this _awfully_ great movie.)


 


Foxbat said:


> It is a very good movie and superbly funny


 
Pinback: "...so then it just flew across the room like a balloon. I guess it was just filled with gas. Hey guys, how could it live, if it's just filled with gas?"

"Well if you don't care, I just won't talk about it anymore!"

I would have loved another 45 minutes of kooky stuff going on in the movie. Yeah, two hours of DARK STAR.


*Signs* (2002)

I haven't seen this movie in quite while. Man-alive, I forgot how great it is on so many levels. Like: family closeness, aliens, dealing with a crisis, loss of a family member and questioning faith. I'm so glad I came aross this on tv, it really made my night. It was also an emense treat to see Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix in this fantastic film drama by M. Night Shyamalan.


----------



## Foxbat

*Hero *
I never get tired of taking in the sheer beauty of this masterpiece from Zhang Yimou.


----------



## Scott R. Forshaw

The latest reworking of Total Recall.

I felt it was a far superior version to the original. Farrell, in the lead role, made the character much more believable, and significantly less wooden.


----------



## alchemist

*The Dark Knight Rises* - good, but I didn't exactly go "wow." Time for the series to take a break.


----------



## AE35Unit

3:10 to Yuma, the recent one.
Ruddy good film based on the Elmore Leonard novel ( he also wrote Get Shorty)


----------



## Alex The G and T

MIB 3   Very funny.  Jolly Great mindless entertainment.


----------



## Foxbat

alchemist said:


> *The Dark Knight Rises* - good, but I didn't exactly go "wow." Time for the series to take a break.


 
I felt the same.


----------



## Starbeast

alchemist said:


> *The Dark Knight Rises* - good, but I didn't exactly go "wow." Time for the series to take a break.


 
It seemed too over the top, and very similar to the last one. It was basically closure, so the series can reboot again I suppose. All I can say is that it was pretty good.


*A Study In Terror* (1965)

I finally got the opportunity to see this film (after many years of searching), and I wasn't disappointed. Sherlock Holmes on the trail of Jack the Ripper, I love that idea. Lots of suspects, fun dialogue and a treat to see some of my favorite actors from the past, such as: John Neville, Robert Morley and (very young - and saw her in the new Bond film) Judi Dench.


----------



## Foxbat

*Zontar The Thing From Venus *(1966) John Agar goes through the motions in this so-so mega low budget invasion flick from director Larry Buchanen. 

I've seen worse but I've also seen a lot better.


----------



## AE35Unit

Red Lights. Weird paranormal investigation/debunking flick with Robert de Niro as a blind messianic psychic and Siggourney Weaver as the debunker. Also Cillian Murphy in good form!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Raven*
Not at all what I was expecting! I was hoping for an intelligent exploration of the great man. Instead I got an OK serial killer mystery. Poe's end was unbelievable!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> *The Raven*
> Not at all what I was expecting! I was hoping for an intelligent exploration of the great man. Instead I got an OK serial killer mystery. Poe's end was unbelievable!



Its a shame that Poe is treated like that by american popular culture.  There is tons of tv,shows films about Dickens stories but Poe there is some lame serial killer film with John Cusack.....

I would like to someone adapt his stories well for once.


----------



## Riddick

Just watched Woman in Black earlier. Actually a pretty good movie. I liked it. Different role for Daniel Radcliff, than playing Harry Potter, but he did it quite well


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> Its a shame that Poe is treated like that by american popular culture.  There is tons of tv,shows films about Dickens stories but Poe there is some lame serial killer film with John Cusack.....
> 
> I would like to someone adapt his stories well for once.



Me too Conn, me too! Hollywood can do stories properly when the right team is in control.


----------



## Kapelvig

Connavar said:


> Its a shame that Poe is treated like that by american popular culture.  There is tons of tv,shows films about Dickens stories but Poe there is some lame serial killer film with John Cusack.....
> 
> I would like to someone adapt his stories well for once.


Not sure about in America, but in the UK I've detected a certain snobbishness directed towards Poe. Some people seem to think that his writing is throwaway or trite because it's popular, but I would certainly class him as one of the great writers. Maybe it's the horror genre that sends people to the land of snob  ! One person was very sneery towards me when I was explaining what a great and creepy story _The Gold Bug _was.

I got around to watching *The Bourne Legacy* the other day. I'm a big fan of the other Bourne films, but this isn't really a Bourne film itself. I just takes place around the same time as the other films but concerns other characters. I liked the lead character, though he was a little underdeveloped. Couldn't stand Rachel Weisz I'm afraid...!  It was ok, but ended very abruptly (sequel on the way, no doubt) and didn't really have a focus.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Eye Creatures *(1965)
Bad. 
I don't mean _good_ bad, I mean _bad_ bad.

The special effects are so lame that even Ed Wood would laugh at them. The sound is terrible, the acting is atrocious, the script extremely poor and the only thought provoking question I am left to ponder after watching this movie is - why in God's name did I part with cash for this awful cinematic offal.


----------



## alchemist

*The Expendables* - corny dialogue and gratuituous cameos aplenty, but that aside, a decent action film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *The Eye Creatures *(1965)
> Bad.
> I don't mean _good_ bad, I mean _bad_ bad.
> 
> The special effects are so lame that even Ed Wood would laugh at them. The sound is terrible, the acting is atrocious, the script extremely poor and the only thought provoking question I am left to ponder after watching this movie is - why in God's name did I part with cash for this awful cinematic offal.




You PAID for a copy of _The Eye Creatures_?

https://archive.org/details/TheEyeCreatures_303

To save you some more money:

https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject:"Larry+Buchanan"

I can recommend _Curse of the Swamp Creature_.  It makes _Eye Creatures _look good.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> You PAID for a copy of _The Eye Creatures_?


 
I tend to collect movies. I picked this up as a double bill DVD with Zontar and thought the two would be a good introduction to the work of Larry Buchanen. Frankly, I've seen enough.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> I tend to collect movies. I picked this up as a double bill DVD with Zontar and thought the two would be a good introduction to the work of Larry Buchanen. Frankly, I've seen enough.



Me too.  Quite often the process for finding and watching Public Domain films is this: go to Youtube in Firefox. Download video with Downloadhelper add-on > (or just download from Archive.org). Throw the file into convert XtoDVD and burn a copy to disc. shove the DVD into player connected to the TV downstairs.  The results are not brilliant, not broadcast quality but often better than discs I have paid money for in shops.

Seriously though, you should watch _Curse of the Swamp Creature.
_
My film Diary from my first watching_:
_


> _Curse of the Swamp Creature_ - Not sure how many John Agar films I've  seen this year but this has to be the worst.  As an added bonus it was  directed by Larry Buchanan, a director so inept  he elevated anything he  touches into fever-dream territory.  This, as far as I am concerned,  and I'm sure you know, is a good thing._ Curse of the Swamp Creature_ is  one of a small group of films he made for television by reworking old  American International pictures.   His movies are almost delirious,  people moving between tiny sets with very little, or sometimes no, rhyme  or reason via the medium of long sequences of people just walking  about.  The films of his that I have seen also have an absurdly high  people just walking about in longshot to dialogue ratio.  Walk. Walk.  Walk. Cross-fade to more walking. The character arrives at a house we  have never seen before and walks in through the front door.  We hold on  the front door.  And hold on the door...  and hold... the character  finishes whatever they were doing in the house (we often never find out)  comes out... and starts to walk back the way they came...
> 
> Agar was probably on set for a maximum of two days on this one.  Most of  his scenes are silent, walking about shots with only a few moments  where he gets to speak.  At the 'climax' of the film, the mad doctor  releases his Swamp Creature from his lab.  "Kill them! Kill them!" he  shrieks, pointing at the sullen mob of bemused off-screen extras.   (They're supposed to be a vengeful mob whipped up into a fever pitch by a  Voodoo priest but they just stand there in a row looking badly-dressed  and bemused.) "Kill them!" shrieks the mad doc.  The swamp creature  ambles off in the opposite direction and into the outdoor covered  swimming pool full of alligators the doc has been using to dispose of  the bodies.  Agar releases the doc's wife from her cell and the two of  them also amble over to the pool where the wife pleads with the Monster.   The Monster writhes with inner turmoil, the doc screams with maniacal  fervour, and Agar, the star of the movie, just stands there.  He doesn't  even move his head.  Just stands there waiting to go home.  This must  have been a real fun shoot*.  Anyway, the Monster grabs the doc, throws  him to the 'gators then jumps in as well.
> The end.
> 
> 
> *On reflection I think his silence was more to do with the lack of  on-location  sound recording.  Most of the outdoor stuff in this flick  seems to have been shot MOS and Agar obviously wasn't available (or  affordable) to do the ADR.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Seriously though, you should watch _Curse of the Swamp Creature._


 
I'll give it a shot (once I feel sufficiently recovered from my last venture into Buchananland)

Agar started so promisingly with movies like _She Wore A Yellow Ribbon _and_ The Sands Of Iwo Jima_. Apparently, he got in tow with Buchanen whilst recovering from a bout of alcoholism. Perhaps this is why he really didn't do very much in them...just enough to pay the bills I guess.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Foster*
A quirky little film about a couple unable to conceive after losing a son, who get a visit from a very precocious young boy.


----------



## Moonbat

*Sightseers*, a fairly low budget British film by the director of *Kill List*. Rather more amusing than I expected, brilliantly acted, very believable and ultimately quite dark. I wasn't a fan of *Kill List* (well not the last 3rd) but *Sightseers* I thought was much much better, and a great lesson in low budget film making.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> *Zontar The Thing From Venus *(1966) John Agar goes through the motions in this so-so mega low budget invasion flick from director Larry Buchanen.
> 
> I've seen worse but I've also seen a lot better.


 
This is one of my favorite remakes, the original film is called, _It Conquered The World (1956), _which is also a favorite of mine.



Foxbat said:


> *The Eye Creatures *(1965)
> Bad.
> I don't mean _good_ bad, I mean _bad_ bad.
> 
> The special effects are so lame that even Ed Wood would laugh at them. The sound is terrible, the acting is atrocious, the script extremely poor and the only thought provoking question I am left to ponder after watching this movie is - why in God's name did I part with cash for this awful cinematic offal.


 
Another B-movie remake I enjoy, the original is called, _Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). _And yes, I like them both, but I thought the original was much better.



JunkMonkey said:


> Seriously though, you should watch _Curse of the Swamp Creature._


 
Heh heh, another film treat for me, because it's so bad. I was looking at monster masks months ago and I saw the creature's full-head mask  for sale, I chuckled and shook my head with a smile.

Here's another bad B-movie for you Foxbat and JunkMonkey.

*Creature Of Destruction* (1968)

A remake of _The She Creature (1957)_. It's been described as: "Excruciating, with hilariously illogical musical interludes." 

It's truely weird.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Creature Of Destruction*   - I had "Batman!" going round in my head for days after seeing that one.



> Lieutenant, I'd like to point something out to you.  Now - I saw those bodies
> and whoever mutilated them has a very special problem


----------



## AE35Unit

Watching *Ted*
Kinda like Family Guy but less funny.


----------



## Boneman

Saw an advanced screeening of *Jack Reacher *last night. Not a bad film, but it sure as hell ain't Jack Reacher - it's some squirt called Tom Cruise trying and failing to be anything like him. The fight scenes are good...


----------



## AE35Unit

Boneman said:


> Saw an advanced screeening of *Jack Reacher *last night. Not a bad film, but it sure as hell ain't Jack Reacher - it's some squirt called Tom Cruise trying and failing to be anything like him. The fight scenes are good...



So who is Jack Reacher?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A double feature of 1970's vampire movies.

*Count Yorga, Vampire* (or, as the version I saw called it, *The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire* was a pretty ordinary vampire story set in 1970 Los Angeles.  (Think an American version of *Dracula A.D. 1972*.)  Pretty dull, really, although professionally made.

More interesting, although more deeply flawed in many ways, was *Lemora:  A Child's Tale of the Supernatural*.  It deals with a thirteen-year-old girl, the daughter of a gangster who murdered the girl's mother and her lover.  She runs away from the preacher who adopted her and goes off to find her father.  She encounters Lemora, a wonderfully Goth-ish woman who lives with a group of strange children.  There are also weird half-human monsters roaming around.  Unfortunately, the story is very confusing and difficult to follow, there's a lot of "scary" electronic music which ruins the 1920's/1930's setting, and the monster make-up is laughable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> More interesting, although more deeply flawed in many ways, was *Lemora:  A Child's Tale of the Supernatural*.  It deals with a thirteen-year-old girl, the daughter of a gangster who murdered the girl's mother and her lover.  She runs away from the preacher who adopted her and goes off to find her father.  She encounters Lemora, a wonderfully Goth-ish woman who lives with a group of strange children.  There are also weird half-human monsters roaming around.  Unfortunately, the story is very confusing and difficult to follow, there's a lot of "scary" electronic music which ruins the 1920's/1930's setting, and the monster make-up is laughable.



I'd forgotten this one.  I have seen it and remembering thinking it was pretty good; eerie, spooky, and dreamy.  I think I'm right in saying the original version is lost and we only have a shorter 85-90 minute cut.  The original was over 100 mins. 
 Thanks for reminding me of it.  I'm going to dig out my copy and give it a watch tonight to see if it lives up to my memories.


----------



## Gareth

Just watched Green Lantern on DVD. I now fear my five sense organs (eyes watching dodgy effects, ears listening to, erm, interesting dialogue, nose wondering if the writing really did smell that funky - or maybe it was the remnents of the bag of doritos I was consuming, mouth - again, probably just an assult by the doritos, and skin as my sense of touch when into overload resulting from prolonged grasping at the sides of the sofa at the hands of involuntary cringing),  and that part of my brain that concerns itself with trying to accept Ryan Renolds as a superhero, may never be the same again!


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Count Yorga, Vampire*
> 
> (or, as the version I saw called it, *The Loves of Count Iorga, Vampire* was a pretty ordinary vampire story set in 1970 Los Angeles.


 
It's probably a bit dated for you Victoria Silverwolf. For me, I really enjoy that cult classic. There is a sequel: *The Return of Count Yorga (1971)* I haven't seen it yet, but I think I know where to look to find it. Thanks for reminding me about these films.



Gareth said:


> Just watched Green Lantern on DVD. I now fear my five sense organs (eyes watching dodgy effects, ears listening to, erm, interesting dialogue, nose wondering if the writing really did smell that funky, and skin as my sense of touch when into overload resulting from prolonged grasping at the sides of the sofa at the hands of involuntary cringing),  and that part of my brain that concerns itself with trying to accept Ryan Renolds as a superhero, may never be the same again!


 
I know exactely how you feel, I was dragged into the theater to see it. Judging by the film trailer I got a quick glimpse at it earlier, and I had the feeling it was going to be a waste of my time. The good news is, I didn't pay for the ticket, the bads news is, I was there.

When I first heard the news that the Green Lantern was coming to the big screen, I thought it was going to be great (I remembered the best stories in DC comics)....then I saw the trailer....and shook my head. It made me think of how bad _Superman Returns _was to sit in the theater. I was restless through the movie, and I couldn't wait for it to end.


*A Genius, Two Friends and an Idiot* (1975)

Western comedy starring: Terence Hill, Patrick McGoohan and Klaus Kinski.

Another unusual spaghetti western, with Terrence playing the same smiling, happy-go-lucky cowboy, and that's the way I like him. It's also a real treat to see both fine actors Patrick and Klaus being funny in the film. The dubbing was unintentionally funny to hear as well


----------



## JunkMonkey

Didn't watch  *Lemora *after all but ended up pulling a random disc from the 300+ pile of unwatched ***** DVDs and VHS over in the corner of the room.

So I ended up watching  *Hunter Prey* (2010) an ultra-low budget ($425k) SF film which despite all the odds turned out to be a pretty good effort for a first time director with limited resources, and a cast of 5.  A better script would have helped - the story ended in a very odd and unsatisfactory manner - but for most of the running time I was in my SF movie happy place.  A thought through piece of short story SF played out on screen.  Nice to see a low budget first time film that deliberately avoids going down a safe avenue like the 'get 5 teenagers and chop them up' routine.

If you're in the UK I picked up my copy (sealed) in _a Poundland _last week.  I can recommend getting a copy if you're passing.


----------



## DarkYami

Gareth said:


> that part of my brain that concerns itself with trying to accept Ryan Renolds as a superhero, may never be the same again!




Ryan Reynolds just doesnt seem to work in any Superhero movie, he was Deadpool (sort of) in X-Men Origins which was rubbish, as you know he was Hal Jordan in Green Lantern which was..... well... i dont know it was ok i guess wasnt great but it wasnt so bad....right? And i've not seen it but i hear Blade Trinity wasnt so great and he is in that so maybe movie makers should take the hint and not cast him in any more comic book movies.


----------



## AE35Unit

oh I thought Ryan Reynolds was pretty engaging in Blade 3!


----------



## DarkYami

AE35Unit said:


> oh I thought Ryan Reynolds was pretty engaging in Blade 3!



He could of for all i know, as i said i've never seen Blade 3 and all i've heard about the film itself is that it isnt great. I think Ryan Reyolds is going to be in another comic book movie for this upcoming year called R.I.P.D (_Rest In Peace Department) . _No idea what the comic is like as i cant seem to find it.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Total Recall* 2012
very enjoyable remake a million miles away from the original!! I want to read the PKD story now!


----------



## DarkYami

AE35Unit said:


> *Total Recall* 2012
> very enjoyable remake a million miles away from the original!! I want to read the PKD story now!



Not seen either, are both pretty good?

Lets see what was the last film i saw, strangly i think it was Looper and i'm sure if thats correct or not. That was a strange film and i thought i'd like it more then i did but sadly this is a "meh" film.


----------



## AE35Unit

DarkYami said:


> Not seen either, are both pretty good?
> 
> Lets see what was the last film i saw, strangly i think it was Looper and i'm sure if thats correct or not. That was a strange film and i thought i'd like it more then i did but sadly this is a "meh" film.



Well the original is set on mars and is a fun sci-fi romp but utterly silly. The remake is a far more serious piece, more SF, similar feel to Bladerunner. Could almost be a sequel of sorts!


----------



## DarkYami

Hmm i might give those a watch at some point then; I mean when i see them on sale in a couple of weeks.


----------



## Foxbat

*Flying Swords Of Dragon Gate* 
Jet Li battles against evil eunuchs and intrigue set at the time of the Ming Dynasty. It's visually quite impressive and entertaining. The fight scenes I can only describe as ridiculously brilliant. The one criticism I have is that the CGI is too CGI - if you get my drift. I delved into the 'net for some info and it came as no surprise to me that this was initially done to be shown 3D. It shows even in this 2D version (and that's not meant as a compliment).

Overall, I did enjoy it despite its faults. Apparently, this is actually an update(or sequel) of one of director Tsui Hark's earlier offerings (Dragon Inn 1992). Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to compare the two as I've yet to see that version. Could be one for my 'to buy' list though (especially as it has the wonderful Maggie Cheung in it)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crumb* -- 1994 documentary about the undergound cartoonist R. Crumb (Fritz the Cat, etc.) and his oddball family.  Remarkably intimate, maybe too much so, as we learn about Crumb's sexual hangups and the mental illnesses of his brother, who killed himself not long after the film was made.  Fascinating, if uncomfortable to watch.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hobbit* (2012)

I loved it.


----------



## Foxbat

*2046 *Wong Kar-Wai's expansion to his earlier *In The Mood For Love* is visually stunning. Everything - framing, lighting, movement, soundtrack is exquisite in almost every scene. The story flits between Hong Kong (1966) and the main protagonist's novel set in the fictional 2046. The book is named after a hotel room and features  characters from his own life. It's a tale about love and relationships that works well up to a point but begins to drag a bit near the end. Knock 20 to 30 minutes off this movie and you have something close to a masterpiece.

And finally, it  was the protagonist's  desire to live in room 2046 but he has to settle for 2047. By the time 2046 becomes available, he is just too settled in his room to make the change. How many of us in  real life have made similar choices  and opted for second best?

Overall, I loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Beyond Tomorrow* (1940)

Usually I'm a sucker for the life after death fantasies of the 1940's, but I'm afraid this one left me cold. Quick plot summary: Three older businessmen in New York City sort of "adopt" a young man from Texas and a young woman from New Hampshire. The two young folks fall in love, the Texan becomes a big singing star on the radio, is almost seduced by a "bad girl" type, is shot by the bad girl's ex-husband, but is saved in surgery and goes back to his true love. The End.

So why is this a fantasy? Because the three older men die in a plane crash about halfway through the movie, and spend the rest of the story watching what goes on between the two young lovers. This adds absolutely nothing to the story. Oh, there's one little joke that amused me a bit, when one of the ghosts adjusts the bad girl's dress so she isn't showing so much leg to the Texan. (This scene, and another when the same ghost knocks the bad girl's hat off, are the only hint that the ghosts can have any effect on the physical world. This film's fantasy elements aren't even internally consistent.) The same ghost also seems to kind of talk God (or whatever the Voice calling him to Heaven is supposed to be) into letting the Texan live. Other than that, the ghosts have zero interaction with the living characters. Two of them could have been removed from the plot entirely with no changes in what happens.

My research reveals that this movie has been released in a colorized version and given the new title *Beyond Christmas*. Besides the fact that this is a blatant attempt to jump on the "Christmas movie" bandwagon, it's also very misleading. The story does start at Christmas, when the three men "adopt" the two young folks, who are wandering New York City alone on the holiday, but otherwise the story has nothing at all to do with Christmas.

I was disappointed by the movie, but I am appalled by the folks who would add phony color to it and give it a catchpenny title.


----------



## Foxbat

My personal Chinese Film Festival continues with *Three Kingdoms*.
Set around the third century A.D. when China is divided and different factions try to unite the country through force of arms, a footsoldier rises through the ranks to become one of the great 'Tiger Generals'.

Full of blood-curdling battle scenes and martial arts, this rivals any action movie the West could produce....think Spartacus with noodles. Top notch photography and stunts are only let down by a singular lack of depth to the characters. Unlike 2046 (see earlier post) this movie (90 minutes) could actually have done with being a bit longer. 

Apart from that, 
a great way to spend time in front of the telly 
whilst the turkey settles in your belly


----------



## Rodders

Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. (Personally, I thought that this was the best movie of the three.)

Harold and Kumar's Christmas movie


----------



## alchemist

*Ted* - ach, it was funny.


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Adjustment Bureau* and it was decent film that i saw only because i respect and always enjoy Matt Damon.  

It reminded me yet again how often Hollywood SF is too emotional, style and lack of substance.  I can only really enjoy film SF because they are action, horror like Star Trek or Alien.  This film took an interesting,serious idea of that Bureau and made it into a love story melodrama.  

The opposite of what i usually find in good SF.  The PKD story isnt among his best but atleast it made me think about a serious topic.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> I saw *Adjustment Bureau* and it was decent film that i saw only because i respect and always enjoy Matt Damon.
> 
> It reminded me yet again how often Hollywood SF is too emotional, style and lack of substance.  I can only really enjoy film SF because they are action, horror like Star Trek or Alien.  This film took an interesting,serious idea of that Bureau and made it into a love story melodrama.
> 
> The opposite of what i usually find in good SF.  The PKD story isnt among his best but atleast it made me think about a serious topic.



I didnt like it. Made me think of how i feel when i read a bad PKD novel, like Galactic Pot Healer. Luckily he has managed to write some good stuff!


----------



## Connavar

AE35Unit said:


> I didnt like it. Made me think of how i feel when i read a bad PKD novel, like Galactic Pot Healer. Luckily he has managed to write some good stuff!



I have found something interesting, thoughtprovoking even in the worst PKD i have read.  I cant say that about this film.


----------



## Rodders

Date Night. It was mildly amusing.


----------



## Riddick

Just watched Ted yesterday. Which was hilarious haha the bear was well made too, made it even better


----------



## Rodders

Dinner for Schmucks which I really enjoyed. 

get him to the Greek. Meh.


----------



## Foxbat

*Dante 01 *A space station holding a handful of criminally insane inmates receives a mysterious addition to their ranks. In orbit above the fiery planet Dante, the station is a place where dodgy and immoral experimentation takes place upon its inmates, but the arrival of the stranger changes all that. Referred to only as Saint George (after his one tattoo) this mysterious addition is a Christ-like figure with the ability to heal and suffer for the sins of other. Meanwhile, the station descends through Dante's seven circles of hell.

This French movie was done on a low budget but with very good photography and make-up. The station setting provides a quality gritty and dirty backdrop with a claustrophobic atmosphere. Unfortunately, I don't think a lot of the budget was spent on the script which, frankly, just comes across as a pretentious mess. A missed opportunity methinks.


----------



## AE35Unit

Look Who's Talking.
and now the sequel is on. my son was like Dad what are those tadpoles swimming in?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Dante 01 *A space station holding a handful of criminally insane inmates receives a mysterious addition to their ranks.



A film which confirmed my nascent theory (later formulated as Rule 3 of my Crap SF Films Spotter's Guide) that "All Science Fiction Films set in Off-World Penal Colonies are S***."

My last film was _The Immoral Mr Teas _(1959) Russ Meyer's first feature.  And first of a 19 movie boxset of his films I got for Christmas.  By the time I get to the last of them, _Beneath the valley of the Ultra Vixens (1979),_ I'll probably never want to see another pair of boobs in my life.

_The Immoral Mr Teas _was pleasantly quaint  but rather dull.


----------



## Rodders

The Change Up. It was pretty funny.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *The Return of the King* on TV. Not seen it for a while. Almost all Merry and Pippin's scenes are almost making me bawl. I do love those two. And I love that Eowyn kicks ass. Legolas and Gimli though, I could do without.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watching it, too. Though now it's just the endless endings, really. But yes, Eowyn kicks much ass.


----------



## J-Sun

I like Campbell's "Who Goes There?" and Watts' "The Things" and Hawks' _The Thing from Another World_ so was really looking forward to Carpenter's _*The Thing*_, especially as I'd just seen and loved the O'Bannon/Carpenter _Dark Star_. But I was very disappointed. A gratuitously disgusting movie that may be technically proficient but seemed soulless and didn't produce an iota of care for any of the "characters". It was kind of ironic in that it preserved more of the original story in the metamorphic aspect and yet seemed even less related to it than the Hawks flick. Basically just a third-rate _Alien_.

Before that, I saw _*The Invisible Man*_ with Claude Rains. Some of the model special effects weren't so special and even the invisible effects weren't always perfect but they were quite impressive. But, aside from that, it was just a generally interesting and entertaining movie. Quirky. Weird. A second-rate Frankenstein, in a way, but in a good way. I don't like the "mad scientist meddles in things man was not meant to know" theme that so many movies have but, that aside, I liked it.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> I like Campbell's "Who Goes There?" and Watts' "The Things" and Hawks' _The Thing from Another World_ so was really looking forward to Carpenter's _*The Thing*_, especially as I'd just seen and loved the O'Bannon/Carpenter _Dark Star_. But I was very disappointed. A gratuitously disgusting movie that may be technically proficient but seemed soulless and didn't produce an iota of care for any of the "characters". It was kind of ironic in that it preserved more of the original story in the metamorphic aspect and yet seemed even less related to it than the Hawks flick. Basically just a third-rate _Alien_.


 
Can't quite agree here. Carpenter is admittedly capable of some quirky stuff, from *Escape From New York* to *Big Trouble In Little China*. But in *The Thing*, he kept the characters straight and did adhere to Campbell's story pretty well. The disconnect between the two films, to me at least, comes as a result of the years in which they were made. Hawks' vision included his trademark "Hail, fellow, well met" cameraderie that rendered all the characters (even poor misguided Carrington) as heroic. Working against a common menace, they acquitted themselves in manly fashion. Except for for Scotty, who fainted, but for all that still had the last lines in the story, admired by all. This is how people were supposed to act in the 1950s.

Carpenter's vison, OTOH, could be (and I believe was) considered as a little "wet". Creepy manifestations of the alien coupled with genuine mutual distrust and paranoia among the arctic party. This, for the most part reflected Campbell's vision in his story. No cuddly characters, just an overwhelming desire to survive. It worked for me.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jsun, try the remake of the Thing. Prrtty decent follow up/prequel


----------



## Rodders

As enjoyable as the latest Thing was, I thought that there were too many plot holes that just didn't make sense. Carpenters version is still classic SF in my opinion. 

I've yet to see Thing from another world.


----------



## J-Sun

clovis-man said:


> Can't quite agree here. Carpenter is admittedly capable of some quirky stuff, from *Escape From New York* to *Big Trouble In Little China*. But in *The Thing*, he kept the characters straight and did adhere to Campbell's story pretty well. The disconnect between the two films, to me at least, comes as a result of the years in which they were made. Hawks' vision included his trademark "Hail, fellow, well met" cameraderie that rendered all the characters (even poor misguided Carrington) as heroic. Working against a common menace, they acquitted themselves in manly fashion. Except for for Scotty, who fainted, but for all that still had the last lines in the story, admired by all. This is how people were supposed to act in the 1950s.
> 
> Carpenter's vison, OTOH, could be (and I believe was) considered as a little "wet". Creepy manifestations of the alien coupled with genuine mutual distrust and paranoia among the arctic party. This, for the most part reflected Campbell's vision in his story. No cuddly characters, just an overwhelming desire to survive. It worked for me.



(Spoilers for the Campbell story and, of course, the Carpenter movie.)

Well, I think Carpenter's version does adhere to Campbell's story fairly well in a most plain plot ways - far better than Hawks' version - but not in a key way. While there is some visceral disgust and gore in Campbell's story, there is actually very little - most of it is off-stage or reserved for the climax. The emphasis is on a psychological and conceptual horror. In Carpenter, it seems to be all about how crazy and disgusting Bottin's SFX can get. And, as far as the characters, I think Hawk's 50s guys are closer to Campbell's 30s guys in ways. A couple of guys crack in the Campbell story but they are mostly scientist types who keep it together and eventually figure things out and it even leads to a sort of happy ending. Not so much in Carpenter. And in the Campbell, there's much of interest besides the characters whereas the Carpenter only has gore.

I dunno - neither movie does much justice to the essence of the Campbell story, IMO, but I just enjoyed aspects of Hawks taken in the abstract and enjoyed really nothing about the Carpenter from the start to the finish. Because it's not in the story, I had to wonder why this SOB was trying to shoot a dog and cheering a little inside when they blew him away although, by that time, I'd realized what was going on and knew I shouldn't be glad they'd shot the sadistic dog hunter. But the point is that it starts out with an unfaithful invention that makes me ill-disposed to the movie at the start. And if one of the big deals about the movie is supposed to be the isolation of an arctic research station, then why introduce a second station? That's a great way to diminish the isolated feeling even if the other station turns out to be destroyed. I also loved how groups of three were wandering off and leaving one guy along all the time, like when McReady, Garry, and Nawls wandered off to look for Blair and left Childs alone.

Anyway - I just didn't care for it myself but I'm not generally a big post-60s horror fan anyway and this really is a horror flick.



AE35Unit said:


> Jsun, try the remake of the Thing. Prrtty decent follow up/prequel



I'd already forgotten that existed. Thanks for the suggestion but I doubt it would work for me, being generated from an invented part of the Carpenter flick.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> I'd already forgotten that existed. Thanks for the suggestion but I doubt it would work for me, being generated from an invented part of the Carpenter flick.



Its a totally different production, Norwegian I think, different feel, more serious.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I have just returned from viewing the "Hitchhikers Guide to Middle Earth." 

Call me Clueless... (my daughter did) but I had never connected the actor's name.

Thus I had a delicious cognitive dissonance going over the Arthur Dentness in Bilbo.

A lovely entertainment overall.  

 Alex is famous for laughing at inappropriate times in movie theaters:
When Bilbo poignantly decides not to slay Gollum... I was remembering that scene in "Bored of the Rings." 
What was in Bilbo's pocketses? A snub nosed .38. 
At the very moment when Dildo was on the verge of wasting Goddam, "Pity Stayed his hand. 'It's a Pity I've run out of bullets,' cried Dildo."


----------



## Alex The G and T

Why does the goblin king look like Jabba the Hutt?

Why is Radagast so reminiscent of Tim The Enchanter?


----------



## Reivax26

The Hobbit for the 2nd time a few days ago.


----------



## Dr Bloodmoney

Just watching 'The Book of Eli' again. Love this film, I'm fairly obsessed with post-apocalypse dystopias and recently read 'The Hunger Games' trilogy and thought it was fantastic. 

Has anyone noticed in the last few years that more and more critiques of modern capitalism are making it onto the big screen? Two excellent examples of this are obviously: 1- The Hunger Games, on the face of it Panem seems to be the late Roman Empire but it resembles more the current American Empire where the rich live in their fancy cities whilst the workers that provide the resources to make this possible are living in abject poverty.

2- 'In Time', I'm not a fan of Justin Timberlake as an actor but the premise of this film carried him. Again a tale of rich and poor but with a twist that Orwell would be proud of. I a future where currency is replaced by time in which to live, the poor working class live hand to mouth and never accumulate more than a day or two of life to live and spend on living. The rich exploit the poor and have accumulated millions of years and are effectively immortal. Free to stroll through a work-free existence. 

With global financial problems and movements like Occupy Wall Street increasing in popularity and momentum, are we seeing the drag towards the end of modern capitalism? Certainly this is not the final state of the human race but any move away from the current monetary systems would certainly cause mass starvation and in all likelihood a long and protracted conflict. One thing is sure, Karl Marx got one thing right: capitalism is finite and by its very nature will end one day.


----------



## alchemist

*Moon* - quite a good low-budget sci-fi film. Claustrophobic, thoughtful, and I liked it.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching Bridget Jones on TV. God, I hate this film so much. I'm trying to remember what that bloody man's name is though. Not Colin Firth. The other one. With the hair. What's his name?


----------



## alchemist

Hugh Grant? Guess what fictional character I recently read about on a Word document, whom I always imagine as Hugh?


----------



## Mouse

Oh please, no!! Right hair though.

Yeah, I had to Google him in the end because it was bugging me so much. Name completely left me.


----------



## alchemist

Oh God, yes!!

(sorry to anyone else who doesn't know what this is about)


----------



## Mouse

Ha! 

Film's finished now. First time I've ever seen the ending. Still crap.


----------



## Abernovo

alchemist said:


> *Moon* - quite a good low-budget sci-fi film. Claustrophobic, thoughtful, and I liked it.


I really liked Moon. Possibly one of the top 10 films I saw last year. Certainly one of those that made the most impression.



alchemist said:


> Guess what fictional character...I always imagine as Hugh?


Now that you mention it. Sorry, Mouse!  I'm kidding!

Just seen *John Carter* and, surprisingly, rather enjoyed it. Surprisingly, because the trailer for it was absolute rubbish and almost caused me to avoid the film. I only watched it because I'd seen some good comments in the Chrons about it. So, thank you all for that.

I'm even tempted to try and read Burroughs' Mars books now, having never done so in the past.


----------



## AE35Unit

Dragonheart- sort of...


----------



## alchemist

*Gran Torino* - Clint Eastwood plays a grumpy old man with a gun and some Asian neighbours. A brilliant film.


----------



## clovis-man

*Mirror, Mirror*

Better than I expected. I watched the trailer and I thought, Uh Oh! But then I streamed the film via Netflix and the whole tongue-in-cheek approach more or less worked. I never saw Snow White as "the fairest in the land". Her bushy eyebrows quashed that. But once I got into the story of the robber dwarves and the incompetant prince, I enjoyed it. Nathan Lane, as usual, stole the show as Julia Roberts' major domo, Brighton.


----------



## Alex The G and T

_Caddy Shack_ came on.  First time I'd seen it from the beginning in ages.

Scabrous Bill Murray character, muttering under his breath, watching women in tight pants bending over, Putting: "Little man in the boat, overboard."

Funniest, because I haven't heard anyone use the term in 30 years.  And because I had to explain the reference to my 32 year old step daughter.


----------



## hopewrites

*Les Miserable* for the second time. Dont think Ann would be getting all the hype she's getting if anyone expected her to do as well as she did. Still cant convince anyone in my family that Russell was brilliant. I loved the way he brought detention and humanity to a character that was previously so flat and unrelatable. It made Hugh's reactions to him more understandable. 
Music was divine! I cried at all the appropriate moments, great film for crying, but one would expect that of something called The Miserable Ones.

Still not quite sure what Marris sees in Cossett, but they make a lovely couple and are so adorably in love that I cant quibble that point.
The death scenes are all well done.

Raised my expectations for future musical movies to heights I hadnt dared hope before.


----------



## Foxbat

*Cowboy Bebop: The Movie*

Pretty good looking anime with action, guns and martial arts. The story centres around the threat of bio-terrorism being unleashed on the population of Mars. I’ve never seen the series so I can’t compare this to it but, as a stand-alone movie, I liked it. 

It does have its flaws however. One particularly galling aspect was the depiction of Mars. The cities have blue skies and cloud cover, rivers, bridges…just like any Earth city - but with no indication that they are inside any kind of dome. Then there are scenes of aircraft flying through the Martian landscape which takes on the familiar desert aspect with red hue. The traffic below travels on roadways enclosed a transparent tube, and yet, when the aircraft reaches the city, there is no indication of having entered any kind of transparent enclosure. I find this a particularly stupid mistake which ruins the impact of the great quality of animation. A shame.


----------



## AE35Unit

Alex said:


> _Caddy Shack_ came on.  First time I'd seen it from the beginning in ages.
> 
> Scabrous Bill Murray character, muttering under his breath, watching women in tight pants bending over, Putting: "Little man in the boat, overboard."
> 
> Funniest, because I haven't heard anyone use the term in 30 years.  And because I had to explain the reference to my 32 year old step daughter.



I love that film!
I was boooorn to lick your face....


----------



## Connavar

*Soylent Green*

A film i have never seen before and it was interesting,pretty dark future it was set in. Overpopulation, lack of food supplies is very easy to believe in happening in the future. The way the film showed the world, the people in it, their desperation for jobs. I liked it didnt have a conventional ending, going after the bad guys. I was more interested in the future, the way the people lived.


----------



## AE35Unit

Connavar said:


> *Soylent Green*
> 
> A film i have never seen before and it was interesting,pretty dark future it was set in. Overpopulation, lack of food supplies is very easy to believe in happening in the future. The way the film showed the world, the people in it, their desperation for jobs. I liked it didnt have a conventional ending, going after the bad guys. I was more interesting in the future, the way the people lived.



Yea its a classic. I want to find Harry Harrison's book!


----------



## GOLLUM

AE35Unit said:


> Yea its a classic. I want to find Harry Harrison's book!


I've got a copy of Harrison's *Room! Room! *Penguin modern classics published a nice looking edition a couple of years back..relatively easy to source new or used actually...and I think it's also available as an ebook.

Although the film strays from the book a bit it's still very good.


----------



## Boneman

*Albert Nobbs* Glenn Close does a really good job, but I had to stop watching it because I knew it was going to end badly, and I didn't want to see it!! Had to ask my wife how it ended...


----------



## AE35Unit

GOLLUM said:


> I've got a copy of Harrison's *Room! Room! *Penguin modern classics published a nice looking edition a couple of years back..relatively easy to source new or used actually...and I think it's also available as an ebook.
> 
> Although the film strays from the book a bit it's still very good.



You mean Make Room Make Room!
Will look on Gutenberg...


----------



## GOLLUM

AE35Unit said:


> You mean Make Room Make Room!
> Will look on Gutenberg...


Yeh sorry. Early AM here and the brain is feeling a tad sluggish. It's definitely worth sourcing....

Night.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Caught William Freidkin's *Bug* late, late last night. From a slow start actually ended as a pretty good (good as in disturbing and thought-provoking film making, not good as in a jolly feel-good movie.)

Will go along with the others for _*Moon* _as being a good movie too, atmospheric and a nice liberal dose of _2001: A Space Odyssey_ but the mystery solved didn't really cut it for me *SPOILER ALERT* 

->
(surely it would be cheaper to send real people up every three years than to store hundreds of Sam clones with all the problems that they would incur )
<-

-----over time on the base....)


----------



## AE35Unit

Did anyone watch the extras on the DVD of Moon? Theres a rather neat if disturbing short film of his on there!


----------



## J-Sun

GOLLUM said:


> I've got a copy of Harrison's *Room! Room! *Penguin modern classics published a nice looking edition a couple of years back..relatively easy to source new or used actually



Not for me here in the US. After years of looking and even looking online and finding it for ridiculous prices, I finally got a cheap 1982 Penguin UK/Aus edition. Not sure if that's the one you mean. But, anyway, I don't know where all the copies went over here. (It has been recently reprinted in trade paperback but trade papers are almost as evil as ebooks.)


----------



## Starbeast

Venusian Broon said:


> Caught William Freidkin's *Bug* late, late last night. From a slow start actually ended as a pretty good (good as in disturbing and thought-provoking film making, not good as in a jolly feel-good movie.)
> 
> Will go along with the others for _*Moon* _as being a good movie too, atmospheric and a nice liberal dose of _2001: A Space Odyssey_ but the mystery solved didn't really cut it for me *SPOILER ALERT*


 

I saw *BUG* at a drive-in theater. I enjoyed that sci-fi insect flick about tampering with nature.

And I agree with you about *MOON*, but it was still a great sci-fi drama for me. Sam Rockwell did an excellent acting job in this film. Sam is always a treat for me to see in movies (Galaxy Quest, Iron man 2 & The Green Mile), he's so fun watch as a character actor.

*The* *Wild Women of Wongo* (1958)

I'm glad I didn't watch this hunk of junk in it's original print, I had the good fortune to see this on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Thank goodness for the funny commentary.

What a horrendously bad film, if I had to watch this on a jet plane, I'd jump out to avoid seeing any more of it after twenty minutes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A double bill of SF/horror/comedy from the 1980's.

*Night of the Creeps* -- slug-like alien parasites land on Earth in the 1950's and get inside some guy's brain.  For unexplained reasons, he's cryogenically frozen until the 1980's, when two nerdy college guys release him as part of a frat initiation.  The zombified guy gets out and spreads the parasites when his head explodes.  There's also an odd subplot about an axe murderer in the 1950's and the cop who killed him, who ages into the detective investigating the brain parasite situation.  An uneven balance between drama and comedy, more ambitious than the wacky plot might suggest.  

*Terrorvision* --  Pure cartoonish comedy as an alien monster gets zapped to Earth as part of another planet's garbage disposal system.  Makes a lot of fun of the "swinger" culture as Mom and Dad bring another couple over to their home, which is full of erotic paintings.  Quite silly.


----------



## svalbard

I had the misfortune to see the rebooted version of *Conan The Barbarian* last night. A truly awful remake of a classic movie.


----------



## GOLLUM

J-Sun said:


> Not for me here in the US. After years of looking and even looking online and finding it for ridiculous prices, I finally got a cheap 1982 Penguin UK/Aus edition. Not sure if that's the one you mean. But, anyway, I don't know where all the copies went over here. (It has been recently reprinted in trade paperback but trade papers are almost as evil as ebooks.)


I was referring to the 2009 edition. It is a Penguin Modern Classic and Penguin UK are the publisher. This is readily available here and on amazon UK.

I see what you mean on the US Amazon site there's that 2008 TPB edn available......
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0765318857/?tag=brite-21


----------



## Daezarkian

_The Dark Knight Rises_.  Not as good as _The Dark Knight_, but still a high-quality that manages to avoid the usual suckiness factor that goes with the 3rd film in a trilogy.


----------



## Charles.Dunphey

Last one I watched was Bronson.  Such a great movie.  It truly shows the skillset that Tom Hardy possesses as an actor.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rare Exports* (2010)

Bizarre story about a demon Santa. Not what I expected, but, entertaining.


----------



## Foxbat

*Terrified* (1962) Masked maniac runs about killing people in a creepy old ghost town. Boring with a capital 'B'. Avoid.


----------



## AE35Unit

Stir Crazy
Honestly theres no funnier combo that Richard Prior and Gene Wilder!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *Terrified* (1962) Masked maniac runs about killing people in a creepy old ghost town. Boring with a capital 'B'. Avoid.


 
Is this the one with the opening scene with the killer dumping wet concrete on the victim, who is in a grave?  If so, I saw this on televsion many, many years ago.  This scene was scary, but I remember nothing else.


----------



## Foxbat

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Is this the one with the opening scene with the killer dumping wet concrete on the victim, who is in a grave?  If so, I saw this on televsion many, many years ago.  This scene was scary, but I remember nothing else.


 
Yes. That's the one. It goes downhill fast from there and becomes a tedious trek back and forth through various buildings in the ghost town.


----------



## Connavar

Yesterday i saw *The Circus*(1928) by Chaplin and its different watching his films as adult. Watching this film i studied carefully his acting and the way he act with his face, his body, his acrobatic ways is brilliant. 

Its funny smiling, crying with laughter with this film because it was nonstop comedy and you never knew what was going to happen.  The tightrope scene with the tramp killed me.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a Will Ferrell movie called Casa Padre. It was in Spanish and it was surprisingly hilarious. Highly recommended for those who can deal with subtitles.


----------



## AE35Unit

Men in Black 3 again, with my stepson this time


----------



## svalbard

*Troll Hunter*, a Norwegian movie about some college kids who end up doing a documentary about a as the title says a troll hunter. I thought it was excellent and one of the better lost footage movies out at the moment.


----------



## Starbeast

List of recently watched movies

*Prometheus* (2012) - Always fun to watch. I hope they keep the ALIEN movies coming.

*Despicable Me* (2010) - Not bad, better then I thought it was going to be.

*Apocalypse Now* (1979) - Surreal and intense (I can't count how many times I've seen it). Original cut is the best, with the original ending showing the jungle exploding.

*Mrs Doubtfire* (1993) - One of Robin Williams best films.


----------



## hopewrites

Despicable Me and Megamind came out about the same time didnt they? I have a hard time deciding between the two which I like better. My son loves the dance moves for Despicable Me so I hear the opening song every time he comes over.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Three Amigos*.  Steve Martin, Martin Short, Chevy Chase.  Priceless.

Very, very silly... but priceless.


----------



## Rodders

Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I thought this was a superb movie. 

X-Men: First Class. Another good movie. Looking forward to seeing the next one.


----------



## biodroid

Ted - it was ok, I thought they used the foul mouth bear more for shock and gratuitousness rather than for proper effect.

Ice Age: Continental Drift - Not bad, typical of an Ice Age movie, you know what you are going to get when you watch this.


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> Ice Age: Continental Drift - Not bad, typical of an Ice Age movie, you know what you are going to get when you watch this.


Well it is aimed at kids . But I thought it was great, best one yet.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

For me Borne Legacy - I was dissappointed. It's only half a story, there really isn't much to it. This new Borne just isn't up to scratch, Jason was super bright and always five steps ahead of the game. This Cross guys just not. And then of course there's the humungous glaring plothole, why didn't the bad guys just send him some yellow pills and end this thing before it began. It worked on everyone else.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## FireDragon-16

My brother and I saw *Taken 2 *at the local 2nd run theater a couple weeks ago. I liked it, but I can't decide which of the two I liked better. I did like his comment at the end when he was in the bathroom.

On New Year's Eve instead of going to a party, my brother and I went to an IMAX 3D viewing of *The Hobbit.* I loved it! Especially the soundtrack; I could listen to _Misty Mountains Cold_ forever! Can't wait to see the next two


----------



## Starbeast

hopewrites said:


> Despicable Me and Megamind came out about the same time didnt they? I have a hard time deciding between the two which I like better. My son loves the dance moves for Despicable Me so I hear the opening song every time he comes over.


 
I really enjoyed _Megamind,_ I was surpised at how good it was. I gave it a chance because it dealt with superheros and super villains. That's cute that your son grooves to the dancing.

Have you seen _Astroboy_? I thought it was excellent.


*They Call Me Trinity* (1970) - Still, the best spaghetti western comedy I've ever seen. Actors, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer make a great duo.

*Trinity, Is Still My Name* (1971) - Great sequel, continuing the wacky adventures of the two brothers who no gunslinger or bad men can defeat.


----------



## Mangara

Prometheus (2012) - Huge plot holes, huge inconsistencies and yet hugely enjoyable. 

The Impossible (2013) - Very moving film, but I cant help but feel the focus of the film is lacking with regards to the natives of the disaster.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Trinity, Is Still My Name* (1971) - Great sequel, continuing the wacky adventures of the two brothers who no gunslinger or bad men can defeat.



....and the ever-so yummy Yanti Sommer...    who could ask for more?


----------



## Alex The G and T

_Paul_  very nerdy, sleeper comedy from 2011.
Roadtrip from ComicCon, Vegas to Roswell, NM.  Aliens ensue.

Hilarious.


----------



## AE35Unit

Mangara said:


> Prometheus (2012) - Huge plot holes, huge inconsistencies and yet hugely enjoyable.
> 
> .



What plotholes? Its the first in a trilogy!


----------



## alchemist

Alex said:


> _Paul_  very nerdy, sleeper comedy from 2011.
> Roadtrip from ComicCon, Vegas to Roswell, NM.  Aliens ensue.
> 
> Hilarious.



Indeed it is.



Starbeast said:


> *They Call Me Trinity* (1970) - Still, the best spaghetti western comedy I've ever seen. Actors, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer make a great duo.
> 
> *Trinity, Is Still My Name* (1971) - Great sequel, continuing the wacky adventures of the two brothers who no gunslinger or bad men can defeat.



I remember them both from my youth. Myself and the guys from school absolutely loved them.


----------



## nerd literature

Looper (2012). I liked a lot. I thought there were parts that moved a little slow but the concept was wonderfully imaginative. I don't want to write too much unless I feel I'd spoil too much of the movie. It was every thing I wanted it to be.


----------



## monsterchic

At home, the A-Team

At the theater, Les Miserables.  Loved it!  Got the soundtrack right away, as I have done pieces from it in a few competitions


----------



## FeedMeTV

I saw *Avengers Assemble* again last week at home.  Just as funny and enjoyable as the first time round.

And I have the Harry Potter set on Blu-Ray waiting for me too.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> ....and the ever-so yummy Yanti Sommer...    who could ask for more?


 
Since you're a fan of Yanti, you might want to check her out in the movie _Cosmos: War of the Planets (1977)._ She wears of snug space outfit.



Alex said:


> _Paul_  very nerdy, sleeper comedy from 2011.
> Roadtrip from ComicCon, Vegas to Roswell, NM.  Aliens ensue.
> 
> Hilarious.


 
Excellent raunchy movie, and definately not for kids.



alchemist said:


> I remember them both (Trinity films) from my youth. Myself and the guys from school absolutely loved them.


 
I love em' too, I watch them a couple of times a year. And, I've only begun to see Terence and Bud in their other films, they made quite a few films together.


*Scary Movie 3* (2003)

Still a great wild movie that parodies a few horror films and the sci-fi movie _Signs_ (awesomely)_._ One of the best Charlie Sheen movies!

*The Trial of Billy Jack* (1974)

Hard hitting sequel of _Billy Jack (1971)._ Intense drama about Billy Jack (a Vietnam veteran, half Native American Indian and martial artist) and his friends standing up against government corruption.

I haven't seen this in years, I was captivated by the film once again. Great film! I remember the first movie very well, and I had forgotten so much in this sequel, but as I watched it, I began to recall this fantastic flick.


----------



## svalbard

In Time last night. It is an interesting concept where time is the currency of the future and your lifespan depends upon the amount of time you earn. I was also pleasantly surprised by Justin Timberlakes performance.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Since you're a fan of Yanti, you might want to check her out in the movie _Cosmos: War of the Planets (1977)._ She wears of snug space outfit.



I've worn out one copy... 




vlcsnap-268451 by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr


----------



## MemoryTale

Saw *Up* with Mrs Mt the other day. I've known her cry at a films end before, but never during the opening!


----------



## AE35Unit

MemoryTale said:


> Saw *Up* with Mrs Mt the other day. I've known her cry at a films end before, but never during the opening!



Yes its one of those rare films that has a sad beginning. Fabulous film tho!


----------



## FeedMeTV

MemoryTale said:


> Saw *Up* with Mrs Mt the other day. I've known her cry at a films end before, but never during the opening!



I saw this last week too - I also cried even though I could see the sad bit coming!


----------



## JunkMonkey

MemoryTale said:


> Saw *Up* with Mrs Mt the other day. I've known her cry at a films end before, but never during the opening!



The only film that has ever made me cry during the opening was Powell and Pressberger's _A Matter of Life and Death _(_Stairway to Heaven_ in the US) .  That dialogue between David Niven and Kim Hunter just tears me up every time I see it.

Yesterday I saw *Frankenweenie*.  Meh


----------



## Connavar

*Amour
*


The film was like a play in how the camera was so tight,close on the scene,the characters and stayed on them for long periods.  It was a calm,beautiful story about the old couple and their love,struggles when the wife Anne gets a stroke,needs care at home.  I enjoyed so much because it was a beautiful story,great camerawork and great acting by Emmanuelle Riva.  She carried the film with her portrayal of Anne and it was almost too real because it was hard to watch at times.  I work part time as nurse assistant and take care of people like Anne character in their homes.  Its different when you see the story from the start.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *Carrie (1976)* last night. Holy cow! Aside from the whole telekinetic thing, that movie seemed to be more about who was actually the crazy one...Carrie or the people who made fun of her. I have to say, her mother was nuts! 

Then there's Chris, honestly, I think that if she really wanted to get someone, she should have been going after the P.E. teacher instead of Carrie, but that's just my opinion 

On another note, does Stephen King ever have a happy ending?


----------



## Mary Hoffman

I'm afraid it was Quartet; it was terribly poor and a waste of some good actors.


----------



## Huttman

Perhaps I am too nostalgic for the show this was based off of, but I saw the A-Team and rather enjoyed it. I call hogwash on several of the flying stunts (surprisingly not the flying tank one), but this is a movie based on a rather cheesy 80's action show. I was worried I would miss all the old actors, but the recast ones did surprisingly well. Face did have his shirt off a bit too much for my taste, though. What? Me, jealous? NEVER!


----------



## GWakeling

Wasn't feel that great yesterday, so indulged in Alien vs Predator. I actually love that movie, and it's ideal if you're feeling a little groggy.


----------



## Venusian Broon

GWakeling said:


> Wasn't feel that great yesterday, so indulged in Alien vs Predator. I actually love that movie, and it's ideal if you're feeling a little groggy.


 
Yep, it ain't Lawrence of Arabia or Goodfellas, but it's a good romp. 

I'd like to see a Alien vs Predator vs Terminator film - I believe there's an Alien comic/graphic novel that essentially has a storyline with the three of them.


----------



## AE35Unit

FireDragon-16 said:


> Watched *Carrie (1976)* last night. Holy cow! Aside from the whole telekinetic thing, that movie seemed to be more about who was actually the crazy one...Carrie or the people who made fun of her. I have to say, her mother was nuts!
> 
> Then there's Chris, honestly, I think that if she really wanted to get someone, she should have been going after the P.E. teacher instead of Carrie, but that's just my opinion
> 
> On another note, does Stephen King ever have a happy ending?



The times Ive seen that great film, and I STILL jump at the end!


----------



## GWakeling

Venusian Broon said:


> Yep, it ain't Lawrence of Arabia or Goodfellas, but it's a good romp.
> 
> I'd like to see a Alien vs Predator vs Terminator film - I believe there's an Alien comic/graphic novel that essentially has a storyline with the three of them.



I might have to look that up, sounds like the kind of read I'd like. As for the film, they should do it - I'd go and see it.


----------



## Venusian Broon

GWakeling said:


> I might have to look that up, sounds like the kind of read I'd like. As for the film, they should do it - I'd go and see it.


 
Well if they are going to do a movie that came out of the question 'Could a modern Marine battalion defeat the entire Roman Empire.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/16/reddit-thread-warner-bros-movie

then I don't see why they can't at some point in the future have a bash at the AvPvT comic too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_versus_Predator_versus_The_Terminator


----------



## GWakeling

Let's be honest, Hollywood are pretty desperate right now. I think your idea could work....


----------



## Southern Geologist

Just saw *2001: A Space Odyssey* for the first time.  (I have the book on hand, too, to read later.)  I can now feel better knowing how many times Futurama (and to a lesser extent The Simpsons) parodies the film.

Seriously, though, I was very impressed with the visuals (it's Kubrick - no surprise) and frankly, I found the slow pacing to be quite brave and quite unexpected.  I could not imagine a modern sci-fi film getting away with that.  Quite impressive overall and I'll make sure to watch it another time or two before I return the blu-ray to the library.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Southern Geologist said:


> Just saw *2001: A Space Odyssey* for the first time. (I have the book on hand, too, to read later.) I can now feel better knowing how many times Futurama (and to a lesser extent The Simpsons) parodies the film.
> 
> Seriously, though, I was very impressed with the visuals (it's Kubrick - no surprise) and frankly, I found the slow pacing to be quite brave and quite unexpected. I could not imagine a modern sci-fi film getting away with that. Quite impressive overall and I'll make sure to watch it another time or two before I return the blu-ray to the library.


 
My favorite movie of all time.  (I was a twelve-year-old SF fan when it first came out, so what else would you expect?)  I'm glad you can appreciate an appropriately slow pace in a film.  The same might also be said of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon*, a film which I would call another one of his masterpieces.  The Soviet version of *Solaris* captures a lot of the same feel as *2001*, including the same slow pace.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My favorite movie of all time. (I was a twelve-year-old SF fan when it first came out, so what else would you expect?) I'm glad you can appreciate an appropriately slow pace in a film. The same might also be said of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon*, a film which I would call another one of his masterpieces. The Soviet version of *Solaris* captures a lot of the same feel as *2001*, including the same slow pace.


 
_2001_ comes from a different era, when SF film and blockbuster didn't really intersect, or were expected to. Then a certain little smash, called Star Wars came along...

Most of 2001 remains extremely good visually, the only aspect that fell down for me, was the skimming over the surface of the alien star that Dave experience after entering the star gate and before the strange stuff happening in the room. Well I only found out it was supposed to be the raging surface of a star when I read the book! 

As for _Solaris, _is it bad to admit that I really liked the Yankee remake?


----------



## FireDragon-16

AE35Unit said:


> The times Ive seen that great film, and I STILL jump at the end!



I did, even though I thought something was coming. 
It didn't help that my dad was sitting in his chair saying "Wait, don't go anywhere. Hang on a sec, it's not over."


----------



## JunkMonkey

Venusian Broon said:


> As for _Solaris, _is it bad to admit that I really liked the Yankee remake?



Yes.




----------


----------



## AE35Unit

I liked both versions of Solaris. I thought them both a bit long winded and meandering tho


----------



## JunkMonkey

Maybe it's because I love the original film so much but I thought the remake was a pointless exercise.   

Lem's original book bored the pants off me.  Didn't get it at all.

Now if someone were to remake_ Stalker_ I would give that a look.


----------



## svalbard

I just had a marathon session of movie watching with my closest and dearest beside a roaring open fire. The movies on view were in order;

*CABIN BY THE LAKE*. I for one enjoyed it. Liked the twist and thought the humour was spot on. I am biased in that I love Joss Wheldon's output in general.

*The Debt*. We both thought this was a profoundly moving story about the effects of the Holocaust on Jewish society. Jessica Chastain is a powerful actor and I can see why she is getting all the big roles at the moment. A big mention to Helen Mirren as well. She keeps putting out the performances.

We finished on *Cinema Paradiso*. A favourite of both of ours and a movie I mentioned a good few posts ago. It is magical, a real treat for any movie lover.


----------



## Southern Geologist

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My favorite movie of all time.  (I was a twelve-year-old SF fan when it first came out, so what else would you expect?)  I'm glad you can appreciate an appropriately slow pace in a film.  The same might also be said of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon*, a film which I would call another one of his masterpieces.  The Soviet version of *Solaris* captures a lot of the same feel as *2001*, including the same slow pace.



I don't mind a slow pace as long as the work remains engaging.  In the case of *2001* I felt that it was like, for example, walking through a national park.  You should enjoy taking in the scenery rather than wanting to rush through.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I just rented the DVD of Iron Sky - Space Nazi's. What a weird film. Good, idealistic nazi's who come in peace? Bad ones too! But the laws of phyics that seemed to be just tossed aside. They were firing guns and even rockets on the moon in a vacuum. How do explosives work without oxygen. Gravity seemed to fluctuate, though since they seemed to have antigravity maybe that wasn't so bad. And they drove motorbikes and cars around, again without air.

Still bits of it were a laugh, especially the costume of the president (Sarah Palin?)'s PR lady when she takes command of the USA's space warship. Talk about evil witch in space!

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Metryq

psychotick said:


> But the laws of phyics that seemed to be just tossed aside. They were firing guns and even rockets on the moon in a vacuum.



Guns and rockets carry their own oxidizer—that's essentially what distinguishes rockets from jets—and both are reaction "motors." (See Woody Woodpecker in DESTINATION MOON.) Thus, they do not need an atmosphere to "push against," if that was your point. There were engineers in the early 20th century who seriously believed rockets would not work in a vacuum for that very reason. 

In other news—

I can't believe I actually watched *BATTLESHIP* just because it was sitting there on the library shelf in front of me. I watched IRON SKY for the same reason, but at least I stopped that one after about 15 minutes because I just couldn't take it anymore. 

BATTLESHIP would insult the intelligence of a 13-year-old. High fives and rock-n-roll are unlikely to defeat an enemy with superior CGI. The one gag worth a minor chuckle was the glowing, alien torpedoes that looked like the plastic pegs from the board game.


----------



## hopewrites

*Thor at the bus stop* was mildly entertaining for a free rental. Some how the theme was about "being cool" and paying attention to what's happening around you. Some funny characters, lots of utilization of stereotypes, and little to do with Thor at all. He's the least developed character and isn't the person anyone would expect him to be if they knew anything about him.


----------



## AE35Unit

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My favorite movie of all time.  (I was a twelve-year-old SF fan when it first came out, so what else would you expect?)  I'm glad you can appreciate an appropriately slow pace in a film.  The same might also be said of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon*, a film which I would call another one of his masterpieces.  The Soviet version of *Solaris* captures a lot of the same feel as *2001*, including the same slow pace.



Yea 2001 is my absolute favourite film, totally obsessed with it. Have you seen Moon which is of its ilk?


----------



## AE35Unit

Metryq said:


> Guns and rockets carry their own oxidizer—that's essentially what distinguishes rockets from jets—and both are reaction "motors." (See Woody Woodpecker in DESTINATION MOON.) Thus, they do not need an atmosphere to "push against," if that was your point. There were engineers in the early 20th century who seriously believed rockets would not work in a vacuum for that very reason.
> 
> .



Which of course enabled the crew of Apollo 11 to return, The lunar module, a frail affair, used rockets to return it to orbit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

AE35Unit said:


> Yea 2001 is my absolute favourite film, totally obsessed with it. Have you seen Moon which is of its ilk?


 
I have to admit that I have not seen that one.  Thanks for the suggestion!

(Of course, I noted your user name at once.  Very nice.  Once in a while I have used "Hal9000" as my user name, but yours is much more subtle and original.  Hmmm, maybe I should have used "TMA-1.")


----------



## AE35Unit

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I have to admit that I have not seen that one.  Thanks for the suggestion!
> 
> (Of course, I noted your user name at once.  Very nice.  Once in a while I have used "Hal9000" as my user name, but yours is much more subtle and original.  Hmmm, maybe I should have used "TMA-1.")



Yea my black phone ( I always get a black one ) is called HAL9000, and my goodreads URL has HAL9000i in it.
Also a member on here often calls me Hal. I prefer that to Larry to be honest.


----------



## clovis-man

*Silver Linings Playbook*. Great film, great story. Jennifer Lawrence can dance as well as shoot arrows. Bradly Cooper was believable (I used to work in mental health, Trust me. He played the role well.). And a great supporting cast including Robert deNiro and Chris Tucker. Highly recommended.


----------



## biodroid

Dredd- ultraviolent mayhem done excellently. Great characters, sfx and story.
The new Total Recall, i dont know why it got such flak, it was great, i really enjoyed it.


----------



## Reivax26

Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Watched it earlier today with my new bulldog puppy. She seemed to like it lol


----------



## SunnyEvans

Other than a couple of crappy Lifetime movies I got sucked into this week, the last movie I saw was a rented copy of The Lincoln Lawyer. It was ok. It didn't leave me doing cartwheels. Or even keep me raptly attentive until the end. I have The Help ready to watch tonight and I'm really looking forward to that one.


----------



## Moonbat

*Django Unchained* by Quentin Tarantino, absolutely marvellous, everything I have come to love from his movies, rolled into a western, great dialogue, great performances, typical Tarantino-esque flashes of brilliance, an all round fabulous film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The wayward Cloud *(aka 天边一朵云 2005) - Arty Taiwanese porn musical with a lot of water-mellons.

*Soldier *( 1998 ) - a Paul W.S. Anderson film based on a  screen play by David Webb Peoples.  So, one of my least favourite directors (_Event Horizon, Death Race, Resident Evil_) working from a script by a writer for whom I have some  respect (_Bladerunner, Salute of the Juggers_).  The script won. Just.  The basic story is: trained-from-birth, emotionless, killing-machine soldier is discarded when superior replacement arrive.  He's dumped, meets a colony of peaceful types and  learns there's more to life than 'Fear and Dicipline'. (A bit like a Harlan Ellison story of the same name).  Kurt Russell is  simply terrific as the soldier.  He hardly moves a face muscle for the  whole film and gets about 50 words of dialogue and is utterly compelling.  He makes an emotional journey of millimetres but it is riveting to watch. Anderson however tried his best to sink the film with  the usual bucket-loads of semi-homoerotic macho ultra-violence, culminating in the inevitable  fistyfight,  and his over-use of gimmicky double-framing (printing each frame  of film twice to give an 'edgy' pseudo slo-mo effect).  He's also guilty of allowing the art directors (who were obviously having fun) fill their  future intergalactic junk-yard planet with all sorts of crap it  wouldn't have made any sense to ship off-world.  1950s aeroplanes,  boats, and, at one particularly throw-things-at-the-screen moment, a  yellow school bus.  Who, on earth thought; "I know, it's the  future, school buses will be obsolete so it'll make sense for them to be  shoved in spaceships and flown out to an uninhabited planet and then  dropped into a pile?"  
Dead pure, lazy, stupid Hollywood stupid bull**** stupidity.  The same kind of stupidity (and this _is_ a major fault in the script) that makes the new recruits training exercise just _happen _to  take place within yards of the one man who has good reason to resent their presence (Gee! small galaxy!) - and THEN has the idiocy to have the bad guy say, "By  the way if you happen to see anyone down there," (i.e. the nice peaceful  community of stranded refugees who have shown compassion and  understanding to our battle-scarred emotional wasteland of a 'hero')  "Then consider them hostile and kill them on sight."  Oh no! Men, women  and cute children in peril! What is our hero to do? This is just crap.  Really stupidly stupid crap too because it wouldn't take more than a  couple of minutes to establish that the bad guys have come to that  particular place for a _real _reason, not by Hollywood Bull****  accident.  The stranded refugees have, after all, been trying get  someone's (anyone's!) attention for years.  Just retool the plot  slightly - a couple of sentences would do it: The 'bad' guys have come  to investigate reported sightings on an uninhabited planet. One of the  refugees panics and opens fire.  The soldiers respond. Death and mayhem.  The potential for real tragedy is so easy. There; f****** big plot WTF?  solved.  Thank you.  My bill will be in the post as soon as a remake is  announced.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Wars Phantom Menace on blu ray, Never gets old!


----------



## Connavar

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My favorite movie of all time.  (I was a twelve-year-old SF fan when it first came out, so what else would you expect?)  I'm glad you can appreciate an appropriately slow pace in a film.  The same might also be said of Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon*, a film which I would call another one of his masterpieces.  The Soviet version of *Solaris* captures a lot of the same feel as *2001*, including the same slow pace.



Have you seen The Killing by Stanley Kubrick?  One of his first films and one of my fav films of his.  Easily enjoyed it more than Barry Lyndon which was too much historical melodrama to be among the best Kubrick to me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Connavar said:


> Have you seen The Killing by Stanley Kubrick? One of his first films and one of my fav films of his. Easily enjoyed it more than Barry Lyndon which was too much historical melodrama to be among the best Kubrick to me.


 
Yes I would agree that *The Killing* is excellent.

I believe that I have seen all of Kubrick's feature films (and the short subject "The Day of the Fight".)   None of them are less than interesting.  Even his first feature, *Fear and Desire*, which he disowned, was worth a look.


----------



## Huttman

Oh, AE35, I just have to chime in with my thumbs up on that one as we are seemingly in the minority with enjoying that particular film.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*The Pirates: Band of Misfits.*

_Pirates of the Caribbean_ suffers a catastrophic collision with _Chicken Run_.

Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman.

Insufferably cute.  Your kids will love it.  Almost clever enough to keep adults engaged.  

I'll have to sheepishly describe it as a "guilty pleasure." (lowercase)

I watched the whole thing, by myself, sans children; and my wife went to bed before it was half over.

I didn't laugh.  I didn't cry.  

I rolled my eyes, smirked and chuckled.


----------



## Rodders

Priest. A terrible movie that I quite enjoyed.


----------



## MontyCircus

1955's *Tarantula*.

B-movie.  Fun to have a laugh at, but not really recommendable.


----------



## AE35Unit

Huttman said:


> Oh, AE35, I just have to chime in with my thumbs up on that one as we are seemingly in the minority with enjoying that particular film.



Love it apart from the Sound of Music bit.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last night, stricken with insomnia:

*Transatlantic Tunnel* (1935) - dated melodrama full of  'women's films' stock characters: the Driven Husband (his Dream, capital  D, makes him blind to all else...), the Noble Wife (she goes literally  blind - oh the irony! - and leaves him without letting him know, so her  Driven Husband's Dream, capital D, can go on...), a Beautiful Socialite  Heiress (secretly in love with the  unattainable Driven Husband, but  driven to sell herself to the Unspeakable Cad who can finance the Driven  Husband's Dream), the Driven Husband's Best Friend (secretly in love  with the Driven Husband's Noble Wife but puts his all into making the  Driven Husband's Dream come true - because that's what the Driven  Husband's Noble Wife wants) all set in an Art Deco future with  television conferencing, autogyros, streamlined cars and huge 'radium  drills' that can bore through the hearts of volcanoes.  None of it made  much sense if you thought about it for more than a few moments but it  looked good, and the actors earnestly delivered their trite lines with  good-old, 1930's British stoicism.  Not a _totally _wasted 90 minutes.  Certainly less wasted than the 90 minutes I spent watching:
*Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor* (1990 ish) - dumb,  cliché-ridden  piece of 'monster on the lose in confined space' crap  with one vaguely  novel idea (buried in the laboriously explained  back-story), and one  nice, simple piece of set design (which, very  cheaply, transformed the  main location's endless, boring corridor into a  slightly futuristic  endless, boring corridor).  The monster looked  even more like a penis with teeth than usual, and the acting was_ dreadful_.   I know it's easy to say, 'oh  man, the acting was, like - so bad!" but  the standard here really was  not good, not good at all, even by  schlock standards. For many members of the cast this  was their only  screen credit. (For which, much thanks.)


----------



## PTeppic

*Django Unchained*. Very Tarantino.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Wars 3, Revenge of the Sith. I noticed at the end Peter Cushing's character CGI'd in!


----------



## Connavar

* Valhala Rising*

by the famous,hailed danish director of *Bronson* and* Drive* but this film was just too weird, waste of potential.  Silent much through the film and good,symbolic visuals but just pointless story,film.   Expected much better from him.

Mads Mikelsen was awesome though as One-Eye, looking instense, brutal as mute viking.


----------



## Vince W

*Solomon Kane*. A terrible adaptation of another great Robert E. Howard character. The film wasn't too bad, but it certainly wasn't Solomon Kane.


----------



## AE35Unit

Vince W said:


> *Solomon Kane*. A terrible adaptation of another great Robert E. Howard character. The film wasn't too bad, but it certainly wasn't Solomon Kane.



I enjoyed that, apart from the strangely cornish accent!
Never read the books so I cant comment on his authenticity, just enjoyed the ride.


----------



## Mouse

AE35Unit said:


> I enjoyed that, apart from the strangely cornish accent!



I'll 'ave 'ee know, that's a Somerset accent. Bloke's from my neck of the woods. (Literally, 20 mins drive up the road.)

My ex gave me that film and told me to watch it because 'the main character talks like you.' I've still not actually got round to seeing it yet.


----------



## Vince W

As long as you don't expect authentic Solomon Kane, then the film is quite enjoyable.


----------



## FireDragon-16

We watched *Four Brothers *the other night. I think it was a great movie that showed you don't have to have come from the same place to be a family. I also liked how they did what they had to and while they didn't completely cop to it, they didn't run and say they were framed.

We also watched *Safe*. I think Jason Statham is pretty good in almost anything, but I think that was a good movie in general. I liked how Mei said she'd had enough of father's (who can blame her) and all she wanted was a friend.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Wars a New Hope. First time for my 13 yewr old step son


----------



## alchemist

*Dredd 3D* - well, 2D on my TV. It exceeded all my expectations. A cracking action film with a couple of nuggets of humour. Much truer to the original than that _other_ film (see the Chopper graffiti), and I'll forgive them having Anderson as a rookie, because she was excellent.

Two tiny gripes - 1. Mega City One could have looked more futuristic
2. Spoiler - the real Dredd wouldn't have passed Anderson


----------



## AE35Unit

Sraw Wars Return of the Jedi with my 13 yr old stepson


----------



## alchemist

AE35Unit said:


> Star Wars a New Hope. First time for my 13 yewr old step son





AE35Unit said:


> Sraw Wars Return of the Jedi with my 13 yr old stepson



For the sake of the lad, and your marriage, stop after the next one.


----------



## AE35Unit

alchemist said:


> For the sake of the lad, and your marriage, stop after the next one.



Nope I love them all. Roll on episode 7


----------



## Huttman

AE35Unit said:


> Nope I love them all. Roll on episode 7



Cheers on that!

<--------------------------------,
But wait!.....Didn't you miss something (point to Yoda)? Let's see now, you saw A New Hope with your 13 y/o stepson....ok,ok. Then you saw Return of the Jedi with him. Ok, ok. I don't know, I have the feeling you missed something....hmmm, what could it have been?


----------



## dask

Wow, haven't seen two movies in a single day since the double feature era if I recall correctly. Yesterday afternoon we went to see Lincoln at our new state of the art theatre. Nice seats arranged so the person sitting in front of you won't block your view, great sound, but the screen is way too big for me. We sat in the last row and that's the closest my eyes could tolerate. Any closer would have been too uncomfortable. Anyone sitting halfway down would have to be high, and anyone sitting in the front row would have to be hammered.

Then in the evening we watched The Black Cat with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Just as good if not better than the last time I saw it 25 years or more ago.


----------



## FireDragon-16

A friend and I went and saw *Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters* on Friday. I think it was a very interesting take on the fairy tale and we both loved it.
Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner were great as siblings and I think Famke Jannsen was perfect as an evil witch. I loved the weapons they had, my favorite being Gretel's crossbow. Seeing Jeremy Renner without his shirt was a nice bonus


----------



## Rodders

AE35Unit said:


> Nope I love them all. Roll on episode 7



Hear, hear. 

I watched John Carter last night and found it to be great fun. It didn't deserve to be the flop it was.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> Hear, hear.
> 
> I watched John Carter last night and found it to be great fun. It didn't deserve to be the flop it was.



hmmm not so impressed with John Carter. Hopefully J J Abrams should do better with Star Wars.


----------



## AE35Unit

Huttman said:


> Cheers on that!
> 
> <--------------------------------,
> But wait!.....Didn't you miss something (point to Yoda)? Let's see now, you saw A New Hope with your 13 y/o stepson....ok,ok. Then you saw Return of the Jedi with him. Ok, ok. I don't know, I have the feeling you missed something....hmmm, what could it have been?



my bad. I meant Empire Strikes Back. Not what it should be my mind is.
Return of the Jedi today I did watch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_They Live by Night _(1948) - a stunningly wonderful Film Noir, road movie loosely based, I guess, on the Bonnie and Clyde story.  Cinema genius.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *How to Train Your Dragon  *the other night. I love that movie! Great storyline, and I loved how Hiccup and Toothless' relationship developed. The score is also amazing.


----------



## alchemist

*Unstoppable* - Denzel stops a runaway train. Gripping stuff (alchemissus covered her eyes at the climax) based on real events. Very loosely, though, as I disappointingly found out.


----------



## Mouse

Fancy I've seen that. ^ Sounds vaguely familiar.

Last film I saw was* Bedrooms and Hallways*. Which cracked me up. Kevin McKidd, James Purefoy, Hugo Weaving...


----------



## Huttman

I finally saw Super 8. I have to say, I mostly enjoyed it. JJ has a knack for casting his films and the kids were great (super 8 and star trek being the only ones of his i've seen). It had a nice feel to it and built up nicely. I think JJ Abrams has talent as a director and writer, but he is still a little sloppy with some things, such as he did not explain why the towns people were hanging upside in the monsters cave, kind of a big plot element not explained. Other than that, it was great. I wish I liked his Star Trek as much as Super 8.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Looper* was the last movie I saw. It was so-so for me. Something just didn't sit right with me; it is just so hard to make everything fit together when you're dealing with time travel.


----------



## Haidi

FireDragon-16 said:


> Watched *How to Train Your Dragon *the other night. I love that movie! Great storyline, and I loved how Hiccup and Toothless' relationship developed. The score is also amazing.


Hello! ;D
I watched the *How to train your dragon *(though in Finnish) a year ago and I loved it too! It was great! THANX 
 And I think all the characters were great and they had nice relationships! 
-haidi


----------



## clovis-man

Mouse said:


> Last film I saw was* Bedrooms and Hallways*. Which cracked me up. Kevin McKidd, James Purefoy, Hugo Weaving...


 
A vastly underrated and underexposed movie. Quite clever, really.


----------



## EricWard

*The Devil Inside*. I wasn't expecting much but oh god, it was terrible.

I kept forgetting the character's names, they had zero personality, the camera kept "cutting out" (one of those "found footage" movies) whenever something interesting actually happened (which was not often), everyone was a complete moron, inconsistencies out the wazoo, incredibly lame attempts to be shocking (free advice: if you're going to try and shock the audience with a dead child, don't have the child turn out to be fine, it completely defeats the purpose), and the characters who are only in one or two scenes had much more interesting stories than the main characters. I really wish the film was just about them.

Oh, and it was completely missing a third act. It just ends before reaching any sort of climax.


----------



## Rodders

Judge Dredd.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Machine Gun Preacher*, the story of one man going up against terrorist Kony in Sudan who steals children to use as soldiers, Quite harrowing with Gerard Butler in lead role.


----------



## Mouse

clovis-man said:


> A vastly underrated and underexposed movie. Quite clever, really.



Definitely. I was pleasantly surprised.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> A vastly ... underexposed movie.



Does that mean everything was really dark and hard to see?


----------



## Haidi

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1*. Amazing!


----------



## GWakeling

Watched Chronicles of Riddick again last night. Still love that movie, and a few faces were more familiar, particularly Keith Urban. I'm excited to see what the new Riddick has in store - especially since Urban is back AND we've got Katee Sackoff too!


----------



## Boneman

Went to see Life of Pi, but when we got to the cinema, found it was 3D, and we have glasses at home, so saw The Impossible instead. I'm going to have nightmares tonight!!!


----------



## Gary Compton

Watched Source Code on CH4 tonight. Cried at the end. Do you think I need therapy?


----------



## AE35Unit

Gary Compton said:


> Watched Source Code on CH4 tonight. Cried at the end. Do you think I need therapy?



I tried to watch it, couldnt get into it. It messed with my head. Ending was good tho.


----------



## Gary Compton

Here's my secret. Watched 1st hour on CH4 then swithched to +1 and started again. By then I understood the film.

I'm living in my own source code but instead of 8 minutes it's an hour


----------



## AE35Unit

Gary Compton said:


> Here's my secret. Watched 1st hour on CH4 then swithched to +1 and started again. By then I understood the film.
> 
> I'm living in my own source code but instead of 8 minutes it's an hour



I like your style!


----------



## j d worthington

Marat/Sade. Or, to be more pedantic, *The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade*....

I've seen this film several times now, and I really do need to get a copy eventually. It's a very odd piece, and not always comfortable to watch... but I also think it is an absolutely brilliant work from all concerned....


----------



## JunkMonkey

Gary Compton said:


> Watched Source Code on CH4 tonight. Cried at the end. Do you think I need therapy?



Yes.  The end sank the film.  All that good work destroyed by a tacked-on Disneylike happy ending.  I was so angry.  Grrrrrrrr!


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Does that mean everything was really dark and hard to see?


 
Should have said under-promoted.


----------



## endless

I watched Life of Pi today. I liked the story, but i think it lost all the emotion at the end of it. And i didn't believe in God when he finished his story XD. Wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## AE35Unit

endless said:


> I watched Life of Pi today. I liked the story, but i think it lost all the emotion at the end of it. And i didn't believe in God when he finished his story XD. Wouldn't recommend it.



To be honest it looks pants. Like a dream sequence.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

GWakeling said:


> Watched Chronicles of Riddick again last night. Still love that movie, and a few faces were more familiar, particularly Keith Urban. I'm excited to see what the new Riddick has in store - especially since Urban is back AND we've got Katee Sackoff too!


 
I think you mean Karl Urban.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Good the Bad and the Ugly *
One of the best ways to spend two and half hours!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Social Network*
Well thats hour and half of my life I wont get back!


----------



## Rodders

Battleship. (What? It was cheap, ok.) entertaining enough, but I doubt if I'll ever watch it again.


----------



## monsterchic

Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas.  Kiddie movie, but I love it just the same


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*The Hunger Games.* I enjoyed it, and I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a great job with Katniss.


----------



## clovis-man

Lady of Winterfell said:


> *The Hunger Games.* I enjoyed it, and I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a great job with Katniss.


 
She really did, but the action motif obscured some of it. However, after seeing her in *Silver Lining Playbook*, I have to give her credit as being one of the finest young female actors around today.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I haven't seen that yet, but I would really like to. Glad to hear she is good in that as well. I love her off camera also; she always acts like herself, kind of a goofball. I love that she seems normal like the rest of us, not the typical Hollywood type.


----------



## clovis-man

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I haven't seen that yet, but I would really like to. Glad to hear she is good in that as well. I love her off camera also; she always acts like herself, kind of a goofball. I love that she seems normal like the rest of us, not the typical Hollywood type.


 
The daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence of Kentucky, she even uses her real name.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yea Hunger Games was better than i expected. Nothing like Running Man at all. I wonder when the sequels will be out...


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

And I heard an interview with her once where she said any guy she dates still has to get approval from her brothers. 

IMDB says not until November 2013. For some reason I though it was sooner than that. I guess it was just wishful thinking. 

Did you read the books AE?


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> And I heard an interview with her once where she said any guy she dates still has to get approval from her brothers.
> 
> IMDB says not until November 2013. For some reason I though it was sooner than that. I guess it was just wishful thinking.
> 
> Did you read the books AE?



No funny enough Id not heard of them till I watched the film and got curious. But the funny thing is its not something I would read-its fantasy! I can watch a fantasy film but wouldn't necessarily read such. Odd.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I had heard of them before the movie, but really had no interest in reading them. But once I saw the movie, I picked them up and enjoyed them.

And not too odd. I just realised from reading another thread, that I enjoy watching war movies (The Hurt Locker, Black Hawk Down, etc), but haven't ever picked up a book about it. To each their own I say.


----------



## AE35Unit

Its like westerns. I've never thought of reading one but I enjoy watching them!


----------



## EricWard

*Skyfall*. A definite improvement over Quantum of Solace in that I can actually remember what happened. Javier Bardem was great in it, too.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> No funny enough Id not heard of them till I watched the film and got curious. But the funny thing is its not something I would read-its fantasy! I can watch a fantasy film but wouldn't necessarily read such. Odd.


 
The "fantasy" part doesn't put me off, although you might consider it more "social science fiction". My hang-up was that it's considered "young adult" fare and I happen to be an "old adult". But  perhaps I could be persuaded........


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> The "fantasy" part doesn't put me off, although you might consider it more "social science fiction". My hang-up was that it's considered "young adult" fare and I happen to be an "old adult". But  perhaps I could be persuaded........



I just realised I put fantasy. Hunger Games isnt fantasy, lol.
But the discrepancy between films and books still applies for me.


----------



## Lord Captain Woden

*In Hell

*Enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Going to start re watching all the old *Planet Of The Apes* films now.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Captain America *
Silly but fun, and kind of like a steampunk Star Wars. Were the marvel comics like this?


----------



## alchemist

*The Raid* - I'd heard a lot about this action film set in Indonesia, so expectations were high. It almost met them. The action was intense and fast, but where I was looking for ground-breaking set-pieces, I got overlong (although excellent) martial arts sequences. The plot was simple, and the dialogue cheesy (which could be put down to translation).

I considered it very good, but not great.


----------



## Moonbat

*The Raid* was pretty good, not quite *Ong Bak* good but good enough. Just watched *Submarine*, the directorial debut of _Richard Ayoade_ (of The IT crowd fame) and it was pretty good, not an amazing story but witty and intelligent in places and an enjoyable film about young love. It had C_raig Roberts_ (of *Being Human* fame) and a funny role from _Paddy Constatine_, it was quirky but good.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ong Bak ?


----------



## Moonbat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAYUv9wjV48&feature=youtube_gdata_player

A cheesey trailer but probably the best martial  arts film of the past decade.


----------



## AE35Unit

Moonbat said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAYUv9wjV48&feature=youtube_gdata_player
> 
> A cheesey trailer but probably the best martial  arts film of the past decade.



Oh, martial arts. Not my bag unless its classic Bruce Lee.


----------



## thatollie

Moonbat said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAYUv9wjV48&feature=youtube_gdata_player
> 
> A cheesey trailer but probably the best martial  arts film of the past decade.



Agreed. 

I also really liked The Raid and can't wait to see more of Gareth's films.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

EricWard said:


> *Skyfall*. A definite improvement over Quantum of Solace in that I can actually remember what happened. Javier Bardem was great in it, too.


 
I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't remember anything from Quantum of Solace.  I loved Casino Royale, and haven't seen Skyfall yet, but I really want to.


----------



## AE35Unit

*We need to talk about Kevin*
Very odd psycho piece, a bit too arty but it had me on edge, constantly expecting something bad to happen!


----------



## Triceratops

Watched The Girl. Didn't know that Hitchcock was such a perv, or vile pig, take your pick.

chris


----------



## j d worthington

Or at least someone with those elements to his personality. (Given the love and respect he had from a wide variety of people, obviously they were not the leading aspects.)

Speaking of... mine was *Spellbound* (1945), also by Hitchcock. A ridiculously naive and simplified view of psychoanalysis, but several fine performances, not to mention fine direction and a wonderful score by Miklós Rózsa. The version I saw was a restored version, with the Overture and Exit music (complete with a clock counting off the time) included. A bit dated, but still a wonderful film. (Of course, I _could_ be biased. After all, I've had a thing for Ingrid Bergman since I was old enough to notice any difference between the sexes....)


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> ... mine was *Spellbound* (1945), also by Hitchcock. A ridiculously naive and simplified view of psychoanalysis, but several fine performances, not to mention fine direction and a wonderful score by Miklós Rózsa. The version I saw was a restored version, with the Overture and Exit music (complete with a clock counting off the time) included. A bit dated, but still a wonderful film. (Of course, I _could_ be biased. After all, I've had a thing for Ingrid Bergman since I was old enough to notice any difference between the sexes....)



Well, I like Ingrid Bergman just fine (heh, understatement) but who wouldn't? But I don't think I have such a thing for her - certainly not such a longstanding one - that it would bias me and I liked _Spellbound_, too. Of course, I might be biased in that I think psychoanalysis is itself ridiculously naive and simple so the treatment of it didn't bother me. It'd probably be a stumbling block if that was what one was watching the film for, though. Except for the fact that I like Peck a lot more than Grant, I prefer _Notorious_, though, of the two Hitchcock/Bergman flicks I've seen. (I don't know if there are others or not.)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Dredd*
Utter pile of cr@p!


----------



## alchemist

Moonbat said:


> *The Raid* was pretty good, not quite *Ong Bak* good but good enough.



Well, after The Raid, there's no way I'll convince alchemissus to let me get another Asian action film!



AE35Unit said:


> *Dredd*
> Utter pile of cr@p!



Nooooo! Why?


----------



## AE35Unit

alchemist said:


> Well, after The Raid, there's no way I'll convince alchemissus to let me get another Asian action film!
> 
> 
> 
> Nooooo! Why?



Its just a glorified vehicle for 3D. The slow mo stuff, clearly put there to be cool in 3D. But in 2D it looks..lame, arty. But aside from that theres nothing to commend it. Just a gore fest. Like watching someone playing one of those games. God and I thought the original was bad!!


----------



## alchemist

Hmm, I'd never thought about it being designed for 3D (I watched it on DVD too). It probably would have looked better. Still, I did think the action was pretty good.


----------



## clovis-man

AE35Unit said:


> *Dredd*
> Utter pile of cr@p!


 
And I thought the first one with Not-So-Sly Stallone was bad. Is this one worse??


----------



## AE35Unit

alchemist said:


> Hmm, I'd never thought about it being designed for 3D (I watched it on DVD too). It probably would have looked better. Still, I did think the action was pretty good.



Action yes, but thats all there is to it!


----------



## AE35Unit

clovis-man said:


> And I thought the first one with Not-So-Sly Stallone was bad. Is this one worse??



The sly version is better, and thats saying something,  but dont take my word for it, you might enjoy a violent blood fest with little story or dialogue. Horses for courses.


----------



## Starbeast

*Dial M for Murder* (1954)

I finally got a chance to see this excellent Alfred Hitchcock flick, very well-acted and intense! While watching the film, I did look for Alfred's usual cameo appearence, and found him.

Also, I discovered that the movie was originally shot in 3-D, but Alfred didn't want to overuse the gimmick, he waited for the murder scene. Mr H, you are the coolest, Rest in Peace.


----------



## j d worthington

J-Sun said:


> Well, I like Ingrid Bergman just fine (heh, understatement) but who wouldn't? But I don't think I have such a thing for her - certainly not such a longstanding one - that it would bias me and I liked _Spellbound_, too. Of course, I might be biased in that I think psychoanalysis is itself ridiculously naive and simple so the treatment of it didn't bother me. It'd probably be a stumbling block if that was what one was watching the film for, though. Except for the fact that I like Peck a lot more than Grant, I prefer _Notorious_, though, of the two Hitchcock/Bergman flicks I've seen. (I don't know if there are others or not.)


 
Not that I'm aware of... and I'm quite fond of *Notorious* myself. (But then, I long ago grew to like Cary Grant and realize he was capable of quite varied characterizations, not to mention having a long-standing respect and even fondness for Claude Rains.)

Also saw the documentary, *Dial H for Hitchcock*, which was quite a good documentary of the man and his career, with a number of interesting commentators. The one who probably caught my eye most was (surprise!) Tippi Hedren*, who really did get a very raw deal from Hitch. Yet here, though her ambivalence toward him is quite clear, she also has quite a few very kind things to say about him, as well as some fine insights....

*The "surprise!" is meant tongue-in-cheek, as I've always been impressed by her, and saddened that she had such a limited career....


----------



## clovis-man

A lot of Hitchcock on the networks these days. *The Lady Vanishes* was just on TCM recently, as well as *Sabotage*. Still fun to watch.


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> Not that I'm aware of... and I'm quite fond of *Notorious* myself. (But then, I long ago grew to like Cary Grant and realize he was capable of quite varied characterizations, not to mention having a long-standing respect and even fondness for Claude Rains.)



Yeah - I've probably only seen Rains in 4 or 5 films but he's great. I think my favorite of his is _Casablanca_ - I think a lot of people watch it for the romance with Bergman (there she is again!) but, while she's great, the romance is the weakest part for me. I like the "wretched hive of scum and villainy" aspect to the almost BladeRunner-ish city and Rains' character (along with Greenstreet's, Bogart's and Lorre's (another favorite in a different way)) within it. So naturally I like _The Maltese Falcon_ but there's no Bergman or Rains in it so I can stop now. 



> The one who probably caught my eye most was (surprise!) Tippi Hedren*, who really did get a very raw deal from Hitch.



She's the one in _The Birds_, right? I've seen that movie exactly once and will forever have seen that movie exactly once. If I actually did watch it again it probably wouldn't be any big deal but I'm not going to find out. I remember it as a *very* unpleasant flick.


----------



## AE35Unit

J-Sun said:


> Yeah - I've probably only seen Rains in 4 or 5 films but he's great. I think my favorite of his is _Casablanca_ - I think a lot of people watch it for the romance with Bergman (there she is again!) but, while she's great, the romance is the weakest part for me. I like the "wretched hive of scum and villainy" aspect to the almost BladeRunner-ish city and Rains' character (along with Greenstreet's, Bogart's and Lorre's (another favorite in a different way)) within it. So naturally I like _The Maltese Falcon_ but there's no Bergman or Rains in it so I can stop now.
> 
> 
> 
> She's the one in _The Birds_, right? I've seen that movie exactly once and will forever have seen that movie exactly once. If I actually did watch it again it probably wouldn't be any big deal but I'm not going to find out. I remember it as a *very* unpleasant flick.



There was a recent TV drama called The Girl about Tipi Hedren on the set of the Birds. Also theres a biopic of Hitchcock out now. Must see!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Dial M for Murder* (1954)
> 
> I finally got a chance to see this excellent Alfred Hitchcock flick, very well-acted and intense! While watching the film, I did look for Alfred's usual cameo appearence, and found him.



Apparently, later on in his career, Hitchock would get his cameo over with as soon into the film as he could so as not to distract the audience from the story.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Looper*
Not bad at all! (spoiler)But is the boy Sam actually Joe as a boy?


----------



## j d worthington

J-Sun said:


> She's the one in _The Birds_, right? I've seen that movie exactly once and will forever have seen that movie exactly once. If I actually did watch it again it probably wouldn't be any big deal but I'm not going to find out. I remember it as a *very* unpleasant flick.


 
*The Birds*... and *Marnie*. Her relationship with Hitch was a stormy one in both instances.

I'm curious... do you recall why you felt it so unpleasant, or has it been so long ago that the reasons are blurred or not accessible? At any rate, it is a disturbing film, certainly; but I find it also (though how many might agree with me I don't know) one of his best, in part because of the ambiguities... including the reason behind the change in behavior of the birds, and what exactly the ending means (so to speak). I like what one of the commentators in the documentary said about that last: that they could attack and destroy the family altogether at that moment, but they don't. They don't need to, because they've already won. In other words, humanity is on its way out....


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

From TCM Underground:

*The Baby* -- early 1970's psychodrama/horror film about an adult man who is still treated as an infant by his mother and half-sisters.  Some interesting themes, but then it turns into a slasher.


----------



## clovis-man

Re Tippi Hedren



J-Sun said:


> She's the one in _The Birds_, right?


 
And also in Hithchcock's film, *Marnie*, opposite Sean Connery in an un-007 role. I'm afraid I saw her as just the latest in the string of blonde obsessions that he (Hitchcock) had. Perhaps there's more depth to her than I saw, but I wasn't impressed. She is, however, the mother of Melanie Griffith. But maybe that's not a sufficient credential either.


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> I'm curious... do you recall why you felt it so unpleasant, or has it been so long ago that the reasons are blurred or not accessible? At any rate, it is a disturbing film, certainly; but I find it also (though how many might agree with me I don't know) one of his best, in part because of the ambiguities... including the reason behind the change in behavior of the birds, and what exactly the ending means (so to speak). I like what one of the commentators in the documentary said about that last: that they could attack and destroy the family altogether at that moment, but they don't. They don't need to, because they've already won. In other words, humanity is on its way out....



Yeah, it's extremely blurry now as I saw it as a kid and my issues aren't subtle/thematic. I don't have a phobia about actual birds themselves but almost every time I've seen a lot of them at once I think of that movie and think about people in the movie getting pecked to death or whatever. IOW, I have a phobia about the movie that flocks of birds trigger.  But I realize that what I said could be interpreted as a slight to the movie itself and I didn't mean it was unpleasant in an unintentional way - it's a very powerful and effective movie. Just not my kind of thing, generally.



clovis-man said:


> Re Tippi Hedren
> 
> 
> 
> And also in Hithchcock's film, *Marnie*, opposite Sean Connery in an un-007 role. I'm afraid I saw her as just the latest in the string of blonde obsessions that he (Hitchcock) had. Perhaps there's more depth to her than I saw, but I wasn't impressed. She is, however, the mother of Melanie Griffith. But maybe that's not a sufficient credential either.



Yeah, I haven't seen a whole lot of Hitchcock but it's clear even to me that he had a lot of those. I didn't know about Hedren/Griffith - interesting. No, it's no Bergman/Rossellini lineage (there she is again) but it's still interesting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Frankenstein General Hospital* (1988)  I seriously hope I see nothing as bad as this for the rest of the year.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> Apparently, later on in his career, Hitchock would get his cameo over with as soon into the film as he could so as not to distract the audience from the story.


 
Makes sense, I couldn't help but to look for him in the movie I saw.



JunkMonkey said:


> *Frankenstein General Hospital* (1988)  I seriously hope I see nothing as bad as this for the rest of the year.


 
I watched the trailer for the film, even that looked sickening. I hope you didn't suffer any trauma from viewing the movie.


Recent films I've enjoyed watching again:

*Conan the Barbarian* (1982) - *Bug's Life* (1998) - *Die Another Day* (2002)
*Rocketman* (1997) - *The Longest Yard* (2005) - *Dark Star *(1974)
*Rescuers Down Under* (1990) - *Grave Of The Vampire* (1974)


----------



## FireDragon-16

In celebration of Single's Awareness Day, a friend and I watched *The Lucky One*. I actually really liked it although I thought that Zac Efron looked really young when compared to Taylor Schilling. I also thought that with the beard he looked kind of like Shia LaBeouf...other than that, I really liked the movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Why do singles need an 'Awareness Day'?


----------



## EricWard

Re-watched *Plan 9 From Outer Space* for probably the fourteenth time.

I can't even say that it's a bad movie because it's just so damn entertaining.


----------



## Southern Geologist

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I have to admit that I have not seen that one.  Thanks for the suggestion!



I just saw Moon for the first time.  I'll definitely need to see it again, but I do recommend that you try it.


----------



## FeedMeTV

*The Three Musketeers - 2011*

Really not very good unfortunately.


----------



## Southern Geologist

There's a Planet of the Apes marathon on TV today (the originals), so that's what I last watched/will watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Southern Geologist said:


> There's a Planet of the Apes marathon on TV today (the originals), so that's what I last watched/will watch.


 
My favorite, by far, is *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes*, which was a surprisingly intelligent SF film.


----------



## FireDragon-16

JunkMonkey said:


> Why do singles need an 'Awareness Day'?



It's just what my friend calls Valentine's Day since she didn't have a date


----------



## Foxbat

*Death In Gaza* 
A sobering, moving and thought-provoking documentary of life in Gaza in 2003. It seeks not to answer the question of who is right and who is wrong in this cauldron of hatred, it simply looks at the effect on the Palestinian children. 

It may appear slightly one-sided but that is because filmmaker John Miller was killed before he could make the intended companion piece to this documentary (an exploration into the effects on Israeli children). Well worth watching.


----------



## j d worthington

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My favorite, by far, is *Conquest of the Planet of the Apes*, which was a surprisingly intelligent SF film.


 
I find it interesting that they actually had to tone down the deliberate analogy to the Watts riots... film footage of which they originally intended to "copy" in this movie, to underscore the point about what was still a very touchy subject. It wasn't simply being topical, but basing their story in very real events and using sf to critique society... which, of course, is one of the things it is best at....


----------



## AE35Unit

*Anonymous*
A film that postulates the idea that Shakespeare didnt write the works that bear his name
Who knows-after all Shakespeare was but an actor performing in theatres for commoners. He was also the son of a glove maker, so not of noble birth unlike the Earl of Essex who is cast as the true author in this film. 
No-one knows and history and literature is not my strong point.


----------



## allmywires

Speaking of Planet of the Apes, I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes tonight and (bearing in mind I've not seen the originals) quite enjoyed it, aside from the fact that the woman from Slumdog Millionaire really didn't need to be in it at all, and James Franco didn't age over the 10-odd year timescale of the film.

Also Jurassic Park was on TV when I had my dinner, which is always a fun watch. (Especially considering my current re-obsession with dinosaurs )


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Rage in Harlem *(1991) - I think I need to see that again.  And not on a crappy VHS.   From what I remember of the book this stayed pretty close to the mood,  pacing, violence and the very dark (I nearly said 'black') humour of the book - though I did kind of miss that one of the central male  conmen characters dresses as a preacher and not a nun as he did in the  original.


----------



## Huttman

If I wrote this 3 hours ago, I would write that I saw Vanilla Sky for the first time. I like just about everything Tom Cruise is in and I wanted to like this but it got a little odd two-thirds the way through. I like the idea that there are elements there for the viewer to make up their own mind....but still not my favorite from him. But....

I just saw a quirky little movie called _Lars and the Real Girl. _It stars Ryan Gosling as an introvert who comes out of his shell with a real girl sex doll. I was impressed how this film handled the story of this town helping him out. This movie could have gone so many other silly directions, but it takes on the subject of mental illness' delusions with a great deal of love and thoughtfulness. Besides the inevitable question/understanding of what this doll is originally created for, this movie is family safe. His character never uses it for sex. I recommend it, it's on netflix.


----------



## j d worthington

Huttman said:


> If I wrote this 3 hours ago, I would write that I saw Vanilla Sky for the first time. I like just about everything Tom Cruise is in and I wanted to like this but it got a little odd two-thirds the way through. I like the idea that there are elements there for the viewer to make up their own mind....but still not my favorite from him. But....


 
Have you ever seen the original, *Abre Los Ojos*, co-written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar? Still a rather elusive movie, but frankly a decidedly better one. I recall seeing this at about the same time I saw Amenábar's *The Others* (a flawed but rather nicely done ghost story) and Guillermo del Toro's *El espinazo del diablo* (*The Devil's Backbone*)....


----------



## Huttman

j. d. worthington said:


> Have you ever seen the original, *Abre Los Ojos*, co-written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar? Still a rather elusive movie, but frankly a decidedly better one. I recall seeing this at about the same time I saw Amenábar's *The Others* (a flawed but rather nicely done ghost story) and Guillermo del Toro's *El espinazo del diablo* (*The Devil's Backbone*)....



Interesting. Wiki gives a plot synopsis that parallels Vanilla Sky exactly but has a disclaimer there are a few differences in the end. Well, I thought Penelope Cruz did a nice job in the remake...so if it comes my way. Thanks!


----------



## j d worthington

De nada....


----------



## clovis-man

Huttman said:


> I just saw a quirky little movie called _Lars and the Real Girl. _It stars Ryan Gosling as an introvert who comes out of his shell with a real girl sex doll. I was impressed how this film handled the story of this town helping him out. This movie could have gone so many other silly directions, but it takes on the subject of mental illness' delusions with a great deal of love and thoughtfulness. Besides the inevitable question/understanding of what this doll is originally created for, this movie is family safe. His character never uses it for sex. I recommend it, it's on netflix.


 
I actually saw this in a theater when it first came out. Your observations are spot on. A delightful, if odd film.


----------



## Southern Geologist

Watching *Dr. Strangelove* for the first time now.


----------



## Starbeast

*Over The Hedge* (2006)

I laughed, I cried, I kissed an hour and a half goodbye. I love rewatching this awesome animated movie!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Breakfast Club*
Never seen this before and it  was out in 1984 a year after I left school a geeky nervous wreck! 
Crikey.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Mars Attacks!*  Still ridiculously funny after all these years.
Amazing cast; especially considering the nature of the film.


----------



## clovis-man

*Iron Sky*. A wacky spoof about Nazi invaders who have been hiding out on the moon. Quite silly in almost all respects, it still has the look of a serious invasion story, which makes it all the more entertaining. All the fractured Wagner in the musical score (including the wedding march) makes it even more fun.


----------



## thatollie

Jurassic Park


----------



## biodroid

Starbeast said:


> *Over The Hedge* (2006)
> 
> I laughed, I cried, I kissed an hour and a half goodbye. I love rewatching this awesome animated movie!


 
Especially the laser scene


----------



## JunkMonkey

Isn't it great how we all like different things.  personally I thought _Over the Hedge_ was dreadful; predictable, cliched, by the numbers dross with one of the most laboured 'obligatory sop to the grown-ups, adult movie reference in a kid's animated feature' moments that I have seen.  (The fact that one character was called 'Stella' for the sole reason of allowing another character to do the _Streetcar Named Desire_ Marlon Brando thing.  Pathetic.)

Last night I watched Alex Cox's weirdly great little mess *Repo Man* for the umpteenth time and loved it even more than I have ever loved it before - though if anyone knows where I can find a cut containing the 'Dorito' scene I would appreciate it.  I miss that scene every time I watch it. 

Goddamn mellon-farmers...

And:

*A Dirty Little Business *(aka _Merchants of Venus_ 1998)in which Michael York plays a Russian immigrant to the USA working in a dildo factory.  Not very good.  Obviously cheaply made (the sound in particular was very variable) it's one of those fascinating films where you spend more time wondering what it must be like to be a jobbing actor  (like Michael York, Michael Cox, and Beverly D'Angelo) doing crap like this one day, a cartoon voice-over the next (Cox and  D'Angelo have worked on episodes of _Scooby-do_, and York on _S__uper Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!_).  And how did Michel J Pollard, Troy Donahue and Arthur Hiller, director of_ Love Story,_ get involved with such a flaccid script?
Another one of those films where the story of the making was probably more interesting than the final product.


----------



## biodroid

Warrior - what a touching movie, i was in tears


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Last night I watched Alex Cox's weirdly great little mess *Repo Man* for the umpteenth time and loved it even more than I have ever loved it before - though if anyone knows where I can find a cut containing the 'Dorito' scene I would appreciate it.  I miss that scene every time I watch it.
> 
> Goddamn mellon-farmers...



I blame society.

I only know a popcorn scene - I don't know a Dorito scene - what is it?


----------



## Huttman

Alex said:


> *Mars Attacks!*  Still ridiculously funny after all these years.
> Amazing cast; especially considering the nature of the film.



I get amused to watch Natalie Portman's characters look on her face like  OMG, why did I sign to do this movie again? Look for it, even in the scenes where she is just standing there, it a look of complete detachment. Dreadful film with moments of ridiculous humor that works on occasion. I still wonder what the makers of this film said to this all-star cast to sell this film to them.


----------



## subtletylost

The last movie I saw was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. It was awesome, especially when they were on the bees and played chicken with the birds that were about to eat them.


----------



## Musky

I laugh just thinking of *Repo Man*.  "Hey kid, you want to make ten bucks?"


----------



## AE35Unit

Musky said:


> I laugh just thinking of *Repo Man*.  "Hey kid, you want to make ten bucks?"



Never seen it, am I missing much?


----------



## Rodders

Cargo. I really enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Huttman said:


> I still wonder what the makers of this film said to this all-star cast to sell this film to them.



"Look at all that money."?





			
				 V-sun said:
			
		

> I only know a popcorn scene - I don't know a Dorito scene - what is it?



I found it! Here:

PARNELL AND KEVIN DISCUSS VENDING MACHINE FOOD SCENE 1:17 6Mb Divx AVI

My memory played me false.  I remember it as much longer.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I found it! Here:
> 
> PARNELL AND KEVIN DISCUSS VENDING MACHINE FOOD SCENE 1:17 6Mb Divx AVI
> 
> My memory played me false.  I remember it as much longer.



Oh - I was trying to think of actual Doritos being pictured in the scene. I'd think of that as the "vending machine speech" or something.  I don't know how to ID DVDs but it's in my 2006 Universal copy that says things like "Focus Features" and "Collector's Edition" and is in the strangely presented "The Missing Scenes" section where it's like a half-hour featurette and I haven't seen any way to jump to specific scenes.



AE35Unit said:


> Never seen it, am I missing much?



Well, it's very "cult classic" and would probably be hit or miss - depends on the person, so I don't know. I'd say you should take a look just to find out but couldn't say whether you'd think you would've been missing anything after you'd seen it or not. But your life may not be complete until you know.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Unstoppable*
Denzel Washington and Chris "captain Kirk" Pine need to stop a runaway train. 
Nothing new or different but its not bad!


----------



## MontyCircus

*Taxi Driver*
Saw it for the first time in a while.  Seems I like it less and less.  Just drags for me.  No humour and depressing.  Nothing really exciting happens.  Another classic I don't much care for.


----------



## J-Sun

MontyCircus said:


> *Taxi Driver*
> Saw it for the first time in a while.  Seems I like it less and less.  Just drags for me.  No humour and depressing.  Nothing really exciting happens.  Another classic I don't much care for.



Yeah, there's more than one of those for me, too, and this is one, though once was enough for me. I mean, the performances are good and it's shot well and it's technically fine but it's just a drag. I seem to recall some humor but it seems like it was a very black humor that was only a hiccup in a clinically depressed movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oh I love Taxi Driver! Been a while tho...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I have to say that I found *Taxi Driver* to be a dark, disturbing masterpiece.

I found a place called bmovies.com where I can watch public domain science fiction and horror films on the computer. I've half-watched a few while doing other stuff. (*Doomed to Die* -- Boris Karloff as a Chinese [!] detective in a boring mystery; *Ring of Terror* -- thirty seconds of plot padded to an hour in an ultra-cheapie; *Abby* -- hilariously awful blaxploitation rip-off of *The Exorcist*.) I also had to pay closer attention to the moody, dream-like, often visually interesting film *Messiah of Evil*, which was sort of like a combination of *Carnival of Souls*, *Let's Scare Jessica to Death*, and *Night of the Living Dead*.


----------



## thatollie




----------



## EricWard

thatollie said:


>



YES! Anything with Gary Oldman chewing the scenery is a delight. The rest of the cast is great, too. One of those great, offbeat action movies of the 90s.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I found a place called bmovies.com where I can watch public domain science fiction and horror films on the computer.



Scarily enough I have seen all but one of the SF Films there.  I can recommend very few of them.  But _Starcrash _http://www.bmovies.com/movie/starcrash is a staggering WTF!? work of Italian post-Star Wars, cash-in genius and should be watched by everyone at least twice.  It is one of my favourite films.  Don't drink hot liquids the first time you watch it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> Scarily enough I have seen all but one of the SF Films there. I can recommend very few of them. But _Starcrash _http://www.bmovies.com/movie/starcrash is a staggering WTF!? work of Italian post-Star Wars, cash-in genius and should be watched by everyone at least twice. It is one of my favourite films. Don't drink hot liquids the first time you watch it.


 
I actually saw *Starcrash* in a movie theater when it first came out.  Utterly goofy, a real cult classic.

Courtesy of the same site I just watched *Embyro*, with Rock Hudson as a scientist who grows an embyro taken from a dead woman into a full grown woman (Barbara Carrera) in an artificial womb.  It was a fascinating mixture of silly melodrama (the scientist's first success is with growing a dog embryo into a super-intelligent adult dog, who goes so far as to figure out how to open car doors, and hide the body of the smaller dog it kills at one point) and thoughtful drama, as the woman tries to find a place for herself in a world she doesn't understand.  Add in a car chase, murders, and a nasty little twist at the end, and you have an interesting, if deeply flawed variation on the Frankenstein/Alraune theme, done in a very 1970's style.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Courtesy of the same site I just watched *Embyro*, with Rock Hudson as a scientist who grows an embyro taken from a dead woman into a full grown woman (Barbara Carrera) in an artificial womb.  It was a fascinating mixture of silly melodrama (the scientist's first success is with growing a dog embryo into a super-intelligent adult dog, who goes so far as to figure out how to open car doors, and hide the body of the smaller dog it kills at one point) and thoughtful drama, as the woman tries to find a place for herself in a world she doesn't understand.  Add in a car chase, murders, and a nasty little twist at the end, and you have an interesting, if deeply flawed variation on the Frankenstein/Alraune theme, done in a very 1970's style.



You liked it a lot more than I did (I saw it on one of those Boxes O' Junk DVD sets, one of which was great, some of which was interesting, and most of which was neither) but it seems like I was vaguely groping around for anything positive in it and found some of the same weird mix you found - part of my note on _Embryo_ said, "-- Well, I'm not sure why this sucked so bad, in that they could have had a decent character and a not awful performance in the chick who was supposed to be the evil Hudsonstein's monster but... well, no, not really. Anyway, this sucked." BTW, did you detect any Roe v. Wade subtext in the movie? I don't remember what the heck I was talking about but my note says something about it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J-Sun said:


> BTW, did you detect any Roe v. Wade subtext in the movie? I don't remember what the heck I was talking about but my note says something about it.


 
Although there is nothing openly about abortion in the film, it's impossible to watch it without thinking about it.  Given that the basic premise is the removal of a very young embyro from a female (canine or human!) and raising it to full adulthood in an artificial womb, one cannot help but think about this debate.  Add in the rather goofy sub-plot that the only way that the Alraune character can keep herself from prematurely ageing is to remove a five-to-six month old fetus from a pregnant woman and inject herself with its pituitary hormone, and you certainly raise some uncomfortable issues.

The weird thing about *Embryo* is that, given what I have described above, you would think it would be an utterly shocking movie.  And yet, if anything, its exploitative elements are far more dreary than its more thoughtful moments.  (Given the EVIL character of the super-intelligent Frankendog, I was expecting Victoria [they just had to use that name, didn't they?] to be portrayed as completely self-centered and sociopathic.  The fact that she is shown tormented with guilt over her need to kill to survive made that part of the story, otherwise very familiar, more interesting than it might have been.)  Take out the very brief nudity on the part of the exotically beautiful Carrera, remove the slightly more graphic scenes of the human fetus floating in its tank, and you could have a made-for-television movie.

It's a bad movie, to be sure, but I find myself thinking a lot about the ideas its raises and fails to do much with.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I actually saw *Starcrash* in a movie theater when it first came out.



May I touch the hem of your garment?


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Although there is nothing openly about abortion in the film, it's impossible to watch it without thinking about it.



Okay - thanks for the memory-refresher and confirmation that I was not completely off-base there.



> The weird thing about *Embryo* is that, given what I have described above, you would think it would be an utterly shocking movie.  And yet, if anything, its exploitative elements are far more dreary than its more thoughtful moments.  (Given the EVIL character of the super-intelligent Frankendog, I was expecting Victoria [they just had to use that name, didn't they?] to be portrayed as completely self-centered and sociopathic.  The fact that she is shown tormented with guilt over her need to kill to survive made that part of the story, otherwise very familiar, more interesting than it might have been.)  Take out the very brief nudity on the part of the exotically beautiful Carrera, remove the slightly more graphic scenes of the human fetus floating in its tank, and you could have a made-for-television movie.
> 
> It's a bad movie, to be sure, but I find myself thinking a lot about the ideas its raises and fails to do much with.



That's all interesting and does seem to mesh with my vague recollections - the question of why they seemed to be trying to make some sort of horror shocker and yet never really did and were sort of trying to say something and never really did. Also, now that you mention it, I seem to recall the same thing about expectations regarding Victoria vs. how she actually was. (And, yeah, my notes also indicate that it was no burden to look upon Ms. Carrera.)

A bad movie but not worthless in that it perplexes both of us to that extent. At least it has the virtue of being odd.


----------



## PTeppic

*Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters*
What a load of unadulterated joy! Completely irreverent, utterly anachronistic but what a load of fun. Violence, swearing, nudity, black magic, and did I mention the brain-splattering comic-book violence? Absolutely what a nursery rhyme adaptation should be! Brilliant.


----------



## j d worthington

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I also had to pay closer attention to the moody, dream-like, often visually interesting film *Messiah of Evil*, which was sort of like a combination of *Carnival of Souls*, *Let's Scare Jessica to Death*, and *Night of the Living Dead*.


 
Now, _that_ is a truly odd little film. In the end, it simply makes no damn' sense unless you approach it from a very peculiar place... yet it conjues up some of the best atmosphere of any film of its period. There was a discussion of that one a good while back in a thread on Lovecraftian cinema, of which many feel this is a good example....


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> A bad movie but not worthless in that it perplexes both of us to that extent. At least it has the virtue of being odd.



Time to introduce this thread to the Junk Monkey Hypothesis of Sturgeon's Revelation







http://anotherjunkmonkey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/its-first-of-april-hurrah-time-for-me.html


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> May I touch the hem of your garment?


 
You may be interested to know that some other movies I have paid money to see in movie theaters include:

*Laserblast*

*The Incredible Melting Man*

*Godzilla vs the Smog Monster*

*Humanoids From the Deep*

*The Shape of Things to Come*  (not the H. G. Wells classic, but an utterly awful rip-off of *Star Wars*)

Ah, the 1970's!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Wow!  I'm impressed.  That's some dedicated crap movie dues you've paid there.  
I too forked over cash money to see *Humanoids From the Deep* in the theatre.  (I suspect it was the only on on that list to get shown in UK cinemas.)  I have never seen the Shape of Things to Come.  It's been on my must-see list for a while though.


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> You may be interested to know that some other movies I have paid money to see in movie theaters include:
> 
> *Laserblast*
> 
> *The Incredible Melting Man*
> 
> *Godzilla vs the Smog Monster*
> 
> *Humanoids From the Deep*
> 
> *The Shape of Things to Come*  (not the H. G. Wells classic, but an utterly awful rip-off of *Star Wars*)
> 
> Ah, the 1970's!


 
I saw all in theater too, except _The Shape of Things to Come, _but I heard it was bad and didn't bother. It couldn't have been any worse than the _BUCK ROGERS in the 25th Century (1979)_ film, I rented it once......my jaw dropped at how awful it was.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I must warn you that *Buck Rogers*, as loathsome as it was, was a masterpiece of cinematic creativity compared to *The Shape of Things to Come*.  Here's a funny review of it, in musical form.

http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev135.html


----------



## clovis-man

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> You may be interested to know that some other movies I have paid money to see in movie theaters include:
> 
> *Laserblast*
> 
> *The Incredible Melting Man*
> 
> *Godzilla vs the Smog Monster*
> 
> *Humanoids From the Deep*
> 
> *The Shape of Things to Come*  (not the H. G. Wells classic, but an utterly awful rip-off of *Star Wars*)
> 
> Ah, the 1970's!


 
Well, MST3K did the first two. Sounds like they really missed out by not featuring the others.  I know I thought the Godzilla flick was pretty amusing all on its own. Humanoids featured a fair amount of female flesh. Could it be that Joel Hodgson & crew's sensibilities were too fragile for that one??


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

clovis-man said:


> Well, MST3K did the first two. Sounds like they really missed out by not featuring the others. I know I thought the Godzilla flick was pretty amusing all on its own. Humanoids featured a fair amount of female flesh. Could it be that Joel Hodgson & crew's sensibilities were too fragile for that one??


 
Definitely.  Unlike the other films on my list, *Humanoids From the Deep* isn't just stupid and incompetent; it's also offensive, because its rape sequences are filmed in a way which attempts to titillate the (presumably young, male, heterosexual) audience.

I know that MST3K edited out a rape scene from one of their biker movies (*Sidehackers* or something similar), so I'm sure they would do the same thing for *Humanoids From the Deep*, which would "ruin" the movie (if you see what I mean.)  (The sequence from *Sidehackers* or whatever it was being one not really important to the plot, as I understand it.)


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Time to introduce this thread to the Junk Monkey Hypothesis of Sturgeon's Revelation



An interesting hypothesis and I can't find anything in it to argue with.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> An interesting hypothesis and I can't find anything in it to argue with.



As back-handed complements go that's a cracker. 

Apologies.  I got my Humanoids mixed up.  I didn't pay money to see _Humanoids of the Deep _I paid money to see _The Humanoid _(1979/80 was a good year for Humanoid movies.)

While I'm here I just want to say the best film I know of with 'Humanoid' in the title is The Creation of the Humanoids (1962)* which, though clunkingly slow and cumbersome (whilst mercifully short) manages to be a rather smart piece of SF (for its time).  This is not surprising as it was based on a _real _SF book by a _real_ SF writer not the fever dreams of some Hollywood wannabee with a rubber suit monster outfit and no ideas.  Legend has it _The Creation of the Humanoids_ was Andy Warhol's favourite film; I can almost believe it.






*Though I haven't seen    The Aztec Mummy Against the Humanoid Robot (1958) so I can't be categorical about this.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> Time to introduce this thread to the Junk Monkey Hypothesis of Sturgeon's Revelation
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://anotherjunkmonkey.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/its-first-of-april-hurrah-time-for-me.html



I dont get that...


----------



## j d worthington

Also known as "Sturgeon's Law":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_Law

Given my experience in life, i'd have to agree with him....


----------



## FireDragon-16

My dad and I just watched *The Perks of Being A Wallflower*. What an amazing movie!

There were aspects that kept you guessing throughout, like who his 'friend' was that he was writing to, what his problems were--why he'd been in the hospital, etc.

My dad thinks it would be a good movie to show in schools as a good psychology example. The movie really shows that you can belong somewhere even if you aren't exactly 'popular'.


----------



## AE35Unit

j. d. worthington said:


> Also known as "Sturgeon's Law":
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_Law
> 
> Given my experience in life, i'd have to agree with him....



Ah now I get it! I can apply that to modern music!


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I actually saw *Starcrash* in a movie theater when it first came out.



So did I!  Wasn't there a line about something that had to happen by sunset -- or else.  Except that they were on a spaceship and where this sunset was supposed to take place was unspecified.

The last movie I saw was a second viewing of The Hobbit.  My husband and I both had the eerie experience of realizing that we didn't remember a huge part of the beginning.  We finally decided that it was because we had been so distracted by the 3D  and the 48 fps, that we were too busy looking at things and not paying enough attention to what was said.  Distracted in a good way, I should say. 

We were amazed by how much of the dialogue at Bag End was straight out of the book.  Of course there was less and less of that as the action of the story diverged from the book.  Thinking about the hug at the end still makes me cringe.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> While I'm here I just want to say the best film I know of with 'Humanoid' in the title is The Creation of the Humanoids (1962)* which, though clunkingly slow and cumbersome (whilst mercifully short) manages to be a rather smart piece of SF (for its time). This is not surprising as it was based on a _real _SF book by a _real_ SF writer not the fever dreams of some Hollywood wannabee with a rubber suit monster outfit and no ideas. Legend has it _The Creation of the Humanoids_ was Andy Warhol's favourite film; I can almost believe it.


 
This is a nifty little movie, if you are willing to accept it as pretty much a filmed stage play, given the tiny budget. It's all talk, but it's honest-to-gosh _science fiction_ talk, with some brains behind it. (By the way, I see no evidence that it's _officially_ based on _The Humanoids_ by Jack Williamson, which has quite a different plot. Of course, maybe the screenwriter was "inspired" by Williamson, since he also wrote the equally interesting atomic apocalypse movie *Panic in Year Zero!*, which most sources state is based on Ward Moore's stories "Lot" and "Lot's Daughter" without giving credit to Moore.)


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> As back-handed complements go that's a cracker.



I guess it could be but it was intended as straightforward. I guess I should have just said, "I agree". 



> While I'm here I just want to say the best film I know of with 'Humanoid' in the title is The Creation of the Humanoids (1962)* which, though clunkingly slow and cumbersome (whilst mercifully short) manages to be a rather smart piece of SF (for its time).  This is not surprising as it was based on a _real _SF book by a _real_ SF writer not the fever dreams of some Hollywood wannabee with a rubber suit monster outfit and no ideas.  Legend has it _The Creation of the Humanoids_ was Andy Warhol's favourite film; I can almost believe it.



Thanks for pointing that out - I didn't know it even existed. I wonder how many other famous SF works have made it to film that I don't even know about. All I know is that there seem to be several but I tend to avoid them after discovering an "adaptation" of "Nightfall" unless someone else discovers them for me and hasn't run screaming.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Not sure what I did wrong back there but here are those links I posted earlier fixed:

The Creation of the Humanoids

The Aztec Mummy Against the Humanoid Robot



			
				Victoria Silverwolf said:
			
		

> This is a nifty little movie, if you are willing to accept it as pretty  much a filmed stage play, given the tiny budget. It's all talk, but it's  honest-to-gosh _science fiction_ talk, with some brains behind it. (By the way, I see no evidence that it's _officially_ based on _The Humanoids_  by Jack Williamson, which has quite a different plot. Of course, maybe  the screenwriter was "inspired" by Williamson, since he also wrote the  equally interesting atomic apocalypse movie *Panic in Year Zero!*, which most sources state is based on Ward Moore's stories "Lot" and "Lot's Daughter" without giving credit to Moore.)



He also wrote _The Killer Shrews_ but let's not mention that...

I feel a new thread coming on...  'SF Films of the 50s and 60s which are actually good SF!'.  I have a suspicion (curmudgeonly old bugger that I am) that most kids (i.e. anyone under 30) see SF films made in the days before mass CGI as fit only for MST3K type derision.  And while this is to a greater extent true, there is some good stuff out there buried beneath the mountain of _Giant Gila Monsters, Killer Shrews, Face Melting Bimbos from Mars _etc.


----------



## AE35Unit

JM I left a reply on your blog last night but for the life of me I cant remember which post. Something about trifle....


----------



## EricWard

*The Committee (1968)*. A weird little psychedelic short film. Astoundingly creepy and unnerving. And it had Arthur Brown and music by Pink Floyd!


----------



## EricWard

In the same vein as above, just watched The Monkees' movie, *Head (1968)*, today. Terrific, insane movie about the Monkees killing off their manufactured image by breaking the fourth wall and questioning whether they have free will or are controlled by the director. Complete opposite of the tv show. Plus, co-written by then-unknown Jack Nicholson.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

EricWard said:


> In the same vein as above, just watched The Monkees' movie, *Head (1968)*, today. Terrific, insane movie about the Monkees killing off their manufactured image by breaking the fourth wall and questioning whether they have free will or are controlled by the director. Complete opposite of the tv show. Plus, co-written by then-unknown Jack Nicholson.


 
Yeah, that one is a real mind-blower.  I can imagine teenyboppers who loved the TV show freaking out when they saw the feature film of their heartthrobs.

The movie is so darned weird that it was rated "R" at first; then, without any changes being made at all, it was rated "G"."  [The "R" was probably because of the use of the infamous bit of real-life footage which shows a Vietnamese prisoner being shot in the head; one of the most notorious images of the war.]


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another place to watch (or half-watch, for those less engaging movies) old public domain horror and science fiction films:

http://fullhorror.com/

I just watched *The Devil's Hand* (1962), an odd little low-budget chiller from 1962.  It deals with a modern-day cult which worships an "demon god" in a weird mixture of voodoo (dolls that look like the members of the cult) and devil-worship.  It's kind of like a not-very-good version of the Val Lewton classic *The Seventh Victim*, with its neatly dressed, very civilized cultists.  Cut down from 70 minutes to something less than an hour, it might have made a so-so episode of an old TV show like _Thriller_.


----------



## Starbeast

EricWard said:


> In the same vein as above, just watched The Monkees' movie, *Head (1968)*, today. Terrific, insane movie about the Monkees killing off their manufactured image by breaking the fourth wall and questioning whether they have free will or are controlled by the director. Complete opposite of the tv show. Plus, co-written by then-unknown Jack Nicholson.


 
Great review EricWard. I'm a tremendous fan of the Monkees, and I think that film is spectacular!

"Atta-boy Mike."


*Latcho Drom* (1993)

Magnificant and beautiful film, filled with many forms of Gypsy music. I was surprised at the little dialogue and awesome music. I thanked a friend for showing me this movie.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> the Val Lewton classic *The Seventh Victim*



Have you seen the original _Cat People_ and/or _The Curse of the Cat People_ and, if so, what did you think? I finally tracked them down and saw them not too long ago. The first is a bizarre piece that looks positively ordinary compared to the weirdness of the "sequel" - which has little relation to the first. I'm kind of curious about where these stand in relation to the Lewton canon. I'm halfway interested in more and halfway want to get very far away.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Melancholia*.  I had it on my Kindle watchlist for a while, and finally watched it.  There were some striking images, but overall I wasn't impressed.  I could relate to the part about Justine's depression (a little too realistic to be comfortable).  The second half, more to be taken as a metaphor than as science fiction -- because if it was SF, it would be bad SF -- about the planet threatening to crash into and crush the earth, seemed to belong to another movie entirely.  I suppose on a thematic level it all fit together, but as a story, no.


----------



## j d worthington

J-Sun said:


> Have you seen the original _Cat People_ and/or _The Curse of the Cat People_ and, if so, what did you think? I finally tracked them down and saw them not too long ago. The first is a bizarre piece that looks positively ordinary compared to the weirdness of the "sequel" - which has little relation to the first. I'm kind of curious about where these stand in relation to the Lewton canon. I'm halfway interested in more and halfway want to get very far away.


 
If you don't mind my inserting a comment... the latter is quite a different sort of thing from the rest of the canon, including *Cat People*. While certainly having elements of the suspense/weird film, it is more an exploration of the world of the gifted, imaginative child... and a darned good one, too. I understand it has been used at times to help workers in different fields get an insight into such children, so they can approach them more sympatheically....


----------



## J-Sun

j. d. worthington said:


> If you don't mind my inserting a comment... the latter is quite a different sort of thing from the rest of the canon, including *Cat People*. While certainly having elements of the suspense/weird film, it is more an exploration of the world of the gifted, imaginative child... and a darned good one, too. I understand it has been used at times to help workers in different fields get an insight into such children, so they can approach them more sympatheically....



Not at all. Some of the DVD commentary (I think I only heard part of that) points out how Lewton managed to work common items into the movies he was involved in, including psychological/biographical but there is indeed quite a bit of difference in the two films - and I guess it's safe to say that not all his films are sui generis and the "standard" type more closely corresponds to the first movie. So I guess that makes him a little less interesting to investigate further but probably safer.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> Have you seen the original _Cat People_ and/or _The Curse of the Cat People_ and, if so, what did you think? I finally tracked them down and saw them not too long ago. The first is a bizarre piece that looks positively ordinary compared to the weirdness of the "sequel" - which has little relation to the first. I'm kind of curious about where these stand in relation to the Lewton canon. I'm halfway interested in more and halfway want to get very far away.



Many years since I saw _Cat People_ but I remember it chiefly for the superb way it keeps everything in the shadows.  The shot of the girl in the underground swimming pool as _something_ moves about off screen and out of her sight is beautiful film making and as for the moment when the bus arrives...  genius.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Killing Fields*

Been about 20 years but it still gets to me! Makes me angry and sad that this s**t went on, and stuff like it STILL goes on!


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Many years since I saw _Cat People_ but I remember it chiefly for the superb way it keeps everything in the shadows.  The shot of the girl in the underground swimming pool as _something_ moves about off screen and out of her sight is beautiful film making and as for the moment when the bus arrives...  genius.



Yeah, this is true - it does look good and have some nice touches.

In talking about this, I've forgotten to mention what I've actually been watching despite having finally watched a few movies recently. Sort of going through my VHS' to see if I want to get any of them on DVD so I can just be obsolete once instead of twice over. My VCR is a zillion years old and I don't know if you can even buy them any more. Anyway -

_*Planet of the Apes*_ (1968) - I get why this was a Big Film and it has many excellent aspects but I just can't warm to it too much. And has anyone ever explained 



Spoiler



(hah, spoiler tags - like even the movie's critical last scene hasn't been spoiled for everyone) how the apes evolved in a couple of thousand years and speak and write English - and, given that, how the latter doesn't tip anyone off about anything. I guess the first can be put down to "radiation" handwavium but, c'mon. I mean, I know it's primarily a satire and Dire Warning but this bugs me anyway


.

_*Notorious*_ (1946) - I love this movie - ironically for a twisty suspense flick, it worked even better for me the second time. I love this plot and the final scenes are some of the best of any film and there are really good performances and... ah, just a fantastic flick.

_*WarGames*_ (1983) - the more they go for, the less they get, especially at the end but, for much of this film, it's strangely compelling and, for a movie, while it's stupid about computers and gets stupider, it actually conveys the idea much better than most films. Not great and certainly "worse" than _Planet of the Apes_ in most ways, (and both go out on a limb to say nuclear war is bad) but it actually appeals to me more.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> Sort of going through my VHS' to see if I want to get any of them on DVD so I can just be obsolete once instead of twice over. My VCR is a zillion years old and I don't know if you can even buy them any more. Anyway



I'm not sure if you can but there will be a die-hard cadre of enthusiasts out there hand-whittling components.  I'm not one but I currently have three VHS machines (and a couple of Betamax up in the loft) I just have so much stuff on VHS that has never been released on DVD and is so awful it probably never will be (e.g. the utterly dreadful _Demonwarp -_ mind you, if the _Creeping Terror _can make it onto disc...).  And there's all the ancient episodes of TV shows which will never be repeated.  And some films are just BETTER on HVS.  I've said this before (and I wasn't the first to say it) but Cronenberg's _Videodrome_ watched on VHS is far ickier than on any sparkly clean disc format.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *Argo*, pretty good film actually. Not sure if it is the 'best film' of the last year but certainly a good film, well worth a watch if just for the 70's hairstyles (technically 1980)


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I'm not sure if you can but there will be a die-hard cadre of enthusiasts out there hand-whittling components.  I'm not one but I currently have three VHS machines (and a couple of Betamax up in the loft) I just have so much stuff on VHS that has never been released on DVD and is so awful it probably never will be (e.g. the utterly dreadful _Demonwarp -_ mind you, if the _Creeping Terror _can make it onto disc...).  And there's all the ancient episodes of TV shows which will never be repeated.  And some films are just BETTER on HVS.  I've said this before (and I wasn't the first to say it) but Cronenberg's _Videodrome_ watched on VHS is far ickier than on any sparkly clean disc format.



I hadn't thought of that - I'm pretty sure most everything I've got must have made it to DVD but that's not true for a lot of folks, so that may help keep the VCR alive. I haven't actually seen _Videodrome_ though I'm aware of it, of course - the only thing I can think of that I thought was worse on DVD was _Lost Highway_ because I accidentally bought the pan'n'scan version and that and the transfer just looks awful compared to my widescreen VHS. But that's the opposite case of the grainier, more analog version working better in itself. But I think I get what you mean. It's not quite like CD vs. vinyl but sort of.

On the other hand, speaking of CD - while there are a dozen or two items that I can't really afford on CD I only know of one thing that didn't make it to CD at all and I just transferred it (a tape rather than an lp, alas) to flac. I'd have no idea how to do it for a VHS but I wouldn't doubt you could digitize VHS, too, which might hurt the survival prospects of VCRs. Who knows? But the first generation physical item digital stuff is the Final Format for me.

(Haven't re-watched a movie since _WarGames_, so nothing to report there.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J-Sun said:


> Have you seen the original _Cat People_ and/or _The Curse of the Cat People_ and, if so, what did you think? I finally tracked them down and saw them not too long ago. The first is a bizarre piece that looks positively ordinary compared to the weirdness of the "sequel" - which has little relation to the first. I'm kind of curious about where these stand in relation to the Lewton canon. I'm halfway interested in more and halfway want to get very far away.


 
I am crazy mad head over heels in love with all the Val Lewton horror/suspense/fantasy classics, so I can hardly offer an objective opinion.  I can only agree that the "sequel" is a unique film, unlike anything else I've ever seen.

These two stand at the top of the "canon" in most estimations of which I am aware, along with *I Walked With a Zombie* and *The Leopard Man* (a murder story done in a horror film style) and *The Seventh Victim*.  Not too much further down the list would be *Bedlam* and *The Body Snatcher*, with *Isle of the Dead* perhaps just a bit lower.  *The Ghost Ship* is rarely seen, but I think it's great.  As with some other films on the list, it's straight suspense, but done in the style of a horror film.

Of the films he made with RKO, I have not seen his historical drama *Mademoiselle Fifi*.  His "teenagers in trouble" film *Youth Runs Wild* is pretty bad.  The story goes that it was badly cut by the studio.  I have not seen the later films he made for other studios.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I remember quite liking the only western he produced, Apache Drums, - right until the last couple of moments when it just fell flat.  But still worth looking out.


----------



## Connavar

*The Third Man*

This film noir classic deserves fully its reputation.  I found it to be a strong story full of shady characters you couldnt trust.   Orson Welles in small but impressive amoral role. The female lead being played so cool,calm by Alida Vali was the best actor work in the film.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I am crazy mad head over heels in love with all the Val Lewton horror/suspense/fantasy classics, so I can hardly offer an objective opinion.  I can only agree that the "sequel" is a unique film, unlike anything else I've ever seen.
> 
> These two stand at the top of the "canon" in most estimations of which I am aware, along with *I Walked With a Zombie* and *The Leopard Man* (a murder story done in a horror film style) and *The Seventh Victim*.  Not too much further down the list would be *Bedlam* and *The Body Snatcher*, with *Isle of the Dead* perhaps just a bit lower.  *The Ghost Ship* is rarely seen, but I think it's great.  As with some other films on the list, it's straight suspense, but done in the style of a horror film.
> 
> Of the films he made with RKO, I have not seen his historical drama *Mademoiselle Fifi*.  His "teenagers in trouble" film *Youth Runs Wild* is pretty bad.  The story goes that it was badly cut by the studio.  I have not seen the later films he made for other studios.



Thanks for all that - interesting. I didn't know he'd made non-suspense/horror and probably wouldn't head that far out, but thanks for the discussion of the core movies. I'll keep an eye out for them, especially the first three and _Ghost Ship_ and see how it goes.



Connavar said:


> *The Third Man*
> 
> This film noir classic deserves fully its reputation.  I found it to be a strong story full of shady characters you couldnt trust.   Orson Welles in small but impressive amoral role. The female lead being played so cool,calm by Alida Vali was the best actor work in the film.



If that's the cuckoo clock speech movie, I didn't quite love it, but it was pretty good. The filming was "shady" in the black-and-white "chiaroscuro" sense or whatever it's called, with neat angles and perspectives and, yeah, great performances of shady characters, too.


----------



## Connavar

J-Sun said:


> Thanks for all that - interesting. I didn't know he'd made non-suspense/horror and probably wouldn't head that far out, but thanks for the discussion of the core movies. I'll keep an eye out for them, especially the first three and _Ghost Ship_ and see how it goes.
> 
> 
> 
> If that's the cuckoo clock speech movie, I didn't quite love it, but it was pretty good. The filming was "shady" in the black-and-white "chiaroscuro" sense or whatever it's called, with neat angles and perspectives and, yeah, great performances of shady characters, too.



I liked how Orson Welles character was justifying his amoral ways with how he makes money.  The cuckoo clock speech was a good one.  Historical evidence in general wouldnt agree with him.  Greatest art,culture in many history periods was around the peace time and when a conqueror came art,culture was forgotten for survival.


----------



## J-Sun

Connavar said:


> I liked how Orson Welles character was justifying his amoral ways with how he makes money.  The cuckoo clock speech was a good one.  Historical evidence in general wouldnt agree with him.  Greatest art,culture in many history periods was around the peace time and when a conqueror came art,culture was forgotten for survival.



Yeah, that's a case where the aesthetics of the speech justify the inaccuracy and, really, why should the Welles character - given his nature - be telling the truth anyway?  He's just making up a point.


----------



## alchemist

I just watched *Skyline* on TV. It may be the worst Sc-Fi film I have ever seen.


----------



## Connavar

J-Sun said:


> Yeah, that's a case where the aesthetics of the speech justify the inaccuracy and, really, why should the Welles character - given his nature - be telling the truth anyway?  He's just making up a point.




He had a point by choosing the Swiss because thats not famous for its art, culture history.   Also Italian city states was small time and not big lands.  Compare that to Alexandria, Bagdad historical libaries being burned by their new conquerers of their empires.  

Yeah it fit his nature to lie with how he used history.


----------



## AE35Unit

alchemist said:


> I just watched *Skyline* on TV. It may be the worst Sc-Fi film I have ever seen.



Seen better but seen far worse!


----------



## Rodders

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World.

I really enjoyed it, Steve Carell was as enjoyable as ever, but I wonder if he's being typecast now. Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## monsterchic

Warm Bodies.

I was a little nervous for a zombie movie, but it was really cute!  Storyline progressed a little quickly, but oh well.


----------



## FireDragon-16

I watched the original *Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *over the weekend. I thought it was great, granted, it was a little difficult for me to follow since I needed to watch the subtitles and if I had to look away for even a second, I could have missed something but it was still great. It was slightly dark, but that's too be expected I guess. I really hated Lisbeth's guardian, he was a total jerk. I thought it was great that she got her revenge the way she did. At least know he won't go after anyone else that he's got guardianship over.


----------



## Starbeast

FireDragon-16 said:


> I watched the original *Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *over the weekend. I thought it was great


 
I saw the remake with Daniel Craig, it was shocking, but an excellent movie. I want to see the original. Thanks for the review.


*The Tall Man* (2012)

A thought provoking and freaky film that kept me in suspense! A fantastic discovery, and gem of a movie.

*Parasitic* (2012)

A horribly bad trash film! If the pace of the movie doesn't kill you, the dialogue will. I had to speed through it to survive. AVOID THIS JUNK!


----------



## FireDragon-16

Starbeast said:


> I saw the remake with Daniel Craig, it was shocking, but an excellent movie. I want to see the original. Thanks for the review.



I want to see the remake as well. I've heard that they're both very good and very intense but that they are intense in different ways. Either way, from what I've seen and read, both are good movies.


----------



## clovis-man

FireDragon-16 said:


> I want to see the remake as well. I've heard that they're both very good and very intense but that they are intense in different ways. Either way, from what I've seen and read, both are good movies.


 
I've now seen all three of the Swedish films of the trilogy, after first having read the books. I have to say that the first was great, the second something of a snooze and the third was actually an improvement on the book, having left out some superfluous material.


----------



## FireDragon-16

clovis-man said:


> I've now seen all three of the Swedish films of the trilogy, after first having read the books. I have to say that the first was great, the second something of a snooze and the third was actually an improvement on the book, having left out some superfluous material.



Interesting. I'll have to check them out next chance I get.


----------



## subtletylost

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
That Disney, how dare you not kill people in that movie. That was the whole plot of the book, killing & love, then rejection and murder. That's most of it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Courtesy of TCM:

*Made in USA* -- one of Jean-Luc Godard's "new wave" films of the 1960's.  Like other films of that kind, it doesn't really have a plot or make a lot of sense.  Suffice to say that a young woman tries to find out who killed somebody, meets various people, kills some people and gets beaten up, etc.  It appears to be Godard's love letter to American crime films, filmed in extremely bright comic book/pop art colors, and with a strong dash of cynical leftish politics stirred into the mix.

Courtesy of Fullhorror.com:

*The Yesterday Machine* -- Grade Z low-budget time travel flick from the early 1960's.  Lots of talk, eventually leading up to the secret laboratory of a Nazi scientist who plans to bring back the Third Reich.  Nothing like this comes close to happening, and his time travel experiments seem to consist entirely of bringing two Civil War soldiers and one ancient Egyptian woman to the present, and sending the hero and heroine to 1789 briefly.  The nutty scientist spends a full seven minutes of screen time (about ten percent of the movie) explaining how his machine works, using a chalkboard.  Pure nonsense of the most amusing kind.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Night Tide* (1961)  with Dennis Hopper.  A lonely sailor falls in love with a girl who plays a mermaid in a sideshow attraction at Santa Monica pier.  There are rumors that her last two boyfriends died and were washed in by the tide.  Is she one of the ancient sea people, a siren luring her lovers to their deaths, or is it all a delusion?

I understand that this is a cult classic, but I'm not sure why, since I thought the script was clumsy and the acting even worse. 

I did enjoy shots of Venice (CA) and Santa Monica where I lived as a teenager.  They managed to give the pier and the old houses down by the beach a spooky atmosphere.  I always used to feel there was something weird and magical about those houses, but I could never put my finger on it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I quite liked *Night Tide*, which reminded me of the old Val Lewton chillers.  The ending isn't very good, to be sure, but I found it moody and stylish.

On another level entirely, I watched a couple of made-for-TV monster flicks from the 1970's, courtesy of fullhorror.com (which also offers the curious a place to see *Night Tide*, by the way.)

*Moon of the Wolf* was a werewolf story done in the style of a murder mystery, and *Snowbeast* was a Bigfoot story done in the style of *Jaws*.  Both were so-so timewasters.  Nice location shooting (the bayous and small towns of Louisiana for the werewolf, the snowy mountains of Colorado for the Bigfoot) made up for pretty bad monster makeup, fortunately only briefly seen.  The cast in both movies was made up of reliable character actors, and there was nothing really stupid in either story, although there was nothing terribly original in them.  I found both mildly entertaining.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *Solomon Kane* and so far my dog is absolutely engrossed. Must be the accents.


----------



## J-Sun

_*War of the Worlds*_, which will continue to reside in VHS until I eventually do without. I feel funny about movies like this. The Martian machines are indeed iconic and I can completely get how this would have been huge at the time and the "trapped in the house" scene was effective (in terms of the creepiness of the Martians outside vs. say, the woman's overacting and - scene spoiler - 



Spoiler



the fact that a zillion soldiers with every bit of armament the military possesses can't scratch the Martians and have all just died while a tired and hysterical man and woman armed with a stick kill or wound two Martians and escape


) as was the general apocalypse as the movie went on but - usual SF movie complaints - the dialogue was stupid, the actors untalented and - worse - unappealing, and aspects of the plot (including the aforementioned good-in-isolation house scene) were silly and Pal's usual overzealous religiosity gets slathered on so thick here as to be distracting. To me, movies like _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ do so much more with so much less.

So it's a "classic" movie with good points that everybody probably ought to see at least once but it's also very flawed and not my favorite.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I'd agree about *War of the Worlds*.  Many of George Pal's SF/fantasy films are duller than they should be.  The notable exceptions, in my opinion, would be *The Time Machine* and *7 Faces of Dr. Lao*.  *Destination Moon* has a sort of charm about it, and I liked *Doc Savage:  The Man of Bronze* more than it deserved, really, but *When Worlds Collide*, *Atlantis, the Lost Continent*, and *The Power* left me cold.


----------



## Christopher Lee

I saw *Oz The Great and Powerful* last night in Imax 3D and I was pleasantly surprised.  It was much better than I expected.  A little rushed, but impressive.  It was clearly intended for a younger audience than myself, but my girlfriend wanted to see it so bad that I couldn't resist her.

I was happy to see that they stuck to the original story of Oz not being magical at all, just an engineer of sorts.  For a younger audience it was great, and I found it enjoyable as well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> _*War of the Worlds*_, which will continue to reside in VHS until I eventually do without. I feel funny about movies like this. The Martian machines are indeed iconic and I can completely get how this would have been huge at the time and the "trapped in the house" scene was effective (in terms of the creepiness of the Martians outside vs. say, the woman's overacting and - scene spoiler -
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> the fact that a zillion soldiers with every bit of armament the military possesses can't scratch the Martians and have all just died while a tired and hysterical man and woman armed with a stick kill or wound two Martians and escape
> 
> 
> ) as was the general apocalypse as the movie went on but - usual SF movie complaints - the dialogue was stupid, the actors untalented and - worse - unappealing, and aspects of the plot (including the aforementioned good-in-isolation house scene) were silly and Pal's usual overzealous religiosity gets slathered on so thick here as to be distracting. To me, movies like _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ do so much more with so much less.
> 
> So it's a "classic" movie with good points that everybody probably ought to see at least once but it's also very flawed and not my favorite.



Oh J-Sun.  You are missing out.  I've watched this a couple of times over the last couple of years, once on VHS and then on DVD.  The DVD transfer was beautiful.  The colour was just gorgeous.  Yes the religiosity at the end is a bit much but it is there in the book.  
What surprised me most watching it recently were the the scenes where the mob take  the scientists'  vehicles, and wreck their chances of finding a weapon to defeat the  seeming invincible Martians.  This must have been a real shock at the time.   The conventions of the day would have had our heroes pulling a plot  device out of the hat at the last moment ("It's crazy - but it might  just work!") and saving the day but here, just at the point where you  would expect this to start taking place, mobs of frantic selfish people spill  out all over the screen and rip that hope away from the audience.  Must  have been much more disturbing to the well-ordered, conformist America  of the Eisenhower years than it is today.

Last Night I watched a battered VHS copy of *Shaolin Ninja* (or _Flying Blade Vs Ninja_ as it was called on the opening credits) 90+ minutes of Chinese and Japanese guys walloping seven kinds of **** out of each other (literally, at one point) for reasons which I didn't understand and, despite lots of "Ah! So you are my father - I must kill you!" dialogue at the end culminating in a sword vs wheelchair vs flying moon goddess lady fist fight, I was still none the wiser at the end.

Best underwater Ninja attack sequence I have ever seen though.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I'd agree about *War of the Worlds*.  Many of George Pal's SF/fantasy films are duller than they should be.  The notable exceptions, in my opinion, would be *The Time Machine* and *7 Faces of Dr. Lao*.  *Destination Moon* has a sort of charm about it, and I liked *Doc Savage:  The Man of Bronze* more than it deserved, really, but *When Worlds Collide*, *Atlantis, the Lost Continent*, and *The Power* left me cold.



You've seen more than I have - I'm sure I must have seen _The Time Machine_ but sure don't recall it well enough if I have. All I can say is that I agree with you where I've seen them - I didn't like _When Worlds Collide_, either, but did like _Destination Moon_. _Moon_ is certainly not great cinema from a lot of angles but it has its points and I really enjoy it anyway. "Duller than they should be" is a good phrase and applies to the two I don't care for and "sort of charm" is probably a good one for _DM_, too. 



JunkMonkey said:


> Oh J-Sun.  You are missing out.  I've watched this a couple of times over the last couple of years, once on VHS and then on DVD.  The DVD transfer was beautiful.  The colour was just gorgeous.  Yes the religiosity at the end is a bit much but it is there in the book.



Hm, don't recall it in the book but I definitely have random access memory. It's good that the transfer looks good but I'd have to like the movie more in the first place. 



> What surprised me most watching it recently were the the scenes where the mob take  the scientists'  vehicles, and wreck their chances of finding a weapon to defeat the  seeming invincible Martians.  This must have been a real shock at the time.   The conventions of the day would have had our heroes pulling a plot  device out of the hat at the last moment ("It's crazy - but it might  just work!") and saving the day but here, just at the point where you  would expect this to start taking place, mobs of frantic selfish people spill  out all over the screen and rip that hope away from the audience.  Must  have been much more disturbing to the well-ordered, conformist America  of the Eisenhower years than it is today.



Interesting point about the crowd and the times but I figure that was there to depict the fallen state of man.  I was similarly struck by how the main scientist character was initially bespectacled but wasn't portrayed as mad or as an egghead, yet did "know stuff" and the townsfolk, including Uncle Preacher, liked and respected him. These days or in most others there might be a science vs. religion debate or "ignorant bumpkin" townsfolk ready to run him out of town and, certainly these days, the scientist would be something bad and/or useless. (The mob scene does portray science as helpless before the animal passions eventually but it isn't set up in a simple, expected way. It'd probably be reading too much into it to talk about theme in that way - it's more just a depiction of what could well happen and, like you say, could have a heck of an effect on the audience.)


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> _*War of the Worlds*_, which will continue to reside in VHS until I eventually do without. I feel funny about movies like this. The Martian machines are indeed iconic and I can completely get how this would have been huge at the time......


 
You had to be there. As one of those few on this forum who saw it in the theater when it was first released, I have to say that the impact on me was immense. At all of 10 years old, I sat through two consecutive showings (you could do that in 1953). Even today, I find it watchable and, thankfully, there were no Tom Cruise moments.

The DVD I have includes an interview with the daughter of the man who created the Martian costume. Her description of the "technical" difficulties is priceless. There is just no meaningful way to compare SF movies of this vintage with current day fare.


----------



## J-Sun

clovis-man said:


> You had to be there. As one of those few on this forum who saw it in the theater when it was first released, I have to say that the impact on me was immense. At all of 10 years old, I sat through two consecutive showings (you could do that in 1953).



Yeah, somewhere in there - maybe when the Martian gizmos rise up and start blasting everything - I was thinking to myself how I would probably have just been swept up in it at the time. I mean, if I could have seen it in 1953 at any age or seen it any time at age 10, I think it'd work either way.

(As far as sitting through another showing, you could do it even later than that, as I've done it - not sure when it stopped though.)

As far as the last movie I saw, it was a re-watching of _*Rebel Without a Cause*_. That's a deeply bent movie. I love how we hoodlums put on our ties and guzzle some milk before we go out and crash stolen cars and shoot at some cops! But, despite the manly nuclear family propaganda[1], it's a truly compelling film with some great stuff in it and, again, it's easy to see how it would have had a tremendous impact at the time. (Not that it needs the temporal angle as a reason to see it, but just to help explain some of the weirder weirdness.)

Before that was another viewing of _*Gattaca*_ - how'd they ever get this movie made? You can't sell Jerome Morrow action figures or any other toys or do any merchandising at all!  I find some of the sort of naive romanticism  (little genetically deficient engine that could) offputting - also the fact that it only finds about half of its dystopia dystopian. And a lot of it has to be taken as very symbolic - especially the ending - but it's a good flick with something to say and has an interesting look'n'feel. But as a sort of dystopian thriller it's not the kind of thing I feel like watching a lot.

Both recommended, though, even if neither are exactly perfect.

[1] Spoiler: 



Spoiler



It really does have some strange messages. "Smack your uppity wife if you don't want to end up with a puppy-killing crazy dead kid who has mismatched socks!"


----------



## Harpo

feels like a two hour epic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrVoJgQ7u8w


----------



## JunkMonkey

Harpo said:


> feels like a two hour epic:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrVoJgQ7u8w



Thank you for that.  It was...  erm...


----------



## Starbeast

*Life of Pi* (2012)

Incredible movie about a shipwreck survivor who talks about his dramatic experiances. Sad, but involving tale, filmed with the help of amazing CGI.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Laughing Boy* (1934) -- simplified movie version of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Oliver La Farge (who had a handful of SF/F stories published in the genre magazines, by the way.)  It deals with the romance between a young Navaho man and a young Navaho woman who has been corrupted by the white man's ways.  Mexican-born actors Ramon Navarro (star of the silent *Ben-Hur*) and Lupe Velez ("the Mexican Spitfire," star of a series of comedies, dead from suicide at age 36) play the lead roles.  It's about as sentimental and patronizing of its Native American characters as you'd expect.  Notable mostly for its "pre-code" content; it's made pretty clear that Velez earns her living as a white man's mistress, even while she's married to the Navaho.  Of historic interest only.


----------



## Rodders

The Amazing Burt Wonderstone. It was ok, quite funny actually.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Finding Nemo*. I had a sick little girl who loves marine animals, and that's what she wanted to watch. Gotta love Dory.


----------



## Boaz

Lady, as always, your lightest touch commands respect. Thanks for being a loving mother. 

*Argo*.

First, I can see why it won Best Picture. That was Hollywood congratulating itself on being awesome. It's like me awarding myself Best Poster of the Year for my witty responses, my humorous anecdotes, and shameless self promotion.

Second, Tony Mendez, Ken Taylor, Pat Taylor, and everyone involved in rescuing those six people are deserving of our respect and awards.

Third, historically inspired stories like _Argo_ and _Valkyrie_ have to condense so many dialogues and actions into a small number of scenes that they feel like documentaries instead of stories. I like documentaries for facts. I like movies for stories. And _Argo_ was not quite either one. I appreciate what they tried to do, but it did not satisfy my desire for a story nor my desire to know the real facts.

Finally, the epilogue bothered me. The closing sentences and voiceover dealt with the embassy hostages and left the impression that President Carter successfully ended the hostage crisis. Of the sixty-six men and women, thirteen hostages were released within two or three weeks of the violation of the embassy and one more was released about seven months later, but fifty-two people were hostages for four hundred and forty-four days. 

So... why was a deal done? Why were they released early on January 20, 1981? Because a new U.S. President was being inaugurated later that day and the Iranians felt he would not be as easy to manipulate. President Carter unfroze Iranian assets and gave guarantees of no reprisals against Iran in return for the fifty-two U.S. citizens.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Thanks Boaz, always nice to hear.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Specter of the Rose*, written and directed by Ben Hecht.  Almost amazing at times, and the rest of the time amazingly bad.


----------



## Foxbat

*Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (part 1)*
Quite simply, the best animated Batman movie I have _ever _seen.  

Happily for me, I have just acquired part 2 which I will be watching ASAP.


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Trance* at the cinema today, New *Danny Boyle* film starring *James McAvoy* and *Vincent Cassell*, not bad, but after the film the more Sonia and I discussed it the worse it became. The story starts well with a decent heist, but then kind of falls in on itself with a whole twisting plot based around hypnosis. I think the plot suffers from being todl this way and once to start to think about what happened and why it shows up that is has more holes than Blackburn Lancashire.

Also, just watched *Friday the 13th*, the original film from 1980 with* Kevin Bacon*. Never knew it was so bad, a cheap film that has undeniably changed the face of horror, but I was not impressed, the only thing going for it were the effects. Terrible acting and terrible plot, but had to watch it.

Watched *Everlasting Moments* recently, a swedish (I think, definitely Scandinavian) film about a woman who gets a camera and takes pictures, but more about her bad husband and their struggling family. A very good film and well worth a watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Moonbat said:


> Also, just watched *Friday the 13th*, the original film from 1980 with* Kevin Bacon*. Never knew it was so bad, a cheap film that has undeniably changed the face of horror, but I was not impressed, the only thing going for it were the effects. Terrible acting and terrible plot, but had to watch it.


 
Idiotic, repulsive film, which turned me off modern horror films.  (And if all you want is gore, you can go back to the equally disgusting and moronic *Blood Feast* from way back in 1963, the original splatter film.)  Utterly worthless.


----------



## steve12553

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Idiotic, repulsive film, which turned me off modern horror films.  (And if all you want is gore, you can go back to the equally disgusting and moronic *Blood Feast* from way back in 1963, the original splatter film.)  Utterly worthless.


 
Friday the 13th set the formula for many coopies and sequels and sequels of copies and out of the bunch only the John Carpenter *Halloween* showed up as any good. I did see *Blood Feast* many years ago and I agree it was worthless. Definitely the most incredible poor specials effects.


----------



## Foxbat

*Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (part 2)*

Simply superb


----------



## Starbeast

*Stephen King's Thinner* (1996)

Excellent movie I watched last night. Even though I didn't read the story, I was still entertained by the film. I also smiled when I saw Mr King in the movie.

*Big Fat Liar* (2002)

At a friend's house, my friend's children were watching this movie while the parents were busy, so I sat through this "kid flick". It was an excruciating experiance, I disliked all the characters, the dialogue and especially the plot. I had to close my eyes and daydream to survive this horrible film. And I'm a fan of some "kid flicks" but ths one....was hell to sit through.

*Cool Dog* (2010)

A very pleasent family film (which I recommend) about a smart and talented German Shepard named, Rainy. It was funny, surreal, cute, cartoon-like and heart-grabbing. I loved it. Even though this film had a very low budget, it still shined brightly.


----------



## dask

Just watched THE RETURN OF THE INVISIBLE MAN with Vincent Price on Sevngoolie. Pretty good. The guy who played Alfred on the 60s tv show Batman did a great job. Did he hang? The lights went out with the real killer escaping out the door. Not sure what happened.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Kite Runner* A moving and thought provoking tale of friendship and redemption in Afghanistan. Definitely worth watching.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader*. This is the first time I've seen it since I saw it at the cinema. I actually own the DVD but it's still in its plastic wrapping.

Crappy, crappy film saved only by Will Poulter. I hate Aslan so much I want to punch his stupid smug face every time he's on screen. Ben Barnes looks like he can't really be arsed but it's ok, he's so flaming pretty I'm not paying too much attention to anything else going on anyway.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> I hate Aslan so much I want to punch his stupid smug face every time he's on screen.



I wanted to punch him every time he appeared in the books.

My kids are currently watching _Star Wars ll_. I couldn't face it  again (particularly Hayden Watsits sleepwalking acting).  Over the last two nights I have fallen asleep while watching the vastly underachieving _Saturn 3_ and post-apocalyptic mullet classic _Steel Dawn _(well, it's a classic in the field of post-apocalyptic mullet movies).


----------



## Mouse

Ha! If I'd read the books I'm sure I'd have felt the same.


----------



## Glitch

Watched *Hunger Games* today. It's ok as a film. I've not read the book, so can't compare the stories. 

Didn't quite have the ending I was expecting. Won't say more incase others haven't seen/read it.


----------



## Starbeast

String of movies I watched on temporary free movie channels.

*Outland* (1981) - Sean Connery is always a treat for me to watch, as he plays a space marshall trying to stop a drug running operation at a mining facility on planet Jupiter's moon, Io.

*From Dusk To Dawn* (1996) - A violent & gory action/horror flick about two desperate criminals taking hostages and hiding out in Mexico, where they encounter vampires. This is the only movie I like actor George Clooney in.

*Star Wars* (1977) - I've been craving to see this magnificant sci-fi film for a while, I waited and waited, until I couldn't take it anymore.

*Godzilla vs the Sea Monster* (1966) - Finally, after so many years, I got a chance to see this movie in it's original language with subtitles! A wonderful involving movie (which I recommend to any giant monster fan) with lots of great elements in it.


----------



## biodroid

Skyfall, excellent movie even for the lack of Bondness
Looper, really clevermtime travel movie even though plotholes and paradoxes were evident.
Premium Rush, another cleverish movie about New York bicycle messengers


----------



## biodroid

Glitch said:


> Watched *Hunger Games* today. It's ok as a film. I've not read the book, so can't compare the stories.
> 
> Didn't quite have the ending I was expecting. Won't say more incase others haven't seen/read it.



The movie is pretty much a carbon copy of the book. The ending is odd but there are 2 more in the series


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Finally got around to seeing *Skyfall* over the weekend. It was alright, but my favorite of the Daniel Craig movies is still Casino Royale.

Also went to the theatre and saw *Oz the Great and Powerful*. Not impressed.


----------



## manephelien

*Prometheus *on blu-ray. It was okay, but left far too many unanswered questions.


----------



## AE35Unit

manephelien said:


> *Prometheus *on blu-ray. It was okay, but left far too many unanswered questions.



Which is why there will be two sequels...


----------



## Glitch

Watched Deja Vu with Denzel Washington. Picked it for research as I have a story with a similar premise of looking back a fixed period of time for surveillance. My story doesn't involve actual time travel though; so I'm happy it will be a different story.

Overall the film was good. I thought the ending was handled well, within the scope of the premise.


----------



## Lenny

*Wreck-It Ralph*

Not quite as good as I thought it would be, but good enough, and for once I didn't mind the story being overly sweet.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Jack McBrayer and Alan Tudyk had starring roles, which probably helped improve my enjoyment of it.


----------



## Glitch

Just watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I knew the book was Swedish, but had assumed the film would be in English. Still, it didn't put me off; watched the whole thing with subtitles.

Was an interesting film. I had expected Lisbeth to be the main character, and perhaps she is in the books. But in the film I felt it was definitely Mikael (the journalist).


----------



## clovis-man

You saw the Swedish film with Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. There's also the English version with Daniel Craig as Mickael. I liked the Swedish version best along with both sequels.


----------



## Glitch

Yes it was with Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. Was on Flim4 a while ago. Got the two sequels on Tivo to watch sometime.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The Hobbit* last night, or as I call it Lord of the Rings part 0(a)
Not bad I suppose but Jackson has put a lot into the film that was never there. The Hobbit is an average length children's story. My daughter read it recently. I dont think the film is suitable for young kids!  
Still I sort of enjoyed it, even tho it was long winded in parts with lots of waffle. 
Not as good for me as the LOTR films, tho my partner preferred The Hobbit!


----------



## Starbeast

*The Last Samurai* (2003)

I haven't seen this movie in a while, and when I did, I watched it twice. I had forgotten how enchanting and intense this movie is to me. It was beautiful and sad, I love it!


----------



## Moonbat

just watched *The Master*, neh!
It was ok, good in parts but overall a bit of a disappointment. I found it funny in places, but the last half an hour sort of lost track of any real plot and left the whole thing a bit worse for wear.


----------



## biodroid

*Serenity - *Seen it before and just realised how Joss Whedon has improved as a director and storyteller since seeing the Avengers compred to this movie.


----------



## tangaloomababe

I also wen to see Oz the Great and Powerful.  I thought it would be better.  I like the b & w part before he was taken off by the tornado but from there on it went down hill, although the little porcelain girl was very sweet.  It was to long and just lacked "something" that would have made it good.

Also saw Lincoln another long long movie but worth watching just to see the Amazing Daniel Day Lewis.  I remain a fan.


----------



## Starbeast

*Return of the King* (2003 - extended edition)

I had the time, and I loved watching it again.


----------



## sknox

The Hobbit. I was underwhelmed.


----------



## svalbard

Killer Joe.

I will never be able to look at a piece fried chicken without the mental image from this movie appearing before my eyes.


----------



## Rodders

Predators and Lockout both were pretty good fun.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Glitch there is the Swedish version and also the American version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and although the English version is not to bad, the swedish one with Noomi Rapace is by far the better version, she is I imagined Lizbeth would be.   Daniel Craig stars in the American version.  There are also Swedish versions of The Girl who played with Fire and The Girl who kicked the Hornets Nest.


----------



## Glitch

I have the Noomi Rapace version of The Girl who played with Fire and The Girl who kicked the Hornets Nest queued up on Tivo to watch sometime.

Watched Unknown with Liam Neeson. Interesting film. I though I had it figured out, but didn't see a plot twist coming.


----------



## BetaWolf

Watching Hunger Games for the first time on Netflix. I was previewing it before letting my daughter see it, but there's a lot of interesting plot points there.


----------



## tangaloomababe

i am a bit of a Liam Neeson fan so I will check out Unknown.  Sadly Liam has had some dud films here and there like Battleship and The Grey but I still keep coming back to him.


----------



## Glitch

Liam has more screen time in Unknown that Battleship. I won't give away the ending, but I thought it was good.


I didn't realise Noomi Rapace was in both Girl with the dragon tattoo and Prometheus. She looks so different in both movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Wild Women of Wongo*.  Daughter Number One (aged ten) decided this afternoon that what we all needed to do was to watch a "really crap film".  Her wish was my command.


----------



## Connavar

*Oblivion*

I really didnt want to see a Tom Cruise film that isnt Mission Impossible cheap action feast but i got talked into seeing this one last night by a friend.  It was semi interesting and did a have a good SF twist in there.  It was enjoyable for what it was until the too neat ending, sentimental Hollywood end.  They were afraid of a real ending.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Wild Women of Wongo*. Daughter Number One (aged ten) decided this afternoon that what we all needed to do was to watch a "really crap film". Her wish was my command.


 
Of the many old "primitive women" flicks out there (*Prehistoric Women* (1950), etc) this may be the goofiest.  Quite fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Speaking of goofy:

Courtesy of bmovies.com, I "enjoyed" *I Eat Your Skin* (1964). Charming title, no? Well, the story goes that this low-budget zombie movie went unreleased until 1970, when it was finally seen in theaters as a companion feature to *I Drink Your Blood* as part of this double feature:







I haven't seen *I Drink Your Blood*, but apparently it's extremely violent and deserves the "R" rating. On the other hand, *I Eat Your Skin* is a very mild, very mid-1960's, black and white turkey which would just barely merit a "PG" and might squeeze by with a "G" if you take out the one, not bloody at all, scene of a zombie chopping off some guy's head with a machete. Quick plot recap: Our hero, a writer (!) with a James Bond eye for the ladies gets sent to Voodoo Island (foreshadowing!) to investigate stories of zombies there. We quickly see our first zombie -- a guy with what seems to be oatmeal on his face and two really fake bulging eyes. After a lot of voodoo rituals and such, it turns out the zombies were actually the result of Mad Science, created using snake venom in an attempt to "take over the world." Pure nonsense, and a barrel of laughs.

Nothing even remotely similar to eating skin takes place.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*This is 40*

Overrall, pretty good. It definitely made me laugh pretty hard at parts. I do love Paul Rudd, he can always make me laugh. Parts of it were a little too dramatic,  but it was usually balanced out quite quickly with a comedic scene.


----------



## J-Sun

*Batman Begins* (yeah, I'm quick on the draw). Radically underwhelmed. The original comic books were what they were. The TV show threw that all out and was a campy goofy childish blast. Burton's Batman really veered sharply away from the show while retaining about a fraction of a percent of it but was still a fantasy movie. Closer to the original but still its own thing. This version tries so hard to be rational and plausible that it has the reverse effect and seems completely preposterous. Basically, Burton took this huge risk and it worked and this one plays around in the same previously trod turf, just trying to make it more serious and dramatic and psychological and it just doesn't work and wouldn't be all that much of an accomplishment even if it had. I also found the obligatory car chase scene to be tedious and stupid - and why didn't he have the freakin' tiny antidote with him? And Katie Holmes is kinda nothing anyway. As is Bale, really. Flipside, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and the guru dude whose name I forget and many other great actors were kind of demeaned and wasted. I dunno - it's just me but I didn't like it much at all and it can equally be titled Batman Ends as far as I'm concerned. It's too soon to be doing a "reboot" in the same medium anyway.

But, granted, I hadn't invested a large sum of money and plunked myself down in front of a giant screen with super speakers and had my heart set on being viscerally blown away - I just bought a used DVD and sat down in front of my TV and quickly grew bored.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Of the many old "primitive women" flicks out there (*Prehistoric Women* (1950), etc) this may be the goofiest.  Quite fun.



If *Prehistoric Women* (1950) was the one with the duck with rubber bits glued on it we have that one on the same disc as *Wild Women of Wongo.  *It's been many years since I ventured into that boxset*.

*Tonight:
*Afterwards* ( 2008 ) - during the course of what seems like three  hours (but is in fact only 107 minutes) a miserable mumbling French  arsehole living in New York forgives himself for being an arsehole and  accepts his role as some sort of ill-defined, supernatural,  guiding-angel type.  Beautifully shot and great music but a  leaden pace  and a loathsome central character.  The central philosophy and  metaphorical language are trite (though very pretty) and the whole thing  ends up looking like _The Sixth Sense _on Mogadon.  Another film that John Malkovich couldn't rescue.


----------



## MontyCircus

J-Sun said:


> *Batman Begins* (yeah, I'm quick on the draw). Radically underwhelmed. The original comic books were what they were. The TV show threw that all out and was a campy goofy childish blast. Burton's Batman really veered sharply away from the show while retaining about a fraction of a percent of it but was still a fantasy movie. Closer to the original but still its own thing. This version tries so hard to be rational and plausible that it has the reverse effect and seems completely preposterous. Basically, Burton took this huge risk and it worked and this one plays around in the same previously trod turf, just trying to make it more serious and dramatic and psychological and it just doesn't work and wouldn't be all that much of an accomplishment even if it had. I also found the obligatory car chase scene to be tedious and stupid - and why didn't he have the freakin' tiny antidote with him? And Katie Holmes is kinda nothing anyway. As is Bale, really. Flipside, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and the guru dude whose name I forget and many other great actors were kind of demeaned and wasted. I dunno - it's just me but I didn't like it much at all and it can equally be titled Batman Ends as far as I'm concerned. It's too soon to be doing a "reboot" in the same medium anyway.
> 
> But, granted, I hadn't invested a large sum of money and plunked myself down in front of a giant screen with super speakers and had my heart set on being viscerally blown away - I just bought a used DVD and sat down in front of my TV and quickly grew bored.



I agree.  The new Batmans try to be realistic, it reminds me of the Bourne series and the new Bonds.  Realism bores me to tears.  I want to see something passionate and exciting.  Escapism I guess.

Last movie I saw was *The Place Beyond the Pines*.  A lot of names in it.  It was okay but I wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## White-Sky

Oblivion (2013)

After a cursory glance, i must say im quite surprised theres so little talk about this on these forums. This movie is absolutely fantastic. One of the best worlds ive been immersed in in quite some time. Its visually one of the most beautiful looking films released this year. The cinematography is so exquisite. The camera work, the framing of shots, the CGI; everything about the look of this film is superb.

Story wise, its not the best. Its very deliberately paced, maybe too much so for some tastes. But Its got some good elements, and the story is mostly consistent. I wont spoil too much, but suffice it to say its mostly pretty good with some unexpected twists. Better at first viewing than, say Prometheus (which only provides genuine satisfaction after multiple viewings).

The soundtrack by M83 is also absolutely fantastic. Im a fan of them and you can see their fingerprints all over the score. And its quite fitting they did it, after all who better to compose the soundtrack of a sci fi film than a band named after a galaxy 

Bottom line is, if you love being immersed in sci-fi worlds that just work, Oblivion is a genuinely refreshing and mostly fully realised world. One of the most visually striking movies ive seen in a while and I would be very disappointed indeed if its not awarded accordingly in next years academy awards.

EDIT: Yes im mostly a lurker on these forums, but i felt i had to say something after the experience i had watching this movie.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

MontyCircus said:


> I agree. The new Batmans try to be realistic, it reminds me of the Bourne series and the new Bonds. Realism bores me to tears. I want to see something passionate and exciting. Escapism I guess.


 
To each their own. I loved the new Batman Movies and the Bourne Movies. 

Interesting to see that Oblivion seems to be doing well. I haven't seen it, and I have become quite disillusioned with Tom Cruise. But I have to admit that the previews did look good.


----------



## steve12553

Lady of Winterfell said:


> To each their own. I loved the new Batman Movies and the Bourne Movies.
> 
> Interesting to see that Oblivion seems to be doing well. I haven't seen it, and I have become quite disillusioned with Tom Cruise. But I have to admit that the previews did look good.



Except for T*he War of the Worlds*, I've enjoyed most of Tom Cruise's
genre films. Unfortunately, he is the world best example of why I'd rather not know anything about a film star's personal life. People with acting talent are no better than you or I with regard to their political views and/or any other world view. They just frequently have a podium to show us how little they know or understand. The new movie does look good but I will probably wait for the DVD release.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Good point Steve.

I didn't see War of the Worlds, but Top Gun is still one of my favorite movies. And I will most likely be waiting for the DVD release of Oblivion as well.


----------



## FireDragon-16

My brother and I went and saw *Olympus has Fallen *a few days ago. 

I thought it was great. I loved when Morgan Freeman yelled at the Secretary of Defense and told him to shut-up.


----------



## Starbeast

*Igor* (2008)

Completely uninteresting Tim Burton animated film. I've never seen this film before, and since their was nothing else to watch on tv at the time, I checked it out. My gosh this was boring and pointless.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Igor* (2008)
> 
> Completely uninteresting Tim Burton animated film. I've never seen this film before, and since their was nothing else to watch on tv at the time, I checked it out. My gosh this was boring and pointless.




Erm.. Tim Burton had nothing to do with_ Igor_.  I guess his brand of WhimsyGoth has become so mainstream people are using his style.


----------



## Moonbat

I watched the new *Karate Kid* t'was on T'elly t'other night. SO much improved on the original in terms of fighting, considering it was actually kung fu and not karate this time, set in China and the Mr Mayagi (spelling) character was now Mr Han and played by the legend that is *Jackie Chan*. Daniel was now Dre Parker (do people actually call their children Dre?) and played by *Jaden Smith* (son of Will)
Same sort of story, but this time Mr Han has an emotional story too, and the martial arts is umpteen times better. Surprisingly enjoyable, probably not aimed at a 35yr old like me, but I liked it, worth a watch. Whilst the original will always be a classic of 80's cinema (for a kid like me growing up in that decade) this remake is far superior.


----------



## Ice fyre

Oddly Moon bat I was watching that too, not bad adaptation at all, added something new to the story. The film I thought was looked lovely as well, lots of georgous shots of the Chinese countryside. The Kung fu was good and it was generally a feel good switch your brain off, good guy's gonna win story. 

last I saw the cinema was Django Unchained, very violent and gory, but a superb performance from the cast. Samuel Jackson as the butler was superbly uncomfortable watching. This isnt a film to watch if you want something light and fluffy, the subject matter is emotive and I'm sure this film will divide viewers.

The premise is that "The Dentist" a bounty hunter is chasing three brothers, only one man knows them on sight, Django, a slave who the Dentist saves and offers his freedom in exchange for him identifiying the afore mentioned brothers. 

The film deals with slavery in an typically Quentin tarntino fashion, with lots of blood and some scenes I found horribly distrubing, yet these scenes demonstrate the attitude some slave owners had to their slaves, at best treated as obedient animals, at worst well ...lets leave it at that.    
I loved it, personally, and would reccomend it to anyone who has a strong stomach and a fair bit of patience. Its not a film that reveals itself too soon and for that I loved it. Nice to Tarntino doing hsi usual cameo even if allI could think was ...good lord youve put on weight!


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> Erm.. Tim Burton had nothing to do with_ Igor_.  I guess his brand of WhimsyGoth has become so mainstream people are using his style.


 
Yeah, you're right. Tim Burton had nothing to do with that awful movie. I rechecked the listing (because I only skimmed over it the first time) and it said: "Tim Burton-styled monster animated feature".

What I really focused on were the voice actors - John Cusack, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Eddie Izzard and Christian Slater.

What a waste of talent.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A couple of oddball fantasies thanks to Turner Classic Movies:

*Zotz!* was a silly farce about a guy who winds up with an ancient magic coin which can 1) cause sudden pain or 2) slow things down or 3) kill living things, depending on how you use it.  

*The Phantom Tollbooth* was an animated version of the classic children's fantasy about a bored kid's journey to the cities of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis.  The book's wordplay and allegory about learning don't translate too well to the psychedelic animation style, clearly influenced by *Yellow Submarine*.


----------



## Lenny

Went out for a pizza with friends, and we ended up also going to see *Oblivion*.

Despite some predictable twists (and a couple that caught me by surprise), and being able to easily identify the parts which have been directly influenced by other SF works, it's an enjoyable film. Beautifully filmed, well edited, and the writing is pretty good. 

If you get the chance to see it, do so.


----------



## clovis-man

*Oblivion*. This one has all the ingredients usually seen in your typical invaders from outer space SF flick. But they made it something of a mystery for the viewer to unravel. But not too difficult a mystery. There were hints early on that things were not what they appeared to be. Melissa Leo's static laden images as Sally were the real tip-off. But it was handled pretty well, with some harrowing action sequences and you can't help but care about the characters. 

The local newspaper film pundit rated it a "B". All in all, that may be about right. Certainly an entertaining film. You might even call it a "Ripping Yarn". The drones (if you gave them a little more intelligence) would make good models for Neal Asher's venerable battle drone, Sniper, from his Spatterjay novels. Well done.


----------



## BetaWolf

Tonight on demand: Starship Troopers. Not sure if it's so bad it's good or . . . something else. The book was better.


----------



## JunkMonkey

BetaWolf said:


> Starship Troopers. Not sure if it's so bad it's good or . . . something else.



Exactly the way I felt about it!  I spent the whole film thinking "This is Great or Awful...  It's either the most blatantly horrible piece of right wing crap or a hilarious liberal parody of horrible right wing crap that is too accurate for its own good.  I still hadn't made my mind up by the end of it."


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity 4*
Pretty tame compared to earlier installments but still enjoyed it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Moonbat said:


> I watched the new *Karate Kid* t'was on T'elly t'other night. SO much improved on the original in terms of fighting, considering it was actually kung fu and not karate this time, set in China and the Mr Mayagi (spelling) character was now Mr Han and played by the legend that is *Jackie Chan*. Daniel was now Dre Parker (do people actually call their children Dre?) and played by *Jaden Smith* (son of Will)
> Same sort of story, but this time Mr Han has an emotional story too, and the martial arts is umpteen times better. Surprisingly enjoyable, probably not aimed at a 35yr old like me, but I liked it, worth a watch. Whilst the original will always be a classic of 80's cinema (for a kid like me growing up in that decade) this remake is far superior.



But,but, its NOT KARATE! So its the Kung Fu kid then!


----------



## FireDragon-16

Saw *Dark Shadows *with Johnny Depp the other day. It was so funny! Johnny Depp seems to be the master of the awkward character.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Exactly the way I felt about it!  I spent the whole film thinking "This is Great or Awful...  It's either the most blatantly horrible piece of right wing crap or a hilarious liberal parody of horrible right wing crap that is too accurate for its own good.  I still hadn't made my mind up by the end of it."



It's not so much left or right for me but I also have that ambivalence in the sense simply that, if it's serious, it's so ludicrously over-the-top and poorly done that it's one of the worst serious movies ever but, if it's done satirically then all that bad is good and it's kind of hilarious, yet has an angle where it's still making serious points. (I mean, the bug stomping scene? How can that possibly be serious? But it's psychologically valid.) I dunno - I take it as satire and think it's a blast but I completely understand why so many people hate it.

(I also love the "good old fashioned future" aspect of it - the football-type game is especially so 1950s/1990s/2050s at the same time. If it's a serious vision of future it's seriously weird but if it's the 90s looking at how a sort of pseudo-(19)50s imagined the (20)50s, it's a pretty neat perspective.)

Anyway, it's kind of funny that a book "based" on a complete funhouse mirror of Heinlein's book is just as divisive and controversial as the book - they got that much right, anyway.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> Anyway, it's kind of funny that a book "based" on a complete funhouse mirror of Heinlein's book is just as divisive and controversial as the book - they got that much right, anyway.


 
I just got tired of looking at Denise Richards' puffy lips.


----------



## alchemist

clovis-man said:


> I just got tired of looking at Denise Richards' puffy lips.



It will take a long time before I'm tired of looking at any part of Denise Richards.



I saw *Looper* last night. I expected it to be good, but it was even better. One all SF fans should watch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Oz the Great and Powerful*              (2013) - which I am really sorry to say was a real bore!  At  least 30 minutes too long - I watched it with three 10 year olds and  there was some serious fidgeting going on which started at about the hour and a half mark and din't stop till the end credits. 

So slow!

I was unconvinced by any of the acting and spent a lot of my time wondering about the  ethnic diversity among the Munchkins (et al) and the logical assumption that, since as this was a prequel, all the Asian, Hispanic and Black munchkins must have died off before Dorothy arrived.

Ethnic Cleansing in Oz?

You can tell I was hooked can't you?


----------



## Allegra

Watched again *Chocolat*, magic! Now I'm thinking of commiting the sin of reading the book (after seeing the film).


----------



## JunkMonkey

Allegra said:


> Watched again *Chocolat*, magic! Now I'm thinking of commiting the sin of reading the book (after seeing the film).




I for one would like to hear what you think.  I loved the book was was sadly disappointed in the film.


----------



## Allegra

JunkMonkey said:


> I for one would like to hear what you think.  I loved the book was was sadly disappointed in the film.


 
I have the book in order and while checking I found there are two follow-ups: *The Lollipop Shoes* and *Peaches for Monsieur le le Curé*, have you read them as well?


----------



## Lenny

Just got back from seeing *Iron Man 3*. Thankfully, it's a damn sight better than the second film, and maybe even more fun than the first.

It does have it's problems, though. At two hours and ten minutes, it feels like a long film, yet it manages to suffer from the same problem as *The Dark Knight Rises* in that it tries to force in more story than one film should have (films usually have, what, three acts? You can split IM3 into maybe five, if not six). Because of this, it jumps around quite a lot, and can be disorienting. Unlike TDKR, however, it kind of gets away with it.

My second problem is that whilst the comedy was good (with some marvellous moments that come out of nowhere), some of it really jarred with the overall tone of the film. But again, as with above, it kind of gets away with it.

Finally, the finale is totally over the top. I've grown to dislike the way films set up a huge confrontation that unfolds over the last thirty minutes, and IM3 is no exception. Infuriatingly, it kind of gets away with it...

I did like things, too. I liked the references to *The Avengers* (it's a prerequisite to watching this film, and you'll miss a fair bit if you go into IM3 not having seen TA), and seeing a post-Avengers Tony Stark (Downey Jr. is incomparable as Stark), and I liked how the film tied together as it reached the climax.

As a whole, it's a decent flick that is fun and enjoyable. You can also just about make out Joss Whedon's fingerprint on the Marvel universe in it, which is reassuring (after the disappointments of the second film and the other Marvel films leading into The Avengers, I get the impression that Marvel's Phase 2 is going to be an improvement over Phase 1, because Whedon has his hand, ever-so-lightly, on the tiller).


----------



## JunkMonkey

Allegra said:


> I have the book in order and while checking I found there are two follow-ups: *The Lollipop Shoes* and *Peaches for Monsieur le le Curé*, have you read them as well?



No, I haven't. Hadn't realise they even existed.  I tried her a couple of her other books after reading _Chocolat_: _Five Quarters of the Orange, Blackberry Wine,_ and _Coastliners _but wasn't engaged at all.


----------



## BetaWolf

Finally sat through Gattaca. I think I'm confused and feeling ambiguous about the human condition.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Lenny said:


> Just got back from seeing *Iron Man 3*. Thankfully, it's a damn sight better than the second film, and maybe even more fun than the first.
> 
> It does have it's problems, though. At two hours and ten minutes, it feels like a long film, yet it manages to suffer from the same problem as *The Dark Knight Rises* in that it tries to force in more story than one film should have (films usually have, what, three acts? You can split IM3 into maybe five, if not six). Because of this, it jumps around quite a lot, and can be disorienting. Unlike TDKR, however, it kind of gets away with it.
> 
> My second problem is that whilst the comedy was good (with some marvellous moments that come out of nowhere), some of it really jarred with the overall tone of the film. But again, as with above, it kind of gets away with it.
> 
> Finally, the finale is totally over the top. I've grown to dislike the way films set up a huge confrontation that unfolds over the last thirty minutes, and IM3 is no exception. Infuriatingly, it kind of gets away with it...
> 
> I did like things, too. I liked the references to *The Avengers* (it's a prerequisite to watching this film, and you'll miss a fair bit if you go into IM3 not having seen TA), and seeing a post-Avengers Tony Stark (Downey Jr. is incomparable as Stark), and I liked how the film tied together as it reached the climax.
> 
> As a whole, it's a decent flick that is fun and enjoyable. You can also just about make out Joss Whedon's fingerprint on the Marvel universe in it, which is reassuring (after the disappointments of the second film and the other Marvel films leading into The Avengers, I get the impression that Marvel's Phase 2 is going to be an improvement over Phase 1, because Whedon has his hand, ever-so-lightly, on the tiller).


 
Glad to hear Iron Man 3 is good. We've been looking forward to it for awhile.  Now we just have to find a babysitter...


----------



## J-Sun

BetaWolf said:


> Finally sat through Gattaca. I think I'm confused and feeling ambiguous about the human condition.



I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing but I was kind of ambivalent about the main aspect of *Gattaca*, myself - and I guess, despite how general and non-specific the following is, it's spoilery nonetheless: 



Spoiler



I'm normally pretty scientifically oriented but would argue for "the human spirit" if confronted with a downer of a deterministic movie, yet this one prompted very cynical responses from me to its goofy idealism


. And you basically have to take the ending as symbolic because it's all kinds of silly on a literal plane. But it was definitely a stylish (if oddly styled, with its new-old-fashioned future-noir), thoughtful, probably relevant, interesting, well-acted movie that was worth seeing a time or two at minimum.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ice Planet* (2003) - German TV movie pilot for a never to be made  TV series that managed to get released in the cinemas (well, at least  one cinema - in Norway).  A prime example of an undercooked script  cobbled together from bits selected from a wide selection of other  better scripts and glued together with a lot of adequate CGI Lightshow.   

A giant horrible something attacks an earth colony.  The commander  orders everything that can fly to take off then  loses his ENTIRE fleet  when he sends them ALL into the mysterious black cloud.  At once.   Doesn't send in a 'probe', ask for a volunteer to see what's in there,  or offer to go in himself... just loses his entire command, and the war,  in 10 seconds flat. Ladies and gentlemen, meet our hero!  Left only  with a rag-bag of cadets, the usual passing Han Solo clone (with whom he  has HISTORY), a passing senator, and a mysterious silent girl they leap  aboard a gigantic passing spaceship piloted by an elderly oriental  super-scientist (bitter at humanity for twisting his super-dingus  research to destructive use).  The gigantic passing spaceship was,  apparently, built from specs encoded in a crystal of ice that landed on  Earth.  The crystal also contained some very specific galactic sat-nav  directions and a very vague mention of some terrible danger.

One trip through a hitherto unmentioned rent in the fabric of the  space/time continuum later and our heroes find themselves stuck on an  ice planet in some distant and uncharted part of the universe - oh, and  they have a thousand bewildered civilians on board too. (Actually we  have to take the thousand bewildered civilians on trust as the budget  would only run to someone saying, "Captain, I have a thousand bewildered  civilians down here?  What do I tell them?")

Well, this is all 'so what'?  Sounds pretty much like just about every other failed _Star Trek / Battlestar Glacatica / Farscape _mashup.   But then it gets bonkers. On the ice planet, where it is 10 degrees  below zero but no-one's breath ever mists, they discover a giant glowing  tree thing with all of Human history encoded in it and Human  hunter-gatherer types living in ice caves.  The mysterious silent girl  gets all  glowy and starts speaking alieny mysticy cobblers.  The Bad  Guys arrive. The most symmetrical of the male rookies goes through some  portally thing and the behest of alien mystical babblespeaking silent  girl and turns into a metallic blue-skinned godlike being with long  blond hair.   He can open his mouth really wide as he screams and shoots  blue lights out of his fingers. (Like one of those incomprehensibly  super-powered Anime heroes.) He stops mid bigmouth-screaming  finger-blasting to have a conversation with his dad on a park bench  under some trees back on Earth - Whit!  now we're referencing _Solaris_...? Meanwhile our commander - whose leadership style consists of doing _exactly_  what the last person suggested he do several minutes beforehand - flies  to the rescue of metallic blue-skinned godlike boy - though how he knew  where to go is a mystery - and gets several more of his people killed  before the Bad Guys (whoever they are) are defeated.  There is sadness  at the death of the several people he got killed which is displayed in  loving detail - the sadness is not shared by the audience because they  have no idea who has died (or why) and what their relationship to the  people who are grieving for them is.  (Whoever _they_ are.  No one's even bothered to tell us that.)

THEN!

The whole planet pops through the rent of fabric of the space/time  continuum (or a different one, who knows?) and everyone is now somewhere  even more uncharted than the last  bit of uncharted universe they were  in.  We're now deep into _Space:1999 _territory, folks.  A voice  over tells us this is 'only the beginning'.... The End.   I'm really  sorry this series never made it.  It would have been hilarious.


----------



## clovis-man

*How to Lose Friends and Alienate People*

An over the top comedy with an odd cast of Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges, Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox. About a maverick media writer (Simon Pegg) who gets in impossible situations and predicaments due largely to his own attitude and total lack of judgement. Completely wacky, but with some hilarious moments. Worth a watch if you like either of the male leads at all.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Hanna.*
With roots as an Eastern European take on _Kill Bill_; but more reminiscent  of Ludlum inspired, _Bourne_ thrillers.

We could have done without the whistling by _Disco Stu _as villain; but we were, blessedly, relieved of the  overhead-wire-supported martial arts levitation schtick.

The SF link is genetic engineering.

This one goes on my top ten list of mind-_&^$%_ psycho action thrillers.


----------



## FireDragon-16

Alex said:


> *Hanna.*
> With roots as an Eastern European take on _Kill Bill_; but more reminiscent  of Ludlum inspired, _Bourne_ thrillers.
> 
> We could have done without the whistling by _Disco Stu _as villain; but we were, blessedly, relieved of the  overhead-wire-supported martial arts levitation schtick.
> 
> The SF link is genetic engineering.
> 
> This one goes on my top ten list of mind-_&^$%_ psycho action thrillers.



We watched this a few months ago and I have to agree with you on the whole mind-&^$% thing. It was definitely full of 'what the' moments. The end especially made us stare with jaws hanging open.


----------



## gully_foyle

Watched the recent adaptation of Kerouac's *On The Road*. A warning to anyone who got the book, don't watch the movie! It completely misses the spirit of the book and just over emphasises the sex and drugs.


----------



## Steve S

Recently watched 'The Secret in their Eyes' - fascinating crime thriller set in Argentina. Compelling characters, superb script, and the much discussed 'football stadium' shot is incredible!


----------



## mr kite

*Movie 43.*  Jeez ! 
Sick , wrong and so un P.C. 
I just could`nt stop watching it ! .


----------



## jastius

just saw *Ironman*.. i want ironman's computer. no typing.. ever.


----------



## biodroid

Iron Man 3 - Even though it was a bit different, it was the best of the 3.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

biodroid said:


> Iron Man 3 - Even though it was a bit different, it was the best of the 3.


 
That is pretty high praise! I really hope we can get to the theatre to watch it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

As a side note, *Iron Man 3* has been the topic of a series of articles in the local newspaper here in Chattanooga. Apparently part of the story takes place there, and it is depicted as a very small town with very slow Internet connection. Not quite the truth.

Last film seen:

*The Twonky* (1953), loosely adapted from the 1942 short story of the same name by "Lewis Padgett" (Henry Kuttner, probably with collaboration from C. L. Moore, although Kuttner gets solo screen credit.)   Written and directed by famed radio writer Arch Oboler (_Lights Out_, etc.), this is a screwball comedy satirizing television and conformity.  The great Hans Conreid stars as a professor who finds himself owning a TV set which controls his life.  (One of his buddies figures out, based on no evidence at all, that it's really a robot from the future in disguise.)  The plot wanders all over the place and involves a lot of slapstick and a lot of people getting their brains zapped by the twonky and saying "I have no complaints" in voices that sound a lot like the folks who obeyed Landru in the _Star Trek_ episode "The Return of the Archons."  Silly stuff, but worth a look.  (More interesting is Oboler's talky but intelligent *Five*, said to be the first movie dealing with the survivors of an atomic holocaust.)


----------



## biodroid

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> As a side note, *Iron Man 3* has been the topic of a series of articles in the local newspaper here in Chattanooga. Apparently part of the story takes place there, and it is depicted as a very small town with very slow Internet connection. Not quite the truth



Weeeeeell, Tony Stark thought 6Mbps was slow for what he needed, and then the humour started. We only get 4 here max. Not sure what your speeds are but that seemed pretty fast.


----------



## biodroid

Lady of Winterfell said:


> That is pretty high praise! I really hope we can get to the theatre to watch it.



The story is more focussed on Tony Stark as a mere mortal in a fancy suit so you really feel Tony is threatened and doesnt always have a suit to help him out, and the acting is top notch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

biodroid said:


> Weeeeeell, Tony Stark thought 6Mbps was slow for what he needed, and then the humour started. We only get 4 here max. Not sure what your speeds are but that seemed pretty fast.


 
The local Electrical Power Board offers one gigabit per second speed, if you're willing to pay $300.00 per month for it.  (I actually live a fair distance outside the city, in a very rural area, so I have very slow satellite service at home.)  I assume Tony Stark can afford that.


----------



## clovis-man

biodroid said:


> The story is more focussed on Tony Stark as a mere mortal in a fancy suit so you really feel Tony is threatened and doesnt always have a suit to help him out, and the acting is top notch.


 
Just saw the film today. I agree that it added an extra dimension to the story by having Stark use his innate talents in addition to his hardware. Guy Pearce makes an excellent foil and Ben Kingsley was an absolute hoot. A few surprises sprinkled throughout the movie kept things on edge, but the ending (as in all the Ironman flicks so far) was over the top. Quite a ride, though.


----------



## biodroid

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> The local Electrical Power Board offers one gigabit per second speed, if you're willing to pay $300.00 per month for it.  (I actually live a fair distance outside the city, in a very rural area, so I have very slow satellite service at home.)  I assume Tony Stark can afford that.


 
You will see why Tony is there, he doesnt pay for it, but I dont want to spoil the story.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just watched the 70's/80's Salems lot, not bad, still spooky. The child at the window still works, we know hes on wires, we know its filmed backwards, but it still works! Nice to see Got the updated version to watch I only remmber seeing clips from it so looking forward to that.


----------



## Starbeast

biodroid said:


> *Iron Man 3* - Even though it was a bit different, it was the best of the 3.


 
I didn't know how the third movie would top the second film, but the makers did! I LOVED IT! It was also my Mother's Day gift. And mom loved *IRON MAN 3* too.



Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Twonky* (1953), loosely adapted from the 1942 short story of the same name by "Lewis Padgett" (Henry Kuttner, probably with collaboration from C. L. Moore, although Kuttner gets solo screen credit.)   Written and directed by famed radio writer Arch Oboler (_Lights Out_, etc.), this is a screwball comedy satirizing television and conformity.  The great Hans Conreid stars


 
*The Twonky* was a funny little flick that's absurd, surreal and a cool weird movie. I caught it on tv long ago by accident. Excellent oddball movie!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Blue Dahlia *(1946) Alan Ladd returns from the war to discover a cheating wife in a world of corruption and hoodlums. Veronica Lake adds the eye candy  to this Raymond Chandler scripted movie. 

Pretty decent film


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Projectionist* (1971) -- A guy who works as a projectionist in a movie theater in New York has elaborate, silent, black-and-white fantasies of being a superhero.  Uses lots of footage from old movies, some as famous as *Casablanca* and some from obscure old monster movies, in a way somewhat similar to *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid*.  There's also scenes of the guy wandering around New York, and scenes where footage of Nazis, the KKK, the Vietnam war, etc,. are used to depict humanity's worst aspects.  A low-budget oddity of some interest.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> in a way somewhat similar to *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid*



One of my very tip-top favorite films.



Foxbat said:


> *The Blue Dahlia *(1946) Alan Ladd returns from the war to discover a cheating wife in a world of corruption and hoodlums. Veronica Lake adds the eye candy  to this Raymond Chandler scripted movie.
> 
> Pretty decent film



I saw part of that awhile back - maybe I'll get to see the whole thing someday.

The last movie I saw was in the same ballpark and was also a partial but I only missed the first minutes of _*Laura*_ (1944). Tracer Bullet tries to find out who killed the extremely attractive Gene Tierney (kinda funny that the two main stars are Dana and Gene and Dana's the guy and Gene's the girl). There's a sort of pompous literary character who's given dialog that isn't convincingly pompous and the key relationship is a bit forced so I didn't think this was a really great movie (it's got a _very_ high rep) but I still liked it well enough - it was good, just not all that. But I can't really describe much of it because of a couple of twists - one in the middle of the movie (that I pretty much saw coming) - which would spoil it. And it doesn't quite fit noir standards to a 'T' in ways that I can't really explain without spoiling, as well - but it's a noir film of sorts.

Spoiler: 



Spoiler



Tierney's character is literally a femme fatale in that a dude kills and dies for her but it's not exactly her fault - she's just a nice (if very, um, affectionate) girl rather than a siren/vixen. And, other than rainstorms and whatnot, it wasn't shot in an extremely noirish way. But it's got crimes and switcheroos and tough-talking detectives and pretty girls and so on


.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Impossible*
Scariest thing Ive seen in a long time!


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Hobbit* again, with the kids, who were bored!
Good but overlong!


----------



## Foxbat

*Terror-Creatures From The Grave *(1965). Starring scream queen Barbara Steele. 

This movie seems to get fairly decent reviews elsewhere but, frankly, it's a film and cast going through the motions as far as I'm concerned. Mediocre is probably the best way to describe it. 

The copy I have on DVD is pretty poor but, apparently, this is the norm for this movie. 

Probably won't be going back to this one for a second viewing.


----------



## FireDragon-16

AE35Unit said:


> *The Impossible*
> Scariest thing Ive seen in a long time!



My brother rented that. I've wanted to see if for awhile, but he had to take it back before I could see the whole thing. I have to go pick it up myself now...

As a family, we went and saw *Star Trek Into Darkness* yesterday. It was amazing! So good! I highly recommend it!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Silver Linings Playbook*

This was pretty good. It was a tricky subject to handle, but done well. I thought Bradley Cooper did a really good job.


----------



## Foxbat

*Devils Of Darkness *(1965)
Count Sinistre and his bunch of undead followers get up to a bit of jiggerypokery in a sleepy French village. Enter the hero to fight  a bit of Satan worship and Vampirism. Cue creepy music, curtains flapping in the breeze of an open window,  a few heaving bosoms and alabaster necks waiting to be pierced by a set of fangs.

Cliched direction and actors lacking any depth or charisma only accentuates the truth about this movie - that it is nothing more than a 3rd rate Dracula clone. 

Watching this film is a good way to combat insomnia.


----------



## Mary Hoffman

Star Trek: into Darkness. Last night and I loved it!


----------



## EricWard

Roger Corman's *The Trip* (1967). I'm a big fan of acid-sploitation (it is too a word, it means "exploitation film with LSD as the main focus") and this one was pretty good.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper are quite enjoyable in this pre-*Easy Rider* flick (actually, this movie was used to raise money to make *Easy Rider*, from what I've read). Lots of editing tricks, strobe lights, overexposed film, and a kicking late-1960s soundtrack (all Telecasters and fuzzboxes!).

Written by young Jack Nicholson and directed by the King of B-Movies, what more could you want?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ghoulies IV* - why?  I'm not quite sure.


----------



## EricWard

JunkMonkey said:


> *Ghoulies IV* - why?  I'm not quite sure.



I mean, after they went to college in part III, what other worlds do they have to conquer?


----------



## Huttman

Star Trek Into Darkness. Wow. Aside from the Apple store reject bridge and the ridiculous bottling factory interior for the rest of the ship, this was a great film. The story actually made sense. That, seemingly, was something that 99% of the populace who loved the first film missed. As I watched it, I am still wondering how much the original cast has on my enjoying OR despising aspects of these two films. Don't get me wrong, ST:ID was very fun and heart wrenching, but the originals have 40 years behind them and their relationships are very well established. I feel JJ's Trek is trying to package bits and pieces and cram them in 2 hours at a time of over the top (awesome) special effects. Ther are also sooo many coincidenses to place characters together.....I'm stating to rant. Go see this movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

EricWard said:


> I mean, after they went to college in part III, what other worlds do they have to conquer?



Good question. Unfortunately I don't have a good answer to match.

I find it hard to believe but the film on the other side of the disc was even worse:  *Exorcism *(2003) - an amateurish filmic version of those dreadful  evangelical Chick Publications cartoon gospel tracts - tarted up to look  like a horror movie.  Dreadfully acted, abysmally directed.  Just too  painful to watch beyond the ten minute mark.  I gave up shortly after  this exchange between a father and his boy:
     Quote:
Father:
There's no closer relationship in the world
than that between a father and son.
 
 
Son:
I thought it was between husband and wife...


Father:
No, son.  God didn't give his only begotten wife; he gave his only begotten son...​ 
Which, unless I am totally misunderstanding the word 'begotten',   (to have fathered or sired), means the script-writer thinks God married  his own daughter! (The existence of whom is a whole theological can of worms in itself.)


----------



## steve12553

Saw *Star Trek Into Darkness* the other day. I enjoyed the story. The acting was decent. The effects were numbing. As with so many films in recent years directors need to realize that a little bit of special effects goes a long way. The effects scenes were so fast and cluttered that I tended to tune them out.


----------



## Huttman

steve12553 said:


> Saw *Star Trek Into Darkness* the other day. I enjoyed the story. The acting was decent. The effects were numbing. As with so many films in recent years directors need to realize that a little bit of special effects goes a long way. The effects scenes were so fast and cluttered that I tended to tune them out.



I totally agree. I hope he does not do that for Star Wars, but I think it's unlikely.


----------



## TheEndIsNigh

I too went to see Star Trek yesterday.

The whole 'Who' like restart button of the first film aside, I thought it was fairly good.

There were a few issues, but to divulge them would mean 'spoilers' and in any case it was good enough that I wouldn't want to discourage people from watching it.

In fact I would recommend a viewing. As Steve (he of the 12553) says, the acting was decent and the action good enough for an enjoyable night out. 

Probably one of the better SF films I've seen for a few years in fact.


----------



## Boneman

Ditto. Saw Star Trek last night and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the changing dynamic between Spock and Kirk, which worked really well. Thought Scotty was a little too 'comedic' at times, but that's a small carp.


----------



## Alex Mason

I saw the Great Gatsby last weekend. I thought they did a great job of keeping a lot of the elements in that could have easily been dropped from a film adaptation. 

I only had two problems - 

1 the style of storytelling with the narration created an unneccessary filter that took me out of the film. At first, it was jarring, then I thought it was necessary, then I realized that they could have handled it with a voice-over only narration.

2 They didn't do a good job of exposing the real personality of one of the main characters. No spoiler in case you never read the book or don't remember it well.


----------



## AE35Unit

Huttman said:


> I totally agree. I hope he does not do that for Star Wars, but I think it's unlikely.



Unusually for modern directors Abrams likes to use old-school techniques-certainly in the first film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *Devils Of Darkness *(1965)
> Count Sinistre and his bunch of undead followers get up to a bit of jiggerypokery in a sleepy French village. Enter the hero to fight a bit of Satan worship and Vampirism. Cue creepy music, curtains flapping in the breeze of an open window, a few heaving bosoms and alabaster necks waiting to be pierced by a set of fangs.
> 
> Cliched direction and actors lacking any depth or charisma only accentuates the truth about this movie - that it is nothing more than a 3rd rate Dracula clone.
> 
> Watching this film is a good way to combat insomnia.


 
I agree.  Dismal little film, of interest to me only because it has William Sylvester (from *2001*) as the hero.



EricWard said:


> Roger Corman's *The Trip* (1967). I'm a big fan of acid-sploitation (it is too a word, it means "exploitation film with LSD as the main focus") and this one was pretty good.
> 
> Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper are quite enjoyable in this pre-*Easy Rider* flick (actually, this movie was used to raise money to make *Easy Rider*, from what I've read). Lots of editing tricks, strobe lights, overexposed film, and a kicking late-1960s soundtrack (all Telecasters and fuzzboxes!).
> 
> Written by young Jack Nicholson and directed by the King of B-Movies, what more could you want?


 
I'm a fan of hipsloitation (a bit broader than acidsploitation) also.  *The Trip* is pretty good.  My favorite may be *Psych-Out*, which has a lot of eccentric characters and an unusual plot.  (My least favorite may be the laugh-free Peter Sellers comedy *I Love You Alice B. Toklas!*.)


----------



## Connavar

I saw *Fast and Furious 6*

It was actually pretty good as popcorn film.  It had a good mix of action,humour and it was darker,more serious tone because of the good villain played by Luke Evans.  

Dwayne Johnson has added to a series that i thought was waste of time for the first 4 films.  It was fun film and had awesome cliffhanger and i never thought i would look forward to the next film.   Other than the silly over the top jumping from cars in the bridge scene it was an almost ideal popcorn film.   They should have made the first 4 films have this much action, nice car chases.


----------



## EricWard

Got the urge to rewatch *Evil Dead* (1980) for the 20th or so time on Monday. The first half is certainly goofy and cliche-ridden, but I'd argue that it's a 60/40 split between horror and (subtle) comedy.

But then there's the last 30-45 minutes - violent, creepy, and very tense. Not to mention the awesome camera work and stop-motion. It's like watching an Italian horror movie without the bad dubbing!


----------



## MontyCircus

Saw *Iron Man 3*.  Didn't care for it.  Just a bunch of explosions and metal suits flying around.  Shouldn't be surprised since I didn't like *Iron Man* or *Iron Man 2*...

Trying to round up family to watch *Star Trek*...


----------



## Jo Zebedee

I saw Gatsby last night... I didn't like Leo in the role and thought if he said "ol'sport" once more, I might fling something at the screen, but the spectacle was amazing, it was great fun, and I thought it captured some of the more overt themes from the book. It missed a lot of the subtlety, though, but I was sort of expecting it. Well worth a look at, though.


----------



## svalbard

I watched *Red Cliff *last night. It had its moments, with some beautiful camera work. Overall it felt too long which would put me off watching it again.


----------



## clovis-man

svalbard said:


> I watched *Red Cliff *last night. It had its moments, with some beautiful camera work. Overall it felt too long which would put me off watching it again.


 
Did it comprise both Part I and II? If so, I can understand what you mean about the length. But it was a pretty good yarn overall.


----------



## svalbard

clovis-man said:


> Did it comprise both Part I and II? If so, I can understand what you mean about the length. But it was a pretty good yarn overall.



It was about 4hrs long. My wife and both the cat and dog were asleep before it finished


----------



## Foxbat

*Cargo* (2009)
When I watched this, I thought it was a German movie but, apparently, it's Swiss. A fairly competent piece of dystopian Science Fiction, which was pretty well filmed and had decent performances from all involved. Unfortunately, it's not exactly original and tends to echo a variety of previous SF movies. I also felt that, even only at 107 minutes long, it just did not have enough substance or edge to justify that time. 60 or 70 minutes would probably have sufficed.

Not a bad film but nothing outstanding either. Certainly worth a watch if you can pick it up at a budget price.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We went to see *Star Trek* yesterday and really enjoyed it! LOTS of action and a good bit of humor as well. I would definitely recommend it.


----------



## clovis-man

Re *Red Cliff*:



svalbard said:


> It was about 4hrs long. My wife and both the cat and dog were asleep before it finished


 
Well cats have notoriously short attention spans. And dogs aren't much better. But my wife usually falls asleep during a movie before any of our animals.


----------



## Ice fyre

Watched Miss Potter, a rather nice little biopic of Beatrix Potter. Quite liked Rene Zellwiger's performance. The film highlighted her artistic talents and there were some lovley animated sequences.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watching Les Miserables. All the singing is making me miserable!
Not half way through and I've had enough!
A great story ruined!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Watched *Zero Dark Thirty* a couple nights ago. Interesting story of the events leading up to Bin Laden's death, but I thought the movie was just ok. I felt like it dragged in parts, and some things were skimmed over that could have had more time devoted to them.


----------



## alchemist

*Green Zone* - Matt Damon shoots people in Iraq. I lost interest halfway through. Not recommended.


----------



## Winters_Sorrow

Foxbat said:


> *Cargo* (2009)
> When I watched this, I thought it was a German movie but, apparently, it's Swiss. A fairly competent piece of dystopian Science Fiction, which was pretty well filmed and had decent performances from all involved. Unfortunately, it's not exactly original and tends to echo a variety of previous SF movies. I also felt that, even only at 107 minutes long, it just did not have enough substance or edge to justify that time. 60 or 70 minutes would probably have sufficed.
> 
> Not a bad film but nothing outstanding either. Certainly worth a watch if you can pick it up at a budget price.



I saw this the other day and concur. Nothing much original here, though it was well made. 



Spoiler



The biggest issue I had was that I knew what the twist ending was in the first 5 minutes of the movie and I never spot these things! So that ruined it a little for me in that it was so terribly obvious.



I also saw *Ironclad (2011)* the other day, which was ok with a decent cast, though the "realism" of the story was a bit overdone as apart from there being a fierce battle around Rochester Castle at that time between King John and the Baron, most everything else was made up. If I had to sum up this movie in one pithy sentence; I'd say it was a medieval remake of the Alamo, with plenty of gore and fighting to keep you occupied until the predictably grim finale.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Cargo* (2009)
> When I watched this, I thought it was a German movie but, apparently, it's Swiss. A fairly competent piece of dystopian Science Fiction, which was pretty well filmed and had decent performances from all involved. Unfortunately, it's not exactly original and tends to echo a variety of previous SF movies. I also felt that, even only at 107 minutes long, it just did not have enough substance or edge to justify that time. 60 or 70 minutes would probably have sufficed.
> 
> Not a bad film but nothing outstanding either. Certainly worth a watch if you can pick it up at a budget price.


 
I was a little disappointed with it too.  Don't get me  wrong, it wasn't bad, but I had worked out  the plot about five minutes  in and after that it was just watching the  dominoes topple. It looked  great and the lack of gunplay was  welcome but it did press several of  my dumb SF buttons: things like the  size of the ship (the _Kassandra_),  which was full of huge spaces all full of air at a breathable  pressure.  I've never understood how and why SF films get away with this.  Air is mass and moving uneeded mass about is a waste of energy.  Though it does make the removal of unwanted passengers and vermin a doddle:

"Captain, I think we got a stowaway." 
 "Okay, put on your suits and vent the ship. Next problem please."

(I am now trying to remember the name of a story (1950s) in which tribe of rats live in the walls of a space ship and survive a decompression - by A Bertram Chandler?)

And the big engines firing _all the time_ for four years!  They   only cut out about 30 seconds before they reach their destination; at   which point the ship just stops (once the engines stop pushing it).   At   some point this ship goes FLT.  It has to.  Rhea, its destination, is   'four years' [travel] away from Earth.  Proxima Centuri is about 4.2 light-years   from us.  So even if Rhea is around our nearest neighbour - and the   implication is that it isn't - then the Kassandra must have gone faster   than light to get there in the time.  As it was constantly  accelerating (big engines firing _all the time)_,  when it got to Station 42 (aka _Matrix_ in Space) it would  have been  doing at least lightspeed and, according to Einstein, would  have accumulated enough relativistic mass  to destroy  the whole bloody  planet as it hit. 

As for the moment when our heroine jet packs straight into the open airlock of the moving spaceship at the end....


----------



## FireDragon-16

Watched *Gangster Squad* with my brother last night. 

It was a really good movie for the most part. The only thing that I felt was a little off was how they were all chummy together outside of their little gang. I could understand getting together for a bbq or something but when they went to a bar and were praising themselves, I thought that was a little too risky.

Other than, great movie! Awesome cast! Loved Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone the most.


----------



## clovis-man

*Cafe* (2011) Showtime.

A movie that tests our perception of reality. Loosely revolves around a character in a coffee house who is told by his laptop that he isn't real, just an avatar. The other people in the cafe are going through their own issues, but ultimately are drawn into the "unreality" of the story. Well acted. Interesting premise. The only film I can think of that could even be loosely compared to this one would be 1987's wonderful *Bagdad Cafe*. And not because of the title. More because of the unreal quality of the story.

Catch this one if you can.


----------



## JunkMonkey

The A Bertram Chandler story I was thinking of was "Giant Killer", 1945.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Spiral Staircase.* 
This 1945 thriller is one of my  favourite movies and one I never tire of watching.


----------



## alchemist

*Wreck-It Ralph* -- fun for all the family.


----------



## Pyan

_The Wizard of Oz_ - popped up, suprisingly, this afternoon on TV...


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Comic* (1984) - when I first watched this last year I dismissed it as 'a turd'.  But I think I may be wrong.  _The Comic_,  after having lived in my head for a year or so and on another viewing   is, possibly, the greatest undiscovered work of genius film-making  produced in Britain since the Sixties - or a sustained display of  amateur ineptness which, just by being so incredibly crap, manages to  completely bypass any form of criticism.  

With most bad films you have  some idea what the film was trying to do. It's an unfunny comedy, it's a  not scary Horror film, it's an unthrilling thriller. With _The Comic_  I don't have a clue.  I really haven't got any way to start to work out  what it thought it was other than to liken it to other films which it  resembles (slightly - and then almost certainly by accident).  Plot-wise  I think it's the rags to riches and back again, rise and fall story  (think David Essex in _That'll be the Day / Stardust_) but set in  an authoritarian future where jackbooted militia can beat the crap out  of people in public for no real reason and throw them in gaol without  trial and the highest form of culture appears to be the working man's  club circuit.  It's obviously heavily influenced by David Lynch's  unfiltered stream of conciousness imagery; uncomfortable, grainy,  double-framed shots of nothing much happening are sustained beyond any  sensible length.  At the end several of these, totally unrelated shots,  are repeated as if they are DEEPLY SIGNIFICANT.  There are  nightmare/dream sequences with the smoke machines pumping away so much  that, at times, it's hard to figure out what is going on on screen. 

The  cutting jolts all over the place leaving audience confusion in its  wake - for most of the film I had very little idea of where any of the  'action' was taking place; apart from a shot of some boats in a harbour  and a couple of establishing shots of a big house all the film takes  place indoors - even the scenes which are obviously meant to be outside  feel like interiors.  (Mostly down to the crappy sound work.)  The  setting is weird too, the street (of what appears to be some sort of  living museum) is knee deep in straw.  The rich get about in horse drawn  carriages or vintage automobiles.  The protagonist's 'flat' consists of  one ground floor with shop windows - and some of the worst wrinkled  wallpaper-hanging I have seen.  Many layers of meaninglessness on  display to be peeled away to reveal even shallower layers of  meaningless.  

I think  producer / writer / director / editor / sounds  effects arranger Richard Driscoll was trying to do something very simple  - an SF reworking of Dostoevsky's _Crime and Punishment_ in the  Northern Working-men's club circuit but accidentally managed to make the  most accurate, sustained, parody of every bad, over-arty Film Student  film ever produced. 

It's comedy heaven.


----------



## BetaWolf

Not quite a movie, but the two-part premiere (running about 1h30) to the new Outer Limits. Based on GRRM's novella of the same name, Sandkings investigates one man's introduction of sentient alien lifeforms to an unsuspecting world. Available for free on hulu.com.


----------



## Triceratops

Ghost Rider. I love, adore Nick Cage, especially in his spec/fantasy roles. But this movie was so over-the-top and in your face with implausible scenes and instances, that I ended up lowering my head in disgust and biting my lip. I'm sorry to all those who found it a thrill ride, which it was. Heck, it started with the blase performance of Peter Fonda, and went downhill from there. The supporting actors who were the devil's henchmen, really tried too hard to get their evil personas over. Elliot did fine. Nick prevailed, as usual. But what a _cliche_ plot.


----------



## PTeppic

DVD: Star Trek (2009)


----------



## J-Sun

The last two I saw were *Dracula's Daughter* (1936) and *The Brides of Dracula* (1960). The first is mostly notable for introducing me to the extremely attractive Marguerite Churchill but is otherwise a fairly dull tale of a conflicted female vampire (alas, not played by Churchill but by someone who looks sort of like Angelica Huston's version of Morticia) awash in Freudian psychobabble. It also has the usual "secretary in love with her boss" motif. (Churchill's the secretary.) The second dracflick is worse - I don't understand the lavish and detailed Gothic sets that somehow convey more of a feel of a _Bonanza_ soundstage or something than anything dark and haunting but I give 'em points for trying. The only improvement in 30 years of vampire special effects seems to be that the silly bouncing rubber bats are now fuzzy silly bouncing rubber bats. It's also rather embarrassing to watch Governor Tarkin go bugeyed and tongue-lolling while being strangled by a blond vampire boy and doing awkward action scenes, generally. Cushing was good otherwise, though. And, speaking of bland - er, that was an actual typo, but I'll let it stand - vampire boy (who, despite the title, is not Dracula, of course), I don't know if anyone remembers the food critic guy on _Frasier_ but he reminded me of him - ludicrously non-threatening. The two batty (heh) older ladies deliver interesting performances, though.

Anyway - there's some slight entertainment to be had from both but I'd recommend giving both a pass.


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> It's also rather embarrassing to watch Governor Tarkin go bugeyed and tongue-lolling while being strangled by a blond vampire boy and doing awkward action scenes, generally. Cushing was good otherwise, though.


 
Yeah. He wasn't exactly an action hero. His hair style was quite similar to my father's. And I couldn't see him that way either (fighting off vampires, that is).


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Yeah. He wasn't exactly an action hero. His hair style was quite similar to my father's. And I couldn't see him that way either (fighting off vampires, that is).



Maybe not but he was quite athletic.  I remember being impressed at how much of his own stuntwork he did on the end of _Brides of Dracula_


----------



## biodroid

Jack Reacher, very good even with Tom Cruise in it. Cloud Atlas, i think I need 3 phDs to understand this movie. Not my favourite and I wont watch it again, sadly, even with the calibre of the cast.


----------



## Starbeast

*Star Trek: Into The Darkness* - Excellent flick, filled with surprises and cool action!

*Jack Reacher* - Far better than I thought it would be, not GREAT, but very good.

Spoiler Alert!​BOIDROID, in the film _Jack Reacher_, they intentionally try to keep the audience in the dark, until nearly the end of the movie. Because they knew people would be trying to figure out what's going on. I rather liked that idea.


----------



## EricWard

*The Last Airbender (2010)*: Oh god, I knew this was going to be bad - I was _hoping _it would be bad - but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. The story is all over the place, there's narration from a minor character for only a few minutes, then it never pops up again, the acting is terrible, plot points are introduced and then quickly forgotten, and most of the script seems like it was translated from another language.

It's tough to even call this entertaining as a bad movie, but I didn't get mad watching it. If anything, it's a baffling excuse of a trainwreck that makes you wonder who thought it was a good idea or how it got to where it did without at least one cast or crew member trying to tell Shyamalan that this is a terrible, terrible movie.

I feel so bad for fans of the cartoon who were hoping this would be as good. It is not.


----------



## clovis-man

*Olympus Has Fallen*

Pretty much a 50/50 mix of season (day) seven of *24* when the African warlord takes over the white house, and *Die Hard *with Gerard Butler playing Bruce Willis. Lots of action. Not much sense made in the story line, but entertaining anyway. Morgan Freeman is always good and Melissa Leo as the Secretary of Defence was great in a small role. Everybody else more or less just mailed in their performances. But, like I said: lots of action.

Yippee-Ki-Yay


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J-Sun said:


> The last two I saw were *Dracula's Daughter* (1936) and *The Brides of Dracula* (1960). The first is mostly notable for introducing me to the extremely attractive Marguerite Churchill but is otherwise a fairly dull tale of a conflicted female vampire (alas, not played by Churchill but by someone who looks sort of like Angelica Huston's version of Morticia) awash in Freudian psychobabble.


 
Interesting contrast to my own love of this film, which I consider to be far superior to the rather inert *Dracula* (1931) (without denying Lugosi's iconic title role.)  The lady in question is Gloria Holden.  In my not-very-humble opinion, the way she looks in this film goes way beyond attractive into hypnotically beautiful; but I'm a sucker for all the proto-Goth ladies of that era (and I would love to look like anybody's version of Morticia.)  Notable also is the strong suggestion of lesbianism, a theme which would often come up in vampire films of later decades.

By some sort of twisted logic, that brings me to my most recently viewed film, *The Vampire* (1957.)  Despite the generic title, this features almost nothing related to vampirism (and certainly no lesbians.)  Doctor rushes to the side of a dying scientist, grabs the pills the science guy has been working on (derived from vampire bats -- there's the first tiny touch of justification for the title), gets them mixed up with his headache pills (oops), turns into a drug addict who changes into a Mister Hyde sort of killer.  Victims die of capillary disintegration and have two small holes on their necks (second and last tiny touch of justification for the title.)  It's all played quite seriously instead of the expected 1950's campiness.  Not quite bad enough to laugh at, not quite good enough to enjoy on its own.


----------



## FireDragon-16

My brother and I watched *Remember Me *last night. 

Really good movie although I really hated my brother yelling at the TV when he realized where Tyler's dad's office was and what day it was...


----------



## CrumpleHornedSnorkak

I watched _The Road_ (I think that's what it was called...) the other night. I'm not really sure if I liked it or not. It was bit 'hard-hitting' for me. I didn't like the ending, and I didn't like the father's behaviour in some parts. (I always feel unsettled seeing Aragorn being a bit heartless.) However, it did make me think. And I am pretty sure that I would not result to cannibalism if there was some sort of apocalypse...


----------



## Mouse

I have just come back from seeing *The Big Wedding*. I thought it was going to be crap, but honestly, it was not bad. Not my sort of film (only went for one reason), and I've heard people say it was rubbish, but I have never heard so much laughter in a cinema in my life (not from me, I don't laugh in cinemas. Yeah, weird like that). 

And my goodness. Ben Barnes is ridiculously beautiful. His eyes are just stunning. Only thing I didn't like was the amount of fake tan they'd slapped on the poor bloke, though he was playing a Colombian. And he did an American accent and spoke Spanish and, um, possibly Cantonese. Sexy, sexy boy. Someone send me one of those, right now.

*swoon*


----------



## EricWard

clovis-man said:


> *Olympus Has Fallen*
> 
> Pretty much a 50/50 mix of season (day) seven of *24* when the African warlord takes over the white house, and *Die Hard *with Gerard Butler playing Bruce Willis. Lots of action. Not much sense made in the story line, but entertaining anyway. Morgan Freeman is always good and Melissa Leo as the Secretary of Defence was great in a small role. Everybody else more or less just mailed in their performances. But, like I said: lots of action.
> 
> Yippee-Ki-Yay



My favorite review of this movie comes from my grandmother: "It really makes you think...I don't trust those Koreans."


----------



## Christopher Fritschi

The new Star Trek, thought it was pretty good. Benedict Cumberbatch was impressive and the guy who plays Spock was _born_ for the role.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Trollenberg Terror aka The Crawling Eye *(1958)
A student climber getting his head ripped off heralds creepy goings on around a Swiss mountain. The special effects are not brilliant but this SciFi Horror flick is otherwise not too bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow *(2003) - I know I'm in a minority but I really like_Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.  _It's good old-fashioned, Republic serial hookum and it knows it, and it's FUN.  A much better love letter to the glory days of pulp than the Indiana Jones films or _Rocketman _or any of the others that have tried.  It succeeds for me I think because there is no cynicism in this show at all.  It's all there on the screen.  No subtexts, no sly winks to the audience (apart from the _Godzilla_ reference - maybe); it takes itself seriously and stays in character. Love it.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> *Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow *(2003) - I know I'm in a minority but I really like_Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.  _It's good old-fashioned, Republic serial hookum and it knows it, and it's FUN.  A much better love letter to the glory days of pulp than the Indiana Jones films or _Rocketman _or any of the others that have tried.  It succeeds for me I think because there is no cynicism in this show at all.  It's all there on the screen.  No subtexts, no sly winks to the audience (apart from the _Godzilla_ reference - maybe); it takes itself seriously and stays in character. Love it.


 
Fun movie. The giant flying robots were lifted wholesale from an old Superman cartoon film. the only real joke (aside from "Frankie" being Angelina Jolie) was the one that ran the whole movie about Gwyneth Paltrow's dwindling film supply.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow *(2003) - I know I'm in a minority but I really like_Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow._


 
You can add me to your minority report.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Cyclops* (1957)

Typical fare from producer/director/writer/special effects guy Bert I. Gordon (known as Mr. BIG, both for his initials and the fact that many of his movies involve abnormally large beings.)  This one features a creature pretty similar to that seen in Mr. BIG's *War of the Colossal Beast* (1958), itself a sequel to *The Amazing Colossal Man* (1957).  

Gloria Talbott (best known to me as the star of the wonderfully titled *I Married a Monster from Outer Space* [1958], a pretty decent little paranoid chiller) appears as a woman trying to find her husband, who got lost in the Mexican desert three years ago.  Along for the fun are a cynical, hard-drinking pilot; a hunky bacteriologist, in love with Talbott; and a businessman looking for uranium (Lon Chaney, Jr., pretty much wasted here.)  Lots of time is wasted setting up the situation, until the quartet finally crash in a valley where the high level of radiation makes all living creatures huge.  We see poorly back-projected giant lizards, a giant hawk attacking a giant mouse, and so on.  At last they get captured by the title creature, a giant man with a horribly distorted, one-eyed face.  (The makeup for the monster is quite effective, gruesome and disgusting.)  It takes our heroes a while to figure out that this is the enlarged, radiation-scarred husband of Talbott.  The film comes to a sudden end as they defeat the creature and escape.  Pretty much a few minutes of cool monster makeup in more than an hour of tedium.


----------



## Grimward

*Lincoln (2012)*

Daniel Day Lewis richly deserved his Academy, Golden Globe and other awards for his stunning performance here.  While I know that not all of the details in the movie followed history, I appreciated a fair number of historically-accurate details and how they were represented, especially the surrender of Lee to Grant at the McLean House, Lincoln's ongoing personal trials in coming to grips with the death of his son Willy, his wife's battle with depression,  and his older son Robert's resistance and longing to join the Union army.  Tommy Lee Jones' performance as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens also had me hooked.

Finally, the film absolutely entranced my 12-year-old, and therefore deserves not only my praise but also my thanks.


----------



## Starbeast

*Kick Ass* (2010)

If I only knew it was so good, I would have seen this superhero flick sooner than last night.

*Hide and Creep* (2004)

Low budget, but not a bad silly zombie comedy.


----------



## clovis-man

*Star Trek Into Darkness*

I think I'm the last kid on the block to see this. I wasn't hugely impressed. Lots of action and clever quips. But also a lot of recycled story lines from the past and a totally predictable plot. If that tribble hadn't perked up, *Then* I would have been surprised (and what was he doing with a tribble anyway and why weren't there suddenly a thousand of them?). Entertaining enough for all that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> *Star Trek Into Darkness*
> 
> I think I'm the last kid on the block to see this.



Nope.  I think that'll probably be me.  I only got round to watching the _Wrath of Khan_ last month.



clovis-man said:


> (and what was he doing with a tribble anyway and why weren't there suddenly a thousand of them?).



You were expectingconsistent internal logic in a Star Trek movie!?


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Nope.  I think that'll probably be me.  I only got round to watching the _Wrath of Khan_ last month.


 
In  that case, if you see the new movie soon, you'll be in for an........interesting experience. ("Say no more. Say no more. Nudge. Nudge.")


----------



## MPorter

clovis-man said:


> *Star Trek Into Darkness*
> 
> I think I'm the last kid on the block to see this. I wasn't hugely impressed.



I had a very similar feeling coming out of the movie. My wife is a huge Trek fan and absolutely loved it so her opinion is probably better than mine. I, however, was bothered by a bunch of niggling little things early on in the movie that kept me from really enjoying it.

A good action movie with some clever lines but I was underwhelmed by the plot.

Last movie I saw in the theatre was "Now You See Me". This struck me as an excellent pilot for a television series but as a movie fairly weak. Another movie that let me down with its ending.

Cheers!

~Mike


----------



## subtletylost

The last movie I saw was _Oz: The Great and Powerful_. It was good. Better than I thought it'd be, but not as good as I think it could have been. It was a tiny bit boring, in my opinion.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Flight*.
Denzel Washington plays an alcoholic coke-snorting pilot who manages to save most of the people on board a stricken plane. Good performance as usual!


----------



## Lenny

clovis-man said:


> *Star Trek Into Darkness*
> 
> (and what was he doing with a tribble anyway and why weren't there suddenly a thousand of them?)



Apparently there's an ongoing comic series that spans the time between the first film and the new film. Bones got the Tribble in the comics.

http://trekmovie.com/2013/05/23/the-easter-eggs-of-star-trek-into-darkness/


----------



## clovis-man

Lenny said:


> Apparently there's an ongoing comic series that spans the time between the first film and the new film. Bones got the Tribble in the comics.
> 
> http://trekmovie.com/2013/05/23/the-easter-eggs-of-star-trek-into-darkness/


 
Sorry. Still a little weak and very predictable. But like I said, the film was, if nothing else, at least entertaining.

Watched *Forgotten* (2004) the other night. Actually this was a fairly good mystery/thriller/SF meld. Julianne Moore and Christopher Kovaleski were both good. Other roles were more or less throwaways. Except for Alfre Woodard, whose role I wish had been bigger. But if you see the film, you'll understand. Worthwhile.


----------



## Boneman

Saw *Man of Steel *yesterday - Father's day treat! Atmospheric, and the set up to him leaving Krypton was handled well, but once the meeting of all the bad guys commenced, it went on for way too long - too much emphasis on (admittedly good) special effects, but how many times do you have to see Superman thrown through five skyscrapers? It became repetitive, and you just wanted the story to continue. Not a fair comparison, but I preferred *Star Trek - Into Darkness. *I loved Amy Adams as Lana Lane...


----------



## Moonbat

> I loved Amy Adams as Lana Lane...


 
Do you mean Lois? 

I was not impressed by *Man of Steel*, not sure why I was expecting something better, but it really wasn't a good film, the performances were good but the script and plot were rubbish. I would love to rant about all the stupid things that happened, but I'll save them for a proper review.


----------



## Huttman

Boneman, I agree with your take on the action, it started to pull me out of the film. Overall I did enjoy it very much. It had its share of heartwarming scenes. I guess I just have to accept the fact that every action film made today is going to have its action scenes look like the action scenes from the Transformers movies. Thank you Michael Bay for setting that standard. Not.


----------



## PTeppic

*Man of Steel*
Sorry Zack, felt overall I was underwhelmed.


----------



## Boneman

Moonbat said:


> Do you mean Lois?
> 
> I was not impressed by *Man of Steel*, not sure why I was expecting something better, but it really wasn't a good film, the performances were good but the script and plot were rubbish. I would love to rant about all the stupid things that happened, but I'll save them for a proper review.


 

Oops - shows how much attention I was paying, then!!


----------



## Starbeast

Thanks for the warnings about _Man of Steel_. But even before your reviews, I've heard many critics calling the movie an "ok" film that had potential.

*Grave Mistake* (2008)

Exceedingly low budget, but an outrageously funny zombie gore flick with wonderfully absurd characters. Sure it has lots of dialogue that is cliched, and has a weak intro, but the rest of the movie is very entertaining. A lucky find, and worth a look.

*Moon Zero Two* (1969)

Fantastically groovy space western movie, set in the year 2028, starring James Olson, Catherine Schell and Warren Mitchell. The producers of the film tried to make it as accurate as possible to what it would be like to have habitats on the Moon. The technology was very close to what NASA used and conceptualized. Also the script and some sequences are intentionally humorous. This film came out a year after Arthur C. Clarke's _2001: A Space Odyssey_ was released , and months before humans landed on the real Moon.

This was a fun movie to watch and a great original science fiction story. I loved it.


----------



## leah36

Last movie I watched was The cabin In The Woods !  Very different to any other horror movie i've ever seen , storyline was quite clever , very creepy in many different ways !


----------



## Lenny

I went to see *Man of Steel* last night. My ears are still ringing, and my head is still throbbing...

I enjoyed the film more than other Superman films I've seen, and I was really impressed by the fact that Zack Snyder made a film where everything happened in real time. I also liked the supporting cast, and had a lot of fun trying to remember which TV series I had seen them all in (sometimes multiple series!). The design of the Krypton ships and armour was pretty cool, too, and reminded me of H. R. Giger's designs for the Alien films).

But there was so much that was wrong with the film, which really ruins the package as a whole.

Still, I had a fun couple of hours drooling at the screen with my brain switched off.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011)

Just watched this one. Good cast. Good story. Well filmed and acted. I would highly recommend this one for anyone liking courtroom drama, even though some of what goes on in the cinematic halls of justice is a little far fetched. Entertaining and keeps you guessing right to the end.

I've never read a Michael Connelly mystery. Maybe I should.


----------



## Foxbat

*Strings*(2004)
Interesting dark(ish) fantasy movie done entirely with puppets. Very good cinematography


----------



## EricWard

Finally got *The Stranger (1946)* off of my dvr.

Orson Welles as a nazi war criminal, masquerading as a small-town prep school professor (also director) and Edward G. Robinson as the nazi hunter who has to prove to everyone what kind of monster Welles' character really is.

A couple of lulls here and there that had me looking at the clock, but some beautiful tracking shots, brooding noir light work, and a good amount of suspense kept me interested for the most part. If I had to complain about anything, it's that the ending is abrupt. But that's kind of expected from movies of that era.


----------



## gully_foyle

School holidays have started here so we got out *Return of the Jedi*, the 3rd and final instalment in the induction of my children into Star Wars culture (they can watch those other movies on their own time). I have an old digital projector, so we set set up the lounge room cinema style. Can afford the enormous plasma and home cinema, but we've got other things to spend our money on. However, before packing the projector away again, we responded to a challenge by Adam Hills on the ABC (our government broadcaster, think BBC with less budget and less annoying chat show hosts) to watch *The Princess Bride*. Indeed, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a few films this weekend, first was an awful film called Stranded starring Christian Slater. Don't waste two hours of your life on it. 

Second was the new Total Recall move with Colon Farrell. It was entertaining enough. 

Finally, Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. Very enjoyable. It's a shame that this didn't get picked up for a series.


----------



## Starbeast

*Warm Bodies* (2013)

Unique take on zombie movies, where zombies have the capability to revert back to being normal human beings. A surprisingly good dark humored flick with not as much gore as most undead films.

*Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla* (1974)

It was time for me to rewatch one of my favorite Godzilla films.

*The Story:* Evil shapeshifting aliens come to take over the Earth with a destructive robot (based on Godzilla's looks), which is packed with lots of firepower. However, the overconfident outworlders didn't expect the mighty "King of the Monsters" to have help from a professor (and friends), an Interpol agent and an ancient giant protector called King Ceasar.


----------



## Mouse

*Cowboys & Aliens*. It was ok. Entertaining enough. We did have a giggle at the alien arms a couple of times. Would've been nice to have seen more female characters than 'doctor's wife,' 'dead whore' and 'lady who's not really a lady but actually an alien' but hey ho, who wants to see women in films anyway.


----------



## Glitch

Watched two films on note this week.

*Inglourious Basterds (2009)*
I've heard about the film, mostly good stuff. I, however, found it lacking in appeal. The story seemed fragmented and goes on my thumbs down pile.

*Street Kings (2008)*
This one I found quite interesting. I had guessed some of the story ahead of time, but still found it an enjoyable film.


----------



## clovis-man

*Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy*

Gary Oldman deserved all the praise he got for playing a brilliantly understated role. But this is the third or fourth film I have seen based on a John Le Carre book and I have yet to really get into any of them. The plot details are just beyond my intrigue radar. I would put this one on a par with *The Constant Gardener*, i.e., well done but I was always two steps behind in the story. I may have to break down and read one of his books someday.


----------



## J-Sun

Glitch said:


> *Inglourious Basterds (2009)*
> I've heard about the film, mostly good stuff. I, however, found it lacking in appeal. The story seemed fragmented and goes on my thumbs down pile..



Yeah, I love _Pulp Fiction_ and liked _Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill_, and _Death Proof. Jackie Brown_ was okay. And then I was kind of astonished to not like _Inglourious Basterds_ much at all.

Last flick I saw was *Brazil*. Mind-blowingly lavish sets and special effects, a great cast, some wickedly funny stuff, much dementia and paranoia and so on - but I didn't like it. It was waaay too long (2:23 - apparently there is a shorter version but only by about ten minutes so I don't know that it would help) so that I lost interest in the middle and, while Gilliam is a sick twisted "basterd", it's not always in the good way - the funeral scene was something I'd desperately like to un-see. But most of the early and late parts of the film are worth seeing at least once and I get how people might be major fans of it. I liked it a heck of a lot better than _Munchausen_, anyway.


----------



## FireDragon-16

We saw *Man of Steel* a few days ago. It was a great movie! Henry Cavill is an awesome Superman. I can't wait for a sequel.

My brother and I watched *The Breakfast Club*. I forgot how good that movie is!


----------



## Moonbat

Watched *Behind the Candelabra* yesterday. It was the story of Liberace but more centred on one of his lovers, Scott. I enjoyed it, it was very amusing in the middle third, but a very sad last third. Worth a watch (if you're in the UK you can see it at the cinema, but can't in the US?) if you like biopics with a dark sense of humour.
*Michael Douglas* was very good as the ageing pianist.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> Last flick I saw was *Brazil*. Mind-blowingly lavish sets and special effects, a great cast, some wickedly funny stuff, much dementia and paranoia and so on - but I didn't like it. It was waaay too long (2:23 - apparently there is a shorter version but only by about ten minutes so I don't know that it would help)...





> There are at least three different versions of Brazil. The original 142  minutes European release, a shorter 132-minutes prepared by Gilliam for  the American release and another different version, nicknamed the  Sheinberg Edit, from Universal's then boss Sid Sheinberg, against whom  Terry Gilliam had to fight to have his version released, A.K.A. the  'Love Conquers All' version.



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/alternateversions


----------



## J-Sun

Thanks for that link - very informative. But 94 seems excessive and could be called "the suit edit" - sounds like it completely destroys the film. And, while I like the first couple of "American" edits in the list, I'm not sure about the third. The fourth could be omitted without harm to the story but I sure didn't mind seeing it. And the fifth and sixth should not be removed, especially the fifth. That was all of hilarious, brilliantly performed, and essential to the story and feel of the flick. More stuff early and middle needed to be cut, though I couldn't say what - just a line here or camera pan there or whatever to tighten it up. Aim for a two-hour running time or so.

Anyway - thanks again. Wish my DVD had all three versions but at least it was likely the truest/best even if longest.

-- Actually, on second thought, you can't even make the first American cut, because it (a) prepares for the very much not Father Christmases coming through the "chimney" and (b) ties back around to the minister in his Santa Claus hat. So that's actually a keeper. But say, stuff like when Lowry takes the promotion and the pack of lackeys is following the boss - I think they pass around maybe four times before sweeping up Lowry and you could maybe cut two of them. That sort of thing.


----------



## clovis-man

*Flight*. Well acted. Gripping story. But I found myself getting tired of Denzel's relapses after a while. And the ending seemed more than a little contrived. A worthwhile movie nevertheless. Apropos of absolutely nothing, I thought Denzel's performance in this was much better than in *Training Day*, the one he actually got an Oscar for.


----------



## Huttman

I saw the True Grit remake last night, what a great film....until the last 3 minutes. I don't want to give anything away, but what a downer. Did the original end with that *wonderful* (albeit vengeful) little girl turn to such a crabby old lady? I was hoping for a moral awakening from her after she...well. I guess not.


----------



## MPorter

Unbreakable. One of my guilty pleasure movies.

~Mike


----------



## sooC

Fish Story is the last movie I enjoyed. Killing Them Softly started well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Brain that Wouldn't Die *('February 15th 1962') - my annual watch of a truly great bad film which still contains the speech by our Misguided Doctor protagonist which I have come to think of as The Mad Scientist's Prayer :"What you see is real.  What I've done,  I've done, and what I've done is right - it is the work of  science."​Amen.


----------



## BetaWolf

This afternoon--Planet of the Apes. First time seeing the original with C. Heston.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey*

Almost three hours long. Used some of the same gimmicks as in the *LOTR*. Several cameos from actors in the first trilogy. Entertaining nonetheless. But really, does it need to be this long when the original book was just that: A book, not three books. Peter Jackson has gone over the edge, I'm afraid. But, having said that, I'm sure I'll see the next ones also. But I'll wait for the DVDs.


----------



## clovis-man

BetaWolf said:


> This afternoon--Planet of the Apes. First time seeing the original with C. Heston.


 
If by this you mean that you have seen the Tim Burton version then you were treated to a very different story. I hope you were sufficiently unfamiliar with it to enjoy how events unfolded.


----------



## Starbeast

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Brain that Wouldn't Die *('February 15th 1962') - my annual watch of a truly great bad film which still contains the speech by our Misguided Doctor protagonist which I have come to think of as The Mad Scientist's Prayer :
> "What you see is real.  What I've done,  I've done, and what I've done is right - it is the work of  science."​Amen.


 
It's one of my favorites since I was a kid, a great "weird science" horror flick. I occasionally watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version.



BetaWolf said:


> This afternoon--Planet of the Apes. First time seeing the original with C. Heston.


 
Still an awesome film for me to see now-and-then (along with the even odder, but cool four sequels).




*Fido* (2006)

Fantastic oddball zombie movie, starring actor, Billy Connolly. It's a well done, dark comedy, a real treat for "living dead" movie fans. Outrageously cool/weird!


----------



## BetaWolf

clovis-man said:


> If by this you mean that you have seen the Tim Burton version then you were treated to a very different story. I hope you were sufficiently unfamiliar with it to enjoy how events unfolded.



I'm slowly going through the classic sci fi books and movies, and this one was a treat to be sure. I had the general idea (and the ending) already in mind, but I was treated to a more complicated story than Tim Burton's remake. 

The ape characters were surprisingly well developed (even the 'villain'), with their motivations clearly put forward. I can't say that I like the character of Taylor all that much, but Heston did his job. 

Burton's remake was much flatter, with the take-away message of 'slavery bad' or something like that.


----------



## clovis-man

BetaWolf said:


> I'm slowly going through the classic sci fi books and movies, and this one was a treat to be sure.


 
And the Jerry Goldsmith score helped create the "other-worldly" feel as well.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*My Brilliant Career* -- it started slow, but the engaging characters eventually hooked me.  A great sense of time and place (Australia, near the end of the nineteenth century).


----------



## Abernovo

*Attack the Block* (2011)

Aliens invade inner city London and meet their match. 'They picked the wrong block, innit?'

It starts a bit nastily, and the aliens are a bit lame (it's a low budget comedy-horror sci-fi from the people behind Shaun of the Dead), but stick with it. The teenage thugs get stick from their girlfriends and put well-and-truly in their place, and the woman who is mugged at the beginning ends up being the driving force behind the gang as they fight. She doesn't really fight much herself, but never needs to be rescued and is no victim.

Redemption, anti-heroes, and Nick Frost as a couch potato pot grower. I suspect some of the young actors in it are ones to watch out for in the near future, as well.
Not brilliant, but definitely a laugh and well worth ninety minutes of my time. Entertaining. 8/10

Supposedly, the studio was worried that it might not translate to the US, due the strong London accents and slang. I don't think it's that bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> And the Jerry Goldsmith score helped create the "other-worldly" feel as well.



It's a brilliant score.  For one thing it's so spare.  There are great periods in the film where there is no music.  The film making is so good it doesn't need music to tell you what you are supposed to be feeling from second to second.


----------



## tangaloomababe

Watched Hansel & Gretel:Witch Hunters last night, a bit of fun, probably a little predictable but still easily watchable.  I'm guessing a sequel is on the horizon


----------



## PTeppic

Limitless


----------



## Mouse

I saw that at the cinema. Me and my friend hated the MC so, so much. Smug git! ^

Currently watching *Shutter Island*. Bit bored though.


----------



## sooC

Mouse said:


> I saw that at the cinema. Me and my friend hated the MC so, so much. Smug git! ^
> 
> Currently watching *Shutter Island*. Bit bored though.



I didn't like it, I half watched it. I kept thinking The Machinist did a better job of tackling the same theme.


----------



## Mouse

It was alright in the end. Only half-watched it myself!


----------



## Rodders

Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith were on this weekend. Still surprisingly entertaining.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> Currently watching *Shutter Island*. Bit bored though.



Forgive me if I sound rude but how can you type in a forum and say you are currently watching a film?  Film is an immersive medium.  You cannot watch a film and do something else.  By doing something else you take your attention away from the screen.  It's like having sex and updating Facebook at the same time.   


> Status: Having sex.  Bit bored though.


If I was Martin Scorcese I'd sue for divorce


----------



## Huttman

Caught up on some films this weekend thanks to netflix. I saw the Thor and Captain America. I was quite impressed with Thor but Captain left me a bit unimpressed. Oh, it had action and humor and fairly decent acting, but I thought all the body vaporizing laser guns in WWII got to be a bit much. Thor on the other hand had a very nice story to it, great acting and was a lot of fun. It (re) told an ageless tale about learning humility before you can be a good leader, very nice. And of course there was Natalie Portman...Where was I? Oh...yes, the Avengers are next, although I have not seen the Hulk remake, I think The Avenges is just going to have to come first as I've heard so much about this film.


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Forgive me if I sound rude but how can you  type in a forum and say you are currently watching a film?  Film is an  immersive medium.  You cannot watch a film and do something else.  By  doing something else you take your attention away from the screen.  It's  like having sex and updating Facebook at the same time.
> 
> If I was Martin Scorcese I'd sue for divorce



Seriously? You don't multi-task? Of course you can watch a film and  do something else at the same time! I quite often watch a film and surf  the net at the same time. What about all those people who go to the  cinema and text? Or eat food? Or get up to go for a wee?

I used to watch films with my step-mum while she was both watching the film _and_ ironing. 

Also, the fact I've written 'bit bored though' should surely tell you that obvisouly I'm _not_ immersed. 

Don't  think I need to say more really, but it takes, what, less than a minute  to make a post. Am I never allowed to look away from the TV screen?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Then it's just me.  If I watch a film I watch a film.  With the lights down and sat as square on to the centre to the screen as I can manage. I don't do anything else that uses any of my higher cognitive functions.  I just watch the film.  (The act of shovelling popcorn into my mouth doesn't take any concious thought.)  Even the shitty films get the same treatment.  I hate having any distractions that take me out of the film experience.  I figure if someone has spent a couple of years putting this thing together I should at least give them my undivided attention  - well at least until the moment of Essential Character Conflict or Inciting Incident on page 15 of their screenplay.  

After that it's: carry on - which is not a decision; or switch off - which is. 

I very rarely bale on films.  I nearly always watch through to the end no matter how sh*te they are.


----------



## Ice fyre

Hansel and Grettel witch Hunters.....the pain the pain, no wonder the male lead disavowed the film! Its terrible, stodgy fight scenes in need of a fight coreographer, acting only slightly less wooden than the wall's of the houses, magically appearing fight abilities forgotten in a instant when scripts requires it. Very interesting effects failed by script with no tension, no immersion, just a dull dull boring movie. A Van Helsing wanna be!


----------



## subtletylost

My Neighbor Totoro. and Kiki's Delivery Service. Both were wonderful. I really like Studio Ghibli films.


----------



## Foxbat

*Charly *Finally managed to get my hands on a copy of this movie (not easy to find but I managed to get an ex-library copy). It's been many years since I've seen it but now, after watching it again, I can confirm that I still love it as much  as I did then. 

Based on that wonderful story _Flowers For Algernon_, Cliff Robertson gives the finest and most moving performance of his career and deservedly gained an Oscar for it. 

Still one of my all-time favourites


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A gaggle of oddities, thanks entirely to Turner Classic Movies:

*What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?* -- below average example of the odd little sub-genre of "older actress thrillers."  Geraldine Page is good as the killer, Ruth Gordon is decent as her intended next victim, but the younger characters are dreary and waste screen time with dull romances.

*Sex Kittens Go To College* -- great title, not-so-great comedy.  Mamie Van Doren stars as a stripper with a super-genius IQ who is appointed head of the science department.  Throw in teenage Tuesday Weld and Bridget Bardot's little sister as the other two "sex kittens."  Also features a chimp, a robot, and a rare, brief appearance by Vampira in non-Goth mode as a scientist.  Not much happens.

*The Psychopath* -- above average chiller written by Robert Bloch.  Folks are being killed and little dolls that look exactly like them are left by their bodies.  Although it's obviously one of the many films influenced by *Psycho*, it has more of the feel of a _giallo_ (although there is very little gore.)  Genuinely creepy final scene.

*The Picasso Summer* -- adapts a very short story by Ray Bradbury into a feature film by adding lots of filler, mostly in the form of animated sequences inspired by the art of Picasso.  Worth a look if you don't expect much plot.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *The Avengers* again over the weekend. Lots of good fun. I just love Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. I haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet, but can't wait. I also have a bit of a crush on Chris Hemsworth, so I particularly liked the parts with Thor.


----------



## Christopher Lee

Watched the Matrix trilogy again, recalling how much I LOVED the first one.


----------



## MPorter

Despicable Me 2, yesterday. Laughed a lot.


----------



## Sapphie

The Dark Knight Rises - though I didn't watch all of it as I ended up falling asleep. Before that the last film I watched was Beautiful Creatures.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Despicable Me 2* at the cinema with the kids.
Absolute epic fun! For kids AND grown ups!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sh! The Octopus* (1937)

Pretty darn awful comedy-thriller which mocks the "Old Dark House" genre, which was already a worn-out theme on stage and in silent movies by the twenties. The plot doesn't make a bit of sense. Two "funny" detectives and a whole bunch of other characters wind up in an old lighthouse and get mixed up with secret passageways, a criminal mastermind called "The Octopus," a real octopus, a "lithium death ray," and a bunch of other nonsense. The best part is when the character who turns out to be The Octopus in disguise undergoes a on-screen transformation, using the same very effective special makeup and special lighting trick as the 1931 version of *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*. There's an outrageous twist ending which may have you throwing your popcorn at the screen. It's a terrible movie, but it's so insane that it exerts an eerie fascination.


----------



## EricWard

*Phase IV (1974)*

The only film directed by legendary designer Saul Bass. Sadly, the poster and the premise don't do this one justice. In short, it's like *2001: A Space Odyssey* with ants instead of HAL. That is, the pacing is very slow (though it's only 83 minutes), but if you're into that kind of thing, it's a lot more thoughtful and intriguing than a killer ant movie should be. The style is very stark, deliberate, and unnerving, while the story takes the classic "nature run amok" premise and takes it in a very interesting direction. One of my new favorites and a criminally overlooked classic of 70s sci-fi.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Serendipity*.  It had a cute premise, could have been heart-warming, funny, and romantic, but I didn't feel that the script did the idea justice.  

Actually, I thought they mishandled the premise: two people destined to find each other again and love each other, when the time is right.  But when the "right" time comes (spoilers)

They are each on the verge of marriage.  So when they do get together, two other people end up jilted and presumably heart-broken.  The guy practically left his bride at the altar.  Why was this the right time, as opposed to when they actually met? 

John Cusick made the most that he could of a poorly-written role, and Jeremy Piven was good, too. Kate Beckinsale was so-so.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Saw a whole bunch of films, some to my surprise I haven't seen, on the Telly box over the weekend...

*Scott Pilgrim vs the World* 

Was a surprise, didn't think I was going to like it as Edgar Wright films had been, for my taste, increasingly self-indulgent. (After, so therefore not including, the brilliant _Spaced _of course ) However, helped by a kick-arse soundtrack, I was glued to it. Didn't quite understand the world it was in - but then I think that adds to the charm of it. 

*Hot tub time machine*

meh. Not sure what this was aiming for. Gross out comedy, _animal house_ meets rom-com?? Came across as confused and a bit ponderous. I've seen it now and it wasted a couple hours, so I don't need to ever watch it again. Which probably says all you need to know. 

*Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny*

Actually have seem this before, still made me laugh out loud on occasion when I watched it again. But back in my yoof I was in a heavy metal band, and it fits into that mentality. There'll always be an inner metal teen inside me, forever watching _Spinal Tap_...

*Letters from Iwo Jima*

Again seen this before, but a compelling if obviously bleak film, as we know more-or-less the fate of the characters right at the start. However having grown up on John Wayne: the marine wading onto an island, flying a carrier fighter or commanding a destroyer in the Pacific killing Japs, this is needed showing of the heroics and faults of the other side. Particurly the cult of Bushido and the fanatism to follow the 'emperor's orders'. It should be noted though, by protraying this theatre of war, it neatly side-steps the Japanese Armies atrocities against allied PoW and the civilian populations, particularly the Chinese and Koreans. Actions that, as far as I am aware, have never publically apologised for. 

I have to say, I haven't seen the "American" side of the duology_, Flags of our Fathers, _so I don't know how they fit together or which one is better.


----------



## alchemist

EricWard said:


> *Phase IV (1974)*
> 
> The only film directed by legendary designer Saul Bass. Sadly, the poster and the premise don't do this one justice. In short, it's like *2001: A Space Odyssey* with ants instead of HAL. That is, the pacing is very slow (though it's only 83 minutes), but if you're into that kind of thing, it's a lot more thoughtful and intriguing than a killer ant movie should be. The style is very stark, deliberate, and unnerving, while the story takes the classic "nature run amok" premise and takes it in a very interesting direction. One of my new favorites and a criminally overlooked classic of 70s sci-fi.


 
I remember that! Blue ants and yellow ants etc It was a long time ago but it stuck in the memory as pretty good.



Venusian Broon said:


> Saw a whole bunch of films, some to my surprise I haven't seen, on the Telly box over the weekend...
> 
> *Scott Pilgrim vs the World*
> 
> Was a surprise, didn't think I was going to like it as Edgar Wright films had been, for my taste, increasingly self-indulgent. (After, so therefore not including, the brilliant _Spaced _of course ) However, helped by a kick-arse soundtrack, I was glued to it. Didn't quite understand the world it was in - but then I think that adds to the charm of it.


 
I see VB had a busy weekend on Channel 4 

I saw Scott Pilgrim too and really enjoyed it. At times the cleverness was almost too unrelenting and I actually needed an ad break to draw breath, but I also thought the soundtrack was brilliant.


----------



## Venusian Broon

alchemist said:


> I see VB had a busy weekend on Channel 4
> 
> I saw Scott Pilgrim too and really enjoyed it. At times the cleverness was almost too unrelenting and I actually needed an ad break to draw breath, but I also thought the soundtrack was brilliant.


 
Being Scottish, I'm just not built for this unseasonal heat of ~30 degrees C for a British Summer (especially the resultant oven that nights in London can be), so staying up and watching telly is a solution of sorts


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

EricWard said:


> *Phase IV (1974)*
> 
> The only film directed by legendary designer Saul Bass. Sadly, the poster and the premise don't do this one justice. In short, it's like *2001: A Space Odyssey* with ants instead of HAL. That is, the pacing is very slow (though it's only 83 minutes), but if you're into that kind of thing, it's a lot more thoughtful and intriguing than a killer ant movie should be. The style is very stark, deliberate, and unnerving, while the story takes the classic "nature run amok" premise and takes it in a very interesting direction. One of my new favorites and a criminally overlooked classic of 70s sci-fi.


 
A fine film indeed.  I understand that it was riffed in a very early episode of *Mystery Science Theater 3000*, which might make it the best movie they ever mocked.

I have the novelization by Barry Malzberg on my pile of books to be read.


----------



## Mariella

JunkMonkey said:


> Then it's just me.  If I watch a film I watch a film.  With the lights down and sat as square on to the centre to the screen as I can manage. I don't do anything else that uses any of my higher cognitive functions.  I just watch the film.  (The act of shovelling popcorn into my mouth doesn't take any concious thought.)  Even the shitty films get the same treatment.  I hate having any distractions that take me out of the film experience.  I figure if someone has spent a couple of years putting this thing together I should at least give them my undivided attention  - well at least until the moment of Essential Character Conflict or Inciting Incident on page 15 of their screenplay.
> 
> After that it's: carry on - which is not a decision; or switch off - which is.
> 
> I very rarely bale on films.  I nearly always watch through to the end no matter how sh*te they are.



If I have never seen the film - or TV episode for that matter - I agree.  Multitasking is out of the question.  At that point immersion is a requirement.  If it is something I have seen before, or something less immersive like a sporting event (a sporting event is much less immersive than an episode of *Game of Thrones*) then multitasking is certainly an option and usually happens.


----------



## svalbard

Venusian Broon said:


> *Letters from Iwo Jima*
> 
> Again seen this before, but a compelling if obviously bleak film, as we know more-or-less the fate of the characters right at the start. However having grown up on John Wayne: the marine wading onto an island, flying a carrier fighter or commanding a destroyer in the Pacific killing Japs, this is needed showing of the heroics and faults of the other side. Particurly the cult of Bushido and the fanatism to follow the 'emperor's orders'. It should be noted though, by protraying this theatre of war, it neatly side-steps the Japanese Armies atrocities against allied PoW and the civilian populations, particularly the Chinese and Koreans. Actions that, as far as I am aware, have never publically apologised for.
> 
> I have to say, I haven't seen the "American" side of the duology_, Flags of our Fathers, _so I don't know how they fit together or which one is better.



They both compliment each other and are equally bleak.


----------



## clovis-man

Venusian Broon said:


> I have to say, I haven't seen the "American" side of the duology_, Flags of our Fathers, _so I don't know how they fit together or which one is better.


 
Even though they're thought of as a pair, they are very different movies. Letters is, by a large margin, the more profound of the two. Both are worthwhile.


----------



## Earthling

clovis-man said:


> Even though they're thought of as a pair, they are very different movies. Letters is, by a large margin, the more profound of the two. Both are worthwhile.



I've heard great things about *Letters from Iwo Jima. *I definitely need to check that out!


----------



## clovis-man

*The Lone Ranger*

I was a little surprised at the amount of humor throughout this film. Johnny Depp's deadpan takes on events occurring around him were priceless. Armie Hammer (Named after his grandfather, I understand) was appropriately clueless. Despite the levity, there are some pretty grim goings-on. So the comic relief is just fine. After a few false starts in other films, I finally get to see Helena Bonham-Carter in a role for which she is well suited (and legged). Bill Fichtner makes a great villain. The action and flow of the movie is great. More than enough Rossini for us nostalgia freaks (Can you say Jay Silverheels?) And to top it off, they save the best joke for last.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Earthling said:


> I've heard great things about *Letters from Iwo Jima. *I definitely need to check that out!


 
Yes I'd certainly vouch for that. However I think though the best pacific war film remains _The Thin Red Line_


----------



## Earthling

I haven't seen *The Thin Red Line* yet. I will have to check that out. Anyone seen *Pacific Rim *yet? I really wanna check that out!


----------



## Nerds_feather

Cabin in the Woods, and I have to say I really did not like it.


----------



## Nerds_feather

Earthling said:


> I haven't seen *The Thin Red Line* yet. I will have to check that out. Anyone seen *Pacific Rim *yet? I really wanna check that out!



*The Thin Red Line* is fantastic. I think the Soviet film that inspired it, *Come and See*, is even better.


----------



## EricWard

*Ballad of a Soldier (1959)*

A young Soviet soldier gets a bit of luck and blows up two enemy tanks. As a result, he gets six days of leave time and just wants to go home to see his mother. Everyone and everything wants to distract him with errands or pleas for help, and he's too good of a guy to say no to anyone.

I haven't seen it in a while and I forgot just how good it was. Had me crying like a baby by the end. (I didn't forget about that part!)


----------



## Foxbat

*The Fall Of The House Of Usher*(1960)
A long time favourite of mine


----------



## Starbeast

*Man of Steel* (2013)

Excellent Superman movie (made up for the last one - yuck). A marvelous retelling of the Krytonian's origin, and tremendously action packed. I loved it.

*Sinister* (2012)

A very disturbing, yet good creepy horror flick. Stunning moments, and a good movie to watch...when you are alone...in the dark.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sincerely Yours* (1955) -- Infamous turkey that gave Liberace his first and only starring role (although he did smaller parts, particularly a funny cameo as a casket saleman in *The Loved One*.)  It's a dreary soap opera -- great pianist loses his hearing, uses his newly found skill with reading lips to watch people from his penthouse through binoculars so he can help solve their problems, selflessly lets the woman to whom he's engaged go off with the man she really loves, gets his hearing back, figures out that he loves his faithful secretary -- that really serves only as an excuse for lots of piano scenes.  Liberace's eccentric piano-playing technique -- lots of wildly extravagent hand gestures -- shameless playing to the audience with a big grin and cute remarks, and mixture of classical standards with stuff like "Chopsticks" and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" are all on display, but without the candelabra and outrageous costumes.  Historically interesting as you try to figure out why this guy was about as popular as Elvis and the Beatles.


----------



## Starbeast

*Pacific Rim* (2013) - Titanically Awesome!

Fast-paced action, and far superior to those Transformer flicks.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House of Seven Corpses* (1974)

Extremely lame shocker about some folks making a horror movie (how post modern!) in a house where seven people got killed in various ways.  Somebody reads from "The Tibetian Book of the Dead" (which seems to have nothing to do with the real book of that name) and a corpse rises out of the ground and kills a bunch of the moviemakers.  Very dull.


----------



## Lenny

*Pacific Rim* for me, too. One word: freakin' awesome! When it comes out, Elysium is going to have to be all sorts of amazing, because Pacific Rim is currently my film of the year.

I even saw it in 3D and loved it. Rumour is that Del Toro ruled the post-production conversion with an iron fist, and that it took forty weeks to convert. Time well spent! I've seen a lot of films in 3D (I even paid to see The Hobbit in 48fps 3D), but none of the come close to the quality of 3D in Pacific Rim. What surprised me most was that, for such an action-heavy film, there was no point where everything was too blurry to make out.

The short of it: Pacific Rim is a must see.


----------



## J-Sun

Watched *Ghostbusters* again. Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts. A million quotable lines. Ghosts and ray guns and facing the end of the world. Exciting. Funny. And funny. 'Nuff said.


----------



## EricWard

*The Swimmer (1968)*

A few years ago, a friend of mine said this was my kind of movie. She was right, as usual.

A well-liked, upper class man (Burt Lancaster) discovers that there is an unbroken line of swimming pools that goes all the way across the county, from his friend's house to his own. He decides to "swim his way home" one afternoon, encountering all his neighbors/friends on the way.

Lancaster is likable and charming, and the movie has an interesting approach with each pool/owner revealing another little piece of Lancaster's character until you see who he really is by the end.

I'd definitely put it up there with *Easy Rider* and *The Graduate* in that kind of "I don't know what I want but it's not what you have" kind of genre. Very enjoyable and original.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

EricWard said:


> *The Swimmer (1968)*
> 
> A few years ago, a friend of mine said this was my kind of movie. She was right, as usual.
> 
> A well-liked, upper class man (Burt Lancaster) discovers that there is an unbroken line of swimming pools that goes all the way across the county, from his friend's house to his own. He decides to "swim his way home" one afternoon, encountering all his neighbors/friends on the way.
> 
> Lancaster is likable and charming, and the movie has an interesting approach with each pool/owner revealing another little piece of Lancaster's character until you see who he really is by the end.
> 
> I'd definitely put it up there with *Easy Rider* and *The Graduate* in that kind of "I don't know what I want but it's not what you have" kind of genre. Very enjoyable and original.


 
A very interesting film indeed, with a mysterious and haunting ending which almost takes it into _Twilight Zone_ territory.  The story by John Cheever is of interest also.


----------



## EricWard

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> A very interesting film indeed, with a mysterious and haunting ending which almost takes it into _Twilight Zone_ territory.  The story by John Cheever is of interest also.



One of these days, I'll post a movie that you've never seen, Victoria.


----------



## Mouse

The Karate Kid's currently on TV. Unfortunately not the original. The kid is god awful in this. Deeply irritating and can't act. Hope he gets his ass kicked.


----------



## NovaZero

Mouse said:


> The Karate Kid's currently on TV. Unfortunately not the original. The kid is god awful in this. Deeply irritating and can't act. Hope he gets his ass kicked.



He doesn't.  I caught the original on TV last week and it still holds up.



J-Sun said:


> Watched *Ghostbusters* again. Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts. A million quotable lines. Ghosts and ray guns and facing the end of the world. Exciting. Funny. And funny. 'Nuff said.



Great, great movie! I laugh every time. Some of the best deadpan in movie history.

The most recent film I've seen is *Dead Man Down* with Colin Farrell. Much better than I was expecting. Unique story with unexpected plot turns (not _twists_) that made for a refreshing viewing experience.


----------



## Mouse

NovaZero said:


> He doesn't.  I caught the original on TV last week and it still holds up.



Wax on, wax off is definitely better than jacket on, jacket off.


----------



## EricWard

Mouse said:


> The Karate Kid's currently on TV. Unfortunately not the original. The kid is god awful in this. Deeply irritating and can't act. Hope he gets his ass kicked.



Surprisingly, Will Smith cannot buy credibility or talent for his son (he and his wife were producers on that trash heap).


----------



## BetaWolf

Stake Land (2010) Stake Land (2010) - IMDb

Not too bad zombie indie film. The 'vampire' plague is spread around by bites apparently, and the film is about a vamp hunter and his orphaned apprentice driving north through the collapsed USA, helping people along the way and fighting religious nuts. Check it out in Netflix if you run out of Walking Dead episodes to watch. 3/5 stars.


----------



## Mouse

EricWard said:


> Surprisingly, Will Smith cannot buy credibility or talent for his son (he and his wife were producers on that trash heap).



I went to bed before the end of it, I was that gripped. He really looks like Will a lot... can't act to save his life though.

(I said to mum 'Will Smith's son really looks like him, doesn't he!' My mum replied 'which one is Will Smith's son?' Uh... none of the Chinese kids, mother.)


----------



## AE35Unit

*Robot and Frank*
Quirky little near-future piece about a retired cat burglar who is given a robot guardian. Loved it


----------



## AE35Unit

*Sinister*
Good but not as scary as I was led to believe!


----------



## Mouse

*The World's End*. Really, really enjoyed it... apart from the end. It was like they didn't know how to end it, so made up some random stuff and stuck it on the end whereas they've should've finished it ten/fifteen minutes earlier. Loved Nick Frost's character fighting. Loved the fight scenes in general actually. Really liked Simon Pegg's character too. Good stuff, but skip the ending.


----------



## alchemist

Mouse said:


> *The World's End*. Really, really enjoyed it... apart from the end. It was like they didn't know how to end it, so made up some random stuff and stuck it on the end whereas they've should've finished it ten/fifteen minutes earlier. Loved Nick Frost's character fighting. Loved the fight scenes in general actually. Really liked Simon Pegg's character too. Good stuff, but skip the ending.



Interesting. I thought Hot Fuzz was brilliant except for the multiple endings, and I felt Shaun of the Dead fizzled out too. Maybe it's their Achilles Heel.


----------



## Lenny

Crazy! I've just come back from seeing *The World's End*, too! The comedy was great (and I'm impressed they managed to keep it going for the entire film. A lot of comedies seem to run out of steam half an hour in as they become more serious, but this didn't! ), and the fight scenes and stunts were incredibly well done.

However, I enjoyed the ending - after all that happened, I thought it fit the story rather well. Ditto for the rest of the trilogy.


----------



## Mouse

Definitely really funny, I actually laughed out loud a couple of times and I pretty much never do that at the cinema. I think it should've ended with them sitting on the hill.


----------



## alchemist

*Pacific Rim* - Bash! Slam! Whack! WE ARE NOT GOING TO FAIL, GODAMMIT!!!

Despite the cheese, the corny dialogue, the bizarre Australian accents and the frankly ridiculous scientists, I liked it. So did my nine-year-old.


----------



## Mouse

Last night I watched *The Words*. A film about a writer writing a book about a writer who's nicked another writer's words and passed them off as his own. Pretty good. (Also feat. Ben Barnes).


----------



## anivid

Pinocchio - very scary


----------



## Starbeast

*Daredevil* (2003)

For me, it's still an excellent superhero movie. Jam packed with action and intense drama. I've been a Marvel comic book fan for decades, and I thought the production group did great justice to the character Matt Murdock (actor Ben Affleck portrays). Even the other characters like the crimelord Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), the assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell), the superheroine Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and Matt's father Jack Murdock (David Keith), all were excellent. The special effects were cool and the soundtrack music selections were fantastic.

I hope another Daredevil film will emerge in the near future. Because I want to see more of, "the Man without Fear".


----------



## Abernovo

*Total Recall* (2012)

Wow! I really liked this film. I quite liked the 1990 version, but this hit the spot for worldbuilding imagery. I'd been told it was good, and had been looking forward to it coming on. I wasn't disappointed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Old Dark House* (1963)

Almost nothing in common with the 1930's version (which is a terrific chiller, full of mood and quirky characters and just the right touch of intelligent, witty comedy.)  This is a silly slapstick comedy-mystery, with a sort of "Carry On Scooby Doo" feel to it.  It's a William Castle/Hammer co-production, of all things.  Mildly amusing at times, and the talented British cast (with the exception of American comic Tom Poston as the hero) does the best they can.


----------



## alchemist

Starbeast said:


> *Daredevil* (2003)
> 
> For me, it's still an excellent superhero movie. Jam packed with action and intense drama. I've been a Marvel comic book fan for decades, and I thought the production group did great justice to the character Matt Murdock (actor Ben Affleck portrays). Even the other characters like the crimelord Kingpin (Michael Clarke Duncan), the assassin Bullseye (Colin Farrell), the superheroine Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and Matt's father Jack Murdock (David Keith), all were excellent. The special effects were cool and the soundtrack music selections were fantastic.
> 
> I hope another Daredevil film will emerge in the near future. Because I want to see more of, "the Man without Fear".



Most people seemed to hate it but I actually think it's under-rated too.


----------



## clovis-man

*Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters*

Totally over the top. And sometimes pretty silly (a good witch with a gatling gun??). But it moved along pretty quickly and wasn't more than an hour and a half long (a good thing). Lots of stunts. Jeremy Renner in another fun role. Worth a Red Box rental.


----------



## Rodders

Pacific Rim. It was pretty good fun.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I think the last two movies I watched were *Thor* (for me) and *Cars* (for the little one). I have seen them both previously, and enjoyed them again this time.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Grey*

I thought this might be entertaining, especially with Liam Neeson in the lead role. I was wrong. The premise for the whole story was badly flawed. Neeson is a wolf hunter and supposed subject matter expert. But all he could muster for advice to his fellow stranded survivors of the plane crash was "We've gotta keep moving" and when in real trouble: "Run! Run!" This movie tried to be serious and dramatic. It succeeded only in faulty assumptions about pack behavior and some stupid human behavior. Don't waste your time.


----------



## Connavar

obs....


----------



## Connavar

alchemist said:


> Most people seemed to hate it but I actually think it's under-rated too.



I hated Daredevil film because it could have so much better if the worst superhero casted lead ever in Ben Affleck didnt ruin it, also bad writing. There is a good reason why its one of few marvel superhero films that failed critically,BO wise.

Its even worst when i read Daredevil comics afterwards and saw he is one of the best written, one of the superhero with most famous arcs in superhero comics world.
Connavar is online now Report Post


----------



## Boneman

*Now you see me. *One or two plot points you could drive a bus through, but thoroughly enjoyable!!


----------



## EricWard

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Old Dark House* (1963)
> 
> Almost nothing in common with the 1930's version (which is a terrific chiller, full of mood and quirky characters and just the right touch of intelligent, witty comedy.)  This is a silly slapstick comedy-mystery, with a sort of "Carry On Scooby Doo" feel to it.  It's a William Castle/Hammer co-production, of all things.  Mildly amusing at times, and the talented British cast (with the exception of American comic Tom Poston as the hero) does the best they can.



I think I was watching the same channel that night...

It's a good one, very fun and kooky. Far cry from the disturbing James Whale version. Never has "have a potato" been so damn creepy.


----------



## Foxbat

*Night Of The Prowler* British B movie mystery from 1962. 
Mediocre.


----------



## Mouse

*Hot Fuzz*. Was on TV last night.


----------



## gully_foyle

*Dredd*. Twas alright, a bit ultraviolent for my aging tastes. Waste of a good lead actor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

EricWard said:


> I think I was watching the same channel that night...


 
I'm sure you were.  Turner Classic Movies is the only station we ever watch at home anymore, mostly for the rare stuff that never shows up anywhere else.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

We watched *Bachelorette*. I had never even heard of this movie, and there is probably a reason why...It wasn't that great.


----------



## AE35Unit

Saw *Wolverine * at the cinema while the kids were away witg grandma (we only normally get to the cinema WITH the kids!)

Great piece of entertainment!


----------



## theriddler

I watched *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* 1 & 2 this past weekend. Always a good time. Brings me back to my childhood and the day I saw them in theaters every time!!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Man Who Haunted Himself* (1970) 
Interesting and enjoyable thriller starring Roger Moore in what many critics describe as a career-best performance. I  tend to agree. Worth watching.


----------



## BetaWolf

*Your Highness* -- Interesting, at times disturbing, tale of adventure and cheap jokes. Natalie Portman does a fine supporting role.


----------



## Gordian Knot

Just re-watched The Core. Slammed for not being scientifically accurate. Like anyone has even a clue how to explain a scientifically accurate journey to the center of the Earth?????

Good cast, well acted, even the hokey pieces done better than most. Likable characters who interact well with each other; what I most enjoy in a film. Well worth watching.

Heck, the crash landing of a space shuttle is worth the price of admission all by itself!


----------



## AE35Unit

Gordian Knot said:


> Just re-watched The Core. Slammed for not being scientifically accurate. Like anyone has even a clue how to explain a scientifically accurate journey to the center of the Earth?????
> 
> Good cast, well acted, even the hokey pieces done better than most. Likable characters who interact well with each other; what I most enjoy in a film. Well worth watching.
> 
> Heck, the crash landing of a space shuttle is worth the price of admission all by itself!



Agreed. We saw it at the cinema when it came out, good entertaining bit of fantasy!


----------



## Starbeast

*X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2* (2013)

Tremendous sequel from Marvel Comics! Awesome! 

*Red 2* (2013)

If you're a big fan of the first film, then you'll really enjoy the sequel. This is another fine action movie from the creative minds of DC comics.


----------



## BetaWolf

Stargate--an oldie but goodie.


----------



## Foxbat

*Hannibal*(1959) A movie about the Carthaginian general, not the cultured psycho.

Victor Mature takes the lead in this  movie which covers the period from the crossing of the Alps to Cannae. I won't use the word 'epic' because it is light years away from that. Poor battle scenes, poor acting and a plotline that is little more than a story of forbidden romance. Even the blurb on the DVD cover is misleading.  

_Big budget spectacle! A cast of thousands!_

Most of the battle scenes consist of close-ups (which means you don't need too many people to depict a large fight. Cannae had the biggest battle scenes and even that looked rather empty in places.

This could have been so much better and Hannibal deserved so much better than this tripe.


----------



## Conor

The Wolverine-
I thought it was great. Not near as dark and gritty as the Batman movies but mostly grounded in reality, well some comic book stuff, but Wolverine gets to have some great action scenes. Highly recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

*Colossus: The Forbin Project *(1970)
Chilling. 
Many movies are called _'classic'_ but only a few actually deserve that title. This is one of the few.


----------



## Gamedeviant

Just enjoyed *Pacific Rim* yesterday.
It's nothing more than old school Giant Robot vs Giant Monster.
It made my inner child scream and go nuts. I came in and I got exactly what I expected and wanted from the movie. Plus, Charlie Day is in it. And that in of itself is enough to make me happy.


----------



## clovis-man

Just got home from seeing *Red 2*. I refused to be warned off by the lukewarm reviews. I found it to be a hoot. Gobs of action. Platoons of assassins who can't shoot straight. Fun character portrayals by John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins. A goofball plot about a super bomb and a keystone cop chase to find it. What's not to like?


----------



## Foxbat

*Sirocco *(1951) Bogart stars as an amoral gun runner in 1925 Damascus.
A decent movie but not his best.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Colossus: The Forbin Project *(1970)
> Chilling.
> Many movies are called _'classic'_ but only a few actually deserve that title. This is one of the few.



One of my favourites.  A real chiller.  And contains one of the best, and subtlest,  Breaking the Fourth Wall moments of any film I have seen.




Fourth Wall Moment by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr​ 

I've never read the book it was based on but the sequel (The Fall of Colossus) is _dreadful_.


----------



## Foxbat

I have not read the books but, considering the sheer power of this movie's conclusion, I find the very idea of a sequel both baffling and unnecessary


----------



## Tracer01

The last one I've visited a Cinema for - it's *Star Trek: Into the darkness*. Curious, though. In Russian translation the title was: *StarTrek: Retribution*.

I've expected much more. The only thing which was really cool - it's the Starfleet's full dress. Silver one, as I remember. I thinks, I'll honestly steal thing like that for the Fleet's full dress in my novel. Not copying it, but use something similar.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> I have not read the books but, considering the sheer power of this movie's conclusion, I find the very idea of a sequel both baffling and unnecessary



As I remember it Martians were involved.

It IS a great ending.  I miss movies with endings like that - or even the possibility of one.  The remake was supposed to have starred Will Smith and been directed by Ron Howard.  What are the chances of them leaving the world screwed to an eternal conformist hell?


			
				My Movie Diary said:
			
		

> The sequel will probably have lots of explosions and people crawling  around tunnels lugging infeasibly large hand guns as a crack team of  sweaty American action heroes tunnel into the giant computer and blow it  up - thus saving the world with only seconds to spare.  ...and be  forgotten by the time the audience is back out on the street. There will  be hero with a troubled past relationship (almost certainly with  someone who helped design the thing in the first place - an estranged  wife perhaps? - and here's a guess: the killer password they find they  need turns out to be the name of their daughter's kitten? and sh*tloads  of CGI; buckets, and buckets, and buckets of it.)  I'm not looking  forward to it one little bit. Go see the original before it's messed  with.


----------



## Foxbat

Martians????? what the hell???

Kind of reminds me of the ridiculous story I heard about the making of Stalingrad (great movie). The German producers went to Hollywood for funding and were told  - yes, they could have funding - as long as the movie had a happy ending.

*Disclaimer* - I'm sure I've probably written something similar before about Stalingrad but I'm claiming it as a senior moment. Getting old is a chore


----------



## Tracer01

Foxbat said:


> Martians????? what the hell???
> 
> Kind of reminds me of the ridiculous story I heard about the making of Stalingrad (great movie). The German producers went to Hollywood for funding and were told  - yes, they could have funding - as long as the movie had a happy ending.
> 
> *Disclaimer* - I'm sure I've probably written something similar before about Stalingrad but I'm claiming it as a senior moment. Getting old is a chore



Too bad I cannot enjoy *Stalingrad* the movie. However, I liked *Braveheart* and *Patriot.* Mel Gibson is a very good actor.


----------



## Rodders

Iron Man 2. I hadn't seen this before and i quite enjoyed it. 

Lots of elements leading in to the Avengers Assemble.


----------



## Foxbat

*Strangers On a Train* (1951)
One of my favourite Hitchcock movies


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Just got back from *Elysium*. I thought it was pretty good. You can definitely tell its by the same guy who did District 9 though.


----------



## Darkchild130

*shakes fist in jealous rage.

It's not out over here yet!


----------



## Scott R. Forshaw

The Lone Ranger. It got torn apart by the critics and, for me, that just helped to heighten my intrigue, and, as a result, I'm happy that I watched it. I found it thoroughly enjoyable.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched a film called *Dark Skies *
I was hoping for a horror but its a film of alien invasion. Theyre even called Greys
 Should keep the UFO nuts happy...


----------



## Starbeast

*Lethal Weapon 1* (1987), *2* (1989) & *3* (1992)

This is one of my favorite action film series. Actors Mel Gibson and Danny Glover make an awesome dual that highlight every movie! Mel plays a war veteren named _Martin Riggs_, who at first is completely reckless and a suicidal loner. BUT, when he meets his new partner _Roger Murtaugh_ (Danny), they slowly build a friendship, then eventually become like brothers and grow together.

Danny Glover's character is a fantastic father, a loving husband and an honest detective that always wants to do the right thing by destroying crime and helping who he can. 

Where as Mel Gibson's character is a fearless, registered lethal weapon because of his martial arts skill, and a deadly marksman with firearms. He is a very devoted friend, and an antihero who sees that bad guys must be eliminated because they always return and try to kill everyone.

All three of these movies are jam-packed with intense drama, high octane action, sprinkled lightly with delightful bits of humor and touching moments.

I'm looking forward to see the fourth installment, which features Jet Li.

(I've see all four films more times then I can remember counting how many times I've seen them)


----------



## J-Sun

2's my favorite but 1 & 3 are also good. I think I did see part/most of 4 once on TV but I'm not sure.


----------



## Boneman

*RED 2.* Very funny, not to be taken seriously, black humour, with some really good acting, though Catherine Zeta-Jones is becoming typecast...


----------



## Darkchild130

Kick ass 2. Not as good as the first one but still fun.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Field *(1990)
Richard Harris is superb as the 'Bull' McCabe in this very good movie set in 1930s Ireland.


----------



## Mouse

I saw *Shawn of the Dead* for the first time last night. Very funny.


----------



## BetaWolf

I've been watching Netflix, cruising for obscure SFF movies. Watched The Centurion which was pretty cool. Anything on Roman Britain usually satisfies.


----------



## Lenny

*Europa Report*

It's refreshing to watch a science fiction film where the science is embraced and accurately portrayed, rather than set up as the villain our larger-than-life heroes must overcome in order to save humanity.

Europa Report is about a team of astronauts on a privately-funded mission in 2061 to explore Europa after recent discoveries. It's tense and slow, you can feel the isolation of space, and it somehow manages to capture both the awe of discovery and the fear of the unknown.

Excellent film. It's available for streaming on quite a few services until September 1st (licensing reasons). If you like your SF spacey and accurate, and enjoyed *Primer* and *Moon*, check it out. The rest of you should also check it out - take this opportunity to leave your comfort zone for ninety minutes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Lenny said:


> *Europa Report*
> 
> It's refreshing to watch a science fiction film where the science is embraced and accurately portrayed, rather than set up as the villain our larger-than-life heroes must overcome in order to save humanity.



Thank you for the recommendation, Lenny.  Grown up SF films are rare breed these days.


----------



## JunkMonkey

BetaWolf said:


> I've been watching Netflix, cruising for obscure SFF movies. Watched The Centurion which was pretty cool. Anything on Roman Britain usually satisfies.



_Deliverance _with Romans and some seriously woady crumpet:







Woady Crumpet​


----------



## Starbeast

*Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter *(2010)

The forth installment of the mighty green ogre with a heart of gold. I was blown away by how good this movie was, which is great because I had low expectations for it, after I've seen Shrek 3 (which I didn't like). I highly recommend this fantastic family film.

*Frankenstein's Army* (2013)

Whoa nelly! I just watched this surprisingly good freaky flick set in 1945 Germany. This film is definately not for everyone, it's gory, violent and disturbing. But for those who like a great oddball horror B-movie, I urge you to check it out.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *Frankenstein's Army* (2013)
> 
> Whoa nelly! I just watched this surprisingly good freaky flick set in 1945 Germany. This film is definately not for everyone, it's gory, violent and disturbing. But for those who like a great oddball horror B-movie, I urge you to check it out.


 
I've got a copy on pre-order DVD. Some love it whilst others hate it. I'll have to wait until the end of september to decide.


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> I've got a copy on pre-order DVD. Some love it whilst others hate it. I'll have to wait until the end of september to decide.


 
I've never heard of this movie. A friend brought it with him last night and said he found a movie he knew I'd like.

Mid-way through the movie, he asked what I thought about it so far. I said (while watching with bugged out eyes ), "It's like a surreal nightmare. I like it."

Foxbat, I can't wait to read your review on the movie _Frankenstein's Army_.


----------



## ed9428

Oblivion with Tom Cruise.
I usually don't enjoy Tom Cruise movies but this one is really good. Also has Morgan Freeman which I didn't know until watching.


----------



## JunkMonkey

ed9428 said:


> Oblivion with Tom Cruise.
> I usually don't enjoy Tom Cruise movies but this one is really good. Also has Morgan Freeman which I didn't know until watching.



I thought _everything_ had Morgan Freeman in it:


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Pacific Rim*

A fun action-filled romp with giant monsters and robots. I recommend it for an afternoon of fairly mindless fun.


----------



## Foxbat

*End Of The World* (1977)
Christopher Lee stars in this extremely mediocre SciFi offering. 

Nothing to see here. Move along please.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Call Of The Cthulhu*
It's been a while since I've seen this so it was refreshing to watch it again. it's only 47 minutes long but pretty good for a small, independent film. I really like the score which successfully imbues this silent movie with just the right sonic atmosphere. 

Definitely worth watching if you're a Lovecraft fan - but watch out - this DVD is going at a high price - even higher priced are the five volumes of  Lovecraft films from Lurker...Amazon quoting them at £300 each...but luckily for me...I have them already


----------



## Foxbat

*Hunter Prey*
Average Science Fiction movie which appears to be little more than a rehash of Enemy Mine (which itself is little more than a rehash of Hell In The Pacific). Maybe everything will eventually go full circle, get a bit mixed up and come out as Hell On Another Planet.


----------



## Darkchild130

Elysium.
Good but not perfect, it could've done with being about 20 minutes longer.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Hunter Prey*
> Average Science Fiction movie which appears to be little more than a rehash of Enemy Mine (which itself is little more than a rehash of Hell In The Pacific). Maybe everything will eventually go full circle, get a bit mixed up and come out as Hell On Another Planet.



Not bad for the budget though, I thought it lot smarter and better put together than a lot of recent stupidly more expensive films.  For  $425,000 I thought they did a terrific job.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Not bad for the budget though, I thought it lot smarter and better put together than a lot of recent stupidly more expensive films.  For  $425,000 I thought they did a terrific job.


 
I agree the production quality and acting was pretty decent but they could have done with a better storyline and characters that didn't look so much like Bobba Fett. 

Not only that but in the early scenes, the 'prey' sounded a lot like Predator. Given that Sandy Collora's previous short film (Batman Dead End) featured the Predator, this  made it appear like a rehash of stock sound effects.

All of  these gave it a distinctly unoriginal and formulaic feel.

I think a school report card would read - _has talent but could do better_.


----------



## Mouse

Day off work today for me, and instead of doing anything productive, I watched Going Down in La-La Land. Was really good, sweet and tragic and lovely. Some of the acting was a tad dodgy, but I enjoyed it.


----------



## Foxbat

*End Of Days *(1999)
So-so action flick with Arnold Schwazenegger attempting to save a woman from her fate in a series of set pieces against a seemingly unstoppable foe.

If it sounds a bit like a cloven-hoofed Terminator - that's because it is.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek:Into Darkness
*Superb, Abrams does it again!


----------



## Mouse

Breakfast on Pluto. With Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy. And Cillian Murphy was brilliant.


----------



## Glitch

*Hurt Locker*. Didn't feel a connection with any of the characters. Probably wouldn't watch again.

*Iron Man 3*. Good for an action film with no real plot. Lots of stuff getting blown up to keep you entertained.

*Oblivion*. I was quite surprised by this film, and did actually enjoy it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Glitch said:


> *Oblivion*. I was quite surprised by this film, and did actually enjoy it.



We enjoyed it too!


----------



## clovis-man

*Rise of the Planet of the Apes*

I had heard that this one was better than expected. So I expected it to be better than it was. The CGI apes looked pretty much like you would expect from the technology. No real quibbles there. But the script was vapid. The characters (not counting the apes) were pretty dumb. The story really didn't seem to have any real purpose except to provide the chimps et al a chance to free themselves from human influence. How they achieved that end was by having all the simian characters behave like spiderman, brachiating across the Golden Gate. My disbelief doesn't suspend that well.

And there's a sequel in post-production. Hope springs eternal......


----------



## biodroid

*The Impossible *- Very good heart felt movie
*Olympus has fallen - *Great action movie with a pretty good story bar the poor SFX


----------



## ed9428

Just saw *Star Trek into Darkness*.
I liked but but think I enjoyed the previous Star Trek movie more.
Perhaps I need to give into darkness another try.


----------



## Darkchild130

I hate Star Trek, but really enjoyed into Darkness.

Last film I watched was kick ass. So much better than the sequel.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Anna Karenina*. I wasn't sure I would like how they had the story play out like a theatre show, but I actually thought it worked well. I haven't read the book, so I can't make a comparison there. Fairly depressing story actually, with an ending I could see coming.


----------



## j d worthington

That odd little piece, *The Last Days of Man on Earth*, as it was released here; or, more properly, *The Final Programme*, based on the first of Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius books. I've seen it more than once, and I _still_ don't quite know how I feel about it, other than extremely ambivalent. Jon Finch was the perfect choice for Cornelius, Jenny Runacre wouldn't have been my choice for Ms. Brunner, but she does very well at the role overall, and quite a few of the others in the cast are nicely suited to their roles... but there is also a feeling that too many people here didn't know what the blazes was going on, leading to a very confused feeling overall. On the other hand, large sections of the film are really rather good adaptations of the analogous portions of the novel, so it definitely has its points.

But that change in specifics with the ending.... oh, my.....


----------



## Foxbat

j. d. worthington said:


> That odd little piece, *The Last Days of Man on Earth*, as it was released here; or, more properly, *The Final Programme*, based on the first of Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius books. I've seen it more than once, and I _still_ don't quite know how I feel about it, other than extremely ambivalent.


 
You are not alone


----------



## StormSeeker

The Fifth Element. Love it or hate it, its certainly..different. haha!


----------



## Mouse

Love it ^

There's currently a very weird film on TV with a giant sea monster in it. I asked mum - who appears more interested in the film than I am - what the monster was, cos I thought it was some sort of giant shell-less turtle. She said it was a slug. (I nearly peed myself laughing).

Anyway, the kids in the film kept wailing 'Don't die, Orky!' so I Googled Orky and it took me to this funny review: Eric’s Bad Movies: Magic in the Water (1995) - Film.com

So yeah. Currently watching Magic in the Water. It's hilarious.


----------



## Rodders

I sat down and watched In Time last night. 

Nothing special. Wooden acting, pretty lame plot. It passed a couple of hours though.


----------



## quantumtheif

^Cool concept though.


----------



## Foxbat

Mouse said:


> Love it ^
> 
> There's currently a very weird film on TV with a giant sea monster in it. I asked mum - who appears more interested in the film than I am - what the monster was, cos I thought it was some sort of giant shell-less turtle. She said it was a slug. (I nearly peed myself laughing).
> 
> Anyway, the kids in the film kept wailing 'Don't die, Orky!' so I Googled Orky and it took me to this funny review: Eric’s Bad Movies: Magic in the Water (1995) - Film.com
> 
> So yeah. Currently watching Magic in the Water. It's hilarious.


 
You might like this site (it's one of my favourites for hunting down hilarious trash)
Badmovies.org


----------



## alchemist

*Planes*

Set in the "World of Cars" as the graphic told us at the start and it was pretty much Cars With Wings, only with cardboard cut-out characters and plot. Even our 9-year-old gave it a mere "all right." Avoid.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

alchemist said:


> *Planes*
> 
> Set in the "World of Cars" as the graphic told us at the start and it was pretty much Cars With Wings, only with cardboard cut-out characters and plot. Even our 9-year-old gave it a mere "all right." Avoid.



It looks terrible. We did *Despicable Me, 2 *again at the weekend cos it was on at the kids' club and Mr Springs didn't see it the first time. Funny, funny, funny  -- the line "This is the (select appropriate topic) of lies" is becoming this year's catchphrase round here.


----------



## Mouse

Thanks, Foxbat, that does look good!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Hot Tub Time Machine* (2010) - A 'comedy'.  Abandoned after twenty minutes.  After twenty minutes  watching a bunch of middle-aged well-heeled, hedonistic, one-note,  cardboard cut-out arsehole: character A = Failed in Long Term  Relationships, Character B = Unfulfilled Dreams he Decided Not to Follow  etc. I realised that, for a comedy, it was incredibly not funny.  All  the humour (that I could detect) seemed to consist of the characters  calling each other 'gay' or ridiculing anything that didn't conform to  some hard-drinking, slut-f*****g, party-animalling version of  emotionally-stunted, alpha-male arseholeness.  To hell with them.

so, instead,  I watched:

*Welcome to Collingwood*  (2002) - a film which starts with one of my favourite opening gimmicks:   show characters in absurd/weird/puzzling situation followed by a title  card saying: "Three Weeks Before" (or something similar) and playing the whole film out in  flashback to the point where the absurd/weird/puzzling situation makes  perfect and inevitable sense.  I laughed.  A lot.  I now need to see the  original: _Big Deal on Madonna Street_ ( 1958 ).


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *Hot Tub Time Machine* (2010) - A 'comedy'.  Abandoned after twenty minutes.  After twenty minutes  watching a bunch of middle-aged well-heeled, hedonistic, one-note,  cardboard cut-out arsehole: character A = Failed in Long Term  Relationships, Character B = Unfulfilled Dreams he Decided Not to Follow  etc. I realised that, for a comedy, it was incredibly not funny.  All  the humour (that I could detect) seemed to consist of the characters  calling each other 'gay' or ridiculing anything that didn't conform to  some hard-drinking, slut-f*****g, party-animalling version of  emotionally-stunted, alpha-male arseholeness.  To hell with them.


 
It may have been a poor movie but I found your 'review' quite amusing


----------



## alchemist

springs said:


> It looks terrible. We did *Despicable Me, 2 *again at the weekend cos it was on at the kids' club and Mr Springs didn't see it the first time. Funny, funny, funny -- the line "This is the (select appropriate topic) of lies" is becoming this year's catchphrase round here.


 
Yup, DM2 is excellent. We foolishly let the kids decide between Planes and Monsters University (even though littlest now has a Monsters Uni lunchbox to help bribe him into starting school next week).


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Monster's Uni was good, but not up to the level of the first one. A bit kids movie by number-esque, but some good laugh out moments. Ours have Hello Kitty bags. Pink. Hideous. She seems delighted.


----------



## Foxbat

*Land Of The Dead*
George Romero's fourth sortie into zombie-land just didn't do a lot for me. Nothing startling.


----------



## Lenny

*Elysium*

There were three films I was looking forward to this year: *Oblivion*, which turned out good; *Pacific Rim*, which currently stands as my film of the year; and Elysium. Out of the three, Elysium was the one I was most looking forward to... and unfortunately it didn't deliver.

Now don't get me wrong, although Elysium was not as good as I had hoped, it was also not as bad as I expected from the first round of reviews. There's a clear story, but it doesn't really grip you, and the only emotion you'll feel for any of the characters is: Hot damn, Kruger is _badass_!

Visually it's good, with Elysium being particularly beautiful, and you have to give it props for the appearance of exoskeletons and some neat SF weaponry, but there's no real substance and the message Blomkamp is trying to put across is painfully obvious and awfully heavy-handed at best.

If you need a film to fill your annual quota of exoskeletons, orbital habitats, and futuristic weapons, but don't really care about story or characters, watch Elysium, because seriously, you're not going to get another film that has any of these SF elements for quite some time.

If you want a film that will keep you enthralled and stay in your mind for days after then you're plum out of luck with Elysium.

EDIT: It's a rare occurrence, but I agree that the film needed to be _longer_. As wonderful as it looked, Elysium itself felt like nothing more than a cardboard cutout, and all Jodie Foster got to do in her five minutes of screen-time was grimace. Stick on an extra twenty minutes with a real exploration of the feeling of superiority carried by the people living on Elysium, and this could be great.


----------



## sooC

Foxbat said:


> *Land Of The Dead*
> George Romero's fourth sortie into zombie-land just didn't do a lot for me. Nothing startling.



I swear, I can't watch fireworks anymore without thinking of this film.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The World's End*

It was okay but disappointing. I need to watch *Hot Fuzz *again.


----------



## j d worthington

Foxbat said:


> You are not alone


 
Nice to know.....


----------



## AE35Unit

Oz The Great and Powerful.  Put on for the kids but I half watched it. Missed the end, I dont think I missed much!


----------



## Foxbat

*Four Flies On Grey Velvet *(1971)
Billed as Dario argento's lost masterpiece, this is a movie I've been keen to see for a while. It has been pieced together from different sources to form the most complete version available.

 It tells the tale of a maniac stalking a rock musician and this scenario is backed up by a worthy score from Ennio Morricone. Some really nice camera angles sets up the opening sequence quite nicely but, unfortunately, the pace drops considerably after that. Along the way, we are taken through an unfolding mystery with the usual Argento shock pieces, which culminates in a fine slow motion sequence with which to end the movie.

The film is not in the best of condition with a few seconds of poorer quality footage cropping up now and then. Near the end, it reverts to Italian with English subtitles for a while (it's an English language movie version).

On the whole, I was a touch disappointed by this film (but isn't it always the case that waiting so long will always create an anti-climax?). It's not a bad movie and is a worthy purchase for any Argento aficionados but - be warned - it's no Suspiria.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Wow.  That brings back memories.  Way back in the early 1970's there was a theater not too far from where I lived that tended to show some of the odder things from that time.  Examples include the insect documentary *The Hellstrom Chronicle*, the pre-Watergate Nixon satire *Richard*, and even *Godzilla vs the Smog Monster*.  Well, one of the flicks I saw at that place was *Four Flies on Grey Velvet*, long before I had any clue who Argento was, or even what a _giallo_ was.  Suffice to say it seemed weird to me, and I can still recall some scenes from it thirty years later.

(I might also mention that I saw the early _giallo_ *Blood and Black Lace* in a theater at the tender age of eight.)

Getting back to the subject of this thread, the last film I saw was *Reflections in a Golden Eye*, one of John Huston's fine literary adaptations.  The entire film is shown in washed-out colors tinged with yellow (reflecting back on the title) which adds to the weirdness of a story already full of strange characters and deep, often repressed emotions.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Albert Nobbs*
Touching film set in 19th century Ireland in which a woman played by Glenn Close, has all her life pretended to be a man to gain employment.  It seems it happened quite a lot!


----------



## Foxbat

*Diary Of The Dead*
Another of Romero's forays into zombie territory. The problem is that the whole 'found footage' thing has been done to death (no pun intended).

The production and acting quality is reasonable enough but this film just has no impact as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## DarkFiBiro

Factotum starring Matt Dillon and Lili Taylor. It's a film based on the writings of Charles Bukowski.

Dillon plays Henry Chinaski, a writer who struggles to hold down any kind of menial job, in part due to his attitudes and also due to his relationship with drink. It's a very interesting film for me as there are some really grim scenes, but it is funny how you change from judging the character to actually liking him come the end .


----------



## AE35Unit

*Sanctum
*A film about sperlunking. OK but nothing brilliant.


----------



## Mouse

Just watched a Canadian film called *Breakfast with Scot*. So funny (kid puking, then another kid slipping in the puke cracked me up. Oldie but goodie. Also the phrase 'legular region' had me in stitches). Also very sweet. I almost blubbed.


----------



## Foxbat

*Exterminating Angel*(1962)
Luis Bunuel's dark satire about a group of socialites who, at the end of a dinner party, find they cannot leave the drawing room. Eventually, their genteel ways are discarded as they descend into something akin to savagery. 

Lord Of The Flies for the upper classes?

Both bizarre and mesmerising.


----------



## j d worthington

Indeed. It's been some time since I saw it, but certain things about it remain with me after nearly twenty years....


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Exterminating Angel*(1962)
> Luis Bunuel's dark satire about a group of socialites who, at the end of a dinner party, find they cannot leave the drawing room. Eventually, their genteel ways are discarded as they descend into something akin to savagery.
> 
> Lord Of The Flies for the upper classes?
> 
> Both bizarre and mesmerising.



And, at times, very funny - did we ever get an explanation of why there was a sheep under the table in the kitchen?  If we did I missed it.


----------



## Glitch

*Cowboys and Aliens* (2011). Need I say more!


----------



## Mouse

Cool Hand Luke. Meh. (And some of the most irritating voices I've ever heard in a film, ever).


----------



## StormSeeker

The last new movie I saw was: Pitch Black. Yeah, liked it.  ( I plan to see Riddick this Saturday so I need to get acquainted! )


----------



## clovis-man

Mouse said:


> Cool Hand Luke. Meh. (And some of the most irritating voices I've ever heard in a film, ever).


 
"What we got here is... failure to communicate."


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> And, at times, very funny - did we ever get an explanation of why there was a sheep under the table in the kitchen?  If we did I missed it.


 
It was meant to be a joke for the dinner guests - as was the initial fall with the plate of food by the footman. This first joke did not go down well so the hostess told her butler to put the sheep in the garden (but, obviously, they reappeared at an opportune moment later on).


----------



## Foxbat

*Footprints On The Moon* (1975)
A woman disturbed by strange dreams goes in search of a lost few days in her life. 

This movie seems to get general praise in other parts of the web but, like many films of this type, I found it (and in particular the ending)disappointing.


----------



## Droflet

*Odd Thomas *(2012?). A psychically gifted man has twenty-four hours to prevent a mass murder. Can he discover the identity of the murderer in time? Stars Anton Yelchin who I've always thought was good, from a very different style of Dean Koontz book. 
A curious movie that's worth a look. IMHO.


----------



## Foxbat

*Frightmare* (1974)
British horror movie from Pete Walker. It stars Shiela Keith as a deranged wife with a cannibalistic tendancy. As movies goes, it's a pretty typical Brit horror from that time (even down to the Hammeresque score) and well worth a watch (with the lights out).


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:
			
		

> *Hunter Prey*...*End Of The World (1977)*...* Exterminating Angel(1962)*... *Footprints On The Moon (1975)*...* Frightmare* (1974)



Jeeso, Foxbat! Are you sneaking into my house at night and raiding my DVD collection?


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Jeeso, Foxbat! Are you sneaking into my house at night and raiding my DVD collection?


 
Curses! My plot has been uncovered Dagnabit!

I often like to wander off the well-trodden Hollywood path just to see what's out there. I see that you are a fellow wanderer.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched Insidious last night, which I've wanted to watch for ages. And it was definitely one of the better horror films I've seen and it had some seriously creepy things involved. The only thing that felt a bit flat -- as with most horror films -- was when explanations started to appear and it turned out to be astral projection. Though still one of the better ideas and it was nice to watch a horror film that actually attempted at a full, interesting story.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Curses! My plot has been uncovered Dagnabit!
> 
> I often like to wander off the well-trodden Hollywood path just to see what's out there. I see that you are a fellow wanderer.



The roads less travelled by quite often turn out to be more interesting.  May I recommend the weird footpath of Soviet Block SF films  if you haven't discovered that shelf yet.  It's a curiously entertaining byway.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> The roads less travelled by quite often turn out to be more interesting.  May I recommend the weird footpath of Soviet Block SF films  if you haven't discovered that shelf yet.  It's a curiously entertaining byway.


 
I have Andrei Tarkovsky's _Stalker _which I enjoy and ponder over. Perhaps one day I will fully understand it.  Apart from that and_ Solaris_, not much else in the Soviet SF range. Must look  for more.

I also have a collection of Soviet propaganda animations (very interesting to see aspects of WW2 and The Cold War from the other side of the curtain). I'd recommend these out of historical curiosity value.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I like Soviet Block SF.  It was aspirational and inspiring.  So many American SF films seem to get stuck in the Frankenstein/Paranoia complex: the idea that you can't really trust scientists (and therefore science) because there are 'some things man is not meant to know' - an odd attitude for Science Fiction in my opinion but there you go.  American SF films and written SF are two completely different beasts.  Soviet Block SF Films were more philosophical - the scientists were heroes and their enemies weren't mutated killer whatevers the product of man fiddling with things man was not meant to fiddle with but were instead the very real enemies of science; stupidity, bureaucracy, ignorance and yes capitalism and religion.

I can utterly recommend _Ikari XB1_   a must see film for anyone interested in SF films of any political persuasion.  A wonderful film. (do NOT watch the Corman recut titled _Voyage to the End of the Universe_)

Oh COOL!

Second Run DVD - Ikarie XB 1

I know what I'm buying myself for my birthday!


----------



## Dr Zoidberg

We watched the Total Recall remake at the weekend - Meh!
Pretty uninspiring stuff, but as it was on Lovefilm it didn't cost me anything.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a movie called Cop Out starrin Bruce Willis. I'll not get those two hours back. 

I also watched the four Futurama TV Movies. They were OK, but not as good as i was expecting. I hope series 6 is better.


----------



## Dr Zoidberg

Rodders said:


> I also watched the four Futurama TV Movies. They were OK, but not as good as i was expecting. I hope series 6 is better.



When they went back to normal 30 minute episodes it picked up hugely.
There's a few boring eps, but it's well worth it.


----------



## alchemist

The in-no-way SFF *Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy* (2011). Slow, but worth the wait. You need to pay attention for this one. It's also a gloriously depressing depiction of the 1970s.

From the same director as *Let The Right One In,* which isn't a surprise.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> I can utterly recommend _Ikari XB1_   a must see film for anyone interested in SF films of any political persuasion.  A wonderful film. (do NOT watch the Corman recut titled _Voyage to the End of the Universe_)
> 
> Oh COOL!
> 
> Second Run DVD - Ikarie XB 1
> 
> I know what I'm buying myself for my birthday!


 
Looks intriguing. Now on pre-order


----------



## StormSeeker

Idiocracy. Nope nope NOPE.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Forbidden Planet *for the gods-knows-how-many-timesth.  I dearly love_ Forbidden Planet _and, now I own a decent DVD copy, I got to watch it projected for the first time in 30(ish) years. (Last time was in Hull library theatre.)


----------



## sooC

*Star Trek Into Darkness*. Thanks to Alchemist (Honest Trailers), I kept being distracted by screen flare.
*The Incredible Burt Wonderstone* hilarious for the first half hour or so, the hot box had me fighting for breath.


----------



## Phyrebrat

HoopyFrood said:


> Watched Insidious last night, which I've wanted to watch for ages. And it was definitely one of the better horror films I've seen and it had some seriously creepy things involved. The only thing that felt a bit flat -- as with most horror films -- was when explanations started to appear and it turned out to be astral projection. Though still one of the better ideas and it was nice to watch a horror film that actually attempted at a full, interesting story.



See, this is an interesting take, *Hoops* as I think you're a horror afficionado (as I am) but I was really disappointed with Insidous. I must admit it is the only time I have cracked up in a meant-to-be-scary horror when thr medium puts the gas mask on. And the Lady Gaga demon at the end was a bit too much, 

I think part of the problem was I found it (and I hate to be 'that guy' and say this) so derivative. I accept all things are derivative but this was so clumsy. Darth Maul and Freddy Krueger's lovechild as mixed by The Mighty Boosh.

while I'm grumbling... I just saw the Evil Dead reboot.... Yuk. What a hopeless bore!

pH


----------



## StormSeeker

sooC said:


> *The Incredible Burt Wonderstone* hilarious for the first half hour or so, the hot box had me fighting for breath.



This is something I'll need to see. I heard it was awful from my flatmate, but I try not to let others skew my perception.


----------



## sooC

Stormseeker if you're not laughing in the first fifteen minutes give up on it. It would help if you are old enough to remember David Copperfield on the telly.


----------



## StormSeeker

sooC said:


> Stormseeker if you're not laughing in the first fifteen minutes give up on it. It would help if you are old enough to remember David Copperfield on the telly.



I had to give up on a film within the first 15 minutes on Sunday. Sometimes, you just " know ".


----------



## alchemist

sooC said:


> *Star Trek Into Darkness*. Thanks to Alchemist (Honest Trailers), I kept being distracted by screen flare.



*snigger*

I keep noticing it in the ads for the DVD now too.


----------



## Triceratops

_Them_.  Never get tired of it and just love the puppetry and characters.

At the moment, I'm on a Laural and Hardy binge, eating up all the free movies on YouTube.


----------



## Starbeast

*Olympus Has Fallen* (2013)

I was very skeptical at first, but a friend of mine wanted to see it. After watching it, I had two words to describe this movie. Outrageously cool! I watched it twice.

*The Three Stooges* (2012)

Not bad. Silly, but, entertainingly stoogerific! I remember seeing the actor who plays Curly (Will Sasso - he's an awesome comic) on MAD TV show. But where on Earth did they find the guy who plays Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), he was great.

*Taxi* (2004)

Sickenly awful, uninteresting and unfunny. I only made it half way, then dry heaved. I watched Droopy cartoons and felt better.


----------



## hopewrites

Finally got around to watching The Godfather (one and two so far, three is on it's way). As a Brando fan, it's been on my must see list for ages. But I had to work myself around to a solid emotional place, because I heard it was so scarry. And if there is one genre I stay as far away from as possible, its horror.

That aside. I really enjoyed them. I tried to clear my mind of all the hype they have gotten over the years and watch them with a clear view, and I'm glad I did, or they might not have lived up to my expectations. The second one intrigued me more than the first, with all the flash cuts back to Vito's life and seeing how Michael deals with the future he was given. I cant relate to him at all, at the end, sitting on a park bench, wondering who his father really was, and if he has done what was right for his family. I found the contrast in how those two men approached their responsibilities very intriguing. I think that if I had to encapsulate each of their characters into one line I would chose "Ask around, you'll see, I know how to return a favor" for Vito. And "No. Only my enemies" for Michael.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Elysium last night and thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Sliding doors. I love Sliding Doors with a passion.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Phyrebrat said:


> See, this is an interesting take, *Hoops* as I think you're a horror afficionado (as I am) but I was really disappointed with Insidous. I must admit it is the only time I have cracked up in a meant-to-be-scary horror when thr medium puts the gas mask on. And the Lady Gaga demon at the end was a bit too much,
> 
> I think part of the problem was I found it (and I hate to be 'that guy' and say this) so derivative. I accept all things are derivative but this was so clumsy. Darth Maul and Freddy Krueger's lovechild as mixed by The Mighty Boosh.
> 
> while I'm grumbling... I just saw the Evil Dead reboot.... Yuk. What a hopeless bore!
> 
> pH



Because Supernatural (especially ghostly) horror is my absolutely favourite and plus I've watched so many recent American ghost films that have promised so much and delivered so little, I think my standards generally are lower in this area  Mostly when I'm watching these types of films, if it actually attempts at something a little more than a random haunting attack, and most importantly has enough creepy-ass moments, I'll probably like it. Especially if they're weird creepy moments, like when she sees through the window the dark demon figure just _dancing_. But the ending did feel rushed. Where did the demon go, for one. Just got shoved aside, it seems, to make way for the final 'scare'.

But also I did kind of like the quirky moments. Like the guy who kept pulling 
out bigger and bigger torches 

Heh, although now you've mentioned Mighty Boosh I'm going to forever see the demon as a Hitcher wannabe 

Also, ugh, Evil Dead did not have to be remade. Especially in a more serious manner, that was the whole brilliance of it! Though they get some extra marks in that I read that their effects, gore wise, were all constructed, rather than cgied.


----------



## Phyrebrat

HoopyFrood said:


> Because Supernatural (especially ghostly) horror is my absolutely favourite and plus I've watched so many recent American ghost films that have promised so much and delivered so little, I think my standards generally are lower in this area



I love this reply! I am in total agreement with you. I too love 'supernatural (especially ghostly) horror'; I avoid trash like _Cabin Fever_, _Hostel_, _Human Centipede_, _Saw_ et al (altho I loved the first _Saw_ movie). I just think Hollywood needs to learn less is more. For example, _Mama_ was far more scary up untill they revealed the super-CGI ghost-mother. Same goes for _Jeepers Creepers._ Can you imagine how un-scary _Mothman Prophecies_ would have been if they'd gone a different direction and shown Mothman as fully realised CGI? Anyway, it's so nice to meet someone with identical horror tastes 




HoopyFrood said:


> Mostly when I'm watching these types of films, if it actually attempts at something a little more than a random haunting attack, and most importantly has enough creepy-ass moments, I'll probably like it. Especially if they're weird creepy moments, like when she sees through the window the dark demon figure just _dancing_. But the ending did feel rushed. Where did the demon go, for one. Just got shoved aside, it seems, to make way for the final 'scare'.



I agree again. The demon was gone in seconds. And how did the protag and his son get away so easily? I'm all about weirdness (a-hem) and if you like that, there's an amazingly atmospheric and chillingly weird book I'm always rattling on about on the Chrons I think you should check out; _The Elementals_ by *Michael McDowell*.



HoopyFrood said:


> But also I did kind of like the quirky moments. Like the guy who kept pulling
> out bigger and bigger torches



Yep those two were great. Really reminded me of _Flight of the Conchords_ kind of humour!



HoopyFrood said:


> Heh, although now you've mentioned Mighty Boosh I'm going to forever see the demon as a Hitcher wannabe



'Eels up inside ya! Findin an entrance where they can!' 

pH


----------



## HoopyFrood

Phyrebrat said:


> I love this reply! I am in total agreement with you. I too love 'supernatural (especially ghostly) horror'; I avoid trash like _Cabin Fever_, _Hostel_, _Human Centipede_, _Saw_ et al (altho I loved the first _Saw_ movie). I just think Hollywood needs to learn less is more. For example, _Mama_ was far more scary up untill they revealed the super-CGI ghost-mother. Same goes for _Jeepers Creepers._ Can you imagine how un-scary _Mothman Prophecies_ would have been if they'd gone a different direction and shown Mothman as fully realised CGI? Anyway, it's so nice to meet someone with identical horror tastes



Definitely agree! I'm so tired of gore for gore sake. I long for subtly. It's why I loved Paranormal Activity, everything about it was exactly what I love! I think the biggest detriment to horror has been CGI, it disconnects you when you can see that it's computer graphics and takes away the believability of it all. I loved the Silent Hill film for being so weird and atmospheric but it was too much CGI. Give me claymation melting Deadites any day! And yeah, I heard that about Mama; such a disappointment because it looked awesomely creepy.

I certainly prefer East Asian horror at the moment and on consideration I think what makes them so much better is because they aim to tell a story first and foremost and the horror elements blend wonderfully into it. Whereas I get the feeling that American film people sit down and think "OK what can we do that'll scare the **** out of people?" That's OK now and then, but I need substance! 



> I agree again. The demon was gone in seconds. And how did the protag and his son get away so easily? I'm all about weirdness (a-hem) and if you like that, there's an amazingly atmospheric and chillingly weird book I'm always rattling on about on the Chrons I think you should check out; _The Elementals_ by *Michael McDowell*.



Technically his dad didn't  But yeah, his son looked in mortal danger and then suddenly he's home and fine. It's like they were so excited about what they had for the ending that they just skipped over all the rest.

But thanks, I'll definitely try that out!


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I just watched The Sweeny - my advice - don't. Seriously dissappointing. Plot holes within plot holes. Poor acting. Unbelievable script. Not up to the original series at all.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Foxbat

*Frankenfish *
Okay-ish monster movie. It's a bit predictable and formulaic but comes across quite well once you've downed a bottle of Chianti


----------



## Phyrebrat

HoopyFrood said:


> Definitely agree! I'm so tired of gore for gore sake. I long for subtly. It's why I loved Paranormal Activity, everything about it was exactly what I love!



Wow it is so refreshing to hear someone else not knocking _Paranormal Activity_!  I really loved the first and third instalments. I think the fourth is rubbish and the second just has a nice dovetail resolve (but I didn't care for the characters enough) but that's about it. I feel about _Paranormal_ _Activity_ the same way I feel about _The Blair Witch Project_. Something simple, with a great mythology in the background which leaves you wanting to know more. 



HoopyFrood said:


> I think the biggest detriment to horror has been CGI, it disconnects you when you can see that it's computer graphics and takes away the believability of it all. I loved the Silent Hill film for being so weird and atmospheric but it was too much CGI. Give me claymation melting Deadites any day! And yeah, I heard that about Mama; such a disappointment because it looked awesomely creepy.



I agree. I'd rather see nothing. Well, no, I mean I would rather see glimpses, and little bits here and there. Rather than countless Hero shots. I think _Cloverfield_ managed to get it right in this regard, with the main creature. I am still not sure what that thing looks like, but I have a great sense of it.



HoopyFrood said:


> I certainly prefer East Asian horror at the moment and on consideration I think what makes them so much better is because they aim to tell a story first and foremost and the horror elements blend wonderfully into it. Whereas I get the feeling that American film people sit down and think "OK what can we do that'll scare the **** out of people?" That's OK now and then, but I need substance!



I'm giving East Asian movies a rest for a bit. I kind of OD'd on them. It's great as an anti-OTT-Commercial-Movie panacea but can be a bit too much; a bit too nebulous at times.

I watched a fantastic indie low-budget film recently called _Absentia_ (2011). It is supreme. I was genuinely shocked by the b**ls they had taking the movie in that direction. There are a few out with this name, (or In Absentia). but the one I am recommending has this premise: A woman declares her husband dead after 7 years... 

pH


----------



## JunkMonkey

HoopyFrood said:


> I think the biggest detriment to horror has been CGI, it disconnects you when you can see that it's computer graphics and takes away the believability of it all.



I think that's not just true of horror but all film.  When you can't see  EVERYTHING in full megapixel close up the audience is required to fill in the gaps.  The audience invests some imagination in the film.  We become part of the film making process instead of this passive lump that has a flickering light shone in our collective face.

Michael Powell said all this a lot better in that sequence towards the end of _Peeping Tom _where we watch Anna Massey's character watching someone else watching themselves being murdered. That's horror!

Meanwhile to get back on topic:  Tonight I have been mainly watching *Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter *a vastly disappointing piece of 1974 Hammer nonsense that I had never got round to seeing before.  Brilliant title though.  Proof (if proof be needed)  that I would watch any old **** if it had Caroline Munro's cleavage in it.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Meanwhile to get back on topic:  Tonight I have been mainly watching *Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter *a vastly disappointing piece of 1974 Hammer nonsense that I had never got round to seeing before.  Brilliant title though.  Proof (if proof be needed)  that I would watch any old **** if it had Caroline Munro's cleavage in it.


 
I remember that one. It ranks alongside *Zoltan Hound Of Dracula* in the film quality stakes. 

Sometimes nonsense is all a tired brain requires


----------



## Foxbat

*Phase IV *(1973)

Somebody here recommended this (sorry, can't remember who it was) so I got myself a copy. I had never seen this movie before and I have to say that I was very impressed after watching it. It is fascinating and extremely chilling in its own way.


----------



## Mouse

*X-Men First Class*. First time I've seen it since the cinema. I still hate how they ruined my lovely Emma Frost. Still, it was all right actually. The story of how Professor X ended up in a wheelchair.


----------



## Lenny

*Olympus Has Fallen*

I've just been through the thread to see what other people thought, and it appears that I am in a very lonely minority.

Tripe. Complete and utter tripe.


----------



## Foxbat

*Star Trek Into Darkness*

It was okay but did we really need another Khan story? I also found the Kirk/Spock mirrored moment a bit too contrived. 

I thought the whole idea of creating a kind of alternative reality for this new Star Trek franchise was to come up with new films (without being tethered to the past), not rehash old ones. Obviously I was wrong.


----------



## Dave

psychotick said:


> I just watched The Sweeny - my advice - don't.


I second that! 

Umm! Last film I watched was _The Graduate_ and at the cinema _Elysium_. 

I don't usually frequent this thread but I just saw a TV slot on the UK box office top ten and thought this was the best place to ask my questions:

_Elysium_ is number at 6 - I've commented on that elsewhere.

_Riddick_ is number at 3 - does the world really need another Riddick movie?

_Its About Time_ is at number 1 - Is this as complete a rip-off of the _Time Traveller's Wife_ as it appears? Has Richard Curtis lost it? BTW don't watch _The Boat That Rocked_ either.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Odds Against Tomorrow* (1959)

Unusually good crime film.  Three desperate men plan to rob a bank, and things go very wrong indeed.  Beautifully filmed, wonderfully acted, and with a fine script that includes great depth of characterization.


----------



## Bob Whitely

I just watched *PU-239* (2008 - just don't have the money to go to the movies currently. Bought it on DVD at Walmart for $5.)

It's an odd movie. A bit quiet. About a desperate and dying nuclear-power plant worker in 1995 Post-Soviet Russia. Sad movie. Had some funny moments with the Russian criminal underground (3 dumb thugs trying to earn money in creative, but dumb and illegal ways). This movie would not be appreciated by everyone, but I thought it was a good movie overall. 

Before that, I saw *Meeting the Parents*. It was a terribly funny "Must Watch" movie (yeah, old movie, I know - oops, this movie doesn't count as a "just watched", sorry, but it wasn't long ago)

Well, have a great "movie" week all!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Phase IV *(1973)
> 
> Somebody here recommended this (sorry, can't remember who it was) so I got myself a copy. I had never seen this movie before and I have to say that I was very impressed after watching it. It is fascinating and extremely chilling in its own way.



Might have been me.  I really liked it.

Today I watched* Reptilicus* (1961) - which was a vast disappointment.  I didn't really have high hopes for it. It's a Danish _Godzilla _with a winged prehistoric lizard thingie stomping the landmarks Copenhagen flat while the combined might of the Danish armed forces futilely fire everything they have at its general direction.*)  But I was expecting better from Ib Melchior the writer of _Deathrace 2000_, the rather good _Robinson Crusoe of Mars_, the very odd _Angry Red Planet_, and the oddly good _The Time Travelers_.  It was directed by Sidney Pink (ditto some of the above).  Not one of their better efforts.




 * no sign of an Air Force though; did the Danes have an Air Force in 1961, or did they read the script and refuse to join in?


----------



## Foxbat

*Viridiana *(1961)
Initially banned in Franco's Spain for being blasphemous, Luis Bunuel takes a dark, comedic poke at the Church, charity and our very human penchant for habitually betraying those who show faith in us. My favourite moment has to be the beggars' recreation of Da Vinci's Last Supper. 

Thought provoking and funny.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Viridiana *(1961)
> Initially banned in Franco's Spain for being blasphemous, Luis Bunuel takes a dark, comedic poke at the Church, charity and our very human penchant for habitually betraying those who show faith in us. My favourite moment has to be the beggars' recreation of Da Vinci's Last Supper.
> 
> Thought provoking and funny.




On your recommendation I will go have another look at it.  I remember falling asleep twice (on two separate occasions) while trying to watch it.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> On your recommendation I will go have another look at it. I remember falling asleep twice (on two separate occasions) while trying to watch it.


 
For me, it was the supporting cast that stole the show in this movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Devil's Nightmare *(1971)
Fairly formulaic story of a party of tourists who stay overnight in a castle that is the hunting ground of a succubus (Erika Blanc). It's murder by the numbers folks.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*World War Z.* Not usually the type of movie I would watch, as I don't really care much for Zombies. But I actually enjoyed this one. It did feel like a lot was left out from the book, though I can't be sure as I've never read it.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari* on TCM. A surrealistic take on a weird tale. The painted sets and off center rooms were at once fascinating and a little distracting. But no mistaking the menace of the somnambulist and the good doctor. Worth a watch if you get the chance. Almost couldn't recognize Conrad Veidt.


----------



## Starbeast

*Detention of the Dead* (2013)

It was an ok comedy horror film, with some fairly good moments.

REWATCHED

*Streets of Fire* (1984) - Awesome rock n' roll action fantasy.

*The Godfather* (1972) - Magnificant!

*Dragon on Fire *(1978) - Martial Art cult classic.


----------



## AE35Unit

* After Earth*


Will Smith and son in post apoc survival film penned by Smith. Not bad at all. Although there's no way the tropical plant life could survive the sudden freezing then thawing in the film's depiction of Earth a thousand years hence!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Condemned to Live* (1935)

I half-watched this poverty row chiller, thanks to the Internet Archive, while working on the computer.  It's clearly an imitation of the Universal horror classics, but of some interest.  Notable is the fact that there are no bad guys.  A kindly professor is unaware that he becomes a vampire during the night, all because his mother was bitten by a vampire bat just before giving birth to him.  Talky and stagy, with some of the minor roles played by very poor actors, but the despair of the professor, when he finds out he's the monster who has been killing folks in the village, is well conveyed.  The cliche of the hunchback assistant is present, along with the usual mobs of villagers with torches, but the character is portrayed as kind and loyal, willing to give his life for his master.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ikarie XB1 *(1963)
It tells the tale of a deep space mission to find out if life exists on Alpha Centauri.

The spaceship sets themselves do not give the impression of a claustrophobic atmosphere but both the script and the acting bring across this aspect superbly. 

Viewed in the context of its own time, it's interesting to see hints of the East/West relationship  reflected in this film.

Overall, a little slow paced but great stuff for those looking for a little more than zap, bang, buzz from their Science Fiction movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> The spaceship sets themselves do not give the impression of a claustrophobic atmosphere



It is a very spacious ship isn't it? One of the crew has a baby grand in his room - I was going to say 'cabin' but it's not a cabin; it's a room.

I watched this again last week and for the first time noticed a possible moment of gay subtext.  But that may just have been me misreading things.

Glad you liked it, Foxbat.  It's always a relief when a recommended film is appreciated.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Glad you liked it, Foxbat.  It's always a relief when a recommended film is appreciated.


 
It's certainly one I will watch again so the recommendation was much appreciated


----------



## DarkFiBiro

I saw R.I.P.D a few days ago. Basically Men In Black but with dead souls rather than aliens. The humour was lacking and the CGI ropey but it was well worth a watch as it had a few novel ideas and scenes that lingered in the mind.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*In Bruges*

Very excellent movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*Frankenstein's Army*
Oh Lord! What did I just watch?

I'm not a fan of the 'found footage' type of movie but, despite that, I really enjoyed this film. I'm not sure 'enjoyed' is the right word because I spent most of the time fighting the urge to go hide behind the sofa. The monsters in this film truly are the stuff of nightmares. Think HR Giger meets Hieronymus Bosch and they have a brainstorming session at a blood and gore convention.

As much as I liked this film, I think it will be a long time before I watch it again. I don't think my heart could take it.


----------



## Mouse

Just watched *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel*. Not the most action-packed, excitement-filled film in the world, but it was nice.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies, I "enjoyed" a double feature of *Billy the Kid vs Dracula* and *Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter*, both made by the same set of folks as a double feature in 1966.  

The first one was a little bit more fun to mock, since it had John Carradine as the vampire, "Mrs. Olson" from the coffee comercials in a fairly important role, and a really fake rubber bat.  Weirdly, Billy the Kid is depicted as a total Good Guy.  

The second one was a bit duller, since a lot of time was spent with typical Western stuff.  At least Jesse James was depicted as an outlaw.  He actually meets the _grand_-daughter of Frankenstein, and his huge, muscular buddy gets an "artificial brain" to become a monster.  The exotically named Nadia Onyx is enjoyable as the mad scientist, whose main motivation seems to be jealously over the fact that Jesse James wouild rather smooch on a beautiful Mexican peasant than her.

Adding to the fun was the fact that this double feature was shown with a trio of goofy old short subjects.  1.  A kid who loves to work on hot rods learns to stay in high school so he can join the military after he graduates.  2.  A young man engaged to be married and hoping to secure a good career learns to save his father's department store by using S&H Green Stamps and 3.  Martians visit Earth and learn that the secret to America's prosperity is oil and competition.


----------



## Mouse

*This Means War*. Why would she pick the smarmy one with the big face over Tom Hardy?!


----------



## Abernovo

*Cloud Atlas*. (2012)

I loved it. I want to see it again, to pick up on any nuances I might have missed the first time. The multiple time strands worked brilliantly. The literary agent thread was the weakest part of the story, but it provided a necessary comic relief, and Jim Broadbent is always good. I'll look at reviews for the book now, cos if it's at least as good as the film, I'm going to be tempted.


----------



## HoopyFrood

The book is good! Everyone I know who's read it has enjoyed it. Including No One who just finished it. I first read it because it was one of the books featured in my third year classes during my degree. And I have to say that in the book Timothy thingy escaping from the old folks home is my favourite  And the composer...a beautiful, bitter sweet story. But it is a wonderful book with a very interesting structure.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sin City*.  I hated it.


----------



## lauren$77

*Byzantine* - quite poetic film and not run of the mill what you'd expect for a vampire film. Also set in whitby!


----------



## finbaa

I just watched 'Dagon'. Anyone who loves ropey horror films should definitely check it out


----------



## Mouse

*17 Again*. Not my choice. I wanted to watch Cockneys vs Zombies. (I did have to check Zac Efron's age cos he is one pretty boy. Same age as the guy I'm seeing tomorrow so it's all good).


----------



## Glen

Gravity

As discussed in another thread, lots of Sandra Bullock gasping and panting which is all good. Amazing effects - I woke this morning thinking of the auroras seen from above. And what about the tear, and the frog. Great sound. Wow. A testament to the human spirit in adversity.

Five stars.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Iron Man 3*. Not terrible, but I didn't think it was as good as the preceding movies.


----------



## sooC

*The Birds* (1963)  at a screening last night. The original trailer was shown too. The two caged love birds leaning into the corners as Tippi sped to Bodego Bay got a loud laugh.


----------



## Starbeast

*V H S* (2012)

Shocking and very disturbing anthology of gory horror tales. Not bad, but not rewatchable for me, too sickening.

*The Bay Town Outlaws* (2012)

Violent gunplay flick about a secret death sqaud that kill the most dangerous criminals. Actor Billy Bob Thorton is one of the main characters. It was a treat for me to see actress (and stunt woman) Zoe Bell also in this movie.


----------



## J-Sun

_*Gravity*_. Believe it or not, I'd never seen a 3D movie before. Believe it or not, I don't intend to ever again. Aside from the distracting and uncomfortable 3D weirdness, it was okay, but I'm not sure I understand all the hype and, even with all the hype, it wasn't the movie I was expecting. Still, it was interesting to watch.

Spoilers: 



Spoiler



SF films usually get savaged for being heavy on the effects and light on the story and characterization but this film is getting mostly rave reviews. Yet a doctor has lost a child and become an astronaut and presumably passed psych tests that didn't uncover her deathwish which she overcomes in the course of the movie. That's it for the characterization. Clooney is the old storytelling uncle who disappears early in the movie. One other character has lines but isn't seen as anything but a space suit and a corpse. And there's another corpse. That's it. We blew all our money on special effects and Clooney/Bullock and couldn't afford any more cast members. And as far as story, it's a completely linear tale of "something hits something in space and cascading effects result in everything getting destroyed except that plucky Sandra survives through hallucination and sticktuitiveness". And that's it for the story. And, speaking of "story", we never got to hear the end of the damned Mardi Gras story. That may thematically say "life's short and you don't always get to finish what you start" but it sets up a red herring and turns out to be annoying.


 But it is Bullock's movie, she is far more believable as a (sort of) astronaut than I'd ever imagined, and the effects are pretty incredible. I mean, not just effects, but as a visual film in general, such as the "fetal" shot (not to be confused with _2001_'s Starchild).

I just wonder what it'd be like on a 2D TV with crappy sound.


----------



## AE35Unit

Glen said:


> Gravity
> 
> As discussed in another thread, lots of Sandra Bullock gasping and panting which is all good. Amazing effects - I woke this morning thinking of the auroras seen from above. And what about the tear, and the frog. Great sound. Wow. A testament to the human spirit in adversity.
> 
> Five stars.



Is this the film thats been hailed as the best space movie ever? Gonna have to be really good to knock 2001 off the top of my list!


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

I still haven't seen a movie in 3D, and I don't really have any desire too.  I don't see the appeal, and I can't justify the extra money for the ticket. It does annoy me when we try to go to the movies (which isn't often) and they only have 2 regular showings and 10 3D showings.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lady of Winterfell said:


> I still haven't seen a movie in 3D, and I don't really have any desire too.  I don't see the appeal, and I can't justify the extra money for the ticket. It does annoy me when we try to go to the movies (which isn't often) and they only have 2 regular showings and 10 3D showings.


Well it is annoying because I can only see tgrough one eye so I have never been able to see 3D. Ive no idea what it looks like, how different 3D is to 2D!

And sometimes a film comes to the cinema Im interested in but its only shown in 3D!
And even my partner, who can see 3D, doesnt like it.
Its a gimmick!


----------



## J-Sun

AE35Unit said:


> Is this the film thats been hailed as the best space movie ever? Gonna have to be really good to knock 2001 off the top of my list!



Yeah, it's nowhere near the best space movie ever. Some people find _2001_ slow or boring or confusing and don't like it and this would almost certainly be more appealing to them but I couldn't agree there. I will say, though, that with the 3D out of my eyeballs, it does kind of linger in the mind after seeing it.



Lady of Winterfell said:


> I still haven't seen a movie in 3D, and I don't really have any desire too.  I don't see the appeal, and I can't justify the extra money for the ticket. It does annoy me when we try to go to the movies (which isn't often) and they only have 2 regular showings and 10 3D showings.



At the theater I went to they didn't seem to have 2D at all and definitely not at the time I happened to be at the theater - I had no choice - it was either that or one other flick I'd never heard of. It really ought to be a requirement to have a 2D showing available because:



AE35Unit said:


> Well it is annoying because I can only see tgrough one eye so I have never been able to see 3D. Ive no idea what it looks like, how different 3D is to 2D!



Exactly. I can see about equally terribly out of either eye so I don't have a "no 3D" problem but I think the glasses-over-glasses messed things up a little. It's basically just that when Sandra Bullock cries, you see her tears float toward you and the edge of the screen until they weirdly disappear and, in a fourth-wall breaking bit of oddness, one of them comes at you until it hits the camera lens and splats, stops, and sits there for a while. Bits of space debris flying around, etc. It's also kind of fake looking in a way that's hard to explain. I guess if you grew up watching nothing but 3D it'd be no weirder than sound/nosound, b&w/color, or whatever other convention you get used to, but the movie too obviously did dumb "3D things" just to make the point and I gather most of them do. It's very distracting - whenever I could forget that it was in 3D I started to get into the movie but every few minutes they'd throw some object at me to remind me I was watching a movie and take me right out of it again. And it seems like they'd have the technology to use IR or UV or something and let you have the option to watch the same thing either way but, as is, it's entirely too blurry and messed up looking to watch without the silly glasses.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I wear thick glasses so the 3-D thing never works very well for me.  Some years ago theaters were showing *It Came From Outer Space* and *Creature From the Black Lagoon* in 3-D, and that worked pretty well for me.  I suppose something about black and white made it less fuzzy and headache-inducing.


----------



## Foxbat

J-Sun said:


> Yeah,
> Exactly. I can see about equally terribly out of either eye so I don't have a "no 3D" problem but I think the glasses-over-glasses messed things up a little. It's basically just that when Sandra Bullock cries, you see her tears float toward you and the edge of the screen until they weirdly disappear and, in a fourth-wall breaking bit of oddness, one of them comes at you until it hits the camera lens and splats, stops, and sits there for a while. Bits of space debris flying around, etc. It's also kind of fake looking in a way that's hard to explain. I guess if you grew up watching nothing but 3D it'd be no weirder than sound/nosound, b&w/color, or whatever other convention you get used to, but the movie too obviously did dumb "3D things" just to make the point and I gather most of them do. It's very distracting - whenever I could forget that it was in 3D I started to get into the movie but every few minutes they'd throw some object at me to remind me I was watching a movie and take me right out of it again. And it seems like they'd have the technology to use IR or UV or something and let you have the option to watch the same thing either way but, as is, it's entirely too blurry and messed up looking to watch without the silly glasses.


 
Just to go OT for a moment (3D is my pet hate) I think what you describe is one major problem with this. It is just so contrived. I have no doubt it is done this way as a hard sell for viewers and to try and make it stick as a medium. My final point - 3D as we know it is not 3D, it is merely a 2D anaglyph and to call it 3D is mis-selling in my opinion. The point about the tear - in 3D it should keep travelling and pass right through the viewer (who can also get up and walk around the film). 

The day that happens, I'll admit 3D has arrived. Until then I shall continue to rage at the storm. Sorry. Rant over.


----------



## Foxbat

Treated myself to a double bill of *Frankenstein* and *Bride Of Frankenstein* last night. Great stuff from James Whale


----------



## Foxbat

Spent today watching *Damnation *(1987). Hungarian director Bela Tarr explores love, obsession and betrayal in this bleak but thoughtful movie. Filmed in black and white, using lingering shots and slow tracking, it's a movie full of texture and sub-text. Fascinating.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching *The Big Wedding*. Second time I've seen it. More boring than I remembered and it still irritates me how much slap they've put on the beautiful Ben Barnes, but I could watch that man reading the paper for an hour. Stunner.


----------



## J-Sun

*Quantum of Solace* - the second in the latest run of Bond flicks. This was okay, I guess, but not as good as the one before and way too dependent on it - felt sort of like a long epilogue to it, yet was MTV-quick-cut so that there never seemed time enough for anything.



Foxbat said:


> Just to go OT for a moment (3D is my pet hate) I think what you describe is one major problem with this. It is just so contrived. I have no doubt it is done this way as a hard sell for viewers and to try and make it stick as a medium. My final point - 3D as we know it is not 3D, it is merely a 2D anaglyph and to call it 3D is mis-selling in my opinion. The point about the tear - in 3D it should keep travelling and pass right through the viewer (who can also get up and walk around the film).
> 
> The day that happens, I'll admit 3D has arrived. Until then I shall continue to rage at the storm. Sorry. Rant over.



No apologies necessary as far as I'm concerned - keep up the good fight.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Feel free to keep on ranting Foxbat. It seems you have many here with the same opinion.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Treated myself to a double bill of *Frankenstein* and *Bride Of Frankenstein* last night. Great stuff from James Whale



If you ever get a chance to see a film of Whales' called _The Great Garrick _grab it.  It's a total piece of fluff.  A light romantic comedy starring the almost forgotten Brian Aherne and the never more gorgeous Olivia DeHaveland  - it's a treasure.  One of my all time favourite feelgood movies and now almost totally unknown.  I still have VHS tape which I used to time shift it with one afternoon 30+ years ago.  As far as I know there has been no decent DVD release.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thanks to archive.org, I just watched *Operazione paura* (1966) under one of its American titles, the misleading *Kill Baby, Kill*.  Directed by Mario Bava, this is an old-fashioned chiller, featuring a spooky little girl ghost.  It features many of Bava's typical touches -- constant drifting fog, green and blue lights without any apparent source, and other weirdness.  The whole thing is very eerie and moody without explicit gore.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Phantom - *Not _The Ghost Who Walks_ but a rather ponderous submarine thriller starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny. The claustrophibic scenes within the sub were well shot and made it watchable to an extent but the absolutely ludicrous final scene had me yelling obscenities at the screen. I have no idea what the hell the writers thought they were doing but they managed to drag an average movie into the realms of the utterly ridiculous.

*Butterfly *This 2012 movie was directed by a guy called Edward E. Romero. I don't know if he is any relation to George Romero but I'm sure having a surname like that won't hurt his chances of getting some exposure. The film itself is a low-budget affair, which tells the tale of a straight-to-video horror director who is kidnapped and forced to watch a movie which looks incredibly realistic. In many ways, this film keeps away from anything that exposes its humble origins (an attempt to mimic big budget effects for example) and plays to its strength - which is its main characters. It gets a bit cliched when it tries to inject some meaning and justification of gore in front of a camera (shades of Natural Born Killers) but, apart from that, a pretty decent attempt on an (obviously) small budget.

*World War Z*(that's Zee if you're American and Zed if you're British)
This movie seems to have gained a lot of negativity but I have to say, I really liked it. It's not without its faults but what appealed to me was the attempt to root the zombie plague in some real scientific notions on behaviour and the transfer of pathogens. I've never read the book so can't compare, but I think it's worth looking at the DVD extras for an explanation of why the movie developed the way it did. 

It kind of worked for me.


----------



## Darkchild130

World war Z. I liked it but have to wonder why it had to be called world war Z, as it was the worst waste of source material I have ever seen.


----------



## DarkFiBiro

I saw Escape Plan last night. The Sly and Arnie film where they try to break out of prison.

It was fine as popcorn fodder but the dialogue at times was paper thin. The number of times Sly asks Arnie to do something for him and Arnie pauses a second and then says "Okay!" was hilarious. He must have thought about the request really hard.

The escape stuff was good though, but I think if you wanted to see an "escape" film, Christopher Lambert in one of the Fortress films might be a better bet, and that is saying something .


----------



## Droflet

*Elysium *joins Now You See Me as the two most disappointing movies of the year. 

It could have been great but wasn't. IMHO. 

Anyone else suffer through this?


----------



## AE35Unit

Anyone seen Ender's Game yet? Ill be waiting till it comes out to rent, but Im kind of excited as its one of those rare things, an sf film based on an actual book, even tho Ive never read it.


----------



## Mouse

*Cockneys vs Zombies*. Love the old folks kicking ass.


----------



## AE35Unit

If I hear of another zombie movie coming out I shall probably scream!! Sick of em!


----------



## Mouse

It's not new, it's a DVD.


----------



## Darkchild130

After Earth. Hideous vanity project by Will Smith and his son. Utterly terrible film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Anyone seen Ender's Game yet? Ill be waiting till it comes out to rent, but Im kind of excited as its one of those rare things, an sf film based on an actual book, even tho Ive never read it.



I plan on avoiding it like the plague.


A: I thought the book was s***.
B: Harrison Ford looks so _old_ in the posters.  Harrison Ford OLD?  This isn't happening! La! la! la! Time's winged chariot? [fingers in ears mode] lalalalalala! Can't hear you...
C: The hero is called 'Ender Wiggin'.  How the hell can anyone root for a character called '_Ender Wiggin_'?  That's a Muppet name - lives in a bucket on Sesame Street and counts the letter 'A' in people's names.   I just regret they didn't cast Booboo Stewart in role.  Hearing Deep Trailer voice man intoning, "Booboo Stewart IS Ender Wiggin..." would have been the comedy highlight of the year for me.  But then I don't get out a lot.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I sort of accidentally watched *The Witches* (1966) (AKA *The Devil's Own*) because the listings for Turner Classic Movies said they were showing *The Witches* (1967) (original title *Le streghe*), an Italian anthology film which sounded interesting.  Anyway, the one I wound up watching was a so-so, rather lifeless, rather confusing British horror film about a woman (Joan Fontaine) who has a bad experience (never really explained in full) with an African witch doctor before the credits start, and who goes to teach at a private school in the UK, only to discover that the charming little village has a coven of witches.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> only to discover that the charming little village has a coven of witches.



They all do.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Now You See Me*
Fairly average sleight of hand cum heist movie. Morgan Freeman stars as the de-bunker.
Some good tricks and fx but too many twists and silly bits for my liking. 
Yawn.


----------



## clovis-man

*Land of the Pharaohs* (1955) with Jack Hawkins as the Pharaoh, Khufu: he of the Great Pyramid. A big Cinemascope production with a screenplay co-written by William Faulkner. An interesting premise of how to build a grave robber proof tomb. This could have been good. But then Joan Collins walked in and the whole thing went south.


----------



## Connavar

*Thor: The Dark World*

In a time i have gotten real tired of the superhero films because the second, third film in series are not half as much fun, good as the first film in a series.  That happens even in fims by masters of superhero film like Marvel.

Thor was a big surprise because it was much better than the first film, Brannagh wasnt good enough as superhero dirctor. This new director made Thor epic adventure a story about a godlike superhero should be like.  Compelling villain, alot of nice humor and great almost Avenger like action.  Easy the most fun i have had watching superhero film this year.  Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Wolverine wasnt this good.


----------



## Rodders

The Princess Bride. Great fun and i really can't believe that it's taken me so long to see it. 

Chronicle. Not bad.


----------



## Rodders

A couple more movies on the telly yesterday. Dragonheart, wich i haven't seen before. It was quite enjoyable. Besides, i'm a sucker for a nice ending. 

2012. I found this to be laughably bad.


----------



## Rafellin

Strictly, the last movie I saw was Alien Resurrection early this morning... which had been preceded by Alien 3 and Aliens.

*Pacific Rim* - Spectacular (IF you have a penchance for anime, mecha and giant monsters done superbly to the point where you nearly forgive the cloned core plot and then stop and wonder... how else could they vaguely justify this lunacy?)

*Now You See Me* - excellent. 

*Hummingbird* - Statham on his best form since Blitz.

*Byzantium* - it was all going so well until they had vampires in daylight and at that point it met ebay.

*Oblivion* - excellent.

*Olympus Has Fallen* - what Die Hard 5 should have been, but severly let down by the laughable Hydra system.


I don't demand much from my films, so as a benchmark, set me low  - (1) Maintain the necessary suspension of disbelief. (2) Entertain me.


----------



## Aurora Skye

Grown ups 2,.............funny, funny, funny


----------



## chongjasmine

Thor: The Dark World


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

Connavar said:


> *Thor: The Dark World*
> 
> In a time i have gotten real tired of the superhero films because the second, third film in series are not half as much fun, good as the first film in a series.  That happens even in fims by masters of superhero film like Marvel.
> 
> Thor was a big surprise because it was much better than the first film, Brannagh wasnt good enough as superhero dirctor. This new director made Thor epic adventure a story about a godlike superhero should be like.  Compelling villain, alot of nice humor and great almost Avenger like action.  Easy the most fun i have had watching superhero film this year.  Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Wolverine wasnt this good.


 
Glad to hear this. I hope to see this one in the theatre soon.

I watched *Serenity* last night. We just finished watching Firefly over the weekend, so it was the logical next step. Pretty good, and I enjoyed the humor in the story. Some things didn't sit right with me, but overall pretty good.


----------



## Rafellin

Thor: Dark World

My local had a three-quid a seat special. So having just walked the dead-arse donated by the aging seats off, I have to say...

Significantly not what I expected. So much so that I look forward to seeing it again, several times.

Better than expected in places, some predictable comedics punctuating a film much darker in tone than Thor.

In short, very good.


----------



## Mouse

There's some _awful awful awful_ piece of crap film on at the mo. There's pretty much no dialogue and the only interaction seems to be of a really ugly man shooting a load of people while looking for another really ugly man who looks like he wants to shoot people too. Bilge.

edit: Just looked at the tv guide online and it's No Country for Old Men. Absolute pile of...


----------



## alchemist

Mouse said:


> There's some _awful awful awful_ piece of crap film on at the mo. There's pretty much no dialogue and the only interaction seems to be of a really ugly man shooting a load of people while looking for another really ugly man who looks like he wants to shoot people too. Bilge.
> 
> edit: Just looked at the tv guide online and it's No Country for Old Men. Absolute pile of...



I got it out before on the basis of its Oscar winning. Thought it was pretty good until the let-down of an ending.

Moral: never base your movie watching on the Oscars (Hurt Locker, I'm looking at you)


----------



## Mouse

It's absolute pants! This bloke seems to be able to shoot everybody instantly even if they fire off a ton of bullets at him, but can't shoot this one guy?! Trash. I'm turning it off now.


----------



## alchemist

Aw, you'll miss the last scene. If ever there was a scene where I went "What was the point of that?", this was it.


----------



## Mouse

Ha! I'm tempted to turn the TV back on.


----------



## Moonbat

Watch two films today that seemed to have the ingredients of a great film but just weren't there. Firstly there was *Now you See Me*, with a cast including Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Jessie Eisenberg. A story about four magicians who team up to pull off amazing tricks that mainly involve stealing money, somehow didn't quite live up to its promise, not due to bad acting but mainly a poor screenplay and not great direction.
*Gangster Squad* on the other hand also had an impressive cast including: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling, but the script was poor and even though it was bordering on an epic gangster film set in the 50's (I think) in LA it just didn't reach the heights of other much better films. I find it very interesting when films like this seem to have all the promise but the finished product is lacking something, the script was poor and the overall film had moments of fun and excitement but generally was tame and lacking in depth.
Oh well, you live and learn, still both were much much better than *The Children* an awful horror that we watched last night


----------



## TheDustyZebra

Mouse said:


> There's some _awful awful awful_ piece of crap film on at the mo. There's pretty much no dialogue and the only interaction seems to be of a really ugly man shooting a load of people while looking for another really ugly man who looks like he wants to shoot people too. Bilge.
> 
> edit: Just looked at the tv guide online and it's No Country for Old Men. Absolute pile of...



Well, it's Cormac McCarthy, which makes it crazy to begin with, and then it's Coen brothers. If you can stand to watch the whole thing, you find out it's a trick anyway.


----------



## clovis-man

alchemist said:


> Aw, you'll miss the last scene. If ever there was a scene where I went "What was the point of that?", this was it.


 
In a film class, I was told that, if the last you see of a character in a movie is his or her back as they walk away, it means they will die. FWIW


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> In a film class, I was told that, if the last you see of a character in a movie is his or her back as they walk away, it means they will die. FWIW



Interesting theory.  Any examples?

EDIT: Does that mean every time a cowboy rode off into the sunset...


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Interesting theory.  Any examples?


 
This always gets arguments. I should have said that if the last view of the character is of his/her back, it means they will die.

Classic examples:

*Shane*
*The Searchers*

And I'd add *No Country For Old Men*.

The movie that spurred the discussion was the premier showing of an obscure film shown at the Santa Barbara film festival a few years ago: *Factory Girl*.

I'll now wait for the first grenade to be lobbed in.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> This always gets arguments. I should have said that if the last view of the character is of his/her back, it means they will die.
> 
> Classic examples:
> 
> *Shane*
> *The Searchers*
> 
> And I'd add *No Country For Old Men*.
> 
> The movie that spurred the discussion was the premier showing of an obscure film shown at the Santa Barbara film festival a few years ago: *Factory Girl*.
> 
> I'll now wait for the first grenade to be lobbed in.




INCOMING!

Does that mean Rick and Captain Renault don't have a Beautiful Friendship after the closing shot of _Casablanca_?

Or that Wyatt Earp was going to fall of his horse and break his neck seconds after the end of _My Darling Clementine_?  (In reality Earp lived till he was 80 years old and died in 1929.)

Nice idea but methinks it's ********.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> INCOMING!
> 
> Does that mean Rick and Captain Renault don't have a Beautiful Friendship after the closing shot of _Casablanca_?
> 
> Or that Wyatt Earp was going to fall of his horse and break his neck seconds after the end of _My Darling Clementine_?  (In reality Earp lived till he was 80 years old and died in 1929.)
> 
> Nice idea but methinks it's ********.


 
See. Told you there'd be arguments. Perhaps the view of the actor's back must be solitary. Claude Rains and Bogey were too chummy to die. But I'm just making things up now. And it may well be dependent on the film-makers' intent, if any. And the symbolism is likely more important than the actual event.

Alan Ladd (Shane) was wounded in a gun fight, but bravely soldiers on through the last scene where he is seen gradually fading from view on horseback. Does he really die? Who knows? John Wayne is shown in the last scene of *The Searchers* strolling off into the distance while the door closes behind him. Actual death? More like a symbol of the old ways dying. But it's all just art imitating life, anyway, isn't it?


----------



## Foxbat

Been on a horror anthology kick. Watched *Tales From The Crypt *and *Vault Of Horror*. Followed these up with the best of the lot - Ealing Studio's *Dead Of Night*.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched*A Late Quartet*
A string quartet formed over 20 years ago practice the difficult late Beethoven string quartet,  Op.131.
Very good film, Christopher Walken is superb


----------



## PizzaCaviar

I confirm what is said above, *The Late Quartet* is a good movie. Very interesting and intricate. 

The last movie I watched was *After Earth*. It's not bad as long as you want to enjoy good graphics and amazing landscapes. The characters and scenario are pretty dull though. 

Before that I watched *Serenity*. It's a fun movie. Although it is clearly adapted for a wide audience, the characters still have their own and interesting personality. The movie is based from a tv show named *Firefly*. Does any one know if this show is worth watching? I will watch the pilote since I enjoyed the movie but I am still curious to hear your opinion.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Just saw *Ender's Game. *Good graphics, good cast, reasonable adaptation of the book. I know OSC isn't everyone's cuppa of tea but we were thoroughly entertained for a couple of hours.


----------



## Abernovo

PizzaCaviar said:


> Before that I watched *Serenity*. It's a fun movie. Although it is clearly adapted for a wide audience, the characters still have their own and interesting personality. The movie is based from a tv show named *Firefly*. Does any one know if this show is worth watching? I will watch the pilote since I enjoyed the movie but I am still curious to hear your opinion.


Get a copy. Watch it. I'll admit to being a fan, and never understood why it was canned before even playing out a whole season. Studio execs? Go, figure.

*Firefly* has its flaws, but it is brilliant in many ways, and was innovative. Definitely worth a look.
And, welcome to the Chrons, PizzaCaviar.


----------



## clovis-man

Abernovo said:


> Get a copy. Watch it. I'll admit to being a fan, and never understood why it was canned before even playing out a whole season. Studio execs? Go, figure.
> 
> *Firefly* has its flaws, but it is brilliant in many ways, and was innovative. Definitely worth a look.
> And, welcome to the Chrons, PizzaCaviar.


 
The film maker, Joss Whedon, made *Serenity* because he never got the chance to end the *Firefly* series appropriately on TV. Suffice to say it was one of the best things out, but the Fox Kahunas, being dimwits, cancelled it before it's run was over.

Well worth immersing yourself into it. *Firefly* is available for streaming on Netflix.


----------



## clovis-man

springs said:


> Just saw *Ender's Game. *Good graphics, good cast, reasonable adaptation of the book. I know OSC isn't everyone's cuppa of tea but we were thoroughly entertained for a couple of hours.


 
Agreed. A small amount of discussion in a separate thread. Somehow it doesn't seem to be generating a huge amount of talk. Not sure why.

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/546155-enders-game-2013-a.html#post1766608


----------



## PizzaCaviar

Abernovo said:


> Get a copy. Watch it. I'll admit to being a fan, and never understood why it was canned before even playing out a whole season. Studio execs? Go, figure.
> 
> *Firefly* has its flaws, but it is brilliant in many ways, and was innovative. Definitely worth a look.
> And, welcome to the Chrons, PizzaCaviar.





			
				clovis-man said:
			
		

> Well worth immersing yourself into it. Firefly is available for streaming on Netflix.



I will. Thank you.


----------



## Reivax26

I watched White House Down the other day. It was along the line of Olympus Has Fallen except with a comedic edge to it.

Also lately I have watched I Robot about 8 times. It keeps coming on the movie channels and honestly I like the movie so much I don't mind watching it over and over.


----------



## Droflet

DALE AND TUCKER V/S EVIL.
This comedy horror movie is a little different. College kids go into the mountains and encounter a couple of hillbillies. I know what you're thinking but here's the difference. The dim witted hillbillies are harmless but the kids get paranoid and through a set of hilarious circumstances believe Dale and Tucker are murderers. It's bloody and violent and at times laugh out loud funny. Worth a look, imho.


----------



## J-Sun

Watched my VHS of *Spellbound* (1945 - with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck) for the second time (I think). If I want to be mean, I can say it's nothing but Freudian gobbledegook with some plot illogic and a skiing scene that looks like it fell out of an Ed Wood movie - not to mention that while it's brilliant and funny for Inspector Clouseau to insist on Maria's innocence in the face of all evidence, it makes Ingrid Bergman's character pretty stupid - which is part of the point, I guess. "Love makes you do the whacky." If I wanted to be nice, I could say that, despite all that, it eventually becomes an interesting and suspenseful film and, hey, Bergman and Peck. But this one stays on tape.


----------



## Foxbat

My odyssey into horror anthologies continued with MGM's *Tales Of Terror *(1962). Three stories based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe starring Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone and Peter Lorre. 

I particularly enjoyed the adaptation of The Black Cat and the chemistry between Price and Lorre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*How Awful About Allan* (1970)

Made for American TV.  Anthony Perkins stars as a guy who is stricken with hysterical blindness (he can vaguely make out shapes but nothing else) after witnessing a fire kill his father and scar his sister's face.  He comes back home to be taken care of by his sister, who has also taken in a roomer who can only speak in a whisper.  Somebody starts tormenting Perkins with whispers and attempts to push him down the stairs.  The big surprise ending is telegraphed badly.  Competently filmed and acted otherwise.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hearts in Atlantis*
Good film and the young boy actor wpuld later go on to play Chekov in the new Star Trek films!


----------



## Extollager

Think it was _Quicksand_, a pretty decent _noiri_sh thing with Mickey Rooney.  I thought the protagonist got off pretty lightly at the end, though.


----------



## Rafellin

Abernovo said:


> Get a copy. Watch it. I'll admit to being a fan, and never understood why it was canned before even playing out a whole season. Studio execs? Go, figure.
> 
> *Firefly* has its flaws, but it is brilliant in many ways, and was innovative. Definitely worth a look.
> And, welcome to the Chrons, PizzaCaviar.



And should you find yourself an addict, there is a follow-on to Serenity. Completely fan-produced with Joss Whedon's blessing, it's called Browncoats : Redemption. Suffers from zero-budget sets (still better than Blake's 7  ) and a bit of ropey fake-fighting, but has a decent plot and characters that you soon adopt. For what it is, I consider it a classic. Plus it raised $120,000 for charities chosen by the original Firefly cast & crew.


----------



## clovis-man

Rafellin said:


> And should you find yourself an addict, there is a follow-on to Serenity. Completely fan-produced with Joss Whedon's blessing, it's called Browncoats : Redemption. Suffers from zero-budget sets (still better than Blake's 7  ) and a bit of ropey fake-fighting, but has a decent plot and characters that you soon adopt. For what it is, I consider it a classic. Plus it raised $120,000 for charities chosen by the original Firefly cast & crew.


 
Watched the trailer. A not so shiny view of the 'Verse. Might be fun though.


----------



## logan_run

star trek into darkness


----------



## PizzaCaviar

Rafellin said:


> And should you find yourself an addict, there is a follow-on to Serenity. Completely fan-produced with Joss Whedon's blessing, it's called Browncoats : Redemption. Suffers from zero-budget sets (still better than Blake's 7  ) and a bit of ropey fake-fighting, but has a decent plot and characters that you soon adopt. For what it is, I consider it a classic. Plus it raised $120,000 for charities chosen by the original Firefly cast & crew.



I have plenty of reading at the time but I'll think about it "should I become a fan". Thanks.


----------



## Mouse

clovis-man said:


> Watched the trailer. A not so shiny view of the 'Verse. Might be fun though.



I just watched the trailer too. Looks kinda ok. The Cap'n lady has massive boobs.


----------



## Ogma

I just saw Gravity. It does stretch credulity a little *cough* but the visuals are absolutely stunning (the 3D is really worth it for once) and for me at least it was emotionally powerful too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Disco Godfather* (1979)

My introduction to the world of Rudy Ray Moore, who stars an an ex-cop turned disco owner/host, who tracks down the bad guys manufacturing angel dust when his nephew freaks out on the disco floor and has to be hospitalized while high on the stuff. From what little I know about Moore, this one is unusual in that it contains little or no deliberate comedy. The plot certainly seems to be that of a typical blaxploitation action flick, but the execution is so eccentric that it turns into a unique viewing experience.

Where to begin? The outrageous (even for the disco era) clothing; the extended disco dance sequences, including on roller skates; the martial arts fights (I swear at one point a randon guy jogging by joins in); the scenes of a minister and his flock around an angel dust victim in her hospital bed, looking like scenes from *The Exorcist*; or, weirdest of all, surreal hallucination scenes (often featuring somebody in what appears to be a traditional Asian demon mask dancing around) whenever somebody is on angel dust. (At one point the heroic disco godfather is captured by the bad guys and forced to breath in the drug via a gas mask.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

My full review from another site of the unusual Canadian thriller *The Pyx* (1973)



> Directed by Harvey Hart; screenplay by Robert Schlitt from the novel by John Buell.
> 
> (MODERATE SPOILERS AHEAD)
> 
> One night in Montreal a woman's body is found on the street after she falls from a tall building. Suicide? Murder? Dressed in a translucent robe and wearing a crucifix, she also bears the object which gives this film its title. (A pyx is a small round container used to carry a consecrated host to the sick.)
> 
> The rest of the film alternates scenes between the police detective investigating the death (Christopher Plummer) and flashbacks to the last few days in the life of the dead woman (Karen Black.) It turns out she was a heroin-addicted prostitute. As the investigation procedes, others associated with her are found dead, apparently because they knew too much. It all leads up to a final confrontation with the man who intended to use the woman as part of a Black Mass.
> 
> This movie is an unusual combination of crime story, character study, and just a slight touch of occult thriller. There is only the smallest hint, right at the end, that anything truly supernatural might be going on.
> 
> I enjoyed the alternating structure of the film, which kept my interest as we move from gritty police procedural to an introspective, and unromantic, look at the life of a woman who tries to be a decent human being despite her addiction and unpleasant way of making a living. We see her help another addict kick the habit (ironic, given her own inability to do so) and take a emotionally disturbed young gay man into her home.
> 
> Although *The Pyx* is only 1% about Satanism, the entire film is haunted by Catholicism. Filmed in Montreal (which provides some unusual settings, as well as some scenes in which only French is spoken, without subtitles), featuring many characters who are Catholic (mostly lapsed to various degrees), and ending with a Black Mass which is clearly intended to be a blasphemous parody of the Catholic Mass, this is the most _spiritual_ horror film I have ever seen, including *The Exorcist*. Although we know from the very beginning that the main character will lose her life, it is much more of a critical question whether she will lose her soul.
> 
> *The Pyx* reminds me, in various ways, of a diversity of films ranging from *Klute* to *Rosemary's Baby*. It isn't quite like any of these, and is well worth a look.


----------



## Ice fyre

Saw World War Z: wasnt bad, no where near as bad as I was expecting. Having read the source material I was dreading how this would pan out, but overall, not bad, fair pacing, Brad wasnt too bad, yeah not an unpleasnt evening spent watching it. 

Hunger Games: Well, its a good film, but the subject matter is horrible. From the scenes of Kantiss volunteering to the arena fights, the brutality of this future society is stamped on your vision. The transaltion to screen is quite faithfull and works well with some quite good young actors.


----------



## Ice fyre

Just watched "Class of Nuke em High" ...a strange film.... The basic premise...I think... is that a high school sited next to a Nuclear power plant, (Troma High) is contaminated, cue lots of people in Hazmat suits wandering around quite aimlessly. The local punk gang's (think extras from Mad Max crossed with the Rocky Horror Picture Show) drug crop is contaminated as well. Mutants and stoner hijinx ensue, quite the most random film I have seen for a long time, awfully acted, dreadfully directed, with a oddly good piece of Anamatronic monster popping up near the end. Dont watch unless drunk or ina a very odd mood!!


----------



## Allegra

Over the weekend I Watched *The Lives Of Others* - for the 2nd time, what a brilliant, brilliant film!


----------



## Starbeast

*Now You See Me* (2013) - It was ok, it didn't hold my interest, and I like magic.

*A Little Bit Zombie* (2012) - Funny and gory zombie flick.

*Train* (2007) - Shocking and highly disturbing gore flick, yet a good story.

*Sinister* (2012) - Freaky weird evil spirit film. Scary, and worth a look.

*The Crazies* (2010) - Excellent remake and a good scare flick.

*Borderland* (2007) - Horrifing movie based on a true story. Very intense!

*Madagascar* (2005) - Pretty good kid movie. I liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein's Daughter* (1958)

Laughably inept low budget timewaster, which may appeal to those of us who can remember trying to catch every old movie on TV which promised to have a monster in it. The confusing plot involves Frankenstein's grandson, now going by the last name "Frank," who is working as a lab assistant to an elderly guy who is working on some kind of life extension formula. Frank uses this stuff to mix up some "fruit punch" which he gives to the old man's beautiful young niece, briefly turning her into a monster who wanders around at night and scares people. One of those people is the niece's blonde bombshell friend. Frank (who is shown as a total dirty middle-aged man here, having already tried to force his attentions on the niece) somehow manages to get a date with the blonde. When she spurns his advances, he kills her and takes her head so he can use her brain to complete the typical monster-made-out-of-pieces-of-dead-folks he's been working on during all of this. (We're told that female brains are more likely to obey orders.) This creature is called "Frankenstein's daughter." Despite this, it's clearly played by a big burly man. Stir in a couple of lousy rock 'n roll songs and you have enjoyable drive-in nonsense of a nostalgic kind.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bloody Pit of Horror* (1965)

Hoo-boy. The bare bones description of this thing (a guy who thinks he's a 17th century executioner tortures and kills some folks) didn't prepare me for its utter goofiness. From the wacky, often inappropriate music, to the Rube Goldberg torture devices (the poisoned mechanical spider is hilarious), to muscleman/Mr. Jayne Mansfield Mickey Hargitay as the would-be Crimson Executioner (a name spoken many, many times, since he speaks of himself in the third person), to the scantily-clad "cover girls" posing for photographs to be used for horror anthologies, to the male model dressed in the worst skeleton costume you've ever seen (you'd be ashamed to send a little kid out for Halloween in this thing; I particularly like the wispy bits of black lace under the arms), to the Crimson Executioner's endless speeches about the purity of his perfect body, this flick is a hoot. The whole thing has a very Grade Z James Bond vibe to it, with all the not-quite-naked young women, but there's also all the beefcake you could ask for, as the Crimson Executioner lovingly rubs his body with oil. An amazing experience.


----------



## Starbeast

Rewatches:

*Endangered Species* (1982) - Cattle mutilations and strange lights at night? Based on true events. Electronic music score by Gary Wright (Dream Weaver).

*Sorcerer* (1977) - Remake of the 1953 film, Wages of Fear. (desperate men drive trucks loaded with nitro) Music sore by Tangerine Dream. Awesome!

*Strange Brew* (1983) - The ultimate beer comedy! - rated PG 





Starbeast said:


> *Borderland* (2007) - Horrifing movie based on a true story. Very intense!


 
I forgot to mention that Sean Astin (The Goonies & Lord of the Rings) has an unusal role in this film. He's such a great actor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Trauma* (1962)

Written and directed by Robert M. Young.

Fair-to-middling low budget *Psycho*-style thriller, which vaguely reminded me of the superior shocker *Dementia 13*. We begin with a teenager being driven home by her chauffeur after having to identify the body of a murdered acquaintance. Along for the ride is her somewhat quirky friend. (I liked this character. One good point about this movie is that all the minor characters were given interesting personalities.) Our heroine seems only moderately upset by this experience, and refuses to have the others walk her home through some dark woods to her home. (If I were fifteen years old and had just been down to the morgue, I wouldn't be so stoic about it. Her friend says something like "Did you take brave pills?" Another thing I liked about this movie was some of the sharp, wisecracking dialogue.) 

At home the teenager encounters somebody we don't see, gets a fright, then tells the unseen person not to worry because the caretaker will take care of him. Sure enough, the loyal caretaker shows up. We won't find out who the unseen person is until late in the movie.

Our heroine encounters our other main character, who I will refer to as Creepy Guy. He greets her in a rather insulting way, deliberately mispronouncing her name as "Emma-LINE" instead of "Emma-LEAN." We find out that Creepy Guy has just asked Emmaline's filthy rich, wheelchair-bound aunt to marry him and got turned down flat. After some enjoyable cynical dialogue from the aunt, we get our first big shock scene as Emmaline witnesses somebody drowning her aunt in their swimming pool.

Cut to the titles, after fifteen minutes of movie. A series of paintings (a nice touch) under the titles takes us six years into the future, from the aunt's funeral to Emmaline's wedding. Emmaline, now twenty-one years old and about to inherit her aunt's money, returns home after being treated for the amnesia that resulted from her experience. She still recalls nothing of her life before the murder, and doesn't remember who did it. The viewer is repulsed to find out that she is now married to Creepy Guy, who is clearly only after her money. (One can only presume that he took advantage of her mental state to presuade her to accept his proposal, since there seems to be no affection between the two.) She is greeted by the loyal caretaker, and meets the caretaker's nephew, a budding architect. Things start to get complicated as the architect notices that the stable is eight feet longer than the plans for the house say it should be -- a hidden room? Family secrets start to slowly unravel (remember the unseen person?) and somebody starts to spook Emmaline. Is Creepy Guy pulling a Gaslight on her? Or is something else going on? What about the two guys in dark suits who drive around tailing Creepy Guy? And what about the young woman who was murdered before the movie began?

*Trauma* reveals its mysteries in an extremely slow, talky way. Many viewers will be bored by it. It held my interest to a moderate degree, and you may want to give it a look if you have ninety-three minutes to kill.


----------



## alchemist

Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire. Although I'd read all the books, this was my first HG film. The film suffered from the same problem as the book -- it took far too long to get to the point everybody knew it was going to get to.

Apart from that it was pretty good, although I have to say the main characters come across as a lot older than I envisioned them when reading. Except Haymitch who appeared younger.


----------



## Allegra

I don't know what took me so long after being recommended, urged, begged repeatedly, but finally I got around to watch *Amélie*. What an incredible joy ride! It is a rare gem, enchanting and magical. I fell in love instantly with its gorgeous cinematography that has so many charming details, the unbelievably good acting of everyone of them including all the extras, the lovely sound tracks, the quirky humour and this heart warming dream like little Parisian story. Now it's me who is going to recommend, urge and beg everyone I know who hasn't watched it!


----------



## AE35Unit

Allegra said:


> I don't know what took me so long after being recommended, urged, begged repeatedly, but finally I got around to watch *Amélie*. What an incredible joy ride! It is a rare gem, enchanting and magical. I fell in love instantly with its gorgeous cinematography that has so many charming details, the unbelievably good acting of everyone of them including all the extras, the lovely sound tracks, the quirky humour and this heart warming dream like little Parisian story. Now it's me who is going to recommend, urge and beg everyone I know who hasn't watched it!



Yes it is indeed a good film!  We have it on DVD.
Also if you havent seen *Shine* yet Id recommend you do!


----------



## Allegra

AE35Unit said:


> Yes it is indeed a good film!  We have it on DVD.
> Also if you havent seen *Shine* yet Id recommend you do!



Yes I've seen *Shine* - twice! Geoffrey Rush is amazing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Werewolf of Washington* (1973)

Written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg.

This low budget monster movie/political satire has a pretty bad reputation, as far as I can tell from reading the on-line reviews of it. I can certainly understand why. It's cheaply made, with production values a step below the average made-for-TV movie of the time. As a monster movie, it's old-fashioned and not very exciting. As a political satire, it's unfocused. The two genres don't blend very well together. Yet for some reason I found it rather charming. Let's see if we can figure out why.

We begin with our protagonist, Jack Whittier (Dean Stockwell), narrating the setup of the plot. (Never a good sign of a well-written script.) He tells us that he's a hot-shot Washington reporter who's been having an affair with the President's daughter. He gets sent to Hungary (or goes there to cool off the romance) and finds another girlfriend behind the Iron Curtain. At this point the movie becomes a close copy of *The Wolfman* (1941), even to such details as killing a gypsy's lycanthropic son with a walking stick with a silver wolf's head. Of course, he gets bitten during the battle and is doomed to become a werewolf. (It amused me that the Hungarian girlfriend -- played by an actress with no other credits according to IMDB, and not very good, like many of the minor players in this thing -- speaks in a thick accent that makes her sound exactly like Teri Garr in *Young Frankenstein*, particularly when she says "weeerwoooof.") 

Back in Washington, the President selects Jack Whittier as his new Press Secretary, although his duties seem to be a lot more varied than that title suggests. His first assignment is to do something about the loudmouth wife of the President's nominee for the Supreme Court. (This character may be intended as a spoof on Martha Mitchell. As I've hinted, the satire is a little vague throughout.) Jack sees a pentagram in her palm. Yep, she's the first victim when he goes into wolfman mode. The werewolf makeup used here reminds me of the one in *I Was a Teenage Werewolf*, and isn't bad in 1940's/1950's way.

Next up on the menu is the publisher of a newspaper which hasn't always been on the President's side. (Since this character is female, I assume it's supposed to be Katherine Graham of _The Washington Post_.) The satire gets a bit sharper here, as a young black man who witnessed the murder (and who was there with his white hippie friend, which must have displeased the Establishment even more) is suspected of the crime. The President's gung-ho Attorney General blames the murders on "the Panthers" because the witnesses admit the killer was "dark."

After some more typical werewolf stuff, the movie suddenly goes berzerk and heads straight into *The President's Analyst* territory. After fleeing a meeting of what I assume is the Cabinet and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jack runs down into the bowels of the White House (don't ask me, but it looks just like the big room full of big pipes and metal staircases you've seen in so many action movies) and runs into what can only be descibed as a mad scientist. Played by the great Michael Dunn, this fellow is standing by a slab with a body on it and a bunch of flashing machines. He gets all Dog Whisperer on Jack, who calms down and even licks his face. It's a shame that this character disappears from the story not too much later, as he's the wildest thing in it. Called "Doctor Kiss," I assume he's intended to be a spoof on Henry Kissinger, although Doctor Strangelove would be closer.

Poor Jack is well aware that he's the killer, and does his best to convince others, even going to far as to arrange to have silver bullets made in case someone needs to kill him, and having himself tied in a chair with heavy chains. The Reluctant Werewolf theme is played nearly straight. (One exception is when Jack is bowling in the President's private alley and his fingers begin to swell -- the first sign of the transformation, we're told -- and he gets them stuck in a bowling ball.)

Well, not even the fear that he's going to change into a ravenous beast is enough to keep Jack from following the President's orders that he join him on the Presidential helicopter with the Chinese Premiere. As you might imagine, this is a Very Bad Idea, and it all leads up to a final twist (although one you may see coming) which is told to us only by sound, under the end credits.

*The Werewolf of Washington* doesn't seem to know exactly what it wants to be. Is the President supposed to be a satire of Nixon? He doesn't look, act, or sound anything like him, but he says "Let me make this perfectly clear" more than once. It often seems like a straightforward attempt to make a PG-rated, almost kid-friendly monster movie, but at other times it seems to be making fun of them.

I can't defend this as a good movie, but I had fun watching it. There were little quirks that pleased me. There's one bald guy in sunglasses who shows up in various scenes, never saying anything, sometimes taking photographs. There were bits of wordplay that amused me, as when more than one person confuses "pentagram" with "Pentagon."


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dominique* AKA *Dominique is Dead* (1979)

Directed by Michael Anderson; screenplay by Edward Abraham and Valerie Abraham, from the short story "What Beckoning Ghost?" by Harold Lawlor.

So-so chiller with a good cast. Jean Simmons has the title role as a wealthy pianist. Right at the start we get into *Gaslight* territory, as Dominique is told she fired a chaffeur, and even stole a friend's brooch, without remembering it. Later she hears mysterious voices. Is her businessman husband (Cliff Robertson) messing with her mind, or is she losing her marbles? It may not matter a whole lot, as she soon hangs herself in the conservatory.

It probably won't be a big shock to you to find out that hubby is soon getting messed with himself, as he sees a woman hidden in long black clothing outside his office, hears piano music coming from nowhere, and seems to see Dominique wandering the halls of his palatial home at night. Ghostly revenge, or is Dominique still alive? Things get more unnerving when Dominique's grave is dug up, to reveal a coffin full of rocks. There's also the fact that the lady dressed in black paid a stonemason to make a gravestone with hubby's name on it.

It's fitting that *Dominique* has a title that reminds one of *Diabolique*. It also reminds me of "The Cemetery," one of the three stories in the pilot movie *Night Gallery*, with its murder plots and seeming returns from the dead. Although there is very little unexpected here, one unusual plot twist, involving a killer with black gloves and a razor, comes straight out of a _giallo_. I don't think this is a coincidence. There are many night scenes which are lit with sourceless blue light, just like something from Mario Bava.

*Dominique* is slow-moving, but it isn't very talky. Instead we have long, wordless sequences where people walk through dark corridors. Many scenes are quite nicely filmed. Besides the two leads, we have other familiar names in the cast. Jenny Agutter is hubby's half-sister (a fact which is oddly emphasized, although it's not really relevant to the plot.) Simon Ward is a chaffeur (not the one who gets fired) who plays an important role in things. Ron Moody is the doctor who examines Dominique's body, and faces an unpleasant fate.

You'll probably figure out many of the plot twists in this rather familiar little tale from the crypt. Some of the stuff that is explained at the very end took me by surprise, however, and made some characters even more sinister than I assumed they were.

Harold Lawlor's story appeared in the July 1948 issue of _Weird Tales_. It was also adapted for the old television series *Thriller* in 1961. I haven't seen it, but research reveals that both adaptations spend a great deal of time on the *Gaslight* aspect of the story. The original story starts several months after the pianist (named Sharon in the original and Mildred in the TV version) is dead. The movie version seems to be closer to the original, although both take a great deal of liberty with the story. *Dominique* retains some little details from the story, like the pianist's Etruscan bracelet.

You can read the original story here:

http://www.unz.org/Pub/WeirdTales-1948jul-00026?View=PDFPages


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## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Werewolf of Washington* (1973)
> 
> Written and directed by Milton Moses Ginsberg.
> 
> This low budget monster movie/political satire has a pretty bad reputation, as far as I can tell from reading the on-line reviews of it. I can certainly understand why. It's cheaply made, with production values a step below the average made-for-TV movie of the time. As a monster movie, it's old-fashioned and not very exciting. As a political satire, it's unfocused. The two genres don't blend very well together. Yet for some reason I found it rather charming. Let's see if we can figure out why.



I'm glad I'm not the only one, Silverwolf.  I really liked this film.  I have no idea why either.  It shouldn't work in so many ways but it has - something.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Naked City* (1948)

Documentary-style crime drama showing the cops trying to solve the murder of a model. The complex plot also involves jewel thieves. Barry Fitzgerald is cast against type as the police Lieutenant in charge of the case.  The credits don't come until the very end, although the opening narration mentions the actors and filmmakers. Probably a strong influence on _Dragnet_. Notable for the realism of its scenes shot on location in New York City. Little or no music until the final chase sequence, which is more theatrical than anything else in the movie. A good film.

*Duct Tape Forever* (2002)

Theatrical film based on the Canadian TV series _The Red Green Show_. Hard to explain if you don't know the series, which is sort of a spoof on outdoor/handyman shows. Mildly amusing. The plot is typical for this sort of light comedy (the good guys have to win $10,000 in a duct tape sculpture contest to save Possum Lodge from being taken over and destroyed by the rich bad guy.) It's good to see the familiar characters from the TV show, but some of them aren't given much to do. The biggest disappointment is the fact that we don't get to see anything like the truly insane do-it-yourself projects shown on the series (such as transforming a van into a riverboat.) For fans of the show only.


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## clovis-man

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Duct Tape Forever* (2002)
> 
> Theatrical film based on the Canadian TV series _The Red Green Show_. Hard to explain if you don't know the series, which is sort of a spoof on outdoor/handyman shows. Mildly amusing. The plot is typical for this sort of light comedy (the good guys have to win $10,000 in a duct tape sculpture contest to save Possum Lodge from being taken over and destroyed by the rich bad guy.) It's good to see the familiar characters from the TV show, but some of them aren't given much to do. The biggest disappointment is the fact that we don't get to see anything like the truly insane do-it-yourself projects shown on the series (such as transforming a van into a riverboat.) For fans of the show only.


 
Pretty hard to recapture that Possum Lodge magic. But I thought the scene showing the Red Green approach to getting Harold unstuck was great. And remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.


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## AE35Unit

*The Purge*
One night per year all crimes are legal as a way to purge all your hatred and anger. Murder and robbery is for everyone. Houses are locked up at 7 pm in the lockdown, which lasts 12 hours.  During that time you hope your security is good!

Scary scenario!


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## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Duct Tape Forever* (2002)
> 
> Theatrical film based on the Canadian TV series _The Red Green Show_. For fans of the show only.


 
I'm fan of the show, and I really enjoyed seeing the characters in a full length movie. A pleasent film, and a breath of fresh air from all of those rude/crude and same old/garbage flicks.



clovis-man said:


> Pretty hard to recapture that Possum Lodge magic. But I thought the scene showing the Red Green approach to getting Harold unstuck was great. And remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.


 
Ya-hey-der, Clovis-man. Yer definately a Possum Lodge member like me eh? Beauty. Keep yer stick on da ice der.

But seriously, the best thing I love about the show, is the CLEAN HUMOR.



AE35Unit said:


> *The Purge*
> One night per year all crimes are legal as a way to purge all your hatred and anger. Murder and robbery is for everyone. Houses are locked up at 7 pm in the lockdown, which lasts 12 hours.  During that time you hope your security is good!
> 
> Scary scenario!


 
I saw this a few weeks ago, WOW! Talk about something completely different, it was wild ride.  I liked it because, it seriously showed all sides of this controversial subject matter.



*V/H/S 2* (2013)

Tremendous horror movie sequel, with even scarier and intense stories! Highly recommended for Horror fans only! Monstrously cool!


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## Hilarious Joke

*Side Effects*

Wow. Less you know going in the better.


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## Foxbat

*The Wolverine *I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. In my opinion, the best of the X Men franchise to date.


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## Rodders

My girlfriend's favourite movie Sister Act (or Sister Atkins as she always calls it).


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## AE35Unit

*The Posession*
Another of these 'based on true events' horror, this one involving a mysterious box.
Quite good actually tho!


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## monsterchic

Catching Fire

This was one of the best book-to-movie followings I've seen, ever.  There were a few crucial details (at least, what I consider crucial) that were missed and some small details were a bit wonky, but overall I was stunned.  The missing stuff probably would've put them overbudget, anyway, so they did a great job


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## J-Sun

I've been on the cutting edge of movies lately - two of the last ones I've seen were *Werewolf of London* and *She-Wolf of London* on a double feature disc. The disc had a problem affecting both movies but I got it worked out with the seller. Anyway - I'm not a big fan of the 1941 _The Wolf Man_ but I sort of enjoyed this 1935 take. Neither movie, to me, takes much advantage of any possible mythic resonance and I don't really care for either wolfman in his normal (or wolf) state but this had an okay vibe generally. The somewhat later _She-Wolf_ (1946) starred Lassie in Space's June Lockhart as a young woman but I was eventually able to get over that. The movie is more a whodunnit than horror and has the severe problem that the whodunnit is obvious almost from the beginning but there was something fascinating about these varied weird ladies wandering around in this murderous miasma. Neither's great but I liked them overall.

Then I watched Buster Keaton in *The Navigator*, which also has a couple of nautically-themed shorts. I've seen one of those (_The Boat_). I didn't like them as much as some others but I still liked them quite a bit. In the short, a family takes the boat Keaton's just built (inside a building with a small door) out for its maiden voyage and things go perfectly.  In the feature, Keaton decides he wants to get married and sets up the honeymoon... and then asks the girl... who says no. So he goes to the ship alone but, through one thing and another, the girl ends up on this abandoned ship with him and, again, things go perfectly, starting with being cast adrift. While it's true that I was wondering what his insurance policy must have been like, these movies lack quite the mind-blowing jaw-dropping scenes of danger of some of the others but they're still very energetic and funny. (And, boy, _The Boat_ must have been an expensive half-hour - even if it's all just junk or models or whatever, they sure did wreck a lot of stuff real fast.)


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## Null_Zone

Warm Bodies.

It was a lot better than I was expecting given the trailers and had some very funny moments. Whilst this might get me burnt for heresy I thought it was a better zombie romance than Sean of the Dead, though SotD is a much better film.


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## clovis-man

*The Jungle Book* (1942) This is the Alexander Korda version. All live action except for some dummy creatures and acted by real people as opposed to the Disney version (Haven't seen the Jason Scott Lee version). I know there are some crummy DVD versions of this film out there, but TCM seems to have gotten its hands on a good copy. The original technicolor scenes are vibrant and very sharp. The Miklos Rosza score is appropriately evocative. Sabu seems tailor made for the part of Mowgli. A very young Rosemary DeCamp is a sympathetic character as his mother. Joseph Calleia as the storyteller/Buldeo is believably villainous. The lost city (carbon copy of Angkor Wat) is impressive, even by 1942 standards. I found it quite enjoyable (haven't seen it in many years) even if somwhat tame by today's jaded yardstick.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Two short reviews and one insanely long one.

*The Great Sinner* (1949)

Gregory Peck stars as a Russian writer who follows a beautiful Russian woman (Ava Gardner) off a train to a casino in Germany. It turns out that her father owes the casino owner a bunch of money, and letting the fellow marrying Ava is his "security." The noble Gregory wins a pile of loot in an attempt to buy her freedom, but loses it all and falls into degradation. If this sounds like a Russian novel, go to the head of the class. It's based on "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, although the opening crawl-up narration just says "a great writer." This star-studded, lush Hollywood production really manages to capture the feeling of Dostoyevsky (watch for Agnes Moorehead as a loathsome pawnbroker right out of _Crime and Punishment_ and allows Gregory Peck to go mad with gambling fever.

*The Crooked Way* (1949)

We sort of accidentally watched this _film noir_. TCM was supposed to show *Men of Boys Town* (we'd seen *Boys Town* and figured we should catch the sequel) but showed crime stories set in Los Angeles instead. (It must have been a last minute change; the host said something like "You've just seen *Men of Boys Town*" while introducing the next film.) Anyway, this turned out to be an implausible tale of a WWII vet with a head injury causing amnesia who goes back to LA and runs into cops, crooks, and a dame who remember his previous criminal life. This is truly a _film noir_; many of the scenes are lit in such a way that only a small part of the room is visible. The biggest surprise is that Sonny (*Cat Women of the Moon*) Tufts, usually thought of as a joke, is very effective as the bad guy.


*Lady Frankenstein* (1971)

Directed by Mel Welles and Aureliano Luppi (uncredited); written by Dick Randall and Edward Di Lorenzo.

Having recently seen *Frankenstein's Daughter* (1958), which features no female relative of Frankenstein at all (the title is strictly a metaphor for the monster), as well as *Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter* (1966), which actually features Frankenstein's _grand_daughter, it was refreshing to finally see a film which actually involves Frankenstein's daughter. (In fact, the Italian title for this Spaghetti Gothic is _La figlia di Frankenstein_.) It seems appropriate that this variation on the Frankenstein theme resembles something created from various bits and pieces, then somehow brought to life. I found it to be more entertaining than I expected.

(Trival conincidence: Not too long ago I happened to hear the Rob Zombie song "Living Dead Girl" on the radio. It began with this sampled quote: "Who is this irresistible creature who has an insatiable love for the dead?" I wondered what this was from, and I was going to ask the smart folks around here, but the IMDB reveals that it is from the trailer for *Lady Frankenstein*.)

We begin with typical Frankenstein stuff, as some graverobbers deliver their wares to the Baron and his assistant Charles. (As in the Hammer series, Frankenstein is a titled aristocrat. In fact, most of the first part of this film resembles a Hammer movie.) It turns out that Frankenstein needs a body no more than six hours dead to procede with his plan to revive a corpse. Amazingly, the graverobbers do _not_ murder somebody to get the body. Instead, they wait until a condemned murderer is hanged and then grab his body out of the grave. The revival involves transplanting the murderer's heart and brain into another corpse, then raising the body, in typical Universal horror movie style, to the castle's skylight so it can get zapped by lightning.

(A word here on the heart and brain transplantion theme. This movie seems to imply that the heart is literally the seat of emotions, as the brain is the seat of thought. This odd notion reminds me of the movie *Doctor Blood's Coffin* (1961), where the dead are brought back to life after heart transplants, even one which has been rotting in the grave for quite a long time.)

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

During the lightning-induced revival (a scene which also includes a bunch of bats flying around, I suppose just to make things a little more spooky) the monster gets zapped in the face and starts to burn. This happens just so it will look ugly. The makeup used here reminds me a lot of the kind of thing that used to show up in _Famous Monsters of Filmland_ long ago, where some kid would send in a photograph of himself (nearly always _him_self, of course) in his homemade monster face. In other words, gruesome but not very professional or convincing. A few minutes after the monster comes to life, it kills Frankenstein. (Charles told him not to use a brain with a damaged hypothalamus, particularly one from a murderer!) Exit Joseph Cotton, who actually makes a pretty good Peter Cushing.

You'll notice that I have not yet mentioned Lady Frankenstein. (Since she's the daughter of a Baron, I suppose the title is appropriate enough.) She's shown up by this time, but doesn't yet play much of a role in the story. Tania Frankenstein (who has a first name which seems rather unlikely to me, given the vaguely 19th Century England setting of this thing; the characters all have names like Jim Turner and Jack Morgan) is played by Italian exploitation actress Rosalbi Nori, under the pseudonym Sara Bay. Nori is strikingly beautiful, and is quite delightful to watch in her Victorian gowns. (Many gentlemen may prefer the two brief scenes where she is wearing nothing.) In particular, her aristocratic profile is a thing of joy. Lady Frankenstein is played as a very intelligent, strong-willed woman, who has just returned from the University with her degree in surgery.

The movie changes from early Hammer horror to later, sexed-up Hammer horror when the monster begins its rampage. The first victims are a couple making out by a stream. Sadly, the man is completely clothed and the woman is stark naked. The female nudity in this movie is extremely gratuitous, and rather out of place, given the PG level of violence. Lady Frankenstein's two nude scenes, it must be admitted, are more relevant to the plot.

As expected, Lady Frankenstein sets out to continue her father's experiments, not only to destroy the monster who is decimating the village, but, in an interesting plot twist, to create the perfect man for herself. She admires Charles for his mind, but prefers a simple-minded but strong and handsome servant for his body. Charles is so smitten with Lady Frankenstein that he agrees to have his brain transplanted into the servant's body. In the movie's kinkiest scene, Lady Frankenstein seduces the servant and has Charles suffocate him with a pillow while she's having sex with him. (Mind you, by this time she is actually married to Charles, and is called Mrs. Marshall by everybody. Poor Charles puts up with a lot for the object of his affections.)

(Remember that thing about the heart transplant that I mentioned? We find out here that it won't be necessary to transplant Charles's heart into his new body, because the servant already has a kind heart!)

Long story short, this all leads up to the final battle between the monster and the new Charles. The movie ends with an scene which reminds me of nothing so much as the old article from _National Lampoon_ "How to Write Good," which suggested that you end your story with "Then they were all hit by a truck." No trucks are involved, but the final fate of Lady Frankenstein is just as sudden and unexpected.

Surprisingly, this movie has some interesting characters (I liked the cynical graverobber Lynch), some sharp dialogue ("On Earth, Man is God."), and some decent acting. Many outdoor scenes are filmed in the snow, adding an interesting touch. Mickey Hargitay, of all people, is pretty much wasted as the police captain investigating the murders, but it's interesting to compare his sanity here compared to his role in *Bloody Pit Of Horror* (1965). I think you might enjoy spending some time with this lovely and talented Lady.


----------



## jastius

Christmas with the Kranks..
Free Frosty! Free Frosty! .... ('nough said)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Tania Frankenstein ... is played by Italian exploitation actress Rosalbi Nori, under the pseudonym Sara Bay. Nori is strikingly beautiful, and is quite delightful to watch in her Victorian gowns. (Many gentlemen may prefer the two brief scenes where she is wearing nothing.) In particular, her aristocratic profile is a thing of joy. Lady Frankenstein is played as a very intelligent, strong-willed woman, who has just returned from the University with her degree in surgery.



Cracking review, Victoria. Ms Neri is indeed a stunningly good looking woman who is often far more interesting than the films she appears in:



The Seducers (1969) by GuitarBrother, on Flickr


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fahrenheit 9/11* (2004)

I finally caught up with Michael Moore's most famous, most acclaimed, most controversial, and most attacked documentary/propaganda piece (take your pick.) It's probably his "straightest" film (with minimal hijinks) and the best filmed. (I'm a bleeding heart liberal, so take my opinion with a large grain of salt.)

*Man With Two Lives* (1942)

I sort of half-watched this Poverty Row cheapie on archive.org, and that's about all the attention it needed. It's barely over an hour long, and the story is simple enough. A doctor is working on a way to revive people who have just died. His son is killed in an automobile accident at the same time that a murderer is executed in the electric chair. The doctor brings his son back to life, but it's implied that the killer's soul gets into the son's body. (There's some philosophical discussion of the possibility of the transmigration of souls between the doctor and a psychologist before this happens.) The son goes back to the killer's criminal ways. There's a twist ending which can be interpreted as either really corny and stupid (it was all a dream while the son was in a coma, and he didn't die at all) or as remarkably original and sophisticated (when the son is killed again at the end, his soul goes back into his body and the past is altered so that he doesn't die in the car wreck.) This was fairly entertaining for this kind of low budget programmer. The acting was decent. I particularly liked the killer's girlfriend, who played a tough dame effectively.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Ms Neri is indeed a stunningly good looking woman who is often far more interesting than the films she appears in



Based on the photographic evidence, it would be one damn interesting film where that wasn't the case.

My last flick: *The Great McGinty* (1940, I think), a Preston Sturges flick about a tough bum who gets involved in the political Machine and rises to governer and what happens after. The only Sturges I'm sure I was familiar with before this was _The Palm Beach Story_. That movie is a zany screwball confection of rapid-fire crackling-smart dialog on top of a completely implausible base and has a breathtakingly ludicrous/brilliant ending. This one was on much more substantial topics (crime and political corruption, mistreatment of the underprivileged, whether its possible to go against your and society's grain and Do Good, etc.) and much less dialogue-centric - about all it shared was implausibility and unconventional marriage. So it made it a much more serious comedy. It was still pretty good, but not as good as I was hoping. Definitely worth a view, though, and even a second and might be better the second time around.

(BTW, the opening card and the initial focus on the "dishonest for one minute" guy set up false expectations for me and it took me awhile to realize the whole movie was going to be past tense about the "honest for one minute" guy.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> Based on the photographic evidence, it would be one damn interesting film where that wasn't the case.



She even manages to make Jess Franco's *Sax Rohmer's The Castle of Fu Manchu *(1969) almost watchable.


----------



## Starbeast

*Mama* (2013)

Interesting ghost story with very good special effects. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

*The Objective* (2008)

Surprisingly cool movie about a band of soldiers sent to investigate strange phenomenon in Afghanistan.

*The Frighteners* (1996)

I finally got a chance to see this early CGI paranormal flick. I liked it.


----------



## Mouse

Currently watching Americans vs Aliens. AKA Battle: Los Angeles. What an absolute steaming pile of...

The "plot" is: Aliens come to Los Angeles for no apparent reason and Americans have to shoot the crap out of them until, presumably, the aliens either die or sod off. I was about to complain about the lack of women in the film, and ask whether Hollywood realises women are in the army too but, 42 minutes in, Michelle Rodriguez has turned up to provide Token Woman so it's all good. Oh, there's no dialogue either, only shouting.


----------



## Darkchild130

The movie focuses on a marine (not army) infantry unit, which don't permit women in their ranks.
Rodriguez is an attached airforce JTAC (joint terminal attack controller).

But yeah, the film sucks.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds* (1989) - rewatch of Alex Proyas' first, cheapest, and possibly best feature.  It's certainly a masterclass in how to do special effects in the camera.  (The pretty spectacular and beautiful shot of millions of bats flying  across the full moon was, apparently, done by filming tea leaves swirling in a glass jar in front of a light.)

I just found it on youtube!:
Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the clouds - YouTube

(the tea leaves are at 1hr:15min - ish)


----------



## Starbeast

Rewatches

*National Lampoon's: Christmas Vacation* (1989)

I watched the unrated version, I forgot about the language (among other things). It surprised me, but it's still a great film.

*A Christmas Carol* (1938)

My favortie version. I still get misty and delight in this wonderful classic.

*The Christmas Martian* (1971)

Low-budget, zany children's movie that still brings out the kid in me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last night I gouged by eyes with:

*Crocodile* (2000) - a giant, sometimes rubber sometimes CGI,  crocodile eats a bunch of annoying American kids on Easter Break - but  not fast enough.

_*AND
*_​ 
*Crocodile 2: Death Swamp* (2002) - the same crocodile eats a load of bank robbers and other survivors of an aircrash... and a helicopter.

Gods! I must hate me.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Last night I gouged by eyes with:
> 
> *Crocodile* (2000) - a giant, sometimes rubber sometimes CGI,  crocodile eats a bunch of annoying American kids on Easter Break - but  not fast enough.
> 
> _*AND
> *_​
> *Crocodile 2: Death Swamp* (2002) - the same crocodile eats a load of bank robbers and other survivors of an aircrash... and a helicopter.
> 
> Gods! I must hate me.



Yeah. Anybody with steely nerves might take a chance on the sort of thing _Crocodile_ sounds like but I did kind of boggle at your having the reaction you describe and following it up with _Crocodile 2_. I hope they just made the two or I guess you're going to have another miserable night.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tonight I only managed one:

*Shark Attack* (2000) - another Nu Image film (the same  producers as last night's crocodile flicks) A real Scooby-Do plot with  the obviously-the-villain-from-the-first-shot property developer using  mutated sharks to scare away tourists and buy up the town - and he would  have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for the meddling photogenic  marine biologist and his pneumatic girlfriend. I worked on a Nu Image film once.  It had a helicopter.  I  wonder if they're kinky for choppers in the Nu Image front office?


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek*, the first Abrams movie.
Rewatched it on our new/old 40 inch tv. Its still epicly good. I love Abrams' approach to film making.


----------



## Rodders

BSG box set for BluRay for £39.99, Leon, District 9 and Prometheous on Blu Ray.


----------



## Moonbat

Just got back from the cinema, watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Not bad, a tad long and a bit cheesey in places, but a lot of fun and an enjoyable watch.
Saw it in 3D HFR, which the added realism makes it look more fake.
Also I got a free Lego minifig for pre booking at the Vue, so I'm happy as a dragon in a big pile of gold.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I just read a review of _Hobbit 3_ which used the phrase 'Tolkien fatigue'.  I've had from that for years, glad to know I'm not the only sufferer.


----------



## Starbeast

*Stan* (2006)

Based on the Neil Brand's critically acclaimed radio play of the same name, this 2006 BBC production follows Stan Laurel's last visit to his dying friend and comedy partner Oliver "Babe" Hardy, and Stan's subsequent coming of terms with the ghosts of his past. Actor Jim Norton plays the elderly Mr Laurel, and actor Trevor Cooper portrays Oliver Hardy. The young Stan and Ollie are played by Nik Howden and Mike Goodenough.

Stellar performances made my favorite comedy duel from the past come back to life. I was in awe at the uncanny likeness to these giants of comedy from the early days of film. It was beautiful. *I highly recommend this movie to fans of Laurel & Hardy.*


----------



## Darkchild130

Indy game: the movie. I know some of these guys have had tough times but damn they need to man up.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Technically a film now that it's been all put together -- the Forward Unto Dawn live action film made in the Halo Universe. It's terrifically well made and they had the right idea with the plot. It was probably budget constraints that led them to focus on a small cast and have no epic space battles or anything like that, but it was also probably the best thing to do anyway.

Ultimate best bits -- the invisible Elite with the sword, and Chief taking down a Hunter!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *Stan* (2006)
> 
> Based on the Neil Brand's critically acclaimed radio play of the same name, this 2006 BBC production follows Stan Laurel's last visit to his dying friend and comedy partner Oliver "Babe" Hardy, and Stan's subsequent coming of terms with the ghosts of his past. Actor Jim Norton plays the elderly Mr Laurel, and actor Trevor Cooper portrays Oliver Hardy. The young Stan and Ollie are played by Nik Howden and Mike Goodenough.
> 
> Stellar performances made my favorite comedy duel from the past come back to life. I was in awe at the uncanny likeness to these giants of comedy from the early days of film. It was beautiful. *I highly recommend this movie to fans of Laurel & Hardy.*




Was this ever toured as a stage play?


----------



## james lecky

Just watched Men In Black 3 - not great but nowhere near as bad as I'd been led to believe
 Also watched Dress, good violent fun and much, much better than the Stallone travesty from a while back.


----------



## Vince W

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Good action film, mediocre adaptation.


----------



## Starbeast

*Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders* (1996)

Not bad for a low-budget strange tales movie. Stars: Ernest Borgnine.




JunkMonkey said:


> Was this ever toured as a stage play?


 
Not here in North America. I don't know about overseas.


----------



## james lecky

Dress? That shoulda been 'Dredd', ah the joy of autocorrect


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Starbeast said:


> *Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders* (1996)
> 
> Not bad for a low-budget strange tales movie. Stars: Ernest Borgnine.


 
I saw this as an episode of MST3K, so my view may be jaundiced.  Anyway, I thought it was weird how the mood of this thing changes from light-hearted children's fantasy to horror story.  I also noted that one of the segments seemed to be a rip-off of the Stephen King story "The Monkey."


----------



## Mouse

I watched *Don't Be Afraid of the Dark  *the other day. Pretty good. Then I watched *I'll Be Home for Christmas*. And now just put on *Arrietty. *


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I saw this as an episode of MST3K, so my view may be jaundiced. Anyway, I thought it was weird how the mood of this thing changes from light-hearted children's fantasy to horror story. I also noted that one of the segments seemed to be a rip-off of the Stephen King story "The Monkey."


 
I too saw this on an episode of MST3K. Very entertaining. Thanks for the "The Monkey" info, I wouldn't of known.


*Hachiko: A Dog's Story* (2009)

Based on a true story about a dog in Tokyo, that really loved his owner and always waited for him at the train station. But one day his master died, and the loyal dog didn't understand that his master would never return. For a decade the dog returned to wait at the train station daily for his master, until he died. A statue was built to honor this loving dog, in 1934, where it still stands today.

A beautiful true tale that will melt your heart. I loved it.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Just went to the video store yesterday and got three out.

Wolverine - yeah it's ok. Much what I expected, but not a lot to write home about really. Nice scne with Magneto and Prof X right at the end though.

Now You See Me - Damn this was good! It had me going from start to finish trying to work out who the mastermind was - and never got it until the end. Very tricky but very clever. And the special effects (It's not stage magic at all) were brilliant.

Rapture Palooza - I'm still laughing about this. It's not a laugh out loud American laugh track comedy thing. But grief it's good. The locusts were brilliant! And I liked the crows too. The wraiths turning into potheads were brilliant. It's just such a cleverly twisted take on the second coming that it had me chuckling. Especially the zombie who doesn't want to eat brains - just mow his lawn!

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Rodders

Sucker Punch, Seven Psychopaths and The hunger games.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> Sucker Punch, Seven Psychopaths and The hunger games.



In one go...(insert huge interobang here)

I though I was a masochist...


----------



## Starbeast

*The Bay* (2012)

Typical infestation by creatures flick (with a small dose of reality), not bad. But, I was surprised at what creature they used to scare the audience with (because I've seen them many years ago).

*Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog* (2008)

A musical/comedy supervillian vs superhero movie. I've never heard of it, and I only watched it because NATHAN FILLION was in it. I didn't care for this film.

*Suck* (2010)

A struggling rock band named "The Winners", is tempted by vampires to help them attain fame by making them become vampires. Surreal, funny at times, AND has real Rock Stars involved in the movie. Not bad.


----------



## planetocean

*WE ARE THE MILLERS that is the last movie I saw. It was an okay movie but way to much cussing, but other than that a good movie.*


----------



## Alex The G and T

Ridiculously terse blurb for _Eraserhead:_ "Harry Spencer's hair sticks straight up; and his girlfriend's offspring look like larva."

I don't think I'm stoned enough to watch this movie again.  Once upon a time I found it, somehow, profound.  I'm not sure that I can recapture that feeling.

Which is following _The Man Who Fell To Earth_.  If this movie was ever comprehensible, I guess I missed something when I dozed for a few minutes, in the middle.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_Crazy Stupid Love._

Really liked it actually.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Update on The David Bowie movie:
My wife commented on Bowie's hair color and style, as presciently predating punk/emo chic.

I remarked that I remembered most, awaking to gratuitous,furry nudity.

Conclusion:  "Ziggy Stardust and the Frizzy Hippie Bushes from Big Sur."


----------



## Boneman

*The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. *As long as you haven't read the book, it's a better movie than the first. Darker, more killings with whizzo Elves slaughtering orcs a plenty, and Smaug himself (herself?) was excellent. Film Based on the book? Just about... A brown-haired female elf steals the film completely. She has a quality in her acting that draws the eye from all the other characters, and she's (spoiler alert) legolas's love-interest.


----------



## Mouse

Really? ^ I can't _stand_ Evangeline Lily.


----------



## ratsy

Hilarious Joke said:


> _Crazy Stupid Love._
> 
> Really liked it actually.



HJ this is actually a good movie

I saw National Lampoons Christmas Vacay, which I have seen a million times but tis the season.  Wine helped


----------



## Starbeast

AHHHHH! HOBBIT 2 SPOILERS~! (pervious page)

(In another room)

Whew! That was close. I must know nothing, NUH-THING!

Anyway, I watched a few rewatches I love:

*The Screaming Skull* (1958 - MST3K version)

Mystery Science Theater 3000, the tv show, always makes me laugh. The first time I saw this black and white bone head freaky film as a kid, I thought it was spooky, but as an adult it's incredibly silly, with the great help from Mike T. Nelson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.

*Ernest Saves Chiristmas* (1989)

A magnificant film that needs to be seen by those who love a great X-mas related tale filled with comedy, drama and magic. I haven't seen it in a while, and I'm watching it now (on another window). Just marvelous.

Rest in peace Jim Varney (this film's leading actor), you did become a movie star in my heart. Thanks for the enertainment Jim.

(returned - it just finished - the "Ernest" movie I mean - Know-what-I-mean?)


----------



## Foxbat

*Gone With The Wind *and *Casablanca*.
Two films I do not hesitate to call classics


----------



## Triceratops

I saw Kickass II. Wasn't as good as the first, although very busy with multiple characters and a lot of action. I like it.


----------



## clovis-man

Courtesy of TCM & my DVR: *The Shop Around The Corner*. A clever little romance from 1940 about a gift shop in Budapest, owned by Frank Morgan (*The Wizard of Oz*), which happens to employ Jimmie Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. The two of them are unknowing correspondents who like each other in print, but don't get along in person. Great fun even after all these years. The character of Vadas, a shop clerk, proves that there was no problem with "at will" employment at the time.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Oblivion last night which I really enjoyed and Prometheus which I still found to be enjoyable but not as good as it could be.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The Croods* last night before the kids get to see it.
Another good one , with some interesting wildlife!


----------



## Mouse

I watched *From up on Poppy Hill*.


----------



## Boneman

Mouse said:


> Really? ^ I can't _stand_ Evangeline Lily.


 

First time I've seen her: didn't watch any of _Lost._

Watched _Populaire _last night - enjoyable and predictable...


----------



## AE35Unit

I loved her in Lost.


----------



## Boneman

And she went out with Dominic Monaghan during the making of _Lost_ and he played Merry in LOTR - synchronicity or what?


----------



## AE35Unit

*Despicable Me 2*
Awesome. 
Now watching the original Superman. The kids have never seen it.
Education time...


----------



## Jo Zebedee

AE35Unit said:


> *Despicable Me 2*
> Awesome.
> )



The funniest film of last year. My kids got it from Santa and have now reached five times of watching it and are still giggling.


----------



## Mouse

Boneman said:


> And she went out with Dominic Monaghan during the making of _Lost_ and he played Merry in LOTR - synchronicity or what?



And then she dumped him for someone else. Don't like her. She bears an uncanny resemblance to Gollum. 

Just watched *The World's End* for the first time since seeing it at the cinema. Liked the ending better this time around. Definitely prefer Simon Pegg's character in this than the other two, seems to have more depth.

On TV at the mo is *Con Air*, which I ID'd from a two second clip as I was whizzing through the channels, so changed it back. Just watched them leave Buscemi's peado character with the little girl. Nice.


----------



## Starbeast

*Oblivion* (2013)

Better than I thought it was going to be. Excellent film, with exceptional special effects. Er, CGI.


----------



## Foxbat

*Hitchcock *(2012) Based around the time of the making of Psycho, this film gained so-so reviews when released. It does have some formulaic moments but, on the whole, I enjoyed it. Worth a look if you're a Hitch fan


----------



## Mouse

*The Wolverine*.


----------



## The DeadMan

In The Cold Light Of Day


----------



## AE35Unit

*Superman 2*
My daughter looooved it!


----------



## clovis-man

In a moment of weakness, I DVR'd *The Astronaut's Wife*. Johnny Depp, Chalize Theron. Shoud be good, right? Wrong!! A cross beween *The Omen* and *Alien*, it absolutely stunk.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Last film I watched (a christmas present) was *In the Loop*, the film addition to the The Thick of It tv series. It was so good. The scripts are just always pure gold. 

I could honestly do away with the other characters though and just watch Peter Capaldi/Malcolm Tucker insulting and swearing at people for an entire film.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Man of Steel - not as bad as I'd been led to believe. 3D was wasted on it though.


----------



## JunkMonkey

HoopyFrood said:


> Last film I watched (a christmas present) was *In the Loop*, the film addition to the The Thick of It tv series. It was so good. The scripts are just always pure gold.
> 
> I could honestly do away with the other characters though and just watch Peter Capaldi/Malcolm Tucker insulting and swearing at people for an entire film.




I suddenly have renewed hopes for the new season of Doctor Who:

"Take that you dildo-headed Dalek ******!"


----------



## HoopyFrood

I really really want him to do a special episode for the adults where he is Malcolm in the TARDIS. He'd sort the Universe out in no time, yelling "F**kity bye!" as he goes.


----------



## alchemist

*Walking With Dinosaurs 3-D*: the kids enjoyed it, but unlike other kids films which appeal to adults too (Despicable Me 2 was hilarious) this came over as formulaic. The effects were good but I didn't go wow. But my seven-year-old did put up his hands a couple of times to ward off whatever was coming out of the screen!


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> I really really want him to do a special episode for the adults where he is Malcolm in the TARDIS. He'd sort the Universe out in no time, yelling "F**kity bye!" as he goes.



Am I right in thinking the Doctor can only regenerate 13 times?


----------



## HoopyFrood

He can, and has already...now he's onto his second cycle, it seems


----------



## Scorpiuscat

*Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny* - No seriously, I watched this last night and it was beyond awful, fortunately, it was Riff-Tracked so it was laugh out loud funny. 


It's a real movie...look it up...I dare you!


----------



## AE35Unit

HoopyFrood said:


> He can, and has already...now he's onto his second cycle, it seems



Err no. Peter Capaldi will be #12


----------



## Scorpiuscat

AE35Unit said:


> Err no. Peter Capaldi will be #12




Nope, Matt Smith it turns out was number 12, so Capaldi is the first in a new set of regenerations.


----------



## HoopyFrood

AE35Unit said:


> Err no. Peter Capaldi will be #12



Don't worry, I watched the episode and everything, it really happened 

What seems to be the case is that both Tennant Doctors count as a regeneration each, plus John Hurt War Doctor, so yes, he was out of regenerations. 12 regenerations all used, 13 bodies. Now he's got a new set.

But as John Hurt is the War Doctor, and Tennant II wasn't a new Doctor, it seems that Capaldi will probably be known as 12, just to keep things orderly.

But this is all for the Doctor Who section.


----------



## AE35Unit

Im confused.  I havent watched Doctor Who since Tom Baker left! 
Now my step son is into it


----------



## Foxbat

*Titus *Spent the new year watching Julie Taymor's stylish rendition of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus. Rape, murder, mutilation, madness, revenge and general all-round villainy.

One of my favourite films adapted from one of my favourite plays


----------



## biodroid

The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug. Fantastic movie, it was so engrossing and the sfx just blew me away.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Secret Life of Walter Mitty* (1947) -- A remake comes out, I go back to the original. It's said that James Thurber hated this distortion of his classic short story, and one can certainly see why. His very brief psychological study is transformed into a loud, brassy, eye-blazing Technicolor vehicle for Danny Kaye. Mitty works at a publisher of pulp magazines (some nice fake pulp magazine covers are shown as posters at the office) and gets mixed up with real crooks. The story stops completely at two points so Kaye can do a couple of his insanely complex patter songs. Entertaining enough on its own terms.

*Pennies From Heaven* (1981) -- I hadn't seen this strange anti-musical since it first came out, so it was pretty much all new to me. (I have never seen the original British miniseries, so my comments apply only to this version.) I wonder how audiences reacted to seeing Wild and Crazy Guy Steve Martin and his paramour Bernadette Peters, fresh from the silliness of *The Jerk*, in this grim tale of poverty, lust, and murder during the Great Depression, or how they reacted when the characters lip-synched to old recordings of popular songs of the period. The two leads never seemed 1930's-ish to me, but Jessica Harper and Christopher Walken seemed to do a decent job. The whole film is stolen by the little-known Vernal Bagneris as the Accordian Man.


----------



## TimmoUK

The Dark Knight, brilliant film. I think Heath Ledger does a brilliant job as the Joker.


----------



## hopewrites

*1960somthing Soylent Green.*
Since the twist ending had been spoilered for me since birth, I was able to look more into the society that continued to consume itself past the death of its host planet. I found a lot that was interesting. Although it shocked a generation and has been credited with being part of a great social upheaval, I wonder if its message is not more applicable now then when it was delivered half a century ago.

People are still used for their knowledge or the comfort they provide. Though today they would be called Index not Book, and the Furniture would be available in any gender, age, creed, color, ect. 
I was more galvanized by the cool facts delivered by the old book in the exchange than the death ceremony or industrialized process of corpse to food source. It is that kind of apathy that will lead this world to that end. She doesnt care if she is consuming other people. She has been consumed in her life time and will no doubt take comfort in the knowledge that she will be consumed by people who will in turn be consumed after death.
When the dump-trucks come in to scoop up the rioters does that not show that they are already being bread as a food source? By playing up the "scarcity" one increases demand, and incites rioting. Rampant ignorance and the shuffling under the table of justice give an appearance of abandonment. But really there is care taken to keep them ignorant of their fate, to let them scrabble for a sense of accomplishment and happiness. Treats may be earned, and squabbled over. A distraction.

Being reclaimed furniture myself, I was more interested in the dehumanization aspect than the consumption. It was even less of a surprise to me to witness this kind of cannibalism in a society rampant with dehumanization. For it is the otheration of fellow beings that eases our conscious when we use them for our own means and to our own ends.


----------



## Rodders

My TV Aerial has broken so I'm catching up on movies that I've bought but haven't watched yet.  

Dredd. I loved this movie. 
The Campaign, mildly amusing. 
Cowboys vS Aliens, awful 
the Adjustment Bureau, not great.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Superman 3* (we bought ourselves a blu ray box set before blockbuster died)
The weakeast one so far and the one Im least familiar with. But it has its funny moments.  Richard Prior is a comedy legend!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Black Windmill *So-so thriller from 1974 starring Michael Caine. I wouldn't bother with this one.

*Jade Warrior *Interesting but pedestrian  Finnish movie combining a Chinese/Finnish mythology  take on the old 'love through the ages' line and throwing in a bit of Karelian Kung Fu for good measure.

Nice touches and a good looking film but ultimately lacking that je ne sais quoi.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Colony* (2013)

A basic story of survival in the near future, with an Ice Age upon us, and people struggling to survive. Until one day...there is a distress call from another colony.

I was very entertained and enjoyed it.


----------



## RoninJedi84

We just got around to *The Purge* at my house.  We (my wife and I) thought the concept was a great one with a whole lot of meat on the bone to play with, but then the film just gave us a wing and said, "Eat up.  You full now?"

It wasn't a bad film - especially considering its pitiful budget.  It was just one of those you watch and _know_ they could have done more with it.


----------



## AE35Unit

First *Superman IV*. Silly but fun. Last Reeve outing as the man in the cloak.

Later we watched *Elysium* which was a good film but it was spoiled by Virgin Media's lousy streaming service! Kept breaking up and going pixellated. Not used to having to pay to watch a movie!  Come back Blockbuster!


----------



## Rodders

Starbeast said:


> *The Colony* (2013)
> 
> A basic story of survival in the near future, with an Ice Age upon us, and people struggling to survive. Until one day...there is a distress call from another colony.
> 
> I was very entertained and enjoyed it.


 
This sounds interesting.


----------



## Gramm838

Went to see The Hobbit - TDoS - last night...I thought it was great. The SFX for Smaug were brilliant and it seemed to leave the trilogy on much more of a knife-edge than did the ending of the first film


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Hellbreeder* (2004) - Amazing.  Three movies in and I may have just watched the crappiest movie I will watch all year.  It _has_ to be uphill from here.  _Hellbreeder_ is a horrendous British mishmash of Killer Klown slasher_ IT!_  knockoff mixed with endless arty-grainy stuff which makes very little  narrative sense.  The script is totally underwritten (Richard Driscoll's  dialogue looks good in comparison) and leaves a strange assortment of  actors flopping with nothing much to say to each other while having  meetings in a hotel lobbies. (This is a sure sign that no one bothered  to scout any locations.  Hotels can be very accommodating to their  guests if they look like they are going to pay their bill:  "Hi, we're  staying here and, as you know, we're shooting a film.  We've had a bit  of a snag with the location today - do you think we could shoot the  scene here...?).  In-between the pointless non-conversations, and some  implied graphic violence, we get endless arty monochrome footage of  motorways and dream sequences (one or two moments of which are almost  interesting).  _Hellbreeders_ is a re-edit of a film called _Alice_ made two years earlier.  God knows what that was like if this is the improved version.


----------



## Moonbat

Just watched *American Hustle* at the cinema, and was pretty impressed. Very 70s looking and not nearly as violent and the Scorsese movies it seems to remind me of (Goodfellas) but I really enjoyed it, was well acted and a very decent film. I believe it has been tipped for some Oscar success but we will have to see.


----------



## Ivanya

*Catching Fire* - Really enjoyed it, and I think an improvement on the first film. I wasn't sure about the casting choices when I first heard them, but have been proven wrong in my dubiousness.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Spaceballs.*  Never gets old.


----------



## Starbeast

Rodders said:


> This sounds interesting.


 
_The Colony_ was an excellent film to watch with the extreme cold outside. Plus, actors Bill Paxton and Laurence Fishburne are both in the movie.  Very cool man.

That's all I'm going to tell you.


----------



## Foxbat

*Schalcken The Painter *(1979)
Eerie  story based on a tale by Sheridan Le Fanu. It's a well shot piece with every scene looking like it could have been painted by a Dutch Master.
This film was one of the BBC ghost stories produced at a time when paying your licence fee really meant a route to a bit of quality (unlike today's brain-numbing game shows and celebrity dancing drivel).

Restored and released by the British Film Institute, this really should be in the collection of everybody who loves a good ghost story.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Schalcken The Painter *(1979)
> This film was one of the BBC ghost stories produced at a time when paying your licence fee really meant a route to a bit of quality (unlike today's brain-numbing game shows and celebrity dancing drivel).



Come on.  BBC 4 is bearable (most of the time) and (as the parent of three primary school age kids) the Cebeebies channel has been worth the fee alone for the past few years. Kid's TV with NO ADVERTISING!


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> the Cebeebies channel has been worth the fee alone for the past few years. Kid's TV with NO ADVERTISING!


 
Sounds like the thinking man's BBC3


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Caged* (1950) -- Hard-hitting, realistic drama set in a woman's prison. Eleanor Parker stars as the nineteen-year-old pregnant widow of a man killed during a two-bit armed robbery. She was waiting in the car, so she's sentenced to prison as an accessory. The story, void of a glimmer of hope, shows her transformation from terrified, naive waif to cynical, hard-boiled professional criminal. Despite the presence of a progressive warden (Agnes Moorehead), the prison is really run by a sadistic, openly bribe-taking matron who can't be fired because she's got a relative on the prison board. Lots of nasty things go on, and the film is notable for its realism (no makeup on the inmates.) I was surprised to hear the words "common prostitute" used to describe one inmate in 1950. Highly recommended.


----------



## monsterchic

Third Star.  

I cried.  A lot.  A _lot_.  And I don't cry in movies.


----------



## alchemist

Moneyball -- real life story where Brad Pitt tries to change the way his baseball team is run. It's pretty good.


----------



## Allegra

monsterchic said:


> Third Star.
> 
> I cried.  A lot.  A _lot_.  And I don't cry in movies.



Very good film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*So Young, So Lovely, So Vicious *(_Peccati di gioventù_  1975) - boring slice of Italian Eurosleaze in which a bored,  spiteful  rich bitch attempts the downfall of her potential stepmother; ultimately  seducing her before discovering (too late) that the stepmom in waiting  was not as bad as she thought (in or out of bed) and bonking attractive  women is much more fun than bonking her sleezeball blackmail partner.

As interesting as the thought of nubile Italian women making out may sound to the average heterosexual male (and many many women) this is a very bad and very unerotic film.  There's something about watching 1970's party scenes - where everyone gyrates wildly at different tempos to generic pop music laid down on the soundtrack at a later date - that can kill the mood in even the tensest of situations.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Countdown* (1967) -- Robert Altman's first feature film is an old-fashioned, documentary style tale of the first man on the Moon. Think Apollo-age *Destination Moon*. However, in this universe, the Apollo project is set aside so that a new project (Pilgrim) can be rushed into action to beat the Soviets. Pilgrim involves using a Gemini spacecraft to send one man to the Moon, having him find a shelter which will be waiting for him, then having him wait as long as a year for an Apollo spacecraft to tske him home. This sounds like a wildly implausible idea to me. Anyway, the major conflict is between the career military man (Robert Duvall) who was going to go to the Moon, and the civilian (James Caan) who goes in his place instead. (The logic behind the decision to make this last-minute change is based on the fact that the Soviets are about to send three civilians to the Moon. I'm not sure that I accept this as a strong enough reason for the USA to switch from a guy who has been training for the mission for a year to a guy who has a couple of weeks to get ready.) Anyway, the movie is mostly a domestic drama until the actual landing on the Moon, when it becomes pure science fiction, with a Chesley Bonestell-style Moonscape of sharp, pointed mountains. OK for what is is, but it could have easily been a 1960's TV drama.


----------



## Ivanya

*16 Candles.*

I'm not sure why people like this, actually. It's supposed to be a cult classic? Personally I was just irked that the love interest was happy to send his drunk girlfriend off with a complete stranger saying 'have fun'.  Okay, it's supposed to be a comedy and you're not supposed to take it seriously, but I saw nothing funny through the whole film.


----------



## hegg

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Countdown* (1967)..



Oh snap, that's on my list to watch this week.

Over the weekend I watched *The Thing From Another World (1951)*. I saw this when I was very young but didn't remember much about it, so I was going in quite fresh (well, as fresh as you can be, being a big fan of the remake). Afraid to say that I came away quite disappointed. 

The build up was great, I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters (with one exception), they all seemed quite believable and there was some nice chemistry between most. The reporter however, was incredibly grating. He had a surprising amount of screen time considering what his job was and the situation unfolding around him, and in general I thought he got in the way more than anything. But the army guys didn't mind as much as me! They were very welcoming and friendly towards him, quite respectful in fact, which I found really odd.. I wondered if the annoying/fobbed off reporter has become a bit of a film cliche in modern films, because here it's very much the opposite.

Anyway, as I was saying, the set-up was fun, but the pay-off was underwhelming. The _Thing_ itself was quite a let-down, I didn't find it to be remotely scary. I appreciate the limitations and the age of the film, it's my understanding that the director was trying hard to obscure the creature as much as possible in fact, and I can understand why. 

An interesting film, not as good as I'd hoped, but still fun. Watching it again made me realise just how good a film the 1982 version is - not so much a remake, but a fuller and more faithful interpretation of the book.


----------



## Handra

I just saw Wolf of Wall Street...and wow. I know the film's gotten a lot of criticism for it's portrayal of every vice imaginable, but it's was so much fun to watch! I don't think I've had quite as much fun with any other movie this year. Has anyone else seen it?


----------



## Foxbat

*Gods And Generals* Although this American Civil War movie was almost universally panned when released, I have to say that, on the whole, I enjoyed it. I do have a strong interest in history so this may have gone some way in my mind in finding mitigation within its faults.

It is very long (around 3.5 hours) and may well have been better served as a miniseries. It was roundly criticised for its focus on Christian ideals but I find that a bit strange - particularly as the movie centres on the rise and fall of General 'Stonewall' Jackson. He was a highly religious man and I find it puzzling that anybody could think it possible to look at his life and ignore this aspect. The film does not, however, look at any of Jackson's flaws and paints him in too rosy a picture.

I felt that Robert Duvall's portrayal of Robert E. Lee was far better than Sheen's in Gettysburg  and that the battle enactments were excellent in driving home the horrific nature of this 19th century style of warfare.

Overall, a severely flawed film but not fataly so if you have any interest in history.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Man of Steel*
Visually stunning reimagining but lacking cheese. Too serious.

*Superman Returns* 2006 remake kinda deal. More like Superman than Man of Steel.


----------



## Foxbat

*Das Rheingold*
This stage production was filmed in 1992 and is the first opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle. It tells how Alberich the dwarf steals the gold from the Rhinemaidens and forges a golden ring of power. Losing the ring to Wotan, king of the gods, Alberich places a curse upon it: whoever is lord of the ring shall also be slave to the ring. Wotan reluctantly gives the ring to the giants in exchange for the building of a new fortress called Valhalla. The curse begins  its work and Fafner the giant kills his brother.  The opera concludes with a dire prediction of the end of the Gods.

The sets were lavish and very cleverly designed, the music bombastic and dramatic (as would be expected from Wagner) and all I can say is _Wow!_
 
I think seeing this live may be one of those you should do before you die.

However, for now I will be watching Die Walkure on DVD once I’ve recovered my senses a bit more. 

Stunning stuff


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Das Rheingold*
> This stage production was filmed in 1992 and is the first opera in Wagner’s Ring Cycle.


 
Was it the Bayreuth Festival version, The Met production or the one conducted by Karajan? I'm no good with dates. The Met version is pretty amazing.


----------



## AE35Unit

Opera ugh
Wagner opera double ugh


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Was it the Bayreuth Festival version, The Met production or the one conducted by Karajan? I'm no good with dates. The Met version is pretty amazing.


 
It's the Bayreuth Festival version.


----------



## ehayes

Just enjoyed "The Desolation of Smaug".  A little disappointed that Jackson is taking so much "artistic license" with the story.  It is almost as if he is writing his own story.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I haven't seen *The Incredibles* since I took the teenage daughters, et al, to the theater in *google google* in the *gasp*  year aught-four.  

Looney Tunes funny, at times.

And I am still profoundly be-smitten with Elastigirl. What a Babe!  (Because she reminds me _so_ of the real-life Woman-of-My-Dreams. (and there's a lewd story about _that_))

A cozy feeling knowing that Elastigirl and my own Elastic woman are both still around, ten years later.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Sherlock Holmes*, the first Robert Downey outing. Very good


----------



## hegg

I watched Michael Radford's *1984* last night...wow! It was tremendous, a great adaption of a monumental book. I really wasn't expecting it to be that good.

Going in to it I didn't know anything about the production, so seeing the Eurythmics name appear as having done the soundtrack was quite a scare. As expected, the few moments where their music kicks in.. it just does not work at all, sounds completely out of place. Doesn't quite ruin it, but I did find it really distracting. Fascinating to read afterwards that their score was foisted on to the film by Virgin (who financed the film) completely against the wishes of director Radford, who already had an orchestral score produced by Dominic Muldowney. He went on to disown the theatrical cut which Virgin released.

However, the 2003 DVD release (US-only and discontinued soon after release) contains the Radford/Muldowney classical score, with no music from the Eurythmics. I'm going to track down a copy soon as I can.


----------



## Phyrebrat

I follow this thread but have not posted as I'm a somewhat inartful reviewer and tend to go for the same kind of genres in movies (i.e horror and sci-fi).

However, I thought I had to warn the chrons about one of the most appalling movies I have ever seen. It was a strange fish because although it had a small budget, the practical effects were rather successful. However, _Nazi Frankenstein_ is to be avoided at any costs. 

Whilst the cast are mixed internationally, they are meant to be playing Russian soldiers (who speak English). The rules seem to be that when they are talking quietly they speak with a Russian accent, when they are shouting they speak with American accents, and from time to time, when they are uncovering clues, they slip into a Merchant Ivory English! Oh and the script is littered with anachronistic expressions.

What stunned me was the amount of positive reviews this movie has had. Many have said it is intentionally satirical - borne out of an assumption based on the hilarious title, I would imagine - but I would disagree: no, no, NO, it is not. It is sloppy. _Iron Sky_ it is not. 

For example, the soldiers meet a German doctor in the derelict facility. Now, bear in mind that the movie is in English with 'accents' - _that_ I can go along with. But when they meet this doc, only one of them can understand his German-accent English, yet a few minutes later they are interrogating him - and all those present understand him and his 'German'.

Essentially, the creator wanted to make a move about zombots. So there are about 4 or 5 setups for the zombots to come onscreen, all raaaargh-y etc, but they are mostly menaceless and lumbering, apart from one, and often hilarious (for the wrong reasons!).

Luckily I also saw _Upstream Colour_ the same night so I got over it 

pH


----------



## J-Sun

hegg said:


> Going in to it I didn't know anything about the production, so seeing the Eurythmics name appear as having done the soundtrack was quite a scare. As expected, the few moments where their music kicks in.. it just does not work at all, sounds completely out of place. Doesn't quite ruin it, but I did find it really distracting.



I actually think the soundtrack album is fantastic (except for "Julia", which completely sucks) and I've never seen the movie (no more than a few minutes anyway). I wonder if that's sort of required as everyone who has seen the movie does complain about the soundtrack in it. I can see how it really wouldn't fit, though. But as an album, unless you plain hate the Eurythmics (which I could also get) it's great.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> I actually think the soundtrack album is fantastic (except for "Julia", which completely sucks) and I've never seen the movie (no more than a few minutes anyway). I wonder if that's sort of required as everyone who has seen the movie does complain about the soundtrack in it. I can see how it really wouldn't fit, though. But as an album, unless you plain hate the Eurythmics (which I could also get) it's great.



Ditto about the soundtrack.  _1984_ is one of my most often played soundtrack albums - that and the music for _Event Horizon _(great album, ***** film) and _The Double Life of Veronique_ (Great album, wonderful film) - apart from the fact that I quite like "Julia" too.

I have seen _1984 _and thought it was good adaptation but I have no recollection of which music soundtrack was playing.  I guess it must have been the orchestral score because I don't remember thinking: Oh, that's where this tune comes."  But I may be wrong.


----------



## hegg

No objections to the Eurythmics here, I quite like them  I'll make a point of checking out the album by itself, I'm sure it's quite good. It was just such an odd fit with such a bleak film, their music alongside it didn't work for me.

I'm looking forward to tracking down the full Muldowney-scored version, to compare properly.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Sherlock Holmes,  Game of Shadows*
They MUST make more!


----------



## medfair

Just yesterday. Night Train to Lisbon. Great Jeremy Irons, lovely lyrical movie, and very literary as well. Go!


----------



## Ice fyre

Despicable me 1 and 2, a rare thing to see a sequel as good as the first film. I hear a third is in production.


----------



## monsterchic

Frozen!  I absolutely loved it.  I had bought the soundtrack ahead of time, so it was nice to see the songs in their actual scenes instead of what I had imagined them to be


----------



## Foxbat

My Wagnerian opera odyssey continues. I've just watched *Die Walkure*
Wotan is forced to kill his son Siegmund and then has to decide the fate of the rebellious Brunnhilde. Meanwhile news arrives that Fafner has become a dragon to guard his golden horde and, within Sieglinde, a new hero waits to be born. He will claim the sword that has been broken. 

Turn up the sounds and turn down the lights. 

The result?

Brilliant!


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> My Wagnerian opera odyssey continues. I've just watched *Die Walkure*


 
Do you have the complete Boulez/Beyreuth cycle? Certainly an interesting take on the entire "music drama". The19th century costumes and settings give it an eclectic flavor. I tend to prefer the traditional staging, but I'm not slavish about it.

Enjoy.


----------



## Foxbat

Yes. I have the complete cycle. I'd been meaning to buy it for years and did just very recently. The costumes are modern (shades, leather greatcoats perspex weaponry etc.) The stage sets use a lot of smoke, lighting and lasers with rising and falling platforms. 

To me, it all works very well and I'm thoroughly enjoying my purchase. Sometime next week, I'll probably tackle Siegfried


----------



## Vince W

*The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*.

In a word, brilliant.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> Yes. I have the complete cycle. I'd been meaning to buy it for years and did just very recently. The costumes are modern (shades, leather greatcoats perspex weaponry etc.) The stage sets use a lot of smoke, lighting and lasers with rising and falling platforms.
> 
> To me, it all works very well and I'm thoroughly enjoying my purchase. Sometime next week, I'll probably tackle Siegfried


 
Glad it's a good experience for you. Wait'll you see the equipment Siegfried uses to remake Nothung the "neidliches Schwert".

I once tried to convince a college music instructor to give Siegfried's forging song as much credit as Verdi's Anvil Chorus. It fell on deaf ears.


----------



## james lecky

Only God Forgives - a movie that divided the critics in their opinion and had much the same effect in my household, I really liked it but my wife was rather disappointed. Like the director's earlier movies, Valhalla Rising and Drive it's a slow, beautifully shot and sometimes wilfully obscure movie with moments of extreme violence and an all but wordless protagonist.


----------



## Foxbat

*Medea *Paolo Pasolini's 1969 adaptation is a good looking film. It tells the tale of Jason's search for the golden fleece and his relationship with Medea. Ultimately abandoned by Jason, the exiled sorceress wreaks a terrible revenge.

 Although this film is a pretty slow mover, it has the dominating presence of Maria Callas in the title role, and this alone gives the movie a compelling edge.


----------



## Moonbat

Just seen *12 Years a Slave* by *Steve McQueen*, very good film, quite hoarrowing in places, strong performances from the lead *Chitwetal Ejiofor* (I can't believe I spelt that right) and *Michael Fassbender*. Not sure if it deserves 9 (was it 9?) Oscar nominations but I think the direction and leading male were well up there with the best I've seen over the last 12 months.


----------



## Lenny

*American Hustle* last night. Kind of slow throughout (which is an impressive feat in itself for a film that wants to be a blockbuster), with superb acting. No surprise that the film and the four main characters have all been nominated for Oscars (and it's something of a shame that Jeremy Renner wasn't also nominated).

*Super 8* tonight. Pre-_Star Trek_ J.J. Abrams, done in the style of a classic Spielberg family blockbuster - I have to say, he totally nailed it. Sure, it means the script was limited by various Spielberg tropes, but the shots were spot on, the progression of the story was spot on, and it felt entirely familiar. My parents even said, at the end, that they both loved it as much as they did *E.T.*. I'm amazed this film is rarely talked about.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Conjuring*
There's a spate of these psychological horror films out at the moment and Im enjoying the current trend for proper horror!


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

RED2 - grief what a laugh! Really enjoyed it.

RIPD - it was good, but not quite as funny as I'd hoped for.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Lenny said:


> *Super 8* tonight. Pre-_Star Trek_ J.J. Abrams, done in the style of a classic Spielberg family blockbuster - I have to say, he totally nailed it. Sure, it means the script was limited by various Spielberg tropes, but the shots were spot on, the progression of the story was spot on, and it felt entirely familiar. My parents even said, at the end, that they both loved it as much as they did *E.T.*. I'm amazed this film is rarely talked about.



I'm happy to talk about it! And it has been mentioned several times in this thread. _Super 8_ reminded me of_ The Goonies_.  I hated _The Goonies_.   But then this week I watched _The Brady Bunch Movie _for the third time in a year - so what do I know?

And _Jungle Godess_, a stinkingly bad 1948 B picture in which three separate bunches of people are supposed to be tailing each other through the jungle and, because of incompetent editing (of a obviously limited number of shots), had all three parties simultaneously walking in front of the same tree while supposedly in different places.  A good trick if you can do it.  One of MST3K's funnier shows.


----------



## J-Sun

My Preston Sturges film festival continues with *Christmas in July* (1940, I think). This is a very short (67 min, I think) film. It has its edges and its dramas but this tale of a guy who enters a contest for a commercial slogan, and whose co-workers trick him into thinking he's won it, might strike some as too much of a "golly, ain't that swell!" kind of movie but I had a big grin on my face most of the time and really enjoyed it. Great characters, great portrayals and, after a somewhat slow opener, very fast paced. It's cleverly constructed so that the implausibility is part of the fun and is easy to buy. Only problem is, you can see the ending coming from a mile off but it hardly matters and Sturges probably knew you could see it from a mile off and knew you wouldn't care. A lot of fun and not just empty fun, as it addresses some issues of love and money and more.


----------



## hegg

I watched* Seconds* (1966) last night, having not seen it before. It left me quite divided. I thought the opening 45 minutes, in which we slowly learn of the process of 'seconds' was excellent, slow-moving, very tense and mysterious, I loved it. The actual transformation itself was also well done.

But the film really lost me after he started his new life, when he met the character of Nora and their relationship started. She just seemed really quite unlikeable to me, I'm not sure if it was the script or the actress but I couldn't stand her. It got worse with the bizarre party scenes, both of them...scenes were really dragging on, and nothing interesting was happening.

The ending was quite satisfying though, it really picked up again when he decided to return to his first home and speak to his wife. And his return visit to the 'organisation', to request a second attempt at a fresh start, was again really tense and, almost inevitably, quite harrowing to watch.


----------



## monsterchic

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Made me think of starting a 5 most influential movies thread (like the book one in GBD).  It was one of the best movies I have ever seen.  Gorgeous photography, the wonderful story of a man branching his horizons and finding himself.  Absolutely wonderful.

Her--Sucked.  Wouldn't recommend it.  The premise was good, but the movie as a whole was just too drawn out.  They took what could have been a 1/2 hour movie and stretched it to two hours.  Not worth the time or money to see it.

47 Ronin: Made my top 5 movies, just like Mitty.  Again, great filming, great plot, and it was interesting it was based off of actual stories.  I wasn't sure if I'd like it, because movies about ancient Asian cultures either tend to be very contrived and stereotypical, or pure awesome.  This was pure awesome


----------



## AE35Unit

*X Men Origins-Wolverine *
A bit over the top but hey, its a comic book adaptation.  Meant to be silly.  And it has Stan Lee in it briefly.


----------



## dask

NEBRASKA. Good movie, great music --- I intend to buy the soundtrack --- worth seeing. There's more to it than the few key trailers seem to imply.


----------



## Foxbat

*Siegfried* The penultimate part of Wagner's operatic epic. The highlight for me here was Siegfried's encounter with Fafner in his lair. The stage designers surpassed themselves. The lair was a wonderful, massive construct of large, rusting pipework, fallen girders, melted metal and crumbling concrete. The menacing music as Fafner approached just fitted so well within this bleak, industrial wasteland. Previous to this, Mime's workshop where Siegfried reforges Nothung was also very impressive.

By the end, Fafner and Mime are dead and  Wotan's spear is broken (and with it all his contracts). Brunnhilde is roused from her slumber by the man who knows no fear, and the twilight of the Gods is almost upon Valhalla. 

Next stop Gotterdammerung


----------



## Huttman

I just saw The Painting (French sub-titles). What a charming, unique and highly symbolic animated film. It's about three characters in an uncompleted painting who 'break out' to search for the artist so he can finish the painting. Very delightful indeed.

Oh, I just found out there is an English dubbed version, here is the trailer:
The Painting US Release Trailer (2013) - Animated Movie HD - YouTube


----------



## Foxbat

*Gotterdammerung *The final part of the Ring Cycle. Both Brunnhilde and Siegfried are betrayed as Hagen plays a double hand and Valhalla burns.

It's been many years since I've watched something that really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This did it. With great stage design and Wagner's wonderful music, how could it not? It's really left me with the desire to see this performed live just once before I die. 

The Ring Cycle can truly be called  a masterpiece.


----------



## Mouse

Recently watched *Ponyo, The Lone Ranger, Red Riding Hood, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*.

Red Riding Hood was utter bilge. The others were really good. Particularly enjoyed Ponyo.


----------



## Foxbat

*Rush *Thoroughly enjoyed this Ron Howard movie on the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt. Personally, I'll watch anything about Formula 1 but this movie (I believe) can also be enjoyed by non-F1 fans.


----------



## WayneLutz

Like Dask, I recently saw _Nebraska_.



dask said:


> NEBRASKA. Good movie, great music --- I intend to buy the soundtrack --- worth seeing. There's more to it than the few key trailers seem to imply.



I think the black and white film added to, rather than detracted from, the story line. It helped keep me focused on the content and excellent acting.

A friend recommended a similar style movie called _The Straight Story_ (1999) about a man who rode his lawn mower from Iowa to Wisconsin after his long estranged brother has a stroke. He no longer had a driver's license, so embarks on this remarkable trek (based on a true story) using a ride-on mower towing a homemade trailer. The places he sees, and the people he meets are a slice of small town America. For me it was an equally enjoyable movie. -- Wayne


----------



## Foxbat

*The Invisible Ray* (1936) Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi go toe-to-toe in this movie about a scientist who's very touch means death. I quite liked it


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *The Invisible Ray* (1936) Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi go toe-to-toe in this movie about a scientist who's very touch means death. I quite liked it


 
Yes, that's a nifty little science fiction thriller, one of the better Karloff/Lugosi team-ups.  (My favorite is *The Black Cat*.)

*Kid Monk Baroni* (1952)

This low-budget effort would be completely forgotten if it were not for the fact that it stars a completely unknown Leonard Nimoy in the title role. He plays a teenage street kid, running with a gang of other young punks. A priest catches them busting up a staircase for firewood (!) and gets Nimoy to learn boxing from him instead of leading a life of crime. Nimoy has some kind of facial abnormality (it looks like a very bad skin condition on half of his face) that earns him the nickname "Kid Monk" (as in "monkey" -- according to this movie, having bad skin makes you look simian) when he starts boxing professionally, winning bouts as a mean, dirty fighter. The Good Girl tells him about plastic surgery, so he gets cured, winning the interest of the mercenary Bad Girl. However, he's no longer so tough a boxer, so he starts losing, which gets him in trouble with the gangsters who bet a bundle on him to win. For Nimoy completists only.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug* (2013)

Don't worry, no spoilers. I found the film excellent and exciting.

*Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer* (2008)

A little slow, but a cool, gory, horror B-movie about the origin of a Monster Hunter. Stars - Robert Englund


----------



## Droflet

Sole Survivor. 
Gritty, brutal portrayal of men in war. Recommended.


----------



## Darkchild130

Dogma. I've seen it multiple times, but still enjoy it. Despite some terrible acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another insanely long review.

*Invisible Ghost* (1941)

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis; written by Helen Martin and Al Martin

Already the credits for this Poverty Row cheapie are interesting. Director Lewis went on to better things, including the highly regarded _film noir_ *Gun Crazy*. That probably explains the fact that there are some interesting shots in this low-budget programmer. I have not been able to find out very much about Al Martin, except that he wrote a zillion things, mostly short subjects. According to the IMDB, however, the Helen Martin who co-wrote this thing is the same one who was a pretty well-known African-American actress. (From the little I have been able to find out about Al Martin, I'm guessing he might be Helen's older brother, but he might be completely unrelated for all I know. Martin was Helen's birth name, so it's unlikely he was her husband, and the dates of birth don't add up to make it likely he was her father.) The fact that, if IMDB is accurate, this thing was written by at least one African-American (and probably two) probably explains the fact that the one African-American character in the story is treated with respect. Or the IMDB might be wrong, and I'm just blowing smoke.

Anyway, *Invisible Ghost* stars Bela Lugosi. We begin with an eerie sequence as Lugosi looks at a painting of a beautiful, 1920's-ish young woman, then sits down to dinner. He speaks to the empty chair across the table, telling the person who is not there (the "invisible ghost" of the title, I suppose; there is nothing else in the movie that could be remotely described by that phrase) how lovely she is, and so on. He also tells his butler (the African-American character I mentioned above) to serve the non-existant woman first. The viewer's assumption that Lugosi is insane is quickly dispelled, however, when we hear his daughter tell her boyfriend that he does this every year, on his wedding anniversary. The characters in this movie all act like this is a charming eccentricity rather than a serious neurosis. 

Since this movie insists on unraveling all its mysteries as soon as they are brought up, thus removing the need for spoiler warnings in this review, we quickly find out that Lugosi's wife was injured in a car wreck as she ran off with her lover (I suppose he was killed, although I don't recall this being brought up), and that the gardener has kept her hidden in his shed all these years. This is one of the many examples of people acting in very unlikely ways in this movie. Instead of taking her to a hospital, or just saying to his boss "Hey! Here's your wife!", he keeps this secret from everyone but his wife.

Lugosi's wife is played by Betty Compson, who was a pretty big star in the silent days. In her mid-forties here, she does a good job looking like a middle-aged woman who was once quite a beauty, but who is now dishelved and more than a little mad. In this way, *Invisible Ghost* reminds me a bit of all those "aging star going crazy" films that followed *What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?*. If this movie kept this character hidden until the end, instead of revealing everything right at the start, it would also remind me a bit of the *Psycho*-style thrillers of the same time period. Unfortunately, *Invisible Ghost* destroys every possible trace of suspense by spelling everything out for the viewer.

Before the story really begins, we hear the characters talking about "all the murders" that have happened in the house. These aren't specified, although later we find out the chauffeur was killed six months ago. Later, an investigating cop says, very casually, "Here we go again" when somebody else is murdered. The way that everybody treats these killings as if they're minor annoyances is really odd.

It turns out that the pretty young maid of the house is the former lover of the daughter's boyfriend. (In a surprisingly suggestive bit of dialogue for 1941, we find out that her landlord thought they "acted as if they were married.") She wants him back, but he intends to marry the daughter, and he tells her that nothing is going to stand in his way. When the maid is found murdered (more on that later), the fact that the butler overheard this argument is enough to have the guy arrested. Amazingly, this weak evidence is enough to get him convicted and executed. (Not even this weird turn of events is much of a surprise, since we were told _in the opening credits_ that this actor was going to play two roles!) The fact that this house has already been the scene of "all these murders" (how many, I wonder) doesn't seem to be enough to raise a shadow of a doubt that this guy killed the maid for purely rational reasons. (*Invisible Ghost* would make a lot more sense if the maid were the first victim, and you wouldn't have to wonder why the other servants keep working at a place where they keep getting killed.)

Since this movie hates mystery, we already know that the real killer is Lugosi. It seems that his insane wife wanders out of the shed every once in a while, and he sees her from a window. This puts him in a sort of trance, and he goes and kills somebody, apparently at random. (It's interesting that all the victims we are shown are servants, which raises some socioeconomic themes.) His odd method of murder is to wrap his coat around his hands and strangle the victim, leaving no fingerprints.

The boyfriend's twin brother shows up (remember those opening credits!), leading to the only bit of even slightly racial humor in the movie. Shocked to see what he thinks is a dead man, the butler later asks the gardener "Do I look pale? I feel pale." I actually found this somewhat amusing, coming from an African-American character who is shown to be dignified and intelligent. The rest of the movie slowly lets the other characters find out what the viewer already knows.

*Invisible Ghost* runs only slightly more than an hour, so it runs through its simple, if outrageously implausible, plot briskly enough for a B feature. There are some moody sequences and some nice visuals. Lugosi is given the chance to play a very nice guy, who treats his servants with great kindness (when he's not killing them.) Worth a look for fans of old-time shockers.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I, for one, like insanely long reviews.  Keep them coming, Victoria.  I also like *The Invisible Ghost*.  Mind you it is, as you say is so outrageously implausible, it's hard to imagine not liking it.

My copy of *The Invisible Ghost* is on the notoriously crappy 23rd Century label - complete with a cover that uses a scene from a different Lugosi film that I am as yet unable to identify. By happy coincidence they also put out *Days of Hell *which I watched last night.  It's a tedious Italian 'war' movie in which American mercenaries (sent into Afghanistan to rescue someone for some reason inadequately explained at the top of the film) machine gun everything that moves for 90 minutes. 

Some of the costuming in this POS is wonderful.  Two dozen stunt men dressed in vaguely middle-easty clothing with cloth wrapped rounds their heads to disguise the fact that it's the same 10 people.  The Islamic 'Holy Man' they rescue at one point has a shiny turban like an extra from an Arabian Nights movie.

The only redeeming moment comes right near the end when the Voice Over Artists doing the English dub - having realised that no one is going to be watching the film by now - start to have a little fun while the director's back is turned. They lure a Russian helicopter down via end endless conversation by radio (in Russian with no subtitles).

Realising he is captured the pilot swears; like you would.

Pilot: Oh Sh*t!
American: Do you speak English?
Pilot: It would seem so since I said 'sh*t' perfectly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thank you for the kind words. Here's another one.

*Hands of a Stranger* (1962)

Written and directed by Newt Arnold

This modest variation on (rip-off of?) _The Hands of Orlac_ is rather eccentric in many ways, enough so that it held my interest.

We begin with a very good _film noir_ sequence. A guy is walking the street at night; one of those dark city streets where it's always raining. A car drives by and two guys shoot him. We see his hands clutch a streetlight as the opening titles begin. They continue as we ride with the victim in an ambulance. So far, a pretty effective opening sequence with no dialogue. Don't worry, though; the rest of the movie is quite talky. (And it's odd talk; but more on that later.)

After a brief scene in surgery, during which the victim dies, we cut to a pianist giving a concert. There's this really cool backdrop painting on the curtain behind him, showing a semi-abstract drawing of a leafless tree blown by the wind. The tree has five long, thin limbs, so it also looks like a hand. Nice bit of foreshadowing. 

Backstage after the concert, we meet the pianist, his manager, his sister, and his girlfriend. In an unexpected bit of dialogue, the sister very casually mentions that there is nothing scandalous about her relationship with her brother. This off-the-cuff denial of incest really took me by surprise, although it does sharpen the movie's theme of the brother's emotional dependence on his sister. 

The pianist leaves in a taxi, and starts a conversation with the driver. It seems he has a son who plays the piano. These characters will show up later. Like much of the dialogue in this movie, the conversation between the pianist and the driver gets really florid and pretentious, as they discuss music, art and beauty. Nearly everybody talks in this philosophical way. Here's a detective talking about the murdered man, for example.
















> "Hands… amazing things when you think about it. A genius device of flesh and bone that can paint a beautiful picture, control a scalpel, press a trigger. And perhaps the delicately lined pictures on the tips of those hands themselves can tell me all I want to know."


















Anyway, the driver stupidly tries to show the pianist a photo of his kid instead of watching the road. The resulting crash destroys the pianist's hands. The same surgeon we met before decides to transplant the dead man's hands onto the arms of the pianist.

So far there are no surprises in the story, if you've ever seen a hand transplant movie (the masterpiece of the genre being *Mad Love*), but from here things do take an unexpected turn, so it's time for a

***********SPOILER ALERT******************

The sister freaks out about this procedure, screaming at the surgeon and accusing him of doing this horrible thing just for the sake of science. (Obviously she's seen these kinds of movies.) To its credit, the film portrays the surgeon as a sane, dedicated physician, driven to a desperate, experimental procedure because there was no other way to help his patient.

At this point you probably figure that the transplanted hands are going to have some kind of will of their own, and that they will force the pianist to track down the killers of the murdered man and take revenge. Amazingly, this does not happen. In fact, the cops never even learn the identity of the victim, and we never see the killers again.

Although the pianist does start killing people, his motive seems to be strictly his insane frustration at no longer being able to play the piano with his new hands. The first victim is his beautiful but cynically self-centered girlfriend. He finds her at her apartment, waiting for a dinner guest (translation: new boyfriend) to show up. After a brief fight, he pushes her into the dinner table, knocking over a couple of candles. Her apartment and her dress must be made of some superflammable material, because the girlfriend and the whole place go up like fireworks. 

The pianist next goes to visit the taxi driver. He finds his son at home. (The kid is played by Barry Gordon, best known as the kid in *A Thousand Clowns*. Oh, watch for Sally Kellerman and glamour girl Irish McCalla in small roles, too.) After some conversation and a miserable attempt to play the kid's piano, the pianist grabs the kids hands, and the kid starts screaming at the top of his lungs. (With a lot of justification; we find out later that the pianist squeezed his hands so hard that he broke all his fingers.) He pushes the kid down, and the kid hits his head and dies. This amazingly brutal scene is given the icing on the cake when his dad walks in, and we see that he's wearing dark glasses and has a seeing-eye dog. Real nightmare material for any young person who caught this movie on _Monster Horror Chiller Theater_.

Anyway, the killings continue, leading to the final confrontation between the pianist and the surgeon. (The fact that, by this time, the surgeon has a romantic relationship with the sister increases the *Scarface*-like supressed incest theme.) Along the way there's a pretty cool sequence where the surgeon, the pianist, and the sister visit a carnival, and everything the pianist sees reminds him of his hands. (His hands distorted in a fun house mirror, for example.) There's also this really strange painting of the pianist in his apartment, more-or-less realistic, but kind of oddly distorted and at a weird angle. The final bizarre touch comes at the very end. Instead of THE END popping up on the screen, we get THE PAST IS PROLOGUE. Don't ask me what that has to do with anything, exactly, although the fact that it comes from _The Tempest_ goes along with a lot of the arty, pretentious dialogue. 

*Hands of a Stranger* is offbeat enough to be worth a look. I give it one hand clapping.


----------



## jonsey80

Stargate


----------



## Abernovo

monsterchic said:


> Frozen!  I absolutely loved it.


Went to see this today. Really, _really_ good. And a good strong female lead, without a sexist storyline.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Graves* (2010

A gory ordeal for the Graves sisters, turns them into monster hunters. Features Bill Moseley & Randy Blythe (Lamb of God band).


----------



## hegg

*The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)*. Absolutely loved it. I thought the various visual effects used throughout to show how Carey was shrinking were excellently done, considering the age of the film.

What really blew me away though was the last 30mins, the battle with the spider. I was riveted and horrified in equal measure all the way through the final scenes. What an achievement, so very impressive.


----------



## Foxbat

hegg said:


> *The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)*. Absolutely loved it. I thought the various visual effects used throughout to show how Carey was shrinking were excellently done, considering the age of the film.
> 
> What really blew me away though was the last 30mins, the battle with the spider. I was riveted and horrified in equal measure all the way through the final scenes. What an achievement, so very impressive.


I agree. Great movie. If you've not already read the novel, I'd recommend it because it's even better.


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> I agree. Great movie. If you've not already read the novel, I'd recommend it because it's even better.



Yep. And based on a story by Richard "I Am Legend" Matheson!


----------



## hegg

Yes I've got the book around here somewhere, will definitely bump it up my to-read list now.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hegg said:


> *The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)*. Absolutely loved it. I thought the various visual effects used throughout to show how Carey was shrinking were excellently done, considering the age of the film.



I always liked this story about the SFX for that film:





> One of the more amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes occurred during the water heater sequence, according to Arnold in the _Cinefantastique_  interview: "He's now about an inch and a half or two inches tall, and  he makes his home in an empty match box. The match box is under a  heater, and the heater begins to leak. I was confronted with the problem  of getting drops to fall in proportion to the size of the man. We tried  everything, but no matter how we spilled the water, it didn't look like  an oversized drop. Then I remembered how in my ill-spent youth I found  some strange rubber objects in my father's drawer, and not knowing what  they were, I filled them with water, took them to the top of the  building where we lived in New York, and dropped them over the side. I  recalled that they looked great when they hit, and that they held a tear  shape. So I asked the crew, "Has anyone got a condom on him?" With much  reluctance, one of the guys finally confessed that he had one. We  filled it with water, tied it at the top, and dropped it. It had a tear  shape, exactly in the right proportion, and it splattered on impact. So  we ordered about 100 gross of them. I put them on a treadmill and let  them drop until the water pipe was supposed to burst, and it was very  effective. At the end of the picture, I was called to the production  office. They were going over all my expenses and they came across this  item of 100 gross of condoms, so they asked me, "What the hell is that  for?" I simply said, "Well, it was a very tough picture, so I gave a  cast party." And that was all I told them."



The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)


----------



## Foxbat

*King Kong Escapes *
The muckle simian takes on MechaKong in this enjoyable nonsense from  1967.


----------



## hegg

JunkMonkey said:


> I always liked this story about the SFX for that film:
> 
> The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)



That's hilarious! Haha, good for him. 

Thanks for that link, I'm gonna give it a read this afternoon, looks right up my street.


----------



## hegg

JunkMonkey, that was a great read, cheers. The spider in the film was a "trained tarantula" called Tamara. It doesn't get better than that.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Land That Time Forgot *Doug McClure leads the way in this reasonable monster romp from 1975.


----------



## Foxbat

*Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht* Werner Herzog's masterful remake with Klaus Kinski in the starring role. Sublime.

*The Abominable Snowman *Nigel Kneale provides a thought provoking script for this Hammer film starring Peter Cushing. Not the kind of film Hammer is known for but a worthy piece nonetheless.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht* Werner Herzog's masterful remake with Klaus Kinski in the starring role. Sublime.



Albeit it with some cracking anachronisms.  I particularly liked the double 'no parking' lines painted round the edge of the square.


----------



## alchemist

*Lego Movie* - the kids thought it was brilliant and I thought it just about pretty good. Unfortunately I've been singing "Everything is Awesome" ever since.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Albeit it with some cracking anachronisms.  I particularly liked the double 'no parking' lines painted round the edge of the square.


 
I never noticed the lines but you could definitely tell that there was a distinctly modern feel to the urban areas. I don't think Herzog ever had huge budgets to play with so it's probably understandable (and forgivable) that this be the case


----------



## biodroid

Rush - A great true story about 2 F1 legends.


----------



## Foxbat

biodroid said:


> Rush - A great true story about 2 F1 legends.


 
Seconded.


----------



## Judderman

Foxbat said:


> *Nosferatu: Phantom Der Nacht* Werner Herzog's masterful remake with Klaus Kinski in the starring role. Sublime.


Good call. Possibly the greatest ever Vampire movie. 

This weekend I watched Life of Pi which is a fantastic and engrossing tale, and then 12 Years a Slave. 12 Years a Slave is disturbing but engrossing and really gives an impression of how bad things were for slaves in 19th Century America. The story does have a generally positive ending and great acting so it isn't all bleak.

Oh yeah, and finally got round to watching The Thing prequel. While not quite on a par with the original story it is close and the special effects are superior with some CGI (but not too much) well merged with the puppetry and makeup. Having spent some years in Norway I appreciated the presence of a "star" Norwegian cast.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Judderman said:


> Good call. Possibly the greatest ever Vampire movie.



I can recommend avoiding the 'sequel': _Vampire in Venice__._ It is very not good.


----------



## Foxbat

*A Bittersweet Life* 
Superb Korean mobster movie. Well worth a look


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Voodoo Man* (1944)

Directed by William Beaudine; written by Robert Charles

Bela Lugosi manages to retain his dignity in this Poverty Row quickie, mainly because his fellow Scream Kings (John Carradine and George Zucco) are forced to play much more ridiculous parts.

We begin with Zucco in the unusual role of an Evil Gas Station Owner. It seems that when pretty young women driving alone stop at his station to ask directions, he directs them to a phony detour. He then gets on this nifty looking high-tech telephone in his station and calls Lugosi to let him know that she's on her way. Lugosi sends a couple of mentally limited flunkies to set up the phony detour and kidnap the driver. One of the two is unfamiliar to me, and doesn't do or say much, but the other one is John Carradine. Carradine is pretty much playing Torgo here. He spends a lot of time telling the victims how pretty them are, stroking their hair, and so on. During the absurd voodoo rituals which come later, he also plays a drum in a goofy way.

Lugosi has a lot of science-type stuff in his home, including a gizmo that can stop a car engine at a distance, which is very useful for capturing his victims. In the movie's most effective scene (not that there's a whole lot to choose from), the latest victim is introduced to Lugosi's beautiful wife, who seems to be in a trance. "Is she sick?" the victim asks. Lugosi informs her that she's been dead for twenty-two years.

This shocking revelation leads to the movie's basic plot. Using a combination of Lugosi's mad science and Zucco's voodoo rituals, the dead wife has been kept in this state by somehow making use of the life force of the victims. (Lugosi keeps them all in trances and dresses them in lovely white flowing gowns, locked up in what look sort of like glass telephone booths. Amusingly, although we are told that three young women have disappeared in this area in the past, Lugosi has at least four already.) He's been looking for the perfect victim, whose life force can be used to return his wife to the full living state.

Of course, we have a hero of sorts. Shockingly, this is _not_ a spunky reporter. Instead, the movie goes all post-modern by making him a Hollywood screenwriter. His boss tells him that the disappearance of the women would make a good horror picture (!) and asks him to investigate. Oddly, he does _not_ do this. Instead, he reminds his boss that he's about to get married and go on his honeymoon. The boss tells him not to worry about it, and go have a good time.

Well, since we have a full hour of movie to fill up, the screenwriter just happens to drive by the Evil Gas Station. He buys some gas, but stupidly drives off before the attendant fills up his car. This unlikely turn of events occurs just so his bride's friend, another pretty young female driver alone in her car, can get sent Lugosi's way, but run into the screenwriter, who has run out of gas on the road. She picks him up on her unknowing way to Lugosi. This is a really awkward way to get the hero involved in the plot.

The rest of our running time is pretty much filled up with nonsensical voodoo ritual. Zucco has to wear this really goofy getup, his face painted, wearing a feathered headdress, and wearing a robe with astrological symbols on it. He mumbles something or other as Lugosi tries to revive his wife. Eventually it turns out that the screenwriter's intended is the perfect victim for this stuff. Will she be saved from losing her life force? Will the hero save her? (He's not exactly the action hero type. In a hilarious scene, as soon as he shows up at the ritual, the flunkie who is not Carradine very casually hits him, knocking him out.) And what about the local sheriff, who has lines like "Gosh all fish hooks!"?

*Voodoo Man* is an oddball combination of *The Corpse Vanishes* and *Manos: The Hands of Fate*. It all adds up to an outrageous ending, when the screenwriter hands his screenplay to his boss, and suggests that they get Bela Lugosi to star in it.

___________________________________________________________


*Battleground* (1949)

Unusually realistic WWII movie for Hollywood just after the war. The guys in this story, which takes place in snowy, foggy woods during the Battle of the Bulge, are scared, sarcastic, cowardly, cynical, and not above trying to get out of the front line by "losing" false teeth, or adding to the loathed rations by stealing a few eggs from a farmhouse. Wisely, the film does not deal very much with the big picture, and instead concentrates on a handful of soldiers facing an enemy only a few hundred yards away. A lot closer to Willie and Joe than John Wayne.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

*Thor: The Dark World*
It's a fun ride of a movie and I've just watched it for the second time. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are both perfect in their roles and obviously relish playing their characters, especially Hiddleston, who imbues Loki with a kind of evil glee.

*Big Ass Spider*
An enjoyable made-for-TV movie about, you guessed it, big ass spiders. It has lots of humour and the cast throws themselves into the spirit of things. Loads of fun when you want to watch a "brainless" movie.


----------



## Mouse

Daisy-Boo said:


> *Big Ass Spider*



I almost spat out my tea! So... a spider with a big butt? Or a big spider that lives in butts? 

Last film I saw was *Despicable Me*. Just bought the second one to watch on DVD too at some point as I've not seen it yet.


----------



## Daisy-Boo

A biiiig spider with a sizable butt.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Voodoo Man* (1944)
> 
> Directed by William Beaudine; written by Robert Charles
> 
> Bela Lugosi manages to retain his dignity in this Poverty Row quickie, mainly because his fellow Scream Kings (John Carradine and George Zucco) are forced to play much more ridiculous parts.



oooh! A Bela Lugosi film I haven't seen.  Thanks, Victoria, I'm downloading a copy right now.

https://archive.org/details/VoodooMan1944


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

biodroid said:


> Rush - A great true story about 2 F1 legends.




Glad to hear this is good. I haven't seen it yet, but haven't really heard many people's opinions on it. 


The last movie I saw was* Frozen*. We took our 3 year old daughter to it as her first movie, and it was a big hit with all of us.


----------



## Allegra

*American Hustle* - excellent, loved it. I was in awe of Christian Bale, though he put on so much weight for the film! 
*The Wolf of Wall Street* - oh why, why three hours long overdosed with repetitive gross drug abuse and sex and wild parties and got all that acclaim? A supposedly satire turned into a shameless boast of greed and corruption. I'd give credit to the superb acting of DiCaprio and McConaughey, though.
*August: Osage County* - a full-star cast for such a pointless little family farce. It's just a bunch of very unhappy relatives being very unhappy at each other. Great performance of Meryl Streep, what one can say.  All I can remember of Julia Roberts is her angry face and yelling and yelling and yelling. It's a total waste of talent for two good British actors Evan McGregor and Benedict Cumberbatch, both played insignificant somewhat pathetic roles.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenage Cave Man* (1958)

Directed by Roger Corman; written by R. Wright Campbell

Many of you may be familiar with this offbeat Stone Age saga in the version mocked on MST3K. I haven't seen that one, so I'll just talk about the movie itself.

Robert "The Man from UNCLE" Vaughn stars in the title role. He was in his mid-twenties at the time, so all the stuff about how he hasn't yet gone through his manhood ritual seems pretty silly. Anyway, we start with a pretty nifty semi-abstract set of images, as the narrator more or less retells the story of Genesis, ending with the appearance of humanity. The story proper begins with a group of cavepeople (all of them with neatly combed hair, most of the men cleanshaven) inhabiting a rocky wilderness. Yep, that's Bronson Cave they're living in, seen in many movies and TV shows. 

Vaughn is the son of the Symbol Maker, a guy who goes into the cave and makes paintings. This is a very ritualistic society, we find out quickly. Three elders spend their time acting out a strange ceremony. One tends a small fire, the "first gift" of humanity. Another spins a wheel, the "second gift." (We never see any other wheels in use.) The third one makes something, then breaks it. (I couldn't quite make out what it was, but I'm guessing it was some kind of small clay figure.) We are told that making and breaking is the "third gift" and the "first lesson."

We also find out about the clan's taboo about crossing the river and going into the "burning plains" (we never see these or find out what they are) or into the forest, even though there would seem to be plenty of animals to hunt there. The reason for avoiding this area seems to be the "earth that sinks" (cavepeople talk for quicksand), the "large beasts" (brief footage of lizards and an armadillo pretending to be dinosaurs, as well as a few seconds of mediocre stop-motion dinosaurs), and, most important, the God Who Kills With a Touch. (You can hear the capital letters when they talk about this thing.)

Rebellious skeptic Vaughn asks a lot of questions about this stuff, and seems eager to break the Law (more capital letters) by crossing the river. He is encouraged in this plan by familiar character actor Frank DeKova, as an older caveman with a slight limp. He tells Vaughn he would cross the river if he legs could carry him that far. By this point the viewer already knows that DeKova just wants Vaughn out of the way. He's got his eye on a pretty young cavewoman, and he tells her that Vaughn will never live to go through his manhood ritual.

I'll pause here to talk about this character in some detail, since he's by far the most interesting one in the movie. You've probably seen DeKova if you've ever seen an old Western movie or TV show. He played American Indians a huge number of times, along with other roles. (He went on to play the leader of the local tribe on _F Troop_.) It's interesting to note that most of the cavepeople in this movie talk in the slow, serious, very carefully enunciated manner you hear from American Indians in old Westerns. I wonder if DeKova's experience in playing this kind of role had anything to do with that. (They also say "aye" instead of "yes," which sounds really odd.)

Anyway, DeKova gives the best performance here by far. His character is a Stone Age Iago and Marc Antony combined, using his intelligence and his gift for rhetoric to manipulate the other characters. He's not always successful, but he certainly gets the plot going.

After his father is wounded by a bear (an actor in a pretty good bear suit), Vaughn talks some other young cavemen into crossing the river into the forbidden lands. (This movie would seem to owe something to the classic story "By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benet, including its twist ending.) They see some "great beasts" (the dinosaur footage I mentioned above, stolen from other movies) and one of them gets trapped in the "earth that sinks" and dies. (In a hilarious scene, the "quicksand" is obviously just a pool of clear water.) The other go back to safety, but Vaughn sticks around long enough to throw rocks at a squirrel. (So much for big game! To be fair, later Vaughn makes a bow and arrow without much trouble -- he just grabs a couple of twigs and somehow does the trick -- and kills a deer. Speaking of weapons, it's also amusing that these folks seem to be just barely into the Stone Age, but Vaughn also wears what is clearly a modern steel knife.) 

Vaughn eventually goes back. With one thing and another, he is punished for breaking the Law by not letting anybody talk to him until he has gone through the manhood ritual. (DeKova argued for killing him, but is overruled by the clan's eldest man, who seems to be the leader.) Vaughn's father is replaced as the Symbol Maker by DeKova.

The shunning imposed on Vaughn doesn't keep him from chatting up the pretty young cavewoman while she's teasing the audience with a G-rated skinny dipping scene. His key to winning her heart is the fact that he invented the panpipe from some reeds he found across the river!

Well, Vaughn gets through the manhood ritual (it seems to consist of no more than taking a look at a chunk of meteorite wrapped up in furs, and promising not to break the Law) and digs a "sleeping place" for his woman out of the side of a hill. 

In the movie's oddest scene, an unknown caveman comes to the clan riding a horse. The cavefolk freak out, having never seen such a thing before. DeKova kills the guy with a spear, leaving him just enough time to say the word "peace." This encounter fires up Vaughn's desire to explore the outside world, and he takes off across the river once more. (It's interesting to note that the same actor who played this role also played the guy who got killed by quicksand, as well as the bear!)

Will he discover the secret of the God Who Kills With a Touch? Will he escape the wild dogs (played by a bunch of what are obviously household pets)? Will DeKova track him down and kill him? Will you figure out the shocking twist ending? (Probably.)

*Teenage Cave Man* is one of the silliest examples of one of the silliest film genres around. It's cheaply made, and almost everything looks phony. Stock footage is used shamelessly to fill up time. (The least necessary and most laughable example is when the monster from *The She-Creature* shows up for a moment.) And yet it's so full of odd little details about the clan's taboos and rituals that it held by interest. Worth a look as an example of the Stone Age of Roger Corman films.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*From up on Poppy Hill *(2011)  Studio Ghibli stepping away from the fantastical for a moment and proving they can make bloody good films based in the real world - albeit a nostalgic 1960s real world.  I loved it.  I'm starting, however, to feel that alongside the warnings on the back of DVDs about 'Some Fantasy Violence', 'Drug References', 'Moderate Sex' etc. there should be a warning about "Daddy, oh my Daddy!" moments.

Us sentimental middle-aged old farts need to be warned so we can gird our loins and be prepared for the attacks of the snivvels that come when children get reunited with their long lost parents - even if only in dream form.  Gets me every time.  I was a snotty wreck.  Daughter Number One was happy that I liked it.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I just got out Upside Down, which was a reasonable enough story with a somewhat sappy romantic ending which felt fake. But I hate it when the rules of physics and even logic get totally screwed up. 

Look these two planets are like positive and negative, matter and maybe antimatter (They call it inverse matter). And in this universe matter attracts matter, and inverse matter attracts inverse matter. Fine. A simple rule which might actually work. What doesn't work is why if one world is matter and one is inverse matter, and they don't attract one another, why are the worlds orbiting one another? What's holding them together?

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Star Trek: Into Darkness. Meh. Once I'd gotten over the initial thrill of the movie I actually thought it was a bit silly in places. I also think that Benedict Cumberbach is massively overrated.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I finally got around to watching Star Trek: Into Darkness. Meh. Once I'd gotten over the initial thrill of the movie I actually thought it was a bit silly in places. I also think that Benedict Cumberbach is massively overrated.


Oh we thought it was brill! And Cumberbatch is a superb actor IMO


----------



## biodroid

This is the End - typical Seth Rogen movie with lots of swearing and arguments that degrade to toilet humour. But it was entertaining though.

Django Unchained - fantastic Tarantino movie, I daresay just that extra bit better than Inglourious Basterds. Over the top violent but a good story.


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> *From up on Poppy Hill *(2011)  Studio Ghibli stepping away from the fantastical for a moment and proving they can make bloody good films based in the real world - albeit a nostalgic 1960s real world.  I loved it.  I'm starting, however, to feel that alongside the warnings on the back of DVDs about 'Some Fantasy Violence', 'Drug References', 'Moderate Sex' etc. there should be a warning about "Daddy, oh my Daddy!" moments.
> 
> Us sentimental middle-aged old farts need to be warned so we can gird our loins and be prepared for the attacks of the snivvels that come when children get reunited with their long lost parents - even if only in dream form.  Gets me every time.  I was a snotty wreck.  Daughter Number One was happy that I liked it.



I watched it a little while back as I got the DVD for Christmas. I enjoyed it, but it's not one of my fave Ghibli ones. A bit sedate for me.


----------



## Nick B

Dragonfly, few years old Costner movie, reminiscent (ish) of White noise.
Not a bad movie.


----------



## Nesacat

Finally, finally got around to watching *Frozen* and really liked it. Of course now we have it running every afternoon when my 4-year-old niece comes home from kindy. I suspect we might all soon change our opinion of the movie.


----------



## Overread

Recently saw The Vampires Assistant and AVP Retribution. 

VA was entertaining considering its target market. It has that feeling of a film being made by a writer/director more used to making TV episodes over a movie in the way that the film is paced and split up into sections; though I suspect it also comes from them covering a fairly wide spread of content in a short space of time. 

AVP Retribution - well I say I watched it but it was more an exercise in squinting at the screen trying to see stuff as they've gone for that high contrast really dark visuals that makes everything sort of difficult to see because its never really daytime. 
Sadly its a bit like the Transformers films in that its all about a teen romance at highschool/just after with something about aliens invading the world in the background - least till the end. 
Some neat ideas, but in the end its just an action flick and that sadly makes it forgettable; it doesn't help that half the characters are rather flat and dull and the only two interesting ones are a direct copy of Ripley and Newt.


----------



## Rodders

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It was cheap and it passed a couple of hours.


----------



## Vince W

Robocop, 2014.

A weak replica of the original. Wait for it on video/streaming.


----------



## AE35Unit

Vince W said:


> Robocop, 2014.
> 
> A weak replica of the original. Wait for it on video/streaming.



A remake of a rubbish film. Good grief,  all those sf stories out there to be made and they do remakes!


----------



## Vince W

AE35Unit said:


> A remake of a rubbish film. Good grief,  all those sf stories out there to be made and they do remakes!



Yeah, but they'd actually have to read the stories to know that.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cat Girl* (1957)

Directed by Alfred Shaughnessy; written by Lou Rusoff

Future Hammer Glamour star Barbara Shelley stars in the title role in this muddled British-American rip-off of *Cat People*. I suspect that most of its flaws come from a weak screenplay (by a fellow who wrote such turkeys as *The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues*) and pedestrian direction (from a fellow who was mostly a writer.)

Our story begins in a manner which suggests a poor imitation of a Universal horror film rather than a poor imitation of a Val Lewton horror film. In a spooky old castle somewhere in England, an old man lives with his equally elderly, heavily-Eastern-European-accented housekeeper. He also has a leopard, with whom he skulks around.

Meanwhile, four people are at a pub. One is our Cat Girl, significantly named Leonora. With her is her husband. It's clear from the start that this is a loveless marriage. He's pretty clearly after her money. (Later, Leonora weakly explains that she married him because she was "lonely and frightened." I don't believe it for a second.) In the background, in stark contrast to the rather reserved and quiet Leonora, is her sexy friend, doing a hip-swinging dance in front of an appreciative audience of men. One of them is a fellow who is apparently her escort or sort-of boyfriend, whom I will no longer discuss because he serves no purpose at all in the story.

Pretty quickly hubby is dancing with sexy friend, and it's obvious that they're fooling around behind Leonora's back. Meanwhile, Leonora's old lover (now married), an American (or at least American-educated and American-accented) psychiatrist happens to wander into the pub. It's made clear that Leonora still loves him (and again you have to wonder why she married the other guy.)

It seems that the old guy in the scary castle is Leonora's uncle, and he invited her to his place after an absence of several years. The other three guests aren't expected, so uncle puts up a fuss. It seems that the family has been under a curse for 700 years. (Why? It's never explained.) Each heir has some kind of weird psychic link with a leopard. (Is it always the same one we've already seen, some kind of immortal familiar or spirit, or do leopards just show up when a new one is needed? Again, we don't find out.) I'll give the movie a few points for dealing with something other than shapeshifting, but what exactly is happening is never clear or consistent.

Uncle is ready to die and pass on the curse, so he commands the leopard to kill him. The next thing we know (is there a scene missing? The free public domain version I watched runs only a little more than an hour), Leonora is all dolled up in a low-cut, bare-back evening gown, is wearing a lot of makeup and earrings, and has long, painted nails. She wasn't exactly mousy before, but now she's 100% _femme fatale_. (As an example of what a mess this story is, when hubby and sexy friend are making out, the woman says that there's something wild about Leonora, and that she'd kill them if she found out. Nothing about Leonora before the death of her uncle suggests anything but a very passive personality, so this comes out of nowhere, and makes nonsense of Barbara Shelley's pretty good portrayal of a change in personality.)

Nobody seems too upset about that fact that uncle got torn to pieces by a wild animal. There's a line tossed out that they searched for the beast, but couldn't find it. As you'd expect, somebody else gets killed. Amazingly, the minor characters who are still alive at this point are smart enough to get the heck away from the castle. 

Leonora blames herself for the killings, so the psychiatrist puts her in a sanitarium. In the worst scene in the movie, Leonora sees her hands and face turn into those of a cat. What we see on the screen looks like something that a little kid might wear to dress up as a cat for Halloween. It's hilariously awful, and completely spoils the moderately eerie mood of the film.

The psychiatrist stupidly decides to have Leonora stay with his wife. This leads to some scenes which are blatantly stolen from *Cat People*. It also leads to an utterly nonsensical final twist at the end, which violates the already pretty confused premise.

*Cat Girl* isn't bad enough to laugh at (except for the brief scene of the cat costume.) It isn't good enough to enjoy on its own merits, particularly in comparison to the great *Cat People*. It's not the worst way in the world to kill an hour or so, but maybe I'm just being catty.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Monuments Men*

A George Clooney project about the small group of academics who actually risked their lives to save art work plundered by the Nazis during WWII. Mostly it rang true. A good example is the reluctance of Claire, the French fifth columnist (played by Cate Blanchett) to trust the team of Allied scholars attempting to save the art work. Great tension was achieved by emphasizing the time sensitive nature of their efforts and the very real dangers they walked into. A little less verbiage from Clooney would not have been amiss (He used the word "tasked" twice as a verb. I don't think that was the fashion in 1944.) But overall it was a sensitive portrayal of a difficult "one shot only" venture.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Cat Girl* (1957)
> 
> ... isn't bad enough to laugh at (except for the brief scene of the cat costume.) It isn't good enough to enjoy on its own merits, particularly in comparison to the great *Cat People*. It's not the worst way in the world to kill an hour or so, but maybe I'm just being catty.



Damn it, Victoria, another film added to the 'I Have to See This (Despite the Warnings)' pile...


----------



## RoninJedi84

*Prisoners* - This one runs 2 1/2 hours, but I honestly didn't feel a minute of it.  Hugh Jackman was awesome, and I have to say I'm not a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, but in my opinion he absolutely stole the film.  He didn't quite "WOW" me like Heath Ledger did in _The Dark Knight_, but I'd be lying if I said he didn't come close.

Plenty of suspense and twists, all carrying subject matter that made me, as a dad, cry some man tears more than once.  A great, heavy film that I will definitely get around to watching again.


----------



## The Bluestocking

"Saving Mr Banks" - the story behind how Mary Poppins went from book to big-screen. Fantastic performances all round if you like that kind of thing. I didn't know P.L. Travers (who created Mary Poppins) was such an interesting person!


----------



## AE35Unit

*X Men First Class* the last one in our blu ray box set and the prequel to them all.

Good stuff


----------



## Foxbat

*Beyond The Time Barrier *A poor  offering with some bad acting  from 1960.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Beyond The Time Barrier *A poor  offering with some bad acting  from 1960.




Oh come on! It's not _that_ bad. In any list of films shot in a week, back to back with another film in Texas in the 60s - this has to be up there with the best of them.

And it does have some seriously groovy modular set design in the future, underground city:







I wonder where they nicked it from. 

EDIT: apparently it was built for the film:


			
				Wikipedia said:
			
		

> Production designer Ernst Fegté  designed a triangular motif to be used in the futuristic sets filmed in  the empty showground buildings where surplus parachutes had to be hung  up in the background to stop echoes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Groovy modular set:




Beyond The Time Barrier 
​


----------



## mosaix

The Cloud Atlas.

Absolutely stunning.


----------



## Ice fyre

Thor 2, wonderful film, I found it much better than Iron Man 3, which to be fair wasnt an awful film, just didnt like it as much as the first two. 

Well acted, nicley shot, lovley effects and two lovley little extra bits at the end of the film.


----------



## biodroid

The Purge - Not bad but been done before

Gravity - Fantastic movie, camera work was brilliant and the FX was great too. Sandra Bullock looked a little different, not so pretty but I guess that was not the point.


----------



## svalbard

Cloud Atlas - I was pleasantly surprised as I had no idea what to expect. I am definitely going to read the book to explore in more depth some of the themes touched upon in the movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *Beyond The Time Barrier *A poor offering with some bad acting from 1960.


 
Not a bad  low budget flick, in my opinion, from the interesting director Edgar G. Ulmer, who gave us such nice little gems as *The Black Cat* and *Detour*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Detour* is a wee cracker of a film.

Tonight, as I laboriously work my way through a huge pile of unwatched VHS tapes destined for the bin or my shelves,  I watched *Crash*, Cronenberg's 1996 adaptation of the J G Ballard novel.  I'd never seen it before - though I have dim memories of reading the book many years ago.  It's one of those films where you need to go for a walk afterwards. (Like most of Cronenberg's films.)  To de-ick your brain.

I'm REALLY glad I didn't see it in a cinema and have to drive home afterwards. 

I think part of the weirdly fascinated compulsion/revulsion I had for the film is that seeing people f*****g in cars is usually a pretty sure way to get me to turn a film off.  I have nothing against cars - and sure as hell have nothing against watching people having sex on screen - but full-on frantic gropingly grunty sex-in-cars scenes usually occur in would-be 'gritty' films about how sodding hard it is being poor/working class/immigrant.  I have nothing against being poor/working class/immigrant (I'd be pretty masochistic if I did) but it's one of those lazy shorthand clichés that just tells me it's time to go watch something else.  It's a rule of thumb I have been applying to films since_ Rita, Sue and Bob Too_ (1987) and I last used a couple of weeks ago when  twenty _Broken English _(1988) joined the 'bin' pile.

I'm not sure I'll want to watch _Crash_ again any time soon but it's going on the shelves for when I do.


----------



## Nick B

Valkyrie

Very good film all round and quite moving.


----------



## Foxbat

*Blood Diner *(1987)
To be honest, this movie has left me a bit speechless. It has bad acting, a preposterous and confusing plot, a mountain of gore, a vegetarian diner run by cannibalistic brothers - one of whom is obsessed with wrestling - a brain in a jar, an ancient goddess made up of body parts and a group of Hitler lookalikes playing in a nightclub. 

It has a lot of faults but I found it to be quite funny(then again, it's supposed to be)


----------



## Starbeast

*Gravity* (2013)

Gripping, dramatic, spine-tingling and awesome!

*They Came to Cordura* (1959)

Excellent drama about soldiers crossing a desert in 1916 Mexico. Stars: Gary Cooper, Rita Hatworth and Dick York.

*Against the Dark* (2009)

A "vampire" virus spreads throughout the world, and teams of slayers scour the land of the infected. Good premise, bad execution. Stars: Steven Seagal

Even though I knew Seagal is in it, I gave it a chance.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Monsters University*. Nowhere near as good as Monsters Inc. I would say it was ok.


----------



## Foxbat

*Boy Eats Girl *

Okay-ish Irish zombie/comedy from 2005. I almost managed a couple of smiles at one point.


----------



## Nick B

The Strangers. Depressing to be honest.


----------



## Perpetual Man

Thor: The Dark Age (Or Phwoar according to Mrs Perp.)

Harmless fun, but not one to start thinking about too much...


----------



## Foxbat

*Zero Dark Thirty *Uncomfortable viewing of waterboarding at the beginning but, all in all, a compelling movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Supervixens *(1975)  large-breasted women and stupid men do sex and violence.  A film held together with a plot that could be summed up in the single, very vague, sentence: 'some stuff happens to this guy'.  Not the best of Russ Meyers films (that's _Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!_ or possibly _Beyond the Valley of the Dolls_) but the earliest one I've seen where he doesn't break the line of action - I'm such a twerp I notice continuity errors in sex scenes.


----------



## Self

Lone Surviver - a good depiction of an incident. Not in the same class as Black Hawk Down, but worth a watch

The Wolf of Wall Street - a long movie, an interesting tale, glad I saw it, probably don't need to see it again.

End of Watch - by far the best Police movie I have ever seen.


----------



## TimeTravel_0

Terminator: Genesis


----------



## monsterchic

Pacific Rim.  That CGI budget had to be massive, but I liked it overall  Nice soundtrack, also.


----------



## Foxbat

*Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon* (2008)
Apparently, this Chinese movie is not historically accurate -  but I don't know much about Chinese history so enjoyed it despite it straying from the historical path.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rumble On The Docks* (1956)

Intense involving drama. A corruption tale involving a street gang working for a racketeer.

*Kid Dynamite* (1943)

East Side Kids entry, which was a very good tale, and fun to watch.


----------



## hegg

*The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).*

I hadn't seen this before but had read and heard a lot of positive stories about it. I really enjoyed it and think it's quite deserving of the praise. I especially enjoyed the fact that so much of the 'action' takes place inside the newspaper office, where we get to see the two main reporters slowly piece the puzzle together of why the country is suddenly experiencing bizarre weather phenomena after both the Americans and Russians launch simultaneous nuclear bomb tests.


----------



## Foxbat

hegg said:


> *The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).*
> 
> I hadn't seen this before but had read and heard a lot of positive stories about it. I really enjoyed it and think it's quite deserving of the praise. I especially enjoyed the fact that so much of the 'action' takes place inside the newspaper office, where we get to see the two main reporters slowly piece the puzzle together of why the country is suddenly experiencing bizarre weather phenomena after both the Americans and Russians launch simultaneous nuclear bomb tests.


 
I love the ending to this movie


----------



## Overread

Well two films as of late:

1) The Lego Movie - anyone who's played with lego will understand this film! Because that's really what it is, a generally good fun game of lego (with a much bigger budget and vast amount of lego blocks). 
For younger audiences, but honestly entertaining enough for most. 

2) Riddick - its a Riddick film start to finish with all you'd expect of him. I'm glad that it retains good ties to the previous film in the franchise (sometimes action orientated films are far too stand-alone). The focus has changed and this film feels very much like an interim between two major events. A key part of the characters history, if uneventful in the great scheme of things within the universe of the setting.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *Kid Dynamite* (1943)
> 
> East Side Kids entry, which was a very good tale, and fun to watch.


 
Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Muggs, Glimpy, Slip, Satch, East Side Kids, Bowery Boys. All a piece of the same cloth and loads of fun for a kid growing up in the '50s.


----------



## joyUnbounded

RIPD ... and I still don't know why.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hegg said:


> *The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).*
> 
> I hadn't seen this before but had read and heard a lot of positive stories about it. I really enjoyed it and think it's quite deserving of the praise. I especially enjoyed the fact that so much of the 'action' takes place inside the newspaper office, where we get to see the two main reporters slowly piece the puzzle together of why the country is suddenly experiencing bizarre weather phenomena after both the Americans and Russians launch simultaneous nuclear bomb tests.



A great movie.  And it's Michael Caine's first film. According to his autobiography he claims that he 'completely screwed up' his part and was told by the director he would 'never work in this industry again'.  

Did you see the slightly sweatier British cut or the less fleshy American version?

Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Link contains an image of near chestal nudity and may not be NSFW (if you work for prudes):


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> A great movie.  And it's Michael Caine's first film. According to his autobiography he claims that he 'completely screwed up' his part and was told by the director he would 'never work in this industry again'


 
Fortunately he was given a featured role in his next film, three years later: *Zulu*. It was what some would call "a ripping yarn".


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hunt For Gollum* (2009)

Excellent independent flick. Reccomended for Middle Earth fans out there.





clovis-man said:


> Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Muggs, Glimpy, Slip, Satch, East Side Kids, Bowery Boys. All a piece of the same cloth and loads of fun for a kid growing up in the '50s.


 
I really enjoy watching those old B&W flicks. Currently, I've been watching a lot of the original Little Rascals (Spanky, Stymie, Weezer, Porky, Alfalfa, Dorothy, Chubby, Buckwheat, Jackie, Mary etc etc.)


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> I really enjoy watching those old B&W flicks. Currently, I've been watching a lot of the original Little Rascals (Spanky, Stymie, Weezer, Porky, Alfalfa, Dorothy, Chubby, Buckwheat, Jackie, Mary etc etc.)


 
Don't forget Petey, the friendly pit bull.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Muggs, Glimpy, Slip, Satch, East Side Kids, Bowery Boys. All a piece of the same cloth and loads of fun for a kid growing up in the '50s.


 
Is this some kind of follow on from the Dead End Kids? I seem to recall them (and Gorcey in particular) being in Angels With Dirty Faces.


----------



## hegg

JunkMonkey said:


> A great movie.  And it's Michael Caine's first film. According to his autobiography he claims that he 'completely screwed up' his part and was told by the director he would 'never work in this industry again'.
> 
> Did you see the slightly sweatier British cut or the less fleshy American version?
> 
> Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
> 
> Link contains an image of near chestal nudity and may not be NSFW (if you work for prudes):



I knew it was him! Haha, thanks for reminding me about that, I almost forgot.

I think I saw the "slightly sweatier" cut 

Really great film, ambiguous ending, loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Day the Earth Caught Fire* is indeed a fine early science fiction movie, unusually realistic and convincing.  I'm sure I saw the less sweaty, American television version, but it was still very effective.


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> Is this some kind of follow on from the Dead End Kids? I seem to recall them (and Gorcey in particular) being in Angels With Dirty Faces.


 
Looks like there were several versions with pretty much the same characters, differently named. Between the "Dead End Kids" and the "East Side Kids", there were "The Little Tough Guys". The "Bowery 
Boys" were the last version chronologically. In sum there were quite a number of films featuring Gorcey & company.


----------



## Foxbat

clovis-man said:


> Looks like there were several versions with pretty much the same characters, differently named. Between the "Dead End Kids" and the "East Side Kids", there were "The Little Tough Guys". The "Bowery
> Boys" were the last version chronologically. In sum there were quite a number of films featuring Gorcey & company.


 
Thanks for the info. I'll have to try and check out a few more of these movies.


----------



## Foxbat

*Scarface *(1932)
Excellent


----------



## Nick B

Got round to watching *Man of Steel*, many people didn't like it. I did. I liked it alot, superman is more real, more emotional.


----------



## Camorra

Rain Man, just a great movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Tintin* (2011)  I loved the books as a kid and as an adult am full of admiration of Herge's wonderful draughtsmanship and story-telling skills.  The movie started off well, some nice dialogue and funny asides, but somewhere along the way it lost me.  I think it was the endless camera movement.  Every shot was full of so much swooshing and swooping and swirling about that by the time we got round to the over-excited chase sequences they had to pile on so much absurdity into the action that it became unbearably OTT stupid.  One of the joyous thing about the books was - absurdly improbable coincidences aside - the action took place in a very real and recognisable world. A world where the laws of physics - if not exactly adhered to - were at least recognisably close by. The movie  was just souped-up Hollywood bollocks.  "More is not necessarily more." and "Just because you can doesn't mean you have to."  are words that need to be tattooed on the inside of Steven Spielberg's eyelids.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

American Hustle last night...good film good performances all around (Jennifer Lawrence is one of our finest young actors, and Jeremy Renner was surprising, and quite good, as a New Jersey city mayor). But, wow, the greatest thing was the surprise Godzilla trailer! We live in a very small town, in a rural part of Finland, and many-many foreign-to-Finland movies never play in the sticks (even true blockbusters), but OMG, we ARE getting Godzilla!! Finns are very conservative in crowds...very little talking, very little eye contact...and you can hear a pin drop in a movie theater, they are so respectful of the other person's space. I hope the ten or so other patrons of the movie last night will forgive me for the little "WOW!" of joy I let loose when I realized--about 1.5 seconds in--that we were seeing trailer for Godzilla.


----------



## ethelredtheunredey

Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. What an odd little film. Enjoyed it a lot though, must have missed it when it was released cos its far from new. The phone he uses to hack ignitions and gates is a proper nokia brick from the dark ages


----------



## Camorra

Cat's Cradle said:


> American Hustle last night...good film good performances all around (Jennifer Lawrence is one of our finest young actors, and Jeremy Renner was surprising, and quite good, as a New Jersey city mayor). But, wow, the greatest thing was the surprise Godzilla trailer! We live in a very small town, in a rural part of Finland, and many-many foreign-to-Finland movies never play in the sticks (even true blockbusters), but OMG, we ARE getting Godzilla!! Finns are very conservative in crowds...very little talking, very little eye contact...and you can hear a pin drop in a movie theater, they are so respectful of the other person's space. I hope the ten or so other patrons of the movie last night will forgive me for the little "WOW!" of joy I let loose when I realized--about 1.5 seconds in--that we were seeing trailer for Godzilla.



I'm planning on checking out American Hustle, would you say that you'd recommend it?
Well, I'll watch anyways since Jennifer Lawrence is awesome


----------



## Triceratops

The KR remake of The Thing. Highly inventive and watchable every time.

chris


----------



## lonewolfwanderer

Thor 2... Pretty good (is it just me or do these Marvel Films get better and better with each film released?)


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

lonewolfwanderer said:


> Thor 2... Pretty good (is it just me or do these Marvel Films get better and better with each film released?)





For Thor 2 especially.  Thor wasn't bad, but Thor 2 was better.


We watched *Catching Fire* last night. It was pretty good; I think they've done a good job capturing Collins' novels. Very much looking forward to the next installment. Is it true they are splitting the third book into 2 movies?


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Camorra said:


> I'm planning on checking out American Hustle, would you say that you'd recommend it?
> Well, I'll watch anyways since Jennifer Lawrence is awesome



Hi Camorra! Oh yes, it is definitely worth seeing! It's a good story, and interestingly told. The acting is top notch (Lawrence has some amazing-amazing moments...she is wonderful!). The clothes are amazing, there is a ton of great, period music...the music is integrated into the action, and really adds depth, in many scenes. And the opening scene with Christian Bale is quite startling...he has changed his appearance before for movie roles, but this is really quite surprising! So yes, please do go see American Hustle!


----------



## DigitalRain

*300: Rise of an Empire*

Not as good as Zack Snyder's original (new director, though Snyder co-wrote the screenplay). BUT still very watchable, with epic sea battle scenes. 

I'd still want to own the Blu-ray and re-watch, as I did with the first 300.


----------



## biodroid

Bad Grandpa - Very funny movie not as vulgar as the Jackass franchise but lots of laugh out loud moments.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Good action movie that seemed to have lost the plot a bit somewhere. Good SFX especially the London scene. And as usual the obligatory 10 seconds of Arnold Vosloo not having a decent role in the movie.


----------



## Mouse

*One Day*. Really depressed me. Plus, Anne Hathaway's accent was terrible.


----------



## clovis-man

In a moment of weakness, I allowed myself to be persuaded to go see *Son of God*. Vapid script with deliveries by the actors like from a small church Easter pageant. Stupid closeups (I don't need to count the pores on the actors' noses. And it seemed counter-intuitive for all the major actors to have perfect teeth). Silly, over dramatized score (Everytime there was an exterior shot of Jerusalem, ominous music was played). And every time there was an exterior shot of the ancient city or the temple, a fuzzy focus was used (I would imagine to conceal the flaws in the cheap models used).

And that's not counting all the silliness associated with the religious themes involved and the one dimensional portrayal of the characters. Pontius Pilate was shown as the ultimate bad guy, a Darth Pontius if you will. Just scowling at everyone does not a believable character make.

Enough. I recommend avoiding this one.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent* (1957)

Directed by Roger Corman; written by Lawrence L. Goldman and Irving Block.

_Great_ title.

This feminist classic begins in old-fashioned Hollywood style, as the pages of a fancy book turn by themselves, revealing the credits in lovely calligraphy as bombastic music blares in the background. The last page shows a simple map of Europe, with the Atlantic Ocean labelled "the Unknown Sea." The northern coast of the continent is "the Land of the Danes." Denmark itself is called "Stonjold," a completely fictional name. This is our first hint that this movie has very little to do with history. In fact, it's a lot closer to a _peplum_ or one of those lousy sword and sorcery flicks of the 1980's.

A narrator informs us that the men of Stonjold sailed away three years ago, leaving the women behind. (There's also one man. If the movie ever explained why he didn't go off with the others, I missed it. Was he too young? He doesn't seem to be. Was he not manly enough? There's no evidence for this.) The entire population of Stonjold seems to consist of this guy and about a dozen or so lovely young women. No old people, no children. 

Stonjold must be in the warmest part of the Land of the Danes, because all the women wear microskirts. We join them as they are voting on whether to sail off in search of the men or not. Voting in "true Viking fashion" (or so the narrator says) consists of throwing spears at a couple of trees, one for "go" and one for "stay." While engaged in debate, they spot an omen in the sky, in the form of a cloud shaped like a Viking ship. Not a cloud that sort of resembles a ship, mind you; this cloud looks like a Viking ship in every detail. Once again we are reminded that we are in fantasy land.

The voting sequence allows us to meet the main characters. Besides the one man, we have the _de facto_ leader, betrothed to the missing chief of Stonjold; the leader's little sister; a tall redhead (or so she looked to me in black-and-white; everybody else, with the exception noted below, is platinum blonde) who pretty quickly turns out to be the one man's love interest; and Stonjold's only dark-haired resident, who also happens to be the local priestess. It's very quickly established that the priestess wants the missing chief for herself, and that she plans to get her rival out of the way.

With the priestess casting (literally) the deciding vote, the women build a dragon boat and sail off. In a hilarious scene, the rudder breaks off when they are only a few feet from shore. Instead of going back and building another one, they decide to carry on with oars.

The redhead discovers that the one man has stowed away the ship. (Why weren't they planning to take him along? Don't ask me.) It's pretty clear that they're meant for each other. The priestess tries to kill the leader by having the sail "accidentally" fall on her, but fails. The ship heads into "the vortex," a region of swirling water inhabited by a sea serpent. We only see this critter for a brief time, which is all for the good. It's about average for a cheap monster movie of the time. Light-years below Harryhausen, but better than *The Giant Claw*.

The vortex sends the ship crashing into an unknown land. Like Stonjold, it sure looks like the coast of Southern California. The place is inhabited by the bad guys, who wear vaguely "barbaric" clothing. We meet the local ruler, who serves as the movie's main villain; the ruler's right hand man, who doesn't do much except whip the Vikings at random times; and the ruler's weak-willed, whiny son, who is simultaneously the most annoying and the funniest character in this thing. We quickly find out that the missing Viking men have been held prisoner in the mines of the bad guys ever since they went away.

During a boar hunt, the leader of the Viking women kills the beast, saving the bacon (pun intended) of the ruler's son. He's all upset about being saved by a "girl," so he agrees to help her if she pretends he killed the critter himself. (He also loses an arm wrestling match to her later, during a celebration of the son killing the boar. Like any good pseudo-historical party, this features a "dancing girls" sequence. Since this is a low budget movie, however, we have exactly _one_ dancing girl.) 

Meanwhile, the priestess uses her feminine wiles on the ruler, hoping to get the leader killed so she can have the chief for herself. Failing that, she'll settle for having them both killed. Will the Vikings escape? Will the priestess have her way? Will we see the sea serpent again?

This is a cheap, very silly movie, but it's quite fun to watch. The plot never slows down, and the actors take their roles very seriously. I haven't seen the MST3K version of this thing, but it must have been a hoot.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I saw *Rainman* last night, en toto, for the first time in many years.  

Tom Cruise' character is such a twit.

Dustin Hofman's performance in that movie is astounding.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent* (1957)...
> This is a cheap, very silly movie, but it's quite fun to watch. The plot never slows down, and the actors take their roles very seriously. I haven't seen the MST3K version of this thing, but it must have been a hoot.



I haven't seen either - long been on the want to see list though. Here's a link to the MST3K version:
Club MST3k - 317 - The Viking Women and the Sea Serpent


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Playgirls and the Vampire* (_L'ultima preda del vampiro_) (1960)

Not worth a full review, this is pretty much a by-the-numbers example of early Italian Gothic horror. Five showgirls and the two guys who work with them have to spend the night at a spooky castle when the road is blocked by a storm. Two creepy servants warn them away, the count reluctantly accepts them but tells them not to leave their rooms at night. The silliest of the showgirls wanders around in search of a shower, gets killed by an unseen something, gets buried, comes out of the grave as a vampire. (Oddly, she apparently did not have the telltale bite marks on her throat, but seems to have been killed by being thrown out of a high window.) Meanwhile, one of the other showgirls looks exactly like a painting of the wife of one of the count's ancestors and knows more about the place than she should.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The plot is notable only for the fact that the count is not the vampire. It seems that he and his two servants were trying to keep their unwanted guests from being harmed by the count's look-alike undead ancestor.

***END SPOILER ALERT***

Notable also is the amount of cheesecake on display. Right at the start we get a long, lingering close-up of the doomed showgirl running her hands slowly up her leg as she adjusts her stocking, the camera moving up to reveal that she has her skirt raised way up above her garter. The rest of the movie is full of the showgirls slinking around in lingerie. At one point, during a rehearsal of a G-rated dance number, one of the showgirls suddenly demands that the guy at the piano start playing blues music instead, and she procedes to do a strip tease act down to her undies. In particular, after the murdered showgirl returns from the grave (with an interesting personality change from a total airhead to a serious, strong-minded vampire) she spends the rest of the movie stark naked. (Since this is the American version of a 1960 movie, this is carefully filmed so that dark shadows conceal anything we haven't already seen.) Shades of *Lifeforce*!


----------



## mosaix

*The Book Thief.  *Enjoyed it immensely, almost as good as the book. The young actress, Sophie Nélisse, has a great future ahead of her.


----------



## Starbeast

*Howl's Moving Castle* (2004)

I finally got a chance to see this fantasic fantasy flick. It was awesome!


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Howl's MC is wonderful! I read negative opinions of it a lot (mostly because of changes from the source material), but I still think it is a beautiful film.


----------



## Mouse

*Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus*. Not as funny as Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, but still pretty crap.


----------



## Brother Karl

Mean Girls.... FOR LIFE!!













Please dont judge me


----------



## HoopyFrood

Cat's Cradle said:


> Howl's MC is wonderful! I read negative opinions of it a lot (mostly because of changes from the source material), but I still think it is a beautiful film.



Urfgh, I LOVE Howl's Moving Castle. One of my favourite ever films (and has to be with the subs). I adore Grandma Sophie.


----------



## Starbeast

Cat's Cradle said:


> Howl's MC is wonderful! I read negative opinions of it a lot (mostly because of changes from the source material), but I still think it is a beautiful film.


 
I've heard mixed reviews, but most were positive. It is hard to adapt a movie from a novel. But I got the message of the story quite clearly. Fantastic animation, and I really like the steampunk technology.



HoopyFrood said:


> Urfgh, I LOVE Howl's Moving Castle. One of my favourite ever films (and has to be with the subs). I adore Grandma Sophie.


 
I plan to watch it in it's original language next time. I perfer movies in the their original language. 

I'm catching up with all the early Godzilla movies currently (in Japanese of course).


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Good day, Starbeast!  I wonder where you find the Godzilla films? Or do you own them already? I am having trouble here in Europe finding Region 2, or Region free DVDs of Godzilla (very little sold by Amazon.uk itself, for ex).


----------



## Starbeast

Good evening Cat's Cradle.

I've been slowly collecting Godzilla flicks for years. I found them here and there, in different stores.

Have you tried to order them from a store that sells DVDs?

Perhaps, the TOHO company periodically releases the titles, like Disney films.


----------



## Foxbat

Cat's Cradle said:


> Good day, Starbeast!  I wonder where you find the Godzilla films? Or do you own them already? I am having trouble here in Europe finding Region 2, or Region free DVDs of Godzilla (very little sold by Amazon.uk itself, for ex).


 
Just to barge in on this conversation

It's fairly easy to pick up a multi-region player (you can get them from Amazon) and fairly cheaply nowadays. Then you can get all the monster pics you want from across the pond. Oldies.com sell quite a few of them.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Ahh, thank you both! I hadn't thought of a region-free player (and the one we have now is possessed...it turns on when it wants, and is almost impossible to turn off...seriously, there are many times when we have to get up and unplug it because it cannot be turned off, either with the remote, or the on/off button on the device itself!  ). My wife and I brought most of our DVDs here from the States when we moved (region 1; this includes some Godzilla), so a region-free player would be ideal, thank you Foxbat!


----------



## Mouse

*Despicable Me 2*. First time I've seen this'n. Quite funny in places.


----------



## Moonbat

Last night watched *Blue Jasmine* by Woody Allen, starring Cate Blanchett as Jasmine, an amazing performance by her and worthy of the Oscar. Not the most uplifting film and quite harsh in places, but typically fascinating.
Also tried to watch *Cloud Atlas* on Monday night, but only got half way through, was boring, silly rubbish and not altogether disjointed. The annoying pigeon speak of the future (past new Seoul) was annoying and that is a true true.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> *Despicable Me 2*. First time I've seen this'n. Quite funny in places.



You mean the bits with the minions.  The rest of it was very disappointing after the wonderful first film.


----------



## Overread

Despicable Me 2 suffers from being somewhat predictable if you're an older audience member - Minions remain fun though! 


And for me - Once Upon a Time in the West. Again I'm reminded that you can't just put one of those films on as background entertainment - it DEMANDS that you watch it!


----------



## Foxbat

*Requiem For A Heavyweight *(1962)
Top drawer performances from Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris. 

As movies about spent boxers goes, this is about the finest. Superb!


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> You mean the bits with the minions.  The rest of it was very disappointing after the wonderful first film.



I thought some of the Gru bits were quite funny.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Just to barge in on this conversation
> 
> It's fairly easy to pick up a multi-region player (you can get them from Amazon) and fairly cheaply nowadays. Then you can get all the monster pics you want from across the pond. Oldies.com sell quite a few of them.



It is also, it should be pointed out, fairly easy to multi-region (is that a verb?) most DVD players. With most DVD players I have owned it has been a matter of a few keystrokes on the remote and hey presto!  Multi-region player.  (Code usually found on the web after five minutes.  Make Model number and 'region hack' and away you go.)

Apart from the one I bought from Tescos.  I never did find the code for that.  But the kids got that one...


----------



## Marvin

Mouse said:


> I thought some of the Gru bits were quite funny.



So did I. And my 5 year old daughter (whom I'm guessing is part of the main target audience?) Who for days ran about quoting Grew's line 'delicious jams and jellys' in a perfect imitation of whatever accent Grew is suppose to have. Funnier than the film 

As for me I watched Deadfall (Eric Bana) the other night - personally I think the title is missing an 'R' wrong spelling but you get my meaning!


----------



## clovis-man

*American Hustle*

An interesting piece re the Abscam sting operation. Some pretty impressive acting. Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence in particular. For a period piece, I thought they missed the mark to some extent on the costumes. But well worth seeing.

*The World's End*

Another gem from Simon Pegg. Speed of light dialogue and great characters. The action scenes were better choreographed than most Broadway musicals. One to see over and over. Great fun!


----------



## chrispenycate

Gravity (in 3D)(Birthday treat)

Great Effects, no understanding of orbital dynamics (which are, admittedly, counter intuititive) or the amount of SPACE in space.

And story? There was a story?


----------



## Cat's Cradle

JunkMonkey said:


> It is also, it should be pointed out, fairly easy to multi-region (is that a verb?) most DVD players. With most DVD players I have owned it has been a matter of a few keystrokes on the remote and hey presto!  Multi-region player.




Oh, a fine idea, JunkMonkey, thank you! I shall begin my research on this right away, thanks so much!   CC

Oh! And also Gravity, my wife rented out a theater for my birthday! Enjoyed the movie a great deal...amazing looking film.


----------



## thommy

Robocop (2014). Actually quite good.


----------



## Foxbat

*Garuda *(2004) This Thai movie is your common or garden military versus monster movie. When expanding the Bangkok underground, an ancient monster is awakened and it's a bit grumpy.

It's got some cheesy dialogue, a pretty formulaic script and some impressive visuals for a low budget film. Probably not to everyone's taste but I enjoyed it in a passive, too-many-glasses-of-wine-beforehand sort of way. 

Worth a look for dedicated fans of monster movies.


----------



## Foxbat

*Rome Open City* (1945)
I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about this Roberto Rossellini film. An absolute classic.

*Southern Gothic *(2007) A plodding standard vampire picture that had me struggling to keep my eyes open.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*King Kong *(the original - 1933) - a strange choice for the Friday night family  ritual of Film and Pizza - but Number One daughter is a strange wee girl and it was her turn to pick.  So Kong it was. For the umpteenth time I was bowled over by the technical wonderfulness of it all and noticed a continuity error I had never seen before (The 'husky' sailor with the stripy shirt's shirt mends itself between the raft sequence and the log over the chasm sequence.)

When they'd all gone to bed I watched* Jeepers Creepers *which I had never seen before.  I really liked it - until the monster appeared on screen.  After that it was all a bit so so.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *King Kong *(the original - 1933) - a strange choice for the Friday night family  ritual of Film and Pizza - but Number One daughter is a strange wee girl and it was her turn to pick.  So Kong it was. For the umpteenth time I was bowled over by the technical wonderfulness of it all and noticed a continuity error I had never seen before (The 'husky' sailor with the stripy shirt's shirt mends itself between the raft sequence and the log over the chasm sequence.)


 
All these years after its creation, this movie still impresses me. Willis O'Brien (special effects guru) pioneered miniature rear projection in this film and went on later to act as a mentor to a young Ray Harryhausen. 

We've got a lot to thank Kong for


----------



## Starbeast

*White House Down* (2013)

I really hoped for a good movie, that included actors Jamie Foxx and James Woods. But all I got was an over-the-top, CGI encrusted, typical action movie that was an "ok" time-waster. The only thing worth watching in this film was the unbelievable action sequences and (the always fun to watch) actor, James Woods. That's it.


Hey, seeing KING KONG (1933) would be fun to watch again.


----------



## Rafellin

47 Ronin (2013).

Surprised me by being eminently entertaining.


----------



## Rafellin

Harlock: Space Pirate

New anime reviving the classic anime character. 

For gawd's sake get and watch the _non_-'International' edition. Because the english dubbed one has gutted the tale to nonsense.


----------



## Ice fyre

Lair of the white worm, featuring the floppy haired Hugh Grant and a rather youthful Peter Capaldi. An odd film, not terribly high budget, but lots of enthusiasm. Not the best Horror film I have seen but a pleasant waste of a couple of hours.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Day the Earth Stood Still* (2008)

Eh. I didn't hate it, but it can't compare to the dated but still powerful original. Klaatu doesn't have one ten-thousandth of the quiet dignity of Michael Rennie, the beautiful female scientist is bland, and the kid is annoying. I'll admit that the new Gort looks cool (the robot suit is one of the original version's weaknesses) and that the destruction of human life on the planet by nanobots is an interesting idea. (You young folks who are used to seeing movies made after 1985 or so are probably used to this kind of special effect, but I have to say that the scenes of the nanobots dissolving everything in their path impressed me. Too bad they made them look silly by making them into tiny metal insects.) Lots of inconsistencies in mood; was this an action-packed thriller full of explosions, or a made-for-Lifetime movie about the true meaning of family?


----------



## Starbeast

*Sleep Dealer* (2008)

A very well done independant film, that was an out of the ordinary Sci-Fi feature.

I won't say too much, but it's set in the near future, and people from Mexico are making money by joining a company that uses remote controlled work-bots.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Brave*. This was the second time I've seen this movie, but the first time for my daughter. She always falls in love with things from the books first, and then discovers there are movies and we will watch them at that point. She is a serious bookworm, and we have read many Merida stories together; I think she liked the movie, but prefers the stories in her books.


----------



## Foxbat

*Unknown World*(1951) Obviously inspired by Jules Verne, our intrepid heroes take a journey to the centre of the Earth. Unfortunately, not a lot happens either on the way or when they get there. 

Being prone to bouts of insomnia, I feel that I may have finally found an answer to my problem with this snooze-inducing yawnfest.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *Unknown World*(1951) Obviously inspired by Jules Verne, our intrepid heroes take a journey to the centre of the Earth. Unfortunately, not a lot happens either on the way or when they get there.
> 
> Being prone to bouts of insomnia, I feel that I may have finally found an answer to my problem with this snooze-inducing yawnfest.


 
Total agreement.  As fond as I am of these old sci-fi flicks, this one is so boring that you can't even laugh at it.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Legend of Zorro* (2005)

Banderas and Zeta-Jones engage in more action adventure in this sequel to *The Mask of Zorro* (which I enjoyed immensely). Sadly, while the stunts were impressive, the story had lost its magic. Not sure why all the bad guys, who looked like refugees from Duck Dynasty, chose to use swords instead of firearms.


----------



## biodroid

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, fantastic movie, much better then the first one. It had an Avengers feel to with a good plot, sfx and action galore.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Inferno* (1953) -- Tense suspense film, originally released in 3-D.  (You can see some scenes set up to make use of that process, but it works perfectly well flat.)  A woman (Rhonda Fleming) and her lover (William Lundigan) leave the woman's injured husband (Robert Ryan) alone in the desert to die, meanwhile setting up evidence so the cops will search for him in the wrong place.  Most of the film is a _tour de force_ for Ryan, as he tries to survive.  Later remade as the inferior TV move *Ordeal* (1973) with quite a different ending.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Jack The Giant Slayer.*  There seems to be rather more giants in this picture than I recollect from the tale of _Jack and the Beanstalk._

But the plot, such as it is, put me in the mind of the lesser known folktale, _Jack the Giant Killer;_ which I hadn't read for about a hundred years.

There are numerous versions, extant, of the latter.  Upon review, it seems that the filmakers made a pretty good hodgepodge of the various sources.  

Fun Flick. Despite borrowing heavily from LOTR CGI algorithms and tropes.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7439/7439-h/7439-h.htm#link2H_4_0021


----------



## Starbeast

*Wreck-it Ralph* (2013)

Finally saw it. Not bad for a kid flick. It has a nice nostalgic flavor added to it for adults.


----------



## Mouse

Two Weeks Notice. It was on telly. It's always on telly. But, you know, Sandra Bullock. So...


----------



## Nick B

47 Ronin. 

I loved it.

Many will probably complain, but I like Keanu Reeves.


----------



## Vince W

Quellist said:


> 47 Ronin.
> 
> I loved it.
> 
> Many will probably complain, but I like Keanu Reeves.



I thought it was a pretty good fantasy-action film. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Nick B

Delivery Man

Surprisingly OK feel good movie. Good to watch with the other half.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Beast from Haunted Cave* (1959)

Directed by Monte Hellman; written by Charles B. Griffith

For a long time I thought I had already seen this one. Then I realized that I was getting it mixed up with *Creature from the Haunted Sea* (1961), made by many of the same folks. The crime/monster plots are somewhat similar. 

From Wikipedia:

















> Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith rewrote an earlier screenplay for the film Naked Paradise. A third version of this storyline appeared as the comedy film Creature from the Haunted Sea.


















Apparently *Naked Paradise* (1957) has no monster.

Anyway, this version involves a gang of crooks -- the boss, the mistress of the boss, and two henchmen, one of whom is the comedy relief -- who plan to rob some gold bars from a vault in Deadwood, South Dakota. The plot involves setting off an explosion in a gold mine nearby as a diversion. Then they get a innocent ski instructor/guide to lead them to his isolated cabin, where they plan to kill him and meet a plane that will take them to Canada. The mistress falls for the guide and tries to escape from the bad guys with him.

What about the monster? Well, it's first seen in the gold mine, where the henchman who isn't the comedy relief took a local barmaid for some smooching while he was planting the bomb. (Apparently he's quite the ladies' man. In a scene which is said to have been added only to extend the running time for television, he tries to start a romance with the guide's sister, who vanishes from the story after this scene. The siblings are named Jill and Gil, which is too cute for me. By the way, the guide is played by the guy who played Apollo in the _Star Trek_ episode "Who Mourns for Adonis?") Later it shows up in Haunted Cave, where the guide and the mistress try to hide from the bad guys.

Despite the fact that this movie is three-quarters crime film and one-quarter monster flick, the monster scenes are actually better than you'd expect for an old low-budget quickie. The monster is only briefly seen, sometimes in scenes shot from its point of view, so you just get glimpses of long, tentacle-like appendages covered with webs. When we see it clearly, near the end, it's not too disappointing.

***MODERATE SPOILER AHEAD***

The way in which the monster traps its victims in webs, keeps them alive, and feeds on their blood is actually pretty scary, and may remind you of later films like *Alien*.

***END SPOILER***

Worth a look for monster buffs, if you're willing to put up with lots of crime stuff, pretty bad sound and some really dark photography (at least in the free on-line version I saw), and some time-wasting scenes of cross-country skiing.


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria, *Creature From The Haunted Sea*, is one of favorite B&W monster movies! *Beast From Haunted Cave*, is pretty good for a classic B-movie.

Surprisingly I haven't seen *Naked Paradise* yet, but I will check it out. Thanks for reminding me of that movie.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Our Idiot Brother*. Better than I was expecting, actually. It was funny, touching, and entertaining.


----------



## Foxbat

*Crow Hollow *British murder mystery movie from 1952. A bit slow but worth a watch.


----------



## Mouse

*Gia*. Which is about a supermodel who dies of aids. Very, very tragic. Stars Angelina Jolie and the lady who played Juliet in Lost.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Beast from Haunted Cave* (1959)
> 
> Directed by Monte Hellman; written by Charles B. Griffith



_Key Largo_, on skis, with a monster.  I agree with you Victoria, it's better than it sounds - or has any right to be.

Last Night the kids (aged 11, 9 and 4) and I watched the first Reeves' *Superman* movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*Cage Of Gold *(1950) Fairly formulaic  but still entertaining drama from Ealing Studios.


----------



## Vince W

*Captain America: Winter Soldier*

Fairly good film really. Starts out more like a political thriller, but then it drags a bit, and picks up again towards the end. Maybe 10 minutes too long.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Vince W said:


> *Captain America: Winter Soldier*
> 
> Fairly good film really. Starts out more like a political thriller, but then it drags a bit, and picks up again towards the end. Maybe 10 minutes too long.



I thought it is actually one of the better Marvel films and Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are both in fine form in this one. 

Hopefully, The Winter Soldier marks the start of a good year of comic book-based movies.

Next up: The next installment of X-Men and... GODZILLA!


----------



## Mouse

*Gravity*. Posted my thoughts in the Gravity thread.


----------



## RebeccaTheWrecker

*Captain America: The Winter Soldier.*
I'm a bit biased because I'm a huge Marvel fan and Captain America is obviously the best superhero (he was a superhero when he was just Steve Rogers), but I really enjoyed it. Didn't feel like a Marvel movie until the end, and the ending was phenomenal (including the after credits scenes, which made me fangirl a bit).


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Blood of Ghastly Horror* (1972)  - a truly awful mess of a film which I have watched before but didn't quite believe.


----------



## davidmatthewalmond

Anchorman 2 - _Not _nearly as funny as the original, awkward and forced. Steve Carrel and Kristen Wiig were the only saving grace after the first 20 minutes


----------



## bobbo19

just watched Avatar again for like the 7th time. Just found out there is going to be 3 sequels all coming out after December 2016. Looking forward to them, just dont see how he is going to bring back Col. Qauritch


----------



## Nick B

Just watched Divergent, quite dissapointing, looks like we can look forward to lots of battle roy- i mean hunger games style clones :-(


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Brainiac* (_El barón del terror_, 1962)

Outrageous Mexican horror flick notable for the insane appearance of the title monster. 

This poster image is pretty accurate (although the film is in black and white.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baron-del-terror.jpg

Note in particular the weird hands, which kind of look like hollow lobster claws. This is how the monster sucks out the brains of its victims. (It also stores the brains for later snacking while in human form.) The plot starts off with a familiar premise -- executed sorcerer comes back to life centuries later to get revenge on the descendents of those who condemned him -- but it quickly goes in bizarre directions. It's a terrible movie, but it holds an eerie fascination because of its nightmarish lack of plot logic.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Dear God, that poster...it's wonderful! How grotesque! Some modern horror director has GOT to reuse those hideous hands!!  

Saw *Doctor Zhivago* again...beautiful movie to watch, and a good film, but not nearly as great as Lawrence.


----------



## Triceratops

Frozen.  The movie was far above average but lack, I think, in originality, concept and storyline plot. 

On a side note:

The ice queen's  dress in Frozen is now being commercial reproduced and parents are  scrambling for it. Anybody notice the "runway strut" she performed just  after she donned it while singing that now famous song? If  that was  subliminal advertizing, it really rang some bells. Ya know the dolls  have to follow, if they haven't already. Sorry, but I still think Jodi  Benson creamed her The Little Mermaid as far as theme song and lyrics.  But I'm biased 'cause I interviewed her after her movie was released.

Still, Frozen ranks up there. 

Chris


----------



## monsterchic

Just watched Inception for probably the fifth or sixth time this morning.  Recently, however, I did see The Winter Soldier.  Loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night People* (1954) -- Rather muddled Cold War thriller with Gregory Peck. An American GI is kidnapped from West Berlin by the Reds. They officially don't know anything about it, but unofficially are willing to give him back in exchange for a couple of pre-war double agents they want to get their hands on. The post-War but pre-Wall Berlin setting is interesting, but the story is talky and confusing.

*Freud* (1962) -- Montgomery Clift stars as the pioneering psychologist. His development of psychiatric treatments for "hysterical" symptoms is simplified, of course -- in this universe, people can be put into deep hypnosis with a few seconds of "watch the candle" dialogue -- but it's moderately interesting.

*Your Cheatin' Heart* (1964) -- Surprisingly good (if, by all reports, highly fictionalized) biography of country music star Hank Williams. George Hamilton gives a fine performance in the lead role. Songs performed by fifteen-year-old Hank Williams, Jr.

*Act of Violence* (1948) -- Intense _film noir_ as a guy (Robert Ryan) tracks down and intends to kill the guy (Van Williams) who told the Nazis about an attempted escape plan when they were both POWs. The ending took me by surprise in more than one way.

*Mystery Street* (1950) -- Police procedural with a lot of forensic medicine involved, as Harvard assists the cops in identifying a skeleton found on Cape Cod, then helps them track down the killer. Good cast; Ricardo Montalban, Agnes Moorehead, etc.

*I Thank a Fool* (1962) -- Offbeat psychological drama/suspense movie as a lawyer (Peter Finch) hires the doctor (Susan Hayward) he sent to jail for mercy killing to look after his mentally ill wife. The drama works better than the mystery. Don't ask me what the title means.

*Sunday Bloody Sunday* (1971) -- Well-regarded film, probably best known for depicting a three-way love affair, as a bisexual young man carries on simultaneous affairs with a man and a woman. No real plot to speak of; it's more impressionistic, like a "literary" novel. I wasn't prepared for all the scenes with a bunch of tiny children, as the woman in the triangle babysits for her friends. Nor was I prepared for the sudden death of a dog in a stupid accident. Scenes showing the way that telephone lines used to work -- insanely complicated tangles of wires, spinning disks, etc. -- were fascinating.

*The Group* (1966) -- Classy soap opera which explores the lives of eight women, newly graduated from college at the start of the Depression, as they deal with love, sex, careers, marriage, and/or childbirth during the pre-War years. It's sort of like what *Valley of the Dolls* might have been like if it hadn't been so stupid and trashy.


----------



## Rek

Soylent Green (1973) A really enjoyable film that if you haven't seen it then it is worth a watch. I am a bit old fashioned and still love old films even when the special effects are terrible so apologies if it turns out to be not your cup of tea.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Welcome Rek! I really enjoy Soylent Green (it's based on a Harry Harrison novel). I think it is one of those films that seems quite dated, but dated in the best possible way. There are some great scenes in the movie!  Hope you love the Chrons!  CC


----------



## Foxbat

*Cape Fear *It's been a few years since I last saw this Scorsese remake. I still consider it one of his best movies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Blue Lagoon* (1949) -- Second film version of the famous novel about two kids marooned on a desert island. (Apparently there was a silent version.) More of an adventure film than the romantic fantasy of the Brooke Shields version. There's an attack by a deadly octopus (not likely) and some Bad Guys who want the valuable pearls the boy finds. (These kids were about ten years old when they were stranded, but they have no idea that pearls are valuable; again, not likely.) The sexy aspects of the story are not entirely ignored, however, as the kids grow up into scantily clad adults, perform their own marriage ceremony, and have a child.

*The Sergeant* (1968) -- Rod Steiger gives a fine, complex performance in this psychological drama about a Master Sergeant in post-War France and his attraction to a young soldier. This would make an interesting double feature with *Reflections in a Golden Eye* (1967).

*Death Rides a Horse* (1967) -- Above average spaghetti Western. John Phillip Law (Steiger's _Death in Venice_-style obsession in *The Sergeant*) is a guy who saw his family slaughtered by a gang of robbers when he was a kid, and who seeks revenge. Lee Van Cleef is one of the gang members who is also tracking them down because they took his share of the loot and let him rot in prison. The most interesting aspect of the film is the changing relationship between the two main characters, from semi-friendly rivals, to allies, to enemies, to a sort of surrogate father and son.
_________________


----------



## Nick B

The Conjuring,

I'm not much of a horror fan to be fair, too many storyless shockfests trying to hard to be the goriest/most shocking/most twisted film of the yeas. I do however appreciate a well written and directed horror flick, sadly they are rare.

The Conjuring is one of those rare horrors that works well, has likeable characters and actualy gives you a bit of a chill. All round good film, grab a bottle of wine and some dorito's, cuddle up to the other half and enjoy.


----------



## Bluebird

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - it was a solid movie and some cool low-key (for big budget Hollywood at least) action scenes which made it a bit more believable. The not so subtle reference to today's society was fun too. It was generally a good comic book movie, not breaking new ground but it entertains.


----------



## Mouse

Were the World Mine. It's like a gay musical retelling of Midsummer Night's Dream. Very random.


----------



## ratsy

Quellist said:


> The Conjuring,
> 
> I'm not much of a horror fan to be fair, too many storyless shockfests trying to hard to be the goriest/most shocking/most twisted film of the yeas. I do however appreciate a well written and directed horror flick, sadly they are rare.
> 
> The Conjuring is one of those rare horrors that works well, has likeable characters and actualy gives you a bit of a chill. All round good film, grab a bottle of wine and some dorito's, cuddle up to the other half and enjoy.



I liked the Conjuring too.  I really like the 70's decor and the two "Ghost hunters" were great characters.  Also a great side story with them.  That room in their house full of the artifacts was awesome.  

I just saw Divergent this weekend.  I bought my wife the book since she says I always pick books better suited to her than she does...  She liked the book well enough and wanted to see the flick.  Not really my cup of tea but I can appreciate the story a little bit.  It was a little long for my taste too but hey, not every movie can be Paul Rudd saying dirty things


----------



## Nick B

Devils Due... I will never get that hour and a half of my life back. Think Paranormal Activity - only worse.

Last Days on Mars, A fairly entertaining film, a bit wooden and I was disappointed to find it was just 'Zombies on Mars' but worth watching if you have an evening to waste and nothing better to watch.

Bounty Killer - Oh dear


----------



## Foxbat

*Chungking Express* (1994) A movie directed by Wong Kar Wai (or is it Kar Wai Wong? I can never tell).

It tells the tale of two lovesick cops that we only know by their numbers (223 and 663). The first half deals with 223 and I found it a bit of trudge but the film really comes alive with 663's tale.

It's not a movie for everybody and tends to move at a slow pace, focusing almost exclusively on the characters at the expense of storyline. Personally,  I find watching Wong Kar Wai's films a lesson in patience and appreciation of the small things. Beautifully shot and edited, the simple truth is that if you are a fan of _In The Mood For Love _(which I am), then you'll probably like this one too. If you're looking for fast paced action then, move along please. Nothing to see here.


----------



## Droflet

Never let me go. 
Heart-breakingly beautiful with a timely message about the slippery slope.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Wow, that's a good one, Telford! Heartbreaking is the perfect word.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes--I was surprised...I thought it was an effective film, mainly for the Caesar character (the story line was much better than I had expected, too). Andy Serkis is absolutely amazing. Looking forward to 'Dawn of the...' now!


----------



## Nick B

telford said:


> Never let me go.
> Heart-breakingly beautiful with a timely message about the slippery slope.



I watched this a few weeks after reading the book. The film is ( while good) fairly watered down, you want heart rending, read it. You wont be disappointed.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Europa Report* Quirky little sf flick based on a journey to  Clarke's story-world  in 2010.
Unknown cast apart from the south African bloke from District 9 who put in a decent performance.

Low budget movie but quite good! (Would have been fun to see a black monolith tho  Mind you one scene aboard the ship featured a bit of Strauss! )


----------



## Vince W

*Transcendence*. Quite a good film. Brings up questions about what is the mind and what does it mean to be human and how does technology affect them?


----------



## Mouse

*The Three Musketeers*. The recent-ish one. It was ok. Watchable. Matthew Macfadyen and whoever played D'Artagnan's girlfriend looked like they couldn't really be arsed. It was like they'd said, 'ok, you've paid us so we'll say the lines but you're getting no facial expressions out of us!' Also, I love Milla Jovovich but her accent irritated the hell out of me (and D'Artagnan's too, to be fair). However, I did love that James Corden was in it.

And now I'm watching *Toy Story 3* cos it's on telly. I love Ken.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just watched "Rigor Mortis" which is a Hong Kong horror homage to the Hong Kong vampire movies of the 1980s. 

All the classic Chinese vampire and horror motifs and plotlines are there, though the slapstick humour is extremely toned-down and the gore factor is dialled up several notches so it looks like a film that is a hybrid between Hong Kong horror and Japanese horror (not a complete surprise since the producer is a Japanese horror movie producer).

Overall a good movie except for the end which kinda fizzled out. Worth a watch though.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

_Singing in the Rain_ and _The Wizard of Oz_, traditions at this time of year for my family...needless to say it was a magical, wonderful viewing experience!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Singin'


----------



## monsterchic

Noah--absolutely fantastic movie, if you leave the biblical expectations at the door.  My family didn't like it because of that, but I absolutely loved it!  Though Russel Crowe wasn't as good as I had expected him to be...


----------



## ratsy

I saw The Amittyville Haunting this weekend.  It was an extremely low budget 'found footage' movie.  It was soooo bad it was good.  I literally laughed out loud at one scene that was supposed to be serious...it was the funniest thing ever.  It's on netflix if anyone else feels like wasting and hour and twenty of their lives.

I also watched Planet Terror which was quite enjoyable.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Day* (2012)

A group of people in a post-apocalyptical future struggle to survive. Excellent movie! Makes you think about what you would do in desperate situations.

I want to see it again!


----------



## Mouse

*Sister Act*. On telly. Almost makes me want to become a nun. Sister Mary Robert is weirdly attractive.


----------



## svalbard

*The Wolf of Wall Street*. Best opening scene ever.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Finally got to see _Fear and Loathing on the Chisholm Trail._ 

Tonto S. Thompson, aka Cactus Jack Sparrow,  _reeks_ havoc on the Evil Railroad Tycoon Baddies and saves the Bad Girl for the Good Guy.

We loved this *Lone Ranger*.  So campy, so silly, so fun.


----------



## monsterchic

I watched Catching Fire again last night, and am now starting on Wolf of Wall Street.


----------



## Connavar

RebeccaTheWrecker said:


> *Captain America: The Winter Soldier.*
> I'm a bit biased because I'm a huge Marvel fan and Captain America is obviously the best superhero (he was a superhero when he was just Steve Rogers), but I really enjoyed it. Didn't feel like a Marvel movie until the end, and the ending was phenomenal (including the after credits scenes, which made me fangirl a bit).



I became a Cap American/Steve Rogers fan when i read Brubaker run the movies is based on.  I enjoyed this film much more than the first one because Steve was much better fighter, more impressive in the cooler action scenes compared to the first film.  He could fight and use his super strenght to kick,punch away people. 

I hope to see more solo Captain America films this good action and little better story.


----------



## Rafellin

Another viewing of The Raid (a.k.a. The Raid: Redemption); this time the uncut version - still with original soundtrack & English subs.

Phenomenal (ly violent) film. A showcase for Indonesian martial arts (Pencak Silat) and a solid piece of storytelling within the mayhem. Welshman does Indonesian MA and pulls a blinder.

Looking forward to the Raid 2: Berandal (trans: _Thug_)


----------



## monsterchic

Finished Wolf of Wall Street the other day, as well as the Secret Life of Walter Mitty in class.


----------



## Nick B

I loved Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the soundtrack is great too. It made me look back at my more suppressed younger days and be even more glad of the crazier things I did later, before settling, marriage and kids.


----------



## monsterchic

It's definitely been one of my favorite movies, ever since I saw it in theaters.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Wasp Woman* (1959) 
Watchable Roger Corman flick about a woman trying to preserve her looks (but it all goes horribly wrong...wouldn't be much of a film if it didn't). One word of caution - the 'monster' on the adverising  poster looks nothing like the one in the movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *The Wasp Woman* (1959)
> Watchable Roger Corman flick about a woman trying to preserve her looks (but it all goes horribly wrong...wouldn't be much of a film if it didn't). One word of caution - the 'monster' on the adverising poster looks nothing like the one in the movie.


 
Like *The Leech Woman*, this old B movie demands a full feminist analysis. Most notable is the fact that both involve a woman going to homicidal lengths in order to preserve her youth and beauty.

Link to my own review:

The B-Movie Message Board - View topic - The Wasp Woman - A Bee Movie


----------



## Vince W

Quellist said:


> I loved Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the soundtrack is great too. It made me look back at my more suppressed younger days and be even more glad of the crazier things I did later, before settling, marriage and kids.



One of the best films I've seen this year.


----------



## Starbeast

*Let The Right One In* (2008)

Excellent Swedish horror drama, that blew me away with excellence! I heard the remake is very good too, but a little different. But the original, WOW!

*Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang* (2005)

I finally got a chance to see this little jem, of an out-of-the-ordinary flick. Actors, Robert Downey Jr & Val Kilmer are fantastic in this movie. And the gag reel (DVD extra) is fun to watch too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Just watched *Humanoids of the Deep* (1996) a leaden-paced remake that makes the original look like a classy piece of work - and the original starred Doug McClure!


----------



## Lenny

Made a deal with my friend - he watched American Psycho, so I agreed to watch a film he's been raving about for weeks...

*Frozen*

Maybe I'm a stony-hearted cynic, but: Meh.

Yeah, _Let It Go_ probably deserves to be mentioned in the breath after the one mentioning the all-time greatest Disney songs. Yeah, it was refreshing to see all the tropes and stereotypes subverted (particularly refreshing for a film throwing around "true love" like it's a penny a dozen to fix the day the way it did). Yeah, the two main characters are both strong female characters.

Yet... it all felt kinda flat. The characters are all pretty one-dimensional, and defined by a single characteristic. The story had no substance to it. The music was mostly generic by-the-numbers musical fare. Whilst the technical bits of the animation were top-notch (snow on fabric! Pretty!), the character animation was pretty naff (seriously, who hits a note and holds it with their teeth clenched?). And the less said about the rock trolls the better.

I'm kind of disappointed, to be honest. There's all this hype, and watching it you could almost feel the film emulating the Disney Classics, but it just wasn't that good. I could watch *Peter Pan*, *Alice in Wonderland*, *The Little Mermaid*, *The Lion King*, or *Beauty and the Beast* on repeat until my dying day. I'm not sure I'd actively choose to watch Frozen a second time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Blancheville Monster* AKA *Horror* (1963)

I list both of the English titles of this Italo-Spanish scare flick because the version I watched on-line uses both in the opening credits. First you see *Horror*, then you see *The Blancheville Monster*. (The only similar example I can think of is the fine Vincent Price film *Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General* AKA *Witchfinder General* AKA *The Conqueror Worm*, which displayed the mixed-up opening title *Matthew Hopkins Conqueror Worm* when I saw it on TCM.) 

Anyway, this is easily the most Gothic (as in "Gothic Romance") early European horror film I have seen. The fairly nonsensical plot involves a young woman fresh out of college who returns to her family castle in Brittany with her Best Friend Forever and the BFF's brother, who is also the young woman's boyfriend. They return to find the young woman's brother, who tells them that their father was been killed in a fire. We soon meet a strikingly beautiful, seemingly sinister servant, as well as a mysterious doctor. (Bad Guys or Red Herrings? You'll probably figure that out.) 

After some spooky happenings, with the BFF roaming around the dark corridors of the castle in her nightgown by candlelight as the clock strikes midnight (I said Gothic Romance, right?), the brother reveals that the father didn't really die, but was horribly burned and is now mad, determined to end an odd family curse by killing his daughter. The father seems to escape from the castle, but appears in the daughter's room at night to put her in a hypnotic trance, trying to get her to go to the family crypt and die. Other stuff happens, and not all is as it seems.

*The Blancheville Monster* is slow and talky, but enjoyable for fans of this sort of thing. The castle, the surrounding forest (leafless in what must have been the dead of winter; you can see the actors' breath, sometimes even when they are indoors), and the ruins of the family crypt are all wonderfully atmospheric. There are some nice moody scenes, particularly when we view mourners' faces from inside a glass-topped coffin. (I presume this was directly influenced by the famous sequence in *Vampyr*.) It even has a happy ending, with two pairs of lovers engaged to be married. (If this were a paperback novel, the cover would show a woman running away from a castle which has one window lit.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

> First you see *Horror*, then you see *The Blancheville Monster*. (The only similar example I can think of is the fine Vincent Price film *Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General* AKA *Witchfinder General* AKA *The Conqueror Worm*, which displayed the mixed-up opening title *Matthew Hopkins Conqueror Worm* when I saw it on TCM.)



I love it when this happens.  I have a copy of a dreadful piece of poo on disc called either _Satan's Dog_  or  _Play Dead_.  It said _Satan's  Dog _on the case and disc, _Play Dead _on the opening credits. To add icing to the cake the distribution company also changed its name as well.   On the box it's '23rd Century' on the disc '22nd Century'.  Either way  it was ****. One of those films so unengaging you notice continuity  errors in the sex scene.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Monster That Challenged The World *(1957)
Movie about giant blood sucking  snails in the Salton Sea in California. Not brilliant but I've seen much worse than this.


----------



## Lady of Winterfell

*Dumbo*. I had absolutely no memory of watching this as a kid, though I'm sure I did. We watched it with our daughter, and she kept asking when will Dumbo get to be with his Mommy again.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Lady of Winterfell said:


> *Dumbo*. I had absolutely no memory of watching this as a kid, though I'm sure I did.



*Dumbo* was The first film I ever saw - in the cinema 50 years ago.  I was 4.  I remember it still.

The last film I saw was *Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter* which I doubt I shall remember tomorrow.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> *Dumbo* was The first film I ever saw - in the cinema 50 years ago.  I was 4.  I remember it still.


 
Also saw this many years ago as a kid. Been scared of multicoloured elephants ever since.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Been scared of multicoloured elephants ever since.



The first half of that sequence is the best thing ever to come out of the Disney studio. The second half gets a bit soppy but the first half is the stuff of nightmares.


----------



## Foxbat

*Captain Berlin Vs Hitler *Enjoyable, bizarre German film.


----------



## Lenny

*Oldboy*

I've heard various things about it, and I've got a couple of vocal friends who keep telling me to watch it, so I did.

It was rather fantastic - wonderfully shot, beautifully paced, and the score was sublime. The final piece is going to stay with me for a long time.

I'm considering using my Bank Holiday Monday to watch the other two films in Chan-wook's _Vengeance Trilogy_, and maybe even *I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK*.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just saw *The Amazing Spider-Man *2 this past weekend.

It was pretty good and Andrew Garfield does make a far better Spidey than Tobey Maguire.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

*The Third Man*, by Carol Reed...now _this_ is a film...it's in my top-ten all-time. The film is set in the post WW 2 black-market world of Vienna, and has some of the best lines in movie history, and as is often mentioned, the best entrance scene ever (involving Orson Welles...I won't say more). If you love the movies classics, and have not seen this one, read about it at IMDB, then rent or buy...or steal this, and watch it many-many times. It's a black and white masterpiece...and it's chock-full of zither music that sets the tone magnificently (and incredibly strangely)! 

ps--I do not truly condone or encourage the stealing of DVDs!!


----------



## Foxbat

Cat's Cradle said:


> *The Third Man*, by Carol Reed...now _this_ is a film...it's in my top-ten all-time. The film is set in the post WW 2 black-market world of Vienna, and has some of the best lines in movie history, and as is often mentioned, the best entrance scene ever (involving Orson Welles...I won't say more). If you love the movies classics, and have not seen this one, read about it at IMDB, then rent or buy...or steal this, and watch it many-many times. It's a black and white masterpiece...and it's chock-full of zither music that sets the tone magnificently (and incredibly strangely)!
> 
> ps--I do not truly condone or encourage the stealing of DVDs!!


 
Wholeheartedly agree. A brilliant film.


----------



## MontyCircus

The_Bluestocking said:


> Just saw *The Amazing Spider-Man *2 this past weekend.
> 
> It was pretty good and Andrew Garfield does make a far better Spidey than Tobey Maguire.



Maybe, but I feel the first two Maguire flicks were much better than the first two Amazings.  That said, I liked them too (I've got a soft spot for Spidey, he's always been my favourite superhero).

If you liked the first Amazing then you'll like this one.  It definitely gets better as it goes along.

Spoiler:  



Spoiler



It's the Death of Gwen Stacy!  The end of the movie was really strong, and even though I wasn't really into it for most of the running time, by the time the credits rolled I was ready to line up and see #3!



If you do see it, be prepared to wait through the end credits...and wait...and wait...and you'll get a preview of X-Men: Days of Future Past.


----------



## The Bluestocking

MontyCircus said:


> If you do see it, be prepared to wait through the end credits...and wait...and wait...and you'll get a preview of X-Men: Days of Future Past.



I waited and waited and saw the little taster scene. 

That was one HELLUVA preview


----------



## J-Sun

*Europa Report*, last night. A company sends an expedition to Europa in which half a dozen astronaut/scientists will search for life in the ocean beneath the ice.

I think about all the movies that make zillions of dollars and even get nominated for awards that range from frankly not all that great to downright awful and then there's this which came out a few months ago, apparently to general disinterest, when it's the proverbial Good SF Movie - it's even a great Good SF Movie. I'd never heard of it and it should have made zillions and been up for Oscars. TANJ.

From an "objective" perspective, most movies that attempt to be the Good SF Movie seem boring to the blockbuster audience and I'm afraid that some might react to this movie that way early on, but I found it interesting early and was literally on the edge of my seat with my face inches away from the screen by the end. I wish I could have seen this in the theater with the giant screen and booming sound. Then there are some practical aspects of financing, crewing, and engineering (that I can't get into without spoilers) that make me worry that, philosophically, some people might take away what I'd see as the "wrong message" from the film.

But, personally, my problems were few and minor. The international cast and director were generally fantastic but I had a hard time understanding some of the otherwise wonderful Anamaria Marinca's dialog. She's apparently Romanian (though her accent didn't strike me as heavily Romanian - more a strange English) while the director may be Spanish or something. Physically, there was a scene with outgassing having a much stronger effect than I thought it should, though maybe Europa's venting is stronger than I realize. And my main problem was that it was shot in a documentary style - from onboard cameras and such - and was excessively glitchy during cuts and certain scenes. I figure this is directorial. I think the documentary style is fine and even the glitchiness was a good idea, though carried to excess - but not disastrously so.

Aside from that, this seemed - especially for a movie - amazingly technically rigorous while still being imaginative and exciting. It captured the romance and doldrums of the journey, had a moment or two of humor, covered the gamut of beauty and horror, and... well, hell - it took me on a spaceship to Europa and conveyed the essence of humanity in an artistic way. What more could I ask for? Great flick - I encourage everybody to see it!


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Hey J-Sun! I just watched the trailer at IMDB, and the films looks terrific, I will definitely check this out soon. Thanks for the review!  CC


----------



## Boneman

So I tried to watch *Plastic *at the cinema last night, but walked out after 25 minutes. There are those who like mindless violence, nasty characters, and unbelievably stupid scenarios as entertainment, but I ain't one of 'em! Instead I switched screens (I have a season ticket card) and watched *The Other Woman *with Cameron Diaz. Mildy entertaining pap, but after the plastic rubbish, it was a breath of fresh air. Predictable, but enjoyable, is how I'd put it, and in 6 months I won't remember any of it. With plastic, I won't want to remember any of it...


----------



## Lenny

*The Amazing Spider-Man 2*

What I expected, really - same sort of tone as the first (though there was a lot more humour, with some excellent one-liners - e.g. "The tables have turned!" after a desk has been flipped over. Oldie but a goodie), with more of the mystery of Peter's parents from the first.

The action scenes were fairly impressive, and I was pleasantly surprised with how they handled the villains (after all that the trailers left us to believe, this was not a re-hash of Raimi's *Spider-Man 3*, thankfully!).

One thing I didn't like was the score. James Horner did the first film, and whilst his score gave the film an almost Harry Potter feel (there were lots of tinkles, and twiddly bits, but also dark brassy sections, and some fantastic uses of the piano, and trumpet, amongst other instruments, for immediate tension and danger), I thought it worked very well, and is one of the few film scores I'll listen to on it's own. The score for this second film, from Hans Zimmer, was little more than a generic superhero film score. My friend even turned to me halfway through and said: "And back to the Superman music...".


----------



## Foxbat

*Summer Of Sam *

New York 1977 is caught in the grip of a heatwave and terorised by the Son Of Sam serial killer.

I'd only watched this movie once before and enjoyed it. Some people were disappointed that the movie was not actually about the Son Of Sam but more his impact on the city at the time. Personally, I thought it was an interesting take on the serial killer genre.

It certainly stands up to a repeat viewing and I think I enjoyed it even more second time around.


----------



## Mouse

Is that the John Leguizamo one, Foxbat? I fancy I've seen it. Or was going to.


----------



## Foxbat

Mouse said:


> Is that the John Leguizamo one, Foxbat? I fancy I've seen it. Or was going to.


 
Yes. He's in it. Good actor


----------



## JunkMonkey

An attack of the insomnias last night lead me to watch:


*The Dark Side of the Moon* (1990) - Dreadful, ploddingly paced space adventure film which mixes up elements like the Abandoned Ship With _Something_ on Board (including _vital components_ which means people have _to keep going back on board to obtain _even  though... etc.), The Bermuda Triangle and Satanic possession.  Our  heroes' ship comes fully equipped with the standard Hollywood SF bull*** spaceship design: endless corridors, giant airducts, racks for  the machineguns, etc., etc. It also has a female computer with the memory  capacity and complexity of an early Atari games console but is housed in  an attractive white female body in a leather catsuit unzipped to show  off her cleavage (Think _Galaxina _but without the personality).   And there is some seriously dreadful continuity -I think the Script Girl  was off the day they shot the 'Medical Room' scenes.  So, ALL the  elements of a good bad movie (the hero has a mullet!) but served up at  such a laboriously pedestrian pace it merely becomes dull.
*Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann* (1982) -  underachieving piece of time-travel crap in which a motorcycle rider  gets zapped back to cowboy times. He gets shot at and and chased a lot.    He runs away a lot. He has a quicky with the only female character  with more than two lines.  He is rescued by the people who accidentally  zapped him into the past. As he leaves he realises (long after the  audience has) that the woman he'd had the quicky with was his own great  grandmother and he was _own great grandfather_!  Three Dramatic Chords Please! (Then, just in case the audience _still _hadn't worked it out, there is an extended helicopter shot with the dialogue from earlier in the film setting up the _fact he was his own great grandfather_! played underneath.)

Either of which should have put me to sleep within minutes but didn't.  I need to cut down on my coffee intake.


----------



## Droflet

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. 
Meh.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Tingler *
This 1959 movie stars Vincent Price as a scientist who discovers that fear becomes a physical manifestation within the body and only screaming can defeat it. I like it

Fascinating facts: on initial release, director William Castle had an actress who pretended to collapse whilst watching the movie. Other audience members watched as she was tended to by a fake doctor. Also, certain seats were fitted with devices that made the chair vibrate and cause a tingling sensation in the viewer. He called this _Percepto_. It must have been an interesting experience viewing the movie when it first came out.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Tingler* is great fun, although it has what may be the most implausible premise I've ever seen in any movie.


----------



## Foxbat

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Tingler* is great fun, although it has what may be the most implausible premise I've ever seen in any movie.


Agreed. But with William Castle, it was all about the show and not about the film


----------



## Lenny

*Tangled*, just because.

Whilst not even close to matching any of the 'Disney Renaissance' animated films, it's much better than *Frozen* in pretty much all departments.

Like Frozen, though, I doubt I'll watch it again... but there's a greater chance I'd watch Tangled if it was on and I had nothing better to do, than if Frozen were on.

---

I also watched *Sympathy for Lady Vengeance* at the start of last week (not quite *Oldboy*, but still good), and *Riddick* midway through the week (fantastic! Almost on par with *Pitch Black*).


----------



## Droflet

The Words (2012). Just caught up with this little gem. An aspiring writer desperate to be published (sound familiar?) find a MS and passes it off as his own. But there are consequences. I enjoyed this tale within a tale and recommend it.


----------



## Overread

The Lone Ranger - Depp version 

Overall an interesting mix, it actually takes the story to quite dark areas, but at the same time throws in typical Depp humour that clashes and counters it to keep it upbeat. I can see why some didn't like it as there is a strong feeling that they cut a lot of scenes short to fit all the story twists and changes in. I suspect in its uncut form its significantly improved.
It's also interesting because its one of the few long hollywood films without a really strong romance element; in fact the whole "getting the girl" bit is almost tacked into the end.
Also did anyone else get lost in that train scene!


----------



## Mouse

telford said:


> The Words (2012). Just caught up with this little gem. An aspiring writer desperate to be published (sound familiar?) find a MS and passes it off as his own. But there are consequences. I enjoyed this tale within a tale and recommend it.



YES! Finally, someone else who's seen it. Difficult to get hold of in the UK. I bought the Italian version (you can remove the subtitles and just watch it in English).

Fantastic film. AND stars the beautiful Ben Barnes. Who is perfect in it.


----------



## ratsy

The Words...I like that kind of premise. Have any of you seen "Murder of Crows" with Cuba Gooding Jr? ( I saw him once in a lounge on the beach in Malibu!...didnt talk to him though ) It sounds like the same sort of idea.


----------



## Mouse

Nope. I do like films about writers though. _Midnight in Paris_ is another good one.


----------



## Vince W

Godzilla. Not perfect, but still very good.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Ender's Game*
Now I dont need to read the books! 
Do you think J K Rowling read them before she wrote Harry Potter?


----------



## The Bluestocking

Vince W said:


> Godzilla. Not perfect, but still very good.



Just watched it today. It was pretty good - lots of RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR and stomping about.

Much better than the 1998 version although it's a pity Bryan Cranston's character kicked the bucket so early in the story...


----------



## Lenny

Dude, spoilers...


----------



## The Bluestocking

Lenny said:


> Dude, spoilers...



GAH!!!! SORRY EVERYBODY!!!


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Pacific Rim again (needed something mindless...exhausted after hedge cutting). My advice second time around: just fast forward to the brilliant fight sequences and pretend you're watching WWF (or is it WWE?). Everything else is just twaddle.


----------



## AE35Unit

The_Bluestocking said:


> GAH!!!! SORRY EVERYBODY!!!



Yea like we need to worry about spoilers in godzilla


----------



## Foxbat

Mark Kermode liked Godzilla...always a good sign.

Me, I'm going to watch the original sometime soon (just to get in the mood)


----------



## End of Time

*Mars Needs Moms*

I won't be able to sleep tonight. That was one genuinely unsettling and creepy movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Watch it without Raymond Burr please, Foxbat.  The version that came free on the cover of the Guardian newspaper a couple of years ago is a barebones watchable release.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> Watch it without Raymond Burr please, Foxbat.  The version that came free on the cover of the Guardian newspaper a couple of years ago is a barebones watchable release.


 
I get The Scotsman
I have a copy from the BFI which is  original and uncut so no Raymond Burr


----------



## Allegra

Mouse said:


> Nope. I do like films about writers though. _Midnight in Paris_ is another good one.


 
I like that film.  

Watched another Woody Allen's - *To Rome With Love* and liked it. The opera scenes are hilarious (that actor is indeed a professional opera singer).


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> I get The Scotsman



I usually get_ The Herald_.  The old east west divide.


----------



## clovis-man

*Captain Phillips*

Even knowing the factual details before seeing this one, it was still a gripper. And some interesting takes on the cultural relativism involved.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Motorcycle Gang* (1957)

Very generic title for a very generic film. The real protagonist of this low-budget exploitation flick is Terry, newly arrived motorcycle-riding young woman, who has to choose between the clean cut motorcycle-riding young man who follows the rules, and the one who doesn't. It seems that the Bad Guy has just been released from jail after he and the Good Guy were involved in an accident that led to the death of an innocent bystander. Good Guy got a suspended sentence, but Bad Guy did fifteen months of hard time. The rest of the movie shows us the Bad Guy trying to get even with the Good Guy in various ways, while the Good Guy just wants to win a big motorcycle race. Terry is drawn to both of them. Notable is the lack of a time-wasting musical act, although there is some dancing with generic music. Also notable is the fact that our mandatory comedy relief is provided by no less than four characters. There's Terry's elderly uncle, who prefers horses to motorcycles, and fiddle music to rock 'n' roll. There's the Asian-American guy who works at (and maybe owns) the local diner, who plays rock on a one-stringed Chinese instrument. (The closest thing to a musical act is when this guy and the uncle join forces for a few seconds.) There's a slightly chubby young woman whose only function is to be shown eating all the time. Last and certainly not least is the motorcycle-riding Goofy Guy, who makes up portmanteau hip talk ("boll" means "beautiful doll," for example) and who generally acts silly. He's played by Alfalfa from the "Our Gang" comedies just a couple of years before he was shot to death at the age of 31.


----------



## Alex The G and T

I'm just recovering from a viewing of *Beowulf.*(1999)  I tuned in because I remember seeing a pretty good movie about Beowulf, not so long ago. (1997)

This version was suffering form Duke Nukem syndrome.  The sets and Techno-pop/Trance soundtrack set the mood for a  Quake III scenario.  The Master of Arms was wearing some sort of Mountaineer's Ski Onesie... all Lycra and Carabiners.

The Grendl Costume was a blatant rip-off from _The Creature from the Black Lagoon._
Beowulf was wearing Mad Max boots, and Gredle's mom was suspiciously reminiscent of Tina Turner in _Beyond Thunderdome._

Beowulf's one-handed crossbow looked like an assault rifle, and his broadsword had some sort of floppy trigger mechanism; which makes it look like a BFG.  The women's costumes were more appropriate to Cannes, than an icebound Nordic saga.

There were a disturbing number of "Moors" in the cast; considering the 6th century Nordic millieu.  Unfortunetley, bearing Dark Skin was subject to the same fate as wearing a Red Shirt in a Star Trek episode. (except for the guy in the carabiners.)


There were some sort of Evil Steampunk Mages, who made a brief appearance with their evil walking beam steam engines and their inexplicable  Newtonian "Spyglasses."

No one knows Why?!?


Then the soundtrack got a little more industrial , and I said to myself, "A Rob Zombie production?"  But No...

Thus the piece is rather hard to watch for any one who might appreciate the history and legend of Beowulf; but I watched the whole thing....  I always had a hard time exiting Quake III, too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dragstrip Girl* (1957)

You can save yourself some time and look back at my review of *Motorcycle Gang*. Made by the same folks as that one, this is very similar, but with four wheels instead of two. A young woman who is crazy about hot rods shows up, and has to decide between the affections of the Good Guy and the Bad Guy. The two guys are even played by the same actors as the other movie. The local police Lieutenant is also the same, but everybody else is different. The main difference between these flicks is the fact that the two guys are more like semi-friendly rivals than out-and-out enemies. The wealthy Bad Guy has never been able to beat the poor Good Guy at anything since they were kids, so he tries all sorts of dirty tricks to win the heart of the Dragstrip Girl as well as the Big Race. We still have comedy relief provided by four characters. There's a young woman with a thick Southern accent; there's "Mama," the heavily-accented Italian owner of the local pizza joint; there's her husband, who never says a word until the end of the movie; and there's the Goofy Guy (played by Frank Gorshin, no less) who does things like eat a slice of pizza with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on it. There's actually a pretty funny scene where the Goofy Guy sings the title song while the Bad Guy does a really excellent Elvis impersonation while using a big wooden pizza paddle as a guitar. The inspiring lyrics:
















She's my Dragstrip Girl with a streamlined chassis 
Got a set of pipes and a grille that's classy
Dragstrip Baby
Flip a switch and she'll start to go
Her motor starts a-sparkin and she can't say no 
Dragstrip Baby 
She's my Dragstrip Girl with a fuel-injection blast 
She may not have a future, but I'll see she gets a past! 
Dragstrip Baby of mi-i-ine


----------



## Alex The G and T

Giggling. These movies sound like  a perfect set of companion pieces.

Also pulls to mind the actual lyrics of the actual *Deep Purple *song, _Highway Star_:



"Nobody gonna take my car
I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It's gonna break the speed of sound
Oooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power big fat tyres
and everything

I love it and I need it
I bleed it yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright hold tight
I'm a highway star

Nobody gonna take my girl
I'm gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl
She stays close on every bend
Oooh she's a killing machine
She's got everything
Like a moving mouth body control
and everything

I love her I need her
I seed her
Yeah She turns me on
Alright hold on tight
I'm a highway star

Nobody gonna take my head
I got speed inside my brain
Nobody gonna steal my head
Now that I'm on the road again
Oooh I'm in heaven again I've got everything
Like a moving ground an open road
and everything

I love it and I need it
I seed it
Eight cylinders all mine
Alright hold on tight
I'm a highway star

Nobody gonna take my car
I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It's gonna break the speed of sound
Oooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power big
fat tyres and everything

I love it and I need it
I bleed it
Yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright hold on tight
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star


----------



## Starbeast

End of Time said:


> *Mars Needs Moms*
> 
> I won't be able to sleep tonight. That was one genuinely unsettling and creepy movie.


 
When I saw the trailer (a while back), I rolled my eyes and thought, "I won't see that one, ever." Nothing in the preview appealed to me. Just another junk cartoon that kids might like.



Alex said:


> I'm just recovering from a viewing of *Beowulf.*(1999) Thus the piece is rather hard to watch for any one who might appreciate the history and legend of Beowulf; but I watched the whole thing.... I always had a hard time exiting Quake III, too.


 
For me, I love this Christopher Lambert version, because it was outrageous. It was created by the people who made the _Mortal Kombat_ movies (which I like) and it had a great soundtrack by _Juno Reactor_ plus it had a steampunkish look to it. And the creature (to me), Grendel, looked like a misshapen smog demon. My DVD of the movie has a behind the scenes segment, and the actor who played, Grendel, was a huge, giant of a man.

I do enjoy the original story of Beowulf, but for me, it's great to see a new twist for it.

Last word, I thought Christopher Lambert's weapons in the film were very cool.



*Outpost 2: Black Sun* (2012) Not as good as the first movie, but it has it's moments. A good time waster if you like World War Two zombie soldiers. Wild and a bit gory.

I'm getting ready to see the next sequel soon. _Outpost 3: Rise of the Spetsnaz (2013)_

*Cockneys vs Zombies* (2013) Very entertaining gorefest with elements of dark humor sprinkled on it. I had to watch it twice, because it was crazy and fun.


----------



## Mouse

I loved Cockneys vs Zombies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Golden Voyage of Sinbad *(1973) - which, it turns out, I have  never seen before despite the fact that Caroline Munro's sweaty breasts  take up a large part of my childhood memory storage space.  I was less than bowled over.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Not the best Harryhausen, but I'm a sucker for any of his mythological/legendary fantasies.  Caroline Munro is certainly stunningly beautiful in any of her many SF/F roles.

Meanwhile:

*Reform School Girl* (1957)

Written and directed by Edward Bernds

This bobbysoxer version of the Women in Prison theme surprised me a bit. Although it certainly has its campy aspects, it's actually a pretty decent little film on its own terms. The auteur behind this intense melodrama seems to have been best known for a huge number of Three Stooges comedies, as well as the hilarious sci-fi turkey *Queen of Outer Space*.

We begin in true exploitation film style with our heroine, Donna, primping in front of a mirror in her underwear. We soon find out that she's an orphan, living with her cranky aunt and the aunt's sleazy, lecherous husband, who makes use of a mirror to peek at her in her undies. We later find out that he's been "bothering" her since she was fourteen. Ewwwwww.

Meanwhile, we see a young hoodlum named Vince (Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, a few years before _77 Sunset Strip_ steal a car. Vince is a truly nasty little punk, and Byrnes milks the part for everything it's worth.

Some guy shows up with Vince and some girl, and the four go out in the stolen car. Vince suggests they go crash the party of some rich folks, but Some Guy and Some Girl think that's a bad idea. Typical for Vince, he blows his top, stops the car, and forces the two "chickens" to walk home. Although he's just met Donna, he comes on to her in a pretty heavy fashion. Vince gets upset when Donna doesn't let her have his way with him. During a wild car ride he runs over a pedestrian and kills him. Before the cops show up he runs off, leaving Donna in the car. She knows that Vince would kill anybody who would squeal on him, so Donna keeps her mouth shut and is sent off to reform school.

We meet some of the other students/inmates. There's the tough but decent one, who becomes Donna's protector. There's the quietly crazy one, who's been telling everyone she's having a baby for more than a year. There's the boy-crazy one and the big, strong, scary one, played by Sally Kellerman in her first film role. In addition to this, there's the new male psychologist/teacher at the school who wants to help Donna, and the nice young man who sneaks over the fence at night to meet for "dates." (Donna's BFF is stuck with the movie's requisite Goofy Guy, but at least he's pretty low-key for that kind of role.)

Things get complicated when Vince arranges to have an older woman he's been messing around with call the cops and pretend to be Donna. She informs them about a young woman (whom Vince has also been messing around with) who is somehow involved in the car theft ring. Vince's scheme is to get the young woman into the same reform school as Donna and let her think Donna squealed on her. Along with getting Donna in trouble with almost all of the other girls, leading to various "accidents" of an increasing level of violence, he also plans to sneak into the reform school while Donna is held in solitary for being a troublemaker and silence her permanently.

*Reform School Girl* is a crisp little crime flick, and the final scenes create some real suspense.


----------



## dask

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Imagine a murder mystery shot by Stanley Kubrick and directed by Terry Gilliam. Great fun.

PHILOMENA. Judi Dench is superb in a sad film about crazy Irish nuns selling babies to Americans. After fifty years of steering through lies and deception she finally finds her son but the rationale the nuns use to justify their actions is hard to take.


----------



## Foxbat

With all the hooha about the new Godzilla movie, thought I'd make some time to sit down and revisit the original. I'm very glad I did. I'd forgotten what a good, thought-provoking movie this is


----------



## Mouse

*But I'm a Cheerleader*. Followed by *Star Wars: A New Hope.*


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The World's End* ladt night and wondered why. Thankfully we didnt pay to watch it.  Simon Pegg's character is soooo annoying! 

Before that we watched *Pacific Rim*. A real oh dear film. Meh.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Space Master X-7* (1958)

Low budget combination of *The Andromeda Strain*, *The Blob*, and _Dragnet_. Satellite goes up 1000 miles, comes back down with a biological sampling kit (among other science stuff.) Scientist (ultra-famous voice actor Paul Frees, seen in the flesh for once) takes it back to his lab inside his home. (One of the film's many implausibilities; doesn't the government have labs to study stuff like this?) More poor laboratory technique is shown as he takes the stuff out of the kit without even a pair of gloves. Anyway, the micro-organisms inside (which he names "blood rust" for its color, casually mentioning that he believes it's the stuff that makes Mars red) grow into slimy lumps that eat protein. Meanwhile, his ex-wife comes over to ask for custody of their kid (off in boarding school) now that she has remarried. During an argument, she bonks him on the head. Somehow this leads to the gloop getting out of control and killing the scientist. The government types show up and burn the place down to wipe out the gloop. They rescue a tape the scientist made which includes the voice of his ex-wife interrupting his research. The movie then turns into a police procedural as the woman thinks they're after her for killing her husband. It's pretty much "just the facts, Ma'am" as they track her to a plane flying to Hawaii, with a few scenes of the gloop growing out of her luggage to remind us we're watching a science fiction movie. (The gloop is actually pretty effective as a pseudo-Blob, wet and nasty-looking.) The movie ends with extreme suddenness, as the G-men get the plane to turn around and land at a military base and the words "THE END" pop up. Notable for featuring Moe of the Three Stooges in a more-or-less dramatic role as a taxi driver who helps the Feds track down the woman. Notable also for the Jack Webb style way in which everybody discusses something that is 1000 times worse than Typhoid Mary and could threaten all life on Earth (to paraphrase some of the dialogue) in a dry, laconic way.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Eight Million Ways to Die.* (1986)

A delightfully Retro- spective.  A very young Jeff Bridges leads something very much like a movie-length version of an episode of _Magnum P.I._  with a delicious infusion of _Miami Vice_ sensibilities. (Which the plot focuses on a mis-placed shipment of a Very Large Amount of Cocaine.

Volvos, Ford Escorts, and a bread truck indulge in high speed chases.

The Dude Kicks Ass.


----------



## JunkMonkey

So far this week:


*Cry Baby* (1990) - again!  John Waters first 'mainstream' picture. Makes no sense at all and is a structural mess.  But it makes me laugh a lot.
*Nightflyer* (1987) - I had real hopes for this one.  It is after all based on a_ real_ story by a _real_  SF writer. (All right, George RR Martin.)  My hopes lasted for all of  three minutes.  The opening sequence is an interminable monologue  introducing the various assembled crew members of a scientific  expedition as they sit in some sort of ill-defined public transport.   The sequence looked like it came straight from the written story.   Straight off the page. I don't know if this is the case as I haven't read the story but if it so it's a classic example of the difference between prose and  screenplay writing.  The opening may well have worked in a book but ground the film off to a standing stop from which it never recovered.
*Psycho a Go-Go *(1965) - A reconstruction, from various  elements (it showed), of a semi-passable bit of sixties crime movie which,  over the years, transmogrified, with the addition of new footage and  re-editing, into first, _The Man With the Synthetic Brain_, and then, _The Blood of Ghastly Horror_.  _Psycho a Go-Go_ is not a great film but it's better than either of its later reworkings.
*Xin jiang shi xian sheng* (aka _Mr. Vampire 5, Chinese Vampire Story _1992)  - a truly bizarre mix of unfunny toilet humour (at one point our three  heroes, who have  eaten some dodgy sushi, fight a vampire while they  take a communal dump behind an upturned table), and crude slapstick  comedy (early in the film one hero has his pants yanked down by a spirit  child and has his foreskin stretched out to a couple of meters before it's released to snap back and hit him in the testicles), with  some seriously beautiful, dreamlike stuff drifting through it (the  sequence where two women are caught between two processions of spirits?  demons? is one of the loveliest things I have seen on the screen for  weeks).  Every now and then human vs kung fu breaks out climaxing in an  extended fight sequence between the assembled good guys and a pregnant  woman.  The subtitles that I could make out on the lousy print I watched  didn't help me understand what was going on at all they were so blurry and full of weird  grammar,  spelling errors and typos.  A wonderfully bewildering experience.


----------



## Foxbat

*Compulsion*(1959) A tale of murder by two wealthy law students. 

Whilst crammed with good script, acting and cinematography, the cherry on top is a brilliant performance by Orson Welles as the world-weary defence lawyer. Well worth a watch.


----------



## Rodders

Man of Steel. I didn't go in with any expectations as I'd heard a lot of negative things about this movie. I really enjoyed it and it definitely warrants a second viewing. 

World War Z. Not bad.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Swimmer * (1968) 
Ned Merrill realises that he can travel across the county by 'swimming' home via swimming pools belonging to his neighbours. Each length of a pool strips away another layer of Ned's troubled existence in, what I regard as, Burt Lancaster's finest ever performance.

Thought provoking and mesmerising, this is one of my all-time favourites.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just got back from watching *Maleficent*.

It's worth a watch if only for Angelina Jolie's performance.


----------



## clovis-man

*Elysium*

For Terrestrial scenes it looks like Blomkamp just recycled the *District 9* sets. All the acting performances were pretty much over the top; something I thought Jodie Foster would not fall victim to. Sharlto Copley was appropriately evil in a one dimensional role. But the ending was just too easy, given all the factors floated by the script. Entertaining, but ultimately unfulilling.


----------



## Foxbat

*Che: Part One*
Found this fascinating. Will most likely watch part two next week.


----------



## Foxbat

Couldn't wait till next week and watched *Che: Part Two *today. 

From what I've read on Guevara, this set appears to be fairly accurate historically and, taking the two parts as a whole, I'd class them as unmissable for anybody with an interest in Che Guevara. Very well done.


----------



## Rodders

The Empire Strikes Back was on last night. Still a great movie after all these years and all the rewatches.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*This Is Not a Test* (1962)

Directed by Fredric Gidette; written by Peter Abenheim, Betty Laskey, and Fredric Gidette.

This Cold War thriller, obviously made on a shoestring, manages to create some real tension out of its severely limited resources.

We begin with a deputy sheriff sitting in his patrol car somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the wee hours of the morning. After calling in for a time check (just so we can establish that it's 4 AM), he's instructed to set up a road block on a nearby highway. I assume this leads to the Big City. The desert setting leads me to believe we're outside Los Angeles, although some of the dialogue seems to hint at San Francisco. Anyway, it must be a major artery, although it's just a stretch of two-lane blacktop, because a bunch of folks show up at this hour.

Vehicle One: An old pickup truck carrying crates full of chickens. The humans aboard are an elderly farmer and his twenty-ish granddaughter.

Vehicle Two: A wildly careening convertible which almost slams into the cop car. At the wheel is a hard-drinking, fun-loving young woman. Next to her is her jive-talking boyfriend. They seem to be some kind of con artists or something, because they've just scored a huge pile of money and are off to celebrate.

Vehicle Three: An ordinary car with an ordinary middle-aged married couple and their little poodle.

Vehicle Four: A big truck, carrying all kinds of merchandise. Along for the ride are the driver and a hitchhiker. The cop quickly recognizes the hitchhiker as a killer on the run. The guy is pretty clearly a psycho, and the only thing he seems to care about is not losing his suitcase. (Don't bother wondering what's inside the suitcase. Like a lot of the back story for these characters, it's never explained.)

Vehicle Five (which shows up later than the others): A scooter ridden by an ordinary guy.

As you no doubt figured out from the title, the reason for the roadblock is that WWIII has started and the missiles are on their way. After a lot of bickering, the no-nonsense cop comes up with the idea of emptying out the truck (which contains stuff like fur coats for some of the women to wear and booze for those so inclined) and using it as a bomb shelter. He even gets them to plug up the ventilation openings in the truck with mud so they won't breathe in any radiation after the bombs hit.

As you might expect, the various characters interact in various ways, and not all of them wind up inside the truck. Although the movie has been rather slow up to this point, things get going when we're inside the airtight, sweltering truck. Tempers flare, and some brutal survival decisions are made. There are even some unexpected characters who show up late in the movie.

*This Is Not a Test* is extremely talky and static. It could easily be adapted into a radio play. It also could be trimmed down quite a bit in the middle. (It would make a good, unusually downbeat episode of _The Twilight Zone_ during its hour-long season.) These limitations are made up for to some extent by the intensity of its last fifteen minutes or so.


----------



## Foxbat

*Godzilla Versus MechaGodzilla II *(1993)
Fun


----------



## Flyerman11

*Maleficent*

Went in with high hopes, left feeling cheated.



The_Bluestocking said:


> Just got back from watching *Maleficent*.
> 
> It's worth a watch if only for Angelina Jolie's performance.



Agree that Jolie did a nice job of it but...

**************WARNING POSSIBLE SPOILER*************







I hoped for a good movie about unashamed evil.  This is clearly not it! Instead you get (yet another) human bashing film where people are either dumb, naive or greedy.

Definitely NOT the classic tale.





No I won't tell you the ending, but I left


----------



## Foxbat

*12 Years A Slave* Just...superb. 
Nothing more needs to be said about this film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro *- as part of Daughter Number One's endless fascination with anime we spend Friday Pizza and Bigscreen Movie Night watching  Hayao Miyazaki's debut feature.  If Leslie Charteris'  Saint had been Japanese and drawn by Herge I imagine it would look like this.  Full of improbable OTT action and  great fun.

And, now all my brood are in bed, I'm off to rewatch *This Is Not a Test *which has been on my mental 'Must Take another Look At' list for a couple of years.  Thanks for reminding me, Victoria.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*This Is Not a Test *- pretty much as I remember it.  Far better than it has any right to be but someone really should have explained the concept of the Line of Action to the director.  I'm really glad I wasn't the editor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Battle Beyond the Sun* (1960)

Roger Corman's chopped-up version of the 1959 Soviet film *The Heavens Call*. The added American footage, as far as I can tell, seems to consist of a boring and pointless narrated introduction which shows us a bunch of models of proposed spacecraft; the opening titles, shown over what appear to be ink blots; a brief narrated introduction which tells us that there was an atomic war, leaving two main political powers, the "North Hemis" and the "South Hemis" (and, according to the map we see for a few seconds, with the Pacific Ocean called "Aqua Major" and the Atlantic Ocean called "Aqua Minor"); and two dumb-looking monsters that show up late in the film.

The post-nuclear set-up serves only to hide the fact that this is clearly a movie about the space race between the USSR and the USA. There is no sign that the world is recovering from the war; everything just looks like 1960 with advanced space technology.

Anyway, the "South Hemis" (USSR) are planning to send a spaceship to Mars, launching the vehicle from a space station in orbit. A "North Hemi" (American) spaceship shows up at the station in need of emergency repairs. They later take off from the station in an effort to get to Mars first, injuring one of the folks on the space station. (This part of the space station looks more like a flat platform in space, with people in spacesuits walking around on it.) The North Hemis wind up getting in trouble, so the South Hemis have to divert their Mars mission to rescue them. They wind up on a chunk of rock near Mars, waiting for more fuel to arrive. At this point the two stupid monsters show up. This sequence is really out of place in an otherwise realistic, *Destination Moon* style movie.

Enough of the really excellent late 1950's-style Soviet visuals remain to keep the viewer's interest. The space station is nifty, and the view of Mars from the chunk of rock is worthy of Chesley Bonestell.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Dirty Dingus MaGee.*  1970.  Frank Sinatra and George Kennedy.

If you love/hate 50's Oaters... this is an absurd, very silly spoof just for you.  

Rather a bit of a precursor to _Blazing Saddles;_ but sillier.  If you can believe that.

Well, I found it amusing; in a quaint sort of way.

Mostly, I post because it's fun to be able to say, "Dirty Dingus Magee."


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just watched "X-Men: Days of Futures Past" today.

One-word verdict: Meh.


----------



## Vince W

*Edge of Tomorrow*. Cruise and Blunt make a great team. Bill Paxton is a treat. Blunt can step into Sigourney Weaver's shoes for Alien and not miss a trick.

I've read the book, *All You Need is Kill*, and this film, while there are a lot of changes, does it credit.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Vince W said:


> *Edge of Tomorrow*. Cruise and Blunt make a great team. Bill Paxton is a treat. Blunt can step into Sigourney Weaver's shoes for Alien and not miss a trick.
> 
> I've read the book, *All You Need is Kill*, and this film, while there are a lot of changes, does it credit.



Hmmm... I was going to pass on watching this because it's a Tom Cruise film. Now, I might rent it to watch when it comes out.


----------



## clovis-man

In honor of the 30th anniversary of its release and the untimely death of Harold Ramis: *Ghostbusters*. Still funny after all these years.


----------



## PTeppic

The_Bluestocking said:


> Hmmm... I was going to pass on watching this because it's a Tom Cruise film. Now, I might rent it to watch when it comes out.



In which case you might want to consider that it's a Tom Cruise film in which his character gets killed. Repeatedly...


----------



## PTeppic

Cinema: *Edge of Tomorrow*
For me, one of the best films of the year so far...


----------



## Vince W

The_Bluestocking said:


> Hmmm... I was going to pass on watching this because it's a Tom Cruise film. Now, I might rent it to watch when it comes out.



Don't let that put you off. You may not like Cruise, but he is very good in this film. Go to the cinema. You won't regret it.


----------



## AE35Unit

PTeppic said:


> In which case you might want to consider that it's a Tom Cruise film in which his character gets killed. Repeatedly...



Yet to see that film but I want to. I enjoy Tom Cruise in sci fi films, I always feel he fits the genre well.


----------



## The Bluestocking

clovis-man said:


> In honor of the 30th anniversary of its release and the untimely death of Harold Ramis: *Ghostbusters*. Still funny after all these years.



Thanks for the inspired reminder - am going off to re-watch it now


----------



## The Bluestocking

Vince W said:


> Don't let that put you off. You may not like Cruise, but he is very good in this film. Go to the cinema. You won't regret it.



One of my friends (a film buff) told me that he fell asleep halfway through the film, so it didn't sound all that promising on top of Cruise being in the film.

Maybe I'll consider going to watch it this long weekend...


----------



## The Bluestocking

PTeppic said:


> In which case you might want to consider that it's a Tom Cruise film in which his character gets killed. Repeatedly...



You just made me very nearly spit out my orange juice


----------



## Vince W

*Chef*. If you like food related stories definitely give this one a look. The cast is great and the story is a lot of fun. A very enjoyable film.


----------



## Mouse

*2-Headed Shark Attack*.


----------



## Foxbat

Mouse said:


> *2-Headed Shark Attack*.


 
Haven't seen this one but there's a review here (I love the section '_Things I Learned From This Movie'_
2-Headed Shark Attack B-Movie Capsule Review

I watched *The Railway Man*. Very moving.


----------



## Mouse

Foxbat said:


> Haven't seen this one but there's a review here (I love the section '_Things I Learned From This Movie'_
> 2-Headed Shark Attack B-Movie Capsule Review



Yeah that pretty much sums it up! It was awesome.


----------



## clovis-man

Queen of Outer Space (1958) - IMDb

Talk about morbid fascination. This little piece was so bad that even MST3K wouldn't touch it. Starring Zsa Zsa Gabor who spent her time wandering the wilds of Venus in evening attire. The whole thing was hilarious. However, it seems that that may have been no mistake. Hard to believe that anyone could have thought that this tale should be taken seriously. From the "crib" on the spaceship in which the scientist is forced to recline to the campfire in the cave with no logical reason for its existance, nothing could connect logically. So in essence you just got long-legged women in gold stillettos and mini-skirts chasing three hapless spacemen around. Worth an hour & a half of your time?? You have to be the judge.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Of all those "another world inhabited only by beautiful young women" movies, *Queen of Outer Space* may be the funniest, although they are all pretty hilarious.  The hit-and-miss parody film *Amazon Women on the Moon*, which had a lot of lousy skits, did pretty well with the title sequence, which imitated the look of that genre quite well.  ("Son of the Invisible Man" also captured the look of the old Universal horror films quite well, although it was a one-joke parody.)

Also check out *Catwomen of the Moon* (with Sonny Tufts, as well as the Hollywood Cover Girls as the Catwomen), which may be the cheapest looking, and *Fire Maidens From Outer Space*, which has a nice touch of British class along with all the goofiness.  (The Fire Maidens do their ritual dance -- a mandatory requirement for all-female alien societies, it seems -- to the strains of "Polovtsian Dances.")


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Of all those "another world inhabited only by beautiful young women" movies, *Queen of Outer Space* may be the funniest,



...if only for this wonderful and very favourite bit of mistimed acting:

Junk Monkey: Bad Acting 101


Tonight I watched *l rey de la montaña *             (aka _King of the Hill_ 2007) which was pretty damn terrific.  Best quid I spent in Poundland for ages.

But the subtitlers should have done something with the hero's name.  Having your central (male) character called 'Quim' is tad distracting.


----------



## J-Sun

I had a couple of unwatched Val Lewton DVDs around when I came across yet another Lewton double feature (_I Walked with a Zombie/The Body Snatcher_) at the local used place. I thought that was getting a bit out of hand without seeing more, but I did have them hold it for me while I went home and - thanks to Victoria's advice - I picked *The Seventh Victim* (1943) to watch. If you've seen _South Park_, you know what Stan says a lot when the going gets really weird? Well, that's what I said a lot. This has nothing sexually or violently graphic in it but I was constantly wondering how this passed the censors. A schoolgirl (originally, I thought high school-equivalent, but apparently college-equivalent) finds her sister has disappeared, so leaves school and returns to the city to look for her. She meets a weird PI, a weirder shrink, a weirder poet, a weirder cosmetics manager, and a young Ward Cleaver as a lawyer named... Ward. (Like June Lockhart in _The Curse of the Cat People_.) Events swirl around into the doings of a remarkably un-sensationalized satanic cult and, even though you know how it has to end, it ends abruptly - very abruptly. My favorite scene - although there are many great images playing with light and shadow, such as a face popping out of a darkened doorstep area - is the scene where the blonde can't take the betrayer's killing herself *or* not killing herself. Anyway - a deeply bent movie - I loved it. Bought the other DVD, needless to say.


----------



## Overread

Redline - honestly I can't work out why it got such poor reviews! Sure its not super-serious but it works! Don't ask me why but it works really well


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rock All Night* (1957)

Surprisingly entertaining and off-beat rocksploitation crime drama from Roger Corman. We begin in a fancy nightclub with the unlikely name "Ye Old Rocke," where we listen to the Platters do a couple of numbers. Meanwhile, a little guy with a big chip on his shoulder (Dick Miller, in a rare leading role) starts telling an obnoxious drunk (familiar B movie character actor Bruno VeSota) the truth about himself. This gets the little guy thrown out of the place, but not before he uses his amazing talent for finding the psychological weak spot of everybody he encounters to get the bartender fired by the French-accented owner of the place. The owner then faints dead away when the bartender threatens him.

Whew! All this is just a prologue to the real movie. We change location to a cheap little dive, where we'll spend the rest of the story. A bunch of characters show up. Besides the musicians on stage, who kill more time with some numbers, and the little guy, we have a cynical bartender; a world-weary reporter who hangs around the bar; a nervous young woman who wants to audition as a singer (Abby Dalton); a hep cat named "Sir Bop" who talked her into it (a role written for legendary beatnik comic Lord Buckley, but played by Corman regular Mel Welles); a truck driver and his wife; a neophyte prizefighter, his manager, and the fighter's wife; a crook who forces the bartender to pay protection money; and a couple of suspicious characters, one cold and one jittery. With the limited set and the large number of oddball characters, it all seems like a William Saroyan play. It quickly turns into another kind of play -- _The Petrified Forest_ or _The Desperate Hours_ -- when another guy comes in and tells the crowd that he's just run across a couple of old folks killed in a robbery. Too bad for him that the two suspicious guys are the killers. The cold one (Russell "The Professor" Johnson, very good in the Bogart role) shoots him dead and takes everybody else hostage. It then turns into a psychological cat-and-mouse game between the fearless little guy and the killers. Dick Miller gives a remarkably intense performance.


----------



## Rodders

Kick Ass 2. It was great fun and I really enjoyed it. Not sure if i prefer this one or the first one. They left the end pretty open so i'm assuming that there are plans for a Hit Girl movie. 

Riddick. Enjoyable enough, but i thought that this film bore too much resemblance to Pitch Black.


----------



## Ransonwrites

Rodders said:


> Riddick. Enjoyable enough, but i thought that this film bore too much resemblance to Pitch Black.



Yes, completely agree. Felt like they were flogging a dead horse in their efforts to develop the title character into, well, an actual character. Karl Urban continues to steal the scenes with his quiet intensity and inner dialogue, but is still wasted here.

The most recent film I saw was The Hunt For Gollum and I was so impressed by this low-budget, indie, fan-made effort that I wrote a rather wordy review of it. Perhaps it doesn't count as an addition to this thread, not being a bona fide product of a big studio... or perhaps for that very reason it should be here, after all!


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> ...if only for this wonderful and very favourite bit of mistimed acting:
> 
> Junk Monkey: Bad Acting 101


 
Thanks for the link. Talk about a double take! And I totally forgot to mention earlier about the recycled Forbidden Planet duds. The costumes and props from that movie fueled low budget SF flicks for years. Not to mention Robbie, who will outlive us all.


----------



## svalbard

*Valhalla Rising* on Saturday night. Strange, surreal and completely bonkers.


----------



## Rodders

I went to see Edge of Tomorrow last night. A great effort and the Technology looked superb.


----------



## Harpo

Last night I tried to watch _Watchmen.  _I gave up after about 30 minutes, it was boring.


----------



## alchemist

*Mr Peabody and Sherman* - a decent kids film, but no more than that. I found it pretty uneven.

*The Wolf of Wall Street* - definitely not one for the kids. I looked it up afterwards and it has the record for most F-words in a non-documentary film. I wouldn't be surprised if it also held the record for most instances of substances being imbibed from naked working ladies as well. It was pretty entertainig at times, but never became the hip, witty film it sometimes threatened to be. It was also an hour too long.


----------



## clovis-man

alchemist said:


> *The Wolf of Wall Street* - definitely not one for the kids. I looked it up afterwards and it has the record for most F-words in a non-documentary film.


 
The list of F-bomb films seems to stop in the 1980s. Nothing earlier. I would have thought that *The Last Detail* (1973) would have at least received an honorable mention.


----------



## Flyerman11

Harpo said:


> Last night I tried to watch _Watchmen.  _I gave up after about 30 minutes, it was boring.



I suggest you give it another try, I really like this one. There is a good curve thrown near the end.

One of the better elements of this film / Graphic Novel is the fact that, ultimately even superheros cannot escape their humanity, specially Rorshach, except for Dr. Manhattan who... well, I don't want to spoil it.


----------



## Juliana

Went to see Maleficent with my daughter. Pretty decent storyline, all in all.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alchemist said:


> *The Wolf of Wall Street* - definitely not one for the kids. I looked it up afterwards and it has the record for most F-words in a non-documentary film.



Where's this list?  I'm guessing the Vietnam war film I watched last night, *How Sleep the Brave *(aka Combat Zone) would come pretty high up in the rankings.  

For a film set in the Far East but shot in a field in Buckinghamshire with a budget in the low dozens it was a brave stab.  But the dialogue was a pretty monotonous: "Get your mother****ing ass up here up here you mother****ing c**t or I'll shove this f****ing M16 up your f***ing ass..." etc. etc.


----------



## Foxbat

*Weekend Of A Champion *Roman Polanski's remastered movie of a weekend in the life of Sir Jackie Stewart at the Monaco Grand prix. Absolutely fascinating.


----------



## Mouse

Touch of Pink. Starring Jimi Mistry doing an odd Canadian accent.


----------



## ratsy

I resent that you hoser, eh?


----------



## Mouse

Jimi Mistry's from Yorkshire and in this film he's supposed to be Canadian but he still mostly sounds like a Brit to me. Except he does say 'oot' at one point.


----------



## ratsy

Get oot of here eh. I dont know what ur talking aboot


----------



## Mouse

I've been to Canada and I didn't hear one person say 'oot' or 'aboot.' I was highly disappointed.


----------



## ratsy

Well it all depends where you go. It seems like there is less accent out west. The east coast is a whole different world. Usually the big cities have less accents it seems. This is a MASSIVE country! Takes a long time to get anywhere in it


----------



## Mouse

I went to Toronto (which is where this guy in the film - get me getting back on thread  - was supposed to be from). 

One of my tour guides was from Manchester!


----------



## JunkMonkey

North Manchester or south Manchester?





Tonight Number One Daughter (aged 12) decided that for her turn in the weekly family bigscreen and pizza movie night we were all going to watch *The Fifth Element*.  I had forgotten how funny it was.  It's the wife's turn next week.


----------



## Foxbat

*Out Of The Furnace *(2013) It looked good enough and had a pretty decent soundtrack but as movies go, this did very little for me. Some pretty stupid editing/writing decisions meant that one of the prime character development moments for the main protagonist was glossed over and rushed through. I don't know if this was a writing choice or editorial decision to leave most of the scene on the proverbial cutting room floor but, either way, it left me pretty disconnected and uncaring about the character.

What we have here is a 'revenge movie' filmed by the numbers. A shame because it's got a pretty decent cast (Woody Harrelson, Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe & Forest Whitaker).


----------



## Starbeast

*X-Men: Days of Future Past* (2014)

For me, this is the best movie of the year (so far)! Exceptional comic book enterainment!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Medusa Touch *(1978) 
A film I never get tired of watching. One of Richard Burton's best and one of my personal favourites.


----------



## Foxbat

*Murder By Death* (1976)
Amusing murder mystery comedy with a stellar cast you just don't see these days (Truman Capote, Peter Falk, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester & Eileen Brennan)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Endless Night* (1972)

Odd little psychodrama based on a novel by Agatha Christie, but don't expect a traditional whodunit. About two-thirds of this movie is a quirky love story, as a ne'er-do-well British fellow wins the heart of an American heiress. We're reminded that we're watching something darker than that with a few weird touches here and there, as well as a moody score by the great Bernard Herrmann. (The heiress also sings this poem by William Blake, which gives the novel its title.)

_Every night and every morn,
Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night,
Some are born to sweet delight.
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night._

The movie begins with the fellow narrating his story to somebody unseen, in a manner which suggests that he has been traumatized by some terrible event. We see psychedelic images of the heiress through his eyes, but she doesn't have a face. As the story progresses, we are introduced to various colorful characters -- an architect dying from an unspecified disease, who builds the couple their super-futuristic dream home (including one-way picture windows and a swimming pool in the living room); the local crazy cat lady/psychic, who murmurs dark warnings; relatives of the heiress; the German tutor/Best Friend Forever of the heiress; the family lawyer; the local doctor; and so on. 

About an hour into the movie, it suddenly turns into a crime drama. Somebody dies (natural causes or murder?) and certain characters turn out to be different than we thought. You may see the plot twists coming, and you may find them implausible; but the weirdness of it all may keep you watching. Be warned that the young man is a very unreliable narrator indeed. At least one character may not even be real (it's never made entirely clear), a certain important flashback is shown in two quite different ways, and some of the things we see must be hallucinations. (Either that, or else the movie makes another sudden change and turns into a ghost story.)


----------



## clovis-man

Foxbat said:


> *Murder By Death* (1976)
> Amusing murder mystery comedy with a stellar cast you just don't see these days (Truman Capote, Peter Falk, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, Maggie Smith, James Coco, Elsa Lanchester & Eileen Brennan)


 
Agreed. A highly entertaining spoof.

*Maleficent*

Well done. Ms. Jolie doesn't do anything half-baked. And Sharlto Copley seems to be falling into the "designated villain" roles. Well worth seeing.

*Jack Reacher*

I haven't read any of the Lee Child books, but this was a pretty good thriller. Some may find that Tom Cruise overplayed his role, but the overall flow of the film was captivating. And Robert Duvall's small role was a gem. He even validated the one-eyed path to "retaining one's night vision" that I learned in boot camp in the Viet Nam era.


----------



## dask

SAVING MISTER BANKS. Wasn't sure how they could pull this off but they did. Really enjoyed it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Beyond The Door *(1974)
A film that can only be described as a poor man's Exorcist and extremely mediocre at that. 
Avoid. There are far more interesting things that can be done in the  97 minutes it takes to watch this.


----------



## Rafellin

*In the Blood* - surprised me by being a very watchable whodunnit and whydunnit instead of an excuse for wall-to-wall MMA-style mayhem.

*I Frankenstein* - the last effort from the Underworld team delights with effects and action, but lacks seriously in cohesion. I like this sort of stuff a lot, but this one came up hollow.

*The Machine* - While I vaguely get the links to Blade Runner being touted, they do this film a disservice. This is a thumper of a dystopian future film with some stunning camerawork, a sustained atmosphere of awry and discomfort throughout the early sections, and some storming acting to back decent characterisation. The scope of the film is sensibly restricted to allow it's budget to be put foreground use rather than futuristic vista rendering. For me, there are a couple of moments of sublime cinematic beauty as well.

*Lone Survivor* - Films about this sort of event are never going to be cheerful, but this one cuts it's cloth to fit and does not attempt to sugar-coat the scope of the clusterf*ck. Recommended if this sort of topic is one you feel the need to watch.


----------



## biodroid

Vampire Academy, very bad movie. The new Robocop, it was OK, not nearly as good as the original. It took the first half just to get to see Robocop


----------



## Mouse

*Hunger Games*. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, but it's probably best not to question things. (I've not read the books, so I'm going to content myself with thinking that all my questions are answered there).


----------



## Venusian Broon

Mouse said:


> *Hunger Games*. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would, but it's probably best not to question things. (I've not read the books, so I'm going to content myself with thinking that all my questions are answered there).



I saw it too last night for the first time, and I have to say that I enjoyed it far more than I thought I was going to as well. 

It was also not as _Battle Royale_ as I thought it would be, which probably helped a lot (I like Battle Royale, so if HG was a blatant rip off I was ready to rip it apart.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *The Medusa Touch *(1978)
> A film I never get tired of watching. One of Richard Burton's best and one of my personal favourites.




And, as I remember it, based on a cracking wee book too.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> And, as I remember it, based on a cracking wee book too.


 
I've never actually read the book. Something I should remedy in the future methinks.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenagers Battle the Thing* (1958)

Sounds like a spoof of 50's monster movies, but it's the real thing. Ultra-low budget black-and-white quickie, apparently never released in theaters, runs less than an hour. A teacher and some students go digging for artifacts somewhere out West. They find a Stone Age tool (sure looks like just a rock to me) so the males go climb a huge boulder while the two females wait below. The guys find a big rock, pry it up, and find the opening to a big cave. They go inside and find a "mummy" (dead guy covered with solidified mud or some such.) (The opening narration prepared us for the fact that this is an ancient "ape man" of some kind.) Somehow they haul it out of there and drag it off in a pickup truck to some building or other. It comes to life, menaces some folks, the teacher and the students and the local cop wait for it, it shows up, they throw gasoline on it and set it on fire. The end. Laughably awful monster suit, in the style of Larry Buchanan.

*Curse of Bigfoot* (1976)

Some guy in a cheap monster suit stalks a woman and her dog very slowly. Just as the attack is about to happen, we find out that we've been watching a movie-within-the-movie. Some students (high school or college), apparently taking a class in Monsters, listen to a teacher talk about Yeti/Bigfoot. This leads to a lot of stock footage of snowy mountains, forestry workers shoving big logs around, etc. We also get a fictional sequence of a couple of guys getting attacked by Bigfoot. (All we see is the big foot.) Back to the classroom. After some chatter (the whole class laughs hysterically when one student says that griffins ate everything of their victims except the shoes), the teacher introduces a guest speaker, who actually encountered Bigfoot. The guy comes in and explains that the incident was so horrifying that three of the folks involved spent the rest of their lives in mental institutions. We then go into flashback mode and find out . . . the rest of the movie is our old friend *Teenagers Battle the Thing*, but this time it's in color. It must have been filmed that way, then printed in black-and-white. I guess they printed it in color years later and added half an hour of introductory padding. I didn't bother watching this thing again, but flipping through it convinces me that they just slapped the old movie at the end of the new footage; we never do go back to the classroom. Both versions are awful, but *Teenagers Battle the Thing* has a certain 50's charm which is lost in the color version. It also has the not inconsiderable virtue of being only two-thirds as long as *Curse of Bigfoot*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Teenagers Battle the Thing* has a certain 50's charm which is lost in the color version. It also has the not inconsiderable virtue of being only two-thirds as long as *Curse of Bigfoot*.



Another for the I Now Need to See list.  Thanks, Victoria! 

https://archive.org/details/teenagersBattleTheThing


----------



## clovis-man

Okay. Time for true confessions. I have seen three recent Tom Cruise movies (*Oblivion*, *Jack Reacher* and *Edge of Tomorrow*) and have enjoyed them all. Call it my guilty pleasure, if you like.

Re *Edge of Tomorrow*: A few minor quibbles - We never find out where the invaders are coming from; We never find out why they're here and; The human soldiers in their mechanized body armor/gun platforms walk around like Torgo from *Manos: The Hands Of Fate*.

But once you accept the fact that you're watching an SF version of *Groundhog Day*, the story and the considerable action sequences flow quite nicely. It was very satisfying to be able to follow an action thriller and not get lost in scene after scene of seemingly unrelated special effects battles. In this film there is a a goal being pursued by the protagonists and a coherent theme that the viewer can easily relate to. Some surprising twists and turns and an ending that stretches the "willing suspension..." principle a bit (I'm betting that the blu-ray version will have an alternate take on the finish), but overall, a very absorbing and enjoyable movie. Recommended.


----------



## J-Sun

Continuing my Val Lewton film festival, I watched the voodoo flick *I Walked with a Zombie* which was okay but had a bit too much romance, believe it or not, and did something with a character I didn't care for [1] - still pretty cool. And then the grave robber flick *The Body Snatcher* which stars Karloff and Lugosi together and is definitely billed as such even though Lugosi gets the short end of the stick. Karloff was great and it's just a shame the main protagonist wasn't a very good actor and reminded me visually of Judge Reinhold c._Fast Times at Ridgemont High_. But this was a genuinely creepy movie and did a great job of showing several people who weren't so much "evil" as just very very bad, which is worse in ways.

Also finally saw *Star Trek Nemesis* so I've now seen all TOS/TNG movies and can say they mostly suck. _Insurrection_ was so lame I'd skipped this one until now. It's better than that or _Generations_ but that's still not good. Also couldn't believe they totally stole the _Excalibur_ scene. And the Original movies really only had _The Motion Picture_ which I always liked more than others until I got tired of it, and _II_ and _IV_ which I've never liked as much as others seem to but like okay. _First Contact_, as iffy as it is, is the best of the meh TNGs.

[1] Spoilers: 



Spoiler



I thought the mother would be some evil harridan and she turned out to be very likable and I kind of liked the zombie priestess thing, even. But, even if they did sort of try to blunt it by making it be in defense of her family, I still didn't like her being the one who killed the girl. But I guess I should have seen it coming and there wasn't much else they could do


.


----------



## JunkMonkey

For my choice in the weekly Take it in Turns to Choose a Film Family Pizza and Movie Night (pat pending) Daughter Number One and I introduce Daughter Number Two to the joyous pile of fun that is *Flash Gordon*.  Flash! aaaaaaah!

As the end credits roll Number one Turns to her sister and asks, 
"Well did you like it?"
"Yes, it was good."
 Number One is incensed. "Good!  Good!?  GOOD??? - you can't say Flash Gordon is 'good', you can say it's silly and stupid and fun and trashy and cool and brilliant and loads of other stuff - but you could never call it '_good_'."
For a 12 year old she has all the makings of a decent film critic.  I am more than happy with my parenting skills tonight.




			
				J-Sun said:
			
		

> I've now seen all TOS/TNG movies and can say they mostly suck.


 I've not seen all of them but I could have told you that...


----------



## AE35Unit

*Frozen*
Ugh, never again!


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just came back from watching the latest Transformers movie which sounds like a bad idea but it was serviceable for a Saturday spent at the mall for air-conditioning because the weather here is well-nigh reaching 40 degrees Celcius at 100% humidity...

I digress. Onwards with the not-a-review:

My ears are still ringing from how LOUD it is... and this is just the 2D version. Heaven knows how the folks who paid extra to watch in in IMAX retained their eardrums!

Other than that: It was okay for a summer popcorn movie if you leave your brain and eardrums at home. Also - Michael Bay really REALLY needs to be more judicious about the number of action scenes but what do I know? Apparently, having something explode every 2 minutes or so is his idea of keeping the audience riveted for 2 hours and 40 minutes...


----------



## Foxbat

The_Bluestocking said:


> Also - Michael Bay really REALLY needs to be more judicious about the number of action scenes but what do I know? Apparently, having something explode every 2 minutes or so is his idea of keeping the audience riveted for 2 hours and 40 minutes...


 
Shouldn't come as any surprise. Watching a Transformers movie is just like throwing a grenade in a toybox.


----------



## kythe

I recently rewatched "Open Water".  I this this movie is very underrated because it was poorly marketed as horror.  It isn't.  It is a riveting drama about the last day of a couple's life - left behind in the sea by their scuba diving tour boat.  The characters go through the 5 stages of grief as they realize their situation.  The fact that there are no special effects adds to the quality of the film - for instance the sharks are real and act like real sharks.  I think "Open Water" is a quite believable take on what could happen in a situation like this.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *The Heat* a cop comedy caper with Sandra Bullock and molly of Mike and Molly.
Pretty funny.


----------



## kythe

I just watched Divergent.  Its pretty good, but I couldn't help noticing similarities to The Hunger Games.  Also, some of the male characters look so much alike they are hard to tell apart.  The film did have very good character development and acting.  But I find the premise that almost everyone in the city falls neatly into one of 5 categories of personality rather unbelievable.  I guess overall, rather average.

Edited to add:  Divergent actually seems to be a cross between Brave New World and The Hunger Games.  It was a fine movie, but not unique.


----------



## J-Sun

*The Man from Planet X* (1951) - that's Planet "Eks", not Planet "10". If you're from Scotland you probably hate this movie - I dunno. It's kind of awful but kind of neat. A reporter goes to Scotland where a couple of people have extreme accents and a couple of people don't and so on. Turns out a "planet" is going to maybe pass close by or maybe nick Scotland so, naturally, The Professor and His Lovely Daughter and The Villain go to where they might turn into a Planet X-shaped smudge rather than the opposite end of the earth. Along the way, they meet, and try to engage in conversation, The Man from Planet X. Much to-ing and fro-ing and a really hilarious scene of Planet X zipping about. There's a bit borrowed from, say, Flash Gordon (30s style) when Mongo comes hurtling toward us and bits that would be borrowed by _Plan 9_ (though this zombie army is way better) and some other things. Including really really bad not-science.

But it somehow maintained my interest and did honestly try to produce something like ambiguity and complexity in the handling of The Man and so on. I dunno. I liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man From Planet X* is more interesting than one might think, probably because it was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, who gave us such classics as *The Black Cat* and *Detour*.

__________________________________________________________

Not exactly a movie:

I've been sifting through a site called "Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel" for many of the old movies I watch. (Despite the name, there's a lot of feature films as well.) While fooling around, I found this little gem of an unsold game show:

http://www.solie.org/alibrary/ThePlotThickens1963.html

"The Plot Thickens" is a murder mystery game. The panel -- one professional detective, one member of the audience, one celebrity, and Groucho Marx -- watches a brief film depicting a murder. It's kind of like a ten-minute episode of _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_, without the ending. They then question four of the actors who appeared in the little film, all of whom stay in character. The innocent must tell the truth, the killer can lie. 

Some reasons why I thought this was pretty cool:

1. It was created by William Castle, and the mystery was written by Robert Bloch.

2. The show's mascot is a little black cat named Lucifer.

3. The host's sidekick is a strikingly lovely young woman in a cat suit, including tail, with the unlikely first name Warrene. A little research reveals she was an actress who appeared in things like *The Undertaker and His Pals*. 

4. As you'd expect, Groucho pretty much ignores the point of the game and spends all his time making wisecracks.

Highly recommended is you have half an hour to kill.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Man From Planet X* is more interesting than one might think, probably because it was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, who gave us such classics as *The Black Cat* and *Detour*.



Interesting - his name didn't register. I've got _Detour_ but haven't seen it. I've never seen _The Black Cat_ but, of course, I've heard of it and probably will see it someday.



> http://www.solie.org/alibrary/ThePlotThickens1963.html



It did look pretty cool but the audio and video of every format I tried to play was horribly out of sync - is that just me? - so I gave up pretty quick.


----------



## clovis-man

*Her*

It's either the absolute dullest SF story about artificial intelligence I've ever seen or the sappiest love story. Hey, take your pick. I kept wanting to smack Joaquin Phoenix on the head and yell out Cher's most famous movie line from *Moonstruck*:

Ronny Cammareri: I love you. 
Loretta Castorini: [slaps him twice] Snap out of it!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*What a Carve Up!* AKA *No Place Like Homicide!* (1961)

Lowbrow comedy version of the Old Dark House theme. Sid James and Kenneth Connor from the "Carry On" series are the leads. One gets summoned to the spooky old house of his recently deceased uncle for the reading of the will, the other tags along. Among the folks present are various nutty or venal relatives of the dead man, as well as his personal nurse (Bond Girl Shirley Eaton, whose sole function here is to be pretty.) The most enjoyable performances come from Donald Pleasance as a quietly sardonic lawyer and Michael Gough in a Karloffian role as the creepy butler. Folks start getting killed, leading to a typical mystery/farce full of secret passages, vanishing corpses, and so on. It's all very familiar stuff.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just watched "Deliver Us From Evil". Fairly watchable, slightly corny, not too horrific (which is fine by me) and Eric Bana is always in fine form.

It would've been better if the person a few rows back wasn't making exaggerated and loud exclamations along the lines of "Oh no!" and "Uh oh..." at pivotal points when everyone is holding their breaths knowing that we're about to be in for a "jump"

Courtesy of whoever that was, half the audience was snickering and a few people were shushing the person.


----------



## Juliana

Transformers 4... Loud, confusing, too many villains and some incredibly random scenes. In other words, just like the other 3 movies. But my 11yo loved it, so worth the outing.

Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci did their best, and were high points in an otherwise utterly predictable film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I finally got round to watching *The Green Hornet* which I had for a while understood to be pretty dreadful.  It was worse.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> I finally got round to watching *The Green Hornet* which I had for a while understood to be pretty dreadful. It was worse.


 
For a second there I thought you were talking about the 1974 pseudo-movie made up of episodes of the 1960's TV show chopped up to make zero sense, all because of the sudden Bruce Lee craze.


----------



## barrett1987

I really enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow. I'm not a Tom Cruise fan at all but i felt the dialogue was really strong in the first two acts and that minus the last 3 minutes, the film ended strongly. I just wish they had cut that last 3 minutes. (people will know what i mean if they have seen it.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> For a second there I thought you were talking about the 1974 pseudo-movie made up of episodes of the 1960's TV show chopped up to make zero sense, all because of the sudden Bruce Lee craze.



A 'film' of which I was not aware until now.  No, I was referring to the 2011 Seth Rogen POS.  I've never encountered Seth Rogen before.  Is he always such an utter dick?

Tonight I shared my stupid affection for _The Rocky Horror Picture Show _with my 75 year old mum.  She thought it was "the weirdest film" she's ever seen - but had laughed like a drain all the way through it.


----------



## J-Sun

Brilliant affection, you mean? 

Back to the Lewton festival - *The Leopard Man* was the first Lewton dud for me. (A) we've already done _Cat People_ and done it much better. (B) the exposition had me wanting a character to get eaten, delayed it interminably and, by the time it happened, had tried hard to get me to not want it any more. (C) the whodunnit was obvious. (D) etc etc etc. (E) Edit: forgot - the bolted-on romance was lame. If it wasn't going to be good, I wish it had been worse. As is, it wasn't even interestingly bad.

On the other hand, while significantly flawed, *The Ghost Ship* was pretty good. There weren't no ghosts on the ship, which might disappoint some folks and this was a more ordinary proto-slasher flick than Lewton flicks are usually prone to be, and there's a bad red herring involving an incriminating note, and a questionable "mute" and a couple of poorly choreographed fights including one that leads to an iffy ending in which the protagonist plays an odd part and I might have wished for more of the _Platoon_-like "two father figures, good angel/bad devil-on-shoulder" thing that seemed to be going on with Sparks and the Captain before they got carried away with how obtuse the officers and crew would be... *gasp*

Okay, like I said, there's a lot wrong with this one.

But it was a neat depiction of ship life that had a tangibility and interest of its own. The depiction of madness was kind of hammy but still pretty nifty for all that. It was nicely suspenseful for the most part and really well paced with a relatively relaxed 2/3 that gave it plenty of energy for the final sprint and Judge Reinhold's grandfather (kidding) works well in this part. I dunno - not up with the best, but I liked this one okay.

And, just as much as The Bus, another Lewtonism seems to be the "singing person". Almost every flick has some character singing, usually in a way that seems like non-diegetic music before being shown to be a character. Not real fond of that, but oh well. Speaking of, the one good thing in _The Leopard Man_ was its Bus. I said to myself, "here it comes" and then this pathetic thing happened. I couldn't quite believe it was that lame but it was close enough that I sort of accepted it. So THEN came the real Bus. Nice. 

Bus spoilers: 



Spoiler



I'm speaking, of course, of when the girl goes under the darkened bridge and stops and... this tumbleweed comes rolling out. And then, on her way back, when I was thinking about cat eyes and have forgotten about startling noises, the train goes roaring overhead.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> another Lewtonism seems to be the "singing person". Almost every flick has some character singing, usually in a way that seems like non-diegetic music before being shown to be a character



Wait till you get to _Apache Drums_, everyone sings in that.  In Welsh if memory serves.


----------



## alchemist

*How To Train Your Dragon 2* -- Just as good as the first, with some fantastic animation.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

alchemist said:


> *How To Train Your Dragon 2* -- Just as good as the first, with some fantastic animation.



Ooooh, that's on our list this week hopefully. I'll tell Holly your lads enjoyed it. She's very excited.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Wait till you get to _Apache Drums_, everyone sings in that.  In Welsh if memory serves.



Interesting but, as much as I've generally enjoyed this, I doubt I'll get to that one - probably just stick with the RKO thrills'n'chills. But that might actually bug me less, at least in theory. I'm not a big fan of musical movies but, like with Rocky Horror, if it's really the point and the songs work (and the whole thing is deeply crazed), it can be good. But the "one obtrusive guy" thing is a little different.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> Interesting but, as much as I've generally enjoyed this, I doubt I'll get to that one - probably just stick with the RKO thrills'n'chills. But that might actually bug me less, at least in theory. I'm not a big fan of musical movies but, like with Rocky Horror, if it's really the point and the songs work (and the whole thing is deeply crazed), it can be good. But the "one obtrusive guy" thing is a little different.



It's not a musical.  There's just a scene where the beleageured townsfolk sing a rousing Welsh hymn as they face almost certain death.  (I think the writers of _Zulu_ must have seen this film.)  _Apache Drums_ is not a great film, the ending - without giving too much away - is utter pants but it builds up some nice edgy tension before it gets there.


----------



## J-Sun

Oh, I see - everyone sings, but just the one song. I thought you meant everybody got their own song. Either way, I'll probably never experience it.


----------



## Jesse412

*Day Of The Dead* (1985)







The gore in this film is a huge step up from _Dawn of the Dead_ (1978).  Some of Tom Savini and Gregory Nicotero's finest special effect make-ups that hold up incredibly well today.  The real star of this movie is Sherman Howard who plays the zombie Bub and is arguably the most endearing movie monster since Boris Karloff in Frankenstein.


----------



## Lenny

*A Million Ways To Die in the West*

Sometimes you need a break from the usual sort of comedy you watch, and this was one of those times. The trailers looked good, and the reviews were terrible... but it was enjoyable. It got plenty of sniggers out of me, with a couple of proper laughs.

Not a film I'd sit down to watch, but I found it a good use of two hours whilst I mined for diamonds.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Rock of Ages....(think Glee with leather pants) and Dark Shadows. 

Didn't really care much for either of them even though I love the idea of Depp as a vamp with Burton directing and Elfman doing the soundtrack...but it failed to wow me


----------



## BAYLOR

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. A most excellent film.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Worlds End. I found it relatively entertaining but i definitely prefer Spaced to any of the Cornetto trilogy.

I also watched Enders Game. Good soundtrack, good set design. It was entertaining enough, but i can't help feeling that the film lost something by trying to stick too close to the book. I'll watch it again with the GF to see what she thinks.


----------



## clovis-man

Rodders said:


> I finally got around to watching Worlds End. I found it relatively entertaining but i definitely prefer Spaced to any of the Cornetto trilogy.


 
I liked all three, but they were each quite different from one another. Admittedly, a younger Simon Pegg was quite successful in putting together a highly entertaining series with *Spaced*. One to watch again now & then.



Rodders said:


> I also watched Enders Game. Good soundtrack, good set design. It was entertaining enough, but i can't help feeling that the film lost something by trying to stick too close to the book. I'll watch it again with the GF to see what she thinks.


 
Looking back on it, I think I can agree with your assessment. I was happy that they followed the book as well as they did, but it was hard to portray the tension of the subterfuge fomented by Harrison Ford, et al on film. Much more effective in print.


----------



## Phyrebrat

I have watched a lot of movies recently as my work contracts have been coming to an end. A lot of have been mediocre but the ones that stick out for me for various reasons are below.



_Mr Jones_ - a small budget movie in the found footage genre. I thought this was beautifully filmed, and succeeded in places where most horrors fail in that I cared about the two characters. It has a meta approach - esp the ending - and it works so well. It twists a couple of tropes nicely. The ending - whilst great - is far too long, by quite a few beats, and I found myself saying 'okay, we get it' to myself a few times. A couple of things irritated me in terms of character motivations here and there but I don't want to say too much about this film in case I spoil anything. It also introduced me to the fabulous artwork of Pumpkinrot - my house would be filled with these sculptures if I had the money.
_The Banshee Chapter_ - I wasn't expecting much from this movie simply because I hadn't heard much about it, and I had seen a lot of turkeys in the weeks running up to watching it, and had become cynical that there were any good horrors left for me to watch. It starts off with the found footage conceit (something I actually quite like) before morphing into a more traditional form. From the introduction to MK-Ultra and the Number Stations early on in the story, I was pretty excited, but as soon as Ted Levine makes his Hunter S Thompson-esque entry, I was hooked. He is simply fantastic and the interplay between him and the MC is wonderful. There is a really great (chilling, original) concept in this movie which I won't spoil (and a lovely nod to HP Lovecraft).
_Cannibal Holocaust_ - I should say, straight up, that I am no fan of torture porn movies like _Saw_ or _Hostel_ or _The Human Centipede_, but I keep seeing this movie recommended on 'most influential/scary/disturbing horror movie lists, so I figured I should see what the fuss is about. Also, I was about 10 or 11 when the video nasty _débâcle_ happened in the UK and remember all the myths about those movies and the feared decay of societal fabric as pronounced by heavily conservative zealots. As a result of seeing other so-called video nasties, I was expecting a rough, poorly made film which was probably going to be nothing but torture from the get go. I was surprised that this movie had an actual narrative and point. However, I did find it pretty disturbing, not because of the violence, implied cannibalism, rape or even the somewhat ignorant westernised take on 'barbaric savages', but because of the horrendous animal cruelty. The actual real slaughter of a turtle, monkey, coatimundi, spider and snake was incredibly shocking. You can imagine what would happen today. I rarely look away from the screen in movies (vomiting or pulling out of nails usually are the only things to get me to look away), but I could not watch the turtle scene. I disliked the movie but not from an artistic merit point of view. I enjoy things that make me question my moral centre and the bitterness of life, and I appreciated this film in those terms. However, it has stayed with me as an unpleasant mental after-taste.


pH


----------



## clovis-man

*Transformers: Age of Extinction*

Interesting to start with, but after the third hour of explosions and wreckage, I began to lose all interest. Nicola Peltz is good at squealing. Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci try to be good at yelling. Marky Mark tries to be heroic. And if you think there won't be another sequel, I've got a nice used truck to sell you.


----------



## Clever-Fox

If I'm not counting all the movies I watch at home, the last movie I saw _in a theater_ was The Edge of Tomorrow.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

The Fault in Our Stars. Standard YA fare, much weepiness. My teen enjoyed it.


----------



## Juliana

ratsy said:


> I watched Rock of Ages....(think Glee with leather pants) and Dark Shadows.
> 
> Didn't really care much for either of them even though I love the idea of Depp as a vamp with Burton directing and Elfman doing the soundtrack...but it failed to wow me



I liked Rock of Ages, but then it had all the lovely, cheesy 80's rock songs I grew up hearing so I sang along unashamedly.


----------



## biodroid

BAYLOR said:


> Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. A most excellent film.


Enjoyed it myself, great story and brilliant visuals. The apes looked so real I didnt even think they were CG


----------



## kythe

I just researched the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, this time with my 14 year old.  She knew nothing of the story ahead of time, I wanted to see her reaction approaching it fresh.  She figured out toward the end that they were on Earth, and said the story left her with a "bad feeling" since humans ruined the Earth but the apes evolved to be just like humans.  I think that's an appropriate reaction.  

Aside from the 2001 remake, which I didn't like, I haven't seen any of the other movies in the franchise.  Is it really worth it to see "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", story-wise, or should I see all the other movies first?


----------



## AE35Unit

kythe said:


> I just researched the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, this time with my 14 year old.  She knew nothing of the story ahead of time, I wanted to see her reaction approaching it fresh.  She figured out toward the end that they were on Earth, and said the story left her with a "bad feeling" since humans ruined the Earth but the apes evolved to be just like humans.  I think that's an appropriate reaction.
> 
> Aside from the 2001 remake, which I didn't like, I haven't seen any of the other movies in the franchise.  Is it really worth it to see "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", story-wise, or should I see all the other movies first?



The previous film, Rise of... was very good actually.  Surprised me as I was expecting it to be bad.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Gattaca*, an oldie from the late 90s that I'd never seen before!
Quite good.


----------



## Darkchild130

Calling anything from the 90s an oldie makes me feel really old. 
Last night I watched the entire Bourne series. I was surprisingly bored, required tension was lacking. I used to love those films.


----------



## Abernovo

Watched *Epic* yesterday. Surprisingly good fantasy animation for kids that entertained the adults as well. 

Not sure about the Irish music and Colin Farrell's strong Irish accent in a land of leaf fairies that was otherwise _very_ American. A touch incongruous, but hey-ho. I ignored it after the first couple of minutes and enjoyed the film.


----------



## Mouse

*Sharknado. *Not as good as 2-Headed Shark Attack. I did particularly like the bit where he chainsaws himself out of a shark though. Then reaches back in and pulls out a girl.


----------



## biodroid

Kythe, watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes first before you watcuh Dawn, it will make more sense. And they are no way related to the terrible Tim Burton, Mark Wahlberg one. They are quite emotional with very good stories and excellent characters and acting. No to mention the almost flawless CG


----------



## Droflet

PERFECT SENSE: Sad, uplifting, sad, buoyant, sad, clever, ummm, you get the picture. But still very worth while a look.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lesbian Vampire Killers* which is even worse than I had been led to believe.  I have a very high tolerance / pain threshold when it come to bad films (which borders on the masochistic). But this piece of tripe was really really painful in a not nice way.

Having tried to settle my brain into the target audience mindset (laddish FHM and Maxim reader - "oooh! shiny women!") I really did give it my best shot. If it wasn't for the sheer geeky hotness of lead MyAnna Buring (and the vague hope she would be naked by the end of the show - or at least getting a good dose of lipsticky lesbian snoggage)  I doubt if I would have bothered past the first act.






(MyAnna Buring is the one in the middle.)​


----------



## Dave

kythe said:


> I just researched the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, this time with my 14 year old... She figured out toward the end that they were on Earth...
> Aside from the 2001 remake, which I didn't like, I haven't seen any of the other movies in the franchise...


 
The original French language book _Monkey Planet_ didn't have the planet as Earth either, but when they returned to Earth the timeline had somehow been altered and apes were in charge. Which makes the 2001 Tim Burton film closer to the original story, even if it still isn't a very good film.

The ending of the original film is what made that film, along with Charlton Heston's dialogue. IMHO it is certainly a much better ending. How it came about, and exactly who was responsible for what, is discussed in the last _Empire_ magazine. There is considerable dispute over who had the idea.

I haven't seen either of the two new additions. I probably will, and I have great respect for the work of Andy Serkis, even though Roddy McDowell will always be first. I just wish Hollywood would try to create something new instead of retreading old tyres.


----------



## Dave

JunkMonkey said:


> ...the vague hope she would be naked by the end of the show - or at least getting a good dose of lipsticky lesbian snoggage...


The question we are asking is 'Did she?'

Is this a 'Carry On Lesbian Vampire Killers' hammer horror spoof? Or is it 'Flesh Gordon' soft-porn with one or two jokes? The presence of Horne and Corden (who must have been at the height of their short-lived popularity) would lead me to expect the former.

I only ask because it is available on Netflix for me to watch and is probably the only thing left there that I haven't already watched.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Dave said:


> Is this a 'Carry On Lesbian Vampire Killers' hammer horror spoof? Or is it 'Flesh Gordon' soft-porn with one or two jokes? The presence of Horne and Corden (who must have been at the height of their short-lived popularity) would lead me to expect the former.
> 
> I only ask because it is available on Netflix for me to watch and is probably the only thing left there that I haven't already watched.



It's not even up to _Flesh Gordon_ standard - which at least made you laugh from time to time ("Another bout like that and I'll be ready for the old folk's home!").  It's just frenetic running around with too much unfunny dialogue, (apparently anything is funny if you say 'f**k' a lot), no atmosphere, a total lack of the erotical (MyAnna Buring aside), and a pair of arse-holes where our heroes should have been.  Seriously, avoid it.  Go watch_ Zombie Strippers_ instead.  At least that had norks on display - even if they were made of plastic and didn't move.




Dave said:


> The question we are asking is 'Did she?'


Spoiler:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

No.


----------



## Darkchild130

Donnie Brasco. I really felt for Lefty, not much sympathy for Donnie himself though.


----------



## Lenny

*Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*

Superb! It's not often that you get to see an intelligent summer blockbuster. Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell were fantastic as Ceasar and Koba respectively.


----------



## Michael Colton

It took me an awfully long time to remember the last film I saw. I think it was _Cloud Atlas_. And I do not remember if I liked it or not. I do know I quite like the score, though.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Creature Wasn't Nice*  (1983)  - dear gods! a candidate for the worst film I have seen this year (and in the last few months I have watched such delights as: _Hellbreeder, Shark Attack 2, Lesbian Vampire Killers, _and_ Ator the Invicible_.) _The Creature Wasn't Nice _(aka _Naked Space_) is a truly awful 'film'. If not the worst then certainly one of the least funny.
After a while I realised the most interesting thing on screen was spotting the  number of times you could see the studio ceiling over the top of the  set.


----------



## Abernovo

Currently laid up with an ambulatory impediment, so getting to watch a more TV than I'm comfortable with. However, I recently got to watch Elysium. Not quite sure about the main protagonist, who wasn't as fully developed as I'd like, but surprisingly good over all - a solid 7/10.

Also rewatched Cloud Atlas, which I liked on first viewing some months ago and only gets better, it seems. Great film. Next up might have to be another rewatch, Zombieland (Rule 32: Enjoy the Little Things ).


----------



## Darkchild130

I really enjoyed cloud atlas.

Last movie I watched was Saving Private Ryan after a discussion with my battle buddies about how nobody has done combat scenes quite so good before or since (band of brothers is close, but not quite).

I was 14 the first time I saw it in the cinema and the first scene left me in shock.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Butterfly Room *(2012) Dark tale about a woman estranged from her daughter who is befriended by a young girl. All is not what it seems in this competent yet severely lacking movie. 

The director has all the parts of the jigsaw but the picture that is created when the pieces are manouvered into place just isn't that compelling. Not a particularly bad film but nothing startling either. A shame, I'd hoped for more.

(Hope you're ambulating a bit more soon Abernovo)


----------



## ratsy

I watched The Cabin in the Woods yesterday. It was great fun and had some classic Joss Whedon tropes in it, in the best of ways. Cool movie.


----------



## alchemist

I didn't see it, but my ten-year-old says Earth To Echo is "the best film ever." His younger brother agrees as he tends to do. The adult opinion?

My mother fell asleep.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

I have no idea what it's like, but my two kids are currently at it, and I've been able to write 1500 words on the back of it. So, for me, Earth to Echo is fantastic.


----------



## Mouse

I watched _Weekend_ last night, which is a gay indie Brit-flick. And the other day I watched _The Golden Compass_ again when it was on TV.


----------



## JunkMonkey

The Marx Brothers'* Duck Soup *with my three kids (aged 5, 10 and 12).  All three of them laughed more than I have seen them laugh with a film for ages.  My 5 year old boy thinks Harpo is a comedy genius and, for days, hasn't stopped talking about the moments Harpo glued the newspaper to Louis Calhern's trousers and appeared in Edgar Kennedy's bath .  I think it's great that, given all the sophisticated CGI post-ironical stuff they get bombarded with, they still find 80 year old black and white slapstick so funny.


----------



## Null_Zone

Hotel Budapest - Watched under vague protest as from the trailers it looked like one of those films that desperately tries to hard. But it is very funny, and ended up loving it.


----------



## Juliana

Watched Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit with the kids last night. Much giggling ensued, especially as they are now old enough to get the double-entendre jokes.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> The Marx Brothers'* Duck Soup *with my three kids (aged 5, 10 and 12).  All three of them laughed more than I have seen them laugh with a film for ages.  My 5 year old boy thinks Harpo is a comedy genius and, for days, hasn't stopped talking about the moments Harpo glued the newspaper to Louis Calhern's trousers and appeared in Edgar Kennedy's bath .  I think it's great that, given all the sophisticated CGI post-ironical stuff they get bombarded with, they still find 80 year old black and white slapstick so funny.



Its been far too long since I saw a Marx bros film! They never put them on TV now!


----------



## Vince W

Lucy. Not bad, but it's a film more akin to Transcendence or 2001: A Space Odyssey than The Fifth Element.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Born Invincible* (1978) - 90+  minutes of old school chop-socky.  "You *******!  Listen! Now I am going to kill you. And you will die!"  "Hahaha!  No - I will kill you!"  "We will see who is going to die." Whack! Ugh! Crack! "Hoo yaa! "Whack Whack whack!" "Hahahahaha!" "You have killed him!"  Yes!  Hahahahaha!" Now I will kill you...!"  with more zoom shots per square minute than any five Jess Franco films combined.

I _think _the good guys won.


----------



## clovis-man

Vince W said:


> Lucy. Not bad, but it's a film more akin to Transcendence or 2001: A Space Odyssey than The Fifth Element.


 
Maybe I missed something but are you comparing *Lucy* to *The Fifth Element* because Luc Besson directed both?


----------



## kythe

I just watched a "documentary" from 2004 called Dragon's World:  A Fantasy Made Real.  It's made in the form of a real documentary on the history and evolution of dragons here on earth.  It starts with a set of dragons interacting with a t-rex and goes through their adaptation and survival of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.  Dragons continue to interact with mammals over the growing age, but begin their decline as Man discovers fire - because now for the first time their primary weapon has been matched.  They finally become extinct during the middle ages, with the most recent dragon remains dating only about 500 years ago.

Its quite "educational", with detailed physiological comparisons to known animals to explain how dragons functioned.  Quite fun.


----------



## Allegra

Null_Zone said:


> Hotel Budapest - Watched under vague protest as from the trailers it looked like one of those films that desperately tries to hard. But it is very funny, and ended up loving it.




I liked the film too. It's quirky and funny and has an unusual feel about it. 


Watched *The Monuments Men*, good but could have been better.


----------



## Vince W

clovis-man said:


> Maybe I missed something but are you comparing *Lucy* to *The Fifth Element* because Luc Besson directed both?



I wasn't really making a comparison, just a note to people that might be expecting another Fifth Element type film from Besson.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Beastmaster *- which I have never seen before.  Rather disturbingly I thought it was pretty good.  Even more disturbingly (seeing as I'm a married man) I thought the hero was sexier than the heroine.


----------



## J-Sun

B-b-but... _Beastmaster_ has Tanya Roberts! 

I mean...






Tanya Roberts!


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'll see your Tanya Roberts and raise you a Mark Singer  
​


----------



## michaelhall2007

*Edge of Tomorrow* - Starring Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt

I think I must have seen all of Tommy's films (when you've know him as long as I have you can call him Tommy). 

Why? Because I'm looking for one to hate. So I was very disappointed again because this was another blockbuster. Absolutely loved it. D'oh!
However, in the opening few minutes I actually thought I'd found one but then he goes and knocks another one out of the ballpark.

Xenu & L. Ron Hubbard must be helping him somehow (lol).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Creature Wasn't Nice* (1983) - dear gods! a candidate for the worst film I have seen this year (and in the last few months I have watched such delights as: _Hellbreeder, Shark Attack 2, Lesbian Vampire Killers, _and_ Ator the Invicible_.) _The Creature Wasn't Nice _(aka _Naked Space_) is a truly awful 'film'. If not the worst then certainly one of the least funny.
> After a while I realised the most interesting thing on screen was spotting the number of times you could see the studio ceiling over the top of the set.


 
This was one of the first films I rented when I first owned a VCR. It was then known as *Spaceship* (apparently to jump on the bandwagon of *Airplane!*.)  Not very good indeed.

I remenber very little beyond the song "I Want to Eat Your Face."


----------



## Starbeast

*Noah* (2014)

An unusual interpretation of the Prophet Noah. Peace be upon him.


*Despicable Me 2* (2013)

Very good sequel to the original animated feature.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I remenber very little beyond the song "I Want to Eat Your Face."



There is very little beyond that worth remembering.

I'm obviously in an above averagely masochistic mood this month because last night I watched *Batman and Robin *for the first (and last) time.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I'll see your Tanya Roberts and raise you a Mark Singer



Well, this works out great - you take Marc and I'll take Tanya. No fuss.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bat* (1959)

Written and directed by Crane Wilbur, from a play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood.

Given that this is a remake of a remake, that it's based on one of those Old Dark House plays that seem to have worn out their welcome by the early 1930's, that Mary Roberts Rinehart is best known for starting the "Had I But Known" school of creaky suspense novels, and that Crane Wilbur had been involved in the movie game since 1910, you'd expect this to be a real snoozer. To be sure, it's full of old-fashioned cornball antics, but it also provides a modest amount of entertainment for the tolerant viewer. 

We begin with weirdly inappropriate swinging jazz music under the opening credits. This will later be replaced with more typical scary movie music. Our heroine, an author of suspense novels, with the phony-sounding name of Cornelia van Gorder, informs us that she has rented a spooky old house so she can write her next book. I hope it was cheap, because the area has already seen a series of murders by a faceless man known only as the Bat, as well as attacks by real, rabies-carrying bats. The author is played by Agnes Moorehead, who adds a touch of class to things.

The early part of the movie is full of talky exposition, as well as the introduction of multiple red herrings. Let's see; most of the servants have understandably run off, leaving only a comedy relief maid and a chauffeur who will later serve as a butler. We also have a young fellow who works at the bank run by the guy who rented the house while he went off hunting for the summer; his new bride; and the local police lieutenant. The young guy discovers that a million bucks worth of securities have been stolen from the bank.

A sudden change of scene to a hunting cabin quickly unravels that mystery. The bank president is on vacation with a doctor, played by Vincent Price, who is in classic form here. We soon find out that the banker stole the loot himself. He reveals his crime to the doctor and intends to force him to help him with his nefarious scheme. It seems that he wants the doctor to help him fake his death so he can run off with the cash he got for the securities. There's a hint that some unlucky chap is going to provide a corpse to replace the banker. 

In a wild plot twist, a raging forest fire suddenly appears outside the cabin. The banker is distracted long enough for the doctor to grab a gun and shoot him dead. (Hint: Don't turn your back on the guy you've got a drop on when you're inside a building with guns hanging on every wall.) 

None of that is a spoiler because our story has barely begun. Back at the spooky old house, the mysterious Bat shows up. His appearance is interesting, to say the least. Wearing a hat over the black hood that completely covers his head (although he can apparently see through it) and a neat business suit, he also has black gloves of the _giallo_ type, with long curved claws. (More Cat than Bat, really.) We find out later that his method of murder consists of a sharp blow to the throat of the victim followed by slashing of the jugular with the claws.

I should mention at this point that real bats show up too. The doctor does some kind of lab work with them; the Bat sets one loose inside the bedroom of the author and her maid; there's a weird scene where we see a huge, very odd-looking stuffed bat on the wall. This thing looks more like Bela Lugosi's Devil Bat than a real bat, and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.

A few more characters show up, so we can expect the body count to increase. There's the expected skulking through secret corridors and such. There's one hidden room in which one character gets trapped without air, which actually builds up a decent amount of suspense.

Will the young guy at the bank, on trial for the theft, prove his innocence? Will the secretary, who knows something that might be able to free him, survive to testify? Will Vincent Price purr his dialogue with just the right touch of sardonic wit? (That one's a "yes.")

*The Bat* would best be enjoyed, I think, on a dark, rainy night, with a mug of hot chocolate nearby and several cats on your lap.


----------



## Rodders

I was in the mood for something a little different. 

Chrysalis, Natural City and Sleep Dealer. (For some reason the covers for the other two movies wouldn't upload. They may be too big.)


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I was in the mood for something a little different.
> 
> Chrysalis, Natural City and Sleep Dealer. (For some reason the covers for the other two movies wouldn't upload. They may be too big.)


Tartan Asia, hmmm


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just got back from watching *Guardians of the Galaxy*.

Verdict:

Awesome popcorn movie with a rockin' retro soundtrack and cheesy dialogue that is so bad it's good.


----------



## Juliana

The_Bluestocking said:


> Just got back from watching *Guardians of the Galaxy*.
> 
> Verdict:
> 
> Awesome popcorn movie with a rockin' retro soundtrack and cheesy dialogue that is so bad it's good.



Seconded! Excellent family fun.


----------



## Lenny

*The Zero Theorem*

Terry Gilliam's latest, that completes his "dystopian satire trilogy" (_Brazil_, _Twelve Monkeys_, _The Zero Theorem_).

Really weird, in the way that only a Gilliam film can be. I enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm in a masochistic mood.  Tonight, back to back, I watched *Lawnmower Man 2 *and *Lost in Space*.  Any critical faculties I once had are obviously gone.


----------



## Foxbat

*Noah *First, I'll admit to being a fan of director Darren Aronofsky and would put The Fountain in any top five favourite films list so I came to this movie with high expectations. 

I think this is one of those movies that will divide opinion. Some will like it, some will hate it and others will wonder just what the Hell is going on. For me, it's a movie where biblical references simply become a distraction. Distilled down to its essence, I saw it as a tale about extreme belief and the dangerous path we tread when we live in a world without compromise. I also saw it as a typical Aronofsky story about death and rebirth. Indeed, viewers of The Fountain will recognise the rapidly growing flower - it makes an appearance here as well - and I wonder if it will become a recurring visual motif in Aronofsky's work as much as the theme itself has.

Was I disappointed? Well, it ain't no masterpiece and certainly has flaws but I found it quite watchable and I was glad to have spent the time to view it. It's probably one I will go back to. 

Ultimately, I liked it.

One final thought - I remember an interview where Aronofsky said that he wanted to tackle Batman a few years ago. He described what he intended to do with the character and I can just imagine the hoo-haa that would generate amongst hard-core Bat enthusiasts. Now that would be a cause for some debate


----------



## Foxbat

*Becket*(1964) Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton clash as Henry II and Thomas Becket in this excellent historical drama. 

Top notch stuff


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That's a good one, as is *The Lion in Winter* (1968), in which Peter O'Toole again plays Henry II.

_______________________________________________________________

*The Giant of Metropolis* (1961)

This bizarre sword-and-sorcery-and-sci-fi melodrama is a wild mixture of imagination and goofiness. I won't bother to list the credits for the director and the _six_ writers, since I don't know how badly their work was chopped up by the folks who did the English language version. (It's a good rule of thumb [upcoming pun intended] that if you need more than one hand to count the number of writers, your movie is in trouble.)

We start the fun right away with the opening crawl-up. This not only gives away the whole plot, but it contains two delightful spelling errors. We are told that our story takes place in the year 20,000 B.C., on the "continente" of Atlantis. We also find out that our hero, Obro, will use his "gigantie" strength against the bad guy, Yotar. (The names of the characters in this thing all sound like they came out of an old rolepaying game.)

After this prelude, we see a bunch of men walking through a barren landscape. One of them is an old man, who collapses. He explains to the others (or the audience; I presume the folks with him already know why they're here) that their mission is to reach the city of Metropolis, beyond the next mountain, and warn them to stop using their scientific knowledge against nature. Before he dies, he entrusts this errand to his muscular son Obro (_peblum_ star Gordon Mitchell) and his brothers. The other folks along with the siblings chicken out pretty quick and head back home. 

Meanwhile, we cut to the groovy city of Metropolis. The sets for this place often look cheap, but they're really weird and futuristic. There are big round doors that open automatically (like _Star Trek_ doors), scientific gizmos galore, and crazy costumes for everyone. We find out that evil King Yotar has an insane plan to transplant the mind of his elderly father (being kept alive by mad science; we'll find out later he looks like a walking mummy) into the body of his young son, in order to create an heir with the experience of age and the health of youth. If I followed the confusing plot correctly, he also intends for his father/son to rule for eternity (or at least a really long time.) 

Well, it seems that the king's scientists say that the astronomical signs aren't quite right for this project to take place (???) but that it's OK to go ahead with their secondary scheme, which involves bringing life back to the dead body of the "chief" of the people. (I don't know why Metropolis has both a king and a chief, but this fellow will play an important part in the story later.)

Back outside, Obro and his brothers trudge along. The folks in Metropolis can see them approaching on their TV sets, so they unleash a "magnetic" weapon(later known as a "whirlwind of death") on them. This takes the form of a semi-transparent white tornado (insert Ajax cleanser joke here) which reduces everybody but Obro into a skeleton. It seems our hero has some kind of "special blood" which protects him.

Well, Obro gets captured and subjected to various challenges, which seem designed to test his "special blood." He has to fight a big guy, as well as five cannibalistic pygmies armed with pointy sticks. (Hilariously, Obro gets his tail kicked pretty fast by these little dudes, and only gets saved by Yotar yelling "Spare him!") There's also a charmingly silly scene where Obro is trapped in a spotlight, the actor sticking his tongue out like a prehistoric Gene Simmons as he pretends to struggle to escape.

While all of this is going on, we meet Yotar's current queen, the oddly named Texen, as well as his daughter (by a previous deceased queen), who has the somewhat less odd name of Mecede. Both ladies are beautiful and wear an enormous variety of lovely costumes. Texen seems to be less than thrilled with the brain transplant project, but Mecede seems to be loyal to her dad. Will one of the two wind up in the muscular arms of our hero?

One scene in particular, which has nothing at all to do with the plot, is a sterling example of what makes *The Giant of Metropolis* so delightful. Like any good historical epic, we need to have a dance sequence. This one starts with some modestly gowned young women and some scantily clad young men facing each other. (A nice switch.) I take it that this is some kind of mass wedding ceremony. Mecede comes out, wearing what appears to be translucent veils over a bikini. She is accompanied by two equally semi-naked men. The trio then go into a slow, goofy, but surprisingly erotic dance. I see no way that this performance can be interpreted other than as a symbolic _menage a trois_.

I've barely touched the surface of this thing. So far our hero hasn't done much except get captured, but eventually he'll be wiping the shiny floors of Metropolis with Yotar's minions. There's an apocalyptic ending. (This is Atlantis, remember?) There are a lot more strange weapons, strange costumes, and strange sets. There are some darkly lit, mist-filled scenes that remind me of Mario Bava.

*The Giant of Metropolis* wears its wackiness so proudly that it's easy to ignore its many failings. It reminds me of the equally berserk Gene Autry serial *The Phantom Empire*, with its *Flash Gordon*-style underground empire confronted by the singing cowboy hero. Muscleman Obro seems equally out of place in the high-tech city of Metropolis. The incongruity adds to the viewer's enjoyment.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Long Night *(1947)
Vincent Price, Anne Dvorak and Barbara Bel Geddes provide the supporting roles to a fine lead performance by Henry Fonda. 

This is a remake of the French movie _Le Jour se Lev _from 1939 and I've just ordered a copy to see how the two compare. Should be interesting


----------



## J Riff

Sharknado 2 !

Review: >> Pffff....... heh, heh, Ha, haaa... oh wellll..... rather silly as one might assume. Even Sharknados are tougher in New York ....
SEE the Mets game cancelled by a Sharknado! (and they were winning at the time)
.... *


----------



## Null_Zone

Elysium - quite fun apart from the underlying message that rich people are the problem. Gangs work in the best interest of the poor and remove the 1% and the world will be better, all of those sick children will get immediate medical care and in no possible way will a new elite arise once all of the whites (less one token) be forced to live like everyone else.


----------



## clovis-man

J Riff said:


> Sharknado 2 !
> 
> Review: >> Pffff....... heh, heh, Ha, haaa... oh wellll..... rather silly as one might assume. Even Sharknados are tougher in New York ....
> SEE the Mets game cancelled by a Sharknado! (and they were winning at the time)
> .... *


 
I did the marathon thing: Watched both sharkie films. I am apparently easily entertained. But even with the largest ever dose of "willing suspension  of disbelief" I'm wondering how sharks can swim up a flight of stairs while the street below is dry. However, I'm starting a campaign right now to have Al Roker get an Emmy for his dramatic "shark weather" role.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hercules Against the Moon Men* (1964)

Once again I'll skip listing the writing and directing credits for yet another mixed-up sword-and-sandal-and-sci-fi epic. (This one is a lot less science fictiony than *The Giant of Metropolis*, and would seem to be a good example of that odd little subgenre of speculative fiction known as science fantasy.) For one thing, the hero isn't really Hercules at all. This is one of the seemingly endless adventures of muscleman Maciste, renamed for American audiences. (The original, rather unexciting, title for this thing is _Maciste e la regina di Samar_. Even someone as ignorant of Italian as I am can translate that as "Maciste and the Queen of Samar," an accurate, if dull, description.)

(*Hercules Against the Moon Men* is apparently most famous as an episode of _Mystery Science Theater 3000_, the source of the familiar phrase "deep hurting." I have not seen that version.)

We begin with the usual helpful narrator explaining that, some time ago, a big rock fell out of the sky and landed in the land of Samar. This not only started a volcano, but brought some folks (apparently from the Moon, if the American title can be trusted) who dwell inside a mountain and who demand human sacrifices every third full moon. (The narrator says "children," but they all seem to be young adults, with not a little kid in sight.) The point of this mass slaughter escapes me, since we'll learn later that only one was required.

It seems the evil Queen of Samar, named Samara (which name came first, I wonder) and her personal soldiers have been working with the Moon people (really just one, as we'll soon find out) and gladly sending her own people to be slaughtered, in return for promises of eternal life, power over the Earth, all that jazz. Samara has the best outfit in the movie, a tight black gown and a wispy, light blue sort of scarf/cape thing. The combination would be a knockout at any cocktail party.

An elderly advisor suggests that Samara enlist the aid of hero-for-hire Maciste to get rid of the Moon folks. Since we quickly learn that he already knew that the Queen was working with the bad guys, this seems really foolish of him. Besides, he already contacted Maciste and he's just about to arrive, so what's the point?

The weirdness begins when the leader of the Moon people shows up in the Queen's chambers. At least, his image shows up. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be teleportation or holographic projection or something else. This character wears a big metallic robe and a strange mask covering his entire head. It's a bit hard to describe, but it kind of looks like a silvery MesoAmerican skull carving. Hilariously, you can see the middle of the skull, above the teeth, moving in and out as the actor breathes. He hangs around enough to let the audience in on what's going on, then vanishes.

Maciste, portrayed by _peblum_ star "Alan Steele" (Sergio Ciani), shows up and gets attacked by a bunch of Samara's soldiers. He whips their butts with a happy grin. It's good to see a man who enjoys his work. A bit later he runs into the daughter of the elderly fellow, who brings him to her dad. This character is kind of the (very pretty) girl-next-door type, as opposed to the beautiful evil Queen. The other major female character in this thing, the Queen's sister, is more of a bland Barbie doll type, and serves only as a plot point later in the film.

The three head through a labyrinth of caves for some reason or other. Oops! It seems the Queen has set the place up with *Raiders of the Lost Ark* style booby traps, and the old man gets impaled on a bunch of spears. Maciste gets trapped in a pit which begins to fill with water. (A pretty lame trap, since all he has to do is swim out of it.) The daughter screams a lot. There's also a goofy-looking monster running around, which seems to be some guy in an ape suit sporting huge fake fangs. If there was an explanation for this, I missed it.

Well, we still have most of our movie left, so expect Maciste to happily beat up a bunch of bad guys, allow himself to get captured so he can pretend to be in love with the Queen in order to get the information he needs, and finally meet up with the Moon Men. (All of them except Skull Mask Guy are rock people. Maciste seems to enjoy picking them up and throwing them around.) You'll find out why the Queen's sister is vital to the plot. 

Not as wacky as *The Giant of Metropolis*, *Hercules Against the Moon Men* still supplies enough nuttiness to be worth a look. Be patient during the infamous sandstorm sequence, the length of which led to the "deep hurting" comment.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I liked *The Giant of Metropolis* a lot.  Wish I had a better copy.  Mine came as part of a Millcreek Boxset titled '100 Sci-Fi Classics That No-one Has Ever Heard Of' (or something).

I'm having a bad run with the movies at the moment.  I'm working my way through a huge slushpile of aquired for nothing VHS tapes.  Watching them, then - after a cursory glance at eBay to see if they have any resale value - binning them.

I'm finding out why I got given them.

eg  *Meet Joe Black*



			
				 my IMDb review said:
			
		

> Death takes a holiday and spends some time with a media mogul before he takes him away. Death falls in love with the mogul's daughter. And decides to take her too. Then doesn't. That's the entire plot. It takes takes three bum-numbing hours to tell. A stultifyingly dull, three hours which culminates in the most leadenly-paced Hollywood Bull**** ending imaginable.
> 
> Death here is played as a wide-eyed innocent abroad by Brad Pitt who manfully layers on autistic ticks and mannerisms over a wildly variable script. His character is unable (at selective 'comic' moments) to understand common idioms while, at other times, is capable of layering on the profundity and metaphor with a trowel. At one point - after being told that another character was talking through his hat says "No, he's talking through his lips!" Ho ho ho.
> 
> Claire Forlani plays the woman with whom he falls in love, and plays her with a subdued gaucheness so that in every scene she spends so much time twitching her lips (in a manner henceforth known as 'Zellwegering') and looking out of the corners of her eyes, that she looks like she's about to have a fit. The innumerable 'almost' love scenes between her and the Death character are an agony: endless alternating over-the-shoulder close ups of her twitching her eyes at everything but him, and him Aspergering his gaze at everything else in the room but her. Whole hours of this stuff go by without them looking at each other once - and then they have sex which is more of the same with fewer clothes and less dialogue.
> 
> In the end (the interminable endless end) the media mogul happily walks off with Death, after everyone has wrung every phony ounce of syrupy sentiment out of every single frame. (I nearly went into a sugar coma when Daddy and daughter had a final dance with to that saccharine hymn to trash sentimentality "What a Wonderful World") And then! (Incoming Bull**** overload!) Death isn't Death anymore! He's the guy the daughter fell in love with in the first act brought back from some ill-defined afterlife by a stroke of the writer's pen. The daughter says, "I wish you could have known my dad," and off they walk to the accompaniment of glorious fireworks. All a bit sudden (well it would be if it wasn't all done so ponderously slowly) considering she hasn't even seen that her dad is dead, or, if she just somehow 'knew' it, she bothered to grieve even for a second. The poor bugger isn't even cold yet! and she doesn't shed a tear. But never mind, the movie needs a final sugar lump to end with so she's forgotten him for the vague promise of another go in the sack with Brad Pitt!
> 
> And I don't think I want to know what Spike Lee made of the only more-than-two-line part doled out to a black actor, a real 'Magic N****r' if ever there was one. Only she, a dying old lady "from de Carribiyan" (thus even more "primitive" than her New York urbanised daughter) can see Death for who he is, "Obeah mon. I gonna die," she says when he sees him for the first time. "No obeah, sister." replies Pitt doing an Ali G. "No duppy, no jumbie. Evera ting gon' be irey."
> 
> No it isn't. I got type two diabetes from watching this film.



Other highlights of the pile have included:


*Stars and Bars* - Daniel Day Lewis as an out of his depth Englishman in New York. Meh.  Even the presence of Harry Dean Stanton didn't lift it above the ho hum for me.

*Lawnmowerman: 2 Beyond Cyberspace *(1996) - ow!  That hurt!  Currently number 57 in the IMDb Bottom 100.   Why do I do this to myself.  Not bad enough to be funny, just bad.  As  one reviewer on IMDb put it, "I think this film can kill puppies."

*Lost in Space* (1998 )  - Which pretty well sucked as much as I remembered.

*Creepshow 2 *(1987) -  Three naff Stephen King stories (in which the not-very-much-that-happens is blindingly obvious from the start) told v...  e...  r...  y...   s...  l...  o...  w...  l... y....

*Point Blank *(1967) - many many years ago, when I were but a callow youth, I remember watching Point Blank, John Boorman's first American film, and thinking, "This is a horrible film about horrible people and I hate it!". Last night I thought "This is a GREAT film about horrible people and I love it!".  I think I've finally grown up.

*Last Exit to Brooklyn* (1989) - Another from the VHS slushpile. And another film about horrible people. And yet another of those films that unrelentingly portray the working classes as ignorant violent stupid arseh*les. During an ill-defined strike a bunch of people are violent and stupid to each other, Jennifer Jason Leigh's character gets her baps out (as usual), and then the strike ends. The end. 
Mark Knopfler did his best to make it sound like Ennio Morricone wrote the score - but failed. Jennifer Jason Leigh's norks (announced in the script as "The best tits in the western world!"*) notwithstanding it went straight into the bin!





* I have seen better.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

I just watched The Outsider's with the kids. It's kind of special, sharing your history with the next generation. My teen got it and had a good think about books vs movies and books won. And I got cuddles. Win-win-win.


----------



## J Riff

The Naked Prey  1966

This movie is terrific. Watch it before reading even the slight spoilage described herein.
Starring producer/director Cornel Wilde as ‘Man’. Great African music.
Set in Africa around 1850 – slavers and ivory hunters abound. 
We see lions dragging prey, while a narrator describes the bloody slaver-raids, and how men became like the beasts.
Cornel and a couple other white ivory hunters set off from a fort, with a dozen or two singing slaves. This is fabulous Africa... baobab trees, animals, veldt, jungle... and sounds, all the way through this movie – very authentic, and some beautiful scenery.
The main white bad guy informs Cornel that he has a good feeling about this safari, and how he intends to go into the slave trade next. Cornel declines an offer to join him, it’s his last time out, then back to his farm to retire.
They encounter a tribe, and the leader asks for gifts for their chief, then he will let them pass through their land. Cornel is set to give him some stuff, but idiot guy turns snarky and refuses to pay them. They move  on without paying tribute, a bad mistake.
The next part is horrifying – actual footage of huge elephants being gunned down, very disturbing.
They proceed to make camp and of course the tribe ambushes them, kills many slaves, captures the white men. They are taken to the main camp of the tribe, a wild place swarming with natives. Then they are judged individually by the chief, and dispatched in nasty primitive ways. Baked on a spit over a fire. Tied up and made to hop away while dozens of women stab away with tiny knives.  Man it is pretty grim. Cornel, as the one decent guy, is allowed a chance to save his life.
He is stripped down to become the naked prey. Then some warriors take him outside camp, and they shoot an arrow into the distance. Cornel is allowed to run to the arrow, then they come after him one at a time, each starting out when the previous one reaches the arrow, and the game is afoot. 
These guys are fast, but ‘Man’ manages to kill the first one with a bit of luck, and he runs off with the guy’s spear, and his shoes, as the second guy comes screaming after him.
This guy stops by his deceased friend and Cornel gains a bit of ground.

 From then on, which is 25 min. into the movie, it’s an incredible chase through all kinds of terrain, as Cornell attempts to make it back to the fort, which is several days distant.
Africa. Say no more, this is a timeless action movie in a fabulous setting, with a lot of great animal action as well as Cornel’s desperate flight from the natives.
Does he make it? Hah, watch it yerself. 
Doesn’t seem like a 60s movie. Wonderful soundtrack, minimal dialogue.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, JRiff, absolutely agree. Haven't seen that in years. Telford heads off to find same.


----------



## Karn Maeshalanadae

Just finished watching Transcendence tonight.


I have to say, it lived up to my expectations. It brings up good questions on the state of the human condition and technological advancement-how far is too far, and what would the consequences be if attempts at sentient AI and digitally uploading human consciousness went wrong?


----------



## Foxbat

*Spellbound *Hitchcock at his finest


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of the Black Death* AKA *Blood of the Man Beast* (1965)

Directed by Harold Daniels and Jerry Warren; written by Richard Mahoney.

At one point in this movie a character says something like "I just want to know what's going on." I felt like that all the way through it. Everything about it is confusing.

As far as I can figure out, Harold Daniels (director of the oddball scare flick *My World Dies Screaming* AKA *Terror in the Haunted House*, with its William Castle-like gimmick "Psycho-Rama" [subliminal images]) came up with a movie that was considered unready for release. Jerry Warren (infamous creator of many Grade Z classics, including the MST3K favorite *The Wild World of Batwoman* AKA *She Was a Hippy Vampire*) was then called in to add some scenes. The resulting mess never saw theatrical release, but eventually wound up on television by the early 1970's.

To add to the confusion, IMDB and some other sources claim that this thing is based on the novel _The Widderburn Horror_ by Lora Crozetti. Amazed that something so incoherent could be based on a book, I did some research. I was able to find out that a book called _The Widdenburn Horror_ by R. Warner-Crozetti exists; but it was published in 1971! I might dismiss this as simply an error, with no connection between the movie and the book, were it not for two facts. One: The (unseen) village in the movie is indeed called Widdenburn. Two: The nominal hero of both the film and the novel is named Eric Campion. In fact, the back cover of the novel announces that this is "An Eric Campion Occult Adventure," as if it were one of a series. As far as I can find out, the author never published anything else. (And where does "Lora" come from? The author's first name seems to be Ruth.) Did Richard Mahoney adapt this from an unpublished manuscript which made its way into print years later? Did R. Warner-Crozetti adapt the movie into her novel?

If I seem to be avoiding talking about the movie itself by going off on these tangents, that's because there's not much to say. We begin with a weird sequence in which Satan (somebody in a barely seen devil costume) speaks to four members of the Desard family. He's summoning them to Hell, it seems, and speaks to them in rhymed couplets!

First up is the purely evil (and appropriately named) Belial Desard (Lon Chaney, Jr.) He's dressed up in a monk-type hood and robe, and makes various random facial gestures as Satan talks to him. (Everybody else just kind of stares at the camera during this sequence.) We'll find out later he has a cloven foot (never shown) and two really cute little horns on his forehead.

Next we have Paul Desard (or is it Dessard, or something else? Sources disagree.) Played by minor character actor Tom Drake, he seems like an ordinary guy, but he has a dark secret.

We then meet Valerie Desard, played by minor character actress Dolores Faith, who was in some old sci-fi flicks. Not much to say about her at this point. She's pretty in a melancholy sort of way.

Last but not least is Andre Desard (John Carradine), also in monk clothes. He's the brother of Belial, and I'm guessing he's the father of Paul and Valerie, although the family tree isn't quite clear.

After this oddball prelude, we get the credits. Then the hand of Jerry Warren makes itself clear, as we see a Satanic ritual. This consists of a bellydancing routine performed by a scantily clad young lady. She then drinks something (blood?) from a cup offered to her by no less than Katherine Victor, Batwoman herself. She also recites a long ritual pledge promising to be loyal to Satan, etc. This whole time-wasting scene reminds me of nothing so much as the strawberry yogurt-drinking/oath-taking opening sequence of *The Wild World of Batwoman*.

In a desperate attempt to make the rest of the movie make sense, the young recruit and Batwoman discuss the Desard family and the two people who are coming to visit them. It seems that evil Belial (the leader of the Satanists) is trying to grab money and power from slightly-less-evil Andre, although this plot point vanishes quickly. In fact, Chaney and Carradine have no scenes together at all. We are also told that Andre sometimes seems deathly ill, and sometimes seems OK, no doubt to explain wildly contradictory scenes to follow.

The two visitors are Dr. Eric Campion (minor character actor Jerome Thor) and Dr. Katherine Mallory (Andrea King, pretty well-known in the late 1940's.) The reason these two are here is pretty vague. Campion seems to be a medical doctor as well as a white magician/occult adventurer. (He even has a cross which contains a piece of the Holy Grail!) Mallory is a psychiatrist and a skeptic. Maybe these folks are here to try to heal the sometimes-ill Andre, or maybe they're here to help Paul, who lost the use of his arm when he was attacked by a wolf some time ago. (Yes, that's a hint to his dark secret.) Campion also seems to be there because he's in love with Valerie.

After all this set-up, almost nothing happens for a long time. People stand around really cheap sets and talk. There's a lot more bellydancing. Most of this is provided by a fairly well-known British hottie who called herself "Sabrina." (Norma Ann Sykes.) Her truly impressive 41-19-36 figure, which earned her the nicknames like "England's Maid of the Mountains" and "Britain's finest hourglass" is on display here during more than one pointless Satanic ritual, and Chaney seems to be enjoying the show immensely.

Some pretty hilarious trivia about Sabrina, courtesy of Wikipedia:



> The Goon Show scripts are littered with references to Sabrina's bosom, such as "by the measurements of Sabrina!" and "by the sweaters of Sabrina!"
> 
> British aircrews of the 1950s Royal Air Force dubbed part of the Hawker Hunter jet fighter plane "Sabrinas" owing to two large humps on the underside of the aircraft. Similarly, in the late 1950s the British truck manufacturer ERF produced a semi-forward control HGV with a short protruding bonnet – those vehicles were also nicknamed "Sabrinas" because they had "a little more in front." In 1974, the British motoring press gave the name "Sabrinas" to the oversized pairs of protruding rubber bumper blocks added to the MG MGB, Midget and Triumph TR6 sports cars, when US auto safety regulations mandated sturdier impact protection. The name stuck and is used worldwide.


 

Anyway, things start happening close to the end of the film. Sad-faced Valerie gets carried away by evil Belial, so she can be used as a sacrifice to Satan (after some more bellydancing.) Bland Paul gets locked up in the basement before he changes into a werewolf. (That's not really a spoiler, is it?) This transformation sequence consists of having him wear an ape mask. Semi-evil Andre tries to stop Belial, with the help of pure-hearted Dr. Campion. Confused Dr. Mallory doesn't do much.

*Blood of the Man Devil* (to use yet another of this thing's meaningless titles) is a complete mess. It's poorly acted, and the production values are nearly zero. Most of it is deadly dull. It comes as a great relief when something goofy happens to interrupt the tedium. I'd suggest half-watching it while doing something else.


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## J Riff

These reviews of bad movies are good... thanks Victoria. I'm doing _Isle Of The Snake People_ next, with Karloff, hope someone hasn't covered it already. Half-watching is better than no watching? Maybe not.
 The new forum is doing tricks still but Im sure Brian will have that figured anon, and the search feature will work perfectly, which will assist in avoiding duplicate reviews. *


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## Juliana

*GI Joe: Retaliation*. Um... It's a GI Joe movie. 'Nuff said. 

The Rock makes quips, Bruce Willis appears and out-quips him, there's a token female character who is awesomely talented and yet has to wear a neck-plunging dress for her sins. There are explosions and gun shots and mid-mountain rappel ninja fights. Bruce Willis has a tank parked in his garage and the neighborhood watch doesn't seem too bothered.

Sorry for any spoilers, but honestly, if you're planning on watching this it's not for the almost non-existent plot! But an okay shooty-shooty bang-bang movie if you're watching with an 11 year old, as I was...


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## J Riff

Probably you shouldn’t watch this movie. Read this instead, it’s much quicker if not less painful.
Isle of the Snake People   1971

 Narrator, (as we pan a map of the world): "_During many centuries in various parts of the world, various diabolical rites and ceremonies have been practiced in homage to various sinister Gods, who are believed to have many supernatural powers. These rites are generally known as voodoo, which consists mostly of black magic and the cult of death. The practice of voodoo invokes the supreme god Baransamadi who is supposed to be able to revive the dead...etc._
Snake Island, home of the snake priestesses. We see a guy in a black hood, like a gas mask, carrying a skullhead staff, walking around, with skeletons laying about and tons of candles and torches burning.
Narrator: _Unscrupulous adventurers take advantage of these superstitions to put docile native girls under their power, transforming them into zombies, so they will submit to their primitive instincts. There are many existing opinions about the living death. The truth is that many strange and horrible stories are told, like the one that happened to Capt. Pierre_...
We see the guy with his hood off now, and his midget sidekick, carrying a chicken and a doll and some stuff through all the candles and skeletons.
The midget laughs crazily as thunder booms overhead. He keeps laughing like a kook as the guy joins him in burying a voodoo doll of some kind.... wait, actually, they are digging something up. The midget laughs and fawns on the guy, who shoves him away... then the midget chops a chicken head off.. carries it to the grave and waves it around. Midget is going, oo, arrrr, aggh, huhhhhn, The guy just stands there.
The coffin opens from inside and there is a native woman in there. The guy grabs her hand and kisses it while the midget stands there with the chicken, making huhhr, ahuah noises. Then the guy kisses the woman on the lips and the midget says, uhn, err, haiiiee.
Now credits roll – Boris Karloff pics and a title – Snake People, no mention of an isle. With Quintin Bulnes, Santanon, Julissa, Tongalee..
Oh OK, this is Capt. Pierre... a french constable or officer, riding in a carriage with a woman... who is a member of the ‘International anti-saloon league’ They are gonna change the world. But – Capt. Pierre is here to clean up the police dept. and restore law and order. He looks a bit like Clouseau.
He walks into the local native police hut, and yells at them. "Where is Lieutenant Wilhelm?" The guys answers "Er, uhhh, uh, err."
"Well?" says Pierre. Guy:"Ah, uh, errr, euhhn..." Pierre chastises the entire prison, informs them he does not drink alcohol. Then temperance women tells us that alcohol is responsible for 99.2 percent of the world’s sins.
They head for the plantation, stopping along the way to check out a voodoo funeral... we see scenes of guys drumming, women dancing - ‘diablolical rituals, the legion of zombies.." Well apparently some of them want to become zombies... for the perks. We see the midget with a skullstaff, at a ritual with the snake/belly dancer girl providing the floor show.
At the plantation, the temperance gal is Boris Karloff’s niece. Boris shows them his lab full of snakes and books, and explains the vast untapped mental power the natives have developed... he moves a mirror on the table with the mere power of his mind. Pierre is unimpressed - parlour tricks! ... so native servant woman walks over with a bowl of twigs, mumbles some mumbo-jumbo, and the twigs burst into flames.
We see the guy again with his zombie girl, he dresses her like a bride and puts on a
record. They dance around. The other head servant girl is watching "You know that Damballah does not like this kind of thing!" Guy gets his only lines – "No. Don’t do it. Please. No. Please." Then he runs off. Cut to Capt. Pierre saying "Who is this Damballah?"
They sneak into the voodoo ritual ... the midget runs off with a babe, they don’t see him, he must be Damballah?
Capt. Pierre chases away the people, posts three guards. The guards are killed right away. The midget wanders back in, a coffin is carried in, the midget lashes a woman with his whip till she’s expired and apparently she is lunch for the people at the ritual.
Pierre finds her: "Zombie! Cannibal-women. I shall bring these people to their wits!"
The people, meanwhile, are afraid of the zombies, not the police. The zombies on the mountain?
Now I’ve lost track... some women wearing nightgowns, in coffins with snakes... one runs around the same set with the candles, fondling snakes, putting a snake in her mouth... appearing and disappearing magically. Capt. Pierre is haunted by voodoo snakes in his room. He starts to enlist men and amass high explosives.
We see a native couple making out. She bites his tongues and the zombie-snake women swarm out from hiding.
Then, the guy from the beginning is making out with his zombie wife, Karloff comes in and beats on him with his cane, then the head snakewoman comes in and grabs the zombie gal and she burns up.
It drags on... the big ritual is tonight. Temperance woman talks about uncle Boris’s research – using zombie tech and drugs to cure disease... _but the brain is destroyed, making the patient into a walking vegetable._
The midget is ambushed by a masked stranger who kills him with a knife. The big zombie ritual gets going and mask guy walks in, maybe he is Damballah? Yes, he is. Wait... Pierre is in disguise in a hood, and so is Karloff, who monologues – he is Damballah. Holy cow... Pierre shoots him... Karloff monologues then falls into the fire. Pierre also then falls into the fire, and it explodes.
We see the whole side of a hill exploding as temperance woman and goodguy lieutenant run off together. Pleasant music swells, we see zombies burning and it’s The End.


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## Cat's Cradle

*For a Few Dollars More *Good picture, great visual imagery (Leone must have seen a few John Ford westerns, though he developed a style all his own, and his use of facial close-ups on the amazing cast of bit-players he found to fill out the film is breathtaking...what wonderful faces he chose for his films!) Eastwood and Van Cleef work wonderfully together, and Gian-Maria Volonté is very good as the baddie (but oh, how I miss Wallach from TGTBATU). I really need to track down *Once Upon a Time in the West!   *


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## Brian G Turner

Watched _The Good Girl_ last night, starring Jennifer Aniston.

My wife wanted to watch a romantic comedy, and I was too tired to protest. 

Turned out it was a black "comedy". And also attempted to be existentialist, though whether seriously, or in parody, I couldn't tell. 

Jennifer Aniston wanders through a cast of caricatures, doing whatever they want of her. At the beginning, she's unhappy with this. At the end, she's happy with it.

There were a couple of laughs, but not enough to warrant 89 minutes. Too much "humour" was based on cringe worthy stuff.

There's also nothing sympathetic about Aniston's character, and the overall message of the film seems to be: "women, do whatever strange men demand of you!"

_Norma Rae_ it ain't.


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## ratsy

Saw the new Turtles movie yesterday. It was about what I expected so I took it with a grain of salt. The plot was so weak with the bad guys reasoning so 1 dimensional. Could have been way better but I did like a couple parts. Glad I saw it being a huge turtles fan but doubt I'll watch again.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

@ J Riff:  Thanks for the detailed review.  I've been tempted to check this one out, since I'm a big Karloff fan, but I've heard it's one of his worst.

@ Cat's Cradle:  "Once Upon a Time in the West" is my favorite of the classic Italian Westerns.  Casting Henry Fonda as the bad guy was an act of brilliance.


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## Cat's Cradle

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> @ Cat's Cradle:  "Once Upon a Time in the West" is my favorite of the classic Italian Westerns.  Casting Henry Fonda as the bad guy was an act of brilliance.



It is a terrific film, Victoria. Leone, of course, had wanted Fonda for a few of his earlier films, but couldn't afford him; and he'd wanted Clint for "Once...", but Eastwood had decided to get back to Hollywood. Bur Fonda was wonderfully creepy, it was such lovely against-character casting, and acting. And Bronson was perfect too...this might be the best cast Leone was ever able to pull together (until "Once Upon a Time in America", anyway). And my favorite of the Italian westerns depends on whether I've just watched "Once..." or "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".   Both magical films, and both make me very happy when I watch them.

Victoria, is it possible to say if you prefer the best of the Italian westerns to the best America ones? Say "The Searchers", "The Wild Bunch" or "Red River"? (I wonder if you like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"?) CC


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I have to admit that I am not a big expert on Westerns.  I have not seen the first three films you list.  I did enjoy "Liberty Valance."  My favorite classic American Western is probably "Shane."


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## clovis-man

*Guardians of the Galaxy* yesterday. I won't go into detail, but the characters, especially Chris Pratt, were much more entertaining than I expected. Great fun!


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## J-Sun

Yep, _*Guardians of the Galaxy*_ for me too - clovis-man's fault  as his Asher reference was the straw that broke the camel's back. (I'd been trying to ignore the movie.) I just got back so it may sink in differently but I think it didn't meet what I want in a _really_ good movie but it was very entertaining.


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## J-Sun

Fan-freakin-tastic. I just saw *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950) (I'm a little lacking in the film department). Subtitled "The City Under the City". For a "Hayes code" movie, this may be about as good as it gets. Great characters portrayed by a wonderful cast in a generally brilliantly paced, exciting, tense, heist-gone-wrong story shot with great visuals and a gritty (but not generally overdone) feel. My only quibble was that the second "half" of the movie was (at least subjectively) a little longer than the first "half" when it could have been a little shorter or about the same but I like that it paid attention to both - I mean, devoted the same energy to both rather than shortchanging one or the other. Anyway, Huston directs, Hayden, Calherne, Jaffe, and many others (including Marilyn Monroe in a small but "oh wow" role) - if any of this sounds at all interesting and you're one of the (probably few) people who hasn't seen it yet (like me until now) remedy the situation soon!


----------



## MontyCircus

*The Apartment *(1960) starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray

From IMDB:  "A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue."

It was really good!  It's in the top 100 on IMDB so I gave it a try.  You'll never find a better constructed movie than this. Not a second is wasted. I imagine this screenplay is held as a classic. Very involving. Makes me want to find a girl to play cards with. Maybe I should rate it higher?  Maybe after a re-watch.

@@@ / @@@@@


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## Cat's Cradle

MontyCircus said:


> *The Apartment *(1960) starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray
> 
> From IMDB:  "A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue."
> 
> It was really good!  It's in the top 100 on IMDB so I gave it a try. @@@ / @@@@@




Hey MC! This is one of my favorite films--Billy Wilder, Jack Lemon, and a very young, very beautiful Shirley MacLaine...amazing talent from top to bottom! The sexual hierarchy of the time was, of course, remarkably lamentable, but if you can accept this in the film as representative of the times, the film is exceptionally funny, and moving. Lemon and MacLaine had such amazing chemistry. I've seen the film 7-8 times, and have loved it each time.

MacLaine's first film role was in Hitchcock's dark comedy _The Trouble With Harry. _She's really charming in the role, and it's one of my top-ten favorite Hitchcocks...perhaps you would like this one, too. Cheers, CC


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The Devil's Partner (1958)

Directed by Charles R. Rondeau; written by Stanley Clements and Laura Jean Matthews.

Let's get the trivia over with first. Sources differ as to whether the name of this movie is The Devil's Partner or Devil's Partner. The former appears on posters, the latter appears in the movie itself. I'm going with the former because I like it better. As a second fact of no importance, this film was made in 1958 but not released until 1961, when it appeared on a double bill with Creature From the Haunted Sea. That must have made for a interesting night at the movies.

We begin with an old codger in his messy shack somewhere out in the desert. He grabs one of his goats and stabs it to death. (The killing is seen only as a shadow on the wall, thank goodness, but it's still pretty strong stuff for 1958.) The white-haired, white-bearded, bent-over old fellow then collects the animal's blood in a small pot. He's already drawn a hexagon on the floor (not a pentagram?) and uses the blood to make a smear in each corner. The next step in this grim ritual involves stabbing himself in the wrist and using his blood to write on a piece of goat skin. We won't see the entire text of this document until later, but we can read "2 years." In a nifty little scene, we see somebody else's arm emerge from off-screen and co-sign the agreement.

This opening sequence sets the tone for the rest of the movie. It's obviously made on a low budget. (The sets are simple, and the "old man" makeup isn't terribly convincing, although it's not terrible.) It also treats the supernatural with a sort of inexpensive realism. The ritual we've just witnessed looks like something that an old man who is willing to kill a goat could manage on his own without special supplies from his local Satanism R Us. 

After the titles, we meet a handsome young man who shows up in the little desert town claiming to be the nephew of the old guy. The local law officer has to break the bad news to him that his uncle was found dead in his home, covered with goat blood as well as his own blood. The cop wisely suggests that he died from something other than natural causes. The young fellow receives a box full of the old guy's junk, including a piece of goat skin, which appears to be blank. Only when the camera looks at it through his eyes do we see the full text of the document we saw before.

I GIVE MY
SOUL FOR
2 YRS.
PETE JENSON
JEZZER HORA

I like the fact that they gave the demon a name. I'm not sure if Pete sold his soul for two more years of life, or if he agrees to serve the demon for two years in exchange for something else. In either case, it soon becomes obvious that the young man is actually Pete in a new body. His exact motivation for all this was never exactly clear to me.

As the story progresses we meet other inhabitants of the town. We have the local doctor (the guy who played Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction), a young woman who bought goat milk from Pete for her tubercular father, the gas station manage to whom she is engaged, the local drunk, and the woman who runs the local diner. (The thing about the goat milk seemed odd to me. A little research reveals that goat milk is less likely to be contaminated with tuberculosis than cow milk, but I don't think it would actually help somebody with the disease. In any case, this has got to be the goatiest horror film I've ever seen.)

Although everybody thinks that the young man is the nicest fellow they've ever met, there seems to be something odd about him. He never seems hot, even though the temperature in this desert town often breaks the 100 degree mark. He also has to cover his face when he sees the cross that the young woman wears.

We soon find out that Pete, besides regaining his youth, has some kind of black magic power over animals. The gas station manager, for example, gets attacked by his own dog, badly wounding his face. Other folks face deadly encounters with animals. It's not long before we realize that Pete can actually transform himself into various animals to do his dirty work. (Oddly, he never turns into a goat.)

The main problem with The Devil's Partner is that Pete's motives are never quite clear. Some folks die for no apparent reason. Oh, he's true that he has his eye on the young woman, and that he's trying to eliminate the gas station manager as a rival. But why does he pay the local drunk a few dollars for some kind of unspecified "help," only to reveal himself in his old man form, then have to kill him in animal form because he knows too much? (I could guess that this is how he's serving our old friend Jezzer Hora, but that's just speculation on my part.)

What I liked about The Devil's Partner was its straightforward depiction of black magic. The movie has the look of an extended television show. The director did tons of TV work, and this could be a particularly dark episode of The Twilight Zone if you took out the slightly more gruesome scenes. Pete's animal transformations all take place off-screen, which saves money and also works better. (There are some young-to-old transformations which occur on-screen, which are mediocre at best.) 

Grab a cup of goat yogurt and check this one out.


----------



## MontyCircus

Cat's Cradle said:


> Hey MC! This is one of my favorite films--Billy Wilder, Jack Lemon, and a very young, very beautiful Shirley MacLaine...amazing talent from top to bottom! The sexual hierarchy of the time was, of course, remarkably lamentable, but if you can accept this in the film as representative of the times, the film is exceptionally funny, and moving. Lemon and MacLaine had such amazing chemistry. I've seen the film 7-8 times, and have loved it each time.
> 
> MacLaine's first film role was in Hitchcock's dark comedy _The Trouble With Harry. _She's really charming in the role, and it's one of my top-ten favorite Hitchcocks...perhaps you would like this one, too. Cheers, CC



Thanks for the recommendation.  I'm always in for anything Hitchcock.


----------



## J Riff

All righty here we go with a two-headed review, of two movies starring severed heads that are kept alive by mad scientist types...._ The Brain That Wouldn’t Die_, 1960 (the end credits call it the _Head That Wouldn’t Die)_ and _The Frozen Dead_1966.
The way to watch this kind of movie(s) .. is to open them both side by side and watch them both at the same time. Don’t do this, however, if you don’t already have some kind of brain damage.
BRAIN is the older movie, in B and W, and it starts w/ operating room docs, the patient dies, but young Doc cuts him open, massages heart, applies brain electrodes and the guy pops back to life, no problem. Older Doc, young Doc’s Dad, chastises him for messing with forbidden stuff.
Meanwhile, in _Frozen_, we see slaves being marched along, whipped, then we see Nazi Doc and assistant Carl, in London, thawing out a guy frozen since the war. Then we learn that there are 1500 elite Nazis ready to be revived.
In _Brain_, there’s a car accident, and the young doc saves his girlfriend’s severed head, wrapping it up in his coat as the car burns.
The 3 _Frozen _Nazis already revived are brainless husks. One of them does nothing but comb his hair.
A nice American girl is taken in by the Nazis, while the doc in _Brain_ wires up his GFs head on a table in the lab.
The yank gal turns out to be the niece of the nazi doc. Okay. The head in _Brain _is talking now, while the doc’s Dad monologues on about unholy, experiment of horror, evil - while the Nazi doc tries to hide his work from his niece - she isn’t allowed in the basement. Oh... there’s something in the closet, in _Brain_, an early experiment that failed, a deformed, horrible beast.
The Nazi doc needs a live brain to experiment on. His assistant injects the sleeping niece’s friend with something, while the young doc in _Brain_ goes to a nightclub and eyeballs the dancers, maybe looking for a new body for his GF.
Carl tells the doc that one of the zombie nazis strangled the friend, the doc has 4 min. to start operating to save her brain.

Both flicks drag now, but by 40 min. the Nazi doc is showing off living organs in beakers, and arms growing out from a wall. In _Brain_, the wired GF head is in mental contact with the beast in the closet, plotting revenge. She chats away to the doc, eventually suggesting that he transplant her head onto another body.
Finally, the young doc grabs a girl from the ‘body beautiful’ contest... while the nazi doc shows off his blue niece’s friend’s head in a box... you can see her brain pulsing away. She looks meaner, more annoyed that the head in _Brain_.
Wow... the closet monster, controlled by the GFs head, grabs the dad doc through a hole in the door, and rips his arm off. Meanwhile the Nazis deepfreeze Carl, not sure why... then they open the box with the blue head in it, and Mr. Nazi commands her to raise one of the arms growing out of the wall. She can’t do it. But she mentally contacts the niece, who is sleeping upstairs.
The young _Brain_ doc preps the body beautiful gal for decapitation... he tapes the GFs head’s mouth shut to keep her quiet, but she mentally contacts the closet beast and it grabs the doc and busts loose. Meanwhile, the blue head in _Frozen_ has managed to get the arms on the wall to respond to her mental control.
The closet monster is a giant pinhead with his eyes in funny places. He grabs the doc and chomps a piece out of his neck, throws it on the floor as the whole place starts to burn, he grabs the beauty girl and wanders out. The GF head says "I told you to let me die." Then she laughs and burns and it’s The End.
The niece finds her friend’s blue head in the basement and they chat... the Nazi doc monologues, shots are fired, but the blue head makes the wall-arms grab the Nazis and they’re done for. Then the blue head says ‘bury me’ a bunch of times and it’s The End.


----------



## Droflet

Rubber (2010). 
A tyre comes to life and sets out on a homicidal binge. Even the film makers slyly admit that this is a odd film (Why does this happen? No reason). Even so, I was so intrigued I couldn't stop watching. You could look at this B grade classic and think 'what the ****' or perhaps like me you could just go along for a very bizarre ride.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching the Guardians of the Galaxy and loved it.


----------



## J Riff

This movie_, this_ movie, is nuts, it’s too much. Imagine writing some of this (verbatim I swear it) and putting it up for critique.
It had other titles.... do not watch the mystery science version of this, it can't be as good/bad.
ZAAT   1971
What’s Zaat you said?
Weird sound FX. Narrator (with weird Germanic accent):
_Sargassom. The weed of deceit._
We see what looks like a lionfish lurking in some weeds.
_Sargassom fish – mighty hunter of the deeps. What an inspiration you have been, in my plot._
Close ups of lionfish breathing, probably in an aquarium.
_Your life of hiding, waiting, stalking your prey. At just the right moment – attack!_
We see lionfish grab a smaller fish.
_Hah, hah,hah... I love you ...I hope I’ll be a good imitator._
Lionfish swallows gourami, now we see a shark.
_And my friend, the shark. Cunning, swift...  wretched humans, they are afraid of you. I – admire you. Soon, I’ll swim with you. They’ll be afraid, huh,huh, heh,hah..._
Now we see some kind of Rockfish_.
Oh mighty scorpion! dangerous beast of the ocean, with your powerful daggers and your camouflage. You have little to fear from other fish._
More shots of rockfish, other reef fish, coral, shrimp,
_Hn, Hn, Hnn Hhn, heh, ha, haaa... they think I’m insane. They’re the ones who are insane._
We see shrimp, hermit crab, puffer fish.
_Oh my friends of the deep. This day, this very day, I’ll become one of you._
Shot of puffer fish swimming away.
_My family._
Cut to guy on beach, looking out to sea. Narrator voice continues:
_And together, we’ll conquer the universe._
Guy stands there then starts walking along beach. Guitar and flute music plays over titles. Guy walks into a place, sort of a junkyard, as moody hippie music continues.
credit Marineland of Florida, Ok that’s the fish shots then... Hippie folkrock plays on, wailing about WW2 and love and fighters and Sargassom, as our guy walks around doing nothing in particular.
Finally he enters a dark basement. Lots of pipes and machinery, he walks, slowwwly, up a flight of stairs. He plugs a little cable into a red pipe on the wall, and machinery whirs to life. Big computers and tricked-up boxes, oscillators, he has gadgets galore. His crazy narrator voice starts up again as he does something on a table, looks like he’s filling a ketchup bottle with a hose.
_The formula they all laughed at... Z sub A... and A sub T. My little gem. Zaat! Very powerful. They’ll have fish the size they’ve never seen before! Walking fish - Hn, hn, ha, haa... who like human flesh._
We see guy finicking with some ropes attached to a small swimming pool in the room. Then he walks into the next room, a lab, where he opens the lid of a jar and fondles an octopus for a while. He opens a notebook and starts to read to himself.
_Secure the electrodes to the denticulated portions of the pectoral spine. Tape an extra lead from the cathode to a twelve megaohm potentiometer to a point precisely above the posterior tip of the occipital process. With extreme caution, turn the dial for a current of ten to the minus six-millionthpheres..? If the formula proves correct the transformation should be perfect even to the opervescent shape of the accessory breathing organs._
He talks on to himself about the Walking Catfish, as he catches one from an aquarium. He informs us that this fish is visciously aggressive and poses a threat to all freshwater ecology. He dumps it on a table and watches the slithering and thrashing tail, whisker-barbs equipped with taste buds and so on. The largest one collected in Florida is 18 inches. The guy putters around the lab looking at a stingray and other fish in tanks.
_We’re going to do something about your size. You can’t battle people being just two feet long. You must be tired. So am I. It’s been a long twenty years. But today a new life will start for me. Oh, but you know that. Your freshwater friends will be the first to experience Zaat. They’’ll outgrow you rather rapidly, mutate, then attack! One final check to be sure there’s been no change in your acidity... uh-huh._
That’s the first _ten minutes_. The guy turns himself into an Octo-guy. There’s a Southern sheriff and a black scientist and a bunch of hippie musicians in this one, but it is hard to watch without drifting or twitching. Good luck. Zaat’s all for now.


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## J-Sun

_*Shadow of a Doubt*_ (1943) directed by Hitchcock, starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. It's often said it's Hitchcock's favorite and it's probably in the ballpark of my second favorite. There's a little more discussion of it (and a whole thread on Hitchcock) elsewhere in the film forum.


----------



## Foxbat

*Destroy All Planets *(1968) Gamera (turtle extraordinaire -with jets and fire breathe) takes on evil aliens who want the Earth for themselves. The monster gets a child-friendly makeover for this movie and whilst the target audience is obviously young boys, it can't hide or excuse the limitations here. With a good sprinkling of old footage from previous films to pad it out, this fails to be anything other than plodding, mediocre and just plain bad (not _good _bad but boring, _bad _bad).

Note 1) Why do I always find myself hoping that the annoying genius kid in these kinds of flicks gets killed? (he never does - unfortunately).

Note 2) No planets were destroyed or even slightly harmed in the making of this movie - so much for the title


----------



## kythe

I just watched "The Day The Earth Stood Still" of 1951 for the first time.  It's an interesting anti-war film.  I was surprised at the level of hostility from Earth people in the movie.  The people panicked, the military showed a "shoot first ask questions later" attitude during the entire story.  Despite the fact that the aliens never harmed anyone, few people were even open to the idea that he may have come in peace.  Granted, this was post-WW2 and I am probably in the wrong generation to truly appreciate this film.

I like Klaatu as a person.  When with individuals, Klaatu seemed kind, curious, intelligent, and with a genuine desire to help people.  But the general message he gave at the end was basically "Be at peace or we will destroy you".  His reason for why Earth would be destroyed wasn't at all out of consideration for the people of Earth, but for the sake of other peaceful planets.  It's a bit of a mixed message, considering his personality as shown to the individuals he met.

I think the book "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke handled a similar theme in a much better way.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Public Enemy *(1931) James Cagney and Jean Harlow get together in what is (as far as I'm concerned) still one of the best gangster movies ever made. Filled with great performances, great lines (my favourite: _Hey, Stoop, that's got gears. It ain't no Ford) _and the grapefruit scene. If you've never seen this one and you like gangster movies, do yourself a favour and watch it ASAP.
Superb


----------



## clovis-man

J-Sun said:


> _*Shadow of a Doubt*_ (1943) directed by Hitchcock, starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. It's often said it's Hitchcock's favorite and it's probably in the ballpark of my second favorite. There's a little more discussion of it (and a whole thread on Hitchcock) elsewhere in the film forum.


 
Just watched Hitchcock's *Foreign Correspondent* (1940) on TCM. Joel McCrea was much better than in most of the pot-boiler westerns he used to do (not counting *Ride The High Country*, which was great). Edmund Gwenn was riveting as the chubby assassin, Rowley; a far cry from *Miracle on 34th Street*. But the star of the film was Hitch. His masterful use of banal settings to evoke suspense (the shooting in a sea of umbrellas, the cat & mouse game in a Dutch windmill) is amazing. A little over the top in the ending, but captivating nonetheless. Worth a viewing if you get the chance.


----------



## J-Sun

Sounds pretty good. I haven't seen many westerns but McCrea's pretty good in Preston Sturges movies. Interesting you mention a slight problem with the ending since I often find that in Hitchcock films.


----------



## Rodders

Moontrap. I remember reading about this years ago and thought that it sounded interesting but never actually got around to watching it. Well, it was on TV last night and it was truly awful.


----------



## Rodders

Someone on Tumblr recently posted about "good old cyberpunk" movies and one of the movies recommended was a French movie called Crysalis. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be quite decent.


----------



## JunkMonkey

> Moontrap. I remember reading about this years ago and thought that it sounded interesting but never actually got around to watching it. Well, it was on TV last night and it was truly awful.



The inflatable tent was OK but you are right the rest of it is utter sh*te.

Last night, in my effort to reduce the huge backlog of old VHS tapes I own and can't throw out till I have watched them at least once, I suffered _Sucker the Vampire_.  I should have turned off after spotting  Lloyd Kaufman's name as a producer on the opening credits.  Afterwards (according to the IMDb) I find it had a staggering budget of $55,000.  I don't know what they spent the money on but it didn't show on the screen.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> The inflatable tent was OK but you are right the rest of it is utter sh*te.


 
The one with Ensign Chekov (Walter Koenig). I'd totally forgotten about it. Not one for the time capsule. So much for his leading man film career.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Great Dictator* (1940). Hard to believe I'd never seen this Charlie Chaplin vehicle. We've all seen clips of his juggling the globe of the world, but to see this movie in its entirety is to witness a barely cobbled together string of almost unrelated scenes. From the orchestrated shave that barber Chaplin gives a customer to the "hide the coin" farce of potential martyrs trying to conceal their short straw, it barely hung together. Considering its early WW II vintage, I suppose I should give it quite a bit of slack for its heavy handed castigation of the villains, the erstwhile Nazis disguised as "Tomanians". But in the end the film seemed to simply serve as a build-up to Chaplin's closing speech of freedom and world unity. Billed as a satire, much of what was intended to be funny fell flat for me. Jewish persecution just isn't amusing. I believe Chaplin understood this later.


----------



## Lenny

Last night I watched the first *Scream* film - hilarious! I'm sure it wasn't meant to be, but I couldn't stop myself laughing whenever the killer was chasing after people and being shown up as obviously a person, complete with "ooof!"s whenever they were hit with something.

Night before I watched *Stake Land* - a recent-ish film in which a vampire plague has swept across America. Predictable, but it wasn't bad. Kinda like a grimmer, bloodier, less humourous *Zombieland*, with vampires in place of zombies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Ghosts of Hanley House (1968)

Written and directed by Louise Sherrill.

This obscure, ultra-low budget, old-fashioned ghost story is the only old horror movie I can remember which was written and directed by a woman. (I'm sure some smart person will provide me with other examples.) Most reviewers dismiss it as a snoozer, while a few find it to be of interest. Let's see if we can figure out why.

We begin with an effectively surreal opening sequence. As the soundtrack is filled with a woman's screams, we see quick scenes in an empty house. Doors open and close by themselves, clocks run quickly backwards and forwards. The only evidence of a human being is a pair of hands reaching for an axe. Without a word of dialogue, we know that something Very Bad has happened at Hanley House.

The simple credits follow. (Did you ever notice that extremely cheap movies usually list every single person in the cast during the opening credits, no matter how small a part each one plays? This movie lists something like twenty or thirty actors, although there are fewer than ten characters that I can recall having a speaking part, and about half a dozen with a role of real importance.) Under the credits we see Hanley House, which looks like a pretty ordinary place.

The real story begins with two young guys discussing ghosts in a diner. One offers to buy the other a new Ferrari if he'll spend the night in Hanley House. (I presume the guy making the offer must be filthy rich, although there is no other evidence of this.) After talking to an elderly woman who fills him in on the legend of Hanley House -- the couple who lived there disappeared a couple of years ago, anyone who tried to stay there went insane and/or committed suicide -- the young man decides to take the bet.

Along for the fun are the young man's buddy (I think the guy who made the bet, although I may be wrong), an older man who may be the young man's employer (again, I could be mistaken), the older man's pretty young cousin, and another woman who is the local psychic/medium. It's all very much like The Haunting with no stars and no budget.

The movie slows down quite a bit during this middle sequence, which no doubt accounts for the attitude of its detractors. The intrepid five investigators spend some time drinking beer, playing cards, and dancing. Although I can agree that this seems pretty silly when we're expecting a scary story, it also seems pretty realistic.

The strange stuff starts with odd happenings such as a black widow spider (unseen by the viewer) showing up then vanishing. Weird marks appear on the wall. The clocks act up again. A small locked box appears from nowhere. An portrait of the woman who used to live there moves by itself. (And it's a weird portrait, too. She's shown with a halo, as if she were a saint, but she is also discretely covering up what appear to be her bare breasts.) The young cousin feels herself being strangled by a pair of hands that disappear.

In these sequences of spooky events, the movie shows both its lack of resources and a trace of imagination. The special effects are very cheaply done, but sometimes create a genuinely eerie mood. There are a few scenes from the outside (presumably not seen by the folks inside) of the silhouette of a man, which suddenly changes from black to white. Later, when the five go outside, we seen a couple of shots of a huge glowing sphere.

The psychic decides to hold a seance to communicate with the spirits doing all this stuff. It was interesting to note that this ceremony involves a cross. Later, when directly talking to a ghost, she uses the phrase "In the name of the Lord" when demanding to know what it wants. Making the psychic a practitioner of Christian white magic made this a little more interesting. I wonder if the writer/director was influenced by the Christian Spiritualist movement which was popular in the 19th and early 20th century, and which still survives in some churches today. 

The seance is done cheaply. We see no manifestations. Instead, the medium speaks to various spirits (not the ones haunting the house) calmly and directly, rather like an adult talking to lonely children, promising them that she will speak to them later. This was an interesting touch.

Ghosts of Hanley House treats its haunting seriously. The ghosts are real, and have motives. If you suspect that one of the five investigators has a Dark Secret which is connected with the haunting, go to the head of the screenwriting class.

I may have made this movie sound better than it is. The tiny budget shows through in every scene. The acting ranges from adequate to poor. Although some scenes are visually interesting, many others are dull or so dark that you can't see what's going on. The director has an odd habit of having an actor, who is supposedly talking to another character, speak directly to the camera. The sound quality is terrible, and some dialogue is impossible to understand. And yet I found it interesting enough to stick with it. 

Hanley House is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.


----------



## Lenny

*Upstream Color
*
One of the most serene and engrossing films I've seen for a long time. Nothing is explained, and you never get into the characters heads -- throughout the film, you are just an observer, and it sucks you in, making you figure out what's going on.

It's a film that's an experience, and it's amazing.

---

UC is the second film by Shane Carruth, whose first, *Primer*, I'm watching now, just for kicks.

EDIT: Well, I'm improving! First time I watched Primer, I was lost after about half an hour or so. Made it nearly to the hour mark on this second viewing. A few more and I'll get it entirely!


----------



## BAYLOR

*Guardians of the Galaxy *. My favorite sumer film and now my favorite Marvel film.


----------



## Vince W

*The November Man*. Pierce Brosnan is a retired CIA operative brought back for one last job. Things go pear shaped quickly and chaos ensues.

If Brosnan had been allowed to play Bond the way he acts in this film, he'd still be playing Bond. This film was a very pleasant surprise. It's not without it's flaws, but overall it's a very enjoyable film if you like spy stories.


----------



## Lenny

It's crazy what you can talk yourself into watching whilst idly browsing Netflix.

*John Carter
*
What's crazier, is that I didn't think this was that bad a film. In fact, it was a fairly good film! Bit long, but hey, fantastical romps on Mars don't get filmed every year.


----------



## J-Sun

Lenny said:


> It's crazy what you can talk yourself into watching whilst idly browsing Netflix.
> 
> *John Carter
> *
> What's crazier, is that I didn't think this was that bad a film. In fact, it was a fairly good film! Bit long, but hey, fantastical romps on Mars don't get filmed every year.



Agreed - not an all-time great, perhaps, and definitely long, but very enjoyable. It'll take awhile but I think this film's rep will eventually get rehabilitated from whatever bad corporate craziness happened to it.


----------



## BAYLOR

Lenny said:


> It's crazy what you can talk yourself into watching whilst idly browsing Netflix.
> 
> *John Carter
> *
> What's crazier, is that I didn't think this was that bad a film. In fact, it was a fairly good film! Bit long, but hey, fantastical romps on Mars don't get filmed every year.




This should have become a major film franchise. The studio didn't market the film correctly, Calling it  just John Carter without Mars was a very bad decision.


----------



## Rodders

Just because a movie is a flop doesn't mean it's a bad movie. I enjoyed John Carter of Mars..


----------



## Jesse412

*The Devil Commands* (1941)







This is a gem of a b-movie with a great performance from Boris Karloff and a lot of interesting visuals. Edward Dmytryk sets the mood perfectly with the opening shot of a creepy house during a thunder storm. The film is narrated by Amanda Duff who plays Karloff's daughter. Karloff plays a scientist who invents a machine that records human brain waves. After his wife is killed he discovers her brain waves are still being recorded and becomes obsessed with making contact with the dead. He comes under the influence of a shady fortune teller and accidentally injures his servant Karl. When his housekeeper discovers the truth about his experiments she is accidentally killed which attracts the attention of the local sheriff. The film climaxes when an angry mob storms his home during an experiment involving his own daughter.


----------



## alchemist

The Guest: I don't know what to say about it except it was very entertaining! Man comes to grieving family to say he was a friend of their son in the army. Chaos ensues.
 Its the proverbial game of two halves; the first being a taut drama threatening to turn into horror and the second an action flick. All through it is 80s-style synth, more tropes than you can shake a stick at, and 80s references (including hair, I'm informed) with a possibly-unintentional Terminator reference. 
Its bizarre and silly at times but Dan Stevens (lately of Downton Abbey) is terrific, and delivers some great laughs when least expected -- the sort of laughs that make no sense out of context ("...you follow tham to their house and burn it down with everyone inside. What's the worst that could happen?")
It's very hard to categorise, but I loved it!


----------



## kythe

Not movies but TV - I have recently started watching both "Heroes" and "Once Upon A Time" on Netflix.  I've never been much of a TV watcher and I know these shows are old by now, but both of these shows have riveting plots and interesting characters.  I much prefer the commercial-free versions on the internet anyhow.  I now have some new "addictions"!


----------



## sanityassassin

Watched guardians of the galaxy yesterday. The wife loved it wanting to see it for ages but I thought it was quite mediocre although it had its moments


----------



## Jesse412

*Young Frankenstein* (1974)






Great performance from Gene Wilder.  Mel Brooks' direction is superb as he captures the mood and atmosphere of the horror films he's parodying perfectly.  Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn both looked incredible.  Peter Boyle is great especially during the "Puttin' On the Ritz" dance sequence.


----------



## clovis-man

Art School Dropout said:


> *Young Frankenstein* (1974)
> Peter Boyle is great especially during the "Puttin' On the Ritz" dance sequence.


 
Apparently Gene Wilder had to talk Mel Brooks into letting him do this scene. He wasn't keen on it at first.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Art School Dropout said:


> *The Devil Commands* (1941)



Nifty little movie, and the novel it's based on, _The Edge of Running Water_ by Walter Sloane is quite interesting as well.  (He wrote only one other SF novel, _To Walk the Night_.  Both are combinations of SF/mystery/horror.)

_________________________________________________________________

*Night of the Ghouls*

The "lost" film in Ed Wood's Kelton trilogy. Filmed sometime in the late 1950's (sources vary) and not released until the mid-1980's until a guy named Wade Williams paid the long overdue lab bills. The presence of Kelton the Komedy Kop links this film with *Plan 9 from Outer Space* and *Bride of the Monster*. There are also references made to the mad scientist in *Bride of the Monster*. It's not quite as wacky as Wood's other horror flicks. The minimal plot involves a phony medium who calls himself "Dr. Acula" (although there's no hint of vampires in the story) and his assistant, who dresses up in what looks like a prom dress as a "White Ghost" to scare easily frightened people. There's also a "Black Ghost" in a black prom dress, a veil, and a tiara, along with other real ghosts. It's a fairly dull affair, but the séance sequence is a hoot. The highlight for me was when somebody in a sheet, like a little kid dressed up for Halloween, shows up as a goofy slide whistle plays on the soundtrack.  I was able to see the Elvira-hosted version of this thing, which was moderately amusing.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rubber* (2010)

Bizzare and surreal horror movie, about a killer car tire. I haven't made up my mind yet if I like the movie or not.

*Kickass 2* (2014)

Fierce violence, and intense drama continue in the sequel to the stunning original. I liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) -- In 1952, two young Argentinian men decide to take an epic journey up the continent on a beat-up old motorcycle. The movie begins with elements of comedy, adventure, and romance, as well as the expected combination of buddy movie and road flick. The fact that one of the two men is Che Guevara becomes more relevant as they encounter crushing poverty and exploitation. It's a fine film no matter what your political opinions may be, even if it does portray Che as a saintly figure. Many visual striking scenes of South America. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Thin (2006) -- Documentary about women in a treatment center for eating disorders, and one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Dark Planet *(1997) - Possibly THE low point in Michael York's career. (I know!) _Dark Planet_ is the usual tale of uneasy allies thrown together for some totally inadequately explained reason.

(Somewhere in one of the the tons of exposition heavy scenes that litter the film a disembodied head does get round to explaining what is going on but not _why this particular bunch of characters with 'history' has to do it_. There are brief mentions of, "hand-picked team" and "selecting the best"). 

So, bad guys and 'good' guys are thrown together in a ship, heading for a black hole, through which one of them has already travelled. They're doing this to discover a 'Dark Planet' - a possible new home for the population of war-ravaged Earth. Needless to say there are disposable goons with 20th century hand guns, lots of running up and down the same two corridors shooting them, and lots of second-rate, would-be Trekkie-babble about "Laying in courses" (which takes three button clicks), and "Shields to maximum!" (which takes three button clicks), and "Damage report!" (which always has to be shouted while small fireworks explode behind you). That sort of bilge. All filmed in a cardboard box with no lights other than those flashing on consoles or coming from the computer screens so powerful they manage to project their graphics onto the faces of those staring at them (sometimes). 

Incidentally we know it's second-rate, would-be Trekkie-babble and not any other sort of second-rate, would-be techno-bollocks because about a quarter of the way into the film York's character takes time to read through the files on his new shipmates:





From which we discover that not only does our heroine have the "Order of the Maroon Beret -with Clusters" ... (apparently you can get ointment for it) but is also lists, "Trekkie Consule (sic) Referencial (ditto sic)" under 'Astro Training' in her CV.)


----------



## BigBadBob141

"Dredd" starring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd & Olivia Thrilby as Judge Anderson, made in 2012.
A very good much underrated film (I give it 5 stars), far superior to the Stallone version, and closer to the original comic strip.
Interestingly Urban just like Dredd in the comics doesn't take off his helmet throughout the film.
All you see of his face is his mouth.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good all action romp!


----------



## Vince W

BigBadBob141 said:


> "Dredd" starring Karl Urban as Judge Dredd & Olivia Thrilby as Judge Anderson, made in 2012.
> A very good much underrated film (I give it 5 stars), far superior to the Stallone version, and closer to the original comic strip.
> Interestingly Urban just like Dredd in the comics doesn't take off his helmet throughout the film.
> All you see of his face is his mouth.
> I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good all action romp!



Dredd is a brillant film. As an ardent 2000AD reader I can tell you that this film is almost a perfect interpretation of Dredd as he is in the comics. Thanks to a lacklustre reception in the US we'll not likely get a much deserved sequel.


----------



## Chris Guillory

Just saw Spider-man 2.  Not bad, but as with other movies, they seemed to introduce too many villains in one film.  There were a total of three.  One lasting almost the entire movie, the remaining two within the last 20 minutes.  I think I may still be jaded of how the last series treated Venom.


----------



## clovis-man

*Pacific Rim.*

Lame story. Lame acting. Too much for the large dollops of CGI to overcome.


----------



## Venusian Broon

JunkMonkey said:


> Incidentally we know it's second-rate, would-be Trekkie-babble and not any other sort of second-rate, would-be techno-bollocks because about a quarter of the way into the film York's character takes time to read through the files on his new shipmates:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From which we discover that not only does our heroine have the "Order of the Maroon Beret -with Clusters" ... (apparently you can get ointment for it) but is also lists, "Trekkie Consule (sic) Referencial (ditto sic)" under 'Astro Training' in her CV.)



I see they've also been erm....a little naughty, 2 successful tours of the _Phellation_ wars ???? 

Did she say in the movie that those tours sucked?


----------



## Foxbat

*Man With A Movie Camera *(1929) Kind of  a day in the life of the Soviet Union. It's a documentary , Jim - but not as we know it. Avant Garde is probably the best description for this quite hypnotic piece of film. My version has the Michael Nyman score (added around 2002 I think) and comes in a tin (not that that means anything significant...I just thought I'd mention it).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I saw that Soviet film some time ago.  It's a fascinating portrait of the very early USSR, as well as somebody just having lots of fun with the tricks a movie camera can do.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hot Rod Girl (1956)

Not to be confused with Dragstrip Girl (1957), which I have previously reviewed, nor with Hot Rod Gang (1958), which I have not seen, nor, for that matter, with the previously reviewed Motorcycle Gang (1957). (I assume that Dragstrip Gang and Motorcycle Girl are out there somewhere in 1950's limbo.)

The Hot Rod Girl does some racing at the start of this thing, but otherwise doesn't do much. The real protagonist is a cleancut fellow who does his racing on a legal racetrack, with the support of a friendly police detective (Chuck Connors!) who wants to keep the hot rods off the streets. While riding with his kid brother behind the wheel, the Bad Guy shows up and goads him into street racing. The kid brother dies in the resulting wreck, and the Good Guy loses his desire to keep the other racers off the street. Later, the Bad Guy shows up at the local hangout, goads one of the racers (Frank Gorshin!) into playing a nearly deadly game of chicken, and generally causes trouble. In a pretty shocking plot twist, he even winds up killing a child when a race with the Good Guy goes wrong. Will the Good Guy wind up taking the rap for the child's death? Will the Bad Guy stop goading?

Notable for the minimal comedy relief (Frank Gorshin supplies a bit, even a couple of impressions, but mostly plays a dramatic role) and for a swingin' score by Star Trek composer Alexander Courage. The end credits don't mention any of the actors or film crew, but they list every member of the orchestra and what instrument he or she plays.


----------



## Vince W

*The Big Year*. Did very poorly in the cinema, but it is a truly enjoyable film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Wild Ride* (1960)

After all the 1950's flicks about young folks racing on various vehicles I've been watching lately, this one came as a bit of a surprise. Among an otherwise obscure cast, Jack Nicholson stars as a arrogant punk of a dirt track racer. He plays the part very Nicholsonish, too, unlike the way he played early roles in things like *The Little Shop of Horrors* and *The Terror*.

Nicholson plays the kind of guy who forces a motorcycle cop off the road when he's chasing him for speeding, and who later forces a competitor off the track when he's racing. Along the way he see him get money (with the laconic declaration "Gimme a ten spot") from the older married woman he's been fooling around with. 

Nicholson's got a gang of admirers, the most decent of whom has starting going with a Nice Girl. (She even wears pearls and white gloves to the racetrack, unlike the other women in the group, who favor tight capri pants.) The main plot of the movie deals with Nicholson's attempt to break up the romance between these two, since the Nice Girl is turning the decent fellow into a chicken. (The evidence for this is that he drove off the road instead of running into a truck that was heading for him.) 

Notable for its short running time (just under an hour), its complete lack of comedy relief, the cool West Coast jazz on the soundtrack, and the fact that it's possible to interpret Nicholson's actions as a sign of homoerotic jealousy.


----------



## WinterLight

*Non-Stop *
Liam Neeson once again embraces his role that requires a very particular set of skills that he has acquired over a long career, well, since *Taken *actually. Good on him, I like this character. 

In this version, he is an air marshall being laid siege to through his phone from a hidden hacking terrorist using all sorts of techno tricks and mind games to bamboozle Neeson and the authorities and steal away a grand sum of dosh.  

The fact that the budget is set low (the entire film takes place on a plane), is made up for in tension and keeping you guessing to the point of blind pointing fingers by the end ('It's the little girl with the teddy bear!!'). 

An easygoing attitude recommended with this one, by the end of the film I realised I enjoyed it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Catacombs *(1965) Fairly decent British thriller although the title bears very little relation to the plot.


----------



## Hermit the frog

My ex is bringing a film over tomorrow night, the deal is I cook. Okay, so I haven’t seen it yet but, she showed me the first couple of minutes to wet my appetite. It was hilarious. So, has anyone seen The Guard? I’ll tell you how I got on later, but I do have high expectations.


----------



## Vince W

If it's the one with Brendan Gleeson you're in for a treat!


----------



## J Riff

Then we have the long non-forgotten 1941 classic, _Ball of Fire_, whereinst a clutch of rather intellectual professor-types are assembling an encyclopaedia when Barbara Stanwyk bursts into their midst, straight from sharing the stage with Gene Krupa and orchestra. Boogie! Da-da-da-dat-da-daaa-dah. *
She is the head gangster’s gal, now on the run, hiding out, and the innocent Profs. are studying her lingo, and other people’s slang, in order to effectively update the slanguage. Dig?
That’s all you need to know, word fans. There is love interest and some fairly advanced doubletalk at one point from Cooper. Hard to resist a movie with character names like Prof. Oddly, Duke Pastrami, Horseface, Benny the Creep. Some may call this movie ‘corny’ but corny was a new word at that time, apparently, so is it? For the non-etymologically concerned, it may well be so. The combination of sesquipedalianism and 40s jive talk kept this periphrastic hepcat interested, lemme tell ya.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Then we have the long non-forgotten 1941 classic, _Ball of Fire_, whereinst a clutch of rather intellectual professor-types are assembling an encyclopaedia when Barbara Stanwyk bursts into their midst, straight from sharing the stage with Gene Krupa and orchestra..



I now have Drum Boogie going round in my head. (Not that I am complaining.)  I fell head over heels in love/lust with Ms Stanwyk when I first saw this film.  Took me years to recover.


----------



## Boaz

*The High and the Mighty*.  Now I just need to watch _Airplane!_


----------



## Mouse

Locked In. Guardians of the Galaxy. Labyrinth. The Dark Crystal.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Boaz said:


> *The High and the Mighty*.  Now I just need to watch _Airplane!_



Try to take a look at the old movie *Zero Hour!*.  *Airplane!* is a direct parody of it, often scene for scene, and many of the character names and dialogue are taken directly from it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The She Beast* (1966)

Written and directed by Michael Reeves.

Don't expect an early masterpiece from the noted creator of *Witchfinder General*. This EuroGothic flick shows a bit of imagination and some interesting filming techniques, but suffers from a low budget, a confused plot, and odd changes in mood.

SPOILERS AHEAD, although the story is so familiar and straight-forward that there are no real surprises.

We begin in "Transylvania -- Today" as a helpful opening title card informs us. A nattily attired older gentleman is driving along in a nifty bright yellow 1920's or 1930's style roadster. He stops at a wooden gate leading down into a cave or catacomb of some kind, where he finds a huge old book and begins reading aloud. 

This leads us directly into our opening flashback, set a few centuries ago, although things don't look too different from "today." No doubt this is a result of the limited funds available. A funeral is in progress. A boy runs in to announce that the local witch has claimed his brother as another of her victims. The priest and the mourners rush out and grab the witch at her lair. The term "she beast" is actually a better description. Played by a man, the witch seems hardly human, with huge fangs and a hideous face. The makeup used here is fairly gruesome, although not terribly convincing.

The good folk of the village tie the witch to a wooden contraption, stab her to death, and toss her body in a lake. Naturally, while this is going on, she promises to return to destroy their descendants. In some ways, *The She Beast* is an amateurish version of *Black Sunday*.

Which is a nice way to lead up to the fact that the star of this thing is the great Barbara Steele. She and her husband (Ian Ogilvy) are on vacation in Romania, lost in their black Volkswagen, and wind up in a dreary hotel run by a sleazy character, played by cult favorite Mel Welles. Along the way they meet up with the older gent, who turns out to be a descendant of Dracula's old nemesis Van Helsing, a rather silly touch. The odd touch of comedy that occurs throughout this movie begins here, too, with some joking remarks about the Communist government.

The young couple start to get intimate in their hotel room when Steele sees Welles peeking in the window. Ogilvy beats up the creep and the couple leaves. Apparently Welles did something to their car, since they have trouble starting it. Once on their way, something goes wrong with the steering and they wind up in the lake we saw a few hundred years ago. Ogilvy gets out OK, but there's no sign of Steele.

We eventually find out that the witch has somehow taken possession of Steele, but still looks like a "she beast" (and is still played by a man.) Sadly, Steele disappears from the movie until the very end. The story goes that she was paid one thousand dollars for one day's filming, but that she had to work for about eighteen hours.

As expected, the witch starts killing folks, particularly Welles. In the film's most outrageous joke, after killing him with a sickle, the witch tosses the weapon on the ground, where it lands on a hammer in such a way that it looks exactly like the famous Communist symbol.

With one thing and another, Ogilvy (who doesn't seem too upset by the way things are going) and Van Helsing (who seems to have been responsible for bringing the witch back to life by reciting a spell, apparently in a twisted attempt to save Steele's life) capture the witch and drag her (dead?) body away from the local cops. (This may be a very inaccurate synopsis; it's all very confusing.)

The movie makes a wild shift in tone, from horror with a touch of comedy, to out-and-out farce, as the Kommie Keystone Kops set off on a slapstick chase after the two heroes. It winds up back at the lake, where the witch is tossed into the water again, and a very wet but otherwise perfectly fine Steele emerges. The three head off for the West, and there's a very minor little twist where Ogilvy says he's glad to get away from that place, and Steele says that she'll be back.

*The She Beast* is of some interest for fans of Barbara Steele and/or Michael Reeves, who died very young. Otherwise, it's just a slightly odd failure.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The St. Louis Bank Robbery* (1959)

Excellent heist movie starring a very young Steve McQueen. The robbery is based on a real one that took place a few years before the film. Filmed on location, including the bank where the holdup took place, the movie also features locals in the cast, including some cops who were present during the real crime. All of this realism lends the film a documentary feel, but the most interesting parts of it are clearly fictional.

McQueen is a college athlete, kicked out of school for some reason. The claustrophic, jailbird brother of his ex-girlfriend talks him into being a getaway driver. The other two hoods are a coldblooded, woman-hating older man and a weakwilled, twitchy fellow. These two are former cellmates, and the film implies that, if they weren't exactly lovers, they have an uneasy relationship.

The plot thickens when McQueen has to ask the ex-girlfriend for fifty bucks for her brother, who is supposedly in Chicago. (As you might imagine, this is a very awkward reunion.) When she spots her brother in town near the bank, she figures out what's going on, even going so far as to scrawl a warning on the bank's window in lipstick one drunken night.

A very grim film noir caper flick with an unusual amount of psychological insight into its characters.


----------



## Foxbat

*Banshee Chapter *kind of a found footage hybrid horror that doesn't quite deliver on its promise. Not bad, just not brilliant.


----------



## dask

THE BIG GUNDOWN. Leonard Maltin called this "The best non-Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western" and I'm inclined to agree with him. Beautifully photographed with never a dull moment the real star of this film, however, isn't Lee Van Cleef  who's great as a bounty killer running for the Senate, Sergio Corbucci's expert directing, or Corbucci's and Sergio Donati's writing skill, but Ennio Morricone's knock-your-socks-off score. It's just stunning. Morricone said in an interview when composing a score for a western not directed by Leone he would avoid making it sound like a Leone western, but THE BIG GUNDOWN is just a original and edgy as anything done for the Man With No Name. If it didn't push the envelope like THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, it certainly put a first class stamp on it.


----------



## Brian G Turner

christyrocks99 said:


> *Slumdog Millionare *I cannot describe to you how brilliant that film was, it so deserved all those awards and Danny Boyle is now a hero in my eyes!





Connavar said:


> *Slumdog Millionarie*
> 
> It was a good emotional story, i enjoyed the kids growing up on the streets of a huge city. It was a very well done film,the different parts of the film hanged well together.
> 
> It was nice,different to see a big film about Bombay,India. Different than emotional,sappy films from american that usually win Oscars.



Just watched this film last night, for the first time.

I was actually expecting a feel-good family film, so was very surprised by the actual content! 

Totally captivating.


----------



## Vince W

*Hector and the Search for Happiness.* Okay, but not a patch on *The Secret Life of Walter Mitty*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Van Helsing *(2004) - as crap as I had been led to believe: a real candidate for the definitive 'GCI has killed the movies' prize.  Another 49p (including postage and packing) wasted on eBay.


----------



## Mouse

*Wilde*. Oscar Wilde biopic starring Stephen Fry. I have it on DVD and hadn't seen it in a while so fished it out. Jude Law's very good as Bosie.


----------



## kythe

I just saw the 1956 "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" for the first time.  

It was a good story - I can see why it started a whole "sub-genre" of alien life forms taking over human bodies.  It has clearly influenced many other works.


----------



## biodroid

*Godzilla, *it wasnt bad, it wasn't as good as I expected. It does twist the whole legend upside down but for some reason the director opted to show some really awesome scenes as news excerpts that people are tuned into in the movie. It was well made with ok acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Red Nightmare* (1962)

Less than half an hour long, this Cold War propaganda film is quite professionally made, with lots of familiar faces from 1960's television. The narrator is Jack Webb, who shows us what an ordinary American town might be like under Communism. (There's a brief opening segment which claims to show an imitation American town, used to train Soviet spies, somewhere in the USSR. Of course, this town and the "real" American town are just Hollywood sets. This segment doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of the film.)

I was expecting a Soviet invasion, but instead it's all done by magic. Jack Webb, acting as the Rod Serling in this Twilight Zone, tells us that the protagonist is going to have a nightmare. The fellow finds himself surrounded by Stalinist restrictions on his freedom. He eventually winds up convicted of deviationism in a show trial and is shot, only to wake up back in the good old USA.

The oddest thing about the nightmare is the way the hero's own family acts. As if they had been replaced by pod people, they are all cold, emotionless, and devoted to Communism. The young kids are happy to be sent off to government boarding schools, in order to avoid the anti-communal influence of the family, and the adult daughter volunteers to work on a collective farm. The fellow's wife even provides evidence against him at the kangaroo trial. (Weirdest scene: During dinner, the wife tells her husband that the children must not be interrupted during their meal. I'm not sure what this is supposed to say about Communism, unless the the point is that it destroys every bit of ordinary human interaction.)

*Red Nightmare* depicts the horrors of a totalitarian state effectively, but its assumption that ordinary folks under Communism are all mindlessly devoted to it is odd, and tends to undermine the intended message.


----------



## Vince W

*Dredd*, in order to support today's Day of Dredd campaign to get a sequel.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Thor: Dark World*
Good fx, and vikings.
But not my thing at all. Yawny


----------



## AE35Unit

Vince W said:


> *Dredd*, in order to support today's Day of Dredd campaign to get a sequel.


Please no! The last one was dreadful. The original was stupid.


----------



## Vince W

AE35Unit said:


> Please no! The last one was dreadful. The original was stupid.



Was that a pun? 

I disagree with you about Dredd, but the first one was stupid.


----------



## AE35Unit

Vince W said:


> Was that a pun?
> 
> I disagree with you about Dredd, but the first one was stupid.


No pun intended. Both films are atrocious. But then i was never a graphic comic reader.


----------



## Foxbat

*Babylon 5: Thirdspace *(1998) Thought it was OK and quite Lovecraftian.


----------



## J Riff

Well... uh, 'Paul McArtney Really is Dead' .. the Harrison tapes. 2010. Full-length movie... yikes.
No further comment - MAxwell could be listening.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Just seen The Box Trolls today with the kids. Nicely realised world, good, slightly creepy-ish animation, a strong enough story to keep everyone interested. Nice job!


----------



## Vince W

I saw *The Boxtrolls* yesterday. Wonderful film and I love stop motion animation. I would love to see more like this.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Time Machine *1960 with Rod Taylor  Yvette Mimieux . Wonderful stuff.


----------



## biodroid

*Edge of Tomorrow,  excellent movie.*


----------



## Brian G Turner

For our Sunday family film, I thought I'd take a chance with _The Miracle Worker_ (1962), about a girl who is blind, deaf, and dumb, being taught how to communicate.

At first, the usual flippant comments came out to make light of Daddy forcing everyone to watch an old-fashioned black and white film.

And then we saw Helen. That created interest. At her first tantrum, everyone went silent. And stayed so through to the end of the film.

Not bad that a 50+ year old black and white film can enrapture a modern young family audience. 

A great film, succinctly told.

Am now tempted to rent the classic 1930's adaptation of Dicken's _Great Expectations_. Though I think I'll give the kids a breather, and watch _Captain America 2_ first.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Brian Turner said:


> For our Sunday family film, I thought I'd take a chance with _The Miracle Worker_ (1962), about a girl who is blind, deaf, and dumb, being taught how to communicate.
> 
> At first, the usual flippant comments came out to make light of Daddy forcing everyone to watch an old-fashioned black and white film.
> 
> And then we saw Helen. That created interest. At her first tantrum, everyone went silent. And stayed so through to the end of the film.
> 
> Not bad that a 50+ year old black and white film can enrapture a modern young family audience.
> 
> A great film, succinctly told.
> 
> Am now tempted to rent the classic 1930's adaptation of Dicken's _Great Expectations_. Though I think I'll give the kids a breather, and watch _Captain America 2_ first.



I'm always heartened by the fact that my kids, all for their exposure to endless, fast-paced, in your face CGI will watch and enjoy older, slower, black and whiter movies.  (We have a Friday night family movie ritual and a couple of months ago Number One Daughter chose the Marx Brother's _Duck Soup_ as her turn and her siblings 10 and 5 loved it.  All three of them laughed more at it than at any other film I can remember.  Glad to know mine aren't the only ones.)


----------



## Starbeast

*Frozen* (2010)

Live-action horror movie, _NOT the animated 2013 kid film_. The movie starts off a bit on the typical side, but pays off in a short time with suspence and terror. Very creepy.

*Elysium* (2013)

Pretty good sci-fi flick, set in the near future. It's about two classes of people, those live on Earth, and those who live in a space station called, Elysium.

*The Possession* (2012)

Pretty good horror movie. I enjoyed it because it was out of the ordinary. Promoted as based on fact.

*The Dead* (2010)

Excellent zombie action/drama. I highly recommend this for Zombie fans!


----------



## clovis-man

Vince W said:


> *The Big Year*. Did very poorly in the cinema, but it is a truly enjoyable film.


 
The one about the birders. I agree. Being acquainted with some serious bird watchers, I can relate to the stuff going on.


----------



## kythe

I just watched Bicentennial Man with Robin Williams.  I saw it once it the theater when it first came out, but I had greatly forgotten it.  Within the last few months I read the story as well as most of Asimov's other robot stories, so I came back to this movie.

The movie diverges from Asimov's story quite a bit, but I was very impressed with how it was handled.  Bicentennial Man became a sweet drama which explores some deep life issues including family growth, love, and what it means to live - and die.  Andrew Martin provides a unique perspective on what it means to be human, as an outsider looking in and changing himself over the years to be the person he wants to be.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *The Dead* (2010)
> 
> Excellent zombie action/drama. I highly recommend this for Zombie fans!


 
Saw this one a while back and I concur - a very good zombie movie that doesn't seem to have gained the recognition that it deserves.


----------



## Rafellin

*Vanishing Point* - The original, definitive road movie -and definitely not the remake with Viggo.

*Flood* - The two-part mini-series that the UK release film with Robert Carlyle was bastardised from. Great entertainment.

*Metro* - Russian disaster film. Simply excellent.

*Godzilla* (2014) - Much better than on first veiwing.

*Transformers: Age of Extinction* - All the right components forming a gestalt of their worst aspects. I had such high hopes for this, but it is an abysmal piece of cinema: a truly terrible film.

*Honeymoon* - A surprisingly entertaining small cast horror film.

*Lockout* - (for the umpteenth time) classic sci-fantasy action hero romp.

*White House Down* - finally decided on this being the more entertaining film against _Olympus Has Fallen_.

As an aside: _John Carter_ - a superb film sunk by Disney's need for a scapegoat. _Dredd_ - marvellous film that deserved to do so much more - and as Karl urban's kit was auctioned off within a few months of shooting closing, a sequel is about as likely as one for John Carter, unfortunately.


----------



## Lenny

*Pontypool
*
A zombie film with a very different take on an outbreak, both in the outbreak itself, and how it's shown to the viewer - apart from a brief scene at the start, the entire film takes place at a radio station.

Very good, particularly in the way tension is built during the first half of the film.


----------



## Foxbat

*Laura *(1944) Clifton Webb, Dana Andrews, Vincent Price and Gene Tierney get together for this excellent piece of film noir whodunnit.


----------



## Foxbat

*Whirpool *(1949) Gene Tierney stars as the fragile, kleptomaniac wife who falls into the clutches of a scheming hypnotist/astrologist played by Jose Ferrer. Most enjoyable


----------



## jotun913

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


just watched Ergo Proxy love that series very dark.


----------



## Mouse

*I Sell the Dead *- I have this one on DVD. Weird comedy about grave robbers digging up the undead. Stars Dominic Monaghan.

*Latter Days *- sweet romance about a gay mormon. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it.


----------



## biodroid

X men Days of future Past, it was good but a bit overrated imo


----------



## J-Sun

Foxbat said:


> *Whirpool *(1949) Gene Tierney stars as the fragile, kleptomaniac wife who falls into the clutches of a scheming hypnotist/astrologist played by Jose Ferrer. Most enjoyable



Sounds almost like *Gaslight* (1944). Ingrid Bergman stars as a seemingly fragile accused-of-kleptomania wife who falls into the clutches of a scheming villain - that's a movie I didn't enjoy much at all until it was over and I still need to rewatch it and see if it works now that I know the ending.



Spoiler



The movie feels like a horrible exercise in sadism and I wondered if they were just going for some kind of tragedy which left her broken but she does finally get out from under and even gets to dish out some revenge so maybe it wouldn't seem so unpleasant knowing she's "okay" (though how she wouldn't still be traumatized, I dunno) in the end.


----------



## PTeppic

*The Maze Runner* - Pretty good, given its roots.


----------



## Foxbat

J-Sun said:


> Sounds almost like *Gaslight* (1944). Ingrid Bergman stars as a seemingly fragile accused-of-kleptomania wife who falls into the clutches of a scheming villain - that's a movie I didn't enjoy much at all until it was over and I still need to rewatch it and see if it works now that I know the ending.


 
Come to think of it, you might be right. I have a copy of Gaslight so I might watch this soon to compare the two.


----------



## Bugg

*The Wolverine*.  I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to, up until the predictable effects-laden finale, at least.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Just saw _Alien Hunter_ with James Spader last night.

Where to start with this? It's a B-movie of a B-movie. (Does that make it a D-movie or a B squared movie?)

Why were they researching hydroponically grown plants with artificial light below the surface and deep inside the Antarctic? (Why not do it on a nice university campus somewhere that everyone can get to easily?)

Was James Spader playing a sex pest?

How come the world didn't die in 1947 at Roswell when the other alien capsule was found? (I might have drifted off and missed the explanation....)

These are just the tip of the iceberg - too many questions about this film....


----------



## dask

The last half of THE UNINVITED with Ray Milland. I got more goose bumps during the second hour than I did with the entire Robert Wise THE HAUNTING. The ghost at the end was the creepiest I ever saw. Couldn't leave that to the imagination!


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Jane Eyre, *with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.  One of the better adaptations, I think (and I've seen a fair few of them), because of the chemistry between the two leads.


----------



## Rafellin

*Lucy* - It may not be scientifically sound, but it is damn fine entertainment.

*Gone Baby Gone* - A fine piece of neo-noir.

*The Dead* - Now this, this is a zombie film.

*The Dead 2: India* - Takes the concepts from the first film and widens the scope a little.


----------



## Foxbat

*Lady Of Burlesque *(1943) a murder mystery adapted from the novel _'The G String Murders'_ by Gypsy Rose Lee. The movie doubles up as a comedy with a bit of song and dance (an area which gives the brilliant Barbara Stanwyck a chance to flash her pins).
I enjoyed it for what it was (leggy).


----------



## Foxbat

*Blonde Ice *(1948) Leslie Brooks plays a society reporter who keeps herself noticed by marrying wealthy men. The men, however, have an unhealthy habit of dying.

To be honest, this movie is probably one step up the rung from a serial (which isn't in itself a bad thing but just an indication that it ain't exactly top of the range...and it's not strictly a B movie because of the running time). I did enjoy it to a point but it was spoiled by a corny ending that wouldn't look out of place if Scooby and Shaggy had solved the case.

A film to watch when you've had a little too much alcohol but you're not yet tired enough to drop off into an inebriated nap.


----------



## Foxbat

*Timeslip *(1955) Not to be confused with the excellent 1970 children's series of the same name - Gene Nelson and Faith Domergue investigate a mysterious stranger pulled from the Thames  and a bit of jiggerpokery at the nearby nuclear research establishment in this fairly average but watchable movie. It was released under the title of The Atomic Man in the USA.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Maltese Falcon* (1941) What can I say? It's simply a great film and a good way to spend a saturday night when there's nothing but dancing and other trash on television. 

My favourite line (when Spade encounters Cairo) - _When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it_


----------



## Mouse

There's nothing on TV on a Saturday night so I put a DVD on. Watched *Pan's Labyrinth. *


----------



## Rafellin

*Black Butler* - A live-action take on the classic anime does exactly what you'd expect it to for an entertaining film that lacks that something to make it great.

*Extraterrestrial* - A film from Abduction films, so you know the territory you're navigating.  That being said, it's a serviceable chunk of entertaining X-filed horror.

*Kite* - _The anime-with-hentai-sensibilities this is based on is one of the most powerful and disturbing works I have ever watched: to the point where I destroyed my uncut edition DVD instead of selling it on. _This film does an excellent job of extracting the brutality and the pathos, setting it in a tale the resonates with the original, whilst thankfully omitting the pornographic elements that have rightly made the original so infamous. Samuel L. Jackson plays a bit of a blinder but India Eisley utterly shines in counterpoint to Callan McAuliffe's reserved-to-the-point-of-hollow.


----------



## Rafellin

*How to Train Your Dragon 2* - because it is, in so many ways, flawless.


----------



## Foxbat

*Parents *(1989) A bizarre and stylish movie that skirts  the edges of black comedy. A young boy growing up in 1950s suburbia wonders where his parents get all their meat from. Definitely worth watching


----------



## Remedy

*The Third Man *(1949) - It's the first time I've seen it and what a fantastic film! Post-war Vienna was the perfect location to film it. A classic film noir with great performances from Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton. Has hardly dated, if at all.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Rowing With The Wind,* with Hugh Grant and a bunch of other people.  It's about the Shelleys and Lord Byron and the tragedies that seemed to follow them everywhere -- but surprisingly little about their art.  It was disjointed and I kept waiting for it to become interesting.  Byron (played by Hugh Grant) was portrayed as an absurd fop, so that one wondered why so many women were throwing themselves at his feet, his poetry aside.  I'm sorry I wasted my time watching it.


----------



## J-Sun

Teresa Edgerton said:


> *Rowing With The Wind*...Byron (played by Hugh Grant)...I'm sorry I wasted my time watching it.



Q.E.D.


----------



## dask

Ever been disappointed when one of your favorite comics was made into a movie and it wasn't comic enough? Doesn't happen all the time but when it does it can be a major blow. I just watched a movie that's a comic lover's dream and as far as I know it wasn't even based on that elevated platform. It's called HANNA and in the same way Stanley Kubrick managed to turned BARRY LYNDON into a motion painting, director Joe Wright took this borderline sf story and converted it into a breath-taking, eye-catching moving comic. And move it does! Recommended with neither hesitation nor qualm.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre* (1948) _Badges? We don't need no steenkeeng badges!_
Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston star in  John Huston's film, which has been rightly lauded as one of the best movies ever made.


----------



## FireDragon-16

I saw *The Judge *a couple weeks ago. That was such a good movie! Sad, but good. A great movie about family. Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall were great as father and son!!

We also saw *Dracula Untold *Tuesday night. That was a great movie as well. Definitely an interesting take on the _Dracula._


----------



## Roboripper

Candyman. First time I've seen it and I really liked it. Really layered writing and some excellent design work on the title character. Tony Todd was suitably menacing and even brought some abiguity to the killer, which was nicely done.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Gone Girl*. This really should have been called "Not Another Date Movie - No, Really Not A Date Movie!" It's intriguing, surprising and really pretty nasty. Well-made and disturbing stuff.

I would say more, but I don't know how to work the spoilers tag. Suffice it to say that it seems like a very good presentation of a sort of person everyone probably meets at some point - albeit in a far less ferocious form.


----------



## Foxbat

*Julia's Eyes *(2010) Decent Spanish horror movie which was slightly marred by some predictable bits and an overly sentimental ending. Very good actress in the lead role was its main strength.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Hitch-Hiker* (1953)

Tense little suspense drama directed by Ida Lupino. Two guys driving down to Mexico for some fishing pick up a guy who turns out to be a killer on the run. The rest of the movie deals with their odyssey through the desert (lots of starkly beautiful scenery), with the hood making no secret of the fact that he's going to kill them when he reaches his destination. Low-key and realistic.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*He Walked By Night* (1948)

Documentary-style crime drama which is pretty obviously the inspiration for the radio and television versions of _Dragnet_. (Jack Webb plays a police lab tech, and the story goes that he got the idea for his hit show by talking to the police officer who served as technical advisor.) Richard Basehart stars as an electronics expert/thief/cop killer who sets off a huge manhunt in Los Angeles. Nicely photographed in _film noir_ style, with a nifty final sequence set in the storm drains under the city. Watch for B-movie favorite Whit Bissell.


----------



## J Riff

Victoria watches the same flicks as me... I remember Whit Bissel... the vacuum cleaner guy.... but, tonight I
was subjected to 'Manos Hands of Fate' and it is arful, but the weird looped soundtrack is good, or maybe it just seems that way in comparison to the movie itself. Torgo is particularly interesting... I don't know that anyone could tell someone how to act like that.


----------



## Vince W

*Knights of Badassdom*. This could have been hysterical, but it took itself way too seriously for that. Shame since Steve Zahn and Peter Dinklage had some real moments of near brilliance.


----------



## Foxbat

*Where The Sidewalk Ends *(1950) A pretty decent piece of fim noir about a cop who finds himself in a pickle because of his vicious nature. Directed by Otto Preminger, starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Karl Malden, it's movie definitely worth watching


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last night I watched* Superman 3*  for the first time - and, much to my amazement, loved it.  And I got to play 'Spot Shane Rimmer' which is a game I play when the film that is set in the States was obviously shot in the UK. There's always a fair chance he'll be in it.

Shane Rimmer is probably the only actor to have appeared in the _Thunderbirds, Star Wars, Batman, Superman, Bourne,_ and_ Saint _franchises - and _Casualty_.  Very useful when playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is Mr Rimmer.


----------



## svalbard

Valhalla Rising again. Still cannot work it out.


----------



## Dinosaur

Hunger Games - Catching Fire.

Pretty much what I expected, in that without Jennifer Lawrence this film would have dropped from sight and found only in those strange shops that sell really cheap DVDs (normally rip-offs of more successful franchises).

Still better than the previous film, Noah. Which for a surprisingly strong cast managed to be just...dull. The Angels had a nice stop-go claymation look to them though.

I'm hoping our next Lovefilm choices will be better.


----------



## Remedy

*Zodiac (2007) - *My second viewing. Following the obsessions of those trying to track down the notorious serial killer. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo all give it something different. The sixties into seventies transition is done well. But I feel like it over ran at 2hrs 30mins. Well worth watching if you missed it though.


----------



## clovis-man

*Beneath The Twelve Mile Reef* (1953)

An odd little film with an odder cast. Robert Wagner and Gilbert Roland are the good guys as greek sponge divers. Richard Boone and Peter Graves are the bad guys as a competing sponge family. Terry Moore provides the "girl next door" love interest in a Romeo and Juliet kind of way. This could have been a fascinating look at a once viable industry; something of an unintentional period piece. But the simplistic plot seems to be mostly an excuse for the first Hollywood Cinemascope underwater scenes, complete with rubber octopus. Eat your heart out, Martin Landau!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Arena *(1974) - Starring Pam Grier.  Gratuitous nudity, violence, sadism, with a few token nods towards feminism and black liberation to excuse it all.  Roger Corman's formula for the seventies.  Basically: a Women in Prison Film in peplums and togas*.  Parts of the film were passable; parts of Pam Grier were outstanding.



* or should that be 'pepla and togea'? Latin never was my strong suit.


----------



## Remedy

My apologies if I am covering ground someone else has recently:
*
Godzilla (2014) - *Watched last night. Found it a little disappointing. Brian Cranston's performance was fantastic, but I won't say more on that for fear of spoilers. While it is much better than the 1998 shambles and pays some good homage to the original, it was unable to escape the Hollywood clichés. Godzilla made a few too many human facial expressions for my liking and my girlfriend fell asleep during the film which is rare.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *He Walked By Night* (1948)
> 
> Documentary-style crime drama which is pretty obviously the inspiration for the radio and television versions of _Dragnet_.



Thanks! I didn't know about that - I'm going to have to check it out. I like _Dragnet_ and the main descendents _Adam-12_ (my favorite) and _Emergency!_. 



Foxbat said:


> *Where The Sidewalk Ends *(1950) A pretty decent piece of fim noir about a cop who finds himself in a pickle because of his vicious nature. Directed by Otto Preminger, starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Karl Malden, it's movie definitely worth watching



Sounds good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Big Combo* (1955)

Excellent _film noir_ with a fine script, great acting, wonderful cinematography, and outstanding use of jazz and classical music (as well as one scene which makes perfect use of silence -- you'll know what I mean when you see it.)  Unusually hard-hitting for its time, with some sadistic (but not explicit or bloody) violence and some thought-provoking psychosexual themes implied.  Among the talented cast, Richard Conte is absolutely terrifying as the crime boss.  Lots of familiar character actors among the smaller parts; it's fun to play "Count the number of actors who were on _The Twilight Zone_" as you watch.  Highly recommended.

(Whit Bissell alert:  his name is listed in the opening credits, but he isn't seen; IMDB says his scenes were omitted.)


----------



## Remedy

*Watchmen (2009) - *A refreshing change from superheroes without flaws or emotions. It's gritty, messy, dark and bloody - closer to life. With obscure actors and great chemistry. Awesome soundtrack too.


----------



## Remedy

Managed to watch two last night.
*
Se7en (1995) - *It had been a while since I last saw it. One of the best thrillers of all time, in my opinion... "What's in the box!"

_*Déjà Vu (2006) - *Denzel Washington doing scifi? Yeah, and so well. The writing, direction... Everything in that movie works. Manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, even if you've seen it before._


----------



## Remedy

Two more movies watched in my man-cave last night:

*Law Abiding Citizen (2009) - *A vengeful man exposes flaws in the justice system. A few plot holes and some misguided lines of dialogue. Yet, I enjoyed the film all the same. I was shocked after watching to read that rotten tomatoes gave it a score of 25% yet the audience score was 75%. I thought that Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx were mostly convincing, but perhaps the ending and some of the gratuitous violence were unnecessary. Maybe I was just in an open-minded mood yesterday! 

*Batman: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - *The finale of Christopher Nolan's batman trilogy. It's pleasing to see sequels work. I was gutted there would be no return of The Joker - but actor Tom Hardy gave Bane new kind of menace; Intelligent, calculating brutality. Although, I did struggle to hear some of his lines, muffled by face metal. The story was solid and Jospeh Gordon-Levitt's character was a great addition. I wonder how Ben Affleck will fare as the caped crusader.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Beat the Devil* (1953)

The story goes that director John Huston wasn't satisfied with the script he had for this movie, so he brought young writer Truman Capote to Italy to completely rewrite it. It's claimed that each page of the script was turned in shortly before it was filmed. If this is all true, it's no wonder that the whole thing resembles an improvised shaggy dog story. On the surface, it's a crime drama about some disreputable types trying to get their hands on a piece of African land rich in uranium. In reality, however, it's more of a comedy of manners/bedroom farce/screwball comedy with a touch of slapstick and a dash of black comedy. Keep in mind that all this funny stuff is played very lightly, so it never quite comes across as a spoof. Full of big name stars, but the movie is stolen by the many character actors.


----------



## Foxbat

*Inferno *(1980) This Dario Argento film is often criticised for having an incoherent plot and, whilst I agree some aspects of the story are a tad confusing, it's a film I really like. What it lacks in coherence, it more than makes up for in atmosphere and ambience - provided by exquisite lighting and sets (reminiscent of his previous movie Suspiria). 

The best way to watch this film is with the lights off and a good bottle of wine by your side


----------



## alchemist

Remedy said:


> My apologies if I am covering ground someone else has recently:
> *
> Godzilla (2014) - *Watched last night. Found it a little disappointing. Brian Cranston's performance was fantastic, but I won't say more on that for fear of spoilers. While it is much better than the 1998 shambles and pays some good homage to the original, it was unable to escape the Hollywood clichés. Godzilla made a few too many human facial expressions for my liking and my girlfriend fell asleep during the film which is rare.



And I watched this last night. Not a good film, not a good film at all. Brian Cranston was good but Ken Watanabe spent the whole film with an expression of my-god-what-have-we-done. He may as well have been thinking about the script. The protagonist's ability to be there for every key scene, regardless of continent, defied belief, and while the special effects were good, most of the action happened at night so I could barely see what was going on.

Summary: don't spend money on this.


----------



## The Bluestocking

*How To Train Your Dragon 2.*

This is a rare case of the sequel being as good as the original. What I liked is how it genuinely expanded the storyline and universe, and Hiccup and Toothless remain as likeable a duo as ever!


----------



## Vince W

*Dark Shadows.* Dull and uninteresting. Neither scary nor funny. A waste of everyone's time and effort all around.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Put on Kubrick's *The Shining* late last night. Seen it plenty of times before, but it just being Halloween got the urge to go through my horror collection. 

A truly sinister film on so many levels: sound design, the actor's performances and how it's all masterfully put together by Kubrick. I can sort of see why Stephen King might not like it from what he's said about it, (and I suppose it is _his_ source material). But it's an absolute grade-A classic horror movie. Sorry Stephen!

Managed to fall asleep in front of it (DVD unhelpfully plays the movie on a loop...) and had very, very disturbing dreams.


----------



## Foxbat

*Exquisite Corpse/House Of Death* Right from the start, I found this movie quite confusing. I picked House Of Death up for a fiver on DVD, stuck it in the player and saw that the menu referred to a film called Exquisite Corpse. After a bit of research, I found that the movie had been renamed House Of Death but it seemed that nobody could be bothered to update the data on the disc (hence why the disc menu referred to Exquisite Corpse). Not a good start.

The film (about a scientist resurrecting his dead girlfriend but has to kill other women to achieve this) is dull.


----------



## Vince W

*Salmon Fishing in the Yemen*. Great film. MacGregor and Blunt are terrific, but Kristin Scott Thomas steals it with her gov't PR head character.


----------



## TrekkieKimber

Soulmate with Tom Wisdom. Amazing film. I would recommend it.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

The Book of Life. Pretty entertaining little animation from Mexico. Nice that they used a real taste of the culture instead of Disney-bland.


----------



## ratsy

Started Snow White and the Huntsman...half way through I turn to my wife and say 'do you really want to finish this?' she says 'no, i think we know what happens...she sleeps with the director' ...i laughed for a few hours and then we watched Walking Dead instead


----------



## kythe

springs said:


> The Book of Life. Pretty entertaining little animation from Mexico. Nice that they used a real taste of the culture instead of Disney-bland.



I want to see this too.  My daughter's Spanish teacher recommended it to her class because of the way Mexican culture was presented.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Time Table* (1956)

Taut little crime drama about a seemingly perfect train robbery that unravels bit by bit as two insurance investigators track down the crooks. There's a major plot twist in the first half of the film, so I won't discuss the story. Good acting all around, with a particularly excellent job done by familiar character actor Wesley Addy. Watch for a nice bit by Jack Klugman in an early role.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Kansas City Confidential* (1952)

Tightly plotted heist film/revenge story/_film noir_. A guy recruits three desperate crooks, none known to the others, to rob a bank. The gimmick: The three will never see each other except when they are wearing masks, so nobody can rat out on the others. The boss will contact them later to split the loot. Sounds like the boss intends to get away with all the cash, but his intentions are more complicated than that. The heist goes like clockwork. Part of the plan involves using a delivery van that looks exactly like the vehicle used by an ex-con in his legit job, so the cops will waste time on him while the real crooks get away. (And the cops are depicted as brutal as the crooks, as they try to beat the innocent ex-con into confessing.) When the cops let the ex-con go, he decides to track down the crooks on his own. Excellent performances from Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand as the three crooks. The ex-con (John Payne) is a less colorful character, played as an ordinary guy out for revenge. The boss (Preston Foster) hides his scheming behind a bland exterior. Along for the ride is Coleen Gray as the unsuspecting daughter of the boss, who develops a romantic interest in the ex-con.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Kansas City Confidential* (1952)
> 
> Tightly plotted heist film/revenge story/_film noir_.... Excellent performances from Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, and Neville Brand as the three crooks.



I'll second that. It's little compared to another "perfect crime" heist flick, _The Asphalt Jungle_ (1950), but it's still a good one. It's almost comically "tough guy" in places, but actually works as an intense flick.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Edge of Tomorrow courtesy of Brian. Watched as a family and all enjoyed it, even the tiddler. I found it faintly disconcerting that the UDF were in charge of saving Earth, though (I'm assuming Ray, Kerry and Alc will get that reference....)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Walk the Dark Street* (1956)

Low budget urban variation on "The Most Dangerous Game." Chuck Connors stars as a hunter whose weak heart has put an end to his days of tracking down big game. He also holds a major grudge against the guy who was his brother's commanding officer in WWII, blaming him for his brother's death in combat. Unaware of all this, the guy shows up to meet what he assumes is just the brother of his war buddy. The hunter proposes a game, with big bucks as the payoff. The two will hunt each other through the streets of Los Angeles, with "rifles" that are actually cameras. Of course, if you've ever read a story or seen a movie before, you'll realize that the hunter's rifle is the real thing. The only other character of any importance is the girlfriend of the dead soldier, who learns of the hunter's mad scheme and tries to warn his intended prey. 

At seventy minutes, this thing is badly padded. The hunter shows the guy (and the audience) home movies of animals; somebody sings at a nightclub. Trimmed down to a twenty-odd minute episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," this might have been a decent bit of suspense.

Warning: This movie was produced, directed, and written by Wyott Ordung, who also wrote *Robot Monster*.


----------



## Foxbat

*Profondo Rosso *(1975) One of my favourite Dario Argento movies - helped along nicely by a brilliant score from Goblin. No horror fan should be without this one


----------



## Vince W

*Interstellar.* This is a science fiction film, not science fantasy. Don't listen to the critics, just go see it for yourself.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

My wife and I went to a double-header today--about 5.5 hours of movies; we loved one film, and were remarkably disappointed by the other..

*Boyhood  *We both agreed this is the best new film we have seen this year, and one of the best in the last 4-5 years. It's a Richard Linklater film, and to quote IMDB it's about "The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18." Sounds simple, but this is an epic film about growing up, and family and love; there's so much warmth and honesty in the film that it's amazing to contemplate. Read about it, and please seek it out when it comes to your area; it's a remarkable film.

*Interstellar *We both adore Christopher Nolan...Inception is one of our favorite films; we love Memento, and the Batman films; this though is a mess from start to finish. There are so many errors of logic, and common sense, in the film that it made it impossible to care about the (frankly unconvincing) personal relationships, or overall plot-lines. I'm sorry to say we also were underwhelmed by the special effects; there was nothing exciting about them...nothing mind-blowing, or original-seeming, or memorable. We'd seen *2001 *in the last year, and were in awe of the special effects; even 45 years later they are memorable, and convincing. I'm not making the mistake of comparing Interstellar to 2001 as a film; I'm just saying that Interstellar is disappointing in a way I thought I'd never experience with a Chris Nolan film. Oh well, Boyhood we'll always remember.


----------



## Dinosaur

Currently watching Wing Commander, yes my Saturday night's are that good, and I'd forgotten just how terrible this movie is. And I am loving it.

The Das Boot rip off is particularly fine.


----------



## Vladd67

Dinosaur said:


> Currently watching Wing Commander, yes my Saturday night's are that good, and I'd forgotten just how terrible this movie is. And I am loving it.
> 
> The Das Boot rip off is particularly fine.


Yes just why did they have to keep quiet in space?
Just watched Murder by Death (1976) a comedy classic with some great lines.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Cinema Paradiso* last night. Both funny and moving - it's one of the finest movies ever made in my opinion.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

I feel a little bad now because I was so mean to Interstellar. Of course everyone will form their own opinion, and my review above was simply the opinion of two people. We just love Nolan, and this didn't do it for us. Forgive the expressed negativity! (But *do *go see Boyhood!) CC


----------



## Lenny

*The Lone Ranger
*
Thoroughly entertaining, with a fantastic concluding action sequence that brings to mind classic action adventure films from the eighties and nineties. Like 2012's *John Carter*, whilst it's a shame TLR is considered a flop, I think it's preferable to have a single film full of fun, than a franchise that loses soul with every new addition.

---

Earlier this evening, I also watched *Resident Evil: Retribution* (some nice ideas, but a total hamfest of an execution), and *Silent Hill: Revelation *(not bad, but a long way from being as disturbing as the first).


----------



## Ice fyre

I saw Wing Commander on sunday night, not a bad film, lots of things pinched from other shows and films, and the ugliest starfighter's I think I have ever seen in a film or TV show. But generally not too bad acting, film was a tad cheesy, but overall quite an entertaining couple of hours.


----------



## kythe

I know "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" has been mentioned several times before, but I finally saw it today.  I was very impressed, not only with the CGI but with the story line.  It had enough references to the 1968 Planet of the Apes to be interesting, yet not overbearing.  The apes, especially Caesar, were very sympathetic and relatable characters.  

I had mixed feelings on the science lab experiment gone wrong theme because I feel it is a common trope in sci fi these days.  But it did present a much more believable scenario as to how the apes gained intelligence in mass numbers than the idea that they somehow evolved from domestic servants.  Now I'm actually looking forward to "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", which I may see tomorrow.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Cat O' Nine Tails *(1971) Not Dario Argento's best film, but this murder mystery set around a research institute is still worthy of a viewing.


----------



## Venusian Broon

mmm, I actually sat down and watched: *Breaking Dawn Part 1 *last night on the telly. 

No, not my thing at all. Not a lot seemed to happen. Apart from a lot of moody stares from frightfully handsome people and constant 'serious' talks.  But then it's just half of the book right? 

But I was thoroughly irritated by the constant interjection of loads and loads of songs, like brief music videos. I presume the soundtrack album for this movie is pretty big...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*"Bowanga Bowanga" White Sirens of Africa* (1951)

Written and directed by Norman Dawn.

That's the title that appears on the screen when I watched it on archive.org, anyway, quotation marks and all. Apparently this thing first existed under the less ridiculous title *Wild Women*. If the words "bowanga bowanga" were ever spoken, I missed them. It's possible I wasn't paying close enough attention to the nonsense language spoken by the White Sirens.

In any case, we begin with a rather nice background painting under the titles, showing the silhouette of a woman against a background of trees and hills and such. Things decline right away as we are treated to our first sample of lots and lots of stock footage, as the narrator goes on and on about the Dark Continent and such. We are informed that the story we are about to see might be fact or fiction. I'm betting on fiction.

Two Great White Hunters and their native bearers trudge through the jungle. One of them is our Odious Comic Relief, an Italian stereotype to put Chico Marx to shame. The other is just some guy. After lots of stock footage, we see a woman in an animal skin bikini and somebody in a gorilla suit. At one point these two seem to be holding hands. This raises all kinds of questions, but don't worry; this has nothing to do with the plot.

After some more stock footage (with an orangutan, far from home, called a gorilla by the characters), we run into another Great White Hunter, passed out cold. This is our nominal hero, Trent.

Trent wakes up and we go into a long and pointless flashback, clearly making use of some other jungle movie footage, probably from a silent film. Long story as short as possible, young Trent (in overalls), a young "native" boy (also in overalls), and a young woman (in, you guessed it, an animal skin bikini) are in a hut. A big snake and a leopard try to get in. They survive, young Trent's drunken father comes back to the hut. The woman is never really explained, but later young Trent sees a woman in what seems to be a modern one piece bathing suit (although I suppose it's trying to be an animal skin thing) standing on a cliff singing. This is our first White Siren of Africa, also known as an "ulama." (The singing here is actually pretty nice, reminding me a bit of Marni Nixon's eerie wailing in *Dementia* AKA *Daughter of Horror*.) 

Trent informs us that he went to the USA, then came back years later and encountered the ulamas again. One of the ones we see here looks a lot like Betty Page, right down to the leopard skin bikini. 

Well, after this weird double flashback stuff, using up a lot of our sixty-one minute running time, things go pretty much as you might expect. The three guys go after the White Sirens, they get captured, the Queen speaks a little broken English (in a hilarious accent which makes her sound more like Countess Dracula than a cavewoman), the ulamas capture the men, do some ritual dancing (I swear some of these actresses must be burlesque strippers from the moves they make), and reveal that weak men are sacrificed to the Fire God, while strong men are captured to become husbands. Our three heroes don't seem eager to meet either fate.

One thing I can say for this flick: The Wild Women are depicted as really tough fighters, whether having a catfight over a slab of meat or fighting the men one-on-one. The film reaches its conclusion after some Komedy (the guys are brought some watermelon, wonder if it's been poisoned, eat it anyway, and then one guy scolds the other for spitting out seeds) a brief struggle for power between the Queen and some rebels who want the men for themselves), and a happy ending (which winds up with the three men and one ulama walking off hand-in-hand.)

Not quite as goofy as *Wild Women of Wongo*, and much, much cheaper than any of the other "primitive women" flicks I've seen, this feminist classic is silly enough to be worth putting up with many, many dull stretches of stock footage.


----------



## Mouse

X-Men: Days of Future Past. At last. Really enjoyed it, too. Nice reset. Could've done with some Gambit.


----------



## Vince W

*Snowpiercer*. With all the hype about this film I think I was expecting too much. While there were some good performances, overall the film turned out to be quite dull. Very similar to previous stories of this ilk. A story full of noise and fury, signifying nothing.


----------



## Foxbat

Mouse said:


> X-Men: Days of Future Past. At last. Really enjoyed it, too. Nice reset. Could've done with some Gambit.


I also watched this movie recently and quite enjoyed it but I did feel that the last few minutes bore more than a passing resemblance to The Matrix and its Sentinels - which kind of spoiled it a little for me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *"Bowanga Bowanga" White Sirens of Africa* (1951)
> 
> Written and directed by Norman Dawn.
> 
> That's the title that appears on the screen when I watched it on archive.org, anyway, quotation marks and all. Apparently this thing first existed under the less ridiculous title *Wild Women*. If the words "bowanga bowanga" were ever spoken, I missed them. It's possible I wasn't paying close enough attention to the nonsense language spoken by the White Sirens.
> 
> In any case, we begin with a rather nice background painting under the titles, showing the silhouette of a woman against a background of trees and hills and such. Things decline right away as we are treated to our first sample of lots and lots of stock footage, as the narrator goes on and on about the Dark Continent and such. We are informed that the story we are about to see might be fact or fiction. I'm betting on fiction.
> 
> Two Great White Hunters and their native bearers trudge through the jungle. One of them is our Odious Comic Relief, an Italian stereotype to put Chico Marx to shame. The other is just some guy. After lots of stock footage, we see a woman in an animal skin bikini and somebody in a gorilla suit. At one point these two seem to be holding hands. This raises all kinds of questions, but don't worry; this has nothing to do with the plot.
> 
> After some more stock footage (with an orangutan, far from home, called a gorilla by the characters), we run into another Great White Hunter, passed out cold. This is our nominal hero, Trent.
> 
> Trent wakes up and we go into a long and pointless flashback, clearly making use of some other jungle movie footage, probably from a silent film. Long story as short as possible, young Trent (in overalls), a young "native" boy (also in overalls), and a young woman (in, you guessed it, an animal skin bikini) are in a hut. A big snake and a leopard try to get in. They survive, young Trent's drunken father comes back to the hut. The woman is never really explained, but later young Trent sees a woman in what seems to be a modern one piece bathing suit (although I suppose it's trying to be an animal skin thing) standing on a cliff singing. This is our first White Siren of Africa, also known as an "ulama." (The singing here is actually pretty nice, reminding me a bit of Marni Nixon's eerie wailing in *Dementia* AKA *Daughter of Horror*.)
> 
> Trent informs us that he went to the USA, then came back years later and encountered the ulamas again. One of the ones we see here looks a lot like Betty Page, right down to the leopard skin bikini.
> 
> Well, after this weird double flashback stuff, using up a lot of our sixty-one minute running time, things go pretty much as you might expect. The three guys go after the White Sirens, they get captured, the Queen speaks a little broken English (in a hilarious accent which makes her sound more like Countess Dracula than a cavewoman), the ulamas capture the men, do some ritual dancing (I swear some of these actresses must be burlesque strippers from the moves they make), and reveal that weak men are sacrificed to the Fire God, while strong men are captured to become husbands. Our three heroes don't seem eager to meet either fate.
> 
> One thing I can say for this flick: The Wild Women are depicted as really tough fighters, whether having a catfight over a slab of meat or fighting the men one-on-one. The film reaches its conclusion after some Komedy (the guys are brought some watermelon, wonder if it's been poisoned, eat it anyway, and then one guy scolds the other for spitting out seeds) a brief struggle for power between the Queen and some rebels who want the men for themselves), and a happy ending (which winds up with the three men and one ulama walking off hand-in-hand.)
> 
> Not quite as goofy as *Wild Women of Wongo*, and much, much cheaper than any of the other "primitive women" flicks I've seen, this feminist classic is silly enough to be worth putting up with many, many dull stretches of stock footage.




I'm sold!  Thank you again, Victoria.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Blind Side* (2009)

Tremendous movie about the true life tale of a young man who becomes a Football Star. I loved this beautiful and dramatic film. I highly recommend this movie, even if you don't watch football. Photos of the real player are shown at the end of the film.

*Cthulhu* (2007)

Not bad. A little slow and very creepy, but not bad. Worth another look.

*Dead 2* (2013)

Excellent, and bigger budgeted sequel that doesn't disappoint "Zombie Fans". Shocking and fantastic.

*Gates of Hell* (1980 - a.k.a. *City of the Living Dead*)

Poorly directed zombie rising flick. I finally got a chance to see this hard to find (and waste of time) film. Boring, and at times gory.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *Cthulhu* (2007)
> 
> Not bad. A little slow and very creepy, but not bad. Worth another look.
> 
> 
> *Gates of Hell* (1980 - a.k.a. *City of the Living Dead*)
> 
> Poorly directed zombie rising flick. I finally got a chance to see this hard to find (and waste of time) film. Boring, and at times gory.


 I agree on both counts.


----------



## Dan Jones

Saw Guardians of the Galaxy on the flight back from Canada today - I must admit, I didn't expect a great deal and didn't know the characters (not a Marvel fanboy really) so was really, very pleasantly surprised at what a clever, action-packed little film it is. Good old Groot.

Although Marvel should stop casting people called Chris as their lead actors. It's getting confusing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ursus in the Land of Fire* (1963)

Directed by Giorgio Simonelli; written by Luciano Martino, Marcello Ciorciolini, and Ernesto Gastaldi.

Fantasy fiction can be divided into many different subgenres.  One of the most basic of these distinctions is the division between high fantasy and low fantasy.  (These terms are perhaps unfortunate, as they tend to imply that one form of fantasy is superior to the other, which is certainly not the case.)  A tale which takes place in a completely imaginary world, with a great deal of supernatural content, can be thought of as high fantasy.  A classic example is _The Lord of the Rings_.  A story which takes place in the real world, with a single fantasy element, can be thought of as low fantasy.  Much horror and dark fantasy set in the author’s contemporary times, from _Dracula_ to “urban fantasy,” can be thought of as low fantasy, as well as many whimsical fantasy comedies, from the novels of Thorne Smith to television sitcoms.

The sword-and-sandal genre seems to appeal to fantasy fans, with its tales of mighty warriors triumphing over evil, often in the form of supernatural monsters.  The degree to which these films include fantastic elements varies widely.  *Hercules in the Haunted World* (1961), which features a journey into Hades, would certainly qualify as high fantasy, with its many supernatural elements and unearthly setting.  On the other hand, *The Giant of Marathon* (1959), with its lack of fantastic content and specific historical setting, would best be considered as historical fiction (with an emphasis on “fiction.”)

Many other films in this genre fall somewhere between these two extremes, or into completely different categories.  *The Giant of Metropolis* (1961), despite its ancient setting, is best thought of as science fiction, with its technological/pseudo-scientific elements.  Many other films feature a setting which does not seem to be any real place in history, but little or no overt fantastic content.  Such movies might be considered low fantasy.  One such film is *Ursus in the Land of Fire* (1963).

We begin with a woman riding a horse through a barren land.  A snake attacks her horse, causing it to run wild.  The woman eventually falls off her steed into a large lake, which seems out of place in this desert wasteland.  We’ll find out later that this lake is the only fresh water available in the area.  Out of the lake comes our hero Ursus, who rescues the woman and returns her to dry land.

Since no good deed goes unpunished, Ursus must face the wrath of those who came along with the woman, but who apparently made only a halfhearted effort to rescue her.  Since things are already getting complicated at this point, it might be a good idea to stand back and figure out who is who.

The woman rescued by Ursus is Diana, the daughter of the elderly king of this unnamed land of fire.  The only other woman present is Mila, the niece of the king.  At her side is Hamilcar, the king’s general, and a bunch of soldiers.  (Notice the varied types of names, indicating that we are in no part of the world that ever existed.)

It seems the punishment for crossing across the lake into the land of fire is death.  Mila announces that she would rather keep Ursus as a slave.  Ursus, no diplomat, makes a remark that this is how she obtains her lovers.  This raises the wrath of Hamilcar, and his soliders fire their arrows at Ursus.  He leaps into the lake and swims away, through one of two caves on the other side of the water, into his own land.  (It might be noted here that the landscape where this was filmed is remarkable.  The huge lake with its twin caves, in the middle of a rocky desert, is quite scenic.  We also see, in passing, one of the large carved faces, its mouth wide open and full of fangs, which seems to be a symbol of the land of fire.  This scary visage even serves as the throne for the king.)

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that Hamilcar is scheming to take control.  He convinces Diana that Ursus is the bad guy intending to invade their land (apparently Diana has a touch of amnesia after her traumatic experience) and have her pretend to be at the controls of a runaway chariot, so Ursus will come rescue her again so they can trap and kill him.  The plan seems to go well until Hamilcar and his soldiers wander into the forbidden land of the god of fire, a place where smoke comes out of the ground.  No respecters of religion, they kill the priest who warns them off and send five specially trained fighters to deal with Ursus.

At this point the viewer expects a big battle between Ursus and the five warriors.  Don’t worry, that comes later.  Right now, however, the ground trembles and molten lava pours out of a volcano, sending everybody running and apparently trapping Ursus.

The wrath of the fire god seems to be the only fantasy element in this movie.  One could chalk it up to coincidence, but something similar happens later in the film.  This aspect of the story, along with the mythical setting, lead me to believe that *Ursus in the Land of Fire* qualifies as low fantasy.

In any case, with Ursus apparently out of the way, Hamilcar’s plans to win the throne continue.  The movie takes on the tone of a violent Shakespearean tragedy.  In particular, Mila, who is working with Hamilcar against the king and Diana, reminds the viewer of Lady MacBeth.

Our story has barely started by the time Hamilcar becomes king, with Mila as his queen, and launches an attack on the peaceful, helpless inhabitants of the land of Ursus in order to control the lake, giving him power over all the desert lands.  Fearing for her life, with good reason, Diana flees, only to confront the understandably suspicious Ursus, who thinks she was part of the plot to trap him.  (You’re not really surprised to find out that he survived the fire god’s wrath, are you?)

Will Ursus and Diana learn to trust each other?  Will Ursus seek revenge for the slaughter and enslavement of his people?  Will the good triumph and the evil perish?

Nothing that happens in *Ursus in the Land of Fire* is particularly surprising.  Expect mighty feats of strength, expect more palace intrigue, expect Ursus to be captured and escape to wreak havoc.  Despite the fact that the copy of this film I watched on archive.org was pretty bad, with the sides cut off, poor sound, and faded colors, I found it entertaining.  The landscapes are impressive, the costumes and sets are nice, and the action never stops.  It’s an enjoyable way to kill and hour and a half.  (On the big screen, with a new print, this must have been a fun afternoon at a Saturday matinee.)


----------



## willwallace

No Such Thing  2001

A reptilian creature who apparently is as old as the earth wants to die,  but can't.  He's pretty mad at the world and kills people indiscriminately.  Then he meets a girl who agrees to help him find  a scientist who can kill him with some device,  if he doesn't kill anyone.  Helen Mirren is a horrible boss of a media outfit whose only goal is to exploit the monster.  Very odd but entertaining flick.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fear in the Night* (1947)

Low budget suspense flick based on a story by Cornell Woolrich, later filmed by the same director with a bigger budget under the title *Nightmare*. DeForest Kelley, in his first feature film role, stars as a guy who wakes up from a nightmare about killing a man in a weird octagonal room full of mirrors. When he wakes up, he finds evidence that he's been in a struggle, and has a key from the room in his dream. Things get stranger when, on a picnic with his girlfriend, his sister, and his brother-in-law (a police officer), the four seek shelter from a sudden storm and he leads them to the house in his dream, where a murder really did take place. Kelley does a good job conveying the desperation of the poor guy. Much of the film is very talky (including Kelley's voiceover narration), but there are also some visually interesting scenes during the nightmare sequences.

SPOILER ALERT:



Spoiler



The rational explanation for all this involves hypnosis, which in this case is so powerful that it might as well be black magic.


----------



## svalbard

I recently watched two movies that I would class as quite good and would have no hesitation in recommending.

Aftermath is set in the near future after a nuclear holocaust. I found this movie fairly moving and the end sequences are brilliantly done.

The Only Lovers Left Alive is a brilliant take on the vampire genre. One of the best movies I have seen all year.


----------



## Foxbat

*Altered States *(1980) It seems that this film is a little like Marmite - you either love it or hate it. It's one that I return to every few years and still enjoy.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Hancock last night. It wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. Pretty sad in the end. 

Lockout was also on TV. A fun film, but silly.


----------



## Vince W

Watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture for the first time in a long while. I seem to be enjoying it more as I get older.


----------



## Droflet

The Babadook (2014).
Well above average spooky little gem. Recommend


----------



## Cat's Cradle

telford said:


> The Babadook (2014).
> Well above average spooky little gem. Recommend



I'm so happy you mentioned this film, telford! I'd never heard of it, but the reviews are really terrific. This goes on the Amazon wishlist; I'm really looking forward to this, thanks again! CC


----------



## Bugg

How to Train Your Dragon 2


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Minator* (2006) - low budget reworking of the Theseus myth that just about gets away with it - by derivative, low budget Sci-fi channel Movie standards- stand it next to a proper movie and it would look pretty shoddy. _ Minator _was a little more ambitious in the atmosphere department than most modern monster by numbers films and did have some serious eye candy moments. The costume department in particular had fun trying to recreate the lavish decadence of Eiko Ishioka on a budget that stretched to about three pieces of vinyl leatherette per extra. Plotwise it was cobblers in that the Minator (and the whole of the palace above the labyrinth) is destroyed when our hero sets alight a plume from a natural gas vent. Gas which, in addition to being perfectly breathable for most of the time, has the curious effect of turning innocent virgin Irish women into lipstick lesbians. Another Rutger Hauer movie off the list.
*Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft *(2013) - Hoooo boy! A knockbuster feeding frenzy! Of the four! (at least) films made in 2013 reworking (or at least using the names of) the Grimm Brothers' story, this HAS to be the worst. I haven't seen any of the others (Hansel and Gretel, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Hansel & Gretel Get Baked) but I can state this as a fact. An amazingly pants film which featured an endless reuse of establishing shots of places that appear to have nothing to do with the story. (At the start they are used so ineptly that our heroes appear to be expelled from the new school they are then sent to.  They used the same establish shot to establish two completely different places - which is clever.) By the end, after watching the same half dozen shots of 'somewhere' endlessly reused, I got to recognising the extras. The star extra was the girl in the pink trousers and knapsack who can be seen aimlessly wandering around in shot after shot after shot. Even those scenes which are supposedly taking place days after her initial sighting she's got the same clothes on and is diligently striding about getting nowhere. Nameless girl in pink pants, I salute you; you stole the movie. (Not that I suspect it takes much to steal a movie from Fivel and Booboo Stewart. Eric Roberts didn't even try. I suspect he was too busy laughing at the script and where the director was placing the camera to keep a straight face for most of the time.)


----------



## J-Sun

*Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* (1998) - Johnny Depp, Hunter S. Thompson. What's not to like? Well, Benicio del Torres and the fact that it sucks. A wandering, repulsive, unenjoyably mean-spirited mess. A few funny lines and some neat visuals but that's about it. This is the second and last viewing for me - just making sure my first impressions remained unchanged and that this was another VHS to get rid of.

The irony is that Bill Murray (and Peter Boyle!) in _Where the Buffalo Roam_ (1980)  paints a much broader story of Thompson and is probably a worse film in most every way and is definitely more of a "wandering mess" but it's so much more enjoyable (Luuuushy in the skyyyy with diamonz!) and gets much closer to the pros and cons and ups and downs of Thompson and his America. Or maybe not, but I'd just rather watch it or read Thompson than watch this film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Amazing Mr. X* AKA *The Spiritualist* (1948)

Turhan Bey has what must be the finest role of his career in this nifty little thriller about a psychic. I hesitate to say anything about the plot at all. The less you know about this movie before you see it, the better. Suffice to say that Alexis, the role played by Bey, is a part worthy of Vincent Price. There are major plot twists that occur quite a bit before the film is over. Since this movie is about a psychic, it's not giving anything away to say that there's a seance. I will say that the mechanics of this particular seance are fascinating. There's some lovely film noir photography, particularly of a wild seashore in moonlight, and excellent use of piano music.

I saw this on archive.org, as I do most films nowadays, and I must warn you that almost all copies of this thing have really bad sound; so much so that the dialogue was lost to me. If you decide to watch it, look for the version shown by "Weirdness Bad Movie" (a misnomer here, since this movie is pretty good.) They run little skits and such at the "commercial breaks," but you can ignore that. Their version had the best sound by far, and this movie has some interesting and important dialogue.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Guardians Of The Galaxy *last night. I enjoyed it


----------



## Starbeast

Foxbat said:


> Watched *Guardians Of The Galaxy *last night. I enjoyed it


 
I can't wait to see this movie! BTW, I became a zombie after watching _City of the Living Dead_.


*Thor 2: The Dark World *(2013)

I just watched this yesterday, and I really enjoyed this sequel. A great story, jam packed with action and special effects. I was highly entertained. And near the end of the credits, my jaw dropped with a surprise!  Then my mind raced.  I hope it's what I'm thinking will happen in the future! 

*Doc of the Dead* (2014)

A treat for Zombie fans.  A fun documentary about the rise of Zombies in movies, tv shows and more!

*Camel Spiders* (2011)

After the first half hour, I was completely uninterested, and changed the channel. A huge waste of time.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Bugg said:


> How to Train Your Dragon 2



Oh I love that movie! Better than the first one!

I recently went to see *Mockingjay, Part 1*. Definitely better than *Catching Fire* (which was already one of the best movie adaptations of a YA book out there).


----------



## Starbeast

*The Raid 2: Berandal* (2014)

Incredibly awesome and fantastic action sequel. If you enjoyed the first film, THIS IS A MUST SEE!!! For me, this is one of the best "R" rated action movies I have seen this year!

*This Is The End* (2013)

This did not appeal to me at all. I couldn't even stand watching more than ten minutes! I really can not stand these rude-crude movies with obnoxious know-it-all characters. This one gets Ten  out of ten.

I promised myself long ago to give a movie 30 minutes to be worthy watching until the end. But this one turned me away quickly.


----------



## Droflet

Agreed, Beasty.


----------



## Rodders

A little late, but I watched The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Wolverine last night. 

They were entertaining enough.


----------



## Harpo

Last night I watched The Expendables and the first half of Watchmen (it was very late and I was nodding off so I went to bed)


----------



## Foxbat

*The Brides Of Dracula *(1960) Dracula is dead but his disciples live on in this Hammer film. Not bad.


----------



## SciFine

Oh my gosh. . . Hotel Transylvania. On Netflix. Big fan of the Directer and the voice cast.


----------



## SciFine

Harpo said:


> Last night I watched The Expendables and the first half of Watchmen (it was very late and I was nodding off so I went to bed)



I love *The Expendables.*


----------



## Harpo

I'd never seen it.  Expendables 2 is on tonight.


----------



## JunkMonkey

A whole month's worth.  

*Manborg* (2011) - a deliberately bad film (zero budget, lo-def, lots of blue screen and retroesque stop-motion) that has its moments but wasn't bad enough to be good - or was too good to be good - or I didn't get enough of the references to understand just how good it was at being bad... or something. It _was_ short. And I almost laughed once but shan't be running out to look up any more of the makers' work.
*Vixen *- Russ Meyer. There were breasts. And I finally nail down the source of a sampled line from a bit of mashup I've had on my MP3 player for a few years.

*The Legend of Zorro* - Friday Night Choice of Number Two Daughter - which was a lot of fun.
*War of the Robots* - utterly dreadful piece of Italian SF watched with Number One Daughter. Much giggling gave way to snores as we both fell asleep.
*Daredevil* - as bad as I had been lead to believe. Worse than _Catwoman_? Hmmmmm...
*Minator* (2006) - low budget reworking of the Theseus myth that just about gets away with it - by derivative, low budget Sci-fi channel Movie standards- stand it next to a proper movie and it would look pretty shoddy. _ Minator _was a little more ambitious in the atmosphere department than most modern monster by numbers films and did have some serious eye candy moments. The costume department in particular had fun trying to recreate the lavish decadence of Eiko Ishioka on a budget that stretched to about three pieces of vinyl leatherette per extra. Plotwise it was cobblers in that the Minator (and the whole of the palace above the labyrinth) is destroyed when our hero sets alight a plume from a natural gas vent. Gas which, in addition to being perfectly breathable for most of the time has the curious effect of turning innocent virgin Irish women into lipstick lesbians. Another Rutger Hauer movie off the list.
*Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft *(2013) - Hoooo boy! A knockbuster feeding frenzy! Of the four! (at least) films reworking (or at least using the names of) the Grimm Brothers' story made in 2013 this HAS to be the worst. I haven't seen any of the others: Hansel and Gretel, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Hansel & Gretel Get Baked, but I can state this as a fact. An amazingly pants film which featured an endless reuse of establishing shots of places that appear to have nothing to do with the story. (At the start they are used so ineptly that our heroes appear to be expelled from the new school they are then sent to - which is clever.) By the end, after watching the same half dozen shots of somewhere endlessly reused, I got to recognising the extras. The star extra was the girl in the pink trousers and knapsack who can be seen aimlessly wandering around in shot after shot after shot. Even those scenes which are supposedly taking place days after her initial sighting she's got the same clothes on and is diligently striding about getting nowhere. Nameless girl in pink pants, I salute you; you stole the movie. (Not that I suspect it takes much to steal a movie from Fivel and Booboo Stewart. Eric Roberts didn't even try. I suspect he was too busy laughing at the script and where the director was placing the camera to keep a straight face for most of the time.)
*Endgame - Bronx lotta finale (*1983) - "A telepathic mutant recruits a post-World War III TV game-show warrior to lead her band of mutants to safety." Italian Post Apoc crap that starts off as a variation on the '_Tenth Victim_' - segues neatly into another _Escape from New York _clone before becoming another _Mad Max_-alike and ending up in the same quarry that all other Italian _Mad Max_-alike movies of the 80s end up. Yawn.
*How to Train Your Dragon 2 *- okay story but seriously dead good in the eye candy department.
*Itty Bitty Tittie Comittee* (2007) - Girl meets girl; girl loses girl; girl blows up the Washington Monument. Fluffy bit of rad les fem which would have been a lot funnier and daring if it had been made 20 years earlier (I knew women like this back then) but still passable.
Abandoned in November:
*Dragon's Rage* (2012) Elfs and Dwarfs and goblins and other bollocks running around after magic Bloodsteel maggufin stuff - all handily explained in a pre-credit montage which dropped us into the middle of the story. (_Dragon's Rage_ it instantly becomes obvious is a chopped down version of some much longer TV thing) Lots of actors standing around in pointy-ear makeup and floor-length robes are barely able to summon up the energy to deliver clichéd 'Fantasy' arsedribble about 'alignments' and 'crucibles' and 'destiny' while the director whooshes his steadicam around them. I lasted about 16 minutes. In that time I managed to spot what looked like a nice white modern house in the distance on a lakeshore and a spelling mistake in the DVD chapter headings: 'Proficy'!?


I find it hard to believe I only watched 10 films this month.  I only read one book too -  which is unforgivable.  But I did spend a lot of time with my kids.


----------



## Starbeast

telford said:


> Agreed, Beasty.


 
I went beyond the beyond yesterday, Telford. I watched 90% of...

*SPEED 2: Crusie Control* (1997)

I heard this was awful, and thought well, I'll give a chance, only because there is absolutely nothing else to watch. The movie stunk up the room within the first ten minutes, but I kept going only because WILLEM DAFOE played the villain. And the only good thing in the film is Willem Dafoe acting crazy and making sinister faces (which I liked and chuckled at). Now I am absolutely positive I will never watch this hunk of junk again. Veteran comedian TIM CONWAY was wasted in this movie as well.



JunkMonkey said:


> *Daredevil* - as bad as I had been lead to believe. Worse than _Catwoman_? Hmmmmm...


 
Hi JunkMonkey.

Nothing is worse than _Catwoman_, except maybe the _Green Lantern or the Green Hornet, or Superman Returns_.

As for DAREDEVIL, it's one of those movie's where you'll either like it, or dislike it. I really enjoyed it. And I usually hear both sides of the coin from people's opinion of the film. I'm cool with that.


----------



## Bugg

I re-watched *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* last night.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it on previous viewing and enjoyed it just as much all over again.


----------



## Remedy

Bugg said:


> I re-watched *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* last night.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it on previous viewing and enjoyed it just as much all over again.



Yeah, I had a satisfying second viewing of this recently too. Before I watched *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* which I found (contrary to popular opinion) was not quite as good as the first, still great though.

*22 Jump Street - *My girlfriend and I really enjoyed the first one, so I had high expectations of the sequel. This silly feature managed to get quite a few laughs out of us along the way. Requiring very few brain cells, its a good one to have a few beers / glass of wine with. I liked that they made so many jokes at the film's expense. The Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum combo of obese and athletic is spot on.


----------



## Foxbat

*In The Mood For Love *(2000) Wong Kar Wai's tale of friendship and love is a movie I keep coming back to. Wonderful photography, fine acting and great music. If there really is such a thing as poetry in motion, then this is it.


----------



## Bugg

Remedy said:


> Yeah, I had a satisfying second viewing of this recently too. Before I watched *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* which I found (contrary to popular opinion) was not quite as good as the first, still great though.



I saw *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* for the first time last night.  So, so good.  I'd have to watch it again to make up my mind whether I liked it more or less than *Rise*, but my immediate reaction was that I hadn't found a film that thrilling for ages.  That said, before I watch it again I'm planning to dig out my blu-rays of the original movies and re-watch them


----------



## Wo7f

Escape Plan - Schwarzenegger and Stallone still kick butt!


----------



## willwallace

Lilies of the Field, 1963. Sidney Poitier is,  as usual, excellent, this time in the role of Homer Smith. A wandering construction worker, he gets entangled with some German nuns looking to build a chapel. He won an Oscar for Best Actor from this movie, a first for a black actor. The interplay between his character and the head nun are well crafted. The way he is drawn into the project is humorous, as well as a way for him to fulfill a lifelong dream. I would definitely recommend this movie.


----------



## J-Sun

Getting in the holiday spirit with *Die Hard* (1988). Probably my favorite Christmas movie.


----------



## Michael Colton

The last film I watched was the 2012 version of _Total Recall_. I was rather surprised that I liked it, but it was one of those films that I was able to turn off my brain and just enjoy the romp.


----------



## Foxbat

*Vexille *(2007) In 2077 Japan has withdrawn from the UN and gone into self-imposed isolation under the shield of an impenetrable electromagnetic barrier. Vexille is the last survivor of a US special forces team sent in to discover the truth. 

Pretty entertaining anime and well worth a look.


----------



## willwallace

Watched Sunshine last night,  2007 I think.  The sun was dying,  for some  reason that seemed to be a problem,  and a mission (actually 2) try to somehow kick-start it again.  Really wanted to like this film,  but it had too many plot holes,  predictable scenes,  and forgettable characters for me to recommend it.


----------



## César Izurieta

Predestination (2014) is a mind-twisting time travel movie. I loved how the story unfolds and I have watched it 3 times and I bet I'll watch it many more still.

Triangle (2009) is also mind-twisting. A group of people go in a boat trip and after a weird storm they find a large ship, they get inside and everything that happens seams impossible.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*South of Heaven, West of Hell.*  appeared on one of the premium movie channels.  According to the blurb, a run-of-the-mill revenge-themed Oater.

I missed the first twenty minutes, so I may have lost something important in the set-up. It was rather a mystery to me why certain members of the cast of characters seemed to have previously died.  No, no, it's not a zombie flick; but there were disturbing hints about their previous demise.

The rest of the characters were seriously demented.

Billy Bob Thornton was, uncharacteristically resplendent in flowing, shoulder-blade-length golden locks.  But then, his character inexplicably vanished.

Mostly, the motivations of the characters were a mystery.  Many people got brutally murdered, and there were a couple of rapes.

What with the dead guys and the haunted, incomprehensible tone of the flick; it presented a delirious mix as a ******* child of "High Plains Drifter" and "Greaser's Palace."  For which I couldn't help but watch the whole thing.

Apparently, only the dead guys survived.
Except... I thought that Billy Bob was one of the dead guys.  What the hell happened to him?!?


----------



## Foxbat

*Vampire Circus *(1972) So, so Hammer flick with the usual abundance of heaving bosoms waiting to be bitten. Some really nice photography of acrobats in mid air(shot from below) that reminded me of Leni Riefenstahl's fantastic and innovative cuts of diving in _Olympia_.


----------



## Rodders

Apollo 13 was just on TV. I haven't seen this before as I didn't think it was my kind of thing and was pleasantly surprised. A great movie and one I will watch again


----------



## Vince W

Watched *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan*. What a great film. Followed by a personal favourite *Real Genius*.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)

Directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Weber; no writing credit
La chute de la maison Usher (1928)

Directed by Jean Epstein; written by Jean Epstein and Luis Bunuel

Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” seems to have captivated the imagination of artists for close to two centuries.  In addition to at least three operas, some popular songs, and a few television productions, it has served as the inspiration for more than a dozen films.  The best known of these is probably Roger Corman’s House of Usher (1960), with Vincent Price, the first in a series of Poe adaptations.

For such an influential story, the basic plot of Poe’s Gothic tale is very simple, and so familiar that I doubt I will be revealing any spoilers.  The nameless narrator comes to visit Roderick Usher, who suffers from extreme sensitivity of the senses, and his sister Madeline Usher, who suffers from death-like trances.  Madeline seems to die, is buried alive, returns from her crypt, and collapses on her brother, killing both of them.  In seeming sympathy, their house breaks apart and collapses into the tarn surrounding it.

Within this basic framework, Poe provides an oppressive atmosphere of madness, sickness, and decay.  Incorporated into the story is Poe’s poem “The Haunted Palace,” which seems to be a metaphor for mental illness.  Many critics have also detected suggestions of incest (emotional, if not physical) between the Usher siblings.

In 1928 two silent versions of the story were released.  The American film The Fall of the House of Usher is only thirteen minutes long.  It features no dialogue cards.  The style of the film is strictly avant-garde, owing much to modern art movements such as Expressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism.  Sets are distorted, reminiscent of those seen in Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920).  Many scenes feature multiple images, as if one were observing events through a kaleidoscope.  Staircases move as if they were escalators.  A top hat floats in a hallway, like something from a painting by Rene Magritte.  Most striking, when Madeline awakens from her trance, visible words (such as SCREAM) appear on  the screen, their letters disconnected (and sometimes upside down) to convey what a silent movie cannot provide directly.

The French film La Chute de la maison Usher is less abstract.  (Ironic, given the contribution of Luis Bunuel, is the fact that it is the American production which much more closely resembles the seminal surrealist film Un Chien Andalou [1929].)  In many ways it follows the story quite closely.  This is the only adaptation, to my knowledge, which includes the narrator’s reading of a story about a knight and a dragon, the sounds described in the tale relating to those made by Madeline as she escapes her tomb.  Without knowing any French, I could tell that the untranslated title cards were often taken directly from Poe’s words.

In other ways, however, this version of Poe’s story is quite different from the original.  The most important change is the fact that Madeline is Roderick’s wife instead of his sister.  In addition to this, themes from other works by Poe have been added to the story.  In some cases these are small details, almost in-jokes.  The tomb of an ancestor reads “Ligeia,” the title character in another Gothic tale by Poe.  An extended scene depicting the workings of a clock inevitably reminds the viewer of “The Pit and the Pendulum.” 

Much more important than these small touches is the fact that much of the film borrows its plot from Poe’s story “The Oval Portrait.”  This very brief tale, similar to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Birth-Mark,” relates how an artist paints an extraordinarily life-like portrait of his wife, only to have her drop dead with the last brushstroke.  In the film, Roderick is the artist, and Madeline his doomed model.  (Of course, she is not truly dead.)  This subplot provides for the film’s strangest scene.  The actress who plays Madeline also portrays the portrait, once it is completed.  The actress even blinks her eyes while acting as the painting, one of the film’s little touches of surrealism.

La Chute de la maison Usher runs just over an hour.  The pace is very leisurely, particularly during an extended scene of Madeline’s coffin being carried through a field to the crypt.  Many viewers may find it tedious at times.  It is best appreciated for its unusual visual poetry.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Last Days on Mars *(2013)- another in the almost inexhaustible (well, I can think of at least 10) films in which the First Manned Expedition to Mars goes Horribly Wrong. This time a long dormant pathogen turns the crew, one by one, into - go on guess... - that's right, unstoppable killer zombies! (Where do they get these crazy ideas?) Unusually the screenplay was based on a short story by an SF writer: Sidney J Bounds. Even in 1975 the idea must have been tired but the screenplay at least ends very bleakly. No happy ending. A British/Irish co production with Lottery Funding and a couple of Americans shipped in to make it sellable in the States. Looked good, the hardware was well done, and the usual mixed crew getting on each other nerves worked well. But like most films of this type I found the first half - the world building, everyday Joes and Jos doing their job stuff a lot more interesting than the second half's running around getting eaten by numbers stuff.


----------



## Foxbat

*In The Mouth Of Madness *(1994) It's been many years since I'd watched this film and I can't make up my mind how it stacks up against other Carpenter movies  but I found myself still enjoying the experience.


----------



## Starbeast

*Arsenic and Old Lace*  (1944) - Outstanding and outrageous dark comedy that is always a fun treat for me to rewatch. Director Frank Capra, did a marvelous job with all of the amazingly great actors and actresses in this glorious black and white film, which was based on a 1941 broadway play, created by Joesph Kesselring. I'm a huge fan of actors Cary Grant and Peter Lorre, but add them together in a film with Raymond Massey as a disturbed brother who looks like "Boris Karloff" and I'm overwhelmed with entertainment. One of my favorite movies of all time, a true masterpiece.

*North by Northwest* (1959) - I had to rewatch this awesome film, derected by the "master of suspence", Alfred Hitchcock. Fantastic cast and superior faced-paced drama filled with gripping tension abounds in this spectacular movie. Not only great actors Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason star in this classic, but two of my other favorite actors are in this in flick too, Martin Landau (henchman with crazy eyes) and Leo G. Carroll. This is definately a movie to view in widescreen. And lastly, it's fun to spot the director in a cameo, near the beginning of the film.

*An American Werewolf in London* (1981) - Director John Landis (completely under rated) did a marvelous job filming this freaky fun flick, with "oscar winning" ground-breaking special effects (which have been copied for decades) created by the mighty Rick Baker. I still remember being in the theater when this movie came out, I recall screaming, groans at the gore scenes and playful laughter. I haven't seen this movie for quite a while, and it was a real treat seeing it again. As an American myself, I'll always remember when in the U.K., to stay off the moors. But I forgot, and I'm a werewolf.


----------



## willwallace

Theory of Everything.  This story of Steven Hawking adapted from his first wife Jane's book, is beautifully acted, and gives you a real sense of both the struggles and triumphs they faced. Great movie, best I've seen in the theater this year.


----------



## Foxbat

*Invincible*(2001) Werner Herzog's adaptation of the story of Zishe Breitbart, a strongman who becomes a sensation in 1932 Berlin. He reveals himself to be Jewish - thus contradicting the myth Aryan superiority. He also declares himself The New Samson as he tries to convince his people that a future horror he has foreseen is truly coming and that they must be ready to fight against it.

This movie is somewhat rambling in places but utterly fascinating nonetheless. Tim Roth positively oozes malevolence in his role as the sinister conman who tries to ingratiate himself into the rising Nazi party. All this is coupled with a wonderful soundtrack to make this film a moving and thought provoking experience despite its flaws.


----------



## Rodders

Her.

An interesting movies that definitely warrants a second viewing.


----------



## willwallace

47 Ronin was on Hbo last night.  Wasn't as bad  as the reviews led me to think it would be.  Decent movie, but it could have been better without the Supernatural aspects.


----------



## Mouse

*Killing Bono*. I love this film. Seen it loads but it cracks me up every time. I'm not a U2 fan, but the "character" of Neil McCormick is the type of character I absolutely love - love watching, love reading, love writing. The fact that he's played by the ridiculously beautiful Ben Barnes, who not only speaks with an Irish accent in this film, but sings too, is the best bloody cherry ever.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Starbeast said:


> Arsenic and Old Lace





Starbeast said:


> North by Northwest





Starbeast said:


> An American Werewolf in London



Love these films too, Starbeast! A great triple-header!


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## Starbeast

Cat's Cradle said:


> Love these films too, Starbeast! A great triple-header!


 
When there aren't many good movies to watch, I always reach for a classic. Lately, it's been quite often. However, I watched last night........


Gaurdians of the Galaxy (2014)

And myself being a tremendous Marvel fan for decades, *I LOVED IT!!!!* It was an ultimate pleasure to watch the Marvel Universe unfold before me!


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Much Ado About Nothing*, modern-dress version filmed in 12 days at Joss Whedon's house (or, actually, mansion) in Santa Monica.  Anyone who reads the above might well be excused for thinking this would be a slap-dash effort with an air of being thrown together at the last moment.  Remarkably, this is not the case.  There are some moments where the setting and plot of the play as revealed in the dialogue just do _not_ match up at all with what we see.  But the modern concept makes for some fun visuals, and the performances were very, very good -- with a few exceptions (for instance, the guy who was playing Don John sounded like he was channeling Keanu Reeves). It was shot in black-and-white.  Why?  I have no idea, but it worked.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> Gaurdians of the Galaxy (2014)



The curse of The Grauniad strikes again.


----------



## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy

The Babadook, which started well with the depiction of a distraught widow and her troubled little boy, and a creepy children's book, and then became more and more predictable. 

Triangle, a very creepy film about a yachting trip gone wrong. Full of twists, but the real focus of the story is a kind of knot in reality which traps the main character and her friends in a Sisyphean quandary. Has some very effective moments of high strangeness. 

Housebound, a gripping and cheeky horror/suspense/comedy with dotty characters and great pacing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*100 Million BC* (2008) - every I watch a low budget film I try and learn something just in case, one day I ever do bite the bullet and get round to shooting the low budget film that lives in my head.  From _100 Million BC_ I learned that even when shooting guerilla style (and I suspect a lot of this 'film' was set late at night just because the crew could run around back streets in LA, in the small hours of the night without getting caught) I learned that it might be a good idea to have someone watching out for insomniac street people walking about on the other side of the street.
The actors in this POS were often upstaged by locals walking around in the background of a shot, totally unaware that there was a film being made. Seriously destroys the credibility of life or death scenes with a rampaging dinosaur when there is some bloke on the other side of the street just shambling past on his way home from work.

"Run guys!  It's the cops! No, don't pack the camera! just run! - and keep shooting!"


EDIT:  To be fair the actual story idea behind this film isn't that bad.  A US Navy search and rescue team go back in time to rescue an expedition who had been sent back in the 1950s and had been unable to return.  The chief scientist of the program had spent 50 years working on the problem of getting them back (the team included his older brother and his girlfriend - this _is _Hollywood after all).  He accompanies the team on the second expedition as he will need to operate the return equipment.  But for him though it will be one way trip.  There is no way (apparently) that the closing the wormhole devise can be run off a timer, set by remote control or even operated by tugging a piece of string and he'll have to stay to press the button. I mean that is standard Hollywood bullsh** self sacrifice but it wouldn't have taken a lot of script jiggering to have the remote control get busted and thus force someone to stay behind.  The basis for an acceptable film here but the execution.  Dear gods.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Thirst *(2009) - 2.5 hour Korean film about a vampire priest and his nymphomaniac girlfriend.  My first Chan-wook Park film and it's not going to be the last.  I loved it.


----------



## kythe

I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy.  It was a fun, light action movie.  I never read the comics so I didn't go into it with any expectations.  It had a strange blend of modern special effects combined with cheesy 80's movie moments.  Very enjoyable though.


----------



## Dinosaur

The latest Muppets movie.

Possibly the best since Christmas Carol but not really aimed at kids. There are just so many jokes even the oldest didn't get (never hear a modem it seems and God I feel old) I'm not sure what market it is as aimed for.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Eye Creatures* (1965) I hunted this out of my DVD collection and stuck it on because I didn't think I'd seen it before. It turned out I had watched it previously but had erased the trauma from my mind - until now.

If you're ever thinking of watching this movie - don't.....just...don't.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> *The Eye Creatures* (1965) I hunted this out of my DVD collection and stuck it on because I didn't think I'd seen it before. It turned out I had watched it previously but had erased the trauma from my mind - until now.
> 
> If you're ever thinking of watching this movie - don't.....just...don't.



Shouldn't that be *Attack of the the Eye Creatures* (sic)?


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## Foxbat

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Shouldn't that be *Attack of the the Eye Creatures* (sic)?


My version is just The Eye Creatures but a little Googling tells me that it goes under both titles.


----------



## ratsy

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...classic


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## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> If you're ever thinking of watching this movie - don't.....just...don't.



I think you can safely say that of all of Larry Buchanan's films.


----------



## alchemist

*Downfall. *It's taken me ages to watch it and it's just as good as I expected.


----------



## Remedy

Had my second viewing of *Gravity*. It's only when the movie is over, that I remember they never filmed in space. Brilliant film, fantastic score.


----------



## The Ace

*Paddington *(2014).

Mr Brown is more reluctant to accept Paddington than he was in the books, Mr Gruber is still the very nice man who runs an antique shop in Portobello Road, but you get a hint of why someone with such an obviously German name lives in London, Mr Curry is still a pratt, and Nicole Kidman is a gloriously OTT villain - oh, and Mrs Bird is still strong and practical, if rather strange.

The terms, 'Family Film,' and, 'Feel-good,' are bandied around far too often these days, but they describe this gem, from its pathos, to its sidesplitting slapstick humour perfectly, as the innocent Paddington (named after the station where the Browns found him, his original name is pronounceable only in Bear) tries to help and conform, but only succeeds in generating chaos.

Michael Bond came up with a winner all those years ago, delighting generations of readers, and the film knew just where to tweak this, and where to leave it alone, the result took more than 60 years to reach the big screen, and the wait was worth every second.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Man With The Iron Fists* a film set in China that doesn't really know what to do with itself. It has all the standard Wuxia moves but it's a crazy mixed up kid of a movie. Some split-screen editing harks back to the seventies and some of the pre-fight tensions reveals a director that probably wants to be the next Sergio Leone. Russel Crowe pops up to try and give it a bit of thespian gravitas but fails miserably. Still it has good  fight sequences even if they aren't anything ground breaking. The _East meets West_ in this film is about as appetising as chow mein and chips.

Mindlessly entertaining in the '_I just want to lie here, nurse my migraine and not think too much_' kind of way.


----------



## Vince W

*The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies*. I enjoyed it very much. Freeman was great as Bilbo and I hardly noticed the time going by. I will be seeing it again.


----------



## AE35Unit

*XMen-Days of Future Past*
Not the most exciting film in the series, in fact I struggled to stay awake at one point!


----------



## AE35Unit

Remedy said:


> Had my second viewing of *Gravity*. It's only when the movie is over, that I remember they never filmed in space. Brilliant film, fantastic score.


I agree. A lot of people slated it because nothing happens, but this is space guys! And actually a lot does happen. And it looks convincing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

An insanely long review, co-written with a fellow who calls himself H-man:

*Devil Times Five* (1974) AKA *Peopletoys* AKA *Tantrums* AKA *The Horrible House on the Hill*

Directed by Sean MacGregor and David Sheldon

Written by Sandra Lee Blowitz, John Durren, and Dylan Jones

Victoria Silverwolf: The theme of evil children has long been a popular one in horror fiction. Perhaps the classic example is Jerome Bixby's 1953 short story "It's a _Good_ Life," adapted into a memorable episode of _The Twilight Zone_. John Wyndham's 1957 novel _The Midwich Cuckoos_, filmed twice under the title *Village of the Damned*, is another important precursor (H-Man: My personal experience with the evil children sub-genre is limited to the John Carpenter version of this book...for shame). The 1960 movie version may be the source of the familiar image of the evil child with glowing eyes.

Reaching the bestseller list with William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel _The Exorcist_ and its blockbuster movie adaptation, as well as a popular series of films beginning with *The Omen*, the theme seems destined to continue for a long time to come. Of course, not all uses of the theme are entirely successful. The low-budget 1980 movie *The Children*, for example, with its radioactive zombie kids, is more laughable than frightening.

The majority of stories and films dealing with killer children depend on fantastic or science-fictional explanations for the wicked actions of their young characters. A notable exception is William March's 1954 novel _The Bad Seed_, adapted by Maxwell Anderson into a popular play the same year and quickly made into a film. However, the notion that the homicidal little girl inherited her murderous traits from her equally psychopathic grandmother, a biological explanation for evil which is debatable at best, may place even this story within the realm of science fiction.

In *Devil Times Five*, despite the Satanic implications of the title, there is no such speculative explanation for the actions of the children. They are simply presented as emotionally and mentally disturbed. The original title of the movie, *Peopletoys*, suggests the kind of disregard for adults shown by the children. It also sounds to me like the kind of title that might be given to a 1970's made-for-TV thriller. The film's other titles -- *Tantrums*, which suggests a touch of black comedy, and *The Horrible House on the Hill*, a rather ridiculous title which suggests a cheap exploitation film -- reflect various aspects of this film.

As a sidenote, the poster for this movie's reincarnation as *The Horrible House on the Hill* is extraordinary. Take a look.







Besides being a blatant rip-off of the famous "It's only a movie" ad campaign for *The Last House on the Left*, this poster is notable for the fact that there is no character named Wendy, and that the woman in the bathtub is not the character named Susan. I might also note that the film does not feature a lot of blood.

Instead of providing a plot summary, which might give away too much of the story, it might be more appropriate to offer a _dramatis personae_.

The Children (under my own names for them):

The Soldier: A preteen boy who wears fatigues and always speaks in military lingo. (H-Man: I should point out that the kid is black and is also the troupe leader, or at least shares a good bit of that responsibility with the Nun.)

The Nun: A teenage girl who dresses in a habit and who is always addressed as "Sister."

Pretty Boy: A preteen boy, played by future teen heartthrob Leif Garrett, who has gender identity issues.

Fish Girl: The youngest, a little girl who carries around a plush fish doll, which she refers to as "my baby."

Fire Girl: The oldest, a teenage girl who is unusually interested in fire.

As you can see, we have quite a mixture here. It's interesting to note that the girls outnumber the boys.

The Adults (under their names in the credits):

Papa Doc: A rich, arrogant bully, apparently a big shot in the medical field.

Lovely: Papa Doc's young trophy wife, openly slutty around other men. (H-Man observation: The best line comes when the "good" couple, Julie and Rick, are talking about Lovely. Julie asks Rick if has ever taken Lovely to bed. His response: "Of course I have. Hasn't everybody?")

Ralph: Papa Doc's mentally slow handyman (played by one of the writers.)

Julie: Papa Doc's daughter.

Rick: Julie's lover, apparently expecting some kind of employment from Papa Doc.

Harvey: A weak-willed physician whose career seems to depend on Papa Doc's whims. (Played by Sorrell Brooke in a very different role from Boss Hogg.)

Ruth: Harvey's alcoholic wife.

Doctor Brown: Briefly seen, this is apparently the psychiatrist who is transporting the kids from somewhere to somewhere else when their van crashes in the snow.

The basic plot involves the young folks making their way through the snow to the isolated mansion of Papa Doc (H-Man: Does that make this film a precursor to the whole "Spam in a Cabin" horror film that *The Evil Dead* is credited with starting?). Doctor Brown, injured in the wreck, pursues them, saying to himself "They have to be stopped!"

Will anyone survive?

*Devil Times Five* is certain to disappoint grindhouse enthusiasts and gorehounds. There is a little nudity (and it's nice to see mild female nudity balanced with mild male nudity) and some sexual content. 

H-Man: I should point out that the nudity comes mainly courtesy of Carolyn Stellar (whose career was rather less than that), who plays the lovely trophy wife of questionable morals, and who also was the mother of the child actors playing Pretty Boy and Fish Girl. I personally find it a bit odd (but then, perhaps mindsets were quite different in the 1970s, or maybe I'm just a stuffy ol' conservative jerk) that a woman would cast her own children as psychopathic killers in an exploitation horror flick whose standout scenes include her own bare breasts (note: Victoria Silverwolf mentioned that earlier in her part of the review. Said she: "I really have to wonder what the family dynamics were like during the filming of this violent movie where Mom provides the majority of the nudity."). 

Victoria Silverwolf: In a grotesque scene, Lovely tries to seduce poor innocent Ralph, who answers the question "Have you ever had a woman?" with "I had a mother and a sister." There's even a classic catfight scene between Lovely and Julie, as if the directors suddenly remembered they were making an exploitation film. There are killings, of course. Although some of them are fairly intense, there is only a modest amount of blood.

H-Man: I personally call shenanigans on the last murder in terms of blood quantity. I'm pretty sure multiple puncture wounds from steel teeth would leave a lot more blood in its wake than what the film gave us. However, I'll still give it a pass since it was the most sadistic and chilling murder of the entire film.

Victoria Silverwolf: The film is a bit of a mess, apparently because the first director came up with something well under an hour, and the second director had to bring the actors back together to add more footage. The first killing (can you guess who the victim is?) is filmed in slow motion (H-Man: I'm pretty sure the slow motion was added in post, judging from the choppy way it's presented), in black and white, and lasts nearly five minutes. The second killing (you probably won't guess who the victim is) comes along fairly soon afterwards, but all the others take place during the last twenty minutes. Viewers will have to be patient, but the action never lets up during the climax and there's a nifty last scene.

H-Man: Speaking of final scene, we horror fans (well, I'm still something of a novice) often talk about the 1970s being the decade for downer endings in their horror films. This movie is no exception to that rule. However, what really struck me about the nature of the ending is that at no point do the adults ever have anything resembling the upper hand. Even when it becomes obvious after the fourth killing that the children have it in for the adults, they never really fight back. Perhaps it is a commentary about the inability or unwillingness of people domesticated by civilization to descend into savagery and do something some so awful as to harm or kill children. That said, it does make for an interesting exercise in "What would you do in the same situation?" I mean, depending on what the food stock was like, the surviving adults could have easily blocked off all access to the house and starved the kids out of the area, if fighting back was unacceptable. Nonetheless, the killing of a kid, even an evil/psychotic one, could certainly be powerful if pulled off right (I'm not sure the director was talented enough to do so, though).

Victoria Silverwolf: The performances are generally good. Most of the actors are either experienced professionals, or, if children, went on to decent acting careers. (The Soldier went on to be a busy actor and stuntman.) The notable exceptions are Fire Girl, who had no other credits despite doing a good job, and the Nun, who also did no other roles. The latter actress appears to be an albino, adding to her spooky appearance.

I enoyed the ways the characters interacted with each other. The kids often acted like normal kids (when they weren't killing people.) Sometimes they bicker among each other, sometimes they support each other. The adults were generally unpleasant, with the exception of Julie and Rick, a decent if somewhat bland couple, and gentle Ralph, a character clearly inspired by Lenny in _Of Mice and Men_. (He even compares Lovely's hair to rabbit fur.) The relationship between Harvey and Ruth was interesting, combining brittleness and sarcasm with genuine affection underneath it all. 

H-Man: With regards to the interactions, I find it interesting to consider the motives for each of the murders. The first two are more or less committed to protect the children's interests. The next two are to avenge a perceived wrong committed against them, despite the fact that said wrong is nothing that any sane person would evaluate as being worthy of death. But since these kids are clearly disturbed, any offense is punishable by death. The fifth kill is essentially self-defense against the only adult who makes a stand against them. The last three, however, can't be seen as anything more than "Because we can" or "There's really nothing better to do at this point". Kills six and eight, especially, really give us a glimpse into how effed up these kids' psyches are. 

Victoria Silverwolf: Despite its technical flaws, including a pretty poor musical score (with electronic music trying to sound childish and scary at the same time), I enjoyed *Devil Times Five*. There was some sharp dialogue, and some unexpected events. Don't expect a bloodbath, and you may find yourself held in a decent amount of suspense by this modest chiller.

H-Man: I actually think this film could be remade to decent effect. The premise is promising, but the execution is flawed enough to warrant a second attempt.


----------



## alchemist

*Penguins of Madagascar:* The eldest child (11) thought it was okay, and the younger ones liked it. For adults, it was a bit frantic and I felt I'd seen it all before.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mr. Moto's Last Warning* (1939)

The only one of Peter Lorre's eight films as the Japanese secret agent in the public domain. (In the books, he works for the Japanese government; here, he works for the "international police.") I watched it on a whim, thinking it would be a typical B-movie mystery of the period; cheap, slow, and talky. In fact, it's a action-filled spy story with nice production values and a good cast, including George Sanders and John Carradine. The plot involves the bad guys setting mines to blow up a French fleet due to arrive in Port Said, Egypt, in order to start a war with the UK. (Maybe not too outrageous a premise in the confused, tension-filled days before WWII started in Europe.) Lorre seems to have a good time playing the intelligent, resourceful, multi-talented Mr. Moto, who can also whip the bad guys in a fistfight. There's the usual comedy relief character of the time, a silly British writer working on a book about his adventures in the mysterious East, but I found him tolerable. Overall, much more entertaining than I expected.


----------



## Foxbat

*Reign Of Assassins *Michelle Yeoh stars in a movie whose theme appears to be about getting a second chance in life. Drizzle is a master who leaves  the criminal organisation known as Dark Stone but she has something they want and the hunt begins. 

One of the best Wuxia movies I've seen in quite a while and the fight scenes are so well choreographed, it's like watching Ballet. Definitely worth a look if you're into this type of film.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Battle of the Five Armies*


----------



## willwallace

The Interview, just saw it using Google play.  I would have watched this even if it was terrible just to make a statement. However, it turns out to be a pretty funny movie.  James Franco and Seth  Rogan make a good team. I assume everyone knows the plot,  an interview with Kim Jong-Un leading to a CIA plot to assassinate him. Lots of clever one liners, and it's nearly 2 hour length goes by quickly. Definitely low brow,  but well done.


----------



## BAYLOR

willwallace said:


> The Interview, just saw it using Google play.  I would have watched this even if it was terrible just to make a statement. However, it turns out to be a pretty funny movie.  James Franco and Seth  Rogan make a good team. I assume everyone knows the plot,  an interview with Kim Jong-Un leading to a CIA plot to assassinate him. Lots of clever one liners, and it's nearly 2 hour length goes by quickly. Definitely low brow,  but well done.




Sony will likely recoup it's money with a profit.


----------



## alchemist

willwallace said:


> The Interview, just saw it using Google play.  I would have watched this even if it was terrible just to make a statement. However, it turns out to be a pretty funny movie.  James Franco and Seth  Rogan make a good team. I assume everyone knows the plot,  an interview with Kim Jong-Un leading to a CIA plot to assassinate him. Lots of clever one liners, and it's nearly 2 hour length goes by quickly. Definitely low brow,  but well done.



Despite this, I've seen a couple of political commentators slate the film's quality despite not having seen it, which came across as just snobbery. I'm glad to hear it's good; the trailers seemed quite funny.

Now to lower the tone more, *The Inbetweeners 2*. You know what you're going to get with this crew, but they've redefined "toilet humour" for me. I thought the first film had a certain charm which was lacking here. Unless you're a big fan, don't spend money on it.


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## Psicolabis

I have just seen Flash Gordon (1980). It was so bad that i don't know how did Dalton managed to get the Bond rol after that piece of... not-acting. Plus, even being one of Queen's worst works, the music is WAY better than the acting, and the make up, and the special effects, and... the rest of the movie.
Two whole hours that i will never get back.


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## J-Sun

Psicolabis said:


> I have just seen Flash Gordon (1980). It was so bad that i don't know how did Dalton managed to get the Bond rol after that piece of... not-acting. Plus, even being one of Queen's worst works, the music is WAY better than the acting, and the make up, and the special effects, and... the rest of the movie.
> Two whole hours that i will never get back.



It's an amazingly popular movie on this board but I have to say my reaction mirrored yours.

Welcome to the Chrons.


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## Starbeast

*A Merry Friggin' Christmas* (2014) Spoiler Alert

A friend of mine brought this movie over a couple of nights ago. I wouldn't have rented it myself, because the trailer looked weak, but I was cool about it and gave the movie a chance. My instincts were correct, it was another disfunctional family flick, with typical hollow characters that I cared nothing about. I began to think to myself that people from other countries watching these "types" of films must imagine that all Americans are a bunch of idiots and care nothing about each other. And that we're shallow, drunken, fowl-mouthed morons who can't raise children and think they can break any law. In some cases they're right, and when I see these sickening types of characters in movies, I don't laugh, I thnk of the real ones...then I'm in a bad mood.

I expressed this to my friend, he also agreed. The movie was ejected after twenty minutes. I was also disappointed that this so-called comedy, wasted the amazing funny talent, of the late, great actor Robin Williams, using him an grumpy sarcastic man. I saw this movie as a sad drama of de-evolutionized human beings that.........ah forget it. I'm outta here.


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## J-Sun

I just saw this new movie I want to clue you guys in on - it's by some dude named Joss Whedon and it's called *The Avengers*. It's pretty good. You should go check it out. I mean, you won't be as hip as me, since I've already seen it but, still...


----------



## Rodders

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was on TV yesterday. Great timing as i have been meaning to rewatch this for a while.

Still and excellent movie and far, far superior to JJ Abram's sequel.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Foxbat, is that a good or bad thing? Sometimes fights look overdone with choreography.

J-Sun, I just saw Avengers Assemble. Rather liked it.


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## Foxbat

thaddeus6th said:


> Foxbat, is that a good or bad thing? Sometimes fights look overdone with choreography.


 
In my opinion, it really depends on your overall impression of a particular movie.  Films by directors such as Wong Kar Wai, for example, look more like visual poetry to me than anything else and, so, swordplay that may look overdone in one picture fits nicely within another.


----------



## Jo Zebedee

Speaking of overdone fights - seen the Battle of the Five Armies today. Not massively impressed - much fighing, not a lot of substance. Would have been improved by being edited down by a third. In fac, the three films would have been improved by being one. The Smaug scene was good, though, but female emacipation wasn't served at all, nor concise editing, not climaxes building to a final scene before the audience are pleading with the cast to get on with it....


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## thaddeus6th

Climaces? 

Not seen that, but the title did make me think of the Battle of Ipsus (aka the Battle of the Five Kings, although only four were actually there). Someone should make a film about that.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ashes Of Time *(1994) Wong Kar Wai's take on Wuxia tells the tale of a heartbroken hitman who lives in the desert and acts as a go-between for other swordsmen and various contracts. It shines a spotlight on the emotional cost of violence and, like other films by the same director, love, secrets and regret all play their part. 

The sword fights are more visceral than anything filmed by Zhang Yimou or Ang Lee (for example) and the overall story can be a bit confusing at times but the photography is wonderful if a touch on the grainy side (it seems to have been shot through coloured filters in an attempt to accentuate the burning heat of the desert sun).


----------



## F.J. Hansen

*Midnight Cowboy*

Finally got around to seeing it. I've been working my way up through the decades and finally got to this movie. With this movie and a few others made in the late '60s, I could definitely see the change in movie-making.


----------



## horrorfan2647

The Poughkeepsie tapes... disturbing and original.. to say i enjoyed it id feel a bit like a pig, but i did!


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just watched *The Hundred Foot Journey*. It's thoroughly entertaining and I love the food theme. Helen Mirren and Om Puri were both very good (as it normal for actors of their calibre).


----------



## Rodders

John Carter was on last night. Hugely entertaining and a real shame that it was a flop.


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## thaddeus6th

The title can't have helped. It's blander than a beige Volvo.


----------



## Vince W

*The Imitation Game.* Typical film biopic of a man too few people really know anything about. Interesting, but the details of the film are highly suspect.


----------



## willwallace

Saw Battle of the Five Armies yesterday.  Definitely the worst of the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies by far. As springs notes in his post, the Smaug scene is good.  There's a few other decent scenes here and there, but it's pretty much fighting, with very little else going on to get you interested in the movie.  Basically you watch to see who gets killed(if you  don't already know).


----------



## Droflet

Just saw a little indi film called Just Before I go (2014). Intriguing, charming, a little scary. Totally recommended.


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## JunkMonkey

*Elf *- our annual family watching of one of the better Hollywood Christmas movies of the last couple of decades.
*TNT Jackson* (1974) - limp piece of Filipino kung-fu blaxploitation in which everyone in it looked as bored as I was watching it. It was short.  

*Hudson Hawk *(1991) - another of those much reviled films knocked off the list. Derided as a giant turkey, and total waste of time and money at the time, _Hudson Hawk_ turns out not to be as terrible as I was led to believe. When it was released most people were expecting Bruce Willis in another _Die Hard-_like action film and instead got a long, not as as funny as it thinks it is, homage to the  'Road To' movies. The audience didn't 'get it'. I 'got it' but just thought it was all a bit meh rather than awful. Next on the list: _Ishtar_!


----------



## HareBrain

Watched *John Carter* last night and (perhaps because of low expectations) was pleasantly surprised. Certainly more interesting and visually imaginative than the polished but by-the-numbers *Avengers Assemble* I watched before it.


----------



## Chris Guillory

*American Beauty *last evening with my wife. It didn't make much sense to me at 21. Watching it now at 36...it makes more sense.


----------



## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> *Hudson Hawk *(1991) - another of those much reviled films knocked off the list. Derided as a giant turkey, and total waste of time and money at the time, _Hudson Hawk_ turns out not to be as terrible as I was led to believe. When it was released most people were expecting Bruce Willis in another _Die Hard-_like action film and instead got a long, not as as funny as it thinks it is, homage to the  'Road To' movies. The audience didn't 'get it'. I 'got it' but just thought it was all a bit meh rather than awful. Next on the list: _Ishtar_!



I'm rather fond of Hudson Hawk. A lot of tongue in cheek moments and rather whimsical really. It wasn't well received because people were expecting another Die Hard, I think.


----------



## oorang

The last sci fi movie I saw was Under the Skin.  Kind of meh.  IMO, it presents itself as a heavy, deep, movie that will really make you think, but then it doesn't really give you much substance to actually think about.


----------



## oorang

willwallace said:


> Saw Battle of the Five Armies yesterday.  Definitely the worst of the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies by far. As springs notes in his post, the Smaug scene is good.  There's a few other decent scenes here and there, but it's pretty much fighting, with very little else going on to get you interested in the movie.  Basically you watch to see who gets killed(if you  don't already know).



Yeah, agreed.  I saw it in 3D IMAX.  Even the worst movie is still pretty entertaining in 3D IMAX.  But even with all that, I still walked out grumbling about it.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

Mulan,  Disney version. Never grows old


----------



## Droflet

Stonehurst Asylum (2014). From the Edgar Allan Poe novel. Pretty damn good.


----------



## Rodders

After The Dark. 

A philosophy teacher sets his class a mind task. There is a nuclear wars and a bunker will only hold ten of the twenty in the class. The students have to pick who survives and goes into the bunker and who dies all based on who has the best skills for the future. 

It was very interesting and only £5 on Amazon.


----------



## JunkMonkey

telford said:


> Stonehurst Asylum (2014). From the Edgar Allan Poe novel. Pretty damn good.



Can't have been from a novel.  Poe only finished one novel_, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. _The film is based on a short story,_"The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether",_ which runs to 12 pages in my edition of the collected works.  Still looks interesting though and thanks for bringing it to my attention.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Night at the Museum 3 .   * Loved it .


----------



## Foxbat

Got away from work early yesterday so decided to spend the time watching The Omen Trilogy whilst consuming a large Cognac (or two).


----------



## Rodders

Super, which I thought was quite good. 

Robocop. (The remake) not as bad as I was expecting but nowhere near as good as the original. I doubt I'd watch it again.


----------



## dekket

I took my son to see The Hobbit - Battle of Five Armies, the day before yesterday.  He enjoyed it, but got sad every time someone he liked was killed or injured.  I found myself thinking that I would have preferred seeing the battle as described in the book up on the screen, rather than what we ended up seeing detailed.


----------



## Rodders

The Battery. 

A zombie movie that's a little different. Two guys trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. One is enjoying the lawlessness of it all, the other misses the comforts of the old life. A great movie with a good use of sound track.


----------



## F.J. Hansen

*Journey to the Far Side of the Sun*

aka *Doppelganger*

Gerry Anderson's first production using live actors, but I spotted a few things that were influenced by his supermarionation series. The ship's service module looked like Fireball Jr. The landing craft looked like Thunderbird 2. And, the design of the NASA aircraft near the beginning... I think I saw something like it in *Thunderbirds* or *Stingray*.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie as much as I enjoyed the supermarionation shows I watched this past year. Even if the ending was rather depressing.


I also just finished watching *Copacabana* with Groucho Marx.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers* (1946) a convoluted and fascinating piece of noir which is the movie debut of Kirk Douglas. Also starring Barbara Stanwyck as the classic femme fatale and Van Heflin alongside the woman that should have been a star but never was - Lizabeth Scott.


----------



## J-Sun

After just over a year, I finally completed my Preston Sturges (Universal years) festival yesterday with _The Great Moment_ and _Hail the Conquering Hero_. _*The Great Moment*_ is unpromising in a number of ways: it's about a dentist who claims to have discovered ether as an anesthetic in the 1840s; it's historically highly questionable; it's treated as a drama (albeit with a somewhat less than great moment or two of Sturges comedy); the studio freaked out over it, cut it badly without Sturges' involvement, delayed its release until 1944 (filmed 1942) and marketed it as a standard comedy - so it naturally flopped;  and it starts so badly I nearly turned it off 11 minutes in. It's initially told in reverse order flashbacks with completely inauthentic tearjerking about the tragedy of his later life before moving on to the main story of the "pain free" dentistry (and, ultimately surgery). Speaking of great moments, it's a kind of miracle that I actually got interested in that part of the story. The semi-scientific endeavors of the non-scientist protagonist, the good dramatization of how several people can be near a scientific discovery or involved in it and legitimately or at least plausibly have some sort of claim, how the money factor and mistrust of motives plays in, how it can consume one and warp lives, how we mostly benefit anyhow, somehow - all these components made for some interest. And then it ends in a kind of simple, improbable way that's not entirely satisfying either. So not recommended but not without some merit.

_*Hail the Conquering Hero*_ (1944, filmed after but released before _The Great Moment_), on the other hand, is a standard Sturges comedy and a very good one. Eddie Bracken (from _The Miracle of Morgan's Creek_) plays Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith, a guy ashamed to go home after washing out of the Marines due to hayfever (his father, who was killed in WWI the day he was born, was a great Marine hero). He notices a half-dozen broke Marines in a restaurant/bar and buys them food and drink, so they come over to say thanks and end up getting the story out of him. One of the Marines is an orphan and doesn't like Truesmith keeping his mom worried, so finagles Truesmith's hometown out of him and calls her to tell her her son's home, to Truesmith's horror. Sturges' favorite actor, William Demarest, plays the Sergeant who intervenes to brush up the story a little, making Truesmith an honorably discharged hero returning from Guadalcanal (like they are). What could go wrong? Just a little fib and they'll sneak him into town from the train and everything will be fine. And the whole audience knows a great parade and much madcap misunderstanding (including some of the townsfolk running him for Mayor) will follow. Bracken is a good sap, Ella Raines is strikingly beautiful, Demarest has one of his better roles and performances, almost all of Sturges' stock company is in this and does well.

The thing I find fascinating about Sturges, on full display here, is how conventional _and_ subversive he is. This is all about mom and apple pie and heroic veterans at the same time that it's undercutting all of it and making an especial mockery of home front politicians. It's possible Sturges means to be throwing a sarcastic bone to the censors while being genuinely subversive but I don't think so. I think he fundamentally respects some of the mom-and-apple-pie things but is trying to undercut our seriousness and self-righteousness about them - the kind of thing that leads to religious "enthusiasm" in the Lockean sense that makes the world darker and gets people hating each other over their differences. Sturges seems to like the mildly untraditional as well as the good-natured traditionalists.

Anyway: my favorite remains _The Palm Beach Story_ (1942) which has the craziest characters, the snappiest dialogue, and Claudette Colbert. _Christmas in July_ (1940), _Sullivan's Travels_ (1941) - despite an almost disastrously uneven tone, _The Miracle of Morgan's Creek_ (1944) - I think generally regarded as his best, and _Hail the Conquering Hero_ (1944) are all superb. _The Great McGinty_ (1940) and _The Lady Eve_ (1941) - the one with the most generally famous actors in Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck and (perhaps therefore) regarded as maybe his second best, are nothing to sneeze at. And, as I say, even _The Great Moment_ (1944) has, well, it's moments.


----------



## willwallace

*Ichi The Killer*(2001).  Holy moley, what a mess this movie is.  Started out interestingly enough, but about halfway through it just gets totally ridiculous.  A story about Yakuza, it's just too much with over the top violence.  Forced myself to watch it to the end, and am regretful for doing so.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Nice analysis of a great director.

Maybe you will give us some thoughts on the post-Universal years.  Certainly, *Unfaithfully Yours* is amazing in how he got away with such sexy, violent material in a frothy comedy, and it was nice to see Harold Lloyd make a comeback in *Mad Wednesday* AKA *The Sin of Harold Diddlebock*.


----------



## Mouse

HareBrain said:


> Watched *John Carter* last night and (perhaps because of low expectations) was pleasantly surprised. Certainly more interesting and visually imaginative than the polished but by-the-numbers *Avengers Assemble* I watched before it.



Must've been watching the same channels, HB, cos it's the same for me. Except I'd already seen both previously (have John Carter on DVD - for Taylor Kitsch reasons, and saw Avengers Assemble at the cinema).

I then watched *Snow White and the Huntsman* last night on TV but I saw that when it was on at the cinema too.

Now mum's watching one of the James Bond films. I don't know which one. They're all pretty much exactly the same. I hate them, so I'm listening to some Goran Bregovic instead.


----------



## alchemist

*The Adjustment Bureau* - it was all a bit whimsical for me, although the leads were convincing. But the lack of real tension meant I never truly got into it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

So far this year:


*Aliens *(1986) - I swithered for a few moments between watching the Special Edition and the Cinema Release - the memories of watching Cameron's Director's cut of _The Abyss_ still hurt - but came down on the longer version. Glad I did. Felt like a good solid piece of work that didn't outstay its welcome - which the longer cut of _The Abyss_ did in spades.
*The Lego Movie* (2014) - fun Friday night with the kids choice of Number One Son who has been singing 'Everything is Awesome' for months now since he saw it in the cinema. I can see why. I loved it - a wee bit treacly at the end but forgivable. The second film in a row to feature our hero saving the day in the last reel wearing a yellow exoskeleton. Basically it's _The Matrix_ in Lego - but funnier and it makes more sense.
*William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet *(1996) - long promised watch with Number One Daughter. I cried. She didn't.


----------



## Lenny

JunkMonkey said:


> *Aliens *(1986)



That was my afternoon! Also chose the Special Edition - I could have sworn I'd seen an extended version before, and I've definitely seen the cinematic release a good few times, but the SE felt like an entirely new film. Brilliant!


----------



## willwallace

Saw The Imitation Game today.  Technically it's a 2014 movie,  and it definitely is one of the  best movies I've seen over the last year.  Benedict Cumberthatch is just outstanding as the lead Alan Turing.  Keira Knightley is also very good as Joan Clarke,  his lead associate in the effort to crack the Enigma,  Germany's coding machine.  Lots of excellent supporting actors, and what I felt is a strong script,  really kept me in the movie beginning to end. So sad what happened to Alan,  and he still doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Overall an great movie,  I believe.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Haunting Of Julia* (aka Full Circle) It's taken me years to track down a copy of this film and I finally found one in France. It's a pretty decent supernatural story starring Mia Farrow that relies more on mood rather than straightforward shock tactics. My kind of movie.


----------



## AsmaMohd

Prom Night, it is one of the worst unnecessary remake i seen in my life.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Clairvoyant* AKA *The Evil Mind* (1934)

Intriguing little British supernatural drama with Claude Rains as a music hall mind reader who suddenly gains the real power to see into the future. (One of the film's nice little twists is that this ability only works when a certain "catalyst," so to speak, is present; the identity of which is not revealed until three-quarters of the way through the movie.) The movie combines its ESP plot with the Eternal Triangle and a courtroom drama. Besides the interesting theme (can the psychic be held responsible for the events he predicts?) the film is also an interesting portrait of the UK in the 1930's. From music hall to railway, from a luxurious hotel to a coal mine, it all held my interest.


----------



## AsmaMohd

*Interstellar*, Wow! This is definitely a very epic movie. This movie is just perfect, I couldnt find anything that's bad about it. The story line 100% authentic and fascinating, the actors, the scenes, the sound are epic. After almost 3 hours I felt like I could watch another 3 hours, I felt so exciting the whole length of the movie and had to watch it another five times. Just cant get enough of this master piece!

Watch out the trailer here: _http://clip.mn/tag/MjNhZDY5YzI_


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sisters of Death* (filmed 1972; released 1976)

Directed by Joe Mazzuca; written by Peter Arnold and Elwyn Richards.


Playmate of the Year/B-movie favorite/tragic car accident victim just short of her 30th birthday Claudia Jennings stars in this rather old-fashioned mystery/thriller. The opening sequence shows us six young women in filmy gowns and veils participating in some kind of initiation ritual (sorority?) for a group known as "the Sisters." Jennings and one other woman are the initiates, three women are watching, and one seems to be the leader. The ritual involves testing the courage of the new members by firing a gun at each one. It's supposed to have blanks, of course. The one fired at Jennings is harmless, but the other woman is shot to death in what seems to be a horrible accident. (Or was it murder?)

Cut to seven years later. Jennings is now a supermodel; enough of a celebrity that the fact that she's dating a politician's son winds up on the front page of a newspaper. She gets an envelope in the mail containing five hundred dollars in cash and an invitation to a reunion of the Sisters. (Besides a supermodel, we have a prostitute, a country girl, a melancholy flower child, and a funny one.) They all wind up at a hotel in a desert city, where two guys drive them to an isolated mansion. The place seems to be deserted, but there's a big sign welcoming them and drinks by the pool. The two guys, who were paid five hundred bucks each to drive them there, and then were supposed to disappear, decide to stay for the party. They climb the deactivated electrical fence surrounding the place. Their unseen host soon switches it on, trapping them inside. He turns out to be the father of the woman killed during the ritual, and he has plans for them.

*Sisters of Death* is very tame for a 1970's semi-horror film, and resembles a made-for-television movie of the time. There is no nudity, although the women are often very scantily clad. The violence isn't very bloody. There is one mild cuss word. 

The acting isn't particularly good, and there are a lot of scary movie cliches. Often the characters do stupid things, like going off on their own when they know there's a killer after them. And yet I enjoyed it well enough. In particular, the last ten minutes or so is quite effective, and the movie ends with (by my count) no less than four major plot twists, the last one coming just seconds before the end titles.

In this case, Sisterhood is moderately powerful.


----------



## AsmaMohd

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Sisters of Death* (filmed 1972; released 1976)
> 
> Directed by Joe Mazzuca; written by Peter Arnold and Elwyn Richards.
> 
> 
> Playmate of the Year/B-movie favorite/tragic car accident victim just short of her 30th birthday Claudia Jennings stars in this rather old-fashioned mystery/thriller. The opening sequence shows us six young women in filmy gowns and veils participating in some kind of initiation ritual (sorority?) for a group known as "the Sisters." Jennings and one other woman are the initiates, three women are watching, and one seems to be the leader. The ritual involves testing the courage of the new members by firing a gun at each one. It's supposed to have blanks, of course. The one fired at Jennings is harmless, but the other woman is shot to death in what seems to be a horrible accident. (Or was it murder?)
> 
> Cut to seven years later. Jennings is now a supermodel; enough of a celebrity that the fact that she's dating a politician's son winds up on the front page of a newspaper. She gets an envelope in the mail containing five hundred dollars in cash and an invitation to a reunion of the Sisters. (Besides a supermodel, we have a prostitute, a country girl, a melancholy flower child, and a funny one.) They all wind up at a hotel in a desert city, where two guys drive them to an isolated mansion. The place seems to be deserted, but there's a big sign welcoming them and drinks by the pool. The two guys, who were paid five hundred bucks each to drive them there, and then were supposed to disappear, decide to stay for the party. They climb the deactivated electrical fence surrounding the place. Their unseen host soon switches it on, trapping them inside. He turns out to be the father of the woman killed during the ritual, and he has plans for them.
> 
> *Sisters of Death* is very tame for a 1970's semi-horror film, and resembles a made-for-television movie of the time. There is no nudity, although the women are often very scantily clad. The violence isn't very bloody. There is one mild cuss word.
> 
> The acting isn't particularly good, and there are a lot of scary movie cliches. Often the characters do stupid things, like going off on their own when they know there's a killer after them. And yet I enjoyed it well enough. In particular, the last ten minutes or so is quite effective, and the movie ends with (by my count) no less than four major plot twists, the last one coming just seconds before the end titles.
> 
> In this case, Sisterhood is moderately powerful.



Things I have learnt from this movie:

Rattlesnakes sound like those 25 cent air pumps at gas stations.
Light bulbs are more trustworthy than you'd think.
Guys named Joe always end up getting toasted somehow.
If you need to dig a hole, try an axe head or a funnel.
Spiders explode real good.
Listen to the hippie.
Gatling gun ammo can be manufactured in the comfort of your own home!


----------



## kythe

I just rewatched Ender's Game, and it is still as good of a book adaptation as it was when it was first released.    This has renewed my interest in reading "Speaker for the Dead", the first sequel to Ender's Game.


----------



## Prescott Fry

Perfect stranger!


----------



## AsmaMohd

Ender's Game, A dumb movie for teens. The movie dragged on and on! Boring and dull, the actors were awful cast as well. Avoid this movie, you have been warned!


----------



## J Riff

_Time Lapse_.  A newish 'SF' flick about a camera that takes pictures of tomorrow. Some silly characters find it and do stupid things. Graphic violence and sex as we learn that the stupid relationship of the girl and her BF is of course far more important and interesting than any old camera that takes pictures of the future. A potentially good idea, but not a good film.


----------



## Rodders

Snowpiercer. It was pretty good, but I wouldn't say that it was one of the best movies of the year. 

I'm going to watch it again as I think I missed some nuances in the ending.


----------



## Mouse

*Shaun of the Dead*. Love this film. Seen it god knows how many times and it still makes me laugh out loud.


----------



## kythe

I just watched Cast Away again for the first time since it came out.  It's a great survival story, I'm still impressed.


----------



## J Riff

*The Mazerunner*.  Well, waking up in a strange place is a fairly common theme in recent years, and this movie follows through with lots of action after the MC comes to in the Maze. Giant insects vs. a bunch of guys and one girl. It fudges out a bit at the end, setting up a sequel I guess. Worth a look, the cgi is good.


----------



## Foxbat

Over the last week I've watched* The Godfather *trilogy. It's been about ten years since I've seen these movies and it was good to watch them again. I know Sofia Coppola got stick for her acting quality in part 3 but I didn't think she was all that bad and still don't after this re-watch.


----------



## Rodders

Avengers Assemble.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Woman In Black* (2012) Looking at the reviews for this one, it would seem that I'm in the minority when I say I wasn't that impressed. 

Here's why: many have called it '_a good old fashioned ghost story that doesn't do blood and gore_'. I've got no problem with that - in fact, I welcome it. Unfortunately though, it's a film that relies  far too heavily on many other modern cliches rather than blood. It's a movie packed with fleeting glimpses, shadows and very loud minor chords tailored to try and make the viewer jump. If you remove the many (many) minutes of such scenarios, there's just not a lot left over. It also has a twee ending. 

Not bad - just not as good as some reviews imply.


----------



## Foxbat

*The People That Time Forgot *(1977) So, so sequel to The Land That Time Forgot. Doug McClure (why do I keep wanting to call him Troy McClure?) makes an appearance halfway through. 

Not brilliant but a decent method of lazing away an afternoon.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cathy's Curse* (1977)

This French/Canadian co-production (in English) is a lame supernatural chiller with very weak echoes of *The Exorcist*. We begin in the 1940's. An unseen mother has taken her young son away from her husband and their daughter. Dad tells the girl "Your mother is a b****" and drives off with her. They get killed in a car wreck. In the 1970's the son goes back to the old family home with his wife and their daughter Cathy. (His old servants are still there after three decades. Who the heck was living there all this time? We see no other relatives.) The daughter finds an old rag doll with its eyes sewn shut. She seems to be possessed by the dead girl, who has a real grudge against girls and women (although males aren't safe, either.) A bunch of supernatural stuff happens, mostly incoherent, and people get killed. 



Spoiler



At the very end Cathy's mother rips the doll's eyes open and everything goes back to normal.



The plot isn't an inherently terrible one -- the doll is a decent supernatural idea -- but the execution is very poor. The acting is bad. The actress playing Cathy's mother is particularly annoying. (The character is supposed to be recovering from a nervous breakdown, and I guess the actress thinks that means overplaying her emotions.) There are some laughable scenes, as when one character is killed by a blast of blue light, or when Cathy's face gets covered with what appears to be mud in an attempt at scary makeup. The music is really bad, with lots of electronic bleeps that would fit better into an old science fiction movie.


----------



## J-Sun

*Beyond the Time Barrier* (1959 B&W), *The Time Travelers* (1964 C), and *The Angry Red Planet* (1960 C). The first two made me realize that _Plan 9_ has some good aspects. _Plan 9_ actually has decent pacing and the acting ranges from almost not entirely incompetent to interestingly awful. What really sinks _Plan 9_ and makes it merit its infamy is the completely stupid storyline and the hilariously awful production values. _Beyond the Time Barrier_ is sort of like an extended inferior _Twilight Zone_ episode in which a guy in a space jet goes just so fast in just such a way to zip into the future to arrive at the usual "underground scientists vs. the mutants after the plague". The leaden pace resulting in a sort of stupefied boredom is the main thing that sinks this (along with spectacularly but boringly bad acting) though, if it were properly paced, other failings would rise.

_The Time Travelers_ is sort of the same movie except that here, our heroes are a band of the stupidest people ever and whose acting makes _P9_'s folks look like Olivier. They're supposed to be looking into different times via a magic TV but then walk through "not a [closed] window, but a[n open] door" into the future so that, after one idiot runs off and the next idiot chases him and the next idiot chases him and finally the idiot girl chases all of them, they arrive at the (you guessed it) future of "underground scientists vs. the mutants after the war". The only thing on the plus side is the silly visual gimmicks such as a guy holding a circular gizmo and giving it a shake so that it turns into a square and other such technologies of the future, as well as the swinging hippy love pads and music makers and suchlike.

_The Angry Red Planet_ could be seen as pretty awful (usual bad acting, etc.) but I got kind of used to the bad acting like you get used to the initially blinding red of the scenes set on Mars (the bulk of the film is in color; those parts are shot in "Red & Pink"). The only shock would be to see some good acting, just as the returns to the inside of the spaceship were shocking after the red. Other than those Mars scenes, the production values aren't half bad and even aspects of those like the "rat bat spider nightmare" are interesting. Also an interesting story structure as we start with the return from Mars and then get I think three chunks of memory flashback from a survivor intercut with the present effort to save another crewman (whose identity we soon figure but don't immediately know). Anyway: three men and a woman (scientist - biology, of course, whose father was a scientist, of course, who's flirting with and being flirted with by the expedition leader, of course) journey to Mars and find There Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know and get the sort of Moral Message that practically only _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ can overcome. Also, there's the "grunt 'comic' relief" used in _Destination Moon_ (I liked that he was reading "_Super Fantastic Science Fiction Stories_" on his way to Mars, though.) Still and all, it was kind of neat and way better than the other two.

Oh yeah - best line in probably all three movies was from _TARP_ when the Mars ship is remote-piloted back to earth and they're wondering if anyone is still alive and are checking for radiation (not worried about biological contamination which is especially ironic). Tiny mild spoiler for the first few minutes, though nothing you don't almost immediately know: 



Spoiler



The girl stumbles out of the spacecraft and a guy says, "The girl!" and another guy says, "Forget radiation! Let's go!" and they all dash off. Now there's a man with his priorities straight. 



This was all part of a 5-buck 4-movie DVD I got because I wanted to see _The Man from Planet X_ (1951 B&W) which, as I said in July, I liked in a weird way. Overall, I guess it was worth it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thank you for a charming review of that trio.

*The Curse of Demon Mountain* (1977)

Surprisingly entertaining supernatural Western. Joe Don Baker plays the wonderfully named Wishbone Cutter, a Confederate captain during one of the last battles of the American Civil War. An dying soldier tells him about some "stones" hidden in a remote cave. (The soldier is played by Slim Pickins, and the character's name is Virgil Cane, and they actually play "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" on the soundtrack!) Cutter teams up with his half-Cherokee buddy Half Moon O'Brian and a young university scholar (who is along to identify the "stones.") (Not to kill the suspense, but it's pretty clear that these are diamonds.) Along the way they come across some massacred settlers. The lone survivor is a young woman (Sondra Locke at her most ethereal.) As they make their way to the treasure they are stalked by unseen beings who kill with black arrows. There are also more mundane Western encounters with bushwhackers and the like. The film builds quite a bit of suspense, and there's a nice twist at the end. Lots of gorgeous outdoor settings, too. Recommended.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

I often go to IMDB to read about the films mentioned in this thread, just to learn a bit more about them. I just wanted to mention to anyone thinking of checking out Victoria's latest review-movie at IMDB that they list the film as *The Shadow of Chikara. *This was Sondra's second film to be released after *The Outlaw Josey Wales*, and came out right before *The Gauntlet* (the latter two films with Clint E.); this was a good period for her (and she really was ethereal during this period...really lovely). CC


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Thank you for a charming review of that trio.



Thank you - glad you liked it. 

I'll give that _Curse of Demon Mountain/Shadow of Chikara_ a look, myself. It sounds interesting and an ethereal Sondra Locke is no burden.


----------



## Foxbat

*Road *If you liked _Senna_ or _Closer To The Edge_ then you've just simply got to watch this. It tells the story of the two generations of the road-racing Dunlop brothers from Northern Ireland. It chronicles the triumphs and tragedies that made them among the finest motorbike road racers in the world and I seriously challenge any racing fan not to have a lump in their throat by the latter part of this fantastic piece of film-making. One I will watch again and again.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> *Beyond the Time Barrier* (1959 B&W), *The Time Travelers* (1964 C), and *The Angry Red Planet* (1960 C). The first two made me realize that _Plan 9_ has some good aspects. _Plan 9_ actually has decent pacing and the acting ranges from almost not entirely incompetent to interestingly awful. What really sinks _Plan 9_ and makes it merit its infamy is the completely stupid storyline and the hilariously awful production values. _Beyond the Time Barrier_ is sort of like an extended inferior _Twilight Zone_ episode in which a guy in a space jet goes just so fast in just such a way to zip into the future to arrive at the usual "underground scientists vs. the mutants after the plague". The leaden pace resulting in a sort of stupefied boredom is the main thing that sinks this (along with spectacularly but boringly bad acting) though, if it were properly paced, other failings would rise.
> 
> _The Time Travelers_ is sort of the same movie except that here, our heroes are a band of the stupidest people ever and whose acting makes _P9_'s folks look like Olivier. They're supposed to be looking into different times via a magic TV but then walk through "not a [closed] window, but a[n open] door" into the future so that, after one idiot runs off and the next idiot chases him and the next idiot chases him and finally the idiot girl chases all of them, they arrive at the (you guessed it) future of "underground scientists vs. the mutants after the war". The only thing on the plus side is the silly visual gimmicks such as a guy holding a circular gizmo and giving it a shake so that it turns into a square and other such technologies of the future, as well as the swinging hippy love pads and music makers and suchlike.
> 
> _The Angry Red Planet_ could be seen as pretty awful (usual bad acting, etc.) but I got kind of used to the bad acting like you get used to the initially blinding red of the scenes set on Mars (the bulk of the film is in color; those parts are shot in "Red & Pink"). The only shock would be to see some good acting, just as the returns to the inside of the spaceship were shocking after the red. Other than those Mars scenes, the production values aren't half bad and even aspects of those like the "rat bat spider nightmare" are interesting. Also an interesting story structure as we start with the return from Mars and then get I think three chunks of memory flashback from a survivor intercut with the present effort to save another crewman (whose identity we soon figure but don't immediately know). Anyway: three men and a woman (scientist - biology, of course, whose father was a scientist, of course, who's flirting with and being flirted with by the expedition leader, of course) journey to Mars and find There Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know and get the sort of Moral Message that practically only _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ can overcome. Also, there's the "grunt 'comic' relief" used in _Destination Moon_ (I liked that he was reading "_Super Fantastic Science Fiction Stories_" on his way to Mars, though.) Still and all, it was kind of neat and way better than the other two.
> 
> Oh yeah - best line in probably all three movies was from _TARP_ when the Mars ship is remote-piloted back to earth and they're wondering if anyone is still alive and are checking for radiation (not worried about biological contamination which is especially ironic). Tiny mild spoiler for the first few minutes, though nothing you don't almost immediately know:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The girl stumbles out of the spacecraft and a guy says, "The girl!" and another guy says, "Forget radiation! Let's go!" and they all dash off. Now there's a man with his priorities straight.
> 
> 
> 
> This was all part of a 5-buck 4-movie DVD I got because I wanted to see _The Man from Planet X_ (1951 B&W) which, as I said in July, I liked in a weird way. Overall, I guess it was worth it.



*Beyond the Time Barrier* (1959 B&W)  - great set design though, and not _that _bad, considering it was shot in Texas, in a week, back to back with another film (the title of which escapes me but it contained an invisible guinea pig).

*The Time Travelers* (1964 C) - I think you're being a little harsh on the this one - but then I do have a real soft spot for Ib Melchior (who also wrote the odd _Journey to the Seventh Planet_, the even odder _Angry Red Planet_ and wrote the story_ Death Race 2000_ was based on.)  His films may not be great and  do have incredibly dated, safe elements (the comic relief in _The Time Travellers_ is particularly awful including a straight to camera, fourth wall breaking moment that's up there with the worst of them).  But at the heart of all his films there is a kind of understanding of the SF ethos that is rare in films of the time.  I get the feeling the guy actually _understood _SF but was hampered by having to pander to the 'suits' holding the money.  The stage magic tricks you mentioned being used as technologies of the future were up there on the screen 10 years before Clarke's Third Law: 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'.  Not a bad claim to SF immortality.

And it's got nekkid Playboy models in it...





vlcsnap-560497 by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Beyond the Time Barrier* (1959 B&W)  - great set design though, and not _that _bad, considering it was shot in Texas, in a week, back to back with another film (the title of which escapes me but it contained an invisible guinea pig).



I believe that would be *The Amazing Transparent Man*, another film in the odd and interesting career of Edgar G. Ulmer.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> *Beyond the Time Barrier* (1959 B&W)  - great set design though, and not _that _bad, considering it was shot in Texas, in a week, back to back with another film (the title of which escapes me but it contained an invisible guinea pig).



Yeah, I meant to mention the triangular fixation of the scientist-city. That was visually interesting (though I wonder how many of them had headaches from banging their heads on apexes). If you consider all that, perhaps it's not that bad but I never know that sort of thing and just have to go with what's on the screen. No grading on a curve!  Besides, no curves on a triangle (though there are curves _in_ the triangles).










(Incidentally, that girl makes no errors in her delivery of flawless dialog - as she comes from a society where everyone is a deaf-mute... except the two leader guys... who talk way too much.)



> *The Time Travelers* (1964 C) - I think you're being a little harsh on the this one - but then I do have a real soft spot for Ib Melchior (who also wrote the odd _Journey to the Seventh Planet_, the even odder _Angry Red Planet_



Well, I did sort of like _TARP_ so I won't dispute that he had something.



> the comic relief in _The Time Travellers_ is particularly awful including a straight to camera, fourth wall breaking moment that's up there with the worst of them



When the goofy guy is putting the moves on the girl who doesn't like any of her city's men. Yeah. That was cringeworthy.



> And it's got nekkid Playboy models in it...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> vlcsnap-560497 by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr



Yep, that's always a good move. I did find it interesting that the blonde's lower "artful obstruction" was larger than the upper. That scene goes with the "love pad" scene (which, hey, is on utoob) which also features Mr. Fourth Wall and Ms. Playmate. Actually, the scene taken by itself (plus your pic) makes the movie look pretty good. 

***​
And now for something completely different...

I watched *Double Indemnity* (1944) and it's fantastic. It took a long time to get past the father of _My Three Sons_ being a fast-talking wife-stealing murderous, um, insurance agent and, however they may try to explain it away, I never did get past Barbara Stanwyck's awful wig (which made it very difficult to believe she was someone anyone would instantly fall in lust with and be willing to kill for) but this was filled with great performances delivering brilliant (Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder from James Cain) dialog with a good plot, beautifully shot, and excellently paced. Because it's done in voiceover flashback (under the Hays code) there's never any suspense in fact, but there's vicarious suspense in that the characters don't know they're in a Hays code flashback and the bad craziness they're in is really hammered home. The deal is that, when MacMurray pays a call on a guy whose auto insurance is about to lapse, he finds just the wife at home, who appears at the top of the stairs clad only in a towel (supposed to be a kind of "Ursula Andress comes out of the water like Aphrodite" sort of scene) and one thing leads to another. Just suppose Mrs. took out a double indemnity accident policy on her husband who just happened to suffer one of those rare accidents that paid off the double jackpot? Actually, I say there isn't a lot of direct suspense but, for me at least (and kicking myself for missing one), there are some twists and complications revealed in the course of the movie. Anyway - just a really really good movie about really really bad people. Though there is a sort of good guy. How ironic is it to cast Fred MacMurray as the bad guy and Edward G. Robinson as the good guy? Works brilliantly. Robinson almost steals the show and his character makes the two sides of MacMurray's character work perfectly and the good side of MacMurray makes Robinson's work.

Listen to the subtly shifting tempo and emphases in Robinson's delivery, especially in the lines from "Yeah. Now look, Garlopis" to "my little man tells me" in this clip.

Brilliant. Highest recommendation. In terms of the subgenre, I think _The Asphalt Jungle_ may be better yet and a few others in the ballpark, but this is still a Can't Miss.


----------



## Dinosaur

Godzilla.

That was boring. Two CGI effects fighting in front of a blue screen just isn't my thing or conducive to giving the slightest about what happens.

To be polite.


----------



## Rodders

Colony which was a bit rubbish. 
X-Men: Days of Future Past. Very good, but there were a couple of bits that didn't add up for me.


----------



## dekket

Took my son to see 'Penguins of Madagascar' yesterday.  He loved it.  I spent the entire movie trying to place the voice of the North Wind team leader, to discover that it was the voice of Smaug *Benedict Cumberbatch *(from 'The Hobbit - The Battle of Five Armies', which was the last movie I took my son to see). 
My wife and I both want to see 'The Imitation Game', another Benedict Cumberbatch movie.


----------



## Vince W

*Paddington*. Lovely and charming film. I was sorely tempted to stay for a second viewing. Now I want a live action Winnie-the-Pooh.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood Orgy of the She Devils* (1973)

Written and directed by Ted V. Mikels

Those among us who have enjoyed other works from the hand of director Mikels, such as *The Astro-Zombies* or MST3K favorite *The Girl in Gold Boots* won't be surprised to find out that this is another low budget, campy offering. With the exception of a few outstanding scenes, however, it never reaches quite that level of silliness. With a little tinkering -- well, OK, a _lot_ of tinkering -- it could be cut down into a mediocre episode of _Kolchak: The Night Stalker_.

We begin with credits that are nearly impossible to read over a bunch of swirly colors over the image of a woman's eyes. These credits go on a while. As I've noted before, in a low budget film with a minimal number of speaking parts, you're still going to have all the "actors" listed in the opening credits, even if they were just standing around in a crowd scene. All the while we hear some science fictiony whooshing electronic music, which seems hardly appropriate.

After this, we jump right into a Satanic ritual. Head witch Mara recites some typical black magic mumbo jumbo while her hulking manservant Toruque looks on. Meanwhile, a bunch of scantily clad young ladies dance around some guy who is tied down on an altar-like thing on the ground. Like so many Satanic rituals shown in the movies, the dancing looks more like a class in modern interpretive ballet than anything scary. The odd costumes the women are all wearing are worth a mention. They seem to consist of a sort of sheathe, open on both sides, worn over a bikini bottom. There's a fair amount of skin on display, but less than you'd see at any beach. Well, after a lot of dancing, the women wield some swords or spears of some kind and stab the guy to death.

Title check: Blood orgy? Yeah, I suppose. She Devils? Kind of, I guess.

After this dramatic opening, things calm down a bit. We find out that two bad guys want to hire Mara to kill the Rhodesian ambassador to the United States with black magic. This suggests the possibility of an interesting spy/horror crossover, but not a lot is done with this plot. During this scene we get my favorite line of dialogue. (Mind you, there's a lot of overwritten dialogue, and the movie takes itself very seriously.) When Mara is asked to demonstrate her power, she shouts (the actress always shouts her lines):

"LOOK! [long dramatic pause] And WATCH!"

Alternating with the assassination story are less exciting scenes in which Mara does various New Age stuff. She lets people see the future in a cysrtal ball. (In an odd scene which leads to nothing else, a woman sees herself being strangled.) She lets people see their past lives in a mirror. (These involve women seeing themselves being tortured and killed for witchcraft in the Bad Old Days. This movie wants to have it both ways, with folks being falsely accused of witchcraft in the past, but Mara being a real, powerful, evil witch. By the way, these scenes set centuries ago sure show a lot of modern-looking haircuts, clothing, and buildings.) She leads a typical seance. During this sequence, she is possessed by an Indian spirit guide, who speaks in the most stereotyped pidgin English you've ever heard. 

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Back at what seems to be the main plot, the ambassador drops dead. The bad guys decide that Mara is too dangerous, so they set out to kill her. One of the bad guys sneaks into Mara's castle-like home (I assume this was filmed in Mikels' own castle-like home) and shoots her, killing her manservant and one of the random She Devils who always seem to be hanging around. In a remarkable demonstration of how truly powerful Mara's witchcraft is, she comes back to life as a blob of light, then as a black cat, then as herself, none the worse for having been murdered. She then revives her manservant, but just uses the dead She Devil as a source of blood for some ritual or other. Of course, she gets revenge on her killers.

Well, we still have a lot of time to fill up, so we go back to the default hero and heroine I have not mentioned at all, since they are not very interesting. They talk to our movie's Van Helsing, an expert in the occult, who gives the pair some long lectures in Witchcraft 101. The fellow also seems to be a white magician himself, as we'll find out in our exciting climax.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Mara leads the She Devils in the same ritual we saw at the beginning. The intended victim this time is our hero (I think; the fellow is so bland that I may be wrong.) The Ven Helsing character shows up with some of his white magician buddies, who we haven't yet seen up to now (I think.) They stand outside Mara's castle which is now blazing with evil light. They wield Christian white magic (one calling on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and one holding a cross.) Hilariously, beams of light shoot out of the Van Helsing's fingers. This reminded me of nothing so much as the goofy climax of *The Manitou*. This causes the castle to shake, and Mara and the She Devils are destroyed.

*Blood Orgy of the She Devils* has a reputation for being deadly dull, and there's no question that there are many boring, talky sequences. However, I found it amusing enough to hold my interest. If nothing else, there's a lot of magic, black and white, thrown around in this flick, unlike many cheap witchcraft movies where the supernatural element is minimal.


----------



## Foxbat

*Dracula's Daughter* (1936) Gloria Holden looks perfect in the title role as she plays the tormented vampire trying to rid herself of the curse. It's a great looking movie that just fails to deliver. After a quick try at overcoming the curse, Holden's character more or less goes down the line of  '_Ah well, it's back to neck biting for me_' - which is a shame because I felt that the attempts to overcome her problem of vampirism could have been developed a bit more.

Set straight after Tod Browning's Dracula, this is a sequel that promises much at the beginning but ultimately fails to deliver and things are quickly wrapped up an hour and ten minutes in. However, it is not a bad film  and definitely should be an addition to any connoisseur of neck biting.


----------



## Mouse

*Armageddon. *And before that, *The Princess Bride*. Both brilliant.


----------



## ratsy

Mouse said:


> *Armageddon. *And before that, *The Princess Bride*. Both brilliant.



If ever there was a better cast movie than The Princess Bride I haven't seen it. And it still confuses me that Inigo Montoya is the dude from Homeland ***brain blown*** (he is one of the best things about Homeland too!)


----------



## Mouse

Never seen Homeland! But Inigo Montoya is the best. And the ROUSes, of course.


----------



## ratsy

Ha, I call Ginger a ROUS sometimes 

Everything about that movie is perfect...Peter Falk narrating, Andre the Giant and his 'Anybody want a peanut' the 'clearly it can't be in the glass in front of me' scene...Prince Humperdink! I mean that name alone is amazing..haha

I haven't read the book. I tried years ago but couldn't get into it. I think the movie spoiled me in a way most movies can't


----------



## Mouse

I've not read the book either. I wonder if it's on my Kindle. I'll have to have a look.


----------



## kythe

I read "The Princess Bride" a few years ago.  Although it was funny, it is one of the few works in which I prefer the movie adaptation.  The book is a satire on romance, with a narrative involving the author griping about divorce and his ex-wife interspersed with the scenes from the story.  The movie substitutes scenes of a Grandpa and Grandson instead.

Ironically, I believe the story works better as a true fantasy romance than a satire.  The author set out to make fun of romance, and it ended up as one of the best romance movies ever made.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dracula's Daughter* is a film I greatly enjoy, more for the look of it (and Holden's wonderful protoGoth appearance) than anything else.  It may be the earliest appearance in film of the lesbian vampire theme (started long ago in literature in "Carmilla") to my knowledge.

And speaking of 1936 horror classics . . .

*The Man Who Changed His Mind* (1936)  (American title the much less clever *The Man Who Lived Again*.)


Enjoyable British "mad scientist" melodrama.  The great Boris Karloff stars as a fellow who has discovered a way to transfer minds between two animals.  A young surgeon comes to work with him in his creepy old manor house.  Her boyfriend happens to be the son of a wealthy publisher, who decides to buy Karloff a new lab with advanced equipment.  When Karloff reveals the nature of his work to a group of scientists, he is laughed at.  The publisher (who apparently didn't really know what he was funding) announces that he's going to withdraw all support from Karloff.  Of course, Karloff decides to use his discovery to prevent that . . .

The film is greatly aided by fine supporting performances, particularly from Karloff's sardonic, wheelchair-bound assistant.  After the brief opening sequence is the creepy old house, the rest of the film has a bright, gleaming, Art Deco look to it which is nice to look at.  The film runs just barely over an hour, so it never wears out its welcome.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Blood Orgy of the She Devils* (1973)
> 
> Written and directed by Ted V. Mikels
> 
> Those among us who have enjoyed other works from the hand of director Mikels, such as *The Astro-Zombies* or MST3K favorite *The Girl in Gold Boots* won't be surprised to find out that this is another low budget, campy offering. With the exception of a few outstanding scenes, however, it never reaches quite that level of silliness. With a little tinkering -- well, OK, a _lot_ of tinkering -- it could be cut down into a mediocre episode of _Kolchak: The Night Stalker_.



I have always meant to search out more of Mr M's oeuvre - thanks for steering me away from this one.

[irritatingly overly pedantic mode]
It's *Girl in Gold Boots* not *The Girl in Gold Boots*.  I don't know why but that missing article really annoys me.  The film was a hoot.

Michele: "Leo says I'm really going places. Just because he deals in dope, that doesn't tarnish me."

Critter: "Oh, that's what you think, baby. Tarnish isn't a strong enough word for what he'll do to you - try "corrode" for size..."​[/irritatingly overly pedantic mode]


----------



## Toby Frost

*Gone Girl* – This is a film that diminishes in my mind the more I think about it. It’s by David Fincher, so the direction is very good, and the acting’s decent as well. The look and feel are deliberately cold, as fits the subject matter. The problem, really, is that this is a thriller dressed up as slightly more than it really is. It loses a lot of its power once you realise that one of the characters is utterly raving mad – so crazy as to be barely human at all. What feels like a comment on something deeper is really just about the antics of a maniac, and one who doesn’t feel terribly convincing (despite the good acting). Still, it’s a scary, well-made and at points pretty skin-crawling film.

*Guardians of the Galaxy* – Like everyone else, I liked this. It’s honest, daft entertainment, well made and likeable, with strong characters and exciting (and largely comprehensible) battles. Even the Cocky Lead Guy isn’t too annoying. The thing that slightly bothers me is that it’s got vast amounts of praise really on the basis that it’s good honest fun. If more films were good honest fun, would this stand out so much? This and Serenity make me think that there will always be a market for people having exciting adventures in space.

*Moon* – A while ago, I commented that this would make a good companion for Outland and Alien, being another film about blue-collar workers getting crossed by vast corporations. It’s got many of the same themes: isolation, paranoia and corporate callousness. As Outland put it, even in space, man’s worst enemy is still man. Sam Rockwell is excellent in the lead (and nearly only) role. It had the strange and rare effect of making me feel sympathy to someone in a completely impossible situation. In fact, despite the strange setting, the fears and concepts that drive Moon are very familiar: making it almost the opposite of Gone Girl.


----------



## Michael Colton

What happens when you combine Steven Soderbergh and the biggest young porn star in America? *The Girlfriend Experience*. And oddly enough, I actually thought it was a pretty good. And that is coming from someone that is generally not much of a fan of Soderbergh or porn stars. Unlike many of his films, Soderbergh had a very specific theme he wanted to explore with the film and I think he did it rather well. He also made the wise choice to hire Sasha Grey as the main character but have her do almost nothing risque, which worked well. When one hears that Sasha Grey was actually given a chance with the pet project of A-list director, one tends to hesitate in watching it because your first thought is what was Soderbergh's reasoning in hiring her? His own fetishism? Her famous run on the talkshow circuit defending the occupation that made her a star? In reality, he seems to have picked her because he thought she was a good fit for the part. And he was right. It is a film about an extremely high-end prostitute that has virtually no sex in it, which is the point they were trying to make: she sells the titular girlfriend experience, not sex. It is difficult to tell whether Sasha Grey's subdued, nuanced acting is good or if that is just her - but either way, it was well done and beautifully understated.


----------



## Michael Colton

kythe said:


> I read "The Princess Bride" a few years ago.  Although it was funny, it is one of the few works in which I prefer the movie adaptation.  The book is a satire on romance, with a narrative involving the author griping about divorce and his ex-wife interspersed with the scenes from the story.  The movie substitutes scenes of a Grandpa and Grandson instead.
> 
> Ironically, I believe the story works better as a true fantasy romance than a satire.  The author set out to make fun of romance, and it ended up as one of the best romance movies ever made.



A bit of delayed response, my apologies, but is this the general feeling about TPB? I always thought people _did_ see it as a satire.


----------



## Mouse

Michael Colton said:


> A bit of delayed response, my apologies, but is this the general feeling about TPB? I always thought people _did_ see it as a satire.



I always saw it as a piss take, yeah.


----------



## Michael Colton

I have never heard the phrase 'piss take' but I am going to use it all the time now. The looks I will get are going to be great. "You're taking piss . . what? Where? Who's piss?"


----------



## Mouse

Michael Colton said:


> I have never heard the phrase 'piss take' but I am going to use it all the time now. The looks I will get are going to be great. "You're taking piss . . what? Where? Who's piss?"



Heh. Always good to spread new phrases across the pond.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

@Michael Colton try 'taking the piss' instead of taking piss.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ghost Of Frankenstein* (1942) Not as good as the James Whale efforts but still quite watchable. Notable for it being Lon Chaney Jnr's taking over from Karloff as the monster.


----------



## thaddeus6th

I'm mildly surprised you've never heard of taking the piss before. It's practically the British national pastime. That, and queueing.

On Inigo Montoya's famous phrase [and I agree, he's also fantastic in Homeland], 'My name is Inigo Montoya...' etc, that was actually written down in Homeland on a pad of scribbled notes that Claire Danes held in series 2 or 3.


----------



## Michael Colton

thaddeus6th said:


> I'm mildly surprised you've never heard of taking the piss before. It's practically the British national pastime. That, and queueing.
> 
> On Inigo Montoya's famous phrase [and I agree, he's also fantastic in Homeland], 'My name is Inigo Montoya...' etc, that was actually written down in Homeland on a pad of scribbled notes that Claire Danes held in series 2 or 3.



I've heard of queueing. And filling 'in' a form rather than 'out' like we do. And dog's bullocks, and several others. But not the piss one yet. Piss is pretty much nothing but urine or anger in America, so it sounds very odd.

Maybe it is a more modern phrase? Most of the British television and film I watch are period/historical stuff.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Bollocks*, old bean.

It's not properly old, but it has been around for a long time as an idea.


----------



## Michael Colton

Then I suppose I am just a bit ignorant.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. Lots of stuff get lost across the Atlantic.


----------



## Michael Colton

Oh, I was not being sarcastic or snippy. It is entirely possible I had heard it and forgotten or something.


----------



## Mouse

thaddeus6th said:


> On Inigo Montoya's famous phrase [and I agree, he's also fantastic in Homeland], 'My name is Inigo Montoya...' etc, that was actually written down in Homeland on a pad of scribbled notes that Claire Danes held in series 2 or 3.



It's also what Ben Barnes kept repeating to himself to get his Spanish accent when he played Prince Caspian.  BB fact there for you.

I've just watched *The Girl Who Leapt Through Time*. An animated Japanese sci-fi romance. Slow starter but it picked up. Great animation. Sweet story.


----------



## clovis-man

Am I the first to admit it? Netflix is now streaming *The Interview*. So I couldn't resist, although I probably should have. Totally gross and stupid with an extra helping of potty humor. Although it did have its (very few) moments. Yet any movie that makes Seth Rogen's character appear more intelligent than James Franco's is doomed from the start.


----------



## clovis-man

Am I the first to admit it? Netflix is now streaming *The Interview*. Oops. Sorry for the double post.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Off topic, but a variant of taking the piss that I myself have used on the odd occasion is 'taking the michael', a (middle class!) version of the more common 'taking the mickey'. 

Honest, MC. 

see here:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/344000.html

In the article it states that 'taking the piss' appears to be first reported in the UK in the 1930s, so yes it should not officially be in period stuff!


----------



## Mouse

I had "taking the mick" in _Shuttered_ but had to change it to piss, because the editors didn't understand it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mouse said:


> I've just watched *The Girl Who Leapt Through Time*. An animated Japanese sci-fi romance. Slow starter but it picked up. Great animation. Sweet story.



Happy happenstance!  I just bought a copy of this thinking it looked interesting - it was next to the Studio Ghibli films in the shop and a third of the price - glad to know my instincts aren't entirely failing.

Last film I watched:* Paranorman* (2012).  I fell asleep.

"Take the piss" has, according to Google, been around since the 1950's - 
https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...ing=3&share=&direct_url=t1;,take the piss;,c0

As the Google tool searches books and written records and, given the post Victorian decorum that governed the book publishing world for the first half of the century, I would venture to say it was around in spoken English for a while before it got into print.


----------



## Lenny

clovis-man said:


> Am I the first to admit it? Netflix is now streaming *The Interview*.



Hurrah! One taken for the team.  



clovis-man said:


> Totally gross and stupid with an extra helping of potty humor. Although it did have its (very few) moments. Yet any movie that makes Seth Rogen's character appear more intelligent than James Franco's is doomed from the start.



To say I generally can't stand Seth Rogen's films (whether they're with Franco, written by Apatow, co-written by Goldberg, or starring members of their little group), I found *The Interview* to be the least bad of them all. Lots of stupidity, but the basic story was actually fairly good (any other duo, with any other sense of humour, and you could get a pretty decent 90-minute spy comedy out of it), and Kim Jong Un's character was surprisingly well-developed.

I think the funniest thing about *The Interview*, for me, is that North Korea kicked up a massive fuss about, and tried to ban, a film in which their evil ruler happens to be the character that can be sympathised with most.

---

Seeing as I'm here - the last film I saw was in the cinema a couple of weeks ago: *Birdman*. The script is a bit generic, but the acting was great, the filming sublime, and the package as a whole is phenomenal.


----------



## Mouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Happy happenstance!  I just bought a copy of this thinking it looked interesting - it was next to the Studio Ghibli films in the shop and a third of the price - glad to know my instincts aren't entirely failing.



Let me know what you thought of it. I was a little bored in places but was gripped by the end.


----------



## ratsy

We tried to watch Beautiful Creatures cause it was on Netflix and made it half way through...arg


----------



## farntfar

Taking the piss out of someone comes from the fact that young men tend to wake up with an erection, which was called a morning glory in England.(A morning wood I think you say in the States)
It was also called being piss proud. Once you urinate the morning glory tends to subside.
Thus taking the piss out of someone was to take away someone's false pride.
Talking about piss was considered rude, so they came up with taking the mictuations out of someone which then became taking the mickey.
(See also that famous poetic couplet: 
.....Thy micturations are to me
 as plurdled gamblelblotchits on a lurged bee...)

When I was a boy it was even common to say, 'Oi! Are you extracting the urine?' (generally pronouncing the end of urine like wine rather than wean.)

But just to keep to the topic, I haven't seen any films in ages, except The battle of the five armies and I've already spoken of that elsewhere.


----------



## willwallace

Saw Birdman over the weekend.  The long take shooting method is well used throughout the film.  I believe it's Michael Keaton's best role, at least that I've seen him in.  Ed Norton is also terrific, as well as Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts.  Interweaving the fantasy sequences of Keaton's character, Riggan Thomson, in his Birdman persona were done to great effect.  At first, you think he has some powers, possibly, but aren't sure if he's imagining it or not.  There's a couple scenes that seem to show he's imagining that he has those powers.  Then the end, is, well, you should see it for yourself.  

The story is Birdman's attempt to redeem his career by adapting, directing and starring in a play based on a Raymond Carver short story.  The chaos leading up to the opening night is chronicled in a continuous shooting style that really makes the movie flow from one scene to the next in a way I don't recall seeing in any other film.  I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone.


----------



## Droflet

Never to be confused with piss off, etc.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Gambler* (1997)

Alternates between Fyodor Dostoyevsky dictating The Gambler to a stenographer (later his wife) in less than a month in order to get out of a crippling publishing contract with scenes from the novel itself. I imagine this would be extremely confusing to anyone not familiar with the author's life and work. Notable for featuring the recently deceased Luise Rainer in her last role, six decades after winning her Oscars.

*Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules* (1962)

No fire monsters; no son of Hercules. The original Italian title (*Maciste contro i mostri* "Maciste against the monsters") is a bit more accurate. This is one of the countless adventures of strongman Maciste, and there are some monsters. These show up at random moments, kind of like the wandering monsters in Dungeons and Dragons, and don't have much to do with the main plot. We seem to be in the Ice Age, and this is kind of like a peplum version of *One Million Years B.C.*. (I guess the monsters are supposed to be dinosaurs.) A tribe of peaceful sun-worshippers wanders away from the ice and finds a place to live. This land is claimed by violent moon-worshippers who live underground (but who apparently come up now and then to hunt and get fresh water.) The sun people are attacked and their women held prisoner, due to be sacrificed to the moon goddess. Maciste shows up out of nowhere and helps the sun people. There's also another tribe, said to be cannibals, who show up to help the moon people near the end of the movie, but they don't do much but serve as cannon fodder. Lots of fighting, two ritual dance sequences, and a romantic interest for our hero. Pretty typical for the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Absolution* (1978)

Powerful suspense drama with a screenplay by noted playwright Anthony Shaffer (author of _Sleuth_). The story takes place at a Catholic boys' school in England. Richard Burton stars as a teacher of Religion and Latin, a cold disciplinarian of a priest, but also a man of profound faith. The plot involves two of his students. One is handsome and clever, and Burton treats him as the teacher's pet, hoping he will become a priest. The other is poorly groomed, wears thick glasses and a leg brace, and has an annoying lack of social skills. The golden boy befriends a long-haired, bearded, motorcycle-riding, banjo-playing ne'er-do-well who doesn't mind stealing food from the school when he's hungry. This fellow proves to be a bad influence on the lad. He convinces him to play a practical joke on the priest by confessing to a terrible sin that never took place. Of course, the priest cannot reveal anything of what he hears in the confessional. Things take a more sinister turn from there.

*Absolution* starts very slowly, and is more of an excellently acted psychological drama than a thriller for most of its running time. Near the end, however, expect plot twists and a touch of genuine horror, both physical and spiritual.


----------



## Dan Jones

Am watching Die Hard right now, with a curry, and a beer.

Hard to think how things could get much better.

Ah yes: Match of the Day straight after.

Go me.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

I love Die Hard. It's the vests getting dirtier throughout all the films that I like 

Watching Terminator Salvation atm. Might have seen it a few times before but I still enjoy these films.


----------



## Lenny

*John Wick
*
A slick, straightforward action flick that doesn't strain itself to be the biggest, baddest action flick, has brilliant fight scenes, no slow-mo (hurrah!), and a great performance from Keanu Reeves.

It's like the recent *Dredd* film - something you watch for entertainment, not for thinking.


----------



## Dan Jones

Kerrybuchanan said:


> I love Die Hard. It's the vests getting dirtier throughout all the films that I like.



Plus, one of Alan Rickman's terrorist gang goes on to play Vigo in Ghostbusters 2! What a guy.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

Ooh, Alan Rickman.  Yummy....


----------



## Jesse412

*Weird Woman* (1944)


----------



## Foxbat

*Sin City 2 *It passed an hour and a half but - to be honest - I felt like I was watching a compilation of cliches.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Die Hard is the best Christmas film.


----------



## Mouse

The new TMNT film. Better than I'd expected. But it still mostly made me angry. Will post in the TMNT thread when I find it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jesse412 said:


> *Weird Woman* (1944)



Any comments to offer?  Since it's based on an excellent novel (_Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, later the basis for the very good film *Burn, Witch, Burn* AKA *Night of the Eagle*) I am curious about this adaptation.


----------



## Jesse412

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Any comments to offer?  Since it's based on an excellent novel (_Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, later the basis for the very good film *Burn, Witch, Burn* AKA *Night of the Eagle*) I am curious about this adaptation.



I really enjoyed it but I am a fan of Lon Chaney Jr so I may be bias.  I only gave it 3 stars on Letterboxd though.  I watched it on Svengoolie so it's likely better without the commercial interruptions.  I've only caught a few scenes from Burn, Witch, Burn on TCM so I'm not sure how they compare.  I did add Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife to my to-read shelf on goodreads as a reminder to check it out later.


----------



## Foxbat

*Da* (1988) One of my favourite films. Charlie (Martin Sheen) - a New York playwright - gets a call from Ireland about the death of his father (Barnard Hughes). Once in Ireland he encounters his Da's spirit and remembers times both good and bad. It's a wonderful movie and Barnard Hughes would be the absolute star of it, were it not for the dog who hates all things Catholic.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Corpse Vanishes* (1942)






*Bowery at Midnight* (1942)


----------



## Mouse

Just watched Turtles Forever. Which is an animated TMNT film. Probably for fans only, as it's like different versions of the turtles coming together, so you've got the 2003 versions meeting the '87 ones, then all meeting the original comic ones. Really good, except, as a watcher of the 87 version, the way they were shown as constantly irritating and stupid was a bit sad.


----------



## ratsy

Hey Mouse, I did see part of that one. I agree, they made them seem really dumb. I'll take the 80's turtles over the 2003 ones any day!


----------



## Mouse

Yeah, they were daft but they weren't completely stupid and silly _all_ the time! I do like that they kept 80s Raphael 4th wall thing in though.


----------



## Dinosaur

Inherent Vice.

The wife's comment on leaving the cinema sums it up. "Well that was odd".

Great cast, cinematography and costumes with some very funny moments but exactly what was really happening is a mystery.


----------



## Rodders

I've been struck down with flu so watching DVD's is the order of the day.

I watched the new Godzilla which was ok, Life Without Beth, Inbetweeners 2 and Party Down, Series 1. 

Watching Eerie Indiana at the moment.


----------



## Droflet

Fury (2014). A bleak, gritty and at times quite unpleasant portrayal of a tank crew during WW11. Reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, but with a more realistic attitude. Tough movie but worth the effort, imho.


----------



## ddawson

Dug out my copy of "Jacob's Ladder".  A good go-to when bored and TV sucks.


----------



## dask

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT. Good almost fantasy with Colin Firth as a debunker of the supernatural. Woody Allen wrote and directed. Well plotted and enjoyable.


----------



## Rodders

Safety Not Guaranteed. 

Quite a nice little film.


----------



## F.J. Hansen

*Jupiter Ascending*

Ignore the critics; this movie was actually really good. I will admit that the ending left a few threads hanging loose, and I wish the winged lizard creatures had more to do. Other than that, I found the movie really enjoyable. Loved the visual effects--well worth the 6-month postponement.


----------



## biodroid

The Maze Runner, I really enjoyed this tremendously, good story, action and suspense with great visuals. Not read the book yet but would like to.


----------



## Jesse412

*Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth* (1992)







Doug Bradley gives a superb performance and I love the idea of exploring Pinhead's humanity (that was introduced in the previous film).  Unfortunately this movie doesn't have much else going for it.  This sequel is arguably one of the weakest of the series and it veers heavily from what made the previous two films unique and disturbing.  Instead it embraces the more campy aspects of the genre and sadly resorts to a heavy use of cheesy one-liners.  The special effects makeups and gore for the most part are exceptional however the designs of the Cenobites are very disappointing.  I really like the hospital emergency room scene where the guy is ripped apart by chains.  I also liked the design of the pillar and the scene where chains shoot out of it and rip off Sandy's skin was a pretty cool visual.


----------



## Vince W

*Jupiter Ascending*. Utter rubbish.

While some of the space scenes were pretty, the story was dull and pointless. The two leads had zero chemistry and should never have been given lead roles in the first place. Terrible acting on both their parts. And I don't know how this is possible the action sequences were both too long and too short at the same time. Also the CGI action was just a blur, you couldn't see what was happening very well at all.

There was never any sense of danger for any of the characters. In the end this film is a waste of your time. Save your time and your money.


----------



## J Riff

*Seventh Son*

All seventh sons have to go off and get trained to fight witches, it seems... and, (spoilage) .... the witches can shapeshift like crazy. Into great big huge monsters. That's enough. That's it, in fact.

Drat, I had some hope for Jupiter Ascending. Oh well, another potentially good SF movie bites the dust.


----------



## willwallace

Watched a couple movies yesterday. 
Amelie, 2001. Very quirky film. French dialogue with subtitles.  A funny romantic story,  definitely.  odd characters.  Good flick. 
The Station Agent 2003. Peter Dinklage inherits a train station,  but doesn't want to interact with anyone.  He gets drawn out as the film progresses,  and it's another odd but good movie.


----------



## Mouse

J Riff said:


> *Seventh Son*
> 
> All seventh sons have to go off and get trained to fight witches, it seems... and, (spoilage) .... the witches can shapeshift like crazy. Into great big huge monsters. That's enough. That's it, in fact.



Ben Barnes is in this so I don't care if it sucks, I'm just going for the pretty. Will watch it at the cinema whenever it's released over here.


----------



## kythe

Here is a nice review of "The Princess Bride" that makes me want to read it again:

http://www.bustle.com/articles/6331...cess-bride-because-theres-so-much-more-to-the


----------



## F.J. Hansen

Today, I watched *The Twelve Chairs*--early Mel Brooks film featuring Dom DeLuise. At this point in time and without the beard, I can definitely see the family resemblance with Dom's sons--Peter, David, and Michael.

I also watched *Dragonheart*. Ten years ago, when I was designing the dragons for my Draconia series, I turned to this movie for inspiration.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Madhouse* (1974)

Vincent Price stars as horror movie actor Paul Toombes in this post-modern scare flick. Toombes has become famous in the role of Doctor Death. Years after his mental breakdown after the murder of his fiancee (and not even he remembers if he killed her or not), he goes to the UK to reprise the character in a British television series. Then people start getting killed using the methods Doctor Death used in the old movies . . .

The plot may not be very surprising, but this AIP/Amicus co-production is enjoyable as a valentine to Vincent Price. Fellow scream kings Peter Cushing and Robert Quarry are on hand, and Adrienne Corri has a great part as Cushing's insane wife. Old footage from Price's films for AIP is used to show us the career of Toombes. There's one hell of a final scene, and Price himself sings the 1920's-ish song that plays over the end credits.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Monolith Monsters* (1957)

Above average 1950's sci-fi flick. A meteorite lands in the California desert near a small town, splitting into a large number of small shiny black rocks. The problem begins when this stuff is exposed to water. It grows tremendously in size. It also has the nasty side effect of absorbing silicon from the human body, killing people by removing the flexibility of their body tissues, effectively turning them into stone. (I'm not sure this makes any sense, but go with it.) After a downpour, stone towers the size of skyscrapers threaten the town, and maybe the whole world. The menace is unusual and the film takes it seriously. Acting and special effects are decent. Worth a look.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Vincent Price stars



Coincidentally, I just saw *Laura* (1944) again the other day. I'd seen it once where I'd missed the beginning and so was completely confused by an aspect of the end (or at least I'm blaming it on missing the beginning) and this was the first time I'd seen it all the way through in order. This is apparently very highly regarded but it's only okay to me. Vincent Price as the playboy gave a decent performance but he wasn't much of a character for me. It always strikes me as funny that Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews were paired so often when "Gene" seems like it ought to be the male lead and "Dana" would more likely be the female lead. Ms. Tierney is very pretty (though nowhere near so as she's usually made out to be) but kind of bland and Andrews' character isn't particularly compelling either. Only Lydecker (Clifton Webb) sticks out and he's so over-the-top and cartoonish as to be unbelievable. Though it's just ad copy, I think many critics agree that it's "a definitive film noir classic" but Tierney isn't a proper femme fatale, directly speaking, and this is not exactly the gritty streets we're dealing with here. The psychology is forced but maybe to get into details would be too spoilery. (_Double Indemnity_, for instance, doesn't deal with gritty streets either, exactly, but it has far superior gritty psyches and better drama generally and Stanwyck is quite the femme fatale.) Anyway - it's an interesting picture that's worth watching but not anything anybody couldn't skip, I wouldn't think, and nothing I'd put as a prime noir.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Die Sister, Die!* (filmed 1972; released 1978)

Obscure psychological suspense drama, very similar to a made-for-TV thriller, which was falsely marketed as a horror film. On its own terms, it's not bad. A man hires a waitress to act as a nurse/companion to his wealthy older sister, who has attempted suicide a couple of times. The woman will be paid $25,000 in cash if the next attempt doesn't fail. Of course, there's also a Dark Family Secret to complicate matters. Rather slow and talky, but quite well acted and moody.


----------



## Droflet

The Little Death (2014). Wry and at times comically profound movie about sex. It's not lewd, it's sly. And it has what every comedy needs ... humor.


----------



## Vince W

*Kingsman*. A really fun film. I think I may have to see it again.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave* (1971)

Directed by Emilio Miraglia; written by Emilio Miraglia, Fabio Pittorru, and Massimo Felisatti

I'd been warned that this Italian shocker existed in various badly butchered versions, with much of its footage cut out for television, and even with scenes rearranged so that it made no sense at all. It was a pleasant surprise, therefore, to find out that the version I discovered on archive.org seemed to be more or less complete, with nudity and gore intact (neither too extreme) and the story (inherently confusing, with lapses in plot logic) fairly comprehensible. The "official" full running time is said to be 103 minutes, and the version I watched clocked in at a bit over 101 minutes, so I assume I didn't miss much.

We begin with a rather arty sequence of a guy trying to escape from a mental hospital, using the old tie-bedsheets-into-a-rope trick. As he runs off, chased by white-suited orderlies, some scenes are shown from his point of view, weirdly distorted. He runs by an old amphitheater, overgrown with greenery, located on the grounds of the asylum. I mention this because it's a small, early example of one thing I liked about this film. The sets are very nice, often visually striking, whether they be crumbling ruins or ultra-modern homes.

After this opening sequence (which doesn't really lead to much except to convince us that our "hero" has some serious mental problems, evidence for which the next few scenes will provide in abundance), we have our opening titles, all in Italian. As we learn that we are watching *La notte che Evelyn usci dalla tomba*, we have to wonder why somebody bothered to dub this film into English without providing translations for the titles. We'll also find out later that, although almost all of the writings we'll see -- inscriptions on coffins and such -- will be in English, one important item which appears at the very end of the film is in Italian. Since our story is set in England, I assume the folks who made this movie thought the original audience for it didn't really need to understand any of the written things except the last one.

In any case, the story really begins with our protagonist, apparently released from the asylum, driving a fancy sports car with a beautiful young redhaired woman. He stops the car to light a cigarette. ("I can't drive and smoke" he rather unconvincingly says.) He offers the woman five hundred pounds to be with him. She doesn't seem insulted or shocked by the offer, so I assume that she's either a professional prostitute, or that the very large sum he's offering was enough to convince her. The fellow makes another lame excuse -- he wants to check the tires -- so he can switch the license plates on his cars. At this point we know the woman is in big trouble.

They head to the man's ancestral castle. (It turns out he's a filthy rich aristocrat, with a home in London as well as this half-ruined place.) Most of the estate is a cobwebby shambles, but his own room is luxuriously appointed. The woman quickly strips off her top and offers to do anything he wants. (I guess she really is a pro.) He leads her to his gigantic torture chamber. The woman isn't too upset by this, apparently figuring he's just into BDSM games. (She even snaps a gigantic whip at him and calls him her slave, in a playful way.) Well, since we're watching a horror movie, it won't come as a big surprise to you that the fellow tortures and murders her. (As further evidence of his madness, if any be needed, at one point he calls her Evelyn and begs her forgiveness, but quickly goes back into homicidal maniac mode.) 

You have to piece the back story together bit by bit as the movie goes on. We see scenes from the killer's point of view which are either memories or hallucinations of Evelyn running naked through the woods to meet an equally naked man. (Is this the fellow himself, remembering better days, or Evelyn's lover? Don't ask me.) We also find out that Evelyn asked him for a divorce at some point, and that she's been dead for some time. (Did he murder her? Again, it's not clear. But I assume that the death of redhaired Evelyn is the reason for his little hobby of killing redhaired women.)

We are introduced to various characters between murders. These include Evelyn's brother, who is rather oddly employed as the man's groundskeeper, and who has witnessed the murder we've just seen. He's easy to bribe, with a moderate amount of cash, to keep his mouth shut. We also have the man's psychiatrist (apparently unaware exactly how unstable his patient really is) who advises him to get married again. (This guy doesn't seem to be the best headshrinker in the world.) There's a older cousin, a guy who supplies him with the names of hot young redhaired women to date (again, he seems not to know what this leads to.) We also have the man's aunt, confined to a wheelchair. Weirdly, this character is played by a very young woman, hardly more than a teenager. I suppose it's possible for one's aunt to be much younger than oneself, given some unusual family circumstances, but it's an oddity which is never explained. Also unexplained is the one time when she is suddenly able to stand up and walk! 

The next intended victim is a redhaired stripper. Her amazing routine begins with her rising from a coffin on stage. I guess she knows what kind of movie she's in. We pretty much replay the opening murder sequence (although now the man offers her one thousand pounds) with the important difference that the woman escapes from the torture chamber and leads the fellow on a merry chase through the ruins of the old family crypt. (There's also a new family crypt we'll see later, by the way.) We don't actually see her get killed, and the fellow seems to be unsure exactly what happened, having gone into one of his spells.

That's a pretty long plot summary, and our story has barely begun. The movie suddenly takes a wild left turn after being a psycho killer story, and turns into an odd combination of giallo and Gothic chiller. The murderer gets married to a woman he meets at an outdoor party (groovy costumes and rock music included.) She's a blonde, so I guess she's safe from becoming one of his victims. Soon there are signs that Evelyn's ghost is haunting the place. Some of the characters we met are murdered by an unseen figure wearing (you guessed it) leather gloves. (In an amazing show of originality, during one killing the gloves are yellow, although they later go back to the traditional black.) It all gets very complicated, and the last part of the film is full of wild plot twists.

I haven't even mentioned some of the very strange things about this movie. There's the bizarre fact that, after the marriage, the couple has half a dozen or so maids, all of whom wear identical blonde Afro wigs. (And this is actually a plot point!) There's the fact that the protagonist has a huge cage full of dozens of foxes, which is also a plot point. There's the strange and rather effective appearance of Evelyn (or is it?) when she finally Comes Out of the Grave. 

Stylish and often original (although a few plot twists may be a bit familiar), if eccentric and sometimes bewildering, this is an enjoyable descent into madness.


----------



## Boneman

*The Theory of Everything. *Astonishing performances from Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, and incredibly enjoyable film. This is a love story, not a film about his work, make no mistake.


----------



## Dinosaur

The Guest.

A stranger turns up at a family home claiming to have served with their dead son. Great fun and as one review said, a near perfect example of it's genre...just don't think too much about it. And to be honest it didn't go exactly as I thought.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Minority Report this weekend. I saw it when it first came out and always wanted to watch it again. I wasn't disappointed. It was a little too drug out but a really good movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenage Zombies* (1959)

A prime example of grade Z movie making. This ultra-cheap effort from Jerry Warren lacks the insanity that makes his MST3K favorite *The Wild World of Batwoman* bearable. The minimal plot involves some teenagers landing on an island for a picnic and running into a mad scientist (Katherine Victor, Batwoman herself.) It seems she's working on a gas that turns people into slaves for some folks from "the East." There's a guy in a gorilla suit, and a mute, hunchbacked assistant named Ivan. Weirdly, the mad scientist always wears glamorous evening gowns and lots of jewelry, even when she's doing science stuff. There are lots of scenes where the camera never moves and the actors all stay in one place as they recite their lines. The sets often seem to be just somebody's house.


----------



## Jesse412

*My Bloody Valentine* (1981)






When people say this is one of the better early slasher movies they aren't kidding.  It holds up incredibly well and to this day is probably one of the best slasher films ever made.  The premise that the killer returns to stop a Valentine's Day dance is a bit cheesy but completely forgivable considering how well done this film is.  The acting is solid, the mood is eerie, the scares are tense, the kills are good and the gory special effects makeups are very effective even by today's standards.  I think the miner is one of the better slasher movie villains.  While the costume is kind of basic it is also very menacing and at times the use of breathing is reminiscent of Darth Vader.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Bicycle Thief* (1948)






A beautifully compelling and at times depressing film from a fascinating point in history.  What De Sica is able to accomplish here with little budget, no studio sets and non-actors is truly remarkable.  The Italian Neorealism movement is born out of necessity and that is fully on displayed here as well.  With World War II over and Mussolini's government fallen there is crushing poverty and people are struggling to find work.  When the protagonist finally catches a break and finds a job that requires him to have a bicycle his family pools together pawning their bed sheets so that they can afford one.  All the more heart breaking when the bicycle is stolen after only one day.  While the situation is very serious there are still lighthearted moments and even a few laughs.  The ending is extremely heart felt and emotionally taxing as well as makes an interesting commentary on morality.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave* (1971)
> 
> Directed by Emilio Miraglia; written by Emilio Miraglia, Fabio Pittorru, and Massimo Felisatti
> 
> I'd been warned that this Italian shocker existed in various badly butchered versions, with much of its footage cut out for television, and even with scenes rearranged so that it made no sense at all.



I think you liked it a lot better than I did - "incomprehensible sh*te" is how I described it in my film diary - but just to back up your warning about various butchered versions, this is (as near as I can get) the same frame from both copies I own.  Both are commercially released discs not home made knock-offs.




A transfer so crappy the film jumped the gate in the telecine machine at a reel change - on the Eclectic label (EDD05043)





From a German disc which is somewhere in this house so can't give disc details... I wonder where it is... 

Annoyingly the better looking disc looses its soundtrack (or at least the English dub - no subtitles available) for a exposition heavy scene late in the film.


----------



## Dinosaur

RIPD - a heavenly police department deal with those the have escaped judgement

Not exactly high art but it's an entertaining film, a short (for these days) film that has a sense of humour. The terrible reviews and low internet scores are a bit of a mystery, there are so many worse films out there.


----------



## Culhwch

_*Big Hero 6*_ - really, really enjoyed this one. I don't know why there aren't more animated/CGI adaptations of superhero comics - the medium really lends itself to the material.


----------



## svalbard

The Babadook - A really good horror for a change. The kid in it was exceptional.


----------



## jastius

Armageddon.. The beginning with the little dog in the bicycle hand basket always makes me smile.


----------



## clovis-man

*McFarland, USA*

A somewhat predictable feel good sports movie about events in a small agricultural community in the California Central Valley. It just happens to be about a place quite close to my home in Clovis. Kevin Costner does a creditable job as the troubled coach who manages to take the natural abilities of some Hispanic boys and mold them into a winning formula for Cross Country running, a sport that doesn't always get much publicity. The film has the virtue of telling the story within a story of the community itself and the constant struggles it faces economically and socially. It was well done overall and received some enthusiastic applause at the end from the locally based audience.

One minor quibble: It depicted the coach of the rival Clovis High School team as being racially biased and not accepting of Latino athletes. It didn't ring true for me. As a youth soccer coach in Clovis during the era being portrayed, my best athletes were kids with last names like Aguayo, DeDios and Bustos. Nobody ever questioned it or gave it a second thought. I can remember the fund-raiser we once had which consisted of the players selling popcorn to their neighbors. The sign-up sheets often gave the name of the Clovis neighborhood where many of the boys lived as "Beanville". It was their little joke. One player dropped out because he had to help with his father's business of a yard service. Clovis was more like McFarland in many ways than it was different. If you see this movie, you will be able to relate to all of this.


----------



## Starbeast

*Color Me Blood Red* (1965)

I finally saw this Herschell Gordon Lewis horror flick. A complete waste of time, nothing interesting. A "psycho artist" movie that could have been much better, if the film makers didn't slap this junk together in a few hours (seemed like it).

*Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico* (2003)

A fun movie to watch, with a cool-looking creature for the heros to find out if it's real, or a hoax. I should have watched this sooner.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*She Demons* (1958)

Directed by Richard E. Cunha; written by Richard E. Cunha and H. E. Barrie.

It's interesting to compare this low budget flick to *Teenage Zombies*, made a couple of years later. Both movies deal with some folks who run into a mad scientist on an island. Both are pretty bad. However, *She Demons* is slightly more professionally made. (The camera changes position now and then.) It's also somewhat nuttier compared to the rather dull *Teenage Zombies*.

Stock footage of hurricanes is shown under the voice of a TV news guy who sets up the plot. It seems a pleasure boat has been blown off course carrying four people. There's our default hero, who is searching for an island rumored to have beast people. There's the daughter of the rich guy who's paying for this quest. She's played by famed pin-up girl Irish "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" McCalla, who certainly knows how to fill a pair of tiny white shorts. This is our first hint that this movie is going to have more than the usual amount of cheesecake for its time. There's our comedy relief, played by the great character actor Victor Sen Yung. Although he makes a couple of won ton and chop suey jokes, at least they didn't give him an accent. There's also a Pacific Islander, apparently the captain of the boat.

As soon as these four get washed up on an uncharted island, Sheena (who is obviously a spoiled rotten Daddy's Princess) starts griping about the clothes that were lost in the wreck. In the first of many outrageous lines of dialogue, she whines "Where's my powder blue cashmere shortie?" It isn't long before a bunch of jets zoom by overhead, and a convenient radio reveals the fact that this island is going to be used for a bombing test. (But isn't it uncharted?) The captain, superstitious "native" that he is, says that the island is evil. He's got a point, because after the others wander around some they find him dead, with a couple of spears sticking out of his body. Following a trail of blood, they find the body of a "native" woman, killed by the captain's knife. (The exciting fight that lead to their deaths takes place off screen, of course.) Flipping her over, they find out that she has a mouth full of long fangs and a face that looks like something a pre-teen reader of _Famous Monsters of Filmland_ might come up with out of papier-mache and ping pong balls. The hero immediately calls her a *She Demon*.

Soon the trio of survivors find a bunch of "native" women (all of them pale skinned and many of them blonde) dancing around an idol, wearing the usual "primitive women" outfits of fake animal skin brassieres and microskirts. They're played by "the Diane Nellis dancers," who seemed to have been selected for beauty rather than for great dancing skill. 

The weirdness level of the movie jumps up when a Nazi in full dress uniform shows up and starts yelling at the women. It seems they have escaped from their wooden cage, so he uses his gigantic bullwhip to force them back. (I might note here that this character is named "Igor," hardly a likely Nazi name!) 

By now you've figured out that we're going to meet a mad Nazi scientist. This one has a scheme which is more complex than usual. It seems his wife was badly burned in an experiment, so she wears bandages completely covering her head. By swapping "Character X" (???) between his wife and the "native" women, he hopes to restore her beauty. Meanwhile, this stuff (plus some taken from animals, because pure "Character X" from his wife would kill his experimental subjects) turns the women temporarily into She Demons. Add to this the fact that he makes use of the island's lava as a source of "perpetual motion" (???) and you have some classic Mad Science indeed.

Sheena is lusted after by Igor (brutally) and the mad scientist (slightly less brutally.) Some fighting goes on. An unusually high number of wisecracks fill the dialogue. (When Igor asks Sheena how she got to the island, she bizarrely answers "I swooped in on a martini.") It all leads up to the She Demons getting their revenge and an apocalyptic ending (courtesy of stock footage.) We also get to see what the mad scientist's wife looks like under her bandages, and I have to admit it's pretty gruesome, if crude.

*She Demons* is a bit sleazier than you'd expect for 1958, with its scantily clad young women being whipped by Nazis. (One of the women, after being whipped to death, is shown face down on the ground, and it's clear that's she's not wearing her brassiere.) With its nonsensical scientific explanations (in a "bad guy revealing his scheme to the heroes" scene which goes on a long time), frequent use of "funny" remarks at inappropriate times, and blatant appeal to girlwatchers, it's enough of an oddity to stand out a bit among other cheap, lousy movies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The College Girl Murders* (*Der Monch mit der Peitsche*, 1967)

My first experience with one of the many German _krimi_ films based on the works of Edgar Wallace. I don't know what the others are like, but this one is a nutty mixture of Old Dark House, Eurospy, and _giallo_. The incredibly complicated plot defies easy description. Suffice to say that we start with a mad scientist who has developed a new poison gas. He quickly murders his assistant with a gas-spraying gizmo hidden in a book, then goes to sell his deadly product to a mysterious figure. The scientist is himself murdered by somebody wearing a bright red robe and hood (the "Monk" of the German title, although the costume looks more like a scarlet KKK outfit.) As the original title suggests, the Monk kills the guy by breaking his neck with one snap of a bullwhip. We're maybe five minutes into the film, so let's just mention that we've got more poison gas murders (some via Bibles [labeled "Bibel" although our story takes place in England], some via a goofy looking gun), a mysterious mastermind in a underground lair complete with crocodiles, a bevy of pretty college girls, secret passages, a guy who is sneaked in and out of prison in an elaborate plot just so he can do some killing for the mastermind, and more red herrings than you can count. The weirdest thing in the movie may be the very end, when a sign comes down from nowhere in the mastermind's giant aquarium reading "ENDE" so one of the police officers working on the case says to the other "We better get going." Add really bright colors and some twanging guitar rock/jazz on the soundtrack and you have a bewildering experience indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Planet on the Prowl* (1966)

It's hard to believe that this stodgy Italian variation on *When Worlds Collide* is a follow-up to the completely wacky *Wild, Wild Planet*. This one is mostly a lot of *Destination Moon* stuff with some soap opera subplots. Some of the sets are interesting, and it's nice to see a number of women officers on the space station. (Amazingly, they wear pants instead of miniskirts.) The movie is two-thirds over before we get a look at the thing that is causing all kinds of (stock footage) disasters on Earth. Things get a little more interesting when the astronauts reach the thing (it seems to be an asteroid-sized living organism, bright red, covered with pools of some kind of liquid, and emitting fumes) and actually go inside it. There's an annoying narrator (American-added, I assume) who tries to explain what's going on, which is pretty annoying.


----------



## svalbard

Wrymwood The Road of Death

A really good zombie flick from Down Under. Whatever is in the water in those parts it does lead to some left of field, deranged movies and this is up there with the best. This is a B movie parodying the genre and it works. Well worth a look.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel*

An enjoyable tale of some retired Brits who move to India to reside in what they think is a restored hotel. They find that things aren't quite as advertised, but deal with the situation in various (and sometimes unpredictable) ways. A great cast of vintage actors including Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton and Judy Dench. Highly entertaining. The sequel is due out tomorrow. However, you never know if a second film will measure up to the first. But perhaps worth a try: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2555736/


----------



## Foxbat

*Winter's Tale *This emaciated adaptation of the Mark Helprin novel  looks great but - in reality - is nothing more than a huge mess. Avoid.


----------



## Mouse

I watched the 1990s TMNT film, then The Wind Rises - which is a Miyazaki film... kinda a biopic about Jiro Horikoshi, then Jurassic Park 3 (which was on telly).


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## JunkMonkey

My 12 year old daughter loved _The Wind Rises_.   I have yet to see it.  The last film I watched (and it was with her) was _Tron Legacy_.  I think she has more mature tastes than I do.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

*The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies*

OK, finally watched the last Hobbit movie last night.  I have to say I was quite disappointed. I think the CGI in action scenes looked far more robotic than in LOTR, while surely the technology should have improved to make it better not worse?

The added love triangle, plus Legolas' fairly redundant role, just poncing around and posturing as far as I could see. The years haven't been kind to Orlando Bloom either so he looks much older in this movie.

There were good bits, like Billy Connolly as Dain and Ryan Gage as Alfrid, but it isn't a film I would rush to see again. And I never, ever thought I would hear myself say that about anything Tolkein-related.

I got the feeling the producers/Peter Jackson strung the story out to three films purely to make more money from them, because there really isn't enough material in there for more than two films, and that's pushing it.


----------



## Vince W

*Chappie*. A good film really. If you generally like Blomkamp's work then you'll probably enjoy this film. Not terribly original, but a good film none the less.


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## JunkMonkey

Kerrybuchanan said:


> *The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies*
> 
> I got the feeling the producers/Peter Jackson strung the story out to three films purely to make more money from them



No?  Really?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*To Be Takei* (2014) Documentary about George Takei. Ranges from his memories as a very young child in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans to coming out as gay. That makes it sound like heavy going, but it's actually pretty lighthearted much of the time, as we see Takei interact with _Star Trek_ fans, getting a haircut from a high school buddy, and so on.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Hellfire Club* (1961)

Directed by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman; written by Jimmy Sangster and Leon Griffiths.

Given the title, writer Sangster, as well as the presence of Adrienne Corri and Peter Cushing in the cast, you might think this is a Hammer shocker. In fact, the famous horror studio didn't have anything to do with it, although the resulting product has something of the look of Hammer, and it's a pure swashbuckler.

The setting is London and surrounding areas during the reign of George II. We begin with two young boys, cousins, in a fancy estate who sneak away from the deserted mansion to see what the adults are up to. They find the masked ladies and gentlemen in a cavern, watching what appears to be a human sacrifice in progress. A fellow holds a dagger above a scantily clad woman on an altar and plunges it down - - - only to reveal that it's a trick dagger, and the whole thing is just in fun. The people get down to some serious loving.

The father of one of the boys beats him in front of his mother for spying on him. The mother, who obviously has a history of being abused by her husband, runs off with the lad and her faithful servant. Meanwhile, the cousin finks out on them, and the husband and his minions take off in hot pursuit. This leads to a carriage wreck. The servant and the boy escape, but the mother is killed, but not before she gives the boy her locket and makes him promise to return to the estate and claim his title. The servant and the boy are taken in by a travelling circus.

Flash forward several years. We learn that the boy, now a handsome young man, has been working with the circus on the continent. A good thing, since he'll need all kinds of acrobatic skills during the adventures to come. He heads back to his ancestral estate, where the rat fink cousin has grown up to inherit the title. After talking to a lawyer (Peter Cushing in a small but charming role), he realizes that he has no way to prove his identity. That is, unless he can land a job with his cousin and find the evidence he needs . . .

Well, our story has barely started, and we've got lots of derring-do to come. Our hero gets to rescue the wicked cousin's lady (Adrienne Corri, as the most complex character, neither all good or all bad) from highwaymen, defeat a huge, muscular servant in a free-for-all to get the job, and many other feats of valor. Not much of this will be new to you if you've ever seen an Errol Flynn movie. (The most original plot twist may be when the hero escapes from prison with the various skills of his circus friends.)

Overall, this was an enjoyable romp. Sometimes the modest budget shows through. It also gets a bit silly near the end, with our hero confronting his cousin (who, by now, knows him very well indeed) in a disguise than should be transparent. There's also an "orgy" scene at the Hellfire Club which features women in very modern looking belly dancing costumes, which spoils the illusion that we're in the middle of the 18th century. The Hellfire Club itself is merely a plot gimmick. (The bad guy not only uses it for wild parties, but also as a private army for his political intrigues.)

Join the Club. You won't get burned.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *The Grand Budapest Hotel* again, love it even more!


----------



## kythe

I just watched Salvage 1 for the first time in over 25 years.  I'm so glad I found it again.     Salvage 1 is a 1979 TV show about a junkyard dealer who had some very fantastic adventures.  In the pilot episode, he arranged a moon flight in order to salvage space junk.  

I saw the pilot episode of Salvage 1 on TV at maybe 10-12 years old.  It really sparked my interest in spaceflight, especially since one of the astronauts was a woman.  I had big dreams - I wanted to be an astronaut and fly to the moon, and this show sparked my imagination about the possibility of building a spacecraft myself and just doing it!  Even then I knew the show wasn't particularly scientific, but it was a lot of fun.

But I hadn't been able to track it down over the years.  First, I thought it was a movie and didn't realize it was a TV show episode.  I couldn't remember the title or names of any actors in it, and since I saw a rerun I had guessed wrong on the date it was made.  A few months ago someone here at Chrons identified it, and recently I discovered it on Youtube in full length.  I was finally able to rewatch an old childhood memory.


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## JunkMonkey

It's amazing how often_ Salvage 1_ turns up in "Please Help me  remember this film I saw when I was a  kid" threads.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Eternal Evil* AKA *The Blue Man* (1985)

This is a movie whose reach far exceeds its grasp.  The premise is interesting, there are some nice visuals and music, and Karen Black does a fine job of portraying a very complex character.  Unfortunately, it also suffers from a low budget, several mediocre supporting performances, and a confused plot.  Oddly, this film seems to be both twenty minutes too short (we seem to be missing scenes that would make things clearer) and five minutes too long (the final "twist" makes nonsense of what has come before.)

Basic story:  Guy frustrated by his job as a director of television commercials has met a mysterious woman (Black) who has taught him how to use astral projection to escape.   (All of this happens before the movie starts, and I would have liked to see their first meeting.)   Folks start dying by "heart attacks" (their internal organs actually burst from inside.)  However, it turns out that something very different from the typical "guy uses psychic powers to kill people" plot is going on.  It involves a sort of reincarnation, and some characters are not exactly whom they seem to be.

That's all I'll say to avoid spoilers.  Some of what goes on is nicely subtle until late in the movie, when they really hit you on the head with it.  Some of it doesn't make much sense.

I was intrigued to see that gay and transgender themes play an important part in the film as well.

This was a disappointment in many ways, but I'm not sorry I watched it.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Watched _Mr Turner_ last night.

It's ostensibly a biographical film about the revolutionary British artist William Turner, whose exploration of the use of light and colour pre-dated the Impressionist movement in France by decades.

The actual result is that Timothy Spall grunts and snorts like a pig, and shuffles about the screen, among a supporting cast of caricatures. That drags out for 150 minutes.

There are some lovely landscape shots, which invoke a sense of Turner's interest in light. But at no point in the film do we ever see any sense of motivation and explanation for his preference for the technique.

Instead, we just get long shots of nothing much happening, dialogue where nothing much is said, and characters who just pop in and out from the film with little impact - none of whom come across as authentic, let alone their relationships. 

The character of Turner doesn't obviously change, but instead just grunts and snorts some more, then shuffles about the screen some more. Sometimes he paints.

Towards the end of the film, I was impatient for the main character to die, just so that the film would be over. Unfortunately, after the heart attack scene, Timothy Spall continues on screen for another frustrating 20 minutes.

_Mr Turner_ is a film with some wonderful scenery, and superb attention to details with production values. Unfortunately, it also appears to eshew those annoying Hollywood standards such as character development and plot. Ultimately, it is two-and-a-half hours of not much happening, that will not enlighten the viewer in anyway about the life of one of the world's great modern artists.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Housebound on the weekend. It was comedy/horror, though the comedy was well place and didn't take anything away from this clever, well written and acted movie. It was made in New Zealand and I read that they were going to do an American remake, though this one was very well done. It on Netflix so have a look. You shouldn't be disappointed


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## clovis-man

ratsy said:


> I watched Housebound on the weekend. It was comedy/horror, though the comedy was well place and didn't take anything away from this clever, well written and acted movie. It was made in New Zealand and I read that they were going to do an American remake, though this one was very well done. It on Netflix so have a look. You shouldn't be disappointed



Took your advice & watched this one today. As you say, very well done. Lots of twists and turns in the story, so you never know what's coming next. The actress playing Kylie reminded me greatly of Ally Sheedy, but with more of a mean streak. Her Mum's role was also quite good. I think it would be silly to make an American version, because the film-makers would be sorely tempted to ruin it with excessive special effects. As it is, this is something of a little gem.


----------



## ratsy

@clovis-man  I thought the same thing about the re-make. I kind of thought...why? It was really well done the way it is...but they think there is money in it so I guess that's why.

I really liked the actress too. She was awesome. She kind of had a frown or grimace for half the movie and took no crap...pretty impressed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Fat Spy* (1966)

Directed by Joseph Cates; written by Matthew Andrews.

With a title like that, you'd expect this to be one of the countless lousy spy spoofs made during the 007 craze. In fact, it's a lousy spoof of beach movies. (We have a young couple named Frankie and Nanette.)

We begin with two guys, never seen again, singing a fairly decent folk rock song about how "people sure act funny/when they get a little money." I guess this is sort of announcing the overall theme of greed, although it could also be seen as a completely unrelated music video before the movie begins.

The plot manages to be both paper thin and nearly incomprehensible, so let's just see who's along for the ride. We have a bunch of teenagers who mostly just sing and dance, although they claim to be on some kind of treasure hunt on an island. We have Brian Donlevy, almost completely wasted here, as the head of a cosmetics firm, who also owns the island. We have his daughter Junior, played by a visibly pregnant Jayne Mansfield. We have twin brothers Herman and Irving, played by comic Jack E. Leonard in his only major film role. Junior is in love with the incompetent Irving, who has lived alone on the island for months, as what one might very loosely refer to as a spy, as he tries to find the Fountain of Youth for the company. Herman works for the company in some kind of executive position. Our antagonist is played by Phyllis Diller, a rival cosmetics magnate named Camille Salamander. It turns out, however, that she's really Herman's high school sweetheart, back when she was named Rapunzel Fingernail. (No explanation for the change from one bizarre name to the other is ever given.) Herman betrays his boss and joins Camille/Rapunzel in her quest for the Fountain of Youth. 

By the way, Camille/Rapunzel also has a Hindu or Sikh servant in a turban who calls her "sahib" and begs for her to beat him.

About half of this movie is made up of mediocre songs. The goofiest is "Do the Turtle," one of those "let's do a new dance" songs which brags that the Turtle is "the slowest dance you'll ever do."

There's a completely irrelevant subplot directly stolen from Beach Blanket Bingo, in which comic relief character Bonehead falls in love with a mermaid. In this movie, comic relief character Dodo falls in love with a mermaid. When he first sees her (really fake) tail, he does a double-take and shouts "Your tail?" Just in case you didn't get it, this is followed by a cartoon word balloon that says "TAIL!!!" There's some other scene, then, since the movie thinks you're an idiot, the whole "Your tail?" scene followed by the cartoon word balloon is repeated. This silliness is resolved in a later scene when Dodo walks into the sea to be with his love. One can only assume he drowns, adding a bizarrely tragic twist to the goofiness.

With all this time wasted, most of the actual story takes place in the last ten minutes. Brief scenes alternate with several more cartoon balloons which try to explain what's going on. Maybe they ran out of money and/or patience and finished this thing as quickly as they could.

****SPOILERS AHEAD (IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO SPOIL THIS THING)****

The Fountain of Youth turns out to be a double-headed black rose. Herman and Camille/Rapunzel share one of the two blooms (by eating it) and turn into toddlers (who speak with their adult voices.) Irving and Junior give the rose to an elderly couple, who happen to be Frankie and Nanette (remember them?) who have aged suddenly. That's because they're actually Ponce de Leon and his wife, and apparently they've been regularly eating the double-headed black roses to stay young.

All this time Brian Donlevy has been aboard his yacht approaching the island. In another head-scratching scene, he hears somebody doing bad imitations of Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, and James Cagney giving him vague advice. By the time the movie ends, he hasn't yet reached the island, so the movie stops with an open ending. The end titles warn the audience to watch out for *The Return of the Fat Spy*, *The Son of the Fat Spy*, and *Bride of the Fat Spy*.

This movie is abysmally filmed (many scenes look like home movies), dreadfully acted (often the actors talk to each other while staring in a different direction, apparently at cue cards) and insanely paced (with endless song and dance sequences alternating with "comedy" played at breakneck pace and lots of shouting and mugging), yet its ineptitude and weirdness exert a strange fascination whenever it's not just boring.


----------



## J-Sun

It took me over two years, but I finally finished my Val Lewton film festival[1]. The previous couple of nights' watching were *Isle of the Dead* and *Bedlam*, both with Karloff. In the first, he plays a Greek general in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 who takes an American journalist to the island where his wife is buried, only to find her grave desecrated and her body gone. The "Lewton singer" draws the two to a house where an old woman warns of the "vorvolaka" (or something like) which is apparently some sort of werebeast/vampire and suspicion is cast on the healthy young woman with her sick mistress as evidence. The plague strikes, so the General quarantines everyone to the island and death and mayhem ensue. This is a very frustrating movie, as I was intrigued by the concept and, from the "crossing the Styx" scene on, I was well-hooked and thought this might be great. I especially like the Karloff character, the old woman, the young woman & mistress, and the interactions between them. But, ultimately, it just doesn't seem to quite thematically work at the end - or, put another way, the "what happens to who how" isn't 100%. "Denouement" comes from "untying the knot" but that's unfortunately exactly what this does - you want it to tie up in a bow and, instead, it just sort of comes undone. I don't mean the film is ruined - the unfolding of the plot is acceptable and the bulk of the movie is great - but it just misses being a masterpiece. It makes me want to watch it over and over again and, if my feeling doesn't change, to rewrite it once I've got it really figured out. 

_Bedlam_ is not bad and does have a much more "fitting" plot progress but is much less interesting. Karloff plays the Apothecary General and master of Bedlam c.1790 but the real star is Anna Lee as the headstrong and conflicted woman who takes an interest in Bedlam and has a falling out with her "noble" patron over it. She takes up with a Quaker (with full-tilt thee's and thou's) but maintains her own unique interpretation of Quakerism. Retrospectively, she becomes almost admirable in ways but she really seems like a _censored_ for much of the movie and part of its problem is that _no_ one is likable. But the movie still has its moments and, in direct opposition to _Isle_, is better by the end than it seemed like it was going to be. (Not the very end, which is quite cliche, but just in the general sense.)

Basically, I'd rank the films something like

Cat People
The Seventh Victim
The Body Snatcher
-
Isle of the Dead
I Walked with a Zombie
Curse of the Cat People
Bedlam
The Ghost Ship
-
The Leopard Man

where the strict order within groups is very debatable but the first group is remarkable, the second well-worth watching, and even the third (a group of one) is not without its moments but is the one I didn't really care for.

I doubt anyone would be interested but I wanted to review my own comments so found all the posts so, for what it's worth, here they are:

Cat People/Curse of the Cat People
(Those two movies come up again and j.d., JunkMonkey, and Victoria help me out)
The Seventh Victim
I Walked with a Zombie/The Body Snatcher
The Leopard Man/The Ghost Ship
_____

[1] Allowing that I still haven't watched the documentary, _Shadows in the Dark_ (or the commentaries except, I think, for the _Cat_ ones), and he does have a couple-three non-fantasy/horror films I haven't seen which I'd theoretically be willing to try but don't have on the agenda.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince* - well that was confusing. After a long gap we continue the family HarryPotterthon and I am totally baffled. Can't remember who half the characters are or what happened in the last film. Subsequently I haven't got a scooby what is going on in this one. I don't even understand the title! I know Snape announces he is/was the 'Half-blood Prince' at the end of the show but why this was important or why it was a mystery in the first place (or even what one is!) passed me by. On the plus side Harry was slightly less annoyingly weedy this time, was only rendered unconscious once, and the only school rule he broke (and for which he was immediately forgiven) was half-killing another pupil in a fight in a bathroom. (The Potter films do like their bathrooms.)

Timothy Spall's name appeared well up the cast list but he appeared on screen only once. Unless I blinked and missed him turning up again I remember him opening a door at one point and (maybe) closing another one. I don't recall him actually saying anything. I wonder how much he got paid. 

Some of the music was interesting. You can tell I was gripped.

Coincidentally the second film in a row I've watched to feature a bridge over the Thames being destroyed. What are the chances? Last night I watched the execrable 2004 _Thunderbirds.  _(My kids had tried to warn me.)


----------



## HanaBi

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054407/combined

*Le Trou (1960)*

Have always been a big fan of the terribly under-rated French director/writer, Jacques Becker.

Le Trou, was his final film, and for me at least remains his most complete & satisfying.

I was fortunate to record this from Ch4 a couple of years back, and never tire of watching it. But then I bought the much better DVD from Amazon for a tenner!

Definitely worth checking out, if you like your prison break-out movies with subtle twists, absorbing direction and great acting from a largely amateur cast.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Ender's Game finally on the weekend. It looked good but really paled compared to the book. Not that I expected much from it. Harrison Ford felt so withdrawn, like it was just a paycheck and he didn't care. Overall I would give it a 5/10 or around there. Once again, book trumps movie.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

ratsy said:


> watched Ender's Game finally on the weekend.



I watched it for the first time at the weekend as well but, perhaps because I haven't read the book and because my expectations were pretty low, I ended up enjoying it. I agree about Harrision Ford, but the boy who played Ender Wiggins was good.


----------



## ratsy

Yeah I may have enjoyed it with out the book, but the payoff was the ending, and having known it, the whole thing is almost pointless to me!


----------



## Vince W

I saw Ender's Game in the cinema when it came out. I went in with low expectations and still came out disappointed.


----------



## Mouse

*Zombeavers.* Hilarious. Plus the song during the credits is still stuck in my head.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

My husband is watching *Battle Los Angeles *as I sit and type with the laptop on my knee. Well, I say watching. His eyes are closed and he's snoring, and the cat is asleep on the remote control so not much chance of changing channels.

Not the best film I've ever seen. Acting poor and very little in the way of plot.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Planet of the Vampires* (1965)

Nifty science fiction/horror flick from Mario Bava. The whole thing has the feel of *Forbidden Planet* and _Star Trek_, with a touch of *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*. Visually, it has the look of a very low budget used with style and imagination. (And those sourceless colored lights you expect from Bava.) This film was famously a strong influence on *Alien*. This can best be seen during a particularly effective scene set in an ancient derelict spaceship full of gigantic alien skeletons. Highly recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched a couple of Del Tenney movies. The first - *The Horror Of Party Beach* has dancing teenagers and sea monsters. The second - *The Curse Of The Living Corpse *is most notable as the film debut of Roy Scheider. Neither is much notable for anything else but - strangely enough - both look a lot better after a couple of stiff drinks. 

Ones for the wee small hours of the morning and best watched through a veil of drunkeness.


----------



## Starbeast

I haven't seen anything new lately, so I watched some old favorites. 

*Stick* (1985) - Burt Reynolds plays a no-nonsense guy who just got out of prison to start a new life, but runs into trouble fast. Dar Robinson (stuntman) plays one of my favorite humorless villains of all time. This crime drama is based off the novel, written by Elmore Leonard.

*They Call Me Trinity* (1971) - For me, this is the greatest comedy western ever made. A true masterpiece. Actors Terence Hill and Bud Spencer (who've also made a string of movies as a comedic duo), portray two half-brothers that get evolved protecting Mormons against a wicked Cattle Baron and a gang of bandits.

*Green Slime* (1969) - One of my all-time favorite sci-fi monster movie. The story, dialogue and action feel like they're right out of an EC pulp comic book from the 1950's. Jam-packed with rockets, rayguns and far-out outer space monsters.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Foxbat said:


> Watched a couple of Del Tenney movies. The first - *The Horror Of Party Beach* has dancing teenagers and sea monsters. The second - *The Curse Of The Living Corpse *is most notable as the film debut of Roy Scheider. Neither is much notable for anything else but - strangely enough - both look a lot better after a couple of stiff drinks.
> 
> Ones for the wee small hours of the morning and best watched through a veil of drunkeness.



*The Horror of Party Beach* is good only for mocking, as the folks at MST3K noted.  (It's also fun to compare it to the very similar *Beach Girls and the Monster* AKA *Monster From the Surf*.)  *The Curse of the Living Corpse* is, surprisingly, not as bad, and rather resembles an early American _giallo_ or slasher.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Wages of Fear (1953)
*
For me, this is my favourite of all Henri-George Clouzot's directed films.

Set in a un-named South American town, presumably in the 1950s; a town with high unemployment and searing temperatures, four volunteers are chosen to drive two rickety old trucks with a cargo of nitroglycerin on each across 200 miles of poor roads & mud tracks to an oil refinery in order to douse a rig that has accidentally exploded.

Not only is it a dangerous journey for a relatively small financial reward, but the 4 volunteers themselves, are not exactly the friendliest people in the world; and their mannerisms soon begin to become just as dangerous as the cargo they're carrying!

Great character-driven film, with a reasonable storyline, plenty of suspenseful moments, along with a off-the-curve controversial ending - so typical of Clouzot!


----------



## Starbeast

HanaBi said:


> *The Wages of Fear (1953)
> *
> For me, this is my favourite of all Henri-George Clouzot's directed films.
> 
> Great character-driven film, with a reasonable storyline, plenty of suspenseful moments, along with a off-the-curve controversial ending - so typical of Clouzot!


 
Nice to meet you HanaBi. This is one of my favorite films too. I even like the 1977 remake, _Sorcerer_. Including the haunting soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.


----------



## HanaBi

Starbeast said:


> Nice to meet you HanaBi. This is one of my favorite films too. I even like the 1977 remake, _Sorcerer_. Including the haunting soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.



Hi Starbeast

I had mixed feelings about the remake. It was a pretty decent film all round, although I was constantly making comparisons with the original  -as you would expect. The cinematography was exceptional, as was the general downbeat mood of the film throughout (so un-Hollywood). And Roy Scheider, was especially good, as he didn't strike me as a lead actor, but more of a supporting one (Jaws, French Connection etc)

BUT.....

I just didn't like the TD score! And that's a pity because I'm a big fan of theirs (James Caan's "Thief" being especially excellent, scorewise). But for me, their music just didn't fit with the South American shanty-town atmosphere; and I became distracted/irritated by it as the film progressed.

Admittedly, I have only watched Sorcerer once; so perhaps I can be a bit more forgiving next time round (in fact I will make it a point to watch it again this weekend). I'll let you know if my opinion has changed


----------



## JunkMonkey

The original book is pretty terrific too!

Just to lower the tone a bit - the last film I watched was Brian Singer's_ X-Men _and I really quite enjoyed it. Watching it projected up on the big screen with a room full of boys shovelling popcorn and juice helped (all the women in my family having buggered off to some Harry Potter related thing for the weekend).  It was pretty darn good - for a comic book movie.


----------



## Starbeast

@JunkMonkey - The novel is on my wish list.

@HanaBi - For me, what I enjoyed mostly about SORCERER, was that director William Friedkin, made his own defined version, and named the movie after the Largo truck. The truck repair sequence is one of my favorite parts of the film. Plus I liked how Friedkin showed where each main character came from. And as for the Tangerine Dream soundtrack, it's my ultimate favorite movie score CD of all time (next to Heavy Metal). But the soundtrack for THIEF is awesome for me too.

Ironically, I was thinking about watching _The Wages of Fear_ some time some. Maybe tonight.


----------



## HanaBi

Starbeast said:


> @HanaBi - For me, what I enjoyed mostly about SORCERER, was that director William Friedkin, made his own defined version, and named the movie after the Largo truck. The truck repair sequence is one of my favorite parts of the film. Plus I liked how Friedkin showed where each main character came from. And as for the Tangerine Dream soundtrack, it's my ultimate favorite movie score CD of all time (next to Heavy Metal). But the soundtrack for THIEF is awesome for me too.
> 
> Ironically, I was thinking about watching _The Wages of Fear_ some time some. Maybe tonight.



Well as promised, I re-watched Sorcerer, again last night; and my feelings towards the score have shifted slightly more in favour.. but only slightly mind 

Perhaps it was because I was focusing more on the TD soundtrack rather than the film itself, that I could instantly pick up certain "soundbites" that reminded me of their later efforts in "*Thief*" (especially 65 minutes in, and the trucks are finally on the road); but I was also reminded of Ennio Morricone's score from "*The Thing*", at the scene where our "heroes" are repairing the trucks prior to the journey; and there were other TD signatures that reminded me of other John Carpenter films - "*Assault on Precinct 13*" and "*Halloween*"

All of those musical footprints suited those particular films to a tee; with the exception of Sorcerer. And I know I'm in the minority here, but I still can't find much love for it here.


----------



## ratsy

We watched 'Dark Skies' (or something close to that) last night. It was kind of a horror flick but substitute aliens for a malevolent spirit. Good cast, decent plot and writing, and a healthy looking budget made for a decent movie. Not mind blowing but for any alien fans, worth checking out. It was entertaining. It was on Netflix here in Canada, so may be in yours too.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Terrornauts* (1967) An interesting if somewhat dated SF movie. Scientists at a radio-telescope are kidnapped and taken to a satellite run only by robots. There, they must pass a series of intelligence tests before learning the reason behind their abduction. 

If you want find out why, you can pick this one up on DVD fairly cheaply.

Running time is only 58 minutes so it fits right into the B movie pigeonhole. Overall, not too bad.


----------



## HanaBi

*City of God* (*Cidade de Deus 2002*)

Poverty, violence, depression, corruption, slum towns, crime, little or no future.

Such is the lives of two boys growing up from one of Brazil's many slum neighbourhoods, take different career paths: one becomes a photographer, the other turns to drug dealing, yet somehow their lives and fortunes remain interlinked.

Great film, but not an easy one to enjoy. It's certainly not a happy-clappy film; but it is still terribly effective & moving. Wonderful cast, tight, merciless direction, and excellent plot (based on a true story)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Whip and the Body* (1963)

Lushly beautiful gothic horror film from Mario Bava. Every scene looks like a painting. In addition to Bava's famous colored lights with no obvious source, great use is also made of shadows and darkness. There's a very nice piano theme heard often as well.

Israeli actress Daliah Lavi (looking very Barbara Steele-ish here) has top billing, above co-star Christopher Lee. That seems backwards at first, but it soon becomes evident that the entire story revolves around Lavi, who plays a very complex character.

Lee plays the black sheep of the family who comes back to his ancestral castle some time after seducing a servant girl, driving her to cut her own throat when he abandons her. In the first of many macabre and lovely touches, we see that the girl's mother, another servant, keeps the bloodstained dagger and roses in a bell jar, vowing that Lee will meet the same fate as her daughter.

Lee arrives to find his father, who disowned him; his brother, newly married to Lavi, with whom Lee had a prior relationship (more on that later); a female cousin, also apparently a former plaything, who happens to be in love with the younger brother; and a limping male servant who seems to mostly be a red herring.

Lavi goes out for a ride along the sea. Lee comes up to her, takes her whip (a small coil of rope, really) and beats her with it. It becomes clear that Lavi is both terrified and sexually excited by this treatment, and the two must have had a pretty heavy S&M relationship in the past (the kind that draws blood.) This daring theme gives the film much of its emotional power, and Lavi has to play a woman who often seems to be gasping with fear and moaning with pleasure at the same time.

Pretty soon somebody cuts Lee's throat with the dagger. Not long after his funeral, there are signs that he's come back from the grave for revenge . . .

Highly recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Not long after his funeral, there are signs that he's come back from the grave for revenge . . .
> 
> Highly recommended.



I agree. Coming back from the grave for revenge has long been on my 'must do' list.


----------



## Starbeast

HanaBi said:


> Well as promised, I re-watched Sorcerer, again last night; and my feelings towards the score have shifted slightly more in favour.. but only slightly mind
> 
> And I know I'm in the minority here, but I still can't find much love for it here.


 
No worries my friend, we all don't like the same things. I'm comfortably cool with that. And I do really like to hear constructive critiques on films of all kinds. Nice chatting with you, HanaBi.



*The Giant Gila Monster* (1959) - I love this classic black and white creature flick about a teenage garage mechanic, who likes to tune up cars into hot rods, and is rock and roll singer hopefull. This cool cat helps the local sheiff solve the mystery of missing people, and discovers that it's a gigantic man-eating lizard. Plus, this movie is a featured treat on Mystery Science Theater 3000, which make it hilarious to watch and listen too.


----------



## Anne Spackman

"The Theory of Everything" a few days ago.  I already own a book by Stephen Hawking, _Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays_ that I now think I might put on my reading list again...


----------



## HanaBi

*Seven Samurai
*
This is the first time I've seen the complete film - all 204 minutes of it!

It is definitely one of those films to add to one's bucket list, but in truth have never really had the time or inclination to watch in one sitting. Until now.

And I have to say the critical adulation for this film over the last 50 odd years, is truly deserved. 

I really must make a point of tracking down more of Kurosawa's work.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Circus of Fear* AKA *Psycho-Circus* (1966)

My second experience with the krimi genre is this UK/West Germany co-production. It's a lot more sane that *The College Girl Murders*, maybe because of the British influence.

In a pretty nifty opening sequence without dialogue, we see a bunch of crooks pull off an intricate robbery of an armored car. This wildly complex heist involves phony detour signs, knock-out gas, and a speedboat waiting below London Bridge to carry away the loot. All goes well until one of the guards foolishly tries to stop one of the crooks. In the first of many examples of disguises and false identities, another guard who turns out to be in on the plot shoots him. This killing wasn't part of the plan, so when they all get back to their hiding place the second-in-command gets on the phone with the unseen boss, who tells him to have the phony guard meet him at an isolated farmhouse. It won't surprise you that the boss (still unknown to the viewer) throws a big knife at him and kills him. Oh, by the way, there's also a tiger in a cage nearby.

Thus we enter our circus setting. It seems this farmhouse is right next to the winter quarters of a traveling circus. Just about everybody associated with this circus has some kind of dark secret, and the red herrings abound as more murders take place. Could it be the professional knife thrower? Could it be the lion tamer (played by top billed Christopher Lee) who always wears a black hood to disguise the results of a horrible accident in the cage? Could it be the sardonic midget "Mister Big," who is blackmailing Lee (who has a secret supply of money) for some reason or other? Could it be Klaus Kinski, playing the role of one of the crooks, who is trying to locate the loot?

This is a rather sedate and talky little suspense film. The identity of the killer is pretty much arbitrary, and is revealed during one of those "let's trick the murderer into revealing himself" scenes which strain credibility. It's an OK way to pass the time.


----------



## Foxbat

*A Tale Of Two Sisters* (2003) A superb Korean horror/psychological thriller. However, it's one of those films that really needs multiple viewings to appreciate it. Highly recommended.


----------



## HanaBi

*Yojimbo* (1961) - Another superb Akira Kurosawa film, that constantly rates highly in most critics' "best top 100 films", and rightly so.

This was remade for American/Italian markets by Sergio Leone, in 1964/5, as "*Fistful of Dollars*" with Clint Eastwood.


----------



## kythe

*Starship Troopers *(1997)

Last year I read the book by Robert A. Heinlein.  I found myself reacting very strongly to the "might makes right" philosophy presented, and tried to distance myself from it.  I finally saw the film version and have mixed feelings about it, but for different reasons.

The film definitely turns Starship Troopers into a satire, which makes the strong pro-military position more palatable.  Yet, the story was changed and toned down so dramatically it lost a good bit of its meaning.  A thought-provoking book which also elicited strong emotions from me was turned into a mindless action flick.  Aside from a lack of general direction, the action scenes felt too repetitive as the military's primary strategy appeared to be "run and shoot".  They kept losing battle - not because of a great enemy - but because they were stupid and had poor weapons.  Speaking of which, what happened to the power suits?  Strategy would have played out much differently had they stuck with the original - and very creative - use of power suits.

Strangely though, I feel a stronger connection now with a book I thought I didn't like.  It presented ideas about war in a way I had never thought of before, and really caused me to think through my attitudes and reasoning behind why I believe what I do in that way.  The movie had no such effect and is quite forgettable.


----------



## Mouse

*Seventh Son*. Saw this one for Ben Barnes. What a beautiful boy. As for the film, it was alright. Good enough. Doesn't deserve the bad press it's had. Typical fantasy film, really. The ending was an anti-climax, but I've not read the book it's based on, so it might be like that in the book for all I know.

Jeff Bridges was bloody awful though. Could barely understand a word he was saying as it sounded as if he was speaking through fat globules. Yuck.

Totally adore Olivia Williams. Didn't quite understand why both she and Ben had to use the faux American accents though when the setting is kinda medieval, but again, I've not read the books so don't know whether it's supposed to be olde America or something.


----------



## Foxbat

*Solomon Kane* This movie seems to attract a lot of criticism but I rather enjoyed it


----------



## HanaBi

*"Fantastic Voyage"* (1966)

Haven't seen this film in donkey's years, but still pretty decent despite the iffy special effects and acting.

Always good to see Donald Pleasence & Stephen Boyd in action.

Oh, and of course, there's Raquel Welch being attacked by "seaweed"


----------



## Droflet

Ah, yes, the seaweed scene. Hmmmm.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Well I sat done and watched *Breaking Dawn part 2* last night - and although I have to admit it was miles better than part 1...I have to ask the question. Is how the film ended, the same way the books end? 

Because I thought it was a massive cop out and really very unsatisfying. Especially the climatic 'battle'.


----------



## HanaBi

*Kikujiro (1999)
*
Am a big fan of Japanese actor/director, Takeshi Kitano, and this particular film is one of his best & most accessible of all his eclectic movies; and of course the musical score, by Takeshi resident Joe Hisaishi, is a delight and perfect here.


----------



## HanaBi

*Richard III (1955)*

I recently recieved a boxset of Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare film classics, courtesy of Criterion.

Richard III, was a wonderful experience (have seen numerous versions both on stage and screen over the years, but this ranks as the best). Olivier was perfect as Richard - and as soon as he introduced himself to us via soliloquy "_Now is the winter of our discontent_... " I just knew I was in for a treat. And by the end of the film I was not disappointed. 

Still have his *Hamlet *& *Henry V* to enjoy over this Easter holiday


----------



## clovis-man

HanaBi said:


> Richard III, was a wonderful experience (have seen numerous versions both on stage and screen over the years, but this ranks as the best). Olivier was perfect as Richard - and as soon as he introduced himself to us via soliloquy "_Now is the winter of our discontent_... " I just knew I was in for a treat. And by the end of the film I was not disappointed.


First saw this on a television broadcast many years ago, probably when it first came out in 1955. It was considered a major event. It was amazing to me, even at that tender age, how Olivier's presence could fill the stage despite his "dogs bark at me" persona.


----------



## Idoru

Just watched Fast and Furious 7. It was pretty awesome.


----------



## Foxbat

*Shadow Of The Vampire *- excellent


----------



## Rodders

Dark Star. As a lifelong SF fan, I hadn't seen this but heard much about it. It was ok but not as good as I was expecting.

Divergent. I was pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed this movie.

23 Jump Street. Not as good as 22 Jump Street but still quite funny.


----------



## Vince W

*Furious 7*. Some seriously cringeworthy dialogue and stunts to make your eyes roll, but somewhat fun. Just don't think too hard about it. It's about 30 minutes too long, but I expect that's because they padded it out with every stitch of film they had on Paul Walker.


----------



## clovis-man

Rodders said:


> Dark Star. As a lifelong SF fan, I hadn't seen this but heard much about it. It was ok but not as good as I was expecting.


Like a number of SF films, *Dark Star* is a little bit rooted in the time it was produced (1974). When it first came out, I was planning on skipping it because it was reputed to be amateurish. But a friend told me I should see it. So I went to the theater with low expectations and came away with a grin on my face. It was just campy enough to enthrall me (esp. Dan O'Bannon and the beach ball alien). Now, 40 years later, it has become a cult classic and can never live up to its hype. Still fun though.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I switched my brain off and watched *Charlie's Angels* for the first time tonight.  As the end credits rolled:
Me: "Well... that was even shitter than I was expecting..."
No 2 Daughter (aged 10): "Yep."

We should have watched _Dark Star_.  I think she would have liked _Dark Star_.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies* (2014) - Very good, and by-the-numbers (mostly).

*Big Hero 6* (2014) - Better than I thought it was going to be. Great homage to comics and anime.


----------



## Nechtan

*Interstellar*. Well, uh, hmm, no idea what to make of it.


----------



## HanaBi

*Throne of Blood* *(1957)* - another Akira Kurosawa, that more or less completes my Kurosawa Samurai film-fest for Easter.

An obvious adaption of Shakespeare's MacBeth, the film is quite unsettling with its ghostly apparitions, relentless foggy landscapes, barren wastelands &  "living" forests. On top of all this doom & gloom is the story itself: one of betrayal, revenge, plotting & bloody murder!

Kurosawa regular, Toshiro Mifune, has never been better (or sinister), as the samurai warrior scheming his way to power, helped by an equally calculating wife; and then, like most things in life, when you reach the top, there's no where else to go but down... or out!

Great film!


----------



## Droflet

*Wyrmwood*. Aussie zombie movie. Nothing if not imaginative. Fast, clever, meaty. Yum.


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to see *Interstellar* and Wow...just Wow! 

Nolan's movies just seem to get better and better.

I think 2001 has finally got a rival


----------



## ratsy

I watched _Wish I was Here_ from Zach Braff. It wasn't a bad movie, and I did like his acting and the music, as always, was right up my alley. But the movie was missing something, like a piece of its soul wasnt there. Kate Hudson didn't bring a lot of depth to it which was too bad because I like her, and Mandy Patinkin was off too.


----------



## biodroid

Interstellar, brilliant


----------



## Ringti

*Eragon*. Easily the best fantasy movie ever made. 10/10, 5 stars, would watch again.


I'm kidding, of course. It was terrible, but I'll never not find Jeremy Irons enjoyable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sword of Lancelot* AKA *Lancelot and Guinevere* (1963)

Directed by Cornel Wilde; written by Richard Schayer and Cornel Wilde (as "Jefferson Pascal")

Quadruple-threat Cornel Wilde also co-produced and stars in this version of the adulterous love affair between King Arthur's most valiant knight and his queen. Wilde's real-life wife, Jean Wallace, co-stars as Guinevere.

Wallace's troubled personal life (more stable during the thirty years she was married to Wilde) may have added to her ability to portray the emotionally disturbed mistress of crime boss Richard Conte in the excellent _film noir_ *The Big Combo* (1955, also with Wilde.) In a similar way, Wallace seems a good fit for the role of Queen Guinevere, whose fairy tale beauty cannot disguise her essential sadness.

(Some critics have suggested that forty-ish Wallace and fifty-ish Wilde are too long in the tooth to portray the lovers, but I had no problem with this aspect of the film. If Lancelot and Guinevere [to use the more appropriate, original British title] doesn't quite have the same autumnal mood of Robin and Marion (1976), they are both medieval romances for adults.)

The various film adaptations of Arthurian legends vary enormously in the degree to which they include fantastic elements. ]*Excalibur* (1981) and even the spoof *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* (1975) are full of magic. *Sword of Lancelot* goes to the other extreme. There is no mention of Morgan le Fay or the Lady of the Lake. Merlin is present, but only as Arthur's most trusted adviser. Like any story of King Arthur, the plot bears no more resemblance to real history than your local Renaissance Faire, but it does not admit any hint of the supernatural.

Our tale begins with an unexpected touch of comedy. One of the knights of Camelot reports that Lancelot must be seriously ill with some plague, as he was seen with a strange white substance on his body. This turns out to be Merlin’s latest invention, which he calls “soap.” (This is historically nonsensical, as soap-making is an ancient process, very well-known in medieval times.) After some good-natured joking about Lancelot’s clean skin and fine scent, we get down to business. 

It seems that Arthur intends to marry Guinevere, the daughter of another king, in order to unite the two realms. A representative from Guinevere’s father, hardly more than a boy, shows up to announce that the rival king refuses this alliance. In order to avoid war, however, he is willing to have his champion fight Arthur’s chosen representative to the death, with the winning monarch to have his way. Naturally, this is a job for Lancelot.

Our film takes a less romantic view of combat than some tales of valor. The battle is two heavily armed men trying their best to kill each other with a variety of deadly weapons. Later, in scenes of full-scale warfare, we’ll see an unexpected level of gruesome violence, with one character taking an arrow in the side of the head and another having an arm nearly completely cut off.

Of course, Lancelot wins. He escorts Guinevere back to Camelot. During the long ride, Guinevere reveals that she’s a bit of a tomboy (despite her golden hair, fair skin, and Disney princess gowns.) She claims to ride as well as a boy. Lancelot asks if she swims as well as a boy. This leads to a scene where the two aren’t quite skinny dipping together, but pretty darn close to it for a knight and his king’s intended bride. (During this scene, Lancelot demonstrates the use of soap to the lady.) 

It’s pretty clear by this time that the two are hot for each other. (A later scene set in Guinevere’s bedchamber makes it clear that their passion is at least as physical as it is emotional.) The two only become closer when they are attacked by a gang of thugs, hired by Mordred to kill Guinevere to prevent another heir to the throne from being born. (Some reviews of this film claim that Mordred is depicted as Arthur’s brother, but the way I heard his dialogue, I think he is correctly said to be Arthur’s illegitimate son, although there is no hint that this is the result of an incestuous relationship between Arthur and his half-sister, as explicitly shown in *Excalibur*.)

By the time the two reach Camelot, they are madly in love, but are determined not to allow their emotions to interfere with honor and duty. Guinevere marries Arthur, and Lancelot goes back to doing knight stuff. Only after a casual conversation in a garden, in which Lancelot teaches Guinevere how to say “I love you” in Latin, do the two fall into each other’s arms, and the doom of Camelot begins. (In an effective scene, where we see people talk without hearing what they are saying, we watch the ladies of the court gossiping, then Mordred’s girlfriend [Hammer favorite Adrienne Corri in a small role] talking to her lover, then Mordred speaking to Arthur.)

*Sword of Lancelot* is an enjoyable combination of action and soap (!) opera. The modest budget shows through at times, particularly during scenes making use of back projection. It may also explain why certain major events take place off stage and are only talked about. On the other hand, the battle sequences are quite well done. Even someone like me, who is completely ignorant about military matters, can see that the tactics used by the combatants seem to make sense. (The film also points out quite clearly that the armies consist mostly of bowmen and foot soldiers, and only a much smaller number of knights.) 

The acting is generally good, although some viewers may be put off by Wilde’s decision to play Lancelot as an accented Frenchman. The characters are interesting. I liked Arthur, portrayed as a man betrayed by his close friend, and tormented by his wife’s infidelity (as well as the fact that the law requires him to sentence her to a particularly horrible form of death.) I enjoyed Mordred’s Iago-like villain. Even a fairly minor character like Gawain has to evolve, as the story goes on, from Lancelot’s close friend to his bitter enemy (after Lancelot unintentionally kills Gawain’s brother during his escape from Camelot) to his ally against Mordred.

*Sword of Lancelot* has a bittersweet conclusion which avoids either a happy ending for the two lovers or total tragedy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Nasty Rabbit* AKA *Spies-a-Go-Go* (1964)

Having survived *The Fat Spy*, I subjected myself to another terrible 1960's comedy.

The story has something to do with a Soviet plot involving a white rabbit (and it's a cute little thing, too) carrying some horrible disease that will wipe out all life in the USA. A Soviet spy disguises himself as a cowboy and winds up somewhere in the West where the bunny will be activated (or something.) A bunch of other spies -- good guy Americans, and a oddball group consisting of a sexpot (the infamous jailbird/stripper/John Waters star Liz Renay), a midget, and a bunch of grotesquely insulting national stereotypes (Nazi-like German, WWII-style Japanese, sombrero-wearing Mexican) -- chase around after it. Our lead actor, Arch Hall, Jr., is (as usual) a singing star but he's also a good guy spy. Arch Hall, Sr., shows up in a double role as a Soviet bigwig and an American bigwig. Junior doesn't too much and seems pretty bored here. He's got a squeaky-voiced love interest. The father of the love interest completely steals the film. Not that his role is interesting or anything; he just happens to be a professional, competent actor, and he stands out like a sore thumb in this thing. (He had a long, if minor, TV and movie career, unlike anybody else in this movie who wasn't a novelty like Renay or Richard Kiel, who briefly appears.) There's a cute white dog who shows up once in a while. The rabbit is given a high-pitched voice and delivers wisecracks directly to the audience. It has the last line of the movie. "So long."

Of all the films starring Arch Hall, Jr., that I have seen, this is by far the worst. I haven't seen *The Choppers* or *Deadwood '76*. *Eegah* is bad but delightful, *Wild Guitar* is bad but charming, and *The Sadist* is pretty darn good. This one is just bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Brain Eaters* (1958)

Some trivia that many of you may already know:

1. Robert A. Heinlein sued the producers of this film due to similarities to his 1951 novel _The Puppet Masters_. (The basic plot is about the same: A strange craft is found on Earth and investigated by government types. It contains creatures that attach themselves to the backs of humans, taking over their will.)

2. The music, credited to a "Tom Jonson," is actually just stolen from Russian classical composers.

3. Leonard Nimoy shows up at the very end of the film, completely hidden by hood, robe, and big white beard, although you can recognize his voice. The credits list him as "Leonard Nemoy."

So how is it as a movie? Well, it's obviously dirt cheap. Many scenes are narrated, a clear sign of a low budget. There's a lot of talk and almost nothing in the way of special effects. However, the film does create a certain amount of tension in scenes where the victims of the invading parasites struggle to regain their willpower. The scene with Nimoy at the end has a certain amount of weirdness, as the Moses-like character (a scientist who was taken by the creatures some time before the film starts) defends the strife-free lifestyle of those controlled by the parasites, all filmed inside the foggy interior of the craft. In an interesting twist, the brain eaters are not from outer space, but instead came up from inside the Earth, having waited two hundred million years to reappear. All in all, it's a minor variation on *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*.


----------



## stirdgit

Interstellar.  Truly one of the all-time greats!  I've now seen it twice and the second time was as impressive as the first.


----------



## Grimward

Finally saw *X-Men: Days of Future Past*.  Will probably need another viewing, because have read the comics (and owning some of them) my brain has to reconcile the story in the books with the story in the movie some more...


----------



## HanaBi

*Rififi (1955)*

Another wonderful Criterion, film-noir release, of a group of disperate/desperate men planning & executing one final bank robbery, but with a rather nasty sting in the tail!

Shot under a very small budget (although you would never guess), but what the film lacks in sets it makes up for in a rich script, great acting (from a largely unknown cast), meticulous direction, tight editing, and a truly amazing 30 minute scene of the actual heist - all without background music or talking.

2 hours of marvellous entertainment & suspense!


----------



## Allegra

Watched a 2006's German film *Four Minutes*. Powerful! Superb character actings of the two protagonists, a very touching dark story. The ending is brilliant. It is the 2nd best German films I've watched in recent years, the 1st one is *The Lives Of Others* (2006) - a masterpiece.


----------



## Starbeast

*Grave of the Vampire* (1972) - One of my all time favorite "modern day vampire" films. I finally saw this personal cult classic, uncut and restored to it's original widescreen print, including the missing, last few seconds of the movie. I loved it.

Michael Pataki portrays the vampire in this film, magnificantly. And as an added treat, one of my favorite B-movie actors, William Smith also stars in this horror/drama.

I'm so glad that I discovered this chiller flick, long ago, as a young teen searching for something to watch late at night on tv.

*The Terror Experiment* (2010) - Dreadfully dull zombie outbreak movie, set in a virus research center. Actors, Judd Nelson and Robert Carradine could not save this typical, lame horror snooze fest. Avoid it.


----------



## Foxbat

HanaBi said:


> *Rififi (1955)*
> 
> Another wonderful Criterion, film-noir release, of a group of disperate/desperate men planning & executing one final bank robbery, but with a rather nasty sting in the tail!
> 
> Shot under a very small budget (although you would never guess), but what the film lacks in sets it makes up for in a rich script, great acting (from a largely unknown cast), meticulous direction, tight editing, and a truly amazing 30 minute scene of the actual heist - all without background music or talking.
> 
> 2 hours of marvellous entertainment & suspense!


One of the very best heist movies


----------



## JunkMonkey

Fellini's *Roma* (1972) -  This wasn't his best but I do like his films.  I don't understand them - there was little or no narrative structure in _Roma_ just a series of seemingly unconnected impressionistic scenes which jump about in time from the early 1930s the present day.  Fellini throws everything at the screen: breaks the fourth wall, has inbuilt critical insults - there's a moment where a young hippy type attacks the director for making the same old film over and over again and he does keep the camera moving moving moving: there's not a still moment. I liked the verve of it and the dreamlike qualities.  I have a friend who is visiting Rome at the moment.  I think I may have seen more of it than he will.  I know if ever I go I will be vastly disappointed in the real thing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Starbeast said:


> *Grave of the Vampire* (1972) - One of my all time favorite "modern day vampire" films. I finally saw this personal cult classic, uncut and restored to it's original widescreen print, including the missing, last few seconds of the movie. I loved it.
> 
> Michael Pataki portrays the vampire in this film, magnificantly. And as an added treat, one of my favorite B-movie actors, William Smith also stars in this horror/drama.
> 
> I'm so glad that I discovered this chiller flick, long ago, as a young teen searching for something to watch late at night on tv.



Agreed.  This is an underrated little film, proof that a little style and imagination can do a lot with a modest budget.




JunkMonkey said:


> Fellini's *Roma* (1972) -  This wasn't his best but I do like his films.  I don't understand them - there was little or no narrative structure in _Roma_ just a series of seemingly unconnected impressionistic scenes which jump about in time from the early 1930s the present day.  Fellini throws everything at the screen: breaks the fourth wall, has inbuilt critical insults - there's a moment where a young hippy type attacks the director for making the same old film over and over again and he does keep the camera moving moving moving: there's not a still moment. I liked the verve of it and the dreamlike qualities.  I have a friend who is visiting Rome at the moment.  I think I may have seen more of it than he will.  I know if ever I go I will be vastly disappointed in the real thing.



The scene where they open up some underground ancient Roman murals and they start fading due to their exposure to light was amazing.


----------



## Anne Spackman

I just saw "The Peacemaker" which was all right.  I also saw "Seven Years in Tibet" recently.  It was better than I thought it would be.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Undertaker and His Pals* (1966)

Ultra-cheap horror comedy with some gruesome but extremely fake gore (plus a few seconds of real surgery footage, which is genuinely disgusting after all the phony bright red blood), and a whole lot of unsophisticated silliness.  What little plot there is (this thing only runs a few minutes over an hour) involves a couple of guys who run a cheap diner.  Along with their buddy the local undertaker, they dress up like motorcycle hoodlums and kill people (usually pretty young women.)  The two guys take part of their bodies to serve as meat at their diner, the undertaker takes the rest so he can get paid by the bereaved relatives for his cut-rate funerals ($144.95 for a plain wooden crate, but he tries to get folks to pay a lot more for extras.  But at least he gives trading stamps!)  There's also a private detective whose secretary gets killed and served up.  He quickly gets a new one, named Friday, who suffers the same fate.  But then her identical twin sister shows up (same actress.)  Her name is Thursday.  Yep, that's the kind of humor you'll get here.  There's also a bit where an African-American fellow gets too nosy, so they kill him.  Yes, they use the "dark meat" joke.  And one guy gets hit in the face with a cream pie.  This ain't sophisticated wit, folks.  Most surrealistic joke:  During the first murder, a photograph of a guy in a sailor suit (apparently the victim's boyfriend) changes expression from smiling to open-mouthed shock.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Undertaker and His Pals* (1966)
> 
> Ultra-cheap horror comedy with some gruesome but extremely fake gore (plus a few seconds of real surgery footage, which is genuinely disgusting after all the phony bright red blood),



It's surprising how shocking and disturbing that is isn't it?  I've not seen *The Undertaker and His Pals*  but they do something similar in The Night of the Bloody Apes.  Real Ewwwww Yeck!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Speed of Thought* (aka _Scopers _2011) - talky little low budget SF about telepaths and nasty government abuse of them that nearly works. No explosions or stupid car chases just semi-credible what iffery. There are a couple of moments where you have to suspend your disbelief but they are character and plot moments not 'How the hell did he walk out of THAT without a scratch?' moments.  I almost liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*All the Kind Strangers*(1974)

Odd little made-for-TV psychological suspense drama which might be described as the dark side of _The Waltons_.

Stacy Keach plays a guy driving in a rural part of the American South who picks up a little kid walking with a sack of groceries. He gives him a lift to his extremely remote (but rather fancy, almost mansion-like) farmhouse. There he meets six other youngsters, ranging from a toddler (called only "Baby," because nobody bothered to give him a name) to late teens (played by folks in their mid-twenties, of course.) He also meets a woman they call "Mama" (Samantha Eggar) who is not their mother. Alone in the kitchen with Keach, she writes "HELP" in flour. Well, pretty soon it becomes clear that he, like Eggar, is a prisoner of the kids, who want them to act as their parents, who are both dead. Sinking Keach's car in the local river, as well as the help of some mean dogs, makes sure they don't go anywhere. They also find out that there are other sunken cars left behind by folks who failed as parents. Only the oldest kid (busy actor John Savage) knows that these people didn't just go away. Failed escape attempts by the prisoners lead up to a scene where the kids have to vote whether or not to keep them around.

Even for a made-for-TV thriller, this is pretty mild stuff. The plot is not only implausible, but fails to justify the hour and a quarter running time, and there's a fair amount of padding. There are two lousy songs on the soundtrack, one of them sung by Robbie Benson, who plays the second oldest boy. The ending is rather anticlimactic.

Yet this movie held my attention, mostly for the really weird attitude the kids have towards the adults. They seem to genuinely want them to provide discipline and guidance. (There's also the fact that the oldest girl, who happens to be mute, seems to have an interest in Keach which is other than daughterly. She's played by Arlene Farber, a minor actress known for sexploitation films, who wears midriff-bearing shirts or a soaking wet slip. Since this is a tepid television movie, this is a very subtle suggestion which isn't really explored.)


----------



## willwallace

The Man Who Never Was.   1956.  

True story of the intelligence effort to convince the Nazis that the Allies would invade Greece instead of the real target, Sicily.  The plan involved getting a dead body, creating a new identity for it,  and planting false documents that would point towards Greece as the invasion point.  Then the body was dropped off by submarine off the coast of Spain. The setup, execution and follow through are all well done. Good acting adds up to make this a good movie.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Bounty (1984)*

Yet another remake of the (in)famous 1789 mutiny on-board the HMS Bounty. A rather lavish dramatisation, let down somewhat by Mel Gibson's wooden acting, and wayward direction by Roger Donaldson.

However, the film was saved by some excellent acting by ever-dependable, Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh; and a sweeping, majestic score by Vangelis.

Probably 20 minutes too long at 130 minutes, but worth it just for Hopkins' sympathetic portrayal of a supposedly overbearing & belligerent captain


----------



## logan_run

Dawn of the planet of the apes.


----------



## J Riff

* Parallels,* a new SF flick about a building that travels through alternate Earths. Every X hrs. poof, a new Earth, maybe nuked or maybe something else. It's sort of action-based, but ends with a sequel set up ... it's not a bad hack at the alternate Earths concept.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Man For All Seasons* (1988)

Charlton Heston directs and stars in this made-for-television version of the famous play about Sir Thomas More by Robert Bolt. It seems to be much closer to the play than the well-known 1966 film adaptation. The character of the Common Man (a fellow who plays several different roles -- More's servant, a boatman, a jailer, etc.) appears and speaks directly to the audience. It's quite good.


----------



## Remedy

Was ill recently and watched these over the last month:

*Mockingjay: Part 1* - While not brilliant, I thought it was better than the book. Katniss wasn't so depressing.
*
The Maze Runner - *I liked the dark elements and intrigue. Slightly disappointed by the ending though. I've not read the book.
*
12 Years a Slave - *Uncomfortably fantastic.
*
Nightcrawler - *Bizarre, but very watchable. Think it's one of Jake Gyllenhaal's best performances.
*
Lucy - *I like Luc Besson's films, but I didn't like this. Found it a little boring for an action film.

*Fury - *Thought this was the best war film in years. The relationships between the tank crew makes it.

*The Imitation Game - *Fascinating. I'd watch again.

*Interstellar - *It was a bit too long, but I enjoyed it. Matthew McConaughey was great, IMO.

*Predestination* - A truly weird time-travel film. It tries to stretch your brain, but once you've got the hang of it the twists become obvious.


----------



## Allegra

*Gone Girl*. I don't know what to make of it. A dark psychological thriller? Too implausible and unconvincing. A black comedy? No humour in there. Not worth the time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rembrandt* (1936)

Charles Laughton gives one of his fine performances in this classy British biopic. It begins at the height of the artist's worldly success. Before he can enjoy it too much, however, his wife dies. (So quickly, in fact, that she is never seen on screen.) His commission to produce the gigantic painting usually (and quite inaccurately) known as "The Night Watch" results only in contempt and derision, and he begins a long decline into poverty and obscurity.

(This is all very fictionalized, of course. It's a popular myth that "The Night Watch" was initially considered a failure.)

Renowned stage actress Gertrude Lawrence makes one of her few film appearances as Rembrandt's housekeeper who becomes his wife in all but a legal sense. She's portrayed as rather scheming (and somewhat foolish to be wasting her wiles on someone who has to sell his belongings to stay alive.) Laughton's wife Elsa Lanchester (very young and waif-like here) plays a maid who eventually becomes Rembrandt's next _de facto_ wife. (The film doesn't shy away from their unmarried status, and Lanchester is excommunicated for being Rembrandt's "concubine.") Since the universe has no mercy, she also soon dies.

The remarkable last sequence of the film shows us the elderly Rembrandt on his own, spending what little money he is given on art supplies, painting his last self-portrait while saying "Vanity of vanities. All is vanity."

Beautifully filmed with many fine moments, as when Rembrandt hires a beggar to pose for a painting of Saul listening to David play the harp.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Master Touch* (1972) (_Un uomo da rispettare_, "A Man to Respect")

Pretty darn good European crime flick, with Kirk Douglas as the token American star. Douglas plays a professional thief just out of jail who plans one more big score. He takes on a young acrobat as his apprentice, and together they pull off a high tech robbery of an insurance company's super-secure, computerized cash vault. There's a subplot of a hood out to settle a score with the acrobat, which leads to a couple of major fistfights and one hell of a car chase. As you'd expect, there are some plot twists at the end. As you might not expect, there is some decent characterization and acting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Images* (1972) -  two years after M*A*S*H Altman made this: 100 minutes of overly-arty twaddle about Susannah York going bonkers in Ireland.  But even second string Altman is better than 90% of the stuff I watch.


----------



## J Riff

A couple newer ones....
*Crystal Skulls*.  There's skulls there, crystal ones... and they are dangerous, as skulls go.... what seems to be missing is the brains part. 
*The Phoenix Project*.... scientist guys try to reanimate dead stuff. Eventually they have to reanimate their pal and he comes back kind of erased... so he probably would like this movie. I wasn't keen on it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*X-Men: Days of Future Past* (2014) - Whiz! Bish! Bang! Kaboom! - which was all very fine but looked so obviously shot in some form of High Def format. I know this is the norm these days but usually, with big budget productions, the show is filmized (horrible word) before we get to see it. The video cut video footage is made to look like it was shot on film. I can't understand how and why they spent so much money on this and have great chunks of it look like it came from a Sci-Fi Channel, straight to DVD movie. I'm not talking about the SFX, which were incredibly well done, but those parts of the show where the special effects guys weren't needed. A lot of simple dialogue scenes and close ups were so obviously shot on video it hurt.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*This Rebel Breed* (1960) 

Combination of campy teen exploitation and serious drama. In what must be Los Angeles, the police send a couple of undercover cops to a high school in join the racially divided gangs. One guy is to get into the Anglo gang. Weirdly, they think it's a good idea to have the other guy play the role of a half-Black, half-Hispanic kid. (He's an Anglo actor in heavy makeup, the film's greatest embarrassment. The character's name is "Frank Serano," so maybe he's really supposed to be what he pretends to be, or at least Hispanic.) As you might expect, he's rejected by both the Black and Hispanic gangs. Of course, all the high school students appear to be about thirty years old.

The story revolves around the character played by pre-*West Side Story* Rita Moreno, who steals the film with a strong performance. In a plot device which anticipates that of the movie that won her an Oscar, she's in love with one of the Anglo guys. (In a powerful line, she tells him that she's tired of hiding their affair "like cats in the night.") Long story short, this decent fellow winds up getting killed by the nasty leader of the Anglo gang, who's also a drug pusher. (Yes, there's a "wild marijuana party" scene.) Moreno sets out to prove his guilt. (I'll give the film a few points for dealing honestly with the fact that she's pregnant by her murdered lover.)

One notable subplot involves "Wiggles," the girlfriend of the killer, played by a young and extremely curvaceous Dyan Cannon (back when she was still billed as "Diane.") In another example of awkward racial casting, the creep dumps her when he finds out that she's Black, passing as White. At least they didn't try to disguise Cannon's extreme Whiteness with makeup, but that makes this plot twist even more ludicrous.

It's worth noting that the version of this film I watched bore the new title *The Black Rebels* for its 1965 re-release. The Black gang is hardly in the film at all, so the new title is very misleading. They also added several brief sex scenes at random. No nudity, but lots of women in their underwear and some fondling and groping. They got the actor who played the Anglo cop to film a running gag where he walks in a door, sees what's going on, says "excuse me" and leaves. These sequences are really stupid, and badly disrupt a film which has some good points.


----------



## Foxbat

*Sharknado *on DVD. Bad plot. Bad acting. Bad effects. It got so ridiculous in places that I started shouting obscenities at the TV.

Having said all that, I kind of enjoyed it. Perhaps I had a smidgeon too much alcohol


----------



## chongjasmine

I just saw avenger: age of ultron yesterday.
And I enjoyed it.


----------



## Vince W

Avengers: Age of Ultron. Okay, but not worth watching ever again.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Interstellar *the other night.
Loved it, thought it was quite original with tones of 2001 in there.
Cool film.


----------



## willwallace

Watched *TrollHunter *last night on Netflix.  A Norwegian film with subtitles, it was released in 2010.  Pretty much exactly what the titles implies, it has a group of college students following around a guy who works for the government hunting trolls.  Done sort of in the style of Cloverfield, with lots of handheld camera work.
Nothing much in this film to add to the lore of trolls.  Sunlight turns them to stone, but they can also explode.  One of them gets rabies, and infects some others who end up on a rampage.  Kind of silly to think the government can hide 200 foot tall creatures roaming the countryside, but on the plus side there's some nice shots of the Norwegian countryside.
It's not very good, in my opinion, but neither is it terrible.  Some decent action scenes, and the trolls look okay, I guess.


----------



## JunkMonkey

So far this month:


*Frozen* - Friday night choice of Number One Son (aged 6) - who has seen it before so has no excuse. Not as bad as I was dreading but the SONGS! Dear Gods! (Probably - almost certainly!- the first use of the word 'Fractals' in a Disney movie in the lyrics to Let it Go: "My soul is spiralling in _frozen fractals_ all around...") A couple of non Disney moments struck me as I watched it. For though this looks feels and sounds like a 'Classic' Disney fairy tale there is a great chunk of 21st Century feminist subtext going on here: the sudden sexualisation of Elsa as she builds her Fortress of Solitude was remarkable. And the Act of True Love that makes everything better in the end is not the expected heterosexual kiss but the heroine sacrificing herself for her sister. Very modern; almost interesting. If only it wasn't stuffed full of bloody awful songs!
*Voyage of the Rock Aliens* - and as bad as that title sounds the reality is worse. It's a 1980s sf comedy rock musical starring Pia Zadora*.  *My 13 year old daughter 'officially hates' me for making her watch it with me.
*Humanity's End (2009) *- About 5 minutes in I remembered where I had seen the director's name, Neil Johnson, before. He'd directed a piece of sh*t called _Demon's in my Head_ which (it turns out after a bit of poking about in my diary and the IMDb) I watched some ten years ago.* As it happens Johnson made _Humanity's End,_ a zero budget _Battlestar Galactica _wannabe, ten years after he made _Demon's in my Head_. He hasn't improved as a director or scriptwriter in the intervening decade. The story is confused and doesn't make any sense, is badly told; the characters, not even paper thin, do stupid things and swap sides for no apparent reason, and have rambling, 'WTF is this all about?' inducing conversations at the drop of a hat. It's just a bunch of ideas and lines from other films piled up together in the hope that something will gel. It doesn't. A (very naff) self-published novel made flesh.
*Saint* (2010) - stupidly gory Dutch horror film about a demonic Saint Nicholas who, every 32 years when a full moon falls upon December 5th, terrorises Amsterdam. Not often you see a film in which our hero is rescued from police custody by a horse falling from a rooftop onto a police car and then rescued from the horse's demonic owner by someone waving a flame thrower. I almost enjoyed it.
*Some days I think I will get over this bad movie jag I'm on - but after a decade I'm starting to suspect I'm stuck with it.


----------



## kythe

I recently watched "Eragon" with my 14 year old daughter.  I thought it was ok, but she said the story is cliche and predictable, and kept pointing out other works from which the story appears to take ideas.  Apparantly the CGI blue dragon wasn't enough to save that movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Good, The Bad And The Ugly* Still one of my all-time favourites.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Maze Runner last night. It was ok and left me with a lot of questions, so I'll look forward to the second part.


----------



## HanaBi

Roman Polanski's *"Repulsion" (1965)*

A film way ahead of its time; very enjoyable, but equally just as disturbing. 

When I watched this in my youth, I was far more interested in lead star, Catherine Deneuve, walking around her apartment in her negligee than her slow mental descent into confusion, revulsion & madness!

Today, the film still packs a great psychological punch, and deserves to be one of Polanksi's best


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

HanaBi said:


> Roman Polanski's *"Repulsion" (1965)*
> 
> A film way ahead of its time; very enjoyable, but equally just as disturbing.
> 
> When I watched this in my youth, I was far more interested in lead star, Catherine Deneuve, walking around her apartment in her negligee than her slow mental descent into confusion, revulsion & madness!
> 
> Today, the film still packs a great psychological punch, and deserves to be one of Polanksi's best



I agree.  I would also take a look at his later film *The Tenant* as an equally fascinating variation on this theme.


----------



## HanaBi

Thanks, Victoria!

I have of course heard of "*The Tenant*",  but just never got round to watching it, despite its excellent reputation. 

To my utter shame, have only watched a mere handful of Polanski films: all the usual suspects, "*Rosemary's Baby*", "*Cul de Sac*", "*Chinatown*", "*Tess*" and of course "*Repulsion*"

I have to  be in a certain "mood" to sit down and watch one of his films: a rare event indeed!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Your "handful" is pretty much the same as mine.


----------



## alchemist

*Avengers 2: Something something*: forgettable superhero stuff with plot and themes recycled from the first one.


----------



## Remedy

*Babel *(2006)* - *Fantastic. Three vastly different plots and cultures intertwined.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Grandmaster *Wong Kar Wai's movies are things of beauty and this bio pic of Ip Man (teacher of Bruce Lee) is no exception. The gorgeous visuals are punctuated by some excellent martial arts. 

Sublime.


----------



## AE35Unit

Gone through all the Hobbit films, watched part 3 for the first time. Very good.
Then watched the LOTR trilogy again. Brill


----------



## Starbeast

*Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf* (2014)

Awesome horror film about a blind, Veitnam veteran who moves into a quiet senoir citizen community, and discovers there's a monstrous killer on the loose.

I highly recommend this little gem of a film. Fantastic dark drama.

*Digging Up the Marrow* (2015)

Excellent nightmarish film that was inspired by Clive Barker's, NIGHTBREED. Disturbingly cool.


----------



## Jesse412

*Hombre* (1967)

Paul Newman plays a white man raised by Apache in this Martin Ritt film based on the Elmore Leonard novel. There's not a lot of action in the first half but the set up is interesting and there is lots of excellent character work. Newman surprisingly has little dialogue but what lines he does have he delivers superbly. Richard Boone gives a great performance as the film's villain, who robs a stagecoach and hunts the passengers through the desert when they escape with the money. The stand off at the climax is quite tense and the ending tragic.


----------



## Droflet

*Rudderless *(2014)

Intelligent movies are, sadly, a rarity. This story of loss, grief and redemption could have easily fallen into the maudlin but is elevated by a great script, cast and direction by William H Macey. The story is allowed to tell itself without bludgeoning the viewer in the traditional Hollywood style. Just when you think you have this story all worked out and pigeon-holed into a genre it takes a surprising turn. Not as good as Never Let Me Go but still an intelligent and moving experience.


----------



## Jesse412

*Shenandoah* (1965)







Jimmy Stewart had some great lines in this. He plays a widower and father from Virginia that refuses to get involved in the Civil War. When his youngest son is mistaken for a Confederate soldier his family goes out searching for him. There are some excellent and suspenseful action scenes throughout as well as some genuinely touching moments.  Andrew V. McLaglen's direction in this is superb and he makes some interesting commentary on the effects of war while also showing us that just because someone chooses  neutrality during wartime doesn't necessarily mean they will remain unscathed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Half of* Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*.  I managed to get to the point where our three maverick marine biologists - trying to solve the problem how to contain a thawed out _Giant Prehistoric Shark,_ capable of leaping clean out of the sea and biting chunks out of  long-haul passenger jets cruising at several thousand feet - took it in turns to peer down a small microscope for a few seconds.   Crap, even by the Asylums's low standards.


----------



## Starbeast

Starbeast said:


> *Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf* (2014)
> 
> Awesome horror film about a blind, Veitnam veteran who moves into a quiet senoir citizen community, and discovers there's a monstrous killer on the loose. I highly recommend this little gem of a film. Fantastic dark drama.


 


JunkMonkey said:


> Half of* Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus*.  - took it in turns to peer down a small microscope for a few seconds.   Crap, even by the Asylums's low standards.


 
Thanks for warning me about this "CGI-nightmare", JunkMonkey.

See _Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf_, you'll feel better (if you haven't already) my friend.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Elephant Man* (1980)






I'm a huge fan of David Lynch and I've been meaning to see this one for awhile. I think this film is more straight forward than most of his other movies and that's likely why it's regarded by many as his best work. There are some really powerful and genuinely moving scenes throughout. John Hurt is phenomenal in this beautifully tragic role and the special effects makeup he wears is incredible. Anthony Hopkins also gives a really solid performance as Dr. Treves.


----------



## Rodders

Jakob the Liar. 

Not a big fan of Robin Williams, but this was a bitter sweet movie. Nicely done.


----------



## J-Sun

Jesse412 said:


> *The Elephant Man* (1980)
> ...
> I'm a huge fan of David Lynch and I've been meaning to see this one for awhile. I think this film is more straight forward than most of his other movies and that's likely why it's regarded by many as his best work. There are some really powerful and genuinely moving scenes throughout. John Hurt is phenomenal in this beautifully tragic role and the special effects makeup he wears is incredible. Anthony Hopkins also gives a really solid performance as Dr. Treves.



Basically ditto. I'm a big fan of most of Lynch's films and finally got around to seeing this not too long ago. It does only have a couple of touches of definitively Lynchian weirdness (which actually don't work quite perfectly in this film) but it looks great. And, yeah, I'm not a fan of most "emotional" movies but this worked really well for me. Great performances all around - Hurt and Hopkins, of course, but also including Anne Bancroft. Even the "lesser" roles like the main younger and older nurses. And Gielgud! I think there's something to what you say about why it's so well-regarded - I think most Lynch fans would love it but I also think most people who are put off by "Lynch films" would actually really enjoy this one, too. It is basically an "ordinary" film (in structure and presentation) except that it's just so uncommonly good.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Killing* (1956)






While it's not my favorite Stanley Kubrick movie he absolutely nails the film noir genre here. With him also writing the screenplay the dialogue is very strong and he applies the cliches of the crime drama genre extremely well. There are some excellent performances throughout particularly Elisha Cook, Sterling Hayden and Marie Windsor. The score by Gerald Fried fits the pacing and suspense perfectly. The heist that is planned out in this is pretty interesting and I found the ending to be very satisfying.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Twelve to the Moon *(1960) - probably the dullest 'first men on the moon' film I have yet seen, though it does garner a few brownie points for having a mixed ethnicity crew (the non Caucasian members of which_ actually survive till the end of the film_!) and messages about world peace and forgiveness. (The bad guys turns out to be the snarky French member of the crew who is thwarted by the snarky Russian member of the crew and the angry Israeli member of the crew dies in a Nobel act of Self Sacrifice with tortured German member of the crew, who is the son of the Nazi commander responsible for the extermination of the angry Israeli member of the crew's family etc. etc.). 

But, by golly, it was a grind getting to the end. There were, as was obligatory in space films of this period, unexpected meteor showers along the way which did nothing to alleviate the boredom. The end (the aforementioned Nobel act of Self Sacrifice) involved our heroes knocking up an atomic bomb out of bits lying about their spaceship and dropping it down the Popocatepetl volcano which will, somehow, by the magic of WTF? 1950's movie science, unfreeze the whole of North America which has been plunged into an instant ice age by moon people.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Starship *(aka_ Lorca and the Outlaws _1984) - six years before making his masterwork, _Battlefield Earth_, ("This! This is the one I will be remembered for!") director Roger Christian made this flacid, tedious piece of SF poo.  I think it was about  an evil corporation wanting to massacre all its employees and replace them with robots and the only people who can stop them are three, young, unemployable actors and robot.  Leaden paced but with sudden out-of-nowhere bursts of confused, badly-staged action which made the film both boring and baffling at the same time - an interesting combination. The show culminated in a superb piece of Ed Wood like stock footage abuse when a couple of (very) long shots of quarry blasting were meant to stand in for the cataclysmic explosions bringing the down the evil guys base - or something.  I was too bored and baffled to be bothered working out what was going on at the end apart from noting that the actor playing our hero couldn't even pull a lever convincingly.  Apparently 1980s pop sensations  Toyah Wilcox and Peter Gabriel were in it but I must have blinked and missed them.


----------



## F.J. Hansen

*Soylent Green* (1973)

Interesting scenario. I can't imagine what the sewage situation must be like in a city with 40 million people. I can't say I was surprised by the "twist". When something like that is worked up to being a great mystery and the question is repeated over and over in the trailer, my mind begins thinking of the most shocking twist, and then it's not really shocking anymore.


----------



## Davar

Taken 3.
Not good and not well, another medium product.


----------



## Moonbat

Have managed to watch three films this week which is amazing considering.
first off was the *theory of everything *- amazing performance by eddie redmayne really deserved the oscar. Pretty good film much less about the science and more about thw marriage.
secondly was *foxcatcher* - one of those films where the trailer completely misrepresents the film. So dull and slow. The story should be exciting but it was really boring. Three great performances from mark ruffalo, Steve carrell abd channing tatum. 
lastly was *birdman* - i can't believe this won best film oscar. Wasn't a patch on some of the other nominess. Was The sort of thing hollywood likes. All pretence and ego. Poor film.


----------



## Vince W

*Tomorrowland*. A foil to the grim future that is Mad Max: Fury Road. A bright shiny future is possible, but only we we make it.

A fun film with some rather good acting from all parties. And I generally don't like George Clooney.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Mad Max Fury Road*


----------



## Rodders

Batteries Not Included. I can't believe that I haven't seen this movie. I thought it was cute. 

Spider-Man. Again, I hadn't seen this and was pleasantly surprised by it.

Transformers: Age of Extinction. It was ok. The final battle was a bit too long, though.


----------



## Michael Coorlim

Mad Max Fury Road. Quite enjoyed it.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Prometheus.*_
Interesting in parts.
Have to agree with the criticism that Scott shortchanged the public with the ending

oh yeah
and
*Oblivion*
Freeman and Cruise coasting on routine in a mediocre scenario.
*Ne le Dis Personne*
French rendering of a Harlan Cobden Novel
heartily recommended
Taut direction,rollercoaster pace(after a slowish start),plot twists,plus a heck of a love story 
Go see this one folks


----------



## dask

Last week we saw *Yankee Doodle Dandy* and George M. Cohen songs have been going through my mind all week. One of my favorite musicals. Today we went to see *Woman In Gold* with Helen Mirren. Totally captivated my interest, 5 out of 5 stars. And the tunes finally stopped, at least for the duration of the film. They have since come back.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

That's a nifty piece of gaughan you got there,dask.
you probably recognized my freas?


----------



## dask

Well, I'm a little ashamed of myself. No, I didn't recognize your avatar as a Freas but it looks like an early Freas, form Astounding maybe?


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

you guessed it.
it's from Time Crime by H beam Piper
those globular garishly coloured spaceships are a dead Gaughan giveaway


----------



## Foxbat

*Until The End Of The World* One of my very favourite films and it was good to see it again after so many years


----------



## Remedy

We watched *Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) *& *Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) *last night. Both very enjoyable - even William Shatner's dubious acting


----------



## Vince W

*Back to the Future*. Still a very enjoyable film.


----------



## Venusian Broon

I watched _*Shutter Island *_last night for the first time, and although I guessed the major twist after about twenty minutes from the start it was still quite enjoyable. The ending was a 'nice' ambiguous double-take. The music that it employed was excellent.


----------



## Vince W

Back to the Future 2 & 3. Both are not quite as good as the first, but still a great trilogy.


----------



## Foxbat

*Event Horizon* (1997)  admittedly a bit on the formulaic side with your standard collection of 'interesting' characters. 
A lot of folk slated it when it was released but I really like it. 

Don't know what that says about me


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Amazing Spiderman *the first reboot. Yawn.
Best part of it was the appearance of Stan Lee!


----------



## Vince W

*Jodorwosky's Dune*. A documentary of the adaptation that was never made. After watching this I'm very happy it didn't.


----------



## Remedy

Having watched the first two last week, we finished our Star Trek film-athon this week, watching:

*Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact        
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis*

It was our second run-through of the movie box set. Never really watched the series much, but I love the films.

I don't think any of them are worth missing. I like how accessible they are to non-trekkies too.


----------



## bedlamite

Vince W said:


> *Jodorwosky's Dune*. A documentary of the adaptation that was never made. After watching this I'm very happy it didn't.


That sounds interesting ~ I'm going to check that out. 

Last film I watched:* John Wick.* Keanu on form as a killing machine taking revenge on the Russian Mob. Formulaic ultraviolence, but with enough about it to make it a decent watch for most. I find The Cool Breeze a really watchable actor, despite a lot of opinion to the contrary.


----------



## kythe

I just saw Earth to Echo with my daughter.  It was okay, but really wasn't unique.  It felt like a cross between E.T. and The Goonies, both of which are much better movies.

In its favor, the child actors did carry the movie well.  They looked very natural and had good chemistry together.


----------



## JunkMonkey

It's obviously watching films with your daughter week.  I just watched_ Barbarella_ up on the big screen with my eldest  daughter. The first time she'd seen it and the first time  I'd seen a non panned and scanned copy.  I hadn't realised before just how much female nudity there was on display  - not that we're complaining.




Vince W said:


> *Jodorwosky's Dune*. A documentary of the adaptation that was never made. After watching this I'm very happy it didn't.



Having seen Jodorwosky's _El Topo_ - a film I rates high in my Most Pretentious Pile of Wank Movies of All Time list - I have been happy about this for years.


----------



## Vince W

*Spy*. A few funny moments, but overall a plodding film with little to recommend it.


----------



## Cli-Fi

Over the past few weeks, since there is no summer TV out just yet. I have been catching up on some of the movies that have been released over the past few years.

Starting with:
American Sniper (one of the better films in this whole collection)
Whiplash- Classic JK Simmons on full throttle! So if you don't like him, you won't like this movie.
Going Clear: Scientology Documentary- I think the promos rather spoiled the mystery of what they were going to expose. Happy to see many surprising celebs reject the craziness that is Scientology. However, if you've followed anything about Tom Cruse's personal life there is nothing there that is new.
Hot Tub Time Machine 2- Not sure if I missed John Cusack or not.
Divergent- A hot mess that made no sense to me whatsoever. I went in with no expectations, but might read the books to find out more...
The Equalizer- A rare Denzel Washington film that isn't that great. Go back to making high speed thrillers. Leave the mob to DareDevil!
Macfarland USA- Not as inspiring as any number of other sports movies and perhaps a bit racist...
Kingsman: The Secret Service- Samuel L. Jackson making fun of environmentalists was a surprising highlight for me.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- Perhaps my favorite movie out of this whole list. I wonder how well it matches up with the book?
Edge of Tomorrow- Pretty good film but it was a predictable groundhog day set in the future. Some Cruise stunts were pretty unrealistic.
Jupiter Ascending- This movie despite its bad press was the one that has left an impression on me and it was very visual as well. It had big ideas but lacked characters. I heard best for tween girls (which I am not)
John Wick- I turned it off when 



Spoiler



they killed the dog


----------



## Lenny

Cli-Fi said:


> John Wick- I turned it off when
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> they killed the dog



If you're expecting the rest of the film to be like it is up until that point, then you couldn't have picked a worse time to turn it off. Maybe five or ten more minutes of setting up story and characters, and then total action to the end. Best action film I've seen for a long time.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

a humorous thingy with the word "shrubbery"being brandished about
and also "Moose" ,anarchosyndicalist community..


----------



## Starbeast

*Paradox Alice* (2012)

A weird sci-fi independent film that was surprisingly good. All I'll say (without giving anything away) is it's about a Jupiter moon mission.

*Pontypool* (2009)

A mind-drilling horror flick that is centered around a Canadian radio station, and hordes of people are turning into homicidal manics. A very, very strange movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hardsciencefanagain said:


> a humorous thingy with the word "shrubbery"being brandished about
> and also "Moose" ,anarchosyndicalist community..



and my plumber...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Impact* (1949)

I tracked this one down on the recommendation of an acquaintance who knew my tendency to seek out free public domain films on-line.  I'll start with his own review of it.



> I decided to take a break from the kung fu and giant monster movies I've been delving into lately to check out this black n' white (and public domain - hint hint, Victoria Silverwolf) crime/noir film. A successful operations manager of an automobile company (Brian Donlevy) is almost done in by his wife's idiot lover, but survives the murder attempt (the lover doesn't). Distraught at his wife's treachery (the man was an incredibly doting husband), he wanders around and ends up in a small Idaho town called Larkspur, where finds work as a mechanic for the local gás station owner (the gorgeous Ella Raines). Everybody back home thinks he's dead, but he eventually decides to return to set the record straight...but things get hairy from there. It was a bit slow at first, but once it got moving, it had my attention until the end. And I could probably look at Ella for hours on end, although she's not quite as feisty as she was in *Tall in the Saddle*. Worth a watch.



My own response:

Not bad at all. Ella Raines is certainly quite strikingly beautiful. 







It's interesting to note that the Bad Girl is a seemingly sweet and innocent blonde, and the Good Girl is dark and exotic. (Although the character she plays, quite well, is a small town girl-next-door.) 

This might be called Film Noir Light, as well as a B-movie with an A budget and stars. Nice use of location shooting, with San Francisco starring as itself and Larkspur, California in the role of Larkspur, Idaho. Charles Coburn was enjoyable as a seemingly harmless but wily police lieutenant. It was interesting to see Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star, show up here, some time after the peak of her fame in the 1920's and 1930's. Her uncle was played by Philip Ahn, of _Kung Fu_ fame, in Old Man disguise, but his calm and dignified voice was unmistakable.

The plot turned into a combination of Nancy Drew and Perry Mason near the end, but otherwise it was quite interesting. It seems to be divided into a three act structure, with Act One as the Film Noir, Act Two as a psychological drama/character study as Donlevy makes a new life for himself in Larkspur, and Act Three as a mystery/courtroom drama.


----------



## Jesse412

*Mean Streets* (1973)






Underrated Martin Scorsese mob film and his earliest.  Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro have great on screen chemistry together.  De Niro gives an outstanding performance as the arrogant and often unlikeable Johnny Boy and he has some great lines as well.  It sounds like Scorsese actually narrates the inner monologue for Keitel's character Charlie in a couple scenes whose inner conflict is the main focus of the story.  The movie has a very candid feel to it and some of the editing seems pretty inventive for the time.  The soundtrack is excellent and the score fits each scene perfectly.  Fantastic and intense ending.  A must see for fans of the gangster genre.


----------



## Remedy

Jesse412 said:


> *Mean Streets* (1973)
> 
> Underrated Martin Scorsese mob film and his earliest.  Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro have great on screen chemistry together.  De Niro gives an outstanding performance as the arrogant and often unlikeable Johnny Boy and he has some great lines as well.  It sounds like Scorsese actually narrates the inner monologue for Keitel's character Charlie in a couple scenes whose inner conflict is the main focus of the story.  The movie has a very candid feel to it and some of the editing seems pretty inventive for the time.  The soundtrack is excellent and the score fits each scene perfectly.  Fantastic and intense ending.  A must see for fans of the gangster genre.



Hadn't heard of this one. I'll check it out!


----------



## Jesse412

F.J. Hansen said:


> *Soylent Green* (1973)
> 
> Interesting scenario. I can't imagine what the sewage situation must be like in a city with 40 million people. I can't say I was surprised by the "twist". When something like that is worked up to being a great mystery and the question is repeated over and over in the trailer, my mind begins thinking of the most shocking twist, and then it's not really shocking anymore.



I love this movie. Looking back the last scene with Edward G. Robinson is actually really touching now knowing it was his last film before he died. Great performance by Charlton Heston as well.


----------



## clovis-man

*Man Hunt (1941)*
Watched this on TCM. Iconic director Fritz Lang almost seems to be channeling Quentin Tarantino. A story about a Brit (Walter Pidgeon) in Bavaria who happens to get the Furher in his rifle sights before being captured, tortured by George Sanders' henchmen and eventually chased throughout London and environs by pre-war Nazi agents. John Carradine and Sanders seem unlikely Nazis, but are effective nonetheless.


Spoiler



The focus of the film's ending is an ongoing quest to really assassinate Hitler. Hey, it worked in *Inglourious Basterds*, why not in mid WWII in a film directed by a man forced to flee Germany at the time.


Good supporting cast, including Roddy McDowell and Joan Bennett. Worth a watch for sure.


----------



## Alias Black

Just caught Mad Max: Fury Road today. Brilliant film. I felt the characters could be stronger though, especially the protagonist, Max.


----------



## bedlamite

So, tonight a few friends and I watched *Zulu (1964)*. Required viewing for all Welsh boys when we were young, it does stand the test of time, even on a murky print. Historically inaccurate, but the facts were that a small force resisted a large one (40 to 1), and despatched 20 enemy for every man lost. Enjoyed, but you have to take it as a product of its time, especially the soldier's references to the indigenous folk, and you should keep in mind the fact that it presents one pretty biased viewpoint of what was an Empire's war machine taking on traditionally armed native people. 
*
*


----------



## clovis-man

bedlamite said:


> So, tonight a few friends and I watched *Zulu (1964)*. Required viewing for all Welsh boys when we were young, it does stand the test of time, even on a murky print. Historically inaccurate, but the facts were that a small force resisted a large one (40 to 1), and despatched 20 enemy for every man lost. Enjoyed, but you have to take it as a product of its time, especially the soldier's references to the indigenous folk, and you should keep in mind the fact that it presents one pretty biased viewpoint of what was an Empire's war machine taking on traditionally armed native people.


 But pretty good film overall. Good acting jobs by Jack Hawkins, Michael Caine (in his first major film) and various supporting actors. At the time of its release, the apartheid South African government prohibited Zulu people from seeing it, even though (or perhaps because) many Zulus were involved in the roles.
Some great lines:
Bromhead: Who said you could use my men? 
Lieutenant John Chard: They were sitting around on their backsides, doing nothing. 
Bromhead: Rather you asked first, old boy. 
Lieutenant John Chard: I was told that their officer was out hunting. 
Bromhead: Err... yes. 
[spurs on horse] 
Bromhead: I'll tell my man to clean your kit. 
Lieutenant John Chard: Don't bother! 
Bromhead: No bother... I'm not offering to clean it myself! Still, a chap ought to look smart in front of the men, don't you think? Well chin-chin... do carry on with your mud pies.


----------



## bedlamite

Jack Hawkins is great. I love Nigel Green as Colour Sergeant Bourne. Also well known as Hercules in Jason & The  Argonauts.


----------



## bedlamite

So, last night we went to see *Jurassic World, *at one of our local community run cinemas. 

Dinosaurs, amok, again - surely that isn't a spoiler. Enjoyable hokum with great effects work. A bit 'meta' in some of the plot, or I could be over-crediting the screenplay. A few interesting little plot lines which never got followed up; I think there may have been some rewrites of more interesting themes along the way. 

Still not as good as The Valley of Gwangi.


----------



## Vince W

*Jurassic World*. I love dinoporn, but this film was merely okay. It felt like a cut and paste film of many other, better films. I didn't care about any of the characters so their survival didn't matter. You could tell there was a problem when 8 year old boys won't pay attention to the screen.


----------



## Vaz

*John Carter.
*
Felt like a poor mans avatar meets Star Wars who had a child that turned out to be an Imitation of Man Of Steel.

Apart from the Dog alien thing, really love that creature


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> *Man Hunt (1941)*
> Watched this on TCM. Iconic director Fritz Lang almost seems to be channeling Quentin Tarantino. A story about a Brit (Walter Pidgeon) in Bavaria who happens to get the Furher in his rifle sights before being captured, tortured by George Sanders' henchmen and eventually chased throughout London and environs by pre-war Nazi agents. John Carradine and Sanders seem unlikely Nazis, but are effective nonetheless.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The focus of the film's ending is an ongoing quest to really assassinate Hitler. Hey, it worked in *Inglourious Basterds*, why not in mid WWII in a film directed by a man forced to flee Germany at the time.
> 
> 
> Good supporting cast, including Roddy McDowell and Joan Bennett. Worth a watch for sure.



I think your chronology is a bit screwed up there.  Tarantino wasn't even born when Fritz Lang (who was a far better director) was making_ Man Hunt_.  It's more likely Tarantino just stole stuff from this film like he steals  - sorry 'homages' - stuff from just about every other film he's ever seen.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Jurassic World, and actually really enjoyed it. The effects didn't feel overdone, and it was a fun movie. It felt kind of like a throwback to movies from the 80-90's when I was a kid and loved movies.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> I think your chronology is a bit screwed up there.  Tarantino wasn't even born when Fritz Lang (who was a far better director) was making_ Man Hunt_.  It's more likely Tarantino just stole stuff from this film like he steals  - sorry 'homages' - stuff from just about every other film he's ever seen.



No argument from me. I just thought the similar vein was interesting. Sorry if I seemed to be saying that Lang was derivative of Tarantino. Tarantino had the advantage of decades of preceding history. Lang was in the middle of the events of the time, so had no problem (justifiably so) postulating an incipient manhunt for Hitler. After films like *Die Nibelungen*. *Metropolis*, *M*, *Clash by Night*, etc. he could do anything he liked and I'd be up for it. I have a portrait of Brigitte Helm in a rehearsal for *Metropolis* framed in my living room.


----------



## Classic_SF

"The Mysterious Island" - - - Jules Verne (Ray Harryhausen version)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Classic_SF said:


> "The Mysterious Island" - - - Jules Verne (Ray Harryhausen version)



Long time since I saw that.  My 6 year old might find it fun.  I'll have to dig  out a copy. Thanks, Classic_SF -(I now have the theme from _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea _stuck in my head....)

Last night I watched Ralph Bakshi's _Fritz the Cat_ .  Hated it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> I have a portrait of Brigitte Helm in a rehearsal for *Metropolis* framed in my living room.



You ever seen Pabst's  _L'atlantide (1932)._ She plays the Queen of Atlantis, Antinea.  One of my favourite films.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> You ever seen Pabst's  _L'atlantide (1932)._ She plays the Queen of Atlantis, Antinea.  One of my favourite films.


Yes. As *The Lost Atlantis* many years ago. So long ago that my memory of it has faded a great deal.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> Yes. As *The Lost Atlantis* many years ago. So long ago that my memory of it has faded a great deal.



It's a wonderfully odd and dreamlike film - far better than the book which I found to be an utter bore.  Wish I had a decent copy of the English version.  (Mind you, it's even odder and dreamier if you watch it in French.)


----------



## Vaz

*Jurassic World
*
And I was completely blown away...
by how bad it was....
I love the Jurassic Park franchise with all my heart, but this sequel made number three look good.
Even poor Chris pratt couldn't save it.


----------



## Classic_SF

JunkMonkey said:


> Long time since I saw that.  My 6 year old might find it fun.  I'll have to dig  out a copy. Thanks, Classic_SF -(I now have the theme from _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea _stuck in my head....)
> 
> Last night I watched Ralph Bakshi's _Fritz the Cat_ .  Hated it.



*They have most episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea on YOU TUBE right now.

Here are two of my favs. 










*


----------



## Droflet

Finally caught up with Kingsman. Not bad at all with some really good high points.


----------



## Vaz

*Cloud Atlas*

Don't know why this film was slated, seems destined to become a cult movie IMO.
And I'm absolutely in love with the music from it


----------



## clovis-man

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Impact* (1949)
> 
> I tracked this one down on the recommendation of an acquaintance who knew my tendency to seek out free public domain films on-line.



Got a box set of film noir flicks and watched this one first. Realized I had seen part of it (probably on TCM) about half-way through. Good to see it complete. Funny to watch Charles Coburn attempting an Irish brogue as lieutenant Quincy. And also odd to see future quiz show host Art Baker as the defense attorney. Overall, a decent, if somewhat tame, noir-ish movie. Too many references to cherry pie and canned peaches to be really dark.


----------



## J Riff

Jurassic World spoilage*****.
Dinosaurs.... (that's no dinosaur!) ... well they mucked with DNA to make them more sensational for the audience... but they just look like big dinosaurs after all... and they rampage. The plot is wobbly, wasn't quite sure who was what, or what the dinos were plotting.... eventually Pterodactyls break loose, people get chomped on, raptors and super-dinos square off... aaaaand.... the kids are saved.
...*


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*Alpha Papa*
Recommended,hilarious
Steve Coogan in top form as the character he played in the nineties,the hilariously inept and morally dubious misanthropic broadcaster Alan Partridge
Strap yourself to your chair,otherwise you WILL fall off it
It's a tense hostage thriller,sort of...............


----------



## Vaz

*Blood Simple
*
The fantastic directing, writing and editing debut by the *Coen Brothers.
*
Wonderful cinematography, great dark humour and as always unforgettable and likeable characters all wrapped up in a twisted spin on the Love Triangle scenario.

I approve this Movie


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Prisoners of the Lost Universe* (1983)

Directed by Terry Marcel; written by Terry Marcel and Harry Robertson.

This low budget science fantasy adventure is extremely silly, but provides some campy entertainment.

We begin with our heroine (Kay Lenz) introduced to us as the host of some kind of Weird Science TV show. The movie starts with a scene of a rattlesnake being put into a trance through a certain sound. This is not only nonsense, but has nothing to do with the story. After this experience, Lenz gets an assignment to go interview some scientist. As she drives along, a series of tremors cause her to wiggle back and forth across the road. (Her car radio, tuned, as most of these things are, to All Plot Points All The Time, tells us that tremors have started in the San Francisco area and are travelling south. Bad science!) During one such event she nearly crashes into a guy (Richard Hatch) in a pick up truck, running him off the road. They have a argument over the accident, and we learn in passing that he's not only an electrician (irrelevant to the plot) but an expert in kendo (mildly relevant, as he'll get into some sword fights later.) 

At the home of the scientist (quite a lovely mansion outside, and a small lab inside), we learn that he has developed a gizmo that can transport things to another dimension. He demonstrates this by putting some colorful geometric shapes into something that looks like a cheap version of a _Star Trek_ transporter. To prove that he's not just pulling off a magic trick, he asks Lenz for a personal item. She gives him a flat, round metal object, maybe a makeup mirror or some such. (Asking for an item from the audience seems like something a magician would do, but what do I know.) Well, it (vital to the plot) and the other objects (never seen again) disappear. Somehow the gizmo shows an image of a wilderness area, which the scientist deduces is a parallel world.

Well, those pesky tremors show up again, and the scientist falls into the gizmo and vanishes. A little bit later Hatch shows up, gets hits on the head by Lenz (apparently she thought he was an intruder) and once again they meet cute. (There's a fair amount of lame comedy in this film.) After some banter, the tremors hit again. Hilarious, our two leads also clumsily fall into the gizmo, and the story finally begins.

Without trying to give any more details about the thud-and-blunder events that follow, let's just list some of the folks we'll meet in the Lost Universe (played by South Africa.)

There's a big, caveman-type guy, who gets a tiny bit of help from Lenz when he's trapped in quicksand. (She pushes a convenient stick slightly closer to his hand.) Naturally, he'll show up to help the good guys whenever some muscle is needed.

There's a guy with green skin, possibly supposed to be an elf, who serves as the movie's Wise and Loyal Native American with many skills related to the natural world.

There's a sly little thief who cracks a lot of jokes and helps the good guys when it's in his own interest.

The main bad guy is local warlord John Saxon, doing a pretty darn good acting job here. He's much better than our two main leads, anyway.

Along for the fun are various slavers, bandits, monsters, zombies, and such. There's a scantily clad "half-breed" (?) slave girl to provide most of the cheesecake.

The basic plot outline is simple enough -- Lenz gets captured by Saxon, the other good guys have to rescue here -- but a heck of a lot goes on along the way. A couple of the more amusing random encounters:

1. Our heroes are chased by some guys painted black and white who have glowing red eyes (shown as really cheap red splotches on the film.) They wind up on the edge of a cliff. When a gigantic boulder falls off the cliff, the soundtrack treats us to a slide whistle noise, one of the many goofy sound effects in this thing.

2. The good guys are captured by some slavers. Hatch has the choice of having his tongue cut out and eaten (!) or fighting a huge golden-skinned guy. This fellow is the guardian of the rock the slavers worship. This is a bit more reasonable than it sounds, since anything that touches the rock explodes and disappears. Anyway, we have the typical scene where the good guy throws his best punch and the bad guy stands there smiling, completely unaffected by it. In another example of a bad choice of sound effects, Hatch kicks the golden giant in the privates, only to produce a metallic gong noise. (I'm reminded of a similar scene in The Jerk.) Despite the fact that the bad guy is so impervious to anything Hatch tries, he screams in agony when Hatch steps on his foot.

The whole movie seems to be something dreamed up by a couple of preteen boys who played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons. The violence isn't too gross, although there's a fair amount of bright red blood. There's some mild cussing. The women never get naked. Overall, it's a harmless source of giggles.


----------



## Remedy

Vaz said:


> *Blood Simple*



The Coen Brothers are my favorite directors and Blood Simple is brilliant. 

Michael Emmet Walsh is so sinister as the P.I.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Prisoners of the Lost Universe* (1983)
> They have a argument over the accident, and we learn in passing that he's not only an electrician (irrelevant to the plot) but an expert in kendo (mildly relevant, as he'll get into some sword fights later.)



During which he will demonstrate (or use) absolutely NO kendo moves at all...

Pointless geekery 763.a:  Shots of our hero and heroine falling into the matter transmitter from P_risoners of the Lost Universe_ turned up in the opening credits for a TV movie called *Stranded in Space *(1972) - or at least the version MST3K had fun with. 

Why I know crap like this when I can't remember my kids' names when I'm talking to them is source of some concern to me.


----------



## Remedy

Last two nights we watched:

*Schindler's List* *- *it had been a long time since last view. What a stunning piece of cinema.

*The Counterfeiters - *Continuing in the same vein, a remarkable story of the worlds largest counterfeiting operation. Jews struggling with both their survival and the moral implications of funding the Nazi war effort, from within a concentration camp. Amazing German-Austrian film.

*We Were Soldiers *- With enough explosions to rival Michael Bay's collective work, this Vietnam War film is hit and miss. Gibson's performance stands out as very strong among some dubious ones. The message is a bit cloudy, but my overall opinion is that it is worth the time to watch.

*Crimson Tide *- After numerous viewings, I am yet to watch this film and get bored. Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman are perfectly cast against each other in this nuclear thriller. Has me on the edge of my seat every time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*End of the World* (1977)

This cheap, dull, and dreary sci-fi flick actually starts off with a scene which promises something slightly interesting. We see a priest (Christopher Lee), obviously in a state of shock, walk into an all-night diner, deserted except for the proprietor. He haltingly asks to use the phone. The host goes off to make coffee. Next thing you know, the phone blows up and the coffee machine blows up, scalding the owner, who falls through a window, smashes into a neon sign, and gets zapped to death. The priest looks at his corpse, makes the Sign of the Cross over it (!), and wanders back to a convent, where his identical twin greets him.

Well, after this opening we have about an hour of some science guy and his wife (Sue Lyon) wandering around. It seems that signals from outer space are associated with (in some very unclear way) natural disasters around the world. (We hear about these on Plot Point Radio, but don't see them.) It also seems that somebody on Earth is responding to them. Our heroes track down the Earth-based broadcasts to two locations, conveniently located forty miles apart. One of the two is a bizarre red herring, as it turns out to be a secret US base monitoring Soviet broadcasts. (The guy in charge of the place even knows the scientist.) The other is the convent we've already seen. 

After a lot of wasted time, we find out that the priest and nuns at the convents have been replaced by aliens who somehow got here and need some kind of gizmo to get home. (There's some lovely Bad Science here, as we hear phrases like "negative velocity malfunction.") Weirdly, the scientist knows where he can get his hands on the exact kind of gizmo the aliens need, and he's forced to help out through threats to his wife.

At the very end we see Lee turn into a typical UFO cult alien. Disasters continue, courtesy of footage stolen from other films. The scientist and his wife are invited to join the aliens as they go back home through their transporter. They do so. The world blows up. The End.

About 75% of this flick is filler, with people talking, standing around, and driving. The oddball opening is maybe 10%, and the unsurprising ending is maybe 15%. It's not worth it.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

At last someone who has seen The Counterfeiters!!!!!
25th Hour,*Spike Lee*
verdict:
Barry Pepper:Amazing
Ed Norton: Stunning,portraying a guy you ought to hate,but you'll find yourself liking him
Rosario Dawson:Wonderful
Brian Cox: his usual genius
Phil S.Hoffmann: To think that he's dead.....Phil's performance is straight out of this world
genre: Crime drama,don't expect a lot of physical action,it's not that kind of crime drama
five stars on Ben's cinemeter


----------



## dask

Last week, *Klimt* --- yawn...
Few weeks before that, *The Woman In Gold*. Excellent! Helen Mirren: great actress, greater looking.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

loved Helen Mirren in "the Queen"
Actress supremo


----------



## David Doherty-Jebb

Spy.
After being a bit worried it was Melissa McCarthy playing the same character again, I was totally won over and laughed the whole way through.


----------



## Foxbat

*Delicatessen *(1991) I always go back to this post-apocalyptic black comedy every now and then. 
One of my all-time favourite movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *End of the World* (1977)
> 
> After a lot of wasted time, we find out that the priest and nuns at the convents have been replaced by aliens who somehow got here and need some kind of gizmo to get home. (There's some lovely Bad Science here, as we hear phrases like "negative velocity malfunction.")



I have seen this one several times.  (WHY??)  I got so fascinated by the sheer technobabbly nonsense of that scene that I transcribed it:



> Lee: You are an intelligent man, professor, and soon you will understand everything. Look around you. What do you see here?
> 
> Prof: [looking around the room at flashy-lighty alien technology for the first time] A command display complex... a library computer control centre... obviously everything in this room has some connection with velocity time relationships.
> 
> Lee: Exactly! Interstellar travel.
> 
> Prof: What happened to the nuns that were here before?
> 
> Lee: You humans are just beginning to understand cloning. We mastered it many years ago. We took on the appearance of Father Piccardo and his six nuns in this mission because we were forced to for our experiment.
> 
> Mrs Prof: You telling us you murdered six nuns and a priest?
> 
> Lee: We had no choice. There was a malfunction in negative velocity...
> 
> Prof: ...a space ship.
> 
> Lee: No. We use inertial navigation. We paid many visits to your planet, Professor, but now your Earth has become restructured through seismic disturbance and we cannot return to our planet as we did before.
> 
> Prof: How did you manage then?
> 
> Lee: We used what you humans would call a 'time warp' such as... [cutaway shot of a funky sculpture over in the corner] ...that one.
> 
> Prof: What do you want from us?
> 
> Lee: Your planet has been working on a 'speed coordination system'. We know that. [I'm glad he knows that, because it's the first time we've heard of it.] What we do not know is what you have achieved.
> 
> Prof: We've developed an emergency speed.
> 
> Lee: How many kilometres per hour?
> 
> Prof: Close to two hundred million...
> 
> Lee: What precisely do you use to achieve this emergency speed?
> 
> Prof: A small capsule - containing zero time reference. A variance crystal.
> 
> Lee: That is exactly what we need!.



The final justification for unleashing the hour of stockfootage that destroys the world is ptretty good too:

"The planet Earth has emitted an over-abundance of diseases, they are contaminating the Universe. All the planets light years away from here will suffer unless it is destroyed!"


----------



## Jesse412

*Gamera vs. Barugon* (1966) aka War of the Monsters







The second Gamera film and the first in color is actually an excellent sequel with tons of exciting action.  Barugon's eyes look a bit silly but aside from that the model work and special effects look pretty good for what they are.  The fights scenes are really well done.  The story itself is engaging and it's well paced enough to keep viewers interested.


----------



## Remedy

*The Thin Red Line - *While I enjoyed this war film, I don't think it lives up to the hype surrounding it. The sporadic narration was a little too flowery for me, drifting from hard truth to irrelevant poetry. I didn't find Nick Nolte very convincing either (incredibly shouty). A bursting cast and gripping scenes throughout.

*Saving Private Ryan - *Just superb. The characters are so real and fascinating.

*Defiance - *Interesting story of Jews fleeing into the woods and building a small resistance. Survival and community are well displayed. Sometimes I felt it got a little too gritty and heartless.


----------



## Rodders

The Interview.

It was OK. I did laugh out loud quite often, but i felt that this was a movie based on the lowest common denominator. I'll watch it again, though.


----------



## Droflet

Rodders said:


> The Interview.
> 
> It was OK. I did laugh out loud quite often, but i felt that this was a movie based on the lowest common denominator. I'll watch it again, though.



Yes, it was quite, ah, a different kind of dark comedy. Not what I was expecting but not exactly cr*p. Cough.


----------



## Jesse412

*From Beyond* (1986)






Stuart Gordon directs this wonderfully bizarre and disturbing adaptation of the H. P. Lovecraft short story. For the most part the specials effects makeups hold up very well (although some not as much as others) and there is a lot of brutal gore throughout. I really like the use of color and lighting when The Resonator was turned on. Jeffrey Combs gives a solid albeit over-the-top performance as the protagonist. Ted Sorel is massively creepy as the film's villain and his transformation scenes are mind blowing. Barbara Crampton in a dominatrix outfit plus Ken Foree. I highly recommend checking this out.


----------



## Remedy

*American Sniper - *Thought Bradley Cooper was phenomenal. The film's pacing was well managed. Amazing true story.
*
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) - *Absolutely hilarious. I really like Michael Keaton and was pleased to read afterwards, he won awards for his performance. I particularly enjoyed the sequence mocking audience demands for explosions and violence in films.
*
Kingsman: The Secret Service - *Todays' film, filled with explosions and violence (). A different kind of humour, but it was great to watch Colin Firth turn into a killing machine in a church. The young star gave a great performance as a London scallywag. Its not an intellectual film by any stretch, but I found it tonnes of fun.
*
Big Hero 6 - *So much heart in Pixar's newest offering. The squishy robot, Baymax, is impossible not to love. Disney are touching on some deeper themes recently. I like it.
*
Ex Machina - *The best Sci-fi movie I've seen in years. Better than all the above too. It had me thinking for hours after. See it!


----------



## Mad Alice

Groundhog Day. Go, Phil! He's a Groundhog! Go Phil! Yeah!


----------



## Jesse412

*Thunderbirds are GO* (1966)






I was aware of the TV series growing up but this is the first time I sat through the film and wow it's a lot of fun. The model work in this movie is nothing short of masterful. The attention to detail on the sets and vehicles is insane. I can't even begin to imagine the countless hours that went into creating these marvels. The voice acting is pretty solid, the story itself is entertaining and the action is exciting. The use of close-ups of actual hands throughout the film always makes me laugh for some reason. The bizarre dream sequence with the musical number had me dying of laughter. I absolutely loved the Mars set and the creepy looking rock snake aliens. The scene where one first opens its eye looked fantastic.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jesse412 said:


> *Thunderbirds are GO* (1966)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was aware of the TV series growing up but this is the first time I sat through the film and wow it's a lot of fun. The model work in this movie is nothing short of masterful. The attention to detail on the sets and vehicles is insane. I can't even begin to imagine the countless hours that went into creating these marvels. The voice acting is pretty solid, the story itself is entertaining and the action is exciting. The use of close-ups of actual hands throughout the film always makes me laugh for some reason. The bizarre dream sequence with the musical number had me dying of laughter. I absolutely loved the Mars set and the creepy looking rock snake aliens. The scene where one first opens its eye looked fantastic.



Do yourself a favour and avoid the (2004?) live action_ Thunderbirds _movie.  My kids, aged 6, 10, and 13 (all in their own way Thunderbirds fans), described it as 'crap', 'awful' and 'utter pants'.

They're right!


----------



## Rodders

Kingsman. Very enjoyable.


----------



## Remedy

*The Drop - *Fascinating character study. James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy as bartenders in Brooklyn, in a bar sometimes used as the drop location for mobsters' dirty money. Tom Hardy plays his character brilliantly with a quiet, subtle mystery. Gandolfini brings a different kind of tough guy from his Sopranos role, this film was his last - he doesn't disappoint. Noomi Rapace is great as always. I surprised myself by how invested I got with these characters. Highly recommend.

*Ender's Game - *hadn't read the book, but it made me want to. Some of the children's scenes were a little awkward with some dubious acting, but I suppose you can't blame them. Harrison Ford has still got it! I think this film deserves higher praise than critics gave it. Definitely worth a watch.


----------



## Jesse412

*Duck, You Sucker* (1971)







Underrated Sergio Leone masterpiece and the last western film he directed. Although this is the second film in the trilogy it's very enjoyable on it's own. James Coburn is ridiculously cool as an Irish demolitions expert in Mexico during the revolution. Rod Steiger also gives a fantastic performance as Juan. Leone does an incredible job of capturing the brutality of the Mexican Civil War and the action throughout is genuinely epic especially the explosions. The train wreck explosion and subsequent battle are an insane spectacle and the death of Coburn's character is absolutely tragic.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec *(2010) a live action adaptation by Luc Bresson of the Tardi Comics .  I'm not overly-familiar with the books this is based on having only read the first two but something didn't work here.  Though some of the casting and make up was perfect - some of the characters on screen looked exactly like their comic book originals - the actress playing Adèle was nothing like Tardi's drawings.  Far too good looking. I spent a lot of the film wondering why they had gone to all the trouble of bringing so much of Tardi's meticulous art to life and then thrown away the central character.  The plot (and though this is not a crime) was vastly different to the books as well.  (Later books with which I am unfamiliar, have been mined too.)   I'm not sure what it was about the film but it just didn't gel for me.  The Jeunet and Carot like opening with an omniscient narrator introducing us to characters and situations happening simultaneously in specific locations and times across Paris segues into a rambling _Indiana Jones / Mummy's Curse_*-*like adventure story which sort of segues back again into_ Amelie _territory - but without the narrator. and it's just flops about between the two. Sorry. It just didn't work.  Wanted to like it but couldn't.

My 13 year old daughter enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jesse412 said:


> *Duck, You Sucker* (1971)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Underrated Sergio Leone masterpiece and the last western film he directed. Although this is the second film in the trilogy it's very enjoyable on it's own. James Coburn is ridiculously cool as an Irish demolitions expert in Mexico during the revolution. Rod Steiger also gives a fantastic performance as Juan. Leone does an incredible job of capturing the brutality of the Mexican Civil War and the action throughout is genuinely epic especially the explosions. The train wreck explosion and subsequent battle are an insane spectacle and the death of Coburn's character is absolutely tragic.



Great music too!  One of my most often-played sound tracks.


----------



## Jesse412

*Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid* (1973)






I had seen bits and pieces of this growing up but this is the first time I sat through the whole thing. As a huge fan of Sam Peckinpah I'm always looking forward to viewing more of his work. Peckinpah like Sergio Leone is one of the quintessential Western directors who bring their unique perspectives to the genre. The casting in this is interesting with James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson giving excellent performances as the title characters. The soundtrack by Bob Dylan who also appears in the film is fantastic and fits the time period perfectly. Of course there is something inherently cool about seeing Kristofferson and Dylan interact on screen. There are also noteworthy appearances from Jason Robards, Slim Pickens and Harry Dean Stanton. The action and shootouts are all well done and I thought the ending and build up to were very satisfying.


----------



## dask

Jesse412 said:


> *Duck, You Sucker* (1971)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Underrated Sergio Leone masterpiece and the last western film he directed. Although this is the second film in the trilogy it's very enjoyable on it's own. James Coburn is ridiculously cool as an Irish demolitions expert in Mexico during the revolution. Rod Steiger also gives a fantastic performance as Juan. Leone does an incredible job of capturing the brutality of the Mexican Civil War and the action throughout is genuinely epic especially the explosions. The train wreck explosion and subsequent battle are an insane spectacle and the death of Coburn's character is absolutely tragic.



What are the first and third films in the trilogy?


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> What are the first and third films in the trilogy?



Once Upon a Time in the West
1968
Duck, You Sucker!
1971
Once Upon a Time in America
1984


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

The Day the Earth Stood Still
Which one?
the one with "acting without facial muscles" Reeves.
Jennifer Connolly:her talent is wasted in this one
Ditto Katy Bates,acting on autopilot
Some reasonable to good CGI,otherwise...............
a Movie for when you're bored out of your skull.
there's even a bit of an alien autopsy


----------



## Droflet

Not a patch on the original. Go Klatau.


----------



## dask

JunkMonkey said:


> Once Upon a Time in the West
> 1968
> Duck, You Sucker!
> 1971
> Once Upon a Time in America
> 1984


Do three unrelated movies whose only connection is the director (and composer, and perhaps a few other crew members) constitute a true trilogy? Not trying to start an argument, just curious.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Son of Kong* (1933)






I watched this the other day and for the most part enjoyed it. While it's not nearly as good as the RKO Pictures original it's still a pretty fun kids picture. While flawed due to the limited budget and short production schedule the stop motion animated is pretty enjoyable for what it is. There's a chase scene involving a Styracosaurus and an attack by a Plesiosaurus as well as fights with a Nothosaur and a giant cave bear. I particularly enjoyed Little Kong grappling with the bear. The ending is tragic as it features the island sinking due to earthquake and Little Kong drowning while saving the life of the protagonist.


----------



## dask

What an absolutely great poster!


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> Do three unrelated movies whose only connection is the director (and composer, and perhaps a few other crew members) constitute a true trilogy? Not trying to start an argument, just curious.



No idea - I've not seen them all - but  I guess if  Leone and his collaborators conceived it as a trilogy, even post hoc, then I guess we'll just have to take their word for it.




dask said:


> What an absolutely great poster!




Ain't it just!  It even makes Robert Armstrong look vaguely photogenic.


----------



## dask

JunkMonkey said:


> No idea - I've not seen them all - but  I guess if  Leone and his collaborators conceived it as a trilogy, even post hoc, then I guess we'll just have to take their word for it.


Do you (or anyone) know if Leone actually said he intended these three movies to be a trilogy? *The Films With No Connection* trilogy, perhaps?


----------



## Jesse412

*Hondo* (1953)






Just finished watching this on Encore On Demand and was really impressed by it. This was John Wayne at his peak and the restoration of this classic looks phenomenal. The action throughout is superb, the performances are outstanding, the story is excellent and the climax is epic. An absolute must see for fans of the Western genre.


----------



## Mark Ragland

Just saw The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington. Not bad. Not great.

Supposed to be a sequel in 2017.


----------



## Jesse412

*Charade* (1963)






Watched this on TCM On Demand and really enjoyed it. The casting is fantastic; Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and Walter Matthau all give superb performances. The mystery is intriguing, there's tons of suspense and there are some really cool twists at the end of the film.


----------



## Mad Alice

The Ghost And Mr. Chicken (1966)



 

Black and white, but lots of fun 
Don Knotts as a typesetter for a newspaper, who in an attempt to become a reporter, stays overnight in a haunted house.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

you just gotta love those fifties and sixties movie posters.
bet some of them are highly collectible


----------



## J Riff

Oh boy yea find an original King Kong poster... but where?


----------



## Jesse412

*Wait Until Dark* (1967)






Watched this on TCM On Demand and was really impressed. Lots of suspense throughout and Audrey Hepburn gives a fantastic performance.


----------



## Remedy

*The Gathering Storm (2002) - *A BBC-HBO television film about Churchill in the years leading up to WWII.

The cast alone is worth seeing: Albert Finney, Vanesa Redgrave, Jim Broadbent, Lena Headey, Ronnie Barker, Tom Wilkinson, Hugh Bonneville and Tom Hiddleston.

The story is human and real (helped a great deal by Finney). Exploring one of the world's most remarkable men and the strong woman beside him. 10/10


----------



## Jesse412

*Kiss Me Deadly* (1955)







Caught this on TCM and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a moody film noir with an interesting premise and a reveal that no one will see coming. The pacing is superb, the performances are good and the ending is really satisfying.


----------



## J Riff

*FURY * 2015 -  Well, well, a tank movie. Tank crew, beginning to end. WW2, behind the lines in Germany near the end of the war. Very graphic, very violent as one may expect. Don't watch it if you don't like machine guns, panzers, blood n' guts, horrible civilian tradgedies, crude soldiers blasting hell out of towns, tanks, people.
There is some plot, a MC who we can identify with and good performances. It builds up into the usual hollywood hero scenario, but the tank battles are wild.


----------



## Vince W

*Whiplash*. Meh.


----------



## ratsy

I saw Gone Girl on the weekend. It was quite good, but I couldn't help but just think that the book must be much better.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Town That Dreaded Sundown* (1976)






Early slasher movie loosely based on the real-life 1946 Texarkana Murders. The horror bits in this movie are extremely effective and the masked Phantom Killer is pretty disturbing.


----------



## Droflet

*THE FRAME (2015)*

Okay, we all know about killing our darlings. Right? But what if a couple of characters didn't know they were creations of a writer's imagination. What if we are all characters of a writer's imagination. I don't know about you but I'd be a tad peeved. This is the conceptually brilliant premise put forward in this movie. To say any more would spoil the movie more than I already have. Writer or not, this is a thought provoking movie, well written, well acted. The pace is a little sluggish for my liking but, in the tradition of good storytelling, I had to see how this clever idea panned out. Recommended.


----------



## ratsy

We watched Maze Runner since it popped up on Netflix. It wasn't _great_ but it did keep me entertained.


----------



## Jesse412

*Man Made Monster* (1941)






Watched this on Svengoolie and loved it. Lon Chaney Jr gives a great performance. It's one of those classic stories about a monster whose not really the bad guy so the ending is always tragic. It plays out pretty formulaic here but it's done well enough that it's definitely worth seeing. The pseudo science is silly fun plus Lon Chaney glows through half the movie what's not to like.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That's one of those nifty old shockers that are so fun to watch on your local _Monster Horror Chiller Theater_.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

*Eagle in a Cage* (1972)

Obscure small-scale historical drama, of the kind where famous folks from the past engage in sharp dialogue, much like *A Man For All Seasons* or *The Lion in Winter*. Unlike those, however, this began life not as a stage play, but as a television drama in 1965. Don't expect epic scenes; instead enjoy fine actors and lines that sure sound written, but are lovely to hear anyway.

The minimal plot involves Napoleon in exile. There's not much plot until the last third, when John Gielgud shows up as a completely fictional, constantly complaining British statesman and steals the picture. It seems he's there to offer Napoleon the chance to go back to France with the secret support of the British to restore order and attack Prussia. (None of this has anything to do with real history, as far as I know.) The first two-thirds might be called *The Private Life of Napoleon Bonaparte on Saint Helena*, as we see him deal with the officer in command of his imprisonment (Ralph Richardson, dominating the film until Gielgud shows up), the Irish doctor tending to him, the few aides so loyal to him that they go into exile with him (including, oddly, Moses Gunn playing a character who, in real life, certainly wasn't a black man), the wife of one of these ministers and the teenage girl living on the island, both of whom have affairs with him.

Not for anybody looking for an accurate biography, but quite entertaining. The big flaws are a really lousy soundtrack, with bombastic music at random times, and the fact that it ends extremely suddenly, with Napoleon dying before the fictional plot to return him to power can begin.


----------



## Vince W

*Terminator: Genisys*. Ugh. What a klunker. Arnold Schwarzenegger does his level best to save this one, but unfortunately even his once mighty thews struggle under the weight of this inept addition to the already weakened franchise.


----------



## Jesse412

*Bicycle Thieves* (1948)






A beautifully compelling and at times depressing film from a fascinating point in history. What De Sica is able to accomplish here with little budget, no studio sets and non-actors is truly remarkable.  With World War II over and Mussolini's government fallen there is crushing poverty and people are struggling to find work. When the protagonist finally catches a break and finds a job that requires him to have a bicycle his family pools together pawning their bed sheets so that they can afford one. All the more heart breaking when the bicycle is stolen after only one day. While the situation is very serious there are still lighthearted moments and even a few laughs. The ending is extremely heart felt and emotionally taxing as well as makes an interesting commentary on morality.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Flight Plan.*_
i distinctly rememember Jodie Foster and Sean Bean being in it.
The protagonist's daughter daughter is missing,but should be aboard the plane.
*stifles yawn*
So how was the movie?
*yawn*
Jodie and Sean _*could*_ have been the possible saviours of the film,being the talents that they are,but aren't.
Inept directing,silly scenario,audience "misdirection"* which i spotted from a mile off(non-caucasians aboard the plane)
very Near to "avoid at all cost"
*if you have NEVER seen a movie before,you might fall for this "deception


----------



## Jesse412

*Obsession* (1949)






Fantastic film that's well paced with excellent performances from Robert Newton and Phil Brown. (Brown is best known for playing uncle Owen in the original Star Wars.) When a doctor becomes fed up with his unfaithful wife he confronts her and the American man she is cheating with at gunpoint. Later he kidnaps the man and holds him prisoner chained to the wall in an abandoned building as part of his plan to get the perfect revenge.


----------



## Rodders

Watched a few films with the missus this weekend. 

National Security and Me, You and Duprees which were both on the TV.
Kingsman and Meet The Millers.


----------



## J Riff

Many people won't, or can't stand, watching movies like this. Do they know what they are missing?
*
Curse of the Swamp Creature* 1966

We see a mad scientist, he says: "Live! Breathe!" as we see a monster's clawed hand sticking out of a vat. Scientist then walks out of his nice country house in the swamp, carrying a body wrapped in sheets. He dumps it into a swimming pool full of crocodiles. Good start.

Gee. Scientist is walking along outside, and a black guy runs up and assumes a position like he is playing basketball, point guard, with hands out. A dubbed voice says: "I'm lookin' for mah bruther... I know he's here. Where is he?"

The guy starts choking the scientist but then an Indian guy runs out and knifes the guy. Scientist cuffs the guy who saved him, tells him to feed the guy to the alligators. Scientist tells him: 'I want no visitors, no one must enter the swamp, if they get past the quicksand I want you to stop them, keep all strangers out of my swamp.' Indian guy nods. Tremendously dramatic music plays.

Credits, set to bongo and hand drums. We are now inside the 'Fly n' Fish', somewhere on the highway in a swamp... 50's twangy guitar music... pinball machines... and Brenda, a barfly gal. She's a bookeeper at the motel. Meanwhile, a young guy is seen sneaking into a hotel room, searching for something.

The young guy finds a briefcase. Now Brenda is talking to a man in the bar... about oil in the swamps. The man returns to his room, catches young guy, knocks him out. Then young guy gets up and knifes him, phones Brenda... "The slob tried to get rough."

Brenda decides to impersonate dead guy's wife... because a geologist is coming to meet the guy. The plan to dispose of the body with a stump-cutter, though all we see is the machine working away on some logs.

The geologist arrives, they are going into the swamp to find oil. There are rumours of someone living in the swamp. 'Some mighty strange things goin' on'.

Off they go in a boat. Now we see... a gal, and a black guy who runs out of a shack and starts playing a drum... a signal, which is past on by another guy hammering on a hollow log.

Swamp footage, eerie music. We see the croc pool back at the house. Shots of big gators. Scientist and a guy come out and feed fish to the gators. Some bad dialogue... the guy, an assistant has 'had enough'. Scientist informs him, 'I'm the one who decides when someone has had enough.' Shots of gators, lizards...

The people from the boat wander into the swamp on foot, scientist informs his wife that intruders are on their way. She's lonely, she is reading a book. Scientist's assistant, who's had enough, is working on gill transplants, yup. They are taking alligators back down the evolutionary chain - changing them back into fish. We see the hand rising from the vat... the scientist orders it to awake- 'Get up! The world awaits you as my first citizen." But there's a problem, the thing isn't getting up. Yet.

The people from the boat camp out and sleep. Brenda can't sleep, 'I think I hear snakes crawling.'

Scientist carries another body out to the pool. He has failed again. He injects his sleeping assistant and puts him into the vat.

Swamp people are getting angry at scientist... a guy's son and others have disappeared. Scientist's wife discovers guy in the vat, screams. Scientists rants, clobbers her.

Meanwhile Tom, in the vat, is now a claw-handed monster of some kind. Scientist feeds him a turtle.

Finally, Brenda and the geologist and 2 guides arrive at the luxury home of the scientist, deep in the swamp, where the scientist is telling Tom: 'You are ready to make your debut in the world of humans, my beautiful indestructible fish-man."

They spend the night in scientist's house - he has the only shower for fifty miles around. He explains his 'Oceana theory of evolution', thusly: "...the evolution of man, from the reptiles. For example, sea creatures, simple land creatures, snake-like reptiles, alligator-like reptiles, the dinosaurs, and somewhere along the line - man."

The drums play, through a lot of this movie. Makes it trance-like, somewhat... zzZZZ. Oh, now we get some dancing in the swamp, as the locals plan something. One guide goes to take a look. Aha, it's 'snake magic' These people worship snakes. Good snake dancing... fire, masks, ritualistic behaviour, wearing t-shirts and sneakers.

Wife commiserates with Tom in the vat. She pulls out some tubes and destroys him but then scientist comes in, locks her in a closet.

The locals are coming for the evil scientist. We see him trying to revive Tom; 'Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe... breathe!" No luck, Tom is dumped in the gator pool.

Next, Brenda is injected and put in the vat. 'I believe you will be an instantaneous... transmutation."

Doc's assistants turn against him. A snake-local is also killed. Next, guide-guy corners a local snake-gal in her room.. ' - be good baby... there's nobody here but us chickens." She runs off, through the swamp - he chases her into the quicksand. "Help me it's quicksand... gurglBluble."

Quick shot of Brenda, now monstrous-looking, green skin, snake-fangs and big eyeballs.

The locals attack, with a rifle. Scientist gets Brenda up. 'There are enemies to be destroyed."

Brenda walks out and the gang of locals watch her as she goes over to the pool. She looks like a goblin with snake-teeth and big slitty eyeballs. Scientist commands her to kill the locals, who look amused. Scientist's wife makes a speech to Brenda; 'You were a beautiful girl, he's destroyed you..."

Brenda finally decides to feed the scientist to the gators and then she joins him.

Everyone else is fine and they go back into the luxury home in the swamp. Then they board a small plane and buzz off. That's it. The drums... are the best part of this movie.


----------



## Droflet

*Jupiter Ascending: *
Ideal for those wanting overblown action, a good cast wasted on an absolutely pathetic script and a director who could not direct a knife through butter. Dregs is far to flattering for this waste of air.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

BUT,BUT..
the trailer looks damn impressive 

I've come to totally disregard trailers, as they make you think the movie concerned is a masterpiece of cinematic art.....
which seldom is the case


----------



## thaddeus6th

The reverse can also be true. Lots of TV trailers make things look worse than they are.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

and you're referring to????


----------



## thaddeus6th

Ha, I couldn't give you an example, I just remember seeing some and thinking "I like that show. But the trailer's awful."

The only one that springs to mind is a videogame. The XCOM advert bored me so much I never saw more than the first second or two. It was only by chance I happened across the game through another source and ended up buying it.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

By now Hollywood's got the art of making trailers down to a T.
I have a sort of reverse reaction:the better the trailer ,the warier I am.
oh yeah,watched a recorded(to skip the ever present %&%^&^^&*!@#$% commercials) OBLIVION
It seems Cruise and Freeman are in it.*
Both actors have ,imHO,NOT furthered their careers by acting in this one
*i noticed this only AFTER the ending,BTW


----------



## wam

Jesse412 said:


> *Kiss Me Deadly* (1955)
> 
> Caught this on TCM and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a moody film noir with an interesting premise and a reveal that no one will see coming. The pacing is superb, the performances are good and the ending is really satisfying.


This was the third of 4 "Mike Hammer" books adapted at around that time with the same Producer/Exec Producer (Victor Saville) surprising considering the ending of that one.


----------



## Vaz

*UP 
*
I want a KEVIN!! LMAO


----------



## J Riff

Watched _Jupiter Ascending _some time ago, can't remember.... did they go skimming off around the edge of the galaxy? Was it that one?


----------



## Droflet

Love to answer that one, JR, but my brain is still undergoing vigorous scrubbing in an attempt to purge the last foul memory of this *&#$%- disaster from my suffering consciousness.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

was it this bad?


----------



## Droflet

Yes, but minus the disclaimer.


----------



## Jesse412

*White Heat* (1949)






Originally watched this on TCM and was blown away by how good it is. Easily one of the best crime films ever made. This movie has just about every thing you could possibly want in a crime drama: suspense, a train robbery, a prison brake, a double cross and an undercover cop. The pacing throughout is superb. James Cagney is one fierce gangster both menacing and charismatic. Virginia Mayo was great as Verna and she looked incredible. Fantastic stand off and chase at the end and the final scene is absolutely spectacular.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Why doesn't Hollywood do refunds?
*edit*
whoa
Cagney and Mayo?
sounds good to me
*edit two*
ok get it
"*RAOUL WALSH*"


----------



## Droflet

Fantastic movie. Ah, for a time machine.


----------



## Jesse412

*Jodorowsky’s Dune* (2013)






The most influential movie never made. It's kind of heart breaking that it doesn't actually exist on film. The tremendous talent that was assembled to try and make this movie is mind blowing and includes Jean Giraud, H. R. Giger, Salvador Dalí, Mick Jagger and Pink Floyd among others. I would love to read through one of the pre-production books with the storyboards and all the concept art. I hope one day that someone invents a way to travel to the parallel dimension where this film exists!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jesse412 said:


> *Jodorowsky’s Dune* (2013)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The most influential movie never made. It's kind of heart breaking that it doesn't actually exist on film.



Having watched Jodorowski's _El Topo_ I beg to differ. We'd have ended up with a visually interesting, over-long, boring, self indulgent confused, psuedo-mystical dog's breakfast... 

...actually written down like that he would have been the perfect person to adapt _Dune_.


----------



## J Riff

More tasteful rubbish - *The Unknown Terror* 1957- Well, fungus can be fun, or it can be terrifying. The 'cave of death' features in this one, and fungus gets out of hand. In the death cave, huge amounts of soap suds and cake batter attack at the end, and only our crippled hero can defeat it.
*The Brain Eaters *1958 - 'What's that on the back of your neck?" "Nothing, er... it's nothing." But it is a space alien, and they plan to take over, starting in a small town. You can imagine the fun that ensues.
 Started watching 'The *Astounding She Creature'* but ran out of brain cellssszzzZZZZzzzzz....


----------



## J Riff

Check that; - The Astounding She MONSTER... 1957ish.... golly, a really attractive gal appears on Earth, she walks around being beautiful and glowing. Anything she touches dies. Turns out she is coated with metal - Radioactive uranium, and platinum. Our hero figures out a way to puncture the platinum, and she is killed by Earth's atmosphere. Only a tiny locket remains, and our hero opens it. There is a small piece of paper in there, a note, and he reads it. It's from the rulers of the Telus Galaxy, and it informs us Earthlings that we are ready to join the Galctic Federation, and that the beautiful gal is their emissary.
Now hero and his GF start worrying about how the bigshot Galactic Rulers will feel about their emissary being croaked by the Earth idiots. The End.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Check that; - The Astounding She MONSTER... 1957ish.... golly, a really attractive gal appears on Earth, she walks around being beautiful and glowing. Anything she touches dies. Turns out she is coated with metal - Radioactive uranium, and platinum. Our hero figures out a way to puncture the platinum, and she is killed by Earth's atmosphere. Only a tiny locket remains, and our hero opens it. There is a small piece of paper in there, a note, and he reads it. It's from the rulers of the Telus Galaxy, and it informs us Earthlings that we are ready to join the Galctic Federation, and that the beautiful gal is their emissary.
> Now hero and his GF start worrying about how the bigshot Galactic Rulers will feel about their emissary being croaked by the Earth idiots. The End.




Is that the one that starts with a good 15 minutes of voice over narration because they obviously couldn't afford to do any location sound?


----------



## Jesse412

*Doctor X* (1932)






Originally watched this on TCM and was really impressed with it. The creepy atmosphere, interesting visuals and the humorous bits were all extremely effective. One of my top 3 favorite Fay Wray films second only to King Kong.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*Little Miss Sunshine*
Toni Collette*,Steve Carell** and others put in a topnotch performance
Surefire direction gets the best out of the assembled cast.
Never too schmalzy,yet deliciously full of (the right)sentiments.***
Good open ending.
*Ben's like-o-meter:nine and a half out of ten*
*Damn,she can act
**ditto,even cast against type
***watch Abigail Breslin(endearing as heck) and Alan Arkin(who's very very good also)interact
evey once in a while there's a sapphire among the movie industry's ususal mudlumps......


----------



## Jesse412

*The House That Dripped Blood* (1971)






Atmospheric horror anthology based on short stories written by Robert Bloch with fantastic casting that features Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Jon Pertwee, among others. All the characters are in someway associated with a house where a famous actor has recently disappeared. When an Inspector from Scotland Yard begins to investigate we learn the house's macabre history. In the first story Denholm Elliott plays a writer who is terrorized by a psychopathic character from his latest novel. In the second story Peter Cushing discovers a model of a woman he once knew in an eerie wax museum. In the third story Christopher Lee plays a widower who hires a school teacher that becomes worried about the strict way he treats his daughter. Jon Pertwee plays a horror actor who acquires a cursed cloak that starts to turn him into a vampire. Ingrid Pitt looked absolutely incredible.


----------



## clovis-man

*Winter's Bone* (2010)
A very young Jennifer Lawrence provides a strong performance in a scenario reminiscent of *Deliverance*. An atmospheric portrayal of some backwoods morality and hard living. Not an easy one to enjoy, but riveting nonetheless.


----------



## J Riff

12 TO THE MOON  - 1960?   Weel, 12 folks go to the moon. There's stuff there, little meteors keep just missing them, er... I can't remember. Last night was a long time ago... anyway, they head back to Earth and there's trouble, but some of them survive, I think. It was in black and white, which may be the highlight. Really, I'm trying but can't remember even though I'm sure I watched it just last night.

JunkMonkey - I can't remember if it started with a long rubbish voiceover.... probably did but the astounding ending just overwhelmed everything and besides, that was 3-4 days ago. No way can the details of a movie that bad stick around that long.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Vampire Bat* (1933)







Originally I checked this out because of Fay Wray and Dwight Frye. I found it even more enjoyable with multiple viewings years later. The atmosphere is creepy and the use of suspense is quite good. The horror in this film is two fold. One with the serial killer who happens to be a mad scientist draining the blood from his victims. Two the villagers who are so spooked at the idea that the killer is a vampire they turn into an angry mob and cause a mentally challenged man to fall to his death.


----------



## Droflet

LAST KNIGHTS (2015)
Overblown, over written, over acted, tripe. I'm off for another brain scrub after this steaming pile of %#*&!!!.


----------



## Jesse412

*Night of the Lepus* (1972)






Giant mutant rabbits terrorize a town. The horror aspect of this film is actually kind of good despite how goofy the premise is. Plus it has DeForest Kelley who played Dr. McCoy on the original Star Trek.


----------



## ratsy

I watched* The Babadook *on the weekend. I was surprised I hadn't really heard much about it, and I don't think it had any sort of release in North American, which is a shame. The movie was very nicely shot, and although I think it could have been much scarier, I loved aspects of it. The book itself where the creature is introduced in a children's book was one of the coolist things I've seen in quite some time. If you've seen it you will understand. If you get a chance, check out this movie.

We also started *Sinister* with Ethan Hawke, but didn't stay up late enough to finish it so I'll be back with my thoughts later this week.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> 12 TO THE MOON  - 1960?   Weel, 12 folks go to the moon. There's stuff there, little meteors keep just missing them, er... I can't remember. Last night was a long time ago... anyway, they head back to Earth and there's trouble, but some of them survive, I think. It was in black and white, which may be the highlight. Really, I'm trying but can't remember even though I'm sure I watched it just last night.
> 
> JunkMonkey - I can't remember if it started with a long rubbish voiceover.... probably did but the astounding ending just overwhelmed everything and besides, that was 3-4 days ago. No way can the details of a movie that bad stick around that long.



The trick is to write it down as soon as it happens  - this is what I wrote after watching it for the first time back in May of this year.  Bleeding indelibly stamped in my noggin now.

*Twelve to the Moon *(1960) - probably the dullest 'first men on the moon' film I have yet seen, though it does garner a few brownie points for having a mixed ethnicity crew (the non Caucasian members of which_ actually survive till the end of the film_!) and messages about world peace and forgiveness. (The bad guy turns out to be the snarky French member of the crew who is thwarted by the snarky Russian member of the crew and the angry Israeli member of the crew dies in a Nobel act of Self Sacrifice with tortured German member of the crew, who is the son of the Nazi commander responsible for the extermination of the angry Israeli member of the crew's family etc. etc.). But, by golly, it was a grind getting to the end. There were, as was obligatory in space films of this period, unexpected meteor showers along the way which did nothing to alleviate the boredom. The end (the aforementioned Nobel act of Self Sacrifice) involved our heroes knocking up an atomic bomb out of bits lying about their spaceship and dropping it down the Popocatepetl volcano which will, somehow, by the magic of WTF 1950's movie science, unfreeze the whole of North America which has been plunged into an instant ice age by moon people.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The amazing thing about *Night of the Lepus* is that it takes itself completely seriously.


----------



## Mad Alice

*Road House*. Patrick Swayze vehicle, though Sam Elliott steals the show here just as he does in Ghost Rider. My favorite bit is when the band plays with Jeff Healey on Lead. What a gift.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Watched a bit of Ghost Rider *Spirit of Vengeance* yesterday, but couldn't finish it.
Even if it featured Idris Elba.
The one or two stars reviewers have given it are fully merited.
and No redeeming Elliott part in this one.
The Tv Guide didn't even consider it worthy of mention,but my TV guide is kinda snobby.
Low brow I don't mind,low quality I do


----------



## Remedy

Last week we watched all 8* Harry Potter *films in succession. I was re-reading HP 5,6 & 7 when we started, managing to finish the books before we watched the subsequent film for each, which was a brilliant experience. The films keep pretty true to the books, except the last 3, which seem to diverge a lot more - but perhaps I was able to notice the differences easier with the books so fresh. Enjoyable, but time to leave Harry Potter alone again for a few more years, I think.

We also saw *Jurassic World* at the cinema on Sunday. It was a bit of a let down. Some parts were visually stunning, but so much of the writing was heavy with cheese and cliché.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Remedy said:


> time to leave Harry Potter alone again for a few more years, I think.



I concur.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Uninvited* (1944)






Possibly the first serious ghost story on film and definitely one of the best haunted house movies ever made. Lots of creepy atmosphere and some interesting visuals especially the effects for the ghost.


----------



## J Riff

*Bermuda Tentacles*. Surprisingly, this one gets going and doesn't stop. Giant tubeworms rise from the ocean and attack a fleet of battleships, which are on their way to save the President's escape pod from the bottom of the ocean in the Bermuda Triangle. There's a giant alien city down there, and it turns into a massive UFO and comes up to cause trouble. Who needs good acting with action like that?

JunkMonkey - yeah I often synopsize stuff while it's on, esp. if it's slow-moving. Sometimes the inanity is virtually indescribable. Still, better than TV.


----------



## Jesse412

*Madhouse* (1974)






Far from either Cushing or Price's best film both horror icons are in good form here and there's plenty of disturbing imagery. There are also brief cameos from Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff as shown in clips from other movies. While it's not a must see film from any of those horror alums it does provide us with an interesting and exciting mystery that keeps us guessing 'who dun it'.  Vincent Price plays Paul Toombes a horror actor famous for playing the character Dr. Death with Peter Cushing playing the writer of the Dr. Death film series. During a New Years Eve party Toombes' fiancee is killed. He wakes up to find her decapitated and the shock drives him to be institutionalized. Years later he decides to revive the character for a TV series and people start to die in ways similar to his films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I saw that a while back.  My own mini-review:



> Vincent Price stars as horror movie actor Paul Toombes in this post-modern scare flick. Toombes has become famous in the role of Doctor Death. Years after his mental breakdown after the murder of his fiancee (and not even he remembers if he killed her or not), he goes to the UK to reprise the character in a British television series. Then people start getting killed using the methods Doctor Death used in the old movies . . .
> 
> The plot may not be very surprising, but this AIP/Amicus co-production is enjoyable as a valentine to Vincent Price. Fellow scream kings Peter Cushing and Robert Quarry are on hand, and Adrienne Corri has a great part as Cushing's insane wife. Old footage from Price's films for AIP is used to show us the career of Toombes. There's one hell of a final scene, and Price himself sings the 1920's-ish song that plays over the end credits.


----------



## J Riff

*Night of the Bloody Apes*  1969.   Just don't bloody bother with this one.

Hey Victorier, the B-movie site where you have posted reviews seems to be gorn. Did it change addys or summat?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

It's now here:

http://bmmb.prophpbb.com/


----------



## J Riff

Thanks. ... do you write these while watching them? Like, watch a bit, pause, write, then go on, or do you do it after in one shot?
I'm reading your review of The Fat Spy. Heh, heh - anyone interested in B-movies should check out that site, there's great reviews by VS and others.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I generally watch one of these things then just write up my immediate impression.  Sometimes, if I know I am going to do an extensive review, I may take notes while I watch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> 12 TO THE MOON  - 1960?   Weel, 12 folks go to the moon. There's stuff there, little meteors keep just missing them, er... I can't remember. Last night was a long time ago... anyway, they head back to Earth and there's trouble, but some of them survive, I think. It was in black and white, which may be the highlight. Really, I'm trying but can't remember even though I'm sure I watched it just last night.



I just found I have a copy of the novelization!  I just looked over the top of my monitor and there it was staring at me from a pile of 1960's paperbacks on the bookshelves behind my desk!






I'm off to read it.  It looks like total crap!


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

er
I've rewatched _*You Got mail.*_
Still liked it second time around.
whatever happened to Meg's career?
And how come there so preciously little of Lubitsch's movies around??(cinefiles will get this,I'm sure)
I turned _*Spanglish*_ off,just now.
Tea Leoni,Adam Sandler,no way,Jose.Tea no star quality,Sandler looking bemused,inane
and somehow miscast
No chemistry(that magical word),no dialog worth repeating,crap supporting roles


----------



## Jesse412

*Freaks* (1932)







Easily my favorite Tod Browning film which is no small task given his body of work. Watching Prince Randian, a man with no arms and no legs, take a match from a matchbox and light a cigarette using only his mouth is still one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

You know your Classics,Jess.
Enjoyed _*HOW to Tame Your Dragon.*_
No genius work,but the animation is very good,and i enjoyed the characters


----------



## ratsy

We watched Sinister staring Ethan Hawke. It was okay, but really was missing something. He was living in the house of a murdered family, trying to write a true crime book about it, and never left once to interview anyone....it felt too small. The Sinister being left super 8 film strips of murders, dating back 40 years and Ethan's character drinks his way through all the gruesome footage. 

I can't say I'd recommend it to everyone, but since Netflix has it, it is worth a look.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jesse412 said:


> *Freaks* (1932)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Easily my favorite Tod Browning film which is no small task given his body of work. Watching Prince Randian, a man with no arms and no legs, take a match from a matchbox and light a cigarette using only his mouth is still one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen.



I would seriously avoid the gender swapping remake _She Freak._

As evidence, here is what I thought the most interesting shot in the whole film....

_


Untitled by the_junk_monkey, on Flickr_


----------



## Jesse412

*Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1931)






One of the interesting things about this film is Rouben Mamoulian's use of first person perspective shots and clever transitions. It really is filled with incredible visuals and inventive film techniques. The Wally Westmore special effects make-up for Hyde is subtle but very effective both gruesome and animal like. Fredric March plays Mr. Hyde brilliantly and he nails the villain's mannerisms perfectly. The scene where Hyde first looks into the mirror and says "Free! Free at last!" is one of my favorites. Miriam Hopkins looked stunning and she gives a tremendous performance as Ivy Pearson. This is arguably the best adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel on film.


----------



## Vince W

*Ant-Man*.

This film was a joy to watch. Funny, charming, and a lot of heart. There was CGI, but not to exclusion of all else (Avengers). The entire cast was great, but Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas were simply perfect. I wasn't expecting it to be much, especially since I knew nothing about the Ant-Man character, but wow. I left the cinema with a huge grin and if I didn't have previous plans I would probably have went right back in and seen it again.

If you have any interest in the Marvel universe then you should see Ant-Man.


----------



## Jesse412

*El Dorado* (1966)






John Wayne had some great lines in this movie. He also had excellent on screen chemistry with Robert Mitchum and James Caan. I don't think I've ever seen James Caan so young. Michele Carey looked incredible as Joey. Nice to see Ed Asner show up as Bart Jason. A classic Western with tons of exciting action and some genuinely funny bits.


----------



## Foxbat

*Stonehearst Asylum *
This movie got good reviews in some places. It was well filmed but I found it plodding, predictable and lacking any real form of tension.


----------



## Jesse412

*Scarface* (1932)






One of the greatest gangster films ever made and a must see for any fan of the genre. Howard Hughes and Howard Hawks create a fascinating and thrilling look at the rise of notorious gangster Al Capone in this pre-Code crime film. Paul Muni is excellent as Tony Camonte as was Boris Karloff as the rival gangster Gaffney. The pacing of the film remains exciting throughout and I thought the ending was incredibly satisfying.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Murder by Television (1935)

Dull, talky, and dreary murder mystery with a few notable elements.

1. The inclusion of science fiction themes (mostly just talked about) from the plausible (a nation-wide television broadcast) to the ridiculous (studying the structure of somebody's brain to see if the person is capable of murder.) The futuristic television equipment is actually pretty groovy; according to IMDB, it was the real thing, borrowed for use in the film, and was worth twice the movie's budget.

2. More than the usual amount of ethnic stereotyping, with an Irish watchman, a Chinese houseboy who quotes fortune cookie wisdom (even from Charlie Chan), and Hattie McDaniel as a maid or cook who says things like "Lordy! Lordy! I see'd a ghost!"

3. Bela Lugosi as (in a shocking plot twist about ten minutes from the end) twin brothers, one a sneaky character who is the second murder victim and the other, amazingly, the good guy who solves the murder.

Less than an hour long, but not worth it except for Lugosi completists.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Colossus and the Amazon Queen* (1960)

This is the "wacky comedy" version of a sword and sandal epic. Rod Taylor, fresh from *The Time Machine*, has top billing as a trickster who manages to get himself and his musclebound buddy trapped aboard a ship bound for an unknown destination. This turns out to be the land of the Amazons, and out heroes are being sold to the ruling women as one-night lovers and then slave workers. There's a minimum of typical muscleman stuff and a maximum of slapstick and low comedy. Along for the ride is an Egyptian scientist who has not only invented the telescope, but all kinds of Rube Goldberg stuff. (One of the best throwaway gags is the scene where he makes use of a wildly elaborate gizmo to start a fire. This device is started by holding a torch to it!) There's also a talking parrot to provide commentary who has the last words. The soundtrack combines modern jazz and "comedy" music. Taken in the right mood, it's amusing enough. The sets and costumes are just as elaborate as anything in this genre, and there are tons of gorgeous, scantily clad Amazons to provide the cheesecake along with the usual beefcake.


----------



## J Riff

Sounds good. ) I watched _Night of the Blood Beast_, but not attentively enough to review. It was okay. _Night of 1000 Cats_  has much more promise. Oh, _King of the Zombies_ 1941, is a lighthearted zombo-romp of the day. Probably Victoria has full reviews of these somewhere, probably more entertaining than the movies themselves. *)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thank you for the kind words.  I have not seen the latter two films, and the first one only in the MST3K version (which would make a review superfluous.)


----------



## Jesse412

*The Trial *(1962)






This certainly feels like a Franz Kafka novel brought to life right from the start and it's definitely the strangest and most visually stunning Orson Welles film I've watched. One of Anthony Perkins strongest performances. The last half hour of the film is absolutely bizarre. A must watch for fans of Orson Welles and Anthony Perkins.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

And for fans of Kafka?
Clint Eastwood's _*The Changeling*_
somewhere between good to excellent
AJ puts in a thoroughly convincing performance as the mother of a missing child,Malkovitch enjoyable and on form.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Elvira: Mistress of the Dark *- with my proto-goth teenage daughter.  It's a lot funnier than I remember.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Thin Man* (1934)






An excellent comedy and one hell of an intriguing murder mystery. The pacing of the film is near perfect, never lagging and always keeping your interest. William Powell's comedic delivery is superb and his chemistry with costar Myrna Loy really makes them a believable and endearing couple. The reveal during the dinner party scene is both exciting and unexpected. One of those rare films that makes me want to read the novel that it's based on.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Vulcan, Son of Jupiter* (1961)

Particularly nutty sword and sandal epic which plays fast and loose with mythology. The main characters are the gods of Olympus (a cardboard set with fog.) 

Venus goes to Earth for a quick romance with Adonis. He quickly disappears from the story. It seems this opening scene was just to establish the fact that Venus (played pretty much as a blonde California beach bunny) likes the boys. Up on Olympus this displeases Jupiter, so he decides that she's going to marry Mars or Vulcan and settle down. 

Vulcan (not crippled in this version of the story, but in fact a muscleman) seems more interested in forging swords and a shield for Achilles (so why are we using Roman names?) but gets into a fight with Mars (an Aryan type, not as muscular as our hero.) Vulcan kicks his tail pretty easily, so Mars and Venus, with the aid of Pluto (also a muscleman, although he doesn't do anything with it) go to Earth to rebel against Zeus. Vulcan intends to follow them to stop their plan. Pluto "helps" him get to Earth by stabbing him with a trident. Vulcan winds up on the beach surrounded by dark-haired bathing beauties, one of whom will be Vulcan's love interest.

Next we have an odd subplot in which Vulcan and the ladies are captured by lizard men in very bad costumes. They escape by having a midget hide in a basket of garbage and get thrown into the sea so he can contact Neptune for help. The little fellow will turn out to be Vulcan's sidekick and comedy relief. Neptune sends up some tritons who free the prisoners. Back down under the sea the love interest has the mandatory dancing girl scene, and rivals Venus in her degree of undress.

Meanwhile Mars and Venus are plotting with the king of Thrace to build a tower to lay seige to Olympus. This seems like a bad idea for a couple of reasons. For one thing, by the end of the movie this flimsy wooden tower is maybe the height of a one story building. For another, Jupiter is a god, after all, and can not only zap folks with badly animated lightning bolts, but can send Pluto down to the Underworld with a wave of his hand.

Anyway, Vulcan and his sidekick and his girlfriend go to Thrace to stop Venus and Mars, and we get our big battle scene, as well as the catfight between Venus and Vulcan's paramour. Along the way they're attacked by some mutant/cavemen types, in another irrelevant subplot. Somewhere in there you also have a rather fey Mercury and a couple of other gods who show up to say a line or two then disappear. It's all quite silly and amusing.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*Paul*,with Pegg and Frost.
Not their best work together,but still good fun.
With another duo in the lead,this might have failed dismally.


----------



## Jesse412

*Hatchet III* (2013)







The kills in this movie are absolutely brutal. I love the opening. The chainsaw scene was extremely well done. The head explosion kill with the defibrillators was pretty cool too. I like the new additions to the cast specifically Zach Galligan, Caroline Williams and Derek Mears. Sid Haig showing up came as a complete surprise and he was hysterical. Joel Moore's cameo was also pretty cool. I thought the ending was really satisfying.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Vulcan, Son of Jupiter* (1961)
> 
> Particularly nutty sword and sandal epic which plays fast and loose with mythology. The main characters are the gods of Olympus (a cardboard set with fog.)



Sounds like real fun.  Is the copy at archive.og the best (only?) version to see for free?

https://archive.org/details/VulcanSonOfJupiter


----------



## Jesse412

*The Lords of Salem* (2012)






The tone of this film was much more serious than I was expecting. It still includes many of the things I've come to expect from Rob Zombie like an excellent score and casting of horror alums like Ken Foree and Dee Wallace. Meg Foster's performance as the witch was absolutely creepy. It also delivers on some very disturbing imagery and some interesting psychedelic visuals.


----------



## JunkMonkey

JunkMonkey said:


> I just found I have a copy of the novelization!  I just looked over the top of my monitor and there it was staring at me from a pile of 1960's paperbacks on the bookshelves behind my desk!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm off to read it.  It looks like total crap!



It WAS!

*12 to the Moon* by Robert A Wise - a novelization of a really bad film which manages to make the film look interesting by comparison. Stuffed full of really bad writing like this [Our heroes are on their way back from the first manned expedition to the moon where they have encountered mysterious forces. On their way back they hear mysterious whizzing noises coming from outside the ship (on airless space remember) and watch through their space telescope as life in America grinds to a halt with people literally freezing in mid step. - A bit like slowing down and freeze framing stock footage.] Now read on:


> They said they had the power to immobilise the earth at will, replied Hideko. "And somehow they have managed to do it!"
> "But how? Ruskin asked.
> Heinrich scratched his jaw pensively. "Through some development of their science, they ... whoever they are ... have found a way to freeze all molecular activity."
> "Those 'whizzing' noises ... "said Rod.
> "Yes, answered Heinrich. "Whatever they sent must have extracted the heat particles out of the atmosphere and frozen it!"
> "How could that be possible?" asked Rod.
> "It is the reverse principle of the hydrogen bomb," explained Heinrich. "We have successfully experimented with this in Germany. We call it flash freezing."
> "Yes," agreed Orloff. "Through some superior device they must have found a way to bring about a glacial phenomenon."
> "Implosion bombs!" exclaimed Heinrich. "That must have been those whizzing noises."
> He walked from the group with his own thoughts. The earth, as he knew it had come to an end. He wondered if the others had quite faced up to the situation yet.
> "I somehow feel, said Ruskin, "that it is an earthly power."
> Heinrich turned to face him, the picture of dejection,. "All I know is that the lower atmosphere appears to be frozen and we must remain at this altitude above the earth so as not to be trapped in it."



But it's all right in the end. A couple of pages after this they knock up an atomic bomb out of bit lying about the spaceship and in a suicide mission drop it down an active volcano in Mexico - thus melting the whole of North America.

As a result of several intense minutes of in-depth internet research I can pretty well authoritatively say that Robert A Wise didn't write any other SF books and was, according to Contemporary Science Fiction Authors By Robert Reginald, - "probably a real person"

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...author&f=false


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> Sounds like real fun.  Is the copy at archive.og the best (only?) version to see for free?
> 
> https://archive.org/details/VulcanSonOfJupiter



AS far as I know, but I am no expert.


----------



## Jesse412

*Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II* (1987)






Definitely an improvement on the original. Adding the supernatural element to this franchise was like a breath of fresh air during a time when slasher movies had become stale and predictable. At first it gives off a low budget Poltergeist vibe but goes on to deliver some very visually striking scenes. The rocking horse's head coming to life in Vicki's room was just awesome. Vicki getting pulled into the chalkboard was also pretty cool. Very satisfying ending.

*Prom Night* (1980)






Far from Jamie Lee Curtis' best horror movie. It's kind of slow in the middle and the reveal of the killer is predictable by today's standards otherwise it's a solid '80s slasher movie.


----------



## J Riff

Jessie are you kidding? 
 AntMan!  I had vague hopes, and some of the ant action is acceptable. Couldn't stay focused though, because as soon as the characters are set, (criminal who becomes Antman and his cute daughter) the whole thing was set up to follow the same formula. Message - hey crime is OK if it's to make child support payments. Action movie but as predictable as any low-budget hacktion flick. Cool ants though. They are our friends.


----------



## Droflet

*PAPER PLANES (2015)*
Based on a true story, a boy ends up competing in the world paper plane contest. It's predictable, formulaic, and yet a pleasant little comedy.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Paul Anderson's _*The Master*_,with the much lamented Phil Hoffmann and Joaquin Phoenix.
Easy viewing?No,certainly,definitely not.
Compelling viewing?Very much so.
First of all: you can't ignore Phil SH and Jockey.They loom larger than life in this one,with out-of -this world acting from both.
Mr. Phoenix role is emotive,at times thoroughly disturbing,portraying a somewhat  disturbed individual,a human timebomb,and the viewer hasn't got a clue what's coming next.Consistency,intensity,depth,it's all there.Without histrionics.
Direction:faultless,cinematography:ditto
The Late immensely talented Hoffman:Olympian.
Suitably ambivalent,charismatic,overpowering,he portrays someone with oddbal(very science-fictional) ideas and a cult following,who likes to live the high life.
Every hint of satire is pointedly and studiously ignored by the director.
What emerges is a jilted almost father/son relation.
Explanations:none,so the whole thing feels very European,which might be not to everyone's taste.
Director Anderson seems to like to explore counter-/subcultures.
What's fascinating to watch is the ambivalence:Hoffman's character very much wanting
the highly volatile booze addict Freddy Quell to be a true believer,and the novice seemingly willing to oblige him,for whatever reason.
So:*No plot*,none whatsoever.
It's a character study.
See this one after you OD'd on Pixar,MImp Umpty,and as yet unnamed GIANT CGI SPECTACLE WITH VEHICLE CHASES AND LOTSA EXPLOSIONS

edit:Takes place in 1950's America,believable all the way


----------



## Vince W

*Wargames* (1983) and *The Last Starfighter* (1984). Having read Armada, I'm in a rather nostalgic frame of mind.


----------



## Jesse412

*Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet* (2009)

The only reason I checked this out is because it stars both Bill Moseley and Danielle Harris.  It's actually a pretty solid B-Movie splatter film.  While it's low budget the practical special effects look good and there's plenty of gore.  Although it is slow in the middle during the teenagers partying scenes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Woman in the Window* (1944)

Outstanding early _film noir_ directed by the great Fritz Lang. Edward G. Robinson stars as a professor of psychology who sees a striking portrait of a woman in a store window, then soon encounters the real woman who posed for it (Joan Bennett.) Since his wife and kids are away on vacation, he agrees to have a drink with her and then go up to her apartment to see some sketches. Another gentleman, who happens to be violently jealous, shows up, and things rapidly go from bad to worse. Without giving anything else away, the story is tightly plotted and highly suspenseful, with sharp dialogue by producer/screenwriter Nunally Johnson, and excellent cinematography. A class act all around. Unfortunately, it's nearly ruined by an absurd twist ending during the last couple of minutes, which was obviously added to avoid violating the Production Code. Fine supporting roles from Raymond Massey as a district attorney with a razor sharp mind and Dan Duryea as a blackmailer.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Fritz Lang is one of the great:
a couple of days back i rerererewatched a movie about money,bowling,nihilists....


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scarlet Street* (1945)

This is a very interesting film to compare with *The Woman in the Window*. Director Fritz Lang brings together the same leads -- Robinson, Bennett, and Duryea -- for another _film noir_. The opening premise is similar. Once again Robinson is a respectable middle-aged fellow who gets mixed up with Bennett, eventually leading to violence. However, the films have important differences. This one is more leisurely and less tightly plotted. Unlike the early killing which sets up the plot in *The Woman in the Window*, *Scarlet Street* doesn't get violent until the last fifteen minutes. Once it does, however, it becomes much darker in tone, and the ending doesn't cop out.


----------



## The Neon Seal

*Ant-Man *(Present Day)

This little gem is a breath of fresh air to the MCU. It doesn't concern itself with world shattering alien invasions or unhinged A.I. seeking to cause nuclear winter by dropping cities on people, and it is all the better for it. It is clever, funny, moving, beautifully shot in places, and probably has the best end-movie boss fight beside all the Hulk bits in Avengers Assemble. A must watch for any Science Fiction of Fantasy fan!


----------



## Jesse412

*Gangster Squad* (2013)






It's flashy, cliche, the characters are one dimensional and some of the drama is heavy handed but damn this movie is fun, fast paced and visually cool. Excellent casting and a definite recommend for fans of the gangster genre.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Hold on;it's got Ryan Gosling ,Sean Penn AND the characters are one-dimensional?


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Brokeback Mountain_ - a film which has been sat in the To Be Watched pile for several years now and which I have been putting off watching for years because I knew I would be a blubbering wreck at the end of it.  Last night, given a free choice of any movie to watch "as long as it wasn't an 18", my 13 year old daughter picked it.  I was, as I suspected I would be, a blubbering wreck at the end of it.  What a great film.


----------



## J Riff

Holy cats... THE NIGHT OF 1000 CATS
1971? This one is brutal, almost indescribable. The actual manhandling of cats in this movie... is more disturbing than any exploding head or marvel comic crap, by far. We need Victoria to review this one, I can't handle it. The overdubbing is something else. The music is slick and cool 60s stuff but geee this one has moved into my top ten alltime bad movies. I mean... stultifying yet inane, hard to avoid fast-forwarding at times... but ....* MeeeeOWCH.*


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Kubrick's _*Dr Strangelove*_
Weird(somewhat),magnificent,Sellers and Scott proving that they could act a bit,but ...
Great satire,depressing end
Ben's like-o-meter:ten out of ten ,of course
Yesterday:*Full Metal Jacket*
Intense,disturbing, compelling
Like many,i find the first part of the movie better than the battle scenes
Both films showing the utter futility,idiocy and human drama of war


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Car Wash*.  Secret, guilty-pleasure feel-good film shared with daughter.   She loved it.  Got great taste has my daughter.


----------



## Jesse412

*Rope* (1948)







One of my favorite Jimmy Stewart movies and definitely an under appreciated Hitchcock film.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, couldn't agree more.


----------



## Vince W

*Big Trouble in Little China *(1986). I've been reading the comic book series and I just had to watch it again. It's one of my favourite films.


----------



## Jesse412

Vince W said:


> *Big Trouble in Little China *(1986). I've been reading the comic book series and I just had to watch it again. It's one of my favourite films.



Eric Powell has been doing a great job on the comic series it's a lot of fun.  You might be interested in checking out his comic The Goon if you haven't already.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*Priscilla,Queen of the Desert*
oldie ,but goodie
Zany road /slice of life/ALMOST satirical fly on the wall movie,Stamp, Weaving and Pearce in topform
Outrageous costume design,BTW
Stamp is great in this one
He's had a variegated career,a rare case of r the  "relatively unknown top actor"
Go see _The Limey_(if you doubt that qualification)


----------



## Jesse412

*The Testament of Dr. Mabuse *(1933)






One of my favorite Fritz Lang movies which is no small feat given his body of work. I was absolutely blown away by the quality of this film. It's worth watching for the opening scene in the print shop alone.


----------



## alchemist

*The Watch - *Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and, randomly, Richard Ayoade, inadvertently discover aliens threatening their little town in Ohio, and then the world. This is a* bad* film. Avoid.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for the bad warning,  but you had me at Ben Stiller.


----------



## Vince W

alchemist said:


> *The Watch - *Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn and, randomly, Richard Ayoade, inadvertently discover aliens threatening their little town in Ohio, and then the world. This is a* bad* film. Avoid.



Caught this on Netflix. It's a criminal waste of potential.


----------



## Jesse412

*Game of Death* (1978)






The end of this movie where Bruce Lee fights his way up the inside of the pagoda is one of the greatest fight sequences ever filmed.


----------



## Mark Ragland

Jesse412 said:


> *Game of Death* (1978)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The end of this movie where Bruce Lee fights his way up the inside of the pagoda is one of the greatest fight sequences ever filmed.



If you like martial arts movies, have you seen the Indonesian movies The Raid 1 and The Raid 2? Very good action sequences in those movies as well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bride of the Monster* - Ed Wood's near masterpiece of wrongness which I shared with Number One Daughter as a prelude to tonight's watch of Burton's *Ed Wood*. (She is already familiar with* Plan 9*.) 

I was  surprised (but only slightly) to find I own three copies of *Bride of the Monster *all carefully filed in different collections.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ed Wood* (told you!) - Daughters verdict: "what a sweet film!".


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Ed Wood* (told you!) - Daughters verdict: "what a sweet film!".



Indeed.  Surprisingly touching for a film which could have easily just been "let's make fun of this crossdressing guy who made really bad movies with some other weird people."  Landau's Lugosi deserved its Oscar.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bug* (1975)

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc; written by William Castle and Thomas Page, from Page's novel _The Hephaestus Plague_.

Spoilers ahead.

The last film produced by legendary shockmaster Castle turns out to have nearly as outrageous a premise as *The Tingler*. It takes a while to get going, but things eventually evolve from semi-plausible to completely insane as our story progresses.

We begin in a church somewhere in California. The fire-and-brimstone preacher is going on about America's sinful ways, when an earthquake hits. The scenes of the church being shaken are quite convincing, our first sign that this movie is going to have some visually impressive scenes.

Pretty soon we find out that the quake has opened up a big hole in the ground on a nearby farm. As a son drives his father home from the church, their pick-up truck stalls, then suddenly blows up in a huge fireball. The surviving brother and sister are understandably upset by this.

If you don't know the basic plot of this movie at all, by now you're scratching your head. It's quickly revealed that the big hole has released an unknown species of huge cockroach which has the ability to start fires! Not only do we see them crawl into exhaust pipes and blow up cars more than once, we also see them burn a poor little kitty cat to death.

Our antihero is played by Bradford Dillman. He's some kind of expert in biology. We see him in a classroom making squirrel noises in order to entice a real squirrel into sitting on his shoulder. (Obviously this is a tame pet squirrel, and it's as cute as can be.) 

Well, after some scenes of stuff being set on fire, it turns out the bugs can't survive too long, because they're used to the high pressure underground. They literally pop open after a while. End of movie? No, we're barely started.

In a scene which is sickeningly funny, Dillman's wife gets a bug in her hair (wig) and burns to death. This sends the eccentric biologist over the edge. He finds one surviving bug next to the big hole; all the others have exploded. He places this one inside a pressurized diving helmet (!) to keep it alive, then mates it with a plain old everyday ordinary cockroach. This Mad Science leads to a bunch of fire-producing cockroaches that can tolerate the low pressure.

Apparently the whole point of keeping the one bug alive was to have it killed by its offspring, as we see Dillman go into hysterics as the youngsters burn up their progenitor. Unfortunately, these new critters not only have a taste for "raw meat" (and yes, that's going to include human flesh) but, in the movie's most outrageous scene, they apparently share a group mind, and can form words (like "we live") with their bodies!

But that's not all. As we reach the final few minutes of the film, the bugs (who have killed another person, and gone to the trouble of hiding the evidence by dumping her purse in the hole) emerge from the big hole (now glowing satanic red, I suppose from their fire-producing power) with the ability to fly! And they can set off big ground fires while they fly, like some kind of insect napalm. Not only that, but they can smash right through a plate glass window!

You might expect this to be the start of a huge cataclysm of intelligent, flying, fire-producing, flesh-eating bugs, but in fact our movie is over. Dillman falls into the hole after being chased by the bugs, they fall in after him, then another earthquake seals them back in the ground.

Wow. This goofy ending reminds me, in a way, of the nutty climax of The Manitou. Although Bug slows down a bit in the middle, the really excellent insect photography (both real Madagascar giant hissing cockroaches and some nifty models) holds the viewer's attention.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Indeed.  Surprisingly touching for a film which could have easily just been "let's make fun of this crossdressing guy who made really bad movies with some other weird people."  Landau's Lugosi deserved its Oscar.



It's a love letter to Hollywood. And I think Tim Burton's best film. Landau is amazing in it and well deserved his Oscar (as did Rick Baker for his make up).

The scene in the fun house where he tells his date he likes to wear women's clothes and she says "okay"is just lovely.


----------



## ratsy

I saw *Trainwreck* the new Judd Apatow comedy this weekend. It had a few funny parts but after the movie, i realized it was 2 hours and nothing happened. 

We also have been trying to do one horror movie a weekend and this weeks was *Oculus*. For a seemingly low-budget film, it looked very good, and the acting wasn't too bad. Rory Cochrane is in it, and i guess the girl in it is in Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy (didnt know that until I just looked it up) I liked how they kept flashing back to scenes from when they were kids, and what happened. The plot was a little too light, but they did a couple things I hadn't seen yet.


----------



## Jesse412

*Rodan! The Flying Monster* (1956)






One of my favorite Ishirō Honda movies, an excellent Toho film and one of the best monster movies of the Showa era. The production value is a huge step up from the original Gojira just a few years earlier.


----------



## J Riff

_Phase Four_. Telepathic ants in the desert start to organise. By the end it looks like they are going to take over. Great ant-action, very detailed, must have spent a fortune training the little beggars. There's a deleted ending on youTube that makes it a little more comprehensible. Not action-packed, not bad at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I really liked *Phase IV*.  The only feature-length film directed by legendary master of title sequences Saul Bass.  Barry malzberg's novelization is interesting, too.


----------



## Vince W

After watching Big Trouble in Little China I moved on to *Ip Man 2*,* Man of Tai Chi*, and *Kung Fu Panda*.


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Neon Seal said:


> *Ant-Man *(Present Day)
> 
> This little gem is a breath of fresh air to the MCU. It doesn't concern itself with world shattering alien invasions or unhinged A.I. seeking to cause nuclear winter by dropping cities on people, and it is all the better for it. It is clever, funny, moving, beautifully shot in places, and probably has the best end-movie boss fight beside all the Hulk bits in Avengers Assemble. A must watch for any Science Fiction of Fantasy fan!




I liked the film although I thought that a lot of the ant CGI was shonky. MD and PR were great and there were some standout scenes and fun moments to be had. Overall worthwhile


----------



## J Riff

BUG is on the menu tonite, so I skipped Victoria's review for the moment. Still recovering from _The Night of 1000 Cats_, here.
_Disorganized Crime_ is a good laugh. Poor Frank. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last Night:
*
Barbarosa *- stultifyingly long 2 hour epic abut the formation of the Lombard League in the 12th century, stuffed full of fascist symbolism and Rutger Hauer. Actually it was really stuffed full of horses. The script was a real clunker full of people telling each other historically important things the audience need to know but which they would have been fully aware - "Yes, these new taxes that the newly installed Pope Bendict the whateverth are really hurting the people..." Blah blah blah. Real local radio advertising dialogue. "Yes, June with the Lombardy League you get not one but two chances of fighting for.... " Blah blah blah. 

Mixed in with this guff there was a subplot about a woman who had visions, was due to be burned as a witch - but wasn't by order of the Empress (who burned someone else instead) and ended up, for some totally unexplained reason, in armour on the battlefield (though whose side she was on is anyone's guess). The only thing that kept me watching (apart from the insane hotness of the witchy woman Kasia Smutniak) was giggling with glee at every new interior. For some reason (maybe he had shares in a candle company) the director had his set designers stuff every interior full of candles.
Inside a peasant's hut late at night as the occupants try to go to sleep there were at least a dozen candles alight in the room. A dungeon cell had another dozen and when the hero and heroine fall into bed at last - in daylight* - i*n a ramshackle hut with sunlight streaming in through every crack and crevice - candles. (And yes it rained in the funeral scene too. But only only round the grave itself. The people standing in the back were in brilliant sunshine and dry as bones.) Between the candle scenes we had the horse scenes. Horses filled up a lot of screen time. Sometimes they went this way, sometimes they went that way, sometimes they were in slow motion (which usually meant there was a river, or at least a big puddle, coming up for them to splash through). I would guess a quarter of this film's running time was spent on shots of people riding across the screen. Gallumph gallumph gallumph.  Or marching back the other way. Gallumph gallumph gallumph. 

People appeared and disappeared from the narrative and then reappeared when you'd forgotten who they were.  Not that I could tell them apart because everyone stomped about in identical generic middle-ages movie beards, straggly movie hair, , and generic shapeless brown movie clothing.  Or armour.  The only people I could identify after a while with certainty were delicious Kasia Smuttynicks (who, sadly, did not get ANYWHERE near naked), F Murray Abrahams who was having a whale of a time chewing the scenery to bits, and Rutger Hauer who looked as bored as I was. 

The whole thing has the appearence of  smething shot as a miniseries cut it down to a movie. And the wrong bits cut out . Another quid wasted in Poundland and another one off my 'Watch Rutger Hauer's Entire Career' list.

Tonight:

*Vertigo *- for her turn in our nightly, while the rest of the family are away, turn and turn about movie watching binge Daughter Number One swithered between this and _2001: a Space Odyssey_. Getting very grown up tastes in movies for a 13 year old is No 1 Daughter. I'd never seen it before. I loved it. Not sure she was deeply in awe of Mr H's sure direction and weird sexual overtones as I was but she enjoyed it. Had some interesting things to say about the acting too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Little Murders* (1971)

Directed by Alan Arkin; written by Jules Feiffer, from his play.

I knew that this film had a reputation as a very dark comedy indeed, but nothing quite prepared me for it. This in due, in part, to the fact that it begins almost like a cynical romantic comedy.

We begin with a woman (Marcia Rodd, who went on to do lots of television, in her first film role) in her New York apartment. Things seem pretty normal. A noisy alarm clock wakes her up, she gets out of bed, and so on. There seems to be a lot of shouting outside her window, so she threatens to call the cops. Unfortunately, when she dials 911 she only gets a busy signal. Being a tough-minded optimist, she goes down herself to take care of the problem. She uses her purse to rescue a photographer (our hero, played by Elliott Gould) from some young street punks who are beating him up. However, when they turn on her instead, he simply walks away.

Thus begins a very unlikely romance between the completely apathetic Gould, and Rodd, who is determined to mold him into something better. This effort would seem doomed to failure, since Gould (who plays this role something like a Woody Allen neurotic without the nervous energy) has blocked himself from almost all feelings. Somehow these two wind up in love (or something like it) when Gould opens up enough to say "I nearly trust you."

Things get a little edgier when we meet Rodd's family. We have Mother, who puts on the persona of a cheerful housewife. (We see the cracks in her facade when she has to leave the room when she brings up the subject of her older son, who was murdered some time before the film begins.) We have Father, who is so tightly wound that he seems ready to explode. We have Rodd's younger brother, with whom she seems at first to have a teasingly incestuous relationship, then who proves to have serious gender issues.

The movie goes in another direction when the two decide to marry. (I should say, she decides to marry and he doesn't object.) The fact that they want no mention of God in the ceremony leads to the first of a handful of long monologues which will interrupt the story. (With these interludes, and the limited number of sets, it's easy to see that this was a stage play.) This comes from a judge who delivers a harangue about the struggles his immigrant parents had to overcome.

Our next long speech comes during the wedding ceremony, when Donald Sutherland steals the movie as a hippie-ish minister. His "sermon" (no mention of a deity, as agreed, even though Father bribed him to add it) is the comic highlight of the film.

Rodd, desperate to change Gould, sends him back to see his parents, with whom he has had no contact since he was a teenager. She even gives him a list of questions (such as "Was I breast fed or bottle fed?") to try to figure out what went wrong with him. At first his parents avoid the questions, and just drop names like Freud and Adler. At last they have to admit that they simply don't remember anything about their son's childhood.

After this scathing satire on lack of communication, we have a scene which does not seem intended to be funny at all. Gould related a experience he had some time ago, when someone was assigned to read his mail. He wrote letters to this unknown person by addressing them to himself, eventually making a sort of contact with the person spying on him. It's a strangely moving anecdote, delivered by Gould in the dull monotone he uses for almost all of the film.

At this point, about an hour into the film, we have a sudden shocking plot twist which I will not reveal here. After wandering around a bit, the film shows its fangs and goes far beyond the level of dark satire we've seen so far. The only thing I can compare it to (although the two are otherwise quite different) is the mood of *After Hours*. The last half hour goes in directions that the viewer is not likely to be prepared for.

Despite some missteps (director Arkin plays a nearly psychotic police detective, who delivers one of the long speeches in a manner which many will find too broad), this is a remarkable film which often amuses, but which eventually grabs you by the throat.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

lovely bit of cinearcheology,Vic.
AA was a great actor too,I loved him in Little Miss Sunshine


----------



## J-Sun

I'll have to check that out, Victoria - I'm not as big a fan of Scorsese as some people but I love _After Hours_. I get that you're comparing moods more than anything else but, still, that grabbed my interest.

(Also like to echo all the love for _Ed Wood_. It's "perfect!")


----------



## Foxbat

*Samsara  *(2011) How to describe this one...Shot in 70mm film, it's a kind of spiritual journey through our existence on this planet with stunning visuals and a slowly unfolding theme. Containing no narrative and filled with juxtaposition, it doesn't preach - merely shows our place and effect on Earth. I found it beautiful, enthralling and, ultimately, terrifying.

Of course, others might simply find it boring.


----------



## Jesse412

*Halloween* (1978)







Carpenter rewrites the serial killer archetype in what is arguably the most important movie of the slasher genre despite the films production flaws.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cabaret *- Money money money, Money money money, Money money money...


----------



## Foxbat

*Scream Of Fear *(a.k.a. Taste Of Fear) A pretty decent psychological thriller from Hammer - starring Susan Strasberg and Christopher Lee.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*She Wolves of the Wasteland* (aka _Phoenix the Warrior_) - another of the near inexhaustible supply of 1980s post _Mad Max,_ post-apoc movies which ticked most of my post-apoc movie checklist: big hair, fingerless gloves, battered cars with excessive amounts of roll bars (but sadly no spikes this time), night scenes illuminated by pointless fires in old oil drums, an arena where our protagonist is expected to fight to the death, really crap acting etc.

This time though the tedium was leavened with tits. Loads and loads of tits.

It kept me watching.

Whenever the scriptwriters ran out of idea they must have just pasted a page or two from Playboy into the script. (Actually there was one _almost_ interesting scene in the film. - apart from the big breasted girl having the shower under the waterfall, and the dark-skinned naked girl doing the dance, and the.... okay, there was one almost interesting scene in the film that _didn't rely on large breasted girls waving their norks at the camera_: our wandering fleeing heroes encounter a bunch of mutant types who worship the ancient ways and bury their dead in the open air, on hilltops, sat in recliner armchairs before an old television. An possibly novel idea which is allowed to fizzle out before it develops.)

Did I mention the tits?


----------



## J Riff

Apocalypto, a Mel Gibson effort. Plenty blood n guts as the tribes go at it. For some reason I didn't care and it went past like a jungle documentary.
 Then I watched Reef Life of the Andaman, a fabulous 2 hrs. of coral reef life. Fish, crabs, snakes, slugs, worms, shrimp, barracuda! It's a good one to put on along with some appropriate strange music and watch the aliens of the ocean cavorting.
Up next is the Great Barrier Reef, where I'd like to live someday. )


----------



## Boneman

Oh my God.... *The Monuments Men*... now I know why they offered it to me for £2.99 at the video store. What  a complete load of cr*p, from start to finish. How do major stars (George Clooney,  Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville) fall for the slackest script ever written? I guess because it was written by Clooney, directed by Clooney and starring Clooney, and they're all big buddies. Based on the gripping true story of a group of art specialists who are gathered together to try to retrieve art stolen by the nazis at the end of WWII, it turns into a series of limp-lettuced scenes where bugger-all happens, no tension is raised and no character development rears its head. But, guess what? Once the Englishman (Bonneville) and the Frenchman (Jean Dujardin) are killed off, the Americans do regain millions of pieces. Oh yeah, Cate Blanchett is in it, as a frenchwoman, but her accent is curiously German, and I still haven't worked out what the heck she was doing! (In the film - her character, I mean) 

Seriously, if you want this movie, send me the postage and I'll gladly pass it on!


----------



## Rodders

Jupiter Ascending. Largely silly, but with some great visuals. 

Chappie. I really enjoyed this movie.


----------



## Droflet

Boneman said:


> Oh my God.... *The Monuments Men*... now I know why they offered it to me for £2.99 at the video store. What  a complete load of cr*p, from start to finish. How do major stars (George Clooney,  Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Hugh Bonneville) fall for the slackest script ever written? I guess because it was written by Clooney, directed by Clooney and starring Clooney, and they're all big buddies. Based on the gripping true story of a group of art specialists who are gathered together to try to retrieve art stolen by the nazis at the end of WWII, it turns into a series of limp-lettuced scenes where bugger-all happens, no tension is raised and no character development rears its head. But, guess what? Once the Englishman (Bonneville) and the Frenchman (Jean Dujardin) are killed off, the Americans do regain millions of pieces. Oh yeah, Cate Blanchett is in it, as a frenchwoman, but her accent is curiously German, and I still haven't worked out what the heck she was doing! (In the film - her character, I mean)
> 
> Seriously, if you want this movie, send me the postage and I'll gladly pass it on!



So, you're still on the fence about this one, then?


----------



## WaylanderToo

Rodders said:


> Jupiter Ascending. Largely silly, but with some great visuals.




you're being kind saying "largely silly"!! I _really _wanted to like this film and it had some gorgeous visuals and SFX - however the 'story' was beyond poor  and shows that the Wachowski's shouldn't be allowed anywhere near another big-budget concept movie


----------



## KyleAW

Inside Out. Lots of fun for adults (especially who have children) and it got me in the feels...


----------



## JunkMonkey

WaylanderToo said:


> you're being kind saying "largely silly"!! I _really _wanted to like this film and it had some gorgeous visuals and SFX - however the 'story' was beyond poor  and shows that the Wachowski's shouldn't be allowed anywhere near another big-budget concept movie



I thought they had proved that  when they made _The Matrix_ but I am in a minority there.



KyleAW said:


> it got me in the feels...



 ????


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Haunted Palace* (1963)

Directed by Roger Corman; written by Charles Beaumont from "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" by H. P. Lovecraft.

_And travellers, now, within that valley,
Through the red-litten windows see
Vast forms that move fantastically
To a discordant melody;
While, like a ghastly rapid river,
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever,
And laugh—but smile no more._

That's the last verse of Edgar Allan Poe's 1839 poem "The Haunted Palace." You hear the first four lines early in the film, and the last four at the very end. Of course, it's our star, Vincent Price, providing the narration. That's the only connection between this movie and Poe. To add insult to injury, the great writer is credited as "Edgar Allen Poe" in the opening credits.

At least they also give credit to "a story" by H. P. Lovecraft, and spell his name correctly. As far as I can tell, this was the first time Lovecraft was adapted into film. There are references in the dialogue to the Necronomicon and to the Elder Gods.

So how is it as a horror movie? Not bad, really, despite a couple of weak spots.

We begin in Arkham (!) in what would seem to be the late 18th century. One dark and stormy night a young woman walks in a trance to a spooky castle. (Yes, a castle in Massachusetts. We'll learn later that our villain had to moved, stone by stone, from Europe.) The locals don't like what's going on -- apparently a lot of young women have been paying nocturnal visits to the castle while in hypnotic states -- and follow her. Meanwhile, we see Vincent Price, as warlock Joseph Curwen, and his beautiful, rather Goth mistress Hester lead the unfortunate woman through a secret passageway into a really gigantic part of the castle, full of huge torches. They chain the woman up in front of a large pit, from which a green light glows when they open it. The woman screams when she sees what's in the pit.

Cut to the good people of the town outside the castle door. They demand an explanation. The young woman appears, seemingly unharmed, although still in a daze. She is able to say "Yes" when Curwen asks her if she were there of her own free will, but when one of the villagers asks her to say her name she remains silent. This is enough evidence to convince the mob that she is bewitched. After a scuffle they tie Curwen to a tree and burn him alive. If you've ever seen a witchcraft movie you won't be surprised to find out that he places a curse on the town and promises to return. In an interesting plot twist, one of the men of the town convinces the others that Hester is under a hex, and she is not killed. It turns out that he's romantically interested in her himself. This doesn't really lead to much, but I suppose it was needed to allow Hester to be buried (whenever she died) in the local cemetary instead of being reduced to ashes.

Cut to one hundred and ten years later. (Not an even century, which is unusual for this kind of plot.) Charles Dexter Ward (also Price) and his wife (Debra Paget in her last film role) arrive in Arkham. It seems that he is a descendant of Curwen and has inherited the castle. Surely no good can come of this. Slowly the spirit of his long dead ancestor possesses him, and Curwen/Ward begins his nefarious plans. These include:

1. Taking revenge on the descendants of those who killed him. (This is one of those movies where the great-great-grandchildren of people look exactly like their ancestors.)

2. Raising Hester from the dead. 

3. Resuming their interrupted project of bringing women to the thing in the pit for sinister purposes. (In a fascinating line near the end of the film, we find out that not even Curwen and Hester and their fellow cultists fully understand the purpose of what they are doing. They simply "obey.")

*The Haunted Palace* looks very nice. Colors are subdued for the most part, although anything that is red -- a cloak, several candles, and so on -- is extremely bright. The music is nice, with a sinister waltz played during many scenes. Scenes without dialogue alternate with some nicely written lines.

The worst thing about this movie is when we see its horrors. In a subplot which isn't really needed, we see that some of the people of the town are deformed in various ways. (And, yes, that has something to do with Curwen's activities.) A young girl with no eyes should be a scary sight, but the makeup and prosthetic devices covering her eyes are too obvious. When we get a good look at the thing in the pit, it's rather underwhelming.

Despite these flaws, and a rather leisurely pace, this is a very enjoyable old-fashioned scare flick.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra* (2001)

Low-budget black-and-white spoof of low-budget black-and-white sci-fi flicks of the 1950's. Any review I could offer would fail to capture its goofy charm. I particularly liked the two clueless aliens trying to pass themselves off as Earthlings.


----------



## Jesse412

*Throne of Blood* (1957)







Akira Kurosawa's epic adaptation of Macbeth gives us a refreshing change of setting. Toshiro Mifune performance is outstanding throughout especially when he sees the ghost of Miki at dinner and his final scene when his army betrays him. Chieko Naniwa was also incredibly creepy as the evil spirit.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Jesse,how unexpected.Macbeth?Kurosawa?
Mifune is a great actor,BTW


----------



## Droflet

For those of you who missed my ad on the 300, Vladd has opened a new movie quiz in PLAYROOMS. There only a few of us playing so far so we need all of you movie buffs need to jump in and join the fun.


----------



## Allegra

*The Dawns Here Are Quiet *(1972), Russian film with English subs. It was nominated for Oscar Best foreign film. So moving, poetic and so real, nothing like todays big noisy bloody war hero movies. Beautiful Russian music score. Unforgettable. I've heard there is a remake this year, I doubt if it can top the origianal.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> For those of you who missed my ad on the 300, Vladd has opened a new movie quiz in PLAYROOMS. There only a few of us playing so far so we need all of you movie buffs need to jump in and join the fun.



I know I'm being a bit of a numpty here but could you put up a link?  I can't find it.

EDIT:
Found it:
https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/560913/


----------



## Pop the Weasel

I'm a big sci-fi indie film buff and I found this trailer on youtube about shapeshifters. It's called The Someone. Looks interesting.


----------



## Mad Alice

Pop the Weasel said:


> I'm a big sci-fi indie film buff and I found this trailer on youtube about shapeshifters. It's called The Someone. Looks interesting.


 What a great premise!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mad Alice said:


> What a great premise!



Don't feed the shills no matter how good the premise.  One post suddenly 'discovering' a film they had nothing to do with making or promoting? Give us a break.


----------



## Jesse412

*Demons* (1985)






Ridiculously fun '80s splatter-fest with tons of brutal gore and a kick ass soundtrack.

*Suspiria *(1977)






The brilliant cinematography enhances the creepy atmosphere and the outstanding score compliments the mood perfectly. The special effects are both brutal and highly effective from the cringe worthy use of live maggots to the cliche bat flying in the window.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Battlefield Earth* - with daughter Number One who endeared herself to me for life (again) by muttering, at the 30 minute mark, "I'm rooting for the aliens".  

She also greeted every single one of the tatty wipes that transitioned between scenes with a cry of "Powerpoint!" - and then popped a cherry on by crying, after one of the Powerpoint wipes opened up on our hero being hosed down by prison guards, "Powerwash!"

Great timing that kid.

Her final verdict? "Well that was piece of sh*t!"

I love her.


----------



## Foxbat

*I Wish* (2011) Japanese movie about two brothers forced to live apart (one with each parent). They hear of an urban legend about wishes coming true where two bullet trains pass and, so, rendezvous and journey to the spot. 

Not a bad movie but  a bit too sugary for me. Also, it could have done with being half an hour shorter (comes in at just over two hours).


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Man From Uncle *


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Lost Moment* (1947)

Directed by Martin Gabel; written by Leonardo Bercovici, from the novella "The Aspern Papers" by Henry James (1888).

Story into film time:

Spoilers for both the novella and the movie ahead.

The Story:

The unnamed narrator is a devotee of a great American poet, Jeffrey Aspern, who died in the 1820's. He discovers that Juliana Bordereau, to whom Aspern wrote many letters, is still alive and living with her niece Tina (although there is speculation that this is actually her grandniece) in genteel poverty and extreme seclusion in a huge but rundown mansion in Venice. He already knows that Juliana had refused to discuss the possibility of publishing the letters, and that she denies that they even exist. 

With the smoothness of a con artist he gives the women a false name and convinces them to lease him some rooms in their vast, mostly empty home for an exorbitant price (they need the money) , hoping to get his hands on the papers by hook or by crook. This is going to be very difficult, as Juliana, nearly a century old, has a will of iron in her decaying body, and Tina is a meek, extremely naive middle-aged spinster. The two almost never leave their rooms and hardly speak a word to their tenant. Eventually the narrator wins Tina to his side. (It seems clear that any act of kindness on the part of anyone would win her loyalty forever.) 

However, Juliana finds out what the narrator is after, calling him a "publishing scoundrel." He goes away for a while in guilt and confusion, only to return to find out that the old woman has died. (There is some speculation that the discovery of his motives killed her.) Upon his return he finds out that Tina has the letters, but feels compelled to refuse to turn them over to anyone not part of the family. The implication is clear that the narrator must marry her to obtain the papers. The narrator goes off again, and returns again, to find out that Tina has burned the letters.

"The Aspern Papers" is rich in psychological complexity and depth. It lacks the excessive prolixity that makes it difficult for me to read the novels of Henry James. Like "The Turn of the Screw" or "Daisy Miller," it is much more accessible than these. An additional bonus is the fact that it paints an vivid portrait of Venice. 

The Film:

*The Lost Moment* transforms this psychological drama into Gothic suspense. The narrator now has a name: Lewis Venable (Robert Cummings). The poet's name has been changed to Jeffrey Ashton, and he disappeared in the 1840's. We seem to be in about 1900. Venable is now more strongly motivated by the fact that publishing Ashton's letters would earn him a pile of money than by devotion to the great writer. The movie follows the plot of the story for a while, with Venable sweet-talking Juliana (Agnes Moorehead, in extreme old age makeup) and Tina (Susan Hayward) into leasing him rooms in their vast home. Juliana is pretty much like the old woman in the novella, except for the fact that she is blind. (In the novella, Juliana hides her eyes behind a hood or veil throughout the story, until it is revealed at the end that she can see perfectly well, and, in fact, she has the same beautiful eyes she had as a young woman.) Tina, on the other hand, is extremely cold, dressed in severe black gowns.

The plot becomes much more melodramatic when Venable discovers that Tina has fugue states, in which she wears shoulder-bearing, sparkling evening gowns, and imagines that she is the young Juliana. She comes to think that Venable is her lover Ashton. She has no memory of this when she transforms from the romantic Juliana to the emotionless Tina.

Along the way a guy who helped Venable somehow and got five hundred bucks for his trouble figures out that Venable stands to make a lot more money that that, and wants his cut, threatening to reveal his intents to the women. In the shock ending we find out that Juliana murdered Ashton because he was going to leave her and buried him in the garden. She knocks over a candle, setting the house (and the letters) on fire, and dies. It's implied that Venable and Tina might have a life together. (Although we saw Venable write a letter to "dear Kathleen," these two do a lot of smooching when Tina is Juliana.)

Robert Cummings is a little too much of a pretty boy to play the rather unscrupulous Venable. Rather than making him complex, as the story does, the movie can't seem to figure out if he's the hero or the villain. Hayward is fine playing what amounts to two roles, and Moorehead does well under all that makeup. Venice is clearly a Hollywood set, but the rambling old mansion is used well, and the cinematography is very good.

Clearly the story and the movie are very different, but they are both worthy in their own ways.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

JM,your daughter is cut out to be  a reviewer


----------



## Jesse412

*Prince of Darkness* (1987)






Not my favorite John Carpenter movie but some of the casting is pretty good especially Donald Pleasence and a surprisingly good performance from Alice Cooper. While I find the characters uninteresting the film is able to deliver on the creepy factor. There are some disgusting uses of live insects, a really cool special effect on the canister and a couple solid kills. I think the idea that Satan was an alien is kind of interesting as well.


----------



## JoanDrake

The Thirteenth Warrior 1999.

 A DAMNED good flick IMNSHO and far better than being the greatest box office flop of all time.

Really, it not only was better researched than most Viking movies I've seen but it was also a really good action flick. Swordfights, death, blood all over.

Sometimes I am REALLY ashamed of my American countrymen. It seems we won't even try to look at anything where there aren't lots of banjos playing in barfights, exploding superheroes and funny orangutans


----------



## JoanDrake

Deleted, duplicate


----------



## Droflet

Yep, loved this movie. Great fun, good action, well done.


----------



## Calum

Also known as Outback, 1971's Wake in Fright is a joyful, life affirming romp and quite possibly the sexiest film I've ever seen.

It tells the tale of John, an uptight English teacher who's reckless gambling finds him stranded in The Yabba, an Australian mining town where he's drawn deeper and deeper into the debauched lifestyle of the locals.

But beyond a doubt the cutest, most uplifting moment of this movie comes when the guys go out and hunt kangaroos, which used scenes from an actual hunt. 

As for the trivial stuff, Wake in Fright, while it has some truly horrific sequences never truly crosses the line into out and out horror territory. And that's exactly what makes it terrifying. Throughout the whole film you're expecting the inhabitants of the Yabba to strip down to loincloths and stuff John in a giant wicker man. It's their restraint that gives the film its eerie atmosphere.

With Freddy, Jason, Norman Bates, Michael Myers and Bruce Forsyth you at least run, fight or hide. Outback however neglects to provide us with a convenient monster to slay. The people of the Yabba might be a brutal bunch but they never cross the line into true villainy. This only accentuates the horror as we always seen them as relatable human beings, which in turn makes their brutality all the more shocking. Their violent, boorish behaviour is nothing more than the manifestation of the soul crushing boredom of spending their whole lives in the back of beyond with nothing to entertain themselves. This very mundanity is what makes it so disturbing, showing that our supposedly civilised veneer can snap with nothing more than a little ennui (Just as well Superman Returns was never screened in Yabba. If that were so not even the Last Son of Krypton could save us).

The first act is seductively mundane, with the director slowly ramping up the sense of strangeness with distorted sounds and harsh, glaring angles. When John finds himself trapped it's as much a shock to us as it is to him. However there are some rather iffy undertones truth be told. John banging another dude is portrayed as the nadir of his downwad spiral, rather than say his sadistic, protracted killing of an innocent kangaroo. And there's a rather colonial, classist subtext with the Upright, moral, upper class John being lured from the straight and narrow by the boorish, working class Australians. But the film undoubtedly earns its reputation as a classic of Australian cinema. However I will not be satisfied till be having a sequel chronicling the steamy romance between Donnie and a Quola Bear.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*To the Devil a Daughter* (1976)

Hammer's last horror film (not counting the "new" Hammer stuff of the 21st century.) Somewhat better than I thought it would be. Moderately sleazy -- the black magic is definitely of the blood and sex kind. Generally well acted. Christopher Lee is very good as the head Satanist. Denholm Elliott is excellent as a weak, frightened man. Infamous for Nastassja Kinski's full nude scene at the tender age of fifteen. Good points: The Satanists seem to genuinely believe they are doing the right thing. The use of modern (as of 1976) medical equipment adds an unusual flavor. Some genuinely disturbing scenes of rituals. Bad points: A really, really bad "baby demon" special effect. A somewhat confused use of supernatural elements, particularly what seems to be a ghost. Overall, pretty good.


----------



## Limmka

BEGIN AGAIN


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, good leads, pretty good music, it was okay. BTW, Limmka, welcome to Chrons. Why not pop over to introductions and ah, you know, introduce yourself? Your call, of course.


----------



## HanaBi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_9

"*District 9*"

Decent "aliens visit Earth"  SF romp, set in Johannesburg, South Africa, of all places! Had some rave reviews at the time (2009), even picked up a  couple of Oscar nominations; as well as being produced by Peter Jackson.

A little bit over-long, and has political & social parallels with the apartheid era in that part of the world. 

Worth a view, but a little too depressing at times. 

A much mooted sequel is still to be officially announced.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Goldengirl* (1979)

Interesting sports drama with just a touch of borderline science fiction. Susan Anton makes her film debut as Goldine "Goldengirl" Serafin, all-American adopted daughter of a German scientist (Curt Jurgens.) She has been raised from childhood to be a super-athlete, through physical and psychological training, in addition to more sinister methods. (Although the film is quite realistic in tone, by the end Jurgens is revealed to be something of a Mad Scientist.) Anton was born to play Goldengirl (although the character is supposed to be six foot two inches, and Anton is "only" five foot eleven inches.) The story involves the quest to ensure that she wins gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter sprints at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. (So you can think of this as an alternate history story, in retrospect, in which the USA does not boycott the games.) Besides looking like a golden goddess, Anton displays a wide range of emotions, and the other actors do a good job too. The romance between James Coburn (as Goldengirl's publicist) and Anton is a little creepy, given the more than two decades difference in their ages, and I could have done without the rather sappy love song Anton sings on the soundtrack at one point, but otherwise I enjoyed it. Take out the mild cursing and one topless scene (not provided by Anton, gentlemen, although she certainly knows how to wear a leotard or running shorts) and one mild sexual reference and you'd have a made-for-TV movie, or almost an After School Special. Given its emphasis on Goldengirl's emotions, we'd probably call it a Chick Flick these days.


----------



## Jesse412

*Day of the Dead* (1985)







The gore in this film is a huge step up from Dawn of the Dead (1978). Some of Tom Savini and Gregory Nicotero's finest special effect make-ups that hold up incredibly well today. The real star of this movie is Sherman Howard who plays the zombie Bub and is arguably the most endearing movie monster since Boris Karloff in Frankenstein.


----------



## Rodders

Lucy. What utter rubbish. I'm normally a fan of Luc Besson, but this movie is definitely style over substance. 

After Earth. Now, i expected this to be a bad movie, but not that bad. I didn't finish it. 

Ex-Machina. It took me a long time to get into, but I enjoyed this. I'll be looking to watch this again, soon.


----------



## HanaBi

Rodders said:


> Ex-Machina. It took me a long time to get into, but I enjoyed this. I'll be looking to watch this again, soon.



By a quirky coincidence, I am watching this right now. 30 minutes in and it's still a bit of a slow burner; but has a certain intriguing writing style to keep me interested.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Oblivion* (2013) - which I really quite enjoyed in a 'I parked my brain' sort of way.  (Which after all is the best way to watch films.  Just surrender yourself to them.)  Yes, I'm sure not a lot of it makes sense if you think about it for a few minutes but, while it was on, I happily surrendered to the seriously drop dead eye candy and the vaguely coherent story.   Coincidentally the second SF film I have watched this week with a leading Scientologist in the starring role that ended with a suicide bomber - 2.3 centi-quatloos to the person who can name the other one.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Splice*_,starring Sara Polley and Adrien Brody
I just looked at some reviews:mixed reactions,as i expected.
First of all,Polley and Brody:they make a believable couple, both have their faults.
I read somewhere:"they are not particularly likable"
So boohoo.They are interesting,and that is what matters in a movie.
Finally a horror/sf movie with some character depth.
Polley and Brody are way better than the average cast in a scary flick.
SFX: adequate for the story,certainly not "bad"(as one reviewer thought).
You can see the director doing his utmost so get some moral dilemmas in, but the effort
is in vain, lacks sufficient depth.However, I like the fact that they're even brought up,even as windowdressing.
the Genetics:laughable ,of course.
The Creature:i thought the creature was scary,because it reflects the character failures of the Polley and Brody characters.That's a very good move on the part of the writing.The creature is
Frankensteinish,some care is given to make the audience see the world from the Creature's perspective .Kudo's to the writer.
Direction :somewhat uncertain and hurried,certainly at the start of the movie.It gets better
as the flick progresses.
Me like:very restrained on the gore part.
Go see/rent/whatever this one
Ben's like-o-meter: about 3,5 stars out of a possible five


----------



## J Riff

_Beyond The Time Barrier_  1963?
 A jet pilot slips into an alternate future, where a plague has devastated the Earth. There's nice deaf mute people, including a gal who he falls in love with. Her main occupation is mind-reading, smiling and nodding. There are mutants, in a cage, who yell a lot : Woo! Ahhh! Ha, haa! Then we get some cut-in shots of actual grubby mutants running up some stairs. No idea where that footage came from, must have been laying around.
Overall watchable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

If I remember rightly those shots were taken from an early Fritz Lang silent.  I have a soft spot for_ Beyond the Time Barrier_'s great set design.

EDIT: I was wrong not silent but certainly Fritz Lang:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indian_Tomb_(1959_film)


----------



## HanaBi

*Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)*

It's been a good while since I last got round to watching this superbly crafted thriller. And for me, still remains one of John Carpenter's finest films.

Low budget (thanks largely to a relatively unknown cast, basic sets and few sfx); and a very simplistic storyline concerning a bunch of urban gangsters decide  to attack a soon-to-be decommissioned police station in LA; but not before cruising the streets taking pot shots at innocent people (including the shocking execution of......well, you'll just have to watch it yourself to find out!)

With low budgets, and an unknown cast, don't expect quality acting, because in truth you're going to be disappointed if you are. In fact some of the acting/delivery is pretty dreadful, not helped by a very stilted script. But if you can forgive the film's foibles, you'll soon be captivated by it's  tense & hostile atmosphere as the gang slowly begin to dominate the police station and the handful of cops, prisoners and innocent people held therein.

And then of course is the unrelenting syntheizer soundtrack, composed on a shoestring by Carpenter himself. But it adds to the tension, and has a remarkable & memorable signature that will stay with you when the film is over.

"Got a smoke?"


----------



## HanaBi

*Sleuth (1973)
*
Wonderfully entertaining! Both Michael Caine & Sir Laurence Olivier, hamming it up and enjoying their respective roles hugely, coupled an exceptional adaptation of award winning play from Anthony Shaffer and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Olivier in particular, seems to be really having fun with his character - Andrew Wyke.

Famous murder/mystery writer Wyke invites his wife's lover, Caine to his lavish English country home, in order to propose a scheme that would benefit both of them.  But this is just a cover for something far more sinister, worthy of one of Wyke's award-winning mystery novels. 

Stay poised and ready for thrills as both stars lead us through devilishly cunning script, with plenty of twists & turns along the way. Although I will say the ending was rather unsatisfactory with one or two plot-holes taking some of the shine from this enjoyable romp.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bewitched* (2005)

Post-modern, self-referential remake/sequel/pastiche/parody/whatever of the old TV series. The basic premise is a "cute" one. Egocentric actor stars in a new _Bewitched_ in which Darrin is the main character. Cast as the new Samantha is a total unknown who happens to be a real witch. Unfortunately the film is 90% a completely unremarkable romantic comedy. He's a jerk, she hates him, they get together, they break up, they get together, and so on. Nicole Kidman is so-so in the lead, but Will Ferrell did not appeal to me. The other 10% of the film provides some amusement, as it plays games with the various levels of reality. The real witch has a real warlock father (Michael Caine, doing a good job in the Maurice Evans role); there's no real Endora, but there's a flamboyant actress playing the new Endora role (Shirley Maclaine, adding another layer of irony because of her well-known mystical beliefs) who is also a witch; the real witch has a real Aunt Clara, exactly like the one in the series (Carole Shelley, doing a brilliant job); but when Uncle Arthur shows up (Steve Carell, doing a fair job), he admits he's only a fictional character! Overall, a disappointment with a few bright spots.


----------



## Jesse412

*Zombies of Mora Tau* (1957)






One of my favorite pre-Romero zombie films. It's a pretty exciting adventure story and Allison Hayes looked incredible. I especially like the underwater scenes.


----------



## J Riff

James Bond- Die Some Other Day. Never seen it. Invisible car. Cleese as Q.  Halle Berry. Rocket-sleds and an orbiting laser-satellite weapon controlled by a bad guy who is a Korean turned into a white guy. Gadgets, explosions, spectacular vistas. The good guys win, I think.


----------



## Foxbat

*Die Farbe *(2012) An absolutely superb adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's _The Colour Out Of Space_. It is filmed in black & white in German with English subtitles. It is atmospheric, moody, creepy and thought provoking. No wonder it has received quite a few awards at various film festivals around the world. This is worth the time of any Lovecraft fan (and anybody else who'd like to see a high quality independent Sci-Fi Horror film).

Highly recommended.


----------



## Jesse412

*The Werewolf* (1956)

Although the name might seem a bit generic it's arguably the best werewolf film of the '50s.


----------



## J Riff

Some DVDs I found up the block.
*The Core*. A nice trip down to the center of the Earth; a well-known bad-science movie, yet still an alrighty action flick when it's on.
*The Scorpion King* - Not much scorpions, but the Rock beats down on everyone in sight.
*Matrix Reloaded* - Nice slo-mo dance/fight action, perhaps just a tad much of it, but overall watchable.


----------



## Jesse412

*Oldboy* (2003)

Arguably the best film of The Vengeance Trilogy. The hallway fight sequence is still one of the coolest things I've ever seen.
*
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance* (2005)

Probably the goriest film in The Vengeance Trilogy. The ending is absolutely brutal!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Vampire Lovers* (1970)

Not the first adaptation of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's famous 1871 lesbian vampire novella _Carmilla_ and not the last. Best described as Classy Exploitation. There is frequent nudity on the part of several lovely young women, and the film doesn't shy away from the physical passion the female vampire feels for her female victims. (In the story, of course, this was strictly emotional.) The vampire doesn't bite her girlfriends on the neck, but quite a bit lower down. Very nicely filmed, with fine sets and costumes and a few very effectively moody scenes. Polish-born Ingrid Pitt, with her Eastern European accent and cool demeanor (although she has moments of strong emotion) almost comes across as a Bela Lugosi style vampire (if Lugosi had been a beautiful, voluptuous woman.)


----------



## Vaz

*Night Watch
*
A good movie but rather strange, like a lovechild between the Matrix & GhostBusters. But instead of ghosts they hunt vampires.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vaz said:


> *Night Watch
> *
> A good movie but rather strange, like a lovechild between the Matrix & GhostBusters. But instead of ghosts they hunt vampires.



Quit while you are ahead.  The sequel wasn't good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Maze* (1953)

For its first seventy minutes or so, this is a slow, sedate, somewhat atmospheric Gothic chiller. A man gets a telegram summoning him to his ancestral castle in Scotland. After he gets there, he breaks off his engagement and asks his bride-to-be to stay away. Spunky creature that she is, she goes to the castle as an uninvited guest with her aunt (who, weirdly, narrates the film by talking directly to the camera.) Eventually she also invites some friends to the castle to try to help her husband-to-be. If you think that there's a Dark Secret, particularly something having to do with the hedge maze that gives the film its title, go to the head of the class. There are a few effective sequences, particularly when the heroine and her aunt wander around the maze by candlelight, hearing strange sounds. However, during the last ten minutes we learn about the Dark Secret, and it's truly laughable. If we had never seen the Dark Secret clearly, and left it to our imagination (and if we had never heard the "explanation" related by husband-to-be at the very end), it might have raised a few goosebumps instead of giggles.


----------



## clovis-man

Cleansing my palate in anticipation of the October release of *The Martian*, I watched two moldy Martian oldies. The first was *The Angry Red Planet* (1959) in which the intrepid crew of flirty commander (Gerald Mohr), spunky female biologist (Naura Hayden), dimwitted radio operator (Jack Kruschen) and pipe sucking professor (Les Tremayne) battle the creatures and elements of an imaginary and red gel suffused planet. Kinda fun despite its obvious lame story line. The second was *The Conquest Of Space* (1955). Although an earlier film by 4 years, the attempt at some realistic effects wasn't too bad for the time. Probably thanks to the involvement of Willy Ley, Chesley Bonnestell and George Pal (producer, who did better with *When Worlds Collide* and *War of The Worlds*). Not quite as cringe-worthy as Red Planet due to it's passing nod to realism. Both had pipe smoking characters to lend them an air of intellectualism (Ross Martin in the earlier film). Neither film was a critical success at the time of its release, although the later movie seems to have been more popular (go figure).



Spoiler



An interesting side note: *The Conquest of Space* had a scene in which the crew had to right the ship to perpendicular by using its rocket motors before being able to launch. In the book, *The Martian*, the same thing occurs. Wonder if author Andy Weir borrowed the idea.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*White Cargo* (1973) - I have a horrible compulsion to watch bad films.  It's like the fascination many people suddenly develop to slow down and look out their side windows when driving past a seventeen car pile-up.  There are all sorts of bad films out there but there is nothing _quite_ as bad as a 1970's British Sex Comedy (the most oxymoronic genre title in history given that they never funny and barely even titillating).  _White Cargo_ is a particularly naff example of its type.  Notable only for starring David Jason who later went on to be a much loved  British sitcom staple _(Open All Hours _and _Porridge) _and one of those much loved British irascible TV detectives (_Frost) - _but will be longest remembered as the voice of _Dangermouse_!

In _White Cargo,_ he plays a bumbling Walter Mitty type who stumbles on and foils a white slaver gang working out of a strip club.  As our hero first enters the club we get the only decent joke in the whole film:

Hero: (Looking in some confusion at the ticket he has just been given.) "Just a minute, it says 'welcome to Woburn Abbey' on this!"
Sleazy Night Club Owner: "We're a large organisation..." 

I almost smiled.

Once we get going the film descends into a series of set pieces where our hero escapes and rescues the girls who do little more than stand around in 'saucy' 70 lingerie and don't get any lines AT ALL because they would have to be paid more.  None of them even say 'yes' or 'no' to direct questions but are only allowed to nod or shake their heads.  

The comedy grinds on as our hero imagines, time after time, his heroic alter ego (nicer shirt and an annoying habit of straightening his tie) performing long-winded minor heroics before the same series of shots shows us his real kack-handed attempt to do the same thing. (Using the exact same setups each time.  Most of the day on set must have been spent waiting for Jason to change his shirt between shots).

In the end our bearded menacing villain (who has the minciest little girl running style you will ever see) is pushed into a canal and the film ends.

I lost count of the number of times characters did that stock sitcom acting tic of signalling their apprehension of someone else's misunderstanding by making a little 'tut' noise followed by a tiny sigh and an upward eyeballrolling glance.  "Oh! you didn't think... "  Whatever happened to that?  You don't see that any more.  It was a very 70s thing.

How and why anyone bothered to 'digitally remaster' this is a mystery.  Dave Prowse is in it so Darth Vader completest might find about 3 minutes of it essential viewing. Though the really sad thing is that it was only about 3/4 the way through that I realised I had actually watched it before.


----------



## Droflet

Yes, JM, you have a very, um, unique view of the world. And hey, nothing wrong with that. I enjoy you oft-skew approach. Viv la differance. Yes, I don't paley vous fansai. Or write it either. So shoot me.


----------



## J Riff

Speaking of lame endings - _Planet of Vampires_ kinda fits the bill. Some nice artsy sets, conveniently invisible aliens, it could have been better.


----------



## HanaBi

*THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN (1977)
*
NASA astronaut is the only survivor of an ill-fated space flight to Saturn. Seriously contaminated by radiation he manages to return back to Earth and wakes up in hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors can't treat his rapidly deteriorating condition: which is hardly surprising because our guy is actually melting! 

Inevitably, he isn't too happy about this, and decides to go on a killing rampage, obviously!

 The police are called in, but simple bullets can't kill him; so the Army are called in to terminate our radioactive walking blob, with the usual conclusive ending!

A first saw this back in the early 80s and rather naively thought it was a pretty decent gore-flick: plenty of guts, gore and juicy murders! Who needs a story! 

But now, some 40 years on, it really is a terrible, terrible film! Not even being drunk will redeem this low-budget pile of bilge. (The only saving grace is some pretty decent sfx-on-a-shoestring by Rick Baker!). Poor script, no budget, horrid camera-work; non-existent acting, tacky soundtrack.... jeez, I just couldn't wait for the ending to come round. In fact the FF button on my remote hasn't worked so hard!

*Bad!*


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Pirates of the Caribbean III: World's End* - bored the pants off me but the kids seemed to like it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter* (1972)

Quite enjoyable combination of Gothic horror, swashbuckling adventure, and more than a little influence from Westerns. (There's a scene in a tavern with swordplay which might as well be set in a saloon with gunplay.) Full of quirky little details and some odd variations on the vampire theme. The stalwart hero may be outshone by his sidekicks, a spirited young woman (Caroline Munro at her loveliest) and a wise older man who is an expert on vampire lore, but that's my only quibble.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> (Caroline Munro at her loveliest)



Isn't she just!


----------



## HanaBi

*The Terminator (1984)*

Even though T2 is far more superior both in story & sfx, this film is still holds its own, even 30 years on!

The 1984 sfx still look decent, coupled with a creative plot and above-average the acting by Hamilton & Arnie.

Brad Fiedel's thumping score still carries a hint of chilling menace, and the action is relentless & lean.

Arnold shines in this film, even though he is very much the bad guy! But he does a very good job at playing the cyborg serial killer from the future, on a mission of destruction in the present, killing anyone named Sarah. 

Linda Hamilton does a decent job as the fleeing Sarah Connor (but really comes into her own in T2), and Michael Beihn's Kyle Reese, her "guardian", is also great, and almost steals the show.

But it's really Arnie that dominates everything, especially when he steals scenes such as telling the deskduty cop "I'll be back!", as well as learning a few choice words "F**k you, a$$hole!". 

Lots of fun, lots of bullets, lots of ray guns, lots of dead bodies.

Just Great!


----------



## J-Sun

Love both Terminator movies. 

*Where the Sidewalk Ends* (1950) with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, produced and directed by Otto Preminger, written by Ben Hecht from a novel by William L. Stuart(?). A cop who hates criminals so much he's known for beating on them and is reduced in rank for it early in the movie, finds himself in a jam when he's actually justified (IMO) in using force for once, and basically becomes what he hates. He's trying to help a crook to get a bigger crook and Little Crook punches him - he punches back, and Little Crook dies. Turns out he's a veteran with a plate in his head and friends in the media and, as we know, our guy is "the guy who punched wolf." He leaves a trail of misdirection, hides the body, falls in love with the widow of the guy he killed (Ms. Tierney), and repeatedly tries to get his nemesis gangster to take the fall for both the murder that started it all and the murder of the vet, especially when the girl's father gets jammed up for the murder.

This is a Preminger movie but, as _Notorious_ is one of my favorite movies and I feel a big part of that is the script by Hecht (though _Notorious_ is a Hitchcock movie), I was "watching" the story almost more than the movie. The movie looked good but I didn't see anything really dazzling in it. The script had a rough spot and a somewhat hamstrung ending of necessity but was tightly written, either actually logical or fast and close enough that it passed for logical, and had the usual confidence in its forward thrust to also have time for nice digressions. It's no _Notorious_ and the film as a whole is no, e.g.,_ The Asphalt Jungle_, but it was good and I liked it - worth another watch. The biggest problem is that, while Andrews was convincing enough as the two-fisted cop and Tierney was adequate as the girl I just didn't feel much sympathy for them except in an abstract way. The story had enough tense counterpoints that I could feel interest and some suspense anyway. It also had Karl Malden and he did a fine job, but I've never been able to appreciate him and he's another one of those (like Gene Hackman) who just strikes me as wrong for almost every part he plays (here a relatively minor role as the new lieutenant, but key in that he's the one who drives the idea that it was the girl's father who killed the vet).

Anyway - I actually liked this better than _Laura_ (another Preminger/Andrews/Tierney movie). Recommended above it, but below some of the really classic classics.


----------



## alchemist

*Battleship - *Taylor Kitsch and some 80 year old WWII veterans save the world from aliens. Two hours of stupid. Don't do it.


----------



## Vaz

@alchemist Uh Oh!! Too Late


----------



## Vaz

*Zombieland - Pros: *Emma Stone

*Cons: *Jesse Eisenberg


----------



## Droflet

alchemist said:


> *Battleship - *Taylor Kitsch and some 80 year old WWII veterans save the world from aliens. Two hours of stupid. Don't do it.



Oh, come on Alc, it wasn't that bad. It had some truly brilliant moments. And it had that singer chick in it. What's her name again??? Bouncy?


----------



## Jesse412

*Dream Home* (2010)







This is one of the better modern slasher movies. The kills are absolutely brutal and I think the take on the killer's motivation is really interesting.


----------



## Vaz

*Troll Hunter
*
On a scale of Cloverfied - 10 for a POV found footage movie this actually wasn't bad about a 7 I think


----------



## Rodders

Edge Of Tomorrow. 

Great movie. My GF didn't seem too impressed at first.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, good concept, well executed. Except for the Tom Cruise ending.


----------



## HanaBi

Droflet said:


> Yep, good concept, well executed. Except for the Tom Cruise ending.




Hope no one replies with spoilers, because that's the next film on my "films watch list" for this afternoon


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, ah, sorry about that. Tried to dumb it down but if you've seen Tom Cruise movies you should know what to expect. That having been said, it's a fun ride. Enjoy, HB.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> Yeah, ah, sorry about that. Tried to dumb it down but if you've seen Tom Cruise movies you should know what to expect.



It's going to start raining frogs?


----------



## HanaBi

JunkMonkey said:


> It's going to start raining frogs?



Sshhhhhh!! 

I'm 3 minutes in. Anything could happen!


----------



## Vaz

*American Mary
*
Psychological thriller about a female surgical student... Was ok, wouldn't watch it again though


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Subspecies* (1991)

Well, that wasn't too bad for a direct-to-video vampire flick. Filming in Romania saved some money, I'm sure, and gives some of the scenes a touch of authenticity. I liked some of the music. Best of all, the Bad Vampire is a truly repulsive, completely evil inhuman monster. The Good Vampire isn't as memorable, but I'll admit the actor is gorgeous. The plot is pretty basic vampire stuff, with obvious influences from *Nosferatu* and various versions of *Dracula*. I have mixed feelings about the movie's most unique element, the little demonic-looking minions that the Bad Vampire creates in the movie's striking opening scene. It was great to see old-fashioned stop motion animation, but these creatures don't have much to do and seem to be from another movie entirely.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Brave*_(animation)
What's not to like?Apart from a fairly typical ending with lines straight out of a selfhelp book,Brilliant.
Nine out of Ten


----------



## HanaBi

*THE HILL (1965)
*
_Sean Connery, Ozzie Davis & Harry Andrews._
_Directed by: Sidney Lumet_

A stunning, but over-looked classic that was derided by film critics of the time, if only because it showed Connery acting outside of his more staid/safe Bond character. 

An intense British prison drama set in the scorching deserts of Libya, and the brutal regime meted out by a ruthless military on hapless British "prisoners" (soldiers committed of various petty offences including theft, drunken behaviour, fighting,  cowardice etc) 

Andrews, is awesome as the "By the book" sergeant-major; while Connery, Davies and a fine supporting cast, are equally impressive as the downtrodden prisoners suffering indignity after indignity by not only the SM but his vindictive staff.

An amazing reflection on the horrors of military discipline and philosophy with some stellar performances and a shocking ending that leaves you both aghast and somehow wanting more!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Shape of Things to Come* (1979) - a tedious entry in the Star Wars Clone Mania of the later seventies starring Jack Palance.  Supposedly based on the book by H G Wells (it isn't) the film is populated by extras from TV shows _Jason of Star Command _(which is funnier) and _Buck Rogers in the 25th Century_ (which is more credible) and is VERY BORING. The film was made even more tedious on my DVD player by the fact that the disc I own was dubbed into French (a language I can just about struggle through a comic book in) and had no subtitles - despite it saying that it did on the case.  Mind you, the box also sported a random still from TV series _Space 1999_, possibly because actor Barry Morse was in both, possibly (though I doubt it) because some stock footage from _Space 1999_ was used in it.  I didn't see any but then I was asleep for a while and may have missed it.


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

Horns. Okay, don't laugh. I was keeping my daughter company (she's housebound with a fractured pelvis) and she wanted to watch it.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe and Juno Temple, this fantasy story was surprisingly engaging. The plot was thin and the identity of the murderer leapt out at me immediately, but it was still an enjoyable bit of nonsense. It kept presenting potential murderers, and then discarding them again, a bit like an Agatha Christie mystery, until only one suspect remained.

To me, it came across as a little heavy-handed and clumsy, leading the viewers along as if with a ring through our noses, before revealing how truly evil the baddie was.

Lots of biblical symbols of good vs evil, such as horns, snakes, angel - wings and heaven, so maybe not for confirmed atheists, but could have been worse. To me, Daniel and Juno's attempts at American accents sounded fine, but I expect it sounded terrible to a US audience. 

I'd probably give this film two stars out of five. Only watch if you're bored out of your mind.


----------



## Vaz

*Into the Sun *

Highly recommended to anyone who likes Movies that take the P*ss out of *Top Gun. *
Hilariously terrible


----------



## Foxbat

*The Seventh Veil *(1945) Ann Todd, James Mason and Herbert Lom star in this tale of a troubled concert pianist. Lom is a psychiatrist who attempts to lift the 'seventh veil' from Todd's mind in an effort to get to the root of the problem. 

An interesting and reasonably enjoyable movie but, if it were a collar, it would suffer from some serious over-starching. Could do with the cinematic equivalent of some fabric softener.


----------



## Jesse412

*King Kong Lives* (1986)






Sequel to the 1976 remake and starts with footage from the ending of that movie featuring Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and the tragic death of King Kong.  It immediately jumps to a group of scientists lead by Linda Hamilton operating on the giant ape.  Back on the island a giant female gorilla is discovered whose blood can be used to save Kong's life.  Not nearly as good as its predecessor and kind of boring in parts but there are some pretty cool visuals like the scientists performing a heart transplant on King Kong and a good bit of action.  I wouldn't recommend his one unless you plan on just laughing at the absurdity of it in which case it was kind of fun.


----------



## Jesse412

*Eaten Alive* (1977)






Directer Tobe Hooper's follow up to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre where the proprietor of a creepy hotel murders people and feeds them to his pet crocodile that he keeps in the swamp beside his porch.  The use of lighting, camera angles and eerie score all effectively enhance the atmosphere and there is lots of brutal gore throughout.  Neville Brand gives a convincing performance as the disturbed hotel owner Judd and he's also pretty menacing brandishing that scythe. There's also an appearance from horror alum Robert Englund who I don't think I've ever seen so young.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Queen Of Spades *(1949) Starring Edith Evans, Anton Walbrook, Ronald Howard and Yvonne Mitchell. This movie is based on a Pushkin short story of the same name and tells the tale of a countess who sells her soul  for the ability to always win at cards. Many years later, a Russian officer seeks the same ability and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. 

A fine movie for its time  with good performances all round. Very good direction and photography shows that you don't need shed-loads of CGI to make an atmospheric piece. A rare treat from days gone by.


----------



## Jesse412

*I Bury the Living* (1958)






Underrated horror noir from B-movie director Albert Band.  Richard Boone gives a fantastic performance as the lead character who starts to question his own sanity after he discovers people die every time he puts a black pin in their grave site on the map in the cemetery office.  I found it fascinating watching his decent into depression and madness.  The use of lighting and score set the mood perfectly and the building tension throughout is superb.  The reveal at the end was a bit predictable by today's standards but nonetheless effective and the ending is very satisfying.  I'm already looking forward to rewatching this.


----------



## Rodders

Predestination.

A time travel flick starring Ethan Hawk. I really enjoyed this. Yes, there were some plot holes, but it was very interesting and well made IMO. Definitely worth a look.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I like most of *I Bury the Living* but I have to say that the twist ending is a real flop.  It cheats the audience, too, as we clearly see something happen which cannot have happened.  (I'm deliberately being vague to avoid spoilers.)


----------



## Jesse412

*Jigoku *(1960)







One of my all time favorite J-horror films. I watched it for the first time on TCM a few years ago and was blown away by how visually stunning it is.


----------



## cgsmith

Transcendence (2014) did enjoy this film, since it was totally up my alley in terms of content but unfortunately I watched a computerphile video explaining the vast differences between our kind of intelligence and all the possibilities for machine intelligence and couldn't quite suspend my disbelief enough to get truly sucked in.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_Dinner for Schmucks_,a comedy with Paul Rudd,Zach Greekname,Steve Carell.
A remake of  a French Veber farce,and once again the French original is better.
Carell outplays Rudd,who isn't very farcical to begin with,Rudd isn't really getting off the mark in this one.**
There are laffs in here,but also moments of tedium,some jokes that don't work,and the dinner scene itself is substandard
Dave Walliams is in this one,and boy,does he _*SCHMIER*_....,he SHOULD be funny,but he overdoes it,and then some.
Ending:Standard romcom
**I hesitate to say he's miscast,but it's very close


----------



## ratsy

I watched *The Purge. *I loved the idea behind it, but the movie felt quite small. They didn't venture outside of Ethan Hawke's home, and that left me wanting to see more of what went on that night. I didn't mind it though, for a quick thriller/horror


----------



## Lenny

ratsy said:


> I watched *The Purge. *I loved the idea behind it, but the movie felt quite small. They didn't venture outside of Ethan Hawke's home, and that left me wanting to see more of what went on that night. I didn't mind it though, for a quick thriller/horror



The second (*The Purge: Anarchy*) may be more to your liking, then.


----------



## mosaix

*Shane.* Probably the best Western ever made.


----------



## Droflet

Wonderful film. Yep, probably the best western, but for my money the best western, cowboy movie, would be Red River.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!* it's Russ Meyer week in front of my eyeballs as I work through the other half of a boxset I OD'd  on a while back.






I love Meyer's films there something to offend everyone in them.


----------



## J Riff

*Bank Shot* - a 70s comedy heist based on a Donald Westlake Dortmunder novel. They steal the whole bank, ysee... and the book was very good. The movie, George C. Scott or not, is not quite so terrific, but good for a few chuckles.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Getaway* (1972)

Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw _are_ Bonnie and Clyde!

This violent heist/chase flick is something of a mixed bag. The start of the plot is familiar; guy gets out of prison and has to pull one last big caper. We see the elaborate planning, the bank robbery that goes badly wrong, the double-cross, and so on. Pretty familiar stuff. Added to this we have some *Bullitt*-style car chases, some oddly comic moments, one sequence on a train of Hitchcockian suspense, and a final shootout that could have only come from director Sam Peckinpah. Our two leads are maybe a little too glamorous for these roles; the good guys are only slightly less rotten than the bad guys. There are some interesting plot twists; another Hitchcock moment comes when a major character disappears from the film quite early.


----------



## J-Sun

*Fallen Angel* (1944, I think)

Another Otto Preminger flick with Dana Andrews, this time with sweet Alice Faye and a sultry Linda Darnell in place of Gene Tierney. I completely misread this one as I thought it was going to be more a _Double Indemnity_ sort of story, but it wasn't. Parts of the movie seemed to hurry past implausibilities, yet they sometimes smacked right into them. Still, it was interesting and fun. I particularly liked the start as a guy on his last buck (Andrews) gets thrown off the bus into a small town and immediately insinuates himself into it, hooking up with a couple of charlatans because he's at least as good a con man as they are. Then he has to figure out how to get a whole lot of cash fast to catch Darnell. Sweet Alice looks like a good target... Underneath all the dark cynicism, there's a surprising amount of sentimentality but it can probably appeal to both types.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Stranger From Venus* (1954)

Low budget British variation on *The Day the Earth Stood Still*. It even has Patricia Neal in it! 

Very human alien from Venus (Helmut Dantine) lands somewhere in the UK. The lights of his (unseen) spacecraft cause Neal to go off the road and crash her car. He manages to heal her seemingly fatal wounds. (Again, we don't actually see this. We just see her show up dazed but healthy.) They both wind up at a pub, where most of the story takes place. There's a lot of talk, and after about an hour we finally get to the real plot. The British government plans to capture the second spacecraft, carrying the real representatives from Venus. (Dantine seems to be some kind of advance scout. He explained that the spaceships operate by magnetism, so the Brits are going to seize the vessel with a big magnet.) Will Dantine be able to find his communication gizmo, which was stolen from him by the foolish Earthlings, to warn off his fellow Venusians?

This is almost a filmed play, and might work better that way. The "special effects" consist of a metal disc with a light in it portraying the spaceship. At an hour and fifteen minutes, it often drags. Dantine has a certain effective cold alien dignity (compared to the warmer performance of Michael Rennie in this film's obvious model.) The last ten minutes or so create a fair amount of tension. There's a cross-species romance between our two stars. Cut down to a one act play of forty-five minutes or so, this might be moderately entertaining.


----------



## Vaz

*The War Wagon - *Starring Kirk Douglas and the Duke a.k.a John Wayne. Watched it this afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it, I'm starting to really like all the old Westerns. Afterwards, another western came on called *Ride Lonesome* which was equally as good


----------



## clovis-man

*A Walk In The Woods*

Two old dudes (Robert Redford as Bill Bryson and Nick Nolte as his not so chummy friend) set out to hike the Appalachian trail. Taken from Bryson's book. Basic requirements for fully enjoying this flick are (1) having an extensive history as a backpacker and (2) being almost as old as Redford. I qualify on both counts. So I found it to be a major hoot. The bear scene was stupid, but I could easily relate to most of the rest of it. Kristen Schaal was great as the pedantic hiker Mary Ellen.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for that, CM. I've been wondering about this one.


----------



## Vaz

*Bad Day At Black Rock
*
Spencer Tracy was made for this role, he is fantastic as the one armed stranger (John. J Macreedy) Who arrives in this closed off community a few months after the end of WWII looking for a Japanese man named Komoko. As His investigation into the whereabouts of Komoko deepens, Hostility turns into violence and places the inquisitive and mysterious stranger in imminent danger. A tense and suspenseful action film. Beautifully shot as well, MGM's first film shot in Cinemascope.


----------



## clovis-man

*Big Ass Spider*

Let's see: Part *Arachnophobia*, part *Alien*, part *Aliens*, part *Lord of the Rings* (Frodo & the spider), part *Beach Blanket Bingo*, part *King Kong*. I'm sure I've left something out. A script probably written by an 8th grader. Terrible acting (except for the parts of Alex and Jose). Low budget CGI. So why did I enjoy it? some things just defy explanation.


----------



## J Riff

*Lifeforce.* I'd forgotten this one, largely, and it is pretty good alien/horror action... with nudity to spare.... until about halfway when it starts to blur.
The alien ship is nice, with the umbrella and the big claws. )


----------



## ratsy

I watched *The Pact* last night. It was okay, but it turned from a supernatural/horror into a strange thriller type-thing. For the budget of 400,000 I was impressed though. I might watch the second one since it is also on Netflix.


----------



## J Riff

Oh Yea....* Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster*... needs no description really. Go watch it to learn why Mars needs women.


----------



## Droflet

clovis-man said:


> *Big Ass Spider*
> 
> Let's see: Part *Arachnophobia*, part *Alien*, part *Aliens*, part *Lord of the Rings* (Frodo & the spider), part *Beach Blanket Bingo*, part *King Kong*. I'm sure I've left something out. A script probably written by an 8th grader. Terrible acting (except for the parts of Alex and Jose). Low budget CGI. So why did I enjoy it? some things just defy explanation.



Yep, dumb. A guilty pleasure perhaps?


----------



## Jesse412

*American Pop* (1981)







My absolute favorite Ralph Bakshi movie and arguably his best.


----------



## Droflet

Z for Zacharia. Drivel. A great cast wasted on this boring arthouse clap. The original (name escapes me) made in the sixties was far less pretentious. Did I mention that this was as boring as bat . Avoid.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Woman in Black: Angel of Death*

A sequel to 2012's reasonable adaptation of Susan Hill's very good novel. This was well shot and attractive to look at in a kind of wartime-brown way, but lacked punch. A possible subplot involving a crazed old man seemed to have been drastically cut. Surprisingly little was made of the ghost and it broke no new ground. A damp squib.

One interesting aside: modern films set in WW2 Britain never seem to quite convince me. I think it's because the period is too far back to be "now" but too close to quality as "proper history", like the Victorian age. As a result, the acting always comes across as rather stilted and accent-heavy, which to be honest it probably would be were we to meet people from that time.


----------



## Vaz

*Constantine
*
One of the only movies where I personally like the use of Special Effects. They're done well and they still look good IMO. The story of our Anti Hero, demon hunter John Constantine as he tries to avoid his one way ticket to hell when he dies by getting back in God's good books. He is approached by a policewoman (Rachel Weisz) to help investigate her identical twins apparent suicide. Constantine becomes involves in a twisted plot involving both Angelic and Demonic forces. A good watch and for me, Keanu Reeves Best Role.


----------



## Vince W

*Star Trek III: The Search for Spock*. Still a great film for me. Way better than 'bramstrek.


----------



## Droflet

Yes, far more intelligently handled. Bramstrek???? Oh, yeah, got it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Fury *I think this movie left me a bit befuddled. I thought it was a good attempt at portraying war and the comradeship it generates for what it is rather than what we think it should be (the makers spoke to a lot of veterans during the filming). I thought there were some good battle scenes but the final conflict made me shake my head and say _no way!_

But then I thought about Audie Murphy - who became one of the most decorated American soldiers of WW2 (he single-handedly held off an entire company of German soldiers for an hour at The Colmar Pocket in France 1945).

Now I'm not so sure about those final scenes and will probably have to watch it again.


----------



## Vaz

I loved the final battle, for me it is the only war movie that comes close to Saving Private Ryan which is a personal favourite of mine.


----------



## Jesse412

*Alphaville* (1965)






Fascinating French film noir by Jean-Luc Godard set in a futuristic dystopia controlled by a supercomputer called Alpha 60.  A pulp detective goes undercover as a reporter in a technocratic dictatorship where free thought, art, love and other emotions have been outlawed and the concept of the individual does not exist.  Visually stunning, perfectly paced and scored with some excellent dialogue and interesting characters.  Eddie Constantine is just damn cool as the protagonist Lemmy Caution.  The voice used for Alpha 60 is absolutely creepy and it's very menacing how its presence is felt throughout Alphaville.  The society itself is a pretty unnerving place particularly the mentality if it's citizens. People are forbidden to ask "why" and must instead say "because".  There are dictionaries (referred to as Bibles) that are constantly being censored when certain words begin to evoke emotions in people as well as brainwashing and mass public executions of those who show emotion and "act illogically".  The climax is tense and there's a bit of action even a car chase.  I quite enjoyed the clever way the machine is beaten and found the ending to be pretty satisfying.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Hunt *This Danish film stars Mads Mikkelsen and is a fine piece of work. It is, however, very uncomfortable to watch. It tells the tale of an innocent man wrongly accused of sexual abuse towards children. Before he has even comes to terms with the accusations himself, he is an outcast in the town and persecuted. 

Ultimately, it's the kind of film that forces you to look into a mirror and ask the question _do I really believe that a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty? _


----------



## Vince W

*Everest*. Based on the true story of two expeditions in 1996 that ended with several climbers dying. Saw it in 3D-IMAX and the views were gorgeous! Decent film overall.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for that, Vince. Been wondering about that one. I'll check it out.


----------



## J Riff

*Dark Star*.  Still okay.


----------



## Tony Iommi

Just watched "them"  the giant ant B movie


----------



## Droflet

Them, ah yes. Absolutely the best giant ant movie ever made.


----------



## Vaz

*Blue Velvet (1986)*
The story of a college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) Who returns home after his father suffers a stroke. When he discovers a severed ear in an abandoned field he teams up with Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) to solve the mystery. They believe beautiful singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rosselini) To be involved, and Beaumont finds himself drawn into her dark, twisted world where he encounters a sexually depraved psychopath Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) A good film Blending psychological horror with neo-noir themes.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, creepy, but excellent.


----------



## Vaz

Sounds  an interesting watch! And welcome to Chronicles


----------



## Ms. Sci-Fi_Horror IV

Vaz said:


> Sounds  an interesting watch! And welcome to Chronicles


Well I quite enjoyed and had to share. Thank you for your kind welcome. I'm happy to be here.


----------



## J Riff

It is a fun and edjumacational place. I watched *Astro Zombies*, sort of, again, last night, while trying to write something. It is recommended rubbish. )


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bad Timing* (1980)


It's difficult to describe this film from cult director Nicolas Roeg. If it's possible to think of his films *Don't Look Now* and *The Man Who Fell to Earth* as very unusual examples of horror and science fiction, then perhaps it's best to think of this one as a very unusual example of mystery/suspense/film noir.

Even more than the other films mentioned above, *Bad Timing* makes extensive use of flashbacks and flashforwards. For this reason, and also to avoid spoilers, it's difficult to talk about the plot. Certain events only become clear after you've been paying close attention for two hours. Suffice to say that the story begins with a woman (Theresa Russell) who has overdosed on a dangerous mixture of pills being taken to a hospital. Most of the rest of the film deals with her emotionally complex relationship with her lover (Art Garfunkel.) There are only two other important characters. One is an older man (Denholm Elliott) whose relationship with the woman isn't obvious at first. The other is a police inspector (Harvey Keitel), out to discover the truth.

*Bad Timing* is beautifully filmed, with fine use made of European and North African locations. It is also emotionally harrowing, and not for the timid. It reminds me, in some ways, of the extraordinary horror film *Possession* (1981). Both films take a very dark look at sexual and romantic relationships.


----------



## Vaz

*El Mariachi
*
The minor masterpiece debut of cult film director Robert Rodriguez shot on a budget of $7000. It tells the story of El Mariachi who arrives in a Mexican border town just looking to play guitar and sing. However on the same day a killer arrives in town dressed just like the Mariachi and he is mistaken for him and drawn into the local warlords blood feud.

Beautifully shot, the film also has a great gritty atmosphere. Well worth a watch


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Sunshine Boys* (1975)

Neil Simon's play about two elderly vaudeville comedians who haven't spoken to each other, out of spite, for eleven years, who are brought together again for a television special. Works best when Walter Matthau and George Burns as the two feuding comics are together, not so much when anybody else shows up.


----------



## Heather Williams

This evening I enjoyed Spirited Away, it's kind of my background noise for writing inspiration.


----------



## Jesse412

*Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky* (1991)







I went and read the entire Riki-Oh manga after watching this. The level of gore in this movie is absolutely insane.  Everyone should have to watch the scene where Oscar tries to strangle Riki with intestines at least once.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*The Words* ,with Bradley Cooper,Olivia Wilde and Jeremy Irons .
A plot device that's pretty contrived(won't give it away,but it more or less results in the movie having THREE protagonists ).A lot of flashbacks/the end fails to deliver.
DESPITE the considerable thespian powers of Cooper and a pretty solid Irons,_not_ good.
I'm not even sure what the premise is...
first thirty minutes are good,though.
Just googled it:i disagree with IMDB,and agree with Rotten Tomatoes


----------



## Droflet

Well good sir, we shall have to agree to disagree. I loved this movie and whether you write or not I think everyone in the entire universe should see this very finely tuned, well written, well acted little gem. Or, maybe that's just me.


----------



## Vaz

*Terminator Genisys

Good for:* People who want too see a Terminator with Arthritis

*Bad For:* Pretty much everything else


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jesse412 said:


> Everyone should have to watch the scene where Oscar tries to strangle Riki with intestines at least once.



Why?


----------



## JunkMonkey

The last film I watched was* Louise-Michel* (2008) a very dark (French) deadpan comedy. Disturbingly non-PC but very funny.  Unemployed  workers pool their redundancy money to hire a hit man to kill the guy who closed their factory.  The man they hire to do the job is a total blowhard and can't even shoot a dog.  The 'hitman' unable to do the job himself farms it out to a series of terminally ill people on the grounds that they have nothing to lose.  The moment when the wheelchair-bound cancer sufferer fails to put the brakes on his chair, fires the shotgun, and is propelled backwards into the path of the oncoming tram is one of the funniest ("I shouldn't be laughing at this") moments I've seen in years.


----------



## DCBastien

We go to the cinema practically every Saturday, so the last we saw was *Scorch Trials *and then *Legend*. I actually enjoyed both. Giancarlo Esposito sure loves his teeth in the scenery, but he was facing stiff competition from Alan Tudyk. As for Tom Hardy - he is excellent in everything he does. His accent is more flexible than mine, he was great in *Locke *also.

Then at home it was rewatch *Galaxy Quest *for the umpteenth time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

DCBastien said:


> We go to the cinema practically every Saturday,



You lucky lucky bugger. It's an hour's drive to my nearest cinema. Two and half or three to the next nearest.

Tonight the kids and I watched the Marx Bros' _Monkey Business_.  Not their best but amazing how their simple clowning can still entertain (my kids are aged 13, 11, and 6).


----------



## DCBastien

Indeed I'm lucky as they have an IMAX also!!! And a coffee shop where we're normally lurking for a few hours first writing before the film. We could go to the little one in town but we drive ~40m (give or take, with traffic) to the Metro because tiny screens with no leg room are no good for my six foot tall missus.

OH! That reminds me we need to book for the re-airing of the *Back to the Future *they're doing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

DCBastien said:


> my six foot tall missus.



Change that to lucky lucky lucky lucky bugger.


----------



## DCBastien

Hehehe. She'd love to know you said that  As I am a sneeze over five foot we look rather ridic together if I say so myself!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Gorgon* (1964)

Stylish and atmospheric Hammer film despite the odd premise that a creature from ancient Greek mythology inhabits the ruins of a castle in Germany in 1910. (More precisely, the spirit of the Gorgon possesses a woman in that place and time, causing her to transform into the monster during the full moon. Yes, there are undeniable similarities to The Wolf Man.) The film relies for its effect on mood rather than the rather simple plot. It won't surprise you that Barbara Shelley, the only major female character in the film, turns out to be the Gorgon. Peter Cushing plays a role similar to his work as Frankenstein (he even holds a human brain in his hands at one point) but with a heart which loves not wisely, but too well. Christopher Lee shows up late in the film, but is fun to watch as a sort of sarcastic Sherlock Holmes of a professor with a temper. (He's the Good Guy for once.) It's too bad Shelley doesn't get to play the Gorgon; it's some other actress in a nifty green gown, acceptable facial makeup, but laughably bad fake snakes for hair.


----------



## Jesse412

*Tucker and Dale vs Evil *(2010)






This movie is a lot of fun. I like how they make fun of how typically dumb teenagers are in horror movies and the role reversal was a nice touch.


----------



## Droflet

Agreed Jesse, lots of fun. Made more so by the hapless due and, as you mentioned, the paranoid and extremely dumb college kids.


----------



## Vince W

I saw Tucker & Dale v Evil on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised. Not fantastic, but it's the kind of film that makes me glad I have Netflix or would never even try this sort of film.


----------



## Jesse412

*Pontypool *(2008)







Definitely a refreshing take on the cause of the infected.  Great performance from Stephen McHattie as the lead.  I've been meaning to pick up the Tony Burgess novel since I watched this.


----------



## Rodders

Crikey. Mathilda May. I had such a crush on her when this movie came out. (i was about 15, i think.)


----------



## Vince W

*Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home*. Still an enjoyable film. This is film works because it is completely Star Trek. No real violence, but the characters and story bring everything together. Always nice to see a woman resist Kirk's charms too.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, I loved this one. Some really funny laugh out loud moments.


----------



## ratsy

Vince, I enjoyed Tucker and Dale. Quite funny.

I watched *Interstellar *as it was on Netflix. I really liked it, even though it was a little long. And it had quite the emotional punch to it too


----------



## Jesse412

*Bubba Ho-tep* (2002)






This movie is ridiculously fun. I originally caught it on FEARnet On Demand years ago and laughed through the whole thing. One of my favorite Bruce Campbell movies.


----------



## Droflet

Why, thank you very much, Jesse. Yeah, Bruce Campbell has never been better. And what an outstandingly clever concept. Tempted to say more but 'spoilers.' Do yourself a favor folks and track this little gem down.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scream of Fear* AKA *Taste of Fear* (1961)

Effective little black-and-white shocker. After a moody opening sequence which may seem irrelevant until the end, we see a young woman in a wheelchair arrive at a fancy home on the coast of France to visit the father she hasn't seen in a decade, as well as his new wife. When she gets there, it seems that Dad is off on a business trip; or is he? Things get more mysterious when she sees her father's dead body in the summerhouse, but it vanishes when she tries to tell someone. Is she being haunted, is she going mad, or is somebody trying to gaslight her? (You'll probably figure out which one pretty quick, but the film has more surprises in stock.) What does this all have to do with the stepmother, the handsome young chauffeur, and the local doctor? (Christopher Lee, no less, affecting a French accent.) The movie ends with two major plot twists, one of which you may see coming, but the other may surprise you. It's quite well acted and beautifully filmed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Snorkel* (1958)

It's interesting to compare this black-and-white suspense film from Hammer with *Scream of Fear*. Despite some similarities, you can definitely tell which one was made after *Psycho*. This one starts off as an inverted mystery, like a typical episode of _Columbo_. We witness the bad guy pull off an insanely complicated "perfect crime," complete with a locked room. His stepdaughter, who already blames him for the "accidental" drowning of her father some years ago, comes home (as in *Scream of Fear*, to a fancy mansion on the European coast) to find her mother dead, an apparent suicide. She accuses the stepfather of the murder, but everyone treats her like a hysterical child. (The film's major weakness is that the girl is clearly a teenager, but the role seems to have been written for a much younger child. Our heroine comes across as a whiny, immature brat.) At times this movie seems intended for preteen girls who like to be scared, although at other times it seems more adult. A fair amount of suspense is generated, and there's a nicely ironic final scene (particularly if they had left off the last thirty seconds or so.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Scream of Fear* AKA *Taste of Fear* (1961)
> 
> Effective little black-and-white shocker. After a moody opening sequence which may seem irrelevant until the end, we see a young woman in a wheelchair arrive at a fancy home on the coast of France to visit the father she hasn't seen in a decade, as well as his new wife. When she gets there, it seems that Dad is off on a business trip; or is he? ...


I saw this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was more than impressed.

Tonight the JunkMonkey Anglo French Mobile Cinema (I cart a projector and a screen round to a French friend's house and we eat popcorn and enjoy a couple of movies) watched: 

*ROTOR* (my choice) - a stupendously crap Robocopy which I can recommend, unreservedly, for all connoisseurs of really crap films.
and
*Le dîner de cons *(her choice) based on a play and which I can recommend, unreservedly, for all connoisseurs of really well made, funny films. A delight. (It was Hollywood remangled as 'Dinner for Schmucks' which, apparently, stinks.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

double post


----------



## J Riff

*The Postcard Bandit*. An Aussie trueCrime movie, it's not arf bad.
*Goldface The Fantastic Superman.* Really. 60s were fun, this movie is too.
*Italian SpiderMan*. A parody of a sendup starring a fat guy SpiderMan who shoots people and other wacky stuff. Watch if you can stand it. ****


----------



## WaylanderToo

just watched (and enjoyed) Tomorrowland - the preachy was laid on a little thick in places but over really enjoyed this and the visuals were gorgeous


----------



## JunkMonkey

*LOTR 3 The Return of the King*.  Bored me stupid.   Mind you shouting, "get a room!" at Sam and Frodo denying their passion for each other was fun for a bit.


----------



## Jeremy M. Gottwig

It was a Thomas the Tank Engine movie.  I forget the title.

My son (age 3) likes trains.


----------



## J Riff

*No Survivors Please*.  60s B and W.  Aliens take over the bodies of people killed in crashes etc. There's a lot of talk about love, and how the ETs shouldn't destroy Earth because of it, but  Ithink they do in the end anyway. *(


----------



## Kerrybuchanan

Watching Interstellar at the moment. It's a bit slow....


----------



## JunkMonkey

How can people do this?  Claim to be 'watching' a movie while typing on a forum at the same time?  Films are an immersive experience.  You can't be watching a film and doing other stuff at the same time.  It would be like saying you're making love to your husband/wife/partner/s while doing your tax return.

The best you can say is that the film is playing in the same room.


----------



## Droflet

JunkMonkey said:


> How can people do this?  Claim to be 'watching' a movie while typing on a forum at the same time?  Films are an immersive experience.  You can't be watching a film and doing other stuff at the same time.  It would be like saying you're making love to your husband/wife/partner/s while doing your tax return.
> 
> The best you can say is that the film is playing in the same room.



 Well as a matter of fact at the moment I'm also with my lady friend and we're ... oh, never mind.


----------



## Vince W

*The Martian*. Ridley Scott's adaptation of the book. All in all it was a very good film. I realise that no film can cover a book completely, but I felt there were a couple of key elements missing from the story. I won't go into details, but if you've read the book you may feel the same way. And I really can't believe that the American film going public would be put off by using an Indian name on screen. I can see no reason why using the name Venkat would be a negative. Changing it to Vincent serves no logical purpose when no other names are changed.

The cast was great and Matt Damon makes an excellent Mark Watney. I've never really considered him charming before, but he does show a great deal of it in this film.

I think if you haven't read the book yet you would enjoy the film even more, at least until you've read the book.


----------



## ratsy

I watched Hot Tub Time Machine 2...what's there to say?

Also Mortal Kombat for a little throw back, and we started Taken 3 but it was so bad we stopped halfway through. Gotta love Netflix.


----------



## Droflet

Vince W said:


> *The Martian*. Ridley Scott's adaptation of the book. All in all it was a very good film. I realise that no film can cover a book completely, but I felt there were a couple of key elements missing from the story. I won't go into details, but if you've read the book you may feel the same way. And I really can't believe that the American film going public would be put off by using an Indian name on screen. I can see no reason why using the name Venkat would be a negative. Changing it to Vincent serves no logical purpose when no other names are changed.
> 
> The cast was great and Matt Damon makes an excellent Mark Watney. I've never really considered him charming before, but he does show a great deal of it in this film.
> 
> I think if you haven't read the book yet you would enjoy the film even more, at least until you've read the book.



Thank you once again, Vince. I wasn't sure about this one but now I'll go see it. Cheers.


----------



## J Riff

You haven't heard JM? Watching two movies at once in the latest thing. It encourages optical independence and brain-splitting. Texting people at the same time is a bonus.

 I've already decided to not like_ The Martian_, so will probably watch it split-screen with _Reptilicuss _or some other classic.


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> How can people do this?  Claim to be 'watching' a movie while typing on a forum at the same time?  Films are an immersive experience.  You can't be watching a film and doing other stuff at the same time. * It would be like saying you're making love to your husband/wife/partner/s while doing your tax return.*
> 
> The best you can say is that the film is playing in the same room.



there are a number of retorts to this but as we're a family forum I shall refrain    I will admit though that I too watch quite a few movies with the lap-top going


----------



## Rodders

The Martian. It looked great, but the story was too predictable to be interesting. A "by the numbers" movie from Ridley Scott. Disappointing, 

How I Live Now. Deserves a rewatch, but I found myself wondering what the backstory was.


----------



## J Riff

*The Super Inframan*.
And you thought that plain old Inframan was super. Great costumes, sets, wacky monsters, trite dialogue. I forget exactly what happened, but SuperInframan wins out in the end. Ta-Daaa!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Night of the Eagle*  aka _Burn, Witch, Burn _ (1962) - small scale film about modern day whichcraft (or delusion and coincidence) based on a Fritz Leiber story and not bad; not bad at all.  Some nice acting and some great camerawork.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Night of the Eagle*  aka _Burn, Witch, Burn _ (1962) - small scale film about modern day whichcraft (or delusion and coincidence) based on a Fritz Leiber story and not bad; not bad at all.  Some nice acting and some great camerawork.



A fine film indeed, and a nice adaptation of the great novel _Conjure Wife_.

*Cry of the Werewolf* (1944)

Low budget chiller which seems to be an attempt to capture the moods of both the Universal classics and Val Lewton films.  Notable for being about a female werewolf and for dealing with a full transformation from human to wolf instead of halfway between.  

Bad Stuff:

Even at sixty-three minutes, there are some pretty dull stretches, and the comedy relief cops are excruciating. The film's biggest flaw is the fact that the "wolf" is very, very obviously a friendly dog. The leading man is pretty bland.

Good Stuff:

The back story is interesting, the (entirely fictional, I'm sure) Gypsy lore is intriguing, a couple of the smaller roles are nicely acted (I enjoyed the tour guide, the guard who speaks sweetly to a cute cat, and the mortician), and many scenes are nicely shadowy and atmospheric.

Best of all, the rivalry between the two female leads was fascinating. Nina Foch may be a little too all-American (even though she was Dutch-born) as the Gypsy "princess"/werewolf, but she has a certain power in the role. I was quite impressed by the more exotic Osa Massen as the Good Girl, whose "Transylvanian" (actually Danish) accent was charming. In particular, the scene near the end when Foch uses hypnosis of a sort in an attempt to transform Massen into her "sister" werewolf was nicely done.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Once a week a French friend and I settle down on her sofa and watch a couple of films together. She chooses one and I choose one.  This week:

Her choice: *Le Prénom* - funny French film about the dinner party from hell - obviously based on a play but nicely opened out in an intro and coda which probably weren't in the original but worked well.  Having a whispered commentary on the political allusions and literary allusions that I would have otherwise missed added greatly to my appreciation of it.  

My choice:* Orlando *- the umpteeth time of watching for me and the first for her.  One of my favourite films ever.  I'm not sure my whispered commentary on some of the historical literary allusions helped her much but at least I had time to make them, by Christ, French actors can't half rattle off the dialogue fast when they get going.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Orlando* is a stunningly beautiful film.  The novel by Virginia Woolf is excellent too.

*The Undying Monster* (1942)

Unusual combination of murder mystery and supernatural horror film. Only an hour long, the story moves along briskly, with plenty of Gothic chills and red herrings. The plot features a pair of investigators working for Scotland Yard, one a scientist and one who seems to be a psychic detective of sorts. This character is often used for comic relief, but it's also made clear that her "intuition" comes in handy in this sort of situation. (As I understand it, the novel from which this was adapted features only a female psychic investigator, and this character seems to be loosely based on her.) There's a really lame attempt at the very end to explain away the supernatural events in a rational way, but that's pure nonsense; we see the monster (briefly, to be sure, but there's no doubt that it's real.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Orlando* is a stunningly beautiful film.  The novel by Virginia Woolf is excellent too.



It's the only Woolf I've enjoyed.  (The only one I've _finished _to be honest.)


----------



## Starbeast

*Interstellar* (2014) - Very long, but not bad. Not great, but not bad.

*Kung Fu Zombie* (1982) - Good, silly horror flick. Nice little gem to find.

*Godzilla* (2014) - What a pile of lizard crap.

*Blood of the Vampire* (1958) - I haven't seen it in decades. Not a bad little film. Creepy, for the 1950's.

*Mad Max: Fury Road* (2015) - I loved it. Best vehicle action movie, IN A LONG TIME!!!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Republic Pictures Hour Long Horror Movies Double Feature:

*Valley of the Zombies* (1946)

Moderately entertaining, old-fashioned (even for its day) chiller about a mad undertaker who, before the film begins, found a way to induce himself into a state between life and death in the (otherwise unseen) "valley of the zombies." The only problem is that now he needs regular blood transfusions to maintain this living death, so he progresses from stealing blood from hospitals to killing the doctor who sent him to an insane asylum years ago, where he "died" and was entombed, only to rise again. This fellow goes to the trouble of embalming the victims from whom he drains blood. Dressed in a long cape, he seems more vampire than zombie. Unfortunately, he disappears from the film for most of its running time, as we watch the antics of some incompetent cops as well as the amateur sleuthing of our heroes, a doctor and a nurse. (With all their wisecracks, they might as well be Spunky Reporters from the 1930's.) There are some nice spooky scenes, like a corpse falling out of medical refrigerator. 

*The Vampire's Ghost* (1945)

Unusual and quite effective vampire flick set in colonial Africa. The bloodsucker is a British fellow (familiar character actor John Abbott; he was one of the Organians in the _Star Trek_ episode "Errand of Mercy") who was cursed way back in the time of Elizabeth I and has since walked the Earth as one of the undead. He now owns a rather disreputable bar/gambling den somewhere in the middle of the Dark Continent. The character is a complex, interesting one, and the film features some twists on the vampire legend. It's worth noting that the "natives" figure out what's going on pretty quickly, long before the colonists do. Credit for the film's quality probably goes to the well-known mystery/fantasy/science fiction writer Leigh Brackett, who provided the story and co-wrote the screenplay, before she went on to write things like *The Big Sleep* and *The Empire Strikes Back*.


----------



## J Riff

*Star Pilot*. This movie features one of the weirdest dubbed-in speeches ever. Watch it for that alone, plus nice costumes and the usual meteors, UFOs and other space-dangers.


----------



## dask

*Westworld*, great movie, great sf, one of my favorites. Could almost be seen as sf/horror, or techno-horror, and therefore a perfect movie for the magic hour when all the trick or treaters have gone home to pig out.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> *Star Pilot*. This movie features one of the weirdest dubbed-in speeches ever. Watch it for that alone, plus nice costumes and the usual meteors, UFOs and other space-dangers.



You mean this one?




I love this film.  Apart from anything else it has the second best attractive, scantily-clad girl in freefall shot in Italian movies of the sixties.  (First best was, of course, _Barbarella.)
_
Last night I chalked another of Daughter Number One's bucketlist by sharing the deliciously creepy, 1945 Ealing chiller,_ *Dead of Night*_ with her.  The final shot of Michael Redgrave in the ventriloquist story gave me the shudders.  Great stuff.  I was afraid she would find it talky, and slow, and dated but she loved it.


----------



## Starbeast

*Night Monster* (1942) - This was the first time I watched this classic black and white spooky thriller. It seemed a bit ho-hum to me because it's dated. But I did enjoy two things in the movie that stood out:

1. Bela Lugosi - he is cool to watch, and I always enjoy listening to him speak any dialogue (no matter how outrageous it is).

2. The elderly, old-fashioned, inept policeman who didn't notice any clues that were right in front of him, until the male lead in the story pointed them out to him (which I guess was supposed to make the male lead look cool, and on his toes). That was funny to me. Plus, the cop was always ready to arrest the first suspect without any solid evidence.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Went to see _The Martian_ on Saturday. It was okay, but a bit meh. It didn't help that I knew before it began that there would be a happy ending, which rather deflates the "tension" of the will-he-won't-he plot... Also, the whole 'lets not tell the crew just yet' plot thing seemed completely overdone. But Matt Damon was good, as was Chiwetel Ejiofor and the tech-y African dude who does the orbital mechanics. The best bit was using Pathfinder to communicate. Very clever. Did not like the 'wisecracking' humour though.


----------



## J Riff

Well, *Alligator *1980. They flush this Cayman down the Loo, see... then the movie plays until the end where a dinosaur-sized Alligator seeks out and chomps down on the evil corporate bad guy, crushing his car and wrecking the garden party.


----------



## Vince W

*The Arrival* (1996)- Charlie Sheen is a radio astronomer that discovers 42 seconds of alien communication, but no one wants to know. Conspiracies abound and Ron Silver is suitably villainous.
*
Alien Nation* (1988)- Alien slaves arrive in the US and are given equality. Racist (alienist?) cop James Caan is teamed with alien detective Mandy Patinkin to solve a murder. James Caan is at his angry best in this film and Patinkin is a treat as Sam Francisco.

*The Rocketeer* (1991)- Rocket pack. Check. Nazi spies. Check. Pulp fiction action. Check. I can't be objective about this film I love it so much.


----------



## Siberian

Saw *The Martian *and loved it almost as much as the book. It must be one of the most faithful adaptations of a novel (much less SciFi book) I've ever seen. While they tweak things here and there with some mixed results I don't think there're any major scenes that are completely invented (other than the epilogue that still seems to be partially based on the original ending in the self-published version. 

Honestly, when I first heard Ridley Scott is the director I fully expected Watney to fight some aliens on Mars or maybe have a steamy affair with Commander Lewis. Fortunately - and I think the credit here goes to Drew Goddard's screenplay - they stayed true to the main theme of the novel, as in smart people solving problems through science (referring to both Mark on Mars trying to stay alive and everyone else trying to save him) and kept Hollywoodization to a minimum. 

I hear the director's cut is going to be 20 minutes longer - well if they add the cut scenes from his trip to Ares 4 and some of the engineering stuff, it's going to be a serious contender for my favorite SciFi movie and adaptation of all time.


----------



## Rodders

The arrival sounds interesting, I haven't seen Alien Nation, yet, but I want to. What's not to love about the rocketeer?


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> The arrival sounds interesting, I haven't seen Alien Nation, yet, but I want to. What's not to love about the rocketeer?



The Arrival is pretty underrated IMO. It's fairly low budget, but it's a decent story and well acted. Sheen is wonderfully paranoid.

You must watch Alien Nation ASAP. Caan and Patinkin are fantastic together.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973)

Gritty, realistic, downbeat crime drama. Robert Mitchum stars as a weary middle-aged career criminal who faces two-to-five in the pen for driving a truck full of stolen booze. Since he's got a wife and three kids, like a typical lower middle class blue collar worker, he tries to avoid imprisonment by informing a Treasury agent about a guy illegally selling guns. (That doesn't stop him from also buying guns from the guy so he can sell them to some other guys robbing banks.) Since this is the 1970's, don't expect a happy ending. Mitchum dominates the film, but he's surrounded by other fine performances, particularly from Peter Boyle.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *The Arrival* (1996)- Charlie Sheen is a radio astronomer that discovers 42 seconds of alien communication, but no one wants to know. Conspiracies abound and Ron Silver is suitably villainous.



I'm glad I'm not the only person who likes this.


----------



## Fishbowl Helmet

*Chappie* (2015). 

Ugh. Just don't. It tries to mix Robocop ('80s) with Millennium Man (1999) and fails, miserably. The action plot (and some of the designs) are almost a straight lift from Robocop. It tries to ask and answer some interesting science fiction questions. Tries. But the use of 'hip, urban, gangstars' throws that off completely. Like most Blomkamp movies it's set in Johannesburg, South Africa. Good enough backdrop, but the combination of accented white criminals trying to act like black gangbangers from America... plus teaching a newly conscious AI in a humanoid robot body how to pull a heist and shoot its gun sideways... it's just a mess. Props to the CGI department as they deliver on some decent emotionally gripping moments as the AI (Chappie) learns about the world in a few heartbreaking scenes, but those few moments are surrounded by some thoroughly hollow and mindless 'plot'.


----------



## Fishbowl Helmet

Vince W said:


> *Alien Nation* (1988)- Alien slaves arrive in the US and are given equality. Racist (alienist?) cop James Caan is teamed with alien detective Mandy Patinkin to solve a murder. James Caan is at his angry best in this film and Patinkin is a treat as Sam Francisco.
> 
> *The Rocketeer* (1991)- Rocket pack. Check. Nazi spies. Check. Pulp fiction action. Check. I can't be objective about this film I love it so much.



Great movies. For some reason I always seem to do *Alien Nation*, *Enemy Mine*, and *Last Starfighter* within a few days of each other...


----------



## Vince W

Fishbowl Helmet said:


> Great movies. For some reason I always seem to do *Alien Nation*, *Enemy Mine*, and *Last Starfighter* within a few days of each other...



Do you have the Alien Nation/Enemy Mine double dvd as well?


----------



## Calum

*Cartel Land* -

A documentary which chronicles the exploits of two parallel groups, a gang of rag tag Texas border vigilantes and the Autodefensas militia in Mexico. Despite its pulpish title the cartels themselves are periphery concern, the focus is very much on the motivations of the vigilantes. Principally the director is concerned with the notion of machoism, as the Americans are driven by an ingrained need to live up to the tough guy cowboy icons they’ve been bombarded with while the Mexicans fall under the seductive cult of personality Autodefensas leader José Manuel Mireles conjures up around him (I once tried forming a cult of personality but for some reason everyone skipped straight to the ritualised suicide 10 seconds after I started my inaugural speech).

While the film is obvious in its disapproval of both groups is wisely avoids Michael Moore style moralising, instead allowing the audience to almost become intoxicated by the gang’s heroics. This lets us peer into the minds of the vigilantes rather than judging them aloofly. Naturally it’s only a matter of time before it all goes a bit Animal Farm as the groups turn on themselves, becoming little more than government stooges and glorified dealers. However, the film’s even handed approach renders what might have been a forlorn conclusion into a genuine shock. Which is the film’s greatest strength. We reach the end faced with the ugly realisation that we've been cheering for the people responsible for everything in the first place. However, I was disappointed by the exclusion of the on screen torture scenes as I toiled for hours knocking out those hobos and dragging them into my basement and didn’t get so much as an on screen credit.


----------



## J Riff

THE BAT PEOPLE (aka It Lives By Night) 1974


Darkness, eerie music, c/u of some squeeking bats... oh, it’s a dream. Johnny wakes his wife by yelling in his sleep.

Titles and a jazzy tune as Johnny and wife Kathy drive acrost the desert, her plunking on an acoustic guitar. They get out to pick some cactus and they hear a weird sound. Then they see a bat on their picnic blanket. It’s a small bat, not doing much, but she screams and wants to leave.

Caves are Johnny’s work so they catch the last tour of some caves high on a rocky hillside. Johnny and Kathy sneak off to try and make out but she slips into a hole full of what looks like harmless sow beetles. Johnny slides down to save her and they are trapped. They hear the weird sound again. A bat attacks Kathy’s hair. Johnny gets nicked on the hand and face. "It’s nothing."

They get out with help and shortly they are driving in the snow, then they go up a ski lift and Johnny is getting weird eyes and envisioning bats and bugs. He snaps out of it and they ski on down the mountain.

Now they are in a jacuzzi. "23 dollars a day – it’s almost worth it." Johnny spazzes out in the jacuzzi. His hand is messed up and a doc bandages him. He may have rabies but it’s no big deal. It can wait till next week.

They give him a rabies shot but he freaks out and is checked into hospital. He has more bat dreams. His hand starts to turn into a webbed bat claw. He is possessed and kills a nurse. He knows he’s going batty but he leaves with his wife anyhow.

A deputy has found Johnny’s wristband by the nurse’s body but he can’t get it back on over his hand now. "Real puzzler, ain’t it?"

Johnny wakes up, goes out and breaks a window, grabs a store dummy, smashes it up and steals its sweater... then watches a couple smoking weed in a truck. "I think I got slipped Oregano again." The deputy finds the headless store dummy. The guy smoker leaves and Johnny chases the girl to swinging jazzy rock music.

Johnny wakes up screaming again and Kathy is worried now. But we still haven’t seen Johnny as any kind of bat-thing, just close-ups of his eyes. The deputy questions him again. A bandage was found, but it is no proof.

Johnny has another freakout in hospital and Kathy is freaked out now too. Johnny steals an ambulance and blasts off, siren wailing. The deputy chases him, Johnny crashes but he gets out and escapes into the desert.

He finds a rundown cabin, an old drunk is holed up there and he lectures Johnny about booze and depression. Johnny starts seeing bats then he croaks the drunk. Still no Johnny-bat visuals though, and we see him looking normal, going into a cave. Meanwhile the deputy is molesting Kathy, being a real jerk.

We see Johnny or at least his bat-hand, as he grabs a tourist girl in the cave. Then he’s outside stealing a car, looking normal. Now hes’s back at the hospital, in a stolen doctor uniform. He’s after the anti-rabies vaccine and he drinks it straight. He makes a tape and leaves it for Kathy. It’s his last will... he is another being now...

We see him catching a rat for dinner in the cave. Then he sneaks back to Kathy’s room. We only see his eye as he monologues about how it’s all over etc. Kathy tells him it’s from the drugs... he doesn’t really change into a bat-thing. It’s an illusion, a hallucination from the rabies drugs. They kiss.

Finally we see some closeups of Johnny’s bat-face and fangs. Kathy screams but Johnny is gone.

The deputy catches Johnny in the cave and beats him up. Finally we see Bat-Johnny’s face, a bit planet-of-the-apesish bat-mask face... and he beats up on the deputy and escapes.

Kathy hears strange sounds, we see shots of swarming bats in the hills at night...

Deputy and Kathy are set on by bats as they drive to the cave. Bat blood covers the windshield, they go offroad and Kathy gets out. Bats swarm in and do in the deputy, who shoots himself for good measure. Kathy wanders off to the cave and, we must assume, she begins an inter-species relationship with Bat-Johnny, in the caves, where they will live happily ever after. The End.


----------



## Starbeast

*Zombies: The Beginning* (2007)

It's so bad, it's good. Imagine, a zombie horror flick that rips-off the movie plot of ALIENS. It's low budget, gory, not in outer space, but not that bad. I'd rather watch this movie again, than that new trashy Godzilla film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Fishbowl Helmet said:


> Great movies. For some reason I always seem to do *Alien Nation*, *Enemy Mine*, and *Last Starfighter* within a few days of each other...



why would you want to watch Alien Nation more than once?  It's awful.  It's just a formulaic, mismatched-buddy, cop movie with a twist. One of them is an alien. OK, it's not badly done to start with but I started to loose it when our nasty villains throw one of the aliens in the sea and he dies a horrible painful death. "Sea water's like battery acid to them!" explains one of the villains. I can't even start to work out the body chemistry of the aliens which allows them to get high on sour milk (pH of 4.4 - mild acid) but dissolve in sea water (pH 8 - slightly basic). Another oddity was the head villain... and to explain the oddity you need to know the back story of the movie. Over to you Mr Wikipedia:.

"The movie is set in 1991, three years after a flying saucer bearing enslaved aliens (the "Newcomers") has crash-landed in the Mojave Desert. Los Angeles becomes a new home for the aliens, who take, or in some cases are assigned, sometimes comical human names (such as "Rudyard Kipling"). Now back to the JunkMonkey in the studio..."

Thank you, Mr W. So. Quarter of a million aliens are processed through immigration and learn English with remarkable speed - the alien half of our hero partners (a demi-hero?) tells the human half he learned English in three months - they landed in America, they live in America. They have assimilated to American culture incredibly well in three years. Why then is the bad guy alien the only person _in the whole movie_ who doesn't have an American accent - in fact he has a _British _accent? Answer: Because he is played by Terrence Stamp. And he's the villain. To the collective chicken brain that was running Hollywood at the time, all villains had British accents. Even ones that were supposed to be from a different species and have travelled untold light years to get here!

That is just crap.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les Maitres du Temps* -dull and pointless animated piece of French SF which has put me off forever rewatching the director's _La Planete Sauvage_.
I saw _La Planete Sauvage_ when it first played in the cinemas back in 1973 under the English title _Fantastic Planet_.  I remember being mesmerised by the strange, lyrical wonderful film. I was about 15 and watched anything I could go see.   In the last couple of years I've seen two of the other films from the same director, Rene Laloux, and been bored stupid by both.   
I'm not sure I could stand the disappointment of finding the film that plays in my memory is not as good up on screen.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Fugitive* (1993)

Since we just watched the complete original series, for completeness we got a cheap VHS tape of this reboot. It's certainly a visually spectacular and lightning-paced action thriller. The train wreck near the beginning is amazing. The moviemakers did it in the simplest way: they actually had a real train crash into a real bus. Where the film falls down is plausibility. The new Doctor Richard Kimble survives more than one situation which should kill him instantly. The murder of Helen Kimble makes no sense from the point of view of the Bad Guy. Since the whole thing is set up by the cold, calculating villain in order to cover up his schemes, why hire the one-armed man (thus letting someone else in on the plot) to murder Helen Kimble in a messy, sloppy way with the intention of framing Richard Kimble? This seems way too risky a method, since we learn that the Bad Guy had already arranged for the only other person who knows about the plot to quietly die in a car accident.


----------



## J Riff

* Bowanga Bowanga*. 1951 Charming. A tribe of spear-toting wild White Women in Africa catch our 3 adventurers, fight with them and force the winner to marry the Queen. Lots of leopard-skin costumes and frills, and primitive English: - "You good. You strong. You marry Queen." A nice wild woman named Owoona helps them escape and they link arms and wander off singing into the sunset. Not bad. *


----------



## Fishbowl Helmet

JunkMonkey said:


> I can't even start to work out the body chemistry of the aliens which allows them to get high on sour milk (pH of 4.4 - mild acid) but dissolve in sea water (pH 8 - slightly basic)...



Well there's your problem. You're judging a soft science fiction message movie about immigration and racism based on hard science fiction criteria. It was and is fun. That's all that matters. And the TV series based on it was great too. Lots of interesting stuff on culture, religion, inter species mating, racism, on and on. Fun ride.


----------



## J-Sun

*The Martian*. Very cool. Go see it if you haven't yet.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Le Nom de Gens* (2010)- a pretty funny look at identity in modern France that had laughing out loud and falling in instant movie lust with the leading lady Sara Forestier. (At the SAME TIME!)
*OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus* slightly less funny French Bond spoof.  It had its moments.
*Steamboy* - Anime.  Lots of sound and fury which was much less than the sum of its explosions.


----------



## J Riff

Geee... *'Yeti: The Giant of the 20th Century.*' Bloody arful canuk giant Yeti flick... Sometimes it seems like the MC girl can talk to the giant Yeti.... who varies between 30-80 ft. tall... but then, all the Yeti does is scream, like that movie-dinosaur scream... and he does it about 25 times throughout the movie.
Everytime anyone does anything at all Yeti gets irked and dinosaur-screams... then he kills a few people, kind of accidentally. Funniest is the cops.... the Yeti breaks loose from the stadium where they have him after thawing... and 2 copcars race around unable to find Yeti, in the city, for most of the movie. He has a nice face, for a monster... but I don't know if many people could last through this one. *
I tried to read the Yeti's name in the credits but it's so blurry all I get is ____ Crao as the Yeti.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Geee... *'Yeti: The Giant of the 20th Century.*' Bloody arful canuk giant Yeti flick... Sometimes it seems like the MC girl can talk to the giant Yeti.... who varies between 30-80 ft. tall... but then, all the Yeti does is scream, like that movie-dinosaur scream... and he does it about 25 times throughout the movie.
> Everytime anyone does anything at all Yeti gets irked and dinosaur-screams... then he kills a few people, kind of accidentally. Funniest is the cops.... the Yeti breaks loose from the stadium where they have him after thawing... and 2 copcars race around unable to find Yeti, in the city, for most of the movie. He has a nice face, for a monster... but I don't know if many people could last through this one. *
> I tried to read the Yeti's name in the credits but it's so blurry all I get is ____ Crao as the Yeti.




According to IMDb :
 Mimmo Craig    ...  Yeti (as Mimmo Crao)


----------



## DCBastien

We saw the LFF premiere of 'Steve Jobs' last night. I am not a fan of closed-system computing (I like being able to tinker, always have and always will). So I disagree with his... business choices. Which meant it was hard for me to agree to go.

HOWEVER, it was written by Sorkin and my GF adores Sorkin's dialogue (he is very good at it) and it was... good. I really liked it. It was a very nice three-act piece. The dialogue was, of course, spot on. It was very much like a set-piece... like a short-story almost, made big? With the thematic balancing and so on. It had some stunning performances. The fight between Jobs and Woz was awesome. I really did enjoy it.


----------



## ratsy

Friday the 13th original. Started off good but quickly became slow and I lost interest.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Please remember to use spoiler tags on current movies. 

pH


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*~~And Now the Screaming Starts!* (1973)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker; written by Roger Marshall, from the novella "Fengriffen" by David Case.

_Some say no evil thing that walks by night,
In fog or fire, by lake or moorish fen,
Blue meagre hag, or stubborn unlaid ghost
That breaks his magic chains at curfew time,
No goblin, or swart fairy of the mine,
Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity._

-- _Cromus_ by John Milton, lines 432 to 437

_. . . for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation . . ._

-- _Exodus 20:5_ (excerpt), King James Version


Both of these quotes feature prominently in the Gothic horror film *~~And Now the Screaming Starts!*. (Yes, both the exclamation point and the very strange double tilde appear in the title, making it the the typographically oddest film title I know, with the possible exception of the 1971 heist comedy *$*.) The first, from a 1634 masque by the great poet and seen early in the film, can only be taken as a bitterly ironic prediction of events to follow. In the universe in which this movie takes place, both human and supernatural evil have very hurtful power indeed over "true virginity." The Biblical quote, which appears just before the closing credits, is a sadly accurate commentary on the story we have just seen, although the visiting of the iniquity of an ancestor is by no means the work of God, but something much more sinister.

The story is set in the late 18th century. Our protagonist is a young woman on her way to a stately manor home, in order to be married to the young, handsome lord. They seem to be very much in love, and some parts of this movie suggest a Gothic Romance novel. As we'll see, however, events will be much more horrible than romantic. 

Within a few minutes the bride-to-be sees a ghostly figure, with a bloody stump where one hand should be, and two bloody gaping holes where eyes should be, emerging from the portrait of her husband-to-be's grandfather. Very soon thereafter we see a severed hand crawling on the floor, and it's only a short time later when we witness the unfortunate young woman attacked in her bed by the spectral hand.

At this point it seems as if the movie is going to be an old-fashioned, spooky, slightly silly haunted house flick, with the gruesome but somewhat laughable crawling hand strangling folks. However, the movie has several unexpected surprises in store, and its tone grows darker as it goes on.

I will not discuss plot details, but it won't surprise you that the story involves a Dark Family Secret. Suffice to say that first-billed Peter Cushing doesn't show up until about halfway through the movie. Appropriate to the time period, he plays a man of the Enlightment, a skeptical doctor summoned to examine the young woman's mental health. Second-billed Herbert Lom doesn't show up until even later, in a flashback sequence which explains the source of the haunting. Third-billed Patrick Magee shows up pretty early, but he plays a small part. The movie really belongs to fourth-billed Stephanie Beacham as the tormented woman, and she does a fine job, worthy of those three more famous actors.

*~~And Now the Screaming Starts!* has a reputation of being mediocre. One of the few full-length horror films from Amicus, a studio better known for its horror anthologies, I found it compelling, growing even more so as the story progressed. It seems to me that this movie might appeal a bit more to some female horror fans than some male horror fans. Not only is there a touch of romance, in a few brief scenes of tender intimacy; not only is the protagonist beautiful, and dressed in an array of lovely gowns; but elements of the story may seem more powerful to some women.


----------



## J Riff

Well ALIENS 1986, the extended version. If you haven't seen this longer version (2:35) then it's worth it.
And - The Amazing World of the Mini-Beasts - which is a garden documentary about insects. The lady's garden is amazing, and she has all kinds cute names for various critters; beautiful caterpillars, lovely little waspy monsters and so forth, very educational.


----------



## Vince W

J Riff said:


> Well ALIENS 1986, the extended version. If you haven't seen this longer version (2:35) then it's worth it.



I have a problem with one scene in the extended version. 



Spoiler



The totally needless rant by Hudson trying to tell Ripley how super-cool-tough they are. We already know Hudson is a git, there's no need to reiterate.


----------



## J Riff

Yes. I noticed that rant, about all the weapons and how badarse they all were. Still enjoyed the flik for what, the 12th time?


----------



## Foxbat

*The Longships *(1964) Richard Widmark and Sydney Poitier cross swords in this enjoyable medieval romp.


----------



## Starbeast

*Troll Hunter* (2010)

A surprisingly good monster flick.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Idiocracy* (2006) - I think I pulled a muscle I was laughing so much.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, JM, a different take on dumb and dumber.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Barefoot in the Park*(1967)

Light-as-a-feather romantic comedy from Neil Simon. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford star as two strikingly beautiful newlyweds living in a tiny apartment up five flights of stairs in a fairy tale version of New York City. The paper-thin plot involves Fonda deciding that Redford is a stuffed shirt and Redford deciding that Fonda is a kook. They get back together when Redford gets roaring drunk and goes walking barefoot in the park during the dead of winter, something he had refused to do earlier. The subplot involves Charles Boyer as the worldly, sophisticated, romantic, eccentric older man who lives in an exotic loft upstairs and his romance with Fonda's prim and proper widowed mother (Mildred Natwick.) Herb Edelman rounds out the cast and nearly steals the film as a bemused telephone repairman. As superficial as all this is, it's enjoyable due to the appeal of the leads, the talent of the supporting actors, and Simon's skill with a gag.


----------



## J Riff

_Idiocracy _is not quite so funny anymore.... here... because reality is closing in on it.
I watched _Saturn 3_ while doing something else, and it was good like that.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Party Girl* (1930)

Pre-code exploitation Jazz Age relic exposing the party girl racket in the world of big business. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., stars as the son of a tycoon in what is apparently the cutthroat, corrupt window glass game; he's the only one in his line of work who doesn't use party girls to make big sales to his clients. Ironically, his secretary, beloved by his son, used to be a party girl, and still shares an apartment with a party girl. (Marie Prevost, a pretty big star in silents, stealing the picture as a Mae West kind of party girl who cracks wise and clearly enjoys her work.) In a mind-blowing scene, the businessmen's wild parties are held at a place where you drive your car into a freight elevator, go up a flight, and drive into the rooms of the woman who supplies the party girls. (There's a running joke where she keeps saying "Don't call me madam.") Sonny boy crashes the party, gets stinking drunk, and wakes up with a party girl. Figuring that he's ruined her virtue, he sees no choice but to marry her. (Lucky for her; we've already seen her talking to another gentleman friend about the trouble she's in; it's pretty clear that she's pregnant.) Will our hero be forced to spend the rest of his life with a party girl? Will his former girlfriend be seduced back into the party girl game? 

In almost every way *Party Girl* is an abysmal film, but it's worth the hour (including three songs) it will steal from your life as a glimpse of the past. Change the words "party girl" to "escort" and maybe things haven't changed that much.


----------



## Vaz

*Mud
*
A fantastic film starring Matthew Mcconaughey, a coming of age story about two teenage boys who find a fugitive (Mcconaughey) living on an island and decide to help him escape and win back his first love (Reese Witherspoon). Well worth a watch.


*Tomorrowland
*
Great cast and a strong story (Bit preachy) but well worth the ride.


----------



## Vince W

Vaz said:


> *Tomorrowland
> *
> Great cast and a strong story (Bit preachy) but well worth the ride.





Loved Tomorrowland.


----------



## J Riff

Actually Vince, that particular rant by Hudson is pretty weird... like they left it in the director cut because it was just so ridiculous. Here it is, verbatim:

"...ready to Get it ON.... Yo! ... I'm ready maaan.... check it out! I am the ultimate badarse.... state of the badarse art... you do NOT want to Fr$g with me... Check it out... hey Ripley... don't worry... me and my squad of ultimate badarses will protect you. Hyuk... check it out! Independently targeting particle-beam failings(?)... VZOW!!.. fry half a city with this puppy. We got tactical smart missiles... phased plasma pulse-rifles, RPGs... we got sonic, electronic, ballbreakers! We got nukes, we got knives... sharp sticks..."

? Sorry. )


----------



## Vince W

You could be right J Riff.


----------



## Vaz

That Hudson rant, I believe was to show the marines over-confidence when going into a conflict and how they underestimated the enemy (Xenomorphs).
According to what I've read Cameron wanted Aliens to reflect the Vietnam war.


----------



## Phyrebrat

All that firepower and he didn't even brag about the harsh language Apone was going to let them use 

pH


----------



## J Riff

That particular rant is ridiculous. He's laughing a bit much, it's like a blown take. I think Aliens is about giant alien bugs, myself, bound to be real.
I've watched 'em all again recently, Predators too, and am starting on the AVP series, all reality-based I'm QUITE sure.


----------



## Vaz

*The Water Diviner - *Russell Crowe directs and stars in this movie based on a true story about a father who travels from Australia to Gallipoli during the first world war to find the bodies of his three sons. This *could *have been a great movie, but the main story peaks too soon. Russell's performance is oddly flat and there are some strange scenes which really pull you out of the emotive storytelling and just feel out of place. Disappointing.


*It Follows - *This, is horror done right. Strange, unnerving and rather disturbing. The story follows a teenage girl who, after having sex with her new boyfriend is tied up and warned by him that wherever she is death will be walking towards her, disguised as a stranger or someone she knows.


----------



## HanaBi

*"High and Low" (1963) - Akira Kurosawa
*
Ever dependable, Kurosawa, strikes gold once again with this very under-rated crime thriller.

Starring Kurosawa-regular, Toshiro Mifune, who plays a dedicated company manager of shoe company: a company struggling to make money because the likes of the company president and Mifune himself, insists on making high-quality shoes regardless of the cost, and lack of profit. 

Such practices don't go well with the other company directors, who threaten to club their shareholdings together and force both men out unless they change their ways. Mifune refuses, and attempts to buy more shares in order to become the majority shareholder, thus becoming the president and thus forcing his rivals out! 

However, things take a bad turn when he believes his son has been kidnapped with a 30m Yen ransom. But it turns out that it's the unfortunate son of Mifune's chauffeur. Not that this deters the kidnapper, who still insists Mifune pays the ransom. But Mifune realises that if he pays the ransom he won't be able to buy the shares he needs to take over the shoe company.

After much angst and self-doubt,  Mifune finally agrees to make the pay-off, and then the police who have been advising him from the start, take over tracking down the assailant.

The only real issue I had with this well written & directed classic, is that the film is rather long at 2 hours 20 minutes. The first half drags a little, and perhaps could have been edited down by 20 minutes or so. But the second half - when the police become involved tracking down the kidnapper - comes alive with some tight editing which keeps things moving apace to a very satisfying and surprising ending

4/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cash on Demand* (1961)

Tense little thriller from Hammer. Peter Cushing stars as a fussy martinet of a bank manager. A bank official shows up to inspect things, and turns out to be a smooth but ruthless criminal who will have Cushing's wife and child tortured and killed if he doesn't aid him in robbing the place. It all takes place in the bank in real time, and a great deal of suspense is built. Cushing does an excellent job portraying a rigidly controlled man slowly cracking up under pressure.


----------



## WaylanderToo

*Spectre *- it's Bond which I think says it all for both fans and non-fans alike


----------



## Droflet

*Re Kill *(2015)
Hmm, still wondering about this. It's got zombies so it's not all bad. Just not sure if it entirely works. I liked it, I think. I would be curious to hear other opinions.


----------



## Starbeast

*Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy *(1955)

Wonderful classic comedy. If anyone has checked the film credits at the end of the movie, Bud and Lou never use their scripted names, they call each other by their real names.
*
Wyrmwood* (2014)

Wild action zombie flick that is strange and cool, gory and....well, refreshingly different. Some film critics call it a cross between _Mad Max_, and _Day of the Dead_. After I saw it, I called it, entertaining.

*Abbott and Costello Meet Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde* (1953)

Excellent classic comedy with actor Boris Karloff as Dr Jekyll.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, Wyrmwood was quite different. Who knew you could run a car on zombie blood?


----------



## Delfilm

I watched 12 Angry Men for the first time. It was very watchable and surprisingly nothing has really changed. You could have shot the film with the same script today and with the exception of smoking, would not even notice!


----------



## Tim Murray

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


Just watched "The Fifth Element," again. What a romp, this film has everything.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bedtime Story* (1964)

Frothy comedy with a touch of cynicism about two con artists who prey on women. David Niven is the classy professional. Like a Renaissance prince, he even uses some of his ill-gotten gains to support artists. Marlon Brandon is the lowbrow amateur, using his wiles to cadge free meals and lure women into bed. The film builds its plot leisurely, first showing them working their scams separately, then with Brando as Niven's apprentice, then as rivals. Third-billed Shirley Jones shows up about halfway through the film, and the story really begins as they make a bet to see who can weasel twenty-five thousand dollars out of her first. The comedy gets a bit dark, and maybe even in questionable taste at times, when Brando pretends to be Niven's mentally deficient brother, and later acts as if he's confined to a wheelchair due to hysterical paralysis. Notable for giving Brando a chance to do comedy ranging from sophisticated to pure slapstick. Remade in 1988 as *Dirty Rotten Scoundrels* (which I have not seen) with Steve Martin and Michael Caine as Brando and Niven.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Earth Star Voyager - *Disney pilot for an unpicked up series that started off interestingly enough - for a Disney movie - very Robert Heinleinlike with a crew of teenagers setting out on a 26 year mission to another planet to see if it was inhabitable and a suitable place for the teeming gazzillions of earth to screw up next.  Somewhere along the line though it got very very dull and repetitive and somehow very familiar.  Towards the end I had a revelation and realised it was a near a remake of _Ikarie XB1_ -  Disneyfied.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Last of the Belles"* (1974)

Oddly titled and oddly structured made-for-TV film. I suppose it was made in an attempt to cash in on what was expected to be the popularity of *The Great Gatsby*, released the same year. In any case, we begin with the unhappy marriage of F. Scott (Richard Chamberlain) and Zelda (Blythe Danner.) Scott's drinking, Zelda's retreat into near silence, the need for money. Soon we enter the universe of the story Scott is writing to pay the bills. "The Last of the Belles" is a short, introspective, and delicate story, not particularly well suited to film, but the attempt is sincere. Susan Sarandon is fine in the title role. It's difficult to describe the plot, but it's basically the narrator (David Huffman, an actor murdered in 1985) looking back on his relationship with Sarandon when he was a soldier expecting to be shipped off to France in the Great War. The film ends with a coda after Scott has finished the story, and Zelda says that, no matter what he writes, he's really writing about them. This is a strange little film which will utterly baffle folks unfamiliar with "The Last of the Belles" and the personal life of its author.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Whisperer In The Darkness* (2011)
This is a low budget black and white movie based on the Lovecraft short story and made by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society(also responsible for the wonderful silent movie *Call Of The Cthulhu*). I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Okay, the effects aren't up there with the latest Marvel mega-hit but, in this movie, we have proof positive that the independent film industry can still knock out some quality stuff. Definitely worth a watch for any Lovecraft fan or for somebody who likes looking beyond the normal confines of your standard blockbusters and  box office biggies.


----------



## J Riff

*The Beatniks*  1960
 Our MC is a gangleader, he has a couple pals and a frail or two that hang on him, and they rob gas stations and generally bust up the town. Then, while dancing in the soda shoppe with his gal, MC croons out a tune and is heard by a talent scout. By the next day he is being primped as the next big thing, and recording at the top studio. The gang members don't think much of this and they hang around making trouble. Then they go out for a big celebration, and kill a bartender. Our MC has fallen in love w/ the record co. girl, and he finally cracks and turns himself in, just after recording a couple of real croony pop hits. Last we see is him and his pal the maniac being taken away in a squad car. But you know he will get out soon, and be a big star, and live happily ever after with his new GF, while the gang can go to hell. The guy who plays the main goofball/gangster idiot is very convincing and annoying. *


----------



## Vince W

*Spectre*. Overly long and merely okay. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a lot more fun than this.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Vince W said:


> *Spectre*. Overly long and merely okay. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a lot more fun than this.




I actually quite enjoyed Spectre - that being said I also enjoyed The Man from U.N.C.L.E.


----------



## Lenny

Vince W said:


> *Spectre*. Overly long and merely okay. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was a lot more fun than this.





WaylanderToo said:


> I actually quite enjoyed Spectre - that being said I also enjoyed The Man from U.N.C.L.E.



I watched *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.* last night. I can see why it was criticised for being style over substance, but it was done well, and it was rather entertaining.


----------



## MemoryTale

Add me to the Spectre list. I feel conflicted about it. On the whole, I liked the film, but the attempts to tie all the Craig films together and make the main villain so personal just fell flat to me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Clash of the Titans* - the pointless CGIfest remake.  What a waste of - everything!  Mind you watching Liam Neeson and Ralph  Fiennes trying to outdo each other in their 'how bored with being in this movie can I look?' competition was almost fun.


----------



## Droflet

Agreed, JM. I much preferred Jason and the Argonauts.


----------



## subtletylost

The cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas. First time I watched it that I noticed it was drawn by the same guy who drew a lot of the older Tom and Jerry things. It was really fun noticing the little things that made it his, such as some of Max's facial expressions mirroring some of Jerry's.


----------



## J Riff

*The Mist.*  Geez whillikers... this movie is neg-a-tive. It is deliberate of course, as the typical father/son/family group, which usually survives in this kind of movie - is deeee-stroyed, at the end. (<<spoiler) ... I mean it is a ghastly tragedy, vastly overdone... but, if you enjoy action/sf/horror movies, as in a bunch of people trapped in a supermarket as giant insects swarm in the weird mist that has appeared outside... well fine. It's the military's fault of course, an experiment that has opened a portal to another dimension. (<<SF)
 Nothing about the other dimension of course, or the giant bugs.... its all about a religious zealot woman, and other locals, going nuts in a supermarket during a giant bug invasion. Watch it, but tune out the ending or you may get deeeeeeepressed as our main character does the worst thing possible - The End.


----------



## J Riff

*Home Sweet Hell* - suckered into watching this by the neighbor. Mucho gory as furniture-store guy's wife turns out to be a psycho the minute her societal standing is at risk. Super-sleazy bikers show up as part of an extortion plot.... then psycho-wife chainsaws up hubby's GF... then... he blows up his wife... and then we see him playing with the kids until biker-guy drives up and shoots him. The End. Avoid.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*12 Years a Slave* (2013)

Beautifully filmed, without shying away from the brutality of slavery, and pretty close to the book. Interesting use of non-linear narrative, with multiple flashforwards and flashbacks. A historical film which made me think I was seeing the past.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

J Riff said:


> I mean it is a ghastly tragedy, vastly overdone...



Whereas I'd say the ending of _The Mist_ is absurd, completely out of character with the rest of the movie, tacked onto King's story by the director, and probably the reason it flopped.

It's a great little horror movie... provided you stop where King's story did, about two minutes before Darabont's does. If I could delete the last two minutes from my Blu-Ray, I would. I wondered why the DVD store was selling it so cheap.

Last movie we watched was Ridley Scott's Moses one. It was OK, but I much prefer the deMille version.


----------



## ratsy

JunkMonkey said:


> *Earth Star Voyager - *Disney pilot for an unpicked up series that started off interestingly enough - for a Disney movie - very Robert Heinleinlike with a crew of teenagers setting out on a 26 year mission to another planet to see if it was inhabitable and a suitable place for the teeming gazzillions of earth to screw up next.  Somewhere along the line though it got very very dull and repetitive and somehow very familiar.  Towards the end I had a revelation and realised it was a near a remake of _Ikarie XB1_ -  Disneyfied.



I loved this movie when I was a kid. Beanie and the gang! I guess it was supposed to be a two part pilot episode for a series that never happened. I had recorded on VHS when it came out and watched it many times. I'm sure it's been 25 years since I've watched it. How did you find it? Youtube?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Youtube? I think so.  I can't remember it was in a folder of unwatched movies on my tablet.


----------



## J Riff

*The Anomaly*. Didn't grab. Didn't care. Tried, but the slomo fights are all I remember. There was a virus, the world was gonna be taken over and controlled... I'm sure I missed something, but never really did figure out what the Anomaly was.

 Yeah, The Mist is a ban 'un. Like they thought hmmmmm, just how tragic can we make this.... hey! maybe if the guy shoots his kid and pals, then the army shows up two seconds later and he can agonize to beat the band, The End. Those giant insect lifeforms from another dimension? - sorry no time for that- we have people here who need to be ridiculously stupid, The End. Really. I mean... he had four bullets... they were in a car... they had fought and fought to get away... maybe he could shoot 3 or 4 bugs, maybe they would be rescued, maybe, maybe.... * Hard to believe they would actually go through with that ending, and deny any and all SF ideas. That one bug was as big as a battleship andit gets like five seconds screen time. Hollywood needs to stop 'experimenting' and just do some decent stories properly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*At Long Last Love* (1975)

I'll just link directly to my full review at another place, since it's long and full of multiple quotes.

http://bmmb.prophpbb.com/topic7821.html


----------



## REBerg

_SPECTRE_
Explosions, chases by air, land and sea, supervillain. Standard, escapist 007 fare -- fully meeting my expectations as a lifelong James Bond fan.


----------



## J Riff

*San Andreas*. If you enjoy watching cities fall down and go boom, and buildings breaking into millions of bits- this is a good one. Otherwise, it is the typical Dad saving family thing... and Dad has cars, airplanes, helicopters and what-not. There are some great disastrous cgi moments in this one.

*Man From U.N.C.L.E*. - Napoleon and Ilya meet and are assigned to stop a crazed woman who wants to build a raft of nukes and do something unpleasant to the world. They do this, and when it's over you think: Not bad, easily as good as an episode of TMFU from the sixties.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*A Knight's Tale* - funnier than I remember.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Project: Kill* (1976)

Mostly action-less (although there are a few violent and bloody sequences) action flick filmed in the Philippines on a shoestring budget by infamous director William Girdler, creator of the insane horror film *The Manitou* and other cult favorites. Leslie Nielsen stars as the leader of an elite group of counter-assassins who are given mind-controlling drugs to make them super-killers. He doesn't like the way this thing is going, so he takes off for the Philippines, where he has a couple of old war buddies, one of them in a wheelchair. (By the way, during the opening credits we see a file which tells us that the name of his group is literally "Project: Kill.") He leaves his second-in-command (an oddly miscast Gary Lockwood, trying to convince us he's a super-killer too) behind. Naturally, the government sends Lockwood to hunt him down and terminate him if necessary. Meanwhile, some Filipino bad guys want Nielsen also, so they can learn the secret of the mind-control drugs. (The leader wears a white suit and carries a swagger stick, so he seems to think he's in a 1940's movie.) 

This sounds like plenty of plot, but there's a lot of padding with Nancy Kwan (quite stunningly beautiful here) as Nielsen's love interest. We even get the typical nightclub sequence where they listen to a singer perform what I can only call "The Love Theme From Project:Kill." There's also some woman vaguely associated with the government who hangs around Lockwood and who is played by a truly terrible actress who never, as far as I can tell, appeared in anything else.

Since this film pretty much goes by the big book of action movie cliches (the bad guys torture and kill Nielsen's buddies, so when he kills the leader he says "This is for an old friend!") and thus it all builds up to the big fight between Nielsen and Lockwood, where they trade meaningful dialogue as often punches and kicks. (I know less about fight scenes than anybody on the planet, but even I can tell that the ones in this movie look like pretty ordinary brawls for folks who are supposed to be super-killers.)


----------



## J Riff

*Starship *1984. Well a nice Starwarsy robot helps out the humans and the kids and the evil empire is thwarted.
*Contamination* 1980  Alien-ish silicon-based green eggs from Mars appear on Earth and start their gory antics.


----------



## Starbeast

*Zontar: The Thing From Venus* (1966)

One of my favorite cult films. It's remake of the 1956 Roger Corman movie, _It Conquered the World _(which is also great, plus a better production than _Zontar_). John Agar stars in this version, which is also a "sci-fi monster" flick he adds to his list of many films he starred in this genre. Even though this movie is a low-grade copy of the original, I like it very much. The Venusian evil being looks like a demon, rather than a big-face space monster, compared to the 1956 film.

*Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things* (1973)

It's an awesome little independent horror film that grew into cult status. I watched the 35th Anniversary Exhumed Edition, which is jam-packed with extras about this low-budget creepy zombie flick. The soundtrack is still chilling to hear. I'm so glad I discovered this movie many, many years ago, in the early hours of the morning.


----------



## Foxbat

Starbeast said:


> *Zontar: The Thing From Venus* (1966)
> 
> One of my favorite cult films. It's remake of the 1956 Roger Corman movie, _It Conquered the World _(which is also great, plus a better production than _Zontar_). John Agar stars in this version, which is also a "sci-fi monster" flick he adds to his list of many films he starred in this genre. Even though this movie is a low-grade copy of the original, I like it very much. The Venusian evil being looks like a demon, rather than a big-face space monster, compared to the 1956 film.



Where would Sci-Fi monster flicks be without John Agar?


----------



## Starbeast

@Foxbat  I would have loved to have had the film career John did in so many weird sci-fi flicks.

If you haven't seen the 1962 movie _*Hand of Death*_ with him in it, *SEE IT. Don't watch the trailer* for it, because it's a very short film, and a great deal of good scenes are shown.


----------



## J Riff

*CUBE Zero* .. the 3rd in the series of 'people trapped in rooms in a Rubik's cube building' movies... and the ghastly demises they meet.
It was geometrically better/worse/the same as the first two, which were not bad/not terribly great.


----------



## J Riff

Dbl post. Hmmm what else have I seen lately...*
Nothing, just a bunch of the 'Everything Wrong With' series of youTube hacks at popular movies.


----------



## Starbeast

@J Riff I love those, even with movies I really enjoyed. Oh and, "How the Movie Should Have Ended". Hilarious stuff.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Theatre of Fear *(2014) aka "The Midnight Horror Show" (original title) - Underachieving piece of British low/no budget horror that makes Richard Driscol'ls movies look fast paced and interesting . A piece of sh*t I can recommend crossing the road to avoid.  Ah well, another quid wasted in Poundland_._


----------



## J Riff

*Hand Of Death*, yep, it's really worth a look. Picture the Thing, from the Fantastic Four, except he's black and even puffier... and he runs amok, in black and white... check it out, a forgotten goodun.

*Guardians Of The Galaxy* - well, fun. Space Raccoons and tree-men... enjoyed it. I - am - Groot!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Rocky Horror Picture Show*.  In the Cinema. With Mrs JunkMonkey, our 13 year old daughter, and her High School French teacher (long story) - Mrs JM and Daughter did the whole newspapers, rice, toast-throwing, etc. routine much to the bemusement of the rest of the audience.   First time out gender identity obsessed daughter had seen it and first time Mrs JM had done the dressing up Shadow Cast thing.  (another one off both their bucket lists). Great fun.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

*47 Ronin* - colour me less than impressed. It starts with Keanu Reeves grossly miscast and looking completely out of place. And then there's the non-sensical make ups. Look I may be a pedant but if you're going to go with an oriental theme of monsters, try to stick to them! And then there's the ending. No idea at all why KR has to commit sepuku. He wasn't a samurai to begin with let alone a masterless one who disobeyed the emperor's order not to seek vengeance. It's sort of like he thought everyone else was doing it so why not?!

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## JunkMonkey

psychotick said:


> It starts with Keanu Reeves grossly miscast and looking completely out of place.



When isn't he?


----------



## Droflet

Ha. Yep, the weak link in the chain (Reeves) strikes again. How does this loser keep getting gigs. Sigh.


----------



## J Riff

Brand new -* Infini*. Spoilage>>>
They 'slipstream, these soldiers do - to other parts of the galaxy. Then they come back a minute or two later, after spending a day or two out in space on a mission.
 Anyway, there is a bad planet out there, it turns out... and everyone is of course dead there - kilt by a lifeform resembling gooey stuff, that makes up the entire planet like one living organism. Of course, its the perfect organism and can duplicate humans, given a bit of time.
 Our heros go crazy once this goop touches them, and a bloodbath ensues, but our MC has to make it back to pregnant wife, so he hangs on and thats enough spoilage, it's worth a watch if you don't mind a lot of cussin' and blood.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I don't know that I'd blame Keanu for the failure. He did his wooden best. I'd blame whoever cast him in that role. Brainfreeze?! I mean come on, there are oodles of great Japanese or at least Asian actors who could have taken the role on and been convincing. But in every scene of the movie I'd see this white guy sticking out like a sore thumb and my first thought was - is he lost? Did the airlines lose him instead of his luggage in the middle of feudal Japan?

But he's far from the only huge casting mistake Hollywood has ever made. Anyone else remember asking themselves why a captain with a huge Scots accent was commanding a Russian sub in October? Or a midget was trying to play a hulking six and a half foot Reacher?

It's like the casting people see the name and simply ignore everything else.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## J Riff

*Zathura.* A good one for the kids. Two young boys play a strange SF board game and their house flies off into outer space. From there, every move of the game changes reality, and they end up saving astronauts and battling Zorgons.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

psychotick said:


> It's like the casting people see the name and simply ignore everything else.



It's like Hollywood realizes that a large fraction of the audience goes to see a movie because of the actors, and not because of the story. That's why a popular actor can demand tens of millions of dollars for a few weeks' work; they put hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bums on seats.

When I worked on indie movies, one of the common pieces of advice was to put all your budget into hiring a known actor, and put the cost of the movie on your credit cards. Don't know if it always worked, but it certainly worked for some.

Keanu Reeves, I gather, is extremely easy to work with, so directors and producers like him even if he can't really act. A single tantrum on set can easily cost thousands of dollars.


----------



## J Riff

_*The Phoenix Incident*_ - based on the 1997 sightings, this new flick is action-based, worth a watch.
Up next: - *Army of Frankensteins* (!) How can it not be great? It can't be as good as its title, but I have hope....*


----------



## Vince W

*Sharpe's Rifles*. Historical accuracy be damned, these films are darned good bodice rippers for men. I have the complete series and will be making my way through them again in the coming weeks.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> based on the 1997 sightings,



of what?


----------



## J Riff

There was UFOs to burn... a gioant one apparently.... but in this movie they engage the airforce, one UFO gets shot down, monsters swarm, our happy-go-lucky dunebuggy guys get involved, and havoc ensues.
Army. Of. Frankensteins. spoilage >>>> It starts a bit slow... and stupid... then gets ridiculous. There's lots gore, bad science, annoying kid who knows everything... a whole bunch of wacky goings-on... anyone who will watch this movie... will watch this movie. Civil war sets, very cheaply done... two lovely nurses who... nevermind, if you are going to watch it you will watch it. Army. Of. Frankensteins. Hoo boy.


----------



## Rodders

Get Hard. 

Easily the funniest film I've seen in years.


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> Get Hard.
> 
> Easily the funniest film I've seen in years.



Really? Is it on Netflix yet?


----------



## J Riff

More new stuff - *Area 51 *2015. Well-deserved spoilage>>>>>
Yup, that Area 51. Well, some likely types decide to break into, actually sneak into Area 51. So they do, in a very unlikely and unbelievable way.
Then they poke about... there's a girl who's Dad worked there... and they have a security badge and can pick locks etc. ...and they sneak around in a building, then an alarm goes off and they run into the basement... where there's tunnels... and Alien skins, and Aliens, apparently. They end up caught or running away and then an Alien ship, apparently, takes umbrance, and they are grabbed or taken up or something... The End.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Doom* (2005) -  I was warned.


----------



## StuartBurchell

At the cinema? Spectre just a couple weeks ago. Good film.

My boss saw it before me and he didn't even twig that Openhauser (or whatever his name was) was Blofeld when the white Persian turned up!


----------



## J Riff

Another new one, *Star Leaf*. Purportedly about aliens... growing weed in Washington state... it turns into a mess, and by golly it was all a convenient dream, at the end. There are a couple ETs in this movie... but not very convincing, and they are merely a nuisance to the stupid cast... who are annoying.


----------



## JunkMonkey

StuartBurchell said:


> At the cinema? Spectre just a couple weeks ago. Good film.
> 
> My boss saw it before me and he didn't even twig that Openhauser (or whatever his name was) was Blofeld when the white Persian turned up!




Oh thanks.  That's another film buggered before I watch it.  Can we PLEASE be careful about Spoilers of current/recent releases?


----------



## J Riff

I will be careful. But, not when it comes to: _Alien Outpost 37._


----------



## Jeremy M. Gottwig

We saw The Good Dinosaur.  My son (3-and-a-half) loved it.

It's our first movie in the theater in, boy... probably two years.


----------



## J Riff

I liked _The Last Dinosaur_!
I was taken to see _The Martian_, first theatre visit in years. Dint like it, dint enjoy the preview ads, or the 3d, or the cackling audience, or the price of popcorn or the bus ride downtown. Of course I couldn't say anything because it cost about thirty bux to see a 3-dollar movie, and then Chinese food after, which I did enjoy vastly.


----------



## Jeremy M. Gottwig

J Riff said:


> I liked _The Last Dinosaur_!
> I was taken to see _The Martian_, first theatre visit in years. Dint like it, dint enjoy the preview ads, or the 3d, or the cackling audience, or the price of popcorn or the bus ride downtown. Of course I couldn't say anything because it cost about thirty bux to see a 3-dollar movie, and then Chinese food after, which I did enjoy vastly.


Ack -- I meant to write _The Good Dinosaur_.

Edited.


----------



## J Riff

Noooo... I was thinking of that other dinosaur movie... where the kid and his Dad crash... and there's a girl... and everyone survives, isn't eaten by Dinos, and doesn't swear like a sailor. Now I have to remember what it was called. Dinosaur Island? Yes, that was it. Recomended. * )


----------



## mosaix

_Bridge Of Spies._

Better than I thought it would be. One thing I learned from it is that it was that apparently, in the late 50s, it was always snowing in East Germany and always sun shining in the USA - even at the same time of year!


----------



## J Riff

EARTHFALL. ....  more new disaster action as>>(spoilage) The magnetic pole of the Earth flips - meteors everywhere, and lost teenagers are hunted by Mom and Dad as stuff falls from the sky, big storms kill most everyone... some crazy guys snatch the teens and head for 'safe haven' which they think is a safe place for the secret rich and powerful people - but really it's where they are going to set off a super-bomb, which will ignite a huge natural gas deposit - and blow the Earth back into its orbit! Because, we are being dragged off into space by a rogue planet- which is described as a 'gigantic intergalactic magnet.'


----------



## Frost Giant

SPECTRE, this weekend. Considering it had a pretty long run time it didn't seem long. I thought it was fairly well done. 
It is difficult to look at M and not think Monsieur Gustave H., though.


----------



## Vince W

*Sharpe's Eagle*. Continuing on with the series and since it's historical it holds up really well. Daniel Craig is a proper scumbag in this one.


----------



## J Riff

Plowing through any and all new 'SF' flicks I can get my lunchooks on .... such as: Area 51, Extraterrestrial, Altered, Extinction, Stranded, Shark Lake, Ticks (1993), uhhh... The Attack of the 60-foot Centerfold. Really.
_ Ticks_ is fun. The others... well, what I do now, with borderline schtuff... is edit/hack the thing down to about 10-15 min. In some cases this ends up funny, like in _Area 51_ where I was able to stick together all instances of characters voicing variations of: 'We gotta get outa here!' Many!
 That way you can safely delete turkeys, yet keep a small reminder around, more entertaining than the original.
_ Altered_ features a green ET with lots teeth. This one is a mess, but at the very end there is a ten-second spaceship shot that's pretty snazzy.


----------



## LittleStar

I actually just got around to watching *Ghost. *I've never seen it before, obviously recognised a few scenes though from parodies. 
However, (do i need spoilers for this 25 year old film? Mind you, I did have Anna Karennina's ending spoilt for me last year as I was reading it.) I had been convinced all this time that the pot making scene that is parodied a lot, was later in the film. I thought it would make a nice connection between the characters after she realised that he actually was still around. I thought it was him helping with the pot from beyond the grave, not just a standard 'love move'. That would have been better, I think! 
Actually a good film though, hadn't any clue it was about bank fraud and mystery etc, thought it was a standard paranormal romance for all these years.


Saw *Shawshank Redemption* for the first time a few days ago as well... Just running though a bunch of oldies that I never got around to seeing


----------



## Droflet

My Lord, LittleStar, have you been living on Mars.


----------



## LittleStar

Under a rock that's on Mars, I believe  
I sent out for them, but they didn't work as I needed a darn VCR to play them, so had to get that as well. And by the time everything arrived on Mars in working order, your Earth tech and data transfer speeds had advanced enough that i just watched them all on Netflix!

A good thing this was just films, and didn't lead onto the classic SFF books I haven't gotten too yet


----------



## Droflet

In that case, welcome to Earth. May the dvd force be with you.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I think I must be like LittleStar.  When people shifted over to DVD and dumped their VHS I was in heaven. I got given boxes and boxes of tapes and happily caught up with a gazillion films I had never seen before - I still have three working VHS machines plugged into TVs around the house and a few spare ones in the attic.   (Some films have never been released on DVD). I've never seen *Ghost* either (and I though the *Shawshank Redeption* was pants).


----------



## Droflet

Pants, JM. Boy you're a tough audience.


----------



## J Riff

*Stranded*. New. Spoilage.> Meteors hit the mining station. There is concern that escaping gas may cause hallucinations. Next thing you know, spores that are on the meteors infect people. The gal becomes instantly pregnant. Much ado as the station is falling apart... no aliens... but then, the girl has a kid, a monster kid, just poof, like that. It runs off and terrorizes the place (using the air vents to move around).. or is it a hallucination? By the end, it may as well be.


----------



## Amberfire

It was Silver Bullet. I actually like it.


----------



## Droflet

Ah, yes. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. A fun film.


----------



## Vince W

I suffered through Adam Sandler's first film on Netflix, The Ridiculous 6. Unfunny and frankly crude and gross. Ten-year old boys might think it funny. Watch at your own peril.


----------



## Droflet

You had me at Adam Sandler.


----------



## LittleStar

I find there is very little refreshing in the comedy scene these days. It's either Adam Sandler type stuff or Will Ferrell improv stuff. It's all great for a couple of films, but, the improv especially (bizarrely) gets old after any more than that I find. I think it's because they are all improv-ing the same jokes and same Will Ferrell styles...


----------



## WaylanderToo

Blazing Saddles - again! Love it and the way it subverts so many westerns


----------



## Droflet

"Excuse me while I whip this out." As funny today as it was forty years ago.


----------



## JunkMonkey

The "I like rape" line is a bit cringemaking these days though.

Tonight I subjected my best beloved to the joys of the incredibly awful _Blood Suckers _aka_ Incense for the Damned _a deliriously awful psycho/socio/eroto/vampiry/thrillery mess of a film that hit the financial buffers during shooting, lay on a shelf for a couple of years before an attempt was made to nailed together a coherent story from the footage they did manage to get.  They failed. The DVD version I have would have been better if they had stuck back in the drug-fuelled orgy scene that the later producer/editors shot to pad the thing out to feature length.  (Luckily it's included as a deleted scene on the disc.)  Wonderfully crap and a must-see for all bad movie buffs.  A real cracker.


----------



## J Riff

Ah, not_ Bloodsuckers from Outer Space_ (1984) but in fact rubbish from 1970, I'm on it. Aha, here it is, gathering dust on a disc. Never seen.
Meanwhile,_ Into The Grizzly Maze_ (2015) is a new action/ursine woodsy barnburner... and as you may imagine, Mr. Grizzly is very angry and doesn't seem to mind bullets so much, so the action is acceptable, quite bearable in fact.


----------



## J Riff

Ikarie XB1, unedited Eng. subs. Very nice, very enjoyable.
Blood Suckers 1970. What th-..?


----------



## LittleStar

Catching up on my oldies still. Just finished Good Will Hunting. Very wow!


----------



## ratsy

Littelstar, I love that movie. One of my favorites


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Solomon Northup's Odyssey* (1984)

Before he was Hawk on _Spencer: For Hire_ and _A Man Called Hawk_, and before he was Commander Benjamin Sisko on _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_, Avery Brooks had his first film role in this adaptation of Solomon Northup's true narrative _12 Years a Slave_, which of course was adapted into the film of the same name a couple of years ago.

Directed by the great Gordon Parks, this was shown on PBS as part of its American Playhouse series, although it's really a feature film. It's nicely filmed on a modest budget, making good use of locations in Savannah, Georgia, as well as an old sailing ship. It does not follow the book quite as closely as the later film. In particular, it adds a romance between Northup and a fellow slave for which there is no evidence in his account. Its depiction of slavery isn't quite as brutal as the later adaptation, but the story is certainly powerful enough. B-movie fans will note John Saxon as one of the slave owners, and he does a good job.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> B-movie fans will note John Saxon as one of the slave owners, and he does a good job.



Perfect casting I would have thought.


----------



## J Riff

* The Black Hole*. Disney. 1979. Gosh, because of what was happening in 1979, I had never seen this. Seems disbelievable... but I guess I just assumed yeah, I saw that... but hadn't. It was a bit of fun. I like the old miniature FX. Now, I'm out of rare SF-related stuff..... hellp!


----------



## Jo Zebedee

The Force Awakens - fun but not a classic for me.


----------



## J Riff

You have to dig deep... I'm looking at _The Human Vapor, Calamity of Snakes_.... err.. _Thunder of Gigantic Serpent, Tyranno's Claw_... that sort of thing. Way off the radar. I had most available SF rubbish on VHS starting 82ish. Just watched _The Super Inframan_ again, what great sets.
I'm also a Bart the Bear fan... poor old guy is deceased... but he was great in _Into The Grizzly Maze_, and apparently some earlier flicks. Raised in captivity, Bart was a better actor than some humans.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Cloud Atlas.
visually very good,Broadbent is excellent,haven't read the book,so: totally unprejudiced
Dystopian future,some farcical stuff,some thriller stuff,costume drama,but does it work?
_Some of it_ does.
It manages to be spellbinding and tiresome at the same time,go figure.


----------



## J Riff

3 bad 'uns in one night. Good thing I had a book to read. Really. I read some Kate Wilhelm while the three movies listed above went by, or I would have been unable to stay awake. The highlight of Tyranno's Claw is that it has no dialogue, only caveman grunting. Next*


----------



## JunkMonkey

hardsciencefanagain said:


> It manages to be spellbinding and tiresome at the same time,go figure.



so just like the book then...

Today I saw *Star Wars: The Force Awakens* - and I'll tell you, the thrill of the opening credits in 3D and that wonderful opening score coming crashing into my eardrums was one of the most thrilling cinematic experiences of my life. "Holy Crap! I'm watching a new _Star Wars _movie in the cinema!"

Two and a half (or was it three) hours later I'm thinking "Holy Crap I just paid to watch bits of all the old Star Wars movies cobbled together in a different order!" 

At one point I was so bored I found myself trying to work out what thickness of MDF one of the props had been very obviously made from.

And I got fed up with saying "But... that doesn't make ANY sense" to myself.  

My kids (11 and 6) were less than overwhelmed too.


----------



## J Riff

All right then... back to olde rubbish fun b-flicks JM... I'm running out of stuff... help me... save the Princess.... I .... It... (*)


----------



## Vince W

*Star Wars: The Force Awakens*. @JunkMonkey is correct that this film is made up from bits and pieces of the previous films. There's really no new territory covered.



Spoiler



Let's see:

Droid on a desert planet with a secret. Check.
Lonesome urchin with latent Force talent on said planet. Check.
Droid meets up with urchin. Check.
Escape from said planet in Millennium Falcon. Check.
Evil guy in a mask. Check.
Evil empire with ultimate weapon and easily overcome flaw. Check.
Trench run to destroy said flaw by a single pilot. Check.

The list could go on.

Han Solo and Chewbacca were what made this film enjoyable for me. However, the new characters, Finn and Rey, kept trying to out Han Solo Han Solo at every turn.

The tone of the film is Empire Strikes back with A New Hope plot.



Overall I would say this film is a middling start to the nu-Star Wars universe, but it's still miles better than the prequels.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*. @JunkMonkey is correct that this film is made up from bits and pieces of the previous films. There's really no new territory covered.



I think it's telling that we encounter our heroine making her living by salvaging bits from the wreckage of past glories.  Sets the central metaphor for the whole film.


----------



## J Riff

_ The Human Vapor_, 60s Japanese. Very little action in this one. Yes, he turns into a gas... then there's lots of discussion about the problematic 'gas man' for the rest of the movie.
 Also started _Mock Up On Mu,_ 2008, which contains mucho footage from other movies. The story itself seems to be indecipherable, but the clips are many and fun to try and identify.


----------



## StuartBurchell

Just saw _Star Wars The Force Awakens_, enjoyed it, even if they used the best scenes of the first trilogy, but still better than the Prequel Trilogy.

_Empire_ is still the best IMO.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Monsters University*_
predictably enjoyable,qualitywise a tad below the movie it prequels
 (prequel _*should*_ be a verb).


----------



## J Riff

More new ones -* He Never Died*. Nope he's still around and likes to play w/ guns and knives. Nevermind.
And - *Martian Land*. Yup, the land of Mars, where stuff can happen. Too bad Earth is being destroyed, and etc. You can try this one, it has attractive spaceships, but it doesn't do anything mulch as a movie.


----------



## Rodders

Men in Black 3 was on a few nights ago. I hadn't seen it before and thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Droflet

J Riff said:


> More new ones -* He Never Died*. Nope he's still around and likes to play w/ guns and knives. Nevermind.
> And - *Martian Land*. Yup, the land of Mars, where stuff can happen. Too bad Earth is being destroyed, and etc. You can try this one, it has attractive spaceships, but it doesn't do anything mulch as a movie.



Thanks for the heads up on He never died. Been waiting on this one for a while.


----------



## J Riff

Ha, since biblical times we been a-waitin' for dis blockbuster. Nevermind. )
_Bloody Parrot_ 1981, in the spirit of _SuperInframan_... welllll.*****


----------



## J-Sun

The last movie I saw was the MST3K treatment of *Santa Claus Conquers the Martians* (1964). While I laughed...? or chuckled...? or snorted--while I did something, anyway--in response to the MST3K guys here and there, even they weren't especially funny in this. The movie itself was actually perhaps not as bad as the title makes it sound but that's not saying much. Then again, maybe it was.

The one before that was *The Terrornauts* (1967). I was surprised and John Brunner should be ashamed. This ought to be pretty good, as it's based on a sub-classic but decent Murray Leinster novel, _The Wailing Asteroid_, and has a "real" SF author, in Brunner, writing the screenplay but Brunner uses maybe 10% of the book (we receive messages from space and find it's part of a larger cosmic issue)and what he adds or changes is atrocious. The acting is poor, the pacing is awful, the ideas are mostly dumb, the special effects are ludicrous (one of the top two was the smoke from a planet's surface going behind one of its moons), etc. There's a moment or two here and there where it's so bad I laughed and there's a great scene where everyone (including The Beautiful Girl) straps on rubber hats with antennae sticking out of them and gets very serious and busy setting plastic models on fire in space but there's just not enough of that kind of bad to make it good. A little worse and it'd be in _Plan 9_ territory but, as is, it was just very very bad. Why the Worldcon folks saw fit to give the guy who helped inflict this on the world a Hugo just a couple of years later, I dunno.

You can see both of these for free on teh u-toob and you get what you pay for.


----------



## dask

*A Christmas Carol*, or *Scrooge*, which ever, it's the one with Alastair Sim. Is it horror I wonder? It's got more ghosts than you can swing a chain saw at. Still, one of the best movies I've ever seen, and probably the most perfectly cast. Watch it at least once a year around Christmas.


----------



## JunkMonkey

oh *Scrooge* is a horror movie all right.  It's about this poor individualistic sod, minding his own business running a small enterprise being slowly being driven insane by apparitions.  In the end he's a gibbering conformist idiot.  It's like _Nineteen Eighty-Four_ but with turkey and stuffing


----------



## Bugg

Started watching *Jupiter Ascending* - gave up after about 20 minutes.


----------



## Vince W

Bugg said:


> Started watching *Jupiter Ascending* - gave up after about 20 minutes.



Wise move.


----------



## J Riff

Bugg, I lasted 25 min. before fast-forwarding.  Watched the brand new *Victoria *last night - a rather zany gal gets involved with some guys... she's a waitress, they are goofballs, they rob a bank and you can guess wot harpoons. It's a bit artsy ... but some nice piano playing. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> Wise move.



And that just moved it one place up my (admittedly very masochistic) Must See list.


----------



## J Riff

No JM... I think that _Tyranno's Claw_ may be more edifying. Really. I watched Jupiter Assending but... well maybe it wasn't so bad, can't remember...


----------



## Droflet

JunkMonkey said:


> And that just moved it one place up my (admittedly very masochistic) Must See list.



Youuuuu'llll beeee sooorrrrrrry.


----------



## Foxbat

Bugg said:


> Started watching *Jupiter Ascending* - gave up after about 20 minutes.


I watched the whole thing and wished I'd given up after 20 minutes. Not good (and not in a _so bad it's good_ kind of way - more of a _why am I wasting any time on this at all _kind of way).

On the other hand, watched *Ant Man* and thought it was a far more entertaining movie than the bloated and disappointing Age Of Ultron.


----------



## Vince W

Agreed @Foxbat. It was a truly fun film. The only one I went to see twice in the cinema this year.

Wait. I lie. I also saw Tomorrowland twice.


----------



## J Riff

Another new 'un -_ Checkmate_. Typical modren hyperviolent bank robbers get themselves in real trouble while a chess game goes on.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> Youuuuu'llll beeee sooorrrrrrry.



I hope so.  I *like* _Battlefield Earth_! and _Starcrash_, _The Giant Claw, _and _Yor, Hunter from the Future_ are among my all time greatest films ever made list.


----------



## J Riff

The list goes on... and _Tremors 5_ is on there somewhere. Plenty action in this one... as Graboids and Assblasters try and eat up the cast before they eat the scenery.


----------



## svalbard

Watched *Sicario* last night. This is an exceptional movie with some breathtaking set pieces. Emily Blunt is good as the main protagonist, but Benicio del Torro and Josh Brolin steal the show.

I was not tooo sure what to expect when I sat down to view this movie, maybe a standard thriller. The resulting, unsentimental story was a surprise.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

re watched Kubrick's THE SHINING.
Nicholson telegraphs his impending breakdown slightly too soon,methinks,in an otherwise impeccable and very scary movie.
The benchmark for horror movies,as far as I'm concerned.
I have NOT read the King original,so can't comment on matters regarding staying true to the book or not.


----------



## J Riff

New rubbish continues with rewatch and total spoilage of _Stranded,_ in which the mining camp on some planet is hit by meteors, they have spores... a couple hours later our heroine is fully pregnant and boom we have a cute ET... or is it a hallucination. Yep, must be. Is. It gets fairly gory for a while... then the ET baby replicates a crew member and takes the escape pod arf to Earth. That's it SF fans, we have Alien and the Thing, with a two-hour replication cycle... and bad dialogue. Really the flim is not so great, but lots action and blood, hallucinations or not. They throw a lot of switches before its all over.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Petrified Forest* (1936) Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart star in this fine movie about a traveller, a waitress and a gangster who meet up at a diner in the middle of nowhere.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Can't do better than Bogey,Foxbat.AND Bette Davis.
_*Man of Steel*_(2013)
Interesting,in places.
Expect nothing groundbreaking.Poor supporting roles,IMO.Costner tries very hard,but....just turns in an OK performance.
Romantic interest Lois Lane is _*not*_ convincing.
Russell Crowe :what you'd expect,workmanlike,not working his socks off.
Good Sfx,but you'd expect that


----------



## WaylanderToo

Bugg said:


> Started watching *Jupiter Ascending* - gave up after about 20 minutes.





Vince W said:


> Wise move.





JunkMonkey said:


> And that just moved it one place up my (admittedly very masochistic) Must See list.





Droflet said:


> Youuuuu'llll beeee sooorrrrrrry.





oh seriously it is sh** - there are some gorgeous visuals but it is ruined with a film that a 2 y/o would find insulting (and this is from someone who _likes _Van Helsing!!!!)


----------



## JunkMonkey

WaylanderToo said:


> oh seriously it is sh** - there are some gorgeous visuals but it is ruined with a film that a 2 y/o would find insulting (and this is from someone who _likes _Van Helsing!!!!)



Okay.... he said cautiously.  It that Just because Hugh Jackman is in it or... um... (runs out of reasons why anyone should want to watch _Van Helsing_)?


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> Okay.... he said cautiously.  It that Just because Hugh Jackman is in it or... um... (runs out of reasons why anyone should want to watch _Van Helsing_)?




well KB was not unappealing in this - but truth be told I thought it was fun


----------



## Overread

I rather found the Hellsing film fun too and more intelligent than some action flicks. It's certainly an action film in a fantasy setting and isn't trying to be anything else.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Ride Along - poor 

Let's be Cops - funny in parts but overall poor 

Crystal Skulls - execrable 

In the Blood - a so-so actioner with some MMA girl as the lead. Certainly some wince inducing scenes but still distinctly average

The Prince (The Prince (2014) - IMDb) - average actioner with some decent set-pieces 

The Revenant (2011) - execrable (I actually gave up after 30 mins)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Talking of Bogie. last night I introduced No 1 Daughter to _Casablanca_.  She liked it but was less than overwhelmed but she has been quoting it at me all day so we'll see.  Another in the '1001 Films to See Before You Die' list ticked off.


----------



## Droflet

This is NOT a joke. Just met a guy, 27 yo, who has never seen Star Wars. I warned him about Episodes 1,2 and 3 and handed him the real ones. He was blown away, not only by the 1977 special effects but what a fun ride it was. I have never met anyone who had not see star wars. Life can be so odd at times.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Droflet said:


> This is NOT a joke. Just met a guy, 27 yo, who has never seen Star Wars. I warned him about Episodes 1,2 and 3 and handed him the real ones. He was blown away, not only by the 1977 special effects but what a fun ride it was. I have never met anyone who had not see star wars. Life can be so odd at times.




my step-daughter is 23 and has never seen SW - I've promised her I'll watch them with her at some point when she's got a spare moment in her hectic social calendar (priorities woman! PRIORITIES!!!)


----------



## Droflet

My lord, with all of the problems the world is facing, I never saw this coming. Have we created an entire generation devoid of good taste? Say it isn't so.


----------



## Overread

Labyrinth, Dark Crystal and Neverending Story are often films many newer generations have never heard of; however to get that far in life these day and not to have seen the original Star Wars films is shocking! I worry that even the fantastic stop motion of the original Sinbad films would be even too retro for them! 


That said I do love those old style methods - heck even the intro scene of Spaceballs with the huge starship is great!


----------



## kythe

I used to work with a young woman - probably in her mid 20's now - who hadn't seen Star Wars.  I was quite surprised and started in on the cultural phenomena.  She said that is exactly why she avoids Star Wars.  She sees fans like me and realizes that she doesn't want to be part of an "obsession".


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

the way the movie had me laughing,I thought _Van Helsing_ was a comedy


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> My lord, with all of the problems the world is facing, I never saw this coming. Have we created an entire generation devoid of good taste? Say it isn't so.



After a lifetime of reading SF (I was reading my dad's hoard of 1950 Galaxy and Astounding Magazines when I was 7 or 8) I attended my first Con last year.  (I'm now 56). The levels of  tastelessness, tawdriness, tackiness and home-made perviness on display was wonderful. I realised that as a substitute for religion it wasn't bad.


----------



## Vince W

*Willow*. I've always loved this film. Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer are great. George Lucas still had a magic touch. After watching this film for the first time in a number of years I realise now that there are a number of elements from both Star Wars and The Raiders of the Lost Ark in this film. Mostly in pacing and action sequencing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I am married to someone who has never seen any of the *Star Wars* films and has no interest in them.


----------



## Droflet

Gaaaahhhhhh. Grounds for divorce.


----------



## Bugg

Just watched the de-specialized version of *The Empire Strikes Back*.   Perfection.   So happy that I won't have to return to my fuzzy old standard def versions to get the original theatrical cuts from now on


----------



## WaylanderToo

Droflet said:


> This is NOT a joke. Just met a guy, 27 yo, who has never seen Star Wars. I warned him about Episodes 1,2 and 3 and handed him the real ones. He was blown away, not only by the 1977 special effects but what a fun ride it was. I have never met anyone who had not see star wars. Life can be so odd at times.





WaylanderToo said:


> my step-daughter is 23 and has never seen SW - I've promised her I'll watch them with her at some point when she's got a spare moment in her hectic social calendar (priorities woman! PRIORITIES!!!)




the sad thing is they'll never know that Han shot first!!!


----------



## ratsy

@Vince W  I love *Willow*. What a great film 

I watched the new version of *Poltergeist* and found nothing scary about it. Sam Rockwell just kind of smirked at the danger...

We also re-watched the original *Paranormal Activity*. After years of horror flicks since that came out, I found it quite boring. But I appreciated the concept at the time which has since been done way too much.


----------



## Droflet

Just suffered through *Crimson Peak*. Why didn't someone warn me? A terrific cast wasted on drivel, imo. Boring, no tension, not much of a story. That's two hours of my life I won't get back. I would advise anyone to avoid this mess.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> Gaaaahhhhhh. Grounds for divorce.



Why?  They're a series of movies most of which are I am sorry to have to tell you are not really very good.  Lucas may be an astute businessman but he is a pretty clunky writer and a dull director.


----------



## Overread

JunkMonkey said:


> Why?  They're a series of movies most of which are I am sorry to have to tell you are not really very good.  Lucas may be an astute businessman but he is a pretty clunky writer and a dull director.



I believe we have grounds for a ban now don't we?  
I mean you can get away saying things like that about the prequels but not the original originals!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Yes I can.  I have not watched_ Star Wars_ (ep 4) for at least a decade, all the way through, without falling asleep.  And I have three kids including a _Star Wars_ obsessed 6 year old who has to be bribed out of his Darth Vader dressing gown (he wore it to school on at least two occasions because we failed).   They're boring! _The Empire Strikes Back_ is the best of them.

To pick up on the mention of the cheap Freudian symbolism that stuffs the things (that was this thread wasn't it?) i.e. men whacking, and trying to penetrate each other with long hard glowing things, and having life and death struggles over gaping circular chasms and all that - has anyone mentioned the huge sexual metaphor at the centre of several of these films in that our male heroes spend a lot of their time endlessly flying down a huge scary trench trying to hit one small target - while hitting everything that comes in their way just in case - before shooting their little missiles down a hole?  Or is that just me?  

Not to mention the Death Star looks like an Egg (well in the Turkish version it does) with loads and loads or X and Y chromosomes flying towards it.

 I need to get out more don't I?


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> I need to get out more don't I?


----------



## StuartBurchell

Watched a Norwegian horror film _Thale_ on dvd. In Norwegian with English subtitles (just saying because some people [like my mum] can't read subtitles and prefer dubbed).

EDIT: Maybe more supernatural than horror.

Two crime scene cleaners discover a naked woman at the scene of a dead man and realise she is not normal. She maybe a _hulder_. Then a paramilitary team arrive looking for her...

Enjoyed it a lot.


----------



## Overread

JunkMonkey - I think you've been watching waaaaaaaaaaay too much Spaceballs for your own good


----------



## JC Kang

The Force Awakens (no surprise there, I bet), for the third time yesterday.  I didn't pick up on as many details the third time as the second, so I think I'm done for now.


----------



## Droflet

Nice looking family you've got there, Kang. Welcome to Chrons. Why not drop into the introduction thread and, you know, introduce yourself.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Far From Earth*_(M Night you-know-who)
Every once in a while a movie is churn produced that...
is anyone aware of the C(inematographic)I(naneness)S(yndrome)?
there's dialog*,Will Smith*,parental approval to be gained,a quest/challenge,and a monster,and it has an ending.
Some visuals are good, but ,well...
yeah...
Heck
The Smith family must've been in some form of financial crisis,is one explanation.
*i don't even know why i mention that.
Try to get hold of a clip showing some of the SFX(futuristic city that looks good) is my advice.
If you ever handed out hard-earned dosh for this one,you have my sympathy


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, spent my money on this doggie. But when I saw this hideous mess it was called After Earth. Avoid.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Species III* - which I watched only as some weird completist self-flagellation.  The first one was terrible (my tolerance for Michael Madsen is VERY limited but Natasha Henstridge's norks kept my interest) _Species 2_   was worse (but ditto norks) but 3 is an almost unwatchable, by the numbers, straight-to-video piece of poo which strained even my bad movie junky patience.


----------



## Droflet

You appear to have a touch of the masochist in you, JM.


----------



## Rodders

Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

A lazy movie. Not a bad movie, but disappointing.


----------



## Jaxx

Rodders said:


> _*Star Wars: The Force Awakens. *_
> 
> A lazy movie. Not a bad movie, but disappointing.



Same here, went to the minute past midnight on the opening "morning". Loved the nostalgia yet I felt like I did after the first Hobbit, that it was same tale as Fellowship punch for punch with a different skin. Hopefully it will spawn a myriad of quality original films now.

Also on the opening night, I was disappointed to see only three people in costume, two Ewok onesies and a full on Kylo Ren'd up lad who looked a bit lonely.


----------



## Vince W

*The Hobbit*. All three extended editions. It took two days, but I still enjoy these films.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Droflet said:


> You appear to have a touch of the masochist in you, JM.



For movies yes.  I think I learn more about movie making from watching people screw it up than I do from watching people get it right.  If you learn from your mistakes it's perfectly reasonable to assume that you can learn from other people's. For one thing if the movie maker is doing his/her work well I get too involved in the moment to understand how they got me there.  Secondly it's funny watching people fail.


----------



## Droflet

Interesting concept.


----------



## ratsy

I tried to watch Insidious 2 and only made it halfway through...it was that terrible!!

We also watched And So it Goes with Diane Keaton and Michael Douglas, and contrary to everything I expected, I found I actually enjoyed it


----------



## Bugg

*Avengers: Age of Ultron*.  'twas okay.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

apologies to all concerned.it _*IS*_ called After Earth.Does that make it better?


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

JM,the norks were probably the reason the thing got made in the first place.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hardsciencefanagain said:


> JM,the norks were probably the reason the thing got made in the first place.



OMG!  There's a fourth one!

Species – The Awakening - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damn!


----------



## Jaxx

Vince W said:


> *The Hobbit*. All three extended editions. It took two days, but I still enjoy these films.



Well played that man.


----------



## Droflet

hardsciencefanagain said:


> apologies to all concerned.it _*IS*_ called After Earth.Does that make it better?



No, it's still .


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Species 4: The Awakening* - amazingly (to me anyway) much better than number three. The script still didn't make a whole lot of sense and characters flipped flopped their motivation and pulled "OMG now we have to..." plot points out of nowhere to keep the story going - but there were attempts to make the characters deeper and give them some less than clichéd moral dilemmas which lasted longer than a few seconds. (The scene in number 2 where the brilliant young graduate student goes from discovering the prof's body to acquiescing in the cover up of the murder and continuing the illegal and dangerous research that lead to it in less than a minute was laughably awful.) 

Number 4 was the same formula reworked ('sexy' alien, tits, and sex in rubber fetish monster suits with lots of bloody penetration of males by 'women') but the cinematography and editing here were pretty damn good. Far better than the the material warranted.


----------



## J Riff

Uh oh, _Species..._ I'm quite sure I saw the first three... liked the first one... well it's off to find it before I even read JMonks take.
Meanwhile... _Dawn Of The Mummy_, 1981, is really uhh something. It has a lot of yelling, milling around, laughing potheads, zombo-mummys, and stupid characters. They are a fashion mag photog troupe, see... and they chance upon our guys, who have dug up a huge excavation fulla gold, mummies, statues etc. Many hijinks ensue, but really this one is much better now that I edited it down to 19 minutes.


----------



## Droflet

A horror movie that made me laugh at it's mind blowing stupidity. Imdb gave this a 3.5 which is generous beyond measure. I know that it appeals to your esoteric bent, JR, but come on. It's  .


----------



## Edward M. Grant

JunkMonkey said:


> *Species III* - which I watched only as some weird completist self-flagellation.  The first one was terrible (my tolerance for Michael Madsen is VERY limited but Natasha Henstridge's norks kept my interest) _Species 2_   was worse (but ditto norks) but 3 is an almost unwatchable, by the numbers, straight-to-video piece of poo which strained even my bad movie junky patience.



Have you ever tried _Lifeforce_? The female villain spends most of the movie naked while stealing mens' life energy, and Patrick Stewart gets his first on-screen kiss.

I really should replace my DVD with the Blu-Ray.

Last movie we watched was _Outpost 3_, which was an OK WWII zombie movie, but we were surprised that it didn't follow on from _Outpost 2_ when that was clearly set up for a sequel. They obviously had a moderate budget, so I guess they couldn't get the actors back.


----------



## J Riff

Aha. Yes. Rubbish is collectible... it has intrinsic value... it...well anyway I been amarssing it since the invention of VHS. But, after long years, one grows weary ....so I hack 'em down. Getting perty good at it. Tonite is _Night of the Golem_ - boom - mebbe, twelve minutes, done. Then the rewatch, possibly years from now... is a hoot, and doesn't eat up irreplaceable hours.
_The Throwaways 2015 >>>>_... are 'agents' considered to be disposable. Our MC, a super-hacker, gets to techblab a lot while the insipid team manages to shoot a few people, after all these years of ineptitude... a few jokes, a couple kisses.... then the world is saved by Hacko... the girls get to have a knife fight... the Hacker pushes the final switch with 2 sec. left.... aaaaaand - next.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Edward M. Grant said:


> Have you ever tried _Lifeforce_? The female villain spends most of the movie naked while stealing mens' life energy, and Patrick Stewart gets his first on-screen kiss.



And then his head explodes if I remember right.  Yes I have seen _Lifeforce_ probably my second favourite  Golan-Globus Productions SF Film (The first is obviously _The Apple_ - their dementedly dreadful SF musical).  For the uninitiated the following is a link to a picture of the naked actress in question -
All Hail the Hypno-boobs!


----------



## J Riff

Riiiite... The bleedin' Apple... must find that one. Keep the horrific suggestions coming JM... btw _Bloody Parrot_ has nudity to spare, and is psychotronic as all get-out... and there's a parrot in it that talks with a million tons of digital delay on its voice. Up tonite along with the Golem, is_ BioDome_. I am prepared to be underwhelmed yet again.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Silver Linings*_ etc.
Good ensemble cast,Bradley Cooper bordering on superb. DeNiro turns in a nice credible performance.Jen Lawrence holding her own very well.
Bit reminiscent of AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
Enjoyable,direction not as tight as it could have been.
Me like


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Apple* is sheer delight.  There are very few really bad movies which are also so much fun to watch.


----------



## Droflet

hardsciencefanagain said:


> _*Silver Linings*_ etc.
> Good ensemble cast,Bradley Cooper bordering on superb. DeNiro turns in a nice credible performance.Jen Lawrence holding her own very well.
> Bit reminiscent of AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
> Enjoyable,direction not as tight as it could have been.
> Me like



Brilliant story telling. Jen was okay? Yeah, okay enough to garner he second Oscar. You're a hard man to please, Ben.


----------



## Overread

Star Wars - The Force Awakens 
And I'm, honestly, left feeling disappointed.


----------



## J Riff

Don't worry, there will be another one along soon. )
I tried to take in Biodrome but couldn;t make it... then Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks came on and same result. Maybe tomorrow... and eek, that's 3000 posts... arf to Kriteeks I goes. *


----------



## Overread

The sad thing Riff is that after this I actually don't want to see the next Star Wars film. 
Only one good actor made it through the whole thing; and as strong an actress and character as she is I doubt she can hold another film together if the script writing is this poor again.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, I'm afraid if you keep magic in a bottle for forty years it's bound to go off.


----------



## J Riff

Well it's a guaranteed audience, expecting the usual, so it's hard for any real excitement or plot to seep in... there's rafts of mediocritous SF out there that is more enjoyable, even if it's cheesy, simply because we don't know for sure what might happen. I guess that's part of what SF is, a bit of mystery but of course StarWars is character-driven space-romance-drama... like the 30s, and is fine for people who eat up that sort of thing. The last thing I remember was standing in line in the 1970s to see it.


----------



## soulsinging

J Riff said:


> is_ BioDome_.



The Pauly Shore movie?



Overread said:


> Star Wars - The Force Awakens
> And I'm, honestly, left feeling disappointed.



I just saw it today too, but I left with a huge grin on my face!


----------



## J Riff

BioDome, yes, .. that one. A struggle even for my blunted awareness. Why did you grin SS?


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*The Quatermass Experiment.*_
Thora Hird in the mix. Black and white,atmospheric, British,fifties. Need I say more?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Carry On... Up the Khyber *(1968) introducing the kids to another strand of film history.


----------



## REBerg

_*Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse*_

For me, an irresistible title.

I went into this flick with low expectations. I came out thinking I had watched a future cult classic.

For those of us who love raunchy, sophomoric humor (e.g., _Animal House_  [we know who we are]), watch this movie.

For those of us who have ever thought of ourselves as downtrodden nerds, geeks or Boy Scouts (e.g.,  _Revenge of the Nerds_ [again, we know who we are]), watch this movie.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

JM,I'm waiting for you to introduce your kids to George Formby


----------



## aThenian

*Bridge of Spies.  *It was OK, but I was disappointed as I'd heard it compared to *Lincoln*, and definitely wasn't as good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hardsciencefanagain said:


> JM,I'm waiting for you to introduce your kids to George Formby



There are limits...


----------



## Edward M. Grant

*Terminator Genisys*: much better than I expected, even though it invalidates much of what happened in the earlier movies. Certainly better than what little I remember of the last Terminator movie.

*Tomorrowland*: decent idea, but convoluted and anticlimactic with a dismal ending. The <deleted because it might be a spoiler> girl was a much more interesting character than either of the two leads, which never bodes well.

*Maggie*: low-budget movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger looking after his daughter after she's bitten by a zombie. Different, to say the least, but the story never really goes anywhere.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Cate Shortland's _*LORE*_.
I only exhaled after the movie was finished.
A raw,uncompromising coming-of-age annex post-WWW II drama.
Don' t expect easy answers and the usual trials and tribulations.
Lore is a young Nazi confronted with the collapse of the Reich and all her dreams.
The landscape and mood is apocalyptic.The cinematography is assured.The acting is out of this world.
This Not an American movie.There's no heroism, people do people things:killing, stealing from hunger,rape ,lying.
Chilling,utterly convincing,near perfect.
Have I told you she falls in love with a Jewish boy?
Mustseegetatallcost
Wannabe post-apocalyptic Sf movie directors :go see this one.Learn how to portray ruination,despair,the collapse of civilization


----------



## AE35Unit

Last film I watched was *Star Wars, the Force Awakens *at the cinema in Middlesbrough.  Superb, I was 12 again!


----------



## Vince W

*The Lord of the Rings* extended editions. Enjoyed it over two days while cooking and eating many Hobbity dishes.


----------



## Droflet

You ate Hobbits?


----------



## Vince W

Droflet said:


> You ate Hobbits?


----------



## J Riff

_ Star Crystal_ 1986. A pleasant and cute but deadly orange alien gets onto the ship with a crystal that, that... somehow.... it...and the crew is largely killed, but the light jazzy music lets you know it was all just a misunderstanding... and Gar the orange killer cute alien makes up with humanity, then flies off away home, I guess. Really a fun one to edit down, this keeps pretending it's a horror movie but never quite makes it.


----------



## Max Marble

The Descendants.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, a terrific move. Greatly underrated. And welcome to Chrons Max. New guys are made welcome over on the introduction thread so why not drop in and say hi.


----------



## soulsinging

J Riff said:


> BioDome, yes, .. that one. A struggle even for my blunted awareness. Why did you grin SS?



I just thought it was great fun. It made me feel like a 10 year old kid watching Jurassic Park in theaters. It had plenty of faults, but I thought it got the things right that needed to be gotten right.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Oscar and Lucinda* (1997)

This is one of those odd little stories in which nothing impossible happens, so it's not really magic realism or slipstream, but everything that happens is so strange that it flirts with fantasy, something like the works of John Irving, although it reminded me more of Francine Prose. It's based on a famous 1988 novel by Peter Carey which I have not read. My better half read it, and said that the movie follows the book very closely, except for the ending.

It's hard to summarize the plot, since this is one of those stories that is _all_ plot. Suffice to say that it's the middle of the 19th century; one of the two major characters is an Anglican priest; the other is an Australian heiress; both are compulsive gamblers; and it all leads up to an insane plan to transport a glass church to a remote settlement in Australia.

The film is extraordinarily beautiful to look at.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Naked Gun

Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear

Mrs W had never seen these so I decided to broaden her edumakayschon... Hopefully 33 1/3 tonight


----------



## J Riff

Wowee.. I just now found a raft of DVDs... about 20 mainstream movies and TV shows.... The Office, Dead Like ME, complete season box sets. The Walking Dead, years of it. These things used to be treasured possesions I thot, now they are put out on the sidewalk like free firewood. Tons, literally a heavy bag to carry home this is... 
*Na Komete*. Finally, bad subtitles and all - never seen before and a real treat. Cool dinosaurs! I bet JM can tell us a bit more about why SF fans should see it, based on _Off On A Comet_ like it is... *


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Doll Squad* (1973) - a Ted V 'Astro-Zombies' Mikels film about a bunch of bikini wearing CIA operatives taking on a rogue agent and his army of paunchy disposable henchmen. Utter sh*te. Apart from the bikini wearing bits. (By which I mean the bits of the film in which the women wear bikinis are all right, not that the bits covered by the... oh, I don't know...)

Mind you, what they wear when they aren't wearing bikinis is another reason for welcoming them wearing fewer clothes.






and yes, that is seersucker.

*Na Komete* I do not know. But I will. Very Soon.


----------



## Ste-Pe

Force awakens! Been a while, but still can't stop thinking about it


----------



## AE35Unit

*Terminator Genisys *
Good fun!


----------



## Ste-Pe

Not seen it. Love the other terminators, is it as big of a let down as some reviews have said? How does it compare to salvation?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Kung Fu Killer* (2008)

The laughably generic title of this violent action flick (apparently there's a more recent film with the same title) led me to expect something cheap and comically inept. Although it's no masterpiece, it's actually a decently made movie. I'd give it a solid fair-to-middling, although it's not exactly my cup of blood-soaked tea. It seems to have come into existence as a made-for-Spike-TV ("Guy Movies") two-part miniseries, but the version I saw clocks in at a brisk hour and one-half.

David Carradine stars as "White Crane," the son of missionaries killed in what must have been mid-to-late 19th century China. (The main part of our story takes place in 1929, and the adult White Crane looks every bit of Carradine's sixty-odd years. The young White Crane, seen very briefly -- did the miniseries have more flashback sequences? -- looks like a teenager at most.) It seems that the orphaned White Crane was taken in by a monastery and given martial arts training over the decades. If this sounds like the TV series _Kung Fu_, you're right. White Crane is very similar to an older Caine from the series, except for the fact that he doesn't have the same peaceful philosophy, but is instead quite willing to kill bad guys left and right in painful and gory ways.)

Some heavily armed soldiers come to the monastery and wipe out all the inhabitants in the film's opening scene. Bright red blood flies everywhere, bones crack, limbs are chopped off, etc. The only survivors are White Crane and a young student, both of whom were assumed to be dead by the invaders. (With good reason. We see White Crane tied up and shot with an arrow in what sure looks like the heart area. However, this is a film where the right kind of simple medical care can revive somebody on the very edge of death and render him ready to fight in a few moments.) White Crane swears revenge (very unCaine-like,) particularly for the murder of his beloved elderly master. (Shades of _Kung Fu_ again. However, in this case the master is a woman. This fact, along with a couple of other touGh fighting females, may be due to the fact that one of the two co-writers of this thing was a woman. So much for Guy Movies! Speaking of writers, it amazes me that the other co-writer later won an Oscar for writing *The King's Speech*.)

The film takes on a different tone as we move from the country to the city. In Shanghai our hero changes his monk robes for a natty suit, tie, and hat, and runs into a bunch of _film noir_/gangster movie characters, including second-billed Daryl Hannah as a nightclub singer looking for her brother, an opium-addicted veteran of the Great War who also happened to be an expert on poison gas.

The plot actually gets more complex from here. (Maybe some expository scenes were cut from the miniseries for this version.) There seem to be elements not only from martial arts movies and crime films, but bits and pieces from historical epics, Westerns, spy thrillers, and a tip of the fedora to Indiana Jones. And lots of fighting and killing.

Filmed in China, many of the rural outdoor scenes are quite beautiful. The city scenes are obviously sets, but they're nifty Jazz Age sets. Hannah's gowns are nice, and special kudos must go to the hairdresser who did her marcelled golden locks. As a singer, she's not too great. Both leads seem a bit long in the tooth for these kinds of roles -- the guy who can beat anybody in a fight, the one woman who obsesses the head Bad Guy -- but they do decent acting jobs.

This may appeal to Guys who like something different in their bloody action flicks.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ste-Pe said:


> Not seen it. Love the other terminators, is it as big of a let down as some reviews have said? How does it compare to salvation?


Can't remember Salvation. Been that long. But Genesys makes a good stand alone piece. Entertaining.


----------



## Khalid M

Currently rewatching Mad Max Fury Road. Aside from the blazing action, I really appreciate those short moments full of characterization and mannerism.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*Headhunters*(scandinavian!!!!)
No deep delving into character and /or motivation here ,but the plot twists and rollercoaster action keep it moving along nicely .
Recommended.This will undoubtedly be remade by Hollywood into a thoroughly mediocre affair.
EDIT:_The Guardian proves_ me right.Well,that's fairly predictable.Scenariowise,Hollywood hasn't been up to scratch for years now.So they aquire rights and remake.
_*THE SQUID AND THE WHALE(Noah Baumbach)*_.
Good Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels.
Embarassment,love,lust,the ravages of divorce,people struggling to find their way and making silly people mistakes,adolescence.You know the drill.
Still, a _good_ movie.Don't expect a barrel of laughs or a cascade of salt water from your eyes.
Restraint is on the order of the day.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Airplane - not as good as the Naked Guns, but still great. I do wonder however if they could use the same jokes these days?


----------



## Vaz

*The Good Dinosaur
*
Pixar's latest offering. A dinosaur and his pet caveboy get lost and attempt to go home. Typical Pixar fare really, sad, funny and gorgeous to look at.


----------



## dask

Watching this right now, about halfway through:



Decided to watch the Italian version with English subtitles instead basically because the Italian is uncut (the US version is missing what is to me a very important scene) and because the color is more like I remember Italian westerns looking like in the theater back in the sixties when I was a kid. The US version here is too dark and the colors too unnaturally rich if that's the right word for it. I suppose I could try messing around with the color controls on my remote but don't want to chance wreaking anything. Decent story so far but the really cool thing is a truly whacked out score by Ennio Morricone. The guitar work is mind-shattering.


----------



## Michael M

I saw Joy last weekend. Jennifer Lawrence is a very good actress, probably the best around at the moment, or at least she would give Cate Blanchett and run for her money.


----------



## J Riff

Holy Ouch, is_ Birdemic- Shock and Terror_ - ever shockingly terrible. It has to be deliberate at some level... but, wow. Cheeeeezis... I mean... whew, I made it through, but... Seriously, only for fans of unbelievable badness... the CGI eagles are easily as convincing as plastic toy soldiers vs. Aurora models in 1958. No, I take that back.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Scott Pilgrim vs The World* - Friday Night Family Film choice of Number One Daughter (after I threw it at her and said 'how about this?') who laughed like a drain all the way through it.  A hit.  on a road trip the next day she and my wife practically recreated the whole movie at random.


----------



## J Riff

Laughed like a drain, huh? A laughing drain... well that's a new one here.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Black Dynamite - a 2009 blaxpoitation spoof. In some regards it really was accurately replicated, the problem is that a large number of these films were rubbish, in replicating this they've also (deliberately?) replicated the rubbish as well so I'm not sure where this film stands. I guess a poor average


----------



## J Riff

Shaft, Superfly, Blacula... I watched _Black Belt Jones_ a while back and it was a hoot. There's plenty of whitesploitation flicks out there - where the white folks are jest as goofy. ) These were big in the 70s, and generally had better music than most other cheapo flims around.


----------



## Rodders

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Better the second time around, but not without fault.


----------



## The Bluestocking

Just took my students to see THE 5TH WAVE.

It was a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the book - all the key beats and plot points were there and Chloe Grace Moretz was excellent (as usual).

Worth a watch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Laughed like a drain, huh? A laughing drain... well that's a new one here.



This is a UK phrase, from around the time of WWII. It is first recorded by Eric Partridge in _A dictionary of forces' slang 1939–45_, 1948. He describes it as '_Ward-room and also Army officers’ slang_'. 

The reason why drain was picked for this simile isn't clear. Most similes include items that especially display the property being described, e.g. _as white as as snow_. Drains don't immediately make one think of laughter, although the gurgling sound might have been thought of as being similar to chuckling.


----------



## J Riff

New - *Moonwalkers.* Hellboy, (can't ever remember his name) now a CIA agent with terrible murderous Vietnam war flashbacks - is hired by the Govt. to get Stanley Kubrick to make a film of the Apollo astronauts on the Moon, since they can't actually manage to land there. Our MC and his buddy, who owe dough to gangsters, manage to fake up Kubrick... and everything goes haywire. Pretty kooky, this one, quite violent, a funny and sixties-hippie-filled movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sherlock Holmes* (2010) - not the Robert Downey, Jr Jude law one - the Asylum Knockbuster one. And, as dreadful as the Asylum's movies are, this one takes the biscuit for set design. Steampunk set design is easy. You just stick gear wheels, copper pipes, and the occasional pressure gauge or dial to any available surface whether it makes any sense or not. One of the controls of the villains flying steampunk dragon in this POS was a hand meat grinder turned upside down and (presumably) hot glue gunned in place. The villain dutifully cranked it at one point but no sausage meat appeared on screen so presumably he'd hot wired it so something important. Though what it was I couldn't tell you I was laughing so much.






Other highlights included Sherlock picking the lock on the hinge side of a door, and a brief glimpse of a very modern looking estate agent's sign hanging off a building in Victorian London with a Cardiff area code phone number. 

Another 50p well spent in CEX.


----------



## willwallace

The Revenant 

Amazing cinematography, very intense action scenes. DeCaprio could have his best chance at an Oscar with this film. 

Super(2010)

Weird film about a guy running around in a superhero costume - Rainn Wilson.  Not as good as Kickass , which came out the same year.


----------



## Ste-Pe

Vaz said:


> *The Good Dinosaur
> *
> Pixar's latest offering. A dinosaur and his pet caveboy get lost and attempt to go home. Typical Pixar fare really, sad, funny and gorgeous to look at.



My 2 year old loves dinosaurs, was thinking to letting him see it, would you recommend?


----------



## JunkMonkey

willwallace said:


> The Revenant
> 
> Amazing cinematography, very intense action scenes. DeCaprio could have his best chance at an Oscar with this film.



As soon as I saw the trailer I thought this is an Oscar sprint movie.  As soon as I saw it I had Johnny Depp's Ed Wood voice in my head whispering, "This is the one.... _This_ is the one I will be remembered for...."  but in Leonardo DeCaprio's voice - if that makes any sense..



willwallace said:


> Super(2010) Weird film about a guy running around in a superhero costume - Rainn Wilson.  Not as good as Kickass , which came out the same year.



Ha!  I just bought the DVD of that on Saturday.  You may have just bumped it up to the top of the pile with your use of the word 'weird' there.  Weird is good.


----------



## Vince W

*Die Hard* and *Die Hard 2*. These are still top quality films that have lost none of their impact.


----------



## J Riff

_The Killing_, Kubrick 1956. Well it's a real treat to run into any unseen noirish heist movie, and this one will not disappoint.
Funny, Kubrick is a character in _Moonwalkers,_ a new 'un that tries pretty hard to have something for everyone.


----------



## J-Sun

Been on a bit of a movie tear. Recently, I've watched *Patriot Games* (1992), which was an adequate action adventure flick, kind of. I'd seen at least a lot of it before but had forgotten. Then *Lucy* (2014) which was a really disappointing, incredibly dumb weird blend of Hollywood sci-fi-action schlock, art film, and student project and bad at all of it and left me feeling weirdly squicky. I say again: very disappointed, especially as I was thinking for some reason that I might really enjoy it. At that point, I was wondering if it wasn't the movie but just that my movie fuse was blown but then came *The Bourne Identity* (2002). A very cool, very good action adventure thriller-type flick. Enjoyed that a lot. Kind of a reversal of _Lucy_ as I had low expectations - was just in the mood for action though I'd never been convinced that this was more than standard stuff. Turns out it was way more than standard to me. Maybe not the very top level, but still pretty freakin' good, if not.


----------



## Bugg

J-Sun said:


> Then *Lucy* (2014) which was a really disappointing, incredibly dumb weird blend of Hollywood sci-fi-action schlock, art film, and student project and bad at all of it and left me feeling weirdly squicky. I say again: very disappointed, especially as I was thinking for some reason that I might really enjoy it.



I watched that a couple of weeks ago and had pretty much the same reaction to it.  Even Scarlett Johansson couldn't save it for me     I really like the Bourne movies, though, especially the second one 

I re-watched *Captain America: The First Avenger* the other day (got the blu-ray box set of the two movies for Christmas).  Very enjoyable, although I prefer *The Winter Soldier* (not _just_ because of Scarlett Johansson  ).  As the Marvel movies go, those two (and *Guardians of the Galaxy*) are pretty much my favourites.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> but just that my movie fuse was blown



What a great phrase! Thanks.
*Time Runners* (2013 aka _95ers: Echoes_) - Low / No budget independent SF film (part funded via Kickstarter) which started off well enough - for a low no budget movie, there was a good idea at the core trying to get out here - but the execution left a lot to be desired. Very variable. The plot strand that followed our time-bending heroine was adequately done but the 'future' sections were just a couple of really not very good actors kicking what sounded like a half-finished, unreadable script back and forth.  Lots of "I need more information!" "I can't tell you it's classified!" "It's too dangerous!" "Just do it NOW!" dialogue snarling with no real reason for any of why any of this dialogue needs to be there other than it was 'some men are angry at each other' time in the script. By all accounts this film took several years to make and thinking about it a day later, this whole future' strand / layer of story feels like it was added late in the process in an attempt to add coherence (and a shed load of SFX) to existing footage set in the modern day. 

By the end though it became too bogged down in its own recursive complexity (and crappy acting) to make much sense. We never did get an explanation as to who the bad guys were, why they were trying to kill the heroine and her unborn child, or what the hell they were ultimately trying to do that was so awful that they had to be stopped. But things were deliberately set up for a sequel, so maybe were were supposed to find out in the spin-off TV series or the next movie. 

Neither of which I can see happening.

And we never did get to find out who girl on the cover with the cute bum was either.


----------



## J Riff

I think I saw _Timerunners _and apparently it was forgettable enough to forget.  . But,_ Official Denial_ 1994 I somehow missed which is unusual for a SF flick - and it's about Grey aliens showing up, with a nice twist and a reasonable ending for a change.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Talking about forgetting movies, I realised today that I can't remember a single line of dialogue from _The Force Awakens_.  Not one.


----------



## J Riff

What is it? What, was the Force sleeping? If its SW, ST, or DW, I haven't a clue.
Up tonite is one called _Night Skies_ 2007.
_12 Angry Men_ was very enjoyable, haven't seen it for decades. Must be rare to have a movie happen in one room, but the quality of the actors more than makes up for anything.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

J Riff said:


> _12 Angry Men_ was very enjoyable, haven't seen it for decades. Must be rare to have a movie happen in one room, but the quality of the actors more than makes up for anything.



There's also a recent Russian remake, I think it's just called '12'. From what I remember, that was pretty good, too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Not forgetting the inimitable Morty Fineman  production: _Twelve Angry Men and a Baby_


----------



## J Riff

That's hard to find - _The Independent_ 2000, but it sure looks good.
Wowee, a new one - _Lake Erie..._ which I lived on the shore of... right near the wreckage of the Al Capone casino, underground railway, etc. - is a SF horror movie... and it looks like my old front yard! Can't wait.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Catching Fire*_("Hunger Games").
Jen Lawrence impressed me,as did Don Sutherland.
Very enjoyable,and the dystopia is chilling.
GOOD,GOOD sequel to the first one.


----------



## Starbeast

*Hatchet* (2006) Excellent horror movie tribute to "madman killer" flicks.

*Hatchet II* (2010) Surprisingly good sequel which picks up after the first one perfectly.

*Hatchet III* (2013) Outstanding finish that completes this trilogy.

*Martian* (2015) Too dull and predicable for me.
*
Avengers: Age of Ultron* (2015) Outstanding, and a great updated version of the original comic book tale.

*How the Grinch Stole Christmas* (2000) I haven't rewatched this classic in a while. One of Jim Carry's best movies.

*House of a 1000 Corpses* (2003) I had to see this again (after so long) for that great start in the film (plus the extras - like the menu screen). This movie had a great potential to be better, but it does have it's moments, and has a nice eerie atmosphere, like an old adult underground comic book. Mr Zombie still made a terrific effort for his first film.

*American Movie* (1999) Superb documentary about a struggling man, who wants to make gritty dramas and horror movies. I had to see this film again, and again with audio commentary.

*MST3K:* *Santa Claus* (1959) Another rewatch. Strange, but fun movie to see Santa outwit a demon during X-mas eve.

*Hobo With a Shotgun* (2011) Awesome, over-the-top vigilante flick, filmed like an old 1970's violent crime movie. Vivid technicolor and actor Rutger Hauer, makes this one the best independent horror films, I've ever seen.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Hah!  Though I've watched it a few dozen times; I haven't seen *Harold and Maude*  for years and years.

I caught the last half on the tele there, and it was chopped into tiny bits; but that movie is still priceless.  

Additionally, en situ, the Central California coastline, and the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk amusement park are me old stomping grounds... and a Jaguar Hearse is still my dream car.

The only time that I really loved the music of Cat Stevens, long before he  became yusif von islamheimer, or whatever.

Actually, any hot-blooded, head-banging boy, there in the mid seventies, who wanted to get laid, had a couple of Cat Stevens LP's in the arsenal.... (that and Fleetwood Mac "Rumours." And the ****ing Eagles, man

Nonetheless, still an insanely great movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> That's hard to find - _The Independent_ 2000, but it sure looks good.



It's a fun little movie which just gets funnier each time I watch it.


----------



## J Riff

Well, _Lake Eerie_ 2015 turns out to be about an 



attractive girls anEgyptian curse, a nether realm, two girls who battle the demons .... a sensitive artist trapped in an unknown place, only able to communicate through a radio... and etc. Not terribly eerie, more dark n' gloomy, but not everyone dies, so...

 _Night Skies_ -- is almost _The Phoenix Incident..._ including the TV clip of McAin at the beginning... and it's Grey aliens... flying over Phoenix... and our loutish characters, lost in Arizona in a huge Landrover. They crash, get stupider and eventually the Greys grab them, wrap them in super-spaghetti of some kind, and perform the horrible experiments that they are known for. Then, it ends. Good makeup on the Greys, they are getting a bad rep, which is suspicious, I think... they leave the MC alive, so... ah nevermind. Not bad, very blatantly  stupid jokes, seen worser
.


----------



## Droflet

Finally got around to seeing Spectre. Where's the off color humor, where's the good story lines, where is James Bond. It's all in the scripting and that has been lacking since the excellent Casino Royale. And two and a half hours? My rating: Meh.


----------



## J Riff

_Android Cop_ 2015 yes, there is a twist. Our main cop is an old-school tough guy, the android is a handsome bot, heavily armed and logical and the twist is, yup you guessed it.
 Spectre... can't rtemember the plot, already. All action thrillers seem interchangeable these days. Meh2.


----------



## Dave

*The Hateful Eight *gets my recommendation. It's a Tarantino Western. There are plot twists. I would spoil to say any more.


----------



## Vince W

If you feel like worrying about your family, your home, and your future go see *The Big Short*. A very disturbing look at a few people that made billions when they foresaw the U.S. housing crash. If you didn't mistrust banks before you will after seeing this film.

Not a happy film with no heroes.


----------



## J Riff

Another new SF flim - *Terminus. *Darkish, with gloomy soundtrack... an alien amoeba lands... movie characters defy odds like crazy, beat each other up, shoot, are shot by MIBs etc. - but all the amoeba does is repair damaged organs and replace amputated limbs. Tisn't clear what ... or ... uh, but they build this big barrel thing... and the amoeba goes in there with the MC and his GF...at the end.. and they.... errr.... I'm not sure. I tried skimming back thru the flick, but could not really figure it out. One good line tho - 'Who knew that God was an amoeba?'


----------



## barrett1987

Exposed. - an excellent example of when a movie gets destroyed by movie companies who don't trust the director. Ouch 2/10


----------



## J Riff

Is that the 2011 K Reeves movie? One more cop movie that dint make an impression here either. Always looking for any good Heist movies though... there's a Wiki page with a list of 200 or so.


----------



## J-Sun

*Interstellar* (2014). Weird flick from the Nolan boys. A kind of _2001_ in which we trade a monolith trigger for an ecological collapse trigger. For the bulk of it, it was punching most every button I had and I was thinking it was one of my favorite movies ever and was even willing to overlook some weirdness but then they pulled out some conventional plotting/characterization and the "homage" to _2001_ got a little too overt and, of course, I didn't really care for the... well, it might be a spoiler. 



Spoiler



The time travel stuff. It was pretty obvious and I don't like that sort of thing generally, anyway.


 That said, it was still a fascinating movie for the most part that hits some great notes and has some great visuals and even the stuff I didn't like works thematically, I guess. I'll give it another try and see if I think the tradeoffs are worth it but it ain't the film it felt like it ought to have been.

Also dunno what's going on with this Matt Damon binge. I'm not a fan, as such, and it's sheer coincidence but he's been in about 3 of the last 6 flicks I've seen in the past little while (_Martian, Bourne Identity, Interstellar_). All interesting to great flicks, at least.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Puppet Masters* - based on the Robert Heinlein novel about an invasion of aliens that take over human hosts. A familiar trope these days but, like _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, a then contemporary chilling and newish metaphor for The Red Menace, or Government Brainwashing, or whatever. [Insert Your Favourite Paranoia Here].   The 1994 film is not bad.  But it didn't set my pulse pounding or give me the willies. It got dreadful write-ups at the time of its release but its a workmanlike, if routine, piece of mid 50s SF.  The only real problem with it is it was bought to the screen 40 years too late.


----------



## J Riff

Right. And *Harbinger Down* is one more new Alien-ish SF movie, that takes place on a crabbing boat. Alien goop is present in the body of a Soviet cosmonaut, still inside a spacepod from the 80s, found by our crabsters. It's uhhh, like the Thing, again, kinda... and it turns into Alien when the stuff comes after the crew one by one. 'It must not reach the shore!" Worth a look, a few twists.


----------



## Starbeast

*Batman Returns* (1992) Wow. I forgot how violent the Dark Knight gets in this movie. Right off the bat (so to speak), the caped crusader is seen enjoying killing two people. One is blown up, and the other is burned to death by his Batmobile's flame. Anyway, it's still a great X-mas movie to view.

*Captain America:The Winter Soldier* (2014) I love watching this one again. Tremendous action film!!!

*Rear Window* (1954) Fantastic suspense thriller is great to see again. Alfred Hitchcock is the master.

*The Birds* (1963) Outstanding animal horror movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Every time I watch this classic, I always chuckle when the man at the end of the counter (in the diner), says, "It's the end of the world."


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Big Tits Zombie* (2010) - a group of Japanese strippers accidentally open a portal to hell and have to deal with an army of the undead. Chainsaws were involved.  Sadly I didn't get to see it it in 3D.


----------



## J Riff

Nice of you to track rubbish JM, no one man can keep up with all of it. I watched _Wild Weed (she shoulda said no)_ 1949...and that was educational... but it may be time to look at some newer stuff? Yep.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Red Rose* - again.  _Rabbie Burns: 'The Man The Myth The Legend' _after the producer of the movie wrote to me about the shitty review I wrote about it on IMDb, accusing me of being libellous, and 'stalking' them, and having political motives for writing the review, I took another look at it.  It's as shoddy and sloppy as I remember.


----------



## J Riff

Rubbish-stalking is a proud occupation. Where can I go to bash Hollywood halfwits? Nevermind that. _The Giant Behemoth_ ... is not particularly exciting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I introduce Daughter Number One to *A Scanner Darkly*.  She loves it. I am a good father.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J Riff said:


> Rubbish-stalking is a proud occupation. Where can I go to bash Hollywood halfwits? Nevermind that. _The Giant Behemoth_ ... is not particularly exciting.



That brings back memories.  The film itself is so generic that it's hard to remember if you're watching it or *Reptilicus*.  But this was one of the slew of sci-fi/horror flicks that was shown in the Los Angeles area on "Fright Night" with Larry "Seymour" Vincent as the Horror Host back in the early 1970's.  I can recall when he stumbled over the film's title and pronounced it "The Giant Bow-Mouth."


----------



## Tim Murray

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> That brings back memories.  The film itself is so generic that it's hard to remember if you're watching it or *Reptilicus*.  But this was one of the slew of sci-fi/horror flicks that was shown in the Los Angeles area on "Fright Night" with Larry "Seymour" Vincent as the Horror Host back in the early 1970's.  I can recall when he stumbled over the film's title and pronounced it "The Giant Bow-Mouth."


The new "old" Star Wars movie. Nothing like a re-hash of of episode 4 with a new generation, down to blowing up the Death World in the end. It would have been nice to have some originality added to the latest offering.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Freejack*(1992)

Pretty standard action flick with some science fiction trappings. Based very, very loosely on the novel _Immortality, Inc._ by Robert Sheckley, the gimmick is that a race car driver in 1991 gets zapped to 2009 -- _The future!_ -- just before getting killed in an accident, so that his brain can be fried and his body serve as a new residence for an ultra-rich guy who is technically dead, but whose mind is kept "alive" by a supercomputer until he can get transferred into the new body. This leads to a whole lot of fighting, car chases, explosions, gunplay, and so on. Future New York City is a combination of *Escape From New York* squalor for the poor and luxury for the rich. More than a touch of influence from *Blade Runner* can be detected. The last fifteen minutes or so gets weird, when we go into the virtual reality mind of the "dead" rich guy. Some of the acting is decent, some not. Some of the sets are striking, others look cheap. Best described as mediocre.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hagstone Demon* (2011) Surprisingly good independent horror drama, which has a quick pace to it and doesn't waste time on cliches (like in so many movies in this genre). Actor Mark Borchardt (from 1999's - American Movie), does a superb job acting realistically in this freaky flick. I'm so glad I discovered this little low-budget gem.



JunkMonkey said:


> *Big T*** Zombie* (2010) - a group of Japanese strippers accidentally open a portal to hell and have to deal with an army of the undead. Chainsaws were involved.  Sadly I didn't get to see it it in 3D.



JunkMonkey, my friend, have I got a movie to recommend to you.

*Zombie A*** (2011) This is a wild ride into living dead freaky-ness. At one point in the film, my jaw dropped and I was wondering why the heck am I watching this, THEN, it gets weirder, and I reached the point, where I had to find out how this nightmare ends. *NOT RECOMMENDED TO THOSE WITH WEAK HEARTS* and those who are filled with gooey wholesome goodness. Because this flick is filled with corn and packed with peanuts.


----------



## J Riff

Well,* Devil Dog Hound of Hell* - I chopped this one down to about nine minutes, and it's fun like that - but not so much as a full movie. Sure, the cheapo FX when the devildog shows up are cool, but much of the rest is really depressing, as various dogs get run over or kilt by the cruel K9. It's better when the cute pup croaks people, which it does by just sitting in a cardboard box and looking at them with little lights in its eyes. Not arful, but may scare young dogs with all the satanic yelping.


----------



## J-Sun

*Insomnia* (2002). I got this because watching _Interstellar_ made me realize I'd seen most of Christopher Nolan's directorial filmography and it seemed the most interesting of what was left. I've now seen _Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, Inception_, and _Interstellar_, leaving only _Following_ (his first black-and-white no-budget feature), _The Prestige_ (based on a novel by a guy I don't read), and the Batman sequels (when I didn't like the first), so I'm probably done now, though _Following_ seems like it might be kind of interesting and I probably wouldn't refuse to see _The Prestige_.

This _Insomnia_ is a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film and stars Al Pacino as an LA cop brought into Alaska to help with a murder case while being under investigation by Internal Affairs back home (implausible, to say the least, but no big deal), Robin Williams as the criminal (no spoiler, as he's introduced that way), Hilary Swank as the bright young idealistic local cop, and Maura Tierney as an innkeeper. Her role is significant but relatively minor but it's Maura Tierney who I've been a big fan of since _NewsRadio_ so she was a selling point for me.

They all do fine but one of the weaknesses of the movie is that, aside from Pacino, the characters are pretty stereotyped or sketched and aren't given a whole hell of a lot to do, which even goes for Williams whose somewhat understated performance is still excellent. With one caveat, all the actors do well with what they've got.

The strength of the movie is the odd interconnections and counterweights that result in the cop'n'criminal working with and against each other in a complex way and the tension and excitement of that and some fairly well-done action scenes. What weakens it, ironically, is the "insomnia." The psychological thriller aspects of a guy going to a place during its time of constant sunlight and, between that and his own issues, producing insomnia which begins to effect his mind in a vicious cycle, could have been really powerful and disturbing (imagine this element in a Lynch film) but, instead (and this is the caveat to an otherwise excellent performance), Pacino just looks kind of trashed and there are some glitchy things done with cameras meant to suggest mental stress and so on but it just doesn't work as well as it should.

In sum, this is worth watching and is not at all mediocre in a general sense (implying average) but is a "mediocre-good" film - some critics have hailed this as a classic and I just can't agree: it's a good flick but only that. So, if your standard is to avoid crap, by all means, see it. And if you're a fan of any of the folks involved you'll almost certainly want to see it. But if your standard is to see only the very best can't-miss stuff, then you can probably live without this one.



Spoiler: footnote on the last scene



Another small glitch, simultaneously trivial and huge, which really bugged me was in the crucial final scene when Swank is confronting a dying Pacino and she can have no idea what's happened between the killer and the cop beyond hearing a couple of shots. She should assume the killer may still be at large but never asks what happened or secures the scene or herself. I mean, the killer is dead so there's no problem in fact, and, aside from writing the preceding scene significantly differently, there's no real handy way to address it without slightly breaking the flow by having her ask Pacino what happened and having Pacino tell her the killer's dead but it still makes Swank's character look dumb and sloppy when a major point of her character is that she's smart and meticulous.


----------



## aThenian

*The Big Short.*  The best film I've seen in a long time.  As scary as any dystopian movie (the film I saw before this was *Catching Fire*) because it's based on the true-life idiocy and immorality that led to the sub-prime mortgage scandal and the financial crash.  But it's also very funny, and the characterisation is excellent, so the last thing you end up feeling is depressed.  (Well, maybe a bit depressed.)


----------



## Dave

*Room - *very powerful. My wife made me watch it, but I now highly recommend it. It is only on a limited release, so we had a difficult time tracking down a local cinema that was showing it. I went to the Ritzy in Brixton and I highly recommend that too! The screening was completely full and yet no one spoke a word all the way through. The film is up for awards so I expect that following the award season it will be back on at cinemas just like _The Theory of Everything_ was last year.

I've also been playing catch-up on Netflix watching films I have missed. None of them were up to very much. Out of about twenty films I think I would only recommend one - that would be the Battlestar Galactica prequel, *Blood and Chrome.*

I also finally got around to watching* In Bruges*, on my 'to watch' list for 8 years!


----------



## J Riff

_Attack of the Super-Monsters_... is a TV-show based blend of animation, models, and rubber-suit dinosaurs, who laugh a lot and yell _destroy!_ quite a few times. The second half of this print is glitched, and the audio starts again from the beginning, providing surreal moments... but it's basically aimed at kids, this one. Lots and lots explosions.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Puppet Masters* The 1994 film is not bad.  But it didn't set my pulse pounding or give me the willies. It got dreadful write-ups at the time of its release but its a workmanlike, if routine, piece of mid 50s SF.  The only real problem with it is it was bought to the screen 40 years too late.



Never seen it, but there's an article online somewhere by the guys who wrote the script. If I remember correctly, they said the director threw their script away just before it was going to start shooting, and brought a friend in to write a new one in a couple of weeks...


----------



## Edward M. Grant

J-Sun said:


> In sum, this is worth watching and is not at all mediocre in a general sense (implying average) but is a "mediocre-good" film - some critics have hailed this as a classic and I just can't agree: it's a good flick but only that.



Didn't the Nolan version also completely change the ending? It's years since I've seen it, but it definitely felt to me like they'd tacked-on a Hollywood ending, rather than the one the movie should have had.

Watched the 1980s *Flash Gordon* at the weekend. Wow, that was much worse than I'd remembered.


----------



## clovis-man

Edward M. Grant said:


> Never seen it, but there's an article online somewhere by the guys who wrote the script. If I remember correctly, they said the director threw their script away just before it was going to start shooting, and brought a friend in to write a new one in a couple of weeks...



They used Fresno California's City Hall for exterior shots because they thought it looked kinda futuristic. Totally lame.


----------



## anno

Caught up with latest Jurassic World,liked it a lot more than 2 and 3 good raptor action!


----------



## J Riff

_Asteroid: Final Impact_ 2015 - hopefully it IS the last earth-destroyed-by-a-big-asteroid movie. This canuk waste of time is rehash central, and totally unbelievable plot-wise. But, the MC and his son save the Earth, yes, by shooting up a little rocket from the University, while the FBI is trying to shoot them - and the little vial of hydrochloric acid makes the asteroid go poof. There, spoiled. If you can watch this movie and not know wots going to happen by the ten-minute mark, then yeah, enjoy. ** )


----------



## J Riff

2 more new ones from FehVille..._ Lazer Team_, and_ Carrier_, which is about a virus/plague and how people have to stay in the air to stay alive. Like, in an airplane. Nevermind.


----------



## clovis-man

Watched* The Ipcress File* (1965) the other day. I saw this in the theater when it first came out. Exposed to all the James Bond frenzy of the day, I was a tad flummoxed by this film. Now, 50 years later (damn!), I found I enjoyed it much more. Michael Caine in only his second starring role and Nigel Green (who was with him in his first, *Zulu*) were excellent and the plot was just circuitous enough to have me guessing even now. Definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. Or even if you have.


----------



## J-Sun

Edward M. Grant said:


> Didn't the Nolan version also completely change the ending? It's years since I've seen it, but it definitely felt to me like they'd tacked-on a Hollywood ending, rather than the one the movie should have had.



I've never seen the original but, based on descriptions, it seems it was changed a bit - definitely more action-oriented so more Hollywood in that sense but, arguably, it's less Hollywood in other senses (part of which would be very spoilery to get into). It's not "tacked-on Hollywood" like the _Bladerunner_ ending or anything. The original filmmaker seemed fairly happy with the new version anyway.



> Watched the 1980s *Flash Gordon* at the weekend. Wow, that was much worse than I'd remembered.



Yeah. That movie is surprisingly popular with some folks but I sure wasn't impressed. Not sure if it would be worse than I remember, though, because that was pretty bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Spanish Cape Mystery* (1935)

A few notable points about this old-fashioned whodunit:

1. It's the first film adaptation of an Ellery Queen novel.

2. Ellery Queen is already so famous a character that the other characters all know him as the "famous detective." We even see somebody reading _The Adventures of Ellery Queen_.

3. Despite this fact, the leading lady (the delightfully named Helen Twelvetrees) gets her name before the title, and Donald Cook as the hero gets his after it.

4. The first ten minutes or so of the film is irrelevant to the plot, as we see Ellery help his police inspector solve a jewel robbery.

5. There isn't a whole lot of 1930's comic relief, which is a good thing, although Ellery is portrayed as something of a wiseguy.

6. The setting -- a mansion on an isolated cliff somewhere on the California coast -- is interesting, with some nice views of the ocean. (Admittedly, most of the film is set inside the house, with lots of talking.)

7. This almost becomes a body count film, with no less than four murders.

8. The whodunit aspect of the plot is fairly interesting. I was able to figure out who the killer was likely to be, but the odd aspects of the case -- why the murderer removed the first victim's clothing, leaving him only in a pair of bathing trunks and a cape -- were a puzzle to me until Ellery explained it all.

Overall, a decent way to pass the time if you're in the mood of this sort of thing.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

*Three-Headed Shark Attack*. It would probably have made some kind of sense if they'd filmed it in a location where you couldn't see land right behind them when they were talking about how they had to go fifteen miles to the nearest land. My girlfriend rated it 'the worst Asylum movie we've ever seen,' which is saying a lot.

I thought it was bad, but not that bad. I agreed with an IMDB reviewer who thought the big problem was that the movie tried to take itself seriously, when they had no chance of making a serious movie on their budget.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

J-Sun said:


> Yeah. That movie is surprisingly popular with some folks but I sure wasn't impressed. Not sure if it would be worse than I remember, though, because that was pretty bad.



I believe I saw _Flash Gordon_ in the cinema when it first came out, but it might have been on TV a few years later, since I'd have been quite young at the time. Either way, it seemed cheesy but fun back then, whereas it just seemed cheesy today.

Best part was spotting the actors who went on to do far more memorable things.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Edward M. Grant said:


> I believe I saw _Flash Gordon_ in the cinema when it first came out, but it might have been on TV a few years later, since I'd have been quite young at the time. Either way, it seemed cheesy but fun back then, whereas it just seemed cheesy today.
> 
> Best part was spotting the actors who went on to do far more memorable things.



I saw it in the cinema when it first came out and was vastly annoyed by it's camp cheesy stupidity but over the years I have come to love it because of the very things I hated it for back then.  My kids loved it.

Chiefmost of the 'went on to better things' is Robbie "Hagrid" Coltraine who has a blink and miss it, cough and spit in what was his first film .


----------



## Edward M. Grant

JunkMonkey said:


> Chiefmost of the 'went on to better things' is Robbie "Hagrid" Coltraine who has a blink and miss it, cough and spit in what was his first film .



Yeah, I saw him on the credits, and meant to go back and look for him .


----------



## JunkMonkey

He's in there really early on, at the airfield - (filmed on the Isle of Skye - which is why it looks so wet and cold).


----------



## Starbeast

*Killdozer* (1974) I had fun seeing this weird science fiction horror flick again. This TV movie is adapted from a Theodore Sturgeon novel, about an alien force coming to Earth, that transfers itself into a bulldozer. I love it.

Also, this is one of the rare films that has an all male cast. Plus, it was so popular at the time, Marvel Comics featured the story in, _Worlds Unknown_ #6.


----------



## J Riff

Right. _The Thing_ is all-male. _The Crawling Hand_ 1963, is not, and it features an astronaut's arm... which falls to earth after the spaceship explodes, then Mr. space-arm crawls about strangulating the cast. There's no spaceship action, except a brief shot while the credits are onscreen, and the acting is arf and on.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Right. _The Thing_ is all-male.



The original wasn't - 

Trying to think of more... _Dark Star_? (but 'Mother', the computer, had a  female voice - so maybe not). Hmmmm.


----------



## clovis-man

JunkMonkey said:


> Re Carpenter's *The Thing*: The original wasn't -



The original movie, yes. But the John Campbell story (the real original, which Carpenter followed pretty faithfully) was all male IIRC.


----------



## JunkMonkey

clovis-man said:


> The original movie, yes. But the John Campbell story (the real original, which Carpenter followed pretty faithfully) was all male IIRC.



Back then (elderly scientists' beautiful daughters excepted) it was hard to find a woman *at all* in written SF


----------



## svalbard

Watched 3 movies in the last week and all of them were a bit on the violent side. First up was *Turbo Kid. *You could say it was a homage to those B-movies of the 80's and 90's that were set in a post-apocalyptic world. It had its moments, but they were too few to save it.
Next up was *John Wick. *Loved it. Best thing Keanu Reeves has done since Point Break. There is a death toll in this movie that wouldn't look out of place in a Cecil  B DeMille epic.
finally there was *The Day.* A rather run of the mill and nasty post-apocalyptic survival story. A group of friends are besieged by cannibals in a farm house. A bit derivative, but a cool ending nearly saves the the day.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

clovis-man said:


> The original movie, yes. But the John Campbell story (the real original, which Carpenter followed pretty faithfully) was all male IIRC.



I thought the tagged-on love story was the worst part of the original movie. I was really glad they removed it from the Carpenter remake.

I'd also note that when a friend worked in a small research base in Antarctica in the 80s, it was still all male. So having her there seemed like a real anachronism, too.

Oh, yeah, back to movies.

*Postman Pat: The Movie*. Legitimately kind of SF, with robots taking over mail delivery... but not very good. That said, I'm not six any more, so kids might like it.

*Max. *Marine dog handler gets killed, and his family take over his dog. Predictable, but still quite entertaining.

*Filmed In Supermarionation*. I'm only half-way through, but, so far, it's a really interesting look at the history and production of Gerry Anderson's SF puppet shows. Now I know why there's such an obvious jump-cut in the intro to _Supercar_...


----------



## J Riff

*War of the Robots* 1978... well I have exhausted the 'new' movie database, at least as far as SF goes..(not far, lately) ... and WOTR is my next hack job. It has lots of spaceship action... with thereminish sound Fx, and... oh nevermind, wait'll I can put some of this junk on yoTube, then you can waste ten min. chortling instead of an hour-and-a-half grimacing in bewilderment. (?)


----------



## Edward M. Grant

*Tron: Legacy*. Ok, but nothing much new since the original movie. Sheridan is looking old these days.

*The Time Machine.* Started watching it again on Blu-Ray, having only seen it on TV or DVD before. Clearly the film stock wasn't great in those days, as much of it doesn't look much better than the DVD. But still the second-best H.G. Wells adaption, with probably the third most memorable time machine after the Tardis and DeLorean.

Finished the Supermarionation documentary and the extras. Well worth watching if you like those shows. Probably the best documentary there'll ever be on the subject now so many of the people involved are gone.


----------



## Vince W

*Pirates* (1986). The film starring Walter Matthau. I never understood why this film wasn't more popular. It's quite a bit of fun really.

Also *Big Trouble in Little China*. It just needed watching again.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Edward M. Grant said:


> *Tron: Legacy*. Ok, but nothing much new since the original movie. Sheridan is looking old these days.



Disney does rubber fetishwear with a* great* soundtrack.

Rubbish story though.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

JunkMonkey said:


> Disney does rubber fetishwear with a* great* soundtrack.



Yeah, my girlfriend was complaining about the house shaking with the new 5.1 speakers...


----------



## clovis-man

Vince W said:


> Also *Big Trouble in Little China*. It just needed watching again.



May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!


----------



## Chris Guillory

clovis-man said:


> May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!


This is for the colors of America, the colors that never run.


----------



## Vince W

Chris Guillory said:


> This is for the colors of America, the colors that never run.



Here's to the Army and the Navy, and the battles they have won;


----------



## clovis-man

Wow! We're going backwards in a time warp! It's all in the reflexes.


----------



## Vince W

clovis-man said:


> Wow! We're going backwards in a time warp! It's all in the reflexes.



I had better brush up on my time travel grammar with cracker-jack timing!


----------



## Chris Guillory

Vince W said:


> I had better brush up on my time travel grammar with cracker-jack timing!



This makes me feel old...like thousand year old basket-case on wheels, old.


----------



## clovis-man

Chris Guillory said:


> This makes me feel old...like thousand year old basket-case on wheels, old.



Nah. You're a ten foot tall roadblock.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Thor the Conqueror* - A particularly brainless Italian Barbarian movie from 1983. Enhanced by the really crappy VHSness of the copy I watched.  The one on Youtube is better quality: (and less cut)


----------



## svalbard

*Crimson Peak *A so-so story beautifully shot. The cinematography is stunning and whilst I was watching it I couldn't help but wish that it was Del Torro instead of Jackson who ended up directing The Hobbit.


----------



## The Ace

*Dad's Army (2016)*.

I spent some of my Birthday money on this, and was pleasantly surprised.  Yes, it's strange to see Pike (Ian Lavender - the sole survivor of the original cast) as a General in a supporting role, but the wealth of talent makes a determined stab at the originals - a bunch of bumblers and no-hopers ready to put their lives on the line in the face of very real danger.

The plot is weak, and Catherine Zeta-Jones a little too obvious, but the laughs keep coming, and there are some genuine, "Moments;"

"Goodnight, Uncle Arthur."

"Goodnight, son."

Walker making a run for it while the platoon is under fire in an act of seeming cowardice, Godfrey's German learned from his nanny, the interplay between the men (admittedly, the modern Captain Mainwaring is a little more resentful of Wilson than the superb Arthur Lowe/John Le Mesurier pairing that became TV legend), and the larger role for the ladies of Walmington-on-Sea.

It isn't a classic, by any means, and the writers and directors could've done much better, but all-in-all not nearly as black as it's sometimes painted.  Compared to the terrible 1971 film (whose climax - with Mainwaring facing down a German officer with what turned out to be an empty revolver - was the only part of the entire experience worth remembering), this is much better, but whether it'll be worth a sequel (of course, the Home Guard was disbanded late in 1944 as they were no longer needed) remains to be seen.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Dunn,Lowe. Le Mesurier,geniuses all.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Little World Of Don Camillo* (1952) This French movie with English subtitles - of a collection of short stories by Italian writer Giovanni Guareschi - tells the story of a continuing conflict between  a priest and a communist mayor. Heart warming, funny and well worth a watch. 

I'd also highly recommend shelling out for a copy of the stories in print. I don't think they'll disappoint


----------



## Tim Murray

Foxbat said:


> *The Little World Of Don Camillo* (1952) This French movie with English subtitles - of a collection of short stories by Italian writer Giovanni Guareschi - tells the story of a continuing conflict between  a priest and a communist mayor. Heart warming, funny and well worth a watch.
> 
> I'd also highly recommend shelling out for a copy of the stories in print. I don't think they'll disappoint


Oblivion, with Tom Cruz. It was an interesting twist on humanities future.


----------



## Allegra

*The Best Offer*, another masterpiece by the very talented Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore (*The Legend of 1900*). Geoffrey Rush's performance is brilliant. Beautiful cinematography and music (by maestro Ennio Morricone). The story is so well developed and the mesmerising and eventually shocking effect stayed in my mind for a long time.


----------



## Vince W

*Deadpool*. Violent. Immature. Explicit. It was a tonne of fun. Maybe it was because I don't really know Deadpool, but this film really worked for me. I'd recommend it if you like some childish fun.


----------



## Droflet

Allegra said:


> *The Best Offer*, another masterpiece by the very talented Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore (*The Legend of 1900*). Geoffrey Rush's performance is brilliant. Beautiful cinematography and music (by maestro Ennio Morricone). The story is so well developed and the mesmerising and eventually shocking effect stayed in my mind for a long time.



Yes, wonderful movie. Highly recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Link to my review of a bad old movie.

Doomsday Machine (1967/1972) : Reader Reviews


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, that sound pretty awful. Unlike the star trek episode of the same name.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_The Doomsday Machine_ is a cracker.



> Captain: What do you read on the Doplerscope?
> 
> Crewman: It's been throwing out a good spectrum - the ship is declining. Velocity seventeen thousand five hundred ... I'd say we were forty thousand miles out.
> 
> Captain: Hmm... Put it in the ship's computer and see what we get...
> 
> This is great stuff, pure Grade A meaninglessness. This isn't SF movie babble written by people who had English as a second language, or who had to make whatever they wrote fit the mouth movements of existing footage. This is the real thing. Pure Gibberish.


----------



## J Riff

_Doomsday Machine_ is up for mangling here, it's a crocker all righty._ Revenge of the Virgins _ist anudder cheapie - the music is the same as _Beast of Yucca Flats_.... so...* In this one, nudey Injun gals go 'round, and they massacre every single gold poacher with apparently little effort. A very positive statement for 1959, and there's a dance routine too.


----------



## SilentRoamer

Last film I saw was Ant-Man fairly recently.

I found it ridiculous and stupid and also highly entertaining.


----------



## Starbeast

*Evil Dead* (2013)

WHOA-NELLY!!! It's been I while since a horror flick creeped me out, and this was it. I really like the new approach to the film, it made it more of a frightening movie, like watching the original _Exorcist_. Plus, I smiled, at what lurked beyond the credits. I wouldn't mind seeing it again, without popcorn.

Recommended for _only_ hardcore horror fans.


----------



## Ajid

The Revenant after the better half insisted we see it at the cinema. It was visualy stunning, some scenes were shot and directed so very well that they took my breath away. One particularly good example sees the camera follow down the right hand side of a rifle, pan slightly to the left, it finds two young bear cups walking to the right of shot and follows them, the camera continues to the left but in a way that you still feel to the right of the original view point but then it comes round to the left of the rifle and follows it uo back to the characters face. All in one shot so exceptional and unique. The rest felt lacking. I was impressed by tom hardy but actualy I found Leonardo a little lacking. Still probably the best acting performance of the year but honestly I felt Tom Hardy gave a better performance if I was to compare them side by side. He seemed to have more work to do to establish the character than LD did. I felt at the end that I had seen some wonderfull scenes that were well shot but that the story lacked something fundamental. It is hard to say if this "missing piece" was due to my expectation or the story telling. In terms of the oscars this year it certainly is better than most and the directorship is sound. Best actor?? Probably as there has been nothing provoking enough to challenge it but this would not be a contender in a good year for film. I expect like Dances With Wolves and The Last Of The Mohicans Before it will do will for it's good enough historical portrayel and the idea that white men can unterstand native americans. I hope that doesn't offend.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Link to another long review of an old stinker.

Body of the Prey (1966) : Reader Reviews


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Link to another long review of an old stinker.
> 
> Body of the Prey (1966) : Reader Reviews




Ooh that looks like fun!  Is it public domain?

EDIT:
it is! The Revenge Of  Dr. X : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

"Lift off to countdown now at three hours and... " 

20 seconds in and I love it already.  Thanks!


----------



## J Riff

I did not enjoy the EvilDead remake one bit. SB is right, only for HC horror/gore types. Retains none of the charm of the original series. I'm not even terribly taken with Ash vs. EvilDead, now that season one is in the bag. A bit gratuitous, a bit 'look at our cool gore FX!" But still fun I guess. Yep. 
Dr. X is inbound.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

*Pixels*. Hardly a cinematic classic, but still pretty entertaining if you played any of those old video games.


----------



## Edward M. Grant

*Journey 2: Mysterious Island*. Felt like they knocked the script together in a weekend and shot the movie the next day, but I only watched it because someone said it had good 3D, and it was certainly one of the more 3D movies I've seen.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I 


Edward M. Grant said:


> *Journey 2: Mysterious Island*. Felt like they knocked the script together in a weekend and shot the movie the next day, but I only watched it because someone said it had good 3D, and it was certainly one of the more 3D movies I've seen.



I saw this in the cinema with my kids. I spent most of the time being thankful for the cameraman's obvious fascination with Vanessa Hudgens's  bum.  That was worth watching.


----------



## J Riff

Ah, I hacked up_ Battle Beyond the Stars_ and it was a real laff. It seems that, the worserer the movie, the more spaceship footage it has, and this one had plenty. SpaceTruckers is next*


----------



## svalbard

*Bone Tomahawk. 
*
I was blown away by this movie. Kurt Russell is great in it, the dialogue is good, humorous in parts and absolutely terrifying in parts. This will end up as a bit of a cult classic.


----------



## Overread

My Neighbour Totoro - one of the classic Ghibli film that I've finally gotten on DVD and to see. A very fun if quaint adventure. What I like about it is that its what you could call an ideal childrens adventure without being condescending. Kind of reminds me of novels/films like the Railway Children and such which didn't talk down in such the same way as many more modern shows can. 

Anyway Totoro - well worth watching for people of any age


----------



## Jaxx

svalbard said:


> *Bone Tomahawk.
> *
> I was blown away by this movie. Kurt Russell is great in it, the dialogue is good, humorous in parts and absolutely terrifying in parts. This will end up as a bit of a cult classic.



I've heard good things about this. First time director I believe who laid into *The Revenant* and also _the last film I watched_ *The Hateful Eight*, it felt like watching a panto/theatre performance, Sam L Jackson was almost a parody of Tarantino's previous incarnations of him. H8 would lend itself well to Theatre, very disappointing for me, whilst I found the intensity of Revenant breathtaking.

So I will add *Bone Tomahawk* to a list of must see's, thanks.


----------



## J Riff

Bone Tommerhock reviews... Extreme gore wArning.. violent mess... bleak stylish curiosity... brutally violent.... but, Kurt Russel. The roomie is a big Kurt fan, I'll wait for the screaming to start in the other room.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Apocalypto *
Superb film!


----------



## J-Sun

_*The Snows of Kilimanjaro*_ (1952)

Wanna see a film with Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck based on Hemingway? Sure!

Wrong.

Not sure if this counts as a movie I "saw" as I watched a half hour of this of a couple of weeks ago or so and it was so painful I gave it a rest. Just watched another half hour, making it to the halfway point, and had to give up entirely.

A guy lies around suffering from gangrene and complaining about how miserable he was and is while Susan Heyward nurses him in a simultaneously cloying, martyred and waspish, foul-tempered way (the latter part understandably). All the while, the guy flashes back to his One True Love whom he sort of treats as attractive furniture while he shoots critters and whatnot on the road to Becoming a Writer. Very soap opera sensibility. Very unlikable characters. If you squint real hard and use your imagination, you can see how this didn't necessarily have to suck but the writing and directing were so poor that it did.

<opus>Well, maybe it wasn't that bad but, lord, it wasn't good.</opus>


----------



## Rodders

Despicable Me 2. I loved this (although I knew I would). 

I Am Number Four. Surprisingly enjoyable.


----------



## Vaz

*The Conversation
*
My favourite Francis ford Coppola movie by far. Tense thriller starring Gene Hackman as a private surveillance operative. Really smart movie, love it.

*One flew over the cuckoos nest
*
Hilarious and sad, jack Nicholson stars in a career defining role as McMurphy a man who gets himself sent to a mental institution as a way of getting out of work detail in prison.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Land of the Minotaur* (1976)

Moderate-size review with SPOILERS

Pretty dull Evil Cultists flick filmed on location in Greece. Donald Pleasance is the hero priest, Peter Cushing is the leader of the cult. There are a couple of nearly indistinguishable shapely platinum blonde young British women in tiny shorts and one young American man among the victims and intended victims, pretty much everybody else in the movie is Greek. Even the guy playing an American private eye is Greek. Young folks find a secret entrance to a cave where there's a statue of a minotaur with flame shooting out of its nostrils. The statue keeps saying something like "all who enter my realm must die." The cultists wear really shiny Ku Klux Klan style robes with some kind of color code. The leader wears the only red one, with gold trim around the wrists -- fancy! The ordinary workers wear black, some folks (there are a _lot_ of these cultists) wear blue (the sub-leaders?) and there are a few kids in their early teens who wear white. Folks get sacrificed to the minotaur statue right at the start of the movie. After that, not much happens. The priest hires the private detective to track down the missing whippersnappers. The private eye isn't much help at all. The movie goes a little nuts at the end. It turns out that bullets don't stop the cultists, but the priest says a Latin prayer (of exorcism, I assume) and they literally explode. They let the kids in white go free (even though we saw one of them, a creepy girl who stares silently a lot, stab a couple of folks to death at the start of the film) because their souls are still pure or something. Besides the wacky climax, it's a snoozer.


----------



## Toby Frost

In *Bone Tomahawk*, a band of cannibal cavemen abduct three people from a small Western town, and four cowboys ride out to get them back. The journey is talky and frequently quite funny, but the confrontation with the cannibals is tense and gruesome. The film owes as much of a debt to mutant-redneck films like _The Hills Have Eyes _as it does to _The Searchers_.

Slow-starting at first, this film turns extremely grisly and frightening in its last third, despite the rather unsurprising baddies. The director knows that you can’t make a good horror film if the audience doesn’t care about the characters. The acting is solid and the dialogue is very good once you get used to the deliberately antiquated style (“German” seems to be their word for “telescope”). Much better than the overrated Oscar-fodder _The Revenant_.


----------



## dekket

My wife and I just saw *Deadpool* (2016) on our 10th wedding anniversary.  It was the funniest movie we had seen for a long while (although just the too of us haven't been out to see a movie in the cinema in what feels like ages).  Before that we took the little man to see the *Goosebumps* film, just before his 7th birthday, its been a busy month.


----------



## BGTFan

I filmed a short sci-fi movie in Florida!


----------



## Vince W

dekket said:


> My wife and I just saw *Deadpool* (2016) on our 10th wedding anniversary.  It was the funniest movie we had seen for a long while (although just the too of us haven't been out to see a movie in the cinema in what feels like ages).



Who says romance is dead? Congrats, by the by.


----------



## SilentRoamer

Saw The Good Dinosaur with the kids.

I found it really really boring and there was nothing that hasn't been done ten times better before.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Make a Wish* (aka _Lesbian Psycho_) - a 'wandering around in the woods with a krazed killer on the loose' slasher but with a twist - it's awful.  That's the twist.  Not funny awful.  Just awful.  Another £2 wasted on eBay.


----------



## J Riff

Hey, _They Came From Beyond Space_ is not so bad, primarily because of a very good soundtrack.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Assignment Terror* (1970)

Spanish scream king Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina Alvarez) appears in his most famous, frequently recurring role as werewolf Waldemar Daninsky in this monster rally. He also wrote the screenplay, which offers hints of *Plan 9 from Outer Space* and the _Star Trek_ episode "By Any Other Name," as well as a huge amount of influence from the Universal team-up films *Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman*, *House of Frankenstein*, and *House of Dracula*.

Aliens (led by Michael Rennie in his last role) take over the bodies of dead humans and begin a plan to revive various monsters as part of a plan to take over the world. They find the skeleton of vampire Count Janos de Mialhoff on display at a carnival. Pulling the stake out of his heart brings him back. (This theme is taken directly from *House of Frankenstein*.) They raid the werewolf's tomb and surgically remove a silver bullet from his heart, bringing him back to life. They find the mummy Tao-Tet somewhere in Egypt and revive it. Somehow they find a monster created by a certain "professor Ulrich D. Faranchsalon." (There are many different spellings of this pseudo-Frankenstein name floating around on the Internet, but you can actually see the name on a book written by this fellow. Here's an image of "Anthology of the Monsters" with the author's name on it. I'm guessing at some of the letters -- I'm not at all sure of the middle initial -- but "Faranchsalon" is what I think it says.)



 

Besides the name, this is clearly supposed to be a Frankenstein-style monster. 

Anyway, let's skip all the stuff between the gathering of the monsters and the exciting climax.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The aliens start to show signs of human emotions and weaknesses. (There's the _Star Trek_ influence.) The vampire, who doesn't do much in this film, gets dispatched pretty easily by the movie's nominal hero. The werewolf and the mummy have a pretty cool fight, with the mummy getting destroyed in a unique way. The triumphant werewolf next takes on the Faranchsalon monster. At the end the ruined old monastery where the aliens have their headquarters blows up in quite an impressive way.

A silly movie, but of interest to fans of old-fashioned monster battles.


----------



## J Riff

_The Horror of Faranchaslon_ 1957. You missed this one, somehow...? Ha. Ha.
Tried to watch_ Dr. X_ but fell asleep and don't rememb er a thing...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dungeon of Harrow* (1962)

This ultra-low-budget shocker is amateurish in almost every way, with poor special effects, wooden acting, and awkward dialogue. It's slow and talky. Yet is also creates, almost despite itself, an eerie, claustrophobic mood. 

In 1870 the narrator (and there is a _lot_ of narration) washes up on an island after a shipwreck, along with the captain of the vessel. After some surprisingly formal and polite conversation between the two, they hear a woman's scream. They find the body of a woman who also apparently survived the wreck, only to be killed by hunting dogs. Yes, yet another version of "The Most Dangerous Game," although this turns out to be a very minor part of the plot.

The island is inhabited by the completely insane Count de Sade. (Not the famous one, I suppose.) In a bizarre scene, he has a vision of his own evil, in the form of a guy in a cape, first seen as a negative image, who produces various scary hallucinations. None of this has anything to do with the story, and the guy in the vision never shows up again.

Also in residence are the Count's giant African slave; a mute servant girl; a brooding ex-nurse to the Countess, who acts as the Count's companion; and the Countess herself, insane and locked up in the dungeon. Strange dialogue, torture, madness, murder, and a twist ending ensue. The whole thing seems like a Roger Corman Poe movie with a drastically lower budget. The appearance of the Countess and the ending are pretty effective. In many ways, a very bad movie, yet I found it rather haunting.


----------



## J Riff

Up my alley, that looks to be. DLin' that dungeon, I am. Hmm, I see _Ninja of the Magnificence_ on the same page... and,
_These are the Damned_ - supposedly loosely based on _The Midwich Cuckoos_. Geee..._ The Snorkel_ 1958..._ the Garment Jungle_..._ Lost, Lonely and Viscious_... * Fun is looming over MY evening, thass fer sure..*


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Be aware that *These are the Damned* (also known as *The Damned*), despite the fact that the title is very similar to *Village of the Damned* and *Children of the Damned*, the first based on _The Midwich Cuckoos_ and the second a sequel/quasi-remake to the first, and is also a British SF film from the same period dealing with strange children, is _not_ based on _The Midwich Cuckoos_ at all.  It's a fine film anyway.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Horrible Dr. Hichcock* (1962)

I'm using the most familiar title of this famous Italian Gothic shocker, but the copy I watched begins with a notice from the British Board of Film Classification (rating it as "suitable only for persons of 18 years and over") which calls it *The Terror of Dr. Hitchcock*. (Note the variation in spelling. I believe that "Hichcock" is correct, and that, at most, only a very vague allusion to the Master of Suspense is intended. This isn't a Hitchcockian film at all, really.) The opening titles, however, inform me that I am watching *Raptus: The Secret of Dr. Hichcock.*) 

"Raptus" is an unusual word, related to "rape" and "raptor" and "rapture," which can refer to a seizure or a state of ecstasy. All of these connotations seem appropriate to the unusual theme of this film.

I'm going to skip the opening scenes for the moment. The rest of the movie concerns a doctor whose first wife died twelve years ago. He returns to their home with his new bride. (Barbara Steele, whose eyes seem more enormous than ever in this role.) She a rather nervous type, who faints at least twice during the film. She begins to believe that the ghost of the first wife is haunting her. Hallucinations, the supernatural, or an attempt at gaslighting? There's a sinister housekeeper, a room which is always kept locked, and even a black cat.

So far this all seems very familiar. Things take on a different meaning, however, when you consider the start of the movie. We see a man hidden by a cape approach a cemetery at night. Someone is digging a grave. (At night? Just accept it. This film is more nightmare than logic.) The caped fellow knocks out the gravedigger and opens the coffin nearby. Within is the dead body of a beautiful young woman. The man caresses her lovingly, then covers her body with his own . . .

Thankfully we cut away. We soon learn that Dr. Hichcock has a secret room in his house made up like a funeral parlor. He likes to give his wife a drug which places her in a death-like state and then lovingly caress her and . . .

Yes, Dr. Hichcock is a true necrophiliac. This daring theme haunts the entire film. The movie is also very nicely filmed, with fine sets and costumes, a few really impressive scenes, those bright red and blue lights, seemingly without any rational source, which you find in Italian Gothics, and one heck of a climax. Recommended.


----------



## Rodders

Deadpool.

It was good fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Ghost* (1963)

Supposedly a sequel to *The Horrible Dr. Hichcock* but that's nonsense. Yes, we have a character named Doctor Hichcock, but he's got a different first name. Yes, Barbara Steele plays Mrs. Hichcock, but she's got a different first name. Yes, the same actress who played the spooky servant is back, and she's still a spooky servant, but she's got a different name. Besides, the first one took place in England in 1885, and this one takes place in Scotland in 1910.

Anyway, this Doc Hichcock is suffering from paralysis and is confined to a wheelchair. A younger doctor attempts to treat him with small doses of a drug which requires immediate treatment with an antidote to avoid suffocation. We very quickly find out that Mrs. Hichcock and the handsome young doctor are lovers. Oh, by the way, Doc Hichcock has a strong interest in spiritualism, and we witness a seance at the very beginning of the film.

Well, you can probably see where this is going, since you're watching a movie called *The Ghost*. Since this film depends on an carefully crafted plot (unlike the dreamlike *The Horrible Doctor Hichcock*, which often threw logic out the window), I won't say any more about it. Suffice to note that it lacks the daring and original theme of the previous movie, but it's an effective Italian Gothic chiller in its own right.


----------



## bedlamite

*Hang 'em high* (1968). _One word review: Lacking_
An enjoyable enough watch, but IMO suffers from gaps in the narrative, sketchy/lazily drawn characters with motives and actions that seem at odds. Like a stew that's had too much water added too it - you can eat it, but you know it could have been more enjoyable.


----------



## J Riff

Oddly, I just posted a still from _Hang Em High ..._ and, looked at _The Ghost._ But I watched_ Dr. X,_ reviewed recently by Victoria, and it was just like she said. The Count is a really annoying guy, a nut who owns his own leper island, I mean what do you want?
 Watched _The Snorkel_, which is a murder mystery. It's pretty obvious what the snorkel itself is for, an evil use for a snorkel... well it was okay.


----------



## MemoryTale

Just seen a film called *Imaginarium* - very odd film. Possibly the saddest human drama I've seen in years, shot like a whimsical fantasy film and with a heavy metal score. I loved it, but at the same time it's hard to recommend.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Fun at St Fanny's* (1955) - strange little low-budget British school comedy film lovingly restored and re-released on DVD by The British Film Institute.  Bewilderingly bad, the film lurches from scene to scene or crude slapstick with the barest thread of a plot holding them together.  A not very good school farce  punctuated by moments of really really weird acting the odd utterly surreal moment and bizarre little musical numbers (including a very odd version of _Mambo Italiano_). Some very odd stuff in here but why the BFI thought it worth the effort to revive is as baffling as anything on screen.


----------



## dask

Finished this today:





Pretty darn good blend of logic and not-so-logic to watch at night with the lights off and a tuxedo Maine Coon curled up on your lap. Looking back I wish I had saved it for Halloween after the trick or treaters had gone home.


----------



## MemoryTale

JunkMonkey said:


> *Fun at St Fanny's* (1955) - strange little low-budget British school comedy film lovingly restored and re-released on DVD by The British Film Institute.  Bewilderingly bad, the film lurches from scene to scene or crude slapstick with the barest thread of a plot holding them together.  A not very good school farce  punctuated by moments of really really weird acting the odd utterly surreal moment and bizarre little musical numbers (including a very odd version of _Mambo Italiano_). Some very odd stuff in here but *why the BFI thought it worth the effort to revive is as baffling as anything on screen*.



The result of some bizarre drinking game?


----------



## Rodders

I watched something called "Bad Bromance" with Jack Black and James Marsdon.

It was ok. A story about how people hold others in high esteem, especially after time has passed. Not a bad film, a little disturbing in part but not my cup of tea.


----------



## the_evil_ted

Hammered through Spot Light (wow!), Victor Frankenstein (Meh..) and The Big Short (wow!) weekend before last. 

Picked up Lobster in HMV on the weekend, looking forward to that and a glass of wine this Friday night with the wife - anyone seen it?


----------



## Rodders

I've heard a lot of good things about it. It sounds pretty funny and pretty weird.


----------



## WaylanderToo

American Hustle - great soundtrack but the characters were (by and large) not nice people and I felt nothing for them (with the exception of the mayor)


----------



## REBerg

_Zootopia_. Entertaining story full of good messages and laughs for both kids and adults. Six thumbs up from these grandparents and grandson. See the 2D version and save the extra charge. The 3D effects were not especially noteworthy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Count Dracula's Great Love* (1973)

Spanish horror king Paul Naschy stars in this interesting variation of the Dracula myth. The vampire legend is given some unusual twists here, and the plot goes in some unexpected ways, so I won't give away too much. Of course, there's a lot of familiar Eurogothic stuff here as well. A spooky old building, with women wandering around in their nightgowns. (Despite the fact that this clearly takes place in the 19th century, by the daytime costumes, these are very 20th century nightgowns.) A cat jumping out to scare one of the women. There is also a lot which is silly. Vampires whose faces are dead white with heavy makeup, but whose bodies are tanned. Dracula narrating scenes with an echo effect in his voice. 

The setup involves a couple of guys carrying a large crate to the spooky old building, said to be an abandoned sanitarium. (It seems the previous doctor in charge of the place was a little too fond of draining his patients' blood for his experiments, so he was hung in a riot. I was never clear if this was Dracula in another incarnation, or somebody else. In either case, this backstory would make a decent film on its own.) The two guys decide to open the crate to see if there is anything to steal. To their surprise, but not the viewer's, it holds a coffin. Inside the coffin they find a skeleton with long blonde hair. After shutting it up they decide to wander around looking for something else to grab. One gets killed in typical vampire fashion, but, surprisingly, the other one gets killed by an ax in the head. Hilariously, a scene of the axed guy falling down a flight of stairs is repeated over and over in slow motion under the opening credits.

Cut to a horse-drawn coach making its way somewhere. Inside are one young man, our presumed hero, and four young women, our presumed "brides." There's also the coachman. Well, a wheel falls off, the coachman gets kicked in the head by a horse and dies, and our five tourists are forced to walk to the nearby spooky old building, newly inhabited by the doctor (Naschy) who just bought the place, for help.

I'll stop the plot summary here, even though our movie has really just started, because it doesn't always go the way you expect (although sometimes it does.) You'll probably figure out who the doctor is -- hell, he's played by Paul Naschy -- but you may not predict what happens to the hero, nor exactly what roles the various brides will play in the strange events to follow. The opening scene, with the two crooks and the blonde skeleton, turns out to be relevant. Dracula's motives turn out to be unusual. 

There are some very nicely filmed scenes. There is some really bad dubbing. There's a fair amount of sleaze -- lots of topless scenes for the brides, and some girl-on-girl bloodsucking scenes played for eroticism (as well as some heterosexual ones) -- but nothing too extreme. There are some vampire-vs-vampire fight scenes of interest. All in all, decent entertainment for fans of this genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Snake People* (1971)

One of the four low-budget Mexican horror films Boris Karloff made at the very end of his life. His scenes were filmed in Los Angeles in 1968. This one is pretty standard voodoo movies stuff. (Weirdly, the opening scene shows us a globe which places the "Island of Snakes" in the Pacific Ocean, although everything in this movie fits a Caribbean setting.) Anyway, a hard-nosed French police captain arrives to crack down the island's black magic. At the same time our heroine, a young German woman, arrives on the island to visit her uncle (Karloff.) She's a temperance crusader. (By her clothing, particularly her nifty cloche hat, I'm guessing this is supposed to be the 1920's.) Her anti-alcohol fervor is pretty much played for laughs, and she gets into a romance with a hard-drinking government police lieutenant, our hero. Along for the fun are a scary dwarf and a scantily-clad belly dancer who participate in the voodoo rituals. The latter has a treak of white in her black hair and an intense stare, and looks like a sexier, scarier Lily Munster. A lot of elements are all mixed up in this movie -- telekinesis, laughably cheap "zombie" makeup (just pale blue paint), hints of necrophilia with the recently revived dead, "cannibal women" (pale blue zombies who kill some police), a weird dream sequence in which our heroine rises from a coffin, sees herself in another coffin, and proceeds to make out with herself -- but it manages to be pretty limp. It's not the worst voodoo movie I've ever seen, and has some interesting scenes, but it's nothing to write home about either. Karloff, living on one lung, never far from a supply of oxygen, and dependent on a wheelchair, manages to keep his powerful voice and be pretty effective here, particularly when he beats a guy with his cane. On the other hand, at the very end of the movie somebody dubs Karloff's last lines, and whoever it is doesn't sound like him at all.


----------



## J Riff

I think I reviewed this one in here somewhere. Boris beats on a guy with his cane, that's his last action sequence. There's also a midget who does some good crazy laughing. I haven't watched anything for a while, resting brain though not sure what for. *


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Drive In Massacre* (1977) - tedious 'killer on the loose' film which was 90% fill and 10% pointless.  I guess they got a decent enough trailer out of it but by Christ the rest of it was tedious.  As for the 'twist' ending the less said the better.  Watched as part of my long term masochist project to watch everything released (in English) on the quasi-illegal _23rd Century_ DVD label.  Other classics released by them include a transfer of Philippine _Mad Max_ knock off  *Clash of the Warlords* (aka _Mad Warrior_ 1985) so crappy it opened with a two minute freeze frame of an explosion. (Presumably the opening credits were supposed to go over this static shot but apart from a brief - 6 second - flash of the film's title... nothing else appears on screen) and tape roll from the battered VHS copy from which it is mastered.  On at least two occasions the screen went to blue as, I guess, the tape jammed in the machine as they were digitizing it.  At least *Drive In Massacre *had credits and didn't jam in the machine.


----------



## J Riff

Wow JM thanks for reporting in on this kind of stuff, it saves a lot o' potential agony here, as again, a long download results in a short unpleasant video degradation of the mind.... (*?) and, err... I think I'll go watch a nature special on food spoilage microorganisms.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Carol* (2015)

Adaptation of the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, originally published as _The Price of Salt_ under a pseudonym.  Handsomely filmed, and made me feel like I was looking at the early 1950's.  Inevitably, it's not as groundbreaking as Highsmith's lesbian love story was at the time.  Tries a little too hard at times to be a "serious" award-winner.


----------



## Vince W

*Kung Fu Panda 3*. A little repetitious, but light fun all the same. All the mention of dumplings and noodles has made me hungry though.


----------



## the_evil_ted

I got around to watching 'the lobster' last night. 

It's hard to discuss without blowing major spoilers, I loved it's queerness, it's humour. In fact, I fell for it straight away with the opening - WTF?!? the dialogue reminded me of Wes Anderson, while the camera work was no where close.  Was it filmed in Scotland? I'll have to check. Stunning, no matter where it was. 

The acting: stellar. The concept: how many glasses of wine have I drank? 

At it's core - a story about relationships. It is a metaphorical poem on our perceptions of love, the length we go to attain it and the lies we concede to endure it. And yes, I will regret typing that in the morning...

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<SPOILER>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Still here?

Watch it, I had no idea how it was going to end and so should you. However, I do recommend a bottle of your favourite wine.

The end... I really want to scream at the top of my voice. 

Well done to all involved.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched *Enter The Dragon *followed by *Up In Smoke* this weekend.


----------



## Andersson

the_evil_ted said:


> I got around to watching 'the lobster' last night.
> 
> Watch it, I had no idea how it was going to end and so should you. However, I do recommend a bottle of your favourite wine.



I watched it a while back and, though I found it very interesting, I didn't actually make it all the way to the end. Probably because I didn't have any wine at hand. 

The last movie I watched was "The Danish Girl". Absolutely beautiful film and great acting but the story didn't really engage me and, since I knew the general premise beforehand, never managed to surprise me.


----------



## the_evil_ted

I walked into The Danish Girl, after buying tickets for Star Wars TFA. A mix up, they'd printed tickets for another showing - go VUE!! The cinema was empty, I thought it was a trailer. Then, after I'd gotten sucked into screen there was a tap on my shoulder, "This is the film." The wife, ever more astute than I...

It's on the list to watch, the 90 seconds of what I did see did a far better job of selling it to me than the trailer did.

But not what I saw last, which is now 'the Deerhunter'. A perfect hangover film, deliberately paced and beautiful. But I stayed strong, I did not cry, not this time. This and Shindler's List and if I'm honest, the Lion King (but I won't be) are the only two films I cry at on re-watching.  



Foxbat said:


> Watched *Enter The Dragon *followed by *Up In Smoke* this weekend.



Up In Smoke, Cheech and Chong? The one with the 'green' car?


----------



## Foxbat

the_evil_ted said:


> Up In Smoke, Cheech and Chong? The one with the 'green' car?


That's the one


----------



## Rodders

10 Cloverfield Lane. 

It was pretty enjoyable.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Watched _Mandela: The Road to Freedom_. Great film with superb acting by Idris Elba and Naomie Harris. Really disappointed to find it was snubbed by the Oscars, with nothing more than a token award to U2 for a song in the end credits.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *A Walk in the Woods* because I liked the book it was based on - by Bill Bryson of the same title and I was wondering how they could make this non-fiction travel/adventure book into an interesting film. It turned out quite enjoyable, thanks to the excellent acting of Robert Redford as Bryson and Nick Nolte as Katz. They couldn't have found better actors for the roles, though both are much older than the real two when they walked Appalachian Trail. Funny and heart-warming, great scenery too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Voodoo Island* (1957)

Directed by Reginald Le Borg; written by Richard H. Landau

Here's a Boris Karloff film, which features movie-style voodoo practiced on an island in the Pacific, instead of in its proper place in the Caribbean.

Wait a minute; didn't I just watch this? Oh, yeah, that was *Snake People* (1971). Never mind.

You can tell this is a 1950's movie, because there's a lot of theremin music, particularly at the start, to give us an eerie mood. We begin with what seems to be a really obvious model of a tropical island with some buildings on it, and we laugh at how cheap this movie is going to be. Surprise! It turns out that this really is a model, of a proposed hotel to be built on the island in question. There's one little problem, however. Of the folks who were sent out to scout around the place, only one came back, and he was found washed up on another island in a seemingly zombified state. Enter professional skeptic Karloff, who gets hired by the filthy rich hotel magnate to figure out what's going on.

Karloff insists on bringing the zombie along. Making up the rest of the party is a company doctor, to keep an eye on the zombie; a company troubleshooter; Karloff's very pretty but no-nonsense young assistant; and the company's chief designer, a stylish, elegant, slightly older woman. Amazingly for 1957, it's made pretty clear that the designer is attracted to Karloff's assistant. This isn't just my dirty mind; a little research reveals that this was one of the films shown on TCM during their "Screened Out" series, in conjunction with a book of the same name about gays in movies. (During one scene between these two women, the older one classy and the younger one lovely but mousy, the wisecrack I made to myself was "This is a weird version of *Carol*.")

During this early scene we get our first hint of the truly weird things this movie is going to throw at us from time to time, as one of the model plants starts to bleed. There doesn't even seem to be a supernatural explanation for this, and at times the film is nearly surrealistic.

But at other times it's mighty tedious. It takes a _long_ time to get to Voodoo Island. (I'm going to call it that, anyway.) Along the way the plane our heroes are in runs into some bad weather (even though we're told they are no storms within 500 miles -- more unexplained weirdness) and radio trouble. (This gives us a chance to see a very young but unmistakable Adam West in his first film role as a radio guy.) Eventually we get to an island that is near Voodoo Island, where we meet two more major characters. One is our designated romantic lead, who drinks a lot because he is haunted by guilt. The other is Elisha Cook, Jr., always a pleasure to see, as the romantic lead's employer, who is as scared as a rabbit over the taboo forbidding anyone to go to Voodoo Island, but who soon changes his tune when he finds out he stands to make tons of money if the hotel gets built.

After a bunch of slogging through the jungle, the movie takes a wild left turn into a completely different kind of horror movie. Will we see some more voodoo? Will some of our heroes perish? Will somebody wind up a zombie? Will one of the two women go skinnydipping and be attacked by something? Will the beautiful but Spock-like assistant fall in love with the romantic lead, or will she fall into the arms of the designer? (Hint: This is 1957.)

*Voodoo Island* has enough weirdness going on to make it worthwhile to wait patiently through many dull stretches. It's got a good cast, and some interesting characters, as well as some really silly special effects near the end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Fury of the Wolfman* (1970)

Wow, I didn't expect this Paul Naschy werewolf movie to be such an insane mess. It starts off in *Werewolf of London* style with our antihero attacked by a yeti (?) in Tibet and winding up with a pentagonal wound on his chest. (Of course, they call it a "pentagram.") Mind you, this is all revealed as a flashback-within-a-flashback with both flashbacks shown simultaneously as a double exposure! The plot then turns into *The Postman Always Rings Twice* as Naschy's wife and her lover plot to kill him. He survives the car wreck caused by the brakes they tampered with only to become a werewolf, eventually killing his wife and her lover. Right after that, he runs into an power line and gets electrocuted. End of movie? No, we're not even half an hour into it yet. 

The film goes completely berserk as a Mad Scientist (seen earlier, she was just a colleague of Naschy's at a university) brings him back to life (this doesn't seem to take much more than just opening his coffin) and taking him to her hideout in a sinister castle, where she and her miniskirted minions are doing all kinds of evil stuff. All coherence is lost as random scenes are thrown in, some from the earlier Naschy flick *Frankenstein's Bloody Terror*. (Despite the American title, strictly a werewolf movie.) Example: Naschy in werewolf form is chained to the wall, getting whipped by the Mad Scientist, dressed for the occasion in an elegant evening gown instead of her usual science clothes. (Kinky!) Without seeing him escape from the chains, we see him jump through a window. Next we see somebody who isn't Naschy walking very calmly in werewolf makeup. This fellow's sedate attacks on random victims alternate with a rip-snorting, furniture-smashing attack stolen from the earlier film. Totally random stuff happens in the Mad Scientist's lair: mind-controlled mutants, plant-people, a love-in among some hippie types, a guy hiding in a suit of armor, and a guy in a Phantom of the Opera/Leatherface mask wandering around.

The story goes that the director had a serious drinking problem and let his fourteen-year-old son do some of the directing and writing. I can believe it. This is an absolutely terrible film that makes very little sense, but you may find it fascinating for its weirdness.


----------



## Ajid

Solaris, The 2002 version. I really really wish I hadn't watched it. They need to change the name of this movie it is not the Solaris story I read that's for sure.


----------



## StuartBurchell

Sole Survivor, 1970.  William Shatner leads an USAF investigation of a crashed WWII B25 bomber in the Libyan desert 17 years later. With him is the plane's sole survivor, Richard Basehart, now a senior USAF general. And watching all of this are the ghosts of the plane, unable to leave it.

Based on the discovery of a US bomber, Lady Be Good in 1968/69? the plane's crew were recovered two years later, except for 1, still unrecovered.

EDIT: got it on doubleplay blu-ray/dvd from Amazon UK


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman* (1970)

(I actually saw this Eurogothic shocker under the name *Werewolf Shadow*. That version is apparently a little longer than the most common version, released under the longer title. I'm not sure it matters a whole lot, however, because the version I saw contained a couple of scenes left in the original Spanish, without English dubbing!)

Made just about the same time as the bizarrely chaotic *The Fury of the Wolfman*, this Paul Naschy werewolf flick is a very different creature. The plot actually makes sense, most of the time. Although Naschy plays the same character, there's little or no continuity between the two films.

We begin with two autopsy guys who go to a morgue in the middle of the night (and, yes, this scene was clearly filmed in bright sunlight) to examine the body of Naschy, who was killed by being shot with two silver bullets. In order to prove that all this werewolf stuff is nonsense, one of the guys takes the bullets out of Naschy's heart. You can guess what happens.

Meanwhile, two college students are trying to find the grave of a woman who was executed for practicing Satanism (and for being a vampire) centuries ago. They wind up in the middle of nowhere, and run into Naschy, who lives in an isolated home with his mentally ill sister and his sane but unpleasant manservant. He helps the two women find the vampire's grave. They open the coffin and remove the cross-shaped dagger from the skeleton inside. During this process one of the students cuts her wrist, and some blood falls on the vampire's skull. Again, you can guess what happens.

That's all the plot summary I'll provide, since the film is worth watching for fans of this kind of old-fashioned monster rally. There isn't a whole lot that's terribly surprising, but the movie is pretty effective. There are some nicely filmed scenes, and the Vampire Woman is a striking figure, with convincing pale skin makeup, draped in filmy black veils. It's not a groundbreaking classic, but it's enjoyable on its own terms.


----------



## michaelhall2007

Just watched PAUL.
Anything Pegg touches is gold.


----------



## Nick B

The fifth wave.
I can't even begin to list all the things wrong with this story. Just best to not watch it. Everything is bad about it. And for goodness sake, if ever someone points a gun at you, dont try to disarm thew with the move the (cant remember his name, he was so memorable) guy shows the (equaly un-likeable) heroine. You will die. 
Please, use your 90 minutes on something worthwhile. Like sleeping. Or washing stuff.


----------



## michaelhall2007

Quellist said:


> The fifth wave.
> I can't even begin to list all the things wrong with this story. Just best to not watch it. Everything is bad about it. And for goodness sake, if ever someone points a gun at you, dont try to disarm thew with the move the (cant remember his name, he was so memorable) guy shows the (equaly un-likeable) heroine. You will die.
> Please, use your 90 minutes on something worthwhile. Like sleeping. Or washing stuff.


If Heinz Beanz ran an advert on TV saying "Their beans will make you look sexy to anyone that smells your fart's" it would get thrown off the aid for false  advertising BUT when a movie trailer convinces you that the film will be enjoyable, there are no repercussions when its a total  bank of w**k? Grrrr. 2hrs I'll never get back  too and £25!!!!!


----------



## Rodders

I watched Paul as well. Forgot how funny it was, actually.


----------



## michaelhall2007

Rodders said:


> I watched Paul as well. Forgot how funny it was, actually.


Sooooo funny


----------



## Nick B

Paul is a great film


----------



## Ajid

Quellist said:


> Paul is a great film


It Really is, I'm very surprised by the Star Trek Beyond trailer actualy, I thought with SP involved in the screen play and who much respect he has for the genre and Star Trek it would seem a bit more, well a lot more, "To Boldly Go". Apparantly the trailer does not reflect the film, I hold out little hope.


----------



## J Riff

Nothing, have watched nothing lately, but Victorier's review of _Fury of the Wolfman_ means that tonite, rubbish will be viewed. Also spotted _The Face of the Screaming Werewolf_ 1964, cannot resist such a title.


----------



## Lenny

Watched the new *Fantastic Four* film tonight. Nothing special, but nowhere near as bad as I expected.


----------



## Vince W

*Batman v Superman: Yawn Dawn of Justice*. A mediocre mash up of several comic book sources. Someone needs to tell Snyder that it's okay to film in the sunlight.


----------



## svalbard

*Sicario *for a second time. A cracking good movie, Benicio del Torro and Josh Brolin chewed every scene they were in.

And for the weekend that's in it *The Wind That Shakes The Barley*_. _Set in my home county it recounts the War of Independence in Ireland. Ken Loach did a good job here using local actors and only two established 'stars' Cillian Murphy and Liam Cunningham(Ser Davos). I think he put too much of his socialist ideology into it. It doesn't tally with the tales I heard from my grandparents, however he captures the emotions, betrayals, hard choices, and the pure strength of what a determined local populace can do against larger, better armed foreign forces.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Zootopia*. I loved it - breathtakingly beautiful animation, hilarity, exciting crime story, clever dialogue for adults, great setting.


----------



## Droflet

*Star Wars 7.* Better than eps 1,2 and 3. Duh. A bit derivative of ep 4; predictable in spots. But overall, pretty good fun. 

*Deadpool.* Simply the best movie of the year. IMHO. I'll say no more or I'll start to rant.


----------



## the_evil_ted

Foxbat said:


> That's the one







Rodders said:


> 10 Cloverfield Lane.



I really fancy this, do they keep it just to the three of them? Wait - don't answer that. Is it connected to the first film? Wait - don't answer that either. Is it out in the UK?



Last night's Saturday Movie - A Most Violent Year.

Felt fantastic tension all the way through. DESPITE the Blu-Ray title screen. If you purchase this, and have not seen it - press PLAY AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

I waited for my darling wife, who was slicing up some luscious home-made chocolate cake (she is an angel), and watched the snippets of film footage on the montage. Most of which happened in the last twenty minutes of the film! I mean come on! 

Thankfully, Isaac and Chastain were both superb in it and it was only when the first of the scenes happened that I remembered the 'random sequences' which basically had told me how the end was going to play out because there was so little time left in the film.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Amazing Spider Man 2* (2014)

 Overwhelmingly Boring (I forced myself to watch an hour and twenty minutes of it - I just couldn't finish it)
 Uninteresting Characters (I couldn't stand anyone in the movie)
 Poorly Directed (even the director apologized later)
 Lots of people wearing glasses (that seemed strange to me)
 Ridiculous use of a classic villain (goodbye forever Electro - your big screen chance is destroyed)
 Why does everything have to center around Oscorp Industries. Isn't there anything interesting happening anywhere else?
 Stan Lee looked confused and unhappy in his cameo.
 Far worst than _Amazing Spider Man 1_ (which was not worth watching again as well)


*This video sums up my review:*


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ghosts of Mars* - I think John Carpenter may have been asleep when he wrote/directed/scored this one.


----------



## Ajid

The last film I watched was one I've seen only once before and I wonder why I haven't watched it more often, Chinatown. 

Jach Nicolson plays a Gumshoe not to far removed from the iconic Philp Marlowe of the Raymond Chandler books. One key difference is that unlike Marlowe Nicholsons character "Gittes" does take on the divorce or simmilar type cases that come to him. 

There are some exceptional performances in this film from Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson and John Huston.

We open with Gittes hired to probide evidence of adultry. The situation soon heads in a different direction after the revelation that the woman who hired him was not the wife of the adulterous husband.

Murder, corruption and a family complications ensue.

The film has the advantage of being written as a screenplay and it certainly bennifits from it. The story line is compact enough for screen but also complex enough to hold interest.

The film builds to a climax that to some may let it down a little but others will love. In my opinion the ending is perfect wraps up all charachters and still manages to leave amiguity. It's a shame that a sequel was filmed. 

In conclusion this film is probably amoungst  the finest of Jack Nicholsons work, faye Dunaway is exceptional and effectivley every woman I have visualised from any PI story I have ever read. there are few plot holes and the ending, if you can take it, will keep you thinking about it for hours.


----------



## aThenian

*Frost Nixon*.

Well done but somehow underwhelming, I think because the story itself was a bit lacking - so David Frost interviewed Richard Nixon, so what?  So much less exciting than Watergate itself.


----------



## gdoc

Batman V Superman. Abysmal. Avoid if you can


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Villain Still Pursued Her* (1940)

This charming spoof of mid-19th century melodramas (particularly those dealing with Demon Rum) was quite a pleasant surprise. It's got the deadpan mock-seriousness of something like *Airplane!* and quite a bit of clever wit. It's not above throwing in a pie fight for laughs, but most of the time it relies on outrageously florid dialogue and subtle sight gags. It also breaks the fourth wall quite often. The great Buster Keaton has a good supporting role. Recommended.


----------



## J Riff

Tx again Victoria, for sorting through oldies and pulling up the good 'uns. I am tryin to get to _Fury of the Wolfman_, but reality is interfering again.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Silent Night, Bloody Night* (1972)

Stylish and moody slasher with a remarkably complex back story, portrayed in sepia-toned flashback sequences. Very nicely filmed. The body count is quite high, and there are some bloody scenes, but the camera does not dwell on the gore. More time is spent on character development. Notable for featuring several actors associated with Andy Warhol, as well as John Carradine in a fairly important, but non-speaking role. Recommended.


----------



## Lew Rockwell Fan

Serenity.

Basically, I quit watching TV or movies after grammer school, sometime after the Permian extinction. But a bookstore lady whose opinions I respect insisted that Firefly was worth while, so I eventually got around to watching it from Youtube. She was right. So I bought the DVD. Way better than 2001, which wouldn't have made a lick of sense if I hadn't read the book first.


----------



## the_evil_ted

Go Browncoats!

Watched 'Begin Again' last night, Keira Knightly (e?) & Mark Ruffalo - sweet and real. 

You think it's about music producing, but it's not. It's about relationships and the love of music. I love finding little gems on Netflix without having seen any trailers.

All the cast was good, pacing was chilled, there's some real moments in it and I never knew Keira could sing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Vengeance of the Zombies* (1973)

This Paul Naschy flick lacks the insanity of *Fury of the Wolf Man*, the silliness of *Assignment Terror*, the effective Gothic appeal of *The Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman*, or the intriguing plot elements of *Count Dracula's Great Love*. So what's left? A pretty lame zombie movie. The confusing story mixes up voodoo, Satanism, and the Thugee cult. Naschy gets to play three roles; a good Indian mystic, his evil brother, and, in a brief, weird dream sequence, Satan. Add an inappropriate upbeat jazz/rock soundtrack, and you have a fairly dull affair. The zombies are just ordinary women in black nightgowns and blue-gray makeup.


----------



## psikeyhackr

*1936 - The Amazing Adventure - CARY GRANT*





The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

psik


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I just watched the new Bond - Spectre. I don't know if I'm disappointed or gravely disappointed! What went wrong? There's major plot issues (spoilers alert). For example when they find the tracker tracking a sat phone and set out to follow it - why's the phone still running however many years later? Why when they get there on the train of all things - is the bad guy waiting for them? Why does he send just a driver if he's expecting them? And why do they get in the bloody car? And then there's the torture scene - why does the DIY brain surgery not work on Bond? And the watch bomb goes off but why do the manacles on his chair simply click open?

There's the stupid parts too, like attending the meeting of Spectre. How again does the bad guy know he's there in the crowd? Turn to face him and have a conversation when he's in shadow? And the escape is simply ludicrous. Not to mention destroying the bad guys lair a bit later. One bullet into some sort of fuel pump(?) and it goes bang, then five minutes later they walk out (ok maybe they hurried and shot a few guys but it really didn't seem very tense) and the whole damned lair goes boom? What's that about?

Then of course there's the DB10 - yeah pretty - but looks to have an awful ride through the city - no suspension! And where were the toys? The babes?

It's like they completely forgot what a Bond film was all about.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Haunts* (1977)

Intriguing low budget psychological drama disguised as a slasher. May Britt stars as a woman living on a farm near a small town somewhere near the ocean. The area is terrorized by a series of brutal rape/murders. Meanwhile, the woman has flashback memories of something that happened during her childhood. At times the film almost has the feeling of a documentary, as we see folks in this blue collar community go about their daily lives. At other times there's a touch of surrealism. There's a major twist ending which changes everything we've seen. There's a final twist at the very end which makes things much stranger. Also features a good role for Cameron Mitchell which proves to be more important than it might seem. Recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Maze Runner - *which I really quite enjoyed... right up until the end when the 'explanation' made me wonder why I had bothered.


----------



## Rodders

I watched something called the Cobbler with Adam Sandler. 

A little predictable, but it turned out to be a nice film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Head* (1959)

It's easy to dismiss this Euroshocker as *The Brain That Wouldn't Die* with a German accent. Certainly, there are similarities. You've got the living decapitated head that only wants to die (although here it's an older man instead of a young woman.) You've got the mad scientist who plots to make use of the beautiful body of a stripper. (No, not to transplant onto the man's head! I have to admit that would make an remarkable plot twist, though.) You've got an assistant who not's quite right in the head (although he's Mister Sanity compared to the mad scientist.) You've got a lab going up in flames.

However, there are several differences. *The Head* takes itself about as seriously as a disembodied head movie can. The man without a body, although he plays an important part in the plot, isn't actually the main concern of the film. Rather it deals mostly with a hunchbacked nurse. (And now you've figured out what the mad scientist wants to do with the stripper's body.) 

*The Head* has some interesting characters. It also features a really nifty futuristic house belonging to the man who loses his body. It's worth a look if you like this kind of thing.


----------



## gdoc

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Head* (1959)
> 
> It's easy to dismiss this Euroshocker as *The Brain That Wouldn't Die* with a German accent. Certainly, there are similarities. You've got the living decapitated head that only wants to die (although here it's an older man instead of a young woman.) You've got the mad scientist who plots to make use of the beautiful body of a stripper. (No, not to transplant onto the man's head! I have to admit that would make an remarkable plot twist, though.) You've got an assistant who not's quite right in the head (although he's Mister Sanity compared to the mad scientist.) You've got a lab going up in flames.
> 
> However, there are several differences. *The Head* takes itself about as seriously as a disembodied head movie can. The man without a body, although he plays an important part in the plot, isn't actually the main concern of the film. Rather it deals mostly with a hunchbacked nurse. (And now you've figured out what the mad scientist wants to do with the stripper's body.)
> 
> *The Head* has some interesting characters. It also features a really nifty futuristic house belonging to the man who loses his body. It's worth a look if you like this kind of thing.



Wow. That sounds great actually


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Head* is great.  A really odd little film. I would dearly love to see the original version - the only copies I have been able to find are of the American edit.  There are several obvious cuts where European sleaziness was obviously on the horizon and  deemed too rude for the delicate sensibilities of Middle America.

Talking of sleaze, last night I watched:* Skin Eating Jungle Vampires -* a film that makes the average Troma film look like _Ben Hur_. A woman goes in search of her sister who has been taken captive by a bunch of bikini-clad aliens in the jungles of deepest Costa Rica.  After lots and lots of footage of the woman on holiday in Costa Rica (occasionally she takes her top off to remind the audience why they're watching the film) she too is captured then taken to a papier mache cave and  forced to take part in a half-hearted lesbian orgy (lots breast fondling and sticking their tongues out kissing while trying not to giggle or look into the camera).  Eventually something happens and the film ends but by that time my finger was so firmly on the FF button I couldn't tell you what exactly it was.  It did involve a Mexican Skull Mask revolving very rapidly and exploding.

I should have stopped watching after noticing the opening subtitle telling us we were in Costa Rica was in Comic Sans but I didn't.  Will I never learn?


----------



## Starbeast

*Star Wars: The Force Awakens* (2015)

As usual, I viewed no trailers and strayed away from anyone talking about it...............

Then, I saw it. My "high hopes" were only met half way. It was an ok film, with great visual effects, familiar characters with a familiar story. The new characters were fine. So glad I saw it on DVD, instead of buying a ticket.



*Willow Creek* (2013)

I watched an interview with the creator of the film, (comedian - actor) Bobcat Goldthwait. He spoke very serious about the film, which was about exploring the wilderness, in search of Bigfoot. I listened to him, as he kept trying not to reveal too much about the movie, which stoked my curiosity. I got a chance to see this "Bigfoot" flick.

I was horrified to discover that it was _another_ CLONE movie, about people filming themselves and getting terrified. It was so painful to watch this trash, using the same formula: frightened people filming themselves, and they meet a monster. The only thing that EVER changes in this TYPE of movie, are the actors and the creature. Whoop-tee-freak-ing-doo. It was a real shame that Bobcat couldn't think of anything original to film.

I sped quickly through most of the movie.



*Terror in the Aisles* (1984)

I finally got a chance to see this gem from the past. Actor Donald Pleasence hosts this semi-documentary about horror films. Great collection of horror movie segments are shown.

I enjoyed watching this treat again, after so many years.


----------



## Foxbat

*Bridge Of Spies* I'm not a big Spielberg fan but I thought this movie was superb. It also serves as a reminder that whilst we may resist our enemies, we don't have to be like them. A message that is still relevant in today's troubled times.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Joseph Andrews* (1977)

Director Tony Richardson goes back to the source of his very successful 1963 film *Tom Jones*, based on the 1749 novel by Henry Fielding, by adapting another work by the same author. For some reason, unlike the previous adaptation, this one seems to be somewhat obscure. Ann-Margaret (the only non-British member of the cast, as far as I can tell) has top billing as a devious aristocrat with lustful designs on our beautiful, virtuous young hero (Peter Firth), who is saving himself for his one true love. There are lots of fine British character actors to fill up the complex, episodic plot. The tone of the film varies from slapstick, bawdy comedy, bedroom farce, and social satire to swashbuckling adventure, gruesome violence, and even a touch of Gothic horror. Quite handsomely filmed, with the heavily made-up and bewigged world of the upper class contrasting with the filth and squalor of the lower class. The complicated back story requires multiple flashbacks from a variety of characters, and a couple of these are done in innovative ways. One is shown as the character having the flashback sings a song about his experiences. The other is done without sound, and visually distorted through a fish eye lens. Recommended.


----------



## galanx

"Spotlight"- excellent. less a tell-all expose of the ciorruption in the Catholic Church, and more a great newspaper story.


----------



## WaylanderToo

London has Fallen - well you all know what to expect here (for better or worse) but it is a fun brain out film and it certainly makes a change note seeing Washington or NYC being blown up! Was curious how they ended up in various parts of London from others (but then I guess people in NYC, Washington etc think the same)


----------



## Rodders

Bad Education: The Movie.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Amsterdam Kill* (1977). Meh...


----------



## Vince W

*The Jungle Book*. What a massive disappointment. Save your money.


----------



## Starbeast

@Vince W Thanks for the warning pal.

I'm still trying to decide if the NEW Star Wars flick is worth owning.


----------



## Droflet

In my opinion there will never be a better Jungle Book than the original film staring Sabu. Simply magnificent.


----------



## Rodders

Enders Games was on the to this week. I quite enjoyed it.


----------



## J Riff

I watched..._ Mall Cop 2!!_ It was lighthearted yknow... and the special FX near the end were funny... when the putzy security gaurds take on the heavies and destroy them, largely by accident. Then _Box Trolls_, and it was fun too.


----------



## gdoc

Starbeast said:


> I'm still trying to decide if the NEW Star Wars flick is worth owning.



No. It's not. It is barely worth seeing. A modern rehash of Star Wars' greatest hits. A masked villain, a superweapon, rebels, a youngster hunted by an empire etc.

Poor stuff. Great if you're six mind you.


----------



## Starbeast

gdoc said:


> No. It's not. It is barely worth seeing. A modern rehash of Star Wars' greatest hits. A masked villain, a superweapon, rebels, a youngster hunted by an empire etc.
> 
> Poor stuff. Great if you're six mind you.




That's for sure, Gdoc. It just wasn't thrilling to me. It was one of the rare times, I wanted to believe the hype.

Put those three "death spheres" together, and you've got the Mickey Mouse symbol.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*King of the Zombies* (1941)

Pretty lame Poverty Row quickie which seems to be an attempt to cash in on the success of the 1940 Bob Hope movie *The Ghost Breakers*. The nonsensical plot involves a couple of bland white guys and their cowardly, wisecracking black servant (Mantan Moreland, who played this role a zillion times, and who is the real star of this thing.) Their plane crashes on an island somewhere and they meet up with a spooky guy (somebody who isn't Bela Lugosi but should be.) Throw in voodoo, hypnotism, telepathy, zombies, and spy stuff. Actually, the vast majority of this film involves comedy from its African-American cast members. Besides Moreland, we have a scary butler, a sassy maid, a cackling voodoo priestess, and a bunch of zombies. There's also pseudo-Lugosi's zombified wife and his niece (by marriage, she's careful to let us know.) Amazingly, this thing was nominated for an Academy Award, for best musical score in a dramatic film (although it's mostly a comedy.)


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got to see *Star Wars: The Force Awakens*

No doubt I'll be burned at the stake for this but here is my opinion...

If looked upon as a standalone movie with big action shots, minimal character development and an emphasis on simply wowing the audience, it works. It has to, however, be viewed from the perspective of its lineage within the Star Wars canon and in that aspect, it fails.

Let’s not beat about the bush here. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is quite simply a regurgitation of A New Hope. Right at the very start we have the shot of the Star Destroyer (albeit from a different angle and done in silhouette  to make it more menacing), a droid escapes with an important message, there’s a bad guy dressed in black with a mask, there’s a rescue, etc. etc. by the time they’re hiding under grating in the Millennium Falcon and Han Solo decides to use a blaster on a lock I’m shouting _Oh Come On!_, There’s homage and there’s taking the piss out of the audience. I’ll let you decide which I think is the most relevant.

_Ah!_ Somebody might say – _but they’re using the hero’s journey trope._ To which I’d answer: _So What? _A trope should help a writer by acting as a guide, it shouldn’t shackle them in a chain of dogmatic obedience. I use the word chain quite specifically because every link is identical and the same applies to this movie and its forebear. There is a small straying from the literary path – but only to provide a changing of the guard for the next generation

Of course, the CGI is well executed and is obviously done by masters of their craft. The  photography is superb and again shows the quality behind the lenses but - let’s face it - photography literally means painting with light. This is painting by numbers.

Finally, I think it is the greatest irony of all that a movie so intent on distilling good and evil into such separate essences of light and dark that they provide the palette upon which the hero can paint his/her acts of risk and daring-do takes no risks at all.

A massive disappointment.


----------



## Lew Rockwell Fan

Don't watch many movies, but I did see Rio Conchos (60s western) recently. Movie as a whole - ok. Richard Boone as protagonist - superb.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Revenge of the Zombies* (1943)

Neither a sequel nor a remake of *King of the Zombies*, but just a rehash. We've still got Mantan Moreland as a cowardly servant and the wonderfully named Madame Sul-Te-Wan (really just Nellie Conley) as a spooky old woman, but we've got a different scary butler and a different sassy maid. The good guys are just as bland as ever. Future TV star Gale Storm appears as the good girl. Instead of some guy who isn't Bela Lugosi, we have John Carradine as the bad guy. The setting has changed from some island somewhere to Louisiana, and the vague black magic/hypnosis/telepathy of the first film is mad science in this one. The plot isn't quite as confusing. Nazi Carradine is out to create super soldiers by using a plant-derived poison which turns its victim into reanimated, obedient zombies who can't be stopped by bullets and such. Carradine's dead wife is one of his experiments and features importantly in the plot. The first couple of minutes are actually pretty moody, but it's mostly a dull affair.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *The Jungle Book*. What a massive disappointment. Save your money.




I decided to skip it after looking at the poster. 





A Uran Utang in India? and if that is Ka wrapped around the arch he is one VERY big snake or maybe Bagheera is just teeny weeny -there's something really wrong with the perspective and scale in the poster.  

Vince, could you help satisfy my curiosity as to why the Costume Designer gets a credit on the poster (other than contractual reasons) - are there any costumes, other than the red rag wrapped round Mowgli's boy bits?  Because if there ain't, getting  your name on a movie poster just for designing a loincloth seems a bit rich.


----------



## J Riff

I'm going to see it. I believe in giant snakes and Orange Tang in India, to this day.


----------



## Vaz

*After Earth
*
Awful!!


----------



## Edward M. Grant

JunkMonkey said:


> *Maze Runner - *which I really quite enjoyed... right up until the end when the 'explanation' made me wonder why I had bothered.



Ditto. It was one of the better teen dystopian movies up to that point, despite various things that made little sense (I gather some of them were story changes made between the book and movie). But it's the kind of story where you really can't come up with a better ending than the one in _Cube_... any kind of explanation was going to be a letdown.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> I watched..._ Mall Cop 2!!_ It was lighthearted yknow... and the special FX near the end were funny... when the putzy security gaurds take on the heavies and destroy them, largely by accident. Then _Box Trolls_, and it was fun too.



By coincidence I saw _The Boxtrolls_ tonight - what a great film!


----------



## J Riff

I AM a BoxTroll! I just came from scrounging thru some boxes, and came up with: DVDs, a bunch new movies I'd never see otherwise;
collectible enamel pins, some LPs, pair of blue jeans (Levis) and some watches. All this while taking a 5 min. smoke break at the java hut.
Beats TV. Watched 'The Italian Spiderman' an Aussie sendup, and you can imagine. It was okay, heh, heh, Oi!


----------



## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> I decided to skip it after looking at the poster.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A Uran Utang in India? and if that is Ka wrapped around the arch he is one VERY big snake or maybe Bagheera is just teeny weeny -there's something really wrong with the perspective and scale in the poster.
> 
> Vince, could you help satisfy my curiosity as to why the Costume Designer gets a credit on the poster (other than contractual reasons) - are there any costumes, other than the red rag wrapped round Mowgli's boy bits?  Because if there ain't, getting  your name on a movie poster just for designing a loincloth seems a bit rich.



Aside from Mowgli, there are a couple of scenes with people that happen to be clothed. So, I guess somebody had to say 'wear this'.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Revolt of the Zombies* (1936)

You might not think that a movie which begins with a bunch of Cambodian zombies fighting in the Great War would be the most boring thing you've ever seen. Of the film's many faults -- poor dialogue, poor acting, poor direction, poor special effects -- the worse may be the way in which the only character with any life, a Snidely Whiplash type who does everything but twirl his mustache, is completely wasted. He's not even the film's chief Bad Guy. A few minutes of decent scenes here and there, but almost all of it is dull talk.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Legend of Boggy Creek* (1972)

Ultra-low budget pseudodocumentary about a Bigfoot-type critter in Arkansas. No plot at all; interviews with various folks alternate with scenes in which folks get spooked by the thing. Sounds like it should be a waste of time, but darned if the authentic locales and accents, the decision to film almost everything at sunset or in the dark, and the wise decision to make the creature barely visible don't add up to a modest amount of entertainment. Nice nature photography, too. Try to ignore a couple of really lousy songs.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I haven't seen the first one Victoria but I would advise everyone to avoid the sequel if they can.  (The MST3K version is bearable).  My review from a while back:
*
 The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II (*1985) - a Charles B. Pierce pictures inc. production written by Charles B. Pierce, produced by Charles B. Pierce, directed by Charles B. Pierce and starring Charles B. Pierce - and his son Chuck. Filmed in Fouke, Arkansas (which is the way I felt when I had finished watching it) _The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II _(aka _Boggy Creek ll: and the Legend Continues_) treads a fine line between boredom and tedium. Nothing happens. And then it happens again. Sometimes nothing happens in flashback with a stocking tied over the lens to make it all misty and, you know, flashbacky. In short we spend 90 minutes watching Charles B. Pierce being a pompous prick telling people to 'be quiet' and 'get back' a lot - as nothing happens. And then it ends. Highlights include his co-star son (who plays one of his students) calling him 'Pop' on screen. And Charles B. Pierce running around in too short shorts and a tight moob-hugging shirt holding a handgun - jumping over a small bush! Charles B. Pierce also provided the endless soporific voice-over. Fans of Charles B. Pierce may like it.​


----------



## ratsy

I watched *The Final Girls* on the weekend. It's a horror spoof about a girl who travels through a movie screen during a showing of Camp Bloodbath (a blatant spoof of Friday the 13th's Camp Crystal Lake) only to end up in the plot of the movie. Her mother (Malin Akerman) was one of the movie's stars in the 80's and has since passed away in a car crash. The daughter gets to fight the bad guy, with her teenage mother at her side. It made for a great movie, with a cool cast, and a very original, sometimes touching, plot. I highly recommend this one!


----------



## J Riff

*Gog *1954 ...  lots of kooky 50s sound FX abound. Robots, giant brain machine. The robots go out of control, of course, but they only can go about 3 MPH and wave their arms, so a flamethrower is sufficient to dispatch them.


----------



## svalbard

*The Survialist. *Literally just finished watching this. Best movie I have seen this year. Words like incredible, visceral, bloody brilliant come to mind. Hats off to everyone involved in this.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> *Gog *1954 ...  lots of kooky 50s sound FX abound. Robots, giant brain machine. The robots go out of control, of course, but they only can go about 3 MPH and wave their arms, so a flamethrower is sufficient to dispatch them.




Every nuclear power plant should have at least two flame throwers like the one in Gog.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Camel* (1931)

Early Charlie Chan mystery, with third-billed Bela Lugosi as a psychic (or is he?) and an unbilled Dwight Frye as a butler. Nice use is made of Hawaiian filming locations. Notable for being one of the few surviving films directly adapted from one of the original Chan novels by Earl Derr Biggers. The plot involves an actress making a film in Hawaii who is murdered. It all has something to do with the unsolved murder of an actor three years ago. It's pretty enjoyable on its own terms as an old-fashioned whodunit, even if the final revelation of all the secrets strains credibility. The most interesting character is a penniless artist, living in a shack with a "native" woman (pre-Code!), who seems to have stepped right out of the pages of _The Moon and Sixpence_.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ran    *Akira Kurosawa's take on King Lear is probably my favourite of all Kurosawa's work. The cinematography and acting are superb and, allied to the Shakesperan intrigue and set in wonderful Japanese landscapes, it makes for rivetting viewing.

Many movies are lauded with the title 'masterpiece' but few actually  deserve that accolade. Ran is one of the few. 

Leni Reifenstahl once said that the more elements a movie has, the less artistic it becomes. An example of what she means can be seen in Ran where two of Hidetora Ichimonji's sons take his castle from him in an act of treachery. The battle is viewed with only a melancholy musical score for accompaniment. Every sound of the battle itself is stripped away. There is no clash of steel, screams of the dying or thunder of gunpowder. This forces the viewer to concentrate on the agony in Hidetora's face as he watches his many loyal men put to sword, arrow and gun against the burning backdrop of his keep. It is haunting, memorable and mesmerising. Ran is a movie that approaches perfection in my opinion.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *Ran    *Akira Kurosawa's take on King Lear is probably my favourite of all Kurosawa's work.



Mine too.  My movie diary entry for the first time I saw it just reads, "WOW!"


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Captain America: Civil War -* not having seen _Captain America, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man (1, 2, _or_ 3), The Avengers, Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Age of Ultron, _or _Ant Man _ and not having read any Avengers or Captain America comics since the 1980s, not surprisingly I was a little lost as to what the f*ck was going on for the first hour or so. (Though I do pride myself on knowing who _The Black Panther _was well before the script told us.) So what did I think? - It was ok. Another huge slab of American pop culture with sh*tloads of fist fights. At the end of it I felt like I had watched a whole TV series in one sitting. Daughter Number One thought it was "Awesome" but slightly annoyed that her favourite character from the first Two Captain America movies (Cap's boyfriend Bucky) had been reduced to a mere MacGuffin. 

And Please, Mr Hollywood, get over your obsession with parental loss. The whole plot (three major characters) in this show where motivated by revenge for the loss of their murdered parents - four if you count Spiderman. One Hamlet at a time please! 

Stan Lee popped up near the end. I'm convinced the man thinks he's the missing Chuckle Brother.






He's about as funny.


----------



## J-Sun

Saw *Ex Machina* (2015), which is a small-scale psychological drama about the early stages of AI robots. More detailed discussion in its dedicated thread, which seems to still be a spoiler-protected thread. Maybe the most pertinent part of my blather:



J-Sun said:


> I still like _The Martian_ as an award-winning-type movie - a sort of happy medium between the exhilarating but lightweight _The Force Awakens_ and the somewhat demanding _Ex Machina_, but they all have their strong virtues and the first and last are the veritable Good Science Fiction Films.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Last Days on Mars* (2013)

Zombies on Mars? I gave it a chance. It started off interesting at the beginning, then it became typical throughout the movie until the end. 90% of the dialogue was cliched, as well as the plot, and the (supposedly) highly educated astronauts, seemed like people you'd find in a bar that swear a lot. Production for special effects was _thee_ only high point in the film, but don't waste your time with this one.


*The Hallow* (2015)

AWESOME movie!!! I was infatuated by this horror flick. Dark, creepy and suspenseful (hard to find one this good). If you enjoy horror films that deal with folklore, I highly recommend this gem. I want to see it again.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Uninvited *(1944, dir. Lewis Allen; starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Gail Russell)

A re-watch of an old fashioned ghost story about a haunted house and the young girl whose grandfather tries to keep her our of it; the question arises, whose ghost is it? 

Nicely done atmosphere, in the pre-showing on Turner Cable Movies the host, Ben Mankiewicz, suggests Allen was influenced by the success of RKO's Val Lewton movies which sounds right to me, though they did include a couple of visuals of the ghost that really they could and probably should have avoided. What makes the movie is the acting, including Donald Crisp at his crustiest and Milland using his best Cary Grant-ish charm. Notable for 1960s TV viewers in that trusty Alfred from _Batman_ was actually young once and Alan Napier was every bit as charming as Milland. (Based on the novel Uneasy Freehold by Dorothy Macardle, which I've never seen but would like to.)


*5,000,000 Million Years to Earth* (1967, dir. Roy Ward Baker; starring James Donald, Andrew Kier, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover)

Another re-watch. Film adaptation of Nigel Kneale's TV teleplay, _Quatermass and the Pit._ Still one of my favorite sf/horror movies. When excavation in Hobb's End unearths oddly shaped skulls of prehistoric men and what appears to be an un-exploded German rocket, both scientists and bomb diffusion experts are called in. Fancy their reaction when the German rocket fully uncovered looks more like a space craft; and then it seems to activate.

This may have a feel closer to Lovecraft than any film based on Lovecraft's fiction. A bit talky by today's standards, considering when it was made the effects are mostly good, but the acting and crisp direction really carry it.


Randy M.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Starbeast said:


> *The Last Days on Mars* (2013)
> 
> Zombies on Mars? I gave it a chance. It started off interesting at the beginning, then it became typical throughout the movie until the end. 90% of the dialogue was cliched, as well as the plot, and the (supposedly) highly educated astronauts, seemed like people you'd find in a bar that swear a lot. Production for special effects was _thee_ only high point in the film, but don't waste your time with this one.



Seconded.  I watched it with high hopes - I like Liev Schreiber, he's a vastly under appreciated actor - the hardware and set design was really good but the plot....? hoiy!


----------



## J Riff

Jungle Book. Good story, great analogy. Plus, human beings, who live in the man-village, do not appear in the movie much, which gives the cgi animals a chance to show their acting skills.


----------



## aThenian

Foxbat said:


> An example of what she means can be seen in Ran where two of Hidetora Ichimonji's sons take his castle from him in an act of treachery. The battle is viewed with only a melancholy musical score for accompaniment. ... It is haunting, memorable and mesmerising.



It is years since I saw Ran and I can still visualize that scene in my mind...absolutely stunning.  And yes, the accompanying music is so much part of it.


----------



## Rodders

Thirded. I too hoped that this would be a watchable movie, but was bitterly disappointed. I also think that I confused this with Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars, which I still want to see.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*You Gotta Stay Happy* (1948)

We only watched this because we happened to see the 1952 television remake "Ten Thousand Horses Singing" as part of our DVD set of the early TV appearances of James Dean. (He has a tiny part as a bellhop and has two words of dialogue.) While watching the remake, I happened to make the wisecrack "John Forsythe _is_ Jimmy Stewart!" because I thought the part Forsythe was playing was so much like something Stewart would have done. Darned if I wasn't right. Stewart plays the lead role in this screwball comedy with Joan Fontaine. This movie seems to have been made at least a decade too late, as it reminds me of a 1930's movie like *Bringing Up Baby*. Fontaine, cast as a wacky heiress running away from her husband after being married to him for only a few hours, reminded me so much of the leading lady in the older film that I had to make the wisecrack "Joan Fontaine _is_ Katherine Hepburn!" Along for the ride is Eddie Albert as Stewart's buddy, who keeps saying the title. It's not as famous as many other screwball comedies or Jimmy Stewart movies because it's not very good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Yellow Teddy Bears* (1963)

Interesting British movie which deals seriously with issues of premarital sex among Sixth Form girls (we Americans would say High School seniors) at a "New Town" (planned suburban community) private school. (A little research reveals that this has been released on DVD, with a misleading image of a seductive adult woman dressed as a schoolgirl on the cover, as part of the Jezebel ["sexy retro from the saucy seventies"] series. Nothing could be further from the true nature of this film. The alternate title, *Gutter Girls*, is also wildly inappropriate.) It deals frankly (for 1963) with pregnancy, abortion, and prostitution. The film has its campy aspects, particularly an early scene at a rock 'n' roll party (at which the girls hilariously scream in unison at certain points during the title song) but overall it's a worthwhile drama. (The odd title comes from the fact that those girls who have had sex wear little yellow teddy bear pins as a sort of secret code.) Interesting bit of trivia: The Beatles were invited to have a cameo in this film, but turned it down.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ikarie XB-1* (1963)

I was delighted to find the original version of this Czech science fiction film, with English subtitles, on Internet Archive.


Ikarie Xb 1 ( Voyage To The End Of The Universe) Engsub : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
It also exists as the dubbed and edited American version, but I wouldn't bother.

Ikarie = Czech Sci Fi : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

In any case, this is a fine early SF film, with an intelligent screenplay and depth of characterizations. Some of the external shots of the starship are obviously models, but the interior sets are striking. The fact that it's in black and white may add to the somber mood. There are nice little futuristic touches. Very highly recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ikarie XB-1 is great.  In the UK the original was released a couple of years ago (Reg 2 DVD) on the Second Run Label.
*Second Run DVD - Ikarie XB 1*


----------



## J Riff

Watched Jungle Book again, and it is good with the sound off. MAinly because I am a jungle fan, and it is a mougty swell and believable jungle, somewhere I'd be interested in living, if there was wifi.


----------



## Droflet

The Witch (2015). Boring and unintelligible. Avoid. 

10 Cloverfiled Lane. Hmm, if you like a movie that's dominated by John Goodman playing crazy then this is for you. It was okay, I guess. 

The Survivalist. It could be brilliant. Stark. Dark. But the very understated writing worked for me. More than another post apocalyptic jaunt. Recommended. I think. Yeah, it's an odd one to pin down.


----------



## Vince W

*Captain America: Civil War*. A very strong offering from Marvel. Much better than the latest DC film. If you like this sort of thing it is well worth watching.


----------



## Randy M.

Vince W said:


> *Captain America: Civil War*. A very strong offering from Marvel. Much better than the latest DC film. If you like this sort of thing it is well worth watching.



I enjoyed this, too. Captain America is a relatively bland hero, but I think Chris Evans does a good job with him and the friction between him and Robert Downey's Ironman works really well.


Randy


----------



## Vince W

Randy M. said:


> I enjoyed this, too. Captain America is a relatively bland hero, but I think Chris Evans does a good job with him and the friction between him and Robert Downey's Ironman works really well.
> 
> 
> Randy





Spoiler



What really excited me was Spider-Man. They finally got it right! I am really looking forward to his film next year now.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mission Mars* (1968)

Pretty lame low-budget space adventure. Full of scientific nonsense (spacesuits with helmets that don't connect to the rest of the suit, so the chin and neck are fully exposed) and poor special effects. The first half is very slow, as we see the astronaut's wives worry about them coming home, typical blastoff stuff (lots of stock footage) and such. The second half is a little more interesting, as our trio of heroes finally reach the red planet and run into some weird alien artifacts. The soundtrack features some really inappropriate jazz/rock, and there's even a completely irrelevant song over the opening titles called "No More Tears." The bright colors, the groovy music, and the look of one of the wives, who seems to have stepped right off the set of _Laugh-In_ with her mod outfits and heavy eye makeup, mark this as late Sixties; otherwise, it feels like something from early 1950's television.


----------



## J-Sun

Saw  *Captain America: Civil War* a few days ago, myself. Not as enthusiastic as Vince and Randy, though. Granted, I'm kinda casual on the superhero movie front and I missed _Age of Ultron_ and _Winter Soldier_. That couldn't have helped but I don't think it hurt much either - I was familiar with the general outlines, I think, and they dropped a recap-line here and there. It was more that the movie seemed to have two speeds, both wrong: it was too slow or too fast. Several cycles which alternated between _now... we... will... talk... and... do... the... character... thing_ *andnowwewillfightalotandblowstuffup*! It was okay, but I didn't love it.



Spoiler



Plus, it seemed backwards: Captain America should have been the dudley do-right play-by-the-rules guy and Iron Man should be the screw-bureaucratic conformity guy, right? I get that things had happened to each in the movie sequences to make this plausible in a short-term sense but it still seemed backwards to me.


----------



## J Riff

Wow... a vintage movie with the word Mars in the title that I haven't ravaged yet. Thanks Victoria, I'm on that turkey. I watched_ The Day the Sky Exploded _last night, while doing other things, and it has faded already... I recall that John the astronaut was laid up.... aaaand... uh... errr...


----------



## Starbeast

*He Never Died* (2014)

Exceptional movie!!! I found another gem. This is a great horror film that was recommended to me. This is an independent movie that had a limited release in the theaters. Now, I've been recommending this flick to horror fans.

I'm so glad I didn't see any preview trailers for it.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> *Captain America: Civil War -* not having seen _Captain America, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man (1, 2, _or_ 3), The Avengers, Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Age of Ultron, _or _Ant Man _ and not having read any Avengers or Captain America comics since the 1980s, not surprisingly I was a little lost as to what the f*ck was going on for the first hour or so. (Though I do pride myself on knowing who _The Black Panther _was well before the script told us.) So what did I think? - It was ok. Another huge slab of American pop culture with sh*tloads of fist fights. At the end of it I felt like I had watched a whole TV series in one sitting. Daughter Number One thought it was "Awesome" but slightly annoyed that her favourite character from the first Two Captain America movies (Cap's boyfriend Bucky) had been reduced to a mere MacGuffin.
> 
> And Please, Mr Hollywood, get over your obsession with parental loss. The whole plot (three major characters) in this show where motivated by revenge for the loss of their murdered parents - four if you count Spiderman. One Hamlet at a time please!
> .



I take it you have not seen *Batman versus Superman*? I saw that (several times, because I liked it) before *Civil War* had been released, and I was already contemplating referring to that movie as "The PTSD Movie," or some such thing... Frankly, it makes the latter's "obsession with parental loss," as you call it, look pedestrian.
Rather, I'd say that the plot of *Civil War* was political -- Government control-freaks vs. libertarians, or something like that. But then, I've only seen it once; maybe I'll change my mind. (I changed my mind about *Batman v. Superman* several times already, which is why I keep going back -- I keep seeing new things in it...I like that in a movie!)
(Aside: I was interested to see the new take on Spiderman -- much more a kid than the previous versions, much less a geek than this one has come to think of Peter Parker...)

Thank you for sparking some new thoughts in me...

Dave Wixon


----------



## J Riff

Well _Mission Mars_ is done, over... of course I'd seen it. How could I forget such inanity? Up next are some new ones,_ Time Lapse_? and _Predestination_. I am prepared to be disimpressed but who knows?


----------



## Droflet

Actually JR they both have some good points. Not classics but pretty good movies.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Well _Mission Mars_ is done, over... of course I'd seen it. How could I forget such inanity?



Very easily.  I've seen it and all but forgotten it - but doesn't Darren McGavin listen well?  I remember very little about this film other than I though he did some great 'listening' acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Seventh Sin* (1957)

Eleanor Parker stars in this adaptation of _The Painted Veil_ (1925) by W. Somerset Maugham. Apparently it was adapted under the original title in 1934 and 2006. Anyway, we got this one because we like Parker, an unusually versatile actress. The movie is OK. Set in pre-Mao China, it's about a woman married for a couple of years to a doctor in Hong Kong. She has an affair with a married man. When her husband finds out, he offers her an unpleasant choice: A messy, scandalous divorce, or accompanying him to an inland village ravaged by a cholera epidemic. She chooses the latter. It's pretty much a soap opera. George Sanders steals the picture as a rakish, boozy fellow at the village who is married to a Chinese woman.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> George Sanders steals the picture...



Doesn't he always?  And seemingly effortlessly too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Within Our Gates* (1920)

(SOME SPOILERS AHEAD)

Mostly of historic interest, as the oldest surviving film directed by an African-American. The restored copy of this silent film is missing a sequence, and the condition of what we have is often in pretty bad shape. The complex plot is melodramatic and difficult to follow. Lots of characters appear, disappear, and sometimes come back. The action jumps back and forth between the North and the South. The climax of the film is a long flashback sequence, and we even have a "lying" flashback (events shown as a witness mistakenly interpreted them) within the main flashback. Undeniably, however, the film is tremendously powerful during this flashback, as it depicts lynching and an attempted rape. (Just to show you how the melodramatic elements of the plot sometimes undercut the serious aspects, however, I'll point out that, during the attempted rape, a scar on the body of the intended victim is revealed, and her assailant discovers from this fact that she is his own daughter.) In some ways this is the African-American answer to *Birth of a Nation*. It makes use of the same technique of quick cutting back and forth during the climax in a similar way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Had a quadruple feature at our house last night. In order of viewing:

*The Fearless Vampire Killers* (1967)

Roman Polanski's spoof of gothic horror films is very nicely filmed. The scenes in the vampire's castle, and outdoor winter scenes, are quite lovely. The comedy is mostly on the silly side, with lots of slapstick and pratfalls. Polanski himself, uncredited, plays the second lead, a cowardly, foolish servant to a nutty vampire-hunting scholar. Poor doomed Sharon Tate, in red wig, appears as the love interest (and source of the twist ending.)

*Fitzwilly* (1967)

Dick van Dyke and Barbara Feldon star in this bland but inoffensive heist comedy. He's a butler who, with the help of a bunch of other servants, keeps his mistress from finding out that she's penniless by pulling all sorts of complex scams and thefts. She's a newly hired secretary to the mistress who doesn't know about the crimes. It all builds up to one big last job; robbing Gimbels on Christmas Eve. Tons of familiar faces from 1960's television show up in the supporting roles.

*Abar* (1977)

Wow, this was a weird one. It's a low-budget blaxploitation flick, but not at all typical of its genre. It starts off with an African-American doctor and his family moving into a white neighborhood. This instantly sets off truly extreme bigoted reactions, with liberal use of the N-word, people marching in front of their house with racist protest signs, and even a guy with a Nazi armband. The title character, a street activist, shows up as a sort of bodyguard. The movie takes itself very seriously, and even features long excerpts from the speeches of Martin Luther King. However, things go insane near the end, as the doctor does some Mad Scientist stuff and gives Abar his secret formula. What results is truly unexpected.

*To Sir, with Love II*(1996)

Made-for-TV sequel to the 1967 original. Sidney Poitier returns as the Guyanese teacher who is retiring from his position in a London school, only to continue at an inner-city school in Chicago. Judy Geeson returns from the first film in a brief pre-credits prologue in London, during which Lulu also returns to sing the title song. Once the Chicago portion gets going, it's a pretty decent, if unsurprising, story of a courageous and inspiring teacher changing the lives of students in trouble.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Get Christie Love!* (1974)

Made-for-TV crime story, and pilot for the short-lived series of the same name. It's what you might get if you took a blaxploitation flick of the period -- particularly of the Tough Foxy Lady subgenre -- and took out the nudity, sex, profanity, and explicit violence. Teresa Graves of _Laugh-In_ stars in the title role as a policewoman investigating a drug lord. The crime plot is actually pretty interesting, probably because it's based on a novel by Dorothy Uhnak. Graves has a lot of charisma in the role, and the film as a whole is decent light entertainment. A couple of things that surprised me for an American television movie of 1974 were the fact that's there's a lot of heavy flirtation between Graves and her white boss (Harry Guardino; the fact that he's about a quarter of a century older is a little creepy) and the use of the N-word in an early scene, unrelated to the main plot, where Graves is undercover as a prostitute in order to catch a serial killer. Also notable is the theme of abortion, which is an important story element.


----------



## Rodders

Quantum of Solace was on last night. This is the first time i've seen it. Enjoyable enough.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Silver Bears* (1977)

Likable, if not funny or exciting, financial comedy/thriller based on the novel The Silver Bears by Paul Erdman. (I don't know why they dropped "the.") Good cast, nice locations in the complex, if sedate, plot, which ranges from Las Vegas to London to Iran to San Francisco. Michael Caine stars as a financier who works for an organized crime boss (Martin Balsam) who wants to buy a Swiss bank to launder his profits. An Italian prince (Louis Jordan) acts as the manager in name only. They get mixed up with a couple of Iranian siblings (David Warner and Stephane Audran) who need money to finance a secret silver mine. Things get complicated from there, and the story as a whole is as full of scams and double-crosses as *The Sting*, but here we're talking about tens of millions of dollars. The comedy is mostly provided by Tom Smothers as a strait-laced bank employee and Cybill Shepherd as his hippie wife, who has an affair with Caine. (How the banker and the hippie got together is worthy of a romantic comedy on its own.) It doesn't provide much in the way of laughs or suspense, but overall it's rather pleasant. A very young Jay Leno appears with a full head of bushy hair.


----------



## galanx

Yeah, it's inoffensive. The book was  better, but not his best.  Erdman's books - high finance shenanigans- were quite popular, and well researched- he had been tossed into a Swiss jail for multi-million dollar bank fraud. The Billion Dollar Sure Thing was a good one.


----------



## Starbeast

*Bone Tomahawk* (2015)

Actor Kurt Russell stars in this unusual western horror/drama story, about a mysterious, and exceedingly dangerous hidden tribe. Creepy good tale in the old west.

*
Deadpool* (2016)

Many people told me it's not for kids. They were RIGHT!!! (But, I figured that knowing the character, and noticing the "R" rating) Awesome, wacky, violent, and seasoned well with an off-the-wall love story. I thought it was fantastically cool.
*

Ant Man* (2015)

I'm so glad I don't watch trailers to upcoming movies that I really want to see. This was freaking MARVELOUS!!! It is so great to see Marvel comic characters portrayed in live-action, that are just as grand as they are in the comic books.


----------



## aThenian

*Suffragette.*

It was bleak.  They chose a working class lead, which is good in a way as working class women don't get a big look-in when it comes to books and TV, and they didn't duck the issue of how hard her life would have been - she definitely wasn't the chirpy stereotype of so many films.  But I think they did duck the issue of whether she would have got on so well with the mostly upperclass suffragettes once she joined their struggle (the main one played by Helena Bonham Carter) or whether she would have been prepared to give up so much, without (apparently) any regrets.  Also they didn't explore the issue of whether the violence was justified or not.


----------



## ratsy

I did a blog about some recent movies I've watched Horror Movies with a twist…


----------



## Aetius

5th Wave.

Not that bad actually. Some stunning effects, especially the ocean strikes.

My main gripe is the terrible casting, the lead is supposed to be an ugly duckling type, out of her teens and into college and she'd be very attractive, yet the actress is stunning. Zombie just looks a bit pale rather than a plague ravaged survivor. Walker (I think it was) looked far too old for the love interest of a , what, fifteen year old girl.


----------



## J Riff

_Tomorrowland._ This one has some debatable science issues but decent characters, and the scene in the collectible comic/sciFi store is fun.
_Zootopia._ A bunch of animals act almost as stupid as actual humans, in the animal city of Zootopia, where our heroine -  the first bunnyRabbit cop - takes on da bad guys in a fun romp for the kids.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Starbeast said:


> *
> Ant Man* (2015)
> 
> I'm so glad I don't watch trailers to upcoming movies that I really want to see. This was freaking MARVELOUS!!! It is so great to see Marvel comic characters portrayed in live-action, that are just as grand as they are in the comic books.



I'll second that! Loved that movie (but Ant Man's recent appearance in *Captain America: Civil War,* in which he used the "Giant Man" powers he apparently developed between movies, did not manage to preserve that carefree atmosphere, alas...)


----------



## Allen Teasdale

Through the skillful use of Netflix and Amazon, I avoided anything resembling productivity today and had an Ib Melchior experience.

1st -- *The Time Travelers (1964) *-- Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber, and then Dumber's cousin Dumblina jump into a desolate future and get trapped.    Earth was been almost destroyed by war and mankind is going to a new planet to start over.     That ends up not working too well due to mutant human zombies and they return to the present.    Then either they go into a different future with grass and trees *OR* they end up looping through the same events over and over and over again.  Or maybe both?   The ending was a bit confusing   I kind of really like the idea of idiots screwing around with time travel and getting stuck in a perpetual loop of badness.  

2nd -- *The Angry Red Planet (1959)* -- Standard Earthings-go-to-Mars-and-get-yelled-at-for-being-more-advanced-in-destructive-power-than-in-intellectual-power.  The beauty of the this film is the incredibly bizarre red treatment done to the outdoor Mars scenes that makes utterly no sense.   Plus, there is a big rat/bat/spider creature with lobster claws.   The adorably cute blinding of said creature makes this film Oscar-worthy in my opinion.

3rd -- *Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)* -- Studly astronaut gets stranded on Mars alone with a monkey.   Luckily he remembered his monkey because the critter saves the day by finding water.    Mental note:   take a monkey on all trips where finding water might be necessary.   He finds an almost naked slave man and witnesses little spaceships appear out of nowhere, shoot some lasers at the group, fail to kill them, and then leave.     Lather, rinse, repeat about 17 times.   This film was a bit homoerotic.    Unplanned I'm sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if studly astronaut and almost naked slave man got to know each other a bit in their ice igloo when they were using their body heat to keep from freezing.

4th -- *Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) *-- sigh, I fell asleep during this one twice.    I've just restarted it again, and  I vow to make it through.  Evil space brains be damned.     Edit.   Ok, how did I sleep through Quicksand-Snow?  Thankfully, the guy survived.    As a kid, I was terrified of quick sand.   Although outside of Gilligan's Island, I can't remember seeing it anywhere.     But it really did scare the crap out of me.   Shudder.   The sand, the quickness.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, I agree for the most part. Saw Robinson Crusoe on Mars as a kid and loved it. Didn't notice the homoerotic element though. The others hmm, agreed, 1st and 2nd pretty dumb, 4th boring as bat .


----------



## JunkMonkey

I have a lot of time for Ib Melchior's films.  They may not be the best films in the world but in context - compared with the other films of the time masquerading as SF - they were pretty darn good.  There were ideas in them.  The ideas may look hackneyed and cliché now but at the time this was cutting edge stuff.  The man comes over as having read some SF.    
*Journey to the Seventh Planet *owes a great debt to a Ray Bradbury story the name of which escapes me and in 
*The Time Travelers *he beat Arthur C Clarke to the draw. Clarke's of quoted "advanced  technology seeming like magic" line came ten years after Melchor used on screen stage magic tricks to display just that advanced technology*.*

Avoid *Reptilicus* though.  That is bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lifeforce* - which was, Mathilda May's utterly gorgeous breasts aside, even worse than I remembered.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> *Lifeforce* - which was, Mathilda May's utterly gorgeous breasts aside, even worse than I remembered.



She really was spectacular. I mean, that's an easy thing to say about a lot of people in a lot of movies but, really... there needs to be a reserved extra level when one references her in that.

But that said, "worse"? Not possible. My recollection is that it was precisely the opposite of Ms. May. It requires a whole 'nother level for its badness. I'm surprised Patrick Stewart hasn't tried to have all the copies rounded up and burned. 

Hm. I haven't seen a movie in a long time but, to excuse my presence on the thread, I guess the last movie I (re)watched was a James Bond flick... um... *Goldfinger*, I think. It's a highly regarded film that just really doesn't do it for me. I mean, it's a Bond flick, so it's at least okay, but it's nowhere near as good as, say, _From Russia with Love_.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> She really was spectacular. I mean, that's an easy thing to say about a lot of people in a lot of movies but, really... there needs to be a reserved extra level when one references her in that.
> 
> But that said, "worse"? Not possible. My recollection is that it was precisely the opposite of Ms. May. It requires a whole 'nother level for its badness. I'm surprised Patrick Stewart hasn't tried to have all the copies rounded up and burned.



I last watched it in Feb 2011. The anally retentive film diary finally comes in handy - rereading my entry back then I was surprised to see that I thought the opening sequences were okay:



> *Lifeforce *(1985) - The first manned mission to Haley's comet finds an derelict space ship. Now anyone who has ever seen ANY movies knows that entering derelict spaceships is just asking for trouble. Unfortunately our valiant crew have spent so long training to be astronauts they never watched anything other than training videos and happily go exploring. Inside they encounter a bunch of dead aliens and three perfectly preserved nude humans in suspended animation. The female of the three probably has the most beautiful tits seen on any screen during the eighties. Hypnotised by naked knockers (as most men are) the crew drag the bodies on board and head back for Earth and the plot goes into out of control free-fall with the movie ending up with rampaging alien vampire zombies destroying London, (I think they were covering all the bases when they pitched this one:
> 
> Writer: "It's a vampire flick, with zombies! - and aliens... ...and tits!"
> Producer:"I _like _it!"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All Hail the Hypno-boobs!​This film has a real reputation for being awful and I was surprised to find the opening sequences weren't that bad, but it didn't take long to descend into totally confused garbage. Towards the end I gave up trying to follow what was going on - though actors kept telling me at great length - and just felt sorry for Peter Firth (who probably thought this was going to be his big Hollywood break) as he wandered about in a polo-neck jumper trying to be the hero but being confounded at every turn by the incoherent script.
> 
> The first feature film to use Brent Cross Shopping Centre as a location and the second film I've watched in a row to feature Patrick Stewart being subsumed by an alien lifeform. He explodes in this one.



(The previous film was a Star Trek movie, and, by total happenstance, the film I watched after _Lifeforce_ back in 2011 also starred Mathilda May.  Lots of serendipity do-da going on in JunkMonkey Mansions that week.)

Why I thought the opening sequences weren't that bad - when they obviously are - is confusing.  The film is just dreadful from frame one... and then gets worse.  I wonder if there are any "My living hell that was shooting_ Lifeforce_" books or articles about?  I suspect they'd be much more interesting (and fun) than the film.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Thor*_:The Dark World.
Anthony Hopkins is in it,and a host of other talented actors.Or were they?
"nuff said.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Not of This Earth* (1957)

This tale of an alien after human blood to save the inhabitants of his dying planet looks even cheaper than the usual early Roger Corman flick, but darned if its mundane sense of reality doesn't create a genuine feeling of tension. Nice bit part for cult favorite Dick Miller as a beatnik vacuum cleaner salesman.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

hardsciencefanagain said:


> _*Thor*_:The Dark World.
> Anthony Hopkins is in it,and a host of other talented actors.Or were they?
> "nuff said.



That "'nuff said" makes me suspect that you're a Marvel fan from 'way, 'way back -- am I right?


----------



## J Riff

_Angry Birds_. They take on the pigs from pig island, and it's all very silly fun.
_Ghosts of Mars_, not quite so bad as I semi-remembered.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*War of the Satellites* (1958)

Another early Roger Corman low-budget science fiction flick. This one was apparently rushed out to cash in on the interest in Sputnik. It must take place some time in the future, since the United Nations has a space program which has sent out ten manned "satellites" (we would say spacecraft), all of which were destroyed by a mysterious something. (You'd think they would have given up by then.) Two smooching young folks in a car (a scene common to these films; it appeared in *Not of This Earth*, for one) witness something fall out of the sky. It turns out to be a message in Latin (!) warning humanity to stay out of space. Pretty soon it turns into a variation on the common theme of the alien invader who takes the form of a human being; in this case, one of the people in charge of the space program, who is about to go up with some other folks for an eleventh try. One nifty twist: the invader has the ability to create a duplicate of its human form. It looks cheap and portrays a rather odd version of space travel, but I enjoyed the actors. (Dick Miller has a rare leading role as the hero; Susan Cabot is shown as a capable scientist; Richard Devon is quite good as the alien in human form.) Corman himself has a bit part as a ground control guy.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

Jane Campion's _Star Bright_(2009).
First of all: beware of a measured pace.If you like your flicks fast-paced,don't go and rent/see this one.
Second: beware of large dollops of poetry.The poetry of Keats (recited in voice-overs)is almost like a third leading actor in this movie.
*For those who like good acting*: Abby Cornish and Ben Whishaw act their socks off,_*without*_ resorting to Hollywood-style histrionics.
The film is about romantic love,but avoids the usual schmaltzy pitfalls.Remember,this is romance in the Nineteenth century.
When something happens that is(in a restrained,remote sort of way) recognizable from your standard romantic movie,you will be pleasantly surprised.Good timing by the director.
Kudo's for the dialogues in the film,also.
Cinematography: stunning.

Ben's like-o-meter: about 9,55 out of ten for this one.


----------



## Droflet

Good to se you back. Ben.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hardsciencefanagain said:


> Jane Campion's _Star Bright_(2009).
> First of all: beware of a measured pace.If you like your flicks fast-paced,don't go and rent/see this one.
> Second: beware of large dollops of poetry.The poetry of Keats (recited in voice-overs)is almost like a third leading actor in this movie.



@hardsciencefanagain,

I loved _The Piano _when I saw it back when it was released but I 've been unable to even think of watching any of Jane Campion's films after suffering the incredibly dreadful _In The Cut__. _I daren't even rewatch the Piano now in case it too is really a pile of pretentious sh*te.  Have you seen _In the Cut_?  how does it compare to_ Star Bright_?


----------



## JunkMonkey

deleted double post - nothing see... move on....


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> The anally retentive film diary finally comes in handy



You should edit that into manuscript form and shop it around or something. Good stuff.


----------



## svalbard

Just watched 13hrs in Benghazi. Whatever the truth of the situation you have to admire those guys.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mutiny in Outer Space* (1965)

Old-fashioned (more 1950's than 1960's) science fiction flick that's sort of a cross between *The Caine Mutiny* and *The Green Slime*. Set in the 1990's, this low budget black-and-white thriller tells of an alien fungus accidentally brought to a space station by a spacecraft carrying samples of water from caves on the Moon. Meanwhile, the commander of the space station is slowly cracking up due to "space rapture" (said to be brought on by an extended amount of time in the low gravity of the space station.) There's some bad science (flaming, noisy rockets in space) and some models that are pretty unconvincing. On the other hand, the story moves along briskly and creates some tension. The two women aboard the space station (both knockouts) are treated as skilled professionals for the most part, despite some heavy flirtation during the first part of the film. Overall it was pretty enjoyable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Supernatural* (1933)

Pre-code chiller starring Carole Lombard. It starts off with an artist facing the death penalty for strangling three of her lovers, apparently all at the same time. (We see a newspaper article saying this happened at a "orgy" at her apartment.) Meanwhile, Lombard's twin brother has died, and a phony spiritualist tries to convince her that he can contact the dead man. Things get complicated when we find out that the spiritualist was the guy who turned the murdered in to the cops, and that there's a not-very-mad scientist around with a theory that the spirit of a dead person can take over the body of a live one. Runs barely over an hour long, with some nice, spooky scenes and a good performance from Lombard.

*Die, Monster, Die!* (1965)

Gothic shocker starring Boris Karloff, very loosely based on "The Colour Out of Space" by H. P Lovecraft. Our American hero (Nick Adams) arrives in Arkham, England (!) to meet up with his British girlfriend. On the way to the gigantic old mansion in which she lives, he meets the usual villagers who refuse to talk about the place or even let him rent a bicycle. Near the creepy house is a gigantic hole in the ground and a blasted heath. Once in the fog-shrouded place he finds Karloff as the girlfriend's father; her deathly ill mother, hidden behind bed curtains; and a servant who isn't looking too well either. It seems that Karloff's late father practiced some kind of unholy rites, so we've got a scary cellar with a glowing Something in it. Nicely filmed and moody, for the most part, but rather slow-moving. The climax features some pretty unconvincing makeup and special effects. Overall, about the same level as of one of the lesser Corman Poes.


----------



## galanx

Jurassic World. Cool dinosaurs; everything else godawful crap.


----------



## J Riff

_Cell _- new Steve King-based zombie swarm flick, featuring cellphones as very bad things. I liked the piles of burning Blackberrys, a lot. )
_Parallels _- forgot I saw it, a building moves through alternate Earths, sets up a plot, then ends before anything quite makes sense.
_Idiocracy _- soon to be non-fiction, at a theatre near you, if they can figure out how to run the projector.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Yuma* (1971)

Made-for-TV Western starring Clint Walker of _Cheyenne_ fame. The huge, soft-spoken, likable actor plays a new marshal in the town that gives the movie its title. A few minutes in we've got a gunfight in a saloon, and the rest of the film continues to follow the typical pattern. There's even an evil cattle baron. Lots of familiar faces from 1960's/1970's TV. This was a failed pilot for a series. Along for the ride are a Mexican boy and a pretty young woman who runs the local hotel, who apparently would have been the lead's sidekicks, since they don't have much to do here. Things move along pretty quickly, and the story gets fairly complicated. Worth a look for fans of horse operas.


----------



## Rodders

Wasn't this remade relatively recently?


----------



## Droflet

I believe the newer one was a remake of 3.10 to Yuma.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cypher* (2002) 

[Spoilers ahead]



- which started out as a stylish interesting piece of SF which playing with some very van Vogtian/ P K Dickian tropes about identity and reality.  Our hero is hired to to spy on rival corporation.  His real life is slowly submerged by the false identity he assumes. He starts having hallucinations.  A mysterious third force helps him see through a fraud being perpetrated on him and then deliver him to the second corporation who use him as a double agent in their bid to turn the tables on their rivals.   As things progress, and get more and more complex, our central character is slowly pushed into an impossible situation of not knowing who to trust and he can never be certain who he is supposed to be pretending to be at any one time.  So far so good.  Mind-bending stuff going on.  I like it!

Then the wheels suddenly fell off the show.

It is revealed that the mysterious third force (which had been hired by the second corporation to deliver them a double agent)  was headed by a mysterious Mister Big, who was so secretive that _no one knows what he looks like_.... and yes, you just worked out the final 'shattering' twist.   (Well, you have if you have read much van Vogt, P K Dick, or any number of other books in which the hero's identity is rewritten more than once during the course of the story.)

Our amiable beleaguered protagonist turns out to be a murdering arsehole, loses the audience sympathy and flies off in a coda to reveal the MacGuffin.  This turns out to be a computer file _so secret _only one copy was hidden away in a super secret impregnable vault.  The file ordered the murder of the hero's girl friend.

Huh?

If the evil corporation wanted her dead why did it go to such lengths to hide the order? and, surely, as soon as they found out it had been stolen the person who wanted her killed could just write out a new one - and then hide it again for some reason...?  I'm confused.

I guess it was supposed to redeem the protagonist.  He'd gone through all that to (somehow) save his girlfriend's life. But as "all that" included blowing up a whole rooftop full of people, who posed him no immediate threat to him it's hard work.  I guess he blew them up because a couple of them had seen his face and now knew who he was.  Somehow stealing an easily duplicatable computer file absolves him of mass murder?  I don't think so.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Witch's Mirror* (El espejo de la bruja, 1962) 

Directed by Chano Urueta; written by Alfredo Ruanova and Carlos Enrique Taboada.

Those of us whose exposure to Mexican horror films of the late 1950's and early 1960's is limited to what we've seen on television, in poorly dubbed and edited versions, expect them to be silly and childish. Whether it be a masked wrestler, a clunky robot, a vampire with absurdly long fangs, or the outrageous monster in *The Brainiac*, there always seems to be some laughable element. It was with some surprise, then, that I found *The Witch's Mirror* to be an effective Gothic shocker.

The unexpected plot twists which make this film so interesting mean that any full discussion of it is inevitably going to be full of

****MAJOR SPOILERS****

After an irrelevant prologue, with a narrator telling us how evil witches are, while we see some sketches of demonic practices (possibly by Goya), we are quickly introduced to the witch and her mirror. She's a housekeeper of middle years, and staring into the mirror with her is her goddaughter, wife to the master of the house. The enchanted mirror reveals that her husband, a medical doctor, is going to murder her in order to marry another woman. The scenes of the images in the mirror, like all the special effects in this movie, are obviously simple and inexpensive, but usually work quite well. It seems that not even the witch can prevent the young woman's fate, and she accepts the poisoned glass of milk her husband offers her.

The movie becomes a typical tale of a vengeful ghost, as the murdered woman haunts the new wife. Although this part of the film is slow and familiar, it's also moody and often visually interesting. The story speeds up and goes in unexpected ways when the new wife is badly burned when her husband throws a lantern at the ghost, setting the room on fire. Suddenly we are in *Eyes Without a Face* territory, as the husband goes into full Mad Scientist mode, using the stolen corpses of young women in an attempt to restore his wife's features. There's a particularly gruesome plot twist when the doctor and his assistant break into a coffin, only to find that the woman inside it isn't dead, but only in a cataleptic state. Since she has beautiful hands, and his wife's hands were damaged in the fire, the doctor decides to take her to his secret lab anyway, and cut off her hands while she's still alive. This sequence gets fairly graphic for its time. 

There are many more supernatural events to follow, building to a fast-moving climax. There are strange little details that add a touch of surrealism. (Why does the doctor have an owl in his laboratory? Why, near the end of the film, do we suddenly find out that the witch can change herself into a cat?) Although some of the special effects at the finish aren't very convincing, overall *The Witch's Mirror* is an intriguing chiller.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever* (1970)

Mediocre made-for-TV thriller. The title pretty much gives away the plot, as we see a brilliant physician (Stuart Whitman) show up at the vast medical research center of a zillionaire (Burl Ives), isolated way up in the snowy mountains somewhere in the American west. The new MD soon finds out that the male staff members are selected on the basis of blood type (B) and other immunological stuff. (Not the females? Apparently the movie thinks their parts would be rejected by a male body.) You can figure where things go from there. Sandy Dennis has top billing as another physician, but she pretty much just plays "the girl." Notable for some nice scenery and a very good, underplayed performance from Ives.


----------



## Droflet

*Room *(2015). An intimate study of the relationship of a woman and her five year old son. Deeply personal and heartrending at times. The two leads elevate this fine material into orbit. At nearly two hours it a long journey but worth the effort.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Penguins of Madagascar* (2014) - which was a LOT better than I was expecting after some of the reviews I remember.  Just the quick-fire sightgag, joke-filled nonsense needed to turn a mildly grumpy bunch of tired individuals into a happy giggling family again.  Thank you Power of Shared Experience.  We love you.


----------



## Droflet

*Open Grave *(2013)
A man awakes in a pit full of dead bodies with no memory of who he is. He meets up with a group of people who can't remember who they are. So it's a mystery, then there's some action, oh, and zombies, you've got to have zombies, right? Gradually their memories return and the mystery is solved. Thoroughly entertaining.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Starbeast said:


> *Ant Man* (2015)
> 
> I'm so glad I don't watch trailers to upcoming movies that I really want to see. This was freaking MARVELOUS!!! It is so great to see Marvel comic characters portrayed in live-action, that are just as grand as they are in the comic books.



I agree with you on this one (on the other hand, I intensely disliked *Deadpool*). To me, *Ant Man* was one of the very best movies of last year, and one of the top four of the Marvel movies -- I went back to see it several time while I it was still in theaters. (Alas, not all Marvel movies reached that same high level -- but as a class they have a good enough track record that I'll give any new one at least a first look....)


----------



## 2DaveWixon

*X-Men: Apocalypse:* I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this one (which likely means I'll need to go back and watch it again). On the one hand, it seems a rather radical revision of the X-Men, as I knew them in either the comic books of years ago, or the previous X-Men movies -- continuity is important to me, I guess -- but on the other hand, it sprang nicely out of the *X-Men: First Class* movie of a few years back.

The new film changes the origin stories for several characters, introduces new actors for some of the characters, and resurrects characters who died in the prior series of movies (not by bringing them back to life, but by starting over, as if those prior movies never happened). I think on the whole I like what they've done; any negative reaction to that on my part likely arises out of my having seen the prior movies.

I am sure they plan more out of this series, and I'm wondering how what appears to have been world-wide devastation will be dealt with in the next movie -- but maybe that's where my talent for suspension of disbelief will be needed...

The new actress and origin story for Storm are well done, in particular. The Cyclops character (they seem to call him by his "real" name, Scott Summers, more often) is also well done.

However, my main problem with this movie is this: the villain -- Apocalypse -- was just so powerful and so threatening, that it leaves one to wonder what they can be planning for the next movie...

Whatever they do, I'll go see it.

(Okay, I guess that despite my previous words, I seem to have largely decided how I feel about this movie: not in the top rank of the Marvel movies, but possibly second rank.)


----------



## J Riff

Cypher... did I see that? Even JMs review is numbingly disunderstandable. Penguins look like a better option than Zombies from the open grave, at this moment... Yes, Penguins it is.. of Pittsburgh but nevermind... I tried watching the Forbidden Room, but couldn't make it through the attempt at arty whateverness.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*China 9, Liberty 37* (1978)

Offbeat character-driven Euro-American Western from cult director Monte Hellman (*The Shooting*, *Two-Lane Blacktop*.) Our antihero is a gunslinger about to be hung for an unspecified crime. The local railroad czar offers him amnesty and a pile of cash to go kill a fellow (Warren Oates) whose land he needs. Oates has a much younger, beautiful wife (Jenny Agutter) and the sexual tension between her and the stranger heats up mighty quick. The story goes in unexpected directions, so that's enough of a plot description. Suffice to say that it offers the expected violent gunfights, but often in surprising ways. Low-key and intimate most of the time, with some quirky details (the two lovers run into a traveling circus at one point.) The lead is played by an Italian actor, and no attempt is made to disguise his heavy accent, despite the character's Anglo name. (Agutter doesn't hide her British accent either.) The film's odd American title comes from a sign seen at the very start, telling us how far it is to the towns of China and Liberty. The original Italian title was *Amore, piombo e fuore* ("Love, lead and fury") which makes it sounds more of a typical spaghetti Western than it really is. Recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I never understood why everyone in Western had American accents and spoke English all the time.  With the the high levels of immigration to the US in those days I'd have though most of the pioneers would be from Europe and have a variety of interesting accents and languages.  When DID 'the' American accent develop?  (I put the word 'the' in quotes there because I'm sure there are hundreds of regional variations but such subtleties are lost this side of the Atlantic.  You all sound the same to us.  I guess the average Brit could tell New York from Kentukybut everyone else just sounds Canadian. )


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> I never understood why everyone in Western had American accents and spoke English all the time.  With the the high levels of immigration to the US in those days I'd have though most of the pioneers would be from Europe and have a variety of interesting accents and languages.  When DID 'the' American accent develop?  (I put the word 'the' in quotes there because I'm sure there are hundreds of regional variations but such subtleties are lost this side of the Atlantic.  You all sound the same to us.  I guess the average Brit could tell New York from Kentukybut everyone else just sounds Canadian. )



Eh?

Randy M.


----------



## REBerg

_Finding Dory_. It got the coveted "Grandson Seal of Approval."
I questioned the main character's short-term memory issues. They seemed somewhat fishy.


----------



## JaeDarcy

Also _Finding Dory. _Loved it. Every bit as strong as the first one. 

I thought it was a bit darker than _Finding Nemo_, until I remembered that I always started _Finding Nemo_ on Scene 2, after the mom is eaten. (To this day, my daughter doesn't know there is a first scene in that movie.)


----------



## J Riff

Liked _Finding Dory._
Watched _The Last Heist_. It's bank robbers, a blonde LAPD detective, the cartel - and a serial killer. As soon as it started I thought gee I bet the serial killer, who is coincidentally in the bank when the nonsense starts - will walk away at the end, and guess what. Kinda gory, dont bother.
Tonite will be Rat Scratch Fever and/or Deadman Apocalypse.


----------



## J Riff

_Rat Scratch Fever_. Well, giant rats on a scary alien planet, wattayawant? Cheapo FX, rats with red LED eyeballs... spaceship crashes and the usual stuff... I watched it. ***


----------



## JunkMonkey

Sci-fighters.  A collection of low budget B movie clichés with one or two almost novel SF ideas (the biometric Identikit reader was a nice touch - but it was lonely).   _Bladerunner_ with a budget of tens.  Roddy Piper hits people and shoots guns, Billy Drago is wasted (as he always is) as the possessed creepy villain and Jayne Heitmeyer is consistently put where the camera  can get the best production value out of her her boobs (and thanks to Billy Drago's commitment to his craft during the attempted rape climax we get to see more of them than was possibly in her contract).  In the climax she rescues the hero and doesn't sleep with him.  The most believable bit of the whole show.


.


----------



## Starbeast

*Frankenstein: The True Story* (1973)

Wonderful made-for-TV movie. Great retelling of the original Mary Shelley classic novel. I haven't seen this awesome horror/drama in years. Superb cast of actors, include: James Mason, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Michael Sarrazin, Agnes Moorehead, John Gielgud, Peter Sallis and Tom Baker (just to name a few).


----------



## J Riff

*Terrordactyl* 2016. Well. Pterodactyls come here, to the Earth... and swarm around in LA... our goofy miscast heroes get chased around, nob ody else seems to notice the giant Pteros, much... aaaaand... err, good Pterodactyl CGI, not bad, best Pterodactyl movie of the year, perhaps. **


----------



## JunkMonkey

Only "perhaps"???


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> I never understood why everyone in Western had American accents and spoke English all the time.  With the the high levels of immigration to the US in those days I'd have though most of the pioneers would be from Europe and have a variety of interesting accents and languages.  When DID 'the' American accent develop?  (I put the word 'the' in quotes there because I'm sure there are hundreds of regional variations but such subtleties are lost this side of the Atlantic.  You all sound the same to us.  I guess the average Brit could tell New York from Kentukybut everyone else just sounds Canadian. )



I'm sure you're aware that since Westerns made in the U.S. have primarily been aimed at the American audience, it makes sense to use people who speak with "American accents," as you call them (of which, yes, there are a variety -- just as most countries feature regional variations...)...it's one of those things where historical reality has to give way to the needs of the market (at least, the needs as perceived by some...).

(I did say I was sure you were aware of that; nonetheless, although that part of your comment may have been rhetorical, I went ahead and gave an answer so as to convey my views and set up the next portions of my reply...)

You are correct that there were high levels of immigration in the 19th century, many of whom likely spoke little or highly-accented English (but keep in mind also that a high proportion of those immigrants came from the British Isles, so they at least had a leg up on the language problem -- there have been some American-made Westerns that featured characters with English or Irish accents, for instance). But as I understand it, there was a tendency for immigrants arriving over the Atlantic to get off the boat (and then off of Ellis Island, to the extent they were taken there upon arrival...) -- and then stop in the East Coast cities to, as it were, "acclimate" for a while; which resulted in them "huddling up" in the Eastern cities, thus creating ethnic pockets, such as the Irish and Italians in Boston and New York, which resulted in the creation of new "accents".

(In addition, arriving immigrants were often following in the steps of previous arrivals from their same countries, and tended to seek their co-nationalists upon arrival, no doubt feeling less insecure if they went to the same places; thus, Eastern Europeans tended to form "pockets," too, and Scandinavians settled disproportionately in such northern areas as Minnesota.... When such "pockets" developed, the people in them tended to speak their native languages among themselves, likely slowing down their learning of English and creating a new "accent" (in the small town where I lived as a child, there were a number of old people who never did learn to speak English -- their bilingual relatives had to translate for them, and even non-relatives, such as my mother, would learn a few words of their language, just to be able to communicate on a rudimentary level with them (in the case of my town, that language was called "Belgian" -- it was really Flemish, I think -- we weren't Belgian in our own origins...).

Sorry if I've wandered from the point...but let me mention that there have been a number of Western movies that featured characters with foreign accents (and I'm not counting, as an example, either the Italian westerns arising out of Sergio Leone's seminal examples, or the German Westerns) -- but those tended to be only isolated and unimportant characters...

But you are correct that we have many regional accents over here. Many of them, as I understand it, developed out of the "English" spoken by some of the earliest European immigrants -- the accents of the Carolinas, for instance, are said to have developed from the language of the Scots-Irish settlers who came to the Appalachian Mountains pre-Revolutionary War (changing with the years, of course, as well as with the influence of newcomers and of the original settlers, the American Indians...). (But note that those Scots-Irish immigrants went to the mountains because when they arrived, the Eastern seaboard's prime (and flatter) land had already been taken up, often by English immigrants who, by the time the Scots-Irish arrived, had already begun to prosper and consider themselves more "aristocratic" than the newcomers...with the result that there was a different accent in such places in Eastern Virginia than in the mountains to the west...)

Nor was it only the East Coast cities in which those "pockets" of immigrants settled -- there were ethnic enclaves in many West Coast cities, for instance; and, in a very interesting development, there was extensive immigration of Irish and Italians to New Orleans (as well as to New York and Boston) -- resulting in creation of a New Orleans accent (different from the Creole accents...) that was strikingly similar to that upper East Coast accent...

And finally, the point I've been leading up to: in this country there was, through the middle part of the 20th century, a deliberate effort on the part of media with audio components (i.e., television, radio, and movies) to hire "on-air" talent with what was believed to be the accent considered the most "un-accented" (and thus most likely to be easily accepted by listeners throughout the country). (I'm not saying that was right, or correct; I'm merely describing what I learned was the practice in those industries...).

That accent, specifically, was that of the Upper Midwest -- Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, Wisconsin... A goodly number of television broadcasters from the fifties through the eighties either had such an "accent" from childhood, or were taught to use it; and for a while it was standard (on-air) across much of the country. (As a sidelight: I myself grew up in Minnesota, and for that reason many of those people I heard/saw on radio, teevee, and movies did not seem, to me, to have accents at all -- a point I finally came to realize when, while on a beach on the island of Cyprus in the '70's (an era in which the U.N. kept garrisons on the island to keep the ethnic divisions on the island from erupting into bloodshed -- garrisons that included Canadian troops), I was approached by a group of men who asked me if I were from Canada...they were Canadian troops, and a couple of them, from the area around Winnipeg, thought, in hearing me speaking with my friends, that I was from their home area...)

Dave, finished at last!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> *Terrordactyl* 2016. Well. Pterodactyls come here, to the Earth... and swarm around in LA... our goofy miscast heroes get chased around, nob ody else seems to notice the giant Pteros, much... aaaaand... err, good Pterodactyl CGI, not bad, best Pterodactyl movie of the year, perhaps. **



Did it strike you as a "Sharknado" rip-off?


----------



## J Riff

No, it's Pterrible... really. A bad idea, a pseudo-comedic bloodbath, to be avoided, I just watch all these sort of movies because god knows why.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Live and Let Die - love it


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Eagle vs Shark* - apparently this was a romantic comedy and apparently it was only 86 minutes long. It felt like hours. Hours spent in the company of the sort of people you avoid sitting near on the bus. I haven't actively disliked a movie so much in ages. (I spent the last quarter of it just wishing it would stop. "Just stop. Just stop now. Please. Stop! It's been three hours already... STOP!"). Which is a pity because my wife thinks it's wonderful and didn't take too kindly to me calling it "a piece of sh*t". (Guess who's not getting any tonight.) 

The only good thought I had about it was that it makes Wes Anderson's movies look even more wonderful by comparison.


----------



## Joe Grech

Have you seen what we do in the shadows? Taika Waiti has refined his dark humour since his first movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Seriously I think I would go out of my way NOT to watch any more of his movies. Thanks for the warning.  

And after suffering the first 30 minutes of _Diagnosis: Death_ a while back - I had the courage to ask my wife if she thought it was as crap as I did, and she did - I suspect I will avoiding anything with Jemaine Clement in it too.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> The only good thought I had about it was that it makes Wes Anderson's movies look even more wonderful by comparison.



Oh, that is a TERRIBLE thing to say!


----------



## JunkMonkey

You don't like Wes Anderson's films? or you liked *Eagle vs Shark*?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Oh man I love *What We Do in the Shadows* and Jermaine Clement! Maybe it's a southern hemisphere thing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Hilarious Joke said:


> Oh man I love *What We Do in the Shadows* and Jermaine Clement! Maybe it's a southern hemisphere thing.



Humour is subject to the Coriolis effect?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

JunkMonkey said:


> Humour is subject to the Coriolis effect?


Ha! Possibly, though I feel Australian humour has too much in common with British humour for that to be true.


----------



## J Riff

The people in _Terrordorktyl _are offensive enough to ruin the dinosaurs, by being dimmer and ruder than them/


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> You don't like Wes Anderson's films? or you liked *Eagle vs Shark*?



NO, and No! (That is, I have not and likely will not see the latter...)


----------



## JunkMonkey

2DaveWixon said:


> NO, and No! (That is, I have not and likely will not see the latter...)



I think you are missing out. (Though the _The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou_ was a little disappointing.)


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> I think you are missing out. (Though the _The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou_ was a little disappointing.)



Well, in face of your recommendation, maybe I'll withdraw my previous statement...

Thanks, then.


----------



## J Riff

Well,_ Independence Day_ the Something-or-other, part 2. Same crew 'cept for Wilsmith, and lot of battles. No spoilers. Kick some serious alien ass, that's a good line to watch for. It's... an invasion movie, with real advanced nasty aliens and smart Earthlings who beat down on 'em by the end. If the aliens won there couldn't really be a sequel, so...*


----------



## JunkMonkey

Russ Meyer's *Motorpsycho!* (1965) Three hudlums rape, kill, and get their comeuppance in a barren desert landscape.   

You could almost hear the slap of Meyer's palm face as he realised the obvious.  He almost instantly reworked the story for his next film but instead of three scrawny bike-riding male creeps as the desperadoes he had three large-breasted lesbian killers at the centre of the action. And _Faster, Pussycat Kill! Kill!_ was born.

_Motorpsycho!_ made shedloads of money on its release;_ Faster, Pussycat_ didn't.   Nowadays _Pussycat _is probably Meyer's most famous film (and generally considered one of his best)  and _Motopsycho! _is a footnote.

Isn't art strange?


----------



## TheWhompusKitty

Personally I *love* _What We Do In The Shadows._  Doc-style comedy that is funnier every time I watch it.  Like _The Office_ meets The Cornetto Trilogy.  I couldn't force myself to watch _Eagle Vs. Shark._  Maybe I'm missing out but it looked crazy-boring to me.  

I wish advertisements were made by people who liked the type of movie they're promoting, instead of just trying to sell at whatever cost.

Last movie I watched was _Hotel Transylvania 2_.  I didn't see the first one, so I'm not sure how much was building from there.  Great vocal acting, lots of action, some very funny bits.  It's a kids' movie, so if you don't like one joke, there's another right on its heels.  Perfect for my short attention span, and it actually ended up being quite sweet at heart.  Not high art by any means, and I probably won't rewatch it, but a fine one-off viewing.

Movie before that was _Predator._  "Get to da choppa!"


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Flash Gordon* 1980.  Campy would be an understatement.  Hideously cheesy would be more accurate.  Terribly archaic FX, probable deliberate; thus true to the source material.

A terrible, terrible movie and, yet, I could not help but watch the entire execrence right up until the absurd ending.


----------



## TheWhompusKitty

_Flash Gordon_ is certainly campy but OMG do I love that movie.  Timothy Dalton as a Peter Pan lookalike?  Soundtrack by Queen?  Plus the costumes and sets are to die for.  You have to love it when people try that hard on something that cheesy.  I kept waiting for everyone to break into song and dance.  They should make it into a stage musical.


----------



## J Riff

Execrence. Can't find it in the dictionary, but: _execrate_-the word derives from _exsecratus,_ the past participle of the Latin verb _exsecrari,_ meaning "to put under a curse."
Watched 'Curse of a B-movie Addict' ... *


----------



## Alex The G and T

Har! I couldn't find it either and I could not figure where I had misspelled it; until I skimmed a hard-copy Webster's unabridged, ex- by ex- by ex.

Try "Excrescense."

(A favorite term PG Wodehouse likes to use describe annoying persons. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

TheWhompusKitty said:


> _Flash Gordon_ is certainly campy but OMG do I love that movie.  Timothy Dalton as a Peter Pan lookalike?  Soundtrack by Queen?  Plus the costumes and sets are to die for.  You have to love it when people try that hard on something that cheesy.  I kept waiting for everyone to break into song and dance.  They should make it into a stage musical.




Noooo! I love _Flash Gordon_ turning it into a musical would just....


...just ...


...actually that is a bloody good idea!


----------



## J Riff

That's inexcrescable.
Anyway - _Marauders_ 2016. Bank-heisters turn out to be ex-soldiers, Bruce Willis is a bad zillionaire. They shoot and stab each other graphically to death whilst FBI closes in. There's blackmail, guns, bad one-liners, knives, the usual mix, but at the end... I can't quite remember but the badguy Senator is... or wait, was it the corporation that... and of course the corrupt cop... and his brother..who was part of the rogue military group, which.. or did they... anyway: Feh.


----------



## J Riff

BTW the Marauders flik has a Lovecraft reference - Willis has a first ed. copy of _At the Mountains of Madness_, mixed in with what looks like common thrift sale hardcovers... and the FBI guys picks it up carefully and makes a remark about how his wife liked it - then names _The Lurking Fear_... which Willis has a safety deposit box in the name of one of the characters in the story... and that's it. No reason to watch it, nothing to see here, move along. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bride of Frankenstein *- at the request of Daughter Number One (Aged 14) who had never seen it, but was aware of it via _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ and has had a picture of Elsa Lanchester up on her bedroom wall for a few months. Halfway through, she turned to me and said "This is a brilliant film!". And it is. Even watched on a crappy old taped off the telly 25 years ago VHS with rubbish sound. (It is now in the bin and a DVD copy is being purchased). 

*The Wolfman* - which was a bit of a let down after glorious campness of BoF.


----------



## Droflet

*Before I Wake* (2016)
If you like a good creepy movie, this is for you. If you like a touching tale of loss and redemption, this is for you. If you like a wonderful script, superb acting and insightful direction, this is for you. Honestly folks, if you like a superior adult drama with a side order of spooky then do yourselves a favor and see this wonderful movie. Highly recommended.


----------



## REBerg

_*Free State of Jones*_
A somber look at American racism. I had no idea that anyone was revolting against the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Matthew McConaughey delivers his customary intense performance as Newton Knight, a farmer serving as a medic in the Confederate Army. McConaughey deserts to return the body of his nephew to his family and becomes the Swamp Fox of Jones County, Mississippi.
Engaging and disturbing.


----------



## Vince W

*The Legend of Tarzan*. I did not have high hopes for this film to be honest, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I'm not saying run out and see it, but if you liked Tarzan in the past, you will probably enjoy this film as well.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Independence Day Resurgence*.  It just wasn't worth the 20 year wait.


----------



## J Riff

_Carnage Park_ 2016. One more crazed ex-soldier, and of course his brother the cop, run about killing folks in a desert area, all fenced off it is, and there's tunnels and people being tortured, and its all because of the darned battalion that got sold out and killed by their own side... except one guy, who yaddadada killing people in tunnels and the girl who wanders all the way through it getting bashed and shot and lots of blood and screaming, based on a true story that's never really named. Gory and borey. *


----------



## Vaz

*The Aquatic life of Steve Zissou*

Wonderful Wes Anderson movie. Sort of like his own take on Jaws or Moby Dick. Bill Murray and Jeff Goldblum are fantastic and and like the rest of Anderson's films this is a beauty and filled with charm from start to finish.


*Batman Vs Superman*

Zack Snyder oversees Ben Afflecks first outing as the Gotham Bat as he takes on the Man of Steel.

Affleck does a good job in the cowl. And visually the film is a stunner, especially the fight scenes and chase scenes in the Batmobile.

Plot is pretty weak. Basically a very creepy Jesse Eisenberg pits the two hero's against each other, but in the end they have to fight something much worse.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Just watched _Selma _- superb film. Great cast, great acting, and fantastic directing/cinematography on the protest scenes, too. 

Also, was glad that it was focused on a specific series of events, rather than a general bio to end on his death - meaning the film got to celebrate his life and achievements.


----------



## ratsy

I watched *The Boy* this past week. A movie about a woman (Maggie from Walking Dead, hold the zombie guts on her face) who moves to the UK to care for a couple's child. She quickly finds out their child is a doll they treat like a real kid...highly unlikely storyline with an ending that left me going,,,whyyyyyyy bother!!!!!

Also watched *The Forest* which didn't really do much for me either, though I liked the concept.


----------



## Randy M.

TheWhompusKitty said:


> _Flash Gordon_ is certainly campy but OMG do I love that movie.  Timothy Dalton as a Peter Pan lookalike?  Soundtrack by Queen?  Plus the costumes and sets are to die for.  You have to love it when people try that hard on something that cheesy.  I kept waiting for everyone to break into song and dance.  They should make it into a stage musical.



I think Dalton was made to look like Errol Flynn from _The Adventures of Robin Hood_ (see also, _The Rocketeer_, in which he looks a lot like Flynn and plays an actor who seems a lot like Flynn). But, even so, you're right all the same. (Kevin Kline is another who, in his younger days, seemed to be an Errol Flynn substitute -- see _The Pirates of Penzance_.)

Last movie seen: _The Legend of Tarzan_. Not bad. Savvy even, in incorporating Samuel Jackson as 2nd lead, playing a former soldier in the American Civil War (as opposed to the Marvel Civil War, I guess) with a stake in stopping the slave trade in the Congo. Skarsgard is solid in the title role, which I'm not sure I expected from watching him on _True Blood_ -- the look is right, in a Ron Ely sort of way (look him up, youngsters), but I wasn't sure he could command a big screen. I was wrong. And Margot Robbie is the "It" girl of the moment and I think earns it -- she's not called on to do a lot, but she does it well, and her scenes with Skarsgard have a spark because they both are quite good; I think she can act, which isn't always a feature of the "It" girl.


Randy M.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

REBerg said:


> _*Free State of Jones*_
> A somber look at American racism. I had no idea that anyone was revolting against the Confederacy during the Civil War.
> Matthew McConaughey delivers his customary intense performance as Newton Knight, a farmer serving as a medic in the Confederate Army. McConaughey deserts to return the body of his nephew to his family and becomes the Swamp Fox of Jones County, Mississippi.
> Engaging and disturbing.



I've heard about some other revolts, but they generally got squelched quickly...
What I found most interesting about this is the alliance between the rebellious whites and the runaway slaves -- and in Mississippi, yet!
And there was a provocative extra layer, as the film cut back and forth to a descendant of Newton being tried in 1960's Mississippi for marrying a white woman when the State claimed that he had enough African-American blood in him to qualify as black...
It was clear that the racist power structure in the state maintained power a century after Newt. But I left the theater wondering if there were not people living quietly in that (and other) states, not agreeing with the powerful ones...
Something I need to keep in mind; it's too easy for me to let myself fall into that trap of stereotyping a whole state on the basis of what I can easily see.
-- Call me out if you see me doing that!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

BAYLOR said:


> *Independence Day Resurgence*.  It just wasn't worth the 20 year wait.


Amen!


----------



## BAYLOR

2DaveWixon said:


> Amen!



Those are two hours of my life I wish I could have back .


----------



## Brian G Turner

Felt like watching an old John Wayne film, so checked whether any were available on Amazon Prime Video. Only one available was _Rio Lobo_, so starting that up on my Fire tablet. Was pleasantly surprised to see Leigh Brackett on the writing credits.

Decent film - was good to see the gentlemanly conduct between John Wayne and Jorge Rivero, after so much knee-jerk sadism in most fiction with prisoner situations. Jennifer O'Neill played a feisty character who retained a lot of control, no doubt due to Leigh Brackett. Some good quirky humour about John Wayne being old. 

Old-fashioned fun storytelling, that didn't actually come across as that dated to me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Clearing out a pile of 'I am never going to watch this stuff I taped of the telly 30 years ago' VHS tapes I found (sandwiched between such delights a sepisodes of The _Alex Sayle Show_ and _Gilbert's Fridge_) *Contraband *(aka _Blackout_) - a 1940 piece from Powell and Pressburger which, with their usual odd slant on WW2 propaganda cast German Conrad Veidt as the (Danish) hero - my second Valerie Hobson film  of the month.


----------



## Randy M.

Brian Turner said:


> Felt like watching an old John Wayne film, so checked whether any were available on Amazon Prime Video. Only one available was _Rio Lobo_, so starting that up on my Fire tablet. Was pleasantly surprised to see Leigh Brackett on the writing credits.
> 
> Decent film - was good to see the gentlemanly conduct between John Wayne and Jorge Rivero, after so much knee-jerk sadism in most fiction with prisoner situations. Jennifer O'Neill played a feisty character who retained a lot of control, no doubt due to Leigh Brackett. Some good quirky humour about John Wayne being old.
> 
> Old-fashioned fun storytelling, that didn't actually come across as that dated to me.



Oh, man, you're taking me back. My dad took me to that one when it first came out.

I believe _Rio Lobo _was director Howard Hawks' last movie and was, essentially, a remake of _El Dorado_ (Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Michelle Carey), itself a remake of the earlier _Rio Bravo_ (Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson), all scripted in whole or part by Leigh Brackett and starring John Wayne. The feisty, competent woman was a hallmark of Hawks movies and, for that matter, Leigh Brackett seemed to script quite a few of his later movies including the Bogart-Bacall _The Big Sleep_ (that one along with William Faulkner, and I'd have loved to be in the same room listening to story discussions between those two).


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

_The Signal_ - young MIT types follow a hacker's signal and Lawrence Fishburne ends up being the guy they are tracking. He is in a secret area 51-style place, wearing a spacesuit... and our victims are somehow afflicted by some kind of alien tech... they grow metallic arms, or legs... not both... and, try to escape. I must have missed something.


----------



## REBerg

*The Secret Life of Pets*
I remain unconvinced that my dogs do anything but sleep whenever they're home alone.


----------



## Coast

Vaz said:


> *Batman Vs Superman*
> 
> Zack Snyder oversees Ben Afflecks first outing as the Gotham Bat as he takes on the Man of Steel.
> 
> Affleck does a good job in the cowl. And visually the film is a stunner, especially the fight scenes and chase scenes in the Batmobile.
> 
> Plot is pretty weak. Basically a very creepy Jesse Eisenberg pits the two hero's against each other, but in the end they have to fight something much worse.



Watched this last night, enjoyed the first half, not so much the 2nd half. Almost felt like different movies.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Thor for the first time last night. It wasn't bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*M*A*S*H  *- Mrs JunkMonkey's favourite film shared with Daughter Number One - who loved it.


----------



## J Riff

_Legend of Tarzan_ 2016 - no spoilage, but there's apes, diamonds, romance... and fighting with the natives, other stuff. Might be okay, seemed not bad, wouldn't venture further opinion, let the Tarzan people speak, what do I know about swingin' round the jungle..*


----------



## dask

*The Iron Giant*. Good.


----------



## Rodders

Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier


----------



## 2DaveWixon

*Finding Dory*: This film was kind of a puzzle to me. It got good reviews, and it seemed to have everything it should have needed to be as good as its predecessor -- but it never quite engaged me, and I can't point to a reason.
As you might expect, it's a sequel to *Finding Nemo*; and in this film, Nemo himself appears, but is not the major character that his father is -- and the two of them spend the film trying to locate their friend, Dory, who has in all their experience with her suffered from memory problems, but abruptly remembers that she had parents, and who then wanders off to try to find them.
Against all odds, she finds them, struggling all the while to keep in mind both what she's trying to do and the clues she picks up. Fortunately, she get a lot of help along the way...
A pleasant film, but somehow it never gets beyond that.
I'm still thinking about the very tail-end of the film, in which Dory goes to a place from which she can look out across a vast expanse of ocean... She seems content, almost as if she's communing with -- what?
That's the thing that might get me to a second viewing.


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> *M*A*S*H  *- Mrs JunkMonkey's favourite film shared with Daughter Number One - who loved it.



They used to show movies in the residence dining halls when I went to college. I went to see *M*A*S*H* in one of them but I only caught half, the top half. I arrived a bit late and the screen sat low and everyone ahead of me was really tall.

Someday I hope to see the bottom half.


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

Admit it 2Dave... that little bird character at the beginning of _Finding Dory_ is just too cute... in fact it has won the 'cutest Disney critter' award, and is worth the price of the whole flim; if, that is, you are afflicted positively by ultra-cute lil' birdies that cavort thusly. And, an octopus driving a stolen truck is good entertainment too, it could be argued.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> Admit it 2Dave... that little bird character at the beginning of _Finding Dory_ is just too cute... in fact it has won the 'cutest Disney critter' award, and is worth the price of the whole flim; if, that is, you are afflicted positively by ultra-cute lil' birdies that cavort thusly. And, an octopus driving a stolen truck is good entertainment too, it could be argued.



OK, ya got me!

(But I thought the little bird -- was that a sandpiper? -- was a separate feature, not part of the *Dory* movie ???)(I thought I was back in the days of my youth when movie always had what we kids called "cartoons" in front of the feature...)


----------



## Bick

Yes, the piper short is separate, but its also pretty cute, and is just before Dory.  For the record Finding Dory was my last movie.  My ten year old liked it.  I thought it was a bit poor for the first half, much better for the second half.  Overall: Meh.


----------



## TheWhompusKitty

BAYLOR said:


> *Independence Day Resurgence*.  It just wasn't worth the 20 year wait.



I am pretty disappointed overall with the tone of movies after the '90s.  It is as if screenwriters completely lost their sense of humor at the same time.  Everything is so dark and mopey.  I have almost entirely stopped going to the movies.

That said, I had a bit of a movie night when I got back from camping.

Watched *A Goofy Movie* for the first time, and found it to be an underrated animated gem.  Classic 90s material.  Upbeat music, and a very unDisney-like non-traditional family.  A good watch for dads and sons.

Followed that up with a rewatch of *This is the End*.  If you liked *Superbad*, *Pineapple Express*, etc, this is in that vein, but with even more dicks.  Raunchy, a couple jokes that missed the mark with me, but I laughed out loud more than a few times.  It seems like the cast had fun making it, and that is a positive as far as I'm concerned.

Ended my viewings with a rewatching of *Hot Tub Time Machine*.  I liked it better the first time I saw it.  In my opinion, *This is the End* is a superior film, far more rewatchable.  I like raunchy jokes and guy movies, but *HTTM *was a bit too sexist for me, in that the women were one-dimensional pieces of scenery.  Movies can certainly be male-oriented without being sexist.  They can even have male characters be sexist without the movies themselves being sexist, if that makes sense.  A couple cases-in-point: all the *Lethal Weapon *movies, *Die Hard.  *The women in those films are not center-stage, but they are certainly strong and certainly not objects.


----------



## ratsy

@Phyrebrat Have you seen The Witch? I watched on the weekend and it was a pretty solid made period piece...so solid that I could only understand them 75% of the time...haha 

Also watched The Tall Man, which I thought was going to be a kind of Slender man story, but wasn't. The movie had a great feel but the twist was disappointing.


----------



## Dennis E. Taylor

I watched "He Never Died" the other night on Netflix. I was pleasantly surprised. Mostly it's Rollins' acting that carries the movie. He delivers hilarious lines, completely deadpan. I think they could have done a little more with the underlying theme, but I imagine the budget didn't allow it.


----------



## J Riff

_The Good Dinosaur_. S'good fun. Good premise - the dinosaurs talk and the humans grunt.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> _The Good Dinosaur_. S'good fun. Good premise - the dinosaurs talk and the humans grunt.



...almost like today...


----------



## REBerg

_Ghostbusters: Answer the Call_
Detractors be damned: best fantasy comedy I've seen in years.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

REBerg said:


> _Ghostbusters: Answer the Call_
> Detractors be damned: best fantasy comedy I've seen in years.


 Pleased to hear your recommendation -- the previews I've seen did not attract me, but now I'll make a point of going...


----------



## J Riff

_Curse of the Were-Rabbit_. Heh, heh. ****


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> _Curse of the Were-Rabbit_. Heh, heh. ****



Is that really a movie? (Having my own copy of the book *Bunnicula,* I figure I need to know...)


----------



## Droflet

Yep. Wallace and Grommit.


----------



## Rodders

My Marvel catch up continues. 

Ant Man
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Iron Man 3


----------



## J Riff

_Chicken Run_. ha, ha... they are plasticene and they are kept in a concentration camp-like enclosure... I identified immediately with the situation, and wish that I could... turn to plasticene and fly freeeee* )


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Shockwave Darkside* (aka_ Darkside_) 2014 - This is a real stinker. Lo/no budget hard SF is hard to do but this was just pitiful. I had no idea what the hell was supposed to be going on for most of the first half of the movie. It was a confusing confused mess that threw explosions and HUDs and frenetic 'action' at the screen with no discernible characters and no idea what they were fighting for or why or even who they were fighting. (This is despite having had screeds of on-screen info dumping before hand - most of it irrelevant and thrown at you too fast to read.) It left me feeling like I was watching someone play a first person shooter set somewhere very very dark with them hitting the ESC button half way through the cut scenes. 

Towards the end an interminable three way yakfest between the three surviving characters nailed some sort of story onto all the poor, pointless, and badly paced CGI. Apparently it was a Believers vs Atheists thing - after God was outlawed and the believers exiled to the moon, the Atheists totally f***ed up the Earth in less than a generation and were now doing the same on the Moon. Yeah. Right. We get shot of all the mad bastards who cling to stone age belief systems and indiscriminately kill anyone who doesn't agree with them just because they think God is telling them to, and then life on Earth becomes unmanageable because...? Stupid and insulting bollocks.


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> We get shot of all the mad bastards who cling to stone age belief systems and indiscriminately kill anyone who doesn't agree with them just because they think God is telling them to, and then life on Earth becomes unmanageable because...? Stupid and insulting bollocks.




Being one of those mad bastards I'd drop names like Pol Pot, Mao & Stalin as people who didn't believe in anything but indiscriminately killed people who didn't agree with them 

The problem, as always, is people


----------



## JunkMonkey

Please don't misrepresent me.  I said "mad bastards who cling to stone age belief systems *and indiscriminately kill anyone who doesn't agree with them just because they think God is telling them to*".  If you are one of those then I suggest you turn yourself into your local law enforcement office. 

I don't care what religious beliefs anyone has (as long as they don't voice them out loud anywhere I can hear them).  Being presented with a movie that posits that the earth is destroyed because all the people with imaginary friends are kicked out is unable to survive for more than a decade because the magic glue of 'faith' is no longer holding society together is just risible nonsense.

FYI Pol Pot, Mao, & Stalin *did *believe.  They had an irrational belief in themselves. Like most psychopaths they believed they were right and that other people were inconvenient and disposable.  They were wrong too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Satan's School for Girls* (2000) - dull TV movie remake of a 1973 TV movie which people seem to remember fondly. Both starred Kate Jackson (_Charlie's Angels_).  If was a Wiccan I would be pissed off at the shoddy way the The Craft was portrayed.  Meh.  Another HVS tape dumped from the staggering pile of crap I have to watch before I throw it away.


----------



## AE35Unit

Off to see *Star Trek Beyond* our new Vue multiplex.  Engage...


----------



## manephelien

View to a Kill. Solid Bond this.


----------



## JunkMonkey

This last week I have been having a relentless watch of the Huge Pile of VHS Tapes That Need to Be Watched Before I throw Them Out pile (For younger members of this forum who may want to go look up 'VHS' here is a handy link to wikipedia save you the trouble.)  Personally I like VHS tapes.    But then I like vinyl and have hundreds of the buggers of all sizes and a tin box full of jazz 78s - and the means to play them.  But there comes a point where the hoarding has to stop.  Okay, I'll keep the tapes of all those crappy horrors too dreadful to make it to DVD (or even laserdisc) but do I _really_ need to keep copies of films which cost pennies (including postage) on eBay in a better format?

so in the last week:

[*]*The Titchborne Claimant* - A rather better than I was expecting piece of loosely based on historical events British drama.
[*]*Harold and Maude *- One of the Great American Films which left Number One Daughter and I totally emotionally wrung out at the end of it.
[*]*The Italian Job* - the original. Better than I remember but I'm not sure it deserves its iconic status. (on DVD)
[*]*The Quick and the Dead -* Sam Raimi doing his Spaggy Western thing with a brilliant piece of dutched rack focus during one of the shootouts.
[*]*The Devil's Advocate* - one of the better pre-Millennial Anti-Christ movies. I can see why Pacino went for this one he had a whale of a time and, as usual, the devil got all the best lines.  A bit spoiled by a happy, tacked-on, twisty ending which it really didn't need.
[*]*The Devils* - I've avoided watching this one for years on the general principal that I really_really*really*_ dislike Ken Russell and most of his overblown hollow bombasts of movies. I was wrong. This is pretty damn terrific. A lot, I suspect, to do with Derek Jarman's extraordinary sets and some seriously wonderful costume.  The fact that, for a lot of the time, the screen was full of naked women didn't dampen my appreciation either.

Abandoned:
*Chasers* (1994) - after 25 minutes of testosterone driven homophobia I gave up. Apparently it was supposed to be a comedy. It was directed by Dennis Hopper. Dennis Hopper. Comedy. Nope, can't see it.
*Posse* (1993) - frenetic anachronistic revisionist western which threw so much onto the screen so fast it became dull despite the overwhelmingly fwarr! eye-candy of Mario Van Peebles. 20 minutes.
*Snatch* - Like f**ing _Only Fools an 'Orses_ but wiv more f**king swearin' wiv the bit of the gratuitous f**kin' violence, innit? F**king hated _Only Fools an 'orses_ me. Fort it was sh*t. Fort this was sh*te too.
*Out of the Blue* - second Dennis Hopper movie in a week to hit the trash bin. I don't think this one was supposed to be funny.


----------



## J Riff

Hehe, heh... JM,  !%!%! this !%!%!% piece of !%!..
I wartched _Planes- Search and Rescue_, a Disney followup to _Cars_, I guess. It was okay, as the little speedracer plane blows a gearbox and has to become a firefighter plane.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

2DaveWixon said:


> Pleased to hear your recommendation -- the previews I've seen did not attract me, but now I'll make a point of going...



OK, I did manage to go. Alas, I did not get as much out of it as my friend @REBerg seems to have gotten.
Mostly, the point of the movie was "turnabout" (anyone out there remember that particular reference?). I applaud that. But that's almost all there was to applaud: most of the jokes/comedy were/was disappointing. The running gag of the mayor and his staff framing the new Ghostbusters for the first few episodes of haunting was not really very funny, and was never explained well enough to make it a serious plot line...it just sort of petered out.
Best part was the reversal of the "dumb blonde" stereotype (but I won't go into detail on that right now).
I expected cameos by the surviving original Ghostbusters, but it was clever to make them unbelievers...


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Droflet said:


> Yep. Wallace and Grommit.



I'll have to look that up -- thank you!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Rodders said:


> My Marvel catch up continues.
> 
> Ant Man
> Avengers: Age Of Ultron
> Iron Man 3



The first: a great movie!
The others are among Marvel's also-rans...


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> FYI Pol Pot, Mao, & Stalin *did *believe.  They had an irrational belief in themselves. Like most psychopaths they believed they were right and that other people were inconvenient and disposable.  They were wrong too.



I agree that the named murderers were indeed believers, but it was not only that they believed in themselves -- they all professed adherence to a cause (although of course it can always be argued that they were faking it...).
In the past, I've gotten involved in arguments over something like this, me taking the position that an "-ism," such as communism, can to all intents and purposes be considered a religion...of course, I learned to stop taking positions like that around people whose particular "-ism" involves a purported deity...
It's useless to argue with such people.


----------



## Coast

Star Trek : Beyond.
I really liked this. I'm not a fan of the original Trek, so I'm not carrying those expectations, and everything that Trekkies have criticised about the reboots is in this movie as well, so if you're looking for a return to the Star Trek of old, I don't think you'll find it here. But I found it enjoyable, and probably my favourite of the reboots.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> so in the last week:
> 
> [*]*The Italian Job* - the original. Better than I remember but I'm not sure it deserves its iconic status. (on DVD)
> [*]*The Quick and the Dead -* Sam Raimi doing his Spaggy Western thing with a brilliant piece of dutched rack focus during one of the shootouts.
> ...
> Abandoned:
> 
> *Posse* (1993) - frenetic anachronistic revisionist western which threw so much onto the screen so fast it became dull despite the overwhelmingly fwarr! eye-candy of Mario Van Peebles. 20 minutes.



I don't think I ever thought of the first *Italian Job* as "iconic," but yes, it was good -- I still recall being amazed at the use of those itty-bitty cars (keep in mind that they were rare in the 1970's -- I'd never seen one -- to escape, across Roman rooftops, etc...
*The Quick and the Dead:* are you speaking of the film made from the Louis L'Amour western of that name, starring Sam Eliot? Could you explain to me what you mean by "ditched rack focus"?
*Posse: *the only one of your "abandoned" films that I saw; and I agree with you -- it was awful!


----------



## Chinspinner

ok, anything with Micheal Caine is better than us.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

*BFG:* I'm rather surprised that no one has yet mentioned this one; it certainly has fantastic elements that I would have thought would draw the interest of Chrons people...well, I get to be first (and maybe only, since it seem to be leaving the theaters already...).
The title stands for "Big Friendly Giant," and the film comes from a Raold Dahl book (which I have never read). The basic premise is that there is a group of about ten giants who live somewhere north of the British Isles (all seem to be male, and apparently they don't need females because they just have always been there...).
Nine of the giants seem like a gang from the worst of British slums, with the additional vice of preferring to eat people... The tenth, the title character, is a good deal smaller than his compatriots and is treated by them with some contempt -- not least because in his uneducated fashion, he seems to be of an intellectual bent that includes such activities as roaming about in the night and catching, and bottling, the dreams of humans. He's a vegetarian who seems to mostly eat the most ghastly-looking cucumbers...!
While out collecting late one night, BFG is accidentally seen by Sophie, an orphan who is desperately lonely and unhappy in an orphanage only slightly better than those of Dickens -- so he kidnaps her and takes her back to his cave; where, in a short while, they become friends, almost family.
BFG is played by Mark Rylance, who did such a splendid job as Rudolph Abel in *Bridge of Spies.* He was a perfect choice for the role, and his wide-eyed, innocent face, even after being subjected to the special effects needed to create his appearance, creates a high level of appeal and sympathy.
In the back story, it appears that BFG once before had a human friend, only to have him caught and eaten by the other giants; and he now lives in fear that they will catch Sophie, too. But after various events, the other giants go out into Britain in a renewed campaign to catch and eat humans; and Sophie has to convince BFG to go with her to see the Queen and warn her of the danger.
Well, it works -- and I won't go into more detail than that.

Be aware: it's basically a movie for kids (complete to most impressive displays of flatulence) -- but it's fun, and it's engaging (at least, it was so for me).


----------



## manephelien

Star Trek Beyond. Very enjoyable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

@2DaveWixon  No I mean the 1995 film starring  Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman

A bit of cut and pastery from Wikipedia and places:

(I mistyped - I meant 'rack zoom' but the type of shot I mean is also know as a 'Dolly Zoom', 'Trombone Shot', 'Vertigo Shot' and a slew of other names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_zoom#Alternative_names.)

A *Dolly Zoom* is achieved by zooming a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view (often referred to as field of view, or FOV) while the camera dollies (moves) toward or away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout. In its classic form, the camera angle is pulled away from a subject while the lens zooms in, or vice versa. Thus, during the zoom, there is a continuous perspective distortion, the most directly noticeable feature being that the background appears to change size relative to the subject.

a *Dutch angle* is a camera shot where the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed so the horizon line of the shot is not parallel with the bottom of the camera frame. This produces a viewpoint akin to tilting one's head to the side.

So  a 'dutched Dolly Zoom' is a Dolly Zoom made where the camera is not horizontal.  In _The Quick and the Dead_ there is a classic, face to face, western duel with lots of these shots that come bang bang bang one after the other.  It's a stunning bit of film making.  If you really want to see it in poor quality and out of context:


----------



## Vince W

*Star Trek: Beyond.*

It was an enjoyable film, closer to the original Star Trek mould, but hardly perfect. There were some moments of real humour in this one, probably thanks to Pegg's script. And Karl Urban is perfect as Bones again.

I would say turn you mind off and don't think about the problems and you'll probably really enjoy this one.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> I would say turn you mind off and don't think about the problems .



Always a good policy when watching anything Star Trek.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> @2DaveWixon  No I mean the 1995 film starring  Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman
> 
> A bit of cut and pastery from Wikipedia and places:
> 
> (I mistyped - I meant 'rack zoom' but the type of shot I mean is also know as a 'Dolly Zoom', 'Trombone Shot', 'Vertigo Shot' and a slew of other names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_zoom#Alternative_names.)
> 
> A *Dolly Zoom* is achieved by zooming a zoom lens to adjust the angle of view (often referred to as field of view, or FOV) while the camera dollies (moves) toward or away from the subject in such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout. In its classic form, the camera angle is pulled away from a subject while the lens zooms in, or vice versa. Thus, during the zoom, there is a continuous perspective distortion, the most directly noticeable feature being that the background appears to change size relative to the subject.
> 
> a *Dutch angle* is a camera shot where the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed so the horizon line of the shot is not parallel with the bottom of the camera frame. This produces a viewpoint akin to tilting one's head to the side.
> 
> So  a 'dutched Dolly Zoom' is a Dolly Zoom made where the camera is not horizontal.  In _The Quick and the Dead_ there is a classic, face to face, western duel with lots of these shots that come bang bang bang one after the other.  It's a stunning bit of film making.  If you really want to see it in poor quality and out of context:



Thank you for answering my questions -- greatly appreciated! And yes, I have seen the film to which you refer several times...it's just that for some reason, when you mentioned that title, my mind went to the other film first.

And thank you, too, for the technical explanations -- much of which I managed to understand (although some, ahem! went zooming over my head...).


----------



## Vaz

*Reign of Fire

*
Christian Bale + a sky diving dragon hunting bald Matthew Mcconaughey + lotsa dragons. Not as bad as I thought it would be. Entertaining if nothing else.
*
*


----------



## Starbeast

*Southbound* (2015) An anthology of terror, that I highly recommend to HORROR FANS ONLY.
*
The Green Room* (2015) Outstanding hard-hitting drama that is filled with constant tension. For HORROR FANS ONLY. Stars: _Sir Patrick Stewart.
_
*The Borrowers* (2008) Creepy creature flick, set in the old west. Not a bad little horror movie.

*The Keep* (1983) I had to see this dark film again. Set in WW2, German soldiers unleash a demon. Stars: _Scott Glen - Ian McKellen - Alberta Watson - Jurgen Prochnow - Gabriel Byrne - Robert Prosky - William Morgan Sheppard Music scored by Tangerine Dream._
*
Twice Upon A Time* (1983) Animated comical fantasy tale, about where dreams and nightmares come from. A classic cartoon that I had to see again. Features the voice talents of _Lorenzo Music_ and _Paul Frees _(there are 2 versions of the film, one is family friendly and the other is PG rated - Some DVDs contain both)

*10 Cloverfield Lane* (2016) Incredible science fiction flick that kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this one. Stars: _John Goodman _and_ Mary Elizabeth Winstead_


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *The Keep* (1983) I had to see this dark film again. Set in WW2, German soldiers unleash a demon. Stars: _Scott Glen - Ian McKellen - Alberta Watson - Jurgen Prochnow - Gabriel Byrne - Robert Prosky - William Morgan Sheppard Music scored by Tangerine Dream._



Good film. Underrated role by Ian McKellen. The Tangerine Dream score was a major element. Tried to read the book, but gave up because the movie (dare I say it) was better.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Dasepo Naughty Girls* (2006) - an indie Korean comedy film based on a webcomic.  And it's pretty awful. There's a nice little poor girl / rich boy love story in the middle of it somewhere but a touching little performance from the actress playing her is buried under an avalanche of unfunny, badly-developed, sloppily-plotted guff that just goes nowhere.  Ferinstance one plotline has the only virgin in the school, a Cyclops, have a really cute two-eyed sister who is really a boy...  and... that's it.  That's as far as it goes.  That's the joke.  It's that funny.   (The film also contains the world's unfunniest rendering of the 'boy pretending to be a girl on the internet and finding the hot cute girl he is flirting with is his dad' gag ever presented on screen.  If I tell you it makes the 'Having cybersex with your mom' sequence from _Movie 43_ look good... ).  There is also a bewilderingly awful sequence near the end where a demon headmaster is defeated (and the spirit possessing him turned into a dragon) by a display of massed synchronised (fully clothed) m***********.  There are pointless little musical numbers.  And everyone is trying so so hard to make a cult movie (and failing) that it hurts. I ended up feeling sorry for them all.

Or maybe I just don't get Korean humour.


----------



## REBerg

*Hitman: Agent 47*
Entertaining take on genetically engineered humans as killing machines. I have not seen the original, so I didn't know who the real bad boy was until he made his move.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

REBerg said:


> *Hitman: Agent 47*
> Entertaining take on genetically engineered humans as killing machines. I have not seen the original, so I didn't know who the real bad boy was until he made his move.



There was an "original"? I find it appalling that someone would do this one twice!
(You could probably guess I didn't like it...)


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Superuomini, superdonne, superbotte* (aka_ Super Stooges vs the Wonder Women _and _Amazons Vs Supermen_) - Oh Dear God! I really have no idea who or what the audience for this was supposed to be. I _think _it was supposed to be a comedy. It started off with an extended sequence in which a bunch of Amazon warriors (white bikinis, capes, helmets, and a variety of _Mad Max_ weaponry) fought each other to the bloody death to become the new queen. Then we jumped to a bar fight in which a black Hercules type character defeated a bunch of comedy stooges by throwing them about the set then belching at them with such force that they all fell over. The Comedy Stooges then attacked a Chinese guy riding a buffalo (the only decent joke of the whole show "that horse looks foreign") and he comedy kung-fus them for a bit. Then the Amazons attack a cardboard village and are driven off by a costumed superhero... and so on and so on... By the end of the movie our heroes are massacring Amazons left right and centre with flame throwers mounted in tanks. All played in a broad knockabout comedy style that would have embarrassed Benny Hill. The music was DREADFUL. Hell. Why should I suffer alone: Here's the whole thing on Youtube 




I will warn you, seasoned and hardened crap movie watcher that I am, I found it hard to get through the opening credits...


----------



## REBerg

*Man from U.N.C.L.E.*
I thought that this film captured the "campiness" and humorous undertones of the TV series. It reminded me a little, somehow, of the Robert Downey Jr.-Jude Law relationship in the Sherlock Holmes films.
I would watch a sequel or several.


----------



## J Riff

1974 .... how did we miss this one JM ? Dunna seem possible. I will report back. I can handle it. The music cannot be worse than the utter bilge I hear around here. I've been watching documentaries but this one overrides all educational material. I dint even read your full description there, I watch these kind of movies.... so... here goes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Are you all right, J Riff?  It's been three hours....


----------



## Overread

Seventh Son - an enjoyable hack and slash magical adventure with some dragons and witches and suchlike. It won't be beating at Lord of the Rings door any time soon and the - ahem- relationship sections are really rather cringe worthy teen romance style (although I get the feeling that they are seriously cut short from what they likely originally were in the source material/early scripts). 

Overall its a decent adventure you can watch with your brain off and enjoy the battles and suchlike. The mentor character puts in a very solid performance and his voice really carries him well and makes him stand out


----------



## Starbeast

*World War Z* (2013)

Not bad, not great, but not bad. Typical and predictable, for me. I didn't read the book, I was curious when it was on TV last night. Actor Brad Pitt seemed to be trying to mimic, actor Russell Crowe's dramatic facial expressions (it didn't work for me). I heard there is a sequel coming out in 2017, whoop-dee-doo.
*
Creepies* (2004) 

Horribly under-budget giant spider movie that I couldn't finish. Don't bother with this one.

*Mirage Men* (2013)

Not a movie, but an intense Alien/UFO documentary that will make you question many things. ONLY recommended to people who are very familiar with the subject.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> Are you all right, J Riff?  It's been three hours....



I'm starting to worry...


----------



## JunkMonkey

Another victim of Toxic Schlock Syndrome....


----------



## Ensign Shah

Vince W said:


> *Star Trek: Beyond.*
> 
> It was an enjoyable film, closer to the original Star Trek mould, but hardly perfect. There were some moments of real humour in this one, probably thanks to Pegg's script. And Karl Urban is perfect as Bones again.
> 
> I would say turn you mind off and don't think about the problems and you'll probably really enjoy this one.


I am so jealous! I am dying to see this movie!!!!!


----------



## Vince W

Ensign Shah said:


> I am so jealous! I am dying to see this movie!!!!!



You really should.  I've made my mind up to see it a second time to see if I enjoy it more, now that my expectations won't get in the way.


----------



## Ensign Shah

My daughter is refusing to come with me... I know, I know, I have failed as a parent! So I will have to wait 3 weeks until she's back at school and I'll have to bunk off work. Unless of course, you are offering to babysit @Vince W?


----------



## REBerg

Vince W said:


> I would say turn you mind off and don't think about the problems and you'll probably really enjoy this one.


It's always easy to trip my mind's "off" switch. It's finding the "on" switch that's difficult.


----------



## Vaz

*The Hateful 8
*
Nearly 3 hours of complete awful. Eight people filmed in one location and you have to guess who's on who's side. Well, halfway through tarantino spills the plot and reveals all. A truly awful movie.


----------



## manephelien

Jason Bourne. Two hours well spent, not a boring second. If you're sensitive to shaky cam or suffer from motion sickness, get a seat at the back of the theater.


----------



## Vince W

Ensign Shah said:


> My daughter is refusing to come with me... I know, I know, I have failed as a parent! So I will have to wait 3 weeks until she's back at school and I'll have to bunk off work. Unless of course, you are offering to babysit @Vince W?



Gladly. I'll bring along Wrath of Kahn to show her.


----------



## Ensign Shah

Vince W said:


> Gladly. I'll bring along Wrath of Kahn to show her.


The thing is she would love that!!!! She's going through a phase of not doing what I say. With others she's fine. I'm sure it'll pass when she's erm, 13? 

I'll see you tomorrow at around 6.00


----------



## J Riff

Agh!  It has it all... and the tunes are terrifically terrible. It's the early synth sounds- they are not propply intonated, and drift, causing what sounds like tape wow or slowdown. Terrible stuff, Jm, thanks a bunch. ****


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ensign Shah said:


> I'm sure it'll pass when she's erm, 13?



*ROFL!*


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Agh!  It has it all... and the tunes are terrifically terrible. It's the early synth sounds- they are not propply intonated, and drift, causing what sounds like tape wow or slowdown. Terrible stuff, Jm, thanks a bunch. ****



You are welcome.  I have watched many of 'Al Bradley''s films.  They are all awful but this one was harder work than most.


----------



## BAYLOR

Ensign Shah said:


> I am so jealous! I am dying to see this movie!!!!!



It's a terrific film.


----------



## Ensign Shah

BAYLOR said:


> It's a terrific film.



Here's hoping Father Christmas drops off the DVD.


----------



## BAYLOR

Ensign Shah said:


> Here's hoping Father Christmas drops off me the DVD.



And we're getting a 4th movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

BAYLOR said:


> And we're getting a 4th movie.



They'll get it right eventually...


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> They'll get it right eventually...



I rather enjoyed the 3rd film.  

I wish the upcoming tv series took place in the new timeline.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Zardoz* - and I haven't laughed so much in ages.  I had forgotten how bewilderingly dreadful it was.  I had also forgotten how much naked female flesh there is in it  - not normally a problem for me but I was watching it with my 13 year old daughter.... the nude female mudwrestling/  erection monitoring scene was a little squirm-inducing in her company.  By the end of it we were both registering so many WTF? per minute there wasn't any room in our heads for any embarrassment.

"This," I said to her afterwards, "is what happens when you do drugs.  You end up making movies like that.  You think things like that make sense and need saying!"  So another valuable life lesson passed on.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> *Zardoz* - and I haven't laughed so much in ages.  I had forgotten how bewilderingly dreadful it was.  I had also forgotten how much naked female flesh there is in it  - not normally a problem for me but I was watching it with my 13 year old daughter.... the nude female mudwrestling/  erection monitoring scene was a little squirm inducing in her company.  By the end of it we were both registering so many WTF? per minute there wasn't any room in our heads for any embarrassment.
> 
> "This," I said to her afterwards, "is what happens when you do drugs.  You end up making movies like that.  You think things like that make sense and need saying!"  So another valuable life lesson passed on.



An underrated classic science fiction dystopian films.  Under all the silliness, It's got an interesting concept.


----------



## JunkMonkey

BAYLOR said:


> An underrated classic science fiction dystopian films.  Under all the silliness, It's got an interesting concept.



Which is...?


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> Which is...?



*Zardoz* is a better then  people give it credit for being.  It does fit the category of Dystopian science fiction. Perhaps this film merits it won thread?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Boorman himself described it as an "extraordinary farrago" (commentary track) and "too ambitious for its own good" _(Adventures of a Suburban Boy)_.  Who am I to disagree with him?


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> Boorman himself described it as an "extraordinary farrago" (commentary track) and "too ambitious for its own good" _(Adventures of a Suburban Boy)_.  Who am I to disagree with him?



It was an incredibly ambitious  film , had the script been  tighter, *Zardoz *would very likely be one great science fiction films of all time.  It comes close to being a good film even the way it is.  This is a film that should do reboot of.


----------



## JunkMonkey

As I was watching Zardoz I was reminded of another film but I couldn't remember what it was.  12 hours later the name just popped into my head:
_* Im Straub Der Sterne* (aka In the Dust of the Stars) _- a 1976 East German SF epic of bewildering otherness which I now need to watch again.


----------



## J Riff

_10 Cloverfield Lane_... well, it should have been a serial killer movie... or an alien invasion flick.. but not both. Coulda shoulda woulda, but no, it isn't.


----------



## Andrew Lambert

Wanted to see Bourne, Star Trek or Suicide Squad.....got Finding Dory.
I'm definitely not master of my own destiny!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Most of *Swamp Shark * - a lacklustre TV movie about a giant shark which 'terrorises' a Louisiana swamp.  I gave after the Plot Point Delivering Geeky One character found a web page which filled in a lot of the back story for us.  To give him an excuse to tell us, the audience, some more of the back story our Mature but Still Attractive Female Head of the Family character said, "What else does it say about this giant indestructible shark from deep in the ocean on that webpage that I am quite capable of reading myself but the audience needs to hear someone say it out loud?"


----------



## WaylanderToo

just seen Suicide Squad - a little clunky in places but I loved it. Margot _*IS*_ Harley


----------



## WaylanderToo

just watched an animated movie Ronal the Barbarian - it's not child friendly but it is childishly funny


----------



## J Riff

_ 'Sharknado 3 - Oh Hell No'_  Really. And there's a 4th movie too... but this one is ridiculous, of course... and it manages to go the extra mile of ludicrosity... but, can't imagine what they can do to out-nonsensicalize it in the 4th one.. so will probably have to watch it, too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> _ 'Sharknado 3 - Oh Hell No'_  Really. And there's a 4th movie too... but this one is ridiculous, of course... and it manages to go the extra mile of ludicrosity... but, can't imagine what they can do to out-nonsensicalize it in the 4th one.. so will probably have to watch it, too.



_Sharknado in Space_!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

JunkMonkey said:


> _Sharknado in Space_!



_Sharknado Meets Godzilla?_


----------



## J Riff

Ooog, #3 is already in space... sharks can breathe there, it turns out.. So #4 must be in a galaxy far far away? I will investigate. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

J Riff said:


> Ooog, #3 is already in space... sharks can breathe there, it turns out.. So #4 must be in a galaxy far far away? I will investigate. )



You are KIDDING?!


----------



## zmunkz

I just watched Equilibrium. It was decent, except for some glaring plot holes.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Lego Movie* (2014)

Shockingly great!!! One of the rare movies I can tolerate actor Will Ferrell in. Outstanding animated movie that had some wonderful and disturbingly accurate messages in it. A couple of surprise voice actors in the movie as well.


----------



## J Riff

_Sharknado4..._ Well it's all over now... Sharknados (which do quite well in space) ..can also mutate into, yknow, other types of 'nados... electrical, atomic, cownados... * no further comment. )


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Ninja Squad *- the third Godfrey Ho movie I have seen and, sadly, the least dreadful.  Ho has 'directed' 132 movies. This one - and many others - was 'directed' by him in the sense of he took a ratty print of an cheap, violent modern day Asian gangster/revenge film, took out about 20 minutes of the running time (probably at random) and spliced in some new footage of white people doing 'Ninja' fighting shot in a field behind the studio offices.  Then redubbing the whole thing in a wide variety of accents.  Our Asian hero has an Australian accent his girlfriend starts out with some sort of wild Kentucky hillbilly accent which the actress is unable to sustain for long and other characters just shout in generic Hong Kong martial arts.

We know the white guys in this film are ninjas because, not only do they tell us they are ninjas in every other sentence they utter, but they all have 'Ninja' (in Roman script) written on their hachimakis (headbands).

Anything that made the Asian gangster film stuff and the White guy Ninja stuff have any relationship with each other past the opening credits was possibly accidental.

Here's the trailer:


----------



## clovis-man

*Pete's Dragon*. Better than I'd expected. Took the grandkids to it and they were properly enthralled. A hairy, green dragon with a lantern jaw was a little bit much as a CGI critter, as opposed to the original cartoon. But it was done pretty well.


----------



## Keith Taylor

WaylanderToo said:


> just seen Suicide Squad - a little clunky in places but I loved it. Margot _*IS*_ Harley



The more I read from regular viewers rather than critics the more I want to go see this. It seems that most people thought it wasn't all that bad.


----------



## J Riff

_Lego Movie_. Yeah, ha ha... 'everything is awesome'. Fear the Kragle! Watched it again for all the background stuff. Will FArrell is only in it for a couple minutes, the stars are plastic characters, my fave being Uni-Kitty.


----------



## J-Sun

Gave *Star Wars: The Force Awakens* views #3 & #4 after picking it up on used DVD. The first view was on a DVD player and it was glitchy and I noticed a (visually minor) scratch. #4 was on my computer to see if it was just the other player and it played fine. (Maybe a caching problem on the dedicated device.) Maybe I should take it back but I'm leaning towards keeping it.

As far as the movie, the more I see it, the more I have problems with it and the more I love it anyway. I just really hope the second movie is much better. 



Spoiler: relatively light spoilage of TFA if you haven't seen it



It just must not recapitulate _The Empire Strikes Back_ and must skip over quite a bit. I want to see Rey and Ren with their New and Improved Kung-Force Grip and do *not* want to see them acquire it. I want to believe that Rey and Poe and Fin have become great buds in the intervening period (because their bonding vs. Han and Luke and Leia's was slightly botched) and I want to see less gratuitous action stuff (like Ren not killing Fin somehow, yet the movie trying to make us think he was dead even though we'd never believe that, even with Rey feeling for a pulse and then crying) and less gratuitous un-science-fiction (yes, spaceships doing dogfight manuevers is silly but we love it; no the FTL destruction of the Republic is not a deal-breaker in this context but yes it does stress things beyond the necessary limit), etc. But still, the music was great, the visuals were great, the new characters in isolation were great, their interactions would have been great with a little more effort, it "homaged" the hell out of the originals but that's good in its way, and it was fun and made me hopeful for the follow-ups. "Better than the prequels."


----------



## J Riff

Well _Shaun The Sheep_, by the Wallace n Gromit folks - is just as good, recommended for everyone... has great characters, and so does_ Lego Movie._ I want a UniKitty t-shirt ... and fridge magnet,... NEED a uniKItty flashlight... _must-have_ a uniKitty talking figurine..


----------



## clovis-man

the Netflix original movie, *The Little Prince*. Ostensibly aimed at a juvenile audience (my grandkids loved it), this animated retelling of the 1943 novella by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery is well conceived and full of memorable characters. Well worth anyone's time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Spaceballs* - and it was as unfunny as I remember it.  I was reconnoitring the film to see it it was suitable for my kids.  I don't think I'll bother them with it.


----------



## Overread

They have to experience Starwars before they can appreciate Spaceballs!


----------



## JunkMonkey

All are familiar with _Star Wars_ - Number One son especially so - but I really don't think it's worth showing them.  I decided against showing Number One Daughter_ Young Frankenstein _after she saw Whale's _Bride of Frankenstein_ and fell in love with its camp excesses.  The original is funnier.


----------



## J Riff

Spaceballs... yeah.. I do remember 'ludicrous speed' as a good scene. But it dint age well, did it? Neither, particularly, might _Strange Magic_. Actually it's lovely. Lovely fairies 'n amination, and lots of familiar songs, love songs n' wartnot. I couldn't stay awake but I think it was lovely, the bits I saw..


----------



## Overread

Sometimes I think that things that age poorly are sometimes only aging poorly for those old to them and that sometimes old things can work on newer generations. I'd say its one thing to withhold media upon standards such as language, violence, etc.. until a suitable age is reached but otherwise I'd say the only way to find out is to expose them to it. Sometimes they'll like things you like; sometimes they'll hate things you love and love things you hate.


----------



## nixie

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, I was doubled over with laughter.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Overread said:


> Sometimes I think that things that age poorly are sometimes only aging poorly for those old to them and that sometimes old things can work on newer generations. I'd say its one thing to withhold media upon standards such as language, violence, etc.. until a suitable age is reached but otherwise I'd say the only way to find out is to expose them to it. Sometimes they'll like things you like; sometimes they'll hate things you love and love things you hate.




Mmmm.   I think I agree with you to a point but I do know my kids and Brooks' films are ageing badly. I watched _Blazing Saddles_ the other week.  Were 'rape jokes'* ever* funny?

My problem is I have so many things I want to share with my kids.  There is more to cinema history than Disney and Marvel.   There were films before Star Wars screwed up American cinema.  Number One Daughter and I watched Kurisawa's _Yojimbo_ and Leone's _Fistful of Dollars_ back to back the other night.  Kids of her age (she's 14) get to see all sorts of stuff that was considered 'adult' when I was her age (I'm 56) and what you _are_ allowed to show your kids in this country is bewildering.

_Barbarella _was an X certificate when it came out in 1968.  (It's now a 15.)
_
Raiders of the Lost Ark_ is a PG.

_Orlando _is a PG

So it's all right for my 7 year old son to watch people having their heads shoved into spinning propellers but my gay teenage daughter can't see Jane Fonda's tits - though both of them can see Tilda Swinton's tits and bits in _Orlando.
_
Baffling.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Just saw Suicide Squad a couple of hours ago. 

Meh. 

It was watchable, but ultimately a disappointment. The idea was exciting; instead of heroes, let's make a movie about the villains. Awesome! 

But, of course, Hollywood doesn't have the balls to see something like that through. They were never going to make a movie about villains; they were going to take some villains, make them likable enough that they're basically not bad guys, and make a movie about them saving the world. 

It's basically The Avengers, if the Avengers were uglier and had poorer makeup. 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> Mmmm.   I think I agree with you to a point but I do know my kids and Brooks' films are ageing badly. I watched _Blazing Saddles_ the other week.  Were 'rape jokes'* ever* funny?
> 
> My problem is I have so many things I want to share with my kids.  There is more to cinema history than Disney and Marvel.   There were films before Star Wars screwed up American cinema.  Number One Daughter and I watched Kurisawa's _Yojimbo_ and Leone's _Fistful of Dollars_ back to back the other night.  Kids of her age (she's 14) get to see all sorts of stuff that was considered 'adult' when I was her age (I'm 56) and what you _are_ allowed to show your kids in this country is bewildering.
> 
> _Barbarella _was an X certificate when it came out in 1968.  (It's now a 15.)
> _
> Raiders of the Lost Ark_ is a PG.
> 
> _Orlando _is a PG
> 
> So it's all right for my 7 year old son to watch people having their heads shoved into spinning propellers but my gay teenage daughter can't see Jane Fonda's tits - though both of them can see Tilda Swinton's tits and bits in _Orlando.
> _
> Baffling.




Interesting view-point - I do agree WRT Fonda's tits (it is weird that violence is more acceptable than the naked form) but I also suspect that the version of Raiders you see on TV these days has been trimmed a little?

WRT to Blazing Saddles - I watched it again a few months ago and still love it


----------



## JunkMonkey

WaylanderToo said:


> Interesting view-point - I do agree WRT Fonda's tits (it is weird that violence is more acceptable than the naked form) but I also suspect that the version of Raiders you see on TV these days has been trimmed a little?



Nope.  According to the BBFC's website all versions of this film are uncut*.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK | British Board of Film Classification



*Though, given that some of the dialogue is in Hebrew, I'm not sure the same can be said of the cast.


----------



## Dulahan

*"Bone Tomahawk" *Kurt Russel, Patrick Wilson _(Watchmen, Conjuring)_, and a barely recognizable Richard Jenkins _(Stepbrothers). _A cameo by horror b-film legend Sid Haig as well.  I really enjoyed it, a Horror Western about a Sheriff and small posse who set out to rescue townsfolk abducted by cave-dwelling-cannibal American Indians.  It started well but had a very long stretching middle that was very casual dialogue heavy. The ending was good fun though. I would recommend it if you like westerns with touch of gore and horror.


----------



## Dulahan

As for all this talk about Mel Brooks, I think people are becoming far to sensitive now-a-days to enjoy anything. 

Any iota of 'blue humor' is like walking on eggshells and people need to dark their eyes around to see if anyone was offended before letting loose a chuckle. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Lenny Bruce are rolling in their graves.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Dulahan said:


> As for all this talk about Mel Brooks, I think people are becoming far to sensitive now-a-days to enjoy anything.
> 
> Any iota of 'blue humor' is like walking on eggshells and people need to dark their eyes around to see if anyone was offended before letting loose a chuckle. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Lenny Bruce are rolling in their graves.




that being said ISTR that this caused some controversy at the time...


----------



## Dulahan

Right @WaylanderToo, Brooks has always enjoyed the shock humor of Nazis. The Producers and all that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Dulahan said:


> As for all this talk about Mel Brooks, I think people are becoming far to sensitive now-a-days to enjoy anything.
> 
> Any iota of 'blue humor' is like walking on eggshells and people need to dark their eyes around to see if anyone was offended before letting loose a chuckle. Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Lenny Bruce are rolling in their graves.




Oh Whoa!  I'm not against 'Blue humour'; I've written enough smutty jokes in my time. (I still relish the moment I got a gag about a Mongolian Porn star called 'Attila the Hung' into a family show - and the glorious moment on the third performance when the actress who said it finally understood the joke as she was delivering the line.)

What I find hard to find funny about Mel Brooks' stuff these days is that what was once shocking isn't any longer.  Strip away the shock factor and the jokes that are left behind are often pretty thin, hamfisted, or clumsy and then sometimes laboured to death.

The films are also full of dated references which would mean nothing to a younger audience - like the whole "It's not _Hedy,_ it's _Hedley_. Hedley Lamarr." thing in_ Blazing Saddles_.

And sorry.  But was *this *ever funny:

Taggart: We'll work up a Number 6 on 'em.
Hedley Lamarr: [frowns] "Number 6"? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one.
Taggart: Well, that's where we go a-ridin' into town, a-whompin' and a-whumpin' every livin' thing that moves within an inch of its life. Except the women folks, of course.
Hedley Lamarr: You spare the women?
Taggart: Naw, we rape the sh*t out of them at the Number Six Dance later on.
Hedley Lamarr: Marvelous!

Ho ho ho.

Brooks was of his time.  His work pushed the boundaries as did Bruce, Pryor, Max Miller, Marty Feldman and Barry Took with their_ Round the Horne _Julian and Sandy scripts - and loads of other 'edgy' comedians and writers.   A lot of the laughs they mined were because they were pushing at the boundaries of acceptable taste. They shocked.  Trouble is people keep  pushing boundaries.  They keep on getting pushed further and further and what was once shocking is no longer shocking because the the targets have been left behind and become irrelevant.

Humour dates. Just look at the 'jokes' in Shakespeare.  Cutting edge at the time.  unimaginably unfunny to the layperson these days.


----------



## Bick

JunkMonkey said:


> *Spaceballs* - and it was as unfunny as I remember it.  I was reconnoitring the film to see it it was suitable for my kids.  I don't think I'll bother them with it.


I always loved that movie.


----------



## Dulahan

@JunkMonkey "Blue Humor" is far more than simply risque or smutty. Evidently your sensitivities are offended by jokes about sex or race? If that is the case then your not exactly a fan of "Blue Humor" just the dirty verity. Attilla the Hung is funny though -- perhaps he could be played by Dong Johnson. _(but I question the actress's cognitive ability in taking so long to pick up on a *GLARING* pun)_

I still find Brooks funny and I am sure that many would put him as one of the all-time screen writers. Humor and Art, however, is entirely subjective and we all like what we like.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Dulahan said:


> @JunkMonkey "Blue Humor" is far more than simply risque or smutty. Evidently your sensitivities are offended by jokes about sex or race?



My sensitivities are not offended by jokes about sex or race - with the possible exception or rape 'jokes' which do seem crop up a lot in _Blazing Saddles_ at least.  Rape isn't funny.  I don't think there are things you shouldn't make jokes about.  That is one of the functions of humour.  It allows us to think the unthinkable.  But I have never heard a rape 'joke' that is at all funny.  Ever.

There may be someone out there at this very minute jotting it down.  The great thing about humour and why I like to write it is that you know INSTANTLY if you're right.  If it works. With drama people tell you it was deep and meaningful interesting or though provoking, how do you know? how can you tell what's going on in their heads?  I've acted.  I know when an audience is interested.  I know when they are bored.   You don't know why.
With comedy you know. 

Actor:  "Yadayadayada!" 

Audience: Helpless laughter. 

They have no choice.  They can't fake it.  The audience never fakes it in comedy*.



Dulahan said:


> If that is the case then your not exactly a fan of "Blue Humor" just the dirty verity. Attilla the Hung is funny though -- perhaps he could be played by Dong Johnson. _(but I question the actress's cognitive ability in taking so long to pick up on a *GLARING* pun)_



She was only 14.



Dulahan said:


> I still find Brooks funny and I am sure that many would put him as one of the all-time screen writers. Humor and Art, however, is entirely subjective and we all like what we like.



I have no quibbles with your still finding him funny.  Some people still think Norman Wisdom is funny, and Arthur Askey, (they're wrong) and  Martin and Lewis, Rowen and Martin's Laugh-in, Howdy Doody etc. but they are in a shrinking minority.  Some comedy does survive  the ravages of time (mostly physical which is why people like Keaton have endured) but most of it fades.  Brooks will be slip into historical obscurity like Richard and Willie, Frank Randle, Olson and Johnson, and Mr Pastry, Wilson Kepple and Betty and a million and one others.




*and that's a line that's going in my journal.


----------



## JunkMonkey

to get this thread vaguely back on topic the last film I watched was:

*Hellish Flesh *(aka_ Inferno Carnal _1977) - my first, and I hope not last, Brazilian 'horror' film. Disjointed, cheap, shoddy and bewilderingly hypnotic it felt like a film edited together by Kenneth Anger from out-takes from several different Jess Franco films.  This is a film that seriously made NO sense whatsoever.


----------



## Old_Man_Steve2016

Saw Star Trek: Beyond today with the wife. We both felt it was better than the second movie, but the villain was almost a composite of the villains of the first and second movie in that 



Spoiler



The villain was a disgruntled starfleet employee with a murder boner, only this time it was a human posing as an alien. The movie never went into why he became an alien.



The next theatrical movie we'll see will be Ghostbusters. We get that out here in Korea on Friday.


----------



## Dulahan

@JunkMonkey To each their own I suppose.


----------



## Bick

I saw Kubo and the Two Strings at the weekend.  Good.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

nixie said:


> Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, I was doubled over with laughter.



Ahhh, an example of how tastes vary -- I hated that movie. Never cracked a smile.
I can't explain the difference between us...but don't take it personally.


----------



## REBerg

nixie said:


> Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, I was doubled over with laughter.


Same here. 



Spoiler



Especially the zombie sing-along and the Cloris Leachman character.


----------



## Judderman

Jason Bourne. Another very entertaining Bourne movie. It is not as good as the Bourne Ultimatum and there is some element of repetition through the series. The storyline isn't anything amazing either though we find out more on Jason's mysterious background. But I just love this series. I thought the first three were amongst the best ever film trilogies and this is a worthy addition.
Compared to James Bond films, Mission Impossible and various other action films with a hero this just seems so much more believable and compelling. Ok his skills at noticing when people are following or looking at him are a bit too good but otherwise the action scenes in Bourne films always work so well. They rarely have an absurd way to end, they have solid looking fighting, not too much magically avoiding bullets etc and they keep you glued to the screen. IT is always great to see how he will evade the surveillance when he is meeting someone. Though the last car chase scene is a bit nuts hollywood style. The earlier one set in Greece is great.


----------



## Dulahan

I thought Zombie Guide was terrible. I am getting kinda burned out on the whole Zombie Genre -- I feel like it has been kicked into *OVER LOAD*

But in the Zombie Genre there was a decent enough mini-series I watched not too long ago called *"Dead Set"*. It takes place during a fictional season of "Big Brother" where the reality TV contestants have no idea that a Zombie outbreak has been let loose outside. I am not sure if I liked it as much as I found the concept very original.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Raised by Wolves* a 'Butchers Brothers Film'.  I lasted ten minutes before yanking out of the player.

*The Libertine* - Loved it!  Acting, and dialogue, and wit, and sex.  And great little bit of focus pulling that knocked my socks off.  And music by Michael Nyman. (I'll watch anything with a Michael Nyman score at least once.)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Sausage Party*. Nuts! But points for using kids movie tropes and techniques to do an adult comedy. So nuts!


----------



## Starbeast

*Witch* (2016) This ain't no Harry Potter witch tale. This creepy flick displays the way these evil people were known in the olden days. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, nor do I like this movie. Very disturbing.


----------



## Dulahan

Starbeast said:


> *Witch* (2016) This ain't no Harry Potter witch tale. This creepy flick displays the way these evil people were known in the olden days. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, nor do I like this movie. Very disturbing.



Have that movie on my list. It looked like good fun. You didn't like it? Was the acting bad or plot convoluted? Or did you just not care for the topic?


----------



## Starbeast

Dulahan said:


> Have that movie on my list. It looked like good fun. You didn't like it? Was the acting bad or plot convoluted? Or did you just not care for the topic?



Hi Dulahan

The movie was a very good production and had excellent acting. But it was a little too real for me.


----------



## Dulahan

@Starbeast Cool, I will check it out.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Wild Tales *- Another of my I'll watch anything released on the Artificial Eye Label project (if it costs less than £3 in a charity shop - I'm not made of money!)  I've found some good stuff that i would never have otherwise seen. 

But this one - Meh!  

Billed as 'Six Deadly Stories of Revenge' I was left cold by the whole thing.  Partially, I suspect, because there wasn't a single character in the show that invoked any sympathy.  They were all total ****ing arseholes and I wanted them all to just go away.  

Ah well, can't win them all.


----------



## REBerg

*Fantastic Four (2015)*
Works as an origins flick. Not much else.


----------



## Starbeast

*Sorcerer* (1977) Finally, after decades of waiting, I was able to see the wide screen version of this magnificent film by William Friedkin. I'm so happy that this movie was rescued, remastered and restored to it's original ratio aspect, then copied onto Blu-ray. Great picture and sound quality was a fantastic treat to behold after so many years. Spectacular acting highlight this flick along with the incredible haunting music score from Tangerine Dream playing in the background.

I get so enchanted by those old trucks in the movie, and I still chuckle at the scene with actor Roy Scheider as he is being served at a bar, breakfast, and the manager wipes off the utensils on his dirty shirt before giving it to Roy.


----------



## Droflet

Ah, yes, the remake of Wages of Fear. Both great films but I preferred the original.


----------



## Starbeast

Droflet said:


> Ah, yes, the remake of Wages of Fear. Both great films but I preferred the original.



I like both versions too. But I prefer Sorcerer.


----------



## clovis-man

Went to see the showing of the Rifftrax send up of *Mothra* last night. Some great moments.
Rifftrax Live: Mothra: Fathom Events Trailer


----------



## Dulahan

*"St. Vincent" - *_a drunk degenerate gambler becomes a last resort babysitter for a recently divorced mother and her son. 
_
If there is one thing I like about Bill Murray it is that he takes the roles he wants to take, if there is one thing I hate about Bill Murray it is that he takes the roles he wants to take. The dude has made his fair share of stinkers as of late. Despite the cliche premise, I really enjoyed it. I may be a little bias though as, anyone from where I am from knows a Vincent -- a blue collar curmudgeon with that North East pessimism. Like a 2000s version of Archie Bunker.


----------



## Vince W

*Suicide Squad.* That's about all I can say for it.


----------



## Allegra

*84 Charing Cross Road *(1987). Very nice. The acting of Anthony Hopkins and what's-her-name is superb. According to wiki, after the book store closed it changed a few times to retailer shop, restaurant, etc., now MacDonald's.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Focus

Will Smith is a confidence man.  Tons of sneaky,  twisty-turny surprises and plenty of chuckle-out-loud lines.

I dare not say much more, for fear of spoilers.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the sting/congame/heist sort of movie.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Judderman said:


> Jason Bourne. Another very entertaining Bourne movie. It is not as good as the Bourne Ultimatum and there is some element of repetition through the series. The storyline isn't anything amazing either though we find out more on Jason's mysterious background. But I just love this series. I thought the first three were amongst the best ever film trilogies and this is a worthy addition.
> Compared to James Bond films, Mission Impossible and various other action films with a hero this just seems so much more believable and compelling. Ok his skills at noticing when people are following or looking at him are a bit too good but otherwise the action scenes in Bourne films always work so well. They rarely have an absurd way to end, they have solid looking fighting, not too much magically avoiding bullets etc and they keep you glued to the screen. IT is always great to see how he will evade the surveillance when he is meeting someone. Though the last car chase scene is a bit nuts hollywood style. The earlier one set in Greece is great.



Finally got to see *Jason Bourne*. I liked it, and I generally agree with much of what @Judderman said about it. But I have, perhaps, a bit more to say.

I thought that the first three films in the series were terrific, downright masterpieces. I heard, some time later, that Matt Damon had turned down a script for a fourth film; and I admired him for that, feeling that if he felt the script presented to him wasn't good enough, he was right. (They then churned out a fourth so-called "Bourne" film, without Bourne; it was eminently forgettable...)

So, I was surprised to learn about this new one; and I had to conclude that Damon has good reasons for agreeing to it. And after seeing it, I think I know that reason (or at least one of a number of reasons).

Understand, this film has a lot of action, and more of the various sorts of Bourne's ability to understand what his opponents are trying to do and plan to counter it...it's true, as @Judderman said, that some of his anti-surveillance skills seem "a bit too good," but maybe that's what you can expect from the super-agent... But it does serve to make the film more fun, more interesting.

Another thing about this film, though, that I found interesting: filmed years after the first three, it made no attempt to disguise the passage of time. Bourne himself displayed a certain gray, grizzled appearance indicative of aging; as did several of the other characters brought over from the previous films -- including Nikki Parsons and the Asset played by Vincent Cassel (the latter, apparently filled with animus because Bourne defeated him before, pursues Bourne throughout this film, until they engage in a long hand-to-hand (and whatever happened to be lying around). And I was thinking, throughout that long fight, that you don't often see two super-agents, clearly in their forties, taking, and giving out, such punishment... (But maybe that's part of the difference between myself and super-agents.)

Oh, those reasons for thinking I understand why Damon did this film? I think it lies in the film's presentation of a CIA plot to obtain new technology that would enable 24/7 surveillance of, well -- of everybody! I think Damon was sending a message about government surveillance and the tendency of people in power to try to enhance that power...

It's a warning.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm getting old.  Daughter Number One wanted to share a film with me today.  It's her favourite film at the moment.  She is 14.  They'd studied the film at school earlier this year and she'd borrowed the disc from her teacher and bought it home.  The film was* The Danish Girl.   * When I was her age the film would have been an X (that's an 18 in the modern rating system).  Subject matter aside, the nudity alone (male and female) would have made it out of bounds to anyone under voting age.  Now it's suitable for teens.  About bloody time too.

The film was wonderful.  I cried. More than once.

I have this long-held theory, which I have expounded often and will again, that a great film makes you move differently.  You respond physically to a film if it inhabits you,  if it gets under your skin.  You come out of a great action adventure zipping and bouncing, a wire-fu, chop socky opera leaping about like some ninja gazelle - after _The Danish Girl_ I found myself (unconsciously) doing strange, self-concious hand to face gestures like the character Lili.  It got to me.

Loved it to bits.


----------



## Bugg

The new version of *The Jungle Book*.  I thought it was generally rather splendid and Shere Khan was quite terrifying.  Although I wasn't overly keen on what they did with King Louie it was worth it just to hear Christopher Walken's take on 'I Wanna Be Like You'


----------



## J Riff

Okay,_ Strange Magic_. Aminated princesses n' ogres n' cute giant centipedes and other weird critters... all have a big adventure, and burst into song at many junctures. (Sugar Pie, Honeybunch!)... there's a love potion, see... made from magic flowers... and the wrong princess gets it, and sees the bad giant bad buggy guy... and he sings too... and there's songs, quite a few, even _People Are Strange_ by the Doors... and a bit of Deep Purple, and lots other familiar pop/love songs... that they sing, and the amination is very nice. Get through the first ten min. and it is quite loverly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Last Time I Saw Paris* (1954)

Since I recently read F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited," I decided to check out this very loose adaptation. It's pretty much a classy soap opera. The very bones of the plot are still there -- guy goes back to Paris after being away for a while in an attempt to win back custody of his daughter -- but a lot of extra flesh has been added. It also makes a huge difference to change the time the story takes place from the Depression, looking back on the Roaring Twenties, to the 1950's, looking back to the end of WWII. Good performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson in the leading roles, decent support from Donna Reed as Taylor's sister. Walter Pidgeon steals the film as Taylor's aging playboy father. Interesting small roles for Eva Gabor and a very young Roger Moore.


----------



## clovis-man

Caught *Shane* on TCM. Been a while since I'd last seen it. I was once again impressed by the cinematography amid the Grand Tetons background. The style of filming with both near and far focus helps to tell the story and carries the viewer along. The film editing, especially in the climactic barroom gunfight, is a heuristic device for any budding filmmaker. Jean Arthur was in her mid fifties when this movie was made, but carries the role of the young(ish) wife and mother off well. A host of character actors of the time all acquitted themselves well. Alan Ladd could have been replaced by a department store manikin but didn't hurt the overall feel of the film very much. Always worth a watch.


----------



## Judderman

The Imposter (2012)-Excellent documentary film about a European man impersonating an abducted Texas teenager and then moving in with the abductees parents after they are told he has been "found". Very interesting.

The Equalizer (2014) -A Denzel Washington film in the Taken and History of Violence style. Not quite as good as either of those but an entertaining Friday night movie if you like that Genre. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Elventine

Saw Money Monster the other night... wow! What a brilliant movie. At first I was not so sure where is was going but.. wow! That ending really packed a punch!


----------



## WaylanderToo

J Riff said:


> Okay,_ Strange Magic_. Aminated princesses n' ogres n' cute giant centipedes and other weird critters... all have a big adventure, and burst into song at many junctures. (Sugar Pie, Honeybunch!)... there's a love potion, see... made from magic flowers... and the wrong princess gets it, and sees the bad giant bad buggy guy... and he sings too... and there's songs, quite a few, even _People Are Strange_ by the Doors... and a bit of Deep Purple, and lots other familiar pop/love songs... that they sing, and the amination is very nice. Get through the first ten min. and it is quite loverly.



music to include Deep Purple and The Doors? SOLD!!!



Back on topic - I re-watched Gladiator at the weekend, most excellent


----------



## Starbeast

*American Psycho* (2000) Quite an interesting film, with an amazing ending that I did not expect. Excellent.

*The Signal* (2014) Surprisingly good science fiction flick. Fantastic.

*My Neighbor Totoro* (1988) Wonderful animated fantasy movie. Cute and heart-warming.


----------



## Coast

WaylanderToo said:


> I re-watched Gladiator at the weekend, most excellent



I also watched this yesterday, and I agree, most excellent.
Interesting factoid, Nick Cave wrote a script for a sequel to the Gladiator, where Maximus was reincarnated by the Roman Gods. I think time travel was also involved.


----------



## Old_Man_Steve2016

*Ghostbusters 2016* finally made its way out to Korea. It was interesting. I can't say I understand what the whiners were on about. It had its funny moments. I'd say the original was funny and this movie roughly captured the zeitghost of the original. I really liked the fire station gag in the middle and end of the movie.


----------



## Ray Pullar

Thor the dark world - hit him with the hammer, hit him again, keep hitting him.


----------



## Elventine

Ray Pullar said:


> Thor the dark world - hit him with the hammer, hit him again, keep hitting him.



With both the Thor movies I had the nagging feeling that they could have done so much better than they did. There was nothing truly wrong with them as the actors acted well and there weren't really any BIG holes in the plots but....


----------



## DZara

Last movie I saw? Thinking, thinking...geez but it's been awhile. Trying to get kids through high school and college really cuts into the screen time...

Last one I remember watching was Twelve Angry Men (the original with Henry Fonda), and it was an event. I deliberately rented it and deliberately sat down to watch it.

Love it. Every time. Feeds the soul.


----------



## Phyrebrat

I rather enjoyed 'The Suffering' last week. Horror. Quiet. Miserable. 

And the old man talked like Tennessee Williams!

Win/Win/win/win. 

pH


----------



## Ray Pullar

Elventine said:


> With both the Thor movies I had the nagging feeling that they could have done so much better than they did. There was nothing truly wrong with them as the actors acted well and there weren't really any BIG holes in the plots but....



These modern superhero films are overly long and portentous.  Should be quicker and more tightly written and edited.


----------



## Elventine

Ray Pullar said:


> These modern superhero films are overly long and portentous.  Should be quicker and more tightly written and edited.



I think that it is not just the length that is an issue (although 2 hours of stuff getting blown up can be a little....) it is also the amount of story that they try and put into those hours. Some of the new superhero movies have been long in length but the just have not really adapted the amount of story in the script to fit that length. So you end up with nothing happening very slowly for to hours then a few big bangs - end of movie. 

I thought that Iron Man was good (all three actually ) and so where the Captain America movies... they had enough story to them and different elements in the movie to make the length work. I felt like I was actually watching a movie with some depth with the C-A movies.

Ant man... That movie could have done with a little editing! I thought for a moment there that I was going to die from boredom!

The new Superman movies were bad, the Batman movies worse... they were dark and pointless. I just felt like nothing was ever resolved in them. The story just sort of fizzled rather than ended. Although in regards to Batman, I feel that the future might be brighter now with Ben Afleck as I think that he makes a good Batman. Which I just can't say the same for whatshisface.

The voice he made whenever he was Batman? I mean why? and did anyone actually understand him? When I saw the first Batman movie I had to put the subtitles on just to know what was going on in half the movie!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Teacher* (1974)




 

Well, not really. In fact, there are no scenes which take place at the school at all, and the fact that the main character is a teacher is completely irrelevant. 

Angel Tompkins, a very pretty (in a California Girl way) starlet of the time has the title role and provides the requisite nudity. The second lead is played by Jay "Dennis the Menace" North. He's an eighteen-year-old just out of high school. About one half of the movie is their, well, not May/December romance, exactly; let's say April/June. She's only twenty-eight.

The other half of the movie involves a creepy weirdo (Anthony James, who played a bunch of creepy weirdos) stalking Tompkins. One day he's at the top of an abandoned warehouse watching her sunbathe topless on her motorboat. Along come North and the creepy guy's younger brother, who happen to be after the same thing, but don't know James is there too. With one thing and another, little brother falls off the warehouse and gets killed. James spends the rest of the movie menacing North, blaming him for the death. 

That's about all there is to it. It moves very slowly, and there's quite a bit of padding. Tompkins and North seem quite natural together, and their love/sex scenes are rather sweet. James is an expert at playing creepy weirdos. Some notable points:

*The title song, a sappy (but very well sung) ballad, which we get to hear three times. _Every boy needs a teacher/To show him the way._

*The odd, pointless scene in which two women come over to North's house for lunch with North and Tompkins and North's mother, get in a minor argument with Tompkins, then leave. One of the women seems to be dominant over the other -- reminding her to put on her hat, telling her that they're leaving -- and I had to wonder if they were supposed to be a couple.

*Barry Atwater of _Star Trek/Night Stalker_ fame has a brief scene as a cop.

*Two older women gossiping at a restaurant as Tompkins and North crawl all over each other are played by Gena Rowlands' mother and John Cassavetes' mother.

*The weird Freudian subtext to North's relationship with his mother. At one point she says "I do find him attractive, even if he is my son." Later, when his affair with Tompkins becomes obvious, she seems to approve of it, despite the difference in their ages and the fact that Tompkins is married (but separated from her husband.)

*This is the 1970's; don't expect a happy ending.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cold Blood *(aka_ Das Amulett des Todes_) To quote one of the reviewers of this film on IMDb: "Because it has Rutger Hauer and I'll watch anything he's in. But that doesn't mean I'll watch it twice..."

Possibly the least interesting of the many many crap films I have seen starring Rutger Hauer.
​


----------



## Vince W

*Mechanic: Resurrection*. Jason Statham does what he does best. Monotone deliveries and aggressive punch/kick people. Jessica Alba does what she does best. Standing around looking like Jessica Alba.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *Mechanic: Resurrection*. Jason Statham does what he does best. Monotone deliveries and aggressive punch/kick people. Jessica Alba does what she does best. Standing around looking like Jessica Alba.



Sounds like two _really_ good reasons not to bother watching it.


----------



## Heavenly-Silence

The last movie i saw was star trek beyond it was really good ^.^


----------



## J Riff

_Pixels_. Not very funny, the attempted funny bits... but the 80s vidgame creatures are good as they smash up the city and turn people into pixels etc. Otherwise, feh.
On an aminated binge - _Over The Hedge_ was funny aminal action of an enjoyable sort. So was _How To Train Your Dragon_.


----------



## Randy M.

_Willow Creek_ (2013)

A bit of _Blair Witch_iness in that a couple film themselves in search of Bigfoot. The couple is warned off but insist on going to the creek where the Paterson-Gimlin film captured a passing Sasquatch back in 1967. 

It's a reasonably effective low-budget horror movie relying on misdirection, the odd sounds in the distance, the shadow at the edge of the screen or on the tent wall. Honestly, what might be weirder than the film is that it was directed by Bobcat Goldthwaite, the comedian.


Randy M.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

_David Brent: Life on the Road
_
Had high hopes given _The Office (UK)_ is my favourite tv show ever, and Ricky Gervais my favourite stand-up comedian. Overall I enjoyed it, even though it was excruciating for a lot of it. The ending hit me in the feels.


----------



## J Riff

More, more animation action - _The Book of Life_ - rowdy kids go to the museum and are entranced by the story of the Book of Life, all set in olde world Mexico. Very cool look, quite different and a bit of fun. Started watching_ Escape From Planet Earth_ but feeel aschleep.


----------



## REBerg

*Jurassic World -- *More of a showcase for how far special effects have come since the original than anything else. The film does reinforce the commonly held belief that velociraptors would not make good house pets.


----------



## Droflet

Just saw *Australiens*. Yeah, that's how it's spelled. Don't know whether to laugh or cry. Terrible acting but a watchable film where aliens attack Australia. They don't destroy New York or land on the white house lawn, Australia. Let down by the appalling acting but I couldn't help watching it to the end. Quite funny in parts. Meh.


----------



## REBerg

*Ant-Man* -- A surprisingly entertaining flick built on an absurd premise.  ! I especially liked the cameo by Thomas the Tank Engine.


----------



## clovis-man

*Morgan*

I should know better than to go see a movie just because it has an actor in it that I like (Paul Giamatti). Should have checked the Tomato-meter first. It started out like it might have a chance of being good. Genetically engineered being that gets out of hand (sound familiar??). But instead of developing the story............... as one reviewer put it, referencing the point that Giamatti's character comes into it: "Then everything goes horribly wrong".

Not recommended.


----------



## J Riff

_Frankenweenie_. Kid Frankenstein brings Sparky the dog back to life... aaaand, next.


----------



## Starbeast

*Midnight Meat Train* (2008)

I read the Clive Barker tale quite a while ago (which I thought would make a good movie), and now I have finally seen the film...I was shocked and stunned at how good it was. Actor (ex-football player) Vinnie Jones was the perfect choice to play the mysterious butcher in the film. His stage presence made him look like the Grim Reaper personified. I was told that this film was originally in "3D"....Yikes!!! It was also a treat to see actor Ted Raimi in a small part as well. WARNING: This is a very graphic movie.

*The Three Stooges* (2000)

Produced by (actor/director) Mel Gibson. This made for TV movie (filmed in color and B&W) is still astonishing to watch. The film follows the behind-the-scene life of comedians Moe, Shemp and Curly (the Howard brothers), with good friend, Larry Fine. For me, this is one of the finest and favorite TV productions I've ever seen. A tremendous drama with superb acting.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, Beasty, loved Midnight Meat Train. It was the first time I saw Bradley Cooper do some real acting. And stone faced Vinny was great. You really don't have to talk to make an impression.


----------



## JunkMonkey

For my sins, after a long day and just wanting to watch something brainless, I threw *Barb Wire* into the DVD player.

That was a mistake.  I think it was a measure of just how knackered I was that I was some 25 minutes into it that I realised it was a tragically awful remake of _Casablanca. _


----------



## 2DaveWixon

REBerg said:


> *Ant-Man* -- A surprisingly entertaining flick built on an absurd premise.  ! I especially liked the cameo by Thomas the Tank Engine.



I think I went to this one a half-dozen times before it left the theaters...maybe I just needed to fall into a carefree and uncritical world, or something serious like that; but I came out smiling every time!


----------



## Vince W

2DaveWixon said:


> I think I went to this one a half-dozen times before it left the theaters...maybe I just needed to fall into a carefree and uncritical world, or something serious like that; but I came out smiling every time!



Same for me. I still think it's Marvel's best effort to date.


----------



## Allegra

Watched again - this time on YT - the 2002's Polish film *Chopin: Desire for Love*. I bought the DVD a few years ago and liked it very much at that time. This time I enjoyed it even more. There are a few fictional details which I don't like as Chopin is a God to me, but the main storyline is quite close to the historical facts. The best things are the superb acting and music - both Chopin's and George Sand's actors got the characters personalities right; and through out the film the music could not have been chosen better from various Chopin's compositions to suit the scenes and moods. Just beautiful. At the end when the misty Polish landscape and the beginning of the 2nd concerto's slow movement rolled on, it's hard to hold tears back!

In comparison Impromptus (Hugh Grant as Chopin!) is more like a film makers' silly impromptu. There is another b&w old old film about Chopin on YT which I couldn't stand to watch because the actor has the air of Elvis Presley.


----------



## Vaz

Gus Van Sants' _*Gerry *_starring Casey Affleck and Matt Damon.

I love this film. It's beautiful, and for some reason has always creeped me out. Waiting for the inevitable doom of the characters always makes my guts twist.

Summary: Damon & Affleck are outdoor types who go walking on a familiar trail and get lost. The quest to find their way out of a barren landscape stretches the bonds of their friendship.


----------



## Starbeast

Droflet said:


> Yeah, Beasty, loved Midnight Meat Train. It was the first time I saw Bradley Cooper do some real acting. And stone faced Vinny was great. You really don't have to talk to make an impression.



That's for sure.

By the way, I forgot to mention that the 2000 TV movie about the 3 Stooges, was filmed in Australia.



JunkMonkey said:


> For my sins, after a long day and just wanting to watch something brainless, I threw *Barb Wire* into the DVD player.
> 
> That was a mistake.  I think it was a measure of just how knackered I was that I was some 25 minutes into it that I realised it was a tragically awful remake of _Casablanca. _



A horrible remake of _Casablanca_?! I never would have guessed what that film was about, I haven't seen it . It's one of those movies that made my, NEVER WATCH list. I'm so glad you survived that one, JunkMonkey.

Fair warning, don't ever see: _The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) _- Curiosity almost destroyed my brain. I liked the 2004 movie, I had a good laugh at that one. But the sequel............................shockingly bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cheerleaders Beach Party* (1978)

Sex comedy which is neither erotic nor funny. Hardly any plot. Four college cheerleaders do various things (hardly any of them sexual) to keep members of the football team from transferring to another school. Written by porn director Chuck Vincent, but barely rates a soft PG. Very poorly filmed, with some scenes so dark you can't see a thing. Dumbest scene: The cheerleaders pretending to be ghosts by wearing filmy translucent sheets and speaking in "spooky" voices. This actually succeeds in scaring the football players.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Charade* (1963) -- Nearly perfect balance of suspense, romance, and comedy; a formula which has been tried many times with much less success. Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant are a charming couple. (As usual, Hepburn's leading man is a quarter century too old for her; but let's ignore that.) James Coburn, Ned Glass, and George Kennedy are scary, eccentric bad guys; Walter Matthau is in fine form as a CIA bureaucrat. The clever, witty screenplay is from the same talented writer who adapted *The Taking of Pelham One Two Three* and other thrillers. Most movies of this kind make the mistake of making the comedy and romance more important than the suspense; in this one, the plot is genuinely tense and scary. Highly recommended.


----------



## Randy M.

_Charade _is one of my favorite Cary Grant movies even though it's late in his career. A homage to Hitchcock, it combines everything you mention with a fine score by Henry Mancini, the theme song one of my favorites from his work. Hepburn and Grant mesh amazingly well; she was, in a way, one of the major bridges between old Hollywood of Bogart, Cooper, Grant, Peck, Holden, Astaire, Fonda, Lancaster and the newer Hollywood of Alan Arkin, George Peppard, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Perkins, James Garner, Connery that arose in the 1960s. Given how her career only began in the early 1950s, it's surprising she got to work with so many stars from the '30s and 40's.

A bit more on-topic ...

*Session 9* (2001) -- A crew wins the bid to clean out Danvers State Mental Institution, a huge, rambling building from the 1800s closed fifteen years earlier after a scandal. Each of the cleaners has issues and their issues magnify while in the building, something stemming from the murders committed by one of the inmates seeming to infest the Institution and affect them. Starring David Caruso, Peter Mullan, with Josh Lucas shortly before he became a leading man, this is one of the better supernatural thrillers I've watched lately. Funny that, roughly, between 1999 and 2001 there were so many solid, effective ghost/horror movies like _The Others_, _The Blair Witch Project_, and _The Sixth Sense_ that relied more on misdirection and implication than on special effects.


Randy M.


----------



## REBerg

*Dead Pool* Everything I expected from an R-rated superhero movie and more. I was surprised to see the Marvel Universe poke fun at itself, all the way through the expected but unexpected after-credits bonus. Good as it was, though, I thought the first *Kick-Ass *was better.


----------



## J Riff

Well, the Charade theme is a fave here too, been playing it for years.
Marvel/Schmarvel, its all junk here. ) The roomie watches them all and goes Hur, huhhr, but I found the comix more engaging.. up till I wuz 14.
Need more suggestions. Running out of stuff. Watced_ Rango_, a weird animated chameleon-in-the-old-west flick...(?) and it was perty alrite podner. Some stupid animal jokes about various bodily functions of aminals in the desert... but okay.


----------



## Starbeast

*War of the Insects* - (1968 - A.K.A. - _Genocide_) A totally uninteresting movie, with a poorly written script. I was hoping for a giant insect movie (maybe a guy in a rubber suit smashing buildings, or big puppet bugs jumping on people), but this train-wreck was a pitiful sci-fi flick choked full of (who cares) sub-plots. Out of a Ten Star rating system, I give this one, a negative five.

*The X From Outer Space* (1967) - An, "OK", giant monster movie that has a nice look to it, with potential to be a better film then what it was. However, for me, the strangest thing about this story, is that the characters are more concerned about a new scientific discovery that they didn't know was dangerous, and afterwards, they all agreed it should have been left alone in the first place. Was that they had great opportunities to make contact with an alien who was flying a UFO around them constantly during their space mission, but they all chose to ignore it because it couldn't be real.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cold Sweat* (1970) -- Modest but fairly entertaining action flick based on _Ride the Nightmare_, a 1959 novel by Richard Matheson. Charles Bronson stars as a guy who leads a pretty good life as the captain of a charter boat in the south of France. He's married (to Liv Ullman, of all people) and has a preteen stepdaughter. Then his past catches up with him, in the form of some guys who broke out of a military prison with him years ago. One of them killed a cop, so Bronson drove off in the getaway car without them. Now they want him to use his boat to in a narcotics smuggling scheme, with the wife and stepdaughter as assurance that he doesn't double-cross them.

Good stuff: Nice use of location, with some striking scenery. One hell of a car chase. Some suspenseful scenes not involving Bronson (see below.)

Not-so-good stuff: James Mason, as one of the bad guys, sounds really weird with a Deep South accent. Bronson is obviously a lot tougher than the bad guys, so there's not a lot of suspense as he dispatches of them. Jill Ireland has a goofy role as the hippie girlfriend of Mason.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Star Trek Beyond last night. I thought it was the most original one so far.


----------



## J Riff

_Bandits (200?)-_ a duo of bank robbers take a woman hostage and she becomes an outlaw. They rob banks and that sort of thing; not bad as clever heist flicks go.


----------



## J-Sun

Much like my last post on this thread: *The Force Awakens*, viewing #5. This was because I rewatched *the original trilogy* and followed it up with the sequel, all in the course of a few days, to see how that worked. I wish I had something profound to say about the four together, but I don't much. Probably the main thing that struck more forcefully (npi) was how much the originals homaged themselves. Everybody knows how "borrowed" the first one was from elsewhere, and then the double-Death Star destructions are also widely commented on but it even goes down to little things like R2-D2 being et by the swamp thing on Dagobah being a replay of Luke being pulled under in the trash compactor scene and so on. Another thing I noticed was hilarious. I've seen the original movie a billion times over umpty-ump years and if I ever noticed it before or have ever heard anyone else mention it, I've forgotten it but I noticed a stormtrooper hit his head on a low hanging doorway - the extra-funny part is where he puts his hand to his mask and rubs his "nose." (I guess when the helmet banged up, it must have shoved part of it into his nose.) Anyway - one odd thing was that, while I've long considered the second and third movies to sort of be two halves of one movie and for that movie to be a step down from the first, _Jedi_ actually was less thrilling than usual. The Tatooine stuff, which was always a long prologue but interesting for eons felt like a really loooong prologue and the best part of the movie is the Skywalker/Vader/Emperor+Fleet/Star Destroyers/Death Star battle combo but even it was less thrilling. Still, good stuff. And I really do feel that the new movie fits. As I said before, the second and third movies of this trilogy need to reverse the original trilogy and do less homage and be better than the first of this trilogy, but it's off to a good start.

So that's probably it for _Star Wars_ for awhile. Next up, view #2 of _The Martian_ - it's been almost exactly 11 months since I saw it once in the theater.


----------



## dask

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Cold Sweat* (1970) -- Modest but fairly entertaining action flick based on _Ride the Nightmare_, a 1959 novel by Richard Matheson. Charles Bronson stars as a guy who leads a pretty good life as the captain of a charter boat in the south of France. He's married (to Liv Ullman, of all people) and has a preteen stepdaughter. Then his past catches up with him, in the form of some guys who broke out of a military prison with him years ago. One of them killed a cop, so Bronson drove off in the getaway car without them. Now they want him to use his boat to in a narcotics smuggling scheme, with the wife and stepdaughter as assurance that he doesn't double-cross them.
> 
> Good stuff: Nice use of location, with some striking scenery. One hell of a car chase. Some suspenseful scenes not involving Bronson (see below.)
> 
> Not-so-good stuff: James Mason, as one of the bad guys, sounds really weird with a Deep South accent. Bronson is obviously a lot tougher than the bad guys, so there's not a lot of suspense as he dispatches of them. Jill Ireland has a goofy role as the hippie girlfriend of Mason.


Kinda went to all his stuff back then but don't remember this one. Have to check the video store for rental.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> So that's probably it for _Star Wars_ for awhile. Next up, view #2 of _The Martian_ - it's been almost exactly 11 months since I saw it once in the theater.



I think you would have to bang me on the head with a doorway several times before I would even contemplate watching four _Star Wars_ films on the trot like that. 

*Bucket of Blood* with daughter Number One who is discovering a love of old B&W 'horror' - her analysis? "_It's The Little Shop of Horrors_ with beatniks!"


----------



## Vince W

*For the Love of Spock*. The documentary made by Leonard Nimoy's son, Adam. The first hour is very interesting as it mostly focuses on Nimoy and Star Trek. The second hour is less interesting as it becomes more about Adam and his strained relationship with his father. It was interesting to see, but I doubt I'd ever watch it again.

However, straight after the documentary the cinema showed *Wrath of Khan*! It's still the best Star Trek film and well worth seeing in the cinema again. Now that was a great way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

dask said:


> Kinda went to all his stuff back then but don't remember this one. Have to check the video store for rental.



Available on-line here if you prefer.

Cold Sweat : Terrence Young, director : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Bucket of Blood* with daughter Number One who is discovering a love of old B&W 'horror' - her analysis? "_It's The Little Shop of Horrors_ with beatniks!"



That's a perfect description.  Smart daughter.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> That's a perfect description.  Smart daughter.



Agreed.


Randy M.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I think you would have to bang me on the head with a doorway several times before I would even contemplate watching four _Star Wars_ films on the trot like that.



_*bangs JM's head with a doorway several times*_ Okay, you're all set!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> That's a perfect description.  Smart daughter.



She is.  Horribly so sometimes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

J-Sun said:


> _*bangs JM's head with a doorway several times*_ Okay, you're all set!



I think I will just slump into unconsciousness if it's all the same.  Mind you, if I did watch them I'd probably end up in the same place.  The last three times I've tried to watch _Star Wars _(okay... '_Episode IV_') I've fallen asleep before they've got off the sandy planet near the start of the film. And I don't think you could get me to watch _The Force Awakens _again even if you paid me. Once was enough.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flight That Disappeared* (1961)

Every review I've seen of this low-budget allegorical fantasy says the same thing: It's a _Twilight Zone_ episode expanded to seventy minutes. An airplane carrying a scientist who has developed the formula for the Ultimate Weapon, along with his mathematician assistant (whose role here is pretty much "the girl") and a guy who has designed a new kind of rocket (which could carry the Ultimate Weapon) starts climbing higher and higher, eventually winding up in a place beyond time, where a jury of folks from the future judge them for threatening their potential existence. There's a double twist ending. Some bad acting, some decent acting, a lot of ponderous talk, some moody scenes. An OK way to kill a little more than an hour.


----------



## BAYLOR

I finally got  to see *Specter* . I rather enjoyed it.


----------



## J Riff

Nothing. I watched no movies, and it was okay. Woop, actually I put on _Paul Blart Mall Cop_ and that played while I mulled over what to watch next, if anything good ever comes out again.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Spy with My Face* (1965) and  *One Spy Too Many* (1966) a couple of Man From Uncle movies - hardly more than extended TV episodes but , I think I am right in saying, released cinematically in some territories.  I actually quite enjoyed them in a park my brain sort of way.  _One Spy too Many _was the better of the two having a wonderful turn from Rip Torn as the villain, Yvonee 'Batgirl' Craig losing her top while sunbathing in the office, and the regulars in the cast obviously having more fun too.


----------



## J Riff

_The Three Amigos_.  "A plethora of pinatas." Ha, haa!


----------



## Vince W

J Riff said:


> _The Three Amigos_.  "A plethora of pinatas." Ha, haa!



A vastly underrated film. I often think of this film even though I haven't seen it in years.


----------



## clovis-man

Vince W said:


> A vastly underrated film. I often think of this film even though I haven't seen it in years.



My little Buttercup!


----------



## Starbeast

*The Nice Guys* (2016) - Pretty good movie that goes-by-the-numbers. Roughly, two men that don't get along, work together to get the job done, and become friends. Stars - Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.

*Prophecy: The Monster Movie* (1979) - One of my all-time favorite creature features. Stars - Talia Shire, Robert Foxworth, Armand Assante, Richard Dysart , Victoria Racimo and Kevin Peter Hall. "RRRRAAAARRRH!!!"

*Saturn 3* (1981) - Another weird favorite of mine. The robot sci-fi cult classic. Stars - Farrah Fawcett, Kirk Douglas and Harvey Keitel.

*A Clockwork Orange* (1971) - After watching many interviews with writer Anthony Burgess and actor, Malcolm McDowell about the novel (which I read), the movie (that I've seen a few times) and behind the scenes of this unforgettable film, I had to see it again.

*Best Answers in Interviews*

*Anthony Burgess*: "To get my book published, I was forced to write a normal, pleasant ending for my character, Alex, to please the publishers. But, when I worked with Stanley Kubrick to create the film, I made sure that my original ending was in the movie."

*Malcolm McDowell*: "What did _I_ like about the film? It made me lots of money."


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Knight of the Dead* - Mark Atkins.  Mark Atkins, Mark Atkins, Mark Atkins, Mark Atkins...  Right I think I have that name drummed into my head now.  Mark Atkins, Mark Atkins.  Yep it's there.  I have seen at least 5 films directed by Mark Atkins Mark Atkins Mark Atkins over the last few years. *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (no, not that one the crappy Asylum knockbuster)  *Merlin and the War of the Dragons, *
*AVH: Alien vs. Hunter,* *Princess of Mars *and now *Knight of the Dead*. They were all *total* crap.  If I type Mark Atkins name a few more times I might just get it so stuck in my head that I won't even accidentally buy any more of his crappy shoot-it-in-a-weekend and make-it-up-as-we-go-along home movies. Mark Atkins Mark Atkins Mark Atkins...  carry on...


----------



## J Riff

_Monsters University_, it was good fun. I'm out of stuff to watch. SF, comedy, heist films, quirky rubbish... I need _more._


----------



## HanaBi

*"David Brent: Life on the Road" (2016)*

My expectations for this film were never high, and on viewing, that view remains unchanged. Moreover, it proved to be rather a disappointment; disjointed, overlong, plotless, poorly written, and lacking any token support from "The Office" regulars.

The absence of Stephen Merchant, is glaringly apparent, and may explain why the "plot" meanders all over the place, chiefly because we don't really have that much empathy with Brent, and there's no Dawn/Tim subplot to keep us interested. 

This could have been great as a 90 minute Christmas TV special, but it just doesn't work on the big screen. 

Time to put Brent to bed, methinks

2/5


----------



## J Riff

_XMen,_ the new one. A pharoah mutant guy wreaks havoc... he can turn whole cities into sand, really a bad dude... but the XMen manage to get rid of him... but maybe he isn't dead. In 3d it was impressive, and lots of time to go to the bathroom and make dinner during the 'character developement' parts. Really a lot of sand in this movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

It's my birthday. As most of the family are away doing scout camp stuff Daughter Number One and I sit down to a chocolate, noodle, and sushi powered crappy moviethon. (there was pop corn involved too.)

1st up: (After a couple of episodes of _Cleopatra 2525_ - my kids bought me the first season as a present.)

* The Terror  *- Karlof and Nicholson in a very dreamlike Corman quickie.
*The Werewolf of London -* feeding my current Valerie Hobson, and Duaghter Number One's Universal Horror obsessions.
*Highlander 2 - *
Her: "What?!"
Me: "Trust me it's comedy gold" 
Her: (45 minutes in) "Dad, this is comedy aluminium!"


*Metalstorm: the Destruction of Jared Syn* - because I'd got the VHS player fired up for the Highlander movie I put in the next tape in the pile of crap SF VHSs.  I had seen it before but didn't remember a thing about it.  I found out why. It's not a very memorable film.  We had fun riffing on it.

A pretty damn near perfect birthday.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Dawn of the Dead" (1978)*

After "watching" the lackluster David Brent film a couple of nights, I felt I needed some good old fashioned blood, guts and gore for a Saturday night. And dipping into my NAS collection of trusted horror films, "DotD" shouted at me the most, covering me in said blood, guts and gore  So "DotD", it was: a film I hadn't seen in a number of years; and despite its age, it still delivers a good story, plenty of good sfx, and a decent twisty ending.

Can't believe this film is almost 40 years old!!

4/5


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Swallows and Amazons* - I must admit that I went to see this with a certain amount of dread.  I have loved the books since I read them as a child some 40+ years ago and they have been shared with Daughter Number Two at bedtimes over the past few years.  We're just finishing _The Big Six.
_
My fears were justified.

I KNOW you can't just take a book and film it.  I KNOW that what works well on the page doesn't necessarily work well on the screen. But what I don't understand is why someone would take a great book that has worked its spell on generations, take the very things that make it special and successful (the world of childhood imagination, free from the constraints of adult supervision), dump them, and graft on a whole new layer of story ideas about spies and secret documents that, quite frankly, looks like it was lifted straight out of an Enid Blyton Famous Five book.

One of the things that make the book special - especially for landlubbers like myself - is the way that the technicalities of sailing are bought so vividly to life.  Reefing, jibbing, coming about, heeling over, raising the sail, stepping the mast... all that technical stuff that the children in the books are so proficient at, and understand, is reduced here to a few lines like "Go faster, John!", "We're loosing them!" usually delivered off camera in long shot as the crew of the Swallow just sit there in the boat like lumps.  For all the shots of boats in the water there's very little _sailing_ going on in this film.

I was incredibly disappointed and Number Two Daughter (aged 13) was too.  She thought someone who hadn't read the book might like it as a film in its own right but as an adaptation of _Swallows and Amazons_? No.


----------



## dask

*The Day The Earth Caught Fire* at the local art cinema, where they show an oldy sf/horror flick once a month at noon on Saturday. Really liked it. Snappy dialog I couldn't catch all of, could have been an adaption of a play, good acting all around. Atomic tests tilt the Earth's axis sending it on a collision course with the Sun where it would catch the titular fire. Heck, Janet Munro could have done that on her own, cause the fire and tilt the axis!


----------



## dask

dask said:


> *The Day The Earth Caught Fire* at the local art cinema, where they show an oldy sf/horror flick once a month at noon on Saturday. Really liked it. Snappy dialog I couldn't catch all of, could have been an adaption of a play, good acting all around. Atomic tests tilt the Earth's axis sending it on a collision course with the Sun where it would catch the titular fire. Heck, Janet Munro could have done that on her own, cause the fire and tilt the axis!


Forgot to mention that in addition to Stanley Black being in charge of music direction, Monty Norman of James Bond theme fame is credited for "the beatnik music" or something like that. More interesting I thought than Michael Caine's cameo, as cool as he is.


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> Heck, Janet Munro could have done that on her own, cause the fire and tilt the axis!



Ah, but did you see the US edit or the UK one?  There was more of her in the UK edit.   She didn't get any more screen time - there was just more of her on the screen.




Untitled by liam, on Flickr


----------



## dask

JunkMonkey said:


> Ah, but did you see the US edit or the UK one?  There was more of her in the UK edit.   She didn't get any more screen time - there was just more of her on the screen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Untitled by liam, on Flickr


Apparently the US version as that particular vision rings no bells but does make my brain stem twang like a Jews harp.


----------



## Rodders

I remember watching that on a SCI Fi season that BBC 2 ran in the eighties. It was one of my favourites, mostly because it had the appearance that it could happen at any time. 

Never got around to rewatching it, though. Maybe i aught to fix that.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Bounty" (1984)*

First saw this at my local cinema in 1986, in glorious 70mm, which was truly warranted for such  a beautiful cinematic feast.

Have subsequently seen it on DVD a few times, but the transfer quality has always been relatively poor. But managed to find a Blu Ray copy recently, and was hugely impressed with this particular transfer on my tiddly 40" smartTV

Good story (screenplay by Robert Bolt), great acting (even Gibson wasn't all that wooden); and a lush score from the ever-dependable Vangelis.

A little bit overlong perhaps, but watching Sir Anthony Hopkins in action, is always a pleasure. Such a shame that this film (3rd adaptation of the classic Mutiny on the Bounty") failed at the box-office back in the 80s.


4/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Captain America: Civil War* (2016)

Completely different than what I expected (I watched no movie trailers). I didn't get the chance to read the comic book story (I heard it differed), but I was aware of the battle among the superheroes. I loved it.


----------



## J Riff

_The Peanuts Movie _ 2015. Just what you'd expect, good fun for the kids with some nice music. Snoopy takes on Red Baron, Charlie Brown stars as Charlie Brown.


----------



## clovis-man

Dulahan said:


> *"St. Vincent" - *_a drunk degenerate gambler becomes a last resort babysitter for a recently divorced mother and her son.
> _
> If there is one thing I like about Bill Murray it is that he takes the roles he wants to take, if there is one thing I hate about Bill Murray it is that he takes the roles he wants to take. The dude has made his fair share of stinkers as of late. Despite the cliche premise, I really enjoyed it. I may be a little bias though as, anyone from where I am from knows a Vincent -- a blue collar curmudgeon with that North East pessimism. Like a 2000s version of Archie Bunker.



Watched this one yesterday. A good role for him. Somewhat predictable, but engaging nonetheless. I thought Melissa McCarthy was good (that makes two movies I've liked her in, counting *Ghostbusters*). The best part about Murray's character is that he is totally unrepentant. I loved the child custody courtroom scene.


----------



## SilentRoamer

The new Pete's Dragon remake.

Only reason we watched it was because the wife got the days mixed up and BFG (another remake) wasn't on.

It wasn't bad, then again, it wasn't good either.


----------



## J Riff

_Mr. Peabody and Sherman_, fun with the Wayback machine... and _Up_, which was okay, because who hasn't thought of attaching thousands of helium balloons to one's house, and floating off to Paradise Falls. *


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Wild Wild West* (1999)

Wow. It really was that bad.

Let's ignore the original TV series (which, as far as I could tell, was not credited by the film at all, not even a "based on characters created by . . ." line) and just consider it as a piece of entertainment. 

I'll admit it looks expensive, but even the marvelous sets for Loveless are wasted, since you can hardly see them. 

I hear they added more comedy after the first test audiences saw it. Big mistake. The comedy is juvenile. (The big jokes involve men in drag and breasts. The really big joke is, of course, the breasts of men in drag.)

Trying to change the tone of the film from childish humor to deadly serious, with a discussion of the slaughtering of an entire village of freed slaves, renders the comedy even more offensive.

Why go to the trouble of having a Good Girl and four Bad Girls, as any spy film should, and then do nothing with them? The viewer is hardly even given an opportunity to ogle them.

Everything which might be interesting is sacrificed in the name of comedy and explosions.


----------



## S.C.Wood

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Wild Wild West* (1999)
> 
> Wow. It really was that bad.
> 
> Let's ignore the original TV series (which, as far as I could tell, was not credited by the film at all, not even a "based on characters created by . . ." line) and just consider it as a piece of entertainment.
> 
> I'll admit it looks expensive, but even the marvelous sets for Loveless are wasted, since you can hardly see them.
> 
> I hear they added more comedy after the first test audiences saw it. Big mistake. The comedy is juvenile. (The big jokes involve men in drag and breasts. The really big joke is, of course, the breasts of men in drag.)
> 
> Trying to change the tone of the film from childish humor to deadly serious, with a discussion of the slaughtering of an entire village of freed slaves, renders the comedy even more offensive.
> 
> Why go to the trouble of having a Good Girl and four Bad Girls, as any spy film should, and then do nothing with them? The viewer is hardly even given an opportunity to ogle them.
> 
> Everything which might be interesting is sacrificed in the name of comedy and explosions.


The funniest/saddest part it was that Will Smith turned down The Matrix so he could film this.

But then again, I didn't mind this movie. I like stupid action flicks from time to time, and I've been a fan on Smith for a long time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Why go to the trouble of having a Good Girl and four Bad Girls, as any spy film should, and then do nothing with them? The viewer is hardly even given an opportunity to ogle them.



Major Movie Sin number 1!  I have seen it. (I will watch anything with Kevin Kline in it at least once.)  It was not good.


----------



## J Riff

*Planet 51* - 2009 animated- a NASA astronaut lands on an alien planet which is more-or-less like Earth of the 50s, except everyone is a green alien and lots of fun/trouble ensues. John Cleese does the little green alien scientist badguy voice. Somewhat charming.


----------



## AmberEyes

hmm... The Martian - a NASA astronaut lands on an alien planet.... ok, Mars.  Actually surprisingly enjoyed this.  Unlike most people I know, I don't usually care for Matt Damon, but I did enjoy this, and he dominates most of the screen time.


----------



## Elventine

Just watched Belle, now this movie did what 12 Years a Slave failed utterly to do while tackling the difficulties that women faced in the 18th century.


----------



## J-Sun

AmberEyes said:


> hmm... The Martian - a NASA astronaut lands on an alien planet.... ok, Mars.  Actually surprisingly enjoyed this.  Unlike most people I know, I don't usually care for Matt Damon, but I did enjoy this, and he dominates most of the screen time.



Holy synchronicity, Batman. I finally got around to watching my DVD of this, as I mentioned I was going to do probably weeks ago now. And same: I don't like Matt Damon, as such, but I seem to have a dozen movies with him in them and like them. And I love this movie (it was arguably better on the big screen but still works fine on the small). I wish they hadn't so obviously played with the net down in the beginning (later in the very same movie they make a *point* of the thinness of Mars' atmosphere) because there'd be a lot of ways to strand the guy but it's still a great movie.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

*Kubo and the Two Strings*: I was initially a wee bit ambivalent about going to this movie, because from the previews it appeared to be yet another of the recent stream of movies animated with orientally-influenced artwork. But I was wrong: I fell in love with the art, and the way it was used, right away.
Still, although I liked the story, I was left with the feeling that some things should have been explained a little better (it may be that, having now seen the entire movie, I will understand more if I watch it again...not sure if that will happen any time soon, though) -- such as, why are Kubo's aunts and grandfather out to get him (and his mother)? And why do they (as well as Kubo's musical instrument) endowed with magical powers? Why are the villagers so uniformly nice? and yet so strangely hard to kill?

(I will add that I was a little irritated, through much of the movie, to find myself wondering why the musical instrument seemed to have three strings -- despite the title...that only came clear at the end, but I won't tell you why...)

In the end, it's a fine movie, and a touching one.


----------



## J Riff

_A Cat in Paris_. Watched the Francais version, now have English. A kitty helps a cat burglar do his thing, cool amination. *


----------



## Allegra

_A Late Quartet_. Did not like the tune.


----------



## dask

*The Monuments Men*. Good little war flick.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger* - an enjoyable, if strangely slow, Harryhausen _Sinbad _flick enlivened, when things were starting to flag, by some mild gratuitous nudity.







and a 'Double Who' in the game Daughter Number Two and I are playing at the moment of trying to link EVERYTHING to _Doctor Who_:


----------



## J Riff

Lessee... while doing other things I ran thru _Meet The Robinsons_, not bad, _Planet 51_, okay, and _A Town Called Panic, _a bit hyper for me.
Oh, and_ Dinosaur_, in which the monkeys and dinos chat and get along rather well, quite believable. *


----------



## Rodders

Europa Report. Very, very good movie. Nicely done, with a great ending. 
Love. I don't think I understood this, one. A slow burner with a 2001 like ending. 
The signal. Interesting movie, but a dissatisfying ending.


----------



## Steve S

Finally saw _The Big Lebowski_ - enjoyed it but not quite as much as other Coen's films such as Barton Fink and A Serious Man. I can see why it has cult appeal though, and a spinoff with Jesus Quintana is surely worth a watch!


----------



## J-Sun

Rodders said:


> Europa Report. Very, very good movie. Nicely done, with a great ending.



Yeah, loved this one, too. Still one of my favorite films of the past several years thought I still need to watch it again to see if it holds up.


----------



## Starbeast

*Jurassic World* (2015)

A dinosaur-sized B-movie, with a cliched script. Thee _only_ thing I liked, were the special effects. I found this film so boring and totally disappointing, until the ancient animals showed up to eat. I didn't like any of the characters, they were all cardboard cutouts of the same-old-same-old stereo types, and painfully sickening to listen too. I'm so glad I didn't see this lame monstrosity in the theater.


----------



## J Riff

_Wreck-It Ralph_, yes, haha, good take on vidgame characters as conscious wisecracking critters... and _Ernest and Celestine,_ which is the nicest Bear/Mouse aminated movie I've seen this week.


----------



## Starbeast

*Monsters vs Aliens* (2009)

Lame animated film that I kept hoping it would get better, but I lost interest near the end and fell asleep. I chuckled only twice. The first time was when the US President played the Axel Foley theme (Beverly Hills Cop - 1984) on a keyboard, and the second was when a lady kept screaming when each monster was introduced in the Briefing Room. I suppose kids will like this flick.


----------



## Starbeast

*Krampus* (2015)

Surprisingly good X-mas horror flick that delivers more than just a lump of coal if you're naughty. This wonderfully gift wrapped movie had a treat for me, one of my favorite comedic actors played in this, David Koechner. I haven't seen him in a while (he's been in a lot of movie and TV shows I haven't seen). I remember him when he played on the TV show Saturday Night Live back in 1996. He was hilarious in a sketch where he was an prison executioner, and had to throw the switch on a criminal played by Christopher Walken.

Anyways. This movie made up for the last two awful movies I reviewed earlier.


----------



## VinceK

*Everyone's Going To Die* (2013)
Tale of two lost souls looking for a way out against the backdrop of an English seaside town. Typically British humour with a hint of depression, although some it was genuinely funny.


----------



## Cylon_ Sympathiser

Last movie I saw... straight to sky box office movie starring Nicholas Cage.. PAY THE GHOST.
Not going to win any awards but certainly worth a look.


----------



## REBerg

*The Martian* What an incredible testament to human ingenuity. And what a perfect choice, despite the genre, of Gloria Gaynor's _I Will Survive_, to accompany the credits.


----------



## Rodders

I rewatched District 9 last night. A very enjoyable film. Sharlto Copley is eminiently watchable.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Lucy.  *
That whole bit about humans only using 10% of their brain is disproven old hat... but if you can suspend your disbelief on that one; this is a pretty fun flick.  It's all transcendent 'n' sheeit.  Weird superpowers and mind bendery.  Lots of action.

The best part were the Easter-eggy tips of the hat to a ton of  classic, great Sci-fi.  Watch for 'em:  _2001, ET, Contact,  Matrix_... I'm sure there's more. Maybe a little Jackie Chan and Lucy Lui in _Kill Bill_. A fun frolic if you tuck your thinking cap under the couch.


----------



## Starbeast

*ATM* (2012)

Awesome horror movie that had me on the edge of my seat with eyes locked onto the screen. Fantastic independent film that is something far from typical. I'm so glad I had never seen any trailer for this, because that made it fiercely gripping. I highly recommend this one to horror fans!


----------



## Gonk the Insane

*Range 15*

A zombie horror comedy starring real-life special forces veterans. It was cheesy as hell, but entertaining despite that.


----------



## WaylanderToo

*Blood Father* - violent and enjoyable return of Mel Gibson


----------



## WaylanderToo

*Bad Moms* - gross out comedy, if you enjoyed The Hangover etc you should like this (I loved it)


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Space Fury *(aka_ In the Dead of Space_) - dear gods! A straight to video SF movie of immense ineptitude which consisted mostly of reaction shots. Endless chunks of this 'movie' were close-ups of people listening to what someone else is saying off camera followed by a close-up of that person listening to what the person just (but no longer) on camera says in reply. Actually, after a while, I looked forward to these weirdly-cut, hiding-the-fact-that-we-had-to-dub-the-whole-movie, sequences because they're far more interesting than those moments when we do get to see some terrible actors delivering their lines.

Just to relieve the tedium often the characters would just stand still for a bit. Sometimes they would open and close their mouths as if deep in thought and unable to say what it was they are thinking. Lisa Bingley, being female and photogenic, gets to do this a lot. If you are into watching a reasonably attractive woman standing in coveralls wondering when the director is going to call "cut" - this is the movie for you. 

Michael Pare has fun gurning his face all over the screen as a psychotic astronaut while Lisa, as the only female astronaut, takes her bra off (with obvious reluctance) for no other reason than it was in her contract and they had to get tits in the trailer. Though, given the lighting and angle, they almost certainly used a body double. (That must have put a big dent in the budget.)


----------



## J Riff

One is reminded of Tor Johnson getting paid 300$ for starring in _Beast of Yucca Flats_. What did the nudey gal at the beginning get? Other characters get no lines, so's they don't have to pay 'em much. I remember those days, and I am still broke, too.
Wathed  _Minuscule_, animated Ladybug/Ant adventure. Pretty cool - no dialogue! .. just ant whistles and screams. Turns out that ants can do some stuff you wouldn't think possible. Quite a lot, really.


----------



## Willow Beck

I just watched IT FOLLOWS...and I was SO freaked out I had to Wikipedia the Synopsis so I knew what was coming, otherwise I would never have made it through. Even then I was COMPLETELY freaked. Thank God I wasn't watching alone!


----------



## REBerg

*




*​I was intrigued by the moral dilemma posed in this film when I first read of it in _Scifi Magazine_. Unfortunately, it quickly became one of those forgotten "take a look" things -- until I noticed that Syfy was running it.
Wow! Way more here than I expected. Subjected to the test posed, I suspect that today's Human Race would be unlikely to survive.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Last night I watched a doco at a documentary festival here in Sydney. It was called *The Islands and the Whales*. Pretty interesting insight into a very remote and traditional community - the whale killing was hard to watch though.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Ring* (2002)

If I only knew how good it is, I would have seen it sooner. Excellent remake of the 1998 horror movie _Ringu_ (which I also need to see). If you haven't seen _The RING_, and you like horror films, check this out.


*The Vatican Tapes* (2015) Very dull exorcism flick, that I fell asleep near the end. Who cares.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Magnificent 7. Excellent remake


----------



## SilentRoamer

Star Trek Beyond... Believability

I actually liked some of the recent ST films, the new one though is just so over the top it borders on a parody.


----------



## Boneman

The Girl on The Train - Emily Blunt is brilliant.


----------



## Randy M.

Boneman said:


> The Girl on The Train - Emily Blunt is brilliant.



Just saw this last weekend, too. I agree. Blunt is a fine actress and this was a terrific role for her. She gets across the daze of alcohol without over-doing, and she reacts to a betrayal in a believable manner. On the whole, it's a good, taut thriller.

Randy M.


----------



## kythe

I recently saw Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  The premise is not really a unique concept, it reminded me of a gothic version of the x-men.  But I love the atmosphere and the story was intriguing.  Yesterday I picked up the book the movie is based on.


----------



## Boneman

kythe said:


> I recently saw Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  The premise is not really a unique concept, it reminded me of a gothic version of the x-men.  But I love the atmosphere and the story was intriguing.  Yesterday I picked up the book the movie is based on.



Be interested to see what you think of the book. I saw the movie, and was somewhat disappointed - didn't feel they made enough of the drama - seemed quite a stilted film. But I'd walk a mile to see Eva Green...


----------



## Starbeast

*Terror in the Aisles* (1984)

Actor, Donald Pleasance and actress, Nancy Allen take us through some of Hollywood's most terrifying moments in horror history in this collection of film scenes, which features many of the finest and strangest science fiction, crime drama and horror films of the 1930s through 1980s.

I remember seeing this in the theater. What a treat it was to see this on the big screen, and last night on DVD.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I also saw that in a theater.  I was the only one there at the time.


----------



## Elventine

Just saw Captain Fantastic... It was a brilliant movie that is one of those movies where you can say it was brilliant but you can't really describe it? Other than it was brilliant! lol





 Captain Fantastic Trailer.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Watched the trailer - really want to see that now Elventine!


----------



## Elventine

It was a great movie! Well worth a watch!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

saw *The Accountant*, and loved it! Ben Affleck does a wonderful job a portraying a "high-functioning" autistic adult involved in, well, various forms of crime. And really good at it, in his own way.
Also, this taught me a lot about autism...it's a much more complicated phenomenon than I knew.
This is a puzzle movie, and new layers of the onion keep getting peeled back throughout the movie. And effectively so.
I don't want to tell you much more than that, so as not to spoil anything. But I intend to go back, and likely more than once.
Enjoy it! (I will not be surprised to see this get best picture and best actor nominations.)


----------



## 2DaveWixon

WaylanderToo said:


> Magnificent 7. Excellent remake



I'll endorse your judgment. In fact, I'd say this is the best of the numerous M7 movies that have come out since the original 1960 version!

This version of *The Magnificent Seven*, which stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, was in some ways close to being a remake of the "original" (the quotes are a nod to the source, Kurosawa's *Seven Samurai*) -- this version even repeats some iconic lines from the "original." But the makers of this film went for diversity, which had interesting results.
(They also went for more firepower, please note...)
But the biggest change from the earlier film(s) is that this time the Seven did not have to go to Mexico to find a situation that needed their help -- this may reflect a reorientation of viewpoints, to see bad guys in American capitalism...
Worth seeing at least once, at least if you were a big fan of the Yul Brynner film. (Not going to win any acting awards, I'll add...)


----------



## Rodders

Project Almanac. 

An interesting movie.


----------



## Old_Man_Steve2016

I got to see *Godzilla Resurgence *at the Busan Internation Film Festival 2 weeks ago. 
Better title: Neon Genesis Godzilla. 
Godzilla now has point defenses like the J.J. Abrams enterprise, evolves like a Pokemon, and shoots fire from mouth and tail simultaneously. All them rads, bro. 
Y'know, Japan...you might have been better off letting the US nuke Tokyo.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lobos de Arga* (aka _Attack of the Werewolves, Game of Werewolves_) Ok Spanish Horror Comedy which has one genuinely laugh out loud moment involving the hero's severed finger that has just been cooked with garlic by two of his friends.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Amadeus *(1984)
Superb bit of fun and even tho I  know its pure fiction it always makes me angry and sad at the end!


----------



## Rodders

Automata.

A cheap robot movie with Antonio Banderas. I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.


----------



## Starbeast

*I Saw the Devil* (2010)

I was given a recommendation for a horror movie.....and man........did this one deliver.

Outstanding Korean film that is *only for a fan of horror movies.* I watched it in it's original language. DON't SEE ANY MOVIE TRAILERS FOR THIS ONE, JUST WATCH IT.


----------



## Rodders

Maggie. 

Too slow in my opinion. Still, a good ending.


----------



## dekket

Just took my son to see Dr Strange.  He loved it.  Was enthralled the entire way through.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

The original _Magnificent Seven_. Total classic


dekket said:


> Just took my son to see Dr Strange.


I've been looking forward to that for months, but now it's out I haven't made it out to the cinema yet!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I also saw *Dr Strange*. Enjoyed it! Amazing special effects, love Benedict Cumberbatch.

Love to see fresh takes on superhero movies.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

Hilarious Joke said:


> I also saw *Dr Strange*.


The supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon. I saw an old (70s/80s, I think) film of Dr Strange in among the DVDs. Next to it - and looking rather more tempting - was a 72 minute cartoon version of Dr Strange.


----------



## Steve S

Re-watched V for Vendetta - hadn't seen it since release. I did enjoy it and, if I might say it, the concept of a future Britain ruled by a hard right-wing government is starting to feel a little less fictional...


----------



## Rodders

Saw Doctor Strange yesterday. Great fun.


----------



## J Riff

_War of the Worlds_, the one with Gary Busey.... I found the DVD... I put it on... it was arful, quite crummy indeed, but I watched it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Pieces *(1983) - Spanish/American Giallo garbage about a black-gloved killer stalking a university.  Many aficionados of the genre seem to find its dreadful dialogue(of which there is a lot),  logical shortcomings (of which there are many), and brutal on-screen chainsaw murders (of which there are many) hilarious but it left me wondering why I was watching it.


----------



## ErikB

The last three were DVDs but,

Prometheus

John Carter

Paul

I was in a space/alien mood.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Saw it at the cinema tonight, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've discovered the way to reconcile Tom Cruise as Reacher is not to think of him as the same character as the books. Maybe his teeny tiny cousin with the same name or something. Weird? Yeah, but it works.


----------



## Vince W

*Doctor Strange*. I'm not very familiar with the character, but this was a genuinely enjoyable film. I could easily watch more about Strange.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Asphyx* (1972) 

Despite some lapses in plot logic and a couple of poor special effects, this is an effective old-fashioned Gothic chiller.  A Victorian scientist (who must be pretty bright; he's invented a movie camera in 1875) discovers that the title entity, a spirit of death, comes to a person at the moment of death.  He also finds out that a special light beam can trap it so that the victim does not die.  This leads to a quest for immortality with, as you would expect, very bad consequences.  It's a modest little film, with only three main characters, but well worth watching for fans of this kind of thing.


----------



## svalbard

*Snowpiercer
*
This one came in under the raider a couple of years back. It has a brilliant cast. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris and Song Kang-Hoo. Directed by a South Korean and based on a French comic book the movie is a post-apocalyptic vision of the last remnants of Earth who live on a train which continuously circumnavigates the Earth. This is visually stunning, well acted, and gripping. Well worth a look.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

svalbard said:


> *Snowpiercer
> *
> This one came in under the raider a couple of years back. It has a brilliant cast. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris and Song Kang-Hoo. Directed by a South Korean and based on a French comic book the movie is a post-apocalyptic vision of the last remnants of Earth who live on a train which continuously circumnavigates the Earth. This is visually stunning, well acted, and gripping. Well worth a look.


 Oh, my!
As one of the few who actually saw this one in the theater...well, I despised it...
I'm rethinking that opinion, based on your remarks. And it's hard, because my opinion was formed some years back, and I haven't thought about the movie since.... But I definitely recall coming out of the theater filled with dissatisfaction -- above all, dissatisfaction with the sheer implausibility of the film (for a fan of F and SF, that's saying a lot!).
But dissatisfaction, most of all, because I believed that they could have done so much more with this setting and concept -- but they went with depicting crazy people acting crazily...dystopia, indeed -- kind of like *On the Beach,* in some ways: last survivors roaming the world in a technological vehicle. But at least the people in the older movie had a plan, were searching for something; *Snowpiercer* was simply winding down in despair.. I guess I react badly to things like that.
Chris Evans was in that?! I did not remember that...


----------



## svalbard

He was the guy leading the rebellion. I actually agree with you on the implausability. However everything else outweighed the madness of the plot. For me anyway.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

svalbard said:


> He was the guy leading the rebellion. I actually agree with you on the implausability. However everything else outweighed the madness of the plot. For me anyway.


Yes, I know that feeling -- I have had similar reactions to implausible movies, myself...sometimes a movie is just plain fun, regardless!


----------



## Vince W

2DaveWixon said:


> Oh, my!
> As one of the few who actually saw this one in the theater...well, I despised it...
> I'm rethinking that opinion, based on your remarks. And it's hard, because my opinion was formed some years back, and I haven't thought about the movie since.... But I definitely recall coming out of the theater filled with dissatisfaction -- above all, dissatisfaction with the sheer implausibility of the film (for a fan of F and SF, that's saying a lot!).
> But dissatisfaction, most of all, because I believed that they could have done so much more with this setting and concept -- but they went with depicting crazy people acting crazily...dystopia, indeed -- kind of like *On the Beach,* in some ways: last survivors roaming the world in a technological vehicle. But at least the people in the older movie had a plan, were searching for something; *Snowpiercer* was simply winding down in despair.. I guess I react badly to things like that.
> Chris Evans was in that?! I did not remember that...



You're not alone in that. I hated Snowpiercer and I saw it for free.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Asphyx* (1972)
> 
> Despite some lapses in plot logic and a couple of poor special effects, this is an effective old-fashioned Gothic chiller.  A Victorian scientist (who must be pretty bright; he's invented a movie camera in 1875) discovers that the title entity, a spirit of death, comes to a person at the moment of death.  He also finds out that a special light beam can trap it so that the victim does not die.  This leads to a quest for immortality with, as you would expect, very bad consequences.  It's a modest little film, with only three main characters, but well worth watching for fans of this kind of thing.



I remember it as being pretty good of its type.  It's the one with the immortal guinea pig in it isn't it?

Just back from seeing* Arrival* at the cinema with Number One Daughter and we _loved _it.  What a great, emotionally engaging, intelligent piece of SF.  Glad we saw it on the big screen.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

JunkMonkey said:


> Just back from seeing* Arrival* at the cinema with Number One Daughter and we _loved _it.


Ah, I was wondering what it was like. Sounds good!

Saw *X-Men: Apocalypse* yesterday. Much like the other recent prequel films it was entertaining with lots of special effects and a nice dose of humour. While I did really enjoy it, it feels like believability is being stretched further with each successive film. And, I have to say, this one was also a little more predictable, both in terms of plot and dialogue, than others. I got the impression the writers just went with the first cliche that came to mind and knocked out the script one night down the pub. Still, however, fun to watch.


----------



## REBerg

An off-beat, often funny, look at what it means to be a father. (R-rated for good reasons)


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Hill" (1965)*

Sean Connery in perhaps one of his finest roles; with a great script by Ray Rigby, and absorbing direction by Sidney Lumet.

4/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Batman Forever* (1995)

This is still one of my favorite, fun Halloween movies. Outstanding performances by actors, Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carry & Michael Gough.

One of my favorite scenes in the film, is when Batman is ambushed by Two-Face. The crime boss's masked henchmen chase the Dark Knight, shooting at him with machine guns mounted on custom, fire-burning classic Mercury cars. And Two-face pursues in an old refurbished armored car. The scene is heightened by it's fast pace, accompanied by a wild soundtrack of exciting music.

This movie is definitely a DC comic book, come to life. Awesome.

*The Last Shift* (2014)

Evil lurks in an old police station. Quite a good horror flick. It had me jumping.

*Yellow Brick Road* (2010)

Investigators try to find out why, in 1940, an entire town, left their homes to walk into the mountains, and died horribly. Heavy drama. So-so movie.

*The Clown Murders* (1976)

A simple kidnapping goes terribly wrong. Drama, with some violence. This was one of actor JOHN CANDY's first movies. Not a bad little film. Not great, but not bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> I remember it as being pretty good of its type.  It's the one with the immortal guinea pig in it isn't it?



Yes, that's the one.


----------



## J Riff

_StarWars 7_ - because it was on when I walked in. It is quite long, has great spaceships and FX and they kill off a major character or two.
_Turbo _- a snail enters the Indy 500. The fastest animated snail action you will ever see.
and - _Doctor Strange_ **** No spoilage here, it's worth a look, a few major changes to cast... and sets up sequel involving Thor, so will no doubt descend into the Marvel movie pantheon, but good folding buildings and what-not. *)


----------



## HanaBi

*"Night of the Hunter" (1955)*

Mitchum at his terrifying/disturbing best.

4/5


----------



## Droflet

Fabulous movie. And a great book as well.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Thoroughly enjoyable film (there were a few gaping plot holes but that aside), engaging story and some pretty cool SFX (really enjoyed the skeleton fight)


God Bless America - really enjoyable satire (obvious shades of 'Falling Down') 80% God Bless America (2011) - IMDb


----------



## J Riff

The Revenant- mucho death, a revenge scenario is set up halfway in and sure enough the two guys crawl through the snow grunting and screaming and stabbing each other to death at the end. Heavy electronic violins make it all quite dire, but the scene with the Grizzly is scary as heck. How do they do that, it looks real. Lots horses get shot too, so it has to be CGI, but I felt sorry for the Grizzly anyhow.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Fantastic Beasts... a wonderfully crafted family film with some stunning effects (particularly liked the 'speakeasy' scene) shows that the Potterverse is still capable of churning out box-office magic


----------



## JunkMonkey

WaylanderToo said:


> Fantastic Beasts... a wonderfully crafted family film with some stunning effects (particularly liked the 'speakeasy' scene) shows that the Potterverse is still capable of churning out box-office magic



While the wife took children number two and three to see this, Number One Daughter and sat at home and watched a couple of proper movies.  *Double Indemnity *and the *Third Man *- she was less impressed by* The Third Man *but *Double Indemnity* was deemed "a f**king GREAT film!".  Not really the sort of language I should be encouraging in a 13 year old but I had to agree with her.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

JunkMonkey said:


> *Double Indemnity* was deemed "a f**king GREAT film!".


Yep, I'd have to agree with that - classic noir.


----------



## Steven Sorrels

_Doctor Strange_ - Fun adventure with _Inception_-level world-bending, fantastic humor, and lots of sass. Enjoyed Mads Mikkelson as the baddie, but the plot was a bit light on its feet. This did not detract from the fun I had. See in theatres if possible, as some of the scenes are just so busy that it would be hard to track everything on a tv.


----------



## HanaBi

Sunday Too Far Away - Wikipedia

Have a penchant for Australian New Wave this weekend, and last night I had the pleasure of watching this underrated classic concerning the daily dramas of sheep-shearing in the Oz Outback in the 50s.

Assured direction by the ever dependable, Ken Hannam; and intense acting by Jack Thompson, makes for a very entertaining couple of hours

4/5


----------



## anivid

WaylanderToo said:


> Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Thoroughly enjoyable film (there were a few gaping plot holes but that aside), engaging story and some pretty cool SFX (really enjoyed the skeleton fight)


Never in my whole life saw such boring film - one day was repeated all the time, reminding me about 'groundhodge day'
- when waking up again I left in the middle


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> The Revenant- mucho death, a revenge scenario is set up halfway in and sure enough the two guys crawl through the snow grunting and screaming and stabbing each other to death at the end. Heavy electronic violins make it all quite dire, but the scene with the Grizzly is scary as heck. How do they do that, it looks real. Lots horses get shot too, so it has to be CGI, but I felt sorry for the Grizzly anyhow.


In case you were not aware, this movie is based on an actual story from the U.S. frontier, I think from the 1820's or so -- at least insofar as the part about Hugh Glass being mauled by a grizzly, and making his way back to civilization, etc. That alone is an extraordinary story...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crowhaven Farm* (1970) -- Made-for-TV scare flick from what, in retrospect, was a minor golden age for them. This one involves a married couple who inherit an old farm in New England. (The role of New England is played by Southern California.) The wife has flashbacks to the bad old days of being crushed under large stones to make her reveal the names of her fellow witches. Add in some mysterious deaths, the fact that the barren wife unexpectedly becomes pregnant, and the arrival of a strange little orphan girl who, through a series of odd circumstances, winds up being adopted by the couple. The film starts slowly but has a pretty effective ending. It's obviously influenced by *Rosemary's Baby* but the story goes in unexpected directions. Worth a look.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Steven Sorrels said:


> _Doctor Strange_ - Fun adventure with _Inception_-level world-bending, fantastic humor, and lots of sass. Enjoyed Mads Mikkelson as the baddie, but the plot was a bit light on its feet. This did not detract from the fun I had. See in theatres if possible, as some of the scenes are just so busy that it would be hard to track everything on a tv.


I second the suggestion about seeing it in theatre -- and I'd also recommend being prepared to go back to see it a second time (at least) with a little time between the occasions -- a lot of detail will appear on second viewing, that was missed in the busy first showing...

But I also want to mention something that I suspect everyone who was a fan of the first incarnation of Doctor Strange (i.e., the original, and early, comic books) will second: I thank the powers that this version did not reprise the most awful incantations from those comic books -- exclamations such as "By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!" (Fan though I was, I cringed with every repetition of that and similar phrases...).


----------



## HanaBi

*"Walkabout" (1971)*

Still sends quite a powerful message regarding different cultures interacting for good or bad. In this case two white children stranded in the Australian Outback trying to make their way back to civilization; but are later befriended by  a teenage Aborigine boy, who tries to help them in their quest; but he also teaches them the raw facts of life and death out in the desert: how to search for water, and how to hunt and kill animals in cold blood!

A powerful story, but with a tragic sting in its tail

Great performances from the young leads, especially Jenny Agutter and David Gulpihil.

The music by John Barry is lush & moody; and the direction by Nicolas Roeg, sublime!

4/5


----------



## Droflet

Haven't seen that movie in ages, but still remember parts of it. Not bad for a 45 year old flick.


----------



## J Riff

Yep. The biggest Grizzly ever shot was shot by a woman, somewhere right 'round these parts. I've seen 'em. Was present at a Mountain Lion attack, oncet. The movie is good and gripping and all, tho I don't bleeves a lot of it. Sure wuz better'n Hateful 8, which I sat thru las' nite.
 Worse - we've been watching Walking Dead DVDs... it's vaguely addictive, like a soap opera. Mostly it's about trying to figure out ways to deal with zombies that the dumass cast doesn't think of. Lots of ways. Nevermind. *
 Hey - _Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies_.... it's new, it is indeed Alpine shamblers... a bit of a sendup, and lots of stuff to dispatch zombies with - like ski poles, snowblowers and snowboards... it had laughs, and enough blood to satisfy most gorefans.


----------



## J Riff

* Epic* 2013, animated... in which tiny, teeny little people live in the forest... . riding on birds, and fighting a war 'twixt life and green growing stuff - and dark mold 'n decay. There's queens and warriors and princesses, and, people from the real giant world that we live in... are in it too.


BTW... the original dialogue, in Dr. Strange comics... was corny Stan Lee at his best... but, on re-examination, we find that 'By the Moons of Munipor' had at least 3 spellings... Muni, muna, Munopoor. So, flawed, yes. * )


----------



## Overread

I saw Epic - it was a fun animated adventure for what was; but I kind of disliked how it presented the concept of decay and rot as evil since within the wild world decay and rot is far from evil; indeed its part of the cornerstone of life. I get why it worked in the film, I just feel that they could have built some kind of human "evil" into the decay to twist it beyond what it was presented as


----------



## J Riff

I agree, but otherwise there's no reason to ride on sparrows and hummingbirds, leaping from tree to tree, to save the Queen and the forest.


----------



## SilentRoamer

Overread said:


> I saw Epic - it was a fun animated adventure for what was; but I kind of disliked how it presented the concept of decay and rot as evil since within the wild world decay and rot is far from evil; indeed its part of the cornerstone of life. I get why it worked in the film, I just feel that they could have built some kind of human "evil" into the decay to twist it beyond what it was presented as





J Riff said:


> I agree, but otherwise there's no reason to ride on sparrows and hummingbirds, leaping from tree to tree, to save the Queen and the forest.




The whole thing is a Fern Gully rip off but Fern Gully did it better - better animation, better voice acting, better story, better bad guys and the evil in the forest was humans and specifically petrol and pollution.

Fern Gully was one of my favorite films as a kid and I highly recommend it for anyone on here with small children.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (film) - Wikipedia*

Continuing with my voyager into Australian Cinema over the last 40 years or so, had the great pleasure of dusting down this old and rarely seen DVD. 

Story concerns how Jimmie Blacksmith (half Aborigine) tries assimilate into the white culture and suffers all sorts of abuse and exploitation. 
Even when he finally marries a white woman, the stresses become too much and he finally snaps, leaving a trail of violence and murder behind him. 

A tough film to watch, not least because of the familiar abuse we see of a "minority", but also there is no satisfying conclusion; no happy ending, just moral hand ringing.

Am pleased I watched it though. Shame it didn't do all that well on initial release way back in 1979. And is still hard to track down from the usual media outlets and formats.

3/5


----------



## Overread

SilentRoamer said:


> Fern Gully was one of my favorite films as a kid and I highly recommend it for anyone on here .



Fern Gully is one of those films I'd say is for the family and thus suitable for adults as well as kids.
It's one of the few big animated films that isn't Disney (nor Ghibli) that I think is a masterpiece.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

HanaBi said:


> *"Walkabout" (1971)*
> 
> Still sends quite a powerful message regarding different cultures interacting for good or bad. In this case two white children stranded in the Australian Outback trying to make their way back to civilization; but are later befriended by  a teenage Aborigine boy, who tries to help them in their quest; but he also teaches them the raw facts of life and death out in the desert: how to search for water, and how to hunt and kill animals in cold blood!
> 
> A powerful story, but with a tragic sting in its tail
> 
> Great performances from the young leads, especially Jenny Agutter and David Gulpihil.
> 
> The music by John Barry is lush & moody; and the direction by Nicolas Roeg, sublime!
> 
> 4/5


Yes, I saw that in '72 or so. I liked it a lot, and I second everything you said about it.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> BTW... the original dialogue, in Dr. Strange comics... was corny Stan Lee at his best... but, on re-examination, we find that 'By the Moons of Munipor' had at least 3 spellings... Muni, muna, Munopoor. So, flawed, yes. * )



Or maybe there were three different planets, with coincidentally similar names, that had moons with mystic power?


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Overread said:


> I saw Epic - it was a fun animated adventure for what was; but I kind of disliked how it presented the concept of decay and rot as evil since within the wild world decay and rot is far from evil; indeed its part of the cornerstone of life. I get why it worked in the film, I just feel that they could have built some kind of human "evil" into the decay to twist it beyond what it was presented as


@J Riff , in the comment following yours, raises the good point about a need to have some sort of threat in the story.
At the same time, I agree quite a lot with what you said (as quoted above) -- it's just that there only seem to be two alternatives for sources of threat: Nature, or a sentient being...I think the makers of the film were trying to be a little different.
So I came out of the movie thinking that the fight was simply against Death...
Death, after all, is not "evil" as we humans tend to use that term; but we fall into doing so because we're all afraid of death...and we hate what we fear, which creates a need to portray the hated thing as "evil."
It's not good philosophy, no. But it is, after all, how one tells stories.


----------



## HanaBi

*Spartacus (film) - Wikipedia*

Always a favourite of mine over the years, especially around Christmas time for some odd reason.

A remarkable story with a remarkable cast. Laurence Olivier & Peter Ustinov both stole the show for me; more so Olivier because he played the part of Crassus to a tee (probably had the looks of a Roman general and statesman. Although I did find Kirk Douglas' performance as Spartacus a little wooden & stiff in all honesty.

Sumptuous camerawork, good editing and a tremendous score by Alex North, especially the opening credits - always sends a shiver down my spine!

4.5/5


----------



## dekket

My wife and I took our son this morning to see "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".
We all enjoyed it.


----------



## Foxbat

*Somewhere In The Night* (1946)
O.K. thriller about an amnesiac ex-marine embroiled in a murder.


----------



## J Riff

Fern Gully good fun; but, _Brave Little Toaster_.... geee, I had visions of my old blacklight lamp from the 70s... rusting in a dump somewhere and whining in the voice of a six-year old child.... saaaaave me..... masterrrrr...... *


----------



## Vince W

Finally saw *The Arrival*. The best science fiction (and it needs to be written in full) film I've seen in ages.


----------



## HanaBi

*Dawn of the Dead (1978)*

Perhaps my favourite Zombie film of all. Decent plot, okay acting, great sfx for its time; and a weird and wonderful score from Italian band, Goblin!

For me its Remero's most complete film for its genre. Hours of fun & gore 

4/5


----------



## 2DaveWixon

HanaBi said:


> *Spartacus (film) - Wikipedia*
> 
> Always a favourite of mine over the years, especially around Christmas time for some odd reason.
> 
> A remarkable story with a remarkable cast. Laurence Olivier & Peter Ustinov both stole the show for me; more so Olivier because he played the part of Crassus to a tee (probably had the looks of a Roman general and statesman. Although I did find Kirk Douglas' performance as Spartacus a little wooden & stiff in all honesty.
> 
> Sumptuous camerawork, good editing and a tremendous score by Alex North, especially the opening credits - always sends a shiver down my spine!
> 
> 4.5/5


I haven't seen this movie for a long time now, but your excellent comments brought memories back -- but I want to ask this: if you ever figure out why this flick is a fav around Christmas time, I hope you'll let us know... Please!

And it was Ustinov that I liked most in the movie (I agree that Douglas was pretty stiff in this one...but then, that was his style...).


----------



## J Riff

Really. a Goblin score? Better check that one out again. I just lissened at _Roller,_ not bad for its time either.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*RPG *(2013) -  Very cheapo Hunger Games-a-like with a variety of not very good actors - most of them being not very convincing in a second language. Many years ago I made myself a promise and thus was born the 'I'm Going To Watch Every Movie Rutger Hauer Ever Made Project'.  I never promised I'd watch them twice.  Boy has he been in some sh*t, and, for all that his name and face feature prominently on the cover, I guess Mr Hauer must have been on set for the best part of  a whole day on this one.


----------



## Droflet

*Blood Punch*. Decent acting and directing and a terrific script with tension and wry humor. Starts out like a normal crime flick then takes a left turn into the macabre. A lot of fun. Recommended.


----------



## HanaBi

2DaveWixon said:


> I haven't seen this movie for a long time now, but your excellent comments brought memories back -- but I want to ask this: if you ever figure out why this flick is a fav around Christmas time, I hope you'll let us know... Please!
> 
> And it was Ustinov that I liked most in the movie (I agree that Douglas was pretty stiff in this one...but then, that was his style...).



Back in the 70s and 80s, when we only had about 3 or 4 terrestrial TV channels to choose from here in the UK, it was usually traditional for one of the broadcasters to show a perennial favourite on Christmas Day. Sometimes it would be a James Bond premier, or something a little more family-orientated like "Mary Poppins". But quite often "Spartacus" and/or "The Great Escape" would be on one of the channels because both films were classics and had wide appeal back then.

And Ustinov was terrific as the slimy, dirtbag, Batiatus.   I can still recall one or two standout quotes of his:-

_"No, Lady Helena. I tingle!" 

"Wait! Crassus? Here? Bring my red toga with the acorns. And some chairs. Second best wine. No, wait. The best, but small goblets. "

"Good luck. And may fortune smile upon some of you! "_


----------



## HanaBi

*"And Now For Something Completely Different!" (1971)
*
Classic Monty Python, rehashing some of their best TV show sketches for the big screen.

If you're not a fan of the show, it will be unlikely you'll enjoy this jewel in the zany comedy crown. 

Very surreal comedy for its time, but in most part its extremely well done: more hits than misses in fact.

And the <in>famous "Dead Parrot" sketch is also revised and slightly embellished for the better here too.

Not my favourite Python film ("The Holy Grail" for me), but is still great fun.

3/5


_"He's not pining! He's passed on! 
This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! '
He's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 
He's a stiff! Bereft of life. He rests in peace! 
If you hadn't nailed him to the perch he'd be pushing up the daisies! '
Its metabolic processes are now 'history! 
He's off the twig! 
He's kicked the bucket!
He's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleeding choir invisible! 

*THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!*"_


----------



## J Riff

Gee,_ Incredible Melting Man_ - s'arful, I'm going to edit it into watchable comedy someday. And, _Day of the Triffids_ remake, 2009? is kinda forgettable. I like the JRiffoil company idea, but .. so then I watched _Monster House_, as I continue to plow thru every aminated flick out there.


----------



## juelz4sure

Independence Day Resurgence, was pretty good. The love story wasn't really needed in the movie in my opinion, but all in all a very good movie!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Horrors of the Black Museum* (1959) - what a gloriously dreadful film!  Overwrought 1950s British serial killer stuff with some seriously weird acting.  I really have no idea what half the cast thought they were doing but all of them appear to be in different movies.  I suspect many of them were just trying not to corpse - the script is very odd.  I have to admire the way they managed such long, dreadful dialogue heavy takes without getting the giggles.  It's pulp paperback page-filling stuff not film dialogue.  I'll be watching this one again.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

HanaBi said:


> *"And Now For Something Completely Different!" (1971)
> *
> Classic Monty Python, rehashing some of their best TV show sketches for the big screen.
> 
> If you're not a fan of the show, it will be unlikely you'll enjoy this jewel in the zany comedy crown.
> 
> Very surreal comedy for its time, but in most part its extremely well done: more hits than misses in fact.
> 
> And the <in>famous "Dead Parrot" sketch is also revised and slightly embellished for the better here too.
> 
> Not my favourite Python film ("The Holy Grail" for me), but is still great fun.
> 
> 3/5
> 
> 
> _"He's not pining! He's passed on!
> This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! '
> He's expired and gone to meet 'is maker!
> He's a stiff! Bereft of life. He rests in peace!
> If you hadn't nailed him to the perch he'd be pushing up the daisies! '
> Its metabolic processes are now 'history!
> He's off the twig!
> He's kicked the bucket!
> He's shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleeding choir invisible!
> 
> *THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!*"_


I was literally helpless with laughter, the first time I saw that episode...


----------



## Ajid

Fantastic beasts and where to find them, or as my other half ordered the tickets "Beasts and where they come from" this comes from a girl that scores around 138 on an IQ test I've said it before and will again she is letting herself down when it comes to communication....


Well in its entirety it was average, i was surprised at how sinister and effective collin farrell was. I also found that fella from that poor hawking film rather well suited to this role but there was no clear narrative. You can tell this wasn't written first. Harry potter is The story of harry throughout this is a jumble of stories. The reveal at the end was awful. It replaces a surprisingly well developed and sinister character with what (not to give it away) is an actor who bas time and again proved he is only capable of playing the jokey bad come good type and will no dpnt kill the franchise. I have nothing against the actor but honestly for a momemt I thought CF was a scary and convincing beast of a wizzard then I expect from the other actor some tom foolery. This from the wizzard that able was meant to be an equal to dumbledore. If they wanted to go down that route there are so many better choices. Jude law would be able but not obvious, daniel craig had the eyes to go against dumbledor or better yet maybe John hamm  if we need an American element.

My main issue with the film though is that there was no one individual giving the narrative.

I've slated the actor in the past but I have to say Newt came closest and it was an outstanding performance of a brittish eccentric.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek Beyond *on Blu Ray
Great film, here's to Anton Yelkin!


----------



## AE35Unit

Ajid said:


> Fantastic beasts and where to find them, or as my other half ordered the tickets "Beasts and where they come from" this comes from a girl that scores around 138 on an IQ test I've said it before and will again she is letting herself down when it comes to communication....
> 
> 
> Well in its entirety it was average, i was surprised at how sinister and effective collin farrell was. I also found that fella from that poor hawking film rather well suited to this role but there was no clear narrative. You can tell this wasn't written first. Harry potter is The story of harry throughout this is a jumble of stories. The reveal at the end was awful. It replaces a surprisingly well developed and sinister character with what (not to give it away) is an actor who bas time and again proved he is only capable of playing the jokey bad come good type and will no dpnt kill the franchise. I have nothing against the actor but honestly for a momemt I thought CF was a scary and convincing beast of a wizzard then I expect from the other actor some tom foolery. This from the wizzard that able was meant to be an equal to dumbledore. If they wanted to go down that route there are so many better choices. Jude law would be able but not obvious, daniel craig had the eyes to go against dumbledor or better yet maybe John hamm  if we need an American element.
> 
> My main issue with the film though is that there was no one individual giving the narrative.
> 
> I've slated the actor in the past but I have to say Newt came closest and it was an outstanding performance of a brittish eccentric.


Redmayne was brilliant in Theory of Everything !  My partner went to see Fantastic Beasts...with our daughter. They enjoyed it.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Grimsby last night and I'm rather embarrassed to say that I found it hilarious. 

Definitely not one for a romantic night in.


----------



## HanaBi

*When We Were Kings - Wikipedia*

Fascinating documentary covering the <in>famous world heavyweight boxing championship between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, 1974 (or the "Rumble-in-the-Jungle" as the promoters pushed it)

Plenty of interviews of Ali at his charismatic best leading up to the fight; while less time is given to Foreman, who lacks the charm & honesty of his opponent. Ali find empathy with the people of Zaire, more so given they're ruled by a brutal dictator - Mobutu Seko. The same man funding the fight purely out of his own vanity, and sanctioned by the WBO, who appear not too concerned with the ethics of this known murderer and tyrant to his own people.

But typically, ethics takes a back seat to the prize money. And despite Ali's empathy and recognition that these people have suffered under Seto, he never criticizes Seko, but focuses purely on the change of becoming champion again, and the sizable purse.

Morality aside, this is a wonderful documentary, heavily slanted toward the charming Ali, while Foreman always appears to be the Big Bad Wolf in all of this.

4/5


----------



## J Riff

Errr, _War of the Insects_. Funny dubbing on George, the crazy black guy, by a Japanese guy, in English but mostly just, arrr Arrrgh! Insects! screams George... and the bugs cruise at 30,000 ft. looking for revenge on the humans. Not bad. )
_The Woman Eater_ 1957 - turns out to be a weird giant plant-thing kept in the profs. basement..
Dang, can't get _Horrors o' Black Museum_ (in Hypno-Vision!) ..so am going to have a go at _Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires._


----------



## HanaBi

*"Name of the Rose" (1986)*

Loved this film! One of Sean Connery's finest and most understated roles.

Okay, so it didn't make a lot of money at the box office at time of release (1986), especially Stateside. But has since picked up a respectable $100m globally. Not bad for a $17m budget.

It's grim, slow, gruesome at times. But the ending is great and the story quite engrossing, if somewhat overlong.

The Name of the Rose (film) - Wikipedia


3/5


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
*
Enjoyed it! Loved the 1920s setting. Thought Jacob Kowalski was a great character in particular.


----------



## Ajid

Hilarious Joke said:


> *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
> *
> Enjoyed it! Loved the 1920s setting. Thought Jacob Kowalski was a great character in particular.



I just hope the series is about Jacob. Exceptional fantastic performance from Dan Fogler but I still thought it lacked focus on a central character.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Wages of Fear (1953)*


Without question one of the finest action/dramas I have seen in all my years of watching films. And certainly endorses the genius that is director, Henri Geoges Clouzot.

The 1977 remake (The Sorcerer), is good, but doesn't come close to character development, and loses steam near the end.


5/5


----------



## Droflet

Yep, couldn't agree more. Saw it when I was a kid and it's stayed with me.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

HanaBi said:


> Back in the 70s and 80s, when we only had about 3 or 4 terrestrial TV channels to choose from here in the UK, it was usually traditional for one of the broadcasters to show a perennial favourite on Christmas Day. Sometimes it would be a James Bond premier, or something a little more family-orientated like "Mary Poppins". But quite often "Spartacus" and/or "The Great Escape" would be on one of the channels because both films were classics and had wide appeal back then.



For what I suspect were similar reasons, in those same days we could count on seeing *The Robe* and  *Ben Hur* every Easter weekend.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Wages of Fear* is great. I watched it again earlier this year.  The book it is based on is pretty terrific too.


----------



## Ronald T.

Tabitha said:


> Mulholland Drive (what a confusing movie!)


I actually liked Mulholland Drive.  But I think it's partly due to the fact that I really enjoy Naomi Watts' fine acting ability, and also because I found Laura Harring extremely beautiful and quite an accomplished and rounded actress, as well.

But mostly, I absolutely love Rebekah Del Rio's a Capella version of Roy Orbison's song, "Crying".  Her facial expressions and delivery, as well as her beautiful voice, bring me to tears every time I hear her sing that song.  I know...I'm an emotional sap.

But that's what I look for in movies and the books I read...well defined and believably deep emotion.  Mulholland Drive gave me those things.

As I've said before, give me characters I can care about, give me honest emotion, and give my a complex story worth seeing, and I'm yours.

Action and special effects do little for me if there is no character development.  And I have no use for movies or books without at least one or two characters I can like and care about.  That's why I felt I had wasted my time when I watched the movie "Pulp Fiction".  Who cared if they all died?

Give me a character worth rooting for, add sufficient emotion, and I'm sold.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ronald T. said:


> I actually liked Mulholland Drive.  But I think it's partly due to the fact that I really enjoy Naomi Watts' fine acting ability, and also because I found Laura Harring extremely beautiful and quite an accomplished and rounded actress, as well.



[Resists temptation to make joke about parts of Laura Harring being more nicely rounded than others because it would be sexist and demeaning and we are above such things*.]

Cracking movie though.  To my mind it's Lynch's best.



*There is a posh Greek name for this "having your cake and eating it" rhetorical technique but I can't remember what it is. If anyone knows please tell me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Apparently this has several variant terms, but the article I found about it calls it "apophasis":

Apophasis - Wikipedia

You mean the kind of thing like "I will not bring up the fact that my opponent is a liar" and the like, right?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Thank you!  That's it:



			
				Wikipedia said:
			
		

> When apophasis is taken to its extreme, prolepsis occurs, and the speaker provides full details, stating or drawing attention to something in the very act of pretending to pass it over: "I will not stoop to mentioning the occasion last winter when our esteemed opponent was found asleep in an alleyway with an empty bottle of vodka still pressed to his lips."



I searched all over the place but couldn't find it.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Cracking movie though. To my mind it's Lynch's best.



That's a tough call for me to make because of _Elephant Man_ and _Blue Velvet_ and all but it may well be. Certainly good; certainly right at the top.


----------



## J Riff

Animated cheklist continues, w/ _Yellowbird,_ and_ Treasure Planet_, not top-end Disney, but watchable. But, I just now found a huge raft o' movies. I mean about 150 discs. I took 30 or so and a guy from the same coffeeshop here, well him and his GF grabbed the rest. Lots of Jamaican comedies, called 'plays' on the cover. Lots of classics and hey Paul Blart Mall Cop, do I really need two copies of that? No, but; Cassi Davis in _Aunt Bam's Place_, yes mon.*


----------



## Alex The G and T

*The Hateful Eight*.  The title led me to believe that it might be a Western, themed along the lines of _The Magnificent Seven._  But... It's Quentin Tarrantino.

It does start out feeling like a reasonable facsimile of a _normal_ Oater.  Bounty Hunters, and their charges (some dead and one alive) cast together under uncertain circumstances by an impending Blizzard in Wyoming.

Early on, it plays more as a suspense-thriller.  Lots of uncertainty about who's who and what are their motives.

They hole up, to ride out the storm, in a roadhouse.  The proprietors of the Stage Stop are missing. The current occupants are shady.  Suspicions arise over who is the Good Guys, and Who is the Bad Guys.

We forget that this is Quentin Tarrantino.

When the Coffee gets poisoned and people start vomiting blood and dying, Samuel Jackson throws down and lines up the entire crew against the wall at gun point.  He goes into an eloquent, logical denouement over who might have had the opportunity and motive to be the Black Hats; worthy of an Agatha Christie puzzler.

Suddenly, the Quentin Tarrantino hits the fan.  Twisty-turny, and gory.  Great Stuff.


----------



## Steve S

Watched *The Babadook* at the weekend. I was so impressed: beautifully made and acted, and _really_ frightening. I've been thinking about it a lot since I saw it, which is a sure sign a film has made a big impression on me. Everything about it worked, from the production design, the intense, powerful acting and an intelligent script. I actually found it very touching and I truly cared about the characters. The themes of (repressed) grief and guilt were perfectly and originally handled.

I could write reams and reams about The Babadook, but I'll settle on saying I cannot recommend this film enough - although after watching it, expect to worry about every night-time creak your house makes...


----------



## HanaBi

*Koyaanisqatsi - Wikipedia*

Fascinating 1982 documentary with outstanding ground-breaking photography for its time.

Essentially a non-narrative journey/adventure juxtaposing the slow, natural, uncomplicated natural world, with the man-made, crazy un-natural world in which we inhabit, exploit, disfigure, pollute and generally bugger about with!

A  perfect Philip Glass score sits nicely alongside the stunning photography presented between city-life and the open mountain ranges of the Americas.

A little dated perhaps, but the the underline theme still remains

4/5


----------



## J Riff

Hated the 8, who cares who poisoned the bloody coffee and just nevermind, I watched uhh, Monster House... where the house, the whole house... is the monster. The title was a giveaway but no projectile vomit in this house please.  )


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bad Land: Road To Fury* (aka *Young Ones*) - slow-paced, visually-pleasing, piece of low-key SF.  In a slightly underworked-out future water is scarce and a family of farmers struggle to survive.  There's a murder, guilt, and revenge.  All a bit Shakespearean but all done very slowly with lots of 'naturalistic' mumbling, and with a robot mule to supply plot points.  Actually the robot mule was very well done and probably the thing that I will best remember from this movie.  I especially liked the fact that this piece of farm machinery that plays a pivotal role in the plot wasn't given *any* kind of personality.  It's just a machine.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Alien*"

Awesome from start to finish. Still better than Aliens. And still scares the hell out of me even after many repeat viewings!


5/5


----------



## J Riff

ell it was... what was it... last night... errrm... oh yes, _Dead Birds._ It was non-memorable, I think, but kinda scary.


----------



## J Riff

Oh wait... I watched _Fantastic Planet_ and was shocked. How in Gord's name did I miss this all these years? Animated SF of the 70s... well go have a look, it's really good, and different.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Italian Job - Wikipedia*

The original and best (forget the appalling 2003 reboot!)

One of Michael Caine's best performances in this comedy-crime caper set in Italy and very much showing off the British Mini car, a familiar symbol during the "Swinging 60s"

A film full of memorable quotes, with perhaps the best being "_You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!_"

And of course it has a cliff-hanging ending to beat all cliff-hanging endings, literally!

4/5


----------



## Starbeast

*Midnight Special* (2016)

Not a bad little sci-fi drama about an unusual child.

*Rocketman* (1997)

One of my favorite comedies, about a nerd who goes to Mars. I love it.


----------



## Rodders

The Comedians Guide to Survival 

It stars The Inbetweeners James Buckley and wasn't actually that funny. I thought James Put in a good turn as the down trodden comedian.


----------



## HanaBi

*Skiptrace (2016)
*
Going against my better judgement (not helped by a pretty awful rating on "Rotten Tomatoes"), I decided to give this a go on Kodi last night. 

But clearly I came away thinking "what a waste of time that was!" Which is a shame because I was hoping for something better from Jackie Chan. But this "buddy" action thriller just doesn't click. And Chan really should know better given his advancing age and his need to keep up with the latest martial arts tricks. 

Seen it all before really. Chan just seems to be doing it for the money these days. Which might please his fans, but for the casual viewer expecting something special it's a bit of a disappointment

2/5


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> Hated the 8, who cares who poisoned the bloody coffee and just nevermind, I watched uhh, Monster House... where the house, the whole house... is the monster. The title was a giveaway but no projectile vomit in this house please.  )


Ditto. It was awful...I decided that they started filming a sort of modern spaghetti western but decided, halfway through, that they didn't know how to end it. Alas.


----------



## J Riff

Well, whatsisname should be quarantined in Trenton, that's my idea... * ? ./... watched some cartoons instead of movies -_ Oscar's Oasis_, a little lizard named Oscar.... and a warthog and a fox and a buzzard... and it's like the Bugs Bunny vs. Wile E. Coyote setting, with the mesas and high cliffs to fall off, and next thing I knew I'd watched hours of it. The Warthog pushes this shopping cart, see, with the little Fox and the buzzard in it.. at 50 MPH and they use grappling hooks to catch onto trucks so they can steal food or water... and they fly off cliffs and smash into things and boy, wow,..*
_Hotel for Dogs_ was arful.


----------



## TheDustyZebra

Hotel for Dogs bore almost no resemblance to the book on which it was supposedly based.

We went to see Fantastic Beasts last week and enjoyed it. Utterly ridiculous, but entertaining.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Towering Inferno - Wikipedia (1974)*

From an era when action/disaster movies were all  the rage. And one of the of the bunch is this. A star-studded cast, including Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway and William Holden. 

Did very well at the box office, but on viewing it some 40 odd years on it is showing its age: decent sfx and tight action mask a rather silly story and not the most convincing acting in the world.  But an enjoyable romp for all that.

Long overdue for a reboot perhaps. 

3/5


----------



## Randy M.

*BLACK SABBATH* (1964; dir. Mario Bava, starring Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Michele Mercier)

Horror movie, pretty nicely done, with Karloff introducing three stories and starring in the final one. Bava did a pretty good job of posing Karloff effectively, thus getting around Karloff's limited mobility -- late in life injuries he'd sustained, I believe, while playing Frankenstein's monster, made walking an issue for him. First and last are historical fictions, one based on Chekov (Ivan, according to IMDB, not the other one; Google doesn't find an Ivan Chekov) and Tolstoi (Aleksei, not Leo). On the whole, entertaining, reasonably well-acted for an AIP production and well-filmed (Bava was a skilled director of movies without much of a budget), but very 1960s.

Randy M.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tonight I abandoned *Flesh Gordon and the Cosmic Cheeleaders* at about the 30 minute mark. - don't tell anyone but I quite like the original _Flesh Gordon_. It's stupid, sexist, shoddily made soft porn garbage - but it's funny. The sequel is all of the above... apart from the funny bit. In fact it's a film so lacking in anything like a joke and badly made that even the fact that the screen was full of tits for a lot of the time couldn't keep me interested. That bad.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for the warning JM. I loved the original too.


----------



## J Riff

Dint even know there was a sequel. * I am in cartoon mode, 2nd childhood, Pow, Fwam! Really, its the cool guitar music in Oscars Oasis that makes me put it on. Really. Otherwise I'd dig into this pile of classics here... just a big book fulla DVDs, of serious kwality flix.


----------



## Lew Rockwell Fan

Citizen Four
It is an absolute must-see.

If docus don't qualify, then Serenity. Which is pretty darn good. I don't watch movies or TV much.


----------



## HanaBi

*Enter the Dragon - Wikipedia (1973)*

Perhaps Bruce Lee's most well known, successful and accomplished film; although not necessarily his best in my opinion.

On first viewing this 'x' rated film back in 1979 most of the audience in the cinema - myself included -  were in stunned silence at Lee's brilliant martial arts & stuntwork. The story didn't matter, we were all there because of this new fad called "kung fu", and we didn't leave the cinema disappointed. In fact I recall my friends and I were trying to replay some of Lee's moves while waiting for the late night bus!

The film still stands the test of time in terms of Lee's industry. However, the production values are pretty poor, along with a mundane plot.

Good support from Jim Kelley and John Saxon - both accomplished martial arts experts as well as decent Hollywood actors.

Regrettably Bruce Lee died during post production, and never achieved the success in Hollywood he so longed for.

2/5


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Rogue One *at the cinema for my birthday yesterday. Great stuff.


----------



## Vince W

*Rogue One*. Slow to build up, but in the end it was a great film. Much better than The Force Awakens.



Spoiler: Spoiler



I predict 1970's style facial hair is about to make a comeback.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Vince W said:


> *Rogue One*. Slow to build up, but in the end it was a great film. Much better than The Force Awakens.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> I predict 1970's style facial hair is about to make a comeback.


I'm getting hyped over going to see this one, but I think this weekend it's not gonna happen -- heavy snow tomorrow and minus-25 windchills on Sunday...it's the walk across the parking lot, you see...

I have to say that almost all of the reviews I've read or heard have been really positive -- except for one: the reviewer in the Minneapolis paper really panned R1 -- but then, I have for years made a point to going to movies that he doesn't like (alas! sometimes he's right...) -- but for the most part, he seems to be a fool (so at least that gives me a base of sorts for deciding whether or not to go to movies...).


----------



## paranoid marvin

Enjoyable film, great droid and an awesome finale.

Having said that it was overcomplicated with too many characters, and what was that with all those planet names?

A throwaway line from A New Hope suddenly takes om tremendous significance .


----------



## Stewart Hotston

Rogue One. Amazo world war two movie retold in space. Loved it.


----------



## StuartBurchell

Saw _Rogue One_ yesterday, enjoyed it a lot and indeed, liked it far more than I did _The Force Awakens._


----------



## Allegra

*Florence Foster Jenkins*, hilarious, sad, moving. Meryl Streep is brilliant as usual, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg are superb too in their roles.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> Enjoyable film, great droid and an awesome finale.
> 
> Having said that it was overcomplicated with too many characters, and what was that with all those planet names?
> .


Yea a bit near the beginning was like a whistle stop tour of the galaxy!


----------



## Duskborn

The Arrival. Enjoyed it a great deal. It was refreshing to see an alien flick that wasn't about them invading Earth.


----------



## J Riff

_Ice Age Continental Drift_. The Scrat bits are good as always, overall it's a bit cute, so who can suggest something better, I have run out of newish rubbish to view. )


----------



## HanaBi

*"Assault on Precinct 13" (1976)
*
A low-budget film with fairly unknown actors, and helmed by a totally unknown director at the time - John Carpenter!

However,  the final product was an amazing police/crime drama with a scintillating score, tight editing, and some truly shocking scenes (the girl buying the ice cream for one)

Looks rather dated nowadays of course; and the acting is pretty dire. But it's still a good film for all that; and a film that took us into the wonderfully weird world of Mr Carpenter.

3/5


----------



## StuartBurchell

_Lights Out_,  just out on dvd, came out this year.

The hateful spirit of a girl who suffered from a light sensitive skin condition can only be seen -and attacks people, when the lights are off.

Good and scary.

Don't watch at night with the lights off.


----------



## Rodders

The Fifth Wave. Not a great movie, but entertaining enough. I wouldn't want to watch it again, though. 

Debug. Pretty good. Okay, it's cheap and some of the acting can be a little poor, but it wasn't a bad movie at all.


----------



## Rodders

Syfy's Childhoods End. 

Very good. I've been quite impressed with the quality Syfy's productions this last few years and I'm becoming quite a fan,


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Great Escape" (1963)*

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without another viewing of this classic WW2 action drama.

More stars than you can throw a stick at, and all shine very brightly. And while the screenplay takes a few liberties with the true "great escape", the film still contains plenty of dramatic, somber, compelling and comedic scenes in equal measure to offer a certain measure of respect to the real heroes of the escape.

Every time I watch this film I keep hoping Steve McQueen will jump that fence, lol

4/5


----------



## Jeffbert

*Superman Vs. Batman*; or was it *B Vs. S*? Did not see that coming. Just finished *Hitchcock* [something Trufalt, sorry cannot recall spelling, not going to google it]. Interesting documentary. Don't think I ever saw *Vertigo*, wish I had, would have made this better.  Currently have *The Thin Man* playing in the PiP; saw it more than a few times already, but wanted to watch the film guy's comments before and after. Friday was Myra Loy day on TCM, & it finished with all 6 *Thin Man* films, all on DVR.  I really like the old stars, I don't even know any current ones.


----------



## HanaBi

*Saw (2004)
*
Can't believe this films is getting on for 13 years old!

Still a tremendous journey with a good script, decent characters and some pretty gory scenes along the way. 

The ending was a bit "samey", and didn't think much of Danny Glover's role as a "detective-on-a-mission". But the two starring leads - Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell, were exceptionally good as the two incarcerated men chained up and with some bitter history between them, and time not on their side given that Elwes' wife and daughter are being held kidnapped by some mad nutjob intent on torturing and killing them in the same manner as his previous victims.

As I said, the ending was all rather predictable, but still watchable. And all done a very tight budget, but became one of the most successful/profitable horror films to date (typically it spawned a number of inferior sequels. None of them really matching the first for quality)

4/5


----------



## J Riff

_The Other Guys_. Wilf Arrell and partner are bumbling cops. This movie is noteable because one of the MCs shoots Derek Jeter of the Yankees. I can't remember what else happened, I guess it was okay. Then came; _The Man_, in which a dental salesman becomes a criminal druglord, by accident, and it too, was okay, as such things go.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Rogue One*. Beautifully made film imho, wonderful original Star Wars feel.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Passengers - surprisingly good (and entertaining) scifi flic


----------



## HanaBi

WaylanderToo said:


> Passengers - surprisingly good (and entertaining) scifi flic



Have read it isn't doing all that well at the box office, and was panned by the critics (according to RT at least)

The trailers look promising, and was going to make a point of seeing it. But given the mixed reviews I'll wait until it comes out on demand.


----------



## dekket

We went and saw *Rogue One* on Monday.  We all enjoyed it very much.  I hope that the future Star Wars stories are as good.


----------



## HanaBi

*Battleship Potemkin (1924)*

A film not from approaching its 100th birthday, and yet in some respect still retains the test of time. And for me remains one of the greatest films I have had the pleasure of seeing.

The classic "Odessa Steps" still sends shivers down my spine; and although often imitated in more contemporary cinema ("The Untouchables" from 1987, springs to mind here), none can hold a flame to the original. 

A hard-going pleasure from start to finish, and I would heartily recommend it.

Battleship Potemkin


5/5


----------



## Jeffbert

A rather silly Mexican Spanish language horror film, _*El Baron del Terror, *_whose English title is *THE BRAINIAC* (1962).  
[GALLERY=media, 2078]Baron-del-terror.jpg by Jeffbert posted Dec 29, 2016 at 12:11 PM[/GALLERY]
While watching the fiend attack the victims, I could not help but think of STAR TREK episode, THE MAN TRAP. Both 'creatures' sucked things from their victims, using holes in their hands or fingers, after having taken on human appearance then 'hypnotizing' them. Yet, this one had to resume its natural appearance to attack; I do not recall the ST creature needing to do so.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Planet of the Vampires* (1965) one of those films which has been on my "I must get round to watching" pile for a while now. For a couple of reasons:  
1. it was directed by Mario Bava who gave us all sorts of goodness including _Danger: Diabolik!_
2. Ib Melchior's name was on the credits and I think Melchior is one of those vastly underrated writers who need to be celebrated more.

Ib Melchior - Wikipedia

Come on, people!  He created _Death Race 2000_!

1960s Italian SF films.  Like everything else 90% crap but when they're good...  _Planet of the Vampires_ is one of the best.  Storywise it's cobblers, two ships land on a planet from which  signals have been emanating.  As soon as the ships land the crews are overcome with a strange, homicidal madness and, one by one, are picked off by unseen, and then later very seen, forces until the last few escape.  Just like every other cheapo SF movie of the period really - except this one is so gorgeously lit and costumed it hurts.





As I watched it I thought (and, as it turns out, so has everyone else under the sun who has seen it), "Wow! The guys behind _Alien_ watched the hell out of this film didn't they?"  (Scott and O'Bannon say they _hadn't _so maybe it was HR Geiger....  whoever.... some of the visual and thematic similarities are shall we say 'interesting'.)

I think the most interesting thing for me, about the story side of it at least, was the equality of the sexes in the crew.  The ship carried a mixed sex crew with identical uniforms -  no sexy miniskirts for the girls - and when it came to picking up the blasters and zapping alien dudes (and in turn getting zapped by alien dudes) the women just picked up a weapon and blasted away.  There was no girly recoiling in horror and letting the men do the fighting.  Indeed ,during one three way life or death struggle the lead girl throws herself on the bad guy and gets pretty thoroughly punched in the face and knocked back across the room.  Strangely refreshing.

There's a 'twist' ending too!

But I'm really not sure to make of this shot of our intrepid heroes entering the derelict space ship...





I'm pretty sure there's some sub-textual message here but I damned if I can work it out....


----------



## HanaBi

"*Jaws*" (1976)

Still stands the test of time (can't believe this film is over 40 years old now!) And far exceeds Peter Benchley's overlong, waffling novel.

Great performances all round, especially Robert Shaw's crusty old sea-dog "Quint", and mild-mannered, out-of-his-depth Roy Scheider's "Chief Brody"

Full credit to Steve Spielberg's direction, and some fine editing by Verna Fields. But perhaps the most standout piece in this great jigsaw is the musical score by John Williams, and in particular that oh-so familiar opening signature.

There are rumours abound of a reboot. I really hope it stays as just a rumour.

5/5


----------



## J Riff

There's a list of 17 'awesomely' bad shark movies.... _Zombie Shark_, yes... but here, no movies that I could sit through, so it's been Game of Phones, which I find unentertaining.


----------



## JunkMonkey

HanaBi said:


> Have read it isn't doing all that well at the box office, and was panned by the critics (according to RT at least)
> .



Really?  _Empire Magazine_ gives it four stars and calls it "undeniably effective" and "a journey well worth taking" and  "a touching, heartfelt  tale of loss and love for the _Gravity_ generation.  and implies that it is the "most heart fluttering romance"  of 2016. (Feb 2017 page 47.  I have it sat here in front of me.)   Hardly sounds like panning to me.

Tonight I watched _Run, Lola, Run_ with Daughter Number One.


----------



## HanaBi

JunkMonkey said:


> Really?  _Empire Magazine_ gives it four stars and calls it "undeniably effective" and "a journey well worth taking" and  "a touching, heartfelt  tale of loss and love for the _Gravity_ generation.  and implies that it is the "most heart fluttering romance"  of 2016. (Feb 2017 page 47.  I have it sat here in front of me.)   Hardly sounds like panning to me.
> 
> Tonight I watched _Run, Lola, Run_ with Daughter Number One.




Passengers

overall rating of 32%, seems like a panning by the lead critics apparently


----------



## Starbeast

*March of the Wooden Soldiers* (1934 - a.k.a. Babes in Toyland)

Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum (Oliver Hardy & Stan Laurel) try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage on Mother Peep's shoe and keep it and Little Bo Peep from the clutches of the evil Barnaby. When that fails, they trick Barnaby into marrying Stanley Dum instead of Bo Peep. Enraged, Barnaby unleashes the bogeymen from their caverns to destroy Toyland.



*A Christmas Carol* (1938)

My favorite version.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

dekket said:


> We went and saw *Rogue One* on Monday.  We all enjoyed it very much.  I hope that the future Star Wars stories are as good.


I saw it on Thursday, three days after Carrie Fisher died and the second day after Debbie Reynolds died. And probably because of that timing, there was a place near the end of this movie where some of the audience clapped, a few wept...

Me, too.

This was close to the best film in the franchise, and maybe the first one that was truly adult.


----------



## WaylanderToo

meh - who cares about critics


----------



## HanaBi

WaylanderToo said:


> meh - who cares about critics



Actually it must be quite good to be a TV and/or film critic. 

Probably getting paid to watch programs or films, and expressing an opinion that could be followed or ignored by the masses.


----------



## Foxbat

*A Canterbury Tale *(1944) The Glueman strikes at night, pouring the sticky stuff over the hair of women. 3 friends set out to learn the identity of the assailant in this decent Powell and Pressburger movie.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Blazing Saddles" (1974)
*
My favourite Mel Brooks-directed film. It's almost the Complete movie, and it never fails to make me laugh out loud!

Some fine set-pieces, great songs; slapstick, juvenile (and VERY non-PC) comedy; easy-on-the eye characters, and a surreal ending!

4/5

Blazing Saddles - Wikipedia


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> *A Canterbury Tale *(1944) The Glueman strikes at night, pouring the sticky stuff over the hair of women. 3 friends set out to learn the identity of the assailant in this decent Powell and Pressburger movie.



I love this film.  The scene in the caravan when she gets the telegram makes me weep every time.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Assassin's Creed - an enjoyable (if nonsense) romp with some impressive special effects


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les yeux sans visage *(1960) - extraordinarily weird and wonderful piece of French transplant horror which has been on my must see list for a while. Thanks to Father Christmas and with the indulgence of Number One Daughter who shared the experience with me I saw it tonight.  Wow!  Loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That's a fine one, full of haunting images.  The mask the young woman wears is remarkable.


----------



## clovis-man

Starbeast said:


> *March of the Wooden Soldiers* (1934 - a.k.a. Babes in Toyland)
> 
> Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum (Oliver Hardy & Stan Laurel) try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage on Mother Peep's shoe and keep it and Little Bo Peep from the clutches of the evil Barnaby. When that fails, they trick Barnaby into marrying Stanley Dum instead of Bo Peep. Enraged, Barnaby unleashes the bogeymen from their caverns to destroy Toyland.



I just learned recently (from that media sage, Svengoolie) that the part of Barnaby was played by the same character actor (Henry Brandon) who also portrayed Scar, the Comanche chief in *The Searchers* (1956) with John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter.


----------



## clovis-man

Over New Years, I re-watched *Conquest of Space* (1955). It portrays an expedition to Mars for the purpose of exploration and to see if the planet can support life as we know it. It was flawed, corny and scientifically juvenile. However, the main motivation for the trip as it unfolds is eerily the same as that shown on the just concluded National Geographic dramatization,* Mars*. Both are looking to find a way to feed and nurture us as we expunge the resources on Mother Earth.


----------



## Foxbat

JunkMonkey said:


> I love this film.  The scene in the caravan when she gets the telegram makes me weep every time.


Lump firmly in throat with this one....and what an uplifting ending (even though I'm not sure why it felt so uplifting considering the soldiers were off...to Normandy I presume).


----------



## S Blake-Smy

Rather late to see this, but I went to see Arrival on thursday. Definately in my top ten films of all time! just bought the soundtrack on amazon as well, just amazing.

Edited to say, I'm going to try to get the novella it was based on now


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Last Detail" (1973)*

Perhaps one of Jack Nicholson's finest character-driven roles, and certainly is one of my top five Nicholson films.


4/5

The Last Detail - Wikipedia


----------



## Alex The G and T

I caught an extended, remastered version of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly on one of the Encore satellite channels, last night.
The first time I'd seen the whole thing from beginning to end in ages.

The redigitized, hi res video was stunning on the big TV.  Presumably, the original was released in two channel stereo.  The audio, remastered into surround sound was spectacular, for the most part, though  the surround sound system had a bit of trouble parsing the remix at times.  Sometimes the dialog would make random shifts from one side of the room to the other, for no apparent reason; but we got 'er tuned in, by and by.

(I hate menuwithinmenu audio controls.  I want a mixing board with sliders and pan pots in my lap where I can adjust sounds in real time, dammit)

I haven't sen the entire movie in too long to really know where the extra scenes were extended, or restored; but I was mesmerized for three hours.

An epic version of the best of the Spaghetti Westerns!


----------



## WaylanderToo

I do like westerns TGTB&TU is a classic but not seen it for ages (ditto Once Upon a Time in the West)


----------



## Steven Sorrels

Saw *Rogue One* the day Carrie Fisher died, so it was a little bittersweet. 

Loved the movie, and the supporting cast was just as strong as the main characters. Clears up a few of the biggest plot holes from the core trilogy. Darkest Star Wars movie to date, but necessarily so. As my wife said while leaving the theatre: "All the feels."


----------



## Ronald T.

WaylanderToo said:


> I do like westerns TGTB&TU is a classic but not seen it for ages (ditto Once Upon a Time in the West)




Two of my all-time favorite westerns, along with High Noon and Silverado.


----------



## HanaBi

Alex The G and T said:


> I caught an extended, remastered version of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly on one of the Encore satellite channels, last night.
> The first time I'd seen the whole thing from beginning to end in ages.
> 
> The redigitized, hi res video was stunning on the big TV.  Presumably, the original was released in two channel stereo.  The audio, remastered into surround sound was spectacular, for the most part, though  the surround sound system had a bit of trouble parsing the remix at times.  Sometimes the dialog would make random shifts from one side of the room to the other, for no apparent reason; but we got 'er tuned in, by and by.
> 
> (I hate menuwithinmenu audio controls.  I want a mixing board with sliders and pan pots in my lap where I can adjust sounds in real time, dammit)
> 
> I haven't sen the entire movie in too long to really know where the extra scenes were extended, or restored; but I was mesmerized for three hours.
> 
> An epic version of the best of the Spaghetti Westerns!



I didn't realise this had had the remaster treatment! I still have an old DVD transfer from years ago. Which is adequate, but doesn't do the film justice either visually or audibly. 

Based on your review I will download the remastered version from Amazon.uk, and will hopefully enjoy a whole new experience of one of my favourite spaghetti westerns later today


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to seeing Rogue One. 

I loved it. Better than The Force Awakens.


----------



## J Riff

That scene at the end of _TGTBATU_, the 3-way showdown, is absolutely classic.
I watched _Eyes Without a Face_, w/ subtitles, and it is truly a weird one.
_Bridge of Spies_ - well-done, the story of a prisoner exchange during the cold war. Had no idea it was Spielberg/Disney till the end, very okay movie for all ages.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Warriors" (1979)*

Have seen this loads of times over the decades, and never ceases to bore me!

Street-gang violence, mixed with some a relentless musical score, tight editing and pretty decent acting from a largely unknown cast.

Fortunately, director Walter Hill holds it all together very well. There's not much of a story to focus on; just sit back and enjoy the mindless violence.

(That said, a Director's Cut was released in the early 00s, which offered a remastered picture and 5:1 sound. However, for me it was completely ruined by the introduction of comic-book sequences to link certain scenes! An appalling concept that blunted the hard edginess of this film for no apparent gain.)

3/5




The Warriors (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## WaylanderToo

warriors come out to playay... warriors come out to playayeee


looks interesting


----------



## Jeffbert

*MONSTERS, INC. *followed by *Ratatouille*; both animated, both very entertaining. M, Inc. has the premise that in the world of closet monsters, children's screams power their electrical system.  *Ratatouille *is about a rat that becomes a chef. 

Yesterday, I watched *Vertigo*; at 58, this was the 1st time for me. The film I mentioned above "*Hitchcock* [something Trufalt, sorry cannot recall spelling, not going to google it]" covered *Vertigo*, among others, but I had an expectation of what would occur, but I was pleasantly found wrong.  I had no idea! But, I have a bad time remembering women's faces, unless they are well known to me, so, this film had me scratching my head for a while.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Quiet Earth" (1985)*

One of those "last man on the planet" films, that follows in the footsteps of "The Omega Man" and "Soylent Green" et al.

A low budget cult classic all the way from New Zealand, and featuring ever-dependable Bruno Laurence as Zak, waking up one morning to find his home, his street, his place of work, his city... and probably the entire planet devoid of humanity due to some botched scientific experiment he was involved with.

Despite the guilt, Zak begins to enjoy being the "king of the world" and being able to do anything he wants. But invariably materialism cannot replace human contact, and he become more depressed because of it.

However, he soon meets two other survivors, and typically a power-struggle between the two Alpha males kicks in for the affection of the woman, who has her own agenda!

The ending is perhaps the highlight of the entire film, and opens up  a lot of existential questions, coupled with some quite nice, but dated, sfx.



Spoiler



..following a controlled explosion, Zac is killed and ends up on another planet either in the after-life or a parallel universe, depending on the viewer's opinion



3/5

The Quiet Earth (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## Rodders

That sounds pretty good. I may need to check it out.


----------



## clovis-man

HanaBi said:


> *"The Quiet Earth" (1985)*



Good movie. Been a while since I've seen it.


----------



## J Riff

Have a remastered version to watch, of _The Quiet Earth_, a good movie as is _Enemy Mine_ from that vintage.
Watched Escape Plan, in which Arnie and Sylvester have to break out of the world's toughest prison. Guess what...spoiler> They do./ * )


----------



## aThenian

*La La Land*.  Charming and all that, but somehow a little bit underwhelming.


----------



## clovis-man

J Riff said:


> Have a remastered version to watch, of _The Quiet Earth_, a good movie as is _Enemy Mine_ from that vintage.



We have a member on the Chrons who hasn't been active lately, (Tangaloomababe) whose avatar is a scene from *The Quiet Earth*. There are some pretty good Kiwi films out there, starting with Utu (Utu (1984) - IMDb), a story about a Maori uprising. It's almost impossible to get a copy now. More recently, I highly recommend *Housebound*, a spooky tale filled with New Zealand wit in between moments of abject terror. Housebound (2014) - IMDb Currently on Netflix.


----------



## HanaBi

clovis-man said:


> We have a member on the Chrons who hasn't been active lately, (Tangaloomababe) whose avatar is a scene from *The Quiet Earth*. There are some pretty good Kiwi films out there, starting with Utu (Utu (1984) - IMDb), a story about a Maori uprising. It's almost impossible to get a copy now. More recently, I highly recommend *Housebound*, a spooky tale filled with New Zealand wit in between moments of abject terror. Housebound (2014) - IMDb Currently on Netflix.



Another good kiwi film I would certainly recommended is "Once Were Warriors". A very hard hitting (in all contexts) Maori drama. Quite disturbing too. But very very good.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw *Planet of the Vampires* a few times, but remember little, other than the fact that I really enjoyed it.
I most enjoyed *The Warriors (1979)* when watching a certain episode of* the Simpsons*, in which the film was parodied. 



Spoiler



The punk with the bottles on his fingers clanking them together really gave me a laugh!


 I think it was a Halloween episode.


----------



## Ronald T.

Warlock, with Henry Fonda and Anthony Quinn.  One of the great westerns.  I love it every time I see it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Slightly upset to find I don't know where my copy of _*The Quiet Earth *_actually is - I guess I must have lent it to someone. (When will I ever learn?) 
Last night Daughter Number One and I continued our exploration of queer cinema (or rather the queer cinema I will let her watch - she is not watching_ Blue Is the Warmest Colour_ until she's at LEAST 27! - and then not with me.)   We watched _Hedwig and the Angry Inch_ last night and she's been singing the Wig in a Box number all day.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Witchfinder General (The Conqueror Worm)" (1968)
*
Classic British horror starring Vincent Price and Ian Ogilvy.

Made on a minuscule budget of £100,000, and follows the fictional account of a 17th century English lawyer and self-proclaimed witch hunter, Matthew Hopkins.

A very well received film by critics and audiences alike. But also carried an air of controversy due to the explicit and excessive torture scenes - some of which were subsequently censored by the British Board of Film Classification. (Although the US version remained largely uncut)

Great film, and perhaps one of Prices' finest roles as the sadistic torturer, Hopkins. Perhaps a little on the long side, and the 2nd act does lose direction before coming back into focus for the final, ultra-violent stanza.


3/5


Witchfinder General (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## HanaBi

Set in Nazi-occupied Rome in 1944. it shows the grim tale of resistance fighters being betrayed by those they thought they could trust. 

A simple but incredibly dramatic story, as well harrowing and brilliantly portrayed by a largely unknown Italian and German cast.

This is no Hollywood or British Pathe heroic/happy ending; instead this is classic Italian neorealism, with unexpected gut-wrenching scenes throughout, not least the final 5 minutes.

Production values are not great; and the subtitles feel incomplete, out of sync, or just incorrect. But none of that really matters; the essence of the story is easy to follow; and sometimes actions really do speak louder than words.

Outstanding!

5/5


Rome, Open City - Wikipedia


----------



## JunkMonkey

HanaBi said:


> Set in Nazi-occupied Rome in 1944. it shows the grim tale of resistance fighters being betrayed by those they thought they could trust.
> 
> A simple but incredibly dramatic story, as well harrowing and brilliantly portrayed by a largely unknown Italian and German cast.
> 
> This is no Hollywood or British Pathe heroic/happy ending; instead this is classic Italian neorealism, with unexpected gut-wrenching scenes throughout, not least the final 5 minutes.
> 
> Production values are not great; and the subtitles feel incomplete, out of sync, or just incorrect. But none of that really matters; the essence of the story is easy to follow; and sometimes actions really do speak louder than words.
> 
> Outstanding!
> 
> 5/5
> 
> 
> Rome, Open City - Wikipedia



I got round to watching this for the first time recently and was less than totally overwhelmed.

Part of what distanced me from appreciating it as the masterpiece it obviously is,  (it's an important movie), was the very dated and grotesque stereotyping of the lead villains.  They were portrayed as a predatory lesbian and a mincing camp gay while the film went out of its way to show the good guys as, innocents, very heterosexual, or aesthetically asexual. 

Left a taste in my mouth.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Southern Comfort" (1981)*

Set in the early 1970s and features a squad of 9 Louisiana National Guard soldiers on weekend military exercises. 

During a patrol the men find their route blocked due to flooding of the bayou swamps. But they come across some boats owned by the local Cajun community. They decide to take three of them without asking first!

However, a handful of Cajun hunters arrive on the scene and kill one of the soldiers, causing panic among the remaining men.

 After scrambling ashore and with their leader dead, they are commanded by a sergeant who is literally out of his depth and ends up getting the squad lost in the swamp. While at the same time the Cajuns are still on their tail!

A pretty decent thriller by director Walter Hill, with plot overtones of "Deliverance" and "The Warriors" (also directed by Hill) mixed in to good effect.  
Shame it bombed at the box office, but has recovered somewhat via good VCR and DVD sales over the past 20 years to achieve a cult status among its fans.

3/5

Southern Comfort (1981 film) - Wikipedia


----------



## WaylanderToo

JunkMonkey said:


> I got round to watching this for the first time recently and was less than totally overwhelmed.
> 
> Part of what distanced me from appreciating it as the masterpiece it obviously is,  (it's an important movie), was the very dated and grotesque stereotyping of the lead villains.  They were portrayed as a predatory lesbian and a mincing camp gay while the film went out of its way to show the good guys as, innocents, very heterosexual, or aesthetically asexual.
> 
> Left a taste in my mouth.




I would say in its defence that this is likely that it was very much a film of its time and therefore ANYTHING other than vanilla hetro was bad (and even unmarried hetro was bad and dangerous)


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched Independence Day because we got a copy of the sequel for Christmas. We watched that straight after. Opening for a third film?


----------



## JunkMonkey

WaylanderToo said:


> I would say in its defence that this is likely that it was very much a film of its time and therefore ANYTHING other than vanilla hetro was bad (and even unmarried hetro was bad and dangerous)



Hmmm.  Yes it is a film of its time but, as I remember it, two of the central characters are getting married because she is (very) pregnant by him.  She wants to get married, he's an atheist and less than enthusiastic.  This film didn't conform to the Hollywood standards of the day - why should it?  It wasn't a Hollywood film, or even an American one.  All our heroes die.  The pregnant woman is shot dead in the street.  Others, including a priest, are executed.  Not a happy ending in sight.  Just wish the needless use of gay stereotypes had been avoided.


----------



## Abernovo

Don't usually do bad film critiques, but just watched *Vice* (2015). My advice: don't, just don't. I'm going to be generous, and give it 1.5/10. Not sure why even that high. It's an awful wannabe cross between Blade Runner (with a couple of scenes blatantly recreated in homage (that may have been sarcasm)) and Westworld, which descends into a typical off-Hollywood mindless shoot-em-up.

What really makes it bad is that you can see there was the possibility for a good film in there. The concept is far from original (artificial human becomes fully conscious and breaks free, evil corporation tries to get her back, good but jaded cop has hero complex), but there was a potential to make much more than it was. The opening scene was actually quite good, before it went full-on violent misogyny (for the plot, natch) and, from there, to formula rehash of every bad sci-fi AI, and cop, cliche possible. Plus plot holes you could drive an articulated lorry through, and acting which was more wooden than Professor Yaffle from Bagpuss. Maybe there were multiple screenwriters, and the good writer was only allowed one scene. Do yourself a favour and spend ninety minutes of your life doing something much more interesting than watching this movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

HanaBi said:


> *"The Witchfinder General (The Conqueror Worm)" (1968)
> *
> Classic British horror starring Vincent Price and Ian Ogilvy.
> 
> Made on a minuscule budget of £100,000, and follows the fictional account of a 17th century English lawyer and self-proclaimed witch hunter, Matthew Hopkins.
> 
> A very well received film by critics and audiences alike. But also carried an air of controversy due to the explicit and excessive torture scenes - some of which were subsequently censored by the British Board of Film Classification. (Although the US version remained largely uncut)
> 
> Great film, and perhaps one of Prices' finest roles as the sadistic torturer, Hopkins. Perhaps a little on the long side, and the 2nd act does lose direction before coming back into focus for the final, ultra-violent stanza.
> 
> 3/5
> 
> Witchfinder General (film) - Wikipedia


I heard somewhere that VP was rather surprised to learn that he was in a film called *The Conqueror Worm*, until he somebody said that it was the U.S. version of TWG!  I saw these (as I recall TCW added some scenes with American actors) several times, but also a similar film with Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the P. Panther films) as the inquisitor. Without watching it again, I cannot say which one was the meanest. I know there was at least one other in the same basic plot that I saw, but no details come to mind.

I don't know if I would call TWP Price's most vile role, especially if Dr. Phibes is considered in both those films. *Theater of Blood* also comes to mind, but I am tempted to think of that film as somewhat comedic.


----------



## HanaBi

Jeffbert said:


> I heard somewhere that VP was rather surprised to learn that he was in a film called *The Conqueror Worm*, until he somebody said that it was the U.S. version of TWG!  I saw these (as I recall TCW added some scenes with American actors) several times, but also a similar film with Herbert Lom (Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the P. Panther films) as the inquisitor. Without watching it again, I cannot say which one was the meanest. I know there was at least one other in the same basic plot that I saw, but no details come to mind.
> 
> *I don't know if I would call TWP Price's most vile role, especially if Dr. Phibes is considered in both those films. Theater of Blood also comes to mind, but I am tempted to think of that film as somewhat comedic*.



I did read somewhere (either on Wiki, Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb), that Price played Hopkins with serious intent (despite many clashes with the director). In most other Price/horror flicks he does tend to "camp" his role slightly, and ToB is a perfect example of this.


----------



## Boneman

Yesterday played hooky and saw *A Monster Calls* followed by *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. *Preferred a monster calls... very moving film, and it's not for children!


----------



## HanaBi

Got to see *Rogue One* at the cinema earlier this evening!

Absolutely terrific couple of hours; and is certainly on a par with "A New Hope", but just falls a little short on "Empire...."

More please!

4/5


----------



## J Riff

_The Green Zone_ - man Damon runs around as Baghdad blows up. _Judge Dredd_, Stallone, not so bad as remembered. _10,000 BC_ - well I missed this one somehow, and it has some of the best Mammoth action, and big pyramids, ever flimed.  Dumb, though. _The Arrival_.... fehhh, didn't care for it all all.  
up next - rewatch of _Battlefield Earth_ (girds loins)


----------



## J Riff

Agh - _Battlefield Earth_, followed by _Tyranno's Claw_. They were on, I tried to stay focused, and remember what happened, but no. Tyranno has some dumb dinos, and weird bursts of synthesizer music, and there is no dialogue, only grunting. Battlefield Earth, well just nevermind. *


----------



## AE35Unit

Never watched Battlefield Earth. Don't think I want to


----------



## J Riff

Ohhhhh welll... it's just guys yknow... who are like stupid apes, but by the end of the movie they are flying spaceships n' stuff...
I tried to wAtch a Bill Murray thing... Underwater with Steve Zissou?... but it just flaggelated along until the DEL key consigned it to a deep 6ing.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Bicycle Thieves" (1948)*

A simple story wonderfully executed with a cast consisting mostly of amateurs, and an ending that will break even the darkest of hearts!

Set in post-war Italy, it depicts a father's desperate bid to find his stolen bicycle in order to remain in employment and thus support his impoverishe wife and young son.

With such a basic storyline one could be forgiven in thinking this wouldn't make for a particularly entertaining/interesting 93 minutes. But thanks to terrific performances from all and sundry both in front and behind the camera, those 93 minutes pull on the heartstrings and you're taken on a emotional roller-coaster ride.

This is my second taste of Italian neorealism in film: the first being "Rome:Open City", a film I reviewed here just a few days ago. "Bicycle Thieves" follows the same basic principles, and may not suit everyone's tastes. Very much a case of "_Abandon hope all ye who watch here...._" 

But stick with it because the final 5 minutes will have you gripped to your seat, heart in mouth, and possibly a tissue close to one's eye.

Wonderful.

5/5





Bicycle Thieves - Wikipedia


----------



## Jeffbert

I am certain that I saw *Bicycle Thieves (1948)* on TCM within the last 2 years, though I remember little. I usually watch the foreign language films the TCM shows, as I have never been abroad, & have no experiences of such. 

I am in the midst of watching the silent version of *Last of the Mohicans*.  I always liked Wallace Beery, whose usual portrayal of bad guys has a good streak in it; though not so, in the silent movies.


----------



## J Riff

_Battle of Los Angeles_. Aliens. They invade. Soldiers shoot them and make speeches to the kids they save, and their girlfriends. There, now you write a synopsis for a full-length action movie.


----------



## Vince W

J Riff said:


> _Battle of Los Angeles_. Aliens. They invade. Soldiers shoot them and make speeches to the kids they save, and their girlfriends. There, now you write a synopsis for a full-length action movie.



Isn't _that_ the full length synopsis of that film?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*In This House of Brede* (1975)

My better half read the novel by Rumer Godden (who also wrote the novel _Black Narcissus_ which became the classic film of the same name) adapted into this made-for-TV film, so we watched it. I am told that it really boiled down the events in the novel to the bone. That must be why years go by between several scenes. In essence, it's the story of a successful businesswoman who becomes a nun in a contemplative order. (If I got the hardly spoken back story right, her husband and child are dead.) No major plot; we see the married man who loves her beg her to reconsider; we see a very young nun with a bad relationship with her mother develop a daughterly affection for her; we see the order deal with Japanese women who want to become nuns in the order so they can found their own order in their native land. It's all very quiet and sedate. Diana Rigg stars in the lead role.


----------



## J Riff

Yes tis Vince. It was dumb and disappointing, with a few okay moments of ETs, well, robots at least, running and shooting. The marines save the kids, from the school bus, that's what keeps it scary those darn kids whimpering as bullets richochet around them pweeeeee* - , because the ET bots are lousy shots of course. FAr too much talk, as guys with WW2 weapons fight off interstellar invaders in the streets of Santa Monica.
 Next - 3:10 to Yuma. For some reason I lost interest as it became apparent that the twist was going to be the bad guy actually giving up to the good guy so he could care for his family and ranch. And, too much gunplay, not believable, like StarWars, these bad guys need to spend more time on the range.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Martian*
Loved it. Tho I'm not  sure Mars is that red,  more yellow ochre I think. But otherwise a good film. And I think Clarke would have smiled at the use of a slingshot manoeuvre,a device he used in 2010:Odyssey 2


----------



## Rodders

Terminator 2 was on last night. Twenty years old and it's still a brilliant movie.


----------



## J Riff

_Journey To The Centre of the Earth_, 2008, hey, not bad. _Starship Troopers Invasion_, animated, not good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Robot World* (2015) a very low budget, One Man Alone ON An Alien Planet, sf film.  Parts of it were neatly done but sadly the minimal script wasn't up to the job and on the whole it was just not good.  My IMDb review.


----------



## Ignited Moth

I know I'm late to the party but I finally watched _*Star Trek*_ (2009) last night.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Last Picture Show" (1971)*

It has been at least 20 years since I last got round to watching a Peter Bogdanovich-directed film. And out of all his films, I would class this one as his very best.

A typical coming-of-age, angst-ridden teenagers growing up in a small American town out in the middle of nowhere. Peer pressure from all sides, the emphasis on trying to lose one's virginity, and to get drunk and generally fool around. 

This has been done many times in other films, but this one really set the mood, and not always a happy one either. And I think filming it in black & white just added to the sense of drama, and the sense of isolated hopelessness. 

A film nominated for several Academy Awards & BAFTAs; it also received extremely good ratings on IMDb and RT.

Looks a little dated now perhaps, but probably still has some relevance even today

4/5



The Last Picture Show - Wikipedia


----------



## J Riff

Thanks for warning, JM.  It-was-Earth-all-along...* I tend to watch them all, all the new SF flicks , just to be safe, but now and then a warning from space, or from JM, can save one from needless pain.


----------



## Lucien21

Last one I saw was *Moana *the latest Disney movie. It was pretty decent. "The Rock" was good as the Demi God character and it was nice to see that the main character was a strong female that didn't require a male romantic character like most of the older movies.

Before that I went to see *Rogue One* twice over the Christmas break.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Lost Weekend*_ (1945). The poor guy is hopelessly alcoholic, 



Spoiler



and though he occasionally makes feeble attempts to overcome the addiction, he wallows in self-pity. I do not know about hallucinations being associated with anything but narcotics, but they made the drunk tank scene rather intense!


 4/7 ACADEMY AWARDS!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek 3 : the Search for Something* (or Something) - Never seen it before.  Can't think _why_ I've never seen it before given my fondness for VERY BAD FILMS.  It was_ awful!_


----------



## thaddeus6th

Rogue One. Prior to that was Episode VII, prior to that I don't know, but the carpeting, prices, sound system, chairs and exits to the cinema had all changed in the meantime.


----------



## Jeffbert

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) was not about war, gangsters, space aliens or zombies, so I was not sure I would like it, or ever watch more than 20 minutes of it. But it did hold my interest, and did so very well. Tony Curtis is a press agent, who must kiss up to Burt Lancaster's Walter Winchell-type newspaper columnist, in order to get his clients mentioned. It was a rather tense drama.


----------



## Ignited Moth

Watched _*Insurgent *_yesterday. Probably going to watch _*Allegiant *_tonight.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975)*

Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom reprise their roles some 11 years after my personal favourite Pink Panther film "*A Shot in the Dark*"

This time bumbling Inspector Clouseau is on the trail of diamond thief Christopher Plummer & femme fatale, Catherine Schell.

Plenty of slapstick humour and dodgy French accent ensues.

Sellers is in top form, and seems to have enhanced his role of Clouseau to be far more likable purely because of his naive incompetence played in such a sincere way.

Every time he utters/mispronounces the words "Minkey" (monkey) or "troubleshi**er" (troubleshooter), I can't help but laugh out loud time and time again! 

4/5

The Return of the Pink Panther - Wikipedia


----------



## J-Sun

HanaBi said:


> *"The Return of the Pink Panther" (1975)*
> 
> Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom reprise their roles some 11 years after my personal favourite Pink Panther film "*A Shot in the Dark*"
> 
> This time bumbling Inspector Clouseau is on the trail of diamond thief Christopher Plummer & femme fatale, Catherine Schell.
> 
> Plenty of slapstick humour and dodgy French accent ensues.
> 
> Sellers is in top form, and seems to have enhanced his role of Clouseau to be far more likable purely because of his naive incompetence played in such a sincere way.
> 
> Every time he utters/mispronounces the words "Minkey" (monkey) or "troubleshi**er" (troubleshooter), I can't help but laugh out loud time and time again!
> 
> 4/5
> 
> The Return of the Pink Panther - Wikipedia



Sellers, Lom, and Burt Kwouk! (And the guy with glasses, I think - Henri? and probably more.)

The first movie was good but was "just a movie" with Niven as the star. It was like Clouseau was an accidentally outsized part and they realized he had to *be* the movie, so they made the perfect _A Shot in the Dark_. Then it wasn't so much a series but they decided to return to it and, I agree, the sequel was great. I'm actually not a fan of the rest of the movies comparatively, but _Shot_ and _Return_ are indispensable. The original scene in _Shot_ where he's talking about it not being clear who was the criminal, the man or his minkey, is one of the all-time classics. And I can hardly say "moth" now, because it always comes out "muth." And, for some reason. what he tells the bellboy in _Return_ just cracks me up: "



Spoiler



I shall see to it that you are made a bell_man_!


" And Catherine Schell was great. I love how she loses it in the scene where he says, "



Spoiler



Here's lurking at you, kid.


"

Agh, Some of the funniest movies ever.


----------



## Rodders

Terminator:Salvation. 

It was entertaining enough.


----------



## J Riff

_Terror in the Midnite Sun_ has a great title, and a big furry 50s monster that scares skiers.


----------



## Judderman

Yesterday I saw Lion at the cinema. This is a superb film. It is basically about a young Indian boy who gets lost and eventually is adopted in Australia. Later he wants to find his biological family. Really well done and based on a true story.

A couple of weeks ago we went to watch Hidden figures which is also a very good drama.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*Terror in the Midnight Sun (1959)*_ seems like my kind of movie! Youtube has it, but I have a ton of stuff on my DVR, so it will wait until later. 

_*Boomerang*_ (1947) is about a murder on a street corner, in which some 7 people had been present. No evidence could be found, and after about two weeks, the politicians were pressuring the detectives for an arrest. The elections are coming, and we must win. It showed a part of the criminal justice system that is seldom depicted, the indictment of the suspect. The prosecutor (Dana Andrews) detailed the evidence for the indictment of a certain man, laying out the positions of the witnesses, victim, and such on a diagram. 



Spoiler



But then, to the surprise of all present in the courtroom, he said he believed the suspect was innocent! The judge recessed  the court, and ordered the prosecutor to meet him in his chamber.  It was not a social call.


 Very interesting story!


----------



## HanaBi

*"Theatre of Blood" (1973)*

After thoroughly enjoying/reviewing another Vincent Price offering in "The Witchfinder General" a couple of weeks back, I decided to go through my horror library and dig out another Price classic, Theatre of Blood.

This time we have Price playing stage actor Edward Lionheart in contemporary London society. However, even though he has a very high opinion of his acting skills, he is severely panned by theatre critics at an awards ceremony.

Feeling disillusioned he commits suicide in the River Thames. But is rescued by two tramps, and after fully recovering begins plotting his revenge against those very same critics. But not just any old revenge. Instead, he recites certain passages from various Shakespearean plays that represents a certain method of torture and subsequent murder against his hapless victims. 

A wonderfully campy performance by Price, ably supported by some very familiar British thespians - Ian Hendry, Robert Morley, Harry Andrews and Diana Rigg to name but a few.

Plenty of tension and laughs, mixed with some suitably gruesome murders; Price seems to be in his element here, not least for his longstanding acting desire to play Shakespeare. And Theatre of Blood, was the perfect opportunity for Price to immerse himself completely!

4/5

Theatre of Blood - Wikipedia


----------



## J Riff

And if you like Rabbits, then* Night of the Lepus* 1972, has quite a few. It's disturbing though, footage of actual rabbit infestations, guys chasing them down, it's awful. Then, when the giant mutant rabbits appear, they run around smashing miniature sets, in slow-motion. Everyone else, like the horses the bunnies chomp down on, move at regular speed. IF the rabbits had been able to run at full speed, this planet would be theirs.


----------



## Jeffbert

HanaBi said:


> *"Theatre of Blood" (1973)*
> 
> After thoroughly enjoying/reviewing another Vincent Price offering in "The Witchfinder General" a couple of weeks back, I decided to go through my horror library and dig out another Price classic, Theatre of Blood.at represents a certain method of torture and subsequent murder against his hapless victims.
> 
> A wonderfully campy performance by Price, ably supported by some very familiar British thespians - Ian Hendry, Robert Morley, Harry Andrews and Diana Rigg to name but a few.
> ...
> Theatre of Blood - Wikipedia


I loved this film, especially the revenge on Morley's character!


J Riff said:


> And if you like Rabbits, then* Night of the Lepus* 1972, has quite a few. It's disturbing though, footage of actual rabbit infestations, guys chasing them down, it's awful. Then, when the giant mutant rabbits appear, they run around smashing miniature sets, in slow-motion. Everyone else, like the horses the bunnies chomp down on, move at regular speed. IF the rabbits had been able to run at full speed, this planet would be theirs.


I saw this years ago, only recall the fact that I disliked it. 

Monday night I performed a full system scan on my PC, so I was watching a few films I had on my DVR. They both had been on TCM's *Underground* feature, *The Hidden* (Wikipedia) (1987) was about an alien creature that possesses humans & takes over completely. It kills remorselessly, and whe the host is damaged to the point it is unable to serve it purpose, it just finds another. 

*The Terminal Man* (wikipedia) (1974) was about a man who suffers from occasional fits of homicidal rage. Neurosurgeons implant a set of electrodes in his brain that are intended to stimulate pleasure centers when the fits occur, thus stopping them. I took particular interest in to mapping of the brain by applying electrical currents in these various electrodes & noting the effects on the patient, because I had had a very similar procedure in 1990, in order to find and by means of a heated probe, destroy the area in my brain that was causing the involuntary movement of my left arm & leg.  In the film, they had seemingly competed the surgery in a rather short time, but in my case,  it took about 8 or 9 hours, that is, once they had their equipment functioning! So, anyway, this guy's brain works against him, as it finds the stimulation of the pleasure neurons so good, that it activates the fits more frequently, in order to cause the stimulation.


----------



## WaylanderToo

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage....

ok I'll fess up - I loved the 1st xXx movie. Big dumb fun. This though is very much a missed opportunity. 


The good:

Donnie Yen
Tony Jaa
Deepika Padukone
Ruby Rose
The women are not just there as a love interest (though Nina Dobrev's character is a cracking parody of that)
quite ethnically diverse (if such matters to you)
Some good stunts


The bad

wasted opportunity for DY and TJ
logic fails (mind you you could level the same accusation at most Bond movies)


Overall it passed the time maybe 45%


----------



## Null_Zone

Roge One

Liked it but given the leads upper middle class accent I couldn't help but imagine the motivational speeches about hope etc were being given to a 6th form hockey team.


----------



## clovis-man

Null_Zone said:


> Roge One
> 
> Liked it but given the leads upper middle class accent I couldn't help but imagine the motivational speeches about hope etc were being given to a 6th form hockey team.



There were a number of soliloquys.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last film I watched was the new *Jungle Book. *
I was expecting it to be terrible but quite the opposite. Christopher Walken sings and had cowbell lol


----------



## J Riff

I watched _Triple 9_, a new shootem'up in which bad cops, corrupt special forces, gangsters and maybe some good guys shoot hell out of each other after robbing some banks and whatnot. That's all I remember, there may have been some car chases as well.


----------



## reiver33

Rogue One - I'll give it a thumbs up


----------



## kythe

I just saw _What's Eating Gilbert Grape _for the first time.  I thought it was an excellent and very believable portrayal of a family with a mentally disabled child.  As a drama focused on character development, this isn't the type of film I normally watch.  But as a mother of a mentally disabled teen, I found myself feeling very emotionally moved while watching this family's life.  It is definately worth viewing.


----------



## Lucien21

*La La Land
*
Great performance from the two leads, very charming, some decent songs and a couple of fantastic set pieces.

However it kind of loses it's charm about half way through goes a bit mad and I hated the ending.


----------



## Ignited Moth

kythe said:


> I just saw _What's Eating Gilbert Grape _for the first time.  I thought it was an excellent and very believable portrayal of a family with a mentally disabled child.  As a drama focused on character development, this isn't the type of film I normally watch.  But as a mother of a mentally disabled teen, I found myself feeling very emotionally moved while watching this family's life.  It is definately worth viewing.


I could not agree with you more! I saw this in one of my classes back in high school and it floored me how much I could relate to it. My older brother has autism, very severe OCD, and is epileptic so stress was something I was very well acquainted with growing up. I love my brother very much but that does not mean it was never difficult at times. This film was like a breath of fresh air seeing that Johnny Depp's character who also loved his brother was also capable of getting upset and stressed out at times with him. As you said, it is a very believable portrayal of a family with a mentally disabled child. The honesty of it was what I liked.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Captain America:Civil War*
Rather silly romp in which the good guys knock seven bells out of each other. Oh hum.


----------



## J Riff

_ The Silent Partner_ 1978- E. Gould, C. Plummer, Susanna York. A quirky bank robbery, and a few other oddities, make this a fun watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J Riff said:


> _ The Silent Partner_ 1978- E. Gould, C. Plummer, Susanna York. A quirky bank robbery, and a few other oddities, make this a fun watch.



I saw that one in a theater when it first came out.  An offbeat thriller with a good cast.


----------



## J Riff

*Rogue One* is a StarWars SF-based action adventure movie with lots of adventurous action, it was allritey here, tho I still don't know the alliance from the federation.
*Sing* is good aminated fun.


----------



## WilliamDavey627

Arrival


----------



## svalbard

T2:Trainspotting. 

Went to this last night and was not disappointed.


----------



## aThenian

kythe said:


> I just saw _What's Eating Gilbert Grape _for the first time.  I thought it was an excellent and very believable portrayal



I loved *Gilbert Grape* too.

The last film I saw was *Captain Fantastic* and I really enjoyed it.  Like Gilbert Grape, it's a wonderful portrait of a family under pressure.  (Also led me to wonder - are there really leftwing Noam Chomsky followers living alone in the wilds of America?  I think of that life style as more of a right wing thing? My other observation - Vigo Mortensen has definitely aged since LoTR...)


----------



## Randy M.

I've been watching quite a few movies lately.

_Love Actually_ (2003) -- a re-watch for me, first time for my wife. I'm not sure how she missed it before. Anyway, just as charming now as it was the first time. A top-notch British cast given something worth doing and more than doing it justice. Maybe one of my favorite romantic comedies.

_La La Land _(2016) -- rebooting musicals, this is a quite good bittersweet love story. I've heard criticism about Emma Stone's and Ryan Gosling's singing and dancing, but then I remember the old 1930s, '40s and '50s musicals -- think Peter Lawford, Esther Williams (supposedly dubbed by Andy Williams), Rita Hayworth among others who had to learn singing and dancing for their assigned roles -- and shrug off the criticism as either misguided or ill-informed.

_Manchester by the Sea _(2016) -- another love story, sort of, but of a different type. Casey Afleck's portrayal of a man who has divorced himself from all feeling after a personal tragedy is deeply affecting. I've heard this called depressing, and there's reason for that. There's also reason not to see the final effect of the movie as depressing.


Randy M.


----------



## Ignited Moth

svalbard said:


> T2:Trainspotting.
> 
> Went to this last night and was not disappointed.


I did not realize this was out already! 
I'm so glad to hear that it was not a disappointment. 
Awww, I just checked and it says it comes out in March in the US, so looks like I still have some waiting to do.


----------



## AE35Unit

Well this afternoon we saw *Sing *at the cinema. Loved it!
And earlier this evening we watched *A Million Ways to Die in the West*. Written and starring Seth Mcfarlane of Family Guy fame-hilarious.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I'm working my way through a set of DVD's called _Pioneers of African-American Cinema_.  Besides brief excerpts of lost films, there are some full features.

*The Flying Ace* (1928)

Silent crime/adventure drama involving the mysterious disappearance of a railroad employee and the payroll he was carrying. Our hero is a railroad detective/World War One flying ace who tracks down the criminals. Notable for containing "flying" sequences filmed entirely on the ground. The hero's sidekick is played by an actor with only one leg, who still manages to get around quite well, including riding a bicycle.

*Ten Nights in a Barroom* (1926)

Another silent film. This one is based on the 1854 novel of the same name, which has often been put on the stage, frequently parodied, and was adapted multiple times during the silent and early sound days. Besides the basic temperance plot (you may be familiar with the scene where a young daughter walks into the barroom and pleads for her father to come home) this one also deals with the evils of gambling and involves the drunkard being cheated out of the mine he owns. Oddly told as a flashback narrated by a travelling salesman who recalls events of twenty-five years ago (to be before Prohibition, I suppose.) Has lots of characters and subplots, making it a little hard to follow at times.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Fifth Element - Wikipedia*

Can't believe this film is 20 years old!

Loved it first time round in the cinema back in 1997, and on repeat viewings on dvd. But watched it again last night, and found it rather on the long side and rather shallow!

Still great fun for all that.

3/5


----------



## AE35Unit

HanaBi said:


> *The Fifth Element - Wikipedia*
> 
> Can't believe this film is 20 years old!
> 
> Loved it first time round in the cinema back in 1997, and on repeat viewings on dvd. But watched it again last night, and found it rather on the long side and rather shallow!
> 
> Still great fun for all that.
> 
> 3/5


Multipass....
Great fun film


----------



## Starbeast

Excellent film. Very entertaining.










Not bad. Surprisingly, pretty good.​


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM ran a few scifi films the other night:

Scanners (1981) (WIKIPEDIA), which I had seen long ago, but had forgotten everything except one rather explosive scene.

Coma (1978) (WIKIPEDIA), interesting and even frightening idea that 



Spoiler



hospital surgery patients are selected for cannibalization of their parts!



TCM  was running A STARS BEHIND BARS theme Tuesday nights in January hosted by Ben M & featuring the Shawshank director. The two discussed the films, a few similarities as well as differences, etc. So, I watched Brubaker (1980) (WIKIPEDIA), which opened with the star being a prisoner new to this prison, 



Spoiler



and seeing things that he expected he, as warden would not see. So, he eventually reveals himself as the new warden, who now knowing of the things that really do occur there was able to 'reform' the prison (In a CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT and also in 1001 ARABIAN NIGHTS, The king/ruler & his adviser/Vizier/The Boss don commoners' clothes and go out among the people to see things as others would see them).

So, anyway, the civilian politicians that run the prison -err- that hired Brubaker, among them, the guy who played the Mayor in JAWS, all regard the prison as a money-maker, and could not care less about anything else. so, in the end, they ruin Brubaker's attempts to reform the prison, he resigns, and brutality resumes.


----------



## J Riff

_Captain Phillips_ is a hijack/piracy thriller, kidnap type action flick. Pirates board a huge cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, and all goes well for them until a US Navy gunboat shows up. But, what fate will befall the Captain?


----------



## RX-79G

J Riff said:


> _Captain Phillips_ is a hijack/piracy thriller, kidnap type action flick. Pirates board a huge cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, and all goes well for them until a US Navy gunboat shows up. But, what fate will befall the Captain?


Given that it is a well known true story, what fate indeed?


----------



## J Riff

True as Hollywooded, close enough, maybe. I can't believe the Somalis would actually be so offensively dim. They had it in the bag, and then folded like a cheap tent.


----------



## J Riff

_SpiderMan Strikes Back_. 70s Spidey, the music makes it all seem like a 60s Batman episode... not much FX.. and the last lines is all I remember .. something about 'how do you know I'm not Spiderman if you haven't seen me wearing tights?' "Well if you'll put some on..." Something like that.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Saw *John Wick 2* this afternoon. (the "2" means it's the second John Wick movie...)
Aside from those movies which featured  environmental catastrophes (e.g., *2012*) or atomic warfare, this might have been the most violent movie I've ever seen -- I lost track of how many people (almost all bad guys) got shot, knifed, run over...
John Wick is a sort of super assassin. In the first movie he tried to retire, and he's still trying here. But he's forced to go to Rome to assassinate a woman who has just become the leader of some sort of world-wide crime syndicate. He does, and then the fun starts, starting with a running gun battle in the catacombs...
Production values were superb in this one, I'll give it that. But Wick (like Batman, he has bulletproof clothing) is apparently more like Superman than Batman -- he can take incredible punishment. It's kind of weird: he spends a lot of time wandering around in public, but no one seems to notice that his face is all cut up or he's leaving bloody handprints. 
One more thing I'll acknowledge as a "plus" or sorts: they must have put in an incredible amount of time choreographing the fight scenes (and there were a LOT of them!)
This one is not really violence-porn, I guess -- but it comes close!
The most offensive thing about the movie, though, is that it features and/or assumes that there is a world underlying our normal world, in which the superrich and super-violent coexist, living in incredible luxury while they, between them, control the planet...


----------



## GCJ

*Arrival
*
To be fair, the movie pretty much did what it said on the tin.  For me, it visited linguistics in a way that no other sci-fi movie would dare.  On the flip-side of the bravery coin, would you readily ascend into a metallic egg-shaped levitating alien vessel on a hired hydraulic lift platform in the middle of a random field?

I'm hedging no.


----------



## J Riff

Nice 1st post GCJ. I dint take to it either.
Dave, I watched JohnWick too, and I agree, that annoying world of super-rich crazy people with lots of cars and expensive booze, and plenty time to run about playing with guns and bombs. I can only get out on weekends for that sort of thing, and it's just so tiring...


----------



## clovis-man

Snagged a blu-ray copy of *The Magnetic Monster* (1953). Excellent transfer, by the way. Some good reliable character acting by Richard Carlson (who's always good in this kind of tale) and King Donovan (from the 1956 *Invasion of the Body Snatchers*). Actually a fairly taut story about a radioactive menace that uses a lot of stock footage from an earlier European movie. In order to meld some of the scenes involving the "deltatron", it was necessary for Richard Carlson to put on different hats and coats for no obvious reason otherwise. Enjoyable for nostalgia buffs like me.


----------



## GCJ

J Riff said:


> Nice 1st post GCJ. I dint take to it either.
> Dave, I watched JohnWick too, and I agree, that annoying world of super-rich crazy people with lots of cars and expensive booze, and plenty time to run about playing with guns and bombs. I can only get out on weekends for that sort of thing, and it's just so tiring...



I thought the concept of Arrival was okay, but it was definitely let down by a few things.  On the levitating ship front, the concept is difficult to comprehend other than taking it at the face value of the story.

Could a ship, or any object, cope with the never-ending calculations and corrections required to follow the rotation of the Earth to absolute perfection as it hovered there imperceptibly still?

I did enjoy the film though.  Probably a six out of ten for me.


----------



## Lucien21

Saw *John Wick Chapter 2* I thought it was a lot of fun.


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> Could a ship, or any object, cope with the never-ending calculations and corrections required to follow the rotation of the Earth to absolute perfection as it hovered there imperceptibly still?


I would say "yes", that should be very simple, but what makes you think that is the way it is hovering?


----------



## Almeris

John Wick Chapter 2 and Star Wars Rogue one.


----------



## J Riff

*True Lies,* speaking of airplanes hovering around downtown and blasting whole floors full of terrorists to bits.


----------



## Allegra

*Ida* - a Polish film, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015. It is black and white, quiet, but powerful.


----------



## Boneman

*Ghost *- saw the musical at the theatre  and that whetted my appetite to drag out the DVD. It stands the test of time, and Demi Moore is the best actress I've seen at producing tears. Whoopi Goldberg still steals the movie...


----------



## AE35Unit

Boneman said:


> *Ghost *- saw the musical at the theatre  and that whetted my appetite to drag out the DVD. It stands the test of time, and Demi Moore is the best actress I've seen at producing tears. Whoopi Goldberg still steals the movie...


Whoopi is the best part of that film. She is so good in it


----------



## Steve Harrison

I saw HACKSAW RIDGE and while the film is almost old fashioned (in a 1960s war movie way), the battle scenes are the most harrowing and horrific I've ever seen. Amazing and excellent movie based pretty accurately on a true story, but not for the faint-hearted!


----------



## Starbeast

*Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice* (2016) - Pretty good.


Rewatched

*American Movie* (1999) - One of my favorite documentaries, about a struggling film maker, living in Wisconsin. (watched it with and without audio commentary)
*
Parenthood* (1989) - I love this tremendous drama, about a family. Lots of great actors/actresses are featured in this film.
*
The Incredible HULK* (2008) - Marvelous movie that explodes with excitement. And fun to watch again.

*Loaded Weapon 1* (1993) - Outstanding spoof on the _Lethal Weapon_ film series.


----------



## Steve S

Interstellar - really enjoyed it, visually stunning and thought-provoking.


----------



## GCJ

RX-79G said:


> I would say "yes", that should be very simple, but what makes you think that is the way it is hovering?



I suppose as an engineer I've developed a mindset where I assume our mathematically based universe always has mathematical solutions.  It's a good call to break from that and wonder what the other solutions might be.


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> I suppose as an engineer I've developed a mindset where I assume our mathematically based universe always has mathematical solutions.  It's a good call to break from that and wonder what the other solutions might be.


There are many mathematical solutions, I just didn't understand why the one involving a constant calculation of the precise location in the universe seemed like a likely one to you when gravity and visual reference are also obvious and simple methods to hold a position over a moving body.


----------



## GCJ

RX-79G said:


> There are many mathematical solutions, I just didn't understand why the one involving a constant calculation of the precise location in the universe seemed like a likely one to you when gravity and visual reference are also obvious and simple methods to hold a position over a moving body.



Imagine a world where Elon Musk and his ilk had mastered landing a rocket back on Earth after launching it into space.  The technical difficulties they encountered to do just that saw endless effort and guile, and they still haven't mastered it to the point of routine.  It blows my mind to think of the solution to holding something so steady a few feet over the Earth.  Nonetheless, if the physics allow it, even if they're unlikely, then to me it's possible.  The only barrier is brute force and a civilization that can pull together to do such a thing.


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> Imagine a world where Elon Musk and his ilk had mastered landing a rocket back on Earth after launching it into space.  The technical difficulties they encountered to do just that saw endless effort and guile, and they still haven't mastered it to the point of routine.  It blows my mind to think of the solution to holding something so steady a few feet over the Earth.  Nonetheless, if the physics allow it, even if they're unlikely, then to me it's possible.  The only barrier is brute force and a civilization that can pull together to do such a thing.


We have had devices that will automatically hover over the earth for 60+ years. So I don't understand what Elon Musk has to do with it.


Your initial post makes it sound like if someone asked you to design a car suspension you would want a computer contour map of the road, radar and a computer controlled solenoid system to actively change the car's level over the wheels. But all that's necessary is a leaf spring and a damper.  Why do you assume that some alien "anti-gravity" technology could only work by calculating the Earth's precise orbit instead of just referencing the immediate environs?


----------



## GCJ

RX-79G said:


> We have had devices that will automatically hover over the earth for 60+ years. So I don't understand what Elon Musk has to do with it.
> 
> 
> Your initial post makes it sound like if someone asked you to design a car suspension you would want a computer contour map of the road, radar and a computer controlled solenoid system to actively change the car's level over the wheels. But all that's necessary is a leaf spring and a damper.  Why do you assume that some alien "anti-gravity" technology could only work by calculating the Earth's precise orbit instead of just referencing the immediate environs?



Well, I suppose I just tend to think of the bigger picture.  The Earth is spinning at a fine rate.  Not only that, but it's spinning at that pace accompanied by the Moon and the perturbations it exerts upon our beautiful home.  Furthermore, the pair are rotating around the Sun at a phenomenal trot that throws in another complexity.  And, to top it all, the three of them are rushing outwards from the theoretical point of the 'Big Bang'.

There's a wonderful video to be found somewhere on the internet that represents this multi-faceted problem and includes the theoretical outward rush, but I fear I'm not allowed to post links quite yet.  Nonetheless, I'd recommend it for any avid science fiction fan.

But back to my post.  Yes, I'd stand by the problem hovering just above the Earth poses.  It's a tremendously difficult feat that would take a civilization far, far in advance of us to achieve.  All we can do right now is squirt burning hydrocarbons out the wrong end of a pipe to get us off the ground, and generally attempt to engineer solutions that minimise failure.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see such a thing though?


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> Well, I suppose I just tend to think of the bigger picture.  The Earth is spinning at a fine rate.  Not only that, but it's spinning at that pace accompanied by the Moon and the perturbations it exerts upon our beautiful home.  Furthermore, the pair are rotating around the Sun at a phenomenal trot that throws in another complexity.  And, to top it all, the three of them are rushing outwards from the theoretical point of the 'Big Bang'.
> 
> There's a wonderful video to be found somewhere on the internet that represents this multi-faceted problem and includes the theoretical outward rush, but I fear I'm not allowed to post links quite yet.  Nonetheless, I'd recommend it for any avid science fiction fan.
> 
> But back to my post.  Yes, I'd stand by the problem hovering just above the Earth poses.  It's a tremendously difficult feat that would take a civilization far, far in advance of us to achieve.  All we can do right now is squirt burning hydrocarbons out the wrong end of a pipe to get us off the ground, and generally attempt to engineer solutions that minimise failure.
> 
> Wouldn't it be wonderful to see such a thing though?


I guess I'm not explaining myself very well. We walk around on earth without any requirement to plan our motion in reference to anything but the earth, despite rotating around the sun or galaxy. Why is your immediate assumption that the spaceship would have be refer to those things? Why does some sort of reactionless spaceship drive imply that the spaceship is completely divorced from celestial mechanics where is has to "fake it" to remain stationary to a point on earth?

And even if it did need to do that, why would that calculation be difficult, given the very precise and predictable nature of orbits? The earth isn't blowing in the wind or bouncing down a dirt road.


----------



## GCJ

One leap of faith takes another, friend.  

Have you ever questioned why, should you drive from west to east, you don't get there quicker as you're driving against the 1000mph rotation of the Earth?  I have.  As a matter of fact I phoned my mate Andy, a nice fellow who stays in Troon, about the problem a number of years ago as I was driving across the country.  Andy is a level-headed and intelligent fellow, and I tend to always turn to him when I get to a problem that befuddles me.

His answer?

Put it this way, it included profanities to accompany his perceptible puzzlement.

I'm going to put it out there that I'm definitely not a flat-Earther.  I've observed the planets and stars through my telescope and it's a non-starter for me, just in case you thought I was going there.

I'm sure the orbits of every celestial body aren't entirely predictable though.  I'm one hundred percent sure we don't have the resources to model our Solar System in entirety.

The concept is stunning though, isn't it?  For me, it would take a breakthrough technology to achieve the same.

One of the things I've pondered is if our current civilisation stymies the unique geniuses that drove step changes in the past.


----------



## Droflet

Not having an engineering bone in my body, I didn't overthink this. It just looked really cool.


----------



## GCJ

Droflet said:


> Not having an engineering bone in my body, I didn't overthink this. It just looked really cool.


It really did though, didn't it?  The film-makers did the concept justice.


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> Have you ever questioned why, should you drive from west to east, you don't get there quicker as you're driving against the 1000mph rotation of the Earth?


If you are talking about time dilation, you are moving "faster" one way over the other, but it doesn't produce an effect on arrival times because of the effects of acceleration. It isn't a paradox, just a misunderstanding on your part.


----------



## GCJ

I'm no astrophysicist, but time dilation is directly related to the percentage of the speed of light one travels in relation to another object, except light which is a constant.  If it was possible to approach 99.99%, mass would increase ridiculously and length in the direction of travel would decrease.  As a consequence, time would pass differently.  Definitely not a physicist though, so I'll very possibly be wrong.

No mate, genuinely, I was intrigued by the technology it would take to pull off the feat in the movie.  The whole universe alludes to being mathematical in design, so I just tend to look at solutions from a wonderment that focuses on numbers.  Otherwise, the situation moves from science to fantasy, which is just fine too.


----------



## RX-79G

The universe is mathematical, but that doesn't mean that relatively straightforward relationships require complex calculations to exist. Look at the orbit of the moon - it is complex to describe from some great remove, but the reality is that it is a simple and self correcting balance of gravity and velocity. One would find that if you need to understand how it orbits the earth, all the additional motion through the universe simply gets cancelled out of the math.


----------



## GCJ

RX-79G said:


> The universe is mathematical, but that doesn't mean that relatively straightforward relationships require complex calculations to exist. Look at the orbit of the moon - it is complex to describe from some great remove, but the reality is that it is a simple and self correcting balance of gravity and velocity. One would find that if you need to understand how it orbits the earth, all the additional motion through the universe simply gets cancelled out of the math.



I don't disagee, friend.  Everything finds equilibrium.  Life, relationships, the planets.  I find it fascinating, all of those concepts.  Simple things, like how close would the Moon have to get before perfect equilibrium broke down?  It kinda makes me think that perhaps, in the storyline, the alien craft could've altered its mass to defy the maths and just float there; effectively in orbit at fifty feet.


----------



## RX-79G

GCJ said:


> I don't disagee, friend.  Everything finds equilibrium.  Life, relationships, the planets.  I find it fascinating, all of those concepts.  Simple things, like how close would the Moon have to get before perfect equilibrium broke down?  It kinda makes me think that perhaps, in the storyline, the alien craft could've altered its mass to defy the maths and just float there; effectively in orbit at fifty feet.


It may, but it would have blown away and required stabilization in all directions. It could also just create thrust that exactly counters gravity, leaving its mass available for inertia and small variance in thrust angle enough to counter wind. Or it could be standing on a tripod of force that reaches deep into the ground, acting something like magnetic levitation.


----------



## GCJ

RX-79G said:


> It may, but it would have blown away and required stabilization in all directions. It could also just create thrust that exactly counters gravity, leaving its mass available for inertia and small variance in thrust angle enough to counter wind. Or it could be standing on a tripod of force that reaches deep into the ground, acting something like magnetic levitation.



And that's the beauty of sci-fi.  It could be any explanation, and it's up to the author / director to have the final say.


----------



## J Riff

Didn't like Interstellar - loved_ The SuperInframan_! Never mind why. Also half-watched NatLamp _Loaded Weapon 1_ and it were a respectable sendup. Actually laughed, once at least. Last night was a long time ago, but Gladiator left me cold, what I could make out of it thru the blood and swords.


----------



## Ignited Moth

_*A Cure for Wellness*_
and
_*Cloverfield Lane*_
and re-watched _*Bad Moms*_


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Good day, @Ignited Moth! Those are three films I've been curious about. I wonder if you'd mind giving your thoughts on them...just a few words on what you thought of each?


----------



## HanaBi

"*Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*"

One of Guy Ritchie's best, back in the day when he knew how to make a decent film on a shoestring budget!

Love all the Cockney banter too!

Pukka!

4/5


----------



## Ignited Moth

Cat's Cradle said:


> Good day, @Ignited Moth! Those are three films I've been curious about. I wonder if you'd mind giving your thoughts on them...just a few words on what you thought of each?


Hey, there!  Sure thing!
*Cloverfield Lane* was a really intense movie in my opinion. I liked it, but it definitely took a turn for the crazy. lol 
_*A Cure for Wellness*_ was a beautifully shot but very weird movie, which it is supposed to be in all fairness, but it felt like it had a lot of extra baggage that could have been cut from it because it wasn't really all that necessary to the overall plot and certain scenes just didn't make a whole lot of sense. I honestly am still not fully sure how I felt about the movie. I didn't hate it or anything, but it just isn't one I would necessarily tell someone they have to see or that I would ever really have the urge to re-watch. I think I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually wound up liking it if that makes any sense.
_*Bad Moms*_ was hilarious. I really enjoyed this one. I'd seen it in the theater with my best friend when it came out and we were laughing through the whole thing. Neither of us are even moms and we thought it was very funny. I enjoyed all the characters, but Kristen Bell's character was probably my favorite.


----------



## dekket

We went and saw The Great Wall for our wedding anniversary.  I rather enjoyed it.


----------



## GCJ

The wife and I watched 'Fantastic beasts and where to find them' last night.  The unwieldy title aside, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

It wasn't the deepest or most complex storyline in the world, but it was just fine in the way it was created and presented.

Giggle water.  Loved that very short part.


----------



## Vince W

*John Wick Chapter 2*. Rather a dull, pointless film really. Perhaps if it had been cut down by 30 minutes or so I might have ended up enjoying it somewhat, but the complete lack of a real story made it a film about violence for violence's sake. I see many sequels in the offing.


----------



## biodroid

*Rogue One*. It was fantastic, I like the idea of Force neutral characters and no black and white Jedi or Sith. The SFX were amazing and it was a rather sad story on top of it. If you like Star Wars but from a different angle then you will like this one.


----------



## Droflet

*Collateral Beauty.* An all star cast brings this beautifully written story to life. Five stars all round. Warning: It's one of those box of tissue movies with an ending that will hit you where you live.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Wage of Fear (1953)*

The Wages of Fear - Wikipedia


Have probably posted this here previously, but it is the kind of film the demand repeat-viewings, and remains one of my favourite French films ever!

5/5


----------



## REBerg

*Manchester by the Sea*
I can see why Casey Affleck won a Best Actor Oscar. I can also see why the film would appeal to those who enjoy drama -- including my wife, who selected it.
For me, it was a slow, dark snoozefest -- literally. I dozed off repeatedly and felt no need to rewind to see what I had missed.
Sorry. I need a little more action than the occasional bar fight to keep me interested.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, REB, it was so sluggish.  Yes, we get it, now that you spent 2 minutes explaining it, now, can we get on with the story?


----------



## J Riff

_Armored,_ an inside-man heist gone wrong. A bit disbelievable but exciting while on. Then _True Lies_ was on again, because who doesn't want to shoot rockets into skyscrapers while hovering downtown in a Harrier jet.


----------



## HanaBi

*Das Boot:The Director's cut (1985)
*
Quite possibly one of the finest war film ever told. And certainly gives a more compassionate swing on German soldiers fighting during WW2, and the subtle difference between ordinary young men wondering what the war is all about, and the so-called Hitler-Youth, that believe in everything their leader tells them.

There's a variety of flavours for this film: there's the mini tv series, the original theatrical cut, a "superbit" version, and this director's cut, which I think is probably the best of all.

5/5

**Apparently there is a "Das Boot 2", in the offing: a sequel in the early stages of production and not due for release until mid 2018.


----------



## Rodders

**Apparently there is a "Das Boot 2", in the offing: a sequel in the early stages of production and not due for release until mid 2018.

Now that is very interesting. Tricky move, though as it could end up looking like a remake.


----------



## HanaBi

Well if IMDb is to be believed, it's actually going to be a TV mini-series. 

No details of actors yet though. And it's unlikely William Petersen will have much input either. 

And if this indeed meant to be a sequel, one has to wonder why?


"Das Boot" (2018)


----------



## J Riff

Why? Why pay writers is gots be why? How many episodes of Nazis trapped in WW2 subs can we sit through? Then again, it is a good analogous expression of, say, my bedroom; trapped in a small space, day after month, but: if the sub crew had this music that's playing at MacDonalds on, they would all suicide in the first episode. Meanwhile, I watched _Let Him Be_, a fake documentary about John Lennon supposedly still alive, and it turns out he's not, dang it.


----------



## J Riff

*Sully.* The pilot who landed a passenger jet in the Hudson. Directed by Clint Eastwood, this one is very well done.


----------



## TheDustyZebra

J Riff said:


> *Sully.* The pilot who landed a passenger jet in the Hudson. Directed by Clint Eastwood, this one is very well done.



I just came here to report that very movie, which I just finished watching on DVD! It's astounding how close he was to being cashiered for saving 155 people. I had no idea, at the time.


----------



## bedlamite

Logan. It was quite good. Went because Mrs B, who is now to be known as Rojo Cariente is a big Hugh Jackman fan.


----------



## WaylanderToo

John Wick 2  -  really enjoyed it. Perfect bullets and mayhem (as an aside has any protagonist killed so many foes without using bombs or fully automatic weapons?)

Logan  -  excellent. The most 'human' of the superhero films, do yourself a favour and see it


----------



## HanaBi

*"Cromwell" (1970)*

As with a lot of films "reinterpreting" historical events, one should be rather sceptical how true the scenes in said films are compared to what actually happened!

Cromwell, is certainly no exception to this rule, and unless you're completely ignorant of the English Civil War, and the events that lead up to it during the mid 1600s, one will be aware that certain liberties have been taken for the benefit of that hoary old chestnut:"audience-pleasing entertainment"

That aside, I really quite enjoyed this film! Irish actor, Richard Harris played the protagonist, Cromwell, ably supported by Alec Guinness, as Cromwell's nemesis, King Charles I, and other familiar British actors such as Robert Morley, Frank Finlay, a young Timothy "James Bond" Dalton, and Michael Jayston.

Impressive cinematography, costume and locations; although I did feel the soundtrack was shrill and  out of place with the significance of what was being played out on-screen. 

Yes, certain historical liberties were taken (as the Wiki article below will testify - should you care to look and possibly spoil your enjoyment of the film). But I enjoyed it for what it was - a reenactment of  one of the most significant periods of England's history!

4/5

Cromwell (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## Rodders

Wolverine was on the goggle box last night. Quite entertaining. I'm not sure why it received so much flak when it was released.


----------



## Lucien21

Logan was a breath of fresh air in the Superhero movie genre. A lot of fun.


----------



## AStormCloud'sSong

Secret of NIMH. Got to love those deceptively terrifying 80s cartoon movies.


----------



## svalbard

La La Land. Pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed the lightness of it all. It was a bit of a throw back to a more innocent time.


----------



## REBerg

*Arrival* Good film. An upbeat departure from _War of the Worlds-_type first contact offerings. Given time, Humanity might yet prove beneficial to the rest of the Universe.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Moana*(1926)

Silent film with sound added decades later by the daughter of the director, Robert J. Flaherty, the guy who did the famous *Nanook of the North* (1922) and other semi-documentary films. It deals with daily life on an island in Samoa. The inhabitants were given fictional roles, and asked to act in ways that were already anachronistic at the time of filming, so it can't be taken for serious anthropology. But it's an interesting recreation of what things might have been like in the old days.

(I guess Disney took the name of their animated heroine from this old film. In the original, Moana is a young man. Can't have a man with a name ending in "a"!)


----------



## Connavar

*Logan*

Logan was like Johnny Cash's song Hurt, 

a poignant, powerful story about aging, a superhero who has lost everything but still cant change who he is. Great brutal action,violence, great potrayal of Wolverine that only existed in the best Wolverine comics from late 80s,early 90s by Frank Miller, Chris Claremont etc.  

I loved the film because i enjoyed hardcore,down to earth Wolverine comics, not the lame X-men films he was in.  I never read X-Men comics but always like Wolverine on his own, like Max Punisher comics by Garth Ennis.  A mile better than every X-men film.


----------



## Starbeast

*Hang 'Em High* (1968) - I had forgotten how great this classic movie is. I haven't seen this in ages.

*Saps at Sea* (1940) - Wonderful Laurel & Hardy film. Still fun to watch after so many years.

*The Magnificent Seven* (2016) - Outstanding western. Awesome.


----------



## J Riff

Luke Cage Hero For Hire, episode one: No like, comic book better.
_Batman Lego Movie_. Heh. Heh, heh. HAhahahahaaa*


----------



## Brian G Turner

Connavar said:


> I loved the film because i enjoyed hardcore,down to earth Wolverine comics, not the lame X-men films he was in. I never read X-Men comics but always like Wolverine on his own, like Max Punisher comics by Garth Ennis. A mile better than every X-men film.



Welcome back to the chrons forums @Connavar - you have been missed.


----------



## Mouse

*Thor*. First time I've seen it. Meh.


----------



## Rodders

Stealth and Alien Vs Predator was on telly last night. 

I quite enjoyed them both.


----------



## Foxbat

*Le Corbeau*(1943)   A fine piece of French Noir about a small French town that is plagued by a series of poison pen letters.

Interestingly, this movie was banned for a while (but re-released in 1947). It was a French movie made during the German Occupation and distributed by a German company (Continental).


----------



## thaddeus6th

Mouse, watch it on TV? I also saw Thor for the first time quite recently. Thought it was pretty good.


----------



## Mouse

thaddeus6th said:


> Mouse, watch it on TV? I also saw Thor for the first time quite recently. Thought it was pretty good.



I did watch it on TV, but I don't have a TV licence so not when it was aired. It was alright, I'll probably watch the others. I presume there's others. I've seen the Avengers with Thor in.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Yep, there's at least one, maybe two, more Thor films. Not seen them, though.


----------



## Steve S

*Crimson Peak* - really enjoyed it. Stunning visuals, creepy atmosphere and a superb performance from Jessica Chastain.


----------



## J Riff

Gah, Thor will be in the next Dr. Strange, just like he was in _Strange Tales_ comics. I've had more than enough Marvel/DC superhero movies, but Batman Lego is pretty funny.


----------



## Mouse

I _loved_ Lego Batman, it's been a long time since I've actually laughed out loud at a film so much.


----------



## Ignited Moth

Steve S said:


> *Crimson Peak* - really enjoyed it. Stunning visuals, creepy atmosphere and a superb performance from Jessica Chastain.


Oooh, this one's on my To-Watch list. I read the book adaptation of the screenplay and really enjoyed it. Glad to hear the movie was good!


----------



## J Riff

* Lavarantula*. Yes,_ Lavarantula_. Where else but Los Angeles, what else but volcanos, and hey, giant spiders who like fire and lava for breakfast.
CGI allrighty, funny bits, not too gory, and another giant spider movie to discuss, what's not to like?


----------



## Foxbat

*Les Diaboliques *(1955) An excellent French mystery about a wife and mistress of an abusive headmaster conspiring to kill him.


----------



## J Riff

Sharktopus Vs. Whalewolf, that's playing tonight... but last night's_ DinoCroc Vs. SuperGator_ ( I think) was on, and it was what one might expect.... but.. _WhaleWolf??_ This I gotta see.


----------



## nixie

Watched Top Cat and the latest Ghost busters last night. I'm now watching Lazarus Effect.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Take The Money and Run" (1968)*

Decades ago, I used to be a huge fan of writer/director/actor, Woody Allen. Some of his early efforts during the late 60s, early 70s were very dependent on visual slapstick comedy, with a few carefully choreographed one-liners thrown in there from time to time. But then by the mid 70s he moved up a level in both directing and writing, and with it his films became slightly more dramatic, with a touch of pathos and sardonic humour added just to keep his fans happy. And come the turn of the century (some would say from the 90s onwards), his films became dark and almost soulless emotional rollercoasters that you either loved or hated!

Take The Money and Run, is one of those slapstick films where you don't have to think too much about the plot or anything remotely intellectually challenging - it's played for laughs, and although a little uneven in places, it still remains hugely funny and irreverent.

3/5


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Ghostbusters *, the new one. Not brilliant but not as bad as people made out!


----------



## Ignited Moth

Saw the new _*Beauty and the Beast*_ last night. I really liked it.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Verdict" (1982). *Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling (directed: Sidney Lumet)

Intriguing courtroom drama, with Newman playing a drunk, self-loathing, corrupt, ambulance-chasing lawyer, who is given a case of possible medical negligence against a hospital. The hospital's defence lawyer (the wonderfully scheming James Mason) offers the client a large settlement, which would help Newman pay off some of his own debts and move on to the next case, but without really boosting his own credibility as a good lawyer. Or will he ignore the easy payoff and take the hospital to task, putting moral duty and best interests for his client first and foremost!

Newman, has never been better! A superb performance, which was incredibly ignored by the Academy! Able support from James Mason and _femme fatele,_ Charlotte Rampling (and the controversial "slap" scene!); all fine-tuned and brilliantly executed by Sidney "12 Angry Men" Lumet.

Incredible performance all round

5/5


----------



## JE Loddon

I re-watched the *Total Recall* remake. the other day. It's not terrible. Some of the action is decent. Having now seen it twice, though, I still couldn't tell you what the plot is, which I think speaks volumes about its failings. Kate Beckinsale was really effective in it, though, I thought. I genuinely believed she wanted to kill Quaid. Her anger and frustration was palpable.


----------



## J Riff

Whalewolf is, like, an Orca but it runs around, and it whines like a dog when not roaring whaleishly..* I watched half of it, so far, may wait a few years before putting it on again. _Down By Law_ had Tom Waits in it, and his songs, it's rated high but kind of ends without much happening. Nice black and white look though.


----------



## BionicGriff

AE35Unit said:


> Watched *Ghostbusters *, the new one. Not brilliant but not as bad as people made out!


I really enjoyed the new Ghost Busters, Kate McKinnon was hysterical. I actually would say I found the new one funnier then the originals, but the originals are still better movies overall.


----------



## Judderman

I have been to the cinema quite a lot this winter. Last night Was Kong: Skull Island. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Plot of course wasn't brilliant but it was good enough. I think for a film with lots of CGI action it was really impressive. A lot of mixed CGI and live action films have really unsatisfying fight sequences. But this actually felt realistic. Kong whacking helicopters, various big and impressive monsters causing mayhem etc. 3d helped a bit. I think the story is more fun than the standard King Kong tale that has the imprisonment and "love" with the leading actress.
I enjoyed it more than La La Land, Moonlight and John Wick 2 that we saw recently, though our expectations were different.

We also watched Don't Breathe at home. That is a really entertaining horror-thriller.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

*Condorman *(1981)
I saw this film when I was a kid and absolutely loved it. I got the DVD recently and wasn't sure whether it would live up to the nostalgia, but the film is still a funny, entertaining adventure. It stars, perhaps rather oddly, Michael Crawford (of _Some Mothers do 'Ave 'Em_) but he was, to my mind, perfect for the part, and also features Oliver Reed. What I didn't remember is that the film was made by Disney.


----------



## Steve S

Watched *Kong: Skull Island *last night and enjoyed it - not a classic, but good fun.

Also saw for the first time this week *It Follows* - despite a few quibbles I was really impressed (and at times a little spooked!). An original concept for horror and a gripping watch.


----------



## GCJ

*Rogue One*

I waited a fair bit to see this one, and my anticipation was high.  Having now seen it, I feel disappointed; flat.

The first hour, to me, was disjointed.  It failed to build the characters, the situation, and especially failed to create a feeling that it was part of the Star Wars universe until the final moments.

The ending was what it had to be, considering it was predestined to merge flawlessly with A New Hope.

It felt hurried, desperate to fill a gap, and in the shadow of even the worst of the prequels without the Jedi to offer direction and a moral compass.

It wasn't even a reasonable stand alone war flick.  Out of ten, I resolved a four at best.


----------



## Foxbat

Whilst I've always loved the theme tune, I realised a while back that I'd never actually seen the movie so I went and bought it. I'm talking about *Shaft *(1971) and, to tell the truth, I was pretty disappointed. 

Maybe it's the passage of time that's to blame or maybe it's just the way they talk (can you dig it?) but I felt that, rather than watching a 70s detective movie, I was actually viewing a caricature of that genre. It even had a brief scene with Antonio Fargas as a kind of proto-Huggy Bear.

I don't think I'll be watching it again.

Also watched *Marathon Man *(1976) which I enjoyed but still cringe at the dentist scene.


----------



## Droflet

*Split *(2016). A stunning performance from James MacEvoy elevates this gripping movie.


----------



## J Riff

_Kong; Skull Island_. Well the spoilage is... nothing particular. The formula is, get our group trapped on the island with Kong and the monsters. Thus, Kong destroys all the helicopters, who are too dim to fly higher, and can only shout 'What is that?' when it is obviously the biggest monkey in the world. After that, the action and the monsters are terrific, but the acting feels like nobody in the cast actually saw a monster at all, just acted to invisible CGI. That said, it is a lot of quality monster action, probably really good on a giant screen.


----------



## REBerg

*The Legend of Tarzan*
Not much to recommend about this film, other than a way to kill nearly two hours of a slow Sunday afternoon. Good to know that Tarzan's jungle friends can still be relied upon to deliver a stampede when one is needed.


----------



## Judderman

Steve S said:


> Watched *Kong: Skull Island *last night and enjoyed it - not a classic, but good fun.
> 
> Also saw for the first time this week *It Follows* - despite a few quibbles I was really impressed (and at times a little spooked!). An original concept for horror and a gripping watch.


Yes, It Follows is a great film for horror fans.


----------



## Judderman

Droflet said:


> *Split *(2016). A stunning performance from James MacEvoy elevates this gripping movie.


I thought the ending was quite poor on that one.


----------



## J Riff

_It Follows_, but I didn't. One hint, two words, for future teen victims of invisible entities - spray paint. And maybe a flamethrower. Next. )
_Zombie Nightmare_ features Adam West, it is kind of fun.


----------



## JE Loddon

I watched *Suicide Squad *at the weekend. It was a proper mess. The plot was incomprehensible, and the whole Joker subplot didn't work. Deadshot was well played by Will Smith though, I thought. A whole movie based around his character, and his attempts to make things right with his daughter could have worked really well. There was just too much other stuff going on.


----------



## logan_run

star trek into darkness.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Kong: Skull Island - hugely entertaining!

Hidden Figures - just go and see it! EXCELLENT


----------



## Judderman

I agree Waylander. Both well worth watching, though very different!


----------



## BionicGriff

*Brave* - A good story, great looking environments, scenery, and atmosphere, and enjoyable music, I enjoyed it.


----------



## JE Loddon

I watched *Ghost in the Shell *(original animated movie). Beautiful animation. There were some great ideas in it, but the film was, understandably for animation, too short. There wasn't enough time to really explore the ideas in depth. There wasn't as much action as I'd have liked either. The new live action film apparently is a composite of the film and the animated series, so I'm hopeful it'll be a more well-rounded story.


----------



## Rodders

Get Out. 

It was okay.


----------



## JE Loddon

I watched *Nine Lives, *with my kid. In it, Kevin Spacey's consciousness is transferred into a cat. More implausible than that, though, is that pre-cat, he is married to Jennifer Garner. The film's themes included adultery, death, and suicide. I am genuinely NOT making this up. It wasn't terrible.


----------



## REBerg

*X-Men: Apocalypse*
Wow. I hope Jean Grey loans a little of that telekinetic power to Sansa.


----------



## J Riff

_Brute Force_ 1947. A prison break, a crazed wannabe warden, great performances, they don't make them like this anymore. >
" No-one ever really escapes."
Then,_ Dinosaurus_, which is cute as all get-out, with a good goofy showing from a caveman, Bronto and T-Rex.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Rogue One - colour me disappointed. Look you want to make a samurai movie where everyone dies a glorious death, that's fine. Even in space. But here's the thing. If I don't feel any attachment to the characters why do I care if they die?

Fantastic Beasts - Again not much of a story and two leads who just didn't inspire me. Hell they were straight out boring. No passion at all.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Lumens

I agree on Rogue One. You can almost feel the crowd of corporation representatives tugging at the director's every move. Visually stunning moments though.

Didn't bother with Fantastic Beasts.


----------



## HareBrain

psychotick said:


> Rogue One - colour me disappointed. Look you want to make a samurai movie where everyone dies a glorious death, that's fine. Even in space. But here's the thing. If I don't feel any attachment to the characters why do I care if they die?
> 
> Fantastic Beasts - Again not much of a story and two leads who just didn't inspire me. Hell they were straight out boring. No passion at all.





Lumens said:


> I agree on Rogue One. You can almost feel the crowd of corporation representatives tugging at the director's every move. Visually stunning moments though.
> 
> Didn't bother with Fantastic Beasts.



Came here to comment on these two films, which I watched on a long flight yesterday. *Fantastic Beasts* was very disappointing, after the praise I'd heard for it. There was nothing to it apart from the SFX: no subtlety, no ideas, nothing. And even the SFX quickly became tiresome, though it might have looked better on a full-size screen. My brother also tried to watch it and fell asleep, and this was a daytime flight.

*Rogue One* was better, but you had to switch off the old grey matter, which I find hard to do. It helped that I had such low expectations after TFA. The robot was cool, the imperial forces as ridiculously incompetent as ever (which reduces the tension, as it becomes too obvious that characters are only in danger from the script writers, not the enemy). It's nice that the Death Star, despite being a wonder of technology and precision, was inaccurate enough to give certain characters time to say goodbye.

Also watched *Arrival*, which was better. Best of all, though, sadly, wasn't SFF at all (though it dealt with fantasy in one sense) -- *Denial*, about the David Irving trial. I thought it superbly acted, and riveting, even though I knew the outcome. Why can't SFF films do this?


----------



## J Riff

_Shock Waves_ 1977. Ehrrr... Nazi SS guys, still alive, well they live in a swamp, underwater, where they sleep until cast members wander by... there's a crazy nazi guy living in a castle, or something, and only one gal survives the swamp-SS attacks, she is made crazy and narrates the story, which is about these SS guys, still alive, sleeping underwater.. in a swamp , .. and .. _ *


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That one is better than you'd think, and the scenes of the underwater Nazi zombies are pretty creepy.


----------



## Toby Frost

The last film I saw was *Lion*, about a boy from India who was adopted by an Australian couple and decided to find his original family. This was good, basically. It was slightly overlong (as are most modern films!) but had good acting and excellent camerawork, especially of the Indian city where the boy ends up. It was also the first PG-rated film that was neither a war film or for children that I've seen for years. Surprising how much tough drama you can still put into a film like that.

On the subject of underwater villainy, does anyone remember a film called something like *Colossus*, starring Christopher Lee, Vincent Price or one of those guys as the captain of a _Titani_c-style ship that sinks and somehow survives at the bottom of the ocean? The people in the ship continued to live as if it was the 1920s, with many strange inventions. Inevitably, their society had a dark underside. I don't think it was especially good, but it's stuck in my mind as a proto-_Bioshock_, weird and eerie.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

The film is Goliath Awaits I think.

Cheers, Greg,


----------



## REBerg

*The Huntsman: Winter's War*
This film answers the question everyone was asking: What if someone did a live action version of _Frozen _without all music and fun? Good special effects, though, and visual confirmation that Charlize Theron remains one of the world's great beauties.


----------



## Vince W

I was goaded into watching *Independence Day: Resurgence*. All I can say is why did I waste my time with this unpolished turd.


----------



## REBerg

Vince W said:


> I was goaded into watching *Independence Day: Resurgence*. All I can say is why did I waste my time with this unpolished turd.


Recently watched that on HBO. It was as underwhelming as everyone had said. The only bright spot was Judd Hirsch.


----------



## Toby Frost

That's the one I was thinking of. Thanks Greg!


----------



## J Riff

Oh, I'm not_ criticizing_ Shock Waves... I mean, these guys, in SS unis, with goggle-style glasses, some of them, well they just.... lay there, in this swamp... and they must have had to just get in the water, then sink down and lay in the mud, looking mindless, and then stand up and walk towards people, who scream and run, or shoot them , but it does no good... and it is, as Victoria says, pretty creepy. It's much creepier than _Alien Cargo_, which is about some 'space junk' brought aboard a freighter spaceship, which turns out to be blue goop, which we don't see for  a long time - goop that turns out to be inside an ancient NASA probe of some kind, that... well it causes bad things to happen, and at the end we might learn what the bio-goop is, but No, I can't remember, because of the sadness of the ending, where our couple just floats away in the ship, no air left, because they are infected and don't want to kill us all by coming back to Earth.


----------



## Stewart Hotston

The Nice Guys - which was unexpectedly good and quite funny. The day before we saw GitS, which was, on its own terms, a great action film with a superb aesthetic.


----------



## Randy M.

Just watched _The Nice Guys_ last weekend. It did capture the '70s flavor and Gosling and Crowe were unexpectedly -- by me at least -- pretty good together.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

_Pale Rider_, a lesser-known Clint western, in which the man with no name, a preacher no less, shows up and helps out a group of miners being claim-jumped by wealthy strip-miner types. Is Clint a ghost? Well judging by the bullet holes we see in his back at the beginning, very likely yes.


----------



## Rodders

Logan. It was pretty good. Glad they took a more mature route for this movie.


----------



## J Riff

_The Way Back_ - it's a long long way back, over the Himalayas in 1941, after escaping from camp. Beautiful scenery.


----------



## Ignited Moth

_*Going in Style*_. It was a fun movie. I really enjoyed it.  It was also a pleasant surprise to discover that the movie theater I went to had installed comfy recliner chairs since the last time I'd been there.


----------



## Foxbat

Had a day off yesterday so watched *Das Boot*. Such a good film and always a pleasure to go back to it


----------



## mosaix

Foxbat said:


> Had a day off yesterday so watched *Das Boot*. Such a good film and always a pleasure to go back to it



Definitely need a day off to watch it.


----------



## J Riff

Well I started watching _Diagoro Vs. Goliath_ and wow, just wow. I mean.. if you like Japanese monster movies, with ridiculous monsters, kinda for kids-type-monster-stuff, then Diagoro must be seen. He has weight issues, and is unhappy, and the subtitles are kooky, and the music,... and it's awfully good.
 Up next - _Quick-freeze Monster Barugon_. Yup, I'm on a roll.


----------



## Boneman

Recently had  a granddaughter, so checked out *Beauty and the Beast* for a few year's time. Very nice little film - Emma Watson is really good.... then immediately after I saw *The Promise*. Very good film... but when will Christian Bale stop mumbling...?


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Thing" (1982)*

Have seen this film many times over the years, and the reason for this is because its A BLOODY GOOD FILM!!

We all know the story, the characters, the original book etc etc, so won't bother going over the same ground here.

My favourite quote: "There is still cellular activity in these burned remains. They're not dead yet!"

5/5


----------



## J Riff

_Space Amoeba_ 1970. More fun with kooky monsters. Only half-watched it but fully enjoyed it. Giant Octopus, giant Crab, others.


----------



## AlexH

*Saving Mr. Banks*
There were lots of Mary Poppins spoilers (which I haven't seen), but other than that, it was very good.

Yes, apart from having an inkling that Walt Disney was in it, I didn't actually know what it was about before I watched it, which is how I usually like to go into films.


----------



## J Riff

Right. The new _Alien _flik is due, and when the ads come on TV, I look away and go 'HMMMMALADEEEDOOOO" until it's over.
Also watched _The Lineup_, 1958, in which Eli Wallach and others are smuggling heroin inside statues, using innocent tourists as mules, until the G-Men close in and justice prevails. Pretty good.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Guardians of the Galaxy. Quite liked it, but perhaps not as much as I thought I would. Rocket and Groot are excellent.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Passengers - the Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence sci fi flick. Have to say this movie was not whatI expected. I was thinking at the outset that this entire adventure would turn out to be one of those dreams that happen in long term hyper sleep things and they'd all wake up at the end of the movie. But it's not. They actually do wake up thirty years into a one hundred and twenty year mission and can't go back in the pods. And then it turns into this truly bizarre romance in space where Pratt is busy hiding a secret from the woman he loves - that he woke her up and doomed her to a life alone with him!

Loved the ship and the special effects. But I wasn't convinced by the plot. The romance thing was - well a frankenstein thing. And there were all these things that didn't make sense. Yes I understand that the crew needs to sleep - but they really can't be woken up in case of an emergency? And you can just fix a fusion reactor by venting it to space?! Who knew?!!! Personally I would have thought the easier idea would be to just stop feeding the reactor fuel - but hey, what do I know! And how that relates to a ship's computer going nuts, I still don't know. And then there's this whole business model of the company that's running these century long trips to other planets. First I don't believe the economics would ever work out. And second if this is the ship's third(?) flight then five centuries have passed and no ones come up with a faster means of transport in all that time?

So many issues. But I love the ship and special effects.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Vince W

Arnold Schwarzenegger sweating like a Mexican donkey through *Commando*. Gloriously puerile nonsense. And the ridiculous moustaches pasted onto the faces of the army of bad guys at the end deserve a special award for least convincing make-up.


----------



## WaylanderToo

saw GotG: Pt2 at the midnight showing on release day. If you liked the 1st one you'll love the 2nd it's basically more of the same with added extra Groot (seriously he pretty much steals the show)


----------



## HanaBi

*Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
*
Given its a MayDay bank-holiday weekend here in England, I thought I'd give Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy another dusting down. It's been a couple of years or more since I last watched, and that was purely to cleanse my eyes and mind from the godawful "The Hobbit" bogfest!

I don't know if its because I'm getting older, but I find myself liking "Fellowship" less on every repeat viewing! Back in 2001/2 it was an awesome spectacular of a film; but after watching it again earlier today, I found myself pressing the FF button on my remote far too much to really absorb myself once more. In fact out of the 3 hours I probably only watched 90 minutes of it - not good!

The much maligned "The Two Towers" is next up for this evening. I hope the I have enough battery juice in my remote because I have a feeling I'll be doing the same again!

3/5


----------



## opuscosmos

Rogue One, good movie apart from the CGI inclusions and bouncing from planet to another quite often. That's a lot of frequent flier miles.


----------



## Lucien21

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 - Loved it.


----------



## J-Sun

HanaBi said:


> I don't know if its because I'm getting older, but I find myself liking "Fellowship" less on every repeat viewing! Back in 2001/2 it was an awesome spectacular of a film; but after watching it again earlier today, I found myself pressing the FF button on my remote far too much to really absorb myself once more. In fact out of the 3 hours I probably only watched 90 minutes of it - not good!



That was actually my reaction the first time. A few years ago I picked up a VHS of it for a quarter and ended up feeling like I'd wasted my quarter because I couldn't watch the whole thing. IIRC, I got to the end but only because I fast-forwarded through much of it in that first and only viewing. (In other words, I basically quit watching it early on but wanted to see if it ever picked up and it didn't.)

That said, everyone calls _The Empire Strikes Back_ the best of the Star Wars films but I almost always fast-forward through 90% of the Dagobah fortune-cookie scenes despite being enthralled by them in early viewings. It's still a good movie, but those scenes don't generally maintain interest anymore. (The first one was always my favorite anyway.)


----------



## HanaBi

J-Sun said:


> That was actually my reaction the first time. A few years ago I picked up a VHS of it for a quarter and ended up feeling like I'd wasted my quarter because I couldn't watch the whole thing. IIRC, I got to the end but only because I fast-forwarded through much of it in that first and only viewing. (In other words, I basically quit watching it early on but wanted to see if it ever picked up and it didn't.)
> 
> That said, everyone calls _The Empire Strikes Back_ the best of the Star Wars films but I almost always fast-forward through 90% of the Dagobah fortune-cookie scenes despite being enthralled by them in early viewings. It's still a good movie, but those scenes don't generally maintain interest anymore. (The first one was always my favorite anyway.)



Well I whizzed through "The Two Towers" last night. And I wasn't intentionally looking for the action sequences, because some of those were a little drawn out (Helm's Deep, for one). However, I did find it slightly more absorbing than "Fellowship". And tonight I will be settling down to "Return of The King" - a film I enjoyed immensely first time round - but again, I suspect I will be FF some of the battle scenes again.

As for Star Wars: for me "Empire" was the most complete instalment of the trilogy; with the former laying the foundations, and the latter not quite ending in a very satisfactory way for my liking. The opening scene in "A New Hope" will always, ALWAYS live with me because it was so bloody spectacular seeing this massive Star Destroyer hove into view above the heads of the cinema audience (back in the days when 70mm Dolby Stereo was all the rage.) However, the rest of the film was just okay, even back then. Although the space battles were impressive enough; just couldn't invest any time in the lightweight story.


----------



## HareBrain

The Bourne Ultimatum, which had been on my TV HD for months. OK apart from some OTT and too-long action sequences. I thought it was odd that there was so much reference to unexplained backstory, till I realised it was the third in the series, not the first as I'd thought. Doh!


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

I loved all three of the first Bournes. So you can imagine my disappointment when they brought out his replacement - Aaron Cross. Bourne was just so clever and five steps ahead of everyone even with amnesia. It was one of the things that made him great. And the plots were complex and designed to surprise by showing things out of order. Cross just turned him into a joe public sort ofguy running around with no plan except to get his drugs and try not to get shot. And this new Bourne with Jason's return, isn't a lot better in my view. They should have stopped at three.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Rodders

Train to Busan. 

I thought that it was a very good film.


----------



## Toby Frost

*What We Do In The Shadows* - This is a horror/comedy from New Zealand, about a group of vampires living in a suburban house and trying to interact with the modern world. It's very funny, with good special effects and a few moments of surprising gore. The film makes a very good job of skewering pretty much every aspect of being a vampire: hypnotising prey, turning into a bat, getting your minions to clean up after you and "being sexy". Recommended.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The World's End" (2013)*

The final part of the "Cornetto Trilogy" following on from the great "Shaun of the Dead" and the brilliant "Hot Fuzz". However, this flavour is definitely vanilla - bland, tiresome, lacklustre, and a pretty disappointing ending!

Simon Pegg plays a really unpleasant lead, with Nick Frost playing the straight guy for a change - and then there's the 3 supports that are all 1 dimensional, and just act as silly stooges to Pegg's lame gags. 

Unlike the first two films this mix of comedy, horror and sci-fi just doesn't work - it's as if we've seen it all before (which we have) and somehow it just doesn't come off a second (or third) time.

Regrettably this final act in the trilogy has gone soft 

2/5


----------



## HareBrain

Toby Frost said:


> What We Do In The Shadows



That's on my watch list. Doesn't it have one of the Conchords (as in _Flight of the_) in it?


----------



## J Riff

_Attack of the Herbals._ Really. This is, I believe, a full-on Irish send-up zombie movie. It is, you see, and they get that way - zombified - via the tea, you see. Some kind of herbal tea. Well it gets very violent n' gory and all, but lots of crazy characters... someone should watch this and let us in on the jokes we didn't get by not being Oirish.
_ Unacknowledged -_ 2001 - (no review available) and:
_Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs_ - 60s Vincent Price, say no more, it's very silly.


----------



## Toby Frost

HareBrain said:


> Doesn't it have one of the Conchords (as in _Flight of the_) in it?



Yes, I think he plays the Vlad the Impaler character. The director plays the lead character. I think the other _Conchords_ bloke has a minor part, too.


----------



## Randy M.

_Hidden Figures_ (2016). This is excellent. I haven't read the book and just expect details had to be dropped or elided, but the performances by the main three actresses were very good as were the supporting performances by Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons.


Randy M.


----------



## Overread

HanaBi said:


> *"The World's End" (2013)*
> 
> Regrettably this final act in the trilogy has gone soft
> 
> 2/5



I tend to agree, although I honestly never found Shawn of the Dead to be that fantastic either. Hot Fuzz was brilliant and Shawn was decent, but yes The Worlds End kind of just felt rather dull. I even wonder if it was their attempt at a mock "drunk" comedy - the kind where unless you're in some way inebriated whilst watching its generally dull a ditchwater.

Also the film I wanted to see happened in the last 5 mins or so - a loan warrior in a wasteland etc.... Now that looked fun and funny!


----------



## WaylanderToo

Randy M. said:


> _Hidden Figures_ (2016). This is excellent. I haven't read the book and just expect details had to be dropped or elided, but the performances by the main three actresses were very good as were the supporting performances by Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons.
> 
> 
> Randy M.



agreed - excellent movie!


----------



## Randy M.

_The Creature from the Black Lagoon_ (1954): directed by Jack Arnold, starring Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Julia Adams.

Showed up on the old movie channel (TCM) last night. One of my favorite old creature features with an experienced cast well-directed and put through their paces. And in spite of the faults of the costume, it influences my imagination when reading Lovecraft about the "Innsmouth look." 


Randy M.


----------



## HanaBi

*Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982/2007)
*
_I've seen things you people wouldn't believe!_

Sums up this film perfectly

6/5 (sic)


----------



## WaylanderToo

I beams burning off the Tannhauser Gate.... and then like tears in the rain they're gone. (or near enough, too tired to see if I got it spot on)

Apparently that was actually all ad-libbed by RH


----------



## HanaBi

*"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid To Ask" (1972)*

I have a penchant for Woody Allen all of a sudden. And I rule out the Woody Bergman-wannabe era post "Annie Hall"!

For me Allen was at his most anarchic up to and including Annie Hall (1977). Those films were extremely funny in a slapstick, pratfall, gag kind-of-way. Very accessible and not particularly challenging cerebral-wise.

That said, "Everything...." really hasn't stood the test of time at all well. At the time it was considered risque purely because of its subject matter; but these days it all seems rather flaccid (pardon the pun!); and certainly not as funny or plot-driven as say "Bananas", "Sleeper" or "Love and Death". 

2/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

My review of it from many years ago.



> Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid To Ask) (1972)
> 
> Written and directed by Woody Allen.
> 
> Ah, the early 1970's. The Golden Era of the Best-Selling Sex Manual. The Sensuous Woman by "J", followed by The Sensuous Man by "M" and The Sensuous Dirty Old Man by "Dr. A" (Isaac Asimov.) Then there was Dr. David Reuben's question-and-answer book with the really long title with an asterix in the middle. Natural movie material, no?
> 
> Well, no. But they made a movie out of it anyway, sort of like the way they made a comedy out of Helen Gurley Brown's classic Sex and the Single Girl. Buy the rights, then ignore the book and just use the title.
> 
> EYAWTKAS*(*BWATA) takes the form of a skit comedy, with seven segments vaguely related to questions you might find in the good doctor's book.
> 
> "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?" takes us back to the Middle Ages, as jester Woody Allen (complete with one of those jester-faced sticks that jesters carry around, this one with glasses) does his shtick for the King ("It's great to be back at the Palace") before slipping the Queen (Lynn Redgrave) a love potion. As you might expect, chastity belt jokes ensue. This is probably the most average segment of the film; amusing, but nothing special.
> 
> "What is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a fellow who falls in love with a sheep. This is a pretty bad segment, with the humor on the level of dressing up the sheep in sexy stockings. One joke made me laugh, when Wilder winds up on Skid Row, drinking Woolite.
> 
> "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" features Allen as the husband of a frigid woman (real-life ex-wife Louise Lasser.) Frankly, I remember nothing about the plot or jokes in this segment. However, I give it high marks for being a brilliant visual parody of an Italian art film, subtitles and all. (To my surprise, Allen actually sounds pretty convincing speaking Italian.) The cinematography is very European, and there are lots of shots of people walking slowly through half-lit corridors and all that arty stuff. Nicely done, and maybe a hint of the Allen who would later make Interiors.
> 
> "Are Tranvestites Homosexuals?" hits rock bottom with a jokeless skit about a guy (Lou Jacobi) in a dress. Utterly worthless.
> 
> "What Are Sex Perverts?" is an amazingly accurate recreation of the old game show "What's My Line?" with the new title "What's My Perversion?" I love to watch these old game shows on the Game Show Network, so I can vouch that this segment looks exactly like the real thing, down to the blurry and flickering black-and-white visuals of an old kinescope.
> 
> "Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate?" should be of interest to members of this board. It features John Carradine as a mad sexologist who has created a giant breast. It's actually funnier than you'd think, and I cracked up at Carradine's locked room full of zombified Boy Scouts.
> 
> "What Happens During Ejaculation?" is probably the film's best segment. It takes us inside the body of a typical male during dinner, followed by a sexual encounter. Burt Reynolds and Tony Randall are featured as cells inside the fellow's brain, which resembles a NASA control center. There are also some poor cells who have to work in the stomach, which gets filled with pasta. Allen himself appears as one of many sperm cells who are ejected into "outer space." This segment has a wonderful, white-on-white look inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey.
> 
> Overall, two lousy skits, one OK skit, two excellent pastiches, and two good skits. Not bad.



Very much a curate's egg.


----------



## J Riff

_Blast of Silence_ 1961. Later black and white noir that really works. The tough guy narrator talking to himself about what a tough guy he is, how lousy the world is, how much he hates this and that. Jazz music makes this one better.


----------



## Rodders

Night crawler was on TV last night. I had no intention of watching it, but it just caught my interest. It turned into a very good movie.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Killing of Sister George" (1969)*

The ever-remarkable Beryl Reid plays and ageing lesbian actress, who faces being written out (killed off) of a long-running TV soap drama. She realises one reason for her demise is her age - she is too old and too cantankerous; and during rehearsals she is always at loggerheads with other characters, writers and the director of the soap. She has become bitter and twisted, and soon takes her spiteful vengeance on her live-in partner, the waif-like Susannah York, to whom is used to being the punchbag for Reid's bitchiness.

This bitchiness becomes even more tightly round when York meets up with a TV producer, played with understated skill by Coral Brown, thus pushing Reid further into the shadows of personal calamity and loneliness.

A wonderfully moving drama, which to my great surprise with directed by of all people, Robert "The Dirty Dozen" Aldrich! 

Reid gives one of her finest performances I have ever seen, coupled with some able support from York as her naive young lesbian lover. (There is a fairly explicit love scene twixt York and Brown, which detracts from the mood of the narrative-led drama). Another good aspect is the handling of lesbianism throughout the film, which is done with a great deal of tact & respect without resorting to levity and a general homophobic overtone.

4/5


----------



## J Riff

_Guardians of Galaxy 2_ -= pretty epic, but oh-so-typical father/son showdown for control of the universe. Still fun stuff. *****
_Frankenstein Conquers the World_ 1965 - he has to be gigantic to do this... conquer the whole world - so he starts growing, in Japan, and then Baragon shows up to take the heat off big Frank, and rubber-suited wrestling commences. But does he manage to conquer the whole world? No spoilers. *


----------



## HanaBi

*"2010: The Year We Make Contact" (1984)*

Taken on its own merits, this is a fine SF action/thriller with plenty of good visuals, decent acting and a plausible script.  But of  course we all know this is a follow-up to "2001" and therefore in this context it fails to live up to its cerebral roller-coaster of a film!

The ending in particular falls flat: and if this is supposed to be "something wonderful is about to happen", well it turned out to be a bit of damp squib. 

3/5


----------



## J-Sun

HanaBi said:


> The ending in particular falls flat: and if this is supposed to be "something wonderful is about to happen", well it turned out to be a bit of damp squib.



Variety is definitely the spice. I agree that the movie is fine overall - not the greatest thing ever, but significantly better than most. But that ending is incredible (primarily in the good, and a little in the bad, sense). The sequence is one my favorite sequences in all film (even if it does stretch "extrapolation" strictly past the breaking point).



Spoiler



I mean - Jupiter turns into a STAR!! We have two suns in our sky!! Life begins evolving on Europa!! We almost nuke ourselves before aliens make first (general, historical) contact and show us a bigger picture!!!! Awe inspiring.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Rogue One again last night with the GF. She wasn't overly impressed, but I thought it stood up to a second viewing and really enjoyed it.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Fantastic Voyage"* (1966)

Saw this a couple of years ago, and thought it was okay. Loved it as a kid of course because I didn't know any better, and genuinely felt that one day militarisation might become a reality one day.

40 years on and I'm still waiting. But I decided to give this film another go last night: all rather hokey of course, and I was strangely quite happy to see the demise of Donald Pleasence for a change!

Then there's Raquel Welch 

2/5


----------



## Daisy-Boo

Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2. Lots of action and a heavy dose of humour. The chemistry of the gang is still intact and Drax, in particular, cracked me up. Before that I also watched Kong: Skull Island, Logan, Denial and Hidden Figures. Hidden Figures is superb! I've watched it three times. I really enjoyed the gritty Logan too, much more so than any other X-Men universe film. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and newcomer Dafne Keen are highly watchable and the action scenes were heart-stopping.


----------



## Ignited Moth

_*The 5th Wave*_.  I wasn't really a fan. I might still read the book one day to see if it's any better (since they typically are), but I just wasn't into the movie like I'd hoped I'd be.


----------



## Lucien21

*Fast and the Furious 8*

Eh!! it was dumb over the top fun. Turn off brain and watch.


----------



## Lucien21

HanaBi said:


> *"2010: The Year We Make Contact" (1984)*
> 
> Taken on its own merits, this is a fine SF action/thriller with plenty of good visuals, decent acting and a plausible script.  But of  course we all know this is a follow-up to "2001" and therefore in this context it fails to live up to its cerebral roller-coaster of a film!
> 
> The ending in particular falls flat: and if this is supposed to be "something wonderful is about to happen", well it turned out to be a bit of damp squib.
> 
> 3/5



I think the first film was so good due to the book and movie being co-developed which presumably helped the plot of both, while 2010 was an adaption after the fact so the book could go places the movie couldn't.

It will be interesting to see if the actually manage to make the other two books as planned.


----------



## reiver33

Alien Covenant - use of music (and other nods) from the original 'Alien' did make this a creepy experience, plus the unknown (to me) cast meant no ones survival was guaranteed. I'd rate it a worthy addition to the series.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Two modernizations of novellas by Fyodor Dostoevsky:

*Notes from Underground* (1995) 

Set in modern Los Angeles, and with the "underground man" videotaping himself instead of keeping a journal, but otherwise captures the spirit of the original, with the spiteful, self-hating, self-destructive minor civil servant, his disastrous dinner party with successful folks with whom he went to school, and his encounter with the prostitute he fails to rescue. Pretty depressing stuff.

*The Double* (2013)

Keeps the basic theme -- meek, ineffectual fellow encounters his bold, successful doppelganger who eventually takes over his life -- but mostly notable for its setting, which is the same kind of weird blend of past and present in things like Brazil. Lots of really odd technology. Notable for the fact that, although all the characters are British or American, the most popular music is Japanese pop songs of the 1960's. Very, very dark comedy.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Alien: Covenant*

This was well-made and well-acted, with a few excellent set-piece scenes, but ultimately a bit pointless. The script's pretentious references don't fit very well with the fact that it's really about people trying not to get eaten by monsters. Every new film about the Alien makes it seem smaller and more disappointing: we are a long way from the Lovecraftian star-god of the first film. The question "Where did it come from?" can't be answered in a way that is as grandiose as the question itself. So, I'm afraid, I think it's time to stop making these - not because _Covenant _is a bad film, but because I don't think there's anything for the films to say.

Maybe _Outland_ is due a remake?


----------



## Randy M.

Finally caught up with these two movies:*

DISTRICT 9 *(2009) -- Quite good. Mostly innocuous and incompetent bureaucrat caught up in evacuation of a slum, the slum house aliens -- from outer space. Well-imagined and altogether too plausible as an extrapolation of how we would treat aliens who came here for sanctuary.

*BRICK *(2005) -- 1940s film _noir_ set in a 2000s high school. The dialog occasionally strains while trying for something similar to '40s tough-guy vernacular, but really this is an amazingly successful re-imagining of '40s _noir_ and maybe the best explanation you'll see for the progress of Joseph Gordon-Levitt from child actor to adult actor.


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

The Great Wall - holy wow, is there monsters in this one? Yep. No spoilers... but the title contains the words 'Eat All'...and Tao Tei is I et Oat backwards... and this is a terrific action movie, great FX and costumes. Watching it, I thought who is this MC, he looks like Matt Damon, then it turned out to be him.


----------



## HanaBi

*Rush - Beyond The Lighted Stage (2010)*

Not a film per se, more rock documentary: just don't expect another _Spinal Tap_ though!

If you're a fan of this long-serving, Canadian rock band, you probably won't learn much from this, even though it does cover almost 40 years of their existence. There are interviews aplenty from fellow rockers like Gene Simmons from _Kiss_, but they're more anecdotal than anything of real interest. But the consensus is that Rush are an excellent band but never quite made the mainstream, often ignored by the sniffy music media, and were still not recognised by the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" until 3 years after this documentary!

Over the decades their music moved away from the navel-gazing days of progrock of the 70s, the gee-whizz digital synth 80s,  the sombre, moody and reflective 90s; and a return to slightly more mainstream rock & roll for the 00s. Fans will often argue long and hard which decade was Rush's best, and I guess like the band itself tastes change over time.

If you're not really a Rush fan then this film will be of little interest other than as a time-filling whimsy. But if you are a fan by all means check it out, but don't expect to learn much you didn't already know.

3/5


----------



## Starbeast

*A Hologram For A King* (2016) - Pleasant drama that I've never heard of, a bit strange, but not bad. Starring: TOM HANKS.
*
Gung Ho* (1986) - Wonderful RON HOWARD film to re-watch. One of Michael Keaton's best movies. Tons of great actors in the film. One of my favorite comedies of all time.
*
Horror Express* (1972) - Inspired by the short story, "Who Goes There?", written by John W. Campbell. Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing & Telly Savalas. One of my favorite cult movies.


----------



## J Riff

Rush, ecccccch, that was on here, I put on Gumby episodes to drown it out. Overdone and mediocritous and yet we get bombed with their stuff everyday in public, still!. Like AB/CD, removed from record collection but still can't escape them. Meanwhile -_ Terrorvision _1986, has a ool soundtrack and funny punkrock bits, and a good monster. Not as cool as _The Great Wall, _which I 'spect SFF people will like, as will fans of archery. Maybe the best trick shot you will ever see.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Day of the Dead" (1985)
*
I was watching the BBC news yesterday evening, and it featured an item about our Prime Minister, Theresa May. Shortly afterwards I had a strong desire to watch this very underrated zombie follow-up to the seminal "Dawn of the Dead" (78 version)!

I didn't think much of it when I first watched this in the cinema way back in '87; but over the years I have grown to appreciate it, especially the lead characters and a slightly more involving story compared to "Dawn".

The gory sfx look a bit dated by today's standards, but are effective enough for me. And I quite liked the ending, and it's a pity Romero couldn't have ended the franchise right there!

3.5/5


----------



## J Riff

THE coolest shot in the history of archery. I defy anyone to think up a better one. The Great Wall is pretty great, fans of action/monster/ movies...and I think the history is more accurate than usual.... but no spoilers. I watched it again, now I want to join the nameless order. *


----------



## Alexa

WaylanderToo said:


> xXx: The Return of Xander Cage....
> 
> ok I'll fess up - I loved the 1st xXx movie. Big dumb fun. This though is very much a missed opportunity.
> 
> The good:
> 
> Donnie Yen
> Tony Jaa
> Deepika Padukone
> Ruby Rose
> The women are not just there as a love interest (though Nina Dobrev's character is a cracking parody of that)
> quite ethnically diverse (if such matters to you)
> Some good stunts
> 
> The bad
> 
> wasted opportunity for DY and TJ
> logic fails (mind you you could level the same accusation at most Bond movies)
> 
> Overall it passed the time maybe 45%



I just watched this one and I agree with you. I don't know why, but I expected more.


----------



## Miranda Martin

The last movie I watched was Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I did like it and thought it was good, didn't blow me away like the first but then I had no high expectations for the first one like I did this one.

Last thing I watched on tv was the 100. This show is getting on my nerves but I just love some of the characters so I keep watching.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Hmm. I think the last thing I saw at the cinema was *Going in Style*. 2/5. Fluff without substance. Good performances. A few chuckles. Totally missed the opportunity to really make a point about society's treatment of its elderly.

Last thing I watched on a flight was probably *Doctor Strange* because it's been on BA flights constantly and it's an easy pick. 4/5, biased because I'm a long-time Doctor Strange fan girl and I'm just glad there's a pretty film of it at last 

I totally missed *The Handmaiden* due to said flights, so I'll have to wait for Blu-Ray for that one, which is a shame as it looked excellent.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Oh, that's right! I saw *Logan*. Really enjoyed it. Mostly it was made by SirPatStew swearing his way throughout  4/5, a few logic holes, but good.


----------



## HanaBi

*"LA Confidential" (1997)*. Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey

Brilliant yet somehow quite disturbing film that focuses on the underbelly of 1950 Los Angeles, where murder in Tinseltown is often covered up by a corrupt police, tipped off by a desperate gossip rag, and enforced by the powers in high office. It takes two detectives (Crowe and Pearce) to unravel the truth and take on the power that so easily corrupts.

Very uncompromising, and yet is so skillfully directed you find yourself yearning for more!

"Yes, I am entertained!!" (as Russell Crowe, might say)

4/5


----------



## Alexa

*Fifly Shades Darker *(2017). They followed the story as in the novel, so no suprises in there.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Oh god I _love_ LA Confidential so much!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Last movie I saw, about three days ago, was *Snatched* -- Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. I went because I had time to kill before an appointment. I should have just wandered the streets and begged...
I went in not expecting much. I got less than I expected, and I ended up leaving well before it was done.

Plot: nonsensical -- a young woman, planning a trip with her boyfriend, is dumped (and she really deserved it!), and left holding the paid-for tickets. She can't find a friend who is willing to spend that much time alone with her, not even her mom; but she bullies her mom into going along... I guess that signs of her maturing were showing up before I left, but I just didn't care.
Characters: unsympathetic.
Action: people falling off cars or falling off boats... Someone tries to do a Tarzan-like swing on a vine, but it breaks...
Dialogue: pathetic.


----------



## Gonk the Insane

*Willow*
I hadn't seen it for ages, but it was on telly yesterday. I love that film!


----------



## J Riff

xXx - zZz.


----------



## dekket

We went and saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 on Saturday, which I really enjoyed.
My son was saddened by the ending.
My wife thought it was better than the original.


----------



## Randy M.

*Bad Moms* (2016) -- Not awful, just dumb. Mila Kunis, Kirsten Bell, Kathryn Hahn and Christina Applegate deserve better material. What laughs come out of this are due to them, not the script.


*THEM!* (1954) -- first of the giant bug movies and still probably the best. The black and white cinematography and the gravitas of James Whitmore, James Arness and Santa Claus -- er -- Edmund Gwenn help carry the premise of ants made giant by radioactivity. Terrific, creepy early sequence with a little girl found wandering in the desert and her reaction to the noise the ants make. The movie also offers quick glimpses of actors early in their careers who visited our living rooms for the next few decades: Richard Deacon, William Schallert, Dub Taylor, Leonard Nimoy and Fess Parker.


Randy M.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Life*" (2017)

Basically what we have here is "Alien" meets "The Thing" with a touch of "Gravity" thrown in for good measure: in essence a bunch of astronauts working on the ISS discover something "live and kicking" on planet Mars. And guess what happens for the next 80 odd minutes!?

Director Daniel Espinosa, does a decent job as a poor man's Ridley Scott. And the film is good as a shock-horror, but only if you haven't seen films already mentioned above!

3/5


----------



## millymollymo

*King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
*
This movie is using the phrase "based upon" in the broadest possible sense. If you go expecting romantic historical myth and legend you'll be disapointed. 
But.

This is Grimdark Fantasy, fun, and without a doubt a cult movie. Lock, Stock meets Lord of the Rings. It's only an hour and a few mins long but Guy Ritchie crams so much in to it. Who'da thought Beckham would make for a perfectly dodgy midlevel evil army grunt?


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

millymollymo said:


> This is Grimdark Fantasy



All right, you just sold me on it!


----------



## HanaBi

"*T2:Trainspotting*" (2017) Ewan McGregor. Directed by Danny Boyle

It's been 20 years since Boyle gave us Irvine Welsh's remarkable adaptation "Trainspotting": an era commonly (and fondly) associated with  BritPop, of Oasis, of Blur, of Pulp and of course Underworld. "Trainspotting" was, and still is a cult film amongst the Gen-Xs and perhaps even the Baby Boomers trying desperately to cling on to their <my> yoof! So it was with some reservation that I decided to give T2 a swing, knowing full well that our favourite 4 Scottish hedonistic drug addicts would be in their 40s this time round, and therefore no longer relevant in this context.

And  true enough only one of the four "chose life" - our very own Mark Renton (McGregor), and went  for the straight, safe and boring world of marriage, proper jobs and a mortgage.  While  "Sick Boy", Begbie and Spud are still stuck in a 90s rut with crime, prison and of course drugs still high on their "to do" list. 

Like most sequels of this nature, they all meet up (save for the imprisoned Begbie), and reflect over old times, along with serious misgivings, anger, betrayals and a quaint nostalgia of being very young and very stupid back in the day, and how things have/have not changed for some of them.

It's okay I guess, but I can't help feel Boyle could have been a bit more adventurous rather than relying on flash-backs and 90s music anthems to offer any kind of depth to T2. This isn't boundary-pushing new-wave, but more recycled ripples. Millennials will probably fall asleep with the tedium of it all, while the Gen-Xs might also feel a little short-changed - nice flashbacks  and standing at iconic train station platforms and all that, but where the hell is the story!?

2/5


----------



## Vince W

*Deepwater Horizon*. This should be a study of how _not_ to film a true life story. There is zero story or character development. The little dialogue there is  consists of mumbled jargon and grunted monosyllabic words. It quickly devolves into running and screaming from loud explosiony type events punctuated with 'real coward' and 'real hero' moments.

In the end the photos of the real life victims was drawn out to nearly 5 minutes of the 1h47m run time and left about as much imprint on you as feathers falling on concrete. Dull is about the most positive thing I can say about it.


----------



## The Great Snook

Guardians of the Galaxy 2- Enjoyed it, but thought the first one was better.


----------



## HanaBi

"*A Man Escaped*" (1957)

To my mind this is director, Robert Bresson's finest film: a simple premise of a French Lieutenant's valiant attempt to escape from a prison in German-occupied Lyon, France during WW2.

This is no "Great Escape". It is painstakingly slow, patient, meticulous in its development over the 102 minutes running time. You can sometimes feel the claustrophobia envelope you as much as our heroic soldier and his methodical means of escape or face a firing squad for being a resistance fighter/conspirator.

Based on a true story, coupled with Bresson's own experiences in an internment prison camp in France during the War, this is a truly breathtaking film from start to finish. 

*5/5*

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (A Man Escaped)


----------



## J Riff

Actually, skateboard fans would enjoy the one scene in Return of Zander Cage, it's pretty funny.
I watched Terry Jones of Python fame - his series on ancient Egypt, a few larfs as one may expect. )


----------



## J Riff

Okay.... *'Life*' is dangerous; it's a dangerous, cute little thing that can get loose in your space sation, and...* 
The Great Wall, anyone?


----------



## HanaBi

*"Anatomy of Monsters" (2014)*

Andrew, a psychotic serial killer, is out looking for his next victim. Step forward, Sarah, whom he meets in some seedy bar. They invariably end up in a motel room, but only then do we eventually discover that Sarah herself is serial killer wanting very much to murder Andrew just for the "fun of it!" But instead of the film launching into an easy more familiar "hunt or be hunted" thriller/horror, both characters actually spend a large portion of their time discussing their motivations to kill complete strangers, and the complete lack of empathy for doing what they do.

The film is very dialogue-driven, fleshing out the characters into something more than just your one-dimensional Jason-types. Even though Andrew has managed to hand-cuff Sarah to the motel-room bed purely for his own safety rather than anything sexual, he quickly realises that she is far more dangerous than he could ever have imagined despite having all the control to hand. She opens her mind to him in moments of self-loathing and hate for herself and her actions, and he becomes ever more unsettled - as if he has finally met his mentor in the act of killing!

With so much dialogue, you can be forgiven to wonder how the final act will unravel. But unravel it does, to quite a fine tuned conclusion. The "action" is measured, and very much on the back-burner for most of the time;instead this is a character study of two killers in a seedy room, both with their own motivations. The viewer feels like some kind of intrusive psychiatrist listening in to the minds of these deranged, yet seemingly ordinary-looking individuals.

Disturbing!

3/5


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

That sounds amazing, @HanaBi! I might have to find that!


----------



## HanaBi

Amelia Faulkner said:


> That sounds amazing, @HanaBi! I might have to find that!



It's one of this films you will either love or loathe. 

Very character-driven with little or no "action". And the production values are not exactly Steve Spielberg standard. But for all its faults, it is very engaging, in a disturbing kind of way.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

HanaBi said:


> in a disturbing kind of way.



That's my _favourite_ kind of way


----------



## HanaBi

Amelia Faulkner said:


> That's my _favourite_ kind of way



I am disturbed knowing that you like being disturbed watching disturbing films


----------



## MontyCircus

Last I saw was HBO's TV movie "Wizard of Lies" about the biggest fraud in history by Bernie Madoff.  I thought it was terrible.  I think you could watch the whole thing and still be unsure as to exactly what a Ponzi scheme is.  Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer were awful.  Pfeiffer had a ridiculous "New Yaaawwk" accent fail.

I had seen the earlier 2-part TV mini-series "Madoff" last year, starring Richard Dreyfuss.  It was much better.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*Ex Machina*_.
Brilliant.
Surefire directing,acting,SFX.
Intelligent script/dialogue.
Recommended?You bet


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> Okay.... *'Life*' is dangerous; it's a dangerous, cute little thing that can get loose in your space sation, and...*
> The Great Wall, anyone?


All right, since you're pushing *The Great Wall*, I'll admit I saw it, some time ago! (Unless, of course, you're referring to the Twin Cities restaurant by that name, which seems unlikely...):
On reflection, I'd say the movie was pretty -- exquisite costuming and sets, and very good fx.
But after a couple of decades of the occasional high-end Chinese martial arts movie (the ones where the adepts can stride from tree-top to tree-top, etc.), I found myself bored...
This thing was set in the same sort of bleak desert that so many of those movies have been. And it featured the tremendously exaggerated stunts, as people, having apparently learned a lot in their oriental mart.arts classes, prove able to make tremendous leaps, etc. But I am so, so tired of the overly-dramatic delivery of the lines of the Chinese fighters...
Turns out that the eponymous Wall was actually created not to stop Mongols and such, but to stop monsters, who invade cyclically over generations. And they're getting smarter about it, so it's getting harder to stop them -- good thing the Chinese are so good at creating new weapons, such as that black powdery stuff...
Enter a wandering group of scuzzy Europeans, looking for something they can steal and run away with...

And yes, that was Matt Damon, with a man-bun.

I left the movie thinking that it had been worth seeing once, but that would be it...but with the passage of several months, I'm starting to think that I'd watch it again, if only to try to catch details I missed the first time through -- after all, a lot of the scenes were pretty active, pretty busy; so who knows what I might have missed?


----------



## 2DaveWixon

I'm just back from seeing *King Arthur: Legend of the Sword*. I'm tempted to tell you that it was an awful movie -- it was -- but I won't, because, against expectations, I came away with a few good impressions...I had to fight myself to get to that point, though.
(I spoke of my expectations because this think has gotten some really bad press...)
My impression is that the major name to associate with this movie is that of Guy Ritchie, who was not only the director, but one of the co-writers (and I suspect he was the guiding light of the project...). Mostly I have avoided his movies, but in fact I much enjoyed the two Sherlock Holmes movies he did (that starred Robert Downey, Jr.). So I had hopes that maybe this movie would tap into that vein, somehow...

This movie was clearly intended to present a new version of the "back story" of the King Arthur legend, i.e., how Arthur came to be and began his rise to power. I guess it made sense to devote this film to that terminus of the legend, since I've heard that the original plan was that there would be a series of six movies, telling the entire Arthurian story. (My hunch is that this project is dead in the water, given the critical and audience reactions...)

To begin with, I had a real problem with the fact that the "back story" developed for this movie bears almost no resemblance to other versions of the legend that I've heard before (I grew up on *The Once and Future King*; this movie bears no resemblance to that).

To avoid spoilers, I'll try to not give away much of the plot...what plot there was, that is...
Let me put it this way: this movie is almost incoherent -- the dialogue is just stupid, and does not communicate much of what's supposed to be going on...
It has some fine scenery (shot, I've learned, partly in north Wales and partly in the Highlands). It has some interesting ideas.
But it is burdened by what appears to have been a conscious effort to avoid anything like a chronological telling, a straight-line exposition of the plot. Rather, it jumps back and forth in time, using flashbacks (dozens and dozens of them, some as short as two seconds) to show incidents and/or explanations that were skipped over the first time through -- and, most freakishly, on a couple of occasions the flashback was different than the scene previously shown....
I guess Ritchie felt it had to be done this way, because the movie was mostly spent rushing from action scene to action scene, leaving little time for exposition... And even with the flashbacks, a lot of this thing went without explanation.

The lead was Charlie Hunnam, who was in *Pacific Rim.* He looked as if he was a character out of the "Vikings" television series (and that was confusing, since there were Vikings as characters in this film...he kept looking as if he fit right in with them.)
Other than Djimon Hounsou and Jude Law (evidently Ritchie liked his work in the Holmes movies!), there were few people I knew in this thing. The bright spot for me was Astrid Berges-Frisbey, who played a mage (The "mages" seem to have been a separate species from the humans, although was not made very clear...) -- apparently some sort of assistant for Merlin, who has almost no presence in this film; she is never named, but is only "the mage" -- and there are times when her face dominates the screen...

Most of the characters we're familiar with from the legend as previously told do not make it into this film.

And we're familiar with the sword Excalibur -- but the sword of this story is a whole different kind of, er, weapon (see my reference to Moorcock, below...).

I didn't much like the story -- it seemed undeveloped, inconsistent, unappealing. But I kept finding images that pulled at me...do you recall a fantasy artist of the 70-s-80's, named Jeff Jones? Someone in this movie remembers him...
There is Michael Moorcock influence here, and Tolkien (specifically, the towers...), and the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.
(Also here, strangely, is what appears to be a sort of oriental martial arts school, led by a Chinese-appearing person named George...)

I'm glad I saw it, I guess; but someone needs to take Guy Ritchie aside and talk earnestly to him about the need to not have total contempt for his audience...


----------



## nixie

Kite, set in a dystopia future a young assassin hunts her parents killers, a group of child slavers. Very dark , violent and completely riveting I'm surprised it is only a 15 rating.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just got back from seeing Wonder Woman. I'm so glad to see my superwomen finally getting to the big screen so I made sure to book in advance and see it as soon as I could.

It laboured a little under being an origin story, and was very expositiony to begin with and then choppy when getting Diana to the war. But the Amazons were awesome so that made up for it (especially the General and Hippolyta). Would've been nice to see more of the paradise side of things and not make it seem like they only spend their time kicking the crap out of each other, but I understand the restraints! 

Once we reached No Man's Land and she 'became' Wonder Woman (to a degree) it was wow. I like that there was no holding back on what she can do and how strong she is. Some really excellent fight scenes throughout, including a nifty bit in an alleyway that was especially cool.

It's probably fair to say that it's more the Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor film but Chris Pine does a grand job and the ending was really rather moving (or hit me in a squashy spot). 

What I was hoping most for in this film was not just Wonder Woman the fighter but Wonder Woman the ambassador of peace. I think it was Gail Simone who said (paraphrasing) that Diana extends the hand of peace before she will turn it into a fist. And I feel like the ending did show that, so I'm pleased about that. 

It's not a groundbreaking film or anything particularly unique, but it's entertaining, moving and does a good job with her origins; not just her history, but the forging of the Wonder Woman character.


----------



## J Riff

The not-so-great-wall? But, great blue costumes, giant swords, reptilian monsters with a bit of fur and telepathic powers, and the stupidest trick arrow shot ever. Watch that trick shot - it's impossible the way it's shown. The arrows are shot from the ground, yet they end up sticking in that column straight. A bit more thought and they could have had them at an angle, and the bowl would slide down and stop at the feathers. It's still better than_ Life _or _Alien:Convenience_. AND most other rubbish SFF I've sat through lately.


----------



## Stewart Hotston

I watched wonder woman tonight. I was blown away. I've written long on it here: Wonder Woman


----------



## 2DaveWixon

J Riff said:


> The not-so-great-wall? But, great blue costumes, giant swords, reptilian monsters with a bit of fur and telepathic powers, and the stupidest trick arrow shot ever. Watch that trick shot - it's impossible the way it's shown. The arrows are shot from the ground, yet they end up sticking in that column straight. A bit more thought and they could have had them at an angle, and the bowl would slide down and stop at the feathers. It's still better than_ Life _or _Alien:Convenience_. AND most other rubbish SFF I've sat through lately.


Now that you've mentioned (sort of...) the new Alien movie, I might as well mention that I saw it a couple of days ago.
It was awful!
I should have realized, going in, that it was a sequel to *Prometheus* (from a few years back) -- which I also disliked greatly.
This one was so boring that I walked out before it was over.
Someone, somewhere, must have a vision for this series; but I can't see it continuing.
Another feature carried forward from *Prometheus*: grayness. Almost everything in this movie is great, literally gray in color, shot gray, gray of mood...

Ugly film!


----------



## Lumens

*A cure for wellness 
*
A rather positive surprise. The title didn't speak to me so I wasn't expecting much but it turned out to be a clever horror/mystery tale. I wouldn't be surprised if it gives you nightmares. Don't expect everything to be answered. Main actor is in the upcoming Valerian, which made me excited.


----------



## Droflet

*Life* (2017)
Astronauts recover a capsule from Mars that may contain a form of life, and take it aboard the ISS for examination. What could possibly go wrong? This was okay but their attempt at being another Alien fell short. Worth a look but not great. 

At two and a half hours A Cure for Wellness didn't work for me. Some good moments but overall, meh.


----------



## WaylanderToo

well just been to see WW and I'm not sure what I can tell you....


































DC have *finally *smashed it! A cracking little film fun and plenty of soul and humour. WWI is an under utilised era in terms of film and this film nails that too. If JL is as good as this then Marvel will have something to worry about!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Marvel needs the competition. They've done some great films, but they've had some failures, and it will be interesting to see if/how they react to the D.C. ascension.

(One thing I'm interested in seeing (although it's a minor point) is how much individual actors/actresses/players show up in both series of films -- for instance, Ben Affleck seems to have become the current placeholder as Batman -- but might he show up, some time, in a Marvel film? Will Smith? Ryan Reynolds has already appeared in films from both franchises, for instance, and I'll wager there have been others already... I wonder if the contracts of some actors preclude them appearing in the "competition's" series?)


----------



## REBerg

*Rogue One*
Wow!


----------



## HanaBi

"*One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich*" (1970)

I recall reading Alexander Solzhenitsyn's book of the same name many years ago, but never got round to watching the film until now.

Set during Joseph Stalin's iron-fist rule in the former USSR, and the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions who suffered under his tyranny in Siberian gulags. 

This film focuses on one typical day for Ivan (brilliantly portrayed by Tom Courtney), who is serving a 10 year sentence in the most appalling, back-breaking, soul-destroying conditions. 

This is not a happy film with an equally happy or uplifting ending. But it is truly memorable, and almost betters its novel. 

4/5


----------



## Overread

Witchfinder General. Interesting film to watch, old and very much showing its age and low budget with some rather cheap stage looking costumes. However good actors and an interesting bit of film history when one considers that its classed as horror and yet, by today's standards, would be classed closer to an action film with a bit of violence (although I'll say that those old horror films did screams rather well and more scary than modern film screams).


----------



## J Riff

Yeah, it is clunky and not gripping at all. Dumb movie characters die, the aliens are too smart and the typical mad scientist is just huh? 
_Space Amoeba_ is better - it is a Cthuloid rubbersuited giant beastie, good fun.


----------



## J Riff

_All Is Lost._ - Robert Redford, and nobody else - stars in this no-dialogue mild thriller. It is very nice to have on, and quite refreshing nd different. Redford is great in this adventure at sea.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Man Bites Dog*" (1992)

MBD is more a real-life "mockumentary" than fictional fantasy. Perhaps because it is filmed like one of those TV news report off the streets of some war-ravaged country, with its shaky camera, nervous reporters  and unexpected surprises. 

This black & white film works so well not because of the film's subject matter (a documentary TV crew follows the daily life of a self-confessed serial killer called Ben), or because of Ben's rather belligerent attitude to what he does. Instead the film works because of the film crew following his every exploit with a kind detached ghoulishness. In essence the camera's eye is really an allegory of us, the viewer, ever fascinated in the macabre & the depressing even though we would never publicly admit to it.

What attracts us to this dark side of life? Man Bites Dog regales in its pleasure while we sit uncomfortably with our conscience & throws it back in our faces via the camera crew.

Ben's murders are graphic and incredibly brutal,  yet his attitude is one of indifference, even approaching contempt that his chosen victim should ever have been born in the first place! But it doesn't matter if we disagree with his actions & philosophy because we're too busy watching, observing, wondering what he will do next while not realising that the joke being played is really on us.

The film isn't just about some mad murderer to whom we should hate (yet don't) but it also points the finger at ourselves and our own unhealthy interest observing (from a safe distance) on someone else's misery.

4/5

Man Bites Dog


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Carry On Screaming!* (1966)

Broad spoof of Hammer horror films. Given that this is a Carry On film, it's no surprise that there's lowbrow comedy, mild bawdiness, and puns. More surprising is the fact that the production values are excellent, with costumes and sets and props that are lovely to look at. (The setting is the very early 20th century, and there are some authentic automobiles of the time which are a joy.) 

Women are disappearing and the clues lead our bumbling police heroes Sergeant Bung and Detective Slobotham to the Bide-A-Wee Rest Home, where the dead-but-very-active mad scientist Doctor Watt (yes, this leads to a "Doctor Watt." "Doctor Who?" "No, Watt!" scene) and his seductive sister Valeria (Fenella Fielding stealing the picture in the Vampira/Morticia/Elvira role) use their revived creature Oddbod to abduct the ladies and transform them, *House of Wax* style, into mannequins to sell to milliners. (The mannequins are extremely well done; they look exactly like the actresses, but are clearly actual mannequins and not the actresses pretending to be mannequins.) In a scene straight out of *The Creeping Flesh*, Oddbod loses a finger and electricity creates a whole new monster, Oddbod Junior. There's also a Lurch-style butler and a Jekyll-and-Hyde formula which leads to the monster vs monster climax. The shouting matches between Bung and his shrewish wife are unfunny, and the movie isn't above using a man in drag for laughs (but it's very nicely done drag) but it's all good fun for fans of old monster movies.


----------



## clovis-man

WaylanderToo said:


> DC have *finally *smashed it! A cracking little film fun and plenty of soul and humour. WWI is an under utilised era in terms of film and this film nails that too. If JL is as good as this then Marvel will have something to worry about!



Saw it today. I need to say up front: My wife absolutely loved it. And she doesn't go in for action movies or super heroes. Pushed all the right buttons for her.

For myself, I found Gal Gadot to be a great choice as WW. Eat your heart out, Lynda Carter. The first part of the film was engaging and moved along nicely. The action scenes weren't overdone to the point that they just became a blur. But as soon as the scene shifted to the WW I front, it lost its way to some extent. Chris Pine's sidekicks were stereotypical to the point of lunacy. And 



Spoiler



I figured out that Aries was David Thewlis early on. Much too obvious.



Overall, however, it was good enough that I am not happy to contemplate the very real likelihood that her character will be deeply submerged in future DC films featuring other superheroes.


----------



## nixie

Watched Reacher last night, entertaining but not  brilliant. Think my biggest issue was Tom Cruise he doesn't fit my vision of Reacher.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Guardians of the Galaxy 2*. Really enjoyed it, an unexpected amount of feels!


----------



## REBerg

*Doctor Strange*
What a trip! I want that cape.


----------



## Rodders

Pop star: Never Stop Never Stoppin'. 

A mocudrama on the whole pop idol phenomenon, starring Andy Samberg. It was very funny and I watched it twice.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Battlefield Earth*" (2000)

PG review version - "This is without doubt a really really bad film!"
X rated review version - "lots and lots of vulgar Anglo-Saxon expletives!"


----------



## Randy M.

*The Mist* (2007) -- Not bad, a decent version of Stephen King's novella of the same title. Group of people caught in a supermarket when a mist rolls in and in the mist carnivorous critters of various sizes and shapes. The mist obscures some of the grosser deaths, but not all of them. The ending was controversial at the time, and I think I prefer King's ending though this one is, honestly, rather logical. Watching the movie felt like watching a variant version of _The Walking Dead_ -- it stars Laurie Holden, and features Jeffrey DeMunn and Melissa McBride; and then I remembered Frank Darabont directed the movie and is a producer of TWD and it all made sense.

*Wonder Woman* (2017) -- Good fun. There's a WW thread and my comments are here.


Randy M.


----------



## Andrew Lambert

*Guardians of the Galaxy 2. *Great film, Avenger Assemble aside, my favourite Marvel characters.
What spoiled it for me was the mass murder scene - by any definition, that's what it was. 40 or so men despatched in the vacuum of space - which I would imagine is a gruesome way to go, and another 40 killed by the whistle-ly dart thingy. These numbers could easily have been scaled down. Then they want us to go 'ahh' to a twig (love him really!).
The excess in superhero films now turns me completely off - Also, does anyone take pleasure from current day car chases. Watched the last Bourne a few days ago and there must have been 100 innocent cars flipped, rolled, etc. I found it cringe worthy, and another 50 extras in the morgue.


----------



## Overread

Andrew Lambert said:


> The excess in superhero films now turns me completely off - Also, does anyone take pleasure from current day car chases. Watched the last Bourne a few days ago and there must have been 100 innocent cars flipped, rolled, etc. I found it cringe worthy, and another 50 extras in the morgue.



Action films have always been a bit casual with public casualties - however yes these days because of CGI its so easy to take 2 or 3 cars and then have 50 or 100 smashed in and destroyed (and of course every car explodes when hit). It does kind of make characters seem very two dimensional and strange. The more recent Superman film was very much like this with Superman having a huge mental breakdown over a few key killings, but having utterly no problem killing dozens of people in emotional outbursts and fights.


----------



## Andrew Lambert

Overread said:


> Action films have always been a bit casual with public casualties - however yes these days because of CGI its so easy to take 2 or 3 cars and then have 50 or 100 smashed in and destroyed (and of course every car explodes when hit). It does kind of make characters seem very two dimensional and strange. The more recent Superman film was very much like this with Superman having a huge mental breakdown over a few key killings, but having utterly no problem killing dozens of people in emotional outbursts and fights.



I switched off three-quarters of the way thru the Super-Bat film, in utter disgust, and must have missed that. Or mentally blocked it out.


----------



## Andrew Lambert

Overread said:


> Action films have always been a bit casual with public casualties - however yes these days because of CGI its so easy to take 2 or 3 cars and then have 50 or 100 smashed in and destroyed (and of course every car explodes when hit). It does kind of make characters seem very two dimensional and strange. The more recent Superman film was very much like this with Superman having a huge mental breakdown over a few key killings, but having utterly no problem killing dozens of people in emotional outbursts and fights.



ps. Our avatars could be of the same race, ha ha!


----------



## Overread

Andrew Lambert said:


> I switched off three-quarters of the way thru the Super-Bat film, in utter disgust, and must have missed that. Or mentally blocked it out.



Ah no not the super/bat man film the former Superman solofilm (Man of Steel?). It was a shame because that film started out with a more serious slow character building take on Superman, but I think the fact that they tried to squash 3 films with of content into a single film really showed past the midpoint as everything got rushed and then got silly.


----------



## J Riff

_The Last Scout _- oh good, the last,  so no sequel. And,_ Oblivion,_ Tom Cruises in cool ships, rides mean motorcycles, on a destroyed Earth, with a romantic subplot and tradgedy and 'Scavs' scampering around. It looked good. *


----------



## J Riff

_Deepwater Horizon _huge oilrig blows up, true story; how they do this stuff is amazing, giant mud blasts, must have been fun for the cast and stuntmen.
_The Dark Tapes _- I have got to do one of these paranormal romps, using a cellphone camera and getting stuff to move around the room by itself. Add scary music and sound FX and voila, horrible movie.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Scum*" (1979)

Life in a British borstal (a young offender's institution) during the 1970s. Just like adult prison, you have the usual mix of incompetent guards, guards that "look the other way", blinkered governors, hard-case prisoners who consider themselves the bosses (or daddies) of a particular prison/borstal wing; prisoners who just want to keep the status quo, do their time and get out; and prisoners who are weak, scared and almost suicidal at the life they now face. 

Ray Winstone, makes his screen debut as Carling - a new admission to the borstal. Initially he just wants to keep a low profile, bide his time for the duration of his sentence. But inevitably he is challenged from the "daddies" and the guards - chipping away at his relatively passive demeanour, until eventually he finally breaks and we see the real Carling in devastating action!

This film looks dated and fairly mild in its dealing with violence, power-struggles and life in general at one of these places. But back in the 80s it was hugely controversial, not least for the homosexual rape scene, the general brutality between prisoners and guards; but also at how the story tends to be far more sympathetic for some of the offenders rather than the System itself. But Winstone is wonderful as the charismatic Carling - and every time I see Winstone in TV betting commercials I think of Carling and his immortal words "_Where's your f***ing tool!_" from the film.

3/5


----------



## J Riff

_The Mummy._ They find this bad mummy, see.. she was bad, and buried far from Egypt, and sure enough - still bad when discovered, and our hero is chosen, dies but keeps living... has to fight off the evil curse... things explode, other things fall down and it is action and jokes all the way. No spoilers though, there are twists and I can't remember them already, but it was as good a Mummy movie as I've seen recently.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The War Game* (1965) 

Made for British television but withdrawn before it was shown as being too intense for the viewing audience. It depicts a nuclear attack on Britain in documentary style. Fifty of the most unsettling black-and-white minutes you will ever see.

*Monster From Green Hell* (1957)

Bottom-of-the-barrel big bug movie. A couple of American science guys shoot a rocket full of test animals into space, it comes back down in central Africa with a giant wasp inside. Tons of stock footage fill up the running time. Brief glimpses of stop-motion giant wasps. Pretty dismal even for 1950's sci-fi flicks.


----------



## J Riff

Green Hell! Yep, only the shots of the super-giant bug on the horizon make it memorabobble. 
The second Riddick movie -_ Pitch Black,_ non-memorable, a bit clunky, and overdone characters slow it down and make it vaguely crummy.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Music Box*" (1932) - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

Okay, so perhaps this isn't a full-length feature film, coming in at only 30 minutes. But by many standards quantity doesn't always return good quality. And The Music Box won Stan & Ollie a well-deserved Oscar. That said, although it is a superbly choreographed short, I personally don't think its their very best (for me, that would be "*Sons of the Desert*")

The story is so simple yet so inventive and full of kinetic & emotive energy. Stan & Ollie have to deliver a Piano to a highly strung guy who can't stand pianos! But just to make life a little more interesting the guy's home just happens to be perched on a hill/stoop with a never-ending flight of steps, to whit Stan & Ollie have to negotiate their awkward delivery.

Some of the gags we've seen many times before in their films,  but it doesn't matter because the added sparkle derives from the human emotions & expressions delivered with such panache from Stan & the long suffering Ollie - the way he looks-to-camera in a pleading kind of way just has me in stitches of laughter & empathy.

Masterful!

5/5


----------



## Calum

The Red Turtle. Another excellent work from Studio Ghibli, that breaks free from their typical conventions and delivers a deeply captivating slice of magical realism, albeit a somewhat flawed one. It starts off as very much a typical Robinson Crusoe tale with a nameless mariner stranded on a desert island. Even here however it breaks with convention.

While more Hollywood flavoured tales of isolation such as Castaway or I am Legend contrive devices like a dog or an imaginary friend for the protagonist to talk to the filmmakers resort to a more naturistic approach, allowing us to empathise with the mariner purely through his body language, reactions and visual symbolism. It’s a bold approach and one that allows us to become more directly immersed in his struggle. For instance, in contrast to Ghibli’s usual art style the mariner is drawn in a way that evokes something akin to Herge’s Tintin, which contrasts with the more detailed, busy backgrounds that evoke traditional Japanese artwork, evoking the feeling of being lost in an unfamiliar alien world.

The first half of the film is easily the best as it follows the sailor’s struggle to survive. However the cracks begin to show when the story takes a turn into the realm of surrealism, and while I won’t spoil anything the film begins to lose its sense of focus and momentum throughout the second half, particularly in regards to a tsunami which doesn’t move the story forward and only seems to be there to pad out the film’s run time. In retrospect the film could have worked better as a short, since the second half feels somewhat protracted. Despite these faults the Red Turtle is well worth the watch, with its dazzling artistry creating a mesmerizing if imperfect experience.


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

*The Day the Earth Stood Still*.....
The giant robot was the star of the show.
Unneccessary cameo by Cleese,Connelly not up to scratch,IMHO,Keanu Reeves his usual self.
Not a total dud,but wooden acting and direction


----------



## hardsciencefanagain

_*The Place Beyond the Pines*_
Much,much better.Not sf or fantasy though.
Crime drama,topnotch acting(Phillippe,Cooper,Mendez)
9,2 out of ten
Surprising ending


----------



## Droflet

hardsciencefanagain said:


> *The Day the Earth Stood Still*.....
> The giant robot was the star of the show.
> Unneccessary cameo by Cleese,Connelly not up to scratch,IMHO,Keanu Reeves his usual self.
> Not a total dud,but wooden acting and direction



Much preferred the original.


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Mummy - not bad, just not great either! Think Ang Lee's Hulk - and then think of how Marvel have fared since!


----------



## HanaBi

I haven't seen The Mummy purely because some critics see it more like The Cruise, given how he totally monopolised the entire production!


----------



## dask

*The Barkleys Of Broadway*. Stronger than normal storyline stringing dance routines together, with "Shoes With Wings On" a true highlight. Another is Ginger in Highland garb, proving somethings are more than timeless, they're better than ever.


----------



## J Riff

_Approaching the Unknown_... fastforwarding the unwatchable. )


----------



## REBerg

*Hidden Figures*
Excellent! U.S. astronauts would literally have never gotten off the ground without these women.


----------



## Randy M.

*All the President's Men* (1976; dir. Alan J. Pakula; starring Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman)

This keeps showing up on the pay channels so my wife and I decided to watch it again, for the first time in years.

Anyway, it holds up well. Nicely filmed, moves along well without skimping too much of the detail of the investigation by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein into the break-in of the Watergate Hotel in 1972 and their subsequent exposing of a Presidential cover-up. Hoffman is fine in most things I've seen him in; this one feels a bit like typecasting, but he works well within the focus of the movie on the story. I'm lukewarm about Redford -- I don't know how anyone can carry a movie like he's capable of and yet still be one the blandest screen presences I've ever seen. Still, his quiet earnestness and intelligence also work well here. Ultimately, I think it's interesting that a handful of character actors probably come off as more memorable -- Jack Warden, Martin Balsam and John McMartin as WP editors, and especially Jason Robards as Ben Bradlee (Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) and Hall Holbrook as Deep Throat.


Randy M.


----------



## HanaBi

Randy M. said:


> *All the President's Men* (1976; dir. Alan J. Pakula; starring Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman)
> 
> This keeps showing up on the pay channels so my wife and I decided to watch it again, for the first time in years.
> 
> Anyway, it holds up well. Nicely filmed, moves along well without skimping too much of the detail of the investigation by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein into the break-in of the Watergate Hotel in 1972 and their subsequent exposing of a Presidential cover-up. Hoffman is fine in most things I've seen him in; this one feels a bit like typecasting, but he works well within the focus of the movie on the story. I'm lukewarm about Redford -- I don't know how anyone can carry a movie like he's capable of and yet still be one the blandest screen presences I've ever seen. Still, his quiet earnestness and intelligence also work well here. Ultimately, I think it's interesting that a handful of character actors probably come off as more memorable -- Jack Warden, Martin Balsam and John McMartin as WP editors, and especially Jason Robards as Ben Bradlee (Oscar for Best Supporting Actor) and Hall Holbrook as Deep Throat.
> 
> 
> Randy M.



"...President's Men" is one of my favourite political films, and have re-watched it many times over the years (the books is superior but not hugely accessible if you only have a passing interest in the Watergate Affair).

Both Hoffman and Redford were decent as "WoodStein", but I couldn't get over the fact I was looking at actors rather than characters, purely because of the popular stardom of both actors. 

My favourite characters were "Deep Throat" (Hal Holbrook), and Jason Robards' Ben Bradlee, especially his enduring, damming quote to WoodStein...

"_You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a s**t_"


----------



## Randy M.

HanaBi said:


> Both Hoffman and Redford were decent as "WoodStein", but I couldn't get over the fact I was looking at actors rather than characters, purely because of the popular stardom of both actors.



I think as time passes that becomes easier to overlook. Neither is a big a star now as then, so I found it a bit easier to push that out of my mind.



> My favourite characters were "Deep Throat" (Hal Holbrook), and Jason Robards' Ben Bradlee, especially his enduring, damming quote to WoodStein...
> 
> "_You know the results of the latest Gallup Poll? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a s**t_"



Great quote and at the time absolutely true. 

What impressed me about Robards was how relaxed his Bradlee was, passing through the press room with authority but no angst, no weight on his shoulders. There's a shot of him from the back after giving the duo the okay to proceed even though he knows that if they can't find more support for some of what they've published he'll be out of work shortly. He walks away from Woodward's desk, loose-limbed, almost jauntily toward the elevator; as he walks, passing a desk on his left he taps it twice with his fingertips, snaps his fingers and swings that hand into the other hand in a clap and keeps going. It's just a passing shot, but it says a lot about the character, his attitude to what he's doing, his willingness to take a risk when he believes he's right, and his ability to let it go and not continue gnawing on the decision after making it.


Randy M.


----------



## HanaBi

Randy M. said:


> I think as time passes that becomes easier to overlook. Neither is a big a star now as then, so I found it a bit easier to push that out of my mind.
> 
> 
> 
> Great quote and at the time absolutely true.
> 
> What impressed me about Robards was how relaxed his Bradlee was, passing through the press room with authority but no angst, no weight on his shoulders. There's a shot of him from the back after giving the duo the okay to proceed even though he knows that if they can't find more support for some of what they've published he'll be out of work shortly. He walks away from Woodward's desk, loose-limbed, almost jauntily toward the elevator; as he walks, passing a desk on his left he taps it twice with his fingertips, snaps his fingers and swings that hand into the other hand in a clap and keeps going. It's just a passing shot, but it says a lot about the character, his attitude to what he's doing, his willingness to take a risk when he believes he's right, and his ability to let it go and not continue gnawing on the decision after making it.
> 
> 
> Randy M.



Great observation; one that I hadn't previously considered. But I did note in Bradlee's office a picture of John F. Kennedy on his wall, which says a lot. And I also think that initially he didn't really appreciate the gravitas of the burglary story and where it would lead too. And despite being very self-assured and a decent boss, you just knew that he had a sinister underbelly when he knew he was getting into something extremely dangerous - more so given that other newspapers were ignoring the story. I particularly liked this quote of his

"_Goddammit, when is somebody going to go on the record in this story? You guys are about to write a story that says the former Attorney General - the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in this country - is a crook_! *Just be sure you're right!*"

it's the way he said that final sentence that really shook me, and Robards nailed it perfectly.


----------



## J Riff

_Cars 3 _- a cam version, off-center, in Spanish with huge Arabian subtitles, very blurry, sound intermittent, seen worse, like:
_Tyrannos Claw_, half-watched, waiting for the giant rats scene.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hatchet for the Honeymoon*(1970)

Striking visuals are the most remarkable feature of this offbeat shocker from director Mario Bava. The main character is a remarkably handsome young man who calmly informs us, in voice over narration, that he is insane. We're not terribly surprised, since we've already seen him indulge his hobby of murdering women with a hatchet on their wedding nights. (The first murder that we see -- there have already been many others, it seems -- is committed on a train, while the bride is in the arms of her groom. No mention is made of the husband, but I assumed he had to be killed also. The police inspector on the case never mentions anything but the murdered women. Interesting.)

Anyway, the madman runs a fashion house that specializes in bridal gowns and such. He inherited it from his mother, but the money to operate comes from his wife. Their marriage is an unhappy one, but she refuses to give him a divorce. Whenever he kills a newly married woman (or, in one case we see, an engaged woman wearing one of the wedding gowns he sells) he remembers a little more about the trauma he suffered as a child. (The full nature of which probably won't surprise you.)

The film's major plot twist requires a SPOILER.



Spoiler



He kills his wife, and she comes back as a ghost that only other people can see,
so they think she's alive. That was a fascinating variation on the theme of a haunting.



Beautiful, darkly poetic, and not explicitly violent. Recommended


----------



## HanaBi

"*Gladiator*" (2000) - Oliver Reed, Russell Crowe

Absolutely loved this old "sword & sandals" action drama during its release at the beginning of the new millennium. A visual feast to nourish the eyes and switch off the mind: very much lots of style over very little content. But that didn't matter because we all wanted to see Russell Crowe get his revenge on the nasty "Emperor" Commodus.

However, that was then, and here in the now, I decided to watch it again (the Blu Ray version this time), and I have to say how totally underwhelming it has become! Yes, the action is good, but there's very little else to redeem the film from just the ordinary now. Crowe still looks his brooding best, but falls a long way short compared to say his marvellous role in "L.A. Confidential" three years prior to Gladiator. The support cast come across as stooges/props if you will. And I can only guess Derek Jacobi was short of cash to want to agree to appear in this "I Claudius Lite" trifle. 

This film is very much a no-brainer, in all senses of the word. But even then it hasn't really stood the test of time all that well- not for me at least. Director Ridley Scott, did an okay job I guess, but it doesn't rank amongst his more solid paragons of delight - Alien, BladeRunner, Thelma & Louise.

Am I entertained? No, not any more

2/5


----------



## nixie

*Daylight's End, *a plague has turned humans into monsters that come out at dusk. Good enough to pass a couple of hours.


----------



## Cli-Fi

Power Rangers (2017)- This is another example of a movie I go into with no expectations and am generally surprised by it. It reminded me a lot of the 2009 JJ Abrams Star Trek. With a good mixture of Transformers and Chronicle. This movie has everything everybody says is wrong with Hollywood: inclusive cast, less CGI etc... Yet it bombed at the box office. I'm not sure what people were expecting, as a Power Rangers lover it took me back to my childhood and I could relate to each and every character. Even if I find it hard to believe that a bunch of High School teenagers could learn military optics in 11 days, it's power rangers!!! 8/10

Logan (2017)- Simply the best X-Men movie ever! 10/10


----------



## HanaBi

"*Reservoir Dogs*"  (1992) - Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Steve Buschemi, Tim Roth

My favourite Tarantino film to date, and his best so far imho.

Despite not being a big box office hit on its release in 1992/3, it quickly became something of a cult film for its legions of fans who can probably recite at least 50 lines of dialogue and own at least one of those cool RD film posters (me included!)

Tarantino brought a little glamour and style to the classic gangster film genre in the 90s, which critics felt made it "okay" to go out and shoot people so long as they donned black suits & ties and wore a pair of Ra-bans. But for me Tarantino turns that argument on its head and shows us that criminals don't win in the end, but die a bloody, violent death!

I also liked his choice of "B" star actors in Keitel, Penn, & the disturbingly manic Michael Madsen (although I wish James Woods had known about the movie because he would have made an excellent Mr Orange, rather than the lack lustre Tim Roth.) 

Of course this film is probably more well known for the infamous "Ear" scene. But what exactly do we "see"? Nothing, is the answer! And that's the magic of Tarantino: he sets up the scene with the torture of the policeman and Mr Blonde produces a cut throat razor. He approaches the cop and takes hold of his head and then the camera moves away and we don't see anything except what our imaginations want us to see.

The only debatable point is the fact it's a cop that is being tortured, but the important thing is that there is nothing to see -no blood, no guts, nothing. So what's the big deal!?

Anyway, Let's go to work!

4/5


----------



## Overread

Tarantino is clearly quirky/odd and has a love in his films of a lot of blood and well more blood. However its clear when you watch his films that he's studied cinema. That and he builds a very solid team around him that work well on films which compliment that. 
He's clearly inspired by a lot of the old-master film makers and that carries through to his films in many of his choices of how to pose and shoot scenes. 

I'm always reminded of a scene in Django where he pans through a small hut inhabited by a handful of characters. They are goons in the film; little more than that; their purpose is to be evil and nasty for a few moments only. Then you get this scene where you pan through their home and within under a minute he builds several into curious and interesting potential characters. Builds mystery and starts to actually get the audience to empathise a little with some of them - all before they are blown away in 5 seconds. To me that's something many film makers can't do - heck some can't even make characters within a whole film.


----------



## REBerg

Droflet said:


> *Life* (2017)
> Astronauts recover a capsule from Mars that may contain a form of life, and take it aboard the ISS for examination. What could possibly go wrong? This was okay but their attempt at being another Alien fell short. Worth a look but not great.


I enjoyed this sci-fi thriller. Although it had the same basic plot as the original_ Alien_, the International Space Station setting added a dimension of reality.
The physics actually seemed a cut above the standard space-faring film. The zero gravity special effects here were consistently convincing.


Spoiler



I was surprised that Ryan Reynolds was the first to go.


----------



## J Riff

_War Dogs _- bloddy arful rubbitch. _The Mechanic,_ Statham and pal are super hitmen, duller than nails. _Riddick,_ a bit of okay SF action, but needless stupidity, and killing the dog was bad in my book. It was a very good ET dog, why do it in? Nevermind. _City of Fear_ is good 50s noirish stuff, a vial of stolen military medicinal 'snow' (heroin) well oops, it's Cobalt 60.


----------



## Overread

One of the major themes in Riddick is that he often ends up in situations where those around him get killed; its part of showing how dangerous his lifestyle is but also how he's managed to be a generally good leader and team player (when pressed into it) and yet still ends up alone in the universe.

He's got all the makings of a warrior leader and yet can't keep those around him safe. The Dog was just the latest in a long string of deaths he's tried to prevent. Granted sometimes he does win, or gets close to winning, but many times he fails to.


don't get me wrong Riddick films have their faults; the Chronicles of Riddick had one scene (clearly cut content or never made but intended) where he escapes the Necromunga battleship in the very early parts of the film and is then running through the streets being chased by a single dropship. To me I never liked that scene because we never saw him escape. We never saw how he ended up just this one loan dropship when there's thousands of warriors and ships in the area and when the leader of the necromungas was very much driven to kill Riddick.




edit - also its interesting to note but you can kill people, parents, grandparents (heck most Disney films parents end up dead at some point early on), loved ones etc... But as SOON as you kill the dog there's pages of complaints. I recall reading that when they made A Fish called Wanda they got more complaints about killing the 3 dogs in the film than the old lady.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Bullitt*" (1968) - (D), Peter Yates. Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset

A film remembered for the amazingly choreographed car chase than for the story itself: take the car chase away and you have a very humdrum film about a detective (McQueen) attempting to protect a key witness who is about to give evidence in court at the behest of slimy politician, Robert Vaughn. Inevitably, things go wrong and every man and his dog is blaming McQueen.

The car chase through the streets in and around San Francisco, still stand up to scrutiny today; and still ranks as perhaps the best of all film chases (although personally I would go for Robert De Niro's "Ronin"). McQueen did all his own stunts, being a keen racing driver in real life (both cars and motorcycles - "The Great Escape" also shows McQueen doing his own stunts on a bike).

The producers wanted to continue the car chase across the Golden Gate bridge, but they didn't get the appropriate permission, so continued the chase further out into the sticks.

Bisset appears purely for the McQueen's love interest, and really doesn't add much more. In fact her appearance only drags/distracts, and her delivery is stilted and misplaced.

The opening credit sequence, coupled with Lalo Schifrin's brilliant score arrangement, is remarkable - especially for 1968!

3/5


----------



## J Riff

Heh... "I'm going to kill you with this bottlecap..." Yeah Overread, Diesel just announced a 4th Riddick flim, hope they don't overdo it, like usual, with too much gore mixed with wannabe-clever one-liners. No doubt he will be looking for planet Furyon and find something else.


----------



## Overread

I like to think that Diesel just makes Fast and Fury films to fund Riddick films; esp considering how Riddick is fairly more cult than it is major film franchise.


----------



## Rodders

I have only seen one Fast and Furious movie which was more than enough for me, but i really hope that they get to Fast ten, your seatbelts.


----------



## The Great Snook

Saw the latest Transformers movie.  I'm not understanding the hate as I thought it was a enjoyable movie.  True it isn't going to win an Oscar, but if you like Transformers you will enjoy this movie.  My son and niece sure did.


----------



## Dave

The Great Snook said:


> Saw the latest Transformers movie.


I think I started watching that on the Film4 +1 channel. Watched almost an hour. Suddenly realised that it went on for over 3 hours, and was going nowhere fast. Looked at the Film4 channel, one hour ahead, and it hadn't gone anywhere, so I stopped watching.

I watched _ARQ_, which is a Netflicks original film. It was a time travel, _Groundhog Day_ kind of thing, with a post-apocalyptic setting. There were several interesting alternate versions of the time-loop cycles, but the final great reveal was tame and predictable. While Netflicks TV series are excellent, I haven't yet watched a Netflicks original film that I thought was good enough to have had any cinematic success.

_Bullitt_ is however excellent. I have it on DVD. I might watch it again now.


----------



## logan_run

Star Trek into Darkness.


----------



## Randy M.

*Rear Window* (1954) -- TCM (Turner Cable Movies) replays this occasionally and my wife and I decided to watch it once again; it's a little nostalgia trip for us. My wife, not a huge Hitchcock fan except for _Psycho  _and _The Birds_, was dubious when it was back in theaters in the 1980s after years of being in some legal limbo. This was not long after we were married and she no longer felt obliged to go along with all my decisions on which movie to go see, but I dragged her along all the same and she ended up liking it a good deal. I think I see why now: It's a crime story, which she enjoys, but one of Hitchcock's mostly lighthearted ones; the give and take between James Stewart and the others, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Wendell Correy, is great fun and delivered with impeccable timing, especially from Ritter. And, as Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin brought up in the movie's intro, it's also the story of Lisa, Kelly's character, proving there's more to her than her "perfection." I imagine by this time, Kelly had had about enough of that attitude; she remains one of the loveliest, most elegant women to appear in movies, and while that may bestow advantages, it can also lead to other qualities being undervalued or ignored. She's very good at displaying the wounding that comes from Stewart's jibes and implied criticism. In turn, Stewart is always good at playing a likeable stinker, someone you'd enjoy having around even when you'd want to smack him for having an unjustifiable attitude or two. This is still one of the best movies based on a work by Cornell Woolrich, and as he sometimes did with other literary works, Hitchcock improved on the original.


Randy M.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Breaker Morant*" (1980) - Bruce Beresford (D), Edward Woodward, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson

During the South African Boer War at the turn of the 20th century, Three Australian soldiers are court-martialled and the threat of execution, and all because they murdered, rather than killed enemy soldiers and a German Spy. And to compound their woes is that behind the scenes the British Government want the soldiers killed anyway, in order to smooth out possible peace talks between all the warring factions.

Harry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is one of those convicted men, who finds it incredible that they should be facing such tenuous charges during a war where the whole purpose of conflict is to kill as many of the enemy by whatever means in order to win.

Their inexperienced defence lawyer, Major Thomas (Jack Thompson), does his best to extract as much contradictory evidence as possible against the jumped-up charges but is constantly undermined by the Prosecution and a very biased Court.

Its a tough, shocking film that doesn't play the sympathy card too much. Woodward, Thompson & Brown give stunning performances, fighting their own war of (in)justice against the whims of British colonialism & the Crown of the King.

5/5


----------



## Stewart Hotston

Lincoln - amazing film with some stellar performances.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Abbot* (1963)

One of the many German _krimi_ films adapted from the works of Edgar Wallace. This one has a plot which is difficult to follow, due to many characters, most of whom have motivations which are not entirely benign. Let's see; we've got the lord of a castle where a treasure in gold is rumored to be hidden; the young woman he wants to marry (and who is willing to marry him, but not for love); her brother, a lawyer who forged the lord's signature for financial gain; the lawyer's assistant, who is blackmailing the lawyer and who wants to marry the young woman; a not-so-young woman who wanted to marry the lord, and who works with the assistant; the lord's assistant, whom the young woman loves and who is our default hero; a couple of cops, one of whom is the goofy comedy relief; and a very young Klaus Kinski as an ex-felon now working as the lord's butler. Given this complexity, it's no surprise that the first part of the film is talky, but it eventually becomes a Gothic chiller with the title figure killing people, folks skulking through hidden catacombs, and so on. Moderately entertaining.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Guns of Navarone*" (1962) - J.Lee Thompson (D); Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn

During the Second World War, a small but well-organised Anglo-American/Greek team are sent on a seemingly impossible mission to infiltrate and destroy a huge German gunnery complex  on the island of Navarone. The reason?  To prevent six British Royal Navy destroyers from being sunk during a scheduled rescue mission to pick up over 200 stranded British soldiers from nearby islands.

Led by top mountain climber & Captain, Keith Mallory (a stoic Gregory Peck), and his cohorts including a beguiling David Niven as an explosives expert; the late Anthony Quinn as Colonel Stavros - a solider whom is privately seeking revenge against Mallory; Stanley Baker as the mechanic and knife expert. And finally Anthony Quayle, the instigator and organiser of the entire mission.

My favourite character would have to be Niven's Corporal Miller. A happy-go-lucky soldier who refuses to become an officer because he likes what he does and wants to keep it that way; yet he has that typical English charisma that makes Niven the perfect choice for the role.

Peck is also good, although he does seem just a little too stiff and 2 dimensional at times as if he doesn't know what to do in order to expand in his character and therefore plays it safe and just goes through the motions.

Quinn & Quayle are always good value:Quinn especially, adds a certain Greek charm & emotion that again makes the movie far more accessible and entertaining.

It is quite a long film at 150 odd minutes, but it doesn't feel like it. There is too much going on to make you drift for a second. It may look a little dated as it celebrates its 55th birthday this year, but again, don't let that put you off.

4/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hellzapoppin'* (1941)

Inspired by the smash hit Broadway show of the same name (but without the apostrophe.) By all reports the live version was pure anarchy which changed every night (and it ran for well over one thousand performances.) Inevitably, the movie version can't capture that aspect. It also adds an actual plot. But besides that, there's a lot of breaking the fourth wall and surrealism. The starring comedy team of Olsen and Johnson talk to the audience as well as to the projectionist showing the film (Shemp Howard!) and also argue with the director and the screenwriter (Elisha Cook, Jr.!) about the making of the movie. 

The opening sequence gives some of the flavor of this thing. After an on-screen warning that "any similarity between HELLZAPOPPIN' and a motion picture is purely coincidental" we see the projectionist struggle with his equipment. He finally gets it going, and we see a typical musical scene of showgirls walking down a set of stairs. The stairs turn into a ramp and they fall into Hell. After some acrobatic devils prance around (and turn three of the showgirls on spits over a fire) a taxi arrives with Olsen and Johnson. Some gags follow, then they shoot the taxi, which explodes into a charred wreck. The comics ask the projectionist to run the film back. They shoot the taxi again, and it turns into a horse (which happens to have a tic-tac-toe game drawn on its rump.) 

Things settle down after a while after the boys agree to have a plot in their movie. (They watch scenes from it while sitting down in front of a projection; it looks a lot like MST3K.) We get some song and dance numbers in the stage show within the movie within the movie. Third-billed Martha Raye turns out to have a killer set of gams. Frankenstein's monster shows up for a few seconds. A woman keeps showing up yelling "Oscar!" A man keeps showing up with a potted plant yelling "Mrs Jones!" There are some nifty camera tricks. (The comics have half their bodies turn invisible.) It's all like an ancestor of _Laugh-In_.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Paranoiac* (1963)

One of the black-and-white mini-Hitchcocks from Hammer. Eleven years before the movie begins the parents of three children were killed in a plane crash and the kids were taken in by their aunt. A couple of years later one of the sons apparently committed suicide, although the body was never found. The two remaining siblings are an emotionally fragile woman and her completely rotten brother (Oliver Reed in an intense performance.) Brother wants sister proclaimed mad so he can inherit her share of the family wealth. Suddenly sister sees her dead brother. Ghost, faked suicide, impostor, or part of a gaslighting plot? We find out pretty quickly, but this film has plenty of revelations yet to come. Playing a part are the sister's sexy French nurse, the family lawyer, and the lawyer's son. It builds quite slowly, with only a couple of shock scenes that come pretty late in the movie, but builds a lot of suspense. Beautifully filmed and nicely acted.


----------



## Rodders

Avengers Assemble was on the goggle box last night. Still a really enjoyable movie.


----------



## J Riff

All the Hobbit movies, extended. Good action for fans of swords, dragons, treasure hordes and whatnot. Wondering if it is worth looking at The Hunt for Gollum?


----------



## Galactic Bus Driver

"Dr. Strange" last night on Netflix. Not a cinematic masterpiece, but the eye candy was good, it had a decent plot and of course, Benedict Cumberbatch. All in all, a good addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I did notice the soundtrack was very derivative of the scores written for the rebooted star trek movies. Not terribly surprising being that it's the same composer, but it got to the point in a couple places that I thought I was watching Doctor Khan.


----------



## dekket

Took my wife and son to see Wonder Woman on Saturday.  We all really enjoyed it.


----------



## Galactic Journey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Paranoiac* (1963)
> 
> One of the black-and-white mini-Hitchcocks from Hammer. Eleven years before the movie begins the parents of three children were killed in a plane crash and the kids were taken in by their aunt. A couple of years later one of the sons apparently committed suicide, although the body was never found. The two remaining siblings are an emotionally fragile woman and her completely rotten brother (Oliver Reed in an intense performance.) Brother wants sister proclaimed mad so he can inherit her share of the family wealth. Suddenly sister sees her dead brother. Ghost, faked suicide, impostor, or part of a gaslighting plot? We find out pretty quickly, but this film has plenty of revelations yet to come. Playing a part are the sister's sexy French nurse, the family lawyer, and the lawyer's son. It builds quite slowly, with only a couple of shock scenes that come pretty late in the movie, but builds a lot of suspense. Beautifully filmed and nicely acted.



Ooo...  you'll have to mention this at the appropriate time.

The Young Traveler and I watched *Panic in Year Zero* (1962) a week ago (before the release date, but it was a good day for it).  Excellent stuff, and we'll definitely have a review up soon.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I'm sure you realize that *Panic in Year Zero* is an unauthorized adaptation of "Lot" and "Lot's Daughter" by Ward Moore.  It's quite a good film.

Next:

*The Kiss of the Vampire* (1963)

Non-Dracula vampire film from Hammer. Set in the early 20th century. There's a nifty motorcar of the period which brings our honeymooning couple to someplace in German-speaking Europe. They find a hotel that has only one other guest, a hard-drinking, grumpy fellow. They get invited to the castle of a local doctor. Well, since you're watching a vampire movie, it's no big surprise that the elegant host and his equally charming adult son and daughter are not as nice as they seem. It all plays out very slowly (after a striking open sequence which I won't spoil here) but it's beautifully filmed. The climax is quite unusual, making use of the last thing in the world you would think of using against vampires.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Carry on Cleo*" (1964) - Gerald Thomas (D); Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Joan Simms

Feeling rather nostalgic for some good old non-pc British humour. And what better way to enforce that than by digging out some old "Carry On" films from yesteryear!

"Cleo" is one of my favourites, not least because it stars most of the principle Carry On actors - James, Williams, Charles Hawtrey etc. 

Nearly all of the Carry On films carry heavy hints of sexism, racism, homophobia and a whole lot more that probably wouldn't see the light of day if any were remade for a 21st century viewing audience. But despite these drawbacks, Cleo remains a very funny film in its own right. And of course contains one of the best quotes in film history....

"_Infamy! infamy! They've all got it in for me!_" - Julius Caesar (Ken Williams)

3/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That one is quite amusing.  The famous quote you mention is one of the greatest puns of all time.

Next:

*Really Weird Tales* (1987)

This "movie" consists of the only three episodes of HBO's failed attempt at a series making fun of Twilight Zone style anthologies. A lot of the folks from the classic Canadian sketch comedy series _SCTV_ are involved. Joe Flaherty, in a variation on his role as Count Floyd, host of _Monster Chiller Horror Theater_, serves as the Rod Serling.

"Cursed with Charisma" -- John Candy is a guy who shows up in a sleepy little town with a can-do, cockeyed optimist attitude which gets everybody involved in buying and selling and rebuying and reselling real estate in a mad frenzy. It seems to be a satire on the financial schemes of the time. The "weird" element doesn't come until the end, and it's totally random.

"I'll Die Loving" -- Catherine O'Hara is a woman who causes everything and everybody she loves to explode. She was sent to an orphanage shortly after birth since she killed her mother this way, and the nuns deliberately treated her cruelly so she wouldn't kill them. She leaves the orphanage after finding out about her strange power and deliberately lives a miserable life among things and people she hates so she won't destroy them. As you can see, this could be the source of a very dark comedy, but there's a lot of silliness too. The best of the three stories, but no classic.

"All's Well that Ends Strange" -- Martin Short is a lounge singer working at the luxurious mansion of a girlie magazine publisher clearly based on Hugh Hefner. He finds the secret behind his harem of lovely young women. Pretty predictable twist.

Overall, not very good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Brides of Dracula* (1960)

Sequel to Hammer's *Dracula/Horror of Dracula*. Instead of bringing back Dracula, who does not appear at all (and who is presumed to have been destroyed permanently in the first film), they bring back Van Helsing. Before he shows up, however, we get a Gothic Romance plot with a pretty young Frenchwoman on her way to be a teacher at a girl's school in Transylvania. (Surprisingly, the students do not go on to become "brides," probably because they are too young.)  On the way she is deserted by the coach driver, and has to spend the night at the castle of the local Baroness. Told that the Baroness lives alone, with the exception of a single servant, she is surprised to spot a young man in another part of the castle. It turns out that he is the son of the Baroness, and is kept prisoner, literally shackled in his part of the castle. He seems gentle and kind, and claims that his mother just imprisons him so she can control the estate. Of course, there's more to it than that.

Pretty typical vampire movie stuff ensues, with fake fangs, fake bats, and way too much white makeup on the "brides." However, there are some quite interesting things as well. Twice we have a very effective scene of a newly created vampire coming out of a coffin. We have a woman in the Renfeld role. (This is very much a film dominated by its female characters, even though Hero and Villain are male.) We have the unusual relationship between mother and son. We have a climax which turns Van Helsing into an Action Hero. We have an ending which destroys the vampire entirely through religious symbolism. Overall, pretty enjoyable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Curse of the Werewolf* (1961)

Hammer's loose adaptation of the Guy Endore novel _The Werewolf of Paris_ (although the setting is moved to 18th century Spain.) About the first third of the film is spent establishing why the werewolf bears his curse. It has the flavor of a very dark fairy tale. (Beggar comes to the castle of a cruel aristocrat, is mocked and locked in a dungeon for many years, a mute servant girl rejects the advances of the now elderly aristocrat, is thrown in the dungeon with the beggar, who has degenerated into a beast-like state, he rapes her [only implied, thank goodness], she is released and goes back to the aristocrat, murders him and runs off, is found by a kindly fellow and his servant, she gives birth on Christmas Day. This last factor, by the way, seems to be the most important one in inducing lycanthropy.) The child grows into a gentle child who has nightmares. Animals have their throats torn open by an unseen creature. About halfway through the movie the adult werewolf finally shows up, played by Oliver Reed. The first attack of the werewolf on a human being doesn't occur until about two-thirds through the film. Reed plays the role as one who is tortured by his curse, and everyone who knows about him is in sympathy with his plight. Its all played very seriously, even grimly.


----------



## Galactic Bus Driver

Just watched "Genius." Based on the 1979 novel "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius."

There are not many films from today's Hollywood that leave me moved and thoughtful. This is one of those few. Colin Firth and Jude Law's portrayal of Max Perkins and Thomas Wolfe respectively was brilliant. Ostensibly about Max Perkins, the film focuses on Thomas Wolfe and his relationship with his editor. This is a film I would recommend to anyone who appreciates the artistry of writing, be it other writers, editor's or Stephen King's Constant Reader.


----------



## AlexH

*Baby Driver* (2017)
Not perfect, and a bit ridiculous at times, but an excellent film. One I recommend seeing at the cinema. The opening scene is superb, as well as the way scenes flow with the music throughout.


----------



## Droflet

I was wondering about this one, so thanks.


----------



## J Riff

_Casino Royale_, the wild chase scene in Uganda at the beginning, and the ridiculous poker hand sequence, make this another James Bond film.


----------



## Rodders

I've been going through a bit of post apocolyptic phase at the moment. Just watched a very well made Spanish film called The Last Days. An excellent film, well shot with well developed characters and a decent plot.


----------



## Droflet

Alien: Covenant. Meh.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Get Carter*" (2000) - Steven Kay (D); Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, John C McGinley 

A completely pointless, gutless, emotionless, tedious waste of a need to remake the classic 1971 original with Michael Caine. 

Stallone did it for the money, is the only reason I can think of why he is in this half-baked pile of pants; and what was the delightful & hugely talented Miranda Richardson thinking!!?

And as for the ending! Just don' get me started. Grrrrrr  

1/5


----------



## J Riff

_Tank 432,  2017._ One of the worst, just don't bother, really, don't. 
_Hillbillys in a Haunted House _1967... wuhl.... jest 'cos Ferlin n' Merle can sing right perty - don't mean they'all kin_ act _much. Nice little jamboree at th' end. Also, havin' Carradine, Chaney Jr. and Rathbone... well she should be scary right? Ya'll have to see fer yerselves, if'n ya kin find this bit of nonsense.


----------



## WaylanderToo

AlexH said:


> *Baby Driver* (2017)
> Not perfect, and a bit ridiculous at times, but an excellent film. One I recommend seeing at the cinema. The opening scene is superb, as well as the way scenes flow with the music throughout.





Droflet said:


> I was wondering about this one, so thanks.




any film that has Golden Earring's "Radar Love" and Focus's "Hocus Pocus" as part of their soundtrack has to be worth a watch (and yes it is good!)


----------



## J Riff

Any heist movie gets glommed here, Driving Baby is playing tonight; should be better than Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, but not holding my breath.)


----------



## BigBadBob141

I've just watched "The Girl With All The Gifts" (2016).
This is a truly outstanding British Horror film, I could not recommend it more (6 stars out of 5)!!!
It's a completely original take on Zombies, but the creatures in it are really no more zombies then the ones in "28 Days Later".
I can't say anymore as I don't want to give the plot away.
To say it's good is like saying "Breaking Bad" or "Game Of Thrones " is not half bad!!!
The young actress who plays the main part, Sennia Nanua could not be better!!!
One other horror film I would recommend is "The Cabin In The Woods" (2012).
It appears to start off as your average teenage slasher movie, but nothing is as it seems.
It was written by the chap who created "Buffy", "Angel" & "Firefly".
So it's full of original plot twists with a great ending.
P.S. Look out for Sigourney Weaver.
P.P.S. Really enjoyed her cameo in "Paul".


----------



## AlexH

I'd like to watch that as one of the filming locations was my (now abandoned) local bus station. I don't usually watch horror, but maybe I'll give The Girl With All The Gifts a go.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a couple of movies recently.

Kill Command. A group of soldiers are ordered to scout a remote island, only to discover they thay're bing used to be hunted may military robots, who are learning from them.

A cheap film that was pretty well made imo. Not bad at all.

Hell. A German language movies set in a world where the sun had increased the Earths temperature by ten degrees. We follow two girls and a guy as they try to get to higher ground where the water is more freely available. On the way they get hijacked by some bandits that turn out to be a family. The girls are wanted to to marry the sons and they guys are kept for meat. Not a bad film, but I doubt if I'll watch them again.


----------



## J Riff

_Blue Ruin_... homeless guy kills a guy who killed his father... but then the guy's pals try to kill him.. it's all a mistake because really the guy's Dad was the killer.. but they all run around shooting each other until the tragic and mindless ending. 
_Trolls_ - not BoxTrolls, just Trolls, and they are mighty cute and sing well as they avoid being eaten by the giant people.


----------



## Dave

For a split second, a read that as the Trolls being the ones going around shooting each other, which would have made for a very original film, if not quite as mighty cute.


----------



## AstroZon

Last Monday I was sick (on my day off, arrrhhh!)  Anyhow, I lounged in the recliner and watched the entire Frank Herbert's _Dune_ miniseries (the one with William Hurt and Alec Newman.)  Not perfect, but pretty close IMO.

On Friday, I found _Interstellar_ in the $5.00 bin at Walmart, so I bought it and watched it Saturday night.  This movie needs a re-edit IMO.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Loving*_ (2016), directed by Jeff Nichols, starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton.

Based on the lives and marriage of Mildred and Richard Loving. Mildred gets pregnant and Richard, who truly loves her, takes her from their home in Virginia to Washington, D.C. and marries her there. The problem is they are an inter-racial couple at a time when many Southern states still have laws against miscegenation. Eventually they are championed by the ACLU, their case goes to the Supreme Court and the miscegenation laws are quashed by the verdict, but along the way they are arrested, threatened with prison, and forced to leave their home. What could have been unbearably sanctimonious is instead moving. The Lovings were simple people who just wanted a decent life together. By focusing on the Lovings rather than on the courts and the trials, the filmmakers put a human face on the issue. Richard was killed by a drunk driver seven years after the court verdict, but if the portrayal of their marriage is anywhere near accurate, they must have had a happy life together while it lasted.


And now, for something completely different ...

_*Marlowe*_ (1969), directed by Paul Bogart, starring James Garner, Gayle Hunnicutt, Carol O'Connor, Rita Moreno, Bruce Lee and a platoon of familiar character actors (note Kenneth Tobey, without a Thing).

Based on Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister. Mavis Wald is a well-known actress in a very successful sitcom. Pictures of her cavorting with a known gangster could ruin her career, but P.I. Philip Marlowe intrudes. While working a different case he intersects with the blackmailing scheme meant to drain Wald. The story takes a few turns, from family members with few scruples, to a TV exec with something like an ethical outlook, to a doctor who may be crooked and a stripper who may actually like Marlowe, to an appearance by Bruce Lee that probably jump-started his American movie career, given the energy he displays -- it's hard to steal scenes from Garner, but he holds his own with Garner and that's pretty good. Besides the fashions and hair-styles, the slightly jazzy not-quite-rock music, the color, the use of the camera and framing of shots, the sound-stage work all tag this as a 1960s movie. Stirling Silliphant wrote the script and stayed pretty close to the novel, which is mostly good though he probably could have toned down the latent misogyny of Chandler's writing; the direction is mostly crisp and the character actors get some pretty good scenes; one of the movie's strengths is its cast which includes William Daniels and Sharon Farrell. And it failed at the box-office. The P.I. was going out of style, I think, and this one just didn't capture the public imagination -- Robert Altman's _The Long Goodbye_, also not a financial success, probably drove the final nail in the coffin of the private eye movie; they're about as dead as the Western. Too bad. Garner was good as Marlowe and I'd like to have seen him in another Marlowe movie, maybe a better one. Still, we'll always have Rockford.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Butley* (1974)

Back in the 1970's there was a thing called the American Film Theatre which released several movies adapted from plays. These have been released as a set, and we are working our way through these very slowly, probably once a month, in alphabetical order. This is the first one.

The title character (Alan Bates) is a slovenly, heavy-drinking, heavy-smoking, sarcastic English professor who spends his day insulting his colleagues and avoiding his students. He shares his office with a younger man who was once his student, and who is now his live-in lover. His wife has just left him with their infant daughter, and his lover is about to leave him for another man. With a few tiny exceptions, the entire movie takes place in his office. Various characters come and go and interact with this acid-tongued, self-destructive fellow. Bates has to talk constantly, in dialogue which sounds very written, as opposed to the somewhat more realistic dialogue of the other characters. His performance is also more affected, particularly in contrast with the very low-key performances of the rest of the cast. Something of a _tour de force_ for Bates, if not exactly uplifting entertainment.

*Eddie and the Cruisers* (1983)

Rock 'n' roll band has a massive hit record in 1963. Their follow-up record is declared unreleasable. The lead drives his car off a bridge but his body is never found. Now somebody is trashing the homes of the remaining members of the band in an apparent attempt to recover the lost tapes. Offbeat combination of musical, drama, *Citizen Kane*-style multiple flashbacks, and mystery never quite comes together but holds the interest. It's odd to hear music supposedly from the early 1960's that starts off like the 1950's then sounds like Bruce Springsteen then sounds like the Doors.

*Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!* (1989)

Inferior sequel takes the leader of the band, who now lives in Canada under an assumed name, back to his rock 'n' roll roots as he assembles a new group. Another set of lost tapes is thrown in for no reason at all, and the whole thing seems rather pointless.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Eddie and the Cruisers* (1983)
> 
> Rock 'n' roll band has a massive hit record in 1963. Their follow-up record is declared unreleasable. The lead drives his car off a bridge but his body is never found. Now somebody is trashing the homes of the remaining members of the band in an apparent attempt to recover the lost tapes. Offbeat combination of musical, drama, *Citizen Kane*-style multiple flashbacks, and mystery never quite comes together but holds the interest. It's odd to hear music supposedly from the early 1960's that starts off like the 1950's then sounds like Bruce Springsteen then sounds like the Doors.



I remember going to see this when it was released and thinking, wow, a botched attempt at updating *Citizen Kane*! Which probably isn't entirely fair, but my main take away was how well Ellen Barkin could cry when required. 


Randy M.


----------



## Ignited Moth

Saturday I went to see _*Spider-Man: Homecoming*_. It was a lot of fun.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Glengarry Glen Ross" (1992) - *James Foley (D); Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey

A wonderful adaptation from David Mamet's stage-play about four struggling real estate salesmen trying to save their jobs due to a depressed market and unacceptably low monthly sales figures. One of the company's top salesman (Baldwin) sets up a sales meeting with most of these men and tells them in no uncertain terms that at the end of the month the person who finishes 3rd in the sale contest will be fired!

Despite their loud and very vocal protests to their office manager (Spacey), they realise that they're now having to resort to "illegal" tactics to win a sale, or for two of them to resort to robbing the office and stealing the much-sought after Glengarry leads and sell them to a rival real estate company. 

Despite tanking at the box-office, it was received with very high critical acclaim from the film critics, and is a brilliant character-driven study of how four men react to the news they're jobs are at risk.

Al Pacino, is the most successful of those four men in terms of sales turnover, and therefore isn't overly concerned because he is top of the sales board. But for the likes of Harris and Lemmon it's like the end of the world is about to happen for them.

In fact this film is perhaps Lemmon's most rounded, most multi-layered performance I have seen of his (and I've seen quite a lot!): truly amazing!!

Another astonishing performance was Baldwin's 10 minute cameo at the beginning, and his "_<A>lways, <B>e <C>losing_" sales speech to the troops. And here's a little taster....

"_...You certainly don't, pal, because the good news is, you're fired! 
The bad news is, you've got, all you've got just one week to regain your jobs starting with tonight.
Have I got your attention now? Good. because we're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. 
As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. 
Anyone want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. 
Third prize is you're fired! 
Get the picture? 
You laughing now? 
You got leads. Mitch and Murray paid good money, get their names to sell them; you can't close the leads you're given, you can't close s**t, you ARE s**t! Hit the bricks, pal, and beat it because you are going out!!_"



*Be warned - there's lots of "effing and jeffing" in this film, with nearly every other line having the "f" bomb  (and its derivatives) and the "c" bomb thrown in for good measure. * 


Simply brilliant 

5/5


----------



## J Riff

_Rounders_ 1998, hey a not-bad poker movie. If it went on longer, Matt Damon could have gone on to win the World Series o' Poker.


----------



## AE35Unit

Going thru the X Men box set and tonight it was *Origins: Wolverine*. And tho we've seen it before there's a certain character near the end that became very popular, but last time we watched it he was as yet an unknown entity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Weird Woman* (1944)

Directed by Reginald Le Borg; written by Scott Darling and Brenda Weisberg, from the novel _Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, Jr.

This is one of half a dozen "Inner Sanctum Mysteries" starring Lon Chaney, Jr., made during the 1940's. They're all low budget and run only about an hour. This one was of interest to me because it's based on the classic novel _Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, Jr., published only the year before. (The book was later adapted into the very good film *Night of the Eagle* AKA *Burn, Witch, Burn* [1962] as well as a 1960 television production and the 1980 comedy *Witches' Brew*, neither of which I have seen.)

Chaney is a professor (of cultural anthropology, it would seem) who goes to an island in the South Seas to study the local customs. He meets the daughter of a deceased colleague, who has been raised by the local high priestess. Back in the States they marry, despite Chaney's hardheaded rationalism and his new bride's superstitious clinging to primitive rituals. On hand is his old flame, now bitterly jealous over his new love. After Chaney forces his wife to destroy all her magical objects, things go from bad to worse. A colleague kills himself when his plagiarism of a former student's work is threatened to be exposed. A co-ed with a schoolgirl crush on Chaney does some heavy flirting with him and is rejected, leading to an accusation of improper behavior on his part and an attempt on his life by a jealous boyfriend. Although he survives, it leads to further tragedy. His wife receives telephone calls playing recordings of a death chant. Will they be able to escape their doom?

Although not anywhere near as good as the 1962 film, and not at all up to the excellent novel, this is an entertaining little movie. Possibly because one of the screenwriters was female, and probably because of the themes found in Leiber's novels, this is very much a film dominated by women. The male characters are naive and powerless in comparison to them, from the sweet and innocent but witch-like young wife, to the vengeful jilted ex, to the ambitious wife of the plagiarist, to the seductive student, to the wise and benign dean of women. Fans of old scare flicks will recognize many of the Scream Queens in these roles, particularly Evelyn Ankers in a rare villainous role and Elizabeth Russell, a remarkably striking actress who was memorable in Val Lewton chillers. 

Although the novel is unambiguously fantastic, the movie only offers one small hint at the very end that something supernatural might actually be going on. The book also has nothing to do with the South Seas, and simply establishes the fact that many women are witches, unknown to the men whose lives they control for good or evil.


----------



## Dave

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> the movie only offers one small hint at the very end


Just an observation: there is quite a bit of historical research at Oxford University department of social history, into the depiction by men, of strong and feisty women as witches, in all kinds of media and arts, for centuries. (Women were put on this Earth to be controlled by men, and women who control men, or even just argue, must therefore be witches.) So, while it may seem like only a small hint, it is something that is a part of a much broader subconscious discrimination that all understand. It continues today, you only need to look at images Tweeted during the last few elections.


----------



## AE35Unit

*X Men: Days of Future Past*


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Weird Woman* (1944)
> 
> Directed by Reginald Le Borg; written by Scott Darling and Brenda Weisberg, from the novel _Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, Jr.
> 
> This is one of half a dozen "Inner Sanctum Mysteries" starring Lon Chaney, Jr., made during the 1940's. They're all low budget and run only about an hour. This one was of interest to me because it's based on the classic novel _Conjure Wife_ by Fritz Leiber, Jr., published only the year before. (The book was later adapted into the very good film *Night of the Eagle* AKA *Burn, Witch, Burn* [1962] as well as a 1960 television production and the 1980 comedy *Witches' Brew*, neither of which I have seen.)
> 
> [...]



Interesting. I hope to get a chance to catch this sometime. Like you, I thought *Night of the Eagle* was very good.

Just a side note: One of many things that fascinates me about Hollywood in its formative years was the depiction of women and sex. The formation of the Hayes commission reined in sexuality drastically after about 1934, but some of the movies from earlier were nearly as provocative as those appearing in the late '60s, after the commission was de-fanged. On a social level, and what was considered a woman's place at the time, the tough, smart and smart-mouthed broads of the '30s (Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwick, among others), became the strong, authoritative women of the '40s upholding our values while holding up the home-front with their men away at war (Stanwick, Davis, Joan Crawford, etc.), became the house-bound wives and mothers of the late '40s, early '50s. You kind of see this in the characters played decade by decade by Stanwick, Myrna Loy, Joan Bennett and others.

Anyway, onward ...


*Ladybug Ladybug* (1963), dir. Frank Perry; screenwriter, Eleanor Perry, with story by Lois Dickert.

I don't recall hearing of this until last weekend, though I've certainly heard of other films by the Perrys: _The Swimmer, David and Lisa, _and_ Diary of a Mad Housewife_. A rural school alarm goes off, a "yellow" alert meaning imminent nuclear attack. In the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis a lot of movies focused on the possibility of nuclear war, but this one does it from the perspective of people outside the circles of power and influence, mainly children. Later we learn that the alarm may have been caused by a short-circuit, but the children the movie follows don't know this and aren't told by the school's principal (William Daniels; must be my week for Daniels since he as also in _Marlowe_) or their teacher (Nancy Marchand, of _Lou Grant_ and _The Sopranos_ fame) that they are not treating this as a drill because they just don't know. As Marchand walks them home along country roads, they suss out for themselves that bombs may be coming. This leads to some moments of grace but also to an act of fear and cowardice, all perfectly reasonable extrapolated behaviors given the premise. 

A black and white film, something about it -- maybe the focus on children -- reminds me of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ but also episodes of _The Twilight Zone_. There is a feel to it of intimacy with the characters that I associate with films of that time. I take it there is some controversy about how to "read" the final scene in which one of the boys, looking up, watchs something streaking across the sky leaving a vapor trail and screams "Stop" over and over, cut to black. Some see it as confirmation of nuclear attack; some see a plane and read the boy's reaction as the logical outcome of nuclear paranoia and a warning against the fear we were instilling in our children. I incline to the latter reading.


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

Lots of 40s movies surprise people. But, I watched_ Shade _- a poker movie, and Stallone was in it, which I dint know till he showed up - and everyone cons heck out of each other, trying to set up levels and levels of set-up n' subterfuge, and some rich guy, maybe two, get taken to the cleaners but by then I'm not sure who's conning who, maybe the moviemakers, conning me into watching all the poker movies out there, for no discernable sane reason other'n I've run out of SFF. Back to yoTube and the forties we go..*


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Out of Sight* (1966)

Some time ago I subjected myself to *The Fat Spy* (also 1966), which was a beach movie pretending to be a spy spoof. This one is a spy spoof pretending to be a beach movie.

Our hero is the inept American butler of British "special agent" John Stamp. (This is apparently supposed to be a joke on James Bond.) He gets mistaken for the spy and winds up involved in a plot by Russian-accented bad guy Big D and his ineffectual henchmen Mousie (the little one) and Huh! (the big one, and, yes, his name has an exclamation point) to blow up a rock 'n' roll concert. In between lots of mid-Sixties pop music (Gary Lewis and the Playboys, the Turtles, Freddy and the Dreamers, etc.), teenagers dancing, and Saturday morning cartoon chase scenes, we get an attempt by three gorgeous female assassins with odd names to kill the hero. There's Scuba, a skin diver who assaults him with a speargun; Wipeout, a surfer who attacks him with karate (and who is played by one of "Mudd's Women" from _Star Trek_; the dark-haired one, to be specific); and Tuff Bod, who is so powerful that she has to be literally kept behind glass which is only broken open during an emergency. (Disappointingly, her only secret weapon is being a sexy redhead.) Along for the ride are Marvin, a boy-crazy young woman (and who is just as attractive as any other beach bunny in this thing, but who wears glasses and reads a lot), and a couple of antagonists unrelated to the main plot and who are only credited as "The Man From F.L.U.S.H." (a midget) and "The Girl From F.L.U.S.H." (not a midget) who ride around on a motorcycle which is just as goofy as the hero's dune buggy. An enjoyably terrible movie.


----------



## J Riff

Yes, Outa Site man! A chance to hear Gary Lewis n the Playboys play something other'n _This Diamond Ring. AND _the Astronauts twang it up. Kooky!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dark Intruder* (1965)

Failed television pilot released to theaters, supposedly because it was too scary for TV. Leslie Nielsen stars as a flippant playboy in 1890 San Francisco who is in reality an expert on the occult. With the help of disguises, a secret laboratory, and his midget butler he is consulted by the police when things get weird. A series of murders have left the victims with claw marks and bizarre little statues by their bodies. Our hero consults a Chinese mystic (played by an Occidental) who explains that the murders are meant to allow an ancient demon to inhabit human form. Things get even stranger later. We soon find out that the hero's friend not only suffers from blackouts and can't remember what happens during them, but that he was connected with each of the victims in some way. Could he be the killer? The truth is more complex. Overall, a nifty little mixture of _The Wild Wild West_ and _Kolchak: The Night Stalker._


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night Life of the Gods*(1935)

Based on the novel of the same name by Thorne Smith, author of _Topper_ and other comic fantasies with mild bawdiness, lots of drinking, and meandering plots. I haven't read that one, but I've read a few of his works, and this adaptation actually captures something of the flavor of them. A fellow invents a gizmo which changes flesh into stone and stone into flesh. Somehow he turns this into two rings which he uses to change his nagging family into statues. He meets a guy who claims to be one of the "little people" and to be 2400 years old. He meets the 900 year old daughter of this man living in an cavern and, in typical romantic comedy form, at first they fight, then they fall in love. Chaos ensues as they go off on a tear, changing the folks at a nightclub into stone. Somewhat later he goes to an art museum and changes statues of mythological figures into living people. More chaos ensues. There's some witty dialogue and a lot of wacky antics. I found it rather charming.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Logan*, a great way to end the series. 
Laura X as a spin-off next perhaps?


----------



## nixie

Recently watched *The Girl With All The  Gifts, *probably the best zombie film I've ever watched.

Just watched *A Street Cat Named Bob, *a beautiful film, following a recovering drug addict who is adopted by a stray cat made me laugh and cry. Normally I wouldn't watch these type of films but this is well worth a view.


----------



## Foxbat

*Logan*. Personally, I think that this movie is the best superhero film of the last twenty years. It's kind of a cross between The Tempest and The Cowboys and, apart from The Fountain, I'd say is Jackman's best performance to date. 

No spin-offs please. Hollywood really needs to learn to let a franchise die with dignity.


----------



## AE35Unit

Foxbat said:


> *Logan*. Personally, I think that this movie is the best superhero film of the last twenty years. It's kind of a cross between The Tempest and The Cowboys and, apart from The Fountain, I'd say is Jackman's best performance to date.
> 
> No spin-offs please. Hollywood really needs to learn to let a franchise die with dignity.


Nah, I think it could be entertaining. If handled well. In fact I'd say Laura X is inevitable!


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Rogue one* on blu ray last night (already seen it at the cinema)
I like how it ties in to the events leading up to episode 4


----------



## Alexa

Watched *The Fate of the Furious* last night. It was better than I expected. I was afraid that with the dissapearance of Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia as collateral damage, they had no real family to keep going. There were moments when those special effects were a bit too much, but I loved the new bad ass story and James Statham fighting while protecting a baby. 

Awkward moment to see Owne Shaw alive. I thought he died in ep.  6.


----------



## Cli-Fi

*War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)*: These movies are so underrated but story was top notch. I think the best ending to any trilogy I've ever seen. It's NOT just another Ape movie. It's the perfect conclusion to a trilogy. The story of Caesar's life. It was a little predictable but even though I did predict the ending, I had no idea how it was going to get there. It makes you root against your own species and not many movies can say the same. People say Caesar isn't a superhero, but I beg to differ.


----------



## AE35Unit

Cli-Fi said:


> *War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)*: These movies are so underrated but story was top notch. I think the best ending to any trilogy I've ever seen. It's NOT just another Ape movie. It's the perfect conclusion to a trilogy. The story of Caesar's life. It was a little predictable but even though I did predict the ending, I had no idea how it was going to get there. It makes you root against your own species and not many movies can say the same. People say Caesar isn't a superhero, but I beg to differ.


We hope to see that soon


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Manster* (1959/1962)

Directed by George Breakston and Kenneth G. Crane; written by George P. Breakston and William J. Sheldon

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

Made by American folks in Japan, and, as indicated by the dates above, apparently released in Japan a few years before it hit American screens, this is a surprisingly entertaining monster movie.

An American reporter goes to see a Japanese scientist at his mountaintop lab. We've already seen a yeti-like monster created by the scientist kill some women and then get destroyed by his maker, and we've already seen a grotesquely deformed woman held in a cage by the scientist. We'll find out later these creatures are his brother and his sister, and that they both volunteered to be test subjects! Despite these dismal failures, the scientist gives the reporter some drugged Scotch and injects him with something.

Pretty soon the reporter, formerly a happily married man eager to get back to his wife in the States, is partying hard with the scientist, drinking huge amounts of sake, smooching geisha girls, and having an affair with the scientist's stunningly beautiful Eurasian assistant.

(A word about the actress playing this role. She's quite striking, and yet this is her only film appearance as far as anybody can tell. There appears to be absolutely no information available about her outside of her involvement in this movie.)

At this point we pretty much have a domestic drama, as the reporter's wife arrives in Japan and demands that he choose between her and his girlfriend. The only reminder that we're watching a horror film is the fact that one of the reporter's hands grows a lot of hair, as if this were a werewolf movie. Not much later the film's most famous, bizarre, and surreal scene occurs, when an eye appears on his shoulder! Pretty soon an entire second head pops out. By this time the reporter has already killed a Buddhist monk, some women, and, just after the second head shows up, a psychiatrist.

The movie changes into a crime story, as the Japanese police try to track down the killer. Some scenes could have come out of a good _film noir_. It all leads up to a final confrontation back at the scientist's lair. Things get pretty wild at the end, when the reporter splits into two halves, one another yeti-like monster and one his old self. Throw in an exploding volcano, and you've got a heck of a climax.

Good use is made of the Japanese setting, and the whole thing looks like something made by Americans who were at least reasonably familiar with the place. All the actors take their roles seriously. This is not to deny that, at heart, it's a goofy movie about a guy with two heads.


----------



## The Great Snook

Double Feature.  John Wick and John Wick chapter 2.  Loved both of them.  So many head shots you would think it was a zombie movie.  I especially loved any and all references to a fookin pencil.


----------



## Null_Zone

Baby Driver.

Dragged a bit at the end, and the music was a bit predictable, but over all a lot of fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Night Walker* (1964)

Twisty thriller written by Robert Bloch and directed by William Castle. We begin with the familiar narrative voice of Paul Frees telling us about dreams over some surreal images. The real story starts with a wealthy blind man who is insanely jealous of his wife. She talks in her sleep and murmurs something about the lover in her dreams. At first he -- and we -- think his lawyer, the only person who comes to their house (and the wife never leaves it, we're told) is having an affair with her. We quickly find out this isn't true. Pretty quickly there's an explosion in the blind man's attic laboratory and he is apparently killed. The wife has dreams (or are they?) both of the husband coming back with a hideously burned face and of being romanced by a young, handsome, charming man. The two come together in an eerie wedding ceremony that is a highlight of the film. Is the wife losing touch with reality? Is somebody gaslighting her? Is the supernatural (or mad science -- remember that lab) involved? Or is something else going on? The final revelation may not be terribly plausible, but this is a fun ride.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Ponyo.

Still magic.


----------



## REBerg

*Dunkirk*
Truly an epic.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*She-Wolf of London* (1946)

June Lockhart stars as Phyllis Allenby in this Gothic mystery/suspense film set circa the year 1900. She plays a young woman engaged to be married. She lives with her aunt, the aunt's daughter, and one female servant. We quickly find out the aunt and cousin aren't really related to her. That means they aren't potential victims of the Allenby curse, which supposedly renders its victims werewolves. When a series of gruesome murders occur nearby, she fears she may be responsible and calls off the wedding. You'll probably figure out what's really happening. Barely over an hour long, the movie is nicely filmed with lots of foggy night scenes. Remarkable for having one of the victims be a young child (not shown.) Like *Weird Woman*, this is a film dominated by its female characters. Don't expect a monster movie and you may find it modestly entertaining.


----------



## svalbard

*Pilgrimage
*
Ireland 1209AD and a band of monks escort a relic across a land divided by war. 

This was a pretty good movie. Small budget, but shot well. The dialogue is in Gaelic, Latin and French with the actors switiching to English as lingua franca. The action scenes are intense and somewhat gorey at times. Those who enjoyed *Valhalla Rising *find this movie enjoyable. It also has a good cast. Tom Holland, Richard Armitage and John Lynch are the notable players.


----------



## J Riff

_Hunt for the Wilderpeople _- nice, feelgood, New Zealand has some really large forests, but as usual they kilt arf a dog for no good reason; still enjoyed this one.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Boom* (1968)

Infamous box office flop, mentioned in _The Fifty Worst Films of All Time_. Tennessee Williams adapted his own unsuccessful play _The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore_. Elizabeth Taylor stars as an incredibly rich woman who has been married multiple times. (Insert snide comment about type casting here.) She lives alone (not counting lots of servants, a young secretary, a private doctor, and the great Michael Dunn as a militaristic fellow who controls the vicious dogs who patrol her property) on her own private island in the Mediterranean. She is dying from some terminal disease which leads to intermittent spells of extreme pain and bloody coughing. Richard Burton plays a poet/artist who shows up on the island one day, a process which involves stowing away on a boat that tosses his stuff overboard, so has to jump into the water off the coast of the island after it; climbing up the steep cliff leading to Taylor's gigantic, gorgeous, architecturally weird and eccentrically decorated mansion; and nearly getting torn to pieces by the dogs. Most of the movie consists of dialogue, often very strange and artificial, between the two. Burton is mostly arrayed in a kimono and carries a samurai sword. Taylor wears a variety of odd outfits, the most memorable of which is supposed to be a kabuki costume, but which looks more like a 1960's idea of futuristic wear, including a huge and bizarre headpiece. An elderly Noel Coward shows up as "the Witch of Capri" to share some catty dialogue with Taylor. Taylor is too young and attractive for the role, and Burton is too old and, well, rugged for what should be a beautiful young man. In case the symbolism isn't clear enough, Burton's nickname is "the Angel of Death" and he has a habit of showing up at the homes of women about to die. Taylor's last name is Goforth, and in order to avoid any subtlety, she has a couple of lines about it being her time to go forth. The scenery is dazzlingly beautiful, with location filming on Sardinia. Other than that it's nearly two hours of high camp.  (The title is often given as *Boom!* but it appears without the exclamation point on the opening credits.  This is more appropriate, as Burton says the word very softly a few times.  It means the shock of still being alive, he says.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Evil of Frankenstein* (1964)

Third in the Hammer series of Frankenstein movies, but it might as well not be. All continuity from *The Curse of Frankenstein* and *The Revenge of Frankenstein* is tossed out the window. This one plays out more like a parody of the Universal Frankenstein movies. (Hammer worked with Universal on this one and was allowed to imitate the classic Karloff version of the Monster. The makeup used for this version is shockingly bad.) 

Baron Frankenstein and his assistant Hans (not a hunchback) rush away from wherever they are after a priest discovers them reviving a heart from a recently deceased (and body-snatched) corpse. They go back to the Baron's old hometown to discover his castle ransacked. It's flashback time! It's seems that the Baron created his lousy-looking monster, it escaped and killed some sheep, it fell over a cliff, the Baron was exiled. Well, with one thing and another the Baron finds his creation frozen in an ice cave. (Shades of *Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man*!) It gets thawed out but its brain doesn't work right, so they get a carnival hypnotist to fix it. (No, that didn't make much sense to me either.) It seems that the hypnotist now controls the Monster and sends it out to do his own dirty work. (The Baron has his own grudge with the local Burgomaster, who stole a bunch of stuff from his castle. There's an early scene where the Baron invades the Burgomaster's bedroom which is played as pure slapstick. It could have come straight from *Carry On Screaming!*) There's a strikingly pretty young mute woman somewhere in there, too.

Despite the usual good production values (except for the lame Monster) and good performances (except for the overacting of the hypnotist), this is a pretty lame affair.


----------



## clovis-man

*Valerian*. Read the first two graphic novels in preparation. But it didn't help. I had to just enjoy the film for what it was, a spectacular space opera based on a simple plot. I'm sure there will be much criticism due to its somewhat fragmented flow, but I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. Some surprising cameo roles for such as John Goodman and Herbie Hancock. Rhianna as Bubble certainly was a show stopper. The title characters were adequate, but not overwhelming. All in all quite worthwhile!


----------



## J-Sun

Another *Baby Driver* (2017) viewer. Ran like a weird cross between early Tarantino (though not as good) and "code" Hollywood movies. (Three odd lags in the otherwise non-stop flick, the last of which was related to the "code" issue.) Still, enjoyable, entertaining, way above the standard car chase flick but way below true greatness. If you're looking for fairly high-grade fun, check it out. If you're looking for a masterpiece, you can safely pass.


----------



## Foxbat

Picked up the 2014 Godzilla for a couple of quid on DVD so watched it the other night. I enjoyed it despite its flaws


----------



## Foxbat

*The Maggie* (1954). An american business man unwittingly entrusts his cargo to a coastal puffer full of dodgy but endearing characters and a comical chase along the coast of Scotland ensues.

In today's cynical world, films like this from Ealing Studios  may seem simplistic and naive but I still see them as the product of a golden age of British film-making - gone but not forgotten. A worthy companion to Whisky Galore


----------



## Bugg

I've been neglecting my movie watching over the past couple of years, so I made a list of films that I've wanted to see but have so far missed and have started working my way through them.  Over the past week I've watched:

Inside Out
Captain America: Civil War
X-Men Apocalypse
Logan
Kong: Skull Island
10 Cloverfield Lane
Doctor Strange


----------



## J Riff

_Phoenix Forgotten_ - a 2nd 'Phoenix lights' based found-footage flick. Teens disappear, you know the UFOs got them, but it takes forever to find the footage. Then they are grabbed by an ancient Ezekial wheel and the mystery continues. Slow for a purported action movie.*


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of Cards* (1968)

Pretty good Hitchcockian film based on the novel of the same name by noted suspense writer Stanley Ellin. George Peppard stars as a boxer down on his luck in Paris who winds up being hired as a guard/companion for the young son of the American widow of a wealthy Frenchman killed during the war for Algerian independence. Since this is a thriller instead of a mystery, we very quickly find out that her in-laws and her psychiatrist are part of an international plot to overthrow the government and restore fascism. 

Hitchcockian points:

1. The widow is an icy blonde (Inger Stevens, dead by apparent suicide just two years later.)

2. The hero has to go on the run from both the police and the bad guys.

3. There's a MacGuffin; in this case, just a piece of paper.

4. Charming, silky villains; third-billed Orson Welles is the main one, although he only has a few short scenes.

5. Romantic and sexual tension between the hero and heroine as they are forced to be on the run together.


Non-Hitchcockian point:

The hero is a tough guy who thinks with his fists rather than an ordinary man.

Despite music which isn't always appropriate (although I liked the title song, probably because it was sung in French and I couldn't understand it) and a few thriller cliches, it was enjoyable.


----------



## AstroZon

Yesterday I watched a film noir: Kiss Me Deadly.  Pretty good acting especially by Ralph Meeker, loads of noirish camera angles, resolves, etc, and of course plot twists, double crossers, mystery men, femme fatales, and bare knuckle action.  I can definitely see the influence of this film on more modern movies and television shows.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies* (2001)

Pretty basic documentary account of the rise and fall of exploitation films. Not much new here for fans of such, but enjoyable. Heavy on Roger Corman and sexploitation.


----------



## REBerg

*The Accountant*
Never underestimate your CPA.
Good flick, with twists I didn't see coming.


----------



## WaylanderToo

just watched Valerian - my word! What an assault on the eyes! I *loved *it - _that _Mr Bay is how to properly use SFX!!!!


----------



## The Bluestocking

*ATOMIC BLONDE*

Lorraine Broughton is way better than Bond!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Delicate Balance* (1973)

Our monthly journey into the American Film Theatre series. From the play by Edward Albee. Katherine Hepburn and Paul Scofield are an old, wealthy married couple. Kate Reid is Hepburn's alcoholic sister who lives with them. Lee Remick is the couple's daughter, home after her fourth failed marriage. So far this is like what might have happened to George and Martha from Albee's *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* if they were older, a lot richer, and had an adult child. Things get stranger when the couple's best friends, Joseph Cotton and Betsy Blair, drop in out of the blue with the intention of staying indefinitely, their only explanation that they felt scared. Overall it's a study of how we have to cope with our existential terrors by maintaining a Delicate Balance. (It helps to have tons of money and servants, I would think.) Two things that distracted me: It's hard to understand what Hepburn is saying, and Remick's eyes are so stunningly pale blue that it's hard to pay attention to anything else on screen. (This physical characteristic actually helps during one scene where she is hysterical.)


----------



## J Riff

*Margin Call *- a huge business firm goes down overnite, wiping out thousands of jobs - AND: one of the guys has a dog, Daisy, who we see only once, and poochski is looking poorly. The last scene is this guy digging a hole in the front yard, as Daisy is done for, The End. There is absolutely no reason for Daisy's demise, but there you go, write an ailing or expiring pooch into your screenplay, the cuter the better.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Just watched _The Bucket List_ again, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Still a great film - great acting, great story, great pathos. And a great comedy!


----------



## Steve Harrison

*Trip to Spain*.

It's received mixed reviews, but I loved both* The Trip* and *Trip to Italy* and also found this one hilarious.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Dunkirk*" (2017)

Had mixed feelings about this. One was of "Not another film about WW2?" and not just that, but a remake of the 1958 classic with John Mills and Richard Attenborough. I was also thinking, is this going to another Private Ryan, in terms of cinematic experience?

But all credit to director Chris Nolan, he does a remarkable job of a very difficult time for Britain during the war; not too many liberties taken either. But I couldn't help feel why film-makers are still focusing on a war that ended almost 75 years ago. Will it find an audience that will appreciate the truisms rather than just the action and "war is hell" trope?

Perhaps when it comes out on BluRay I will do doubt watch it again in the comfort of my own home. But judging by my experience at the cinema for this film a lot of the audience seemed to be more interested in their phones that what was going on on the big screen (unless there was an action sequence of course)

3/5


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box (2013) - IMDb

do not be swayed by the cast and 'reasonable' IMDB rating - it is poor


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*SKULLDUGGERY* (1970)

From ten years ago, my review of the novel on which this is based:



> _Borderline_ (1953) by "Vercours" (Jean Buller) (translated from the French by Rita Barrise.)
> 
> The original title of this philosophical French novel is _Les Animaux Denatures_. According to Babelfish, this translates as "Denatured Animals." A peculiar title, and one whose meaning is not clear until the end of the book. It has usually been published in English under the title _You Shall Know Them_, although my copy (part of a series of "SF Masterworks") appears under the title _Borderline_.
> 
> The story begins with a startling scene; a man calls the police to inform them that he has just killed his own infant child. The mystery to be solved is not so much whether he is a murderer or not, but whether the child is human.
> 
> A flashback reveals how this situation came about. In a remote part of Africa, a group of creatures who seem to be a "missing link" between humans and other primates is discovered. Called Paranthropus or "tropis," these beings are soon trained to work for humans. Is this slavery, or just people making use of animals? The protagonist forces the law to face the question by using artificial insemination to create a hybrid between a female tropi and himself, then killing it with a lethal injection. During his trial for murder, the law is forced to come up with an exact definition of a human being.
> 
> Despite some biological and psychological implausibilities, this is an interesting thought experiment. Various definitions of "human" are suggested and discarded. The final definition accepted is an unexpected one, and one which explains the novel's French title.
> 
> Intriguing, if not compelling.



So what about the movie? About one-third of it is typical explorer stuff, with Burt Reynolds and Roger C. Carmel as a couple of guys out for super-valuable "phosphor" to mine from New Guinea, and Susan Clark as an anthropologist out after fossils. Lots of romantic/sexual tension between Reynolds and Clark. Then they find the "missing link" creatures; actors in furry costumes. Near the end it becomes a courtroom drama and resembles the novel somewhat. Blandly filmed, with wild changes in mood from comedy to adventure to romance to satire to drama.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

*Dunkirk:* a loser.
It had a lot of promise, but did not deliver, and the principal offender was Nolan, who tried to cover up the lack of plot with a too-cute barrage of flashbacks and/or flashforwards, all of which left most viewers, I'm sure, confused.
I kept waiting for coherence, but it didn't happen. A waste of sets, scenery, good photography, and many, many extras.


----------



## nixie

Lost Boys and Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Diary of a Mad Housewife* (1970)

Drama with touches of dark comedy from the dawn of second wave feminism. Carrie Snodgress went from being a complete unknown to brief stardom, winning a Golden Globe in the title role. She's married to a social-climbing lawyer (Richard Benjamin) who criticizes her endlessly as she desperately deals with keeping their luxurious New York apartment immaculate as well as putting up with their two obnoxious little girls. She has an affair with a egotistical writer (a very young and gorgeous Frank Langella) who openly admits that he's a sadist; that's why she has great sex with him. Eventually she rebels against both of the men in her life; the lover is completely out, but there's a possibility of reconciliation with the husband when he shows his weaker side after a disastrous party for one hundred of the upper class folks he's chasing. An interesting portrait of the time. Alice Cooper and his band appear near the start, and Peter Boyle shows up at the end as one of the folks in an encounter group yelling at Snodgress as they give her wildly different advice about her marriage.


----------



## J Riff

No dogs were killed in _Night of the Blood Beast,_ but the space monster was, which serves it right for coming to Earth and attempting to impregnate men with alien embryos. Typical 50s fare.


----------



## Cathbad

Unborn (2009)

I love horror movies!  But I prefer ones that are either a) psychological in nature, or b) have unusual special effects that are used in a frightening manner.

Thus, I cannot recommend this movie.  It's cutsie, but not the least frightening.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Puzzle of a Downfall Child* (1970)

Nonlinear, impressionistic character study of a neurotic fashion model (Faye Dunaway, all enormous eyes and razor-sharp cheekbones) who eventually lapses into full psychosis and then back out of it. Jumps back and forth in time constantly, with dialogue from one time often heard over visuals from another time. In addition to that, Dunaway is a very unreliable viewpoint character, so some scenes may not be "true" (did she really have a love affair with a much older, very famous man when she was a fifteen-year-old Catholic schoolgirl?) and others are clearly hallucinations, filmed in white-on-white. Despite that, the film is never confusing. Beautifully filmed and with strong supporting performances, but it's really a one-woman show, and Dunaway is excellent. (Apparently the character is based on 1950's supermodel Anne St. Marie, with whom the director, a former photographer, worked, and who had a mental breakdown. St. Marie even served as the film's technical consultant.)


----------



## Cathbad

*VHS* (2012)

Okay, don't even.

There should be a genre called "Shock Theater".  This movie could ten be called the _worst_ of that genre.  All this movie did was show gore - for gore's sake.  Scene after terribly acted scene of new excuses to show gory depictions of death.  No storyline, no final outcome.  Why this movie was even in the horror section confuddles me.

The only thing truly shocking about the movie was that I watched it all the way through! I claim temporary insanity.

Really.  Don't waste your time.


----------



## Droflet

*Chuck (2016)*
Okay, it's a boxing movie. Yeah, I'm not always into this type of movie but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Based on a true story this tale was the inspiration for Stallone to pen Rocky. Leiv Shriever (excuse the spelling) delivers a knockout performance. Yeah, pun intended. Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Then you can see VHS. Cough.

*Lucky Number Slevin (2006)*
Don't know how I missed this one but I'm glad I caught up with it. I can't tell you much about this without spoiling the twist, turns and surprised. Suffice it to say, it starts out as one movie and ends up as another. Five stars.

*Sleight (2016)*
Another movie I was iffy about but it turned out to be totally engaging. A street magician must use his incredible skills when his sister is kidnapped. There is a lot more to this than that, so do yourselves a favor and check it out.

Droflet out.


----------



## Cathbad

Droflet said:


> Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Then you can see VHS. Cough.


----------



## Luiglin

*Arrival
*
It was either Arrival or Spectral, thinking or fighting sci-fi and whilst the former was a damn good movie, we did just miss the excitement of a good action sci-fi.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, Spectral was pretty intense. Perhaps next time, Luiglin.


----------



## Luiglin

Droflet said:


> Yeah, Spectral was pretty intense. Perhaps next time, Luiglin.


Probably watching it tonight.


----------



## J Riff

_Die Hard 4_. I missed this, and it was a decent action movie. I looked at reviews for DH5 and will give that one a miss thenk kew.


----------



## Luiglin

*Spectral
*
Despite there being a touch of an A Team vibe halfway through this was an enjoyable romp with some well thought out creatures.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Black Room* (2016)

TV-MA!!  This one deserved to be Adults Only.  NOT as advertised!!

The only excuse to have made this movie was, apparently, to make a soft porn.  Ridiculous, half-seen monsters, poor acting by pretty actresses (upstaged by an even prettier actor), and a storyline that got the movie started off right (sort of) - then seemed to disappear all together.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY TRULY ROTTEN HORROR FLICKS OUT THERE!!??


----------



## J Riff

AND crapola 'action' flicks, like _Armed Response_, ech. Worse, some pretend to be SF.
_Secret Agent Fireball_, 1965  otoh, issss.... well, the Bond character is named Fleming so how bad can it be?


----------



## Cathbad

*The Good Neighbor* (2016)

I'm not even sure what category this belongs in.  Netflix has it in the Horror section, but it wasn't particularly frightening.  It might be called a Thriller, I suppose.

What it really was, was a _great_ Character Study!  James Caan plays the odd, next door neighbor to a tech-savvy teen.  That teen and his friend proceed to try to "haunt" the old man, to video document his reactions.

While this story plays out, the viewer begins to learn two other stories - that of the tech-savvy teen, and of the old man.  So slyly is this done - especially in the case of the old man - one barely realizes there are three stories in this movie, until the _very_ surprising ending.

A wonderful (if dark) movie, that has instilled a little faith back in me for the Industry.


----------



## J Riff

*Rogue* 2007, a giant Saltie (Aussie croc) mangles and kills some tourists, but it is only 21 feet long, so believable. Worth watching for some great Strine scenery, Norn Straylier is awsome, BUT: The dog issue appears again, and it distracted me. It's a real nice Sheltie-type dog, and it belongs to the girl piloting the tour boat, and, once the cast is trapped and being targeted by the Croc, well the dog gets a lot of dialogue. But then, horror! - they have to try and distract Croco with a giant fish hook, but have no_ bait_, ysee... At this point we see a couple shots of the dog, and it's owner going no, no, nooo! But then a guy finds some fish for bait and the dog is off the hook(*<heh) ... but, of course, Rover's owner is grabbed by the Croc, and taken away, presumably dinner, but no, the Croc is full of tourist, so it just stashes her, and who but her dog could find her? Doggie leads our hero to her in a cave deep in the swamp and you bet he saves her and kills the rogue croc. BUT: after he finds her, Doggie gets a couple more lines, then runs off out of sight and the Croc gets the heroic pooch after all. Why? WhyWhyWhy kill arf the good, smart, heroic dog, yet again? Anyway. The dog "Kevin' is played by Patch the Wonder Dog, in his only movie role, s'fars I can tell.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Minnie and Moskowitz* (1971)

Would you believe that John Cassavetes, best known for bleak dramas like *Faces* and *Husbands* and *A Woman Under the Influence* wrote and directed a romantic comedy? You might be more inclined to accept that fact when you see some of its darker content. When people argue, they argue fiercely; when they fight, they fight seriously, and blood flows. But there's also a lot of funny stuff, and a happy ending. To some extent Cassavetes seems to be parodying the genre. The plot is familiar. Two lonely misfits (Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel) come together despite having nothing in common. It's like a more serious version of an early Woody Allen film. (Both characters even go to see old Humphrey Bogart movies.) When parking lot attendant Seymour Moskowitz, best described as a "dude," with his bushy mustache and ponytail, says to museum curator Minnie Moore "I think about you so much I forget to go to the bathroom" it's not just a wisecrack, but an insight into the character. A lot of time is spent establishing the characters, who don't even meet until a half hour into the film, when Seymour has to rescue Minnie from the world's worst blind date (a sequence which is both hilarious and terrifying.) Lots of the director's family acts in the movie, and Cassavetes himself shows up uncredited as the married man with whom Minnie is having an affair. (More unfunny stuff. He hits her really hard during a fight, and his wife makes a suicide attempt.) The director's mother steals the movie as Seymour's mother, and Rowlands' own mother plays Minnie's mother.


----------



## Connavar

*Baby Driver
*
A film i saw only because Edgar Wright is one of my fav directors in the world, who i expect action comedies, weird little movies but i didnt expect him to make truly great, one of the best hardcoire,noir heist film i have ever seen.   I have seen tons of them as fan of noir books about robbers like this.

Baby was great geteway driver, it reminded me of Bullit/MacQueen, because it had several long great car chase scenes.  The use of music, the crisp dialouge, the many strong actors who all played hard bad guys.  This film deserve all the 5 stars reviews i saw, should get many directing,writing,music awards.


----------



## J Riff

No dogs in The Good Neighbour, but it could have used one. Going back to Rogue for a sec - how I would have handled it: Doggie finds his master, bleeding and unconscious in the deep swamp, and leads hero-guy to her. The croc appears, and instead of munching on Rover, he attacks the guy and the brave canine attacks back, grabbing the croc's tail and distracting it, then being flung 50 feet acrost the cave and smashing into the wall, just like happens to our hero; then rising, bloody but unbowed and barking, and chewing at the monster's tail until master manages to do it in. Then, at the end, we see doggo's owner being airlifted out, in a stretcher, bleeding from numarous croc bites, and next to her is the wonder dog, in a little dog stretcher, bandaged but still able to blink cutely as they are whisked off to safety. 
_ The Hole (le Trou)_ 1960 Black and white, francais movie about five guys digging a hole in their cell. It's artistical and the ending is depressing, wattayawant. Good crime movies don't exist anymore. Stylish rubbish with crappy music is what to expect. * )


----------



## dask

*Baby Driver*: sounds like something worth checking out.


----------



## Foxbat

*Space Battleship Yamato *(2010) Japanese with English subtitles. 
Overly melodramatic, mediocre acting, so-so effects and a fairly standard plot...but...it's got an uber-cool space battleship. 

What more does a Sci-Fi geek need?


----------



## Overread

To be fair isn't that film trying to condense a huge long running manga/anime into a single film. Nearly every time that happens you get a rushed feeling film with flat acting because you have SOO much to cram in. 


As for me Pacific Rim - more than ever I feel like this film should have been made at the end of a long running TV/comic/something series. It's got all the hallmarks of a great story leading up to it. Lots of fun and what I consider to be a good action flick with giant robots and monsters. Really wish it would get a sequel


----------



## Foxbat

Pacific Rim is a movie that I've slowly grown to love despite its flaws


----------



## Overread

To me its an uncomplicated action flick and isn't trying to be anything more than that. It's weakness is that every character is established so you don't get a huge amount of character time or introduction; but at the same time it doesn't try the impossible. It's not trying to squash everything into a tiny window; which means that what we do get is well paced for the most part.


----------



## dask

Competent *Rockford Files* type thriller with PI Corbett attempting to break a big league blackmailing organization. It's possible the final action scene was exactly the way Fuller wanted it but nonprofessional that I am I felt it could have been put together just a little more, I don't know, slickness I guess. Look what Peckinpah did just a few years earlier with *The Wild Bunch.* Still worth a watch.


----------



## Foxbat

*Dark City *(1998) Although it came out a year earlier, it's a shame that this movie got lost under the avalanche of Matrix hype. I still prefer this one to its much better known rival.


----------



## WaylanderToo

dask said:


> View attachment 38849



looks like an English comedian


----------



## J Riff

Dark City was good. I can't find Shell Beach either.


----------



## Cathbad

*Last Shift* (2014)

Of all possible endings, this movie had the absolute worst.  An inane ending with no logic.

It wasn't a bad horror flick, really.  A rookie officer is given the duty of watching a closing police station, on the last night it will hold anything.  She soon discovers the real reason it's being shut down.  The movie did get a bit over the top near the end, but it held my interest most of the way through - which is better than most of the horror flicks I've watched recently.  And then that screwy ending.  Seems the writer couldn't think of a proper way to end it.  My advice?  Watch it, but shut it down about 45 seconds before the end and imagine your own ending. (Yeah; in that small space of time, they destroy an otherwise fine film.)


----------



## HareBrain

WaylanderToo said:


> looks like an English comedian



Julian Barratt, you mean? I thought at first glance it was a poster for _Mindhorn_.


----------



## REBerg

*Alien Covenant*
This seemed to draw heavily from the first two movies -- which made it an absorbing thriller but not much in the way of covering new ground.
As a sequel to _Prometheus_, this was about as satisfying as the sequel to _Aliens_. Both Newt and Dr. Shaw deserved better fates.


----------



## Cathbad

I've been binging on horror movies - hoping against hope that I'll find a good one post-1970s.

The search goes on....


----------



## Cathbad

Newest one: * Kristy* (2013)

Another failure.  Why?



Spoiler: Too Many Jasons



There are four - count 'em, 4 - Jason Vorheeves going after one victim.  Three men (who wear masks), one woman (who shows her face often).  you remember Jason - the guy who walks as his victims run - yet always manages to know where they're going and gets in front of them.  This is that, times four.  Until the victim's boyfriend, who inexplicably comes back after going away to his family - is killed.

Suddenly, the victim becomes the Jason - she knows where the others will be, and manages to kill them all!



A totally unbelievable story, that actually started out promising.  If you watch it, you might as well turn it off after the first murder - the rest is not worth it.


----------



## The Ace

*Despicable M3
*
What can I say ?

Could use the minions a bit more (although their take on Gilbert and Sullivan is pure gold).

Lucy's attempts to be a mum to the three girls, range from the interesting to the hilarious, Agnes' obsession with unicorns reaches a whole new level, Margo is the glue that holds them together, and Edith is just Edith, only more so.

The introduction of Gru's twin brother, Dru, is about as tastefully handled as we've come to expect, and the whole thing is one glorious romp.

Throw in a new super villain, and we have a winner !


----------



## Phyrebrat

Cathbad said:


> I've been binging on horror movies - hoping against hope that I'll find a good one post-1970s.
> 
> The search goes on....



Try: Session 9 if you haven't already. It's outstanding... and the last line!!

Absentia 
Banshee Chapter
Creep (new one)
The Innkeepers (Ti West)
House of the Devil (Ti West)
Mr Jones (very flawed but a compelling premise)
The Sacrament

I always go for indies when looking at horror. 

pH


----------



## Cathbad

Creep was... _okay_.  I'll look for the others - thanks.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Hey Cathbad! My favorite new horror film of at least the last five+ years is _It Follows_. I wonder if you've seen it?  I really love this movie.


----------



## Cathbad

Cat's Cradle said:


> Hey Cathbad! My favorite new horror film of at least the last five+ years is _It Follows_. I wonder if you've seen it?  I really love this movie.



_It Follow_ was very good! A unique idea, too.  Definitely enjoyed it.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Yay! (Watch it again, perhaps? I must have seen it 5 times by now; still works...)

Hmm... here are a few others - you've likely seen some, but maybe there's something new to you that might appeal? How about _The Descent_? It was pretty good. _The Witch _(2015) has gotten really good reviews. My wife and I thought it looked great, and had some effective scenes, but it missed the target a bit for us.

We thought _Drag Me to Hell _was good. There's a smallish independent film named _The Invitation _that is fairly effective. _The Babadook_ is very good. I love _The Host,_ a Korean movie. I liked _Oculus. _A guilty pleasure amongst guilty pleasures: _The Last Exorcism.
_
Another indie film... it's sort of SF, sort of horror: _Coherence_. It's an odd movie (with a very slow pace), but I enjoyed it.

Hope you find something you like!


----------



## Cathbad

*The Disappointments Room* (2017)

I was all set to tell everyone what a good ghost story this was...

Then, I discover they forgot to add an ending to the movie!!  Nothing - absolutely nothing was resolved.  At the very end, the family got in the car - quite calmly - and started driving away from their new country home.  Where they just going to town?  Leaving for good?  But they'd not taken even a suitcase, or prepared in any way; and they certainly didn't look frightened.



Spoiler: So many questions!



Was the little girl really buired where the roofer dug up the tiny box? (it was empty for him, but there was skeletal remains when the wife -prone to hallucinations - looked)?  Would the father do anything after finding mom nearly murdering her son (she thought she saw the ghost-man)?  Did the roofer really commit suicide/was murdered, or was that another hallucination?  Ugh.



Even though it was indeed a fine story until the finish, I have to give this one yet another FAIL, for such a frustrating non-ending.


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Hitman's Bodyguard - swearyer than a chav's pub at closing time & nearly as violent. The perfect popcorn movie


----------



## Cathbad

WaylanderToo said:


> The Hitman's Bodyguard



I want to watch it, just to learn why a hitman would need a bodyguard!!


----------



## steffthecat

Kong: Skull Island


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Invisible Boy* (1957)

Odd combination of light domestic comedy and serious science fiction drama. A mathematician has his supercomputer (which takes up nine underground stories) teach chess to his ten-year-old son. The kid becomes a super-genius. Meanwhile, it seems that a recently deceased scientist managed to bring back a disassembled artifact from the future. The kid gets it working again. It turns out to be Robby the Robot, so this is actually a bizarre sequel to *Forbidden Planet*. Together they spend the first half of the movie getting into wacky hi-jinks, including the invisibility which gives the film its title, but is actually a very minor part of the plot. The story really gets going when we find out the supercomputer has a plan of its own. Things get very dark indeed, in the style of *Colossus: The Forbin Project*. Despite an evident low budget and some silliness, this movie is full of imaginative ideas.


----------



## dask

steffthecat said:


> Kong: Skull Island


Any good?


----------



## Droflet

Not bad. Far better than Peter Jackson's fiasco.


----------



## J Riff

Wacky hi-jinks indeed. Between _The Solarnauts, Capt. Z-Ro, and Avenger X.._.. I'm looking at Lo-Jinks,,, except that, in _Avenger X_, a master of a million disguises is so good at what he does, that the movie ends and you aren't sure who he was. Mind, I fell asleep for part of it.*


----------



## AstroZon

Mulholland Drive 

I was in the middle of watching the complete Twin Peaks, so I decided to watch David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.  After I watched it, I had no idea what it was about, but there are a few good explanations online.  And after reading them, it makes perfect sense.


----------



## dask

Kinda like 2001 it sounds like.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

*Atomic Blonde*.

I genuinely enjoyed it. It was a far smarter film than I'd expected it to be, requiring actual attention from the audience. Plus points for having a bang on target soundtrack (unlike Guardians of the Galaxy's rather lameass soundtrack full of boring Eighties tunes). I got chills listening to Cat People at cinema volume.

Cinematography was beautiful, even though a lot of the East Berlin stuff looked nothing like Germany due to being shot in places like Hungary. Phenomenally accurate reproduction of the Berlin Wall, though. I honestly got a little bit weepy when they interspersed news coverage of the wall coming down, the bravery of the East German people standing up to the Stasi and walking across the border en masse. It brought back a lot of memories, so I'd say it was accurate enough!

It also gets plus points for showing women's bodies without pandering to sexualisation. We open on a naked Charlize Theron, but there's nothing vulnerable or sexy about it: we're shown her _strength_. Her muscles, her injuries, her fearlessness. Whenever we see women naked in Atomic Blonde we aren't seeing soft things to leer at, we're seeing machines in motion and it's _very_ well done.

Will absolutely grab it on Blu-Ray when it comes out.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Play It As It Lays* (1972)

Joan Didion's novel adapted by herself and husband John Gregory Dunne. Tuesday Weld stars as an actress descending into existential apathy. Anthony Perkins has the second lead as her friend, a producer who is already there. Features a brain-damaged child, an illegal abortion, and suicide. Can be summed up by the film's last two lines. "Why?" "Why not?"


----------



## WaylanderToo

Amelia Faulkner said:


> *Atomic Blonde*.
> 
> I genuinely enjoyed it. It was a far smarter film than I'd expected it to be, requiring actual attention from the audience. Plus points for having a bang on target soundtrack (unlike Guardians of the Galaxy's rather lameass soundtrack full of boring Eighties tunes). I got chills listening to Cat People at cinema volume.
> 
> Cinematography was beautiful, even though a lot of the East Berlin stuff looked nothing like Germany due to being shot in places like Hungary. Phenomenally accurate reproduction of the Berlin Wall, though. I honestly got a little bit weepy when they interspersed news coverage of the wall coming down, the bravery of the East German people standing up to the Stasi and walking across the border en masse. It brought back a lot of memories, so I'd say it was accurate enough!
> 
> It also gets plus points for showing women's bodies without pandering to sexualisation. We open on a naked Charlize Theron, but there's nothing vulnerable or sexy about it: we're shown her _strength_. Her muscles, her injuries, her fearlessness. Whenever we see women naked in Atomic Blonde we aren't seeing soft things to leer at, we're seeing machines in motion and it's _very_ well done.
> 
> Will absolutely grab it on Blu-Ray when it comes out.




can't quite say I'd agree with that 100% I found the film very atmospheric, with a great sound track agreed. Ms Theron was very good too and some of the fight scenes were brutal but... but, overall I found it to be more like a pop-video and I much prefered the first John Wick film.

As for sexualisaton I would say that the lust scene was quite full on with a fair amount to leer at


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

WaylanderToo said:


> As for sexualisaton I would say that the lust scene was quite full on with a fair amount to leer at



Ah but us ladies could leer at it too. There's a fine line with wlw sex scenes, and this one wasn't very for-men-pornography at all. It was _sensual_, not dead-eyed grunting


----------



## dask

Hmmm, probably should check it out just to see who's right.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Amelia Faulkner said:


> It also gets plus points for showing women's bodies without pandering to sexualisation.



That's the one concern I had watching the trailer. As I have three teenage daughters, I'm pretty much limited to watching anything that would be suitable for them.

Which more recently involved _The Lost Boys_ and _Breakfast Club_. And for Saturday viewing we've started _Twin Peaks_. 

As we've had a run of 80's classics recently, I think our Sunday night film will probably be _Arrival_, via Amazon Video.


----------



## Cathbad

*Dressed To Kill* (1941)

Lloyd Nolan, as Private Detective Michael Shayne, is terrific in this light-hearted whodunit.

This was an intelligent - if tongue-in-cheek - movie; but it left me a bit sad.  I had to go that far back to find a good movie??

Anyway, it's on Netflix, and if you want to be entertained, check it out!


----------



## dask

Lloyd Nolan's pretty cool.


----------



## Cathbad

dask said:


> Lloyd Nolan's pretty cool.



Yes, he was.


----------



## Droflet

Rememory. 
A brilliant scientist is found dead. Natural causes or murder? A stranger (Peter Dinklage) turns up at the widow's home to investigate. Clever, clever movie, with a great script handled well and a fabulous cast. The twists toward the end tie this terrific film neatly together. Intelligent film making.


----------



## Vince W

*Spiderman: Homecoming*. Very enjoyable even though I thought there was too much Tony Stark as Uncle Ben's replacement. Scenes like that should have been written for and given to Marisa Tomei as Aunt May.

And while I enjoyed the inclusion of The Ramones on the soundtrack, at the end they should have used their version of the the Spider-Man theme:






They OWN this song now.


----------



## Randy M.

_The Babadook_ (2014)

Devastated by the loss of her husband in a car accident on the way to the hospital to give birth to her son, Amelia covers her despair with work and devotion to her son. But she has trouble hugging him. It doesn't come natural to her; she recoils and he notices. The boy, Samuel, is an odd child, not lovable, prone to dark thoughts, ready to fight monsters to protect his mom. Then one night he finds an odd book for her to read him to sleep, The Babadook. The character of Mr. Babadook in the book begins to intrude into their real life and it's not entirely clear whether there is a haunting or whether she is going insane.

Okay. Now I see what all the fuss was about. This is both a terrific thriller, and Essie Davis is a name I'm going to try and remember since this movie works in large part because of her performance. And Noah Wiseman, who plays her son, is equal to her.


Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

Randy M. said:


> _The Babadook_ (2014)



I was debating whether to watch this or not.  It didn't really _sound_ good.

With your recommendation, @Randy M. , I'm off to watch it!


----------



## J Riff

There are people who will watch movies with titles like Attack of the Killer Donuts, because well they just watch weird movies like that. But you shouldn't, not this one.
_The Crime Doctor _1943 is kind of interesting though, if you are interested in amnesia in gangsters, who then change their ways, rediscover who they were, go straight, and years later turn in the stole valise full of cash and have a happy ending. )


----------



## Cathbad

*The Babadook* (2014)

This was a good movie!  ...Up until the creature actually made an appearance.  Even then, it would have been palatable, if it weren't for the ending.

I will agree with @Randy M. re the performances by both Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman.  Too bad the writer(s) of this movie had to ruin it all with what is no doubt one of the most ludicrous endings of all times.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rattlers* (1976)

**SPOILERS**

Cheap entry in the Animals Attack genre. Starts with a couple of kids wandering off from their parents in the desert. They get killed by snakes. (Having the kids actually die was a gutsy move on the part of the filmmakers. Like all the other deaths-by-snake in this movie, it happens off-screen. The most violent scenes in this PG movie are people shooting at each other.) Herpetologist is called in by the cops to investigate this and similar deaths. (We're told that the bodies are horribly mutilated by the attacks, but we never see them.) He winds up working with a photographer. At first they have a feisty Women's Libber/stubborn Male Chauvinist shouting match, but she quickly settles into the role of the movie's Girl. (Grinning when an older army officer she's just met says he wouldn't mind spending some time alone with such a sexy young thing.) Yes, they become lovers. Random snake attacks fill up most of the running time. The attacks turn out to be caused by the snakes getting exposed to a nerve gas that causes extreme aggression. (I guess they got mutated, too, judging by the unseen horrible state of the victims, and the fact they they are able to bite through the tire of an Army Jeep.) One character implies that the same stuff has been dumped into the ocean, and speculates what might happen to sharks or killer whales. It all winds up with an extended gun-and-grenade battle between an evil General and the good guys, leading to one of those "the end -- or is it?" type endings. Very 1970's, and worthy of being mocked. I understand the Cinematic Titanic people did so.


----------



## Randy M.

Cathbad said:


> *The Babadook* (2014)
> 
> This was a good movie!  ...Up until the creature actually made an appearance.  Even then, it would have been palatable, if it weren't for the ending.
> 
> I will agree with @Randy M. re the performances by both Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman.  Too bad the writer(s) of this movie had to ruin it all with what is no doubt one of the most ludicrous endings of all times.



I didn't mind the ending. 



Spoiler



The taming of Babadook seemed emblematic of the mother coming to terms with her loneliness and grief. Except, it's not really tamed, just held in check. There is indication it might not stay quiescent, but for now having acknowledged the monster that threatens them the mother and son can cope and treat each other with some affection and love. Pretty much from the beginning, the filmmakers straddled that line between the monster being a physical presence or being a sort of Id monster, a manifestation of all the mother was suppressing.




Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Come Back To Me* (2014)

A very decent thriller, with a _great_, surprising ending!

I can't tell you much about the movie without giving something away, but it starts with a couple, not long married.  The wife wants to get pregnant, but hubby keeps making excuses.  When she finally_ does_ get pregnant - well, that's when the _real_ fun begins!

(And_ don't_ think *Rosemary's Baby*.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Son of Ingagi* (1940)

As far as I know, the only "race film" to be a horror movie. The African American cast spins a pretty typical Poverty Row chiller of the time. A young couple gets married at the start. An older woman makes out her will to give her belongings to the newly wed woman, because she was in love with her father. The older woman also happens to be a doctor with an ape-man in her house, as well as a bunch of gold that her ex-con brother is trying to get. The doctor creates some kind of beneficial elixir, but when the ape-man drinks it he goes on a rampage. Notable for having a couple of musical numbers which are pretty good, if you like that kind of old swing singing.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> As far as I know, the only "race film" to be a horror movie.



You'll want to watch *Get Out: *Get Out (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, that's pretty good.


----------



## Cathbad

It doesn't matter what movie.  ((I intended to review one here, but would rather rant.)

I am getting so very tired of movies without an ending!

I mean really... what the h***?  Does every movie have to end without a conclusion, or leave us not knowing if so-and-so died or not??  I'm _over_ it!  Why do script writers get hooked in cycles of copying each other, over and over?!

Can we go back to movies having conclusions, please?


----------



## Cat's Cradle

I think, by "race film", Victoria is referring to these types of old, non-Hollywood movies:

Race film - Wikipedia


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Ah thanks for that @Cat's Cradle! I conflated the term "race film" with it being a horror <3


----------



## Vince W

*Atomic Blonde*. An ultimately dissatisfying film with neither enough action nor enough intrigue to be classified as one or the other type. Perhaps with a few adjustments in either direction this could have be quite a standout film.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Logan Lucky*. Loved it - brilliant acting (particularly Adam Driver!), great heist plot, excellent soundtrack


----------



## Cat's Cradle

You're welcome, Amelia! I'd suspect the term in question (in this context) is not widely known outside of the U.S. (though I could be wrong).

I thought, btw, that _Get Out_ was a fairly good film, though I didn't love it as much as many critics did.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I have also since been corrected by somebody who knows a heck of a lot more about such things than I do.  There were a few other "race films" that are horror movies.



> There were at least a few more, although I've never actually seen any of the movies I'm about to name, and can't judge whether they'd be remotely worth the effort of tracking down. The Devil's Daughter is probably the easiest to get; Alpha Video put it out on a DVD with Chloe, Love Is Calling You, which might also count if you're willing to read "race picture" a little loosely. Drums o' Voodoo (aka She Devil) also still survives, and seems like the kind of thing that might turn up on archive.org. It was based on a stage play called Louisiana, and concerns a battle between a Christian minister and a Voodoo priestess for the souls of a small black community. Then there's Fight That Ghost, which appears to have been a quickie copy of The Ghost Breakers with Pigmeat Markham standing in for Bob Hope. It might be lost now, though-- certainly I can't find any evidence of a home video release. Voodoo Devil Drums is definitely lost, which strikes me as both disappointing and probably for the best. What little I've read about it makes it sound extra-sleazy. Finally, Spencer Williams, the writer of Son of Ingagi, also wrote and directed a film called The Blood of Jesus, which is sort of horror-adjacent in a similar way to The Devil and Daniel Webster. It's about the temptation of a godly woman accidentally shot by her unchurched husband; Satan tries to get hold of her while her spirit clings weakly to life and her friends (remorseful hubby included) try to pray her back into her body to stay. Robin R. Means Coleman gave The Blood of Jesus a rave write-up in Horror Noire, although he simultaneously made it sound like the kind of film a modern audience has to meet more than halfway to get much out of it.



I've seen *The Blood of Jesus*, which I'd call more of an allegorical religious fantasy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The above discussion prompted me to check out:

*The Devil's Daughter* (1939)

This "race film" melodrama takes place in Jamaica. The main characters are two half-sisters. One went off to New York City to be educated, one stayed home. The first one comes back to inherit the family plantation when their father dies. The second one plots to drive the first one off the island by pretending to use Obeah rituals on her, while actually drugging her with local herbs. Only fifty-two minutes long in its surviving form, down from an original sixty-seven. Even at the short length it's padded with local color and comedy relief, but it ends very suddenly with everybody reconciliated. (Comic subplot:  The returning sister's servant thinks he has to put in soul into a pig to avoid having it captured by zombies, then panics when the pig becomes dinner.) The wicked sister is played by Nina Mae McKinney, who was quite a success in Europe in her day and was known as the Black Garbo. She definitely dominates the film. All the other actors are quite wooden. Notable for the seeming authenticity of the rituals, and for having a song with a melody identical to that of the calypso tune "Matilda" made famous by Harry Belafonte.


----------



## Boneman

*Dunkirk. *Very good film...


----------



## Cathbad

*Be Afraid* (2017)

When I first saw the male lead, I knew I'd seen him before, but couldn't recall where.  I went back to the title screen, but his name, Brian Krause, was not familiar to me.  When I returned to the movie, however, the scene moved to softer lighting, and briefly, I could see him as a younger man.  It became clear - he was the Whitelighter from _Charmed_!

He's not a great actor, but he does a decent job here.  In fact, none of the acting stands out - it's all just "okay".  What the movie has, is _excellent writing_!  It's a great story.  And even if the ending is cliché, it is done well. 

This is one of the few monster movies done in recent years that I'd recommend.  Nothing exceptional about the monster, either - but portrayed in a way that added to the fear level - as should be!

I say take a look - and enjoy!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Chloe, Love Is Calling You* (1934)

Named after lyrics in the popular 1927 song _Chlo-e (Song of the Swamp)_.  (It was so popular, in fact, that Spike Jones parodied it in 1945.)  Not a "race film" but a racist film.  The title character is a woman who thinks she's at least part African-American.  After some fooling around she finds out that she's the daughter of the local rich white guy, so she can marry a white man she loves instead of the black man (played by a white actor, and looking almost exactly like the white guy) who loves her.  The woman she thinks is her mother is some kind of voodoo practitioner, and it winds up with a ceremony in the swamp with Chloe as the intended victim of a human sacrifice.  Aside from some local color -- nifty swamps, and a brief look at the turpentine industry of the time -- it's pretty much worthless.  The woman who plays Chloe was a pretty famous star of the silent days.  This was her last role.


----------



## Cathbad

*Young Frankenstein* (1974)

Just watched it again!  The comedic genius of Gene Wilder, teamed with the great Marty Feldman.  What a team!

This classic has the grandson of the monster-maker Dr. Frankenstein, following in his ancestor's footsteps.  I mean, there is nothing - _absolutely nothing_ - to complain about in this movie!  Great writing, great acting, perfect comedic timing, right down to the horses' neighing when they hear the name "Bluecher"!

I can't imagine anyone over 40 who hasn't seen this, but if you haven't. DON'T MISS IT!  Few movies after 1969 deserve a 10, but this is one of them!


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Neee-hee-heeeee-he-hey!


----------



## dask

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Chloe, Love Is Calling You* (1934)
> 
> Named after lyrics in the popular 1927 song _Chlo-e (Song of the Swamp)_.  (It was so popular, in fact, that Spike Jones parodied it in 1945.)  Not a "race film" but a racist film.  The title character is a woman who thinks she's at least part African-American.  After some fooling around she finds out that she's the daughter of the local rich white guy, so she can marry a white man she loves instead of the black man (played by a white actor, and looking almost exactly like the white guy) who loves her.  The woman she thinks is her mother is some kind of voodoo practitioner, and it winds up with a ceremony in the swamp with Chloe as the intended victim of a human sacrifice.  Aside from some local color -- nifty swamps, and a brief look at the turpentine industry of the time -- it's pretty much worthless.  The woman who plays Chloe was a pretty famous star of the silent days.  This was her last role.



I don't think I'd watch it even if Al Jolson himself sauntered over from the set of THE JAZZ SINGER to play the part. Appreciate Victoria for shining a good light on a bad thing.


----------



## Starbeast

This is the second time I've seen this eerie, gritty 2009 drama about a mysterious warrior. I highly agree with the actor MADS MIKKELSEN, that this is a very deep thinking film. I felt the same way about this excellent movie, before I recently watched Mr Mikkelsen in an interview, discussing the film.


----------



## dask

What's it about? SF, fantasy? War, thriller?


----------



## Starbeast

dask said:


> What's it about? SF, fantasy? War, thriller?



I don't want to give too much away. It takes place around the time of the crusades, and the warrior (MADS), begins the film as a prisoner, used for fighting matches Not a fantasy or sci-fi.


----------



## dask

Sounds cool. Will check it out. Thanks.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Black Cat* (1934), dir. Edgar G. Ulmer; starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Julie Bishop

I suspect this one was released on the cusp of the Hayes Code crackdown on motion pictures since there's an implied skinning of a man and, an even more horrifying horror of horrors, a man and woman in the same bed at the same time. _*Gasp!*_

Anyway, the credits say the story is "suggested" by the classic tale of Edgar Allan Poe, which I think means they needed a title and shoehorned into the script a reason for taking this one. That said, if you're susceptible to the charms of black and white studio horror movies from the 1930s, this is a must see, the first pairing of Lugosi and Karloff when they were equally famous for their early horror movies. Further, Ulmer had a distinctive visual style derived, I think, from German Expressionism (as in _Nosferatu_ and _The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari_) that ultimately contributed to film noir.

The movie opens with the Alisons, a mostly unnecessary American couple, honeymooning in Hungary; as the husband later mutters, “Next time, Niagara Falls.” On the train they meet Dr. Werdegast (Lugosi), in a later scene identified as the premier Hungarian psychiatrist, a fact that contributes little to the rest of the movie but seems to tie in with his extreme morbid fear of cats. Werdegast takes a liking to the young wife because she reminds him of his own wife, who he has not seen in eighteen years. In that time Werdegast went to war (WWI) and survived a major battle only to be captured and thrown in a prison noted for torturing its inmates and from which few men have walked away. He has returned looking for his wife and daughter, and the man who stole them from him, Hjalmar Poelzig, the famous Hungarian architect, who Werdegast condemns as a coward and traitor. Poelzig and Werdegast have read the same books, each commenting on cats as the carriers of evil. A black cat or two have made Poelzig's home their home and act on Werdegast in a way similar to the effect of Kryptonite on Superman.

Poelzig (Karloff) has built his home on the foundations of the fort he and Werdegast defended and where 10,000 men died in battle. Each of them alludes to death as a part of the house. The sets are the nightmare side of Art Deco -- I can't think of any other horror movie in which an Art Deco setting plays so important a role; the house should be added to the cast list -- all angles and chrome plating and rather beautiful in a way, with convenient dungeons that include old gun turrets and in which take place the occasional Black Mass. Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Poelzig is a Satanist, this night is the dark of the moon, the Mass is already on the calendar and, dang, but that American woman would make a nifty sacrifice!

The mystery of what happened to Werdegast's wife is eventually revealed and in about as creepy a way as possible. Really creepy, even now, 83 years after the movie’s initial release, as is the secret of Werdegast’s daughter, a different sort of creepy and pretty easy for the viewer to guess.

For all my facetious tone, I’ve watched this three or four times over the years and what holds my attention are the visuals, the frames composed with an artist’s eye for form, the play of shape and of dark and light as when we see the house up on a hill in the pouring rain, the rooms with their spiral staircases and squat lamps with square-ish lamp shades with rounded corners in contrast to other items like small statuary on end tables – a nice use of one such about mid-way implies Poelzig’s intentions toward Mrs. Alison better than any dialog could have. And Karloff and Lugosi were in top form, from Karloff’s robotic rising from his bed to his expressive eyes and face rarely being more menacing, to Lugosi’s staginess which is mostly offset by his voice, a voice that certainly fits the character of a Hungarian doctor. This remains one of the better match-ups of the two stars.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

"Superstitious?  Perhaps.  Baloney?  Perhaps not."

(My favorite line from the film.)

I really like that one.  Lugosi and Karloff are perfectly balanced, and the story is genuinely weird and creepy.

Also highly recommended is Ulmer's minimalist film noir *Detour*.


----------



## Starbeast

​One of my favorite movies, and I just watched it again today. This 1982 film, which stars Robert Urich, is about a retired policeman, who enters a town that has a problem with cattle mutilations.

Is it caused by, aliens from outer space, a sinister cult, or something else? An excellent drama, with a haunting music score by Gary Wright (sang Dream Weaver).


----------



## Randy M.

Ah, thanks, Victoria. I'd meant to mention _Detour_ but rambled long enough to lose track of it. I've only seen it once and that so long ago all I recall is it is very dark. In a way Ulmer reminds of Cornell Woolrich and Philip K. Dick, artists who in their medium were good at dramatizing nightmares. there are points where you think it doesn't logically hold together, but there's some dream logic that makes it real in the moment and disturbing.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Inner Sanctum* (1948)

Low budget suspense flick which borrows the title of the popular book series/radio program.  A woman on a train has a conversation with an eerie fellow (Fritz Leiber, father of the great writer of the same name.)  He makes a few strangely accurate predictions, then tells her a story, leading to our main plot.  A man kills a woman at a train station.  A young boy is the only person around, making him the only witness.  However, he doesn't know he's seen a murderer.  The killer is forced to stay at the local boarding house due to a flood preventing him from leaving.  Besides several eccentric folks, providing the comic relief, the residents include a tough-as-nails blonde who wants to go away with the guy, even when she figures out he's the murderer.  The kid also lives there with his mother.  He doesn't recognize the fellow.  Attempts to kill the kid follow.  At the end we go back to Fritz Leiber for an ending which adds a touch of the supernatural.  The  bad guy is calm and taciturn to the point of blandness, which actually makes him creepier.  Notable for some slightly suggestive dialogue which must have got past the censors.  (Woman looking at her watch:  "I'm a little fast."  Man, after meaningful pause:  "I believe it.")  Only an hour long, so worth a look.


----------



## Cathbad

*Dementia* (2015)

An excellent thriller!  All about relationships:  Father and son.. mother and daughter... psycho killer and... well, that would be giving it away.  

The old man with a touch of dementia is a vet, once tortured as a prisoner.  When the truth is told, it's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys!

This movie is to be experienced, not figured out.  Still, it's an intelligent movie with good acting and a great story!


----------



## Cathbad

*The Invisible Guest* (2016)

Wow!  What great story-telling!  And Ana Wagener is my new favorite actress!  A great performance and an excellently written script!

A murder mystery for the ages!  A "locked room" murder mystery - _or is it_?  More than one story is made up by these participants - and each of them are brilliant!  Just when you think you have it all figured out - _voila_!  A curtain is pulled and the last act is changed - _twice_!

Easily one of the best movies in a decade, and the best mystery I've seen in quite a while.  Now, if we can get Hollywood to make more movies like this, the industry is saved!


----------



## dask

Great! Another movie I've got to find the time to watch.


----------



## Vince W

*Guardians of the Galaxy 2*. A very fun film and a worthy successor to the first film in almost every way. I wonder if they can keep this sort of quality up for the next film.

*Back to School (1986)*. Probably my favourite Rodney Dangerfield film and packed with great one liners. Plus Kurt Vonnegut appears.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Third Man* (1949)

The One-Word Descriptor for this movie?  Disappointing.

There was so much possibility here!  The story was a god one, but it was destroyed, obviously, by a nincompoop director (Carol Reed).  With Joseph Cotten as the protagonist, and Orson Wells as the villain, how can you miss??

By giving Wells very few lines, and no ample opportunity to show his best acting.
By making even the dramatic moments go slow* as possible, with no suspenseful buildup at all, even in what should have been an exciting finale!
By not pressing on the romance angle.
By revealing the "surprise" too early.

Not many can say they had been given such great tools - and failed.  Congratulations, Carol.



*"Slow" is another descriptor for this movie - the whole thing was slow and unstimulating.


----------



## Cathbad

*Captain America:  Civil War* (2016)

I didn't care much for this movie the first time I watched it.  The combat scenes are too unbelievable, with characters performing feats they certainly weren't capable of in the comic books!  And at times, the CGI is too noticeable.  There seems to be violence simply for the sake of special effects.

I also disliked how they treated Spider-Man as a secondary superhero!  Okay, that one, it was the same in the comics when he first interacts with the Avengers - which I felt the same about.

But I just watched the movie again - and found myself liking it a lot more.

There is an excellent story here, though you have to listen beyond the sound and fury of the movie to hear it!  There are several dynamics to the story:  friendships, morality, political, the human condition. 

I might've given this movie a 7 out of 10 before, but now I think we're up to an 8.5!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Hoodlum* (1951)

Low budget crime film made during one of the low points of real-life tough guy Lawrence Tierney's on-and-off career.  He plays a crook who gets out of prison to go back to his mother and good-guy brother (played by his real brother.)  Not only does he almost immediately plan an armored car robbery with his criminal buddies, he seduces his brother's girlfriend and gets her pregnant, leading to her suicide.  Notable mostly for Tierney's intensity.  In some ways it feels like a throwback to Thirties gangster flicks.


----------



## Cathbad

Black Rose (2014)

Well-acted police drama about a serial killer targeting Russian prostitutes in Los Angeles.  So, naturally, they send to Moscow to get help, right?  And then, of course, they partner him with a rookie female detective/profiler.

Besides these silly contrivances, the movie also had the type of ending that drives mystery fans (like me) mad:  The clues that might have led us (the audience) to the answer were not given, until after the bad-guy was dead.  Bad form.

Actually, this movie played more like the pilot of a television series.  Perhaps that's what the producers were hoping for?  Still, it was, as I said, well-acted, and that counts for quite a bit.  If you watch, don't try to figure out who the murderer is.  And maybe it'll yet be a series?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cyborg 2087* (1966)

Ultra-low budget time travel flick.  Michael Rennie stars as a guy with some robot parts who gets zapped back in time.  It seems that a telepathy machine invented in 1967 has led to an oppressive government in 2087.  He tries to stop the gizmo from existing.  Meanwhile two government guys from the future try to track him down.  The story isn't stupid but it's ruined by terrible special effects, costumes, and music.  Co-stars include one of Mudd's Women.  Breaks down into hilarity in the middle when some extremely clean cut teenagers, who must have seemed old-fashioned even in 1966, show up at a dance party.


----------



## Cathbad

*Small Crimes* (2017)

If your feeling blue, and you want to feel a whole lot... worse... this is the movie for you!

Well-acted yarn about an ex-cop who just finished a six-year stint in prison for crimes he took the fall for, for a police-ran crime ring.  He wants to put his life back together, and make amends - but his past is getting in the way.

It's a story about a semi-intelligent man who has made some bad decisions - and continues to make them.  Nothing goes right for _anyone_ in this movie, and the end is just as sad as the man's life.

*WARNING:*  If you're feeling the least bit suicidal, DO NOT see this movie!


----------



## Cathbad

*Pay the Ghost* (2015)

As I follow the path of a Celtic Druid, I was afraid this movie, starring Nicolas Cage, was going to show us as evil/bad.  Actually, though, I don't feel it did.



Spoiler



I can even understand the Celtic woman's (from the 1600s) curse upon the city, as they burned her and her children at the stake, blaming her and her family for the plague that had struck the city.  Every year, she returns on Halloween, to take three living children, to replace her lost ones.  A year after his own child is taken, Cage's character discovers he has until midnight to save his son.  After that, it is too late.



I appreciate the effort to acknowledge Celtic symbolism, but they got some things wrong.

> Samhain does not end at midnight on October 31st.  It is a three-day celebration, beginning at sundown on the 31st, and ending at sunrise on November 2nd (there are differences of opinions on this issue, but my extensive research leads me to believe this is the correct time frame).

> The buzzard is _not_ the symbol of death - the crow is.  But in this case, the meaning seems to be entwined with crossing the barrier between this world and the Otherworld:  In that case, white hounds would have been more appropriate - though not as cinematically frightening.

> They used the word "crone".  But in Celtic lore, though she was indeed ugly, the Crone is beneficent.

They were quit right to make the number three prevalent, though, as it - and all numbers divisible by three - are Holy.

The movie is, of course, well acted.  It keeps a high tension level, and the special effects were not overbearing, as many movies today make them.

I highly recommend this movie!


----------



## The Ace

*Sunshine on Leith
*
(OK, again.)

This has humour, pathos, and a great sound-track - from the tense, "Sky takes the soul," (the Sky takes the soul/and the Earth takes the clay/ Could be tomorrow, could be today), through Jane Horrocks' heart-breaking rendition of the title track, to the exuberance of the glorious finale - a breathtaking dance version of, "I'm gonna be (500 miles)."

From a squaddie who can't quite adjust to civilian life, his girlfriend who's just been offered the opportunity of a lifetime, a father regretting a long-forgotten affair, and a Scot coming to terms with being in love with an Englishwoman, the gags (and the moments) come thick and fast ("I'd come wi' ye, and I widnae mind. A'right, that's a lie, I wid mind, but I'd dae it.")

Oh, and Jane Horrocks - despite being English - actually makes a decent attempt at a Scottish accent, being the Mum who holds her family together.


----------



## Cathbad

*Indigenous* (2014)

Don't.

Just... don't.  Seriously.  Don't bother.

Okay, most monster movies tend to be a bit on the ridiculous side, but this one took the cake and ran with it!

A group of young Americans go on a "last vacation" before adulthood.  They learn from a local girl about a pristine waterfall and pool, in a "forbidden jungle".  And that's where it got stupid.

First, one pair goes off on their own to make out.  They are startled by a rustling coming from the jungle growth.

Seriously?  You heard A rustling noise and got scared?  Let me explain something:  You're in a JUNGLE.  The time to start getting scared is when you DON'T hear any rustling noises!!

But this jungle has no creatures, evidently.  No birds, no snakes, no insects!!  Only the monster.

So, in order to get to the pool, they park their cars and walk a short distance - only that "short distance" becomes miles when they run back to it in fear! 

Then, after driving a short distance, for reasons not explained, they get OUT of the car again! They're soon moving quickly, and one guy has to stop for five seconds to get his flashlight to work again (because, as everyone knows, you have to stop to shake a flashlight).  In those five seconds, his friends get so far ahead of him, he can't see their flashlights, and can barely hear them!

Again, they race back to the vehicle - which is, again, miles away.

One of them posts a frantic video to Facebook (because the jungle provides such excellent reception), which goes viral, and soon, everyone and their brother are looking for them.  They hear a helicopter, and one of the girls races ahead to catch it (because, of course, running in a thick jungle is so much faster that flying above it).  She comes to a clearing, where the helicopter is coming down - only, she stays just inside the thick jungle growth, rather than run into the clearing!

Meanwhile, her two surviving friends are following - the guy carrying the girl who suffered a compound fracture (bone protruding through the skin) by jumping over a six-inch wide log.  They hear a rustling in the bushes...

... and of course stop and wait.  After all, it's only a monster that has already killed three of their friends!

I have just finished wasting 84 minutes of my time - hopefully, so you won't have to.


----------



## Droflet

Sounds good. I'll give it a look.


----------



## Foxbat

*Sky Blue 2142 A.D. (a.ka. Wonderful Days)* The world has suffered an ecological catastrophe but the organic city of Ecoban survives. Its needs are met by an underclass known as the Diggers. But exploited and struggling to survive, the Diggers are on the verge of revolution. A rebel fighter remains their best hope for freedom.

Despite its fairly standard dystopian storyline, this Korean animation is really worth watching. It overcomes its own plot mediocrity through the sheer brilliance of its animation and the stunning impact of its combination of sound and vision. The very end of the film is simply a thing of sheer beauty.

Anybody with an interest in Asian cinema or animation in general should really give this movie a chance.


----------



## Cathbad

*Arise (Ghost In the Shell: Ghost Whispers)*  (2013)

I was disappointed.

Not in the story; which, as usual for Ghost, was very good.  But this was early-80s animation - 30 years and no improvements?  Bad lip synch, poor graphics displays, and virtually no background, save for the immediate action.

C'mon, guys!  You're working on one of the most popular franchises in the industry, and this is what you offer?  Truly sad.


----------



## REBerg

*Planet Terror*
Oh, yeah! Took me long enough to get to this _Death Proof_ companion. Time to look for _Hobo with a Shotgun_, _Machete_ and _Machete Kills_.


----------



## J Riff

No dogs killed off in Indigenous then? , they would be too smart? They would save the plot for the humans?


----------



## Cathbad

I saw no dog.


----------



## Vince W

*Wonder Woman*. A rather pale and tame film where love saves the day. Again.


----------



## Randy M.

_*IT*_ (2017)

The good:

The kids are awright! The young actors in this are quite good, especially Jaeden Lieberher (Bill), Sophia Lillis (Beverly) and Finn Wolfhard (Richie). 

Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise is also quite good. It can't be easy to try to be menacing throughout a movie, but he does a good job and takes advantage of the make-up used on him. I liked that he's more front-and-center than in the book.

Moving the earlier action from 1958 (as in the novel) to 1989 works well enough and the director does a nice job of making the movie look like an '80s movie along the lines of _Stand by Me_, _The Goonies_, _Lost Boys_ or even _E.T. _and that adds something to the visual experience maybe especially in the overhead shots and shots of the town, making Derry seem like a real place. (And there's a scene that echoes a still earlier movie, _Carrie_.)

The underground scenes are well-staged.

The less good:

Others on-line say its scary, I can't say I felt scared or even jumped at anything.
Having finished the book just a month ago I was perhaps too aware of what they abbreviated, cut out or changed, and some of what was changed doesn't really make sense to me. 

Stan and Eddie are nicely played, but short-changed by the script. In King's novel each character brings some quality to the group that the others lack. That's not apparent in the movie except, vaguely, for the three mentioned above.

Mike is a major character in the novel but deeply short-changed in the movie. As the only Black member of the The Losers Club he added a dimension to the novel that's sorely missed in the movie. Further, his relationship to his dad was in contrast to the more dysfunctional parent/child relationships in the novel and the actor who played Mike, Chosen Jacobs, seemed more than able to carry the load.

In the novel perhaps the strongest unifying force for the group is the boys' concern and puppy-love for Bev. To a degree that's shown here, but frankly at the end in a rather conventional way. I wouldn't suggest filming how King dealt with it, but I felt like a too convenient short-cut was taken.

That's enough. On the whole, I suspect viewers who haven't read the book or read it long enough ago that the details have fogged over will probably like this more than I did. Of course, when the second chapter comes out, I'll probably go see it anyway. Maybe by then it'll be -- or _IT_'ll be -- hazy enough in memory I'll like it more.


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

_Oceans Rising  _2017 -= plot diminishing, intelligence lowering, restart the core, only black holes can save us. ahh, I remember _The Core_. What a fine piece of work that was. * )


----------



## HanaBi

*The Thing *(2011)

Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to take a peek at this "prequel" to the 1982 Carpenter classic. 

Oh dear, what a big mistake that was: shame I can't cleanse my mind or turn back time because this really is an appalling reboot, reminiscent of the Prometheus shipwreck of a film a few years back. Absolutely no suspense/tension at all in order to keep your attention; instead it goes for the jugular - literally, and relies on good old splatter to keep you hooked - or not, as the case may be.

I guess this may have some credit if you haven't seen either Carpenter's or Howard Hawk's 1951 original. Otherwise it really is an appallingly lazy effort that discredits its predecessors.

1/5


----------



## REBerg

*Wind River*


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Some stuff we viewed at home while I had some time off:

Four random episodes of the old, old TV series _Captain Video_ (1949-1955).  Pretty much just guys talking on cheap sets, interrupted by images of what are supposedly other "video rangers" on assignment, but which are nothing more than scenes from old Westerns and other such stuff.  Amazingly primitive.

*To Be Young, Gifted & Black* (1972) -- Made for Public Television adaptation of a play based on the writings of Lorraine Hansberry, best known for her play _A Raisin in the Sun_.  Paints an impressionistic portrait of Hansberry through readings, reenactments, and scenes from her plays.

*The 10th Victim* (1965) -- Adaptation of the Robert Sheckley story "The Seventh Victim" about a future where it's legal for people to hunt and kill other people as long as they alternate being the hunted.  We saw the Italian original with English subtitles.  Quite enjoyable, with lots of satiric touches and that wonderful 1960's vision of the future.

Two entries in the American Film Theatre series:

*The Homecoming* (1973) -- Harold Pinter's adaptation of his own play.  A simple plot -- a man brings his wife home to meet his father, uncle, and two brothers after several years -- with the usual elliptical, repetitive Pinter dialogue full of meaningful pauses.  Starts off more-or-less realistic, if disturbing, and slowly becomes less realistic and more disturbing.  

*Galileo* (1975) -- Adaptation of the English translation, by Charles Laughton no less, of Bertolt Brecht's play.  Depicts the great scientist over many years.  As you'd expect, an examination of the nature of truth and faith.  Probably the best aging makeup I've ever seen, as Topol portrays Galileo from a very young man to a very old man convincingly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Carry On Jack* (1963)

Spoof of seafaring films.  Extremely silly.  (The hero is named Albert Poop-Decker.)  More slapstick than other Carry On films and fewer puns and risque humor.  Fine production values.  You have to believe that nobody would notice that Juliet Mills, disguised as a midshipman, isn't a boy.  Genial enough to be amusing.


----------



## J Riff

_ Fast n Furious _7. If you like flying cars, this one delivers. There's some acting and drama but no need, the cars steal the show.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Naked Witch* (1961/1964)

You might not believe that a feature film could be less than an hour long and be so badly padded.  First we have eight minutes of narration by none other than Gary Owens.  Pretty much just nonsense about witches.  Then a couple of minutes of credits.  Then our hero (credited only as "the Student") tells us how he went to a German-settled town in the middle of Texas.  Well, long and dull setup short, he hears the story of how a young widow was condemned as a witch by the married man with whom she was fooling around.  She gets staked and buried.  The Student goes to her grave, digs her up (she seems to be only a few inches under the ground) and lifts up the stake.  (I might have said "pulled out," but it's just sitting on top of a fake skeleton wearing a rubber mask.)  She comes back to life, starts killing the descendants of the guy who condemned her (there are only three), the Student saves the pretty young descendant, the end.  Extending the running time are long scenes of the Naked Witch skinny-dipping (truth in advertising; she's Naked enough to make this an Adults Only film of the early 1960's) and doing some (not Naked, but scantily clad) exotic dancing for the Student.  Weirdly, many of the scenes where she's walking around naked are blotted out by big black smears on the film, but not the skinny-dipping scene.


----------



## J Riff

I read as far as Gary Owens then off to find this naked witch. Owens was from_ Laugh In_, but he also did a comedy album or two, pretty wacky stuff.
HanaBi, I gave The Thing 2/5, simply because it actually made sense as a prequel, the facts actually lined up with the 1st flim, and it sets up the no-doubt equally bloody sequel where the Thing gets loose and very many flamethrowers will be needed to stop it taking over the world.
_At The Earth's Core  _features telepathic reptililians running things until the surface dwellers get down there and roust them, then the cast tunnels back up topside in a corkscrewy ship; it was fun 60s ERB fare.


----------



## Cathbad

*Perfect Stranger* (2007)

Halle Berry and Bruce Willis, in a Suspense/Mystery that is no true Mystery.

A good performance by Willis, an exceptional performance Giovanni Ribisi save Halle's lack-luster and unbelievable performance as the lead.

Ribisi's performance alone is reason to see this movie!  He plays a computer geek helping Halle's character hunt down the killer of her best friend.  He's also (more or less) a stalker, infatuated with Halle's character.

But here's the problems:



Spoiler



I say it's no "true mystery" because it breaks the rules:  There is no way someone could have put this all together and figured out who the real killer was - even though Ribisi's character does just that, no viewer would have.

Willis' character is the suspect, whom Halle and Ribisi seem convinced is the guilty party.  Halle is a reporter, who goes after Willis full guns.

But why would she go after him?  Seeing she is identified (by Ribisi's reveal) to be the killer of her own "best friend" (which the two had supposedly fooled everyone for decades to be true), and since the police had absolutely no suspects, why go after Willis' character at all?



I mostly enjoyed the movie, but the ending made the entire movie unbelievable.  Even if it had happened just as revealed, there simply was no reason for Ribisi to either discover it, or (especially) to reveal it!



Spoiler: Ending



And that she (Halle) somehow was able to surprise and kill Ribisi's character was just so ridiculous.  Up to that point, he had been highly intelligent, even if obsessed.  He became stupid at the very end - _and_ she gets away with it.


----------



## HanaBi

*High Plains Drifter* (1973)

This is the start of a Clint Eastwood "Dirty Dozen" of films I'll be watching over the next couple of weeks starting with this.

When i first saw this on the BBC way back in the late 70s I thought it was a terrific western - plenty of action, violence, sex and little or no story to worry about. But then again I was a bit of an Eastwood-fanboy/teen, and very few of his films I felt were true duds (Paint Your Wagon, springs to mind)

However, 40 years on and this film really hasn't stood the test of time. Eastwood's direction is rather mechanical, as is his acting. Only the screenplay really saves the film from just being utterly mindless. The violence is still quite harsh, and the forced rape near the beginning of the film is so typically Eastwood. 

Thankfully his latter films do improve with age, but this one just drifts aimlessly 


2/5


----------



## Cathbad

Zodiac (2007)

This movie started out very good.  Then it slowed quickly to a crawl - just like the investigation of the real Zodiac Killer did.

Robert Downey, Jr. gives a very low-key performance.  Never saw him so quiet or inactive!  All the acting was fine, but it all suffered from a slow script.  Based on the true story, though, there was little where else to go.

Sometimes, real life doesn't provide the basis of a good movie.

A snoozer that really shouldn't have been made.


----------



## HanaBi

"*A Fistful of Dollars*" (1964)

Clint Eastwood makes his Hollywood breakthrough to the big screen, albeit through director Sergio Leone's independent studios in Italy/Spain.

A remake of the Kurosawa Japanese classic "Yojimbo" (1960) starring the rather excellent Toshiro Mifune, this stands up well to the original and Eastwood does a good job playing the leading role as the "man with no name". That said he still can't add much depth to this rather one-dimensional character, which is one of Eastwood's problems throughout his Dollar and Dirty Harry franchises; but things do improve ever-so-slightly by the time we get to the 3rd and best of the Dollar Trilogy - "The Good The Bad and the Ugly" (1968)

3/5


----------



## Overread

Honestly I always felt that characters like that didn't need a huge amount of depth to them. They were films that were more adventure in style; a simpler story where you're not changing the whole world. IF anything I kind of miss those films and feel we've entered a time where every film has to be world shattering in story scope. We've lost that sense of adventure stories


----------



## Starbeast

*The Strangers* (2008) - a horror movie, inspired by a true story about sadistic home invaders. Disturbing and chilling. A friend wanted me to see it, otherwise, I would not have bothered with it.

*Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa* (2008) - Awesome sequel to the original movie. Wonderful, fun and touching. Best comedy/action film I've seen in a while.

*Zootopia* (2016) - Tremendously great animated film. I didn't know what to expect (_no trailer watching as usual_) , but, I was happily entranced by the movie.


----------



## Overread

Gallow Walkers - if it had more advertising/popularity this is the kind of film that could easily become its own cult-style following. As it is I think it managed to appear to the world so quietly that nobody noticed. It's got clear Spaghetti western influences in a good way and a quirky twisty story. 

It's not hugely complex, but its one of those stories that doesn't fully make sense until the end. An enjoyable dark fantasy action western in my view.


----------



## HanaBi

"*For a Few Dollars More*" (1965)

The second of the Dollar trilogy, and is certainly better polished & rounded compared to "Fistful". Eastwood feels a little more comfortable in his role as the Man with No Name, possibly because of the addition of two very able supporting leads in Lee Van Cleef & Gian Maria Volonte (who was also in "Fistful").

The arrival of Van Cleef certainly adds a little more depth and interest to proceedings, coupled with a little more pathos to the story. The tense standoff at the end was also very well done.

4/5


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

*Logan Lucky
*
I popped out to see this on Saturday (I know, I left my hermitage!) and genuinely enjoyed it. It had a nice, gentle pace for a heist movie, and had some great shots of some of my favourite parts of the USA. The humour was soft, not raucous, and I very much appreciated that one character's ableism fell utterly flat in front of his audience whenever he tried it.

4/5.


----------



## Cathbad

*Adulterers* (2015)

A man leaves work early on his wedding anniversary.  He arrives at home - to find his wife in bed with another man.

He holds the two adulterers (the man is also married) at gunpoint and puts them through psychological hell.  The ending was a bit predictable. but well done.  Good acting, a great psychological story.  I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

(Includes nudity.)


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Good, The Bad and the Ugly*" (1966)

The best of the Dollar westerns by a considerable margin, and clearly production values are perhaps the most apparent, as well as the elaborate almost operatic storyline that carries the film to a full 178 minutes - which would become a familiar trait for director Sergio Leone in his latter films.

Eastwood needs no introduction, although he still acts by the numbers. Lee Van Cleef returns, but as the "Bad" guy this time, which is unfortunate. But he still brings a lot of much needed gravitas to the film although perhaps not as appealing compared to his more "fatherly" appearance in "For a Few Dollars More"

However, the real revelation is Eli Wallach (the "Ugly"): a role of many personalities: evil, cunning, stupid, comedic and sometimes forlorn. He brings an appealing quality that sometimes outshines that of the rather bland Eastwood. We know more about his history, how he ended up being a bandit; whereas we know little background for Eastwood and Van Cleef's characters.

The film itself is lavish, especially the camerawork and the sumptuous and easily recognisable score by ever-dependable Ennio Morricone.  And this is the film that put Eastwood firmly on the road to Hollywood stardom.

5/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Monstroid "It Came From the Lake"* (1980)

That's how the title appears on the copy I watched, anyway, quotation marks and all.  It's not until the end credits that we're told we've actually been watching *Monster*.

In any case, this is a bad movie indeed.  Starting off with the outrageous lie that this is based on a true story, we first see a woman in a white dress dancing to Latin music in front of her husband next to a lake.  Lake monster kills husband.  This is supposed to be in Colombia.  (The end credits give the name of somebody filming in that South American nation, but as far as I could tell everything looks like the New Mexican town where the majority of the movie was shot.)  Back in the USA, an executive yells, swears, and grabs his secretary's butt while going on about the killing, which happened by the lake which his concrete factory is polluting.  (Does concrete manufacturing create a lot of toxic waste?)  There's a local Yankee-go-home radical and an American TV reporter causng trouble.  Our hero (Jim Mitchum, looking so much like his father Robert at a young age that it's almost as if the great actor went forward in time to star in a cheap monster movie) gets sent to check things out.  Folks get killed, people fly helicopters, dance, and talk on phones.  John Carradine is the local priest (with no attempt at all to make him seem Colombian.)  The credited director's kids play a major part.  (The creation of this thing was such a mess, over several years, that these may be the only scenes he actually directed.)  It's got one of those "the end -- or is it?" type endings.


----------



## J Riff

Inspired by your post, I have put on _Toxic Shark_. Meanwhile, for fans of monster movies, there are reels of stop-motion monster movies... one started with The Lost World and went thru till the ninties... then I spotted the Japanese reel... five hours of Zilla and many others, five solid hours of hilites. Can't understand a word of it, but fun.
 Toxic Shark - live review: A couple riding dune buggies crash at the shore, the undertow gets them? No idea, now it's character development, some louts, and - boom! The shark appears, in shallow water, spraying green acid from a nozzle on it's head? Victim 1 eaten,  then another shark leaps high in the air and lands on victim 2.
Okay back to the girls...one studies environmental science. The guys are vapid..'Is that a shirt or a sausage casing?" We're in Puetro Rico, and Reese is the bigmoth bigshot boss, of a fitness retreat. Our MC girl has a magnetic bracelet on, it creates an electromagnetic pulse, confusing sharks.. *  
 Girl on horse on beach, horse acting up, shark leaps out, grabs her, 3 down. 4 is a fitness instructor and now everyone knows about the shark(s),, the cellphones are out, the boats are broken, one blows up, if the shark scrapes someone, they go nuts, a chance for bad crazy acting which is not passed up.
Now, acts of stupidity, then MC learns the seawater is infected with... arsenic. A while later, everyone is crazed, like zombies, except 4 MCs... 
the shark sprays green goop, which gets arsenic on the boat motor, but heroic acts involving a flare gun allow this one to end, with sequel setup. More sharks and zomboids... Won't be reviewing that one. )


----------



## Cathbad

*London Has Fallen* (2016)

Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman star in this well-acted thrill ride.

Several years in the planning, terrorist attack as the English Prime Minister is eulogized, with almost every free-world Head of State present.  Five HOS are killed in the initial attack, but POTUS escapes due to the diligence and skill of our MC (Played by Butler).

Although an exciting movie, it portrays - probably not meaning to - extremely incompetent British and American counter-terrorism organizations.  For this terrorist plan to work, dozens of people had to be put into key positions, 



Spoiler



including the cook and those watching over the cook, at 10 Downing Street.


  To think that something this extravagant can remain totally unnoticed, or even hinted at, is a difficult stretch of the imagination.

The only other serious problem in the movie came about half-way through, when the Vice President (played by Freeman) was informed that 19 terrorists had been killed.  That means that our MC killed them all - no one else.  No, I didn't go back and count, but I have no doubt that he had killed more than a dozen by that point!

Still, though intellectually I knew this scenario to be totally ridiculous, I still enjoyed the action.  I'm glad I watched it - and that's more than I can say for more than half the movies I've watched on Netflix these past two months!


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

*Victoria and Abdul.
*
Quite a charming character piece, all told. It's only loosely historically based, and comes with a warm glow cast upon Victoria while all the household around her are racist AF. It's not really a _story_, as such. More of a two hour vignette. But it was gentle and I didn't fidget much 

4/5.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Disappearance of Flight 412* (1974)

Made-for-TV movie done in documentary style.  Air Force jet goes on a routine mission, spots three UFO's on radar.  Two Marine jets are sent up to investigate.  The Marines vanish, the UFO's vanish, the Air Force plane is directed to a secret base in the middle of nowhere and the three guys inside are subjected to questioning by shadowy security types.  An Air Force colonel (Glenn Ford) sets out to get his men back.  More of a military drama than an SF movie.  Made on a limited budget with lots of stock footage of aircraft mixed with people talking to each other, yet manages to create a sense of realism.


----------



## BAYLOR

*King of Kings *1927 Silent movie. A great film !


----------



## HanaBi

"*Coogan's Bluff*" (1968)

Continuing my Eastwood film-fest, and here we have what I would call a transitional period in Clint's career. 

Already an established Hollywood star after his "Dollar" westerns Eastwood now wanted to move away from that genre for fear of being typecast. And fortunately, director and long-term collaborator, Don Siegel, we see Eastwood achieve his goal by combining two genres: his "Man with No Name" western and the early makings of his "Dirty Harry" contemporary cop films.

In fact on watching the opening few minutes of "Bluff" one would be mistaken in thinking the film was going to be just another western. But as the story unfolds it quickly unravels into a modern-day (1960s) world, and of New York and its traffic, skyscrapers and its eclectic people.

Eastwood plays an Arizona sheriff, who is asked to visit the Big Apple to extradite a known criminal who is on the run from the law. Eastwood's character is definitely a fish-out-of-water as he tries to deal not only with a criminal on the loose, but also NY police bureaucracy; the hurly-burly 24/7 New York life, the noise, the pace and everyone shouting at each other for no good reason! But eventually he gets used to all the drug-dealers, hustle artists, prostitutes and other city lowlife, and he manages to track down his prey to make for a very tense and exciting finale. 

Strip away the modern veneer and you'll find this is scarcely any different to his Dollar films; but at least Eastwood is trying to lay the foundations into something that would eventually evolve into the dirty and uncompromising world of Harry Callaghan three years later. 

Nice action sequences, a quite a low body-count, and some wonderful views of NY in all its 1960s glory (the Pan-Am building, especially!)

3/5


----------



## Randy M.

_Coogan's Bluff_, I believe, inspired the TV show, _McCloud_ starring Dennis Weaver.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

*Strongroom *1963 - This is a good one, no spoilers. A bank robbery gone wrong, a movie made right. *****


----------



## HanaBi

"*Where Eagles Dare*" (1968)

Having grounded his roles in westerns and contemporary police thrillers, Eastwood opted to give the WWII genre a try when he was offered the role in this 1968 classic starring Richard Burton, from a script and subsequent novel by Alistair MacLean. 

The story is rather meandering and comes a distant second to the full-blown action sequences, which includes a fairly remarkable cable-car fight sequence. But essentially the story involves a group of British elite soldiers, and Eastwood representing America's interest in rescuing an American general from the evil clutches of the Gestapo. The main obstacle is that the general is imprisoned in an almost impregnable fortress high up in the Bavarian Alps. Unfortunately, during the mission some of the British troops are murdered by double-agents, which puts the whole mission, including the lives of the remaining men and the general in great jeopardy.

This film is way too long at almost 3 hours, and the story is not only highly implausible but doesn't really have much to say about anything other than to move from the film from one action sequence to the next - especially during the final act. 

That said, the action sequences are generally well done, and both Eastwood & Burton seem to be enjoying themselves in this no-brainer of a film. It was also a big box office success, which was good news for Burton following 3 major flops previously. And as for Eastwood, it would propel his fortunes in this genre further in the rather comic "Kelly's Heroes" two years later.

3/5


----------



## Randy M.

I saw _Where Eagles Dare _for the first time just a couple of years ago; brainless action/adventure, with a nice gloss of Burton's character being something of a mastermind of undercover work. I recall when it came out, there was a buzz among the boys in school about counting how many Nazis Eastwood killed, which now reminds me the scene in _Hot Shots, Part Deux_ where a pinball-like counter appears on screen as Charlie Sheen machine-guns his opponents. You could probably say _WED _prefigures the Stallone and Schwarzeneggar movies of the 1980s.

Interesting to note the cast also includes Ingrid Pitt, who went on to establish herself as a cult actor in horror movies, especially from Hammer Studios. It's been a while since I saw an old promotional trailer for _WED _on Turner Cable Movies, but one of the people involved in making the movie had the good grace to acknowledge the distance between the movie's WWII fantasy and Pitt's reality as a survivor of a concentration camp with a note of admiration in his voice.


Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

Cheaply produced and quite corny, but wow!  What a movie!

Henry Fonda as the young Abraham Lincoln, trying his first murder case.

And that is, truly, the only problem with this movie:  Henry Fonda so outshines and out-acts everyone one else in this movie, it's like he's all alone!  Then again, since he was playing a "Larger-Than-Life" character, I  suppose that works.  The case - though it was secondary (as all else was) to Lincoln's character - reminded me of all the Perry Mason trials I'd seen!  Can't help but wonder if this movie inspired the Mason writers?

I'd seen this movie many years ago, but couldn't remember a thing about it.  So glad I chose to watch it again!  I encourage everyone to watch it, not to learn anything about Lincoln (the story is a fictional one, about the real-life man), but to see why Henry Fonda was considered such a great actor, he got top billing even over the likes of John Wayne!

(No, sorry... John Wayne's not in this one.)


----------



## HanaBi

I admire Fonda a great deal. Have a number of his best-known films in my film library, but not "Young Mr Lincoln" but will definitely track it down.

My personal favourite probably goes against the grain (most peeps go for "12 Angry Men" or "Grapes of Wrath"), but his portrayal as the utterly despicable "Frank" in Sergio Leone's classic 1968 western "Once Upon A Time in the West". 

It's not often Fonda plays against type, but to see him play the bad guy here was a mesmerising performance, especially with those hypnotic blue eyes of his.


----------



## Randy M.

The legend goes that Fonda appeared on the set of _Once Upon a Time in the West _with brown contact lens and Sergio Leone insisted he remove them. 

Note, up until the 1950s, Fonda was probably a bigger star than Wayne. Wayne's introduction in 1929 was supposed to make him a star but the movie flopped. In 1939 _Stagecoach_ started his comeback, but it was 1949's _She Wore a Yellow Ribbon_ and _Sands of Iwo Jima_ (nominated for the Academy Award for the latter) before he was recognized at all for his acting. 

Have you seen _The Lady Eve_? It's one of Preston Sturges' best and a great reminder that Fonda was good at comedy, too.


Randy M.


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

*Kingsman: The Golden Circle
*
100%.

If you liked the original you will like the sequel, and it's not often you can say that.

5/5.


----------



## Foxbat

*Crimson Peak. *It's the Big Mac of horror.

The ghost element is the meat on a dry bun - processed, plastic and predictable. The crime, well that's the garnish. It's always plain and ordinary despite it's name. The scarlet clay from which the movie derives its name is the ketchup. It's smothered on heavily to try and hide the reality that, like a burger, this movie is ultimately unsatisfying and formulaic. 

Furthermore , it feels and looks like - and if it  is meant to be - an homage to Hammer, it falls short of the mark because the audience has moved on since then and needs more than just a straight-forward carbon-copy of the past.

Do yourself a favour - watch Pan's Labyrinth instead.


----------



## Cathbad

*Survivor* (2015)

Milla Jovovich, Piers Brosnan, Dylan McDermott.

Great action movie!  A counter-terrorism officer (played by Jovovich) from the USA has second thoughts about an already-approved visa application.  When she holds things up, the bosses get upset.  And when she survives a bomb blast, in which four of her buddy's die, but not her - the target, she becomes Suspect #1.  With both the bad guys and the good guys trying to kill her, she must race after her suspects, while avoiding bullets and more explosions.

Nothing about this movie is unbelievable.  One can perfectly understand both the political backlash from her action re the visa, and her subsequently becoming the #1 suspect.  It takes an ally within the agency to get her clear back to NYC - not incompetence on the part of either British or American agents.

Of course Milla saves the day - that was a given from the start!  But I really, _really_ appreciated the intelligence of this movie - and the fact they didn't make Jovovich's character into an undefeatable fighting machine.

And Brosnon makes for such a great bad guy!


----------



## J Riff

Harold Lloyd - *Speedy* 1928. If you haven't seen these late-20s silents, do yourself a favor. This one features the usual action and great characters and music. Babe Ruth appears as a victim of Lloyd's cabdriving skills. *****
*For Heaven's Sake* - the music is different than the zany version I once had on VHS, but it's still excellent. This one has laughs to burn, roaring twenties audiences roared at this one and so will you. *)   *****


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

*The Last Witch Hunter
*
I quite enjoyed this! It was nice to see a film about solving problems, not just about hitting or shooting things. Big logic hole, though, so only...

3/5.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Infernal Affairs*" (2002, Hong Kong)

Taking a break from my Eastwood filmfest for a couple of days, I thought I'd try something with a more Asian flavour. 

Step forward, the critically acclaimed, Infernal Affairs, a really thought-provoking and totally engrossing police crime story set in the streets of Downtown Hong-Kong just a few years prior to the country being handed over to the Chinese from British rule in 1997.

The story is quite novel involving an undercover cop infiltrating a known mob gang, while at the same time a high-ranking hood from the same mob works his way through the ranks of the same police force. Both serving as moles for their respective organisations, and have done so for many years in order to win the trust of their respective bosses so as to glean important information about jobs and operations; and both are aware that there's a mole but neither knows the identity of said agent. 

As the years pass both men begin to lose the purpose or intent of what they're there for. The gangster is now very highly respected in the police force, achieving promotions on a regular basis. He is happy with his life and the legal respect he gets from all around him. And yet he still has to leak information about what the police know of his gang's operations to his boss.

Similarly the undercover cop working for the same mob continues to walk the fine line between keeping both bosses happy, realising that one mistake could cost him his life. So much so that he wants to come in from the cold and return to his former life as an ordinary police detective. But will his boss let him?

A great story, excellent direction, superb acting performances, slick camerawork and a great ending makes this an incredible film both visually and at a cerebral level. You have to concentrate on what is going on every minute, complicated somewhat by having to read the subtitles, which can be a distraction as you try to digest what is happening on-screen.

The film was a big hit in its native Hong Kong - so much so a prequel and sequel were made, which ties up some loose ends and adds some back story too. And because of its huge success Hollywood remade it for a Western audience and called it "The Departed"-  which is good, but no where near as satisfying.

4.5/5


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

Ah god I love Infernal Affairs!


----------



## Cathbad

*Europa Report* (2013)

The problem with this film is that it tried to mimic a documentary, following a spaceship crew on a mission of discovery to Jupiter's moon Europa.  Unfortunately, the one thing actors can't seem to do is act "normal":  Thus, the documentary affect was unsuccessful.

But during the action sequences, we see the acting improve.  Too bad you need the first half of this film to understand the second, or I'd suggest skipping to the middle!  The times they fall back into "Documentary Mode", unfortunately adversely affects the second half, as well. 

Overall, it was a very interesting movie.  But I still wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## Cathbad

Okay, I just started watching *Synchronicity*.  I've no intention to review it, because I doubt I'll get through it.

*First:*  What the <blankety-blank> is a 2015 movie about the opening of "the first wormhole in the space-time continuum" doing using such outdated science equipment?  Dials? Needle-type gauges?  Are you _kidding_ me?!  The man in charge of the experiment is even recording his notes _on a reel-to-reel_!!

*Second:*  In just the first ten minutes, three actors proved they don't deserve that title. 

Is this a spoof?  I certainly hope so!


----------



## HareBrain

J Riff said:


> Harold Lloyd - *Speedy* 1928. If you haven't seen these late-20s silents, do yourself a favor. This one features the usual action and great characters and music. Babe Ruth appears as a victim of Lloyd's cabdriving skills. *****



Oh, was that the one used as the video to _Summer in the City _in that thread a week or two back?


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

I accidentally fell into a cinema and watched *Kingsman: The Golden Circle* again.

I might have a similar accident next week!


----------



## Foxbat

*Hannibal *(1959) Mediocre account of Hannibal's conflict with Rome during the second Punic War. Apparently the film was meant to be a more historical account of Hannibal's life but studio pressure resulted in the fairly standard historical piece complete with love interest (provided by Rita Gam as the niece of Fabius Maximus). 

One question: why is it that whatever part he plays and no matter what the historical setting, Victor Mature  always looks like he's wearing Brylcreem?


----------



## Cathbad

Foxbat said:


> why is it that whatever part he plays and no matter what the historical setting, Victor Mature always looks like he's wearing Brylcreem?



Because he's wearing brylcream.


----------



## J Riff

Hey, how about that HB - it was. It is. Wattayaknow? Who knew? I also watched _Safety Last_, I think more people are familiar with that one.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Dirty Harry*" (1971)

When I first saw this Clint Eastwood film way back in the late 70s, I thought how incredibly cool and awesome Eastwood was as the renegade cop, Harry Callaghan, in hot pursuit of a serial killer across the streets of San Francisco. In fact I recall giving the film 4 stars out of 5 back then purely because of the action sequences and the no-nonsense, uber-cool behaviour of Eastwood throughout the film.

However, some 40 years on to the here and now, and I have to say my appreciation for this film has waned not so much by ripples, but tsunami proportions!

Harry Callaghan is not a nice guy at all, he hates everyone regardless of creed or colour; he also has a deep loathing for police & criminal procedure, increasingly doing things either behind his superior's backs, or just telling them to "shove it" when he comes out and tells them what he wants to do. He also battles the justice system, who he believes put more emphasis on the rights of the alleged criminal than the victim, and as such treats such criminals with utter contempt for their so-called rights.

So on the handful of occasions he is in direct confrontation with the serial killer (called "Scorpio") Harry chooses not to Mirandize him his rights; instead he tortures him for answers about his victims before its too late. Which brings him into direct conflict with the judiciary, who releases Scorpio due to a failing in police procedure, even though we know he is the actual killer.

Harry's frustrations come to the fore at the end of the film and the final standoff with the merciless killer. 

Not a very pleasant film, and by and large Eastwood looks incredibly one-dimensional; like a wind-up doll cranking from one set-piece action sequence to the next, adding little depth other than running jackboot style over all and sundry whether it be the police, the justice system or the innocent-until-proven-guilty (especially, or perhaps intentionally, San Francisco of all places).

How tastes & attitudes change over time.

2/5


----------



## Vince W

*Logan (2017)*. A very grim experience.


----------



## Allegra

Watched this documentary of Sviatoslav Richter - one of the musical giants of 20th century. Being such a great genius, a fiery lion on the keyboard, he's so humble, so honest, and so true to his art and heart. It is a treasure film for music lovers, made by French filmmaker and violinist Bruno Monsaingeon. One of the comments said it all:

_"What a wonderful document!  A treasure trove about a life spent in pursuit of the emotional well being of others.  A curtain pulled back on the life  of a genius.  Sviatoslav, you didn't have to like yourself. It was not important. _(near the end of the film, the old maestro said sorrowfully:'I don't like myself.')  _Indeed, the love that millions had (and millions still have) for you after you touched their lives in such wonderful ways, long ago overcame this tiny flaw in your character.  Yours was a life well spent, by any measure."_

An excerpt in the film - Richter playing Liszt in a Russian film. The man didn't have to put up a performance for that:


----------



## HanaBi

"*End of Watch*" (2011) Rated "18" (UK)/"R" (USA)

After spending the weekend watching Clint Eastwood and his quite tepid & mechanical "Dirty Harry" franchise of cop films, I decided to take a more contemporary viewpoint of cop-life in South-Central LA with the hugely impressive "End of Watch".

Very much a police buddy film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Brian Taylor, and  Miguel Zavala as his partner and close-friend, Michael Pena.  They've been together since police training school and have been patrolling the dangerous streets of South-Central for years. They're street-wise and give as good as they get both on the street and back at the police station with their colleagues and superiors. They're also dedicated, brave and courageous; but also to relieve the tension they're incredibly funny, always pulling jokes and pranks in order to forget about the horrors of their day - they're like Beavis & Butthead in some ways, but once they get a call, they're the ultimate professionals.

However, their dedication gets them into some serious trouble with the FBI who are on the trail of a large Mexican drugs/human traffickers cartel who have setup a base in the area that Taylor and Pena patrol. The Feds have been monitoring the cartel for some time, but when our two intrepid cops discover drugs and prisoners in a home the Feds are watching, they are told in no uncertain terms to back off.

Too late, because after the bust cartel bosses south of the border give the green light to have the cops ambushed and assassinated! Will our guys survive?

What makes this film more interesting is that Taylor is carrying a camera round with him in order to create a video diary as part of a graduate project he is studying on. So throughout the film we see different POVs - his and that of the audience. So at times it is like you're watching a reality-documentary as the two cops break into homes either rescuing children from burning bedrooms, or discovering mutilated corpses in cellars. Sometimes Taylor's POV is similar to playing a computer game, holding a gun in front of you as you walk down dark corridors ready to blast your foes away.

This film puts the likes of Eastwood's Dirty Harry, Magnum Force and The Enforcer et al, into the shade - this is the real deal, almost! 

Incredibly well done, gritty, merciless, violent to the extreme, but also has great moments of humour and reflection. That said, the ending is probably a little off, and other than the two leading characters, there's very little input or depth from the supporting roles.

** Be warned - the "F" word (and its derivatives) is uttered 326 times apparently! **

4/5


----------



## Cathbad

*Horror Story* (2013)

The only excuse I can accept from the writers and director is... they were drunk.

No one involved with this movie, obviously, knew a thing about producing a horror movie.

A group of young adults go to a supposedly haunted hotel - apparently on a dare - that hasn't been open for years and years.  For some reason, the previous owners left behind much of the furniture, several CRT computer screens, phones and much other equipment.  And thieves hadn't bothered with any of it, either.

The hotel had been a mental hospital decades before becoming a hotel - and they, too, left a lot of medical equipment behind which, for some unknown reason, the hotel owners had left untouched.

One of the young men twice plays tricks on the others, to scare them.  Yet when the find him in a shower he'd went to investigate, with some blood on his head, they all instantly consider him dead.  No one even checks to see if he's actually alive or dead!  They start running around the hotel, looking to escape.

This running around shows the hotel to have huge, empty rooms around nearly every corner, and exits have disappeared - except the front glass doors, which prove impervious to even scratches, when heavy objects are launched at them.

Two of the boys go off by themselves (at least they got that right - every horror flick since Friday the 13th have people going off on their own).  They suddenly see a heavy woman in old-fashioned nurse's garb. As she tells them "The Doctor will see you now," they actually look confused, but not very frightened.  And they go into the room the nurse has indicated!

I can accept the poor acting:  None of these young stars are well known, and it is, after all, a B-Movie, but, dayum!  Is there a director in the house?

While in the rather barren doctor's office (paying no attention to the fact there is a lit lamp, despite there being no electricity in the place), a rather modern wheelchair rolls by.  So, of course, the boys start following it.  And, of course, the wheelchair (?) kills one of the boys.  And now the wheelchair is hunting the other boy!

The group finds their way to a parking garage, where they find a jeep, that looks to have been there as long as the hotel has been closed.  For reasons unexplained, one of the boys has the key - and, amazingly, it starts right up!  Of course, there's no egress for the jeep.

Because of where I live, I watched the movie on my laptop, the sound low, the captions on.  I was suddenly interested in what language they were speaking in.  I turned up the volume, surprised to hear English!  No, wait... Spanish.  No... what is that, Indian?  English again.  Indian...

So weird.

Did you know dropping a lit lightbulb into a small puddle of gasoline will cause a large fire?  Yeah - neither did I.

One girl survived the night.

No viewers were known to have survived the movie.


----------



## Randy M.

Cathbad, that sounds truly atrocious. If you're interested in a movie with a similar premise but well-done, if you haven't seen _Session 9_ you're in for a treat.


Randy M.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Drive-in Massacre* (1976)

Hoo-boy.  Extremely amateurish slasher flick which fails on every level.  Terrible story, terrible acting, terrible music, terrible lighting.  Some nut kills folks at a drive-in theater with a sword.  The cops investigate.  The theater stays open and folks keep coming to it even though the killings continue.  Suspects include the theater's angry manager, the manager's mentally slow assistant, and a guy who sneaks around the theater peeking at couples making out.  There's some other nut who chases his daughter around a warehouse until he's shot by the cops, but this has nothing to do with the plot.  Wait for the shocking ending when we find out:



Spoiler



Nothing is resolved.  The killer isn't found, and there's a voice over announcement telling you he's in your theater now.  The effect is spoiled is you're not watching this at a drive-in.


----------



## J Riff

I just looked at fifty pages! of available movies, and couldn't find anything worth looking at, according to various review sites. It's disturbing how amateur and dreadful a lot of these 'movies' are. Lots of comments like 'I could do better with a cellphone cam', kind of displays the overall decline and decay of 'hollywood' and 'the movies'. Fifty pages, over 500 movies, all turkeys. Cathbad has run into a few lately, I'm real careful now and look at reviews, whereas it used to be worth taking a shot at SF or Fantasy flicks, not anymore, you will end up watching stuff that makes Sharknado look really good. But - _The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T _was a blast from the past. *


----------



## Cathbad

J Riff said:


> stuff that makes Sharknado look really good



  Surely, that isn't possible!!


----------



## Amelia Faulkner

J Riff said:


> Lots of comments like 'I could do better with a cellphone cam', kind of displays the overall decline and decay of 'hollywood' and 'the movies'.



I don't know, there are plenty of people who think they could do better than professionals, yet can't.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Escape from Alcatraz*" (1979) - Rated "15" UK / "PG" USA

Director Don Siegel teams up with Eastwood for the final time to make one of the more interesting prison-break films of the last 40 years.

Supposedly based on a true story concerning lifer Frank Morris (Eastwood) and the Anglin Brothers (played by Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau) escaping from the notorious Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay. There isn't much backstory or depth towards the lead characters, so it makes the viewer wonder if we should really care if they escape or not. But because its Eastwood we assume that he is a good guy and therefore is perfectly entitle to escape.

The film is split between the drudgery of prison life, the punishments handed down from the sadistic prison governor (wonderfully underplayed by Patrick McGoohan), and the slowly piecing together of the prison escape by our three cohorts and their versatility in using every day things like nail clippers, spoons and wooden wedges as tools to effecting their escape. 

The actual escape is finely done, and the conclusion to the story is open-ended because no one for sure knows if the men truly escaped or not. Eastwood is stoic but also wooden. There's barely any emotion other than complete calm and extreme anger, but little in-between. 

A good film full of suspense and intrigue, but pales compared to the more character-driven "Shawshank Redemption" and the exceptional French film ""Le Trou"

3/5


----------



## J Riff

Professionals, that's what they aren't, just fakin' it cos' dad's in the biz types. Tons now, ridiculous bad bad movies out there, they won't be funny B movies in 30 years, like the 50s stuff was, because they certainly aren't made by professional anythings. Sames people call themselves musicians all the time, have recordings out, but no discernible reason why, then they soak up part of the $ pie, and everyone hates them and they disappear while anyone good is studiously kept away from the $. Happens all the time./ ) ALL the time.(
_ Alcatraz _was decent Eastwood beause he had a tailor-made plot to work with. Le Trou may not work for everyone because of the ending.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Shield for Murder* (1954)

Pretty good _film noir_ with Edmund O'Brien (who also co-directed) as a cop who kills a bookie in cold blood in order to grab the huge wad of cash he's carrying.  He covers it up as an accidental shooting while the guy was trying to escape arrest.  Not only do a couple of sleazy "private detectives" (hired thugs) try to get back the money for their crime boss employer, there was a deaf and dumb man who witnessed the murder, and O'Brien's honest partner (B favorite John Agar) conducts his own investigation of the case.  Lots of familiar character actors show up.  Moves along briskly, with some intense, if not explicit, violence, and an extended chase sequence near the end, partly involving a running gun battle in a crowded gymnasium/swimming pool.  The only unbelievable element is that the rather sweaty, doughy O'Brien not only has a gorgeous girlfriend twenty years his junior (B favorite Marla English) but also gets picked up at a bar/Italian restaurant by the always striking Carolyn Jones, with platinum hair here.  She steals the picture and has some of the best lines, but I'll admit she has nothing to do with the plot.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Ronin*" (1998) - Rated "15" UK / "R" USA

A bit of a mixed bag of a film, never sure whether its an actioner in the James Bond meets Mission Impossible mode, or takes itself on a higher intellectual plane as a clever espionage thriller with more twists than an expensive cocktail by throwing "ronin" in the title.

What we have here  is an eclectic bunch of failed hit-men doing some dirty work for an IRA outfit in order to steal a mysterious metal case before it gets sold off to a Russian Agency.

The principle "bad" guys in this gang consist of Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard and Sean Bean, who tour the towns & villages of France in souped-up performance cars in search of this wonderful big case, whose contents we're never really told about.

De Niro is the token American with the sharp one-liners & pearls of wisdom; while Reno is the Frenchman who knows how to get things; McElhone is the female leader of the gang with a very severe Irish accent; and Bean is the sullen Englishman who is way out of his league & pretends to be tough when in actual fact is quite the opposite. And bringing up the rear is Skarsgard: the scheming Austrian with a hidden agenda!

The mix of characters & actors doesn't quite gel, apart from Reno & De Niro, who do hit it off as good buddies. However, like the script, the actors just don't really seem to believe in what they're supposed to be doing. Bean especially, looks totally out of place and only slows the film down as an unnecessary distraction.

The inconsequential script has more holes than a Swiss cheese and soon loses its appeal in order to make way for a few decent car chases, which although very stylishly done, all becomes rather boring and drawn out after awhile.

And to be honest I didn't really care if any of this mob lived or died (including De Niro), because we should remember that these people are nothing but cold-blood terrorists killing innocent bystanders in pursuit of this mythical case (One such example was a failed ambush in a small town where bombs, machine guns & cars go off in all directions killing loads of people!)

The ending is a bit if a damp squib too, although a sequel would be nice especially if it retained De Niro, Reno & McElhone, if only to flesh out the characters a bit more: something so sadly lacking in this uneven & relentless film.

2/5


----------



## Caledfwlch

Cathbad said:


> *London Has Fallen* (2016)



The producers are probably lucky it came out last year - even after the Manchester & London attacks, I don't think the general plot would cause mass upset, Brits, at least those of us in our 30's and older are well used to terror attacks, having grown up when IRA bombs were exploding every week. But the level of incompetence and corruption shown in the UK Police would likely have caused massive anger in the media and population.

Given the bravery recently shown, both off unarmed off duty Constables, and on duty ones armed only with an ASP Baton, tackling terrorists armed with knives, with several officers having died on duty trying to protect the public recently.

There's kind of a meme in the press now about UK Territorial Police Constables "they are the ones who run towards the danger when everyone else is running away"

And whilst you might, if very lucky manage to get 1 of your guys into the Police, to get dozens would be impossible, the producers showed total ignorance of how things work here. When you apply to become a Police Constable, its not just you and your character that is checked, they also look at the people closest to you, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles. The guys at the church, given all the HOS's in attendance will not have been Authorised Firearms Officers, which every territorial Constabulary has (ordinary officers, on ordinary duties but are either armed with a Pistol, or when required can open a gun safe in patrol car or station armoury and arm themselves) but SCO19.

SCO19 are the Metropolitan Police's Special Forces unit - they are so good, so tough, and so busy & experienced, that SAS Troopers, (generally considered the best "Tier 1" special forces troops in the world) serving in that Regiments Counter Terrorism Wing (an SAS Troop is on permanent duty in their Hereford base, training and waiting for a Terrorist incident, they can be fully armed/armoured and in the air heading for London say in 10 mins) are deployed into SCO19 to gain experience in Hostage Rescues, Building Assaults, you name it.
In a general way, SCO19 are kind of the Met's version of a US PD's SWAT unit, or the FBI's HRT, but given they work and train with the SAS, and SAS Troopers get put into SCO19 to gain experience and learn, they may well be even tougher/better.

To get into something like SCO19, after you have been a normal Beat Constable for a few years, you will have to undergo even more rigorous checks and assessments than when you applied to join the Police. It would be impossible to so severely infiltrate it as in London has Fallen. A close relation of mine graduated from Uni 3 years ago, with a first in Comp Sci, and a Central Government Organisation based in the West Country  headhunted him, practically out of the final exam room. At one point 3 MI5 Case Officers came to Aberystwyth (it wasnt MI5 he would be working for, but as the Domestic Intelligence Agency, they are responsible for doing the rigorous checks on people likely to work for certain government depts, SCO19, the SAS etc, thats how serious and how deep the checks I talk about go) and they went around, spoke to most of his living family, old bosses and colleagues from when he worked for Ceredigion County Council, old school teachers, uni lecturers, they even got a list of friends, not just from my relation, but from friends he had listed for them and made home and workplace visits, that shows how hard it would be to get 1 person in to something sensitive, getting dozens? no way.
I was actually surprised he passed and was offered a job to be honest My Mother and Southern Irish Stepfather used to run a Pub that was renowned as a serious hotbed of Welsh Nationalism specifically and was also home to General Celtic Nationalism, you could go in and find yourself chatting to a Breton Nationalist for example, a priest who used to be in the IRA, and even Basques and Catalans. (my Mother and Stepdad know very well, the leader of the Basque Separatist Group ETA's Political Wing - like how Sinn Fein are the political wing of the Provisional IRA)

SCO19 seem to have an awesome if unusual looking uniform for their counter terror role recently released to the public!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Contamination* (1980)

Italian-West German co-production which mixes *Alien* with spy movies.  A freighter heading to New York City turns out to have no living crew aboard.  Investigators find out the ship is carrying large green eggs that produce slimy goo that causes people to explode.  The cop who survives this debacle winds up working with the movie's heroine, who has the rank of Colonel in some kind of government agency.  They have a shootout at the warehouse where the ship was heading with the Bad Guys and eventually track down the main Bad Guy at a South American coffee processing plant.  It seems that during the one and only manned mission to Mars (this must be the future, although there's no other sign of that) one of the two guys claimed to have seen an ice cave full of eggs, while the other one denied it and said the first guy was crazy.  The first one was right, of course, and the second one got his mind controlled by the Big Alien.  It all leads up to a final confrontation between the Good Guys and the Big Alien.  Lots of gory, if not very convincing, body explosions and spy stuff. As in any Bond film, you have to wonder how the head Bad Guy gets so many disposable minions to work for him.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Daughter of Dr. Jekyll* (1957)

So-so low-budget monster flick from cult director Edgar G. Ulmer (*The Black Cat*, *Detour*.)  The title character (Gloria Talbott, best known to me from the surprisingly good movie *I Married a Monster from Outer Space*) goes to her ancestral mansion on her twenty-first birthday, along with her intended (B favorite John Agar.)  The kindly old doctor who is her guardian welcomes them, but soon reveals the dark secret of her father's experiments.  (The monster theme gets weirdly mixed up here, as Jekyll is called a werewolf, but described in ways that seem more like a vampire.)  Our heroine has nightmares of running around at night killing her victims.  (These dream sequences are interestingly filmed, with another actress who resembles Talbott playing the evil side.  It's also of note that her victims are young women; even when she tracks down a smooching couple, it's the woman she follows and attacks.)  Has she inherited her father's curse?  Notable for an oddly out-of-place scene near the end where a woman slowly and sensuously pulls on her stockings (her teddy and garters seeming somewhat anachronistic for the movie's early Twentieth Century setting) just before she's attacked.  It's a laughable bit of softcore exploitation mixed into a typical old-fashioned Gothic chiller; and yet, during the same scene, the attack takes place as a jaunty ragtime tune is playing on the woman's Edison phonograph, and the contrast between the music and the violence is surprisingly effective.  Worth a look for fans of this kind of thing.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Fail-Safe*" (1964) - Rated "PG"

Due to a "technical fault" a transmission is sent from the US military to a squadron of bomber warplanes to drop nuclear weapons over Moscow, Russia. 

The military are aware of the error but because the bombers are no longer in their "fail safe" airspace the pilots have to ignore all incoming requests from all sources, included that of the military and subsequently the president of the USA (played with some aplomb by Henry Fonda).

So with the planes heading towards Moscow, Fonda spends the remainder of the film in a deep underground bunker speaking over the phones to his advisers and Russian ambassadors, with only a very young Larry Hagman as his translator in the room with him.

His War Cabinet discuss the merits of letting the warplanes bomb Moscow anyway, as a show of military might by the US, and which could stop any growing threat of nuclear war before it has even started. While others in the Cabinet feel that such a move would herald nuclear Armageddon for all.

Despite both US & Russian trying to shoot down the warplanes, it is quickly realised that at least one will get through to Moscow. The question is, what does the President do about it? 

Everyone remembers Stanley Kubrick's "Dr Strangelove", but it is unlikely many of heard or even seen Sidney Lumet's "Fail-Safe", which was released within 9 months of each other to an American audience still recovering from the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Strangelove, took a more black-humoured approach to the possibilities of how a nuclear war could so easily start through a US army general slowly losing his marbles because he wanted to preserve his "natural bodily fluids!". And Kubrick, being Kubrick, he doesn't preach, or bludgeon audiences, or come up with positive conclusions to films such as this. Instead he relies on sophisticated, yet subtle humour to get his message across. Which he achieved so spectacularly with Strangelove.

Lumet's Fail-Safe, on the other hand, plays to our core fears. Of realism trumping idealism: that even with a superstar like Henry Fonda in command, there can be no happy ending; only one of compromise in order to keep the peace & preserve life on earth!

Kubrick's film looked at the frailties of the human condition, whereas Lumet considers the technical aspects of nuclear war, in that humans put too much faith & trust in computers & machines, and rarely consider infallibility.

There is absolutely no humour at all in this film. And neither is there much of a soundtrack of any note. The cinematography is very flat, but certainly adds to the mood & claustrophobic feel of the movie by having it processed in "pessimistic" black & white rather than "optimistic" colour.

The film generally is very good, but is cheapened somewhat by the small budget, the stock footage of aircraft and by the fact that the President would never sit in a drab little bunker with just one translator, and no personal protection.

But the lessons back then should remain with us even now, human & mechanical failure will always be with us. We place too much faith in our modern technology, always believing that it will keep us safe from harm, until something does fail either through a hack or one of those "technical faults" Lumet brought to our attention in this still very relevant film.

3.5/5


----------



## Foxbat

*Northwest Passage *(1940) Spencer Tracy stars as Major Rogers in this western adventure set circa 1759. Leading his band of  men known as Rogers Rangers, they set out to wreak vengence on a tribe responsible for murdering frontier settlers in North America. 

I bought this film because I recalled viewing it as a youngster. Even now, I found it an enjoyable piece of cinema. The DVD transfer was nothing fancy with a quality poorer than normal, but still quite watchable.


----------



## Cathbad

I liked that movie when I was younger, @Foxbat ; not sure I would appreciate it now, though.  

(Dang political awakenings ruin everything!)


----------



## HanaBi

"*Duel*" (1971) - Rated "PG"

A directorial debut for Steven Spielberg, and already we can see the beginnings of one the most influential and successful men in Hollywood.

A very simple premise of a salesman (Denis Weaver) driving hundreds of miles across California for a sales meeting with a client. A very mundane journey until he gets stuck behind a gas-guzzling, exhaust-spewing truck. Weaver overtakes and carries on with his mundane trip. But the truck suddenly appears in his rear-view mirror and quickly overtakes him again.  

Mildly bemused Weaver bites, puts his foot down and overtakes for a second time. And all of a sudden things start to take a slightly sinister step as the truck driver slowly antagonises, threatens and almost pushes Weaver off the road. And as the film moves on, so does murde the murderous intentions of this unknown driver.

We are never told exactly why the truck driver took an instant disliking to Weaver. After all, halfway through the film the truck is seeing helping a bus driver start his bus full of kids by intentionally pushing it from behind. So at least the driver isn't some kind of psychotic murderer hell-bent on killing all and sundry. Instead he has it in for our meek little salesman.

Spielberg doesn't offer us much backstory for Weaver either, other than through one phone to his wife, apologising for a big argument the night before. But she quickly puts the phone down on him when he starts raising his voice. So clearly he is a little hen-pecked at home. But that's all we know of this guy, yet because he is being taunted and threatened by a big truck we feel empathy for him.

The only motivation for the truck driver doing what he does, is probably far more apparent on our roads today - that of road rage. Some people resort to just mouthing off, or giving The Finger; others honk their horns; and some turn to tail-gating. But our truck driver ramps it up a little higher with thoughts of murder!

A great suspense film, especially for a TV-movie; and this tight direction from Spielberg would become even more polished 4 years later when he gave the world a fear of the oceans through "Jaws"

3.5/5


----------



## Cathbad

*Gerald's Game* (2017)

A married couple attempts to reignite the romance over a weekend in a secluded country home.  Things go terribly wrong, quite quickly.

Starring Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas... and an unnamed dog.

This movie is a visual and psychological horror film.  Those two aspects are blended quite well in this movie, while most horror flicks can't even get _one_ right!  It is also a study in how to make a dramatic piece, with a minimal number of characters.  Excellent acting all around, even the little girl, who is only seen in dream sequences.

I refuse to give anything away about this movie, but more than recommend you see it!  If you're a fan of horror, thrillers or psychological theater, this is a Must See!


----------



## Foxbat

*Treasure Island *(1972) Orson Welles stars as Long John Silver in this reasonably decent adaptation. My biggest criticism, however,  is of the performance of Orson Welles himself. He mumbles constantly and attempts an English accent - which might be good for character but is murder for the viewer to try and work out what he's actually saying much of the time. 

Apparently Welles was dismissive of this film and I got the impression he didn't really want to be involved.


----------



## AE35Unit

Saw *IT *in the cinema, afternoon showing while the kids are at school. Very good, much closer to the book apparently. We're looking forward to part 2!


----------



## AE35Unit

Cathbad said:


> *Gerald's Game* (2017)
> 
> A married couple attempts to reignite the romance over a weekend in a secluded country home.  Things go terribly wrong, quite quickly.
> 
> Starring Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas... and an unnamed dog.
> 
> This movie is a visual and psychological horror film.  Those two aspects are blended quite well in this movie, while most horror flicks can't even get _one_ right!  It is also a study in how to make a dramatic piece, with a minimal number of characters.  Excellent acting all around, even the little girl, who is only seen in dream sequences.
> 
> I refuse to give anything away about this movie, but more than recommend you see it!  If you're a fan of horror, thrillers or psychological theater, this is a Must See!


Based on the Stephen King novel?


----------



## Cathbad

AE35Unit said:


> Based on the Stephen King novel?



That's one I haven't read.


----------



## AE35Unit

Cathbad said:


> That's one I haven't read.


I read it a few years ago, quite good!


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## AE35Unit

Watched a very bizarre film earlier called *8 Heads in a Duffel Bag *(1997) with Joe Pesci. A weird comedy thriller that I'd not seen before.


----------



## Randy M.

*From Beyond the Grave* (1974, dir. Kevin Connor; starring Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasance, Ian Carmichael, Diana Dors, Nyree Dawn Porter and a flock of other familiar British actors, not least a small role for Lesley-Anne Down shortly before her career took off)

Whatever happened to the anthology movie? Perhaps they're as much a part of the 1970s as bell-bottoms. 

Anyway, this one, from Amicus, includes four stories based on those of R. Chetwynd-Hayes. Tying the stories together is Cushing as The Proprietor, the owner of an antique/junk shop that each of the main characters enters and from which purchases something. Since all but one cheats The Proprietor, all but one meets a messy fate: The hen-pecked husband who finds his wife isn't his worst enemy; the antiques collector who should have known not to buy that mirror; the man with an "elemental" attached to him; the purchaser of an oddly carved door who hangs it with the expectation of finding his closet behind it -- well, that doesn't quite work out.

Not a great horror movie, but an enjoyable way to wile away an hour and a half or so.


Randy M.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I am a fan of the old British horror anthologies, and this is one of the best.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*La tumba de la isla maldita* (1973)

Spanish vampire movie which often has some of the original footage removed and additional American footage added.  The resulting version has been shown under titles like *Hannah, Queen of the Vampires* and *Crypt of the Living Dead*.  The original is in color, and the edited version was often released in black and white.  I managed to find what seems to be the original Spanish version; although dubbed into English, all the credits were in Spanish.

Anyway, this is a fairly enjoyable EuroGothic chiller.  Guy examining an old tomb on an island somewhere in the eastern Mediterranean gets killed by a couple of guys; strangled, then his torso crushed by the tomb, then decapitated!  The dead man's son shows up and arranges for the huge tomb to be lifted off his father's corpse.  It's so heavy that this requires lifting the lid of the sarcophagus . . .  

Well, you see where this is going.  The vampire released by this action is the wife of  French king who went on a crusade seven centuries ago.  Although she can change into a glowing mist or into a wolf, she's oddly passive.  For much of the movie she's trapped in her sarcophagus by dog bane (not wolf bane.)  The story movies languidly, until the dog bane is removed, leading to the big climax and an interesting twist at the very end.

The film benefits from color, with some of the lighting looking like Mario Bava.  Although very slow, and with poor special effects, it's got a lot of atmosphere.  Worth a look by fans of moody, low-key horror.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Unforgiven*" (1992) - Rated "15" (UK) / "R" (USA)

Continuing my roundup of Clint Eastwood films, I now come to what is universally acclaimed as his crowning achievement both as actor and director. And this was recognised at the Academy Awards of 1993, when the film won:-

Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actor (all three for Eastwood), 
Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) and 
Best Film Editing (Joel Cox)
Best Screenplay (David Webb Peoples)

.....and that's just the Oscars!

"Unforgiven" is a film masterpiece in its own right, and helped by an eclectic bunch of characters that blend in so well. 

William Munny (Eastwood) plays a former outlaw - notorious for killing men, women and children-  but through advancing years and marrying a good woman he has become a quiet and reformed old man. Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman) is his long-term friend and trusted partner. The "Schofield Kid" (Jaimz Woolvett) is the cocky upstart young man, who thinks he's the new William Munny.  And finally Little Bill (Gene Hackman), the no-nonsense sheriff of the town called Big Whiskey. 

The straightforward story involves a local prostitute getting badly beaten by a client. And so in a rare moment of protest she and her fellow co-workers collect enough money to put a bounty on his head. Enter the full-of-himself, Schofield Kid, who not only needs the money but also the fame and notoriety that goes with being a bounty hunter. But he also realises he isn't quite so tough do the job on his own, and asks Munny if he will join up with him.

Munny is initially reluctant because he is a reformed character now; in addition he lives on a pig farm out on the middle of nowhere with this three kids after his wife passed away some time ago. It's a hard back-breaking life for him and his children, and the chance of getting some bounty money appeals to him, especially for his kids. But at the same time he doesn't want to go back to how he was as he would be breaking a promise to his wife. 

The Kid grows impatient and leaves on his own. Still unsure of what to do Will goes to Ned Logan's house for advice, and ultimately they both decide to join up with the Kid, kill the bad guy, and live off the reward money.  

Sheriff Little Bill gets wind of this and enforces his view that bounty hunters (or "assassins" as he calls them) are not welcome in his town.

And so the stage is set for the final conflict between the three desperate men and a sheriff who bans the use of firearms in his town, doesn't like outsiders and treats the prostitutes as irritating trouble-makers.

A truly perfect western that goes against the grain of Eastwood's earlier shoot-first-ask-questions-later "Dollar" films, whereby Munny now has a guilty conscience to bare, and that killing someone in cold blood is nothing to be proud of. But the real climatic scene is the final confrontation between Eastwood and Hackman. The latter has been shot by Munny and is on his back in a saloon bar, and Eastwood is standing over him with his rifle pointing right at his head loaded and cocked. 

In an act of desperation Hackman pleads "“I don’t deserve this, to die like this. I was building a house.”

But the fearsome Eastwood retorts “Deserving's got nothing to do with it!”

The ending is very sombre, as is the accompanying score. This isn't like a "Fistful of Dollars" or "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", where the heroic cowboy shoots a bunch of anonymous people and rides out of town with an uplifting score and cheers from the audience. No, none of that. Instead this is so very low key, almost humbling in fact. 

This is without question Eastwood's finest work both in front and behind the camera eye.

5/5


----------



## AE35Unit

I must get more Clint Eastwood films. Including that one ^


----------



## Cathbad

*Don't Kill It*  (2017)

Dolph Lundgren is still out there, proving what a lousy actor he is.

Nevertheless, this is a pretty good movie, with a great premise behind the monster - a demon with a unique manner of transfiguration.  Good directing, and good performances from the undercast save this movie from Lundgren's poor performance.  I won't say it's a "must-see", but it's worth considering.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*It!* (1967)

Wow, this is a weird one.  Made up of equal parts of *Psycho*, Hammer films, *From Hell It Came*, and 1950's monster movies.  Roddy McDowall hams it up as an assistant museum curator who happens to keep the mummified corpse of his dead mother in his home.  Mind you, we find this out very early in the film, and it has very little to do with the plot.  The museum's warehouse burns to the ground, leaving behind only a big, goofy-looking statue.  Turns out this is a golem, and eventually our anti-hero brings it to life.  Murder and mayhem follow, including the destruction of a major bridge over the Thames.  Jill Haworth (best known for originating the role of Sally Bowles in the stage production of _Cabaret_) co-stars as Roddy's lust object, who, in fine scream queen tradition, gets to be carried by the golem while wearing a nightgown.  Things really get nutty near the end when:



Spoiler



The army uses a "small" nuclear warhead to attack the golem.


----------



## J Riff

Yes... IT! is also called The Golem? and in it, people say the word 'Yes.' a very large number of times.
Meanwhile, during the baseball wildcard game, I watched _The Atomic Brain _ 1963_._ The crazy old rich sick miser lady has a pet mad scientist in her old mansion; he can transplant brains. So 3 young girls are hired as potential vessels,  and by the end people's brains are being put into cats, saving greatly on special fx.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Hey @Cathbad - I looked up *Don't Kill It* on IMDB...I just cannot watch a Dolph L. movie, BUT...I checked out some of the folks associated with that film, because I know you're looking for good horror movies.

A film named *We Are Still Here*, from 2015, has - for a horror film - really good reviews, and a Metascore of 65, which is very high for a low budget horror movie. I haven't seen it yet, but thought I'd mention it to you as something you might want to look into, CC


----------



## Cathbad

Cat's Cradle said:


> Hey @Cathbad - I looked up *Don't Kill It* on IMDB...I just cannot watch a Dolph L. movie, BUT...I checked out some of the folks associated with that film, because I know you're looking for good horror movies.
> 
> A film named *We Are Still Here*, from 2015, has - for a horror film - really good reviews, and a Metascore of 65, which is very high for a low budget horror movie. I haven't seen it yet, but thought I'd mention it to you as something you might want to look into, CC



Thank you! I think I'll check it out!


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## Cat's Cradle

Cool! Let us know what you think, if you watch it - I'm curious about the movie.

Cathbad, I've wondered where you find some of the more obscure horror films you watch...are they on YoutTube? CC


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## Cathbad

A few on Youtube - most on Netflix.


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## Cathbad

*We Are Still Here* (2015)

I'm a bit unsure if I feel this was a good or bad movie.  Oh, it's done well enough; but quite predictable - except the ending.

The set-up is a couple, having lost their son to a car accident, moves to a country home.  They quickly find out the house they bought on-the-cheap has a history.  (Don't they all?)

The Missus thinks her dead son is with them - but it's something far worse - or is it?

The pacing of the movie is off.  Things happen too quickly, and the climax arrives far too soon.  This is a movie far more suited to 120 minutes, rather than the 83 they cut it down to.  They could have stretched things out by having the couple _discover_ the secrets, rather than have Monte Markham's character - the town "bad guy" - provide two info-dumps!  The haunting could have had more to it, as well.  We didn't get much suspense, there.

The ending was both refreshingly original - and totally frustrating.  (Don't'cha hate movies with non-ending endings?)

The "monsters" in this one are unique - I fully expected to see them (and exactly those particular ones), but their appearance (looks) surprised me.  The killing scenes are quite graphic (unnecessarily so, imo).  From the arrival of the new house-owners' guests, to the response of the townspeople, nothing else was surprising in the least. 

ADDENDUM

I just had to say something about Snowfort Pictures(TM).  This is the 21st Century - shouldn't you join us?  I mean... if you can afford a production company, couldn't you find someone capable of creating graphics better than what I could easily produce on my 486 in the 1980s??  The name was presented in white, in two common fonts (one for each word).  After a few moments, the word "Pictures" changes to cyan.  That's it.  Geesh.


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## J Riff

Don't Kill It was on here - review: Yes, kill it! or at least hit fast forward.
Halfway thru _Uncle Silas _1947, a few changes from the book, but good nevertheless.


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## HanaBi

*"King Kong" *(1933 - b/w) - Rated "PG" (UK) and (USA)

A film director needs to complete his latest film but has in mind a particular jungle location that would be perfect for his movie. 

He hires a boat and a captain, and also brings along his film crew and cast in pursuit of a strange and mysterious island that might just fulfill his filming needs. They eventually find this uncharted island and notice straight away that the islanders there worship a huge gorilla that roams the deep jungle. And what is worse is that they make regular human sacrifices in order to pacify the ape. And inevitably the leading lady from our film crew, is abducted by the islanders to be used as another blood sacrifice for the King of the Jungle!

Of all the monster movies I've seen over the years (including cult classics like "Jaws", "Jurassic Park", the KK remakes, "The Thing" etc.) none of them hold a candle to the Granddaddy of all movie monsters - King Kong!

I saw the censored version on the BBC way back in my early teens (late 70s). I watched it on my own, late at night with the lights down low, and after a fairly routine half-hour into the film we see Fay Wray being tied up to those giant stone pillars in the dense jungle of Skull Island, with the grim beat of the drums only adding to the feeling that this woman is in some seriously big trouble!

And then Kong appears, and although he didn't look all that scary initially, it's what he did to the native's village and the ensuing rampage through the jungle that really scared the hell out of me!

The stop-motion animation by Mel Berns may look clumsy to our contemporary sfx-sanitised eyes, but it still holds a certain power that CGI just doesn't have. For example, Jurassic Park is a good film but the dinosaurs  just look too perfect, too clean, too clinical. Kong & the other prehistoric creatures that roamed around his particular domain were all the more terrifying because they looked more natural & had certain traits & mannerisms that modern day films still sadly lacks.

Ok the Beauty & the Beast storyline is a little creaky and the acting is more wooden than the jungle itself. But I think the movie deserves its "classic" status for being a genuinely thought-provoking as well as incredibly unnerving-cum-terrifying. I also believe having the film in black & white (which was all that was possible back in the 30s), adds an extra dimension of creepiness that colour doesn't always capture.

The uncut version, which I have seen many times over, and saw again last night, is just as disturbing as the censored version, but obviously a whole lot more so because it shows the relentlessness of an angry Kong destroying everything in sight, and bringing grizzly & quite graphic violence and death to men & women who get in his way (ie. people being slowly squashed underfoot; heads bitten off; bodies torn in half!)

Amazing that this is rated "PG" because it really is far more unsettling than its rating deserves.

5/5


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## Connavar

*Bladerunner 2049*

 It was truly great as SF AND as PKD film.  Hallucinatory greatness,bold story that didnt try answer every question it raised, a sequel that went it's own way, had much more to say of the humanity of humans,androids question.  Ryan Goslings hero had so much more depth than Deckard in the original . The bleak future was so very PKD.  Finally an adaptation of his that is great as film, not overrated.

‘I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe’: what Blade Runner 2049’s dystopia tells us about 2017

This article is good analyses of all the movie had to say.


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## Foxbat

*From Beyond* (1986). It's many years since I've seen this movie and I remember enjoying it way back when. So, how does it stack up today?

Mad scientist creates The Resonator, which allows our world to open up to another filled with strange and dangerous creatures. Those that are exposed to this Lovecraftian otherworld (the movie is, after all, based on a Lovecraft story) begin to change and develop a taste for human brains. And all the time, It lurks nearby...

This is the uncut, unrated version and, therefore, has some scenes of a sado-masochistic nature. It also has gore. Lots of gore. The special effects look tired and dated by today's standards but I think overall the film still holds up well for a low budget horror, despite the passage of time and the evolution of film technology. 

Fans of Lovecraft or body horror should enjoy this but I certainly wouldn't eat an extra-rare steak whilst watching this movie.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Iceman Cometh* (1973)

From the American Film Theatre comes this four hour adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's 1946 play.  Set in a crummy New York City bar in 1912, it deals with a bunch of washed-up drunks who hang around waiting for the return of a traveling salesman named Hickey, who always livens up the joint.  When he shows up, he's changed a lot, and intends to offer everybody in the bar the chance to achieve true peace by giving up their illusions.  Lots of characters with their own back stories, lots of topics come up; anarchism, the Boer War, racism, prostitution, suicide, murder, etc.  A _tour de force_ for the actors, with all the very long speeches.  Everybody in the cast looks appropriately seedy.  The last film roles for both Robert Ryan and Fredric March.


----------



## Cathbad

*Rebirth* (2016)

Fran Kranz, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Whelan star in Director Karl Mueller's odd offering.  It's hard to classify this movie.  I was scrolling through Action Thrillers on Netflix when I found it.  The Thriller part, I get - sort'a - but not the Action part.

The set-up:  An old college buddy shows up at the protagonist's work office, promising him a great and wild weekend.  He reluctantly - _very_ reluctantly - agrees to go along, even though his friend refuses to tell him virtually anything about what to expect.

Rebirth is a weekend-long "self-help" event, designed to free people from the world of "Corporate Zombie-dom".  Sort'a.

The protagonist has no idea what he's gotten himself into, but he's told over and over, he can leave anytime he wants.*  And it is, truly, a "wild" weekend!  I'm not sure if there was suppose to be a moral to the story, or a warning, or if it was just a dark movie meant to simply entertain.  I'm not sure I met any of those platforms.  Still, I'll give 5 out of 5 Stars for Originality and Directing, 5 Stars to the college buddy's, and four to the protagonist's acting. 

But this movie doesn't really make a whole lot of sense.  The ending - which at first seems to be dark - gets confusing with the final video (ostensibly produced by our protagonist).  It leaves one wondering... exactly what has happened?


* 



Spoiler



No he can't.


----------



## Vince W

*Blade Runner 2049*. This is not just a great sequel, it's a great film all on it's own. Building on the original without cloning it (*ahem* The Force Awakens *ahem*). The cinematics and sound are brilliant, but without relying on constant CGI explosions or flashy gimmicks. The story takes time to build and really draws you in. At nearly three hours I was surprised when the end came. I'll be going to see it again next week. And maybe again the week after.

After seeing this it gives me hope for Villeneuve's attempt at Dune.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Whisperer In The Darkness*. This is a low budget affair from the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society but it certainly holds its own against a lot of the more lavish horror productions around. Based on the Lovecraft story of the same name, it tells the tale of the Mi-Go as investigated by a folklore professor from Miskatonic University. Science and horror face up to each other in a movie shot in what they call Mythoscope. It's basically a process of making a film look old - as if shot in the thirties. Mixed up with this are some really nice stop motion animations and landscape miniatures.

All in all, a great story told with some old-fashioned and yet quite apt techniques that deserve to be kept alive in this increasingly digital age. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would encourage any fan of Lovecraft's work to explore the  historical society's wares. I have all but one of their movies (soon to be rectified) and all five volumes of the H.P. Lovecraft collection of short films. All are recommended to horror fans with a taste for the world of HPL.

Here's the website for those looking to explore 
HPLHS - The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society


----------



## Alexa

*Raid dingue*, a French comedy with Dany Boom. I don't know if you can see it in English, but if can, than I strongly recommend it. It made me laugh with tears. This is the story of a young woman, Johanna Pasquali, who dreams to be integrated into a special police team RAID. Her father is a minister, so her job in the police was due to her father's influence than to her qualities. He also blackmails the chef of RAID and gets her into the training programme. He puts the condition that her recruitement must remain secret: his daughter must be disgusted and no longer want To integrate RAID at the end of the training. Now imagine someone courageous, fearless and in the same time very embarrassing and awkward. Eugène Froissard (Dany Boom) is known by his team as a bad luck person. His wife left him for this brother.  And the chef of RAID puts him in charge of the new recruits and Johanna.
A good comedy for a Saturday evening.


----------



## Connavar

Vince W said:


> *Blade Runner 2049*. *This is not just a great sequel, it's a great film all on it's own.* Building on the original without cloning it (*ahem* The Force Awakens *ahem*). *The cinematics and sound are brilliant,* but without relying on constant CGI explosions or flashy gimmicks. *The story takes time to build and really draws you in. At nearly three hours I was surprised when the end came. I*'ll be going to see it again next week. And maybe again the week after.
> 
> After seeing this it gives me hope for Villeneuve's attempt at Dune.



I felt very similar its a great film on its own, it did alot with the original PKD novel,story,themes.  The story, the inne thoughts, worries of the lead cop, the replicants, whats real or whats not real was well written. 

The long running time was used well to draw you in emotionally smart story.  I was very impressed, its by far the best use of PKD story i have ever seen in Hollywood adaptation.   The director, cinematographer did great job with it.  It was also impressive how important the use of sound was in the story, the creepy sounds did alot to draw a picture of the depressing future LA,world K lived in.  The sound did almost as much the screenplay in that element.

I havent seen *Arrival* by Villeneuve but he proved with this film he is a real talented director, the one you hope for as fan of SF cinema.  Hollywood usually waste the genre on crappy directors.  Dune? For real by him ?


----------



## Vince W

Connavar said:


> I felt very similar its a great film on its own, it did alot with the original PKD novel,story,themes.  The story, the inne thoughts, worries of the lead cop, the replicants, whats real or whats not real was well written.
> 
> The long running time was used well to draw you in emotionally smart story.  I was very impressed, its by far the best use of PKD story i have ever seen in Hollywood adaptation.   The director, cinematographer did great job with it.  It was also impressive how important the use of sound was in the story, the creepy sounds did alot to draw a picture of the depressing future LA,world K lived in.  The sound did almost as much the screenplay in that element.
> 
> I havent seen *Arrival* by Villeneuve but he proved with this film he is a real talented director, the one you hope for as fan of SF cinema.  Hollywood usually waste the genre on crappy directors.  Dune? For real by him ?



*Arrival* is a very good film. Not flashy, but good solid SF. It was announced a few months ago that Villeneuve had been brought on to direct the next adaptation of Dune. Still a few years away yet though.


----------



## AlexH

Alexa said:


> *Raid dingue*, a French comedy with Dany Boom.


I'll put that on my 'to watch' list. French comedies are some of my favourites - Les Visiteurs and The Closet nearly killed me at times. I went to Guedelon Castle in France earlier this year, and that had a pretty funny French intro cartoon (with English subtitles).


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## Cathbad

I've watched several movies since my last post - but they've all been either so boring or so predictable, I haven't wanted to write a review of any of them!


----------



## REBerg

*Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
*
"This is all getting a little bit too complicated."


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got a chance to watch *Alien: Covenant*. I wasn't a fan of Prometheus but I think this movie is a slight improvement. It explores the nature of creation but where it's taking us exactly, I assume will be answered in the next installment. There's also a shift back to the visceral horror set-pieces of the original movie but perhaps it's a shift too much given that there are more than passing resemblances to the original plot (spaceship receives call, goes to investigate, blah, blah, blah).

One thing about Ridley Scott is that even when he makes a mess like Prometheus, it's a beautiful mess. Here in Alien:Covenant, we have something that is beautifully mediocre.


----------



## Cathbad

Foxbat said:


> beautifully mediocre



I'm stealing this line for future use!


----------



## Mouse

Watched *Enchanted* today as my partner's never seen it before. Such a good film.


----------



## BAYLOR

Mouse said:


> Watched *Enchanted* today as my partner's never seen it before. Such a good film.



It's a great film .


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> It's a great film .


----------



## AlexH

*Dirty Pretty Things (2002)*
An engaging film about two illegal immigrants who are trying to make a living in the UK, with a constant fear of deportation - especially when they discover a darker side to life in London.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace*" (1996) - Rated PG (UK) & (USA)

I was trawling through my film library on my NASbox a couple of days ago and  came across this foul beastie!

My database told me the last time I watched this was at 11:14pm 20th May 2012, and that I only managed to get past the first 44 minutes before giving up, and the film showing as "incomplete" - Oh, how so appropriate, so ironic, so apposite in every sense of the word! 

I don't know whether I was drunk or stone-cold sober when I <half>watched this "film" way back then. Either way I can barely remember any highlights from those initial 44 minutes. Perhaps you do have to be drunk (or worse) to fully engage with this awful mess because try watching it with a straight face and you're just asking for trouble!

However, always willing to give things a second chance I watched it again over the weekend, with the able assistance of Mr San Miguel and Mr Jack Daniels. But neither of these alcoholic beverages made any difference to my enjoyment/engagement (or lack of) for this film, and subsequently waved the white flag again and gave up after 49 minutes. 

So at least I have made some marginal progress in the last five years. At this rate I should complete this 92 minute film by about 2060, although I have a strong desire/hope not to be around by then!

This is the sort of film to chase away irritating/boring guests who turn up at your home and show no signs of leaving after eight hours. Put this on and their coats will be on and car-keys a-jangling before the first five minutes are in!

I could give a brief synopsis here, but quite frankly it doesn't deserve the time or effort. 

And as for the "PG" rating, well quite frankly it should carry some kind of government health warning!

0.5/5 (based on the first 49 minutes. For all I know things might pick up massively in the second stanza, but I seriously doubt it)


----------



## Foxbat

*Tales That Witness Madness *(1973) This quartet of horror shorts takes place in a lunatic asylum where the doctor (Donald Pleasance) describes the cases of four patients to the visiting Jack Hawkins. Despite having a cast also including Kim Novak Suzy Kendall, Joan Collins and Mary Tamm, this is not one of the most notable of the horror anthologies so popular at this time. It's still worth a watch if you like these kinds of movies but don't expect anything spectacular. The film is probably most notable for being Jack Hawkins' last role before his death.


----------



## Cathbad

*Boys in the Trees* (2016)

Where has this Psychological/Supernatural tale been hiding!?

Toby Wallace and Gulliver McGrath do one helluva job, portraying two boys nearing the end of their childhoods, but have been long estranged, since the days they climbed trees together.

The story is both sad and hopeful; a difficult fence to straddle, but Writer/Director Nicholas Verso does an excellent job doing it.

Friends with a rowdy gang of boys, led by a proud bully, one friend has began to realize all he lost, moving on from the best friend of his youth.  He is none-to anxious to play their childhood game in their magical kingdom, but little by little, he is drawn into it.

And so are we.  At first, little reveals to us the importance of this Halloween evening, but Verso keeps us entertained with excellent dialogue, and the emotional growth of the characters, right before our eyes. 

As the movie progresses, we begin to realize something very important is - or has - happened.  It is first revealed in the form of an enigmatic man in a white suit, then in the dialogue of the two boys - though exactly what the event is (or was) remains elusive until the very end.

One speaks of YA novels about coming-of-age stories.  It is amazing that such a story can be told in under two hours, revealing only a single night.

But I may never have read or seen a better such story.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another American Film Theatre thing:

*In Celebration* (1975)

Three brothers come back to the Yorkshire home of their parents for the old folks' fortieth anniversary.  Tensions ensue.  Realistic drama of the kitchen sink/angry young man variety.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Premature Burial* (1962)

The only Roger Corman adaptation of Poe I hadn't yet seen.  Ray Milland has the Vincent Price role.  He's a guy morbidly obsessed with the fear of being buried alive.  Not much plot other than that, really, until the last fifteen minutes of so.  Tons of atmosphere (this is the foggiest film I've ever seen), nice production values, and a decent twist at the end.  Mostly, though, extremely slow.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Ghoul* (1975)

Hammer-style shocker, made by one of the studio's minor rivals at a time when that style of horror was fading out.  Set in the 1920's, it starts off at a Great Gatsby kind of party.  Two couples decide to have a car race from wherever they are to Land's End.  Along the way, one of the couples runs out of petrol, way out in the middle of nowhere.  Guy goes off in search of fuel, girl (Hammer Glamour favorite Veronica Carlson) meets up with creepy gamekeepr (a young John Hurt) and winds up in the fog-shrouded mansion of Peter Cushing and his Indian servant.  It seems Cushing is an ex-clergyman who lost his faith in the East.  He's also a widower (which must have been painful for the recently widowed Cushing) and has a son, whom he doesn't see.  Well, no surprise that there's a Dark Secret which leads to horror and murder, although the exact nature of it isn't explained until the very end.  (Most reviews of this film give it away right at the beginning.)  It's a pretty dark tale, with no happy consequences for anyone.  There's also an uncomfortable implication that the terrible thing that's going on is a result of evil and perverted Indian religious rites.  What surprised me is how the structure of this film, although not the plot, reminded me of a very famous movie:



Spoiler



Like in *Psycho*, the character we think is going to be the protagonist is killed midway through the film.  Also like Hitchcock's classic, the character who is investigating the mystery is also killed just when we think he's going to be the hero.



Worth a look for fans of old-fashioned British scare flicks, if you can get past the anti-Indian theme.


----------



## Dave

I recognise both _Premature Burial_ and _The Ghoul_ and yet I can't remember ever being much of a horror fan. I expect that it is a part of my misspent youth watching too much afternoon TV. 

Another thing, while everyone else thought it was one of the best, I always thought that the Peter Davidson _Dr Who_ story with the Black Orchid and the natives from South America was rather derivative, but didn't quite know why. [There was even a similar (Michael Palin and Terry Jones) _Ripping Yarns_ story with a similar theme.] I think now it is _The Ghoul_ that I was thinking of, although it is unlikely to have been the first either.


----------



## Droflet

The Dark Tower. 
Not great, but far better than the reviews indicate. Would i recommend it? Only if your curiosity is as strong as mine. The curiosity is strong with me.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Monster Club*(1981) A horror anthology from director Roy Ward Baker (famous for directing such films as _A Night To Remember _and _Quatermass And The Pit). _It had a slightly different slant than most horror anthologies of the time in that it was set in a club of monsters complete with musical interludes and a ghoulish stripshow. Music provided by B.A Robertson, Night, The Pretty Things and UB40.

It also had a thread of black humour running through it which, despite having a cast consisting of John Carradine, Vincent Price, Donald Pleasance, Babara Kellerman and Britt Ekland just didn't work for me. I barely raised a titter.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*I, Monster* (1971)

Christopher Lee has the title role(s) in this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella _Strange Case of Dr. Marlowe and Mr Blake_.

What's that?  You haven't heard of that one?  Perhaps you know the characters under other names.

In any case, the setting is shifted forward in time a bit to 1906, so that Freud can be mentioned.  It seems that Doctor Marlowe has come up with a drug which either destroys the Id (reducing an angry, tough businessman into a fearful, obedient child -- psychologically, not physically, you understand) or destroys the Superego (causing a proper young lady to remove her clothing in front of the good doctor.  This mandatory sexing up of the story reveals nothing to the audience, and the movie in general is quite reserved.)  Naturally, Marlowe uses the drug on himself and is transformed into the grinning, violent Blake.  Blake's crimes produce a physical change in his appearance, although it's a moderate one, with handsome Lee slowly changing into ugly (but hardly monstrous) Lee.  Like all film versions of the novella, the audience is in on the big secret from the start, although otherwise this one is closer to the original than most.  We hear about (but don't see) the story's opening shocker of Blake stomping a child to death; the plot begins with Marlowe's lawyer (Peter Cushing) trying to figure out why he's giving money to Blake and made him his heir, figuring that the doctor is being blackmailed by the scoundrel.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Face of the Screaming Werewolf* (1964)

Jerry Warren, infamous director of grade Z flicks like *Teenage Zombies* and *The Wild World of Batwoman*, chopped up a couple of Mexican movies (*La Momia Azteca* and *La Casa del Terror*), added a few minutes of new footage of people sitting around talking, and came up with this incoherent hodgepodge.  A psychic has visions of her former life as an Aztec princess or priestess or some such.  She leads some science types to a pryamid, they find a mummy, it comes to life, and so on.  So far this is ordinary Mexican horror movie stuff, clearly nostalgic for the Universal mummy movies.  In order to have some kind of explanation for the other movie eviscerated, we're told that the pyramid also holds a new (!) mummy.  Some other science types zap it with electricity, bringing it to life.  It's Lon Chaney, Jr., and he's a werewolf!  We jump back and forth between the mummy stuff and the werewolf stuff.  The mummy stuff ends in a hilariously sudden fashion after the monster makes off with the psychic, in typical mummy movie fashion, and we jump to a newspaper headline that tells us that the psychic was killed and the mummy destroyed.  (How?)  Meanwhile, back at the werewolf movie, Chaney (or his double under the werewolf makeup) goes on a rampage, eventually being destroyed in a wax museum.  The original Mexican werewolf movie was a comedy, although you can't tell it from what's left of it.  The footage we have makes both of the original movies seem so-so, instead of terrible, but the combination of random bits of them with the new footage, which is on the level of a home movie, is a real mess.


----------



## J Riff

_ Face of the Screaming Werewolf, _there it was and I clicked but it was age-restricted for some reason. Not wanting to bother logging i, I clicked on the next flick - _Terror of the Bloodhunters, _1962. * There is no terror. The only blood may happen when an escapee guy is killed by a jungle cat, but the lighting is so bad he may have been wrestling with a dog. The MC is a writer type, the girl wants to see Paris. The bloodhunter natives do dances and jabber a lot, but they only run out once and grab people and put them in a hut, which they escape from. The bad guy has a change of heart, inspiring music plays, they walk off into the jungle sunset. If you have an hour to waste, you could do better'n this - but on the plus side,  nice jungle sound fx.


----------



## J Riff

The next click brought me to *Blood Thirst.* Made in 1965, released in 1971, USA/Philippines, black and white. This movie has cool jazzy nightclub music playing through a lot of it. Vampiric activity brings our American expert to the island, where he hangs at the club figuring out who is the maniac in the mask who's draining blood from his victims. Worth watching to see if you can spot the killer. Surprisingly watchable. If a movie was made today called _Blood Thirst,_ they would have to truck in blood to have enough. This movie has none, though it might have if that machete attack had worked out.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Babysitter*  (2017)

I don't usually care for horror/comedy mixes - The Raven, with Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, only pissed me off - but this movie mixed the two quite well!

A 12 year old boy is the last in his class to need a babysitter - and he really does.  He is afraid of virtually everything!

His babysitter is a hot chick, who treats him like a cool guy.  They really seem to click - until he stays up late one night and discovers what her and her friends are up to.  And since it's in the movie description, it isn't a spoiler to tell you the babysitter and her friends are actually a devil-worshipping cult!  When the boy discovers what they're up to, the cult members must do everything they can to stop him from revealing their secrets.  I originally thought the description gave away too much; but the movie isn't about the cult, it's about how the boy deals with them - and his efforts to survive their murderous intentions.

Great acting from the youngster, Judah Lewis (whom I've just read was one of six boys at the top of the heap for the Spider-Man reboot in 2015).

The movie is a bit gory, but the lightheartedness of the tale overcomes even that (for those of us who don't think gore is necessary in horror films).  Eighty minutes well-spent!


----------



## Starbeast

*The Babadook* (2014) - Outstanding supernatural monster movie. I'm so glad I stumbled across this out-of-the-ordinary creepy flick. Basically, it's about a widowed mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, while dealing with her son who has a terrible fear of some-thing lurking in the house. Fantastic.
*
The Blackcoat's Daughter* (2015) - Creepy and gruesome film about two girls left behind at their boarding school over winter break. The movie slowly unravels to the viewer that there is evil afoot. That's all I'm going to say, because it will become horrifyingly clear what is happening. Diabolic, with an awesome soundtrack which reminds me of the early work of Tangerine Dream.


----------



## Wruter

*Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter* (1974)

I should preface this by saying that I hardly ever watch movies or TV. I watched this as it was cited as an inspiration in the Gothic genre by someone who is inspirational to me.

This is a "Hammer" horror film. I had a vague idea of what this meant and I wasn't far wrong. A nubile young woman screams, there's a dramatic blast of music, blood splatters, the woman lies dead. Enter Captain Kronos, who initially struck me as rather a comic-book kind of hero a little out of place with the rest. While all the other characters wear somber period clothing, Kronos (who, incidentally, takes his top off a lot) is bedecked in a brightly-colored cape and massive gold jewelry. He's almost like a costume-superhero stuck in an otherwise grim historical horror setting, as evidenced by the scene in which he single-handedly kills about a dozen swordsmen in a whirl of blades without being touched. The time period is never stated, nor the (presumably British) place (unless I missed it). It could be anywhere from the 17th to 19th century, which gave it a veneer of fantasy. The film culminates in a sword duel of the kind I'd normally associate with earlier Errol Flynn, "swashbuckling"-type films.

Overall, though, I liked it quite a lot. Reading a little about it afterward I wasn't too far off the mark in my thinking: the writer/director wasn't actually a fan of vampire movies and had attempted to introduce a Marvel comics-style hero in the first of an intended (though never made) series chronicling the character's adventures. It makes for an action-packed yet gorily atmospheric experience which seems to be fairly unique among Hammer and other horror films and which has gained a cult following (I see a novelization and a comic-book adaptation were released just in the past few years).

I give it 4/5, and here endeth my movie-reviewing career.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creature with the Atom Brain* (1955)

Surprisingly decent low-budget SF/crime flick.  It doesn't waste any time getting started, as a shambling fellow with super-strength breaks into a crime lord's home and kills him, by picking him up and breaking his neck and spine.  (Seen only as a shadow on the wall, it's still pretty gruesome.)  He escapes despite getting shot multiple times.  The cops show up, and their resident science guy (our hero) finds out that the killer's fingerprints glow in the dark, and his "blood" is actually an artificial substance, which happens to be highly radioactive.  Well, we already know right at the start that a rival crime boss has teamed up with a mad scientist to transform corpses into remote-controlled, atomic-powered zombies.  It all moves briskly, ending in a final battle between the cops and the army against the unstoppable zombies.  Screenplay by Curt Siodmak, of _Donovan's Brain_ and *The Wolf Man* fame.   Notable for a fair number of domestic scenes with the hero's wife and young daughter, and the thematic importance of the little girl's doll:



Spoiler



Her father's partner is a guy the little girl calls "Uncle Dave."   At one point she asks him why he isn't married, and Mommy sarcastically answers "He's already married to your father."   Midway through the film Uncle Dave is killed and turned into a Creature With the Atom Brain.  Controlled by the bad guys, he goes to the hero's home to try to track him down and kill him.  While there he rips up the child's doll.  (Apparently just an act of random malice on the part of his controllers.)  At the very end of the movie Daddy buys the kid a new doll.  Despite the fact that it's a female doll, she decides to name it Dave.  All of that made me wonder what I was supposed to think about good old Uncle Dave.


----------



## Cathbad

*Horsemen* (2009)

Dennis Quaid did a fine performance.  It isn't his fault he had so little to work with.

An extremely predictable movie, with another non-ending ending.  Go find something else to do for 90 minutes.  Every one of you could write this story during breakfast.


----------



## Starbeast

*Hugo* (2011) - Rarely does a film bring the child-like wonderment out of me. And this movie did it. Such a magnificent story that churned my emotions, and made me feel great. I loved it.

Basically it's about a clockwork mechanic orphan named Hugo Cabret. Who lives in 1931, Paris, inside the walls of a train station, and he wants to explore the mystery of his father's death. (that's all I'm going to say - if you haven't seen this fantastic film yet)


----------



## Toby Frost

*Blade Runner 2049* (2017) - Generally much-praised but I thought it could do with a good edit. _BR2049_ is extremely good-looking and has some powerful moments, but is a sprawling epic while the original is a tight noir story. It could have done with 45 minutes being cut. Generally well-acted and definitely not pointless like the recent_ Alien_ films, but not vital either. If _Blade Runner_ is a well-presented lecture, this is the thoughtful but rambling conversation about it that happens down the pub afterwards.

*Paddington* (2014) - An adaptation of the children's books about a talking bear that I used to read when I was 9 or so. This was excellent: good cast, spot-on tone, at times pretty funny. The use of special effects to depict thoughts and memories was inspired. It carried off the difficult job of making London look pleasant. Highly recommended.


----------



## clovis-man

*Kwaidan *(1965)

Played my Criterion Collection DVD. Four Japanese "ghost" stories. Of the four, "The Woman of the Snow" and "Hoichi the Earless" are the best. The first makes great use of lighting, surrealistic backdrops and subtle makeup for impressive effects. In it a demonic snow dweller descends into human existence but holds her human lover to an impossible pledge. In the Hoichi piece, we delve into history for an account of the battle of Dan-No-Ura.The ghosts of those who perished captivate a blind musician and force him to perform for them. Rescuing him from them is problematic.

Af wonderful atmospheric set of stories.


----------



## AstroZon

*It Came From Outer Space *(1953)

I found this at the library on DVD, so naturally I had to check it out.  It's basically a good movie with good acting, but it moves slowly and predictably.  

Our pipe smoking, mid 30-ish astronomer hero is entertaining a young lass of 22 in his Arizona desert abode - at midnight no doubt.  They walk outside and take turns looking through his telescope when a giant fireball streaks across the sky.  It crashes nearby and the next thing you know they're hoovering above the impact crater in an open cockpit helicopter.  They land on the rim and our hero decides to walk down into the crater and investigate.  At the bottom he finds a partially buried alien ship shaped like a large geodesic sphere.  Suddenly the ship gets buried in an avalanche while our hero climbs through rock-flying peril and to safety.

By this time, the local sheriff and some Army folks arrive.  No one believes our hero's story about the alien ship and they label him a quack.  But the aliens have already left the ship and start to hoover around ghost-like with a giant eye for a head.  Pretty soon strange things start to happen.  Russell Johnson from Gilligan's Island gets doubled and his doppelganger is of course, an alien.   This basic scenario goes on, more or less, for the next 40 minutes.  Once everyone realizes that it is indeed a spaceship complete with aliens, mob mentality takes over and the locals want to kill the aliens and destroy the ship.  Our hero tries to convince them that the alien technology could propel Earth's sciences centuries into the future, but no dice, the locals still want to destroy everything.  In the end, he manages to stall long enough for the aliens to flee in their repaired ship.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Man With The Golden Gun* (1974)

Another DVD that I checked out from the library.  Usually dubbed as one of the worst James Bond movies ever made, it's still worth a watch, flying AMC Matadors and all.  Roger Moore cracks one-liners throughout, and Britt Ekland prances around in a bikini for no reason other than eye candy.   Sheriff J.W. Pepper, plucked straight from Live and Let Die, reprises his already overplayed role.  A cameo would have sufficed, but we had to suffer through his bayou slur for most of the final third of the movie.    

Fortunately, Christopher Lee saves the day as the elegant villain Scaramanga.  It's really a shame that he wasn't in a better Bond movie as he made such a perfect villain - perhaps the best Bond villain of all.  And his sidekick is none other than Herve Villechaize, aka Tattoo from Fantasy Island.


----------



## Mouse

*Lego Ninjago*. I freaking love the Lego films, and I love Jackie Chan so... Yeah, this one was hilarious. Not as good as Lego Batman, but still good. One of the managers at work shares the same name as the MC... I'm gonna be singing the Boo Lloyd song in my head for weeks.


----------



## Danny Creasy

I watched_ Mercy last _night. I enjoyed it. Neat to see young "Coral" at work in something other than _The Walking Dead. _I have not read King's _Gramma, _so I could not compare the two works.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Midnight Meat Train*  (2008)

If not for one factor, I might be able to call this a Good gore movie.

But frankly, even gore movies can go overboard, and fall into "ridiculousness".

The human body holds approximately 8 pints of blood.  That's one gallon.  Yet, with a single blow of his mallet (yes, a _mallet!_) our killer's victim spews forth at least twice that.  And still had more to be extracted!

Our protagonist falls into one victim's blood, and is absolutely _covered_ - dripping wet - in blood!  It was all too much, and distracted from what I thought to be a rather good storyline for such films.

Bradley Cooper performs with his usual excellence, and the supporting cast does a fine job, as well.  Heck, I even thought Brooke Shields was good in her role as an art critique/gallery owner - and I can't stand her!!

So why so much blood?  In a gore movie, you expect a lot of gore.  What you don't usually expect is a good story.  This film tried to mix the two; but the copious amounts of blood and victim mutilation stole from an otherwise frightening, well-told story.


----------



## REBerg

*Blade Runner 2049*
Superlative sequel. I'll buy a copy of this one.


----------



## Cathbad

*Black Butterfly* (2017)

Antonio Banderas' best work, yet!

A novelist & would-be screenplay writer has a bad case of writer's block.  He's drinking heavily (because that's what we writers do when we suffer from writer's block, I guess), and is running out of money.

In comes a hitchhiker/would-be savior/antagonist.  After saving our protagonist/writer from a butt-kicking, this newcomer is invited by the writer to spend the night - and get a hot shower.  One night turns into three days, as the hitchhiker insinuates himself into the writer's life by doing odd chores and repairs.  It even goes beyond the third day, as the writer begins to realize he's "a prisoner in his own home."

The twists and turns in this one are memorable.  The final scene between antagonist and protagonist is a perfect twist!  Everyone in the story is involved - right through to the end!  And no one is involved but the writer.

A very intelligently written script, well performed by the entire cast.  So glad to see they can still make movies like this!


----------



## Danny Creasy

Cathbad said:


> *The Midnight Meat Train*  (2008)
> 
> If not for one factor, I might be able to call this a Good gore movie.
> 
> But frankly, even gore movies can go overboard, and fall into "ridiculousness".



Agree, I liked the story and the characters but...


----------



## Foxbat

*Invasion Of The Body Snatchers*(1956) One of my all-time favourite Sci-Fi movies, a film I never get tired of watching. All these years on and it's still up there with the best. It also has that rare distinction of being an iconic movie with a re-make that's almost as good as the original. 

One point of interest (for me at least): I happened to notice a name on the end credits list - Sam Peckinpah(Charlie in the movie). I did a bit of digging and it turns out it's the same Peckinpah that went on to make movies like Straw Dogs and Cross Of Iron. You learn something new everyday


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Transporter*" (2002) - Rated PG-13 UK/USA

I'm a big fan of Jason Statham, especially from his rather splendid roles in Guy Richie's best-directed films "Snatch" and "Lock Stock..."

Looking at his roles since then it is clear to say he has become type-cast into an Action Man/John McClane role: very one-dimensional. Which is a pity because I am sure he would be great in a comedic role too.

The script behind Transporter has more holes than your typical block of Swiss cheese; and doesn't mane an ounce of sense. In fact its best not to worry about the script at all and just enjoy the action ride. Statham is okay, and flexes a lot of muscle, but not much else.

A forgettable film that doesn't really add much to Statham's acting abilities other than to pay his bills.

2/5


----------



## Cathbad

*The Damned*  (2013)

A pretty decent horror flick. 

A demon survives by taking the body of the person who kills the last body it was in.  Unique.

There was a little girl at the beginning of the movie - I don't know the young actress' name, but she did a terrific job of being a frightened little girl/demonic killer!  The rest of the cast was hit and miss; a few good and a few bad actors.  The storyline was steady, and though there was blood, it wasn't all about the shock value.  Good directing and sets, too.

I'd say "Put this one on your Halloween list!"


----------



## Cathbad

*Vice* (2015)

Thomas Jane and Bruce Willis star in this well done *Westworld* ripoff.

Willis stars as the "bad guy", running a city of "artificials" (called Vice), where everything goes.  Customers can experience violating every vice law on the books, without worrying about those pesky consequences.

But, of course, the obvious happens:  One of the artificials (AI-enhanced androids with real human skin and other body parts) suddenly gains self-awareness.  This android is performed by Ambyr Childers, an actress with beauty and great facial expressions, but one that delivers lines _like_ an android.

Overall, this is an entertaining movie, despite being totally predictable.  Some of the acting is atrocious, but Willis and a few others make up for it.  They really should have had someone else in Jane's part, though.  He plays a rogue cop ala Mel Gibson in *Lethal Weapon*, but without the talent.

Still, it's an adequate 90 minutes of entertainment!


----------



## dask

*Midnight In Paris*. Great Woody Allen fantasy about literature and his possible place in it.


----------



## Mouse

Midnight in Paris is a great film.

I saw *The Lego Movie*. Seen it before. Everything is awesome.


----------



## J Riff

Did you know that there's a ten-hour version of 'Everything is Awesome' on youTube? How awesome is that? Maybe too awesome. 
The new Ninja Lego is good, similar to Batman, but with Ninjas. It's almost as awesome, but doesn't have quite so awesome a theme song.


----------



## Starbeast

My plan to host a small Halloween Party fell-through (sigh). So I entertained myself with doughnuts, popcorn, a turkey sandwich and movies.


*Kolchak: The Night Stalker* (1972) - Basically, it's about a news reporter who discovers a vampire in Las Vegas, Nevada. I've seen this countless times, and still love it.

*Motel Hell* (1980) - This cult classic is about a pleasant farmer who runs a motel, and has dark secrets. An excellent freaky film that I have seen many times, years ago. Watching it last night was a long awaited treat.

*Stephen King's: IT* (1990) - WOW!!! This is still an awesome movie. I'm so glad I chose to watch this flick again, after many years. (I need to see the remake)

If you have not seen this movie (big if), it's roughly about a mysterious creature. that lures innocent victims to it. That's all I'm going to say.


----------



## Mouse

J Riff said:


> Did you know that there's a ten-hour version of 'Everything is Awesome' on youTube? How awesome is that? Maybe too awesome.
> The new Ninja Lego is good, similar to Batman, but with Ninjas. It's almost as awesome, but doesn't have quite so awesome a theme song.



I did know, I happened to stumble across it the other day! (Didn't watch it though!)

Yep, I saw the Ninjago film the other week. Loved that one too.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *Carrie*  last night on DVD. I still jump at the end...


----------



## Mike Donoghue

The last movie (in theater) I saw was Alien: Covenant. It was a bit of a let down, although I remain a fan of the franchise. The last movie I saw in general was Casablanca. My Dad insisted we watch it together. I really liked it! The ending was a surprise and funny. It's amazing how well the old movies hold up.


----------



## AstroZon

*Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life *(2003)

Oddly, I've never seen this before last night.  I watched the first one when it was new and enjoyed it.  This squeal is, well, not so great.  Great visuals, but little else to praise - the plot being the biggest disappointment.  It's essentially a weak plagiarism of Raiders of the Lost Arc with nonstop action movie cliches (bullets don't hit the hero, the hero is always fully armed and ready, a sophisticated techno support network at the ready, etc.)  Honestly, I'd rather play the original video game on PS1.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

AstroZon said:


> Honestly, I'd rather play the original video game on PS1.



Was the original on PS1?? I thought it was just PC for some reason


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris* (1975)

Another offering from the American Film Theatre, and definitely the oddest.  Two men and a woman sing a bunch of songs, loosely translated into English, by the Belgian composer whose name is in the title.  Brel himself shows up to sing one of his songs in French.  A whole bunch of people in various eye-catching costumes are in the background, sort of acting/dancing/miming.  Various things happen during the songs.  It's all sort of like a lot of music videos stretched out to feature length.


----------



## AstroZon

Hilarious Joke said:


> Was the original on PS1?? I thought it was just PC for some reason



Yea, it was on PC - DOS 5.0 if I remember right.  It was ported for PlayStation and Sega Saturn soon after.  The PC version was better, but I can play the PS1 version now (I don't have a DOS computer anymore.)


----------



## Cathbad

*Silent Hill* (2006)

I have had so many people tell me how great this movie is!

It amazes me how many people are full of .

There are almost no redeeming qualities of this movie.  Radha Mitchell and Jodelle Ferland _were_ the redeeming qualities.  Fine actresses, both.  Ferland, I feel, is a future superstar.  Their portrayals are the only thing that kept me from turning this movie off early.

Daughter (Ferland) has sleepwalking episodes, in which she speaks of a place called Silent Hill.  Mom (Mitchell) decides she must take her daughter to the real place (??) - a ghost town, where the mines below the city have been burning for 30 years (??).

The twosome have a minor car accident just outside Silent Hill.  Mom is knocked unconscious for hours, daughter, perfectly okay, decides to run into town (??).

Mom spies daughter - daughter runs away.  Mom spots her again, calls out - daughter runs away.  Repeat ad-infinitum.

Then comes a large info-dump, presented by the demon (look-alike of daughter, the "dark side" of a little girl killed by witch-hunter religious freaks who started the original fire).  The info-dump is presented as an old reel-to-reel movie, which I believe we were to understand was playing in Mom's mind.

Demon/Look-alike enters mom's body (??) to get revenge.

Revenge got, Mom (sans demon, apparently) and daughter go home.

Sort of.

Although I "understand" the ending (which I won't reveal), it actually makes no sense.

I consider Sean Bean a mediocre actor - but his part in this movie is too unimportant, his lines too few, to make a fair evaluation.  He played daddy - but his part was unimportant?

So... nah.  Waste the 118 minutes some other way (the movie says 125 minutes, but 7+ minutes are closing credits and black screen).


----------



## J Riff

_Slow West._ Very obvious Clint E. character rides around with a young guy, they do a lot of damage but nobody seems to care. Dint lke this movie, it's not only slow,..  but fast forward helped a bit. *


----------



## Droflet

*Valerian*.
After the general ragging this film got I wasn't expecting much. 
Cons: The two leads are a couple of kids sent to do adults work. Appalling acting. Professional actors may have added something to the dreadful dialogue but the writing of this film is its biggest (after the leads) problem. The director should really get someone to edit his work. 
With all this, I did not find the film awful. I found it to be engaging so not awful but not great. The visuals are, of course, stunning.


----------



## Cathbad

*Chappie*  (2015)

See it.

Never mind the science, or even the special effects:  This movie has a STORY to tell!  A "Coming of Age" story _for_ the Ages!

How did I not see this movie before? 

You want a movie worth your time, this is it!  A robot is given an advanced AI chip (by the Maker, under duress), but he gets more than anyone expected him to - _Consciousness!_ 

An amazing tale, full of heart!  And Chappie sways even the hardest of hearts.

Go.  Netflix, or wherever, but see it!


----------



## Starbeast

*V/H/S: Viral* (2014) - Second sequel to the original _V/H/S_ (2012) movie, which was followed by _V/H/S/2_ (2013). This one is still a very good "Found Footage" anthology "Gore Flick". Recommended for Horror fans. The first movie is very creepy, but the second film in the series, REALLY gets shocking and disturbing.

*Ash vs the Evil Dead* (season 1 & 2) - Outstanding continuation of the EVIL DEAD movie series. One hell of a shocking horror ride, but a groovy Lovecraftian adventure.

*Sons of Anarchy* (season 1 thru 7) - AWESOME show about a motorcycle club. My curiosity paid off (because actor Ron Perlman & actress Katey Sagal were in it as main characters). When I watched the first episode, I was hooked, and began to watch a few episodes at a time. It's a TREMENDOUS drama that felt like a breathe of fresh air from the science fiction, fantasy and horror series that seem to be everywhere now-a-days. I loved it.


----------



## dask

Those *V/H/S* sound worth checking out. Thanks.


----------



## Starbeast

@dask - absolutely bro. It's good and creepy.  And be sure to see the 2nd one. It blew my socks off and put me off my popcorn, but it was worth it.

It is tough to find a good "found footage" flick. But this series, WHOA-NELLY!!!


----------



## Droflet

*Radius (2017)*
A man awakens in a car wreck with no memory of who he is. He journeys to a nearby town to be greeted by dead bodies. Initially he believes there has been an epidemic of some kind but is horrified to find that anyone who comes within twenty feet of him dies.  Terrifically engaging this unknown writer director has done a bang up job in both areas. The script is very well crafted with an ending that will, as Beasty says, blow your socks off. Solid performances and a great script elevates this SF thriller to new heights. Highly recommended.


----------



## AE35Unit

Never heard of those VHS movies, they sound interesting


----------



## Lucien21

AE35Unit said:


> Never heard of those VHS movies, they sound interesting



The Betamax movies were better, but didn't sell as well.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lucien21 said:


> The Betamax movies were better, but didn't sell as well.


And as for the LaserDisk editions...


----------



## J Riff

Well, there's a premise for ya - everyone who comes within 20 feet expires. I had a similar idea, where everyone who comes close loses IQ points until they can't even operate fidget spinners anymore. This oughta be good, tx for the review Drof. )


----------



## Foxbat

*Silent Hill* Given that I knew this was a movie based on a videogame (that I've never played), I was really surprised at how much I liked it. I kind of approached it with a ho-hum attitude but soon sat back and said '_woa_!'

It's a visually stunning and deeply disturbing horror movie but there's something else behind that facade. Lurking in the background is the story of the deep bond between mother and child and of how, sometimes, the father can feel or even be excluded from that relationship.  A thought provoking piece of terror.


----------



## HanaBi

*"Le Samourai"* (1967 - French) Rated PG UK/USA

Starring French mega-star Alain Delon as you archetypal "mac & hat" cool, calculating assassin who after completing a hit with barely a word spoken, or even any backstory regarding the unfortunate target, he soon finds himself in front of a lineup and subsequently interrogated by the local police. However, being the utter professional that he is, he has a good alibi, and subsequently manages to escape any sort of prosecution even though the police chief still feels he is the guilty man.

After completing the hit and winning his freedom from police custody he tries to collect his contract money from one of the hoods of the shady employer, only to find himself double-crossed and narrowly avoids a fatal shooting. 

So not only are the police on his tail, but also the contractor. He could flee the country, but instead decides to take down the latter in his own methodical and ruthless way.

Le Samourai is a perfect example of the French New Wave from the mid 1960s: as minimalist and poker-faced as some of its characters. During the entire film, we are held in suspense as the assassin coolly slips in and out of one danger and into another. And yet we know next to nothing about this assassin, neither does he speak much. We shouldn't really care or feel any empathy for him, but because of Delon's immense presence you somehow feel drawn to him, hoping he will escape from both the cynical police chief and his double-crossing employer.

The ending is quite surprising and never really feels like proper closure. In fact for a film that last 105 minutes, it seems to last only half that time such is the engrossing character-driven storyline

4/5


----------



## HoopyFrood

Just finished watching Justice League. SPOILERS AHOY!

Well, it's definitely a superhero film, lots of leaping around and smashing things, killing lots of canon fodder and a nice big scary guy wandering around finding macguffins so we have time to get the team together. But I actually think this gives the film the right pace, as we've got the tension while taking time to establish the characters.

Wonder Woman kicks all ass. From start to finish. Just...so good. The headbutting competition with Superman, eesh.

Barry is adorable, and has some really good moments, particularly as he's largely non-violent. The moment when he realises how fast Superman is and their subsequent tussle, hah.

Aquaman is finally cool. And you know, hot.

Cyborg is angsty and is currently somewhat underdeveloped, though he is the complete new boy here so it's going to be the case, but it'll be interesting to see where he goes.

Batman is the asshole loner, and it's interesting to see how out of his depth he is. But he's always got the gadgets, and has his ability to plan, always steps ahead. Most of the time.

I haven't watched the previous Superman films because...well, I don't want to. But Superman is finally starting to feel like...Superman. In fact he's a bit of a showoff in this, but it works.

As a DC fan it's nice to feel like they're finally getting it right with their characters. And there's enough in the film for DC lovers to geek over. Didn't realise Meera would make an appearance! A glimpse of a Green Lantern! And that was definitely a Lazarus Pit they used on Superman.

The Amazons were awesome.

Did I mention Wonder Woman kicked all ass?


----------



## Starbeast

*The Beyond* (1981) - This graphic horror film about an evil man, whose trying to bring the world to an end, had great potential, but the director was forced to rush the production, and it unfortunately shows throughout the movie. However, if you look "beyond" that, it's not a bad film.

Fun Fact: There's a funny blooper in the film, if you watch closely, during the last half hour of the movie. I always chuckle when I see it.

*Zombie* (1979) - My favorite (director) Lucio Fulci film. One of the early shocking zombie horror movies that was successful at the box office. Before the film was released, an early creepy (now iconic) movie poster helped immensely to promote the film. Even though this is a gruesome movie to watch, there is a funny (to me) pronunciation of the word "conquistador", that still makes me smile.

*The Evil Dead* (1981) - Since I watched the _Ash vs the Evil Dead_ series, I had to go back to the beginning and watch the horror film that stared it all. It's still creepy cool. Exceedingly gross, but creepy cool.

I sometimes think about another movie that might have inspired Sam Raimi to create, _The Evil Dead_. And THAT weird flick, is the 1970 movie called, _Equinox_, because of many similarities in both films.

*The Void* (2016) - Recommended to me, was this freaky horror film, and, I wasn't disappointed. I don't have to talk about the premise, because this movie doesn't waste time getting started. Fast paced and weird cool horror. Something different, that felt fresh to enjoy.


----------



## Cli-Fi

Since I had the day off today. I got to catch up on some movies that I've been meaning to watch. I still have about 10 more to watch too 

*Suicide Squad (2016)*- Absolutely dreadful and way too predictable. I cannot believe that they spent $175 million making that crap. It looked like a B movie half the time, and there was no chemistry between any of the characters. Too many people involved. Margot Robbie was nice to look at even if nothing else was. I did like Croc but maybe that's cause he didn't say much.

*John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)*- A pointless action flick with none of the bad*ssery from the first film. It feels like a video game and video games have way more complex plots these days. They also tried and failed horribly to introduce a bit of Matrix-like mythology into it, but without really explaining any of it and those scenes could have been totally cut out and filled with more John Wick killing people. I certainly wouldn't have noticed.

John Wick needs a proper Marvel TV hallway scene.

*Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)*- It wasn't half bad. I am a biased towards sci-fi flicks that try to do something new though and this was pretty cool. Although I hated the lead actors. They had no chemistry and Dane Dehaan was just cringe-y. I liked the little converter creature. I kept asking myself during this whole movie, if humans were really even necessary? The other planets seemed so much cooler! Definitely some star wars rip-offs in there but the inter-dimension travelling gadgets were really cool.

Now for the really good stuff:

*Atomic Blonde (2017)*- OK. This was really good. A much more smarter version of John Wick. Charlize Theron kicks *ss in heels! On top of that the story was really interesting spy story. Franchise potential.

*The Legend of Tarzan (2016)*- Out of the five movies I watched this weekend, this one was my absolute favorite! I went into this with no expectations and now believe that most of the criticisms this film received was from butt-hurt Disney fans who were expecting a live-action adaption of the cartoon. It's not, and it's not really a kids movie either.

I really loved how they started the movie with Tarzan now completely tamed and a famous celebrity. So yeah I can totally understand the upset people would have if they saw that for the first scenes of the movie, but it gets even better as Tarzan goes back home in order to protect the Congo from diamond miners. It's not as good as the new Planet of the Apes, but it was a nice surprise.


----------



## Starbeast

Cli-Fi said:


> *Suicide Squad (2016)*- Absolutely dreadful and way too predictable. I cannot believe that they spent $175 million making that crap. It looked like a B movie half the time, and there was no chemistry between any of the characters. Too many people involved. Margot Robbie was nice to look at even if nothing else was. I did like Croc but maybe that's cause he didn't say much.



LOL  - Great review. I thought it wasn't great either, just an "ok" time-waster. For me, I liked the scenes where Batman showed up.


----------



## Cli-Fi

Starbeast said:


> LOL  - Great review. I thought it wasn't great either, just an "ok" time-waster. For me, I liked the scenes where Batman showed up.



The thing that got me was that during some scenes there was literally a character's face with a bunch of debris/dust swirling around and nothing else going on!! That's why I call it a B movie. I seem to recall this happening a lot, oh yeah and they spent way too much time walking.


----------



## HanaBi

*Audition - Uncut Version* (Japanese 1999) - Rated "18" UK / "Unrated" USA 

Cult Japanese director, Takashi Miike delivers a truly shocking, brutal & ultra violent psychological thriller in "Audition".  

Exquisitely staged with some pretty rounded (and twisted) characters, coupled with a plot that one minute is overly predictable; the next goes so much off on a tangent that its totally "out there! - so typically Trademark Miike!

The various torture scenes (and I'm talking about the Uncut Version of the film) are incredibly disturbing; not overly graphic but very unnerving all the same. 

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned (just make sure you hide the piano wire first!)

4/5


----------



## HoopyFrood

A friend lent me Audition but made me promise not to look up anything about it -- I wasn't even allowed to read the blurb on the back. So I went into it with absolutely no clue what it was about whatsoever. Going along, all well and good, and then, oh hey she's talking on the telephone and WHAT THE HECK THERE'S SOMEONE IN THE BAG! And then it was a wild ride from then on.


----------



## Cathbad

*VHS*  (2012)

Well, finally watched this.  I can neither agree nor disagree with the reviews on here.  Overall, I found it... meh.

There were some very good horror scenes, some good - and some bad - acting.  The background story ( a group of youths hired to find/bring back a particular VHS tape) was disjointed, and seemed to change as the movie continued.  But I particularly liked that harpy!


----------



## Overread

Enders Game - honestly I feel that they got far too fixated on the anti-gravity game and overlooked the more psychological impacts of the training scheme. I also think that they didn't put enough emphasis on the seriousness of the training they were undergoing; to the point where the ending feels stifled because it still feels like kids playing a computer game; which kind of leaves you going "Ok this is a really neat idea but seriously those kids just achieved what the great generals couldn't?" Shame there wasn't a sequel as that could well have been a good continuation of the story.


----------



## Foxbat

*Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2 *Somebody once said that comedy was simply the art of timing. Somebody should have told the director of this movie. Take the opening sequence with little Groot dancing - yes it was amusing for a second or two. But then it went on and on and on... 

Another example was Groot's misunderstanding of getting the fin later on in the story. Once again, we have him coming back with the wrong part again, and again, and again....talk about over-explaining!

And so the film continued in this vein. Overplaying the humour that, in many cases, was decidedly forced. Of course, to make matters worse, we had the typical Characters-R-Us production line with the usual bunch of angst-filled (and yet unoriginal) characters and their oh, so predictable progressions. 90 minutes would have been fine length for this film but, once again, the director has no sense of timing and overplays by another 40 minutes. 

Not as good as the first one and, although it looked really good,  definitely not for me.


----------



## Starbeast

Cathbad said:


> *VHS*  (2012)
> 
> Well, finally watched this.  I can neither agree nor disagree with the reviews on here.  Overall, I found it... meh. But I particularly liked that harpy!



Oh man, that Harpy. I thought it was a good movie, not great, but not bad. I also liked the dead man. So now you have an idea what the series is like. Forget about the third installment.......CHECK OUT.....V/H/S 2......it's the best one.


----------



## Cathbad

Starbeast said:


> Oh man, that Harpy. I thought it was a good movie, not great, but not bad. I also liked the dead man. So now you have an idea what the series is like. Forget about the third installment.......CHECK OUT.....V/H/S 2......it's the best one.



Just watched *VHS 2*.  It was better. Still not great, but steadier.  Good if you like gore flicks.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Justice League- wow! Where to start? This really was s
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





t, and I do have quite some tolerance for poor movies! I quite enjoyed large chunks of Suicide Squad but this.... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I really can't see how DC can do reasonably well on the small screen but cock it up so badly on the big screen (IMO Flash was dreadful - quite possibly one of the worst performances I've seen recently).

There are 2 post/mid credits scenes


----------



## Boneman

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. If you like romance, bittersweet, and you have lots of tissues, go see this one. Annette Bening is amazing, she simply lights up the screen, and if she don't win an Oscar, there's no Justice in the world, despite the previous poster... Jamie Bell is good, too.


----------



## AE35Unit

Cathbad said:


> Just watched *VHS 2*...Good if you like gore flicks.


I'll skip on the strength of that


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frau im Mond* (Woman in the Moon, 1929)

Fritz Lang's silent science fiction epic about a lunar voyage.  Mixes very accurate science (rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth was an adviser) with pure fantasy (the moon has a breathable atmosphere.)  Besides the Destination Moon stuff, there's a love triangle, a villain working for a cabal of business people after the gold on the moon (!) and a preteen stowaway.  Quite nicely filmed and entertaining.  Multiple versions exist, from an hour and a half to more than three hours; the version I saw was more than two and one-half hours long, and never dragged.

*The Wild Wild West Revisited* (1979) and *More Wild Wild West* (1980)

So-so sequels to the cult TV series.  Not as bad as the Will Smith version.


----------



## clovis-man

*The Blues Brothers* (1980) 

"It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."


----------



## Vladd67

clovis-man said:


> *The Blues Brothers* (1980)
> 
> "It's 106 miles to Chicago. We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses."


Pity about the second one.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Vladd67 said:


> Pity about the second one.



Dunno what you're talking about - there is no 2nd


----------



## Vladd67

My mistake,I must have had a bad dream.


----------



## Cli-Fi

*Everest (2015)*- Does not live up to the 1998 film, but that might have been because they were going for shock value there, while this film was more run down realistic version of events. I'm not totally sure about that since in both cases, things were added for drama. I liked this one a bit better, since it showed more about the preparation and all that is involved with climbing Mt. Everest. Some cheesy parts, but then again, I'm sure people do just fall to their deaths the minute you aren't looking. 

*Unbroken (2014)*-  ‎According to reviews Angelina Jolie makes a mediocre film about the amazing life about Louis Zamperini. But these reviews are bias, they are by people who are apparently obsessed with this guy. I totally get it. The guy is a superhero. On top of being a world-class Olympic athlete Zamperini survived in a raft for 47 days after his bomber crash landed in the ocean during World War II, then was sent to a series of prisoner of war camps. Talk about not catching a break. 

This movie however, is not for his fan base. It's for the general public who doesn't know his story and Jolie did a good job summing it up. So, being unaware that someone like Zamperini existed and could withstand all that he did, this movie shook me up. The controversial film has upset Japanese nationalists, and christian evangelicals alike. While Jolie herself found religion while making this movie. I was happy to read that Zamperini did see the final film before he died in July of 2014. I totally recommend this movie! If not just to witness what this guy went through.


----------



## Cli-Fi

Keeping up with my movie-fest this weekend, here are more reviews:

*Hacksaw Ridge (2016)*- While the movie was good, I feel that it could have been a lot better and was trying to mix in the issue of conscientious objectors with Desmond Doss's story. Throughout the whole movie I ended up thinking more about that topic than Doss himself.

*Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)*- This movie is basically Captain Jack Sparrow is drunk, and Depp needs a paycheck. Plus some people fight over a staff. The title is confusing being that in just about every Pirate movie, dead men did tell tales 

*Blackhat (2015)*- Boring hacker movie where the last half ends up being Thor trying to escape authorities using no hacks whatsoever! He's no John Wick either. Despite the blandness of this movie, Blackhat has been heralded as the best movie about hacking in years. Due to it's realism it's not a shiny Hackers film. 

*Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)*- Take everything that Michael Bay has ever done and mash it up into one kickass movie. Seriously, this was the most fun I've had watching Transformers since Megan Fox was a thing. Oh yeah and there's Dinobots, Giant Sky Beams, Spaceships, Knights, Secret Societies, Conspiracies, Government Task Forces, Contamination Zones, NASA, Dragons, King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Anthony Hopkins, and a mini suicide squad movie tied right in it. That's not to mention new Autobots, old Decepticons, Mini-dino babies, a ripoff stranger things group of kids, Stonehenge, the Borg queen, mystery horns, and the enchantress from suicide squad as well! Oh yeah and Mark Wahlberg fights with a robot butler on a submarine which takes us to a plot that's very similar to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales too.  So there's like four movies in one here.

Now Transformers gets a lot of flack for not having good stories, but this was a big attempt to push the envelope and expand the world of Transformers a little bit and while most of the things that Bay introduced in this movie have little to no explanation nobody ever said Transformers was deep-thinking sci-fi. Come to see evil Optimus Prime. Oh wait, did I forgot to mention that sub-plot before?...

*Automata (2014)- *This is by far my favorite movie I watched yesterday. Great robot philosophy movie. I loved *Chappie (2015)* and this was even better. Answers the question, what would you do if Robots suddenly woke up? Would you help them or would you try to kill them? Would people believe you or would you be hunted for trying to sabotage the robots programming? Antonio Banderas is surprisingly very believable as an insurance agent at the Robotics company, ROC.


----------



## Jeffbert

The last contemporary movie I saw was episode 3 of the new *MST3K*. I think it was called *Time Travelers* (1960?). I know it was rather poor, and a sad career end for John Hoyt (though not his last film).  The portal through which the *Time Travelers* pass, is what you might expect from an SNL sketch. So, they are in their lab, viewing the future through a portal intended for viewing only, they are having trouble with their equipment, when some guy says he thinks he can step right through it. He does, and rather than stay where they are, and call to him to return, they all go, & it closes behind them.

I saw something on cable a few weeks ago, with a similar idea, but this was recent, full of great SFX, and such. Cannot recall the name, though; it did involve an explosion, that sent them into the future.

 I was never into the original *MST3K*, but this one seems to work for me.

a much older film was *Night and the City* (19050) shown last Sunday as one of TCM's *NOIR ALLEY* films. Richard Widmark portrays a guy who always seeks a way to avoid actual work, & has no end of get rich schemes. The final one, blows up in his face, as he tries to muscle-in on pro wrestling. There is the popular British way, and the classic Greek way. He tries to pit a guy from each, neither wants to fight the other, so he goads them both into it by saying to the one that the other said something insulting about him. I know this is a poor synopsis, but tough!

I much prefer the older films, for the most part.


----------



## Toby Frost

Paddington 2. Excellent. Go and watch it, if only for Hugh Grant as an evil thespian.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Steptoe and Son Ride Again*" (1973) - Rated "PG" UK/USA

The delightful BBC Tv sitcom ran from 1962 to 1974, and all eight seasons were pure comedy gold, and hugely popular with TV audiences. So it was inevitable the transition to the big screen would happen sooner or later. And sure enough the first film appeared in 1972 and again was very successful at the box office. However, like most things there is a law of diminishing returns, and thus is the case with this film. Not a patch on the first film, and miles behind the TV show in terms of inventive writing and quality acting.

Basically, Harold & Albert have to retire their work horse due to it becoming lame after travelling up the A1 to York from London. Given that the horse is crucial to their rag and bone business, Albert decides to cash in some of his life savings in order to buy a new one. However, Harold insists in doing the buying on his own, but ends up getting drunk and comes home with a blind greyhound purchased from a local gangster for far more than the £80 odd of Albert's life savings. So not only do they have a blind dog and no horse, but they now owe the hood £200. Out of sheer desperation Albert pretends to be dead in order for Harold to claim on his life insurance policy worth about £1000 in order to pay off their debts.

A script that would have worked over a 30 minute TV episode, but soon runs out of steam here. Very little melodrama, and more vulgar & crude pratfalls and jokes, most of which fall flat. A classic case of going through the motions, but remains instantly forgettable.

2/5


----------



## HanaBi

"*A Shot in the Dark*" (1964) Rated "PG" UK/USA

Incompetent but irresistible Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is back! This time to investigate a murder at the house of rich aristocrat Benjamin Ballon (George Sanders). The evidence (or "facts" as Clouseu reminds everyone) points to the innocent maid Maria (Elke Sommer). However, Clouseau, who  is instantly smitten by her elf-like beauty, is not convinced she could have committed such a dastardly crime. But given Clouseau's known incompetence will anybody really believe him?

For me this is my favourite Blake Edwards/Peter Sellers "Panther" film: a delightful comedy filled with gags, smart one-liners, a touch of romance and a whole lot more besides. Sellers is, as usual, in fine form as the bungling policeman, with able support from Herbert Lom as his long-suffering boss.

4/5


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> Paddington 2. Excellent. Go and watch it, if only for Hugh Grant as an evil thespian.



So he's playing himself in it.


----------



## J-Sun

HanaBi said:


> "*A Shot in the Dark*" (1964) Rated "PG" UK/USA



Love that one. With the first, they didn't know quite what they had, with Clouseau as just an almost secondary character in a movie about others. It's still a good movie, but I agree with you: "Shot" is by far the best and one of my all-time favorite comedies. (I also like the third one a lot, but don't care for the others.)


----------



## Jeffbert

Is that the one with the nudist colony? 

Not recently, but either Sellers or Obi-Wan or maybe both were in a caper film, in which they had stolen gold, & were trying to smuggle it abroad in Eiffel Tower souvenirs.


----------



## HanaBi

J-Sun said:


> Love that one. With the first, they didn't know quite what they had, with Clouseau as just an almost secondary character in a movie about others. It's still a good movie, but I agree with you: "Shot" is by far the best and one of my all-time favorite comedies. (I also like the third one a lot, but don't care for the others.)



I have spent the last couple of days watching the early Panther films, including the original David Niven, right up to "Revenge of...." (1978); and it's a classic case of the law of diminishing returns in action here. But "Shot..." is my favourite, not least because Sellers was in his prime back in the early 60s.


----------



## Toby Frost

Vince W said:


> So he's playing himself in it.



And obviously enjoying it! Some of the lines are clearly written for adults - not that they're rude, but they're subtle. There's a joke about what's clearly a corrupt MP that make me laugh, as well as Grant's description of his awful-sounding one-man show. It's well worth a look.


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> And obviously enjoying it! Some of the lines are clearly written for adults - not that they're rude, but they're subtle. There's a joke about what's clearly a corrupt MP that make me laugh, as well as Grant's description of his awful-sounding one-man show. It's well worth a look.



I fully intend to, once I get a bit of free time after the holidays!


----------



## AE35Unit

First watched Poltergeist 2 with my daughter (we watched the first one last week), then we watched the 2015 remake, with Sam Rockwell and Richard Harriss's son. Good but not a patch on the original!


----------



## Jeffbert

Saw both *Willard *(the original) & *Ben* during the past 3 weeks.  TCM ran them one after the other sometime in October. Cannot say either one made my top 100 list, but I did 'enjoy' them.  A few years ago, I saw the remake of *Willard *(starring R. Lee Ermy); tough to compare that with the original with several years between viewing them, but RLE did portray a much nastier version of Willard's boss, as it was R-rated.


----------



## Rodders

Mindhorn. A pretty funny spoof on a 70’s TV detective called back to the isle of Mann to help them crack a serial killer case. Quite amusing throughout, but really funny at the end. 

The Rezort. Jurassic Park with Zombies. It was okay.


----------



## Jeffbert

Rodders said:


> Mindhorn. A pretty funny spoof on a 70’s TV detective called back to the isle of Mann to help them crack a serial killer case. Quite amusing throughout, but really funny at the end.
> 
> The Rezort. Jurassic Park with Zombies. It was okay.


Hmm, sound like my kind of movies.

Today I watched *Strangers on a Train*; I had seen it at least once before, though without the *NOIR ALLEY* guy giving introductory & exit remarks. No less than 10 minutes worth of details about authors, screenwriters, etc. Very worthwhile.



Spoiler



So the effete guy has the tennis player's lighter, intends to plant it as evidence at the scene of the crime, & the only guy who could provide an alibi was drunken at the time, and remembers nothing of the train ride. But there were other people on the train, including the porters, who could serve as alibis.  Even Hitchcock's films have such plot holes!


----------



## Vince W

*Valerian*. I absolutely loved it. Gorgeous and a lot of fun. I would watch dozens of films set in this universe. I don't know why it did so poorly. It's a shame really.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Vanishing Point*" (1971) Rated - "18" (UK)/"R" (USA)

Former motorcycle/stock-car racer Kowalski (Barry Newman) is now a car delivery driver in the American South West. He is asked to deliver a Dodge Challenger to a dealer in San Francisco by Monday morning: a fairly easy task given that he collects the car on Colorado on a Friday night. However, he decides to offer a bet to a friend that he will deliver the car by 3pm Saturday afternoon - a reckless challenge, but given that Kowalski is at some kind of crossroads in his life, and a constant pill-popper, he only seems to find excitement by taking these unnecessary risks in his humdrum life. 

Inevitably the police are soon on his trail as he crosses various desert states; but in most cases he puts his former racing driver skills to the fore and escapes arrest. 

A local radio station manages to pick up the police radio frequency, and the resident soul DJ offers Kowalski advice on what the police will do next in order to trap the former Vietnam war veteran.

The film bombed on initial release in the USA, but proved far more successful, both commercially and critically in the UK and Europe. Despite a relatively simple story, with an existential ending, the film only really stands out for the beautiful "big country" desert states of Colorado, Utah and Nevada and the pleasure it must be to drive a super-charged car on those long straight road for hundreds of miles with the cops in hot pursuit by bike, car and helicopter. But other than the scenery and a few action sequences there is little to keep one truly absorbed.

3/5


----------



## Randy M.

_Cast a Deadly Spell _(1991) -- TV movie with Fred Ward and Julianne Moore, directed by Martin Campbell (think _Casino Royale _and try not to think _Green Lantern_). 1940s private gumshoe Phil Lovecraft won't work magic although nearly everyone else does since the end of World War II. When a magical tome becomes the center of a dispute between Lovecraft's ex-partner and the book's owner, Lovecraft gets pulled into the action as the consequences of owning the book escalate. Entertaining psuedo-film noir, early example of urban fantasy pre-dating Buffy.


_The Big Sleep_ (1946). Howard Hawks directed this adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The screenplay by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman is every bit as convoluted as the novel, but in spite of that it's a great old black & white noir movie that you can watch and rewatch and still be entertained. In his letters Chandler liked Bogart as a tough guy, but said when he wrote Philip Marlowe he thought more in terms of Cary Grant. He also disdained the attention to Bacall; he was more impressed by Martha Vickers, who played Bacall's probably insane little sister and was annoyed so much of her performance landed on the editing rooom floor in favor of highlighting Bacall. I agree Vickers is fun to watch in this movie. Hawks was a no-nonsense director with a wise-guy sense of humor, so this film doesn't share all the traits of classic noir.


_Wind River _(2017) -- starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and Graham Greene. Excellent but depressing thriller as Renner, a Parks service tracker/hunter, and Olsen, an FBI agent, search snowy expanses of Wyoming (played by Utah) for the killer of a young Native American woman. Gains a lot from the fleshed in background of Renner and his family and the family of the young Native woman.


_Hell or High Water _(2016) -- starring Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster. Another good thriller, this in the heat-drenched expanses of West Texas. Two brothers, Pine and Foster, rob banks in order to keep a bank from foreclosing on their mother's ranch. Bridges is the Texas Ranger pursuing them. Really solid acting and a well-written and thought out script that reflects the economic dilemmas in small town America. I think anyone who liked the movie _Cold in July_ or Joe Lansdale's writing (he wrote Cold in July), would find this one of interest.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

HanaBi said:


> "*Vanishing Point*" (1971) Rated - "18" (UK)/"R" (USA)
> 
> Former motorcycle/stock-car racer Kowalski (Barry Newman) is now a car delivery driver in the American South West. He is asked to deliver a Dodge Challenger to a dealer in San Francisco by Monday morning: a fairly easy task given that he collects the car on Colorado on a Friday night. However, he decides to offer a bet to a friend that he will deliver the car by 3pm Saturday afternoon - a reckless challenge, but given that Kowalski is at some kind of crossroads in his life, and a constant pill-popper, he only seems to find excitement by taking these unnecessary risks in his humdrum life.
> 
> Inevitably the police are soon on his trail as he crosses various desert states; but in most cases he puts his former racing driver skills to the fore and escapes arrest.
> 
> A local radio station manages to pick up the police radio frequency, and the resident soul DJ offers Kowalski advice on what the police will do next in order to trap the former Vietnam war veteran.
> 
> The film bombed on initial release in the USA, but proved far more successful, both commercially and critically in the UK and Europe. Despite a relatively simple story, with an existential ending, the film only really stands out for the beautiful "big country" desert states of Colorado, Utah and Nevada and the pleasure it must be to drive a super-charged car on those long straight road for hundreds of miles with the cops in hot pursuit by bike, car and helicopter. But other than the scenery and a few action sequences there is little to keep one truly absorbed.
> 
> 3/5


There was a part where the driver visits some hippies (I guess) as the woman went around naked.
They must have had to cool that motorcycle seat before the nudist girl sat upon it, as in the desert, it being black, would be rather hot! 

I never got much from this film, as I guess it is to cerebral for me.  I am not much for landscapes, was hoping to see more than the girl's bottom, but they hid everything in front behind foreground objects. 


-------

I enjoy Bogart films, from his early days as a supporting actor, to his leading roles. _*The Big Sleep*_ is one of very few with Bogart as a good guy in a crime story. Too bad he became prominent so late in life, & died so young!


----------



## HanaBi

Jeffbert said:


> There was a part where the driver visits some hippies (I guess) as the woman went around naked.
> They must have had to cool that motorcycle seat before the nudist girl sat upon it, as in the desert, it being black, would be rather hot!
> 
> I never got much from this film, as I guess it is to cerebral for me.  I am not much for landscapes, was hoping to see more than the girl's bottom, but they hid everything in front behind foreground objects.
> 
> 
> -------



I remember watching Vanishing Point some 40 years ago at the precocious age of about 13; and the only scene that stood out for me was that girl on the bike. And even then I thought to myself "surely that bike seat is going to be extremely hot?" And also, "For a totally nude woman why doesn't she have a tan?"

But rewatching a couple of days ago I abandoned logic from this film and just enjoyed it for what it is: a road movie. Which reminds me: I might watch "Easy Rider", "Duel" and/or "Two Lane Blacktop" this weekend.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Girl On The Train *
Excrutiatingly slow, predictable and populated with common or garden angst-filled  stereotypical characters. This movie  makes  the prospect of sitting watching the movement of a glacier seem like an extreme sport.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, Foxbat, I lasted half an hour then couldn't take any more.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Flic Story*" (1975 - French) Rated "15" (UK)/ "NR" (USA)

French film icon Alain Delon, dons his trademark trench-coat again, this time as police detective Roger Borniche, and his nine year pursuit of his nemesis and master criminal, Emile Buisson (
Jean-Louis Trintignant)  - a paranoid sociopath and cold-blooded killer, who manages to escape from prison and immediately gets back into his old bad ways of robbery with violence.

Based on a true story and set in post-war 1940s France, we see just how brutal and merciless Buisson really is as he and his small gang of robbers hold up restaurants, factories and the odd bank in their pursuit of money, jewellery and gold. If innocent bystanders get in Buisson's way he shoots them in cold blood, showing little or no remorse. 

His criminal activities make national headlines in the papers, and the local police chief wants his best man, "supercop" Borniche, on the case, expecting quick results in order to save face from a rabid media, a scared public and an impatient police.

However, despite Borniche's previous achievements in apprehending hoods like Borniche, he soon realises that this particular criminal is extremely intelligent, calculating and supremely indifferent to who he kills, especially people who betray him to the police. As the months and years pass more and more pressure is placed on Borniche to close the case, but Borniche is always one step behind the intellectually superior Buisson.

An excellent crime, thriller, although perhaps 20 odd minutes overlong. Very much a character-driven film, bordering on classic French film-noir. Delon place his role with measured panache, while his adversary 
Jean-Louis Trintignant, probably takes the plaudits overall for his chilling portrayal as Buisson.

The direction is a little pedestrian in places, hence why I think it's a little overlong; but the editing is tight when it needs to be, especially during the numerous robberies and nasty killing of victims. 

4/5


----------



## REBerg

*Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets*
Visually spectacular. Characters and plot, not so much.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Evil Dead II*" (1987) Rated "18" (UK) / "R" (USA)

Essentially a reboot of Evil Dead, but without the appalling and unnecessary tree-rape scene, while also playing for laughs rather than straight on horror/gore.

Bruce Campbell was born for the role of Ash: he is so perfect even if his acting range is a little limited. But here he is in his element, especially in a self-deprecating/screwball/totally out there kind of way. Even some of his stunts seem to be completely improvised and without the need of a double.

There's decapitated heads & hands, flying eyeballs, lots and lots of blood and guts galore, but because director Sam Raimi added a great deal of dark humour here, the violence never comes across as overly disturbing or gratuitous (especially compared to the more vicious torture-porn offerings such as "Saw" and "Hostel" etc. ) 

The sfx are well below par to a contemporary audience, but it all adds to the eclectic chaos of it all.

4.5/5


----------



## Jeffbert

*Evil Dead II: *I ought to sue them for basing it on my own life! The poor guy's right hand became demon possessed, & attacks him. He chops it off, it falls on the floor, and crawls to the edge of the tablecloth & begins climbing up, coming to get him. Just like the way my own spastic left hand effed with me! I was both furious and laughing my head off at the same time. That anyone could make a joke out of that. 

I saw *The Babysitter* (2017) a week ago. Very unexpected things happened. 5/5! The less I say, the better.


----------



## Foxbat

*In The Mood For Love *In my opinion, Wong Kar Wai's best picture and one of my all-time favourites. I never tire of watching it. It's also the perfect antidote to The Girl On The Train. In _In The Mood for Love_ we have a movie that is slow moving because it needs to be and not because it needs to fill a cinematic time slot. This film uses the time to breathe and show off its beauty. It's like a bird of paradise slowly unfolding its wings. It utilises time to unveil the complexity of the characters and draw the viewer into their world. If movies can be classed as works of art, then this is one of those.

Director and writer of The Girl On The Train take note: this is how a slow movie should be made.


----------



## Jeffbert

I just cannot imagine tolerating a slow movie; my loss, I guess.


----------



## Cathbad

I'm not sure of your definition of a slow movie.

When I hear that, I think of a non-stress-filled movie - laid back, like "On Golden Pond".


----------



## Droflet

I think he means a story with something happening. You know, a story.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Hmmm.  I've greatly enjoyed some very slow movies.  Stanley Kubrick's *Barry Lyndon* (and many other Kubrick films) moves very slowly indeed, but is sheer delight.


----------



## Peter

La Dolce Vita - a bit of inspiration for my own modern fantasy writing, and fun to watch Fellini blend a dissipated anti-hero with scathing social commentary and a sea monster in the final scene.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Don't Look in the Basement* (1973)

Extremely low budget but surprisingly effective scare flick.  All of the action takes place at a house where mental patients are allowed to move about as they please, based on a doctor's theories.  Not a good idea, because right at the start one of the patients kills him with an ax.  A pretty young nurse arrives as a new employee after this tragedy.  After we meet all the patients -- a woman who thinks her doll is her baby, a soldier and a judge obsessed with their professions, a nymphomaniac, a withdrawn woman, a man with the mind of a child, and so on -- things go from bad to worse.  Almost unrelievedly grim and claustrophobic, although there's a bit of dark comedy with a telephone repair man.  Pretty good acting from a cast of unknowns.  Bloody but not extremely explicit gore.  Creates the same kind of uncomfortable feeling as *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*, so not for all tastes.


----------



## Jeffbert

Cathbad said:


> I'm not sure of your definition of a slow movie.
> 
> When I hear that, I think of a non-stress-filled movie - laid back, like "On Golden Pond".


Slow makes me bored and or sleepy. It makes me wonder why I began watching it. I do not know if there is a better way to describe my concept of a slow movie, so I will say it is one in which very little interesting (again, my own concept of 'interesting', sorry ) occurs. Some films start slow, only to catch the viewers off-guard when the action finally begins.

I should say that I think the *action* genre is just about the dumbest of all genres, as each new film does its best to outdo the most recent action film. over the top, ridiculous car chases, first fights, shoot-outs, etc. Before there even was (as far as I know) an Action genre, films like *Bullit*, *The French Connection*, & *The Seven-Ups* all had car chase scenes. Very intense car chase scenes, I might add. In fact, they may have become what people think of when those films are mentioned. Yet, there was drama that was the cake, upon which the icing of the chase scenes was laid. I think a slow film lacks such icing.

A good *adventure* film might have some or even all of these, but the emphasis is elsewhere. Likewise, a *mystery*, a *suspense*, *comedy*, *horror*, etc. How Jaws would have sucked & been part of MST3K if the shark attacks occurred too frequently. There ought to be a balance. Some of the worst films I have seen had the most interesting pictures on their boxes. Good ol' VHS!  They had cool props, vehicles, characters, etc., but lacked the ingredients of good films.


----------



## Cathbad

Yeah - to me, a good movie doesn't require heart-pounding action.  I love good characterizations and stories, and great acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Keep My Grave Open* (1976)

Made by the director of *Don't Look in the Basement*.  Same minimal budget, same dark, brooding atmosphere.  This one is like an inexpensive, small town Texas version of *Repulsion*.  Woman lives alone but imagines she lives with her brother/lover.  She becomes her brother in her mind and kills people with a sword.  Much more of a slow psychological drama than a slasher.  Features a genuinely surprising, and pretty much inexplicable, twist ending.


----------



## Danny Creasy

_Dunkirk, _I really enjoyed it. It was intense, cleverly presented, and compelling. My favorite character was the Supermarine Spitfire; I'm a sucker for WWII fighter planes.


----------



## Starbeast

*D.C. Cab* (1983) - For me, this movie is an outrageously funny, cult classic, featuring a truckload of talented actors that make this movie rock. I haven't seen this in years, and still highly enjoy this terrific flick. I don't have to talk about the story, because this film unfolds itself perfectly.

*Spider-Man: Homecoming* (2017) - Not a bad reboot (but he seems to be more like Spider-Boy). Pretty good story and nice to see a super-villain played well by a veteran actor. I especially like the "blinking eyes" on the mask, which is a great homage to the 1960's Spider-Man cartoon series, which I still enjoy watching now-and-then.

*Walking Tall* (2004) - One of actor Dwayne Johnson's best films. This movie is a great tribute to the real-life man who walked tall with justice, Sheriff Buford Pusser. God bless him. I've seen this film before, and the original movie trilogy (a few times).

*Stranger Things* (series 1 & 2) - This was freaking awesome, well-crafted, tremendous drama, creepy cool and astonishingly retro. I really enjoyed both seasons, and looking forward to the 3rd series in 2018.


----------



## Steve S

Finally saw *Ex Machina - *I liked it a lot, thought-provoking, well-written and well acted.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw *Ex Machina *a year ago, interesting story. A bit frightening, though.  

I just watched *Chappie*, it had some elements that reminded me of *Robocop*


Spoiler



such as a sentient humanoid robot and the baddie that resembled *ED209*.


----------



## Rodders

I really enjoyed Chappie.


----------



## Allegra

*The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers* (2009)

Powerful documentary, a must see. Received Oscar nomination, apparently too good for the Academy Awards standard. "The most dangerous Man in America" is a title given by Henry Kissinger to Ellsberg.


----------



## Caledfwlch

Rodders said:


> I really enjoyed Chappie.



Wonderful film!! The "Actors" playing "Mummy and Daddy" are "Ninja" (Watkin Tudor Jones) and Yolande Visser, the main force of the South African Zef band, Die Antwoord, who are fantastic.

Last night I did my best to watch Atomic Blonde, a "British Spy Movie" set in 1989, one of MI6's best agents is sent to Berlin to recover a list. The Atomic Blonde herself was played by Charlize Theron, who's attempt at a British Accent is the Home Counties version of Dick Van Dyke's Cockney, it is truly dreadful, like she had never actually heard any British accent before. And I don't know what the CIA pay their Field Agents, but I am extremely doubtful that MI6 pay theirs so much that they can afford huge flats with views of the Thames, and Big Ben.
And her contact in Berlin, appeared to be doing his best to be a more upper class John Simm, was very odd.
It has also very nearly ruined the wonderful German anti war song 99 Luftballoons (Red Balloons) by Neneh, for me. By having it play during a very brutal scene.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lost in the Stars *(1974)

The American Film Theatre series presents this adaptation of the musical drama by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson, itself based on Alan Paton's novel _Cry, the Beloved Country_.  In South Africa in "the recent past" (as a title informs us), a black minister from the countryside goes to Johannesburg to find his adult son.  It turns out that the son lives in a shantytown with his pregnant lover, and that he shot and killed a white man during a botched robbery.  Filmed in a realistic (as opposed to stagy) manner, so it's odd when folks break into song during this grim story.  Very well acted.


----------



## Randy M.

*Anatomy of a Murder* (1959): dir. Otto Preminger; starring Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazarra, Lee Remick, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden, George C. Scott

An example of a 3 hour movie that doesn't drag. Army lieutenant with impeccable war record in Korea, tracks down his wife's rapist and kills him. The movie follows Stewart, his attorney, building a defense but as viewers we're not sure if the lieutenant and his wife are telling the truth. This has probably one of the best courtroom scenes in cinema, a battle of wits and legal savvy between Stewart and Scott as the prosecutor that I found riveting in no small part because of the contrast of Stewart's folksiness and Scott's city-slick, well-enunciated sentences. Stewart was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and rightly so, and so were O'Connell and Scott. (Charlton Heston won for _Ben-Hur_.)

Side notes: In 1959 you just didn't talk about rape, sexual violence and women's underwear, at least not in movies, so this movie cracked, if not broke, the conventions of the time. It was also so successful at the box office it set a precedent for Stewart as a lawyer which probably led to his 1970s TV show, _Hawkins_.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Second Woman* (1950)

So-so low budget psychological thriller.  Starts off exactly like *Rebecca*, with the female lead in voiceover thinking of a fancy house that no longer exists, leading us into the story as a flashback.  Robert Young is a guy who tries to kill himself after the woman he was supposed to marry was killed in a car accident the day before the wedding.  A romance begins between the female lead and the guy.  A series of mysterious acts of vandalism and violence follow; the guy's prize roses are poisoned, a painting is ruined, his horse and dog are attacked, and his modernistic home is destroyed.  Plot twists follow.  It's rather sedate and talky, but not without interest.


----------



## Cathbad

Just tried watching *Guardians of the Galaxy 2*.  Might go back to it... but thinking not.  With all the good reviews I'd seen, I thought there would be something here - but so far, it just looks like a child's flick...


----------



## Jeffbert

*Guardians of the Galaxy 2*.  
I intend to watch this soon, as it is available streaming from NF. I expect Merle will be in it!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Vampire* (1957)

Science fiction variation on the title creature.  Mad scientist dies after having developed a tablet from some kind of extract from vampire bats.  Medical doctor fails to save his life, pockets the tablets.  Later he has a headache and tells his young daughter to fetch his migraine medicine from his jacket.  Oops.  She gives him the wrong one, and he becomes addicted to the stuff, which has the side effect of turning him into a monster who leaves the typical marks on the throats of his victims.  Other than that, the guy is much more of a Mister Hyde than a vampire.  The plot is pretty much by the numbers, but it's decently done on a low budget.  The big exception is the monster makeup, which just makes the guy look like he has a lumpy face.  Notable for a fairly convincing relationship between the guy (who apparently is a widower) and his daughter.  One pretty good shock scene:  The corpse of one victim is unearthed and revealed to be nothing but a skeleton, except her eyeballs!  (The monster's victims get some kind of disease which causes their flesh to dissolve.)  Interesting also for a fascinating character who doesn't get to do much.  The assistant to the researcher who comes to replace the mad scientist is a guy who always wears sunglasses, due to hypersensitivity to light.  He is also emotionally withdrawn, because he saw his mother burnt to death when he was a child.  It's disappointing that all of this back story goes to waste, since the guy simply serves as another victim.


----------



## Rodders

Bad Moms.

Predictable, but Quite funny. Katherine Hahn was her usual excellent self. (Why she’s not more famous, I don’t know.)


----------



## Cathbad

Rodders said:


> Bad Moms.
> 
> Predictable, but Quite funny.



Exactly what I thought!


----------



## Alexa

I've finally watched *The Dark Tower*. What a boring movie ! If you didn't see it yet, I strongly recommend you to look for something more interesting.


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Last Jedi....  I think that I may actually have preferred The Phantom Menace!!!! There were some very nice bits no question but overall colour me exceedingly disappointed


----------



## dekket

The Last Jedi.  Went and saw it today with my wife, son and a couple of friends.  We all really enjoyed it.  I liked it much more than The Force Awakens.


----------



## J Riff

_Spectral _ 2016 - generally follows the _Alien _storyline, look and characters, like many other flix, but well, it's all soldiers versus 'Spectral Anomolies', and they are pretty tough. An action movie with lots of action, for some reason it never gets actually scary, probably the soundtrack isn't weird enough.


----------



## WaylanderToo

J Riff said:


> _Spectral _ 2016 - generally follows the _Alien _storyline, look and characters, like many other flix, but well, it's all soldiers versus 'Spectral Anomolies', and they are pretty tough. An action movie with lots of action, for some reason it never gets actually scary, probably the soundtrack isn't weird enough.




agreed - it was surprisingly good


----------



## Mouse

*Funny Bones* for the billionth time.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Shadow of the Vampire (2000)*
An unusual story about  the making of Nosferatu starring John Malkovich who plays the director of the 1922 film. Some great scenes in it, Willem Dafoe playing a guy called Schrek, an uber method actor who played Nosferatu,  is fabulous. 
Makes me want to see the original Nosferatu now...
Apparently the director of the 1922 movie was not allowed to film the novel Dracula, the author's estate forbade it. So he simply called it Nosferatu. Interestingly the name Nosferatu does feature in Stoker's book , tho it is used as a descriptive noun for a vampire.


----------



## Jeffbert

_I saw _*Rezort*, after reading somebody's post about it a few pages ago. Thoroughly entertaining!
_*
Spectral *(2016) based upon your description, J Riff, I think I will enjoy this one; thanks!_
*
Shadow of the Vampire* (2000), just put it in my NF dvd queue. The actual film Nosferatu is rather creepy, AE35Unit. I highly recommenced it!

Myself, I recently watched *BATKID*, which I thought was just a 35 second news item about a kid's *Make A Wish* request.  As I understand it, his leukemia is in remission, so, maybe a happy ending, after all. Anyway, this is a documentary about the fulfillment of the boy's wish to be Batman. He was only 5 when they did it, so his grasp on reality was likely poor, at best.  Oops, the title is *BATKID BEGINS, THE WISH HEARD AROUND THE WORLD* (2015).  Way cute, they had the villains dressed according to the 1960s series that he had been watching at home. 

*The Giant Spider* is a parody of the 1950s sci-fi films of that subject. It is even gray-scale.


----------



## Boneman

*THE LAST JEDI *Enough said...


----------



## Randy M.

AE35Unit said:


> *Shadow of the Vampire (2000)*
> An unusual story about  the making of Nosferatu starring John Malkovich who plays the director of the 1922 film. Some great scenes in it, Willem Dafoe playing a guy called Schrek, an uber method actor who played Nosferatu,  is fabulous.
> Makes me want to see the original Nosferatu now...
> Apparently the director of the 1922 movie was not allowed to film the novel Dracula, the author's estate forbade it. So he simply called it Nosferatu. Interestingly the name Nosferatu does feature in Stoker's book , tho it is used as a descriptive noun for a vampire.



I really liked this movie when I saw it years ago.

Just an FYI: The original _Nosferatu_ was an unauthorized version of Dracula, the estate of Bram Stoker sued and the film was supposed to be destroyed. Fortunately someone broke the law and not all copies were destroyed. By today's standards, some of the film may be unintentionally funny, but parts are still quite effective. The look of the vampire inspired the first _Salem's Lot_ mini-series, and Werner Herzog later remade _Nosferatu_ with Klaus Kinski as the vampire; it's also quite good.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Guardians of the Galaxy II*; good to see Merle again, but



Spoiler



he died in the end! Redeemed himself by self-sacrifice. Hmm, isn't that how he died in TWD?


. Anyway an entertaining action / adventure film with a touch of humor. 

*Sorry about lack of memory for actor's names, characters are easier!


----------



## Rodders

I watched The Rezort last week. It was okay, but I doubt I’d watch it again. 

Bad Santa 2 and Office Christmas Party, amusing enough.


----------



## Cathbad

*Stasis* (2017)

A good time travel flick, with an innovative twist !

The acting's not the greatest, and the futuristic bad-guy is cliché, but I found the major storyline enough to hold my interest.

Mostly entertaining!


----------



## Starbeast

*Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas* (2000) - Wonderful to see this movie annually, since it's first release. Actor, Jim Carrey is perfect for the title role. And director, Ron Howard did a spectacular job filming this holiday treat. It's also a nice touch to have actor, Anthony Hopkins narrating.

*The Creature Wasn't Nice* (1983 - a.k.a. _Naked Space_ & _Spaceship_) - Creator, Bruce Kimmel, wanted to make an _ALIEN_ (1979 - Ridley Scott) spoof film. so he wrote, directed and acted in the movie, along with TV & film veterans, Cindy Williams, Patrick Macnee, Leslie Neilsen and Gerritt Graham. The result was a mild comedy, sci-fi adventure, with a shoe-string budget. Not a great film, but not bad. I still chuckle at the silliness of it. I've seen this a few times, and prefer it over the Star Wars 7 flick (which I will probably never watch again).

*Over the Hedge* (2006) - Awesome animated film that I love watching now-and-then. For me, this is one of the greatest animated movies of all time. An outstanding story, filled with humor and drama, plus, a truck-load of talented veteran actors doing the voices for the characters.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a movie called Coherence last night.

The films is set at a dinner party where six friends get together. A comet causes multiple realities to intertwine. It was a pretty good movie and I will watch it again. Good Sci fi.

Coherence (film) - Wikipedia


----------



## Jeffbert

*Spectral *(2016) , last night, on J Riff's recommendation, & very happy I did.  Thanks, J Riff! Anyway, this features the 5th state of matter, which, until recently, was purely theoretical. I am sure I saw an article about it just a few days ago, -- yes, Long-theorized new form of matter, excitonium, finally discovered. So ----  less said, the better! I will say that an engineer/scientist who has built a broadband viewing device, one that allows humans to see the entire light spectrum, is brought into a combat zone to evaluate what soldiers had seen through their own viewers that he himself had made. 



Spoiler



An unknown assailant had killed more than a few of them. & he had been sent to determine what they had actually seen. He brought a viewer that had a wider bandwidth than the ones on the helmets, so he was better able to see the phenomenon.



Very well made film.  Is it an action, or an adventure, or a Horror film?  NF Exclusive, though.


----------



## J Riff

_Spectral _spoilage============But, I couldn't take it very seriously as a movie, once the _Aliens_ sequence commenced. I mean... was that supposed to be a tribute, or what?  It got quite ridiculous when the Gorman character, the woman, hit her head, then the Newt character... I was watching that, instead of the movie. But then it pulls out of it, and they manage to shoot the anomolies a million times, and pull the plug on them. The spectral CGI people were well done, but they were killing people, 19 soldiers right away, and we had no idea why, or how, so I just waited it out, with my pulse not pounding much. * 
 "Pull your team out, Whatsyername!" 
_Stasis _I watched today, with far less enthusiasm than Cathbad evinces, but Time Travel is not of mulch interest here, after massive _Terminator _overexposure.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Alligator People* (1959)

Fair-to-middling monster movie.  Under hypnosis, a woman (B favorite Beverly Garland) reveals the horrible experience she has repressed.  It seems that her husband disappeared when he got a mysterious telegram while they were on a train going away on their honeymoon.  She tracks him down to a mansion way down in the Louisiana swampland.  Eventually she finds out her husband, who survived a terrible plane crash before their marriage, was healed by Mad Science, and he's developing scaly skin and a raspy voice.  The plot moves slowly, and has the feeling of a Gothic mystery until the very end, when the husband goes into full Alligator Person mode.  Along for the fun is Lon Chaney, Jr., as a swamp rat who lost his hand to an alligator, so he goes around shooting them.


----------



## Cathbad

*Conjuring 2*  (2016)

Went into this one thinking it'd be formulaic - so I wasn't disappointed.

Gotta give kudos to all the actors:  It is the tendency of many - especially the young or inexperienced - to go "over the top" in a horror flick.  Here, everyone kept it a bit understated, and seemed more _real_ because of it.

The story was a good one.  And though there were no surprises (I'm partial to surprises, especially in horror), it was still a good, old fashioned horror flick!

Enjoyable.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Event Horizon *1997.   Staring Sam Neil , Lawrence Fishburne   , Sean Pertwee.  A  very nasty and dark science Fiction film   about about an Earth ship,  the Event Horizon  which mysterious disappeared down a dimensional gateway  on its maiden  voyage  and reappears 7 years later , the crew with exception of one horribly mutilated  corpse  on the bridge of the ship, has vanished.  A ship from earth comes to investigate  the mystery  of where the sho has been for the last 7 years. What stye quickly finds is that it has been to a dimension ruled by chaos and its boring something back form that place. This is a really good science  fiction horror film .


----------



## Jeffbert

"_Spectral _spoilage" Funny thing, sometimes I find myself scrutinizing everything, but not this time. Now that you mention it, yes, there were characters who resemble some from Aliens. Butt with all the stories out there, is it surprising that newer films remind us of older ones? 



Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Alligator People* (1959)
> 
> Fair-to-middling monster movie.  Under hypnosis, a woman (B favorite Beverly Garland) reveals the horrible experience she has repressed.  It seems that her husband disappeared when he got a mysterious telegram while they were on a train going away on their honeymoon.  She tracks him down to a mansion way down in the Louisiana swampland.  Eventually she finds out her husband, who survived a terrible plane crash before their marriage, was healed by Mad Science, and he's developing scaly skin and a raspy voice.  The plot moves slowly, and has the feeling of a Gothic mystery until the very end, when the husband goes into full Alligator Person mode.  Along for the fun is Lon Chaney, Jr., as a swamp rat who lost his hand to an alligator, so he goes around shooting them.


 I loved that film, though it should have been named *Alligator Man*. 



Spoiler



when the title character submerges in the quicksand, I was sure he went under rather abruptly. I thought it was because he could not tell when the muck would spill into the open mouth of the 'mask'; but upon a 2nd viewing, could see no such dunking.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Wonder Woman*, which I had planned to see when it was in the theaters but never did.

I liked it, liked Gal Gadot in the part, and there were a few particularly memorable scenes, but it didn't impress me nearly as much as I had expected it to, given all the hoopla about it.  

The main thought that I took away was how soulless most super-hero movies must be these days if this one was regarded as so profound.


----------



## BAYLOR

Teresa Edgerton said:


> *Wonder Woman*, which I had planned to see when it was in the theaters but never did.
> 
> I liked it, liked Gal Gadot in the part, and there were a few particularly memorable scenes, but it didn't impress me nearly as much as I had expected it to, given all the hoopla about it.
> 
> The main thought that I took away was how soulless most super-hero movies must be these days if this one was regarded as so profound.



I think that in the long run , That is going to diminish the Box office success of these films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Flesh and the Spur* (1956)

Passable B Western which I watched mostly because it features the talents of many of the folks associated with the kind of old movies to which I usually subject myself.

Director Edward L. Cahn (*The Creature with the Atom Brain*, *It!  The Terror From Beyond Space*, *The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake*, etc.) offers a film with a screenplay by Charles B. Griffith (*It Conquered the World*, * Not of This Earth*, *The Little Shop of Horrors*, etc.) and a few other folks.  

A guy escapes from prison, killing a man in order to steal his horse and gun.  The dead man has a twin brother, played by John Agar (*The Mole People*, *The Brain from the Planet Arous*, *Zontar, the Thing from Venus*, etc.)   It seems that the brothers owned a pair of identical, very unusual handguns, so Agar goes looking for whoever has the other one.  Along the way he runs into another guy, played by Touch (later Mike) Conners (*Day the World Ended*, *Voodoo Woman*, etc.) tracking down the same gang of criminals as the one involved with the escapee.  The pair team up with an Indian woman, played by the extremely un-Indian Marla English (*The She Creature*, etc.) who is also after the crooks for her all reasons.  Later a snake oil salesman, his daughter, and another woman join forces with them.  

Some interesting characters, a few unusual touches (a barroom fight with spurs used like knives,) a twist ending you'll see coming a mile away,  and a bunch of typical Western stuff.


----------



## BAYLOR

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Flesh and the Spur* (1956)
> 
> Passable B Western which I watched mostly because it features the talents of many of the folks associated with the kind of old movies to which I usually subject myself.
> 
> Director Edward L. Cahn (*The Creature with the Atom Brain*, *It!  The Terror From Beyond Space*, *The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake*, etc.) offers a film with a screenplay by Charles B. Griffith (*It Conquered the World*, * Not of This Earth*, *The Little Shop of Horrors*, etc.) and a few other folks.
> 
> A guy escapes from prison, killing a man in order to steal his horse and gun.  The dead man has a twin brother, played by John Agar (*The Mole People*, *The Brain from the Planet Arous*, *Zontar, the Thing from Venus*, etc.)   It seems that the brothers owned a pair of identical, very unusual handguns, so Agar goes looking for whoever has the other one.  Along the way he runs into another guy, played by Touch (later Mike) Conners (*Day the World Ended*, *Voodoo Woman*, etc.) tracking down the same gang of criminals as the one involved with the escapee.  The pair team up with an Indian woman, played by the extremely un-Indian Marla English (*The She Creature*, etc.) who is also after the crooks for her all reasons.  Later a snake oil salesman, his daughter, and another woman join forces with them.
> 
> Some interesting characters, a few unusual touches (a barroom fight with spurs used like knives) and a bunch of typical Western stuff.




Ive seen all of those.* The Four Skull of Johnathan Drake* is little remembered , but its a classic. 

*It the Terror From Beyond Space* was written by Science writer Jerome Bixby and was one the inspirations for the film Alien. It was also the last acting job of Ray Crash Corrigan(*Undersea Kingdom*) who played the monster.


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> I think that in the long run , That is going to diminish the Box office success of these films.



Meanwhile, they're crying all the way to the bank - to deposit their hundreds of millions...


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> Meanwhile, they're crying all the way to the bank - to deposit their hundreds of millions...



Yep.


----------



## dekket

We went and saw Justice League last night.  We all enjoyed it.  Seeing the League work together as a team was fun.  And we thought the mid credit scene was fun.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

I very much enjoyed *Justice League*...more than *Thor: Ragnarok*, although that was not bad. JL largely turns on communications among the characters, on their learning to like each other -- and that was very well done indeed!

I found *The Dark Tower* just -- pointless.

As for this new version of *Murder on the Orient Express*: the few exterior shots, such as the city of Istanbul, and the snow-covered mountains, were very good indeed. But as usual with that story, the film is all about the inside of the train cars, and those were masterpieces of design -- in fact, I'd say the entire film was eye-candy.
The story was just the same old story, with a few efforts to freshen it (they largely failed).
The actors were good, but I found Kenneth Branagh a failure: his Poirot failed to capture either the meticulous fussiness of Hercule, or his skill at manipulation of others. (KB's version is, however, better than Albert Finney's version, though; that was nearly incoherent!).


----------



## Cathbad

2DaveWixon said:


> better than Albert Finney's version, though; that was nearly incoherent!



You realize we are now immortal enemies?

*sharpens blades, loads rifles*


----------



## Cli-Fi

2DaveWixon said:


> I very much enjoyed *Justice League*...more than *Thor: Ragnarok*, although that was not bad. JL largely turns on communications among the characters, on their learning to like each other -- and that was very well done indeed!
> 
> I found *The Dark Tower* just -- pointless.
> 
> As for this new version of *Murder on the Orient Express*: the few exterior shots, such as the city of Istanbul, and the snow-covered mountains, were very good indeed. But as usual with that story, the film is all about the inside of the train cars, and those were masterpieces of design -- in fact, I'd say the entire film was eye-candy.
> The story was just the same old story, with a few efforts to freshen it (they largely failed).
> The actors were good, but I found Kenneth Branagh a failure: his Poirot failed to capture either the meticulous fussiness of Hercule, or his skill at manipulation of others. (KB's version is, however, better than Albert Finney's version, though; that was nearly incoherent!).



All movies on my list waiting for them to come out.


----------



## J Riff

"characters who resemble some from Aliens"  Oh jeez they ran the whole sequence. The marines, the music, the vehicle. Going in, the weak commander, hit on head, the little girl... "pull your team out" that's blatant as it gets, it went on for at least 15 min. Other movies have done this as well, plagiarized the style if not the actual sequences, call it a tribute if you like, I found it ruined a potential good monster movie. I prefer _The Alligator People_, which Victoria just critiqued, at least it was fully original rubbish. For that matter _Beast of Yucca Flats_ had both laughs AND nudity, but don't go watching for just that reason.


----------



## Droflet

Justice League hit it out of the park. Considering the production problems encountered by this film I'm amazed at how good it was. After the disaster of Batman VS Superman DC finally got their crap together. Zak Snyder's best film in years.


----------



## J Riff

_Logan Lucky _2017 - an unlikely heist movie, some laughs, enjoyed this one.


----------



## Jeffbert

Now that I think about it, yeah, *Spectral* does have those elements. But at least its not like what *Last Man Standing* did with *Fist Full of Dollars*. For that matter what *Fist *did with *Yojimbo*.  But it has been many years since I watched *Aliens*; kinda turned off by the later sequels. 

 _*The Beast of Yucca Flats*, _made in 1961 has nudity? 

Just watched Disney's live action *Robin Hood*; pretty good version, except 



Spoiler



the part in which M. Marian dresses as a man, and fools everyone. Very unlikely!


   Also Disney's *Zorro*, which was cobbled together from TV episodes.


----------



## Droflet

*Breathe (1917)*

The most outstanding British drama of the last couple of years tells the story of a young man with a pregnant wife struck down by polio. Paralysed from the neck down he is kept alive by a ventilator. This could so easily been a dire film but a great script and a flawless performance from Andrew Garfield elevated this great film to another level. If Garfiield doesn't get an Oscar for his performance it will be a travesty. Ten out of ten. See it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Sounds pretty advanced for a film made a century ago.  (I kid, I kid ...)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

*Night Fright* (1967)

John Agar stars in this dreary little microbudget monster movie.  We begin in classic fashion with two young people making out in a parked car in the middle of nowhere.  The romantic music on the car radio is interrupted by a news bulletin, telling us that the glowing object that fell in the area an hour ago has not been located.  (Why have a bulletin?)  An unseen something attacks the folks.  Cut to a young man showing up at his girlfriend's sorority house.  They go out into the woods, walk around, get scared (but not attacked) by the unseen something.  More than ten minutes into the film, we get our opening titles.  Some unseen "government men" prevent the local sheriff from getting near the object that fell to Earth, but let him go check out the murdered couple.  (The woman is dead on the spot, the man, we're told but not shown, dies in the hospital.)  Sheriff, deputy, and a reporter walk around, find a big three-toed footprint.  The local science professor (who knows more than they think) and the deputy agree the print looks like a giant alligator walking on two feet.  Well, lots of scenes of driving around and some other young folks dancing by a lake at night follow.  The night scenes are so dark you can hardly see what's going on.  We find out what the glowing object is, what the unseen something is (which doesn't explain why it looks like a guy in a Bigfoot costume), it gets destroyed pretty easily, the end.  Notable for the cleancut young folks and other mid-60's nostalgia.


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Notable for the cleancut young folks and other mid-60's nostalgia.



Clean cut young folk?  Sixties?


----------



## Brian G Turner

Watched _It's a Wonderful Life_ with the family on Christmas Eve. Though I think they got something from it, it really seemed to drag.


----------



## Foxbat

I watched *Dunkirk* last night and while some critics have been critical of it (well...I suppose that's their job), I thought it was superb. 

It's never easy to take such an event and cover every aspect so I loved the way Nolan focussed on the smaller battles taking place within the big picture. Also, the way he  played with time frames before finally bringing them all into convergence really worked well. It was nicely shot, quite visceral in places and (I think) dealt compassionatelyl with the fear that many of these people must have carried with them as they lived through such an event. Nolan also has a tendency to go long with his movies but this one was just the right length to keep up the pace. A word of credit must go to the score, which was suitably discordant in certain places and enhanced the jarring sense of urgency that must have been ever-present in such an event.


----------



## Cathbad

Foxbat said:


> some critics have been critical of it (well...I suppose that's their job),



It's really not - though that is how most seem to take on their job.  A Critic's job is _supposed_ to be to _critique_ the work presented them.  This is a beef I've had with many of them forever.  Siskel and Ebert used to irk me to no end!


----------



## Abernovo

*Star Wars: The Last Jedi*. 
Saw it yesterday. I'm not going to say much, as *no spoilers*, but it is amazing. A couple of minor notes that might have been played better but, in a symphony of such size, they were inconsequential. Good story development, with the older generation passing on the mantle, as it should, but still being active.

It took me back forty years, to when I first saw Star Wars as a young child, in 1977. Still a fan.


----------



## Mouse

Ditto. ^


----------



## Rodders

Jurassic World was on last night. I thought it was pretty entertaining.

Lego Batman movies was great fun. Totally recommended.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. I don’t know why, but I really wanted to not enjoy this movie. It had a poor start, but in the end I got sucked in and it turned into a rather enjoyable space romp. Not a classic, by any means.


----------



## Vince W

Watched *Bright* on Netflix. It's good, not great, but it's the first Netflix film I've managed to get through, so that's something I suppose.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Cathbad said:


> You realize we are now immortal enemies?
> 
> *sharpens blades, loads rifles*


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Postman Always Rings Twice* (1946) & one other Film Noir, both starring John Garfield, *The Breaking Point* (1950). The former was about a drifter who seduces a young woman married to an older man, & the two plot to murder her husband. Twists & turns! The latter was said to be a film closer to the Hemingway novel than the film using its name, *To Have and Have Not* (1944). Granted, it is tough to beat Bogart & Bacall. Perhaps *The Breaking Point* does not quite beat it, but it comes close! I highly recommend it & *The Postman Always Rings Twice!*


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched *1922*, a film set in that year based on a Stephen King novella. Farmer struggling to cope decides to bump off his wife for the insurance money. But there's a cost....Thomas Jane from the Punisher stars with a really hard southern accent.


----------



## J Riff

_Good Time_ - no it isn't. It's a gritty heister movie with a few unlikely bits, but not totally unbelievable.
_Downsizing _- people are shrimped down, ysee, reaally tiny, and they live in these special bubbles, and it could have been really cool, but for some reason that I can't remember already, it wasn't. *


----------



## clovis-man

Watched the 3D edition of *The Walk* (2015) yesterday. If you want a film that is part cliff hanger (pun intended) and part homage to the World Trade Center, then this is the one for you. A thriller with no chase scenes or gunfire. A rarity these days. Highly recommended.

The Walk (2015) - IMDb


----------



## Rodders

I just got back from seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Personally, I enjoyed it very much.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I just got back from seeing Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Personally, I enjoyed it very much.


Me too. Saw it on my birthday


----------



## WaylanderToo

I too enjoyed Logan Lucky a quirky little film with a few really nice twists.

JL - I really wanted to like this but ended up severly disappointed, indeed I even preferred The Last Jedi (and I preferred The Phantom Mence to both!)

Bright - a real mishmash of a film, a lot of negatives but it did keep me interested and I really want to see more from that world

Murder on the Orient - I couldn't remember the twist so in that regard it worked, however I do think that it was somewhat self indulgent (and KB's 'tache needed its own trailer!!) and a bit wooden.

Jumanji 2 - absolutely loved it! Jack Black was perfect in this, the Rock is usually good value and does not disappoint, Kevin Hart could get wearysomeif over exposed but he jsut about managed to contain himself and Karen Gillen was also good. Great family fun


----------



## Jeffbert

*Con Air *(1997), *The Great Wall* (2016), *Cell*(2016), *John Wick II *(2017). *Con Air *was an action film, perhaps typical of the genre. It was almost believable, until the hero went after the boss villain. Then, the way over the top, beats all previous action films chase sequence made it enjoyable, but fantastic. *The Great Wall* was also a fantasy, a couple of mercenaries go to china seeking the explosive black powder, & become involved in defending the wall from creatures.  *Cell *was my favorite, seemingly a zombie apocalypse, but it all starts with cell phones simultaneously emitting a strange 'pulse' that turns the users into homicidal maniacs. *John Wick II *an action film, over the top shootouts, car chases, etc. I liked all of them.


----------



## AE35Unit

Isnt *Cell *based on a Stephen King book?


----------



## Mouse

*The History of Mr Polly*. The 2007 one. Based on the H.G. Wells novel.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Luther* (1974)

Another offering from the American Film Theatre.  This adaptation of John Osborne's play is a little under two hours long, so I assume it cuts the text a bit.  Anyway, it's a handsomely filmed account of Martin Luther, filmed in a way which is partly cinematic and partly theatrical.  Stack Keach has the title role, supported by many familiar British actors.  Luther is depicted here as tormented by his own sense of unworthiness as a young monk, then outraged by indulgences and other abuses of the Church, then horrified by the violence unleashed by the beginning of the Reformation.  These issues are not at all dead, as the 500th anniversary of Luther's famous nailing of 95 theses to the door of the church unleashed a series of letters to my local newspaper, some celebrating it as the best worldly event in the history of Christianity, others denouncing it as the greatest disaster.  In any case, it's a fine film.


----------



## Cathbad

*Before I Wake* (2016)

Kate Bosworth. Thomas Jane and Jacob Tremblay all do a great job making the premise of this thriller believable. 

[****DISCLAIMER****]  I swear on my good (okay, so-so) name, that I _did not_ see this movie before writing *Killer Dreams *last October!! [*End Disclaimer*]  Yeah, a somewhat similar storyline - 



Spoiler



murders occurring through an individual's dreams.  It ended much better for the perpetrator in this movie than the one in my novelette!



Definitely worth watching.  A truly horrifying monster, with whom we sympathize in the end!


----------



## biodroid

Dunkirk - Christopher Nolans most confusing movie ever, might have to give it another watch but not impressed like I was with Interstellar


----------



## Jeffbert

4 of W.C. Fields' films, *Million Dollar Legs* (1932),  *It's a Gift* (1934), *The Bank Dick* (1940), *Never Give a Sucker an even Break* (1941) . *Million Dollar Legs* is about a bankrupt nation of super athletes who are unaware of their physical prowess.  When a brush salesman who was to be executed for pursuing the President's daughter talks the firing squad into buying his brushes instead, forms an Olympic team of the subjects to win the $$, the humor kicks into high gear. The rest of them are also funny. There is a youtube clip with John Cleese narrating TCM's star of the month & such.


----------



## REBerg

*Star Wars: The Last Jedi*
The original stays on top, but I'll give this one second place. Great entertainment.


----------



## Cathbad

*Crooked Man* (2016)

A nursery rhyme - turned horror film!

Great story, fair to good acting, and a very cliché ending - but enjoyable, nonetheless!


----------



## Mouse

*Tucker & Dale vs Evil*. I've got it on DVD but my partner's never seen it before so we watched it Saturday night. Hilarious. Love Alan Tudyk.


----------



## Droflet

I really liked the wood chipper scene.


----------



## Mouse

Who doesn't like a good wood chipper scene?


----------



## Vince W

Mouse said:


> Who doesn't like a good wood chipper scene?



A tree. Or an Ent.


----------



## Allegra

Cathbad said:


> It's really not - though that is how most seem to take on their job.  A Critic's job is _supposed_ to be to _critique_ the work presented them.  This is a beef I've had with many of them forever.  Siskel and Ebert used to irk me to no end!



The problem is that, there are, always have been too many quack critics in every field.


----------



## Vladd67

*Bushwick *a independent film with some mixed acting, no great surprises but made a good attempt at making Brooklyn look like a war zone. Troops invade Bushwick and a graduate student and an ex marine/janitor have to help each other to survive.


----------



## Randy M.

* The Bishop’s Wife *(1947)
The Bishop (David Niven) is having trouble with the main contributor of funds for the cathedral he wants to build to the glory of God. He prays for guidance and is sent an angel (Cary Grant) who helps him understand his priorities. I’ve always found Grant one of the most instantly likable of the ‘30s-‘40s movie stars and this is a good vehicle for him, more so than for Niven or Loretta Young (the Bishop’s wife) though both have their moments. Not really on a par with _It’s a Wonderful Life_ or the next movie, but still it has some of the charm of the old fashioned holiday movies about ambition and pride versus love and humility. One thought: The suspension of disbelief in this one may not be the existence of angels but that Niven could be a Bishop. (One of the few 1940s movies I’ve seen in which I don’t recall once seeing anyone light a cigarette.)


*Miracle on 34th Street* (1947)
Stars Edmund Gwenn as Santa and Natalie Wood as a skeptical child; Maureen O’Hara and John Payne play pleasant diversions from Santa and the little girl. This is the original and if you haven’t seen the original, you really should. It has the old movie magic that salvages sentimental materials, not least because it finds and highlights the humor in the circumstances and provides some nice scenes for character actors like Thelma Ritter, Frank Albertson, Porter Hall, Gene Lockhart and William Frawley. Like _The Bishop’s Wife_ this demonstrates how to make effective fantasy movies without massive special effects.


*Krampus* (2015)
Almost. This one almost works in part because Toni Collette, Adam Scott and Conchata Ferrell among others including a group of child actors, do a good job of selling the premise: A young boy is deeply hurt that his family no longer takes Christmas as seriously as he does. He writes Santa asking for his family to return to their earlier happiness and companionship. In a fit of anger and despair he tears up the letter and tosses it out the window and watches it disappear, wafted away by the wind. And then the terror starts with a blizzard and finally with the appearance of Krampus, the anti-Santa, who doesn’t give but takes. _Krampus_ has some neat puppets, a nicely done animated sequence telling the grandmother’s story of her childhood meeting with Krampus, and a few funny moments and a few scary moments, but when it abandons the satirical for the horror it loses something. Among Christmas movies, _Black Christmas_ (1974) did Christmas horror better, and_ Gremlins _(1984) balanced horror and satire better.


*The Lair of the White Worm* (1988)
Based on a Bram Stoker novel that wasn’t Dracula, it takes its title from the novel. An evil reemerges in the English countryside after an old Roman ruin is partially unearthed and the skull of what appears to be a giant serpent is found among the ruins. It’s been years since I first saw this and my older self observed,
1)      The opening credits and music suggest this as homage to Hammer Horror.
2)      Hugh Grant has been playing Hugh Grant longer than I’d remembered. His level of comfort, ease and good humor in front of a camera was already evident. (It leads one to wonder if all Brits with surname Grant are charming, though Archie Leech might be skeptical of that assertion.)
3)      If I’d remembered Peter Capaldi was in this, I might have paid more attention to his turn as Dr. Who. He’s not at all at a disadvantage playing across from Grant or Amanda Donohoe, and has a few scenes that are quite good.
4)      Sammi Davis and Catherine Oxenburg aren’t given all that much to do except play bait.
5)      In a just world, this would have made Amanda Donohoe a major star. In a semi-just world, she’d have become a distaff Peter Cushing or Vincent Price. Donohoe takes control of the film and it works as both comedy and horror because of her energy and gleeful inhabiting of her role; she has as light a touch with comedy as Grant, and more so than with the male stars when she’s off screen you start hoping she’ll show up soon because she’s so good at being bad.
6)      Make up and costuming help Donohoe carry off her characterization, both gradually becoming more snake-like as the movie progresses.
7)      Director Ken Russell was a perverse guy, or at least his movie-making was obsessed with sexuality: His earlier movie, _Gothic_, was a more serious exploration of the connections between Gothic and sex. This one is more forked-tongue-in-cheek and he seems to be having fun tying in as many mythic and cultural snake references as possible – the scene where Donohoe pops out of a wicker basket should be just stupid, but it works as an over-the-top visual aimed at nerds of all ages, as though he and Donohoe are acknowledging the silliness and reveling in it.


*Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb* (1971)
Based on another novel by Bram Stoker that wasn’t Dracula (The Jewel of the Seven Stars), this also features a female monster. An expedition finds the tomb of the Queen of Death, who was deemed so dangerous by Egyptian priests she was killed and her name removed from all records (with one tiny exception). Upon opening her sarcophagus the expedition members find her body is as it was when she was entombed, intact except for her right hand having been cut off, the stump of which is still bleeding. This should have been a clue to turn and run, but no. I haven’t seen this one before so now I understand why some older male fans on the Internet speak of Valerie Leon breathlessly; she was tall and full-figured, her eyes quite arresting when properly kohl-ed – er – mascara-ed. Being a later entry from Hammer Studios the director, Seth Holt, takes advantage of her beauty with revealing negligees and (pseudo-)Egyptian garb. And Leon puts in a good effort but exhibits none of the panache of Amanda Donohoe or if she had it, Holt didn’t know what to do with it. For what it is, _Blood _is entertaining – Hammer Horror, taking itself seriously and aided by several actors besides Leon, notably Andrew Keir (_Quatermass and the Pit_) and James Villiers (_Asylum_) – and the closing shot is smart and effective. Just don’t do what I did; if you’re at all interested watch this before watching _Lair of the White Worm._


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Caltiki, the Immortal Monster* (1959)

Short version:  The Italian Blob.

Some science types exploring Mayan ruins discover a cavern with a statue of the goddess Caltiki and an underground lake.  One of the scientists has a Geiger counter.  (On an archaeological dig?)  Turns out the lake is full of radioactivity, thanks to a recent volcanic eruption (?).  This radioactivity supplies energy to a one-celled life form billions of years old.  It grows into a blob than dissolves the flesh off people.  A sample of the critter gets taken back to civilization.  Meanwhile, one guy, who has eyes for the pretty wife of the hero (although he also has a "half breed" girlfriend), gets infected by the thing, goes nuts, and attacks the wife in her home.  Later a comet comes by that supplies the being with lots of radioactivity (??) so it grows into a huge monster.  Army attacks it, and so on.  This Italian version of an old-fashioned monster movie is enjoyable fun in a campy way.  Some nice visuals from Mario Bava on a limited budget.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks* (1974)



Sleazy Italian horror flick with a lot of weirdness, starting with the credits.  Four actors are listed as "the Frankenstein monsters," which is a blatant lie; they're just Frankenstein's servants.  Another actor is absurdly listed as "Boris Lugosi."

Somewhere in Europe, sometime in the past, some villagers beat up a caveman (!) and kill him.  The body winds up with Count (sic) Frankenstein.  Meanwhile, Frankenstein's servants dig up the body of a recently deceased young woman.  One of the servants is a dwarf (the great Michael Dunn, really slumming it here) takes the opportunity to fondle her.  Back at the castle, Frankenstein (Rossano Brazzi from *South Pacific* and other real movies, also slumming) takes one look at the dead woman and figures out she's been messed with.  Out goes the dwarf.

By the way, there's never any clue what the dead woman is there for.  All Frankenstein does is bring the caveman back to life (after giving him a shave and haircut!)  Meanwhile, Frankenstein's daughter and her Best Friend Forever show up, in order to supply the movie's nude bathing scenes.  The daughter's husband-to-be is there, too, to pretty much do nothing.  Pretty soon Frankenstein is hitting on the BFF, and she responds just as quickly.

The dwarf is taken in by another caveman (that's our Boris Lugosi), teaches him to cook meat, and, in the movie's most repulsive scene, to kidnap, rape, and murder women.  The dwarf's plot for revenge on Frankenstein leads to a fight between the two caveman, etc.  Lots of irrelevant scenes:  The affair between one the servants and another servant's wife (which begins with him slapping her around, which turns her on), a police inspector who does pretty much nothing, and so on.  

There are some nice sets and costumes for such a deranged mess of a film.


----------



## REBerg

*Kong: Skull Island*
Not bad, in fact, rather good, for a monster movie. Certainly one of the better Kong offerings over the years.


----------



## J Riff

I liked Kong too, except for the overly-moronic military guys. I mean..'What IS that?" they say, a bunch of times, as they look at a greaaat big monkey. Then they cleverly fly low enough for the 'what-is-it' to knock them all out of the sky and set up the plot. The other creatures are just as kool as Kong though, really nice to see some believable giant bugs for a change.
 Here, it was _Fiend Without a Face,_ which I hadn't watched for a long time. Early plasticine-animation, flying brains, atomic mutation. You can watch the lead actress forget the leads' name..'Oh, I wonder where....uhm, Jeff is." and they left it in.


----------



## Steve Harrison

*DARKEST HOUR*
Very good film with a marvellous Gary Oldman as Churchill. A bit slow in places, with a couple of unnecessary Hollywood schmaltz moments, but it really evokes the chaos and panic in the British parliament as the seemingly unstoppable Nazi hoards swept through Europe. It's also a great companion piece to *DUNKIRK*. In fact, you could probably cut the two films together.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein '80* (1972)

Even sleazier Italian horror flick, without much weirdness.  A brilliant surgeon has created a serum which will prevent the rejection of organs after being transplanted.  A reporter's sister is to receive the serum but it's stolen.  She dies, and the brother conducts his own investigation.  Of course, it was taken by Frankenstein.  He's already stitched together corpses to create a monster, whom he calls Mosaic, but the creature needs frequent organ transplants due to rejection of the borrowed parts.  Mosaic goes around raping and killing young women, and so on.  A fair amount of gore and female nudity, although otherwise it's pretty dull.


----------



## Vince W

*Paddington 2*. If you haven't seen this yet then do yourself a favour and see it ASAP. A wonderful film and in all honesty I think adults - especially those of us that grew up reading Paddington - get more out of the film than the children do. And Hugh Grant is priceless. Marvellous work all round from everyone. The only problem was that a bit of dust got caught in my eye near the end. *sniff*


----------



## REBerg

*The Post*
Riveting, despite knowing how the story ended by having lived through it. A real reminder for those who don't learn from history's mistakes.


----------



## clovis-man

Steve Harrison said:


> *DARKEST HOUR*
> Very good film with a marvellous Gary Oldman as Churchill. A bit slow in places, with a couple of unnecessary Hollywood schmaltz moments, but it really evokes the chaos and panic in the British parliament as the seemingly unstoppable Nazi hoards swept through Europe. It's also a great companion piece to *DUNKIRK*. In fact, you could probably cut the two films together.



I thought the film did an excellent job of portraying the fear and anxiety of the Dunkirk period without resorting to lots of explosions. Gary Oldman was great as Sir Winston. Fine supporting cast also. Lots of Churchill quotes were squeezed in. They even managed to slide in my favorite as he characterized Clement Attlee as a "sheep in sheeps clothing". My favorite scene was the underground ride to Westminster. Go see it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Wizard of Mars* (1965)

Ultra-cheap space flick.  Three men and a woman are in a spaceship headed for Mars.  They run into something (animated lightning bolts and glowing orange circles) which forces them to crash on Mars.  They trudge around the red planet (played by Great Basin National Park.)  Little goofy-looking rubber critters attack them from the "canal," they wander inside a cavern, finally find a golden road that leads to an ancient Martian city, they find the bodies of the inhabitants inside tubes, an image of John Carradine talks to them, they free the Martian city from being frozen in time by fooling around with this weird pendulum thing, they get zapped back to the spaceship, where only a few minutes have passed.  Vague references to *The Wizard of Oz*, wooden acting, miserable special effects.


----------



## Droflet

*The Shape of Water.* 
Mesmerizing. A little predictable, especially toward the end, but eminently watchable.


----------



## J Riff

Gee. I had _The Wizard of Mars _on VHS, and musta put it on ten times since about 1982, but it still sounds fresh and fun when Victorier reviews it.  Like, they fool around with a weird pendulum thing? Don't remember that, better watch it again.


----------



## Foxbat

*Kong: Skull Island*. I enjoyed it and a couple of things aroused my curiosity: 1) The use of Monarch and 2) the use of MUTO. So, with my suspicions in place, I did a bit of searching. Lo and behold: 
Godzilla vs. Kong Gets Blair Witch Director

Pencilled in for May 22nd 2020 folks


----------



## SilentRoamer

Dunkirk. I know it had rave reviews but I felt kind of meh about it. I do like a good war film though.

The problem for me was I didn't feel a personal connection to the soldiers on screen, I can't even remember their names. I think I will probably enjoy it more the second time round. I think that was a consequence of dumping us straight in the conflict, I didn't feel a sense of rising tension and didn't feel an attachment to the characters.

I think I will follow this up with The Darkest Hour as a lot of people commented they make a good companion film.


----------



## Randy M.

I wonder if the success of The Witch has spurred a bunch of witchy movies. Anyway, without really intending to do so, I saw two this last weekend.
*
Don't Knock Twice* (2016)
The "cover art" that the on demand service uses to promote this is awful, making it look like the cheapest of made-for-TV movies. But it was on at a convenient time, so ... 

Katie Sackhoff as the mother, Jess; Lucy Boynton as daughter, Chloe. Chloe impulsively knocks on the door of a house in spite of knowing the curse that if you knock twice "she'll come to get you." In spite of having been abandoned by her mother, she goes to Jess for help. Jess has pulled herself together since then, recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, and truly wants to mend their relationship, but Chloe's insistence that she's cursed takes a toll on her trust, until events confirm it. What works best here is Sackhoff and Boynton as estranged mother and daughter, and while the film focuses on that while introducing the spooky stuff it works very well, with a nice directorial restraint. Towards the end it's all about resolving the plot issues, and that's a weaker stretch though there are some dark fantasy sequences in a forest that are effectively shot. On the whole, a good movie worth watching but not a great movie.


*The Autopsy of Jane Doe* (2016)
This covers somewhat similar material to Don't Knock Twice but I felt it more seamlessly merged the personal interplay of a father and son with the genuinely creepy story. The movie opens in a house filled with scattered corpses with scattered guns, forensic team and Sheriff Burke surveying the scene. It's an old, abandoned house and he notes how odd it is that they don't look as though they were breaking in but as though they were trying to break out. A call from the basement and he goes down to see another corpse, this buried in the dirt floor, a young woman surprisingly well-preserved. 

Ninety-nine percent of this movie is set in a funeral home run by the local medical examiner, Tommy (Brian Cox) and his son Austin (Emile Hirsh). The Sheriff brings the body of the young woman to them to determine what caused her death since there is no external trauma to offer a clue. Austin puts off a date with his girlfriend to stay with his father, who is a rather with-drawn, taciturn man. As they dissect the young woman they find internal evidence of burning and torture and yet no external signs. The radio announces a storm, thunder begins to intrude on the music, lights flicker, and the mystery deepens when they find a bag and a flower in the woman's intestines.

I don't want to spoil this so enough of plot. The claustrophobic setting heightens the creepiness, but also brings out the history of father and son, forcing them to face each other: They haven't been at odds, really, just not candid with each other. Meanwhile traditional signs of haunting, almost cliched, are put to good use. The actors, including a brief turn by Ophelia Lovibond as the girlfriend, are all spot on. And you may never see a more magnetic corpse than Olwen Catherine Kelly. It must have been extremely uncomfortable laying naked on a metal dissecting table probably for hours, and yet between her non-expressions and the director's framing of her dead center to most of the scenes in the dissection room, she makes an impression, becoming more menacing and sad the more we learn of her. I think this might come to be seen as some kind of classic.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Wow! what a wonderful bunch of sci-fi films!  I have seen a few of them, never heard of most, though.

*Red Light* (1949) George Raft is out to avenge his murdered priest-brother, whose dying words make reference to a Gideon's Bible (not the same one as the one in the song about a raccoon, though) . One of my favorite genres, Film Noir, revenge is big-time! But the ending-- Who'd thunk that would happen! 



Spoiler



So Raft goes through a series of adventures trying to find that specific copy of GB that was in that hotel room, & finally tracks down the guy who took it from the room. He's a blind WWII vet, who tells of his intended suicide in that hotel room, & what happened to dissuade him. But he does not have the GB anymore, for the woman (forgot to mention her, sorry) whom Raft hired to help him find the GB,  had already been there, and took it. She shows up, and tells him that there is no killer's name in it, but instead a verse had been circled, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, sayeth the Lord" and written in the margin,"Thou shalt not kill."  Raft is beside himself, he really wanted to kill the murderer, and after hunting for the GB for weeks, this!  But the ending itself, Raft finally corners the man (Raymond Burr) who hired the killer , and is about to shoot him, when Burr steps on a live wire!

But the Killer (Col Potter of MASH) & had already had an argument, &-- too much to write! sorry. This is a great film!


----------



## J Riff

*Bullet Head * 2017 -  bad people who train dogs to fight meet other criminals in an abandoned place... I know, I know... the poor dogs, right. I've been on about the senseless dying dogs in movies recentley, but in this one....
Spoilage: The dog turns on the creepo who trained it, and saves the good-guy criminal. Of course, the dog gets kilt in the end, but at least it's not for naught.

And so it's not bad. ****


----------



## Droflet

I recently saw this one, JR. As you say, not bad.


----------



## Cathbad

*Face 2 Face*  (2017)  -  An excellent story.  I recommend you see it... but be ready to _feel_.


----------



## Stewart Hotston

Jumanji at the cinema. It was surprisingly funny and did a lot right. 

Just finished Return of the King with the kids...forgot how amazing that trilogy is.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rango* (2011) - An awful and boring animated movie, that features actor Johnny Depp's voice, in a lame western tale. I couldn't get past 45 minutes of this trash.

*Bee Movie* (2007) - This is probably the worst animated movie ever made. And I thought _RANGO_ was horrendously the worst.

*
Super* (2010) - This movie put me in an awesome mood. Actor Rainn Wilson, portrays the main character, in this outstanding film about a man who becomes a superhero. THAT"S ALL I"M GOING TO SAY. It's a tremendous drama, with a bit of humor mixed in.


*
RE-WATCHED Favorites*:
*
Hard Target* (1993) - For me, one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's best action films.

*Star Trek: Generations* (1994) - One of my personal favorites from the series.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Run for the Sun* (1956); Richard Widmark as a reclusive big-game hunter in another version of *The Most Dangerous Game*. But this human hunt, has a motive other than just the thrill of hunting a man. It was very entertaining, but did have a few plot elements that I found rather unlikely. Though, I guess that is nothing rare, in films.


----------



## J Riff

SB - Rango was fine here. You have to hang in for the giant snake. Bee Movie was a real honey of a flick. You must have had an off day. 
Finished The Last Jedi. Good for SWars fans, otherwise just action with no idea what's going on or why. Darth's kid is very annoying, but never scary. Good space battles!


----------



## J-Sun

Yeah, I agree - more than agree, as I thought _Rango_ was great. _Generations_, on the other hand, not so much. Dunno the rest.

Speaking of _Last Jedi_ (Darth's grandkid, actually), probably the last movie I watched was a rewatch of *Rogue One* on my shiny new DVD. It kind of misses the big screen but, otherwise, it was even better.


----------



## clovis-man

*Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri *A tense, sometimes edgy film with wonderful acting and a raw theme. Frances McDormand gets a lot of credit here, but Sam Rockwell deserves an Oscar in my view. Highly recommended.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - IMDb


----------



## Cathbad

I always thought  _Generations _should've been the first movie for TN_G._


----------



## Randy M.

_*Inferno*_ (1953)
Robert Ryan, one of the best film actors from the 1940s into the 1970s, stars as a man with a broken leg left in the desert by his wife, Rhonda Fleming, and her lover, William Lundigan. As Ben Mankiewicz mentioned before the movie started, film noir in color and bright daylight. The plot to let Ryan's character die falls apart when he refuses to go easily.

On the whole, this is a pretty good little thriller with a [delayed] coming-of-age story as framework. Near the end there's a confrontation the studio demanded which, like most studio demands of the time, may have weakened the movie, though a confrontation at the very end works well. 


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

*Frankenstein Island* 1981.  "Hi, I'm Sheila Frankenstein". Prior to Sheila entering this movie, the B cliches are already too many to list. John Carradine is in it, so... And girls in Leopard skin bikinis.. on a lost island. There's a dog and a guy who laughs all the time for no reason. Van Helsing is in it. There's a brain, and great dialogue - "These are the most beautiful vegetables I've ever seen!" There's more, and while watching this you may glaze over, and say things like: "Wha-?" " "No!" and "ook!" between grunts of amazement and non-comprehension of how, how such a thing could be made. This movie wasn't released - it escaped.


----------



## Jeffbert

With a title like *Frankenstein Island*, you just know its quality entertainment!  Where did you see it, J Riff?

youtube has it, but 360 pixels are too few for me.


----------



## J Riff

Oh no, it's perfect at 360 pixels, then it's rubbish at every level. It's still better than, say, _Army of Frankensteins_.


----------



## Starbeast

J Riff said:


> SB - Rango was fine here. You have to hang in for the giant snake. Bee Movie was a real honey of a flick. You must have had an off day.



Ok, I'll pick-up where I left off. I wouldn't be able to tolerate watching the opening part of the film again. Thee (and I do mean "thee") only part in the beginning I liked, was the tiny reference to the film, _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas._

As for _Bee Movie_, I was in a great mood, until I watched that film. *Why did the bees in the movie need cars?* Plus, Jerry Seinfeld, doesn't make me laugh.



J-Sun said:


> Yeah, I agree - more than agree, as I thought _Rango_ was great. _Generations_, on the other hand, not so much.



I'm cool with anyone not liking films I enjoy. But, I'll try RANGO. One...last...time.


@J Riff - Thanks for the heads-up on _Army Of Frankensteins_. Have you seen _Frankenstein's Army (2013)_? I liked that one.








​


----------



## J Riff

Oh no. No... I haven't. Nooo..... I thot it would be a nice day yknow, maybe some Fraggle Rock.. but no. Can't find Frankenstein's Army, but here's_ Frankenstein: Day of the Beast._ Stay tuned. ****


----------



## clovis-man

*Get Out*
Jordon Peele's first film and an Oscar Best Picture nominee. That in itself is odd, because it's a horror flick and such things do not get Oscar nods as a rule. But this film had me twisted in knots from start to finish. I tried in vain to figure out what was really going on. But all the odd characters and the even stranger ways that they acted had me flummuxed. the final reveal is worth the wait. See it if you can.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Where Danger* *Lives *(1950), Robert Mitchum is a doctor who becomes entangled in the conflict between a suicidal woman (Faith Domergue) & her abusive husband (Claude Rains). The next thing he knows is that he has been beaten by CR, & suffered a concussion. But that is only the beginning, as CR ends of dead, & RM is convinced he killed him, though in self-defense. FD persuades RM to go on the run, & he, being a bit off, does. Things become interesting, etc. 

*Act of Violence*(1949) Van Heflin as a married with kid, ex bomber pilot, whose ex subordinate officer Robert Ryan, comes seeking revenge on him, for something that happened during the war. Eventually, that thing is revealed, as RR pursues VF etc. A twist ending, makes this one really gripping. RR's girlfriend or wife futility attempts to dissuade him from his vengeance, but he is determined. When VF tells his wife what actually happened to set his once best friend against him-- Did not see that coming!  

Oh, RR's character has a crippled leg, and the sound of his dragging that one foot is really noticeable. There are quite a few films with this element. It adds tension as the scraping or clunking of the foot is clearly heard. 

Both were shown in TCM's *Noir Alley*; here, the guy goes into much greater depth in discussing the films, directors, actors, plots, etc., than Ben Mankiewicz, or the late Robert Osborne did.


----------



## Steve Harrison

*THE POST*
A good newspaper movie, but certainly not a great one like ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. I can see why Spielberg wanted to get this film out as quickly as possible, given the current threats to democracy and free speech in the US, but it feel rushed and is really a case of preaching to the converted. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are very good, though.


----------



## Cathbad

*Logan*.  Saw this for the first time yesterday.  I _hated_ it! -  Don't get me wrong; it was very well made, and very well acted!  I just hated what happened in it.


----------



## J-Sun

Steve Harrison said:


> *THE POST*
> A good newspaper movie, but certainly not a great one like ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN.



That's how I felt about _Spotlight_, the movie about the _Boston_ _Globe_ breaking the Catholic priest stories. Have you seen that and, if so, how does _The Post_ compare to it? _ATPM_ is probably too high a bar for most mortal movies.


----------



## Steve Harrison

J-Sun said:


> That's how I felt about _Spotlight_, the movie about the _Boston_ _Globe_ breaking the Catholic priest stories. Have you seen that and, if so, how does _The Post_ compare to it? _ATPM_ is probably too high a bar for most mortal movies.



I thought SPOTLIGHT was much better then THE POST!


----------



## Vladd67

*Dog Soldiers*
A group of British Squadies on a routine training exercise in Scotland are attacked by werewolves, they find refuge in a lonely farm house unaware it is the werewolves Home. What starts off almost like an army recruitment film, the camera use and editing being similar to the ads on the tv at the time, quickly becomes a battle for survival as night falls and the full moon rises. With echoes of Zulu the film has action, humour, and a complete lack of cgi. Strong performances from Sean Pertwee, as the groups sergeant, Kevin Mckidd, as an ordinary squaddie just trying to survive, and Liam Cunningham as a sinister special ops captain with his own agenda. A fun film underrated on its release.


----------



## Vince W

*A Futile and Stupid Gesture. 
*
The story of Doug Kenney and his founding of the National Lampoon magazine. I never actually read an issue of the magazine, but I have seen a few of the films. It was a funny and interesting film. That was a surprise to me. It's the first Netflix film I liked and only the second one I've ever finished.


----------



## Vince W

Cathbad said:


> *Logan*.  Saw this for the first time yesterday.  I _hated_ it! -  Don't get me wrong; it was very well made, and very well acted!  I just hated what happened in it.



I have to agree @Cathbad. A very well done film, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I doubt I'll ever watch it again.


----------



## J-Sun

Vince W said:


> Cathbad said:
> 
> 
> 
> *Logan*.  Saw this for the first time yesterday.  I _hated_ it! -  Don't get me wrong; it was very well made, and very well acted!  I just hated what happened in it.
> 
> 
> 
> I have to agree @Cathbad. A very well done film, but I didn't enjoy it at all. I doubt I'll ever watch it again.
Click to expand...


Flailing around in the dark, as I have no idea what it's about or what happened, but it just strikes me because it sounds like how I'd review _Million Dollar Baby_ (Eastwood/Swank). I _know_ I'll never watch that again.


----------



## REBerg

*War for the Planet of the Apes*
Is it just me, or does Caesar bear a strong resemblance to Charlton Heston?


----------



## Jeffbert

Vince W said:


> *A Futile and Stupid Gesture.
> *
> The story of Doug Kenney and his founding of the National Lampoon magazine. I never actually read an issue of the magazine, but I have seen a few of the films. It was a funny and interesting film. That was a surprise to me. It's the first Netflix film I liked and only the second one I've ever finished.


I was reading National Lampoon way back when I was in my early 20s. I recall two items, one that detailed Wile E. Coyote's lawsuit against the *ACME Co*.; the other was a story called *Cohen The Boybarian*.  Mr. Coyote lost, as it was always indicated on every product that it was ineffective when used against roadrunners.


----------



## J-Sun

Steve Harrison said:


> I thought SPOTLIGHT was much better then THE POST!



Missed this somehow. Thanks, I doubt I'd have gotten around to it anyway, but now I feel better about that.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Lives of a Bengal Lancer*_ (1935); Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, & several others. I think this is about the same spirit as others of that time, *Gunga Din* (1939), *The Lost Patrol* (1934), etc., showing not only combat action, but lighthearted parts, such as pranks on other soldiers. I guess they thought a balance was needed. Anyway, I enjoyed the film.

C. Aubrey Smith --inspiration for Cmdr. Mc Bragg-- perhaps this role was key in the cartoon character's creation-- Was the 2nd highest ranking officer, and was on screen for several scenes, and about 5 to 6 minutes in all. Fairly good for a supporting actor in a minor role. 

Film was notable for originating the line about *having ways to make men talk*. I 1st heard it on Hogan's Heroes.


----------



## clovis-man

*Mudbound*
Well intentioned, but depressing and loaded with every cliche in the book.


----------



## Vince W

clovis-man said:


> *Mudbound*
> Well intentioned, but depressing and loaded with every cliche in the book.



So it's a DC superhero film?


----------



## J Riff

_Frankenstein: Day of the Beast_.  In this one, big 9-foot tall, giant Frank gets loose in the woods, near a cabin, and he starts picking people off, one at a time, like in _Alien_ or _Jaws_ or summat like that. He seems to have a new super-power-- the ability to walk in dry crunchy woods, on leaves and twiggage, without making a sound, which allows grabbing various characters while others stand nearby whistling. They manage to chop Frank up somehow, in a machine, but he continues writhing and grasping, so it is gory nonsense too. Then... I forget, maybe .... no. At least one or two characters survive, I think. And now, onward, to _Frankenstein's Army. _


----------



## Cathbad

*I.T.*  (2016)

Just horrible, what they did with this movie.  Oh, it was finely acted, by all tree main stars: Pierce Brosnan, James Frecheville and Anna Frill.  No policeman would act toward Mike Regan (Brosnan) at their first meeting, even if the detective didn't believe him - for which he had absolutely no reason.  And for a successful businessman, who would obviously have dealt with many legal issues, he was incredibly stupid not going to a lawyer first, with the flash drives he stole from the perp's home.  Even the directing (by John Moore) isn't to blame:  He seemed to have gotten the best out of the actors.  This fiasco of stupidity rest with the writers.

Still, if you can ignore the above - and a few lesser dumb things - it's a fun ride!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Shape of Water*. Beautiful film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Latest offering from the American Film Theatre:

*The Maids* (1975)

Glenda Jackson and Susannah York play sisters who work as maids for Madame (Vivien Merchant.)  They play a sort of sadomasochistic game where one dresses up in Madame's fine clothes while they alternately debase and insult each other.  Meanwhile, one of them has written anonymous letters that lead Monsieur (Mark Burns, who has no lines) to be arrested.  They also try to poison Madame.  Based on the play by Jean Genet, which was in turn very loosely inspired by a notorious case of the 1930's in which two sisters working as maids murdered their employer, which has also inspired other books, plays, and films.  In this version, it's never quite clear if the sisters really do murder Madame (she doesn't drink the poisoned tea) or just go into long, elaborate fantasies of being marched to the hangman and so on.  Pretty much a two and one-half woman show.  (Madame has one long scene, the sisters take up the rest of the film.)  Intense emotion, if not much plot.  To a great extent, an indictment of the class system.


----------



## Jeffbert

Just watched _Frankenstein's_ Army last night. It was o.k., except for the camera work, which in the story, was done by the character filming the events to bring evidence to his superiors. As such, the monsters were somewhat difficult to see.


----------



## J Riff

Right. Apparently Frank's Army features stuck-together-from-deceased-Nazi-soldiers style monsters. I couldn't find it, so tried to watch _The Killings at Outpost Zeta _instead. It is stuck-together too, and was probably not so bad, if I could but remember it. At the end, they leave the planet, and something is still moving around, under a tarpaulin, as scary music plays._ Green Slime _was mucher better, and had vastly superior theme music.


----------



## Overread

I saw Frankenstein's Army a while back (one of those random things I found on the TV). I though the idea and the work on the monsters/creations was very neat. The camera work did let it down though - like many I hate the whole "shaky cam" thing though it was at least well done in this film and they didn't cut it out for huge chunks or have you staring at a blank wall half the time. 

It's a trick you can oft see in lower budget films, so its odd when it appears in the mid or upper range of films where its clear that they've got a good budget to actually show stuff


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw the results for this film on Amazon; they include a blu-ray with figurines!


----------



## X Equestris

Got around to watching Bright last night.  I really enjoyed the creative worldbuilding.


----------



## J Riff

*Cloverfield Paradox - *  this streamed on netflax immediately after the Stuper Bowl,  and in it we learn that, when dimensions crash together, because of a giant particle accelerator in space.. things can happen, lots of things. It has a lot of action, some sappy nonsnse, but not too too much, and manages to overcome the ludicrousness of the premise to be a surprise, a watchable movie, from outa nowhere, on TV free. The giant monster guy is not in this one, but a blatant sequel is set up where yet another dimension, the giant monster dimension? may cause trouble yet. I barely stayed awake cos it was on late, but it was okay as best I can recall.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Man on *(or is it '*in*')* the Moon*.  I recall watching *Taxi* long ago, & had heard about the guy wresting women, but that is all I knew about him. A bit surprised to see the dispatcher guy in the role of an agent, but, I guess he had become too big a star to play himself. Sorry, I am really bad remembering names.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Journey to the Center of Time* (1967)

Ultra-low budget time travel flick.  People stand around and talk for half an hour, then they get zapped to the far future.  A blue alien talks to them.  They get zapped back in time and watch a bunch of stock footage, finally going back to the dinosaur days.  Full of stock characters:  The Scientist, the Hero, the Villain, the Girl.  Pretty dull stuff.


----------



## Starbeast

@Jeffbert - I'm one of the fortunate to see ANDY KAUFMAN's career from start to finish. Mr Kaufman was a one-of-a-kind guy who enjoyed getting people to react to his funny or outrageous displays, and fooling his audience. Either you disliked him, or understood his brand of edgy theatrics. Comedian/actor JIM CARREY, did a perfect impersonation of Mr Kaufman, in the dramatic film _Man on the Moon_ (1999). Mr Carrey was awesome at recreating moments that stunned TV audiences (unless you knew Andy, like me, that he was only having fun pretending), Jim did it so well, for me, it seemed like Andy was alive again.

And.........I just watched...

*Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond* (2017) - A thought provoking documentary about how comedian/actor Jim Carrey, was affected by his portrayal of the late Andy Kaufman, in the movie, _Man on the Moon_ (1999). For me, a fan of both men, I enjoyed this in-depth interview. Wonderful.

*Rango* (2011) - I finally got the chance to re-watch this animated western film in it's entirety, and I have to say, it was pretty good. Nice animation, and a satisfying ending that changed my mind that this movie isn't so bad. Spirit of the West, eh? Very cool.

*Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell *(2016) - The incredible Hulk and the mystic Doctor Strange fight together against the evil being known as Nightmare, on Halloween night. A nice little treat.
*
Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United* (2013) - A good story about two of Marvel Comics greatest champions battling against a monstrous creature, created by HYDRA scientists.

*Iron Man & Captain America: Heroes United* (2014) - A fantastic story which is highlighted by the super villain, the Red Skull. Nuff said. 



Re-Watched:

*Rogue One: A Star Wars Story* (2016) - Oh man, the movie got me emotional again. Astonishing sci-fi film.

*Dr Who: Destiny of the Daleks* (1979) - One of my favorite Dr Who adventures, featuring actor TOM BAKER. I was inspired to see this four part episode, because of one of my 75 Word Challenge tales. Fans of the time and space traveler, know this story quite well. But, if you haven't seen this one, I won't give away any spoilers.

*3000 Miles to Graceland* (2001) - With Elvis's birthday still in mind, I thought, "Why not watch this violent flick again". Actors Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner are the big guns is this action/drama about a casino heist gone sour. A fast-paced tale with a great soundtrack.


----------



## J Riff

It was okay,_ Rango _was, wunnit SB. Nothing to get all worked up about, or anything, but definitely better than _Journey To The Centre of Time, _which sounds like a barnburner but truly isn't._ Dinosarus _(1960) is not so great either, except for the caveman and perhaps that plastic dino grappling with the toy tractor at the end.


----------



## Starbeast

J Riff said:


> It was okay,_ Rango _was, wunnit SB. Nothing to get all worked up about, or anything, but definitely better than _Journey To The Centre of Time, _which sounds like a barnburner but truly isn't._ Dinosarus _(1960) is not so great either, except for the caveman and perhaps that plastic dino grappling with the toy tractor at the end.



Hi Riff. I guess I was in a moody mood, when I first tried to see RANGO. And it was packed with commercials on TV. But I saw the uncut movie on Youtube, later.

DINOSAURUS, was a favorite film of mine, when I was a kid. I enjoyed the mild comedy in it too. Did you know that movie inspired a cartoon series? It's true.







​


----------



## J Riff

Brilliant. I swear... the stuff you learn in here... my, my... Dino Boy, I will guess, is not so great as_ Dinosaurus_? I am not gonna look for it...
not with _Evil Toons_ sitting here waiting to be watched.


----------



## Rodders

Thor: Ragnorok. 

I really, really enjoyed this. A genuinely fun film with quite a few laugh out loud moments. Great design, great effects and a really goo cast. Cate Blanchett was superb as Hela. Totally recommended. 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle. 

It was okay, if a little cliche. Julienne Moore is good.


----------



## Mouse

*Alien Autopsy*. Starring Ant & Dec. Yes, I actually own this one on DVD. I like it anyway.


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> @Jeffbert - I'm one of the fortunate to see ANDY KAUFMAN's career from start to finish. Mr Kaufman was a one-of-a-kind guy who enjoyed getting people to react to his funny or outrageous displays, and fooling his audience. Either you disliked him, or understood his brand of edgy theatrics. Comedian/actor JIM CARREY, did a perfect impersonation of Mr Kaufman, in the dramatic film _Man on the Moon_ (1999). Mr Carrey was awesome at recreating moments that stunned TV audiences (unless you knew Andy, like me, that he was only having fun pretending), Jim did it so well, for me, it seemed like Andy was alive again.


I did not say anything about disliking AK, or even not understanding him. Sorry you got that impression, Starbeast.  But, I do appreciate your input here. I spent the last 20 years of the 20th century not watching TV, so I missed a lot. 

I will say that I think AK may have misunderstood what audiences find amusing, just as DD's character said something about him amusing himself at the audience's expense. In Monty PFC, they sometimes no, frequently have a weird skit, only the be followed by a really funny one. But in this film, they showed AK thoroughly enjoying his joke, while the audience was scratching their heads, & the MC was trying his best to make AK do something to entertain them. I did enjoy the film, though. 

DinoBoy -- Just love Hanna Barbera!  

*Journey to the Center of Time* (1967) I am certain I saw this one! 

DINOSAURUS -- this one also.


----------



## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> I did not say anything about disliking AK, or even not understanding him. Sorry you got that impression, Starbeast.  But, I do appreciate your input here. I spent the last 20 years of the 20th century not watching TV, so I missed a lot.
> 
> DinoBoy -- Just love Hanna Barbera!



Howdy-hey-there, Jeffbert. I was just giving my experience with AK (from stand-up to grave). Unfortunately, I thought he was kidding that he had cancer. Also, just about anyone who was aware of Andy, thought he was pulling another prank. No one believed he was dying, or that he died, until his obituary appeared in the media. Not many attended his funeral, because no one knew if he was really dead.

And, like you, I rarely watch TV as well. I couldn't find much I liked, since the mid 1990's.


----------



## Rodders

Blade Runner 2049.

I’m still digesting this movie. Personally, I thought it was really good but I want to watch it one or two more times as I think there was a lot that I missed. 

Big Hero Six. 

Another very god movie. 

Logan Lucky. 

A fun heist movie with a great cast.


----------



## Jeffbert

He brought obscurity upon himself, Starbeast. The boy who cried 'wolf'. Nobody took him seriously, he died for his art.
*
Corpse Bride*. Strange, but entertaining. Reminds me of the *Mad Monster Party*.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Mist* (2007) - Not a bad Stephen King adaptation from a novel, movie. Nice creepy vibe, and interesting to see a film that makes you think about what you would do in this monstrous situation. I've wanted to see this for a while, and I wasn't disappointed.


----------



## J Riff

The Mist. Fine, but the worst ending ever. A lot of people despise it, revile, abhor, are repulsed by... but, as far as ET monsters terrorizing people in a supermarket goes, it could be one of the best. 
 Here, the new Woody Woodpecker movie was on, but I only saw a few minutes. Review: >>> HaHaHaHaa-Hah! (woodpecker sound  fx).


----------



## REBerg

*Wonder Woman*
Yikes! Another superhero I wouldn't want to make angry.
Excellent!


----------



## Toby Frost

*Ex Machina* (2015). Really good and quite unsettling.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Disaster Movie* & *I Survived a Zombie Holocaust*. Also watched *Wonder Woman*, but that was last week. Nothing like the old TV show, very dark-- that is scenes lacking in luminosity. Not yer daddy's WW, for sure! I really could find little in the plot that was recognizable. I do not think I was ever into WW comics, so I am just going by the TV show. It was good, though. 
*
Disaster Movie* had some really funny parodies, Alvin & the Chipmunks was great, but the Speed Racer parody was hilarious! Laughed myself to tears! 

*I Survived a Zombie Holocaust,* was very different from the many other Zombie movies I have see. They were making a movie about a Zombie Holocaust, when suddenly -- a real Zombie Holocaust occurs! The description gave it a rather low rating, but it was indeed funny.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

*Despicable Me 3*
somewhat disappointing.


----------



## WarriorMouse

Roman J. Israel, ESQ
Interesting idea, poorly executed.
Denzel Washington and Carmen Ejogo really brought out their character's but Colin Farrell could have been substituted with a cardboard cut out.


----------



## WarriorMouse

Blurred Lines: Inside the art world

I knew the Modern art world was a cesspool but WOW It sure runs deep.


----------



## Cathbad

*They're Watching*  (2016)


This was really a good, scary movie!

Right up to about the last 15-20 minutes.

The story is about a film crew in (Afghanistan?) for a TV Show that presents renovated homes around the world.  The filming of this episode, however, is marred by (what seems to be) paranoid, superstitious country folk, fretting over the history of the local witch.  Strange things happen, all of which are easily explainable by the constant, threatening presence of these overly-superstitious people.

Having seen dozens of these kind of movies, it wasn't surprising to me that the witch was still alive, or who she was.

What was surprising was how badly an otherwise good horror story could be screwed up in the final segments.  Witch?  Okay.  Ultra-powerful, unbeatable force with god-like powers?  No.  Anything that had previously occurred becomes moot when she reveals her strength.  She could have gotten what she wanted anywhere in the world, with as much violence and notoriety she wanted - no one could have stopped her.  And, apparently, that's what she wanted - for the world to know her and see her power.

So why all the deception and hiding before?  It makes absolutely no sense, whatsoever.

And that's  sad.  Because a good ending is all this movie needed to become a "New Classic Horror" film.  Instead, they decided to destroy it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Monster Squad* (1987)

A bunch of preteens battle the Universal monsters.  That sounds like a recipe for disaster, but this was a pleasant surprise.  The film is wise enough to treat the monsters seriously, and leave the comedy to the humans.  Nifty monster designs by Stan Wilson.  Recommended for anyone who used to be a twelve-year-old monster fan.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Terror in the Midnight Sun* (1959)

Swedish-American space invasion flick.  A "meteor" (spaceship) lands in Lapland.  Some science types go check it out.  Out comes a giant furry monster and some guys who look a _lot_ like Death in *The Seventh Seal*.  Not much happens for a long time.  Time is filled up with snow, ice, skating, skiing, nightclub singing, and romantic comedy hi-jinks between a young science guy and the pretty daughter of an older science guy.  Some nice outdoors scenes filmed on location above the Arctic circle.  A long line of Lapps rushing by on skis, carrying torches, and shouting as they go after the big monster is striking.  Overall, pretty dull, although, from all reports, the version that was chopped up and mixed with new footage, under the title *Invasion of the Animal People* was much, much worse.  Hang around for the end credits, over which the haunting song "Midnight Sun Lament" is sung.


----------



## Vince W

*The Hippopotamus*. Based on the novel by Stephen Fry, this is a sometimes funny, sometimes witty, and sometimes cracked film that probably doesn't live up to the book. I think you need to go in with a very wry frame of mind to get the most out of this one.


----------



## Old_Man_Steve2016

Saw *Black Panther *in New Zealand of all places. Great movie, really stuck to the comics with the characters and setting. 
Some kids got kicked out of the theater because they were making stupid noises. I didn't hear them much, but the adults were getting mad at them. 
Found it funny; if you don't like black people why would you spend $10.50 to go to a movie about black people? Must be some sort of masochists.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hangar 18* (1980)

UFO/government conspiracy flick.  Space shuttle releases a satellite that bumps into an alien spaceship, killing one astronaut, blowing up the satellite, and sending the alien ship crashing into Arizona.  Science types study the spacecraft (which contains two very human dead aliens) while the two surviving astronauts conduct their own investigation of the cover-up.  Lots of familiar TV actors, and the whole thing feels like a mediocre made-for-TV movie.  The alien spaceship is moderately interesting, although it's obvious that the supposed interior of it is much, much larger than the outside.  The sudden ending is the equivalent of "and then they were all hit by a truck."


----------



## J Riff

Jabberwocky - 1977 Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin. Lots typical Pythonisms in this one. 
  "Now hear this. The King, that cloud of chivalry, that Prince of monarchs, that paragon of potentates, is going... to speak.
Hear the wisdom... witness the wit, observe the oratoracle eloquence, lend-an-ear! To... the mellow voice, the tender tones, the voluptous vowels, the corruscating consonants...of his majesty's voice - King Bruno. Who is going to give it to you straight  - illuminate the essence,
clarify the conundrums, dazzle us, with logic. My lord, your grace, your honor... the King." 
King Bruno the Questionable and other character actors steal the show, though Palin is quite good as Dennis.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Clones* (1973)

Probably the first film to make use of the theme of human cloning.  By "cloning," we mean, of course, "making an exact duplicate of an adult human being with all knowledge, memory, and personality intact."  Starts off as a paranoid nightmare as a scientist confronts his duplicate and gets chased by the cops and the government as an impostor.  Turns into a typical chase film for most of its running time.  The cloning turns out to have something to do with a plot to control the world's weather.  Made earnestly on a very low budget, with the feel of a made-for-TV flick.  Notable for Gregory Sierra and Otis Young as two rather lighthearted government hit men after the scientist, Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones from _The Trouble With Tribbles_) as a Mad Scientist, an irrelevant psychedelic dream sequence, and a final scene at an amusement park.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Horrible Sexy Vampire* (1971)

Ridiculous English title for a Spanish flick more sedately known as _El vampiro de la autopista_ ("The vampire of the highway.")

Dracula-style vampire kills his victims by strangling them (?) while invisible (!), which must have saved a lot of money for the filmmakers.  His look-alike descendant (same actor, but with Andy Warhol pale blond hair instead of the vampire's moderately pale blond hair) goes to the ancestral castle.  Vampire begs descendant to give him eternal rest by killing him but still fights him off; "instinct," you know.  He eventually does, the end.  Nothing particularly "horrible" happens in this nearly bloodless film, but every time a pretty young woman shows up she's got her clothes off in a matter of minutes, justifying the "sexy."


----------



## Randy M.

*Suspicion* (1941)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Nigel Bruce. Fontaine won the Academy Award for this one, though I’m darned if I know why (she was up against Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwick, among others) since I found her acting a bit over. But it was the ‘40s, there was a war and melodrama was all the rage. Bruce is comic relief and he and Grant seem to have more chemistry than Grant and Fontaine. The question of whether Grant’s character is just a cad or a criminal … well, it’s hard to think of Grant as a murderer, which made Hitchcock’s task all the harder and for one of the few times in his career, the balance isn’t struck as well as a viewer might like. Not one of Hitch’s best, though serviceable.


*Charade* (1963)
Directed by Stanley Donan, starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn, George Kennedy and Ned Glass. Grant only made three more movies after this, and this is one of his best. The producers of the Bond movies had originally wanted Grant as James Bond, and this gives pretty good indication of why since he’s smooth and charming, but also capable of carrying off the action requirements – he has a fight with George Kennedy in this that is well choreographed for the time. Hepburn’s husband is killed. She’s away with her friend and her friend’s son and meets Grant. When Hepburn returns home she learns of her husband’s death and finds their apartment gutted, all furniture and paintings gone. Grant shows up having read of the death in the newspapers to see if he can help. And that starts a grand chase to find the money Hepburn’s husband stole from the U.S. government during the war. Coburn, Kennedy and Glass were his confederates who he cheated out of their shares; Matthau is an embassy bureaucrat trying to locate the money to return it to the U.S. government. But Grant and someone else aren’t exactly what they seem to be, and Hepburn has to negotiate their duplicity to find the money and save her life. A romantic comedy thriller,  with a terrific score by Henry Mancini, and one of my favorite movies from the early '60s, and often called the best Hitchcock movie not directed by Hitchcock.


Randy M.


----------



## Starbeast

*Blade Runner 2049* (2017) - It was a 50/50 movie for me. I was half surprised at what the story was about, and not surprised that the film seemed to go-by-the-numbers, in a typical manner that most films do. Overall I thought it was very good, not great, but a very good drama.

*Alien: Covenant* (2017) - It explained a great deal further as a prequel movie, and fit like a puzzle piece, but I had to hold back my critical observations, and let it play out as a story. Then, I made my decision about the film. I liked it. Even though, it was a bit predictable to me, I enjoyed the visuals and effects.

*Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return* (2017) - Not a bad continuation of the show. The new take on the series (now #11), with new characters and using a different setting, but keeping the original concept, (though a bit rough around the edges) still has it's charm. I watched two experiments (episodes), featuring the giant monster movie, _Reptilicus_ (1961) & a Sasquatch film called, _Cry Wilderness_ (1987). The second installment had a nice surprise for fans of the original series.




Rewatched:

*Mystery Men* (1999) - still a great comical and comic book-like superhero tale. One of my all time favorites. Awesome cast.

*Day of the Dead* (1985) - I love this zombie film. It's outrageous and a unique horror flick about an underground outpost, trying to discover a way to deal with the worldwide zombie problem.

*The Deer Hunter* (1978) - A tremendous drama about a group of friends who are traumatized by the Vietnam War. (won 5 Oscars) Awesome cast.

*Commando* (1985) - Fantastic over-the-top and cliched, faced-paced action film, about a man trying to rescue his daughter within eleven hours. One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movies.


----------



## Droflet

Agree about the Deer Hunter, fabulous film. Commando was fun but really silly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Road to Bali* (1952)

Sixth of the seven Hope/Crosby/Lamour Road movies, the only one in color, and the only one in the public domain.  Two American vaudeville entertainers (Hope and Crosby) dash off from Melbourne to Darwin to avoid a couple of marriage-minded women.  (It seems that both men proposed to both women.)  They wind up getting hired as deep sea divers to get a treasure for an island princess (Lamour.)  Complications ensue.  Ignore the plot and enjoy the non-stop wisecracks and constant breaking of the fourth wall.


----------



## J Riff

Very silly>>>>>> * The Human Duplicators* 1965 - 
 Aliens in a christmas-ornament spaceship, and with a 'Galaxy domination plan',  send 'Cosmic agent Kollos' down to infiltrate Earth society. He actually beams down, a year before Star Trek came on TV, via 'tele-transporter'. He goes to Prof. Von Dornheimer's mansion, and is immediately smitten with the Profs. blind piano-playing niece Lisa.
He then informs Prof. Von D. that, with his assistance, they can make an Android in a few days, instead of years. He also informs the Prof. and his lovely assistants, that he is their master. 
Next we see a Dr. Munson stealing something from a Space Research science complex, and the security guards who try to stop him go down like ragdolls, bad acting, the doc crashes through a door, great cheap FX, they shoot him, yet he still drives off.
 Now the N.I.A. is called in...local cop informs them that stolen goods are: "Same as before - transistors, diodes, lasser crystals, things like that."  (Pronounced 'Lasser')?
 Now our NIA MC and cops find Munson and his car, crashed in a canyon, the stolen stuff missing, but right within shouting distance of the isolated cliff-top mansion estate of Prof. Von Dornheimer, which moves the plot forward conveniently. 
 NIA guys and 'Bambi' Hamilton try to figure out how top scientists are being forced to commit crimes, when tests show they are dead from electrocution long before the crimes are committed. 
 Now Von D monologues with our MC, he looks mind-controlled. Space-agent Kolos lurks about, he's the tallest by far. The music in this movie keeps it fairly exciting even when nothing is happening. 
 MC and Bambi discuss cybernetics and android invasion, at her pad. Then he goes and sneaks into Von D's mansion, finds various androids in coffins, accidentally breaks a couple of them, discovers the main duplication lab, with androids in tubes and a great beeping soundtrack runs on and on for minutes as he sneaks about observing stuff. 
 From 35:40 to 42:10 the soundtrack is classic suspense music, then it switches to electronic, theremin with heavily-phased orchestral sounds for another 3 min. Cool.
 MC captured in a fight, he busts up an android, they break like glass. They construct a duplicate of him. "Audio tube. Memory cell. Photoelectric cell. Optical transceiver. " Then they put a hairdryer on him and transfer all his knowledge,  to further spaced-out sounds.
 Bambi is immediately suspicious that MC is a droid. 
Meanwhile, Kollos has neglected to dupe Lisa, the Profs. niece because he likes her, which irks the Galaxy Beings he reports to. Lisa talks to the real MC and Prof. in their dungeon, then she fetches a special coin for MC, which he lost and she found, even though she's blind. 
 More frantic action music, and we learn that 'You must never create a robot that can outsmart you." as the human-droid Prof. Von D takes over from Kollos and his ET masters.  He has a master race in mind, but MC gets out via magic coin, and he trains a positronic beam of some kind on Kollos, who has broken loose and is battling the androids.
 MC and his one-armed clone battle Prof. Von D, with plastic maces, as Bambi and the cops rush in.
 Kollos monologues on his fate as an android, wanders outside and is tele-transported up to the christmas ornament, which flies away, the End.


----------



## Cathbad

Droflet said:


> Commando was fun but really silly.


It's where I learned that flowers stop bullets!!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Four Sided Triangle* (1953)

Early film from Hammer is a low-key science fiction soap opera.  Two boys and a girl are Best Friends Forever.  One boy grows up to be a scientific genius, the other his assistant.  The girl grows up to be, well, not much but the love object of both men.  She marries the non-genius.  Oh, did I mention that fact that the two guys have invented a matter duplicator?  You can figure out what the heartbroken genius does, after he secretly figures out a way to duplicate living things (involving some Frankenstein-style lab stuff) as well as the inanimate stuff they've been copying.  (Surprisingly, this is done with the woman's full consent.)  You can probably also figure out the major flaw in this scheme.  (Hint:  The duplicate is not only physically, but psychologically identical to the original.)  It's all rather sedate, with the exception of the melodramatic climax, and only has enough plot for a _Twilight Zone_ episode, but it's rather engaging.

Opens with this title card:


> God hath made men upright, but they have sought out many inventions -- Ecclesiastes



Closes with this title card:


> You shall have joy or you shall have power, said God; you shall have not have both -- Ralph Waldo Emerson



Which would seem to make the theme clear enough.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Fantastic 4 (2015) - some nice ideas but over all


----------



## darster

The Signal (2014)
On a road trip, Nic and two friends are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness - only to find himself in a waking nightmare.
Lawrence Fishburne is in it. Has a neat sci fi twist, I loved it.


----------



## Vaz

*Casablanca
*
It has become a firm favourite.

Here's looking at you, kid.


v


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dracula vs. Frankenstein* (1971)

Bottom of the barrel monster rally from infamous ultra-low budget director Al Adamson.  Doctor Frankenstein (J.Carrol Naish in his last role) is confined to a wheelchair and disguises himself as a guy running a spook house in a carnival.  His mute assistant (Lon Chaney, Jr., in _his_ last role) chops off women's heads so the doctor can put them back on and revive them.  Dracula shows up with Frankenstein's monster (which he dug up out of a California cemetery) and gets the doctor to work with him.  Meanwhile, a Las Vegas singer (the director's wife) tries to find her missing sister (who was once of those whose heads were chopped off.)  Less coherent that I've made it sound, since it was originally a biker film, with the monster stuff added later.  Dracula looks like Frank Zappa with white makeup and a plastic cape, Frankenstein looks like somebody wearing a mask made out of mashed potatoes.


----------



## J Riff

*Horrors of the Red Planet.* 1965 ---- aka a rewatch of: Wizard of Mars
A cool cut-out spaceship zooms towards Mars, as the crew chat and joke - in the far future - Jan. 1975 on a readout. We see some reel-to-reel tape discs, and what looks like a flashing Bingo scoreboard. Suddenly, every alarm goes off, and fake lightning bolts appear on the monitor screen. 
 A crew member half-heartedly shoots a very weak fire-extinguisher at a non-fire, a bit of smoke shows up near the commander as he and Betty and a wisecracking ensign make comments like "activate all available rocket systems," but it's no use. They close in on some black-and-white footage of some hills in California, then a painting of Mars, which has tall white mountains? Then they are down, trapped on Mars, and uttering mundane dialogue about whether they can send radio messages, in the four days O2 they have left. After this chat, the ship decides to explode, so they grab stuff and run.
 They inflate two life-rafts... and head off down a Martian canal. There's some air on Mars, so they crack their helmets for a booster. They sleep in the rafts, and are woken by some huge centipede-plant creatures, which Charlie shoots about 20 times with his rifle, though they don't appear to be able to crawl into the liferafts.. 
Now a creepy cave, scary mist, horrifying dialogue. They are going deeper underground... though they don't move in relation to the cave walls, for the entire scene.
 'There's something familiar about this rock..."
"Aw, come on, rock's rock! Let's get a move on."
Whoops, giant fire pit, huge waterfall of lava. They stand ten feet from it talking for a while, then a long walk up a cave...  the odd small fire burning here and there... 
"Let's see if there's a way out of this inferno.." 
 " I... almost wish this weren't the right direction." ( I can see the director of this movie, watching it today)
Now they don't know how long they've been underground. Four days? No chronometers in the future, apparently, oh wait, NOW we are told watches don't run on Mars. Fine. 
They get out and trek through the desert. They head for a pulsing dome on the horizon. Air is running out... "Crummy desert! Every dune looks like the last, like a crummy-"
"Cut the chat! Wasting oxygen."
They find an ancient spaceship, marked USA BioLaB, but it has no supplies, so Charlie rants and shoots it a couple times, breaking a fuel line. Liquid oxygen!
Various electronic gadgets still work, just not clocks... so they find something. "Hey... I think I've found something." Turns out to be what looks like... kitchen tiles, made of rock, ancient. Unbelievably inane dialogue is used to point this out. Then they find a city, and the soundtrack beeps wildly, heavy theremin and echo. With all the dialogue removed, this movie is probably somewhat far out and groovy. 
 They find more things..."Be careful! You don't know what that alien thing is!" Of course, the thing goes off, like a mini-flamethrower, and our hero sticks his face close to it to see how to turn it off. It looks like a pencil sharpener with some nails stuck in it. 
Finally - a dead Martian in one of the endless tubes. It wakes up, with early cheesy glowing-eyeball and transparent pulsing-brain FX... and after some unintelligible echoey whispering, over a weirdly-beeping soundtrack, to the Captain from our Martian, still nobody knows what it means. 
 Big-eared Martian directs them to a cobwebby cave, where a lot more whispering, and beeping, and transparent ghostly Martian images, go on, but nothing happens, until a big red brain, in a bubble, turns into John Carradine's head, talking backwards.
 Turns out John is a multi-minded ancient race, all by himself. He finds out they are from Earth, tells them many other greedy ETs had been here, and they were destroyed, or something.. and now they are all trapped. The Martians are ghosts, they have no way to help. John's head floats in space and rants on and on about how great his race once was. "... before we returned to mindless dust! Time was insensitive to us... the very fabric of time... the unborn tomorrows... it was then that we impaled time upon an axis... "
A discussion about stopping and starting time goes on for many long paragraphs, until a big cymbal crash, then they have to go fix the time-mechanism by replacing a part. Aha, it's a sphere, like a bowling ball, which the captain drops, it breaks, and there's a tiny city inside. "Plucked from time!"
 Now a big metal Mr. Sun-face on a huge pendulum... and a big wheel... they insert the bowling ball, loud martian whispering starts, and... time is re-started! A speech from Carradine, about your destiny awaits at the end of the golden road... "farewell... "
  Everyone runs as: "The past and the present are coming together! We've got to get out, while this dimension still exists!"
 They make it, but: They wake battered and bruised on the ship, and the whole adventure has happened in two minutes. Huh. Carradine's voice lectures briefly against a space background, about life and death, and it's The End.


----------



## AlexH

Vaz said:


> *Casablanca
> *
> It has become a firm favourite.
> 
> Here's looking at you, kid.
> 
> 
> v


I watched it for the first time in the past few months and it's a deserved classic in my opinion.

Quite recently I've also watched a few other classic DVDs I've owned for years but never watched before.

Deserved of status: The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby (my favourite of this lot), The Godfather, Scarface, Chaplin, Se7en, Shooting Dogs, The Sting
Good but not one of the best: Citizen Kane, Dead Poets Society, Being John Malkovich
Didn't like: The Producers (1967)


----------



## Cathbad

Good list. @AlexH .Exceot Scarface.  Never cared much for that one.


----------



## Vaz

All fantastic movie's, Alex. 

I love Dead Poets Society. Robin Williams is wonderful in it

V


----------



## Droflet

*The Shape of Water*. Simply wonderful. Highly recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Cathbad said:


> Good list. @AlexH .Exceot Scarface.  Never cared much for that one.



Which version?  I like the 1930's one, not so much the remake.


----------



## Cathbad

I liked the 1930s one.  I had assumed the one on the list was referring to the newer one?


----------



## AlexH

Cathbad said:


> I liked the 1930s one.  I had assumed the one on the list was referring to the newer one?


I'd forgotten about the 1930s one but remember seeing clips of it on the Extras portion of the newer DVD.


----------



## J Riff

Well.. _Super-Eruption? _.. is one of those youTube vids that reads something like '2018 _best _Action adventure, NEW sci-fi TOP full movies.' Then it's about Yellowstone going off, all through the whole thing, Yellowstone is going off, and Kate and Charlie and a park Ranger or two are all that can stop it. There's steam that flings a few people, others get burnt, and soon you have no idea what's going on. The movie muddles along, until around the 50 min. mark, when suddenly Kate is talking to herself in the future, on her laptop screen. Then, while you try and decide whether you should rewind to find out how or what just happened, well Yellowstone just keeps rumbling and burning, so  you wait and suddenly it's over. I think they poured water on it. That was the plan at one point. They tried to evacuate whole states, but the park was burning, for quite a while, so I hope they all got out. No idea. This movie... * Well, it's about Yellowstone, y'see... going off, like they say it might, and destroying the world. But then there's this woman, Kate, who, who talks to herself, from the future, when the technology exists to know how to stop it, all the erupting and apocalyptic stuff. I won't spoil this fantastically inane movie by telling whether she's successful or not.


----------



## Mouse

Seen that ^


----------



## Vince W

*Blackhat* (2015). A masterclass of film making on how to turn a potentially relevant, exciting, and interesting subject and turn it into a dull, turgid, and pointless affair.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*2 Guns *(2013) An action adventure flick. The screen play gets its major plot points from real life. The blood and gore happens off camera and there is some nudity. An OK movie for a lazy Saturday afternoon although the ending will leave the viewer with unanswered questions.


----------



## Mike Donoghue

Just finished watching _Witness_ with Harrison Ford. He plays a Philadelphia detective who ends up hiding out in Amish country after he digs up some incriminating information on several corrupt police. I think it gives you a good sense of the lifestyle and culture of the Amish while also being an exciting action movie.


----------



## AlexH

*Brick *(2005). One of the most boring films I've seen in a while. None of it felt believable. I've since seen it described as modern film-noir set in a school.


----------



## Randy M.

AlexH said:


> *Brick *(2005). One of the most boring films I've seen in a while. None of it felt believable. I've since seen it described as modern film-noir set in a school.



I liked this one. Found it engaging and dark and was rather happy I'd not gone through anything like that in my high school.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man in the Glass Booth* (1975)

Another in the American Film Theatre series.  Adapted from the novel and play of the same name by Robert Shaw.  (Yes, the same Robert Shaw who starred in *Jaws* and many other films; apparently he was quite a respected author as well.)  Maximilian Schell stars as a very eccentric millionaire who is abducted by Israeli agents and put on trial as a Nazi war criminal.  He gleefully admits his atrocities, but there's more going on than meets the eye.  Almost a one-man show.  Pretty intense.


----------



## dask

*Ninotchka*, 1939 comedy. Greta Garbo at her heart-pounding best (does she even need to act?). Melvyn Douglas pretty cool too but Ina Claire fairly steals the show. Fun way to spend an afternoon in the art house cinema.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Battle Of The River Plate* (1956) an oldie but a goodie from Powell and Pressburger


----------



## Droflet

Great movie.


----------



## Vince W

*Murder on the Orient Express* (2017). A bit of a plodding affair, but interesting nonetheless. They need to mint a new BAFTA for Kenneth Branagh's moustache.


----------



## dask

Watched this last night:





Good "screwball comedy" from 1939.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Think Fast, Mr. Moto* and *Thank You, Mr. Moto* (both 1937)

The first two films in a series of B movies with Peter Lorre as the character created in novels by J. P. Marquand.  In the books, he definitely works for the Japanese government as a secret agent.   In the movies, it's not always clear.  Often compared to the Charlie Chan movies, but they're more thrillers of international intrigue than whodunits.  Moto is a master of disguise and ju-jitsu, willing to kill the bad guys in cold blood when he has to.  More James Bond than Sherlock Holmes, if you can picture the diminutive and sickly Lorre as an Action Hero.  In the first film, he investigates smuggling aboard an ocean liner.  In the second, he's after seven ancient scrolls that reveal where the lost treasure of Genghis Khan is located.  Both movies have good production values for B films, move briskly -- they're less than seventy minutes long -- and provide good entertainment.


----------



## J Riff

*Escape From Galaxy 3*  1983.
 If you want 80s disco music, spicy space-costumes, ancient Earth costumes, cheesy rocketships, bad dialogue, and general mindless mayhem, this one has some or all of that. IF you can focus on it long enough to write a comprehensive review, it may save someone from watching it. Still, Belle-Star's costume IS very snazzy. And the synthesized discoid tones are entertaining as heck. The bad guy's costume has those shoulder-things... like bat-wings, so he can't see anything off to the sides, he has to turn all the way around.


----------



## Randy M.

J Riff said:


> *Escape From Galaxy 3*  1983.
> If you want 80s disco music, spicy space-costumes, ancient Earth costumes, cheesy rocketships, bad dialogue, and general mindless mayhem, this one has some or all of that. IF you can focus on it long enough to write a comprehensive review, it may save someone from watching it. Still, Belle-Star's costume IS very snazzy. And the synthesized discoid tones are entertaining as heck. The bad guy's costume has those shoulder-things... like bat-wings, so he can't see anything off to the sides, he has to turn all the way around.



Some of the on-line stills showing the costumes from that suggest a dysfunctional yoga class.


Randy M.


----------



## Anthoney

Looking for fodder to use on the Name that Film thread, I ended up watching *Scanners.  *An early 80s sci-fi classic.  Michael Ironside exploding heads made him the go to villain of his time.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Death Of Stalin*. Mildly amusing black (and more-or-less faithful to the facts) comedy but lacking that _je ne sais quoi_.
Perhaps it's the subject matter itself that doesn't quite work for me? Not a particularly  bad film but not great either.

Time would be better spent   reading  Simon Sebag Motefiore's _The Court Of The Red Tsar_ for a more complete (and serious) look at Stalin's crimes, death and legacy.


----------



## J Riff

*Destination Moon =*- from the Heinlein book, written for the screen by Heinlein, O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel. Featuring Woody Woodpecker sequences, yeup. Lots of stuff in this one, including the classic 'We have to lose 120 lbs. or we can't take off" argument. 
Everyone argues why they should be the one left behind to die, while the Capt. figures out a way that none of them have to expire, which he does, of course. ... Rip Van Ronkel?


----------



## HanaBi

"*Zombiesawn of the Dead*" (1978)

I just fancied a bit of guts 'n' gore with my beans on toast last night, and even though this old Romero classic is perhaps a little long in the tooth, it still has a remarkably good story, decent sfx and a great soundtrack by Goblin.

4/5


----------



## Droflet

Goblin? Hmm, nuff said.


----------



## Lumens

The Last Jedi... I liked it, but they didn't make it easy for me to do so. Either they just improvised the whole movie, or they are some lazy writers! So much so that I can't be bothered to spend any more time on it myself.


----------



## J Riff

_Hurricane Heist_  2018---- couldn't quite figure this one out, there was too much stuff blowing around. It's a good idea, robbing somewhere during a hurricane, maybe wearing led boots so's not to fly away... but .... **


----------



## Cathbad

*B*tch*  (2017)

Wife decides she's a dog.  Acts and lives like a dog.

This movie fails as a comedy, and I _certainly_ hope it wasn't intended to be a serious melodrama!!  It was well-acted - for what that's worth.  But nothing could have saved this film from its ridiculous, unfunny premise.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for the warning. I was thinking of seeing this. Gulp!


----------



## HanaBi

*Lincoln* (2013)

A worthy but rather unsatisfying & bloated film. President Abraham Lincoln gets the Spielberg treatment, but I was rather expecting to learn more about the man himself rather than what the film is really all about - his work on the 13th Amendment and the abolition of slavery.

Daniel Day-Lewis, does a fine job as the tormented Lincoln, but sometimes he comes off as a little too Shakespearean with his delivery. The script, while worthy, meanders to almost a snail's place; whereas with some tighter editing some 20 minutes or so could have been trimmed from this 150 minute epic that somehow feels twice that.

In some respects this film reminds me of Oskar Schindler's heroic deeds in Spielberg's far more satisfying "Schindler's List". In fact there are a number of parallels in both films, but somehow Lincoln falls way short on emotional impact. 

A good film, but for me not one I would be in any rush to watch again any time soon.


3/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mr. Moto's Gamble* (1938)

An anomaly in the series, as this was supposed to be a Charlie Chan movie.  Instead of a secret agent, Moto teaches criminology.  He gets mixed up in the case of a boxer murdered by poison during a fight.  Keye Luke is here as Chan's son, so that establishes that Moto and Chan exist in the same universe.  Otherwise, a typical old B whodunit.


----------



## Starbeast

*BREAKING BAD* (5 Seasons: 2008 - 2013)

I heard about this series, and was recommended to see it. I began watching it last week.........it is, AWESOME!!!

I wanted to get away from sci-fi, fantasy and horror films, and tried to find something realistic-like, a heavy drama, like _The Sons of Anarchy_, which I enjoyed.

And to my amazement, after watching the first episode (like SOA), I was hooked. Now I'm on the third season, seventh episode.

The Story: Basically, it's about a man dying of cancer, who wants to make money to help his family from going bankrupt. So, he becomes drug dealer and _really_ complicates his life. Nuff said.


----------



## Droflet

Glad you finally caught up with this fabulous show, Beasty. It just keeps getting better. The ending is spectacular. Continue to enjoy.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Glad you're enjoying it, Steabeast! My wife and I love Breaking Bad...we've watched it, start to finish, twice now. I'll mention (and this will sound sacrilegious) that we actually enjoy BB's spin-off, Better Call Saul, even a little more than BB. It's also by Vince Gilligan. Bob Odenkirk is amazing in BCS, and the show has an outstanding cast. Three seasons in the can, and a fourth on Netflix later this year. Some of the characters carry-over from BB to BCS too!


----------



## Cathbad

~seems to be the only one I the universe who didn't care for Breaking Bad~

*shrugs*  Sorry!


----------



## HanaBi

Cathbad said:


> ~seems to be the only one I the universe who didn't care for Breaking Bad~
> 
> *shrugs*  Sorry!



you're not alone! I got a far as Season 3 and finally pulled the plug. It's okay I suppose, but I really couldn't find the inclination to carry on watching, probably because I couldn't care less about the characters. Fortunately, I found "The Wire" shortly afterwards, and have never looked back since.


----------



## Cathbad

HanaBi said:


> you're not alone! I got a far as Season 3 and finally pulled the plug. It's okay I suppose, but I really couldn't find the inclination to carry on watching, probably because I couldn't care less about the characters. Fortunately, I found "The Wire" shortly afterwards, and have never looked back since.


Thank goodness!  I felt so alone in the universe!  And now I have finally found a second person who didn't care for that show!

Thank you!  

(Incidentally, my reason for disliking the show was that I found the show to be glorifying riminality.)


----------



## Lumens

I also find Better Call Saul ... er, better than Breaking Bad, which wasn't bad either.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Man From Laramie * (1955)

Stars Jimmy Stewart, which automatically says "Quality Acting".  

There was one glaring mistake in this otherwise excellent movie:  The Patriarch is pushed off a cliff, but found alive - and unconscious.  He is taken back to his home, and the doctor is called.  After examining him, the doctor tells the family:  "He's still unconscious, but he's strong, and should pull through.  He's blind, though.  Been going blind for years; the fall just hurried it along."

Really?  A fall hurried on the onset of blindness?  Worse yet, since _he's still unconscious_, how do you know he's blind, Doc?

But I'm nit-picking.  It's an excellent movie!


----------



## J Riff

Real movies, from the 40s, like: *The Maze* 1953. If you haven't seen this one, no spoilage, but what IS the secret of the old house? WHY is Gerald so changed, so different, WHAT is it in the cellar? Well just nevermind, watch it and find out, it's weird, and a hard one to guess. Also you might probably learn a new word or two along the way.
 Then there's the 1958 take on *Machine Gun Kelly* w/ young Chas. Bronson and other big names - it it pretty swell, and not a typical crime flick.


----------



## Randy M.

J Riff, I remember those vaguely. *The Maze* I recall mainly as a not quite Lovecraftian movie that really looks good in glorious black & white (as I remember it anyway; may have seen it on a b&w TV set) but ultimately is just bizarre and not really satisfying, the ending being just a short notch above "and then they were run over by a truck."

The other I just recall seeing. Bronson, especially when he was young, had a powerful energy on screen that very few directors seemed able to use effectively.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

Noooo... you forget ...what IS the secret of the old house? WHAT is in the cellar? It stays interesting till the end, but don't tell them. I can imagine people going to the cinema and seeing this in 1958, with no idea what it is, till the end, when they learn a new word.
 For a raft of one-liners, try _The Silence of the Hams. _


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Yeah, the ending of *The Maze* is truly jaw-dropping.  I imagine it would have been even weirder in the original 3-D.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mr. Moto Takes a Chance* (1938)

Back to international intrigue.  The complex plot involves a beautiful aviatrix who deliberately crashes somewhere in IndoChina, two documentary cameramen in the same area, and our hero, who takes on the roles of an archaeologist and an elderly holy man.  It all has to do with something hidden in an ancient temple.  Barely over an hour long.  It's like an old serial boiled down to the basics.


----------



## Rodders

R.I.P.D. Was on telly last night. It was pretty good fun.


----------



## Starbeast

Cathbad said:


> ~seems to be the only one I the universe who didn't care for Breaking Bad~ *shrugs*  Sorry!





HanaBi said:


> you're not alone! I got a far as Season 3 and finally pulled the plug. It's okay I suppose, but I really couldn't find the inclination to carry on watching, probably because I couldn't care less about the characters.



Yeah, I completely understand it's not for everyone. It's dark, gritty and a misty-mirrored reflection of real criminal life (at all levels). But I watch to see people become involved with ridding the world of hard-core, life-like villains. Plus, how some people can turn themselves into a better person.

As for me _not_ getting into a series that has a large number of followers...that would be....._Game of Thrones_ (only 3 seasons) and _LOST _(only 1 season)_._


----------



## WarriorMouse

Cathbad said:


> ~seems to be the only one I the universe who didn't care for Breaking Bad~
> 
> *shrugs*  Sorry!



I read a synopsis of the show and thus, never watched it. So your not alone.


----------



## WarriorMouse

Starbeast said:


> As for me _not_ getting into a series that has a large number of followers...that would be....._Game of Thrones_ (only 3 seasons) and _LOST _(only 1 season)_._



As for me;
Game of thrones ... 3/4 of season one
Lost about 1/2 of season one


----------



## WarriorMouse

Watched "*DOWNSIZING" *last night.

  It deserves its Rotten Tomatoes rating.


----------



## Vince W

*Hellboy* (2004). I've not watch it in a donkey's age and I'd forgotten how good it actually is. Good action, some scares, and some good humour. It's such a shame the sequel was so bloody awful.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation* (1939)

Our hero, now said to be working for the "international police," protects the newly uncovered crown of the Queen of Sheba from three groups of bad guys.  (A gang of ordinary crooks, a man-and-woman team of European criminals, and a mysterious super-criminal known as Metaxa [also the name of a Greek booze, by the way.])  The multiple villains keep the movie moving at a rapid pace.  Unfortunately, a lot of the minimal running time is wasted with comic relief offered by a bumbling British detective.  Moto begins the movie disguised as an Austrian professor; surely a joke about actor Peter Lorre in the role, as he was born in the Austro-Hungarian empire.  Some nice scenes set in a very rainy Chinatown in San Francisco.


----------



## Heijan Xavier

*Daniel Tiger's Tiger Family Trip* (2016)

Daniel learns that there are so many things to do and see when you're on a trip with your family.  When he get's to Grandpere Tiger's lighthouse, dinner is already made and the tables set outdoors, overlooking the water.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Day the Sky Exploded* (_La morte viene dallo spazio_, 1958)

Said to be the first Italian science fiction movie.  Astronaut on the first trip around the moon runs into trouble and ejects from the spacecraft.  It winds up in the "delta asteroids" and the space rocks head for Earth.  Cue stock footage of disasters.  The nations of the world join forces to blow them up with missiles.  Realistic and sedate for most of the running time.  Padded with soap opera subplots about the astronaut's marriage and the beautiful but emotionally cool female scientist at mission control.  Cinematography (and, if rumor be true, direction) by Mario Bava.


----------



## HanaBi

*Saw* (2004)

Possibly the granddaddy of all "torture-porn" films of the 21st cetury, and certainly captured the vivid imagination of the discerning public as it became an immense box-office hit on its release in 2004, earning over $150 million globally on just a $2 million budget.

However, when you sweep away the smart editing and the relentless torture scenes, you are reminded of the need for a good logical story, and this film doesn't have it! And neither is it particularly engaging, probably because both lead characters are not at all sympathetic or redeeming. And as a consequence I really couldn't have cared if they lived or died. And it's because of that lack of character empathy that makes this film shallow and pointless. 

The only highlight was the ending, but having said that I could see that coming almost from the off.

This particular saw lacks teeth.

2/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mysterious Mr Moto* (1938)

This entry in the series starts off with a bang, as Moto, disguised as a murderer, escapes from Devil's Island with another prisoner.  Of course, it's only so he can be hired by the grateful fellow as a servant.  That way he can keep an eye on the guy, who is one of an organization of assassins.  Most of the story takes place in Hollywood's London, with lots of local color.  There's one heck of a fight in a pub, which covers up a murder.  Moto stays one step ahead of the bad guys and Scotland Yard as he works to protect the next intended victim.  There's a beautiful fellow agent of the "international police" for Moto to work with, and an action-packed climax at an art gallery.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Carol*" (2015)

Summary 





> In this adaptation of the novel "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith, Therese (Rooney Mara), a young department-store clerk in 1950s Manhattan, meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), a beautiful older woman stuck in a depressing marriage of convenience. As their bond deepens and they become romantically involved, Carol finds the strength to leave her husband (Kyle Chandler). Unfortunately, her spouse starts to raise questions about her fitness as a mother when he realizes that Carol's relationships with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) and Therese are more than just friendships. Directed by Todd Haynes.


 - Courtesy, Rotten Tomatoes

I managed to track this film purely through recommendation, thinking that this melodrama of forbidden love between two women in 1950s Manhattan, would not be quite my cup of tea. However, after resisting the temptation to find something far more interesting to do, I sat back in my chair and let this truly wonderful film unveil itself upon me.

Brilliant performances all round, but the chemistry twixt Blanchett & Mara, is truly beguiling and utterly believable. And the film itself is done in the best possible taste given the delicate subject matter, especially the love scene between both women. There is no hint of blatant exploitation of just throwing such a sex scene in just to attract attention from those who don't care for the story, but just want the action. 

Come the end of the film I was almost on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen twixt these two mysterious yet somewhat familiar women.

The film earned many award nominations, but regrettably won none of the majors (Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA). Not that that really matters, but this film is deserving of far more exposure and respect. It is a remarkable and truly endearing drama, that I will no doubt watch again and again.

5/5


----------



## Rodders

Timecrimes. A Spanish movie which was pretty interesting. I need to rewatch it, is I don’t think I grasped all the ins and outs of it. Totally recommended. 

Morgan. Another interesting movie. 

Stake land. Not t my usual thing at all, but interesting enough.


----------



## Cathbad

Timecrimes sounds interesting.  I'll check it out!


----------



## Jeffbert

Its been a while since I was here. Anyway, I like the Mr. Moto films, which I saw over 10 years ago, when I 1st joined NF. Do not think I have seen D Vs. Frankenstein, but I am sure I would enjoy it. 

Recently, I have seen *My Follow Americans (1996)*, which had James Garner & Jack Lemmon as ex 1 term presidents, 1 a D, the other an R. both in deep doo doo. Fairly amusing, but far from great. 

*The H-Man* (1958) Japanese horror film; 3rd time I saw it. Pretty good! Radiation transforms guy into living slime that dissolves and consumes his victims. 

*Madigan* (1968) Very tense cop drama directed by the same guy who did DIRTY HARRY.  Richard Widmark as a cop who fumbles his pistol while attempting to arrest a suspect. Reminds me of Toshiro Mifune in *Stray Dog *(1949). Nice to see Widmark as good guy. In both cases, the cops are at wits end worrying about the possibility of murders using their stolen guns. 

Noir: *Stranger on the 3rd Floor *(1940) Reporter just happens to see Elisha Cooke's character with murdered man, & assumes he did him in. Guy is convicted & sentenced to the chair. Reporter then finds himself in the same situation!  



Spoiler



P. Lorre as an escapee from the funny farm who wields a straight razor, WHO DID THE DIRTY DEEDS. As he confesses while dying, reminds me of 'M' in which, he portrayed a similar character.



*No Questions Asked* (1951) Insurance agent ends up as go-between for recovering stolen goods from crooks for the insurance companies that offered rewards saving the crooks from the need to 'fence' the stolen goods. Ends up causing rapid rise in thefts, ire of cops, etc. 1st time I had seen this one. Very good!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*J.D.'s Revenge* (1976)

Surprisingly effective supernatural blaxploitation film.  New Orleans, 1942:  J.D. witnesses the murder of his sister, but is blamed for it and shot dead on the spot.  Thirty years later, he possesses the body of a hard-working cab driver/law student.  Despite the exploitative elements (primarily lots of gratuitous female nudity), the film takes itself seriously, without campy elements, and is very well-acted.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Five on the Black Hand Side* (1973)

This African-American comedy-drama came with this memorable tag line.


> You've been coffy-tized, blacula-rized and super-flied - but now you're gonna be glorified, unified and filled-with-pride.



That indicates the fact that this kind of an anti-blaxploitation film.  Lots of characters and subplots, but basically it's about a martinet who completely controls his wife, while his two grown sons are political activists and his grown daughter is about to be married.  The wife quickly decides to rebel, but everything works out well at the end.  It's all rather like an extended, and somewhat more serious, version of an African-American sitcom of the time, dealing as it does with race and gender issues.


----------



## Jeffbert

I heard of *J.D.'s Revenge* (1976), but never saw it. I did see *Black Gestapo* (1875). Rather absurd, as I recall. They form a militant squad of vigilantes who protect the people from gangsters. After expelling the mob, they themselves become the oppressors. 

*Blackenstein* (1973) was rather a poor film, at least, in my opinion.


----------



## J Riff

_The Brute Man_, with Rondo Hatton, who plays a handsome athlete who is made hideous by an accident he blames on his pals at college. He disappears, then returns to kill people as 'The Creeper'. A blind girl befriends him, but he keeps on a'killin' till they nab him.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Sunset BLVD* (1950) Wm Holden is a Hollywood screenwriter who is out of work; he is three months past due on car payments, & similar on rent. While hiding his car from the repo man, in what he thinks is the garage of a vacant house, he meets a 50 something ex silent screen starlet (Gloria Swanson) & her butler (E. Von Stroheim). Then it becomes rather interesting, and unexpected things are revealed. Holden narrates; as the film opens, there is a dead man floating face-down in a pool, identity unknown. 



Spoiler



& tells the tale, even though he is dead; though that is only revealed at the end. The butler was the starlet's 1st of 3 husbands, and the director who discovered her. He so loves her, that he deludes her into thinking that she is still adored by fans (he writes her fan mail), & desired by studios, etc. Holden's character is stuck as her new beau; much to his dislike/dismay. He cannot escape, when he tries, she attempts suicide. He just cannot leave her, though he hates the situation. True, she spoils him with clothes, and other expensive items, & he has his needs met, except freedom.



I was not sure I would like the film, but am a fan of EVS. I did enjoy it, rather well.


----------



## Parson

*I Can Only Imagine* .... This is the surprise hit of this season. Low budget, but great acting and a great *true story*. My wife and I seldom like the same movie, but this was the rare and happy exception. ---- For those of you unfamiliar with the song of that title, it is the story about how a modern classic contemporary Christian song came to be through the lens of the abusive youth of the writer and singer of the band which popularized it. --- I can't emphasize enough how good I thought the acting was. The only somewhat poor scene was a football scene, but that was seen through my eyes and I am a former football coach. Others might not see how fake it really was.


----------



## Jeffbert

I am not a sports fan, but can relate to the scrutinizing of such things. I had a friend who had been a sonar tech on an attack sub. We went to see *Hunt for Red Oct*. & *Das Boot*. He simply would not keep his mouth shut; continually saying how this or that was not realistic. *The Silent Service*, BS!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Black Panther*. Was good!


----------



## Roj Blake

Ready Player One

It was brilliant, typically Spielberg.

It's a multigenerational love letter to those of a certain persuasion.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Justice League*. Mediocre and forgettable.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*STAR WARS 
The Last Jedi
*
*SPOILERS*
Luke Skywalker is a grumpy old fart
Emperor Snokes dies
Everyone in the rebellion gets stupid

There, your all caught up, you don't have to watch this poorly written, badly edited wreck of a movie.


----------



## Starbeast

*Final thoughts* on *BREAKING BAD* (2008 - 2013)  After watching the entire series.






​I took me a decade to finally watch this series, mainly because I've lost friends to drug addiction (sometimes involving death). However, after getting beyond my personal feelings, I checked out the first episode......and was surprised that the show was quite different than I thought it would be like.

After I "binge watched" episodes until I finished on Thursday night. My verdict: I enjoyed this saga. Excellent actors, directing, dialogue and special effects. I usually don't care for heavy drama, but this one, is tremendous.



Re-watched Favorites:

*The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie* (2004) - Still a great animated flick that puts a smile on my face.

*The Boondock Saints* (1999) - Two brothers become vigilantes, and go after crime lords and scum. I love the soundtrack too.


----------



## Rodders

James Bond: Skyfall. 

Was very enjoyable.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek:the Motion Picture(1979)*
We've  been watching all of the original ST:TOS series thru Netflix and today we decided to watch the first film (Director's edition)
It's weird hearing Goldsmith's theme from TNG used throughout the film-I'd forgotten it was used back then first!


----------



## dask

*The Shape Of Water*. Good. In fact very good. But best picture? Not really sure but still worth watching.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Oh, Mr Porter!*" - Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott (1937)

Summary:-



> _Through the influence of a relative, a hopeless railway employee is made stationmaster the sleepy Irish station of Buggleskelly. Determined to make his mark, he devises a number of schemes to put Buggleskelly on the railway map, but instead falls foul of a gang of gun runners_.- *Courtesy, IMDb*



This is perhaps my favourite Hay film, ably supported by the regular duo of Marriott and Moffatt. A very gentle comedy that somehow feels far older than its 1937 production would suggest. But it is an entertaining couple of hours with Hay in fine form as the bumbling yet lovable stationmaster keeping the - improbable - storyline ticking over nicely.

4/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Philadelphia, Here I Come!* (1970)

This is considered to be part of the American Film Theatre series, although it was not released with the others back in 1973-1975.  Apparently it was released in Ireland in 1970 and had no American release until the AFT series came out on DVD.

Anyway, it takes place on the day before a young man working in his father's store is going to leave Ireland for a new life in the United States.  It shows his relationship with his distant father, their housekeeper who is something of a replacement for his mother, who died when he was three years old, his friends, and the woman he loves but lost to a successful doctor.  What keeps this from being a realistic play of the "kitchen sink" type is the fact that the young man is played by two actors at the same time, one portraying his public self and the other his private thoughts.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek VI:The Undiscovered Country *
This is the last film featuring all of the original crew and has some interesting cast members and characters. Also the only ST film to win a Saturn Award. Also Roddenberry died just before release.
Next up *Star Trek VII:Generations*


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Dirty Dozen*" - Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson (1967)

Summary:-


> As D-Day approaches, Colonel Breed hands the roguish Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) an important assignment: He must train a team of soldiers to parachute across enemy lines and assassinate German personnel at a French chateau. The soldiers, recruited from murderers, rapists and criminals on death row, are promised commuted sentences. In spite of their history, the 12 men prove a spirited and courageous unit. Led by Major Reisman, they will exact revenge.- *Courtesy, Wikipedia*



Historically in my household, it's always "The Great Escape" at Christmas, and "The Dirty Dozen" for Easter, and I never get tired of watching either (and I still keep on wishing Steve McQueen could jump over those barbed wire fences on his motorcycle!)

Dirty Dozen, is a terrific, no-holds-barred, war film  - plenty of guns, explosions, violence and amoral deaths. And all male cast cuts short any notion of romantic interludes with WAGs, and just suits up with a sackful of testosterone, bullets and hand-grenades.

The final battle scenes at the aforementioned chateau near the end of the film, drew lots of criticism with its almost throwaway attitude of killing innocent men and women along with the targeted Nazis. And even though War is indeed Hell, it does leave a rather bitter aftertaste in the mouth and spoils the purpose of the film somewhat.

Despite being a box-office hit in 1967, and becoming one of Lee Marvin's best films, he didn't much care for it, famously calling it a piece of crap (Marvin being a WW2 US army veteran) Nevertheless, time is a great healer, and eventually he admitted a great fondness for the film.

4/5


----------



## AE35Unit

*Star Trek:Nemesis*
The last pre-reboot ST film, and one of the best


----------



## HanaBi

"*Ask a Policeman*" - Will Hay, Graham Moffatt, Moore Marriott (1939)

Summary - 





> Will Hay plays Sergeant Samuel Dudfoot, an inept policeman, stagnating in the sleepy village of Turnbotham Round (pronounced Turnbottom), where there has been no crime for a decade. After the Chief Constable tells them that there is not enough local criminal activity to justify their station's existence, three incompetent policemen decide to start manufacturing crimes to "fiddle the figures". Dudfoot, together with Albert Brown (Graham Moffatt) and Jerry Harbottle (Moore Marriott) create a crime wave by framing motorists in a speed trap and concocting false evidence.
> 
> They also leave a keg of whisky unattended in order to frame someone as a smuggler - and then accidentally discover a real smuggling ring!
> - *Courtesy, Wikipedia*



Continuing my Will Hay film collection this month, "Ask a Policeman" follows a very similar storyline to another Hay film I reviewed a few days ago - "Oh Mister Porter". In this case its bootlegging criminals instead of gunrunners that our intrepid trio find themselves in. But despite this, the film still contains many funny scenes, pratfalls and one-liner gags. Hay, Marriott and Moffatt are all in top form and carry the film from start to finish with perfect comic timing.

4/5


----------



## Lumens

The Titan

Good premise, terrible execution.


----------



## Cathbad

*Let Me In*  (2010)

The opening of this movie really irked me:  Opening credits roll, then the screen goes black - and stays that way far too long.  Then the barely readable title, followed by the words:

Los Alamos, New Mexico
March 1983​This means, apparently, nothing, as it could have been Johannesburg, South Africa, 1991 (or any forested place, pre-1999).  And apparently, the creators think their audience are very slow readers.

The screen goes black again - for way too long.

Finally we are treated to a scene of a woods/forest, with emergency vehicles travelling down a road in the middle of the trees - which appear to be travelling very slowly, despite the red lights strobing.  We are looking at a very long shot, so we cannot discern if it is police, ambulance, FD, or a combo.

We are finally treated to action - in the ER.

Somewhere, a writer is pulling out is air:  I'd place a bet that he started the story in the ER, before the Production Company ordered the Director to add some minutes.

There's more filler, but the story is a good one, performed by some great child actors.


----------



## Droflet

*Marrowbone*. (2017) 
A conventional ghost story takes a wild turn toward the end. Highly entertaining twist on an old genre.


----------



## Lucien21

Cathbad said:


> *Let Me In*  (2010)
> 
> The opening of this movie really irked me:  Opening credits roll, then the screen goes black - and stays that way far too long.  Then the barely readable title, followed by the words:
> 
> Los Alamos, New Mexico
> March 1983​This means, apparently, nothing, as it could have been Johannesburg, South Africa, 1991 (or any forested place, pre-1999).  And apparently, the creators think their audience are very slow readers.
> 
> The screen goes black again - for way too long.
> 
> Finally we are treated to a scene of a woods/forest, with emergency vehicles travelling down a road in the middle of the trees - which appear to be travelling very slowly, despite the red lights strobing.  We are looking at a very long shot, so we cannot discern if it is police, ambulance, FD, or a combo.
> 
> We are finally treated to action - in the ER.
> 
> Somewhere, a writer is pulling out is air:  I'd place a bet that he started the story in the ER, before the Production Company ordered the Director to add some minutes.
> 
> There's more filler, but the story is a good one, performed by some great child actors.




I prefer the Swedish original, but it's ok.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Death Wish*" - Bruce Willis (2017)

Summary - 





> Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is a surgeon who often sees the consequences of the city's violence in the emergency room. When home intruders brutally attack his wife and young daughter, Kersey becomes obsessed with delivering vigilante justice to the perpetrators. As the anonymous slayings grab the media's attention, the public begins to wonder if the deadly avenger is a guardian angel -- or the Grim Reaper itself - *Courtesy, Wikipedia*



Unnecessary, ill-conceived, ill-timed pile of bilge, directed by Eli "Hostel" Roth, and starring Bruce "what am I doing here?" Willis.

The original 1974 "Death Wish" had far more class and subtlety on the subject of an innocent man becoming a ruthless vigilante, not least because Charles Bronson understood the character, understood the director (Michael Winner) and understood the story. Whereas, this awful reboot we find hapless Roth taking the path of least resistance, dumping any character development and more or less deciding that Willis is somewhat entitled to go round taking potshots at bad guys (most of them not white); not only that but in no time at all he knows how to handle guns and shoots like a veteran marksman, even though he is just a humble doctor.

Willis must be hard up to want appear in trash like this; in fact he doesn't even act! Instead he just shuffles around, grunting and swearing and putting on a steely glare at all and sundry.

Hard to believe this is the same guy that did a marvellous job playing John McClane in the far, far superior "Die Hard"

1/5


----------



## Vince W

HanaBi said:


> not only that but in no time at all he knows how to handle guns and shoots like a veteran marksman, even though he is just a humble doctor.



Martial arts films have proven conclusively that any novice can become a super master in only a few weeks provided you have a decent training montage and appropriate music. Why not with guns?


----------



## Cathbad

Vince W said:


> Martial arts films have proven conclusively that any novice can become a super master in only a few weeks provided you have a decent training montage and appropriate music. Why not with guns?


As to this:  The first time I ever fired a weapon was in Basic Training (Army).  Two weeks later, I was one of five men in our platoon (of 110 men) to score as Expert.  So yeah, it actually is possible!


----------



## Cathbad

*Taking Earth*  (2017)

Frankly, I found the movie boring, due to predictability and a ridiculous amount of sentimentality.


----------



## Droflet

*Small Town Crime.* (2017)

A washed up former cop becomes a PI and sets out to find the killer of two young women. Nothing new here but quite well done.


----------



## Droflet

*The Commuter *(2018)

Standard Hollywood action movie with all the expected over the top special effects. Some may like this but I found it predictable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dimension 5* (1966)

_Star Trek_ veterans Jeffrey Hunter and France Nuyen are secret agents in this slow, low-budget spy flick with a science fiction gimmick.  It seems that the good guys have a time belt which allows their agents to zap themselves into the recent past or near future.  Amazingly, very little is done with this super-powerful device, and most of the movie is just people talking.  The minimal plot involves the bad guys bringing the components for a hydrogen bomb into the USA so they can blow up Los Angeles.  Jeffrey Hunter plays Justin Power; if Mike Myers named Austin Powers after this character, I'm impressed by his familiarity with obscure 007 knockoffs.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frozen Alive* (1964)

Very sedate British-German science fiction drama.  Scientist works on freezing and reviving animals.  His heavy-drinking wife is jealous of his relationship with a woman scientist, and she has her own boyfriend on the side.  The male scientist eventually has himself frozen to prove the technique can work on humans.  He doesn't realize he'll have to face a serious situation when he's revived.  It's all very low-key and realistic; or you might call it slow and unexciting.  Good performance from the actress playing the alcoholic wife.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Wages of Fear*" (French - 1953)

Summary - 





> In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death - *Courtesy, Wikipedia*



A slow burner in all senses of the word, but the film benefits hugely from it because it gives us plenty of time to familiarise ourselves with the lead characters and the dangers they face transporting such dangerous supplies across a treacherous route. The ramping up of the suspense is beautifully executed as the men driving the trucks face one hazard after another during the seemingly endless journey across country.

The ending is quite extraordinary, and for some a bit of a let down, and not in keeping with the logic of either the film as a whole or the character in question. But despite that slight inconsistency this film is a delight.

5/5


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Frozen Alive* (1964)
> 
> Very sedate British-German science fiction drama.  Scientist works on freezing and reviving animals.  His heavy-drinking wife is jealous of his relationship with a woman scientist, and she has her own boyfriend on the side.  The male scientist eventually has himself frozen to prove the technique can work on humans.  He doesn't realize he'll have to face a serious situation when he's revived.  It's all very low-key and realistic; or you might call it slow and unexciting.  Good performance from the actress playing the alcoholic wife.


I recall seeing this years ago!  Wouldn't mind seeing it again.


----------



## Vince W

*The Titan* (2018). Another Netflix stinker. Don't waste your time.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Valerian with the Mrs. Last night. Still an enjoyable, but I doubt that I will watch it for a third time. 

X Men 2 was on the television last night. I haven’t seen this for a long time and thought that it was still very good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Cold Night's Death* (1973) (Made for TV)

Two scientists (Robert Culp and Eli Wallach) are dropped off by helicopter at a research station way up on a snowy mountain.   It seems the one guy there hasn't reported in for a while.  They find the place a shambles and the guy a frozen corpse.  As they settle in to continue the research (experiments on primates at high altitudes, designed to test conditions for astronauts), odd things happen.  Windows left open, heat turned off, etc.  Soon the two scientists are at each other's throats, Culp insisting there must be someone -- or some _thing_ -- doing all this, and Wallach blaming Culp for it.  This two man show, limited to one building, creates a great deal of suspense as well as a feeling of claustrophobia and intense cold.  You may find the explanation for the mystery either shocking or laughable.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Valerian - beautiful to look at but the two leads are charisma-free zones (who on earth thought that she could act?)

Death Wish (2018) - really enjoyed this 

Pacific Rim:2 - transformerslite, really disappointing in all honesty

Ready Player 1 - loved some of the 80s references and the sound-track, film itself was.... ok


----------



## BigBadBob141

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, which I really enjoyed, I think is even better then the first.
Then I watched Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets.
I think this is based on a French comic strip, possibly out of Heavy Metal magazine.
This film just blew me away, it is outstanding!
I loved the idea of an other dimension marketplace.
Hope they make some more of these.


----------



## Baquevory

_Ready player one_. To be honest, I was hope so much more from that film. The videogame's references are cool and the special effects are great, but the plot are so predictible and I found that a little bit boring. Also, it reminded me of a Robert Rodriguez's movie, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, which I prefer so much in stead of the special effects.


----------



## Vince W

Baquevory said:


> _Ready player one_. To be honest, I was hope so much more from that film. The videogame's references are cool and the special effects are great, but the plot are so predictible and I found that a little bit boring. Also, it reminded me of a Robert Rodriguez's movie, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, which I prefer so much in stead of the special effects.



First negative review I've seen regarding the RPO film. I've not seen it yet, but it's nice to see it doesn't thrill everyone.

And welcome to the Chrons!


----------



## Foxbat

*WonderWoman*. Really enjoyed it.
*Justice League*. I struggled to stay awake.


----------



## J Riff

_Violated _ 1953.  This one is typical low-budget detective/crime 'thriller' about perverts, but who cares - the soundtrack is all weirdo electric guitar, reverbed out by Tony Mottola, who did some quite wacky wecords, things like 'Music for Space Squirrels'. Maybe the only all-electric-guitar soundtrack of the 50s, who knows? KertwaaAng! 
_Wizard of Baghdad _1960 - well. If you can make it past the opening song.... without cracking up or at least gagging, then you will enjoy this wacky nebbish-fest.


----------



## Cathbad

*Pulp Fiction* (1994)

Woke up from a nap to find this was on the telly.  Third time I've watched it.  And I still wonder what all the fuss was about!

The "Great Acclaim" is that this series of unrelated stories is all brought together at the end is... PHOOEY!  Just because the director manipulate the script to bring the participants of the various unrelated stories to the same location at the end of the movie (some outside, actually), is a _contrivance_, not a "wonderful plot twist".

Taken separately, these various stories were quite entertaining, especially Bruce Willis' piece.  As an anthology, this movie rocks.  Just stop trying to convince me the director was a genius in bringing it all together!


----------



## svalbard

*What We Become
*
A Danish Zombie apocalypse movie. It is a low budget affair but incredibly tense in parts with plenty of frightened characters, all very human in their response to the at first confusing and then terrifying events that overcome them.


----------



## Rodders

That sound really interesting Svalbard. I might pick up a copy.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Rampage w. Dwayne Johnson. 

Wow, what a surprise! Fully nuanced and fleshed out characters, a career-best acting performance for most of the actors. layered subtleties and logical, believable special effects and action sequences. All in all a triumph of filmmaking which will be remembered come Oscars 2019.












































 as if!! Seriously the film is based on the mid-80s computer game how do you think it's going to be?

I really enjoyed it - yes it's trash but going in there knowing that is all that's needed. Mind you some tool took his 3 y/o in with him 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 so I do wonder what some people are thinking! In fairness, the kid was totally silent for the 3rd of the film they were there, but I'm putting bets on him not sleeping well at some point over the next few days


----------



## Mouse

Finding Nemo.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Ghost in the Shell*


----------



## Cathbad

Mouse said:


> Finding Nemo.


I saw that... pretty darn cute.


----------



## Venusian Broon

*The Witch*
_
I've brought a book, will you look at it with me?_


----------



## Cathbad

Venusian Broon said:


> _I've brought a book, will you look at it with me?_


I'm not gonna look at it...

Hey!  Let's ask Mikey!  He'll read anything!


----------



## Parson

Mouse said:


> Finding Nemo.


I liked this one. ---- As much as I hate to admit it, a lot of the animated stuff is better than most of the acted stuff these days.


----------



## BAYLOR

Parson said:


> I liked this one. ---- As much as I hate to admit it, a lot of the animated stuff is better than most of the acted stuff these days.



True.


----------



## Mouse

I like it, seen it before but always worth another watch! First film watched in the new house.


----------



## svalbard

*Annilation
*
An intelligent and well paced sci-fi flick that was turned down by the studios and went straight to Netflix. More of this if we get to see films of this calibre. Or is Netflix the new 'straight to video\dvd'.

I am not familiar with series the movie is based on, but if it is half as good as the movie then I will have to put it on my TBR mountain. Anyone know of the books?

Natalie Portman is superb as the lead.


----------



## williamjm

svalbard said:


> *Annilation
> *
> An intelligent and well paced sci-fi flick that was turned down by the studios and went straight to Netflix. More of this if we get to see films of this calibre. Or is Netflix the new 'straight to video\dvd'.
> 
> I am not familiar with series the movie is based on, but if it is half as good as the movie then I will have to put it on my TBR mountain. Anyone know of the books?
> 
> Natalie Portman is superb as the lead.



I watched this last week. I agree it was a good film, it did a great job of capturing how much of a journey into the unknown it was for the characters and I like that it didn't feel it needed to explain everything that happened. I agree Portman did a good job in the lead role.


----------



## WaylanderToo

just watched Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay. Quite an enjoyable DC animated flick (certainly NOT for kids!)


----------



## Jeffbert

*Noah's Ark*, a hybrid of silent & sound. Heard that many were injured during production. They just don't make 'em like that, any more. Starts off during WWI with sound, then, apparently in a dream sequence, the ark, etc., returns to the WWI time.  

*There was a Crooked Man* (1970); one of those fun westerns, with more than a few big names in the cast. Kirk Douglas is a robber who stashes big bucks in a hole filled with rattlesnakes; goes to prison, breaks out, and goes to retrieve the $$$. But--


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Knife of Ice* (1972)

Spanish-Italian mystery/thriller which omits the nudity and explicit violence usually found in a _giallo_ of the time.  Carroll Baker is a woman who has been mute since the age of thirteen, when she witnessed her parents killed in a train wreck.  Her cousin is murdered in the lavish estate of her uncle.  Since another young woman was found dead not long before, the police suspect a serial killer, and assume Baker is in danger.  More killings follow.  Besides the uncle, other suspects/red herrings include the uncle's servants; the local doctor; the local priest; and the local drug addict/Satanist.  The twist ending took me by surprise.


----------



## Starbeast

*Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017) - The film looked great, but, am I feeling the force.....(tickle, tickle, tickle )....no.

*Justice League* (2017) - The film looked, pretty good, but really disappointed me. Thousands of stories to choose from DC comics, and they decided to  try to copy Marvel Comic movies.


Now for the better ones (for me).


*Thor: Ragnarok* (2017) - I LOVED IT !!! Great story, acting, music, AND, art designs inspired by JACK KIRBY, beautiful. I even noticed the sound effects from the 1966 Thor cartoon.  Nice touch (among many other things).

*Black Panther* (2018) - I LOVED IT !!! Great story, acting, music and overall, AWESOME. And like _Thor: Ragnarok_, lots of nice comic book touches.

*The Hunt for Red October* (1990) - I finally got a chance to see this magnificent film. Great story with lots of tension. Plus, a submarine load of fine actors in the movie too.

*IT* (2017) - Disturbingly delightful. Dark, gritty and monstrous. I still enjoy the original freaky TV movie. But this one, is nice to see push that "R" rating.

*A Quiet Place* (2018) - I'm so glad I don't watch trailers to films that I intend to see. This was a very creepy treat that was surprisingly excellent.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Madmen of Mandoras* (1963)

Dreary little low-budget spy movie, notable only for the ridiculous premise, discussed in the spoiler.  Otherwise, it's a dull affair.  Scientist who holds the secret to an antidote for a super-powerful nerve gas has his beatnik younger daughter kidnapped.  She's actually just bait to kidnap the scientist himself.  The husband of his older daughter goes to investigate, based on the single clue that a guy told him they're in the fictional Latin American nation of Mandoras just before he got shot.  Unexciting spy stuff follows in Mandoras, which seems to consist of one village.  Pretty soon we find out that:



Spoiler



The bad guys are Nazis who have the disembodied but living head of Hitler in a jar giving them orders.  As a sign of how slovenly this movie really is, the big swastika behind Hitler's head is backwards.  The movie later had twenty minutes of footage added for television, under the new title *They Saved Hitler's Brain*.


----------



## dask

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Madmen of Mandoras* (1963)
> 
> Dreary little low-budget spy movie, notable only for the ridiculous premise, discussed in the spoiler.  Otherwise, it's a dull affair.  Scientist who holds the secret to an antidote for a super-powerful nerve gas has his beatnik younger daughter kidnapped.  She's actually just bait to kidnap the scientist himself.  The husband of his older daughter goes to investigate, based on the single clue that a guy told him they're in the fictional Latin American nation of Mandoras just before he got shot.  Unexciting spy stuff follows in Mandoras, which seems to consist of one village.  Pretty soon we find out that:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The bad guys are Nazis who have the disembodied but living head of Hitler in a jar giving them orders.  As a sign of how slovenly this movie really is, the big swastika behind Hitler's head is backwards.  The movie later had twenty minutes of footage added for television, under the new title *They Saved Hitler's Brain*.


Whew! Still, there's a good story in there somewhere if someone were ambitious enough to dig it out. Just don't use your bare hands!

Finished up *Grand Hotel* tonight. Classic movie with an all-star cast about the vicissitudes of fortune in a fancy hotel in Berlin where "nothing ever happens." Great performances all around especially Joan Crawford whose swift and sly facial expressions give her the edge. And not only that, in 1932 she's hotter than Garbo.


----------



## REBerg

*Atomic Blonde*
Hmm. I already knew that Imperator Furiosa could fight, but thanks for the reminder.


----------



## Anthoney

I just rewatched Deja Vu with Denzel.  Looking forward to his new Equalizer film.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Deja view, then, Anthoney. 
My wife and I rewatched one of our favorite films, _Magnolia_. And because she loves SF too, we watched _Colossus, The Forbin Project,_ which I think holds up amazingly well; her first viewing, and she enjoyed it too. I have a feeling Cameron must have seen this when it came out, in 1970 (Skynet from _Terminator_).


----------



## Cathbad

*Welcome To Willits*  (2017)

Probably the worse teen horror flick ever made.

Drug-addled duo mistakes camping teens for aliens.  Eh... honest mistake.

Skip this one.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Terror is a Man* (1959)

Filipino/American production, first of a series of horror films set on Blood Island.  This one is an uncredited adaptation/rip-off of the H. G. Wells classic _The Island of Doctor Moreau_.  Hero is the only survivor of a shipwreck.  His lifeboat winds up on an isolated island.  He gets taken in by a doctor.  They're busy dealing with a dangerous animal endangering the locals.  (The locals are smarter than most folks in a monster movie.  After a couple of them get slaughtered, they take to their boats and move to another island.)  Along for the ride are the doctor's wife (with whom the hero begins a romance), a brutal assistant, and a couple of servants.  Oh, yes, I forgot about the panther-man that the doctor has operated on in order to create the first of a new race of humanity.  Things play out pretty much as expected, with the poor, tormented creature eventually breaking loose again.  It's not a bad film at all, something like a decent low-budget chiller of the 1930's or early 1940's.  The panther-man is usually seen wrapped up in bandages, which keeps him from looking too silly.  (The result is about one-third Wolfman, one-third Frankenstein Monster, and one-third Mummy.)  Worth a look for fans of old-fashioned monster flicks.


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Terror is a Man* (1959)


I saw that one jus a few years ago.  I can't say it was well-acted, but I did enjoy the story.


----------



## dask

Watched this tonight:




Go get 'em Greta as seductive double agent in WW1 Paris. Much ballyhooed exotic dance okay but execution scene at the beginning unusually realistic, at least to one who has never witnessed one. 1931 MGM classic. Never heard of Ramon Novarro, is this his only movie? Good actor.


----------



## mosaix

*The Hidden Figures.* 

The little known story of three black women's contribution to the success of the American space program when NASA was still riddled with segregation. Although some of the 'reconstructions' are a little unbelievable the story, non-the-less, needed to be told.


----------



## Vince W

*Thor: Ragnarok*. Entertaining and funny in places. Some of the jokes felt forced, but still worth watching at least once. Still, the Marvel franchise is much better than anything on offer from DC.


----------



## scififan

Monty Python's the Meaning of Life.  It was outrageously funny.  A nice way to unwind after a hard week at work.


----------



## Parson

mosaix said:


> *The Hidden Figures.*
> 
> The little known story of three black women's contribution to the success of the American space program when NASA was still riddled with segregation. Although some of the 'reconstructions' are a little unbelievable the story, non-the-less, needed to be told.



Have not seen the movie, but the book is utterly believable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frightmare* (1974)

Not to be confused with the 1983 film of the same name.  This one is also known as *Cover Up*, which makes it sound like a _film noir_.  Anyway, the details of the plot don't become clear until about halfway through, so suffice to say it's a gore-filled exploitation film, but one which has an absolutely outstanding performance from the woman who plays the lead role.



Spoiler



She killed six people and ate part of their brains -- shades of zombie movies! -- years ago, went to an asylum with her husband, was pronounced cured, but has gone back to her old ways.  Her stepdaughter tries to keep her under control by secretly bringing her raw animal brains to eat, but her biological daughter has inherited her homicidal ways.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Veil*  (2016)

This horror/thriller actually has a great premise.  Unfortunately, in the final 20% of the film, they take it way too far.

Actress Jessica Alba tries to prove she can act without exposing most of her skin - and, more or less, succeeds.  The lead male channels way too much Jim Jones for the part.

I was engrossed with the movie until, as I said, it went too far.  My suspension of disbelief lagged, then failed all together.  I wouldn't mind seeing a remake leaving out the more ridiculous aspects.


----------



## mosaix

Parson said:


> Have not seen the movie, but the book is utterly believable.



There's a bit in the film where John Glenn, at the top of the launch tower and about to enter the Friendship 7 spacecraft, talks on the 'phone to one of the girl's supervisors to get reassurance that it's her who has checked the re-entry co-ordinates.


----------



## Randy M.

dask said:


> Watched this tonight:
> 
> Go get 'em Greta as seductive double agent in WW1 Paris. Much ballyhooed exotic dance okay but execution scene at the beginning unusually realistic, at least to one who has never witnessed one. 1931 MGM classic. Never heard of Ramon Novarro, is this his only movie? Good actor.



Haven't seen Novarro in a movie that I recall, but I believe in the silent era he he was a major star.  ... Ha! Thank you IMDB which confirmed my memory that Novarro was Ben-Hur in the first film version (1925).


Randy M.


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> *Noah's Ark*, a hybrid of silent & sound. Heard that many were injured during production. They just don't make 'em like that, any more. Starts off during WWI with sound, then, apparently in a dream sequence, the ark, etc., returns to the WWI time.
> 
> *There was a Crooked Man* (1970); one of those fun westerns, with more than a few big names in the cast. Kirk Douglas is a robber who stashes big bucks in a hole filled with rattlesnakes; goes to prison, breaks out, and goes to retrieve the $$$. But--



*There Was a Crooked Man* A great film with wonderfully memorable ending.


----------



## awesomesauce

_*The Dark Knight*_ (2008) - I watched this for my film club recently. Not a huge superhero movie fan, but I thought Heath Ledger's nihilist Joker was fantastic. I couldn't shake off *American Psycho* while watching Christian Bale play a millionaire playboy though, which made it more surreal than it might have been otherwise.


----------



## BAYLOR

dask said:


> Watched this tonight:
> View attachment 44186
> Go get 'em Greta as seductive double agent in WW1 Paris. Much ballyhooed exotic dance okay but execution scene at the beginning unusually realistic, at least to one who has never witnessed one. 1931 MGM classic. Never heard of Ramon Novarro, is this his only movie? Good actor.



Ramon Navarro did number of silent  films. He played  *Ben Hur* in the 1925 silent version.  He was a popular actor in the silent era.


----------



## Parson

mosaix said:


> There's a bit in the film where John Glenn, at the top of the launch tower and about to enter the Friendship 7 spacecraft, talks on the 'phone to one of the girl's supervisors to get reassurance that it's her who has checked the re-entry co-ordinates.



Didn't happen in the book. But John Glenn did demand that the girl (her name escapes me now) do the calculations and confirm to him that it was her that did the calcs.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Necromancy* (1972)

Slow-moving, low-budget supernatural shocker from writer-director Bert I. Gordon, best known to me for his big bug/big people movies.  (*The Amazing Colossal Man*, *Empire of the Ants*, etc.)  Pamela Franklin stars as a young woman whose husband gets a job offer from a toymaker (Orson Welles) in the ominously named town of Lilith.  Spooky stuff happens.  Franklin, who appears to have some kind of psychic powers, has a lot of visions, many of which completely give away the movie's plot.  It's made clear very quickly that Welles rules over the town, and that everybody in it is a witch.  Ever since the death of his young son, he has forbidden anyone to have children.  Franklin is part of his plan to practice the dark art of NECROMANCY and raise his son from the dead.  A lot of odd things happen that are hard to explain rationally, which may add to the film's mood.  Some very bad visual effects, a trademark of Bert I. Gordon, lessen the mood.  Overall, it's a fair-to-middling scare flick.  Take out one curse word and a tiny bit of mild nudity and you'd have a made-for-TV movie of the time.  (Apparently this movie was heavily edited and had extensive nude scenes added and re-released as *The Witching*.)  The last ten minutes or so are pretty good, and the final twist ending manages to be both corny and effective.


----------



## Jeffbert

dask said:


> Watched this tonight:
> View attachment 44186
> Go get 'em Greta as seductive double agent in WW1 Paris. Much ballyhooed exotic dance okay but execution scene at the beginning unusually realistic, at least to one who has never witnessed one. 1931 MGM classic. Never heard of Ramon Novarro, is this his only movie? Good actor.


This may have been the 1st film that used a guy with a clunking gait to heighten tension. Or did he drag the one foot?  Sorry, I cannot be certain; anyway, the henchman with the peg-leg, lift on one shoe, or who drags one foot. is or was featured in more than a few films. including one Dick Tracy movie.

I am not much on WWI history, but I doubt they would accommodate MH's desire 



Spoiler



that the soldier she loved did not know of her fate


 Lionel Barrymore played a French officer 



Spoiler



who was a German spy


; I cannot recall other cast members, though.

I just loved THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN! 

*The Wild Bunch* (1969) TCM was or is running William Holden films  this month, this was on last week. still holds up as mega-violent, even given the nearly 50 years that have passed since it was made. Violence aside, the story is good. Set during the late 19th, or early 20th century, a group of bank/train robbers are contemplating the end of their careers, as civilization, etc., encroach upon the untamed areas.   They put all their collective resources into one last bank robbery, but one of their associates, Robert Ryan's character, had been captured, & was working with the authorities trying to catch TWB. Thus, some of their tactics, etc., have been revealed. So, they rob the bank, but the train detectives/security guys were lying in wait, & between the two forces, nearly destroy the town as TWB escape. 



Spoiler



So, they are about to split up the loot, but there is none! Instead of gold coins, the bags are filled with washers!  Now, they need another robbery before they can retire, & that is the bulk of the film.


William Holden is the leader, Ernest Borgnine is #2, & the cast is chock full of Western-genre actors, on both sides. Great movie, if you can handle the bloodshed.


----------



## clovis-man

Parson said:


> Have not seen the movie, but the book is utterly believable.


 Having lived through that time, I can also vouch for its reality.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deadly Strangers* (1975)

Former squeaky-clean child star Hayley Mills offers a grown-up performance in this psychological horror film, smoking a lot and even providing the film's requisite nudity.  

We begin with an (unseen) homicidal maniac escaping a mental hospital.  Cut to Mills in a pub somewhere, trying to catch a train but unable to drive herself there because her car is in the shop.  A truck driver gives her a lift, but quickly tries to assault her.  Mills barely escapes, and is nearly run over by a young man (Simon Ward) who gives her a lift.  He lies about her having missed the last train, so he continues to drive her to her destination.  Along the way we have confrontations with cops, motorcycle riders, and, stealing the picture, Sterling Hayden as an eccentric, eloquent, wealthy older man with a nifty antique car.  Oh, people get killed, too, one by the (still unseen) maniac and one when Ward runs one of the motorcycle riders off the road after blocking his way.  (The motorcycle explodes into a fireball, the way vehicles usually do in movies, so I assume the rider was killed, but we're not told this for sure.)

The setup is almost like a road movie/romantic comedy, without the comedy or romance, and with murders.  The relationship between Mills and Ward changes a lot, and they both have flashback sequences revealing their psychological traumas.  You'll probably be able to predict the film's shocking twist ending, but it's worth the ride.


----------



## Hugh

I went to see the *Akram Khan* choreographed *Giselle* last night. It’s just been released. Maybe twenty people in the audience.

Truly incredible. Remarkable. Mindblowing music. Fantastic choreography. Truly intense.

The trailer below is from the second half where Giselle, who has died broken-hearted, is recruited by the Wilis, the vengeful forest-dwelling spirits of betrayed women.


----------



## 2DaveWixon

Jeffbert said:


> This may have been the 1st film that used a guy with a clunking gait to heighten tension. Or did he drag the one foot?  Sorry, I cannot be certain; anyway, the henchman with the peg-leg, lift on one shoe, or who drags one foot. is or was featured in more than a few films. including one Dick Tracy movie.
> 
> I am not much on WWI history, but I doubt they would accommodate MH's desire
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> that the soldier she loved did not know of her fate
> 
> 
> Lionel Barrymore played a French officer
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> who was a German spy
> 
> 
> ; I cannot recall other cast members, though.
> 
> I just loved THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN!
> 
> *The Wild Bunch* (1969) TCM was or is running William Holden films  this month, this was on last week. still holds up as mega-violent, even given the nearly 50 years that have passed since it was made. Violence aside, the story is good. Set during the late 19th, or early 20th century, a group of bank/train robbers are contemplating the end of their careers, as civilization, etc., encroach upon the untamed areas.   They put all their collective resources into one last bank robbery, but one of their associates, Robert Ryan's character, had been captured, & was working with the authorities trying to catch TWB. Thus, some of their tactics, etc., have been revealed. So, they rob the bank, but the train detectives/security guys were lying in wait, & between the two forces, nearly destroy the town as TWB escape.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> So, they are about to split up the loot, but there is none! Instead of gold coins, the bags are filled with washers!  Now, they need another robbery before they can retire, & that is the bulk of the film.
> 
> 
> William Holden is the leader, Ernest Borgnine is #2, & the cast is chock full of Western-genre actors, on both sides. Great movie, if you can handle the bloodshed.


Absolutely my favorite Western!


----------



## Vince W

*Undercover Blues* (1993). This is one of my favourite guilty pleasure films. Denis Quaid and Kathleen Turner are married secret agents on maternity leave, but are lured into a mission in New Orleans. Very funny and silly at times, but perfect for when you don't want to think to hard about what's happening. And Stanley Tucci steals the film with his portrayal of the petty criminal Muerte.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Killer Klowns from Outer Space *(1988) A thoroughly absurd film with space aliens who not only resemble circus clowns, but have everything else associated with them; but as weapons. A popcorn gun, cotton candy that keeps the victims fresh, a spaceship that resembles a circus tent, etc. I will watch this one again, eventually!


----------



## Anthoney

Went and watched Infinity War yesterday.  It was something.


----------



## J Riff

_It Came from the Desert_-  Giant ants, but far too moronic to be scary, or funny.

_The Cat's Paw _- 1934  - Harold Lloyd becomes Mayor- and he gets rid of gangsters in the town- by joining forces with Chinese magicians. He then procedes to apparently cut off the heads of a few bad guys, until the rest give in. A strange one, but good, like all Lloyd's work.


----------



## HoopyFrood

Watched Infinity War yesterday and I am emotionally messed up.


----------



## Randy M.

*Cry Danger* (1951) dir. Robert Parrish; starring Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Dick Erdman, Regis Toomey, William Conrad

In the U.S. Turner Cable Movies has a regular presentation called _Noir Alley_ on Saturday at midnight, and replayed Sunday morning. That's how I saw this. Bits and pieces seem familiar, so I wouldn't be surprised to find I'd seen it as a kid when movies like this were regular weekday afternoon fare.

Anyway, Powell has just been released from prison after five years of a life sentence, his alibi supplied by a guy he doesn't know, Erdman, for the murder Powell insists he didn't commit during a robbery he says he wasn't in on. There's money at stake and Erdman is hoping to get some of the $100,000 Powell was accused of stealing. Powell meantime intends to get his pal who's still in jail sprung by finding the real murderer and thieves. Everything goes about like you expect in _noir_, hopeless romance, double-crosses, plot twists, but the dialog is a cut above the norm. 

Powell started as a star of musicals and comedies. Trying to expand his repertoire he starred in the first movie based directly on a Raymond Chandler novel, playing Philip Marlowe in _Murder, My Sweet_ and showed how to handle the Chandler humor even before Bogart got to it. That knack serves him here because the script by William Bowers has some terrific, funny lines. Powell is matched by Erdman as an alcoholic looking for a big payday. If you haven't heard of Erdman, not surprising -- not a big star but a reliable 2nd or 3rd lead or lower who went on to appear in _Stalag 17_ and _Tora! Tora! Tora!_ among many other movies and a lot of TV shows, the latest one just last year (he'll be 93 in June according to IMDB). 

This one is worth catching if you're of a mind and in the mood for the lighter side of noir.


Randy M.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*The Hateful Eight
 *I hated it.


----------



## Alexa

*Maze Runner: The Death Cure*: I have mixed feelings about it. I still have fresh memories from the book, so I may have had greater expections about the movie.


----------



## WaylanderToo

'nother "YAAY!" for Avengers 3 - most excellent!


----------



## Overread

WarriorMouse said:


> *The Hateful Eight
> *I hated it.



I liked it, but


Spoiler



I think this is a good example of a film where the story got lost within the character. I was left with a feeling of "Well why didn't they just shoot him when he walked in the door" by the end. It was a rather contrived plot on that score. Characters were great, acting great and scenes great, it was just that the plot seemed to kind of have a huge blindspot.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Wild Bunch *is crazy. The last half-hour is still staggering. I can't say that it's consistently brilliant but it really is remarkable.

*Marathon Man*. How I laughed. Actually, it's very good, just skin-crawling. Lawrence Olivier is a great villain (and one of the most repellent fictional characters ever, surely). I think Dustin Hoffman is slightly too old for the role. The confusing story and convincing, brutal violence remind me of the Bourne films. I'm still not sure who Roy Schneider was working for.


----------



## AlexH

clovis-man said:


> *Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri *A tense, sometimes edgy film with wonderful acting and a raw theme. Frances McDormand gets a lot of credit here, but Sam Rockwell deserves an Oscar in my view. Highly recommended.
> Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) - IMDb


I watched *Three Billboards* on a flight home from China at the weekend. It was "edited for content" which basically meant the swear words were changed to things like "fudge", "mother lover" and "cook". Even "Jesus Christ" was changed to "Judas Priest" and "God damn" to "gosh darn". There was a lot of swearing so it made it into an unintentional comedy at times. Despite that, it was an outstanding film - one of the best I've seen and it deserved to beat Shape of Water to the Best Picture Oscar in my opinion. It cemented Sam Rockwell as one of my favourite actors (I first remember him from Moon). I thought the whole cast was excellent - Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson in particular.

The last film I watched was *Seven Psychopaths*, coincidentally the same director as Three Billboards, plus Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. It was different, and definitely worth a watch.


----------



## HoopyFrood

WaylanderToo said:


> 'nother "YAAY!" for Avengers 3 - most excellent!



Don’t yay that film.

No, OK, it was great and I want to watch it again because of the awesome bits but I can’t because of the emotional turmoil.

Basically:


----------



## Brian G Turner

_April and the Extraordinary World_, which is a French cartoon available on Prime Video. Though very good visually, the story was pitched at too young an age group for us to enjoy - maybe under 10's might get something from it.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *Cry Danger* (1951) dir. Robert Parrish; starring Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, Dick Erdman, Regis Toomey, William Conrad
> 
> In the U.S. Turner Cable Movies has a regular presentation called _Noir Alley_ on Saturday at midnight, and replayed Sunday morning. That's how I saw this. Bits and pieces seem familiar, so I wouldn't be surprised to find I'd seen it as a kid when movies like this were regular weekday afternoon fare.
> 
> Anyway, Powell has just been released from prison after five years of a life sentence, his alibi supplied by a guy he doesn't know, Erdman, for the murder Powell insists he didn't commit during a robbery he says he wasn't in on. There's money at stake and Erdman is hoping to get some of the $100,000 Powell was accused of stealing. Powell meantime intends to get his pal who's still in jail sprung by finding the real murderer and thieves. Everything goes about like you expect in _noir_, hopeless romance, double-crosses, plot twists, but the dialog is a cut above the norm.
> 
> Powell started as a star of musicals and comedies. Trying to expand his repertoire he starred in the first movie based directly on a Raymond Chandler novel, playing Philip Marlowe in _Murder, My Sweet_ and showed how to handle the Chandler humor even before Bogart got to it. That knack serves him here because the script by William Bowers has some terrific, funny lines. Powell is matched by Erdman as an alcoholic looking for a big payday. If you haven't heard of Erdman, not surprising -- not a big star but a reliable 2nd or 3rd lead or lower who went on to appear in _Stalag 17_ and _Tora! Tora! Tora!_ among many other movies and a lot of TV shows, the latest one just last year (he'll be 93 in June according to IMDB).
> 
> This one is worth catching if you're of a mind and in the mood for the lighter side of noir.
> 
> 
> Randy M.


I too, saw that same one, also on NOIR ALLEY; Very good film! I especially like the detailed intro Eddie Muller does; far more in-depth than prime time  TCM intros. Also followed the film with wrap-up, again, more detailed than the prime time treatment. I was actually surprised to see a Noir I had not already seen.

The story is above average, and well acted. to add to Randy M's description, Erdman was a soldier who was in a unit that was known to be at the place where Powell claimed he had been during the robbery. He supplies the alibi entirely because he believes Powell IS guilty, & had stashed the $$. Erdman, hoping to claim his own share as repayment. Though Powell assures hum he had nothing to do with the crime, Erdman befriends him, & the two share a trailer in a park where a certain woman just happens to live.

*Alone in the Dark* (1982) Donald Pleasence is a psychiatrist at an insane asylum in which he has been working on alternative treatments for mental disorders. A foursome of homicidal maniacs including Jack Palance and Martin Landau, escape during a city-wide power failure. One of them, had picked up some mail from an office with the address of  Dr. Dan Potter, the new shrink at the asylum, and the four head there. Interesting story, though not without its weakness, that being that with both the power and back-up generators out, the locks simply open, releasing the lunatics. Learning of the maniacs visit to the new shrink's house Pleasence goes there, and attempts to use patty-cake techniques to persuade them to return to confinement.  Oops, that was a mistake.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeff,

I meant to mention Muller and then forgot; thanks. I like the intros by Ben Mankiewicz and the late Robert Osborne, a little less so Alec Baldwin, but Muller packs more information into his, a lot more. For instance, Erdman looked familiar and what Muller mentioned sent me off to IMDB; I imagine I've seen Erdman in at least a dozen movies and TV shows and never connected a name to him before.

I can only imagine the hours Muller spent watching and studying film noir. 

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

I do not know why, but when I see a familiar actor in a film, & the guy is best known for a certain role, I expect Muller or the others to mention him. The guy who played the (Lucy & Ricky) Ricardo's next door neighbor was in a film, but no mention. I guess time is the constraint. Then there was the general store guy from Green Acres, & PJunction, most recent he was in Sunset Blvd. Sad to be forgotten, & I easily recognized both face & voice, though I was just a kid when those shows ran. But I cannot recall Erdman's face or voice. Looking at his wiki page, he was in Stalag 17, which I saw some time last month. But he just did not resonate. I have seen at least a few others listed in film credits for him, but that helps not. This guy is just so average as to go almost unnoticed.


----------



## Cathbad

William Frawley was a fine actor!  After a career on stage he was picked for roles on two of the most popular series of their time - The Lucy Ball Show and My Three Sons.  Any movie that didn't mention him in the credits, surely didn't realize what a fan favorite he was!


----------



## WarriorMouse

Dick Erdman played Leonard in the TV series Community.
He is a character actor best suited as a foil or sidekick to a lead actor.


----------



## Randy M.

Cathbad, Frawley was in dozens of movies before those TV shows were thought of. He had a small but important role in _Miracle on 42nd Street_ and also appeared in _Going My Way_ and _Gentleman Jim_ among other big hits of the 1930s and '40s.

WarriorMouse, I agree. I think that's why his role in _Cry Danger_ was a surprise. I recognized the face and voice but couldn't think why until I looked him up in IMDB. I thought I recalled him as someones neighbor in a '60s show, but I don't see anything that indicates he was. Then I started looking at the list of things he appeared in, _Perry Mason, The Man from U.N.C.L.E._, _The Dick Van Dyke Show_, _Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., Make Room for Daddy, Petticoat Junction, Hogan's Heroes, _... I probably saw him a few dozen times. And Muller mentioned him specifically, saying this was probably the best role Erdman had in his career and he nearly steals the film from Powell, his timing for a wisecrack every bit as good.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rhinoceros* (1974)

Another from the American Film Theatre.  This one is based on the play by Eugene Ionesco, which is a Theater of the Absurd allegory about conformity, I think.  Anyway, Zero Mostel is an elegant, stylish fellow and Gene Wilder is his sloppy, hard-drinking buddy.  This Odd Couple's relationship is interrupted by the fact that people are turning into rhinoceroses and causing chaos.  Third-billed Karen Black pretty much plays the Girl.  Although the film resembles the play in that the rhinoceroses are never actually seen, it is dissimilar in the fact that there's a lot of destructive chaos, in the style of *It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World*.  The combination of intellectual satire and Wacky Comedy is odd and awkward.


----------



## AstroZon

Before Star Wars, The Last Jedi (reviewed under Star Wars) I watched Fahrenheit 451 - the 1966 version with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.  I've had the DVD for over 10 years, so when I saw the trailer for the new version, I had to pull out the original and re-watch it.  

I've read Ray Bradbury's book and have always liked how director Francois Truffaut stayed close to the novel.  Oskar Werner as book burning fireman Montag is both distant and distraught.  He's distraught over his wife's drug use and subsequent indifference toward him, and he's become bored over the tedium of his life.  And then into his life walks Clarrise (Julie Christie) who subtly charms him toward widening his horizons and reading a book.   One book leads to another and fairly soon he's got them stashed all over his house.   His wife (also played by Julie Christie) gets fed up with his law breaking and turns him in.  On the run, he meets with Clarrise and they decide to flee separately and join a colony of book lovers up north.  When he arrives, he's called over to watch his own execution on TV (staged by the government to save face and placate the public.)  

The book colony is one of those atmospheric scenes that has all but disappeared in modern cinema, and in my opinion, it's one of the best resolves in science fiction film.  In fact the slowish pace of this film wouldn't be done at all now for fear of losing the masses.   I'm not sure how the new Fahrenheit 451 will fare, but I really like Truffaut's version.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Quatermass Xperiment *(1955). I thought I had seen this before, & probably did, but I must have been thinking of the 2nd film when I watched this yesterday. A rocket crashes in the countryside, & all but 1 of the 3 crewmen are missing. Police assume the 3rd murdered the other two. QM is the scientist in charge of the mission, & takes a different approach to the missing men. The 3rd man is in no condition to speak. This was really good! Hammer films.

*Five Million Years to Earth* / _*Quatermass and the Pit*_  (1967,  Hammer films). I know I have seen this more than once before this morning's viewing. They are building an extension to a London subway line, & find among other things, skulls, not from modern men. Also, an object they first assume is an UXB. Yet, after fully uncovering it, find that it bears little resemblance to a V-weapon. The thing most resembles some kind of vehicle. QM believes it is of extraterrestrial origin, but the military guy ridicules his opinion, & insist that the Germans made it for the purpose of causing confusion, etc. While they are arguing, one of those in the excavation, has a fit. He says he saw demons. Looking at the newspaper morgue, they find reports of eerie events in that area, which btw, has more than a few abandoned bldgs. (But why the subway extension in this all but abandoned area? Nobody asks why.)  So, they attempt to open the thing with a torch, but it has no effect, and the surface is not even warm, after 5 minutes. Obviously an unknown material, but the military guy still insists the Germans made it. Also very good film!


----------



## Randy M.

Two of my favorite Hammer films, Jeff. Especially _Quatermass and the Pit_. 


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

I must say, that I found the ending a bit unexpected.


----------



## Jeffbert

Another Noir Alley film, *Hollow Triumph* (1948) Paul Henreid as a newly released ex-con, who immediately rejoins his gang, and just as swiftly robs a gambling house. Things go south, & he must flee. By chance, he meets a psychiatrist, or, rather, is mistaken for the man, because other than a scar on the left cheek, they are identical. So far, I had not realized that I had seen this film before, but when assuming the other man's identity 


Spoiler



he carves on his own cheek a similar scar. Yet, the enlarged photo he uses, is  or, was printed mirror-imaged!  Nobody notices, and things seem to go o.k., until, he learns that the guys who sought his life are in prison, but, similar unsavory characters come looking for the psychiatrist!


 Very satisfying film, indeed.

*Escape from Fort Bravo *(1953)  William Holden, Eleanor Parker, and John Forsythe. Holden is a Union Army Captain stationed in the title place in Arizona, around 1863. William Demarest & William (Trelane) Campbell are among the Confederate prisoners who escape. Holden pursues them, & they all must fight as one against the Indians. Good film!

I really enjoy seeing actors whom I likely first saw in Star Trek in other shows or films. Trelane is among my favorites! 

*The Wrong Box* (1966), despite its 4 star rating, I fell asleep watching it. I may have been sleepy after dinner. Currently running it in the PIP, though not paying much attention to it. Two elderly brothers are trying to eliminate each other, to gain the 100,000 that the sole survivor is to receive. Rather, their sons are trying to knock off their uncles.  M. Caine, P. Sellers, & a cast of others whose names are unfamiliar to me.


----------



## Jeffbert

Avatar (2009);  i WATCHED this because of having also watched James Cameron's Scifi program; whose 1st episode was about aliens.  at over 2.5 hours, it might have become tedious, but did not. I do not suppose there are too many here who have not already seen it, so I will skip the description. I did enjoy it, though found myself looking for ways to scrutinize it.

HANG EM HIGH (1967) I enjoyed seeing Sarek (Mark Lenard) as mentioned earlier. It has been a very long time since I last saw this film. So CE buys cattle from the  guy he believes owns them, but it turns out the guy had just murdered the owner. Just as CF finishes driving the cattle across a river, a posse overtakes him, assumes he is a rustler, & lynches him, leaving him for dead. Another guy comes along, cuts him down, & he becomes a Marshall. Goes out to capture those who lynched him.  !st US film since before Dollar trio. Did not know that. Very good film.


----------



## biodroid

Avengers: Infinity War


----------



## Cathbad

*Anon * (2018)  Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried

A look at a future in which privacy doesn't exist.  The Leads save a film that tried to go too far with an excellent story concept.  Well, that and a good ending.

This is one of those movies that prove you shouldn't accept the opinions of "professional" critics as gospel.  Two reviews I saw said it was "mediocre" (one adding "at best").  I say you should check out this Netflix offering.  I think most will enjoy it.  It's not a 5-Star Offering, but it ain't bad!


----------



## Amberlen

well, i still havent made it to the theatre for Infinity wars, so i watched War for Planet of the Apes on tv (again) yesterday.
whats everyones opinion on the new 3. i rather like them.


----------



## Jeffbert

AVATAR (2006).


----------



## Amberlen

Jeffbert said:


> AVATAR (2006).


lol, i saw it on yesterday too but passed


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Target for Killing* (1966)

Austrian-German-Italian spy flick, one of the zillions made to cash in on the Bond craze.  Stewart Granger (hero) and Karin Dor (the Girl) are on a plane flirting (never mind the fact that he's a quarter of a century older) when the stewardess and the pilots bail out.  It's all a plot to kill the Girl; everybody else on the plane is secondary damage.  Hero and Girl get the plane down safely, multiple attempts on her life follow.  The super-villain behind all this is the Giant, who runs this vast international criminal organization from his headquarters, a monastery full of killers in yellow robes and brainwashed young women.  Weirdly, he also has a telepath working for him. Turns out he's just doing the killing (not very effectively) for the Girl's uncle, who paid him half a million bucks for the job.  Confusingly, the uncle works for the Giant, but the Giant abducts him and tortures him so he can find out the motive for the attempted killing.  (It turns out to be a obvious one.  He doesn't want her to inherit seventy million dollars so he can get his hands on it.)  The typical spy stuff ensues.  Gadgets hidden in objects (including a transmitter inside a hard-boiled egg), fights, shootings, scantily clad young women, etc.  Some nutty stuff, too, like when Hero lies and says his profession is "snake enthusiast" to the cops.  Turns out the cop really is one, so he brings out a big snake from his office to call his bluff.  It's a bad movie, but somehow entertaining.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria, that sounds like a fun bad movie, something Granger seemed to specialize in late in his career. I recall his turn as Sherlock Holmes in a made-for-TV version of _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ (1972), also starring Bernard Fox channeling Nigel Bruce, and William Shatner between high points in his career.

I looked up _Target for Killing_ in IMDB because the name Karin Dor was familiar (the question of why I'd remember the name at all ... got nuthin'). She was a graduate of the James Bond school of acting, appearing in _You Only Live Twic_e. Several of  the cast also appeared in Bond movies: Curd (Curt) Jurgens was later in _The Spy Who Loved Me_; Adolfo Celi was in _Thunderball_ as was Molly Peters (in one of the most sexist and possibly misogynistic sequences in early James Bond movies, which is kinda saying something). Makes me wonder how many other movies featured multiple actors from the Bond movies.


Randy M.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Duchess*, in spite of the fact that I'm not at all a fan of Keira Knightly.  It was pure fluff but I watched it for the costumes and in that respect was not disappointed.

*The Big Sick*, which was amusing. On the surface it was also fluff, but looking at it a little more closely it did cover some more profound themes.


----------



## Amberlen

Teresa Edgerton said:


> *The Duchess*, in spite of the fact that I'm not at all a fan of Keira Knightly.  It was pure fluff but I watched it for the costumes and in that respect was not disappointed.
> 
> *The Big Sick*, which was amusing. On the surface it was also fluff, but looking at it a little more closely it did cover some more profound themes.


My Cousin Rachel is one i watched recently ..another period film, which i always watch whether good or not, for the costumes as well!


----------



## svalbard

*Molly's Game *

Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba star. This is quite fun and based on the life of Molly Bloom who ran high stakes poker games for Hollywood stars, heavy rollers etc. In the end she ran afoul of the FBI and the Mob. It is fun attempting to identify the Hollywood stars with one of them coming out of the story quite bad.


----------



## J Riff

*Jumanji -* 2018 - well not bad. People are drawn into a jungle video game called Jumanji, they become the avatars, with their abilities, which is a fun premise. One girl chooses a guy avatar - so time to take a leak, ha ha. They don't overdo the stupid stuff, so this one was okay.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> Makes me wonder how many other movies featured multiple actors from the Bond movies.



My small experience with spy flicks of the 1960's suggests that this went on all the time.  Lots of the Bond villains and Bond girls were European, so it made sense for them to show up in lots of European Bond imitations.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Amberlen said:


> My Cousin Rachel is one i watched recently ..another period film, which i always watch whether good or not, for the costumes as well!



I've been tempted to watch that one, too.


----------



## Toby Frost

Jeffbert said:


> Avatar (2009); i WATCHED this because of having also watched James Cameron's Scifi program; whose 1st episode was about aliens. at over 2.5 hours, it might have become tedious, but did not. I do not suppose there are too many here who have not already seen it, so I will skip the description. I did enjoy it, though found myself looking for ways to scrutinize it.



I agree. I think it's become quite fashionable to hate this film. I don't think it's brilliant but it's not bad at all, either.


----------



## The Big Peat

Avengers: Infinity War. Looking back at other people's comments and wondering if we saw the same film. Marvel are rapidly losing my interest, save for Deadpool.


----------



## Amberlen

Teresa Edgerton said:


> I've been tempted to watch that one, too.


It’s kind of a mystery/drama type-not awful


----------



## Rodders

Captain America: The First Avenger.

I watched this on TV again last night. I didn't like it when i first watched it, but with each viewing it gets better and better.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Target for Killing* (1966) . This seems like my kind of film. I need to find it! Thanks, *Victoria Silverwolf!*




*None But the Brave* (1965). Frank Sinatra starred and, I believe, directed the film about U.S. & Japanese soldiers on a tiny & forgotten island that is not even on American's maps. There is just one source of fresh water, & the Japanese control it. When their forces eventually clash, one Japanese Soldier is seriously wounded, & his leg must go. Yet, only the Americans have even a medic. They must not barter water for medic's care. So, a truce is essential, but it is tense. Very good film, but sad ending.  

One critique, is that there were no subs for the Japanese dialog.


----------



## AstroZon

*Shootout at Medicine Bend * (1957)  Western staring Randolph Scott, James Craig, Gordon Jones, James Garner, and Angie Dickinson.  

I quite enjoyed this movie even though the plot is your basic good guys vs bad guys fare.  Western movie staple Randolph Scott is a recently retired US Calvary captain looking for the shady merchant that sold his brother bogus gunpowder (and cost him his life.)  James Garner and Gordon Jones are both with him as they too just cashed out of the Army.  As they travel to Medicine Bend, every last thing they own is stolen from them while they are bathing in a pond.  They befriend a Quaker wagon train and receive Quaker clothing.  Randolph Scott realizes that the Quaker garb will allow them to investigate the corrupt frontier town without arousing too much suspicion.   He goes about his religious cover by day while stealthing about at night to uncover the truth.      

Randolph Scott made a few more westerns and then retired in 1962.  Both Angie Dickinson and James Garner would soon find their stars.


----------



## AstroZon

*City that Never Sleeps* (1953)  Gig Young, Mala Powers, William Talman, Edward Arnold

Classic noir with crooked cops, crooked lawyers, femme fatals, plot twists, and plenty of shadowy night sets.  Lead actor Gig Young is a cop turned by his desire to leave his wife (and her nagging mother) and his job which he feels he was pressured into taking to uphold his father's wishes.   He's out to arrest mob lawyer Edward Arnold's #2 man as Arnold no longer trusts him - and make a quick $5k in the process.  But the #2 man is cunning and out maneuvers Gig Young.   BTW, the #2 man just happens to be William Talman - the long suffering DA from Perry Mason.  And Talman makes a great villain - downright chilling in fact.      

A great film noir.


----------



## s.d. Ervin

A QUIET PLACE. As someone who spends a fair amount of mental energy trying to make scenarios feel as plausible as possible, I just have to scratch my head. One pump action shotgun that is obviously not portable in a lootable world? Really?


----------



## AstroZon

*Sahara* (1943) Humphrey Bogart

Superb war movie with Humphrey Bogart and a cast of first-rate supporting actors including a young Lloyd Bridges.  Neither Peter Lorre nor Sydney Greenstreet are in this one, but we do get Dan Duryea and J. Carrol Naish.   

The film is mainly about an American tank crew in retreat while being forced into the arid south Libyan desert.   They pick up the surviving troops of a stranded British mobile hospital unit, a Royal Sudanese soldier and his Italian POW, and a downed German Luftwaffe pilot.  The tank crew and their rescuees are in a constant search for water while trying to stay ahead of German advances.    Sahara was filmed in the area around California's Salton Sea and looks remarkably real.     

Of note is Italian POW Giuseppe's speech to the German Luftwaffe POW.  He summarizes the difference between the Italian's devotion to Mussolini and the German's allegiance to Hitler.   J. Carrol Naish received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this speech.


----------



## J Riff

_The 12th Man_ - 2018... trapped behind Nazi lines, one guy of twelve gets away, but our fanatical Nazi commandant doesn't believe he's dead. He freezes, starves and just keeps going until... the border is in sight, but heavily guarded. Does he make it?
Would be a lousy movie if he didn't, but you never know. **


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Three Sisters* (1970)

We finish up the American Film Theatre series with this adaptation of Antov Chekhov's play.  My better half claims we saw this twenty years or so ago, but I had no memory of it whatsoever, so it seemed new.  No real plot; it's more of a series of character studies done in an impressionistic style as we follow the lives of various people over several years.  The three sisters can be simplistically described as Old Maid, Unhappy Wife, and Young Idealist.  Lots of crises and disappointments, much philosophical musing over the meaning of life, work, and suffering.  Comes across as more as a filmed play than a movie, for the most part.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Narrow Margin* (1952)-- I saw this about a year ago, but I usually forget the titles, so, I recorded it when it received the *Noir Alley*  treatment the other day. so, As Muller gave the intro to the film, I soon realized I had seen it, & fast forwarded it to about 10 minutes until its end. Watched it from that point; thoroughly tense film, great example of the genre. But it had the leading man & lady portrayed by actors who were not so well-known. Being RKO, HH liked it, but wanted the scenes re-shot with top-grade actors, R. Mitchum, I believe, though cannot recall the LL he wanted. It ended up gathering dust for a while, before actually being released. 

Anyway, a cop is assigned to guard a mob boss' wife as she travels by train to the city where the trial will be. Henchmen are dispatched to dispatch her, & the cop (Charles McGraw)  must protect her. As mentioned earlier, this actor was obscure, I cannot even recall seeing his elsewhere. Likewise, the Mobster's wife (Marie Windsor), whose greatest fame is apparently being known as Queen of the Bs (b-movies, not bull****).


----------



## Randy M.

Hey, Jeff.

As I remember him, McGraw was one of those actors that was a B-lister hero for a time but made his living later in TV, moving into character roles. My memory is confirmed by Wikipedia: He appeared in _The Night Stalker_ along with another B-movie noir icon, Ralph Meeker. (The next movie, _The Night Strangler_, followed that by featuring Scott Brady.)


Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Deadpool* (2016)

"Missed the second half of this the first time around,  but the first half didn't impress me.  Just finished watching the second time.  Still think the first half is lacking, but the second half makes up for it!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rituals* (1977)

Short and unfair review:  The Canadian *Deliverance*.

Five doctors are flown into an extremely remote area for six days of outdoor fun.  After some time spent in adolescent hi-jinks -- one of them even brings an inflatable sex doll along as a joke -- they find that their boots have been stolen.  The one guy with enough brains to have brought along a spare pair of shoes starts on a long walk for help.  While he's gone, the others find the head of a freshly killed deer with a snake wrapped around it, the first of a series of bizarre messages left by whoever is stalking them.  Thus begins an intense suspense story of survival against an insane killer, an unforgiving wilderness, and the men's own emotional breakdowns.  The violence is not very explicit, but extremely unnerving.  The actors scream, curse, shriek, and cry a lot, and the whole thing is brutally realistic.


----------



## Jeffbert

*A Generation* (1955) Young Polish resistance fighters recruited by a very attractive young woman find that fighting Nazis is not as easy or as simple as they expected. One guy steals a semiautomatic pistol, only to realize that he does not know anything about it. When he shows his prize to the others, one notes that the safety is on. The guy did not even know what it was. 

I have seen other such films, one being *Kanal* (1956), which, upon reading <-- this Wikipedia page, is the 2nd film of a trilogy,  *A Generation* , being the 1st. *Kanal* refers to the storm drains or sewers in which the resistance fighters took refuge. 

Both tell the story of the price these people paid for their resistance; which, may be said to be their lives, because the Nazis would eventually eradicate them, given they had the time to do so.



AstroZon said:


> *City that Never Sleeps* (1953)  Gig Young, Mala Powers, William Talman, Edward Arnold
> 
> Classic noir with crooked cops, crooked lawyers, femme fatals, plot twists, and plenty of shadowy night sets.  Lead actor Gig Young is a cop turned by his desire to leave his wife (and her nagging mother) and his job which he feels he was pressured into taking to uphold his father's wishes.   He's out to arrest mob lawyer Edward Arnold's #2 man as Arnold no longer trusts him - and make a quick $5k in the process.  But the #2 man is cunning and out maneuvers Gig Young.   BTW, the #2 man just happens to be William Talman - the long suffering DA from Perry Mason.  And Talman makes a great villain - downright chilling in fact.
> 
> A great film noir.


I am near certain that I saw this one; great example of the genre!



AstroZon said:


> *Sahara* (1943) Humphrey Bogart
> 
> Superb war movie with Humphrey Bogart and a cast of first-rate supporting actors including a young Lloyd Bridges.  Neither Peter Lorre nor Sydney Greenstreet are in this one, but we do get Dan Duryea and J. Carrol Naish.
> 
> The film is mainly about an American tank crew in retreat while being forced into the arid south Libyan desert.   They pick up the surviving troops of a stranded British mobile hospital unit, a Royal Sudanese soldier and his Italian POW, and a downed German Luftwaffe pilot.  The tank crew and their rescuees are in a constant search for water while trying to stay ahead of German advances.    Sahara was filmed in the area around California's Salton Sea and looks remarkably real.
> 
> Of note is Italian POW Giuseppe's speech to the German Luftwaffe POW.  He summarizes the difference between the Italian's devotion to Mussolini and the German's allegiance to Hitler.   J. Carrol Naish received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for this speech.


As far as the drama goes, this one is a winner. Yet, as a WWII tank enthusiast, I must critique.  The film takes place in the dunes; which, as I understand it, is death to tanks, as the fuel consumption is very much higher than driving on the hard ground. The tank itself, is about the worst it could be. An M3 (Grant), it was a quick & dirty attempt to build something that could go up against the German tanks, which were designed to fight other tanks. The U.s, British, & French tanks were all designed to support the infantry, not to go against other tanks. So the put a 75mm gun in the upper hull while mounting the 37mm in the turret. only the 75mm had any chance of defeating any German tanks, but its usefulness was limited by its lack of a fully rotating mount.  Enough about that.



Randy M. said:


> Hey, Jeff.
> 
> As I remember him, McGraw was one of those actors that was a B-lister hero for a time but made his living later in TV, moving into character roles. My memory is confirmed by Wikipedia: He appeared in _The Night Stalker_ along with another B-movie noir icon, Ralph Meeker. (The next movie, _The Night Strangler_, followed that by featuring Scott Brady.)
> 
> 
> Randy M.


Thank, Randy M; yes, it is interesting how Noir actors made the transition to television. Some of the bad guys became Peary Mason or Ironside.


----------



## J Riff

*Island Zero *2018 - giant amphibians.. in the ocean no less... eat everything, all the fish and lobsters. Then they start grabbing people from boats and later they go to their houses and sort of ...dissolve people when they touch them, which makes for gore, which this movie has a bunch of for no apparent reason.... but, these amphibians... they are hard to see, like Predator, all glisteny, and hey, the military thinks by golly we better get 'em on our side, since they are as smart as people and highly social etc. ... an 'apex predator' that just shows up in the ocean, where amphibians aren't found, and the island- well nobody comes for a week, the ferry doesn't show up, the phones don't work etcetc. so it looks like the gummint has set up the island to be a sacrificial testing ground for... large amphibians which have super-evolved in the ocean, which nobody has noticed, and - (terminate review)


----------



## AlexH

*What We Do in the Shadows (2014)* A highly-rated New Zealand zombie-comedy, played as a reality TV show about the zombies' lives. It started quite well and was well-acted, but I was bored for most of the second half. The best zombie-comedy will probably always be Tucker and Dale vs Evil.

*También la lluvia (Even the Rain) (2010) *A Mexican film set in Bolivia. A director is filming a film about a controversial side of Christopher Columbus. The filming clashes with protests in the nearest city as the government privatise the water supply and threaten the completion of the film, which includes local actors in first-time roles. I enjoyed this one. If I remember rightly, the Bolivian government tried to make it illegal to collect water in buckets in the early 2000s.



The Big Peat said:


> Avengers: Infinity War. Looking back at other people's comments and wondering if we saw the same film. Marvel are rapidly losing my interest, save for Deadpool.


I wouldn't say I'm losing interest, but this was my least favourite of the Avengers films.


----------



## Sum Dude

Multiple graffiti documentaries.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spy in Your Eye* (1965)

Italian spy flick, renamed for American audiences from the much duller original title *Berlino - Appuntamento per le spie* ("Berlin, Appointment for the Spies").  The American title refers to the fact that Dana Andrews, as the head of the Good Guy spies, is missing one eye.  He gets an artificial one surgically implanted, but he doesn't know that the Bad Guy spies are using it as a surveillance camera.  This bizarre science fiction gimmick plays very little part in the plot, which is a typical thing about the Russians, the Americans, and the Chinese all running around after a young woman, the daughter of an East German scientist, who may or may not know her father's formula for a death ray.  Typical spy stuff follows, with nutty things popping up once in a while.  For example, one Good Guy spy wears a fake hunchback, which has a knife pop out when he backs up into a Bad Guy.  There's a wax figure of Napoleon that stabs people.  At the very end of the film, we find out that the daughter has the formula tattooed on her head, under her hair.  This wacky stuff holds the attention when the viewer gets bored with car chases and fight scenes.  I suspect this was poorly edited for Americans, as it's hard to follow the story's many wanderings.  (There's a brief scene of a bunch of bikini-clad Good Girl spies training in martial arts, but they play no role in the plot.)   Nice location filming in Europe and the Middle East.  The print I watched has completely faded from (I assume) bright color to sepia, which adds an appropriately nostalgic feeling to it.


----------



## dask

Something went wrong somewhere. From your description this movie should blown Black Panther out of the sky!


----------



## Cathbad

Sum Dude said:


> Multiple graffiti documentaries.


Were you forced to watch them??


----------



## Pawel P Ach

_A quiet place _- sooooo goooood


----------



## Sum Dude

Cathbad said:


> Were you forced to watch them??



I forced myself to watch them.


----------



## Jeffbert

A Colt Is My Passport (1967) Jo Shishido as an assassin who is hired to knock off the boss of a rival company. Having accomplished the task, he is paid, and goes about preparing to flee the country. But, the new boss of the rival co. has made up with the boss, & demands the head of the guy who killed his dad.

Cruel Gun Story (1964) Shishido stars as a recently released con, hired to knock over an armored car. Though he dislikes the idea, his sister needs $$  or, rather *¥** needs surgery on her spinal column. Things go bad, very bad. *

*1st time I ever saw Shishido. Interesting films.*


----------



## WarriorMouse

*Black Panther*
  It was OK but it certainly did not deserve the rave reviews it got.


----------



## Sum Dude

Pi by Arronofsky


----------



## BAYLOR

WarriorMouse said:


> *Black Panther*
> It was OK but it certainly did not deserve the rave reviews it got.



Its already out on dvd.


----------



## BAYLOR

Last film I saw

The 1953 version of *War of the Worlds  * Directed by Byon Haskins.   I like this film better then 2005  remake .


----------



## WarriorMouse

BAYLOR said:


> Its already out on dvd.


And Netflix, which is where I saw it.


----------



## BAYLOR

WarriorMouse said:


> And Netflix, which is where I saw it.



I remember the good days when it would be years before a cinema  would find its way tpo television. Of course this was before the time the Internet DVDs, VHS . Back in the days when there were only 3 networks.  And then the film would be severely edited for content.  Maybe not so  good old days .


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Castle of the Living Dead* (1964)

Fairly decent Gothic chiller.  Set just after the Napoleonic Wars.  A troupe of wandering entertainers gets invited to the castle of a Count (Christopher Lee.)  He has a method of instantly killing animals and preserving them.  (Hence "living dead," although they are definitely dead and not living.)  You can predict where this is going, although the entertainers don't suspect the Count when one of them dies in an "accident," despite the fact that the Count is creepy and his servant even more so.  Notable for featuring Donald Sutherland in a double role as an inept police officer and in drag as an old hag.  He even gets to have a scene with himself.  Otherwise, it's an old-fashioned, slow-moving scare flick, with a lot of mood and some good scenes.


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> Last film I saw
> 
> The 1953 version of *War of the Worlds  * Directed by Byon Haskins.   I like this film better then 2005  remake .


Me too!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cave of the Living Dead* (1964)

German/Yugoslavian co-production.  Starts off with a suave police detective in some kind of nightclub or something, surrounded by young women.  So far this might be as well be another European spy flick.  The hero is assigned to investigate the deaths of several young women in an isolated little town.  The deaths are officially recorded as heart failure despite the telltale two marks on the victims' throats.  Add in a mysterious professor who has moved into the local castle and it's easy to figure out what's going on.  (Most of the villagers already know, and the hero figures it out pretty quick, with the help of the local wise woman/witch character.)  Some nice scenes reminiscent of the silent *Nosferatu*.  Mostly typical old-time Gothic, with a touch of a _krimi_ film.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Cathbad said:


> Me too!



Me three!

pH


----------



## MemoryTale

BAYLOR said:


> I remember the good days when it would be years before a cinema  would find its way tpo television. Of course this was before the time the Internet DVDs, VHS . Back in the days when there were only 3 networks.  And then the film would be severely edited for content.  Maybe not so  good old days .



I know what you mean. When I first saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it had been quite heavily edited. I saw it again more recently with Mini MT, and it ended up being a lot darker than I remembered. A bit uncomfortable viewing it with a child I would normally describe as a right wuss, but she managed it. That said she had wandered off for the shoe dipping scene, which I was quite grateful for.


----------



## Jeffbert

*School for Scoundrels (1960)* Wonderful film about a poor loser who learns the tricks of "one-upsmanship" after Terry Thomas' character steals his girlfriend. Believing he needs a car similar to TT's, Henry Palfrey (Ian Carmichael), who has been riding the red double decker buses, and knows nothing about cars, is tricked into buying a monstrosity piece of junk with an Indian elephant complete with sedan atop as a hood ornament.  The car has most unusual sound, along with normal engine sound, it gurgles. 

After being beaten at everything by TT, he enrolls in the title institution, turns the tables, gets the girl, etc. Alastair Sim, best known for his depiction of E. Scrooge, plays the headmaster of the SfS. I really liked this one! 


*The Guns of Navarone (1961)* I think this is one of the first Go behind German lines, steal uniforms, infiltrate & sabotage the target type films. It is always nice when you can find uniforms that fit just right. A few of them along with this film will be on TCM this coming (Memorial Day) weekend. This film is about 2.5 hours, but never slows. 

*Hans Christian Anderson* (1952) Danny Kaye portrays the title character; my interest was solely about the stories, but as a musical, I could not bear to watch this except in the PiP.  I did enjoy some of the classical music; though it has been so long since I listened to it regularly, I could not recall the composers or the titles. 


I would like to see those XX *of the Living Dead* films, just my type of film.


----------



## Sum Dude

Deadpool 2 with my fiancé, was pretty damn good. 

Deadpool has kind of a Rick and Morty fanbase though, which is also a good show.


----------



## Droflet

Ready Player One. Terrific, although I was slightly disturbed that I got all the nerd references. 

Black Panther was typical of the type of wham bamb action movies. Loose story, full on action and over the top special effects. Does not live up to the hyper, imho.


----------



## MemoryTale

Droflet said:


> Ready Player One. Terrific, although I was slightly disturbed that I got all the nerd references.
> 
> Black Panther was typical of the type of wham bamb action movies. Loose story, full on action and over the top special effects. Does not live up to the hyper, imho.



I think I enjoyed Black Panther more than you did, but I'd agree it is overhyped. I do wonder if people wanted it to be better than it was because of how important it is historically.


----------



## REBerg

*Deepwater Horizon*
Tragedy, once again, brought to you by the corporate bottom line. It really is all about the money.


----------



## Vince W

*Black Panther.* Finally got around to seeing this one, and I must say it wasn't worth the wait. Much of it was boring in places and there was never any real sense of danger or urgency because everyone was too powerful. All it really made me want to do is watch *Ant-Man* again.


----------



## Ninjastarfury

Deadpool 2 - really good fun but verged on a little too silly for me. It's very funny but I struggled to find any sense of jeapordy because of it. That said I'm well up for it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Ox Bow Incident* (1943) Henry Fonda & Henry (Harry) Morgan as cowboys who become involved with a posse/lynch mob thirsting for the blood of cattle rustlers & murderers. Yet, upon catching the suspects, they are among the 7 who are against lynching them. So, anyway, the deputy who lacks the authority to deputize a posse, does so anyway. I am not too interested in Westerns, but this one was very good, even by my standards. So, the sheriff is out of town when the posse is formed, and somebody goes to fetch him, but


Spoiler



he does not arrive until the three suspects have been lynched. He relieves the deputy of his badge & promises to charge those involved with murder. Among them, is a Civil War General, it is now 1885, who insisted that his own son whip the horses out from under the victims. He considers his son a coward, & hopes this will make a man of him. When it is over, his son chides him for forcing this on him, but the father locks the door behind him, and a single shot marks his suicide.


 The lynch mob is laughing & joking about the hanging, tormenting the poor victims, one of whom, failing to persuade them to grant him a fair trial, begs to write a farewell letter to his wife. Very intense film!


BTW, Morgan played the murderer in one of those Noir films I mentioned earlier. 

*Crime Wave* (1954) Noir Alley treatment very much appreciated. An ex-con Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson) is rudely awakened by an old associate, who informs him that Dr. Hessler will soon arrive to fix him up, but he soon dies. The Dr., now a veterinarian, arrives, just as the patient dies,  grabs the money out of his pocket and leaves. The ex con now has a dead guy in his living room, a wife insisting he call the cops, & the cops themselves at his front door. After a grueling interrogation, he is released, only to have the other two ex-associates awaiting him when he goes home. The boss, 'Doc' Penny played by Ted de Corsia, whom the Noir Alley guy Muller said was in several other films, at least one of which I saw, just did not resonate, either his face or voice (Cannot recall Gene Nelson, either). The 2nd guy was Charles Bronson while known as Buchinski, his next film has him portray Vincent Price's mute henchman. So the 'Doc' has one more whiz-bang job planned, one he insists cannot fail. He wants Lacey to drive the getaway car. Needless to say, Lacey has gone straight, and wants nothing to do with these guys.

The cop, is Sterling Hayden, and he is both imposing and threatening; Muller said that the director deprived him of cigarettes (he used a pack / day) to make his character more intense. Great example of the genre. Too bad bu DVR burped at 10:10 this morning! Lost about 3 minutes of this film while it rebooted.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Perfume of the Woman in Black* (1974)

With a title like that (taken from a completely unrelated locked room mystery novel by Gaston Leroux), you'd expect a _giallo_.  There's a touch of that to this Italian shocker, but it's much more of a portrait of madness, in the tradition of *Repulsion*.  A woman has hallucinations of her dead mother and of herself as a little girl.  Other odd things happen.  It's all moody, ambiguous, and sedate until about the last fifteen minutes, which feature sudden violence.  Then, during the last three minutes or so, we get an extremely gruesome scene, which completely changes everything we've seen.  The film is absolutely gorgeous, particularly in its use of color.  There's a fine musical score, too.


----------



## REBerg

*E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*
I persuaded my grandson to watch this with me yesterday. After saying that he liked it, he asked "How old is this movie?" His reason for asking? "I saw a really bad green screen."
Everyone's a critic.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Caged *(1950) a WIP (Women in prison) film; & in fact, THE WIP. As I had seen it a few years ago, I FFWed to the end once it reached a really heartbreaking point, in which the woman played by Eleanor Parker, learns that she is 2 months pregnant, & will not be eligible for parole for 10 months.  Muller's discussion before & after the film really enlightened me about this genre. I had no idea! Good show, TCM & Eddie Muller; not to mention the film itself.


----------



## Rodders

Independence Day: Resurgence. 

Crikey this was a bad film. I sometimes wonder how these big blockbuster movies don't get called out for being bad at the script readings.


----------



## MemoryTale

I finally managed to watch *The Lego Movie*, and it was well worth the wait. The last half hour changes everything, and it's not often I come away from a film saying "Did not see that coming". On the downside, I now have Everything is Awesome stuck in my head.


----------



## Rodders

Ghost in the Shell. 

Not a bad movies, but I did find the casting a little weird. Would’ve preferred Japanese actors in the leads.


----------



## Ninjastarfury

The Thing. Finally got around to watching the stunning 4k restoration by Arrow on Blu-ray. The film NEVER gets old. It's just spell binding. The practical effects are jaw dropping still. Can you tell I'm a fan.


----------



## psikeyhackr

*Ready Player One
*
It is interesting how different it was from the book in even gross and yet fundamentally still the same.

Right after seeing it I would have said it was as good as the book but after more distance I say, "No quite, but good."


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> *Caged *(1950) a WIP (Women in prison) film; & in fact, THE WIP. As I had seen it a few years ago, I FFWed to the end once it reached a really heartbreaking point, in which the woman played by Eleanor Parker, learns that she is 2 months pregnant, & will not be eligible for parole for 10 months.  Muller's discussion before & after the film really enlightened me about this genre. I had no idea! Good show, TCM & Eddie Muller; not to mention the film itself.




Eleanor Parker was an extraordinary actress of the time, never stereotyped and able to play a very wide variety of roles.  She does an amazing transformation from innocent to hard-boiled in *Caged*.  (I also wasn't expecting a mainstream American film from 1950 to use the phrase "common prostitute" about one of the other inmates.)  After this less than glamorous role, it's hard to believe that the same woman plays the stunningly beautiful and sexy love interest in *Scaramouche*.  Then, we see her versatility in the psychological drama *Lizzie* (based on the novel _The Bird's Nest_ by Shirley Jackson) as a woman with three personalities.  (This was before _The Three Faces of Eve_.)


----------



## dask

Somebody please point me in the direction one of her movies is playing.


----------



## Droflet

Edit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dick Tracy* (1990)

Enjoyable transformation of the comic strip into film.  The primary colors and the grotesque villains capture the look of the original.  It even made a kid actor and Madonna tolerable.  Of the many big names in the cast, I particularly liked Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw *Dick Tracy* (1990) when it was in the theaters, & yes, the characters were very much like their comic strip versions, at least, in physical appearance. I recall reading the strip for many years, though, & the violence was way over the top, even for a PG-13 film. I also had more than a few McDonalds 32 oz cups. What I want to see is the Mr. Magoo / Dick Tracy crossover! Anyway, Dick Tracy has been in feature length movies, & serials. As far as this 1990 version goes, with Tracy out of action, the other cop are as helpless as newborn babies. But, it was fun, anyway!


*Deadline U.S.A. *(1952)  I have never seen this one before!!  Bogart is the editor of a big-city newspaper (anyone remember these?) that is about to be sold to the owner of the competing paper, & terminated. There is a gangster that Ben Mankiewicz & his guest identify with Joseph McCarthy. He also tries to shut down an expose on himself and a woman's corpse found in nothing but a mink coat.  Very different from *Five Star Final* (1931), in which Edward G. Robinson plays the editor, who also has trouble with the new owner. Oh, & so does *While The City Sleeps* (1956),
though it also involves TV  News, as I recall.

In Deadline, the founder had died a few years ago, leaving his wife and 2 daughters the newspaper. The youngest has just now come of age, and the 2 girls outvote their mother, deciding to sell to the competition. Bogart and the mother vainly try to convince the girls to keep the paper, and its 1500 employees, arguing for their benefit, etc., but nope. So, during the last few days, Bogart tries to build a story or a series of new items that will show the newspaper's civic good, or some such thing. If he can expose the gangster, he thinks that the paper will survive, somehow. Very well done, indeed!


----------



## Ninjastarfury

The Rezort. It's a zombie movie on Netflix. I quite liked it. The premise is basically Jurassic Park with zombies. Quite a fun idea and it's not badly made either.


----------



## Cathbad

*The Man Who Knew Too Much*  (1956)  Jimmy Stewart, Doris Day

Just watched this for about the fifth or sixth time.  Stewart's character becomes the unwilling recipient of a dangerous and highly important message from a man murdered.

This movie has something most movies have lacked for the last two or three decades:  Great Acting!  Jimmy Stewart proves (yet again) that he was one of the greatest actors of all times!  Doris Day proves that _some_ blonds really _can_ act!  Even the child actor playing Day's son did a fine job.

Mystery?  Thriller?  Call it what you want, this movie is superb from beginning to end!  And Hitchcock teaches the world how to show suspense on the big screen (too bad most directors refused to learn).

Has there ever been a better duo than Hitchcock and Stewart?  Throw in Day, and you have a movie that will remain on most critic's Best All Time lists forever!


----------



## Cathbad

*Hound of the Baskervilles*  (2000)

I only slightly recall hearing about this remake in 2000, and having zero interest because - after all, who could possibly top Rathbone's 1939 performance??

Thirty seconds into the movie, I realized how stupid I'd been 18 years ago.

First there was Matt Fewer, an excellent pick for the part of Sherlock Holmes.  Then there was the production, which stayed true to the standards set by the 1939 version - only in color.  The feel was right, the look, and the acting, all spot-on!

No, it still doesn't beat Rathbone's version, but it was still a fine remake!


----------



## Anthoney

I just rewatched The Accountant with Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal.  A movie I found to be under appreciated in large.  Batman and The Punisher.


----------



## svalbard

*CARGO*

The Zombie Apocalypse finally arrives in Australia. Martin Freeman stars in this understated and excellent movie. The plot(and I am giving nothing away here) involves him trying to find someone to look after his infant daughter as he has only 48 hours left before he turns into a zombie himself having being bitten. I found this an emotional and effecting movie with a poignant ending. On Netflix now.


----------



## psikeyhackr

svalbard said:


> The Zombie Apocalypse finally arrives in Australia..



Zombie Kangaroos!  How terrifying!

Worse than the Drop Bears.


----------



## Rodders

cargo does sound good


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *Black Panther.* Finally got around to seeing this one, and I must say it wasn't worth the wait. Much of it was boring in places and there was never any real sense of danger or urgency because everyone was too powerful. All it really made me want to do is watch *Ant-Man* again.



I wanted to see that film but quite frankly , I’m superheroed out , I didn’t even bother going to see Infinty War.  I’m more then a bit weary of these films


----------



## Jeffbert

I loved *The Rezort*! Unlike JP, this film had activists trying to shut down the place, which added a bit to it.

*The Man Who Knew Too Much* (1956); This is indeed a fine example of a thriller.

*Hound of the Baskervilles* (2000); I do not think I ever saw this version, but it seems there are more than a few of them. O.K., Rathbone is *the* Sherlock Holmes, but I really like the Hammer version!  I never got around to reading this story; not likely I ever will.

*It* (1927) 'It' refers to some quality that allows people to prevail over others. Poor description, sorry. A young woman working in a department store has 'it', and captures the boss' attention/desire. In the end, they marry, though she is from the working class, & he, the leisure. But for most of the film, it seems like she will remain a mere employee.


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> I wanted to see that film but quite frankly , I’m superheroed out , I didn’t even bother going to see Infinty War.  I’m more then a bit weary of these films



I haven't bothered with Infinity War yet either. I'm at the point where superhero films are strictly at home Netflix fodder.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> I haven't bothered with Infinity War yet either. I'm at the point where superhero films are strictly at home Netflix fodder.



These films are just no fun anymore. They are just exercises inaction and special effects.

Last night I watched Transformers. The Last Knight.  It will never become a cinema classic . Seriously, I think they should either stop making these films  or have someon other then Michal Bay do these films.


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> I think they should either stop making these films or have someon other then Michal Bay do these films.


As long as the movies keep making $1B-plus, no one is going to stop making them.

Ain't it hell when we discover our opinions don't match up with the majority's?


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> As long as the movies keep making $1B-plus, no one is going to stop making them.
> 
> Ain't it hell when we discover our opinions don't match up with the majority's?



So you now Like Transformer Films and want see more of them then?


And will Michale Bay ever win an Oscar for Best Director?


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> So you now Like Transformer Films and want see more of them then?


Again, _please _read the posts you decide to respond to!!_ _


----------



## Toby Frost

*Annihilation (2018)*

Bit of a mixed bag, this one. The basic concept is like a cross between _Roadside Picnic_ and "The Colour out of Space", with a touch of William Gibson's short story "Hinterlands". Overall, it was quite good, with some very strong moments, but a few things marred it. It managed to be too slow at points and needlessly gory in others. The relationship between the lead and her husband left me entirely cold and his character seemed to vary wildly depending on the effect for which the writers were currently striving. Some of the interior logic seemed weak to me.

However, there are some amazing visuals - influenced, I suspect, by computer games such as The Last of Us - and the moment with the roaring bear is excellent. Interesting, but flawed.


----------



## Anthoney

Last night I watched the early 80s classic The Final Count  Down.


----------



## AstroZon

*Kiss Me. Stupid* (1964)  Ray Walston, Dean Martin, Kim Novak

Ray Walston plays a deranged and jealous piano teacher / songwriter.  He is partnered with lyricist and mechanic Cliff Osmond whose gas station is next door to Ray Walston's house / piano studio.  Dean Martin, playing his stage persona as Dino, pulls into Cliff Osmond's gas station via a detour while en route to Hollywood from Las Vegas.   Cliff Osmond crafts a scheme to keep Dino in town overnight while trying to plug their songs.  Osmond disables the fuel line in Dino's car and states that he has to grind a valve in order to get it running by morning.  Dino suspects that it's a rouse, but goes along with it anyway as he's apparently up for adventure.  

Osmond's plan is preposterous: Hook up Dino with Walston's wife and then plug the songs after Dino falls for her.  Naturally Walston objects, but goes along with a variant: Employ a hooker from a nearby roadhouse and have her act as Walston's wife.   The hooker, Polly the Pistol, is played by Kim Novak.  The rest of the movie is the plan playing out with twists and turns. 

Yet there's something not quite right with Kiss Me. Stupid.   Too many scenes seem forced and not natural.  Ray Walston overacts throughout.  And Felicia Farr, who plays Ray Walston's real wife in the film, is more of a stereotyped caricature than a real woman living in a Nevada desert town - although she does an amazingly liberal transformation toward the end of the movie.  Cliff Osmond reminded me of John Candy every time I saw him, but it's Kim Novak who steals the movie as the ditsy but streetwise prostitute.        

I found the DVD at the library and checked it out because I'd just read about Dean Martin's actual car which he drove in the movie: a 1957 Dual-Ghia, one of only 117 ever made.


----------



## psikeyhackr

Cathbad said:


> Again, _please _read the posts you decide to respond to!!_ _



Killjoy!  You want this site to be intelligent or something?


----------



## BAYLOR

psikeyhackr said:


> Killjoy!  You want this site to be intelligent or something?



I agee,  thinking would destroy this place.


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> Again, _please _read the posts you decide to respond to!!_ _



I refuse ! 


I’m just messing with you Cathbad .


----------



## Jeffbert

*TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL (2010)- *two guys who want to fix up an old shack into a vacation home who have a run - in with some college kids at a gas station, & quickly become enemies. A major misunderstanding leads to very gruesome but funny deaths for some of the kids. I became bored after the 1st 20 minutes, not much had happened up till then, but resumed watching the other night. This is really funny!

*Operation Crossbow *(1965) fictionalized account of British spies infiltrating the Germans' Peenemünde rocket facility to get important data sent back to Britain. Sophia Lauren is the only name I recognized.

*Martin Roumagnac* (1946) M. Dietrich as the woman desired by Jean Gabin, but she is untrue. French w/ English subs. Gabin was compared to Bogart. Just finished watching this, eyes fatigued from subs, but it is an interesting drama.


----------



## Rodders

Pixels. Crikey, I knew this was going to bad bad, but I just didn’t realise how bad. I hope people got fired for that movie. 

Green Lantern. Not as bad as I remember, actually quite entertaining, but if my gf hadn’t wanted to watch it, I would’ve turned it over.


----------



## ZlodeyVolk

*Статский советник ('The State Counsellor') (2005)*

Set in the Russian Empire at the turn of the 19th Century. A revolutionary organisation is planning to assassinate the Governor of Moscow as a step toward overthrowing the Tsarist state. Detective Erast Fandorin (Oleg Menshikov) attempts to foil them, but his efforts are hindered by a rival.

The film is an adaptation of Boris Akunin's novel of the same name. I liked the novel, and I enjoyed the film—although I think they cut out all of the interesting stuff, about the characters, and relied too much on action to advance the plot. It's a good watch, if you don't mind period pieces and subtitles.


----------



## AlexH

*Enemy (2013)*
A history teacher spots his doppelganger in a film a colleague recommends...

I don't think I've seen a bad film with Jake Gyllenhaal. This was an intriguing thriller/mystery with a slightly disappointing ending.



Jeffbert said:


> *TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL (2010)- *two guys who want to fix up an old shack into a vacation home who have a run - in with some college kids at a gas station, & quickly become enemies. A major misunderstanding leads to very gruesome but funny deaths for some of the kids. I became bored after the 1st 20 minutes, not much had happened up till then, but resumed watching the other night. This is really funny!


I loved this - by far the best of the zombie-comedies in my opinion.



Rodders said:


> Pixels. Crikey, I knew this was going to bad bad, but I just didn’t realise how bad. I hope people got fired for that movie.


I expected it to be bad but actually enjoyed it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Kelly The Second *(1936) Charley Chase, Patsy Kelly as a drugstore owner & his clerk who end up as manager & trainer for an Irish boxer. This guy goes all out when he hears a certain Irish tune- I know there is a 3 Stooges short film with Curly doing likewise. And there was a very young pre-our gang Alfalfa, he must have been about 5 or 6. Edward Brophy as Ike Arnold, a gangster who bets on the fights. Brophy is usually cast as a crook; though a somewhat likable comedic type.

*Chase a Crooked Shadow* (1958) very entertaining film about a man who was presumed dead, suddenly appearing at the family home, where his sister now lives alone. She demands he identify himself, as she does not recognize him. He insists he is her brother, whom all had assumed had died in an automobile crash; he insists he is not. They call the police (Herbert Lom), who is satisfied after she fetches two photos of her brother, much to her surprise, are portraits of him. Still not accepting him, she demand to see the tattoo on his arm, it is there. He knows everything her brother would know, but she still insists he is an impostor. Eventually he asks about the $10M in diamonds that disappeared from their father's business, soon after his death. 

There is a twist at the end, somewhat similar to what Rod Serling might give this film, but, it was D. Fairbanks, Jr. who made it. Very Well Done!

 I know I watched more than just these two films today, but cannot recall the others.


----------



## Lucien21

Solo

Fun heist movie, but did we really need it. Nothing of great consequence happens and while it's fun seeing a young Han meet Chewie and the Falcon I doubt people will remember the anything about it.

The problem with filling in back story is that you know what the future holds so have no tension when things go wrong for the characters.

Rouge One worked because it was new characters in that universe and I prefer that.


----------



## BAYLOR

Rodders said:


> Pixels. Crikey, I knew this was going to bad bad, but I just didn’t realise how bad. I hope people got fired for that movie.
> 
> Green Lantern. Not as bad as I remember, actually quite entertaining, but if my gf hadn’t wanted to watch it, I would’ve turned it over.



In the case PIxels, I keep wondering what  the movie executivie,the producer,the writer and the star Adam Sander were thinking when they decided to do this  Oscar caliber film.

In The case of Green Lantern and all the money they. Spent ,why didn’t they write a better story and script?


----------



## Rodders

Solo: A Star Wars Story, 

Not without it's faults but I thought that it was great fun. 

Han and Lando were both great. 
The Millennium Falcon looks and sound superb. 
Excellent soundtrack. borrows a lot from William's without loosing itself. 
Great humour with a lot of thrills and spills. Maybe a few twists. 

I wasn't convinced that Han's freeing of Chewie deserved a life debt. 

I will go and see it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Solo: A Star Wars Story*. So what if we already know Solo & Chewie will live? More than a few films, not to mention TV series, all have that element.  Admittedly, I have not seen this film, so, what do I know? But that is the whole problem with prequels, all the more so with films made for 12 year old kids. Not much death in them, except guys in full armor, whose faces we do not see as they croak.  Sorry, Rodders. 

*Crazed Fruit *(1956), a Japanese film about two young adult brothers who fall for the same woman, neither knows that she is married to an American. The elder one learns of her being married, and initially sets out to save his younger brother from heat break. So, he goes to her home, enters through her window, confronts her, but finds her irresistible. 

She had always insisted on meeting the younger one at some location other than her home, whose location she refused to disclose. But one of the boys' friends had seen her with her husband, and told the elder brother.  Everybody knows that she is just playing with the younger kid, but nobody tells him; he learns in the worst possible way.

*Kelly's Heroes *(1970) Until I saw this on TCM I had no idea that it was not at all the film that Clint Eastwood & some of the other actors had thought they had made. Apparently, the studio edited it, such that the anti-war element ended up on the cutting room floor. 

It was always one of my favorite war films, because, without pause on vcrs or even vcrs, period in the early 1970s the tiny Czech tanks with paper machete  Tiger skins atop them seemed like real tigers. I saw a real Tiger at the US Army Ordinance Museum when I was 17, & had built model kits as a kid.  It is massive. The paper machete  Tiger seems odd, because the turret is fairly accurate, and, as such is over-sized atop that very small Czech tank. I saw a Soviet film that had a T-34, similarly dressed in Tiger skin. Both are poor substitutes. 

So, anyway, the film turned out to be a feel-good pro-war, etc., story of a highly implausible small operation to penetrate German lines with just a handful of soldiers, including the crews of the 3 Sherman tanks, in pursuit of Nazi gold. I always enjoy it, but have a few critiques. Note that I have never been a soldier, so what do I know?


crossing a plowed field. Seems odd, as this would be a great place to put mines, since the ground has been disturbed by the plowing. Elsewhere, the grass, weeds, etc., would show signs of disturbance if mines had been laid. 
Tanks running their engines for 20 minutes every three hours. Not in Summer or early Fall! They did this in Russia during winter to keep the engines from freezing. Even with anti-freeze, it was inadequate in the extreme cold of the USSR. They would never do this in France in 1944 warm weather, especially given their fuel shortage! As a German officer in a different WWII film said "Petrol is blood!"
Guy ringing bell in bell tower. He is outside the bell tower, and the occupiers would soon send somebody to see why it is ringing. Silly!
Don Rickles and one other have the 30 cal. machine gun, but two other guys have the ammo belt for it. These two groups of two go their separate ways!? Yet, next scene, the 30 cal. is set up, & a belt of ammo is in place. 
Still, what do I know?


----------



## AstroZon

*The Purple Rose of Cairo* (1985) Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels

Prior to his current persona non grata status, Woody Allen made a few warm character pieces in the 80s.  The Purple Rose of Cairo is such a movie which ultimately showcases the escapism of movies.  Mia Farrow plays the same basic character she plays in most Woody Allen films, a soft spoken, slightly mixed up women longing for a better life.  It's just the situation that changes.   Here we have her as a greasy spoon waitress supporting her ******* bum of a husband during the great depression.  

Jeff Daniels plays both a Hollywood actor and the actor's stage persona who walks off the movie screen and into the theater's audience. It's kind of a weird premise, but I seem to remember a similar situation on Star Trek TNG where something goes wrong with the holodeck.  

I'm not sure I agree with Time Magazine's placement of this movie into the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, but it's a fun film nevertheless.


----------



## Cathbad

AstroZon said:


> Jeff Daniels plays both a Hollywood actor and the actor's stage persona who walks off the movie screen and into the theater's audience. It's kind of a weird premise, but I seem to remember a similar situation on Star Trek TNG


And an Arnold Schwartzenegger film!


----------



## Toby Frost

*Solo.*

Despite their being quite a lot wrong with this - in particular, it seemed a bit weak until Han Solo met Chewbacca and got on with his first robbery - I really enjoyed it. I think this is probably more from the characters being entertaining than the plot being especially good. As I've got older, I've found the Jedi stuff less convincing and more like the moral of a fortune cookie, so I was happy not to have to sit through any of that and to get on with the laser guns and robots.

It's strange to see actors essentially impersonating older actors, but Han and Lando were both good. The villain was very good - again, it's nice to see someone being evil without the Dark Lord/Sauron stuff - and even the robot was entertaining. There's a middle section involving Cthulhu and a whirlpool that got a bit too psychadelic for my tastes.

I should add that I saw it with a purist who was unimpressed by the continuity.


----------



## Harpo

I hadn't watched any films since last summer, just a lot of trailers and clips.
This morning I found the 1949 _Alice In Wonderland _and watched the entire thing. Marvellous puppets, nice to see the fish footmen getting a song, and the lobster quadrille is terrific. I'm tempted to embark on a spree of watching as many versions  as possible of this classic story.


----------



## Starbeast

*Avengers: Infinity War* (2018) - Astonishingly Awesome. One of Marvel Comics greatest stories ever told, on the BIG SCREEN. I loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Harpo said:


> I hadn't watched any films since last summer, just a lot of trailers and clips.
> This morning I found the 1949 _Alice In Wonderland _and watched the entire thing. Marvellous puppets, nice to see the fish footmen getting a song, and the lobster quadrille is terrific. I'm tempted to embark on a spree of watching as many versions  as possible of this classic story.



My favorite version is from 1933.  It follows _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_ and _Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There_ quite closely.  The sets and costumes look exactly like the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, and it features a large number of big movie stars of the time, often unrecognizable under their outfits.  It was a big box office flop, but I love it, because I love the Alice books.  

I thought this was interesting, from Wikipedia:



> . . . this film remains as of 2017 the only major live action Hollywood-produced film directly adapting the original '"Alice" stories. (The 2010 _Alice in Wonderland_ would be the next such film to use the title, but it is a sequel to the original story.)


----------



## Starbeast

*Deadpool 2* (2018) - If you like the first movie, you'll enjoy this outrageous action flick. Whoa Nelly!


----------



## Vince W

*The Foreigner (2017).* I didn't see this one in the cinema because I had heard that it wasn't that good and that Jackie Chan didn't have much of a role. I should never have listened to those reports.

Chan is wonderful as a distraught father looking for justice. He's completely believable as an aging ex-soldier falling back on old skills to teach people who think they know what they're about a lesson.

Pierce Brosnan was equally good as an aging ex-IRA soldier trying to hold on to what little power and respect he has.

Just like The November Man, this film was unjustly maligned and deserves to be watched.


----------



## awesomesauce

_Jurassic Park_ is on TV right now.


----------



## Starbeast

*Solo: A Star Wars Story* (2018) - Excellent movie. As entertaining and enjoyable as _Rogue One._



_



_


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Symptoms* (1974)

Slow, moody, beautifully filmed, and excellently acted psychological horror film.  About 90% *Repulsion* and 10% *Psycho*.  Angela Pleasence stars as an emotionally fragile woman.  She invites her friend, who has just broken up with her boyfriend, to stay with her in the fancy mansion that serves as her retreat from the world.  There's also the vaguely sinister workman who lives in the stable.  The first two-thirds of this film is all character study, as Pleasence goes from neurosis to psychosis.  The violence that occupies the last third is brief, sudden, and shocking, but not explicit.  There are no surprises in what's going on, but the film always holds the viewer's attention.  Pleasence is fascinating to watch, and she's the whole show here.


----------



## Dennis E. Taylor

Watched 'Downsizing' last night. It's a great concept, and could have been a great movie, but it couldn't decide what kind of movie it wanted to be. It started out comedic, then turned briefly political, then tragicomic, then love story, then apocalyptic. I think the writers just tried to cover every idea they could think of, and didn't really complete on any of them.


----------



## BAYLOR

Fantastic Voyage , still a great film


----------



## Vince W

*Early Man*. I've been a fan of Nick Park from the first time I saw A Grand Day Out and this one is no exception. Funny with a lot of the wit in the scenery around the action. This one will bear many repeat viewings like the rest of his work.


----------



## AstroZon

*Back to the Future II* (1989)

I''ve seen Back to the Future many times, including upon it's first release in theaters in 1985.  I've also seen Back to the Future III a good many times, but I've somehow missed (or avoided) repeated viewings of BTTF2.  Even more odd is the fact that I have all 3 on DVD.   So I watched the original BTTF a few nights ago and BTTF2 last night.  (BTTF3 will have to wait until tomorrow because of prior commitments.) 

Anyway, what more can be said about a movie that most people have seen?  Well, for one thing it differs from I & III because it time travels more.  They start in 1985, then hop to 2015, then to the alternate 1985, then to 1955, and then back to regular 1985.  There's also the side trip that Biff makes from 2015 to 1955 and back. This could have been confusing to viewers except that it's all neatly explained throughout the movie.  Doc Brown even illustrates it on a chalkboard in alternate 1985.  

BTTF2 is a good sequel: it moves the plot forward (and back, and back even more, and then forward again) and sets up BTTF3 rather nicely.  I rather enjoyed re-watching it last night.


----------



## Foxbat

*Darkest Hour*.
Superb


----------



## Rodders

Iron Man 2.

I know this gets a lot of flack, but I think it’s pretty good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Laughter in Paradise* (1951) 
elderly practical joker dies, leaving 50k to each of 4 relatives all of whom he loathes. The catch is that each one must jump though hoops to get the money. The one woman who is particularly cruel to her own maid, must get a job as a maid, and keep it for a full month.  Alastair Sim's  character, who writes crime novels under other names, must spend a month in jail. But how to get in? All the 4 are upper class, and accomplishing these tasks will be embarrassing, to say the least. A rather amusing film! 

*The Clay Pigeon* (1949) 
a WWII vet awakens in the hospital, only to realize that he is blamed for ratting of fellow pows during captivity, resulting in the death of one. 

Happily, this was presented as a* Noir Alley* feature, & the guy spent more than a few minutes introducing it. Made by RKO, it was a B-film, which made it unworthy of attention of H. Hughes, and thus avoided his meddling with it. 

So, anyway, the protagonist must escape the hospital and clear himself. He 1st goes to the home of one of his 2 closest friends, only to realize that this is the guy he supposedly ratted on. His widow is unperceptive to him and his request for help clearing himself, especially since his face in on the front page of the newspaper, identified as a traitor, etc. She immediately turns on him screams, etc. until he k.o.s her. Somehow, he must secure her help, & thus, her empathy, find the real traitor, etc. 

Very good example of the genre, & at just under 70 minutes, it never gets dull. Beware, there are several more recent films with similar titles. 

*Three Strangers* (1946)
starring Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, who apparently were chosen because of their roles in the Maltese Falcon. They appear together in several films. So, there are these 3 losers, who pool their money and buy a lottery ticket. But things happen, & though they hold the winning ticket, they do not dare redeem it. 

O.k., so I did not watch it this time, but I have given a quick & dirty synopsis, anyway.  Great film. I guess it would be classified as Noir.


----------



## AstroZon

Jeffbert said:


> *Three Strangers* (1946)
> starring Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, who apparently were chosen because of their roles in the Maltese Falcon. They appear together in several films. So, there are these 3 losers, who pool their money and buy a lottery ticket. But things happen, & though they hold the winning ticket, they do not dare redeem it.
> 
> O.k., so I did not watch it this time, but I have given a quick & dirty synopsis, anyway.  Great film. I guess it would be classified as Noir.



Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are one of the best acting pairs ever.   They were both brilliantly vile in the Maltese Falcon, and then were cast together in 8 more films.   Give Warner Brothers credit for recognizing their onscreen chemistry.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Three Strangers* (1946)
> starring Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, who apparently were chosen because of their roles in the Maltese Falcon. They appear together in several films. So, there are these 3 losers, who pool their money and buy a lottery ticket. But things happen, & though they hold the winning ticket, they do not dare redeem it.
> 
> O.k., so I did not watch it this time, but I have given a quick & dirty synopsis, anyway. Great film. I guess it would be classified as Noir.



If you haven't seen *The Verdict* catch it when you can. It's been awhile, but I recall it as an excellent movie, giving both actors juicy roles. On my TBR right now is _A Coffin for Dimitrios_ basis for movie with Greenstreet and Lorre, and ripe for showing on _Noir Alley_. I'm hoping it hasn't already been shown so I can catch it.

About *The Clay Pigeon*, I saw it, too, enjoyed it -- especially the scene commemorating the 442 American Battalion comprised of Japanese descended soldiers who served in WW2; pretty much a gratuitous scene with a good heart -- and was again reminded that an actor you recall mainly for one role sometimes has a healthy resume behind that role, in this case Barbara Hale, best known for being Perry Mason's secretary, Della Street.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

I do not know if I have seen the verdict, Wikipedia's page for it has very few details. I know I have seen The *mask of *_*Dimitrios*, _but_* coffin for? *_ Also, a fairly decent parody of G & L in a *Get Smart* episode. 

BTW, Greenstreet is the model for one of Super Chicken's nemeses.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The confusion in titles is that Eric Ambler's novel _The Mask of Dimitrios_ was published as _A Coffin for Dimitrios_ in the USA.  The film adaptation kept the original British title.  Good movie, anyway.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Intelligence Men* (1965)

Yet another Bond era spy spoof.  This one stars the British comedy team of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.  The nonsensical plot has something to do with the Bad Guys trying to ruin a trade agreement between the UK and the USSR by killing a Russian ballerina.  It's all just an excuse for slapstick antics.  Very silly, with some amusing moments.


----------



## Jeffbert

Oh; thanks, Victoria Silverwolf. 

*Going Hollywood* (1933) Alternative title: _*Cinderella's Fella*_
Tthough a musical, which genre I find annoying, Ned Sparks was in it. I 1st came to know of Sparks in a WB cartoon that had caricatures of many Hollywood celebrities.  Sparks had a bit more screen time here, than in other films.  In fact, every month, I look through TCM's schedule, seeking films featuring such actors. I guess Sparks' appearance in this one is the main reason I recorded it.  Looking at Wiki page for Sparks, he was all over the cartoons! 

So, there is this woman French teacher (Marion Davies) in a snobbish school for girls, whose faculty frowns upon music & dancing. She quits, and does the title activity, by chance meets Bing's character, the leading man in a Cinderella film that Sparks is directing. The leading lady, is French, and very hard to please. During a lunch break, a couple of guys (Three Radio Rogues) do imitations of Hollywood celebrities, & the French Teacher imitates the  French woman, including her tantrum. Love wins in the end.

I did not even FF through the musical parts, as I really liked this one.


----------



## AstroZon

*Maps To The Stars* (2015) D: David Cronenberg  

Billed as a dark comedy, I didn't find anything amusing about it - dark or otherwise.  Seriously, I wish I could unsee it.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It was ok, nothing too taxing but it played hard and fast with even its own movie logic


----------



## WarriorMouse

*Stealth:  *Meh!
*Hail Ceasar:* I have yet to figure out why the Coen brothers have such a following. Yet another unfunny comedy of theirs.


----------



## Rodders

I quite like Stealth. It has become something if a guilty pleasure for me and it's treatment of AI was pretty interesting, if a bit too Hollywood. 

Stunning aircraft designs.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Had an unusual triple feature at my house yesterday.  In order of viewing:

*Hazel's People* AKA *Happy as the Grass Was Green* (1973)

My better half happened to read the short novel on which this modest film was based, so we watched it.  All of the packaging suggested this was a "Christian movie" but it doesn't quite fit that marketing category.  For one thing, it's got some mild cursing in it, both anatomical and theological.  Protagonist is the college roommate of a Mennonite fellow.  The roommate's brother was killed in a confrontation between police and demonstrators.  They go back to Lancaster, Pennsylvania together.  Protagonist (after learning the difference between Mennonites and Amish) learns to respect their ways and decides to live with them for a while.  There's a romance with a young Mennonite woman.  Although the protagonist cuts his hair and shaves off his mustache, this is more complex than a "hippie converts to Christianity" story.  The Mennonite life isn't depicted as all sweetness and light.  (The two saintliest characters, by the way, are played by the film's only two big names, Geraldine Page and Pat Hingle.)  There's a fellow who makes a big deal of his Christianity but also exploits the Puerto Ricans who work for him.  There's a young Mennonite woman who is mocked and shunned by her peers because her father killed himself.  Also of interest (*SPOILER*) is the fact that the protagonist does not wind up staying with the Mennonites but goes back to New York City, ending his romance.  Low budget -- it feels like a made-for-TV movie, but apparently it was intended, at least, for theaters -- talky, and with some amateurish performances, but an interesting drama.

*One Woman, One Vote* (1995)

An episode of the PBS series _American Experience_.  Informative documentary of the Suffragette movement, from the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) to the ratification of the 19th Amendment (1920.)  Susan Sarandon narrates, several historians are interviewed, and well-known actors and actresses provide the voices for quotes from suffragettes and anti-suffragettes.  What most impressed me was how passionate folks were on both sides, the conflict leading to violent riots at times.  The documentary doesn't shy away from the fact that there were serious conflicts within the Suffragette movement, both between moderates and radicals and between whites and blacks.  It also notes that there was a strong Anti-Suffragette movement from women as well.  A fascinating look at a major controversy over a major controversy which seems obvious to us now.

*Brewster McCloud* (1970)

Bizarre fantasy/comedy/tragedy/satire from director Robert Altman, which I first saw when it was in theaters.  I probably caught more of what was going on during this recent rewatching.  Bud Cort stars in the title role as a guy who secretly lives in the fallout shelter of the Astrodome.  He's working on building a set of mechanical wings for himself, so he can "fly away."  Sally Kellerman is the mysterious woman who helps him.  Upon disrobing (Kellerman provides all of the film's very brief nudity) she reveals two large scars on her back, obviously where wings have been removed.  Fallen angel or bird-turned-woman?  Rene Auberjonois is a professor type who lectures on birds directly to the audience, while slowly turning into one.  Kellerman not only helps Cort evade security guards and steal an expensive camera, she appears to be responsible for the fact that anybody who is a serious threat to him is strangled off-screen, the corpse later found covered with bird droppings.  Lots of other characters show up.  This is all less linear than I've made it sound, and there are the usual Altman touches of overlapping dialogue, several things going on at once, and multiple flashbacks.  The end credits consist of the cast dressed up as circus performers and having their names read out by the ringmaster.  It's all very strange.  Screenplay credit is given to Doran William Cannon, the same guy who wrote the equally weird, but very bad, *Skidoo*; however, according to IMDB, "Robert Altman hated the script so much, he tossed it out and actors were coached on lines as they shot scenes" and "Doran William Cannon had a clause in his contract prohibiting anyone else from receiving writing credit on this film. Thus he received the sole writing credit, although very little of his script beyond the basic story ended up in the movie."  Film debut of Shelley Duvall, and also features Margaret Hamilton and Stacy Keach (unrecognizable under extreme old age makeup.)  Michael Murphy is funny as an ultra-cool San Francisco detective, apparently a parody of Steve McQueen's Bullitt.  Although the car chase scene goes on too long, it's mostly an intriguing bit of surrealism.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Brewster McCloud* (1970)
> 
> Bizarre fantasy/comedy/tragedy/satire from director Robert Altman,



This is the exact kind of movie which in comparison made Star Wars, later that decade, such an utter delight to watch. It didn't look like it was written in a drug induced haze. It had a plot you could follow. You knew who the hero was. You knew who the villain was. And you knew the conflict was of the utmost importance. I still remember the chills that went down my spine when the opening music played and you got your first glimpse of the star ship.


----------



## WaylanderToo

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Brewster McCloud* (1970)
> 
> Bizarre fantasy/comedy/tragedy/satire from director Robert Altman, which I first saw when it was in theaters.  I probably caught more of what was going on during this recent rewatching.  Bud Cort stars in the title role as a guy who secretly lives in the fallout shelter of the Astrodome.  He's working on building a set of mechanical wings for himself, so he can "fly away."  Sally Kellerman is the mysterious woman who helps him.  Upon disrobing (Kellerman provides all of the film's very brief nudity) she reveals two large scars on her back, obviously where wings have been removed.  Fallen angel or bird-turned-woman?  Rene Auberjonois is a professor type who lectures on birds directly to the audience, while slowly turning into one.  Kellerman not only helps Cort evade security guards and steal an expensive camera, she appears to be responsible for the fact that anybody who is a serious threat to him is strangled off-screen, the corpse later found covered with bird droppings.  Lots of other characters show up.  This is all less linear than I've made it sound, and there are the usual Altman touches of overlapping dialogue, several things going on at once, and multiple flashbacks.  The end credits consist of the cast dressed up as circus performers and having their names read out by the ringmaster.  It's all very strange.  Screenplay credit is given to Doran William Cannon, the same guy who wrote the equally weird, but very bad, *Skidoo*; however, according to IMDB, "Robert Altman hated the script so much, he tossed it out and actors were coached on lines as they shot scenes" and "Doran William Cannon had a clause in his contract prohibiting anyone else from receiving writing credit on this film. Thus he received the sole writing credit, although very little of his script beyond the basic story ended up in the movie."  Film debut of Shelley Duvall, and also features Margaret Hamilton and Stacy Keach (unrecognizable under extreme old age makeup.)  Michael Murphy is funny as an ultra-cool San Francisco detective, apparently a parody of Steve McQueen's Bullitt.  Although the car chase scene goes on too long, it's mostly an intriguing bit of surrealism.




had to watch the car chase. Enjoyed it - GTX (I think) vs Z28, even though the Camaro only changes to a Z28 halfway through the chase


----------



## Randy M.

Parson said:


> This is the exact kind of movie which in comparison made Star Wars, later that decade, such an utter delight to watch. It didn't look like it was written in a drug induced haze. It had a plot you could follow. You knew who the hero was. You knew who the villain was. And you knew the conflict was of the utmost importance. I still remember the chills that went down my spine when the opening music played and you got your first glimpse of the star ship.



I think that's an observation best answered, yes, because a lot of us had the perception that since the mid- to late 1960s movies had been going all psychedelic. 

But also, no. According to IMDB, 1977 saw the release of _Star Wars_ as well as _Saturday Night Fever_, _Annie Hall_, _Slap Shot_, _The Goodbye Girl_, _Julia_, _Looking for Mr. Goodbar_, _Oh, God!_, _The Spy Who Loved Me_ and lots of other pretty straight-forward, story-driven movies. (Along with twistier films like _Suspiria_ and _Equus_.)

You still hear some critics complain about the effect of _Star Wars_ and _Jaws_ on the movie business, that post-1977 every studio was going for the blockbuster summer movie, almost to the exclusion of smaller-scale, personal, intimate movies. And there was a kernal of truth to that at the time, thought it may be even more true now.

Randy M.


----------



## Parson

My point wasn't that all movies were psychedelic, but that it seemed like they were. But I also have to say that of those movies you listed there was only one that appealed to me at that time AT ALL and that was _The Spy Who Loved Me._


----------



## Overread

Iron Sky - Nazis from the Moon! Totally silly in premise and yet fantastic in execution. Full of over-the-top characters, zeppelins in space and generally good entertaining fun. Looking forward to the sequel (lizard people in the hollow Earth!) this year


----------



## Jeffbert

I think I saw IRON SKY a few years ago. Your description is a good one. Very entertaining, if that type appeal to you. 

*Henry Goes Arizona* (1939)  The same year that he portrayed the Wizard of Oz, Frank Morgan is cast as an Easterner who inherits a ranch in the named state. Expecting easy street, he finds the opposite. Upon arriving in town, everyone hated his late step brother, and a lynch mob is already forming to dispatch him as well. Guy Kibbee is the only other recognizable name I saw; he portrays the town judge. other than him, Morgan has two friends, a little girl, and the man who is in jail, accused of shooting the departed step brother in the back. 

Every time he makes a move to return to the East, something or someone foils him. Fairly entertaining.  


*Where Eagles Dare* (1968) another one of those *conk the Nazis over the head, swipe their uniforms, infiltrate the enemy base, sabotage same, escape*-- films. The Eagle's Nest is a nearly inaccessible mountain top fortress that Vlint Eastwood & co. are to attack. The object seems straight forward at first, a General had been captured, and was to be interrogated soon. But it turns out that the general is actually an actor, and the rescue mission is only a cover for the real object: to discover the identities of Germans who had infiltrated British army intelligence, and had been responsible for the failures of recent missions.   

I was really enjoying this as a serious film, until something out of character for what seemed like a better than average war movie. 



Spoiler



The good guys are in the cable car, descending the wires to the station, in which more Nazis are waiting for them. They drop into the ice cold river! O. k., so far, but when they emerge, no one is shivering; no one mentions the need to shed their wet and cold clothes; nobody even says anything about being cold.  Their hair is not even wet! so, they then fight their way to the garage in which the bus is kept, jump aboard, ans drive toward the airfield, firing machine guns at their pursuers. Still nobody says anything about being cold. All the way to the end of the film, nobody complains of the cold! 


 I could not help but laugh. Yes, I did enjoy this film, but as far as this genre goes, I rate it rather low. 3/10.


----------



## Cathbad

*Thor - Ragnarok*  (2017)

Just started watching this (right now), and am already p*ssed.



Spoiler



Thor easily bested, captured twice in seconds.  Mjolnir quickly and extremely easily destroyed.



Absolute bulcr*ap.  Whatever comes next is bound to be ridiculous.  They've presented Thor as weak and easily defeatable, unable even to deal with some ruffians.  Hela is shown as multiple times above his power and abilities.  Anything now happening that somehow defeats her would be ridiculous.

This movie has already lost me.


----------



## Harpo

I've had a Discworld week. Started with _The Colour Of Magic, _which was fine, although nothing special. I enjoyed seeing what was done with the visualising of a book I first read in 1986, having then waited many years to see a Discworld film (such was what first brought me to this forum exactly twenty years after reading the book, so it's been a long time coming)
Secondly and thirdly, I watched and enjoyed the cartoons _Wyrd Sisters _and _Soul Music, _which I liked more than the first film. I've always liked cartoons generally.
Then I had to give up on _Going Postal _as the sound was impossibly quiet for me, and I couldn't find another version except in German.
Finally, saving one of my favourite Discworld stories until last, _Hogfather _was excellent and delightful, head and shoulders above the rest.

Four films in a week, I haven't done that in over three years. Maybe I'll try it again next year.


----------



## Overread

Harpo - like you I've a great fondness of cartoons and always felt it a shame that the western cinema and TV system basically abandoned them after around the 90s and even before then gave up making them for anyone but kids or the family market. 
I always felt that fantasy and sci fi were best at home in animation where you could have all the magic and special effects fit the visual style of the world around it (we are only just getting close now with CGI). 

And yeah the two Discworld Animations are also made from a different generation and style of director; ones who wanted to tell the story in the book not tell their own story.


----------



## Cathbad

*Thor - Ragnarok*  (2017)

Best thing about this movie was 



Spoiler



Loki being the hero!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Avengers: Infinity War*

Still reeling!


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM has lately been showing *MGM cartoons* at 8 AM, & *Popeye* at 10 Am on Saturdays.  There is usually a Western listed for 8, & a Tarzan for 10 AM. But the cartoons are first in the time slots.

*Twilight People* (1972); definitely  a version of *Island of Dr. Moreau*; though with Pam Grier in the cast, and filmed in the Philippines, one might expect an exploitation film. It was not; just a very poor version of Moreau, with a dash of *Most Dangerous Game*.  Mad scientist anticipates the end of humanity, so he tries to turn humans into various other species. I recall seeing a movie (*Sssssss *(1973))  in which Strother Martin tried to turn humans into snakes, for the same reason.  

*The Good Guys and the Bad Guys* (1969) Aging town Marshall Jim Flagg (Robert Mitchum) of the town of Progress He hears arch-rival Big John McKay (George Kennedy) is in the area, so he assumes he is going to rob the bank of its first shipment of cash. He alerts the mayor (Martin Balsam), who, caring more about his reelection prospects, that about forming a posse to catch a villain who may not even be in town, retires the Marshall.   Having no authority, the hero nevertheless goes out to deal with the gang by himself. He is caught, & the younger, more violent gang members demand that McKay prove his loyalty by killing him. McKay, has a distaste for needless violence, so the young gang members ride away leaving McKay & Flagg standing there. 

So, the two old guys end up working together to foil the violent gang that intends to rip-off the $$. One of those fell-good somewhat silly Westerns, that was very pleasant to watch.


Today's Noir Alley film was *Conflict* (1945) with Bogart as a man married to the wrong sister, & Greenstreet as the  psychiatrist friend of the family. I admit that I skipped this one, but only because I had seen it twice before. Yet, until I ran the Noir Alley part, I was unsure. I actually forgot to record this, but found it available for streaming, complete with the full Noir Alley treatment. http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/95/Conflict/

So, Bogart loathes his wife, & lusts for her sister. He plans to make her sister his wife; but 1st, to rid himself of the current wife. Good show!


----------



## Harpo

_The Day Mars Invaded Earth _(1963) - standard b-movie fare but with a couple of nice ideas.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings* (1976)

Very enjoyable comedy/drama about a group of African-American baseball players in 1939.  They start their own barnstorming career after leaving their tyrannical team owner, driving around the country playing exhibition games, adding a lot of comedy antics (_a la_ The Harlem Globetrotters) so the white spectators don't feel threatened.  The team owner does everything to sabotage their new career.   Fine acting all around and a nice recreation of the time.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Warlock *(1959) A Western town was too small for an actual sheriff or Marshall, & a gang of tough guys including Bones McCoy & Richard Widmark had been messing around just a bit too much. So, the business owners of the town hired H. Fonda & A. Quinn as quick draws (not Quick Draw McGraw) to put the fear of God into the ruffians. Oddly, Widmark quit the tough guys & took the job as Deputy (Not Deputy Dawg) after learning of some people's mistrust of Fonda.  

Surprisingly, Kelly had quite a few lines & was center of screen for for several scenes. I had seen at least one other Western featuring Kelly, but he had a very small part. 

So, anyway, tension builds between Fonda who was acting under no official authority, but had the support of store owners & 8x the pay of Widmark, who wore the badge. Quinn was a 'cripple' who adored and protected Fonda because Fonda was the only one who regarded him as a man, rather than a cripple. When the gang finally decades to have it out with ex- gang member Widmark. F at first tells him that he will handle the gang. But, Quinn holds F in his hotel room, hoping the gang kills W, because W was taking the glory from F. Things go such that I did not expect, but it was very good.
*
Obsession* [U. S. title: _*The Hidden Room*_ (]1949) About a man who captures his enemy, holds him in an abandoned bomb shelter or cellar in post WWII London. He sneaks just a little bit of acid from his office (He is a physician) to the cellar every so often, as he intends on murdering and dissolving his enemy. 

Villain has an electric train layout that would surely be the envy of others with such a hobby! anyway, I did not watch it this time, as I had already seen it twice. 

*Way out Wes*t (1937) L & Hardy as messengers sent to deliver the deed of a gold mine to a certain young woman, Mary Roberts (Rosina Lawrence), but (L & H's frequent antagonist) James Finlayson as "Mickey Finn" , wife, Lola Marcel (Sharon Lynn), con them into thinking that Lola is Mary. s they had already run afoul of the law, they had to leave town, even after learning of the error. Returning after dark, they attempt to break in and recover the deed. This is where the fun is! 

*Angel* (1937) Marlene Dietrich as a bored wife of a diplomat-type (Herbert Marshall) who, while he is abroad goes to Paris and has a fling with Melvyn Douglas' character. It turns out that Douglas and Marshall had met during WWI, and by chance meet again. To Douglas, MD was simply 'Angel' he had no idea of her identity. When he meets her again, as the wife of M, she denies ever having seen him before, and any knowledge of 'Angel.'

*The Left Hand of God* (1955) Bogart is a downed bomber Pilot who assumes the identity of a dead Catholic Priest in order to escape the Chinese Warlord Mieh Yang (Lee J. Cobb). But he is sidetracked from his trek to the coast by villagers who seek his blessings, etc. 1st time I ever saw this one, very good film! Of course, sad that Caucasians play the prominent Chinese roles, but that was then.


----------



## Harpo

_It Conquered The World _- Roger Corman's 1956 classic, in which Lee Van Cleef brings a giant alien carrot to Earth and (spoiler) it fails to conquer the world. Marvellous fun


----------



## REBerg

*The Incredibles 2 -- *Flame on!!


----------



## Toby Frost

*Tank Girl* (1996) 

There's a lot of interesting things that could be said about this film: as a piece of 1990s nostalgia (if that exists yet), the rather good special effects, the nods to feminism, and the adaptation of an anarchic comic to a film with a sort of plot. But ultimately this is one of those films like_ Deadpool_ or _The Mask_ where you have to enjoy the lead character's clowning to really buy into it. I didn't.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scream Blacula Scream* (1973)

Pretty decent sequel to the surprise hit blaxploitation horror film *Blacula* (1972).  Once again, William Marshall's charisma, dignity, and powerful presence dominate everything else.  Sometimes the combination of traditional vampire movie stuff and funky jive-talkin' is amusingly awkward, and the story is slow and confused, but it's entertaining enough.


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> horror film *Blacula* (1972). Once again, William Marshall's charisma, dignity, and powerful presence dominate everything else.


I saw this movie at a drive-in at 14 (sister forced to take me along on her date - hah!), and I fully agree with Victoria.  Marshall made the movie bearable, even with a supporting cast of non-thespians!


----------



## Anthoney

The new *Death Wish *wish.  In general I'm a fan of Bruce Willis shooting people.  Still this movie lacked the grit of the original.  It also took way to long to get started.


----------



## Foxbat

Finally got round to watching Suicide Squad, which was a pretty hum-drum by the numbers affair. The one shining light was Margot Robbie, who absolutely stole the show as Harley Quinn. 

Forget about the rest, I say, and give her a show of her own!


----------



## Overread

I agree Foxbat, its a shame as the overall tone of the film was darker and I like the concept being setup; but eh it just sort of felt flat. I think it was a prime example of a film trying to squeeze to much into itself all at once


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Scream Blacula Scream* (1973)
> 
> Pretty decent sequel to the surprise hit blaxploitation horror film *Blacula* (1972).  Once again, William Marshall's charisma, dignity, and powerful presence dominate everything else.  Sometimes the combination of traditional vampire movie stuff and funky jive-talkin' is amusingly awkward, and the story is slow and confused, but it's entertaining enough.


Marshall, along with Lionel Atwill, John Carridine, and several others, has a wonderfully distinctive voice. 

*Scream Blacula Scream* (1973), is an unusual vampire film, because the title character is actually the antagonist & protagonist. Great film!

Just saw 4 Harrold Lloyd short films, cannot recall the titles, though. 


*The Belles of St. Trinians* (1954) is about a girls school on the verge of bankruptcy, whose headmistress and her brother, both portrayed by *Alastair Sim* are betting against each other in a horse race. Each has a group of the girls supporting the cause, one group steals the horse presumed to win the race, in order to secure it from sabotage. I found it amusing, though perhaps, nothing outstanding.


----------



## Harpo

I love those St Trinians films, and I have been in the presence of the school sign used in the films


----------



## Jeffbert

Yes, the guy Ben M. did mention that there were a few sequels. TCM ran this in a block of A. Sim films.

*From Hell it Came* (1957) a horror film about an island on which a supernatural tree stump stalks and kills the enemies of the man it once was.  




The thing has a preferred way of disposing of women:



For the first 45 minutes or so, the scientists were discussing throwing it in the quicksand, so it was fairly obvious that QS would be in the film. at first sight, the QS seemed especially creepy, as it had steam rising out of it. But when its 1st victim was tossed in, it appeared that sawdust was merely floating atop a small pool.  This 1st victim was tossed in, facing the opposite direction, but quickly rotated to face the dry ground.

Anyway, it was amusing, though I suppose if it had been much longer than 80 minutes, I might have moved the slider a bit.

It should be available for streaming on TCM until next Monday. http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/26960/From-Hell-It-Came/


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

One of the goofiest monsters in film history.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Jeffbert said:


> a supernatural tree stump stalks and kills the enemies of the man it once was



I can't help but wonder if this film helped inspire Alan Moore's _Swamp Thing_?


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Black Panther last night. Thought it wasn't bad. Nothing brilliant and not one that I'm  likely to watch again but not bad.


----------



## AstroZon

*Wyatt Earp *(1994) Kevin Costner
I've seen 1993's Tombstone so many time that I have parts of it memorized.  Oddly I've never seen 1994's Wyatt Earp - until yesterday that is.  I spotted it for $5 at Walmart and bought it.  3 hours and 10 minutes later, I can now claim to have watched it.    

So how does it compare with Tombstone?  Well in many ways, they're 2 completely different movies.  Wyatt Earp does a great job at showing Wyatt's early life - his marriage to Urilla Sutherland, her unfortunate death from typhus, and Wyatt's subsequent drunken and hellbent lost weekend (which lasted a few years.)  

Wyatt Earp is filmed with epic vistas and very elaborate sets - something I particularity like in movies.  And I think Wyatt Earp did better at portraying Josephine Marcus - Wyatt Earp's common law wife and post OK Coral traveling companion.  But Wyatt Earp was filled with historically accurate yet dead end scenes, so many that it made the film dry. 

Still, I prefer Tombstone.  Why?  For starters, Val Kilmer just steels the movie.  Historically accurate or not, his portrayal of Doc Holiday is why I've watched it so many times. Maybe I'll watch the Star Trek version tonight.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Raiders Of The Lost Ark * This film never gets old .


----------



## Rodders

Some movies are a classic for a reason, Baylor.


----------



## Rodders

BAYLOR said:


> *Raiders Of The Lost Ark * This film never gets old .



Some movies are a classic for a reason, Baylor.


----------



## Toby Frost

The opening of the ark must be one of the great scenes in cinema. That moment when the angel looks at the camera and its face turns to a skull is fantastic. The music is absolutely brilliant, too.


----------



## -K2-

Monte Walsh - 2003 - w/Tom Sellek.  Without a doubt, the best _"cowboy"_ (not Western) movie ever made.

K2


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> Yes, the guy Ben M. did mention that there were a few sequels. TCM ran this in a block of A. Sim films.
> 
> *From Hell it Came* (1957) a horror film about an island on which a supernatural tree stump stalks and kills the enemies of the man it once was.  View attachment 45150
> 
> The thing has a preferred way of disposing of women:
> View attachment 45151
> For the first 45 minutes or so, the scientists were discussing throwing it in the quicksand, so it was fairly obvious that QS would be in the film. at first sight, the QS seemed especially creepy, as it had steam rising out of it. But when its 1st victim was tossed in, it appeared that sawdust was merely floating atop a small pool.  This 1st victim was tossed in, facing the opposite direction, but quickly rotated to face the dry ground.
> 
> Anyway, it was amusing, though I suppose if it had been much longer than 80 minutes, I might have moved the slider a bit.
> 
> It should be available for streaming on TCM until next Monday. http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/26960/From-Hell-It-Came/



Wasn't mr Tree Stump up for a best supporting actor nomination?


----------



## BAYLOR

Toby Frost said:


> The opening of the ark must be one of the great scenes in cinema. That moment when the angel looks at the camera and its face turns to a skull is fantastic. The music is absolutely brilliant, too.



The opening would  have been a good ending in any other adventure film. 

In the scene  where he come into the  part of the cave with Idol , Idian jones I standing in front of a sun burst prop . That prop was used in the 1954 adventure film *The* *Secret of the Incas.*


----------



## clovis-man

BAYLOR said:


> In the scene  where he come into the  part of the cave with Idol , Idian jones I standing in front of a sun burst prop . That prop was used in the 1954 adventure film *The* *Secret of the Incas.*



I saw that movie in the theater when I was a kid. With Yma Sumac's weird singing (or is her name really Amy Camus?) and the uncovering of the mummy, it totally creeped me out.


----------



## Jeffbert

*ITS LOVE I'M AFTER* (1937)  Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Olivia DeHavilland, & Patric Knowles in a mix-up between two couples. LH & BD are about to be married, but ODH is smitten with LH's portrayal of Romeo on stage. Every attempt to dissuade her from falling for him fails, & BD walks out on him. 

Eric Blore portrays LH's butler, a role he seems to have in many films. So LH had come to visit ODH's papa's home, in an attempt to prove himself a cad and break her crush on him, and every time he says "Pack the bags, Digges" (EB), two minutes later, he says unpack them.

*Tokyo Drifter* (1966) Yakuza henchman is cast out on the streets after his boss goes legit.  "Phoenix"  (Tetsuya Watari) finds himself hunted by various gangs, & even eventually is betrayed by the father-figure ex-boss whom he trusted completely.


----------



## Harpo

clovis-man said:


> I saw that movie in the theater when I was a kid. With Yma Sumac's weird singing (or is her name really Amy Camus?) and the uncovering of the mummy, it totally creeped me out.


I love Yma, I was listening to her a few days ago


----------



## BAYLOR

*Dracula* 1979 film staring Frank Langella as Dracula. Also had a superb support cast Sir Lawrence Olivier , Donald Pleasance , Kate Nelligan.    This films got everything.


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> *Dracula* 1979 film staring Frank Langella as Dracula. Also had a superb support cast Sir Lawrence Olivier , Donald Pleasance , Kate Nelligan.    This films got everything.



It is indeed an excellent adaptation.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*Death Of Stalin *(Comedy)

Rotten Tomatoes gives this film a 98%

If you know nothing about the inner workings of, or about the pathological ass kissing homicidal cretins who administered the USSR during Stalin's reign, this "farce" might be enjoyable.
For those who do have knowledge of the workings of the USSR during the Stalin period,  this film will likely be dark and disturbing.


----------



## Vince W

My grandfather was a soldier at Stalingrad. My father was born in the USSR and escaped with his family on a grain barge. I have some inkling of life under Stalin, so I'm in no rush to laugh at it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Nertsery Ryhmes* (1933) Before they were known as the Three Stooges, they were Ted Healy 's Stooges. So, all 3 are little boys in bed, but Curly will not sleep. Papa clangs him on the noggin, while telling a story. M & L awaken, & they demand a story. Busby Berkly type musical parts, but not quite the Stooges as most know them. 

*Hitler Lives* (1945) documentary that warns against becoming too peaceful after WWII's conclusion, that the Germans have certain tenancies, etc. Graphic violence in more than a few images, drives home the message. 

*Rock, Rock,  Rock* (1956) A few big names, such as Alan Freed, Chuck Berry, The Flamingos, and several others.  I had never heard of most of the performers, even though I listen to streaming oldies every day. Nice to see the stage acts, after having only heard the music. I have seen *Rock Around the Clock* (1956) several times, 

This film, had a thin plot about teenage girls jumping through hoops trying to get the money to buy dresses for the prom, just two weeks away. I think that the styles they wore in this film should have been rejected by their parents, as showing too much skin. I still remember that audio clip for Let the Good Times Roll (album) where the woman says something about off-the shoulder dresses being not proper school attire.  One could fast-forward through the so-called story parts, and just watch the performances, cutting the viewing time in half.


----------



## Foxbat

*I, Tonya  *A movie that is a rarity in the sense that there is not one bad or sub-par performance among the cast. Every single actor is working at the top of their game. Both funny and thought provoking, I, Tonya is easily the best movie I've seen so far this year and Margot Robbie, who was the standout performer in Suicide Squad, takes her acting to another level.   Absolutely superb.

*Footnote:* Very few people know the truth about what happened (I certainly don't but I do remember the world-wide coverage it got). However, if this movie is even close to the truth then I don't think you can come away without feeling a certain amount of sympathy for Tonya. I don't even know if that's a good or a bad thing but I do know that I cared about the character portrayed by Margot Robbie and maybe having an audience care one way or the other is the most important thing of all about portraying a character.


----------



## Droflet

A wrinkle in time. Dreck.


----------



## Starbeast

*Planet Hulk* (2010) - I finally got a chance to watch this wonderfully animated action movie. Definitely a must see for MARVEL fans. I won't say anything about the story, in case someone out there hasn't seen it.

*Night Fright* (1967) - Typical low-budget monster movie of it's time. Starring JOHN AGAR, who has been in a great deal of these creature flicks, either playing the monster role, or portraying the hero who saves the day. This film had potential, but just went by the numbers. Too bad.

*Kong: Skull Island* (2017) - Disappointed in the film's execution. I got bored quickly with the bad acting, dialogue, directing and waste of talented actors. I was hoping this would be fun to watch, but, no.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

My review from some time back of *Night Fright*:



> *Night Fright* (1967)
> 
> John Agar stars in this dreary little microbudget monster movie.  We begin in classic fashion with two young people making out in a parked car in the middle of nowhere.  The romantic music on the car radio is interrupted by a news bulletin, telling us that the glowing object that fell in the area an hour ago has not been located.  (Why have a bulletin?)  An unseen something attacks the folks.  Cut to a young man showing up at his girlfriend's sorority house.  They go out into the woods, walk around, get scared (but not attacked) by the unseen something.  More than ten minutes into the film, we get our opening titles.  Some unseen "government men" prevent the local sheriff from getting near the object that fell to Earth, but let him go check out the murdered couple.  (The woman is dead on the spot, the man, we're told but not shown, dies in the hospital.)  Sheriff, deputy, and a reporter walk around, find a big three-toed footprint.  The local science professor (who knows more than they think) and the deputy agree the print looks like a giant alligator walking on two feet.  Well, lots of scenes of driving around and some other young folks dancing by a lake at nightfollow.  The night scenes are so dark you can hardly see what's going on.  We find out what the glowing object is, what the unseen something is (which doesn't explain why it looks like a guy in a Bigfoot costume), it gets destroyed pretty easily, the end.  Notable for the cleancut young folks and other mid-60's nostalgia.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Creep Behind the Camera* (2014) - The true story about, Art "A.J. " Nelsen. The guy who created the 1964 film, _The Creeping Terror_. In this docudrama/documentary, you see the bizarre story about the real monster who wanted to make a monster movie.  I had no idea what went on behind the making of one of my favorite cult classic B-movie's. UNRATED, UNBELIEVABLE and thoroughly SHOCKING.

*Grizzly Man* (2005) - Documentary about, Timothy Treadwell. The man who was obsessed about getting the word out that we should preserve the beautiful and deadly Grizzly bear. He wanted to show that he could be close to the large carnivores because understood them, and felt that the bears accepted his company. Unfortunately, he was wrong, and it cost him his life, and his fellow activist, Amie Huguenard's life.

I didn't like this documentary. I could see that Timothy was slowly slipping into madness (in his final footage).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Grizzly Man* is extremely uncomfortable to watch, but a brilliantly made documentary.


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> *The Creep Behind the Camera* (2014) - The true story about, Art "A.J. " Nelsen. The guy who created the 1964 film, _The Creeping Terror_. In this docudrama/documentary, you see the bizarre story about the real monster who wanted to make a monster movie.  I had no idea what went on behind the making of one of my favorite cult classic B-movie's. UNRATED, UNBELIEVABLE and thoroughly SHOCKING.


As I recall, _*The Creeping Terror *_is about an alien monster that resembles a Chinese parade dragon. I thought that it was hilarious! i had no idea that the making of this film would be interesting. 

*The Steamroller & the Violin* (1960) Strange little film about a little boy who is forced to take violin lessons. The other boys tease him, etc., but he finds a friend in the guy who drive the steamroller. 

*The Password is Courage* (1962) British POWs in a Nazi camp make escape attempts. Odd, that the protagonist is named Coward. Eponyms . 

Two Noir Alley films:

*The Man who Cheated Himself* (1950) Lee J. Cobb as the elder of two brothers, both cops. He has a relationship with a rich woman, who in foiling he estranged husband's attempt to kill her, kills him, with his pistol. Cobb is in the room at the time, and immediately decides to cover-up the crime, upon calling the airport and learning that the husband was already supposed to be there. Husband was using his presumed presence at the airport as his alibi, so Cobb dumps his corpse there. But, his cover-up, is uncovered by his younger brother, who cannot be bought.

*Pitfall* (1948) Same actress as in 'Cheated', but this time, she is the wife of an insurance investigator John Forbes (Dick Powell) working to recover the loot stolen by Bill Smiley, who is currently in prison. Unfortunately, the private investigator hired by the insurance co. is played by Raymond Burr; and he is always a villain . Both Burr & Powell fall for Smiley's  girlfriend, Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott), who had received most of the loot as presents. Smiley is soon to be released, & Burr goes to visit him, and fill him with lies about his girlfriend & Forbes, who had since come to his senses, and lost interest in Stevens.

I think both of these films rate about the same, but Burr is always an asset to the film's likability. I am sure this was the 1st time I saw Cheated, and there was one line in Pitfall towards the end that seemed to resonate, though nothing else seemed familiar.


----------



## AlexH

*Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* (2018)
Fantastic entertainment.

*Deadpool 2* (2018)
Nowhere near as good as the first.

*[Rec]* (2007)
Supposedly one of the scariest horror films? I don't usually watch horror because I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat with such things, but I found this amusing more than anything.

*Он – дракон* / *I Am Dragon *(2005)
Russian fantasy film with a lot of potential, but a big letdown. I mean, they were setting up 



Spoiler: SPOILER



a showdown on the island and then all of a sudden everyone was back home??



*Groundhog Day* (1993)
The first time I've watched this. It was good, but I don't see the all-time classic status.

*Русский ковчег / Russian Ark* (2002)
Unusual Russian fantasy. Impressive for being filmed in one shot in the Hermitage Museum and intriguing to start with. By half way I was watching it on 1.3x speed.

*Los Ultimas Días / The Last Days *(2013)
A good post-apocalyptic Spanish sci-fi that lost it's way with a ridiculous scene near the end. It took me half the film to realise the main characters were shown in flashbacks, and not other characters' stories running concurrently as I thought (which explained why I found certain things confusing).

*Enemy *(2013)
"A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie." One of the weakest Jake Gyllenhaal films I've seen, but still good.



Starbeast said:


> ​*Grizzly Man* (2005) -
> 
> I didn't like this documentary. I could see that Timothy was slowly slipping into madness (in his final footage).


I didn't like it either. I found it boring if I remember rightly (which doesn't seem like the right thing to say about a documentary like this).


----------



## Parson

Not much of a movie aficionado, but I watch *Lady Bird* and I liked it a lot. It is a coming of age story which follows a girl who feels like she doesn't belong anywhere and how she copes. I really liked that the movie had two parents who loved their daughter fiercely even if they didn't always know what to say or what to do. *Recommended*


----------



## Jeffbert

*Santiago* (1956) gun runners become far more involved in the Cuban war for independence from Spain, then they had ever expected. 

*The Letter *(1940) Bette Davis as the wife of rubber plantation owner  Robert Crosbie (Herbert Marshall). She apparently kills a man in defense of her virtue. But, not only had she shot him, she emptied the revolver in him, after he had fallen dead.  There must be a murder trial, and the defense attorney, though disturbed by her firing addition times,  is assured of acquittal until he learns of the letter. 



Spoiler



it turns out, that the dead man came to the house at the woman's request, & rather than him attacking her, he spurned her love, and had married a local woman. She had been unfaithful for several years, and to loses her lover to a local woman, was too much for her.


 This was seen in *Noir Alley*, & as usual, Muller did a thorough job both before & after the film. 

*The Creep Behind the Camera* (2014)  Thanks to Starbeast for the heads up, as the film *Creeping Terror* is one of my favorite turkeys. II fully agree that this guy was more than just a creep, he was a real @@@####! Not only did he not pay the actors in his most frightening horror film of all time, they paid him for the privilege of becoming movie stars. Only the men paid in cash, the women paid in other ways. He had a few celebrities involved with it, including Charles Manson. 

I watched this last night on Prime, and thought that the guy's concept of the creature and its actual prop were miles apart!







 I thought I had a few good pics of it 'eating' its victims, but not so. 

Anyway, the film has some interesting interviews with some people involved in the making of Creeping Terror.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Devil's Nightmare* (1971) (Original French and Italian titles:  _La plus longue nuit du diable_ and _La terrificante notte del demonio_)  

Directed by Jean Brismée (and probably other folks); written by Pierre-Claude Garnier and Patrice Rhomm and other folks.

This Belgian-Italian co-production is a pretty good supernatural horror film, with lots of mood and atmosphere, an interesting story, and enough exploitative and campy aspects to add some amusement.

It begins in startling fashion during World War Two.  This sepia-tinted prologue (with stock footage from WWII added) shows us the wife of a Baron (and Nazi officer) dying in childbirth.  The father finds out the infant is a daughter, then plunges a dagger into her body.

That grabs the viewer's attention, to be sure.  Flash forward to the present day (of several decades ago) as a reporter attempts to interview the Baron at his castle.  A truly weird weapon wielded by an unseen someone gives her a flat tire when she tries to photograph the castle.  She runs off screaming at what she sees and dies of fright.

These two sequences are just appetizers, before we get to the main course.  A tour bus carries a guide/driver and six passengers.  They wind up having to stay at the Baron's castle after an encounter with a creepy guy who is going to turn out to be much more important to the plot than he seems.  We have:

The Guide:  A pretty ordinary, blue collar kind of fellow, a little heavy-set, who enjoys food and drink  (GLUTTONY.)

A Bickering Married Couple:  She's wealthy (AVARICE) and he married her for that reason (ENVY.)

Two Young Women Traveling Together:  They also happen to be lovers, providing the film's mandatory lesbian sex scene.  One is much more passive than the other (SLOTH.)  The other swings both ways.  When asked if she has any hobbies, she says she collects men.  (LUST.)

An Older Man:  An argumentative atheist (ANGER.)

A Priest:  A handsome young cleric.  (PRIDE.)

Why have I labeled these seven with the traditional Deadly Sins?  Well, that's because we find out pretty quickly that a succubus (European Scream Queen Erika Blanc) is out to kill each one of them while he or she is in a state of mortal sin, thereby damning their souls to eternal perdition.  But will the priest, a man of genuine virtue, be able to resist her seductive ways?

Blanc first shows up as a beautiful woman wearing a really goofy, revealing outfit.  It's got a huge hole cut out over her belly.  It's the sort of thing you could only get away with in the late 1960's/early 1970's.  (It reminded me of a very similar sexy-but-ridiculous outfit worn by Jane Fonda in *Spirits of the Dead* [1968]; but I digress.)  When she reveals her demonic form, her appearance is truly frightening; an effect created strictly through her makeup and facial expression.

The story ends with a double or triple twist ending that's intriguing.  There are some striking visuals.  (I was particularly taken with a chess set used by the older man and the priest.  The pieces are quite large, and carved into weird shapes.  Of course, the games symbolize the theological contention between the two.  It's notable that the priest wins three games in a row.)

Well worth a look for fans of EuroGothic shockers.


----------



## REBerg

*Solo: A Star Wars Story*
A little heavy on the action, but entertaining.


----------



## Vince W

*Black Rain* (1989). One of my favourite Ridley Scott films. Michael Douglas as a New York cop in Japan taking on the Yakuza. It should be much better thought of than it is.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Stalker* (1979) Soviet made so-called Sci-fi, about an area called THE ZONE in which there is said to be a room where one's wishes can be granted. 3 men go into the Zone, which is illegal, thus they must evade the authorities, etc. At over 2.5 hours, for me, the 1st 15 minutes were the most interesting. Once in the zone, the Stalker who guides the other two, frightens them with warnings about straying from the path he has chosen. Danger is everywhere; death traps abound. He finds safe paths  by tossing weighted handkerchiefs into the desired direction. If they endure after landing, it is safe to go. 

After about 1 hour, I was becoming bored and my eyes were becoming fatigued from reading the sub titles. I did finish the film, but wish I had just fast-forwarded to the last 10 minutes.  I consider it to be a waste of time, and do not know why it was highly acclaimed. I generally watch the foreign films on TCM, but after this, I might start googling them before even considering watching.


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> *Santiago* (1956) gun runners become far more involved in the Cuban war for independence from Spain, then they had ever expected.
> 
> *The Letter *(1940) Bette Davis as the wife of rubber plantation owner  Robert Crosbie (Herbert Marshall). She apparently kills a man in defense of her virtue. But, not only had she shot him, she emptied the revolver in him, after he had fallen dead.  There must be a murder trial, and the defense attorney, though disturbed by her firing addition times,  is assured of acquittal until he learns of the letter.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> it turns out, that the dead man came to the house at the woman's request, & rather than him attacking her, he spurned her love, and had married a local woman. She had been unfaithful for several years, and to loses her lover to a local woman, was too much for her.
> 
> 
> This was seen in *Noir Alley*, & as usual, Muller did a thorough job both before & after the film.
> 
> *The Creep Behind the Camera* (2014)  Thanks to Starbeast for the heads up, as the film *Creeping Terror* is one of my favorite turkeys. II fully agree that this guy was more than just a creep, he was a real @@@####! Not only did he not pay the actors in his most frightening horror film of all time, they paid him for the privilege of becoming movie stars. Only the men paid in cash, the women paid in other ways. He had a few celebrities involved with it, including Charles Manson.
> 
> I watched this last night on Prime, and thought that the guy's concept of the creature and its actual prop were miles apart!
> View attachment 45362
> 
> View attachment 45363
> I thought I had a few good pics of it 'eating' its victims, but not so.
> 
> Anyway, the film has some interesting interviews with some people involved in the making of Creeping Terror.



They lost  almost the entire soundtrack of the film , that why they did the narration .  Even wit the complete soundtrack, this film still would have been the a stinker.


----------



## -K2-

Love it... A fantastic comedy, great plot, script and execution.  One of the classic greats I have seen many times.

K2


----------



## Toby Frost

Gosh, I remember watching *The Devil’s Nightmare* as a student. Channel 4, which at the time was known for being salacious, ran a series of crazy European horror films, and this was one of them. My main memory is of a greedy man being killed when a big bag of money fell on his head, although that might have not happened at all.

Some of the dubbing was extremely dubious. I remember a moment in a terrible film called *The Naked Werewolf Woman*, in which a patient in an asylum is trying to seduce her doctor. “So what?” says the doctor, as she undresses, “I’m a doctor. A breast, a leg, it’s all the same to me.” At which point my friend observed, “I’m sure a doctor can tell those apart.”


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Toby Frost said:


> Gosh, I remember watching *The Devil’s Nightmare* as a student. Channel 4, which at the time was known for being salacious, ran a series of crazy European horror films, and this was one of them. My main memory is of a greedy man being killed when a big bag of money fell on his head, although that might have not happened at all.



It was actually a woman drowning in gold, as shown here.





By the way, here are the two midriff-revealing outfits I mentioned:

Erika Blanc:





Jane Fonda:


----------



## Droflet

*Rampage *(2018).

Genetically corrupted animals set off to destroy Chicago. A surprisingly entertain flick with Dwayne Johnson doing what he does. Not bad, for what it was.


----------



## Starbeast

*DOOMED!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four* (2015) - A marvelous documentary about the fated, first, Fantastic Four film. A excellent example about the ugly side of Hollywood, told by people who were involved in making a movie that was never meant to be seen.


*Attack of the Killer Tomatoes* (1978) - I finally watched this cult classic (unrated version). It was dated, but, still funny. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had seen it long ago. Not bad.

*Red Dwarf X* (date?) - Still the funniest space crew in the universe. Great fun watching the tenth series.



Re-watched:

*Thor: Ragnarok* (2017) - I watched it three more times.

*The Night Strangler* (1973 - The second TV movie where actor, Darren McGavin, stars as Carl Kolchak, a news reporter/monster hunter. This time he's in Seattle, Washington, investigating another series of strange murders. Awesome cast of veteran actors in this installment.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Pride of the Yankees *1942. Staring Gary Cooper as baseball great Lou Gehrig . This is a great film and a must see.


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> *The Pride of the Yankees *1942. Staring Gary Cooper as baseball great Lou Gehrig . This is a great film and a must see.


Great movie!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fangs of the Living Dead* (1969) AKA *Malenka the Vampire* and a few other titles

Written and directed by Amando de Ossorio

This Spanish-Italian production from the fellow who later gave viewers the fairly well-regarded Blind Dead series (none of which I have seen) provides pretty typical vampire stuff.  It's notable for being one of three European horror movies given new "Living Dead" titles and released to American theaters as part of an "Orgy of the Living Dead."






*Revenge of the Living Dead* (1966) is actually *The Murder Clinic*.  I haven't seen it, but it's apparently a non-supernatural serial killer mystery with nothing remotely resembling living dead.  *Curse of the Living Dead* (1966) is actually *Kill, Baby . . . Kill!*.  Despite the lousy title, it's a very good ghost story.  Note the unreadable sidebar, which claims that some guy went insane after seeing these three movies.

*Fangs of the Living Dead* stars Anita Ekberg as a model, living in Rome, who is about to be married.  She gets a message that she's inherited a castle and the title of Countess.  Off she goes to some vaguely Germanic place.  At the castle is her youngish, slightly sinister uncle.  As in a lot of these movies, there's a painting that looks just like her, except its got black hair instead of blonde.  It turns out that the painting is of her grandmother Malenka.  Uncle explains that Malenka was burned at the stake for her experiments with immortality, which led to vampirism.  It isn't long before Uncle reveals himself to be well over a century old.  A woman shows up who almost puts the bite on Ekberg until Uncle stops her.  A woman in the village dies of "anemia" and comes back with fangs.  Uncle convinces Ekberg to write to her intended to break off their engagement because she is doomed to become a vampire as well.  Her future husband and his comic relief buddy show up to try to straighten things out.

All of this plays out slowly, in predictable fashion, until the ending.  The plot twists at the end make no sense at all.



Spoiler



It turns out that all this vampire stuff was a hoax, so that Ekberg could be declared insane and Uncle could inherit the castle.  However, when the hero kills Uncle, he withers away into a skeleton, suggesting he really was a vampire.  Just before the end credits, the comic relief guy is approached by a local woman who wants to go to Rome with him.  He opens his mouth, revealing a set of fangs.



Not a very good film, but amusing enough to pass the time.


----------



## Vince W

Starbeast said:


> *Red Dwarf X* (date?) - Still the funniest space crew in the universe. Great fun watching the tenth series.



Series' XI and XII were even better. Looking forward to series XIII


----------



## Titus Groan

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers --goofy and pulpy as all hell, loved it


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Robot vs the Aztec Mummy * 1958  This film has it all but, not in a good way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Murder Clinic* (1966) (_La lama nel corpo_ ["The blade in the body"])  AKA *Revenge of the Living Dead*

(This is the last film in the infamous "Orgy of the Living Dead" triple feature that I have seen.  It contains no living dead of any kind.)

This Italian shocker begins with a hooded figure skulking around with black gloves and a straight razor.  Yes, we're firmly in _giallo_ territory, as the original title suggests.  Surprisingly, the time is the Nineteenth Century.  If there's another _giallo_ with an historical setting, I'm not aware of it.  

The setting is an isolated mental hospital.  Right away we see our hidden murderer attack a mute woman who, intelligently, runs away.  The killer catches up with her and finishes her off.  (Unlike later _giallos_, the violence is not very explicit, nor is there any nudity.)  

An unusual plot twist happens right away, as a woman traveling in a coach with a man bashes him on the head when he has to stop to repair the vehicle.  The horse runs off with the coach, so she wanders around and sees one of the hospital staff hiding the murdered woman's body in a grotto.  After a night spent sleeping outdoors the doctor who runs the place finds her and takes her in.

Let's see; we've got the doctor's wife; we've got the wife's sister, hidden away upstairs; we've got the newly arrived young nurse; we've got the muscular orderly; we've got the male patient who seems nice enough, but has fits of violence; we've got the elderly female patient who clings to a dead cat for comfort; and probably some other characters I've forgotten.  A lot goes on.  The film moves briskly, although we've got plenty of time for folks wandering around dark corridors and such.  There are plenty of red herrings, and the identity of the killer isn't obvious, but is fairly clued.  All in all, an entertaining horror whodunit.


----------



## Anthoney

*Alpha Gate*.  It's an Australian Sci-Fi film about hoping between alternate universes.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Planet of the Vampires *1965 directed by Mario Bava.   If you've never seen this film , your missing a really terrific film .


----------



## Toby Frost

Is that the one with the dead alien skeleton, that's said to have influenced _Alien_?


----------



## BAYLOR

Toby Frost said:


> Is that the one with the dead alien skeleton, that's said to have influenced _Alien_?



Yes it is


----------



## picklematrix

Avengers infinity war. Pretty decent!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Armored Car Robbery* (1950) Charles McGraw as the cop who runs the investigation into the title incident. Though the mastermind planned it carefully, believing it would take the cops no less than 3 minutes to reach the scene, a patrol car was just around the corner. One of four crooks mortally wounded, and as I recall, one or two guards / armored car guys were also killed. But the other 3 crooks are still in town, & the hardest part, is getting out of town. 

Another Noir Alley presentation. interesting details  Good example of the genre.


*Berkley Square* (1933) Leslie Howard as a man who "time-travels" to the 18th century and take the role of his ancestor. No details of how he does this, so no sci-fi elements here. Having read his ancestor's diary, he supposes that he will be well prepared for life in the 18th C, but he is off with some dates, and people think him a sorcerer because he speaks of things yet to come, or, unfinished paintings that only the artist should know about. 

*The Red Balloon* (1956). As I recall, they showed this in elementary school, or was it a children's Television Workshop film; I cannot recall which. Anyway, a little boy frees a balloon from a lamp post on which its string had been tied. Thankful, it follows him around. But the other boys want to burst it.  

*Secrets* (1933) Mary Pickford & Leslie Howard as a young couple who fall in love, despite her parents wish for her to marry an upper class snob. They leave New England, & go toward California. Ned Sparks (the man who supposedly never smiles) as LH's partner.


----------



## Lumens

Anthoney said:


> *Alpha Gate*.  It's an Australian Sci-Fi film about hoping between alternate universes.


I am always hoping between universes.


----------



## Anthoney

I need a another P.  It's quickly becoming the story of my life.


----------



## Anthoney

I just watched* Chef* with Jon Favreau.  It came up on another thread which reminded me I wanted to watch it.   It's good and what I would call family friendly.  Burnt was a deeper more intense film on the subject but not always fun.  Jon Favreau also gets to show off some of his real chef skills.


----------



## Cathbad

*Tank Girl  *(1995)

Somehow, this movie seemed cooler than the first time I watched it!

Lori Petty (title star) overshadowed everyone, but I'm sure that was intentional.  This movie wasn't destined to win Academy Awards, but it is an exciting, fun romp - unless you go and do something stupid, like try to make sense of the plot!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Confessions of a Dangerous Mind* (2002)

Adaptation of the "unauthorized autobiography" of game show creator and host Chuck Barris, who made the outrageous claim that he was an assassin for the CIA.  The movie captures the weirdness of the book, which I recently read, balancing the goofiness of the creation of "The Dating Game" and "The Gong Show" with Barris' messy personal life and what one hopes is the completely fictional world of espionage and murder.  Filmed in a very sophisticated and complex manner, constantly jumping back and forth in time.  Sometimes scenes which occur at different times and places are shown simultaneously, without the use of split screens.


----------



## Steve S

*The Witch (2016)*

I've been looking forward to watching this for a while and it didn't disappoint. A haunting, beautifully shot film, with some superb performances.


----------



## Randy M.

*Harper* (1966); directed by Jack Smight, screenplay by William Goldman, based on The Moving Target by Ross Macdonald; starring Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Robert Wagner, Pamela Tiffin, Arthur Hill, Shelley Winters

Another one that showed on Turner Cable Movies, this introduced by Ben Mankiewicz. I'd seen an edited version way back when it was a fairly recent movie, and I'd forgotten a lot about it.

Maybe the best cast I've ever seen in a movie mystery. Bacall, an invalid, hires Lew Harper (Archer in the books, but Newman had a string of hits with H in the title -- _Hud_, _The Hustler_ -- and someone superstitious changed the name; Mankiewicz says Newman, but I've heard before it was a producer) to find her missing husband. He's been gone about a day and has a habit of running off with young women before reappearing. She doesn't really care if he's found dead, she just doesn't want him giving away his fortune -- a while before he'd given a mountain top to a self-proclaimed holy man (Strother Martin). Mankiewicz noted a sort of tip of the hat to Bacall's career: One of her first movies was The Big Sleep, in which she played the daughter of an invalid and here an invalid on prickly terms with her husband's daughter (Tiffin, whose appearance alone would mark this as a '60s movie).

The movie pretty much follows the novel, though Harper's wife (Janet Leigh; really good cast) is divorcing him. This is consistent with the Macdonald series, though in his novels it happened previous to this. And it was another H hit for Newman, whose underlying sense of humor keeps cropping up at good times.

Kidnapping, murder, smuggling, a fading actress (Winters), a drug-addict singer (Harris), duplicity and the revelation of family secrets are all unwound in about 2 hours, mostly in sun-drenched Technicolor making it one of those movies that seemed to revel in the prosperity of its time even as it picked at the decadence and hypocrisy of the rich. Really, though, a mystery well worth the time spent watching it.


----------



## BAYLOR

*MoonTrap*   1989. science fiction horror film staring Walter Koenig and Bruce Campbell . The play two astronauts who land on the moon and find a race of machines that want to use mankind for spare parts. This film wasn't at the box office very long which ashamed because it's  an excellent B Since fiction film and thought the end set up for a sequel not was ever done.


----------



## Overread

The Anomaly - ok still watching it sorta but whilst the story is strange/twisty I'm surprised it got reviews as low as it did. Acting is solid, mystery is there (at least as much as Inception). But what impresses me the most is the combat, it feels "brutal" and the actual action is clearer than in many films, its not a blur of cgi fast action and the slowdowns make it feel a lot more powerful


----------



## Jeffbert

Probably the wrong place to post this, but PRIME put these under the MOVIES section of my WATCH LIST:
*Cartoon Classics - Vol. 1 & 2: 25 Favorite Cartoons - 3 Hours *
The 1st volume contained mostly poor video quality; but very much fun, anyway. Bugs Bunny, Casper TFG, Betty Boop, Popeye, and others. In the 2nd volume, much better video, but still, far from 1080. 

Tex Avery made this one, which I do remember from long ago:



JERKY TURKEY. Giving up trying to catch the *Jimmy Durante * turkey, & tired of running from the Pilgrim, both decide to EAT AT JOES. 

I am currently watching volume 3.

_*Le deuxième souffle*_ (1966) Ben Mankiewicz introduced this film, as I recall, it translates into English as "a 2nd Wind" Gustave Minda (Lino Ventura) escapes from prison, become part of an armored car robbery, but not the one I mentioned earlier, which go off as planned. but then, the police cheat! Of all things, the cops pose as henchmen for the other crooks, who are supposedly demanding their share of the loot. The abduct Gustave, 'Gu' for short, threaten to kill him, and tape record his explanation of what happened to the loot. Then reveal themselves, laugh at him, return him to prison, and give the newspapers the story that he ratted on his associates, to save himself. Now he is really mad! .

Thoroughly entertaining film, subs were fairly easy to read. Though 1966, it was B&W.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Citizen Kane   *


----------



## Vince W

*Ghost in the Shell (2017)*. Mediocre film overall, but the last 20 minutes were pretty good. Definitely not a film to watch a second time.


----------



## Rodders

Alas Vince W, that's the same story for much Hollywood SF these days.

Baylor, what did you think of Citizen Kane. I must confess that I thought that it was overrated.


----------



## BAYLOR

Rodders said:


> Alas Vince W, that's the same story for much Hollywood SF these days.
> 
> Baylor, what did you think of Citizen Kane. I must confess that I thought that it was overrated.



  Charles Foster Kane is a  larger then life and  monumentally selfish human being . His character and what he does makes  for a fascinating film.


----------



## Cathbad

Rodders said:


> Citizen Kane. I must confess that I thought that it was overrated


Absolutely!  And with a ridiculous premise!


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> Absolutely!  And with a ridiculous premise!



I  diagree with you !  This film is one of greatest  if not the great film ever done .   How can look at it and  conclude for whatever reason, that its a ridiculous movie ?


----------



## Anthoney

I thought it was a good film just not the greatest film of all time.  Not by a mile.


----------



## Starbeast

*Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film* (2014) - Great documentary about classic monster movies. Creepy cool..

*Birth of the Living Dead* (2013) - Excellent documentary about George Romero's _Night of the Living Dead_ movie.

*Hell's Highway* (2002) - Horrifically graphic and tremendously shocking documentary, about the true story of Vehicle Safety Films that showed real footage of tragic auto accidents. Plus other disturbing projects that they did.  I still remember seeing the "scare tactic" shock footage in Driver's Education Class. We were all asked to watch _Mechanized Death_. I had to shut my eyes a few times when I saw this documentary, then I watched something funny after it (3 Stooges).


Rewatched:

*Jack and the Beanstalk* (1952 - color/B&W) - Bud Abbott & Lou Costello do a magnificent version of this classic story, Silly, fun and some songs I had to skip, but still wonderful.

*Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins* (1985) - It was a treat to see this one again after many years. The thrilling and sometimes funny tale about a cop (actor- Fred Ward) who is chosen to be an elite secret assassin.

*Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone* (1983) - Fantastic fun to see this little "rescue women from a mutant world" sci-fi flick, which starred, Peter Strauss, Molly Ringwald, Ernie Hudson and Michael Ironside. 

Today I discovered that the (uncredited) ship's intercom voice was done by actor/film maker Harold Ramis. Plus, one of the (uncredited) guards was played by comedian, Colin Mochrie. Very cool man.


----------



## Anthoney

Starbeast said:


> *Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins*



I've often wished the adventures would continue.

I just watched *The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.*  Which is interesting because my mind always put Remo Williams and Buckaroo Banzai in the same sort of box.


----------



## clovis-man

*Life *(2117). A movie about six astronauts trapped on the ISS with a nasty critter. Made me think of of Bill Paxton's line in *Aliens*: "Is this gonna be a stand up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?"

It's a bug hunt.


----------



## Vince W

*From Dusk Til Dawn*. (1996). One my favourite films and it's been quite some time since I watched it. And no, it's not just because of Selma Hayek. Great action, some great lines, and the soundtrack is fantastic.


And it has Selma Hayek.


----------



## Anthoney

Vince W said:


> And no, it's not just because of Selma Hayek.



I'd watch that movie again just to hear Cheech give his sales pitch.  I kind of liked the TV series too.


----------



## Parson

I watched a great documentary *A Suitable Girl*. It really helped me to better understand the emotional mix which could go into an Indian arranged marriage. What was really striking was not how it was strikingly different than Western "marriage for love" but rather how very similar the thoughts and reactions of the people involved. It won a lot of awards. It's easy to see why.


----------



## Cathbad

BAYLOR said:


> I  diagree with you !  This film is one of greatest  if not the great film ever done .   How can look at it and  conclude for whatever reason, that its a ridiculous movie ?


It's a story about a reporter's search for the meaning of the man's final word...

A WORD NO ONE HEARD HIM UTTER!!

P.S.  I said it had a ridiculous premise - not a ridiculous film.  The movie was superbly acted, and - for the most part - superbly directed.


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> It's a story about a reporter's search for the meaning of the man's final word...
> 
> A WORD NO ONE HEARD HIM UTTER!!
> 
> P.S.  I said it had a ridiculous premise - not a ridiculous film.  The movie was superbly acted, and - for the most part - superbly directed.



Your comment didn't specify acting or Direction , If you had said that , I wouldn't have made my comment in the first place because I was under the impression you didn't like the film. Does that clear things up?


----------



## Overread

Warlords of Mars - action flick like they could only do back then. Zombies, police, war on Mars and all! Lots of fun in a casual action film


----------



## Foxbat

*The Shape Of Water*. An utterly beautiful film, utterly spoiled by its utter predictability (perhaps I should turn the utter cheek). We knew right from the start who the real monster of the piece  was going to be and from then on in, it was simply painting by numbers right to the end. A beautiful disappointment.

This is interesting. Did the Shape of Water plagiarize the Paul Zindel play Let Me Hear You Whisper?


----------



## Anthoney

*Runaway Jury*.  A lightweight but really fun movie.  Gene Hackman, John Cusack, and Dustin Hoffman.


----------



## Harpo

Vince W said:


> *From Dusk Til Dawn*. (1996). One my favourite films and it's been quite some time since I watched it. And no, it's not just because of Selma Hayek. Great action, some great lines, and the soundtrack is fantastic.
> 
> 
> And it has Selma Hayek.


I once had the pleasure of watching it with someone's mother - the sort of woman who tuts at swearing in films - and she had no idea of what happens in the film. "Ah yes, that nice George Clooney is in it."


----------



## Randy M.

*Avengers: Infinity War*

Fun, well-orchestrated movie with moments of humor and in Thanos an effective and even relatable villain. Chris Hemsworth keeps getting better as Thor, maybe because _Thor: Ragnarok_ played to his comedic strengths. I'll be interested in seeing how the next movie resolves this one.


*Justice League*

Take _Avengers: Infinity War_, retain most of the plot but make all revelations painfully obvious, remove imagination, most of the humor, most of the characterization and portray Thanos -- er -- excuse me, Steppenwolf as a video game villain with not very convincing CGI, and voila! Even so, somehow Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman manages to maintain dignity as the story does its best to undermine the character -- Wonder Woman in the comic books is a greater warrior than Superman and about as strong, yet in this needs his help to defeat the bad guy. Also Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller come off fairly well.


*The Mask of Dimitrios* (1944)

A Hollywood studio film and so sound stages filling in for Greece, Turkey and Paris, but well-done all the same. Waters the original down a little, though not as much as I'd assume (no mention of the drug trade, just the more generic smuggling), and takes a few probably necessary shortcuts. Still, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre had an odd chemistry and worked remarkably well together and this gives them some prime material to work with. Zachary Scott's first movie, playing the title character, and probably why he was typecast forever after as the weaselly, vicious villain. Too bad. It's a good performance and hints at better still with experience.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Outsiders* (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S. E. Hinton's popular 1967 young adult novel of the same title, published when she was a teenager.  (I haven't read it.)  Two rival gangs -- lower class "greaser" and upper class "soc" [pronounced "sewsh" as in "social"] -- battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965.  Beautifully filmed, and featuring many young actors who went on to greater fame.  Features quite a bit of violence and death for a story intended to appeal to young folks.


----------



## Jeffbert

Overread said:


> Warlords of Mars - action flick like they could only do back then. Zombies, police, war on Mars and all! Lots of fun in a casual action film


I recall that is the title of one of E. Rice Burroughs Barsoom (Mars) novel, but could not find any firm by that name  (I have read the entire series twice).

I watched *The Mask of Dimitrios* (1944) a few years ago, & I think I recorded it this time also, Great film, 
*Randy M's *comments are spot-on. 

*The King & the Chorus Girl* (1937)  King (Fernand Gravey: never heard of him before), Girl (Joan Blondell) and the king's minister (Edward Everett Horton, voice of Fractured Fairy Tales). If for no better reason than I am a Bullwinkle fan, I watched this musical. Blondell is certainly an attraction, but in general, I dislike musicals. Only had to fast-forward a few times, but as they interweave the singing & dancing with the dialog, it is hard to do, without missing some plot.  Fortunately, the musical portion was minimal.

So the King, er, ex-King of a defunct nation lives in a fancy suite in a French hotel. He spends most of his days sleeping off the booze he ingested the previous night. One evening, EEH persuades him to go to the theater or wherever, & something JB does during the performance catches his eye. He pursues her, she evades.

Good show, happy ending.


----------



## AstroZon

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Outsiders* (1983)
> 
> Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S. E. Hinton's popular 1967 young adult novel of the same title, published when she was a teenager.  (I haven't read it.)  Two rival gangs -- lower class "greaser" and upper class "soc" [pronounced "sewsh" as in "social"] -- battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965.  Beautifully filmed, and featuring many young actors who went on to greater fame.  Features quite a bit of violence and death for a story intended to appeal to young folks.



I saw it back when it came out. and then I bought the DVD a few years ago.  Great movie.


----------



## REBerg

*Kingsman: The Golden Circle*
Fantastic fight scenes. A worthy successor to the original.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Bushwick (2017)*

New York is attacked by a mysterious army. A student and a former soldier try to fight their way through safety as the city falls apart.

This reminded me of a John Carpenter film, and had the low-budget, brutal energy of _Assault on Precinct 13_, at least at the start. The two leads are solid, the other characters hard to care about. I thought there were some obvious lapses in logic (why does nobody take the guns from the dead mercenaries?). The big reveal in the centre isn't quite convincing, even given the craziness of current politics and the loonies involved.

There are a few strong visual images, but it's too fixated with single-take shots and ends up looking too much like a computer game. Ultimately, it runs out of impetus and doesn't end satisfactorily. The first half hour is really pretty decent, though: I'd suggest stopping when they reach the grandmother's house.


----------



## Droflet

*Unthinkable *(2010)
A Muslim American tells the authorities that he has placed three nuclear bombs in cities throughout the US. Then begins a taut, tense drama with a great cast making the most of a finely written script. The moral lines keep shifting as the time to detonation nears. This is not for the squeamish so be warned. Excellent and highly recommended.


----------



## clovis-man

*Dunkirk*
A good story poorly told.


----------



## Ray Pullar

Star Trek into darkness - it would have been far better sixties Trek if Cumberbatch had said:  "My name is Holmes.  Sherlock Holmes."


----------



## svalbard

*How it Ends*

Watched this on Netflix the other night and enjoyed it. The movie is receiving some negative reviews but I thought it worked as an end of the world scenerio.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Funny Games* (1997) Strange to see such a recent film on TCM, but it was shown in the foreign film feature. German with English subs, two homicidal maniacs terrorize a family of three, after asking to borrow 4 eggs. So the guy 'unintentionally drops them, then asks for 4 more. This occurs at a vacation home, & the wife goes to the refrigerator to get 4 more eggs. The guy goes outside, the dog barks, & the guy returns, saying he dropped the other 4, because the dog scared him. Guy 'accidentally knock the cordless or cell phone in the sink (filled with dish water). Asks for the last 4 in the carton, but the wife refuses. Then demands the guy leave their home, and asks how he got past the fence and gate. He says there is a hole in the fence, just as his friend enters. Dad, also enter, who was out at the sail boat. Both demand the two guys leave. 

Things deteriorate, as the two guys refuse to leave and begin showing hostility. Oh, are those brand whatever golf clubs? let me try the driver. goes outside and uses club to kill the dog. returns, and as dad begins to become stern, uses club to break dad's leg. Eventually kill the victims.

A really sick film that has no explicit violence, but is very violent, just the same. Apparently at Cannes, people walked out.


----------



## Toby Frost

Yeah, I think it was supposed to be a satire of violent films, especially when the murderer addressed the viewers and rewound the film. I thought it missed its mark and was just squalid.


----------



## REBerg

*Annihilation*
Colorfully incomprehensible. Maybe I'll give it another watch and attempt to decipher it a bit more.


----------



## BAYLOR

REBerg said:


> *Annihilation*
> Colorfully incomprehensible. Maybe I'll give it another watch and attempt to decipher it a bit more.



Sort of like the ending of the movie* Akira.  *


----------



## svalbard

*Bad Day For The Cut*

A film set in Northern Ireland and an absolute gem. This is a grim tale, a story of vengeance brilliantly acted. It has some very dark humour to lighten the load. It struck a resonance with me as I am of an age with the lead character and recognised some of the characteristics of a certain type. Overall a superb movie and available on Netflix.


----------



## Overread

Desperado - well only the first 3/4 or so because just at that moment BANG!
Off went the lights, my TV and computer all in one. So unplug and flip the breaker box switch and - turns out my TV has fried itself along with the freesat box. Thankfully not too much smoke, but still a very HOT spot on the back of the flatscreen and a very dead pair of units.


In better news Desperado is as good as it was back in the day - always a joy to see a film with actual cinema feel to it. Where you can smell the street; see the sweat from the hot heat in the desert and taste the beer (well ok based on the quality of beer served perhaps not taste the beer ). It's the little scenes that make it work for me; seeing a horse and cart marching before a lorry in the street - a simple short few moments that says nothing of the plot; but which within a few moments gives you a huge amount of world building on what kind of town they are in; the variation in peoples; the rich and poor divide and all.


----------



## svalbard

Tourette's??


----------



## svalbard

That is bad. Sorry!


----------



## Overread

Thanks svalbard, and as for the doublepost I think that is my computer telling me off for having it on the same power-pack as the exploding TV


----------



## svalbard

Know all about that 

I watch YouTube, just watching Candice from Balckmore's Night singing Soldier of Fortune as I got timed out in poker with Pocket Aces...as I typed this.

Timed out again...Diamonds and Rust is playing as I type. Very slow and drunk.

Anyway Desperado is a very good movie! That is all I wanted to say.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf* (1971)

Spanish scream king Paul Naschy once again plays a wolf-man in this old-fashioned monster rally.  Some guy goes to Transylvania to visit the place of his ancestors.  Along for the ride is his much younger, beautiful blonde wife.  Some hoodlums kill the man and assault, but Naschy, in human form, kills two of them and rescues her.  The locals attack Naschy's castle, both because the hoodlums who got away want payback, and because he's rumored to be a monster.  The blonde and Naschy flee to London.  It just so happens that the grandson of the infamous Dr. Jekyll is her ex-boyfriend.  They come up with a plan to cure Naschy of lycanthropy.  They'll inject him with the Mister Hyde formula while he's tied down.  Hyde is supposed to drive the werewolf out of Naschy, then an anti-Mister Hyde formula will get rid of him.  Well, it seems that Jekyll's assistant is jealous of the blonde, so she stabs Jekyll and lets Naschy go free in Hyde form.  The movie ends in an expected fashion.  Naschy has a couple of interesting werewolf transformations, once while stuck in an elevator with a soon-to-be victim, and later while in a swinging discotheque.   He has fun playing Hyde, too, with minimal makeup and a big grin as he goes out committing random evil.  I saw the cut American version, so it's a little jumpy, the women keep their clothes on, and there's not a lot of blood.  It's an OK monster movie for those of us who aren't too fussy about such things.


----------



## Cathbad

*Traitor*  (2008)


Much underrated actor Don Cheadle's low-key performance in this movie is near perfection.  

This tale of a deep undercover operative trying to identify and find the leader of a very dangerous international terrorist group is rife with superb performances, fine directing and believable characters and events.  Somehow, this movie barely took in more than its budget, and was overlooked at awards time.  More proof that the best movies are rarely recognized as such by the Hollywood Elite.


----------



## Anthoney

*Time Trap* (2017).  It's a low budget independent film.  Three million fairly low.  It wasn't bad.  The characters were a little slow for a group of supposedly smart people.  Only one bad plot hole that I saw (there were some smaller ones).  It kind of had a H. G. Wells feel to it.


----------



## svalbard

*Family Blood*

A genuinely interesting small budget vampire movie. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.


----------



## Anthoney

*Alien Code* (2017)  Another indy sci-fi film that did the festival scene.  This had several recognizable actors.  Not big movie stars but solid TV actors.  This runs the gamble of time travel, aliens, and alternate dimensions.  I liked it up until the end.


----------



## Cathbad

Anthoney said:


> I liked it up until the end.


So many movies I've seen recently destroy themselves with bad, even ridiculous, endings!


----------



## Jeffbert

*KILL OR CURE* (1962) Terry Thomas as an inept private investigator who take a case that has him enroll in a health retreat in which everything edible is awful, guests are subjected to various unpleasant activities and such, & of all things, the woman who hired him is dead when  he first meets her. Lionel Jeffries is the cop, who is constantly being bonked on the head and knocked out. A fairly good if not better than good comedy.

*The warped Ones* (1960) A Japanese film about punk boys, just released from Juvenile detention, who steal a car, beat up other guys, & make a mess of their lives.  Not much else to say about it.


----------



## Droflet

*Ghost Stories* (2017)
The Brits are usually good at this type of story but this was a train wreck. Slow, dull, dense and very unscary. Very disappointing.


----------



## Anthoney

Just watched *How it Ends *a Netflix movie with Theo James and Forest Whitaker (and Bonnie the witch from TVD).  As the name implies it's a end of the world as we know it type story.  I read a lot of this stuff so I feel qualified to say it was pretty good until the end.  If you can call what happened an ending.  It just stops.  Kind of like the end of the Sopranos.


----------



## Jeffbert

*I'm Gonna Git You, SUCKA!* (1988) PARODY OF BLAXPLOITATION films such as Shaft. The Dean from Animal House was Mr. Big, the guy who was behind all the evil. So, this guy comes home from the Army, chest covered with ribbons, medals, and such, but none for combat. His mama is always fighting his battles, which embarrasses him to no end. His younger brother just died from wearing too much gold, & he wants revenge. Thoroughly over the top, and really funny. 

*Party Girl *(1958) Noir in full color!? Muller himself addresses this question, & thinks it does indeed qualify. But, as it is set during the 1930s, I wonder. Anyway, Robert Taylor is the lawyer for Lee J. Cobb, who is the Capone-type mob boss. Cyd Charisse is Taylor's girl. All is well, until Taylor decides to quit being a mob lawyer, and seek less notorious clients. Then, the cops arrest him, demand he rat on his ex-client, & the woman becomes a target of extortion, if you talk, she will suffer, etc. 

O.k., I never studied law, but it seems to me that attorney-client privilege ought to be in force, even after the  attorney-client relationship ends. 

Beside that, this was a fairly good example of a gangster film, though it did have a few dance scenes, as it was an MGM production. 

*The Sea Hawk* (silent version) I only recognize 1 name in the credits,   Wallace Beery as Capt. Jasper Leigh. Milton Sills as Sir Oliver Tressilian, a nobleman wants to marry the lady who lives in the castle next door, but, her guardian & brother are against it, because they consider him a pirate; though he does have letters of marque from the queen. These are the days when arguments and insults are settled by duels. So intense is the bitterness of the neighboring men, that the one attacks the guy's brother as they pass on the road. The brother kills the attacker in a fair fight, but without witnesses, it will be considered murder. The brother fears for his life, and pays WB to abduct the nobleman, and sell him into slavery, believing that his sudden absence will be presumed as guilt in the slaying. But, WB, though a lowlife, gives MS the opportunity to out bid his brother, which ends MS as oar slave in a Spanish Galleon.  

Things happen, & there he is seated beside a Moor, things happen, etc. 

This was a very good adventure film, and even when I realized that I had seen it before, I continued to watch it to its end.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Horror at 37,000 Feet *. This was a TV movie made in 1973 by Dan Curtis.  Staring Chick Comnner , William Shatner, Toy Things , Ruseeel Johns , Budy Ebsen .   In the film , a druids alter has been loaded not a pannier plane and it bring with it a malevolent  entity  that killed and freezes  all who come into contact with it . If you've never seen this film I very highly recommend it. Its on dvd and it can be found Youtube as well.


----------



## Anthoney

Yesterday I rewatched* Dredd* (2012).  This was so much better than the first go around.  Karl Urban was a much better Dredd.


----------



## Rodders

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. 

Nowhere near as bad as people would have us believe.


----------



## Mouse

*Logan*. First time I've seen this one. Usually I don't like Wolverine because I can't bear unbeatable characters, but he was much, much better in this one. Patrick Stewart was ace.


----------



## Overread

Patrick Stewart is always ace in the films he does!

Also I just saw the Superman VS Batman film and I'm baffled how it did so well in reviews. It's so bitty and messy at the start its as if they can't quite decide if its a sequel where we know the characters backgrounds or if the film has to introduce us; there's way too many unneeded and random dream sequences; Batman appears rather dim for him* and rather random too**. Lex appears to be mostly bonkers and lacks any real motivation for his actions save for a rather sketch "he's a god I must kill god so that there can't be god or something". Louis spends the film basically being a plot driver and doing very little else and her one action (casting away the spear) is one she undoes only moments later.
Even Wonder Woman is teased*** just a bit too early for her own good which somewhat spoils the epic end-fight as you know she's going to appear. Superman meanwhile appears very slow**** and seems to lack any real character spark or motivation; he just seems to be almost along for the ride. 


IT just seems to be an idea with a lot of CGI but no real story; or rather one that is poorly strung together around great action sequences. I can't help but wonder if the actual story is laying there on the cuttingroom floor (ok in the digital hard drive) or if this is really the story they came up with.



*having seen the man of steel smash, break and generally be full of godly powers his method of combat is to fight him one-on-one. Sure that makes for a neat fight but it's rather odd how he'd choose that as a method of defeating Superman rather than something smarter.

**Deciding to steal the Kryptonite from Lex even though at that stage he's not really even fully aware that Lex is "evil".

***When her photo appears and its her in full Wonder Woman uniform it leaves little to nothing of the mystery around her character; as soon as we see it we know she's going to appear.

**** in both speed and mentality; especially speed. For a man faster than a speeding bullet he takes no action when the bomb goes off; not even to throw himself over to take some of the blast. Nor does he make much if any real use of his speed at any other key point. 


PS when they find Martha near the end I'm left confused as to if Alfred was listening in on all of Lex's communications why didn't he inform Batman in advance about the phone conversation and save the whole battle sequence from unfolding. Otherwise it just seems that the writers gave themselves 10 minutes and just lazily resolved the matter with another cool action sequence.


----------



## Anthoney

Today I watched two different time travel moves.  First was* Next* with Nicholas Cage.  This is a borderline B movie but I still found it entertaining for a shallow pond.  The second was *Source Code *with Jake Jyllenhaal.  This was a deeper movie.  It did have a few moral question but nothing that hasn't been seen before.   Both were rewatches but I was in a time travel mood and wanted two different takes on the subject.


----------



## AlexH

*Timbuktu *(2014)
Based on a true story of shocking events that happened in Mali in 2012, and barely scratched international news. Young people were apparently (I haven't verified this with my own research) forced to marry on the spot if they met in the street, which was portrayed in a couple of scenes.

Can cinematography be too perfect? Everything looked so perfectly framed and beautiful, which was at odds with what was going on. There was one very haunting scene where boys were playing football in the sand, without a football (as football was banned). So you'd see the sand kicked up, but there was no ball. They did a very convincing job. It was a good film.

Also, it was recommended by Michael Palin a couple of years ago when I went to see him talk. I'm glad I got around to watching it at last.

*A Silent Voice *(2016)
An emotional roller-coaster of a Japanese anime, about a school bully and a deaf girl. Not one of my favourites, but still good.

*The Golden Dream* (2013)
Heartbreaking film about Guatemalan children trying to reach the US. Another good one.

*Whiplash *(2014)
Easily the best film I've watched recently, with fantastic performances by everyone. It raises the question of whether the instructor's actions are justified. For the harm it causes, I'd say never.

*Deep End* (1970)
Bizarre film starring Jane Asher. It was okay. I liked the decaying public baths.


----------



## Judderman

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was pretty good overall. It had mediocre reviews so it was pleased it was a solid Jurassic entry. The first hour was great fun. It went downhill when they went off the island but the last parts decent. Good fun.
I often find with the blockbusters they can be fine if you don't expect too much. This is one of the better blockbuster franchises. I think I prefer this to the previous Jurassic World movie.

Also on the weekend I watched "Before I wake". A decent horror movie. Some originality though the ending is strange (as is often the case in horror movies).


----------



## HanaBi

*Inception *(2010)

A fascinating idea of planting (inception) an idea into someone's subconscious state while in deep sleep. And this film takes it to an extra couple of levels by putting such an idea within a dream within a dream within a dream in order to achieve the desired result.

Lots of technobabble of course, along with token fight sequences - which in some regards felt totally detached from the tone of the subject matter. But I did enjoy the convincing sfx, not least the zero-grav corridors and the cityscape folding in on itself.

That said, I came away feeling rather "meh" about the whole thing, purely because of the purpose of the "inception" -  all to do with large corporations and monopolies and father/son power struggles etc. There was nothing to really care about at the more basic human level, nothing that really threatened humanity as a whole. So come the end of the film I came away thinking - well what have we learned here, and should I really care?

People have said this is a "complicated" film to follow first time round - but it really isn't! Strip away the technobabble and it's just a ******* offspring of The Matrix meets Memento in concept, with a few default action sequences tacked on for good measure.

The music by Hans Zimmer, is not his best, but is effective in certain places, especially at the end. But really carries little or no weight: doesn't push the story or the audience's feelings along. It's as if the entire production was done in a dream state itself!

A nice idea that never really goes anywhere, and an ending that is marginally saved by a rather predictable sub-plot

3/5


----------



## Overread

Hana I felt the same about Inception - esp after all the publicity before its release about it being a deep and complicated and meaningful and all that I just felt that the core mechanic was abused, annoyingly confusing to follow and yet in the end didn't really leave a sense of mystery because you could plainly see where it was heading "this is all a dream - or is it!" 


And I just saw Ironclad. Now the blurb says "Magnificent Seven style" so I was already ready to like it; and I didn't. The characters (despite having some well known and good actors) were as flat as pancakes. I didn't feel any connection to them, didn't really feel any identity with them and the filming was rather heavy on the whole "drab, colourless, dark broody" that when you then make your core cast all dress in dark broody colours with beards - well - they kind of just all merge into each other.
The plot felt terribly weak. I'm all for a tiny team of ultimate warriors defending a castle against a huge army. But this was a group of regular men defending a rather poorly build castle with hardly any warriors. It was honestly painful to watch then win fight after fight or valiantly hold the line when the door was breached when the attackers outnumber them, have bows and arrows, siege equipment and supplies and the defenders have one tiny catapult and er, well that's it really. No archers, no spearmen, no men at arms nothing. If we'd seen these men hold of whole armies whilst wearing blessed armour and wielding god-touched swords yeah I could have gotten behind that fantasy. But in a film trying to be real it just felt painful and forced. 

Sadly as the characters don't even grab me its not even able to be a guilty sin film where one overlooks the weakness of plot for the actors and characters. I also don't get why, as they appeared to have the budget for it, we didnt have any sort of settlement or town; no peasants risen to warriors and armed from the smithy to hold the walls - at least then they'd have the bodies and numbers to make a viable stand against an assault; and a reason for the attacking army of thousands to hold off into a proper siege (I mean really has any large attacking army settled in for a long siege against less than 20 defenders?)


----------



## Cathbad

*Justice League*  (2017)

I finally watched this.  Unfortunately, it wasn't the best it could have been.  I found the pace... "choppy". Uneven.  Oh, each scene was good.  Wasn't a bad one in the whole movie.  Great action scenes, strong emotional ones.  But... where was the Editor when the whole thing was put together?  Didn't the director know what the next scene would be about?

With better editing, this would have been a great movie.  As it turned out, I'd call it mediocre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Raven* (1943)

Above average Poverty Row flick of the Old Dark House variety.  George Zucco stars as a criminal-turned-innkeeper.  He used to be known as the Black Raven, and that's the name of his inn, too.  It's somewhere near the Canadian border, and apparently Zucco has a profitable sideline in helping crooks get out of the USA.  During a heavy rainstorm which washes out the bridge into Canada, a bunch of folks wind up at his place.

1.  A guy who took the rap for Zucco for some crime or other.  He has escaped from prison and is out for revenge.

2.  A gangster who is on the run from a bigger gangster who has taken over his territory.

3 and 4.  A couple who is eloping, because the woman's father doesn't approve.

5.  The father of the would-be bride, after his daughter, who also happens to be the crime boss after Number Two.

6.  A meek little fellow who has just embezzled $50,000.

Number Five is murdered, and everybody else has a motive.  It's up to Good Bad Guy Zucco to solve the crime.  Along for the ride are Glenn Strange (the Frankenstein Monster!) as Zucco's handyman and Charles Middleton (Ming the Merciless!) as the local sheriff.

It holds the viewer's interest for its brief running time of just over an hour, including a message at the end reminding the audience to buy War Bonds.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The Match Factory Girl*" (1990 - Finnish)

Iris (Kati Outinen) works as a quality controller in a heavily mechanised factory that makes matchsticks in some backwater town in Finland in the late 1980s. She seemingly hates her job, and doesn't get on all that well with the handful of colleagues that work there as well. On top of that she finds it very difficult to get on with her mother and step-father back at her very shabby home, often having to cook dinner, clean, pay rent and generally play the servant to her lazy guardians.

She goes out at night to the local bars and clubs, hoping against hope she will attract a boyfriend; but unfortunately she is not the prettiest woman in the place and is often left alone cuddling her glass of beer all night.

And then one night, she does get lucky and meets up with a man in a dance hall. They drink and dance, and ultimately spend the night together back at his more opulent home. For that one night she is happy, and we see her contentment through her smiles. She believes - wrongly - that she has finally found a boyfriend that will sweep her off her feet and take here away from this tedious poverty-stricken life.

The following morning Iris is still sleeping in the man's comfortable bed; he is fully dressed and is about to go to work. He looks at her sleeping state, and then takes out some money from his wallet and puts it next to her thinking she is a prostitute!

Later on she calls him for a second date, and despite his reticence he meets her parents at their hovel of a home. He is not impressed, and Iris is embarrassed.  They both go out for dinner, but the man confesses that he doesn't want anything more to do with her. She walks out crying all the way home.

She later finds she is pregnant by the man, but when she tells him of the news, his reply is curt "_Get rid of the brat!!_"

Dazed, angry and confused she walks home, only to be hit by a car and ultimately has a miscarriage.

Despairing of life, she plots her revenge against all those that have shunned, mistreated or belittled her.

A film of only 69 minutes  in length, feels more like a documentary than anything else; it is also a film of few words, and very slow paced. And yet I came away wishing for more - I was encapsulated by the riveting performance of  Kati Outinen - such a lonely isolated and unloved figure of a woman you just felt the urge to reach out and hold her hand and tell her everything will be okay!

This is also far from a happy film, and the ending is rather sardonic; but for Iris a blessed relief.

Ludwig van Der Rohe's "_Less is More!_" has never been more apposite.

Outstanding from start to finish

*5/5*


----------



## Anthoney

Two very different films. * Upgrade* with Logan Marshal-Green.  This was enjoyable but predictable.



Spoiler



Does every film with AI in it have to make it crazy or evil?



Then I watched the crowd funded* Mythica:  The Darkspore*.  The second of 5 D&D type adventure movies made for a few hundred thousand each.  These people did a lot with a little.  They are probably better quality than the new CW fantasy show The Outpost.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Spook Who Sat by the Door* (1973)

Adaptation of the 1969 novel of the same name.  A white politician needs to increase his support among African-Americans to win an election, so he pressures the CIA into accepting black candidates.  The CIA puts them through tough tests and training, hoping and assuming nobody will qualify, but one does.  He gets assigned to make photocopies and act as a guide.  Five years after serving quietly, he accepts a job as a social worker in Chicago.  That's when he reveals his real plan.  He trains a street gang into guerrilla soldiers, using the skills he picked up in the CIA.  The highly disciplined organization eventually spreads to all major cities in the USA.  When a riot breaks out after the cops shoot a small-time crook, leading to the National Guard showing up, things explode into open warfare.  Modestly budgeted and looking sometimes like a made-for-TV movie (although the riot scenes are pretty convincing), this is nevertheless a remarkably radical film, which seems to suggest that armed revolution was the proper response to the racial tensions of the time.


----------



## Harpo

*The Lost World *(1925)
The excellent Wallace Beery is Professor Challenger, playing second fiddle to the wonderful dinosaurs. I wonder if this was the first film in which a world famous landmark is destroyed by a big monster. Loved it. Better than anything similar this century.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Once Were Warriors*" (1994 - New Zealand)

An incredibly hard hitting (in every sense of the word!) film concerning an underclass Maori family living and surviving in a world of crime, alcoholism, drug  abuse and terrible domestic violence!

Jake (Temuera Morrison), is the generally passive unemployed father and husband, who spends most of his time drinking heavily in the local bars. And that is where the troubles begin, for once he starts drinking he is very quick to lose his temper, and often deals out brutal beatings to anyone who gets in his way. 

Unfortunately, his wife (Rena Owen) and to a lesser extent his two teenage children, often end up being beaten and/or verbally abused when Jake returns home from another drink & drugs spree, which only fragments the family unit even more.

This film is by its very nature incredibly brutal, violent, cruel, relentless, bleak and unfair! There is no happy ending to speak of; and this is no glossy Hollywood so-called drama when everything looks fake and polished. 

I must admit to finding it hard to watch, especially when psychopathic Jake take out his drunken violence on his wife! This is about as close to a reality-documentary as you're ever likely to see on film, and you need a strong constitution to get to the very end.

Brilliant performances all round, but special mention must go to Rena Owen - the human "punch bag" who is still a mother, a wife and above all a woman having to face up to the unpredictable nature of her husband.

Riveting stuff, but not for the faint hearted

4/5


----------



## Vince W

*Ready Player One* (2018) What a disappointing effort. I loved the book because is spoke to my inner nerd/geek. There was so much there that I immediately related to.The film version completely glossed over so much of what made the book a treat. No Dungeons and Dragons. No Joust. No Pac-man. No Rush. Spielberg took a book that was aimed at 80s 13 year olds that are 40+ today and aimed it at 13 year olds of today that wouldn't understand the references, so he got rid of them.

I'm so glad I didn't go to the cinema to see this one and I won't be buying the blu-ray.

*Back to School* (1986) After sitting through RPO I needed something to _try_ and clear the taste of RPO out of my mind. Perfect fun and something that should have been considered when making RPO.


----------



## Vince W

Double post.


----------



## Cathbad

*IT*  (2017)

Finally got to watch this, on NETFLIX.

Not quite as good as the first one, but a whole lot gorier.  I guess that's what sells today, rather than good acting.

Bill Skarsgard looked better as Pennywise, but Tim Curry out-acted him in 1990 but a couple miles.  The rest of the ensemble did fine.

I figured they'd break it up into 2 movies - which I'm fine with, seeing as I advocated for it being split into 2 novels when King's masterpiece came out.

I was happy to see they showed a "blood ritual"; I was quite afraid, given the current state of Hollywood, they'd present King's version of how they bonded.  I did _not_ want to see that!

Overall, a B for effort.


----------



## Vince W

Cathbad said:


> *IT*  (2017)
> 
> Finally got to watch this, on NETFLIX.
> 
> Not quite as good as the first one, but a whole lot gorier.  I guess that's what sells today, rather than good acting.
> 
> Bill Skarsgard looked better as Pennywise, but Tim Curry out-acted him in 1990 but a couple miles.  The rest of the ensemble did fine.


No kidding. Tim Curry's smile alone is a better Pennywise than Skarsgard.


----------



## Cathbad

Vince W said:


> No kidding. Tim Curry's smile alone is a better Pennywise than Skarsgard.


I got the feeling they wanted us to feel a bit sorry for Pennywise!


----------



## Anthoney

*Extinction*  (2018) the new Netflix movie.  It seemed very much like a TV movie of the week.  An interest twist but one I've seen before done several ways.  Sci-fi elements that seem like precognition, thought control, robots and aliens.


----------



## Jeffbert

I must have seen *Dredd,* but thought both of those films were called Judge Dredd. I liked the first one better, but the second one was o.k.

*Beast from Haunted Cave* (1960) a rather silly and cheap monster that we hardly even see, kills the bank robbers as they attempt to escape. 


*The Night Visito*r (1970) Max Von Sydow as an insane asylum inmate, who was sent there because he was framed for murder, & the guilty ones, supposedly his friends, had his lawyer change his plea from not guilty to guilty by reason of insanity. So, MVS is in a concrete cell with apparently no way to escape, but he does, in the dead of winter, wearing very little, because he uses his clothes as rope. He kills those who framed him, & plants evidence pointing to one of them not yet killed. Finally. his escape method is shown. I think it was a bit too complex, and thus, very much unbelievable. 

*Roadblock* (1951) Another *Noir Alley* presentation; Charles McGraw as an insurance investigator who meets a woman who has a taste for wealth, which, when he goes bad to afford her, she goes humble and accepts his middle class status. But he had already made a deal with her former boyfriend, to rob a mail car of over $1M. Too late to call it off, the old boyfriend was not to be dissuaded. Good show! but his choice of escape routes was dumb. 

I recall earlier saying that I had never heard of Charles McGraw, until that other film, but, Muller says that he was in more than a few Noir films. My bad!


----------



## Vince W

Jeffbert said:


> I must have seen *Dredd,* but thought both of those films were called Judge Dredd. I liked the first one better, but the second one was o.k.


The first film *Judge Dredd* did a good job with the look of Megacity One, but it didn't capture the spirit of the characters. *Dredd* didn't get the look the same, but they absolutely _nailed _the tone and characters.

I hope the new MC-1 television series combines the best of both.


----------



## BAYLOR

*It's A Mad,Mad, Mad, Mad, World    *This is withouts is endlessly entertaining  and one of the greatest comic films of all time .


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The People Who Own the Dark* (1976)

Offbeat Spanish science fiction/horror film.  It starts with a decadent party held in the dungeon of a mansion, with the men wearing grotesque masks and drinking wine with some kind of drug dumped into it.  Several barely dressed women are supplied for their pleasure.  (I'll give the movie credit for giving these women some character.  One of them even has an introductory back story; she's married, with two young children, and has to call her mother to babysit the kids while she earns money in this way.)  Before anything happens, however, the whole place shakes as if there's been an earthquake.  In fact, there's been a nuclear war.  Everybody outside at the time of the blast is now blind.  When the party folks go out to find some food, some of the blind people get killed by one of them.  He gets killed in turn.  Soon total war breaks out, with the party people holed up in the mansion with guns, and hordes of angry blind folks coming after them.  This variation on *Night of the Living Dead* (or any version of Richard Matheson's novel _I Am Legend_) with a bit of *Day of the Triffids* also adds a bit of satiric surrealism in the tradition of Bunuel.  At one point, one of the party people goes insane, puts on a pig mask, strips off his clothes, and crawls around the floor snorting.  Spanish horror king Paul Naschy appears as one of the party folks.  It's quite an interesting film, with one heck of a dark and cynical twist ending.


----------



## Starbeast

*Despicable Me 3* (2017) - I like the first two movies, but, I couldn't find anything I liked in this installment. I only made it one third of the way, then found something else to watch. It's for kids. For me, it was boring and exceedingly uninteresting. I can't tolerate those little yellow Minions any more.

*Devil's Gate* (2017) - This was...AWESOME!!! A great horror gem that was recommended to me. Basically, it's about an FBI agent who is investigating the whereabouts of a woman and her son, which leads to locating the husband, who seems to be the prime suspect in their disappearance. However, he, has some-THING, locked up in his basement............ That's all I'm going to say.

*Red Dwarf XI* (series 11) - Tremendously entertaining science fiction comedy. Another great six run episodes. Brilliantly imaginative and LOL funny. Now onward to watch series 12.



RE-WATCHED

*Emperor of the North* (1973) - I haven't seen this in ages. A fantastic dramatic film, set in 1933 America, during the "Depression Years", where wandering, homeless people were called, "hobos". Actor, Lee Marvin, plays the main character (a highly respected hobo) who challenges a mean train conductor (Ernest Borgnine - who hates railroad car-hopping tramps), by riding his train.


----------



## Lucien21

*Mission Impossible: Fallout*

Lots of cool stunts, decent plot and stunning cinematography.

4/5


----------



## Lucien21

*How it Ends*

New Netflix original movie about a mysterious apocalypse event that happens to Seattle means that Forest Whittaker and his daughters boyfriends need to solve their differences as they travel cross country to see if daughter is still alive. 

Total waste of two hours which felt more like a car commercial at times than a movie. Also the irony of the title considering the way the end the film is hilarious.

dont't watch.


----------



## Anthoney

Lucien21 said:


> Also the irony of the title considering the way the end the film is hilarious.



It was like the laughed at us, "Ha ha made you watch!"  Then poked us in the eye.


----------



## Parson

Watched Ken Burn's *Pilgrims*. I loved it. Really made the story of the Pilgrims come alive.


----------



## Parson

Watched Ken Burn's *Pilgrims*. I loved it. Really made the story of the Pilgrims come alive.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell* (1974)

Last in the Hammer/Cushing/Frankenstein series.  Starts in typical style, with a guy digging a body out of a grave to sell to a fellow doing Mad Science.  This particular experiment, however, is not being done by Frankenstein, but by a young man (strikingly handsome Shane Briant*) who happens to have a book of Frankenstein's work.  Well, the young man gets arrested for practicing sorcery and is thrown into the same insane asylum where Frankenstein wound up.  Wouldn't you know it:  the asylum's physician is none other than Frankenstein, presumed dead but now known as Doctor Victor.  (It seems that the heavy-drinking, lustful director of the asylum lets him get away with this deception because Frankenstein knows about the director's Dark Secret.)    Frankenstein plans to revive the body of an incredibly strong inmate who died while escaping, then replace his brain with that of a genius.  As you might expect, things go very badly indeed.  Along for the ride is a beautiful mute young woman who assists Frankenstein, apparently with no objection at all to what's going on.  (Her muteness and, I assume, her lack of emotion have to do with that Dark Secret I mentioned a while back.)  Overall, this is pretty decent Hammer Horror, although the monster suit, which looks like some kind of ape-man, is pretty bad.

(*Odd bit of trivia:  According to IMDB, the same actor plays the same character in something called *Sherlock Holmes vs. Frankenstein*, which is listed as "announced.")


----------



## Rodders

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. 

It was on the google box last night. It's got it's faults, but I still enjoy it. 

Hitman: Agent 47 

I preferred the Timothy Oliphant one.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

BAYLOR said:


> *Planet of the Vampires *1965 directed by Mario Bava.   If you've never seen this film , your missing a really terrific film .



I picked this up on blu-ray a few weeks ago, replacing my prehistoric VHS copy of auld. It was never available in America during the laserdisc & DVD eras. Amazing to finally see it in full 1.85:1 screen width. Maybe not all that sharp in HD compared to other films of the time, but the deep Bava color really stands out. Creepy, good fun.


----------



## Mouse

*When Marnie Was There*.  Really excellent Studio Ghibli film. Animation was beautiful and the story was compelling.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Time Machine *2002    I have to admit I wasn't a fan of this remake , but having  seen it  a number time since it's  2002 release, ive gotten to like it . This is a very good film in its own right.


----------



## svalbard

*Extinction * 

A new alien invasion movie on Netflix but with a twist. Not bad. Better idea than Colony the TV series.


----------



## Anthoney

*Happy Death Day*.  A horror sci-fi film made for less than five million dollars.  It starts as a sorority girl slasher movie.  The sorority girl ends up caught in a time loop that repeats after each time she's murdered.  Like Groundhog day meets Scream.  Since it made 55 million at the box office the sequel is already in post production.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake* 1959   This is a very an underrated horror classic.


----------



## Parson

*Zoe, *(2017) a story about love between a human and a "synthetic" (understand an AI which can pass as a human). At one level this was an interesting study about what really qualified as "alive" and what was a "human relationship." On this level it succeeded quite well. On the other hand, it was a very traditional love story about a man who can's commit and a woman who loves him.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

BAYLOR said:


> *The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake* 1959   This is a very an underrated horror classic.




I like this one also, mainly because it's genuinely weird.


----------



## Jeffbert

Vince W said:


> The first film *Judge Dredd* did a good job with the look of Megacity One, but it didn't capture the spirit of the characters. *Dredd* didn't get the look the same, but they absolutely _nailed _the tone and characters.
> 
> I hope the new MC-1 television series combines the best of both.


Thanks, Vince W; I long ago quit comic books (except manga) so I would not know about such things. 

*Bullitt* (1968) Seeing this again, I realized all I remembered were the chase scene & the conflict between McQeen's & TMFU's (cannot recall Napoleon Solo's actor's name) characters. Other than those parts, it was like seeing it for the 1st time! I think some of the non-automotive chases were odd 



Spoiler



if they were going in to the airliner to arrest the guy, they might have had a cop below the plane's rear door waiting for the guy to leap.


 perhaps, *unnecessary*, is better than* odd*.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Odessa File* (1974)
Political thrillers were popular in the 1970s, this one based on the novel by Frederick Forsythe, itself based on the existence of a real Odessa, an organization of former Nazi SS officers formed to help the rats flee the sinking ship of Nazi Germany. I first saw this – and maybe last saw this -- in the theaters back in ’74 with my dad, so there’s a bit of nostalgia hanging on to my memory of it – really, when it starts with a Christmas song written by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice and sung by Perry Como, how could nostalgia not be part of it? And it’s not bad. Set in 1963 and beginning the day of Kennedy’s assassination, Jon Voigt as Peter Miller, a German reporter with a conscience, puts in a good performance pursuing Eduard Roschmann, former commandant of Riga; there’s a twist there that’s telegraphed, though. Simon Wiesenthal is represented and the deficiencies of the West German government in pursuing war criminals is trumpeted no doubt accurately but maybe with a smidge too much smugness. (I know I read the novel but no longer remember it; I don’t retain an impression of soap box pronouncements or pounding home a point.) Mary Tamm plays Sigi, Miller’s girl-friend whose main function early on is to point out Miller’s immaturity and lack of conscience, and after he gains his quest, she gets to act concerned; late in the movie she’s allowed a couple of good scenes, but mostly she’s an enabler for Miller to mature. Maximillian Schell as Roschmann is under-used, pretty much portraying him as a standard sadistic Nazi war criminal which, from what I’ve read online may actually be an accurate portrayal of the real Roschmann, but it’s not entirely satisfying in a movie. On the whole, worth watching for the cinematography and location shots, but the movie lacks a bit of tension.


*Klute* (1971)
Better than I remembered, but then again I saw an edited for TV version back in the 1970s. Jane Fonda (who won an Oscar for this role) plays Bree, a high-priced call girl, trying to go straight as an actor, but without success. Donald Sutherland is John Klute, one of the few non-eccentric roles I’ve seen Sutherland play, a detective hired by his friends to solve the murder of a mutual friend. Klute’s investigation leads him to Bree, who had known the friend. Or maybe not. The actual murderer is known to the audience from early on which emphasizes the threat to Bree and allows the director, Alan Pakula, to focus on the interactions and evolving relationship between Bree and Klute. Fonda and Sutherland are excellent, location cinematography in NY City is fine, the pace and progression of the story, the push-me-pull-you of attraction and trust/distrust and power struggle expertly portrayed. Maybe one of the best mystery/crime movies ever.


Randy M.


----------



## Foxbat

*Caesar Must Die* (2012)
An absolutely engrossing and fascinating movie from the Taviani brothers. It's based on real life and appears to be a fly on the wall documentary but it's actually a dramatisation of a regular event that takes place in Italy's high security wing of Rebibbia Prison - the staging of plays. In this particular case, the play in question is Julius Caesar and the performers are actual inmates of the prison - every one a hardened criminal, a couple of them murderers. The film follows the play through rehearsals to performance and, as it does so, draws startling parallels between the inmates code of honour and the group of Caesar's assassins and their own methods.

It's a truly thought provoking work that takes the concept of the play within a play into new territory and is definitely worth a look. The most moving thing about this film is the way the prisoners become liberated by entering the world of acting. They open their minds to new possibilities and new ways of thinking only for that to be taken away from them when the play comes to an end.

One final point: after this movie was released, one of the inmate performers was pardoned and now treads the boards in his chosen profession as an actor. Life imitating art? Or vice versa?


----------



## HanaBi

*Bullitt* (1968) Seeing this again, I realized all I remembered were the chase scene & the conflict between McQeen's & TMFU's (cannot recall Napoleon Solo's actor's name) characters. Other than those parts, it was like seeing it for the 1st time! I think some of the non-automotive chases were odd 



Spoiler



if they were going in to the airliner to arrest the guy, they might have had a cop below the plane's rear door waiting for the guy to leap.


 perhaps, *unnecessary*, is better than* odd*.[/QUOTE]


I watched *Bullitt *last night, and not for the first time either; and I still can't believe this film is FIFTY years old!!

Despite being a routine thriller, along with that seminal car chase (which still stands up well against its more contemporary thrillers), what really stands out for me is the opening credits along with Lalo Schifrin's trademark score!




"*Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*" (1998) - Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Fleming, Nick Moran

Synopsis (courtesy of Wiki) - "_Eddy (Nick Moran) convinces three friends to pool funds for a high-stakes poker game against local crime boss Hatchet Harry. Harry cheats and Eddy loses, giving him a week to pay back £500,000 or hand over his father's pub. Desperate, Eddy and his friends wait for their neighbours to rob some drug dealers, then rob the robbers in turn. After both thefts, the number of interested criminal parties increases, with the four friends in dangerously over their head_s."

The film that brought director, Guy Ritchie into the big league, despite working on a film with a budget of barely a £1m along with a mostly unknown cast!

Very slick for its time, and I seem to recall enjoying it tremendously when I first saw it at the turn of the century. However, on repeat viewings it has lost its edginess and has just become a rather routine thriller with some lame humour thrown in.  Ex-footballer, Vinnie Jones looks menacing and broody as the "debt collector"; and Jason Statham shines brightly here with his witty personality and jack-the-lad good looks, which would elevate him to Hollywood and all those "Transporter" and "Crank" films.

Other than that, Lock Stock, is an okay film for a Friday night, a curry and a few drinks.

3/5


----------



## Vince W

HanaBi said:


> "*Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels*" (1998) - Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Fleming, Nick Moran
> 
> Other than that, Lock Stock, is an okay film for a Friday night, a curry and a few drinks.
> 
> 3/5


I'd have said 3.5 at least. Statham was very good in this film and as a caper film it was quite fun and Vinnie Jones was stellar. Two tins of lager, a vindaloo - half and half - and this film is gold.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Hello, @Parson! I love Ken Burns (my wife and I just watched his powerful _The Vietnam War, _a not-perfect, but still moving and informative documentary series), and I was excited to hear about the Pilgrims documentary.

But...when I go to IMDB, there is no Pilgrims doc listed under him. I did some checking, and there is a documentary named _The Pilgrims_ under the writer/director Ric Burns, who turns out to be Ken's brother! Just mentioning this in case any others go try to find the documentary under Ken's name at IMDB...it appears he didn't actually work on this one. But I'd love to see it!


----------



## Cathbad

*Warlock III*  (1999)

I know sequels are seldom as good as the original, but, dang!  The two following the original *Warlock* - a very good movie - have to rank as the worst of the worst!

I'd give a synopsis of this one, but it's just not worth it!


----------



## Cathbad

*Star Trek: Nemesis*  (2002)

I certainly liked it more this time around.  Of all the Star Trek movies, I'd liked this one least of all.  It had a great concept (A Picard clone taking over as the Romulan leader), poorly executed.

Now I think they just gave the bad guy a goal far too ambitious to be believable, considering how short a time he'd been in power (even given a god-like ship with a god-like weapon).

Still, the acting was, as usual, exceptional.  TNG was definitely loaded with the best actors of all the series.


----------



## electricsheep

Well, there's a coincidence.  I had never heard of Warlock, much less its sequels, but I watched it the other night and it was not bad at all.  It looked to me as though it was a cash-in on the success of Terminator: the plot is basically the same.   That is not necessarily a bad thing.  Good acting helped; it would have been so easy to ham it up, but Sands and Grant played it absolutely straight.  I shall avoid the sequels though.  Off-hand, I cannot think of any film that spawned sequels worth watched apart from Alien and The Godfather, and I dare say Warlock was no exception.

<p>





&quot;Cathbad said:


> <strong>Warlock III</strong>&nbsp; (1999)</p><p></p><p>I know sequels are seldom as good as the original, but, dang!&nbsp; The two following the original <strong>Warlock</strong> - a very good movie - have to rank as the worst of the worst!</p><p></p><p>I'd give a synopsis of this one, but it's just not worth it!


</p><p></p>


----------



## Lucien21

*Ant Man and the Wasp*

Funny movie with some good action, ultimatly it's a smaller storyline that barely connects with the wider universe and is all the better for it.

The Wasp seems more of the main character than Ant Man and has most of the best fight and action sequences. Evangeline is fun to watch leaving Rudd to play the comedy relief.

3/5


----------



## Harpo

*Y2K *- rubbish 'TV movie' fodder, shown in November 1999, telling a version of what might happen if the Millenium Bug was a real thing. Woo, a plane almost crashes but doesn't, and woo again, a nuclear power plant nearly goes into meltdown but doesn't. 
Sadly, back in the day I wanted to watch this, but never got the chance. 
Seen it now, more fool me.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Field of Dream   *Ray KInsella ( Keven Costner) hears a voice command him  " Build it and they will come " builds a ball field  and Shoeless Joe Jackson and other ball players from the past come to play.  The film has a great cast which includes, Amy Matigan ,  James Earl Jones  and But Lancaster in what would be his final performance as Doc Moonlight  Graham. This film has a magic all its own and gets better with each viewing.


----------



## picklematrix

I just watcged The Last Jedi for the second time. I enjoyed it more than the first time.


----------



## J Riff

The Quiet Place - would be better with the sound right off, and while reading a book.
Very annoying, thot it was gonna be scifi, but should know better by now.
watched The Great Wall agin - great costumes and quite believable giant telepathic reptilian swarm, one of the best giant cgi swarms ever.


----------



## J Riff

dbl post:
70s cheesiness? Laserblast.


----------



## Cathbad

Morgan  (2016)

A good Sci-Fi flick about humans stupidly mucking around with nature again, trying to create a hybrid synthetic/organic human(oid).  Of course, it all goes south.

The "twist" at the end I fully expected, figuring that out pretty early on.  That was okay, though, since it was still well done.

Good acting and directing, a tale well told and worth the watch.  Currently playing on HBO-GO.


----------



## Guillermo Stitch

Extinction on Netflix. Can't say I rated it. It was the kind of idea that, it seemed to me, a LOT more could have been made of.


----------



## Parson

Cat's Cradle said:


> I did some checking, and there is a documentary named _The Pilgrims_ under the writer/director Ric Burns, who turns out to be Ken's brother! Just mentioning this in case any others go try to find the documentary under Ken's name at IMDB...it appears he didn't actually work on this one. But I'd love to see it!



Good grief! how did I miss that it was Ric Burns and not Ken Burns! Still enjoyed it.

*Ant Man *.... This is probably the best Comic Book Super Hero movie I've seen. It actually had a plot that you could follow. I'm not big on the genre as a whole, but this was really pretty good.


----------



## Rodders

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. 

Still entertaining, but Lightsaber duels for the sake of lightsabre duels, I'm afraid. Great soundtrack, though. Some excellent scenes, though. The execution of Order 66 was particularly well done. 

I have to say that I thought the PT looked a little dated, this time round.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Here Comes Carter* (1936) is about an ex-studio press agent who becomes a tell all radio personality. 
Ross Alexander (never heard of him before) as Kent Carter, the guy above. Glenda Farrell as Verna Kennedy, the secretary at the  radio station. Anne Nagel as Linda Warren, Carter's girlfriend, who dislikes his new mud-slinging career, and refuses to marry him unless he quits.

Fairly entertaining movie, though a B-film; it runs just over an hour.

*Le Petit Soldat* (1963) French with English subs, but I found them frequently difficult to read; either because of the background or the brief time and length of them.  I really cannot say much, as I got little from this film.

*Secret of the Blue Room* (1933) this was Lionel Atwill day on TCM, & this was a TCM premiere, as I recall.  Lionel Atwill as Robert von Helldorf, lives in a casrle with daughter Gloria Stuart as Irene von Helldorf. The Blue Room is rumored to be haunted, as several mysterious deaths had occurred therein. Paul Lukas as Captain Walter Brink, one of three men seeking the daughter's love. The youngest of the men, suggests that all three take turns sleeping in the Blue Room, & the one who spends the entire night (& lives), wins the love of Irene.  He goes first & mysteriously vanishes.

Edward Arnold as Commissioner Forster (surprising role, as he is usually a villain) who arrives to investigate the disappearance of the 1st guy. Lucas is to be the third guy, but after the 1st vanished, why should the other two risk the same? The 1st guy made them agree that regardless of what happens to the others, all will take a turn.

Great cast, very good film.

*Broadway Gondolier* (1935) Dick Powell as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli, a New York taxi driver, whose hobby is singing opera as he drives.  Joan Blondell as Alice Hughes, the secretary in the office of Flaggenheim Cheese, who gives him his big break, by mooing. oinking, etc., for a kiddie radio program that he quits after its 1st episode. No wonder this actor switched from musicals to Noir! So, disgusted with the nature of his first job 'singing' he lacking patience, returns to cab driving. Adolphe Menjou as Professor Eduardo de Vinci, who helps him find a job after stowing away on a ship to Italy. So now, he is in Venice, as a boat driver or gondolier, who sings. The boat he rode, also carried his would-be employers, who did not give him a chance to show his talent in New York, now hear him in Italy, take him for a native, sign him as the singer who will work on radio ads for their products. 

As a musical, which I usually tend to avoid, this was not at all annoying, as the singing did advance the plot. Very good film!

The Clown (1953) Red Skelton, as the title character, as an alcoholic washed-up ex-vaudeville stand-up comedian, who tries to maintain custody of his young son. He and his wife had divorced years ago, and, at that time, only he had the means to support the boy, so he got custody. Now she is married to a man who has the means to support. The boy believes his mother died. Now, when by chance she meets the boy, maternal instincts compel her to gain custody. 

This is not the usual Skelton film, as it is more drama than comedy. Not my favorite, by far!

*Downstairs* (1932) Paul Lukas as Albert, the Baron's butler, and chief of the servants. The film opens as his wedding to Virginia Bruce as Anna. Just that same day, a new chauffeur Karl (John Gilbert) is hired. Karl, uses blackmail to advance his station in life, and he frequently clashes with Albert. Once Albert learns that Karl had blackmailed the Baroness, & robbed Sophie the cook, again, using blackmail, violence settles the matter. Albert had already tried to fire Karl, but Karl's power over the Baroness kept him employed. 

Good dramatic film.


----------



## Al Jackson

I thought the Oscar nominations for 2017 were a good lot. I saw all of them. I am most entertained when a film undercuts my expectations . for me that was *Dunkirk*. Nolan's love of time-framing really seemed spot on for this one. A bit of an off center event in WWII so there is something for it there. And as usual Nolan had a bit of an off center narrative.
(Ever since *Saving Private Ryan* and *Band of Brothers* film makers have been less old fashioned in telling WWII, at least consistently. I know that started back in 1949 with Battleground , but was not always true , even tho there were exceptions.)

Liked *Shape of Water*, and glad del Toro got an Oscar , but me thinks it was for his body of work, *Pan's Labyrinth*  was a better film (as well as *The Devil's Backbone*). Shape is good but couldn't help feeling de Toro catered to a more conventional story , not as twisty as it seemed to need.

it is interesting, the Academy has 10 slots and only nominated 9 films. The film that has stuck with me and I have gone back and watched 4 times is* Blade Runner 2049*. I love the way this film made *Blade Runner* (1984) a better story. I like the hooks back into the first film , it has a cool segue from the earlier story, love the cast and the production design. This is the first attempt at a 'cyber punk rich milieu ' that has worked since that of Scott in 1984. I think this was a difficult film for many , not surprised that it did poor box office , am surprised it did not make 300 million world wide.
Blade Runner 2049 goes in my top ten science fiction films of all time.
Best film I saw in 2017.


----------



## Cathbad

I'm going to go watch Blade Runner 2049 now.  And I blame @Al Jackson .


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> I'm going to go watch Blade Runner 2049 now.  And I blame @Al Jackson .



Its an excellent follow up.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Horror of Dracula *1958   with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing .  Classic stuff ! I bought it last night and watched.  I also bought a dvd with eight  other Hammer horror.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Animal Farm* (1954)

Animated adaptation of George Orwell's famous allegorical satire.  Adds some comedy and cuteness to the grim and violent story, and even a hopeful ending at the very last minute, in direct opposition to the book.  Otherwise, it maintains the bite of the original for the most part.  Oddly enough, this British  film was funded by the CIA. 

How the CIA brought Animal Farm to the screen


----------



## Rodders

An exceptionally well made film. I remember watching this at school.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)*

A bold but (perhaps inevitably) doomed attempt to mix a superhero film and 1970s-style conspiracy thriller. It's much more adult that other superhero films - not in terms of violence but in concept and argument. The first hour is intriguing, but inevitably a lot of stuff has to explode in the last half-hour. I found that the presence of franchise characters who can't die (and who are less likeable than the sidekicks from the first Captain America film) weakens the sense that nobody can be trusted. Still, it deserves credit for suggesting that organisations like Shield might not be a brilliant idea in themselves.  I don't know much about Captain America, but I really like the way he's depicted in both films.


*The Terminator (1984) *

For its time and budget, absolutely brilliant. Holds up excellently.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Seventh Victim *(1943)
An RKO horror movie from the 1940s. I’d seen this once, many years ago and wasn’t as impressed as I had been by other Val Lewton productions (_The Leopard Man_, _The Body Snatchers_, _I Walked with a Zombie_, etc.), but some comments over on GoodReads piqued my curiosity and I watched it again. I under-estimated this one: It’s quite good, with two of the creepier scenes I’ve seen in ‘40s horror movies, and sort of a prequel to Lewton’s _The Cat People_ since the psychiatrist from that film plays a prominent part in this one. Mary’s sister, Jacqueline has disappeared and Mary only knows about it because she hasn’t paid Mary’s tuition. Mary leaves school for New York to search for her, and so finds out some things she hadn’t known before, like that her sister had a psychiatrist, also that she is married (to Beaver Cleaver’s father – older TV viewers will know who I mean). A few scenes feel like a dry run for _Rosemary’s Baby_, with a cult of devil worshipers Jacqueline has run afoul of, and it’s possible Roman Polanski knew of this movie, but ultimately there’s something else here that in its way is rather darker, a psychology that the actress playing Jacqueline, Jean Brooks, pulls off quite well. _The Seventh Victim_ is also notable as the debut of Kim Hunter, who plays Mary.


*Assault on Precinct 13* (1976)
One of the great small budget action movies. Directed by John Carpenter, I’ve read this was his version of Howard Hawks’ _Rio Bravo_, in which a small group of people are trapped in a closing precinct station under attack by local gangs. Well shot and edited on the cheap, it really relies on the performances of a cast of unknowns, many of whom went on to successful acting careers. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a viewing.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Castle of Blood* (1964)

Atmospheric and moody Italian Gothic horror film.  A journalist trying to get an interview with Edgar Allan Poe meets him in a London pub, talking to a Lord.  (The anecdote Poe is relating is based on his short story "Berenice," by the way.)  The Lord says that nobody can live in his ancestral castle, because it's haunted.  In fact, he has a standing wager that nobody can spend the night there on All Souls' Day (November 2.)  The reporter takes the bet, but only for the small amount of money he can spare.  (This detail pays off in an ironic way at the end.)  Once he gets there, he quickly discovers the Lord's sister (the great Barbara Steele) living there.  She comes on to him strong, despite interference from another woman.  A science-type guy also shows up.  He explains some of the weird things that happen, although they remain mysterious.  Scenes of violent death from the past are relived, and the fellow meets an inevitable fate.  Although slow at times, the film is eerie and compelling.  The copy I saw had French titles, and the dialogue changes from dubbed English to dubbed French during scenes cut out of the American version.  (Amusingly, a couple of written notes remain in Italian.)  Some scenes seem to be cut just to reduce the running time (part of Poe's anecdote) but others obviously wouldn't have been acceptable in the USA in 1964 (very brief nudity and a lesbian subplot.)


----------



## Stephen Palmer

The Time Machine (1960)
 - still a favourite.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Exorcism* (1975)

Guess what famous hit movie this flick resembles.  Spanish horror star Paul Naschy (who also wrote the story) has a rare role as a good guy.  We begin with a hippie Satanic ritual on the beach at night, bringing us the first of a fair amount of groovy music and gratuitous female nudity.  A young woman and her boyfriend leave the ritual in a car.  Stoned out of their minds, they get in a bad wreck.  They survive, but the woman shows the first signs of a sudden personality change as she snaps at the boyfriend.  She goes home to her mother's fabulous mansion, which also houses her brother, sister, and servants, all of whom play a role in the plot.  Brother doesn't approve of boyfriend.  Pretty soon he's found murdered, his head turned around 180 degrees.  It's not much longer until boyfriend gets the same treatment.  Meanwhile, the woman gets worse, although it looks more like she's severely psychotic rather than possessed.  We won't get our Linda Blair stuff until the last twenty minutes of the movie.  The cops investigate the two murders; amazingly, this subplot is not directly related to the supernatural stuff.  Eventually the woman goes into full possession mode.  The makeup here is pretty darn good, with some really creepy contact lenses (which receive a special acknowledgement in the end credits) and convincing rotting flesh effects.  Although the climax is a blatant copy of *The Exorcist* (although Naschy claimed he wrote the story before that film came out), with the woman's body bent in impossible ways, the bed levitating, etc., there's an interesting twist. 



Spoiler



It seems she's being possessed by the spirit of her father, who died in an insane asylum after trying to kill his wife and children.



This is a leisurely, sedate, talky little slice of Eurohorror, but not without its good points.


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Exorcist*


I read the book, literally the moment I finished watching the movie on television (circa 1976 or 7).  I found it odd that the visual interpretation - that did not really deviate from the novel - was unable to bring across the profundity of the tale told by the novel!  I was so entranced, that after watching the movie that started at 11pm, I stayed up and read the whole novel, going to bed at/near daybreak.


----------



## Mouse

*Isle of Dogs*. Good stuff.


----------



## Jeffbert

A few more from Lionel Atwill day on TCM:

*Rendevous* (1935) William Powell as a WWI soldier who just happened to have written a book on cryptography under a false name. He meets a woman I thoght she was Myrna Loy, but was Rosalind Russell & trying to get a kiss from her, spills the secret, & ends up behind a desk in DC, instead of in France. But enemy spies abound & things happen. Good, better than just good spy film. Lionel Atwill is RR's uncle and works in the Army Intel dept that now employs WP. 

*Absolute Quiet* (1936) Lionel Atwill as a guy whose Dr. advised him to go to the country and have absolute quiet for has nerves' sake. So he is in his ranch home, & just about everybody drops in for the night. A Bonny & Clyde type couple, an airplane full of people he would rather not see, including the Governor, reporters, etc.  Witty dialog from LA, as his character seemed to enjoy irking the others. 

*The Firebird* (1934) Lionel Atwill as the husband of one seduced woman, & the father of another. Ricardo Cortez, as the seducer of various women, who uses Stravinsky's Firebird to indicate to them when to come to his apartment.  Oh, that dog was indeed the Thin Man's Asta! Wikipedia does have a page for it (named Skippy), but it does not link to the page for the Firebird! or is it that the page for FB does not link to the one for the dog?

I know I have seen VL's *The Seventh Victim*, but it was several years ago; likely during TCM's annual month of horror films. I may have seen it just once, which explains why I remember no details. 

What I don't understand, nothing particular to the film, but how VL who merely produced films, had so much influence over them. While as I recall, William Castle, was so devastated that direction of Rosemary's Baby was snatched from him, and he was just the producer.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Men in Black*" (1997) - Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith

Synopsis (courtesy of Wiki) - "_They are the best-kept secret in the universe. Working for a highly funded yet unofficial government agency, Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith) are the Men in Black, providers of immigration services and regulators of all things alien on Earth. While investigating a series of unregistered close encounters, the MIB agents uncover the deadly plot of an intergalactic terrorist who is on a mission to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies currently in residence in New York City _"


Hard to believe this slick SF comic caper is over 20 years old; still feels fresh both visually and scriptwise by today's exacting standards. The unlikely partnership of Smith & Jones works surprisingly well, and there's good support from the likes of Rip Torn and Linda Fiorentino. Smith is a particular delight because he doesn't come off as the big ego first and foremost; he plays the character straight down the line, and since the men in black are supposed to be hip and trendy anyway, this suits him perfectly. 

The sfx for a 20 year old film still look good, although there are obvious moments the cgi is a bit too obvious; not that it matters because the editing is so swift you're quickly moved onto the next scene without having to worry too much about the patchiness of the effects from the last scene.

A great film whereby your eyes can feast on the visuals while taking your brain off the hook for a couple of hours.  (Although the less said about the two sequels the better)

4/5


----------



## Anthoney

*The Darkest Minds (2018)*.  The first of another YA book series.


----------



## Starbeast

*Hunchback of  the Morgue* (1973)

Actor PAUL NASCHY, portrays a poor hunchback named, Gotho, in a tragic story. I don't want to say too much, because it's a short film. However, for me, it's one of the best horror films that starred, Paul Naschy.

@Victoria Silverwolf - have you seen it?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

No, can't say that I have.  I searched on Internet Archive and found the Spanish language version, but not an English version.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> I know I have seen VL's *The Seventh Victim*, but it was several years ago; likely during TCM's annual month of horror films. I may have seen it just once, which explains why I remember no details.
> 
> What I don't understand, nothing particular to the film, but how VL who merely produced films, had so much influence over them. While as I recall, William Castle, was so devastated that direction of Rosemary's Baby was snatched from him, and he was just the producer.



Different studios at different time periods. RKO put Lewton in charge of a project he didn't want and pretty much left him alone to do it, so he made it his own. His movies were nothing like the Universal horror pics of the 1930s, avoiding established monsters. It strikes me as a parallel to the changes from Lovecraft/_Weird Tales_ horror stories to something like Fritz Leiber's "Smoke Ghost" and Robert Bloch's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper."

Further, Lewton chose his directors and at least two were new to directing (Robert Wise, Mark Robson), without whatever clout Polanski had because of his boy wonder reputation from _Repulsion_ and _Knife in the Water_. Jacques Tourneur, according to IMDB, had more experience than I thought he had, but it doesn't look like he was an established director. And, too, I think Castle had the rep of being a hack, his gimmicks drawing more attention than his skill as a director.


Randy M.


----------



## Judderman

Watched several films in the last week. Mostly horror, but some romance in there too.

Mother (2018) - A very good first half an hour only. Weird but interesting. Lots of big name actors and actresses including Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and Ed Harris. However it devolves into nonsense and I would say it is a very poor film overall. I read the director's explanation after the fact. It makes some sense but doesn't really compensate for a film that is not enjoyable.

What If (2013) (Also known as the F Word) - A very pleasant romance/comedy with Daniel Radcliffe. You kind of know where it is heading but works well. A good couples movie.

The House of The Devil (2009) - Shot in an older B-movie style. A tale of a young lady who gets work as a Nanny for a night in a strange, old house. It is quite a good one for the tension building up as the movie progresses.

Ghost Stories (2018) - This is about a guy who exposes supernatural stories and paranormal activity as hoaxes, and frauds, but then he investigates three ghost stories and starts to have his doubts. One of the ghost stories is decent but it is dull overall. A bit sad to see a British film with good actors being so mediocre. The worst one on this list except Mother.

Revenge (2018) - This is a woman's rape revenge movie as she gets back on three men. Apart from some unrealistic occurrences this is really entertaining overall as the tables are turned.

The Terrifier (2016) - This is a slasher movie on Halloween with a villain dressed as a clown. Doesn't sound so original but it is very well done. Has both violence and some tension. A superb one for Halloween if you are happy to watch a gory, slasher movie. The victims are rather dumb at times, which is not unusual. I prefer this to Friday The 13th.

One Day (2011) - A romance/drama. This has some sad parts and some more pleasant and uplifting parts. A good movie which shows two people who meet, and then what happens to them in their lives every year on the same day for the next few decades.


----------



## Graymalkin




----------



## BAYLOR

Graymalkin said:


>



Ive seen this film a few times.


----------



## Graymalkin

BAYLOR said:


> Ive seen this film a few times.


I'm just watching it for the first time now. Brilliant. Uncle Willie's stuntman earnt his money at 17 minutes in. Class


----------



## Randy M.

I remember loving _Gargoyles _the first time I saw it. Saw it again 10-15 years later, and boy had it aged.

Still like Cornell Wilde and I didn't recall Scott Glenn being in it, and it's possible he's just as happy if viewers don't.


_*Murder on the Orient Express*_ (2017)
Not great, but good fun. Branagh probably puts the camera on himself a bit too much, but on the whole I have no great complaints. It's a fun popcorn movie with some beautiful location cinematography; I should say, I would not be surprised if there was a good deal of CGI smoothing out any the locations, eliminating anachronisms, but I couldn't detect it on one viewing. The train journey looked more obviously CGI.


Randy M.


----------



## Anthoney

*Anon* (2018).  This is a Netflix original.  It was extremely mediocre, if such a thing is possible.  Clive Owen always does a decent job.  Their ideas of technology and anonymity were interesting.  Nothing was great.  There were even a few graphic sex scene but they were uninspired and less interesting than the tech that we were watching it through.

Very much like what I remember as TV movies of the week (with much more nudity).


----------



## M. Robert Gibson

One film of recent weirdness I've watched is _The Greasy Strangler_.  The Greasy Strangler (2016) - IMDb

I really don't know how to describe it.  Maybe a comedy horror with a disco feel and a car wash.


----------



## Cathbad

*How It Ends*  (2018)

Boy, I _love_ Forest Whitaker!

This is a great movie... with another bullcrap non-ending ending!  

What the heck is it with movie producers nowadays??  Why can we no longer have endings to our movies??


----------



## Anthoney

Cathbad said:


> with another bullcrap non-ending ending!



Everyone who has seen this says the same thing.  Why did none of the people being paid to make this movie figure it out?  It makes me mad.


----------



## Overread

It might be because some film groups are now looking at films like books and some TV shows - potential for continuation. If you can end a film on enough of a cliffhanger AND do well at the boxoffice you line yourself up easily for a sequel. Fail and you end up with a half-a-film that doesn't have a good ending (yet that can still work if you get a cult following build up over the years!)

Of course this is nothing new; there are plenty of older films that thought they had a sequel in the bag during production only to flop or fail or lose backing such as Nightbreed


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> Different studios at different time periods. RKO put Lewton in charge of a project he didn't want and pretty much left him alone to do it, so he made it his own. His movies were nothing like the Universal horror pics of the 1930s, avoiding established monsters. It strikes me as a parallel to the changes from Lovecraft/_Weird Tales_ horror stories to something like Fritz Leiber's "Smoke Ghost" and Robert Bloch's "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper."
> 
> Further, Lewton chose his directors and at least two were new to directing (Robert Wise, Mark Robson), without whatever clout Polanski had because of his boy wonder reputation from _Repulsion_ and _Knife in the Water_. Jacques Tourneur, according to IMDB, had more experience than I thought he had, but it doesn't look like he was an established director. And, too, I think Castle had the rep of being a hack, his gimmicks drawing more attention than his skill as a director.
> 
> 
> Randy M.


Thanks, Randy M., I really knew very little of the role of producers, except from the film of that name, & that was a stage production.  Yes, WC was known for his gimmicks. A wonder he thought he could direct R's Baby. I know that Mel Brooks made a drama, but was careful to avoid his name being associated with that film.

*Solitaire Man* (1933) In England, A reformed safe-cracker, Oliver Lane (Herbert Marshall) finds himself over his head, after trying to help another safe-cracker go straight. HM decides to return the necklace that the other guy Robert Bascom (Ralph Forbes) stole, since RB had been seen at the fancy party that evening, & being seen at the scene breaks their rule.  He rebukes RB, and in the dark, opens the safe. As he is about to return the necklace, another burglar enters through the other window.  OL retreats behind the drapery. As the other guy is opening the safe, a Scotland Yard detective enters through the door. The other burglar shoots the cop, And Ol goes out the window.

Hoping the incident will not catch up to him, OL boards an airplane for France. But one of the passengers Wallace (Lionel Atwill) confronts him. A fairly good pre-code crime drama; most of which occurs in flight.

*Noir Alley: Scene of the Crime* (1949) A rare MGM entry into the genre, Van Johnson as Mike Conovan, a police detective, looking for a crook with a withered or twisted left hand, and a blotchy complexion. Just watched it yesterday, but most details already elude me.  I can say that it was very good.


----------



## J Riff

crapola flicks..... entropy folks, anything good, and profitable, will be swarmed till the absolute wrong people finally get in, using $$$$ or wha'ever, and movies are like gum cards now, disposable and demographisized to the point of duhhhh. i met a few of them and uhhhhh what are those drugs you lot take/ keep me away from it! 
 OCCUPATION 2018 - ET ships arrive, they blast away at a football crowd.... , armed ET humanoids come down, the humans flee to the woods, outshoot the ETs, and have them arrested at the end. ? I think that's what happened. Interstellar voyaging ETs show up and are out-gunned by small town regular folks. Mebbe I missed something.


----------



## Parson

*Arrival *2016? ..... A pretty fair first contact movie where aliens come to the earth. On the positive side: (1) the aliens and their motives are inscrutable until the very end, and even then there is a sense of mystery.  (2) the aliens are clearly not humans with masks or some such. (3) the human reaction to the first contact in what feels to me to be believable. (4) The problem with communication is not simplified, but the speed at which progress is made feels far too rapid to me. (5) It has genuine characters about whom I cared. Negatively I felt the ending was gimmicky and somewhat unbelievable. 

Overall I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. If you like Science Fiction you will like this movie.
Presently available free on Amazon Prime.


----------



## oganalp

Just watched The Last Jedi on Netflix. It was better than what I was led to believe. Not on par with the original trilogy, and too much Disney flavour (especially with the social message concerns). Still, I enjoyed it.


----------



## Al Jackson

oganalp said:


> Just watched The Last Jedi on Netflix. It was better than what I was led to believe. Not on par with the original trilogy, and too much Disney flavour (especially with the social message concerns). Still, I enjoyed it.



You know *Last Jedi* got pounded by some fans, tho it did good box office, I thought it was an awkward , sot of kind of, rework of *The Empire Strikes Back,* but then they have been recycling SW lore to closely in these films. However I thought it was OK , not clear what SW fans want??
I thought* Rouge One *and* Solo* were better as stand alone. *Solo* was not a great sidebar for SW but I was surprised at the poor box-office.


----------



## Cathbad

*Solo* is just now passing $400m.  The total cost to film and distribute the movie was an estimated $400m.  So it is turning a profit.  Not much of one, but neither is it the total failure so many say about it.


----------



## Droflet

*Upgrade *(2018)
Surprisingly clever take on the revenge thriller with twists and turns you won't see coming. Recommended.


----------



## oganalp

Al Jackson said:


> You know *Last Jedi* got pounded by some fans, tho it did good box office, I thought it was an awkward , sot of kind of, rework of *The Empire Strikes Back,* but then they have been recycling SW lore to closely in these films. However I thought it was OK , not clear what SW fans want??
> I thought* Rouge One *and* Solo* were better as stand alone. *Solo* was not a great sidebar for SW but I was surprised at the poor box-office.



What confuses me is the new Thrawn book. Disney kinda cancelled the expanded universe and Heir to the Empire. Then there is a Thrawn book, but no Thrawn in the movies. How's that going? Have you read the new Thrawn book?


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Idiot* (1951) Akira Kurosawa directed; Toshiro Mifune & Takashi Shimura; but neither are Samurai.  "It is based on the novel _The Idiot_ by Fyodor Dostoevsky" (wiki).  Masayuki Mori as Kinji Kameda, the idiot, Toshiro Mifune as Denkichi Akama, who is competing for the love of a woman with the idiot. Wikipedia says that 100 minutes were cut from the film, but TCM showed it & it ran just short of 3 hours.

I guess I have seen maybe 1 of Kurosawa's films that did not involve killing, but even this one, though I would compare it to FOREST GUMP, had some killing in it. It is mostly about a guy who had been identified as a war criminal after WWII, and sentenced to death. He was exonerated of the charges as he was waiting his turn facing the firing squad. He described the eyes of one who went before him, & that was very intense. So, he was apparently so relieved to be freed, he lost his sanity. 

There are two young women whom he loves, one of which has a bad reputation, The conflict between these two spans most of the film. Both find the idiot pure, etc., & that seems to be their main attraction to him. He also has inherited a ranch, & this is mentioned several times. 

Interesting film, not the least bit slow, despite being nearly 3 hours.


----------



## J Riff

Boar 2018 - homophonically correct title - and proof that Aussies can make bad monster movies too. 
Safe 2018 - actually irritating, this one, it starts with some NSA nonsense - and hey - the dog will attack the baby if I give the signal.... and - just don't bother.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> *The Idiot* (1951) Akira Kurosawa directed; Toshiro Mifune & Takashi Shimura; but neither are Samurai.  "It is based on the novel _The Idiot_ by Fyodor Dostoevsky" (wiki).  Masayuki Mori as Kinji Kameda, the idiot, Toshiro Mifune as Denkichi Akama, who is competing for the love of a woman with the idiot. Wikipedia says that 100 minutes were cut from the film, but TCM showed it & it ran just short of 3 hours.
> 
> I guess I have seen maybe 1 of Kurosawa's films that did not involve killing, but even this one, though I would compare it to FOREST GUMP, had some killing in it. It is mostly about a guy who had been identified as a war criminal after WWII, and sentenced to death. He was exonerated of the charges as he was waiting his turn facing the firing squad. He described the eyes of one who went before him, & that was very intense. So, he was apparently so relieved to be freed, he lost his sanity.
> 
> There are two young women whom he loves, one of which has a bad reputation, The conflict between these two spans most of the film. Both find the idiot pure, etc., & that seems to be their main attraction to him. He also has inherited a ranch, & this is mentioned several times.
> 
> Interesting film, not the least bit slow, despite being nearly 3 hours.



We got this one some time ago because we were trying to get a different version of the novel.  (The Russian miniseries version, by the way, is extremely faithful to the book, and very good.)  It was odd to see 19th century Russia translated into 20th century Japan, but it was interesting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dark Secret of Harvest Home* (1978)

Short and unfair synopsis: The American version of *The Wicker Man*.

Two-part miniseries based on the novel _Harvest Home_ (1973) by actor-turned-author Thomas Tryon.  My better half says it is quite faithful to the book.  (Our copy seems to have been taped off of the TNT network, and seems to be the full version, although the quality of the copy was poor.  Apparently there is a severely edited VHS version out there.)  Lots of subplots and red herrings, but the basic plot is simple.  City couple and teenage daughter move to what seems to be an idyllic, old-fashioned farm community in Connecticut.  There is, of course, the promised Dark Secret involving the young man selected as the Harvest Lord and the young woman selected as the Corn Maiden.  No big surprise as to what happens at the ceremony, which involves "what no man may see nor woman tell."  Pretty good for TV horror.


----------



## Cathbad

*Corbin Nash*  (2018)

If I'd never heard of Corbin Nash, I would probably have turned this movie off after about 3 minutes.

The movie begins with an actor (I can't recall the actor's name, but the voice sounded like that of the star of _Rescue Me_) giving a near-monotone info dump. explaining things.  A big turn-off.

There was good dialogue and acting between poorly done action (fight) scenes.

Nash is fighting transvestites demons er, vampires.  The twist wasn't predictable... it's just been done before - in some very famous movies.

If you've got 90 minutes to waste, there are worse ways to spend it.  But keep your money in your pocket.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Convicted (1950) *Essentially a remake of _*The Criminal Code*_ (1931), which, itself is based on a play of the same name.  In the noir version, Glen Ford is convicted of manslaughter by a DA (Broderick Crawford), who regrets that the defendant has incompetent counsel, knowing that an attorney who specializes in defense, could easily have cleared him. Walter Huston as Mark Brady the DA in the 1931 version seemed more intense, if I recall correctly. Anyway, the wiki page for *Convicted* is short on details, while the one for  _*The Criminal Code*_, has plenty.

Sentenced to 1 to 10 years, the guy goes to a prison where the DA who sent him there, eventually becomes the warden.

I much prefer the 1931 film, if for no better reason than that Karloff is in it. The character he plays (Ned Galloway), who kills the snitch, is portrayed by Millard Mitchell (Malloby) in the Noir version.  I know I have seen this guy somewhere else, but nothing comes to mind. I see a few familiar titles in his Wiki page's filmography, but still I cannot recall anything specific.

Both films: The protagonist tries to steer clear of trouble while in prison, but is in the wrong place at the wrong time, just after Mitchel (Malloby) / Karloff (Galloway) kills the snitch. Now comes the difficult part: the warden must hold someone responsible for the death, but  _*The Criminal Code*_ forbids him telling on the murderer. 

Sadly, this was not a NOIR ALLEY presentation.  I would really have liked to hear what Muller would have said about it.

Oh, Grandpa Walton-- Will Geer was in the credits, but, if not for his voice, I would not have recognized him as one of the protagonist's cellmates.


*Dr. X* (1932), another of the Lionell Atwill day films. Lee Tracy is the nosy reporter and the protagonist who keeps Dr. X and his students annoyed.  2 strip  color, very good horror, though rather than UNIVERSAL, this was made by Warner Bros. Too bad Vincent Price did not do a version of this one, as well as the *Mystery of the Wax Museum* (1933). 

*Dark Passage* (1947) Bogart was not even seen until after the plastic surgery, like playing DOOM, it was shown from his perspective.. So this one is a bit strange, at least in that respect. Bacall picks him up after he escapes from prison, wrongly convicted of murdering his wife.  So he must go about clearing himself, while evading the police & others who would hinder him. His new face helps, but fear of capture remains.

I have seen this one before, currently watching it in the PIP.  This was the next to the last NOIR ALLEY presentation before the August SUMMER UNDER THE STARS causes a month without it! I am starving!!


----------



## Highlander II

The last movie I watched? no idea.

Last movie I watched in the theatre? *Jurassic World 2* - it was kind of underwhelming, actually.


----------



## dask

*The Big Sleep *(1946). One of the most famous head scratchers ever filmed. Great irreplaceable cast, clever dialog that never grew tiresome, stunning photography, jaw-dropping dames. Magical movie making at its best.


----------



## Phyrebrat

oganalp said:


> What confuses me is the new Thrawn book. Disney kinda cancelled the expanded universe and Heir to the Empire. Then there is a Thrawn book, but no Thrawn in the movies. How's that going? Have you read the new Thrawn book?



Thrawn is canon for a while now as he was in Rebels. But he will never be in the sequels because 



Spoiler



pH


----------



## Graymalkin

The Devil's Disciple 1959. Adapted from George Bernard Shaw novel. Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Lawrence Olivier and Janette Scott star. Looks wonderful. Some sharp dialogue. Shame about Scott's ultra-hysterical episodes and Lancaster's preoccupation with working out 
Douglas and Olivier are excellent in court. Worth watching for that and G.B. Shaw's writing. Solid support from Major Swindon as the archetypically Harry Andrews.


----------



## Judderman

Train to Busan (2016). This is a superb zombie action film from S Korea. Probably the best of its type. Ok its not as classic as Dawn of The Dead and it is sillier. But it is so entertaining. Some laughs, some scares. It just has a lot of excitement. 

I am a Hero (2015) - We then moved onto Japanese Zombies... The Japanese are not generally into zombie stories and find them silly. This was a fairly silly movie but still quite entertaining. It is based on a Manga story. Definitely not up to Train to Busan levels. I liked the idea that the zombies (infected) had some memory of their lifetime work or obsession. Often repeating words or attempting actions they used to do. Actually they called the Zombies ZQN which was related to the infection somehow.  

Mission Impossible Fallout (6) has received a lot of praise. I preferred it to 4 but thought 5 was better. I enjoyed the first half with various car chases and a good close fight scene. But it is a long movie and I thought it was dragged out. One of those where they make the plot more complicated than necessary for an action.


----------



## Overread

Spacehunter - Adventures in the Forbidden Zone! 

On Amazon Prime - so much 80s, so much sci-fi western starwars fun! Sure they don't have Lucas Arts puppets but they have some great models and honestly its a good space-western-adventure that doesn't try to be anything its not.

Well worth a watch!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Thomas Crown Affair*_ (1968) Steve McQueen masterminds a heist using 5 guys who are unknown to each other and who do not know him.  Faye Dunaway is the insurance investigator who is out to recover the stolen money. Based upon his trip to Switzerland and a few other clues, she decides he is the guy who did it. She actually hangs out with him, and they laugh about her pursuit of him, etc. 

*Everything's Rosie *(1931)  Robert Woolsey who usually costars with Bert Wheeler  in musical comedies, goes solo in a film about a con man who adopts a waif girl. She is now 17, and has a high class boyfriend. The rich people all believe RW is an aristocrat, but his inability to pass up an opportunity to fleece them using the shell game overcomes him, & he must take his leave and flee. 

In the end, the boy & girl marry, despite his gambling. Not as good as the *Wheeler & Woolsey *musical comedies, but ok.


----------



## HareBrain

Holiday aircraft viewing:

*Lego Batman Movie* -- amusing but overlong.

*Hidden Figures* -- enjoyable feelgood movie, with less "bite" than it probably should have had.

*Ready Player One* -- entertaining but empty.

*Isle of Dogs* -- aargh! I caught only the first twenty minutes of this before landing, and wish I'd chosen it first. I might have to buy it on DVD. It's great.


----------



## J Riff

ackchewly, I found isle of doggies a tad, just a bit uh dark.. lots of death, kill all the dogs, nazi dog camp.., but, ha ha anyways.
Mission Stardust, 1967, is Perry Rodan, co-stars Essy, a woman in a christmas ornament spaceship, who beats up on various military types till Perry saves the day, not sure what really went on but it was nice to look at.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Jacobs Ladder* and this last viewing was second time that Id seen it in it entirety . The first time I saw it, I found it disturbing  and hellish and dark. But this time around, beyond the dark and disturbing, there moments of love and light, hope and poignancy that I had quite missed. This is a truly great and remarkable  film !


----------



## Vince W

J Riff said:


> ackchewly, I found isle of doggies a tad, just a bit uh dark.. lots of death, kill all the dogs, nazi dog camp.., but, ha ha anyways.
> Mission Stardust, 1967, is Perry Rodan, co-stars Essy, a woman in a christmas ornament spaceship, who beats up on various military types till Perry saves the day, not sure what really went on but it was nice to look at.


Where did you get a copy of Mission Stardust? I've only seen bits of it on youtube. I learned German just to read Perry Rhodan. No, really.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> Where did you get a copy of Mission Stardust? I've only seen bits of it on youtube. I learned German just to read Perry Rhodan. No, really.



Mission Stardust ? egads what an awful film !


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> Mission Stardust ? egads wheat an awful film !


Yes, but... Essy Persson.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> Yes, but... Essy Persson.



Couldn't act , but yes,  she was beautiful, no question there .


----------



## dask

Vince W said:


> Where did you get a copy of Mission Stardust? I've only seen bits of it on youtube. I learned German just to read Perry Rhodan. No, really.


I think Ace Books published a lot of Perry Rhodan in English. Not sure if they were translations of original German adventures or new ones written in English for the English speaking world.
Here's what happens if you disobey an order from Major Rhodan:






Actually I don't know what movie this is from but it is supposed to be Essy Persson.


----------



## Vince W

The Ace books were translations of the original German stories. They're grouped into arcs as a new novella is _still_ published each week. The amount of detail in the PR universe is staggering. Not even Star Trek or Doctor Who can match it.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

*Secret Agent Fireball *(1965) ...because that sounds like _Thunderball_. English dubbed version of _Le spie uccidono a Beirut, _or_ Spies Kill in Beirut_...you'll never guess what it's about.

At one point, obnoxiously debonair American spy James Clarke squeezes info from a tatoo artist by threatening his face with the tatoo needle. His victim cries, "No, not that!" Later, he refuels his helicopter at a Mobil gas station.

So bad it's good, of course. Starring the lovely Dominique Boschero...

Just remember, you can spot the good movies because they have a star beside the title.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death Bed:  The Bed That Eats* (1977)

Short and somewhat misleading description:  *Eraserhead* plus *The Creeping Terror*.

This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.  The title describes the basic premise accurately; there's a demonic bed that eats people.  That makes this sound like a silly parody of monster movies.  There's a touch of that, to be sure.  It's impossible to take seriously a scene in which the bed ingests Pepto-Bismol.  However, for the most part this outrageous premise is treated seriously.  

A rational synopsis is nearly impossible.  Suffice to say that the film is divided into four acts:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Just Desserts.  We start with a voice-over narration from an artist who has been trapped in a sort of limbo behind a drawing, in the room where the bed is located.  A young couple wander into the abandoned place and get eaten (after the bed consumes their apples, wine, and fried chicken.)  Throughout the film these scenes of consumption involve soapy yellow stuff coming out of the bed, then shots of whatever is being eaten in bubbling yellow liquid.  Three women show up, and later the brother of one arrives in search of her.  About halfway through the movie we get flashback sequences and learn the backstory behind the bed.  It seems that a demon fell in love with a human women and created the bed for them.  Their encounter sort-of-but-not-really killed her (it's hard to explain, or even understand) and gave the bed its evil powers, except when the demon falls asleep once every ten years.  The bed eats some of the folks, and is eventually destroyed in a ritual which is even more bizarre than everything else in the movie.

Obviously filmed on a very low budget, with amateurish acting, this film manages to have scenes that are quite beautiful, as well as some genuinely eerie sequences.  There are moments of surrealism worthy of Bunuel.  There are goofy parts.  Sometimes these all come together at once.  (One that comes to mind is when a fellow has all the flesh eaten off his hands by the bed.  He holds up the skeletal remains quite calmly, watching as the bones fall off one by one.)

This may be the most dream-like film I've ever seen, keeping in mind the fact that dreams can be ridiculous, illogical, frightening, and lovely all at the same time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House of the Dead* (1978) AKA *Alien Zone* (for no reason at all)

Low budget horror anthology.  A guy having an extramarital affair tries to take a taxi from the site of his messing around but winds up at a mortuary.  The mortician shows him some folks in coffins and relates their fates.

1.  Woman who doesn't like children is stalked in her home by unseen intruders.  They turn out to be kids in Halloween masks.  Special visual effects and fake fangs are used to make them look scary.  Some small amount of tension created by the stalking sequences, but otherwise obvious and trivial.

2.  Guy is arrested.  Flashbacks show us the videotapes he made of himself killing three women.  The mortician tells us he was executed.  That's the entire story!  No ironic fate, no revenge from beyond the grave, nothing.  The murder scenes are played for light black comedy.  This sequence is very short, and maybe something else was supposed to happen.

3.  A great British detective comes to the States to observe the work of a great American detective.  The American gets an anonymous note telling him that somebody close to him will be murdered in three days.  The British fellow hangs around while he tries to solve the case.  You'll probably see the triple twist ending of this sequence coming a mile away, but I won't spoil it here.  Would have made a decent episode of _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_.

4.  Office worker is rude to a homeless guy on the street.  He winds up trapped in an empty building.  The building seems to have its own agenda.  (Shades of *Death Bed*!)  It forces him down an elevator shaft and into a tiny room, mentally tortures him by almost, but not quite, impaling him on a wall full of spikes, and eventually forces him to become the kind of person for whom he had contempt.  It's an OK morality play (even though, like many of these things, the punishment is way out of proportion to the crime.)  Would have made a decent episode of _Tales From the Crypt_.

5.  Of course, the guy having an affair meets his own fate.  

Overall, fair-to-middling.  Two poor stories, two OK stories, and a minor wraparound story.  A few very familiar character actors show up; the mortician and the two detectives.  That adds some professionalism.  Filmed entirely in Oklahoma.


----------



## J Riff

mission starlust was on yotub, i thot.... 
also there is The Flesh Eaters 1964, with the supposedly deleted Nazi scene... and it is 
a strange mess, with some skeletons and nudity thrown in, and a big tentacle beasty at the end.


----------



## Vince W

*The Hunt For Red October *(1990). One of the few book adaptations I thought did a good job. I never really understood why Alec Baldwin didn't get to keep playing Jack Ryan. Hell, Gates McFadden was great as his wife as well. Anyway, it's a great film.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *The Hunt For Red October *(1990). One of the few book adaptations I thought did a good job. I never really understood why Alec Baldwin didn't get to keep playing Jack Ryan. Hell, Gates McFadden was great as his wife as well. Anyway, it's a great film.



I thought  Baldwin  was fine in the role.


----------



## Anthoney

I agree about Baldwin but I am looking forward to seeing what John Krasinski does with the role.  The first season (8 episodes) drops on Amazon this coming Friday.


----------



## BAYLOR

Anthoney said:


> I agree about Baldwin but I am looking forward to seeing what John Krasinski does with the role.  The first season (8 episodes) drops on Amazon this coming Friday.



They're doing a series? Wow !


----------



## Cathbad

*The Murders in the Rue Morgue  *(1932)

First half of this movie was poor quality, even for 1930s standards.  Long sequences with no talking and no action.  Once the action did start, it was a very good show!


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

*Stalking Moon* (1968) Gregory Peck is an 1860s retired U. S. Army scout who takes Eva Marie Saint and her half-Apache son under protection from his rampaging father who wants the son back. A promising first half until they reach Peck's ranch. Eva Marie stares into space a lot while Peck and his friends show what happens when you don't watch enough scary movies. They repeatedly leave the house to track the killer only to discover OMIGOD he's tracking back! Over and over and over.

I give it one shot of tequila and a bonus cactus for master cinematographer Charles Lang.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cauldron of Blood* (filmed 1967, released 1970)

Short description:  *A Bucket of Blood* without the laughs.

An elderly, ailing Boris Karloff is, shockingly, given second billing in this Spanish scare flick, not shown until after his death.  French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont has top billing as the nominal hero.  Third place goes to Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors, who actually has the most interesting role.

Aumont is some kind of photographer/reporter.  He's out to do a story on Karloff, a blind sculptor who can barely walk with the help of a cane.  Lindfors is Karloff's wife.  It's implied she was responsible for the automobile accident that handicapped him.  This movie reveals all its secrets right away, so it's not a spoiler that her lover kills people, and she melts the flesh off their bones in a bubbling cauldron.  The bones wind up inside Karloff's statues.  (He just thinks she steals them from morgues.)  Things play out pretty much as you'd imagine from there.

This is a very leisurely movie, with a lot of time wasted on things like Aumont landing in an airplane, only to get his new assignment and get on another airplane.  Much is made of the Spanish seacoast where this was filmed, and parts of it could serve as a travelogue.  Karloff has a really nifty Moorish style mansion, as well as a pet monkey and a pet vulture.  There's a painter to serve as Aumont's love interest, a model to serve as victim, a mute servant to serve as witness, and an elderly Gypsy to provide an ominous prophecy.  Lindfors steals the film with her over-the-top performance as a seriously disturbed woman.  She has a nightmare sequence, which seems to show her dressed up in a fascist-style uniform [a daring reference to Spain's dictator Francisco Franco?] whipping herself as a little girl, and Karloff's face melting into a skull.  This horrible dream reduces her to sobbing like a child.  The mute servant tries to comfort her, but Lindfors screams at her, grabs a whip, and beats her.

Not a great film, but not a complete waste of time either.


----------



## Matteo

*Rogue One*

I thought it was fine - not a bad film, but certainly nothing special.  I suppose my main problem was the lack of suspense; I don't need to use a spoiler tag here to say that at the end of film the rebels do get the Death Star plans...  Also, since the principle characters do not appear in the "later" films then I also know they met their demise in this film.  Because of that, going into the film I had the opinion that it was pointless.  In fact, wasn't planning to watch it - but my nine year old son nagged me into it so I gave it a chance.

There was a distracting jump between Jyn being discovered by Saw and then being in the work camp and there were other points during the film where I thought scenes had been edited out - particularly at the beginning since the story seemed a little disjointed.  However, there was plenty of action and the story itself was fine - including why there was a weakness in the Death Star.  The way the ending segued into Star Wars was also well-done (though see below).

The "easter eggs" to Star Wars were fun (_"I have a bad feeling about this"_, _"watch out for those towers"_, the two guys from the Mos Eisley cantina, the rock formation looking like Obi Wan - and I'm quite sure there were more I didn't spot).  

Incidentally, I thought the Tarkin appearance was well done.  I knew there was something "off" about it but perhaps only because I knew it couldn't be Peter Cushing so had to be an actor/CGI.  I wonder if this would have been realised by a viewer who had no idea of this?  I suspect there has been some "discussion" about resurrecting a dead actor but the character [should have been] an integral part the film so it would have been odd to miss him out and too forced to only show him from behind (or on screen/hologram - and surely in that case the same arguments apply?).  The Leia appearance could have been avoided though since it was so fleeting.

Will be avoiding Solo but intend to watch the sequels - on which I have, through deliberately ignoring any reviews/discussions/articles whatsoever, managed to avoid any spoilers.  I'm hoping they will be better.


----------



## Anthoney

Matteo said:


> I thought it was fine - not a bad film,



I liked Rogue One better than the last two Star Wars movies.  A lot better than Last Jedi.  The last four minutes of Rogue One may be the best four minutes in all of Star Wars (in my not so humble opinion).


----------



## Rodders

I think the reason that R1 was so popular was it's service to fans of the Original Trilogy. There were a lot of fun easter eggs and i did enjoy the thought of it tying in the Rebels TV series with the Ghost. 


Out of curiousity Matteo, why will you be avoiding Solo?


----------



## Starbeast

*Dragon Blade* (2015) - Outstanding movie, about the Roman leader Tiberius (actor - Adrien Brody) with his legion, battles to claim the Silk Road. To my surprise, actors Jackie Chan and John Cusack are also main characters in this epic film.

I stumbled across this mighty movie by accident, and I loved it. And as usual, I did not watch any trailers. I'm so glad I didn't.


----------



## Anthoney

I finally saw *Ant-Man and the Wasp.*  It was the more family friendly Marvel outing.  It was kind of funny with cool effects just like the first.  They de-aged all the older stars at one point or another and did a decent job.


----------



## Matteo

Rodders said:


> I think the reason that R1 was so popular was it's service to fans of the Original Trilogy. There were a lot of fun easter eggs and i did enjoy the thought of it tying in the Rebels TV series with the Ghost.
> 
> 
> Out of curiousity Matteo, why will you be avoiding Solo?


Mainly because I'm not that interested in Han Solo's early life.  Also because I suspect(ed) that it is another attempt by Disney to squeeze money out of the franchise - and that's never a good thing.  Finally, because my wife (who _was_ interested in seeing the film) has read the reviews and discovered they were (overall) negative.


----------



## Cathbad

How many movies would you see if you didn't go to the ones with negative reviews?

Unfortunately, we currently have a plethora of critics in America who think _to critique_ means _to criticize_.  The original Star Wars movie had mostly bad reviews, as did many box-office blockbusters.

I watch movie critic shows because I like to see the trailers.  I don't listen to what they say.


----------



## Matteo

Years ago, when I was single, not a father, and less busy, I used to see a couple of films a week ("mainstream", otherwise and foreign language).  At the time I rarely looked at any reviews because I didn't want to be influenced.

These days I go to the cinema far less often - instead tend to buy the dvd (once it drops to a few Euro).

My experience of reviews in more recent years (and certainly discussions) was that they often contained spoilers and (as you mention) an agenda of some sort and so I tended to avoid them.

Now, if I do read a review I almost exclusively look at James Berardinelli as in my experience he avoids the two above faults and is able to critique a wide range of films without any preference for a particular genre being evident.

As I said, for Solo, it wasn't the poor reviews that (principally) dissuaded me from seeing it - that came later.  Though having now just now read James' review, I think I've made the right choice.


----------



## Cathbad

I just  watched *Rogue One* again.  After all the hate spewed about this movie, I have discovered it's about two or three times better than the original ones.

The only complaint I have about the movie is that they forgot to have something happening in the second 1/6th of the film.    That stretch was quite the bore. 

I will admit, however, that I tend to see every movie as a "stand-alone", and care less than most about continuity - a major complaint I heard a lot about *Rogue*.


----------



## REBerg

*The Snowman*
Watchable serial killer mystery, but not exceptional. J.K. Simmons needs to work on his British accent,


----------



## Randy M.

REBerg: Pretty much what I thought when watching _The Snowman_. Too bad, since I think Michael Fassbender is a pretty good actor who deserves a better vehicle. 


*The Vampire Bat *(1933) dir. Frank Strayer; starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas (dang! he was young once!), Dwight Frye

Several deaths by exsanguination lead villagers in small German town to conclude that a vampire is on the loose. At least I think it was German since  a brief view of a sign looks to be written in German; there's a lot of Tyrolean costuming, so maybe not, but then again '30s Hollywood seemed to use that as indicative of all European small towns.

Anyway, with Lionel Atwill as the lead, who do you think would play the villain? 

Enjoyable if you like '30s movies, and for the time well-acted. Not Douglas' first horror film (_The Old Dark House_, 1932) he would go on to greater success in more mainstream drama like _Ninotchka_ and _Hud_, but returned to horror films late in his career: _The Tenant _(1977), _The Changeling_ (1980 -- very good ghost story), and _Ghost Story_ (1981 -- great cast, has its moments, but overall not so good ghost story).

Randy M.


----------



## Mouse

Starbeast said:


> *Dragon Blade* (2015) - Outstanding movie, about the Roman leader Tiberius (actor - Adrien Brody) with his legion, battles to claim the Silk Road. To my surprise, actors Jackie Chan and John Cusack are also main characters in this epic film.
> 
> I stumbled across this mighty movie by accident, and I loved it. And as usual, I did not watch any trailers. I'm so glad I didn't.



I have this on DVD and not got round to watching it yet. Might have to put it on soon.

Last film I watched was *Birdemic*, I think. And, blimey, you can you say about that film?


----------



## Jeffbert

*All Quiet on the Western Front* (1930) Finally saw this, as it was the prime time showing, complete with comments both before and after.  Lew Ayres as the protagonist, a school boy whose desire to join the army is kindled by his teacher. A few of the boys' dreams of glory are shown as about 20 of them decide to enlist. about 15 minutes later, they are soldiers, running for cover as bombs drop around them. For me, one particularly intense / offensive scene was in a hospital, where one guy realized his leg was gone. He shouted that he would rather die, than live as a cripple. I have seen other films in which the guy's girlfriend wants to marry him before he goes to war, but he says he could not bear to think he might return as a cripple. He just could not do that to her. 

Oh, I must see *Cauldron of Blood! *The description is unfamiliar to me, so, I assume I have not seen it yet. Thanks for the review, *Victoria Silverwolf!*


----------



## Starbeast

Mouse said:


> I have this on DVD and not got round to watching it yet. Might have to put it on soon.



I came across it by accident. Now it's a new favorite "period flick" of mine.

I didn't want to say too much about the movie. For me, it's fun not knowing what happens, until it happens.


----------



## J Riff

birdemic! as cheap as chirping gets... the 'special effects' were handed in unfinished.... and they used them.


----------



## Starbeast

@J Riff - I remember seeing the trailer for BIRDEMIC (a while ago) and thought, "Who on Earth would watch that?"

Well, at least you gave it chance.


----------



## Vince W

*Red Sparrow*. Not what I was expecting, but rather a good film in the end. I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, and she was flat yet again, but for this role, it works. The most unbelievable part is her as a prima ballerina. It was like watching a seal in a tutu dance.


----------



## Jeffbert

A few more from Peter Lorre day:

*You'll Find Out* (1940) this & the next one involve bad guys trying to kill the young heiress before she comes of age. In this one, Lorre & Karloff are hoping to keep the heiress' aunt in charge of the money, so she can continue paying Lugosi's character, Prince Saliano a fraud of a spiritualist holding seance  after seance, & fleecing her. Kay Kyser & band are hired to provide entertainment at the girl's 21st birthday. Lorre is hired to prove Lugosi a fraud, Karloff's role, I forgot. Fairly entertaining comedy / horror film, even without Abott & Costello.

*Scent of Mystery* (1960) AKA _*Holiday in Spain*_. Looking at the wiki page, it says something about smell-o-vision; obviously not working in the cable version. I can hardly believe I sat through the whole thing, as it seemed rather lame. Lorre is a cab driver, hired by an Englishman, who becomes involved in the latter's attempt to save a young lady from murderers. But, she does not believe him, and demands he leave her alone. 

*All Through The Night* (1943) I especially like this one, because so many familiar faces are here, Bogart, Lorre, Veidt, perhaps immediately following Casablanca; maybe before? others from the dark  dramas include Barton MacLane & Edward Brophy as partners owning a night club, & a few from the lighter side of films, Frank McHugh as Barney, Bogart's chauffeur, &  William Demarest as Sunshine, his right hand man. Phil Silvers as a Waiter

Bogart is Alfred "Gloves" Donahue  a gambler, and the type of, as I understood it, a civic-minded gangster; always looking out for the little guys. Lorre & Veidt are 5th column guys, running a spy / sabotage ring in NY (I think that's the city). This film has just the right blend of serious to humorous content! 

a local bakery owner is killed, Brophy soon follows, & as Gloves is cradling him, asking who shot you? he holds up 5 fingers several times, then dies. Leaving a glove behind, gloves is presumed the killer. He must clear himself, etc., but finds out there is much more than murder here.

Great film, lots of fun!

*Comedy of Terrors *(1964) Lorre is a casket maker working for Vincent Price who had married Karloff's daughter just to gain control of his funeral parlor. Trumbull (Price) spends must of his time drunken, Karloff spends his sleeping. Price has the goods on Lorre, forcing him to work for nothing. Basil Rathbone as John F. Black, Esq., who owns the property on which the funeral parlor is located, or is it that he just is the creditor who is about to have Price etc. thrown out into the street for failure to pay the debt. A better than good, but not great comedy film from A.I.P. 

So, lacking any funerals to keep him in business, Price sets out to make / kill a customer. But the guy's wife has nothing to do with it, & does not even attend, much less pay for her husband's funeral; rather, she cleans out the house & leaves town. Trumbull needs to find a new customer / corpse, who better than his enemy Black (Rathbone)? But Black suffers from catalepsy, & refuses to stay 'dead' after being conked on the head. 


*Mask of Dimitrios* (1944) Lorre & Greenstreet in one of 9 pairings. 
Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott) is supposedly found dead, washed ashore  with a knife wound. His crimes are retold in flashbacks, as mystery writer Cornelius Leyden (Lorre), having little better to do, goes on the trail of his exploits. Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet) annoys him along the way, then finally reveals a scheme to get a million francs. 

Sorry, I cannot recall who made a post a few moths ago, about this film. That review is likely far more detailed. 

*Crime & Punishment* (1935) Lorre's 1st starring role in Hollywood? Ben Mankiewicz said something like that. Anyway this opinionated guy who writes to newspapers about his theories on crime, himself murders a pawnbroker, but gets away without any money, just stuff. Edward Arnold is the cop who, long before Columbo, annoyed the guy into confessing. 


*M *(1931) German with English subtitles Lorre is a sicko, who simply must abduct & murder little girls.  Sometimes the white subtitles were in front of light scenes, difficult to read.  Whenever he feels the urge, he whistles  "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg.   As the weeks pass, and the murders continue, the police crack down on the criminals, who decide they must catch the killer, or go out of business. 

When they finally bring him before the court of criminals and bereaved mothers, he demands to be handed over to the police, & shouts that they have no right to hold him. Somewhat ironic, given the nature of his crimes.


----------



## AlexH

*The Book of Life* (2014)
I was amazed at the similarities to *Coco*, which I saw at the cinema earlier this year. Both are animations that centre around the Mexican Day of the Dead and feature a main character who wants to be a guitarist, against their parents' will.

The Book of Life was good, but Coco did a lot of things much better. The music, for a start. Most of the songs in The Book of Life were covers of pop songs and felt completely out of place. The Book of Life felt like a musical at times, whereas the music in Coco felt natural. The characters in The Book of Life were more stereotypical.

Despite their similarities, they're different stories and both are worth watching.
7/10

*Ant-Man and the Wasp* (2018)
I enjoyed this more than Deadpool 2, Infinity War and Black Panther, which were all slightly disappointing. That makes it the best superhero film of this year (so far), I guess.
8/10

*El Clan* (2015)
Based on the true story of the Puccio Clan, who kidnapped people in the 80s. It was pretty good.
7/10


----------



## AlexH

*The Anthem of the Heart* (2015)
A girl loses her voice after a shocking revelation. A beautiful film, probably in my top 5 Japanese anime (not to be confused with the live action of the same name).


----------



## J Riff

oh Birdemic is sooooo bad... i hadda edit it down, and it is still torturous, even at 8 minutes long.


----------



## svalbard

*Hereditary*

Scary! Be warned! Toni Collette is awesome in this.


----------



## Vince W

*Sneakers.* I love this film, but I'm biased towards nerdy/geeky films. Sneakers is one of those underrated films that deserves more recognition. Great story, great cast, and full of smart humour.


----------



## Starbeast

*Upgrade* (2018) - This is one of the rare times the movie trailers didn't show how awesome this sci-fi flick is. Originally, I was going to ignore this film completely, because the preview looked cheap. But a good friend talked me into seeing it, and I'm so glad he did. Now I'm recommending this fantastic movie to sci-fi action fans.

*31* (2016) - I gave this "Rob Zombie" horror movie a chance, only because actor Malcolm McDowell is in it. Unfortunately the film was poorly executed. Don't bother wasting your time with this.


_Re-watched:_

*Outrage* (1973) - Starring actor ROBERT CULP. This TV movie is still unnerving and intense to watch. Based on a true incident, a new homeowner stands up to a group of neighborhood troublemakers. Excellent.

*Suspiria* (1977) - One of director Dario Argento's best movies. This horror flick still gives me the creeps. I wanted to see this again because I discovered (a while ago) that there is a remake of this film that I will probably check out. Release date is November 2nd.


----------



## Randy M.

Hey, Jeffbert, I wrote a brief paragraph on _The Mask of Dimitrios _about two months ago.

My most recent: *Happy Death Day* (2017) dir. Christopher Landon

Take a slasher film and add _Groundhog Day_, keep the humor and romance but add some terror and paranoia, and voila, a nifty sometimes funny little horror movie. Toward the end Landon and crew overtly acknowledge their debt to _Groundhog Day_, in the meantime playing with the trope of the "final girl." "Final girl" has become the tag for the last woman standing in a slasher film, usually because she's the one who recognizes danger first, she's strong, dynamic and quick thinking, but mostly she's the good, chaste girl (see Laurie in _Halloween_). In this one Tree is not good or chaste and she's offed. Repeatedly. Until she begins to piece together what's happening to her and how she can resist while also examining her life. There's a certain amount of sap involved with the examining, but it's handled well, Landon balancing action and scares with humor and something marginally deeper. 

Not a great movie, but very entertaining with Jessica Rothe's performance spot on as Tree. Her chemistry with her co-star, Israel Broussard as Carter is very good. Really, the movie lives or dies (*cough*) on how convincing she is, and she's quite good, reminding me in looks and command of the screen of Eliza Dushku.

Randy M.


----------



## WaylanderToo

The Happytime Murders - objectively it is crap, I let's be honest the previews and the write-ups shouldn't leave you in much doubt as to whether this is low brow or no brow. It is crude/vulgar/tasteless.... and I really enjoyed it! In fairness it could have been a lot funnier but it was funny enough.


----------



## Anthoney

Randy M. said:


> My most recent: *Happy Death Day* (2017) dir. Christopher Landon



I watched it earlier this summer.  It was great for what it was.  Not a academe winner but I clever twist mixing two genres.  Extremely underappreciated movie.


----------



## Randy M.

WaylanderToo said:


> The Happytime Murders - objectively it is crap, I let's be honest the previews and the write-ups shouldn't leave you in much doubt as to whether this is low brow or no brow. It is crude/vulgar/tasteless.... and I really enjoyed it! In fairness it could have been a lot funnier but it was funny enough.



Friends of mine said roughly the same thing. And that they really enjoyed it.

Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Black Panther  *(2018)

Somebody took the time to create a wonderful, exciting and original world (Wakanda) within a world (ours).  It has such tremendous possibilities for story-telling

Then someone came along and wrote the most boring screenplay possible for the big screen.

Why has everyone been lauding this movie??  Beyond the fantastic concept and visuals, what is there?

An ascension dispute - only been done a couple thousand times.  The bad guy takes the throne - I knew he would, as soon as the claim was made.  Everything here, including the CIA involvement - has been done.  Every step of this movie was predictable!

What was unexpected was the slowness with which the movie picks up steam - then looses it - then gains it back.  During the slow points, I became very tempted to give up on it.

Ah, but I'm a stubborn Cuss!

Did I mention how slow this movie often got?  At one point, the camera starts to close in on the man on a throne - I went back and timed it - 35 seconds to focus on a man just sitting.  An additional 5 seconds before someone talked.

Seriously?

Oh!  And what a surprise! (Not) - The rightful heir, who fell several hundred feet to his death isn't dead, after all!  Wouldn't it be just incredible if he got his throne back??  (ho-hum)

Now, in all fairness, I must admit, the Big Battle was definitely worth the wait!  

The star and Whitaker did a fine acting job, but the rest of the cast seemed bored; and thus were boring.

Don't get me (completely) wrong:  This wasn't a terrible movie.  And in some aspects, it was excellent (Visual Effects, Battle Scenes)!  But the backstory just had sooo much potential, and this movie didn't do it much justice.


----------



## Anthoney

Cathbad said:


> Why has everyone been lauding this movie??



I thought it was a decent movie that a bunch of people, for one reason or another, said was a great movie.

Of course I have also been known to be stubborn not to mention cantankerous.


----------



## Vince W

Cathbad said:


> *Black Panther  *(2018)
> 
> Somebody took the time to create a wonderful, exciting and original world (Wakanda) within a world (ours).  It has such tremendous possibilities for story-telling
> 
> Then someone came along and wrote the most boring screenplay possible for the big screen.
> 
> Why has everyone been lauding this movie??  Beyond the fantastic concept and visuals, what is there?
> 
> An ascension dispute - only been done a couple thousand times.  The bad guy takes the throne - I knew he would, as soon as the claim was made.  Everything here, including the CIA involvement - has been done.  Every step of this movie was predictable!
> 
> What was unexpected was the slowness with which the movie picks up steam - then looses it - then gains it back.  During the slow points, I became very tempted to give up on it.
> 
> Ah, but I'm a stubborn Cuss!
> 
> Did I mention how slow this movie often got?  At one point, the camera starts to close in on the man on a throne - I went back and timed it - 35 seconds to focus on a man just sitting.  An additional 5 seconds before someone talked.
> 
> Seriously?
> 
> Oh!  And what a surprise! (Not) - The rightful heir, who fell several hundred feet to his death isn't dead, after all!  Wouldn't it be just incredible if he got his throne back??  (ho-hum)
> 
> Now, in all fairness, I must admit, the Big Battle was definitely worth the wait!
> 
> The star and Whitaker did a fine acting job, but the rest of the cast seemed bored; and thus were boring.
> 
> Don't get me (completely) wrong:  This wasn't a terrible movie.  And in some aspects, it was excellent (Visual Effects, Battle Scenes)!  But the backstory just had sooo much potential, and this movie didn't do it much justice.


----------



## kythe

I just went to the Wizarding World film fest.. AKA the week long re-release of all 9 Harry Potter movies in the theater.  Although I have read each book at least twice and seen all the movies, it has been years since I marathoned all the films.  It was very enjoyable.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> Hey, Jeffbert, I wrote a brief paragraph on _The Mask of Dimitrios _about two months ago.
> 
> Randy M.


I just knew somebody had written about Mask of D, but forgot who; sorry.

I just watched the 3 'new' *Star Trek* films _*Star Trek*_,  *Star Trek Into Darkness*, _*Star Trek Beyond*._ in which the *Heroes* villain Z. Quinto portrays Spock. I did not like the Kirk early days segment; I thought it was too far-fetched  I disliked the rapid rise to Capt. of Kirk; that was the least believable part of that 1st film. Even given that he had right ideas, & such, I doubt a newly graduated guy would be made Capt.; even if he had performed well as acting Capt.

The Spock origin seemed o.k., even consistent with that one episode of the animated series.

The three films were fun to watch, but as is the case in the action genre, special effects are more important than plot. Not that the stories were weak, but could have been better.

While I will always be a steadfast fan of TOS & its cast, I think they did a good job with the new cast.

I began watching
*One for the Fire: The Legacy of 'Night of the Living Dead' (2008)*
or something like it, but cannot recall the title other than "the Living Dead" part.

*horrible horror the special edition* (2013) Immediately recognized the host's voice from an oldie that I hear every now & then, John Zacherle - Wikipedia! I love this film! clips & trailers from the most awful horror & scifi films, plus a few good ones. I am only about 45 minutes into it, & have seen outtakes from A&C meet Frankenstein every few minutes, those guys were funny! So, I stopped watching when the clips from KILLERS FROM SPACE were shown, as I am sure I never saw that one. I had to see if PRIME offered it, & it currently does. So, I guess I will finish this before starting KILLERS, as I thoroughly enjoy these clips.


----------



## REBerg

*The Mummy (2017)*
Yech! A new career low point for both Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> *Black Panther  *(2018)
> 
> Somebody took the time to create a wonderful, exciting and original world (Wakanda) within a world (ours).  It has such tremendous possibilities for story-telling
> 
> Then someone came along and wrote the most boring screenplay possible for the big screen.
> 
> Why has everyone been lauding this movie??  Beyond the fantastic concept and visuals, what is there?
> 
> An ascension dispute - only been done a couple thousand times.  The bad guy takes the throne - I knew he would, as soon as the claim was made.  Everything here, including the CIA involvement - has been done.  Every step of this movie was predictable!
> 
> What was unexpected was the slowness with which the movie picks up steam - then looses it - then gains it back.  During the slow points, I became very tempted to give up on it.
> 
> Ah, but I'm a stubborn Cuss!
> 
> Did I mention how slow this movie often got?  At one point, the camera starts to close in on the man on a throne - I went back and timed it - 35 seconds to focus on a man just sitting.  An additional 5 seconds before someone talked.
> 
> Seriously?
> 
> Oh!  And what a surprise! (Not) - The rightful heir, who fell several hundred feet to his death isn't dead, after all!  Wouldn't it be just incredible if he got his throne back??  (ho-hum)
> 
> Now, in all fairness, I must admit, the Big Battle was definitely worth the wait!
> 
> The star and Whitaker did a fine acting job, but the rest of the cast seemed bored; and thus were boring.
> 
> Don't get me (completely) wrong:  This wasn't a terrible movie.  And in some aspects, it was excellent (Visual Effects, Battle Scenes)!  But the backstory just had sooo much potential, and this movie didn't do it much justice.



Isn't this film up for Oscar consideration?


----------



## BAYLOR

REBerg said:


> *The Mummy (2017)*
> Yech! A new career low point for both Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.



Godawful movie.


----------



## Anthoney

What was going through the mind of the person who looked at that film and said, "Yeah, that's what I want.  Now it's ready for the box office."


----------



## BAYLOR

Anthoney said:


> What was going through the mind of the person who looked at that film and said, "Yeah, that's what I want.  Now it's ready for the box office."



The problem with The Mummy , too many cooks spoiled the soup.


----------



## Jeffbert

The Verdict (1946) Lorre & Greenstreet's final film together. Directed by Don Siegel's 1st full-length film, & it is  very good. Sidney Greenstreet is a Scotland Yard superintendent, I am comparing it to the FBI Director, but not sure on that. So this defendant's alibi cannot be confirmed because he confused Wales with New South Wales, and he is convicted & hanged. Two minute later, the other detective (George Coulouris), who covets SG's office, comes in and informs him that they just hanged an innocent man. SG resigns in disgrace, the other guy becomes the Scotland Yard superintendent, & SG tells him that there might just be a case that is unsolvable, just might stump, even him. So, one such apparently unsolvable case just happens to occur. The tenant who asked the landlady to awaken him at 6AM, ignores the pounding on his door, the landlady panics, calls SG, who being very heavy, breaks down the door, & enters the room. He says the guy had been stabbed in the heart, the LL faints, etc.



Spoiler



the SYard new guy arrives, and finding the door was locked and bolted from inside, is stumped as to how the murderer did the deed, overlooking the most obvious suspect.  So, they finally decide that the bolt had been already broken, before the murder was discovered, pin the deed on an innocent man, etc. SG is now the one gloating, but he has another issue on his mind.



Lorre is SG's friend, and seems to the audience to be the likely suspect. Very entertaining, good show, etc.


----------



## Vince W

*Next Gen* (2018). A just released Netflix animation film. I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. It's the first offering from Netflix I can say I quite enjoyed. It's a bit uneven and it drags in a few places, but overall it was a humorous and fun film. There are several nods to science fiction films of yore including E.T., Terminator, and Blade Runner. If you enjoyed Big Hiro 6, you will probably appreciate this one.


----------



## Cathbad

I think *Netflix* is quite good.  So much so, in fact, that I dropped Amazon Prime so I could afford it!


----------



## svalbard

*The Duelists*

Harvey Kietal and Kieth Carradine conduct a decades long feud through a series of duels in early 19th century Europe. This Ridley Scott movie is beautifully shot, at times it is like looking at an oil canvas come to life on the screen. Tremendous movie.


----------



## Vince W

svalbard said:


> *The Duelists*
> 
> Harvey Kietal and Kieth Carradine conduct a decades long feud through a series of duels in early 19th century Europe. This Ridley Scott movie is beautifully shot, at times it is like looking at an oil canvas come to life on the screen. Tremendous movie.


I saw this as a kid and for years I kept going on at people about this film, but couldn't remember the title or actors. Finally I saw it in a video shop in the 90's. I felt so vindicated to show people I wasn't just making it up. It is indeed a wonderful film and bears many viewings.


----------



## nixie

Final  Score, very violent, it did have some amusing scenes.

I think I most be broken I really do like violent movies.


----------



## Cathbad

*checks Walmart for a Nixie Repair Kit*


----------



## Vince W

*Blue Thunder* (1983). I remember being a big deal among my friends at the time, but I never got to see it. Over the years I'd seen it available in various places and formats, but I never felt any real need to see it. I wish I hadn't bothered. Filled with massive inconsistencies and plot holes and just plain stupid action sequences I don't know why people seem to think well of this film. An utter bore.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Next Gen* (2018) seems like I might like it; added it to my List.

*Island of Doomed Men* (1940) The last of the Peter Lorre films on my DVR. A rather insignificant one, at that, but I just had to Watch it. PL as Stephen Danel, owner of an island and its diamond mines, who uses Paroled men, whose release he recommends to the Parole Board, as slave Labor. He has the new arrivals pose with him & his wife at a welcome banquet for the photograph that he sends Stateside, then sends them to the taskmaster portrayed by Charles Middleton ( best known as Emperor Ming the Merciless); who also played a similar role in a chain gang movie. He literally whips them into action, digging for diamonds. 

So the protagonist, Robert Wilcox (Mark Sheldon) is a govt. agent sent in deep cover to expose PL's scheme, but 1st, he must serve a few years in prison. 

Not a bad movie, but just not great.

*The Richest Girl in the World (1934) *Poor girl, she wants to know if her fiancee loves her, or her money. Because he identity had been shrouded in mystery since childhood, few people knew her by sight. So, she trades IDs with her secretary, to see if she can find true love. , Miriam Hopkins as Dorothy Hunter, the $$$ girl, Sylvia Lockwood (Fay Wray) her secretary;  Joel McCrea as Anthony "Tony" Travers, the guy she marries. Light comedy; good show.

*Desperate *(1947) Noir Alley, & a good thing, too. I would not have known about Raymond Burr's start as a Noir 'Heavy' otherwise. Apparently, RB & protagonist Steve Brodie worked together on Western movies, & when Brodie was cast as Steve Randall (the protagonist) he insisted that RB play Walt Radak (the Antagonist). When RB became Perry Mason on TV, he had SB cast in various roles, etc. 

So, anyway, this film is probably rather a poor example of the Noir genre, Muller stating that its plot was full of holes, but I enjoyed it. So, SB is a truck driver, owns his own surplus WWII truck. RB, who grew up with him, is heisting some furs, & talks him into a late night hauling job. SB, upon learning of the illegal nature of the job, tries to leave without hauling the goods. A tough act from RB, gives him hesitation, but he signals a passing cop walking his beat, by flashing headlights. Guns fire, the truck pulls away from the loading dock, RB's kid brother falls to the ground, out cold,  a cop is killed and the other crooks flee. The kid brother is convicted and the chair waits him. RB insists that he can make RB confess to the crime, and pursues him & his wife. 
A mere 71 minutes, and better that way, as it was not a great film, by any measure.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

svalbard said:


> *The Duelists*
> 
> Harvey Kietal and Kieth Carradine conduct a decades long feud through a series of duels in early 19th century Europe. This Ridley Scott movie is beautifully shot, at times it is like looking at an oil canvas come to life on the screen. Tremendous movie.




One thing I really liked about this film is that each duel is completely different from all the others.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ma Barker's Killer Brood* (1960)

Highly fictionalized account of Ma Barker and her sons.  In reality, there is no evidence that she had anything to do with the crimes of the gang except to provide a place to stay.  The myth of her being a criminal mastermind was started by J. Edgar Hoover to justify the fact that G-Men killed her during a shootout with the gang.

Anyway, this low budget crime flick features one heck of a performance by Lurene Tuttle as Ma.  The movie starts with a guy being burnt alive; a scene that won't happen until much later in the story.  That's a indication of what the viewer should expect.  This is a remarkably violent film for its time.

Ma teaches her four sons, when are just little kids, to steal from the church collection box.  It seems she hates "sissies" and only admires "guts."  Her weak-willed husband is soon out of the picture, and the kids grow up into professional gangsters.  Ma gets such a reputation for planning crimes that other famous crooks of the time show up -- Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, and Machine Gun Kelly.  (As I indicated, this has nothing to do with reality.)  Besides the burning alive scene, you get a guy forced to kill himself through Russian Roulette, and a big shootout at the end with Ma wielding a machine gun.

Lurene dominates the whole thing for the start.  She is completely, more than a match for the other criminals.  The only other character of note is Kelly's girlfriend, a brassy blonde who almost matches Ma in ruthlessness.


----------



## Graymalkin

Just watching - It Came From Beneath the Sea 1955
Classic boy meets girl meets mutated octopus.
Rubbery groping limbs and staring eyes. And then there's Ray Harryhausen's monster.
The earnest voice over lends a 'public Information' feel.
The fatherly professor demonstrates cephalopod propulsion by blowing into a party balloon (he happens to have in his suit pocket) and releasing it across a desk full of military top brass. Straight faced. Mint. Love it. Over sixty years now and still no sign of a sequal.


----------



## BAYLOR

Graymalkin said:


> Just watching - It Came From Beneath the Sea 1955
> Classic boy meets girl meets mutated octopus.
> Rubbery groping limbs and staring eyes. And then there's Ray Harryhausen's monster.
> The earnest voice over lends a 'public Information' feel.
> The fatherly professor demonstrates cephalopod propulsion by blowing into a party balloon (he happens to have in his suit pocket) and releasing it across a desk full of military top brass. Straight faced. Mint. Love it. Over sixty years now and still no sign of a sequal.



The Octopus has only six arms instead of eight. They only gave it six arms because they wanted save money  on film production.


----------



## J Riff

Was that the same rubber octopus that Ed Wood broke in and used to fight Lugosi in a swamp?


----------



## Graymalkin

I think it was fighting to escape him.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spasmo* (1974)

Intriguing Italian psychological thriller with a complex plot full of twists and turns.  The opening scene features the first of many very realistic female mannequins who are found hung from trees or stabbed, as if they have been murdered.  This macabre theme isn't explained until the very end.  Meanwhile, a man meets a woman who is willing to go to bed with him if he shaves off his beard.  While he's in the bathroom shaving, a man bursts in on him, holds a gun on him, and beats him up.  During the struggle the newly beardless man gets the gun and shoots the attacker in the belly.  He and the woman run off, but he has to go back because he left a gold chain at the scene of the killing.  There's no sign of the man who got shot.  All of this is just the start of a complicated mystery which only starts to unravel two-thirds of the way through, and which saves its double twist ending for the last few minutes.  The movie is beautifully filmed and always held my attention.


----------



## Cathbad

*Murder on the Orient Express*  (1974)

 I've just watched this wonderful film again.  

 I'm sure everyone here knows the Agatha Christie story, so I'll only say this:  Do you really want to know what's missing from more recent films?    If you haven't yet seen this film, I urge you to do so now (it's available for free on Amazon Prime).

 Discover what _real_ acting is like, devoid of Special Effects and CGI.  And know what you've been missing.


----------



## Jeffbert

*[COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)][B]It Came From Beneath the Sea [/B][/COLOR]*[COLOR=rgb(0, 0, 0)](1955) [/COLOR]*Graymalkin, *DID YOU notice the size of the suckers relative to the people? Looks to me, like that thing could not even grab anything smaller than an elephant!  For that matter the giant Tarantula's fangs in *Tarantula* (1955), were bigger than the people it preyed upon. * THEM!* (1954) the Ants were just about the right size, though. 

*HORRIBLE HORRORS THE SPECIAL EDITION* (2013) i LOVE THIS TYPE OF THING! I think I already mentioned it, so I will be brief: I learned of a few B-grade films from this & watched *KILLERS FROM SPACE* & *SHE DEMONS THE ORIGINAL SCHLOCK CLASSIC.* Thoroughly enjoyed both! 

 *KILLERS FROM SPACE* (1954) I am fairly certain that I never saw this before.  Awful special effects, & hilarious, at that. So, these space guys' planet is or was destroyed, & they intend to release giant insects, spiders, lizards, etc. to eradicate all life on Earth, so their 1 billion people can move in. Peter Graves is the good guy, who, though under the control of the villains for a while, recovers himself after the Air force injects him with truth serum. 

*SHE DEMONS THE ORIGINAL SCHLOCK CLASSIC *(1958) A decade after WWII, four Americans stumble upon an Island apparently inhabited by primitive women. They perform a dance, chant, etc. But they are slaves to an escaped Nazi mad scientist. His once beautiful wife had become disfigured in an accident, and he was extracting the life-force (or something like it) from the other women. Once extracted, they become wild beasts. 

Whoever designed the scenes, really messed up. One scene has the first Nazi we see; but his armband is on the right (wrong) arm, apparently, because that one was facing the camera. Anyway, it is an unintentionally funny film. 

*DCU: Batman and Harley Quinn *(2017) Maybe I should have started with an older film in this series. HQ had retired from crime, & was working in a super heroine themed bar, where all the waitresses were costumes. Her onetime friend Poison Ivy, had been in cahoots with a plant man, intending to destroy all animal life, & turn everything to plants. Reminds me of a LOST IN SPACE episode. So, Batman & Nightwing attempt to recruit her to their side. 

There were a few homages[?] to the Adam West Batman, my favorite was when a guy was standing behind Batman, mocking him by doing the dance that Adam West (RIP) performed in the 1960s. Damn! nearly everybody who made my childhood memories is dead! 

So, though I am not really much into DC comics, Batman is the exception. Fairly entertaining, though I usually prefer anime.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Craze* (1974)

Directed by Freddie Francis; written by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel from the novel _Infernal Idol_ by Henry Seymour

Jack Palance hams it up in this sleazy but dull British shocker.  We start off with some folks in black robes worshiping an idol that holds a weapon with three sharp points.  The intended "bride" of the idol takes off her robe and dances topless for it (and the audience.)  Palance pulls out a dagger and, amazingly, does _not_ stab her.  Instead, she takes the dagger and cuts her stomach with it, falling to the ground but eventually walking away alive.  The cultists leave, and we never see them again except in a flashback that only lasts a few seconds.  When Palance is alone, a woman shows up.  It seems that she was kicked out of the coven for some reason.  (Throughout the movie, idolatry gets confused with witchcraft and black magic.)  She claims that somebody who died before the movie started willed the idol to her instead of Palance.  A fight breaks out, and pretty soon the woman, in a very unlikely accident, gets impaled on the idol's weapon.  He gets rid of the body.  

We find out that Palance runs an antique shop, where we lives with a young man whom he rescued from the streets.  (It's never quite clear if they're lovers, or if it's a father-and-son kind of relationship.  The young man is said to have survived by picking up "queens."  Later in the movie, when a police officer follows the young man in order to bring him in for questioning, his friends jokingly say he's a "queen" also.  This whole suggestiveness adds an odd tone to the plot.)

It seems the two are struggling financially.  Lo and behold, they find a big pile of gold coins in an old desk.  Palance figures the idol is responsible for their good fortune.  More sacrifices follow.  These are pretty random.  He picks up a young woman in a bar, brings her back, and kills her.  (For much of this film you have to accept the fact that women find him irresistible.)  Then, as if we're watching a particularly odd episode of _Colombo_, he arranges an elaborate alibi, drugging a former girlfriend so she'll claim to have spent the whole night with him, and murders his wealthy aunt.  Next he calls a masseuse whose ad he finds somewhere and arranges a session.  This murder is played for comedy, as the masseuse is portrayed as a perky Cockney, who obviously provides services that go beyond massages, as is evident when she opens up a closet to reveal whips, chains, and leather clothing.

It's no surprise that the young assistant, who finds out about the murders from the start, turns out to be the weak link in the chain, and justice of a sort is served.  It's a pretty lousy movie, which wastes a lot of talented and/or famous performers.  (Bond girl Julie Ege is the woman he picks up in the bar; 1950's sex symbol Diana Dors is the old girlfriend; Edith Evans is the aunt; Hugh Griffith is a lawyer; Trevor Howard is a police superintendent; and scream queen Suzy Kendall is the kinky masseuse.)


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Rewatched *Perks of Being a Wallflower.*

Possibly my favourite bildungsroman outside of Harry Potter?


----------



## svalbard

*The Ballad of Lefty Brown*

I love a good Western and this one is pretty good. Bill Pullman gives a captivating performance as the titular character Lefty Brown. An age old tale of revenge and betrayal this one gets the thumbs up from me.


----------



## Graymalkin

Jeffbert said:


> *HORRIBLE HORRORS THE SPECIAL EDITION* (2013) i LOVE THIS TYPE OF THING


I looked it up. It looks great. Like you say an intro to many lesser known gems.
Are you familiar with this fella? Quite a selection. 
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...FjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0yhc4crU_-BrMogS4l8mu6


----------



## REBerg

*Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Dark, mostly depressisng vigilantism. Plus, Hell hath no fury like a Lannister scorned.


----------



## Randy M.

REBerg said:


> *Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
> Dark, mostly depressisng vigilantism. Plus, Hell hath no fury like a Lannister scorned.



Yeah, that was a dressing-down that scorched

I saw this recently, too. I enjoyed the sneaky -- and dark -- sense of humor behind many of the character interactions, and the give-and-take between McDormand's character and Harrelson's. The ending conversation between Mildred (McDormand) and Dixon (Sam Rockwell) was a bit heart-breaking but oddly hopeful. Really, in the ways that count, I think the movie was a conversation about the wrong-headedness of vigilantism. 

Randy M.


----------



## Mouse

*Harry Potter* and the something something. The first one. Was on telly.

I've not read the books and the only film I've seen is the first one years ago so I didn't remember it. Anyway, it was ok, I'll probably try to catch the others when they come on TV though I missed the end as I got a little bored. Didn't understand why Hagrid left baby Harry with people who he knew were horrible (maybe it's explained in the books), or why they didn't just walk round the chessboard or over it without playing. Or Ron could've just jumped off the horse.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Big Street (*_1942) Henry Fonda is a busboy who is in love with nightclub singing snob Lucy. She is a real   bitch, ungrateful, demanding, etc. Barton MacLane as Case Ables, owner of the nightclub, who being angry with I Love Lucy, slaps her, & she falls down a few stairs, & in injured. She cannot walk, though no mention as to the exact injury is ever made. Fonda wants her to recover, & devotes himself to her, Eugene Pallette as Nicely Nicely Johnson & Agnes Moorehead as Violette Shumberg, along with the others consider him a fool. but he persists in his devotion. 

Also has Sam Levene as the Horsethief & Millard Mitchell Gentleman George (uncredited), both in their typical roles as criminals, who help Fonda in his scheme to raise Lucy's spirits.  

*Last Train from Madrid* (1937) Another film with a star-laden cast, Dorothy Lamour as Carmelita Castillo, Lew Ayres as Bill Dexter, Lionel Atwill as Colonel Vigo, Anthony Quinn as Captain Ricardo Alvarez, just to name the ones familiar to me. Spanish Civil War, & various people are attempting to escape Madrid. 
*
Batman Vs. Tho-Face* (2017) I had no idea this existed! Adam West. Burt Ward, Julie Newmar as Catwoman, 
Lee Meriwether as the prison guard who ends up in CW's costume, & Shatner As T-F! 

The Futura Batmobile!   Animated, but what a blast!


----------



## Vince W

*Timecop*. At the time it was just another JCVD action flick. Now it's downright prophetic.


----------



## Jeffbert

Graymalkin said:


> I looked it up. It looks great. Like you say an intro to many lesser known gems.
> Are you familiar with this fella? Quite a selection.
> https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...FjAAegQIABAB&usg=AOvVaw0yhc4crU_-BrMogS4l8mu6


i recognized his voice from a song called *Dinner With Drac.*  Thanks for the link!

Oh! I just learned that that Batman movie was a sequel!  The first one is:
*Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders *(2016) I will watch it tonight!


----------



## Anthoney

I just finished watching *UFO (2018)*.  Starring no one you've ever heard of but it co-stared Jillian Anderson and David Strathairn.    It was ok and maybe a little better if you have any interest in math.  It was still a TV quality movie.  Not a pay channel either.


----------



## Cathbad

*I Am Dragon*  (2017)

The western world seems incapable of making a believable and poignant dragon tale.

This Russian film presents a mythology of dragons as unique as it is beautiful.  A wonderful story, punctuated with amazing footage of the sea, a human, non-western medieval settlement, a marvelous dragon island, and superb acting!

I was entranced.  In an age dominated by CGI and onscreen bloodshed, the Russians went with story.  Amazingly told.

This, my friends, is the best fantasy (and romance) film of the decade!  You can watch it free with Amazon Prime.  Now, go on... do so now!  Go on!  Git!  DO NOT miss out on this movie!!


----------



## AlexH

Cathbad said:


> *I Am Dragon*  (2017)
> 
> The western world seems incapable of making a believable and poignant dragon tale.
> 
> This Russian film presents a mythology of dragons as unique as it is beautiful.  A wonderful story, punctuated with amazing footage of the sea, a human, non-western medieval settlement, a marvelous dragon island, and superb acting!
> 
> I was entranced.  In an age dominated by CGI and onscreen bloodshed, the Russians went with story.  Amazingly told.
> 
> This, my friends, is the best fantasy (and romance) film of the decade!  You can watch it free with Amazon Prime.  Now, go on... do so now!  Go on!  Git!  DO NOT miss out on this movie!!


You weren't disappointed, like me then:



AlexH said:


> *Он – дракон* / *I Am Dragon *(2005)
> Russian fantasy film with a lot of potential, but a big letdown. I mean, they were setting up
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: SPOILER
> 
> 
> 
> a showdown on the island and then all of a sudden everyone was back home??


I definitely agree it's worth a watch. I just felt that was a big cop-out.

On your first point, I thought How to Train Your Dragon was pretty good.


----------



## Anthoney

*Occupation* (2018)  I watched this because it had Charles Mesure and Stephanie Jacobsen.  It's enjoyable but so familiar.  A scrappy band of Australians fight an insurgent battle against our alien oppressors.  An Australian Red Dawn with aliens for bad guys.  Throw in a little moral messaging at the end, there you have it.


----------



## REBerg

*Murder on the Orient Express (2017)*
Maybe I'm just not compatible with a whodunit in which all the suspects are gathered together near the end, and the brilliant detective announces the real murderer.
I found this to be more than a little plodding. And I haven't even watched original, so the ending was a surprise.
It might have been better if Inspector Jacques Clouseau was the brilliant detective.


----------



## Cathbad

REBerg said:


> It might have been better if Inspector Jacques Clouseau was the brilliant detective.


*loads hunting rifle*


----------



## BAYLOR

REBerg said:


> *Murder on the Orient Express (2017)*
> Maybe I'm just not compatible with a whodunit in which all the suspects are gathered together near the end, and the brilliant detective announces the real murderer.
> I found this to be more than a little plodding. And I haven't even watched original, so the ending was a surprise.
> It might have been better if Inspector Jacques Clouseau was the brilliant detective.



I think he would have solved the mystery much quicker .


----------



## BAYLOR

Cathbad said:


> *loads hunting rifle*



Now now , Don't  get mad because REBerg thought ion this one before you did.


----------



## Cathbad

I haven't seen the 2017 version, but the promo pictures and blurbs were a turn-off.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders* (2016)  This was a lot of fun, but it did stretch itself way beyond any absurdity that the 1960s series had.  I guess that was the point of the series, but it was unexpected that they would have a certain type of thing -- I just don't dare even hint at it. Too much fun was finding out!


*Birth of the Dragon* (2016) I am unfamiliar with the actors, etc., but the content is how Bruce Lee got his start in the USA. I am unsure about the historical accuracy, but it was entertaining.


----------



## clovis-man

*Mercury 13*

Thanks to Netflix I got to see this excellent documentary of the fate of 13 women who underwent NASA training and testing, but were ultimately not seen as having "the right stuff" to go into space. Very worthwhile.


----------



## REBerg

*The Mountain Between Us*
Flying over the mountains in the dead of winter without a flight plan or a co-pilot. What could go wrong?
A decent survival film.


----------



## Rodders

Just some TV movies. Daddy’s home, Megamind, Minions and Total Recall (the Colin Farrell version.) All of which I enjoyed immensely. Total Recall wasn’t as good as th eoriginal one though.


----------



## Anthoney

I was talking about *They Live* on the Movies that deserve a sequel thread I decided to rewatch.  Very 80s.  Rowdy Roddy Piper goes they first 40 minutes saying almost nothing.  Good John Carpenter premise and it could have used a sequel.


----------



## clovis-man

Anthoney said:


> I was talking about *They Live* on the Movies that deserve a sequel thread I decided to rewatch.  Very 80s.  Rowdy Roddy Piper goes they first 40 minutes saying almost nothing.  Good John Carpenter premise and it could have used a sequel.



The fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David is worth the price of admission.


----------



## J Riff

_Shadow Conspiracy_ 1997, is a fairly forward-looking flick, -- a little drone with machine guns onnit is used to attack the president, and surveillance is inescapable etcetc. Not bag.


----------



## Graymalkin

Avengers Infinity etc. Some magic moments. Too few.
Grandest Marvel Comics story remains untouched by film:The Korvak Saga.


----------



## Randy M.

*Pitch Perfect 3*

This franchise is a guilty pleasure. If there's a charm to this series, its that everyone looks like they're having fun. It reminds me of the better star team-ups of the past, where the point was putting together a couple or more big names and letting them riff on a clothes-hanger plot. 

I've enjoyed what I've seen of Anna Kendrick's spunky girl persona, and both Anna Camp and Brittany Snow have been good, sometimes in not so good material, so I watched the first two when they came to the pay channels, and decided to try this one. Not as engaging as the first two because it falls into the, "gee, we have to do the same thing we did but bigger" frame of mind; still if you enjoyed the first two you'll have fun at least for moments of this. And, hey, the new Batwoman for the _Arrow_ TV show gets to sing in this one. The revelation for me is Hailee Steinfeld, who I've only seen in one other movie, a drama. She's quite good at comedy.

Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*An Inspector Calls*  (2015)

 Very British, and a very good character study.  A family is confronted about their callousness toward a young woman who has committed suicide.

Or has she?

Or is he an Inspector?



Spoiler



I love a movie you don't realize is supernatural until the end!


----------



## Rodders

An Inspector Calls isn't my usual kind of thing, but I watched it with the GF a year ago and was mesmerised by it. I'd love to see it at the theatre.


----------



## Parson

I've started watching the *Jack Reacher* series on Amazon Video. So far really good. I'm particularly impressed with the way this series is humanizing the "bad guys." So far they have been portrayed as regular people with regular lives, who are driven by something. --- Very true to life in my opinion.


----------



## Cathbad

Parson said:


> I've started watching the *Jack Reacher* series on Amazon Video. So far really good. I'm particularly impressed with the way this series is humanizing the "bad guys." So far they have been portrayed as regular people with regular lives, who are driven by something. --- Very true to life in my opinion.


I'm enjoying the series, too!

It presents what seems a very logical development of the character!


----------



## Randy M.

Wait. Jack Reacher or Jack Ryan? I heard the latter has started with John Krasinski. Has the the former broken away from Tom Cruise?

Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

Oops... Ryan, here.


----------



## Randy M.

Phew! Had me worried there that I didn't know Jack.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched Avengers: Infinity War. Here's my problem with it.


Spoiler



The number of deaths of significant characters. I just don't believe it. Take Black Panther for example. Dead? I don't think so. It would have been more believable if he had lost his sister and, after all, who watched Black Panther believing he was dead when he fell from the cliffs in his own movie? Not only that but I think the writers have already shown us how it will be resolved via the method used by Thanos to gain Vision's Infinity Stone. I'm sorry but I hope they don't play poker because they've already shown us their hand and it's a busted flush. Of course, I could be wrong but here's why I think I'm right. Go back to the Black Panther example. The BP the movie was well received by critics and fans alike (although I think differently) and we drill down to the nitty gritty. You see, Hollywood is nothing more than a gigantic cinematic dairy farm and there's nothing it likes better than a good milking. Go out on top? It's not their style. Black Panther was too successful not to repeat....and there we have it. The plot driver in this movie is not the fate of the universe or character dynamics. It's the dollar - I already know that most if not all will return and that's why it's so unbelievable. There is simply no sense of high stakes despite all the chaos and destruction.

One saving grace however. I thought Thanos was a refreshingly complex character and a good example of the only thing worse than somebody trying to conquer the universe is somebody who thinks they can save it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A*P*E* (1976)

Bottom-of-the-barrel US/South Korean imitation of *King Kong*.  Two guys on a ship discuss the 36-foot ape found in Harlem (!) that's sedated in the hold, on its way to Disneyland (?) to be exhibited.  Ape busts out, sinks the ship, tosses a rubber shark around, winds up in Korea.  Meanwhile, our ersatz Fay Wray shows up to make a movie in that nation.  Her boyfriend shows up as well, leading to some pointless romance.  Ape wanders around Korea, grabs the actress and carries her off (only after half the running time has gone by), boyfriend rescues her, the army kills the ape.  Originally made in 3D, so stuff keeps getting thrown at the screen.  While we're waiting for the plot to start, the ape has random, goofy encounters.  It plucks a big snake off a tree and throws it.  Some kids break into a Korean amusement park, the ape shows up, they run away.  The ape steps over a cow (a really obvious toy), unsuccessfully tries to grab a hang glider out of the air, and does a happy little dance.  Most famous of all, it raises its middle finger to the army after smashing down some helicopters.  This bit of crude comedy is completely out of place in an utterly inept monster movie that takes itself seriously.  Lots of time wasted with an army officer yelling into a phone, scenes of the wife of a Korean police captain and her two young children at home, and so on.  Laughable but tedious.

*Queen Kong* (1976)

Lowbrow British parody of *King Kong*.  Movie director and her all-girl crew take a dimwitted fellow to Africa.  The "natives" (mostly white) give him to the 64-foot female ape they worship.  (Both movies are oddly specific as to the height of the apes.)  The ape gets captured and taken to London, escapes and rampages around, winds up with the fellow as a bunch of women show up with protest signs promoting women's liberation.  Extremely broad comedy in the style of Carry On.  Because the ship's crew, the natives, and the feminists are almost entirely young, beautiful, scantily clad women, it also has the feeling of an extended Benny Hill skit.  Most of the jokes fall flat, but some are amusing.  The middle section drags pretty badly.  Random spoofs of *Jaws*, *The Exorcist*, and *Airport* show up out of nowhere.  A couple of songs pop up for no good reason.  Overall, pretty bad.


----------



## REBerg

*The Hitman's Bodyguard*
It could have been a little more humorous and a little less scatological, but it's an entertaining odd couple/buddy film. Not much chemistry between Reynolds and Yung detected.


----------



## Parson

Randy M. said:


> Wait. Jack Reacher or Jack Ryan? I heard the latter has started with John Krasinski. Has the the former broken away from Tom Cruise?
> 
> Randy M.



Sigh! Me too! I meant Jack Ryan, but for some reason whenever I talk about it I talk about Jack Reacher. I finally figured out that I was mistaken when I started looking at perhaps buying some of the books. And discovered that Jack Ryan was one set of books and Jack Reacher was another. I haven't bought any yet. I still balk at the idea of $10 or more for an ebook. I would be scarfing up the Jack Ryan books at $3.99 or less after watching most of this series -- which remains very gripping to me -- But I may be too frugal to buy the high oriced ebook and I would never buy one of those books in a clunky bound volume.


----------



## J Riff

the new _Mission Impossible_ - helicopters, hacking into nuclear bombs, and the usual actions, resulting in a watchable action flick, this post will self-destruct in 5 sec.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Killing Kind* (1973)

Disturbing psychological shocker.  A teenage boy is forced to take part in a gang rape.  After two years in prison he comes back to his mother.  She rents out rooms in her house, mostly to the elderly.  Their relationship varies from being the best of friends, laughing and dancing and kissing on the mouth, to him screaming at her.  The rooming house also has a new young tenant.  The emotionally disturbed young man spies on her undressing.  Our first shock scene occurs when he casually strangles the pet cat he's holding after it meows and draws the woman's attention.  Things deteriorate from there, as the fellow gets revenge on the rape victim and the female lawyer who failed to keep him out of prison.  It's also mentioned that the judge was a woman.  The entire film deals with the man's twisted relationships with women.  Not that the female characters are all that psychologically healthy.  His mother (an outstanding performance from old-time Hollywood star Ann Southern) smothers him with love, the young tenant comes on to him heavy after he's nearly drowned her in a pool, and the spinsterish librarian who lives in the building, dominated by her elderly, wheelchair-bound father -- an interesting parallel relationship to the young man and his mother -- is so messed up that she tells him it would be "wonderful" to be raped.  Fine acting all around, and a surprisingly quiet ending.


----------



## AlexH

*Predestination* (2014)
Sci-fi about a time-travelling agent who tries to find the one criminal who has eluded him. Some surprising and not-so surprising twists and I didn't understand it all, but very enjoyable on the whole.

*In Time* (2011)
Another sci-fi. I should be used to seeing Justin Timberlake in decent films by now. People stop aging at 25, but only have one year left to live. However, the currency is time, so you work to add hours to your life, buying a coffee deducts minutes from your life etc.

*Seven Brides for Seven Brothers* (1954)
I'm generally not a fan of musicals but this was good fun at times. However, despite the strong female-lead, I still couldn't get over 



Spoiler



the fact she still ended up doing what her husband wanted her too, and that it was okay to kidnap six women who all ended up with Stockholm syndrome.


 It shouldn't make any difference that this was set in the 1850s and filmed in the 1950s.

*Lion* (2016)
A moving film (based on a true story) about a boy who gets separated from his family, with excellent performances by everyone. I loved the little scene in the end credits.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Killing Kind* (1973)



Your review of the movie was superb, but I am truly troubled over the assumptions behind it's story. A cautionary tale if ever there was one!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Angel Face *(1953) Noir Alley; lots of info. H. Hughes was really nasty to Jean Simmons who portrayed Diane Tremayne. He wanted to torture her, & had a compliant director in  Otto Preminger, who directed R. Mitchum to slap her face in many retakes, each time demanding a harder slap. 

So, anyway, JS wants RM, who does not want her. RM is an ambulance driver who responds to a call at a mountain-top mansion. The mother's gas fireplace had been on, but not lit, & nearly killed her. The daughter is smitten by ambulance driver Mitchum; and she pursues him with zest. 
This has a noir-perfect ending! 

*The Locket* (1946) also has a great ending, & an unusual telling of the story. It is a flashback inside a flashback inside a flashback! Just as the bridegroom is preparing for his wedding, a man confronts him, and tells him not to marry that woman. R. Mitchum (in his last supporting role) is one of the guys who advises the guy telling the flashback not to marry. 

As in *Angel Face*, the ending is Noir-perfect, with a touch of irony for good measure!


----------



## Foxbat

*I, Daniel Blake *
I'm a big fan of Ken Loach's work and this film is one of his very best. In it, he unpeels the skin and looks deep into the black malignant heart of the British benefits system. It's a film that will infuriate you and leave you simmering with anger but, most of all, it will make you think.

 A masterful dissection of the true cost of the age of austerity that everybody should watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Hanging Woman* (1973)

Italian/Spanish co-production which starts off as a murder mystery with touches of Gothic horror, but takes a wild left turn three-quarters of the way through.  The setting seems to be Russia sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century.  (The majority of the characters have Russian names.  Hilariously, the English dubbing has the hero, named Serge Chekov, unable to read a diary because it's in Russian.)  We start with a funeral.  After it's over, a woman enters the mausoleum, armed with a pistol, to obtain a document from the dead man's crypt.  An unseen somebody frightens her to death, despite her firing of the pistol, and she is left hanging from a tree; hence our English title.  The original title gives away the plot twist, so I'll save it for the spoiler.  Our hero finds her.  He's the nephew of the dead man.  It turns out the dead woman is the dead man's daughter.  She was supposed to inherit everything, leaving her stepmother with a pittance.  Now it all goes to the nephew.  A pipe-smoking police inspector -- at one point, the hero tells him to stop acting like Sherlock Holmes -- has plenty of suspects.  Besides the hero, there's the stepmother; an insolent butler; a doctor; his daughter (the love interest); and Spanish horror star Paul Naschy as a demented crypt-keeper who is much too fond of dead women.  The stepmother not only claims to practice black magic, and holds a seance that goes very badly, she has evidently been carrying on with the butler and seduces the hero almost as soon as he arrives.  There's even an Ellery Queen style dying clue written in blood at one point.  Just when we think this is all a whodunit with spooky overtones, we find out:



Spoiler



The doctor has a way of reanimating the dead, and it turns into a zombie movie.  All the characters who have been killed by that point come back as shambling undead.  The original title is *La orgía de los muertos*, which I think you can translate.  By the way, the dying clue is kind of nifty.  It seems to say "NO37" (number 37, perhaps.)  The hero eventually figures out to turn it upside down so it says "LEON" -- the name of the doctor.



Slow-moving, for the most part, and rather sedate, save for a couple of gratuitous gore scenes and the fact that every one of the major female roles involves brief nudity.  The outdoor filming locations, somewhere in the Pyrenees, are really gorgeous, full of gigantic, snow-capped peaks and buildings made from rough-cut stone.  Worth a look for fans of this kind of thing.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*Oceans 8*
A fluff piece. Take a group of former A listers add a few unknowns and watch them half heartedly go through the motions of acting.
 More interesting than watching paint dry but only because you keep hoping something interesting will happen.

SPOILER
 At the end of the movie you and most of the characters find out the heist  was just a cover for a much more interesting and engaging  heist which they, the characters, took no part in  and you the viewer, did not get to see.


----------



## WarriorMouse

*The Million Pound Note* (1954 Gregory Peck)
(Watched on Youtube)
Plenty of favourable reviews for this film but I found it slow and not very engaging. (played Freecell on my ipad while watching)


----------



## Jeffbert

The 1st two of four Jinn (Genie) movies on TCM last night.

*Thousand and One Nights, A* (1945)
"
 Synopsis:    Aladdin tries to make his fortune with the help of a beautiful genie.
Dir: Alfred E. Green  Cast:  Evelyn Keyes  ,  Phil Silvers  ,  Adele Jergens  .
"

PS is a bespectacled wise-cracking pickpocket in ancient Middle East; & is Alaeddin's friend and companion. Cornel Wilde is Alaeddin  (Aladdin), in this film, loosely, very loosely based upon the story in 1002 Arabian Nights.  

There was a very large and menacing Jinn in the cave where lamp was found, & I am certain this is the same guy who was the Jinn of the lamp in a different film version. 


*Brass Bottle, The* (1964)

 Synopsis:   
Dir: Harry Keller  Cast:  Tony Randall  ,  Burl Ives  ,  Barbara Eden  .

BI is the genie, & TR is the poor guy who releases him from the sealed bottle. BE is TR's fiancee, Nothing but trouble for TR, when he uncorks the bottle, as BI, wanting to express his gratitude for being released after 3,000 years, uses rewards from 3,000 years ago. 

There was an entirely different Jinn story in 1001 Nights, as I recall, the Jinn had resolved after x # of years that since nobody had released him yet, he will kill  the one who finally does, apparently, for making him wait so long. 

Both films are fairly entertaining.


----------



## J Riff

*Stunts* 1977. Stuntmen are being killed, but by who? Pretty good action, but all you need to know is that this movie was made at a time when it was possible, and cool, to have a water bed in the back of your van.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Baby Face Nelson* (1957)

Highly fictionalized account of the infamous criminal from director Don Siegel.  Micky Rooney sheds his Andy Hardy image as the "trigger-happy punk" (as his associate John Dillinger calls him at one point.)  He does quite well in the part, which led him to take on other tough guy roles.  Strong support from second-billed Carolyn Jones, with lots of passionate smooching between the two.  Tons of familiar character actors show up, including Sir Cedric Hardwicke cast against type as a drunken, lecherous criminal doctor.  Has the look of a low budget, but it's an entertaining, efficient gangster movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Unseen* (1980)

Modest but powerful horror film that manages to deliver some genuine pathos along with its scares.  Bond girl Barbara Bach stars as a TV newscaster who goes to Solvang, California (a tourist town which heavily plays up its Danish heritage; I was there a time or two myself as a child) to cover a festival.  Along are her sister and a camerawoman.  Somehow their hotel reservations get messed up.  Due to the festival, there's no lodging available.  They wind up staying in the home of a pudgy, nerdy guy and his severely shy wife.  Things go very badly from there.



Spoiler



The sister gets dragged down into the basement through a vent by "the unseen" and is killed.  We find out that the husband-and-wife are actually siblings, and that the man killed their father -- and still has his desiccated corpse upstairs in the "private" area of the museum he runs in town -- when the older man discovered the son had impregnated her.  This flashback sequence is done with the dialogue from the past playing over a scene of the present, with the son sitting near the corpse, and is pretty effective.  Meanwhile, the camerawoman is killed in a similar way.  Bach winds up locked in the basement with "the unseen" to eliminate the last witness.  "The unseen" turns out to be the siblings' deformed son, now a hulking, grown man with the mind of an infant.



It's not a perfect film, by any means.  There's some really clumsy use of slow motion, for one thing.  (Apparently the director thought the editor ruined the movie, and used a pseudonym for the credits.)  Bach is not much of an actress.  (She is so stunningly beautiful that she looks really weird.  The two other young women are beautiful, but in a more normal way that makes Bach look like an alien.)  There's a subplot about Bach's boyfriend that adds nothing to the film.  But the performances by the husband, the wife, and "the unseen" are appropriately melodramatic, and the last twenty-odd minutes create a great deal of suspense.


----------



## Rodders

I watched The Triumph last night. 

A true story of a teacher in Harlem. It was very good.


----------



## biodroid

Avengers Infinity War


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Black Heat* (1976)

Run-of-the-mill crime drama disguised as blaxploitation.  The plot manages to be both straightforward and complex.  Revolutionary from an unnamed Latin American nation wants to get guns in exchange for cocaine.  Big time crook wants to buy the guns from a guy who is actually a police informant.  Big time crook gets the money by kidnapping and killing a courier.  This all involves a hotel for women which secretly holds illegal poker games.  Our hero is a lot blander than the bad guys.  Take out some of the violence, all the cursing, and the sleazy exploitation elements, and you'd have an average TV cop show of the time.  What's amazing is that this comes from infamous Z-movie maven Al Adamson, who gave us things like *Dracula vs. Frankenstein*, and it's actually competent, if undistinguished.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Slaughter's Big Rip-Off* (1973)

Sequel to *Slaughter* (1972), which I haven't seen.  As far as I can tell, all you need to know is that Slaughter (football star turned action hero Jim Brown) is one bad dude, who killed some mobsters in the first film.  This one opens with a guy in a plane shooting at Slaughter, killing a friend.  Once the incompetent assassin is eliminated by the new hit man working for the big boss, it's pretty much a series of attempts by the hero and the bad guys to kill each other.  There's also a list of politicians and such who are in the pay of the big boss that Slaughter has to steal for the cops.  The whole movie is pretty much non-stop action, with fistfights, car chases, shoot-outs, and so forth.  Maybe too much action, although there are some pretty effective scenes.  The most notable thing about this thriller is that Ed McMahon is bizarrely cast as the big boss.  Music by the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown.  The two Mister J. Browns are very good at what they do.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Special Mission Lady Chaplin* (1966)

Entertaining Bond imitation.  This Spanish/Italian/French Eurospy flick features Bond girl Daniela Bianchi (she was the honey trap in *From Russia with Love*) in the title role, and she is the most interesting character.  The movie starts with Lady Chaplin dressed as a nun, walking into a monastery (one of the many beautiful locations featured), pulling out an automatic weapon and killing two monks.  Since they tried to pull guns on her first, we know not all is as it seems.  Our hero, CIA agent 077 (!) gets involved when a dog tag from a sunken American nuclear submarine shows up.  (The sub in question is the Thresher, by the way, which really did sink in a tragic accident in 1963.)  The good guys consult the world's greatest expert in submarine salvage.  Well, given the fact that his name is Kobre Zoltan, it's no big surprise that he's the main bad guy.  It all involves getting missiles out of the sub, stealing propellant when it's being transported on a British railroad, and selling the stuff to an unnamed government.  Lots of fistfights, gunfights, and other spy stuff follow.  Since Lady Chaplin is a fashion designer as well as a mistress of disguise and assassin, the beautiful women are more often wearing elegant gowns rather than skimpy bikinis, which is a pleasant novelty.  It's disappointing that Lady Chaplin eventually changes from Bad Girl to Good Girl, but at least the movie gives her a theme song, in the tradition of villains like Goldfinger.

_Lady Chaplin
In her touch
There is something
That means much
And makes a man believe
Her love is true!_


----------



## Jeffbert

Two more genie films, 
*The Boy & the Pirate* (1960) Mr. BIG (Bert I Gordon) made this bland family-friendly adventure about a 20th century boy, who dreams of being a pirate. Wouldn't you know it, a bottle containing a genie washes ashore, he opens it, wishes to be on Blackbeard's ship, & there he is!  Still a little boy, but on Blackbeard's ship. Things do not go well for the boy, until the very end, as he cannot return to his own time without defeating the genie.

*Bowery to Baghdad* (1955) The Bowery Boys (formerly the Dead End Kids) also have a genie in the bottle adventure. Eric Blore (formerly side kick to the Lone Wolf; or was it the Falcon?) as the Genie; fairly entertaining ; much more so than *The Boy & the Pirate*, anyway. Dumbest of the BBs buys the lamp from a junk dealer, rubs it, & out pops Eric Blore.  Grants any wish, any number of wishes, of whoever possesses the lamp. Same deal as Aladdin's lamp; of corse, gangsters are after it, and so are the descendants of the Sultan's men, who once possessed it. 

*Criminal Lawyer* (1937) Lee Tracy as Barry Brandon, lawyer to Gene Larkin (Eduardo Cianelli) big time mob boss.  Somehow, LT gets the opportunity to become Assistant DA, which EC encourages, thinking he can get away with anything if he does become DA. But, LT assures him, he will be legitimate if he is DA. It happens, & the two then clash. Good drama, for Tracy, who is usually comedic.

*Society Lawyer*_ (1939) _Walter Pidgeon as Christopher Durant, the lawyer; Leo Carrillo as Tony Gazotti, the good guy mobster; Eduardo Ciannelli as Jim Crelliman, again, the villain.  Remake of Penthouse, which was pre-code; & therefore a bit more intense. WP defended LC, who in appreciation, would do just about anything for him. In investigating a murder, pinned on his friend, WP uses those favors of LC.  

Good supporting cast:
Ian Wolfe (had two roles in STAR TREK TOS) as Schmidt, the pawnbroker
Paul Guilfoyle as Murtock a hired killer
Edward Brophy as Max, 1 of 2 bodyguards LC assigns to WP
Tom Kennedy as Alf, the other Bodyguard

As much as I liked the pre-code *Penthouse,* this one has more supporting actors with whom I am familiar.


----------



## Cathbad

*Condemned*  (2015)

*WARNING!!*​
*Out of total disrespect for this movie, this review is one big spoiler!*​
It's not a good sign when, at the start of the movie, the star is thinking in his head (but directly to the audience) to give a info dump.  Seems our Star had owned several rental properties, but lost all but one in the recent economic recession.  He now lives in this last house, slowly renovating it, so he can sell it, pay his debts, and move to the "countryside".  Since literally nothing of note occurs in the first 20 minutes, why the info dump? Why not give us the info visually?  Perhaps in quick clips, showing the process of his downfall?  They could still focus on his present degradation, between the clips!  It _is_ a visual medium, after all!!

He is living alone, in near squalor.  A friend (we later learn worked for the Star) is getting rough with him for the 6K pounds he's owed.

This has got to be the worst-written movie script of all times!  Star-guy finds one of the walls leaves much space between it and the next wall.  He decides to open it up, to enlarge the room.  Agonizingly slowly, he does just that.  He keeps pulling items out of the space between the walls, as he pulls the forward wall down.

There ends up being a lot of junk - clothes, costume jewelry, etc., but nothing of much value.  He decides it's suspicious and must call the police.  (say wha-?)  Worse, when his newly-met neighbor comes in and he shows her, her first comment is, "you _must_ call the police!"  (Um... why? Because some lazy b*st*rd closed up a closet, and left the junk so he didn't have to dump it?)

But our Intrepid Hero decides he must find the man who killed his family and hid "all this evidence", and make him pay!

(???  Where did _that_ conclusion come from?)

Our Hero next savagely kills the friend he owes 6K to; guess he didn't like being reminded.

Next scene:  Our Destitute Star brings out a pretty nice computer.  You see, the script-writer has forgotten that he owned the property, and now Star must search the internet to see who was living there before Star.  You know- _the people he rented the place to_!!

He quickly finds the man's exact address, and our Destitute Hero is suddenly in a very nice car, heading north on constantly empty roads. It's a long drive, which the director makes sure we realize, but having it take him a looong time to reach his destination!  The trip is interspersed with quick clips of a detective searching the internet; but unless you're an accomplished speed reader, you can't see what he's finding.

So, Our Hero finds the man he thinks killed his own family and kills him - only to discover the man's family is alive, and living with him!

A long trip back, and now we get memory flashbacks to Our Hero fighting with his wife, because he hadn't told her they may soon be evicted (remember, the script writer has forgotten he's the homeowner, and now he's also forgotten the place was rented out)!

A police SWAT Team enters Star's home.  Star has a gun and is seated on an easy chair that I'd swear wasn't there before this!  The detective finds him, and Star confesses to murdering his family, then commits suicide.

The End.

I _swear_, the only reason this movie got made, was to show _how not to write a movie script_!


----------



## Mouse

*Killing Bono* - watched in the campervan on a tiny screen. Saw this at the cinema when it came out - for Ben Barnes, rather than U2 who I have no opinion of either way. BB's fab in this film (which is about Neil McCormick, rather than U2) and plays the sort of character who I love writing (the daft screw-up).


----------



## Parson

Mouse said:


> plays the sort of character who I love writing (the daft screw-up



You write about my life?


----------



## Graymalkin

*Cowboys vs Dinosaurs. *

This 2015 scifi thriller, sees well tooled up cowfolk ably fighting off any sense of peril, when a mine explodes releasing terrifying credits, the end. 
Other than the happy trigger fingers, no actors were injured in the making of this film. IMBd states Plot keywords are --  woman wearing black lingerie, explosion, mine, cowboy and propane tank. If you think Valley of Gwangi (1969) shame on you.
The Montana scenery truly amazes and somehow the whole 89 minutes just whooshes past.
Casting by Hollywood Gym Associates. Another Tax Deductable Productions classic. Don't watch this with the lights on - if you know what I mean. Just submit.
I liked it!


----------



## J Riff

*Sleuth*  66? - Olivier and Caine dominate this one, hardly any other cast needed... a twister of a tale, with a rich famous writer of detective stories who is rather into gamesmanship squaring off against a younger rival. A must-see if you haven't.


----------



## Cathbad

*Hold The Dark*  (2018)

I just... I... I... don't understand.  I don't understand anything about this movie - _at all_.

From the wolf in the beginning... to the death of the boy. The actual _cause_ of the boy's death.

The involvement of the writer - _Why_?

Why did 3 dozen police officers have to be brutally murdered?  How did that advance the... the... um... (story?)

If the main Antagonist's goal was revenge, why did he take it out on everyone _except_ the perpetrator?

Why was the motel owner shooting at the antagonist?

Why was the writer shot, but spared after he failed to die when shot - even helped?

I don't understand the 4 wolves on the hill at the end of the movie?  If there'd been two, it might have made some sense -even three (if you believe the movie to be extremely paranormal), but why four?

Maybe there's a novel out there that explains all this?


Oh, yeah:  Why was 95% of this movie - set in northern Alaska - filmed in the dark, then suddenly a scene in daylight, with a character saying, "It's Solstice; we're already losing the light earlier."??


----------



## Jeffbert

The 4 Matt Helm movies. tst 2 were very good, 3rd, just o.k., 4th, rather poor. 

*Strait-Jacket* (1964) I previously watched the Wm. Castle documentary, *Spine Tingler*, so, I had a vague idea of what this was about; perhaps, even the identity of the killer. So,  Joan Crawford is the wife who returns home from where ever just a bit earlier than expected, finds husband in bed with some other woman. Enraged, she grabs the ax, chops both apart, while her daughter watches. 20 years later, she has been declared 'cured' & released from the funny farm. Her daughter is engaged to the son of a snobbish family, which, upon learning about the mom's past, forbid the marriage. More ax murders, and the audience is led to assume the mom did them.


The next 2 were NOIR ALLEY presentations:

*The Stranger* (1946) Edward G. Robinson as the NAZI hunter pursuing a N.  Comes to a sleepy little New England town. Orson Welles as the man pursued.  but the trouble is, nobody can identify Franz Kindler,  OW's real identity, as he had been careful to remain anonymous during WWII. Great film, despite this very unlikely element.  

So, OW is now known as Charles Rankin, but he had retained the hobby of his alter-ego, clocks; & the clock in the church tower figures prominently in the plot.  EGR suspects OW as the man he is pursuing, but the clock hobby is not enough to arrest him. As a small town, everyone welcomes the visitor, EGR, who says he is pursuing antiques, and he has dinner with the Judge & family, including his newly married son-in-law, OW. While discussing WWII, OW slips, and gives away his identity, but the clue is subtle, & EGR does not realize it until he awakens late at night. 

*The Gangster* (1947) This one is loaded with notable supporting actors.  The Gansgter (Barry Sullivan) is losing his turf; Cornell (Sheldon Leonard) is muscling in on his territory, and succeeding.  Nick Jammey (Akim Tamiroff) owns the restaurant where Shorty (Harry Morgan) works. Karty (John Ireland) owes money to some other gangster-type, & begs for a loan from AT.  Oval (Elisha Cook Jr.) is the tough guy wannabe, who, as in *The Maltese Falcon*, gets slapped around when he tries to act tough.  So, Sheldon Leonard informs BS that he can work for him for a paltry $80 / week; but he is offended, and rejects the offer, as he thinks he can save his organization. But it is already too late.


----------



## dask

*Rio Bravo* (1959) Considered by many to be John Wayne's best movie. I, for one, really enjoyed it but didn't like watching it. Problem? This is supposed to be widescreen, which is fine. I like widescreen and prefer it over full screen. The problem is on my old TV, non-flat screen, it showed up as full screen but distorted. Everything was sort of compressed and elongated. Not too much but enough to notice and get on my nerves. Never had this problem with wide screen before. The trailer was in full screen and normal looking. I would have been completely happy if the whole movie was like that. Great movie, though. Ricky Nelson perfect as the gunslinger with the huge dose of nonchalant confidence.


----------



## Boneman

*A Star is Born *(2018) Didn't know who Lady gaga was (ie had no pre-conceptions) and thought she was very good. Film is excellent overall, they allow songs to play all the way through, but thought the ending jarred.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Special double feature of British SF/horror films featuring alien pregnancies:

*Inseminoid* (1981)

Takes place inside and outside a research station on an alien planet.  As best as I could tell, this consists of the station itself, an extensive system of tunnels with breathable air, and, beyond an airlock, ancient alien catacombs with poisonous air.  Logic and consistency aren't this film's strong points, so don't think too hard about it.  Anyway, exploding crystals cause one guy to go into what seems to be a coma, and another guy to get wounded and later go crazy.  Coma guy gets frozen, crazy guy goes back outside.  A couple of women go out to get him back.  One gets her foot stuck in something.  In the movie's most bizarre scene, something goes wrong with her spacesuit's heating system, dooming her to death by freezing on this super-cold planet.  After a brief, panicked attempt to reconnect a couple of wires to fix it, she opens her helmet (!), sticks her air hose in her mouth (!!), and tries to cut off her foot (!!!) with a tool she happens to have.  She dies, the other woman shoots crazy guy dead.  After all this violence, we still haven't got to the main premise of the plot.  Woman gets impregnated by alien monster, goes around killing everybody, eventually gives birth to two alien monsters.   Very little attempt is made to make anything seem futuristic. Overall, pretty much just a body count film set in space. Minor bit of trivia:  All the characters are known by their first names only.

*Xtro* (1982)

Man leaves his family, comes back three years later to find his wife with a new live-in boyfriend, tries to reconnect with his son.  Sounds like a domestic drama?  That's because I failed to mention that the man was taken away by a UFO, and what came back isn't exactly what went away.  You see, the UFO returns, deposits something or other on the ground that grows into an alien monster.  Alien monster kills a couple of people, then -- you guessed it -- impregnates a woman.  In the film's most shocking and disgusting scene, she becomes extremely pregnant in a matter of moments, and gives birth to a full-grown man!  This is, of course, fatal.  The man is the father of the boy, or maybe an alien imitation, or maybe something of both.  Clarity isn't this movie's strong point either.  Lots of weird stuff happens.  Dad eats the eggs laid by his son's pet snake.  Dad bites son's neck, which gives the kid incredible telekinetic powers.  He can even transform his toys - a clown, a soldier, a panther -- into full-size, living beings.  The family's live-in _au pair_ (future Bond girl Maryam d'Abo, supplying the film's gratuitous nudity) gets bitten on the belly by the kid, which somehow turns her into a cocooned alien egg machine.  It's more original than _Inseminoid_, but sleazier.


----------



## dask

In the right mood these could make for a great Friday night at the movies.


----------



## Al Jackson

dask said:


> *Rio Bravo* (1959) Considered by many to be John Wayne's best movie. I, for one, really enjoyed it but didn't like watching it. Problem? This is supposed to be widescreen, which is fine. I like widescreen and prefer it over full screen. The problem is on my old TV, non-flat screen, it showed up as full screen but distorted. Everything was sort of compressed and elongated. Not too much but enough to notice and get on my nerves. Never had this problem with wide screen before. The trailer was in full screen and normal looking. I would have been completely happy if the whole movie was like that. Great movie, though. Ricky Nelson perfect as the gunslinger with the huge dose of nonchalant confidence.



I have  seen it noted that the great Leigh Brackett did a fix up of the screenplay for this one for Howard Hawks and that is where it 'goodness' came from. It is odd that Brackett is better known as a screenwriter  than as a* science fiction* author , tho she wrote a ton more SF than scripts. She is famous for *The Big Sleep *, of which is also said that she wrote the main shooting script for Hawks. ( I mean William Faulkner worked on this screenplay.) Tho I think Brackett is more famous for *The Empire Strikes Back.
True Grit* and *The Shootest* are Waynes best films, tho the best Western he was ever in and he was good in that , is *The Searchers*.


----------



## dask

My brother gets this John Wayne magazine put out by one his son's ( Ethan, I think) and I don't remember exact how the poll was tabulated but in arranging his father's films from least to best, *Rio Bravo* came out on top.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Special double feature of British SF/horror films featuring alien pregnancies:
> 
> *Inseminoid* (1981)
> 
> Takes place inside and outside a research station on an alien planet.  As best as I could tell, this consists of the station itself, an extensive system of tunnels with breathable air, and, beyond an airlock, ancient alien catacombs with poisonous air.  Logic and consistency aren't this film's strong points, so don't think too hard about it.  Anyway, exploding crystals cause one guy to go into what seems to be a coma, and another guy to get wounded and later go crazy.  Coma guy gets frozen, crazy guy goes back outside.  A couple of women go out to get him back.  One gets her foot stuck in something.  In the movie's most bizarre scene, something goes wrong with her spacesuit's heating system, dooming her to death by freezing on this super-cold planet.  After a brief, panicked attempt to reconnect a couple of wires to fix it, she opens her helmet (!), sticks her air hose in her mouth (!!), and tries to cut off her foot (!!!) with a tool she happens to have.  She dies, the other woman shoots crazy guy dead.  After all this violence, we still haven't got to the main premise of the plot.  Woman gets impregnated by alien monster, goes around killing everybody, eventually gives birth to two alien monsters.   Very little attempt is made to make anything seem futuristic. Overall, pretty much just a body count film set in space. Minor bit of trivia:  All the characters are known by their first names only.
> 
> *Xtro* (1982)
> 
> Man leaves his family, comes back three years later to find his wife with a new live-in boyfriend, tries to reconnect with his son.  Sounds like a domestic drama?  That's because I failed to mention that the man was taken away by a UFO, and what came back isn't exactly what went away.  You see, the UFO returns, deposits something or other on the ground that grows into an alien monster.  Alien monster kills a couple of people, then -- you guessed it -- impregnates a woman.  In the film's most shocking and disgusting scene, she becomes extremely pregnant in a matter of moments, and gives birth to a full-grown man!  This is, of course, fatal.  The man is the father of the boy, or maybe an alien imitation, or maybe something of both.  Clarity isn't this movie's strong point either.  Lots of weird stuff happens.  Dad eats the eggs laid by his son's pet snake.  Dad bites son's neck, which gives the kid incredible telekinetic powers.  He can even transform his toys - a clown, a soldier, a panther -- into full-size, living beings.  The family's live-in _au pair_ (future Bond girl Maryam d'Abo, supplying the film's gratuitous nudity) gets bitten on the belly by the kid, which somehow turns her into a cocooned alien egg machine.  It's more original than _Inseminoid_, but sleazier.


Were these so bad, they were good? Your descriptions are alluring. I might watch Xtro for the silliness.

*Tunes of Glory* (1960) Alec Guiness as Major Jock Sinclair  an Acting Colonel of a Scottish  Battalion or some such unit,. since the death of the regular Col. during WWII. He is rather a nice guy type of commander, as opposed to the by the book new Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow (John Mills), who makes life miserable for the men, who had become accustomed to AG's relaxed style. AG is apparently a widower, whose young adult daughter is in love with a Corporal in his unit, much to his displeasure. One night, he sees them together, and, being a bit drunken, punches the man. The by the book Col., though doing his best to be liked, insists upon a court martial, because of the civilian witnesses.

*State's Attorney* (1932) John Barrymore as the same character described in my previous post 
(Sep 26, 2018) :


> *Criminal Lawyer* (1937) Lee Tracy as Barry Brandon, lawyer to Gene Larkin (Eduardo Cianelli) big time mob boss. Somehow, LT gets the opportunity to become Assistant DA, which EC encourages, thinking he can get away with anything if he does become DA. But, LT assures him, he will be legitimate if he is DA. It happens, & the two then clash. Good drama, for Tracy, who is usually comedic.


 Barrymore had the original version.

*The Last Waltz* (1978) "The Band" has a farewell concert. Had to watch this in the PiP, as it just did not keep my interest. Still watching it now. There were only 2 songs with which I was familiar.  Nice to have them with captions, though.


----------



## J Riff

yeah, but don't waste time on Xtro2. ...
I watched Working Trash, which is George Carlin and Ben Stiller, about garbage guys who find insider trading info and... it's an obscure bit of fun.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*2012*  (2009)


Oh, this was a doozie.  From the very "Cold Opening,"  where _the most horrific solar flare in recorded history_ somehow turned neutrinos into microwaves, cooking the earth's core into a ravaging froth; this epic turd was a monument to mind numbingly bullsh** "Science."   Implausibilities stacked upon implausibilities at a horrific pace; seconded only by cascading torrents of trite tropes.

I have to give some credit for bursting the tritest trope of all:  The Divorced Dad, trying to save his kids from the disaster (John Cusack), was _not_ portrayed as a bumbling idiot.  ( I, Mr Mom, appreciate that, personally.)  And the kids were _not_ obnoxious, antagonistic brats, as usual in this type of film.  Even "Mom's New Guy" was uncharacteristically less snarky and more sympatico than expected..

On another light note, Woody Harrelson was great fun as the hippy-trippy nutcase, who had everything all figured out long before anyone else; until he died, gloriously, in an Epic Blaze of Super-Volcano Pyroclasm.

I really can't buy the notion of a 27,000 foot high Tsunami; but it _was_ pretty cool to watch Mount Everest Inundated.

As the Ark was flooding and heroes were heroing, trying to get the door shut; I kept wondering when the hell Shelly Winters (_The Poseidon Adventure_) was going to show up, offering to Swim The Longest Swim.

Elaine and I agree that this is the most preposterous movie we ever laid eyes on; and we can't believe we watched the whole thing. 

 It was like driving past a gory traffic accident.  You just can't not look to see what happened.


----------



## Rodders

Deadpool was on tv last night. Still entertaining.


----------



## Mouse

Ditto Deadpool on TV last night. First time I've seen it (been avoiding it because I'm not an RR fan) and thought it was actually pretty good.


----------



## Vladd67

The House with a clock in its walls
Not a bad film with some good moments, although someone in the cinema was unimpressed, there was definitely snoring coming from someone in the dark.


----------



## Cathbad

*Dressed to Kill*  (1979)

Once more watching Michael Caine's masterful acting!  This is a movie that, if I'd first watched it in 2009 instead of 1979, the ending probably wouldn't have shocked as much as it did!

Angie Dickinson at her sluttiest added an edge to the flick, and cutesy Nancy Allen did a great job as the hooker/endangered witness.

A great flick!

NOTE:  Just saw that IMDb has 1980 as the release date.  Probably correct.


----------



## REBerg

*The Shape of Water*
Strangest love story I've ever seen. More artsy than dramatic. Michael Shannon, as the epitome of Cold War American misogyny and jingoism, stole the show.


----------



## Rodders

Guardians Of The Galaxy 2. Very funny and dare I say better than the first. 

Black Panther. I dunno. I thought it was a bit dull. 

John Wick. It was okay.


----------



## J Riff

well, I can not look.... I won't look, and that's final, and that's that... but the edited-down version of Birdemic, I have looked at often, and have no adverse effects, so far. skquaaauak!


----------



## Anthoney

*Venom*.  The first half of this movie is slow and tedious.  Overall the story is kind of weak.  That being said the Venom parts, once you get to them, are fun.  If you can wade through the long start up there's a nice pay off of excitement and amusement.


----------



## Lucien21

Anthoney said:


> *Venom*.  The first half of this movie is slow and tedious.  Overall the story is kind of weak.  That being said the Venom parts, once you get to them, are fun.  If you can wade through the long start up there's a nice pay off of excitement and amusement.



That about describes it for me too.

It was awright.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Low budget blaxploitation double feature:

*Black Fist* (1974) AKA *Bogard**

Guy gets a hired by a crook to participate in illegal street fights.  Apparently these are very popular; huge crowds show up to watch and place bets.  Guy eventually wins a fight he's supposed to lose, gets enough money to quit the business and buy a nightclub.  Crook puts a contract out on him, but the hit man goofs and kills his pregnant wife and brother-in-law instead.  The rest of the movie follows the guy as he kills the bad guys one by one in imaginative ways.  Jumps around a lot for such a straightforward plot.  Lots of familiar faces from TV show up.  The very last scene implies that the guy has a mental breakdown after he's wiped out all his enemies.

*Jive Turkey* (1974) AKA *Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes***

Supposedly based on a true story.  Set in 1956, but very little effort is made to avoid looking like 1974.  The head of the city's numbers racket is caught between the cops (who are only after him because there's an election coming up, and the politicians want to look tough on crime) and a rival mobster who wants to take over the business, who has somebody secretly working for him inside the antihero's gang.  Like the other film, wanders around for most of the running time.  The weirdest aspect is the antihero's assassin, who kills people in very bloody ways with a great deal of glee.



Spoiler



The killer wears glamorous gowns throughout most of the film, but turns out to be a man in drag at the end.



*This odd title is hard to explain.  Research suggests it may be a slang term for an aggressive/greedy person, related to "bogart" as in "Don't bogart that joint."

**A much better title, in my opinion.


----------



## dask

Went to a lot of movies in the 70s but never heard of these. Might be fun checking them out. If I knew a movie called JIVE TURKEY was in town I'd have bent over backwards to go see it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Horror Hotel / The city of the Dead* (1960) So, last night TCM ran a bunch of Christopher Lee, films. This was not the last one, but likely the last one with Ben M's introduction & wrap-up;  so, it was the last one I recorded. I had seen it before, & my memory of it was more than a bit inaccurate. Lee is a college History Professor, who, in the opening scene, is telling (visually) about New England's Witch hunts, & the burning of one witch in particular. His students are scoffing at whole idea, which offends him. One girl wants to do her term paper on the subject, & he directs her to an obscure New England town, that had been involved in such burning of witches. 

So, the girl goes to the town, stays in its inn, in a particular room that the innkeeper has intentionally placed her. As she is unpacking her suitcase, she trips over a rug, and finds a trapdoor beneath it.   Unable to resist the lure, she enters the cellar & that's it for her. Her brother comes looking for her a few weeks later--

Great fun, though it mixes Satanism with witchcraft, which as I understand, are two very different things.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Old movies certainly did that a lot.  In any case, it's a fine film indeed.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Dracula, Prince of Darkness *(1966) Until I ran the Ben M comments (before watching this) it had not occurred to me that C. Lee had no dialog (other than hisses)!  Great film, only lack is Cushing as Van Helsing.


----------



## J Riff

_Panic at Lakewood Manor_ - 1977 -- retitled as:_ Ants_. Ants swarm, normal little ants, but lots of them, at a construction site, near good old Lakewood Manor.... aaaand... these ants are mean, they are in a pipe with some chemicals, or something that makes them a real problem for the cast, who end up covered with the little beggars... I mean... the actors hadda sit there with little black ants all over them... the non-biting kind I guess... which looks pretty awful, probably many actors wouldn't do it... but the panic resides and the ants don't take over the world, or even Lakewood Manor.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Monster* (1925) Lon Chaney as a once brilliant surgeon, who now resides in a 'Sanitarium' as a resident. He along with other inmates, have taken over the place, built booby traps & secret passages, and captured several people to use as the subjects for so-called experiments. Called a horror-comedy, most of the comedy is in the text portions of this silent film; such as describing newly introduced characters in a humorous way. 

*The Penalty* (1920) LC, this time, as a victim of surgical malpractice, in which a young surgeon removed both his legs, above the knee. At the time, LC's character was a boy, and being unexpectedly alert so soon after surgery, overheard the older physician rebuking the younger for needlessly maiming the child for life. There was no need to amputate his legs. decades later, LC is a crime lord in the big city. He learns of his enemy's daughter being an aspiring sculptor, who is advertising for a model for her "Satan after the fall" bust. He keeps all other prospective models away, and himself, takes the job; his exact intent is unknown until much later, but the viewer does know he wants revenge on the man who maimed him. 

This guy was big-time dedicated to his craft, and wore these horribly uncomfortable 'stumps' in which his legs were folded up. Said to cut off his circulation, he could wear them for only a very short time. I wonder if they made similar rig for the assassin in *Day of the Jackal*; which, if I recall correctly, used a one-legged disguise to elude the police. 

Oh, there was a fully nude woman in the artist's studio; facing away from the viewer. I thought she was a sculpture at first, until a man entered the studio, and she covered herself with a blanket. Long ago, I took a drawing class in college. The professor, vigorously dissuaded us from taking the *human figures* class, saying that the models were of both sexes and rarely attractive.  I did not inquire any further.


----------



## Al Jackson

Alex The G and T said:


> *2012*  (2009)
> 
> 
> Oh, this was a doozie.  From the very "Cold Opening,"  where _the most horrific solar flare in recorded history_ somehow turned neutrinos into microwaves, cooking the earth's core into a ravaging froth; this epic turd was a monument to mind numbingly bullsh** "Science."   Implausibilities stacked upon implausibilities at a horrific pace; seconded only by cascading torrents of trite tropes.
> 
> I have to give some credit for bursting the tritest trope of all:  The Divorced Dad, trying to save his kids from the disaster (John Cusack), was _not_ portrayed as a bumbling idiot.  ( I, Mr Mom, appreciate that, personally.)  And the kids were _not_ obnoxious, antagonistic brats, as usual in this type of film.  Even "Mom's New Guy" was uncharacteristically less snarky and more sympatico than expected..
> 
> On another light note, Woody Harrelson was great fun as the hippy-trippy nutcase, who had everything all figured out long before anyone else; until he died, gloriously, in an Epic Blaze of Super-Volcano Pyroclasm.
> 
> I really can't buy the notion of a 27,000 foot high Tsunami; but it _was_ pretty cool to watch Mount Everest Inundated.
> 
> As the Ark was flooding and heroes were heroing, trying to get the door shut; I kept wondering when the hell Shelly Winters (_The Poseidon Adventure_) was going to show up, offering to Swim The Longest Swim.
> 
> Elaine and I agree that this is the most preposterous movie we ever laid eyes on; and we can't believe we watched the whole thing.
> 
> It was like driving past a gory traffic accident.  You just can't not look to see what happened.



These disaster movies have no edge, billions die in a family friendly way!


----------



## Vince W

*Inferno* (2016). The third (and hopefully final) film about symbologist Robert Langdon. In a word this film is boring. If you make me describe it further, well... this is a family friendly forum and I'm afraid I would have to work blue to do that.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Horror Hotel / The city of the Dead* (1960) So, last night TCM ran a bunch of Christopher Lee, films. This was not the last one, but likely the last one with Ben M's introduction & wrap-up;  so, it was the last one I recorded. I had seen it before, & my memory of it was more than a bit inaccurate. Lee is a college History Professor, who, in the opening scene, is telling (visually) about New England's Witch hunts, & the burning of one witch in particular. His students are scoffing at whole idea, which offends him. One girl wants to do her term paper on the subject, & he directs her to an obscure New England town, that had been involved in such burning of witches.
> 
> So, the girl goes to the town, stays in its inn, in a particular room that the innkeeper has intentionally placed her. As she is unpacking her suitcase, she trips over a rug, and finds a trapdoor beneath it.   Unable to resist the lure, she enters the cellar & that's it for her. Her brother comes looking for her a few weeks later--
> 
> Great fun, though it mixes Satanism with witchcraft, which as I understand, are two very different things.



Watched this over the weekend and it was more enjoyable than I expected. It did seem to me a few British accents slipped into the attempts to sound American.


*The Fearless Vampire Killers* (1967)
I remember going to the movie theater and watching this with my dad. A horror-comedy not especially scary and with maybe one or two good laughs, in spite of best efforts from a solid cast. High production values help. 

Also, the movie where Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski met and fell in love, so a little hard to watch without considering the context of their lives and what happened. I'd forgotten how beautiful Tate was, and rather surprised that she actually was pretty good in this.


*Q: The Winged Serpent* (1982) (a.k.a. *Q*)
Remake of _The Giant Claw_ -- no, no, just kidding. No one in their right mind would remake _The Giant Claw_, set it in N.Y. City, tap into Aztec mythology and insert a gratuitous topless scene. 

Wait ... Ah, no ... Well, then again, it was the '80s, so ... 

Anyway, I remember hearing about this years ago but never saw it. For the time, not bad, a good cast -- David Carradine, Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, Richard Roundtree -- makes it work fairly well. The special effects were not done by Ray Harryhausen, but may have been influenced by him because at least a couple of scenes look like his work. And there are a couple of shots that look a lot like _The Giant Claw_.


*Halloween* (1978)
AMC (American Movie Channel) was showing this while inserting an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter pushing the new movie with the highly original title of _Halloween_. (Side note: Kim Newman's review of the new movie was positive.) I think it was edited a bit for its time slot; there were a couple of scenes that seemed off from my recollection. Still, maybe the most effective horror movie I've ever seen, from the film stock that seemed to grey out the air and sky and autumn colors (rather like the view outside my window) to Carpenter's score to good performances all around to only showing Michael from the neck down early on to the relatively discreet use of violence throughout. Echoes of _Psycho_ play through (Sam Loomis, for instance) and Michael still seems a unique creation in spite of all the bad movies in the series.


Randy M.


----------



## REBerg

*Game Night*
Much better than I expected. Many laugh-out-loud moments. Watch this instead of asking your creepy neighbor over to play Jenga.


----------



## Parson

Started the series *John Adams* in the Prime Video offerings. Two episodes in, one an hour and one 90 minutes (?? who thought that was a smart idea?) I'm enjoying them a lot.


----------



## -K2-

*Fail-Safe*
1964 with  Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau and Frank Overton, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Dom DeLuise and Sorrell Booke.

A gripping film that grants the viewer just the tiniest glimpse into what we faced constantly during the Cold War.  Most people today view the Cold War as a conflict that never happened.  In reality, imagine your nation is under threat of total nuclear annihilation this very moment.  All that stands between you and that happening is the mood of your and the enemies leader.  Be aware, that people on each side are constantly pressuring those leaders to strike first.

This moment, something has gone wrong with the computerized system.  Our bombers have the 'go-codes' and authorization, so as far as they are concerned, their-- your nation is already destroyed.  If they make it, which they can easily, then the enemy will attack with all their might.  The movie is about trying to stop WWIII, although, by accident it has already started.

That's this second, every second after, 24/7/365 for 30-years, that's what the Cold War was.

It's a great thriller with an even stronger underlying point which few people now-a-days even have a grasp of.  It is about leaders and perhaps more importantly, people in general that have tremendous character, will, honor and devotion.  Such character seems rare today.  It's a film worth watching simply to give us another example of 'the better way' to be.

K2


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> Watched this over the weekend and it was more enjoyable than I expected. It did seem to me a few British accents slipped into the attempts to sound American.
> 
> 
> *The Fearless Vampire Killers* (1967)
> I remember going to the movie theater and watching this with my dad. A horror-comedy not especially scary and with maybe one or two good laughs, in spite of best efforts from a solid cast. High production values help.
> 
> Also, the movie where Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski met and fell in love, so a little hard to watch without considering the context of their lives and what happened. I'd forgotten how beautiful Tate was, and rather surprised that she actually was pretty good in this.
> 
> 
> *Q: The Winged Serpent* (1982) (a.k.a. *Q*)
> Remake of _The Giant Claw_ -- no, no, just kidding. No one in their right mind would remake _The Giant Claw_, set it in N.Y. City, tap into Aztec mythology and insert a gratuitous topless scene.
> 
> Wait ... Ah, no ... Well, then again, it was the '80s, so ...
> 
> Anyway, I remember hearing about this years ago but never saw it. For the time, not bad, a good cast -- David Carradine, Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, Richard Roundtree -- makes it work fairly well. The special effects were not done by Ray Harryhausen, but may have been influenced by him because at least a couple of scenes look like his work. And there are a couple of shots that look a lot like _The Giant Claw_.
> 
> 
> *Halloween* (1978)
> AMC (American Movie Channel) was showing this while inserting an interview with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter pushing the new movie with the highly original title of _Halloween_. (Side note: Kim Newman's review of the new movie was positive.) I think it was edited a bit for its time slot; there were a couple of scenes that seemed off from my recollection. Still, maybe the most effective horror movie I've ever seen, from the film stock that seemed to grey out the air and sky and autumn colors (rather like the view outside my window) to Carpenter's score to good performances all around to only showing Michael from the neck down early on to the relatively discreet use of violence throughout. Echoes of _Psycho_ play through (Sam Loomis, for instance) and Michael still seems a unique creation in spite of all the bad movies in the series.
> 
> 
> Randy M.


I enjoyed *the Fearless V K* last year; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am sure that I borrowed *The Gaint Claw* from NF, not too long ago. What a laugh!  Now I am thinking *The Winged Serpent* might indeed be entertaining. Thanks for the reviews, Randy M!




-K2- said:


> *Fail-Safe*
> 1964 with  Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau and Frank Overton, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Dom DeLuise and Sorrell Booke.
> 
> A gripping film that grants the viewer just the tiniest glimpse into what we faced constantly during the Cold War.  Most people today view the Cold War as a conflict that never happened.  In reality, imagine your nation is under threat of total nuclear annihilation this very moment.  All that stands between you and that happening is the mood of your and the enemies leader.  Be aware, that people on each side are constantly pressuring those leaders to strike first.
> 
> This moment, something has gone wrong with the computerized system.  Our bombers have the 'go-codes' and authorization, so as far as they are concerned, their-- your nation is already destroyed.  If they make it, which they can easily, then the enemy will attack with all their might.  The movie is about trying to stop WWIII, although, by accident it has already started.
> 
> That's this second, every second after, 24/7/365 for 30-years, that's what the Cold War was.
> 
> It's a great thriller with an even stronger underlying point which few people now-a-days even have a grasp of.  It is about leaders and perhaps more importantly, people in general that have tremendous character, will, honor and devotion.  Such character seems rare today.  It's a film worth watching simply to give us another example of 'the better way' to be.
> 
> K2


I saw that film at least twice, & while memory of it is vague, it was very intense. It would have been much more so, had I seen it when it was 1st released. When I first saw your post, I was thinking of *Seven Days in May* (1964), whose plot involved Air Force Generals believing that the President was too much a Dove, and was blind to the imminent danger of the USSR, and thus was against a first Strike by America. So, these films make a good pair to show the stress that was present among the Defense Dept. etc., and the possibility of something going wrong in the electronics.  

I recall the civil defense siren of my school days. It frightened me, as I did not know what was the nature of the threat, & as I was generally frightened by loud noises. Yes, in the 1960s, we did crouch under our desks. 


In a themed evening called *Treasures from the Disney Vault*, I have watched 3 films, the 1st one I saw as a kid; so despite not liking the thing, I gave it a viewing as an adult.

*Bedknobs and Broomsticks*. (1971) a kiddie film, though as an adult, I found it annoying but tolerable. I cannot look at that woman and see her as anything but elderly, though she was young at the time. Angela Lansbury as Miss Eglantine Price, who at the time of the bombing of London is taking a correspondence course on becoming a Witch. So the authorities in London a relocating the kiddies in the country, & as she lives a a large house alone, they thrust upon her 3 siblings. Her entire motive for becoming a witch, is to help the war effort. However, she lacks just one lesson to become one. The guy running the correspondence course is a fraud, and is surprised that she has any magical powers. As with Mary Poppins, there are scenes with animated characters along side real actors. Fairly humorous.

*Flight of the Navigator *(1986) no childhood memories in this one, as I was well into my 20s. Never saw it before, but thought I would give it a go. A little boy is out in the woods seeking his younger brother, to bring him home, since it is becoming dark. he falls down an embankment, & after climbing, he cannot find his brother. So, he goes home, only to find somebody other than his family living in his home.  It turns out, 8 years have passed, his family had given him up for dead, and moved away.  Now I am hooked. I really did not think this could keep me interested. 

So there is this alien space ship, that had been out acquiring specimens for study back on the home world, and had grabbed the kid, I forgot why, but had downloaded its star charts into his brain, and since suffered a boo-boo, and needs to upload them from him. Of course, the authorities are very interested in how he is still 12, when he ought to be 20, & they are eager to subject him to a never-ending barrage of tests, before returning him to his family. 

*The Black Hole* (1979), I think I had seen this years ago, but nothing seemed familiar.  The theme music was rather creepy, the props & scenery of the inside of the space ship are indeed impressive. But, somehow something was lacking. Not to mention the ending was anything but the standard happy ending. I liken it to the ending of *2001 a Space Odyssey,* in that, it was just not what I expected. It simply left me flat. What? why are they running the credits? Is this over?


----------



## J Riff

_Swing Hostess_ 1944, there's a mixup about who sang on the successful new recording, -- and we get to hear Phoebe croak out some version of it, which is still bettern the last 50 tunes played here at McDonalds, but quite offensive in 1944... but everything works out fine in the end, and there's some fun tunes and hijinks.


----------



## KGeo777

*SHADOW OF THE CAT
PIT AND THE PENDULUM*

The first was rather unique in that its a crime mystery film where the main character is a cat (who gets lots of closeups). Poe's the Raven is recited at the beginning although it has more in common with the Black Cat. It makes a good contrast with AIP's PATP in a way. Both involve treachery and secrets behind walls.

*Pit and the Pendulum* is a much more expensive affair (although feels more like a set--Hammer shot most of their films in an actual mansion) but like many of these AIP films the performances tend to be uneven. It's Vincent Price's show all the way until Barbara Steele appears. It's my favorite of the Corman Poe films and my favorite Price performance. He really goes all out--from mentally disturbed to crying fit to over the top villainy. It's also IMO the most successful combination of Poe themes--inherited madness, sadism, vengeance, premature burial with a great shock ending.  Not to mention the oil paint ocean title sequence is really neat. 

_"Do you know where you are, Bartholomew? I will tell you where you are. You are about to enter hell,      Bartholomew. Hell! The Netherworld. The infernal region. The abode of the damned. The place of torment.  Pandemonium. "Abbadon, "Tophet", "Gehenna". "Naraka", the pit! And the pendulum. The  razor edge of destiny. That's the condition of man. Bound on an      island from which  he can never hope to escape......surrounded by      the waiting pit of hell. Subject to the inexorable pendulum of      fate......which must destroy him finally."_


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A fine film.  Kudos to Richard Matheson for expanding the short story to feature film length, while maintaining the tone of Poe.


----------



## Rodders

First Man. 

A very well made movie. Will definitely watch it again.


----------



## Lumens

*Loving Vincent* (2017) Beautiful hand painted animation about the circumstances around Van Gogh's death. Worth watching, and currently available on Netflix in the UK.


----------



## Jeffbert

VP is probably my favorite horror genre actor. TP&TP, though not my favorite, is wonderfully campy, & very satisfying. I read the [was it a poem?] several years ago; & only the pendulum came part made it to the film. I still cannot recall any pit. 


Spoiler



the pit was a hole in the floor too deep to see the bottom. The pendulum was as in the film. But the really nasty part were the red-hot metal walls that were closing in on the victim as though a cardboard box had its top and bottom removed, and two opposite corners were brought together. No escape, but the pit!  So, the poor guy awakens strapped to the slab, and the pendulum begins to swing, & descend. Ahhhhhhhh!!!! he passes out? sorry, cannot recall. anyway, next the slab is gone, and darkness all around; the walls come closer.



But, nobody does it like VP. Thanks for the post, *KGeo777!*


----------



## KGeo777

He also did a 1970 tv show called An Evening With Edgar Allen Poe where he does a one man act of 4 Poe stories. The Pit and the Pendulum is the last one-and much closer to the actual Poe work. I really like his Cask of Amontillado.





Price was also great in interviews (his non broadcast ones usually include swearing).
Here he is on David Frost in 1970 (and he recites Poe again--and sings a song).


----------



## KGeo777

Watched DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE--1968. One of my top 5 favorite Hammer films. It showcases Hammer's strengths in making an adult fairy tale--thanks to the writing talents of Hammer's leading creative force Anthony Hinds, writing under the name John Elder.  He had a tendency to give his B movie characters a lot of depth (as well as a sense of humor-but never at the expensive of the seriousness of the fantasy situation). In this case you have an interesting triad--a young atheist, an older devoted monsignor, and a disillusioned priest falling under the power of Dracula. How their paths cross and the consequences of Dracula's evil makes it a surprisingly dramatic affair, and much of it takes place in a village bakery!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Carry on Screaming* (1966) I could hardly stay awake for this one, though it rated 3/4 stars. I had seen at least two other films in the Carry on series; but as the actors are all unknown to me, this being one in a series meant nothing. It was not bad, but I thought it was just not very good. 

So these Horror-types are abducting young women, & turning them into mannequins. It thus has a flavor of House of Wax, but a comedic element of Bucket of Blood. 

*The Damned Don't Cry* (1950) Joan Crawford as a rags to riches to rags type, who becomes involved with gangsters after an argument with her husband results in their son's death. She leaves him, & having no skillls, begins modeling dresses. One of the buyers, also takes her as eye candy. But she was 43 when making this film, so, it seemed unlikely that her character would be seen as attractive to the extent that she would have such opportunities. 

This was a NOIR ALLEY film, &  the before and after parts were just as interesting as the film, itself. Very well done; though there were a few strange things. The mob dumped a body in the desert, and two days later, two  surveyors accidentally found it. But, where are the vultures?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I haven't seen too many Carry On films, and I enjoy the Hammer horror films, so I liked *Carry On Screaming* pretty well.


----------



## Jeffbert

It was not as though I turned it off halfway through; but I would not bother to see it again. Yes, it had some funny parts, but as I started watching after breakfast, while drinking tea, I was annoyed that I was dozing-off.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood Thirst* [1965; US release 1971]

Mostly a crime film with some bizarre horror content.  Starts outside a nightclub where workers have been staying late for inventory.  Club owner tells young woman employee to be careful walking home, and even offers to drive her home if she waits a while, but she takes off because it's a beautiful night.  This is a very bad idea indeed, since we find out a little later that there have been lots of young women murdered lately.  Guess what happens.  Like all the others, her forearms are cut and she is drained of blood, her body left hanging upside down from a tree.  Local police official has his buddy, an expert in sex crimes, flown to the Philippines from New York.  When the Filipino cop tells him the murders must be the work of one man, our hero jokingly says "unless he's Siamese twins."  No, that didn't make any sense to me either.  Anyway, he goes undercover at the nightclub, and has a hate-developing-into-love relationship with the Filipino guy's adopted (non-Filipino) sister.  Fistfights, attempted assassinations, and the like follow.  A blonde (non-Filipino) belly dancer at the nightclub plays a major role in the plot, which goes on to involve ancient Aztec blood rituals to extend one's life and a humanoid monster with a rubbery face doing the murders.  Other oddities include the fact that the hero always travels with a mannequin of himself, just in case somebody tries to sneak into his room and kill him; the fact that one of the hero's assistant undercover agent disguises himself as a one-legged beggar, and uses an artificial leg to attack the monster; and the fact that the Aztec ritual includes sitting in a special chair with a flashing rectangular light behind one's head.  Nicely filmed in black-and-white and just weird enough to keep you watching through all the typical crime stuff.  Must have seemed incredibly old-fashioned when it showed up on American screens in 1971, as it just reeks of the early 1960's.

*Brides of Blood* [1968]

A middle-aged scientist, his man-crazy young wife, and a young Peace Corps guy arrive on Blood Island, a tiny, isolated spot in the Philippines.  Right from the start the wife flaunts her attraction to other men right in front of her husband.  Things get off to a bad start when they see the inhabitants tossing mangled body parts of young women into the sea.  Things get worse when local mutants show up; an odd-shaped crab (weird but not dangerous); a moth that bites the scientist (painful but not deadly, and the movie's funniest scene); and, worst of all, trees with long tentacles that grab people.  Things get really bad when they find out that the locals sacrifice two young women each night to a monster (a guy in a rubber suit.)  Could this have something to do with the nuclear bomb tests conducted in the area?  And with the local guy who puts them up in his mansion, complete with several midget servants?  Nicely filmed in color, but not much plot.  The mandatory "native dance" sequence comes at the very end, after the monster is destroyed and the romance between the Peace Corps guy and the most beautiful local young woman is in full bloom.  The man-chasing wife is played by an actress with the outrageous stage name Beverly Hills.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

A Star Is Born
okay. Good story-telling, but didn't like the characters and didn't believe the relationship.
Also, the music is pants.
Can't wait for the Elton John biopic next year!


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Brides of Blood* [1968]
> 
> A middle-aged scientist, his man-crazy young wife, and a young Peace Corps guy arrive on Blood Island, a tiny, isolated spot in the Philippines.  Right from the start the wife flaunts her attraction to other men right in front of her husband.  Things get off to a bad start when they see the inhabitants tossing mangled body parts of young women into the sea.  Things get worse when local mutants show up; an odd-shaped crab (weird but not dangerous); a moth that bites the scientist (painful but not deadly, and the movie's funniest scene); and, worst of all, trees with long tentacles that grab people.  Things get really bad when they find out that the locals sacrifice two young women each night to a monster (a guy in a rubber suit.)  Could this have something to do with the nuclear bomb tests conducted in the area?  And with the local guy who puts them up in his mansion, complete with several midget servants?  Nicely filmed in color, but not much plot.  The mandatory "native dance" sequence comes at the very end, after the monster is destroyed and the romance between the Peace Corps guy and the most beautiful local young woman is in full bloom.  The man-chasing wife is played by an actress with the outrageous stage name Beverly Hills.


I saw a documentary about, or that merely covered the BLOOD ISLAND series, of which *Brides of Blood* was one.  I bought several DVDs, but one was very unreasonably priced; don't recall which. Anyway,   *Brides of Blood* was one of those I bought. I thought it was somewhat silly, though it tried to be serious. I did enjoy it, though. 

*Strange Life of Frankenstein* (2018)  I read Frankenstein for a literature course in university, which included interpretations of the story. But, this 1 hour program[?] really had some true horror in it. Soviet scientists did a really awful thing to a dog and a puppy, & this showed it. Some 'Doctor' transplanted a monkey's head on to another monkey.  Real stuff!

The analysis of the novel was more centered on Dr. F, than on his creation. I might watch this again, as it was very interesting. It covered the monster's original physical appearance and the transformation to the Karloff version. There had been stage productions that apparently influenced the design. The narrative stated that the only ugly things about the monster as described in the novel, were his eyes. But later in the narrative, he is hideous.


----------



## dask

Jeffbert said:


> *Strange Life of Frankenstein* (2018)  I read Frankenstein for a literature course in university, which included interpretations of the story. But, this 1 hour program[?] really had some true horror in it. Soviet scientists did a really awful thing to a dog and a puppy, & this showed it. Some 'Doctor' transplanted a monkey's head on to another monkey.  Real stuff!



That's pretty sick even for me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bloodsuckers* (filmed 1969; released 1971? 1972? 1976?) AKA *Incense for the Damned* AKA *Freedom Seeker* (or possibly* Freedom Seekers*); based on the novel_ Doctors Wear Scarlet_ by Simon Raven.

As you can probably tell from the confusing information above, based on different sources, this film is a mess.  Further evidence for this is the fact that the director disowned it and used a pseudonym on the credits.  The shoddy editing, the many awkward and unnecessary scenes, and the need for frequent narration to explain what's going on are strong clues that they simply ran out of money and packaged the thing as best as they could.

The beginning consists of narration over a split-screen montage of various scenes, introducing us to the characters.  It seems that a young don at a fictional college of Cambridge University went off to Greece to do research, and didn't come back.  He left behind his unofficial fiancée, the daughter of the provost of the college.  (Peter Cushing in a tiny role.)  So the narrator, at the behest of the British government, goes to Greece with the fiancée and the don's favorite student, who will turn out to be our Action Hero.  In Greece, a British official working with the Greek government (top-billed Patrick Macnee in a modest role) joins them.  Long and slow-moving story short, the don has fallen into the clutches of a Greek woman who got him involved with a drug, sex, and murder cult.  Insert a scene, obviously filmed later and thrown in to fill up time, of hippie types taking drugs and making out, with somebody getting killed at the end.  This is all filmed with split-screen, blurred images, and such, like the light show at a psychedelic rock concert.  After a lot of time is wasted looking for him, and a major character gets killed, they get him back to Cambridge.  (The Greek officials just want him out of the country, as he didn't take an active role in the killing.)  This all leads up to a wild climax taking up the last ten minutes or so. 



Spoiler



At a formal celebratory dinner at the college -- a big close-up of an invitation shows the words "Doctors Wear Scarlet", i.e. folks with a doctorate are to wear bright red robes -- the don makes an impassioned radical speech against the stifling nature of academia, and promotes seeking freedom instead.  That explains most of the titles supplied above, but don't ask me what "incense for the damned" means.  This causes a big commotion, he runs out, the fiancée runs after him, they go to a bedroom and start making out -- mind you, up to this time the fellow has been very reluctant to have anything to do with her, and we've been told that he's an impotent virgin -- he kills her by biting her throat.  Action Hero chases over the roofs of the college, he falls and gets impaled on the pointy things sticking out of a metal fence.  The very last scene is the narrator and the Action Hero opening the coffin of the fiancée, about to drive a wooden stake through her heart.



This film has no idea if its vampire theme is supernatural, psychopathic, or part of a cult.  It also can't decide if it's a horror film, an action flick, or social satire.  There are traces of an interesting story, and some nice location shooting in Greece and at Oxford (pretending to be Cambridge), but otherwise it's of little value.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Killing of Satan* (1983)

I can't begin to describe the plot of this bizarre Filipino religious fantasy in any detail.  Suffice to say that the hero, endowed with magic powers by God (and a pair of fists he isn't shy about using on the bad guys) battles the evil Prince of Magic, as well as his muscle-bound male minions and scantily clad female minions.  That's just a prologue to his battle with Satan himself, played by two actors.  One is a skinny guy in red tights, the other a heftier guy in a black suit and scarlet-lined cape.  In both incarnations, he has horns and a pitchfork, since this movie is entirely literal in its religious content.  Weird scenes abound.  A piece of driftwood turns into a rotting corpse.  A guy has part of his face ripped off.  Snakes turn into people.  People battle by shooting beams of light out of their hands.  Gruesome violence and full female nudity are included, although the film takes its religious content completely seriously.  Imagine a low-budget combination of Saturday morning cartoons, *Star Wars*, *Death Wish*, and a fundamentalist sermon to give yourself the barest idea of what this oddball movie is like.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Killing of Satan* (1983)
> 
> I can't begin to describe the plot of this bizarre Filipino religious fantasy in any detail.  Suffice to say that the hero, endowed with magic powers by God (and a pair of fists he isn't shy about using on the bad guys) battles the evil Prince of Magic, as well as his muscle-bound male minions and scantily clad female minions.  That's just a prologue to his battle with Satan himself, played by two actors.  One is a skinny guy in red tights, the other a heftier guy in a black suit and scarlet-lined cape.  In both incarnations, he has horns and a pitchfork, since this movie is entirely literal in its religious content.  Weird scenes abound.  A piece of driftwood turns into a rotting corpse.  A guy has part of his face ripped off.  Snakes turn into people.  People battle by shooting beams of light out of their hands.  Gruesome violence and full female nudity are included, although the film takes its religious content completely seriously.  Imagine a low-budget combination of Saturday morning cartoons, *Star Wars*, *Death Wish*, and a fundamentalist sermon to give yourself the barest idea of what this oddball movie is like.


So how do you select this films?


----------



## Happy Joe

Just saw Jurassic world; no surprises, didn't expect any, a relatively predictable sequel... (am getting really tired of anti science, anti corporation plots (and outright preachy propaganda)).
...was also pretty disappointed in Solo since it too was mostly a rehash of previously used story/plot lines, i.e.  Firefly's train robbery via space ship...
As expected, both films had good digital effects...

Verdict: Fair to good, not great; popcorn movies...

Enjoy!


----------



## Karn's Return

I don't know if I should actually list here...


Pretty much the same reaction as Hoopy here. I like the Marvel movies for what they are, but any real depth is actually pretty rare these days, at least for anything I'd be interested in.


----------



## dask

Jeffbert said:


> So how do you select this films?


Whatever her system is I hope she sticks with it. I enjoy her take on them even if I don't feel the need to actually watch them.


----------



## WarriorMouse

Antman 2

This continuation of the Antman story line is.. frankly... dull. Its missing the whimsey of the first Antman movie. Plus if you have'nt kept up with the other Marvel movies then some of the back story the characters reference will leave you somewhat lost. I found this movies story line to be ........ uhm....... lacking. The chemistry between the characters in the first movie is missing in this edition and much of the acting seems wooden.


----------



## J Riff

Well Im arf too the toob to garner the Croaking of Beelzebub, you betcha, based on that fine review. Just when you think you've seen 'em all....


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Thanks for the comments, folks.

In recent times I have been using somebody at Internet Archive who creates double features of everything from classic Hollywood films to oddball flicks of all different kinds.  This person uses the name CULTivated.  Here's the stuff available:

https://archive.org/details/@cultivated


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> User Account


Thanks for this!


----------



## dask

Cathbad said:


> Thanks for this!


Yeah, same here. Good information.


----------



## J Riff

Meanwhile, _Stranglers of Bombay_ is on here... and it is swell.


----------



## J Riff

good link, but I can't find a simple list of titles, so too much clicking, since we have seen 95% of these here by the end of the VCR era... waaay back when _Plan Nine_ played with no mention of how it was anything other than a SF movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Yeah, I have to go through each of them one at a time to see if it contains two movies I've already seen, or something new and interesting.  It's worth it for me, stuck here during slow nights, required to stare at the computer.


----------



## REBerg

*Deadpool 2 (Super Duper $@%!#& Cut)*
They had me at the opening credits, and things only got increasingly hilarious from there.
This is one of those films I could watch a hundred times at laugh at something new every time. As far as I'm concerned, Deadpool is the crown jewel of the Marvel Universe.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Thanks for the comments, folks.
> 
> In recent times I have been using somebody at Internet Archive who creates double features of everything from classic Hollywood films to oddball flicks of all different kinds.  This person uses the name CULTivated.  Here's the stuff available:
> 
> User Account


*Go Go Gophers* & *Clutch Cargo*!  But all I get is the audio. Thanks, Victoria Silverwolf. I will try using a different browser.

*White Zombie* (1932) It has been at least a few years, since I last saw this, pretty good film. Two men want the same woman, one has just married her, but the other has her zombified before they had the chance to consummate the marriage. Now, the other guy has her, while her husband mourns her sudden death.  But, as a zombie, she is just no fun. Bela Lugosi as the man with the hypnotic gaze.

*The Cockeyed Miracle* (1946) Frank Morgan (AKA the Wizard of Oz) has bought some property with Cecil Kellaway, which they hope to sell at a hefty profit. But FM did this, without telling his wife, who thinks the money is in the bank. Oops, FM just died, and CK is thinking he can keep all the money for himself. FM as a ghost, along with Keenan Wynn  as his late father, attempt to foil CK's greed, but they are immaterial, and cannot touch anything, cannot be seen or heard by anyone, etc.

There is a scene where KW walks right through a guy, who is going the opposite direction. Very good special effects, given this was 1946! Very entertaining.

*Gilda Live* (1980) G. Radner's on stage performance. Not as funny as I had expected. Rosanne Rosannadanna gave a college commencement speech, near the end. 

*The Hand* (1981) Michael Caine looses his right hand in a traffic incident, & it_* seems*_ to be alive as a separate entity, similar to the one in the Evil Dead II.  Oh, and it seems to attack people. But is it really supernatural, or, is this guy a psycho? Reminds me of that Peter Lorre film, *The Beast w/ 5 fingers* (1946), which was also shown on TCM 4AM today. BTW, *Mad Love* (1935) also w/ Lorre & involving the transplant of hands, will be on Monday at 11PM.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Hunted* (1948)* Noir Alley*; The ending was such that many viewers, myself included thought that it 



Spoiler



was just inconsistent with noir.


Other than that, it was noir throughout. a detective's girlfriend was sent to prison and has now been released. She had all along claimed she was innocent, though the evidence was thorough. When she was convicted, she made death threats to both her ex boyfriend and the defense attorney. Now she is free, but this is noir, so it does not go well with her. 
*
Follow me Quietly* (1949) Very short, at just about 1 hour.  A homicidal maniac who calls himself the JUDGE goes about killing people whom he judges as deserving of death. -Duh! Despite all the evidence gathered, the cops cannot identify the culprit. Then somebody decides to dress a faceless dummy as the guy, and soon they identify him, but now they must catch him.  Intense chase sequence. Very well done.

*Night Monster* (1942) Lugosi & Atwill in supporting roles, though having top billing. L is the creepy butler to a man who was apparently paralyzed after Atwill & two other surgeons operated on him when he was involved in a traffic accident. So the guy invites all 3 surgeons to his home (obviously to kill them) but strangely, all three come. Large footprints are found outside the mansion near the bodies of those murdered outside; though some are killed inside. The only one with a possible motive is the paralytic guy, but nobody suspects him. 


Spoiler



The guy was not paralyzed but had lost all 4 limbs except for stubs. But the 3 physicians would well know this, though they go along with the ruse supposedly because he felt that his condition was disgusting, & preferred to be thought paralyzed. So there is this Indian guru guy, who conjures these artificial legs for the guy, with large feet.


----------



## dask

*The Hound Of The Baskervilles* (1939) My Halloween selection this year and I doubt I could have done better. Rathbone and Bruce in top form with a stellar supporting cast. Almost as good as the book with sets I suspect couldn't be improved upon even with today's technology. And as he did in *The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes* Rathbone reveals a mastery of disguise Lon Chaney, Sr. would admire.


----------



## Cathbad

*Fright Night* (1985)

Yes, it's a bit of a silly movie.  But I just finished watching it again, and marveled at how excellent, given the year (1985), the Special Effects were!


----------



## Jeffbert

I think I saw *The Hound of the B*, the Rathbone version; I think TCM  or AMC ran the whole series a few years ago. But the only version I can recall is the HAMMER one. 

*Dr. J & Mr. Hyde* (Fredric March vers.) Then the final 10 minutes of the Spencer Tracy version. March's Hyde was, in my opinion, far more grotesque than Tracy's. But, I am more familiar with Tracy than March; so it might not be surprising that I could see Tracy (Jeckyl) underneath the Hyde make-up, but not so with March. I still have the John Barrymore version on the DVR, but three in a row becomes tedious. 

*Island of Lost Souls* (1932) Capt. Bligh (Charles Laughton) as Dr. Moreau; Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law; which was a supporting role, and though Karger said that Lugosi liked the role, L still had very little time on camera.  I read the novel a few years ago, but recall next to no details. This film was banned in the Midwest, as too extreme or some such thing. I watched these in the PiP, so, I was hardly paying full attention to them. 

*Operation Eichmann* (1961) Werner Klemperer whose family escaped from Germany around the time when AH came to power portrayed German Officers / Nazis. Col. Klink he is not. Eichmann as depicted here is worse than ruthless. He regards his victims as vermin; unworthy of dignity, compassion, etc.   The only more extreme depiction of Nazi brutality in that time of films, was John Carradine as 
_Hitler's Madman (1943) Reinhard Heydrich._ But unlike that film, much of this one was Eichmann's post WWII activities, evading capture, etc. Also, his struggle to regain prominence in the NAZI Party in hiding. He insisted on being in charge, but nobody regarded him as anything but an annoyance. 

*The Fly* (1958) o.k., I admit it. My favorite part is when David Hedison's wife removes his covering, and sees his fly head.  Either that or the "Help me!" part.  Reminds me of a FAR SIDE cartoon. The wife is walking into the room, talking about a dinner party with some other family, and she notices her husband's condition. She says "What!? you're still a fly?" 

It does seem silly to be critiquing a film 60 years after its 1st release, but 



Spoiler



If the guy wanted to destroy himself, why not use the disintegration chamber? O.k., he might have already destroyed it. I do not recall.



*Mad Love* (1935) Colin Clive "It's alive! It's alive!" as Steven Orlac,  a pianist whose hands are crushed in an accident. Edward Brophy as Rollo the Knife Thrower, who has a date with the guillotine, & whose hands are transplanted onto Clive's wrists-- but everyone tells him that the genius surgeon  Dr. Gogol  (Peter Lorre) had saved his hands, rather than transplanting someone else's. Clive is frustrated when he cannot immediately resume his piano playing. But, even more so, when he finds himself throwing knives as an expert. 

Lorre is mad about Clive's wife, 



Spoiler



and has obtained a wax figure of her from the theater where she performed. He adores it as though it were her. he tries to drive Clive mad, so he can claim his wife for his own. But Lorre is the lunatic!



BTW, a year or so ago, they actually did transplant hands onto an 8 year old boy, but they had to use a drug to prevent rejection. The drug weakens immune system.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Nice reviews.  The Frederic March version of _*Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*_ is my favorite of the many films made from that classic story.  *Island of Lost Souls* and *Mad Love *are both great, too.


----------



## Mouse

*The Dark Knight*. First time I've actually seen this one and... well, it was ok. I was a little bored. I know everybody raves about Heath Ledger but I thought the Joker's "end" was a bit anti-climatic.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Mouse said:


> *The Dark Knight*. First time I've actually seen this one and... well, it was ok. I was a little bored. I know everybody raves about Heath Ledger but I thought the Joker's "end" was a bit anti-climatic.



Are you sure we’re not the same person? That’s a perfect description of my experience of this film, too.

I made the mistake of watching _Jurassic World; Fallen Kingdom. _

Never has a film been more aptly named. Avoid.

I watched the phenomenal Spanish horror _Vèronica_. The kind of premise that makes you skip over it on Netflix and choose something else. But all the award laurels on the front - and the fact that it was not American - made me put it on just in case.

Glad I did. No spoilers, no review. Just watch it.

pH


----------



## svalbard

Veronica is great. Genuinely scary.

Watched FearInc last night. It was a good romp. Funny in parts, gory in others and at times suspenseful.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Mummy's Ghost* (1944) L. Chaney Jr. as the Mummy, , George Zucco as Andoheb & John Carradine as Yousef Bey; of horror genre; Barton MacLane of the crime genre, as Inspector Walgreen (not Walgreens) .  Fairly standard mummy film, except that a woman turns out to be the reincarnated though they did not use that word) princess, who was cursed for her forbidden love. 
*
Night of the Living Dead *(1968) After this viewing, or, rather, during it, it occurred to me that the use of the term "those things" when referring to the title characters seems odd. If you see a bunch of people attacking you and others, you might call them homicidal maniacs or cannibalistic homicidal maniacs. But to call them 'Things"? Speaking of *Things*, my nephews went out as Thing 1 & Thing 2 for Halloween. My sister should bring pictures of them, next week. As I recall, even the radio & TV broadcasts called them things. 

Oh, one more thing, or thought: the zombies that is these zombies used tools! I do not know if any derivative living dead films had that feature. 



Spoiler



The little girl in the basement or cellar killed her mother with a gardening tool! TWD's dead are just mindless eating machines.


----------



## KGeo777

I finally watched the Mummy 1932 and the Mummy's Hand, want to get to the rest of the series soon (I have seen Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy).

As for Night of the Living Dead,
Johnny: Hey, come on, Barb. Church was this morning. I mean, prayin's for church.

      Barbara: I haven't seen you in church lately.

      Johnny: Well, there's not much sense in my going to church. Do you  remember one time when we were small, we were out here? It was from right over there, I jumped out at you from behind the tree,  and Grandpa got all excited, and he shook his fist at me and said, "Boy, you'll be damned to Hell!" Remember that? Right over there.       


I watched THE RAVEN and THE COMEDY OF TERRORS.

Both are a nice change of pace from the serious side--the comic antics between Vincent Price and Peter Lorre are especially amusing.

"That woman sir, was my wife."

"Left you huh?"

The latter film was a personal project of screenwriter Richard Matheson and I have to admit, it does have enduring laugh out loud moments for me.


"I am afraid madam he has made his final crossing to that Stygian shore."

      "What?"

      "He's dead."


----------



## Droflet

The Meg (2018) It had a few moments but basically meh.


----------



## dask

*The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes*. Ida Lupino!


----------



## J Riff

s'MegMeh?
_The Atomic Submarine_ 1959-  our sub battles a big UFO under the arctic sea, a one-eyed ET is causing trouble...aaaand guess who wins? All they have to do is convert a torpedo into an ICBM, and blast away with handguns. The FX could be done in a home aquarium but we have seen much worse.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> I finally watched the Mummy 1932 and the Mummy's Hand, want to get to the rest of the series soon (I have seen Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy).
> 
> As for Night of the Living Dead,
> Johnny: Hey, come on, Barb. Church was this morning. I mean, prayin's for church.
> 
> Barbara: I haven't seen you in church lately.
> 
> Johnny: Well, there's not much sense in my going to church. Do you  remember one time when we were small, we were out here? It was from right over there, I jumped out at you from behind the tree,  and Grandpa got all excited, and he shook his fist at me and said, "Boy, you'll be damned to Hell!" Remember that? Right over there.
> 
> 
> I watched THE RAVEN and THE COMEDY OF TERRORS.
> 
> Both are a nice change of pace from the serious side--the comic antics between Vincent Price and Peter Lorre are especially amusing.
> 
> "That woman sir, was my wife."
> 
> "Left you huh?"
> 
> The latter film was a personal project of screenwriter Richard Matheson and I have to admit, it does have enduring laugh out loud moments for me.
> 
> 
> "I am afraid madam he has made his final crossing to that Stygian shore."
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "He's dead."



*Comedy of Terrors* was on TCM a few months ago, only the 2nd time I saw it. Wonderful film!  Karloff as a senile old man was great. I think this & *The Raven* essentially showed the old school horror genre actors handing the baton (as in a relay race) to the New. Lorre being the connecting link between them. Though, Karloff continued making horror films well into the 1960s.

*A & C meet the Mummy* was especially funny with the gag about the pick & the shovel. 

_*The Atomic Submarine*_ (1959)  -- I saw this way back during my early years with NF. Apparently, those aliens were the models for the ones on *The Simpsons*. I cannot recall much other than their physical appearance. 

*The House of Wax* (1953) just watched it a few minutes ago; now watching *The P & the P* in the PiP!  I will switch to full screen after reading my email.

*Masque of the Red Death* (1964) Price without the so-called 'camp' entertaining, without much if any humor.

Just started *House on Haunted Hill* (1959); this one, I have seen many times. It never gets old.

Returning to *the Pit & the Pendulum*, there was a pert of it, that I began watching in the PiP. After going to full screen, & was a bit lost, so I rewound about 10 minutes. Though I had seen the film numerous times, I had completely forgotten that 



Spoiler



the doctor and presumed dead Elizabeth were trying to drive Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) insane. But while they succeeded, their plot backfired, and led to the Pendulum scene.


 Thus, it was more entertaining than it otherwise would have been, because that part seemed new.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert, I should re-watch some of those. I saw most of them years ago on tv and there's no telling how much was cut for commercials. I did record _Theatre of Blood_ and _The Last Man on Earth_. I've never seen the latter (first filming of Richard Matheson's I am Legend) and only saw the former once, on tv as a movie of the week so, again, probably chopped a bit (and it co-stars Diana Rigg, so very re-watchable).

Randy M.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Anatomy of a Psycho* (1961)

Misleading title, probably meant to cash in on the recent popularity of *Anatomy of a Murder *and *Psycho*, for a low budget crime film.  Our antihero and his sister were raised by their older brother.  Older brother is on death row for killing a guy during a robbery.  Antihero freaks out when the execution takes place, plots revenge.  It's interesting to note that the revenge is aimed at the sons of the folks he blames for his brother's death.  First, he and his juvenile delinquent buddies put on hoods and beat up the son of the district attorney.  Next, he goes to a poolside party hosted by the son of the judge, at a luxurious home.  (This was filmed at some mansion in Colorado, and the mountain scenery is truly gorgeous, particularly when compared to the gritty look of the rest of the sets.  It's a pretty funny scene, too, with young folks all dressed up -- the judge's son objects to the fact that the hero shows up without a tie -- and dancing to both easy listening and rock 'n' roll.)  Complicating matters is the fact that the antihero's ex-girlfriend is at the party, having dumped him for the judge's son.  (You can tell what kind of a girl she is from the fact that she's the only female at the party in a tight, figure-fitting dress.  All the other women at the party are in flouncy dresses.  I've never seen so many swirling petticoats in my life.)  Anyway, antihero and the judge's son get in a fight.  Antihero smashes him into a mirror and sets the house on fire, burning it to the ground.  Last of all, antihero frames the son of the guy who witnessed the killing for the murder of one of his hoodlum pals.  Adding to his lust for revenge is the fact that the son of the witness is engaged to be married to the antihero's sister.  After these violent events, the film settles down into a sedate courtroom drama and a surprisingly quiet denouement.  It's a cheap, talky, poorly acted movie, with a few decent scenes.


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## J Riff

Dancing to quiet easy-listening music, outrageous!!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lady in Cement* (1968)

Frank Sinatra _is_ private eye Tony Rome!

Rome is a Miami-based PI who lives on a houseboat.  (Shades of Travis McGee.)  One day, while diving for sunken treasure with a buddy, he finds a dead woman with her feet in a block of cement.  A big, hulking guy (Dan Blocker) hires him to find a missing woman, who may or may not be the Lady in Cement.  (Shades of _Farewell, My Lovely_.)  This gets him mixed up with an alcoholic heiress (Raquel Welch), a crime boss trying to go straight, the son of the crime boss who is not so interested in going straight, go-go dancers, the owner of the go-go club and his bodyguard/boyfriend, cops, and assorted other characters.  Fistfights, gunfights, car chases, etc.  Nice scenes of Miami in the 1960's.  Sinatra looks like he'd rather be hanging out with the Rat Pack than tangling with hoods, and the film is more than a little comic, with lots of wisecracks.  It's an OK piece of light entertainment.

*Mean Johnny Barrows* (1975)

Fred Williamson _is_ Mean Johnny Barrows!

Action star Williamson directs himself for the first time.  He's a Vietnam vet who got dishonorably discharged despite winning the Silver Star.  It seems that, during a training session with fake land mines, an NCO sets him up to step on a live mine.  Only through his training and great caution does he escape alive.  Understandably, he punches the NCO, which gets him the discharge.  He winds up homeless on the streets of Los Angeles.  There's an improvised cameo by Elliot Gould as a homeless guy who calls himself Professor Theodore Rasputin Waterhouse.  Williamson eventually gets a lousy job cleaning a gas station, but his boss only gives him twenty-one bucks for a month's work.  Meanwhile, two rival Mafia families start a gang war.  Williamson eventually gets convinced to accept a job as a hit man for the slightly less evil of the two mob families.  (The other one wants to sell dope to minorities.  They run their business through a flower shop, and one of them is played by an oddly miscast Roddy McDowell.)  After more than an hour of social drama/Mafia drama, it turns into an action flick as Williamson puts on a snazzy white suit and wipes out the rival gang.  There's a downbeat ending that brings back Williamson's past.  Don't expect pulse-pounding excitement; for most of its length this is a story about the plight of a veteran trying to make his way in civilian life, plus a low-budget variation on *The Godfather*.  Notable for a funky theme song with lyrics about the inability of a vet trying to get a job, with the memorable chorus "peace is hell."


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## Alexa

Vince W said:


> *Red Sparrow*. Not what I was expecting, but rather a good film in the end. I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, and she was flat yet again, but for this role, it works. The most unbelievable part is her as a prima ballerina. It was like watching a seal in a tutu dance.



I watched it this week-end. Jennifer Lawrence is good playing rebel characters and this movie is no exception. There were moments when it was difficult to watch, like the killing and torture parts. I expected  some nudity scenes, but not so explicit. Not recommended for children this one.

I like rebel characters and I really enjoyed the moment when she asked a last time *Aren't you proud of me, my uncle ?*

You really don't believe she was the one dancing, do you ? They were careful not to show her face to close, so I'm pretty sure a real ballerina was dancing.


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## Graymalkin

*Contact* (1997) Faith and proof need each other.  I need to reread the book.


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## J Riff

_In Search of the Castaways -_ 1962 Hayley Mills, and I dint remember this one at all, but it has great looking sets and foolishness, a very good uncredited big cat appearance by a leopard or is that a jaguar? and Wilfrid Brambell being eccentric, plus volcanoes, avalanche, part of the Jules Verne trilogy it is.


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## dask

Really liked this when I saw it as a kid (of course Haley Mills was my first big crush). Should watch it again.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon* (1964)

_Mission: Impossible_ star Peter Lupus, under the pseudonym "Rock Stevens," has the title role in this sword-and-sandal epic.  Before the film begins, the Babylonians defeated a Greek fleet and captured a bunch of women as slaves.  Among them was the Queen of the Hellenes, who is also Hercules' main squeeze.  While searching for her, he bugs the Babylonians by defeating their armies during their slave raids by throwing big rocks at them and smashing them with his big club.  We cut away from Hercules for quite some time in order to set up a lot of political intrigues.  It seems that Babylon is ruled by two brothers and a sister.  The King of Assyria shows up with a huge amount of gold, offering it in exchange for their slaves.  It seems he knows that the Queen of the Hellenes is among them, and he wants to force her into marriage so he can rule both realms.  The Babylonians find out about this when the sister puts something in his drink that makes him tell the truth.  They try to kill him when he rides off, but Hercules rescues him.  This all leads to a convoluted series of double-crosses, as the King of the Assyrians pretends to work with Hercules, but plans to kill him; the Babylonians pretend to welcome Hercules, but plan to kill him; the three siblings all scheme against each other to become the one ruler; and Hercules manages to outsmart everybody.  This is a lot less campy than many films of the same genre, with no monsters, no supernatural elements, and not even the usual dance sequence.  Notable for a giant winch beneath the city of Babylon, connected to a bunch of chains, which are in turn connected to all the buildings in the place.  We're told that it was built by Daedalus, but not why.  It doesn't seem likely that you'd need a mechanical way to destroy the city, particularly one which requires one hundred slaves (or one strongman) to operate.  Also noteworthy is a scene stolen directly from *Spartacus*, in which a bunch of slaves all claim to be the Queen of the Hellenes in order to protect her.


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## Jeffbert

_*In Search of the Castaways* -_ 1962 I saw this a few years ago, but well after having read the novel. very good version, if I recall correctly.  I read all three of those novels. The film version of *Mysterious Island *was way off! 

*Contact* (1997)  Also saw this, about 2 years ago. Read at least one of C. Sagan's books, just not this one. 




Randy M. said:


> Jeffbert, I should re-watch some of those. I saw most of them years ago on tv and there's no telling how much was cut for commercials. I did record _Theatre of Blood_ and _The Last Man on Earth_. I've never seen the latter (first filming of Richard Matheson's I am Legend) and only saw the former once, on tv as a movie of the week so, again, probably chopped a bit (and it co-stars Diana Rigg, so very re-watchable).
> 
> Randy M.


I just love what VP's character did to Robert Morely's! Wait! Wiki says that was based on *Titus Andronicus*! 

*Dr. J & Mr. H* (silent version) I think Hyde was depicted entirely by posture & facial expression-- those & his long hair. Ironical that John Barrymore ruined his life with booze. 

*Mummy's Curse* (1944) essentially more of the same stuff.  Worth watching if you must see all the Universal mummy films. sequel to *The Mummy's Ghost *(1944), which is sequel to _*The Mummy's Tomb*_ (1942). Over the past month, I have seen all of these. 

*Blood from the Mummy's Tomb* (1971) Hammer abandoned the wrapped mummy deal, & instead, used a woman whose father is an Egyptologist (?) who is a bit too invested in his study. He gives her a ring that was worn by an ancient princess whom the classic mummy was to guard. The spirit of the princess (whose body is in papa's cellar) begins to influence the guy's daughter. 

*When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth* (1970) Also from Hammer; While the cavemen speak, there are no subtitles for translation. 'Akita' seems to be used very frequently, and means just about anything, so far as I could tell.

*Dead Sleep* (1990) Linda Blair as a nurse newly hired by an asylum. Here, the head psychiatrist has several patients in artificially induced comas, supposedly for therapeutic purposes. LB sees a few of them die, and has been harassed by a woman who protests the institute and its treatments. Soon, she is snooping  and photographing her boss' documents. 

Overly long and /or slow-paced.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Rock 'n roll horror (in more than one way) double feature:

*Terror on Tour* (1980)

Bottom-of-the-barrel slasher deals with a rock band with the members wearing black-and-white facial makeup, black wigs with orange streaks, and scarlet capes.  Somebody disguised the same way kills some groupies.  Could it be a band member, one of the roadies, their manager, or a fan?  That's pretty much all that happens.  There's a subplot in which a police lieutenant forces a woman with a criminal record to go undercover to investigate the murders, but it leads to nothing.  A real band called The Names (apparently no relation to the European band of the same name) plays the fake band, known as the Clowns.  Pretty boring and misogynistic stuff.

*Son of Dracula* (1974)

Not to be confused with the 1943 film of the same name, in which Lon Chaney, Jr., had the title role.  This one stars Harry Nilsson in the title role.  During the 19th century, Count Dracula (looking like Nosferatu) gets staked by an unseen person.  Countess Dracula is not killed, and also happens to be pregnant.  One hundred years later, Nilsson shows up in London.  It seems that Merlin (Ringo Starr in a cartoon wizard costume) has calculated that the stars are right for the son of Dracula (whose name is Count Downe) to be crowned as the King of the Netherworld.  Nilsson just wants to make music, become human, and win the love of a mortal woman.  Baron Frankenstein offers to help him do this, but he really just wants to kill Nilsson and become King.  Doctor Van Helsing shows up, and he genuinely wants to help Nilsson.  There's also a werewolf, a Frankenstein monster, and so on.  The story stops frequently to allow Nilsson to sing a song, with the help of the band the Count Downes (with members such as Peter Frampton and Keith Moon.)  Although this is called a comedy, there are no jokes except the very weak one of the son of Dracula's name.  Nilsson and Starr play their parts in dead serious monotones.  It's all like a dull Hallowe'en party for musicians.


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## Toby Frost

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Although this is called a comedy, there are no jokes



This is pretty much my entire memory of_ The Magic Christian_ and _How I Won The War_. A vague (and dated) sense of subversiveness was all that was required. Both were dismal.

The last film I saw was* Priest* (2011), which is probably best watched in the background, with the volume down and heavy metal on the stereo. The best thing was probably the editing: it was mercifully free of the bloatedness of many films like that. Some of the sets and machinery were cool. But overall, it wasn't good.


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## Anthoney

I recently saw* Alpha*.  The story of how a wolf first trained man to bring it food and water and take care of it when it's not well.


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## J Riff

/right. And i wartched _Sewers of Gold_, 1979... which is not about people making clothing from gold, but about tunneling in through the sewer system. Not the worst heist flick I've seen..


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## Parson

J Riff said:


> /right. And i wartched _Sewers of Gold_, 1979... which is not about people making clothing from gold, but about tunneling in through the sewer system. Not the worst heist flick I've seen..



Damned by faint praise.


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## J Riff

Well... the guy who plans the heist... he gets caught too but he's already given all the money to some real bad group...so it's like, political or something.
_Sharknado 6_ - what, there was a part 5? yes - _Global Swarming,_ then _'It's About Time'_ - whence they gots to go back and stop the first ever Sharknado... and there's dinosaurs and a giant chainsaw to look at too.


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## Al Jackson

dask said:


> *The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes*. Ida Lupino!



Makes me think of *Young Sherlock Holmes.* I have seen references to it that 1985 film does not hold up well.
Watched it again a few weeks ago, I think it holds up well enough.
It is a riff on Holmes that is totally outside of Doyle it is a pretty good film.
Another quite unusual Holmes movie is* Murder By Decree* 1979, with what I think are the best Holmes and Watson of all time, Christopher Plummer and James Mason. The cast for that film was a who's who of English cinema in 1979.


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## Toby Frost

I used to love *Young Sherlock Holmes*. The scene with the stained glass window - one of the first uses of CGI, if I remember rightly - stands up very well.


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## Randy M.

Al, I second your recommendations. I recall seeing _Young Sherlock Holmes_ in a small theater. My wife and I were having a good time, laughing at the silliness of some of it. The rest of the audience seemed totally unaware of the humor. (And some seemed unaware there was a movie playing.)

_Murder by Decree_ is one of my favorite Holmes movies, too, and I was struck on reading Alan Moore's From Hell to see the similarities between the plots, which I believe Moore acknowledged in his afterwards. If you haven't seen it, the 1960s movie, _A Study in Terror _might be of interest to you; again, Holmes vs the Ripper, and once again Frank Finlay playing Lestrade. 

I'm probably repeating myself from past exchanges, but ...

One of the odder background facts concerning _Murder by Decree_ is that the director, Bob Clarke, had previously directed _Black Christmas_, a precursor of slasher films and, I believe, an influence on John Carpenter, and went on to direct _Porky's_ one of the stupidest teen sex movies of the early '80s (which is certainly saying something) and also one of the biggest box-office winners of its year. The success of _Porky's _and its sequel provided the financing for another project, _A Christmas Story_. I'd be hard pressed to think of a director with four more distinct movies in her/his resume.

Randy M.


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## Parson

Randy M. said:


> One of the odder background facts concerning _Murder by Decree_ is that the director, Bob Clarke, had previously directed _Black Christmas_, a precursor of slasher films and, I believe, an influence on John Carpenter, and went on to direct _Porky's_ one of the stupidest teen sex movies of the early '80s (which is certainly saying something) and also one of the biggest box-office winners of its year. The success of _Porky's _and its sequel provided the financing for another project, _A Christmas Story_. I'd be hard pressed to think of a director with four more distinct movies in her/his resume.



I have a hard time thinking that this could be true. Such range is mind boggling.


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## Anthoney

The* Outlaw King*.  I liked it.  It feels more personal than grand.  I'm not judging accuracy but just that it held my attention and I didn't feel like I wasted my time. 

If I had a complaint it would be that this should have been a mini series at least 6 episodes long.  Things were skipped for times sake and it ends when things were just starting.


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## svalbard

*Outlaw King. *

A dull telling of Robert The Bruce's rise to power. The acting was ok. I thought Chris Pine was good as Robert, Stephen Dillane made for an excellent Edward I and Taylor-Johnson was also watchable as The Black Douglas. However the script left the actors down, it lacked the urgency and drama of, dare I say it, Braveheart. The history was cobbled together with a ridiculous duel between The Bruce and Edward II at an otherwise excellently shout Battle of Bannockburn. Ultimately I was not disappointed with the movie because I did not hold any great hopes for it.


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## svalbard

Correction to my above post. The final battle is Louden Hill not Bannockburn. But still very well done.


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## Jeffbert

*Curse of the Mummy's Tomb* (1964) Hammer, but apparently earned a bad review. Not only are there the archaeologists, all Brits, but there is an American (Fred Clark) who financed the expedition, who wants to show the items in a travelling show. This idea, irks the scientists, who hate the cheapening of their work. With the commercial element, this film seemed a fresh start on an otherwise stale genre. Clark is known for portraying characters of this type, reminds me of William Castle! 

*Pharaoh's Curse* (1957) a so-called mummy movie, without a mummy. But there is a supernatural guy who is killing the archaeologists. Made by a guy called "one shot" for his cheapness. 

*Mysterious Doctor* (1943) DURING WWII, AN English mining town's central place of employment is idle because the miners believe it is haunted by a murder-ghost. at just under an hour, this one was o.k.; but only because of its brevity. 

*From Beyond the Grave* (1974) An anthology of 4 stories tied together by the central character (Peter Cushing) who runs a curiosity shop called *Temptations Limited*. These people buy or steal items that have consequences. The 1st customer, wants to buy a military decoration/medallion to gain the respect of a peddler (Donald Pleasence) who wears a few of them, himself. But PC will not sell him one, unless he has the papers to prove that he earned it. So, he steals it. Gains the peddler's respect, but, in the end, wishes he had not. The others follow the same pattern. Amicus made this one, & it is really well done Twilight Zone - type irony.

& another anthology film,

*Black Sabbath* () Boris Karloff introduces the stories, but they are not tied together, as was the case above. Reminds me that I still have not watched much *Night Gallery* (on HULU). So far, I have just watched the 1st story. But it was very good. a medium had died in the midst of a seance, and a rather horrible/hilarious expression was frozen on her face. So the woman comes to dress the corpse for burial, and thinks that the ring on its finger would be wasted in a stuffy old coffin, so she steals it. Bad move. Same irony as above.


----------



## Rodders

I was very fortunate to have been sent to Tokyo this weekend. Out Friday, Land Saturday and return today. Exhausting, but awesome. As you can imagine, I watched a few movies on the flight. 

Deadpool 2. I enjoyed a lot and thought that it was nearly as good as the original. Loved the final scenes. 

Ready Player One. I loved the book, but kinda felt let down by the movie. Enjoyable enough but I found that I couldn't suspend my belief to enjoy it too much.

Tomb Raider. Meh. (I wonder what happened to Alicia Vikander. She was everywhere then poof...) 

Game Night. Great fun! 

Tag. I really wanted to hate this, but actually found it quite entertaining. 

Life of the Party. I avoided Melissa McCarthy's movies for quite a while, but I have to say that I have enjoyed what I've seen and find her very likeable. 

Father Figures. Not funny, not drama, but a really enjoyable movie about two brothers connecting and what it means to be a parent.


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## Jeffbert

*PANIC IN THE STREETS* (1950) I was about to watch THE SNIPER (1952), but Muller mentioned this title in his intro to that, so, I started with this. This is Jack Palace's film debut. He owns what appears to be a laundry mat, but the opening scene has him in a shady poker game. The lucky winner has had enough, but JP wants to win back his money from the guy, who has been complaining of feeling ill. He goes out, but JP sends henchmen, one of them Zero Mostel. (who is not known for this type of film) They shoot and kill the guy, recover the money, & this seems to be a standard crime drama. But, the ME finds evidence of serious illness, & sends for authorities. Enter Lieutenant Commander Clinton Reed (Richard Widmark), who examines the corpse, and concludes that he had pneumonic plague.  He has a rather tough time, getting the police chief & the mayor to understand the seriousness of the situation. He wants to inoculate everyone who came into contact with the guy, but the M & the PC are all about the difficulties of tracking them down, and their rights being violated, etc.  RW says absolutely no news coverage, because the carriers would flee along with many others; hence the title.

Definitely earned its four star rating.


*THE SNIPER* (1952) As noted above, this was a NOIR ALLEY presentation. a loser with the ladies, takes out his frustration on random women. The people are demanding that the cops end the terror, but how? The sniper even sends a note to the cops telling them to stop him. Adolphe Menjou is the police LT., a very different role from his earlier films, most of them comedies.  Very tense, though not as much as *PANIC IN THE STREETS. *

Muller stated that this film, though not well received when 1st released, started the psycho-mass killer genre.


*THE HUMAN MONSTER* (1939) titled *The Dark Eyes of London* in the UK, Lugosi as an ex-physician, who is now an insurance broker; who also runs a charity institute for blind men.  He lends his customers money using their life insurance policies as collateral. He is named as the beneficiary, and they, conveniently, die..


----------



## Cathbad

*Knock Knock*  (2015)

This movie is well beneath Keanu Reeves' talent.  It boggles my mind wondering why he agreed to star in this movie!?

This movie went nowhere.  Two young women show up, soaked by rain, at Keanu's door.  After much hem and hawing on his part, he lets them in and, when they "realize" they are on the wrong street, he calls an Uber for them.  These two beautiful, young women do everything they can to get him to have sex with them - and finally, he concedes.

After that, it jut gets wierd.  They prove sadistic and evil, telling him they were only 15 (they were supposed to be 17, I guess, but the actresses were surely in their mid to late 20s, so even that didn't work), started torturing him, ala _A Clockwork Orange_.  I kept wondering what their end game was?   Apparently, they never had one.

I'm not sure what director Eli Roth was trying to say/convey in this movie, but I am sure it failed saying it.

This was little more than a T & A movie - but on't get your hopes up even there - it showed a lot less than most such movies.  _Porky's_ would be a better choice for that, and at least _Porky's_ had a (dumb) story to tell!


----------



## J Riff

Yes, and _ASTRO-ZOMBIES_ has a better dance scene, woohoop*)


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## Randy M.

*Theater of Blood* (1973) dir. Douglas Hickox; starring Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry

After we watched this movie, my wife told me it was corny. I agreed, and told her it was corny at the time of release and, I think, was meant to be.

A Shakespearean actor is driven to attempt suicide by what he feels an unjust lack of recognition of his accomplishments, bad reviews and the awarding of a major prize to a “twitching, mumbling boy who can barely grunt his way through an incomprehensible performance!” (Thank you, IMDB.)  As a consequence revenge obsesses him and he begins killing his critics with a variety of methods derived from Shakespeare.

This was pretty near the end of Price’s heyday as a horror leading man, which began with _House of Wax_ in 1953, and just after the major success of _The Abominable Dr. Phibes_ movies (1971, 1972). He’s obviously enjoying the chance to chew the scenery, taking on various characters, quoting from Shakespeare, making grand gestures, and it all works in context. He’s ably assisted by Rigg, also enjoying herself though less flamboyantly, and Hendry and a who’s who of British character actors still working at the time like Robert Morley (the most queasily shocking murder in the move and so the one most discussed in my high school corridors way back when), Jack Hawkins, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews and Diana Dors.


Randy M.


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## Graymalkin

MANDY 2018 
Was getting kind of worried with Nicholas Cage. But this violent and knowing revenge thriller allows the Elvis-lipped face actor a more spirited workout. Watch for the vomiting Cheddar Goblin in a shop near you. Lurid, psychedelic, unnerving and funny. Bill Duke's brief appearance captivates.
 I must see Beyond the Black Rainbow, also directed by Panos Cosmatos.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I finally got around to watching *The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* (2001), *The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers* (2002) and *The Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King* (2003), all in one long day at home.  I can't add much to what has already been said about these epic films.  I'll just note that I am not a Tolkien purist, so I have no quibbles with any changes made.  The production values were excellent.  I don't know if I really needed so many long battle sequences.


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## Rodders

These are still on my list of movies that I need to watch.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*On the Threshold of Space* (1956)

Documentary-style drama dealing with an Air Force physician who goes through a bunch of dangerous tests at the dawn of the Space Age.  He checks out an ejection seat that broke the arm of a pilot; parachutes from a high-altitude balloon; rides a super-fast rocket sled; and finally goes to an extremely high altitude in another balloon.  It's all very technical and, I presume, extremely accurate, if not much of a story.


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## Graymalkin

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> . I don't know if I really needed so many long battle sequences


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## svalbard

svalbard said:


> *Outlaw King. *
> 
> A dull telling of Robert The Bruce's rise to power. The acting was ok. I thought Chris Pine was good as Robert, Stephen Dillane made for an excellent Edward I and Taylor-Johnson was also watchable as The Black Douglas. However the script left the actors down, it lacked the urgency and drama of, dare I say it, Braveheart. The history was cobbled together with a ridiculous duel between The Bruce and Edward II at an otherwise excellently shout Battle of Bannockburn. Ultimately I was not disappointed with the movie because I did not hold any great hopes for it.



A sign of madness replying to my own post  

However on a second viewing this is a much better movie than I first gave it credit. It still has it flaws and I would have liked to have seen the uncut version released. It is the performances from the cast that lifts the movie from a humdrum script and the cinematography is topnotch. The Battle of Louden is a highlight and gets across the horror of close combat fighting. You do come away thinking that such fighting must have had serious psychological impacts upon the combatants.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Unique African-American filmmakers double feature:

*Go Down, Death!* (1944)

Religious fable from actor/director Spencer Williams, famous for the theological fantasy/allegory *The Blood of Jesus* (1941) (and infamous for starring in *Amos and Andy*[1951-1953] on television.)  A preacher is stealing Sunday business away from a shady nightclub, so the owner (Williams himself) tricks the preacher into being photographed with booze and shady ladies.  The nightclub owner's foster mother is a pious woman who berates him for his sleazy scheme.  They fight over the photographs and he kills her, placing the blame on a burglar.  After her funeral, during which the preacher recites the well-known poem that gives the film its title, the killer is haunted by his conscience, sees scenes of Hell (stolen from the 1911 Italian film *L'Inferno*; you can clearly see scenes of Virgil leading Dante past the tortured souls featured in _The Divine Comedy_), and dies.  That's all that happens in a film that runs less than an hour, although time is filled up with jazz and jitterbugging.  The filming is primitive in the extreme.  Although not as effective as the surreal climax of *The Blood of Jesus*, the final sequence, of the murderer running away from the booming voice of his own conscience, has a certain power.

*The Human Tornado* (1976)

Comedian/actor Rudy Ray Moore stars as his recurring character Dolemite in this eccentric blaxploitation film.  We start with Dolemite's raunchy nightclub comedy act, which consists of insulting members of the audience in obscene ways.  At a party at Dolemite's fancy house, some cartoonish racist rednecks show up, including a sheriff.  Bad timing, because the sheriff's wife is in bed with Dolemite.  In the first of many, many scenes where farce and bloodshed alternate, the sheriff has his deputy kill his wife.  Dolemite kills the deputy and runs off to California with some buddies.  (They kidnap a wildly stereotyped gay man in order to use his car.)  In Los Angeles, they get involved in helping a nightclub owner who is being forced to close down by a rival who has kidnapped two of the women working for her.  Lots of nightclub acts and martial arts battles follow.  There's also a bizarre sex scene between Dolemite and the rival's wife which has to be seen to be believed.  The mood of the film varies constantly from broad comedy to violent action.  Constant swearing, frequent female nudity (and a bit from Dolemite), endless racial invective; something to offend everyone.


----------



## Jeffbert

*What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?* (1962) Two aging ex starlet sisters are living together in a townhouse; one (Joan Crawford) is a paraplegic (though her exact condition is not stated with certainty until near the end; it suffices that she cannot walk) and is confined to the second floor. Her more famous, title character (Bette Davis), waits on her out of a feeling of guilt for injuring her while drunken; but she resents her, and treats her cruelly.  and is learning to forge her signature, so she can cash her checks. 

This was tough to watch at first, and I almost turned it off. Some of its elements reminded me of unpleasant things in my own life. Jane was at least to me very unattractive; in fact, downright ugly. Her sister also was showing her age, but her face could have been that of Jane's daughter, such was the difference in their faces. Very tense film!


*Frozen Dead* (1967) This was unintentionally funny; reminded me of The Brain that Would Not Die.  20 years after the end of WWII, a mad scientist Nazi had been living in England for years, and was a respected member of the community. He had been experimenting with thawing frozen Nazis, with limited success; only their brains were not quite working right. Two Nazi big shots come to visit him, and demand revival of 1500 frozen Nazi leaders immediately. The scientist's assistant, a Nazi henchman, had reported success a bit prematurely, and these two had come. 

Adding to the scientist's troubles, his niece has come to visit, bringing her friend with her. The assistant takes it upon himself, to kill the niece's friend, so the Scientist will have the fresh, living brain to play with. Thoroughly entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

That's quite a double feature.  I've seen both.  Davis' performance in the first one is truly amazing.  The other one is campy, but not quite as goofy as *They Saved Hitler's Brain*.


----------



## Parson

I almost feel as I shouldn't be posting here as the movie I last saw was not at least decades old.

Yesterday I took my grandsons to see _The Grinch. _I absolutely loved it. It gave the Grinch a backstory and a reason for his actions and a believable reason for transformation. I also loved it that Cindy Lou Who becomes a full character in an understandable household. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and is so true to Dr. Zeus' vision it's hard to believe.

It's better than the original, which I thought was very good. It only  loses to the original in terms of music. It is miles better than Jim Carrey's never to be panned enough live action.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Mark Forest _is_ Goliath-in-name-only double feature:

*Goliath and the Dragon* (1960)

American version of an Italian flick in which the hero was actually Hercules.  In the dubbed version, he's named Emilius but is always known by the nickname Goliath.  The convoluted plot is based loosely on myths of Hercules, so I'll call him that.  We start with Hercules completing what seems to be the last of the legendary labors.  He has to go into the "cave of horrors" (which appears to be Hades; it's even got Cerberus for Hercules to battle) to retrieve the "blood diamond" for the "god of vengeance."  (Thanks, off-screen narrator!)  The bad guy (Broderick Crawford, of all people) wants Hercules to be killed by the dragon in the cave so he can invade the land ruled by the demigod.  Hercules gets the diamond, after beating up the fire-breathing three-headed dog and a monster that kind of looks like an ape with bat wings.  After this, he just wants to lead a peaceful life with his wife and kids.  Complications ensue because the young brother of Hercules (his oldest son in the original movie) is in love with a woman who. . . Well, let's just say that the palace intrigue scenes get really complicated, with lots of characters plotting against each other.  It all comes down to Hercules battling bad guys, beating up monsters, smashing buildings to bits, and so on.  He finally fights the dragon at the very end.  (Stop motion animation scenes of the dragon by a young Jim Danforth were added to the original not-very-convincing special effects.)  Tons of supernatural stuff happens, from prophecies that must come true, to the sun being blotted out by an angry god, to a centaur who sometimes appears as a faun.  It's all goofy low-budget fun.

*Goliath and the Sins of Babylon* (1963)

This time Mark Forest appears without the beard he wore as Hercules.  The character he's playing is really Maciste, who shows up in a zillion Italian sword-and-sandal epics.  He shows up in a land conquered by Babylon, who demand thirty beautiful virgins each year as tribute.  Along with some other musclemen who pretend to be gladiators, he joins a rebellion against the oppressors.  More palace intrigue:  The puppet ruler of the conquered land is the son of the king killed in battle with Babylon.  He gets to keep the throne until his sister marries and her husband becomes king.  The implication is that the new ruler, whoever it is, won't be so friendly to Babylon.  By law, the only man who can marry the sister is one who can beat her in a chariot race.  The loser forfeits his life.  What with one thing and another, Maciste winds up racing against the sister, who is in love with one of the rebels and so has no intention of letting Maciste win.  No supernatural elements, but plenty of fighting and better-than-average production values.  The chariot race is nicely done, and there's a naval battle which makes use of two full-sized ships instead of models.  There's also a midget sidekick around to provide slapstick comedy relief.


----------



## Cathbad

*An Adventure in Space and Time*  (2013)

A wonderfully told tale of the first few years of the *Dr. Who* series.

David Bradley plays William Hartnell, the very first incarnation of The Doctor.  He plays the role so expertly, I had to remind myself that he wasn't W. Hartnell!

Bradley gives us Hartnell's personal side, at a time in his life when things were very good... but life - especially age - was also interfering.  He made us love and cry for Hartnell.  And along the way, he and the director showed how both Dr. Who _and_ William Hartnell influenced and changed each other.

I can't believe it took me six years to see this movie.  My advice?  See it - and quick!


----------



## Jeffbert

Two with Bela Lugosi:
*The Corpse Vanishes* (1947) BL is stealing the corpses of young brides who collapse at the altar, & essentially transfusing their life force or youth, into his aged wife, which temporally restores her youth.  

*Bowery at Midnight *(1942) By day, BL is a university professor, by night, he runs a soup kitchen, whose customers are mainly criminals. He forces them to steal or kill for him. When they outlive their usefulness, he kills them, & buries them in the cellar. 


Spoiler



But the doctor who works for him, had secretly revived many of them, and hidden them in a sub basement below the graves in the cellar. How did he hollow-out that area? 



*The Threat* (1949) NOIR ALLEY film. An actor whom I had not heard of, when I wrote a previous review, becomes prominent in this film. Charles McGraw as an escaped criminal, who swore revenge against the cop & the DA who put him in prison. His name was third from the top on the movie poster, but he was the lead character. Tense, & well done!


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *The Threat* (1949) NOIR ALLEY film. An actor whom I had not heard of, when I wrote a previous review, becomes prominent in this film. Charles McGraw as an escaped criminal, who swore revenge against the cop & the DA who put him in prison. His name was third from the top on the movie poster, but he was the lead character. Tense, & well done!



Agreed. The premise is a little like _The Petrified Forest_ or _Key Largo _though not as well developed, but McGraw takes it over and you're interested to see what he'll do next.

I recall McGraw vaguely from TV appearances when I was a kid, so finding that for a brief time he had a shot at being a leading man is a bit surprising. It's interesting to me how many poor choices studios in the late '40s into the '60s made when promoting potential male stars (if bland was a cash crop they'd have been multi-billionaires -- yeah, I'm looking at you Farley Granger and Tab Hunter, among others), while a guy that could hold the camera like McGraw was shuttled aside.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> Two with Bela Lugosi:
> *The Corpse Vanishes* (1947) BL is stealing the corpses of young brides who collapse at the altar, & essentially transfusing their life force or youth, into his aged wife, which temporally restores her youth.



1942, actually.

My review from almost fourteen years ago:

The Corpse Vanishes - Bela Lugosi Part Four

Short version:  Short on plot logic, long on Gothic mood.  I always like to see Elizabeth Russell in this kind of role; she manages to be striking and exotic and sinister.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Steve Reeves plays fast and loose with ancient history double feature:

*The Last Days of Pompeii* (1959)

Reeves is a centurion returning to the doomed city after a successful military campaign.  While he's been gone, bandits in black hoods have been invading the homes of the prominent citizens, stealing their riches, killing them, and leaving crosses written on their houses.  Of course, this is all a plot by the Bad Guys to blame the persecuted Christian minority for the crimes.  Reeves seeks justice for the slaughter of his relatives.  Add in a kindhearted thief, the blind Christian slave he loves, her mistress (who acts more like her Best Friend Forever) who is leaning towards adopting the new religion, the BFF's father who is the decent but ineffectual head honcho of the city, his scheming concubine, and the sinister priest of Isis she's working with, and you've got plenty of plot.  Stir in lots of soldiers, gladiators, and wild beasts for Reeves to beat up, and you've got plenty of action.  Top it all with the destruction of the city at the very end of the film and you've got an epic.  The production values are quite good, with gorgeous sets and costumes.

*The Giant of Marathon* (1959)

Reeves is a farm boy who wins the Olympic Games.  Athens awards him the honor of joining an elite military unit that guards the Temple of Athena.  This gets him mixed up with a fellow who plans to rule Athens by letting the Persians conquer the city.  Reeves falls in love at first sight with the woman betrothed to the villain as a child.  The villain tries to win Reeves to his cause by having his mistress use her feminine wiles on him.  This has no effect on him, but she falls in love with him.  Complications ensue, which lead to Reeves thinking the woman he loves is using him on behalf of the villain.  He goes back to his farm.  The leader of the elite temple guard brings him back to Athens when the Persians arrive.  Reeves journeys to Sparta (defeating the small army of assassins sent by the villain) to win their support in the war with the Persians.  The Battle of Marathon follows, with Reeves making the famous run from Marathon to Athens at one point.  The romantic entanglements get straightened out, and lots of fighting follows.  There's a pretty interesting underwater battle scene with Greek divers attacking Persian ships from below.


----------



## J Riff

_Oceans 8_ - possibly the least believable heist you will ever see, but it's all good looking women pulling it off, so...
_The Predator_ 2018  - lots shooting, soldiers, two Predators... and 2 stars outa ten, just never gets interesting despite endless cursing and shooting and of course a kid and his video games involved.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Sharply contrasting blaxploitation double feature:

*Brotherhood of Death* (1976)

Three buddies leave a small North Carolina town to join the military.  They learn guerrilla tactics from an officer while in Vietnam (which looks just like North Carolina.)  In an oddly irrelevant scene, one of the three obtains some pure heroin and sells it to another soldier who is going to cut it and sell it to users.  Mind you, this is one of our heroes.  Back in North Carolina, racial violence builds up to the point where the KKK kills a white sheriff (just because he'd rather keep the peace than oppress the local African-American populace) and places the blame on our heroes.  Can you predict that this leads to a military-style war on the Klan?  Right, but this only happens near the end of the film.  The heroes begin by organizing a get-out-the-vote effort to try to get the corrupt, racist politicians out of office.  This leads to the Klan burning down a church, and so on.  Obviously made on a tiny budget, with little-known actors, the film manages to have a gritty sense of reality which helps to overcome its many technical limitations.  Notable for the speech by the head Klansman which seems like a frighteningly believable version of the KKK's philosophy, and for scenes of a real billboard promoting the KKK which stood in North Carolina at the time the film was made.

*One Down, Two to Go* (1982)

Coming late in the genre, this movie combines the talents of four action superstars:  Jim Kelly, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Fred Williamson, who also wrote and directed.  Kelly is the coach for a kickboxing team.  Roundtree is his PR man.  They find out the opponents tried to fix the fight by putting metal weights in their boxing gloves.  Kelly gets shot after beating up some of the bad guy's hoods.  The good guys win the match anyway, but don't get the money coming to them.  Roundtree contacts Brown and Williamson (who seem to be professional tough guys) to get the cash.  Fights, shootings, and explosions follow.  Despite the heavy-duty cast, it's standard action fare.  The four stars don't spend that much time working together.  Slickly filmed on a moderate budget, which may be one of its shortcomings.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Trojan Horse* (1961)

Steve Reeves is the mighty Trojan warrior Aeneas in this retelling of the _Iliad_.  It begins even more _in media res_ than Homer, with Achilles dragging the body of Hector behind his chariot, having killed the Trojan in revenge for the killing of his beloved friend Patroclus.  Aeneas goes with the Trojan King Priam, Hector's father, to claim the body.  The Greeks are having athletic games, so this leads to Aeneas battling Ajax, the mightiest Greek warrior, in a no-holds-barred fighting match.  Aeneas wins, of course, and the war goes on.  As you can see from this brief description of the start of the film, it helps to be familiar with Homer (and maybe also Virgil's _Aeneid_.)  It's a lush production, with impressive sets, costumes, and battles.  It's interesting to see lots and lots of characters from the myths of the Trojan War come to life.  No supernatural elements, except for the fact that Cassandra makes accurate predictions about the future and only Aeneas believes her.  Of note is the fact that there are good and bad folks on both sides.  In this version of the story, Helen is a shameless adulteress instead of a captive.  Paris is cowardly and treasonous.  These two only scheme for themselves.  On the Greek side, Achilles is honorable, refusing to join the other Greeks when they break a truce in order to attack the Trojan allies that Aeneas goes off to fetch.  Odysseus (called Ulysses here, but I'm going going to go with Homer's version) is a clever and sneaky fellow with no scruples about cheating in order to win the war.   Overall, it's quite entertaining.


----------



## Jeffbert

1942? I stand corrected. 

*Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte* (1965) An unsolved murder from decades ago, leads to an elderly woman clinging to the family home, while construction/destruction crew are there to bulldoze the place flat.

Trelane as the annoying reporter  Gotta love those guys who had roles, especially more than one, on Star Trek TOS! I do not think I can say more about it, without spoilers. 

*The Magician *(*1926*) guy needs virgin's heart blood to create life. Also has hypnotic gaze similar to Dracula's, that makes females helpless. 

*Dead of Night* (1945) 4 or 5 stories tied together with a group of people trying to convince a psychiatrist that their belief in the supernatural cannot be logically refuted. One of these stories *The Hearse Driver *became the inspiration for The Twilight Zone's episode called "22"; or was it the story that inspired *he Hearse Driver*? Another one featured a mirror as was also in *Beyond the Grave*, which I mentioned earlier. Thoroughly entertaining.

Looking at the wiki page for this film, there were other parts that were remade in *TTZ* episodes.  It must have been more than a few years, since I binged that series, else I should have seen the similarities. 
-------------------------------------------
*Havana Widows *(1933) Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell as showgirls who go to Cuba in hopes of finding a rich American and suing him for sexual things. So, to get the money for travel, they give Herman Brody (Allen Jenkins) a sob story about mother or aunt in the midwest, who needs surgery. Jenkins (who will eventually portray the sole occupant of the old criminals' home in a BATMAN episode) is the bodyguard for the local gangster, and buys the sob story, forges his boss' signature on a $1500 check, believing the girls will repay him in a week. Deacon Jones (Guy Kibbee) is the sucker they hope to photograph in an embarrassing situation, & Frank McHugh as Duffy, the shyster laywer who hopes to sue him.  Good show! 

*Kansas City Princess* (1934) Blondell & Farrell, as similarly financially destitute gold-diggers, hoping to escape lives as manicurists. Hugh Herbert as Junior Ashcraft, a millionaire they meet on a cruise to Paris. Dynamite  Carson (Robert Armstrong (guy who brought King Kong to the big city)) the gangster who wants to marry Rosie Sturges (Blondell), and has thrust upon her an undesired engagement ring. Unfortunately, one of Dynamite's friends steals the ring, & the girls, fearing his anger, flee. 

These are fairly short WB comedies, fitting nicely in 75 minute time slots, with room to spare.


----------



## Rodders

Batman VS. superman. 

I kinda liked it.


----------



## Vince W

*Mission Impossible: Fallout*. The latest instalment in the MI franchise and the best since the first one. It was still a tad overlong in places, but at least it had genuine moments where things felt kind of 'impossible'. If it weren't for the ghastly hamminess of Simon Pegg, this film could have been a real nail-biter. Instead, it's a very good action film with some elements of what made the first film so memorable.


----------



## Al Jackson

Just watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs for a second time. Have not seen a better western since the 2010 True Grit.
Tho I did like Hell and High Water and The Homesman.
I suppose nobody saw The Homesman?


----------



## Al Jackson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Trojan Horse* (1961)
> 
> Steve Reeves is the mighty Trojan warrior Aeneas in this retelling of the _Iliad_.  It begins even more _in media res_ than Homer, with Achilles dragging the body of Hector behind his chariot, having killed the Trojan in revenge for the killing of his beloved friend Patroclus.  Aeneas goes with the Trojan King Priam, Hector's father, to claim the body.  The Greeks are having athletic games, so this leads to Aeneas battling Ajax, the mightiest Greek warrior, in a no-holds-barred fighting match.  Aeneas wins, of course, and the war goes on.  As you can see from this brief description of the start of the film, it helps to be familiar with Homer (and maybe also Virgil's _Aeneid_.)  It's a lush production, with impressive sets, costumes, and battles.  It's interesting to see lots and lots of characters from the myths of the Trojan War come to life.  No supernatural elements, except for the fact that Cassandra makes accurate predictions about the future and only Aeneas believes her.  Of note is the fact that there are good and bad folks on both sides.  In this version of the story, Helen is a shameless adulteress instead of a captive.  Paris is cowardly and treasonous.  These two only scheme for themselves.  On the Greek side, Achilles is honorable, refusing to join the other Greeks when they break a truce in order to attack the Trojan allies that Aeneas goes off to fetch.  Odysseus (called Ulysses here, but I'm going going to go with Homer's version) is a clever and sneaky fellow with no scruples about cheating in order to win the war.   Overall, it's quite entertaining.


The Iliad has proven to be hard to make as a movie. _Helen of Troy_ 1956 was serious try , tho alas a bit clumsy.
Wolfgang Petersen's Troy , 2004, was a really good try, but in the end seemed to defeat Petersen …...
The whole narrative of  the epic poem is odd it is going to take someone with an extraordinary imagination to make a visual narrative of it.


----------



## WarriorMouse

Al Jackson said:


> Just watched The Ballad of Buster Scruggs for a second time. Have not seen a better western since the 2010 True Grit.
> Tho I did like Hell and High Water and The Homesman.
> I suppose nobody saw The Homesman?



 I found the Buster Scruggs story mildly amusing in its absurdity but the following stories were slow, predictable and dull. I switched it off towards the end and watched a rerun of Inspector Lewis instead.


----------



## Droflet

*First Man.* 
The story of Neil Armstrong. Boring.


----------



## Rodders

The Justice League. Entertaining enough, but disappointed that the plot was basically a rehash of The Avengers Assemble. 

Wonder Woman. I enjoyed this, but it is a pretty routine origin story.


----------



## Cathbad

Droflet said:


> *First Man.*
> The story of Neil Armstrong. Boring.


I haven't seen it yet, but this is just what I though seeing the commercials for it.  "If these scenes represent the best parts of the movie, it's a boring one!"


----------



## Anthoney

Over the weekend I rewatched both the original* Battlestar Galactica* (1978) and* Buck Rogers in the 25th Century* (1979).  These movies came about in opposite ways.  BSG was released as a TV pilot but was then re-cut, remastered and released in theaters with the brand new Sensurround sound.

Buck Rogers was first released in theaters and was reasonably successful making 22 million on a 3.5 million dollar budget.   The same year it was re-cut and broadcast on TV as a pilot.

Many of the effects in both films are the same.  They both used new technologies developed for Star Wars.  Still BSG was the better done film.  Acting, writing and music were all superior.

Of course they both had stupid robot comic relief in the form of Twiggy for Buck Rogers and for BSG it was Muffit.  Muffit was a chimp in a robot dog costume.


----------



## Cathbad

Anthoney said:


> Of course they both had stupid robot comic relief in the form of Twiggy for Buck Rogers and for BSG it was Muffit. Muffit was a chimp in a robot dog costume.


Hey, Mister!!!  Don't you go dissing my man Muffit!!


----------



## Al Jackson

Rodders said:


> The Justice League. Entertaining enough, but disappointed that the plot was basically a rehash of The Avengers Assemble.
> 
> Wonder Woman. I enjoyed this, but it is a pretty routine origin story.



I found Wonder Woman surprising as an comic book origin story , the framing of this movie was different from any comic book movie I had seen since The Dark Knight. The whole sequence with the Amazons on  Themyscira was clever in fact I would like to see a whole Amazon movie is they had a good story. The WWI setting was unique for a recent comic book film. The ending was alas , too calculated and a bit silly.


----------



## REBerg

*Tomb Raider (2018)*
Entertainingly action-packed, but I think Ava is destined for better things.


----------



## Jeffbert

Al Jackson said:


> The Iliad has proven to be hard to make as a movie. _Helen of Troy_ 1956 was serious try , tho alas a bit clumsy.
> Wolfgang Petersen's Troy , 2004, was a really good try, but in the end seemed to defeat Petersen …...
> The whole narrative of  the epic poem is odd it is going to take someone with an extraordinary imagination to make a visual narrative of it.


I read the Iliad some years ago, recall the various warriors taunting their enemies by telling them how they will defile their corpses. No women will mourn for them, etc. Prairie Home Companion had a Six Minute Iliad, with voices of Jack Nicholson as Achilles, Elvis P. as (the) King Agamemnon, Mr. Rogers was in there as someone, etc. Quite funny. 

Three Bowery Boys films, all from TCM Halloween month. These guys started in films as a gang, became The Dead End Kids, & finally, The BB. Most of these films were about one hour long, all were B-grade. As the BB, they hang out in Louie's Sweet Shop, the center of their activities.  'Slip' Mahoney as the leader, Sach, as his dimwitted sidekick, Gabe, as the only one who is anywhere near behaving as an adult, has various respectable jobs, etc. The others are supporting cast. Louie is played by Slip's actual father, and both are noticeably short. 

*Spook Busters* (1946) Not Ghost Busters; Slip opens an exterminators business, after the gang obtains 'credentials' from a shady pest-control school. So, they are hired to wipe out the pests in an old house currently occupied by mad scientists, which is unknown to the owners. So, they immediately go to work, & wouldn't you know it, it is after dark.  

*Master Minds* (1949) Sach, the dimwit, has a toothache, & when it pains him, he spouts prophecy. Slip, hoping to cash-in on Sach's new ability, opens a psychic business at the arcade.  Crooks hear of it, and, as I recall, they want to know the outcome of horse races.

*Bowery Boys Meet Monsters* (1954) There are three zanies living in a haunted house, one has a man eating plant, one has a 'robot' the third has a gorilla. All three want Sach, the latter two, will settle for just having his brain. 

Noir Alley:

*Woman in the Window* (1944) Up until just after the halfway point, I was sure I had never seen this before. Then, I knew otherwise. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it, as though seeing it for the first time. Edward G. Robinson plays a psychology professor whose friends include a physician (Edmund Breon) & the District Attorney (Raymond Massey). All three are members of a gentleman's club, adjacent to an art store, in the window of which ia a portrait of a woman. They discuss her beauty, etc. & go home, but EGR loiters at the widow, admiring the painting. He then sees the reflection of the model in the window, turns, and there she is Alice Reed (Joan Bennett). He is a married man has two kids, all of whom had just taken a train to visit relatives. Yet, he goes to a bar with the woman, becomes somewhat acquainted with her, then goes to her apartment with her. 

Suddenly, her lover bursts through the door, attacks EGR, who being handed, a pair of scissors by JB, repeatedly stabs the attacker in the back. They decide to cover-up the killing, though it was self-defense, & Heidt (Dan Duryea) comes to blackmail them. 

 I have said too much, already. great film, though the production code forced a weak ending upon it.  


*The Killing* (1956) a Heist movie, a well-planned racetrack hold up with just the right actors in the right roles. Fritz Lang directed it,  Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) plans one last heist, then hopes to marry his girlfriend & retire. He has his circle of associates, who are in on the plan, and two others whom he simply pays to a) start a brawl in the racetrack's bar, & b) shoot the horse favored to win. Thus, creating a series of diversions needed to pull-off the heist. But, things go just a bit wrong. 



Spoiler



So, he has bought a cheap, but large second hand suitcase from a pawnshop, & dumps the contents of the duffel bag, (the money) into it. at the airport, he demands this large suitcase, be cayy-on, but the guy declines, insisting it must be among the other cargo.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Killing* is a great film.  As a card-carrying Kubrickophile, I must point out that it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, not Fritz Lang.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Outlaw Bikers Double Feature, With Spoilers:

*The Wild Angels* (1966)

Peter Fonda is the President of the fictional Angels motorcycle gang.  The group goes to find the stolen motorcycle of member Bruce Dern.  Violence follows.  Dern steals a cop's motorcycle, but the cops chase him and he gets shot.  Fonda, with the help of girlfriend Nancy Sinatra, steals him out of the hospital.  Dern dies.  They have a funeral, which devolves into a violent party.  It's all very nihilistic, with Fonda's most significant lines, spoken when the gang carts off Dern's body to bury him, being "Nothing to say" and "Nowhere to go."

*Hell's Angels on Wheels* (1967)

Jack Nicholson is a guy who sort of gets adopted by the not-so-fictional Hell's Angels as a mascot/prospective member after one of the gang breaks the headlight of his motorcycle and he offers to fight him.  Nicholson gets beaten up by some sailors, the gang beats up on the sailors, one of them dies.  While the cops are after the gang for the murder, Nicholson is after the girlfriend of the President of the gang.  Not much plot, really.  Instead of a funeral, we get a biker wedding.  Ends very suddenly.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Killing* is a great film.  As a card-carrying Kubrickophile, I must point out that it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, not Fritz Lang.


Oops! Lang directed *Woman in the Window. *

Dern was dead for nearly all of that film.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Does The Beatles _Anthology_ count as a film?
if so, that.


----------



## williamjm

I went to see _Widows_. I thought it was good, the acting was great (particularly Viola Davies and Elizabeth Debicki) and it was well directed - the final heist scene was very tense, and McQueen did some interesting things with some of the quieter scenes, such as the car journey through the neighbourhood entirely shot from the bonnet of the car. If I had a complaint it might be that it did feel like the main characters went from not knowing what they were doing to apparently being very competent in a really short space of time.


----------



## Vince W

*The Last Legion* (2007). Mr. Darcy Colin Firth as Roman Commander Aurelius is ordered to protect the new Caesar, Romulus Augustus, a boy, who is promptly captured by invading Goths. The film follows Aurelius and his troop as they rescue Romulus, are betrayed, run to Britannia, defeat an army and set up the Arthurian legend.

The film is a bit naff, but in a fun way. A few editing changes and committing to a 15+ rating and it could have been a very good S&Sandal film. Watchable, once, if you're in the right mood.


----------



## AlexH

*Terminator 2*
I've been catching up on classic films I've never seen in the past 2 years. This is how you make a film! The ending was too contrived, but didn't spoil it.

*Upstream Colour* (2013)
Rented as soon as I saw it was by the guy who wrote *Primer*. Upstream Colour was intriguing to start with. After a while I didn't have a clue what was going on, so it was only okay in the end.

*The Spiral Staircase* (1946)
A good thriller.

*Poetry* (2010)
A grandmother attempts to write her first poem. I didn't get into this and the attitude of the 5 dads was too shocking, which was portrayed by the grandmother to an extent.

*He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not* / À la folie... pas du tout (2002)
Just as it was getting boring it suddenly became interesting.

*Nocturnal Animals* (2016)
Probably the least interesting film I've seen starring Jake Gyllenhaal. And probably Amy Adams too.

*Deja Vu* (2006)
I didn't realise this was a sci-fi. Pretty good.

*Mary and the Witch's Flower* (2017)
The first film from former Studio Ghibli people. Nice to look at but I became bored.

*Widows* (2018)
An enjoyable heist film.

*Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018)
I don't consider myself a massive Queen fan but this is well worth seeing on the big screen. It's more a celebration than a film that takes on the serious issues, which all seem glossed over.


----------



## J Riff

_Ralph Wrecks the Internet_ - s'good fun, gets a bit schmaltzoid of course, but a few good shots at the internet as Ralph goes viral.


----------



## Foxbat

*The Offence  *(1973). Personally, I think this is Sean Connery's finest ever performance. 
Gritty stuff that punches you right in the gut.


----------



## Droflet

Agreed.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Godfather* (1972) - I've not seen this for decades, so I was virtually watching it anew. The scenes are excellent - Coppola handles crowds particularly well - and the acting is very good.  There are some odd issues with pacing and the passing of time - small children just appear, and a subplot involving a wife-beater isn't properly resolved until the last moments - which makes me wonder if the 168 minute version I was had been cut.

One thing that really struck me was the use of light. It's the darkest film I've seen since _Dirty Harry_. Quite often, characters in close-up just have blackness behind them. There are moments in both films where you simply can't see what's on screen, which I think indicates a level of trust in the audience that you'd rarely get today.


----------



## REBerg

*Rampage*
As far as giant monsters destroying cities go, this one was not bad. Even without the baseball bat, I'll never be able to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan as anyone but TWD's Negan.


----------



## Anthoney

I've can't help but see JDM as John Winchester from Supernatural.


----------



## REBerg

Anthoney said:


> I've can't help but see JDM as John Winchester from Supernatural.



Never saw that show. First time I can remember seeing Morgan was in _Extant _as JD RIchter. I guess most people know him from _Grey's Anatomy_, another I haven't watched.

Apparently, even Morgan sees something of the TWD bad boy in his Rampage role.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says His 'Rampage' Performance Might Remind You of Negan


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Embalmer* (1965)

Sedate black-and-white Italian shocker.  The title character is a lunatic who dons a wet suit and scuba gear to prowl through the canals of Venice, then jumps out to grab young women, drown them, carry them off to his underground lair, and embalm them so he can add them to his collection of preserved beauties.  When not in the water, he wears a monk's robe and a skull mask, in an attempt to prevent the viewer from figuring out which minor character he turns out to be.  Our hero is a reporter.  He gets mixed up with a group of young female tourists and has a romance with their leader.  Lots of scenes of the ladies admiring the city, as well as an Elvis-like rock singer.  Things get a bit more exciting near the end, and our hero and his girlfriend make separate investigations into the killer's hideout.  The ending is surprisingly downbeat.


----------



## Toby Frost

Where do you find these films, Victoria?!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Oh, here and there.  This one showed up on YouTube (to which I have just recently gained access, unlike everybody else on the planet.)






It comes courtesy of something called "Horror Movie Archive" which has a large number of these things.

Horror Movie Archive


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Oh, here and there.  This one showed up on YouTube (to which I have just recently gained access, unlike everybody else on the planet.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It comes courtesy of something called "Horror Movie Archive" which has a large number of these things.
> 
> Horror Movie Archive





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Oh, here and there.  This one showed up on YouTube (to which I have just recently gained access, unlike everybody else on the planet.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It comes courtesy of something called "Horror Movie Archive" which has a large number of these things.
> 
> Horror Movie Archive


*rushes to watch*


----------



## Jeffbert

I never saw The Godfather; I do not know why, as I am interested in mafia films.

*Crack-Up *(1946) Really glad this was Noir Alley, otherwise I might not have known that Frederic Brown wrote the novel from which it was adapted (though the credits indicated so). Pat O'Brien portrays a Museum art guy, who claims that he was a passenger on a train that had collided with another train. While he is certain of this, no such incident had occurred. 



Spoiler



Further, he suspects that famous paintings are being stolen, and forgeries are shipped in their place, and the ships conveniently all sink with the supposed masterpieces aboard. 

But, as he believes in an accident that never occurred, nobody believes him.


----------



## Foxbat

*Ant Man And Wasp  *Mildly amusing but nothing I'd get out of bed for.


----------



## Al Jackson

After the 1933 *King Kong* my favorite 'giant' monster is the Korean *The Host.*
I love the monster who is NOT Godzilla sized and when first comes on the scene is clumsy!
I mean it even slips and falls , loved that!
It puts people into jeopardy ,  has a goof ball ending that does not quite work.


----------



## jacobwatson

Hi...I just watched Shawshank Redemption.


----------



## J Riff

*Terror in the Jungle* 1968.... geeeeeee this one has the good and the bad in spades. Terrific Les Baxter exotica soundtrack, but three different directors, with great footage of Peru.... and then the terrible story, bad acting, and the blond kid just whines and cries, really a lot, and he is not acting as they drag him around in the jungle. Headhunters who worship INTI, can't decide whether to worship the kid, bringing him endless fruit... or stab him as a sacrifice... but, and ... never mind, anyway, the kids' toy Jaguar comes to life, saves him, a bit more awful acting goes by.... there are gator attacks, anacondas slithring about, and gosh it's terrible. "*) Oh yes, the star pop band guys in shiny green shirts play a couple o' tunes before the plane crashes.


----------



## Boaz

@jacobwatson Welcome to the Chrons.  I did not get through _The Shawshank Redemption_ in my first viewing... it was too disturbing for me.... but I really like it now that I know the ending.... Red's narration of hope.

Oh, and the last movie I watched... _Role Models_.  

Danny: Can I get a large black coffee?
Barista: A what?
Danny: Large black coffee.
Barista:  Do you mean a venti?
Danny:  No, I mean a large.
Barista: Venti is large.
Danny: No, venti is twenty. Large is large. In fact, tall is large and grande is Spanish for large. Venti is the only one that doesn't mean large. It's also the only one that's Italian. Congratulations, you're stupid in three languages.
Barista: A venti is a large coffee.
Danny: Really? Says who? Fellini? Do you accept lira or is it all euros now?


----------



## Al Jackson

“You do not think much of me, do you, Cogburn?"
"I do not think about you at all when your mouth is closed.”

"I do not entertain hypotheticals. The world itself is vexing enough."

 True Grit


----------



## REBerg

*Ready Player One*
A little long, but lively throughout. I'd watch this one again.
Nice to see Hannah John-Kamen on the big screen.


----------



## Happy Joe

Just watched *The Meg *last night; Lots of action and good effects/nice visuals
basically an updated big budget Chinese production of Jaws... With much more action (as expected in a Jason Statham flick).
Quite watchable and I will likely see it again... better than average.

Enjoy!


----------



## REBerg

*Howl to Train Your Dragon 1&2*
Love those fire-shooting, big flying doggies. Looking forward to the third chapter in a couple of months.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Murder on the Orient Express*,  the one made back in the 1970's, starring Albert Finney.  I had seen it before, when it first came out, but had been thinking I'd like to see it again.  It loses something when you already know the answer to the mystery, but what an amazing cast!


----------



## Cathbad

*A Perfect Getaway*  (2009)

What a great movie!

Our POV is from the perspective of a couple on a honeymoon (played by Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn) on the Hawaiian islands.  They are going to do a popular (and hard) trail hike through forests and over tight cliffs, overhanging the Pacific.

Before arriving at the starting point, they "almost" offer another couple a lift - but are off-put by their criminal-like looks.  The couple is not pleased by their attitudes, and when the honeymooners offer again, the bloke says no, they'll wait for another ride.

On the trail, they meet a handsome stranger (Timothy Olyphant).  He offers to take them to a secluded spot to rest up under a beautiful waterfall; but by this time, the couple has heard about the grizzly murders of another honeymoon couple, whose murderers (a man and woman) may have come to the island they are now on, and hubby is too nervous to go with.  But, when he starts back down to the trail (and before the wife follows) he sees the couple who had been hitchhiking; since these are a couple, he worries they might be the killers, and decides to take handsome up on his offer!

Turns out, handsome ('Nick') also has a female companion!  Now hubby doesn't know what to do!  But, since there is little other choice but to turn around (and ruin their honeymoon), they decide to stick it out.

Nick, who boasts of being special forces, seems to 'save' hubby from the hitchhiking couple, when he is suddenly confronted by them!

So, they reach the end of the trail, a truly beautiful beach, accessible only by the long, difficult trail, or kayak.  There's where things get interesting, but I won't spoil it for you!

At one point, i thought, "Wouldn't it be a great plot twist, if..." and, though I did not expect my twist to become true - _it was!_

A well - acted, superbly written and directed movie!  Can't believe I'd not seen it before!


----------



## Vince W

To start the holiday season I watched, yet again, *Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.* One of those films I rate as nearly perfect.


----------



## BigBadBob141

I've just re-watched the classic war film "Ice Cold In Alex" which I haven't seen in years, I highly recommend this film to any one interested in the WW2 North Africa Campaign!
The reason am interested in this is because my late father spent the first half of his war years there, I remember some of the story's he'd tell me, such as about the large tins of corned beef they got off the Yanks.
It was so hot that when they opened them all the fat was melted, and the beef was then in the form of a semi-liquid sludge that could be poured out of the tins, very tasty!
This is a very well scripted, character driven film, the main enemy in the film is not the Germans but the Sahara Desert, it shows the conditions the soldiers had to put up with very well.
The Carlsberg beer used in the final scenes was real, nothing else looked as good on camera so they had to use the real thing, John Mills, Anthony Quayle and Harry Andrews all got very drunk filming it!
P.S. A word of warning, it was made in 1958 and it's in black & white!!!I
P.P.S. It's sad to think that soon we will have lost all of this generation of heroes, just as we have lost those of the First World War!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Pharaoh's Curse* (1957)

British-occupied Egypt, 1902.  The locals are rioting in Cairo.  In order to calm things down a bit, our hero, Captain Storm (!) gets sent to bring back an unauthorized archaeological expedition.  He's also escorting the wife of the leader of the expedition to join her husband.  Right from the start we get hints of romance between the two, but that's OK; she's on her way to tell her husband they're through.  Along for the ride are two comedy relief soldiers.  A spooky Egyptian woman shows up out of nowhere, apparently having walked hundreds of miles across the desert in search of her brother, who is the expedition's guide.  As they make their way, a pack mule with supplies vanishes; a water bag loses its water; the wife gets bitten by a scorpion, so the hero sucks the poison out of her arm (kinky!).  Meanwhile, the expedition, which is like a mini-United Nations -- American, English, Scottish, German, French -- opens the tomb of a high priest, despite the obligatory curse.  They cut open its wrappings.  The guide falls over in a faint.  Later he ages rapidly, turning into a blood-sucking monster.  The expedition leader, obsessed with finding the hidden tomb of a pharaoh, keeps searching through all kinds of hidden passages and such.  Weird stuff continues to happen, with the footprints of a cat found in the tomb, the high priest's mummy vanishing and reappearing, and so on.  This low-budget B feature with a cast of little-known actors is old-fashioned even for its time.  It's more of a 1930's pulp magazine adventure than a horror film, and in that way it's not without a certain nostalgic charm.  Barely over an hour long, it's not a waste of time.


----------



## Happy Joe

Watched *Equalizer 2*  last night;  a good spy type not particularly mysterious relatively slow paced, initially, actioner.
Certainly worth watching on line or renting... (Netflix still works for me although I am starting to notice a drop in the number of relatively recently released movies that they offer).
This movie will get added to the movie library.

Enjoy!


----------



## Jeffbert

*A Perfect Getaway* (2009) I know I saw this one. What a twist.

*Pharaoh's Curse* (1957) I saw this one during TCM's Halloween fest. Odd, but entertaining.

*Stingaree* (1934) Wiki says pre-code, & it must be, 



Spoiler



because the bandit gets the girl & gets away in the end.


Richard Dix as the highwayman (Robber) who becomes smitten by lovely young servant girl with the beautiful voice, Hilda Bouverie (Irene Dunne). Her mistress,   Mrs. Clarkson (Mary Boland), who fancies that her singing voice is wonderful, but woe unto those who her it. 

*Talk About a Stranger* (1952) Noir Alley presentation; & very much info that I might not have found elsewhere. Boy finds stray dog, dog eats poisoned meat & dies, boy assumes mean guy in old house did it, & gets revenge. But that has unintended consequences.  The title refers to the people in the general store talking about the guy, upon hearing the boy accuse him of poisoning his dog. The kid, hearing their suspicions, is that much more convinced of his killing his dog. 
Definitely not a noir ending, though. 

Missed the one from the 9th! ###%%%***!! Watched this one streaming. At least I had that option.


----------



## Cathbad

*Murder on the Orient Express*  (2017)

I finally got an opportunity to watch this version!

A publicity picture before the movie came out had me worried about the man playing Hercule Poirot.  But Kenneth Branagh's mustache, unlike the promotional picture, was so perfectly kept, I could forgive him that bit of hair below his lower lip!  He had all the Poirot idiosyncrasies down, except he wasn't nearly rotund enough (though I'm sure there was little he could do about that).

From the preamble (mostly missing in other versions) and throughout, the movie stayed faithful to Christie's novel.

*ABOUT THE ENDING*

Agatha Christie holds a special place in my heart.  It was her novels that literally opened my intellect, as much as Poe's prose set in me a desire to write.

The ending, though conforming in fact with Christie's solution, was not hers.  But, as some of you might have read my opinions in other threads, I have never been a stickler to any franchise line.

In this case, though I am truly loath to admit it, this movie's ending is the better (may my life-long heroine forgive me).

Albert Finney might have been the better Poirot (and he was), this version is the better movie.

Strike me down for being so skeptical before it came out!


----------



## Scookey

Ironically, as it is one of the films in the featured films list, I rewatched Alien last night with my teenage son - finally let him watch it all the way through without me fast forwarding anything; lights off, sound pumped through the stereo for best impact.
Had forgotten just how well made this film was and how important the sound was too. Sure, there are flaws, like the alien is obviously a guy in a suit and when Ripley escapes at the end, he craft is suddenly facing backwards to view the explosion of the mothership. 
My son can be very critical of non-modern FX but his comment at the end was: "Actually a pretty good film, considering how old it is."
Think Alien's longevity is helped by the minimal use of CGI FX, still in its infancy compared to today, and focus on brilliant directing, lighting and make-up/animation.


----------



## Joshua Jones

No judging...

*The Christmas Prince: Royal Wedding*. With my wife. She loved it. I wanted to pluck my eyes out and stick rusted nails in my ears. Set aside the torture of someone who writes tragic and grimdark SFF being subjected to unadulterated, sugary sweet emotionalism; the storyline, dialog, acting...all terrible. But, they sunk to a new, deeper low when they couldn't be bothered to look up what a limerick is. What they called a limerick was a shoddy bit of four line rhyme which did not have an appropriate rhyming pattern or cadence. 

But, I endured it for my wife. Love makes us do crazy things...


----------



## Scookey

You have my sincerest sympathies, Joshua.


----------



## Joshua Jones

Scookey said:


> You have my sincerest sympathies, Joshua.


Thank you, kind soul. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to SFF Authors...

Oh, and I have been in Firefly therapy for the last week, and wrote a particularly dark entry in the 75 word challenge, so I am slowly recovering...


----------



## Joshua Jones

If anyone wants a synopsis of what I had to endure, here you go: 
www.vulture.com/amp/2018/11/a-christmas-prince-royal-wedding-netflix-review.html

In contrast, I just watched "Angela's Christmas", which is actually a really interesting movie, also on Netflix. It deals rather realistically with poverty and making poor choices for the right reasons, showing compassion in the midst of one's own hardship, and the injustice of a harsh criminal justice system... in a kids movie! Oh, and it is set in Ireland, which automatically improves a movie.


----------



## Scookey

Have "Hitman: Agent 47" on Film 4 at the moment. Nearly finished and just sort of hoping it will come sooner rather than later. Hard to pin down exactly why this film is so unloveable. Has action, good effects, OK acting, directing too.... but, it remains just so forgettable. The biggest thing I will remember about it will be never to watch it again. 
Ah, think I've put my finger on it, the film has no soul. There is nothing deeper than the 1-dimensional characters, plot or message. Who will live? Who will die? Who cares?


----------



## Scookey

Best thing about Hitman Agent 47, it has just ended!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Beware my Lovely* (1952) Robert Ryan as a very convincing psycho whom the widow  Helen Gordon (Ida Lupino) hires as a helper around her house. Howard Wilton (Robert Ryan) was a 4F in WWI, & is a drifter, for lack of better description. No explanation as to how IL hired RR, only that her tenant was going out of town for several weeks, & he said it was ok to let the hired help stay in his room. 

Within 10 minutes of RR's entering her home, IL realizes he is a disturbed man, and subtlety attempts to persuade him to leave. RR has a very poor memory, and forgets where he hung up his coat, which will be significant just when IL has finally gotten him out of her house.  IL has a visitor, a deliveryman who has said he will give RR a ride into town. While IL and the delivery guy are in the kitchen, RR has come in & gone upstairs seeking his coat. The guy leaves without him. 

Enough said! Great film noir; in fact, a NOIR ALLEY presentation.

Robert Ryan has had several roles as violently inclined men. One a few weeks ago, he was a racist involved in a bank robbery. Very convincing in all those roles. Frightening in this one.


----------



## AlexH

*Jingle All the Way *(1996)
Why do so many people dislike this? In my opinion, it's not far behind Home Alone in the feel-good-funny Christmas-film stakes.

*Solo* (2018)
A fun romp. I can see why many Star Wars fans didn't like it - there was no need to fill in everything about Han Solo's backstory.

*A Letter to Momo *(2011)
It started well but I didn't believe it. Maybe no Japanese studio does the weird characters as well as Ghibli?


----------



## Scookey

AlexH said:


> *Jingle All the Way *(1996)
> Why do so many people dislike this? In my opinion, it's not far behind Home Alone in the feel-good-funny Christmas-film stakes.
> 
> *Solo* (2018)
> A fun romp. I can see why many Star Wars fans didn't like it - there was no need to fill in everything about Han Solo's backstory.
> 
> *A Letter to Momo *(2011)
> It started well but I didn't believe it. Maybe no Japanese studio does the weird characters as well as Ghibli?


Solo remains the one Star Wars film I refuse to buy on DVD. Thought is was a massively wasted opportunity and made with all the inconsistent lack of depth you can expect from multiple changes of directors. Some good moments but even the 3D version is still 2D. Total shame...


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Shape of Water.  *Watched it yesterday and still not sure what I think about it.  It definitely had its good points, but I also felt there were flaws that made me wonder why all the rapturous reviews and so many nominations and awards.  Possibly I was let down by watching it with such high expectations.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nightmare* (1964)

Effective psychological shocker from Hammer.  A young woman is, understandably, subject to terrifying nightmares because she saw her mother stab her father to death when she was a child.  After some time spent at a boarding school, she comes back home to her luxurious home, to be with some loyal servants and a "companion" (unknown to her, actually a nurse hired to watch over her) and her guardian/family lawyer.  Soon our emotionally fragile heroine is witnessing a woman she's never seen before wandering around in the night.  Other shocking visions drive her into hysterics.  The beginnings of a mental breakdown, or is somebody trying to drive her mad?  Well, if you've ever seen one of these films before, you know the answer.  However, the plot suddenly changes direction at the halfway point.  I won't give away any more details.  Excellent black-and-white cinematography and good acting add to the enjoyment.  The music tries a little too hard to be scary, but that's a minor quibble.


----------



## Boaz

_It's a Wonderful Life_


----------



## Scookey

Can you believe I actually just watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Had never realised it was written by Ian Flemming and produced by Albert Broccoli. Must have fancied a change from James Bond.


----------



## J Riff

_High Plains Drifter_ - Clint as the ghost of sheriff Jim Duncan, who was whupped ta death while the townspeople did nothing - returns to lay a whupping on everybody concerned and he does a good job. merry Christmas, ya'll."*


----------



## Jeffbert

I too, think *Jingle all the Way* is a better than average film.  

The Keyhole (1933). Anne Brooks (Kay Francis), wife of Schuyler Brooks (Henry Kolker) learns that she is still married to her 1st husband, Maurice Le Brun (Monroe Owsley); who is now blackmailing her. So, she must go meet the cad, and pay him, hoping he will actually finalize the divorce. Her husband thinks she may be unfaithful, so he hires a PI to keep watch over her. PI Neil Davis (George Brent) and his assistant  Hank Wales (Allen Jenkins) follow her to Cuba, while on the ship, AJ meets Dot (Glenda Farrell), and falls in love. She thinks he is rich, while he thinks likewise of her. Each intends to soak the other for a small fortune. 

When KF learns of her husband's suspicions, she has already fallen for the PI. 

*Ice Follies of 1939* (1939) - Mary McKay (Joan Crawford) is partnered with Larry Hall (James Stewart) and  Eddie Burgess (Lew Ayres) as an ice skating entertainment trio. But hard times occur. Yet, JS & JC marry anyway. As they are in their car, about to pull away from the curb at the theater,  the car behind theirs bumps them. Wanting to settle things quickly, movie mogul  Douglas Tolliver Jr. (Lewis Stone) offers his card, & says he will make good on the dames tomorrow. JC goes to his office, & ends up with a contract.  JS feels emasculated, since his wife is the bread-winner. Eventually, Mort Hodges (Lionel Stander, guy with gravel in his voice) gets him the show he had always desired. But, husband and wife are separated by their careers. 

When they are reunited, the film goes from gray scale to full color.  My mom would love this part. from 20 minutes to perhaps half an hour, or so it seemed, of singing, skating, etc. I was just a bit bored with this part.   But, overall, I enjoyed it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man Who Turned to Stone* (1957)

Short version:  Women in Prison + Mad Science

Talky, sedate, low budget SF/horror flick.  Takes place at a facility that seems to be a detention home for female delinquents, although the actresses are well out of their teens.  There have been several deaths among the inmates, generally after piercing screams.  These are explained away as heart attacks or, in the movie's one genuinely upsetting scene, as suicide.  We quickly find out that half a dozen of the institute's staff members drain the life energy out of the young women to keep themselves alive.  It turns out that they've been doing this since the 18th century.  Not enough life energy, and their flesh grows hard and they die, hence the title.  The gizmo isn't working very well on one of the staff, so he's in a zombie-like state, fit only to carry off the victims in the time-honored method of movie monsters.  Our heroes are the institute's social worker and the psychiatrist she consults after the faked suicide.  The villains don't conceal their plot hardly at all, and everything gets revealed when one of them, guilt-stricken by his actions, confesses all to the psychiatrist and tells him where he's hidden his diary with all the details.  It's pretty corny stuff, but not without a certain charm for fans of old-fashioned horror flicks.


----------



## Al Jackson

Teresa Edgerton said:


> *The Shape of Water.  *Watched it yesterday and still not sure what I think about it.  It definitely had its good points, but I also felt there were flaws that made me wonder why all the rapturous reviews and so many nominations and awards.  Possibly I was let down by watching it with such high expectations.


i know what you mean, but it sure was better than Crimson Peak. All in all Shape was entertaining enough but did not have the edge of Pan's Labyrinth or Devils Backbone. I thought del Toro did better with the Hellboy films. Almost think he got the catch-up Oscar for Pan's Labyrinth and a body of work. 
I hope he has not lost his touch.


----------



## Al Jackson

Cathbad said:


> *Murder on the Orient Express*  (2017)
> 
> I finally got an opportunity to watch this version!
> 
> A publicity picture before the movie came out had me worried about the man playing Hercule Poirot.  But Kenneth Branagh's mustache, unlike the promotional picture, was so perfectly kept, I could forgive him that bit of hair below his lower lip!  He had all the Poirot idiosyncrasies down, except he wasn't nearly rotund enough (though I'm sure there was little he could do about that).
> 
> From the preamble (mostly missing in other versions) and throughout, the movie stayed faithful to Christie's novel.
> 
> *ABOUT THE ENDING*
> 
> Agatha Christie holds a special place in my heart.  It was her novels that literally opened my intellect, as much as Poe's prose set in me a desire to write.
> 
> The ending, though conforming in fact with Christie's solution, was not hers.  But, as some of you might have read my opinions in other threads, I have never been a stickler to any franchise line.
> 
> In this case, though I am truly loath to admit it, this movie's ending is the better (may my life-long heroine forgive me).
> 
> Albert Finney might have been the better Poirot (and he was), this version is the better movie.
> 
> Strike me down for being so skeptical before it came out!



I really did not understand some of the critics on this version I thought it was good .


----------



## Cathbad

Al Jackson said:


> I really did not understand some of the critics on this version I thought it was good .


I find that, usually, what the "critics" hate, I'll love!


----------



## Scookey

Aren't a lot of critics just commercially failed writers and the like? Pilot friends used to say: if you can fly, you fly; if you can't fly you teach; if you can't teach you exam/criticise. Obviously not true in every case but in all too many it does seem to be.


----------



## Al Jackson

Cathbad said:


> I find that, usually, what the "critics" hate, I'll love!


Well now, I do like critics who don't just give me an opinion but a judgment by arguments well put usually have me agreeing with them. I follow critics who give a good analysis.


----------



## Cathbad

Al Jackson said:


> Well now, I do like critics who don't just give me an opinion but a judgment by arguments well put usually have me agreeing with them. I follow critics who give a good analysis.


"
The problem seems to be that most critics think their job is to "criticize", when it's supposed to be to "critique".


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

So a couple of days ago I decided I was curious to compare the two versions of *Murder on the Orient Express*, since I had recently watched the Albert Finney one, and I noticed we could watch the Kenneth Branagh (which was under discussion here, part of the reason I was curious) for free on demand through our cable company.

I had read reviews that said the 2017 Kenneth Branagh version was a bit of a bore, but I did not find this to be the case.  It was significantly better than I had been led to believe.  It still wasn't as good as the older one, though, I thought, and that may be why the critics were harsh in their appraisals, because why remake a movie when you don't measure up to the previous version, much less improve on it?  As far as I could tell, they each deviated from the book in different ways, were more faithful in others, but on the whole the Finney version was much more faithful to the characters.  I felt in the Branagh version that all the secondary characters—of which of course there were many—were given short-shrift in order to expand on Poirot's character without (I suppose) expanding the running time too much.  Of course it is _supposed_ to be Poirot's story, but for the resolution of this particular mystery to be entirely satisfying the ensemble should not be neglected, and I thought most of them were.

Still, it held my attention, which is greatly to its credit, considering that I had just watched much the same story about a week before.


----------



## Cathbad

*American Made*  (2017)

I um... I tried.  I tried _twice_ to watch this movie!  I just can't finish it.  I can't even tell you what it's about, other than drugs, an arrogant pilot (suitably cast), and a rising drug cartel.

A rare Tom Cruise *bomb*.

Ugh.


----------



## Scookey

Cathbad said:


> "
> The problem seems to be that most critics think their job is to "criticize", when it's supposed to be to "critique".


Absolutely. They can't critique because they are failures so can only criticise, as their only remaining option.

If the critics had any talent, they would write a story themselves.

Expect a big critic silence for this post.


----------



## Al Jackson

Scookey said:


> If the critics had any talent, they would write a story themselves.





Scookey said:


> If the critics had any talent, they would write a story themselves.


Actually some critics have become directors and writers. François Truffaut went from being a film reviewer to being an award winning director.
One of my favorite critics of all time was Jay Cocks at Time magazine he gave very incisive analysis of movies , I always agreed with him. He because a screenplay writer and was nominated for an Oscar twice.
I thought Roger Ebert was a fine movie critic , he would not like a film , but then as much as 10 years later change his mind  and say he was wrong. I know he did not like Blade Runner in 1982 but then wrote a favorable review years later.
Right now I think A O Scott at the New York times writes fine reviews.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crucible of Horror* AKA *The Corpse* (1971)

Michael Gough stars in this strange British variation on *Diabolique*.  He's a sadistic martinet of a husband and father.  He gets along well enough, in a cold way, with his son, but is abusive toward his wife and daughter.  (Odd bit of casting trivia:  The son is played by his real-life son, and his daughter is played by the son's real-life wife.)  The film starts off as an uneasy domestic drama, sort of like something by Edward Albee or Harold Pinter.  Soon we see Gough savagely beat his daughter for stealing.  Apparently this has been going on for a while, because wife and daughter agree to kill him.  Halfway through the film they do it.  (Like a lot of things in this movie, the murder is ambiguous and deliberately confusing.  They shoot him, but also seem to poison him.)  After a while his corpse moves from one place to another, apparently on its own.  At this point you remember *Diabolique*, and figure somebody is messing with the women's minds; probably the son.  However, the climax of the film pulls the rug out from under the viewer, leaving her to wonder what the heck she just watched.  Besides the ending, there's a lot of other weird stuff.  Solarized dream sequences, extreme close-ups of people (and a cat), jumpy flashbacks to something bad, not quite clear, happening to the daughter.  It's a slow, moody, small-scale little chiller with a conclusion you may find haunting.


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## J Riff

There's nothing like the corpse of a sadistic martinet, moving round independently, to pique interest in this sort of thing..  Watching it now, good intro music by John Hotchkiss who I notice also did the music for _The Satanic Files of Dracula._


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## Scookey

Al Jackson said:


> Actually some critics have become directors and writers. François Truffaut went from being a film reviewer to being an award winning director.
> One of my favorite critics of all time was Jay Cocks at Time magazine he gave very incisive analysis of movies , I always agreed with him. He because a screenplay writer and was nominated for an Oscar twice.
> I thought Roger Ebert was a fine movie critic , he would not like a film , but then as much as 10 years later change his mind  and say he was wrong. I know he did not like Blade Runner in 1982 but then wrote a favorable review years later.
> Right now I think A O Scott at the New York times writes fine reviews.


But not very often do film critics become good film makers. Wonder what the stats are for them being failed film makers or failed writers or just general failures. Why choose to become a critic when you can actually create something good yourself?


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## J Riff

Lots of 'film makers' are simply wealthy, not particularly talented. The crew cleans up most mistakes for them. Not naming any names, but.... )


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## Graymalkin

Boaz said:


> Congratulations, you're stupid in three languages.





Al Jackson said:


> You do not think much of me, do you, Cogburn?"
> "I do not think about you at all when your mouth is closed.”


Mint. Is there a 'memorable film script' thread anywhere?
Edit:  Who Said That?


----------



## Vince W

*Avengers: Infinity War. *Good-ish. Not bad for trying to cram every Marvel superhero into a single film. Still, it was 20-30 minutes too long and the outcome never seemed in any doubt. Now it's just a matter of bringing them all back the way comic books generally do. The plot of the next Avengers film I guess.


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## J Riff

_The Mule_ is Eastwood at 88, delivery-driving for the bad guys, with family problems, not much action,
and a mini-spoiler is- Clint doesn't ride arf into the sunset at the end while Ennio Morricone tunes play.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Snake Woman* (1961)

Old-fashioned, low-budget, black-and-white British chiller.  In 1890, a herpetologist cures his wife's insanity with regular injections of snake venom.  She dies after giving birth to a baby girl with cold skin and no eyelids.  The local midwife curses it as evil.  She also manages to get the local villagers to burn down the father's home/laboratory.  The local doctor takes the baby to a shepherd for the night, thinking the father is still alive, then runs off to Africa.  Twenty years later, the baby is now a Snake Woman.  The villagers put up with the fact that, every once in a while, somebody gets killed by a poisonous snake.  They don't have any illusions about who's responsible, particularly the midwife, who also has witch-like powers.  An old army officer, apparently new to the area, witnesses a guy dying from the bite of a cobra.  (The Snake Woman has the ability to change into different venomous serpents, by the way.)  He writes to Scotland Yard, they send our hero out to investigate.  Midwife tells him to shoot three bullets into the equivalent of a voodoo doll, which means that he will be fated to kill the Snake Woman in the same way.  He eventually does, of course, although he remains skeptical about the whole thing until the end.  Just slightly over an hour long, the movie has no surprises in its simple plot.  The weirdest scene comes when the hero finds the human-shaped skin that the Snake Woman has shed.  Special effects are minimal.  The transformation from Woman to Snake is done in the easiest way possible.  Scene of Woman, cut to scene of victim, cut to scene of Snake.  The very last scene, with the mandatory ending of dead Snake turning into dead Woman, is done with a poorly done dissolve.  It's all silly and predictable stuff, but the cast takes it seriously and does the best they can.  The midwife really chews up the scenery.


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## J Riff

There is a distant memory of that one as forgettable.


----------



## Av Demeisen

Paul Verhoeven's *Starship Troopers *in 4K. Looked fabulous!


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Predator*; not as good as Predator 1 or 3 (Predators), IMO but somewhat better than the critics said it would be, IMO. 
It will likely migrate into the movie library... joining its antecedents on the shelf, because I have the predecessors.
Rent/stream this one.
Good production values, effects and action but I increasingly feel that disabled/challenged characters in, especially action, movies often tend to detract from my enjoyment. 
There was too much detail and little left to the imagination and little to no mystery; the original Predator and Predators kept the audience in suspense over much of the movies this one started explaining things right at the beginning.. turning basically into a chase movie.
I would rate *The Predator *as a bit better than average; a watchable  actioner/popcorn movie.... very slightly better than fair/average but not a 4 star.

Enjoy


----------



## Parson

Took the middle 3 granddaughters (5,5, and 7) to see the new Mary Poppens. Certainly not my style, but the kids loved it and I thought it was tolerable. --- (Have never seen the original.)


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## nixie

I've spent an enjoyable afternoon watching A Wrinkle in Time, not having read the book there was nothing to disappoint.


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## Al Jackson

Av Demeisen said:


> Paul Verhoeven's *Starship Troopers *in 4K. Looked fabulous!


I wonder how Sony's redo of *Starship Troopers* is going, I say 'redo' since this is not a _remake_... 
They said they were going to go back to the Heinlein novel.
Supposedly now to be a series.
I hope they are careful with this, the movie did not capture the story in the book.


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## Scookey

In Time. Know it is 7 years old but, hey, what's the rush with a movie like this? Thought it was actually a nice idea, where time of life itself is the currency. And where there is currency corruption follows....


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Return of Dracula* (1958)

Directed by Paul Landres; written by Pat Fielder.

Modest but surprisingly entertaining little vampire flick.  The Count flees his European homeland after some vampire hunters break into his tomb only to find an empty coffin.  He kills an immigrant artist going to live with distant relatives in a small California town and assumes his identity.  The family is a widowed mother, her preteen son, and her teenage daughter, clearly the intended "bride" of Dracula.  Along for the ride are the daughter's boyfriend and a local clergyman who runs some kind of informal clinic/shelter for the needy.  Dracula is played by Prague-born actor Francis Lederer, about sixty years old at the time and looking every day of it, with wrinkles and sunken cheeks.  (He went on to play Dracula on _Night Gallery_ more than ten years later.)  He plays the Count as world-weary, with a certain European sophistication.   With his accent, he sounds like a soft-spoken Peter Lorre.  

A European vampire hunter tracks him down and the battle begins.  There's a lot of typical vampire stuff, but some interesting variations.  The most fascinating character is a blind woman, victim of the Count, who can see him when he puts her under his spell.  She dies and comes back as a vampire, apparently able to see.  She's obviously just a slave, not a "bride."  The film's strongest scene is when a team of cops, with the clergyman and the vampire hunter, open her coffin and paralyze her with a cross before they stake her.  (Yes, the vampire hunter manages to convince the Americans that the Dracula myth is real.)  The clergyman asks for a moment to pray for her, and the black-and-white movie bursts into color when the stake is driven into her heart and blood pours out.  (There are some fairly gory scenes for 1958.)  Cut to Dracula menacing his intended "bride" in the abandoned mine where he hides his coffin.  The staking of his slave causes him to collapse in agony.

Worth a look for fans of fanged folk.


----------



## picklematrix

I got the Raid and Raid 2 on blueray for Xmas, and watched them both last night. Two of my favourite films!


----------



## Scookey

picklematrix said:


> I got the Raid and Raid 2 on blueray for Xmas, and watched them both last night. Two of my favourite films!


Agree these are excellent films - got them on Blueray after catching half of Raid 2 on Film 4. Watched them with both subtitles and without. 

Just watched How to Train Your Dragon 2. Thought it was an excellent film, with great characters and dragons - as well as a visual treat. Highly recommended


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Witch's Curse* (1963)

Bizarre combination of sword-and-sandal and Gothic horror.  We begin in 16th century Scotland.  An old hag is being burnt at the stake for witchcraft.  The real reason is that the judge had a thing for her when she was young and pretty, but that doesn't mean she's not a real witch.  She curses the place.  One hundred years later, the young women in the town are struck with insanity.  As if that were not enough, a descendant of the witch shows up with her new husband.  Because she has the same name as the witch, the locals instantly turn into a torch-carrying mob out to kill her.  Our hero, muscleman Maciste, a character played by many actors in lots of films, shows up out of nowhere.  Nobody ever questions the fact that an ancient hero dressed in a loincloth arrives in 17th century Scotland.  He rescues her from the mob, but she's put on trial for witchcraft and condemned because the unseen witch causes a Bible to burst into flame when she tries to swear to her innocence on it.  Maciste rips up a big cursed tree and enters Hades/Hell.  The witch and the judge are down there.  Maciste fights all kinds of threats.  A lion, a huge flaming iron door, a giant, a stampede of cattle, you name it.  The witch turns herself into a gorgeous young woman and manages to cause Maciste to forget why he's there.  He runs into Prometheus, chained to a rock and being attacked by a giant eagle, just like the myth.  He fights the eagle, but Prometheus says that new ones will show up for eternity.  (By the way, there's also a scene similar to the myth of Sisyphus, but it's got a whole bunch of people pushing up big rocks.)  He also shows Maciste scenes from his past to jog his memory.  These are scenes from other Maciste movies, with other actors!  Our hero remembers why he's there, the witch agrees to be destroyed by Maciste's purity because she's fallen in love with him, our heroine is saved from burning by a miracle.  It's all highly entertaining in a goofy way.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hand of Death* (1962)

Minimalist monster movie.  John Agar stars as a guy trying to develop a non-lethal nerve gas.  He gets exposed to the stuff.  His touch instantly kills.  He eventually turns into a monster, looking a lot like the Thing from the Fantastic 4.  The cops track him down and shoot him dead.  That's pretty much it, although you've got Agar's girlfriend to act terrified. the girlfriend's father to try to help him and get killed, and Agar's buddy to, well not do much.  Also features Butch Patrick from _The Munsters_ as a kid who almost gets killed and one of the Three Stooges as a gas station attendant who does get killed.  Only an hour long.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched Aquaman and Spiderman Multi-Verse. Both excellent films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Barbara Steele Italian Gothic Double Feature:

*The Long Hair of Death *(1964)

Late Fifteenth Century.  Woman gets condemned for witchcraft.  She has two daughters.  One is grown (Steele), the other is a preteen.  Woman curses the town, the aristocrat who condemned her, and his son.  Steele tries to save her mother's life, allows the aristocrat to have his way with her in exchange, he double-crosses her and kills her.  Although not really a witch -- she was blamed for a murder that was actually committed by the son -- the mother's curse works.  Some years later, plague devastates the town (Curse One).  Preteen grows up, is more-or-less forced to marry the son, although she despises him.  A lightning storm brings Steele out of her grave (a nice, spooky scene.)  Aristocrat drops dead seeing her (Curse Two), but nobody else, even the sister, seems to recognize her.  She claims to be somebody else entirely.  Son lusts after her, together they plot to kill the sister.  This takes up most of the film, and you might wonder why the plot goes in this direction at all.  Don't worry, Curse Three will show up at the end.  Despite the familiar revenge-from-beyond-the-grave theme, the story has a lot of original twists and turns.  With all the palace intrigue, adulterous liaisons, poisonings, and so on, it has something of the flavor of a Shakespearean tragedy.

*Terror Creatures From the Grave* (1965)

The original Italian title translates as something like _Five Tombs for a Medium_, which makes it sound like a _giallo_.  There's a touch of that in the plot.  Early Twentieth Century.  A letter arrives for a notary written in an old-fashioned handwriting asking the notary to go to a villa to settle a will for a fellow.  The notary is off somewhere, so his assistant (our hero) goes to the villa.  It turns out the fellow who supposedly sent the letter has been dead a year.  His adult daughter (our love interest) and her stepmother (Steele) are only at the villa to move the dead man's body somewhere else after a year underground, per his eccentric instructions.  We find out pretty quickly that, of the five men who signed a paper witnessing the dead man's accidental demise, two have recently died.  Two more meet the same fate as the film goes on.  The fifth one happens to be the notary.  Up to now, although we already know the dead man claimed to have the supernatural power to raise the dead, it's perfectly possible for these to be ordinary murders made to look like the dead man's revenge.  We find out the truth during the climax.  Let's just say it involves the fact that the villa occupies a place where plague victims were housed, and that some of them deliberately spread the disease and were executed for their crime.  Moves at a leisurely pace, with some eerie and imaginative scenes; an exhibit of the mummified hands of the executed men; a bowl of water which empties itself mysteriously; what seems to be the ghost of a girl, killed by the executed men, who sings a creepy little song about pure water being the source of salvation.


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## J Riff

Geee... a cursed tree entrance to Hades, I'm off to get that one. These flicks you are digging up are great Victoria, you saved new years with this one. Hand of Death is an old fave, but Long Hair of Death looks feh, I thought it might be about hippies but oh well.


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## Anthoney

Does Black Mirror: Bandersnatch count as a movie, a TV show or a game?  Or a little bit of all three?


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## Steve Harrison

Caught two movies in two days. Long time since that happened!

*VICE*
Terrific movie. A real eye-opener and the best horror flick of 2018, IMO.

*THE FAVORITE*
Long, dull and boring. Not sure what the hype is about, as I thought it was a bit of a mess. The three lead actors are great, though, despite the script, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House That Screamed* (1970) AKA *The Boarding School* (original title _La Residencia_, which could simply mean "the home," although in this case the alternate title would seem to be appropriate.)

Written and directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador.

Noted German actress Lilli Palmer stars in this Spanish psychological shocker.  She runs a 19th century French boarding school for "difficult" girls, fifteen through twenty-one years old, with an iron hand.  The most rebellious student is not only locked up in solitary confinement for days, she is severely beaten by Palmer's second-in-command, another student who knows a lot more about what's going on among the girls than Palmer does.  It seems that three girls have escaped recently, with no word of their whereabouts.  Also living in the house is Palmer's teenage son, a beautiful young man who likes to peek at the girls and follow them around, despite his mother's warnings that he must have nothing to do with them.  She explains that they are not good enough for him, and that he needs to find someone like herself to love him.  (Yes, there's a subtle Oedipal theme here.)  He secretly meets with one of the girls.   Too bad she gets stabbed to death by an unseen person.  (A touch of _giallo_ added to the plot.)  

Meanwhile, a new girl, our protagonist, shows up.  She has no father, and it's pretty strongly implied that she's the illegitimate daughter of a prostitute.  The sadistic second-in-command has her eye on her.  (Since this is something of a Women in Prison movie, it's no big surprise that there's a hint of lesbianism.  She forces the new arrival to put on a bustier [or corset or something like that] and sing for her and her little group of friends in their secret room, which contains drawings of semi-nude women.)  There's also a sort of creepy workman skulking around the place, and a young man who shows up to deliver wood once every three weeks.  Under the direction of the second-in-command, girls who obey her wishes are allowed to sneak out and take turns doing some serious making out with this guy.  (The assumption is that most of these girls are "difficult" because they're boy-crazy.)  Desperate to escape from under the thumb of the second-in-command, the new arrival meets with the son and plots her escape. 



Spoiler



In an unexpected plot twist, she has her throat cut by the unseen killer.  It turns out that the other girls who "escaped" were also murdered.  The killer is the son, who has been chopping off body parts from the victims to "build" a girl for himself who will resemble his mother.



Slow-moving, moody, atmospheric, and claustrophobic -- the movie almost never leaves the boarding school -- this eerie little film held my attention throughout.  Nicely filmed, with good acting.  The exploitative elements of the plot are restrained. (There's a group shower scene, as you'd expect from a Women in Prison movie, but the girls wear opaque shifts while washing! The one rebellious girl removes hers, but all you see is her bare back.) The relationship between Palmer and the second-in-command -- sometimes Palmer has the upper hand, sometimes she does -- was compelling.  You may or may not figure out the whodunit aspect of the plot, although I doubt you'll foretell the exact nature of the final shocking revelation.  All in all, quite an enjoyable chiller.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night Train to Terror* (1985)

Incoherent mess frankensteined together from one unfinished feature film and two complete ones.  Starts with what can only be called a rock video, with folks in the most Eighties outfits you've ever seen.  Turns out that they're on a train supposedly on its way to Las Vegas, but really, we're told right at the start, destined to crash.  (So much for suspense.)  Turns out that God and Satan are aboard.  They discuss three people whose souls they want.  This is the excuse for chopped up versions of the three movies.  The plots are so truncated and jumbled up that even a brief synopsis is difficult.  One is about a clinic that drugs, kidnaps, kills and sells the body parts of victims.  Another is about a suicide club where the members subject themselves to really goofy equivalents to Russian roulette games.  The third is something about a demon in the form of a young rich guy, a Holocaust survivor, a cop, the author of a best-selling atheist book, and the author's wife, a faithful Christian.  Lots of phony gore and utterly gratuitous female nudity.  The first story jumps around from scene to scene at a breakneck pace.  The second is the funniest, as the suicide games are all ridiculous; a gigantic, stop-motion animated insect; a wacky computer-randomized series of electrified chairs; and a big wrecking ball swinging above the participants.  The last segment almost has some potential to be a serious story, but messes it up badly with lousy special effects and a high degree of incomprehensibility.  A real mindblower.  Written by an experienced Hollywood screenwriter who won an Oscar in the old days!


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## J Riff

".. frankensteined together with a high degree of incomprehensibility'. 

Watching *The Meg*. Spoiler---> giant shark(s)----  It's okay, so far.... then... sharks ... but we know Jason Statham is gonna kill them, right? Right. Lots of action... more heroic actions.... uh-oh... oh NO.. a cute dog is in the water... and now a chubby child, ghad this could be ghastly... now it's getting really stupid... but back to undersea action... Jason Statham... yipes, good cgi. The End. Well, that's fairly heroic stuff.


----------



## Jeffbert

J Riff said:


> It just ended... and it may as well have been a Trek episode. Security officer has doubts, blahblah, a faceless crew member dies, but then a regular cast member is eaten by a giant spider, and you know instantly that  'it's all in her mind." Next.





Scookey said:


> Can you believe I actually just watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Had never realised it was written by Ian Flemming and produced by Albert Broccoli. Must have fancied a change from James Bond.


Not only that, but Gert Fröbe, best known for portraying the title character in Goldfinger, was the spoiled brat Baron Bomburst in CCBB!

*Double Indemnity* (1944) Noir Alley's Muller said that this is the 1st film worthy of the genre. Don't know about that, but he is the expert. 

So, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance sales man, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) is the insurance investigator, whose job is to expose phony claims, and Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) as the woman who seduces FMM, and persuades him to murder her husband for the insurance money. FMM sells BS an accident policy for her husband, who unknowingly signs his name on it. Enough details.

Muller says FMM's character was not actually seduced by BS, but, rather, wanted to show EGR that he could beat him. That is, he could defeat his ability to uncover phony claims. I don't know about that, either, but $100K is a rather big incentive, especially in 1944.


----------



## Jeffbert

*You Never Can Tell* (1951) Eccentric millionaire has left all his wealth to his dog, which had been an Army dog, but was adopted. Someone kills the dog, and in animal heaven, he request of the Animal god (a lion) that he be sent to Earth in the form of a man (Dick Powell) to solve the killing.  A strange plot, but entertaining.

This one was made after Powell switched genres from singing & comedy, to noir. 

*Hollywood Hotel* (1937) A waiter with a great singing voice, Ronnie Bowers
(Dick Powell), tries to become a star. Film is filled with musical talent, such as Benny Goodman & co. Not my genre of music, but o.k., anyway. So, there is this big-name movie actor, who cannot sing, for whom DP will will give a voice. But for a one-time payment of $100, it just does not satisfy DP. Probably more than a few films of this type, in which obscure man or woman breaks into show business.


----------



## Mouse

*Dog Days*. A nice romcom, with dogs and the dude from Stranger Things. There's a bit with some mace in a lift that made me lol.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Station West* (1948) Dick Powell as an investigator assigned to find who is stealing the gold shipments from some fort to wherever they should have gone. A Western, the 1st I have seen with Powell. Not bad, but not *Stagecoach*, either. 

*The Reformer and the Redhead *(1950) Another Powell film, this time, he is a candidate for mayor. But he need the support of the local boss, & this means becoming just as corrupt as the boss. But, he sees his error, & escapes the swamp.

*Having a Wonderful Crime* (1945) Lawyer Michael J. Malone (Pat O'Brien) gets mixed up in killings, etc. Very entertaining film. PO is usually in dramas, but this is comedy. Saw it this morning, details have become vague. 

*It Happened Tomorrow* (1944) Dick Powell as an obituary writer for an early 20th century newspaper. Tired of this assignment, he yearns to be a reporter. Stating that he would give 10 years of his life to know what happens tomorrow, The oldest man on the staff gives him tomorrow's evening paper. Turns of the guy had died, without Powell knowing it. Very good fantasy. This is my second viewing. When the guy gives him his third evening paper, he decides to bet on the horse races, seeing it as a sure thing. But, on the opposite side, which the viewers see, it says the guy will be shot dead, at a certain hotel at a certain time. When he sees it, he goes out of his mind, trying to avoid being at that hotel at that time, but to no avail. All ends well, as this is a comedy.


----------



## aThenian

*Roma.*

Critically acclaimed Netflix movie about female domestic worker in 1970s Mexico.

Just posted about it on another thread - it's quiet, black and white, very domestic and portrays women's experiences (eg of childbirth) which don't often make it onto the big screen in that way. I liked all that. But it did feel a bit lacking in narrative drive, and the main character felt rather passive (mysterious?) at times. There's some interesting political background stuff going on too (and some weird martial arts).


----------



## nixie

I took my 6 year old nephews to see Mary Poppins Returns, I had very low expectations was I pleasantly surprised


----------



## Anthoney

I've been halfway wanting to watch it myself.  I'm a sucker for nostalgia.  It will lessen my shame when I do watch it.


----------



## Al Jackson

Cathbad said:


> "
> The problem seems to be that most critics think their job is to "criticize", when it's supposed to be to "critique".


To me a critique is an opinion, but it has to be an informed opinion, if there is reasonable analysis of what is good and bad then I will read to see if I agree.


----------



## Cathbad

Al Jackson said:


> To me a critique is an opinion, but it has to be an informed opinion, if there is reasonable analysis of what is good and bad then I will read to see if I agree.


I recall a "Siskel and Ebert" episode, where they presented movies specifically created for the drive-in crowd.

I couldn't finish watching past the first movie, which Siskel introduced as a movie that "definitely was a movie that hit its target audience, the drive-in crowd".  Both then tore the movie apart _because_ it was a movie made for the drive-in crowd!!


----------



## Al Jackson

Cathbad said:


> I recall a "Siskel and Ebert" episode, where they presented movies specifically created for the drive-in crowd.
> 
> I couldn't finish watching past the first movie, which Siskel introduced as a movie that "definitely was a movie that hit its target audience, the drive-in crowd".  Both then tore the movie apart _because_ it was a movie made for the drive-in crowd!!



Siskel was not genre friendly , Ebert was. Tho Ebert . for instance,  didn't like the 1982 Blade Runner for reasons  I could not understand , 10 years later he totally changed his mind and wrote a favorable review. Ebert did this with several films but , as far as I know, only in print. Ebert was good a giving arguments for what was wrong but not always, tho he was willing to re-evaluate. I think I said I like Jay Cocks at Time magazine he was always right in explaining his evaluations.


----------



## Rodders

Star Trek: Into Darkness was on the TV last night.

Entertaining enough, but there’s no risk with Hollywood movies, where the happy ending is king.


----------



## AlexH

*I, Daniel Blake *(2016)
A great film. Thoroughly depressing and frustrating at times in how true-to-life the portrayal of the UK's state benefit system is. It's about two decent people who are trying to get by in life - one mother trying to feed her two children and a guy wanting to work again after a heart-attack. Those two leads were superb - who would've thought Dave Johns was _only _a stand-up comedian?

As @Foxbat said a few pages ago, "A masterful dissection of the true cost of the age of austerity that everybody should watch."

I think it's only the second Ken Loach film I've seen, and I'll be checking out more.

It's on BBC iPlayer for the next month, for anyone in the UK who is interested.

*Johnny English* (2003)
Good fun, with a few laugh out loud moments.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Demetrius and the Gladiators* (1954) Sequel to THE ROBE. So, D (Victor Mature), has the robe, which is scarlet, rather than white. Refusing to reveal its hiding place, his punishment is to become a Gladiator. Caligula (Jay Robinson; never heard of him before), wants the robe because he believes it is magic, & can even restore the dead to life. 

Strabo (Ernest Borgnine) is the trainer, and Glycon (William Marshall; BLACULA; just love this guy's voice!) is one of the gladiators.  But, as D is a Christian, he will not fight. That is, until he is disappointed by the apparent answer to his prayer. 



Spoiler



His girlfriend entered the Gladiators' pre-Arena sex party, hoping to see him, but was carried away by another G. D prayed that God would save her from rape. She seemingly died. D went nuts, and ran into the arena, and killed several other Gs.


Eventually, D comes to his senses, and repents. 

*Cowboy from Brooklyn* (1938) Dick Powell goes west to a dude ranch, and out-sings the real cowboy. Pat O'Brien is a talent scout who hears him, and seeing he is dressed as a cowboy, signs him up. Then, learning he is not one (which his Brooklyn accent & lack of rough tough appearance should have made obvious) must somehow pass him as one. 


*Snowed Under* (1936) has a playwright desperately attempting to create a decent 3rd act, to go with the 1st 2, which were hailed as wonderful. But, his 1st 2 submissions for the 3rd act, were rejected. So now, he is secluded at an out of the way cottage, hoping the seclusion will be what he needs to write. But, then, everybody, including his 2 ex-wives, Orlando Rowe, a deputy (Frank McHugh) who is there to arrest him for failure to pay alimony, the lawyer of the offended ex, etc.

Very entertaining film!


*Going Hollywood* (1933)
Musical, with decent plot. My 2nd time watching it. The first was to see Ned Sparks, who was caricatured in a WB cartoon, where I 1st saw him. Guy supposedly never smiled. 

Bing Crosby as the crooner, who is cast in a movie along with an irritable French woman Lili Yvonne (Fifi D'Orsay; never heard of her before), who quits the film when Sylvia Bruce (Marion Davies) mockingly mimics her. So,  Ernest Pratt Baker, Picture Producer (Stuart Erwin) hires her in the French woman's place.  Bert Conroy (Ned Sparks) the Director, is thus overruled by the financier. 

I was over halfway through, before the Three Radio Rogues performed their mimicry of celebrities, which was apparently the only thing I remembered from the 1st time I saw this film.


----------



## Boaz

*Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.*

Indiana Jones: How did you know she was a Nazi?
Professor Jones: She talks in her sleep.
Indiana Jones: It's disgraceful.  You're old enough to be her... her grandfather!
Professor Jones: Well, I'm as human as the next man.
Indiana Jones: Dad! I... was... the next man!
Professor Jones: Oh, ships that pass in the night.


----------



## Randy M.

*Blow-Up *(1966) dir. Michelangelo Antonini; starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles

Such a very ‘60s movie.

Opening scene, a group of mimes arrives in the city on a truck (?) and then spread out doing their mime things.

Meantime, Hemmings plays a self-centered photographer putting together a book of photos brushes off would be groupies, bosses around models and generally acts self-satisfied and arrogant. While photographing randomly in a park, he picks out Redgrave and her lover for special attention. She tries to get the film from him, including finding his home and offering herself as payment. He tricks her, develops the film and finds he may have photographed a murder. He returns to the park and finds the corpse. He goes home, all of the pictures and the negative have been stolen.

At the park, the corpse has disappeared and as he wanders around the mimes appear and play mime tennis. The mime ball bounces over the fenced court and he retrieves it and mime-throws it back in play.

The End.

I think it’s about the limits of self-imposed meaning and importance in one’s life, and the buffeting one’s reality gets from circumstance and the doings of others, and how most of those doings are aimless and unconnected to what any of them really want. I think.

Visually beautiful, but if you’re one who requires a resolution of plot, not for you.


And now, for something completely different:

*His Kind of Woman* (1951) dir. John Farrow, Richard Fleischer (uncredited); starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price, and several actors familiar to movie and TV watchers from the ‘50s into the ‘70s like Jim Backus, Paul Frees, Charles McGraw, Robert Cornthwaite.

Mitchum in his heyday as a bit down on his luck and so chosen by a mysterious person to go to an island and wait for instructions; in return, a big payoff of $10 grand. On his way there, he meets Russell and sparks ensue – not the only movie they made together because they definitely had chemistry. She’s going to the island to meet her married boyfriend, Price. Mitchum is as engaging as ever, Russell is better at the hard-boiled, noir-ish roles than I think she was ever given credit for, and Price pretty much steals the latter half of the movie as a hammy, past his prime movie star, the first time he had such a role, but not the last (see also, _Theater of Blood_, among others).

The backstory of this as presented by Eddie Mueller is even more interesting than the movie. This was only Russell’s second movie – apparently some later movies were released first, if IMDB is accurate. She was under contract to Howard Hughes who was picky about her roles. And he was the head of RKO, the studio this came out of. Hughes predated Elon Musk and Steve Jobs as eccentric and obsessive. Most movies at the time were shot in around 3 months, Price held a party to celebrate the first year of his being on set. First Hughes wasn’t happy with some details, later after Farrow handed in the final cut, Hughes wanted scenes Farrow refused to shoot so he Hughes extorted Fleischer – by holding up distribution of Fleisher’s _The Narrow Margin_ – until Fleischer shot the scenes he wanted. In the course of all this, scenes with the main villain were shot three times because Hughes kept finding actors he thought were better for the role than the previous one. He finally settled on Raymond Burr and, honestly, Burr delivers a solid, threatening performance.

On the whole, a good, fun flick, but even better if you get a chance to hear Mueller’s intro.


Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

We watched the six disc collection of silent movies _Pioneers:  First Women Directors_ at home over several days.  

Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers

The films ranged from 1911 to 1929.  Some were only excerpts from otherwise lost films, one only two minutes long.  Some were in very poor condition, so you can hardly tell what's going on.  Others were full length features in decent shape.  There were lots of short subjects as well.  Everything from slapstick comedies to serials to melodramas to westerns to social dramas to documentaries to backwoods dramas to art films.  Most notable among these many films were *Where Are My Children?* (1916), a drama promoting birth control and eugenics, mostly dealing with wealthy upper class women avoiding having children by undergoing multiple illegal abortions, and *Salomé* (1923) an arty version of Oscar Wilde's play featuring truly bizarre costumes and sets.


----------



## J Riff

_A Few Dollars for Django 1_968- if you must watch a spaghetti western, just have to, then this could be worse. The dubbed voices are not terribly believable, but lots of sixgun and dynamite action make up for that. Ranchers vs. farmers, bounty hunters become sheriffs, you know the drill. After most everyone is killed there is a relatively happy ending, and the wild west is tamed on down yet agin, podners.


----------



## BigBadBob141

I don't know if these count as films or not, they are made for TV not cinema.
But Christmas Day I spent about nine delightful hours watching Terry Pratchet's three classics back to back!
 "The Colour Of Magic/The Light Fantastic" with David Jason playing Rincewind the Wizard followed by "Going Postal" then finally "Hogfather" with Death playing the main part "HO HO HO" , all very good!!!


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *Blow-Up *(1966) dir. Michelangelo Antonini; starring David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles
> 
> Such a very ‘60s movie.
> 
> Opening scene, a group of mimes arrives in the city on a truck (?) and then spread out doing their mime things.
> 
> Meantime, Hemmings plays a self-centered photographer putting together a book of photos brushes off would be groupies, bosses around models and generally acts self-satisfied and arrogant. While photographing randomly in a park, he picks out Redgrave and her lover for special attention. She tries to get the film from him, including finding his home and offering herself as payment. He tricks her, develops the film and finds he may have photographed a murder. He returns to the park and finds the corpse. He goes home, all of the pictures and the negative have been stolen.


I saw this several years ago, & just recently it occurred to me that with a 35mm film, there must be a limit to how much one can blow-up an image, before it becomes little more than a series of dots. I admit, I know very little about film, but I think I heard the term grains used in describing it. Furthermore, the focus might affect the blow-up of background images. Unless he used a tripod, blow-up would be a joke.




Randy M. said:


> *His Kind of Woman* (1951) dir. John Farrow, Richard Fleischer (uncredited); starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, Vincent Price, and several actors familiar to movie and TV watchers from the ‘50s into the ‘70s like Jim Backus, Paul Frees, Charles McGraw, Robert Cornthwaite.
> 
> Mitchum in his heyday as a bit down on his luck and so chosen by a mysterious person to go to an island and wait for instructions; in return, a big payoff of $10 grand. On his way there, he meets Russell and sparks ensue – not the only movie they made together because they definitely had chemistry. She’s going to the island to meet her married boyfriend, Price. Mitchum is as engaging as ever, Russell is better at the hard-boiled, noir-ish roles than I think she was ever given credit for, and Price pretty much steals the latter half of the movie as a hammy, past his prime movie star, the first time he had such a role, but not the last (see also, _Theater of Blood_, among others).
> 
> The backstory of this as presented by Eddie Mueller is even more interesting than the movie. This was only Russell’s second movie – apparently some later movies were released first, if IMDB is accurate. She was under contract to Howard Hughes who was picky about her roles. And he was the head of RKO, the studio this came out of. Hughes predated Elon Musk and Steve Jobs as eccentric and obsessive. Most movies at the time were shot in around 3 months, Price held a party to celebrate the first year of his being on set. First Hughes wasn’t happy with some details, later after Farrow handed in the final cut, Hughes wanted scenes Farrow refused to shoot so he Hughes extorted Fleischer – by holding up distribution of Fleisher’s _The Narrow Margin_ – until Fleischer shot the scenes he wanted. In the course of all this, scenes with the main villain were shot three times because Hughes kept finding actors he thought were better for the role than the previous one. He finally settled on Raymond Burr and, honestly, Burr delivers a solid, threatening performance.
> 
> On the whole, a good, fun flick, but even better if you get a chance to hear Mueller’s intro.
> Randy M.


That review really says it all. I also saw the NOIR ALLEY presentation of this film.  Burr played it very nasty. Was going to kill RM, but wanted to watch his expression wen he knew it was coming. 

--------------------------

*Hearts Divided* (1936) another Dick Powell musical. This time, his is Napoleon's  brother. Sent to the USA to sell Louisiana, he shuns the official duty, and hires on as a French language instructor for the daughter (whom he will marry) of a US official. But brother N (Claude Rains) wants him to marry for the sake of political alliances. 

TCM will run pre-code gangster films 01/14 starting at about 6am I hope there is somebody discussing before & after. 

Sword & Sandal films on Thursdays this month.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Slave* (1962) Steve Reeves as Spartacus' son. He, & an Italian supporting cast add some ZORRO elements to this, otherwise standard Sword & Sandal film. All that is missing is Eugene Pallette as the hero's gravel-voiced sidekick.  Randus (Steve Reeves) is a Roman officer, newly promoted to Captain.  So, he and a slave woman are washed ashore on some desert land,  and are taken by slavers working for Crassus, the man who crucified S, & who hopes to overthrow Caesar.  Randus  wears an amulet since childhood that slaves recognize as the one that S's son wore as an infant. He leads the slaves in a revolt against their captors, and then the ZORRO elements, including an 'S' on walls that gives hope to the op[pressed and fear to the evil. But he is a Roman soldier, how can he lead a revolt? By wearing a Greek battle helmet, thus hiding his identity.


----------



## Vince W

*Solo: A Star Wars Story* A rambling and stumbling attempt to bring Han Solo's early life to light. Not bad but not something I'd ever bother to watch again. Glad I skipped this in the cinema.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Darker Than Amber* (1970)

Pretty good adaptation of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee novel of the same name.  Rod Taylor is well cast as McGee.  He's a self-described beach bum, who also finds things for people for 50% of the take.  He can be funny, charming, and relaxed, but he can also put a stop to a fight with a sudden move and no nonsense.  In this adventure, he and his buddy Meyer (Theodore Bikel nicely cast) witness a beautiful young woman (Suzy Kendall) thrown off a bridge with weights tied to her feet.  Of course, they save her life, and the plot begins. 



Spoiler



The bad guys make another attempt to kill her, and actually succeed!  McGee sets out after the creeps in his own fashion, including hiring a look-alike actress to play the part of the dead woman to freak out her killer.



Although it looks like a made-for-TV movie, it's enjoyable for McGee fans.  Little details from the books show up, such as McGee's Rolls Royce converted into a station wagon and named Miss Agnes.  Nice scenes of Florida at the time.  Taylor and main bad guy William Smith -- really creepy with deep tan, bleached blond hair, and no facial hair -- have one hell of a fight scene.  The story goes that they got out of control during the filming and really went at each other for blood.


----------



## Extollager

*Head* (1968), the Monkees' movie.  I kind of liked Abraham Sofaer, one of the Kyben in the *Outer Limits* episode "Demon with a Glass Hand," as the Maharishi.  That's about one minute out of an hour and a half.  But it was kind of fun to watch with the missus, who was a Monkees fan 52 years ago.  Neither of us had seen it before.

It actually reminded me of the Patrick McGoohan series we both like, *The Prisoner*, in that the movie seems to be about the Monkees trying to escape from their image as "plastic" performers -- to the extent that it's about anything -- and at the end they are "prisoners" in an aquarium pulled by a truck, basically back where the movie started; rather as No. 6, the Prisoner, tried to escape from the Village, but kept ending up back there.  

The Monkees being pulled away, in the aquarium, by a truck, reminded me of the scene in "Fall Out" (the final episode) with No. 6 and No. 2 and the Kid in the cage being pulled by a truck, occurring after one has watched a barrage of chaotic scenes.  That episode is, in its way, the most self-consciously "Sixties" of the 17 episdoes, and hasn't worn too well.  ....I would regret it if my remarks made any Prisoner fans feel they needed to see this movie!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Witch* (1966)

Unusual Italian adaptation of a Mexican novel.  A ladies' man is hired by an older woman to transcribe the diary of her late husband.  Also living in the decaying, cluttered palace of the woman is her alluring daughter, and a man whose relationship with the others is complicated.  It's impossible to say anything else about the plot without major spoilers.  Let's just mention that it combines psychological drama, suspense, erotica, horror, surrealism, and art film.  Takes place almost entirely inside the palace, and there's a lot of talk.  But it's fascinating talk, even translated and dubbed, and there are a lot of visually striking sequences.  Nothing more revealing than a woman's bare back is seen, but many scenes just reek with sexuality.  Nice black-and-white cinematography.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Night Caller* AKA *Night Caller from Outer Space *AKA *Blood Beast from Outer Space* (1965)

The alternate titles of this British science fiction flick are appropriate, as it's rather a mixed bag itself.  It starts off in the Quatermass tradition.  A small sphere from outer space lands near London.  A team of scientists, including John Saxon as the token American, and the military deal with the thing in a professional manner.  This segment of the film is quite realistic.  The thing turns out to be a matter transmitter.  An alien from Ganymede, seen at first only as a claw-like hand, is zapped to Earth and escapes the soldiers.  (He drives away in a stolen vehicle, our first clue that the alien is very human.)  We suddenly shift gears, as the police investigate the disappearance of several young women.  It seems they all answered an ad in _Bikini Girl_ magazine for modeling jobs.  (Despite the salacious title, it's a beauty and fashion publication for women.)  Yep, the alien is taking women back to his home world to repopulate it.  This part of the movie is more of a crime story.  The ending is pretty anticlimactic.  Starts off pretty well, but tapers off as it goes on.  Some good character actors show up.


----------



## J Riff

*Head *is F Zappa's 1st actual movie appearance as well, I thimk...
*Jack the Giant Killer* 1962, is still a bit of fun, with some nifty 60s FX-
some of them in actual 'Fantascope' which is fairly glittery but
somehow still cool to look at. A giant is indeed killed, a magic elf in
a bottle helps the cast out, great costumes and photographic tricks 
make this worth a rewatch 50+ years later.
Spoiler ----> Happy ending!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of Evil* AKA *Dance of Death* original title *Serenata macabra* ("macabre serenade") (1968)

One of four Mexican films Boris Karloff made near the end of his life.  His scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, the rest in Mexico.  The year is 1900.  A couple of women have been murdered and their eyes removed.  Cut to Boris Karloff and his young doctor friend.  They talk about similar murders committed many years ago by Karloff's insane brother, who had an obsession with eyes, eventually tearing out his own.  Karloff gathers a bunch of his relatives to his mansion, including our young heroine and her uninvited husband-to-be, our hero, who also happens to be one of the officials investigating the murders.  It seems that the family business was making life-size automatons as playthings for kings.  They were also used to kill their enemies.  You can see where this is going.  Karloff dies, everybody wants to inherit his wealth, folks get killed, sometimes by the automatons (very obviously actors in costumes and masks), sometimes other ways.  There's a twist ending that isn't too surprising.  Cheaply made and glacially slow.  The night scenes are so dark you can't tell what's going on.  Lots of scenes where dialogue has to explain the confusing complications of the plot.  Despite all that, the elderly and ailing Karloff does his usual professional job, and there are some good scenes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Atomic War Bride* original title *Rat* ("War") (1960)

Black-and-white Yugoslavian drama with touches of satire.  Takes place in an unnamed fictional nation.  (We see a map that doesn't look any any known country, the flags are solid white -- a bit of irony? -- and the insignia on military uniforms are odd.)  Our hero is John Johnson.  (All the men have names like that; Pete Peters and so on.  More satire?)  We first see him getting his nice new apartment ready for his bride-to-be.  Pretty soon, he finds out war with an equally unnamed, fictional nation is declared.  We get our first taste of the movie's absurdist take on militarism when folks in the street are told to put on flimsy plastic raincoats as protection from radiation, with a repeated drill on taking the hood on and off.  Johnson gets away from the city to his fiancee.  The first (non-atomic) bombs start dropping right before he says "I do."  Dragged off into the army, he undergoes ridiculous questioning and training.  An odd set of circumstances get him back together with his intended and a bunch of anti-war citizens.  Don't expect a happy ending.  The near-comedy of the satiric sequences contrasts strongly with the bleakness of the war scenes.  There's a strong anti-government feeling to the film as well.  Not only is the nation's leader blamed for the disaster, but also the 55% of the citizenry who supported him.  It's implied that the unseen enemy is equally at fault, and equally a victim.  Quite interesting, overall.


----------



## Jeffbert

Oops! I thought I posted this two weeks ago, but there it was, still awaiting the click.



Scookey said:


> Can you believe I actually just watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Had never realised it was written by Ian Flemming and produced by Albert Broccoli. Must have fancied a change from James Bond.


Not only that, but Gert Fröbe, best known for portraying the title character in Goldfinger, was the spoiled brat Baron Bomburst in CCBB!


----------



## Happy Joe

*Venom* ... Another Marvel/Disney comic book movie;  starts slow with excessive character development, then perks up With some decent & unrealistic chase sequences... good digital effects (they usually are anymore).
Worth renting/streaming, if you like; comic book/action/chase movies... would be a good snowy Saturday afternoon popcorn movie.
This one went into the movie library simply because I liked Venom (as a villain); more moons than I care to think about, ago...

...Found myself wondering if Marvel/Disney will digitally insert Stan Lee into future movies since his demise.

Enjoy!


----------



## Jeffbert

I want to watch VENOM, but currently, my DVR is about to burst at the seams. Watching *The Mark of ZORRO* (1940) right now.  This is a great film, but I think the silent version had the best Zorro, as a character, that is. Basil Rathbone  is the villain, same as he was in Robin Hood. Great antagonist!  Likewise, Eugene Pallette, as the hero's friar sidekick.

*Night Must Fall* (1937) Robert Montgomery as Danny, the newly hired man servant of an elderly woman, whose only companions were young women. Before his makes his first appearance, he is suspected of being a criminal. But, once he works his wiles on the elderly woman, Mrs. Bramson (Dame May Whitty), she disregards any objections her companions have to his presence.  In the end, she regrets her trust in him. 

Though he had been in films for over a decade before this one, he seems very young. I was surprised to see his filmography. I have seen him in more than a few films, he seemed so young here.

Watched a few of those pre-code gangster films:

*Emergency Call* (1933) Ambulance drivers and physicians go out to help injured people long before the days of paramedics. But, gangsters are involved. I forgot the details. 

*Beast of the City* (1932) Walter Huston as Jim Fitzpatrick, a cop good who is transferred to a boring precinct where next to nothing ever happens.  When crime goes out of control in the busy precinct, they transfer him there, and make him captain. Wallace Ford as Detective Ed Fitzpatrick, WH's kid brother, who is also a cop, but yearns for promotion, and becomes involved in a robbery, which results in a fatality. WH learns of it, and must deal with it. 

*Doorway to Hell* (1930) Louie (Lew Ayres) as the boss, Mileaway (James Cagney), apparently before coming to prominence, as his #2.  LA convinces the city's gangs to form one large organization, with him as boss. Peace results, but not for long. So, LA decides to retire from crime, moves away, and the gangs all resume hostilities against one another.  The gang bosses want LA to return, and must abduct his kid brother from the military academy to convince him. But things go wrong, & etc. 

*Midnight Mary* (1933) young teenage girl, (Loretta Young) in wrong place at wrong time, is sent to juvenile detention. years later,  she kills a mobster Leo Darcy (Ricardo Cortez), to prevent him from killing Tom Mannering, Jr. (Franchot Tone) a lawyer. 

*Framed* (1930) Story of revenge, long desired, but ultimately, declined.  Rose Manning (Evelyn Brent) long seeks revenge on  Inspector McArthur (William Holden; not _*t*_*hat* William Holden), and in pursuit of that goal seduces his son, Jimmy McArthur (Regis Toomey), but actually falls in love with him. The Inspector, is not buying it, and is certain she means harm.

*The Fall Guy *(1930) opens with Dan Walsh (Ned Sparks) in his brother-in-law's living room, 'playing' his saxophone, though not well. Both he, and his brother-in-law, Johnny Quinlan (Jack Mulhall), are unemployed; though NS is not particularly worried about finding a job. JM is newly unemployed, and ends up, taking a job for a local bootlegger. All he is to do, is keep a certain suitcase for _Nifty_ Herman (Thomas E. Jackson). But, he is unaware that this suitcase has been watched by the police, and contains not booze, but other drugs. soon, cops, including the bumbling Detective Burke (Tom Kennedy, who often plays such characters) come calling, and he is feeling the heat. 

*Fog Over Frisco* (1934) Arlene Bradford (Bette Davis) is the stepdaughter of a prominent broker, and uses that relationship to gain access to securities, which she swaps for stolen ones for gangster Jake Bello (Irving Pichel). But, things happen, rather unexpected to so prominent an actress. Very well done.


----------



## dask

Wow! Busy guy. Ever eat or sleep?


----------



## Anthoney

*Glass *(2019).  90% of the relevant parts are seen in the trailer.  Every superhero scene for sure.  We spend more than half the movie in the asylum.  We spend a bunch of time listening to the doctor lady try to convince the characters that they're nothing special.  Since we the audience know the truth it feels like a waste of time.

I hated the way the characters stories were tie up.  There were a few tiny bright spots throughout the film.  The postscript part of the film was the brightest part in an mostly dull movie.  It's also the only part that's not given away in the trailer.


----------



## Mouse

Wonder Woman. Loved it.


----------



## svalbard

*A Field In England *directed by Ben Wheatley.

This is another mind boggler from Wheatley. If you have seen any of his other movies such as *Kill List *then you know what to expect. Interestingly this was filmed in black and white and it adds to the unsettling nature of the movie.


----------



## Boaz

*The Wild Bunch* (1969). If you're looking for the artistic father of Reservoir Dogs, this is it.  I thought the violence was too gratuitous and the character motivations too unrealistic.  But it strives to be a character study of hard men in tight spots... and thus the tension, in and of itself, is kinda fun. I wondered how long William Holden and Ernest Borgnine would put up with Warren Oates and Ben Johnson... and how long Strother Martin would last with Robert Ryan.  Oh, I must mention there are lots of bare breasted Mexican women throughout the flick.

*Swingers* (1996). Jon Favreau brings painfully embarrassing to a whole new low... in the best way possible.  Vince Vaughn plays the best possible incarnation of an adult Stiffler... but he's still Stiffler.


----------



## Jeffbert

dask said:


> Wow! Busy guy. Ever eat or sleep?


I watched those over a period of about a week; but I am retired, so I have an abundance of free time. 




Boaz said:


> *The Wild Bunch* (1969). If you're looking for the artistic father of Reservoir Dogs, this is it.  I thought the violence was too gratuitous and the character motivations too unrealistic.  But it strives to be a character study of hard men in tight spots... and thus the tension, in and of itself, is kinda fun. I wondered how long William Holden and Ernest Borgnine would put up with Warren Oates and Ben Johnson... and how long Strother Martin would last with Robert Ryan.  Oh, I must mention there are lots of bare breasted Mexican women throughout the flick.



About the motivations, I just do not understand why they decided to throw away everything at the end. 



Spoiler



Friendship is one thing, but the guy was dead, & fighting the Mexicans then and there was suicidal.



It seems to me that Borgnine always chuckles in a certain way, no matter what film he is in.  When he leaped into the pit filled with mad dogs in *The Vikings*, he knew death was certain, but laughed anyway.  Die with gusto.  *The Dirty Dozen*, chuckles. *Bad Day at Black Rock*, etc. Was it in all those contracts, that he chuckles?

Ryan portrayed psychos long before they were popular.


----------



## REBerg

*IO (Netflix)*
What about the people who stay behind when Humankind executes a mass exodus from the Earth they've destroyed? This film offers virtually none of the action and suspense one might expect from the premise.


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Marine 6* Typical WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) movie; a little plot lots of fights , a knife, more fights, some gunfire, some chasing, more fights, more chasing, more gunfire....
Might make it into the movie library; why?... because I can...

Enjoy!


----------



## Jeffbert

Two from NOIR ALLEY:
*LURED *(1947) & *MURDER MY SWEET* (1944). Muller covered both in great detail. I had seen both several times, but watched them again. 

*LURED *(1947) was shown 01/13, *MURDER MY SWEET* 01/20; and to get the most from Muller, I watched *Lured *1st. 

*LURED *(1947) was originally titled _*Personal Column*_ (Wiki says this was the US title) Sandra Carpenter (Lucille Ball)'s friend had suddenly disappeared. She goes to Scotland Yard, & from Chief Inspector Temple (Charles Coburn), learns that she was likely the victim of a serial killer. Lucy ends up working as bait to catch the villain. Karloff is a lunatic who imagines he is putting on a fashion show for royalty, whose ad Lucy regrettably answers. But he is just added for his name on the posters.  In a high class environment, she meets  Robert Fleming (George Sanders), and falls in love with him, though she initially suspects him.  I do not know if a thriller or mystery, but Muller calls in Noir. 

*MURDER MY SWEET* (1944) gave Dick Powell the type of role he had been wanting, having long ago tired of the singing roles. I noted several of those roles earlier. So, he had really wanted to play Walter Neff in Double Indemnity, but Fred MacMurray was cast, instead. See post #15,917.  Powell does not seem the kind of PI that either Bogart or Robert Mitchum. 

So, Powell is  Philip Marlowe, and is physically no match for most opponents, most notably Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki), who hires him to find his ex-girlfriend.  Actually, he just grabs him and tells him what he is to do. This guy was big!  

Oh, the film is in flashbacks, In the beginning, DP eyes are bandaged and is being interrogated by the police.  We only learn why his eyes were bandaged at the end.  So the 1st assignment was to accompany a man who is going to ransom some jade jewelry. Things go badly, & that is just the beginning of Marlowe's troubles. Mazurki makes things much worse. He was just released from prison, and wants his old girlfriend. But she had already found a new love, & he ain't none too understanding about such things. 

Worth seeing more than once!


----------



## Toby Frost

Presumably it's an adaptation of_ Farewell My Lovely_, which is a great novel.

I watched *Jabberwocky* by Terry Gilliam (1978). It's extremely silly but shot very well. The jokes are slightly hit and miss, and the plot meanders terribly. But there are some great moments. The royal family (Max Wall, Deborah Fallender and John le Mesurier) are all very good. I can't help wonder if it was an influence on the look of Warhammer (or maybe Bosch and Bruegel influenced both). I really enjoyed it, but I'd be wary of generally recommending it.


----------



## Al Jackson

Recently came across a showing of the 1950 movie *Treasure Island*. I remember seeing this at the kiddie matinee about ten times (that was a fluke for some reason the theater keep it as their Saturday kid film for weeks!) So famous for Robert Newton's Long John Sliver. New really chews the scenery and set the gold standard for 'pirate talk'!
You know Newton a classically trained Shakespearean actor , he had been good in many films in the 40s, found a niche with this movie. His performance seems over the top, but there are sequences in the film, like when he is negotiating a stand off when he turns on the acting chops and really , you think, this guy can act!!

This was a new venture for Disney and it was a good adaptation for the Robert Lewis Stevenson story. It was out of Disney studios in England and they made a few others.


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## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> Two from NOIR ALLEY:
> *LURED *(1947) & *MURDER MY SWEET* (1944). Muller covered both in great detail. I had seen both several times, but watched them again.
> 
> *LURED *(1947) was shown 01/13, *MURDER MY SWEET* 01/20; and to get the most from Muller, I watched *Lured *1st. ...



I also watched both last week. _Lured_, an old-fashioned mystery that might be stretching it a bit to call _noir_. On the other hand, I enjoyed it so I'm fine with it. 

My second time, far as I recall, watching _Murder, My Sweet_, and I think Powell captured Marlowe about as well as anyone has. Recently read The Annotated Big Sleep and the editors noted how often Marlowe is on the edge of hysteria and Powell's reactions to being drugged and having to find a way to escape capture seemed to capture that. It's also one of the few movies I recall where Chandler's purposeful mockery of his hard-boiled roots is left intact.

Fun movies, both.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Al Jackson said:


> Recently came across a showing of the 1950 movie *Treasure Island*. I remember seeing this at the kiddie matinee about ten times (that was a fluke for some reason the theater keep it as their Saturday kid film for weeks!) So famous for Robert Newton's Long John Sliver. New really chews the scenery and set the gold standard for 'pirate talk'!
> You know Newton a classically trained Shakespearean actor , he had been good in many films in the 40s, found a niche with this movie. His performance seems over the top, but there are sequences in the film, like when he is negotiating a stand off when he turns on the acting chops and really , you think, this guy can act!!
> 
> This was a new venture for Disney and it was a good adaptation for the Robert Lewis Stevenson story. It was out of Disney studios in England and they made a few others.
> 
> View attachment 49523


I know nothing of this actor, & cannot recall seeing him other than in this film, but he does seem to have the character just about right. 




Randy M. said:


> I also watched both last week. _Lured_, an old-fashioned mystery that might be stretching it a bit to call _noir_. On the other hand, I enjoyed it so I'm fine with it.
> 
> My second time, far as I recall, watching _Murder, My Sweet_, and I think Powell captured Marlowe about as well as anyone has. Recently read The Annotated Big Sleep and the editors noted how often Marlowe is on the edge of hysteria and Powell's reactions to being drugged and having to find a way to escape capture seemed to capture that. It's also one of the few movies I recall where Chandler's purposeful mockery of his hard-boiled roots is left intact.
> 
> Fun movies, both.
> 
> Randy M.


Hmm. As much as I would like to read those detective mysteries, I had an unpleasant experience with Kindle for PC, & reading a physical book is awkward, with just 1 hand.  Might get around to 1 or 2 of them before I die, though. 

*The Finger Points* (1931) is a somewhat overly simplified story of a newspaper reporter becoming corrupted by organized criminals. He takes a very large payoff to dissuade him from doing his job, & begins living luxuriously despite his meager salary. Breckenridge Lee (Richard Barthelmess) is that reporter, and Louis Blanco (Clark Gable) is the mobster who 1st introduces him to the lucrative business of reporting some crimes, but not others. 

This occurs because he initially did do his job, and was beaten because of it. Emerging weeks later from the hospital, he found his $35 / week salary insufficient to pay the medical bills. Asking the paper to cover them, gave him a brutal surprise: he was on his own; these were not considered expenses related to his job. 

*King Rat* (1965) A POW film, but very different from others I have seen, such as *Stalag 17*, *The Great Escape*, or *Bridge on the River Kwai*. The difference is that the conflicts are near 100% prisoners Vs. prisoners. Corporal King (George Segal) is running a black market business, and has customers on both sides. He is about the only POW whose uniform is not in tatters, he has plenty of cigarettes, he eats as well as can be expected, etc. Some other POWs despise him, including more than a few who outrank him.  

As the film nears it ending, 



Spoiler



the war is over, and the captors surrender to the captives. The Australians liberate the camp, etc. The men rejoice, and go their separate ways. but 1 Brit thought King was his friend, and wanted to stay in touch. King saw the relationship as purely business, and wanted nothing to do with the other guy, whose arm would have been amputated if not for King's resourcefulness in obtaining the medicine needed to fight gangrene.


It seemed an unusual ending to this type of film


----------



## Al Jackson

Jeffbert said:


> I know nothing of this actor, & cannot recall seeing him other than in this film, but he does seem to have the character just about right.


Yeah Robert Newton died 'young' at the age of 50 in 1956.  He became well known in the 20s and 30s as a  stage actor in England and in the 40's as both a leading man and a 'character actor' in film in England.
I remember him in Laurence Olivier's remarkable version of Henry V. 
He seems to only remembered as playing a pirate in Treasure Island and Blackbeard.
A really great actor who got type cast.


----------



## Al Jackson

Speaking of those British Disney Movies , they were all pretty good. Not sure if this was Disney's first live action films but there were all a bit unusual. There were these four:

1950  Treasure Island
1952  The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men
1953  The Sword and the Rose
1954  Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue

After Treasure Island they all stared Richard Todd a fine British actor and 'handsome' leading man.
I am not entirely clear why?

The Robin Hood movie is a bit stage bound , so to speak.
These were good , sort of modest scale films, helped by having first class British actors.
The best was probably The Sword and Rose which had Richard Todd and Glynis Johns , two actors who I wonder if anyone remembers?


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## Randy M.

For what it's worth, I remember Glynis Johns mainly because she had a wonderful purr in her voice. She was in _Marry Poppins_ and added some class to one of the best Danny Kaye, movies _The Court Jester.  _

Randy M.


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## dask

Jeffbert said:


> *The Finger Points* (1931) is a somewhat overly simplified story of a newspaper reporter becoming corrupted by organized criminals. He takes a very large payoff to dissuade him from doing his job, & begins living luxuriously despite his meager salary. Breckenridge Lee (Richard Barthelmess) is that reporter, and Louis Blanco (Clark Gable) is the mobster who 1st introduces him to the lucrative business of reporting some crimes, but not others.
> 
> This occurs because he initially did do his job, and was beaten because of it. Emerging weeks later from the hospital, he found his $35 / week salary insufficient to pay the medical bills. Asking the paper to cover them, gave him a brutal surprise: he was on his own; these were not considered expenses related to his job.


Clark Gable as the villain? Inovative casting, sounds cool. Going to have to look this one up.


----------



## Randy M.

dask said:


> Clark Gable as the villain? Inovative casting, sounds cool. Going to have to look this one up.



I'm not sure of that for that time. He wasn't really Clark Gable yet. He was still a year or two away from major star status, I think, those early scoundrel roles bringing him attention, particularly from female viewers.

Meanwhile, Cary Grant was about two years away from stardom, and Gary Cooper -- the other leg of the '30s-'50s trinity of male box office kings -- was already a star and had been since near the end of the silents.

Poking around IMDB, I didn't realize Cooper and Grant were in the same movie, _Devil and the Deep_ (1932), with Charles Laughton. None of them had top billing, though; that was Tallulah Bankhead. 

Who? 

Yeah, well, fame is fleeting. Her fame mostly resided on Broadway. She still had enough heft in 1944 that she starred in Hitchcock's _Lifeboat_.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Joan Collins, Scream Queen Double Feature:

*Dark Places* (1974)

Slow-moving but effective combination of suspense and ghost story.  An elderly man in a mental hospital leaves his estate to a fellow who works there.  Upon the rich man's death, his unexpected heir goes to live in the huge, crumbling mansion.  He knows that there's a huge amount of cash hidden somewhere in its walls.  Joan Collins and her physician brother (Christopher Lee) know about the money as well.  So does the lawyer (Herbert Lom) handling the inheritance.  They're all scheming to get the cash.  The promiscuous Collins -- she even teases her brother by asking him if he wishes she weren't his sister -- seduces the heir, and the siblings make it look like the place is haunted.  So much for the suspense part of the plot.  It turns out that some of the weird stuff going on isn't their doing.  The heir gets possessed from time to time by the dead man, and we see flashbacks of what happened years ago, with the same actor playing both parts.  (The transitions from present to past are quite well done.)  Suffice to say that Very Bad Things happened back then.  Jean Marsh has a very good part, if a small one, in the flashbacks as the dead man's wife.  It's a nice little thriller, if you don't mind the sedate pace.

*I Don't Want to Be Born* AKA *The Devil Within Her* (1975)

Ridiculous mixture of *Rosemary's Baby*, *The Exorcist*, and *It's Alive*.  Starts with Joan Collins undergoing very difficult childbirth.  As the doctor (Donald Pleasence) remarks, "This one doesn't want to be born."  I guess he read the opening titles.  The baby is unusually big and strong, but otherwise a perfectly ordinary infant.  We find out right away that something is wrong with the kid, because it somehow manages to scratch mommy's face badly, drawing blood.  It also freaks out (screaming horribly, the way that all babies do) when they try to baptize it.  Hammer Glamour favorite Caroline Munro, in the role of mommy's BFF, shows up to talk to Collins, launching us into a flashback.  It seems that Collins was a stripper.  (Her act shows her completely dressed.  Munro is in the same business, but also keeps her clothes on.  Other actresses in tiny roles as strippers aren't so modest.)  A dwarf who works at the same nightclub makes crude advances to her.  She rejects him, he curses her to have a baby that will be "as big as I am small, and possessed by the devil."   We leave the flashback.  The baby kills people, either completely offstage so we don't know how it accomplished the murders, or in completely absurd ways.  (A tiny hand reaches out of a perambulator and pushes a woman into a river, drowning her.)  Collins is married to an Italian fellow (British actor Ralph Bates with an accent) whose sister is a nun.  Yes, you guessed it -- the movie ends with the nun performing an exorcism.  (I thought only priests could do that.)  The decision to have the monster baby always look like nothing other than a typical newborn makes all of this ludicrous in the extreme.


----------



## Matteo

Last night, I finally got around to watching *Star Wars - The Force Awakens*.  I'd managed to avoid all spoilers - and even trailers (other than a few seconds) - so was surprised in the "right" places.  

I enjoyed it but it wasn't great.  Having just read the assigned thread here, I'd agree with most of the criticisms so won't repeat them all here; there were a few conveniences, the story was familiar, and it felt rushed.  However, I also think that a lot was being set up for the next two films which could excuse some of its weaknesses. And it was nice to see The Force being mystical again.  Looking forward to the next film.

Oh, and it was a bit rich that Mark Hamill got second billing!


----------



## Anthoney

*Aquaman. * This movie was made for LSD.


----------



## Boaz

@Randy M. Glynis Johns is great.  Now that you've seen her sweet side opposite Danny Kaye and David Tomlinson, you need to watch _The Ref_.  With Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey going all out and Dennis Leary in full anger mode, Glynis Johns steals every scene.  It's my favorite holiday (not Christmas) movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*T-Bird Gang* (1959)

Low budget crime flick that's not as bad as it might be.  A night watchman is shot to death by crooks during a robbery.  His son vows revenge.  He winds up being recruited into the gang after beating one of the members in a fistfight.  The rest of the film details the way he works with the cops while trying not to be found out by the crooks.  The title comes from the white Thunderbird the boss drives.  Ed Nelson does a good job playing the boss as a smooth, sophisticated, chess-playing, classical-music-listening guy.  The other crooks are just punks.  Very simple plot, and it runs just over an hour.  Notable for a jazz soundtrack that really sounds improvised.


----------



## biodroid

*Aquaman* - fantastic movie, better than some MCU movies and the best DC movie since the Dark Knight trilogy


----------



## Al Jackson

Matteo said:


> Last night, I finally got around to watching *Star Wars - The Force Awakens*.  I'd managed to avoid all spoilers - and even trailers (other than a few seconds) - so was surprised in the "right" places.
> 
> I enjoyed it but it wasn't great.  Having just read the assigned thread here, I'd agree with most of the criticisms so won't repeat them all here; there were a few conveniences, the story was familiar, and it felt rushed.  However, I also think that a lot was being set up for the next two films which could excuse some of its weaknesses. And it was nice to see The Force being mystical again.  Looking forward to the next film.
> 
> Oh, and it was a bit rich that Mark Hamill got second billing!



You know both this film and *Solo* got unwarranted knocks against them which seem to come from SW fans, but I found both films entertaining enough. Tho both had somewhat lackluster stories and were a bit fragmented (tho not as much as most comic book movies!) .  I thought *Solo* was a tad better than *Force Awakens*. I thought both were better than *Last Jedi* and* Rouge One* was better than any of those others released so far.


----------



## J-WO

I keep watching _Chimes At Midnight_ on my phone (One day I want to see it on the big screen but I don't know if that'll ever happen). I love the audacity of smashing a load of Shakespeare plays together and making a new one about Falstaff. And, as a fantasy writer, I love the medieval world Orson Welles creates (on a budget!), all the shadows and light: the royal court is as sinister as the Death Star and the bawdy tavern is really warm. Then there's the battle, which went on to inspire _Game Of Thrones_' Battle Of The B*stards and _Braveheart _and all the other muddy, gritty sword fights of cinema. Welles only had a hundred extras but with a smoke machine and lots of fast editing he made it seem like thousands.
I've really fallen it love with _Chimes_, despite its occasional faults. It's a movie with so much love poured into it.


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## Randy M.

Boaz said:


> @Randy M. Glynis Johns is great.  Now that you've seen her sweet side opposite Danny Kaye and David Tomlinson, you need to watch _The Ref_.  With Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey going all out and Dennis Leary in full anger mode, Glynis Johns steals every scene.  It's my favorite holiday (not Christmas) movie.



I did see it years ago, remember little about it except liking it, and had totally forgotten Johns was in it. Thanks, Boaz. I'll have to re-watch it.

Randy M.


----------



## Allegra

Watched *Colette *(2018), biographical drama of French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. Excellent performance by Keira Knightly and the leading actor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Psychic* (1977)

Intriguing _giallo_ with more emphasis on mystery and suspense than gore.  The brief prologue shows a woman in England killing herself by jumping off a cliff in England.  Her young daughter, at school in Italy, has a vision of her mother's death at the same moment.  Oddly, this really has nothing to do with the plot except to establish the main character as a psychic.  Eighteen years later, the little blonde girl has grown up to be dark-haired Jennifer O'Neill, looking particularly beautiful here.  While driving, she has mixed-up visions of ordinary things -- a broken mirror, a cigarette, a magazine -- as well as a murdered woman and the sobs of a woman being sealed up behind a wall.  These various images are explained, one by one, as the plot goes on.  O'Neill is newly married to an Italian fellow, and on her way to restore her husband's mansion, long abandoned.  Her visions lead her to find the skeleton of a young woman walled up a couple of years ago.  When the cops figure out who the victim was, the husband admits she was a former lover.  Of course, this makes him the prime suspect, and he gets thrown in jail.  With the help of a parapsychologist, his assistant, and the husband's sister, she turns amateur detective to clear his name.  The story takes all kinds of twists and turns, with clues that turn out to mean something other than they seem to indicate at first.  The original Italian title, _Sette note in nero_ (seven notes in black) refers to a little tune that a wrist watch plays, which proves to be of major importance at the very end of the film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Oval Portrait* (1972)

Low budget adaptation of the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe.  The Poe tale is very short.  Guy paints a picture of his wife so lifelike that she dies when it is finished.  The film pretty much ignores this.  Shortly after the American Civil War, folks gather at the home of a retired Union officer who has just died.  Right away we get our spooky stuff, as our heroine gets freaked out by a woman she sees, assuming she's a ghost.  Under the titles, we see the portrait in question, which changes from that of a young woman into a corpse; a pretty effective touch.  The heroine freaks out in other ways, fainting and such.  The vaguely spooky housekeeper gives her (and the viewers) the back story, and we go into a flashback that takes up most of the film.  During the war, a wounded Confederate soldier shows up at the officer's home.  The housekeeper and the officer's daughter hide him while the officer is away.  The daughter and the soldier fall in love, they almost get married but the Yankees catch him and take him away.  The officer comes home to find his daughter pregnant.  He throws her out of the house, she loses the baby, he goes catatonic, she dies.  Her lover comes back after the war to find her dead and goes insane.  Back in the present, we spend the last fifteen minutes watching the movie go crazy.  Lots of haunted house stuff, the Confederate soldier making out with his lover's desiccated corpse, a sudden revelation of the relationship between two of the characters that comes out of nowhere.  It's all very amateurish, and until the berserk climax it moves with all the speed of a glacier.  I can't call it good, or even competent, by any means, but it kept me watching.  (Weird bits of trivia:  This is a Mexican movie filmed in English.  The IMDB claims that *One Minute Before Death* is an alternate title, but a little research reveals that's an entirely different film made by the same folks with the same actors.  From the online reviews I found, some folks watching copies of *One Minute Before Death* got that movie -- something about a woman falling down stairs, seeming to be dead but only paralyzed, and getting buried -- and some got this one.)


----------



## J Riff

*The Evil * 1978  -  70s horror movies are generally better'n new stuff by a mile, and this one is okay. Some nice people get trapped inside a house that decides to lock them in, and there's the spirit of a person who lived there, of course, and a diary, and something, the evil!-  in the cellar that gets loose. 
People get flung about, and abused by invisible forces, the dog disappears after getting arful mean... and characters are disposed of until no less than the horned guy shows up, looking a bit hillbilly, and the usual couple left alive have to deal with him. It never gets really scary, this one, which is fine, it's good vs. evil with some very stereotypical dialogue and dumb characters who probably deserve what they get.


----------



## Jeffbert

Amusing posts, but none of those films appeal to me. Thanks, guys!

The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) James Cagney as a pilot whose hopes of self-employment are about to evaporate because the guy who is to repossess his plane Hinkle (Edward Brophy) is constantly knocking at the door.  He learns of an eloping couple who want him to fly them to Reno, and the bride's papa (Eugene Pallette), who agrees to pay him to prevent the elopement & marriage.  So, sending the would-be bridegroom on a fake errand, JC takes off with the would-be bride (Bette Davis), telling her he is kidnapping her. 

That is when this film earns its screwball comedy label. Who'd a thunk JC would be in one of those? So things happen as BD attempts to escape. William Frowley (better known as Lucy & Ricky's neighbor, Fred Mertz or something like that) is the sheriff of a CA county who tries to arrest JC, who when convenient, says that the ghost town where they ended-up is in Nevada, & when convenient, its in California. 
Suffice it to say, the line "Top o' the world, ma" is not in this film. Very well done screwball.


----------



## Laura R Hepworth

Re-watched *Monster's University*. This time paying attention to the character design and artwork .


----------



## Jeffbert

Al Jackson said:


> Yeah Robert Newton died 'young' at the age of 50 in 1956.  He became well known in the 20s and 30s as a  stage actor in England and in the 40's as both a leading man and a 'character actor' in film in England.
> ...
> He seems to only remembered as playing a pirate in Treasure Island and Blackbeard.
> A really great actor who got type cast.
> View attachment 49551


This guy was in *Jamaica Inn* (1939). Hitchcock directed it, (Charles Laughton's co. made it, CL was ) Sir Humphrey Pengallan, the 'gentleman' who was the local law & also the boss of the gang that wrecked ships by moving or extinguishing the light, thus, running the ships aground. They killed all aboard, and plundered the goods. Hardly recognized CL, though; as his face was extremely flabby. I will not say anything about RN, as his role is a bit complex.


One final pre-code gangster film:
*The Public Enemy* (1931) I know I have seen this before, but nothing resonated, except the grapefruit scene. Great ending! James Cagney's character is 1st portrayed by a boy, who has gone bad. JC then takes the role, at about 15 minutes in. He is a young man who starts as a tough-guy, perhaps call him an enforcer. then, the The Volstead Act,  prohibition, & bootlegging. Intense film.

*In a Lonely Place* (1950) Bogart as a screenwriter with a tendency to become violent. Which is putting it mildly, to say the least. He is the most likely suspect in a murder of a young woman, whom he paid to tell him the basic story which she had read, but he had not. This stress makes him even more inclined to violence. 

Oh, yes, it was the last NOIR ALLEY presentation until March!!  Not happy with Muller's post-film lecture, either this one or *Act of Violence* (1949), which was one immediately preceding this. 31 day of Oscars might appeal to many, but for the most part, I find little to like. 

*Act of Violence* (1949) Robert Ryan as the trench coat clad  bogyman threatening Van Heflin.  Van Heflin is married with one child, and RR comes threateningly. He drags one foot, amplifying up the tension. There were several other films with the bad guy either dragging one foot, or clunking as he walked. *Mata Hari* (1931) was one. One of the old Dick Tracy's was also. Janet Leigh as Edith Enley, VH's wife. She constantly queries VH about why RR is pursuing him, he always evades answering her. 



Spoiler



RR is out to avenge himself on the other POW who ratted on him and the others digging a tunnel. They were said to be starving, so, to me, the idea of digging a tunnel seems a bit far-fetched. But, when this is finally revealed, it changes the viewers' opinion of VH, & rightly so. Hi=e initially tells his wife thatb he told the enemy of the escape plans in order to save his men (He was the senior POW in that barrack. But, eventually reveals that he also had his belly on his mind, as the prisoners were underfed. But, he, himself could not be sure which was his primary motive.


----------



## awesomesauce

We watched *The Happytime Murders* last night. Hilarious!


----------



## Mouse

*Solo*. I liked it. Also thought L3 was great though I've seen a lot of people (that is, _men_) hating on her.


----------



## dask

Topnotch film noir. Eye-opener mystery about Detective Dana Andrews falling in love with the portrait of a murdered women. And it doesn't stop there. Highly recommended. (And I hope Hollywood never tries to remake this. What a disaster that would be with their uncontrollable urge to change things around for no apparent reason.)


----------



## Randy M.

Dask, the novel Laura is pretty good, too, though the character Clifton Webb plays, Waldo Lydecker, is a bit different in the novel.

Randy M.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Logan*_ (2017)

Finally got around to this. Violent son of a gun, wasn't it? Not sure if I missed much by not seeing all the Wolverine movies, but Jackman and Stewart make the relationship between Logan and the Prof. interesting, touching and even relatable, tapping into an aging population caring for an even more aged previous generation. And wherever they found Dafne Keen, they got incredibly lucky. She's excellent at showing the feral ruthlessness necessary in parts of the movie, and credibly shows softer emotions, too. Really well done.


*Body Heat* (1981)

William Hurt and Kathleen Turner early in their careers. These two owned the '80s and this movie contributed greatly: Hurt was already on the rise after _Altered States, _and this cemented his leading man status, meanwhile making Turner a star. Throwback to old film _noir_ thrillers from the 1940s and '50s, including melancholy, boozy score by John Barry (one of the few where I didn't recognize passages similar to his Bond music; even his score for _Out of Africa_ had some similarity to the Bond music) with scheming lovers deciding to kill her husband, take his money and live large. Except, maybe the co-conspirators can't really trust each other. Nice turn, sometimes literally, by Ted Danson as Hurt's friend, and a small part gave a big boost to Mickey Rourke's career. I think this was also a big boost (if not the impetus) for the revival of _noir_ movie thrillers in the 1980s. Seems odd that prosperous times -- late 1940s and 1980s -- should so inspire movies about greed, infidelity, paranoia. Then again, maybe not so odd.

Randy M.


----------



## Vince W

*Ant-Man and the Wasp*. A fun film that I think will stand up to many viewings. A worthy successor to the first.

*The Lego Batman Movie*. Good but with some genuine laugh out loud moments. I've found a piece of rope to leave at my desk at work when I'm away from it.


----------



## dask

Randy M. said:


> Dask, the novel Laura is pretty good, too, though the character Clifton Webb plays, Waldo Lydecker, is a bit different in the novel.
> 
> Randy M.


It's on my radar. Thanks.


----------



## Graymalkin

*The Pickwick Papers* (1952) 
Noel Langley's black and white rendering of the 1837 novel by Charles Dickens.
A truly hilarious procession of grotesques played by quality actors. Music hall style performances, filmed beautifully. The unfortunate underling _Fatboy_ (Gerald Campion), the vowel gymnastics of Hermione Gingold as _Miss Tompkins_, the (almost) inevitable decline of _Mr. Jingle_ (the brilliant Nigel Patrick) Joyce Grenville's 'Ode to an expiring frog,' the rhetoric of Donald Wolfit's _Sergeant Buzfuz_ - all stand out in what feels like a not-too-distant relative of the Carry On movies. _Mister Pickwick_ is less protagonist than accidental catalyst for farce/pathos and affects those around him through forgiveness and a shed of cash. Pure joy.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Badlanders* (1958) Two ex-convicts in the wild West one of whom was cheated out of a goldmine, go about helping themselves to some gold from the same mine; though via an old condemned shaft.  Peter Van Hoek (Alan Ladd) is a geologist who worked in that mine, and kept to himself knowledge of a vein of the stuff.  John McBain (Ernest Borgnine) is the other ex-con, the mine is on land that once was his. 

Wili says this was a Western adaptation of *The Asphalt Jungle*.  I know I have seen that, not too long ago, but reading the wiki page for it, not much seems familiar. Anyway I do see the similarities in the plots of these films. *Badlanders* is far from noir, but is a very good film. 


*Sudden Fear* (1952) A rich playwright Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford), in screening actors for her play, rejects Lester Blaine (Jack Palance). He is not happy about it. By chance, the two meet on a train bound for San Francisco. He hooks her & reels her in, they marry. But he does not love her. 

Two items are shown early in the film, one of which will play a prominent role later. One is a voice-activated recording machine that makes records (record player), another is a narrow and dangerous outdoor stairway leading to the dock.  JC uses the recorder rather than a typewriter to write her plays. But forgot to turn it off on a certain day. so when she plays it to review her ideas, she hears something unexpected and terrifying. 

Nuff said!


----------



## Ubergeek

Randy M. said:


> _*Logan*_ (2017)
> 
> Finally got around to this. Violent son of a gun, wasn't it? Not sure if I missed much by not seeing all the Wolverine movies, but Jackman and Stewart make the relationship between Logan and the Prof. interesting, touching and even relatable, tapping into an aging population caring for an even more aged previous generation. And wherever they found Dafne Keen, they got incredibly lucky. She's excellent at showing the feral ruthlessness necessary in parts of the movie, and credibly shows softer emotions, too. Really well done.
> 
> 
> *Body Heat* (1981
> William Hurt and Kathleen Turner early in their careers. These two owned the '80s and this movie contributed greatly: Hurt was already on the rise after _Altered States, _and this cemented his leading man status, meanwhile making Turner a star. Throwback to old film _noir_ thrillers from the 1940s and '50s, including melancholy, boozy score by John Barry (one of the few where I didn't recognize passages similar to his Bond music; even his score for _Out of Africa_ had some similarity to the Bond music) with scheming lovers deciding to kill her husband, take his money and live large. Except, maybe the co-conspirators can't really trust each other. Nice turn, sometimes literally, by Ted Danson as Hurt's friend, and a small part gave a big boost to Mickey Rourke's career. I think this hi was also a big boost (if not the impetus) for the revival of _noir_ movie thrillers in the 1980s. Seems odd that prosperous times -- late 1940s and 1980s -- should so inspire movies about greed, infidelity, paranoia. Then again, maybe not so odd.
> 
> Randy M.





Randy M. said:


> _*Logan*_ (2017)
> 
> Finally got around to this. Violent son of a gun, wasn't it? Not sure if I missed much by not seeing all the Wolverine movies, but Jackman and Stewart make the relationship between Logan and the Prof. interesting, touching and even relatable, tapping into an aging population caring for an even more aged previous generation. And wherever they found Dafne Keen, they got incredibly lucky. She's excellent at showing the feral ruthlessness necessary in parts of the movie, and credibly shows softer emotions, too. Really well done.
> 
> 
> *Body Heat* (1981)
> 
> William Hurt and Kathleen Turner early in their careers. These two owned the '80s and this movie contributed greatly: Hurt was already on the rise after _Altered States, _and this cemented his leading man status, meanwhile making Turner a star. Throwback to old film _noir_ thrillers from the 1940s and '50s, including melancholy, boozy score by John Barry (one of the few where I didn't recognize passages similar to his Bond music; even his score for _Out of Africa_ had some similarity to the Bond music) with scheming lovers deciding to kill her husband, take his money and live large. Except, maybe the co-conspirators can't really trust each other. Nice turn, sometimes literally, by Ted Danson as Hurt's friend, and a small part gave a big boost to Mickey Rourke's career. I think this was also a big boost (if not the impetus) for the revival of _noir_ movie thrillers in the 1980s. Seems odd that prosperous times -- late 1940s and 1980s -- should so inspire movies about greed, infidelity, paranoia. Then again, maybe not so odd.
> 
> Randy M.


----------



## Ubergeek

Hi Randy.  I loved Logan.  A noir / western / fantasy mashup.  Very interesting yak track from Jim Mangold .  A very skilled director who seems equally adept in other genres e.g. Walk the Line  [ Johnny Cash biopic ] .


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*High School Caesar* (1960)

Low budget juvenile delinquency film.  Opens with our antihero beating up a fellow student and taking his money.  We then see that he's got a whole crime empire going.  Extortion, cheating to win the election for student president, pocketing dance fees, selling tests, etc.  It seems he's emotionally messed up because his globetrotting, filthy rich parents leave him alone in their mansion with the servants while they go gallivanting around the world.  His scheme start to fall apart after he kills another student in a less-than-accidental car wreck.  The poor acting and awkward dialogue actually make the twenty-something actors seems like teenagers.  (The antihero and the raven-haired, tight-dress-wearing Bad Girl are pretty good performers.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Mutations* AKA *The Freakmaker* (1974)

Dull combination of an old-fashioned Mad Scientist movie and *Freaks*.  Donald Pleasence stars as a professor, and delivers all his dialogue in a German-accented monotone.  With the help of a badly deformed guy who runs a freak show (Tom Baker, unrecognizable behind heavy facial prostheses), he experiments on his students, trying to create a plant-human hybrid.  Real human oddities play the freaks.  Lots of time wasted on Pleasence's lectures, students walking around, the freak show, etc.  Hardly any plant monster stuff until the end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Female Felons Double Feature:

*Girl Gang* (1954)

Two young women out hitchhiking.  Guy picks them up.  They park by the side of the road and, well, do nothing.  Not even talk.  They just sit there, all smiles.  Two more young women drive up, pull out guns, rob the guy, knock him out cold, steal the car.  They take the hot car to our real villain.  It seems he gets young folks hooked on marijuana and heroin.  He demonstrates how to inject heroin in great detail to his smoking hot girlfriend, played by a Playboy model of the time.  She provides the film's cheesecake, raising her skirt way up so he can inject the heroin in her upper thigh.  After some wild partying among the thirty-something teen addicts -- it seems that female recruits have to have "relations" with five males to join the group -- we get a botched gas station robbery that leads to good triumphing over evil.  Somewhere along the way the Playboy model gets a job so she can prostitute herself to the boss and rob him.  It's remarkably frank and sleazy for its time.

*Gun Girls* (1957)

The same writer/director and the same actor as the crime boss, but in a much more sedate film.  No drugs this time.  The women pull heists and give the loot to the boss.  There's a lot of talk between the women and the boss, a lot of lecturing by a parole officer about the evils of juvenile delinquency, a lot of scenes of the women removing their blouses.  Eventually yet another robbery goes wrong.  Pretty dull compared to the other one.


----------



## Mouse

*The Lego Movie 2*. Saw this one at the cinema and loved it, very funny.

*The Rocky Horror Picture Show*. Weird. Bit rapey.


----------



## Garfunkel

*The Lego Movie 2*. It was pretty good and surprised me in places. I'm impressed at how consistent the Lego movies have been, although I haven't seen Ninjago.


----------



## Boaz

*Bull Durham* (1988) I love so much of the dialogue.

Crash: What's wrong? 
Nuke: I'm nervous - my old man's here. 
Crash: Where? 
Nuke: He's behind home plate - don't look. Don't look. 
Crash: Hey, he's waving. He's just your father, man... he's as full of sh*t as anybody.

Nuke: (Tied up on the bed.) Ooh, I've heard of stuff like this. 
Annie: Yeah? Have you heard of Walt Whitman? 
Nuke: No. Who's he play for?
Annie: The Cosmic All-Stars... "I sing the body electric....."

Nuke: You said Crash.
Annie: Listen, sweetheart, you shouldn't listen to what a woman says when she's in the throes of passion. They say the darndest things. 
Nuke: Yeah, you said Crash! 
Annie: Honey, would you rather I were making love to him using your name, or making love to you using his name?

Nuke: What's he know about fun? I'm young. I know about fun. He's an old man. He don' know nuthin' about fun.


----------



## Matteo

*What was the last movie (poster) you saw?*

This morning.  Looks dumb, but I had to laugh at the tag-line.  Don't think Uncle Ben would approve...


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Thing* (1982): a terrific film, if an imperfect one. The actors do well with rather thin characters. The tone is generally downbeat, with a real sense of everything gradually getting worse. Despite the creativity of the monster effects and the occasional one-liner, it’s pretty bleak and Lovecraftian. I have a pet theory that the Alien has acidic blood to prevent the Thing from assimilating it. The music, by Ennio Morricone, is excellent. 8/10.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Khartoum* (1966) Ch. Heston as a man whom the Brits send to somehow save the city from being overrun by the Mahdi (Laurence Olivier)'s army.  LO's forces are fighting what they believe is a Holy War, and as such, are that much more eager to expel the foreigners from the Sudan. The English army, on the other hand, has no such belief supporting their effort. Also, they had not even arrived at Khartoum yet, and are miles away, still attempting to acclimate themselves to the tropical climate. CH is commanding a handful of defenders, awaiting the Mahdi's attack. Food is scarce, the people are hungry and afraid. 

I disliked the black screen that preceded the opening credits sequence. There was music, but no picture. Annoying! Likewise at the ending, and at some point in the middle.  Anyway, this was an engaging film. On several occasions, CH and LO met face to face, and discussed the situation. LO had great respect for CH, and did not want to kill him. He gave him a chance to flee the city, though I could not understand why. 

*The Music Box* (1932) One of L&Hardy's funniest short films. They are attempting to deliver a piano to a house that seems to have only a long staircase as its access route.  Even funnier than any two *Robot Chicken* episodes.


----------



## AlexH

Matteo said:


> *What was the last movie (poster) you saw?*
> 
> This morning.  Looks dumb, but I had to laugh at the tag-line.  Don't think Uncle Ben would approve...
> 
> View attachment 50177



Coincidentally, I visited an interesting exhibition at the Brunei Gallery in London last night. In the late 80s, some Ghanaian artists and cinema owners found out their own localised versions of cinema posters increased cinema takings when compared to the originals. These are at least a few feet high, painted on canvas:






There's quite a lot of horror stuff that may interest some folk in this forum, if they're around London...


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Black Panther.  *The action and the dialogue was sometimes so fast and furious I wasn't entirely sure what was going on (plus the "Wakanda" accents didn't help), but I thought it was interesting how they put together a culture for Wakanda, not only shown in the things like the rituals and the history, but in what we caught glimpses of in the streets of the capital city.  I did feel the hero was a bit over-shadowed by his female associates, who all three seemed more competent than he was.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Christopher Lee and Soho Strip Clubs of 1960 Double Feature:

*Too Hot to Handle* aka *Playgirl After Dark* (1960)

Jayne Mansfield stars as the oddly named Midnight Franklin in this British crime flick.  She's the girlfriend and star attraction of almost-as-oddly-named strip club owner Johnny Solo.  ("Solo by name and solo by nature," as he says.  He calls her "Twelve O'Clock" sometimes, by the way.)  Christopher Lee is his right hand man.  He gets to introduce the strippers, but he also betrays his boss by helping a rival strip club owner extort him.  Subplots involve an underage stripper who calls herself Ponytail and who meets a very bad fate, and a German stripper who is in the UK illegally.  The story is interrupted by songs performed by Mansfield and surprisingly elaborate dance routines by the strippers.  Fairly steamy for the time, with lots of scantily clad women, and a multi-girl cat fight near the end.  Mansfield isn't bad during the dramatic scenes.

*Beat Girl* aka *Wild for Kicks* (1960)

Fifteen-year-old Gillian Hills, one of Roger Vadim's discoveries, stars in this melodrama, and darned if she doesn't come across as a British Brigitte Bardot.  She's the beatnik daughter of a rich and famous architect.  He's been divorced for a while, and comes back from a vacation with a young French wife.  The rebellious teen doesn't like her new stepmother.  By chance, she runs into a stripper who used to work with the stepmother when they were both in the same business.  This leads the teenager into the clutches of strip club owner Christopher Lee, who comes on to her heavy despite her tender years.  This all leads up to the film's sudden, violent ending.  Along the way we get lots of jazz and rock 'n' roll, dancing, parties, and a dangerous game in which the teens place their heads on a railroad track in front of an approaching train, lifting them up at the last possible moment.  Oliver Reed has a tiny role, but you can't miss him.  Less stripping than the other movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

I thought Lee was working for Hammer at that time, but he seems to be a free agent. Thanks for the reviews, *Victoria Silverwolf!*


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Chosen Survivors* (1974)

Odd little combination of government paranoia flick and animals attack movie.  Starts off with an intriguing scene of several civilians being hustled off a helicopter by uniformed soldiers into an underground shelter in the New Mexico desert.  After an elevator takes them way, way down, a recorded message from a cheerful young woman tells them (and us) what's going on.  It seems that nuclear war has broken out, and this place is just one of many where people selected for their skills and health have been taken, against their will, to repopulate the planet when it's all over.  That's enough of a story, you'd think, but pretty soon we get the real plot.  The place is invaded by a bunch of vampire bats from an adjoining cave.  (The story goes that the bats weren't in the original script at all, which would have made for a very different movie.)  About halfway through we get a major plot twist:



Spoiler



There isn't any war; this is just a government experiment gone wrong.



This US/Mexico co-production has an interesting premise, but often bogs down into dullness.  The various Chosen Survivors don't have much personality to distinguish them.  A feature film, but it has the feeling of a made-for-television movie.


----------



## Mouse

*The Social Network*. Spoilt rich brats doing spoilt rich brat things. Yawn.

*John Wick*. Yes, I'd do the same if someone dared touch my dog.

*Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles (1990) *Saw it at the cinema when it first came out. Watched it many times. Still the best live action version.


----------



## REBerg

*A Star Is Born (2018)*
Superb acting. Tough competition at the Oscars. Many years, this film would have collected more statues.


----------



## Vince W

*Kong: Skull Island* An astonishingly bad film. The characters are dull and uninspiring, and what little story there is feels like a checklist of cliches pulling in too many directions. It made me long for Peter Jackson's *King Kong.*

I would rate *Kong: Skull Island* a must avoid.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lisa and the Devil* (1973)

Dream-like horror film from director Mario Bava.  Elke Sommer is Lisa, a tourist in Spain.  She sees a medieval fresco of the Devil taking souls to Hell.  She wanders away from the tourist group into a shop, where she sees Telly Savalas buying a mannequin.  Savalas looks just like the painting of the Devil.  Sommer freaks out and runs out of the shop, only to find herself in an entirely different place.  The few folks around don't say anything to her.  She sees Savalas again, carrying the mannequin.  Later a guy who looks just like the mannequin shows up, and calls her Elena.  She freaks out again, knocking him down and maybe killing him.  Still lost, she eventually gets picked up an older rich guy, his young wife, and their chauffeur.  The car has trouble, so they stop at a spooky old mansion.  The butler is Savalas.  The inhabitants are a blind countess and her adult son.  Pretty soon we find out that somebody else has shown up as well, and that there's an unseen somebody kept secluded in an upstairs room.  Eventually there's a pretty high body count, and things happen near the end that completely change everything we've seen.

It's just as confusing as I've made it sound, although you can make sense of what's going on if you watch carefully and think about it a lot.  Beautifully filmed, with many scenes that are darkly romantic.  Savalas plays his part with a touch of sardonic comedy.  Well worth a look.


----------



## AnnWanges

I watched "Glass" last weekend, enjoyed the film so much.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*My Gun Is Quick* (1957)

Loosely based on the novel by Mickey Spillane.  Misanthropic private eye Mike Hammer, awake for fifty-two hours, stumbles into a cheap diner for a cup of coffee.  He meets a young woman down on her luck, buys her a bowl of soup, and gives her some cash so she can leave Los Angeles and head back home to Nebraska.  (He also gets the chance to beat up a guy who comes in and bothers her.  The movie can't spell things out, but the implication is that she's a prostitute and he's her pimp.)  The woman happens to be wearing a big, fancy ring.  She gets murdered by a hit-and-run driver pretty quick, and Hammer tracks down the killer.  This involves some valuable jewels stolen from the Nazis at the end of World War Two.  Pretty typical hard-boiled stuff, with seductive dames and brutal hoods.   It's not bad for a low budget detective yarn.


----------



## J Riff

_Lisa_ is almost 4 hours long?! Savalas has time to be the butler who did it, satan, and a few detectives. 
Here, I tried to watch _Warp Speed,_ 1981, but it's largely blechh, except Adam West is the starship captain, so those parts are fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Actually, *Lisa and the Devil* is only about one and one-half hour long.


----------



## J Riff

Ah. >> at 1:35>  caption: 'As _Lisa and the Devil _never had a theatrical release, its trailer was never completed. The unfinished version is presented here.'
Then there's a different... version... steamier, and...what th-.. it goes on for another 2 hrs?? Apparently.


----------



## Randy M.

Two movies I’ve thought on, not entirely sure what to say about them, but inclined to think others here might find at least one of them of interest.


*The Cured* (2017): dir. David Freyne; starring Ellen Page, Sam Keeley

A zombie movie. An Irish zombie movie. A disheartened Irish zombie movie. With political overtones.

A plague created zombies and in its wake a scientist found a cure, though the authorities and most civilians are not truly confident in its effectiveness. The cured are kept in detention centers that look a lot like concentration camps until the authorities vet them and send them home. Once home they are supervised, essentially on parole with a military parole officer.

Those who weren’t infected are aware of what the cured did while infected and at least are wary of them, with many openly hostile. The cured survive by keeping their heads down and forming informal support groups. Senan returned home to his sister-in-law and nephew; his brother was killed by zombies after sending his wife and son away to a safer place. Senan has a menial job and tries to return to normal, but without much success; meanwhile other cured are not as content to wait for time to heal. Questions pile up: How much do the cured remember, if anything? How do you become “normal” after losing your agency, after being a walking, ravening appetite? Who can you trust? What side do you choose?

This is not an action-packed zombie movie; it is moody, thoughtful, carefully paced and less interested in gore and killing than in the consequences of the plague, how society contends with such a disaster and with those who have become outsiders? Also, how do outsiders contend with being outsiders, can resentment and even rage be pushed aside? What choices to you have? Because of that focus, the moments of violence may be more viscerally disturbing when they come.

Probably not for everybody, but worth a look-see if you’re interested in the permutations of zombie movies.



*Compulsion* (2016) dir. Craig Goodwill; starring Analeigh Tipton, Marta Gastini

I’m even less sure about this one. _Compulsion _is an erotic thriller and I’m not sure it’s a good one. Not having watched _Eyes Wide Shut_ I can only guess that this has that movie as a working model, since some scenes appear to echo clips I’ve seen from Kubrick’s film. I think it somewhat succeeds though its scores on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes indicates others may not agree with me; perhaps it’s more derivative than I realize.

Sadie has published a successful novel based on her experiences with a cult devoted to erotic pleasure. And maybe to sadism. (_Sadie_. Get it? –Subtlety isn’t a strong suit, especially when overloading imagery implying erotic asphyxiation.) Oh, and maybe to murder.

Early on Sadie admits that she was carried away the last time with her former lover, Alex, and that’s why she left him and his coterie. Still, in spite of finding a stable new love, she craves the pleasures Alex provided as host for the “parties” his guests indulge in. When he reappears at a reading she decides to join him once again at an isolated villa (Really, Sadie? Come on! Haven't you ever watched a horror movie?), intrigued by his newest acquisition, Francesca. Francesca is an aspiring actress, in one scene offering Sadie a reading she used in her audition video and for which the end credits thank the Anais Nin trust. Sadie is smitten. She’s also drugged and so ensuing events are witnessed through a haze of passion, of drugs and alcohol, and possibly of impending madness.

This could have been a sleazy movie.

No. Wait. This is a sleazy movie and the only reasons to stick with it are the acting, the cinematography, the framing and filling of scenes; it’s one of the best looking sleazy movies I’ve seen, well-shot and well-edited. Meanwhile, I was baited to stick with it by the implication of something supernatural at work behind all the intrigue: Alx is intent on getting Sadie to admit how much she loves and needs the pleasures he provides, including but not limited to Francesca. But why? His speech indicates possessiveness but not love, and a kind of gamesmanship the triumph of which would make Sadie a trophy.

Analeigh Tipton is convincingly vulnerable as Sadie, able to convey Sadie’s intelligence, her wariness of her ex and his motives; she’s also twitchy enough to make believable Sadie’s addiction to the excitements and enticements of her ex’s offerings as well as calling into question the accuracy of her perceptions. As Francesca, Marta Gastini is believable bait for Sadie and also believable as her role in the proceedings expands.

What’s impressive, though, is the look of the movie: It’s a decadents’ dream. Early on a lingering overhead shot follows the car with Sadie along a night-time road leading to the villa hosting her ex’s party to reveal a huge, impressively lit castle-like structure, and after the scenes are filled with the villa’s background, the statuary, the paintings, the scrollwork and intricate molding, the curtains and vases and … and … just and. Visually the movie supports the sensuality the story calls for, even when the situation is dangerous. And when they get to the nitty-gritty the framing and lighting of late scenes effectively merge the sensuality with the threat of violence and destructiveness inherent in the unrestrained sensuality that the devotees are addicted to and that beckons Sadie.

It’s an interesting and I think effective transference to film of decadent imagery, but I don’t really know if it’s any good.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *My Gun Is Quick* (1957)


I never even heard of *Robert Bray*, though the title seems familiar. 

*Twilight of Honor* (1963) is about a young ex-serviceman (Nick Adams) on trial for murder, in what seems to be a kangaroo court. Everybody wants him convicted. David Mitchell (Richard Chamberlain) who lacks experience as a defense attorney is given the job, despite his protests.  Art Harper (Claude Rains), his mentor is wheelchair bound, and is coaching him. He also vicariously enjoys RC's work. Norris Bixby (James Gregory) is the prosecutor, & seems to enjoy the judge's favor. 

So, the story is visually retold from various witnesses POVs. Briefly, Nick Adams & his young wife were hitchhiking and picked up by an aging rich guy who had eyes for the wife. NA killed the guy, & his own wife turned him in. Any more details would spoil it. This is essentially what RC as defense attorney was told before interviewing NA. 

 Very intense courtroom drama! CR was a supporting character, but he really shines.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> I never even heard of *Robert Bray*, though the title seems familiar.



I didn't sync up the name until I saw the face: I remember him from _Lassie_.  And I remember Whitney Blake from _Hazel_, neither of which is preparation for imagining them in a movie based on Mickey Spillane's work.

Blake also was mother to Meredith Baxter, whose anecdotes suggest Blake wasn't really the motherly type.

Randy M.


----------



## night_wrtr

Got a copy of *Willow* on Blu-ray. It’s been over two decades since I’ve seen it, and it’s everything I remember it to be. It’s a movie with a lot of heart and some fun action.


----------



## REBerg

*The Beyond*
Wow. This is a thought-provoking and inspirational film. Its documentary style gives it a sense of reality I've not felt in a movie featuring space mystery and cyborg astronauts.


----------



## REBerg

*Cargo*
The film that answers the oft-asked question: How is the zombie apocalypse going in Australia?
If AMC is contemplating another spin-off (_The Walking Dead: Outback_?), this movie would work as an engaging single-character standalone episode. It follows the struggle of a father (Martin Freeman) to save his infant daughter.
In true _TWD_ tradition, the surviving humans pose a greater threat than the zombies.


----------



## Overread

Fantastic Mr Fox 
Yes way behind on the times but I finally got around to seeing the stopmotion film they did - great work! The detail on the faces and models is great and the style is quirky and well presented. It's interesting to see it done with a slight American twist to it as it was US produced; however it still retains a lot of its original British styles to it. 
It did amuse me how in the scene where Mr Fox is giving everyone jobs and instilling them with hope, and giving them their Latin names, that he leaves out the added character of the opossum in giving him a Latin name. Saying something along the lines of they probably didn't have them back in the Roman days. I felt it was a neat nod to the fact that he was an added, not original, not even right continent character.


----------



## AlexH

This may be the farthest away from Christmas I've watched a Christmas film. I subscribe to a DVD rental postage service and don't usually check what's coming.

*Krampus (2015) *Not the best horror-comedy, but I mostly enjoyed it.

*Alita: Battle Angel (2019) *Pretty good, with some good fight scenes. I hope there's a sequel.

*I Kill Giants (2017)* Disappointing, and it wasn't always obvious what was going on.

*Marvellous (2014) *A fun, uplifting film based on the life of Neil Baldwin, who was told he had learning difficulties, but believed everyone had difficulties and just got on with his life, befriending many famous people on his way. I'm surprised it took me so long to watch this, considering Neil was Stoke City's kitman and I'm a Stoke City fan (I remember him being mentioned when I was in my teens, and Lou Macari actually called Neil his best ever signing). I saw it at a fund-raising evening for Lou Macari's charity, so got to meet Lou too.

*Pépé le Moko (1937)* I didn't fall for Pépé le Moko so maybe didn't care so much if he got caught or not. Still a good film.

*Split (2016)* The horror bits seemed OTT even after the buildup, but I enjoyed the film and must now watch Unbreakable and Glass...

*Ran (1985) *It started well and looked nice, but I became bored quite soon, which wasn't great considering the film is nearly 3 hours long.

*Upgrade (2018)* A good and recent sci-fi with a similar premise to a Ted Chiang short story.


----------



## Parson

*Tin Star (Season 1) *I watched 7 of 10 episodes of this and just had to quit. 
   Problem #1: The main character, though well acted, was not someone I could root for.
   Problem #2: Many of the episodes started with an violent scene and then 90% of the rest of the episode was a flashback to how this situation arose, and usually a bit afterward the violent scene so that you'd understand that there was something going on almost completely different than what you thought you understood.
   Problem #3: As the episodes went on the main thread was revealed but a lot of the plot lines to reveal the main thread were not given any context in the story. It seemed a little like trying to understand an apple tree by picking random apples. 
  Problem #4: The main character becomes increasingly asocial and unhinged. And as he becomes these things he becomes more effective in solving the problem, but diverges farther and farther from what is legal and moral. 
  Problem #5: As the episodes progress it seems as though instead of acting in a consistent fashion the antagonists (and there are two sets of them) and their actions become more and more unlikely and eventually absurd. 

Pluses?
   #1 Magnificent Canadian scenery.
   #2 A nuanced view of First Nations relationship with government.
   #3 Much of the acting was first rate. --- Far better than the story they were given.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Shape of Water (2017)*

This was an odd one. I’m a fan of del Toro’s work, but I thought this was one of his weaker outings, especially for his more “serious” films - although it's still pretty good. The whimsy doesn’t fit that well with the occasional moments of horror, and the tone seemed to vary a lot. I found myself wondering how this government facility had such poor security, which is generally a bad sign re the suspension of disbelief.

The acting is good, especially from Sally Hawkins, although I kept thinking that on no account should Paddington Bear ever watch this film.

Whilst it looked superb, the creature felt rather underdeveloped, especially in terms of the romance. At points he seems simply bestial, and there wasn’t the sense of a strong communication being developed between him and the heroine (I was surprised towards the end to realise that he only seemed to know a couple of words of sign language, as I assumed they’d been having conversations in the lab). In terms of Fish People Romance, I think it wasn’t as good as _Hellboy 2_, which I found rather charming. That said, _The Shape of Water_ is a decent film and looks excellent, and I’d give it 7/10. It’s an attractive film if, ironically, not a Deep One.

Incidentally, it reminded me of a good novel called _Turtle Diary_ by Russell Hoban, in which two lonely people find romance while rescuing a turtle from an aquarium (but not with the turtle). I gather there’s an obscure British film of the novel.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Professionals* (1966) Dir. Robert Brooks; starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Woody Strode, Robert Ryan, Claudia Cardinale, Jack Palance, Ralph Belamy

A cast of Hollywood royalty. This one may have sparked early interest in the group of stars in an adventure movie: Marvin’s next movie (according to IMDB) was _The Dirty Dozen_ and that certainly cemented the interest.

Anyway, wealthy Bellamy’s wife has been kidnapped by Jack Palance, a Mexican revolutionary, and a ransom of $100K demanded. Instead, Bellamy hires Marvin and Lancaster and crew, who once rode with Palance and his revolutionaries, to bring her home. And that’s the clothes hanger plot over which a fabric of adventure sequences – chases, showdowns, gun fights, dynamite explosions and hand-to-hand combat – and some philosphizin’ ‘bout love and honor and money. There’s a twist toward the end any veteran Western watcher would probably guess in the first fifteen minutes. Even so, good fun if you enjoy adventure Westerns acted at about the highest level Hollywood at the time was capable of.



*Spotlight* (2015) Dir. Tom McCarthy; starring Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, and a platoon of veteran character actors

Since _All the President’s Men_ if not before (like, say, _Call Northside 777_?), any movie dealing with journalists tracing a story have had a semi-documentary feel to it. This one, too. And it fits, and it accentuates the effects of the investigation on the emotional and mental health of the investigators.

Spotlight is an investigative division of the Boston _Globe_ that will take as much time as needed to thoroughly research and investigate a story before publishing. In the movie, three reporters and their editor are drawn by the request of a new managing editor into investigating reports of sex abuse in the Catholic Church; they find evidence of it, that it’s wide-spread and that there is a systemic cover up involving not just church administration but some of the most responsible, powerful people in the city.

Like any movie of this sort it crams a lot of what happened over more than a year into a little over 2 hours, so I imagine some things of interest were cut. Still, it’s well directed, extremely well-acted, and deeply affecting. I can’t recommend it highly enough, but it’s not for anyone desiring a light, frothy romp.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

AlexH said:


> This may be the farthest away from Christmas I've watched a Christmas film. I subscribe to a DVD rental postage service and don't usually check what's coming.
> 
> *Krampus (2015) *Not the best horror-comedy, but I mostly enjoyed it.
> 
> *Pépé le Moko (1937)* I didn't fall for Pépé le Moko so maybe didn't care so much if he got caught or not. Still a good film.


*Krampus* was a bit extreme, but fun. 

*Pépé le Moko *Not the one with the famous line, but Gabin is said to be the French Bogart. That line was cut from _*Algiers*_ (1938), & was all but forgotten, but by the cartoons of the time. I recall Buzz Buzzard saying it, but could not find any such utterance after watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons.  Anyway, I would not mind seeing *Pépé le Moko* again. Jean Gabin is intense, and I do enjoy foreign films. 



*Pygmalion *(1938 film) I actually enjoyed this, though I was not much interested in the plot, except that Family Guy parodied it.

*My Fair Lady* (1964) apparently took word for word or verbatim *Pygmalion *or, perhaps the stage version upon which it was based, and added about an hour of singing & music. Have not finished watching it, but got about half-an-hour past the intermission. I actually enjoy this! I thought I loathed musicals.


----------



## svalbard

*Mary Queen of Scots* 

The costumes looked good.


----------



## Parson

svalbard said:


> *Mary Queen of Scots*
> 
> The costumes looked good.



We've a new contender for the most faint praise.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood for Dracula* AKA *Andy's Warhol's Dracula* (1974)

Companion film to the infamous *Flesh for Frankenstein* AKA *Andy Warhol's Frankenstein* (1973).  Somehow I managed to see that one in a theater, in 3-D no less, and am only now getting around to the other one.

We begin with a rather effective scene of Udo Kier, starring as the world's weakest, palest, thinnest, and most ineffectual Dracula, putting makeup on his eyebrows and lips, and black dye on his hair, in order to look at least semi-human.  It seems that hard times have fallen on Dracula and his equally vampiric sister.  They need to feed on the blood of virgins (or, given Kier's thick accent, "wergens.")  This is in short supply in Romania in what seems to be the 1920's or 1930's, primarily due to the fact that the Dracula family has a bad reputation in the area, but also because of the loosening of sexual morality.  Dracula's fanatically loyal servant, far more energetic than his master, has a plan.  He'll take Dracula to Italy in a motorcar and search for a virgin in that Catholic nation.  The pair wind up involved with an aristocratic but poor family with four daughters in need of marriage.  Too bad that two of the sisters are about as un-virgin as it's possible to be.  One of the sisters is only fourteen, and a true innocent.  The oldest sister -- well, let's just say that she has an important role to play near the end of the film.  Our nominal hero is played by Joe Dallesandro, with no attempt to disguise his thick New York accent.  He's the family's only servant, and he's the primary reason the two sisters aren't virgins.  He's also a revolutionist and a lout who beats up the sisters now and then.

Although there's plenty of sex, nudity, and blood, it's not anywhere near as extreme as *Flesh for Frankenstein*.  The only really violent scene comes at the very end.  As a whole, it's a beautifully filmed, very sick joke, made campy by a lot of wild overacting and the remarkable variety of mismatched accents.  At times, it's not far from being a decent vampire movie on its own.  The music is really lovely, and the sets and costumes are quite nice.


----------



## J-WO

Watched *Apocalypse Now* for the nth time and I only just realised something: Colonel Kurtz (Brando) is reading verses of TS Eliot's poem _The Hollow _Men aloud. There's a quote from _Heart Of Darkness_ (the 19th century novel Apocalypse is based on) at the start of Eliot's poem: "Mr Kurtz... he dead". So... wtf?!?! Does Brando's character realise he's a fictional character? Or what? It's quite freaked me out...


----------



## Vince W

*Christopher Robin.* A tear-jerking film about a grown-up Christopher Robin that has forgotten about his friends at 100-acre wood. Clearly, they made this with the express intent of turning grown-men into teary-eyed children.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Easiest Way* (1931) Clark Gable as a truck driver who marries one of a certain family's daughters. Papa's back had given out, so he is no longer working. As the head of the family, he is rather demanding of the others. The other daughter, Peg (Anita Page) becomes a fashion model, working for William Brockton (Adolphe Menjou), who really wants her as his lover.  Jack Madison (Robert Montgomery), also loves Peg, and in the absence of money from WB (20 years her senior), she becomes involved with him. But he is a reporter, hoping to make it big, by covering just the right event, and has been out of touch for too long. 

Some of my favorite B&W actors, fairly good story.

*Rabid* (1977) Rose is seriously injured when the motorcycle she was riding with her boyfriend, crashes. She is comatose for about a month, then reviving, unknown to the nurses, goes out and sucks blood from people. Anyone who survives her thirst, becomes rabid, foams at the mouth, and attacks others. Similar to zombie films, with its crazed rabid people attacking anyone within reach. 

*Flight Commander*  AKA *Dawn Patrol* (1930) is about the poor CO, whose duty it is to send young men out to meet enemy aviators in dogfights. The former title emphasizes my 1st sentence, which to me, is more accurate a title.  Major Brand (Neil Hamilton better known as Commissioner Gordon) is the guy initially burdened with this task.  His two best pilots are Dick Courtney (Richard Barthelmess) and Douglas Scott (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), who defy his strict orders and attack the enemy base in a pre-dawn raid. Brand is furious, but receives transfer orders, and appoints Courtney as his replacement, laughing at the fact, that now he will be the one sending inexperienced young men out to die. 

Frank McHugh as Flaherty, another pilot, and James Finlayson (better known as Laurel & Hardy's frequent antagonist) as their mechanic. This is the only place I have seen him, other than L&H films.

A very good war drama. I had no idea this was *Dawn Patrol*, until looking for names on Wikipedia.  I have seen *Dumb Patrol*, a Bugs Bunny parody that deals with only a small fraction of this film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> *Rabid* (1977) Rose is seriously injured when the motorcycle she was riding with her boyfriend, crashes. She is comatose for about a month, then reviving, unknown to the nurses, goes out and sucks blood from people. Anyone who survives her thirst, becomes rabid, foams at the mouth, and attacks others. Similar to zombie films, with its crazed rabid people attacking anyone within reach.



This is one of David Cronenbrg's extraordinary "body horror" films that are so effective.  The casting of adult film star Marilyn Chambers in the lead role may seem like something of a gimmick, but it actually adds a layer of meaning to the movie's weird sexual symbolism.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dragstrip Riot* (1958)

Our hero is a guy who got in trouble for beating somebody up when he was fourteen.  Now he's a clean-cut racer who has promised his mother (Fay Wray!) not to get in any more fights.  You can predict how that goes.  Now only does he have a scheming rival for his girlfriend, a bunch of motorcycle hoods show up to cause trouble.  Despite frequent interruptions for calypso and rock 'n' roll songs (some from a very young Connie Francis), hanging out at the beach, drinking cokes at the diner, and so forth, there's quite a bit of violence.  There's a game of chicken on train tracks, a punch-throwing catfight between the Good Girl and the Bad Girl, a motorcyclist falling to his death off a cliff, and an attack by speargun.


----------



## Rodders

The recent remake of The Man From Uncle was just on the telly. 

I thought it was pretty entertaining.


----------



## Anthoney

*Captain Marvel.*  I think they mixed up Captain Marvel and Binary.  It was a decent movie with some great parts.


----------



## Al Jackson

So I watched Mary Queen of Scots (2018) last night, good film, tho not a great film.
It seemed sort flat , not that the performances were bad, just did not have any 'zing' to it....
Seems the Tutors have been done to death. Tho I did like the 1998 Elizabeth, the sequel Elizabeth The Golden Age was so heavily fictionalized it detracted from the story. (They were a bit loose in the 1998 film but not as bad.)
I don't think any beats the Glenda Jackson BBC _Elizabeth R_ 1971 .... tho another British version was done with Hellen Mirren, 2005,which was also very good, but Elizbeth 1 was not an improvement over the Jackson version.

It is passing strange that Tilda Swinton who is a close ringer for Elizabeth 1 has never played her.
Also it is noticeable that Saoirse Ronan is also a near ringer for Elizabeth 1 , could have swapped roles with Margo Robbie!


----------



## BAYLOR

Al Jackson said:


> So I watched Mary Queen of Scots (2018) last night, good film, tho not a great film.
> It seemed sort flat , not that the performances were bad, just did not have any 'zing' to it....
> Seems the Tutors have been done to death. Tho I did like the 1998 Elizabeth, the sequel Elizabeth The Golden Age was so heavily fictionalized it detracted from the story. (They were a bit loose in the 1998 film but not as bad.)
> I don't think any beats the Glenda Jackson BBC _Elizabeth R_ 1971 .... tho another British version was done with Hellen Mirren, 2005,which was also very good, but Elizbeth 1 was not an improvement over the Jackson version.
> 
> It is passing strange that Tilda Swinton who is a close ringer for Elizabeth 1 has never played her.
> Also it is noticeable that Saoirse Ronan is also a near ringer for Elizabeth 1 , could have swapped roles with Margo Robbie!
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 50648View attachment 50649



She looks stunning.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Legend of the Werewolf* (1975)

Pseudo-Hammer horror film.  (It was actually made by the short-lived Tyburn studio.)  We open with narration from Peter Cushing, explaining that a woman died in childbirth, the father was killed by wolves, and the baby boy raised by them.  As a feral child, he winds up with a pathetic little traveling circus as their main attraction, the Wolf Boy.  He grows up to be a handsome young man and wanders to Paris.  (This seems to be the 19th century, maybe _La Belle Époque_, although references to daguerreotypes would make it somewhat earlier.)  He gets employed at a zoo because of his skill with (you guessed it) the wolves.  He romances one of the young women who eat lunch every day at the zoo.  When he finds out that she works at a brothel, he goes into werewolf mode and kills her clients.  Peter Cushing shows up a a police surgeon investigating the murders.  The film would have seen very old-fashioned in 1975, with its bipedal wolfman. (He can even speak when in werewolf form!)  The werewolf is the blandest character in a movie full of fine British character actors playing over-the-top eccentrics.  The shots of the werewolf are minimal, with a lot of scenes from his point of view.  (That just means tinting the film red.)


----------



## J Riff

*Robo Vampire* 1988 - bad dubbing we got, and vampires that hop. Like bunnies they hop, arms outstretched, these weird vampires... but it's all about the drug trade baddies and the anti-drug agents, and a silver Robo guy, who... I can't quite remember, but he fights the vampires a few times. Hi-speed ridiculousness, bizarre sound FX, terrible dubbing and dialogue, set in Phillipines. To stop the vampires you can... put a piece of paper on their face, some money or something. Oh, there's a witch of some kind too, soulmate of Peter, who might be a vampire. Watch this one if you have a real need to feel confused.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)*

I’ve seen this film several times, and I’m increasingly sure that it’s one of the best films of its type. It’s nonsense, but extremely well-executed nonsense, owing more to_ Labyrinth_ and_ Star Wars_ than the grumpy Batman films or the slick Marvel/DC franchises. After the slightly dull Lovecraft-and-Nazis theme of Hellboy, Del Toro is allowed much more creativity, and the end result is deeply silly but also visually terrific. The somewhat soapy concerns of the lead characters (should Hellboy grow up and be a dad?) make it feel more sincere: oddly, I found the fish-man romance more convincing here than in _The Shape of Water_.  A few characters are underused, but overall it’s very decent. A shame we won’t be getting a third Del Toro Hellboy film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jack the Ripper* (1959)

Completely fictional version of the infamous killer.  We find out right at the start that his _modus operandi_ is to walk up to a woman, ask her if she is Mary Clark or if she knows where Mary Clark is, and then kill her.  Our hero is an American police detective sent to work with Scotland Yard on the case, which seems very unlikely.  Among our red herrings are some doctors working at a hospital for women, who also do the autopsies on the victims.  Since this is sort-of-kind-of a horror movie as well, there's also a mute, scarred, hunchback assistant to the doctors.  One of the doctors has a pretty young niece working with the patients.  She's the hero's love interest.  Eventually we find out who the Ripper is, and why he wants to find Mary Clark.

Overall, a so-so mystery/thriller.  There's some nice, atmospheric scenes.  Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster, who wrote a lot of Hammer horror flicks.  One of the victims (before we finally get around to Mary Clark) gets some characterization, while the others remain ciphers.  She's a new can-can dancer (which seems oddly out of place in a Victorian music hall) who doesn't realize that part of her job involves bestowing her favors upon wealthy patrons.  The copy of the film I watched includes scenes dubbed in French which must have been intended for European audiences, as they feature quite a few topless women in the dressing room of the music hall.


----------



## Jeffbert

Hmmm, Your description of *Jack the Ripper* (1959)  seems familiar, but just not so much that I could say that I had seen it. I looked-up the two costars, and only one of them was in anything I ever saw. This film does interest me: I might get around to checking PRIME to see if it is available. 

*Make Me a Star* (1932) is about a small town's grocery delivery boy Merton Gill (Stuart Erwin) who wants to be a Hollywood movie star, just like his favorite cowboy. So, he goes to the casting office, where he meets 'Flips' Montague (Joan Blondell), who gets him a job as an extra in a Western. He flubs his line, and is tossed out. JB has pity, and gets him his own Western film, but it is a gag comedy, just the type of thing he hates.   

His name, Merton, suggests that Red Skelton remade this story, as *Merton of the Movies* (1947).  Yes, sure enough, both were based upon the same book.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Just watched *The Green Book, *a brilliant film set in the early sixties in the southern states of America, based on a true story. With racist undertones/overtones. Starred Viggo Mortenson. Rated by me 8/10.


----------



## Al Jackson

Toby Frost said:


> *Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)*
> 
> I’ve seen this film several times, and I’m increasingly sure that it’s one of the best films of its type. It’s nonsense, but extremely well-executed nonsense, owing more to_ Labyrinth_ and_ Star Wars_ than the grumpy Batman films or the slick Marvel/DC franchises. After the slightly dull Lovecraft-and-Nazis theme of Hellboy, Del Toro is allowed much more creativity, and the end result is deeply silly but also visually terrific. The somewhat soapy concerns of the lead characters (should Hellboy grow up and be a dad?) make it feel more sincere: oddly, I found the fish-man romance more convincing here than in _The Shape of Water_.  A few characters are underused, but overall it’s very decent. A shame we won’t be getting a third Del Toro Hellboy film.



I really like the two Hellboy films, (I like the first better than the 2nd),  along with Wonder Woman and Dark Knight these are my favorite recent comic-book movies.  Most film directors , these days, are fans of comic book fantasy, but Del Toro has a deeper understanding and love of the fantasy form beyond the comic pages. I think Del Toro's finest film is Pan's Labyrinth , followed The Devil's Backbone. He has an art house sensibility coupled to street smarts about genre fiction. Even tho I liked Shape of Water I felt he got an Oscar for a body or work not exactly for that movie.
I am not real fond of Pacific Rim, still Del Toro shows his enthusiasms and sense of humor , alas he was only a producer on the Rim sequel and the drop off really showed.
I have no idea why he made Crimson Peak!


----------



## Al Jackson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Jack the Ripper* (1959)
> 
> Completely fictional version of the infamous killer.  We find out right at the start that his _modus operandi_ is to walk up to a woman, ask her if she is Mary Clark or if she knows where Mary Clark is, and then kill her.  Our hero is an American police detective sent to work with Scotland Yard on the case, which seems very unlikely.  Among our red herrings are some doctors working at a hospital for women, who also do the autopsies on the victims.  Since this is sort-of-kind-of a horror movie as well, there's also a mute, scarred, hunchback assistant to the doctors.  One of the doctors has a pretty young niece working with the patients.  She's the hero's love interest.  Eventually we find out who the Ripper is, and why he wants to find Mary Clark.
> 
> Overall, a so-so mystery/thriller.  There's some nice, atmospheric scenes.  Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster, who wrote a lot of Hammer horror flicks.  One of the victims (before we finally get around to Mary Clark) gets some characterization, while the others remain ciphers.  She's a new can-can dancer (which seems oddly out of place in a Victorian music hall) who doesn't realize that part of her job involves bestowing her favors upon wealthy patrons.  The copy of the film I watched includes scenes dubbed in French which must have been intended for European audiences, as they feature quite a few topless women in the dressing room of the music hall.



Wish this had of been a Hammer film, Hammer was at the top of their form in 59. This is a competent movie , helped , as always by have a stock of good British actors to use, Hammer really benefited from this. I remember this film as being a bit exploitive.   This story was based on one of those theories that The Ripper was a doctor... one almost expected Sherlock Holmes to show up! Holmes does show up in 1965 in a Study in Terror , another Ripper story where Jack is apparently a doctor. Then in 1969 we get Murder by Decree , with Christopher Plummer and Holmes and James Mason as Watson, this best Holmes vs The Ripper movie I know of.  One of Bob Clarke's films, Bob Clarke later made that gem Christmas Story from Jean Shepherd's story.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Watched *Captain Marvel *last night usual super hero film with a slight difference. Baddies try to outsmart hero, only for the hero to make a comeback. After the ending the baddies will comeback again. Plenty of action. Rated 7/10.


----------



## Toby Frost

Al Jackson said:


> Del Toro has a deeper understanding and love of the fantasy form beyond the comic pages. I think Del Toro's finest film is Pan's Labyrinth , followed The Devil's Backbone. He has an art house sensibility coupled to street smarts about genre fiction.



I agree - that seems like the best of both worlds to me. _Hellboy 2_ feels like a fantasy film, not a superhero film, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It also helps that Ron Perlman is very good in both. There's a sense of sympathy (especially in _Golden Army_) that's lacking in other comic book films, where people make manly noises about duty and destiny but it all sounds hollow. I saw a trailer for the new version yesterday and it seems we're back in fairly dull territory.


----------



## Al Jackson

Toby Frost said:


> I agree - that seems like the best of both worlds to me. _Hellboy 2_ feels like a fantasy film, not a superhero film, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It also helps that Ron Perlman is very good in both. There's a sense of sympathy (especially in _Golden Army_) that's lacking in other comic book films, where people make manly noises about duty and destiny but it all sounds hollow. I saw a trailer for the new version yesterday and it seems we're back in fairly dull territory.


I noticed the new Hellboy was directed by Neil Marshal , I don't think Marshal has the sensibilities of Del Toro but he did a good job with the two big battle episodes of Game of Thrones he directed. So I don't know.
Have to say I stopped reading superhero comics in about 1953 when I was 13 in favor of prose , almost exclusively prose science fiction. I did keep reading EC comics , I loved the Harvey Kurtzman MAD and Tales of Crypt  and Weird Science , so on, those comics had a much too shortened run, their demise is still a stupid story.
 I was 20 years old when Marvel came along , so those comics have been off my radar from the beginning, even tho I picked them up in the years since, they have no entertainment value to me. 
I have watched the Marvel and DC comic book movies in the last 10 or more years, got to say most are well made and some are good, but they sure don't engage me. Dark Knight did, because of a remarkable performance and Wonder Woman did because of a unique framing, but I don't go to  comic book movies these days the leave with a Meh feeling. Especially a feeling of been-there-done-that.
 I wish there were more films like The Martian or Gladiator , action films that really did entertain me fully. 
Even tho, a 'art house' movie like Green Book (I know that was not a strict art house) entertain me more. 
I guess we will never see a big scale serious movie like Lawrence of Arabia again?


----------



## Jeffbert

*Tennessee Champ* (1954) Willy Wurble (Keenan Wynn) is a fight manager, and Happy (Earl Holliman) is his washed-up half-wit ex boxer servant. WW has to flee a poker game on a riverboat because he had been cheating. As he flees in a row boat, he encounters Danny (Dewey Martin), who is fleeing because he mistakenly believed he had killed Sixty Jubel (Charles Bronson / Charles Buchinsky), during a brawl.  WW realizes that Danny has potential to be a great boxer, and while knowing that Sixty is alive, uses Danny's fear of arrest to force him into boxing in other States. The final fight is against Sixty, using the name *The Biloxi Blockbuster*, which Danny did not realize was Sixty. 

So, CB has the physique of a boxer, ripped, 6 pack abs, etc. Dewey Martin does not seem like he belongs in the ring. Not flabby, just not ripped either. That Dewey Martin's character could defeat CB's, seems unlikely.  Looking at his filmography,  he was in very few films I have seen. We was in both *TTZ*one & *TOL*imits, in stories I know well, but his face just does not seem familiar. 

Danny is a very religious man, frequently quoting Bible verses. WW uses his faith to inspire him that he can win the fight, and trick him into other things. Sarah (Shelley Winters), Wurble's wife opposes his conning Danny into doing things he otherwise would not.

A fairly entertaining film, I have no interest in boxing, but such stories do interest me. Keenan Wynn usually has roles as untrustworthy characters, and for some reason he is appealing as such.


----------



## dask

*Key Largo*. Superb suspense yarn in which John Huston announces to the film going community that Hitchcock ain't the only guy who can do this type of thing and lets Edward G. Robinson give a performance that should have won an Oscar. (Claire Trevor evidently did and it's easy to see why.) Lean and mean with no wasted footage. Oh, and Bogart's as cool as ever. I could be wrong but O swear I saw Jay Silverheels unbilled at least judging from his voice.


----------



## Jeffbert

dask said:


> *Key Largo*. Superb suspense yarn in which John Huston announces to the film going community that Hitchcock ain't the only guy who can do this type of thing and lets Edward G. Robinson give a performance that should have won an Oscar. (Claire Trevor evidently did and it's easy to see why.) Lean and mean with no wasted footage. Oh, and Bogart's as cool as ever. I could be wrong but O swear I saw Jay Silverheels unbilled at least judging from his voice.


I saw the part where EGR chambers a round in a .45 auto, tosses it to HB, and dares him to shoot him. Challenging him that since he is a tough guy, it should be easy, etc. 



Spoiler



Bogart declines, but only because he is not going to stick his neck out for somebody else. Another guy grabs the gun, and points it at EGR, pulls the trigger, only to realize it is empty.  But, unless I am wrong, the trigger will not even pull, unless there is a round in the chamber!   Moreover, going through the motions of pulling the slide back when the gun is empty, should not convince anyone, as after it has exhausted its ammo, that is the position it should default to:



But, this is a frequent error in many movies and TV shows.


Other than that, the film is wonderful.

*D.O.A. *(1949) Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is a notary or, at least notarizes documents, among other things. How much trouble could befall one in such a profession?   Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton) is his secretary, who also loves him. 6 months ago, he had notarized a bill of sale for iridium, and as it was nothing unusual, he promptly forgot about it. But the villain did not forget. 

So, he goes to the big city to get a break from the office, and as the occupants of the hotel room across the hall are celebrating with door wide open, they invite him in for drinks. Next he goes to a bar, for more booze. an hour or so, later, he has stomach pains. The next day, he goes to a doctor, and is flabbergasted when the physician tells him he has at most, two weeks to live. There is iridium in his system, attacking his organs. If he had come 12 hours earlier, they could pump his stomach, & save him; but now, it is too late.  He flips them off, storms out the door, to find another physician, for a 2nd opinion.  Same thing; he is doomed. 

So, now, having no better way to spend his final hours, he goes searching for his killer. False leads, etc., more than a few people who are involved, but only one who did the deed. Goes to the hotel room where the celebration was, but new occupants. Goes to the bar, nobody knows anything. 

Good supporting cast, most of whom are unfamiliar to me. 


Spoiler



Majak (Luther Adler), as the boss of the gang involved with the iridium; Chester (Neville Brand), the henchman will really enjoy killing him. But, apparently, these guys knew nothing of the poisoning. Brand seems somewhat familiar, but I cannot be sure. Anyway, he is a nut, with a gleeful expression, as he tells O'Brien of how slowly and painfully he will die. Makes the Joker look like Mr. Rodgers.



A NOIR ALLEY presentation, replete with the intro & closing remarks, etc. Very well done, but the film itself was likened unto a WB cartoon. Among other things, Muller noted the slide whistle / wolf whistle, which sounded every time the guy sees a pretty woman, which I, myself found so unexpected, but there it was, even in the closed captions.


----------



## Vince W

*Life*. A rather lazy homage to Alien with no real scares. A couple of scenes are graphically revolting but not actually scary.


----------



## HanaBi

*Evil Dead II* (1985)

Still head and shoulders (ha!) above the lesser efforts in the ED franchise, and I never tire of watching it. In fact on this occasion it was due to spending the last few weeks watching the TV version "Ash Vs Evil Dead", and I thought it would be nice to dig up (ha!) this classic once more.

Bruce Campbell was born to be Ash - even though he is not a great actor, he really does put body (ha!) and soul into the ED series; and he certainly excels here.

4/5


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> So, CB has the physique of a boxer, ripped, 6 pack abs, etc. Dewey Martin does not seem like he belongs in the ring. Not flabby, just not ripped either. That Dewey Martin's character could defeat CB's, seems unlikely.  Looking at his filmography,  he was in very few films I have seen. We was in both *TTZ*one & *TOL*imits, in stories I know well, but his face just does not seem familiar.



I recall Martin from _The Thing (from Another World)_ and TZ episode or two. He was slated for stardom with a couple of big roles, I think, but too fond of alcohol. (Seems like a lot of the guys that showed up in the late '40s and '50s had similar stories.) 

Randy M.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *D.O.A. *(1949) Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is a notary or, at least notarizes documents, among other things. How much trouble could befall one in such a profession?   Paula Gibson (Pamela Britton) is his secretary, who also loves him. 6 months ago, he had notarized a bill of sale for iridium, and as it was nothing unusual, he promptly forgot about it. But the villain did not forget.
> 
> So, he goes to the big city to get a break from the office, and as the occupants of the hotel room across the hall are celebrating with door wide open, they invite him in for drinks. Next he goes to a bar, for more booze. an hour or so, later, he has stomach pains. The next day, he goes to a doctor, and is flabbergasted when the physician tells him he has at most, two weeks to live. There is iridium in his system, attacking his organs. If he had come 12 hours earlier, they could pump his stomach, & save him; but now, it is too late.  He flips them off, storms out the door, to find another physician, for a 2nd opinion.  Same thing; he is doomed.
> 
> So, now, having no better way to spend his final hours, he goes searching for his killer. False leads, etc., more than a few people who are involved, but only one who did the deed. Goes to the hotel room where the celebration was, but new occupants. Goes to the bar, nobody knows anything.
> 
> Good supporting cast, most of whom are unfamiliar to me.
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Majak (Luther Adler), as the boss of the gang involved with the iridium; Chester (Neville Brand), the henchman will really enjoy killing him. But, apparently, these guys knew nothing of the poisoning. Brand seems somewhat familiar, but I cannot be sure. Anyway, he is a nut, with a gleeful expression, as he tells O'Brien of how slowly and painfully he will die. Makes the Joker look like Mr. Rodgers.
> 
> 
> 
> A NOIR ALLEY presentation, replete with the intro & closing remarks, etc. Very well done, but the film itself was likened unto a WB cartoon. Among other things, Muller noted the slide whistle / wolf whistle, which sounded every time the guy sees a pretty woman, which I, myself found so unexpected, but there it was, even in the closed captions.



You beat me to it. I watched this over the weekend, and it's essential _noir_, it's ending inevitable and dark, but at times it's so over-heated it's almost self-parody. Glad I finally watched it after hearing about it for years, but I can't imagine watching it again any time soon.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> You beat me to it. I watched this over the weekend, and it's essential _noir_, it's ending inevitable and dark, but at times it's so over-heated it's almost self-parody. Glad I finally watched it after hearing about it for years, but I can't imagine watching it again any time soon.
> 
> Randy M.


I agree, the slide whistle just made me wonder if there was a defect in the recording. But the way Muller covered this guy's frantic running around and questioning everyone, made it seem almost funny. I am fairly certain that there is an episode of  GET SMART that parodies this film.


----------



## picklematrix

Watched The Raid 2: Berendhal the other night. 
One of my favourite films.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> I recall Martin from _The Thing (from Another World)_ and TZ episode or two. He was slated for stardom with a couple of big roles, I think, but too fond of alcohol. (Seems like a lot of the guys that showed up in the late '40s and '50s had similar stories.)
> 
> Randy M.


He was in *TTZ*'s* I Shot an Arrow in the Air*,* and TOL's The Premonition*, as the pilot of the experimental plane that is frozen in time. I just finished watching TOL,s 2nd season a few weeks ago.  Good ol' HULU! This guy has a great face, but is just lacks distinction. Easy to forget, etc.

*High Sierra* (1941) I had seen this more than a few times, so I ran the Muller before & after parts, and skipped the film. That was Bogart's dog! I was surprised at that, because I had seen a short film on TCM about training animal actors, & it hardly seems like something one would do with the family pet.  

Anyway, the film opens with the Governor signing a pardon for Roy Earle (Bogart), who, upon release from prison, joins a gang, & begins planning a big heist. Recidivism. So, the bad guys drive to the target, a hotel. While en route, they meet a family including a young woman whose foot is deformed. HB has pity, & pays for corrective surgery. But this makes the family too familiar with the crook, and the family's dog, will play a critical role later.  

Said to be HB's breakout role, I thought that was *The Petrified Forest* (1936), but there are almost 30 films between *The Petrified Forest* (1936) & *High Sierra* (1941), including a Western, _The Oklahoma Kid_ (1938), a horror film, _The Return of Doctor X_ (1940), and a few with him as antagonist to Cagny & *EGR*obinson.  In fact, Petrified Forest was rather early in his film career. Shows how much or little I knew.


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## Randy M.

I think _High Sierra_ is considered his breakout role because it all depends on Bogart where _The Petrified Forest_ has Bette Davis and Leslie Howard. Not long after was _The Maltese Falcon_ and after that Bogie was a leading man.

Randy M.


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## Randy M.

_*Get Carter*_ (1971) Dir. Mike Hughes; starring Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland

The pre-movie introduction on Turner Cable Movies (i.e., in the U.S., "the old movie channel") warned about the level of violence, which was shocking for its time. Now it doesn't look that violent, but the violence leaves a mark -- this isn't fantasy violence where a bulldozer smashes someone and they walk away rubbing their jaw, ready to throw their own haymaker. When someone is beat up, he looks bruised and battered. When someone is stabbed, he bleeds.

_Get Carter_ apparently wasn't that well-received at the time, but has become something of a cult movie, influencing later filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. Caine is a professional fixer and hitman, uncaring about the damage done to the people who help him, and intent on doing damage to his targets. His targets are those responsible for killing his brother. Carter doesn't know why, isn't sure who, but he won't stop digging until he finds out. Meanwhile, he does show a bit of concern for his niece, who doesn't quite know how to take him. The one time he shows any real emotion, though, is when he finds the why of his brother's death.

Given the reasons for his brother's death and the amorality of the people involved, you begin to root for Carter and the rough justice he doles out. And then Hughes and Caine remind you of who he is and the utter void where his empathy should be. All in all, an uncompromising and even uncomfortable movie to watch. Quite a good movie, if you can stomach that sort of thing.


_*A Woman's Secret*_ (1949) Dir. Nicolas Ray; starring Maureen O'Hara, Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Graham

Odd combination of a mystery and what at the time would probably have been thought of as a woman's film. O'Hara is a singer who lost her voice, mentoring Graham who has become quite successful under her tutoring. But Graham is tired of it, feels absorbed into O'Hara's dream and losing herself. There's a fight, a gunshot and Graham is wounded. Why? There's a great deal of dithering over the why. O'Hara tells a story her good friend, Douglas, thinks is hooey. Graham is unconscious or recovering, and the doctor won't let her be questioned for a good 2/3s of the movie. 

O'Hara is better than this material, and she's lucky John Ford and others liked her enough to give her less thankless roles. Douglas is good, his gruff, sarcastic humor offsetting the melodramatics. Graham is terrific. An early role, she pivots from young and dumb to sly with ease. As well-known as she became, as many good movies as she made, I'm not sure she really got her due as one of the better actresses of her time.

Still, by the half-way point the movie is stolen by Jay C. Flippen and Mary Phillips, two old pros playing Inspector Fowler and his wife, Mary. I wish these two had been given a sequel or three and worked into low-rent Nick and Nora Charles. Flippen and Douglas have some good scenes, but with his detective-story reading wife, Inspector Fowler shines. The resolution of the mystery isn't all that interesting, but the interplay between Flippen and Phillips is entertaining and funny, as though Ray and the others involved in the movie realized how over-wrought the beginning was and decided mid-way to make a comedy instead.


Randy M.


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## HanaBi

Get Carter (the original, and not the appalling remake), is a typical British no-nonsense thriller of the 70s, that makes the likes of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry look like the caricature it really is!

But what is very memorable about the film (not least the shock ending), is the rolling credits at the beginning, and Caine's train journey to Newcastle. The musical score for that opening is absolutely amazing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Tam Lin* AKA *The Devil's Widow* (1970)

The only film directed by Roddy McDowall.  Sold as a horror movie, but it's more of an offbeat psychological melodrama.  Ava Gardner, in her late forties, stars as a super-rich woman who takes a series of lovers half her age.  She also has an entourage of young mod/hippie types who party endlessly at her expense.  Her latest boy toy wants to leave her for the local vicar's daughter.  Not a good idea, as the lovers who leave her have a habit of dying in violent ways.  Nothing overtly supernatural happens, although some weird stuff occurs through the eyes of a drugged victim.  Loosely based on an old Scottish ballad.  Lots of gorgeous scenery, groovy costumes, folk/rock music, and some eccentric directorial touches.  (There's a scene which suddenly turns into a series of freeze frames.)  Moves at a very leisurely pace until the frenzied ending.  Worth a look.


----------



## HanaBi

*Inception* (2010)

Summary (with full credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) doesn't steal things, he steals ideas. By projecting himself deep into the subconscious of his targets, he can glean information that even the best computer hackers can't get to. In the world of corporate espionage, Cobb is the ultimate weapon. But even weapons have their weakness, and when Cobb loses everything, he's forced to embark on one final mission in a desperate quest for redemption. This time, Cobb won't be harvesting an idea, but sowing one. Should he and his team of specialists succeed, they will have discovered a new frontier in the art of psychic espionage. They've planned everything to perfection, and they have all the tools to get the job done. Their mission is complicated, however, by the sudden appearance of a malevolent foe that seems to know exactly what they're up to, and precisely how to stop them.



Quite a thought-provoking adventure yarn, that may take a 2nd viewing to fully get to grips with in terms of the underlying theme of dreams within dreams within dreams, and the actions & reactions thereof.

Nice performances from all the lead players, although Michael Caine's cameo seems wasted. Tight direction from Chris Nolan as per usual, although I really did not like the last 20 minutes or so as it resorted to type in terms of typical bad guys chasing/shooting good guys in some very improbably locations. 

A good score and decent sfx that don't distract too much.

There are rumours of a sequel. If Nolan is at the helm, then it should be something to look forward too.

3/5


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## Jeffbert

*Young Frankenstein* (1974) Appropriately in stunning monochrome, and apparently using some of the props from the original Frankenstein film, Mel Brooks parody still holds up well. 

*Glory Alley* (1952) not exactly a musical, but has some bits in it.  Socks Barbarossa (Ralph Meeker) is a boxer who has a great career ahead of him, and just as the fight is about to start, he looks at the lights above, and the crowd surrounding him, and quits. We do not learn his reason, until near the end.  'The Judge' Evans (Kurt Kasznar), who had been supportive of him, now criticizes him, and wants nothing to do with him.  He forbids his daughter, Angela Evans (Leslie Caron), from having anything to do with him.  

The Judge, has been blind for 12 years, and KK really comes across  as convincing.  I have seen Kurt Kasznar in very few films, and best remember him for his rip-off of Dr. Smith role in *Land of the Giants*.  Very dramatic performance. 

So, having made so many enemies by forsaking the ring as he did, Meeker joins the Armed Forces, and goes to Korea, earns a medal, And a very distinguished one, I have forgotten which, comes home to a hero's welcome in New Orleans, and a few weeks later, he is forgotten, but still loathed by KK.  

Meeker's character eventually regains KK's respect, but that is a spoiler that I must decline.

Long before Fonzie slugged a jukebox, a character named Jabber (Pat Goldin), made free phone calls by pounding the payphone. 

Other supporting characters include Shadow Johnson (Louis Armstrong), KK's aide, Peppi Donnato (Gilbert Roland), who owns the local bar,  Sal Nichols "The Pig" (Dan Seymour), the gangster, who does not do much gangster stuff. 
*
Our Man in Marakesh* / _*Bang! Bang! You're Dead! *_(1966) Tony Randall in a spy spoof?  Who'd a thunk? So, he is a businessman there in that place, who, by sheer chance, becomes involved in spy stuff.  No shoulder holster, no Aston Martin, but a fairly decent film, if you have nothing better to do. 

Chief Inspector Dreyfus, er, Herbert Lom as the villain, Terry Thomas as a good guy. Several scantily clad females, and more than a few well-armed men, some wearing turbans, round out the cast. Lom is waiting for a courier carrying a light brown briefcase, just like the one Randall has.


----------



## REBerg

*Mortal Engines*
Who would have thought that steampunk would be so relevant in 1,000 years? I enjoyed this immensely. Plus, having Jihae and Frankie Adams among the cast made the film seem like a scifi reunion.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Groovy Bloodsuckers Double Feature:

*The Vampire Happening* (1971)  (The original German title seems to mean "Bitten Only At Night.")

West German comedy directed by Freddie Francis, Oscar-winning cinematographer and director of many Hammer films.  This isn't one of his better efforts.  Mostly it's a lame attempt at spoofing vampire movies.  A blonde actress inherits a spooky old castle.  A portrait of her great-grandmother looks just like her, but with black hair.  Actress lets her ancestor out of her tomb, leading to an outbreak of vampires at the local seminary and the nearby girls' school.  The fact that the actress sometimes wears a black wig, and the ancestor sometimes wears a blonde wig, makes for much confusion.  It all leads up to a huge, psychedelic costume party of vampires at the castle, with Count Dracula showing up in a helicopter.  Tons of topless women throughout the film.  Lots of pointless scenes, and some really odd moments.  The weirdest is when an Asian vampire, dressed in a Mao suit, is reading a little red book.  It gets shoved into the mouth of another vampire (never mind why) and turns white, as if it were drained of blood.  The whole thing is sort of like a poor imitation of Roman Polanski's *Dance of the Vampires* AKA *The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck*.  (Ferdy Mayne, who played the main vampire in that film, plays Count Dracula here, adding to the resemblance.)  

*The Velvet Vampire* (1971)

Arty, offbeat variation on the theme.  It begins with the title character walking in Los Angeles at night.  She is attacked by a biker thug, but quickly kills him with his own knife and walks away unconcerned.  This has nothing to do with the plot, really, but establishes her character.  She goes into an art gallery, chats up a young, rather vapid married couple of the California Blond(e) type, and invites them up to her home out in the middle of the desert.  Killings and seductions follow, as well as surreal dream sequences.  There are a lot of striking visuals.  Very little of the usual vampire lore shows up.  The title character has no fangs, walks around in the desert sun, and sees herself in mirrors.  The film's only serious flaw is that the female half of the young couple, who is really the protagonist, is portrayed by a very poor actress with an annoying voice.


----------



## HanaBi

*Outrage *(2010) - Takeshi Kitano

Summary (full credit to Rotten Tomatoes) 





> _In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké. Long-time yakuza Otomo has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where there are no heroes but constant betrayal and vengeance _



After a rather disappointing few releases during the first decade of 2000, Kitano returns to a genre most of his fans - myself included - know and admire him for: that of the Yakuza.

Kitano plays a minor under-boss, who is sent out to kill or threaten rival gangs; but he too is subsequently betrayed by his own boss - hence the outrage!

This film is the first of the Outrage trilogy, and to my mind is the best as it establishes the main elements and characters throughout. That said this doesn't even come close to his more remarkable Yakuza films such as "Sonatine" (1993) and "HanaBi" (1997), both of which were more character-driven, with a lot more soul that you could empathize with.

In Outrage, we just have gangsters killing rival gangsters chiefly over drug territory and/or internal treachery & disloyalty. Not helped by a corrupt police detective who in the pocket of the biggest Yakuza gang in town.

A good performance by him, although i get the impression he was doing it more to revitalize his flagging career. Which I believe he has done, even if the film itself is rather generic and uninvolving.

3/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Misunderstood Young Men and Their Fast Cars Double Feature:

*Teenage Thunder* (1957)

Guy lives with his straight-laced father and kindly aunt.  Dad won't let the car-obsessed kid have a hot rod.  Understandable, because in an early scene his sweet girlfriend lets him drive her brother's car, and he winds up going eighty miles per hour on a city street, leading to a run-in with the cops.  Guy gets mocked by another teen because of his lack of wheels.  He agrees to have a game of chicken with him.  How can he do this without a car?  By running an elaborate scheme that lets him "borrow" a vehicle from a car lot.  Nobody gets killed in the chicken game, but the guy gets in more hot water with the police.  Later he "borrows" a hot rod from a garage owner so he can compete in the Big Race.  (Mind you, this is our Hero doing all this.)  It's kind of like a low budget version of *Rebel Without a Cause* with drag racing.  Marred by a really lousy title song, "Teenage Kisses," which is an utterly sappy ballad.

*Hot Rod Rumble* (1957)

Guy walks into a party held by the car club to which he belongs in search of his girlfriend, who just broke up with him.  This almost leads to a fight.  The club barely tolerates the hot-tempered fellow, because he's such a good driver and mechanic.  Girlfriend goes off with another guy in his car, they get driven off the road by somebody, guy gets killed, the girlfriend winds up in the hospital.  Everybody, including the viewer, thinks her ex did it, but we quickly find out it was another guy.  Rest of the film has the falsely accused fellow trying to clear his name, while also getting ready to win the Big Race.  It's pretty much a crime drama with drag racing.  Helped by a cool jazz soundtrack which creates a _film noir_ mood.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Club *(1980 - Australia) - Jack Thompson

A rather amusing drama concerning the problems on and off the field of a struggling Aussie Rules football team, and its hopes of making the finals.

Ever dependable Thompson plays the embittered coach, who is not only under pressure to deliver results from an impatient board, but is also trying to keep his players in line with the arrival of the club's most expensive player, who is young, arrogant, won't listen to anyone and only plays when he feels like it!

On top of all that, the players threaten to strike if the board fire Thompson, while the chairman of the board itself finds his own job on the line as well!

This film has everything: boardroom politics, player mutinies, supreme egos, some comedy... oh, and some actually football here and there too!

A hugely entertaining little gem of a film, and probably one of Thompson's best performances as the under-siege coach!

4/5


----------



## Cathbad

Victoria reminded me there was a movie on yesterday that I was going to watch - Pink Cadillac... but then a nap happened.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Misunderstood Young Men and Their Fast Cars Double Feature:
> 
> *Teenage Thunder* (1957)
> 
> Guy lives with his straight-laced father and kindly aunt.  Dad won't let the car-obsessed kid have a hot rod.  Understandable, because in an early scene his sweet girlfriend lets him drive her brother's car, and he winds up going eighty miles per hour on a city street, leading to a run-in with the cops.  Guy gets mocked by another teen because of his lack of wheels.  He agrees to have a game of chicken with him.  How can he do this without a car?  By running an elaborate scheme that lets him "borrow" a vehicle from a car lot.  Nobody gets killed in the chicken game, but the guy gets in more hot water with the police.  Later he "borrows" a hot rod from a garage owner so he can compete in the Big Race.  (Mind you, this is our Hero doing all this.)  It's kind of like a low budget version of *Rebel Without a Cause* with drag racing.  Marred by a really lousy title song, "Teenage Kisses," which is an utterly sappy ballad.
> 
> *Hot Rod Rumble* (1957)
> 
> Guy walks into a party held by the car club to which he belongs in search of his girlfriend, who just broke up with him.  This almost leads to a fight.  The club barely tolerates the hot-tempered fellow, because he's such a good driver and mechanic.  Girlfriend goes off with another guy in his car, they get driven off the road by somebody, guy gets killed, the girlfriend winds up in the hospital.  Everybody, including the viewer, thinks her ex did it, but we quickly find out it was another guy.  Rest of the film has the falsely accused fellow trying to clear his name, while also getting ready to win the Big Race.  It's pretty much a crime drama with drag racing.  Helped by a cool jazz soundtrack which creates a _film noir_ mood.


TCM ran a block of these hot hod/ rock & roll films about a year ago. I watched a few of them. These scenarios seem familiar, though the titles do not. 

*Morituri* (1965) Robert Crain (Marlon Brando) is a German living in India during WWII, he wants nothing to to with war, etc. One day, a British Officer tells him that he must work for them, and disable the scuttling charges on a German merchant ship carrying 700 tons of rubber from the far East to Europe. His incentive, they will rat him out to Germany if he does not. Exchange him for allied POWs. Not a happy end for him. 

So, he is given falsified papers, and put on the ship as a passenger.  Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner), treating him as a passenger, though he is wearing as SS insignia, restricts his movements on the ship to areas where the scuttling charges will not be located.  So, now he must somehow find, and disable these bombs without drawing attention to himself; quite a task, indeed. 

Supporting cast includes Esther  (Janet Margolin), one of a dozen survivors of a torpedoed ship who were taken prisoner by the sub that shadows the freighter as its hidden escort, Colonel Statter (Trevor Howard), who questions the legitimacy of  MB's credentials and presence when his ship unexpectedly rendezvous  with YB's. 

Complicating matters, the ship's doctor, Ambach (Wally Cox), is a  morphine addict, some of the crew are political prisoners, including the Donkeyman (Hans Christian Blech), who makes an attempt on MB's life.

I never even heard of this film, until putting it on the recording schedule. Definately, a different type of war movie. Fared poorly in the theaters, lost money. I liked it, though.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Similar Sounding Psychological Shockers Double Feature:

*Schizo* (1976)

We begin with a voice-over narration which makes the usual mistake about confusing schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder, thereby dropping a strong clue about the movie's already predictable Shocking Twist Ending. The plot starts with a middle-aged guy reading a newspaper article about an ice skater getting married. This upsets him badly, and he leaves wherever he is to go track her down. This leads to him doing creepy things like leaving a bloody knife next to her wedding cake. We get our back story pretty quickly. It seems that the ice skater, as a little girl, saw her mother knifed to death by her lover, who is now the middle-aged stalker. Murders of people near and dear to the ice skater follow. There are a few hints that the ice skater is mentally unbalanced herself as well. In particular, during a seance, the psychic gets possessed by the dead mother and undergoes weird physical changes. As there are no other supernatural elements in the plot, I have to assume this is a hallucination, which would go along with the Shocking Twist Ending. Notable for some bloody, gruesome murders.

*Schizoid* (1980)

An advice columnist for a newspaper gets anonymous letters threatening her life. Meanwhile, some of the women in her therapy group get murdered with scissors. Could the two events be related? Tons of suspects and red herrings abound. In particular, there's Klaus Kinski as the leader of the therapy group, who seems to be having affairs with most of his female patients. For one thing, he's Klaus Kinski. For another, he has a very uneasy relationship with his teenage daughter, who is seriously disturbed by the death of her mother some time ago. The best scene in the film is when she puts on her mother's clothing, jewelry, and makeup as her father has a dinner date with the advice columnist. Most of the rest of the movie is forgettable. Notable for a really lousy synthesizer soundtrack.


----------



## HanaBi

*Blue Thunder* (1983) - Roy Scheider.

Summary (credit to Rotten Tomatoes) 





> _A former Vietnam chopper-pilot (Scheider) is now in charge of a special high-tech helicopter that was designed to quell possible terrorist attacks during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. A bitter enemy makes plans to destroy this high-tech copter and bring about an armed takeover of the U.S._



Typical 80s action thriller, that lets the hardware and the bullets wash over the weak plot and predictable ending.  This film reminded me of Clint Eastwood's Firefox from a year earlier revolving around advanced fighter planes and the ongoing Cold War paranoia of the time. 

Both films look incredibly dated, but unlike Eastwood's solid profile  I wasn't overly convinced by Scheider as a lead actor. He is great when partnered by the likes of Gene Hackman or Robert Shaw, but he feels lightweight on his own. 

But if its action and a make-it-up-as-you-go-along plot you like, this will amuse you for a couple of hours.

2/5


----------



## Toby Frost

*Bandersnatch - 2018*

Assuming this qualifies as a film, given that it's also a sort of TV special episode and a primitive game. I felt that it didn't work well enough as a drama or an interactive experience. Interesting, but ultimately rather forgettable. You could get much the same thing from playing _Bioshock Infinite_.


----------



## Jeffbert

TWO FEMALE SPACE VAMPIRE FILMS from last night on TCM:

*Life Force* (1985) has a naked female wearing nothing but strategically placed shadows, sucking the [drum roll, please] life force out of her victims. I am unfamiliar with the cast, so, nothing more to say-- oops, there are some interesting things that happen to the apparently dead victims.

*Queen of Blood* (1966) A.I.P. Why have I never heard of this until now? In the futuristic world of 1990, there is a moon base (not called ALPHA), and a mission to Mars.  There are two rockets Oceana I & II designed to carry 3 astronauts from the moon to Mars, but only one is currently ready to go. There is a smaller rocket, which carries two.  Dr. Farraday (Basil Rathbone), is on the moon, and learns of a spaceship from another star system crashed on Mars. Apparently, the aliens are calling for help. Being good neighbors, and unaware of the theme that TCM is showing, he sends two men & one woman to Mars to rescue the aliens. 

Paul Grant (Dennis Hopper) and Laura James (Judi Meredith) are among the crew on the rocket to Mars. Allan Brenner (John Saxon) & one other, take the two man rocket to one of Mars' moon, which just happens to be the site where the alien spaceship had landed. It turns out that that was not a happy coincidence.  


In both films, the vampire woman uses a form of hypnosis to prepare her lunch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lifeforce* is, of course, most notable for the naked Space Vampire.  Other than that, I found it to be a flashy Quatermass-type story, with a confusing flashback structure that wrecked the narrative flow.

*Queen of Blood* is surprisingly enjoyable for a film frankensteined from a Soviet movie, with added American footage.  The title character is quite striking.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Candy* (1968)

Surreal, campy, satiric sex comedy with an amazing cast.  Begins with special effects (by Douglas Trumbull, fresh from *2001: A Space Odyssey*!) which imply that our heroine, Candy Christian, is an alien.  Or maybe that's just a daydream Candy is having, as she sits in a class being taught by her father (John Astin!).  Candy is a high school student with long, straight blonde hair and gigantic blue eyeballs.  She has a baby-doll voice and is a true innocent, an angel in microskirts.  The convoluted plot begins when a world-famous poet (Richard Burton!) shows up at the high school, treated like a rock star.  (Funny bit here:  He always has his hair and scarf stirred by the wind, even when he's indoors.)  This sets the pattern for the rest of the film.  Candy keeps encountering (for various reasons far too complicated to go into) men who take sexual advantage of her.  (Amazingly, there isn't a lesbian scene. but we do get a slapstick sequence at a club for drag queens.)  Let's just note that her various abusers include a Mexican gardener (Ringo Starr!), an Army general (Walter Matthau!), a brain surgeon (James Coburn!), a hospital administrator (John Huston!), the hunchbacked leader of a gang of art thieves (Charles Aznavour!) who can climb walls like Spiderman, and who escapes from the cops by jumping through a wall which turns into green liquid (???) and an Indian guru (Marlon Brando!) whose holy temple is inside a truck.  It all leads up to the Shocking Twist Ending:



Spoiler



Candy goes into the desert and meets a figure disguised in robes and a painted face.  Only as they have sex does she recognize him as her father.  The incest theme isn't as much as a surprise as it might be, since we've already seen her uncle (John Astin again!) lusting after her.  Then we see all of the various cast members in a field, fooling around, and Candy ascends back into space.  Or something.



Swedish teenage beauty queen Ewa Aulin, as Candy, is either the world's worst actress, or does an absolutely brilliant job capturing the character's kindhearted naivete in a world full of lechers who only want to use her as a sex object.  The film is way too long for its own good -- over two hours! -- and a lot of sequences are tedious.  But along the way you've got some biting satire, some funny performances, allowing for appropriate overacting by all involved -- Brando is a hoot -- and some genuine weirdness.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Choppers* (1961)

No, it's not about motorcycles.  The Choppers are a gang of teenage hoodlums who look for cars that have run out of gas and left by their drivers on isolated roads.  (Apparently this happens a lot.)  Before the drivers can get back with some gas, they've dragged the car somewhere else and gone to work on it with blowtorches and such.  They sell the parts to an auto salvage guy (B favorite Bruno VeSota, by far the best actor here.)  The cops get help from an insurance investigator and his quarter-century younger secretary/girlfriend, played by a Playboy model of the time.  She uses her feminine wiles at one point to get important information about the gang.  Pretty sedate for most of the less-than-an-hour running time, although the climax is surprisingly violent.  Notable for being the first film to feature Arch Hall, Jr., of *Eegah!* fame.  Arch Hall, Sr., wrote this thing, and has an uncredited role as a reporter, the film's narrator.  Since it's got Arch Hall, Jr., in it, we get to hear three of his songs.  One of them has the memorable lyrics _Monkeys in my hatband/I can do a handstand_.  Probably the only crime film I've ever seen where a chicken feather is the clue that breaks the case.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Music Box* (1932 B&W) - Laurel & Hardy.

Okay, at only 30 minutes this is not strictly speaking a full-length film. But this L&H short stands out for all sorts of reasons, not least because of the brilliantly constructed pratfalls by a simple construct - delivering a musical piano to a customer's home!

The first problem our two lovable guys are tasked with is how to carry a big boxed piano up a huge flight of stairs to the customer's home! Again, there are some hugely funny scenes here that occupy roughly half of the film. And probably the best scene of all is when they do finally reach the top of the stoop with the piano, only to be told by a passing postman that they didn't have to carry it up the steps because there is a driveway at the rear of the house.

So what do our nice-but-dim guys do? They carry the piano all the way back down the steps, load it on their their horse-drawn wagon, and use the drive way instead. A piece of simplistic genius!

Hard to believe this classic short is getting on for being 90 years old, and yet the comic timing is still fresh and hugely funny today.

5/5


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Young Savages* (1961)

Crime drama directed by John Frankenheimer.  Three Italian-American teenage gang members kill a blind Puerto Rican boy.  The District Attorney is running for governor of the state, and a conviction for First Degree Murder (carrying the death penalty) would boost his chances for election.  Burt Lancaster stars as an assistant District Attorney who is eager to convict the young hoodlums.  He came from the streets himself, changing his Italian name to one sounding WASP.  Complicating matters is the fact that his WASP wife strongly disagrees with putting the teenagers to death.  Besides that, Lancaster used to be romantically involved with the mother of one of the kids.  Because there's conflicting evidence -- did the blind boy pull a knife first? -- he investigates things on his own.  It all leads up to a courtroom drama where the truth comes out.  A good film, if melodramatic at times, with some visual innovation from the director.  Location shooting in New York City adds a sense of realism.


----------



## biodroid

Captain Marvel, it was pretty good, but Aquaman was better


----------



## Triceratops

Bohemian Rhapsody, which just Totally blew my ever-lovin' mind. What a cast and what a lead who portrayed Freddie Mercury. Unbelievable performance!


----------



## Overread

What we do in the Shadows - an amusing "mockumentary" I think is what they are called. This is a great fun film about vampires in modern day New Zealand. It takes the form of a camera crew following vampires around their daily lives, though the effects and production are very high class. They also don't slave themselves to the idea of a handheld camera too much so you get the feel for it, but not the limitations. It's a bit like how District 9 approached it. 
It's a really neat take on the theme and idea of modern day vampires and the undead as well as on the style of filming. Good fun and a good laugh!


----------



## Randy M.

You guys beat me to it, but there's really more to say about this movie.



Jeffbert said:


> *Life Force* (1985) has a naked female wearing nothing but strategically placed shadows, sucking the [drum roll, please] life force out of her victims. I am unfamiliar with the cast, so, nothing more to say-- oops, there are some interesting things that happen to the apparently dead victims.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Lifeforce* is, of course, most notable for the naked Space Vampire. Other than that, I found it to be a flashy Quatermass-type story, with a confusing flashback structure that wrecked the narrative flow.



Matilda May. I recall hearing a number of years ago she was nominated for an acting award and had to look around to see if I'd remembered the name correctly; surprisingly, _Lifeforce _didn't scuttle her career and she's had success in European productions. In this movie she's described at least twice as "perfect," her main function was to look "perfect" and make portentous statements. She was adequate at the latter and more than adequate at the former, but there was no way to gauge if she could act since it wasn't required.  

Other observations:
1) Frank Finlay, in spite of the material, could manage to keep his dignity as Van Helsing ... er ... Dr. Hans Fallada.
2) Peter Firth deserved better material, walking through this one as though he's waiting for that better material to materialize.
3) Patrick Stewart deserved better material, but is still fun to watch, and obviously a trooper, taking one for the team by kissing ...
4) ... Steve Railsbeck, who apparently lacks a sense of humor, and looks as though he's fine-tuning his abilities at hysteria in preparation for a much better role as Duane Barry on _The X-Files_. It's a shame he was wasted on this considering his work on _The Stuntman_ and _Helter Skelter_: Several actors have played Charles Manson since, but I haven't seen one who captured the sociopathic snake-charmer sleezy menace as well. Given a grounding in reality, he's truly effective.
5) Henry Mancini could channel John Williams, but not well.

If you spread out the basic plot of Dracula, drizzle with some She, ladle on some I am Legend with a special mix of Quatermass and the Pit and a soupcon of _Night of the Living Dead_, add some _Black Hole_-like space effects (which is to say, not terribly convincing), some _Poltergeist_-like light effects (which is to say, really effective in a better movie), and present as a quasi-Hammer picture, you too can create a train wreck that seems to be about nothing so much as male fear of unrestrained but sillily presented female sexuality. This is based on Colin Wilson's The Space Vampires, which I think I read before the movie was released, but no longer recall. I wouldn't be surprised if Wilson -- who I remember as both a fan of Lovecraft and A. E. Van Vogt -- created the main plot but then globbed on chunks of pretentious exposition that the scriptwriter and director probably eliminated as well as possible while creating one of the goofier sf/f/h movies during a decade that specialized in goofy sf/f/h.

Still, if you're in the right mood, it's fun to watch, maybe especially if others are around you to laugh and mock it with you.


----------



## Toby Frost

There's an article by Wilson called "Fantasy and Faculty X" in a compilation called _How To Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction_ (ed. J.N. Williamson), where Wilson talks about the turning of _The Space Vampires_ into _Lifeforce_. He didn't like the adaptation, mainly because (he says) the tension of the opening part of the novel was taken out, and the film got to the action too quickly.


----------



## Randy M.

I know I read one of Wilson's novels, maybe The Mind Parasites. I was much younger then and maybe not as patient with an author delving into the philosophy and ideas behind his writing, but my lasting impression is that he went on and on and the story, as a story, suffered, as the book became more and more boring.

Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Twisted  *(2004)

Ashley Judd's best performance to date.  Samuel Jackson's in it too, but from what I saw, he was included just to give the movie some Star Power.

Ashley plays a new, heavy-drinking police detevtive who's first case is as much about her as it is the vixtims - all of whom whom she's slept with.

A predictable movie, yes, but it was well done and worth the watch.


----------



## Parson

vixtims --- I love the typo! It makes me think of a bunch of vixens who are also victims. --- There's got to be a story in that somewhere.


----------



## Cathbad

ugh


----------



## Cathbad

Cathbad said:


> *Twisted  *(2004)
> 
> Ashley Judd's best performance to date.  Samuel Jackson's in it too, but from what I saw, he was included just to give the movie some Star Power.
> 
> Ashley plays a new, heavy-drinking police detevtive who's first case is as much about her as it is the vixtims - all of whom whom she's slept with.
> 
> A predictable movie, yes, but it was well done and worth the watch.


P.S.:  If you watch this movie, you might end up wondering about my Samuel Jackson comment:

What I meant was, the part could have - and probably should have - been played by a relative nobody.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Weird Witchcraft Double Feature

*The Witches Mountain* (1972)

Spanish movie that grabs the viewer with an amazing opening sequence, then slows down to a crawl, but remains interesting.  A woman arrives home to find a wig with a knife in it outside the house.  She goes inside and discovers other odd things, the most disturbing of which is the bloody dead body of her cat.  A little girl in old-fashioned clothing shows up, bossing the woman around, saying they have to go so she can be punished, proudly admitting she killed the cat because it bothered her own pet, which turns out to be a big snake.  The two go into the garage, and the screen explodes into fire.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I got the titles.  Then we see the woman from the opening sequences inside the home of her ex-boyfriend, a photographer.  He's baffled how she got there, as not even he knew he was going to be there at that time.  She ignores the question, says she still loves him, and has two airplane tickets for a trip to Brazil, now that he has some time off.   Obviously eager to be rid of her, he calls his boss and demands that he _not_ get a vacation.  He gets assigned to take pictures somewhere way up in the mountains.  Along the way he meets with a pretty young writer, who agrees to go with him.  Odd stuff starts to happen as they make their way from a mountain inn, then to a village inhabited by only one old woman.  The climax brings the woman from the opening sequence back, but nothing about the weird little girl is ever explained.

There's some gorgeous mountain scenery, and an quietly eerie mood.  Not an exciting film, but one which holds the attention, despite a glacial pace and really poor dubbing into English.

*Simon, King of the Witches* (1971)

Simon is a semi-hippie guy who lives in a storm drain.  He is also a practitioner of ritual magic.  Arrested for vagrancy, he gets thrown into the same cell as a younger guy who's in for loitering.  Young guy takes Simon to a rich guy's house.  Simon sells some amulets and Tarot readings to the folks at a party there.  One gives him a bum check.  The rich guy challenges him to curse the cheater.  Simon accepts, saying the man will die in two days, but half the burden of the curse will be on the rich guy, and half on Simon himself.  Of course, the curse works.

From there, the plot goes in all different directions, with Simon's attempt to "charge" a magical device so can travel into the realm of the gods and attain their power, Simon performing a spell which brings an immense amount of rain and also changes reality in a particular way, and a lot of other stuff.  There's a fair amount of intentional comedy along with the melodramatics.  Although Simon does some very bad things indeed, mostly because of his overwhelming ambition, he is also genuinely fond of the younger guy, and can be quite charming.  The ending, if I understood it correctly, shows Simon sacrificing himself to resolve some of the changes he's made in reality.

The movie shoots itself in the foot with a really bad special effect, consisting of an animated spinning red circle, which represents the power Simon conjures up with his curse.  There's a goofy psychedelic light show sequence involving the magic mirror.  Andy Warhol "superstar" Ultra Violet shows up as the leader of a group of self-styled witches, whose ceremony is interrupted by Simon, who mocks their pretensions.  It's a really odd film, written by a fellow said to be a magician himself.


----------



## HanaBi

*"The Witchfinder General" *(1968) - Vincent Price

I reviewed this film here a couple of years ago, and it still gets the odd repeat viewing in my household, and has done for many years! But this is not because the film is particularly outstanding, but Price shines brightly here with perhaps one of his most accomplished performances as the sadistic & ruthless Matthew Hopkins - the witchfinder general himself.

Set in the turbulent era of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War, the film is quite bleak throughout, not helped by the some quite grotesque torture scenes (in the hard-to-find uncut version) and a not particularly happy ending either.

If you are a Vincent Price fan you will probably ignore the many short comings of this film and just take pleasure in the master at work!

3/5


----------



## REBerg

*The Meg*
Now, that's a shark! We're going to need a bigger aircraft carrier.


----------



## Jeffbert

HanaBi said:


> *"The Witchfinder General" *(1968) - Vincent Price
> 
> I reviewed this film here a couple of years ago, and it still gets the odd repeat viewing in my household, and has done for many years! But this is not because the film is particularly outstanding, but Price shines brightly here with perhaps one of his most accomplished performances as the sadistic & ruthless Matthew Hopkins - the witchfinder general himself.
> 
> Set in the turbulent era of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War, the film is quite bleak throughout, not helped by the some quite grotesque torture scenes (in the hard-to-find uncut version) and a not particularly happy ending either.
> 
> If you are a Vincent Price fan you will probably ignore the many short comings of this film and just take pleasure in the master at work!
> 
> 3/5


AKA *The Conqueror Worm*.  I first saw  it as the latter title, cannot recall if anything was different.  One might also look up Herbert Lom's filmography, best known as Chief Inspector Dreyfus, of the *Pink Panther* series. He was in a similar role.  This was a true horror film, unlike most of Price's others. Nasty! Lom's is just as nasty. Absolute power, etc. I think I saw one other film of this topic, but cannot recall actor or title.



Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Lifeforce* is, of course, most notable for the naked Space Vampire.  Other than that, I found it to be a flashy Quatermass-type story, with a confusing flashback structure that wrecked the narrative flow.
> 
> *Queen of Blood* is surprisingly enjoyable for a film frankensteined from a Soviet movie, with added American footage.  The title character is quite striking.


There was another "film _Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women_ (1968) from a Soviet movie" also starring Basil Rathbone, also sci-fi, and featuring my favorite robot of all time: John.

The film Planeta Burg, was Americanized & the *Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet* (1962) followed by _Voyage to the _*Planet of the Prehistoric Women* (1968) Both the work of Roger Corman.   I know I have seen a third frankensteined version of this Soviet film, with footage from an old Army VD film added . Needless to say, it was re-dubbed as a sex film.


----------



## HanaBi

"*A Shot in the Dark*" (1964)-  Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) "_In this film, a murdered corpse is found at the chateau of millionaire Benjamin Ballon. Inspector Clouseau is sent to investigate, but chief inspector Charles Dreyfus is loathe to allow the bumbling Sellers near the case. While Dreyfus barely tolerates Clouseau's idiotic antics, Clouseau tends to the case at hand._"

I always consider this to be the most complete and funniest of the Panther franchise. And it also director Blake Edwards' best work (imho), as well as working on the script with William "The Exorcist" Blatty.

Both Sellers and his nemesis Lom, are in fine form; especially Sellers who revels in his role as the incompetent inspector.

4/5


----------



## Vince W

*The Highwaymen.* A Netflix film about the hunt and killing of Bonnie and Clyde. This is the first film from Netflix I can honestly say I loved. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson play the ageing Texas Rangers brought back to track them down with the understanding that Bonnie and Clyde were to be brought in, dead.

There are numerous wonderful moments between Costner and Harrelson and also how they interact with the younger, more technologically savvy police forces.

A top film.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The French Connection*" (1971) - Gene Hackman

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _This gritty, fast-paced, and innovative police drama earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (written by Ernest Tidyman), and Best Actor (Gene Hackman). Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Hackman) and his partner, Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), are New York City police detectives on narcotics detail, trying to track down the source of heroin from Europe into the United States. Suave Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) is the French drug kingpin who provides a large percentage of New York City's dope, and Pierre Nicoli (Marcel Bozzuffi) is a hired killer and Charnier's right-hand man. Acting on a hunch, Popeye and Buddy start tailing Sal Boca (Tony Lo Bianco) and his wife, Angie (Arlene Faber), who live pretty high for a couple whose corner store brings in about 7,000 dollars a year. It turns out Popeye's suspicions are right -- Sal and Angie are the New York agents for Charnier, who will be smuggling 32 million dollars' worth of heroin into the city in a car shipped over from France. _



Always a firm favourite of mine, not least because it shows the streets of New York at its most unglamorous  - which was so typical of many 70s thrillers of the time. But this was probably the granddaddy of them all, and still serves a good punch even by today's more polished and stylized standards.

And what better way to open a film than  seeing Santa Clause chasing a drug runner down the side streets, and once captured asks him if he ever picked his feet in Poughkeepsie!

Smart performance from Hackman as the hard-bitten, booze-addled cop, along with a good performance from Roy Schieder as his partner.  

I recently watched another tough crime thriller from 1971, Clint Eastwood's "Dirty Harry", and when compared side by side, Eastwood's Harry Callaghan is nothing more than a glamourized caricature compared to the gritty and far more realistic performance from Hackman.

4/5


----------



## Jeffbert

Sadly, soon after these films, the 'action' genre became so obsessed with out - doing the previous films' chase, gunfight, fist fight, etc., sequences, that they became downright silly.  I would not classify either of these as 'action' films.


----------



## HanaBi

"*The French Connection II*" (1975) -  Gene Hackman

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _This sequel to the Oscar-winning The French Connection picks up almost exactly where the earlier film leaves off. Still on the trail of drug kingpin Frog One (Fernando Rey), narcotics officer "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) leaves his Manhattan stomping grounds and heads for Marseilles. There, Popeye is captured by Frog One's minions, who pump him full of drugs in hopes of turning the cop into a hopeless junkie. After a grueling "cold turkey" treatment, Popeye is up and about and chasing after the villains, determined to mete out justice_



Four years after the original the story continues with Popeye still in hot pursuit with his nemisis, Charnier, but this time set in the back streets of Marseilles. Unlike the original Popeye no longer has his trusted partner, Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider), by his side; and as such the film feels somehow incomplete & uneven given that Hackman is the only real driving force in this character-driven thriller.

The supports from Fernando Rey and Bernard Fresson (Popeye's French detective stooge), are adequate, but the film lacks real tension and direction right up until the 3rd and final stanza and the pursuit of Frog One by Doyle -  and even that ended rather lamely I thought.

On its own the film stands up quite well, especially Hackman's overly long & drawn out "cold turkey" sequence; but it really doesn't compare to its original, and it desperately misses Roy Scheider to take some focus away from the rather depressing & tormented Doyle character.

3/5


----------



## Mouse

*Power Rangers* (2017). What can I say? I'm a nerd. I liked it. I saw the original one at the cinema.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Fantastic Beasts; the Crimes of Grindelwald*... Fair movie; I'd give it a 3 out of 5.   
As expected; good effects, 
Rather bland, overall; becoming almost formulaic
Becoming too familiar, almost predictable; after each new character, creature etc. is introduced... few, real, surprises.  
No "made me jump" Belly laughs or "Oh! Wow!" moments.
Too many characters with similar looks, IMO; found it kind of confusing even on the second viewing.
If the next movie in the series does not show less predictability/more originality I will likely stop following.

I am tempted to make story line forecasts, but don't want to introduce spoilers.

Enjoy!


----------



## biodroid

Venom - 3/5. A been there done that before kinda movie, with the great mumbling skills of Tom Hardy. Cool SFX though.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Lady in the Lake* (1946) dir. Robert Montgomery; starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Leon Ames

Philip Marlowe (Montgomery) investigates the disappearance of a publisher’s (Ames) wife. Totter plays the publisher’s managing editor, hiring Marlowe with the aim of catching the wife cheating then catching Ames on the rebound. But there’s more to the disappearance than that.

Director Montgomery decided to film the movie as a first-person shooter, minus shooting – that is, that’s what the movie may look like to contemporary viewers. At the time, only seeing the movie’s star in reflective surfaces must have seemed very odd. To some degree it still does, since it means the other actors, Totter most of all, have to play directly to the camera, which somehow seems hokier with actors than with CGI characters.

Montgomery’s Marlowe is quick with snide, sneering quips, more so than Bogart with his more measured humor or Dick Powell with his smarter material which seems aimed more at self-defense; Montgomery’s voice doesn’t quite carry the movie. He also comes across as less of a tough guy, knocked out – fade to black – at least four times, three times by one punch.

Lloyd Nolan is a dependable, solid presence as a cop and might have been a better Marlowe – he played P.I. Mike Shayne in a series. With his gruff voice, Fedora dipped over one eye and thumbs in his waistband, he seems Bogart-ish. Since he’d been around at least as long as Bogart, I wonder if there was some sort of cross-fertilization in mannerisms. Tangentially, to give an idea of Nolan’s status in Hollywood, John Wayne said that when he read the script for _Stagecoach_, he suggested Nolan to the director, John Ford, to play the role Ford eventually gave to Wayne.

Totter is well-cast as a sort of femme fatale, and seems at ease acting directly to the camera. The measure of the movie’s success largely rests on her performance. It’s odd that she seems to have had few chances at better quality films – according to Eddie Muller (this was a TCM _Noir Alley_ presentation) Montgomery was a friend, so she pulled out of _The Killers_ to play in this one; _The Killers_ made stars of Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner.

So, worth a watch as a one-off experiment or if you’re a real fan of Raymond Chandler’s P.I. on film, but the rather muddled plot (complex in the book with the same title) and other drawbacks, probably makes it of limited interest to general viewers.



*Antman and the Wasp* (2018) dir.  ; starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishbourne, Hannah John-Kamen

Mostly a fluff superhero flick, fun and well done with a somewhat Disney-like (surprise!) humor, using the size changing CGI to good effect (think _The Love Bug_, or _The Shaggy Dog_ but years and years advanced). This moves along well, all the actors old pros at comedy and the effects really enhancing the flow. The surprise, if there is one, is Hannah John-Kamen, who adds a bit of gravity to the situation. Anyone who has seen her in _Killjoys_ will recognize her athleticism, her ability to portray anxiety, desperation and anger may be a bit less known.


Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Venom*  (2018)

Unfortunately, this was a _cute_ movie.

The creature that terrorized Spiderman and his loved ones is, in this movie, a loveable, misunderstood monster, who has changed his ways.

And his mind.  They came to feed on the denizens of the planet, but Venom decides he'll be good.  Or at least try to be.

If you know nothing about Venom going in, you might like this movie a lot.  It's a well told story, and the special effects are great.

I wanted the old Venom.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *The Lady in the Lake* (1946) dir. Robert Montgomery; starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Leon Ames
> 
> Philip Marlowe (Montgomery) investigates the disappearance of a publisher’s (Ames) wife. Totter plays the publisher’s managing editor, hiring Marlowe with the aim of catching the wife cheating then catching Ames on the rebound. But there’s more to the disappearance than that.
> 
> Director Montgomery decided to film the movie as a first-person shooter, minus shooting – that is, that’s what the movie may look like to contemporary viewers. At the time, only seeing the movie’s star in reflective surfaces must have seemed very odd. To some degree it still does, since it means the other actors, Totter most of all, have to play directly to the camera, which somehow seems hokier with actors than with CGI characters.
> 
> Montgomery’s Marlowe is quick with snide, sneering quips, more so than Bogart with his more measured humor or Dick Powell with his smarter material which seems aimed more at self-defense; Montgomery’s voice doesn’t quite carry the movie. He also comes across as less of a tough guy, knocked out – fade to black – at least four times, three times by one punch.
> 
> Lloyd Nolan is a dependable, solid presence as a cop and might have been a better Marlowe – he played P.I. Mike Shayne in a series. With his gruff voice, Fedora dipped over one eye and thumbs in his waistband, he seems Bogart-ish. Since he’d been around at least as long as Bogart, I wonder if there was some sort of cross-fertilization in mannerisms. Tangentially, to give an idea of Nolan’s status in Hollywood, John Wayne said that when he read the script for _Stagecoach_, he suggested Nolan to the director, John Ford, to play the role Ford eventually gave to Wayne.
> 
> Totter is well-cast as a sort of femme fatale, and seems at ease acting directly to the camera. The measure of the movie’s success largely rests on her performance. It’s odd that she seems to have had few chances at better quality films – according to Eddie Muller (this was a TCM _Noir Alley_ presentation) Montgomery was a friend, so she pulled out of _The Killers_ to play in this one; _The Killers_ made stars of Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner.
> 
> So, worth a watch as a one-off experiment or if you’re a real fan of Raymond Chandler’s P.I. on film, but the rather muddled plot (complex in the book with the same title) and other drawbacks, probably makes it of limited interest to general viewers.
> 
> Randy M.


I had seen this sometime within the last year, as I recall, but could not resist the NOIR ALLEY treatment.  I too,  thought Montgomery's voice was ill-suited to his character; in fact, it did not seem like his real voice. I have seen him in numerous other films, and this was a voice I could not recognize as his. 

Yes, the one punch knockouts are strange, especially when there are often drawn-out fight sequences in the same film; cannot recall any in this one, though. 

*Gay Diplomat* (1931) just as WWI is starting, people are in a train station, attempting to flee to various places. Captain Ivan Orloff (Ivan Lebedeff) is in civilian clothes when he meets a woman, whose paper currency is rejected by the guy at the ticket office.  Countess Diana Dorchy (Genevieve Tobin). He offers her a ride, and falls in love with her. But, he is a counter espionage agent and she is an enemy spy,  though neither knows about the other's role. 

Not likely that anyone would bother to watch this, as the critics savaged it. So, here is the spoiler. During the war, he catches her in the act. He must turn her in, but he loves her. She escapes, the war ends, & they by chance, meet again in a train station. Happy Ending.

Another spy-romance film:

*Inside the Lines* (1930) The Brits have a military base on the Rock of Gibraltar, and German spy Jane Gershon (Betty Compson) poses as a woman nobody had seen since she was a child. Eric Woodhouse (Ralph Forbes) the man nwho loved her when both lived in Germany before the war. So, both independently end up on the Rock, in a British military base, each one believing the other is a german agent, when both actually are British agents. Happy ending.  

*The Mighty McGurk* (1947) Wallace Beery as an ex-heavyweight boxer, who now works for a bar owner in the Bowery (Edward Arnold). So, the big tough guy meets a ship of immigrants, to recruit 100 of them to work as laborers for some company. He is paid $100 to do so; but the 100th guy has a little boy in tow, whom he was to deliver to the boy's uncle. The kid has a tag pinned to his shirt with uncle's name & address on it. So, Slag McGurk takes the kid along, expecting to deliver him and be done with him soon.  Johnny Burden (Cameron Mitchell (damn, this guy was young! I hardly recognized him!)) is a Salvation Army guy, who likes to parade around in front of Arnold's bar, but he had been a boxer himself, apparently trained by Slag. Now, they are not friends. So, the tag on the kid's shirt is lost, and McGurk is stuck with him.   Arnold's daughter returns from France, and he sends Slag out to meet her at the pier; though on bad terms with Mitchell, Beery sends him, knowing the two were lovers, much to Arnold's displeasure. 

Mamie Steeple (Aline MacMahon) has a pawnshop, where Slag had pawned his champion's belt. He desperately wants to retrieve it, but is perpetually broke. When he annys her, she puts it in the shop window, and continually lowers its price.

Far more to my liking than either of the other films. Hollywood seemed to have a thing for sticking big tough guys with little boys. _*Professional Soldier*_ (1935) put Victor McLaglen in a similar situation.


----------



## Jeffbert

Cathbad said:


> *Venom*  (2018)
> 
> Unfortunately, this was a _cute_ movie.
> 
> The creature that terrorized Spiderman and his loved ones is, in this movie, a loveable, misunderstood monster, who has changed his ways.
> 
> And his mind.  They came to feed on the denizens of the planet, but Venom decides he'll be good.  Or at least try to be.
> 
> If you know nothing about Venom going in, you might like this movie a lot.  It's a well told story, and the special effects are great.
> 
> I wanted the old Venom.


I vaguely recall Reed Richards telling Spiderman that his new costume was a creature that fed off his life force. Funny seeing him trying to remove it! Way long ago, just after the end of Marvel Comics Secret Wars. Amazing Spiderman #252. I should have bought the entire stock from the comic book store. A very unhealthy addiction, though.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Bank Job* (2008) - Whoa! I stumbled across this little gritty gem, which was based off a true story. Yikes! I liked it.

*Bigfoot vs Zombies* (2016) - Cheap production, sickeningly lame. DON'T waste your time with this mess.

*Soldiers of the Damned* (2015) - Not for everyone. But for me, it was an entertaining World War 2 supernatural/horror flick.

*The Defenders* (2017) - An eight part mini-series featuring a MARVEL COMICS superhero team. Very dark and fiercely cool.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Shock Treatment* (1964)

Psychological melodrama with an interesting cast.  Starts with gardener Roddy McDowall chopping off the head of his rich employee with a huge pair of shears.  (All off-screen, of course.)  He gets sent to a state mental hospital; one in which, apparently, homicidal maniacs wander freely with less dangerous folks.  It seems that he burnt a million dollars of his employer's money after he killed her.  There's a guy who thinks he actually hid the money.  He hires an actor (Stuart Whitman) to pretend to be mentally ill so he can get sent to the same place and wheedle the truth out of McDowall.   Complicating matters is the head of the institution (Lauren Bacall) who is after the money herself.  Along for the fun, although serving no real purpose in the plot, is Carol Lynley as another patient.  Whitman is pretty bland compared to the other performers, who pull out all the stops.  Bacall gets to be a Mad Scientist in this one, having invented a drug which induces catatonia, and using it for her own nefarious purposes.  Slows down a bit in the middle and wanders around, but comes back to life at the end.  You won't believe a thing that happens, but it's worth the ride.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Seven Samurai* (1956 - Japan) - Toshiro Mifune

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _Akira Kurosawa's epic tale concerns honor and duty during a time when the old traditional order is breaking down. The film opens with master samurai Kambei (Takashi Shimura) posing as a monk to save a kidnapped farmer's child. Impressed by his selflessness and bravery, a group of farmers begs him to defend their terrorized village from bandits. Kambei agrees, although there is no material gain or honor to be had in the endeavor. Soon he attracts a pair of followers: a young samurai named Katsushiro (Isao Kimura), who quickly becomes Kambei's disciple, and boisterous Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), who poses as a samurai but is later revealed to be the son of a farmer. Kambei assembles four other samurais, including Kyuzo (Seiji Miyaguchi), a master swordsman, to round out the group. Together they consolidate the village's defenses and shape the villagers into a militia, while the bandits loom menacingly nearby. Soon raids and counter-raids build to a final bloody heart-wrenching battle._



Without question, my all time favourite foreign film -often imitated (The Magnificent Seven), but never bettered. For me this is Kurosawa's most complete film - his magnum opus!

A million words still wouldn't come close to how perfect and how engrossing this film is, and as such I will simply put a full stop right here .

5/5


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Shock Treatment* (1964)
> 
> Psychological melodrama with an interesting cast.  Starts with gardener Roddy McDowall chopping off the head of his rich employee with a huge pair of shears.  (All off-screen, of course.)  He gets sent to a state mental hospital; one in which, apparently, homicidal maniacs wander freely with less dangerous folks.  It seems that he burnt a million dollars of his employer's money after he killed her.  There's a guy who thinks he actually hid the money.  He hires an actor (Stuart Whitman) to pretend to be mentally ill so he can get sent to the same place and wheedle the truth out of McDowall.   Complicating matters is the head of the institution (Lauren Bacall) who is after the money herself.  Along for the fun, although serving no real purpose in the plot, is Carol Lynley as another patient.  Whitman is pretty bland compared to the other performers, who pull out all the stops.  Bacall gets to be a Mad Scientist in this one, having invented a drug which induces catatonia, and using it for her own nefarious purposes.  Slows down a bit in the middle and wanders around, but comes back to life at the end.  You won't believe a thing that happens, but it's worth the ride.


The plot you describe reminds me of *Shock Corridor* (1963), in which the protagonist a journalist  Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck), has himself committed and tries to solve a murder, but ends up going insane. (Roscoe P. Coltrane) James Best as Stuart is at his best as an inmate who thinks he is serving under General Lee. It is likely that *Shock Corridor* inspired *Shock Treatment.*


----------



## Jeffbert

HanaBi said:


> *The Seven Samurai* (1956 - Japan) - Toshiro Mifune
> 
> Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) -
> 
> Without question, my all time favourite foreign film -often imitated (The Magnificent Seven), but never bettered. For me this is Kurosawa's most complete film - his magnum opus!
> 
> A million words still wouldn't come close to how perfect and how engrossing this film is, and as such I will simply put a full stop right here .
> 
> 5/5


While watching this film, the TCM guy mentioned the significance of Kambei Shimada  (Takashi Shimura)  cutting off his topknot. He said the film that best explains it is *HaraKiri*. Don't watch the recent remake, go for the B&W one.  

Another film with Takashi Shimura as the mentor-type guy of Toshiro Mifune is *Stray Dog*. Both are plain clothes police, and Mifune loses his pistol and is worried about it being used in a crime.


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> *The Bank Job* (2008) - Whoa! I stumbled across this little gritty gem, which was based off a true story. Yikes! I liked it.
> 
> *Bigfoot vs Zombies* (2016) - Cheap production, sickeningly lame. DON'T waste your time with this mess.
> 
> *Soldiers of the Damned* (2015) - Not for everyone. But for me, it was an entertaining World War 2 supernatural/horror flick.
> 
> *The Defenders* (2017) - An eight part mini-series featuring a MARVEL COMICS superhero team. Very dark and fiercely cool.


*Bigfoot vs Zombies*  sounds like something I might enjoy, but I will defer to your judgement.


----------



## HanaBi

Jeffbert said:


> While watching this film, the TCM guy mentioned the significance of Kambei Shimada  (Takashi Shimura)  cutting off his topknot. He said the film that best explains it is *HaraKiri*. Don't watch the recent remake, go for the B&W one.
> 
> Another film with Takashi Shimura as the mentor-type guy of Toshiro Mifune is *Stray Dog*. Both are plain clothes police, and Mifune loses his pistol and is worried about it being used in a crime.



Have seen the original Harakiri, and it is exceptionally good. And as for Mifune, he was so exceptional in Seven Samurai that I bought a number of his films on DVD years ago, and I don't think there was a dud in any of them.


----------



## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> *Bigfoot vs Zombies*  sounds like something I might enjoy, but I will defer to your judgement.



Hi Jeffbert.

Yep. Once again, I was drawn in by the movie poster artwork. If you are still curious and want to see a bigfoot creature that is shown at the beginning of the movie, that is a guy in a cheap gorilla suit, wearing a big wig.....then try to watch 20 minutes of the movie on Youtube.

I really don't mind watching a low production film. I just don't care for overwhelmingly cliched dialogue, and badly directed movies.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I've just watched this brilliant film, my all time favourite again. Filled with so many great scenes, and one of the best storylines ever.


----------



## HanaBi

Ian Fortytwo said:


> View attachment 51310
> I've just watched this brilliant film, my all time favourite again. Filled with so many great scenes, and one of the best storylines ever.



It remains one of my favourites too. Redford and Newman are great together (roughly 5 years after making Butch and Sundance), but the real star for me is Robert Shaw as the brooding, menacing Doyle Lonnegan. 

Great scenes, brilliant support, and marvellous jazz!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> The plot you describe reminds me of *Shock Corridor* (1963), in which the protagonist a journalist  Johnny Barrett (Peter Breck), has himself committed and tries to solve a murder, but ends up going insane. (Roscoe P. Coltrane) James Best as Stuart is at his best as an inmate who thinks he is serving under General Lee. It is likely that *Shock Corridor* inspired *Shock Treatment.*




You are quite correct.  *Shock Corridor* is much the better film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Filipino Fright Films Double Feature:

*Mad Doctor of Blood Island* (1968)

Starts off with a hilarious, gimmicky sequence where the audience is invited to drink green blood, which must have been some harmless liquid given to folks who attended a theatrical showing.  This stuff is supposed to protect you from turning into a monster.  I guessed it work.  The real movie concerns three folks arriving at the title island for various reasons, eventually running into the Mad Doctor and the monster he created when he tried to cure a guy's leukemia by injecting a special kind of chlorophyll into him.  All the scenes of the monster are filmed in a really annoying fashion, with the camera moving in and out rapidly.  There's a slight twist in the plot when we find out who's controlling the monster.  Otherwise, typical cheap monster stuff.

*The Beast of the Yellow Night* (1971)

Made by the same folks, and with the hero of the previous film now starring as the monster, but much weirder.  In 1946, the Filipino military is tracking down a deserter/murderer.  They shoot his female accomplice dead.  Starving after having been on the run for some time, he eats some poison berries.  The strangeness starts when Satan shows up to offer him life in exchange for serving him.  He then gives him food, in a nice, neat shopping bag.  It's body parts from the dead woman, and our antihero devours it.  This all takes place before the credits.  Fast forward to the present day.  Satan has been putting this guy into the bodies of various folks to make them do evil.  On a whim, he causes the next body he's going to inhabit an accident that requires plastic surgery, which makes him look exactly like the guy.  Whenever the guy gets upset, he changes into a murdering monster.  The film alternates theological/philosophical musings with typical monster stuff.  A real oddity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires* (1974)

Blend of Gothic Horror and Martial Arts from the unlikely team of Hammer and Shaw.  Starts with a Chinese fellow wandering around in Transylvania in 1804 after what must have been one heck of a long walk.  He finds Dracula's castle.  The infamous vampire (played by somebody who is not Christopher Lee) rises from his coffin.  It seems the Chinese guy is the un-vampiric head (or something) of the temple of the 7 Golden Vampires, who are no longer in action for some reason.  He wants Dracula's help restoring the status quo.  Dracula being an arrogant so-and-so, he instead takes over the body of the Chinese man and heads to China to run the temple himself.  Fast forward to 1904.  Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is lecturing students in China.  He relates the Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires to the class, further confusing the timeline by sending us into a flashback.  It seems a farmer went to the temple where the bloodsuckers were holding women captive to drain their blood.  These vampires wear gold masks and gold bat symbols, ride horses, and fight with swords.  They can also call up huge numbers of their dead victims as zombies to battle their enemies.  The farmer, just before he gets killed, places one of the golden bats (apparently holding the vampire's life force or some such) on a statue of Buddha.  The vampire tries to grab the bat, touches the statue, gets destroyed.  Back in 1904, a young man tells Van Helsing that he's the grandson of the farmer.  He, his six brothers, and his one sister, all masters of martial arts, each one with a different weapon gimmick, set out with Van Helsing, Van Helsing's pretty boy son, and a pretty young Swedish widow who is paying for the expedition.  Tons of martial arts battles ensue, both with huge numbers of bandits, the 6 vampires (remember, one got destroyed in the flashback), and the army of zombies.  Some of the good guys get killed, the remaining vampires get destroyed, Van Helsing confronts Dracula at the end.  It's all ridiculous, and quite fun.  It's interesting to note that the timeline wipes out everything that happened in Bram Stoker's novel, since Dracula has, apparently, been in China in another body from 1804 to 1904.  Which raises the interesting question:  Why does this film's Van Helsing say that he's battled Dracula before?


----------



## HanaBi

*Sexy Beast* (2000 -UK) - Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _Gary (Ray Winstone) is a former gangster who has made a modest amount of money from his criminal career. Happy to put his life of crime behind him, he has retired with his wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) to the sunny bliss of rural Spain, where he lives an idyllic life with his family and a few close friends. But Gary's contentment is ruptured by an unwelcome visitor from his past -- Don (Ben Kingsley), a former associate who has been hired to assemble a team of criminals to rob a heavily guarded bank. Don wants Gary in on the job, and is less than pleased by Gary's unwillingness to volunteer his services. What ensues is a battle of wills between the two men, with Don intimidating, prodding, and manipulating his onetime friend to get what he wants, forever changing the lives of those around him in the process _



Your typical British crime gangster film consisting of your standard "well 'ard" Cockney geezers all shouting at each other, fighting, getting drunk, fighting and shouting a bit more!

But despite 1970s Sweeney stereotypes, the film is quite a revelation, helped somewhat by a deeply brooding script, kinetic camera work; loud, solid rock music for a score, and above all some truly outstanding acting from both Winstone and Kingsley (this is the same guy who played Gandhi in the film of the same name back in 1982!)

Given that all these gangsters are far from lovable, and yet for the likes of Winstone's Gary character you do feel some sympathy given that he wants to turn his back on crime and lead a new life in Spain. 

Many memorable scenes, and the violence is hideously raw and OTT, yet somehow feels in keeping with the mood of the film.

And if the violence doesn't put you off, the industrial-strength language certainly might - lots and lots of effing & Jeffing. In fact I don't think I went through 5 minutes without some character calling some other character an  F word, W word and C word - and sometimes all in one sentence (hats off, Ben!)

Tough, relentless, brutal - and yet quite intoxicating for all that.

4/5


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Filipino Fright Films Double Feature:
> 
> *Mad Doctor of Blood Island* (1968)
> 
> Starts off with a hilarious, gimmicky sequence where the audience is invited to drink green blood, which must have been some harmless liquid given to folks who attended a theatrical showing.  This stuff is supposed to protect you from turning into a monster.  I guessed it work.  The real movie concerns three folks arriving at the title island for various reasons, eventually running into the Mad Doctor and the monster he created when he tried to cure a guy's leukemia by injecting a special kind of chlorophyll into him.  All the scenes of the monster are filmed in a really annoying fashion, with the camera moving in and out rapidly.  There's a slight twist in the plot when we find out who's controlling the monster.  Otherwise, typical cheap monster stuff.
> 
> *The Beast of the Yellow Night* (1971)
> 
> Made by the same folks, and with the hero of the previous film now starring as the monster, but much weirder.  In 1946, the Filipino military is tracking down a deserter/murderer.  They shoot his female accomplice dead.  Starving after having been on the run for some time, he eats some poison berries.  The strangeness starts when Satan shows up to offer him life in exchange for serving him.  He then gives him food, in a nice, neat shopping bag.  It's body parts from the dead woman, and our antihero devours it.  This all takes place before the credits.  Fast forward to the present day.  Satan has been putting this guy into the bodies of various folks to make them do evil.  On a whim, he causes the next body he's going to inhabit an accident that requires plastic surgery, which makes him look exactly like the guy.  Whenever the guy gets upset, he changes into a murdering monster.  The film alternates theological/philosophical musings with typical monster stuff.  A real oddity.


A few years ago, I saw a documentary that included coverage of the entire BLOOD ISLAND series. I was able to buy 4 of the 5 films, and this was among them. My kind of film!  Cheap laughable special effects, somewhat dumb plot, etc. 

*Border Incident *(1949) NOIR ALLEY gave the before and after coverage, which was as usual, very in depth. But there was one character left out of his discussion.  

So, the bad guys are smuggling desperate Mexicans across the U.S. border to earn money for their impoverished families, then robbing and killing them when they attempt to return to Mexico.  They have a particular way of disposing of the bodies that must be shown in the beginning, because it will be featured at the film's end. So Pablo Rodriguez (Ricardo Montalban) a Mexican cop, and Jack Bearnes (George Murphy) an American cop go undercover to infiltrate the smuggling gang. Muller noted that neither of these actors was known for dramatic roles, but, rather, MGM song & dance. He also noted that this film had some very violent scenes, even for one of this genre. I definitely agree. 

So RM becomes the migrant worker, whose hands are not those of a laborer. He must explain this. GM shadows him, to make sure he succeeds in infiltrating the gang. 

Supporting cast includes both races, in roles primarily of villains but some are Mexican or U.S. immigration officials (cops). Owen Parkson (Howard Da Silva) as the farmer who hires the men.  He knows little of the way the smugglers work, but is far from a nice guy. Cuchillo (Alfonso Bedoya), better known as the 'Badges' guy from The Treasure of Sierra Madre, as one of the smugglers. Jeff Amboy (Charles McGraw), the boss smuggler.  One other man, whose name I cannot recall, but I know he is somewhat familiar. The overseer of the laborers, as I recall. These are the ones I recall. 

To classify this as NOIR, to me, seems to stretch the definition, as I know it, anyway. My idea of NOIR usually has a Femme Fatale in it. None here, though. But as the story takes place almost entirely outside, as opposed to in a bank, jewelry store, etc., it seems a poor fit for the definition. But, that is just my opinion. Brutal drama, and that is what counts.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Mortal Engines*; as expected good special effects, some quite good actors and acting and action , However the story line  (Mad Max(Thunderdome) meets a earthbound (never got off the ground) steampunk, Star Wars with a small Terminator sub plot) felt somewhat contrived and pretty much of a mishmash (the battle at the end was very reminiscent of Star Wars).  (...Must, resist, spoiler...)
The traveling predator city thing was done in John Carter.
Great sets.
... in a word, disappointing; especially considering the production team.
I'll give it 2 stars out of 5.... rent it or wait for it to hit the discount bins.
Was thinking of reading the books but no longer...(unless I get them free).

Enjoy!


----------



## J Riff

*Time Warp* 1981, well. This one is something. Adam West is at his absolute queesiest in this. He commands the Space Force, there's a goofy jokey astronaut up there, things go wrong, he sort of... disappears in time, kinda... but he's still around being invisible... somehow,,,
as West absolutely chews up all scenery, our astronaut somehow takes the onboard computer and makes it into a ...small computer like phone-sized, which talks to him... and they go hang around being invisible, but, by golly, turns out he can communicate, with his wife, who West is crazy over and wants to marry, but our guy can...talk using the family's pet bird, which can see him somehow... and he makes the bird talk, it warns the wife and kid, and I think the ending is happy, at least it stops West from further acting, and it ends. 
One wonders how Adam got all these acting gigs, rather than, say, the man from the off-licence or just some random guy off the street.


----------



## Anthoney

*Shazam*!  I liked it less than Wonder Woman but more than Aquaman.


----------



## Cathbad

Anthoney said:


> *Shazam*!  I liked it less than Wonder Woman but more than Aquaman.


I do want to see this; but the trailers i've seen tell me I'm not gonna like it.


----------



## Bick

HanaBi said:


> ... some truly outstanding acting from both Winstone and Kingsley


Great film - Kingsley is bleedin' terrifying!  Makes American Hollywood bad guys look about frightening as my mum.  A genuinely unnerving character.


----------



## Bick

Anthoney said:


> *Shazam*!  I liked it less than Wonder Woman but more than Aquaman.


I saw this yesterday- I agree with your thoughts on it. My son (12) loved it.


----------



## FibonacciEddie

*Shazam:*
I watched Shazam yesterday and was disappointed by the script/story arc ... it felt very cliched ... but my teenage kids liked it ... I guess that it was written for kids (empowerment of teens) ... all the usual tropes (orphan, bullied, 'loser', awful parents, wonderful fosters) ... there were some good bits ... I won't be buying the BluRay


----------



## Cathbad

I never read the Shazam comic book, but the old series presented us with a very mature-acting, concerned teen.  The clips I've seen of this movie show a very UNmature teen, playing with his new-found powers and showing no concern even for the safety of others.

Is this better?


----------



## Anthoney

Cathbad said:


> playing with his new-found powers and showing no concern even for the safety of others.



Just saying this makes you automatically age another year.


----------



## Toby Frost

*John Wick (2014)*

Funny one, this. Keanu Reeves is surprisingly good as a retired hitman who takes vengeance when Russian mobsters steal his car and kill his dog. Violent and thoroughly cartoony, to the point where I was surprised that it wasn’t based on a comic book. It’s perfectly alright but slightly overpraised, and too much time is spent with people telling each other how deadly John Wick is and then being killed by him without any difficulty to prove the point. I’ve seen a few action films that spent too much time being cool and didn’t generate enough excitement and sense of jeopardy: this is one of them. Not bad.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw John Wick about a year ago. I agree that it was, as you say, "thoroughly cartoony,"  which, in my opinion, applies to just about any film in the action genre. But, it is entertaining! 


*99 River Street* (1953) A washed-up ex-prizefighter, currently a cab driver is framed for his own wife's murder by a jewel thief. A NOIR ALLEY presentation, and a good one, at that. Never slows down, keeps my interest. I did not realize I had seen it before, until a friend Linda James (Evelyn Keyes) uses the cabbie, who had just seen his wife in the arms of another man, to win a role in a play.



Spoiler



She had convinced him that she had just killed a man, and went through a very dramatic appeal to the guy, to help her dispose of the body. Just as he suggests putting the dead guy in his cab, and dumping him somewhere, the theater light come on, and the execs appear, congratulating her for her performance. He is furious, because of his own stress, which only he knows about. So, he clobbers the men, turns to leave, and they call the cops.



Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) is the cab driver,  Pauline Driscoll (Peggie Castle) as his faithless wife. She constantly reminds him of her expectations of wealth when she married him, but because of an eye injury during a boxing match, the physician banned him for fighting. Now, they must live a life not meeting her high expectations.  So she goes with Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter), whom I mistook for Mark Leonard (Sarek) because of similar features. Unbeknownst to her, he is a criminal, who had just killed the guy hw had robbed. All she knows about this guy, is that he is or at least, seems to be wealthy.

Christopher (Jay Adler) is the fence, to whom Rawlins intends to sell the diamonds he had stolen While Rawlins does not know he had killed his victim, the Fence knows it, and no longer wants the goods.



Spoiler



Also, angry that VR had brought a woman to the meeting. Says that the deal is off. So, VR goes out and has the cab driver's wife call the cab company, and specifically request her husband pick her up. Now there is a record of his picking her up. But when he arrives, nobody is waiting for a cab. he goes inside the building. Still nobody. He is upset, and when he returns to his cab, he fails to notice that his wife's dress was caught in the rear door, and her corpse is in the back seat.



Mickey (Jack Lambert) as the fence's henchman, and he has the face for it. He could never be mistaken for the good guy.

5/5! This fits the noir genre perfectly. Unlike Border Incident (see my previous post), this has all the elements of the genre. The poor guy who is set-up to take the blame for the criminal's work. The Femme Fatale, whose greed gets her killed. The good girl, who marries the good guy at the end. The robbery, the scheming, etc.


----------



## HanaBi

*Crank *(2006) - Jason Statham

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _A one-time freelance hitman who was just attempting to turn his life around is forced to keep his heart pumping when his vengeful former employers inject him with a lethal poison that will permanently stop his ticker if his pulse sinks beneath an active rate. _



Forget the plot, despite a good premise, this is just join the action dots to form one big shootout between one badish guy (Statham) and lots of really bad guys with big bad guns.

Stylish and layered this with thrash/rock music, Statham excels as the 00s Action Man: a character he will always be associated with in a Willis/Stallone kind of way. He knows the plot is pretty thin, but for him he has reached his dream of being a lead man in a Hollywood action film, so what the hell, enjoy the ride.

And you may as well too!

3/5


----------



## BigBadBob141

REF: Happy Joe.
Never judge a book by its film!


----------



## Parson

Watched an Independent flick: *Polycarp *(2015) and was stunned. I expected that it would either be some pretentious mock history or an uncritical poorly acted Christian docudrama. It was neither. It was a Christian docudrama but the acting was superb, the history was strong, and there was no sugar coating what it meant to be a Christian in the 2nd century. --- Later I did some research and the driving forces behind this movie were a brother and sister, now in their early 20's who began producing award winning video when they were 15 and 16! I found this buried in the recommendations of Amazon Prime Video.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crescendo* (1970)

Psychological shocker from Hammer.  Stephanie Powers is working on her thesis on a great composer, now deceased.  The composer's widow takes her into her fancy home to do research.  Inhabiting the place are her son, confined to a wheelchair, a maid, and a manservant.  Things don't seem too bad at first, but then the audience finds out about the various skeletons in the closet, long before the heroine does.  It seems the son is a heroin addict.  His mother is his main source, but she doesn't give him enough to keep him from going into fits of painful withdrawal.  The maid keeps him supplied, intending to force him to marry her so she can inherit the estate.  Besides all this domestic drama, we have somebody playing the piano in the dead composer's music room.  The story moves very slowly, the first killing (you knew there were going to be some, didn't you?) not arriving until an hour into the film, but it all builds up to a wild climax at the very end.  Not the most plausible twist ending in the world:



Spoiler



The man in the wheelchair has an insane identical twin brother kept hidden. James Olson, best known to me for *The Andromeda Strain*, does a good job in both roles.



The whole thing is more like chamber music than a symphony, with a very small cast and almost all scenes taking place in the house.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Aquaman*, just a few hours ago on my Kindle.  I thought the special effects were fun—loved those undersea kingdoms—script did not especially impress me, but the ... um,  eye candy was very nice.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood of the Vampire* (1958)

Not a Hammer film, but it sure seems like one.  Transylvania 1874:  A huge stake is driven through the heart of a corpse prior to burial.  Before that can happen, a badly deformed fellow stabs the gravedigger to death and absconds with the body.  He pays a doctor to perform a heart transplant on the dead man.  The physician demands more money, so he gets the knife too.  Six years later, a doctor gets sentenced to life in prison because a patient died while he was attempting to save his life with a blood transplant.  He gets assigned to an institute for the criminally insane, to assist the man in charge with medical experiments.  Well, you can put two and two together.  The head of the institute is the resurrected corpse, taking blood transfusions from the prisoners to keep himself alive.  The rest of the film consists of the hero's attempts to defeat the bad guy's nefarious scheme and escape, with the help of his beloved, who gets a job as the villain's housekeeper.  No actual vampires show up; it's much more of a Mad Scientist movie, and a decent example of one.


----------



## Cathbad

Teresa Edgerton said:


> eye candy was very nice


One of the best reasons to see it!


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Irish in US* (1935) The O'Hara brothers, Danny (James Cagney), Pat (Pat O'Brien),  and Mike (Frank McHugh), all live at home with ma (Mary Gordon). Cagney is the youngest, and unemployed. He hopes to be a boxing manager, and Carbarn Hammerschlog (Allen Jenkins) is his fighter. An entertaining comedic film, seems strange to see Cagney in such a role, though.  

*Bed of Roses* (1933) Two newly released from prison, women take a riverboat to New Orleans, and fleece men. I expected a comedy, but found a drama.  Entertaining, though.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *The Irish in US* (1935) The O'Hara brothers, Danny (James Cagney), Pat (Pat O'Brien),  and Mike (Frank McHugh), all live at home with ma (Mary Gordon). Cagney is the youngest, and unemployed. He hopes to be a boxing manager, and Carbarn Hammerschlog (Allen Jenkins) is his fighter. An entertaining comedic film, seems strange to see Cagney in such a role, though.



Cagney did a fair amount of comedy in his career, like _The Bride Came C.O.D. _and _Mr. Roberts_. His last movie before retiring in the '60s (he came out of retirement in the '80s, shortly before he died) was _One, Two, Three_ a not entirely successful political comedy, but if it doesn't really succeed, it's not for lack of that Cagney energy; as I remember it, at points in the movie he borders on manic.

I don't recall seeing _The Bride Came C.O.D._ It's him and Bette Davis, so I think I'd like to.

Randy M.


----------



## AlexH

*Leave No Trace* (2018)
Drama/coming of age-type film about a father and daughter who live in the wilderness. I can't quite figure out why it moved me so much, but it's up there with the very best films I've seen in recent years (and possibly ever).

*Captain Marvel* (2019)
I was confused with what was going on at the start, but I liked it more than Infinity War and Black Panther and especially enjoyed the 90s nostalgia. I liked how some of the backstory was woven in and it makes me want to watch Agents of Shield.

*Logan *(2017)
Possibly the best X-Men film. They seemed to throw a load of swearing in at the start just to make it seem more of an adult film. I thought the actress who played Laura Kinney was really good - here's hoping she appears in more X-Men films, maybe even her own.

*Daddy's Home* (2015)
I find Will Ferrell a bit hit and miss (maybe more of the latter), but this had at least a couple of moments that nearly killed me with laughter.


----------



## dask

Couple of okay spookers by two of Italy's masters of horror: Mario Bava and Dario Argento. While not as good as I'd hoped they'd be they were still fun to watch, with Elke Sommer's screen presence going way beyond her fantastic good looks.


----------



## REBerg

*Occupation*
This Australian alien invasion movie struggles to rise to mediocrity. It reminded me of the later, falling down _Falling Skies_ seasons. The not-so-surprising end sets a new standard for suspension of disbelief.

*Extinction*
Another alien invasion offering, but with a twist that I did not, for a moment, suspect. This Netflix effort merits a sequel.


----------



## Droflet

*The Silence*. Monsters abound so everyone has to keep their big mouths shut. Had its moments but it was so derivative of the superior A Quiet Place.


----------



## picklematrix

I watched Unbreakable the other night, to wash the taste of Glass off of my brain.


----------



## Bugg

Droflet said:


> *The Silence*. Monsters abound so everyone has to keep their big mouths shut. Had its moments but it was so derivative of the superior A Quiet Place.



Funnily enough, when A Quiet Place was released my first thought was "That sounds like a complete rip-off of The Silence".  I'm not sure how much they've changed the story (apart from seemingly relocating it from the UK to the USA) but The Silence is based on Tim Lebbon's 2015 novel of the same name, which is brilliant.


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## Jeffbert

Soldiers Three (1951) R. Kipling. So, there are these 3 privates in the Brit army in India, & they are great fighters, but with very poor discipline when not in battle.  Archibald Ackroyd (Stewart Granger),  Dennis Malloy (Cyril Cusack, never heard of him before), & Bill Sykes (Robert Newton, yes, even in this film, he says 'arr' a few times!). so the retired General Brunswick (Walter Pidgeon), is recalling his days as a Colonel, with these three men in his unit. When asked how he became a general, he recalls a battle in which these three played key roles, especially Granger, who was critical in saving the unit from destruction.

This is a feel-good easy going lighthearted film, until the battle. Captain Pindenny (David Niven) is WP's adjutant and is somewhat by the book, etc., but not always.


*Them Thar Hills* (1934) L&H go to the mountain for Ollie's health. Hilarious. Not as funny as *The Music Bo*x, but beats Robot Chicken every time. The moonshiners had just been raided by the revenuers and dumped the booze into the well. L&H arrive after they have gone, and comment about the delicious water. Then the couple who go on to *Tit for Tat*, as neighboring merchants, are here, asking for some gasoline for their car. L&H invite the woman into their trailer for some lunch, while her husband takes the gas can to their car. When he returns, all 3 are drunk. He is not happy.


----------



## Starbeast

*Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks VR* (2018) - Not as enjoyable as the original movie. Just another "milk the cash-cow" sequel.

*Incredibles 2* (2018) - Once again. Not as enjoyable as the original movie. Just another "milk the cash-cow" sequel.


----------



## Randy M.

*Crazy Rich Asians* (2018), dir. John M. Chu; starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan

If you like romcoms, you're likely to like this. Discussed as the first major U.S. studio movie focusing on an all Asian list of characters in a couple of decades (notes on IMDB suggest that’s not an entirely accurate claim), it gained a lot of attention last year. What it is, though, is a charming variation on the _Cinderella _story, lavishly produced, with beautiful locations (a fair amount of Singapore is shown, including the spectacular Marina Bay Sands Hotel) and cinematography. The romance is placed in the context of the differences between an American and a Chinese outlook on marriage and family – how accurate the Chinese view is portrayed, I can’t say, but it's convincing within the context of the movie.

Rachel and Nick have been together for over a year while he’s in New York. Nick is planning on asking her to marry him. He is taking her abroad to attend his cousin’s wedding in which he will be best man, and to meet his family. But in that time he hasn’t talked about his family and Rachel’s first inkling of their wealth is flying to Singapore in first class. Nick’s family owns a large chunk of Singapore, he’s the heir apparent, and hangers on, some of whom had hoped to snag Nick themselves, are envious and hate her already and make her stay miserable. Also Nick’s mother isn’t too happy about her either, what with her being a professor and looking to pursue her passion, and all that American blather. One subtext of the movie is a comparison of mothers protecting and nurturing their own, and to the movie’s credit, Nick’s mother is not portrayed as a monster, the context of her own marriage shown in some key scenes.

The two stars are amiable, Wu convincing as an American-Chinese, knowledgeable of the Chinese but not emotionally or socially connected to their ways, and Golding surprisingly good since apparently he had little or no acting experience prior to this movie. Ken Jeong plays Ken Jeong playing Awkwafina’s father, the latter nearly stealing the movie as Rachel’s best friend from college who is now living with her nouveau riche family in Singapore; she’s nearly matched by Nick Santos as a poor relation of Nick’s family. It’s also pleasant to see Michelle Yeoh as a character not charged with kicking someone’s nose to the back of his head, though that background may be part of why she’s intimidating as Nick’s mother.

There were complaints that this movie doesn’t accurately represent Asians, but that might be like complaining about the lack of breadlines in Astaire and Rogers movies. The movie’s success should open studio doors to actors and directors of Asian descent and maybe from that more serious movies will emerge. I guess we’ll see.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Eye of the Cat* (1969)

Psychological shocker written by Joseph Stefano (creator of _The Outer Limits_, screenwriter for *Psycho*, etc.)  The great, multifaceted actress Eleanor Parker plays an extremely rich woman dying of emphysema.  Her hairdresser cooks up a scheme to get half of her fortune.  She'll convince the woman's ne'er-do-well nephew to come back home, so the woman will alter her will in the fellow's favor.  (Living with the aunt is the guy's younger brother, but apparently his aunt doesn't dote on him the way she does on the prodigal.)  Then they'll speed up the aunt's demise.  Complicating matters is the fact that the aunt lives with a huge number of cats, and the nephew is an extreme ailurophobe.  Twists and turns follow, often predictable.  There's also a fair amount of padding, and this might have worked better as an episode of an hour-long anthology series.  People behave in ways nobody ever did, and there's some really odd dialogue.  One problem with this kind of movie, of course, is that ailurophiles are going to look at all those snarling, hissing, fang-bearing cats, and just think of them as precious little angels.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Crime of Doctor Crespi* (1935)

Cheap, talky, and outrageously padded, despite a running time of only an hour, this creaky old scare flick still manages to pack a punch thanks to Erich von Stroheim ("the man you love to hate") in the title role.  The plot is simple.  The doctor who won the hand of the woman Doctor Crespi wanted is badly injured in a car wreck.  Only the brilliant surgeon Crespi can save his life.  Instead, during surgery he administers a drug that creates a death-like state of total paralysis.  The victim is buried alive.  (The film credits Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Premature Burial" for its inspiration.)  There's a good scene where Crespi talks to the conscious but immobile victim, telling him exactly what's going to happen.  Notable also for Dwight Frye in a non-insane role.


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## Ian Fortytwo

Watched *As You Like It, *one of Shakespeare's plays, on a live link at my local cinema. A brilliant modern adaptation, modern clothes etc. Saves money from travelling. 9/10.


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## Jeffbert

*A Day at the Races* (1937) Marx bros minus Zeppo. Great fun! So this sanitarium is about to go out of business, and the brothers become involved in a zany attempt to win money in a horse race. Sig Ruman as one of the antagonists, Dr Leopold X. Steinberg, who is intent on proving  Dr Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho) is not the doctor he claims to be. He actually is a veterinarian, but goes along with the fraud as long as the cops are nowhere in sight. 

*A Matter of Life and Death* (1946)  Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven), jumps from a burning aircraft, and having no parachute, goes boom. Up in Heaven, the guy who was supposed to bring him in, forgot.  So, he continues to live, and meets the woman, radio operator, who spoke with him as he uttered his presumed last words. They fall in love. But then the guy comes to take him up. He protests, and demands a hearing, since it was not his fault he is still alive. 

I have seen several films of this type, in which the  Heavenly goings on are shown. Though I am agnostic, I enjoy them.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Those are both great films.

There were a lot of those life-after-death fantasy films during and after the Second World War, which makes sense, given the immense loss of life during the conflict, and most of them are quite good.

Cute bit of trivia about the Marx brother film.  The character was supposed to be named Quackenbush (with an obvious reference to a quack doctor) but they changed it because there was a real person with that name.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Deadly Trap* AKA *Death Scream* (1971)

Two very misleading English language titles for the French film _La maison sous les  abres_.  ("The house under the trees.")  It's not a horror movie, but rather a combination of domestic drama, psychological character study, and suspense film.  Frank Langella is a fellow who has moved his family from the USA to Paris.  The movie begins when he is contacted by a shadowy organization for whom he once worked.  (We never find out very much about this group, other than it's just called the Organization and they do industrial espionage.)  They want him back, with veiled threats if he refuses.  Meanwhile, we see his uneasy relationship with his wife (Faye Dunaway.)  They've grown apart, and Dunaway is having lapses of memory and other signs of mental illness.  They have a school age daughter and a preschool age son.  You have to be very patient with the first half of the movie if you're expecting a thriller.  We get our first shock sequence when Dunaway and the kids are in a bad car accident, although they escape unharmed.  Coincidence?  Mental lapse?  The Organization?  Things get worse when Dunaway loses the children while distracted for a moment.  The unemotional, super-efficient French police detective coldly raises the possibility that she killed them, intending to kill herself as well, then lost her nerve.  Of course, we know that the Organization kidnapped them.  The tension builds in the last third of the film as we find out which secondary characters can't be trusted, and as the parents and police try to find the children.  A lot of on-line reviews reveal that some viewers really hate this film.  I found it slow at first, obscure at times, but ultimately compelling.  Nobody was better at playing neurotics than Faye Dunaway at this point in her career, and she's the heart of the movie.  There's one major plot twist that I wasn't expecting:



Spoiler



The four-year-old son finds a loaded gun in the abandoned house where he and his sister are being held, and shoots the only person guarding them dead.


----------



## almostvoid

Actually *The Life of Brian *which I picked up at a market for $1. Only the second time around. So brilliant.


----------



## almostvoid

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Crescendo* (1970)
> 
> Psychological shocker from Hammer.  Stephanie Powers is working on her thesis on a great composer, now deceased.  The composer's widow takes her into her fancy home to do research.  Inhabiting the place are her son, confined to a wheelchair, a maid, and a manservant.  Things don't seem too bad at first, but then the audience finds out about the various skeletons in the closet, long before the heroine does.  It seems the son is a heroin addict.  His mother is his main source, but she doesn't give him enough to keep him from going into fits of painful withdrawal.  The maid keeps him supplied, intending to force him to marry her so she can inherit the estate.  Besides all this domestic drama, we have somebody playing the piano in the dead composer's music room.  The story moves very slowly, the first killing (you knew there were going to be some, didn't you?) not arriving until an hour into the film, but it all builds up to a wild climax at the very end.  Not the most plausible twist ending in the world:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The man in the wheelchair has an insane identical twin brother kept hidden. James Olson, best known to me for *The Andromeda Strain*, does a good job in both roles.
> 
> 
> 
> The whole thing is more like chamber music than a symphony, with a very small cast and almost all scenes taking place in the house.


I am going to try and find this---rippa there. Hammer was great.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Gentleman's Agreement* (1947) Philip Green (Gregory Peck) is a writer for a magazine, whose boss wants him to write a series on anti-Semitism. Well & good, but that had been done before, & the boss wants a fresh approach. But what to do? GP decides that since he has dark hair and eyes, he might pass himself for a Jew. 

The title refers to an unwritten policy among the Gentiles of discriminating against Jews (and likely others, also). So Gregory Peccary goes around identifying himself as Phillip Greenburg rather than Green, and, not only he, but his son experience discrimination. 



Spoiler



When his old army buddy Dave Goldman (John Garfield), whom he had been consulting tells him he has seen it all. he abandons the name Greenburg, and begins submitting the work to his boss, whose daughter, he had intended to marry. But her do nothing attitude about anti-Semitism, had offended him, & nearly destroyed their relationship.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Phobia* (1980)

Modest little Canadian murder mystery/suspense thriller.  Psychiatrist treats a small group of phobic patients, each of whom has a police record, by exposing them to the things they fear.  One who seems to be making good progress gets killed when a bomb, apparently intended to kill the psychiatrist, goes off while she's waiting to meet him at his apartment.  Further deaths of the patients follow.  Whodunit?  One of the patients?  The psychiatrist's lover?  The psychiatrist's ex-lover?  The resolution is fairly predictable, and telegraphed a bit.  Overall, it's a fair-to-middling way to pass the time.  Amazingly, it was directed by the great John Huston, although there's no indication that it wasn't the work of a moderately competent journeyman director.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenage Gang Debs* (1966)

Low-budget black-and-white juvenile delinquency flick.  With its clean-cut but brutal gang members, its jazz soundtrack, and its implied-but-not-shown sexual content, it feels more like an Adults Only movie of the 1950's than anything else.  New girl shows up in town, quickly makes herself the woman of the president of the local gang.  The president wants to carve his initials in her skin, so she dumps him and goes after a new guy, goading him on to kill the president and take his place.  She continues manipulating the new president, leading to deadly rumbles and the like.  Padded with dance sequences that really seem out of place compared with all the violence.  Cheap and sleazy, but with a certain raw power.


----------



## REBerg

*The Highwaymen*
Slooooow. I realize that the law enforcement side of this legendary story was probably duller than the outlaw side, but I expected more wisecracking back-and-forth between Costner and Harrelson than was delivered. 



Spoiler



No change in the ending. Bonnie and Clyde still die, although the death scene was the first clear look at the couple this film provides.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Those are both great films.
> 
> There were a lot of those life-after-death fantasy films during and after the Second World War, which makes sense, given the immense loss of life during the conflict, and most of them are quite good.


One of my favorites is one story told in two different films, one of which has Sidney Greenstreet as the guy/angel who is essentially the cruise director on the ship to the other worlds. 

*Between Two Worlds* (1944), One passenger was a woman who had committed suicide, and thus, whom everyone, including herself was sure she was heading to Hell. Some other passengers had very bad attitude toward her.  Greenstreet version.

*Outward Bound *(1930) is the other version.  Both are entertaining films, even from the perspective of an agnostic. 


*NOBODY LIVES FOREVER*(1946) Noir Alley, but because they decided to omit the Sunday 10AM showing, I missed recording it. Fortunately, it was available on TCM.com.

This is about con men, who have moved to LA, and by sheer chance, stumbled upon each other. The one of them, knows of a rich widow  Gladys Halvorsen (Geraldine Fitzgerald), whom he would fleece, if only he had the money for the set-up, that would make him also seem rich.  

Nick Blake (John Garfield) is the con man with the $50k, which he had 'earned' before going into the military. So, he returns from the war, with some unseen wound, and finds his girl has been living with the guy,  Chet King
(Robert Shayne, I knew this guy's voice was that of the top cop on the SUPERMAN show!) who fleeced her out of his Money. Clobbers the guy, recovers the dough, and with his best pal, Al Doyle (George Tobias, seen him before, just never knew his name until now). So, they go from NY, NY to LA, where several old associates had unbeknownst to them, moved. The Doc (George Coulouris), has lowdown on the widow, but, as already stated, lacks the resources. So, they strike a deal, and agree on the payouts before starting. But, Nick, while trying to persuade the widow to 'invest' her money in a non-existent business, falls in love with her, and wants to back out of the con. Needless to say, none of his associates are happy about that. 

Muller had a twisted tale to tell about this film, or was it the screenplay, that was made into a novel, that was then bought by WB, which had been dragging its feet on the 1st version of the screenplay, thus, essentially buying it twice.  But that the role had originally intended for Bogart, I just can not visualize him as a con man! 

In this film, there are just too many characters who knew Nick from other towns. The bellboy knew him from Florida, Pop Gruber (Walter Brennan) knew him from NY, as well as the others, already mentioned.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Sanguinary Floral _Gialli_ of 1972 Double Feature:

*The Case of the Bloody Iris* (1972)

Begins in true _giallo_ fashion, with a gloved killer stabbing a woman to death.  Not much later, another woman who lives in the apartment building where the first murder took place is drowned in her bathtub by the same killer.  With the apartment now vacant, two models move in, one of whom is our heroine, stunningly beautiful Edwige Fenech, who starred in a bunch of these things, as well as a lot of sex comedies.  The body count continues, and we get a bunch of suspects and red herrings.  There's the architect of the building, who offers the newly vacant place to the two women, who becomes Fenech's lover, and who has a blood phobia.  There's Fenech's ex-husband, who forced her into a group sex cult and who is now stalking her.  There's the various tenants of the building; an elderly woman who turns out to be hiding something; an elderly man who plays the violin at all hours of the night; and the man's lesbian daughter.  The murders are sudden and shocking, but not particularly explicit.  There's also a fair amount of humor, which, amazingly, doesn't detract from the suspense.  Overall, an enjoyable example of the genre.

*Seven Blood-Stained Orchids* (1972)

Begins in true _giallo_ fashion, with a gloved killer stabbing a woman to death.  No, I'm not repeating the same review.  The one above took place in an elevator, this one takes place in the woman's home.  There's a photograph of a young woman next to the middle-aged woman's bed.  This first murder never comes up again in the police investigation, by the way, and is never fully explained.  I can only assume that the killer was tracking down his real first target, the woman in the photo.  Anyway, she shows up pretty quick as one of dozens of streetwalkers picking up clients off the highway.  She gets killed next, and the murderer leaves a little metal object in the shape of a half-moon with astrological symbols on it.  In a seemingly unrelated murder, an artist is killed and the same object is left on her body.  The third victim is on her honeymoon, and this is our heroine.  We cut to her funeral, and we have to wonder if the filmmakers are taking a cue from *Psycho* and killing off the woman we assumed was the main character fifteen minutes into the movie.  Well, not really, as the cops are having her pretend to be dead and hiding her out.  Husband and wife play amateur detective, and quickly figure out that all the victims were at a certain hotel at a certain time, either as employees or guests.  The cops try to protect the other women there at the time, but the killer outwits them (although he makes one mistake that adds an interesting twist to the plot.)  It's more of a why-dun-it instead of a who-dun-it, as the couple and the cops try to figure out the motive.  It's more gruesomely violent than the one above, and completely without a trace of comedy relief, but otherwise it's similar, and equally enjoyable.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Droflet said:


> *The Silence*. Monsters abound so everyone has to keep their big mouths shut. Had its moments but it was so derivative of the superior A Quiet Place.



Yup, watched it for Stanley Tucci’s presence. 

When it ended I wondered how the producers hadn’t been sued. Notwithstanding it coming from a book, why make a movie like so soon after _A Quiet Place_?! 

pH


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

European Sci-Fi of the Swinging Sixties Double Feature:

*Mission Stardust* (1967)

Perry Rhodan (a character in a huge number of German science fiction novellas) is the leader of a mission to the Moon to get some valuable metal.  Hilariously, we're told that it's important because it's denser than cobalt or lithium; as are many, many metals, particularly since lithium is, I believe, the least dense of all metals.  Anyway, a crime lord who thinks he's in a James Bond movie has a secret informer about the mission, and is after the stuff.  When our heroes get to the Moon, all their equipment goes haywire, their Moon buggy gets disintegrated, and they find an alien spaceship.  It's pretty cool, in a retro-futuristic kind of way.  Big, hulking guys in spacesuits, who turn out to be robots, take them aboard.  The real inhabitants are a pair of extremely human aliens.  One is an older man, who happens to be dying of leukemia, although we're told that these aliens eliminated all diseases long ago.  The commander is a cold-hearted, gorgeous young woman in a platinum blonde wig.  She also wears a skin-tight jump suit, with circles over her breasts that are, to say the least, extremely distracting.  Our heroes agree to get a newly developed cure for leukemia from a physician in East Africa.  For the next hour or so the movie turns into a Eurospy flick, with chases, explosions, and so forth, all set in Kenya, with nothing remotely futuristic going on until we get back aboard the alien spaceship.  Suffice to say that the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and the icy alien woman learns to enjoy smooching an Earthman.  (We'd earlier seen her tease our hero, and the audience, by stripping behind a translucent screen, although you can't really see anything.  Thank goodness, she changes into a different skin-tight jumpsuit without the distracting circles.  Our hero then shows what a red-blooded he-man he is by forcing a kiss upon her.)  The movie slows down to a crawl when it stops being science fiction, but otherwise it's goofy comic book fun.

*Star Pilot* (1966)

Something falls on the island of Sardinia from space, leaving a big white splotch on the land.  A scientist, his beautiful but scatterbrained daughter, and another guy go investigate.  A couple of other guys are already at the place.  Some Asian spies show up, thinking the thing, now buried underground, is a secret weapon.  In the film's funniest line, they say they are Oriental, not Chinese.  Anyway, there's a big fight in the caves with the very human aliens from the crashed spaceship and their robots, which, once again, just look like big, beefy guys.  One of the Asian spies gets killed, everybody gets taken aboard the ship to help the aliens get back home.  The commander is, once again, a gorgeous but cold woman.  This time she's got a bright red wig, and wears a light blue mini-tunic, connected to a floor-length translucent blue cape, over a black fishnet bodysuit.  Various stuff happens as they take off from Earth, get lost on another planet where guys in bad ape-men costumes kill off the two remaining Asian spies, and find a Russian spaceship with skeletons aboard.  There's footage stolen from other films, and it all makes even less sense than I've made it sound.  When folks go outside the spaceship for one reason or another, they just put little plastic things in their mouths -- "space respirators" -- without protecting the bare skin of their faces.  The scientist's daughter wears outrageous costumes and acts silly all the way through this thing.  There's a downbeat ending that changes the mood completely.  In most ways, it's a terrible film, but great for mocking.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Roger Corman Obscurities Triple Feature:

*Five Guns West* (1955)

The first film Corman directed.  Late in the Civil War, the Confederacy pardons five criminals in exchange for their services.  Their mission is to intercept a stagecoach carrying a Confederate turned traitor before he tells the Yankees what he knows.  Oh, and he's also got $30,000 in gold intended for the troops.  Apparently the Confederacy wants the man a lot more than they want the gold, as it's just assumed that the crooks are going to run off with the riches.  Our Dirty Dozen Minus Seven consists of two young brothers, both hotheads and one plumb loco; an old-timer, the only one who wasn't facing a death sentence; a no-nonsense type, who becomes the _de facto_ leader of the gang; and a handsome, smooth schemer (Mike Connors, when he was still calling himself Touch Connors.)  They face a long, hard ride through the desert, hostile Comanches, and their own squabbles among themselves.  At last they arrive at the stagecoach station, run by a weak, hard-drinking old man and his young, pretty niece (Dorothy Malone), whose presence adds to the tension among the bunch.  The movie slows down to a crawl as they wait, and so do we.  At last the stagecoach shows up, we find out the truth about one of the gang, and we get our big shootout.  It's a decent, modest horse opera.

*Carnival Rock* (1957)

Tragic melodrama, or melodramatic tragedy, disguised as a rock 'n' roll flick.  Middle-aged Greek guy owns a shooting gallery/dancing girls/peanuts-and-popcorn kind of carnival, as well as a small nightclub.  He's obsessed with a lovely young singer (Susan Cabot, best known to me in the title role of *The Wasp Woman*.)  Her affections lie in the direction of a younger guy who is a wheeler-dealer.  The Greek guy owes some folks three thousand bucks, or he'll lose his business.  Faced with this, and with his nearly psychotic attraction to the singer, he foolishly gambles away everything he owns in a game with the young guy.  To add insult to injury, he accepts a job under the carnival's new boss as a baggy pants comedian, wearing clown makeup.  (Shades of *The Blue Angel*!)  It all leads up to a downbeat ending.  In between this depressing story we get some rockabilly, a song by the Platters, the only big name group in the movie, and a couple of songs by Cabot herself.  Corman favorite Dick Miller has a good role as the Greek guy's loyal right hand man.  Despite the story and the music mixing together as well as oil and water, it's watchable.

*Ski Troop Attack* (1960)

Germany, December 1944.  Five American soldiers (should this be called *Five Guns East*?) on skis are reconnoitering behind enemy lines.  They witness (via stock footage) the Germans making a push forward, apparently in what later became the Battle of the Bulge.   The German-hating Sergeant wants to fight and then go back to rejoin their unit, the Ninety-Day Wonder Lieutenant wants to stay out of sight, remain behind the lines, and relay information about German movements to headquarters.  The three Privates want to stay alive.  During their trek they wind up at a small farmhouse, where they get food from the only inhabitant, a woman loyal to the Third Reich.  Later they blow up a bridge.  Filmed in South Dakota in deep snow, the outdoor scenes -- nearly all of the movie -- are convincingly wintry.  Some of what happens definitely gets the idea across that War is Hell.  It's a decent little war movie, emphasis on little.


----------



## HanaBi

*Rabid *(1979) - Marylin Chambers

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _Marilyn Chambers stars as Rose, an attractive young woman who becomes horribly injured in a motorcycle accident. Spirited away to the clinic of Drs. Dan and Roxanne Keloid (Howard Ryshpan and Patricia Gage), a pair of experimental plastic surgeons, Rose becomes an unwitting guinea pig in an operation that grafts genetically modified tissue into her body. Waking from her coma to find she is unable to ingest normal food, Rose unwittingly feeds on human blood by means of a phallic organ that emerges from a vulval orifice in her armpit. Within hours of providing Rose with sustenance, her victims fall prey to an incurable, highly contagious disease that turns them into raving lunatics who foam at the mouth and attack others indiscriminately. Soon, Montreal is under martial law, but nobody can find the Typhoid Mary whose vampiric urges are driving the epidemic_



As an Easter bank holiday treat, I thought I would dig out and watch my David Cronenberg DVD collection during his 70s and 80s era, starting with this early horror film.  

Despite the gory special effects there is not much to recommend here; the script is rather silly and uneven; the acting is pretty poor (Chambers' main claim to fame before this was as a porn actress in the highly controversial "Behind the Green Door"); and Cronenberg's direction is disappointing to say the very least: lacking in pace, tension or anything else a good director should be delivering.

The low budget certainly doesn't help matters, but Cronenberg doesn't seem to have progressed much past his earlier offering, "Shivers", which to all intents and purposes is far better than this mess of half-baked ideas. 

A not very engaging film at all.

1/5


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Watched a war classic *Where Eagles Dare, *some great action with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. German body count is 90 plus,most killed by Lieutenant Schaefer (Clint Eastwood. ) 9/10


----------



## HanaBi

*Scanners *(1981) -  Michael Ironside

Summary (Credit to Rotten Tomatoes) - 





> _The title of this David Cronenberg sci-fi horror film refers to a group of people who have telekinetic powers that allow them to read minds and give them the ability to make other people's heads explode. The children of a group of women who took an experimental tranquilizer during their pregnancies, the scanners are now adults and have become outcasts from society. But Darryl (Michael Ironside) decides to create an army of scanners to take over the world. The only person who can stop him is his brother Cameron (Stephen Lack), who wants to forget that he was ever a scanner. _



A far superior Cronenberg effort compared to his tepid offering with "Rabid". The gore is still there, but the story seems to have been put together with a great deal more thought, and as such delivers plenty of suspense and false alarms throughout. 

The acting, however, was a mix between the rather excellent and ever dependable Ironside, and the godawful hamminess of Stephen Lack (of "Dawn of the Dead" fame). 

But the script and the editing keeps you from overthinking too much about such things, helped somewhat by a memorable score and of course one of the most famous gore moments ever put to celluloid - the "exploding head" scene! (looks dated now of course, but back then it really was a shocker in its own right!)

3/5


----------



## Anthoney

HanaBi said:


> Despite the gory special effects there is not much to recommend here; the script is rather silly and uneven; the acting is pretty poor (Chambers' main claim to fame before this was as a porn actress in the highly controversial "Behind the Green Door"); and Cronenberg's direction is disappointing to say the very least: lacking in pace, tension or anything else a good director should be delivering.



Before the porn she was the Ivory Snow girl.  Pure as the driven snow!


----------



## Jeffbert

Great work, all! 

*The Green Pastures* (1936) An all black cast in a film that I would assume contemporary Blacks might find offensive because of the slave-type dialog, such as the main character's name, De Lawd  (Rex Ingram). Taking several major stories from the 1st 6 books of the Bible, & telling them in an unusual way, with very much musical/singing, etc.

The only name and voice I recognized was that of Noah (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson). Even though I had up until recently had a dim view of musicals, even I enjoyed this.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Crazy, Mixed-Up Kids Triple Feature:

*Teenage Devil Dolls* AKA *One Way Ticket to Hell* (1955)

In flashback, we learn how a troubled teenage girl went from hanging out with a motorcycle gang, who introduced her to marijuana, to heroin addiction.  Along the way, she gets married to her decent high school sweetheart.  It seems to be the stress and boredom of being a housewife that drive her to, first of all, getting tranquilizers from her doctor, then to taking downers.  She gets picked up with the cops from time to time, goes back and forth between her parents and husband (who eventually just drops out of the story) and various institutions, and eventually runs away.  A chance encounter with another a woman addicted to heroin leads them to support their habit by selling marijuana; we're told that buying it from women is a novelty.  This gets them in trouble with a big time pusher, gets the teenager addicted, and eventually leads to a chase across the desert when she gets mixed up with a gang stealing cars and taking them into Mexico to sell for drugs.  Most notable for having no audible dialogue, by accident or design; the whole thing is narrated by the cop on the case.  Despite that major flaw, some intense scenes during the climactic chase, and some interesting scenes of the less glamorous parts of Los Angeles.

*Lost, Lonely and Vicious* (1958)

Set in Hollywood.  After a bit of stock footage of the place, Hollywood is played by the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  The main character is a troubled young actor who has just released his first film, which is expected to launch him into stardom.  He's also death-obsessed, painting a portrait of himself as a corpse.  He gets in fights with a less successful actor who is, to be fair, quite annoying.  His slightly older, foreign-accented drama teacher is obviously in love with him, although she denies this and it's mixed with some motherly concern.  He gets involved with a nice girl, and they talk a lot, in some pretty odd dialogue.  As a matter of fact, most of this movie is talking, usually at some kind of ice cream/coffee/beer joint.  Other characters include a couple of platinum blonde would-be starlets and the good girl's dad.  There's also the annoying guy's buddy, who doesn't say anything and is always seen eating popcorn from a paper bag.  After a really violent fight, the main character drives off, and we wonder if he's going to die in a wreck or turn around and go back to the good girl.  It's an odd little drama.

*Naked Youth* AKA *Wild Youth* (1960)

Starts with some young inmates at a prison farm, a few of who throw rocks at a passing truck carrying migrant workers.  This leads to a fight, with one guy pulling a switchblade.  It seems that Decent Guy, who took the rap for Wild Girlfriend in an incident involving a stolen car, is going to escape the minimum security place with Switchblade.  Wild Girlfriend shows up in a car, they get away with her.  Switchblade immediately starts smooching on her, over Decent Guy's feeble objections.  She doesn't mind too much at first, although later she'll fight off his more aggressive advances.  Meanwhile, an undercover cop buys a pack of heroin from some guy in a bullfighting ring in Juarez, Mexico.  He gets stabbed to death pretty quick by a guy who steals the stuff.  Killer and Addicted Wife hide the stuff in a doll and manage to get across the border into the USA.  Because of the murder, there are roadblocks all over the place.  By this time, the young folks' car has broken down, and they start hitchhiking.  Killer picks them up, the idea being that they'll look like a family and seem less suspicious.  It's isn't long, however, before they get a flat tire, Switchblade pulls his knife on Killer, and the kids get away, removing the car's distributor cap for good measure.  They also take the doll, on a whim, ignorant of what's in it.  This freaks out Addicted Wife, of course, but she can't stop them.  This all leads to a multiple chase of the cops trying to get the escapees and the killer, and the killer trying to get the kids.  It's a decent suspense story, more professionally made than the other films above.


----------



## Jeffbert

Ah the good ol' days when popcorn was not so easy to get! *Lost, Lonely and Vicious* (1958) . I remember a 10 cent / bag popcorn vending machine, in a no-longer existing drugstore chain. "Open bag wide to get it all"   I think it was Drug Fair, or something like it. 

Poor guy, as I understand it, dialog adds $$ to actors' paychecks.  Those coming of age 1950s - 60s dramas were made by the dozens.  I have seen a few of them, and while they usually have their unique elements, they also usually have their similarities.  Peer-pressure leads to trouble!

*You Were Never Lovelier* (1942) I am not a fan of Fred Astaire, but Adolphe Menjou always makes me laugh. So, FA is  Robert Davis, a dancer who is live in South America, but is out of both money & luck. Xavier Cugat as himself, is a band leader who knew FA from the USA, and is employed by Eduardo Acuña (Adolphe Menjou), who has 4 daughters, whom he insists must marry in their birth order. Absolutely no younger ones becoming married before the elders! No exceptions. So, the younger 3 are eager to marry, and the elder one is the obstruction, though her wedding is soon. Maria Acuña  (Rita Hayworth) is the eldest, engaged to some guy other than FA, but that will soon change. 

FA tries to get a few minutes with AM, but is tossed out. Eventually, he weasels his way in, when AM writes anonymous love letters to his own daughter (I forgot why), and FA, rather than the secretary, takes them to the daughter, who assumes he is the lover.


*Lovely to Look at* (1952) Red Skeleton & 2 buddies are entertainers, but for lack of $$, they cannot put on a show. So RS inherits a share in a French dress maker shop, & the 3 guys go to France, hoping to sell RS' share, get the $$, and return to USA, etc. 

Max Fogelsby (Kurt Kasznar) was my main reason for watching this film, though I do enjoy Skelton's films. So, there are these young attractive women, who co-own the dress shop, and are taken aback, upon learning the intentions of the Americans.  Plenty of female talent also, but not going into that.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Impact* (1949) Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy) is the CEO of a business, whose wife Irene (Helen Walker) and her lover Jim Torrance (Tony Barrett)  hatch a failed plot to kill him. The plot involved him giving a lift to her presumed cousin, who was actually her lover. As they drive along a mountain road, the 'cousin' who was driving at the time, pulls over onto a very narrow shoulder, and says the right rear tire is flat. He had sabotaged the valve stem, earlier. So, BD, trusting this guy, turns his back, and the guy conks him with the tire iron, tosses him over the edge, and prepares to drive away. but, a moving  van stops to offer assistance. The guy panics, not wanting the crime revealed, and drives up the wrong side of the road to avoid the guys in the van. Oopsie! head-on collision with a gasoline tanker truck, and he is incinerated. 



Spoiler



So, the guys in the van try to help, but the 'cousin' is dead. BD, revives, and climbs into the rear of the van. next thing he knows, he is in the Midwest, and starts a new life, realizing that his wife tried to murder him. He collects newspaper clippings about her murder trial. Finally, he confides in his new girlfriend, who pressures him into returning to LA, and making known that he is alive.  

So, things then turn to crap, and the murder charges against her are dropped, and he now faces the murder charge of the 'cousin'!



Lt. Tom Quincy (Charles Coburn, who played a similar role in that serial killer film with Lucy a few pages ago).


----------



## Happy Joe

*Avengers Endgame*; Saw it yesterday; overall a good finish to the series, IMO.
I would give it a 4 (almost 5) star rating out of 5. 
Good effects.
Well written.
Good acting
Some surprises.
Some humor
Some sadness.
There are a lot of thing happening in this flick; if a person not familiar and up to date with most of the movies in the Marvel universe they could easily get lost/confused.
This one will definitely be added to my movie library.

Enjoy!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I also saw *Avengers Endgame *and I also enjoyed it (though I did think some of the plot was a bit silly). Love the new Thor


----------



## Rodders

2001: A Space Odyssey was on the TV last night.

I have only seen this once and I was about 12 so I have always considered it somewhat overrated. However, watching it with fresh eyes as an adult, I was astounded at the level of detail that Kubrick gave to the movie. A very good movie. Maybe I should try to catch this at the cinema when it’s next on.


----------



## Happy Joe

*The Blob *(1958) was on (Son of) Svengoolie (Chicago-ites will know) last night; actually managed to watch the first 15-20 minutes before I turned it off... To re read  McCaffrey 's; The White Dragon...

Enjoy!


----------



## Judderman

Hotel Mumbai which is at the cinema at the moment is a superb film. It is shocking as is based on a terrorist attack, but is brilliantly made into a suspenseful and thrilling action,

The Aftermath is a good post world war period piece.


----------



## Anthoney

I rode the bandwagon right into* Avengers: Endgame*.  It was worth it.


----------



## Parson

Happy Joe said:


> if a person not familiar and up to date with most of the movies in the Marvel universe they could easily get lost/confused.



This was me. I kept going who? what? why? And then there were about half a dozen times that roughly 1/3 of the packed house laughed where I could see nothing funny. --- I'm guessing it was a type of inside joke.



Hilarious Joke said:


> Love the new Thor



I found "new Thor" interesting and probably a bit too pron to show his emotions. My 35 year old daughter...*HATED *the New Thor, I think partly because his body morphed into something not very sexy.


----------



## Boneman

Anthoney said:


> I rode the bandwagon right into* Avengers: Endgame*.  It was worth it.





Ditto... really enjoyed it. One tiny, tiny thing (someone put me right on this, if I'm mistaken: SPOILER How could Captain America appear at the end of the film in the same timeline he'd been sent back too? There were loads of discussions about this when they were talking about how time-travel worked, surely he had to go back to a different timeline, so he wouldn't appear in the one he left, no?


----------



## Parson

@Boneman they did say: It will be 5 seconds for us, but however long it takes for him. I understood that to mean that he would pop back into the original timeline after living his life in the alternate one. I had more of a problem in the fact that he did not return to the exact spot and instead was sitting looking over the lake.


----------



## Jeffbert

*M *(19514) NOIR ALLEY presentation. Fairly good remake, taking the setting to a large U.S. city and a contemporary time. Lang was not the least bit happy about this remake, but the other guy owned the rights. The guy who played the killer just does not compare with Lorre, though. I recognized only a few names in the cast. HUAC was already after the director and some others involved with this film. Sad that it fared poorly in the theaters. 

So, a key difference 



Spoiler



was that the killer had a little girl with him when the crooks found him. Made the tension higher, because the viewer is worried about what the guy might do to the kid.



I never even knew there was a remake, until I programmed my DVR a week before this was on. 

*Return to Glennascaul* (1951) is a very short eerie ghost story.  Orson Welles stars as a motorist who gives a lift to two women. He drives the to the title place, they invite him in for tea. He asks if he may smoke, they consent, and commenting on the design of his lighter, he passes it around, and it is left on the mantle. He says goodbye, leaves 10 minutes later, he realizes he left his lighter there. 

Now, for the spooky part:


Spoiler



Upon returning, he finds the place overrun with weeds, as though it had been abandoned for ten years.



*Hollow Triumph* (1948) John Muller (Paul Henreid) is a newly released ex-con, whose old gang welcomes his return. Immediately, he plans to hit a gambling house, owned by the most prominent gang in the area. His men try to dissuade him, but he is intent. So, they steal the money from the cashier, but the guy who was to shut off the lights, is confronted by a man, & the two fight. The crooks attempt to escape, but two are killed or caught. only 3 escape. Now they must hide. So, PH just happens to come across a man Dr. Victor Emil Bartok (Paul Henreid), who obviously resembles him. He carefully plots to assume the other guy's identity.


Spoiler



If I did not know better, I would think this was on The Twilight Zone, because after killing his look-alike, and assuming his identity, his only living henchman comes to tell him that the gang that had been pursuing them, had been killed or arrested.   If that were not enough, Dr. Bartok  had a gambling debt to the local illegal gambling house. 

When the guy tries to board an ocean liner, to win the love of Bartok's woman, who realized he was a fake, the local gang confronts him, & he ends up dying, as the ship leave the port.


----------



## Starbeast

​*Cross of Iron* (1977) I haven't seen this great movie in a long time. It's still a thought-provoking, and outstanding anti-war film. This movie features an awesome cast, with superb directing by SAM PECKINPAH. The story is about German soldiers battling in 1943, at the Russian front.




*The Last Wave* (1977) Another film I haven't seen in a while, and still enjoy watching. Set in Australia, it's about a lawyer investigating a simple murder case, who discovers far more than he could imagine. For me, this is an astonishing film by PETER WEIR, with a great cast, and eerie electronic music score.





*Captain Marvel* (2019) For this comic book fan, it's Marvelously tremendous. Onward to _Avengers: Endgame_ Excelsior!


----------



## Jeffbert

*AMERICAN SCARY* (2006), a documentary on the late night TV horror film hosts, such as Elvira & Vampira.  Good ol' Prime!


----------



## Starbeast

*Avengers: Endgame* (2019) This is (so far) the best comic book tale on the big screen. I loved it.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> AMERICAN SCARY (2006), a documentary on the late night TV horror film hosts, such as Elvira & Vampira.  Good ol' Prime!



That looks like fun, and I see they included one from my locality. Dr. E. Nick Witty was a Saturday staple when I was a kid. He hosted Monster Movie Matinee, my introduction to _Frankenstein _(1931), _Dracula_ (1931), _The Creature from the Black Lagoon_, _The Thing (From Another World)_, _Them_ and a whole lot of other ones. All you ever saw of him was his arm and a hand with long nails, but Alan Milair, who played him, had a beautiful baritone voice that he knew how to use, and a willing foil in Epal, played by Bill Lape (get it, Epal?). The set became more and more elaborate over the years, including some lab equipment and what not, and Milair and Lape started to have little story lines develop from week to week, at least a few of which contributed to Epal's growing number of scars. 

Given the events of the late '60s, early '70s it's hard to think as that era as more innocent times and yet, there you go.

Randy M.


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## Jeffbert

After watching AMERICAN SCARY, Prime showed suggestions, including one all about D.C.' host, Count Gore DeVol, who also hosted the weekday afternoons kiddie cartoon time. We had just bought a COLOR TV, & it even got UHF with fairly good reception! My 1st exposure to Speed Racer, Ultraman, & others was on channel 20. But, 26 was the PBS channel and had mostly boring content, with few exceptions, one of which was MPFC! & now, for something completely different:

*Raffles* (1939) The Amateur Cracksman, A.J. Raffles (David Niven) is retired from burglary, when, suddenly, his friend comes along and has a need for £1k, else he goes to jail. Raffles decides to make one more job, and steal a necklace from a rich woman, whom he personally knows. But, the local Scotland Yard guy, has several items of evidence, though far from conclusive, that suggest Raffles is the Amateur Cracksman.   

Light humor throughout, very entertaining. 


*Lady Snowblood* (1973) A young couple is attacked by a gang, the husband is murdered, the wife, raped. She takes revenge on one gang member, and is imprisoned. she goes wild, like an animal in heat, hoping to give birth to a son, whose sole purpose in life, is to avenge her. But, she brings forth a daughter, instead. An abundance of blood spraying from those she kills follows.


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## Parson

Starbeast said:


> View attachment 52145​
> 
> *Avengers: Endgame* (2019) This is (so far) the best comic book tale on the big screen. I loved it.


Me too!


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## Jeffbert

*EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN* (2009) Capt. 20, the afternoon kids' cartoon host, Bozo the clown, & of course, Count Gore DeVol, host of Saturday night's Creature Feature is the subject. Dick Dyszel is the man behind all these characters. I never knew of him, until I was at least 12, when our dad replaced our old gray scale TV with a color TV, whose most important feature was that it got UHF channels good enough to watch.   Capt. 20 modeled himself on Mr. Spock, and had these awful 'Vulcan'-type fake ears. They were huge. But, I do not remember them! As I recall, he wore a silver-type spacesuit material costume. What he was shown wearing on this program just did not resonate. 

While I remember his Count Gore DeVol persona, his Capt. 20 one was my favorite. Speed Racer, Johnny Sokko, Ultaman, Marine Boy, Banana Splits, & I do not recall others. After school TV Vs. homework, which was more important? It depend whom you ask! 

So, I just watched *Lady Frankenstein* at: 
Creature Feature Dungeon of horror host Count Gore De Vol 

Complete with Count Gore's interruptions, some of which he used to discuss female mad scientists in horror films. Thankfully, these were few. 

So, apparently, there are very many Saturday night TV horror film hosts, as was revealed in *AMERICAN SCARY*, and in this film, they had a convention, or something like it!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Lady Frankenstein* (1971) Joseph Cotten's shame that he was in this, as Dr. F., whose daughter returns from university/medical school, & wants to help daddy with his experiments.  After creating a monster using a murderer's brain, the monster breaks free, kills Dr. F., and goes on a rampage.  Daughter loves the assistant doctor's mind, but wants to put his brain in the moron servant's body, and have him / them/ it as her lover. 

Unless you love these silly films, skip this one.


*Escape from Crime* (1942) remake of *The Picture Snatcher*, but w/o James Cagney. The newspaper offers a photographer a large sum, if he can snap a photo of a condemned woman being put to death in the electric chair.  The photographer was just recently released from prison.


*Woman on the Run* (1950) the wife Eleanor Johnson (Ann Sheridan) of a witness  Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) against a murderer is pursued by the gang, which believes she knows her husband's whereabouts.  An overly helpful reporter Daniel Legget (Dennis O'Keefe) accompanies when she solves the clues her husband left.


Spoiler



The reporter is actually the Murderer.


I don't remember if this was Noir Alley.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Escape from Crime* (1942) remake of *The Picture Snatcher*, but w/o James Cagney. The newspaper offers a photographer a large sum, if he can snap a photo of a condemned woman being put to death in the electric chair.  The photographer was just recently released from prison.



Interesting. I bet both were inspired by the 1928 case of Ruth Snyder, accused and found guilty of killing her husband. Cameras weren't allowed in the chamber, but a reporter smuggled one in and the resulting picture became a sensation.

*



			Woman on the Run
		
Click to expand...

*


> (1950) the wife Eleanor Johnson (Ann Sheridan) of a witness  Frank Johnson (Ross Elliott) against a murderer is pursued by the gang, which believes she knows her husband's whereabouts.  An overly helpful reporter Daniel Legget (Dennis O'Keefe) accompanies when she solves the clues her husband left.
> 
> I don't remember if this was Noir Alley.



It was Noir Alley. I saw it last weekend. Really it's a noir crime coating around the nougat of examining marriage as it should be according to then current society. Sheridan is a lot of fun at first, when you can't tell if she cares about her husband or not while she zips off one one-liner after another to the cops and the nosy reporter, the epitome of the tough, able American woman during WWII. Over the course she becomes a post-WWII wife; is there a female version of the word, emasculated? That bit of snark aside, it's a well-done little thriller, smartly scripted and filmed. But I do think if someone were studying social attitudes pre-WWII, during and after, it would make for an informative artifact from the after.

Oh, and this is the 2nd or 3rd film I've seen O'Keefe in and really enjoyed his work. I don't know if he had much range, but in his range he's fun.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

_The Endless_ 2019 - well it tries to be a scary movie about a UFO cult, in a weird woodsy place where... um, time loops perpetrated by an invisible creature or something ... have everyone acting culty as all get-out. This movie hangs in, but never really gets anywhere, though lots of ominous music makes it seem like it does. Kinda thing. Some interesting characters keep it from becoming fast-forward material like most other modren 'horror' movies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> *Lady Frankenstein* (1971) Joseph Cotten's shame that he was in this, as Dr. F., whose daughter returns from university/medical school, & wants to help daddy with his experiments.  After creating a monster using a murderer's brain, the monster breaks free, kills Dr. F., and goes on a rampage.  Daughter loves the assistant doctor's mind, but wants to put his brain in the moron servant's body, and have him / them/ it as her lover.
> 
> Unless you love these silly films, skip this one.



Count me as one of those who is addicted to these things.

My own review from some years ago:



> Lady Frankenstein (1971)
> 
> Directed by Mel Welles and Aureliano Luppi (uncredited); written by Dick Randall and Edward Di Lorenzo.
> 
> Having recently seen Frankenstein's Daughter (1958), which features no female relative of Frankenstein at all (the title is strictly a metaphor for the monster), as well as Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966), which actually features Frankenstein's granddaughter, it was refreshing to finally see a film which actually involves Frankenstein's daughter. (In fact, the Italian title for this Spaghetti Gothic is La figlia di Frankenstein.) It seems appropriate that this variation on the Frankenstein theme resembles something created from various bits and pieces, then somehow brought to life. I found it to be more entertaining than I expected.
> 
> (Trival conincidence: Not too long ago I happened to hear the Rob Zombie song "Living Dead Girl" on the radio. It began with this sampled quote: "Who is this irresistible creature who has an insatiable love for the dead?" I wondered what this was from, and I was going to ask the smart folks around here, but the IMDB reveals that it is from the trailer for Lady Frankenstein.)
> 
> We begin with typical Frankenstein stuff, as some graverobbers deliver their wares to the Baron and his assistant Charles. (As in the Hammer series, Frankenstein is a titled aristocrat. In fact, most of the first part of this film resembles a Hammer movie.) It turns out that Frankenstein needs a body no more than six hours dead to procede with his plan to revive a corpse. Amazingly, the graverobbers do not murder somebody to get the body. Instead, they wait until a condemned murderer is hanged and then grab his body out of the grave. The revival involves transplanting the murderer's heart and brain into another corpse, then raising the body, in typical Universal horror movie style, to the castle's skylight so it can get zapped by lightning.
> 
> (A word here on the heart and brain transplantion theme. This movie seems to imply that the heart is literally the seat of emotions, as the brain is the seat of thought. This odd notion reminds me of the movie Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961), where the dead are brought back to life after heart transplants, even one which has been rotting in the grave for quite a long time.)
> 
> MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
> 
> During the lightning-induced revival (a scene which also includes a bunch of bats flying around, I suppose just to make things a little more spooky) the monster gets zapped in the face and starts to burn. This happens just so it will look ugly. The makeup used here reminds me a lot of the kind of thing that used to show up in Famous Monsters of Filmland long ago, where some kid would send in a photograph of himself (nearly always himself, of course) in his homemade monster face. In other words, gruesome but not very professional or convincing. A few minutes after the monster comes to life, it kills Frankenstein. (Charles told him not to use a brain with a damaged hypothalamus, particularly one from a murderer!) Exit Joseph Cotton, who actually makes a pretty good Peter Cushing.
> 
> You'll notice that I have not yet mentioned Lady Frankenstein. (Since she's the daughter of a Baron, I suppose the title is appropriate enough.) She's shown up by this time, but doesn't yet play much of a role in the story. Tania Frankenstein (who has a first name which seems rather unlikely to me, given the vaguely 19th Century England setting of this thing; the characters all have names like Jim Turner and Jack Morgan) is played by Italian exploitation actress Rosalbi Nori, under the pseudonym Sara Bay. Nori is strikingly beautiful, and is quite delightful to watch in her Victorian gowns. (Many gentlemen may prefer the two brief scenes where she is wearing nothing.) In particular, her aristocratic profile is a thing of joy. Lady Frankenstein is played as a very intelligent, strong-willed woman, who has just returned from the University with her degree in surgery.
> 
> The movie changes from early Hammer horror to later, sexed-up Hammer horror when the monster begins its rampage. The first victims are a couple making out by a stream. Sadly, the man is completely clothed and the woman is stark naked. The female nudity in this movie is extremely gratuitous, and rather out of place, given the PG level of violence. Lady Frankenstein's two nude scenes, it must be admitted, are more relevant to the plot.
> 
> As expected, Lady Frankenstein sets out to continue her father's experiments, not only to destroy the monster who is decimating the village, but, in an interesting plot twist, to create the perfect man for herself. She admires Charles for his mind, but prefers a simple-minded but strong and handsome servant for his body. Charles is so smitten with Lady Frankenstein that he agrees to have his brain transplanted into the servant's body. In the movie's kinkiest scene, Lady Frankenstein seduces the servant and has Charles suffocate him with a pillow while she's having sex with him. (Mind you, by this time she is actually married to Charles, and is called Mrs. Marshall by everybody. Poor Charles puts up with a lot for the object of his affections.)
> 
> (Remember that thing about the heart transplant that I mentioned? We find out here that it won't be necessary to transplant Charles's heart into his new body, because the servant already has a kind heart!)
> 
> Long story short, this all leads up to the final battle between the monster and the new Charles. The movie ends with an scene which reminds me of nothing so much as the old article from National Lampoon "How to Write Good," which suggested that you end your story with "Then they were all hit by a truck." No trucks are involved, but the final fate of Lady Frankenstein is just as sudden and unexpected.
> 
> Surprisingly, this movie has some interesting characters (I liked the cynical graverobber Lynch), some sharp dialogue ("On Earth, Man is God."), and some decent acting. Many outdoor scenes are filmed in the snow, adding an interesting touch. Mickey Hargitay, of all people, is pretty much wasted as the police captain investigating the murders, but it's interesting to compare his sanity here compared to his role in Bloody Pit Of Horror (1965). I think you might enjoy spending some time with this lovely and talented Lady.


----------



## REBerg

*Avengers: Infinity War*
Truly a special effects spectacle. Although I've been super-hero saturated for some time, I watched this last night in preparation for taking my grandson to _Endgame_ tomorrow. I thought that the snappy dialogue was more entertaining than the action.


Spoiler



I can't disagree with Thanos. Exterminating only half of the lifeforms threatening the Universe and giving the surviving half another chance seems charitable. It's a dirty job, but somebody has got to step up with a solution.


----------



## Jeffbert

Isn't that a bit much for Lady Frankenstein? Looks like an entire 8.5 by 11' & then some.  You must really enjoy tying, *Victoria Silverwolf! *As for me, with just one hand and arthritic fingers, I keep my posts rather short. 

Oh, almost forgot! I recall seeing a film, cannot remember the name, of the Victorian setting, and the place was the dissection room in the university. All men, & somehow, the idea of a female student came up. The Professor said something like the only way a woman enters this room, in feet first. So, I do not know how likely or unlikely it would be for a woman perish the thought! - to be admitted to a medical school, in the era, or late 19th to early 20th centuries. 

*Passing Fancy* (1933) but silent.   A Japanese film about a father trying to compete with a much younger guy for a 20 something woman. Not much happens. No killing, no katanas, no shuriken (throwing stars). If this had been a domestic film, I likely would not even have thought about watching it. But I have a thing for foreign language films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Wild and the Wicked* AKA *The Flesh Merchant* (1956)

Better than average low budget exploitation flick.  Young woman hops a bus from her small town to visit her older sister in Hollywood  Little sister wants to be a successful model, like she thinks big sister is.  Big sister tries to warn her to forget about it and go back home.  Little sister doesn't take the hint.  She finds a business card with the address of an art studio in her sister's apartment and pays a visit to the place.  In a few minutes she gets the job, which is posing naked for art students.  (Cleverly filmed to show her taking everything off without revealing anything to the audience.)  Her employers offer her the chance to earn bigger bucks if she'll go out to "the Colony."  You can figure out that this is a ritzy brothel.  After getting slapped around by the creep managing the place for running away when a customer tried to kiss her, she settles into her new profession, and actually seems pretty happy to be getting gifts from the clients.  After a subplot involving an older working girl who gets kicked out of the place, to be sent to a much sleazier establishment, big sister shows up at the Colony and finds out that little sister works at the same place she does.  Big sister, fed up with her way of life, gets a big speech near the end, where she chews out the workers and their customers.  It ends suddenly with the cops busting the joint, and apparently little sister is saved from ruining her life.  Decent acting, for the most part, and a fair amount of intentional comedy which actually works pretty well.  Don't blink, or you'll miss the one scene of actual nudity, when one of the working girls pulls a towel off another, revealing her bare bottom for less than a second.  Adults only!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Narcotics Squad* AKA *Hooked* AKA *Curfew Breakers* (1957)

_Dragnet_-style crime drama.  Starts with a striking scene, definitely the best in the picture.  Guy gets off a plane, walks to a phone booth, bullets rip through the glass, killing him.  Things slow down a lot after that, as we meet the cops working undercover on the case, the high school kids addicted to heroin, and the pusher supplying the stuff.  Lots of earnest discussion of the drug problem, lots of narration about the desperation of addicts deprived of a fix.  A couple of swinging jazz numbers, particularly from a rubber-faced, big-mouthed saxophone player, who does some wild scat-singing.  Pretty talky and dull, for the most part.  (The thing about breaking curfew is mentioned exactly once, and never plays any part in the plot.)


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I watched *Red Joan, *starring Judi Dench. 8/10.
Followed by *The Avengers Endgame. *It connected all the dots, yet still left some puzzles to be solved. 7/10.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creepers* (1985)

Severely edited American version of the Italian shocker *Phenomena* from director Dario Argento.  The original is half an hour longer, but this is the version I can watch for free online, so what the heck.  Besides truncating the plot, the cuts supposedly remove the worst of the gore.  What's left is plenty gruesome enough for me, thank you very much.  

Starts in typical _giallo_ style with a teenage girl brutally murdered.  Cut to the arrival of an American girl (a very young Jennifer Connelly) at the private girls' school near the place of the killing, somewhere in Switzerland.  She loves insects, and later turns out to have a telepathic connection with them.  She sleepwalks one night, witnesses another murder, nearly gets killed on the road, winds up at the house of a Scottish entomologist (Donald Pleasence) who is confined to a wheelchair, his trained chimpanzee serving as his aide.  Confused yet?  Don't worry, it gets a lot more complicated.  Eventually, after another murder, Connelly winds up playing detective with the help of an insect that feeds on corpses, leading up to a final sequence that moves at a lightning clip, with wild twists and turns every direction.  Beautifully filmed, with the feeling of a nightmare, with all the lack of logic that implies.  Notable for a heavy metal soundtrack; it's really odd to have a suspense scene with Iron Maiden screaming in the background.


----------



## Rodders

Avengers: Endgame. 

It was very good. There were a few bits that I missed because I hadn’t seen a couple of the recent movies. Still, I would go and watch it again. It tied up Phase One nicely.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Nightmare Alley* (1947) Noir Alley. Muller's pre-film monologue really intrigued me, because he lumped preachers in with charlatans and psychics. The book of the same title was apparently used as a how-to guide on faking psychic powers. I ran that part twice, I found it so interesting. I had a rather bad experience with preachers claiming to have 'power' or some such thing. So, the guy who wrote the novel, also wrote Monster Midway, an expose of these psychics. 

So, about the film, Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Tyrone Power) is working in a traveling carnival, and weasels his way into a psychic act. Zeena Krumbein (Joan Blondell) and her husband Pete Krumbein (Ian Keith) had been big - time in Vaudeville, but have since, fallen. The one thing they have is a code, used to sneakily convey information about the chumps whom they trick into believing  in their power. TP, wants the code, and, perhaps, acting on an unconscious desire, gave Pete a bottle of wood alcohol instead of grain. Pete dies, and TP ends up being trained in the use of the code, steals the act from JB, and becomes prominent. But, he meets a worthy foe in a female psychologist Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker), who from the crowd of beguiled suckers asks him a trick question. He suspects a trick, & answers correctly. He then goes to her as a patient, and ends up relying on her for information on people he intends to scam. 

Mike Mazurki portrays Bruno, the strong man, and TP steals his woman Molly Carlisle (Coleen Gray), and MM, being the large guy he is, nearly twist off TP's head. 


*Princess from the Moon* (1987) Toshiro Mifune without a sword, seems out of his element as a peasant bamboo harvester, who finds an infant girl in the woods. His own daughter had just died, and his wife assumes that this new child is from Heaven, etc. The "eggshell" in which he found her, turns out to be gold, but the purest gold anyone, including the experts has ever seen. So, now he & his family are wealthy, and move into an estate. 

Oh, the infant girl in a matter of minutes, grown into an apparently 5 year old. Days later, she is an adult, and the upper class guys are asking to marry her. She gives them impossible tasks to complete, saying the one who does, she will marry.  Apparently this was based on the woodcutter's tale. 

*
Her Brother* (1960) a Japanese film about a troubled teenage boy whose elder sister must deal with him, because stepmother has arthritis.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Woman in White* (1948) This was my 2nd viewing, and though I knew I had seen it before, I had forgotten much. Walter Hartright (Gig Young) is an art instructor in this period piece, set mid 19th century. While walking from the town to the estate where he is to be employed, he is confronted by the title character Anne Catherick (Eleanor Parker, in one of two roles), who begs him not to mention he has seen her. She had escaped from the asylum, though nowhere near as unpleasant as the one in the film *Bedlam*, her freedom had been  taken from her, and she had been locked-up contrary to her wishes etc.  Count Fosco (Sydney Greenstreet, my main reason for the 2nd viewing), a guest in the estate, and Sir Percival Glyde (John Emery, do not recognize this guy), had had her committed. GY knows next to nothing about the thing, but will eventually find out. 

Anyway, the man of the house Frederick Fairlie (John Abbott, 1st time I ever saw him was on *Lost in Space*), is in very poor health, at least he complains incessantly about this or that.  Laura Fairlie (Eleanor Parker, in the other of two roles),is betrothed to Sir Percival, who was away until recently. She certainly does not love the guy, but marries anyway. Oh, there is a will in the story, and Laura is the beneficiary, unless she dies, in which case, her husband gets the money. 

Countess Fosco (Agnes Moorehead) does not appear until later, and she had taken the title character into the secret passage, and attempted to restore her to health, but she refuses to eat. 


Spoiler



So, the woman in white dies, & Greenstreet & Sir P decide to pass her as Laura Fairlie , so SP can get the money, and put the guy's wife in the nut house. All they need do, is convince her that she is the other woman. So, AM, is mother to both, Greenstreet is the father of the WiW, etc. Sorry, I flubbed this one!



 I know I have done an awful review here, but this is well worth watching, especially for Greenstreet fans.


----------



## nixie

Lazy afternoon watching Batteries not Included.


----------



## MaxiPower

re watched the terminator films to get psyched for the new one lol


----------



## Mouse

*Swimming with Men*. Nice little comedy staring Rob Brydon.


----------



## Starbeast

*Nevada Smith* (1966) - Excellent western that covers many views about revenge. Stars STEVE MCQUEEN. First time I've seen this.

*Aquaman* (2018) - Not bad. Predictable, but, not bad. I like the Black Manta character most of all.


----------



## Rodders

Ant Man and the Wasp. 

Quite funny. It was okay.


----------



## Mouse

*Detective Pikachu* at the cinema as a birthday treat. Very good.


----------



## biodroid

Avengers: Endgame, fantastic and sad


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## Jeffbert

*White Heat* (1949) I have seen this too many times to count, but as a NOIR ALLEY film, much more appreciated. BTW, *Key Largo* will be on NOIR ALLEY  this coming Sunday. I cannot recall what Muller said before running the film, but after, it was all about Cagney's dread that he would be remembered for this film, rather than the song & dance film about George M. C.  Also along the negative lines, apparently, they showed this in prison, & the comments were all negative. 

Oh, just remembered, before the film, Muller was talking about the changes that had taken place in what content was acceptable. During the 30s, they would show how poverty affects decisions to become a criminal, and such. Example is The Public Enemy, & Angels with Dirty Faces. But in 1949, that was out. Cody Jarret was simply bad. He had not been pushed into crime by poverty, etc.  Yet, the film made clear that Jarret's father was a nut, who died in the loony bin. 

About the film: Cody Jarret (James Cagney) is a ruthless killer, but a mama's boy.  Muller talked about this, too. He is the leader of a gang that robbed a train just as it emerged from a tunnel. He murdered two men in the process, in California. strangely, he goes to Illinois, confesses to another crime, to establish an alibi for the murder.  He could have remained free, and on the run. so, the police and FBI send in a man to become friends with Jarret, hoping he can infiltrate the gang. Hank Fallon (Edmond O'Brien), poses as Victor  Pardo, a newly imprisoned man, and succeeds in befriending Jarret while in prison. Before agreeing to the assignment, Fallon reviewed photos of other men in that prison, and had the ones who had known him from previous assignments transferred to other prisons; all except one man, who was scheduled for release prior to the date of Fallon's entry. But this man, would drive the tanker rig into the refinery, and would recognize Fallon!

But, Ma (Margaret Wycherly) visits Cody, and tells him that one of his subordinates Big Ed (Steve Cochran) is trying to take over the gang, but Ma will take care of him. Cody tries to dissuade her, but she walks away, and is killed. 

So, there is a big lunchroom scene, with hundreds of extras, when Cody learns that ma is dead. He freaks out. I recall something about Bogart being distressed that he would be remembered for Fred C. Dobbs in *The Treasure of Sierra Madre* more than Rick in *Casablanca*, or some similar thing.  Verna Jarrett (Virginia Mayo), Cody's wife, for whom he had little affection, had gone with Big Ed, and was the one who actually killed Ma; worse, she shot her in the back, when ma confronted Big Ed. So, Cody escapes, takes new BFF Vic along, and returns to get Big Ed.

I suppose damn near everybody has seen this film, so, is there any point in using the spoiler tags?
Oh, before I forget, "*Top o' the world*" is a frequently used catch phrase that both Cody & ma use when speaking to one another.  


Spoiler






 
"Made it, Ma; top o' the world!"​


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## Boneman

*Tolkien *excellent film, enjoyed every minute.


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## Happy Joe

*Robin Hood *(2019)  a bit too dissociated/unrelated to reality/history etc, for me.
Required a level of suspension of disbelief equivalent to fairy tails or comic book movies. I constantly found myself thinking"that's not right..."
Otherwise a pretty good movie; good effects, acting, writing, action (unrealistic) etc... I kind of expect to see sequels...
Worth purchasing the DVD, IMO (If you are OK with the lack of realism in nearly every aspect of the movie)....At least stream this one.

Enjoy!


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## Jeffbert

Happy Joe said:


> *Robin Hood *(2019)  a bit too dissociated/unrelated to reality/history etc, for me.
> Required a level of suspension of disbelief equivalent to fairy tails or comic book movies. I constantly found myself thinking"that's not right..."
> Otherwise a pretty good movie; good effects, acting, writing, action (unrealistic) etc... I kind of expect to see sequels...
> Worth purchasing the DVD, IMO (If you are OK with the lack of realism in nearly every aspect of the movie)....At least stream this one.
> 
> Enjoy!


I had a course in medieval myth when in college/university; wrote a paper on Robin Hood. Men & tall tales, folklore, etc., lent to the RH we know. As I recall, very little actual history.


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## Jeffbert

*Red Headed Woman* (1932) pre-code. Jean Harlow as the woman who sets her sights on one married man after another. Social advancement, etc. Goes from employee to wife. Never satisfied.  

*The Miracle of Morgan's Creek* (1944) presented as a WWII inspiring or some such thing, type of film. 
Trudy Kockenlocker (Betty Hutton) wants to dance with the GIs who are about to go overseas, but her papa Constable Kockenlocker (William Demarest) forbids it. She so strongly wants to do her part for our boys, that she convinces Norval Jones (Eddie Bracken) who could not qualify for military service, to pretend to take her to the triple feature at the movie theater, while actually lending her his car, so she can go to the dance. He finally agrees. Next scene, it is 8 AM and she is just now pulling up to the theater, where he is still waiting. His car is covered in hay, various parts are damaged, and a "just married" sign falls off the rear bumper, as he drives home. She cannot remember a thing, after dancing with a few guys. Nothing but trouble for the poor guy, ensues.   Oops, a few weeks later, she discovers she is pregnant. So, they try to marry, using the name she remembers, or thinks she remembers, because he wants to protect her from the consequences. But, while he tells the Justice of the Peace the assumed name, he signs his real name. 

Ben M had a guest with him, and they discussed how Preston Sturges was able to get away with such a film at such a time! I guess modern ethics make this film dated, as people may wonder why it is such a scandal? I thoroughly enjoyed it! So, the miracle part comes into play when she delivers 



Spoiler



6 count 'em, 6 boys. A whole platoon! she did her part for the war effort!


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## Happy Joe

Jeffbert said:


> I had a course in medieval myth when in college/university; wrote a paper on Robin Hood. Men & tall tales, folklore, etc., lent to the RH we know. As I recall, very little actual history.



I wasn't expecting much history but the laughable distortions in this movie and its characters are beyond fantasy, IMO  (though I wouldn't expect most of today"s audiences to notice)... Crossbow machine guns...awww, come on!  (and they weren't even steam (punk) powered....)

Don't be mislead the movie over all is good (as a semi modernized (trying to be politically correct) comic book/utter fantasy version of the RH characters/story) if you can suspend your sense of  reality that far; (even Costner's RH was closer to  "realistic" (and had a better Sheriff of Nottingham).

On the other hand at least there were no stop motion flying horses or giant transforming robots...

Enjoy!


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## dask

Couple of not-so-greats by two Italian greats of horror. Still fun to watch late at night when you should be in bed.




Slightly better thriller directed by a guy I've never heard of, Armando Crispino and featuring music by Ennio Morricone. At first solar flares seem to be causing people to commit suicide, then appear to cause Dr. Mimsy Farmer see corpses rise from their slabs. Then they don't appear to have anything to do with anything as the story turns into a murder mystery involving a lost will. A little too sleazy to be great it's still a sincere attempt at cinematic horror.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Psychological Dramas of 1976, Disguised As Supernatural Horror Films, About Seriously Disturbed Homicidal Women Double Feature

*Werewolf Woman* AKA *The Legend of the Wolf Woman* (1976)

Italian shocker starts with a nightmare sequence, as our main character dreams about dancing naked in a ring of fire and changing into a werewolf.  The transformation is minimal; just some fangs, skin coloration, and hair placed here and there on her body, in a way that still allows the viewer to enjoy the nudity.  She wakes up screaming, the way people do in movies.  It seems she was raped some time ago, and has been mentally unbalanced ever since.  There's also a family legend that an ancestor was a werewolf two hundred years ago, explaining the dream and the title of the film.  The murders start when she makes sexual advances to her sister's husband at night, in the woods, then rips his throat open with her teeth.  Please note that at no time does she actually become a werewolf.  Confined to a mental hospital, she manages to escape with the help of a fellow patient who makes lesbian advances to her and is murdered for her trouble.  Further killings follow, pretty much at random, until she is taken in by a genuinely nice guy.  They fall in love, and she seems to be back on her way to mental health.  We're not done yet.



Spoiler



Things fall apart completely when a gang of thugs rape her and murder the man she loves.  She kills them off one by one.  Surprisingly, this is done in normal ways, not in her usual pseudo-werewolf fashion.  It ends with her living in the woods like a wild animal, completely insane, until the authorities track her down, and it seems as if she will have to be institutionalized for the rest of her life.



This grim tale is told in the style of an exploitation film, with tons of female nudity and sex scenes, giving the whole thing a sleazy feeling.

*The Witch Who Came From the Sea* (1976)

Begins with a woman and her two young nephews at the beach.  Pretty normal stuff happens, until she sees some scantily clad musclemen, and has visions of them bloodily murdered.  A little while later we see her in a kinky three-way with two hunky football players.  She ties them up as part of the fun, then castrates them (off screen) and kills them.  Just another sick fantasy?  It seems so, until we find out the two were really murdered that way.  Another, similar killing happens much later in the film.  In between, the woman's relationships with the other characters slowly reveal her mental state.  Add in some fantasies/hallucinations and flashbacks that reveal the woman's childhood trauma.  Lots of sea images and metaphors.  No actual witchcraft; the title refers to the woman's reaction to seeing a reproduction of the famous painting of the Birth of Venus, and how the myth behind the painting relates to her own situation.  Ends in a surprisingly quiet fashion.  Much more of an art film/serious drama than a shocker, despite the violence.


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## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Psychological Dramas of 1976, Disguised As Supernatural Horror Films, About Seriously Disturbed Homicidal Women Double Feature



I would NEVER begin such a double feature.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Brasher Doubloon* (1947)

Adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel _The High Window_.  Philip Marlowe gets hired by a wealthy older woman to recover the valuable coin of the title.  She claims to know who took it, but refuses to tell him.  Adding to the confusion is the fact that her son tries to tell him his services are no longer needed.  Adding a third eccentric to the spooky old mansion is the woman's secretary, a beautiful but emotionally disturbed young woman.  The convoluted plot goes on to involve four murders, a gang of hoods, a blackmailer, and so on.  It's a pretty nifty hardboiled private eye story, with some nice looks at Los Angeles of the time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creature With the Blue Hand* (1967)

One of the many German _krimi_ films adapted from works by Edgar Wallace.  Starts with Klaus Kinski sentenced to life in an insane asylum for a murder he says he didn't commit.  Later an unseen somebody helps him escape, while also murdering a nurse.  Kinski goes back to his ancestral home, where we find out he's got an identical twin brother.  Kinski-One disguises himself as Kinski-Two; the latter disappears from the film for a long time.  Meanwhile, somebody in a black hood with one eye hole kills people with a blue gauntlet with sharp blades that snap out like switchblades.  Along for the fun are the mother of the two Kinskis, the family butler, the family lawyer, two more (non-identical) brothers, and a sister.  We find out pretty quick that the director of the insane asylum is one of the bad guys, but he's only acting on the orders of his unseen boss.  Sister gets kidnapped by the director, gets thrown in a locked cell and frightened by a huge number of snakes and rats.  It all has something to do with an inheritance.  I haven't mentioned the secret corridors, the room full of mannequins, and so on.  Don't bother trying to figure out the plot, just enjoy the constant twists and turns.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creature* AKA *The Titan Find* (1985)

One of the many films "inspired" by *Alien*.  American and German companies are competing to exploit the resources of the moon Titan.  A couple of American astronauts find a structure two hundred million years old, full of cylindrical containers.  One of them is still sealed.  They crack it open while fooling around taking photos of it.  Cue screams.  Cut to a *2001* style space station around Earth's moon.  A spaceship is on a collision course with it.  Visuals from the ship show a gory, zombie astronaut at the controls.  Big explosion.  Cut to a company guy briefing our team of heroes and victims on their mission to bring back the priceless archaeological discovery on Titan.  They go there, land on the moon, ship crashes through the surface and gets damaged.  They can't get back into space and they're running out of air.  Their only hope is the fact that there's a German spaceship nearby.  Klaus Kinski shows up and livens the film quite a bit with an eccentric performance as the only survivor of the German expedition.  (The only other notable performer is Diane Salinger, in her first film role.  Tall, striking in appearance, and with killer cheekbones, she steals the film, when Kinski isn't running away with it, as a tough, no nonsense security officer.  Everybody else is pretty bland.)  Turns out the cylinders held specimens collected by ancient aliens.  The one that got out goes on a rampage, killing off folks left and right.  We don't see it until near the end, and it looks a lot like the one in *Alien*.  Meanwhile, the people who get killed by it have some kind of organism attached to them which takes over their brains and bodies, so we get an army of killer zombies as well.  It doesn't pretend to be anything but a science fiction monster movie, inexpensively made, with a minimum number of sets, cast members, and special effects.  Of its kind, it's very generic, but succeeds fairly well at its modest goals.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Nightcomers* (1971)

Prequel to the famous Henry James novella _The Turn of the Screw_, memorably filmed as *The Innocents* (1961.)  Shows us what happened to manservant Peter Quint and governess Miss Jessel, and what effect that had on the two orphaned children Miles and Flora.  Marlon Brandon stars as Quint, with a distracting Irish accent.  He and Miss Jessel are lovers, of a peculiar sort.  Their encounters involve a lot of heavy sadomasochism and bondage, not to mention the severe beating Quint gives Miss Jessel when she rejects his offer to live with him in what she calls his pigsty.  Quint is a great favorite of the lonely children, who don't even know their parents are dead until he tells them.  Not even their guardian, a distant relative, bothers to hang around their mansion, going off somewhere and leaving them in the care of the servants.  Quint teaches them that love and hate are the same, and that love means wanting to kill the one you love; and that the dead don't go anywhere after their demise, there being no Heaven or Hell, but are somehow able to be together beyond the grave.  Besides accepting these lessons, the children also peek on the lovers' time together, and imitate their actions, Miles tying his sister up, then later beating her and nearly killing her, to which she acquiesces.  This disturbing train of events leads to the tragic ending.



Spoiler



Flora arranges to have Miss Jessel, who cannot swim, go off in a boat with a leak in it, thinking she is going to meet Quint.  She drowns.  Miles shoots Quint dead with arrows.  The film ends where the novella begins, with the arrival of the new governess.



Handsomely filmed, the movie is slow and wanders around quite a bit.  Brando has one of his improvised storytelling scenes that seem to come up a lot in his roles.  I doubt it was a good idea to try to resolve the ambiguity of the novella with an explanation for the haunting, which may or may not be real.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scream of the Butterfly* (1965)

Cheap, sleazy exploitation melodrama, but one which is not without some interest.  Starts with a voluptuous blonde with a beehive hairdo getting run over by a car.  We then see a District Attorney who wants a quiet trial, an Assistant District Attorney who wants a lot of publicity, and a Public Defender who wants to send the killer to a mental hospital.  They argue back and forth, setting up a series of flashbacks that tell the tale.  The curvy blonde gets married to a rich guy.  Just a few days after the wedding, she starts a hot and heavy affair with a handsome young man.  Eventually she tries to kill her husband by getting him out on a boat, because he can't swim.  We already know he's secretly been taking swimming lessons, so that fails.  Until we get to our Shocking Twist Ending, we get a lot of time taken up with the blonde in an extremely skimpy bikini, and even nude in a bubble bath, earning the films its Adults Only status.  Dancing in a nightclub, making out with the lover, and arguments with her husband, as well as attempts to make up with him, add further padding.  Besides the three folks involved in the Eternal Triangle, there's another guy hanging around whose role in the story isn't clear until near the end, although there are clues if you watch carefully.  He's being sought as a material witness, but can't be found.



Spoiler



He's the handsome guy's lover, a theme you don't expect in 1965.  In an even more unexpected twist, the very end of the film shows the DA on the phone with him, telling him that now that he's agreed to let the killer go to a mental hospital, they can safely go off together for the weekend!


----------



## Mouse

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge. It's was alright. Some funny bits.


----------



## NJ Merchant

The Dirt on Netflix. It was pretty good even though it wasn't totally historically accurate. If you're a Motley Crue fan, you might like it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Nudie Cutie Triple Feature:

*Nude on the Moon* (1961)

We start off with a male crooner offering us the romantic tune "Moon Doll," performed in proper lounge singer style, over a painting of the Earth as seen from the Moon.  We'll hear this song a lot.  Cut to Young Science Guy, driving off in his nifty, gigantic lavender convertible, to tell Older Science Guy that a rich uncle died and now he's got three million dollars to spend on their big project:  a trip to the Moon.  Their secretary is clearly in love with Young Science Guy, but he only cares for science.  After a lot of time wasted talking, the two men get to the Moon.  The Moon is played by Coral Castle, a tourist attraction in Florida consisting of a bunch of weird stone constructions built by an eccentric fellow.  The Moon is also inhabited by people, mostly young women, who wear nothing but tiny shorts and antennae on their heads.  (There are even a couple of little kids hanging around.)  The astronauts wander around, and the Moon women lounge around.  Young Science Guy falls in love with the Moon Queen, but has to leave her to go back to Earth.  Wouldn't you know it; the secretary looks exactly like the Moon Queen, and love conquers all.  It's all very innocent and charming, in a silly kind of way.

*Diary of a Nudist* (1961)

Starts with a female singer offering the upbeat, swinging tune "Sun Lovers Blues."  Editor of a newspaper accidentally discovers a nudist camp.  He assigns a female reporter to go undercover (or, I suppose, without cover) to expose the place.  She gets converted to the lifestyle.  Editor goes to the place himself, realizes the reporter is right, and, in a sudden revelation that comes out of nowhere, they both confess their love for each other.  That's the entire plot, and the rest of the movie is pretty much a typical nudist "documentary" of the time, with swimming, volleyball, and such.  Kudos for offering a fair number of nude men along with the women.  Of course, everything is very carefully filmed from the back or from the waist up; you've never seen so many people carrying strategically placed hats, newspapers, towels, etc.

*House on Bare Mountain* (1962)

The title, and the opening credits, in black and white with old-fashioned scary music, suggest a horror movie spoof, and there's a tiny bit of that, but it's mostly just a lowbrow comedy.  There are some jokes in the credits that tell us this isn't going to be the most serious film in the world.   "Starring Lovable Bob Cresse as Granny Good" and "Special Guest Stars Frankenstein played by Percy Frankenstein Dracula played by Doris Dracula Wolfman played by Abe Greyhound" and "Head Electrician Dave Stern Rear Electrician Dave Rear" and "Hair Styles Hoover Vacuum" and "Coffee by Cherokee Johnson" and "Body Make-up Everybody!" and "Casting Director (Deceased)" to name a few.  Granny Good is a guy in drag, totally ripping off the character of Maude Frickert as played by Jonathan Winters.  It seems that Granny runs a school for girls, and also has an illegal still and a werewolf assistant hidden in the basement.  New girl arrives at the school.  She's actually a spy for the cops.  It all leads up to a confrontation at the costume party; Dracula and Frankenstein, sad to say, are just guys in costumes.  So far you'd just have a stupid, G-rated comedy, but the girls take off their clothes while getting ready for bed, showering, sun bathing, exercising, drawing, and, well, for no reason at all, really.  It's all ridiculous, although some of the wisecracks made by Granny Good are amusing.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Queen of Outer Space* (1958); dir. Edward Bernds; story by Ben Hecht, screenplay by Charles Beaumont; starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming

Since Hecht and Beaumont are involved, I assume at least some of the silliness is intentional, and there are a few funny moments in a surprisingly well-produced (for its time) s.f. movie.

Plot: Rocket on way to space station witnesses the station hit by a ray and exploding. More rays knock the ship off course and it eventually lands on what the crew determines to be Venus. The crew includes the intrepid and overly-serious Captain, the playboy navigator, the comic relief lieutenant, and the wise old professor, who the crew was charged with getting to the station safely. Beneath the cloudy atmosphere, they find Venus is inhabitable and indeed inhabited. By women, men having been tossed off after causing an atomic war. Now the Queen thinks the Earthmen are invaders and expects Earth to launch an attack at any moment. The crew tries to explain they were just going to the space station, but she doesn’t believe them and intends to destroy the Earth with her ray. How can they possibly stop her?

A bit at odds with itself, _Queen_ seems to be trying to satirize some societal norms and assumptions while also playing into them. Played more or less straight, the liberated independent women of Venus look like 1950s pinups, complete with ‘50s hair styles, short skirts, and high heels, perfect for jogging around jungle-like exteriors. Venus as a paradise is somewhat easier to believe than Gabor as a scientist (at odds with her Queen, and so helping the crew), but once you make that imaginative leap the rest is … still like a movie witnessed in a fun-house mirror. Gabor frequently reminds us she was not an actress, though she makes interesting choices in her poses, rarely giving off a vibe consistent with the scene she’s in. Fleming isn’t quite the Mount Rushmore of actors since he easily conveys concern, puzzlement and, I am extrapolating here, acid reflux.

All that said, it’s a fun, innocuous, silly movie that was good for an afternoon fighting off allergies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

It's one example, and maybe the most professionally filmed, of that odd little genre of astronauts journeying to a place full of beautiful women.  *Cat-Women of the Moon* and its remake (!) *Missile to the Moon*, along with the British variation *Fire Maidens from Outer Space*.  There was a lovely pastiche of these in the segment of the sketch comedy film *Amazon Women on the Moon* which gives that film its title.  They recreated the goofiness of this genre in a delightful way, but the target of their parody was itself so silly that the spoof was more charming than funny.  (As Roger Ebert said in his review:  "Satirists are in trouble when their subjects are funnier than they are.")


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Tower of Evil* AKA *Horror on Snape Island* AKA *Beyond the Fog* (1972)

British shocker starts with a father and son pair of sailors approaching a small island with a lighthouse in heavy fog.  They quickly find a dead naked man, a dead naked woman, a dead clothed man, and a naked live woman, insane with fear, who stabs the father to death.  The son knocks her out.  Back on the mainland, in a hospital, the woman is in a catatonic state.  A combination of drugs and a bunch of flashing colored lights wake her up for brief periods of time, leading to a series of jumpy flashbacks.  A briefly glimpsed scary-looking figure slaughtered the three victims.  In what seems at first to be another movie, a team of folks go to the island, where a solid gold Phoenician ceremonial spear was found, in search of more treasure.  Add in the surviving sailor, a young relative of his, and a guy who was hired by the parents of the catatonic woman to find out what happened.  Pretty soon somebody blows up their boat and smashes their radio, stranding them on the island.  The discovery of a rotting corpse leads to a revelation of family secrets.  More killings follow, and what do you know:  they do find the Phoenician stuff, hidden in caves.  The family secret turns out to be more complex than we thought, right before the dramatic ending.  It always held my interest, alternating as it does between moody and suspenseful and graphic and exploitative.  The Phoenician treasure stuff adds an odd Indiana Jones touch to the typical slasher stuff.  There's also a lot of stuff going on among the explorers.  One man and woman just broke off their engagement because she caught him sleeping with the married woman on the team; the married woman and her husband bicker all the time; and the married man keeps making passes at the unmarried woman.  As if this were not enough romantic tension, the young relative of the sailor soon winds up in the embrace of the married woman.  That has nothing to do with the plot, but it sure keeps things hopping.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Day Mars Invaded Earth* (1962)

Late entry in the alien invasion genre of the 1950's.  Starts with a probe on Mars getting zapped by unseen Martians.  Cut to the Science Guy in charge of the project, delighted as can be because the probe transmitted for six minutes before failing.  He's been away from his family doing science stuff, even missing Christmas and New Year's Day, so he takes a well-deserved break after this smashing success.  In a nice scene, we see him leave his office, then pan to his desk, to see his exact duplicate sitting there.  He leaves Florida and goes to a fancy mansion (played by the Greystone house, a real fancy mansion in Beverly Hills) owned by his wife's wealthy family; they're letting her and her family stay there while they're trying to sell it.  Besides husband and wife, we've got a preteen son and a teenage daughter.  It's obvious that the marriage is in trouble, due to his frequent absences because of his job.  By the time we think this is going to be entirely a domestic drama, the first odd things happen.  People encounter their relatives at places they haven't been, and eventually some encounter themselves.  It all has more of the mood of a ghost story than a science fiction movie, what with people hearing strange noises, walking through the spooky halls of the mansion, and witnessing inexplicable apparitions.  Eventually the Science Guy's duplicate very calmly explains that Martians are pure energy.  They consider the probe to be an invasion, so they're going to remove and replace the population of nations with the ability to reach Mars.  The whole thing is a cheap, slow little tale, almost entirely devoid of special effects, but moody and relentless.  Notable for the ending.



Spoiler



The Martians win!  At no time does the Earth have a chance, really.  The entire family winds up as piles of ashes on the bottom of an empty swimming pool; shades of J. G. Ballard!


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> It's one example, and maybe the most professionally filmed, of that odd little genre of astronauts journeying to a place full of beautiful women.  *Cat-Women of the Moon* and its remake (!) *Missile to the Moon*, along with the British variation *Fire Maidens from Outer Space*.  There was a lovely pastiche of these in the segment of the sketch comedy film *Amazon Women on the Moon* which gives that film its title.  They recreated the goofiness of this genre in a delightful way, but the target of their parody was itself so silly that the spoof was more charming than funny.  (As Roger Ebert said in his review:  "Satirists are in trouble when their subjects are funnier than they are.")



I haven't seen *Amazon...* in years. I should watch it again, but I do seem to recall it as somewhat amusing rather than laugh out loud funny.

Randy M.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

On the plane home from London I watched:

*Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse *- really enjoyed it! Animation was amazing, characters were great, and some absurdity which I always appreciate.
*Bohemian Rhapsody* - enjoyed this too as a big fan of Queen.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*Mr. Frost: *Jeff Goldblum as Lucifer. That alone sold me. One of his best performances; charming, cold-blooded, and unearthly as the King of Hell proving his existence to a skeptical doctor.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MARATHON MAN* (1976) I finally watched it!   Earlier I saw  a TCM documentary about thrillers, & as I recall, It showed the ending to this film  Very disturbing, the thought that there is a secret organization that fills the gap between the FBI & the CIA. Moreover, this one treats Nazis like kings.  Definitely thrilling! Good show. I have reprints of 60 year-old comic in which the dentist interrogates his prisoner using similar techniques. 

I will read the above reviews later, & respond accordingly.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

_*The Other Side of the Wind*_, on which Orson Welles worked from 1971 to 1975, at least, but never completed. (It was all shot, except for a couple of shots that had to be digitally reconstructed; Welles devised an incredibly complex editing style for it, and was only able to complete the editing for about 40 minutes of what ended up being a 2h 2 min movie.) Finally completed, under the supervision of Peter Bogdanovich, who early in his career was Welles' protege, and who plays one of the two main characters in the film (the other one is played by John Huston), in 2018, with funding by Netflix, and available on Netflix, along with a documentary about it. If you love Welles, and especially if you liked _*F for Fake*_, you have to watch this. It's uncannily "modern" looking, for someone who began with _*Citizen Kane*_ and _*The Magnificent Ambersons*_ back in the early 1940s. It's like Orson Welles deciding to beat the New Hollywood at its own game, by making something stranger and more original than any of them (Scorsese, Coppolla, etc) had done, and inventing the mockumentary in the process. Also features quite long excerpts of a film-within-a-film (the story concerns a film director, played by Huston as a combination of Hemingway, himself, and Welles, trying to cobble together the funds to complete his last film), also called "The Other Side of the Wind," which is a pretty hilarious parody of European art cinema, and the work of Antonioni in particular.


----------



## J Riff

_Dinosaur Island,_ 1994- is all about nudity and Dinosaurs.., but also has a raft of the lamest smartarse one-liners to ever fall flat in one movie. 
The lost island, the Amazon gals, the stupid soldiers, the cheezy dinosaurs, the whole bit, but I can't recall hearing so much bad dialogue in one place before.


----------



## REBerg

*The Predator (2018)*
Not as good as the first'; better than the others.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Nudie Cutie Triple Feature:
> 
> *Nude on the Moon* (1961)
> 
> We start off with a male crooner offering us the romantic tune "Moon Doll," performed in proper lounge singer style, over a painting of the Earth as seen from the Moon.  We'll hear this song a lot.  Cut to Young Science Guy, driving off in his nifty, gigantic lavender convertible, to tell Older Science Guy that a rich uncle died and now he's got three million dollars to spend on their big project:  a trip to the Moon.  Their secretary is clearly in love with Young Science Guy, but he only cares for science.  After a lot of time wasted talking, the two men get to the Moon.  The Moon is played by Coral Castle, a tourist attraction in Florida consisting of a bunch of weird stone constructions built by an eccentric fellow.  The Moon is also inhabited by people, mostly young women, who wear nothing but tiny shorts and antennae on their heads.  (There are even a couple of little kids hanging around.)  The astronauts wander around, and the Moon women lounge around.  Young Science Guy falls in love with the Moon Queen, but has to leave her to go back to Earth.  Wouldn't you know it; the secretary looks exactly like the Moon Queen, and love conquers all.  It's all very innocent and charming, in a silly kind of way.


 I saw this long ago, when I had just joined Netflix.  The description of strategically placed hats & such, reminds me of a documentary I saw about nudism & naturism. Apparently, nude recreation was popular in Germany during the 1920s. 

Anyway, PRIME lists some of those other titles, but they are currently unavailable to view.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Jeffbert said:


> I saw this long ago, when I had just joined Netflix.  The description of strategically placed hats & such, reminds me of a documentary I saw about nudism & naturism. Apparently, nude recreation was popular in Germany during the 1920s.


Probably *This Nude World *(1933).


----------



## Triceratops

Avengers: End Game. I haven't followed the series that closely, but enough to pick up who was who and why they mattered. I didn't realize I was watching a pirated copy until about half way in. I feel bad about that. A frolicking good movie, full of action, sometimes a bit too much fast editing and dazzling CGI. Did not expect that ending. But I have to say that my suspension of disbelief is still in trouble after viewing a wise-cracking raccoon who caries around double blasters. I know he was part of the GOG, but gee. I just had a hard time coping with it. But I would have to say that about all of them, right? So I defer.


----------



## Al Jackson

I finally got around to watching Hostiles (2017) other night.
Not many western films these days so I was expecting something out of the ordinary.
It was in a way, it's not a Hollywood Western, I guess those are dead forever (when I say Hollywood not talking of John Ford type westerns).
It looked great and very good cast ,  Christian Bale can play anything.
The story and dialog felt too self conscience , in fact downright awkward and flatfooted most of the time.
I would contrast it with the Coen's recent Ballad of Buster Scruggs which was perky and full of surprise.
Seems hard to make a western these days tho HBOs Deadwood showed there were still good stories , look forward to the HBO movie.


----------



## Droflet

*Captain Marvel*. Not too shabby at all.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Took my kids to *Detective Pikachu *Sunday. I enjoyed it much, much more than I thought I would.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Finally saw _Arrival _when it came out on the telly. 

I liked the atmosphere and it was thoughtful SF. 

However I didn't quite believe how she managed to 'use the weapon' to save the day in the end. That moment was far too contrived.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Western Passage* (1932) a crime drama that flopped, despite Laurence Olivier being in the cast. I do not even recall any details, & the wiki page has very few.


*Jeopardy *(1953) the Stilwin family Barbara Stanwyck & Barry Sullivan & son go the Mexico for a vacation. Mr. S recalls a small beach where he and his buddy had gone fishing before WWII. So, they go there, & the place is deserted. There is a decrepit  jetty bearing the word 'Peligro' (danger) on the ladder, but the boy climbs up and promptly his foot is wedged between tome rotting wood. From my perspective, he should have been able to slide the foot toward the wider area in the gap, but then, there would be no point in the film. So, papa climbs up, and frees the kid. While walking along the rotting timber it collapses under papa's weight, & his leg is caught under a piece of timber with a chunk of concrete on the end. 

After an hour's worth of failed attempts to free him, mama takes the car up the road to find help. The tide is rising! Unfortunately, mama meets escaped prisoner (Ralph Meeker) who is far more concerned with evading his pursuers, than saving mama's husband.

Great tension; good show, etc. One strange thing:


Spoiler



Meeker gets away! So, he had freed the husband, & run off, seeing the car had a flat tire. So, where is the Hayes code's demand that he pay the price? He had apparently killed a man, whose coat he stole to cover his prison shirt. Is the viewer expected to assume that he will be caught soon?




*Second Chance* (1953) another Mexican setting, Russ Lambert (Robert Mitchum) as a boxer whose right jab had killed a man; he thus hesitates to use it, and keeps losing. Clare Shepperd, alias Clare Sinclair (Linda Darnell) is a witness, whose testimony can send the big boss to his just reward, & Cappy Gordon, alias Mr. Walters (Jack Palance) is the guy out to silence her. RM & LD become romantically involved, because she needs him to protect her from JP. Then, they take a fateful trip down the mountain on a cable car.   Great tension! JP livens every film in which he appears. 



Spoiler



Several men fall to their deaths, yet not one of them says, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"




*Fastest Guitar Alive* () Roy Orbison as a Confederate spy, out to rip-off some Yankee gold, accompanied by half a dozen young women. So they are posing as saloon entertainers, & his guitar has a rifle hidden in it. Dumb! I could barely tolerate this film, even in the PiP as I read my email!


----------



## hitmouse

For those of you into 1960s b&w Bengali language arthouse movies, this will be old hat. I watched *Chiriakhana *(1967) last night on Amazon Prime, where it is available for free.
This is an excellent psychological whodunnit by Satyajit Ray, who made the much more famous Pather Panchali. Despite the zero budget, variable sound (there are English subtitles) this is a great piece of cinematography: well shot and paced, with a clever and witty script. The real revelation was the portrayal of the lead character, Holmesish consulting detective Byomkesh Bakshi, played by the Bengali actor Uttam Kumar. This is a remarkable bit of acting. I had not heard of Kumar before, but he was clearly both notable and prolific.
Highly recommended for something a bit different, and thoroughly enjoyable.

*


*


----------



## J Riff

_Game of Thrones_, - watched the insufferably dragged-out ending, after catching a few sword battles and dragons and whatnot earlier this week. Missed approx: 30 hrs. of it, probably not bad, as such things go. )
_Ship of Monsters-_ need an Anglaise version of this, it looks good.


----------



## Harpo

After a 3-year gap, I went to the cinema & saw Infinity War & Endgame. 

Not bad.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Bumblebee last night. 

It's definitely a kids film and I'm not a big fan of the Transformers movies so it was never going to be something that I'd adore. The Bumblebee animation reminded me a lot of Chappie.

It was entertaining enough, though, but I doubt I'd watch it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Robbery* (1967) I learned of this film while watching a TCM documentary about the cars in Bullitt. Both directed by Yates, both feature intense chase scenes, but this film, just ended wrong. 1st, the chase occurred early, while the title robbery occurred not near enough the end. There was plenty of action after the chase, which even involved school children crossing the street, but while the needed elements were present, the film just does not compare favorably to Bullitt. Not that the film was bad, just, given its elements, it was not great, either.

I thought I was going to buy the r2 DVD, which was immediately available, but Amazon also listed a soon to be available R1, which arrived a week ago Tuesday. My brother had flown up from Texas, and we spent a good amount of time watching movies and such.


----------



## Rodders

Venom. 

It wasn't that I thought it was bad, more ridiculous. I though Tom Hardy tried hard to act, especially in his more "Schizoid" moments. Riz Ahmed was watchable as the villain. I won't watch it again but it did pass two hours.


----------



## Cathbad

Rodders said:


> Venom.
> 
> It wasn't that I thought it was bad, more ridiculous. I though Tom Hardy tried hard to act, especially in his more "Schizoid" moments. Riz Ahmed was watchable as the villain. I won't watch it again but it did pass two hours.


Echoed.


----------



## svalbard

Al Jackson said:


> I finally got around to watching Hostiles (2017) other night.
> Not many western films these days so I was expecting something out of the ordinary.
> It was in a way, it's not a Hollywood Western, I guess those are dead forever (when I say Hollywood not talking of John Ford type westerns).
> It looked great and very good cast ,  Christian Bale can play anything.
> The story and dialog felt too self conscience , in fact downright awkward and flatfooted most of the time.
> I would contrast it with the Coen's recent Ballad of Buster Scruggs which was perky and full of surprise.
> Seems hard to make a western these days tho HBOs Deadwood showed there were still good stories , look forward to the HBO movie.



I thought this was quite good although I get your point about the dialogue. Some of the action scenes were stunning.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Cheap Horror Movies Cobbled Together From Bits and Pieces of Other Things Double Feature:

*Blood Bath* (1966)

Started off as a Yugoslavian crime movie, got re-edited into the American version, had a lot of footage chopped out and new footage added in to make it a scare flick about an insane painter, had more new footage added to throw in a vampire theme, then had even more footage thrown in to pad the running time for TV.  The version I saw is the vampire one, without the added television stuff, so it only runs an hour.  Crazy artist kills his models and covers them with wax.  Every once in a while he turns into a vampire, played by a different actor.  Should be a completely incoherent mess, and at times it is, but it also has some moody, eerie scenes.  There's also some amusing satire of modern art.  (One guy creates "quantum painting" by shooting paint from a gun on a canvas.)  One fantasy sequence, when the artist imagines himself the reincarnation of an ancestor, is surrealistic enough for a Dali painting.  Ends with a bizarre, out-of-left-field climax:



Spoiler



The wax-covered corpses come back to life and dump the madman in his own vat of boiling wax.  It's a weird and spooky scene.


 

Overall, much better than it should be.

*Blood of Ghastly Horror* (1971)

Began as a crime yarn about a jewel robbery gone wrong.  The stuff winds up in the possession, by sheer accident, of a nightclub singer and her young daughter.  A lot of this stuff remains in the final film.  New footage features John Carradine as a neurosurgeon who put a gizmo inside the brain of a badly injured Vietnam veteran, who goes into homicidal rages because of it; he's one of the thieves.  More new footage adds a wild twist, as the father of the veteran gets his revenge on Carradine (who has already been killed by his own creation) by sending a zombie after his daughter.  Unlike the one above, it's even more incoherent, and a worse film, than it sounds.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Vampire Circus* (1972)

Offbeat bloodsucker flick from Hammer.  The opening sequence, before the titles pop up, packs more plot into it than most feature films.  Guy sees his wife go off with a little girl into the castle of the local Count.  We quickly find out why the guy is screaming about this, as his wife is the vampire Count's mistress, and she's brought the child for him to feed on.  Several children have vanished, so the husband convinces the locals to storm the place.  We get a big battle scene until the Count is staked.  Then the locals make the wife run a gauntlet, whipping her badly.  She runs back into the castle.  Her blood dripping on the Count's body brings him back to "life" just long enough for him to curse those who (temporarily) destroyed him.  Finally we find out the name of the movie we're watching!  Fifteen years later, plague devastates the place; so much so that armed guards shoot anybody arriving or leaving.  This doesn't prevent a circus from showing up, led by an unnamed Gypsy woman.  The circus has some of the usual stuff -- clowns, a strong man, animals -- and a lot of weird stuff.  There's a woman painted like a tiger who does an erotic dance with a man dressed like an animal trainer.  There are a pair of acrobatic siblings who change into bats.  There's a black panther who changes into a man.  There's a magic mirror that shows doomed folks their fates.  Many of the performers are vampires, but many are not.  The whole thing is designed to make victims of the young descendants of the folks who staked the Count, so blood from their bodies can be used to revive him.  The plot never lets up for a second and there are plenty of twists and turns.


----------



## Al Jackson

Godzilla: King of the Monsters…..
I loved the first Godzilla film , back around 1956, the American-ized one, tho years later I saw the Japanese version Gojira which is 100 times better and serious film about Japan's horror with WWII. It is interesting that Godzilla film was associated with the atomic bomb while Gojira did that too but emphasized the fire bombing of Tokyo which was bigger horror for the Japanese.
Like King Kong Godzilla became a Family Friendly Monster , I hate this!
When I saw the 1933 King Kong in 1952 when I was 12 years old it scarred the peediddly out of me, that was so delicious! 
Now days Godzilla is everybody's sweetheart , screw that!
This new movie is a dump down from the 2014 Gareth Edwards Godzilla which was a cut above the Roland Emmerich 1998 , tho the Edwards one was not at all terrifying.
The main problem with this new Godzilla movie is the story is a chaotic mess.
The next one which teams Godzilla with another monster that has turned into a protagonist should be done by someone with imagination like del Toro.


----------



## William Delman

I finally managed to watch Captain Marvel. I was glad to see they did right by the character (one of my favorites), even if her evolution felt rushed.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Just got back from the latest Godzilla film. I thoroughly enjoyed it; it was spectacular although felt a lot - _lot_ - longer than its run time.

One thing I just wish Hollywood would stop doing is forcing a family-interest side story into these kind of blockbusters. I'm pretty sure when we go to see these monster flicks, we're not going because we want to find out if the family can repair their broken relationships/juggle their divorce with xy or z/learn from their kid/discover love etc. The only film to ever do that well has been 2010's exceptional _Monsters_ by Gareth Edwards, which was a sociopolitical drama anyway, with a backdrop of monsters.

Nice to see Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe and Millie Bobby Brown, too. 

pH


----------



## Cathbad

*Se7en * (1995)

Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt,  Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Remey, Kevin Spacey

With a line-up like that, it's a sure thing, right?

I watched this back in, probably 1996.  I couldn't remember why I didn't like it.  Now I know - it was_ pace_.  Everything about the pace was off:  Busy where it should be mellow, slow where it should be quick.  A chase scene with Pitt chasing the bad guy might as well have been in slow motion, with all the stops Pitt made.  Info was put in that, if this were a series it would have been warranted, but totally unnecessary for a 2 hour movie.

Its Saving Grace was the most amazing ending I've ever seen in a crime thriller.  Totally unexpected, finely acted.   That scene alone would take this one from a 5 to a *7* out of ten.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Cheap Horror Movies Cobbled Together From Bits and Pieces of Other Things Double Feature:
> 
> *Blood Bath* (1966)
> 
> Started off as a Yugoslavian crime movie, got re-edited into the American version, had a lot of footage chopped out and new footage added in to make it a scare flick about an insane painter, had more new footage added to throw in a vampire theme, then had even more footage thrown in to pad the running time for TV.  The version I saw is the vampire one, without the added television stuff, so it only runs an hour.  Crazy artist kills his models and covers them with wax.  Every once in a while he turns into a vampire, played by a different actor.  Should be a completely incoherent mess, and at times it is, but it also has some moody, eerie scenes.  There's also some amusing satire of modern art.  (One guy creates "quantum painting" by shooting paint from a gun on a canvas.)  One fantasy sequence, when the artist imagines himself the reincarnation of an ancestor, is surrealistic enough for a Dali painting.  Ends with a bizarre, out-of-left-field climax:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The wax-covered corpses come back to life and dump the madman in his own vat of boiling wax.  It's a weird and spooky scene.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Overall, much better than it should be.


This, after  _Mystery of the Wax Museum_ (1933),  with Lionel Atwill it  & this sounds like *Bucket of Blood* (1959) with a twist. No surprise that Roger Corman was involved!

*Marlowe* (1969) James Garner as the title character, & Bruce Lee as the henchman who fights him.  Too many things going on, for poor ol' Private Detective Marlowe to tie them all together in time to save the victims. Too many demands by Lee and others to cease his investigations and be content, with the $1k that Lee's character Wong offered in such dissuasion. I found it also had me wondering who was the villain, and why. Lee kinked out the ceiling light in JG's  office. Talk about limber!

*Dead Reckoning* (1947) Capt.  "Rip" Murdock (Humphrey Bogart) is travelling to Washington DC with Sgt. Johnny Drake (William Prince) to have the latter awarded the Medal of Honor. But when the latter realizes his face will be in newspapers and newsreels all over, he slips away. HB, does not know why, and is eager to learn. It turns out that the Sergeant had used an assumed name when he joined the armed forces, because he was wanted for murder in his hometown.

Another fine Noir Alley presentation, Muller supplying interesting details both before after the film. 

supporting characters includes Coral "Dusty/Mike" Chandler (Lizabeth Scott);  Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky); and  Lt. Kincaid (Charles Cane; no hyperlink for this guy).


----------



## Al Jackson

Last night I dialed up  The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot on Amazon because I had read it was not a silly movie.
 The main plot is actually a serious fantasy, tho, I cannot figure from
 the details why someone put up the money to make it except that Sam Elliott plays the title role. 
There is a straight forward telling of the Hitler story with a goofy explanation as to what happened.
Similarly for Big Foot the motivation for that story seemed tortured. 
I is kind of an alternate universe Mash Up story as a character study , which is sort of ok, but in the end I have no idea why this  film was made.


----------



## Rodders

I started watching a Chinese SF movies called The Wandering Earth, but I stopped after a while as it was pretty action oriented and I couldn’t suspend belief enough to continue.

Too many action sequences made it feel like an American movies, which wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I was hoping for some really good SF.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Illegal* (1955) 2nd remake of _*The Mouthpiece*_ (1932), complete with plot elements such as  the lawyer helping himself to a generous fee for recovering stolen money for his client's employer, stolen by the client (There is a word for it, but it eludes me). Edward G. Robinson is Victor Scott, the DA who convicts the future Bones McCoy's  (DeForest Kelley) character Edward Clary of murder, and thus sends him to the chair. Mere moments before the execution, he receives notice of a death bed confession of the real killer, but upon calling the death house, he hears the hum of the electric chair. He is devastated, and resigns, and becomes a defense attorney. The future Chief of Control (Edward Platt) takes the job as DA. 

The future Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby) as EGR's secretary.   Angel O'Hara (Jayne Mansfield) answers the telephone in the crime lord's office, and is a surprise witness in the last case. 

The film compares favorably with the original; and as much as I like EGR, _*The Mouthpiece*_ (1932)'s Warren William plays it lightheartedly, which I enjoy a bit more. 

I expect this was already or will be a future presentation of NOIR ALLEY, but, sadly, this time it was not. 


*Watch on the Rhine* (1943) Kurt Muller (Paul Lukas) is a resistance fighter who has just moved from Europe to America. When he learns that his former friends had been captured by the Gestapo, he decides he must go to their aide. But, living as a guest in the same mansion, is Teck de Brancovis (George Coulouris), who associates with the Nazis in the German Embassy, and whose gambling debts along with his character, have him demand a hefty sum of money from Muller. De Brancovis had already forced the lock on Muller's attache case, and discovered $20,000 in it. He now demands half as the price of his silence. Bad move! Muller's wife Sara (Bette Davis) is fully supportive of his intentions, and her two sons are expected to carry-on after him. 



Spoiler



Not yielding to De Brancovis' demand, Muller forces him outside and kills him. He leaves for Europe, and that is the last hw hear from him, as the Hayes code demanded his presumed death.



I could hardly endure the 1st 30 to 45 minutes of this film, because the hostess / owner, Fanny (Lucile Watson)  of the estate was constantly running her mouth, minding everyone's business but her own.  I had to leave the 2nd half for later, as this was simply annoying to me.


----------



## alloycircus

Tolkien.


----------



## Anthoney

*I am Mother* on Netflix.  It wasn't spectacular but it was enjoyable.  While it was mostly predictable they still managed a surprise or two.


----------



## Al Jackson

I remember in 1985 my father said to me "you have got to see this movie", he popped in a VHS copy of Stranger Than Paradise.
Jim Jarmusch's first feather film, I loved it! However I was surprised by dad liked it , an absurdist comedy with a totally screwball ending and a music track by Screamin' Jay Hawkins. I liked the held fade to black 'fades'! I love the scene when they go to Cleveland and go visit Lake Erie to see 'sights', in the dead of winter, that is understated deadpan Monty Python!


----------



## Cathbad

*The Babysitter's Club*  (1995)

Yep, that's what I just watched!

I'm not sure why this one called to me, but I'm glad I watched it.

A wonderful mix of childish, growing up and adult themes, this movie takes us through one summer with a group of young teens trying to make a buck over the school holiday.

Wonderfully acted.  Child actors usually tend to over-act, but whoever directed these kids did an excellent job getting great performances out of them!  Oh, it had its tropes - the cranky neighbor threatening to spoil their summer - but comes around to their side in the end being the best one, though.

If your looking for a fun movie, or just want to relive some of the troubles, disappointments, mistakes and fun of your teen years, I wholeheartedly recommend this movie!


----------



## Rodders

Apollo 11 documentary movie. 

Very good. Totally recommended. Awesome footage that really shows off the moon landings beautifully. Great soundtrack too.


----------



## Daysman

*Dark Phoenix*

Attended despite poor reviews, scores, ratings and impending financial doom, mostly because I get very bored in Godzilla movies.

It's an okay diversion, like a very expensive DC television episode. 

Distracted by my phone, which had been disabled during the performance, I sat through the credits. Wow! Sooo many people... but then the production _was_ really good!

And that's about it.

Very likely to see _men in black international_ tomorrow, mostly because musical fantasy seriously disturbs my sense of reality...


----------



## dask

Putting the Apollo 11 Documentary on my must see list.


----------



## Vince W

*Baby Driver*. Started out pretty well, then took a turn into boredom, picked up into mildly interesting leading to an ultimately pointless ending. In a word, pish.


----------



## Parson

*Dark Phoenix *as well. Probably bad reviews are a good thing. Low expectations so they were completely exceeded. I thought that there was more character development than in some of the other X men movies.


----------



## Vince W

*Captain Marvel.* Could easily been called Captain Mehvel. Two-dimensional characters that were unengaging. I couldn't care about any of them.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

_Gialli_ That Wound Up With One Word Titles In English Triple Feature:

*Torso* (_I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale*_, 1973)

Two college students making out in a parked car at night are murdered by somebody wearing a ski mask.  Our suspects include a guy who relentlessly stalks another co-ed; a creepy guy who sells stuff, including a scarf used by the killer, at a little outdoor shop; an art professor; a handsome doctor; and the uncle of the co-ed being stalked.  After the first couple of killings, rich uncle sends niece to his villa on a cliff overlooking a village.  Her girlfriends come along to keep her company.  Suffice to say that more murders follow.  Among the characters listed above, one is the killer, one is the hero, and others become victims.  Nicely filmed, with some lovely scenes of Italy.  The last half hour or so generates a lot of suspense.  Fairly sleazy, with copious female nudity, an outrageously gratuitous lesbian sex scene, and some blood, but not as gruesome as it might have been.

*Eyeball* (_Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro**_, 1975)

Starts with a woman at an airport in Paris.  She asks about her flight going to New York, then buys a ticket to Barcelona instead.  Cut to a bus full of tourists from Burlington, Vermont, exploring Barcelona.  Among them is a woman whose boss/lover unexpectedly shows up in Barcelona as well.  He's also the guy married to the woman we saw in the opening scene.  The others in the tour group include a clergyman traveling alone; two young women traveling together who give us, you guessed it, our gratuitous lesbian sex scene; a married couple with their teenage daughter; a guy born in Spain and his American wife; and a guy traveling with his teenage granddaughter.   Pretty soon a local young woman is stabbed to death and has her left eye gouged out by the traditional gloved killer.  Other murders follow, and it turns out that a similar killing happened in Burlington some time ago.  Not much later we find out that the woman from the first scene was found unconscious, with a bloody dagger in her hand, at the time.  The husband thinks she's come to Barcelona and is repeating the crime, the Barcelona cops think the husband is the killer and is making up this stuff about his wife, and the truth, of course, turns out to be more complicated.  The premise is inherently grisly, but not as graphic as you might think.    Holds the interest with lots of twists and turns, and tons of red herrings.

*Autopsy* (_Macchie solari***_, 1975)

Our heroine is a medical intern, apparently specializing in forensics.  Her thesis is on the differences between genuine suicides and murders disguised as suicides.  Right from the start we find out that's she under a lot of stress, as she has visions of the corpses in the autopsy room coming to life.  A woman comes to her apartment to borrow an envelope.  She figures that the visitor is one of her playboy father's many girlfriends -- she's currently living in the same complex, on the same floor as the father -- , but the woman denies this.  Later she turns up as an apparent suicide.  Her brother, a former race car driver turned priest, identifies her body and insists that it was really murder.  He's not too stable himself, as he goes into violent rages from time to time.  The convoluted plot also involves the playboy father's brother; the guy who watches over the apartment complex, and his dog; the intern's boyfriend, with whom she has trouble being intimate, due to her morbid hallucinations; and a woman whose artwork tends towards the macabre.  Almost no on-screen violence, but plenty of autopsy room gore and other disturbing images.  An offbeat example of the genre.

*"The bodies shows traces of carnal violence," which makes the movie sound trashier than it is.

**"Red cats in a glass maze," a title which almost comes out of nowhere, although one character catches a glimpse of the killer in a red raincoat and describes the sight as something like a red cat.  No glass maze, as far as I can tell, but a perfect title for a _giallo_. 

***"Sun spots," which refers to the fact that a rash of suicides is blamed on sunspot activity, which not only makes no sense but has nothing to do with the plot.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Nora Prentiss* (1947) NOIR ALLEY; A respected physician has a naught affair with the title character. I was a bit bored with the 1st 30 to 45 minutes, when suddenly [dramatic music] the guy fakes his own death, leaves San Francisco with his lover, and assumes a new identity. But, the whole idea came to him suddenly, as he was in his office, writing a good-bye to his wife, and had his life insurance policy on the desk, on it, clearly stated, his name, age, height, & weight. Just as he finishes the letter, a patient stumbles in, hardly able to catch his breath. So, the doc grabs the guy's medical records, and prepares to treat him. But he dies. Now, by chance, on his desk, and side by side, are his own life insurance policy, and the dead guy's medical records. from top to bottom, name, age, weight, & height. All but the names match. Now it is NOIR!  

So, the doc, uses the dead guy's corpse to fake his own death in an auto mobile boo-boo, in which the corpse is fitted with doc's wedding ring, etc., soaked with wood alcohol (which a surgeon's office has on hand), driven over a cliff, etc. Doc & NC move to NYC, but he keeps his faked death to himself. 

5 stars out of five for the last half of this film!  The only name I recognized is NC's Ann Sheridan; I never heard of any others.


----------



## AlexH

*One Cut of the Dead* (2017)
It starts like a low budget horror (impressively in one take) but becomes a heartwarming and hilarious comedy about indie film making.

It's genius! It drags at times in the first 50ish minutes, but you have you watch it all to get the most out of it. Even if you don't like zombie films or horror (I tend not to), I highly recommend it. It'll probably get made into an English-language film, but the Japanese are best at this sort of comedy. I even watched an hour of it again, and I've never watched the same film back to back before.

Edit: And if you watch this, avoid spoilers.

*Unbreakable* (2000)
After realising it was related to Split and not The Sixth Sense (which I've seen), I watched this for the first time in preparation for Glass. It's good, and I didn't see the twist coming.

*Without a Clue* (1988)
I loved the premise of this, with Michael Caine playing a drunken Sherlock Holmes. It didn't hit the heights but was an entertaining 90 minutes.

*Avengers: Endgame* (2019)
A satisfying conclusion. Ten years ago it would've been awesome, but I've got used to this sort of thing.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Godzilla King of the Monsters    *I enjoyed it.


----------



## J Riff

Thanks for those reviews Victoria, it makes it a lot easier sorting through the B rubbish pile on youTube. )


----------



## REBerg

*I Am Mother (Netflix)*
Robots destroying Humanity? Sounds familiar. Robots nurturing the new, improved Humanity? Interesting premise.
The ending left me undecided.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Alpha Incident* (1978)

Short version:  *The Andromeda Strain* with no budget.

A couple of science types have a conversation, giving us our back story.  It seems that some stuff came back from Mars on a space probe, and that most of it is being transported to a military facility near Denver.  In order to keep everything hush-hush, it's going by train rather than plane, and is being guarded by just one guy.  A bad idea, because when the guy goes to sleep, a nosy guy working on the train takes a peek at the secret cargo, breaks a glass vial, and cuts himself.  The two wind up at a train station, where two men and a woman work.  Everybody has to go into quarantine, because the nosy guy has been infected by the alien stuff.  It kills folks who go to sleep; after death, their brains expand, causing them to burst out of their skulls.  (We see this happen exactly once, near the end of the film, in our only gore shot.)  Almost all of the movie consists of the five characters waiting for the government to find a cure while they try to stay awake, with the aid of amphetamines supplied via helicopter.  Since this was made in the 1970's, you've got a cynical ending.    It's all talk and deadly slow, with a few tense moments here and there.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein Island* (1981)

Insane, incoherent mess of a grade Z horror flick.  Four guys riding in an unseen hot air balloon (to say nothing of the dog Melvin) wind up on an island.  They walk through a cave and find a bunch of "primitive" women in animal print bikinis.  We'll find out later that they're the descendants of aliens (!) who landed on the island some time ago.  Meanwhile, a couple of disreputable types show up, and they eventually take our heroes to the mansion of the movie's Mad Scientist, who introduces herself as Sheila Frankenstein von Helsing (!!).  It seems she's the great-great-granddaughter of the famous Frankenstein, and she's married to the two-hundred-year-old von Helsing, who was Frankenstein's assistant.  You see, he's kept alive by a combination of animal blood, primitive woman blood, electronic gizmos, and a brain in a jar.  Oh, I forgot to mention that there are also a bunch of "zombies" (guys in black turtleneck sweaters and sunglasses) running around.  And there's another guy who has been kept prisoner for seventeen years and who quotes Poe a lot.  He turns out to be the father of one of the primitive women.  By the way, a double exposure image of John Carradine shows up now and then, to recite incomprehensible dialogue, in the form of the dead-but-still-active Frankenstein.  The Frankenstein Monster shows up late in the film, too.  This all makes much less sense that I've indicated.  Totally random scenes pop up.  (Some guy injecting a mannequin with a syringe.   The image of two giant green hands, over images of planets, turning into an image of flames surrounding an eye.)  On top of everything else, you've got a did-it-really-happen-or-not ending.  A mind-blowing experience.


----------



## AlexH

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Frankenstein Island* (1981)


It's entertaining reading reviews of films I'll never watch. Sometimes I look up the ratings. This scores 2/10 on IMDB.


*Super* (2010)
Above average vigilante superhero comedy with some good lines, that for some reason has three rape scenes, something I've just read James Gunn boasting about in an interview.  Really odd considering the film has a nice ending.

*Raining Stones* (1993)
Another film from Ken Loach about working class Britain - a father who wants his daughter to have a new dress for First Communion - something he can't afford. It's a good film and quite nostalgic given I grew up in a similar 90s Britain, and it's not as grim as some other Loach films I've seen.

*Tully* (2018)
I don't know if what's portrayed is post-natal depression exactly, but Charlize Theron is excellent as a struggling mother of three who doesn't seem to get much help from her husband, who's either working or playing video games. For some reason marketed as a comedy, it's actually much darker. Somewhere along the line it lost it's way, and the last part wasn't as good as it was shaping up to be.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Nora Prentiss* (1947) NOIR ALLEY; [...]
> 
> 5 stars out of five for the last half of this film!  The only name I recognized is NC's Ann Sheridan; I never heard of any others.



I decided I'd probably never get to this so I deleted the recording. I do recognize a few names in the cast list: Kent Smith (_The Cat People_), Robert Alda (_The Beast with Five Fingers_, also Alan Alda's father), and Rosemary deCamp (_Yankee Doodle Dandy_, _The Bob Cummings Show_, among many guest appearances and other recurring roles; one of those rare women during that time who seemed able to still get work after their ingenue period). 

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Alpha Incident* (1978)
> 
> Short version:  *The Andromeda Strain* with no budget.
> 
> A couple of science types have a conversation, giving us our back story.  It seems that some stuff came back from Mars on a space probe, and that most of it is being transported to a military facility near Denver.  In order to keep everything hush-hush, it's going by train rather than plane, and is being guarded by just one guy.  A bad idea, because when the guy goes to sleep, a nosy guy working on the train takes a peek at the secret cargo, breaks a glass vial, and cuts himself.  The two wind up at a train station, where two men and a woman work.  Everybody has to go into quarantine, because the nosy guy has been infected by the alien stuff.  It kills folks who go to sleep; after death, their brains expand, causing them to burst out of their skulls.  (We see this happen exactly once, near the end of the film, in our only gore shot.)  Almost all of the movie consists of the five characters waiting for the government to find a cure while they try to stay awake, with the aid of amphetamines supplied via helicopter.  Since this was made in the 1970's, you've got a cynical ending.    It's all talk and deadly slow, with a few tense moments here and there.


I saw that long ago, & in my recollections of it, thought that fungus sprouted out of the top of the victims' heads. Had to see it again, bought the VHS, watched it with my brother, laughed a bit, then tossed it in the trash. memories lie!  


*Frankenstein Island!* The title says all we need to know about this film. B-grade silliness. But I do appreciate the details. Thanks for the reviews, Victoria Silverwolf!


----------



## Jeffbert

REBerg said:


> *I Am Mother (Netflix)*
> Robots destroying Humanity? Sounds familiar. Robots nurturing the new, improved Humanity? Interesting premise.
> The ending left me undecided.


I think I will watch this one, thanks REBerg!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death Walks on High Heels* (1971) (_La morte cammina con i tacchi alti_)

Starts with a one-eyed guy, carrying a gun, on a train.  He gets killed by someone whose ski mask reveals nothing but pale blue eyes.  Cut to our main character, a Parisian stripper.  (One of her routines involves using body makeup and an Afro wig to make the pale-skinned, red-haired woman look as if she's of Sub-Saharan ancestry; a weird touch.)  It seems that she's the daughter of the murdered man, an infamous jewel thief.  Her live-in boyfriend is an unemployed guy with criminal associates.  Meanwhile, a wealthy eye doctor makes rather genteel passes at her.  She gets threatening phone calls from somebody with a disguised voice, demanding that she turn over some stolen diamonds.  Later the blue-eyed ski mask guy shows up, threatens her with a razor, and says he'll be back and kill her if he doesn't get the jewels.  Soon she finds a pair of pale blue contact lenses.  Looks like boyfriend might be ski mask guy.  She runs off to England with the doctor, and they seem to have a nice love affair.  He even wants to divorce his wife and marry her.  All of this is just our basic set up, as a bunch of other characters show up and the plot takes many twists and turns.  A character I didn't expect to die gets killed, and one very important scene is seen three times, revealing something new each time.  It's an enjoyable _giallo_, with an emphasis on plot rather than gore.

*Death Walks at Midnight* (1972) (_La morte accarezza a mezzanotte_)

Same director, same lead actress, etc.  This time she's a model.  She foolishly agrees to have an experimental drug injected into her while a journalist from a tabloid takes photographs, claiming that if she wears a domino mask nobody will recognize her.  As unlikely as that may be, it gets worse, because he takes her mask off anyway when she's as high as a kite.  While in this state, she witnesses a guy in the building outside her apartment window killing a woman with a spiked metal glove.  Amazingly for a _giallo_, we see the face of the killer.  Everybody thinks she just hallucinated.   Her face gets plastered all over the cover of the tabloid, she gets fired from her job.  Things get worse when she gets a written job offer, with a meeting to take place in the building where she saw the killing.  Of course, the killer tries to murder her there, but she gets away.  Things get weirder when we find out that there was a murder in the place six months ago, but neither the victim nor the person thought to be the murderer, now in a catatonic state, resemble what she saw.  As usual for this sort of thing, a lot more characters show up, and things get complicated.  Again, it's a pretty good example of the genre.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End*

I knew that this was going to be bad, but my God. It's awful. Tone ranges from light slapstick to imagery of mass-murder. Plot is pointlessly complex and has galleon-sized holes. Tedious clowning from Depp, and the other two leads are completely dull. Even the lighting is drab. The fight between two ships on a whirlpool honestly looks as if the film is literally going down the plughole. It's as if four directors were told to make a film about pirates, and the results were shuffled together more or less at random. How can a film about pirates looking for treasure be so dreary?


----------



## Jeffbert

*Pickup on South Street* (1953) A nwly released from prison pickpocket Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) is seen taking the wallet from a Candy (Jean Peters)'s purse, by an FBI agent, who had been watching her. She was a courier, believing she was working for industrial espionage, but actually, her employer is a Communist. As the event occurred on a crowded subway train, RW escaped, and went home. He lived in a shack at the end of a pier, and stashed his loot in a false bottom of a box he used to keep his beer cold. The box is lowered into the river.  Who would think it contained the stuff?

Supporting cast/characters: 
Moe (Thelma Ritter), a stool pigeon whom the cops/FBI interrogate to find the pickpocket. She has entire categories of pickpockets' styles. Using the style observed by the agent, she identifies RW's character.  Now, the good guys know who done it, but naturally RW denies it, and is confident nobody will find his loot. Eventually the communists come calling, and after torturing her, they kill her. But she keeps RW's name out of it; though they find out somehow.

Police Desk Clerk (George E. Stone !? I failed to recognize this guy; likely because this was 10 years after his recurring role as the Runt, sidekick to Boston Blackie).

Plenty of others, but they are unfamiliar to me. 

Anyway, this was NOIR ALLEY, and as usual, interesting stuff.


*The Mad Genius* (1931) Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov (John Barrymore) is a club footed puppeteer, who saves a young boy from his father's wrath, because the boy is agile and he hopes to make him a dancer.  10 years later,  Fedor Ivanoff, the boy, now a man (Donald Cook), is a ballet dancer, and JB is the maestro in charge.
Sergei Bankieff (Luis Alberni) is the drug-addicted director who initially refuses to sign the document JB has written, dismissing the ballerina with whom Fedor has fallen in love. JB believes their relationship will become more important than his career.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Pickup on South Street* (1953) A nwly released from prison pickpocket Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) is seen taking the wallet from a Candy (Jean Peters)'s purse, by an FBI agent, who had been watching her. She was a courier, believing she was working for industrial espionage, but actually, her employer is a Communist. As the event occurred on a crowded subway train, RW escaped, and went home. He lived in a shack at the end of a pier, and stashed his loot in a false bottom of a box he used to keep his beer cold. The box is lowered into the river.  Who would think it contained the stuff?
> 
> Supporting cast/characters:
> Moe (Thelma Ritter), a stool pigeon whom the cops/FBI interrogate to find the pickpocket. She has entire categories of pickpockets' styles. Using the style observed by the agent, she identifies RW's character.  Now, the good guys know who done it, but naturally RW denies it, and is confident nobody will find his loot. Eventually the communists come calling, and after torturing her, they kill her. But she keeps RW's name out of it; though they find out somehow.
> 
> Police Desk Clerk (George E. Stone !? I failed to recognize this guy; likely because this was 10 years after his recurring role as the Runt, sidekick to Boston Blackie).
> 
> Plenty of others, but they are unfamiliar to me.
> 
> Anyway, this was NOIR ALLEY, and as usual, interesting stuff.



Agreed. I watched this over my vacation and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm iffy about Widmark: When he's good, he's really good, but something about his speech makes me feel like he's winding up before the pitch. Still he's good in this and one I watched a while back, _Panic in the Streets_. Thelma Ritter reminded me why I like movies with her in them; she was really good whether in a meaty role like this or just dropping in as in _Miracle on 34th Street_ (her debut, I think).

I didn't recognize Stone, but I did notice Willis Bouchey, a face and voice out of my childhood having seen him (not knowing his name until now) in movies and TV from _Million Dollar Mermaid_ to _Support Your Local Sheriff_ and _The Jimmy Stewart Show_.

Randy M.


----------



## Rodders

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Funny and sweet. A really enjoyable movie.


----------



## Rodders

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Funny and sweet. A really enjoyable movie.


----------



## Matteo

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Frankenstein Island* (1981)


Curse you @Victoria Silverwolf. You make this sound so good I'm going to have to watch it!

Thanks for the giallo reviews; interesting that they kept the "walks" for the Midnight film - even though it should be "caresses".

Last film I saw was "What we do in the Shadows".  Our digital box had given it the French title "Vampires en toute intimité" (it sometimes does this) which is nothing like the English title and so I almost didn't bother to record it.  It was fun, but the US series which has been showing on BBC2 recently is better.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Shadow on the Wal*l (1950) Noir Alley; a funny or strange thing with the midnight 6/22 - 23 showing. TCM ran the opening segment of Muller's comments both before & after the film!  So, I accessed TCM's website, and found the correct segment as the follow-up to the film, on the streaming version (available up till 7/2): http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/films. Anyway, the title comes into play at the very end, sorry, no spoiler.

So, David I. Starrling (Zachary Scott) is a widower father who has married a new wife Celia (Kristine Miller), the stepmother of Susan (Gigi Perreau). The stepmom's sister Dell Faring (Ann Sothern), has, since childhood, been jealous of her, believing that she had taken everything from her. So, papa was away on a business trip, & returning early, sees his wife in a car with her sister's fiancee. Daddy & stepmommy have a late night argument, & stepmommy ends up dead. Daddy is convicted & sentenced to the chair. But baby saw the murder, & repressed the memory. I have a book written by Dr. Elizebeth Loftus, titled T*he Myth of Repressed Memory*, but I will let this go, for now.  

Dr. Caroline Cranford (Nancy Davis) believes the the kid has been traumatized by something she had seen, & hopes to extract the memory in time to save daddy. 

Good show! I had never seen this before, & thoroughly enjoyed it!


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*The Italian Job, *followed by the updated version, they both have something, however the original has the edge. 9/10 for the original and 8/10 for the updated version.


----------



## Jeffbert

I have seen both. The guy said that in the original they drove one of those Mini-Coopers spiraling upside-down inside the storm drain. But it was not on camera. Though they tried, they could not do it on purpose. I also think the 1st was the better of the two.


----------



## REBerg

*Think Short Circuit, only with a big robotic dog. *​


----------



## Foxbat

*Way Out West*
Laurel and Hardy still make me laugh


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Wild Bunch*

A slightly different sort of Western story, made by Sam Peckinpah. It starts with botched violence, continues in a harsh and brutal fashion, and ends up in complete carnage. 

I don't know what it is that strikes me so much about this film. After all, I've seen other violent movies. I think it's the fact that it looks and sounds as if it should be a much gentler film: the score, acting style, look and even the film quality suggest something like _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid _(although the camerawork, especially the slow-motion style, is much more modern). That fits the film's theme of times changing, I suppose. 

Anyway, if you've got the stomach for bleak, hopeless violence (with a lot of children uncomfortably, and unconvincingly, involved along the way), this is an excellent film. For all the mayhem, it feels sincere, the way that Tarantino's stuff doesn't. The "heroes" are all terrible people, but the director does make you care for them, and the very end is surprisingly elegiac.


----------



## REBerg

*The Beyond*
A film much smarter than its uninspired title suggests. Done in an surprisingly convincing documentary style.


----------



## dask

Toby Frost said:


> *The Wild Bunch*
> 
> A slightly different sort of Western story, made by Sam Peckinpah. It starts with botched violence, continues in a harsh and brutal fashion, and ends up in complete carnage.
> 
> I don't know what it is that strikes me so much about this film. After all, I've seen other violent movies. I think it's the fact that it looks and sounds as if it should be a much gentler film: the score, acting style, look and even the film quality suggest something like _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid _(although the camerawork, especially the slow-motion style, is much more modern). That fits the film's theme of times changing, I suppose.
> 
> Anyway, if you've got the stomach for bleak, hopeless violence (with a lot of children uncomfortably, and unconvincingly, involved along the way), this is an excellent film. For all the mayhem, it feels sincere, the way that Tarantino's stuff doesn't. The "heroes" are all terrible people, but the director does make you care for them, and the very end is surprisingly elegiac.


If there were ever a movie where editing was just as important as cinematography, if not a little more so, *The Wild Bunch* would be it.


----------



## Rodders

Avengers: Infinity War. 

It was okay. A well made movie, as you would expect from a Marvel Production. I do find that the spectacular end set piece with thousands of combatants is getting kind of dull, though.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll* (1960)

Yet another cinematic adaptation of the familiar story, with no on-screen credit for Robert Louis Stevenson.  In this version, Jekyll is a dour, heavily bearded, deep-voiced, obsessed scientist.  Hyde is a clean-shaven, handsome, polite party animal with a higher voice, a rather charming libertine when he isn't killing somebody.  The plot turns into a five-sided Eternal Triangle.  Jekyll's wife is having an affair with his ne'er-do-well buddy (Christopher Lee, not playing the lead role in a Hammer film for once.)  Lee also gets money from Jekyll from time to time to pay off his gambling debts.  Hyde and Lee become great friends, painting the town red, carousing in cheap pubs, decadent nightspots full of scantily clad ladies of easy virtue, and opium dens.  Hyde also pays off Lee's debts, and tries to use this to buy Mrs. Jekyll as his own mistress.  Adding to the racy story is Hyde's affair with an exotic dancer whose stage act involves a deadly snake, which she puts in her mouth.  Not much violence occurs until the last part of the film, although we do get to say Hyde beat up a very young, uncredited, but unmistakable Oliver Reed.  It's more of a tragic melodrama than a horror movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Monster Club* (1981)

Offbeat combination of comedy, New Wave music, and horror anthology, based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.  John Carradine plays a completely fictional version of Chetwynd-Hayes.  He runs into Vincent Price, playing a vampire who takes some blood from him, not doing any harm, and who invites him to the Monster Club.  Folks in cheap Halloween costumes dance around to rock bands.  Between songs, we get three stories.  The first is about a young woman who gets a job as a secretary for an odd-looking, sad, lonely, gentle guy who lives alone in a fabulous mansion.  Her boyfriend wants to get his hands on the guy's wealth, so the woman pretends to fall in love with the guy so she can get the combination to his safe and grab the huge pile of money inside.  Suffice to say that the guy is a very strange being, and that something Very Bad happens when he whistles.  The second story is played for laughs.  A boy doesn't know that his father is a Dracula-style vampire, although it's obvious to the audience.  A team of vampire hunters go after Dad.  The leader of the Fearless Vampire Killers is Donald Pleasence, and things don't work out well for him.   The third story is much more serious, as a movie director winds up in an isolated village inhabited by corpse-eating ghouls.  We get the history of the place in a segment illustrated with nifty pen-and-ink drawings, straight out of a black-and-white horror comic book.  The whole thing is pretty mild, often silly, but fun for anybody who used to read _Famous Monsters of Filmland_ magazine.  Price and Carradine are enjoyable.  Notable for a scene at the club where a stripper takes off her clothes, and then her flesh.


----------



## Cathbad

*Born Romantic*  (2000)

Written and Directed by David Kane, this movie revolves around a would-be thief and two others (who are given much less on-camera time) as they pursue three women from a Salsa Club.

The club isn't important, and neither is much else.

Ridiculous dialogue mad the story hard to follow.  Dark, dingy sets made it hard to see.  Inept directing wasted some good talent.  Andf where was the actual plot?  I can only take so much... finished half of it.

Yeah, give this one a miss.  It's made my Top 20 Worst Films list.


----------



## dask

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Monster Club* (1981)
> 
> Offbeat combination of comedy, New Wave music, and horror anthology, based on stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes.  John Carradine plays a completely fictional version of Chetwynd-Hayes.  He runs into Vincent Price, playing a vampire who takes some blood from him, not doing any harm, and who invites him to the Monster Club.  Folks in cheap Halloween costumes dance around to rock bands.  Between songs, we get three stories.  The first is about a young woman who gets a job as a secretary for an odd-looking, sad, lonely, gentle guy who lives alone in a fabulous mansion.  Her boyfriend wants to get his hands on the guy's wealth, so the woman pretends to fall in love with the guy so she can get the combination to his safe and grab the huge pile of money inside.  Suffice to say that the guy is a very strange being, and that something Very Bad happens when he whistles.  The second story is played for laughs.  A boy doesn't know that his father is a Dracula-style vampire, although it's obvious to the audience.  A team of vampire hunters go after Dad.  The leader of the Fearless Vampire Killers is Donald Pleasence, and things don't work out well for him.   The third story is much more serious, as a movie director winds up in an isolated village inhabited by corpse-eating ghouls.  We get the history of the place in a segment illustrated with nifty pen-and-ink drawings, straight out of a black-and-white horror comic book.  The whole thing is pretty mild, often silly, but fun for anybody who used to read _Famous Monsters of Filmland_ magazine.  Price and Carradine are enjoyable.  Notable for a scene at the club where a stripper takes off her clothes, and then her flesh.


Appreciate the review. Didn't know this was a movie or had completely forgotten. On my must see list now. Great book. R. Cheyenne-Hayes is a top notch writer.


----------



## nixie

Slaughterhouse Rulez, I love Simon Pegg films.


----------



## Rodders

Star awards Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. 

The Prequel Trilogy is often slated, but I still find them entertaining enough, although I wouldn’t ever consider myself a fan.


----------



## Mouse

*Toy Story 4*. Really good, as you'd expect from a Toy Story film. I don't really get how or why Bo Peep comes alive seeing as she's technically not a toy, she's an ornament/lamp. But then, same for Hamm, I guess, as he's a money box. Also, I've seen all four of this films now and still cannot work out what Slinky's catchphrase is, can't understand what words he's saying at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bloody Brood* (1959)

Low budget Canadian crime flick.  Opens in a beatnik coffeehouse.  Peter Falk, in his first film role, is sort of the leader of the beats, although he dresses conservatively.  He philosophizes a bit about the terrible state of the world.  An old man comes in selling newspapers.  Falk calls him Diogenes and gives him a dollar to buy a lantern.  The old man collapses from a heart attack or something, and the beats watch him die, considering this to be a great kick.  Falk decides to go a step further.  He convinces another conservatively dressed beat to help him kill a delivery boy who shows up at a beatnik house party by feeding him a hamburger with ground glass in it.  The rest of the film follows the victim's brother as he tracks down the killers.  Falk also happens to be a drug dealer working with a couple of violent thugs, adding a subplot.  Lots of beatniks playing bongos, reciting poetry, dancing, and such.  A cheap little film that manages to create a great deal of tension.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Haunted House of Horror *(1969)

A bunch of British young folks, along with token American star Frankie Avalon, have a party at a spooky old abandoned mansion.  After thirty minutes of not much happening, one of them gets stabbed to death by an unseen killer.  Figuring that one of them is the murderer, they agree to hide the body and not tell the police about it.  (No, that didn't make sense to me either.)  Not much happens for another half hour.  We get the police investigating the victim's disappearance, and a subplot about a young woman (who actually left the party before the murder) and her much older married lover.  She wants to break up with him, he stalks her, she lost an inscribed lighter that could reveal their affair, he goes to the house to look for it, he gets killed by the hidden murderer.  The young folks decide to go back to the place in an "experiment" to see if they can find out who the killer might be.  (No, that didn't make sense to me either.)  One of them turns out to be the insane murderer and kills somebody else, the cops show up, tipped off by one of the young folks as to what was going on at the house, the killer runs off into the night, end of film.  It's mostly a dull affair, with two very bloody murders and one which isn't shown at all.  Notable for the Swinging London look of everything, with all the young people in ultra-Mod fashions and some groovy music.


----------



## BigBadBob141

Just re-watched " The Train "  with Butt Lancaster, Paul Scofield & Janne Mreau 1964, directed by John Frankenheimer .
Very long but we'll paced over all, showed the cold blooded murder of hostages which the Germans were so good at in both world wars!
Two amazing shots in it, one of train steaming through a switching yard while it is being bombed, the other is it getting derailed, they set up six cameras for this shot and the train managed to run over five of them!
Very good film all round, especially if you like steam trains, but  be warned am afraid it's in black & white.
It's interesting to contrast it with the modern and excellent " The Monuments Men " with George C!ooney who also wrote, produced and directed it plus Matt Damon, Bill Murray & John Goodman, good actors all, 2014.
Both very good films about the same subject!


----------



## REBerg

*Yesterday*
Loved it.


----------



## IAmTR

You'll Always Be My Maybe

I love this movie. I was already a fan of Randall Parks but now I like him even more because of his music in the movie. At first it's just funny and gimmicky but it's got a flow that mixes old school New York hip hop roots with more modern indie rock. The movie itself is very funny and I liked the chemistry between him and Ali Wong.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Legacy of Blood* aka *Blood Legacy* aka *Will to Die* (1971)

Cheap, slow-moving murder movie that starts with a corny old plot device.  It seems that a fabulously wealthy guy has just died, and left a will granting loads of money to his three servants and his four adult children.  There's a catch, of course.  Everybody has to stay for a full week in his mansion to earn the cash.  By the way, if anybody just happens to die, the others get his or her share.  Yes, it's an invitation to murder!  That sure sounds to me like the kind of will a good lawyer could get thrown out, but what do I know.  We learn all of this in a tape recording left behind by the dead man, played by the voice of John Carradine.  Before we get our first killing, we get to know our potential victims and learn their various mental quirks and dark secrets.  Notable among these are the brother and sister who apparently had an incestuous encounter sometime in the past, revealed in a series of extremely bizarre hallucinatory/psychedelic flashbacks.  After a long time we get the first murder.  Oddly, the initial victim is a cute little dog.  The next is the local sheriff who is investigating the canine's demise.  Things go on as you'd expect.  The phone lines are cut, everybody's distributor caps are removed, more murders occur, although they come at a very leisurely pace.  There's a triple twist ending, and the very last scene has the killer speaking directly to the audience:  "I'll bet you thought it was the butler all the time."  Then we get the credits, while circus music and cartoon sound effects play on the soundtrack, implying the whole thing was intended as a joke.  There's a lot of bad acting, and you have to be patient with the dull parts in order to enjoy the weird parts.


----------



## dask

dask said:


> Appreciate the review. Didn't know this was a movie or had completely forgotten. On my must see list now. Great book. R. Cheyenne-Hayes is a top notch writer.


I wrote the above reply on my Amazon Fire Tablet. I did not mistakenly type in the word "Cheyenne" for Chetwynd. Sometimes the tablet substitutes another word for what I have actually typed, a feature I do not like. Some how this one slipped by without my noticing. Just wanted to clarify what must look like a silly and careless mistake.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood Mania* (1970)

Sex melodrama disguised as a horror movie.  Rich guy is dying from some disease or other.  His doctor is being blackmailed* by some guy for performing illegal abortions.  Rich guy's sex-crazed** daughter kills her father in a bloodless way, intending to inherit his wealth and pay off the blackmailer, in exchange for exclusive rights to the doctor's body.  Surprise!  It turns out the bulk of his estate goes to her younger sister***.  Older sister freaks out and has to be sedated.  Doctor starts a romance**** with younger sister.  The last few minutes of the movie finally give us something that might be described as Blood Mania, as well as a final shock ending involving a macabre painting.

*In one of the movie's many gratuitous sex scenes, the doctor's girlfriend, a character who disappears from the story quickly, offers her body to the blackmailer if he'll leave her boyfriend alone, to no avail.

**In a very early scene, she attempts to seduce a pool boy by stripping and jumping into the water with him.  Hilariously, this classic porno movie situation leads to the boy running away in fright.

***The younger daughter lives with an older woman in a Platonic relationship.  It's made quite clear that the older woman is a lesbian but has made no advances to the younger woman.  It's a surprisingly sophisticated, if completely irrelevant, subplot for this kind of cheap exploitation film.

****The film wastes a lot of time showing them wandering around a Renaissance Faire.


----------



## Jeffbert

interesting stuff! Thanks all.

*All American Chump* (1936) Elmer Lamb (Stuart Erwin) is a math whiz, able to add, subtract, etc, large numbers faster than the adding machine. When Bill Hogan  (Robert Armstrong), speaks of the 8th wonder of the world, he is not talking about King Kong, but Lamb. So, RA cons SE into quitting his job at the bank, and going on tour as a carnival-type performer, along with his two friends, Kitty Crane (Betty Furness) & her father Jeffrey Crane (Edmund Gwenn, santa Claus from 34th Street).  By chance, Lamb joins a Bridge game, and finds he has a natural talent for it. More "$" in the eyes of the three new found friends. When they learn that Lamb had just defeated J. Montgomery Brantley (E. E. Clive), a well-known Bridge player, who had just published a book on the subject, they see even more dollar signs. A rematch is scheduled, and news coverage is present. Pudgy Murphy (Edward Brophy) tries to muscle-in on the whiz-kid, and local gangster Butch (Eddie Shubert) muscles-in on him. 

Just over an hour, better than average humor.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. (1962)*

Arguably the best movie John Ford directed. Jimmy Stewart is delightfully subtle and vulnerable as a lawyer who has to deal with a vicious outlaw. John Wayne is his usual bad-a$$ self, and Lee Marvin plays the title character so well, Liberty Valance is considered one of the best villains in cinematic history. For the younger generation that's never experienced what a great Western movie can be, this should be on the viewing list.


----------



## dgackst

*The Internship (2013)*
(The one with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson)
I was in a hotel and it was showing on Fox so I sat there and watched it.  I enjoyed it.


----------



## BigBadBob141

REF: Dask.
Tell me about it, I've also got a Amazon Fire tablet, good little tablet but the spell/grammar corrector can drive me completely bonkers sometimes, am forever having to back track and correct otherwise what I write comes out as gibberish!!!


----------



## Allegra

Went to the cinema to watch *Never Look Away*, what a film! The best I've seen in a long time, perhaps after *The Lives of Others*, of the same German director. The 3 hours seemed too short. It's based on the life of Gerhard Richter the great German artist, covering the period from 40's to 60's.  Apparently the artist himself doesn't want to have anything to do with it and complaint it revealed too much details of his private life, though it didn't use his name and paintings. Perhaps that's the reason the film was nominated at Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography (which is truly masterful, so is everything else), but didn't win.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Watched _Sully: Miracle on the Hudson_ last night. Had low expectations, but it was really well done. Although I was initially frustrated that they didn't show the water landing sequence at the start, it was covered plenty through the rest of the movie. The coverage of the emergency responders was especially good, as well as the control tower sequence. Tense stuff.


----------



## Anthoney

*Spider-Man Far from Home.*  It was fun.  A nice summer movie.  It neither tried to nor had the kind of gravitas that the Avengers movie had.  It played in it's lane and was pretty good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Screen Directors' Playhouse* featured *Lincoln's Doctor's Dog*; casting Robert Ryan as L. Odd to see this actor playing L, as he has portrayed villains & psychos in so many Noir films.  So, L is bedridden, as ordered by his Doctor; it seems he is suffering from a stress-related condition.  By chance, somebody gives him a puppy. 


*Wives Under Suspicion* (1938) District Attorney Stowell (Warren William) is aggressive in his prosecuting a man charged with 1st degree murder of his wife. Jealousy is involved. WW is of the opinion that the killing was clearly premeditated, until he finds himself is a similar situation, gun in hand, peering through the window, seeing his wife in the presence of another man. good drama, if not predictable.


----------



## Jeffbert

MikeAnderson said:


> *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. (1962)*
> 
> Arguably the best movie John Ford directed. Jimmy Stewart is delightfully subtle and vulnerable as a lawyer who has to deal with a vicious outlaw. John Wayne is his usual bad-a$$ self, and Lee Marvin plays the title character so well, Liberty Valance is considered one of the best villains in cinematic history. For the younger generation that's never experienced what a great Western movie can be, this should be on the viewing list.


I saw this one several years ago, & as I recall, 



Spoiler



JS was merely assumed to have done the deed, while some other guy, probably JW actually did it. So, now JS has a reputation he cannot live up to.



After looking at the wiki page, I really want to see this again! All that talent! All those Western-typecast actors.


----------



## Randy M.

MikeAnderson said:


> *The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. (1962)*
> 
> Arguably the best movie John Ford directed. Jimmy Stewart is delightfully subtle and vulnerable as a lawyer who has to deal with a vicious outlaw. John Wayne is his usual bad-a$$ self, and Lee Marvin plays the title character so well, Liberty Valance is considered one of the best villains in cinematic history. For the younger generation that's never experienced what a great Western movie can be, this should be on the viewing list.



I would probably argue for *Stagecoach*, *The Searchers*, or *The Quiet Man* (in spite of its sentimental view of Ireland at the time) ahead of *...Liberty Valance*, but that doesn't mean it's not a great movie; those three would be considered exceptional for anyone not named John Ford.

Randy M.


----------



## MikeAnderson

This pile of plague riddled feces....






The 1994 *Fantastic Four. *Good Lord, why do studios go out of their way to kick this comic in the genitals when it comes to movie adaptations? I just had to see how awful this movie was. 2 hours and part of my sanity have been pulled out violently with a tow chain because I decided to torture myself after a few too many beers yesterday.


----------



## Rodders

LOL. They've been playing the recent one on telly lately. That too was pretty bad. I must confess that I didn't see what everyone's issue was with the 2005 FF. 

Resident Evil was on TV over the weekend. Gotta say that they have not aged at all well, but they are still something of a guilty pleasure for me.


----------



## Anthoney

*Alita Battle Angel*.  It was good.  I was impressed with the effects they used on the girl.  CGI is crap at removing a mustache but great for adding big anime eyes.

I was a little disappointed in the ending.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just came back from _*Far From Home*_. I certainly liked it better than most other MCU movies, except maybe for the _*Guardians of the Galaxy*_ ones. The two post-credit sequences kind of spoiled it retroactively, though. One because I was all happy it was a nice self-contained movie, and it turned out it isn't. The second because 



Spoiler



one of the characters turns out not to have been whom we thought it was throughout the whole movie, which makes a mess of the way said character's personality was used.



I liked the Led Zeppelin joke, though.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Tattooed Stranger* (1950) A man out walking his dog in Central Park, finds a dead woman in a car. She is has a tattoo; but, appears her mate is the title character. I who's who of nobodies, except Jack Lord, whom Muller failed to even mention make up the cast. The woman has two tattoos on her wrist, which at 1st glance, appear to be one. The Tattoo artist says two, though. The villain pays a drunkard to break in and slice the tattoo off but the guy fails. 

Not a great example of Noir, but better than just good. I thought the villain had blasted away the victim's face, but later they showed a photo of the corpse, face, intact. This, to me, is weird, and even is part of what makes the difference between better than good, but not great.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Womaneater* aka *The Woman Eater* (1958)

Low budget British mad scientist/monster movie, which combines an extremely ridiculous premise with a very serious attitude on the part of all involved.  Scientist goes to the Amazonian jungle to witness some "natives" sacrificing a young woman to a carnivorous plant.  The womaneater is a ludicrous fake tree with a bunch of puppet-style tentacles swishing around, obviously hand-operated by somebody behind the tree.  Five years later, scientist comes back to England with the womaneater and a "native" to bang on drums when he feeds local young women to it.  It seems that when the womaneater eats women, it produces some stuff that can revive the dead.  We get a scene where the scientist injects the stuff into what looks like a gigantic heart and it beats for a while.  Along for the fun are the scientist's ex-lover/housekeeper; a carnival hula dancer who gets a job with the scientist; and the dancer's auto mechanic boyfriend. Scientist falls in love with the dancer, ex-lover gets jealous, they fight, he kills her. Guess who gets the reviving stuff injected into her. There's a goofy twist ending, too. 



Spoiler



The stuff revives the body but not the brain, so she comes back as a mindless zombie.


----------



## picklematrix

Rocketman (2019) was pretty damn good. Id happily watch it again.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creepshow 2* (1987)

Horror anthology written by George Romero, based on outlines, and one published story, by Stephen King.  The wrap-around story has a kid getting the latest issue of the _Creepshow_ comic book directly from the Creep, who serves as the cackling, pun-spouting host of the stories in animated segments.  At the end the kid gets revenge on a gang of bullies, in another animated segment.

"Old Chief Wood'nhead":  An elderly couple (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour, in her last film) run a general store in some slowly dying town in the American West.  Three crooks rob the place, killing the couple.  Since the wooden Indian in front of the store has been prominently shown, it's no surprise that it comes to life and kills the criminals.  Well-acted by all involved, and the living wooden Indian is effectively done.

"The Raft":  The one based on a published story.  Four college students swim out to a raft in the middle of a lake.  A big flesh-eating slime creature lives in the lake and they're on the menu.  Just an out-and-out monster story, and it works well for what it is.

"The Hitchhiker":  Woman kills a hitchhiker in a hit-and-run accident.  He keeps coming back as a gory living corpse, no matter how many times she kills him.  The segment most like an old horror comic, with its revenge-from-the-grave theme.  Stephen King appears in a small role.  The woman spends almost the entire segment talking out loud to herself, which seems like nothing more than an artificial way of getting dialogue into what could have been better as a nearly wordless story.  (I would, however, have kept the bit about the corpse saying "Thanks for the ride, lady" every time it shows up.)

Despite the campiness and black comedy of the animated segments, the live-action stories are deadly serious.  Overall,  a decent horror anthology.


----------



## KGeo777

*3 Dev Adam*--1973. A Turkish film in which Captain America and Santo travel to Istanbul to take on a psychotic Spider-man who likes to chop people up with a boat propeller on the beach or chew their eyes out with rats. The costumes are very close to the comic book versions (Santo's mask doesn't fit right but he looks better than Captain America who is athletic but very skinny). Spider-man has big eyebrows but he has a clever shtick of using impersonators to trick the heroes into wasting their time fighting his minions.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Smashing Time* (1967)

Two young women from the North of England go to Swinging London.  Yvonne (Lynn Redgrave) is tall and flashy, Brenda (Rita Tushingham) is short and mousy.  They have various slapstick misadventures until, late in the film, Yvonne wins ten thousand pounds from a _Candid Camera_ type of television program and spends it in order to become a pop star.  Brenda wins the affection of a photographer (Michael York) and becomes a supermodel.  Brief conflict between the two turns back into friendship, and they leave London for home.  Really, that's all there is to the plot, but the fun comes from the various random things that happen along the way.  Imagine a Mack Sennett silent comedy transported in time and space to Carnaby Street in the 1960's and you'll have some idea what this film is like.  (There's even a huge pie fight in a restaurant called, with dark wit, Sweeney Todd's.)  The two leads are charming and funny.  Tushingham, in particular, is absolutely adorable as a young British female version of Stan Laurel, causing chaos wherever she goes with wide-eyed innocence.  There's some sharp satire of popular music and fashion photography near the end as well.  (Redgrave's hilariously awful hit song, "I'm So Young," has lyrics like _I can't sing but I'm young/Can't do a thing but I'm young_.  Tushingham does a television commercial for a perfume called Direct Action which shows her holding a bottle of the stuff in front of stock footage of violent riots.)  Every once in a while we hear one or both of the stars singing about what they're thinking as a sort of one-or-two-woman Greek chorus.  Notable for the fact that several of the secondary characters have last names taken from _Jabberwocky_.  Lots of psychedelic music and mod clothing; at the height of her fame, Redgrave wears hysterically outrageous wigs and outfits.  I thought the whole thing was fab and gear, baby.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Spike Jonze's _Her _(2013). Which for some reason I didn't see back then, though I'd seen his first three movies in the theater. I rather liked it. Was surprised not to find a thread about it on here.


----------



## Droflet

Yes, TC, a great movie.


----------



## dask

Whoops, sorry. Mistake.


----------



## Anthoney

I watched* The Book of Eli* last night.  Once you get past a weak plot and some overacting by the supporting case you're left with one fact.  Denzel makes a great badass.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*1984* (1956)

Decent version of the famous novel, but it can't hold a candle to the perfect 1984 version.  The early and late parts of the film convey Orwell's creation in spirit, if not always in letter.  (The opening credits modestly say the film is "freely adapted" from the book, but it's actually reasonably close.)  The middle suffers from a flat and sappy version of the forbidden love affair between Winston and Julia, complete with lush, romantic music in the background.  Edmond O'Brien is so-so as Winston, Jan Sterling is bland as Julia, Donald Pleasence is fine in a supporting role, and Michael Redgrave is excellent as this movie's version of O'Brien (renamed O'Connor, apparently to avoid confusion with the lead actor's name.)  It's odd that the two leading roles are played by Americans in a very British film.  Evidently made on a low budget, with a few interesting sets but otherwise with a rather flat look.  Like the 1954 animated adaptation of _Animal Farm_, this was secretly funded, at least in part, by the CIA.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Vulture* (1967)

It's remarkable that a movie could have such a ridiculous premise and yet be so dull that it provides almost no camp value.  This British/Canadian/American production mixes Gothic horror and science fiction in a particularly ludicrous way.  We start with a woman taking a bus, for reasons I never understood, to some place near a graveyard, which the driver helpfully describes as haunted.  Sure enough, when she gets there we see a tombstone rocking back and forth, which provides a few chuckles.  Something unseen comes out of the coffin, we hear the flapping of huge wings, the woman screams and faints.  Later she's in the hospital, her hair turned white from fright, claiming she saw a gigantic bird with a human head.  One of the many, many scenes of people talking gives us our back story.  It seems the grave contained the body of a guy who was buried alive for witchcraft centuries ago, along with some gold coins and the guy's pet vulture; a familiar, I suppose.  OK, so far we have a typical supernatural-revenge-from-beyond-the-grave plot, and making the undead sorcerer a half-vulture isn't as stupid an idea as some, if the movie just weren't so slow and boring.  It's gets really absurd when Science Guy shows up, and deduces, with no evidence whatsoever, that somebody used "nuclear transformation" to get teleported into the coffin, got mixed up with the buried vulture, somehow got influenced by the dead guy's curse on the descendants of those who buried him because sound remains forever in the ether, or some such nonsense, and is now going around killing folks.  Slowly.  There are exactly two murders by giant vulture with human head, and you only get a tiny glimpse of a couple of big fake-looking talons as they carry away the victim.  Eventually Science Guy figures out which of the film's red herrings has a generator and secret laboratory, and we get to see the villain dressed in a goofy bird suit.  (There's no explanation for the fact that there's a skeleton in the laboratory.  Maybe that's the dead guy, who got zapped there during all this teleportation and transmutation.)  The whole thing is like a really bad combination of any resurrected witch movie you care to name and *The Fly*.


----------



## Foxbat

I haven't been particularly impressed or enamoured by recent Marvel releases but have to admit I enjoyed Captain Marvel.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Womaneater* aka *The Woman Eater* (1958)
> 
> Low budget British mad scientist/monster movie, which combines an extremely ridiculous premise with a very serious attitude on the part of all involved.  Scientist goes to the Amazonian jungle to witness some "natives" sacrificing a young woman to a carnivorous plant.  The womaneater is a ludicrous fake tree with a bunch of puppet-style tentacles swishing around, obviously hand-operated by somebody behind the tree.  Five years later, scientist comes back to England with the womaneater and a "native" to bang on drums when he feeds local young women to it.  It seems that when the womaneater eats women, it produces some stuff that can revive the dead.  We get a scene where the scientist injects the stuff into what looks like a gigantic heart and it beats for a while.  Along for the fun are the scientist's ex-lover/housekeeper; a carnival hula dancer who gets a job with the scientist; and the dancer's auto mechanic boyfriend. Scientist falls in love with the dancer, ex-lover gets jealous, they fight, he kills her. Guess who gets the reviving stuff injected into her. There's a goofy twist ending, too.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The stuff revives the body but not the brain, so she comes back as a mindless zombie.


 I saw this turkey a few years ago. Lost in Space had better 'monsters'. The only saving grace is the fact that this is B&W, & the woman-eating plant is in the shadows for the most part.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Land of the Lost* (2009)

Transforms the quirky, imaginative Saturday morning children's science fiction adventure television series into a a lame parody.  The stunning special effects merely serve to point out how lame the comedy is.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*Spiderman Far From Home, *Not too shabby, however not his best. 6/10.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Saw *Green Book* last night.   I found it enjoyable.  Excellent performances by the two leads.  (Viggo didn't look even a tiny bit like Aragorn.)


----------



## Jeffbert

*The People Against O'Hara* (1951) Spencer Tracy as James Curtayne an alcoholic washed-up lawyer, who defends Johnny O'Hara (James Arness) accused of Murder. ST had been relegated to minor cases, but JA's family was destitute and begged for a favor from a friend. In court, it is evident that Tracy is not up to the task, but he refuses any help from court appointed lawyers.

As expected Arness is convicted. Yet, the story has a twist:


Spoiler



Before going to war, O'Hara was in love with the woman who eventually married his boss, Knuckles Lanzetta (Eduardo Ciannelli) and had still been involved with her. But there is more: there is a suitcase that had been scrutinized by the police, but actually had drugs sewn into it, and was still sought by the killer. Tracy becomes involved in a scheme to trap the killer, and is mortally wounded.



Supporting cast includes:

Det. Vincent Ricks (Pat O'Brien)
D.A. Louis Barra (John Hodiak)
Pete Korvac (William Campbell: "Trelane, put away your humans, wash your hands, and come to dinner!")
Angelo Korvac (Charles Bronson; billed as 'Buchinsky')
Jeff Chapman (Richard Anderson; better known for his role in the $6,000,000 Man, as Oscar Goldman)
Ginny (Diana Lynn; never heard of her before, but she started as a child actor)

I liked it, but apparently MGM was not thrilled by it. Muller's before and after was very informative, as usual.

*For All Mankind* (1989) TCM is showing moon themed films in celebration of the 1st Moon landing this month. Some guy went through miles and miles of film, to make this. I was about 10 when the event occurred. Everything since then, everything space-related has paled in comparison.  Anyway the film is for those interested in NASA, etc., and there is no NOIR here.

So, I watched the before & after comments on the other films that had them, but had seen *Countdown* (1968) no fewer than two times, *From the Earth to the Moon* (1958) and *First Men in the Moon* (1964) too many times to count. If I ever find the time, I would like to read the novels again. Actually I think First Men had neither before, nor after comments. 

Next week, 

8:00 PM
horror
*Time Machine, The* (1960)

8:00 PM
----------------------------------------------

10:00 PM

horror

*2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968)

-----------------------------
12:45 AM
horror

*Five Million Years To Earth* (1968)
---------------------

anything after these will likely lack the before & after comments.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Watched *The Matrix, *Twentieth anniversary on Thursday evening, I've never seen the film at the cinema only on DVD and Tablet. I was quite surprised that it didn't even feel dated and was an excellent watch. Never liked the sequels, the first is the best. 10/10. Not many films get that score often.


----------



## Jeffbert

*While the City Sleeps* (1956) Noir Alley; though Muller admits it just doesn't fit the genre as most others he had shown did.  This is one of my favorite Newspaper dramas, along with Five Star Final; not sure which is #1.  Star - studded cast; which Muller notes, is rare for Noir. 

Edward Mobley (Dana Andrews) works in a media giant Kyne that includes TV news, newspaper & wire service. Andrews does the TV part. Amos Kyne (Robert Warwick, not familiar with him) owns the business, but dies about 1/4 into the film, leaving son Walter (Vincent Price,  ) in charge. His wife, Dorothy (Rhonda Fleming) is being a naughty girl & having an affair. Dad dies immediate after editor Griffith (Thomas Mitchell) has already pasted news about a "lipstick killer" (John Drew Barrymore) as the main item on the front page, and is a bit upset to learn that papa's death is overshadowed by it. VP had not been brought into the business by papa, so he is unsure how to proceed. He starts a competition between his three top newsmen for a new position he has just created, for the guy who will run the business, seeing Price realizes he is not up to the task. 

Those three are George Sanders as Mark Loving, Wire-service guy; Thomas Mitchell as Jon Day Griffith, already noted that he is the Editor;  James Craig as Harry Kritzer (I cannot recall his post). 

Mobley's friend Lt. Kaufman (Howard Duff) gives him information with which he formulates a way of exposing the killer. He publicly identifies his age, hair color, physique, and the fact that he reads comic books. The guy is shown taken aback by these facts, but is enraged when Mobley calls him a "Mama's boy." Nancy Liggett (Sally Forrest) and Mildred Donner (Ida Lupino), the "Star writer" are used as pawns by the three competitors; in fact, SF, being engaged to marry Andrew's character, becomes bait used to catch him. Mobley too late realizes he should never have used his love as such.  

For me, the stars, most of whom are unfamiliar to me, were likely not as important as the story, with one exception VP. I think I would feel compelled to watch anything in which he appeared. 

Oh, Muller mentioned the anti-comic book movement that existed at the time, and the fact that in the novel it was based upon, the killer read the Bible.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bohemian Rhapsody *(2018)

Well made and well acted, of course, but I couldn't help thinking this was just a modern version of an old-fashioned Hollywood musical biopic, complete with a montage of concert scenes with the names of cities flying by, and the scene where the composer comes up with a melody on the piano that goes on to become the basis of the big hit song.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Not Very Enlightened, Not Very Funny Gay-Themed Comedies From the Vietnam Era Triple Feature:

*The Gay Deceivers *(1969):  A couple of straight guys avoid the draft by pretending to be gay.  Because a military officer keeps a constant watch on them, a development that seems very unlikely, they move into an apartment together in a gay neighborhood.  Sitcom complications ensue.  It's all pretty bland and lame, not even managing to be offensive, despite its gay stereotypes and occasional use of derogatory terms for gay men.  There's a really stupid scene where one of the straight guys, at a costume party full of gay men, many in drag, picks up what he thinks is a woman but isn't.  There's no possible way this guy could have made this mistake, given the situation, so the intended comedy falls completely flat.  The whole thing seems like an extended television skit.

*Staircase* (1969):  Famously heterosexual actors Rex Harrison and Richard Burton star as a couple of aging gay men who have been together for thirty years.  Burton wears a large bandage wrapped around his head for almost the entire film, to hide his bald head.  Harrison is going to have to go to court on criminal charges because he dressed up in drag at a nightclub as a joke.  That's it for plot, really.  Most of the film is the two bickering with each other.  Lots of dialogue that thinks it clever but isn't.  There are also some uncomfortable scenes of Burton taking care of his very elderly, bedridden mother.  Overall, a depressing experience.

*The Pink Angels* (1971):  Low budget weirdness about a group of gay bikers on their way to a drag party.  Starts off in confusing fashion, with a scene from what seems to be a drag party, which turns into a freeze frame as we hear the words "party" chanted over and over.  Then we cut to a military officer driving up to a mansion.  Scenes of this officer, which seem to be from some other movie entirely, alternate with scenes of the Pink Angels on their way.  The Pink Angels look like typical macho bikers, but when other people aren't watching they suddenly speak in high, lisping voices and mince around.  Not much happens.  They pick up a hitchhiker, he runs away when he realizes they're gay, they have a food fight, the cops stop them and find out they're carrying women's undergarments, they run into straight bikers and they all party with some prostitutes, the Pink Angels get the straight guys drunk and put dresses and makeup on them, the Pink Angels go shopping for women's clothing, the straight bikers show up when the Pink Angels are in extremely unconvincing drag and stupidly think they're women, so the get drunk and get put in dresses and makeup again.  Lots of padding and scenes that go nowhere, and quite a bit of wildly inappropriate soft folk-rock music on the soundtrack.  The seemingly unrelated scenes of the military officer, played for extremely broad political satire, come together with the silly antics of the Pink Angels for the Shocking Twist Ending: 



Spoiler



We see all the Pink Angels hanging dead from a tree.  It's a bizarre sudden change in mood, not in keeping with anything else in the film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Witches' Brew* (1980)

Third adaptation of Fritz Leiber's classic novel _Conjure Wife_, and it doesn't even have the decency to give the great fantasist on-screen credit.  The first version, *Weird Woman* (1944), was a passable low budget B movie.  The second, *Burn Witch Burn *AKA* Night of the Eagle *(1962) was very good.  This one is the worst of the three.  It's also trying to be a comedy, at least some of the time.  The basic plot is the same.  College professor discovers his wife practices witchcraft to protect him and makes her get rid of her magic stuff.  Bad stuff happens to him, and there's a life-and-death struggle with another witch.  Poorly written, poorly directed -- they had to call in a second director for "additional sequences," which partly explains why this is such a mess --, poorly acted, and with jarring changes in mood from silly to serious.  Includes a sequence in which bad special effects show a demon hatching out of a huge concrete egg, which has nothing to do with the rest of the story.  An example of the film's incoherence is the fact that, early in the movie, the professor (Richard Benjamin) allows his wife (Teri Garr) to smear his body with bat guano, cat urine, lamb's blood, and feathers -- comedy! -- waits outside for hours until sunrise, then goes inside to shower, even though he was warned this would break the spell, since he dismisses all this as nonsense. Why did he go through with it, then? Lana Turner appears in her last movie role -- she'd go on to do a little television -- as the evil witch, out to transfer her soul into Garr's body.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Eyes of the Mummy* (1918)

Silent German melodrama.  Don't expect a walking mummy; the title refers to a very minor incident that has nothing to do with the main plot.  Pola Negri is a young Egyptian woman held as a slave by her fellow countryman Emil Jannings, wearing extremely dark makeup.  Our young hero rescues her and takes her to Europe, where she becomes a sensation with her "oriental" dancing, which of course looks more like modern ballet.  With bare midriff and tight trousers, she's also pretty sexy for 1918.  Jennings is also taken to Europe, as a servant for some other guy, and tracks down Negri, leading to the final, tragic tableau.  Even at an hour long, it often drags.  The hero is bland, but Negri and Jennings make strong impressions, in that old-fashioned silent movie way.  It's hard to believe that this was directed by Ernst Lubitsch, soon to be known for the "Lubitsch touch" in light comedies.  Of some historical interest.


----------



## Jeffbert

A few sci-fi films, the most  infamous 1st:

*Santa Claus Conquers the Martians* (1964) Was it really 1964? I was barely 6 years old, but I vaguely recall the commercial for this turkey. I wanted to see it, soooo badly!  

One fine day, the Martian kiddies are as usual studying their lessons. All school, no concept of play time. But the kids, Bomar & Girmar are not happy, to say the least. So, the daddy, who also happens to be the supreme leader of Mars, decides to take action, but what action?

Abduct Santa Claus from Earth, and bring him to Mars, to make toys for the Martian children. Reasoning that Earth has had him long enough, now Mars should benefit from his presence.  

There was the old [what is it called?] deal with newspapers of many languages being piled one upon another, difficult to [print screen] of all, but I think I did rather well:

     
Ahhh! only allowed to attach 10 files!

But there is one Martian bigwig who opposes the idea, on the grounds that toys and playtime are frivolous, etc. He makes several attempts to sabotage Kimar (King Martian)'s plans. Two Earth kids are caught and also brought to Mars. 


*12 to the Moon* (1960) Where had this been, all my life? TCM showed it along with other moon-oriented films for the celebration of the Apollo Moon landing's 50th anniversary. 

An international Space organization selects 12 scientists from various nations and several races to be the 1st on the Moon, and claim it for all Earth, lest some one nation claim it for itself. During flight, there are conflicts between the Russian (Tom Conway, & the only name I recognized) and Polish scientist and An Israeli and a German, all centered on WWII.  The Israeli & the German make-up, later, after the German suffers a mild heart attack, and, during his period of senselessness, utters the fact that he had changed his name from an infamous one to another one.  The standard space flight dangers make the travel time more interesting. 

Also, an interesting alternative to showering with water, "Cleaned by ultrasound and massaged by air spray jets."


The spaceship will use chemical fuel to launch itself, but, once outside Earth's atmosphere, will use nuclear propulsion. 

Of note, this film uses a unique solution to the problem of glare on the space helmets' visors' obstructing views of the faces. Just use a force field instead! I recall a noteworthy example of this problem in *1st Spaceship on Venus*.  There was a scene with a black guy, and because of the visor, all you could see of his face, were his teeth. Not a problem with *12 to the Moon! *

The space ship is the classic design, several decks with a central ladder connecting them. It appears to have a much greater diameter inside, than out. The innards of the ship appear mostly to be devices and such sitting upon tables. There are lounge recliners that would be seen at poolside on Earth, but here, they are so out of place on a spaceship! Note the oscilloscope at far right; obviously not an integral part of the place it sits upon.  



 I guess their budget was spent on other things!

One of the best, and likely least known quicksand death occurs here, as one Astronaut is swallowed by a pit of pumice dust. About 5 or 6 other vainly attempt to extract him, while he begs them to to become stuck also. 

There are two guys in the pit, and the 2nd one is extracted, after becoming as sunken as the 1st guy had been when the others had reached him. Don't know why they could not pull the 1st guy out, esp. with 1/6 of Earth's gravity. 

That guy is still alive, assuming the force field covering his face protects from positive external pressure as well as vacuums. 

The Lunar surface is covered with slabs of safe to tread upon areas, separated by chasms. Meteors frequents bombard the Moon, causing danger to the Astronauts. 

The ending was weird, as North America had been solid by the Moon people; who had then restored the Earth, seeing the Astronaut's willingness to self-sacrifice.  Interesting, I might watch it again, if ever I can find it.


*Star Trek: The Motion Picture*  (1979) So, I watched a documentary about Nimoy a few weeks ago, in which he noted this film's obsessive use of sfx, to the point where all other elements were secondary.  I watched this on Prime, and by chance discovered an information pull-down thingy on the left edge, that was annoyingly distracting. How could I just sit there, watching, when there might be relevant trivia available?

Last time I saw this was 1979 or early 1980. At the time, I mourned that there was no conflict between the Klingons & the Federation guys.  Plenty of conflict between crew members, though. Recently, I watched TOS' *Balance of Terror*, based upon old WWII surface ship Vs. U-Boat films. That had the conflict I had expected from this film; which, sadly, it lacked. If not for my expectations not being met, I suppose I would have enjoyed it more. My recent viewing was a bit more satisfying, as I enjoyed laughing at certain 'dumb' parts.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rock Baby -- Rock It* (1957)

Ultra-low budget musical drama with a tiny shred of plot and tons of songs.  The production values are minimal and the acting is atrocious.  The music, however, is mostly pretty good, consisting of rockabilly, doo-wop, and the like.  The biggest name among the acts, all from the Dallas area, is Johnny Carroll, an Elvis type who really rocks.  Some oddities among the many acts are a group with a live chicken on their piano; a pair of identical twins in their early teens who sing in an weird, hiccuping style, somewhat like a strange version of the Everly Brothers; and The Cell Block Seven, who wear horizontally striped convict shirts and play a combination of rockabilly and Dixieland jazz.  The female lead does a bizarre dance at the end, which looks like somebody imitating a cat in modern dance style.  The story, such as it is, concerns some gangsters (played by professional wrestlers) who want to take over a rock 'n' roll club, so the youngsters put on a concert to raise the money they need to keep the place.  There's some amusing dialogue, such as when an adult looks at a couple of kids dancing and says "Are they married?"  This exchange threw me for a loop:

GUY:  I'm going out for a malt.  Can I get anything?

GIRL:  Sure.  Two cents of humor.  No one should be without.

(That's what I think she says.  I guess it's a pun on "sense" of humor, but it baffles me.)


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*She Freak* (1967)

Cheap little film about a waitress at a cheap little diner who leaves her job to work as a waitress at a cheap little traveling carnival.  That doesn't seem like upward mobility to me, but what do I know.  Anyway, she marries the guy who runs the freak show because he has some money, while carrying on with the handsome, penniless guy who runs the Ferris wheel.  This leads to murder and the shocking ending, stolen directly from *Freaks* (1932).  (Unlike that infamous shocker, this one doesn't feature any real freaks.)   Much of the running time is taken up with scenes of a real carnival, adding a sort of documentary feel.  The plot doesn't kick in until very late in the film, so it's mostly a dull affair.  Surprisingly, the acting is adequate.  (Interesting bit of trivia:  The leading lady met the very short man who played Cousin Itt on the set, and had a romantic relationship with him until her untimely death less than ten years later, even bearing his child.)


----------



## Vince W

*Alien* (1979) - Still almost perfect after forty years. I don't know how many times I've watched and John Hurt's death still makes me cringe in sympathy.

Followed this up with the six 40th anniversary shorts *Alien: Specimen, Alien: Containment, Alien: Alone, Alien: Ore, Alien: Night Shift, *and *Alien: Harvest*.

All six were very good and worthy of inclusion in the Alien universe. If you haven't had a chance to see them you should seek them out.


----------



## Vince W

Half of *Aquaman*. Think all the worst bits of The Phantom Menace only not as charming or as witty. It's utter kack.

This really worries me about Villeneuve's inclusion of Momoa in his version of Dune.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*World on a Wire* (_Welt am Draht_, 1973)

Made for German television as a two-part miniseries by the noted director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, adapted from the novel _Simulacron-3_ aka _Counterfeit World _(1964) by Daniel F. Galouye.  It follows the plot of the book pretty closely.  Deals with a simulated reality, populated by artificial persons, designed to predict human reactions to various conditions.  The scientist in charge of the project dies in what seems to be an accident after he claims to know a vital secret.  His successor is told about this, but not what the secret is, by a security chief, who then simply vanishes into thin air.  Things get a lot more complicated after that.  The concept requires a lot of expository talk, and may be confusing to those who have not read the novel, as I did not too long ago.  Even during all this talk, however, the film remains visually striking.  It has a very cool look, with lots of black, white, gray, silver, and blue.  It reminds me, in a certain way, of Kubrick.  Notable for many scenes involving mirrors, or windows that serve as mirrors.  Recommended.


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## AlexH

Films I've seen recently, from my favourites descending:

*Warrior *(2011)
An excellent sports drama with the right mix of action and drama. The lead actors were excellent.

*The Third Man* (1949)
A fantastic film.

*Mad Max: Fury Road* (2015)
It didn't appeal to me, but I decided to watch it considering it's highly rated, and it didn't disappoint. I would've liked more backstory on the two main characters, but the visuals and relentless action were good fun.

*Spider-Man: Far from Home* (2019)
I didn't find Jake Gyllenhaal totally convincing (he is one of my favourite actors) but thought this was a good start to the next phase with well-placed humour.

*Glass *(2019)
I only saw Unbreakable for the first time recently, so wanted to watch Glass when I realised it was part of the trilogy.

Glass was entertaining and satisfying enough, but didn't reach the potential I thought it had.

*Qué tan lejos *(How Much Further) (2006)
An Ecuadorian film about 3 people who meet on a journey to a town they need to reach for varying reasons. It was good to learn more about Ecuador and nice to see the friendships on the road.

*12 Years a Slave* (2013)
A good, rather than great film. A very difficult watch at times - I don't think I've seen such an unflinching portrayal of slavery before so in that sense it's an important film.

*To Be or Not to Be* (1942)
I expected more after the opening Hitler scenes - it was good but not as funny as I expected. I may have found who was who a little confusing at times.

*Flirting with Disaster* (1996)
The ridiculous premise (a guy (Ben Stiller) trying to find his birth parents, but finding the wrong ones) was entertaining, but there wasn't much to laugh out loud at.

*Youth *(2015)
I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood for this. The cast was excellent (Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keital...) and there were moments I thought I usually would have found funny, but I didn't get into it and it was one of those films that mostly felt like a waste of 2 hours.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Candle for the Devil* (1973)

This Spanish shocker doesn't waste any time.  Two middle-aged sisters run an inn in a small town.  One of their guests is a young woman who sunbathes in a bikini, drawing the attention of a bunch of young men.  The older sister lectures her on her shamelessness and orders her to leave, pushing her down a flight of stairs and into a stained glass window, killing her.  The younger sister thinks it was just a horrible accident, the older one calls it the will of God.  Only five minutes of the film have gone by.  Older sister is, by far, the more dominant one, so she convinces younger sister to help her dispose of the body.  Right away, the victim's sister shows up, expecting to find her there.  They tell her she left that morning.  Pretty soon another guest shows up, a young woman who wears either tiny shorts or tiny miniskirts, so you know she's the next victim.  Later a young woman traveling with a baby and no husband arrives, so it's no surprise that she's next on the list.  Having good reasons to be suspicious, the first victim's sister begins her own investigation, with the help of a local man who agrees to pretend to be her husband.  The basic outline makes it sound like a typical murder movie, but there are other aspects to it.  As severely puritanical as the older sister seems to be, we also have a scene where she puts on a pretty dress, not at all like the drab outfits she usually wears, given to her by the man who left her at the altar, and lifts the hem to admire her own legs in stockings.  The younger, saner sister has an affair with a handsome man about twenty years younger than herself; good for her!  Besides the obvious theme of sexual repression, there's also religious fanaticism, which must have been pretty daring in Franco's Spain.  The final scenes create a great deal of suspense.  Good acting by the two sisters.  Also exists in a severely edited, much shorter version, under the title *It Happened at Nightmare Inn*.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Vampire and the Ballerina *(_L'amante del vampiro_, 1960)

Not to be confused with *The Playgirls and the Vampire *(_L'ultima preda del vampiro_), although the two films have a lot in common.  Both black-and-white Italian movies, made the same year, with a troupe of female dancers facing a vampire played by the same actor.  Both serve old-fashioned chills with a thick slab of cheesecake.

Our ballerinas (who dance a lot more like strippers) are, for some strange reason, staying at the home of "the professor," an older gentleman, while they work on their routines.  A young woman who lives in the village gets attacked by an ugly-looking vampire.  In a scene stolen directly from the classic film *Vampyr* (1932), she is placed, seemingly dead, in a coffin with a sort of window over her face, and the procession to the cemetery is filmed from her point of view.  Meanwhile, two of the dancers and the boyfriend of one of them are caught in a rainstorm and wind up at an old castle, supposedly uninhabited.  They meet a woman in clothing from many centuries past, who happens to look exactly like the woman in a painting just as old.  There's also her male servant living in the place.  The relationship between these two is the most unusual and interesting part of the plot.  Other than that, typical vampire stuff.  Very nice cinematography and some beautiful locations, including a gorgeous waterfall and a real castle, contrast strongly with the amusing dance routines, which combine acrobatics, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and burlesque.  Worth a look for fans of spaghetti Gothic.


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## tegeus-Cromis

Just saw *Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. *I rather loved it. It has a strange similarity, that I haven't seen anyone comment upon, with *The Life of Brian*. Just with a happier ending. 

Slightly more seriously, many of the critiques of it on the internet don't seem to get the fact that it's basically a SFF movie -- more specifically, alternate history.


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## REBerg

*Machete*
Totally expected over-the-top violence; totally unexpected relevance to today's headlines.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Let's Rock* (1958)

Julius LaRosa, a popular crooner of ballads, stars as Tommy Adane, a popular crooner of ballads.  His last record hasn't done very well, because those darn kids are listening to rock 'n' roll.  Eventually, his manager (Conrad Janis) and a songwriter (Phyllis Newman) convince him to record a rock 'n roll number.  Meanwhile, romance blooms between LaRosa and Newman.  That's it for the plot, but of course we're here for the music.  For a rock 'n' roll film, it's a very mixed bag, with LaRosa crooning some ballads before he succumbs to rock 'n' roll, and Della Reese knocking it out of the park with a bluesy torch song.  Then there's a very young Paul Anka, looking rather awkward; future game show host Wink Martindale trying hard to convince me he's a rock 'n' roll singer; and a lot of other folks.  By far, the most famous songs on the soundtrack are the teasing novelty song "Short Shorts" and the smash hit "At the Hop," which is still a lively little number, even though the guys singing it are all wearing conservative business suits.  LaRosa and Newman seem natural and likable in their roles.  There are three young guys who hang around LaRosa, doing odd jobs for him, who seem to be intended as comedy relief, but they hardly do anything at all, which is probably all to the good.  I did get a kick out of one of the guys claiming he's been offered the lead role in *I Was a Teenage Vampire*, which is a film which really should have existed at the time.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Impulse* (1974)

Lousy little crime/psycho killer movie, which would be entirely forgettable if it were not for the presence of William Shatner, giving an outrageous performance at the nadir of his post-Kirk career.  We start with a prologue set near the end of World War Two.  A young boy witnesses some guy in a uniform making out and then getting violent with his mother, so he kills the soldier with a Japanese sword that happens to be sitting around.  Cut to the present, as Shatner watches a belly dancer under the opening credits, which go on for quite a while.  Outside the nightclub, Shatner smooches on the belly dancer.  Another woman sees him, and they argue about it.  It seems she's been paying all the bills for him.  During the fight Shatner freaks out and strangles her, then dumps her car in the nearby water with her body in it.  Cut to a young widow and her really obnoxious daughter.  Not much later, Shatner nearly runs over the brat, because she's standing right in the middle of the road, waiting for somebody to give her a ride to the cemetery, so she can talk to her father's grave.  Pretty soon Shatner is romancing the young widow, as well as trying to con her older friend (Ruth Roman) with some kind of investment scam.  The guy who played Oddjob in *Goldfinger* shows up, wanting money from Shatner.  Shatner tries to hang him at a car wash, Oddjob cuts himself down, runs through the car wash with all the soap and water blasting away, Shanter runs him over.  The brat sees this, and the rest of the movie turns into one of those plots where a kid witnesses a murder but nobody believes it.  Another killing happens, the kid sees it again, and we get our action-packed (at least compared with the movie's dull stretches) ending.  The whole thing somehow manages to be both slow and jumpy.  Shatner's outfits are eye-blazing even for the 1970's, and his wild overacting has to be seen to be believed.


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## Toby Frost

*Heartlands* (2002)

Colin, a mild and slightly simple man, discovers that his wife is having an affair with a member of his darts team. When the team travels to Blackpool, England, for a championship, Colin drives up there to win her back. On the way, he meets various eccentric characters, who change his outlook on life.

This must be the most innocuous road movie ever. The scenes of Colin riding his moped through the northern English countryside are beautiful (and weirdly reminiscent of the road section of _28 Days Later_!), and the direction is very good. Michael Sheen (perhaps best known as Tony Blair in _The Queen_) is amiable and sympathetic and I laughed out loud several times. The cast, including Ruth Jones, James Corden and Mark Strong, do a good job, even if some of the road incidents are almost magic-realist in their oddness. It might be a bit too pedestrian and gentle for some tastes, but it's just on the right side of being mushy, and is genuinely sad at points.


----------



## REBerg

*Bright*
Humans and Orcs and Elves in LA? Oh, my!
I didn't expect this combination to work, but it does. Hardcore Tolkien fans might find it even more enjoyable.
"You speak Elvish?"
"I took two years in high school."


----------



## J Riff

_Impulse,_ yes, it's as lousy/great as Victoria describes...and btw, _Dunkirk _is not a biography of Shatner.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

_Gialli _With Heroines Named Kitty Double Feature:

*The Red Queen Kills Seven Times* (1972) (_La dama rossa uccide sette volte_, "the red lady kills seven times"; amusingly, the computer translates this as "the redhead kills seven times.")

Starts off with two little sisters, blonde Kitty and black-haired Evelyn, fighting over a doll.  Evelyn steals it from Kitty, runs into the huge castle where they live with their wheelchair-bound grandfather, grabs a convenient dagger, stabs the doll, decapitates it, then gets in a knockdown fight with Kitty.  This all happens in front of a creepy painting showing two women in clothing of centuries ago, one stabbing the other.  Evelyn explains that she gets a funny feeling when she sees the painting.  Grandfather calms things down surprisingly easily by telling the two kids about the legend behind the painting.  Long, long ago, one sister killed the other by stabbing her seven times.  The victim rose from the dead and killed seven people, her sister being the last.  She also comes back once every century to kill seven more victims.  Nice nightmare material for the children, I'm sure.  Grandfather has a servant remove the painting and destroy it, which he probably should have done years ago.

Flash forward to fourteen years later, just when (you guessed it) it's time for the centennial murders to happen again.  We see Grandfather, not looking a day older, with his blonde adult granddaughter.  It took me a while to figure out that this was _not _Kitty, but a third sister we hadn't seen yet, Francesca.  We learn that Kitty is still around, too, but that Evelyn went to America.  In the first of the film's many, many plot twists, we quickly find out that this is a lie.  Kitty accidentally killed Evelyn during one of what must be many of their violent fights, and Francesca helped her hide the body in the family crypt.  All of this is just the setup for the real plot, which begins when a figure in a red cape with long black hair walks into Grandfather's room at night with a dagger.  Could this really be *The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave*?  (That's the director's previous film; apparently he had a thing for women named Evelyn seeming to rise from the dead.)  Amazingly for a _giallo_, Grandfather doesn't get stabbed, but dies from fright.  More killings follow and red herrings abound in a remarkably complicated plot.  It's nicely filmed, with good use of color, and requires careful watching to follow the convoluted story.  (One clue as to the way in which things get tangled is the fact that the film features_ more_ than seven killings.)

*Death Carries a Cane* (1973) (_Passi di danza su una lama di rasoio_, "dance steps on a razor blade," which is a better title.)

This time Kitty is a photographer.  She looks through one of those telescopes you put a coin into to see the view and witnesses somebody, all dressed in black, stab a woman to death.  The killer, still impossible to identify, then leaves the place in a hurry, knocking over a guy who sells chestnuts.  We soon find out there was another, unseen murder earlier, both with bloodstains left indicating the killer walked with a cane.  Pretty quickly the chestnut guy gets killed.  Kitty's boyfriend becomes the prime suspect for a variety of circumstantial reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he sprained his ankle and walks with a limp.  More killings follow, of course.  Pretty implausible complications ensue, even for this genre.  The cops have Kitty pretend to be a streetwalker in an attempt to catch the killer, Kitty and boyfriend play amateur detectives and investigate the dance academy that has something to do with the killings, one character has an identical twin sister who uses a cane, the chief of police uses a cane, etc.  The revelation of the murderer and the motive, even for a _giallo_, come out of nowhere.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just saw on Netflix *20th Century Women *(Mike Mills, 2016). A melancholy comedy-drama set in 1979 California, where the last traces of hippie culture meet punk and rising new wave, not to mention second-wave feminism. I found it lovely and moving. Critics seem to have particularly liked Annette Bening in it, but I thought Greta Gerwig was even better (and I usually find her kind of grating, in her more twee movies).


----------



## Vince W

*The Mummy* (2017). This film took a lot of flak but I was pleasantly surprised. The story was pretty good, the acting was well done by all involved, and it never took itself too seriously. This film was supposed to kick off a new series but did so poorly that it never got going. That's a shame as it was enjoyable and worthy of sequels. I think if it had been anyone other than Tom Cruise in the lead it probably would have gotten a better reception.


----------



## J Riff

*Dark Age *1987 - the 'Numanwari' -- giant saltwater Aussie crocs of legend- are active and act in this rather good Aussie Croc flick. Not just another Jaws plotline, pretty good mate. Got some real croc talk, this one does.


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## tegeus-Cromis

Just saw *Magnolia *(Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999). What an extraordinary movie. I loved it. Both profoundly human, about hurt and forgiveness (or the impossibility thereof), and a musically flowing three-hour cinematic poem, perfectly constructed formally.


----------



## Starbeast

(2018)​


As usual, I don't give away any spoilers, unless someone asks me. A Spider-Man Pop Tart would work too.  Mmm, berry flavored.

Any-who.....I saw this movie today. I LOVED IT!!! It was tough to dodge the adverts, but when I saw this gem, I felt Marvelous. I highly recommend this animated film to all Spider-Man fans.


Movies Re-watched

JAWS

The Omega Man

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Mystery Science Theater 3000: _Price of Space_

MST3K: _Earth vs the Spider_


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## BigBadBob141

Just re-watched "The Girl With All The Gifts", outstanding horror film, based on a very clever idea!


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## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> ...
> Movies Re-watched
> 
> JAWS
> 
> The Omega Man
> 
> The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
> 
> Mystery Science Theater 3000: _Price of Space_
> 
> MST3K: _Earth vs the Spider_


*The Omega Man* featured Anthony Zerbe; who, portrayed villain Abner Devereaux in _Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park! _ Why would Wikipedia put that in the 1st paragraph for Zerbe?   Anyway, I find C. Heston's films very much to my liking, especially the sci-fi ones. This is one of my favorites, having elements I find very entertaining. The one guy fighting against all odds, etc. 

I saw *Earth Vs. the Spider* many times, but not the MST3K version.  I do not think these 50s sci-fi / horror films even need such treatment, I find them funny enough without it. 

*Fort Apache* (1948) Capt. Kirby York (John Wayne) is the commanding officer of the fort until Lt. Col. Owen Thursday (Henry Fonda) arrives from the East. HF has his own ways of doing things, and resents JW's suggestions. JW, having the experience of years at that fort, etc., is at a loss for HF's insistence of disregarding his experience. 

 I rarely watch Westerns, but was drawn to this one by its cast. Supporting characters/cast include Sgt. Festus Mulcahy (Victor McLaglen), who is usually boozing and is one of the most likable characters.  Capt. Wilkens, regimental surgeon (Guy Kibbee), who, in my experience always plays a jovial type character. Sgt. Major Michael O'Rourke  (Ward Bond); This guy has such a plain face, that I hardly recognized him. Miss Philadelphia Thursday  (Shirley Temple); Lt. Michael Shannon  O'Rourke (John Agar); along with others, whose names I do not recognize. 

The Apaches have fled the reservation, and gone into Mexico, because Silas Meacham (Grant Withers), a Government agent had been abusive toward them, though his duty was toward them. HF, as a stuffed shirt by the book guy, decides that despite GW's abusive treatment of the Apaches, he will force them to return to the reservation. Further, he has contempt for the Apaches, believing that a treaty with savages, as he call them, holds them to their side of the deal, while the U.S., has no obligation to fulfill its own obligations, under the treaty. 

The obligatory romantic element is between ST and JA (who were actually man & wife).  But, because JA took ST out for a ride without getting papa's consent. papa Fonda forbids JA to speak to his daughter. But papa's constant disregarding of JW's field experience will soon free his daughter from his domination. 

As Westerns go, I found that element somewhat too much to believe. I was never military, but even without such experience, it seems to me, that John Ford, who directed this film, made that one element abundantly clear. HF was foolishly disregarding JW's experience with the area, the Apaches, and everything else outside his own experience.


----------



## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> *The Omega Man* featured Anthony Zerbe; who, portrayed villain Abner Devereaux in _Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park! _ Why would Wikipedia put that in the 1st paragraph for Zerbe?   Anyway, I find C. Heston's films very much to my liking, especially the sci-fi ones. This is one of my favorites, having elements I find very entertaining. The one guy fighting against all odds, etc.
> 
> I saw *Earth Vs. the Spider* many times, but not the MST3K version.  I do not think these 50s sci-fi / horror films even need such treatment, I find them funny enough without it.





_The Omega Man_ has so many messages in it, purely a product of it's time. An outstanding cast shine in this thought-provoking film.

_Earth vs the Spider_ is such a great 50's monster flick. But, when MST3K played this movie, in one of the episodes, it was a treat. Yes, it made me LOL.


----------



## hitmouse

Just rewatched Little Miss Sunshine for the first time in many years. I had forgotten just how subversive and side-splittingly funny this film is. One of the best endings of any film.


----------



## Jeffbert

I myself, just watched *Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm* (1938); my 1st time seeing it.  

As much as I prefer months other than August & February because TCM's normal routine is interrupted, I did record about 10 films already this month. Though, I can hardly wait for September, and the return of NOIR ALLEY, MGM cartoons Sat. mornings at 8, and Popeye at 10. Not to forget the serials that run sometime between 8 and 10. Currently, though interrupted for Aug., is a Lionel Atwill serial,  in which he is the villain.  Also stars Keye Luke, best known as Master Po (in the series Kung Fu).

*THIEVES' HIGHWAY* (1949) 2ND VIEWING of this film, fortunately, I forgot most of the details. This is not the typical noir, as it has no criminals planning a heist, etc. Instead, Nico Garcos (Richard Conte) returns home, bearing gifts for his family, including papa, for whom he has brought a new pair of shoes. But, papa lost his legs in a trucking accident, for which RC blames Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb), who runs a distribution business at the big city, which purchases the produce from the truck drivers/owners, but always gives them a bad deal. 

AS another man currently has papa's truck, Nico goes to demand it from him, but ends up partnering with him. Ed Kinney (Millard Mitchell) has a deal already in the works, and just needs to make the delivery of apples to the big city to get the money to buy truck from RC's family. Kinney also has a 2nd truck, but it is in very poor condition, he will drive the clunker, while Garcos drives the good truck. Two others truckers try to pry their way into the deal, but, failing, they decide to follow the junky truck just for laughs, expecting it to break down. Slob (Jack Oakie, who, except for this film, I have only seen in the short films that TCM uses as fillers between scheduled films).



Spoiler



Most of the drama occurs during the drive to the big city, including a flat tire, and break failure on the junky truck, which causes it to lose control, crash and burn, killing Kinney.  Garcos is unaware of his death, which occurs after he sells his load to Figlia, and somehow gets a fair price for the produce. But, Figlia is not happy, and sends henchmen out to rob Garcos. But the end is even more unexpected. 

Sorry, I omitted the two women in the story, one was engaged to Garcos, and travelled to the city, expecting to find him a wealthy man. Upon finding him beaten and broke, she forsakes him. The other woman, who Figlia had paid to distract Garcos while Figlia unloaded his truck and sold it, ends up as Garcos' new love.


Too much I must omit, or spend all day writing this!

Noir Alley's final film of July, and as usual, Muller does a thorough job of giving details.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Tomb of Torture* (_Metempsyco_, 1963)

Dull and confusing Italian chiller.  Starts with two young women wandering around a spooky old castle.  They discover a woman living there, see a portrait of a Countess who disappeared twenty years ago, get captured by a giggling, facially deformed guy dressed in rags, and are dragged to a torture chamber to be killed.  Another young woman, her father, and some guy in a turban show up.  It seems she looks exactly like the Countess and has surreal dreams of her death.  Arriving at the castle is supposed to help, in some obscure way.  The ghost of the Countess shows up from time to time.  Lots of skulking through the castle, lots of screaming.  Meanwhile, our comedy relief hero shows up in his old-time automobile.  (I had a really hard time trying to figure out when this thing was supposed to take place.  It looks like the 19th century, the early 20th century, and the middle of the 20th century, all at once.)  To the accompaniment of "funny" music, he accidentally comes upon her skinny dipping.  Almost instantly, they fall in love.  Eventually, there's a big, dramatic scene at the end, and a few things are explained, sort of.   For die-hard spaghetti Gothic addicts only.


----------



## Jeffbert

Interesting stuff, these foreign horror films. 

*I Met Him in Paris* (1937) Kay Denham (Claudette Colbert) pursued by her self-appointed fiancee, takes an ocean cruise to Paris. While en-route, she meets both  George Potter (Melvyn Douglas) and Gene Anders (Robert Young), who immediately attempt to win her love. Douglas acts as chaperone, while also attempting to woo her. The three go here, there, etc., enjoying each others' company, etc., until quite unexpectedly, Young's wife shows up. CC is angry with him, as is expected, but he finally gets the chance to tell CC that his wife is going to give him a divorce.  Not good enough, though. She wants nothing to do with him. 

Douglas gets the girl in the end. This was one of many TCM showed on a day devoted to Douglas' films. Very entertaining comedy/romance.


----------



## WaylanderToo

not (strictly speaking) genre but so far-fetched as to impinge on scifi - Hobbs and Shaw. By all metrics it's a sh*t film, in the same way that Bond films are - but it is fun, and as such (a brain out exercise) I really enjoyed it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Roger Corman's Version of Early Twentieth Century History Double Feature:

*The St. Valentine's Day Massacre *(1967)

Documentary style retelling of the war between the Al Capone and Bugs Moran gangs, leading up to the infamous mass murder of the title. Every time a character of any importance is introduced, the narrator tells us his date and place of birth, criminal record, and so on. And there are a _lot_ of characters, along with a complex plot that involves elaborate schemes on the part of both gangs to wipe each other out. Corman works for the first time for a major studio, and with a bigger budget that usual, so we have some real stars (Jason Robards as Capone, Ralph Meeker as Moran) as well as some stars-to-be, a bunch of familiar character actors, and folks who appeared in other Corman films. Not always convincing in its period details, although it tries hard. Creates the feeling that blind fate is directing events, as the massacre misses its intended target (Moran) and some of those killed were just people in the wrong place at the wrong time. A bit dry at times, like a history lesson, but also bloody at times.

*Von Richthofen and Brown* (1971)

Corman once again works with a decent budget for a big studio. Unlike the other film, this one doesn't make any claim to historical accuracy, as it tells a highly fictionalized story of the Red Baron and the Canadian pilot who was credited with shooting him down. (Modern historians generally agree that he was actually killed by anti-aircraft fire from the ground.) Shows the careers of the title characters in parallel, contrasting the romantic, aristocratic Von Richthofen (John Phillip Law) with the cynical, scruffy Brown (Don Stroud.) Lots of very nice aerial combat scenes, as the battles change from knights of the air in chivalrous combat to total war.


----------



## Toby Frost

*To Live And Die In LA* (1984)

A US Secret Service agent (William Petersen) tries to defeat a murderous counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) in 1980s LA. 

What a weird film this is. It's incredibly cheesy and dated, the dialogue is often unintentionally funny (the audience were cracking up and so was I), and so many of the plot elements are either tired or make little sense. There's a naive rookie who does everything by the book, a tough lead who breaks the rules, and an old cop who has only three days to go before he retires (you can guess how well that works out). Everything is so over the top and charged that there's a sense that anyone, at any time, might just get naked or have a car chase or both. 

However, the shots of the city and many of the action scenes are really good. It's as though a very talented foreign director decided to make a film about those crazy Americans, based only on other cop dramas (it's by William Friedkin, who made _The Exorcist _and_ The French Connection_). Would I recommend it? I'm not sure. I found it very entertaining.


----------



## TGStigmata

Just saw Toy Story 4. Definitely my favorite of the series. Very emotional and lots of deeper storylines, but still plenty of comedy. Didn't feel quite as heavy as 3 even though I honestly cried and laughed much more.


----------



## AstroZon

Papillion (1973.)  I watched it last night on DVD.   Long but good film about French prisoner Henri "Papillion" Charriere and his various attempts to escape from a penal colony in French Guiana.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Roger Corman's Version of Early Twentieth Century History Double Feature:
> 
> *The St. Valentine's Day Massacre *(1967)
> 
> Documentary style retelling of the war between the Al Capone and Bugs Moran gangs, leading up to the infamous mass murder of the title. Every time a character of any importance is introduced, the narrator tells us his date and place of birth, criminal record, and so on. And there are a _lot_ of characters, along with a complex plot that involves elaborate schemes on the part of both gangs to wipe each other out. Corman works for the first time for a major studio, and with a bigger budget that usual, so we have some real stars (Jason Robards as Capone, Ralph Meeker as Moran) as well as some stars-to-be, a bunch of familiar character actors, and folks who appeared in other Corman films. Not always convincing in its period details, although it tries hard. Creates the feeling that blind fate is directing events, as the massacre misses its intended target (Moran) and some of those killed were just people in the wrong place at the wrong time. A bit dry at times, like a history lesson, but also bloody at times.


When I was a kid, this was frequently on TV. We did our best to recreate the massacre scene with our G.I. Joes.  

I still remember Paul Frees as the narrator saying something about various  doomed characters, *on the last day of his life*, or words to that effect.    This guy was Boris Badenov & Poppin Fresh, too. What a range! 

*The Killers* (1946) Burt Lancaster as "The Swede" is on the run from the title characters,  Al (Charles McGraw; I should have recognized this guy!) & Max (William Conrad).  six years ago, he was involved in a payroll heist, in which there were too many double crosses to count. But he is blamed for running off with the loot, leaving the rest of the gang high & dry. Jim Reardon (Edmond O'Brien) is an insurance investigator, who 1st becomes aware of the heist when delivering a check to the Swede's beneficiary; a woman who worked in a hotel or some other place, where the Swede met her. 

I know I have seen this, & not too long ago.  Ben M. introduced it,  & it was part of Ava Gardner day on TCM. She played Kitty Collins, whose contribution to the plot I have forgotten. But for both her, and Lancaster, this was the film that made them stars. 

Supporting cast included:
Sam Levene as Lt. Sam Lubinsky; though my memory has him usually playing a criminal. 

Albert Dekker as "Big Jim" Colfax, the brains of the gang

Virginia Christine as Lilly, the femme fatale of this film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Corruption* (1968)

Peter Cushing is a brilliant surgeon engaged to be married to a much younger woman.  At a groovy party, full of pop art and miniskirts, a photographer takes pictures of the woman, eventually urging her to take her clothes off.  Before this can happen, Cushing gets in a fight with the guy.  Their tussle causes a floodlight to fall on her face, badly scarring her.  Cushing takes a couple of glands out of the head of a corpse in the morgue, uses them to do some kind of surgery that involves a computer-controlled laser, the face is back to normal.  Of course, it doesn't last long.  Since it seems that he needs fresh glands, he murders a prostitute for them.  Whenever the restored face shows even the slightest signs of reverting, the woman goads him on to another killing.  The last fifteen minutes of the film go berserk, after this familiar plot, with some young thugs invading Cushing's home, the laser machine wiping out the cast, and a flashback to the party at the very end, suggesting that the whole thing is going to happen again.  Or something.  It's weird.  Cushing seems really out of place here, although he does his usual fine job, given the whole Swinging Sixties look of the film and its sleazy aspects.  Some deliberate humor, inappropriate jazz music on the soundtrack, and cinematography that varies from quite lovely to a goofy fish-eye effect on Cushing during the murders add to the oddness of this thing.


----------



## AstroZon

Westworld (1973)  I hadn't seen this movie since the 70s, and that was probably at a drive-in.  I found it at the library and checked it out.  

Most of the movie reminded me of a cross between a bad episode of Star Trek and just about any episode of Fantasy Island.  The control center's computers are mostly flashy-light panels and rows of IBM tape drives - a Hollywood cliche if ever there was one.  (There were a few actual computer monitors though.)       

Yul Brynner is excellent as the robot outlaw provocateur.  He looks so menacing.  I did like the special effect used to show Yul Brynner's vision - a computer generated pixelated image that was the earliest use of a computer generated effect ever.  Cool.


----------



## dask

Great movie. Saw it when it first came out and several times since. Like Robert Wise's *The Haunting*, it bears rewatching every fistful of years or so.


----------



## Starbeast

*Jack the Ripper* (1959) I stumbled across this film last night. Not bad little movie of yet another interpretation of the infamous one. This 1950's horror flick gets an "R" rating for adult situations. Not something I'd watch again, but not a bad alternative to a dull evening.


----------



## Vince W

*Roman Holiday.* Audrey Hepburn. Gregory Peck. Rome. A perfect film or as close as we're ever likely to see.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules* (_Maciste, l'uomo più forte del mondo_, 1961)

As the original title indicates, this sword-and-sandal flick actually features Maciste, a character played by lots of different actors in a lot of different movies, and not the son of Hercules.  Anyway, it starts with our hero at the seaside, hauling a whale out of the ocean by pulling on a line connected to a harpoon that, apparently, he just threw into the animal.  This has nothing to do with the plot, so I presume it exists only to show how strong he is.  An old guy on horseback dashes by, chased by a bunch of guys on their own horses.  They wear white robes, white capes, odd Lone Ranger masks with horns, and have bushy white hair.  Maciste defeats them easily and hears the dying words of the old guy.  It seems these folks wiped out a community and took a bunch of slaves.  In pursuit of the bad guys, Maciste rescues a guy who is, amazingly, even more muscular than he is.  They become best buddies and set off after their mutual enemies.  It turns out they live underground, because they die in the sunlight.  (None of this is helped by the fact that the "night" scenes in this movie look exactly like the day scenes.)  The two heroes deliberately get captured to rescue the slaves.  Along for the fun are a captured princess and her true love; the true love of the buddy of Maciste; the wicked queen of the Mole Men; and the adviser of the queen, who is scheming to get his son married to her.  The slaves are used to operate this gigantic wooden wheel that somehow operates a conveyor belt that supplies the Mole Men with gold and jewels.  Expect a lot of captures and escapes; battles with men and beasts; feats of strength; palace intrigue; and an ending that brings everything crashing down.  It's all quite silly, but good, clean fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Triumph of the Son of Hercules* (_Il trionfo di Maciste_, 1961)

Yes, once again it's Maciste and not the son of Hercules.  This time he's in ancient Egypt.  (You have to understand that the character is liable to show up anywhere at any time.  In the truly bizarre *The Witch's Curse*, he's in 17th century Scotland.)  Our helpful narrator explains that an evil queen has usurped the throne of Memphis, and has her soldiers kidnap young women and sacrifice them to a fire god.  We start with the proper king and his loyal guardian consulting an oracle.  She tells them that they must enlist the help of the mighty Maciste to win back the throne.  Meanwhile, Maciste defeats a band of soldiers during their attack on a village.  One young woman goes with him to his own people.  The two folks we saw at the start show up, and talk to Maciste about how to free the people of Memphis.  A silk merchant who happens to be around offers them help in entering the heavily guarded city.  He betrays them, and Maciste is captured.   He gets a team of horses and a chariot tied to each arm, designed to pull him apart then chop off the heads of his buddies, who are buried up to their necks in the ground.  Maciste manages to hold back the horses, so the queen sets him free.  It seems she has a magic scepter; one touch of it and Maciste is her loyal slave, forgetting all about his past.  Eventually, the woman who went off with him at the start gets the cure for the enchantment from the oracle.  She frees him, but gets captured herself, and is about to be sacrificed.  Maciste returns to rescue her, and we suddenly get some footage recycled from, of all things, *The Witch's Curse*.  You can tell because Maciste is wearing two very different costumes.  The whole thing is pretty typical of its kind, not anywhere near as weird as many.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Venus Meets the Son of Hercules* (_Marte, dio della guerra_, 1962)

In this one, the so-called "son of Hercules" is none other than Mars himself.  The English dubbing gives him some other name, and when Jupiter shows up, it calls him Hercules.  Well, forget about that.  What's really going on is that Mars goes down to Earth to help a city under siege by invaders.  The opening battle sequence is quite impressive, and overall this film looks a lot better than most sword-and-sandal flicks.  Mars falls in love with a mortal woman, and gets Jupiter to make him a mortal.  Jupiter, who isn't crazy about the idea, also gives him three solidified thunderbolts that will make Mars immortal again, I guess temporarily, when he breaks one.  Meanwhile, palace intrigue once again raises its head.  It seems that there's some guy who wants to marry the princess, so he can obtain the throne some day, but also wants to mess around with the woman Mars loves.  The princess simultaneously despises and loves the guy, so she arranges to have the other woman locked away at a temple of Venus as a priestess.  Mars sneaks into the temple, but Venus grabs him for herself, taking him into her cloudy realm, while disguising herself as the woman he loves.  The woman is condemned for blasphemy for letting her lover into the temple.  (I would have thought Venus wouldn't want virgin priestesses, but what do I know.)  She manages to sneak out to visit an oracle, who shows her Mars and Venus making out.  Mars eventually sees through the wiles of Venus, goes back to Earth, battles the scheming guy who, by this time, has wound up killing the princess.  It all leads up to a fight with a giant plant monster!  As you can see, a heck of a lot goes on.  I haven't mentioned the _avant-garde_ modern dance routine performed at the temple, the truly weird torture device used on a deaf-mute servant, the bizarre and often quite beautiful sets, the giant pyre used to burn the bodies of those dead in battle, and a bunch of other stuff.  Not the typical film of its kind.


----------



## Cathbad

Where to o now that IMDb is no longer showing movies for free?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Well, I use Internet Archive and YouTube a lot.  The latter is where I'm getting all these "son of Hercules" films (random Italian sword-and-sandal flicks given new titles for a syndicated American TV series.)  Speaking of which:

*The Medusa Against the Son of Hercules* (_Perseo l'invincibile_, 1963)

This time, the person who is not really the son of Hercules is Perseus.  The movie starts off with a bang, as a troop of soldiers on horseback are attacked by enemy soldiers, a dragon in a lake, and the medusa.  This is not the usual woman with snake hair.  This medusa is a completely inhuman monster, something like an ambulatory tree trunk covered with a huge number of tentacles.  It has one glowing eye, with which it turns people into stone.  After this wild opening scene, we get some exposition.  It seems that a certain city-state can't get its products to market without paying large fees to a rival power, because they're blocked from going around by the monsters.  A possible marriage between Princess Andromeda and the king of the rival city-state is in the works.  An encounter between Perseus, who lives out in the wild, and the king leads to a formal tournament between the two for the hand of the princess.  Eventually, Perseus finds out that he's the son of the widow of the former king, whom the new king killed and then married his wife.  Perseus fights to regain the throne while war breaks out between the two city-states.  Of course, this means he has to destroy the dragon and the medusa as well.  The dragon is fake-looking but pretty cool, and the medusa is weird and very cool.  Killing the medusa brings the soldiers it killed back to life.  Worth a look just for the monsters.


----------



## Toby Frost

This reminds me of a weird Australian film called *Hercules Returns*, which largely consists of a routine in which comedians comically dub an Italian (I think) film about some very muscular men of antiquity as it plays in a cinema. There's a framing story involving Bruce Spence from the Mad Max films, but it's largely the comedy routine.


----------



## Hugh

*"Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love"* - a documentary by* Nick Broomfield* on the relationship between *Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen* after meeting on Hydra in 1960.
I found this disappointing as I was hoping for more about Marianne but I'm glad I've seen it.  A problem is that there seem to be very few survivors from those days that are prepared to be interviewed and not many of those make  good viewing.  As a result the documentary tends to rely on old photos and rather too many clips of Leonard in concert.  As Broomfield was an old friend of Marianne, I'm sure he did his best to provide a portrait of her and yes it's good to see this, but even so there are many gaps that I found frustrating.   For me the last fifteen minutes or so were the most touching, particularly the clip of film when she's dying in hospital and a last telegram from Leonard is read out to her.
A couple of things:
I really wasn't aware just how much acid Cohen took when performing/ touring at one stage of his career.
I did know that for personal reasons he made a point of performing (without publicity) at psychiatric institutions, but I didn't know one of them was the Henderson Hospital (closed 2008) in the UK in 1970.


----------



## AstroZon

First Man (2018)  A historically accurate film about Neil Armstrong and his time at NASA.  I watched the Apollo 11 moon landing live in 1969 (I was 9) and most if it again last month during the 50th Anniversary rebroadcast on CBS.  Everything in First Man is period correct: clothing, hair, smoking, cars, interiors (especially the Armstrong's house) and the general vibe of the times. 

But I don't know why Damian Chazelle made the film so moody.  It doesn't need to be the happy-happy Disney version, but he overdid it in my opinion.  The only upbeat moments were at the Mission Control Center when various events succeeded.  The real Neil Armstrong was reserved, but he was quite joyous too.  Just watch the actual broadcast when he's bouncing around on the moon.  Chazelle depicts the moment quite melancholically.  And really, omitting the flag raising?  That was a proud moment when it happened.


----------



## Mouse

*Baby Driver*. Stupid, but I enjoyed it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Tyrant of Lydia Against the Son of Hercules* (_Goliath e la schiava ribelle_, 1963)

The hero, who is not the son of Hercules, nor even Goliath, is a Lydian military officer named Gordian, as in Knot.  Amazingly, this sword-and-sandal adventure actually has something to do with real ancient history, albeit in a highly fictional way.  It takes place just before Alexander the Great attacks the Persians.  Lydia is neutral.  A scheming merchant, working for the Persians, bribes the second-in-command of the ruler of Lydia, in an attempt to get Lydia to join Persia in the battle against Alexander.  Meanwhile, the ruler has a secret tunnel concealing a bunch of treasure.  He kills everybody who knows about it, with the exception of one huge, muscular slave, the only man strong enough to open the giant slab through which the ruler plans to exit if things go bad.  At this point, the ruler seems the best candidate for the title of Tyrant of Lydia, but we'll see.  This turns out to be a mistake, because the slave will eventually be our hero's best ally.  (I guess he's the rebel slave of the Italian title.)  Anyway, the ruler, already planning to join Persia, sends Gordian off on a diplomatic mission to Alexander, just to get him out of the way.  He wipes out a bunch of robbers attacking a princess and her handmaidens, on their way to Alexander for his protection.  It's love at first sight for Gordian and the princess.  After a pleasant time with Alexander, including beating his best soldiers at wrestling, Gordian goes back to Lydia.  Despite the plans of his second-in-command, the ruler accepts the arrival of Alexander on a peace mission.  He's particularly taken with the princess, intending to marry her.  The frustrated second-in-command poisons the ruler and takes over.  Gordian and the princess are blamed for the murder.  She escapes, he gets thrown in the dungeon, but of course he gets out, with a little help from sympathetic forces.  She winds up captured by slave traders, and sold to the scheming merchant who started this whole mess.  It all leads up to a big battle against the new ruler, our second candidate for the title of Tyrant of Lydia.  Unlike many of these films, there are no supernatural elements.  There's a lot more swordplay than muscle stuff, too.  It's longer than usual for one of these things, with a lot of intrigue and political debate going on.  Notable for the fact that Alexander the Great is depicted as 100% a Good Guy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules* (_Maciste, gladiatore di Sparta_, 1964)

Once again our hero is Maciste, although the English dubbing calls him Poseidon.  He's introduced as a gladiator, successfully fighting off four gladiators who have just defeated their opponents.  The Roman Emperor is named Vitellius, so I guess it's supposed to be the year 69; that fellow ruled for only eight months that year.  Anyway, the victorious Maciste wins the favor of the Emperor, the romantic interest of a lady of the court, and the enmity of the head of the Praetorian Guards, who is interested in the lady himself.  The first battle between the two rivals is an odd blindfolded sword fight.  They both survive that, although a nearby slave is accidentally killed; a death which is treated very casually.  Maciste happens to save a Christian woman from being arrested by the Guards, and it's love at first sight.  In an interesting twist for this genre, the lady of the court does _not_ become his deadly enemy after her love is scorned.  Instead, she does everything she can to help him and his true love.  Well, Maciste goes on to fight a guy in a gorilla suit in the arena, in the movie's silliest scene.  He also rescues a bunch of Christians from prison.  The effort to rescue their leader, who is kept in the dungeon under the arena, leads to a bunch of rebellious gladiators also being freed, so we get a big fight scene with the Guards.  It's all nicely filmed.  It's not clear who the Terror of Rome might be, or it the title refers to the persecution of Christians.  The Emperor is the most interesting character, casually ordering people killed or greatly rewarded whenever the whim takes him, and much more interested in food and drink than anything else.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness* (_Ercole l'invincibile_, 1964) 

The whole "sons of Hercules" thing gets really silly here, as the hero is actually Hercules himself.  The English language version calls him something like "Argoles."  Anyway, Hercules is wandering around when he rescues a young woman from a lion.  Turns out she's the daughter of the local king.  The king says they can get married if Hercules slays the local dragon and brings back one of its teeth.  He goes to the local prophetess so he can find out where the dragon is.  She tells him, and asks for the tooth herself; apparently it's got powerful magic.  He says that he's already promised it to the king, so the prophetess tells him it can only be used once.  Hercules slays the goofy-looking dragon, which resembles Godzilla.  Meanwhile, the Bad Guys have raided the kingdom, which looks more like a very small village, destroyed everything, and taken folks prisoner.   The one guy left in the ruins is our comedy relief.  Surprisingly, despite all his silly behavior, he actually helps Hercules quite a bit.  They wind up crossing a stone drawbridge over a river of lava into a mountain, which is where the Bad Guys live.  I guess this is the Land of Darkness.  Hercules get captured, and the queen has him tied to two elephants with chains, so they can tear him apart.  He survives, of course, and suddenly he's the queen's favorite.  The daughter of the queen's military commander murders the queen and takes the throne for herself.  (Somewhere along the way she got the dragon's tooth, and thinks it will make her invincible.)  The captured princess gets the blame, and is tied up so the Bad Guys can slowly bleed her to death.  Hercules rescues people, the Land of Darkness gets flooded with lava, Hercules destroys the stone drawbridge, the whole mountain blows up.  The special effects aren't too good for a movie with so much spectacle, but it's all goofy fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules* (_Anthar l'invincibile_, 1964)

Our hero is Anthar, as the original title indicates.  This flick has a sort of Arabian Knights feel to it, rather than the usual Greco-Roman or some place that never existed feelings.  The bad guy, presumably the Devil of the Desert, has his minions invade the king's palace, kill him and his guards, and take his daughter and son prisoner.  (That should probably be sultan rather than king, given the whole Middle Eastern look of this thing, but everybody calls him king.)  Son is locked up, the Devil tries to force himself on the daughter, she jumps out a window into a river and swims away.  She's found by our hero and his young, mute sidekick.  Almost right away, some slave traders show up.  Anthar whips some of them, but others get away with the princess.  She gets auctioned off to some guy for a huge amount of money, but of course Anthar rescues her.  Off she goes to be safe with some mountain tribes, while Anthar sneaks into the Devil's city to stir up trouble.  He finds the son of the dead king and helps him escape in an odd way.  You see, if you dive into the pool of water in the harem, it leads to a way out.  The son gets away, but Anthar is captured.  The Devil tries to kill him by having him fight a rhinoceros, which I must admit is unique.  Just then, the mountain tribes, led by the son, attack the Devil's city, aided by the ordinary folk of the place.  Tons of fighting follows.  In a scene directly stolen from *The Lady From Shaghai*, the Devil traps Anthar in a room of mirrors.  We saw him stab another guy in this room earlier.  Everybody in the movie acts like this room of mirrors is something terrifyingly magical, but it sure looks like just a room full of mirrors.  Anyway, Anthar smashes the mirrors, which freaks the Devil out.  The Devil falls out a window to his death.  Location filming in Algeria adds a nice touch.  Both the hero and the Devil are off screen for a considerable amount of time, with a lot of time wasted during the slave auction scene.


----------



## REBerg

*Red Sparrow*
An excellent build on the well-worn bones of _La Femme Nikita_.


----------



## biodroid

Men in Black: International. It wasn't bad, it wasn't great either.


----------



## AstroZon

*L'Atalante* (1934) French film about a newlywed river barge captain his young village bride.  They live on the barge with an old salt of a first mate and a young deckhand. The plot chronicles the first few months of their rocky relationship and a much anticipated port call in Paris.  L'Atalante was filmed primarily on location although a few sets were built for the barge's interior cabins and the dance club scene.

This is one of those classic films that gets cited often as inspiration for other directors.  I can see a lot of L'Atalante's realism and camera styles in French New Wave.  Great film.


----------



## Pyan

*Ant-Man* (2015) on Netflix. A pleasant way to while away a couple of hours - there's some scenes that had me laughing out loud (our hero versus the Falcon, for instance.) It's not too long , either - something that I wish a few other super-hero-movie makers would learn from. Goes well with a comfortable sofa and microwave popcorn...


----------



## Vince W

pyan said:


> *Ant-Man* (2015) on Netflix. A pleasant way to while away a couple of hours - there's some scenes that had me laughing out loud (our hero versus the Falcon, for instance.) It's not too long , either - something that I wish a few other super-hero-movie makers would learn from. Goes well with a comfortable sofa and microwave popcorn...


It's my favourite Marvel superhero film to date.


----------



## REBerg

Vince W said:


> It's my favourite Marvel superhero film to date.


My vote goes to Deadpool.


----------



## logan_run

Shazam
Good film wish they could call him captain marvel


----------



## Vince W

I started watching *Avengers: Endgame* yesterday. Does it ever end?


----------



## Mouse

*Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children* on TV last night. I'd always wanted to read the book but never got round to it. Really enjoyed the film.


----------



## JoanDrake

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Venus Meets the Son of Hercules* (_Marte, dio della guerra_, 1962)
> 
> In this one, the so-called "son of Hercules" is none other than Mars himself.  The English dubbing gives him some other name, and when Jupiter shows up, it calls him Hercules.  Well, forget about that.  What's really going on is that Mars goes down to Earth to help a city under siege by invaders.  The opening battle sequence is quite impressive, and overall this film looks a lot better than most sword-and-sandal flicks.  Mars falls in love with a mortal woman, and gets Jupiter to make him a mortal.  Jupiter, who isn't crazy about the idea, also gives him three solidified thunderbolts that will make Mars immortal again, I guess temporarily, when he breaks one.  Meanwhile, palace intrigue once again raises its head.  It seems that there's some guy who wants to marry the princess, so he can obtain the throne some day, but also wants to mess around with the woman Mars loves.  The princess simultaneously despises and loves the guy, so she arranges to have the other woman locked away at a temple of Venus as a priestess.  Mars sneaks into the temple, but Venus grabs him for herself, taking him into her cloudy realm, while disguising herself as the woman he loves.  The woman is condemned for blasphemy for letting her lover into the temple.  (I would have thought Venus wouldn't want virgin priestesses, but what do I know.)  She manages to sneak out to visit an oracle, who shows her Mars and Venus making out.  Mars eventually sees through the wiles of Venus, goes back to Earth, battles the scheming guy who, by this time, has wound up killing the princess.  It all leads up to a fight with a giant plant monster!  As you can see, a heck of a lot goes on.  I haven't mentioned the _avant-garde_ modern dance routine performed at the temple, the truly weird torture device used on a deaf-mute servant, the bizarre and often quite beautiful sets, the giant pyre used to burn the bodies of those dead in battle, and a bunch of other stuff.  Not the typical film of its kind.


Is there some sort of Hercules only channel where you live?   I think we have something  similar,  only it's for Everybody Loves Raymond


----------



## JoanDrake

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Terror of Rome Against the Son of Hercules* (_Maciste, gladiatore di Sparta_, 1964)
> 
> Once again our hero is Maciste, although the English dubbing calls him Poseidon.  He's introduced as a gladiator, successfully fighting off four gladiators who have just defeated their opponents.  The Roman Emperor is named Vitellius, so I guess it's supposed to be the year 69; that fellow ruled for only eight months that year.  Anyway, the victorious Maciste wins the favor of the Emperor, the romantic interest of a lady of the court, and the enmity of the head of the Praetorian Guards, who is interested in the lady himself.  The first battle between the two rivals is an odd blindfolded sword fight.  They both survive that, although a nearby slave is accidentally killed; a death which is treated very casually.  Maciste happens to save a Christian woman from being arrested by the Guards, and it's love at first sight.  In an interesting twist for this genre, the lady of the court does _not_ become his deadly enemy after her love is scorned.  Instead, she does everything she can to help him and his true love.  Well, Maciste goes on to fight a guy in a gorilla suit in the arena, in the movie's silliest scene.  He also rescues a bunch of Christians from prison.  The effort to rescue their leader, who is kept in the dungeon under the arena, leads to a bunch of rebellious gladiators also being freed, so we get a big fight scene with the Guards.  It's all nicely filmed.  It's not clear who the Terror of Rome might be, or it the title refers to the persecution of Christians.  The Emperor is the most interesting character, casually ordering people killed or greatly rewarded whenever the whim takes him, and much more interested in food and drink than anything else.



Is this the one where these dishes like "pheasants in wine stuffed with Dormice" on these huge platters are brought in on the backs of sweating slaves and the Emperor shakes a hanky whereupon they are hauled  off?   One ot the better scenes of wretched excess I remember.


----------



## biodroid

*Hellboy *with David Harbor - it was so gory and violent I actually felt sick, and way too much profanity. *Pet Sematary* with Jason Clarke - Not too bad, the ending strays very far from the book and the mid movie pivotal scene is also a twist. Well acted at least but not as good as the new *It* movie.


----------



## Rodders

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was o TV on Saturday. It's my favourite Marvel movie so far and a vast improvement over The First Avenger. (I haven't seen Civil War yet, though.)


----------



## Randy M.

Catching up a bit.

Victoria, I'm assuming Paul Frees stood in for Walter Winchell, who did a similar narrative shtick over the old TV show, "The Untouchables." With his voice, I'd think he'd be even more effective than Winchell.



Jeffbert said:


> I still remember Paul Frees as the narrator saying something about various doomed characters, *on the last day of his life*, or words to that effect.  This guy was Boris Badenov & Poppin Fresh, too. What a range!



Frees' voice was everywhere. I recall having viewer whiplash the first time I heard his voice from an actual person on screen: He played one of the Arctic scientists in _The Thing (From Another World_). "Wait! That's Boris!/Santa Claus!/John Lennon!/George Harrison!/etc.!" (Yup. The mid-'60s Beatles cartoon series didn't have the boys doing their own voices; Ringo and Paul were voiced by another actor.)

Over the weekend saw two movies:

_*Poltergeist*_ (1982), dir. Tobe Hooper; starring Jobeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight; scenes stolen from everyone by Zelda Rubinstein

Haven't seen this in over 20 years and I'd forgotten how efficient a narrative machine this was. There's no waste, characters shown and sketched in quickly, almost too quickly and so nearly one-dimensional, but over the course of the movie the actors carry the load well. Seems there's poltergeist activity of an intensity heretofore unknown, but really what's most important is the family dynamic, how the parents who initially seem a bit goofy and self-involved react to the threat to their children and each other. Supposedly it's directed by Hooper, but the producer's thumbprint is all over it: Spielbergian camera angles and the bright California colors of his early movies. Still the success of this one contributed to Hooper getting the financing for _Lifeforce_ which I mocked earlier this year.


_*Inherit the Wind*_ (1960) dir. Stanley Kramer; starring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, and several faces familiar from my TV set in the '60s

First time I've ever seen the entire movie. I've wanted to for years, and I'm glad I finally did. Excellent movie based on the play based on the Scopes Trial from the 1920s, among the first of the "Trials of the Century". March might over-act a bit in spots, but he's one of the few in the Hollywood of the time who could stand toe-to-toe with Tracy and give as good as he got. (See _Bad Day at Black Rock_ for another example, that time with Robert Ryan.)

Tangentially, I'm always a bit taken aback by how quickly the stars of that generation aged. It might be partly make-up, but Tracy would have been 59 or 60 shooting the film, but easily looks 10 years older. Cagney and Gable held up decently (though Gable only had another 3 years), but Cooper didn't and Bogart, Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power were dead by then. But only Cary Grant looked his age and not a decade older. Drinking, smoking and poor diet were all contributing factors, but even the next generation or so -- Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman -- fared significantly better with aging.

Randy M.


----------



## Cathbad

*Shield for Murder*  (1954)

Edmund O'Brien as a crooked cop who kills a bookie for the $25K he's found out he's carrying.

Things spiral out of control, as he soon discovers a deaf mute had witnessed the murder.  He accidently kills the witness, makes it look like the man fell down the stairs - but doesn't know the man had already wrote down his testimony!  When the 'good cop' finds the letter, he goes to arrest the 'bad cop.  Bad cop gets the upper hand and for a moment, contemplates killing him, too.  He only knocks him out, though, and tries to run.  The witness' note drops the Blue Shield and every copper in the city goes after the bad seed.

A simple story, but very well acted.  One case of bad casting though:  Caroline Jones in a small part as a barhop hitting on O'Brien's character.  Problem is, she's both prettier and a better actor than the lead female - not wise!

I liked it!

*EDIT*:  Can't believe I forgot to mention the great climactic chase scenes and shoot-outs!  Some of the best action scenes pre-1970s!


----------



## J Riff

_Escape Plan3, the Extractors_ - I wanted this to have some, just any cool 'escape' aspect to it but nah it's just shoot n' stab and the usual nonsense.

*A Man Escaped* 1956 - b and w, stark and simple, escape from the Nazis, very straightforward, but does he make it? The title suggests yes, but...


----------



## Cathbad

*Sherlock Holmes in The House of Fear*  (1945)

Another Rathbone & Bruce team-up.

A group of friends are dying off after receiving orange seeds while dining together.  An insurance agent wants Holmes' help in determining if they are murders.

In my opinion, this movie's creators were trying to adopt Conan Doyle's story, _Five Orange Pips_, but finding that story too convoluted for these short movies (this one was 1:09), they opted on changing... most everything, but kept in the pips.

Still, these two were always the best Holmes/Watson team and this movie was no different, in that regard.  Wonderfully acted, as usual!

But the storyline seemed forced, the direction poor.  Holmes is staying at an Inn, but is invited to stay with the surviving friends.  The maid has to enter a second time before Holmes asks her to see the letter - meant, of course, for the member not present at the time.  Watson is saying things that are nearly moronic, they're so obvious.

You can't ruin a Holmes picture with these two in it, but the screenwriter and the director seemed to have made a gallant effort at doing so!


----------



## Cathbad

Thank you, @Victoria Silverwolf , I never realized the treasure-trove of noir films YouTube offered!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Cathbad said:


> Thank you, @Victoria Silverwolf , I never realized the treasure-trove of noir films YouTube offered!



My pleasure.  There's a wealth of stuff out there if you don't mind older films.  I liked *Shield for Murder*, too.  You have to accept the fact that gorgeous women find Edmond O'Brien irresistible.


----------



## Jeffbert

I know I have seen *Shield for Murder*, must have been at least a year ago.  I hope *Noir Alley* has not shown it yet!  

I never knew so many Hercules films existed; though since you also provided the original titles, I guess there are not so many, as it seems to American viewers. Thanks, Victoria Silverwolf!  I saw at least half-a-dozen similarly titled films; though differing in plots, they all have more than a few similarities. 

I guess the old damsel in distress thing is a thing of the past; not too likely they will make any more of them.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

My review of *Shield for Murder* from a while back.



> *Shield for Murder* (1954)
> 
> Pretty good _film noir_ with Edmund O'Brien (who also co-directed) as a cop who kills a bookie in cold blood in order to grab the huge wad of cash he's carrying. He covers it up as an accidental shooting while the guy was trying to escape arrest. Not only do a couple of sleazy "private detectives" (hired thugs) try to get back the money for their crime boss employer, there was a deaf and dumb man who witnessed the murder, and O'Brien's honest partner (B favorite John Agar) conducts his own investigation of the case. Lots of familiar character actors show up. Moves along briskly, with some intense, if not explicit, violence, and an extended chase sequence near the end, partly involving a running gun battle in a crowded gymnasium/swimming pool. The only unbelievable element is that the rather sweaty, doughy O'Brien not only has a gorgeous girlfriend twenty years his junior (B favorite Marla English) but also gets picked up at a bar/Italian restaurant by the always striking Carolyn Jones, with platinum hair here. She steals the picture and has some of the best lines, but I'll admit she has nothing to do with the plot.



There were a huge number of Italian sword-and-sandal movies in the late 1950's and 1960's.   (Just as there were lots of the horror/mystery films known as _gialli_, hordes of space movies, a bunch of Gothic chillers, and scads of spy flicks.  The Italians don't fool around!)  Most of them didn't feature Hercules.  The most common character was Maciste, who goes back to the silent days, and who could show up in any time period from prehistoric to, at least once, in the 17th century.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Watched _A Few Good Men_ on Sunday with the family - everyone really enjoyed it. The character interplay was absolutely superb.


----------



## CupofJoe

Brian G Turner said:


> Watched _A Few Good Men_ on Sunday with the family - everyone really enjoyed it. The character interplay was absolutely superb.


I'm a fan of any of Aaron Sorkin's writing but this is one of the best...
Last film I saw...
In the Heat of the Night [1967]
I can't think of a bad note in the film. From Rod Steiger as one of the best good-bad guys, and Sidney Poitier's "They call me MISTER Tibbs" via the Ray Charles Title song and Quincy Jones' music and some beautiful location shooting...
Fifty years on and it still feels fresh and new.


----------



## Vince W

*Forbidden Planet*. It had been some time since I'd watched this classic. Wonderful science fiction on every level. We need to go back to this sort of science fiction film today. Great story, solid acting, minimal effects.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Watched three Noah Baumbach movies over the last three days: _While We're Young _(2015), _The Meyerowitz Stories _(2017), and _Frances Ha _(2012). The latter was my least favorite one. I'd tried to watch it before but quit after 20 minutes. Liking the two newer movies convinced me to give it another try. At least within the narrow slice of society on which Baumbach focuses, sometimes these movies are so accurate in their observation it's painful. He's basically a new, sharper version of Woody Allen, which we have long needed, since version 1.0 lost his edge at least two decades ago. Sharper, probably smarter, and less desperate to display his NY intellectual credentials.


----------



## Cathbad

*Sherlock Holmes in The Spider Woman* (1943)

A woman proves she's nearly the equal of Holmes, and comes very close to killing them in their own rooms on Baker Street!

Includes lots of nasty spiders and a nasty little boy to boot!

Despite the intriguing woman, this movie doesn't live up to Rathbone and Bruce's standards, mostly because the pace seems off.  And I have two other complaints:  First, Holmes is a great detective, _not_ a psychic. He could not have 'predicted' the  use of a suitcase to move the little guy around in, since he never saw the suitcase, nor knew that they kept him hidden.  The director also purposely lingered on a palm reader's sign at the fair.  Perhaps the director (Roy William Neill) had an unfavorable opinion of the great detective?

Second, if you're going to have Holmes tell a joke at the end, at _least_ make it groan-worthy!


----------



## Cathbad

Believe it or not, while binge-watching movies today, I still got 2,000-plus words written!


----------



## Cathbad

*A Nero Wolfe Mystery: The Golden Spiders  *(Pilot Episode, 2000)

This made-for-television movie series starred Maury Chaykin (Wolfe), Timothy Hutton (Goodwin) and R. D. Reid (Sergeant Stebbins), all excellent choices!

The series kept pretty faithful to Stout's versions, and was the best mystery series on television between 2001 and 20003.  Despite being A&E's 4th most watched show ever, they inexplicably canceled ir!

This pilot is based off Rex Stout''s 1953 novel.

Having read several of Stout's books, I can honestly say this series retains the_ feel_ of the fat protagonist's and Archie's antics.  Quite an enjoyable romp, always.  But sometime, like this story, heart rending.

A young boy, believing he's witnessed a crime, comes to Nero for help.  The next day, the boy is murdered.  Nero is outraged... and if it's one thing a criminal doesn't want, it's an outraged Nero Wolfe , focusing on a crime you committed!

Everyone goes into action - Archie Goodwin physically, Wolfe mentally.  Archie can go from campy to romantic in a second - that's why Hutton was such an excellent choice (though I always thought  Tim Curry would also have made a fine Goodwin).  In this opener, though, Archie is mostly campy - perhaps an attempt to counter the horror of a little boy being murdered?

An excellent movie, an excellent series.  Catch any episode - you won't be disappointed!


----------



## Cathbad

So, a few years ago, while searching to see if there was ever a movie made from Christie's last novel, I came across *Curtains *(1983), a horror flick with really, really bad reviews.  Today, I found it on YouTube again.  I'm watching it now.

Thirty minutes in, the most exciting thing has been an unknown person burning pictures (apparently actresses) in a fireplace.

Yeah... unlikely I'll finish this one..


----------



## Rodders

Brightburn. 

I enjoyed it. Good cast and it was well acted. An interesting take on the Superhero trope.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JoanDrake said:


> Is there some sort of Hercules only channel where you live?   I think we have something  similar,  only it's for Everybody Loves Raymond



On a whim, I just looked for all the so-called "Sons of Hercules" films on Youtube as a sort of marathon.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JoanDrake said:


> Is this the one where these dishes like "pheasants in wine stuffed with Dormice" on these huge platters are brought in on the backs of sweating slaves and the Emperor shakes a hanky whereupon they are hauled  off?   One ot the better scenes of wretched excess I remember.




I don't think so.  Maybe some other "decadent Roman emperor" movie.


----------



## Starbeast

@Victoria Silverwolf - The Sons of Hercules film series (re-titled "sword and sandal" movies) were a huge hit in my area. I though those weird fantasy flicks were awesome when I was a kid. It's great to see one of the movies pop-up again, here-and-there. Fun memories.


----------



## Foxbat

Martin Scorsese's *The Last Waltz*. Filled to bursting point with musician's musicians, this still stands up today as one of the best ever rockumentaries.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

JoanDrake said:


> Is this the one where these dishes like "pheasants in wine stuffed with Dormice" on these huge platters are brought in on the backs of sweating slaves and the Emperor shakes a hanky whereupon they are hauled  off?   One ot the better scenes of wretched excess I remember.


That sounds rather line the banquet scene in *Fellini Satyricon*. But it's also generic enough that it could be in any number of other movies.


----------



## Cathbad

*Mr. Wong Detective*  (1938)

No ancient wrappings, no hair suit, no knobs on the neck, but that is definitely Boris Karloff in the lead role as James Lee Wong, detective!

He's wearing the very minimum of make-up to hint he's oriental in this first send-up of Hugh Wiley's fictional Chinese-American detective.  Mr. Wong first appeared in  Colliers magazine as a series of short stories.

Karloff plays the role splendidly, of course, but maybe the soft-spoken character doesn't translate well into celluloid, especially in an age of hard-boiled noir films, exciting Sherlock Holmes movies and King Kong!  The movie seemed slow and prodding, even if it was an intelligent flick.

Still. I liked it well enough.  Now on to Charlie Chan!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Karloff as a Chinese man is just about as odd as Lugosi as a Chinese man in *The Mysterious Mr. Wong*.  (No relationship between the two characters.)


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Tolkien* the biopic that was in theaters awhile ago.  Rented it to watch on my Kindle.

It was a little disappointing, kind of disjointed, but not actually bad.


----------



## Dennis E. Taylor

*Brightburn*. It just came out on Shaw VOD. Kind of an anti-superhero movie. Very dark, and the ending kinda left me hanging.

It looks like it went straight to video, as I've never heard of it before. Pretty good, all in all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Not Wanted* (1949)

Surprisingly frank film about an unwed mother, produced, co-written, and partly directed by the great Ida Lupino.  Starts with a young woman wandering the streets with a dazed look on her face.  She sees a baby in a stroller, picks it up and cuddles it, and walks away.  The mother comes out of a store and chases her down.  She winds up in jail for kidnapping.  Cue the flashback.  It seems that, as a naive teenager, she fell hard for a piano player.  He keeps moving away, eventually to South America.  Meanwhile, she meets a wounded WWII vet who will be the movie's Nice Guy.  Her heart is broken by the piano player, but the Nice Guy wants to marry her.  Right after the proposal, she finds out she's pregnant by the piano player, so she runs off, winding up in a home for unwed mothers.  She gives the baby up for adoption, but comes to regret her choice, leading to the opening scene.  The Nice Guy tracks her down, and it seems likely that they'll wind up together.  The romance with the Nice Guy is a little sappy, and sometimes it's melodramatic, but overall it's a pretty good little drama dealing with an important social issue.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Outrage* (1950)

Another daring social drama directed and co-written by Ida Lupino.  Starts off with a young woman getting engaged, in scenes that almost play like a romantic comedy.  Walking home from work one night, she is raped.  (Of course, the film is only going to say "attacked," but it's clear what happened.)  Severely traumatized and feeling like everyone is always watching her, she leaves her intended and hops a bus to California.  At a rest stop, she hears a radio report that the police are looking for her as a missing person.  Unable to stand the attention, she starts walking nowhere in particular and collapses.  The film's Nice Guy, a minister, rescues her, she gives a false name, and gets a job.  A crisis occurs when some guy aggressively tries to kiss her, she gets a flashback to the attack, and she nearly kills him with a big metal wrench.  The ensuing police investigation leads to the revelation of what happened to her, and the long process of emotional healing begins, with the sense that she'll go back home.  Slows down a lot in the middle, but overall a powerful story about the effect such a crime can have on the victim.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bigamist* (1953)

Finishing up a trio of social dramas dealing with controversial subjects directed by Ida Lupino.  She didn't co-write this one, but she stars in it.  We start with Edmund O'Brien and Joan Fontaine as a married couple, unable to have children, applying for adoption.  The guy investigating their situation is Edmund Gwenn.  (There are a couple of in-jokes about Gwenn.  Somebody says he looks like Santa Claus.  Later, on a tour bus in Hollywood, the guide points out the home of Edmund Gwenn and reminds the tourists that he played in *Miracle on 34th Street*.)  O'Brien flies to Los Angeles on a regular basis for business.  Gwenn tracks him down there, and finds out he's got another wife (Lupino) and a baby.  Flashback time.  We find out how O'Brien met Lupino and their romance began.  In an interesting touch, he phones Fontaine and tells her that he's cheating on her, but they both take it as a joke.  In another example of Lupino testing the limits of how far she can go, her character becomes pregnant.  Gwenn marries her, planning to divorce Fontaine after the adoption goes through.  It all ends with O'Brien going to jail for bigamy, with the unsettled question of who will be waiting for him when  he gets out.  It's pretty much a classy soap opera.  O'Brien isn't played as a scoundrel, but as a decent, flawed guy who gets himself into a mess.  All three of the Lupino films in this trilogy have a _film noir_ visual style that adds to things.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Tomboy* [2011 film]
A beautiful sensitive film about growing up.

*Show Me Love* [aka F***king Åmål ] [1998]
Probably my all-time favourite highschool romance.


----------



## Cathbad

CupofJoe said:


> *Tomboy* [2011 film]
> A beautiful sensitive film about growing up.


I was surprised how good this movie was!


----------



## Mouse

*To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar*

Only ever had it on VHS but just got it on blu-ray. Love this film, the three leads are excellent and the story's lovely.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Bigamist* (1953)
> 
> Finishing up a trio of social dramas dealing with controversial subjects directed by Ida Lupino.  She didn't co-write this one, but she stars in it.  We start with Edmund O'Brien and Joan Fontaine as a married couple, unable to have children, applying for adoption.  The guy investigating their situation is Edmund Gwenn.  (There are a couple of in-jokes about Gwenn.  Somebody says he looks like Santa Claus.  Later, on a tour bus in Hollywood, the guide points out the home of Edmund Gwenn and reminds the tourists that he played in *Miracle on 34th Street*.)  O'Brien flies to Los Angeles on a regular basis for business.  Gwenn tracks him down there, and finds out he's got another wife (Lupino) and a baby.  Flashback time.  We find out how O'Brien met Lupino and their romance began.  In an interesting touch, he phones Fontaine and tells her that he's cheating on her, but they both take it as a joke.  In another example of Lupino testing the limits of how far she can go, her character becomes pregnant.  Gwenn marries her, planning to divorce Fontaine after the adoption goes through.  It all ends with O'Brien going to jail for bigamy, with the unsettled question of who will be waiting for him when  he gets out.  It's pretty much a classy soap opera.  O'Brien isn't played as a scoundrel, but as a decent, flawed guy who gets himself into a mess.  All three of the Lupino films in this trilogy have a _film noir_ visual style that adds to things.


I might have seen this film, but I know I have seen a similar *oh, he resembles that movie guy* thing, but that was Karloff, not Gwenn. 

*Ninotchka* (1939) as one of a days worth of films starring Melvyn Douglas, this was likely the best & most famous one. Here, he is Count Léon d'Algout, the love of Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire), whose confiscated jewels three Soviets had been sent to Paris to sell, so food can be supplied to hungry comrades back home.  The three inept guys are Iranoff (Sig Ruman), Buljanoff (Felix Bressart), and Kopalski (Alexander Granach; the only one unfamiliar to me);  they want to place the large suitcase containing the jewels in the hotel safe, but it is too small for such a large piece of luggage, so they end up in the royal suite, which has its own safe. MD overhears their telephone call to a jeweler, in which the jewels are mentioned. He gets a court order halting any sale, etc. Time passes, and these three guys have been living rather extravagantly for Soviets, dreading being sent to Siberia, for their failure, etc. 

The USSR sends  Nina Ivanovna "Ninotchka" Yakushova (Greta Garbo) to do what they failed to do, and MD begins seducing her, after they meet by chance, neither knowing who the other is.  She is no nonsense straight to the point, much like a robot would be in contemporary films. She has no desire for nice things, wants to eat and drink the same dull things as back home. Once they realize one another's identity and role, GG wants nothing to do with MD, but MD is more interested in pursuing GG. 

Once back in the USSR, Commissar Razinin (Bela Lugosi) is chewing out the three. Minor role, but Lugosi is cool!

Their 1st comedy together, though MD & GG had been in several others before this.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Naked Spur* (1953) has Howard Kemp (James Stewart) pursuing Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan) , wanted for murder. The fugitive takes a stand on a rock encrusted mountain that is nearly impregnable from below, and drops rocks upon JS as he tries to shimmy along a narrow ledge that leads to the top. By himself, he cannot approach it. Along comes Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell; the ill-fated truck driver from  *THIEVES' HIGHWAY* (1949) , which I wrote about a few pages ago.)  JS offers MM a small fee (compared to the $5,000 reward for RR) and with MM firing at RR, JS is able to cross the narrow ledge, and reach the top. Captures RR, and is attacked by his girl, Lina Patch (Janet Leigh). After MM reaches the top, both RR & JL are subdued. 

So, they start the return trip to claim the reward, whose amount is mentioned by RR, in an attempt to turn his captors against each other. Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker) an ex-Army officer comes along, and now three greedy men are working both together and against each other, trying to bring the fugitive to justice and claim the reward, each one hoping to have it all for himself. This had me thinking of *The Treasure of the Sierra Madre *(1948), with JS as the Fred C. Dobbs character.  The group was attacked by Indians, and together, but mostly through the treachery of RM, repelled the attack.  Made me think of the Banditos with that line about badges. Dobbs (Bogart) & co.  had to work together to fight them, though there was a growing mistrust among them.  Similar theme here. JL thought of RR as an honorable man, until she saw him for what he really was. Now her affection is turned to JS. 

An interesting and satisfying end to this film, similar to *The Treasure of the Sierra Madre*, but without the old guy  (Walter Huston)  laughing about it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cover Girl Killer* (1959)

Cheap but enjoyable British psycho killer flick.  First we meet our hero, a fellow who has inherited ownership of the girlie magazine _Wow!_, and our heroine, his showgirl ladyfriend.  Pretty quickly we see our murderer, disguised in a wig and super-thick glasses.  He has already convinced another showgirl that he's supposed to photograph her swimming in the river in the middle of the night.  Cut to her body in a leopard skin bikini, dead from a morphine overdose.  Her abbreviated clothing matches what she was wearing on the cover of _Wow! _magazine.  Pretty soon we find out that a couple of other women who were on the cover of the same publication were also found dead, some time ago.  Next comes a pretty tense scene between the killer and his next victim at a rented studio, again with his elaborate cover story of a photography session.  The murderer plays it very cool and soft-spoken throughout the film, and he's always several steps ahead of the police.  In an outrageously audacious move, he even shows up at the police station, without the wig and glasses, and gives the cops false information to throw them off the trail.  After four murders, it's not surprising that _Wow!_ magazine has trouble finding cover models.  The cops convince our heroine to pose for the magazine, to lure the killer into a trap.  The murderer sees through this easily, and goes to a theatrical agency, claiming to be making a movie about the killings; an interesting self-referential touch.  Anyway, an actor is hired to put on the same wig and glasses, so the cops grab him, giving the real killer a chance to get at his victim.  The whole thing is only an hour long, so it's easy to be patient with the talky parts.  Although there's talk of the women's nudity, what's on screen is limited to swimsuits, showgirl costumes, and lingerie, but that's enough to provide a healthy serving of cheesecake.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night of Terror *(1933)

Bela Lugosi has above-the-title billing in this Old Dark House mystery with a weirder plot than usual.  We start with a couple making out in a convertible under the moonlight, just as if this were a 1950's monster movie.  A creepy guy comes along and stabs them to death.  We find out that there have been a dozen such murders, and that the killer is in the vicinity of a certain mansion, where we'll spend the rest of the film.  Inside the house, a guy claims to have developed a serum that allows him to live without oxygen.  To prove it, he's going to have himself buried alive for eight hours.  The guy's uncle is killed, and we get the old plot about the heirs getting knocked off one by one.  Lugosi plays a turbaned manservant, in the first of many red herring roles in his career.  Add in secret passageways and a murder that takes place at a seance.  To add to the strangeness, at the very end the killer we saw at the start of the film, who is himself a red herring, even though he kills lots of people, addresses the audience directly, warning them not to reveal the ending of the movie, or he'll kill them too.  It's just odd enough a sample of the genre to be worth a look.


----------



## Rodders

I was able to watch a few movies over the weekend.

Captain America:Civil War. After watching The Winter Soldier, (which remains my favourite Marvel movie to date), Civil War was pretty good and followed on directly. Action packed from the start. A good Marvel movie. I need to watch it again, as my gf kept talking throughout, so I missed quite a lot of the set up. 

Suicide Squad. I wanted to like this, but there were so many characters it just became an action movie made up of quick cuts and one liners. Will Smith was good as Dead Shot. Him and Diablo were the only ones with any decent back story. Harley Quinn was watchable, but overrated in my opinion. Enjoyable enough, but it was a total mess.

Alitalia: Battle Angel. Seeing James. Ameron’s name attached to this game me high hopes. Not a bad film, but way too cartoony for my liking. The ending was a total set up for a sequel. (Which I’d watch, too.)


----------



## Randy M.

*The Great Buster -- *dir. & narrator, Peter Bogdonovich

This follows the career of Buster Keaton, from his vaudeville days to his great success between 1923 and 1929 directing himself in silent movies, to his disastrous decision to sign with MGM, effectively ruining his career for the next decade or so. There's a good deal of sadness in the '30s and '40s with alcoholism, but his last marriage (of 3 as I recall) pulled him up and straightened him out. Packed with photos from his days in vaudeville with his family, clips from the shorts he started in (with the infamous Fatty Arbuckle as his mentor) and the full-length features he directed, this biography manages to avoid unhappy endings by focusing during the last hour or so on his main movies, and discussing the rebirth he had late in his career after recognition of his genius at comedy had begun to appear in print and new, young directors started to use him in their movies.


*Sherlock Jr.* -- dir. & star, Buster Keaton

Naive young guy working in a movie theater studies to be a detective and has girlfriend stolen by thieving cad. Keaton as the young guy falls asleep while working as projectionist, and his dream projects him, his girlfriend and the cad into the movie. Pre-dates and is an influence on Woody Allen's _The Purple Rose of Cairo_. As with most silent comedies, the plot is a clotheshanger over which is draped one gag after another. The pure athleticism and physicality of Keaton's comedy almost overwhelms how relatable his character is. But not quite. As both the naive kid and the "great detective" Keaton is mesmerizing and especially in the last 20 minutes of so with one incredible stunt after another, and showing even then an artist could go meta- on his chosen artform and still be entertaining.


Randy M.


----------



## Rodders

I just finished Aquaman. There were many elements that were done well, but ultimately it was a lazy movie that has been filled to the brim with cliche. I don’t know why DC keep failing in comparison to Marvel.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of Mystery* (1934)

Old Dark House flick with a heavy dose of comedy.  Obnoxious American archaeologist in Hollywood's version of India violates a local taboo by having a romance with a sacred temple dancer (played by the same dancer who was the Queen of Mars in the science fiction musical comedy *Just Imagine *[1930.])  He also stupidly kills a sacred monkey in a temple of Kali (pronounced "KAY-lie" by everybody in the movie, and referred to at least once as "he.")  The high priest (or something) looks into a crystal ball, correctly predicts that he's going to steal a treasure, and tells him that he will not be punished now, but that the curse of Kali will follow him.  By the way, there's a gorilla in the temple as well.  Cut to twenty years later.  The archaeologist did indeed steal a treasure.  He's now in a wheelchair, living under another name, and married to the dancer.  Some of the folks who financed his expedition, or their heirs, show up, with a claim to part of the loot.  He warns them that the curse will fall upon them also, but agrees to hand over their share of the treasure if they stay in the house a week.  In typical fashion, there's a seance, for no good reason, and the first victim gets her neck broken by a gorilla.  More deaths follow, and there's both a guy in a gorilla suit and a real gorilla (played by a guy in a gorilla suit) to add to the fun.  It's all pure nonsense, but an entertaining way to waste an hour.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Rogues' Tavern* (1936)

Another Old Dark House flick, mostly notable for the bizarre murder method.  A police detective and a store detective want to get married right away, so they agree to meet a Justice of the Peace at an inn just across the state border.  There are already several folks there, despite the fact that it's an out-of-the-way spot during the off season.  The JP doesn't show up, but three people get killed, apparently by a dog that's seen running around.  It turns out that the killer uses a dog's head like a hand puppet to attack the victims.  There's no clue as to the motive, until we find out pretty late in the film why these folks were at the inn.  We also have another character who wants to get revenge on the folks , but who really does nothing but show up late as a last minute red herring.  When the real murderer is revealed, we get a whole bunch of maniacal laughter.  Other than the weird weapon, it's pretty standard for this kind of thing.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_Time Stand Still_ (Rush)
great film for the fans. 
_Zelig_
still very funny


----------



## Rodders

Captain Marvel

Meh.


----------



## Droflet

John Wick 3., If you like over the top action with little story this is for you. If not, double meh.


----------



## Cathbad

Rodders said:


> Captain Marvel
> 
> Meh.


Wow!  Every other review I've seen either totally hates it, or absolutely loves it!


----------



## Rodders

I just thought that her power made her uninteresting.


----------



## CupofJoe

Cathbad said:


> Wow!  Every other review I've seen either totally hates it, or absolutely loves it!


I'm in the meh category too.
There is nothing wrong with _Captain Marvel_ [it is a very competent film. All the Marvel films are] and there are a lot of things to recommend it [female leads! - it only took Marvel 10 years] but I've seen it three times and I can't remember a single thing that couldn't have come from another Marvel film. Okay, there is Coulson calling up Fury wondering where everyone else has gone.
On the other, other hand, I have watched it three times...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Captive Women* (1952)

Cheap little black-and-white after-the-bomb flick.  One thousand years after the nuclear holocaust, there are three clans of survivors in what seems to be the wilderness near the ruins of New York City.  There are the Upriver People; the Norms; and the Mutates.  The Mutates aren't weird science fiction mutants, but just bear facial deformities of various degrees.  Anyway, the leader of the Upriver People and some of his minions show up at a wedding ceremony of the Norms, claiming peace.  Naturally, they depose the Norm leader through treachery.  The Norm hero eventually works with the despised Mutates discovering that they're perfectly nice folks, despite their habit of stealing Norm women as wives.  One interesting aspect of the film is that the Mutates are Christians, while the Norms honor Satan because of all the destruction a millennium ago.  Not much is made of this, really, but I thought it was odd.  There's a bunch of intrigue between and within the three groups, a Bad Girl and a Good Girl, a dance sequence, folks dressed in tunics and such, carrying bows and arrows; in short, it looks like a monochrome sword-and-sandal movie!


----------



## CupofJoe

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Captive Women* (1952)
> 
> Cheap little black-and-white after-the-bomb flick.  One thousand years after the nuclear holocaust, there are three clans of survivors in what seems to be the wilderness near the ruins of New York City.  There are the Upriver People; the Norms; and the Mutates.  The Mutates aren't weird science fiction mutants, but just bear facial deformities of various degrees.  Anyway, the leader of the Upriver People and some of his minions show up at a wedding ceremony of the Norms, claiming peace.  Naturally, they depose the Norm leader through treachery.  The Norm hero eventually works with the despised Mutates discovering that they're perfectly nice folks, despite their habit of stealing Norm women as wives.  One interesting aspect of the film is that the Mutates are Christians, while the Norms honor Satan because of all the destruction a millennium ago.  Not much is made of this, really, but I thought it was odd.  There's a bunch of intrigue between and within the three groups, a Bad Girl and a Good Girl, a dance sequence, folks dressed in tunics and such, carrying bows and arrows; in short, it looks like a monochrome sword-and-sandal movie!


I think this has gone on my _to be found and watched_ list!


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> I just thought that her power made her uninteresting.


Captain Meh-vel indeed.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Westerner* (1940)  Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is brought to Judge Roy Bean's (Walter Brennan) Saloon / Courtroom, accused of horse theft. An Undertaker was there, tape measure in hand, sizing him for a coffin. BTW, he had been in the process of carting the recently lynched guy to the cemetery, but had been interrupted by GC's arrival. Seeing the ease and rapidity with which the accused are convicted and hanged, and the photos / posters of Lillie Langtry (Lilian Bond) all over the wall, GC quickly mentions that he had met her. WB's eyes light up, and he demands details. Eventually WB convicts GC, but suspends the sentence, as GC said that he had a lock of Lillie's hair, but it was in some other town. 

Also, there is strife between the cattlemen, whom Bean supports, and the Homesteaders. Much of the plot covers the conflict. 

From the wiki page for this film, 

Doris Davenport as Jane Ellen Mathews; Fred Stone (never heard of him) as Caliphet Mathews; Forrest Tucker (I failed to recognize him; anyone remember F Troop?) as Wade Harper; Paul Hurst (never heard of him) as Chickenfoot (one of Bean's friends); Chill Wills (heard of him, but unfamiliar with his face) as Southeast (one of Bean's friends); Dana Andrews (I failed to recognize him) as Hod Johnson. 

An entertaining film, apparently GC resisted the studio's casting him in it, since WB's role was initially larger.


----------



## J Riff

*Alias the Champ* 1949,  - Bomber Kulkovitch, Jack 'Sockeye' MacDonald, The Super Swedish Angel (Tor Johnson) and others, have very small parts in this wrestle-o-mania fest, in which Gorgeous George and various gangsters tangle with a smart cop and the usual poisoners and whatnot, and there's extra wrestling footage after the main feature, too. 

*Alien Factor *1976 -  geee, an alien spaceship crashes, and various wild ET lifeforms escape, near our small town. There's an Inferbyce, a Zagatile, and a Leemoid loose. One other ET is unknown, and the pilot of the ship dies and the ship, which looks like it was made from a trailer, or a logging shed or something - blows up. The ETs begin dispatching locals, and someone has to do something because - "that was no animal!" .. There are lots bizarre squonking early Synth sound FX, and a couple tunes by 'Atlantis' (on Mekon Records) who play psych rock in a lounge near Baltimore, including 'Jump Back Crackerjack" I mean wattaya want?


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Watched last night *Suddenly Last Summer *(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1960), with Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Swift, and Katherine Hepburn, written by Gore Vidal based on a short play by Tennessee Williams. For the first hour and a half or so it's a strange little drama with a Southern Gothic flavor (it's set in New Orleans) about, um, lobotomy, with the three leads competing at how much scenery they can chew, and a few pretty intense scenes set in an insane asylum (and shot a bit like they belong in _The Twilight Zone_). Then in the last twenty minutes it goes utterly bonkers and wildly over the top, plunges into Surrealism (whether intentionally or not) and becomes something closer to Buñuel or even, in the way it's shot, Maya Deren. And, yes, to lobotomy and mental illness as a theme are added homosexuality (rather unexpected for a Hollywood movie from 1960), then, in short order, incest, pedophilia, and, I kid you not, cannibalism. I'm really still kind of stunned.


----------



## Jeffbert

Cannibalism & lobotomy always add spice to any film.  With all the old movies I have seen, I do not think I have seen that one.

*The Bribe* (1949) Unlike a film discussed a few months ago, in this one, Vincent Price is the Villain. It seems more appropriate for him, given his later films were horror, and he was usually the bad guy.  
Rigby, a U.S. Government Agent (Robert Taylor) goes to a tropical island, searching for black market WWII airplane engines being sold along with other metal as scrap. 

There are suspects, among them, Tugwell Hintten (John Hodiak); though his wife, Elizabeth (Ava Gardner) is not suspect. Tugwell is seriously ill, and this adds to the drama.  J.J. Bealer (Charles Laughton), who attempts to bribe RT, as soon as he figures him for the law. His character carries the film. Carwood (Vincent Price), who is apparently on a fishing trip, but soon gives himself away in a failed attempt to eliminate  RT. 

A thoroughly entertaining film; I hope to see it given the Noir Alley treatment soon!



*Paradise for Three* (1938) has Rudolph Tobler (Frank Morgan) owner of several corporations, inluding a bath soap manufacturer, running a contest for advertising slogans, for which 1st ans 2nd prizes are two weeks in a ski resort.  Fritz Hagedorn (Robert Young) wins 1st prize , and FM himself, wins 2nd, under the name of Edward Schultz. He hopes to visit the resort and experience it as a middle class man would, rather than as a rich guy.  But his servants, Julia Kunkel (Edna May Oliver), and Johann Kesselhut (Reginald Owen), are determined to make sure he is properly pampered. 

The hotel guys are very entertaining, Mr. Polter (Herman Bing), guy who rolls his tongue), Karl Bold (Sig Ruman), and  William Reichenbach (Walter Kingsford). EMO calls the hotel and tells them that a multimillionaire will be coming, posing as a contest winner, and they are to treat him like royalty, etc., but not so he sees through it, and learns that he is receiving special treatment. So,  R. Young arrives first, and is mistaken for the rich guy.  Irene Mallebre (Mary Astor) who is staying in the hotel, and unable to pay her bill, overhears the telephone call and sets her sights on RY. When FM arrives, he is mistaken for a poor man, and given the worst room, ends up washing dishes to pay his bill, etc., also becomes friend with hotel employee Sepp (Henry Hull), while the two are washing dishes. FM's daughter Hilde Tobler (Florence Rice) arrives, determined to foils EMO's attempt to spoil FM's fun. 

 My kind of comedy!


----------



## Starbeast

@J Riff - THE ALIEN FACTOR

It's one of my favorites. It's not great, but it's entertaining. In a good weird way.













...............and I watched all of the Indiana Jones movies again (not in order).


----------



## Rodders

Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. It holds up well. Still a very enjoyable movie. 

I also got to watch Shazam last night too. I though Zachary Levy did well to channel the emotions of a 15 year old. Good fun, but I doubt I’d watch it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Maltese Falcon* (1941) My umpteenth viewing, & it never gets old. This time, I read Wikipedia's page fairly extensively, & learned a few things about the slang that was used in the film. How things have changed! Likely the best Noir ever made. 'Nuff said!


----------



## Cathbad

*Call Northside 777*  (1948)

I've said it before:  No movie with Jimmy Stewart can be a bad one.

The start of this is in the form of a 'docudrama'.  They story centers around a string of cop killings, for which two men are eventually accused, tried, found guilty and sentenced to 99 years each.

But the mother of one of the murderers continues to try to prove her son's innocence, now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the truth.  $5K she earned by scrubbing floors for eleven years.

Now, a reporter (Jimmy Stewart) is tasked with first interviewing her, then going to the prison to interview the son.

The reporter isn't keen on the story, and doesn't wan to folow it - but the public interest is piqued with his first article, so...When the reporter becomes convinced ofthe man's innocence, he finds the police push back - of course.  

His persistence pays off, of course, and he wins a paroles and pardons board hearing - but will he have the eidence he needs in time?

Frankly, if I ever decide to make a film, I want to hire the agency that brought all these actors together!  I swear, there wasn't a bad job done among them!  That's probably a combination of the Acrors Agency, the Director - and simply working with Jimmy Stewart, but the result is a very uncommon piece, well done and convincingly presented.

(Interesting note:  The public was probably not too familiar with the lie detection machine in 1948.  It's use/functions were fully described before use in this movie!)


----------



## Cathbad

*A Sleeping Car to Trieste*  (1948)

This movie had a very promising beginning!  It presented all the components of the classic British espionage flick it was billed as.

Then, two-thirds the way through, there was finally an incident - the murder of a man who had 'The Diary'!

Too bed there wasn't a quick explanation what the diary was, or who it belonged to, or how it played a part in any espionage...

We learn what the diary is about with 11 minutes remaining in the movie - and it's contrived stupidly.  Of course, the finding of the diary leads to the solving of everything going on.

Aaaannd the bad guy dies so stupidly, it destroys even the half-enjoyable campiness of the movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

Cathbad said:


> *Call Northside 777*  (1948)
> 
> I've said it before:  No movie with Jimmy Stewart can be a bad one.
> 
> The start of this is in the form of a 'docudrama'.  They story centers around a string of cop killings, for which two men are eventually accused, tried, found guilty and sentenced to 99 years each.
> 
> But the mother of one of the murderers continues to try to prove her son's innocence, now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the truth.  $5K she earned by scrubbing floors for eleven years.
> 
> Now, a reporter (Jimmy Stewart) is tasked with first interviewing her, then going to the prison to interview the son.
> 
> The reporter isn't keen on the story, and doesn't wan to folow it - but the public interest is piqued with his first article, so...When the reporter becomes convinced ofthe man's innocence, he finds the police push back - of course.
> 
> His persistence pays off, of course, and he wins a paroles and pardons board hearing - but will he have the eidence he needs in time?
> 
> Frankly, if I ever decide to make a film, I want to hire the agency that brought all these actors together!  I swear, there wasn't a bad job done among them!  That's probably a combination of the Acrors Agency, the Director - and simply working with Jimmy Stewart, but the result is a very uncommon piece, well done and convincingly presented.
> 
> (Interesting note:  The public was probably not too familiar with the lie detection machine in 1948.  It's use/functions were fully described before use in this movie!)


That title seems familiar, but the details do not.  BTW, I believe the machine is a polygraph; all too frequently called lie detector.


----------



## Starbeast

*Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling* (2019)

After being in space for 20 years, Rocko and his friends attempt to adjust to an even more modern life in the 21st century. I was thrilled to watch this anniversary special. It brought back the fun and humor of the original animated show.

I highly recommend this to fans of the old show (1993 - 1996).


----------



## Rodders

Spiderman: Homecoming.

It was pretty good. I'm glad that I didn't have to sit through another Spiderman Origin story, though. Tom Holland was excellent as Peter Parker, (but then I liked Tobey Maquire and Andrew Garfield too and never really understood why the need to keep rebooting it.)

I think I'm all caught up on Marvel now.

Thor: Ragnorok. Very amusing.


----------



## J Riff

*The Astral Factor *- cheepnis from the 70s, also called_ Invisible Strangler_. Starts well, with some guy in a jail cell who just turns into blue dots, kind of like the StarTrek FX but cheesier, and the guy in the cell acrost the corridor sees this, he threatens the guy, who has faded back in, and suddenly his eyes turn into glowing stars, and the other prisoner's glasses shatter, then a shelf of paperbacks, about 20, but it's hard to make out any titles- falls on the guy, then his mattress attacks him, then his shoes fly up and hit him in the head. Shortly, a guard comes down the hall, and our guy is gone, invisible, so the cell is opened, he walks out invisibly and is gorn.
Of course our escapee is a psycho Mom-obsessed killer and he goes after Stefanie Powers and every other woman in the flick, but there's no more special FX till the end, when hero cop sees the strangler's feetprints going up carpeted stairs towards his victim, and he
blasts away at nothing, and what looks like some firecrackers and maybe sparklers that have been taped to the bannister of the staircase explode... and the strangler rematerializes into a little ball of blue light, monologues briefly and is gone. Cheesy saxophone music plays and you wonder how you made it through this particular movie without fastforwarding. You keep wondering if maybe you will find out how he did it but nah, he just read some books about paranormal stuff in prison and figured it out from that, I guess.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Great Sinner* (1949) Fedya (Gregory Peck) is a writer, perhaps, a novelist, though not specified as such. While en route to Paris, he meets Pauline Ostrovsky (Ava Gardner) on the train, and becomes smitten. She disembarks at Wiesbaden and he follows her. finding her in a casino owned by Armand de Glasse (Melvyn Douglas); to whom many gamblers are indebted, including Ostrovesky and her father  General Ostrovsky (Walter Huston). GP become friends with both father and daughter, hoping to marry the latter, but learning that their indebtedness dashes his hope in pieces. Being new to gambling, GP decides to win enough to redeem the note held by MD, only to realize that winning and keeping the winnings, are two very different things. 

Grandmother Ostrovsky (Ethel Barrymore) whose demise held the only real hope of redemption, comes to town, and also begins gambling.  Aristide Pitard (Frank Morgan) is the first gambler GP meets, and proves himself hopelessly addicted to the vice. Emma Getzel (Agnes Moorehead) owns the pawnshop that GP finds himself frequenting. 

A very well made film, based upon Fyodor Dostoyevsky's _The Gambler. _


----------



## Foxbat

Avengers Endgame - finally watched it and I just don't see what all the fuss is about. It was far too long. I struggled to stay awake because of all the tedious multi-quests (surprise surprise, they find a way to undo Thanos' work ).

I wasn't particularly bothered by the 'emotional' end either. By that time I was just glad it was all over. Take away all the wham wallop bang visuals and you're left with that age old superhero ensemble problem. What is big enough to make them team up in the first place? End of the world? Want a bigger team to put on screen next time? How about end of the universe? It's just a straight forward case of kicking up the literary gears. Same story but with more fizz.

We shouldn't be surprised that both the Avengers and Justice League franchise movies started off with an invasion of the world plot  because it's the simplest way to generate a team-up. After that, it's just a case of variations on a theme.


----------



## CupofJoe

I've tried to watch_ Avengers: Endgame_ twice and fallen asleep twice. 
Watched ZULU [1963] and loved the jingoistic flair... "If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 calibre miracle"


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Worst Movie Ever!*  (2011)

Ultra-low budget spoof of bad movies.  The plot has something to do with a killer robot from outer space and a woman who sucks the souls out of people, but forget about that.  It's just a series of silly scenes, done with the skill of a home movie.  It's hard to tell if the bad acting and bad singing (there are a lot of lousy songs) is deliberate, or because the cast are all amateurs, or both.  I thought it was pretty lame, mostly.


----------



## J Riff

Deliberate hacks at B movies never work.


----------



## HU_Nathan7

Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. Digging it so far. Love that era of thriller films.


----------



## Droflet

Is it safe??


----------



## J Riff

* Racket Girls* 1951 - couple girls wrestling away, we learn the movie stars Clara and Rita, who are the World, and Mexican champ wrestlers respectively. Peaches Page is in this one too. Anyway, the gals wrestle for 7 min. with no dialogue, till Peaches wins. Then the loser goes after the ref. Meanwhile some blatant gangsters are watching, but we cut to a gym full of female wrestlers, all practicing and working out...
until finally, at the 8-minute mark, we get our first line of dialogue, from some racketeer lackey in a seedy office:  "Hey Boss - can I go watch the girls in the gym?"
Peaches is hired to become a champ wrestler..., but all we get next is more of the gym, girls riding bikes, wrestling, working out, rowing.
Minimum talking in this movie, but Joe does come out with "Hey, you look like a swell dish to me,"  during roadwork, which consists of running behind a car, skipping rope and flipping a basketball back and forth out in the desert.
Sheesh - "He's the kind of guy who would change an evening stroll from a girl's recreation, to her occupation."
Now it's the Leopard Girl vs. the Panther Woman. Then this movie just sort of dissolves, there's some more wrestling, the gangsters are chased down and caught, it ends suddenly. Turns out that Women's Wrestling is a clean sport, they won't throw matches, who knew?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Ax Murderers of 1973 Double Feature:

*The Severed Arm* (1973)

Starts off with an intriguing scene of some unseen person in a morgue, cutting off a corpse's arm.  (You can't say the title isn't accurate.)  Same anonymous character wraps it in heavy paper and mails it special delivery.  (You'd think it would smell funny, but maybe embalming took care of that.)  The guy who receives it doesn't call the cops, the way you or I might, but calls up an acquaintance.  You see, they share a Dark Secret, leading to our flashback.  It seems that a bunch of guys went down into what they call a cave, although it looks like a mine shaft to me.  The one guy who is going to be our Comic Relief hammers on the wall and causes the opening to collapse, trapping our gang of amateur spelunkers.  Stuck for several days without food, they eventually decide to draw lots to see who's going to have his arm chopped off so they can eat it.  As fate would have it, as soon as they go ahead with the grisly low-tech surgery, they get rescued.  The guy who lost his arm has understandably gone mad, and the others cook up a story about how it was an accident.  The movie slows down to a crawl as our unseen person stalks the others, eventually chopping off their arms with an ax, until there's one survivor.  There's a twist at the end, and the last few minutes are surprisingly good for a fairly dull film.  (Apparently the uncut version of this flick features more gore than the version I saw, which is fine with me.) 



Spoiler



It turns out that the killer isn't the guy who lost his arm, but his adult son and daughter working together.  That, by itself, isn't much of a twist, but the film redeems itself at the very end when the siblings trap the final victim and lock him in a room with a scalpel, waiting for him to either cut his own arm off or starve to death.  The film doesn't tell us which one.  The final scene is quite tense, lit in an odd, blue way that heightens the mood, and prominently features a painting of the crucified Christ, which is interesting touch.



*So Sad About Gloria* (1973)

Young woman gets out of a mental institution, ready to start a normal life.  If I understood the barely mentioned back story correctly, she witnessed the death of her brother and somehow got that mixed up in her mind with the death of her father.  Well, none of that matters anyway.  Suffice to say that she's mentally fragile and is the heiress to a fortune.  For quite some time, the movie turns into a love story, as the heiress and a charming novelist Meet Cute (he's sitting in a tree), have an extended romance, complete with sappy love song on the soundtrack, and get married.  The movie finally remembers it's supposed to be a horror film, so the heiress has visions of a guy in an old-fashioned cape smashing open a coffin-sized box, which will eventually turn out to have the woman herself inside it.  By the way, the house into which the happy couple move was the scene of an unsolved ax murder a couple of years ago.  Our heroine soon hears a music box playing from out of nowhere, and experiences other scary stuff.  By this time, if you've ever seen a movie before, you know that somebody is trying to gaslight her out of her money.  Could it be her elderly uncle?  Her husband?  The vaguely creepy handyman who walks around with an ax?  The answer turns out to be really, really obvious, but I'll use a spoiler warning anyway.  The whole thing is pretty sedate and predictable, with a few decent scary moments. 



Spoiler



Somebody in a mask comes after her with an ax, she goes incurably insane, the guy whips off the mask and is revealed to be, to nobody's surprise at all, the husband.  The uncle was working with him, but decides at the last second that it was a bad thing to do, so the husband kills him with the ax.  In an outrageous final twist, the husband goes back to the house to get a few things, and is killed by an unseen somebody with an ax.  I assume it's supposed to be the original uncaught murderer -- maybe the handyman? -- who has apparently been waiting around for two years to claim his next victim.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Johnny Mnemonic *(1995)

Keanu Reeves is a courier with data saved in his head, which he can't access. Everyone wants the data, and he has to go on the run. It's based on a short story by William Gibson, who wrote the screenplay. Despite hints of interesting developments - a grief-stricken Yakusa boss, Johnny's entitled ranting about wanting to live in a luxury hotel - the film manages to make the exciting short story feel rather dull. It suffers from a lack of Molly Millions, the heroine of the story, who couldn't be included for IP reasons.

Well, this isn't very good. But it is a typical example of 1990s near-future SF, with that cyberpunk-in-a-junkyard look that seems to have started with _Robocop_. Ice-T and Henry Rollins crop up, as seems to have been obligatory in those days. There's a bit in cyberspace at the end that looks a lot like Lawnmower Man, and was probably pretty impressive at the time. The action sequences are pretty weak, and Reeves is wooden (which sort-of works, given his confused state in the story). Some of the sets were good. I liked the dolphin.


----------



## J Riff

*Superargo Against Diabolicus *1967. Starts with a terrific wrestling showdown betwixt SuperArgo and El Tigre, both unbeaten in their careers. After some real pro wrestling, SuperArgo flings his opponent right outen the ring and uh oh, looks like he may be kilt. Yep. Closeup of SuperArgo's anguished orange-masked face, then cut to psychedelic-60s-style montage credits. 
 Despite having psychological problems from killing, which make him quit wrestling, SuperArgo ends up beating hell out of Diabolicus' entire remote island operation- he is tougher than Batman and/or James Bond and quite handy with a machine gun, plus his various slightly-superior-than-human powers come in handy a few times. But watch for the vintage SuperBall scene; when SuperArgo breaks one of the mercury vapor tubes, and original superballs fill the room. *)


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> *Johnny Mnemonic *(1995)
> 
> Keanu Reeves is a courier with data saved in his head, which he can't access. Everyone wants the data, and he has to go on the run. It's based on a short story by William Gibson, who wrote the screenplay. Despite hints of interesting developments - a grief-stricken Yakusa boss, Johnny's entitled ranting about wanting to live in a luxury hotel - the film manages to make the exciting short story feel rather dull. It suffers from a lack of Molly Millions, the heroine of the story, who couldn't be included for IP reasons.
> 
> Well, this isn't very good. But it is a typical example of 1990s near-future SF, with that cyberpunk-in-a-junkyard look that seems to have started with _Robocop_. Ice-T and Henry Rollins crop up, as seems to have been obligatory in those days. There's a bit in cyberspace at the end that looks a lot like Lawnmower Man, and was probably pretty impressive at the time. The action sequences are pretty weak, and Reeves is wooden (which sort-of works, given his confused state in the story). Some of the sets were good. I liked the dolphin.


I remember when this came out I was very excited to see it being a huge fan of Gibson and cyberpunk. It was a massive disappointment. However, I look at it now as a flawed attempt to bring cyberpunk to the screen and can watch most of it. I skip most of the scenes involving Lundgren.


----------



## Toby Frost

Yes, the Lundgren scenes aren't very good and just feel like filler. In some ways it's surprising how close it gets to Gibson's writing (barman with metal arm, the Magnetic Dog Sisters, Jones etc), but how weak the visual interpretation of his writing is.


----------



## Cathbad

*Charlie Chan in Egypt *(1935)

First time I tried watching this, I fell asleep - not a commentary on the movie - I'd just stayed up too long.

Glad I gave it another go.  This is a surprisingly good movie, and the mystery is told so well, Christie would have been proud!

Warner Oland plays the lead.  He's a Swede - Hollywood hadn't become 'politically correct' yet, and as far as Chan is concerned, never did - the Chinese American detective was only played by Caucasian males.

Another non-politically correct part was played by Stepin Fetchit.  Always playing a horrible (albeit funny) stereotype, the star saw a lot of big screen action, and made millionaire status at a time such a thing wasn't thought possible!

Every time I see a Charlie Chan movie, I am amazed the actor(s) portraying him don't overact the part.  It seems a natural role to do so!

Chan is dispatched to find out why artifacts from a dig in Egypt are turning up in private collections and a rival museum, rather than the one that has contracted to take them.  What he finds, of course, is murder.  As always, a love story is added into the mix.  None of Chan's 14 children make an appearance, though the detective does mention one of them.

An excellent movie, all around!


----------



## REBerg

*The Mule*
Clint Eastwood can't go wrong by playing characters his own age.


----------



## J Riff

*Devilman Story* 1967. This movie is indecipherable. Maybe Victoria could figure it out, but I can't. There's a professor missing? His daughter, and some newspaper guy... then a horde of rifle-toting nomads, and Silver-masked Devilman, who wants to transplant, I think it's a bunch of brains, into his own head. There's 60s-rock action music alternate with sickeningly syrupy schmaltz, can't really follow this plot... it, they storm Devilman's headquarters, the missing daughter of someone is saved, maybe, then the whole place blows up. That's as expected, but what happens in between is not quite cohesible, I have no idea, and the dubbing is bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Centerfold Girls* (1974)

Same basic plot as *Cover Girl Killer* (1959), which I reviewed here earlier -- psycho murders women who pose for girlie magazines -- but, since this is the Seventies, it's a lot sleazier.  It's really three different films in one, as the killer stalks a trio of victims.  (I'm not counting the corpse we see under the opening credits.)  The end credits are even divided up into "The First Story," "The Second Story," and "The Third Story."

Victim One picks up a seemingly innocent young woman -- she claims not to smoke or drink, for example -- in need of a ride.  She's really one of a group of nasty hippies (three women and one man) who take over her house and torment her.  She manages to get out of that situation, only to be killed by the psycho.  Mind you, he has nothing at all to do with the hippie creeps; she was just having a really bad day.

Victim Two goes off to some island somewhere with several other people for photography sessions.  They don't know that the killer is also around.  This segment has a high body count, other than the victim, so it's kind of an Old Dark House/Unstoppable Killer story.

Victim Three's story plays out like a cat-and-mouse game.  Her friend is killed because the psycho mistakes her for his intended victim.  She runs off, the killer tracks her down.  Her car breaks down during a chase scene, two sailors pick her up.  Since this film takes place in a world where just about everybody is rotten, they drug her and rape her.  The killer shows up, acting like a good guy out to help her, but she quickly figures out his intentions, since he stupidly left his copy of the girlie magazine with the models' heads cut out, and information about Victim Three scrawled next to her picture.  This leads up to a final battle between the two in a eerie, burnt-out area where there had recently been a real forest fire.

The movie manages to be both extremely trashy -- there is nearly constant female nudity, for one thing -- and oddly effective.


----------



## Cathbad

*Terror Creatures from the Grave*  (1965)

With beautiful Barbara Steele as Cleo Hauf and Walter Brandi (Brandt) as Albert Kovac - whose lawyer character kept reminding me of the reporter Kolchak in the old supernatural series.

The movie opened with the same kind of surreal fear I felt when watching *Dark Shadows*.  Though not close to that quality, the movie did manage to maintain that aura well into it.

But the build-up fell flat, when the 'creatures' were finally shown.  Plague-infested creatures; nasty enough, but not as frightening as was suggested.

Still, an enjoyable movie, even if not all it was promised to be.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> The movie manages to be both extremely trashy -- there is nearly constant female nudity, for one thing -- and oddly effective



Interesting juxtaposition, ALMOST makes me think about watching it.-------   But .... no.


----------



## J Riff

Not really worth it unless you are still living in the 70s. Besides, it's Saturday afternoon, time for something wholesome, like maybe 
_Mr. Horatio Knibbles _1970. There's these kids, see, and this giant invisible rabbit...


----------



## Cathbad

*Masque of the Red Death * (2012)

A remake by PiPE Dreams Theater.

I'll be generous and give it a 1 of 5 stars - for the music.

Otherwise, totally not worth it.  The V. Price 1964 version tops it five times over.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Cathbad said:


> *Terror Creatures from the Grave*  (1965)
> 
> With beautiful Barbara Steele as Cleo Hauf and Walter Brandi (Brandt) as Albert Kovac - whose lawyer character kept reminding me of the reporter Kolchak in the old supernatural series.
> 
> The movie opened with the same kind of surreal fear I felt when watching *Dark Shadows*.  Though not close to that quality, the movie did manage to maintain that aura well into it.
> 
> But the build-up fell flat, when the 'creatures' were finally shown.  Plague-infested creatures; nasty enough, but not as frightening as was suggested.
> 
> Still, an enjoyable movie, even if not all it was promised to be.




Yes, this one isn't bad.  My review from a while back:



> *Terror Creatures From the Grave* (1965)
> 
> The original Italian title translates as something like _Five Tombs for a Medium_, which makes it sound like a _giallo_.  There's a touch of that in the plot.  Early Twentieth Century.  A letter arrives for a notary written in an old-fashioned handwriting asking the notary to go to a villa to settle a will for a fellow.  The notary is off somewhere, so his assistant (our hero) goes to the villa.  It turns out the fellow who supposedly sent the letter has been dead a year.  His adult daughter (our love interest) and her stepmother (Steele) are only at the villa to move the dead man's body somewhere else after a year underground, per his eccentric instructions.  We find out pretty quickly that, of the five men who signed a paper witnessing the dead man's accidental demise, two have recently died.  Two more meet the same fate as the film goes on.  The fifth one happens to be the notary.  Up to now, although we already know the dead man claimed to have the supernatural power to raise the dead, it's perfectly possible for these to be ordinary murders made to look like the dead man's revenge.  We find out the truth during the climax.  Let's just say it involves the fact that the villa occupies a place where plague victims were housed, and that some of them deliberately spread the disease and were executed for their crime.  Moves at a leisurely pace, with some eerie and imaginative scenes; an exhibit of the mummified hands of the executed men; a bowl of water which empties itself mysteriously; what seems to be the ghost of a girl, killed by the executed men, who sings a creepy little song about pure water being the source of salvation.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

J Riff said:


> Not really worth it unless you are still living in the 70s. Besides, it's Saturday afternoon, time for something wholesome, like maybe
> _Mr. Horatio Knibbles _1970. There's these kids, see, and this giant invisible rabbit...




Because *Harvey* wasn't family-friendly enough?


----------



## Cathbad

*28 Days*  (2000)

I love Sandra Bullock!!

Yeah, I know, this isn't in one of 'our' genres, but I ended up watching this movie and I just had to say, it has my NEW FAVORITE ENDING!!

Girl parties and drinks too much, ruins sister's wedding and crashes the honeymoon car into a house.  Judge sentences her to rehab - for 28 days.  The group she gets put in with is a fabulous one.  Against her will, she finds herself changing... _wanting_ to change. 

Yeah, it's one of those heart-warming stories, yadda-yadda.  But the ending isn't the perfect romantic scenario - but it's perfect.  Friends matter.  If you feel like getting those warm, snuggly feelings, catch this one!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Godmonster of Indian Flats *(1973)

Very eccentric monster movie indeed.  There are two parallel plots.  

In one, Science Guy discovers a large, mutated sheep embryo, somehow alive outside its mother's body.  We later find out that this came about because the fossils of prehistoric animals buried deep underground released "yellow phosphorus" when miners dug down there in the old days. 

In the other, a representative of some big business concern shows up at a town that serves as a Wild West tourist attraction, hoping to buy rights to the local mines.  The local mayor, who rules the place with an iron hand, doesn't want this to happen, so he blames the guy for shooting a dog.  (The whole thing is faked, with an elaborate funeral [!] for the dog, even though it wasn't hurt at all.)  This isn't quite enough, so the guy is later framed for shooting a man, who actually shot himself (only a "flesh wound") to set the whole thing up.  A lynch mob shows up at the local jail to hang him, but he gets away.  The mob follows him to the facility of Science Guy, and our two plots finally come together when they launch tear gas into the place.  

The embryo, now a giant mutant sheep that walks on its hind legs -- it's obvious somebody in a grotesquely distorted sheep suit -- gets out.  Science Guy's female assistant dances with it (!) and later it scares off some little kids at a picnic.  The mayor captures it, and plans to put it on display.  He admits to the assembled crowd that he is going to sell the rights to the mines himself; in fact, to the same company represented by the framed guy.   This blatant display of greed leads to the crowd attacking the caged monster, which then explodes, because its full of "yellow phosphorus," leaving the place a blasted wasteland, the mayor going into a tirade about how he's won.

This is all actually less coherent than I've made it sound.  The movie has the audacity to play Bach's cantata _Sheep May Safely Graze _over the opening credits, which was rather charming.  It's a terrible, amateurish film in many ways, but oddly fascinating in its sheer weirdness.


----------



## Cathbad

*Edgar Allan Poe's The Oval Portrait *(1972)

In all my Poe reading - including a collection proclaiming to be his 'Complete Works', I somehow missed this on.  So I had to Bing it, to prove itr was his.

So happens, it was one of his very shortest stories, covering just 2 pages when published!  He has poems longer!!

But this movie is very... _Poe-esque_, even if a bit overacted (but that is neither unexpected or unusual or harmful for a Poe story).

Although the storylines are different, the premises are not dissimilar, and I find myself wondering if Wilde got his idea for _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ from reading this earlier Poe story?

Still, for a group of 'B' actors, this was a pretty well done show.


----------



## AE35Unit

*American Psycho*(2000)
Not seen this before, very disappointing and a waste of 90 minutes to be honest.


----------



## AE35Unit

AstroZon said:


> Westworld (1973)  I hadn't seen this movie since the 70s, and that was probably at a drive-in.  I found it at the library and checked it out.
> 
> Most of the movie reminded me of a cross between a bad episode of Star Trek and just about any episode of Fantasy Island.  The control center's computers are mostly flashy-light panels and rows of IBM tape drives - a Hollywood cliche if ever there was one.  (There were a few actual computer monitors though.)
> 
> Yul Brynner is excellent as the robot outlaw provocateur.  He looks so menacing.  I did like the special effect used to show Yul Brynner's vision - a computer generated pixelated image that was the earliest use of a computer generated effect ever.  Cool.


Oh I loved that film, a favourite of my childhood years


----------



## Vince W

*Stan and Ollie. * Steve Coogan and John Reilly are brilliant as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Coogan especially played Stan wonderfully. It was funny with a touch of sadness as a look at the last days of the duo's careers. If you are familiar with Oliver and Hardy at all you should watch this film. I don't think people who never watched their films will enjoy it quite the same way.


----------



## Rodders

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 was just on the tv. Pretty enjoyable. I will try and catch part 2 tomorrow.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Cathbad said:


> *Edgar Allan Poe's The Oval Portrait *(1972)
> 
> In all my Poe reading - including a collection proclaiming to be his 'Complete Works', I somehow missed this on.  So I had to Bing it, to prove itr was his.
> 
> So happens, it was one of his very shortest stories, covering just 2 pages when published!  He has poems longer!!
> 
> But this movie is very... _Poe-esque_, even if a bit overacted (but that is neither unexpected or unusual or harmful for a Poe story).
> 
> Although the storylines are different, the premises are not dissimilar, and I find myself wondering if Wilde got his idea for _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ from reading this earlier Poe story?
> 
> Still, for a group of 'B' actors, this was a pretty well done show.




You and I are wandering down the same dim corridors of YouTube, it seems.

My own review from earlier this year:



> *The Oval Portrait* (1972)
> 
> Low budget adaptation of the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. The Poe tale is very short. Guy paints a picture of his wife so lifelike that she dies when it is finished. The film pretty much ignores this. Shortly after the American Civil War, folks gather at the home of a retired Union officer who has just died. Right away we get our spooky stuff, as our heroine gets freaked out by a woman she sees, assuming she's a ghost. Under the titles, we see the portrait in question, which changes from that of a young woman into a corpse; a pretty effective touch. The heroine freaks out in other ways, fainting and such. The vaguely spooky housekeeper gives her (and the viewers) the back story, and we go into a flashback that takes up most of the film. During the war, a wounded Confederate soldier shows up at the officer's home. The housekeeper and the officer's daughter hide him while the officer is away. The daughter and the soldier fall in love, they almost get married but the Yankees catch him and take him away. The officer comes home to find his daughter pregnant. He throws her out of the house, she loses the baby, he goes catatonic, she dies. Her lover comes back after the war to find her dead and goes insane. Back in the present, we spend the last fifteen minutes watching the movie go crazy. Lots of haunted house stuff, the Confederate soldier making out with his lover's desiccated corpse, a sudden revelation of the relationship between two of the characters that comes out of nowhere. It's all very amateurish, and until the berserk climax it moves with all the speed of a glacier. I can't call it good, or even competent, by any means, but it kept me watching. (Weird bits of trivia: This is a Mexican movie filmed in English. The IMDB claims that *One Minute Before Death* is an alternate title, but a little research reveals that's an entirely different film made by the same folks with the same actors. From the online reviews I found, some folks watching copies of *One Minute Before Death* got that movie -- something about a woman falling down stairs, seeming to be dead but only paralyzed, and getting buried -- and some got this one.)


----------



## J Riff

Glad that Victoria got to _Godmonster_ because I watched it and was not able to speak of, or review it. The only really good thing was that
they had the decency to not actually kill the dog, just faked it to get whatsisname in trouble, so that was civilized. But, now we have 
*Grabbers* from 2012 in which the usual alien ship crashes, monsters get loose in the ocean, come into town, on a remote island of course, and start grabbing people for lunch. Turns out, though, that - if you have enough _alcohol_ in your blood, the monsters will spit you back out, probably you will survive. Soooo... the whole town hasta get hammered and stay that way...  set in Ireland of course...  * I'm only halfway through this movie but I think that makes it abundantly clear what-it-is. Pretty good monsters, lots tentacles. *)


----------



## AstroZon

*The Ghost and Mr. Chicken* (1966) Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent.  

It ran on TV when I was 9 years old, and I've liked it ever since.  Have it on DVD now.


----------



## Cathbad

AstroZon said:


> *The Ghost and Mr. Chicken* (1966) Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent.
> 
> It ran on TV when I was 9 years old, and I've liked it ever since.  Have it on DVD now.


LOVE IT!!!


----------



## dask

AstroZon said:


> *The Ghost and Mr. Chicken* (1966) Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent.
> 
> It ran on TV when I was 9 years old, and I've liked it ever since.  Have it on DVD now.





Cathbad said:


> LOVE IT!!!


We watched it a few years and you know, it was pretty darn good.


----------



## Randy M.

AstroZon said:


> *The Ghost and Mr. Chicken* (1966) Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent.
> 
> It ran on TV when I was 9 years old, and I've liked it ever since.  Have it on DVD now.



My dad took me to see it when I was a kid. We laughed and had a good time. Watched it with my daughter when she was younger and we laughed and had a good time. So, not the best movie comedy of the '60s, but a fun movie with a lot of familiar faces from '60s TV like Sargent, Skip Homier, Lurene Tuttle and Robert Cornthwaite (see also the movie, _The Thing (From Another World! _and, much later, the TV show, _Picket Fences_).


*The Old Man & the Gun* (2018; dir. David Lowry; starring Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tom Waits) 

Enjoyable movie about an aging bank robber who's into it less for the money than for the thrill of robbing. He's a charming codger who is pretty much ignored on entering and badly described by those who see him (with the exception of one teller). Casey Affleck is a detective facing a mid-life crisis of not really liking his work any more, but somehow while chasing down the old codger, regains his own sense of purpose. Their one meeting is very brief and surprisingly likable. Redford and Spacek work well together, too, two people engaging one another and enjoying the results. It's a little sad near the end, but oddly upbeat, too. There's the implied moral, do what you love.


*Dr. No* (1960; dir. Terrence Young; starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord)

I'd forgotten how quick this film is, coming in under 2 hours, while still covering a full plot. Later Bonds seem to want to rush from action scene to action scene, the older ones let the action evolve from the story, and this one takes that time without seeming dragged out. The fight between Bond and Dr. No is rather perfunctory, but the getting there is still enjoyable, not least because the set design for Dr. No's living spaces and labs are still really cool, though the equipment is clunky and now looks as antiquated as the lab set in the Karloff _Frankenstein_. Well directed, well acted by Connery, Lord, and Wiseman -- another entry in Hollywood's resistance to casting Asian actors as Asian characters -- and not so much by anyone else, with lush scenery which includes Ursula Andress (first in a series of women not given the material to show whether or not they can act), it's still a fun adventure movie though not lacking in '50s-'60s attitudes toward women and sex which some viewers will find distasteful if not enraging.



Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Alabama's Ghost* (1973)

From the same mad genius who brought you *Godmonster of Indian Flats*.  Would you believe that this one is much weirder?  Two minutes of off-screen narration give us our insane back story.  It seems that  a female scientist named Doctor Caligula (!), working for Hitler, went to India to meet with Carter the Great, the world's leading stage magician.  Carter had a hashish-like substance; when injected into the human body via acupuncture, it somehow allows one to rule the world.  Mind you, our movie hasn't even really started yet.  Things get going when a guy named Alabama, who works as a stage manager at a theater where a band plays Dixieland music (including the title song!) runs a forklift into a basement wall.  Lo and behold, he finds the costumes and equipment of the late Carter the Great.  A note tells whoever finds it to contact Carter's sister.  Alabama does so, and she agrees to let him do Carter's act.  We soon find out that the elderly "sister" is actually a male vampire in drag (!), and he intends to use the hashish-like stuff to destroy civilization for the benefit of his fellow bloodsuckers.  With the help of a rock promoter with a fake Scottish accent, Alabama somehow becomes a smash hit.  We get some typical stage magic, along with rock music and go-go dancers.  Some of the acts go badly, and the ghost of Carter shows up, warning Alabama in vague terms.  (I guess Carter is "Alabama's ghost," in some sense.)  Alabama runs (literally, he runs) back home to Mama and undergoes a voodoo ceremony  to protect him in some way.  It all leads up to a big outdoor concert in the desert, where Alabama is going to make an elephant disappear and then reveal how the trick is done, which is an important plot point in some way which escapes me.  Meanwhile, Doctor Caligula shows up and makes a robot duplicate of Alabama.  The vampires place some of Alabama's hippie groupies on what can only be described as an assembly line  to suck their blood.  There's a big riot at the end, where the elephant kills the leader of the vampires, and either Alabama or the robot duplicate (I'd lost track by this time) shoots the motorcycle-riding vampires attacking the crowd at the concert.  The vampires disappear into thin air, and the weird little gizmo the vampire leader was using to somehow take over the world blows up.  The movie makes much less sense than I've indicated, and I've probably got a lot of the plot mixed up.  A truly surreal experience.


----------



## Rodders

The Mockingjay Part 2 was on TV last night. 

I thought that it closed off the series quite nicely.


----------



## Jeffbert

S. Connery as Bond, James Bond X 5.

TCM is running Bond movies this month Every Thursday; at the early stage anyway, chronological order and nothing skipped. 

Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You only Live Twice

The latter film seemed just a wee  bit beyond believable. Actually, more like a comic book. Far too implausible, but all were very much fun to watch. Only the 1st 3 had Ben Mankiewicz giving intros and follow-up, and I initially intended to watch those comments while ffwding through the films. I am glad I watched them all, though. Without having viewed the rest recently, I think that Donald Pleasence is the creepiest and best Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  

I suppose I will watch all of them, those TCM shows, anyway. I will need to look elsewhere for SC's 7th appearance as JB, as it does not seem to be in the lineup of films TCM will show. 

I have heard the opinion that only SC had the physique that allowed JB to overpower his foes, as he does. Some of the other actors are just too lightweight, etc. I agree, though I know next to nothing about hand-to-hand combat.


----------



## Randy M.

Connery also had done some boxing while in the military. According to stunt men, I've heard, it didn't hurt if Roger Moore accidentally landed a punch, but it did when Connery landed.

I'll probably watch _From Russia with Love_ and maybe _Goldfinger_, but I didn't record the other two. Mostly I was interested in how they were introduced.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood and Lace* (1971)

Not a good film at all, really, but oddly compelling because of its truly twisted plot.  We start with an unseen somebody killing a man and woman in bed with the claw end of a hammer, then setting the place on fire.  Cut to a young woman sitting up and screaming, the way people do when waking up from a nightmare.  It seems that this is the daughter of the murdered woman, a prostitute.  (The man was one of her clients.)  She gets moved from the hospital where she's staying to the world's worst orphanage.  The first we see of this house of horrors is a kid trying to run away, and the handyman chasing after him, throwing a meat cleaver at him, and cutting his hand off.  The kid manages to stumble off for a while before collapsing, and the handyman stuffs the hand into the suitcase the kid dropped.  It's not much later that we see that the woman who runs the orphanage has one girl locked in the attic for days, dying of thirst, and the dead bodies of two kids who tried to run away in the meat freezer, along with the dead body of her husband, because she expects that science will someday find a way to revive him.  Eventually somebody with a hammer shows up, stalking the new arrival.  It all leads up to people getting killed left and right, and our Shocking Twist Ending: 



Spoiler



The guy with the hammer is actually a police detective in disguise, managing to uncover the stuff going on at the orphanage, as well as find the killer we saw at the start.  It turns out that the daughter of the prostitute, our heroine, killed her mother and her client.  The detective says he won't turn her in, to face the death penalty or life in prison if she marries him.  At the very end, he reveals that he was the first person to make love to her mother, implying that he is going to marry his own daughter.



The woman who runs the orphanage is played by noted actress Gloria Grahame, now a bit faded from her prime, and giving a strong performance.  Most of the actors playing minor roles as the orphans are pretty bad.  The movie has a really lousy musical soundtrack, consisting of bombastic music more suited to a pirate adventure, alternating with electronic bleeps.  The whole thing has a weird feeling because so many faces very familiar from TV show up.  Heck, the main character is played by Wrangle Jane from _F Troop_!


----------



## J Riff

*CRAWL*  2019---- natural disaster, hurricane, huge flood, Dad's not answering phone, champ swimmer daughter risks life to check house- dog locates Dad in crawlspace under house. The sappy dad/daughter thing is overdone in this, but so are the gators. Which is sort of okay if you're watching a giant gator movie, Not super-giant but quite believably very large gators. Anyway, fast-forward to the end and yes - spoiler - the dog is still alive and well. Better off than the humans in fact, which may be appropriate since the dog was the only one smart enough to stay out of gator hell, in this gory Sam Raimi hack at claustrophobic terror and gators.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Godfather 2 *(1974) - like the first one, a very good film, but one from a different era that tells its story in a slightly odd way. The jumps back and forth between Michael Corleone's present and his father Vito's past are fine and not hard to follow, although they do give it a slightly episodic quality that might work better as a TV programme. Like quite a few old films, nobody tells you what's really happening, and you often have to deduce it from the events. At times things just seem to happen to give the plot something more to do. But it's still very well acted and looks superb, and the ending is very strong indeed.


----------



## Vareor

Loro (2018) – An Italian movie which portrays the decadence of a flamboyant man. The subject is Silvio Berlusconi, played by one of the best Italian actors, Toni Servillo.


----------



## Jeffbert

*T-34* (2019)  I was a tank enthusiast since childhood, not so much now, though.  Still, I was rather pleased to see some details here that few, other than enthusiasts know about. For instance, the commander of the German Panzer III communicates with his crew by throat transducer, rather than microphone. That is, two pickups on each side of his Adams Apple, which he presses against it, when speaking. Keeps all the noise of the battlefield out, and makes communication certain. The Soviet tanks had no such system, and would be like comparing Ford Pintos to Mercedes. While the Germans talked to other tank commanders via radio, the Soviets had to use hand signals. Only the unit command tanks might have radios. I do not recall if the film depicted otherwise. Inside the tanks they would need to yell as loud as possible to be heard. 

The film did show the goings-on inside the T-34, but not much inside the Panzers. I would have liked to see both. During my tank model days, I would love to have a model with even a partial interior! The German tanks, from the Panzer III and up, have crews of 5. 3 in the turret: Commander, loader, and Gunner.  Each was trained for his specific task. As such, they could maintain a rather high rate of fire from the main gun. Having been humiliated by the loss in WWI, the Germans were not about to start a rematch without having made sure they could win. The French tanks had 1 man in the turret, who had to command the tank, load the main gun, rotate the turret, and fire. He would be overworked and such a tank would be at a huge disadvantage when confronted by the Panzers (no French tanks in this film). The nearly worldwide doctrine for tanks was that they were to support the infantry, which was thought to be the *Queen of Battle*. Lessons learned by experience in WWI were quickly forgotten. The T-34 had a 2 man turret crew, commander and loader/gunner. I believe that the turret rotation was by way of a hand crank, while the Germans used electric motors, with hand cranks as reserves. 



Spoiler



The element of the T-34 commander counting to 4 to time the next firing of the Panzer's main gun is new to me. I would not think a Panzer commander would act in such a predictable way, though.  But, in this film, the T-34 was able to maneuver quickly enough to deflect the enemy's anti-tank weapons, which barely grazed it. Seems a bit much, though. Because the T-34s have sloped armor, the Panzers already had a tough time defeating them, and the 50mm main gun of the Mark III Panzer would be inadequate against the frontal armor in any case.



So, the plot is the Germans intend to use a captured T-34 and cobble together a crew of POWs as target practice for their own tank cadets. They would have the POWs in a working T-34, with no ammunition, maneuvering out there while inexperienced cadets in German tanks actually fire upon it. 

The Germans are depicted as sadists, just about a nasty as they could be. But, given their attitudes toward the Soviets, it is likely more accurate, than fantastic. So, they haul in a largely intact T-34 on a flatbed trailer, with its dead crew still inside. They demand that the POWs remove the corpses, clean out the guts, make any repairs, and drive the T-34 out into the woods to give the cadets live-fire training. 

One problem arises, which is that underneath the corpses, there is some main gun live ammunition. just six rounds of it; a mix of armor-piercing and high explosive. I think this is just a bit of a stretch, but what do I know? The bulk of the plot depends upon the Soviets concealing the ammunition, and retrieving it, before going out to be the target of a shooting gallery. 

The Soviet tanks use diesel fuel while the Germans' use gasoline. There is very little fuel in the T-34, intentionally so. Though the Germans are almost expecting trouble from their captives, they were taken by surprise by the live ammunition. I would have made certain the main gun was useless, just to be on the safe side, but what do I know.  



Spoiler



Sorry, not much here! After escaping from the training camp, the Soviets head for town, hoping to find fuel there. They skipped the refueling scene, and continued on their way. I do not know if the Germans even used diesel fuel in any vehicles during that time, but it seems unlikely that the POWs would have had enough in the 1st place to find more, before exhausting what little they had. 

There was one scene in which the track *should* (perhaps 'might' is better) have snapped because the tank came down upon the pavement sideways at an angle. Oh well, so much for nit-picking!



As far as WWII movies go, this one is well worth watching. 


*Tanks for Stalin* (2018) The fictionalized account of the designer of the T-34 driving his prototype cross country to Moscow to show it to Stalin. It seems he designed and built it in his spare time, while working in the factory.  

Interesting and entertaining.


----------



## Starbeast

*This was a surprisingly entertaining movie to watch* (I didn't like the first film).


----------



## Vince W

There was a *Scorpion King 2*?


----------



## Cathbad

*Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome*  (1947)

Ralph Byrd as the title hero, with BORIS KARLOFF as he Bad Guy!

This one lacked all the wonderful gadgets, but did a fine job mixing the seriousness and campiness!  It was also a fine example how, lacking Special Effects/CGI, chase scenes, fights and other action scenes can be so much more realistic!

If this one were in color - and I could get you to go see it - I think even the most ardent FX fans would love it.

Even without most of the futuristic gadgets, it still had a touch of the Sci-Fi - a 'time bomb' that suspended time!


----------



## AlexH

CupofJoe said:


> *Show Me Love* [aka F***king Åmål ] [1998]
> Probably my all-time favourite highschool romance.


I loved this too.



Vince W said:


> *Stan and Ollie. * Steve Coogan and John Reilly are brilliant as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Coogan especially played Stan wonderfully. It was funny with a touch of sadness as a look at the last days of the duo's careers. If you are familiar with Oliver and Hardy at all you should watch this film. I don't think people who never watched their films will enjoy it quite the same way.


I haven't seen any Laurel & Hardy since I was a kid (though I intend to). I thought Stan and Ollie was a very touching film about friendship. Both leads were indeed fantastic, as was Nina Arianda as Ida Kitaeva Laurel. I even ended up liking her character 



Spoiler: spoiler



and it was great to see her and Hardy's wife as friends at the end!


----------



## AlexH

The best and the meh of the films I've seen recently:

*Black Swan *(2010). Incredible acting from Natalie Portman. I didn't know this was a psychological thriller/horror, and Portman helped make it a very good one.

*The Boy and the Beast *(2015). A good anime with a touching ending.

*Green Book *(2018). Viggo Mortenson and Mahershala Ali were great in the leads as an unlikely friendship developed between the characters (working class bouncer and black classical pianist in 1960s US). Would make a good alternative Christmas film.

*The Big Short *(2015). I didn't think a film about banking could be so entertaining. There is a lot of jargon and I didn't quite understand everything.

*BlacKkKlansman *(2018). Could have been much more hard-hitting if it wasn't so stylish. It was good though, and the true story of a black police officer infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan was interesting.

*Kick-Ass *(2010). Decent enough. I thought Nic Cage's character and Hit-Girl were much more entertaining than the main character.

*Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood *(2019). Self-indulgent. Would've been better with at least half an hour cut. A scene with Brad Pitt towards the end is fantastic, if not unnecessarily violent.

*Moonlight *(2016). I think this won the best picture Oscar? Not Oscar-worthy, but it was good. The first two thirds were better than the final third.

*Redline *(2009). In-your-face futuristic racing anime with an attention-grabbing opening I loved. I lost interest though, so the film was just okay in the end.

*A Ghost Story *(2017). Yawn. A 10-minute scene of someone slowly eating a pie? I really wanted to like this, and there were good aspects. Overall, I felt it was a waste of 90 minutes.

*Sorry to Bother You *(2018). Surreal fantasy/sci-fi comedy that started promisingly then failed to keep me engaged. I found one scene absolutely hilarious, though.


----------



## Cathbad

*Tommyknockers  *(1987)

Never got around to reading the book (Stephen King), but I understand even he thought it was a terrible book.

I do hope it was better than the movie!!

Best I could make out, everyone in town was insane, and then here was magic - or was it tech?

A woman went from grieving widow to slut in 13 seconds.

A man reads one paragraph of one areticle and figures it all out.

A girlfriend protecrs boyfriend, then turns on him the very moment she's needed.

There's a cop who never, ever takes his uniform off.  Ever.

Jimmy Smits wears the same shirt 3 days in a row, an old man the same high-waters, shirt and fishing hat.

Wardrobe section unfunded?

The weapons get weirder and stupider.  Even a soda machine is a deadly weapon!

The people get dumber and dumber.

And then there are aliens.

The best part of the movie was...

Just kidding.  There was no best part.  Even the characters don't know their role - how are the actors portraying them supposed to!?

If you haven't already suffered through it, give this one a pass.



pssst... Why are all the aliens naked?


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just watched *All About Eve *(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) for the very first time. Then  had to watch every single one of the Blu Ray extras, some of which are as fascinating as the film itself. I'm bowled over.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Last night I watched *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. *A brilliant film with two classic stars, Brad Pitt and Leonardo Decapiro. Humour throughout and Tarratino's violence done tongue in cheek. 8/10.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just went to see *The Goldfinch*. Having read the book, I rather liked it. Having _not _read the book, my wife _hated _it. In fact, she walked out halfway through.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Just went to see *The Goldfinch*. Having read the book, I rather liked it. Having _not _read the book, my wife _hated _it. In fact, she walked out halfway through.



Interesting. The book is one of my all time favourites.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Hilarious Joke said:


> Interesting. The book is one of my all time favourites.


I guess it's not a good movie (most critics hated it too), and if you haven't read the book it's apparently hard to follow, and even harder to figure out why you should care about these characters. But it's an excellent _visualization_ of the book. For example, the Las Vegas house and Hobie's store/workshop looked _exactly_ as I'd imagined them when reading the book. This rarely if ever happens. So go see it not as an adaptation, but as a set of illustrations for the book, and you may enjoy it.


----------



## Josh K

Deadpool 2.  Just as good as it was the first time.


----------



## Anthoney

Josh K said:


> Deadpool 2. Just as good as it was the first time.



I think I liked it better the second time.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

tegeus-Cromis said:


> I guess it's not a good movie (most critics hated it too), and if you haven't read the book it's apparently hard to follow, and even harder to figure out why you should care about these characters. But it's an excellent _visualization_ of the book. For example, the Las Vegas house and Hobie's store/workshop looked _exactly_ as I'd imagined them when reading the book. This rarely if ever happens. So go see it not as an adaptation, but as a set of illustrations for the book, and you may enjoy it.



I'm intrigued. But mainly I would want to see how they do Hobie and Boris as they are such great characters in the book...


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Hilarious Joke said:


> I'm intrigued. But mainly I would want to see how they do Hobie and Boris as they are such great characters in the book...


Again, they seem pretty close to how I'd imagined them, especially Hobie.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Big Clock* (1948) Noir Alley resumed after more than a month's absence; though I expected 9/1 would have been the date, it was not until 9/8. 

George Stroud (Ray Milland) is the guy who runs a detective-themed magazine, Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton) owns the media giant, and is apparently modeled on a real guy of some infamy, for having supported Mussolini & downplayed the threat posed by Hitler.  So, they both have certain relationships with  Pauline York (Rita Johnson); whom Janoth suddenly kills in a fit of jealousy. But he conks her with a sundial that Stroud had just given her as a gift. 

Minutes before the murder, Stroud was leaving York's apartment through the back door, just as Janoth enters through the front; they see each other, but Stroud is in a darkened area his identity is unknown to Janoth. 

Steve Hagen (George Macready) is Janoth's fixer, and convinces him to cover-up the murder, pinning it on the mystery man he saw leaving via the back door. Stroud ends up assigned with finding the man whom he knows is himself, as the murder has yet to be known by anyone other than himself, and as far as he knows, Janoth.

Harry Morgan as the henchman; a role he seemed to have frequently before M.A.S.H.


*Nocturne* (1946) George Raft as a Cop this time. Murder mystery; Noir Alley treatment; Muller mentioned the hit films that Raft foolishly turned down; Bogart came to prominence because of it. Detective is so intent on solving what he thinks is a murder, but what seems a suicide, that he ends up suspended, because he refuses to take the case the chief wants. 

*Shaken and Stirred* (?) All about James Bond; filler content that follows films not quite ending on the half-hour.


----------



## Jeffbert

Cathbad said:


> *Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome*  (1947)
> 
> Ralph Byrd as the title hero, with BORIS KARLOFF as he Bad Guy!
> 
> This one lacked all the wonderful gadgets, but did a fine job mixing the seriousness and campiness!  It was also a fine example how, lacking Special Effects/CGI, chase scenes, fights and other action scenes can be so much more realistic!
> 
> If this one were in color - and I could get you to go see it - I think even the most ardent FX fans would love it.
> 
> Even without most of the futuristic gadgets, it still had a touch of the Sci-Fi - a 'time bomb' that suspended time!


A few years ago, TCM ran a block of those old Dick Tracy films, I found all of them very entertaining. I have seen this one several times; Karloff makes a great villain. He was the villain in the Water Mitty film also.  TCM also ran the Dick Tracy serial(s) a few years ago. One of those actors of these films was DT in that (or those).


----------



## HU_Nathan7

Just watched the original Dark Crystal film after watching Age of Resistance on Netflix. 

It definitely goes by super quick pacing wise. As if there’s an insane amount of lore but they have to tell it all within a 90 minute span. 
Plus now having seen how it all ends, it belittles all the efforts of the show. 

Which I think you could compare to Star Wars in which you know how it ends and then they create a prequel series to show how they got there. But the primary difference in Star Wars is you get to see how the dark side was on the bottom and then rose to rule the galaxy. But in the Dark Crystal, they’re already on the bottom and stay on the bottom. So you just know that all their efforts end in failure. 

Still very good. A fascinating world and story.


----------



## Mouse

*Downton Abbey *
Loved it. Could've done with slightly more fleshing out of some of the characters' stories (Barrow, for example) but was satisfied. The cinema was actually busy for a change, and people actually _clapped_ at the end which I haven't seen done since The Return of the King.


----------



## HU_Nathan7

Gangs of New York
Not at all what I was expecting. Though he has some absolute gems, I’m not the biggest Scorsese fan. This film has some gripping scenes, but most of it I feel I’ve seen in other films done better. Also, this is maybe the first film with Leonardo DiCaprio that I wasn’t overly impressed by.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Live and Let Die* (1973) Wonderfully entertaining, and deliberately funny; at least in certain scenes.

There is a problem in continuity or an error in [?] between You only Live Twice and On her Majesty's Secret Service. In the former, Bond & Blofeld meet face to face; in the latter, Blofeld fails to recognize Bond.


----------



## Cathbad

Jeffbert said:


> here is a problem in continuity or an error in [?] between You only Live Twice and On her Majesty's Secret Service. In the former, Bond & Blofeld meet face to face; in the latter, Blofeld fails to recognize Bond.


Old age...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

You see, "James Bond" and "Blofeld" are just code names, which different people use from time to time.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

Jeffbert said:


> ...Blofeld fails to recognize Bond.



Blofeld was expecting Sean Connery.


----------



## J Riff

*Toy Story 4 *-- much cuteness and sappy heartwarmy moments as expected, but also some good action and sets, like an old antique store and carnival, make this movie = Toy Story 4.


----------



## CupofJoe

*She wore a yellow ribbon* - John Ford [1949]
Probably [one of] John Wayne's finest film. And John ford's direction is beautiful. Between Ford and Winton C. Hoch as Cinematographer, the whole thing flows and looks like a series of animated Remmington paintings.


----------



## Randy M.

Nozzle Velocity said:


> Blofeld was expecting Sean Connery.



Yup. The old change of face.

Randy M.


----------



## Randy M.

CupofJoe said:


> *She wore a yellow ribbon* - John Ford [1949]
> Probably [one of] John Wayne's finest film. And John ford's direction is beautiful. Between Ford and Winton C. Hoch as Cinematographer, the whole thing flows and looks like a series of animated Remmington paintings.



Agreed, and it set the course for Wayne for probably 20+ years. He did better playing older than he really was up until he was that old. (Uh, yeah. I'll just go with that.) 

Wayne had a weird career early on, initially playing lead in a big-budget Western that flopped, then relegated to B-movies (and that's being kind to many of them), then made a star by a big-budget Western (_Stagecoach_) and maybe fading just a bit before Ford used him again after WWII and the _Sands of Iwo Jima_ got him an Oscar nomination. From then on, probably the most consistently bankable star in the movie business until his death.

Randy M.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Have just watched Hustlers at my local cinema, don't bother, utter rubbish. 2/10.


----------



## Jeffbert

*GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL* (1957)

NEARLY EVERYBODY WAS IN THIS FILM:



> Burt Lancaster – Marshal Wyatt Earp
> Kirk Douglas – Doc Holliday
> Rhonda Fleming – Laura Denbow
> Jo Van Fleet – Kate Fisher
> John Ireland – Johnny Ringo
> Lyle Bettger – Ike Clanton
> Frank Faylen – Sheriff Cotton Wilson
> Earl Holliman – Deputy Sheriff Charlie Bassett
> Ted de Corsia – Shanghai Pierce
> Dennis Hopper – Billy Clanton
> Whit Bissell – John Clum
> George Mathews – John Shanssey
> John Hudson – Virgil Earp
> DeForest Kelley – Morgan Earp
> Martin Milner – James 'Jimmy' Earp
> Lee Van Cleef – Ed Bailey
> Jack Elam – Tom McLowery


 -Wikipedia

Funny, perhaps, ironic to see Kelly as Morgan Earp. It must have made the making of the one Star Trek episode a bit more interesting, than most. 

Does anyone remember the short-lived TV show *Struck by Lightning*? Jack Elam's starring role lasted only 3 or 4 episodes, but I remember it, every time I see his face.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> Agreed, and it set the course for Wayne for probably 20+ years. He did better playing older than he really was up until he was that old. (Uh, yeah. I'll just go with that.)
> 
> Wayne had a weird career early on, initially playing lead in a big-budget Western that flopped, then relegated to B-movies (and that's being kind to many of them), then made a star by a big-budget Western (_Stagecoach_) and maybe fading just a bit before Ford used him again after WWII and the _Sands of Iwo Jima_ got him an Oscar nomination. From then on, probably the most consistently bankable star in the movie business until his death.
> 
> Randy M.


  TCM ran a bunch of John Wayne B-grade Westerns several months ago. His horse  was named 'Duke.' I watched a few of them, but the plots were so boring and predictable, 1 or 2 were all I could stand, even given the short 1 hour or so running times.

On a different subject,  TCM is showing serials Saturday mornings. I believe a new one starts this Saturday, sometime between the 8AM MGM cartoon & 10 AM Popeye.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

Randy M. said:


> Yup. The old change of face.



I have to say, I love that one. I think it's the only Bond film with a real late 60s feel. Things get a little clunky after _Goldfinger_, and _Diamonds Are Forever_ is like a Bond parody. It's painful watching Jimmy Dean steal scenes from Connery.


----------



## Cathbad

Nozzle Velocity said:


> IIt's painful watching Jimmy Dean steal scenes from Connery.


With that face and attitude, he couldn't help it!


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

Cathbad said:


> With that face and attitude, he couldn't help it!



No doubt, but they can change that with lighting and camera angles. They used to refer to it as "giving Actor X the camera". In the old studio system it was often a promise to get a wanted actor into a film. "We'll give you the camera." Those static two-shots of Dean and Connery are just sad.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Randy M. said:


> Wayne had a weird career early on, initially playing lead in a big-budget Western that flopped, then relegated to B-movies (and that's being kind to many of them), then made a star by a big-budget Western (_Stagecoach_) and maybe fading just a bit before Ford used him again after WWII and the _Sands of Iwo Jima_ got him an Oscar nomination. From then on, probably the most consistently bankable star in the movie business until his death.
> 
> Randy M.


Yes, but that first big budget Western was amazing. "The Big Trail," 1931. (IIRC) A very early attempt at Cinemascope. The photography is gorgeous, and some of the scenes have to be seen to be believed. They basically followed the Oregon trail in real life to film it. And the scene where they lower the wagons and cattle on ropes down into a canyon? No special effects. They did it for real. It's mind-blowing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Battle of Blood Island *(1960)

Produced by Roger Corman, but directed by another guy.  Low budget war drama based on a story by, of all people, Philip Roth.  Two American soldiers are the only survivors of a botched assault on a Japanese-held island.  One is wounded.  The first half of the film is them surviving while hiding from the enemy, occasionally having a hand-to-hand battle to the death with one.  They find all the Japanese soldiers dead by suicide halfway through the film, indicating that the war is over.    Now they wait to be rescued, a prospect that seems dim indeed, and get on each other's nerves.  At the very end, more American soldiers show up, and there's an interesting twist. 



Spoiler



They get rescued just before the island is scheduled to be used as a test site for an atomic bomb.



It's more of a two-man drama than an action film.  On that level, it's of some interest.


----------



## Randy M.

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Yes, but that first big budget Western was amazing. "The Big Trail," 1931. (IIRC) A very early attempt at Cinemascope. The photography is gorgeous, and some of the scenes have to be seen to be believed. They basically followed the Oregon trail in real life to film it. And the scene where they lower the wagons and cattle on ropes down into a canyon? No special effects. They did it for real. It's mind-blowing.



Unfortunately, I've never seen it. Sounds like I'd like to, though. 

Apparently few at the time actually saw it, too. Hobbled Wayne's career for years after, and didn't help the director, Raoul Walsh much, either, though he also recovered later.

Randy M.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I watched *Ad Astra *last night and thought it was a brilliant movie, the plot was good, as was Brad Pitt. Well worth a watch. 9/10.


----------



## Jeffbert

Just recorded another 4 or 5 Bond films. Cannot wait to see how the top villain disposes of those who have failed.  As I recall, there is an elevator with a trapdoor in its floor. That guy had thought he had gotten away. Sad.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Randy M. said:


> Unfortunately, I've never seen it. Sounds like I'd like to, though.
> 
> Apparently few at the time actually saw it, too. Hobbled Wayne's career for years after, and didn't help the director, Raoul Walsh much, either, though he also recovered later.
> 
> Randy M.


There is an excellent Blu Ray of it. Actually, the movie was shot with two cameras at once: one for widescreen and one for standard ratio, then they edited the two versions the same. The Blu Ray has both of them. The widescreen one is the one to see first, naturally, but comparing the two is fascinating in itself.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Here you go. The wagons-down-the-cliff scene begins at about 1:02:40. And keep in mind this was all done in real life, live before the cameras:


----------



## Parson

Amazing! Can you imagine how impossible it would be to get permission to do something like that today?


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

It's stunning. Especially if you watch it on a big screen.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Legend of Hillbilly John* (1972)

Directed by John Newland; screenplay by Melvin Levy

Offbeat supernatural film based on stories by Manly Wade Wellman.  The stories are true classics of backwoods fantasy, as the wandering balladeer John confronts evil magic in the Appalachians.  The author knew and loved the area, and his stories were full of authentic folklore and language.  The movie is best described as a well-intended attempt to capture the special flavor of the stories, hampered by an extremely low budget and some inappropriate choices.  The episodic plot can be divided in a prologue, three tales, and a coda.

Prologue:  The film starts with a character called Mister Marduke (and the reference to the god/demon Marduk is definitely intended) who is a dowser by trade, and who possesses enough magic to change clothing in an instant.  He addresses the audience directly, telling us about the Devil, listing His many names (one of which, by the way, is the Army Corps of Engineers) and telling of those who choose to defy Him.  John's grandfather chooses to become one such, by singing a defiant song against the Devil while playing a guitar with silver strings.  Too bad he made the strings from Kennedy half dollars, which aren't pure silver.  He is killed, a fact shown by having the film break!  John takes up the task, and Mister Marduke, who is always around as both a helper and a tempter, it seems, shows him where some old Spanish coins, pure silver, are buried.

The First Tale:  (Based on the story "The Desrick on Yandro.")  John runs into a greedy undertaker whose grandfather made a deal with a witch, in which he was to receive magically created gold in exchange for spending a year in her arms.  The grandfather backed out of the deal.  He leads the fellow to her "desrick" (a sort of cabin) where the witch, 75 years later, is still a lovely young woman.  She offers him the same deal and he accepts.  You can tell this will turn out to be a bad idea.

The Second Tale:  (Based on the story "O Ugly Bird!")  John finds a dead woman under a pile of coal on a strip mine, and is then attacked by a huge, monstrous bird.  The creature comes to life through stop-motion animation.  Not up to the level of Ray Harryhausen, but not bad.  It's definitely ugly, too, which helps.  Only the silver strings on his guitar keep him from being killed.  It seems that the strip mine is owned by the local warlock, who rules his neighbors with an iron fist.  The Ugly Bird is something the warlock produces out of himself, and John has to battle it to save the terrified folks in the area.  (In a nice bit of irony, they come to fear him as much as they did the warlock.)

The Third Tale:  (Not based on a story, as far as I can tell.)  John runs into a bunch of sharecroppers cheated by their oppressor.  (Interestingly, the sharecroppers and the oppressor are all African-American, and only the oppressor's lackey is white.)  With the help of an elderly sharecropper's African magic, he defeats the bad guy.

Coda:  John wanders off to fight more evil.  The last scene shows him approaching Washington, D. C. ;  make of that what you will.

The individual stories tend to be quite short, with evil defeated very easily.   At times the dialogue really captures the feeling of the stories, and is likely to go over the heads of those not familiar with them.  The authentic backwoods flavor is mixed with 1970's hippie stuff, which is disconcerting.  Overall, it gets an E for Effort.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Cry of the Owl *(_Le cri du hibou_, 1987)

French director Claude Chabrol's adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith.   A man with a history of mental instability, now going through a divorce, spies on a young woman through the windows of her house.  He's not really a stalker, although that's clearly not the most rational behavior.  He simply sees her as a symbol of the happy life he lacks.  She finds him outside one night, invites him in, they talk.  She's engaged to be married, but soon breaks it off and declares her love for him.  Clearly she's not completely psychologically healthy either.  The guy she was going to marry attacks the peeping tom, but gets knocked into a nearby river.  The peeper pulls him out, but he disappears, presumed dead.  All the evidence points to the peeper, who falls deeper and deeper in the web of assumed guilt.  Suffice to say that not all is as it seems, and several deaths follow.  That makes it sound like a plot-driven thriller, but it's really more of a dark psychological drama, with the characters pulled this way and that by their own actions, as well as by circumstances.  Beautifully filmed, in a rather quiet and icy way, with little in the way of on-screen violence until the very end.


----------



## Steve S

*The Levelling (2016)*

An intense film - beautifully shot, with fantastic performances across the cast, and with (I felt) hints of folk horror. It is available on BBC iPlayer for a few more weeks and is well worth a watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Playbirds* (1978)

Completing a trilogy of films with the same plot -- psycho kills women who appear in girlie magazines -- after my reviews of *Cover Girl Killer *(1959) and *The Centerfold Girls* (1974).   This one stars the famous British sex star Mary Millington -- tragically dead by suicide not long after this film -- as a policewoman who goes undercover as a nude model after a series of women who appeared in the magazine are strangled.  The movie comes across as an odd mixture of a sex comedy without the comedy and a thriller without the thrills.  Tons of full female nudity.  Lots of scenes of horse races, which really have nothing to do with anything.  There's a police investigation which fails to accomplish anything.  Lots of red herrings -- the publisher of the girlie magazine, whose sales have gone way up due to the publicity; the magazine's photographer, who has a history of violence; a religious maniac wearing a sandwich board with random Bible quotes, marching around London's sex shop district shouting out apocalyptic rantings; a member of Parliament speaking out against pornographers, who is a secret voyeur -- but we see the deerstalker-wearing killer right at the start, so they are meaningless.  I'm going to spoil the ending, because the film deserves it.  The killer murders the policewoman and the movie ends.  It's a truly mean-spirited conclusion to a lousy little film.


----------



## J Riff

Heh, well no reviews here, just actual warnings, to not watch _House Shark_, or _Clownado_. Just don't, no matter what you read elsewhere. 
I'm off to investigate a few more flims of this type, but most of them are so crummy that fast forward isn't enough, you have to just keep jumping ahead, and when it's over you regret the twenty minutes you spent even looking at bits of them.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle *(1963)

One of many German _krimi _films of the time.  A fellow living in a castle rented from a birdwatching Scottish laird (the movie's comic relief) is about to be knighted.  A hooded, gloved figure strangles a handyman outside the place, breaks inside, and confronts the fellow at gunpoint.  The strangler claims that the guy killed somebody and stole a bunch of raw diamonds.  The fellow refuses to tell where the diamonds are hidden.  The intruder runs off when the guy's niece and the laird show up.  We soon find out that the fellow really does have a bunch of hidden diamonds, and is planning to sell them off to pay off debts.  Interfering with his scheme is the fact that the folks he sends out to deliver the diamonds wind up killed, decapitated, and with the letter M written on their foreheads.  It's a moody, fog-shrouded thriller, one of the better of its kind.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenage Wolfpack* (1956)

Juvenile delinquency film centered around two brothers.  The elder ran off from home, the other stayed with his family.  Dad owes a bunch of money because he co-signed a loan for his brother-in-law.  Elder brother gets younger to go in on a plan to rob a mail truck, with ironic results, leading to another botched robbery and the downbeat ending.  There's also the elder brother's girlfriend, who turns out to be more of a _femme fatale_ than we thought.  If this seems like the typical teenagers-in-trouble flick, that's because I failed to mention the fact that it's a German film, whose real title is _Die Halbstarken _(which seems to mean something like "the half-tough.")  That gives it an offbeat feeling which makes it a little more interesting.


----------



## Elckerlyc

tegeus-Cromis said:


> They basically followed the Oregon trail in real life to film it. And the scene where they lower the wagons and cattle on ropes down into a canyon? No special effects. They did it for real. It's mind-blowing.


Which reminds me of the movie *Fitzcarraldo* in which they actually dragged a river steamboat across a steep hill to reach another river at the other side.
This was a reenactment of a historic event, so it has been accomplished twice.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Moonraker* (1979) Pure comic book fantasy. But entertaining, no less.  Who knew that the U.S.A. already had a Spaceforce, complete with Space infantry, armed with lasers, etc., and a Space Shuttle, all fueled and ready to launch at a moment's notice, to go into orbit and defeat the villain and his minions.  Still don't know whence comes the title, as the Moon had nothing to do with it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Well, it's the title of an Ian Fleming novel about Bond; as usual, they just took the title and threw away the plot.  I guess the title suggested the space theme, as well as the popularity of *Star Wars*.  

__________________________________________________________________________________

Heartthrobs Turned Psycho Killers Double Feature:

*Who Killed Teddy Bear *(1965)

Sal Mineo stars as a waiter at a discotheque who stalks a woman (Juliet Prowse) who works there playing records.  He starts by making anonymous, suggestive phone calls, then leaves a decapitated teddy bear in her apartment.    Jan Murray, of all people, is the detective investigating the case, and he's a bit of an odd duck himself.  Obsessed with sex criminals because his own wife was raped and murdered, he lives with his ten-year-old daughter, who has picked up enough about his work that at one point she asks if Prowse is a hooker.  Mineo lives with his adult sister, who has the mind of a child.  Blurry flashbacks reveal the fact that she saw her brother in bed with an older woman (possibly their mother, if you want to interpret things in the most shocking way), ran away, fell down a flight of stairs, and hit her head.  Things go from bad to worse, with no good consequences for anybody.  It's a very gritty, frank film for its time.  The camera spends at least as much time lingering over the semi-nude, very attractive body of Mineo as it does over that of Prowse.  Mineo gives an intense performance.  Filmed on location in New York City, it's also a compelling portrait of the time and place, from the discotheque, where men in suits and ties and women in knee-length dresses dance wildly to rock and roll, to the sleazier parts of Times Square, with its adult book stores and movie houses (which would be rated PG-13 nowadays.)  Excellent black-and-white cinematography.  It's quite a good movie.

*Sweet Kill *(1973) AKA *The Arousers *(1976)

Tab Hunter stars as a high school teacher and coach.  Since he's a golden god, it's no big surprise that a young woman comes on to him strong.  He is unable to complete the encounter, pushes her away, and accidentally kills her.  We've already seen an opening sequence, in sepia tones and with big band music playing on the radio, in which a somewhat older woman took off all her 1940's clothes, with a small set of sneakers behind a curtain implying that her son, a young Hunter, was watching her.  This seems to be confirmed during a scene in which Hunter hires a prostitute to dress up in 1940's clothing.  In this surprisingly tender scene, he partly undresses her, then places his head on her stomach.  Anyway, Hunter hides the body, kills another woman who comes on to him, and eventually has to do away with the roommate of his first victim, who tries to track down her missing friend.  (In an odd scene, when the cops visit her after she reports her roommate as a missing person, they find some marijuana and arrest her.)  There's also a slightly older woman, a fellow teacher, who seems to want to have a romance with Hunter, and who gets mixed up in the unpleasant events that follow.  At times it's just a standard, sleazy slasher film, at others times it's a pretty effective psychological melodrama.  Hunter's performance ranges from quiet to frenzied; the former works better.  The ending isn't very satisfying.  This bombed when it first came out, so they added completely unrelated nude scenes of women who don't appear anywhere else in the film, gave it a suggestive title, came up with a new ad campaign without a hint that it was anything but a sex film, and even removed Tab Hunter's name from the poster, which just listed the names of the actresses.  It still bombed.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Moonraker* (1979) Pure comic book fantasy. But entertaining, no less. Who knew that the U.S.A. already had a Spaceforce, complete with Space infantry, armed with lasers, etc., and a Space Shuttle, all fueled and ready to launch at a moment's notice, to go into orbit and defeat the villain and his minions.  Still don't know whence comes the title, as the Moon had nothing to do with it.



I agree with Victoria. Once the major titles were filmed, lesser books and short stories were scavenged for titles and the plots tossed aside. Note too that _Moonraker _was the follow up to the hugely successful _The Spy Who Loved Me_ (one of that year's top grossing movies in spite of running against the first _Star Wars_ movie), and is essentially the same story transposed to outer space, the character slots filled in with a less compelling cast and because of his popularity in the earlier movie a return of Richard Kiel as Jaws. As I recall, Moore and Kiel became good friends.

Randy M.


----------



## CupofJoe

I think Fleming got Moonraker from a friend's suggestion when he could not decide on a title [actually I thought he got it from a house on Jamaica - like Goldeneye - but when I checked...]. A Moonraker is the very topmost sail of a square ridge mast.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Heartthrobs Turned Psycho Killers Double Feature:
> 
> *Who Killed Teddy Bear *(1965) ...
> 
> *Sweet Kill *(1973) AKA *The Arousers *(1976) ...



Interesting movies. _Who Killed Teddy Bear _has some familiar faces, like Daniel J. Travanti (_Hill Street Blues_), Elaine Stritch (_30 Rock_, but probably better known on Broadway) and Bruce Glover (_Chinatown_, also Crispin Glover's father). Mineo was probably already on the down-slide. No one argued he could act, but his sexuality was used against him. He's a sad story of a talent lost too early.

_Sweet Kill_ must have been when Hunter's career was on the decline, when '50s and early '60s movie stars were rapidly deconstructing (when not just destructing) their careers by playing against type. Unlike Mineo he was able to survive those times in spite of his sexuality, and later playing against tye with John Waters revived his career somewhat. Maybe more interesting is that the movie was written and directed by Curtis Hanson who went on to write and direct _The Bedroom Window_, which I remember as a good thriller, and _L. A. Confidential_ which I remember as a superior thriller not least because it made stars out of Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce, and for about the first time brought wide-spread recognition that Kim Basinger could act, not just look good.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Woman on the Beach* (1947)  Tod Butler (Charles Bickford) as a blind ex-painter whose bitterness at his condition makes him and his wife Peggy (Joan Bennett) miserable. Butler has retained many of his paintings, resisting his wife's desires to sell them. Along comes  Scott Burnett (Robert Ryan), a Coast Guard Lieutenant, whose memories of being aboard a ship sunken during WWII have rendered him  likewise.  He falls for Peggy, and becomes convinced that Tod Butler is not blind, and tries a bold move to prove it. 

Another Noir Alley presentation, Muller's telling about the making of this film, was even more interesting than the film itself.  It was the victim of a change in leadership at RKO, as was its creator, Jean Renoir. 

I enjoyed it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Secret Agent Fireball *(_Le spie uccidono a Beirut_, 1965)

Better than average Eurospy flick.  Starts with one of two scientists who defected (or maybe pretended to defect) to the Soviet Union getting killed in Paris by a poison dart shot from a dart gun disguised as a pipe.  Our hero, American agent Bob Fleming (as in Ian) gets assigned to the case.  The trail leads from Paris to Hamburg to Beirut, where, as the original title implies, most of the action takes place.  Folks good and bad get killed, beauties good and bad show up, gun fights, knife fights, fist fights, chases by foot, car, motorboat and helicopter.  Along for the ride are the niece of the guy who has the microfilm that everybody is after, and the hero's sidekick, a cab driver who provides both comic relief and some real help.  I'm not sure that all of the plot twists make sense, but some of them are nicely ironic.  If nothing else, you get a good look at Beirut before the civil war that tore it apart.


----------



## Judderman

Judy and Ad Astra. 
Judy is well worth watching for a good biopic/drama. Ad Astra -a little disappointing.

At home recently watched The Intruder,  which was not original but fairly entertaining. A family purchase a house, and then find the seller keeps coming around and is increasingly disturbing.


----------



## J Riff

Good reviews from Victoria there, of flims that not many people get around to, but, is *Brides of Blood *one of them reviewed recently that I missed or have forgotten about?
Dunno, but it was acceptable here, for some reason - a scientist and his wife and pal go to an island to investigate the effects of atomic radiation from nearby Bikini Atoll, and sure enough some animals and plants are acting up. The 1st thing they see are long vegetable arms, of some plant, reaching out and scaring the wife, who's screams are some of her best lines. The natives have 'returned to the ways of our ancestors' which they are ashamed of, and which means they are tying women up out in the jungle and leaving them for a yet-unnamed monster of some kind, which apparently rends them limb from limb. This big beastie looks like a Tiki-man, squarehead kind of monster with big smiling teeth, and it goes 'Uhn, uhn, Urg Oog' with a lot of reverb as it walks around. 
 There's a couple interludes of no dialogue, just soundtrack, which is nice, and the ending of this movie is strange too, as the monster issue 
is seemingly dealt with, with about ten minutes left in the movie, so at the end we get the obligatory dance scene with the drums and the romance and all that... and it happily ends.
I think that's pretty much how it went, unless I mis-watched it somehow, it was quite late and the drums were somewhat hypnotic.


----------



## J Riff

* End of the World* 1977 Well this one hooked me off the top, as a guy is playing Pinball in a roadside diner, a Bally machine called _Discotek_, a 3-flipper job that I wasted some quarters on in the 70s meself - when Christopher Lee walks in behind him, dressed like a padre, and stands there staring around the room like 'what am I doing in this turkey' ... he looks stunned and he says " Please. Need to call the police before it's too late..."
The owner-guy gives him a dime, and Lee walks toward the wall phone, and it blows up! The coffee machine goes off next and scalds the owner, who runs screaming into a neon sign in a window, zap!, he's done for. Lee walks off into the dark town, and another padre meets him and says "Welcome back to St. Catherines, father."
Now a computer centre where a lone professor is smoking a ciggie, which was not a good thing to do around 70s computers - and he is receiving 'consistent' messages from outer space. One of them says 'Large Earth disruption' but  hey, Prof. Andy has to go a party with his wife Sylvia,  so we wait. But, on the way to the party, a large earthquake in China is reported on the radio.
Andy traces the signal, he and Sylvia end up wandering around an abandoned zoo, until Cmdr. Beckerman appears to clue them in.
Now we go to a convent which seems completely innocent, and Prof. scans for signals with a special meter, but nothing. They return to the convent at night, and are grabbed by Nuns, who take them to the basement where Lee is, and they fire up a roomful of of high-tech gadgetry.
Beeping FX and theremins, as Lee and the evil nuns zap a padre, with a red ray of some kind. Sub-warp speed is mentioned, and Lee talks to Prof. about velocity-time relationships and interstellar travel. Obviously, the nuns have been replaced by clones, and Lee explains they had to kill them because of a malfunction in negative velocity. Oh gosh now the tech-talk is over my head...time warp... Prof. has developed an 'emergency speed' 200 million KPH, in a small capsule containing zero time reference, using a varience crystal. Which is what Lee and the Nunaliens need in order to escape.
Andy and Syl run away from the convent and flag down a stranger but of course his car blows up before they can get in.
Oh gosh now we learn that the planet Earth is 'emitting diseases' and must be destroyed. Now the nuns start stepping into the variance-crystal projector... and zapping off and away to the home planet, at 200,000,000 kilometers per hour. We see the Earth starting to be destroyed - storms, explosions, and - with nine minutes left in this movie, I have no idea how Andy and Syl are going to save the Earth. Stock storm footage, disasters, nuns have all teleported out and Lee is going last. He turns and monologues, we see his true alien form for a second, he's gone. More volcanos, avalanches, explosions, it's the End o' the World, as advertised, and Andy and Syl have only one chance - step into the teleporter. They do, and minutes later cut to: the Earth, seen from space, aaaand--- Boom.
Finally a movie that delivers what it promises. At least Andy and Syl got away, we don't know for sure. Some very good weird music and sound fx in this one.


----------



## Jeffbert

Great descriptions, guys!

*CinemAbility* (2012) A documentary about disabilities & disabled people in films.  As a cripple myself, I found it rather interesting and even relevant. Blindness, deafness, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, even mental retardation; though they did not use that term; were covered. Oh, and dwarfism; though again, that term was not used; in fact, one such dwarf likened it to the bad-ol' 'N' word. I thought that was absurd. As far as I am concerned, those older terms are not derogatory. A Little person is a child!

But, because there are very many ways that people can be effed-up, my 2 conditions were not covered. How could they spend so much time on half a dozen conditions, and omit autism & brain injuries? It would have been so easy to include *Dr. Strangelove* as an example of the latter! The part where his right hand tightens around his throat, and he had to fight it with his left. Just because it was made to be a joke, they might have excluded it.  Or *Evil Dead II*, as an even more extreme example of making fun of it. During my life, my left arm has been my worst enemy, just as the poor guy in that film was attacked by his right hand, which he had to sever, my left arm has been a major antagonist for half my life. I had neurosurgery at age 30, but that was only the beginning.

So-called high functioning autism was not even identified as a valid condition when I was a kid. I was never identified or diagnosed as such, but there is something similar at least to that condition.  Whatever it is, there are several components to it, which have made my life even more difficult given that both conditions exist in me. 


I was in a homeroom of cripples; I know them when I see them. There were 3 with severe cerebral palsy, they drooled all over themselves, could not speak, had virtually no control over arms or legs;  at least 2 with muscular dystrophy, 1 skinny, 1 fat; one boy was stubs, neither elbows nor knees; just stubs. One kid on the bus apparently suffered 3rd degree burn all over; he went to some other school.

When I was 1st transferred from the local elementary school, to the one with the special ed home room, they put me on a bus filled with mentally retarded kids. I was 11, 12, at most, & I did not understand why that large boy had that toddler's toy with him. One rotten little twerp named Rosanne, attacked be just about every day, when the pathetic bus aide feebly attempted to escort her past me to her seat farther back. The aide had both fists wrapped around the girl's wrists, but because the brat was struggling, she released her grip allowing her to attack me! I hope that bus aide burns in HELL, I really do! She rebuked me for merely defending myself! I should just sit there, and allow the brat to pound away at me. To hell with that!

So this documentary tried to make the mentally retarded seem like just any other people; f**K that! While some are mildly retarded, Morons, by name; imbeciles and idiots are more like wild animals, at least some of them are! I was on a bus full of them! Each one was taken from right in from of his home and returned there. But not just shoved off the bus; oh no! They waited until mom, or some other responsible person came to take charge of them. How ever long was the wait. When I finally arrived home, my mom wanted to know where I had been, it was nearly dinner time. Worst year of my life!


----------



## AlexH

*Prospect *(2018)
Good little indie sci-fi film in the vein of Moon and Primer. It falls short of those two, as it lost its way somehow in the final third. Still, Sophie Thatcher, in her film debut, holds the film together. She's one to look out for, as are the directors. I also recognised Pedro Pascal from Game of Thrones.

*The Point *(1971)
An uplifting animation with great narration from Ringo Starr and wonderful music by Harry Nilsson.

*The Hunt *(2012)
Shattering Danish thriller about a guy's life that begins to unravel. Sadly says a lot about the increasingly sexualised world children are exposed to.

*Burning *(2018)
Unusual Korean thriller that I mostly enjoyed but found didn't hit the heights.

*My Life as a Courgette *(2016)
I enjoyed the stop-motion animation but the film left me feeling a bit meh. Maybe there was too much going on and the makers should've stuck to a theme?


----------



## Jeffbert

*HOOK* (1991) THIS WAS O.K., but I was hardly thrilled. 


*Riders to the Stars* (1954) it was discovered that cosmic rays turned steel and other metals to crumbly garbage. Yet, meteors somehow do not suffer such. But, why? so the old 1930s romantic / comdey star Herbert Marshall is  Narrator & Dr. Donald L. Stanton, project director, who intends to use spaceships to capture meteors before they encounter the heat and friction that apparently burn up whatever substance shielded the metal in them from the cosmic rays. 

12 men are selected, based upon various qualifications, and recruited without being told what was the mission. Among them, Sidney K. Fuller (James [Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane] Best) washes out, because he lacked patience. Sad, because his appearances in film are much better than in The DoH.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

In  response to *J Riff *and *Jeffbert*, my old reviews of the films mentioned.



> *Brides of Blood* [1968]
> 
> A middle-aged scientist, his man-crazy young wife, and a young Peace Corps guy arrive on Blood Island, a tiny, isolated spot in the Philippines.  Right from the start the wife flaunts her attraction to other men right in front of her husband.  Things get off to a bad start when they see the inhabitants tossing mangled body parts of young women into the sea.  Things get worse when local mutants show up; an odd-shaped crab (weird but not dangerous); a moth that bites the scientist (painful but not deadly, and the movie's funniest scene); and, worst of all, trees with long tentacles that grab people.  Things get really bad when they find out that the locals sacrifice two young women each night to a monster (a guy in a rubber suit.)  Could this have something to do with the nuclear bomb tests conducted in the area?  And with the local guy who puts them up in his mansion, complete with several midget servants?  Nicely filmed in color, but not much plot.  The mandatory "native dance" sequence comes at the very end, after the monster is destroyed and the romance between the Peace Corps guy and the most beautiful local young woman is in full bloom.  The man-chasing wife is played by an actress with the outrageous stage name Beverly Hills.





> *End of the World* (1977)
> 
> This cheap, dull, and dreary sci-fi flick actually starts off with a scene which promises something slightly interesting. We see a priest (Christopher Lee), obviously in a state of shock, walk into an all-night diner, deserted except for the proprietor. He haltingly asks to use the phone. The host goes off to make coffee. Next thing you know, the phone blows up and the coffee machine blows up, scalding the owner, who falls through a window, smashes into a neon sign, and gets zapped to death. The priest looks at his corpse, makes the Sign of the Cross over it (!), and wanders back to a convent, where his identical twin greets him.
> 
> Well, after this opening we have about an hour of some science guy and his wife (Sue Lyon) wandering around. It seems that signals from outer space are associated with (in some very unclear way) natural disasters around the world. (We hear about these on Plot Point Radio, but don't see them.) It also seems that somebody on Earth is responding to them. Our heroes track down the Earth-based broadcasts to two locations, conveniently located forty miles apart. One of the two is a bizarre red herring, as it turns out to be a secret US base monitoring Soviet broadcasts. (The guy in charge of the place even knows the scientist.) The other is the convent we've already seen.
> 
> After a lot of wasted time, we find out that the priest and nuns at the convents have been replaced by aliens who somehow got here and need some kind of gizmo to get home. (There's some lovely Bad Science here, as we hear phrases like "negative velocity malfunction.") Weirdly, the scientist knows where he can get his hands on the exact kind of gizmo the aliens need, and he's forced to help out through threats to his wife.
> 
> At the very end we see Lee turn into a typical UFO cult alien. Disasters continue, courtesy of footage stolen from other films. The scientist and his wife are invited to join the aliens as they go back home through their transporter. They do so. The world blows up. The End.
> 
> About 75% of this flick is filler, with people talking, standing around, and driving. The oddball opening is maybe 10%, and the unsurprising ending is maybe 15%. It's not worth it.





> *Riders to the Stars* (1954)
> 
> Directed by Richard Carlson; written by Curt Siodmak and Ivan Tors.
> 
> This old sci-fi movie is an unusual combination of the "documentary" style of SF (*Destination Moon*) with a soap opera subplot. It also has some bad (but not _extremely_ bad) science, some nifty stock footage, and some really awful special effects. Worthy of some note is the fact that it forms part of an odd trilogy of flicks dealing with the fictional "Office of Scientific Investigation," which also appeared in *The Magnetic Monster* and *Gog*.
> 
> During the credits, we hear a woman singing the title song (!) in an old-fashioned, torch song kind of way. After this, we see some military and scientific types out in the desert (nice scenes of what I suppose must be Joshua Tree National Park, or someplace similar) recovering a small metal box from a unmanned rocket. All of this science stuff is explained to us in excruciating detail by the narrator, who will turn out to be the leader of the project. Long story short, it turns out that metal exposed to the cosmic rays of outer space are changed in some way that makes them weak and brittle. So much for the space program!
> 
> Meanwhile, a super-computer (nostalgic scene of punchcards being fed into a huge machine with blinking lights) is used to select the best possible men (no women considered, apparently) for a secret government project. The list of candidates is whittled down to twelve. Our story will deal mostly with two of them.
> 
> The first is some kind of scientist or other. We see some government types offer to take him to California for a couple of weeks for something they can't discuss. I guess all the men on the list were all contacted in this vague way. I'm amazed they got a dozen of them to agree. Anyway, in a ridiculous plot twist, Science Guy (William Lundigan, a manly type known to me as the hero of the mediocre suspense film *The House on Telegraph Hill*) turns out to be the son of the director of the project! We don't even find this out until after the men have arrived at the abandoned military base in the desert where this project takes place.
> 
> The second is a professor of mathematics. (His classroom is shown inside a building bearing the name of Science Hall. I mention this only because I took classes in that very building when I went to the University of Southern California back in the Seventies.) His girlfriend is a model, played by the gorgeous sex symbol Dawn Addams in a tiny role.
> 
> (Doing some research, I found this image of Addams wearing what is either the exact same costume she wears in this movie, or one very similar. It's pretty shockingly low-cut for 1954.)
> 
> Link
> 
> Math Guy (director Carlson) visits Addams on the set of a an automobile ad, which is full of scantily clad lovelies. This whole sequence seems like a math nerd's fantasy. Anyway, he asks her (not for the first time) to marry him, and she says she needs to think about it. This gives him a reason to join the mysterious project to which he has been invited. (The candidates all have to be bachelors.)
> 
> Out in the desert, the men are given a very brief introduction to the folks working on the project (including the mandatory beautiful female scientist, played by Martha Hyer, familiar to me from the powerful Spanish shocker *Pyro*. Despite her blood-red lipstick and fingernails, at least she's played as a competent scientist, although her main role in the film is to fall in love with Science Guy.) They are then told to fill out some forms and wait for a few minutes in a room. A couple of hours later, one of them cracks up and bangs on the locked door, demanding to be let out. It turns out this was their first test, and that guy just flunked.
> 
> Further tests reduce the number of candidates to four. The only one we see is the centrifuge test, filmed using the real thing at USC. Science Guy is asked to endure 12 G's and temperatures of about 130 degrees F, while guiding a simulated rocket safely into space and back, and responding to flashing lights with the proper responses. It's a grueling test, and this sequence is actually pretty interesting in a "Mister Wizard" sort of way.
> 
> At last, after eight guys have been kicked out, the remaining candidates found out what the project is all about. The plan is to send men into space to grab a small meteor and bring it back to Earth, so the boys (and girl) in the white coats can figure out why cosmic rays don't render space rocks fragile. The director (also known as "Dad" to Science Guy) points out that the USA has to get into space in order to prevent the Reds from putting up a space platform and ruling the world. In an interesting twist, one of the four guys objects to all this Cold War rhetoric, and withdraws from the project. This leaves the two main characters, and another fellow we'll call Cool Guy, who seems to be completely without a trace of anxiety about the project. We have no other back story on this guy, so he has "red shirt" written all over him.
> 
> We get a lot more training stuff, making use of some cool stock footage from the very early days of space travel, and some interesting gizmos. At last, the day of the flight arrives. It turns out that each guy will be sent up in a seperate rocket. (Did they have a fourth one for Pacifist Guy? And if you ever wondered where your tax dollar goes, apparently a big chunk of it winds up at the Office of Scientific Investigation.)
> 
> At this point I suppose I should add a ****SPOILER**** warning, as I would like to discuss the climax of the film.
> 
> The rockets go up, they get "beyond the Earth's gravitational field" (bad science), and they go chasing after space rocks. (This seems like a damn near impossible mission to me.) As expected, Cool Guy runs into a meteor and his ship is destroyed. In a scene I wasn't expecting, Math Guy sees his corpse floating in space, just a mummy/skeleton inside a spacesuit with a cracked helmet. (Apparently exposure to vacuum and/or cosmic rays dried him out.) This is enough to drive Math Guy over the edge. He unties the straps holding him in his seat (pretty decent weightless effects here, as well as some cool black spacesuits) and wildly fires off his jets, sending him off into space forever. I'll give the film a few points for surprising me with the loss of this character. Of course, Science Guy winds up grabbing a rock and returns to Earth safely to Dad and Girlfriend. (It turns out that meteors don't break up when exposed to cosmic rays because they are coated with "crystal carbon." I guess NASA is going to have to coat its vehicles with diamond.)
> 
> *Riders to the Stars* varies a lot from slow and boring, to silly and corny, to genuinely interesting. Its sober tone and apparent respect for scientists and the work they do is a refreshing change of pace from most old sci-fi flicks. It's not that good, and not bad enough to be worth making fun of, but worth a look for SF and/or space buffs.
> 
> EDITED to add some of the lyrics to the theme song. Imagine this sung in a slow, languid way by a female crooner.
> 
> _Riders to the stars
> That is what we are
> Every time we kiss in the night
> Jupiter and Mars
> Aren't very far
> Any time you're holding me tight
> Your embrace
> Changed time and place
> Hurled in space
> Are we_


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

*Battle In Outer Space* (Japan 1959)

Aliens based on the moon are causing destruction and chaos with their their atom-freezing ray, so the U.N. launches two rockets with Japanese-American crews to find and destroy the menace. Good fun in this early Ishiro Honda film. It's sort of a wilder and more colorful version of Destination Moon. I love the fly-by-wire effects of the Japanese films of the 50s and 60s when it involves rockets and spacecraft instead of kaiju. It's looks a lot like the Lydecker Bros work in Hollywood in the 30s.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Brides of Blood* [1968]
> ... The man-chasing wife is played by an actress with the outrageous stage name Beverly Hills.



Out of curiosity I went to IMDB for this and noted that Beverly Hills later became Beverly Powers. If IMDB is accurate, she had a long career including appearances in three Elvis movies, _Perry Mason,_ _The Fugitive_, _Mod Squad_ and _Fantasy Island_ among others, but may be best known as the swimmer in the opening scene of _Jaws_. 

This kind of trivia (with the caveat, if true) about old movies and the weird circles the crew moved in, the odd things actors appeared in, actors who never made it big but somehow seemed to make a living and show up in numerous films and TV shows. Like James Best, mentioned earlier, who I remember better as a young actor with a fair charisma and energy in _Twilight Zone_ and at least one old Western rather than as the sheriff in _Dukes of Hazzard_, or Richard Carlson who started out in supporting roles in some quality studio movies then became horror film royalty, usually as the hero.

About the Office of Scientific Investigation: A year or so ago I watched _The Magnetic Monster_ largely because it starred Carlson and King Donovan. It was a trudge but I got caught up in its clunky, faux-_Dragnet_ awfulness. I think I only realized near the end that Ivan Tors had something to do with it, which might have tipped me off earlier. Clunky scripts and dialog were a specialty of his productions.



> _Riders to the stars
> That is what we are
> Every time we kiss in the night
> Jupiter and Mars
> Aren't very far
> Any time you're holding me tight
> Your embrace
> Changed time and place
> Hurled in space
> Are we_



Yuck? 

Excuse me. Kind of triggered my gag reflex.


Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

THANKS, GUYS! though I usually write longer reviews, I could not touch *Victoria Silverwolf'*s  depth.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

Randy M. said:


> This kind of trivia...



There's one of those godawful _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_ episodes from the 60s where they find a sole survivor of an ancient undersea race. He's all silver and talks funny. It's Robert Duvall. 

Also, there's an episode of Andy Griffith where Aunt Bee sits on a jury to decide Jack Nicholson's fate.


----------



## Jeffbert

I had borrowed *Voyage to the bottom of the sea* DVDs from NF, but as I recall, they were data on both sides, and played very poorly. Maybe available streaming on Prime or HULU; guess I will check.  Robert Duvall was in an episode of The Outer Limits; just thinking about that episode makes me laugh.

Saw the Bond film with the Media megalomaniac guy who makes bad things happen, so he can sell more newspapers. I think it was *Tomorrow Never Dies*. 

Godzilla is TCM's monster of the month; Gojira (Japanese original version) followed by the Americanized version *Godzilla, King of the Monsters!; *'starring' ex-Noir heavy Raymond Burr.  3 more Godzilla films follow.   It all starts at 8 PM tonight!


----------



## Randy M.

I recorded the original _Suspira_ last night and hope to get a chance to watch it after next week. It's been years since I've seen it.

TCM October schedule

For anyone who gets Turner Cable Movies, horror and fantasy movies are concentrated on Thursdays and Fridays but there are others scattered throughout the rest of the month, as well. As usual, a lot of the Val Lewton produced movies from the 1940s, and a fair amount of Hammer, too.  

Randy M.


----------



## Parson

Nozzle Velocity said:


> There's one of those godawful _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_ episodes from the 60s where they find a sole survivor of an ancient undersea race. He's all silver and talks funny. It's Robert Duvall.
> 
> Also, there's an episode of Andy Griffith where Aunt Bee sits on a jury to decide Jack Nicholson's fate.



That was exactly the one episode of _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_ that I can recall and have thought about it once in a while over the years. I remember the scene with the chess pieces (I remember it in a bit of detail but will try not to spoil it for anyone else.)

I also saw the A.G. show with Aunt Bee on the jury. But hadn't thought about it in decades! --- Never would have guessed the character was Jack Nicholson!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death Laid an Egg *(_La morte ha fatto l'uovo_, 1968)

Genuinely weird combination of _giallo_, satire, and art film surrealism.  Any plot synopsis will make it sound a lot more linear than it really is, given all the flash forwards, flashbacks, and seemingly unrelated images.  Starts with a guy watching another guy kill a woman.  Killer is married to a rich woman (Gina Lollobrigida, of all people) who owns a super-high tech chicken farm.  There's also a young secretary (Ewa Aulin, who played Candy in the infamous film of the same name) around, having an affair with the killer.  A publicity guy for the chicken association shows up, and the plots and counter-plots begin, leading to an ending full of tricky twists and turns.  So much for the basic thriller story line, which makes up only part of the film.  Did I mention the game a bunch of rich people play at a party, where they empty a room of all its furnishings, lock two people up at a time inside it, and have them tell the truth to each other?  Or the mutant chickens created by the factory's Mad Scientist, that are alive despite having no heads?  Or the scarf printed with weird symbols?   There's also atonal, jarring music on the soundtrack, to add to the bizarre mood.  Beautifully filmed and strangely compelling.


----------



## dask

Super-high tech chicken farm? Put it in my cart at Amazon as quick as I could click.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Gestapo *(1975)

Despite the shocking title, for the first half or so this is a fairly typical, if rather cheaply made, blaxploitation flick of the fight-back-against-the-white-criminals subgenre.  The hero is a guy who leads the People's Army, a group of do-gooders in khaki uniforms and red berets.  Despite the military trappings, they seem to do nothing but charity work; they even get grants from the (white) government.  When the crooks start attacking folks, the leader reluctantly allows his second-in-command to start a small group of armed soldiers, strictly for defense only.  Of course, after a while this gets out of hand.  The second-in-command takes over the criminal activities instead of stopping them, and builds his private army into a large force, trading the more-or-less benign uniforms for black ones that look a lot like Nazi outfits, even including the infamous death's head symbol of the SS.  It all builds up to the hero invading the bad guy's headquarters in a one-man commando raid.  Violent and sleazy, yet fairly dull for the most part, although the final attack sequence isn't bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dance Hall Racket *(1953)

Ultra-low budget crime film, notable only because it was written by and features Lenny Bruce.  Bruce plays a hoodlum who works for a guy who runs a dime-a-dance joint, which is a front for diamond smuggling, among other implied criminal activities.  The plot is simple enough.  The boss has a scam where he buys diamonds from sailors, pays them, gives them Mickey Finns, then takes the money back.  During one of these schemes Bruce knifes the guy to death, apparently because he's jealous of the way the guy was playing up to the voluptuous dance hostess Rose (played by Bruce's wife Honey.)  By the end of the film, Bruce kills his boss for the same reason, and an underground cop investigating the place kills Bruce.  The less-than-an-hour running time is mostly filled up with random scenes of the guys who work for the boss, the dance hostesses, and their customers.  There's also a Swedish-accented guy who provides intolerable comic relief.  Bruce's mother, Sally Marr, is in the cast, and dances the Charleston.  Not much to it, really.


----------



## Vince W

*Spiderman: Far From Home*. Have you ever seen any of those comedy shows where they've run out of ideas so they send them on a trip abroad? Well, this is the Marvel film equivalent. The first half was fairly pointless and the second half could have been condensed into about 20 minutes of tight storytelling. All in all a disappointment.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Black Gestapo *(1975)
> 
> Despite the shocking title, for the first half or so this is a fairly typical, if rather cheaply made, blaxploitation flick of the fight-back-against-the-white-criminals subgenre.  The hero is a guy who leads the People's Army, a group of do-gooders in khaki uniforms and red berets.  Despite the military trappings, they seem to do nothing but charity work; they even get grants from the (white) government.  When the crooks start attacking folks, the leader reluctantly allows his second-in-command to start a small group of armed soldiers, strictly for defense only.  Of course, after a while this gets out of hand.  The second-in-command takes over the criminal activities instead of stopping them, and builds his private army into a large force, trading the more-or-less benign uniforms for black ones that look a lot like Nazi outfits, even including the infamous death's head symbol of the SS.  It all builds up to the hero invading the bad guy's headquarters in a one-man commando raid.  Violent and sleazy, yet fairly dull for the most part, although the final attack sequence isn't bad.


  This was one of the 1st films I watched when I 1st joined NF, so very long ago. Thanks for the post, Victoria Silverwolf!

*Godzilla* (1954)
*Godzilla, King of the Monsters *(1956)
*Godzilla Raids Again* (1955)
*Mothra* (1961)

Still need to watch *Mothra Vs. Godzilla*. For some reason, TCM ran this one before Mothra. 

*Godzilla* (1954)  / *Godzilla, King of the Monsters *(1956). The 1st 2, which really are the same film, just one is the original, while GKotM (1956) is the Americanized version with added footage of ex-Noir heavy Raymond Burr in order to make it more appealing to American audiences. For the most part, I watched about 15 minutes of one, then 15 minutes of the other, noting additions or cut in the USA version. Unlike most of you, I am retired, and just killing time, waiting for death. 

So, anyway, said to be a metaphor or an allegory of the atomic bomb, Godzilla is fairly brutal in its depiction of death and destruction caused by the creature awakened by H-bomb testing in the Pacific islands. The most horrible scene was of a young mother hugging three small children, telling them they will be joining papa soon.   A real tear-jerker!


*Godzilla Raids Again;* After Godzilla is dead and dissolved, another Godzilla arises and is seen fighting a so-called  ankylosaurus (though one of appropriate size) which Dr. Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura, reprising his role in Godzilla), says is carnivorous (which is news to me). Unlike his opinion in Godzilla, which was insane, to say the least, here he has no desire to study Godzilla, but, concurs with everyone else, wants to destroy it.  TS is one of my favorite Japanese actors, and has appeared in a ton of films. 


*Mothra* (1961) Takashi Shimura is a newspaper editor this time. Sadakatsu Amano, Nitto Editor, when he learns of two tiny woman (Barbie doll sized) who were discovered on a remote island, is not too happy that his reporters did not get photos of them. Portrayed by twins known as the Peanuts, they are abducted by a guy who puts them in a stage show, complete with natives in loin cloths dancing around them. Hmm., this reminds me of some other film, made in the 1930s.  Could it be King Kong? So, the spirits of the island are very angry that their two tiny women were taken away, and the natives perform dances to cause Mothra's egg to hatch. At first, a sea worthy caterpillar, Mothra comes to Japan, makes a cocoon on Tokyo Tower, then starts flapping her wings, and causing more destruction than she did before the metamorphosis.  

Only by releasing the two enslaved doll-sized women, can Mothra be stopped.


----------



## Alex The G and T

From the "I can't believe I watched the whole thing" files.  This will be a spoiler; but no one should care about that  in the least.

*The Grey*. 2011

Liam Neeson loses his girlfriend.  In a pique of despair, he hires out as the big meanie sniper guy to protect arctic oilfield workers from vicious, man-eating wolf packs.   Liam kills one wolf. Then, for no discernible reason walks out on the ice pack and refrains from blowing his own head off.

Suddenly, without explaination Liam finds himself on an airplane, filled with crass roustabouts, flying through a nasty arctic storm.  The plane crashes.  All of the dead guys are eaten by wolves.

Liam rounds up seven survivors and endeavors to lead them South, through a frozen wasteland, toward a mythical outpost of "Civilization"

Liam's sniper rifle had been stowed tidily in the overhead bin, at the outset of the flight; yet some how, he failed to rescue it from the largely intact wreckage.

All of the remaining malcontents, weaklings, and whiners got eaten by wolves; despite Liam's best efforts to fend them off with flaming sticks, and the victim's own existentialist whinings about the meaning of death. (Which ability for fire-starting was about ridiculous, considering the weather conditions; and it's a little late to get all philosophical)

In the End, Liam is left alone to face down the Dread Alpha Male Wolf, in a snow bank, with naught to hand but a pointy stick.

And then...  closing credits.  Huh?!?  WTF? 

Shoulda followed my wife's advice and nodded out on the couch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Feline-Themed _Gialli _Triple Feature:

*The Crimes of the Black Cat* (S_ette scialli di seta gialla_, 1972)

Typical _giallo _notable mostly for the most outrageous method of killing I've ever seen.  Starts with a woman sending a written note to a blind pianist/composer, breaking off their affair.  (Yes, a written note.  The blind man has to have his servant read it to him.)  Meanwhile, he overhears part of a conversation in a restaurant in which somebody pressures a woman into doing something that night.  We (but not the blind man) see somebody wearing a white hooded robe and purple gloves walk out of the place.  Our typical hidden killer?  Well, no, not exactly, although she turns out to be the real killer's tool.  We get to see her face and groovy outfit, and watch her place a wicker basket in a certain room in a fashion designer's place of business.  (With the hooded cape and the basket, it's impossible not to think of Little Red Riding Hood, except White.)  The next day, the woman who broke off her affair with the pianist walks into the room, puts on a yellow scarf (source of the original Italian title), open the basket, screams, and drops dead, the only wound a few small scratches on her face.  We'll find out later that the hooded woman, forced to cooperate with the killer because she's a drug addict being supplied by the murderer, left a black cat with curare on its claws, and that the yellow scarf contains a chemical that people can't detect but that makes cats go wild.  As I said, an outrageous way to kill someone.  Since the murderer uses other, much simpler methods later, it's hard to explain why anyone would go to all this trouble.  Anyway, the blind man, his servant, and the dead woman's roommate investigate the murder, more killings follow, and the culprit is revealed at the very end of the movie, with the motive explained in a rapid-fire bit of narration that only lasts a few seconds, so I had to watch it again to make any sense of it.  Other than the bizarre means of murder, it's an average example of the genre.  Feline content:  the murder weapon.

*Seven Deaths in the Cats Eye* (_La morte negli occhi del gatto_, 1973)

Combination of a _giallo _plot and a Gothic mood.  Starts with a title sequence in which some guy is killed by a unseen person, the body dragged down a flight of stone stairs and fed to rats.  The cat watches, as it will watch all the murders.  We won't find out who the victim is until the end.  Meanwhile, a young woman comes home from a Catholic boarding school to a spooky old Scottish castle.  The time seems to be about the 1920's.  Present at the castle are her mother; her aunt, who is the Lady of the place; the aunt's son, the Lord of the place, who is said to be insane and is rude to everyone; the Lord's French tutor; a doctor; and a priest.  As time goes on, we'll learn about all the plots going on among these folks.  The French tutor was really brought there by the scheming Lady and doctor, who are lovers, to seduce the Lord; but the doctor is also carrying on with the tutor.  The darkly handsome, brooding Lord becomes the young woman's lover; since they're first cousins, you might think of this as incest.  Anyway, the plot starts moving as the inhabitants of the castle get killed off one by one.  By the time the killer is revealed, there aren't enough suspects left to make it much of a surprise.   The Gothic content comes in the form of secret passages, flocks of bats, and a legend that any member of the family who is killed by a relative will come back as a vampire.  This is, of course, a total red herring.  There's also the Lord's pet gorilla, which everybody calls an orangutan, who is not only a red herring, with a nod to _The Murders in the Rue Morgue_, but who turns out to be one of the victims!  It's not bad, if you don't mind the very slow pace.  Feline content:  An innocent bystander.

*The Cat's Victims *AKA *Watch Me When I Kill *(_Il gatto dagli occhi di giada_, 1977)

Back to pure _giallo_.  Woman happens to be outside a drugstore when the pharmacist inside is killed.  Killer breaks into her home but is scared off by a neighbor's dog.  Woman moves in with her boyfriend.  He's a sound engineer, and he manages to make some sense of a tape that an older neighbor made of an eerie, distorted series of sounds recorded over the phone.  A woman associated with the older man is the next victim.  The boyfriend figures out that both victims were on a jury that convicted a man for murder, and that the felon just broke out of jail.  This happens early in the film, so we know it's a red herring, but it's cleverly tied into the real plot.  More killings follow, and the murderer turns out to have a much stronger motive than usual for this kind of movie.  Better than average for its type, with a good soundtrack.  Feline content:  None!  All of the titles are misleading.  There isn't any cat at all, let alone one with jade eyes.  During the titles, and very briefly during one of the killings, we see a close-up of the eyes of a toy animal, but it doesn't look like a cat, and it has black eyes.  As for the other non-feline title, the killer certainly doesn't want to be watched, and never is.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I watched *The Dambusters, *recently a cracking classic film. I'm not sure if you could get away with some of the outdated language. Ie. Nigger the dog, which when he gets killed and is remembered as a code word for the destruction of one of the dams. Brilliant 10/10.


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## J Riff

"a super-high tech chicken farm" is tempting. And thanks for the warning Alex G and T, I mite have suckered for that one. 
Here, *The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County *1970 plays, and despite everyone in the star-studded cast is a bumbling fool, Dan Blocker the blacksmith and Jack Elam the bounty hunter do have a few funny scenes. Wholesome family fun, despite they do all drink themselves senseless, till there is no booze left in the entire town.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Creeper *(1948)

Modest little B horror film with a confusing plot.  Starts with our heroine walking in her sleep, past her father, who is asleep in a chair.  She picks up a gun, puts it under her pillow, and gets back in bed.  Dad retrieves the gun, waking her up.  He makes some feeble excuse that he was cleaning it.  An interesting opening scene, but all it really does is establish that our heroine has bad dreams, and that there's a gun in the house.  The plot really gets going with the arrival of glass tubes of serum from the West Indies at the lab where our heroine works, along with Dad, his Vaguely Sinister partner, and their Vaguely Sinister blonde assistant.  It turns out that all the tubes are broken.  There's a hint that somebody did this deliberately, but this goes nowhere.  We'll get hints now and then as to the convoluted back story.  As best as I can work it out,  our heroine and dad and VS partner and VS blonde did research on cats in the West Indies.  Our heroine got a fever and, given the local superstition among the "natives" that their souls turn into cats after death, she developed ailurophobia.  Meanwhile, the wife of their local assistant died.  For some reason or other, our heroine thinks she might have died as a result of Dad's experiments.  We never find out what really happened to her.  Anyway, VS partner brings the cats from the West Indies, along with the local assistant, to create more serum.  (No explanation is ever given as to why they have to use West Indian cats.)  Meanwhile, our hero shows up, another science guy, who has a Vaguely Sinister partner of his own.   Our hero was engaged to VS blonde, whom he hasn't seen for four years, but quickly makes a play for our heroine.  Dad is slashed to death by somebody or something.  Was it our heroine, during one of her freak outs?  Was it somebody trying to drive our heroine even further into madness.  Or, could it possibly be a cat monster?  Despite a nonsensical story, really bad acting from our heroine, laughable special effects, and some truly goofy Mad Science, it's worth a look for fans of creaky old scare flicks.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Early Italian Bloodsuckers Double Feature:

*The Slaughter of the Vampires *(_La strage dei vampiri_, 1962)

Starts with a man and woman running away from an angry mob carrying the traditional torches and pitchforks. You can tell they're vampires, because the man is wearing a cape and the woman is wearing a filmy gown. The woman trips and gets killed by the mob, the man escapes. Cut to a fancy party at the old castle into which a married couple have just moved, not aware that the vampire is hiding in their wine cellar. The time seems to be the late 19th century. The vampire shows up at the party, dances with the wife, and pretty quickly winds up with her in her bedroom. This is very much a vampire-as-romantic-seducer film. She slowly wastes away, husband goes off to Vienna to fetch a doctor to save her life. They arrive just as she dies, but of course she's not really dead. The rest of the film is the doctor, in the Van Helsing role, battling the vampires. Pretty typical vampire stuff, with good production values and a lush musical score. Notable for a little girl as one of the vampire's intended victims.

*The Vampire of the Opera *(_Il mostro dell'opera_, 1964)

In the tradition of *The Playgirls and the Vampire *(_L'ultima preda del vampiro_, 1960) and *The Vampire and the Ballerina* (_L'amante del vampiro_, 1960), this features a bunch of sexy female dancers threatened by a vampire.  Unlike those two offerings of chills and cheesecake, this one is very weird.  The opening dream sequence shows us the heroine chased by the vampire, who attacks her with a huge pitchfork.  An older guy tries to help her, but is held back by some kind of force field.  She manages to escape, but falls into a creek, where the vampire catches her, and she wakes up.  In the real world, the leader of the dance troupe rents an old theater for their next production.  The caretaker of the place is the older man in the dream.  The vampire doesn't show up again until more than halfway through the film.  Meanwhile, we get the playful antics and romantic entanglements of the dance troupe, who act more like high school theater majors than professionals.  There are also a lot of dance sequences mixed with vague spookiness; at times this seems like *Bob Fosse's Dracula*.  Finally the formally dressed vampire arrives, and things get really odd.  He takes the lead dancer of the troupe, our dreamer, off with him.  It seems she's the reincarnation of his lover centuries ago, a married countess.  He got buried alive for his adultery, and now he wants to punish her for what happened to him, although he still loves her.  By forcing her into his coffin, they both wind up somewhere else, where there are a bunch of scantily clad vampire women chained to the wall.  She later returns to this other place by going into a painting. Since we haven't had enough dancing yet, there's a really bizarre scene where the troupe is prevented from leaving the stage by our old friend the force field, and they dance wildly, afraid to stop lest they be destroyed. It wasn't clear to me at all whether the vampire was somehow making them dance, or if they were dancing in an attempt to avoid being controlled by the vampire. The vampire is eventually destroyed because an inscription on the teleporting painting gives the troupe a clue on how to kill him. The whole thing is much odder than you'd expect from the sexy-dancers-and-vampire genre.


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## J Riff

*The Mutations* 1974 - this one starts with time-lapse photgraphy of plants and whatnot, and I notice a Basil Kirchen soundtrack so it can't be all bad, some terrific weird music and sound FX and: -  our university teacher scientist guy seems respectable except he has a seriously mutated tall freak pal named Lynch who chases down women, so our Prof. can experiment on them. He's into plant/animal hybrids.. and at his lectures he has a big machine that can turn an orange green with fungus, then change it back into a juicy fresh orange. In his lab he has a plant/hamster thing in a glass tube, and other big weird carniverous plants.
Next, he feeds a rabbit to a giant growling plant...  this mad Prof. wants 'a new race of men with all the miraculous qualities of a plant'.
but he's still working out the bugs. The circus freak pals of our Prof's mutated henchman Lynch are onto him but can't do much. We see a truck driving by advertising the half human/half monkey woman, and friends of kidnapped Briggette attend the fair... the Tibetan Lizard Woman? 
Human Pincushion... Frog Boy, obviously a bit of a remake of the original _Freaks_ but with much worse dialogue.
Human Pretzel man! Popeye has the crowd in a hubbub.
 It looks like Brigette has been transformed into the Tibetan Lizard Woman. Her BF sneaks into the fair at night, Lynch spots him and clobbers him, he will probably be the next victim of the Mad Prof. Lynch wants a cure, hates the Freaks, who taunt him and he gets angry and drools and then in his best scene, kicks bottles to bits, steps on cakes then rages incomprehensively off into the night.
BF Tony  is transformed, but he escapes and goes to see his GF, he is a plant-monster, she screams, a Bobby chases off Tony the Plant-thing.
The Freaks are freaking out about Lynch, as Tony attacks and apparently absorbs a rubby vagrant sleeping in an alley. Then he goes to see his GF, sneaks in and covers himself with a blanket so she won't see him, and tells her what's what. He leaves, Lynch appears and hauls her off to the Prof's lab. Tony, pursued by a dog pack, appears at the lab, so does BF, and the Freaks, and Lynch is stabbed, 
 Tony the human Venus Flytrap smashes through a skylight and lands on the Prof. He is absorbed by Tony, fire breaks out, nude GF on operating table is saved by heroic BF, all evil plants burn along with Tony. We end with a romantic kiss in a car, but of course GF is turning green just like Tony, and it's The End. The Freaks and the swell soundtrack help overcome the trite dialogue in this one.


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## CupofJoe

*Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets* [2017] written and directed by Luc Besson
First of, I’ve not seen the printed source stories, so I’m only looking at is a film and not as an adaptation and there is probably a minor spoiler in the review.   It is a spectacular candyfloss of a film that looked amazing and had enough plot to justify the run time.   I though Cara Delevigne was more than up to the role of Laureline and there was a nice mix of the expected and unexpected in the casting but what went wrong with Dane DeHaan as Valerian?   I don’t remember the Actor in other roles, and I’m not surprised.   There was no charisma coming from him on screen and no spark between him and Cara Delevigne as the two leads [apparently deeply in love – or at least headed that way, with each other].   I wanted Laureline to end up with someone better.   
...Oh, he was prepared to give up his “play-list” to be with her…    Big deal!  
Laureline!  He isn’t worth it.
I’ve liked Luc Besson as a writer and director from the first time I saw _Léon: The Professional_. [possibly Gary Oldman's best role - and that is saying a lot, Jean Reno and an incredible Natalie Portman].   And if you haven’t seen them: _The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec_ or [the first and French original]  _Taxi_ – go watch them!   Not "deep" films but a lot of fun.   He has an aesthetic [along with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, admittedly often much darker] that I just don’t see in American films.


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## Phyrebrat

@Victoria Silverwolf havr you reviewed ‘The House with the Smiling Windows’ by any chance? I’ve been watching it over the last few nights on YouTube and it’s reminded me of your giallo reviews. 

pH


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Phyrebrat said:


> @Victoria Silverwolf havr you reviewed ‘The House with the Smiling Windows’ by any chance? I’ve been watching it over the last few nights on YouTube and it’s reminded me of your giallo reviews.
> 
> pH



I gave it a try, but the only version of it I found on YouTube was in Italian only.  If you have a link to an subtitled or dubbed version, I'll give it a look.


----------



## Jeffbert

Ian Fortytwo said:


> I watched *The Dambusters, *recently a cracking classic film. I'm not sure if you could get away with some of the outdated language. Ie. Nigger the dog, which when he gets killed and is remembered as a code word for the destruction of one of the dams. Brilliant 10/10.


I saw this a few years ago. Very good drama; as I recall, it showed the actual way they got the bombs to explode right where they wanted them.  Unless you know about it, you will have no appreciation for the difficulty in keeping the bombs from simply rolling or sliding right over the top of the dam, and exploding where the least damage would result.  Thanks for the review, Ian Fortytwo; I had forgotten about this film.


*Trapped* (1949) This past Sunday's Noir Alley film. Lloyd Bridges as a counterfeiter  who, in hopes of a reduced sentence, cooperates with Treasury Agents in finding the plates he had made. Once out of prison, he turns crooked again, hoping to collect his share of the real money his gang got from passing phony money. 

Mueller's before and after was actually just as entertaining as the film. It seems LB fell sick during production, and was written out of the script. His character was just a wee bit abruptly caught again, and never seen again. The Femme fatale, Meg Dixon had nothing on the actress portraying her. Barbara Payton was not a nice girl!


*The Pink Panther* (1963) apparently David Niven was supposed to be the star, hoping to redo what *Raffles* did for him in an earlier decade. But Peter Sellers apparently stole the show. 

Sequels to run each Saturday at 12 Pm.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

CupofJoe said:


> *Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets* [2017] written and directed by Luc Besson
> First of, I’ve not seen the printed source stories, so I’m only looking at is a film and not as an adaptation and there is probably a minor spoiler in the review.   It is a spectacular candyfloss of a film that looked amazing and had enough plot to justify the run time.   I though Cara Delevigne was more than up to the role of Laureline and there was a nice mix of the expected and unexpected in the casting but what went wrong with Dane DeHaan as Valerian?   I don’t remember the Actor in other roles, and I’m not surprised.   There was no charisma coming from him on screen and no spark between him and Cara Delevigne as the two leads [apparently deeply in love – or at least headed that way, with each other].   I wanted Laureline to end up with someone better.
> ...Oh, he was prepared to give up his “play-list” to be with her…    Big deal!
> Laureline!  He isn’t worth it.
> I’ve liked Luc Besson as a writer and director from the first time I saw _Léon: The Professional_. [possibly Gary Oldman's best role - and that is saying a lot, Jean Reno and an incredible Natalie Portman].   And if you haven’t seen them: _The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec_ or [the first and French original]  _Taxi_ – go watch them!   Not "deep" films but a lot of fun.   He has an aesthetic [along with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, admittedly often much darker] that I just don’t see in American films.


I liked it too. I think the aesthetic you're thinking of is this (or close to it): Cinéma du look - Wikipedia


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## Phyrebrat

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I gave it a try, but the only version of it I found on YouTube was in Italian only.  If you have a link to an subtitled or dubbed version, I'll give it a look.



This is the one I’m watching. I wonder if it’s not available in the States. You may need a VPN. 

incidentally I’m not sure it’s in the giallo tradition but the opening credits suggested it might be. 

pH


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Phyrebrat said:


> This is the one I’m watching. I wonder if it’s not available in the States. You may need a VPN.
> 
> incidentally I’m not sure it’s in the giallo tradition but the opening credits suggested it might be.
> 
> pH



Thanks!  This one works for me.  I usually get my _gialli_ on YouTube from the collection of a person called Der Joker.  Some of them are dubbed; some of them are subtitled; some are both, weirdly, with dubbing that doesn't match the subtitles; and some are in the original language, usually Italian.

Most sources call this film a _giallo_ with supernatural elements, and it has a pretty favorable reputation, so I should enjoy it.


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## J Riff

All righty this is special, a special moment, as* Horror of the Blood Monsters* aka _Vampire Men of the Lost Planet_ 1970 - cobbled together using footage from a lost Filipino caveman movie - has finally been located. Total spoilage of course, and we start with a dramatic voiced-over Vampire voice, explaining how vampires came from outer space. 
 Now the space mission, headed for the new solar system recently discovered by John Carradine, and the inevitable collision with a meteor. They fix the ship up though, and make it to a planet in a couple days. 
First we see some Brontosauri, then some stock footage of lizards fighting, but then cave men and women appear, running around and fighting. Our intrepid team guns down 3 of them to save a girl, then they insert a translator device and she tells them about her tribe and the other tribe with the cheap plastic fangs, while Carradine, who has had a minor heart attack, grumpily gives orders from the ship.
 This planet has a red haze in the air, so the colorize filter is applied, but they change it a few times, yellow, blue, so we know we are on an alien planet and not just in the desert outside LA. 
Now...back on Earth, our mission commader guy and his GF are making out in their spare time, while wired up to some kind of computer, in a room full of beeping and what look like flashing aquarium light bulbs...* - cut to a huge battle between the tribes on our new planet... 
- back to Cmdr. guy informing us that 'dangerous chromatic radiation is sweeping over unidentified planets we've been investigating." aha- it's the chromatic radiations that are causing the color changes in the atmosphere. Pretty slick writing. 
Cmdr. has a gizmo, all wrapped in copper wire.. that changes the color in the room, which he demonstrates.. Then he switches on the make-out machine and we get beeping, groping and flashing for quite a time, while back on the now-blue planet, the Vampire tribe is causing trouble, but they go down if hit by arrows, so... anyway they have to find 'firewater' crude oil, to keep the tribe alive, and so Carradine can distill some and fix the cooling system so they can leave and the movie can end. 
 Suddenly, a big Crab-Man appears and attacks the tribe as they cross a river. In the petroleum cave? Swooping Bat-people! 
 A few more Dinosaurs.. tribal brawling, and bad news from Carradine re: poison atmosphere: 'our white corpuscles are eating the red ones" and everyone on the planet is doomed to die. Our crew will be fine back on Earth however, so they blast off and leave everyone to their fate. Carradine monologues briefly about Earth being destroyed by stupidity some day and it's The End.
 All through this movie, in all settings, you hear that liitle 'bleep' chirping noise like on the Star Trek bridge, it never stops. 
* * * * *


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House of the Laughing Windows *(_La casa dalle finestre che ridono_, 1976)

I had mistakenly thought this _giallo _had an element of the supernatural to it.  However, it's so moody, with a constant feeling of unseen dread, that it feels like a ghost story.  The protagonist goes to a small, isolated village to restore a particularly gruesome painting of the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.  (It shows him being stabbed to death rather than being shot full of arrows, which is relevant to the plot.)  We soon find out that the dead (or is he?) painter, known as the Artist of Agony, was obsessed with painting the dying.  (During the eerie credit sequence, we've already heard his incoherent ramblings about colors, blood, death, and purity.)  The protagonist's friend tries to tell him about the Very Bad Things that happened at the artist's place, but is soon killed by being pushed out a high window.  In typical _giallo_ fashion, the protagonist is a witness, but doesn't really see what happened.  The film moves very slowly after this, as the protagonist discovers more things about the artist.  We don't get more killings until about twenty minutes before the end, but they then come at a rapid pace, leading to a gruesome discovery and the traditional twist ending which a _giallo _requires.  Unlike the typical _giallo_, with its blazing bright colors, this one is filmed in washed-out sepia tones, which adds to the quietly creepy mood.  Recommended.

Thanks to *Phyrebrat *for the link.


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## Vareor

I watched Toy Story 4 last night and it definitely lived up to what the ending movie of a legendary series should be like.
It did a great job on displaying the passing of time and the naturalness of passing the baton to younger generations. I also liked how they emphasized the importance of choosing one's path as well as facing the consequences associated with said choice.
And there were a lot of scenes so funny that no matter how many times I rewound them, they never depleted their humor.


----------



## Jeffbert

J Riff said:


> All righty this is special, a special moment, as* Horror of the Blood Monsters* aka _Vampire Men of the Lost Planet_ 1970 - cobbled together using footage from a lost Filipino caveman movie - has finally been located. Total spoilage of course, and we start with a dramatic voiced-over Vampire voice, explaining how vampires came from outer space.
> Now the space mission, headed for the new solar system recently discovered by John Carradine, and the inevitable collision with a meteor. They fix the ship up though, and make it to a planet in a couple days.
> First we see some Brontosauri, then some stock footage of lizards fighting, but then cave men and women appear, running around and fighting. Our intrepid team guns down 3 of them to save a girl, then they insert a translator device and she tells them about her tribe and the other tribe with the cheap plastic fangs, while Carradine, who has had a minor heart attack, grumpily gives orders from the ship.
> This planet has a red haze in the air, so the colorize filter is applied, but they change it a few times, yellow, blue, so we know we are on an alien planet and not just in the desert outside LA.
> Now...back on Earth, our mission commader guy and his GF are making out in their spare time, while wired up to some kind of computer, in a room full of beeping and what look like flashing aquarium light bulbs...* - cut to a huge battle between the tribes on our new planet...
> - back to Cmdr. guy informing us that 'dangerous chromatic radiation is sweeping over unidentified planets we've been investigating." aha- it's the chromatic radiations that are causing the color changes in the atmosphere. Pretty slick writing.
> Cmdr. has a gizmo, all wrapped in copper wire.. that changes the color in the room, which he demonstrates.. Then he switches on the make-out machine and we get beeping, groping and flashing for quite a time, while back on the now-blue planet, the Vampire tribe is causing trouble, but they go down if hit by arrows, so... anyway they have to find 'firewater' crude oil, to keep the tribe alive, and so Carradine can distill some and fix the cooling system so they can leave and the movie can end.
> Suddenly, a big Crab-Man appears and attacks the tribe as they cross a river. In the petroleum cave? Swooping Bat-people!
> A few more Dinosaurs.. tribal brawling, and bad news from Carradine re: poison atmosphere: 'our white corpuscles are eating the red ones" and everyone on the planet is doomed to die. Our crew will be fine back on Earth however, so they blast off and leave everyone to their fate. Carradine monologues briefly about Earth being destroyed by stupidity some day and it's The End.
> All through this movie, in all settings, you hear that liitle 'bleep' chirping noise like on the Star Trek bridge, it never stops.
> * * * * *


DOES THIS film have a guy with lobster claws? If so, I have seen it, and it is wonderfully laughable!


*SPARTICUS* (1960) My 1st time seeing the whole thing, nearly 3:15!  I had no idea there was so much politics  in it. I thought that the current political world was dog-eat-dog, but the Romans were much worse. 

Obviously most was embellished, as it seems much about the man was contradicted by other's writings on him.  I am surprised that the Romans even recorded anything about him and the events in which he took part. I would have thought they would have been very embarrassed to admit that a slave revolt had ever occurred. 

Anyway, it was entertaining, if not brutal (by the 1960s standards, anyway).  I had to watch it in two viewings, nearly two hours on the 1st.  


*GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER* (1964) Takashi Shimura in, yet a 3rd role; this time as psychiatrist  Dr. Tsukamoto (塚本 博士 _Tsukamoto-hakase_) .  Ghidorah is a very powerful creature, and the three Godzilla, Rodan, & Mothra work together to defeat it. 

*Scarface* (1932) Antonio Camonte (Paul Muni) is an ambitious gangster, obviously modeled on Al Capone.  Tom Gaffney (Boris Karloff) is the Bugs Moran gangster, who by chance, arrives 5 minutes too late to be the 8th victim of the famous massacre.  This occurs later in the film. Interesting to see him in a supporting role, 1 year after Frankenstein. 

 Guino Rinaldo (George Raft) is his buddy, also a gangster serving the same boss.

While the boss had been careful not to do business in the North side, Tony Camonte has no such cautions, and recklessly pursues his goals. Sensing that the Boss is too cautious, even timid, Scarface betrays his boss and takes over the gang. Raft is now his subordinate. 



Spoiler



Scarface has a younger sister, about whom he is very protective. No man is good enough for her; when he sees her in a dance hall, he grabs her, drags her home, and forbids her to do it again. She is outraged at his treating her like a child. After the Massacre, Scarface takes a month-long vacation, during which time his precious kid sister marries Rinaldo.  Since nobody is good enough for her, when Scarface returns, he is too quick to anger, and rather then hearing the explanation, he kills Rinaldo. 

Given the other murders for which he was responsible, it seems odd that this time, he shots it out with the cops, thus ending his life.



Very good depiction of the brutality of such gangsters, especially given that Robinson and Cagney were typecast in such roles, while Paul Muni was not.  In fact, this was only his 3rd film, & the 1st 2 were poorly received.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

We caught Hitchcock's *North By Northwest* (1959) at a local cinema. It's always a treat to see older films the way they were intended to be experienced. (Albeit, it's not really _film_ these days, but that's another topic.) I've always believed a larger screen brings out the acting above all other elements. Strong arguments have been made that Hitch's best years were under Selznick, but these widescreen extravaganzas of the 1950s and 60s were bold, colorful crowd pleasers while still pushing the boundaries of what's possible with film. You can still see the wheels turning in Hitchcock's head as he's giving the producer the bare minimum of cuts. It's the director's film, and the less the studio editors have to play with, the better. This can lend a slightly sterile, clockwork nature to some of Hitchcock's films. In this case, that effect is leavened by Cary Grant who provides the perfect amount of comedy in a symphony of intrigue and paranoia. It's one of his greatest performances. Also, Bernard Herrmann's score in stereo sounded fantastic in that room.

Disney's *Alice In Wonderland* (1951) is still loud and tedious. It's fair to call it an overly Americanized version of what should be a particularly English dreamscape of philosophy and wit. But it's even more accurate to identify it as evidence that Warner Brothers animation department dominated the post-war years with its non-stop insanity and hilarity. Matching every action on screen with obvious musical cues works with six or eight-minute shorts, but it gets tiresome when grafted onto Alice or _The Legend of Sleepy Hollow_ or _The Wind in the Willows _(*The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad* in1949). Let's face it, what's being said in Alice merely needs to be heard, not enhanced. Meanwhile, Disney's color department, always the best in the business, continued to improve every year. Alice is still visually stunning and a real breakthrough for its time in saturation and color palette coordination. Seriously, this Blu-Ray on Ye Olde Plasma looks like God's Own Color Test. There's a reason the counter-culture of the 60s turned this into a midnight movie. I kept turning the volume down because it distracted from the beauty of what was onscreen. That's a mismatch Disney would correct as they eventually settled down and found a way to compete in a faster paced world without going overboard.


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## Phyrebrat

Finally managed to watch more than the first ten mins of @Victoria‘s giallo _The House with the Laughing Windows_ on YouTube. Really enjoyed it (my earlier struggles weren’t anything to do with the film itself, just my own tiredness). 

There was something about the ending that reminded me of _Don’t Look Now_. 

pH


----------



## Rodders

I watched the Ultimate cut of Watchmen last night. 

I've never read the graphic novel, so I have no references to critique this movie. It's very much a film about the darker, violent side of human nature. A pretty good movie in my opinion.


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## hitmouse

tegeus-Cromis said:


> I liked it too. I think the aesthetic you're thinking of is this (or close to it): Cinéma du look - Wikipedia


I dont think this really cinema du look. That refers to a bunch of highly stylised 1980s French films about acheingly cool and diffident characters living on the margins of French society. *Diva *and *Subway* are good examples. 
*Valerian's *closest cousin stylistically is probably *The Fifth Element*. Both take heavily from some of the French _Bandes Desinees, _which have very distinct visual and narrative styles. The Valerian comics are well worth checking out.


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## tegeus-Cromis

hitmouse said:


> I dont think this really cinema du look. That refers to a bunch of highly stylised 1980s French films about acheingly cool and diffident characters living on the margins of French society. *Diva *and *Subway* are good examples.
> *Valerian's *closest cousin stylistically is probably *The Fifth Element*. Both take heavily from some of the French _Bandes Desinees, _which have very distinct visual and narrative styles. The Valerian comics are well worth checking out.


Besson is considered one of the three iconic directors of the Cinema du Look.


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## clovis-man

Queen of Outer Space. So bad, it's great.


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## Jeffbert

*The Vikings* (1958) The pommel from a royal sword is fastened around the neck of the boy born of rape of the widowed queen by Viking Ragnar Lodbrok (Ernest Borgnine), in hopes that he might be recognized later in life, as the heir to the throne; which had since been usurped by another.  The boy is sent by ship to Italy, in hopes he will be safe from the usurper there, if the usurper ever learns of his existence. The boy is captured by Vikings, who enslave him. as a grown man, Eric (Tony Curtis) runs afoul of the Viking King's son Einar (Kirk Douglas) whom his falcon wounds in the face, thus earning his wrath. Neither knows that they are half-brothers. 

Things happen, and Ragnar Lodbrok is captured by the English, and is to be thrown with hands tied into a pit filled with ravenous wolves. Eric is present when Ragnar, accepting his fate, asks to die like a Viking, with sword in hand, so that his soul can ascend to Valhalla. The usurper forbids it, but Eric, being closest to Ragnar, cuts his bonds and gives him the sword. Ragnar leaps into the pit with gusto. The usurper severs the hand that offended him. That scene was the only thing I remembered about this film for the longest time.

The priest or monk who had tied the pommel around Eric's neck when he was an infant, sees it now, and works to protect him. 

Eric has no love for the English, so he returns to the Vikings. I find that odd, since they had enslaved him. Anyway, a good action-packed film, with a few unlikely plot elements, but far from the only film with them.



Spoiler



The ending seemed a bit unlikely, as the man who had been enslaved by the Vikings, had become a leader of them, and granted the right to marry the English Princess. Which of the Vikings would be inclined to believe that the slave was Ragnar's son?




*The Tiger Makes Out* (1967) Funny, but not so much that I would ever watch it again. Benjamin Harris (Eli Wallach) is a mailman who just cannot attract a female companion, so, he decides to abduct one. The one he grabs, by covering her with his trench coat, is not his intended victim, but middle-aged housewife Gloria Fiske (Anne Jackson). Note that the abduction occurs about halfway through the film, as the beginning shows the guy moaning and groaning about his lot in life, and constantly plotting to take what he wants by force. Also shown is Gloria's husband, who constantly complains about her to his coworkers and carpool buddies. 

A really funny part occurred when the guy goes to some government agency to complain about his landlady's treatment of him and her failure to fix problems in his apartment.  He goes to the window, demanding to speak to someone in charge. The guy behind the window gives him a card with '110' on it, and says to take a seat and wait. Just then, number  15 is called. The guy goes ballistic. He is on his lunch hour, and it is clear, he will be waiting all afternoon.


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## J Riff

*The Invasion of Astro-Monster* 1965 - terrific  Tanaka Toho, this, and another hard-to-locate one that finally shows up. We get Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah but they are almost incidental characters, because Planet X - the hidden 13th moon of Jupiter - has been discovered.
Of course there are humanoid aliens there, with cool black and silver unis, and an undergound base. Ghidorah, named 'Monster Zero' on Planet X, does a lot of rampaging up on the surface, so when our Earth astronauts arrive, the aliens make a deal with them to 'borrow' Godzilla and Rodan (Monster Zero One and Monster Zero Two) in order to use them to beat down the troublesome Monster Zero. 
The ETs come to pick up the monsters on Earth but of course it's all a trick. They offer a cure for cancer to the Earth in trade for borrowing the monsters but then they turn around and attempt to take over the planet. Our funny inventor guy has made a gizmo - a weird sound gizmo, that conveniently drive the ETs mad, and that works out well, and the monsters do their thing, but it isn't really about them, and we get cool UFO action galore, plenty explosions, great sets, wacky music and cool costumes - and all the alien women have the exact same face, very pretty, so that doesn't hurt.


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## clovis-man

Jeffbert said:


> *The Vikings* (1958) The pommel from a royal sword is fastened around the neck of the boy born of rape of the widowed queen by Viking Ragnar Lodbrok (Ernest Borgnine), in hopes that he might be recognized later in life, as the heir to the throne; which had since been usurped by another.  The boy is sent by ship to Italy, in hopes he will be safe from the usurper there, if the usurper ever learns of his existence. The boy is captured by Vikings, who enslave him. as a grown man, Eric (Tony Curtis) runs afoul of the Viking King's son Einar (Kirk Douglas) whom his falcon wounds in the face, thus earning his wrath. Neither knows that they are half-brothers.
> 
> Things happen, and Ragnar Lodbrok is captured by the English, and is to be thrown with hands tied into a pit filled with ravenous wolves. Eric is present when Ragnar, accepting his fate, asks to die like a Viking, with sword in hand, so that his soul can ascend to Valhalla. The usurper forbids it, but Eric, being closest to Ragnar, cuts his bonds and gives him the sword. Ragnar leaps into the pit with gusto. The usurper severs the hand that offended him. That scene was the only thing I remembered about this film for the longest time.



I read the book upon which the movie was based while in high school. Thought it was great and looked forward to the movie. I liked the film, but saw it as being a little too Hollywoodized, Still, I have a dvd copy and watch it occasionally.


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## Ian Fortytwo

I just watched a movie short, *The Railrodder, *starring *Buster Keaton. *Brilliant entertainment. Under 30 minutes. 10/10.


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## Ian Fortytwo

I just watched another Buster Keaton short film *The Goat. *10/10.


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## Foxbat

*Godzilla: King Of The Monsters* This one got a lot of bad reviews but I liked it. I found it odd that many of the critics said it had 'a laughable script and paper thin plot'. It's a monster movie for Pete's sake. A script here is  just a vehicle for getting from one monster fight to the next one.  It's not as if Godzilla is going to break the fourth wall and tell us that now is his winter of discontent. He's going to roar his ass off and kick monster butt! 

I can just see the director '_Godzilla, baby. I like the roars but could you do it with a bit more depth, a bit more feeling?'_

 If I want something with a deep and meaningful script, I'll go watch some Shakespeare.


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## J Riff

You do have to cherry-pick the Godzilla movies after all these years, but the whole genre was just for fun and for all ages.
The adverts used to hook me in - "Destroy All Monsters" .. well you just have to see something with a title like that.
And hey, not all the monsters were so formula - Diagoro had a weight problem and wasn't getting proper food, for ex. 
He still managed to beat down on Goliath in the end but I was worried for a few minutes there.


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## CupofJoe

Foxbat said:


> *Godzilla: King Of The Monsters* This one got a lot of bad reviews but I liked it. I found it odd that many of the critics said it had 'a laughable script and paper thin plot'. It's a monster movie for Pete's sake. A script here is  just a vehicle for getting from one monster fight to the next one.  It's not as if Godzilla is going to break the fourth wall and tell us that now is his winter of discontent. He's going to roar his ass off and kick monster butt!
> I can just see the director '_Godzilla, baby. I like the roars but could you do it with a bit more depth, a bit more feeling?'_
> If I want something with a deep and meaningful script, I'll go watch some Shakespeare.


There are a couple of moments when Godzilla acts 
When "the one with the three heads" ***** the ***** ******* and Godzilla give a great WFT double take! That I loved!
Yes, the plot is laughable and MONARCH is about as believable as SHIELD as a top-secret organisation with apparently unlimited resources...
But Mothra looks amazing!!!


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## Ian Fortytwo

Just watched *Neighbours, *with *Buster Keaton. *10/10.


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## Jeffbert

*INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER* (1965) Evil guys from newly discovered Planet X use Godzilla, Rodan, & King Gidorah to conquer the Earth.   But they must trick the Earthlings into lending Godzilla & Rodan to them, first. In exchange for them, they give a reel to reel tape supposedly containing the formula for a cure-all drug. But when those chumps play the tape, it contains a message demanding they surrender to Planet X, while will then rule them.


*EBIRAH--HORROR OF THE DEEP* (1966) I think this thing is a giant shrimp. More bad guys, intent on conquest, but this time, they are foiled by some young adults and a newly awakened Godzilla. 


*KURONEKO* (1968) Literally, "BLACK CAT" Old Japan, and wars are common, as is conscription of any able-bodied man the Samurai meet. One such man, was taken from his home, leaving his wife and mother - in law alone. 3 years pass, and he has won acclaim by killing an enemy general. But some lowlife  samurai had raped and murdered his wife and her mother, & burned their home to the ground.  In the afterlife, they make a vow to some demon and resume bodily form. But they must drink the blood of Samurai in exchange.  

So, THE SON-IN-LAW / husband is assigned to kill / destroy whoever is killing all these Samurai.  Tragedy mixed with horror / the supernatural.


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## Rodders

Hell Boy (the new one). Not great, but watchable. Ron Pearlman will always be Hell Boy to me. 

Iron Man 3.


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## J Riff

*Annihilation *2018 - hard to spoil this one, since it's cut up so you know who survives, and has very little tension as a result, despite massive eye candy and trippy sound effex to beat the band. Actually, the sound FX were mildly irritating > why does anything 'alien' have to use that slightly-out-of-tune, low synthesized sound. I really, seriously doubt any advanced lifeform would put up with such a racket, but anyway at the 30 min. mark of this one, we find our intrepid team of 5 women walking into 'The shimmer' which is an area in a swamp where a lightning bolt or something came down and hit a lighthouse, right at the beginning of the movie, and this shimmer thing is expanding slowly and nothing that goes into it comes out, except for McGal's hubby, but he is in bad bad shape. 
  Perfect set-up for an action movie, but we already know that only McGal makes it out, -  she's a microbiologist or something, knows about cells. The other women all have issues too, but they all wake up in the swamp and apparently have been there for a few days, in their pup tents, eating food, but nobody remembers that.  They wander round inside the big swirly psychedelic shimmer, but it's all swamp, great swamp footage until the giant alligator attacks. The gals have plenty of machine guns along though so they survive that, but then a bear-thing gets one of them, they find remains of previous missions, dire warnings, gory gratuitous footage, a few times. The usual 'does everyone go insane and kill themselves?' then a bloody giant alien bear attack. The girls are not very proficient with their machine guns but it doesn't matter because we know they all expire anyway.
 We find out the 'shimmer' is just refracting all DNA back and changing it, so it's making something, nobody knows what, even at the end, but we get all kinds trippy sets, watsername burns up and turns into giant cells... then a shimmer-critter forms and duplicates McGals every move, until she gives it a grenade and runs away. 
The lighthouse burns down, the shimmer goes away, McGal and her hubby survive, he gets better fast, huggies, all set to depressing synthesized sound FX and little bits of unconvincing swampy acoustic guitar... and it's the end of a Netflix sci-fic extravaganza.


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## Jeffbert

*Son of Godzilla* (1967) O.k., so this was likely aimed at kids, more than adults, but it still had some good stuff in it. Giant mantids & a giant spider, though not very impressive on screen, were new to the Godzilla franchise. Little 'Zilla was -- I do not want to say cute, but certainly not frightening in appearance. Every time I saw him, I was glad no one else was watching this with me, or present while I was watching. Similar to how I felt when watching Saturday morning cartoons at age 14. 

The story takes place on a remote island, which the scientist dub "monster Island." They are there to conduct weather / climate control experiments, hoping to turn the tropical weather to frigid by exploding certain objects at certain altitudes, releasing chemicals.  This is complicated by the presence of the giant mantids, which initially, are far from large enough to fight Godzilla. They are just the right size to munch on humans. After the 1st attempt  to cause snow backfires, they soon grow huge.  Three of them are seen attempting to crack open baby Zilla's egg. 

Godzilla is not a model parent. He loses his temper when trying to teach his son to breath fire:




 
But lil' Zilla can still only blow smoke rings. 



BTW, I did enhance the images because they were rather dark.

So, while the Zillas are the title character and his parent (do not know if Godzilla is male of female, because of the lack on naughty parts), they actually are secondary to the humans.


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## hitmouse

J Riff said:


> *Annihilation *2018 - hard to spoil this one, since it's cut up so you know who survives, and has very little tension as a result, despite massive eye candy and trippy sound effex to beat the band. Actually, the sound FX were mildly irritating > why does anything 'alien' have to use that slightly-out-of-tune, low synthesized sound. I really, seriously doubt any advanced lifeform would put up with such a racket, but anyway at the 30 min. mark of this one, we find our intrepid team of 5 women walking into 'The shimmer' which is an area in a swamp where a lightning bolt or something came down and hit a lighthouse, right at the beginning of the movie, and this shimmer thing is expanding slowly and nothing that goes into it comes out, except for McGal's hubby, but he is in bad bad shape.
> Perfect set-up for an action movie, but we already know that only McGal makes it out, -  she's a microbiologist or something, knows about cells. The other women all have issues too, but they all wake up in the swamp and apparently have been there for a few days, in their pup tents, eating food, but nobody remembers that.  They wander round inside the big swirly psychedelic shimmer, but it's all swamp, great swamp footage until the giant alligator attacks. The gals have plenty of machine guns along though so they survive that, but then a bear-thing gets one of them, they find remains of previous missions, dire warnings, gory gratuitous footage, a few times. The usual 'does everyone go insane and kill themselves?' then a bloody giant alien bear attack. The girls are not very proficient with their machine guns but it doesn't matter because we know they all expire anyway.
> We find out the 'shimmer' is just refracting all DNA back and changing it, so it's making something, nobody knows what, even at the end, but we get all kinds trippy sets, watsername burns up and turns into giant cells... then a shimmer-critter forms and duplicates McGals every move, until she gives it a grenade and runs away.
> The lighthouse burns down, the shimmer goes away, McGal and her hubby survive, he gets better fast, huggies, all set to depressing synthesized sound FX and little bits of unconvincing swampy acoustic guitar... and it's the end of a Netflix sci-fic extravaganza.


Is this based on a Jeff Vandermeer book?


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## Jeffbert

*A SHOT IN THE DARK* (1964) THE 2nd film in the Pink Panther series.  A really very funny film.  Poor ol' Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), he is already going nuts because of bumbling 'Inspector' Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers) . 

Oh, I almost forgot:
*Clash by Night* (1952) Noir Alley, though certainly not what I expected of the genre!  A 3 way love trug-o-war between Barbara Stanwyck 's  character and two men, Robert Ryan & one other, each attempting to win her love.  M. Monroe added confusion because her nude photos had just become widely known.  Thus the before and after by Muller was actually more interesting to me, than the film, itself. 

Not my type of story, as it seemed little to do with noir genre.  If not for the 'noir' I would have passed on this one.


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## J Riff

hitmouse said:


> Is this based on a Jeff Vandermeer book?


dunno, he might deny it...)


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## J Riff

* Darkest Hour *2011,  not so bad as ridiculous invasion movies go, so don't read if you like same. We start with our young smartarse buddies landing in Moscow after a gratuitous lightning scare on the plane. We see McDonalds in Moscow and etc. Our heroes are immediately ripped off by a big corporation, of their invention, whatever it is...  Loud disco tunes play as our heroines appear, they will meet the guys, who wisecrack while synthpop blares, and we get further irritating character development at a party until, at 14 min. the lights go out, and phones, and the sky is all swirly and everyone walks out saying ooh ah, all mystified. Pretty light-creatures some down and they split, then go foosh and sit there flickering. A cop walks out and touches one with his nightstick and he explodes into shards of black glass or something and now everyone screams and runs away. The orangeish light-swirl aliens absorb bullets no problem, and we switch to their vision, where people look like orange-lit swirl people. A few more people explode into black glass, a guy throws a booze bottle which burns but does it stop these orange swirly aliens? You know it doesn't, so everyone runs or explodes until our 4 MCs end up in a closet listening to the screaming.
They wait for 4 days and then, when they haven't heard any sounds for 27 hours... they go out and Moscow is empty, lots wreckage, no bodies, all conveniently exploded or whatever. A solitary old woman bricking up her window chases them off saying they will bring ghosts. Lots great deserted Moscow landmark footage. They get maps from a cop car, a dog runs past... it senses something, barks, explodes. Any real dog would be smart enough to run or hide, but not Rover. Now big blatty sound FX let us know the light-aliens are near. The orange ET spots them, but they crawl under the car and it doesn't find them despite all the electronics in the cop car go off. So the trick is... hide, I guess. The aliens see people as orange light, but now our group find a crashed jetliner which probably would have blown up,..  but they go on. They figure out that the mostly-invisible ETs can be seen better at night as they light electronic stuff up, and our heros now carry lightbulbs as warning devices.  They get to the deserted embassy, find invasion messages from around the world, and a radio with a message repeating in what looks like a bird cage, but the ETs see electricity so they turn it off pronto. They look out over the city, everything is being absorbed or collapsing as ETs eat electricity and other conductive substances, but idiot-buddy has wandered out with a machine-gun onto the streets and as he's the only one speaks Russian, he has to be saved but no, he almost gets everyone killed, then he explodes.
They see a guy in a lit apartment window... the ETs aren't attacking him, so we get there and it's old Prof. electrician character, plus young blonde and orange cat, in a Faraday cage room. Hence, the 'lethal wave energy' ETs can't see them. The radio tells them a submarine in the river is leaving in the morning. They have to cross the city.  Our Prof. has built a microwave projector gun, no less, but when the ETs burst into the room he only gets one of them before he explodes as does one of the girls.
Now 5 Russian soldiers appear with machine guns, flamethrower, rocket launcher and a horse, and they manage to take down one of the light-aliens. Then they all head off down the Metro, but light tentacles appear and one of our guys explodes. The remaining 3 Americans and 3 Russians make it onto a boat. Then onto the Sub, where they hotrod the microwave gun, using atomic sub quality gear and batteries, then go out to save Natalie. The microwave gun jams, of course, till the last second but then it zaps an ET and we see tentacles and octo-face as it explodes. Now the team floods the parking lot from a water truck, and the H20 conducts the microwave gun blast, shorting out ETs as the soldiers pepper them with guns and rockets, wow, Nat and Sean in bus, it takes off by itself, he blasts the ET, the brakes are gone, you can guess what happens.
Sean and pals head for the USA, Russkies stay home, everyone else in the world to battle on, with microwave guns, happy ending.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Alien Factor* (1978)

Ultra-low budget, old-fashioned monster flick.  Spaceship carrying alien animals for some kind of interstellar zoo crashes on Earth, three creatures come out and kill folks.  Mysterious guy shows up, knowing more about the situation than he should, and helps the locals destroy the things.  Turns out he's an alien himself, in human disguise, leading to our tragic twist ending.  Besides this alien, we've got the pilot of the spaceship, and the three beasts, to show off home-made makeup and special effects.  The trio of critters include a humanoid with an insect-like exoskeleton, a tall furry anthropoid, and a giant lizard-type critter, the latter brought to life via stop-motion animation that wouldn't be too bad if it hadn't been double-exposed over the background so poorly that it's transparent.  Other than the monsters, which are impressive for amateurs with no money, you've got really bad acting, an annoying electronic soundtrack, and a Sixties-ish rock band to kill time.


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## J Riff

Yup, I just did Alien Factor a couple pages back, Starbeast likes it a lot too. ) These psych bands are always familiar here, get a kick out of obscure tracks not found anywhere else, like the one in this flick, the immortal classic 'Jump Back Crackerjack'.
*Alien Factor *1976 - geee, an alien spaceship crashes, and various wild ET lifeforms escape, near our small town. There's an Inferbyce, a Zagatile, and a Leemoid loose. One other ET is unknown, and the pilot of the ship dies and the ship, which looks like it was made from a trailer, or a logging shed or something - blows up. The ETs begin dispatching locals, and someone has to do something because - "that was no animal!" .. There are lots bizarre squonking early Synth sound FX, and a couple tunes by 'Atlantis' (on Mekon Records) who play psych rock in a lounge near Baltimore, including 'Jump Back Crackerjack" I mean wattaya want?

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## Starbeast

J Riff said:


> Yup, I just did Alien Factor a couple pages back, Starbeast likes it a lot too. ) These psych bands are always familiar here, get a kick out of obscure tracks not found anywhere else, like the one in this flick, the immortal classic 'Jump Back Crackerjack'.
> *Alien Factor *1976 - geee, an alien spaceship crashes, and various wild ET lifeforms escape, near our small town.
> Reactions:Starbeast



Don Dohler was the man who wrote, directed, played "Ernie" character and, got this flick in the theater!

Thank you Lon Talbot, for writing the song, "Jump Back Crackerjack". Ironically this type music has returned in the 21st Century, in the form of Doom or Sludge Metal.


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## Jeffbert

*THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER* (1975) Oops! I was caught with a mouthful of pistachios when Clouseau did something hilarious.   I laughed so hard so much that it led to a sneezing fit!  A very satisfying film!

*This Gun for Hire* (1942) Lesson to be learned here: never pay the hit man with either counterfeit or marked bills that also happen to be stolen.   So, the chemical manufacturer that makes poison gas for the war effort, also sells the formula to the enemy. The boss learns that someone is about to rat him out to the feds, so hires Raven to knock him off, and recover the letter written to the feds. When the hitman (Alan Ladd) uses one of the tens in a local shop, the girl dutifully checks the serial number against those on a list, and quickly matches it to one on that list. This, I thought was rather unlikely, as the girl was so happy that she made a sale, she would likely have forgotten about the list. She identifies the guy who used it, by his deformed wrist. Now, Raven wants to get the guy who hired him, but a woman (Veronica Lake) who also happens to be the girlfriend to a cop, is involved. She is a singing magician, just hired by the guy who had hired the hit man.

I thought there were more than a few unlikely elements to this film, but otherwise, a very good noir picture. Muller gave details about the adaptation from Graham Greene's short story, among other things. taking the setting from the UK and moving it to Los Angeles, and changing the deformity from the face to the left wrist. Also the hit man's backstory makes him not just a cold-hearted killer, but worthy of our empathy.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Secret Agent Martin Stevens Double Feature:

*SuperSeven Calling Cairo* (_Superseven chiama Cairo_, 1965)

Starts off without wasting any time during the precredits sequence, as our hero, British spy Martin Stevens, is in bed with a blonde in some hotel.  She jumps up to remind him to write a check for a huge amount of money for the Turkish Embassy, for some reason or other.  He gets up, starts writing the check, looks in a mirror and sees her aiming a gun at him, turns around and shoots her with the pen, which is also a gun.  This gets your attention, but has nothing to do with the plot.  After the credits, SuperSeven gets his assignment.  It seems that a new element has been discovered, one hundred times as radioactive as uranium, but stable and safe to handle.  (Bad science!)  A sample of this stuff was hidden in the zoom lens of a movie camera in Cairo, intended to reach the Bad Guys, but a clerk accidentally sold it to a tourist.  In Egypt, our hero finds a naked woman in his shower, they wind up in bed, he figures out that she's supposed to find out his mission for the Bad Guys.  Instead, she leads him to them.  Meanwhile,  SuperSeven hooks up with a blonde who works at the camera store, and she drops everything to go gallivanting with him in search of the tourist with the camera.  (His plan boils down to wandering around Cairo until they find him.)  Complications ensue, as they have to track the camera to Switzerland.  Plenty of fights, captures and escapes, and double-crosses.  Typical Eurospy stuff.

*The Spy Who Loved Flowers *(_Le spie amano i fiori_, 1966)

SuperSeven is back in action, this time assigned to kill three guys who have knowledge of a secret gizmo, whose purpose we don't learn until the very end of the movie.  He doesn't particularly like being a paid assassin, but goes along with the plan.  He eliminates his targets in Paris and Geneva pretty quickly, but not without bumping into a blonde photographer who will be with him for the third and last part of the mission, set in Athens.  Since this whole thing smelled fishy from the start, it's no surprise that our hero has been set up to be killed himself by the Bad Guys, who get their orders over a secret transmitter from an unknown person known as the Great Dragon.  The usual spy stuff follows.  Features a couple of catfights between the Good Girl and the Bad Girl.  As above, about par for the genre.


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## Rodders

Tomorrowland. 

Upbeat, as you’d expect from a Disney movie. I rather enjoyed it. 

The girl playing Athena was very good, I thought.


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## Vince W

Rodders said:


> Tomorrowland.
> 
> Upbeat, as you’d expect from a Disney movie. I rather enjoyed it.
> 
> The girl playing Athena was very good, I thought.


I really enjoyed Tomorrowland. And I agree completely with the girl playing Athena. She nearly stole the show.


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## Jeffbert

*GODZILLA VS HEDORAH* (1971) Environmental themes. Hedorah is living goop or sludge, with enough sulfuric acid to dissolve just about anything. 

*Ice Station Zebra* (1968) It sure took me long enough to get around to seeing this! Very tense drama about both the free & Iron Curtain forces rushing to recover film taken by the most sophisticated camera with the best lens & film, of ICBM sites in both West & East. A secret agent (Danger Man/ The Prisoner guy) is sent via nuclear sub to the North Pole to recover the film, but until late in the story, nobody but himself and his ex-communist agent (Ernest Borgnine) have any idea why they are going there, except that all communications from Ice Station Zebra have been cut off. A platoon of marines join, headed by ex-football guy (Jim Brown). While attempting to crack through the ice, in order to surface, the forward torpedo room becomes flooded, and sabotage is the only reason why it could happen. Everybody suspects everybody else. Tense!

Good show!


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## Toby Frost

*Death at a Funeral* (2007 - the British version) - a black comedy about a group of wealthy relations gathering to bury a man. Things go wrong and get increasingly absurd. A couple of jokes fall flat, and the tone wobbles a bit, but it's generally quite entertaining. Peter Dinklage shows up, surprisingly, and Alan Tudyk (Wash from _Firefly_) plays an English character who has a succession of bizarre adventures after accidentally taking hallucinogenics. The cast includes Daisy Donovan, Keeley Hawes and a variety of people you've seen in sitcoms and dramas if you watch the BBC. Quite good.


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## Randy M.

*The Devil's Own *(In the U.K., _The Witches_; 1966)

IMDB lists it as _The Witches_; Turner Cable Movies ran it as _The Devil's Own_, Joan Fontaine's last movie (she did make TV appearances after this).

Fontaine plays a woman traumatized as a missionary in Africa by the resistence and threats of local witch doctors. Months later, after a nervous breakdown, she accepts a position as teacher in a small English village. Unfortunately, there is a coven there whose leader wants Fontaine's assistance in extending her life, a ritual that bodes ill for one of Fontaine's students.

This is a Hammer movie and according to the introduction by Ben Mankiewicz the property, a novel by Norah Lofts under a psuedonym, was purchased by Fontaine and brought to Hammer after a four year drought in her movie career. It's well-paced and though I'm not a big fan of Fontaine, it's well-acted. It's also predictable, but I still found it entertaining. Interesting to see it was scripted by Nigel Kneale and that one of the actors, Duncan Lamont, later appeared in Hammer's version of Kneale's _Quatermass and the Pit_, in the quite memorable role of a man blown along alleys and streets by a wind that appeared more internal than external. He shows similar physical inhibitions in a dance scene in this one.

Randy M.


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## J Riff

*The Descent* 2005 --- 20 min. irritating character development, tragic car accident etc. Then the girls go caving. A swarm of bats provides a fake scare. There's a cave-in, they have to continue downward, following the general arc of this movie. They have done stupid things, so nobody is looking for them. It's a 'new cave system'.  Hoo boy. Some good cave sets, then they find a lot of bones. Then a zombie-looking humanoid guy appears, much screaming, panicking. Mr. cave-zombie is fast, climbs walls, he chomps on Sarah, she's gone. Later, they find the way out, but go back for Sarah. Uh-oh, multiple cave-zombies, run awaay. Later, they fight the zombies, lots screaming, blood, annoying sound FX. The stock zombie-growl sound is particularly typical and irritating. A bunch of gratuitous, bloody fighting... more of it... screaming, blood, one of them escapes , maybe...and...  delete movie. Next.


----------



## Jeffbert

*GODZILLA VS GIGAN* (1972) Another evil organization attempting to conquer the Earth, but these guys are cockroaches from outer space, who using their technology mask their appearance. They apparently are a peace organization, building a Godzilla theme park & apparently striving for total peace.  So, there is an unemployed cartoonist (manga artist) hired by the organization, apparently to dream up advertisements for the theme park. But, he finds evidence of evil, and with a few others, including Godzilla, brings down the organization.

I thoroughly enjoyed the silliness of this film! I did notice reused film of destruction, "Mobiloil" sign atop a burning building that was 1st seen in one of those earlier Godzilla films. 


*Rodan* (1956) Coal miners are missing, and a search for them results in the deaths of some men, apparently murdered by the coal miner Goro, who had been violently arguing with the other missing miner. But, it turns out that giant dragonfly larva had killed the men. If that was not bad enough Rodan had just hatched from a giant egg, and was flying around a supersonic speeds, leaving destruction in its wake. 

Not so silly as the other one, in fact, it was most like the early Godzilla films, showing the terror elements.


----------



## Mouse

Toby Frost said:


> *Death at a Funeral* (2007 - the British version) - a black comedy about a group of wealthy relations gathering to bury a man. Things go wrong and get increasingly absurd. A couple of jokes fall flat, and the tone wobbles a bit, but it's generally quite entertaining. Peter Dinklage shows up, surprisingly, and Alan Tudyk (Wash from _Firefly_) plays an English character who has a succession of bizarre adventures after accidentally taking hallucinogenics. The cast includes Daisy Donovan, Keeley Hawes and a variety of people you've seen in sitcoms and dramas if you watch the BBC. Quite good.



I love this film, have it on DVD. The bit with the toilet cracks me up.


----------



## dask

Watched it last night. Still one of my favorites:


----------



## Jeffbert

LC, Jr.  would have had little success as *Creighton Chaney.  *Great film, wonderful cast!


----------



## Starbeast

October Horror Movies (No Spoilers as usual)

*TICKS* (1993) I haven't seen it in years! This gross-out, mutant horror film is one of the best of it's kind (cult movie, that is). Still creepy cool.

*Nine Miles Down* (2009) A security agent is sent to find out what happened at a scientific drill site. He discovers something evil. Darkly Intriguing.

*The Boogie Man Will Get You* (1943) A rare Noir Comedy, starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. Not bad. It gives a nod and a wink to _Arsenic and Old Lace_.


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## dask

Now that looks cool.


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## J Riff

*Captive* 1980 --- quite cheesy SF starts with a spaceship zipping along, it blows up. Now credits - each character delivers a line from the forthcoming movie, then their name appears onscreen, to 1980 synth sounds. 
Spaceship action now, they are going to Warp 2 in order to monitor turning capabilities. The captain and co-pilot chat about being 'tubers' ...who are expendable. They 'energize' things onboard their scout craft... this is getting Trekky, similar uniforms too. They test the ship, which wobbles but it's time for a new assignment... maybe to Delta territory - to guard 'the old people's asteroids' ..  But, one guy, Stanoo 12 -is sent to Mega-Vector, the captain Kaleb-7, is to fly  'Earth reconaissance with Major Groper'. Turns out our guys are from 'Sytharolia' and they are gonna spy on Earth weapon installations. 
Lots of button-pushing and techbabble, long shots of spaceships, trippy sound FX. Cut to Earth where a blonde techbabbles, 'negative activity in sector J-19'. She has trouble with the word 'designated' but they leave it in, then wisecracking Earth guys trade lines, 'Alphka six-packs' and 'dyratium power boosters' are mentioned - but there's a war on. Sure enough, enemy ships appear, 1st time in 5 years, 
The Sythrolian old Cmdr. guy talks about killing people with his bare hands, 'warm human blood' and 'Earth ships blasted apart' ...he goes on obsessively, meanwhile he looks like a stock character actor from Earth. Now a Neutron-Laser battles breaks out between ships, Crazed Cmdr. fires lasers too soon, 'overheating through the firing frequencies' but the other ship nails an Earth ship - 'Did you see the way that Earth ship blew when I hit it? Whoaaa Man! Ha, haa!"
Earth strikes back though, gets one of the Sythrolians. The other is forced down to the ground, Now we get old Gramp's isolated cabin, sisters, one wants to leave, but a long rant from Gramps about the modern world, the war over the damn Dyrathium crystals that Earth has been fighting over with the Sythyrolian monsters all these years! - he goes to bed, Junior comes in, he's got an 'Atom-Polarizer' that he bought by selling Frog's legs and sending away for it. He uses it to kill frogs in the pond. He heads off to the pond, the ship crashes nearby, huge explosion but Kaleb-7 and Cmdr. are fine. Cmdr. disintegrates the kid's nice dog 'Vicious' with a ray gun, possibly made from a hand drill, now we hate these guys. They don't shoot the kid, he leads them to his 'living cubicle'.
Gramps jumps out with a shotgun, he's clobbered from behind, but blasts one Styhrolian in the shoulder. The microwave healer gadget doesn't work because of the metal pellets. The evil Cmdr. blasts Cleo, a small tweety bird in a cage, to bits with a shotgun, takes out the window too. These are mean aliens who look like Trek crew members, but they are tuber soldiers, from test tubes, but Kaleb-7 falls for older sis. 'What is this concept - love?'
Crazed Cmdr. looks a bit like Kirk, he terrorizes everyone. Kaleb-7 and Sis take long walk in woods, talk and talk, aaaand talk to romantic piano music.
Earth forces saturate the area of the crash, finally, But, Kaleb's ray gun was left on the floor, Junior grabs it as Cmdr. is mangling Sis outside, but the raygun doesn't work. Gramp's is loose though, and he blasts Cmdr. to bits with his shotgun.
They dress Kaleb-7 up farm style, sis is gaga over him, and an Earth tactical search unit shows up, bright red costumes, long-handled red ray guns. Gramp's tells them to haul the carcass away with them, they leave in two minutes.
More romance, fun fishing with Gramps, but the Earth force knows there's a missing alien. Kaleb and the family drink wine, cavort, but Earth forces show up at the cabin. Team Alpha 79-A no less. Gramps and Sis lead Kaleb off toward a civilian air base. Kaleb gets lasered in the leg but he's okay, they keeping walking through the woods, till they run into a blue laser fence. A bad guy shows up, but Gramps sneaks up with a knife and takes his laser-gun away. After a short monologue, Kaleb wanders off into the wilderness carrying a tote bag, and Gramps assures a sobbing Sis that he'll be back some day. Ominous synth tones play, the End. We will never know whether our nice converted alien tuber Kaleb-7 made it back to the farm. Oh well.


----------



## J Riff

*StarCrash *1978 ---revisiting the classic, you'd-better-see-this-one, fans of Opera in Space. 
Big spaceship in deep space, looks like the intro to_ Alien,_ then we hear 'Major Bradbury' to bridge, and the spaceship is named the
_ Murray Leinster_, so in one minute, we know this is a science-fiction movie. Weird gold helmets on the crew, they are looking for the hidden fortress of Count Zarthron, on a phantom planet. Suddenly, weird red lights appear, they attack, everyone grabs their head and falls down, a couple shuttlecraft get away, the ship explodes. Now we get a long print-out onscreen, but it is in French, so no idea. Something about megalomaniac Emporer Zarthon, good enough. Hasselhoff, Caroline Munro, Christopher Plummer as Emporer, okay. 
Scout ship, our two MC smugglers - Stella Star and Acton,  are evading space-robot-cops... very silly lines from Munro 'Go for hyperspace. Go for it!' Let's hope this Star-buggy stays together." Molecular ignition... Gamma contamination... but then a Neutron Star grabs them, they have to eject. They find a spaceship floating... Caroline goes there and finds a survivor, raving about red monsters. But empire ships show up, they are captured and sentenced to penal planets. There, a raygun battle breaks out, Stella escapes. no idea how... but she runs into the desert, a big spaceship lands, she walks onto it, and it's the bad guys, but now they are rescuing her... they free Acton too, no problem. This happens fast, every minute this movie does something science-fictional.
 Plummer is the Emporer of the 1st Circle of the Universe, his holgram appears and monologues. Stella, the best pilot in the galaxy, and Acton the navigator have to save the galaxy from Zarthon. Off they go to 'the haunted stars' to find the phantom planet and Zarth's super-weapon. And, find the emporer's missing son. That's your plot. 
Full tech-babblism, they look for the planet, cheap hyperspace FX, inane glib comments from robot "Ell"  all the way through this epic. Stella wears a bikini and high leather boots most of the time. Amazon women on horseback appear on the beach, capture them. Now we get Queen Kararia, but Ell, who was zapped, recovers and saves Stella. They run outside onto the beach where a super-giant clumsy robot with a sword,  that you should see to believe it, threatens them, but Acton saves them and we get space war with the Amazon air forces. Then an ice and snow planet, deadly dangerous cold. 
A lot of off-the-wall dialogue, too much to go into here. We have a traitor... there's a 'league of darkness'. . but Acton, who could easily be called 'OverActon' saves them again, with his unknown, even to the audience - mysterious powers... he can see the future? and informs us that it is against the law to change the future.
Anyway they find the planet - Demungia, and survive a cheap FX space attack. We get 'Robot chauvanism', we get yammering cavemen attacking, we get Stella hanging upside down. Now they escape, and have to destroy the entire planet. This is better than Star Wars. Super-giant machines, more robots, more soldiers now....  Zarthon. Monlogue rant, maniacal laughter. Now, extended maniacal laughing. Light-sabre action. Whoa - time-stoppage by Plummer, using the Imperial BattleCruiser, but only 3 minutes, then everything will explode. Big raygun battle. billions lives at stake, supreme command of the Universe on the line. Quite the epic raygun battle. Good guys gonna win, but here comes the Doom Machine and some really wild monologuing. Aha- Dimensional attack! It will work, using the Floating City! All right enough, the forces of good will triumph and Stella will say something stupid and it will end. ***** Five Stars, to_ StarCrash! _for... for sheer SpaceOperage.


----------



## Rodders

Took the boy to see Abominable yesterday. A nice enough movie.


----------



## mr kite

*Terminator - Dark Fate *

I really enjoyed it .


----------



## Toby Frost

*Galaxy Quest* - still really good. Both the jokes and the tone are excellent. Good performances from everyone. An extremely likable parody. Definitely recommended.


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> October Horror Movies (No Spoilers as usual)
> 
> *The Boogie Man Will Get You* (1943) A rare Noir Comedy, starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. Not bad. It gives a nod and a wink to _Arsenic and Old Lace_.
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 57341​


Is that the one in which Lorre is the town's dog catcher, Sheriff, Mayor, & every other official in just the one guy? I don't want to spoil anything, & hope that will not.


*The Pink Panther Strikes Again* (1976) best line of the film: "Not any more."    Lom as Ex-Chief Inspector Dreyfus has abducted a scientist and his daughter and, using his doomsday machine, is holding the Earth hostage, demanding that Clouseau be killed. So, every advanced nation sends assassins to do away with him, but his dumb luck saves him every time, resulting in some 20 or so dead hit men.  Again, there are several ROFL gags, though the film's end lacked them.


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## J Riff

By Grabthar's Hammer, _Galaxy Quest_ is on!


----------



## alexpapageorge

Fast and furious


----------



## Vince W

*The Freighteners.* (1996) An excellent film all around. Creepy and tense with wonderful performances from the entire cast.


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## BigBadBob141

Hmmmmm, that poster of the wolfman, it looks like me when I haven't bothered to shave all week!!!


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## Randy M.

_*Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?*_ (1962) dir. Robert Alrich

I had never seen all of this before and it was about time. In this Hollywood Gothic, Joan Crawford gets to channel all the anguish of the characters she played in the '40s into this one character, Blanche Hudson, the older sister of the title character, who is played by Bette Davis. Davis is having a hell of a good time, pinballing between ruthless conniving and insanity. This novel prolonged their careers for another 10 years, at least, and inspired a lot of older actresses to go horror -- Joan Fontaine in _The Devil's Own_, Olivia de Haviland in _Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte_ (with Davis and Mary Astor) and _Lady in a Cage_, among others. Oh, and Joan Bennett in ...


_*Suspiria*_ (1977) dir. Dario Argento

I know I saw this 30+ years ago but remembered little except that Jessica Harper was in it. Late '70s, early '80s, she was on a roll, then seemed to disappear by the mid-'80s. Seeing this again, I think that's a shame. She has a naturalness in front of the camera that makes this work, especially since so many of the European actors seem to be over-acting. Joan Bennett and Alida Valli also star, and come off pretty good, too.

Young dancer goes to prestigious dancing school in Germany. As she enters on a rainy, wind-swept night, another student is running out and away. The latter dies in a visually spectacular and slightly nauseating manner, and we're off to the races. Seems the woman who started this school was a witch of great power. One wonders, could that have anything to do with the murder?

Not sure the sense of this holds up, but it does have a fever dream intensity.


_*Happy Death Day 2U *_ (2019) dir. Christopher Landon

Sequel to _Happy Death Day_, which I enjoyed as a comedic take on slasher flicks mixed with _Groundhog Day_ -- the filmmakers pretty much say as much in the movie. The cast of the first show up and this time do a comedic take on slasher flicks mixed with _Back to the Future_, and it mostly works, running riffs on the first movie's events, but circumstances changing enough that the characters, particularly Tree Gelbman, the heroine, is kept off-balance about what will happen next. These two movies would make good Halloween viewing for people who don't like their horror movies too scary or gory, though there are some things parents would want to review before letting younger children see them.

Randy M.


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## J Riff

*The Mysterious Wall *1967, Soviet, black and white, subtitled. We begin with a TV show, interviewing professors and people who might know stuff about the mysterious wall that has appeared, surrounding two geologists in a remote area, for two days. Then it disappears, reappears... it is like clouds w/ lightning bolts... impervious, deadly to humans, can't get through it, blocks radio waves. This is oddly like the 'shimmer' in a much more modren flick I just reviewed.. what was it? Uh.. doesn't matter, this is going to be better. These Russkies will figure this mystery wall out, wait and see. We hear tapes, the wall's background noise is theremin-based, as it keeps fading in and out at regular intervals.
 These Sovs are sensible, even the TV people figure out the wall is some kind of ET station or base of some kind. It causes hallucinations, apparently. This movie has some smooth jazz that comes on now and then, it's nice. 
Shlepov has been sent to tell Prof. Lomov to take time off, away from the wall. Locals claim it is built by Martians. They get there, uh-oh there's been an accident. A worker's hands got burnt, while trying to use a probe on the wall. Well, 53 minutes till the wall, actually a dome, appears. Now we are inside it with Lomov and a few others, in a cabin. lots talk of aliens, Martians. 
Lots good dialogue in this, "what if the wall IS an alien?" Now our main scientist probes wall, sparks and fire, suddenly he's on a boat, in his own past, in the Yellow sea, saving a guy and a cat in a bathtub dinghy, dream sequence, the sailors go on about Martians.. and Strontium, how it's everywhere. more weirdness, cool music, the wall is messing with their heads.
Woo, this movie has just tripped right on out, and is somewhat surreal and hard to review now. Cool, soviet weirdness, proverbs, hallucinations or something, Lomov is inside it.. people there take what he says, enter it into some machines. It looks like maybe alien 'martian' contact is going to happen, via the wall.. but this movie ends, rather artistically and you have to wonder. 
Quite a different and enjoyable 60s SF film, this is.


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## Vince W

Vince W said:


> *The Freighteners.* (1996) An excellent film all around. Creepy and tense with wonderful performances from the entire cast.


*Frighteners.* Stupid fingers.


----------



## AstroZon

*Lord of the Flies* (1963)  D. Peter Brook

I've seen the 1990 America film which, IMO is fair at best, but never this earlier British version.   Also I'd read the book twice - once in high school and then again about 10 years later.  This 1963 film is simply excellent.


----------



## Jeffbert

AstroZon said:


> *Lord of the Flies* (1963)  D. Peter Brook
> 
> I've seen the 1990 America film which, IMO is fair at best, but never this earlier British version.   Also I'd read the book twice - once in high school and then again about 10 years later.  This 1963 film is simply excellent.


I HAVE SEEN LOTF (1963) at least 3 times & the remake once, & read it once. There were no fewer than 2 references to it during the past year on JEOPARDY. I still remember 1, it had to do with one little boy's chubbiness & nearsightedness. Yes, he had the role of 'Piggy.'

I heard something about nearsighted  lenses on the anime *Dr. Stone*, that this type would not work for starting fires.  

Sad situation, in fact, tragic.  What is more important to 10 year-old boys, the possibility of rescue, or having fun running around screaming?  Ralph never had a chance against Jack. Fun or responsibility.  Could be an allegory for certain current political conflicts. 


*Force of Evil* (1948) I had seen this a few months ago, but could not resist the NOIR ALLEY treatment.  Before the States began their lotteries, criminals ran them. So, there were many small & small-time numbers rackets, here called banks. The larger ones wanted to consolidate the smaller ones into 1 big one. They all used a 3 digit (seems too few to me) system, and apparently relied on one source for determining the winning numbers. That, err, those two facts seem to me a bit odd, but what do I know? 

So, Joe Morse (John Garfield) is the lawyer of the guy who wants to control the numbers racket, & elder brother Leo  (Thomas Gomez) has his own small-time racket. Joe knows that when '776' comes up as the winning number on July 4th, many small-time operators will go under, including his brother. He wants to protect him, but big brother intensely dislikes him because he works for a mobster. When offered to become a part of the larger operation, he steadfastly declines.  

Very good tension, as each brother tries to protect the other from the other's poor decisions. Leo wants to be an honest numbers guy, and wants little brother to leave working for the mobster. Little brother wants to protect big brother from financial ruin. 


*A successful Calamity* (1932) Rich guy Henry Wilton (George Arliss) returns home after a year in Europe, and finds his wife and children are so busy with social events, that they cannot stand still even to eat breakfast together. Worse, his wife has him involved with her social life. All he wants to do, is stay home and relax. After talking with his butler, he realizes he can end the stress by simply telling his family that he is ruined. 

A fairly entertaining comedy, and a good thing to watch after so many horror films. I never heard of George Arliss before; at the very least, his name and face were new to me.


----------



## AstroZon

Jeffbert said:


> Could be an allegory for certain current political conflicts.



Yea, I thought the same thing.


----------



## J Riff

While Victoria takes a break, I will continue the onslaught of 'B' SF fliks, with: 
*Starship Invasions* 1977 - we've probably done this one already but Robt. Vaughn and Christopher Lee, and I can't quite remember, and it's playing, so:  A farmer on a tractor in a field, light piano jazz soundtrack but a Saucer is coming down quietly near him. Perfect, no nonsense beginning, the saucer zaps him with a ray, he stands there transfixed, two 'aliens' come out in weird black costumes, is that a winged worm emblem? Inside the saucer, our farmer is tested with a couple gadgets and then a beautiful nude woman walks in and says hello. Excellent 1st five minutes, but now we cut to a country sherrif interviewing the farmer later, in his barn. He tells him about the UFO, and how he has procreated with the beautiful nude lady there. Big laffs for our sheriiff. Cut to Vaughn the UFO expert on TV, very erudite, and he ends up with the farmer on the phone. Vaughn goes and inspects the field, it's radioactive.
 Our high-forehead black-costumed humanoids talk telepathically, they have a mass migration to Earth planned, because their sun may go nova any minute, they can monitor it on their wristwatches. Their whole fleet is hiding behind the moon. They need to capture a human female now, so they hover along, zap a car and grab mom, dad and the kid. Gadget-testing on the UFO now, they are removing fluids fgodsake, but the family wakes up in the car, remembers nothing. The kid has snapped a pic of the saucer though.
Turns out the ET humanoids are offspring of humans, but they are going to exterminate them anyway. Our farmer kills himself, while having hallucinations of the alien gizmos used on him. We see a metal cooking pan thrown into the water, the saucer is in the ocean. And yes - the 'Intergalactic League of Races' does maintain a base at the bottom of the ocean, but our humanoids are gonna lie to them. They land inside a giant pyramid where there are other, different saucers. We get Durbol, a little android bot, welcoming Capt. Ramses from planet Alpha to the base. Next up is glamorous telepathic space women just sitting around. 'If you need anything just ask an android".  The command central has Earth TV monitored, a news show is on about our farmer, Vaughn comes on and makes his case, Ramses smirks, nobody knows how evil he is. Our Alphans don't speak, just make telepathic faces with voice-overs, and whatsername goes and sabotages a League ship by removing a punch-card. 
The Alphans raygun everyone at the base, while Earth forces inspect the downed saucer. Very colorful sets, Lee is handy with his raygun, and it's Alphan saucer vs. the League saucer which wins with one shot and one very cheep special effect. Lee has the extermination machine up and running though, and the base is now his so he punches buttons furiously, termination starts any second now, we gets shots of random killings and suicide on the Earth as the Alphan saucer with the termination ray orbits. Vaughn is picked up by a League saucer, he's clued in to the whole caper in a monologue from a large-headed woman, then Vaughn goes and picks up his pal, the computer expert, to help repair the saucer.
The Earth Generals and world leaders deliver dramatic speeches about Lee's circling saucer and its bad frequency which is causing mass killing wherever it goes.  A saucer battle, one loses control and takes out a skyscraper. Huh, the League ETs are from Zeta-Reticuli. They confess to building the Great Pyramid! They eat super-vitamins. A circuit blows, so they have to patch into Vaughn's mind, also his computer expert buddy's brain, such that he has to enter numbers, at high speed, into a seventies calculator. Computer guy collapses, but a small pyramid is placed on his forehead, he will be fine. But on Earth, horrible stuff on TV, the kid is possessed a couple times, it's a suicide epidemic, enough already with that, but no, Vaughn's wife tries it, the kid is there, mom looks like a goner, but on the saucer, robot Durbol has come back to life, and even though he is beeping and flashing he manages to walk up behind the Alphan pilot and zap him. Durbol reprogrammes everything for collisions, the fleet blows up as our weird-headed android pushes buttons with his silver mittens. Ramses flies into the Moon, kerboom. Vaughn goes home, the Reticulans heal his wife with a gizmo, the nightmare is over. Not so bad as I remembered it.


----------



## J Riff

*Satan's Triangle *1975 - - this one twists and turns plotwise, but you just know that Satan will probably be in it eventually. With about ten minutes to go, you just know it isn't over, it was all too easy. Our Coast Guard helicopter girl-crazy rescue guy has dropped down onto the boat, which is sending a mayday, but everyone is eerily deceased. Until, that is, he finds Kim Novak cowering below aft. They settle in to wait for the rescue chopper to return with help, but what the heck is that dead guy doing floating in mid-air in the hold?
Novak tells our MC the story, and we see the greedy rich Marlin fisherman being a jerk, some superstitious crew members taking off in a dinghy, and the worried captain. There's a weird storm, but they get the giant swordfish stowed away and then the ship gets hit and various people expire. The Padre is fine though and until he goes up the mast and shoots off a flare when he hears the copter approaching, then he slips and expires, and is hanging there all through the rest of the movie. Novak and MC drink coffee, she knows they are doomed, will not survive, evil surrounds them, she can feel it etc. But copter-guy explains everything away  logically and scientifically, even the floating guy, and then the two make out till the chopper returns with a rescue boat. Still no Satan though, so no spoiler on this one, he's around, you can guess that from the title, and the ending is left till the very ending so that's that.


----------



## Randy M.

J Riff said:


> *Satan's Triangle *1975 - - this one twists and turns plotwise, but you just know that Satan will probably be in it eventually. With about ten minutes to go, you just know it isn't over, it was all too easy. Our Coast Guard helicopter girl-crazy rescue guy has dropped down onto the boat, which is sending a mayday, but everyone is eerily deceased. Until, that is, he finds Kim Novak cowering below aft. They settle in to wait for the rescue chopper to return with help, but what the heck is that dead guy doing floating in mid-air in the hold?
> Novak tells our MC the story, and we see the greedy rich Marlin fisherman being a jerk, some superstitious crew members taking off in a dinghy, and the worried captain. There's a weird storm, but they get the giant swordfish stowed away and then the ship gets hit and various people expire. The Padre is fine though and until he goes up the mast and shoots off a flare when he hears the copter approaching, then he slips and expires, and is hanging there all through the rest of the movie. Novak and MC drink coffee, she knows they are doomed, will not survive, evil surrounds them, she can feel it etc. But copter-guy explains everything away  logically and scientifically, even the floating guy, and then the two make out till the chopper returns with a rescue boat. Still no Satan though, so no spoiler on this one, he's around, you can guess that from the title, and the ending is left till the very ending so that's that.



I believe I saw that years ago, a made-for-TV movie if I remember right (IMDB confirms, and it has Doug McClure, Ed Lauter, Jim Davis and Alejandro Rey, a fairly impressive cast of made-for TV stars), ending with a powerful final image the whole movie seemed to be leading to.

Randy M.


----------



## Starbeast

@Jeffbert Yes. Not a bad flick.



*Paul Blart: Mall Cop* (2009) I just saw it for the first time yesterday. Excellent comedy about an average guy who became a hero. Funny and entertaining.

*Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro* (1979) I haven't seen this is many years. Fantastic animated movie about an international thief who decides to rescue a lady in distress. Doing so, he becomes aware that he has stumbled into a dangerous adventure. However, "danger" is his middle name.

Great animation for it's time, that still looks good today. I am enchanted with this story. Highly recommended to fellow anime fans.

Long ago, I didn't know that this film is part of a series that was based off a comic book.

PLUS: This movie was also spliced up to fit into a coin operated video game, called "Cliff Hanger". I played it before knowing that it was a real film. However, I did have my suspicions that it was taken from a movie.


----------



## Randy M.

Just to note, before the anime there was,





I recall reading a few of these as a teen. I don't remember anything except that I found them entertaining. The only reason I knew of LeBlanc and Lupin was that my high school library had a copy of Ellery Queen's *101 Years' Entertainment*, a 1940s anthology of mystery/crime stories published in the wake of Poe's Dupin stories.

Randy M.


----------



## Nozzle Velocity

Yes, he was the grandfather, a bit of a French response to Sherlock Holmes and maybe a little Scarlet Pimpernel.

I love that Castle of Cagliostro anime with its near-psychedelic disco 70s funkiness. My favorite of the lot, although the Lupin III manga fans knock it for being the least like the books.


----------



## Starbeast

Nozzle Velocity said:


> I love that Castle of Cagliostro anime with its near-psychedelic disco 70s funkiness.* My favorite of the lot*, although the Lupin III manga fans knock it for being the least like the books.



I think it's good when a series (movie, animated or book), breaks away from the usual, and shows you a different twist.

But of course doing a different take on a series, doesn't always please everyone. The same can be said about rebooting a series.


----------



## J Riff

*Welcome to Blood City *1977 -- People wake up, remember nothing, and they are in some kind of olde west reality. They are captured and Jack Palance is the Sheriff, he's a relatively good guy, because the town consists of goofballs gunning each other down according to some bizarre system of law. Keir Dullea wins a fight, he's now a 'citizen' and he tries to save Samantha Eggars from the crazed locals. 
 Meanwhile, they are all asleep in a lab, being monitored. Keir is almost remembering his past life, which concerns the scientists running the program, he has 'great resistance to pseudo-realities'. 
Samantha escapes the slave market, rides out of town in disguise. Palance grins crazily as usual in this one, he steps on a bad guy's 100-dollar hat, when he makes a lewd comment about Miss Catherine, then he shoots the guy, who was one kill away from 20, when one becomes 'immortal'. 
Everyone wears black outfits with a red cross on them. Keir guns down badguys at the old mine, where Samantha is held captive. There's a twist, Palance laughs crazily, stuntmen earn their pay, the scientists are confused, Keir wakes up in the lab, he should be terminated but isn't, and we have a wild and quirky conclusion.


----------



## CupofJoe

Not so much a film as a TV theme...
Tis the season of Holiday made for TV movies and I'm a sucker for all but the worst of them.
They usually simple in plotting, unerringly upbeat and wholesome. They are usually light and fluffy [even if someone is dying - you know it will end okay] with incredible coincidences that are just glossed over [how many cancelled flight or projects with deadlines of the 24 Dec can there be?]
For the rest of the year I run a mile from them and their like, but from now to Xmas eve I will be watching far too many.
One of the better ones is *The Road to Christmas* 2006 so you can grade the curve I'm watching to.


----------



## J Riff

*The Humanoid* 1979 - Ital. - Ennio Morricone space music soundtrack! -  as scrolling text informs us that Earth, now known as Metropolis, faces a grave threat from Lord Graal, who has escaped from the prison satellite in a cool spacecraft that resembles a triangular paper airplane, with a crew, and Graal looks like Darth Vader, but has a much nicer voice. He's got it in for Barbara though, who we see leaving work in a nice air-car,  after some jokes about Alpha waves, while Graal's men appear and laser the Earth base personnel to pieces, steal the Kapitron tech, but they have missed Barbara, who left early due to a warning from a little kid, Tom-Tom, who is smarter than a computer, and he got that way 'in a place many eons from here'.
The Kapitron, invented by Craspin, can mutate human beings into monsters with superhuman powers. And now on an earth scout-ship here's our cute little robot, Kip -  with little beeping puppy noises, his tail even wags.
Craspin and an evil princess Agatha on planet Noxon, looks like they have to drain blood from people to keep her from aging. Craspin is going to build an army of humanoids, but he really hates Barbara, who had him committed to an asylum. Meanwhile our scoutship pilot- 7' 2" Richard Kiel (Jaws) is going to be Craspin's 1st humanoid. Kip the robo-dog continues being cute, but does nothing useful so far...but already this is better than StarWars. Our converted humanoid shrugs off laser-fire, has super-strength. Good thing they have special narcotic gas to control him with.
The Humanoid walks into the peacful earth city, hurls people around, takes hundreds of laser shots, but our Earth leader, who is Graal's bother, escapes. Humanoid goes after Barbara, Tom-Tom stops him with hand gestures and a couple phrases, and turns him back into a human being, albeit with his mind more or less zapped. Back on Noxon Kip shows up and does some robo-tricks, our good guys save Barbara who is about to be drained to inject evil princess... and this epic still has an hour and ten minutes to go. Kip comes through, so does Tom-Tom, this evil empire is going down despite the Kapitron. Huge laser battle now.. this can only get better. I would stand in line for this if it was still 1978. Jaws smashes though another wall, this last hour is going to be great, there are armies of laser-toting soldiers still waiting, much more weird 70s electronic space-battle music to blare forth, 2 and a half-hours of flashy heroic hokum and dubbed dialogue, no more need be said.


----------



## Starbeast

*Automata* (2014) Very interesting take on A.I. Sci-Fi. Humans and androids try to coexist in a bleak future. Stars Antonio Banderas, and late, great Robert Forster. Nice little gem I discovered.

*Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein* (1972) Strange, but hauntingly entertaining B-movie horror flick that surprised me with it's minimal dialogue. Not a great giallo film, but it kept my interest.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Um... I saw *Showgirls *last night.


----------



## Starbeast

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Um... I saw *Showgirls *last night.



And.....what happened?

Should we talk about this while eating pastries? Or do you want to relax on a couch, while I sit next to you trying to un-hypnotize you?

"Remember.....you are number 6. And a very cool actor."


----------



## Jeffbert

*Highly Dangerous* (1950) entomologist Frances Gray (Margaret Lockwood) goes on a spy mission to a foreign nation that the British suspect is developing bio weapons in the form of biting insects.  The nation is a police state, in which guilt is presumed. On the train heading into the suspect nation, she is met by a Police official who goes through her purse and finds her microscope while she is preoccupied. While there, she meets reporter Bill Casey (Dane Clark), who grudgingly agrees to help her break into the lab, and take a sample of the insects. 

Fairly entertaining film. 


_
Godzilla vs. Megalon _(1973) definitely made for the kiddies. So, this time, the villain creature has to be content with fighting other giants, until about the last 20 minutes, when Godzilla shows up. There is a Robot called Jaguar that initially was man-sized, but to its creator's surprise, grew to gigantic size to fight Megalon.  ! Well, except for the fact that I found myself laughing often enough to make watching this worthwhile.  


*Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla* (1974) Once again, someone is out to conquer the Earth. This time, it is the subterranean dwellers, who are a bit upset about the surface dwellers' nuclear weapons testing. So, they build a robotic Godzilla, whose fake - err Godzilla costume is no where as durable as its space titanium. 


*Swiss Miss* (1938) L&H go to Switzerland to sell mousetraps, thinking that the abundance of cheese will mean an abundance of mice. There were a few gags that were indeed very funny, & plenty that were funny. So, they go to a cheese maker, and begin drilling holes in his floor, so mice can get in, expecting to show the usefulness of their traps. More holes will make it more likely that mice will enter. But L drills not only through the floor, but into a natural gas line. Wondering what is this blast coming through the hole, L lights a match.

 
Poor H! the joke is always on him! So every time L plugs a hole, H gets flames up his rear from another hole!


----------



## CupofJoe

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Um... I saw *Showgirls *last night.


Are you okay? do you need a hug or a cup of tea?


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

It's basically *All About Eve *with less clever repartee. And bared genitals.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Actually, since Kyle MacLachlan is in it, I spent part of the time imagining that this was what Evil Black Lodge Coop was up to after the ending of *Twin Peaks *season 2.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

And apparently I'm not the only one to have had that idea: 




__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/twinpeaks/comments/6pwlht


----------



## Toby Frost

*Dawn of the Dead (1978).*

I watched an especially long version of this film, about 2.5 hours long. It's a strange film: there's so much wrong with it, and in parts it's quite crude and shoddy, but the overall effect is very strong. The four main characters are very good, and the clearing of the shopping centre is exciting and well-made. I think what really works, for me, is a sense of emptiness. There's no government, no army, no society and, for some of the external bits, not even that many zombies: just these four people, living in pointless luxury. Violent, cartoonish and sometimes silly, but ultimately unnerving.


----------



## J Riff

*Where Have All the People Gone? *- 1970 - Peter Graves tries to save this, and it starts promisingly, with a big solar flare that turns most people into white powder. Our family is in a cave, they aren't powdered, but cars are burnt out, electricity gone, so they have to make it back to LA to see if Mom has survived. Of course she hasn't, so there's a lot of weepy bits. They find a woman who's family survived, but then bad guys killed her hubby and the dogs chomped down on her kids. The dogs survived you see, but they are crazed and forming packs. We only get to see a bit of dogpack action... Graves backing into the house with a shotgun, guarding everyone from an onrushing dog pack - who look like they are having a swell time, tails wagging like sixty. We get to see a few powdered people - just clothes laying there with what could be borax spread 'round, so not very special FX. No dogs get blasted however, they just growl and then are chased off, so it could have been worse.


----------



## J Riff

*Thora, Queen of Space* 1967 - full-on swingin' 60s credits w/ psych swirly visuals and trippy tunes, and hey Pinkas Braun is in this, never heard of him/her, but, the 1st thing we see is big rocket on a launching pad.  Now scientists discuss going to the Moon, specifically Nukem Crater and the Nubian Sea. Perry Rhodan is commander so we know where this is going, but it is made in '67 man, so it is gonna be far out, you know it.
There's some kind of super-valuable heavy metal on the Moon, that's the secret reason for the mission. Super-rich bad guy Arkham plans to scuttle this, but we know Perry will pull through. On the Moon they run across a giant spaceship, looks like a psychedelic tea-kettle. But it's so quiet... _'I'd prefer a twelve-headed, six-eyed, eight-foot monster to this silence!_"
Next, an alien guy appears and disintegrates a raygun in our good guy's hand. Whoa - Skeleton-face robot! Our alien ship is from Archon - 34 million light-years away. Genuinely groovy accapella music plays as we meet Essy Persson, who is Thora, she's the commander. She's utterly disdainful of primitive earthmen. Crest, the ET captain, has leukemia. They are going to have to go to Mombassa to get hold of an experimental serum created by an English doctor. Geeee now Thora starts undressing while informing Rhodan that his race is too inferior to bother procreating with. Lotta great dialogue goes past, and Perry gets to 1st base as cheery pop tunes play. The ship's robot has x-ray vision, cheats at poker. On the Earth, we get an invisible force field and a gravitational neutralizer. they blow up a mountain to show the Earth general who's boss. Already you should be going to watch this. Essy looks great, love the haircut. There's a lot more crazy fun stuff in this, but I think we reviewed it in here before, so that's enough.


----------



## AE35Unit

Last night we watched The Shining with our daughter, and tonight we watched Doctor Sleep at the cinema. Very good!


----------



## Mouse

Robin Hood. The newest one. It was alright, very modern though.


----------



## Jeffbert

Three spy movies that ran the morning after TCM sowed the last of 15 or 16 James Bond films.

*Matchless* (1967) Perry Liston (Patrick O'Neal) in Chinese prison, and about to be executed is given a very special ring by a very old man. He is told it can render him invisible for 20 minutes, but, only once every 10 hours.  So, he escapes, & becomes a super spy. Hank Norris (Henry Silva) is a cellmate, whom the Chinese send in pursuit of Liston. Upon introducing himself to the new guy in the cell, he states that he is and has always been a snitch. Gregori Andreanu (Donald Pleasence) is the ultra-rich guy whom the U.S. targets as the object of the super spy's mission. 


*The Defector* (1966) Prof. James Bower (Montgomery Clift) is recruited to go the East Germany to receive microfilm from a Soviet physicist who wants to help the West. Counselor Peter Heinzmann (Hardy Krüger) was a student of the physicist, and is sent to persuade  Bower to defect to the East. 


T*he Double Man* (1967) Dan Slater (Yul Brynner) is a top CIA man, and is lured to Europe by the death of his son, in a supposed skiing accident.  It turns out, that the East has made a double of him, whom the indent should take his place, return to the USA, and sabotage the intel agency. 


None of these films were beyond so-so, just barely worth watching, etc., despite the cast.  So much, that in checking their Wiki pages to find the dates, all three had very little written there.


----------



## J Riff

*Lady Frankenstein* 1971, -- sure, you could watch this one, it has all the elements you would expect in a Frankenstein movie, plus a fair amount of nudity. In fact, at the very end, Lady Frank herself is making out with one of the monsterfied characters as the lab and mansion burn down. Last thing we see is her going 'gaaaak' and expiring. She is a doctor, she came back to help her Dad, who is the first victim of the monster, his own fault for transplanting a damaged brain. The monster walks round the countryside croaking people, he picks up some nude girl, doesn't seem to hurt her, and very carefully throws her into the river, then procedes to take out whoever was part of his own making... there's sleazy gravediggers, there's torch-weilding villagers who ramage through the castle at the end, even though the monster is already dead, they get to burn down a mansion full of priceless artifacts. Nice sets, and the monster has a big high head and one crazy eye, pretty scary.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Yeah, I actually enjoyed that one a lot more than I should have.  

*My Son, the Hero* (_Arrivano i titani_, 1962)

Entertaining sword-and-sandal flick.  The English title makes it sound like an out-and-out spoof, but it's not.  There's a fair amount of light comedy, but not enough to make it a parody.  The plot gets going right from the start, as we find out that the King of Crete has murdered his wife, who just gave birth to a daughter, in order to marry another woman.  He visits a sibyl to have his future foretold.  No surprise, the gods are upset with his activities.  The sibyl tells him that he will be destroyed when his daughter falls in love.  If he kills her, he'll die at the same moment.  He decides to keep the girl locked up, never seeing a man.  Meanwhile, he and the new Queen bathe themselves in vapors that make them invulnerable.    Cut to Hades, where we quickly see Prometheus and the eagle, Tantalus and the dangling fruit, and Sisyphus and the big rock.  This film has lots of mythological stuff.  Anyway, we see the Titans chained up.  Jove decides to release one, the weakest but smartest, to bring justice to the evil King, who has declared himself a god.  The Titan is our protagonist, quite athletic, but not anywhere near as muscular as the typical  hero of this genre.  He deliberately gets captured so he can beat a really huge, super-muscular guy and become the King's servant as part of his plot to bring the tyrant to Hades.  Along the way he meets the King's daughter, and they fall in love.  Lots of stuff happens.  There's a gorgon, a cyclops who sells our hero some lightning bolts, and so on.  Production values are good, with nice sets and costumes.  The evil Queen wears several different wigs, including a bright purple one.  Our hero leaps around doing all kinds of gymnastic tricks, but he's not the only one.  We see a guy do a somersault over the back of a charging bull.  It's all quite fun, playful when it wants to be, serious when it needs to be.


----------



## svalbard

The King, which was just released on Netflix.

It is Prince Hal who becomes Henry V, a youngish Hotspur, Falstaff but not as you might know him, etc. As far as I can see it is an attempt to modernise the Shakespeare plays and I had to ask myself why?

Three days later I am still asking myself why?


----------



## Sean16

*Terminator: Dark Fate*.

Was so-so. Nowhere near as good as T1 and T2, but arguably better written than some of the more recent Terminator movies.


----------



## AE35Unit

Sean16 said:


> *Terminator: Dark Fate*.
> 
> Was so-so. Nowhere near as good as T1 and T2, but arguably better written than some of the more recent Terminator movies.


I love the fact that its listed as Terminator, Dark Fat in the cinemas. Couldn't quite fit the whole title on the boards...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Mask of Satan *(_La maschera del demonio_, 1960)

More commonly known to American viewers as *Black Sunday*, I believe.  The version under the above title is a few minutes longer, retaining some scenes thought too violent for the USA at the time.  Starts with a bang as Barbara Steele, in the role that made her a scream queen, is tied to a stake, branded with a hot iron, has a mask with long, sharp stakes nailed into her face (Yikes!  This scene was one of the ones cut), and is burnt to death, all for being a witch and vampire.  Her lover gets a similar treatment, although we don't really see it.  Of course, she places a curse on the family of those who condemned her; who happens to be her own brother, by the way.  Cut to two centuries later, by which time we're in the 19th century.  Some guys arrive at the place where she was entombed.  One of them removes a religious icon from her body.  Her rotting face, clearly showing the holes made by the mask, has empty eye sockets and is crawling with vermin.  He also cuts himself and some blood falls on her corpse.  Well, of course, that's going to lead to her revival.  It's done in a really creepy fashion, too, over several scenes.  We see slimy eyes start to form in her face at one point.  Later, her sarcophagus literally explodes.  Meanwhile, one of her brother's descendants, also played by Steele, is in residence.  The undead Steele uses her witchcraft to revive her lover, the plan being to steal the life force from the living Steele for herself.  The plot is a little confused, and a familiar one, but the movie has tons of atmosphere, is beautifully filmed -- it made Mario Bava a major director -- and features some really striking scenes.  A major one is when the robe the undead Steele is wearing is torn away, revealing only a rib cage with bits of rotting flesh.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Elvira:  Mistress of the Dark* (1988)

The noted horror host's feature film debut.  There is a plot, of sorts -- Elvira inherits a house, a dog, and a "cookbook" that is really a book of magic spells from a deceased great-aunt (played by Cassandra Peterson herself, with red hair, in flashback) -- but it's really just an excuse for slapstick, corny wisecracks, and some pretty raunchy sex jokes.  The film's antagonist -- a great-uncle who wants the book for himself -- hams it up, but in a serious rather than campy way, so that's a nice change from everybody else acting like Borscht Belt comics.  Very silly, lowbrow stuff.


----------



## J Riff

Yikes! indeed. The board was acting weird earlier, wouldn't load... so, I thought I already posted this. Quite sure, but here it is anyway:

*The Night of the Big Heat -* Brit. 1967 - already, before the credits roll, we see an oscilloscope explode, as a satellite dish rotates and a techie twiddles knobs. It's just a frequency monitor, like a CRT TV... it shouldn't blow up like that, but it does. Then we see a guy setting up photography gear in the woods, to take pictures when a rope is moved or something, and we see a girl in a sportscar roaring along the road a few times. Our photog leaves and an old woods hobo comes out and inspects everything, takes a newspaper and walks off. We still have no idea what's going on. When the girl's car overheats, she stops and hears a high-pitched sound. So does our hobo, who is set up in a cave, but the sound comes in after him and he apparently expires while grabbing his head and screaming.
We learn that the Island of Fara is having exceptionally high temperatures. Our cast is there, they end up in the Swan pub complaining about the heat. The noise reappears, but no idea what it is yet. A giant insect? Well, a flock of sheep have been killed. Our photog character is a recluse in a room full of electronics. The telephone is acting up but nobody is worried yet. Now a TV blows up. There's a big romantic subplot happening as the terrible sound causes a guy to drive off the road, he rolls once and explodes, pretty unlikely. Now something glowing comes down in a field. Photog admits he thinks we have an invasion by beings from another planet going down. Beer bottles explode in the pub, they have to smash them all. Pub guy attacks and molests cargirl, she scratches him and whacks him on the noggin with a metal box, he staggers and kicks furniture around as he runs off, we know he will be next to die. He is, and even though he's armed with an acetylene torch, the sound comes, we see the door opening, he screams, grabs his head and is burnt to cinders like the others by whatever it is that we haven't seen yet. Now the Doc gets burnt up at the gravel pit, the mainland is not alerted, this looks bad for the whole world, unless photog can come up with something. Meanwhile the heat is causing mild overacting. But, photog sees a woman burn up at the gravel pit, with her is Patches the dog who has been trying to warn people all throught the movie about something evil. Patches survives this flick.
Aha, now we get the intro scene of the oscilloscope blowing up, the ETs have cut off communication with the mainland. But, this base is where the ETs are attracted to, they've transported in through the satellite. And they are heating the planet up like an egg in a microwave. Finally - at 1:23 we see a glowing orange glob-thing on a rock on the beach, while our remaining cast attack the ETs using Very pistols and dynamite, during a thunderstorm. A whole box of TNT goes off as a brain-glob creature zaps Foster with that awful noise they make. Orange globs surround them in the gravel pit, there's no hope left, until the ridiculous cheezy ending suddenly ends all conjecture about anything, and the Earth is saved. Good performances by everyone save this movie to some degree. *spoiler >>> of how the ETs are done away with? - it rains. 
The End.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Gorgon*, dir. Terence Fisher; starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley

Hammer Horror. As usual, nice production values though the low budget does show early on with a sort of generic pan of a castle and surrounding area. Introduction and afterward by Ben Manliewicz (a Turner Cable Movies showing last month), who quoted Christopher Lee as later saying, "The only thing wrong with The Gorgon is the gorgon." And that's accurate, the make-up and sfx letting them down. Otherwise, well-acted with atmospheric direction.

Randy M.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Over the last two weeks I have watched 4 films at my local cinema *The Adams Family, *brought back many memories of original TV series. 8/10. *Terminator: Dark Fate, *excellent action movie. 8/10. *Mrs Lowry and Son, *a beautiful portrait of the painter and his mother. 8/10. And finally *Aeronauts, *a brilliant insight of the history of the first balloon flight to discover about the weather, and there was plenty of tension. 9/10.


----------



## svalbard

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Elvira:  Mistress of the Dark* (1988)
> 
> The noted horror host's feature film debut.  There is a plot, of sorts -- Elvira inherits a house, a dog, and a "cookbook" that is really a book of magic spells from a deceased great-aunt (played by Cassandra Peterson herself, with red hair, in flashback) -- but it's really just an excuse for slapstick, corny wisecracks, and some pretty raunchy sex jokes.  The film's antagonist -- a great-uncle who wants the book for himself -- hams it up, but in a serious rather than campy way, so that's a nice change from everybody else acting like Borscht Belt comics.  Very silly, lowbrow stuff.



A bit of trivia. The actor who played the great uncle was W. Morgan Shepard who had a couple of recurring roles in the Star Trek franchise and Babylon 5. A very good character actor. His son went on to play the lawyer in the Battlestar Galactica reboot.

PS. I do wish I could retain some valuable information at times instead of having a head full of Pop Culture


----------



## Allegra

*Aftermath*, set in 1945 after the war ended, the place looks very much like firebombed Dresden, but it's set in Hamberg. Superb film. 

*Pavarotti*, documentary film by Ron Howard, also very good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*House of Strangers* (1934) Edward G. Robinson as the father of 4 boys, now men; 3 work for him; the other is a lawyer.  EGR is a banker, has 1 location, and lends money without collateral. He accepts verbal promises to repay; not only bad practice, but the banking regulators really do not like it. So, he is charged with whatever, & his lawyer son realizes he could go to prison. He wants to buy a juror, but is caught; he suspects one of his brothers, none of whom were satisfied with wages papa paid.  So, Lawyer goes bye-bye for 7 years; papa constantly writing to him, demanding vendetta against faithless sons, etc.  Now, after 7 years, the Lawyer (Richard Conte) comes home; the other three are expecting the worst.

I had a really nice review of this film in the works, but the forum burped and it was lost!


*Sweet Smell of Success* (1957) *Noir Alley*. Muller says this film bombed when 1st released; not the type of roles people wanted to see Burt Lancaster  or Tony Curtis playing.

BL is J. J. Hunsecker, a Walter Winchell - type of gossip columnist who wants to break up his precious kid sister's relationship with  Steve Dallas (not the guy in *Bloom County*, but Martin Milner; billed as 'Marty'). He wants Sidney Falco (TC), who is a struggling press agent, who sucks up to BL, hoping to advance his career,  to do his dirty work.


*Cole Younger, Gunfighter* (1958 ) Stupid Wikipedia, no page for this film!  James Best & his friend are on the run from Blue bellies, & by chance meet CY.  JB is friendly toward CY, but the other guy wants to kill or capture him, not only for the $10K reward, but hoping that will make things right with the blue bellies.

I am not much for Westerns, but have a thing for JB. Fairly o.k. film, nothing really outstanding. I have seen much worse. Not as much fun as *the Killer Shrews*, though!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Stan and Ollie*
I've always loved Laurel and Hardy and in this film the resemblance is uncanny. Loved it.


----------



## J Riff

* The Blood Beast Terror* 1968 Brit. - Set in the early 20th century- we see a guy in the swamp, he finds a body, then a largely-unseen flying something attacks him. Cut to a Prof. lecturing about wasps and moths. Pete Cushing, an inspector, drops in and waits for him to finish. The doorman has large suspicious cuts on his head, what could it mean? 
 They discuss top student Fisher, who has been killed mysteriously  but suddenly a girl screams, there's a huge spider on her arm, but it's a prank by some students. The woman faints, the Prof. slaps the guy responsible and chases him off. Now a sergeant appears outside with another victim found on the heath, still alive but not for long. The Doc has another survivor, Joe -  "It was a 'orrible creature... the eyes sir, the wings.."
 Are we looking at a giant killer moth? I have no idea, this is pretty good so far. I'm thinking our Prof. knows something. Oh yes, now we see a pet vulture... and then the Prof. going into a room where there's some screeching going on. A giant killer bird?
A naturalist arrives, bearing live specimens of moths from Africa, he gets on well with Prof's daughter. Now they are putting on a play, right in the house, about a Frankenstein-type doctor. More swamp action, then Cushing finds the Prof's secret room, lotta bones in there. More characters arrive, the Prof. has scarpered, it looks like a giant death's-head Moth is what is doing the killings... it needs blood. The Prof's crazed wife sets up the young girl as the next victim, but we know Cushing will figure it out in time. But they set her up using hypnotism, to give blood every day. Aha, a twist, it's not so obvious. Well, well. Clem is croaked in the swamp, Cushing is onto the truth now. There's more mayhem, and we end with the comments:"They'll never believe this at the Yard sir." -- 'They'll never believe it anywhere."


----------



## J Riff

* Beast from Haunted Cave *1959 - revisiting this after X years, probably reviewed in this thread somewhere already, but: we see two likely-looking suspects, going round taking pictures. We are at 'Happiness Lodge' ski resort. 
Our bad guys are gonna blow the mine as a distraction while they rob the bank. Then they are off on a cross-country ski trip. But, at 20 min. our couple is in the gold mine when a mean looking monster appears, all we see is a giant insect leg.  Natalie is killed by it, bad guy BF escapes. The safe gets blown, our cross-country expedition gets going, we see a huge insect mandible sticking out, in the freezing cold up on the mountain. We hear convincing monster noises in the woods, a bad guy goes and has a look, and it's Natalie, wrapped up in a cocoon and stuck to a tree. Bad guy is made crazy but doesn't tell anyone what he saw. Now they find weird tracks and our guy still won't tell them what he saw, the idiot. 
 Our token joker bad guy goes out to build a fire, he's probably done for.  Ah, not till a bit later at night; we see him go out into the snow with a rifle, a semi-transparent monster appears, he shoots, a huge untransparent tentacle comes into shot and knocks him down. Later it shows up again, grabs the native guide local gal, bad guy uses a hatchet, then throws a shovel load of hot coals and escapes... but again all we see is tentacles, two this time, swatting them around. 
Now bad gal Gypsy and the Cowboy local take off, whilst the robbers are trapped in the cabin by whatever is out there in the blizzard. Our goofy guy goes to the cave where he finds the two women cocooned, the monster steps out, we see it finally, pretty scary, and bad guy is grabbed and cocooned. Gypsy and Cowboy head for the cave to wait out the storm, the two remaining robbers follow them to shut them up. Meanwhile the monster is slurping blood out of Natalie and the others. Cowboy enters the cave, shoots the monster six times with a rifle, no apparent effect. Now he's shot it ten times, and Gypsy is throwing rocks, and now eleven times, and  the monster turns away.
The bad guys show up, grab traitorous Gypsy. They enter the bug chamber - monster knocks down both bad guys, but they hit it at close range with a couple flare guns, it burns, screaming terribly as _The End_ appears on screen. We must assume our two bad guys are deceased, but no idea what happened to the 3 cocooned people, as Cowboy and Gypsy wander off out of the cave.
What was that monster?... eh who cares I guess it was just some giant bug-thing with very long octo-arms that lives in a freezing cold cave up on the mountain. The explosion woke it up, right, that's the explanation, it was just some ancient giant thing, not worth mentioning except in the title, I guess. Still, pretty good if you haven't seen it, as such rubbish goes.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw that a year or two ago; not bad, but unintentionally funny.  


*Johnny Eager* (1941) Noir Alley; good coverage of details both before & after the film.  Muller notes that this is an MGM attempt at Noir, and as such, it was not nearly as dark as those made by other studios. 

An ex-con (Robert Taylor) is posing as a respectable cab driver, to satisfy his parole officer, all the while living as a wealthy crime lord-type. He wants to get the local govt. to change the laws regarding the dog track he is building, and by chance, starts a relationship with the District Attorney's daughter (Lana Turner). He fakes a fight with one of his subordinates, and tells her to use the gun. She shoots the attacker, and believes she had killed him, never realizing and in fact refusing to realize that it was just a 'gag.' Now, he gets his dog track opened, and does his best to dissuade her from loving him. After dumping her, she is agonizing over the thought that she had killed the man. The DA (Edward Arnold) calls for the guy, pleading that he do something about his daughter's grief, knowing nothing about the gag.  The ex-con then actually begins to care about the girl, and that leads to his demise.

I had seen this a few times before, but decided that though I was somewhat familiar with it, the Noir Alley treatment made it worth watching again.  Not very dark, but it does end with several killings.


*Don't Lie* (1942) A rather disappointing OUR GANG short film. At only about 15 minutes, I could not even bear to finish it.  It involves 'monkeys' and I have a low opinion of apes, but I am sure that had nothing to do with my disappointment. It was just plain not funny.


----------



## J Riff

I notice that StarBeast generally likes movies with the word 'Beast' in the title... too bad the Heinlein story wasn't made into a movie. )


----------



## AE35Unit

J Riff said:


> I notice that StarBeast generally likes movies with the word 'Beast' in the title... too bad the Heinlein story wasn't made into a movie. )


It might be one of those examples where the film is better than the book


----------



## J Riff

oh was that not a great one? Can't remember reading it.... anyway, off to take in more B SF here, this one has a 'creature' instead of a 
'beast' but we shall see.


----------



## AE35Unit

J Riff said:


> oh was that not a great one? Can't remember reading it.... anyway, off to take in more B SF here, this one has a 'creature' instead of a
> 'beast' but we shall see.


Bored me to death


----------



## Starbeast

*Fury* (2014) Exceedingly graphic, but exceptional WW2 drama about a US tank crew.

*The Legand of Awesomest Maximus* (2011) If you like very rude and crude humor, then you may enjoy this spoof of "sword and sandal" movies, like Troy, 300 and Gladiator. It was too much for me. I didn't like it. There were a few funny bits of comedy, but it's not my type of film.

*Forbidden Planet* (1956) One of my all time favorite Sci-Fi flicks. I could hang around with Dr Morbius and Robby all day. Just as long as I stay on the doctor's good side, and never upset him, or get on his nerves. On second thought, I don't think I may see another sunrise again.

"Yo, Robby. Get the grill going, And cook me a steak. Massage my feet first. Hey Morbius. Make a few more robots. I got ideas for my own house. Drop by anytime. Bring dessert."



@J Riff & @AE35Unit - you both would make a good comedy team.

@AE35Unit - Than you for saving me from reading THAT book. It would have been a waste of my time. Fortunately, I named myself after the original title of the 1979 ALIEN film.

I remember, quite a few years back, that I saw in a hobby store, a "glue, build & paint it yourself" model kit of a Xenomorph. It was labeled, STARBEAST.

@J Riff Ever see the 1970 movie, _Beast of Blood_? How about the 1988 film, _The Beast of War_?

I'm certain you've seen _Night of the Blood Beast_ (1958) and _Blood Beast from Outer Space_ (1965). I haven't seen the "outer space" one, but I like the title and the movie poster.


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## AE35Unit

@Starbeast  I didn't know that about Alien! I also didnt know you could do @Starbeast


----------



## Starbeast

AE35Unit said:


> @Starbeast  I didn't know that about Alien! I also didnt know you could do @Starbeast


----------



## J Riff

Who knew!? *)........ Beast of Blood.... is... not on youTube, so maybe not. Holy cow... 'The horror head transplant' I better look round for this one.
*The Snow Creature* 1954 b and w-- - this one starts with a quick travelogueish description of the Himalayas and an expedition there, to study unknown plant life. Doc, his photog asst. and 10 Sherpa porters head on up a rugged mountain, straight up to 10,000 ft. where they make camp and comb the area for interesting vegetation for a couple of days. Meanwhile, back down in the town, some kind of snow guy grabs the wife of one of our porters. People go up and inform the team that Yeti has stolen Subra's woman Tara. The Doc laughs it off, resentment builds. The Sherpas grab the ammunition, and everyone has to go look for the missing Tara, in very rough terrain. They try to radio in, but Subra shoots the set. "Subra only want to kill radio machine."
They hide the repairable radio in a case of Scotch.. but now they hear things outside - "It's just the altitude getting on your nerves." Then huge Yeti footprints are found, they follow them. The Sherpas talk Himalayan, no idea what they are on about, but they go up and up, make camp, and a Sherpa is killed, we see the Yeti guy, he seems to have some kind of winter headgear on but maybe not...  looks pretty normal. Yeti starts an avalanche, but they dodge it. They shelter in a cave, then they find Tara's necklace and some animal bones. Yeti appears, he starts a cave-in, knocks himself out, the Doc grabs the guns back and they carry the stunned Yeti back out of the cave. Now they start down at gunpoint, what a couple jerks, leaving Tara behind somewhere. While they sleep, the Yeti awakes, but they swat it with a rifle and inject it with a hypo.
A week later they are down in the town, Doc heads for Bombay, a big fridge is coming to ship the Yeti in. They land in California, and Yeti is inside what looks like a phonebooth, out on the runway, shuffling back in forth in there but we still haven't seen what he looks like. But is he human? Immigration officers hold up procedings to find out if he has a 'calculating brain.' Of course Yeti breaks free, mangles a couple people and escapes. Some cops clear the streets and send a public service announcement -- 'A dangerous killer beast is at large." and wait, Yeti is loose in the city. Ah gee, he is travelling in the storm drains. Now very dull footage of them searching the sewers... they catch Yeti in a net, they shoot him. We don't even get to see Yeti clearly, nobody cares, we don't know what ever happened to Tara. The Doc and the cops trade a bit of inane dialogue, it ends. Don't waste your time on this one.


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## J Riff

Which one of those do you resemble most?
Hey, a version of Beast of Blood is comin' in, slowly, but good quality.
Wonder how many flicks have 'beast' in the title, as compared to say, creature or monster.


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## CupofJoe

_*MIB: International*_ [2019]
It was very competent... I've come to consider Chris Hemsworth a great actor - at playing Thor. Whatever his character was called in *MIB:I* he was playing Thor... there was even a hammer joke, in case we didn't know he was Thor in other films...
On the other hand, at the same time I got this film I picked up a Dirty Harry box set... I have higher hopes for that at least in the early films.


----------



## J Riff

probably more rehash, but:* Zombies of Mora Tau* 1957 B and W - young Jan is returning to her childhood home and whoops her driver runs straight over some weedy-looking guy in the road, and keeps going. At the homestead, Granny tries to tell her, 'you didn't learn such things in school', but she's upset - 'but it was a man, I saw him." Next, a crew of crooks on a boat are coming ashore to rob some diamonds. One of them goes overboard and is pulled back up with his neck broken. A dark figure is shot twice with no effect.
Grannie shows the crooks the graves of previous groups who came to the island looking for the diamonds - 1906 British, 1914 German, 1923 British, 1928 Portugese, 1938 American. These diamonds must he hard to get at, but even having never seen this, I'm guessing the zombies protect them. Then, Granny shows them grave plots - for themselves. The crooks are flustered but aren't afeared of any voodoo so they ain't leaving even after gun moll Mona, wife of our gang leader - George Harrison - falls into a grave and screams about wanting to leave. We learn that the jewels are in a sunken boat. Some Easter Island artifacts are looked at, and the 'walking dead' are mentioned, a few times in this movie. Mercy me - Granny's husband is still around as a zombie, 60 years later, she's seen him. She came back here years ago, to help him return to dust. Suddenly a zombie walks into the room where the girls are, they scream, the captain runs in and starts punching the zombie, biff, whack, kersmack, but absolutely no effect and it hurls him around until Granny walks in with a torch and backs it slowly out the door. Shortly, Jan is grabbed on the roadside and carried away by the zombie they had run over earlier. Good guy diver crook tries to save her, he is swatted down but follows her screaming, to zombie headquarters. Ten zombies, wearing nice, clean, better-fitting clothes than you might see on the street today, are shuffling about, a couple of flares make them retreat and Jan and our diver hotfoot it out of there.
Diver goes down to the sunken boat, but a zombie is there waiting, the air cable is snapped but they manage to pull him back up. Gun moll Mona disappears, they head to the graveyard to find her. In a mausoleum, the zombies arise, but flares hold them back, they drag Mona out but she's cold, says nothing, and stares mindlessly so hey we better put her to bed. Granny points out that she's dead, not breathing but George will have none of that crazy talk. Mona gets up a bit later and of course there is a large switchblade handy, right next to the bed, with which she kills one crew member. They bounce a heavy metal object or two off her head but she's invincible until Granny comes in and they manage to control her using a few candles. They put her back to bed and fill the room with candles.
They build a big fire to keep the zombies in the mausoleum, and dive down with welding torches for the loot. All ten zombies appear down there, but the men get the swag, and are pulled up with zombies hanging off them. The zombies board the ship, but goodguy diver takes off in a launch with the diamonds, the walking dead all follow him. Back at the house, he opens the special trick box of treasure, which is older than the pyramids, and the diamonds spill all over Granny and on the floor. George bursts in, grabs the box and leaves, but the diamonds are not in the box. He and tranced-out Mona go to the launch, but she picks up the box and brains him with it, he's deceased, Mona shambles off with the box.
Diver guy has the diamonds and hey, maybe the zombies only wanted the special box. Granny informs him otherwise. There's a dramatic conclusion on the boat, and we get to see Granny's hubby disappear, just his uniform is standing there empty, it falls, Granny monologues, 'at long last! at long last', the credits roll. From this movie we learn that clothing can also zombify, and that zombies can teleport from their mausoleum to deep underwater. So not a complete waste of time.


----------



## Starbeast

@J Riff The 1970 *Beast of Blood* film is a sequel to *Mad Doctor of Blood Island* (1968).

These movies are part of the "Blood Island" series. The other two are............

*Brides of Blood* (1968) Horrifying mutations come out at night. Sacrifices are made to the most dangerous of them.

*Terror is a Man* (1959) Inspired by H.G. Wells, _The Island of Dr Moreau_


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Curse of the Faceless Man *(1958)

Science types unearth a stone-encrusted guy from the ruins of Pompeii.  Pretty darn quickly, he kills the truck driver who is hauling him off to a museum.  The Faceless Man goes back and forth from walking around to being completely lifeless.  Once again pretty quickly -- this film doesn't waste much time, being only a little over an hour long -- the science guys realize what's going on.  Meanwhile, the girlfriend of the nominal hero has dreams about the Faceless Man.  Yes, she's the modern version of his love from the volcano days.  What follows is pretty much standard Mummy movie stuff.  Negative points for a completely useless narrator, who only tells us obvious things, and a bombastic soundtrack.  Positive points for a decent monster costume and fairly professional, if low-budget, production.  Worth a look for fans of old-fashioned Creature Features.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Half Human *(1958)

American butchering of a Japanese film from 1955 about an "abominable snowman" type of creature.  John Carradine and some other folks talk about what happened in Japan, leading to segments of the original movie.  By all reports, the Japanese version was severely edited and the story greatly changed.  I'll only discuss what I saw in the American version.  An ape-man is encountered in a snowy, mountainous area of Japan.  A group of "natives" worship it.  Folks who want to capture it for display wind up killing the creature's young child.  Cut to new footage of Carradine and others looking at the dead creature.  This leads to the ape-man capturing a "native woman", and the inevitable, tragic ending.   It's impossible to judge the Japanese version from what's left of it, but the new footage is definitely cheap and lifeless.


----------



## Jeffbert

J Riff said:


> probably more rehash, but:* Zombies of Mora Tau* 1957 B and W - young Jan is returning to her childhood home and whoops her driver runs straight over some weedy-looking guy in the road, and keeps going. At the homestead, Granny tries to tell her, 'you didn't learn such things in school', but she's upset - 'but it was a man, I saw him." Next, a crew of crooks on a boat are coming ashore to rob some diamonds. One of them goes overboard and is pulled back up with his neck broken. A dark figure is shot twice with no effect.
> Grannie shows the crooks the graves of previous groups who came to the island looking for the diamonds - 1906 British, 1914 German, 1923 British, 1928 Portugese, 1938 American. These diamonds must he hard to get at, but even having never seen this, I'm guessing the zombies protect them. Then, Granny shows them grave plots - for themselves. The crooks are flustered but aren't afeared of any voodoo so they ain't leaving even after gun moll Mona, wife of our gang leader - George Harrison - falls into a grave and screams about wanting to leave. We learn that the jewels are in a sunken boat. Some Easter Island artifacts are looked at, and the 'walking dead' are mentioned, a few times in this movie. Mercy me - Granny's husband is still around as a zombie, 60 years later, she's seen him. She came back here years ago, to help him return to dust. Suddenly a zombie walks into the room where the girls are, they scream, the captain runs in and starts punching the zombie, biff, whack, kersmack, but absolutely no effect and it hurls him around until Granny walks in with a torch and backs it slowly out the door. Shortly, Jan is grabbed on the roadside and carried away by the zombie they had run over earlier. Good guy diver crook tries to save her, he is swatted down but follows her screaming, to zombie headquarters. Ten zombies, wearing nice, clean, better-fitting clothes than you might see on the street today, are shuffling about, a couple of flares make them retreat and Jan and our diver hotfoot it out of there.
> Diver goes down to the sunken boat, but a zombie is there waiting, the air cable is snapped but they manage to pull him back up. Gun moll Mona disappears, they head to the graveyard to find her. In a mausoleum, the zombies arise, but flares hold them back, they drag Mona out but she's cold, says nothing, and stares mindlessly so hey we better put her to bed. Granny points out that she's dead, not breathing but George will have none of that crazy talk. Mona gets up a bit later and of course there is a large switchblade handy, right next to the bed, with which she kills one crew member. They bounce a heavy metal object or two off her head but she's invincible until Granny comes in and they manage to control her using a few candles. They put her back to bed and fill the room with candles.
> They build a big fire to keep the zombies in the mausoleum, and dive down with welding torches for the loot. All ten zombies appear down there, but the men get the swag, and are pulled up with zombies hanging off them. The zombies board the ship, but goodguy diver takes off in a launch with the diamonds, the walking dead all follow him. Back at the house, he opens the special trick box of treasure, which is older than the pyramids, and the diamonds spill all over Granny and on the floor. George bursts in, grabs the box and leaves, but the diamonds are not in the box. He and tranced-out Mona go to the launch, but she picks up the box and brains him with it, he's deceased, Mona shambles off with the box.
> Diver guy has the diamonds and hey, maybe the zombies only wanted the special box. Granny informs him otherwise. There's a dramatic conclusion on the boat, and we get to see Granny's hubby disappear, just his uniform is standing there empty, it falls, Granny monologues, 'at long last! at long last', the credits roll. From this movie we learn that clothing can also zombify, and that zombies can teleport from their mausoleum to deep underwater. So not a complete waste of time.


I know I have seen this film, rather good for a low-budget B-grade. There is a short rotund guy with bulging eyes who does this shtick where one guy starts saying something and the other guy finishes it, but the audience never has a clue what they are talking about. I do not know if he was in this film or not, but the title made me think of him. Edit: Oops! Those were *King of the Zombies* & *Revenge of the Zombies*. And the guy was *Mantan Moreland.*


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> @J Riff The 1970 *Beast of Blood* film is a sequel to *Mad Doctor of Blood Island* (1968).
> 
> These movies are part of the "Blood Island" series. The other two are............
> 
> *Brides of Blood* (1968) Horrifying mutations come out at night. Sacrifices are made to the most dangerous of them.
> 
> *Terror is a Man* (1959) Inspired by H.G. Wells, _The Island of Dr Moreau_


I bought what I thought was the blood island collection, but terror is a man is a new title to me.


----------



## J Riff

* Beast of Blood *1971 --  I guess I better go watch the rest of this series, it's pretty action-packed, good jungle footage.  - our young Doc MC is leaving an island on a boat, a crew member mentions the trouble there... and a beast leaps up from inside one of the lifeboats and procedes to decimate the crew with an axe. A gas barrel is hurled, it ruptures, fire, explosion. Doc wakes up floating on some wreckage, we see the beast wake up on the shoreline and go off into the jungle.
Cut to the Doc returning to the island years later - 'Blood Island', and a snoopy female reporter, Myra from the _Honolulu Clarion,_ following him. Pretty obvious they will be romantically involved before long, but soon they go ashore and the natives are not so friendly as previously, maybe because the 'evil one' touched the Doc during his last visit. He talks to the unhappy chief, informs him he is here to find the beast, the chief tells him that the 'Green Men' have returned.
Doc, Myra and the Captain set up in a large hut, someone cuts the generator, a greenish beasty-looking native tries to grab Myra, but she's too quick, Doc shoots and misses but our local native princess chops the guy down as he flees through the jungle.
Now they're breaking into some kind of hidden house in the jungle, Doc figures out the trick door, but then a trick floor panel opens, Myra falls, she's down there with a cobra! Doc blasts it, no problem. They are looking for a missing Doctor Lorca and his assistant Rozek, who is spotted but escapes thru a tunnel. Then Myra is grabbed from the village by the Green Men.
Doc figures out another trick door, we are in a vast underground chamber. Then Myra escapes but uh oh, quicksand. She's saved but a couple bad guys start molesting her until they are all stopped by other native bad guys.
Doc and the princess make out in the jungle, but he can't do it, too worried, he feels like a fool. Oh well. Yikes - the missing Doc Lorca's house, he has an eyepatch and a cane and his face is half mangled -  and the beast is there, in two pieces, its head cut off, body plugged into the wall, but it is alive. Lorca monologues at the head but it just looks annoyed and won't talk though it supposedly can.
Doc battles a green man, who falls into a trap, spiky stakes, he's done for. The Captain and armed natives are on their way, following Doc.
A head-transplant goes on while the beast's head watches from inside its glass jar. Whoa, the 'pernicious effects of chlorophyll on the body have been arrested.' We see the beast's head trying to regain telepathic control over its body. The head speaks when there's no-one around, it is pissed at Lorca, we gotta figure he's in big trouble by the end of this. Doc and Myra find time to make out while captives of Lorca.
The princess and good natives arrive and attack with knives, spears, arrows, rifles, machine guns, grenades and dynamite. The beast manages to break its headless body loose and it wrestles with Lorca. The head monologues and laughs maniacally as its body beats up Lorca, then trashes the lab. Everything blows up or is burnt down by the natives. Doc has Lorca's papers but he hopes to do 'nothing, nothing at all, I hope," with them... and it's The End.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CHAMBER OF HORRORS* (1966) How wonderful to find a fairly decent horror film that I had not already seen. It has a gimmick of notifying the audience of a coming grisly scene by a "Fear flasher" in which the whole screen blinks blood red. But as usual for films of that time, nothing happens that could be worthy of it. Violence is merely implied. 

Anyway, it involves a house of wax; not in the way a Vincent Price film would, but the proprietors of the house of wax are amateur sleuths.   


*Blade Runner* 20[xx] Interesting twist. Apparently artificial beings are reproducing. The business owner wants this, others in his employ apparently do not. It just takes too long to make a replicant using the traditional methods; it would be good if these slaves could do it the same way as humans.  On the other hand, it would apparently make them free. So, the child of a replicant is sought, and the blade runner has evidence suggesting he himself is the child.


----------



## AlexH

Films I've seen recently, from best to worst:

*The Help *(2011)
I'm catching up on highly-rated films I've missed this decade. The Help, about an author writing a book on African American maids' experiences, is definitely up there with the best. It packs in a few laugh out loud moments too.

*Le Mans '66 *AKA Ford vs Ferrari (2019)
A really enjoyable film about the friendship between Carroll Shelby and racing driver, Ken Miles. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Rush, but it comes close. The Ford GT40 was one of my favourite cars as a kid, and you get to see plenty of it in this film!

*The Guilty *(2018)
An excellent Danish thriller that revolves around a police officer taking emergency response calls. If you like Locke, you'll probably like this.

*Terminator: Dark Fate *(2019)
Nothing will ever beat Terminator 2, but I enjoyed Dark Fate. The third best Terminator film in the series, and probably what Terminator 3 should've been in the first place. The villain was too talkative but the action was great and Arnie had some great lines. My only other criticism was I could barely see a thing at times. I've seen more contrast in a grey, overcast sky. Was that the film or a problem with the cinema screening?

*Song for Marion *AKA Unfinished Song (2012)
Probably my favourite feel-good film I've seen in a long while, about a choir, a terminal cancer patient and her grumpy husband. Deserves a bigger audience, and much better than more well known films on the same theme such as The Bucket List.

*Joker *(2019)
The best portrayal of the Joker, though I think Joaquin Phoenix had more to work with than any other actor has. A very good film, but not one of my favourite 'superhero' films.

*Patema Inverted *(2013)
Decent sci-fi anime set in an Orwellian world (or two).

*Toni Erdmann *(2016)
An Austrian black comedy about a father who unexpectedly turns up at his daughter's workplace in Romania, that just gets weirder and isn't quite as touching as I think it was trying to be. There are some pretty funny (and surreal) moments.

*The Hunger Games *(2012)
Decent enough.

*The Love Witch *(2016)
About a witch with pathological narcissism. I loved the 1970s visuals and acting style, but otherwise The Love Witch was just okay. The sort of film I expect @Victoria Silverwolf to watch!

*Sully: Miracle on the Hudson* (2016)
I expected more with Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood as director. It was okay.

*Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse *(2018)
I didn't fancy this, but as it's so highly rated, I watched. It started well but became too muddled.

*Ted *(2012)
Boy wishes his teddy would come to life and it does. A bit rubbish. Crude humour can work very well, but Ted fell flat.


----------



## Av Demeisen

I thought *Joker* was a piece of sh*t.

Now watching a very fine Korean film: *Parasite*.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

AlexH said:


> *The Love Witch *(2016)
> About a witch with pathological narcissism. I loved the 1970s visuals and acting style, but otherwise The Love Witch was just okay. The sort of film I expect @Victoria Silverwolf to watch!



Groovy!


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## J Riff

Far OUT!


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## CupofJoe

AlexH said:


> *The Help *(2011)
> I'm catching up on highly-rated films I've missed this decade. The Help, about an author writing a book on African American maids' experiences, is definitely up there with the best. It packs in a few laugh out loud moments too.


I won't eat chocolate cake any more because of that film...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Lousy Comedies About Monstrous Mothers Double Feature:

*Mama Dracula*  (1980)

Oscar-winning actress Louise Fletcher goes slumming in the title role of this incoherent Belgian farce.  She plays Countess Dracula, although the character's back story is more like the legend of  Elizabeth Bathory; she bathes in the blood of virgins (always pronounced "wergens" here, just like in *Blood for Dracula*) to preserve her beauty.   She hires a young scientist to create artificial blood, since the supply of the real stuff is drying up.  Meanwhile, her two adult sons, played by a pair of really, really annoying twin brothers, kidnap young women from the dressing room of their dress shop, aptly named _Vamp_.  After a lot of pointless scenes, second-billed Maria Schneider finally shows up, apparently destined to become Mama Dracula's successor.  The plot actually makes a lot less sense than I've made it sound.  Fletcher maintains her dignity, Schneider shows no emotions at all, and everybody else overacts wildly.  The twin brothers do a lot of pointless, supposedly funny stuff, like dancing a tango together.

*My Mom's a Werewolf *(1989)

Let's see; we've got Mom, the husband who neglects her, her teenage daughter, and the daughter's horror buff friend.  At a horror convention, _Laugh-In _veteran Ruth Buzzi, as a Gypsy fortune teller, warns them that that something vaguely evil is going to happen.  Sure enough, Mom goes to a pet store to buy some flea collars for the family pooch.  The place is owned by John Saxon, as a suave, seductive werewolf.  (He actually comes across much more like a vampire.)  Mom and Saxon begin a romance, during which he bites her toe.  Yep, this begins Mom's very slow transformation into a werewolf.  The first symptom is fangs.  (Again, this all seems much more like vampire stuff.)  Mom goes to a stereotypical Hispanic dentist.  In a scene full of sexual innuendo, the dentist (Doctor Rod [!]) fails to drill them flat.  Next comes pointed ears, and a change in diet from vegetarian to raw meat.  Predictably, hair sprouting on Mom's legs leads to a leg shaving scene.  Facial hair brings her to the beauty parlor for treatment.  Finally, about ten minutes from the end, we get the full transformation, as Saxon claims her as his bride, and daughter and monster fan friend battle him.  The whole thing seems like an extended sitcom.  Saxon is pretty good, everybody else hams it up.   There are a few moments that aren't really funny, but might be considered cute.  Otherwise, lame but inoffensive.


----------



## J Riff

*Terror is a Man* aka _Blood Creature _1959 B and W -- at the one hour mark, we still haven't seen the creature, but we know it is a man/cat hybrid made by our mad Doc on a deserted island. There's only 6 people left because everyone fled after one-too-many breakouts by our killer cat-man. Our MC is a lone survivor from a freighter that exploded and sank, he gets involved with  the Doc's wife. We see some of Doc's sketches, showing how he has turned a small cat into a full grown man-beast, all wrapped up in bandages and strapped down in the lab. This critter is gonna break loose, kill the Doc, and MC will make off with the wife, the natives will return to the island, and we wait for this, patiently. 
 A new species, yadadadada... a higher, a perfect man... with fangs. We can see his little cat ears sticking through the bandages. Finally he gets loose and busts up the lab, but they use a torch and his bandages catch on fire and he is subdued. We know though, that the next time he is gonna claw somebody but good. Sure enough, his cat claws appear, stabbing through the bandages and he kills Doc's assistant and runs off into the jungle. Cat-guy thens kills a native girl and makes off with Doc's wife. The Doc follows, and backs the creature, who is carrying his wife, to the edge of a cliff. Cat-man's voice sounds quite a lot like a combination of 'Arrrgh' and 'Meowwrr" and he claws the Doc, bites him, then hurls him off the cliff. MC runs up and shoots catguy, it staggers off. The little native boy finds the creature, puts it into a rowboat and sends it off to sea... and this movie, inexplicably, Ends. We can only hope that Catman lands somewhere friendly to hugely fanged and clawed man/cat creatures.


----------



## Rodders

Joker. It was pretty good, but not great. Too long in my opinion. 

It was an interesting take on a well known character, but more a comment on the breakdown of modern society and the way that it treats people. I never got the impression that the Joker was a criminal mastermind, so that part of it kind of fell flat. Kinda felt more a modern day version of Taxi Driver. 

Great performance from Joachim Phoenix. Decent sound track.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Lousy Horror Comedies That Make Sly Reference To A Certain Date On The Calendar Triple Feature:

*Thursday the 12th* (1982) AKA *Pandemonium 

Airplane!*-style spoof of slasher films.  Starts in 1963 in the city of It Had To Be, Indiana.  (Why the weird name?  So the local university can be called It Had To Be U.  That's the kind of humor we'll get.)   A bunch of cheerleaders carrying large fake vegetables -- it was part of the halftime show, I guess -- are killed when an unseen murderer throws a javelin through them, forming a human shish kabob.  The movie doesn't trust you to get the visual joke, so somebody actually has to say it.  Cut to the present, when the local cheerleader camp is being reopened.  (It was closed because cheerleaders kept getting killed there over the years, we're informing by the usual spinning newspapers.)  A bunch of folks, both male and female, show up at the camp.  One of them is Carol Kane, who, in a direct parody of *Carrie*, has telekinetic powers and a religious fanatic mother who talks about her "dirty pillows."  (In this movie, they're literally dirty pillows.  These are the jokes, people.)  A whole lot of stuff goes on while we get a few killings, and eventually Kane has a big showdown with the murderer.  Along the way we have an escaped prisoner and an escaped lunatic as red herrings; Tom Smothers as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer on the case, in full RCMP regalia, complete with horse; Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens as his helper, pretty much playing an angry Pee-Wee; and appearances by folks like Donald O'Connor and Tab Hunter. Throw a million jokes at the audience and a few of them are bound to work. The best are probably the ones that have nothing at all to do with the plot, such as a visit to a horrible restaurant called The House of Bad Pies.

*Saturday the 14th* (1981)

Real-life husband and wife Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss star as a married couple who inherit a spooky old house. Meanwhile, a vampire couple wants to get their hands on the place, because it contains the Book of Evil. The couple's preteen son opens the book and all kinds of goofy-looking monsters (guys in rubber suits) show up and act silly. They do things like play cards and use feather dusters rather than act like monsters. The male vampire leaves Prentiss with two fang marks on her throat -- we don't see the actual biting -- and this leads to, well not much, really. When she finds a bunch of fake bats in the attic -- in a running joke, she thinks these are owls -- they hire an exterminator named Van Helsing. This all leads to the final showdown between Van Helsing and the vampires for the Book of Evil.



Spoiler



It turns out Van Helsing is the bad guy.



It's all very childish and silly, with random gags like a bathtub containing a shark and a Black Lagoon creature.

*Saturday the 14th Strikes Back* (1988)

Unrelated sequel. This time we have a house with a crack in the basement that lets out evil. A sexy vampire shows up in the teenage son's room and sings a jazz song about how she would rather eat normal food than blood. (She's played by a real jazz singer of some note, so this is the best thing in the film, which isn't saying much.) A mummy, a werewolf, a bunch of real-life murderers, and some evil guy in a fez show up. Evil wants the son to become the next master of evil, or some such thing. Ray Walston plays "Gramps," who, it turns out, isn't actually the father of either parent; he's some kind of ancient wizard here to defend the son. It doesn't make much sense, really. Lots of random scenes, such as family members, in a seeming trance state, carry spoons to Dad who is carving a model of the Statue of Liberty from chocolate. (A reference to *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*?) By the way, the family only eats sweets; this is never explained. It's really a mess of a film.


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Lousy Horror Comedies That Make Sly Reference To A Certain Date On The Calendar Triple Feature:



Thanks for the warning. I was always curious about SATURDAY THE 14TH & sequel.

Another big thanks for warning me about, THURSDAY THE 12TH, which I've never heard of. But that's the good thing.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Lousy Horror Comedies That Make Sly Reference To A Certain Date On The Calendar Triple Feature:
> 
> [...] *Saturday the 14th* (1981)
> 
> Real-life husband and wife Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss star as a married couple who inherit a spooky old house. Meanwhile, a vampire couple wants to get their hands on the place, because it contains the Book of Evil. The couple's preteen son opens the book and all kinds of goofy-looking monsters (guys in rubber suits) show up and act silly. They do things like play cards and use feather dusters rather than act like monsters. The male vampire leaves Prentiss with two fang marks on her throat -- we don't see the actual biting -- and this leads to, well not much, really. When she finds a bunch of fake bats in the attic -- in a running joke, she thinks these are owls -- they hire an exterminator named Van Helsing. This all leads to the final showdown between Van Helsing and the vampires for the Book of Evil.[...]



One of only two movies I recall ever walking out on. We'd sat and watched, I think, _Police Academy_ and then this came on on a double bill. How bad do you have to be to be worse than _Police Academy_? And I'd had hopes since Benjamin and Prentiss starred.

Anyway, there was one gag I recall liking (at least, I think it was this movie). The kids turned on the TV in the house and every channel they turned to was playing _The Twilight Zone._ 


Randy M.


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## J Riff

*Creature of Darkness *2009 - well it had 'creature' in the title, but no cigar. At 12 min. I hit fast-forward, then turned the sound down, as a big ugly poorly-animated ET picked off our young moronic dune-buggy kids in the desert. It's amazing that a movie like this can be so much worse than 50s throwaways, but it can. They run, they scream, they shoot flare guns, there's jets etc. but - no. Next. )


----------



## Allegra

*The Goldfinch* (2019). The book, being a masterful modern classic, is of course much better, but I wasn't disappointed, actually I can't imagine the film can be any better than this. It is a very difficult to make type of film. The director apparently tried very hard to stick to the novel, much of narratives, dialogues are word by word from he book. The mood is right, the cast excellent. Only thing that isn't stick to the book is that a very important character who is an antique restorer having pale European looks in the novel, played by a black actor (trying to be politically correct not to have an all white cast?), but it turned out the actor did a great job.  There are lots of flashbacks that can be confusing for viewers who haven't read the book. 

Read the book first.


----------



## J Riff

*Escape from DS3  *1981 --- Detention satellite 3, no-one has ever escaped, Andy is sent there, we figure he's as good as out. The title is a 
clue to that, plus Andy is innocent, framed, he's the good guy. The all-male prisoners, if they behave, get a visit every two weeks from 'Pen Pals' which are female robots that smile and walk about with little buzzing electric motor sound FX. The prisoners are allowed to have as much 'happy' substance as they want, they can stay stoned all the time if they like. Some prisoners have direct telepathic communication with the authorities, they just sit there and hear voices, then think their answers back. Well, Andy and the guys in his block figure it out, steal parts, jury-rig this and that, grab some guns and a scout ship and take off, headed for a rogue planetoid or something. Too bad Andy has been found innocent and could return to Earth, but at least the other guys get to escape too. Not too tense, this one, and pretty bad synth music from 81 to boot. But not so bad.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Hitch-Hiker* (1953) Ida Lupino directed this, and as Muller noted, it lacked any of the standard machismo element that would have been in a man-directed film. So the bad guy's handiwork is seen, dead guy slumped over the steering wheel, his wife/girlfriend likewise hanging out the passenger door, both dead. Then, we join the two guys driving along, talking about their vacation, etc. They pick up the bad guy (film was based upon actual crimes), and he takes a seat in the rear, immediately pulls a gun, and gloats about his intention to kill the two. 

So, there is no attacking the hitch-hiker, until he is handcuffed at the end. But there is very much tension as the hitch-hiker occasionally reminds them of their coming fate. The one guy is eager to fight or die, while the other talks sense into him. Very tense film!


----------



## Anthoney

Joker.  It was good.  I don't think it's as great as some people do but it was good.  Lots of Taxi Driver and King of Comedy vibes.


----------



## Starbeast

*Lightning Jack* (1994) Curiosity finally got me to watch this western/comedy. Not bad, not great, but not bad. It's roughly about an outlaw gunslinger (Paul Hogan) who wants to be famous for being infamous. The film is a little dated for me, but it's still not a bad adventure.






*Paul Hogan* & *Cuba Gooding Jr.*​


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## J Riff

SB I watched that one a while back. It is, as you state, not bad at all.

* The Vampire's Ghost* 1945 - doubtless already reviewed in here, but from a Leigh Brackett story and I don't remember it - yet - so here we go, with a map of Africa and a 1st-person voice-over about dark jungles, voodoo drums etc. We see a hand with a strange ring opening a creaking door... a cute dog jumps up and barks, a woman wakes up, a dark shadow passes, she screams, and we cut to a stretcher being carried out of a hut in a village. Now our white padre walks in, and he blesses Mongo on the way. He's back because the drums haven't stopped for weeks, an ominous omen apparently. There's been a couple murders, peculiar wounds at the throat, and the workers are deserting the plantation. The word vampire is mentioned at 4:40, laughed off by Julie as medieval tommyrot. 
 Now a wild dance routine from Lisa in the local bar, and we meet Fallon, a mysterious character, who is beating everyone at dice. He gives the money he wins to a sailor. There's a brawl, Fallon stops it using his crazy hypnotic eyes.
The cast plan to head for the evil witchcraft village at dawn, and a mirror suddenly breaks. "What broke that mirror?" "Evil, Mr. Roy - evil."
A booby trap that Fallon saves them from, then we see natives preparing a spear dipped in molten silver. Yipes, with no warning - Fallon is the vampire, he hypno-controls Roy. Fallon has a box of grave-dirt given to him by Queen Elizabeth. Fallon kills Lisa and a sailor, he gets more evil by the minute, and he has hypno-powers galore. He takes off with Julie and the cast pursue, we wait for them to find a way to burn him, the only way to croak vampires. Maybe the silver spear will come back into it, we shall see. Yes and... yes. A huge burning statue falls on Fallon ...and he burns up as the nice music swells. "It's like a terrible dream." - "Yes, but it's over."  It is, and we have seen much worse.


----------



## Jeffbert

I watched TTZ's *Third from the Sun*, & wondered about the color version of the flying saucer, so, I then watched *Forbidden Planet* (1956). While there was scant interior views in *3rd*, my interest was the transparent sphere in the center. It was rather interesting, lending its design to the Jupiter II's navigation console. Anyway, carefully watching the interior shots, I determined that the thing was larger on the inside, than on the outside. All the things they apparently brought out of it! It did have two decks, while *3rd* had just the close-up of the center console. In TTZ's *Death Ship*, there are interior ribs that line the upper dome. Also, very much larger on the inside, as there was a vertical wall with a door leading to the sleeping quarters. But this places a rectangle on the outside of the dome!


the curvature is such that top of the dome is much lower than here:




Also, note thew right angle at the far right--> the tan panel seems also odd, given the overall shape of the upper hull. 

But, about *Forbidden*, I read all the trivia on Prime's viewer, but no mention of the lack of appropriate sound effects as the id-generated invisible thing climbed the stairs which bent under its massive weight:



Seemeth to me that there ought to be a sound of metal bending. 

In an episode of Jonny Quest, there is a really creepy invisible thing, obviously inspired by the one in this film, but that one has appropriate sound-effects of footsteps, as it moves along!


----------



## Allegra

*The Good Liar* (2019), ridiculous. Ian McKellen is perfect for the role though.


----------



## Vince W

**batteries not included* (1987). About as charming as I remember it.


----------



## REBerg

*Iron Sky: The Coming Race*
I had hoped this would be one of those "so bad, it's good" offerings, like its cult predecessor, but this one neither rose nor sank to that level.


----------



## CupofJoe

REBerg said:


> *Iron Sky: The Coming Race*
> I had hoped this would be one of those "so bad, it's good" offerings, like its cult predecessor, but this one neither rose nor sank to that level.


I really wanted to like it but it wasn't funny or serious enough. And there are few things worse than _MEH_ when it comes to watching a film.


----------



## Vince W

*Blade Runner. *Had to watch this again before the end of the month.


----------



## J Riff

*Terminator Dark Fate *2019 slight spoilage but not really  - you want action, here 'tis. Arnie and Sarah team up with some new gals, and the new Terminators are just as bad as the last lot - black gunk Terminators this time, and they are mighty hard to dispatch. So it's a real slugfest this one is, lot of rounds fired, but other explosive shenanigans as well, as the endless time loop loops on. Could there be another one in this series? Dunno why they would bother, but it would probably make money so maybe. Lots of CGI in this one, people and robots hurled around like ragdolls, swords, bombs, machine guns, airplanes, big nasty machines and the usual. Arnie looks pretty good for his age, but who knows if it's even him half the time. Wait for 'I'll be Back" you know it's gonna be there.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Bible According to Hollywood* (1994) Interviews with C. Heston abound, in this 2 part film. P1, in NT, 2, OT. I thought that Harold Lloyd was in danger while making his films, but in at least one of these, several extras drowned.  Anyway, very interesting stuff covered, many films I never knew about. Yul B. had roles on both sides, as Pharaoh & Solomon. There was Capt. Bligh as Nero, and another actor more associated with comedy in the same role. I wanted to watch *The Ten Commandments* to see Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, but Prime was not renting that title, only selling for $14!! If it is not on my HDD, I would hardly say that I owned it. I will try NF DVDs.

Everybody literally interprets the story of the Garden of Eden; to me, it can only be an allegory for childhood innocence and coming of age during adolescence. Too many things make little, if any sense, when taken literally.  So, several of these show some of Eve's skin; most use coverings of one type or another. Cute tush! 

It was rather funny the part about the Exodus, they used hundreds of Egyptian soldiers as Israelites, damn! I forgot the other details, but it was funny.


----------



## AlexH

*Still Alice* (2014)
A powerful and moving film where a successful lecturer and author is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease, with a great performance from Julianne Moore.

*Woman at War *(2018)
Icelandic drama/thriller about an environmental activist anonymously trying to sabotage the expansion of an aluminium plant in the Icelandic Highlands. It was decent enough, with one very bizarre aspect. Whenever music played, a three-piece band or choir was actually there performing the soundtrack (and sometimes acknowledged by the main character), whether it was in the woman's living room or the middle of the Icelandic wilderness. It provided a couple of laugh out loud moments and sometimes when the music piped up, I wondered where the musicians would appear from next.

Here they are in the background:







*Capernaum *(2018)
Raw Lebanese film that starts with a 12-year-old boy in court, suing his parents "because they had me." The story is then told in flashback as the boy meets Syrian refugees and African migrants, doing whatever he can to survive. The boy has a big heart, and is played in a fantastic performance by Syrian refugee child actor Zain Al Rafeea.


----------



## J Riff

Woman at War is queued up here, sounds like fun. * 

*Star Odyssey *1979 Ital. -- this one starts with a big starship bridge, blue unis, and the sighting of an alien flying saucer, superior velocity, full radio silence. 
Lots beeping sound FX all through this, Good Aurora model-quality spaceships. On the saucer we get an overlord-type with the typical high collar outfit, so he can't see to the side without turning his head. The crew all have platinum-blonde long-hair wigs. 
Back on our starship - "Man meets an alien race at last, and greets them by disintegrating their vessel." But the saucer is having none of that, it flies right on in through ineffectual Earth atomic-cannon crossfire defence. 
Huh, turns out our alien commander has bought the Earth at an auction. Cut to >>> WWII stock footage of explosions. Various Earth cities are obliterated. Only Prof. Morey is going to be able to figure this out and save everyone. He is two centuries smarter'n everyone else, but is of course too stubborn, independent etc. But, he might listen to Oliver 'Hollywood' Carrera, who "acts as if he is a superstar in a TV series called 'Fighting Hero of the Galaxy'."
 Robed Prof. Morey informs us the UFO is made of 'Indirium' , super-rare stuff on Earth. He has a cute beeping bot, with little hands wrapped in tinfoil, but it doesn't speak. Morey's pals - Shawn and Bridgette, must be broken out of prison in order to invent a new substance that will perforate Indirium. A young Lieutenant is hypnotized by Morey's glowing eyes to undertake the escape. Now we get glowing-eyes telekinetic control of a silver ball by famous gambler Dirk Laramie, on the starship. The losers demand their money back but Dirk just starts a brawl. One of them falls onto a bench. where two hippies wearing ponchos insert a fuming water-pipe into his mouth. I'm not making this up. 
Dirk wears a glittering spider-shirt; Morey fiddles  with gadgets that look like modren cellphones. Good grief, back on the UFO they are gathering humans from the surface. We see some footage of cool-looking black dudes, as an awful robotic voice-over inform us that: "One thousand dark-skinned units of various ages have been collected." They are to be processed and stored in Hold Six, Container Four.
25 min. in, and we are off to 'The Alcatraz of the Heavens' ... apparently, this version of this classic that I'm watching has 2 reels out of order, but it probably won't matter. Cheery synth/flute tunes play, and there's the space station - a tambourine, maybe a hubcap with a couple parts welded on, but pretty cool, an Astroport, where prisoners are kept in suspended animation - standing up in tubes - cut to: Little Norman, battling a big robot - Hercules Four, who has killed many contestants, in a boxing ring, for the World Championship. This is good stooge action, Norman does acrobatic tricks and the ref gets hit numerous times by the bot - cut to Dirk cheating at poker, he can see through cards once his eyes light up. Yipes, in another game, all the money - and the pleasure of a night with Irene, are on the line. This is adult stuff. 
Now the Cmdr. talks about the 'Oof-oh" not, U.F.O. - Oofoh. Soo... now we are at an auction house - of planets, to the Lords of the Galaxy. Groovy alien costumes. Are the reels out of order yet>? Irrelevant. Brigette instigates a prison breakout using her feminine wiles. 
It gets better; now we have a re-animated suicidal talking robot, looks like a silver frogman. There's still an hour left in this epic, horrific dialogue galore - 'Tillie - she's the light of my transistors'.  I can't watch anymore right now, going to save the rest this for later. However did I miss this ridiculous masterpiece of inanity?


----------



## Parson

Just subscribed to Disney+. 

Watched three episodes of the the *Mandalorian*. Wow! I love it.

Watched *Captain Marvel, *and it was as good or better than any of the other "super hero" genre movies so popular today. As they all are, it was short on plot (but better at this than most, I actually felt like I knew Captain Marvel at the end.). As with the others, it was filled with unbelievable special effects. And, most frustrating, along with all of the others, it assumes that you have a lot of background information from other movies and the comics on which these are based, which I don't; so I'm always left scratching my head trying to figure out: Who? What? and Where?


----------



## Anthoney

Parson said:


> Watched three episodes of the the *Mandalorian*. Wow! I love it.



When you watch all 3 it is kind of a movie.  It's about the right length.  It has a nice story arc.  When they gave special previews early to people they used the first 3 episodes.  I'm not regretting my $6.99.

I do think it's funny that a big deal was made about Pedro Pascal playing the part.  He has like 10 lines in an hour and forty five minutes.  I don't even think it's his body.


----------



## Starbeast

*Red Tails* (2012) I just watched this recently. I loved it. Spectacular special effect WW2 film, plus a great drama about a group of friends wanting to be heroes.

Even before it was released, all I heard were bad reviews. That turned me away from seeing this war flick. However, I haven't seen too many really good new movies out lately. And this movie, was exceedingly entertaining.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Bride of Frankenstein* (1935) Shows the poor unnamed monster in the proper sympathetic light. All he wants is one friend. I read the novel *Frankenstein *on a CD of public domain works, and then again in a university class on critical approaches to literature, in a critical version of the story, half of the book were the many interpretations of the story.  Anyway, other than the amusing & unrealistic creations of  Doctor Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), it seemed fairly close to that portion of the novel, when the Monster desired Dr. F. to create a mate for him. More than a few details of the novel have been forgotten, though. 


*Kansas City Confidential* (1952) Noir Alley, & enough details to make watching this again worthwhile. Ex-con, who was a decorated WWII soldier, works for florist wholesaler, driving delivery van that every day makes deliveries right next to bank. He leaves every day just a minute after armored car arrives at bank. So master mind has look-alike florist van arrive just seconds after real van leaves. Bank robbers surprise armored car guys, as they leave bank with bags full of money. Robbers ditch fake florist van, and cops arrest driver of real florist van. 

Poor ex-con driver guy gets the 3rd degree, etc., is finally released, but with his face all over the newspapers, his boss fires him. He is not happy about being the [whatever is the term] chump who is blamed for the other guys' naughtiness. 

Nevile Brand played one of the robbers, and was, in fact, highly decorated WWII guy, while the guy who portrayed such a character was not. 

As the title implies, there was a confidential element here. The mastermind rounded up the three bad guys individually, and wore a very particular mask while doing so. As such, none of the three, Brand, Jack Elam, & Lee Van Cleef, knew each other. After the theft, the three robbers all meet Mr. Big,  for the split of the money, which is all marked bills. So, he gives each one a small amount and tells them that they must wait for the rest, until after the heat cools off, etc.



Spoiler



But, he has no intention of actually paying them, as he is an ex-police Captain, who intends to betray them and collect the reward for capturing them, and recovering the money.  Two things he had not expected, the fall guy has taken Jack Elam's place, and his own daughter has come to the Mexican fishing village where he frequently vacations, & is also the spot he chose for the scam/payoff. She has fallen for the fall guy.



John Payne as Joe Rolfe, the fall guy
Preston Foster as Tim Foster, Mr. Big
Coleen Gray as Helen Foster

Happy Thanksgiving, to all, especially those in the USA!


----------



## Danny McG

psychotick said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just watched Battleship on DVD. It's a reasonable popcorn movie with good special effects and a great soundtrack, but the acting (Rihana) is poor, and there are some absolutely glaring plotholes.
> 
> I mean apart from the obvious problem of apparently trying to start up a decommissioned battleship in an hour or so (though at least to the tune of Thunderstruck which makes all the difference), where did all the old guys suddenly pop up from? Were they sitting on thebattleship simply waiting for someone to come and ask them to get the ancient ship running? Why? Because no one called them as far as I could see.
> 
> But then there's the really big one. The ship is decommissioned. So why would it have ammunition on board?
> 
> After that there are the other done for effect issues. Like battleships and destroyers apperently have to be up close and personal to duke it out like an old fashioned pirate movie. Actually most of the big battleships could fire at targets right over the horizon. And if you dropped an anchor to try and stop a battleship at full speed, not to mention spin it around so that it could fire a broadside (something a battle ship doesn't need to do by the way), you'd rip the anchor mount right out of the hull and not change the ship's course a single inch.
> 
> It was like they wanted to turn hundreds of thousands of ton ships into speed boats.
> 
> But at least it was fun. And Rihana should stick to singing.
> 
> Cheers, Greg.


@psychotick 
Did you watch all through the closing credits for the two minute postscript at the very end?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Secret of the Incas *(1954)

Charlton Heston is Harry Steele, a rather disreputable adventurer earning a living in Peru by forcing himself as a guide on unsuspecting tourists.  He's also waiting around for a small, private plane to land at the local airport, so he can steal it.  You see, he's already stolen a part of an ancient Incan stone object that serves as a clue to the location of a fabulous treasure.

Meanwhile, an even less reputable acquaintance offers him the chance to help a young woman, on the run from Romania, escape those pursuing her in order to force her back behind the Iron Curtain.  The same acquaintance, who knows that Steele has the piece of stone, hires a guy to shoot at him with a rifle, deliberately missing him, in a rather stupid attempt to scare him off. 

Steele arranges to have the guy after the woman show up in, you guessed it, his small, private plane, so he can steal it.  He takes her along, mostly because she's pretty.  He doesn't much care about getting her to safety, really, although the two do some smooching along the way.  His real goal is to get to Machu Picchu and use the stone clue to find the treasure.  Too bad a team of archaeologists is already there.  Even worse is the fact that his acquaintance shows up as well.

This moderately enjoyable adventure film is mostly famous for being one of the inspirations for *Raiders of the Lost Ark*.  Steele's outfit looks just like the one worn by Indiana Jones, and there's a scene near the end that looks a lot like a similar scene in the later film.  There's some very nice location shooting in Peru, and an appearance by Peruvian singer Yma Sumac, who does a few songs in her unique voice.  Worth watching.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Panic *(1963)

Modest but enjoyable British crime drama.  A Swiss woman works at some kind of business where the boss keeps a valuable diamond locked up in a big safe.  She doesn't know that her no-good boyfriend has intercepted a letter from the boss to a couple of German businessmen, setting up a meeting.  The boyfriend's two even-more-no-good buddies pretend to be the Germans, and meet the boss after closing time, with the Swiss woman kept late in case the boss needs a translator.  The two guys steal the diamond, kill the boss, and knock out the woman.  In true _film noir _fashion, the blow on the head causes amnesia.  The woman wanders around London in a daze, following up the few clues she has to her identity.  This leads to lots of encounters with creepy men, including the boyfriend's beatnik artist brother, who was in on the robbery plot.  As the plot thickens, the brother winds up murdered also.  Along the way she gets help from a friendly boxer.  Toss in some jazz on the soundtrack and you've got a decent psychological thriller.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Demons of Ludlow *(1983)

Low budget ghost story whose ambition is far beyond its ability.  The tiny town of Ludlow is having its bicentennial.  There's this old piano around.  (It sure looks like an ordinary upright piano to me.  Some characters call it a harmonium, which is an entirely different instrument.)  It seems that the founder of the town, old Ludlow himself, had his hands cut off and was exiled, apparently for some kind of black magic associated with the piano.  In the present day, all kinds of random supernatural stuff happens, much of it laughable.  Furniture floats around, tree stumps explode, folks in 18th century clothing show up and kill people.  There's this glowing green hand that does some of the killing.  It seems that Ludlow's ghost is inside the piano and is causing all this stuff.  The soundtrack is full of annoying electronic music, the special effects are cheesy, and the costumes of the ghosts/demons/whatever look as if somebody invited a bunch of people to a costume party with vague instructions to dress in 18th century duds.  The plot doesn't make much sense, but darned if it doesn't have a decent moment or two, and moves along at a decent pace, despite some talky scenes.


----------



## Vince W

*The Irishman*. Martin Scorsese give us a look at the workings of crime surrounding unions from the 50's to 70's. While it's a good film it's not great. Robert De Niro is great but his age is showing and the one fight scene he has is weak and tired. I know Scorsese likes De Niro, but this should have been made with younger actors that could have given the story a more active approach. It could also have been an hour shorter with a few nip and tucks and the removal of the last half-hour.

Still, if you like Scorsese's stuff and have an afternoon to waste it's worth watching.


----------



## Droflet

II usually love his movies but this one didn't work for me/.


----------



## Jeffbert

*ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN* (1948)
Is this the point at which 'Frankenstein' no longer refers to the mad scientist, but rather to his creation?

A&C are employed by a shipping company, which is shipping presumed wax figures of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula from Britain to a wax museum in the USA. Of course,  these are the real deals, not just wax replicas. How Dracula survived the ocean voyage without preying on the ship's crew and any passengers, is unknown.

So, the shipping company actually delivers the crates to the wax museum, and the two chumps are to unpack them.

There is a routine in which Costello begins reading the legends of Dracula, as the coffin lid slowly begins to open & he becomes paralyzed with fear. Dracula emerges from the coffin, and hides in the shadows. 



Abbott comes along, and chides C for being superstitious, etc. He begins reading the legend of Frankenstein, and laughing about it, while Costello trembles in fear. He says "Do ya have to read that stuff?"

Bart Simpson's Dracula (*Tree House of Horror IV* (Simpsons s5, E1)) has Bart take the role of Costello while Lisa does Abbott's routine. The two incidents are merged into one:






Lisa reads the legends, laughs about them, while Bart, paralyzed with fear sees Mr. Burns as 'Dracoolya' perform those acts.

But decades earlier, an animated cartoon from Japan known in the West as Astroboy had already merged those two incidents with two characters modeled on Abbott & Costello



Tick (skinny) & Tock (Fat) .   Episode 64,* Count Ba*t (English Language Version: 55, *Vampire Vale*)

What a legacy!

They goofed with this one! Dracula's reflection is in the mirror! 

So, the Wolfman had phoned A&C & warned them about the scheme to bring the real D & F's monster to the USA, but A had answered the phone and dismissed it as a joke. W takes a room in the hotel across the hall from A&C, and asks C to lock him in his room until morning because at the full moon, etc. The poor little guy has run ins with all three 'monsters' while A has yet to realize the truth. So, a very attractive woman shows interest in C, wanting his simple-minded brain to replace the monster's current one, but C actually believes her interest in him is what it appears to be. 

It never gets old!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Sorcerers *(1967)

An elderly Boris Karloff stars as a hypnotist who convinces a bored young man to try out the electronic gizmo he's invented, promising him new sensations.  The device allows Karloff and his wife to control the fellow's actions at a distance via telepathy.  They also experience his sensations as if they were their own.  Karloff wants to use the technology for good, but his stronger-willed wife wants to use it for illicit thrills.  She makes the guy steal a fur, go for a dangerous motorcycle ride with his girlfriend, beat up his buddy, and so on.  Let's just say that things get much worse from there, and end badly for everyone.  Despite overly bombastic music during tense moments, it's quite a good film.  (There's also some groovy rock music.  The Swinging Sixties feeling of the film seems a little campy in retrospect, but the contrast between the young folks and the old folks actually adds to the movie's theme.)  Recommended.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Torment *(1964)

Enjoyable Gothic melodrama.  Starts with a woman being chased through the woods by an unseen somebody, only to wind up with her throat in the pursuer's gloved hand.  Cut to the opening titles.  The time is the 18th century.  Sir Richard is bringing his new bride home to the family estate.  He gets a chilly reception from some of the locals, because the woman we saw being killed said his name just before she died.  Besides that, some folks claim to have seen Sir Richard while he was far away from home.  Anyway, the new bride gets introduced to Sir Richard's father, confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, except through signs, after a stroke; the sister of Sir Richard's deceased first wife, the only one who can interpret his father's gestures; Sir Richard's steward, whose name -- Seymour -- may amuse modern American viewers; and a bunch of servants, one of whom will fall victim to the same fate as the woman we saw at the start.  Things get weird when the new bride finds a note bearing the family's Latin motto at the dinner table; the same message left by the dead first wife when she killed herself by jumping out a window because she was unable to provide Sir Richard with an heir.  The infamous window is found opening by itself, what appears to be the ghost of the dead first wife appears, and people claim to see Sir Richard in two places at once.  Some see him riding away from the dead wife's ghost, who shouts "Murderer!" at him.  Adding to the mystery is the disappearance of the family Bible.  This, and other clues, may make the Dark Secret at the heart of the mystery easy to solve, but it's fun watching it play out.  Handsomely filmed, with a nifty swashbuckling sword fight at the end between the long-suffering Sir Richard (who shouts at the top of his lungs during most of the film, by the way) and the main villain.  Worth a look.


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## J Riff

_The Sorcerers_! righty, got one-and-a-half-sentences into yer review and off to grabbit I go. Distant memories of that one. 
_The White Torment_ is happening outside, aka _Snow_.


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## AlexH

*Midway* (2019)
The story of the Battle of Midway from WWII. It looked good but otherwise was just okay. I've only seen bits of the 1976 version, and that seemed to develop more of the Japanese side than the new version.

*Ida *(2013)
Polish film about an orphan nun who discovers a family secret as she's due to take her vows. The black and white cinematography was great, but otherwise I thought the film had much more potential. We didn't learn much about the main character.

*In This Corner of the World *(2016)
Anime set in and around Hiroshima during WWII. Highly-rated, but I found it boring and confusing.  The characters weren't interesting. I couldn't tell which characters were which sometimes, and I wasn't sure what were and weren't supposed to be dream sequences.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins *(1971)

British anthology film of seven short comedy sketches.

"Avarice":  Rich guy forces his chauffeur to go through all kinds of slapstick mishaps in order to retrieve a fifty pence coin from a sewer.

"Envy":  Wife makes husband attempt all sorts of absurd schemes to make another couple sell their home to them.

"Gluttony":  Guy who is supposed to be on a diet of nothing but eight "Slimmo" biscuits a day hides food all over his office, is frustrated by seeing people eating everywhere, and disregards the attempts of a stunningly gorgeous woman to seduce him, since he is more interested in her food.

"Lust":  We overhear a fellow's thoughts as he tries to figure out how to pick up women.  Lacks the female nudity and bawdy humor you'd expect, which is found elsewhere in the film, and has a surprisingly bittersweet ending.

"Pride":  Two couples in cars find themselves facing each other on a narrow road.  Both male drivers refuse to back up, while the women enjoy a picnic together.

"Sloth":  Done as a silent, black-and-white film, this consists of several otherwise unconnected scenes (except that they almost all involve walnuts in some way) in which people go to absurd lengths to avoid doing simple things.  Written by the great Spike Milligan, the gags are increasingly surreal and often laugh-out-loud funny.  By far the best segment of the film.

"Wrath":  Two guys in a park carry out various ridiculous schemes to kill the park keeper who bothers them about littering.  Ends with a touch of fantasy.

Besides the brilliant "Sloth" segment, for the most part the laughs are few and far between.


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## Foxbat

*Dracula's Daughte*r (1936). It's many years since I've seen this and it was interesting to watch again. Apparently Gloria Holden was not happy with the studio casting her in the lead role (like many of her time, she looked down on horror pictures) but, in the studio's defence, she produced a haunting performance that was based more in personal tragedy than in evil. As the Countess Marya Zaleska, she seeks a way to free herself of the vampire's curse but, like many addicts, the urge is just too strong a chain to break and she constantly spirals back into the darkness of her true nature. Can modern scientific methods help her to freedom?

It's a refreshing take and  not without its flaws but, on the whole, I think it's better than the other Universal sequels that followed. Those movies ended up more like wrestling matches with monsters pitched against each other in a fight for dominance. Dracula's Daughter takes a different tack and is the better for it.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I quite like that film.  Holden is haunting in it, and the relationship with her "servant" (or master?) is fascinating.  There's also a scene which may imply that she is the first lesbian vampire in film.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Aria *(1987)

Bizarre anthology film in which ten directors offer short films featuring music from famous operas.  Since my knowledge of opera is nearly zero, I'll just list the segments without talking about the music that goes along with them.  The length of the segments varies from five minutes to fifteen minutes, more or less.

1.  In 1931, King Zog of Albania goes to Vienna to visit his lover.  Assassins try to kill him, but he shoots back at them.  Apparently based on a real incident.  Notable mostly for the fact that King Zog is played by Theresa Russell in drag and with a fake mustache.

2.  The only black-and-white segment.  Three kids apparently steal a car and crash it, as we see it burst into flames.  We also see scenes of a statue of the Madonna and the kids watching TV.

3.  Two young women, apparently working as cleaners, move around huge bodybuilders at a gym.  The women are often stark naked, and sometimes wave a gigantic knife around.

4.  In the longest and most straightforward segment, the only one with dialogue, and the only funny one, a movie producer leaves his wife, who is sick in bed, to go to a meeting; but she's not sick and he's not going to a meeting.  They're both off to be with their lovers at the Madonna Inn, a real place in California with "theme rooms" decorated in the worst possible taste.  An out-and-out bedroom farce.

5.  The shortest segment.  Two lovers lip-synch to the aria while naked in bed.

6.  A bunch of folks in 18th century clothing, and extreme makeup of the period, act wildly at an opera performance.  The implication is that they are inmates of an insane asylum.

7.  Two young lovers drive through the desert to Las Vegas, have sex in a hotel room, and kill themselves.

8.  Surreal scenes of a woman with costume jewelry all over her body, attended by people in costumes suggestive of ancient Egypt, turn out to be the fantasies of the woman, who is severely injured in a car crash and is undergoing surgery.

9.  An elderly woman performs the aria, intercut with what are apparently memories of her youth.  (Do you notice that I use the word "apparently" a lot?  This is not the most linear film in the world.)

10.  This segment is broken up into small pieces, shown between the other segments.  An aging opera singer goes back to an empty theater, puts on makeup, sings, and dies.

The whole thing is gorgeous to look at, if nothing else.  Imagine a mixture of "Opera's Greatest Hits", the Bugs Bunny cartoon _What's Opera, Doc?_, MTV back when they showed music videos, softcore porn, *Fantasia*, and an extended _Saturday Night Live_ skit, and you have a small idea of what you're in for.


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## Mouse

Klaus on Netflix. Really nice animation and a funny, sweet story.


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## J Riff

*Rambo,* Last Blood -- 2019 the new one. Sly really gets some revenge in this one. Boy, does he ever. Whoa, you don't want to be one of the bad guys in this movie, cos Rocky really does them in but good, after they do some very bad naughty things - Rambo just mangles them all to bits. It's bloody brutal, and then we get some flashbacks, no spoilers, but you know he just decimates all bad guys, he's had a lot of practice, and it shows. )


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## Droflet

* Solitary*.   A woman develops Agoraphobia, a fear of the outdoors. Then her husband disappears and the delusions begin. Whst.s going on?? Even r with a shrinks help see is lost. Then a revelation and an ending that will knock you  socks off.. Highly recommended.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Prize of Arms *(1962)

Tense British heist film.  Three guys pull off an elaborate robbery of cash from an Army base at a time when the soldiers are being sent overseas during a political crisis.  Lots of little details threaten to mess up their plan right from the start, so there's considerable suspense.  (This is one of those crime dramas where you wind up hoping the bad guys get away with it, even though they're not sympathetic characters at all.)  The robbery itself is quite a dramatic scene; let's just say that a flamethrower is involved.  The end is just as explosive.


*A Place to Go *(1963)

I thought this would also be a heist film, but that's really just a small part of the plot.  It's more of a kitchen sink drama.  Mum, Dad, unmarried adult son, married (and pregnant) daughter, and her husband all live in a small home in a working class section of London.  The unmarried son, the main character, is part of a plot to rob a factory for the local crime boss.  He enlists his brother-in-law as a driver, but he backs out at the last second, leading to his lorry being set on fire by the bad guys and the protagonist getting badly injured trying to save it.  Besides this plot, we've got the fact that the family's home is being torn down as a slum, to be replaced by new flats; the father quitting his job on the docks to be a street entertainer with a not-very-good escape act; and the main character's on-again/off-again romance with Rita Tushingham.  There are a couple of happy little songs performed by the protagonist and some comedy, which really seem out of place.  Worth a look as a portrait of a place and time, but don't expect a thriller.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Girl in the Headlines *AKA *The Model Murder Case *(1963)

This British whodunit starts with our heroes, a Chief Inspector and a Sergeant, investigating the murder of a fashion model.  Clues include a gun hidden in a toilet tank, a diary saying she was meeting with someone known only as P, and a ballpoint pen with a coded message inside.  We soon meet the fey television actor who lives in the flat above her; a model who worked with her; that model's temperamental husband, an artist; the artist's brother, who works for the director of a private gambling club where the dead model often went with lots of different men; an opera singer who lost her voice during throat surgery; and other suspects and red herrings.  One of the folks I've mentioned above gets murdered also.  Mostly a sedate police procedural until near the end, when there's some fistfights and gun play.  A little more risque than most American films of the time, with the dead model called a "nympho" and an important scene taking place at a nightclub for gay men.  An OK way to pass the time.


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## Randy M.

*Aquaman* (2018) dir. James Wan; starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Entertaining escapism about the least well-known and beloved of DC's major superheroes. The plot is simple -- imminent war between the sunken Atlantis and the above-water humanity, with Momoa as half-Atlantean, half-air-breather and so the one to bridge the gap if he takes over his mother's Atlantean throne by saving the magical MacGuffin. The stars acquit themselves nicely: Heard is in the Jean Arthur role, feisty, prickly, snarky and capable of defending herself until she's not and needs Aquaman to help; Kidman has such ease in front of a camera she can make you believe she's an abused wife in _Big Little Lies_ or in this case a queen of Atlantis; Wilson is as intense as if this were a great war film; and Dafoe is an excellent Pat Morita -- er -- mentor to the young Arthur (Aquaman), giving his role as vizier a sort of low-key Shakespearean dignity. Abdul-Mateen ably populates a subplot that feels a little tacked on to allow Aquaman a chance to be humble, but in the flow of the movie it works well enough and fuels a late action sequence that's pretty impressive. Props for a couple of in-jokes I recognized (there may be others I missed entirely), at least one already mentioned in this thread: A quick glimpse of a book, The Dunwich Horror, which ties into humans and not-humans mating, sort of (seems like "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" would have been more apropos); and one faction of Atlanteans having a King Ricou, as in Ricou Browning, choreographer of underwater action in the Bond thriller, _Thunderball_, and more to the point, the guy in the creature suit in underwater sequences of _The Creature from the Black Lagoon_.

Randy M.


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## Jeffbert

*THE TEN COMMANDMENTS* (1956) As I had both versions in my DVD queue, I thought both had arrived, but no, just the Heston version on 2 discs. A 3 1/2 hour run time made me glad I went the DVD way, rather than streaming, as 1.1x, 1.2x considerably shortened the run time. 

Anyway, I recalled E.G. Robinson in the role of Dathan, but was pleasantly surprised Vincent Price had the role of Baka (which in Japanese, means 'fool') the guy in charge of construction, who also was the guy who abuses a Hebrew & is slain by Moses.  Robinson's role was expanded to place him in many scenes that occurred before the Exodus, though as I recall, his name was not mentioned until after the crossing.  As I understand it, this role made him lifelong friends with Heston, a friendship that endured until his death. Heston's tears were real in that scene in *Soylent Green*. 

John Carridine was Aaron; for a guy who is best known for silly B-grade horror/science fiction films (other than his most infamous role as R. Heinrich), 2 episodes of TTZ, this was a breath of fresh air. But his distinctive  voice could, perhaps should have been the voice of God. He also portrayed a prison guard in a film about Dr. Mudd, who was caught in a torrent of arrests following. Lincoln's assassination. My memories are b-grade sci-fi. 

Sir Cedric Hardwicke was the Pharaoh Sethi, who adopted Moses and considered him his son, along with Ramses (Yul Brynner) .  This guy was in few films I have seen. Much of the film's 1st 2 1/2 hours were embellished [is that the right word?], & CBD introduced the 'film' by stating that many of the scenes were from Roman historians, but, I doubt they provided anything anywhere near what was depicted here. I never watched *Gone with the Wind*, which, I believe had a similar run-time. Just too long, for me, though TCM showed it more than a few times in the past year. I might try it on DVD, seeing how well this worked for me.

Yul Brynner was Ramses, whose role was greatly expanded/embellished to give him enough time in front of the camera to satisfy his ego. Very dramatic, indeed.

Oh, I was about to [submit] this, without saying anything about Heston! So, at the last minute, I place this here in the middle. Though the main Character, even his role was heavily embellished, his own son as infant Moses; good way to reduce costs, given the cast of thousands!  This guy was the Schwarzenegger / Stallone / big strong tough guy of his time, long before there was an action genre as we now know it. The films actually had plots that were not merely stitched between big action scenes in which the hero has to outdo everything the last guy did in the previous block-buster action film. Along with others, such as  Victor Mature and Victor McLaglen, though the latter was at his prime during the 1930s, and end of career in the 1950s.  

Demille spiced it up with romantic scenes that, in my opinion, should have been brief, if not cut altogether, since this film was about twice as long as most other A-grade films.  But, I suppose CBD wanted to give all the big-name stars a good bit of screen-time.

Yvonne De Carlo, whose name I associate only with The Munsters, was Moses' wife. I am sorry, I just am unfamiliar with most other actresses in this film. 

For a three and a half hour film titled *THE TEN COMMANDMENTS* , it sure took its time getting around to the title scene. Make no mistake, I enjoyed it. I am not saying it should have cut to the chase the way that *MPFC* did with *The Death of Mary, Queen of Scots*, !

Clearly, the most impressive scene was crossing the Red sea (or was it the Sea of Reeds?). When I was a Pentecostal, they encouraged us to read the Bible once a year, even gave us a bookmark with check boxes and chapters on it. Started with Gen. 1-3, etc. So, I am rather familiar with the Bible, after 20 years or so in that Church. 

Anyway, now the silent version is at the top of my queue. Not sure I will run the commentary, though it will be interesting. 

A great film, even for Agnotstics, such as myself!


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## Jeffbert

*Mummy's Boys* (1936) Comedy about two good for nothing guys, who need to get out of town quick in order to avoid arrest for some offense,  who sign on to an expedition to return artifacts to the tomb of ??? in hopes of avoiding the mummy's curse. So, there is the one guy who was part of the original expedition who had discovered a secret chamber filled with loot that he wants to hog all for himself. So, he needs another expedition to the tomb without letting anyone know the real reason. 

Wheeler & Woolsey were similar to Abbott & Costello, in that the one guy (with the glasses and cigar) was always leading the other into trouble, while the other guy who was much younger, had the naivete to go along with his schemes. Unlike A&C, the idea guy was not trying to take advantage of the other guy.  The younger guy often sings & gets the girl in the end.


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## hitmouse

*Yesterday* (2019) A charming comedy by Richard Curtis about a very unsuccessful musician who wakes up after a strange accident to discover that the Beatles never existed and that he is the only one who knows their music. What is basically an interesting wish-fulfilment fantasy really succeeds because it remains grounded in the humanity of the main character, who is genuinely nice guy full of uncertainty, a sharp script, and some very dry situational humour, including a clever appearance by Ed Sheeran.


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## Randy M.

*The Most Dangerous Game* (1932), dir. Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Shoedsack; starring Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks

Based on the story of the same title by Richard Connell -- often anthologized, and recently in The Big Book of Reel Murders ed. by Otto Penzler. I remember reading the story in grade school and really enjoying the adventure of it, then finally finding the film on TV one night. That was many, many years ago. It was enjoyable to find it holds up. McCrea, even without his horse and six-shooter, was a steady, heroic sort, Wray gets to scream and faint a bit, and Banks is one of the more likably dislikable villains in '30s cinema. 


*Us* (2019) dir. Jordan Peele; starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss

Look sharp in the early minutes and you'll see a video cover for _C.H.U.D. _and I think there's a nod to a zombie film, too, both hinting at where this goes, but not at all at how creepy this story of doppelgangers is. It takes on some of the look and feel of a zombie movie, but there's a somewhat apocalyptic feel that most zombie movies I've seen point at but don't really get you to feel, probably because this is acute psychologically in ways most horror movies are not. A final panning scene is extremely effective. 


Randy M.


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## -K2-

This moment, I'm watching 'Goodbye Mr. Chips, 1969,' again... What a wonderful movie.






K2


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## Randy M.

*Bound* (1996) dir. the Wachowski bothers (actually sisters); starring Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, Christopher Meloni

At the time of release, it was best known for a steamy scene between Gershon and Tilly, then both pretty much at their peak of popularity, but that sells this movie short. It's a '90s neo-_noir_, and if you squint a little it resembles a variation on _Double Indemnity_.

Corky (Gershon), fresh out of prison, is trying to go straight doing odd-jobs.  While on the job painting an apartment, she meets Violet (Tilly) and her husband, Ceasar (Pantoliano) who live in the next apartment; there's an immediate attraction between the women. Violet creates situations where her and Corky interact and soon Corky learns of Ceasar's mob connection. After the steamy scene it becomes apparent the two woman want out of their respective situations, and Violet outlines an opportunity to get a suitcase full of money from Ceasar. Naturally, nothing goes exactly as planned and the movie successfully builds suspense first whether the duo can improvise successfully, and second from whether one will betray the other.

This is an entertaining, well-directed and acted thriller. It reminded me why I liked Pantoliano so much back in the '90s and why he was in so many movies, and Gershon and Tilly are great together. It also makes you wonder how Meloni was tagged for Eliot Stabler in _Law & Order: SVU_, but easy to see him fit in _Happy_.


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## Allegra

*Knives Out* (2019), an Agatha Christie-ish detective story. Very entertaining and good acting, except for Daniel Craig, he seems rather uncomfortable as if not quite sure what to make of the role. Someone more charming and humours would have done a better job.


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## J Riff

Two that Victoria just reviewed that end explosively  --- *The Sorcerers* 1967 - a lot of twangy 60s fuzz tones in this one, and one long burst of wildly-oscillating freakout sound FX, when Karloff and his wife mindwipe the groovy young guy from the club. After that they can control him with mere psionic energy, no tech needed and it all goes crazy from there - recommended, and; -- *A Prize of Arms *1962- these guys just brazen their way through a robbery of a miltary base for goshsakes, it isn't easy. Flamethrower, yes, and quite a few tense moments, black and white, good cast, good action.


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## Ian Fortytwo

I saw two movies yesterday. *Knives Out, *brilliant entertainment with Daniel Craig. 9/10. The other film was *Frozen 2, *a warm hearted, comfortable film for kids and adults alike. 9/10.


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## Jeffbert

hitmouse said:


> *Yesterday* (2019) A charming comedy by Richard Curtis about a very unsuccessful musician who wakes up after a strange accident to discover that the Beatles never existed and that he is the only one who knows their music. What is basically an interesting wish-fulfilment fantasy really succeeds because it remains grounded in the humanity of the main character, who is genuinely nice guy full of uncertainty, a sharp script, and some very dry situational humour, including a clever appearance by Ed Sheeran.



Did I dream* all *of that?   Sounds like the work of space aliens.  The poor guy must have really been freaking-out. I had a dream/nightmare that I had resumed smoking. Upon awakening, I began looking for my cigarettes.

Noir Alley:
*The Mask of Dimetrios* (1944) this pairs Peter Lorre & Sydney Greenstreet for about the 4th or 5th time since The Maltese Falcon. Dimetrios is a low-life scoundrel who screwed everyone who ever had anything to do with him.  Cornelius Leyden (Lorre) by chance meets Colonel Haki (Kurt Katch)  who tells him the basis of the story, stating that the body had just washed ashore; and being intrigued, Lorre asks to view the corpse.  Now, Lorre is following the trail left by Dimitrios, just for the hell of it. In the hall of records, Lorre 1st encounters Mr. Peters (Greenstreet), but no formal intro yet. Story is mostly told in flashbacks, as Lorre, a writer of detective stories, goes around interviewing people who had dealings with Dimetrios.  Great cast!



Spoiler



Greenstreet further piques Lorre's interest, by adding the incentive of 1M Francs; he is certain Dimetrios is alive, & intends to blackmail him. This is in the days prior to photo IDs, so, Dimetrios kills another man, puts his own suit, complete with his name sewn into the lining on the corpse, and tosses it into the sea. Corpse is ID-ed as Dimetrios, etc.


----------



## Vince W

*6 Underground*. A reasonable attempt at a comedy action film by Netflix. Ryan Reynolds does a good job carrying some mediocre direction and poor editing. If they had eliminated the needless dark brooding shots and overly graphic slow-motion clips this could have been an excellent film. As it is it's a ho-hum start to what is obviously an attempt to kickstart a franchise. If it's on and you can't reach the remote it's worth leaving on. If you can reach the remote or have children that can switch to something else.


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## Parson

*Won't You Be My Neighbor (presently in theaters 2019), *is a motion picture based on an event in the life of Fred Rogers, the host of probably the most non-commercial kid's program ever aired on American television. --- I am too old to have watched when a child, but unlike every other children's program I've ever seen, I just keep gaining more and more respect for the pace, the message, and the genuineness of that show. This movie shows the man behind the neighborhood wonderfully well. It is certainly one of the best movies I've ever seen. I can't recommend this highly enough. If you've lost your hope in humanity this is a good antidote.


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## Rodders

Rogue One was on the TV last night. 

I thought it was a very good Star Wars movie, although it did pander to the OT fan boy in me. 

Good cast, good soundtrack.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Honeymoon Killers *(1970)

Loosely based on a series of murders in the 1940's.  A heavyset, dour nurse joins a lonely hearts correspondence club, gets letters from a Spanish-born con artist.  He works his usual scam -- claims to love her, leaves with her cash -- but she gets him back through a feigned suicide attempt.  This leads to a real love affair between the two, in which she helps him in his scams by posing as his sister.  The big problem is that she gets insanely jealous if he actually makes love to his victims.  The scams eventually lead to murder, and a downbeat ending.  Filmed in black-and-white on a tiny budget, the film manages to create a gripping sense of documentary realism and a convincing portrait of the banality of evil.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Four in the Morning *(1965)

British drama interweaving three unrelated stories.  The body of a young woman is found in the Thames.  A husband comes home to his wife and baby after a night of carousing with his buddy, leading to a serious argument.  A woman and a man have an inconclusive, ultimately unsatisfying romance, part of which involves a wild ride on a stolen motorboat.  There is no apparent connection among these depressing little vignettes.  Nicely filmed and acted, but definitely not a fun movie.


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## Randy M.

Parson said:


> *Won't You Be My Neighbor (presently in theaters 2019), *is a motion picture based on an event in the life of Fred Rogers, the host of probably the most non-commercial kid's program ever aired on American television. --- I am too old to have watched when a child, but unlike every other children's program I've ever seen, I just keep gaining more and more respect for the pace, the message, and the genuineness of that show. This movie shows the man behind the neighborhood wonderfully well. It is certainly one of the best movies I've ever seen. I can't recommend this highly enough. If you've lost your hope in humanity this is a good antidote.



Saw this a few months ago, an excellent documentary about Fred Rogers. From all accounts he was genuinely the genial, caring man who appeared on _Mr. Rogers' Neighorhood_.

Randy M.


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## Parson

Randy M. said:


> Saw this a few months ago, an excellent documentary about Fred Rogers. From all accounts he was genuinely the genial, caring man who appeared on _Mr. Rogers' Neighorhood_.
> 
> Randy M.



This is likely not the same thing. There was a documentary by the same name which came out in 2018, but this is a most definitely a theater presentation based on one event in his life which clearly took a little poetical license here and there.


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## Randy M.

Parson said:


> This is likely not the same thing. There was a documentary by the same name which came out in 2018, but this is a most definitely a theater presentation based on one event in his life which clearly took a little poetical license here and there.



Oops. Looking it up on IMDB, the documentary popped up. All the same, I recommend the documentary as an excellent portrayal of a man whose characterization comes across too often as saccharine and goody-goody. The documentary shows him as a decent, grounded man, aware of the politics of his day but sure that there was an essential decency he could tap into in all children, and maybe most adults.

Randy M.


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## Parson

Randy M. said:


> Oops. Looking it up on IMDB, the documentary popped up. All the same, I recommend the documentary as an excellent portrayal of a man whose characterization comes across too often as saccharine and goody-goody. The documentary shows him as a decent, grounded man, aware of the politics of his day but sure that there was an essential decency he could tap into in all children, and maybe most adults.
> 
> Randy M.



This essential decency he thought he could tap into for most adults is exactly where the movie I watched dwelt. In short it is a story of a hard boiled investigative reporter who gets the assignment, which he detests, to profile Mr. Rogers for a series on present day heroes. The resulting article and relationship that grew up between the two of them is the center feature of the theater presentation.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

British Suspense Films of the Early 1960's Double Feature:

*Tomorrow at Ten *(1963)

Robert Shaw is the villain in this tense tale of a kidnapping.  He places the young son of a rich guy in a secret location, along with a doll that has a time bomb in it, set to go off at the time in the title.  Then, in an amazingly brazen move, he shows up at the rich guy's mansion and tells him what he's done.  He demands a pile of money, and when he's flown to Brazil that afternoon, he'll reveal where the kid is.  The kid's nanny calls the police, but that doesn't bother the kidnapper; he gets what he wants, or the kid dies.  A major plot twist more than halfway through the film ratchets up the suspense.



Spoiler



The rich guy lashes out at the kidnapper, sending him crashing to the floor and putting him in a coma.  He dies without revealing where the kid is, leading to a frantic chase to find him.



*Blind Corner *AKA *Man in the Dark *(1964)

William Sylvester, of *2001:  A Space Odyssey *fame, stars as a wealthy blind composer.  We find out right away that his wife, Barbara Shelley of Hammer Horror fame, is having an affair.  Sylvester finds out pretty quickly, too.  Shelley knows that she'll be left without a penny if she leaves him, so convinces her lover to murder him.  It all leads up to a final confrontation among the characters and some twists in the plot.  The movie slows down to a crawl with two hilariously awful pre-Beatles pop songs performed by some crooner, revealing that there's really only enough plot for an episode of _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_, but it's enjoyable despite that flaw.


----------



## Starbeast

*Get Mean* (1975) - A strange, but entertaining western. I discovered this flick the other day.

I'll put it this way....I liked it better than the 1970 film, _El Topo_ (which gave me a headache). I like it as much as _Greaser's Palace_ (1972). It's not a movie you'd watch often, but it's weird enough to enjoy, once in a while. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's something completely different.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Helen Mirren Gets In Trouble For Having Sex Double Feature:

*Miss Julie *(1972)

Mirren has the title role in this filmed stage production of August Strindberg's play (written 1888; first performed 1906) which is considered a classic of "naturalism" and which has been performed on stage and adapted into film for more than a century.  (Yes, there was a silent film version as long ago as 1912.)  This version records a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company.  There are only three speaking parts, but several actors perform a wordless scene relating to what happens offstage.  The plot boils down to the aristocrat Miss Julie flirting outrageously with a handsome valet, the two winding up in bed (offstage), and the tragic consequences of an affair that crosses class lines.  There's also an antifeminist theme, as Miss Julie was messed up badly by her mother, who wanted women to be equal to men.  As you'd expect, excellently acted.

*Hussy *(1980)

Mirren is a hostess/prostitute at a London cabaret.  She begins a romance with the guy who runs the lights at the place.  Complicating matters is the fact that she has a ten-year-old in the custody of her ex-husband.  The two move in together, although she continues her line of work.  (We even see her go off for the weekend with a woman who purchases her services.)  Things get out of control when the guy gets involved in a heist scheme with an old acquaintance, and Mirren's ex-lover, a violent criminal, shows up.  The whole thing is an odd combination of love story, unromantic portrait of prostitution, musical (we get several lousy songs performed at the cabaret), very soft porn, domestic drama, and crime story.


----------



## Starbeast

*Posse From Hell* (1961) Stars three of my favorite actors, JOHN SAXON, VIC MORROW and LEE VAN CLEEF. Excellent western that has intense moments and great drama. An above average flick.


----------



## Jeffbert

*TALES OF THE RAT FINK* (2006) A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ED ROTH, WHO designed & built custom cars, but also drew weird creatures and weirder cars for T-shirts & posters. 


*DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL*  (2008) animated sci-fi/horror film


*DEAD SPACE: AFTERMATH* (2011) sequel to the above. both have action plot, etc. Apparently based on games.  


*Criss Cross* (1949) What an ending! Definite Noir!  Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) is foolishly associating with  Anna (Yvonne De Carlo), his ex-wife, but who is now married to Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea) a gangster-type. So, to get out of trouble, he says he has a plan to rob an armored car. Slim dismisses it immediately, saying it is impossible. ST states that it will be an inside job, & as he drives an armored car, he knows how to do it. It seems to me that he had already succeeded in getting off the hook, so why go further? Maybe I missed something. 

Supporting cast includes Alan Napier (who goes on to be Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred) as Finchley, the mastermind, whom they consulted just to be sure. Percy Helton as Frank the bartender, who I am certain would eventually invent the silent explosive "nitro whisperin" on an episode of Get Smart.


*Berlin Express* (1948) Noir Alley; about a meeting between big-shots intending to reunify Germany. Though I am thinking that I must have misunderstood what Paul Lucas' character was saying, because it seems that was the last thing anyone wanted at the time.  Robert Lindley (Robert Ryan) on a train going from one post war Germany city to another, by chance meets Dr. Bernhardt (Paul Lukas), a peace activist who is the target of assassins. 

Tense drama, as authorities aided by most of the people who met Dr. Bernhardt (on the train) search the ruins for clues to his whereabouts. Those opposed to the peace conference had abducted him.


*Sea of Grass* (1947)  Not the usual Tracy & Hepburn film, but a rather intense drama in which T is a tough no-nonsense cattle baron type, & H is his bride to be, who had no idea the kind of man he was. T does some dirty underhanded things to discourage homesteaders from intruding upon the Govt. land he, and other cattlemen use for grazing. H produces a daughter, then, in disgust, goes to the big city and has an affair with Melvyn Douglas; 9 months later a son is born. T does not even suspect, or, perhaps is in denial that MD is the father.  

the cook's voice indicated that he was the guy from Green Acres & Petticoat Junction. I seem more or just as inclined to recognize voices as faces, & it was over 40 years ago, last time I saw Green Acres. Edgar Buchanan as Jeff, the ranch's cook.


----------



## REBerg

*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker*
Entertaining, although I find myself wondering how Leia and Han could have had such an unattractive offspring.


----------



## Parson

*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker* as well. I liked it very well.


----------



## Anthoney

*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker* . As much as I disliked the last one and was afraid I would dislike this one, I ended up liking it.  Definitely the best of the 3 new movies.


----------



## Av Demeisen

Scratch that: Cats film to be 'resupplied' with 'improved visuals'

Perhaps they could also hire a smelltrack artist for the authentic litter box experience?


----------



## AstroZon

*Once Upon a Time in Hollywood *(2019) D. Quentin Tarantino, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

It has its moments, and it's almost 2 movies: one with DiCaprio and another with Pitt.  But ultimately I found it strange that Tarantino decided to rewrite history al la Forrest Gump.  The ending is pure Tarantino - over the top and unnecessary.


----------



## Randy M.

*Green for Danger* (1946), dir. Sidney Gillat, starring Alastair Sim, Leo Genn, Sally Gray, Trevor Howard

Based on the novel by Christianna Brand, Sim plays Inspector Cockrill and helps confirm my impression that 1940s-'50s British-made movies are always better for his presence, this mystery deals with why a man is murdered on the surgical table. The narrow list of the suspects consists of two doctors and three nurses.

Set in 1944, the atmosphere of menace is introduced immediately by the sound of V1 rockets passing overhead, most on their way to London, but one lands in this little town and initiates events by hurting the postman.

I haven't seen all that many of Sim's movies, but he's one of those actors that seems to be working at a different level from those around him, almost like a character from a different comedic movie transferred into a more conventional melodrama. Even so Trevor Howard and Leo Genn keep up quite well, Sally Gray is convincing as the level-headed love interest for the two men, and Megs Jenkins at times seems a bit like she followed Sim from that other production, in a good way. 

If you like '40s black & white movies, this is a fun one.


----------



## dask

*White Christmas* (1954) with Bing Crosby and directed by Michael Curtiz (*Casablanca*). Sort of the flipside to *Holiday Inn* since Irving Berlin's seminal classic plays such an important part in each. Pretty good story of post-war show business with great Irving Berlin songs and eye catching choreography. Vera-Ellen is stunning in her skimpy costumes. The part of the movie I dislike the most however is extremely annoying misunderstanding between Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. It gets resolved at the end but only for Clooney and the audience. Poor Bing never really knows what he did to upset her or why Clooney had a change of heart. Dean Jagger pretty much steels the show as the retired Two Star General.


----------



## Vince W

*Scrooged* (1988). A surprisingly well done film with some rather scary moments for the younger viewers. Murray is no Alastair Sim but it's probably my third favourite version following *Scrooge *and *A Muppet Christmas Carol.*


----------



## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> *TALES OF THE RAT FINK* (2006) A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ED ROTH, WHO designed & built custom cars, but also drew weird creatures and weirder cars for T-shirts & posters.



I'm a tremendous fan of his.



*Black Christmas* (1974) - I finally got my chance to see this cult classic, horror flick. And what a time to watch it too (a few days ago). Jeepers creepers was it disturbing. Excellent for it's genre, even for today.

*The Love Guru* (2008) - In my own defense, your honor. "I did not want to see this movie, ever." However, a friend wanted to watch it because he likes the actor MIKE MYERS (as do I). But unfortunately he was unaware this movie had a multitude of bad reviews. Curiosity got the better of me, and I agreed to watch it.

I am now certain, I never want to see that film again.

*Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead* (2014) - If you enjoyed the first movie, like I did, you'll have a great time with this sequel. This movie picks up right where the first film left off. Fantastic zombie movie.

*It's a Spongebob Christmas* (2012) - One of my favorite animated holiday treats. I've watched this special episode many times this month (many times in the past too). Outstanding stop-motion animation. (not a cartoon)


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *Green for Danger* (1946), dir. Sidney Gillat, starring Alastair Sim, Leo Genn, Sally Gray, Trevor Howard
> 
> Based on the novel by Christianna Brand, Sim plays Inspector Cockrill and helps confirm my impression that 1940s-'50s British-made movies are always better for his presence, this mystery deals with why a man is murdered on the surgical table. The narrow list of the suspects consists of two doctors and three nurses.
> 
> Set in 1944, the atmosphere of menace is introduced immediately by the sound of V1 rockets passing overhead, most on their way to London, but one lands in this little town and initiates events by hurting the postman.
> 
> I haven't seen all that many of Sim's movies, but he's one of those actors that seems to be working at a different level from those around him, almost like a character from a different comedic movie transferred into a more conventional melodrama. Even so Trevor Howard and Leo Genn keep up quite well, Sally Gray is convincing as the level-headed love interest for the two men, and Megs Jenkins at times seems a bit like she followed Sim from that other production, in a good way.
> 
> If you like '40s black & white movies, this is a fun one.


Oh, I remember that film, & that the title referred to the compressed gas tanks used during surgery.  As I recall, green was for oxygen. I could say more, but rather recommend watching it, as it is very good! Thanks for the post, Randy M!

*The Maltese Falcon* (1931) Ricardo Cortez as Sam Spade, while Bogart was working as supporting roles. If not for the Noir version, this one seems to me that it stands up rather well. Some scenes seemed to have their scripts directly re used in the Noir version. 

TCM is running films followed by their remakes, and I just happened to be viewing the schedule for the next few days. 

Anyway, definitely pre-code, & it shows. Ruth Wonderly (Bebe Daniels) has a bath, is stripped searched by Spade. Plenty of suggestive dialog. Naughty, naughty!

The biggest difference I could see, other than the ending, was the inactivity of Wilmer Cook  (Dwight Frye). He rarely speaks, and makes no threatening gestures toward anyone. No fewer than 3, count 'em, 3 *Frankenstein* films, & several other horrors. But, because this guy never took off his cap, & kept his collar up, I could hardly see his face. The guy who portrays Dr. Joel Cairo (Otto Matieson), was the least familiar to me; he died just one year after this film.  He was just creepy enough. Gutman (Dudley Digges) out lived him considerably, & looking at his wiki page, he appeared in a few other films I had seen, but I still cannot recall him.  I think I had seen the guys who played the cops elsewhere, but this was not the 1st time I saw this film. OMG! Detective Sergeant Tom Polhaus (J. Farrell MacDonald) has got a massive filmography! I know I have seen him elsewhere! 


Now to watch the Noir version, while this one is still fresh in memory!


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Maltese Falcon* (1941) Not the least bit boring, after seeing the 1931 version just a few hours earlier. But, I am retired, so, no doubt, that makes a difference.  As far as plot goes, Wilmer is far more active in this version, than in the 1931, Spade uses different slang to suggest a homosexual relationship between Gutman & Wilmer; and because of the far greater / more frequent conflict between Spade and Wilmer, there is a likewise far more frequent use of derogatory language about the two. 

This version ends with everybody leaving Spade's apartment; while the 1931 version goes on for at least another 5 minutes. Spade visiting  Wonderly/ O'Shaughnessy in jail, and a few other scenes. I think the better ending is in this version.  Both versions have all the required elements of Noir, but, it seems anything earlier than the '40s, does not qualify. The Femme Fatale, the bad guys, the good guys, the hero/protagonist, caught between them, etc. , they are all in both. Sad that Muller will never do the 1931 version; he would have a ton of details to share.

There are far more familiar faces here, than in the 1931 version, too many to even be fair mentioning just a few. So, I will suffice with 2. I believe this was Greenstreet's 1st film. It is interesting to note that his name appeared on the 2nd frame of cast members; while in *The Mask of Dimetrios* (see page 841), Greenstreet's name is above Lorre's, whose name was among the top 4, here. 

If not for my admiring of Bogart in his prime, I would say both versions are about equal in their quality. This version is better in some regards, while the earlier one has its own merits, etc.


----------



## AstroZon

I have a Special Edition DVD of the Maltese Falcon with 3 complete films: the 1931 version with Ricardo Cortez, a 1936 version called Satan Met a Lady with Warren William and Bette Davis, and the 1941 classic with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, & Sydney Greenstreet.  I like the 1931 version too, but the 1941 version just gets everything right: the mood, the mystery, the fast dialog, and especially the acting.  BTW, Satan Met a Lady isn't worth watching.


----------



## AstroZon

*Maigret: Little Pigs Without Tails* (2004) Season 8, Bruno Cremer (French TV) (I know it's not a movie, but it's well produced and runs about 100 minutes.)  Usually when a television series runs long, it loses its impact, recycles plots, or totally jumps the shark.  So I was quite surprised to find Maigret still quite good in Season 8.  Little Pigs Without Tails (Les Petits Cochons Sans Queue) is my favorite from this season.  

Paris Police Commissaire Jules Maigret (Bruno Cremer) is finishing up an official duty in a small seaside town.  The local police commissioner doesn't like such a heavyweight official around and is quite happy to see Maigret return to Paris.   However while packing, Maigret is approached by the hotel maid who asks him if he'd speak to her friend who is in some kind of trouble.  He agrees and the maid brings her friend, Germaine Leblanc, into his room.  She states that her husband is missing.  He delays his departure a few hours to investigate and realizes that there's more to the matter than it seemed.  Of course, he extends his stay much to the frustration of the local police commissioner.  

What makes this episode especially good is the report between Maigret and Ms. Leblanc.  They match wits throughout the episode as she tries to keep him from digging too deep.  At one point, she's driving a red Ford Edsel convertible when Maigret comments on what a nice car it is.  She responds to the much older Maigret that it's her husband's, but she, "prefers newer models."  I don't even speak French, but still I know a double entendre when I hear one.


----------



## Jeffbert

AstroZon said:


> I have a Special Edition DVD of the Maltese Falcon with 3 complete films: the 1931 version with Ricardo Cortez, a 1936 version called Satan Met a Lady with Warren William and Bette Davis, and the 1941 classic with Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, & Sydney Greenstreet.  I like the 1931 version too, but the 1941 version just gets everything right: the mood, the mystery, the fast dialog, and especially the acting.  BTW, Satan Met a Lady isn't worth watching.


I know I saw *Satan Met a Lady*, as Warren William is one of my favorite actors. I do not remember it, though. 

Yes, Greenstreet & Lorre whether by intention or chance, had a chemistry that worked very well & resulted in an additional 8 or 9 films. I also like Barton MacLane, & being retired, would look through TCM's daily schedule searching for supporting actors. I suppose I started doing this because of a WB cartoon, depicting many Hollywood  celebs, including Bogart. I knew little if anything about most of them, but have seen films with many since then.

Oh, just noticed the poster on the wiki page, deceptively shows Bogart in a threatening pose holding the 2 .45s had had taken for E. Cook, Jr. I heard something about a book titled "*Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart*" * sure enough, there it is on Amazon. Anyway, this film earns that title, despite the poster.


----------



## Toby Frost

Was Ed Roth anything to do with Rob Zombie? Their art styles seem very similar.

I've been watching *The Fellowship of the Ring* again. It's one of those films that I know better from memes and parodies than I do from the film itself. But none of those have weakened it, which is surely a sign of quality. The story is a bit of a mess (obviously, it's part of a longer story) but it convinces, and that's the important thing. Still very good indeed.


----------



## IAmTR

Star Wars episode 9. It was fun but kinda crappy too. Still better than that awful The Force Awakens. But this movie was exactly what it was: JJ Abrams cramming two movies into one because he didn't direct the last one. This trilogy was such a mess. Shame on Disney and Kathleen Kennedy for being so careless with one of the biggest and most beloved brands in cinematic history.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Paddington 2*. Excellent.


----------



## AstroZon

Jeffbert said:


> Oh, just noticed the poster on the wiki page, deceptively shows Bogart in a threatening pose holding the 2 .45s had had taken for E. Cook, Jr. I heard something about a book titled "*Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart*" * sure enough, there it is on Amazon. Anyway, this film earns that title, despite the poster.



In "The Big Sleep," Bogie has a gun and uses it.   Elisha Cook Jr is in it too.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Flying Guillotine* (1975)  The Emperor decides he needs an elite group of assassins because it is much easier to simply kill your enemies than it is to bring them to trail. So, they invent this thing that is thrown like a Frisbee, lands on the victim's head, and with a quick tug on the attached cord, removes the head with a camera shutter-like action.

But after so many successful 'executions' the Emperor decides that some of the assassins themselves, have turned against him. 

The whole idea seems absurd, as the thing must weigh about 5 pounds at the least, yet, it 'flies' just as easily as a Frisbee. The idea of stopping it midair directly above the target/victim dropping upon / around his head, etc. is hilarious. 

I recall seeing a documentary about such a weapon, and how it would / wouldn't work.


*Girls Und Panzer Der Film* (2015) Another absurd film; this time delicate high school and middle school girls fight battles in WWII tanks. They drive through the city destroying buildings and businesses while parents and families sit in bleachers watching the action on huge video screens. Nobody is even injured, much less killed.  The tanks are rendered rather well, but glimpses of details are very brief. So, this one school which is among several competing was to win the game, and save it from closing. But the girls learned the hard way that a verbal agreement is only worth the paper its printed on. So, they will close the school anyway. One chance is to defeat the college team's 30 tanks with their 8. Fortunately, all the other High School teams join to even the odds.


----------



## Pyan

*Moana* (again). I love this film.

_Moana_: "I'm _not_ a princess".
_Maui_: “If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess.”


----------



## AstroZon

Jeffbert said:


> *Girls Und Panzer Der Film*



No cliches in this Anime film.  It's wacky, nonsensical, unpredictable, and totally fun to watch.


----------



## svalbard

*The Irishman*

De Niro, Pesci and Pacino all sharing a screen. Add to that a who's who of every actor who has appeared in a gangster movie in the last 40 years and you must have a classic at hand. 

I am happy to report that yes is a classic in the making. It is 3.5 hours long but I didn't feel the time pass so engrossed was in the movie. 

It is a career high performance by Joe Pesci who outshines his more illustrious co-stars.


----------



## Randy M.

*Ghost Light* (2018), dir. John Stimpson; starring Roger Bart, Cary Elwes, Shannyn Sossamon, Carol Kane

Watched this mainly for Elwes, Sossamon and Kane, then realized I've seen Bart in other things and liked him well enough; ditto Steve Tom.

A roving band of thespians settle in a small town to present the Shakespeare play about the Scottish King. You know, the one whose title shouldn't be named in a theater because it's a haunted play, cursed even. Naturally, someone doesn't believe and mutters the King's name repeatedly, thus calling down the curse and the movie follows the consequences of that bad decision.

Elwes has fun playing an inept but apparently popular soap opera actor trying to pull off the role of MacBeth (oops) and Carol Kane is funny as a very theatrical older woman, one of the witches in the play. Bart has a sad sack face that works perfectly in his role as manager, and I was struck by how good Sossamon is as she takes on the persona of Lady M. -- I recall thinking she could be a break out star when I saw her in _A Knight's Tale_ and then didn't see her again for years. 

This movie is best when working comedy -- it's meant to be a comedic ghost story, with moments accentuating the ghost story. Really not bad, not great, but a fun couple of hours if you like low-key comedy about the theater, or you could just go read Fritz Leiber's "Four Ghosts in Hamlet".

Randy M.


----------



## Starbeast

*Pirates* (1986) - I thought it was dull and too chatty, but OK. I had high hopes that the ending was going to big great, but, it wasn't. I did like actor, Walter Matthau's accent in this Roman Polanski film.

*The Christmas Chronicles* (2018) - Actor Kurt Russell portrays Santa in this (mostly for kids) holiday flick. Mr Russell is the main attraction for me, because I admire his acting. And Kurt played his part well.


----------



## Anthoney

I thought that was the 3rd in his escape trilogy, Escape from the North Pole.


----------



## gtempel

Bohemian Rhapsody
I liked it. I t had a nice slow pace and even though it is somewhat fictional history it is still great-  awesome performance and god damn Queen made a ton of awesome songs - there were so many songs where I was "Wait that is Queen as well?" - awesome movie I will have to rewatch in English as the German dub is probably not doing it justice


----------



## AlexH

Continuing my catch up of some highly-rated 2010s films and a couple of recent releases. Best first:

*Balloon *(2018)
Excellent German drama about a family who attempt to cross to West Germany from GDR in a homemade hot-air balloon. Based on a true story, and set 10 years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

*The Handmaiden *(2016)
Some of the best films come from South Korea. Sumptuously-filmed thriller/romance about a plot to defraud a rich heiress, told in three parts with a somehow-erotic tooth-filing scene.

*Game Night* (2018)
Fun comedy that also works well as a thriller about a game night that goes wrong. The female cast had as many (if not more) laughs than the male cast, which seemed refreshing. Maybe a twist too far near the end.

*Boyhood *(2014)
A mostly captivating film about life, filmed with the same cast every year for 12 years. 

*Silver Linings Playbook* (2012)
I'm not usually a fan of romcoms but didn't know what I was getting into. This was pretty good, both funny and heartfelt, about two characters who struggle with mental illness.

*El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie* (2019)
A good but unnecessary film that follows on from one of the best TV series ever. I'd only finished watching Breaking Bad recently, in an attempt to avoid spoilers for this film.

*I, Tonya *(2017)
Interesting and unusual biopic about ice-skater Tonya Harding.

*Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker *(2019)
Satisfying enough and the best of the trilogy, but not a patch on my favourite of the new films, Rogue One.

*Elle *(2016)
French thriller about a woman who tracks down and seeks an unconventional form of revenge against the man who raped her. I thought it was overlong, but it kept my interest and the ending was good.

*Force Majeure* (2014)
Supposedly a comedy centred on an avalanche during a family ski holiday. I've no idea where the comedy was, but instead this was an interesting drama that played on the expectations of gender roles. Left me thinking at the end.

*Booksmart *(2019)
The night before graduation, two smart high-school girls decide they haven't partied enough so attempt to make up for lost time. Enjoyable, but not as fun as I was expecting.

*Anon *(2018)
Dystopian sci-fi set in a world without anonymity or crime. It was an intriguing premise that didn't live up to the promise it set. Oddly (especially given how recently it was made) without any female cast that weren't there for sex.

*Lost in Paris *(2016)
French comedy about a woman who visits Paris for the first time, trying to find her missing aunt. Despite a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, the 83-minute running time dragged.


----------



## Al Jackson

AlexH said:


> *Midway* (2019)
> The story of the Battle of Midway from WWII. It looked good but otherwise was just okay. I've only seen bits of the 1976 version, and that seemed to develop more of the Japanese side than the new version.


Finaly saw this Roland Emmerich movie, you know this may be the most enjoyable  Emmerich film I have seen.
Critics really savaged it, they are right, it is sort of clunky and old fashioned...… but it is an accurate , if pretty brief, telling of the actual event.
It has Pearl Harbor, Doolittle's raid and the Battle of Midway all crammed into around 2 hours... its an OK movie.
I understand Emmerich got half the budget from China so that's why the Doolittle sequence is longer than need be.
CGI VFX look good enough , never been done for this war event that I know of....the film in the 1970s could not take advantage of CGI.
I am a sucker  for WWI and WWII movies , if they are good... I notice 1917 will be out soon, looks interesting.


----------



## Guttersnipe

It's a Wonderful Life. It was great, but the I wish the set-up were shorter.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just watched *The Swimmer* (1968), with Burt Lancaster. What a strange movie! Based on a 1964 fantastic/allegorical short story by John Cheever. It feels as if Rod Serling had decided to make an Antonioni movie, without quite getting it. Art-house _Twilight Zone_. At the same time, it gets increasingly uncomfortable, and quite harrowing by the end. In the last few minutes, with Marvin Hamlisch's score in full force, it almost feels like a 1950s melodrama, before giving way to the _Twilight Zone_ twist ending. Seriously, it might have been greatly improved had Serling shown up at the end with a monologue: "This was the story of Ned Merrill, who one summer day thought he'd make his way home by swimming through all his neighbors' pools. But on the way, he learned that you can never go home again. Even... in _THE TWILIGHT ZONE!"_

Still, I rather liked it. Indeed, one of the strangest major-studio releases of the '60s.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

svalbard said:


> *The Irishman*
> 
> De Niro, Pesci and Pacino all sharing a screen. Add to that a who's who of every actor who has appeared in a gangster movie in the last 40 years and you must have a classic at hand.
> 
> I am happy to report that yes is a classic in the making. It is 3.5 hours long but I didn't feel the time pass so engrossed was in the movie.
> 
> It is a career high performance by Joe Pesci who outshines his more illustrious co-stars.


I had a really, really hard time with the digital de-aging. I wish he had made it with younger actors. (And I'm a Scorsese superfan!)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cone of Silence *AKA *Trouble in the Sky *(1960)

British aviation drama.  Begins with some kind of official inquiry into why a commercial jet aircraft failed to take off, killing the co-pilot.  Pilot error or design flaw?  George Sanders is his usual silken-smooth self as somebody questioning the scapegoat pilot.  (This all looks like a courtroom drama at this point, as Sanders seems to be something like the prosecuting attorney, although it's not really a trial.)  The pilot (Bernard Lee; good to see him as somebody other than M) gets a reprimand, is tested for his flying skills (which are excellent) and goes back to work.  Peter Cushing shows up as a fellow pilot who thinks Lee should go back to prop planes and leave the jets to younger pilots.  Some time is killed with a budding romance between the nominal hero, a pilot who instructs others on flying jets, and Lee's daughter.  There's also a dramatic scene in which a freak hailstorm bursts the windshield of a plane in flight, and Lee demonstrates his superb flying skills by making a safe landing anyway.  The plot really kicks in when  Lee is killed in a nearly identical accident to the one that got him in trouble in the first place.  It sure looks like he was the problem, but there's more to it than meets the eye.  Lots of other fine actors in the cast make it very watchable, despite a rather slow and sedate mood for a melodramatic plot.  Quite technical at times, as you can tell by the original British title (there's a scene that demonstrates the term) compared to the simplistic American title.  A major plot point is whether the "no stick" speed during takeoff (don't ask me what that means) should be 118 kilometers per hour or 126.  Should be a treat for aviation buffs.


----------



## Steve Harrison

Watched The Two Popes on Netflix and it's right up there with my favorite films of the year. Terrific acting from Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce (as you would expect), a wonderful script and a fascinating look at the Vatican.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Calculated Risk *(1963)

British heist flick.  Older man gets out of prison after some years, is picked up by his brother-in-law, they visit the grave of the ex-con's wife, who died while he was in stir.  Of course, the jailbird has plans for One Last Job.  It seems that there's a couple of houses bombed out during World War Two.  From the cellar of House One, it would be possible to tear out the bricks leading to the air raid shelter in House Two.  From there, it should be possible to blast through the wall into the vault of a bank.  Complications ensue, particularly the fact that there's an unexploded German bomb underground.  In the usual way, things go very wrong.  Notable for the constant snow everywhere, adding to the claustrophobic feeling, and the way that the crooks seem like ordinary working class guys, pleasant enough although definitely not good guys.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*What Have You Done to Solange? *(_Cosa avete fatto a Solange?_, 1972)

West German/Italian _giallo _set at a Catholic girls's school in London.  Starts with a couple in a canoe on the Thames.  The woman sees a figure in black and a knife.  That ends the romantic encounter on the water.  It turns out that this is our so-called hero, an Italian teacher at the school, married to a German teacher, who is having an affair with one of the students.  Of course, what she saw was the first murder, done in a way that I cannot describe here without violating forum policy.  Circumstances make the adulterer the best suspect.  As more murders occur, the affair comes out, and things look worse and worse for the guy.  In the usual fashion of these things, it's up to him to find out what's behind the killings.  Suffice to say that it definitely has to do with what happened to Solange (who is not one of the murder victims.)  The violence is not particularly explicit, but is quite disturbing.  Since this is a girls' school movie, female nudity is abundant.  Nicely filmed and rather compelling in its own creepy way.


----------



## Rodders

The Dead Don’t Die.

Okay, mildly amusing and warrants a second viewing.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*The Bridge of Spies *is definitely becoming a classic in my books. Tom Hanks is brilliant. 10/10.


----------



## mosaix

*Flint Street Nativity. *Watching it as I write - hilarious.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Belly of the Tarantula *(_La tarantola dal ventre nero_, 1971)

Stylish _giallo_, notable for the fact that the protagonist, rather than being an innocent witness and/or suspect, is the police inspector on the case.  The murder method is particularly bizarre, involving a long acupuncture needle dipped in a substance that causes total paralysis, leaving the victim helpless while a knife does the rest of the job.  The convoluted plot involves blackmail, cocaine, and so on, so we get a scene where the inspector is chasing the husband of the first victim, who is himself chasing a blackmailing photographer.  The inspector is a tormented figure, unsure that he is able to handle the case, and completely snapping when the crimes come too close to home.  Overall, a good example of the genre.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Two Towers (2002)*: slightly less good than Fellowship, but still very strong and a decent adaptation of the source material. It does feel like a lot of talking followed by a lot of fighting, but it looks amazing. Bernard Hill as Theoden is very good, and Miranda Otto as Eowyn is surprisingly good too. The struggle in Rohan is interesting, but the elf bits really drag. I still have the feeling that Middle Earth (presumably meant to be the size of Europe) is about as big as Wales. Andy Serkis is excellent as Gollum.

I do wonder what the candidates who failed the interview for Chancellor of Rohan were like, given what Grima Wormtongue is like.


----------



## hitmouse

Rear Window. I do like a bit of Hitchcock now and then, and this has possibly the greatest screen kiss ever. Must be the 10th time I have seen this. More to the point, it was the first time my 17 year old has watched it, and he thought it was brilliant.


----------



## Rodders

I saw the new Power Rangers movie earlier in the week. It actually started out pretty well. A typical origin story, but then robot dinosaurs came into it and ruined it. Big time. (I actually found myself rather embarrassed to be watching it at this point.)

Elizabeth Banks looked like she really enjoyed hamming up the bad guy role.


----------



## biodroid

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I loved it, don't know why it's getting so much hate, it was easily the best of the latest trilogy for me.


----------



## dask

Recently watched Peter Jackson's *They Shall Not Grow Old* which was a very impressive and innovative bit of documentary storytelling, Ron Howard's *Eight Days A Week* which was just plain cool, and the new *Little Women* at the local art house cinema. The place was packed and I was one of about four or five males which made me feel surrounded by a couple of hundred lesbians who had the hots for Saoirse Ronan just like me.


----------



## CupofJoe

hitmouse said:


> Rear Window. I do like a bit of Hitchcock now and then, and this has possibly the greatest screen kiss ever. Must be the 10th time I have seen this. More to the point, it was the first time my 17 year old has watched it, and he thought it was brilliant.


Many years ago I got to see a 70 mm print shown on a huge screen. Each of those little windows becomes a story all on its own.
As for me, it's New Year's Day and I'm hungover, so I'm rewatching old war films.
The Longest Day
Went The Day Well
In Which We Serve
The Dambusters


----------



## Toby Frost

They're all good, but Went The Day Well is an excellent film.


----------



## Jeffbert

The Longest Day: "*Gert*" *Fröbe*  before / other than *Goldfinger* was actually occasionally comic-relief. Not that he was only that, but, here he is a bicycle courier who is blown over a hedgerow and lands on his ass, otherwise unhurt. I had no idea, until I saw this very serious film that it would have such content.


*Evil Brain From Outer Space* (1957/1958) A truly weird, awful  , but for some, such as myself, rather funny film / films from Japan. I had no idea that 3 films had been chopped-up, and cobbled together to make this.

Starman, whose tight-fitting costume is just a bit too revealing for my tastes, has come to destroy the brain that is leading the attempt to conquer the Earth.


*Attack of the Monsters* / _*Gamera vs. Guiron*_ (1969) two naughty little boys find a flying saucer, and board it. They are flown to the far side of the sun, where they meet two young women on a devastated planet, who want to eat their brains.   Yet, it is not revealed to the boys that they are on the menu, until later.

Guiron has a meat cleaver-shaped head, and is controlled by the cannibals.  Pure kiddy film, but, I did enjoy it.  As usual, Gamera saves the day.


----------



## Rodders

The Sound of Music. I’ve not watched it before. What a lovely film.


----------



## Starbeast

*War Pigs* (2015) - A little gem of a World War 2 movie. This film does well with a tiny budget. I like these "secret mission" flicks.


----------



## Foxbat

I watched Hammer's Countess Dracula last night. It's not one of Hammer's best but it got me interested in finding out more about Elizabeth Bathory (on which it was based). 

It seems she was possibly history's most prolific female serial killer.








						Elizabeth Báthory - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## Guttersnipe

@Victoria Silverwolf Nice! I've just started watching giallo films and I love them. One I like especially is The Bird With Crystal Plumage.

The last film I saw was Border (Gäns in the native Swedish), which, without spoiling it, is about a supposedly deformed woman who possesses the ability to smell guilt. One day she meets a male who deformities resembles hers...


----------



## Jeffbert

War Pigs' tanks do not seem from WWII. At least in that poster.


*Cash on Demand* (1961) Hammer's contribution to Noir; at least Muller says so.  Also says that it is somewhat based on Dickens' (or is it Dicken's?) A Christmas Carol.  Peter Cushing as the Scrooge guy, Andre Morell as the G of XMas whatever. I don't know if it really qualifies as Noir, but it was very good. Sad story about its publishing, Hammer shelved it, then chopped it, and put it as the 'B' picture along with an 'A'. 

So, Cushing is a business only during business time, and Morell comes in to the bank, identifies himself as an insurance inspector or some such thing, gain's Cushing's confidence, then, once the two are alone, tells him he is a bank robber, & his friends have Cushing's wife & kid as hostages. Along with ordering Cushing's cooperation, Morell also rebukes him for being a skinflint, and cruel to his subordinates. Very entertaining!


----------



## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> War Pigs' tanks do not seem from WWII. At least in that poster.



I think it's the company that creates movie posters. Using a computer to slap images together. And perhaps the individual who created this poster, didn't think about small details. I've seen B-movie posters that have the same images used in other posters.



*Gallery of Horror* (1967) Not a bad old anthology film. The late, great John Carradine is the narrator. Plus, the late, great Lon Chaney Jr. is also in this creepy cool movie.

*The Murders in the Rue Morgue* (1986) Wonderful version of Edgar Allan Poe's mystery tale. Actors, George C. Scott & Val Kilmer are the stars in this eerie flick.

*Little Big Top* (2006) Outstanding drama with actor, Sid Haig starring as a retired clown, who discovers a little circus in town. I was stunned to discover this gem.


----------



## Soran

Coupla nights ago I watched "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood".






And I have to say... I was mesmerized and moved.  In case you're holding your nose and thinking it must be sentimental schmaltz, let me say that it manages not to be. Legendary kids' TV show host Mr. Rogers is not even really the film's protagonist, instead it's the inwardly broken and cynical magazine jounalist played by Matthew Rhys, (if like me you were wowed by him in The Americans, you 'll know what a great performer he is.)  He is a man who hates his own father, (portrayed by the magnificent Chris Cooper) because of the way he failed him and his dead mother. The way this is explored and resolved is, for my money, something both beautiful and painful. I guess I may be responding to it because I myself have two sons from whom I am estranged. One I haven't seen for 17 years, one I had to leave behind in China when I could no longer get a visa to live there.

It could certainly be described as an old-fashioned kind of film, because the focus is on a belief in genuine human goodness and the possibility of redemption. It kind of put me in mind of the kind of film-making Terry Gilliam was aiming at in The Fisher King, (there is a magical scene on a New York subway train where Mr. Rogers is serenaded by everyone in the carriage with an impromptu performance of the title song. One of those things that could have been toe-curlingly awful, yet manages to be transcendant, just like the railway station dance scene in Gilliam's movie.)

If you're up for a movie that genuinely makes you want to be a better person, I recommend it.


----------



## Parson

@Soran, I wholeheartedly agree. It is a great movie.


----------



## hitmouse

Holiday Inn (1942, I think). This is a musical/ dance number starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astair. My goodness, time has not been kind to this film. Viewed through contemporary eyes, certain scenes and some of the characterisations are pretty jaw-dropping and really quite difficult to watch, except as a piece of history with a clear divide from 21st century mainstream attitudes. Apart from that it is just a piece of wartime Hollywood fluff with one very famous song.


----------



## Vince W

*The Thing *(1982). A classic and a masterpiece.

Now is the time for a sequel. MacReady is found living in the arctic far away from people and is forced to help explain and destroy the alien after another body is found in Antarctica.


----------



## Steve Harrison

I saw *Little Women*, which I thought was excellent and very moving, but a little too long, and *The Gentlemen*, the best and funniest gangster film I've seen in years. It's like Tarantino without the self-indulgence.


----------



## J Riff

Vince W said:


> *The Thing *(1982). A classic and a masterpiece.
> 
> Now is the time for a sequel. MacReady is found living in the arctic far away from people and is forced to help explain and destroy the alien after another body is found in Antarctica.


it's complicated with that huge spaceship there... maybe there's still thing-stuff in there... but MacReady and pal are still alive... rescue party finds the ship, and... hmmmm, uhh... cut to older MacReady... I don't see it yet.


----------



## Rodders

MacReady should be the Thing. Rescued and brought back to an Airforce base for debriefing. It will not go well.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Road to Utopia* (1946) Hope, Crosby, & Lamour in one of the strangest  'road' films, I have ever seen. Robert Benchley pops up from time to time, in the upper left corner to share some tidbits with the audience.

So, the gold miner is murdered by McGurk and Sperry,  who have an unexpected encounter with frauds Duke Johnson (Bing Crosby) & Chester Hooton (Bob Hope), running from an irate audience whom they had fleeced. Oops, the frauds knock out the murderers and knowing nothing of the murder, assume their identities, because they are tough guys, & they presume nobody will bother them. Hope intends to go to NY, but Crosby to Alaska. Oops, Crosby tricks Hope into boarding the ship, just as it is leaving. The Murdered man's daughter Sal Van Hoyden (Dorothy Lamour), also wants her papa's map to his gold mine.  

Very much fun!


*Repeat Performance* (1947) Is this actually Noir? Muller thinks so; though in the post film lecture, he did mention Rod Serling & The Twilight Zone. The film opens, it is New Year's Eve 1946, the bells are tolling 12, & Sheila Page (Joan Leslie) had just murdered her husband, Barney Page (Louis Hayward), and is wishing she could live 1946 over again, and somehow avoid that final act of the year.  

This is the NY arts crowd, the Murderess is an actress in Broadway stage, others are in the same circle. Richard Basehart as William Williams makes his film debut, in a supporting role, as a troubled poet, who ends up in the nut house, but has a contribution at the film's end.

1st time on TCM, apparently, just recently restored. Nice to see a film I never even heard of, on Noir Alley!


----------



## Vince W

*Game Night *(2018). A hugely surprising film. I thought it was primarily a comedy but it's so much more. The cast is top-notch and wonderfully entertaining. I'm not going to say anything about the plot, just see it for yourself.


----------



## J Riff

Rodders said:


> MacReady should be the Thing. Rescued and brought back to an Airforce base for debriefing. It will not go well.


still dunt add up... what about his pal? Woont he do him in and thing-ize him too? And we have to recreate the young MacReady... 
Maybe just - no thingage left round the base... decades pass, then they find sumpthing. A thing-bit frozen somewhere that a dog finds. Or something. But they should get on it!


----------



## Anthoney

Vince W said:


> *Game Night *(2018).



There's a movie I wanted to see but forgot about.  The trailer was great.


----------



## AlexH

*Prisoners *(2013)
I'm not sure how I missed this until now, especially considering it stars Jake Gyllenhaal and was directed by Denis Villeneuve. Gripping thriller with an excellent cast as a father seeks his missing daughter.

*Mission: Impossible - Fallout* (2018)
I hardly ever see films more than once, but I enjoyed this more than when I saw it at the cinema. Probably the best M:I film.

*Shoplifters *(2018)
Touching Japanese drama about a family of petty thieves who take in an abused girl they see left out in the cold. I wasn't quite sure about one aspect of the ending: 



Spoiler: spoiler



why didn't the family admit the real parents mistreated their daughter?



*Shazam!* (2019)
Fun enough superhero film that didn't quite hit the heights and wasn't sure whether it was for adults or kids. I think they should've gone for the latter as the 'adult' stuff wasn't really that funny.

*Tag* (2018)
Based on a true story about a group of school friends who continue a game of tag well into adulthood, when even living hundreds of miles apart doesn't stop it. It started hilariously, but was just okay in the end.



Vince W said:


> *Game Night *(2018). A hugely surprising film. I thought it was primarily a comedy but it's so much more. The cast is top-notch and wonderfully entertaining. I'm not going to say anything about the plot, just see it for yourself.


I agree. I watched Game Night recently - my review is a page or two back. It's one of the best comedies of the 2010s even without the thriller aspect, and the reason I watched Tag, to try and find more good surprising comedies!


----------



## Vaz

*Cats (2019)*

So horrendous it's hilarious. Unfinished CGI. Stories and plots seem pointless. I can't believe it turned out so bad with such a star studded cast.

The positive to the movie is it has two good songs. Both wonderfully performed. The remaining hour and a half is awful though.


----------



## CupofJoe

Had a bit of a classic Movie Marathon. Or rather a Billy Wilder movie marathon.
*Some Like It Hot* [1959] Billy Wilder
*The Apartment* [1960] Billy Wilder
Four and a bit hours well spent.
The sexual politics of The Apartment are strange to watch now, but I doubt much has changed if you have power and influence over others.
As for SLIH, I just love it. The jokes are still funny, the characters spot on and the cameo and bit roles note perfect.
And I want to know what the full joke about the one legged jockey!
After that I listened to [rather than watched] *The Magnificent Seven* [1960] John Sturges. The soundtrack is a knockout and work listening to on its own. I'd have watched it but I had some writing to get done.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Rewatched _Moana_. It's something of a so-so film, well animated, with great moments, but otherwise drags because of the incessant musical numbers. The ending is clever, but not enough to inspire watching it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

CupofJoe said:


> Had a bit of a classic Movie Marathon. Or rather a Billy Wilder movie marathon.
> *Some Like It Hot* [1959] Billy Wilder
> 
> As for SLIH, I just love it. The jokes are still funny, the characters spot on and the cameo and bit roles note perfect.
> And I want to know what the full joke about the one legged jockey!


I watched that a year ago, and I just do not understand how a physically normal man could ever pass for an attractive woman.    Likely the only film in which most viewers have seen Joe E. Brown, though not too likely they knew who he is.


----------



## Randy M.

Brown was popular in the '30s into the early '40s, I believe, so contemporary audiences would have likely still known him, especially since his turn in _Show Boat_. For today's audience, Alibi Ike isn't even a memory and he's the weird old guy in _Some Like it Hot_.

Finally saw _*The Set-Up*_ (1949), dir, Robert Wise; starring Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter

Wise is one of my favorite directors -- _The Body Snatchers_, _The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Haunting, West Side Story, The Andromeda Strain, Star Trek: THe Motion Picture_ -- and I'd never seen this, by many accounts his best. Broken down lug, Ryan, is sure he can beat the young guy he's boxing that night. Wife Totter is tired of seeing him pummeled, wants him to quit. The fix is on, but his manager doesn't tell him, certain he'd lose anyway. This all works out in real time over the course of the movie. It's film noir, and pretty dark about the underbelly of organized boxing, which was fair since boxing had strong ties to organized crime at the time.


Randy M.


----------



## svalbard

*The Last Days.*

A Spanish apocalypse movie. No zombies just an unexplained  pandemic called The Panic. A clever movie and claustrophobic.


----------



## Rodders

One of the best movies I have seen in a while.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> Finally saw _*The Set-Up*_ (1949), dir, Robert Wise; starring Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter
> 
> Wise is one of my favorite directors -- _The Body Snatchers_, _The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Haunting, West Side Story, The Andromeda Strain, Star Trek: THe Motion Picture_ -- and I'd never seen this, by many accounts his best. Broken down lug, Ryan, is sure he can beat the young guy he's boxing that night. Wife Totter is tired of seeing him pummeled, wants him to quit. The fix is on, but his manager doesn't tell him, certain he'd lose anyway. This all works out in real time over the course of the movie. It's film noir, and pretty dark about the underbelly of organized boxing, which was fair since boxing had strong ties to organized crime at the time.
> 
> 
> Randy M.


I think this film was on NOIR ALLEY, withing the past 3 or 4 months. Very intense.


----------



## Randy M.

About _The Set-up:_



Jeffbert said:


> I think this film was on NOIR ALLEY, withing the past 3 or 4 months. Very intense.



I've seen more movies with Robert Ryan than I ever did before because of Noir Alley, and my estimation of his abilities has gone up considerably. I also agree with Mueller that Audrey Totter should have been a bigger star than she was. 

Randy M.


----------



## svalbard

I thought Robert Ryan was great as Ike Clanton in Hour of the Gun. One of the better movies about The Gunfight at the OK Coral and the aftermath. Jason Robards made for a brilliant Doc Holliday and James Garner a very stoic Wyatt Earp.


----------



## J Riff

*Operation:Skybolt* 1967
As Greek mouzouki music plays we see a striptease in a nightclub, then a beating at the boat club, then a car chase and some guy dragged out, until finally at 5:35 a bad guy says: 'Take it easy, nothing will happen.'
But, a hydrogen bomb has been stolen from a NATO base in Turkey, and Don is gonna hafta go find it. He asks- 'Any clue as to who's behind the Hoist?' So we prepare for further dubbing issues.
Don, code name Alex, is forced to go after his brother Jack, code name Achilles... so he hits the Mermaid pub and then hits on hard-drinking Paula, she tells him a few things but a poison dart ends the conversation.
He meets another dancer, but first has to beat up a guy in his room who gets electrocuted by a trap set for him, then he throws the guy out the window into a big dumpster. Then he wails on the girl with his belt, but they make up and make with some trite dialogue in bed.
At Paula's funeral, a mystery tune is hummed... but Don can't remember what it is. More nonsense, Don disables some guy by throwing chalk in his face. He finds a geiger counter in the nightclub.
"I do the whistling in my league.' Then, we see soap suds thrown on a copy of Playboy magazine...
Don is electro-tortured by a hand-cranked dynamo... a good guy bursts in and shoots everyone, but still nobody knows anything about the bomb.
"Don't you think I'm stacked?" ...geeee... well, now it's closeups of guitar player's hands, no relation to what is playing.. Toni dances in a balloon costume, they go pop, pop,pop... they dodge a couple thrown knives, Don starts a car with a hairpin. Car chase, bad guys fly off a cliff. Don says 'It's all over,' but there's still an hour left in this thing.
Don tips the band, they play the mystery song. "Yeah, the old guy with the guitar.. the guy that never came back, was my brother, Jack." They do some Greek dancing.  Aha, Jack, sitting in a dark room, plunking at a guitar, but he's blind.
The rest of this plays out on a yacht, with the bomb set to take out a fleet of ships. China and Armenia are involved somehow..  Rita has a ring that shoots poison darts, but Don gets loose and grabs a machine gun. Everyone escapes, they bust down a door and stop the clock at one second. The movie ends as awful mousouki music plays, while tape-wow from an old VCR goes on, then there's a half hour of blank blue screen, which is an improvement. What is "Operation:Skybolt" ?-  No idea, I'm just glad they finally shut that bloody mousouki up!


----------



## Jeffbert

What? Nothing about a cheese shop?


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hound of the Baskervilles* (2000) Not a bad little made-for-TV version of a Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson mystery.

*Tankers* (2018) Excellent subtitled film about a WW2 Russian tank crew. Based on a true story.


----------



## Foxbat

Holiday On The Buses was on TV the other day. Lots of_ phwoar_! and saucy seaside postcard-like escapades. Brainless nonsense but it made me smile once or twice.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Airship Destroyer* [1909]
Airships are attacking England and no-one can stop them!!! They are striking at will and indiscriminately across the land and there is nothing that can be done!!! Aircraft sent up to attack them seem useless. All is lost!!!
Except a scientist that has developed an aerial torpedo [that looks one part Dragonfly, one part cardboard loo roll, with hints of V1 thrown in - it had rockets and a propeller]. 
It is launched!!! 
And takes down the offending airship!!! [and then he gets the girl, and yes there are a lot of exclamation points!!!].
All this in 6 and a bit minutes
The special effects weren't bad especially given the films age, I've seen worse in films 50 years younger.
It had an odd sound track that I assume wasn't original. but it was discordant enough to also be interesting.
And all this because I wanted to know how far a cruise missile could fly...


----------



## Vince W

Foxbat said:


> Holiday On The Buses was on TV the other day. Lots of_ phwoar_! and saucy seaside postcard-like escapades. Brainless nonsense but it made me smile once or twice.


I have a soft spot for On The Buses in general because it was brainless nonsense.


----------



## Parson

CupofJoe said:


> *Airship Destroyer* [1909]



1909??!!! Wow a S.F. movie that early? That's hard to believe. I'm not a movie buff so maybe there had been some earlier but this is the earliest I ever hear heard about. 

Edit: Just watched it. It is not half bad for a silent flick. For 1909 it had to  be way ahead of the curve.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice*_ (2019)

A CNN documentary about the life and times of singer, Linda Ronstadt. For anyone who lived through her rise to fame, and maybe more so for those who came of age in that era, her music is woven into our memories of the time -- she mainly covered the songs of others, making hit after hit with them, including versions of "It's so Easy", "Desperado," "When Will I be Loved," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and especially "Blue Bayou." This is a fascinating survey of her life and career -- I hadn't realized she was tied into the birth of the Eagles and her connection to J. D. Souther -- and bittersweet given her diagnosis of Parkinson's. 


_*Bad Times at the El Royale*_ (2018), dir. Drew Goddard; starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm

Nifty crime thriller. We know from the start a man hid a suitcase in a hotel room, and that he was killed shortly after. Now in the 1960s the old hotel, no longer much visited, has several strangers show up at one time, at least some of them looking for the suitcase. And the old place has a secret or two of its own to complicate matters. Intriguing for about 3/4 of its running time, I thought it tailed off a little toward the end. Notable for a bit hammy but enjoyable performance by Chris Hemsworth (uncredited) and its indication that Dakota Johnson can act -- she's pretty effective in this one. Bridges is solid as usual, and Erivo is a strong presence with a terrific singing voice.


Randy M.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Randy M. said:


> Notable for... its indication that Dakota Johnson can act -- she's pretty effective in this one.


Dakota Johnson is excellent in the _Suspiria _remake.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Mortal Engines last night. I thought it was pretty entertaining. The two leads were enjoyable enough. I wouldn’t mind having a go at the novel.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Rodders said:


> watched Mortal Engines last night. I thought it was pretty entertaining. The two leads were enjoyable enough. I wouldn’t mind having a go at the novel.


It's pretty good! YA, so an easy read.


----------



## Vince W

*Ghostbusters* (1984) and *Ghostbusters II* (1989). The first is definitely better but both still have a certain charm that similar films fail to achieve. Apparently there is a third film due to come out this year.


----------



## Jeffbert

Thanks for the post about *Tankers*, *Starbeast.* I just watched that film, & liked it; though the Mark IV panzers were Russian tanks in drag. The large road wheels are a dead give away.  A few years ago, I saw a Soviet WWII film, with a USSR tank wearing a Tiger skin. 

Speaking of Tigers, I just watched *Tiger Day: Tiger Tank 131*,  & *Tiger 131 Revisited*. Both are documentaries from the Bovington Tank museum in the UK. Sadly, neither satisfied my desire to see Tiger 131. There was just too much of everything else. There were a few HD inside the tank clips, & I was happy about them, but too few of those. As a former tank model builder, I want more!  The latter film did have a War Dept. film about *how to recognize a Tiger*, & a few pages from the Tiger's crew manual. But they cropped the film to make it widescreen! 

They showed radio control tank models, & there was one brand that used true to scale thicknesses on the parts it its kits. Interesting, but the the film jumped around and changed scenes far too often. Just as they were showing the inside of the engine compartment of either the model or the real thing, they changed scenes, and went to a clip of an interview of a visitor to the museum. No fair!  



*The Big Sleep* (1946)
I have seen this more than a few times, but this was NOIR ALLEY, so, I could not resit!  Muller spoke about the plot being somewhat hard to follow, though it was secondary to the film being enjoyable. 

So, this prominent wealthy family has daughter problems, & hires a P.I. to solve them.  Bogart  & Bacall, again. Great film!  E. Cook, Jr., again, in a supporting role.


----------



## dask

Saturday: *1917 *in the afternoon, *Easter Parade* in the evening. Two great movies in the same day. What are the chances of that?


----------



## Al Jackson

dask said:


> Saturday: *1917 *in the afternoon, *Easter Parade* in the evening. Two great movies in the same day. What are the chances of that?


Went to 1917 , it was good, there are not that many modern films about WWI , I think Paths of Glory and  Gallipoli were better … this is a straight forward story , kind of WWI Saving Private Ryan … a little less elaborated... thought the recent Dunkirk was a better war story... but liked this one.

* *


----------



## Parson

Just finished watching all 9 of the Star Wars movies. It is quite a different experience to watch them in timeline order. Surprising, to me the prequels come off much better there, then when I saw them originally.


----------



## Anthoney

Parson said:


> Just finished watching all 9 of the Star Wars movies. It is quite a different experience to watch them in timeline order. Surprising, to me the prequels come off much better there, then when I saw them originally.



Good to know.  That's something else I've been wanting to do. I've also wondered how I would see the prequels and I hoped I would see them as better than I did.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Shining* [1980] Stanley Kubrick
I'm sure I saw it not long after it came out, and I think I've seen it once on TV in the last 40 years. But on Sunday I sat down and watched it without interruptions [119 min cut]. It is still as scary as anything without being too graphic. and I could rave about Kubrick's auteur style, but I won't. It's a Kubrick film. Every shot looks great... Even if you don't like the picture.
But... the acting from _Jack Nicholson_ just seems so over the top. Maybe it's because I have 40 more years of Nicholson acting memory to call on that is colouring my view. _Shelley Duvall _shows someone unravelling quiet well [I forgot she was Olive Oyl in Popeye about the same time]. But for my the stand out is the perfectly underplayed _Scatman Crothers_. He makes the film for me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood of Dracula's Castle *(1969)

Bottom-of-the-barrel vampire flick from grade Z filmmaker Al Adamson.  Starts with a lousy song as a woman drives somewhere.  Includes exciting things like closeups of the dashboard.  Car breaks down (although it looks like she just parks it somewhere.)  She walks around, sees our Igor character (hilariously named Mango), screams, faints, get carried away.  

Cut to a photographer and a model taking pictures at Marineland.  Through their banter we learn they're engaged.  We also see some nifty footage of walruses and such.  While riding on a rotating tower at the sea park, some guy brings them a telegram.  It seems the photographer's 108-year-old uncle died and left him a castle in the desert, which is rented by a couple.  

Cut to the castle, a real place in California that some rich guy built many years ago.  The couple are, of course, Count and Countess Dracula, although they use the name Townsend.  They're civilized types, drinking blood cocktails brought to them by their loyal butler, George (John Carradine!), who keeps a bunch of young women chained up in the dungeon.

The Draculas somehow arrange to pay a prison guard five thousand bucks to let out their friend Johnny.  Johnny likes to kill people, especially during the full moon.  (Apparently some TV versions of this thing add a few minutes of footage, with another actor, establishing that he's a werewolf.)  He kills a bunch of people on his way back to the castle.

Photographer and model show up and the movie slows down to a crawl.  Eventually we find out the Draculas and their servants and friend worship the moon god Luna, sacrificing women to it now and then.  After a while, our hero and heroine win out.

Lots of amateurish acting, and the whole thing seems like a parody of horror movies, but without the comedy.


----------



## Toby Frost

I also watched *The Shining* again quite recently and was struck by how mad Jack seems from the start. I still think the performance works, though: it just made me think that their home life was probably stranger and more worrying than I'd originally thought. There are hints that he is a violent man, and/or is recovering from a terrible crisis, and I wondered if I'd missed them on earlier viewings.


----------



## Foxbat

*BlacKKKlansman *I thought this was a powerful film that, whilst carrying a strong and important storyline, was not without its moments of humour. I'd say that this was one of Spike Lee's best movies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Break *(1962)

British crime film starts with a bang.  We see two guys roll off a moving train, fighting each other.  One punches the other senseless (and, we're told later, kills him.)  Then he gets picked up by a truck, down a river by boat, and into another truck, where we see he's got handcuffs.  Cut to the titles.

After this tense opening sequence, without dialogue, we see three people, on holiday, being driven by jeep to an isolated farmhouse somewhere in Devon.  The landscape is all mud and low-lying brush, creating a real sense of bleakness.  There's a talkative fellow, and two taciturn folks, a man and a woman.  The silent man is a novelist, obviously bitter for some reason; the mouthy guy isn't what he seems to be; and the woman is the innocent sister of the guy who escaped from the train while he was on his way to prison.  She's there to bring him the loot he got from the robbery that was supposed to send him behind bars.  Add in the proprietor of the bed-and-breakfast farmhouse, in on the scheme to help the crook and his sister get away to Argentina; the proprietor's wife, having an affair with the crook; a couple of mute servants; and the local religious fanatic, and you have the recipe for a couple of killings and lots of plot twists.  There's a nifty chase scene with a guy in a jeep after a guy on foot, through the rugged countryside.  Not bad at all.


----------



## Starbeast

@Jeffbert You're very welcome. I want to see it again.


*Gone With the West* (1974) Stars: James Caan, Sammy Davis Jr. & Stephanie Powers. A violent, quirky and sometimes surreal western, with a blend of groovy music in the background. James Caan portrays a framed man, but once out of prison, he's filled with vengeance and takes care of business. Be sure to watch the movie all the way to the credits (you'll find out why). I liked this weird little flick.

*Fury of the Demon* (2016) A documentary investigation on the rarest and most controversial French movie in the history of early cinema: a fascinating, lost and dangerous short film which causes violent reactions to those who watch it. This movie was first screened in 1897, then viewed again in 2012. The film was either created by the great founder of cinema, Georges Melies, or a mysterious man named, Victor Sicarius. I was blown away by this documentary, I thought it was incredible, shocking and thought provoking.


----------



## AlexH

*Wild Rose *(2018)
Excellent film about a Glaswegian country singer just released from prison who aims to make it in Nashville, though it's more about her relationship with her family. What an amazing job Jessie Buckley did (acting as expected but singing too)!

*The Way He Looks* (2014)
Easy-to-watch Brazilian film about a blind teenager and his best friend...until a new classmate comes along. A nice film!

*Isle of Dogs *(2018)
I don't get the big deal with Woody Allen films. This was good with quirky moments I enjoyed, but wasn't anything special. That's what I usually think about Woody Allen films. I couldn't get past Walter White for the Bryan Cranston dog character...

*How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World* (2019)
The animation looked great but the film didn't engage me. I don't think I've seen the second one.


----------



## Foxbat

*Once Upon A Time In Hollywood*. An enjoyable if fairly typical Tarantino romp into what might have been. It's amusing stuff (especially the fight scene with Bruce Lee) but is it worth a golden globe? I think not.


----------



## AlexH

I watched three films today:

*1917*
The cinema showing was at 19:15 rather than 19:17. I haven't been a big fan of recent highly-rated war films such as Dunkirk, but 1917 was excellent. And was it shot in two takes? Wow! That really worked to keep you in the moment rather than constant camera cuts.

*Mustang *(2015)
An excellent and powerful Turkish film about five orphaned sisters whose innocent play with a few boys on the beach is taken out of context, leading to the girls' imprisonment in their own home by their grandmother and uncle. I believe the five who played the sisters hadn't acted before, and they were so good I didn't even think they were acting. The film has been compared to The Virgin Suicides, and I could see why.

*Giovanni's Island* (2014)
Another war film based on true events - this time an anime about the friendship between a Japanese boy and Russian girl when Soviet solders take over a Japanese island towards the end of WWII. It was good, so aside from 1917, one of the better recent war films I've seen.

And erm...I meant Wes Anderson, of course:


AlexH said:


> *Isle of Dogs *(2018)
> I don't get the big deal with Woody Allen films. This was good with quirky moments I enjoyed, but wasn't anything special. That's what I usually think about Woody Allen films. I couldn't get past Walter White for the Bryan Cranston dog character...


----------



## Vince W

*John Wick 3*. I wasn't expecting much but it was much better than 2. The story was more engaging and despite some of the overlong kill sets it had some life to it that was missing in 2. I'll be sure to take a look at 4.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Blood of Dracula's Castle *(1969)
> 
> Bottom-of-the-barrel vampire flick from grade Z filmmaker Al Adamson.  Starts with a lousy song as a woman drives somewhere.  Includes exciting things like closeups of the dashboard.  Car breaks down (although it looks like she just parks it somewhere.)  She walks around, sees our Igor character (hilariously named Mango), screams, faints, get carried away.
> 
> Cut to a photographer and a model taking pictures at Marineland.  Through their banter we learn they're engaged.  We also see some nifty footage of walruses and such.  While riding on a rotating tower at the sea park, some guy brings them a telegram.  It seems the photographer's 108-year-old uncle died and left him a castle in the desert, which is rented by a couple.
> 
> Cut to the castle, a real place in California that some rich guy built many years ago.  The couple are, of course, Count and Countess Dracula, although they use the name Townsend.  They're civilized types, drinking blood cocktails brought to them by their loyal butler, George (John Carradine!), who keeps a bunch of young women chained up in the dungeon.
> 
> The Draculas somehow arrange to pay a prison guard five thousand bucks to let out their friend Johnny.  Johnny likes to kill people, especially during the full moon.  (Apparently some TV versions of this thing add a few minutes of footage, with another actor, establishing that he's a werewolf.)  He kills a bunch of people on his way back to the castle.
> 
> Photographer and model show up and the movie slows down to a crawl.  Eventually we find out the Draculas and their servants and friend worship the moon god Luna, sacrificing women to it now and then.  After a while, our hero and heroine win out.
> 
> Lots of amateurish acting, and the whole thing seems like a parody of horror movies, but without the comedy.


I SAW A FILM CALLED *Dracula The Dirty Old Man, *but I cannot find any info on it! I recall women chained to the wall, though. 


_*The Big Night*_ (1951) NOIR ALLEY. A nearly adult boy George La Main (John Barrymore, Jr.) asks about the three tickets to that night's fight, papa Andy La Main (Preston Foster) tells him that his girlfriend will not be going with them. It is the boy's birthday, and he fails to extinguish all the candles. 1 remains burning. Suddenly, a sportswriter (Howard St. John) bursts into his father's bar, demands father remove his shirt, and get on all 4s. He then beats him mercilessly with his cane. One of papa's friends has to restrain junior, who is freaking out. After the sportswriter leaves, nobody bothers to tell junior (John Barrymore Jr.) why that happened.  So, the kid grabs papa's revolver from the cash register, and goes out, determined to avenge papa. 



Spoiler



After much searching, the kid finally finds the sportswriter, whose name was Judge, in an apartment of a woman with a Polish name. He confronts him, accuses him, and wonders why he is in this woman's apartment. It turns out that he is her brother who changed his name to 'Judge', which is English for the Polish word. She is dead. She had committed suicide after the kid's father had refused to marry her. The kid wrestles the guy, a shot is fired, and the kid assumes he had killed the guy, so he flees.

The ending had the cops arrive at the bar/apartment, and arrest the dad, but the kid assumes dad is protecting him, and taking the rap for him. Dad explains a few things, apologizes for not having told his so about this and that,  but, unless I missed something, there was no reason stated or implied as to why they arrested the dad. He tells Jr. that he could not marry the woman because his wife, whom he had told the kid, had died, was alive, and he was still married to her.  But no explanation for arresting dad!? Maybe I should re-watch the ending. Muller spent most of the post film lecture on the director, who had trouble with HUAC, and little on the film itself.



This was ok, up until the ending, which left me scratching my noggin, wondering what I mkissed.


----------



## Vince W

*Peter Rabbit*. I'd heard good things about this but was sceptical. It turned out to be rather entertaining but the titular character was a bit of a knob and not very likeable. All in all, though it's a decent film for a chilly afternoon.


----------



## Rodders

I watched "The Dead Don't Die" again yesterday. I'm not sure what prompted me to watch it again, but it was better the second time around. It's got a social commentary on consumerism turning us in to Zombies. Good cast. Adam Driver is turning into quite a watchable actor.

I also watched "Replicas". A Keanu Reeves flick. Keanu is working on a government project to upload a human consciousness into a robot. His wife and family die in an accident and he uses his company's cloning facilities to clone them and upload them into their new bodies. I wouldn't say it was bad, but it wasn't good.


----------



## Mouse

*Voices*. Ryan Reynolds hears his bad cat and good dog talking to him. He kills people. There's a jaunty song at the end.


----------



## Randy M.

*Ready or Not* (2019), dir. Matt Bettineli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett;  starring Samarra Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien.

Grace marries into a family with a fortune from manufacturing games. What she learns on her wedding day is, first, the family has a tradition of playing a game on every wedding night. Second, the game is chosen by drawing a card randomly (supposedly) from a device given to their late grandfather by an acquaintance. Third, the family believes the acquaintance was the Devil. Fourth, picking "Hide & Seek" is bad. The new family member not only becomes the one sought, but is a sacrifice to the continued success of the family. Naturally, Grace gets Hide & Seek and her only chance is to survive until dawn, but if she does the family is certain something will happen to them.

Billed as horror/comedy, it is, but not as laugh out loud funny as, say, _Happy Death Day_. This is more satirical humor that mostly stems from the characters around Grace. I mostly recommend the movie because the cast is terrific: Weaving, Brody and O'Brien are all capable and work well together and much of the movie's success depends on Weaving being believable and she is; Grace is by turns, snarky, frightened, resourceful, determined, and so on, and Weaving nails them all. The supporting cast here is terrific, Andie McDowell, Henry Czerny, and Kristen Bruun (_Orphan Black) _among others make this worth watching. There are moments that are gory, especially toward the end, though one of the most gory I also thought was the most funny.


_*The Captive City*_ (1952), dir. Robert Wise; starring John Forsythe, Joan Camden

Part of the Noir Alley presentations from Turner Cable Movies, introduced by Eddie Muller. Muller explained this isn't really film _noir_ -- there are some trappings of _noir_, though I'd agree -- but it is the first movie in the 1950s shifting the focus of crime movies away from the personal and more toward the social. This comes in the wake of the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce led by Senator Estus Kefauver, who liked the movie enough to provide a filmed statement that runs after the movie.

When a private detective is murdered, an integrous small city newspaper editor becoming aware of the effects of a local bookmaking operation taken over by organized crime. Slowly he pieces together the corruption under the city's administration and business leaders he'd been unaware of during his five years as a resident and has to decide what to do about it.

Forsythe's first starring role, this is a nicely done, fairly straight-forward crime movie, based (loosely, I imagine) on Newsweek articles by one of the screenwriters. Early use location shooting rather than studio back lots for crime movies. Not great, but as watchable as every other movie I've seen from Wise.


Randy M.


----------



## Av Demeisen

*Color Out of Space*. I didn't realise this was based on Lovecraft. Pretty good horror. The film looks great in principle, but it was hard to tell how good the effects really are since this was a 1080p screener.


----------



## Parson

Mouse said:


> *Voices*. Ryan Reynolds hears his bad cat and good dog talking to him. He kills people. There's a jaunty song at the end.



  @Mouse your spare style and deadpan criticism of this flick makes me think you should do this more often. Maybe people would eventually pay to read them.


----------



## REBerg

*1917*
A well-executed, graphic reminder that war is horror. This film deserves its 10 Academy Award nominations.


----------



## Parson

I find myself thinking *1917* should have  been plotted for an earlier war. I know that a lot of communication during that war was done by telephone and telegraph. A runner with that important of a message doesn't ring true. --- But maybe there was a reason for the runner given in the movie?


----------



## CupofJoe

Parson said:


> I find myself thinking *1917* should have  been plotted for an earlier war. I know that a lot of communication during that war was done by telephone and telegraph. A runner with that important of a message doesn't ring true. --- But maybe there was a reason for the runner given in the movie?


First off, I haven't seen the film, so I don't know how it works in the film. At the time [or at any time really] Field Telephones were notoriously unreliable and usually didn't go all the way to the front line. If you wanted a message to get somewhere, send a runner or three...


----------



## REBerg

Parson said:


> I find myself thinking *1917* should have  been plotted for an earlier war. I know that a lot of communication during that war was done by telephone and telegraph. A runner with that important of a message doesn't ring true. --- But maybe there was a reason for the runner given in the movie?


I wondered about radio communications when I saw the trailer. They said very early in the movie that the "Huns" had cut the telegraph lines.


Spoiler



My wife and I were wondering how the paper message had not only survived but remained legible in the soaking it must have taken in the river.


----------



## TECHNISCOPE

I revisited "The Thing 1982 yesterday. The most realistic and chilling practical effects ever put on screen. The craft in this film is second to none.


----------



## J Riff

Parson said:


> @Mouse your spare style and deadpan criticism of this flick makes me think you should do this more often. Maybe people would eventually pay to read them.


yeah, at a penny a word you could... nm. )


----------



## Vince W

TECHNISCOPE said:


> I revisited "The Thing 1982 yesterday. The most realistic and chilling practical effects ever put on screen. The craft in this film is second to none.


Absolutely brilliant film and effects.


----------



## CupofJoe

TECHNISCOPE said:


> I revisited "The Thing 1982 yesterday. The most realistic and chilling practical effects ever put on screen. The craft in this film is second to none.


I've just rewatched *The Thing from Another World* [1951]. 
Okay, I'll admit that "The Thing" is a bit of a joke, but the rest of the film is still great. 
I think it has some of the best film dialogue ever.
And a score from Dimitri Tiomkin...


----------



## Randy M.

I generally prefer the 1951 version, probably in part from the nostalgia of first seeing it as a kid. And while I agree Carpenter's movie is technically excellent, the emotional distance between the characters dilutes its effect for me. If the characters in the Nyby/Hawks version had faced the creature in the Carpenter version, I might have been less on the edge of my seat than fallen off and curled up on the floor.

In another sense, the 1951 film is post-WWII product  -- cohesive American team work with good management saves the day. The 1982 film is a post-Vietnam product -- the rag-tag non-conformists narrowing down the possibilities through intelligent, ad lib decisions (and don't trust the authorities!), but never sure of the outcome all the same.

More recent versions appear to be post-Hollywood makes money on franchise products. 


Randy M.


----------



## CupofJoe

Randy M. said:


> I generally prefer the 1951 version, probably in part from the nostalgia of first seeing it as a kid. And while I agree Carpenter's movie is technically excellent, the emotional distance between the characters dilutes its effect for me. If the characters in the Nyby/Hawks version had faced the creature in the Carpenter version, I might have been less on the edge of my seat than fallen off and curled up on the floor.
> In another sense, the 1951 film is post-WWII product  -- cohesive American team work with good management saves the day. The 1982 film is a post-Vietnam product -- the rag-tag non-conformists narrowing down the possibilities through intelligent, ad lib decisions (and don't trust the authorities!), but never sure of the outcome all the same.
> More recent versions appear to be post-Hollywood makes money on franchise products.
> Randy M.


While I can appreciate it and even enjoyed watching it in the cinema, late one night, I'm not a fan of the Carpenter version because it is too visceral, when it doesn't need to be. At least for me.
Yeah, and teach me not to read the disc information closely... 
I bought the 2 disc box set, the original and follow up set... Only to find it was the 1982 "original" and the 2011 remake/follow-up. The latest film is fine, but it has nothing to add that isn't in the Carpenter version.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> _*The Captive City*_ (1952), dir. Robert Wise; starring John Forsythe, Joan Camden
> 
> Part of the Noir Alley presentations from Turner Cable Movies, introduced by Eddie Muller. Muller explained this isn't really film _noir_ -- there are some trappings of _noir_, though I'd agree -- but it is the first movie in the 1950s shifting the focus of crime movies away from the personal and more toward the social. This comes in the wake of the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce led by Senator Estus Kefauver, who liked the movie enough to provide a filmed statement that runs after the movie.
> 
> When a private detective is murdered, an integrous small city newspaper editor becoming aware of the effects of a local bookmaking operation taken over by organized crime. Slowly he pieces together the corruption under the city's administration and business leaders he'd been unaware of during his five years as a resident and has to decide what to do about it.
> 
> Forsythe's first starring role, this is a nicely done, fairly straight-forward crime movie, based (loosely, I imagine) on Newsweek articles by one of the screenwriters. Early use location shooting rather than studio back lots for crime movies. Not great, but as watchable as every other movie I've seen from Wise.
> 
> 
> Randy M.


I too, watched this film, and began wondering just what elements must be present for a film to be 'NOIR'? 

True, there are obvious things lacking, such as a femme fatale, a mastermind plotting a heist, etc. But the little guy, a editorial writer/1/2 owner of the local newspaper, trying to find out the whys and wherefores of the town's corruption. His being opposed by just about everyone whom he trusts, etc. Is this not noir?

Anyway, one thing I noted Muller not commenting about, is the police corruption, and that such a topic would be rather unpopular. Who wants to even imagine your local cop is on the take? But on this, Muller is silent. 

Damn, I hate February! No Noir Alley! August, too!  Just one more NOIR ALLEY this month, and then nothing until March. & this is leap year!


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> I too, watched this film, and began wondering just what elements must be present for a film to be 'NOIR'?



_Noir_ is a style as much as content, and there are only a few scenes in the movie that seemed _noir_-ish, like the P.I. just before being run over, or the reporter in his office late at night.



> True, there are obvious things lacking, such as a femme fatale,



A fair amount of _noir_ without femme fatales -- Phantom Lady and Laura for instance.



> a mastermind plotting a heist, etc. But the little guy, a editorial writer/1/2 owner of the local newspaper, trying to find out the whys and wherefores of the town's corruption. His being opposed by just about everyone whom he trusts, etc. Is this not noir?
> 
> Anyway, one thing I noted Muller not commenting about, is the police corruption, and that such a topic would be rather unpopular. Who wants to even imagine your local cop is on the take? But on this, Muller is silent.



Good point. Police and city corruption are a staple of _noir_, roughly parallel to the bad King/aristocrats of Gothic.



> Damn, I hate February! No Noir Alley! August, too!  Just one more NOIR ALLEY this month, and then nothing until March. & this is leap year!



It'll give me a chance to catch up a little with what I've recorded. 

Randy M.


----------



## IAmTR

I saw *Bad Boys For Life *on opening day but just now getting around to talk about it. I should start by saying Bad Boys was fun but not my favorite movie. However, Bad Boys 2 is one of my favorite movies of all time! It's Michael Bay at his best, using plot and character development as a minimal necessary means to string together jokes, explosions, car chases, and moments that make you go "awww yeah!"

Bad Boys For Life (not directed by Michael Bay) is everything I wanted from Bad Boys 2 plus a self aware acknowledgment of how long it's been since Mike and Marcus were on the silver screen together. It has the perfect balance of car chases and action with great banter between the characters plus the new element of them getting older which they bring about in hilarious ways. There are also a couple heart wrenching parts that I don't want to spoil.

One last note is that they did a great job with the villain. In Bad Boys 2 we had a villain in Johnny Tapia who was fun to watch on screen but at the same time you also couldn't wait to see him get what's coming to him. Bad Boys For Life gives us the same thing with Isabel Aretas, played by Kate  del Castillo (Pilar from Weeds). She is intense and kinda scary. Great on screen and just like Tapia, you can't wait for Mike and Marcus to take her down!


----------



## Rodders

Finally saw The Rise of Skywalker. 

Cliché, Sentimentalist tripe. Great fun! I loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blueblood *aka *Blue Blood* (1974)

Derek Jacobi is a hippie-ish aristocrat living in a gigantic Stately Home, on a huge estate which serves as a tourist attraction, containing a wild animal park with lions, hippos, giraffes, zebras, and so on.  He paints weird murals all over the interior walls of his house.  He's married, but also has a live-in mistress, which his wife tolerates.

Everything I've just said also applies to the real-life aristocrat Alexander Thynne, 7th Marquess of Bath, who wrote the novel on which this film is based.  The house and estate in the film is his, and his wife plays the mistress.  (The Marquess is said to have had 70 "wifelets," some of whom lived on the estate and gave him children, but the movie settles for one.)  

I'll assume the rest of what happens is fictional.  A German woman arrives to be the new nanny for the aristocrat's children.  The real star of the film is Oliver Reed, who plays a butler with a really odd accent.  He's clearly the real boss of the place, often openly insolent to the Lord and Lady of the place.  More than one character has visions/nightmares/hallucinations, filmed through a red filter, of Reed conducting some kind of Satanic ritual/human sacrifice.  The children suffer injury at the hands of adults, but, as with everything else in this movie, it's not clear exactly what happened.  Reed abuses the nanny, both masters and servants get stoned on drugs and booze, and other stuff happens.  The whole thing is like a Harold Pinter play mixed with just a touch of a Hammer horror film.  A real oddity.


----------



## etaylor

Star Wars: The Last Jedi....

What an absolute, raging dumpster fire of a movie. Its sad to see them have an opportunity to revive a beloved series and to watch them botch it so badly in so many ways.

If anyone from Hollywood is reading - the next time someone suggests dropping gravity bombs in space as if that's an intelligent idea, just fire them on the spot.

(Yeah, I've got some opinions... I know. Lol)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spare the Rod *(1961)

An example of the idealistic-new-teacher-arrives-at-tough-school genre.  It plays out the way you'd expect.  Our hero is thrown to the worst bunch of kids in the school.  Although they're in their teens, some can't even read or write.  They come from poverty-stricken homes.  (One boy has only one pair of trousers, so he has to wear a long coat over his underwear while they're being mended.)  They're a rowdy bunch, some of the boys already in trouble with the police, some of the girls precociously seductive.  Our hero tries to interest them in their learning, has some success, but also resorts to caning hands when he needs to.  A full riot breaks out when the most sadistic teacher at the school savagely beats a boy.  Despite all this bad stuff, there's the usual hopeful ending.  It's a pretty good film, a British *Asphalt Jungle *or a grittier *To Sir With Love*.


----------



## hitmouse

Parson said:


> I find myself thinking *1917* should have  been plotted for an earlier war. I know that a lot of communication during that war was done by telephone and telegraph. A runner with that important of a message doesn't ring true. --- But maybe there was a reason for the runner given in the movie?


When I was a child I met an old guy in Mildura who had laid telephone lines for the Australian Army on the front in WWI. This was the standard means of communication and the problem was that the lines kept breaking or being blown up. i suppose radio technology was not sufficiently practical in 1917. Without a line, a runner was necessary. 

His published memoir, which I tracked down years later, is absolutely harrowing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Light Up the Sky! *aka *Skywatch *(1960)

Comedy/drama dealing with a bunch of ordinary blokes serving at a searchlight/gunnery unit somewhere in England during World War Two.  Based on a play, so a lot of it takes place inside the building that serves as their barracks.  They're no heroes, not being above stealing eggs from local farmers or running off base to visit girls.  The plot is very episodic, ranging from a guy who wants to go to cooking school to a fellow whose adult son dies in action.  Towards the end, when Nazi planes finally show up, it becomes a real war movie.  Not bad, although it's odd to see Benny Hill and Tommy Steele in this kind of thing.


----------



## hitmouse

Watched *Valerian* last night with the kids. Pleasantly bonkers SF adventure. The whimsy of the original French comic stripcomes across quite nicely.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Destination Inner Space *(1966)

Low budget combination of *The Thing From Another World*, *It! The Terror From Beyond Space*, and *Creature from the Black Lagoon*.  Navy Guy arrives at civilian undersea station to check out the thing they found on sonar.  It turns out to be an underwater flying saucer.  They go inside the thing via its convenient hatch, find a cylindrical object, and bring the object inside the station.  The cylinder grows, and eventually our movie's Monster pops out, a guy in a rubber Fish-Man costume, notable for having a pale blue body and bright orange fins.  The rest of the film is a cat-and-mouse game between Monster and humans.  The models used to represent the station and the flying saucer are laughably cheap.  Most of the movie takes place on small sets.  The interior of the flying saucer shows some economical imagination.  The cylinder comes out of a triangular door, encased in a triangular block of ice.  There's a female scientist to fall into the arms of the hero, and a female diver/photographer to scream and show off her legs in tiny shorts.  Cheap but enjoyable kiddie matinee thrills.

*Castle of Evil *(1966)

Made by the same director as the above film, both completed in the space of two weeks.  Although this one is structured like an old-fashioned whodunit, the very first scene reveals the villainess.  She pays an undertaker to take care of a body, he knows the guy wasn't yet completely dead, he demands more money to keep quiet, she poisons him and turns his body into a skeleton inside a glass chamber using some kind of gas.  Cut to what would normally be our cast of suspects, if it hadn't been for this scene.  Six folks arrive at the island which holds the Castle of Evil.  (Where the heck is this thing supposed to be?  It's someplace conquered by Spain in the old days, but there's reference to voodoo.  There's also something about silver mines stolen from the "natives.")  Anyway, it seems that the evil guy who lived in the Castle has died, and these six folks all had motive and opportunity to kill him through some kind of accident involving phosphorus, so half of his face melted away before he died much later.  We see the grotesquely deformed corpse in its open coffin, and we get the usual reading of the will that tells us that his riches will go to those who don't die before it's collected, contingent on finding how who killed him.  Of course, folks get murdered one by one.  Since this movie hates suspense, we quickly find out that the villainess is the murderer, and that she is using a robot duplicate of the dead man, which he programmed with his own mind inside its computer brain, to kill the others off so she can get the loot.  Things don't work out well.  It's an odd mixture of Gothic Horror and Mad Science, and is a lot less interesting than that should make it.


----------



## Astro Pen

*La Dolce Vita (1960) *

Everyone should watch it at least once 
It is an education in style. Barely a frame you couldn't frame.


----------



## BAYLOR

etaylor said:


> Star Wars: The Last Jedi....
> 
> What an absolute, raging dumpster fire of a movie. Its sad to see them have an opportunity to revive a beloved series and to watch them botch it so badly in so many ways.
> 
> If anyone from Hollywood is reading - the next time someone suggests dropping gravity bombs in space as if that's an intelligent idea, just fire them on the spot.
> 
> (Yeah, I've got some opinions... I know. Lol)



Not a great film , but way better then the Lucas directed prequels.


----------



## etaylor

BAYLOR said:


> Not a great film , but way better then the Lucas directed prequels.



You'll get no argument from me.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a Korean movie called The Villainess last night. Extremely violent revenge flick, but quite well done. I need to rewatch it as there were some bits that I didn’t get.


----------



## Vince W

*Starter for 10* (2006). Set in Bristol in the mid-80s James McAvoy plays a student with a mission of getting on University Challenge. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this film. The cast is immense, including a pre-Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Gatiss. It's a difficult film to classify but it's very enjoyable and should enjoy a wider audience and reputation.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Curse of La Llorona *(2019) dir. Michael Chaves; starring Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz

An offshoot of _The Conjuring_ franchise, I think. Well-produced but mainly this feels by the numbers and never generates suspense. Cardellini is sympathetic as a mother protecting her children, but she's the only one with even minimal character development. Cruz is fine as a sort of Hispanic Van Helsing, but like the rest of the cast he's been dropped in a character slot with no support from script or direction to make the character something more. Not the worst movie I've seen, but I'll probably have forgotten everything about it in a week or so because there's so little there.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Pink Lagoon *(1984)

Not really a parody of *The Blue Lagoon*, although it's got some folks on a tropical island.  Our helpful narrator fills us in on our back story.  It seems that, a couple of years ago, a guy wrongfully accused of a crime and several women were on this island.  The women got rescued, he stayed behind because he didn't want to go to jail.  Now they come back, to tell him the real criminal got caught.  Complicating matters is a Science Guy showing up, looking for a treasure.  In actuality, however, he's there with a hidden film crew, and some actors to play "natives," to make a documentary about the accused man's story.  Lots of nice scenery and pretty music to make up for the silly, trivial plot.

*The Ribald Tales of Canterbury *(1985)

Although the film gives credit to the "novel" (sic) by Geoffrey Chaucer, the only thing they have in common is some folks telling stories on their way to Canterbury.  It's a pretty small party, consisting only of the Hostess, a Carpenter, a Knight, a Monk, a Miller, and the Lady (sic) of Bath.  Even with so few characters, we only get four stories.  The Knight tells how he found out that an Abbott was something other than an Abbott; the Carpenter tells how a Miller was prevented from cheating his customers; the Lady of Bath tells how she schemed to win back her ancestral lands from those who absconded with them; and the Hostess tells of a Gypsy who bargained with the Devil for a magic violin.  The whole thing looks like a Renaissance Faire (sic), with costumes a lot more colorful and pretty than anything folks really wore back then.  The music ranges from pseudo-Medieval to electronic, but isn't bad.  At least one person is really British, and the others make no effort to hide their American accents.

And I better not say anything else about these films and the very specific genre to which they both belong.


----------



## Randy M.

*Farewell, My Lovely* (1975) dir. Dick Richards; starring Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland

Staying home with a cold has some perks, like watching a movie I haven't seen in over 40 years. Mitchum was 58 when he made this -- according to Ben Mankiewicz, who introduced it on Turner Cable Movies, Richard Burton was originally slated to star as Philip Marlowe, the thought of which curdles my imagination -- and it was part of a productive decade for an aging star. Honestly, he comes across as too old for the role already -- and more so in the sequel, _The Big Sleep_, remake, a couple of years later, though I'm relying on memory for that -- but a lot is made up for with his delivery of some Chandlerian lines. And it's fun to watch some old pros like Mitchum and Ireland trade lines, and a new guy like Harry Dean Stanton making a claim to his place; there are also good appearances by Walter McGinn (sadly, he died two years after this) and Sylvia Miles, while Sylvester Stallone shows up without lines but does get to shoot someone. And Charlotte Rampling. Wow. If ever anyone caught essence-of-Bacall in a movie without being Bacall, it's Rampling in this one.

On the down side: At times the camera feels a static, almost like '70s made-for-TV movies, though the actors fill in adequately most of the time; the score is appropriate throughout with the exception of one stretch where it sounds like music for a different action/adventure movie; and because it was the '70s, Chandler's psychiatric facility is now a brothel, giving an excuse for some topless young women.

If you're interested in Chandler on screen, _Murder, My Sweet_, also based on this novel, is the better movie, but this one has a few things to recommend it.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Sound of Fury*_ / _*Try and Get Me*_ (1950) NOIR ALLEY & a TCM premiere, as I recall. Nice to see something I never saw before! Muuler had much to say about this one, & the actual incident it was based upon! I would never have imagined such could happen in the mid 20th century America. 

Anyway, Howard Tyler (Frank Lovejoy) has a wife (Kathleen Ryan), 1 boy, & anther child on the way. He lives in a low middle class neighborhood, and has just lost his job. Frustrated, he goes bowling, where he meets Jerry Slocum (Lloyd Bridges), who cajoles him into robbing a few gas stations. Now, he has money, and feels confident he can tell his wife a lie about working the night shift at some factory. 

But Slocum wants to move into the big time, so they kidnap a man; Tyler, is thinking a simple pay and release deal, and is more than just surprised when Slocum beats the guy to death, and stashes the corpse in what appears to be a quarry's pond.  Tyler is nearly out of his mind with grief.  He simply cannot deal with this. The two of them pick up a pair of women, and go out drinking. Tyler goes home with his date, and in a drunken-sleep deprived stupor, confesses to the crime when the woman comments on the lead story in the newspaper.

Gil Stanton (Richard Carlson) is the writer for a so-called yellow journalism newspaper, and his emotion charged rhetoric throws fuel on the masses fire of rage. BTW, there are more close-ups of newspaper headlines in this film than I have seen in any two or even three other crime films! Cooler heads prevail on him, and he begins to soften his rhetoric, but the editor likes the old way.




Spoiler



Eventually, they recover the corpse, arrest Slocum, and the mob demands instant gratification at the jail. I could hardly believe they overcame the police, tear gas and all, stormed the jail dragged the two guys out, and hanged them (as implied by the crowds' shouts). Even more surprised when Muller said this actually occurred in California. The guy at the jail called the governor and wanted the national guard. He refused, & even praised the mob after the lynching.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I watched two films recently, *Little Women, *8/10.
And *The Personal Life of David Copperfield, *8/10.


----------



## Jeffbert

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS commentary track. I had hoped to hear about the development of friendship between Heston & Robinson, but the woman who did the commentary, said nothing about it. Other than that, I found it very interesting, and well worth the time to play it. I did run it at 1.5x, and was working on things on the PC, so, it played in as small a window as was possible. The hailstones were popcorn! Who'd a-thunk that! Other funny ways they did the SFX, were likewise amusing to hear, but that is all I can recall.


----------



## Allegra

*Green Book* (2018), superb! Based on the true story of Don Shirley's performing tour, accompanied by Tony Lip, to the deep south in the early 60's. Fantastic screenplay and acting, funny, moving. My first thought afterwards was, after all, mankind has progressed.


----------



## Rodders

Jojo Rabbit. Both funny and sad, it was a wonderful movie.


----------



## AlexH

I had a strange run of films with actors I don't remember seeing before in consecutive films. Bookended by George MacKay (in 1917 and Captain Fantastic) were three films with John Cena and two with Leslie Mann (one that also starred John Cena). I feel like I'm playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. I'll stick to the films I enjoyed most:

*Bumblebee* (2018)
I'd given up on the Transformers films, but having grown up with the Herbie films, watched Bumblebee thanks to the yellow VW Beetle. The Beetle helped, but I enjoyed this film in its own right. It was charming, funny, moving and with action scenes that were actually believable. Great job!

*Captain Fantastic* (2016)
Dad raises his kids in the forest to a strict physical and educational regime, but everything changes when they're forced to enter the 'real world.' Very good, but seemed to try too hard to be thought-provoking, and had more potential I thought.

*Mommy *(2014)
Powerful and at times visceral film about a widowed mum trying to raise her teenage son, who has ADHD and violent outbursts. The 1:1 ratio worked well to focus on the amazing performances by the actors, though the occasional slow-motion montages could've been cut without losing anything.

*The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn* (2011)
Tintin sets off on a treasure hunt in a visually-stunning thriller. It was pretty good overall, though there were so many big names involved (Spielberg included), it was like they were desperate not to get it wrong.

*Role Models *(2008)
Since enjoying Game Night, I've been trying to find similarly surprising and funny comedies, but have been disappointed so far. Role Models only had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments and dragged at times, but managed to win me over with its fun and heartwarming ending. Starring Paul Rudd of Ant-Man fame, I enjoyed the joke (aimed at Rudd's character) about all white guys looking like Ben Affleck (considering I get the two mixed up).

Edit: I listed those in order of most to least favourite and just realised they're in date order.


----------



## Steve Harrison

Just saw MIDWAY. The battle scenes were excellent and it's well worth seeing if you are a fan of war films, but there was too much American schmaltz in the unnecessary family scenes. Not sure why producers think audiences aren't smart enough to see the characters as human beings without showing gratuitous and clichéd wives and kids.


----------



## Toby Frost

Randy M. said:


> *Farewell, My Lovely* (1975) dir. Dick Richards; starring Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland



I like this film a lot. Mitchum is definitely too old, but his delivery is very good. I particularly like the way that the film captures the sleaziness of Chandler's novels in a way that earlier films couldn't, but remains a very straight adaptation and  doesn't pull any revisionist tricks. For once, the brothel scene feels in keeping with the setting: the book contains an odd interlude involving a fake psychic and a Native American bodyguard, which feels as if it is commenting on a fad that's now been forgotten.


----------



## Randy M.

About *Farewell, My Lovely*, 1975:


Toby Frost said:


> I like this film a lot. Mitchum is definitely too old, but his delivery is very good. I particularly like the way that the film captures the sleaziness of Chandler's novels in a way that earlier films couldn't, but remains a very straight adaptation and  doesn't pull any revisionist tricks. For once, the brothel scene feels in keeping with the setting: the book contains an odd interlude involving a fake psychic and a Native American bodyguard, which feels as if it is commenting on a fad that's now been forgotten.



I agree that Mitchum's delivery is spot on. He should have played Marlowe 10-15 years earlier, and given his ties to film _noir_ I'm boggled that someone didn't do that in the '50s. 

It's been awhile since I've read the book, but I recall Marlowe being held in a sanitarium and drugged, not a brothel and drugged, but I agree that it isn't a big change and fits the story; as you say, "it captures the sleaziness of Chandler's novels".

My main complaint comes early on when the narrative engine seems to me to rev but doesn't move.  There were scenes where the camera was static, when maybe a scene didn't seem blocked out just right. I caught most of the Bogart version of _The Maltese Falcon_ yesterday and what struck me was how economical and efficient the movie was. Between direction, editing, camera angles, cuts and dialog, it sets up the story early, allowing for the twists and turns of plot to come into play as soon as possible. I wouldn't say the early part of F,ML, is bad, just a bit awkward, and the movie gets better as it progresses, in large part thanks to a good cast.

Randy M.


----------



## Toby Frost

I don't know if Chandler had a particular axe to grind with doctors, but Marlowe's interactions with medics never end well. IIRC, the madam of the brothel in the film covers the roles of both the fake psychic and the sanatorium owner. 

Yes, the Mitchum from_ Build My Gallows High_ would have made an excellent Marlowe. I never thought that Bogart was really the right man for it. The other problem is that a version of the Marlowe books made in the 1940s would take out a lot of the violence and squalor, which always felt quite important. 

Incidentally, Harry Dean Stanton is great in it.


----------



## Randy M.

Yeah, Stanton was always good and maybe especially when he played someone morally corrupt. 


Randy M.


----------



## Mouse

*Mortal Engines*. Read the book years ago, wanted to see the film when it came out but didn't have time. Saw it, liked it. Mad concept.


----------



## AlexH

*Big Fish & Begonia* (2016)
"Imagine The Little Mermaid crossed with Spirited Away and rocket-fuelled with bong water and you’re halfway there." says The Guardian review.

One of the most visually-stunning animations I've seen, I think the Chinese-made Big Fish & Begonia tried to be too much like a Studio Ghibli film in the end - and who can beat those? I did love the Ghibli-esque quirky touches (especially the Keeper of Good Souls and his cats, and where Rat Lady's rats (souls of sinning humans) came from and returned to) and parts of the soundtrack, though I didn't understand the magic at times and the film seemed messy in parts. Given it was the first film made by the two directors, they did a great job and only just fell short of an excellent film.

*Snowpiercer *(2013)
Sci-fi set in a post-apocalyptic future after a failed climate change experiment freezes Earth. Set on a train constantly circling the world that contains the only surviving humans, the lower class at the tail end of the train try to reach the front of the train. It started well but didn't suspend my disbelief, with some bizarre acting. The graphic novel it's from has been adapted into a TV series out this year.


----------



## Elckerlyc

*Inside Out* (2015)
Brilliant animation-movie from Pixar about the mind of 11-old Riley, brought to you straight from headquarters, where prime emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger & Disgust try to keep the train on track that's Riley's emotional life.
The delicate balance between the 5 prime emotions gets unbalanced when Mom, Dad and Riley move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Things turn into a possible disaster when Joy and Sadness get suck into the mechanics that stores daily events into long memory and are dumped between the memory banks. They now must find a way back to Headquarters, where meanwhile Fear, Anger & Disgust make disastrous decisions and lose control.
Funny, clever, imaginative and moving. A joy to watch.


----------



## Parson

@Elckerlyc .... I loved *Inside Out*. A very much under rated children's movie.


----------



## Elckerlyc

Parson said:


> @Elckerlyc .... I loved *Inside Out*. A very much under rated children's movie.


Not just children's movie. Fit for parents too, I'd say.   And grandparents!

Edit: for clarity's sake.


----------



## AlexH

Inside Out is very highly rated from what I've seen, which would make it over-rated in my opinion. It was good, but not a patch on Pixar's best.

Onto films I've watched this week, best first.

*Victoria* (2015)
By crikey. What an incredible piece of film-making. I remember overwhelmingly positive reviews when Victoria was released, but a clip I saw didn't appeal to me (I didn't want to watch drunk people messing about) and the one-take (for a 2hr 10m film) seemed a gimmick. It's far from a gimmick and makes you feel like you're right in the action. The cast were all totally believable and apart from a couple of minutes with music dubbed over and another few minutes the film could've done without in the first hour, this was an excellent film _forgetting _about the one take - and thoroughly compelling from an hour onwards. One of the best crime/thrillers I've seen.

*45 Years* (2015)
Good drama about a couple approaching their 45th wedding anniversary party (the 40th was cancelled due to illness), after the husband receives a letter saying his first love has been found frozen in time in a melting Swiss glacier. I missed one key element, which could've been clearer for people-who-miss-the-seemingly-obvious like me (I rewound to check) and probably took away some understanding of the film. The two leads were excellent.

*Son of Saul* (2015)
Similar to Victoria, with a close in camera technique, often over the shoulder. Saul is a Sonderkommando in a concentration camp, granted a slightly delayed death sentence for being responsible for clearing gas chambers. We don't see much of what's going on around Saul thanks to the shallow depth of field (and close to 1:1 ratio), but it's still horrific. I became tired of the shaky and over-the-shoulder camera view, which felt overdone compared to Victoria (I watched Son of Saul first), and I thought Saul needed to be more interesting or have a better motivation for his actions. Not that I'd want to second-guess anyone's mindset in such a situation, but films are about entertainment and/or teaching us something. Decent, but could've been much better.

How have I managed to randomly watch three films from the same year in a row?


----------



## Starbeast

*Road to Freedom: The Vernon Johns Story* (1994) - *Vernon Johns* (April 22, 1892 – June 11, 1965) was an American minister at several black churches in the South and a pioneer in the civil rights movement. He is best known as the pastor 1947–52 of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery Alabama. He was succeeded by Martin Luther King Jr. Johns was widely known in the black community across the South for his profound scholarship in the classics, his intellect and his highly controversial and outspoken sermons on race relations, which were ahead of his time.




Actor James Earl Jones, lead a fine cast in this inspiring film. Tremendous drama. Awesome.


*Spider-Man: Far From Home* (2019) - It was a pretty good film, not great, but pretty good. It did remind me a little bit of IRON MAN 3.


----------



## Jeffbert

Rodders said:


> Jojo Rabbit. Both funny and sad, it was a wonderful movie.


Oh! That is the one about Hitler Youth, and comedy, at that.

I watched 3 films on Prime the other night, stating with *Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster* (1965) in which the space agency decides it is better to send a Frankenstein-  monster type into space, than to risk the life of a human. So, just as this guy is being launched into space, the Martians are coming to Earth, looking for young fertile females with which to begin repopulating Mars. Mars, it seems, had been devastated by nuclear war.

The Martians all had pointed ears, similar to those of a certain other extraterrestrial we all know.

This turkey had a rather unusual spaceship:

Which made a bad film almost watchable. 

The Frank character had electronic parts in his skull, to, supposedly, make him controllable. I wonder if the guys who made ROBOCOP may have seen this?


This is Frank, before the Martian blast him with a death ray.


this is Frank after the Martians blast him.


This is a close-up of his head. Looks like parts from a transistor radio!

Prime gave a few suggestions after this, the one I selected was* Mutiny in Outer Space* (1965), which centers on a doughnut-shaped space station, in which fungus from the moon drives crew members mad. Plot was not too bad, but the special effects were lacking.

Last of all, *THE TROLLENBERG TERROR* (1958), better known in the USA  as *the Crawling Eye.* This was actually fairly good, until the Eyes were shown. I could not help laughing, even though, as SFX go, this was at least o.k., though it would have been better if the things were shrouded in mist, or otherwise hidden in the shadows.




These things do not even have mouths!

About the 1st 2 films, I had never even heard of them before; how sad!


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Stepford Wives (1975)*

Re-watching this film is like listening to someone telling a good joke whose punchline you already know. It's also rather slow and cumbersome, even for an older film, and takes a long while to unwind to its disturbing conclusion. However, it's surprisingly amusing (especially given the dated 1970s clothes and styling), thanks to Ira Levin's novel and William Goldman's screenplay (both good authors). It moves very skilfully from 1/3 sinister and 2/3 farcical, to outright horror, and ends with a great panning shot from one face to another sort-of-face. 

The film makes the smart choice of making both female leads likable and attractive - basically, the sort of people you'd have to be weird to want to dispose of. The subject matter is still extremely relevant (it probably always will be), the satire is powerful, and the scenes of the men's club are increasingly sinister once you know the ending. But did anyone really dress like that?


----------



## Boneman

*Little Women *last night. Saoirse Ronan is brilliant.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Southside with you* [2016] I don't know to its accuracy but it was a nice little tale of two people [who happen to be Barak Obama and Michelle Robinson] beginning to fall in love.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *The Dark Tower *starring Idris Elba.
Well that saves me having to read the books


----------



## Starbeast

*The Missouri Breaks* (1976) - Actors Marlon Brando & Jack Nicholson, star in this unique western (I should have seen this long ago). Basically it's about a gang of outlaws trying to keep out of reach of the law, but an infamous psychotic bounty hunter is set after them. An unusual, but good film.





*From Noon Til Three* (1976) - Actors Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland, star in this (other unique) western about an outlaw and writer who fall in love and through an odd turn of events, Bronson's character is presumed dead and Jill's character becomes a famous author by creating an embellished true account of her relationship with Bronson. For me, it's one of those movies that you can only watch once, because of how things turn out.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Toby Frost said:


> *The Stepford Wives (1975)*
> 
> Re-watching this film is like listening to someone telling a good joke whose punchline you already know. It's also rather slow and cumbersome, even for an older film, and takes a long while to unwind to its disturbing conclusion. However, it's surprisingly amusing (especially given the dated 1970s clothes and styling), thanks to Ira Levin's novel and William Goldman's screenplay (both good authors). It moves very skillfully from 1/3 sinister and 2/3 farcical, to outright horror, and ends with a great panning shot from one face to another sort-of-face.
> 
> The film makes the smart choice of making both female leads likable and attractive - basically, the sort of people you'd have to be weird to want to dispose of. The subject matter is still extremely relevant (it probably always will be), the satire is powerful, and the scenes of the men's club are increasingly sinister once you know the ending. But did anyone really dress like that?




Nice analysis.  I've read the novel and seen the original film (not the made-for-TV sequels or the remake.)  It is, perhaps, the only example I know of a science fiction feminist allegory from a male author.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Starbeast said:


> *From Noon Til Three* (1976) - Actors Charles Bronson & Jill Ireland, star in this (other unique) western about an outlaw and writer who fall in love and through an odd turn of events, Bronson's character is presumed dead and Jill's character becomes a famous author by creating an embellished true account of her relationship with Bronson. For me, it's one of those movies that you can only watch once, because of how things turn out.



A very unusual and interesting film, which is more about the myth of the West than the reality.


----------



## J Riff

*Vampires *1998 - James Woods as Jack, and his team hunt down vampires - goons and masters... and the head master Vampire is back, he needs the Black Cross, he finds it, he beats hell out of everyone, kills off Jack's team, except for Montoya and hooker Katarina. A padre chips in with some info, they magage to take down Varnek or whatever his name was ... Vornak? Something like that - he blows up real good, as do the other vampires that the team manage to shoot
with hooks that are attached to a winch outside on a truck - so that the undeads can be dragged out into the sunlight where they burn and explode. Some vaguely tasteless dialogue, but good exploding vampires.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*London in the Raw *(1964)

Mondo-style documentary, which means that a lot of what we'll see is blatantly faked.  Pretends to be salacious, but the vast majority of it is as mild as can be.  Wanders all over the place, from legalized off-track betting to belly dancing.  Most of it consists of singing at nightclubs and pubs.  Includes a few seconds of topless women, most notably at a place where beatniks sketch a semi-nude model while eating cat food. (?)  Most shocking scene:  A balding guy getting hair implants. (Ouch!)  Most enlightening scene:  Drug addicts (just actors, of course) waiting for midnight so they can get their prescriptions filled legally at an all-night pharmacy.  Lots of jazz, but not a hint that the Beatles are about to take over the world.  Five and one-half decades later, it's a fascinating time capsule.  At the time, it was probably pretty boring.


----------



## Toby Frost

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Nice analysis. I've read the novel and seen the original film (not the made-for-TV sequels or the remake.) It is, perhaps, the only example I know of a science fiction feminist allegory from a male author.



Thanks! I've enjoyed all the Ira Levin books I've read, and William Goldman's Marathon Man is a good book and film (if a frightening, confusing one too). The mockery of the men in The Stepford Wives always strikes me as crude but bitingly accurate. It's pretty horrible to think that something like that might be possible in the next hundred years or so. Stephen King has some interesting things to say about it in _Danse Macabre_.

Incidentally, it's taken me ages to figure out how they did the pan from the heroine to the robot double at the end of the film. I think the double is someone wearing a mask, which makes it all the more sinister. The dead eyes are genius.


----------



## Jeffbert

Toby Frost said:


> *The Stepford Wives (1975)*
> 
> Re-watching this film is like listening to someone telling a good joke whose punchline you already know. It's also rather slow and cumbersome, even for an older film, and takes a long while to unwind to its disturbing conclusion. However, it's surprisingly amusing (especially given the dated 1970s clothes and styling), thanks to Ira Levin's novel and William Goldman's screenplay (both good authors). It moves very skilfully from 1/3 sinister and 2/3 farcical, to outright horror, and ends with a great panning shot from one face to another sort-of-face.
> 
> The film makes the smart choice of making both female leads likable and attractive - basically, the sort of people you'd have to be weird to want to dispose of. The subject matter is still extremely relevant (it probably always will be), the satire is powerful, and the scenes of the men's club are increasingly sinister once you know the ending. But did anyone really dress like that?


I believe that the technology for such android sex slaves is progressing rapidly. a few years ago, the book love sex & robots was published.  OMG! I just checked Amazon for that title, & not only is it there, but this has become a serious topic!
"Love Sex & Robots" at Amazon.com


----------



## dask

Once a month the local art house cinema has a $1 kiddie matinee and last Saturday they showed *To Kill A Mockingbird*. Okay, the movie is largely about kids growing up in a small Southern town during the depression but I'm not sure it's a kiddie movie. Not complaining, just surprised. Great movie at a great price. Couldn't rent it for that much. Later that night we stayed home and watched *North By Northwest*. Again, two great movies in the same day. Hope I'm starting a trend.


----------



## Foxbat

*Farmageddon *One of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Lots of gags and nods to various sci-fi stories and riotous slapstick action that is fun for kids and adults alike. The only question I have is why the hell this wasn't nominated for an Oscar?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Thief *(1952)

Ray Milland stars as a physicist working for the US government who uses a miniature camera to take photographs of secret documents and then pass them along to the other side.  When an enemy agent carrying a roll of film happens to get killed by a car, the cops find the film and pass it along to the FBI.  Milland (and, presumably, other suspects working at the government facility) gets followed by the feds.  He tries to escape with the help of the other side.

It's a fairly simple plot, so what's so interesting about this Cold War thriller?  Well, there is no dialogue at all, so it's an exercise in storytelling via sound and images.  There are some suspenseful sequences, and, because this is a _film noir_, there's a sultry dame to add sex appeal.  Well worth a look.


----------



## J Riff

*Parasite* 2019 Korean - black comedy satire about a poor family and a rich one... the subtitles are funny, it's pretty weird and fun dunno quite why it's called Parasite... but there's a secret basement and other crazy stuff, quite enjoyable.


----------



## Ray Zdybrow

_The Lighthouse_. Pretty much a two-hander, with Willem Dafoe and R-Patz as lighthouse keepers in 19th century (???) New England island. Lovecraftian undertones. You will never want to drink alcohol again! Thanks to my son Ben who took me to see it


----------



## Starbeast

*The African Queen* (1951) Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn & Robert Morley. I finally got a chance to see this classic. Excellent film with tension and entertainment. I'm so glad I didn't know much about the story, I was riveted by the movie.


----------



## Steve Harrison

Finally caught up with *PARASITE* and was underwhelmed, possibly due to the hype raising my expectations. I thought it was OK and it had a neat premise, but it was overlong and predictable and I can't for the life of me see why there's been so much fuss about the movie.

In short, a film about unpleasant people doing unpleasant things.


----------



## Triceratops

Bombshell. I hadn't even known that Roger, CEO of Fox News was such a greasy pig. The kind of reminded me of The Girl staring Tippy Hendren. Glad there was a solid resolution in the end and that Mr. Greasy Pig got what was coming to him.


----------



## AlexH

My recent watching, from best to 'worst'. The first two could both be described as "crazy, fun and dark" but were rather different.

*Parasite *(2019)
A teen from a family struggling to put food on the table gets a job working for a rich family, and the poorer family band together to try and get each other jobs with the rich family. Parasite is a very good film, with a great combination of humour, tension and surprise. It was like a cross between two other South Korean films, 3-Iron (one of my all-time favourite films) and Shoplifters.

*Birds of Prey* (2020)
Birds of Prey aimed for Deadpool-style I think, but should've been more Joker if they were aiming for the adult audience. It took a while to get going (it's difficult to get behind a morally unambiguous character) but was fun for the second hour or so, especially the visuals.

*The Guard *(2011)
Irish comedy crime thriller about a confrontational police man who snorts the coke he finds on criminals but teams up with an an uptight FBI agent. Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson had good chemistry and The Guard is good fun, in the vein of In Bruges.

*Under the Skin *(2013)
Scarlett Johansson stars as an emotionally-detached alien kidnapping guys around Scotland. Under the Skin was intriguing to start with, but I was bored for stretches during the second half.

*Happy as Lazzaro *(2018)
Isolated Italian peasants, including a kind teen the locals make fun of, are exploited by a tobacco baroness. Marked as a fantasy, and I wondered how for the first hour. I was sort of enjoying it but felt it lost its way and could've been half an hour shorter.

*Sunset Song* (2015)
The life of a young Scottish woman during WWI. The ending was emotional enough, but Sunset Song was another film that seemed too long. One of the main character's 'change' wasn't believable. I couldn't understand the accents at times, so switched on the subtitles. I kid you not (especially the second screen - click for larger):





Steve Harrison said:


> Finally caught up with *PARASITE* and was underwhelmed, possibly due to the hype raising my expectations. I thought it was OK and it had a neat premise, but it was overlong and predictable and I can't for the life of me see why there's been so much fuss about the movie.
> 
> In short, a film about unpleasant people doing unpleasant things.


I didn't think so. Family was at the core of both sides (particularly the main protagonist), and I was surprised by what happened a few times. It's not the best South Korean film I've seen, but it's in the next tier. I'm disappointed (not surprised) to see a 6-episode HBO series is planned already. Some things should be left as they are, though the Snowpiercer TV adaptation looks better than the (English-language) film (which was by the same director as Parasite).


----------



## Vince W

*Farmageddon*. The latest offering from Aardman is a wonderful film with nods to many great science fiction creators and franchises. Many laugh out loud moments and as always with Aardman a film suitable for both children and adults. Be sure to pay attention or you'll miss things.


----------



## Mouse

*Detective Pikachu* again. The CGI looks fairly good, the storyline's fairly ropey, there's funny moments. Enjoyable. Plus Togepi is briefly seen and Togepi is cute AF.


----------



## clovis-man

Vince W said:


> *Farmageddon*. The latest offering from Aardman is a wonderful film with nods to many great science fiction creators and franchises. Many laugh out loud moments and as always with Aardman a film suitable for both children and adults. Be sure to pay attention or you'll miss things.



I'll have to watch it again to catch all the little hidden gems. Even a clay-mation Sigourney Weaver ala *Paul*.


----------



## Vince W

clovis-man said:


> I'll have to watch it again to catch all the little hidden gems. Even a clay-mation Sigourney Weaver ala *Paul*.


Me as well. I caught a lot, I think, but I'm sure there were things in the background I missed.


----------



## Laura R Hepworth

*Mazes and Monsters* _(1982). _It was alright, but not what I was expecting from the summary. I was also rather disappointed with how they chose to end it, not a particularly satisfactory ending in my opinion.


----------



## Vince W

That's the one with Tom Hanks and Chris Makepeace, right? It was based on a book by Rona Jaffe. I remember watching it because it was connected to D&D/rpgs. I don't think I've seen it since but I don't imagine it would hold up very well. If I recall this came out when the religious paranoia around RPGs was pretty hot.


----------



## Laura R Hepworth

Vince W said:


> That's the one with Tom Hanks and Chris Makepeace, right? It was based on a book by Rona Jaffe. I remember watching it because it was connected to D&D/rpgs. I don't think I've seen it since but I don't imagine it would hold up very well. If I recall this came out when the religious paranoia around RPGs was pretty hot.



Yup, that's the one.  I saw it more as a cautionary tale of losing yourself to coping mechanisms instead of finding the strength to deal with your problems in reality, than as paranoia about RPGs (though I can see that too). I just think the ending could have been better and less of a downer.


----------



## hitmouse

Just saw *Parasite.* Good black comedy. Wonderful cast, set design, script and directing. Very intense at times. The class aspect was ladled on a little heavily in places but overall recommended. Two little old ladies were sitting next to us, looked as if they had got lost on the way to bingo. When the film finished, one said to the other,”Doris, that was immense!”

the cinema was completely overrun with little kids. The guy behind the counter looked weary, and blamed* Sonic* which was showing hourly, and completely sold out. He said it was more popular than the last Star Wars or Avengers movies. Good timing I suppose: a memorably wet school holiday week.


----------



## AlexH

*Phoenix *(2014)
A disfigured Holocaust survivor arrives back in Berlin and aims to track down her husband, who believes she's dead and is suspected of betraying her trust. Phoenix became very intriguing around a third in (unless you'd already read the film synopsis) and was twisty without being a thriller. The two lead actors were excellent, but I did feel there was something missing from this film that made it good rather than great.

*Kosmos *(2009)
Bizarre Turkish film about a guy who heals people (not a spoiler: the film starts with him bringing a boy back from the dead). The sounds of a howling wind (indoors and outdoors) for the whole film and pretty much constant war/military explosions in the background were strangely atmospheric. The cinematography was great, though I was more interested in the fascinating setting (Kars, a snowy dystopian former-Soviet city in east Turkey) than the film itself, which I didn't really understand.


(By the way, I hope it's okay to say this (I feel I could be doing someone a service), but if anyone UK-based would like 2 months free DVD rental, I have two codes for Cinema Paradiso who I've used for years (PM me). They have a much bigger catalogue than any streaming site!)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Horror Hospital *(1973)

British scare flick that manages to walk a very thin line between being an exploitative shocker and a tongue-in-cheek parody of such.  The pre-title sequence introduces our Mad Scientist villain, Michael Gough.  He and his midget assistant are in a fancy motorcar, as two young people, their heads covered with bloody bandages, run away from them.  Gough tells the midget driver to be careful because the car has just been washed.  Blades come out of the sides of the car, they chase after the young folks, and chop their heads off.  (I'm baffled as to how they managed to aim the blades at their victims.)

After the title, we meet our hero, a rock musician fresh from a fight with his band, ready for a vacation.  On the train to, yes, you guessed it, the place run by Gough as a health resort, he meets our heroine, the niece of Gough's wife (or possibly mistress and/or assistant), who used to run a brothel before World War Two.  Heroine is there to meet her aunt for the first time.  It isn't very long before we find out that Gough performs brain surgery on his young guests, transforming them into zombies under his control.

As I've tried to indicate, the whole thing is halfway between a sleazy horror film, with enough gore and nudity to qualify, and a clever satire of that kind of thing.  Some scenes are corny, others are very nicely filmed.  (A flashback, late in the film, contains some striking images.)


----------



## Jeffbert

I simply must sere *Horror Hospital!* From your description, it ought to be just my type of trash!


----------



## Starbeast

*Sons of the Desert* (1933) - One of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy's finest films. I haven't seen it in a while. But when I found it, I watched it three times. It's another fine mess they get themselves into.

*Way Out West* (1937) - Another fine masterpiece from the amazing comical duo that I've enjoyed for many years by Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy. Tremendously entertaining and brilliant comedy, set in the wild west.

*Stan & Ollie* (2018) - Ironically, I watched _Way Out West_, a day before I stumbled across this movie on TV. A wonderful, but sad movie featuring Laurel and Hardy in their final days, doing what they do best, entertaining people.

Thank you Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy, for the laughter you gave me when I was going up. I was inspired by your genius.


----------



## Jeffbert

From Victoria Silverwolf's description of *Horror Hospital *(1973) , I  watched this.  As I suspected, as I hoped, it was my kind of horror film. It had some very conveniently located quicksand, that being used in the middle of the film, suggested that it would be seen at the end, and it was. But it seemed to have been in the woods earlier, yet, at the side of the road in the end! Who makes a road next to such a danger as that?     Not a bad film, but it has to be the type of thing one enjoys.


----------



## Jeffbert

Oops! forgot something; though on 2nd thought, it seems rather obvious. The audience knowing about the QS  earlier in the film was to establish its existence later, rather than just it being there at the end, "oh, how convenient!" Yet, as I said, there seemed to be two very different locations. As the film progressed from the 1st incident involving the QS, I was anticipating a 2nd incident; yet, putting it at roadside!?


----------



## dask

*The Caine Mutiny*. Humphrey Bogart gives an Oscar worthy performance as a naval officer who spent too much time in war torn waters. Topnotch cast breathes life into this adaptation of Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of naval upheaval in World War Two.


----------



## mosaix

Re-watched *In The Heat of the Night* staring *Sidney Poitier* and *Rod Steiger*. First saw this when it was released in 1967 and I'd forgotten just how good it was. Poitier got a lot of the plaudits but Steiger was immense and got the Academy Award for best actor.


----------



## mosaix

Starbeast said:


> *Sons of the Desert* (1933) - One of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy's finest films. I haven't seen it in a while. But when I found it, I watched it three times. It's another fine mess they get themselves into.
> 
> *Way Out West* (1937) - Another fine masterpiece from the amazing comical duo that I've enjoyed for many years by Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy. Tremendously entertaining and brilliant comedy, set in the wild west.
> 
> *Stan & Ollie* (2018) - Ironically, I watched _Way Out West_, a day before I stumbled across this movie on TV. A wonderful, but sad movie featuring Laurel and Hardy in their final days, doing what they do best, entertaining people.
> 
> Thank you Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy, for the laughter you gave me when I was going up. I was inspired by your genius.
> 
> View attachment 60620​



*Way Out West,* one of my favourites.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Offbeat Black-and-White British Dramas of the Pre-Beatlemania Era Triple Feature:

*Serious Charge *(1959)

Anthony Quayle is an unmarried vicar.  The daughter of the previous vicar aggressively pursues him with amorous intent.  (She's terrified of being an old maid at the advanced age of thirty.)  Meanwhile, one of the local teenage punks has gotten his girlfriend pregnant and has dropped her like a hot potato in favor of the vicar's sexy French housekeeper.  The pregnant girlfriend talks to the vicar about her problem, she rushes out into the street and sees the punk making out with the housekeeper, freaks out and runs right into an oncoming truck that kills her.  The vicar confronts the punk, the punk smashes the stuff in the vicar's room and tears his own clothes, accusing the vicar of trying to "interfere" with him.  The daughter of the previous vicar happens to come in, and, given her recent rejection by the vicar, is ready to serve as a witness to this supposed attempt at molestation.  The vicar becomes a pariah of the community, subject to bricks thrown through windows, poison pen letters, and so on.  It's a slow-moving, talky film, revealing its origins as a stage play, but worth a look for daring to deal with these kinds of issues in a frank way.  Notable for featuring Cliff Richard in a small role, his first film appearance, singing parts of a few of his hit songs.

*A Matter of Choice *(1963)

Starts off like a comedy, as a couple of young would-be Lotharios fail to connect with their intended objects of seduction, then go to a jazz club, where they get tossed out by the bouncer.  One guy is hungry, so they find a vending machine, but it takes the fellow's money without dispensing his sandwich.  They bang on the machine, a cop comes by to see what's going on, an argument breaks out, and the guy accidentally pushes the cop into the path of an oncoming car.  Before this happens, we've seen scenes, alternating with the two guys' misadventures, showing a married woman having an affair; she and her lover are the folks in the car.  The lover chases the guys, and one throws a brick at him, knocking him out.  While the woman talks to the police, claiming she was the only one in the car, the guys take the injured man to the garage of a nearby house, which happens to be where the woman lives.  More chaos ensues, as the woman tries to keep the affair secret and the guys wind up tripping the house alarm.  This makes it sound like a farce, with all these coincidences and running back and forth, but it really isn't, and it ends tragically.   As the narrator of the film said at the very start, trivial choices lead to serious consequences.  An interesting example of the randomness of events.

*Lunch Hour *(1963)

Appropriately, this movie is only sixty minutes long or so.  It starts with characters who are credited only as The Man and The Girl arriving at a hotel, where they intend to remain for only an hour, for an obvious purpose.  We then get flashbacks as to how they met at the wallpaper company where they both work, and how they developed a romance in brief moments of time stolen from their lunch hours, despite the fact that The Man is married.  Back at the hotel, The Man gives the proprietress a long, complex story about how The Girl is his wife, living hundreds of miles to the north because he was transferred to a London office, and that she has arrived here by train, dropping their two children off with their aunt, so they can have an important talk.  Here's where things get weird.  The Girl demands to hear all the details of this imaginary life The Man made up as an excuse, and the film suddenly goes into that universe.  We see the two bratty kids and the nasty aunt that hates The Girl (or maybe I should say The Wife, in this world.)  Back in reality (?) The Girl argues with The Man as if they really are married, and if he really did drag her all this way to have a talk.  It's a very strange little film.


----------



## Rodders

I saw a couple of movies on a flight to Doha at the weekend. 

Terminator - Dark Fate. 
Gemini Man
Zombieland Double Tap.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Shape of Things to Come* (1979?) 1st., I do not believe I ever read the novel, so I have no idea if this is any closer to book than the 1930s film. I will say that this obviously took inspiration from STAR WARS.  too many robots to count, all of them were lame; though not as lame as some of the 1950s B-grade robots.  Movie was so-so; I have seen worse plots, worse characters. Jack Palance as villain. Barry Morse (Space 1999) as Obi Wan wanna be.

Earth has become pretty much uninhabitable, everyone but mutants moved to the moon long ago. A certain drug is needed by everyone, and its only source is the planet Jack Palance rules.  Morse had built a spaceship able to reach JP's planet, but the computer that rules the moon says it is untested and forbids its use.  Morse is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while preparing his ship for flight. I do not even remember if he dies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> *Shape of Things to Come* (1979?) 1st., I do not believe I ever read the novel, so I have no idea if this is any closer to book than the 1930s film. I will say that this obviously took inspiration from STAR WARS.  too many robots to count, all of them were lame; though not as lame as some of the 1950s B-grade robots.  Movie was so-so; I have seen worse plots, worse characters. Jack Palance as villain. Barry Morse (Space 1999) as Obi Wan wanna be.
> 
> Earth has become pretty much uninhabitable, everyone but mutants moved to the moon long ago. A certain drug is needed by everyone, and its only source is the planet Jack Palance rules.  Morse had built a spaceship able to reach JP's planet, but the computer that rules the moon says it is untested and forbids its use.  Morse is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation while preparing his ship for flight. I do not even remember if he dies.



An absolutely terrible film, and, no, it has nothing at all to do with H. G. Wells than to steal the name of his book.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Godard's *Masculin Féminin *(1966). With Chantal Goya, who is cute as a button, and Jean-Pierre Léaud, the most amusing French actor ever. I used to love Godard back when I was in college, but this one I didn't get a chance to see back then. He's perhaps no longer quite in my top ten of film directors, but I really enjoyed it. I don't really know how to describe it: I suppose it's the closest that Godard got to making a romantic comedy (at least after 1961's _Une Femme est une femme_), but that means little if you don't know his giddy, jumpy, experimental mid-'60s style. It contains a film-within-the-film that is a hilarious parody of Bergman (yeah, I know Woody Allen did it all the time, but I would never have expected it of JLG), in which the actors just "speak" in grunts. And he shot it (the parody) in Sweden, because the movie was a Franco-Swedish production and that was the (required?) Swedish content, I guess? The rest is all the lovely Paris of late 1965. Mostly cafes, but also a disco, department stores -- it has a real documentary feel to it. Pretty funny cameo by Brigitte Bardot. And a bunch of in-jokes by Léaud about his most famous character, Antoine Doinel, who appeared in several Truffaut movies. Oh, and the soundtrack is filled with French yé-yé hits, many sung by Goya herself. What's not to like?


----------



## CupofJoe

Rewatched *Hidden Figures* [2016]. Still an enjoyable film. For some reason, I felt I had to, after hearing the news of Katherine Johnston's death. Don't know how accurate to real events it was, but I like it as a film. The three leads are just great. Costner and Dunts come out okay too and nice to see Sheldon having a day job...
And somehow... *Yogi Bear* [2010]. Just don't. The only part of the film I liked was looking up who I thought the actors were to see if I was right and what I remembered them from.


----------



## Rodders

Marjorie Prime. A slow burner of a movies that warrants a second viewing. Nicely filmed.


----------



## CupofJoe

The Star Trek: TNG Films [Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, & Nemesis]
They are good films, but there is nothing exceptional about them. They are, however, and for me, still better than the subsequent reboot Star Treks...


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> An absolutely terrible film, and, no, it has nothing at all to do with H. G. Wells than to steal the name of his book.


If you think that was a terrible film, you would not like *Robo vampire* (1988) either. With a title like that, how could I avoid watching it? I found it rather funny; there was no other reason for watching it. As a retired guy, I have time to kill; I would not expect too many working people to waste time watching such trash. I wonder if it lost something in translation, because the plot was difficult to follow. 

Drug smugglers  kill the wrong cop, and he is made into the title character. Vampires hop around as though somebody tied their shoe laces together.   Oh, its a Chinese type martial arts film. There is a sequel!


----------



## J Riff

They hop, it's horrible, it's *Robo Vampire ---**-- stay tuned for part 2 - *Devil's Dynamite!*
Mar 11, 2019
*Robo Vampire* 1988 - bad dubbing we got, and vampires that hop. Like bunnies they hop, arms outstretched, these weird vampires... but it's all about the drug trade baddies and the anti-drug agents, and a silver Robo guy, who... I can't quite remember, but he fights the vampires a few times. Hi-speed ridiculousness, bizarre sound FX, terrible dubbing and dialogue, set in Phillipines. To stop the vampires you can... put a piece of paper on their face, some money or something. Oh, there's a witch of some kind too, soulmate of Peter, who might be a vampire. Watch this one if you have a real need to feel confused.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Foreigner* (2017) Great Jackie Chan film. Intense movie, heavy drama and excellent action flick. With a villain played superbly by actor, Pierce Brosnan.


----------



## Vince W

Starbeast said:


> *The Foreigner* (2017) Great Jackie Chan film. Intense movie, heavy drama and excellent action flick. With a villain played superbly by actor, Pierce Brosnan.
> 
> View attachment 60763​


I had heard some negative reviews of this film, but they were wrong. It is indeed a very good film. Very intense, as you say.


----------



## Boneman

OH MY GOD!!!! This should probably be posted in 'shout your frustrations' but last night I saw '*Call of The Wild*'. 

Utterly convinced that Harrison Ford was jealous he never got to appear with jar jar binks, so he accepted this movie. Embuing all manner of dogs with human expressions, and the worst cgi of animals I've ever seen was not the worst thing about this movie. No, RUINING forever my memories of a book that captured my 8 year-old imagination so vividly, so incredibly that I read the book over and over until the library demanded it back. This book was a portal out of grey, boring post-war Britain, and it transported me into an amazing world that I could only dream about.

The movie is a putrid pile of dogs**t, absolutely pathetic, and should be reported to the RSPCA for cruelty to animals for its portrayal. Honestly, spending the entrance fee on dog food and donating it to kennels would advance the canine world about a googolplex more times than this pathetic excuse for entertainment. 

TRUST ME: AVOID THIS MOVIE


----------



## Vince W

Boneman said:


> OH MY GOD!!!! This should probably be posted in 'shout your frustrations' but last night I saw '*Call of The Wild*'.
> 
> Utterly convinced that Harrison Ford was jealous he never got to appear with jar jar binks, so he accepted this movie. Embuing all manner of dogs with human expressions, and the worst cgi of animals I've ever seen was not the worst thing about this movie. No, RUINING forever my memories of a book that captured my 8 year-old imagination so vividly, so incredibly that I read the book over and over until the library demanded it back. This book was a portal out of grey, boring post-war Britain, and it transported me into an amazing world that I could only dream about.
> 
> The movie is a putrid pile of dogs**t, absolutely pathetic, and should be reported to the RSPCA for cruelty to animals for its portrayal. Honestly, spending the entrance fee on dog food and donating it to kennels would advance the canine world about a googolplex more times than this pathetic excuse for entertainment.
> 
> TRUST ME: AVOID THIS MOVIE


As soon as I saw that they were using a human to play the dog I marked this film as avoid at all costs.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Vince W said:


> As soon as I saw that they were using a human to play the dog I marked this film as avoid at all costs.


They were whatta what???


----------



## Parson

Vince W said:


> As soon as I saw that they were using a human to play the dog I marked this film as avoid at all costs.



 Wouldn't have guessed this from the trailer.


----------



## Randy M.

I saw some behind scenes film of the movie and there was a guy doing his best Andy Serkis imitation as the dog.

The problem with the commercials I've seen is that it's so obviously CGI -- the dog, much of the background -- that a story about THE WILD, that is about the nature of the dog when out in nature, seemed deeply compromised. Ford looked like he was giving it his best shot, and he's a good actor normally, but the look of the ads just turned me off. Maybe better to watch the old Clark Gable version. Or, I don't know, maybe reread the book.

Randy M.


----------



## Boneman

Vince W said:


> As soon as I saw that they were using a human to play the dog I marked this film as avoid at all costs.



You're so lucky! I wish I'd never seen it...


----------



## olive

My Neighbour Totoro. I have seen it before a few times. It's like taking a happy pill. Mission accomplished.


----------



## olive

Boneman said:


> OH MY GOD!!!! This should probably be posted in 'shout your frustrations' but last night I saw '*Call of The Wild*'.
> 
> Utterly convinced that Harrison Ford was jealous he never got to appear with jar jar binks, so he accepted this movie. *Embuing all manner of dogs with human expressions,* and the worst cgi of animals I've ever seen was not the worst thing about this movie. No, RUINING forever my memories of a book that captured my 8 year-old imagination so vividly, so incredibly that I read the book over and over until the library demanded it back. This book was a portal out of grey, boring post-war Britain, and it transported me into an amazing world that I could only dream about.
> 
> The movie is a putrid pile of dogs**t, absolutely pathetic, and should be reported to the RSPCA for cruelty to animals for its portrayal. Honestly, spending the entrance fee on dog food and donating it to kennels would advance the canine world about a googolplex more times than this pathetic excuse for entertainment.
> 
> TRUST ME: AVOID THIS MOVIE



Ouch. And I was happy to hear they made it. Poor Buck.


----------



## Rodders

Aniara 

A pretty good foreign language Sci fi movie. A bleak but interesting ending. If only we had time.


----------



## Vince W

*ET: The Extra-Terrestrial*. It's still a pretty good film after all these years, but no one has yet explained to my satisfaction why NASA put a custodian in charge of their alien hunting program.


----------



## J Riff

*Devil Dynamite.*.. (part one) One half-hour into this, no idea what they... the dubbing... the hopping..
The silver-suit... I guess he's the Robo part... but... and , I'm pretty sure part two of this review will be equally discomprehensive, because, these vampires, they hop see, and you can stick paper on their face to stop them... for some reason. .. but there aren't really words... * Still, may be more entertaining than, say, - Call of the Wild.


----------



## Hugh

*The Personal History of David Copperfield*
Walked out after an hour. Found it disjointed and characters one-dimensional. Disappointed as I’d loved the trailers. Sumptuous and great actors, but both of us thought it really dull.


----------



## Boneman

Hugh said:


> *The Personal History of David Copperfield*
> Walked out after an hour. Found it disjointed and characters one-dimensional. Disappointed as I’d loved the trailers. Sumptuous and great actors, but both of us thought it really dull.



In the UK, if you walk out of a film within 15 minutes, because you don't like it, you can ask for your money back... Might actually be more than that, but worth looking into!


----------



## olive

Boneman said:


> In the UK, if you walk out of a film within 15 minutes, because you don't like it, you can ask for your money back... Might actually be more than that, but worth looking into!



How neat! You can't do that where I live. But then here they won't sell tickets or take anyone in after the movie started either.


----------



## Mouse

I read "Call of the Wild" when I was a kid too, and was vaguely interested in the film until I saw the daft CGI dog. Why CGI a dog?

Anywho, last film I saw was the *Downton Abbey* one (for the second time). The whole Barrow storyline makes me very happy - he's so tragically unhappy in the whole of the TV series that it's nice to see him having a good time.


----------



## Rodders

Pacific Rim: Uprising.

bland Hollywood Movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Touch of Evil *(*1998 release*)  Centered on the U.S.-Mexican border, a couple in a convertible just crossing into the USA is killed by a time bomb placed in the trunk. A  Mexican cop Vargas (C. Heston) clashes with the U.S. cop police captain Quinlan (Orson Welles), over the investigation. Bad move. Quinlan has his way of solving cases that Vargas finds loathsome. Vargas sends his new wife Susie (Janet Leigh)  to a small motel just north of the border, while he investigates the murder, unaware that one of the suspect's relatives owns it. 

I wish this had been a NOIR ALLEY presentation, there is so much more than the film itself, & I did read the wiki page for it. For those who have not seen it, but intend to, the less said about it now, the better. Highly recommended!
Great supporting cast.


----------



## biodroid

Doctor Sleep which was very good despite the re-worked ending and some plot points here and there. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, if you liked the first movie then you will like this one, had a similar feel and plot as well. I enjoyed it. Terminator: Dark Fate - I love the Terminator franchise and this was as good as Genesys even with the hype of the Deadpool director. The story has been changed to suit a new canon possibly, watch it, it's no T2 but it's way better than T3: Rise of the Machines


----------



## CupofJoe

*The African Queen* [1951] I can't believe I'd never seen it before. Loved it, even if the copy I saw was a bit fuzzy. What a new full Technicolor print would have looked like new? I can only imagine.


----------



## Jeffbert

*O' Henry's Full House* (1952) 5 stories ending with *the Gift of the Magi*. The things I remembered were plot elements from *"The Last Leaf"* & *"The Ransom of Red Chief". * The latter was omitted from the film, as early audiences disliked it.So said the TCM woman, whose name I have forgotten.  I thought it was really funny. 

The 1st story, *"The Cop and the Anthem" *has  Charles Laughton as a bum looking to get himself arrested so he can spend Winter in a nice, warm, jail.  But, all his efforts are for naught. He grabs an umbrella right out of another guy's hands, and dares him to summon a cop. But, the other guy had stolen it, and presumed CL was the rightful owner!  

John Steinbeck introduced each story, no sign of Lenny or George, though. 

#2, *"The Clarion Call"* featured Richard Widmark in a role as a lowlife criminal who had been friends with a guy who was now a cop, and who was out to arrest him for murder. But the cop still owes him a big favor, $1,000 that he had borrowed to pay a gambling debt and cannot repay him, which he must do before his own honor allows him to arrest him. The ending seems similar to The Twilight Zone type of thing. The wiki page note that RW had taken inspiration from Batman comics character The Joker and Frank Gorshin had taken inspiration from this character in his own depiction of The Riddler.  


*Robotrix* (1991) was, I guess a rip-off of Robocop, but had sufficient differences to make it its own film.  The wiki page notes both sexes FFN, but, I saw none of it, much to my relief. I had no idea there would be FFN, so, I was surprised to see reference to it on wiki after seeing the film on PRIME. Anyway, A mad scientist believes that the only way a robot can be better than a human is with a human mind. So, he transfers his mind into a robot body via ritual suicide; and kidnaps a king's son, demanding the ransom of cooperation with his plan to build more human/robot hybrids (I guess *Ghost In The Shell* would call them full prosthetic) with which to conquer.  

So, like Robocop, there is a mortally wounded cop, but this one is female; they transfer  her mind into the robot that has been modified to bear her likeness, including her top-heavy attributes. Fairly good, perhaps, better than good special effects. Tons of hi-tech equipment in the lab that makes the robo woman. Not so many lame flashing or flickering lights, as I recall, but rather well done.


----------



## dask

Saturday matinee at the local art house cinema:





Sincere and well made attempt to scare the daylights out of you. Still pretty darn effective nearly a century later. Renfield creeping up on the fainted maid proves my point.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Moon. 

Excellent performance from Sam Rockwell. Great story and a decent soundtrack. I thought it was a great movie.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Conjuring 2* - dir. James Wan; starring, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson

Good in parts. Production values good, nicely filmed, the too few moments of humor play well, and the film works all right with the horror aspect (the evil nun is one effective apparition), effective secondary characters, but Wilson and Farmiga struggle with a script and dialog saturated with sap. I appreciated what I think are nods to the original _Poltergeist_ -- some camera usage and angles feel pulled from there; disturbing tree outside the house; a moving chair; confounded authorities -- but that movie worked in part because those characters were allowed to be awed and afraid, and later to reconnect with each other in somewhat natural ways. Forget the Warrens were real people for a moment, I'd be okay with the way they were portrayed if it was a 1940s movie, I'd expect that; but not in a current movie.

In summation: If you have nothing better to do. Usually you'll have something better to do. I suggest watching HBO's _The Outsider_.


Randy M.


----------



## Rodders

The Rover.

it’s been on my shelves for years now and I finally got to watching it last night. Good performances from both the leads. It was a pretty dark film.


----------



## Rodders

The Rover.

it’s been on my shelves for years now and I finally got to watching it last night. Good performances from both the leads. It was a pretty dark film.


----------



## Vaz

The Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix. Fantastic.

V


----------



## Foxbat

Joker. A critic in the Guardian called it the most disappointing movie of the year but I liked it. I think it’s strength lay not only in the performances but that fact that although it was a supervillain origin story, it needn’t have been. It would have stood perfectly well without the DC connection.


----------



## Rodders

Source Code. Great movie.

Attack The Block.


----------



## Foxbat

dask said:


> Saturday matinee at the local art house cinema:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sincere and well made attempt to scare the daylights out of you. Still pretty darn effective nearly a century later. Renfield creeping up on the fainted maid proves my point.


You should watch this with with the Phillip Glass score. It really enhances the movie.


----------



## J Riff

*Knives Out *2019 - a real whodunnit, with a stellar cast, and it twists and turns like a good whodunnit should.
Oh yes it twists... and, no spoilage, but, you can figure it out, by using a certain type of logic... before it's over, you can figure out who the bad guy(s) are... but it isn't for sure... so that's good. It's a bit complicated, maybe... but it has to be, in order to fool modren intelligible aundiences like us, right? But you should be able to figure it out, for one simple reason.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Bright Lights* (1935) Joe Wilson (Joe E. Brown) and wife  Fay (Ann Dvorak) are stage performers, she sings and dances, while he feigns being a drunken heckler up on the balcony, who, eventually grabs a cord & swings down to the stage, taking his place beside her.  Both dance and sing.

Claire Whitmore (Patricia Ellis) is a runaway heiress who had joined the troupe as a nobody, but whom  Dan Wheeler (William Gargan) had exposed and thrust into the role formerly held by Fay. Now, they have been recognized as Broadway material, but the wife, no longer in the act, returns to the hometown to her old troupe. Joe falls for Claire, but does not realize that she has eyes for Dan.

I am not much for the song and dance stuff, but Brown had a comical dance that was very entertaining, even by my standards. I am a fan of Brown, anyway, so it was not much of a struggle to remain interested in the film during the S&D parts. Brown is probably best remembered for his role in *Some Like it Hot*, but he had leading roles in the '30s. 

There was an acrobat group, Maxellos, that was also very entertaining. William Demarest as a Detective, was in one small scene, sadly, for him, as he usually has better roles.


----------



## olive

The Post. (2017) It was interesting to watch something positive done by a media organ.


----------



## dask

*Mirage *(1965) starring Gregory Peck and Diane Baker.  Thriller of amnesia and military secrets based on Howard Fast's novel comes off like a movie length episode of *Twilight Zone* with Robert Ludlum substituting for Rod Serling. Jack Weston (believe it or not) convincing as gun toting thug. Superior score by Quincy Jones.


----------



## Randy M.

*Airplane!* (1980)

Watched beginning to end for the first time in years. Still one of the funniest movies I've seen -- if one gag doesn't work for you, wait a second. The irreverence of it on multiple fronts makes me doubt it would be produced today; we're much more serious now. Which isn't entirely bad. And not entirely good, either. 

Randy M.


----------



## Vince W

*Event Horizon* (1997) Still a cracking film. Very tense and scary in places. The acting is great and every character is given their moments to shine. I'm still surprised that no one has tried to do a sequel. I would love to get my mitts on models of the Event Horizon and Lewis and Clark.

I don't know what it is, something in the dialogue and general tone of the film, but I've always felt that this belongs in the same universe as the Alien series.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *Airplane!* (1980)
> 
> Watched beginning to end for the first time in years. Still one of the funniest movies I've seen -- if one gag doesn't work for you, wait a second. The irreverence of it on multiple fronts makes me doubt it would be produced today; we're much more serious now. Which isn't entirely bad. And not entirely good, either.
> 
> Randy M.


A few years ago, TCM ran both *Airplane!* and the film it parodied (*Zero Hour!*) on the same night, and in that order.  For those who watched as they were shown, they would have been laughing at both, because nearly every humorous element in Airplane was a parody of an element in Zero Hour! I had already seen the latter, which using a DVR, I watched 1st. What a way to ruin the drama of the latter film; though I do understand why they ran them in that order. Yes, Airplane! is very funny.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Scary Hooded Figures Double Feature

*The Town That Dreaded Sundown *(1976)

Documentary-style serial killer movie, loosely based on a real, unsolved case.  Takes place in Texarkana in 1946.   (The time period is mostly recreated quite well.)   A couple making out in a car in Lover's Lane (always a bad idea in these movies) gets brutally attacked by a maniac wearing a hood.  Amazingly for this kind of film, they don't get killed, but they wind up in the hospital.  Three weeks go by, same kind of attack, but this time the couple is killed.  The local cops call in a legendary Texas Ranger to help with the case.  It all leads up to an open-ended conclusion.    Narrated throughout, adding to the feeling of reality.   Somehow the obvious low budget, use of local folks as extras, and not-very-good acting add to it, too.  The attacks aren't explicit, but they go on for a while (with a lot of screaming) and are pretty intense.  Completely inappropriate goofy comedy, supplied by a guy playing an inept cop, comes out of nowhere and nearly derails the film.  Other than that, it's worth a look.

*Dark Night of the Scarecrow *(1981)

Made-for-TV shocker.  Starts with a little girl and a grown man with the mind of a child playing outside.  They sneak into somebody's yard, a mean dog attacks the kid, the man rescues her but some local guys think she's dead, and blame him.  They set out after him with guns and dogs.  His mother helps him hide, in bizarre fashion, by having him wear a hood and disguise himself as a scarecrow in the field.  The four vigilantes see through this immediately and gun him down in cold blood.  Right then they find out that the little girl is alive, and that she tells everyone that the dead man saved her.  The guys put a pitchfork in the dead man's hand and claim self-defense.  The prosecuting attorney sees right through this, but the judge has to dismiss the case for lack of a witness against them.  Pretty soon a scarecrow, looking just like the dead man, shows up in the field of one of the guys.  Nasty accidents follow, claiming the lives of vigilantes one by one.  Could it be the dead man's mother?  The attorney, who swore to send the guys to death row?  The supposedly dead man, somehow surviving?  The twist ending comes as a real shocker, and I'm still not sure how to interpret it.  A very good, scary and suspenseful film.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Brand New Testament (Le Tout Nouveau Testament), a Francophone movie. I found it funny, sad, and beautiful all at once. They don't make them much like this in the States.


----------



## olive

Vince W said:


> *Event Horizon* (1997) Still a cracking film. Very tense and scary in places.



The flashing scenes of that movie was pretty disturbing to me on the big screen back then. Probably still would be. It was a 9 o'clock soiree and I watched My Best Friend's Wedding just afterwards at midnight before going home because of that.


----------



## AlexH

*Bait *(2019)
A film about a Cornish fisherman struggling with the gentrification of his hometown. He has no boat, as his brother re-purposed it for tourist trips.

One of the strangest films I've seen, shot on vintage 16mm camera and hand-processed, with the sound dubbed on after. The director even said he spotted fibres from his woolly jumper on the final product. Bait was obviously dubbed, some scenes seemed artificial, and the old film gave it a gritty look. It somehow all worked, including some funny moments, though I was a little disappointed with the ending. I don't watch films more than once but feel I need to watch Bait again.

Watch the trailer and tell me you're not intrigued!

*A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night* (2014)
A strange and intriguing drama/horror about a lonely female vampire set in the fictional Iranian city of Bad City. I enjoyed the atmosphere and cinematography - it almost felt like a graphic novel.

*Eye in the Sky *(2015)
A good film about the implications of modern warfare that didn't really tell me anything I didn't know, but I still enjoyed. It was good to see Aaron Paul in something other than Breaking Bad, until I see series 3 of Westworld.

*Chico & Rita *(2010)
Adult animation about a Cuban pianist and singer set over many decades. I enjoyed the animation and settings (from 1940s Havana to New York) but there wasn't anything special to raise the film to anything more than above average.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Ride the Pink Horse* (1947) with a title like that, who'd a thought this was Noir?  *Noir Alley*, in fact.  Anyway Gagin (Robert Montgomery, who also directed) comes to NM seeking revenge on the man who killed his friend. That man,  Hugo (Fred Clark; also appeared in TTZ's "A Most Unusual Camera")  is the subject of blackmail, involving a check he had written, and which RM's character possesses. The town is Mexican in flavor, and a major town-wide celebration is just a day away. RM is depicting a tough-guy, FC is a gangster-type, surrounded by henchmen, who are eager to break arms and such; yet, RM walks right into the trap, and demands $30k for the check. Being leery of such things, RM places the check in a locker in the hotel's lobby, and glues the key behind a map on the wall, using chewing gum.  Hugo agrees to the sum of $30K, and allows Gagin to leave intact, they had also agreed to make the exchange in a restaurant at 7 PM. Hugo laughed at him after he left, saying $300K would have been a more appropriate demand.

The title refers to a merry-go-round. 

The best thing of all: I never saw this until yesterday!

Muller was critical of RM as the tough guy, said that there were other guys who would have been more believable. Fred Clark was just the right guy for the role of Hugo, though.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Vince W said:


> *Event Horizon* (1997) Still a cracking film. Very tense and scary in places. The acting is great and every character is given their moments to shine. I'm still surprised that no one has tried to do a sequel. I would love to get my mitts on models of the Event Horizon and Lewis and Clark.
> 
> I don't know what it is, something in the dialogue and general tone of the film, but I've always felt that this belongs in the same universe as the Alien series.


Is it really worth watching? It got such terrible reviews that I never bothered. But I notice it's on Netflix now.


----------



## Vince W

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Is it really worth watching? It got such terrible reviews that I never bothered. But I notice it's on Netflix now.


I think it is. I don't understand why people don't like it. It's dark and tense with some very scary moments. It's not an action film by any means. Maybe it's because there is no definable 'monster'. It's closer to The Exorcist than Alien.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Emma.  This afternoon.  "Saw" is the operative word, since the sound system in the theater, set for the loud previews, didn't work so well for characters speaking in low, polite voices, and I missed a lot of the dialogue.  Fortunately, it was a visual treat: costumes, sets, locations, props . . . all are wonderful. At least if you go in for genteel costume flicks, which I most definitely do.

Some of the characterizations seemed a bit off.  The actors did what they could, but the director seemed to have different ideas about the parts they were playing than Jane Austen did.  Mr. Woodhouse wasn't fussy enough, despite the sight gags with the screens etc.  Frank Churchill wasn't mischievous enough.  Mr. Knightley hadn't enough presence.  And I can't put my finger on what was missing with Emma but she was just OK (she carried off the clothes and curls well, though).  Others filled their roles well, and it is always a joy to see Miranda Hart whatever she is in.

Just for the costumes and the stately homes, for me it was worth the price of admission.  Maybe someday when I watch it on TV and can control the sound or turn on captions I will enjoy it even more.  Or less . . .  if I discover the dialogue didn't live up to Austen's.


----------



## Jeffbert

*SEVEN DAYS IN MAY* (1964) When the President is about to sign a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviets, General Scott (Burt Lancaster) is about to overthrow the Government. Because the treaty had been under development for months, Scott had had time to gather support among other high ranking military officers, and even build a base from which to launch the overthrow. 

In The opening scene, Scott makes his case that a piece of paper signed by a nation not known for its integrity, is no substitute for nuclear deterrence. Yet, the committee apparently rejected his argument. The President (Fredric March), for his part, insisted that for both sides to continually build more bombs was madness. All that was absent, was some lunatic pressing a button somewhere. 

A very tense 2 hours. All that was lacking, was Rod Serling, doing his TTZ intro & closing comments; he wrote the screenplay.

A supporting cast of many who had their day in past decades, and some whose day was yet to come.


----------



## J Riff

Total Spoilage ahead, avert eyes if u are gonna see:
*Bloodshot*  2020
Vin Diesel is some kind of soldier and he gets shot dead - deceased, but they bring him back in a secret super-soldier laboratory. They put some goop on his hand, and it's zillions of nanobots that rebuild damaged tissue. They are Vin's blood, he has nanobot blood, he is Bloodshot! 
Vin's creator-Doc has a cybernetic arm, other super soldiers are working out and they have machine lungs, eyes, feet... and we wait Vin to go after the bad guy who killed him and his wife back at the beginning of the movie. He punches holes in concrete to test his new abilities. Katinka, the swimmer with new lungs, does swimming tricks and we know she is gonna save Vin at the end. 
 Vin goes rogue, grabs an unguarded jet, goes after bad guy. Henchman shoot him hundreds of times, but he's fine, and he kills everybody, in slow motion. Oh, Vin has hero and revenge mode settings... and ..they re-set him, he goes thru the same stuff again, heads off to find bad guy... kills him, but he's a different guy this time... there's an EMP bomb... Vin teams up with a cool black computer dude who explains what they are doing to him, and Vin breaks free of his programming. He goes back to his wife, but she's married with children, Vin's been gone five years, he's not pleased, kills some more people, then confronts the doc who makes him see his wife killed over and over. They talk via 3d projection... Vin's gonna find him and kill him! Doc says naah you won't, but we know he will. 
 They reprogram Vin to kill Wiggins, the cool computer dude. Katinka busts him loose, she gets beat up by the Doc. Other super-soldiers are sent after Vin, and robot-arm guy destroys half a skyscraper before Vin super-punches him to bits. Then Doc shows up, grabs Vin but he has the bomb and booom. cut to >> Vin wakes up, remembers everything, Wiggins is there, he's repaired Vin, Katinka is there, 'we can start again, choose who we wanna be' - they hold hands, the sun rises, Vin says 'Where to now' she says 'no idea' he says 'Perfect' ...they drive off into the sunset, towing a trailer. 
 Well I guess it was okay. Ish. Seen a lot worse action movies than this.


----------



## Droflet

*Stargirl*.
What a delightful movie. Don't be fooled by the title. It's not SF but it's well worth a look. I loved it.


----------



## Parson

Droflet said:


> *Stargirl*.
> What a delightful movie. Don't be fooled by the title. It's not SF but it's well worth a look. I loved it.



Interesting, I saw the title and read the blurb, and though the blurb said nothing about being SF, I still thought that it probably was. I might give it a try anyway. No live sports on the Telly you know. (sigh)


----------



## AlexH

*Aniara *(2019)
Set on a spaceship heading for a human colony on Mars, an atmospheric (helped by an excellent soundtrack) Swedish sci-fi interrupted by a weird sex orgy with 



Spoiler: possible spoiler



a thoroughly depressing scene near the end


. Promising but ultimately disappointing.

I see there was an Aniara film with the same premise released in 1960, but good luck finding that to watch!


----------



## Rodders

I watched this a couple of weeks ago. I found it enjoyable enough. As you say, though. Depressing, but I liked the ending.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Land That Time Forgot  *1975 staring Doug McClure . The dino effects haven't aged we'll but , the film is a classic and fun to watch.


----------



## Parson

*Black Panther* --- I had heard that this was one of the best of the Marvel/Disney movies. I thought that was hype mixed with political correctness. I was SO WRONG, this is in my opinion the finest of the Marvel franchise. A true "don't miss" flick.


----------



## dask

Parson said:


> *Black Panther* --- I had heard that this was one of the best of the Marvel/Disney movies. I thought that was hype mixed with political correctness. I was SO WRONG, this is in my opinion the finest of the Marvel franchise. A true "don't miss" flick.


Okay, sounds like I better seek this one out.


----------



## dask

Saw this Saturday night:




Creaky special effects but good story and acting. Eye-popping Shawn Smith a huge plus.


----------



## AlexH

Rodders said:


> I watched this a couple of weeks ago. I found it enjoyable enough. As you say, though. Depressing, but I liked the ending.


Yeah, the ending redeemed the film a bit but I didn't think the scene I mentioned was necessary.


----------



## Starbeast

*Vacation* (2015) - A modern version of the 1983 classic film, that follows the adventures of Clark's son, Rusty, with his family going on a trip. This movie is definitely not for everyone. Within the first few minutes of the opening credits, I was already groaning in disgust at how rude & crude this installment was. It did have very few funny moments, but overall, I'd hopefully never see this movie again. Painfully awful.

RE-WATCHED

*Mad Max* (1979) With original Australian soundtrack. An ultimate science fiction cult classic.

*The Last Samurai* (2003) Awesome period drama. Outstanding performances by Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise. Actor/comedian Billy Connolly has a small roll, but memorable.




*The Great Race* (1965) Astonishing early 20th century car race (New York to Paris) adventure with wonderful comedy. This film was dedicated to Laurel and Hardy. Fantastic cast.

*From Hell It Came* (1957) Scientists check for radiation contamination on an island that is near atomic testing sites. However, the natives are aware of a tribal curse that will sprout a tree monster that will avenge a murdered man.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Starbeast said:
			
		

> *From Hell It Came* (1957) Scientists check for radiation contamination on an island that is near atomic testing sites. However, the natives are aware of a tribal curse that will sprout a tree monster that will avenge a murdered man.



Way up there on the list of goofiest monsters in cinematic history, near *Night of the Lepus *and *The Giant Claw *and *Robot Monster*.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Trauma *aka *Exposé *aka *House on Straw Hill *(1976)

Sleazy sex and violence flick with a plot that manages to be both simple and confusing.  Weirdo bestselling author has random visions of blood, some guy with a knife at the window, etc.  He also wears rubber gloves while engaged in intimate activities with his ladyfriend.  He hires a woman to be his secretary.  He dictates his really lousy sex novel to her.  Along the way, she gets raped and almost instantly kills the two rapists.   She also kills the author's housekeeper, has our mandatory gratuitous lesbian sex scene with the ladyfriend, kills her, and finally reveals the reason she's been stalking the author.  (Rather an anticlimax:  He stole her dead husband's novel and made a mint with it.)  It's really a lousy movie.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Olympus has fallen* [2013]
I wanted a film with lots of bangs, blood and explosions and no need to think. It was perfect. Morally? not so much. The casual violence was okay [for my mood] but the implicit [and explicit] racism was not fun. Shouting "Speak English" as you stab someone in the leg will not teach them a language, but I'm sure it would give someone a chuckle.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bad Sister* (1931)

Notable for giving Bette Davis her first film role.  Soap opera drama with touches of comedy, based on the novel _The Flirt _by Booth Tarkington.  Davis is third billed, and the real star of this thing is an actress named Sidney [sic] Fox, nearly unknown today because she died a suicide in her early thirties.  She plays the title role, with Davis as the Good Sister.  Fox plays an egotistical, selfish, man-crazy minx, while Davis, amazingly, is the quiet, shy, mousy type.    Fox wraps her father and her boyfriends around her little finger.  First-billed Conrad Nagel is the handsome young doctor who loves her, and whom Davis secretly loves.  Hanging around for the subplots are Zasu Pitts as a wisecracking servant, a bratty little brother, and a married sister about to have a baby (which leads to the movie's most effective scene.)  Fourth-billed Humphrey Bogart (!) shows up as a smooth-talking con artist, for whom the Bad Sister dumps the young doctor as soon as Bogart shows up in his fancy car.  Bogart not only cheats Dad by convincing everybody he's the head of a corporation, he runs off with Fox, and immediately leaves her.  (Since this is a Pre-Code film, it's pretty clear he just slept with her and ran off.)  The whole thing is pretty corny and talky, but not bad, really.  No matter how much Davis tries to convince us that she's a shrinking violet, there's no hiding the power of those eyes.


----------



## AlexH

CupofJoe said:


> *Olympus has fallen* [2013]
> I wanted a film with lots of bangs, blood and explosions and no need to think. It was perfect. Morally? not so much. The casual violence was okay [for my mood] but the implicit [and explicit] racism was not fun. Shouting "Speak English" as you stab someone in the leg will not teach them a language, but I'm sure it would give someone a chuckle.


It's amazing how much some recent things have dated (often things that shouldn't have been said in the first place). I saw much of *Stranger Things* (2010) this week, a film I liked a lot back then. But it's weird when a guy asks a woman out by repeatedly saying "I want you," like he wants her to be his possession. He was meant to be a bit socially awkward, but still.

I watched another film this week, but I've forgotten what it was.  I'm sure it's not because it was bad, and I will remember...


----------



## CupofJoe

AlexH said:


> It's amazing how much some recent things have dated (often things that shouldn't have been said in the first place). I saw much of *Stranger Things* (2010) this week, a film I liked a lot back then. But it's weird when a guy asks a woman out by repeatedly saying "I want you," like he wants her to be his possession. He was meant to be a bit socially awkward, but still.


Like the "Say kiss me" bit in *Blade Runner* between Rachel and Deckard. I loved it when I first saw the film, but in the last few years... Maybe not so much.


----------



## Jeffbert

*I WAKE UP SCREAMING* (1941) NOIR ALLEY; Just watched it Tuesday. Anyway, I am surprised that Muller did not compare this to Pygmalion, because promoter Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature) on a whim, decides to prove himself by taking a waitress Vicky Lynn (Carole Landis) and making her a star. No cockney here, just need to put her in a fur coat, & have her smile. But, soon she is dead, and plainclothes cop Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar) is harassing VM and giving him the 3rd degree, etc. the victim's sister, Jill Lynn (Betty Grable) 
Harry Williams (Elisha Cook) is the desk guy at the apartment where the two sisters lived, and spends most of the film asleep  at the front desk, but NOIR people just know he has something more to do with this story!

Another noir film I have no recollection of seeing previously!  Poor Cregar, a heavy-set guy, told he could be a leading man, if he lost weight. crash dieted and died from it.  He was a menacing shadowy type, but that was not good enough for him.


*10 LITTLE INDIANS* (1965) another film based upon the book of the same title; I have seen both this & *And Then There Were None* (1945); which being made in Hollywood instead of the UK, has the more familiar faces in it. So, these mostly upper class people from various walks of life, are all invited to dinner at a remote estate. So remote, that there is but one sensible way out- at least for the former film. Somebody has left a recording exposing the naughty deeds of all, including the butler & his wife. Every so often, 1 ends up dead, and one of the plastic Indian figures is roved for the circle of ten. 

So, I had seen it several times previously, but still enjoyed it again.  Oh, Christopher Lee is the voice on tape!


*WHITE LIGHTNING* (1973) Burt Reynolds as a newly released ex-con out to avenge his brother's death. Moonshiners abound, and BR gets a job as a blocker who drives between the police and the guy with the moonshine in his trunk. Ned Beatty is the evil sheriff.  

Apparently, the same basic cast would appear in its sequel, *Gator*, which is on my DVR, but is yet to be watched.


----------



## Jeffbert

BAYLOR said:


> *The Land That Time Forgot  *1975 staring Doug McClure . The dino effects haven't aged we'll but , the film is a classic and fun to watch.


Great film, & based upon a book of the same title, which as I recall was the 1st in a series. ERB wrote that, the *Barsoom* series, a *Venus* series, *At the Earth's Core* series, & *Tarzan* series. Great reads; though I only read Tarzan, itself, none of the sequels. 

Anyway, the poor caveman! carried away by the pterodactyl to be lunch for the offspring.


----------



## J Riff

*Boarding House Blues* 1948, I dunno if Victoria got to this one, but: Obviously somewhat cobbled together, we start with a guy bringing an ape with 2 brains home to Mom's boarding house... there's a rabbit in the act already.. but it is shortly slain for dinner, as everyone is broke and about to be evicted... nobody sings, or raps, in this flick until about 48. min. but then, it turns out all the roomers at Mom's are gonna try out down at the theatre... it all reminds one of the last days of vaudeville - as Mom poses as a fortune teller to trick the theatre owner... and suddenly everyone puts on a decent act, culminating in a whole jazzy band and some crazy dancing - rent is made, the evil landlord is sent packing.. the monkey turns out to be a guy in a suit, looking for free rent... or something, and this gag fest ends. Pretty sure the primarily black actors in this had to come up with their own schticks, and were paid peanuts, but it has an odd charm to it. 
"_No, Steggy is a roomer - I don't feed pre-hysterical animals._"


----------



## Randy M.

_*In a World ...*_ (2013)

Neat little Indy movie written, directed and starring Lake Bell. Also appearing, Fred Melamed, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Alexandra Holden. In the wake of the death of Don La Fontaine, two male voice-over masters seem likely to take over the field when a young woman steps up and makes it more of a competition. This sounds slight, but there's a family drama involved. Dad is one of the voice-over masters, his daughter is a voice coach who is in the right place at the right moment to voice-over a trailer and become competition, and the movie develops into a low-key comedy with a strong cast having fun playing eccentrics. There are cameos by Eva Longoria, Geena Davis, and Cameron Diaz (look close or you'll miss her) as the star of a _Hunger Games_ like series framed as an over-the-top girl power moment.

Again, low-key with a main character some viewers are guaranteed to dislike even as she evolves through the movie, but I found it enjoyable at a time when a human story not about viruses seemed appealing.

Randy M.


----------



## Vince W

*Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey*. I've heard some people say they prefer this one over the first. While I'm not one of them, it's still a very good film and very diverting with what's going on in the world. Good fun escapism, dude.


----------



## AlexH

The film I mentioned I forgot about was *Official Secrets *(2019).
It was very good, with Keira Knightley playing Katharine Gun, the GCHQ employee who leaked information showing the illegality of the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the UK and US. It was weird watching a film about something I remember, with actual news footage thrown in. The ensemble cast did a great job.

*Elena *(2011)
Russian film about a grandmother who supports her unemployed (seemingly lazy) son and grandson monetarily. The synopsis made Elena sound like an exciting crime thriller, but actually gave away what didn't happen until 3/4 into the film. Not a bad film, not a great film. Just above average.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *From Hell It Came* (1957) Scientists check for radiation contamination on an island that is near atomic testing sites. However, the natives are aware of a tribal curse that will sprout a tree monster that will avenge a murdered man.


Reminds me of something I posted, though the name does not ring a bell. The tree creature that tossed women into quicksand. Is this not the same thing?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> Reminds me of something I posted, though the name does not ring a bell. The tree creature that tossed women into quicksand. Is this not the same thing?



That is indeed the monster in *From Hell It Came*.


----------



## Jeffbert

Hmm... I should have found some images on one particular folder, but, nothing found. They must have had a different name?

Ooopsie! found them in the 'old'  folder. ****! Don't have any that show the ting's feet.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Witchmaker *(1969)

Offbeat low budget scare flick, most interesting for coming up with its own quirky mythology for its witches.  Starts off with a bang before the opening credits, as our antagonist, a coven-master called Luther the Berserk -- mind you, "berserk" is not an adjective here; in this universe, a "berserk" is a witch who uses blood during rituals -- kills a woman in a swamp, paints an ankh on her torso with her own blood, hangs her upside down from a tree, cuts her throat, and collects her blood in a bowl.  After the credits, things slow down as our heroes -- a parapsychologist, his secretary/assistant, a couple of his students, a reporter, and a "sensitive" -- go way out into the middle of the swamp to investigate a rash of these killings.  Pretty soon Luther spots the sensitive, and wants to bring her into his coven.  He brings an old woman from somewhere or other to his secret lair.  This is apparently some kind of teleportation or some such; the witches in this film have lots of black magic powers.  They make a deal.  She'll use her power to control the sensitive, so she'll join the coven, and he'll restore her youth and beauty.  The body count slowly increases as the heroes, isolated as they are from all ways of getting into contact with civilization, fall prey.  Towards the end, we get a wild variety of witches, seemingly from all times and places, arriving at Luther's place to welcome the new member.  Did you know that pig blood destroys witches?  That garlic makes you invisible to them?  That they can thrown magic fireballs at you while you're running away from them in the swamp?  We've even got one of those cynical twist endings where the good guys don't really triumph after all.  Cheap, talky, and pretty dull during the middle stretches, but eccentric enough to be worth a look.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Border (Gräns). A combination of contemporary fantasy and thriller--a refreshing combination. I like its take on trolls.


----------



## Foxbat

Stuck The Matrix on last night. Hadn’t seen it in years. Still enjoyed it. Pity about the other two Matrix movies though.


----------



## Vince W

*Go Karts. *An Australian film about a teen becoming a go-kart champion. More entertaining than it had any right to be.


----------



## Daysman

Saw The Invisible Man (lol) just days before the cinemas closed...

Elisabeth Moss is great in whatever she chooses to do (big fan of the handmaid's tale) and the tech behind our eponymous villian is nicely realised, once revealed.

Also the movie does that thing, mentioned quite often here, starting the story as late as possible , dropping us into a tense escape sequence...

Opening credits are pretty good too!


----------



## Parson

@Daysman .... I'm really interested in how that special effect is done. Really cool.


----------



## Daysman

Parson said:


> @Daysman .... I'm really interested in how that special effect is done. Really cool.


The text effect? Yup, that's the inline spoiler (4th option in the ... drop-down on the text toolbar) the Chrons site has... just stumbled on it, never used it before, but it nicely mirrors the film's opening titles, so...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Elvira's Haunted Hills *(2001)

The Mistress of the Dark is somehow or other in Carpathia in 1851, although that has no effect on her costume or Goth Valley Girl persona.  She and her maid get a ride from a guy with a George Sanders accent and arrive at the castle of a curse-stricken aristocrat, his wife, and his cataleptic niece.  In true horror movie fashion, Elvira just happens to look exactly like the aristocrat's deceased first wife.  The expected spooky stuff happens, involving possession, premature burial, torture, and the like.  The comedy, consisting mostly of lowbrow slapstick and sex jokes, is pretty lame, although I liked a few anachronistic/breaking the fourth wall moments.  ("The village people say this castle is haunted."  "Who listens to the Village People anymore?")  What works much better is the film's tribute to Roger Corman/Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe flicks, with a touch of 1960's EuroGothic.    (The film is dedicated to Price, and the funniest joke is the fact that one character is deliberately badly dubbed into English.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dream No Evil *(1970)

Choppy and incoherent psychological shocker which sometimes works in spite of itself.  Includes narration that spoils the film's Shocking Twist Ending long before the movie is over.   Starts with a girl in an orphanage screaming for her Daddy during a nightmare.  She wakes up and tells the caretaker that her Daddy is coming for her.  The caretaker reminds her that her Daddy is dead.  In the first of many disorientating jump cuts, we're suddenly years in the future.  As our helpful narrator explains, the girl is now a woman, working for a faith healer.  Her really weird contribution to his tent show is to put on a flesh-colored one-piece bathing suit, climb to the top of a high ladder, and dive down into a big red pillow.  This represents the sinner falling into Hell, you see.  Besides performing this bizarre role, she's also engaged to the preacher's brother, a medical student.   In another sudden leap from one scene to another, she's at a hotel for retired men, seeking her father.  A guy comes in with some long-in-the-tooth prostitutes for the old men.  It turns out that he's also a undertaker, and the woman's father just recently died, and he's got his body in his preparation area.  The big plot twist comes when Daddy comes back to life and kills the undertaker.  Daddy and daughter go live a blissful existence in a house way out in the desert, until the preacher shows up, winds up in the arms of the woman, and gets killed by Daddy.  Pretty soon the narrator tells us what we may have figured out by now.  Daddy isn't really there; the woman is as mad as a hatter, and killed the preacher herself.  More killings follow, leading to the end, where a psychiatrist once again tells us what the narrator already told us.  There are a lot of irrelevant scenes; Daddy playing the accordion while daughter dances a jig; the medical student's fellow student (with whom he'll soon have an affair) cutting into the duck she cooked for him, leading to a huge amount of really fake bright red blood flowing out of it; the daughter visiting the hospital where the medical student works dressed up in Southern Belle drag, complete to white gloves.  It's a very slow-moving mess of a film, but darned if some scenes aren't truly haunting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flapper  *(1920)

Olive Thomas, a silent film star who died from poison the same year this film was released -- officially, an accident, although some have suggested suicide or even murder, in one of Hollywood's earliest scandals -- has the lead role in this delightful comedy with elements of crime and romance.  The twenty-something Thomas plays a teenager, from a wealthy background, living in Florida.  When she's seen sharing a soda with a boy, her father ships her off to boarding school near New York City.  Not a very effective way to keep her under control, as the boy attends a military academy nearby.  An elegant gentleman rides by every day, exciting romantic fantasies in the schoolgirls.  An accident in a horse-drawn sleigh driven by her boyfriend leads to an encounter with the man, and an invitation to join him in the city at a dance.  She pretends to be twenty years old, has the girls doll her up in a dress that daringly exposes her ankles and shoulders, and meets the fellow for dancing to jazz.  Scandalous!  (In one of many interesting glances into the past, we see what must be a real African-American jazz band.)  When the schoolmistress finds her, and the man learns she's just a kid, she goes back with a broken heart.  In a scene I didn't expect, she makes a slapstick attempt at suicide.  

Meanwhile, one of the girls at the school is actually working with a crook.  She steals a bunch of jewelry from the school safe.  I guess the rich girls at the school brought it with them.  They arrange to have Thomas meet them in the city so they can force her -- at gunpoint! -- to carry the loot to her home in Florida, where they can pick it up later.  The suitcases with the jewels also have some love letters from the crook to his accomplice.  Thomas dresses herself up in the jewels and fancy clothing from the suitcase, mails the letters to herself, one per day -- fortunately for her plan, they don't mention any names -- and thus takes on the role of an "experienced" woman.  Chaos ensues.

Location filming leads to fascinating scenes of Florida, the snow-covered area near the school (we get a lot of winter sports shown) and New York City one century ago.  Thomas is pretty and charming, and her attempts to be sophisticated are hilarious.   The title cards are witty, often have elaborate, funny illustrations, and are used in creative ways.  (One that deals with the criminals trying to back out of a room has the letters themselves spin around until they are backwards.)  There's a weird, surreal gag, which comes out of nowhere, in which a stuffed moose head winks at Thomas.  The final scene, with Thomas and her boyfriend once again sharing a soda, is shown as part


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_Ponyo_ (Studio Ghibli)


----------



## Jeffbert

*Shut My Big Mouth* (1942) Wellington Holmes (Joe E. Brown) is going West to beautify the place with flowers. He is not the hero type, but in an encounter with stage coach robbers, he, unintentionally k-oed one of them, and is mistaken for the hero-type. The good guys immediately make him the new Marshall, & he spends the rest of the film, trying to go back East. 

Ben M mentions the fact that, here, he dresses in drag, while in Some Like it Hot, he falls for a guy so dressed. 

Mouth popping guy Fritz Feld is among the supporting cast, as are Lloyd Bridges & Forrest Tucker, but I did not recognize either one.

I like Brown's films, and have watched more than a few, but this one is new to me. A very entertaining comedy. 


After the film, TCM ran a profile on Ned Sparks, whose face I first encountered in a WB animated cartoon featuring caricatures of Hollywood celebrities. Always in supporting roles, this guy was said to have never smiled.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Before the More Famous Version Double Feature:

*Casino Royale *(1954)

This episode of the American live television series _Climax! _ marks the first adaptation of a James Bond novel.  Barry Nelson stars as American (!) secret agent Jimmy (!!) Bond.  Peter Lorre is Bad Guy Le Chiffre.    Australian actor Michael Pate (best known to me as the vampire gunfighter in *Curse of the Undead *[1959]) is fellow agent Leiter, changed from American to British, and first name changed from Felix to Clarence.  The Bond Girl is played by Linda Christian, with the character's name changed from the typical Fleming eccentric nomenclature Vesper Lynd to the less memorable Valerie Mathis.  The basic plot remains the same, greatly simplified.  Bond has to beat Le Chiffre at baccarat, does so, he and the Bond Girl get captured, it all works out for the best in the end (omitting the tragic end of Vesper in the novel.)  Nelson is pretty bland as Bond, Lorre is great, everybody else is pretty good.  Quite nicely filmed for a live television drama, with the camera constantly moving from one location to another, and no major flubs.  Worth a look if you're not a Bond purist.

*Li'l Abner *(1940)

Long before the stage musical of the same name, and the movie version of it, this adaptation of Al Capp's popular comic strip hit the screen.  Abner, not the sharpest tool in the shed, thinks he's going to die in twenty-four hours, due to complicated circumstances not worth describing here.  The marriage-hating Abner winds up engaged to Daisy Mae and another gal, figuring he'll be deceased before he has to go through with it.  Along the way he tangles with Bad Guy Earthquake McGoon.  That's about all there is to the plot.  A lot of other hillbilly stuff goes on to fill up time.  As a comedy, it's not much.  As a live-action version of the comic strip, it's notable for many of the characters looking exactly the way they do in the original.  (This gets really bizarre with folks like Mammy and Pappy Yokum, McGoon, and Hairless Joe, who don't look like normal human beings at all.)  The great Buster Keaton is present as Lonesome Polecat, the only Native American in Dogpatch, but he doesn't do much.  More of a curiosity that an enjoyable film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Red House *(1947)

Is there such a thing as a rural _film noir_?  If so, this movie is a prime example.  Edward G. Robinson stars as a guy with a wooden leg who lives on a farm way out in the middle of nowhere with his sister and the teenage girl they adopted as a young child.  The girl convinces a fellow high school student to work for Robinson, for the princely sum of fifty cents an hour.  Everything seems just fine, until the boy tries to walk home at night through a stretch of woods.  Robinson, in near panic, tells him to stay away from the area, because of the screams coming from the red house.  The boy walks that way anyway, the wind howls around him, he gets spooked and goes back to Robinson's farm.  At this point, the movie seems like a Gothic horror film.  Girl and boy investigate the mystery of the red house, not without unfortunate consequences.  As a subplot, the boy's sexy girlfriend has a fling with a disreputable guy hired by Robinson to keep people away from the area, with a rifle if necessary.  There is, of course, a Dark Secret, which is revealed a bit earlier than it might have been.  Not everybody survives.  Good acting all around, and a nice, eerie mood, even if the film is a bit too long for its own good.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*My Sister's Sister *(2012)

Bit of a nothing movie


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Red House *(1947)
> 
> Is there such a thing as a rural _film noir_?



I expect this was a rhetorical question, but even so the answer is yes. Edward Anderson's Thieves Like Us is considered noir, but not set in a city. It was published in 1937, the first movie version didn't show up until _noir_ was well established in the late 1948 and titled _The Live By Night_.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

*The Invisible Man *2020 spoilage alert *** ... almost got going, this one, but then just got really irritating, so - total spoilage>>>> 
Our MC runs away from hubby, he is some kind of ...scientist, optics.. but we don't even learn that till about 45 min. in. 
He's a zillionaire, he's built an invisibilty suit with, yknow, cameras and stuff... which we never learn one single thing about. 
So, he suicides apparently... but no, he's around being invisible and at one hour, he finally attacks people... kills her sister, she is blamed, she's locked up, but he's in there, and he runs amok, kills guards, they see his suit become partially visible. She chases him, stabs him, eventually shoots him.. but, it's not him, it's the brother. She's pregnant... goes back to him... he was tied up in the basement all along... then, some other invisible person... kills him... and she... wanders out and , uh... what? He killed himself. Sure, that's it... and she is fine and our goodguy cop just goes huh? and you think maybe there's something that you missed but no, it's just over. Could say more about this, but would probably be best written in invisible ink. Maybe you can figure it out.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Terminator* (1984)

Nice little s.f. film still holds up. Too bad it never became popular. (ahem)


*Super 8 *(2011)

Maybe the big take away from this is how good Elle Fanning was so young. Entertaining s.f. movie set in the 1980s and showing J. J. Abrams could pretty closely imitate Spielburg. Kids making their own movie witness train derailment. Something crawls out of one of the cars. It's E.T. if E.T. hadn't been found initially by cute kids, but only years later, after being a guest of the government for a while.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Red House *(1947)
> 
> Is there such a thing as a rural _film noir_?  If so, this movie is a prime example.  Edward G. Robinson stars as a guy with a wooden leg who lives on a farm way out in the middle of nowhere with his sister and the teenage girl they adopted as a young child.  The girl convinces a fellow high school student to work for Robinson, for the princely sum of fifty cents an hour.  Everything seems just fine, until the boy tries to walk home at night through a stretch of woods.  Robinson, in near panic, tells him to stay away from the area, because of the screams coming from the red house.  The boy walks that way anyway, the wind howls around him, he gets spooked and goes back to Robinson's farm.  At this point, the movie seems like a Gothic horror film.  Girl and boy investigate the mystery of the red house, not without unfortunate consequences.  As a subplot, the boy's sexy girlfriend has a fling with a disreputable guy hired by Robinson to keep people away from the area, with a rifle if necessary.  There is, of course, a Dark Secret, which is revealed a bit earlier than it might have been.  Not everybody survives.  Good acting all around, and a nice, eerie mood, even if the film is a bit too long for its own good.


I  have seen this & one other film with a dark secret, I forgot the other film's title, but it had a similar house or building & somewhat similar plot. 

EGR was very good in any role.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Watched over the last week or so (while, you know, social distancing), most recent first:

*Interiors *(Woody Allen, 1978). Not great. Woody at his most deadly serious, trying to ape Bergman. (See also: *September*, *Another Woman*.) 

*My Week with Marilyn. *Fun, though likely pure fantasy. But the film works well as fiction. 

*Anna Karenina *(Joe Wright, 2012, with Keira Knightley). Weird Brechtian conceit (it's almost all staged on clearly artificial sets, like a play), but gorgeous photography and music, making it flow like a piece of cinematic music, or a visual poem. Really, it looks like a musical that doesn't need songs, because the musicality is embedded throughout. Loved it. 

*Mansfield Park *(1999). Could have been worse. 

*Breathless *(Godard, 1960). Nth rewatch. 

*Pierrot le Fou *(Godard, 1965). First rewatch, close to three decades after I first saw it. I want to watch it again soon.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Oh, also *Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy *(2011). It began well, but was ultimately disappointing. Trying to tell the whole story in just over two hours ironed out and overly simplified Le Carré's labyrinthine plotting.


----------



## AlexH

*Chronicle *(2012)
Certainly the most unique "superhero" film I've seen. Chronicle is an intriguing and fun sci-fi to start with but soon takes a darker turn. Similarities to Super 8, mentioned above! Not an amazing film, but worth watching.

*Short Term 12 *(2013)
Brie Larsen plays a staff member at a residential facility for 'underprivileged' (if you've seen it,  you'll know!) children. A very good film with some moving moments.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Fool There Was *(1915)



> A fool there was and he made his prayer
> (Even as you and I!)
> To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair
> (We called her the woman who did not care),
> But the fool he called her his lady fair
> (Even as you and I!)
> 
> Oh the years we waste and the tears we waste
> And the work of our head and hand,
> Belong to the woman who did not know
> (And now we know that she never could know)
> And did not understand.
> 
> A fool there was and his goods he spent
> (Even as you and I!)
> Honor and faith and a sure intent
> But a fool must follow his natural bent
> (And it wasn't the least what the lady meant),
> (Even as you and I!)
> 
> Oh the toil we lost and the spoil we lost
> And the excellent things we planned,
> Belong to the woman who didn't know why
> (And now we know she never knew why)
> And did not understand.
> 
> The fool we stripped to his foolish hide
> (Even as you and I!)
> Which she might have seen when she threw him aside --
> (But it isn't on record the lady tried)
> So some of him lived but the most of him died --
> (Even as you and I!)
> 
> And it isn't the shame and it isn't the blame
> That stings like a white hot brand.
> It's coming to know that she never knew why
> (Seeing at last she could never know why)
> And never could understand.



Rudyard Kipling's 1897 poem "The Vampire" was written to accompany the following monochrome painting, of the same title, by his cousin Edward Burne-Jones.






Theda Bara stars as a character known only as "the vampire" in this silent film adapted from a play inspired by the poem, which is often quoted in the title cards, and often looks just like the woman in the painting above.  She's not a literal bloodsucker, however.  She's simply a purely evil woman who deliberately seduces men to their doom, after draining them of their wealth and position.  That pretty much sums up the plot of this melodrama, as she selects her next victim, a fellow of riches and social status, married and with a young daughter.  He loses everything, up to and including his life, in his mad passion for her.  Notable for popularizing the term "vamp," for making Bara into one of the screen's earliest sex symbols (stills from her lost film *Cleopatra *show her in remarkably revealing costumes), and for Bara's undisguised disdain for her victim, whom she openly bullies. Otherwise, it's not that great a movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Muthers *(1976)

Filipino action flick that manages to combine Blaxploitation, martial arts, the Women in Prison genre, and pirates.  Two African-American women  are in command of a modern day pirate ship, with a bunch of Filipino guys as the crew.  (The side of their ship actually says MUTHERS.)  There's also a rival pirate gang to cause trouble.  One woman's sister is being held prisoner by a sadistic guy and his private army.  They enslave women for their coffee plantation, and sell some of them into prostitution.  The government will ignore the women's criminal activities if they'll shut down the prison and bring the bad guy to justice.  At the prison they recruit two other women, both also African-American.  One of them is the bad guy's sex slave.  It's pretty mild stuff, considering the potential for exploitation.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man Who Finally Died* (1963)

Convoluted British thriller.  Man born in Germany, but living in England since he was a kid, gets a call to meet his father in Germany.  This is a surprise, as he thought his father died twenty years ago.  Even more surprising is the fact that his father really died, or so it seems, a few days before the call was made.  The man encounters his father's young second wife, recently widowed (or was she?) and his friend (or is he?) played by Peter Cushing.  Mysteries abound.  Why was his Protestant father given a Catholic burial?  Why were gloves belonging to a woman whose own father died recently, and was buried at a different place, found at the grave site of the man's father?  It'll keep you guessing.  Don't assume you know who the good guys and the bad guys are.


----------



## Foxbat

Le Mans 66 (I believe it’s called Ford Vs Ferrari in the USA). It tells the tale of the development of the Ford GT40 by Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles and the battle to wrench the crown of the world’s greatest endurance race from Enzo Ferrari.

I really enjoyed it


----------



## Randy M.

*Book Club* (2018)

Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergan, and Mary Steenburgen star as four long-time friends who have a 40-year long book club. Fonda, playing the most care-free of the four, offers up Fifty Shades of Grey for her month's choice and things spiral from there. Also in on this are Alicia Silverstone, Craig T. Nelson, Don Johnson, Richard Dreyfuss, Andy Garcia, Ed Begley Jr., Wallace Shawn. It's an implausible and sometimes silly geriatric rom-com, but frequently funny, giving several seasoned entertainers a platform for doing what they've done best for years, take something slight and make it work. As they used to say, if you like this sort of thing, it's the sort of thing you'll like.

Randy M.


----------



## HareBrain

Foxbat said:


> Le Mans 66 (I believe it’s called Ford Vs Ferrari in the USA). It tells the tale of the development of the Ford GT40 by Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles and the battle to wrench the crown of the world’s greatest endurance race from Enzo Ferrari.
> 
> I really enjoyed it



Me too (saw it on a flight, back when there were such things). The only thing that annoyed me about it was the shots when they changed gear and the tachometer showed an impossible amount of movement related to the speed. (Much like Steve McQueen's car in Bullit upshifted about twenty times in a row.)


----------



## Starbeast

​


Guttersnipe said:


> Border (Gräns). A combination of contemporary fantasy and thriller--a refreshing combination. I like its take on trolls.



Thanks for the mention. You've got me interested.



Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Elvira's Haunted Hills *(2001)



It is a disappointing sequel. I enjoyed watching *Elvira: Mistress of the Dark* (1988) last month. And I watched her host *Night of the Living Dead* (1968)



Hilarious Joke said:


> *My Sister's Sister *(2012)
> 
> Bit of a nothing movie



Thanks for the warning. I'm always happy to hear about any movie that was "so bad...", that it is worth mentioning to anyone who may be curious.



Randy M. said:


> *The Terminator* (1984) Nice little s.f. film still holds up. Too bad it never became popular. (ahem)
> 
> *Super 8 *(2011)



_The Terminator_, always awesome to view, along with it's mighty  sequel.

That "other film", I'll probably won't see it again.



Foxbat said:


> Le Mans 66 (I believe it’s called Ford Vs Ferrari in the USA). It tells the tale of the development of the Ford GT40 by Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles and the battle to wrench the crown of the world’s greatest endurance race from Enzo Ferrari.
> 
> I really enjoyed it



For a film costing 97.6 million, I hope it's great.





Způsob startu v závodech Le Mans do roku 1970​


----------



## Randy M.

*A Quiet Place* (2018)

Very effective, reaffirming a point many producers forget (ignore?) that scary comes less from effects than from story, and story gives you characters you can understand and believe in.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

ghastly.


----------



## Jeffbert

*White Zombie* (1932)  still creepy after nearly 90 years. Lugosi's hypnotic gaze that premiered in Dracula, is featured here, as well. His costume is also similar. Here, he is the master of men, drugged, presumed dead, buried alive, exhumed, revived and drugged into senseless obedience. 

A young couple, about to be wed, comes to Haiti, where the guy Neil Parker (John Harron) will be employed as a representative of the plantation owner Charles Beaumont (Robert W. Frazer). But the owner, upon seeing the bride to be, Madeleine Short (Madge Bellamy), has in insatiable lust for her. he asks the man who keeps the workers working,  Legendre (Bela Lugosi), to get the woman for him. But, there is only one way, that is to use the zombie drug on her. 


*Elevator to the Gallows* (1958) NOIR ALLEY; another really good film, but somewhat strange. French film, thus, I am unfamiliar with the cast, with the exception of  Police Commissaire Cherrier (Lino Ventura).  Up until about an hour into the film, nothing resonated. Then, I saw the gull-wing Mercedes. 

The plot: executive Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) & his bosses wife (Jeanne Moreau) plot to kill him Simon Carala (Jean Wall). JT's office is one floor below the boss' office. Using a rope & grappling hook, Tavernier ascends to the boss' floor, shoots him, carefully using the blade of his knife, closes the door behind him, thus making it near certain to be assumed a suicide.  He descends the rope, but carelessly leaves it in place. It is Saturday, so the building closes early. he gets in his car, puts gun in glove box, starts the engine, looks up, sees the rope, leave the engine running, goes inside, into the elevator, just as the building maintenance guy switches off the electrical power! Tavernier is trapped between floors, and though able to open the door, cannot fit through the gap. 

Some young punk & girlfriend, drives away in his car, witnesses assume Tavernier is at the wheel. Punk looks for what he can steal, oh, a pistol, guess I'll take that.



Spoiler



They drive around up and down the highway, rear end the gull-wing, who emerges, rather jovial and forgiving, invites them to dinner. Meanwhile, Tavernier is coolly attempting escape, his former life in the military has given him the patience and experience needed to find an escape, but it will come to naught, because the police have assumed he is the killer of the gull-wing guy; whom the punk had killed and then taken the Mercedes for a joyride.  just as he is about to escape the elevator, the maintenance guy flips the power on, and the police enter the building. 

The strange part, is that the murderer spends the bulk of the film trapped in the elevator. The punk & girlfriend, assume they will be caught, convicted, etc., and separated. So they take a drug, expecting to die in each other's arms, but they are rudely wakened by the boss' wife, who had figured out that her lover had not murdered to gull-wing guy, etc. There is a small camera involved that contains photos of Tavernier & the boss' wife in each other's arms, which the punk had dropped in the box for film at the motel where he, his girlfriend, and the gull-wing guy and his lady had all stayed. So, Tavernier is cleared of the murder of the gull-wing guy, but as soon as they find the boss dead, he is one the spot for that murder. Good show!


----------



## hitmouse

Grimsby. Very funny mismatched pair spy action thriller comedy, completely unsuitable for anyone who has the slightest chance of being offended by stuff in general.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*John Wick 2*

I found it incredibly boring.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *A Fool There Was *(1915)
> 
> 
> 
> Rudyard Kipling's 1897 poem "The Vampire" was written to accompany the following monochrome painting, of the same title, by his cousin Edward Burne-Jones.
> 
> View attachment 61786


The painting is actually by Philip Burne-Jones, Edward's son. And I would guess it was actually in color,  but it seems to be lost, and all we have are monochrome reproductions of it. (I've actually found online what looks like a color print based on it, but it's not very good as a reproduction.)


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Just  watched again (twice! Once straight and once with the excellent commentary by Australian critic Adrian Martin) *Celine and Julie Go Boating *(Jacques Rivette, 1974). I love this movie so much. It's a shaggy-dog female buddy movie/comedy wrapped around an eerie haunted house mystery. There is also a sequence that was a direct inspiration for a similar sequence in David Lynch's *Mulholland Drive*. (Actually, there are many similarities too, it's just that the Rivette movie is goofier, sunnier, and much more optimistic.) Two friends stumble upon an eerie house, said to have been abandoned for years, in which the same drama seems to be enacted day after day, every day ending in the murder of the same young girl. Trying to enter the house, they leave it with total amnesia as to what they experienced in there, but then they discover some candies that allow them to re-experience their memories, then (after a midnight heist at the library on roller skates) a magic spell that allows them to do the same thing. Then they decide to act...

It's just a lovely film, much of it improvised by the actors together with the director, all set in sunny Montmartre in the summer (before it grew lousy with tourists). The chemistry between the two leads is a wonder, and the difference in style behind their '70s, natural acting, and the story in the building, which feels like a 1930s melodrama. You can also try to spot all the Marx Brothers references. And did I mention the cats? There are cats everywhere. It's a movie that takes its time, as Rivette liked to (it's 3 h and a quarter) but always feels light and never ponderous. Oh, and in case you wonder, it justifies its title in the last couple of minutes of screen time.


----------



## Boneman

*Notting Hill *

needed cheering up... always works.


----------



## biodroid

American Pie 7: The Book of Love. Terrible movie


----------



## biodroid

Boneman said:


> *Notting Hill *
> 
> needed cheering up... always works.


The only movie with Hugh Grant that I can watch. Can't stand him.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Having just watched the new _Invisible Man_, I’m at a total loss as to why it has received such positive reviews. It’s tight and well put together, clean and ‘professional’ (apart from the sfx which are, to put it lightly, ropey), but as soon as you realise what’s going to/is happened/ing, it’s a colour by numbers affair with predictable beats and turns.



Spoiler



It also manages to trivialise and fetishise spousal abuse at the same time.



Avoid.

pH


----------



## Parson

Covid time off spent watching *First Peoples *a documentary about how modern humans spread out over the globe, while stating the once controversial fact that they mated with "ancient kinds of humans." Interesting and well researched even if they stretched a bit for dramatic tension.


----------



## Foxbat

*Hellraiser* Clive Barker’s 1987 movie still stands the test of time


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Makoto Shinkai, _Voices Of A Distant Star._


----------



## Starbeast

*Aftermath* (2017) An interesting drama about how people deal with tragedy in their lives. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this movie. Pretty good.

*The Dark Tower* (2017) Excellent and tastefully executed Stephen King adaptation. I have not read the novels (which I have been very curious about for a long time), but I enjoyed the film. I liked the little hints of Mr King's other works that were placed in this flick too. Nice touch.






RE-WATCHED

*Rambo* (2008) I had forgotten why I haven't seen this movie in quite a while, but when I saw the atrocities at the beginning of the movie, it all came back to memory. It's a tough movie to view, but it does have a great payoff at the end.

*Tommy Boy* (1995) One of my favorite comedies of the 1990's. A fantastic cast with the late/great actor Chris Farley leading the way.

*Young Frankenstein* (1974) Outstanding cast and wonderful script that still makes me chuckle. One Mel Brooks best.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Various pieces of embarrassing rom-com or period romance twaddle on Netflix. I don't have to name them, do I? It's what's keeping me sane.


----------



## Randy M.

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Various pieces of embarrassing rom-com or period romance twaddle on Netflix. I don't have to make them, do I? It's what's keeping me sane.



See also _Book Club_ and _In a World..._ above.

Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

*Planeta De Las Mujeres Invasores* aka _Planet of Female Invaders_ - Mexican 1966 B and W - subtitled:
ohhh yes... the beginning of this is confusing, because.. well, there's this carnival, with a flying saucer ride... but then, some space-vixens come walking up, after the carnival is closed... and they get in the ship and, you guessed it, it takes off. Onboard are some folks, a boxer and some shady characters, a couple gals and a kid. On the space-vixen's planet, well the sun will blind you, without special glasses...whereas, on the Earth, the vixens can only breathe the air for a while before they expire. Yep. so they go back and forth... because the evil Queen-vixen is trying to... do something, while her twin sister is a good vixen, and... stuff happens. They are trying to use humans lungs... to replace their lungs, or upgrade them or something... along those lines. Yeah, this one is... something.


----------



## Astro Pen

Just ordered Tarkovsky's _Mirror_ because :
(sorry you will have to click "watch on youtube" to see the clip, worth it.)


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Randy M. said:


> See also _Book Club_ and _In a World..._ above.
> 
> Randy M.





Astro Pen said:


> Just ordered Tarkovsky's _Mirror_ because :
> (sorry you will have to click "watch on youtube" to see the clip, worth it.)


Lovely movie. I saw it at a repertory cinema years ago, and I also have it on Blu Ray. It also happens to be the Tarkovsky movie closest to the work of another of my favorite directors, Terrence Malick.


----------



## Cydramech

Last movie I watched was Event Horizon, last night. Been watching quite a bit of 1980s/1990s stuff lately.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Cydramech said:


> Last movie I watched was Event Horizon, last night. Been watching quite a bit of 1980s/1990s stuff lately.


Ha. I began watching it last night -- maybe the first 20 minutes of it. It's a notorious bomb, isn't it?


----------



## Cydramech

tegeus-Cromis said:


> Ha. I began watching it last night -- maybe the first 20 minutes of it. It's a notorious bomb, isn't it?



All I'm sayin' is that I enjoyed watching it again.


----------



## tegeus-Cromis

Oh, I'm planning to finish it.


----------



## Toby Frost

I think it's quite enjoyable. It's like watching edited highlights of _Alien, Hellraiser _and _Don't Look Now_, all at once.


----------



## Vince W

*Deathgasm*. A very 80s toned horror/comedy film from New Zealand. The performances were quite good and the effects suitably low budget. It's not funny enough to elicit big laughs or scary enough to induce any sort of lasting impression but the combination is enough to sustain the film. Not worth ever watching again but it was fun enough to pass the 90 minute run time.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell* (1968) a Japanese horror film, which featured space aliens, out to destroy the human race, but showed the worst of human behavior, as the passengers of a downed airliner scramble over each other, trying to escape from the other passenger, now, a vampire.  

So, this silver blob seeps into a vertical wound on a guy's forehead, and possesses him.  2nd time I saw it.





*The Bohemian Girl* (1936) L&H as gypsies, who end-up with the abducted daughter of a nobleman, passed-off as H's daughter by his two-timing wife, as she runs off with her lover. It happened because the guards at the nobleman's estate had whipped her lover, so, seeing the chance to grab the girl, billed only by her 1st name, Darla (yes, that Darla of *Our Gang*, etc.), steal her away. So now L&H have a daughter/niece, who at 3 to 4 years old, just suddenly popped out of thin air.  Years pass, and the gypsies are once again, in the neighborhood of the nobleman, who is singing about his missing child, Arline; who, just passing through the area, happens to recognize the gate through which she had passed, just before her abduction. 

 Captain of the Guard (James Finlayson, in his usual role as antagonist to L&H), siezes her, and throws her in the dungeon, awaiting a flogging in the morning.  

Not quite my type of L&H film, too much operatic singing; though it did have a few really funny scenes.



*Crime Wave* (1954) Doc' Penny (Ted de Corsia), Ben Hastings (Charles Bronson), and Gat Morgan (Ned Young), had just escaped from prison, & had been on a spree of cheap stick-ups of gas stations, and other places not offering much money to steal. They had even left a trail that went past the city where their old friends lived, just to put the cops off the trail. But, the last gas station robbery, went bad, and they killed a cop. Morgan took a bullet to the gut, and was searching for an old friend, a disgraced surgeon, now running an animal hospital, for treatment. Detective Lieutenant Sims (Sterling Hayden), learning of their escape visits an ex-con to scare him into talking; but the ex-con, Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson), has been going straight since he was released, and knows nothing. Soon after, Morgan stumbles into Lacey's apartment, hoping he can be stiched-up by the vet, Otto Hessler (Jay Novello), who arrives just after the crook dies. Hessler, searches the body, finds the money intended for him, then leaves. Now Lacey and wife (Phyllis Kirk), have a dead body on their hands, and a cop, Sims, breathing down their necks.

As though things were not bad enough, the other two escapees show-up, and demand Lacey drive the getaway car for their upcoming bank robbery,  that Doc had been planning for several years. 

BTW, Muller, among other comments, mentioned that this was Bronson's 1st credited role, though at that time, he was still using his real name, _ Buchinsky_. Definitely a brutal role.



*High Pressure* (1932) Gar Evans (William Powell) is a drunked slob, except when he is promoting something. Mike Donahey (Frank McHugh), learns of a wonderful way to make artificial rubber of of sewage, and rouses his friend to his senses. Gar, then proceeds to gather talent, etc., long before even assuring himself that this can work. Mr. Banks (Charles Middleton, better known as Ming, the Merciless) is a representitive of the rubber industry, and offers to buy out the whole thing, but his offer is too low.

Wonderful supporting cast, too many for me to bother with all, so, none but those already mentioned must suffice. Great comedy-romance!



*The Real McCoy* (?) A short film starring Charley Chase, a 1930s film star comedian-type, who was overshadowed by L&H, as well as others, bettwer known than himself. pursued by Edgar Kennedy as a motorcycle cop (frequent antagonist of comedian-types), both end up in a stream, and in a hick town, whose inhabitants all hate revenuers and cops.


A couple of TCM's short films, 1 about *Lawrence Tierney*, the other, dating from last October, about the monster of the month, *Godzilla. *


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Common Law Wife *(1963)

This was going to be the first in a series of reviews of the non-horror/science fiction movies of Z grade director Larry Buchanan, but then I found out that this sleazy exploitation film only uses some footage from an incomplete project he abandoned, and is mostly the work of another guy.  The disparity between old footage and new footage results in some of the clumsiest editing you've ever seen, and the bizarre experience of seeing two different actresses play the same part.

Anyway, this starts off with an old guy throwing darts at the woman who has been living with him for five years.  He wants her to leave, so that his young, voluptuous niece, who left town five years ago under scandalous circumstances, can live with him instead.  It's made absolutely clear that his intentions are other than innocent.  The woman consults a lawyer, finds out that she is actually a COMMON LAW WIFE, which throws a monkey-wrench in the old guy's plans.  Meanwhile, the niece, who has been working as a stripper all these years, comes back to town and moves in with her sister.  The sister is married to the local sheriff, with whom the stripper starts a hot and heavy affair.  After the niece performs a free striptease in the local beer joint, a moonshiner beats the heck out of the sheriff and takes the stripper to his still, way out in the swamp.  The whole thing winds up with multiple deaths, some from cyanide-laced moonshine.  Despite an extremely low budget, the awkwardness of the mixed footage, and a lot of time wasted with shots of ducks swimming and such, it has a certain steamy intensity, with a lot of yelling and some sharp dialogue.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Free, White and 21 *(1963)

Documentary-style courtroom drama from low budget director Larry Buchanan.  Shows us every detail of a criminal trial from the beginning to the end.  The charge is the inherently controversial one of a black man accused of raping a white woman.  She's a voluptuous Swedish woman, come to America as a "freedom rider."  He's a businessman, owner of the hotel where she stays, and offers her a job as a model.  During the trial, we see flashbacks of her side of the story, and his.  Near the end, we get a full three minutes of watching a clock as the narrator tells us to vote Guilty or Not Guilty, which I assume is what they had theater audiences do when this first came out.  To my amazement, they don't stop with this "you be the judge" kind of ending, but actually show us the final verdict.   



Spoiler



Not Guilty.  The final words of the opposing attorneys, who seem to be close pals when not arguing against each other in court, suggests that the jury reached this decision because "we love intruders even less" [than black people.]"



In 1963, the racial aspect of the story was probably the most vital part of it.  In 2020, the "he said/she said" aspect seems more important.  The whole thing is very serious and earnest, and may be the most realistic trial I've ever seen in a fictional film.  What that means, really, is that it is often deadly dull.


----------



## HareBrain

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Free, White and 21 *(1963)
> 
> Documentary-style courtroom drama from low budget director Larry Buchanan.  Shows us every detail of a criminal trial from the beginning to the end.  The charge is the inherently controversial one of a black man accused of raping a white woman.  She's a voluptuous Swedish woman, come to America as a "freedom rider."  He's a businessman, owner of the hotel where she stays, and offers her a job as a model.  During the trial, we see flashbacks of her side of the story, and his.  Near the end, we get a full three minutes of watching a clock as the narrator tells us to vote Guilty or Not Guilty, which I assume is what they had theater audiences do when this first came out.  To my amazement, they don't stop with this "you be the judge" kind of ending, but actually show us the final verdict.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Not Guilty.  The final words of the opposing attorneys, who seem to be close pals when not arguing against each other in court, suggests that the jury reached this decision because "we love intruders even less" [than black people.]"
> 
> 
> 
> In 1963, the racial aspect of the story was probably the most vital part of it.  In 2020, the "he said/she said" aspect seems more important.  The whole thing is very serious and earnest, and may be the most realistic trial I've ever seen in a fictional film.  What that means, really, is that it is often deadly dull.



I assume this was a fictional case? And was it set up to be so even that people could only really choose based on their prejudices?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

HareBrain said:


> I assume this was a fictional case? And was it set up to be so even that people could only really choose based on their prejudices?



The story goes that it was a fictional case, loosely based on something that happened to a friend of the director.






						Free, White and 21 - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				






> The movie was based on a true story about an English girl who stayed at a motel owned by a black man, Tony Davis, who was a disc jockey. She later claimed Davis raped her and he was arrested. Davis was a friend of Buchanan and agreed to work with him on the film even before the trial finished.



As far as how the evidence is presented, well, given the *Rashoman*-style conflicting flashbacks, the truth of the matter is difficult to determine.


----------



## Foxbat

The Wrecking Crew.
My dad was a big Dean Martin fan and I remember watching this movie with him so when I saw it was on TV, thought I'd watch it again. Pretty poor. I was too young first time around to appreciate how bad an actor Dean Martin was. Not any more.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM ran the whole Matt Helm series last year, as I recall; at the end of each, was a heads-up about the next film, including the final one made. I would certainly have watched the next, though never made one.

There are tons of 1960s spy spoofs out there, one even had Tony Randall as the protagonist; though certainly not a spy, himself.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald *(1964)

Low budget director Larry Buchanan gives us another courtroom drama, this one imagining what might have happened if Oswald had not been killed by Jack Ruby.  The actor playing Oswald never speaks, and is only shown a few times as a closeup of his eyes.  His lawyer pleads Not Guilty by reason of insanity.  The vast majority of the film is a dry-as-dust questioning of a large number of witnesses.  It all seems very accurate, mainly because it's so unexciting.  Every once in a while we get some footage of the street where JFK was killed, with gunshots on the soundtrack.  At one point we hear the real voice of Oswald on a tape recorder, giving a radio interview about his work for the Fair Play For Cuba Committee.  We never see the jury, because YOU are the jury, and the verdict is up to you.  Of historical interest, but conspiracy buffs might be disappointed by the fact that nobody seems to doubt that Oswald acted alone.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*High Yellow *(1965)

After two sedate courtroom dramas from Larry Buchanan, this wild melodrama from the same director of cheap movies comes as something as a relief.  A teenage girl, the daughter of a black mother and a white father, arrives at the mansion of a Hollywood mogul to work as a maid.  We quickly find out that this is a very dysfunctional family indeed.  Dad is a phony, who faked his wartime footage; Mom is a neurotic, who lies in bed a lot, from some kind of hypochondria, and talks about sex when the local pastor comes around; Daughter is a high school dropout, out for kicks; and Son just got kicked out of a military academy, under suspicion of being a "queer boy."  The chauffeur is a decent enough chap, although he admits to wanting to steal the family silver so he can go into the car repair business.  The gardener/handyman is a total psycho, only working there because he served in the war with Dad (and was somehow responsible for the death of a few soldiers) who demonstrates what he'd like to do to Daughter by snapping a rabbit's neck!  (Off screen, thank goodness.)  

The plot gets going when Daughter takes our High Yellow protagonist to a disco, because she can easily pass for white.  We get to listen to a couple of rock 'n' roll songs and witness go-go dancers.  Daughter's drink was drugged.  She passes out at home, and gets her neck broken.  You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out whodunit.  The cops have our heroine dress up as Daughter and meet with the psycho, so he'll freak out and confess.  Since this isn't enough plot, we also find out that Son was only accused of being a "queer boy" because his buddies at the military academy took him to an off-limits strip club, where the authorities found him just as he found out that the stripper he was with was a man!   He proves his true manliness by engaging in a forbidden romance with our "colored" protagonist.

The whole thing mixes issues of race, social class, the generation gap, and sexual orientation, without forgetting that it's a low budget drive-in exploitation flick.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Long Shot*

Pretty good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hell Raiders *(1968)

This is more like the Larry Buchanan I know.  Take an old, cheap, lousy movie, and make an unofficial remake of it, but cheaper and lousier.  In all other cases this was a horror/monster/science fiction flick.  (For example, transforming *It Conquered the World *into *Zontar, the Thing from Venus*.)  This time, it's the war movie *Suicide Battalion*.

We begin with a lot of stock footage and a narrator telling us about World War Two.  Then we meet a tiny group of American soldiers in a forest supposedly in Italy.  One, a young kid, gets killed almost immediately by a nearby German soldier.    A little later the survivors get a mission; retake a building that was captured by the Germans, because it's got some important papers in it.  We then kill a lot of time with the GI's on leave in an Italian town.   A couple of women show up, one an American photographer and one an Italian, so we can have some romance.  Throw in some lame comedy, as the madam of a brothel teaches her workers to speak both English and German.  The actual mission doesn't start until nearly an hour into the film, and then it's pretty much just a few guys on each side pretending to shoot each other.    In between we get more stock footage and narration.  The battle scenes resemble adults acting like little kids playing war.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Bullet for Pretty Boy *(1970)

Larry Buchanan gets the largest budget in his career -- i.e., about the same as a typical low budget B movie -- in this highly fictionalized version of the criminal career of "Pretty Boy" Floyd.  Teen idol Fabian has the lead role.  We start with his wedding.  A couple of uninvited guys show up at the party afterwards, one makes some smutty remarks about the bride, Floyd beats him up.  The guy tries to get revenge by shooting Floyd, but misses and kills Floyd's father.  Floyd fights the guy, killing him with an ax.  He gets sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter but escapes after four years.  He winds up sheltered in a brothel, where he gets a girlfriend and learns bank robbery from a couple of crooks.  The rest of the film is full of shootouts, car chases, and so on.  Lots of soft rock/country pop songs on the soundtrack, which is about as anachronistic as the long hair on most of the male performers.  Cars, sets, and costumes aren't bad, although Floyd's prostitute girlfriend looks more like a disco queen.  Overall, a fair-to-middling example of its kind.


----------



## Vince W

*The Walk*. As with all true story films take this one with a pinch of salt. The story of Phillipe Petit's outlandish highwire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York in 1974.

I didn't know all that much about the event since it happened when I was very young but this film manages to make all the work leading up to the event quite entertaining. It plays much like a grand caper film where all the players come together and the story is in the planning, not in the execution, although that was a work in itself as well. The narration of Gordon-Levitt as Petit throughout the film could have been reduced or dropped IMO. I would rather the film kept its focus on the story without the constant interruption. It would also have made the film 30 minutes shorter without taking much away from the story.

The walk itself was almost anti-climatic after everything leading up to it. Seeing it at home the heights were pretty dizzying on my 4K screen. In the cinema, I might have felt vertigo at the views to the ground. A decent enough way to pass a couple of hours.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Monty Python and the Holly Grail   *This film never get old for alot hilariously funny reasons.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Bullitt*" (1968)

A regular favourite of mine, and still holds water despite being over 50 years old. Of course it will be remembered for one of the greatest cinematic car chases of all time, but the film oozes a laid-back feel which suits not only the San Francisco location, but also the sign of the times back then. And Lalo Schifrin 's brooding score just adds to the flavour.


----------



## Randy M.

*Fiddler on the Roof*  (1971) dir. Norman Jewison; starring Topol, Norma Crane

Still one of my favorite musicals. Engaging, sly performance by Topol as Tevye and an equally smart performance by Crane as his wife. Tradition takes a beating as times change, his daughters take a measure of control over their lives, and he grudgingly supports them because he loves them. Wonderful score and smart direction.


*Targets* (1968) dir. Peter Bogdonovich; starring Boris Karloff, Tim O'Kelly, Bogdonovich,

Long time horror movie star Byron Orlok decides to retire after his last contracted movie, _The Terror_, a very bad Gothic drama which convinces him he no longer has the desire to act or the ability to do so well and since Victorian mansions and the like are no longer scary but camp, in the age of random shootings (movie inspired by University of Texas tower sniper, and the easy access to guns in the U.S.). To help his friends Jenny and Sam, he agrees to one last personal appearance at a drive-in showing of _The Terror_. A parallel story line follows a  seemingly normal young man as he unravels, culminating in sniper attacks at a highway and then at the drive-in.

One of Karloff's last movies, and one of his best performances. Bogdonovich was working for Roger Corman who told him to cobble together something for Karloff since there were still two days left on his contract after filming finished on -- you guessed it -- _The Terror _(notable for truly being bad while pairing Karloff with a very young, stiff Jack Nicholson).


*While You Were Sleeping* (1995) dir. Jon Turtletraub; starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, and a raft of good character actors

Made  a couple of years after _Sleepless in Seattle_, so one of the rash of rom coms that came in the wake of that big box office movie. I've always preferred this charming, low-key rom com with Bullock and Pullman striving to out underact each other. Hadn't really thought about it until watching Pullman's turn in _The Sinner_ series, but he's a method actor, and in spite of that he can be charming and as sharp comedically as he is dramatically. (Not sure the hectic _Spaceballs_ really proved much in that regard, fun as it is.)


*Shrek* (2001) dir. Adam Adamson, Vicky Jenson; starring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy

Still anarchic fun, and a good way to wile away a lazy, cloudy Sunday afternoon.


*True Grit* (2010) dir. Joel Coen; starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailed Steinfeld

Had not seen this before. Covers the same story as the John Wayne/Henry Hathaway version, and like that seems steeped in sepia tones (at least that's my memory of the earlier movie) but less inclined to the broader humor of Wayne/Hathaway with an exception or two. Benefits from the presence of a stronger actor in the role of LeBoeuf; Damon is equal to standing up to Bridges, unlike Glen Campbell who was pleasant but not really believable. Hailee Steinfeld is phenomenal as Mattie. At the same age as Mattie, 14, she more than matches up Bridges, Damon, Barry Pepper and Josh Brolin. I knew she was good from other things I've seen her in, but I didn't realize just how good she was starting out.


Randy M.


----------



## J Riff

and now, a rare 'Pre-watching' review... of the new *'Minuscule'* movie... it's gonna be great... no dialogue... nice music -- funny bits... gonna really enjoy it... u probably will too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Malibu High *(1979)

The title suggests a lighthearted teen sex comedy, right?  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  This is one dark and twisted little movie.  Our main character, played by an actress who never appeared in anything else, is a bitter, angry high school student.  Her father killed himself a couple of years ago, her boyfriend dumped her for a rich girl, and she's flunking out.  The solution to her scholastic problem is to seduce her teachers and blackmail them into giving her good grades.  At the same time, she becomes a prostitute, working out of a van.  She accepts an offer to earn more money in the same profession.  When a client gets rough, she kills him with an ice pick.  It turns out she enjoys the sensation, and her employee promotes her to professional assassin.  More killings follow, both as part of her job and ones she performs for her own reasons.  In most ways, this is a terrible movie, poorly acted, and with a truly awful soundtrack.  (Many scenes end with a descending electronic tone that sounds like something out of an old video game.)  However, there's a certain fascination to the deranged plot, and the main character's nearly constant foul mood adds a certain sleazy intensity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*High School Hellcats *(1958)

Good Girl arrives at a new school.  The leader of the Bad Girls tells her that all the girls are going to wear slacks the next day, even though that's against the dress code.  Of course, Good Girl is the only one to do it.  Despite falling victim to this prank, she chooses to join the gang of Bad Girls, even going so far as to shoplift as an initiation.  She wants to fit in because her mother goes off to play bridge, leaving her a note to make herself a sandwich, and her father slaps her across the face for walking around the house in a slip.  At a party with plenty of rock 'n roll, drinking, and making out, the leader of the Bad Girls falls down a flight of stairs and is killed.  Her second-in-command, our film's switchblade-wielding Psycho, swears to find out who pushed her.  Of course, you've already figured out what really happened, leading to the final showdown between Good Girl and Psycho.  It's an efficiently made little B picture, with some decent, if inherently melodramatic acting.  Notable for how little a role the male characters play.  At first, I honestly thought this was taking place at a girls' school.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Teenage Doll *(1957)

Roger Corman flick jumps right into the middle of things, with the discovery of the dead body of a member of a female youth gang, the Black Widows.  (They appear to be the female auxiliary of the Tarantulas gang.)  They know that the victim met with the movie's Good Girl, and figure she killed her.  Their plan for revenge is to get their hands on cash or other valuables and then pay the hood, leader of the Vandals gang, whom the Good Girl thinks is her boyfriend, but who would sell her out for a price.  This leads to scenes of the squalid lives of the gang members.  One lives with a baby sister, who's sitting on the floor of their dump, surrounded by garbage.  One lives with an older sister, who's dating her boss in an attempt to make something of herself.  One has a father who's got a series of young girls to smooch on.  One steals money from the cash register of her family's little store, one steals her father's gun, and so on.  Meanwhile, the Good Girl tuns through the streets in a panic, with blood on her dress.  Lots of creepy and eccentric characters show up.  The whole thing leads up to a rumble between rival gangs.  The Bad Girls in this one are as tough as nails, doing as much serious fighting as the boys.  Overall, a pretty grim little B picture.


----------



## HanaBi

"*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*" (2011)

Spy games twixt the USSR and the UK back in the days of the Cold War.

I haven't read the book by John Le Carre, but certainly enjoyed the BBC TV version back in the late 70s with Alec Guiness and Michael Jayston. However, this film version seemed rather lacking even though the period charm and the acting abilities from Gary Oldman. Colin Firth and John Hurt were a joy.

I suppose if you haven't read the book or watched the TV version, then you may find this a pleasant surprise. But for me it felt uneven and muddled. It was if the director wanted to cram the 7 hours of the  rivetting TV version into a mere 2 hours for cinema, and failed.

3/5


----------



## Vaz

*Avengers: Endgame*

maamged to avoid all spoilers before watching as I don't really use social media. Had fun and enjoyed it. Absolutely loved the fact that Cap was worthy too!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mark of the Witch* (1970)

Starts off in the old days, with a witch placing a curse on the folks who are executing her.    We've seen this a million times, so let me just point out that the witch does the most extreme overacting I've ever seen, complete with eyes and mouth wide open.  Cut to nowadays (well, 1969 anyway) as a woman sings an odd _a cappela_ chant, written by the lead actress in this thing, over the titles.  She's a college co-ed who finds an old book of spells and takes it to one of the informal seminars about various kinds of spooky stuff held by a professor.  Hey, guess what?  Professor looks _exactly _like the guy who was part of the witch's coven, and who betrayed her.  The students cast a spell from the book to attract witches.  It's a darn easy spell, too.  You just need some candles, wine, and rosemary.  This results in the co-ed being possessed by the witch.  (Oddly, the co-ed is _not _played by the same actress who played the witch.)  She kills the professor's dog with magic, then makes him teach her about the modern world, explaining such strange things as telephones and coffee.  (At this point the movie is like an odd, non-comedic version of _Bewitched_.)  After zapping the professor's pet bird as another demonstration of her power, she goes off in the woods and chants some mumbo-jumbo.  She goes on to drug a couple of students to control their wills, makes them pledge their bodies and souls to Satan, then kills them.  At the end, the professor and the co-ed's boyfriend set up a timer to project a cross of light on her, just when she's performing some kind of ritual.  This frees the co-ed, brings the actress playing the witch back, and leads up to the Shocking Twist Ending.  It's a cheap little film, notable mainly for performance of the lead actress.  While not exactly a good one, she does manage to change from sweet and innocent young thing to evil temptress in a reasonably convincing manner.  Lots of bright colors, and the students look both extremely clean cut and 1960's groovy at the same time. 

*Warlock Moon *(1973)

Begins with a woman walking around some spooky place with a candle, talking to somebody we don't see.  Guy with an ax jumps out and we cut to the titles.  Next we're at a college lecture, where the instructor informs us that incest is the most common form of deviancy (?), followed by a promise to talk about cannibalism next time.  Foreshadowing!  Our co-ed heroine is approached by a guy wearing a trench coat and a Groucho mask, who speaks in a fake French accent about some nonsensical spy stuff.  Instead of telling him to buzz off, she puts up with this nonsense, and agrees to go on an outing with him.  Mind you, they just met.  That's how you pick up girls, guys!   They find an abandoned spa/sanatorium place, wander around, meet the old woman who lives there.  Guy convinces her to come back a couple of days later, but they have to show up in separate cars.  This turns out to be a minor plot point at the very end, and also makes the viewer wonder why she has to plead with the guy to leave when she could just drive away at any time.   A couple of creepy guys attack her, and the old woman and the guy try to convince her it was just her imagination.  She foolishly agrees to stay the night, we find out the guy is in on the plot with the old woman, there's the ghost of a bride (played by the same actress as the co-ed), some kind of blood ritual at midnight, a store room full of body parts, etc.  Our heroine escapes, gets busted by the cops when they find (or plant) marijuana in her car -- I told you it was a plot point -- leading up to our (pretty lame) Shocking Twist Ending.  It's a pretty lousy movie.  Notable for a scene in an empty swimming pool where the guy acts out an extended parody of a horror movie, playing both the monster and the creator of the monster, who rescues the co-ed but turns out to be a monster himself.  Foreshadowing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Racial Confusion Double Feature:

*I Passed for White *(1960)

Light-skinned African-American woman (her grandmother was married to a white man) changes her name, moves away from home, gets a job that would have been denied to her if she weren't "passing," marries a rich white man, has to hide her family from her in-laws, gets pregnant, worries if the baby will be dark, things go very badly.  I'd be surprised if the actress playing the lead role really was of mixed race, but I can't prove it one way or another.  (She had a very minor career, often playing Native Americans, so who knows.)  With sixty years of hindsight, we can say that all the fuss over the woman's ancestry is ludicrous, but I'm sure it presents a real problem of the time.  The film's attitude to the situation is that it has to end in tragedy.

*Black Like Me *(1964)

Film version of the true story of the writer who used drugs and ultraviolet light to darken his skin, so he could live as an African-American in the segregated South.  In the lead role is James Whitmore, whose transformed appearance isn't at all convincing, but he does the best he can.  The movie's structure consists of his experiences with several people, white and black, while undercover, with flashbacks to the procedure he underwent, and its effect on his marriage.  It has the racism you'd expect, from casual to overtly violent.  What's a little more surprising is the film's sexual content, from a white man asking a black man where he can get a black woman, to a white man obsessively asking Whitmore, in disguise, if he's ever "had" a white woman, to a Northern sociologist who gets way too personal when asking about Whitmore's sex life. (It's strongly implied that the fellow is making a pass at him, so Whitmore punches him in the face, with the guy claiming he's not "queer." Maybe it's time for *Gay Like Me*.)


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Racial Confusion Double Feature:
> 
> *I Passed for White *(1960)
> 
> 
> *Black Like Me *(1964)



I remember when "Black Like Me" came out, and to say the least it was very cutting edge in a social sense at the time. I hadn't known of "I Passed for White" but with a date of 1960 meaning its roots had to be in the mid to late 50's, this would also have been socially near unthinkable. Remember that there were still several states with laws against interracial marriage in 1960. The last one came off the books in 1967.


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## J Riff

I remember it too, read it with great interest in the 60s.

*Minuscule 2 - Mandibles from Far Away - *Charming stuff, our Ladybugs go to Guadalupe.. there's a rescue mission, a spider who sails an old ship ... mantises, foreign ladybugs...a shark, crabs.. and humans, who don't get to say a word.. lovely music, and - near the end, a human project, a big resort hotel that needs to be shut down, so our bug-buddies manage that... and it's a 'plague' that does it... so... prognosticative? I guess so in a small, minuscule way...


----------



## KGeo777

COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) If the film had merely been content to do a version of Frankenstein with a machine it would be worthy of note, but what makes it such a compelling story is that Forbin is not just a creator who discovers his creation has gotten out of hand--in fact, he is happy and flattered to see that his computer is learning and defying its original boundaries. Even when he finds himself under surveillance and stripped naked, he can still be amused by the unintentional humor of Colossus. "You were not born with a watch." And unlike Frankenstein, Forbin is not destroyed by his creation but transformed-- the role of creator and creation (or parent and child) has been reversed. This is what constitutes the biggest psychological blow.

"In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love. "

50 years later Colossus is proven right. We all love Colossus now, our all-knowing benevolent caretaker.


----------



## Randy M.

*He Walked by Night *(1948) dir. Alfred Werker, though the host (Turner Cable Movies) said Anthony Mann took over early in production

Richard Basehart as a smart, cold blooded killer, looking to make a lot of money without scruples. He steals, he kills cops, and he eludes detection for months. That's pretty much the story, with a lot of following police around doing their work. Scott Brady (brother of that other film _noir_ tough guy, Lawrence Tierney) is the cop assigned to the case, and he's good, as usual, as a stoic, tough guy. But the movie is essentially Basehart's and Mann's; Basehart's extremely effective as an unemotional, ruthless killer, clever enough to elude police. And Mann's direction uses every trick from camera angles to lighting to add to the _noir_ atmosphere. Really a superior little thriller. Look close you'll see Jack Webb (influenced, apparently, by working on this when creating his TV show, _Dragnet_) and John Dehner, who appeared in TV shows for the next 30+ years.


*The Skull* (1965) dir. Freddie Francis; starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Patrick Wymark, Jill Bennett

A scholar in the history of Black Magic, and a disbeliever in same, acquires the skull of the Marquis de Sade and it has a very bad influence on him. Based on the story, "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade" by Robert Bloch, it mostly follows the story with some added frills to fill in the 90 minute play time. An Amicus production, the effects are sufficient if, nowadays, a bit hokey, but Cushing and Lee make it work with the aid of a strong supporting cast that includes Nigel Green, Patrick Magee and, very briefly, Michael Gough. Fun, the story is a little dubious, but by no means a bad movie. 

Randy M.


----------



## Starbeast

*Meet Dave* (2008) - I didn't know this movie existed until last night. Pretty good sci-fi comedy flick, about tiny aliens who travel to Earth on a mission to save their world. Actor/comedian Eddie Murphy, stars as the alien space ship captain.

*Good Will Hunting* (1997) - Stars the late/great Robin Williams, along with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck It took me a while to finally see this one......and to think, I hesitated. I thought this film is an awesome drama. One of Robin Williams best films. It's an astonishing tale about a relationship between a therapist and a highly intelligent, troubled youth searching to find his purpose in life.


*RE-WATCHED*

*Lilies of the Field* (1963) - Fantastic film about a handyman (played by the late/great actor Sydney Poitier), who decides to help a group of Nuns build a chapel in a desert. Tremendously great drama. It was a treat to see this classic gem of a movie, after many years. Amen Mr Poitier.





*Goldfinger* (1964) - Always fun to watch this slightly dated Bond flick. Sean Connery is so cool as the dashing spy, who's trying to stop a gold obsessed madman.

*Diamonds Are Forever* (1971) - Sean Connery as James Bond 007, goes after Ernst Stavro Blofeld (wonderfully acted by Charles Gray) in this movie. Such a great entry in the series.


----------



## Randy M.

Hey, Starbeast, unless there's been news in the last couple of days I haven't heard, I don't think Sidney Poitier is late.

Randy M.


----------



## AlexH

KGeo777 said:


> COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) If the film had merely been content to do a version of Frankenstein with a machine it would be worthy of note, but what makes it such a compelling story is that Forbin is not just a creator who discovers his creation has gotten out of hand--in fact, he is happy and flattered to see that his computer is learning and defying its original boundaries. Even when he finds himself under surveillance and stripped naked, he can still be amused by the unintentional humor of Colossus. "You were not born with a watch." And unlike Frankenstein, Forbin is not destroyed by his creation but transformed-- the role of creator and creation (or parent and child) has been reversed. This is what constitutes the biggest psychological blow.
> 
> "In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love. "
> 
> 50 years later Colossus is proven right. We all love Colossus now, our all-knowing benevolent caretaker.


I watched this at a secret cinema event in a nuclear bunker with actors around the bunker playing parts from the cold war era. It was an excellent experience!

I haven't felt like watching a film for a couple of weeks, so nothing new from me.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970) If the film had merely been content to do a version of Frankenstein with a machine it would be worthy of note, but what makes it such a compelling story is that Forbin is not just a creator who discovers his creation has gotten out of hand--in fact, he is happy and flattered to see that his computer is learning and defying its original boundaries. Even when he finds himself under surveillance and stripped naked, he can still be amused by the unintentional humor of Colossus. "You were not born with a watch." And unlike Frankenstein, Forbin is not destroyed by his creation but transformed-- the role of creator and creation (or parent and child) has been reversed. This is what constitutes the biggest psychological blow.
> 
> "In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love. "
> 
> 50 years later Colossus is proven right. We all love Colossus now, our all-knowing benevolent caretaker.


I vaguely remember this; thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought they were remaking it.   It has been in the works since 2007! Will they ever really make it?


----------



## BAYLOR

*Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox   *Barry Allen goes back in time and saves his mother.  This is a very good film.


----------



## AstroZon

*Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace *
After watching The Rise of Skywalker, I decided to start at the beginning (or middle depending on how you look at it.)  It's a fun movie.


----------



## KGeo777

Watched FLASH GORDON 1936. It was higher budget than I expected and the fx were not as bad as I remembered from clips, but they did leave something to be desired as it progressed. Lizards with rubber glued on their backs, a bear painted like a skunk, a flimsy looking monster suit and a much better gorilla suit with a horn glued on it. Lion Men who looked like Grizzly Adams.
But on the plus side, the casting was pretty good. Dale Arden was a little bland (was she a blonde in the comic strip?), but Flash Gordon, Ming, Zarkov, and especially Princess Aura were great. Sam Jones looks more like Buster Crabbe that I realized. If he had the same haircut and more personality..
As serials go I don't think it is in the top ten, but given the technical and budgetary restrictions, can't complain.
As much as I enjoy the 1980 film, it's too whimsical and deficient in fantasy to be a worthy FG adaptation. The 1936 version has the edge.


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## Jeffbert

*Trouble for two* (1936) based on *The Suicide Club*; has Prince Florizel (Robert Montgomery) bored and out looking for adventure, Has companion, Colonel Geraldine (Frank Morgan, better known for his role as the man behind the curtain; whom you are to ignore)  leave the kingdom & travel to London. There, they encounter Clive Barnley (Louis Hayward), and become intrigued by his insistence that they join him in eating some cream tarts. The film makes it seem strange or silly, and when pressed, he reveals that he is desirous of ending his life. They feign a similar desire, and follow him to the suicide club. About a dozen men and one women are dealt cards, the one receiving the Ace of Clubs is assigned the deed; the one with the Ace of Spades, is the one to whom the deed is done. These are prominent men who have become ruined in one way or another, & dare not do away with themselves, for the shame it would bring upon their names, etc. So, the club is a way to eliminate themselves without the stigma of suicide. 

I read R. L. Stevenson's New Arabian Nights years ago, after buying a cd filled with classic literature.  I do not recall if there was any romantic element in this story, but I doubt it. Rosalind Russell is the women to whom the prince is betrothed, and she too,  is mixed up with the club.  Nice, light film, with drama, romance, and a dash of humor.


*The Devil-Doll* (1936) Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore)  framed and sent to Devil's Island escapes and seeks vengeance against his three ex-business associates. the man who escaped with him, Marcel (Henry B. Walthall) had been working on a process to reduce living things to a fraction of their original size, believing that this is the only solution to the food shortage. So, they reach the home of Marcel's wife, Malita (Rafaela Ottiano), who has been continuing his experiments. Marcel dies, and Lavond (silent 'd') sees how he can get revenge using this science, though he believes it to be horrible. 

Lavond has a mother & daughter; the latter Lorraine (Maureen O'Sullivan; more famous as 'Jane') had grown up hating him, because of the crime, so when he returns to Paris, he lets his mother in on his secret; that he is going around as an elderly woman, a doll-maker, by trade. But those dolls are humans, not only reduced to the size of Barbie, Ken, & the original G.I. Joe, but have no will of their own; in fact, Lavon controls them by mere thought. 

I like Lionel Barrymore, & have seen many of his films; probably starting with his role in *Its a Wonderful Life*. 

The film is good enough for me to have watched it several times; though, I guess that is not saying much.  


*The House of Usher* (1960) This and the other two were leftovers from October.  I was unsure that I wanted to see this again, as I have seen it too many time to count. But, after running Ben M's intro, I just let it play.  Other than Price, these names are unfamiliar to me. 

Wikipedia's listing for the cast

Vincent Price as Roderick Usher
Mark Damon as Philip Winthrop
Myrna Fahey as Madeline Usher
Harry Ellerbe as Bristol
Wow! only 4!

Roderick is convinced that he must not allow his bloodline to continue, believing the Ushers are cursed.  His sister, Madeline, had recently returned from Boston, where she had met and fallen in love with Philip Winthrop. Philip has now come to the house seeking his bride. Roderick desperately tries to convince him that his sister is too ill to leave the house. Failing that, he begins to tell him about the wretchedness of his ancestors, and his certainty that the entire family is cursed. Philip will not be dissuaded. 

the 1st of seven collaborations between Price and Roger Corman.  I still have P&P on the DVR; though I doubt I will watch it anytime soon.


----------



## AlexH

*Iron Man 2* (2011)
I found out Mickey Rourke was in an Iron Man film and couldn't remember seeing him in one. That's because I thought I'd seen Iron Man 2, but I hadn't!

It was the best of the three Iron Man films, and I didn't realise it was Black Widow's film debut either. I haven't felt like watching films recently, but Iron Man 2 felt like a great form of escapism, with good action and well-placed humour. The villains were good and not OTT. Now to catch up on Thor and The Incredible Hulk, the only two other Marvel Cinematic Universe films I missed. I hope Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 make it to cinema screens this year. Some film releases have been put back over a year.


----------



## hitmouse

Lemmy. Interesting documentary on the Motorhead lead. Unusual character who comes across as intelligent, insightful and quite nice.


----------



## HanaBi

*The Sixth Sense* (1999) - Bruce Willis (Malcolm Crowe) and Haley Joel Osment (Cole Sear)

A young precocious boy has the ability to "see dead people", even to the point of communicating with them. Crowe is the child psychologist asked by the boy's mother to try and help Cole as she is at her wit's end trying to cope with her son's social detachment, mood swings, the bullying he suffers at school, coupled with the random poltergeist activity in her own home!

Crowe was shot in the stomach by a patient he failed at curing a year previously, but seems to have made a recovery. But ever since then he too has felt detached from society and especially from his wife, who seems to be more interested in dating a coworker behind his back. So both man and boy have some emotional connection, as well as their own closely guarded secrets that only unravel in the final stanza.

The twist ending was very well done, and certainly came as a surprise. But the problem with twist endings is that when you've seen the film once you know what's coming - very much like the jaw-drop twist in "The Usual Suspects".

However, both films are very well written with some excellent well paced scenes and admirable acting. And this film in particular sees Willis not as an action hero for a change, but just an ordinary man doing ordinary things in his life, and he plays the role perfectly. 

But the real star of the film is 9 year old Osment, who not only has to recite his many many lines, but also has to add emotion, pathos and all the other acting facets to make the character truly believable.  

Despite the subject matter - ghosts and poltergeists - this isn't quite a horror film, or a thriller or even a drama, but a bit of a cocktail of all three with just enough edge to keep you enthralled.

I also like the boy's surname, "Sear", which somehow suits his 6th sense abilities to a tee.

5/5


----------



## CupofJoe

Ocean's Movie Trilogy [Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen].
Wouldn't usually watch a modern Hollywood heist movie, but I've got a lot of time on my hands.
Slick dialogue, well written and well-acted, looks great [like "real" used to] and as gloriously empty but sweet and tasty as cotton candy.
They are all utterly implausible but that doesn't matter. You are along for how the ride looks and feels, not the story being told.
Eleven is the best of the three and Twelve the weakest.
Oddly I now want to see Ocean's Eight...


----------



## CupofJoe

hitmouse said:


> Lemmy. Interesting documentary on the Motorhead lead. Unusual character who comes across as intelligent, insightful and quite nice.


Loved this too. Was lucky enough to see Motörhead back in the day... It wasn't so much music as audio combat between the band, Lemmy and the audience. I loved it.


----------



## biodroid

*Black Christmas - *One of the worst movies ever made.
*1917 - *Pretty good movie, sad in places and somehow it looks like 1 continuous shot for the whole movie.
*Don't Let Go - *Same producers as *Black Christmas *but is a lot better than it, I enjoyed it despite the poor reviews.
*Midway - *A very different movie for Roland Emmerich, and it was quite good, just a bit overacted in some places.


----------



## AlexH

Iron Man 2 seems to have got me watching films again, and I signed up for a free trial of MUBI, which has 30 films available to stream at any one time, each for 30 days. I've watched three so far, and they couldn't really be more different than Iron Man 2, though there are similarities.

*Bacurau *(2019)
I'm a bit speechless after just finishing Bacurau. Set in the near future, a strange UFO-like drone hovers over a Brazilian village that's disappeared from Google Maps. A bullet-ridden water tanker drives into the village with water leaking out through the bullet holes. You're best not knowing much more about this film. It's like a cross between Parasite and Westworld. Violent, and not as good as either, but well worth a watch.

*Portrait of a Lady on Fire *(2019)
Slow-burning French drama/romance about a female painter commissioned to paint a Lady without the Lady knowing she's being painted, set on an isolated island in the 18th century. It was surprisingly tense at times, and I loved the ending(s).

*Neighbouring Sounds *(2012)
I think this was by the same director as Bacurau, but Neighbouring Sounds was a bit dull. People's lives on a Brazilian street. There's car crime. Some security guards turn up to monitor the street overnight. Nothing much changes. Exciting ending scene, too little too late, and then the film suddenly ends.


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## Randy M.

*Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter* (1972) dir. Brian Clemens; starring Horst Janson, John Carson, Caroline Munro

Hammer production pairing Brian Clemens (first of only two listings in IMDB as director, the other a TV episode) and Laurie Johnson (music), both of whom contributed to the panache of the TV show, _The Avengers_. Clemens was known as a writer for TV and movies but here shows himself a capable director with smart, efficient use of the camera and framing of scenes. Janson is better in the title role than I'd remembered from watching this maybe 40 years ago (yeesh). In the spirit of, it ain't arrogance if you can back it up, he's a master swordsman and know-it-all about vampires and how to hunt and kill them; a very '70s superhero, of the cooler-than-thou variety. Carson steals several scenes as Kronos' hunchback assistant and all-around expert on vampirism among other things, and Munro is as sexy as she always was with indications she would be a capable actress in roles not requiring sexiness, though little indication she could turn it off.  

Kronos is summoned by an old friend to a village where young women are growing old and dying. Along the way she saves Munro from the stocks, sentenced to them for dancing on the Sabbath. After several more deaths and much investigation, the source of the vampirism seems to reside in the estate of the Durwards. Janson, Carson and Munro -- more precisely, their characters -- invade the estate and seek the secret of the Durward family.

Meant as first in a series, this wasn't released in the U.S. until 1974. I recall it being popular, but maybe Hammer's money problems were too much to overcome by that time and so, no more. Too bad. This really is an entertaining movie, not great, but smartly directed and well-acted, a pretty good diversion right now. 

Randy M.


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## Jeffbert

*Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance* (1972) Based on the popular manga, this tells the story of an ex-executioner   who had been framed for conspiring against the Shogunate, and who, simply refused to go along with the tradition and expectation that he should slit his belly and die. So, he resists, and taking his son, goes on a journey to avenge the murder of his wife.  He kills many who were out to get him.

 the 1st of 6 films, 4 of which were on TCM  recently.

*Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx* (1972) the next film in the series, essentially, more of the same. Ogami Ito takes a contract to kill a guy who intends to ruin the business of a certain town, and is, thus guarded by official samurai. along the way, Retsudo, the series' villain, hires a band of female assassins to kill Ogami, because he had sworn not to assault him, if he defeated Retsudo's best swordsman, which he did.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

A Honest-To-Gosh Double Feature Double Feature, Courtesy Of A Low Budget Florida Filmmaker

(You could have seen both of these flicks on the same bill if you happened to be at a drive-in the American South at the right time, I believe.)

*Death Curse of Tartu *(1966)

Some guy acting all Indiana Jones-ish is wandering around in a cave, sees this pretty nifty, if goofy, sarcophagus with a statue of a lizard on it, gets killed by Tartu, our four-hundred-year-old witch doctor zombie.  Zombie hand flips through some sheets of parchment the guy had rolled up, and they turn out to be the movie's opening titles!  That took me by surprise.  The rest of the film follows some science guy and his better half, along with some young folks to dance, make out, and listen to lousy pop music.  In a nutshell, Tartu objects to having his tomb disturbed, and has the power to turn into various animals to kill these folks off one by one.  Sometimes he's an ordinary guy in old-time Native American clothing of the Hollywood kind, sometimes he a white-painted, skull-faced zombie.  Moves at a pretty slow pace most of the time.  Add in poor acting and a bombastic soundtrack and you've got an offbeat but mediocre cheapskate scare flick.

*Sting of Death *(1966)

Same minimally talented actors, same inane dialogue, same surprisingly decent cinematography, same nice location shooting in the Everglades.  The resemblance ends there, as this one has a much nuttier plot.  We see our monster -- guy in a wet suit and swim fins, covered with mud and slime, with weird rope-like tendril things hanging all over him -- attack a woman.  After the opening credits, we meet a science guy, his daughter, her boyfriend, and a bunch of her sorority sisters.  There's also Egon, a slightly deformed fellow who is very, very obviously the monster.   Some other college kids show up and dance to "Do the Jellyfish," sung by Neil Sedaka at the nadir of his career.  (See below.)  They also make fun of Egon.  Egon-as-monster shows up without anybody noticing him, and the killings begin.  It turns out he has his own secret lab in a cave reached by swimming underwater, where he has not only grown jellyfish to gigantic size and trained them (they look like multi-colored balloons) but he can also turn himself into the Amazing Jellyfish Man (the aforementioned monster, but with a big plastic bag over his head.)  He was doing all this because Science Guy's daughter was the only person nice to him, so he wanted to carry her off as the Bride of the Monster.    Add in eye-blazing color photography and a weird mid-1960's sensibility, where the young women are as likely to wear white gloves as bikinis, and you have quite an experience.


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## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> A Honest-To-Gosh Double Feature Double Feature, Courtesy Of A Low Budget Florida Filmmaker
> 
> (You could have seen both of these flicks on the same bill if you happened to be at a drive-in the American South at the right time, I believe.)
> 
> *Death Curse of Tartu *(1966)
> 
> Some guy acting all Indiana Jones-ish is wandering around in a cave, sees this pretty nifty, if goofy, sarcophagus with a statue of a lizard on it, gets killed by Tartu, our four-hundred-year-old witch doctor zombie.  Zombie hand flips through some sheets of parchment the guy had rolled up, and they turn out to be the movie's opening titles!  That took me by surprise.  The rest of the film follows some science guy and his better half, along with some young folks to dance, make out, and listen to lousy pop music.  In a nutshell, Tartu objects to having his tomb disturbed, and has the power to turn into various animals to kill these folks off one by one.  Sometimes he's an ordinary guy in old-time Native American clothing of the Hollywood kind, sometimes he a white-painted, skull-faced zombie.  Moves at a pretty slow pace most of the time.  Add in poor acting and a bombastic soundtrack and you've got an offbeat but mediocre cheapskate scare flick.


I have seen this! The thing could not be killed, but by natural forces, as I recall.      Thanks,  Victoria Silverwolf! I was wanting to remember the title.


*Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades* (1972)  This is where the baby cart shows its DB-5-like features.  Among them the arrow deflecting shield & the guns, capable of rapid fire. 



the wheel hubs also sprout blades, for cutting off legs.  Various other blades are concealed in the handle. 

The plot: on his travels to nowhere in particular, he takes a room in a hotel, into which a young woman hides. She had been sold to a brothel, and was not quite content with the life that would yield. Her owner, tried to force himself on her, and she bit off his tongue, killing him.

So, the madam of the brothel demanded her return, but Ogami Ittoo refused. He even endured the torture that was intended for her.  

Not quite relevant; true, but interesting anyway. So, the usual dozens of minions are sent out to kill him, & naturally, he kills them.


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## Jeffbert

*Beyond a Reasonable Doubt *(1956) a newspaper publisher and his friend, expected to soon be son-in-law, are against capitol punishment. They devise a plot to produce circumstantial evidence to convict the younger of the two, have him sentenced to death, then show how it was all a farce, intended to demonstrate how an innocent man could be wrongly convicted of murder, etc., on circumstantial evidence alone.  Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews) as the younger, Austin Spencer (Sidney Blackmer) as the elder man. 

Joan Fontaine as Susan Spencer, becomes disgusted with Garrett's neglect as the two men are searching for an unsolved murder, and calls off the engagement. This will have repercussions later. So, they buy and plant evidence, photographing it as they do, planning to submit the photos after conviction and sentencing. But, thing go wrong. And there is a rather !!! of a twist near the end. 

Great film, especially since I really like the newspaper films.  

Noir Alley, & as I recall, its 2nd showing there. Fritz Lang's last American film.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Thirsty Dead *(1974)

Despite the title, this Filipino flick is more of a Lost World adventure fantasy than a horror film.  Starts off with a go-go dancer doing her thing in a nightclub.  In her dressing room, the usual radio that plays relevant news stories announces that young women have disappeared off the streets of Manila.  Sure enough, the go-go dancer gets abducted right then.  Cut to another young woman and her boyfriend, to whom she is not yet ready to be married.  Her abduction follows, and we see that the kidnappers are three unseen folks in bright red monks' robes.  After a canoe ride through a rat-infested sewer, along with a third victim we haven't met before, we emerge into a really beautiful river canyon.  They arrive somewhere in the jungle, meet the go-go dancer and another victim (the only Filipino one) and are led through the foliage by a bunch of mute bald guys in loincloths.    After some slogging through the jungle, the goofiness level ramps up, as we meet our Lost Civilization of folks in pastel minidresses (even the men.)  Every review I've seen of this thing says this looks like a bad episode of _Star Trek_, and I can't disagree, particularly given the five-hundred-year-old disembodied head in a translucent red cube.    Long story short, these folks stay young for centuries by drinking the blood of their victims, who don't die, but slowly turn into blotchy hags with long, sharp fingernails.   One of our victims looks like a painting done by the main guy, so she's asked to become one of them.  The four women escape, one of them dies by sheer accident, the main guy decides to help them, and turns old instantly when he's too far from his homeland, just like in *Lost Horizon*.  It's all silly, harmless kiddie matinee stuff.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Great Gabbo *(1929)

Early talkie with Erich von Stroheim in the title role as an overbearing, egotistical ventriloquist.  After suffering two years of verbal abuse, his pretty young assistant Mary leaves him.  Cut to two years later.  Gabbo is now the headliner of a big Broadway show, and Mary is part of a act in the same production.  We already know that Gabbo is more than a little unbalanced, because he has intense conversations, even arguments, with his dummy, Otto.  When he finally allows his softer side to show, trying to win Mary back, she tells him she's married to her dance partner.  This drives Gabbo completely around the bend, ruining the show and his career.  That's all the plot you get in an hour and a half, because the rest of the time we witness a bunch of Busby Berkeley style production numbers.  The combination of old-fashioned movie musical and intense psychological melodrama makes for odd viewing.  Worth it just for von Stroheim's performance.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ruby *(1977)

After Piper Laurie was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the strange mother of a strange teenager in the horror film *Carrie*, it was only natural that she play the strange mother of a strange teenager in another horror film with a one-word title taken from a female character's first name.  The big twist here is that Ruby is the mother, not the daughter.

Florida, 1935.  Ruby witnesses the father of her yet-to-be-born child shot dead by his fellow gangsters.  Sixteen years later, Ruby runs a drive-in theater staffed by the same gangsters, a premise harder to believe than all the supernatural stuff that follows.  Also disorienting is the fact that we're in 1951, and the drive-in is showing *Attack of the 50 Foot Woman*, which came out seven years later.  Anyway, the gangsters/drive-in workers start getting killed in bizarre ways; a projectionist strangled in his film, another guy impaled by a speaker, etc.  There's also Ruby's mute daughter, who gets possessed by her dead father in ways stolen directly from *The Exorcist*.  (The movie's most unnerving scene is when the daughter, speaking in the father's voice, gets all seductive with her mother/his wife.)  Laurie is the whole show, with her best scenes having nothing to do with the plot, as she waxes nostalgic about her days as a nightclub singer.  (She sings the torch song that plays under the opening credits, and quite well.)  Otherwise, the film is something of a mess, with spooky stuff thrown in pretty much at random.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Angel-Titled Biker Films Not Featuring Hell's Angels And Which Seem Like Westerns Double Feature

*Devil's Angels *(1967)

John Cassavetes, in an unexpected role, is the leader of the Skulls motorcycle gang.  They've fallen on hard times, since they had two hundred members five years ago, and now only have twenty-six.  One of the gang kills a "citizen" (somebody who isn't a member of a motorcycle gang) in a hit-and-run accident, so they head for the fabled Hole-in-the-Wall hideout.  (There's no indication that they have any idea where this is, or if it even exists as all.)  Along the way they trash a desert general store, trash an RV after it accidentally knocks over one of their bikes, and so on.  The plot gets started when they arrive at a small town.  A local young woman hangs out with them, gets stoned on marijuana, and runs away when they start to get too physical.  The town authorities accuse them of rape (which didn't happen), eventually leading to the Skulls fighting back with the help of a more feral gang, the Stompers.  Let's just say that things get out of control, and Cassavetes goes off on his own at the end.  The whole thing is pretty mild for a biker flick, with a fair amount of comedy during the early, episodic portion of the movie.   Neither the town authorities nor the gang come across as good guys, although the local sheriff and Cassavetes seem to be a little more decent than others, like two opposing gunfighters with a certain grudging respect for each other.  Some nifty surf music on the soundtrack, but a really sappy title song (!) at the end.

*Angels Hard As They Come *(1971)

A trio of bikers, who seem to be the entire population of the Angels (not Hell's Angels) gang, get away from the cops after a botched drug deal.  This has nothing to do with the plot, which gets started when some members of the somewhat larger Dragons gang invite them to party at a ghost town in the desert, already inhabited by hippies.  The leader starts what might have been a romance with one of the hippies, after a discussion of their different lifestyles, but she gets stabbed to death by somebody.  The completely evil leader of the Dragons blames it on the Angels, drags them behind their bikes, and plays human polo with them in desert.  One Angel actually gets away on the bike of one of the Dragons.  This turns into the film's oddest subplot, as he runs into a racist jackass in a dune buggy, who makes various insulting remarks to him, because he's African-American, points a pistol at him, and tries to force him to have sex with his female companion.  (An excuse for the first of several gratuitous topless scenes.)  Meanwhile, with help of the hippies putting LSD in the food they prepare for the Dragons, and the fellow bikers that the escaped Angel recruits, we get our big battle at the end, like the final shoot-out in a horse opera.  Compared to the above film, this one is poorly filmed, with some scenes so dark you can't tell what's going on, a lot sleazier, with constant profanity, but with a certain gritty appeal and a truly nasty villain.


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## HanaBi

*The Departed *(2006) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson

Damon plays Colin Sullivan, a wayward young boy who ends up working for Irish Mafia boss, Frank Costello (Nicholson). Over the intervening years Sullivan he joins the Boston police force in order to be a spy for Costello and to make him aware of any investigations heading his way.

DiCaprio plays William Costigan, is a top-notch police detective for the same police department, and goes undercover to work for and spy on Costello, while reporting back to his Captain.

Both men are very good at their jobs, but as the intensity grows to finally nail Costello, both men know that their respective covert operations might just be blown wide open if they let slip their true intentions and identities.

Based on the 2002 Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs", Martin Scorsese does an American update with mixed results. I much preferred the original, not least because the actors were not big names in the West, and therefore didn't detract too much. Moreover, there was far more suspense/tension along with tighter direction and editing. But here, Scorese tries to be clever with the plot twists but makes a bad job of raising any surprises, albeit the very ending possibly.

Much has been said regarding the gratuitous violence, but to be honest I have seen far worse in his previous/superior films, such as Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.

There's also a pointless/ham-fisted love interest, that doesn't add anything tangible, and just bloats the film time by a further 30 minutes.

Too long, too convoluted, too clever for its own good.

3/5


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Sleazy British Crime Thrillers Of The Miniskirt Era Double Feature:

*Night, After Night, After Night *(1969)

Police detective investigates a series of stabbing murders of women.  He quickly picks up a suspect, but has to let him go for lack of evidence.  The detective's wife becomes one of the victims, sending him on a vendetta against the suspect.  (The guy doesn't help himself very much, since he acts like a total jackass toward the detective from the beginning, which gets him in big trouble later.)  Meanwhile, we've got a judge who hands out maximum sentences to all the sex criminals in his docket, and his equally puritanical clerk.  It's pretty darn obvious who the real killer is early in the film, but I'll offer no spoilers here.  Suffice to say that the murderer goes completely berserk at the end, going into his secret room full of pinup pictures, dressing up in a Beatles-type wig and black leather, and finally dressing up in drag, with blonde wig and lipstick.  The whole thing has a gritty, slimy feel to it.  Notable for the fact that the killer only gets caught because an undercover policewoman happened to see him picking up his intended victim by sheer chance.  Our nominal hero's investigation is of no help at all.

*Clegg *aka *The Bullet Machine* aka *Harry and the Hookers* (1970)

Our antihero is private eye Harry Clegg, self-described in the voice-over narration as a lecher, a liar, a cold-blooded killer, and a loser.  In an opening sequence that has nothing to do with the plot, an unhappy client and a couple of thugs with machine guns try to kill him, but he uses the old "let me have one last cigarette" trick to gun them all down.    The story really begins with some rich older guys getting notes telling them they will be killed.  Clegg gets hired to protect one, gets beat up by thugs, the guy gets killed anyway, while he and Clegg go to Paris for some reason or other.  Another of the guys gets killed without Clegg's help.  By this time, and throughout the rest of the film, the audience is way ahead of the antihero, as we already know the killer is a blonde woman in a miniskirt and those gigantic round glasses they had back then.  Clegg gets hired by another of the guys, who gets killed.  Then he gets hired by the last guy.  (In what must be a running joke, his fee for being the world's least effective bodyguard keeps going up, from fifty pounds a day, to seventy-five, and finally to an outrageous three hundred fifty.)  The blonde is just the hired help, and the real bad guy is the owner of a fashion house.  (Not really a spoiler, because, again, we're way ahead of the antihero.)  It all has to do with a guy that went to prison for a crime the four guys committed.   Something of a spoiler, although it's not really unexpected at this point:  Clegg fails to protect the last guy, manages to gun down a bunch of thugs with machine guns, and grabs a bunch of cash from the dead guy's pocket.  With it's low-rent Raymond Chandler first person narration throughout, and the constant beating of and by thugs, I had to wonder if this was intended as a parody of hard-boiled detective yarns, although there's not a trace of humor.  Notable for the fact that women find our dirt-poor, not very attractive antihero irresistible -- he does some heavy smooching with one the instant he meets her for the first time -- and because the antihero only figures out as much as he does about the case from the information he gets from a woman on the police force.  Also for the bad guy's weird harem of identically dressed -- yes, in miniskirts -- young women licking big lollipops.  At one point, the film completely stops, for a long, long scene of one of the women licking a lollipop and the antihero ogling her, while acid rock music -- unlike anything else on the soundtrack -- blasts away.


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## HanaBi

*Face Off *(1997) - John Travolta (Sean Archer), Nicholas Cage (Castor Troy)

Directed by Hong Kong master, John Woo, this action thriller has Travolta (short-tempered FBI agent) on the trail of long-time foe Cage (sociopathic bad guy), who is not only threatening to blow up Los Angeles with a massive bomb, but also for killing his young son by accident.

After a fightout Archer manages to subdue and arrest Troy, who is seriously injured and is nothing more than a vegetable. But with him out of action Archer has no idea where the bomb is located other than he has about 5 or 6 days to find it before it detonates. And the only other person who might know of its location is Troy's brother. However, to get info from him (currently holed up in prison), Archer has to agree to quite literally swap faces with the comatose Troy, and "become" Troy!

However, just to complicate things, Troy suddenly wakes up missing his face. So he gets the same surgeon to fit Archer's face onto his, and now we have a complete reversal of characters, and much confusion and double-crossing ensues

In essence this just another Die Hard with a twist of James Bond for good measure. Lots of explosions, deaths, and pyrotechnics, but it soon becomes boring, overlong and predictable with more plot holes than a block of Swiss cheese And shackled further with one of the most god-awful endings ever! 

If you like your action without any hint of a plausible storyline or sympathetic characters, then this is very much up your street.


1/5


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## biodroid

*Green Lantern - *Even with all the hate for this film I enjoyed it. Ryan Reynolds is fantastic and even in this film you could see Deadpool was surfacing through his comments.

*Can you keep a secret? - *Silly RomCom that wasn't good at all.


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## Randy M.

*Bumblebee* (2018), dir. Travis Knight; starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena

Another movie harking back to the 1980s. Funny how innocent a past time period can seem when it didn't seem innocent at the time. (See also, the 1980's nostalgia for the 1950s.) Anyway, set in 1987 this recalls some of the heart-string tugging s.f. from back then, like _Short-Circuit_ and _E. T._ with even a quick visual shout out to _Jurassic Park_. Lonely teenager, Charlie, who lost her father to a heart-attack a couple of years before is trying to pull it together, wants a car but her mom can't afford another one, and can't get her dad's old Corvette working though she's a crackerjack mechanic. And then she meets Bumblebee. 

Bee is a yellow Transformer in the shape of busted, powered down VW Beetle. He had been sent here from a losing battle to protect the Earth while the other rebel forces regroup. Unfortunately, he was followed and while victorious, had his voice box pulled out and his memory core severely damaged so he doesn't entirely remember why he's here. The movie follows their growing friendship as Charlie fixes Bee as best she can and helps him regain bits of his memory. Meanwhile he helps her heal from the loss of her father.

Cena, who showed in _Breakers_ he's good at comedy, is okay in this but not given much to do except look tough. Requisite love interest, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is a good nerd. But really it all depends on Steinfeld and how sympathetic they could make the Transformer. On that count, this is a very enjoyable throw back. The camera loves Steinfeld and she is so completely in control that hugging a yellow robot only looks cutely hokey instead of roll-your-eyes hokey.

Randy M.


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## BAYLOR

*The Color of Space *with Nicolas Cage .  It starts a bit slow but picks up steam as a goes . Over all, a  very good horror  film and , to date  the best adaptation of Lovecraft's  story.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

The First Two 87th Precinct Novels Of Ed McBain Become The First Two 87th Precinct Movies Double Feature

*Cop Hater *(1958)

Features the recurring characters from the novels of Detective Steve Carella (although the movie makes an odd vowel shift and calls him Carelli) and his deaf-mute girlfriend (wife by the end of the first book) Teddy.  Starts with a plainclothes cop getting gunned down in the street.  It isn't much later that the cop's partner is killed the same way.   In an odd subplot, a reporter asks nosy questions of a member of a kid gang, because he thinks they might be the cop killers.  They gang up on somebody they think is the reporter and shoot him with a zip gun, but he turns out to be another cop.  Midway through the film ***SPOILER*** Carelli's own partner gets shot dead, but provides some clues.  When he has too much to drink, Carelli talks to the same nosy reporter, resulting in an article that puts Teddy and himself in danger.  The killer turns out to be a lot closer to home than anybody thought.  It's a pretty good police procedural/whodunit.  The fact that this all takes place during a heat wave adds a sweaty tension to the proceedings.

*The Mugger *(1958)

Same year, same director, same writer, but this one discards the characters from the books and goes its own way.  The hero is a police psychiatrist, who also does a lot of undercover work, it seems.  Several women have been attacked, their purses stolen and their faces lightly cut.  The movie goes off in another direction, or so we think, when the psychiatrist gets involved in the domestic problems of a cab driver.  It seems the guy's young sister-in-law is a problem.  The kid works at a dime-a-dance joint and is obviously seriously worried about something.  These two plots come together when ***SPOILER*** she gets attacked in the same way, but is killed.  There's also the psychiatrist's girlfriend, an undercover cop, who not only works at the dime-a-dance joint, trapping a drug dealer, but later is used as bait for the serial mugger, providing some clues when she is attacked but gets away unscathed.  It's got the same plot structure as the other movie, in which the crimes are not related in the way they seem to be, and the ultimate revelation strikes close to home.  Not as good as the first one, but not bad.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jungle Street Girls *(1960)

A very young David McCallum starts off this British crime film by conking an old man on the head and stealing his wallet.  The victim later dies.  Another guy figures out who did it, so blackmails him.  Meanwhile, a fellow who went to prison for 18 months for a robbery in which McCallum was also involved gets out.  McCallum gets him to go along with a plan to rob a safe, but double-crosses him, bashing him on the head and grabbing all the cash.  Things don't work out well, with McCallum again semi-accidentally killing an old man and facing the gallows.

So why "girls"?  Actually, the original title was just *Jungle Street*, with the third word added for the American release.  That's because a lot of the scenes take place at a strip club, where a very young Jill Ireland, to whom McCallum was married at the time, is the star attraction.  She's the girlfriend of the guy who went to prison, and the object of McCallum's desire.  A lot of other strip acts pad the running time.  Otherwise, it's a fair-to-middling heist flick.


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## Droflet

*The usual suspects*. Yeah, I've seen it ten times but it's still a genuine treat every time I revisit this classic mystery.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flaming Teenage *(1945/1956)

Two years listed above because this ultra-cheap flick consists of new footage added to something called *Twice Convicted*.  This frankensteining is very obvious, as the opening sequence has nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but at least it adds about fifteen minutes to the running time, so the whole thing is a little over an hour.

Part One:  Young guy gets drunk at a party, winds up in jail, Dad takes him around to a bunch of bars in order to show him what booze does to people.  Done in an awkward flashback structure, so that the wild party -- dancing to records and drinking -- takes up a big chunk of the middle.  Features some guy at a desk talking directly to the viewer as the narrator.

Part Two:  The true story, or so we're told,  of a guy who went from alcoholism, crime, and heroin addiction, to becoming a preacher.  He owns a candy store in some town, sells it, gets a job as a clerk in a drug store in New York, briefly works on a Broadway show, drinks and gambles, comes home broke, some rich guy pays him to produce a stage show, he quits that and goes back to New York, commits some unseen crime involving larceny and fraud, goes to jail, skips bail, becomes a heroin addict, shoplifts, goes to jail, undergoes a religious conversion, becomes a preacher.  I've made that all one sentence because that's what this part feels like.  We jump from one scene to another with no transition.  Characters come and go so quickly that we have no idea who they are.  The oddest scene is when some guy talks to our hero about the crime he wants him to commit.  In order to avoid hearing what they're planning, the camera cuts away to the dim-witted guy who's serving them at the diner where they're chatting.  This fellow attempts to serve a piece of Boston cream pie, in a slow, awkward, and entirely out-of-place bit of slapstick.  This irrelevant sequence lasts longer than some of the really important parts of the plot.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*I Crossed the Color Line *AKA *The Black Klansman *(1966)

Our hero is an extremely light-skinned African-American jazzman in Los Angeles, at the time of the Watts riots.  Unfortunately, he is played by an actor who is very obviously Caucasian, with faked hair and beard.  He's got a dark-skinned buddy and a white girlfriend.  Cut to a small town in Alabama.  A young black man decides to test the recent civil rights laws by walking into a diner and ordering a cup of coffee.  Since the place has a sign reading "No [N-word]'s Allowed", this is a bad idea.  That night the KKK kills him.  Since that isn't evil enough, they also throw a Molotov cocktail at an African-American church, killing a little girl.  (We actually see her [faked] body on fire, which is pretty darn intense for any movie.)  The child happens to be the daughter of our hero.  He gets rid of his jazzman goatee, puts on a wig, and assumes a new identity as a white man.  

He goes to Alabama and talks to the guy known to be the head of the local KKK, acting like he wants to join up.  I'll give the movie credit for making the bad guy smart enough to deny that he has any connection with the Klan until he's had one of his thugs get beaten up by our hero.  In an interesting subplot, the brother of the murdered man hires some tough guys from Harlem, whose method of dealing with the Klan is to show up at one of their rallies and start shooting.  The movie makes it clear that these guys are definitely not on the side of good.  Anyway, our hero's buddy and girlfriend show up in town, causing all kinds of complications and leading to the violent climax. 

Despite obvious limitations caused by a low budget, some melodramatic parts of the plot, and, in particular, the ludicrous white-man-playing-a-black-man-pretending-to-be-a-white-man aspect of the film, it's an intriguing drama dealing with vital issues.  Mind you, this was made before the real-life story of the African-American police officer who infiltrated the KKK in the 1970's, as shown in the movie *BlacKkKlansman*.  (In more realistic fashion, he did it on the phone, having a white officer stand in for him when necessary.)  

Would you believe this was made by the same director who later gave us *The Astro-Zombies *and *Blood Orgy of the She-Devils*?


----------



## CupofJoe

*Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker* [2019] Finally!
Pleasantly surprised. I thought it better than its two precursors [The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi]. I liked that there were a few Easter eggs for the fans but it wasn't too over burdened by what came before.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Black Christmas *(1974)

Millions of words have been written about this Canadian shocker, a very early entry in the slasher film genre, the vast majority of which are worthless and dependent on gore for their effect.  This one is very different.  The violence is far from explicit, but genuinely scary.  It may amaze some viewers to find out that you can have a movie about a bunch of sorority women threatened by an insane killer without a trace of nudity.  The acting is fine all around, with lots of familiar faces -- John Saxon as an intelligent, professional police lieutenant, Margot Kidder as a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed sorority woman, Olivia Hussey as a pregnant sorority woman who wants an abortion, Keir Dullea as her boyfriend who doesn't want her to have the abortion, and who serves as our major suspect, and even Andrea Martin as one of the sorority women, which pleased an SCTV fan like me.  Lots of creepy moments, particularly the obscene phone calls from the killer, in which he uses a wide variety of extremely weird voices. Highly recommended.


----------



## Randy M.

I saw that a year or so ago, Victoria, and was a little surprised by how much I liked it, though already aware of it's reputation. (And I had a niggling sense that I might have seen it years ago, but I'm still not sure of that.) The director, Bob Clark, went on to make _Murder by Decree_, _Porky's_, _Turk 182. _Oh, and pleasant little movie I'm sure no one's seen, _A Christmas Story_. 

Or maybe I should say, few people have seen only once.

Randy M.


----------



## AlexH

*Chef *(2014)
Feel-good film with half the cast from a Marvel superhero film that has nothing to do with superheroes but is about a chef struggling to come to terms with social media and his relationship with his 10 year old son.

*La Grande Illusion* (1937)
French POW escape film that had positives but overall left me disappointed. Some things just didn't make sense (like why or how one of the guys ended up in solitary confinement...and why he was let out). One of the attempted escape scenes was confusing. And with that title, I was expecting a twist or something bigger.



HanaBi said:


> *The Departed *(2006) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
> 
> Based on the 2002 Hong Kong hit "Infernal Affairs", Martin Scorsese does an American update with mixed results. I much preferred the original, not least because the actors were not big names in the West, and therefore didn't detract too much. Moreover, there was far more suspense/tension along with tighter direction and editing. But here, Scorese tries to be clever with the plot twists but makes a bad job of raising any surprises, albeit the very ending possibly.


I agree. Infernal Affairs is a favourite film (probably top 5 all-time), and I was very disappointed with The Departed.


----------



## J Riff

*Maneater*  2006? - a little small-town kid who sleepwalks and his fanatically religious Mom live in a trailer in the woods, and a Tiger is on the  loose, because -  the kid sleepwalked out in front of a truck, see - it crashed and the striped Beast got out and did in the driver. The kid thinks he's pals with the Tiger, but it kills a few folks and the town is terrified... but bible-thumping Mom refuses to believe in any of it - she lets Junior wander where he chooses. Our MC Sheriff tries to hunt kitty down but it is far too cagy. A Brit tiger-hunter, born in India, shows up with his double-barrel shotgun, he has kilt Tigers in India etcetc. - so he sets up his tent. Then the national guard show up, and the Tiger takes a bunch of them out without breaking a sweat. We learn that Tigers hunt in both the day and the night. Spoilage>>> The Tiger shows up at the trailer, and Mom wanders out and is done in by Tigger, and our MC Sheriff ends up shooting at it - he hits the gas pumps and Ker-blooie! He and his wife adopt the little kid - happy ending! Except for the Tiger.


----------



## dask

Perhaps my favorite John Wayne movie. Great hummable Elmer Bernstein score with eye popping Lucien Ballard cinematography. George Kennedy perfect as the mean bad guy and Paul Fix always a pleasure.


----------



## Droflet

*Extracation*. Bloody, violent nonsense.


----------



## olive

I'm watching A Nightmare on Elm Street right now.  The first one. Probably, I will get bored and skip here and there but till then, I'm thinking about watching a few.


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## J Riff

*Ship of Monsters* - 1960, Mexico, black and white, sub-titled.
Voice-over re: Atoms. the Universe, and men releasing the power of the atom and space missions etc. but then:
Oh you bet that lovely Venusian gals Gamma and Beta are going to be sent into space to collect male specimens. The last male has died out on Venus, and the gal's cool spaceship blasts off as the credits roll:  Lalo Gonzalez "Pipporo" Ana Bertha 'Lepe' - Lorena Velaquez - La NAVE de los MONSTROS" and heyy, looks like the 'Monsters of the Galaxy' have names too > Uk, Utirr, Tagual, Tor and Zok!
On the ship, a very nifty robot informs the gals the left motor has lost two tons - the gals apparently already have some males captive on the ship...  they must have done it during the very cool credits at the beginning... now more great ound FX, this ship is really super-cool, the gals are totally happy... but the motor! -  'I told you" says the robot, and the girls have to 'freeze the males' while they deal with it. But the males are monsters... kidnapped monsters I guess, and yes, they now have to crash-land on the Earth, which they identify as _"Antarssis 135-sub-2 planetoid of the fourth order." _That's us.. . and robot goes on to say that his masters decided it was not worth exploring because 'the creatures there don't know what they want, and enjoy destroying each other.'
Now we cut to a lone roving Mexican cowboy kind of character and we get our first song, set to cheery accordian music, wherein he wishes on a shooting star- actually the gal's ship - for a beautiful girl to come down from the sky. Yep.
Our MC is a real hotdog, he entertains a barrooom full of locals with crazy lies about his great prowess, until he rides off whistling to accordian polka music, and the gals spot him. They learn the language, goofy sound fx continue and our hombre is time-frozen a few times while they figure out what to do, which is: go back to the ship and plot. They also have to freeze the monster males in a clear block of something, and put them all in a cave till the ship is repaired. They need to talk to them though, so Tor the robot unfreezes them and these are top-kwality alien monsters, with mighty weird voices. They all have their own different names than the credits, and they are really pissed at being kidnapped, ... great action... now the gals show up at our nutty cowboys place, with the robot, pretending to be from the circus... hoo boy, the robot sings to the kid, and our MC has to explain what love is... he puts money in a jukebox, trad mexican accordian polka! It gets cornier as the robot makes rude remarks to the jukebox... now a cow name Lollabrijida. Now shock! as Beta is a vampire...she flies, and takes down a farmhand, which is the 'worst crime in the Galaxies' - her punishment is to be disintegrated in the morning. No way, she breaks loose and is going to start the vampire race on Earth - the Uranites! She unfreezes the monsters and they set out to destroy everyone on Earth. Cowboy comes home and finds his cow a skeleton, more shenanigans...
well, this one ends, finally, with a monster-battle, our MC wins and also wins the heart of Gamma, love triumphs, the robot sings... sheesh enough already. )


----------



## Vince W

*Tomorrowland *(2015). I loved this film in the cinema and I still love it. It's criminal that it didn't do better and should be given a chance by a wider audience. Especially considering the position we find ourselves in. The cast does an excellent job all around and there are many eggs for sci-fi fans throughout.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Town on Trial *(1957)

British crime thriller starts with our killer, seen only as a pair of hands, hauled away by the cops.  The detective on the case reads the murderer's confession to the transcriber, leading into a flashback without revealing the identity of the culprit.  It seems that a curvaceous, scantily clad young blonde was drawing the attention of the men at an upper class athletic club.  She gets strangled in a scene filmed from the point of view of the killer, anticipating a technique often used in much later slasher films.  During the investigation, the detective on the case uncovers the various secrets of the town's upper class.  A young woman who admired the first victim, and who runs with a wild crowd, is the next (and last) victim of the unseen strangler.  There's some romance for the detective, and a suspenseful final scene worthy of an early Hitchcock.  Not a bad little film, although the version I saw on YouTube had several of the scenes in the wrong order.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*American Nightmare *(1983)

A Canadian _giallo_?  Well, let's see.  Razor murders by a killer wearing gloves?  Check.  (Although here they're transparent latex gloves rather than the traditional black leather.)  Hero is an artist of some sort?  Check.  (Pianist)  Drawn into his own investigation of the murders, with the help of a woman who will become his lover?  Check.  Gratuitous female nudity?  Check.  (Much of the story takes place at a strip club.)  A deep, dark secret from the past?  Check.  Apparent killer revealed near the end, only to have the real one revealed later?  Check.  Female lead faces the killer near the end, only to have the hero arrive, sending the killer plunging to his death?  Check.

Despite the title, the scene is Toronto.  Pianist tries to locate his stripper/prostitute sister, not knowing that she was killed in the first scene.  Her roommate (stripper but not prostitute) joins him in his quest when another roommate is killed.  More killings follow.  Unlike the bright colors and high fashion look of most _gialli_, this one has a gritty feeling.  Lots of graffiti everywhere, lots of shots of adult theaters and bookstores, etc.  Proof that our neighbors to the north can be as sleazy as Americans.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Mummy (*1932)  staring  Boris Karloff  as Imhotep the Mummy .  Not so much a  horror film, it's more  about a man condemned to a living death in the name of love,  trying get back the woman he lost . Given Imhotep's  cruel circumstances ,  you can't help but feel  sympathy and a certain sadness for him.  The cast in this film is quite good and this is easily one of Boris  Karloff's best performances . A great film.


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## Jeffbert

dask said:


> Perhaps my favorite John Wayne movie. Great hummable Elmer Bernstein score with eye popping Lucien Ballard cinematography. George Kennedy perfect as the mean bad guy and Paul Fix always a pleasure.


The radio local public station that plays classical music has a program called Music from Movies, a few weeks ago, E. Bernstein was the theme, & a clip from The Great Escape was followed by The Magnificent Seven. Wonderful music.  Movies very watchable for that alone.

*Meet The Baron* (1933) musical comedy with Joe McGoo (Jimmy Durante) & Jack Pearl as servants of Baron Munchausen (Henry Kolker), who, while on a safari in Africa, are abandoned by him, only because he is short on ammunition, otherwise he would have killed them.  He even wrote a farewell letter to that effect, which Peal's character, who later, assume Munchausen's identity, and lives off the fame of it, until exposed as a fraud.

So, the two go to all girls Cuddle College, whose dean (Edna May Oliver) wants to hear lectures from the great adventurer; which the fraud must avoid lest he be exposed. Ted Healy and his [3] Stooges are janitors, This is the only film I have seen with him as the lead in the group, and he takes the role that Moe would eventually have.

really a funny and entertaining film.


*The Great Buster: A Celebration* (2018) All to briefly covers Keaton's silent films, & moves into his rather sad talkie phase. I have seen many of his silent films, & had no idea how MGM's system made his films simply awful compared to when he had creative freedom.  just about an hour in, it covers his death. Odd, but after that, it returns to his best silent films, showing the funniest clips.


----------



## hitmouse

*The King of Kong* (2007, on YouTube) is a fascinating and unintentionally hilarious documentary about the battle to become the world champion Donkey Kong player. It has a cast of unusual characters who were champion video arcade game nerds in the early 1980s, and who, by the early 2000s have really only partially grown up, and though balding and paunchy, still take the original arcade classics terribly _terribly_ seriously.

One interesting thing to note is that Peter Dinklage's character in the film *Pixels* is none too subtly taken from one of the main characters in this doco.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Night and the City* (1950) Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is a conman and loser, who will do anything to earn a living, so long as is does not involve being someone else's employee. After numerous get rich schemes had failed, he, by chance meets an old school Greek wrestler known as  Gregorius the Great (Stanislaus Zbyszko) and decides he can, with the help of investor's money, hold an old-style wresting match with Gregorius' approval, despite  Gregorius' son, who controls London's pro-wrestling.   as the main attraction. 
Things happen, and the whole thing collapses, with, after Fabian's goading, Gregorius taking on The Strangler (Mike Mazurki) in a heated argument as to which style is better. 

The ending is classic noir, but this was presented by Ben M, rather than Muller, as it was shown during TCM's anniversary. Also, I wanted to omit the spoiler of the ending. What's more, my synopsis could have been more detailed.



*Wicked Woman* (1953) Noir Alley again, a bit different for the genre, as the expected death or deaths of characters is omitted. A young woman, Billie Nash (Beverly Michaels) steps off a bus, and hires on at a bar that is owned by a married couple, who loath each other. The wife (Evelyn Scott) is an alcoholic, and works as management, book keeper, etc., the husband (*Richard Egan*), is the bartender. Apparently, they married for all the wrong reasons, etc. Soon enough,  Nash seduces the bartender, and they plot to sell the bar, and move to Mexico, leaving his wife in the lurch. But, she lives in a boarding house, across the hall from the diminutive Charlie Borg (Percy Kelton, who in an episode of Get Smart, invents a silent explosive called Nitro Whisperin, and has both KAOS & CONTROL working against him ), who has eyes for her, and somehow, believes that, despite his lack of height, advanced age, and unattractive features, he can win her love. So, while doing some scheming together, Borg overhears the plot, and demands that the young blonde have dinner with him, which she is constantly delaying.

Finally, things fall apart for the scheme and just at the wrong time, the bartender catches the blond in a comprising position with Borg, who had burst into her room, and is physically insisting on that romantic dinner.


----------



## Stenevor

hitmouse said:


> *The King of Kong* (2007, on YouTube) is a fascinating and unintentionally hilarious documentary about the battle to become the world champion Donkey Kong player. It has a cast of unusual characters who were champion video arcade game nerds in the early 1980s, and who, by the early 2000s have really only partially grown up, and though balding and paunchy, still take the original arcade classics terribly _terribly_ seriously.


There's a sequel of sorts called Chasing Ghosts. I found it hard to find years ago but I see it's on Youtube now. It's nowhere near as good as King of Kong but you might be interested.


----------



## J Riff

*It Came from Beneath the Sea*  1955
 Mainstream scifi of the 50s, Harryhausen OctoBeast is really the only attraction here. Some sub action and mystery as to what is down there, but then a giant octopus shows up in San Fran, and sends huge tentacles into the city... this thing is really big. We get a few soldiers with flamethrowers battling one of the tentacles, driving it back to the sea, where the sub and some divers manage to blow it up good, but we don't really get to see that, so this one coulda been a lot better.


----------



## BAYLOR

J Riff said:


> *It Came from Beneath the Sea*  1955
> Mainstream scifi of the 50s, Harryhausen OctoBeast is really the only attraction here. Some sub action and mystery as to what is down there, but then a giant octopus shows up in San Fran, and sends huge tentacles into the city... this thing is really big. We get a few soldiers with flamethrowers battling one of the tentacles, driving it back to the sea, where the sub and some divers manage to blow it up good, but we don't really get to see that, so this one coulda been a lot better.



It's fun film.   That giant Octopus  only has six  tentacles rather then the normal eight.


----------



## Foxbat

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. I’ve never liked the last ten minutes of this film and thought it was about as subtle as a brick thrown through a window. The rest of the movie is great


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood Sabbath *(1972)

Despite the title, this ultra-low budget flick is more of a nutty fantasy film than a horror movie.  A Vietnam vet, looking like he just stepped off his surfboard, is wandering around with his sleeping bag and guitar somewhere in the wilderness.  This turns out to be Mexico, given the scene featuring a mariachi band.  A woman in a hippie van drives by, squirts him with beer, and flashes him.  A little bit later, a bunch of naked women attempt to have their way with him.  He runs off and faints near a lake.  A woman in a filmy white gown and a platinum blonde wig comes out of the water.  This is Yyalah (yes, with the double y) and she's some kind of water nymph.  ("You are of the land, I am of the sea" she tells him, even though she came out of a lake.)  They fall in love but can't be together because she doesn't have a soul.  The solution?  Have the local queen of the witches take his soul, in place of the soul of a little girl, the way she does once a year.  (That how she gets her unending supply of witches, it seems.)  That works out for a while, in scenes of the two lovers straight out of a shampoo commercial.  But then our hero drinks blood from a human sacrifice, which is a deal breaker with Yyalah.  To get her back, he has to bring the queen the head of the local priest.  (Apparently the priest and the queen had a "I won't interfere with you and you won't interfere with me" kind of deal, but he finally got fed up with the little girls being taken away each year.)  Then things get weird.  Add in Vietnam flashbacks and a double twist ending, a couple of soft country/rock/folk songs, the aforementioned mariachi band, and a weird electronic/percussion/jazz soundtrack, and you've got one oddball movie.  Did I mention the fact that there is nearly constant full female nudity?  Without that, this thing would be a soft PG at most, almost a G except for a little blood and a really fake severed head.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Asylum of Satan *(1972)

Darn it, I should have combined this one with my review of *Blood Sabbath *and called the whole thing a Wacky Low Budget Satanist Hijinks Of 1972 Double Feature.  Anyway, this one starts with a woman transferred from a normal hospital, where she's staying for "a rest" (do they really do that?), to the institution of the title.   We first meet a creepy German-accented nurse, played by a man in drag.  Pretty soon we meet the head of the place, played by the same actor.  This is revealed near the end in a way that suggests it's supposed to be a shocking twist, but it's really, really obvious from the start.    At dinner, our heroine meets with a blind woman, a mute man, and a woman in the wheelchair.  All the other patients -- _or are they? _-- wear KKK-style white robes that completely cover them.  In one of the film's first surreal moments, the German nurse comes in, raises her arms, and everybody disappears except our heroine.  Other spooky, unexplained stuff happens, and the three disabled people are killed in strange ways.  (I have to admit that I missed what happened to the mute man, or if it was shown at all.  The woman in the wheelchair gets locked in a room, gas is sprayed into it, and a bunch of fake bugs crawl all over her.  The blind woman has a deadly snake thrown at her while she's in a swimming pool.)  Meanwhile, the heroine's boyfriend is rebuffed when he tries to visit her at the asylum.  He manages to get a police detective to go to the place with him, but it turns out to be a mansion abandoned for decades, and the guy he thought was the doctor in charge is now an elderly caretaker.    It all adds up to the heroine being offered to Satan, who is wearing the worst devil costume you've ever seen, as a virgin sacrifice.  It might be a SPOILER to mention the fact that, despite an examination by the doctor, the woman isn't a virgin, which makes Satan very unhappy indeed.  Then we get some incomprehensible twist endings.  It's a very poorly made film, watchable only because of its eccentricity.


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## Jeffbert

J Riff said:


> *It Came from Beneath the Sea*  1955
> Mainstream scifi of the 50s, Harryhausen OctoBeast is really the only attraction here. Some sub action and mystery as to what is down there, but then a giant octopus shows up in San Fran, and sends huge tentacles into the city... this thing is really big. We get a few soldiers with flamethrowers battling one of the tentacles, driving it back to the sea, where the sub and some divers manage to blow it up good, but we don't really get to see that, so this one coulda been a lot better.


THE SUCKERS ON THE THING'S TENTACLES were so big ("how big were they?") they were so big, that even the smallest ones could not stick to anything smaller than a bull elephant.   

Likewise other 'big' sci-fi horror creatures, the T in TARANTULA was so big, its fangs were larger than the people it preyed upon.   The BLACK SCORPION could have swallowed that guy alive, why bother stinging him?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*So Young, So Bad *(1950)

Women in Prison picture, notable for "introducing" three young performers who went on to become major stars.  Takes place at a "correctional school" for girls.  One is played by Rita Moreno (credited here as Rosita Moreno), arrested for vagrancy.  In her case, that just means she's an emotionally disturbed chronic runaway, living in a fantasy world.  Anne Francis was also arrested for vagrancy, but in her case there's an implication that this really means prostitution.  Unlike the child-like Moreno, she's been around the block and more, has been married, had a baby that she gave up for adoption, and has clearly always used her body to get what she wants.  Anne Jackson is one of a pair of girls arrested for theft.  (The other is the not-so-famous Enid Pulver.)  Jackson is as tough as nails, and completely dominates the quiet, passive Pulver.  She also wears pants when the standard uniform is a shapeless dress.  It's pretty clear that the two are supposed to be a classic butch/femme couple.  Paul Henreid is the saintly new psychiatrist who arrives at the hellish place.  The girls work ten hours a day digging potatoes and other brutal jobs, get punished by being sprayed with a fire hose, and so on.  The sadistic matron even kills a pet rabbit Jackson and Pulver have hidden.  

Henreid manages to institute some reforms, mainly because he agrees not to tell the authorities about the fire hose incident.  The girls get to wear their own clothes, have better activities than brutally hard labor, and even get to have a dance with boys from a nearby trade school.  (In another hint as to Jackson's orientation, she thinks putting on a pretty dress for the dance is "dopey," and refuses to dance with a boy who asks her.)  

In the most shocking incident: 



Spoiler



The matron forcibly cuts off Moreno's beautiful hair for not telling her who stole some perfume.  This leads to her suicide.  In the ensuing chaos, the other three escape.  Francis goes to sign some adoption papers, but winds up accepting the baby.  They go back to the place only so they can testify as to the fire hose incident and the reason for Moreno's suicide, getting Henreid out of trouble and getting the nasty folks in trouble.



It's not a bad film at all, although melodramatic at times, and featuring an irrelevant and sappy romance for Henreid.  At times it looks like a _film noir_, or even a German Expressionism film.  Parts of it are almost like a horror movie.  That's probably because it seems that an uncredited Edgar Ulmer, cult director for things like *The Black Cat *and *Detour*, had a hand in it.


----------



## Foxbat

Disney’s The Black Hole (1979)

If ever there was a movie that had an identity crisis then this was it. It had a dark, gothic cathedral-like ship and  the powerful brooding presence of Maximillian the robot. This was contrasted by the inclusion of a couple of disney-typical wise cracking cutie robots. We had Anthony Perkins and Maximiliian Schell in the cast but we also had Yvette Mimieux who sucessfully played a beautiful, innocent, almost childlike character in The Time Machine but lacked the skills to bring anything substantial to this movie.

We have the latent terror of the black hole and a bit of cowboy gun toting robot rivalry.
Add to this an end sequence that lies somewhere between the spectacular end sequence of 2001 and a journey through Dante’s Alighieri’s Inferno. It’s as if somebody just took a load of film cuttings and just randomly spliced them into a confusing mishmash of a movie that can’t decide what audience it wants to target.

Made at a time when it was important for Disney to show they could still cut it alongside the likes of Star Wars, it’s somewhat ironic that Disney now owns that franchise.

It’s the first time in a long time since I’ve seen this movie and I’m left with that same old feeling that it’s full of ‘could have beens’.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Poverty-Stricken Black-and-White Sexploitation Films of 1968 Double Feature:

*Jennie:  Wife/Child *(1968)

Hardly a child, but twenty-year-old Jennie is a lot younger than her husband.  They've been wed for four months, but obviously things aren't going well.  It's clear he married her for her body and for household work, she married him for money.  Too bad he's a skinflint who won't buy her "pretty things."  An affair begins with the rather dimwitted hired hand.  This fellow also occasionally walks the two miles into town from his boss's farm to fool around with the town floozie, who'll play an odd role in the film's conclusion.  Jennie and the hired hand plan to steal her husband's money and run off, but that doesn't work out.  He plots to get his revenge on them, but that doesn't work out.  It all ends up with everybody pretty much happy, amazingly.  Notable for having a ton of country/rock songs on the soundtrack, which directly relate to the action onscreen.  (When Jennie goes skinny-dipping, providing the film's tiny bit of nudity, we hear the little ditty "My Birthday Suit.")  Also notable for having a bunch of title cards popping up between scenes, as if this were a silent movie.

*The Alley Tramp *(1968)

Really cheap, and filled with extremely amateurish acting.  Teenage daughter sees Mom and Dad in bed, seduces her third cousin.  Dad is also fooling around with his secretary, and Mom picks up some guy at a bar and fools around with him.  Not much else happens for quite a while, but then the movie crams a bunch of plot twists near the end.  Daughter seduces Mom's lover, finds out she's pregnant by third cousin, gets an abortion from a pharmacist, collapses to the floor of her family house, goes to the hospital, has a heart-to-heart talk with Mom, Dad, and third cousin, but aggressively seduces the doctor who comes into her room right after the others leave.  Another doctor explains to Mom and Dad that daughter is a nymphomaniac and needs to go to a mental hospital.  Mind you, all that happens over the course of a few minutes.  As an example, we cut directly from daughter talking on the phone to third cousin about needing to get the abortion from the pharmacist to her collapsing on the floor, apparently after the procedure has been done, entirely off-screen.  Features a lot more nudity than the other film, some of it more revealing than you'd expect for the time.


----------



## Elckerlyc

3 Nights, 3 movies.
*Rise of the Planet of the Apes* (2011)
*Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014)
*War for the Planet of the Apes* (2017)

I had not seen these films before. It was a pleasant surprise. Of all the Planet of the Apes films that have been made, I think these three were the most enjoyable. Of course, the movies didn't tell the story from the book (but how such a world [possibly] came to be), so perhaps an unfair comparison.
Still, it did bring a well told, plausible, engaging and convincing story.


----------



## Avelino de Castro

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


Husbands and Wives by Woody Allen, and one interesting note about this flick is that the final scenes were filmed during the big Soon Ye Previn nude photo scandal.  Woody and Mia were a couple breaking up on camera, and in real life...


----------



## Phyrebrat

Foxbat said:


> Disney’s The Black Hole (1979)
> 
> If ever there was a movie that had an identity crisis then this was it. It had a dark, gothic cathedral-like ship and  the powerful brooding presence of Maximillian the robot. This was contrasted by the inclusion of a couple of disney-typical wise cracking cutie robots. We had Anthony Perkins and Maximiliian Schell in the cast but we also had Yvette Mimieux who sucessfully played a beautiful, innocent, almost childlike character in The Time Machine but lacked the skills to bring anything substantial to this movie.
> 
> We have the latent terror of the black hole and a bit of cowboy gun toting robot rivalry.
> Add to this an end sequence that lies somewhere between the spectacular end sequence of 2001 and a journey through Dante’s Alighieri’s Inferno. It’s as if somebody just took a load of film cuttings and just randomly spliced them into a confusing mishmash of a movie that can’t decide what audience it wants to target.
> 
> Made at a time when it was important for Disney to show they could still cut it alongside the likes of Star Wars, it’s somewhat ironic that Disney now owns that franchise.
> 
> It’s the first time in a long time since I’ve seen this movie and I’m left with that same old feeling that it’s full of ‘could have beens’.



Point of order; this movie predates SW - I read a really great article in -I think- Cinefantastique which I’ll try and find for you if you’re interested

pH


----------



## Foxbat

Phyrebrat said:


> Point of order; this movie predates SW - I read a really great article in -I think- Cinefantastique which I’ll try and find for you if you’re interested
> 
> pH


Yes, the script does predate Star Wars and was first developed in the early seventies,  but went through a substantial rewrite in 1976. Coincidence? Maybe I’ve got a suspicious mind. But it doesn’t really matter because either way the movie could have been so much better than it was.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Well that told me, didn’t it.

Just sharing what I had read and thought it may have been of interest.

I think if you’re going to complain about _The Black Hole_'s problems, it's the wire work (have a drink every time you see VINCENT's threads and you'll end the movie drunk as a lord) and the pretentious script from the aforementioned robot.

As far as consistency of theme or its identity, it's clearly consistent and the ending is spectacular, risky and visionary - especially for a child's movie. When you've acknowledged the massive gothic influence in _The Cygnus_, the themes of the derelict, of hubris and VINCENT's pretentious literary quotations, that it should end in a trip through Judgement is perfectly consistent. And maverick.

I think when watching old films, especially ones that came out so near around SW, it's important to see them in their own context, rather than in the light of the never-to-be-repeated cultural phenomena that SW is. The film bombed at the box office not because of it being a bad film, but because it was too deep in comparison to the simple, rip-roaring purity and accessible values of SW.

Would _Event Horizon_ have been made without_ The Black Hole_? I have to wonder if it were, _Event Horizon_ might not be the film it is.

I appreciate this thread is just a discussion about movies we've seen, and my reply to you wasn't intended to cancel your opinion. When it comes to something as subjective as opinion, I have to ashamedly admit I'm in the minority in saying _The Empire Strikes Back _is my least favourite_ Star Wars_ film (and I thought _Trainspotting_ was a waste of time that I begrudged paying to see), however I can see why they're so loved. 

Saying it suffers from an identiy crisis is not a fair criticism as far as I can see.

pH


----------



## Avelino de Castro

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


It doesn't count as a movie but I just watched the first season of the series Upload an Amazon TV series, it's actually very good.  Interesting SF concept romance thriller comedy


----------



## Foxbat

Phyrebrat said:


> Well that told me, didn’t it.
> Just sharing what I had read and thought it may have been of interest


I apologise if you saw this as some kind of attack. It wasn’t  meant to be.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Foxbat said:


> I apologise if you saw this as some kind of attack. It wasn’t  meant to be.



I thought _you’d_ thought I had attacked you,  I was worried you thought I’d tried to diminish your point (which wasn’t my intention).

This place is a haven of well-mannered, intelligent folks and really feels like a gem online so I’d hate to come across like that. My humour needs an overhaul 

pH


----------



## Foxbat

Let’s just agree to disagree on this one


----------



## Foxbat

The Haunting Of Julia. a.k.a. Full Circle  (1977) After losing her daughter to a tragic accident, Julia (Mia Farrow) becomes an unwitting pawn in this tale of ghostly shenanigans.

It’s a fairly decent slow moving but fairly intelligent horror movie based on a Peter Straub novel. Unfortunately, it took months of searching to locate this movie on DVD and I could only find the french version. It took me a while to find the english version in the menu but find it I did. It’s a real shame about its lack of availability because the picture quality of this version is awful so if I ever see another version I’ll buy it. What really elevates this film for me is the beautiful and haunting soundtrack provided by british composer Colin Towns. It’s a real lesson in ‘less is more’. To be honest, it’s a movie that probably could have done better if it had been ‘made for television’ (perhaps even a two part mini series) rather than relying on box office ratings (it didn’t do well). I think TV might have helped it reach a wider audience. In a way, it’s  the perfect friday night stay in movie...a little scary but not too much to blow your socks off and interfere with your sleep pattern when you finally slope off to your bed.

All in all, it’s worth a watch (if you can find it) but the version I have seems the only one available on amazon and some wise guy is asking £28. The quality is far too poor to come even close to justifying that price tag. I think I paid £12 or thereabouts...and even that is too much for such a shoddy version.

As an aside, doing a little research into the movie before posting this, I was quite surprised at how prolific Towns has been in providing music for british film and TV.






						Colin Towns - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## AlexH

From the best to the worst of my recent watches:

*The Lunchbox* (2013)
A wonderful Indian film that makes great use of the strangers swapping letters trope, this time via a mix-up in Mumbai's lunchbox delivery service (which I found fascinating in itself).

*Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai* (1999)
Seemed a unique take on the Mafia film - Forest Whitaker playing a hitman who follows the ancient Samurai code. Much of the film followed Whitaker's character in his day to day life, and I felt this was much better done than in the recent Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Ghost Dog had some excellent bits of humour too.

*Night Moves* (2013)
Immersive and slow-burning thriller about three environmentalists who plan to blow up a dam.

*Ghost Town Anthology* (2019)
Intriguing supernatural thriller that didn't seem to go anywhere in the end.

*Don't Breathe *(2016)
Three thieves break into a blind man's house and get more than they bargained for. An excellent (and unusual) soundtrack and set made this thriller/horror worth a watch.

*L'Eclisse *(1962)
Italian drama/romance with superb cinematography but a lot I didn't get (like why have a fifteen-minute stock market scene where the main character doesn't appear, when it was already established early in the film what a crazy place it is). I think I got the film was about lack of communication, but without that enjoyable cinematography and surprising dystopian atmosphere I enjoyed, it probably would've felt like a pointless watch.

*Quai des Orfèvres *(1947)
French crime film. It was okay but I wanted a more satisfying ending.

*The Conversation* (1974)
An all-time classic I've been meaning to watch for years. Meh. I can't think of a better word. I thought it started well, but I lost interest about 2/3rds in and didn't find the ending surprising. In the end, watching The Conversation felt like a waste of time. I've seen many reviews saying it's better on second viewing, but I won't be finding out in the near future.

*The Wandering Earth *(2019)
Over ambitious Chinese sci-fi set as Earth jets off (with the aid of giant thrusters) to a new solar system. I enjoyed some CGI, but some parts of The Wandering Earth didn't make sense, the character building was poor and the humour fell flat. Despite that, I felt it was worth a watch for an idea of what China could do in the future when hopefully they sort those issues out.


----------



## Parson

Watched a documentary *Science Fair. *I was very pleased with this documentary. It follows several teenagers who work hard on "nerdy" projects to get to the World wide Science Fair. The contestants in the documentary come mostly from the USA, but there are two from Brazil and one from Germany. Some come from highly advantaged schools, one from a public school in South Dakota where her fellow students don't know that she's made it to world wide competition before (school of about 250 per grade level). and the two from Brazil have very few advantages at all. 

Really worth watching!


----------



## Jeffbert

Foxbat said:


> Disney’s The Black Hole (1979)
> 
> If ever there was a movie that had an identity crisis then this was it. It had a dark, gothic cathedral-like ship and  the powerful brooding presence of Maximillian the robot. This was contrasted by the inclusion of a couple of disney-typical wise cracking cutie robots. We had Anthony Perkins and Maximiliian Schell in the cast but we also had Yvette Mimieux who sucessfully played a beautiful, innocent, almost childlike character in The Time Machine but lacked the skills to bring anything substantial to this movie.
> 
> We have the latent terror of the black hole and a bit of cowboy gun toting robot rivalry.
> Add to this an end sequence that lies somewhere between the spectacular end sequence of 2001 and a journey through Dante’s Alighieri’s Inferno. It’s as if somebody just took a load of film cuttings and just randomly spliced them into a confusing mishmash of a movie that can’t decide what audience it wants to target.
> 
> Made at a time when it was important for Disney to show they could still cut it alongside the likes of Star Wars, it’s somewhat ironic that Disney now owns that franchise.
> 
> It’s the first time in a long time since I’ve seen this movie and I’m left with that same old feeling that it’s full of ‘could have beens’.




Slim Pickens was a robot's voice.  I saw this a few years ago, & it took me nearly to the end, before I realized it. If only they had included the line "I'm workin' fer Mel Brooks!" It would have been obvious.



*FALLEN ANGEL* (1945) NOIR ALLEY.  I was almost bored with this one, as it took an hour before anything significant happened.  a drifter Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) hops off a Greyhound bus, and walks into a bar/diner.  Regular customers already there, include Mark Judd (Charles Bickford), an ex-New York cop, who occasionally does work for the local police department. Stella (Linda Darnell), who works as a waitress, has been absent for several days, and the customers / diners and the owner, Pop (Percy Kilbride, better known for the role of Pa Kettle) are discussing her absence. Apparently, this is not the 1st time she has gone away without explanation.  She had been trying one relationship after another, always swearing, she will never return to her dead-end job, etc. 

Well, she returns to the relief of all. Enough of that for now. Stanton is flat broke and will do anything for money. So, he learns of a Seance scheduled for the next week, and weasels his way into promoting it. Professor Madley (John Carradine) is the charlatan who holds the 'service' and he welcomes the help promoting it in a town whose women's league is against the seance, and Stanton begins seducing the younger sister June (Faye), of the league's president Clara Mills (Anne Revere),  and learning that a large sum of money will be hers once she marries. So, Stanton is now interested in both Stella, whom he loves, and June, whose money he covets. 

As I said earlier, I was becoming bored with the pace of this film, but, just in time, Stella is murdered. 

Now, the pace picks up, and the film becomes much more interesting. Good show.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Two Towers*

I still really love it, but after years and years since I last saw it it's sillier than I remember (dwarf-tossing in particular).


----------



## AlexH

*Vertigo *(1958)
First watch. All-time classic? Yes!

*Frances Ha* (2012)
A coming-of-age (only the main character is 27) comedy that wasn't really that funny, but a  main character that I ended up warming to very much and a film I ended up enjoying.

*A Town Called Panic *(2009)
Absolutely mental French stop-motion animation. A birthday gift for Horse goes wrong when Cowboy and Indian accidentally order 50 million bricks instead of 50. A Town Called Panic was hilarious fun to start with but became tiresome. At 70 minutes long, it didn't outstay its welcome too much.

*La Strada *(1954)
The youngest sister of a poor family is sold to a travelling entertainer who abuses her. There were some good characters, but I didn't really like this film.


----------



## P Drysdale

*Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime, 1997, Japanese Anime)*
Still so good. Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli production, recently all their films were added to Netflix, and it's probably the most mature film they have produced.

The story follows a young prince in a secluded village who is cursed by a forest god turned demon by his hatred of mankind's crimes against nature. The prince knows the curse will kill him, and goes on a journey to determine if the curse can be lifted, and the cause of the hatred that is turning gods into demons and upsetting the natural order. He discovers a conflict between mankind's industrial advancement and the natural world's self-preservation, spurned on by hatred that is turning the players on both sides of the conflict into demons.

It's an excellent film, still incredibly relevant in terms of it's environmental message and the problem of hate-based politics, with a lot of strong female characters and deep character motivations.

_Disclaimer_: might have scenes that could be a bit upsetting to children.


----------



## Randy M.

*Cat People* (1982) dir. Paul Schrader; starring Nastassja Kinski, John Heard, Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole

Given the implied sexuality in the original version, you might think the greater freedom of the '80s would lend the story added interest. 

Well, not really. 

It's not that this is a bad movie. It's watchable and there is, for me at least, a kind of fascination in the very '80s-ness of it -- synth music with a David Bowie theme song; shoulder pads; big shoulder pads; the lighting and framing of scenes; Nastassja Kinski, who has worked beyond the '80s but whose image seems preserved in amber in the '80s; etc. -- but the tensest scene is a direct lift from the 1942 version with added toplessness. The latter doesn't add anything to the scene; it's more like an '80s thing where you could do it, so you did.

Some nice location shooting in and around New Orleans. An okay turn by Ruby Dee, early appearances by Ed Begley Jr. and John Larroquette.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MILDRED PIERCE* (1945) Albert Pierce (Bruce Bennet) & WIFE Mildred  (Joan Crawford) & their daughters are a middle class family with the standard values etc. of the time. But, Albert walks out, and denies Mildred a divorce. 

Mildred had wanted her daughters to have the things she could not as a child, but her eldest, Veda (Ann Blyth), became spoiled because of it.  Moreover, when mom stated working as a waitress, Veda despised her, for stooping so low. 

After a time, Mildred opens her own restaurant, with investments from men, including Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), who sold her the building she converted into her business. He, had the name and family connections, but was broke, and wanted to recover his wealth/status by hook or crook. Eventually he marries Mildred, but behind her back, seduces her daughter ,Veda. 

Oh, this was NOIR ALLEY's MOTHER'S DAY film, so it is expected bad things will happen. I did not expect I would like it, without the usual NOIR elements, but, it surprised me. Well done.


----------



## dask

Well made anthological thriller written by Robert Bloch (not Block as printed on the poster; don't movie studios have proof readers or people who could function as one if the need arose?) starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and a whole coffin full of actors every bit the consummate thespian Lee and Cushing were. No blood dripped that I could see (unless it was edited out for television) though there were plenty of opportunities to do so. Okay score save for blasts of cheesy organ. Perfect Saturday morning pot of coffee fare.


----------



## Vince W

*Men in Black* (1997). Still a very good film and a lot of fun. This was back when Will Smith made good films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

dask said:


> View attachment 64153
> Well made anthological thriller written by Robert Bloch (not Block as printed on the poster; don't movie studios have proof readers or people who could function as one if the need arose?) starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and a whole coffin full of actors every bit the consummate thespian Lee and Cushing were. No blood dripped that I could see (unless it was edited out for television) though there were plenty of opportunities to do so. Okay score save for blasts of cheesy organ. Perfect Saturday morning pot of coffee fare.




This one is pretty good, among the many Amicus horror anthologies.  (My favorite is *From Beyond the Grave*, followed by *Tales From the Crypt*, but I like the ones written by Bloch as well.  Somehow I've never seen *Tales That Witness Madness *but I think I have seen all the others.)


----------



## BAYLOR

dask said:


> View attachment 64153
> Well made anthological thriller written by Robert Bloch (not Block as printed on the poster; don't movie studios have proof readers or people who could function as one if the need arose?) starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and a whole coffin full of actors every bit the consummate thespian Lee and Cushing were. No blood dripped that I could see (unless it was edited out for television) though there were plenty of opportunities to do so. Okay score save for blasts of cheesy organ. Perfect Saturday morning pot of coffee fare.



Oh,  that is a fun movie .


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *Men in Black* (1997). Still a very good film and a lot of fun. This was back when Will Smith made good films.



You might want ot check out the Men in Back Animated series . That series wonderfully twisted !


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> You might want ot check out the Men in Back Animated series . That series wonderfully twisted !


I've been watching it for a little while now. It is very good indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Curse of the Headless Horseman *(1972)

Absolutely abysmal attempt at artistic achievement, actually. My foolish whim at starting this review with an alliterative sentence is brainier than any aspect of this film.  We start with a narrator who sounds like he's the host for one of those old Monster Chiller Horror Theater TV shows.    Plot starts when a medical student inherits a really cruddy Wild West amusement park from a deceased uncle.  In one of those absurd codicils that show up in wills in these movies (one character has to say "What's a codicil?") he has to make a profit in six months or lose the property.  Meanwhile, the story grinds to a complete halt as we get completely irrelevant scenes that lead to nothing.  People eating pizza, two guys almost getting into a fistfight over nothing, folks wandering around the park aimlessly, a couple of guys doing a really lousy comedy skit on the park's stage, some guy singing a country song on the stage, and, most offensively, a guy attempting to rape a woman (in extremely non-explicit and fully clothed fashion, thank goodness) while a couple of other guys peek at them and do nothing.    Most bizarrely, Andy Warhol "superstar" Ultra Violet shows up for a couple of minutes as "the Countess" (or so the credits say) who is said to be the world's richest burlesque star.  She thinks this scuzzy little tourist trap is beautiful and wants to buy it.  Then she sees the park's vaguely scary-looking night caretaker, lets out the loudest shriek you've ever heard, and disappears from the film.  Did I mention the fact that she carries a Superman lunch box as if it were a purse? That caretaker, by the way, gives us our backstory.  Guy was killed a long time ago, comes back as the headless horseman for revenge, etc.  Sure enough, we eventually get very brief glances of a guy on horseback, a cape pulled way over his (supposedly nonexistent) head, carrying a really phony severed head.  He laughs in an echo effect and splashes blood on people.  Some folks do get killed, but always in accidental ways.  At last we get our double twist ending, in particularly stupid fashion.  Then the narrator shouts "It will begin again!" no less than seven times.  The end.  Incompetent in every way, and thus mandatory viewing.


----------



## AlexH

*How I Live Now *(2013)
Scarily familiar in current times, but in How I Live Now, people are told to "stay home" after a nuclear bomb attack. The main character has been sent from America to live in rural England, so the film deals with that and how she copes after the terrorist attack. It was a good enough way to pass an hour and a half and felt scarily realistic at times.

*Mary and Max *(2009)
Another strangers-exchanging-letters film, Mary and Max paled in comparison to another recent watch, The Lunchbox. The animation was good but boring at the same time. The ongoing narration was mostly boring - the highlights came when the two main characters were showing their personalities through reading and writing the letters. One of the main characters became boring, which didn't help. 

*Computer Chess *(2013)
"Comedy" about a computer chess tournament set in 1984. The winning computer goes on to play against an actual human. I liked the docu-style filming and 80s setting, but the film itself became boring. The funniest moment was either showing a guy falling asleep during a panel talk or the bit that played on the first woman being part of a computer programming team in the annual competition, but that's only really funny because of how ridiculous and dated it is.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Night the World Exploded *(1957)

A 1950's B sci-fi flick where Science Girl has top billing over Science Guy?  Maybe that's because she's played by the very pretty, petite, and ultra-feminine Kathryn Grant, who was the Princess in *The 7th Voyage of Sindbad*.  She's in love with Science Guy, who is too wrapped up in his work to notice.  On the rebound, she's going to marry some guy named Brad, who never actually shows up.  In the movie's least surprising line, she explains "I'm a scientist, but I'm also a woman."  

Science Guy's new gizmo predicts a huge earthquake that shows up pretty quick, thanks to lots of stock footage.  Things are even worse than they seem.  Quakes are shaking things up all over the place, even tilting the crust a few degrees.  Our two science types go down into Carlsbad Caverns to see what's going on deep underground.  At first, Science Girl freaks out, while descending a rope ladder, but she gets hold of herself and makes it all the way down without help.  You go, girl!  It turns out that a new element is down there.  The stuff expands, heats up, and finally blows up real good when exposed to the nitrogen in the air.  Water renders it harmless.  (Apparently it's been wet underground all this time, but something  - the first quake? -- exposed it.)  All the nations of the world work together to flood areas where this stuff is showing up.  (Good luck with that, climate change.)  The dramatic ending comes when a huge volcano pops up out of nowhere in the desert in the American southwest.  Science Guy uses some of the stuff to blow up a dam to flood the place, but not without Science Girl insisting that she go along.  Science Guy finally figures out that she's been carrying a torch for him all this time, and humanity is saved.  (Those two events aren't necessarily related.)

It's a cheap little film, sort of like a low budget anticipation of the later, much more expensive, and pretty darn good film *Crack in the World*.  Despite being talky and sedate, with much of the story carried by stock footage, a narrator, and those always helpful newspaper headlines, it's not bad for those of us who feast on 1950's SF cheapies.


----------



## Foxbat

Darkest Hour.
I felt, things being as they are right now, that I needed a dose of Churchillian defiance.
A fine movie with, arguably, Oldman’s best performance.


----------



## Avelino de Castro

Just watched The Day the Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reeves was happy to see John Cleese, that was the highlight of the movie.  Also was impressed to see Reeves use a word so large as precipice.  He usually doesn't get to use words with more than two syllables.  It was o.k.  Kathy Bates was good.


----------



## Jeffbert

Thanks for those 1950s sci-fi scenarios, Victoria Silverwolf!  I really enjoyed *Crack in the World*! 


*What We Do in the Shadows* (2015) my sister & brother-in-law recommended this film. I watched it, expecting laughs, but there were few. It was humorous, just not very funny. I even fell asleep at times. I guess my expectations were too high.

Some New Zealand vampires invite a camera crew to film them in their every day lives, or 'unlives?' and one vampire narrates. They go to night clubs, fight werewolves, and suck people's blood.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Mind Snatchers *AKA *The Happiness Cage *(1972)

Christopher Walken has his first leading role in this drama with science fiction elements, although he'd been acting since childhood.  He plays an American soldier in Germany who is always in trouble, frequently in the stockade.  He gets transported to a special facility, where there are only two other patients.  One leaves the film quickly, and didn't really do anything except scream in pain.  The other is a loudmouthed cowboy-type, with some kind of terminal illness.  Walken just has a broken arm.  (We don't see this happen, but I presume it was during a scuffle with MPs.)  What's really going on is an experiment involving placing devices in the patient/prisoner brains, so they can directly stimulate their own pleasure centers.  (Obviously based on real experiments in rats.)  The film is based on a play, and at times it's a two person show between Walken and the other experimental subject.  Although talky and cheaply made, with a really bad soundtrack, it's a compelling look at something that isn't very unlikely at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Giants of Thessaly (The Argonauts) *(1960)

That's the way the title appears on the screen, and it's a direct translation of the Italian title.  Any movie that needs its own explanatory parenthetical synonym must be interesting.  Or so I thought.  This is a run-of-the-mill sword-and-sandal epic, treating the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece as if it were the adventures of Odysseus.  Jason has already been gone for a year when the movie starts, seeking the fleece so he can free Thessaly from the curse of Zeus, which takes the form of volcanoes destroying the land.  He's left his cousin in command, which is a bad idea.  It seems the guy plans to wait until Thessaly has to be abandoned, then conquer some other land, taking Jason's queen for his own.  Meanwhile, Jason and his crew face various dangers.  An island of witches who turn the men into talking sheep, a cyclops (a guy in a one-eyed gorilla suit), and so on.  Eventually Jason climbs up a huge stone wall, then up a huge statue, to get the fleece.  It all winds up with Jason and his good guys fighting the cousin and his bad guys.  There's one goofy guy among the crew for comic relief, the mandatory dance sequence, and Orpheus around to relate his sad story, and to be the only member of the crew to plead for mercy when a woman stows away on the ship to be with her beloved.  It's an OK way to pass the time, if you're into this kind of thing.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Night the World Exploded *(1957)
> 
> A 1950's B sci-fi flick where Science Girl has top billing over Science Guy?  Maybe that's because she's played by the very pretty, petite, and ultra-feminine Kathryn Grant, who was the Princess in *The 7th Voyage of Sindbad*.  [...]



I knew that name sounded familiar so checked IMDB. Same year as this movie, she became Mrs. Bing Crosby. I remember seeing her in his Christmas specials. She did have a presence there even though secondary to Bing.  

Anyway, re-watched, _*When a Stranger Calls*_ (1979) dir. Fred Walton; starring Carol Kane, Charles Durning

I remember seeing this in the theater when it first came out. It's a not altogether bad thriller. Also not altogether good. Some of it, especially early on, seems improbable and relies on idiot plotting. Later burdened with the heavy hand of coincidence an the bad guy's somewhat improbable ability to get where he wants without detection. A couple of good, tense scenes and an attempt to explain how the bad guy thinks helps a little, and it gets a lot of mileage from strong performances by Kane and Durning, and supporting turns by Rachel Roberts, Colleen Dewhurst and Ron O'Neal.

Randy M.


----------



## Mouse

*Secret Life of Pets 2*. Well... not as good as the first one. Very, very disjointed, like they just mashed several stories together. Where the hell did Daisy come from and why? Also, Illumination Entertainment, no it's not ok to show kids man-handling dogs as if that's normal, good behaviour. Do not encourage that. Same with showing the real-life footage at the end of a poor basset hound being clambered on by a child. That is not ok. That is how bites happen. Dogs are not robots or toys. Also showing that awful footage of the dog "dancing". Dogs do not dance. That dog is a stray which needs veterinary attention. Why are human beings so moronic?


----------



## Starbeast

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Mind Snatchers *AKA *The Happiness Cage *(1972)
> 
> Christopher Walken has his first leading role in this drama with science fiction elements, although he'd been acting since childhood.



After I viewed _The Mind Snatchers_ the first time, I thought it was disturbing. I haven't seen that film in a long time. I suppose my morbid interest to re-watch that nightmarish weird science fiction flick has worn off.


*Savage Dog* 2017 - A story set in Indochina in 1959, a land beyond rule and a time without mercy and the birth of a legend.  Basically a period movie, about man vs man in deadly combat bouts held by bad guys of all sorts. Real scum. However, one fierce fighter battles in defiance. Gory at times and pretty good action throughout the movie.

*Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2* 2015 - Excellent sequel. Actor Kevin James is very funny. It was also nice to see a familiar stand-up comedian (Vic Dibitetto on his comedy rant Youtube channel) playing the character, Gino Chizetti. By the way, you must see the first film before this one.


_Viewed It Again_

*My Favorite Brunette* 1947 - Awesome Bob Hope film. He plays a wannabe detective and takes a case that seems simple (like him), at first. Stars include Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, & Lon Chaney Jr. I got inspired by this film to write my latest 300 challenge tale.

*Another 48 Hours* 1990 - Starring Nick Nolte & Eddie Murphy. A fierce sequel that director, Walter Hill pumped action into it. I felt real tension throughout the film. A little less humor would have been better too.

*Zookeeper* 2011 - Fantastic romantic fantasy film. Kevin James best film. Actress Rosario Dawson, is outstanding. This movie includes a terrific cast of voice actors. See if you can identify some of them. That's what I did when I saw it the first time.


----------



## AE35Unit

Having a Star Wars night. First watched Solo, then Rise of the Jedi (now started the Mandalorean)
Where can they go after Rise?


----------



## Vince W

*Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. A very good film, but shows its age a little here and there.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas* 1957 I saw it on tv yesterday . Terrific film with a great cast which included Peter Cushing and Forest Tucker . The film had very interesting  take on on the Abominable Snowman.

This is easily  one od Hammer's best films.


----------



## dask

BAYLOR said:


> *The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas* 1957 I saw it on tv yesterday . Terrific film with a great cast which included Peter Cushing and Forest Tucker . The film had very interesting  take on on the Abominable Snowman.
> 
> This is easily  one od Hammer's best films.


May have seen this but not sure. When this crap finally blows over I'm going to have to clear up the confusion.

Watched this yesterday:




Still fun with some exciting scenes.


----------



## BAYLOR

dask said:


> May have seen this but not sure. When this crap finally blows over I'm going to have to clear up the confusion.



The screenplay was written by Nigel Kneale  The film was direct by Val Guest .


----------



## dask

All star cast and crew sounds like.


----------



## BAYLOR

dask said:


> All star cast and crew sounds like.



Peter Cushing and Forest Tucker. Two terrific  actors who had never previously worked together . I think this is  the only  time they did.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Terminal Man *(1974) There was one line in here that made me think I must have seen this before now. Just that one line, though. So there is this guy, who on seemingly random occasions suffers fits of madness, in which he becomes a homicidal maniac. Doctors decide to implant a computer chip in him along with several electrodes that will stimulate his pleasure centers when a 'fit' occurs. 

During the scene in the operating room, I identified with the procedure they used to determine exactly what the electrodes were stimulating. I went through a similar procedure, in which the doctors by stimulating certain areas in the right hemisphere, the one where the blood clot had occurred, so long ago, to find areas that were associated with the involuntary movement on the left side of my body.  But that was not the part that resonated.  

So, they implant this system in the guy, & test it, by chemically forcing a 'fit' to see if the system worked, which it did.  And, because they are monitoring the thing, they realize that he is hiving increased frequency of 'fits' because his subconscious has figured out that it can force the stimulating of the pleasure centers by causing the 'fits'!  So, this computer guy runs a projection that tells him that eventually, the poor guy will have nonstop 'fits' so that his pleasure centers will be continuously stimulated.  Too late, because the guy had just walked out of the hospital!  



*The Crimson Kimono *(1959) NOIR ALLEY.  Watched it a week ago, and have forgotten too much already. Los Angeles, as I recall, two cops, one Caucasian,  the other of Japanese descent. A stripper has been murdered, and they are investigating. Muller called this a "buddy cop" film, as I recall. I think this is the 1st time I have seen this, so, that is good.  The two cops are also competing for the affections of one woman. Good film!


*SINGIN' IN THE RAIN* (1952) i AM NOT MUCH FOR MUSICALS, unless they are comedy 1st & musical 2nd. I had wanted to see this for a while, & finally, it was a prime-time movie on TCM, along with comments before and after.  Prior to this, the closest I had been to this film, was A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. I cheated, though, because I fast forwarded through some of the dance scenes.  While this was a musical comedy, it seemed musical 1st, comedy, 2nd. So, the setting is the last few days of silent films, and this man & woman team, have just finished a film-- but the producers decide to remake it a musical, seeing that sound was 'in' & 'silent' was out. But the leading lady's voice, which had been irrelevant in the silent era, was not that of a leading lady. I thought it was a screech, though the closed captions said 'squeaky' in describing it.  

Quite entertaining, even by my standards.


----------



## Don

Time Lapse


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Recently watched *The Ladykillers, *with Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Herbert Lomm, Jack Warner and the sweet old lady Mrs Lopsided (Mrs Wilberforce.) Brilliant comedy classic.


----------



## Night_Eternal

Literally just got finished watching Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow again, probably for the first time in years too. It's a kitschy, high budget unapologetic homage to the Hammer horror films, which is obvious since Christopher Lee himself has a rather memorable cameo role. Back in those days, Burton knew how to make a movie about some rather cruel beheadings feel like a hammy action film with enough fun spooky imagery slapped on for us 90's Goth kids to get antsy over.

As far as new movies go, I watched As Above So Below on Netflix the other day and while it wasn't spectacular, it was a fairly well done "found footage" film. I think I mostly stuck with it because the actress was lovely to look at.....until she got covered in blood, that is.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Late Night. *Emma Thompson was amazing, generally a very enjoyable movie.


----------



## AstroZon

dask said:


> Three Days of the Condor
> 
> Still fun with some exciting scenes.



Even though it's a contemporary 70s movie, it doesn't seem dated.  Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow (who just passed away in March) and director Sydney Pollack all make this a great movie.   One of my favorites.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Lion of Thebes *(1964)

Sword-and-sandal epic that messes around with history and mythology.  Begins at the end of the Trojan War, as Menelaus is about to take Helen back to Sparta.  Our muscular hero is a Spartan warrior, who winds up with Helen in Egypt after a storm.  (Why was Menelaus sailing past Africa on his way from Troy to Sparta?  That's actually a plot point.)  Mind you, all of this is revealed in dialogue and a brief flashback, and the movie begins with the pair wandering through the desert.  The Pharaoh is smitten with Helen, and dumps his intended for her.  Helen just wants to get away.  An escape plan winds up with our hero and Helen blamed for the murder of the Pharaoh.  Meanwhile, Menelaus intends to help another guy become Pharaoh, but is really only interested in grabbing Egyptian treasure.  As you can see, there's plenty of plot, along with the expected fight scenes, dance sequence, and so on.  It's not a bad example of its kind.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Falcon Takes Over *(1942)

The first adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel.  They took _Farewell, My Lovely _and replaced Philip Marlowe with the Falcon, a playboy amateur detective.  The plot is pretty much the same -- huge guy gets out of prison, tries to find his old girlfriend, murders and a convoluted plot follow -- but the mood is quite different.  Lots of comedy relief, from the Falcon's chauffeur, the cops, and a would-be spunky female reporter.  Nicely filmed and acted for an hour-long B picture.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Yet again I've just finished watching *Where Eagles Dare. *A great war film and classic.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Yet again I've just finished watching *Where Eagles Dare. *A great war film and classic.



Yes: Burton, Eastwood and _that _cable-car scene; what's not to like? Definitely the best _fictional _WWII movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man on the Eiffel Tower *(1950)

The first English language adaptation of an Inspector Maigret novel by Georges Simenon.  Burgess Meredith is a guy who ekes out a living as a knife sharpener.  He attempts to burglarize a rich woman's house, but her and her maid stabbed to death already.  Meredith drops his glasses -- shades of _Twilight Zone_! -- which links him to the murder.  The killer forces him to agree to be arrested for the crime, and then the murdered will get him out of prison.  Before all this happens, we already know that the nephew of the rich woman paid the killer to do the deed, so he can inherit the money and run off with his mistress after he pays off his wife.  (The three of them discuss the affair in a quite civilized manner in a cafe.  Ah, the sophisticated French!)  Charles Laughton is Maigret.  He deliberately lets Meredith escape in an attempt to catch the real killer.  What follows is a _Columbo _style battle of wits between Maigret and the killer, who muddies the waters in all sorts of ways while openly taunting Maigret about his inability to solve the case.  It's kind of like a low key Hitchcock film, with a convoluted plot that requires careful attention.


----------



## dask

Saw this movie a long time ago and really liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Subterfuge *(1968)

British spy flick made during the Bond craze.  American agent shows up in London, meets a contact who gets killed right away, when a woman bumps into him with her purse.  I'll admit that murder by poisoned purse is a new one.  Our hero gets beat up by thugs and taken to the lair of the bad guys, where he is strapped to an electronic torture device.  The movie's Bad Girl,  a blonde in a leather miniskirt, obviously enjoys her job a little too much, as she gives the hero a big smooch after zapping him.  Meanwhile, Joan Collins shows up as the world's most glamorous housewife, married to a British agent.  She wants him to transfer out of the spy department, because her husband spends so little time with her and their young son.  After some complications, it turns out that our hero is really here to figure out who is leaking secrets.  Romance blooms between our hero and Collins, the child gets kidnapped, the traitor (whose identity is quite obvious) gets exposed, etc.  This combination of spy story and domestic drama lacks the spectacle of the 007 films, the grittiness of more serious espionage movies, and the campy appeal of Eurospy flicks, but it's passable entertainment.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MAD MONSTER PARTY?* (1967) I guess I have seen this too many times, already. Yet, once more!

Baron Dr. Von Frankenstein: Karloff, not just a resemblance, but Boris, himself. 

Bride of the Monster: Phyllis Diller; the real PD, not just a voice impersonation.

SHIP CAPTAIN: resembles Charles Laughton, especially in the role of Capt. Bligh

Dracula: no Bela Lugosi voice, or other resemblance. 

chef Machiavelli, pure Italian accent 

Invisible man: voice impersonation of, and rotund figure of Sydney Greenstreet

Dr. J & Mr. H:  I think he is modeled on Spencer Tracy rather than Frederick March;  do not think the voice was mimicked, though. 

& the baron's nephew,
"Felix Flanken (voiced by Allen Swift impersonating James Stewart). " -Wiki

It must have been too long, since I last saw a James Stewart film; I am surprised I did not recognize the voice impersonation! A Prairie Home Companion, which I had enjoyed for a very long time, frequently  featured impersonations of his voice, but that was a few years ago, when Garrison Keillor retired, & I lost interest.

So, the Baron is old, & intends to retire, name his nephew as his successor, head/boss of all monsters. He invites most of them, with the exception of "It" (King Kong?) to his island for a meeting to announce his retirement. 

He entrusts much to his secretary,  Francesca (Gale Garnett), but she covets the power he intends for his nephew.  

All the guests are likewise forming partnerships, conspiracies, and double crosses intending to cheat their dupe partners out of the Baron's greatest secret, the explosive that "can completely destroy all matter."

Other monsters  include the  the Mummy, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,  Werewolf, & the Creature from the Black Lagoon; none of which spoke.

Almost forgot, Yetch: Peter Lorre impersonated.


From the same guys who made R. the Red Nosed Reindeer. Oh, & the guys at MAD Magazine were also involved.



*Cornered *(1945) noir Alley's most recent film.

So, downed flyer Laurence Gerard (Dick Powell), had married a French resistance fighter, who was then killed by French collaborator Marcel Jarnac (Luther Adler). WWII is over, and Gerard is out for revenge. His investigation takes him to France, and then to Argentina.  There, he meets  Melchior Incza (Walter Slezak), who hopes to make himself useful to the newcomer, and is constantly pestering him, with unwanted offers of help.

A very good film!



*The Comcharos* (1961)

Says Jack Elam was in it, but I did not notice him. Anyway Louisiana dandy  
Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) wins a pistol duel with an upper class wrong guy to kill, and must flee the State. Goes to Texas, where T. Ranger Capt. Jake Cutter (John Wayne) arrests him and intends to return him to Louisiana to be hanged for murder. But, things happen, and Wayne's character has other priorities. The two must work together, but there is tension between them, because of the murder charge. 

It seems there are these title characters who are selling rifles to the Comanches. 

Plenty of supporting stars, including Lee Marvin as the guy in the gun-running business.



_*Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo*_  (1944) Plenty of stars in this one, also. 
About one of the pilots involved in the Doolittle Raid. 
Lieutenant Ted W. Lawson (Van Johnson), just a few months married to Ellen (Phyllis Thaxter), who is about that many months pregnant. Focuses on their few times together, as preparations for the raid are made.  Lawson is the real pilot who wrote the book of the same title, on which the film is based. 

Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) may be at the top billing, though his name comes last during the credits. 

Secrecy is important, so, the bomber crews are told as little as possible, in dealing with take-offs on very short runways, with full loads of ordinance, etc. 

A rather long, 2:45, 



Spoiler



and the actual bombing run was without incident. Oddly, no defenses were encountered, and more drama occurred after the crew reached China than during the time over Japan.


 I was once very interested in WWII history, but mostly in tanks. 

I am always eager to watch Spencer Tracy films, & this was my 1st time with this one. Very well done!



*Night of the Creeps* (1986) A spoof of zombie movies. College kids are going to have a prom, & alien creatures are controlling a few of them. The main character is named 'Romero.'  The cool guys have all the pretty girls as dates, and poor other guy, has to join a frat house to hope to be cool enough to merit one such girl. But, in performing the initiation, which involves stealing a corpse from the morgue, he, gets a frozen one with alien leach-like critters in it, that begin leaping into peoples' mouths, & possessing them.

Funny, but not so much that I would see it again.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Two Versions of William Faulkner's Most Shocking Novel Double Feature:

*The Story of Temple Drake *(1933)

I haven't read _Sanctuary_, so I can't tell you how closely this adaptation follows its source.  Miriam Hopkins has the title role.  She's the granddaughter of a judge, and a teasing party girl.  After the car her drunken escort is driving crashes, stranding them at the dilapidated shack of some moonshiners, she is raped by a city gangster, who kills the dim-witted fellow guarding her.  In a state of shock, she goes off with her attacker, and another guy gets blamed for the murder.  She eventually kills her abductor, and has to decide whether to tell the truth in court or allow an innocent man to be executed.  The villain is genuinely frightening, in a very cold way, and Hopkins gives a good performance in an inherently melodramatic role.  Definitely a pre-Code film!

*Sanctuary *(1961)

Based on the same novel, plus its sequel _Requiem for a Nun_.  Starts with a servant found guilty for murdering the infant child of her employer, the former Temple Drake (Lee Remick), now a respectable married woman.  A flashback tells the same basic story as the previous film, but in this case Temple develops a mad passion for her rapist.  (If the previous version suggests Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, this one seems like Stockholm Syndrome.)  After the gangster apparently dies in a car wreck, she is "rescued" from the brothel where she lived with the guy.  Years later, the crook shows up alive, and Temple is ready to run off with him, taking the baby with her.  The servant knew her from the old days, and we learn the reason for her shocking crime.   Yves Montand is oddly cast as the villain, his accent explained by making him a Cajun.  Remick is fine in a difficult role.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Yellow Canary *(1963)

Pat Boone sheds his squeaky clean image as a rather unlikable superstar.  (We see him surrounded by screaming teenage girls as if he were all four of the Beatles.)  He smokes, he drinks, he cheats on his wife, he's a lousy husband and a poor father to his infant son.  The plot starts when the baby is kidnapped.  Members of Boone's entourage have dark secrets, and it looks like the kidnapping was an inside job.  Some folks get murdered along the way, and Boone eventually deduces who the killer is.  Screenplay by Rod Serling, of all people, from a novel.  It's a fair-to-middling mystery/suspense film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bus Riley's Back in Town *(1965)

Hollywood-slick drama that wanders all over the place.  Our oddly-named title character returns from serving in the Navy.  The household consists of his mother and a couple of sisters.  There's also a schoolteacher lodging at the place who objects to being in the same house as a man, I suppose for comic purposes.  Ann-Margaret has top billing as his ex-girlfriend who has married a rich guy.  She comes on heavy to him, and he sort of reluctantly goes along with it.  Meanwhile, he gets a job selling atomic vacuum cleaners (?) in a cartoon-like subplot that seems to come out of another movie entirely.    There's also his younger sister's best friend, who takes care of her alcoholic mother as if she were the parent.  Mom burns down the house by smoking in bed, killing herself.  The tragedy sends the seventeen-year-old bereaved daughter into the arms of Bus Riley.   Not a great idea, as fooling around with underage Ann-Margaret was why he had to run off to join the Navy in the first place.  Did I mention that the booze-loving mother came on to Bus Riley when he was trying to sell her an atomic vacuum cleaner?  As you might be able to tell, the mood of this thing varies wildly, from melodramatic to satiric, and the music is often inappropriately happy-go-lucky.  The story goes that playwright William Inge took his name off the screenplay because the film was changed to emphasize Ann-Margaret's role.  I'm not sure that makes any difference, as the whole thing is just a bunch of scenes that don't lead to anything in particular.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *MAD MONSTER PARTY?* (1967) I guess I have seen this too many times, already. Yet, once more!



So that's who Gale Garnett was. I didn't realize she was the singer of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine".



> *The Comancharos* (1961)
> 
> Says Jack Elam was in it, but I did not notice him. Anyway Louisiana dandy
> Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) [...]



According to James Garner's autobiography he'd been asked to do this, but he thought a producer who didn't like him pulled strings to keep him out (this would have been when he was still in _Maverick_). I like Whitman well enough and he was okay in this, but I think Garner would have made this a better film; it would have been interesting to see him up against John Wayne. 

By the way, this was the last film directed by Michael Curtiz, director of _Dr. X_, _The Mystery of the Wax Museum_, _The Walking Dead_ (1936), _The Adventures of Robin Hood, White Christmas, _and a little movie called, _Casablanca_.



> *Night of the Creeps* (1986) A spoof of zombie movies. College kids are going to have a prom, & alien creatures are controlling a few of them. The main character is named 'Romero.'  The cool guys have all the pretty girls as dates, and poor other guy, has to join a frat house to hope to be cool enough to merit one such girl. But, in performing the initiation, which involves stealing a corpse from the morgue, he, gets a frozen one with alien leach-like critters in it, that begin leaping into peoples' mouths, & possessing them.
> 
> Funny, but not so much that I would see it again.



My wife and I watched this. Tom Atkins, from _The Fog_, among other B movies, was fun as a detective carrying a guilt complex who sits around his house reading Raymond Chandler and true detective magazines. Not the best '80s horror spoof, but watchable; produced by Charles Gordon, a guy who later produced _Die Hard_, _Field of Dreams_ and _The Rocketeer_ among others.

My wife and I also watched,

*Chopping Mall* (1986)

I'm not entirely sure why except it was only 1.5 hours long and we didn't see anything else we wanted to watch. 

I know I've seen it before but it wasn't so bad I remembered it. Notable mainly for knocking off Dick Miller faster than was usual in most of his late career movies (he also had a cameo in _Night of the Creeps_); also cameos by Gerritt Graham and Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov. Starring Kelli Maroney, who according to IMDB, has had a long, successful career in spite of this.

Some one had the idea of smushing together K.I.T.T. and Robocop (okay, so Robocop showed up a year later, so what?) to create a mall security force that patrols at night. Lightning strikes foul up programing and they start killing, first their programmers, then a maintenance worker, and then three young people who worked in the mall and had staked out one of the stores as a place to hang out in after work and before the mall completely shut down, complete with steel doors snapping shut.

I note the director went on to direct movies that sound even worse like _Deathstalker II, The Return of Swamp Thing, Vampirella_ and a whole bunch more.

Randy M.


----------



## BAYLOR

Randy M. said:


> So that's who Gale Garnett was. I didn't realize she was the singer of "We'll Sing in the Sunshine".
> 
> 
> 
> According to James Garner's autobiography he'd been asked to do this, but he thought a producer who didn't like him pulled strings to keep him out (this would have been when he was still in _Maverick_). I like Whitman well enough and he was okay in this, but I think Garner would have made this a better film; it would have been interesting to see him up against John Wayne.
> 
> By the way, this was the last film directed by Michael Curtiz, director of _Dr. X_, _The Mystery of the Wax Museum_, _The Walking Dead_ (1936), _The Adventures of Robin Hood, White Christmas, _and a little movie called, _Casablanca_.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife and I watched this. Tom Atkins, from _The Fog_, among other B movies, was fun as a detective carrying a guilt complex who sits around his house reading Raymond Chandler and true detective magazines. Not the best '80s horror spoof, but watchable; produced by Charles Gordon, a guy who later produced _Die Hard_, _Field of Dreams_ and _The Rocketeer_ among others.
> 
> My wife and I also watched,
> 
> *Chopping Mall* (1986)
> 
> I'm not entirely sure why except it was only 1.5 hours long and we didn't see anything else we wanted to watch.
> 
> I know I've seen it before but it wasn't so bad I remembered it. Notable mainly for knocking off Dick Miller faster than was usual in most of his late career movies (he also had a cameo in _Night of the Creeps_); also cameos by Gerritt Graham and Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov. Starring Kelli Maroney, who according to IMDB, has had a long, successful career in spite of this.
> 
> Some one had the idea of smushing together K.I.T.T. and Robocop (okay, so Robocop showed up a year later, so what?) to create a mall security force that patrols at night. Lightning strikes foul up programing and they start killing, first their programmers, then a maintenance worker, and then three young people who worked in the mall and had staked out one of the stores as a place to hang out in after work and before the mall completely shut down, complete with steel doors snapping shut.
> 
> I note the director went on to direct movies that sound even worse like _Deathstalker II, The Return of Swamp Thing, Vampirella_ and a whole bunch more.
> 
> Randy M.



I just watched about 5 minutes of* Vampirella* . I wished I hadn't bothered.


----------



## Starbeast

@Jeffbert Mad Monster Party.- Great film.





Anyone remember the 1972 sequel?


----------



## BAYLOR

Starbeast said:


> @Jeffbert Mad Monster Party.- Great film.
> 
> View attachment 64849​
> Anyone remember the 1972 sequel?
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 64848​




Ive seen both . The 1967  film was far the better film  ,Tthe second was Saturday morning cartoon fare but watchable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Another Nice Mess *(1972)

The film that finally answers the burning question "What if Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew acted like and sounded like Laurel and Hardy?"

Rich Little is Richard Nixon/Oliver Hardy.  Herb Voland is Spiro Agnew/Stan Laurel.  They go through various slapstick routines.  Every once in a while Little plays Nixon as Nixon, commenting on the film.  There are Secret Service agents, each one an offensive racial, ethnic, or religious stereotype, dressed as potted plants.  Their microskirted secretary is the niece of a white-haired Hitler, who gets them to eat marijuana-laced cookies so they'll sign the USA over to him.  While stoned, they hallucinate members of the Ku Klux Klan playing handball.   Interspersed with all this are clips of the real Laurel and Hardy.   The whole thing is a real mess.  Watch for a very young, very thin, long-haired Steve Martin as a hippie.  He has one line, but you can't miss his distinctive voice.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Seizure *(1974)

The first film directed by Oliver Stone is an oddball horror flick with an interesting cast.  Jonathan Frid (Barnabas Collins from _Dark Shadows_) is a artist/writer of scary stuff.  A bunch of people show up at his house for some kind of celebration, including 1950's/1960's heartthrob Troy Donahue and Andy Warhol "superstar"/cult actress Mary Woronov.  The usual helpful radio news broadcast tells us that three lunatics have escaped from an asylum.  Don't accept that as an explanation for what happens, as it's much less explicable.  Three bizarre people -- a gigantic guy dressed like an old-time executioner, a dwarf dressed equally oddly (Hervé Villechaize of _Fantasy Island_) and a goth-upped woman (Hammer Glamour star/Bond girl Martine Beswick.)  These folks are known as, in order, the Jackal, the Spider, and the Queen of Evil.  They also happen to be characters created by Frid.  Or, as suggested by one of the guests, the two males are reincarnations of evil folks in history, and the woman is the goddess Kali.  Or just the writer's hallucinations.  Or escaped lunatics, as the radio said.  Or three different aspects of death.  This isn't the most unambiguous film in the world.  Anyway, the weird trio kills some of the folks and forces the others to participate in deadly games, saying that only one will survive.  There's also one woman who talks to her dead husband in a mirror, he talks back and tells her to accept something from the dwarf.  This is supposed to make her young, but it has the opposite effect, so she kills herself by jumping out a window.  The whole thing is an odd combination of art film and exploitation shocker.  If you ever wanted to see a knife fight to the death between Jonathan Frid and Mary Woronov, this is the movie for you.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Terminator: Genysis. It was entertaining and started out really well, but by the Helicopter chase It had lost the plot a little. 
The trouble with the Terminator Franchise is that there can only ever one story.


----------



## biodroid

Rodders said:


> I finally got around to watching Terminator: Genysis. It was entertaining and started out really well, but by the Helicopter chase It had lost the plot a little.
> The trouble with the Terminator Franchise is that there can only ever one story.


Yip, no matter what they twist in the plot, Judgement Day is inevitable as the first 3 movies have always pointed out. Look at the latest Terminator movie, it says the exact thing but twists it into something different.


----------



## BAYLOR

Rodders said:


> I finally got around to watching Terminator: Genysis. It was entertaining and started out really well, but by the Helicopter chase It had lost the plot a little.
> The trouble with the Terminator Franchise is that there can only ever one story.



I liked Genysis and the alt timeline  plot .  I didn't bother with Terminator Dark Fate , no interest in it. I  think that the Terminator franchise has pretty much run its course.


----------



## Vince W

*Demolition Man*. One of Stallone's best films IMO. And now the absurdities of not touching and 'be well' greetings are spot on.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *Demolition Man*. One of Stallone's best films IMO. And now the absurdities of not touching and 'be well' greetings are spot on.



That film has proven to be amazingly and frighteningly prescient.


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> That film has proven to be amazingly and frighteningly prescient.


It's rather disturbing to discover that Stallone is prophetic.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> It's rather disturbing to discover that Stallone is prophetic.



Indeed.


----------



## Anthoney

Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.


----------



## BAYLOR

Anthoney said:


> Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Falcon Takes Over *(1942)
> 
> The first adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel.  They took _Farewell, My Lovely _and replaced Philip Marlowe with the Falcon, a playboy amateur detective.  The plot is pretty much the same -- huge guy gets out of prison, tries to find his old girlfriend, murders and a convoluted plot follow -- but the mood is quite different.  Lots of comedy relief, from the Falcon's chauffeur, the cops, and a would-be spunky female reporter.  Nicely filmed and acted for an hour-long B picture.


I watched those Falcon films several times, very enjoyable. Likewise *The Lone Wolf*, *The Saint*, & *Boston Blackie.*  I think there was at least, one more such series, but I cannot recall the title. Daffy Duck was cast as *Boston Quackie* in an obvious spoof.


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Another Nice Mess *(1972)
> 
> The film that finally answers the burning question "What if Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew acted like and sounded like Laurel and Hardy?"
> 
> Rich Little is Richard Nixon/Oliver Hardy.  Herb Voland is Spiro Agnew/Stan Laurel.  They go through various slapstick routines.  Every once in a while Little plays Nixon as Nixon, commenting on the film.  There are Secret Service agents, each one an offensive racial, ethnic, or religious stereotype, dressed as potted plants.  Their microskirted secretary is the niece of a white-haired Hitler, who gets them to eat marijuana-laced cookies so they'll sign the USA over to him.  While stoned, they hallucinate members of the Ku Klux Klan playing handball.   Interspersed with all this are clips of the real Laurel and Hardy.   The whole thing is a real mess.  Watch for a very young, very thin, long-haired Steve Martin as a hippie.  He has one line, but you can't miss his distinctive voice.


A guy I knew long ago, had an album called Richard Nixon, a Fantasy, in which R. Little and the oldest kid who chanted some annoying thing, in TOS' *Miri*, answerwd the question, what if Nixon went to prison for Watergate? Regardless of one's politics, this was really funny. 



*The Red Badge of Courage * (1951) So, there are these very young, naive soldiers who have yet to go into battle against the Confederates. Those who boast the most of their as yet, unproven courage, will be among the 1st to run away, once the shooting starts.  One, in particular, ashamed of his cowardice, eventually rejoins those who are fighting.  Not quite, what I had expected! There were officers on horseback, attempting to head-off the deserters, and chase them back to the battle.  



_*A Kiss Before Dying*_ (1956) ; NOIR ALLEY, despite being cinema-scope & color.  
Bud Corliss (Robert Wagner) is a university student of loathed middle class, who dates a daughter, Dorothy (Joanne Woodward) of A very wealthy father Leo Kingship (George Macready),  impregnates her, which, when he learns of it, he determines to kill her.  After two attempts, he succeeds, and then targets her sister as a way to riches. 

I had seen this before, but the scene I remembered was at the end, so, until that, it seemed fresh.  



Spoiler



in his attempt to kill the 2nd daughter, a very large dump truck that should have hit her when he shoved her into its path, steers around her, and knocks him off the edge. I just do not think that it would be likely that such a large vehicle could change direction so quickly, much less stop before going over the edge, especially on a dirt road.





*SATANIS: THE DEVIL'S MASS* (1969) DOCUMENTARY about Anton LeVey, who has his own church of Satan, or something to that effect, & has weird rituals involving people who became fed-up with traditional religion.


----------



## Parson

Jeffbert said:


> *The Red Badge of Courage * (1951) So, there are these very young, naive soldiers who have yet to go into battle against the Confederates. Those who boast the most of their as yet, unproven courage, will be among the 1st to run away, once the shooting starts. One, in particular, ashamed of his cowardice, eventually rejoins those who are fighting. Not quite, what I had expected! There were officers on horseback, attempting to head-off the deserters, and chase them back to the battle.



The Red Badge of Courage (the 1895 book) was required reading in my American Literature Class (1967?). It really gave me a whole different perspective on war and what makes a hero. In my opinion the book (there were at least 2 movies) is an absolute classic. 

The Red Badge of Courage - Wikipedia


----------



## paranoid marvin

Yes Demolition Man is a brill movie, and kudos for having Nigel Hawthorne included; really makes the film for me.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Enemy Below * 1957   Robert Mitchum, Kurt Jurgen and David Hedison .  Its a terrific movie and one that you watch again again.


----------



## CupofJoe

Anthoney said:


> Now all restaurants are Taco Bell.


Except the last time I saw it on TV in the UK, Taco Bell had become Burger King with some dodgy dubbing and CGI reimaging...


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Woman in Green * (1945) Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) & Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) finally are face to face with Professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell). 

The latter uses a hypnotist Lydia Marlowe (Hillary Brooke) in a scheme to blackmail prominent men.  Each one, awakening in a strange place, and finding incriminating evidence in his pocket, and, lacking memory of the previous night,  assuming he did the deed. 



*SEX KITTENS GO TO COLLEGE* / *Beauty and the Robot *(1960) I realized as soon as the opening credits began, that this would be almost unwatchable. Simply Awful! At least by my standards, anyway. Good thing I have PiP! "Watching" it as I type this.

Quite a cast, though: 



> Mamie Van Doren as Dr. Mathilda West
> Tuesday Weld as Jody
> Mijanou Bardot as Suzanne
> John Carradine as Professor Watts
> Jackie Coogan as Wildcat MacPherson
> Babe London as Miss Cadwallader
> Pamela Mason as Dr. Myrtle Carter
> Martin Milner as George Barton
> Louis Nye as Dr. Zorch
> Mickey Shaughnessy as Boomie
> Allan Drake as Legs Raffertino
> Conway Twitty as himself
> Vampira as Etta Toodie
> Norman Grabowski as Woo Woo Grabowski
> Charles Chaplin Jr. as Fire chief (Uncredited)
> Harold Lloyd Jr. as Policeman (Uncredited)



 -Wikipedia
& Thinko the robot was portrayed by  "'Elektro', built by Westinghouse in 1937."


*Double Exposure* (1935) Bob Hope as a photographer out to snap a photo of a woman who is married to a man whose culture considers such an act as being worthy of death. 


*Hell to Eternity* (1960) A very intense war movie that shows the interment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and lastly, the suicides of Japanese civilians as American troops approach their village. 

So, a boy whose best friend is of Japanese descent is adopted by the friend's family after his own mother dies. He thus learns the language and culture before WWII,  &  ends up as a Marine fighting the Japanese. 

Guy Gabaldon (Jeffrey Hunter)  is the main character (as an adult), George Takei as (the adult) best friend. 

Based upon actual events. Very intense!


----------



## Foxbat

*The Program *an account of Lance Armstrong cheating his way to seven Tour de France titles.

I liked it but it could have been better. It’s also a rare occurence for me to say that a movie could have benefitted from being longer but in this case, I think it’s true.

The biggest problem with it was that I felt that it merely skimmed over everything and didn’t really delve deep enough either into Armstrong’s character or his attempts to destroy/discredit people like Betsy Andreu (in my opinion, an extraordinary woman who stood up to Armstrong’s strong arm tactics for years). She is hardly seen in this movie. 

Overall, worth watching but needed more substance (but not the substances that Lance was taking).


----------



## CupofJoe

Foxbat said:


> *The Program *an account of Lance Armstrong cheating his way to seven Tour de France titles.
> 
> I liked it but it could have been better. It’s also a rare occurence for me to say that a movie could have benefitted from being longer but in this case, I think it’s true.
> 
> The biggest problem with it was that I felt that it merely skimmed over everything and didn’t really delve deep enough either into Armstrong’s character or his attempts to destroy/discredit people like Betsy Andreu (in my opinion, an extraordinary woman who stood up to Armstrong’s strong arm tactics for years). She is hardly seen in this movie.
> 
> Overall, worth watching but needed more substance (but not the substances that Lance was taking).


Jinx!
I was just about to name this film.
Any omission and blank spots may have been created by the number of legal actions that were [are?] going on around Armstrong.
I know at least one person intimately involved with *The Program* has been all but written out of the tale because they gave evidence to the US anti-doping people.


----------



## Foxbat

CupofJoe said:


> Jinx!
> I was just about to name this film.
> Any omission and blank spots may have been created by the number of legal actions that were [are?] going on around Armstrong.
> I know at least one person intimately involved with *The Program* has been all but written out of the tale because they gave evidence to the US anti-doping people.


That helps make sense


----------



## Mouse

*The Gentlemen*. Kinda interesting but too talky for me. Also, like, one woman character (who almost gets raped, of course).


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## Jeffbert

THE WILD ONE (1953) I had seen this at least, once before, & also read a MAD magazine parody (long ago), so, my expectations were a bit confused.  a motorcycle club / gang rides into a boring little town, and gradually begins to cause trouble.  The townspeople are fairly tolerant of the minor offenses that occur during the day. But, at night, the gang goes wild. a dozen or so men of the town, take up arms, crowbars, and such, to go and deal with the punks. The gang's leader, Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando) had been away from his fellows, talking to the local police chief's daughter, who works behind the counter in the bar. Thus, he was unaware as well as uninvolved with the mayhem. Yet, the lynch-mob comes after him.  

I had no  memory of that part, and, in fact, it seemed contrary to my expectations. To see the tough-guy running for his life, and cowering in the shadows, as his pursuers run past him.


----------



## AlexH

From the best to the worst of recent watches (just as I was thinking of giving up, the two most recent I watched happened to be two of the best films I've watched this year):

*The Past* (2013)
Now this is how you do a family drama! An ex-husband returns from Iran to Paris to finalise the divorce from his wife, who is living with a new partner. That tagline wouldn't usually draw me in at all, but I watched it because I loved "A Separation," by the same writer and director. The Past isn't quite up to A Separation levels (not many films are), but it builds and builds to an excellent climax. I'm looking up Asghar Farhadi right now to watch more of his films and wish I hadn't left it so many years since seeing A Separation - there can't be many better character-driven dramas than the two of his I've seen.

*A Taxi Driver* (2017)
A taxi driver takes a German journalist from Seoul to the 1980 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea - a bit of history I barely knew anything about. A Taxi Driver is another excellent South Korean film (perhaps in my top 3). The final third or so is especially good - just as I kept thinking it was about to end, the heartbreak and tension ramps up.

*Our Little Sister *(2015)
Nice Japanese family drama about a stepsister who goes to live with her three stepsisters after their dad dies. There's not really much conflict, but it was still much better than a lot of films where supposedly much more interesting things happen.

*Ema* (2019)
Great-looking Chilean film about a dancer who walks the city at dawn, setting things on fire with a flamethrower. Ema and her husband argue about whether they should've given up the child they adopted. It was just about interesting, with the cinematography and weirdness keeping me going.

*A Man Called Ove* (2015)
I didn't enjoy the first half-ish with Ove, a guy who keeps failing to kill himself. The second half of the film won me over.

*Alphaville * (1965)
Sci-fi about a secret agent sent to a space city to find a missing person, plus other stuff I didn't really get until late in the film. I don't usually read the film synopsis, but it seems it was necessary for Alphaville. The setting was good and the film wasn't bad, but maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I knew what it was about.

*Diary of a Country Priest *(1951)
A young priest struggles with his duties while battling a stomach problem. It was okay - one of those films where I didn't find the narration so interesting.

*Biutiful* (2010)
Okay but too often boring family drama starring Javier Bardem.

*Take Me Somewhere Nice* (2019)
Boring film about a Dutch girl who travels to Bosnia & Herzegovina to meet her dying dad she's never met.

And this is only last because it's a short film. To the one person who's seen *One Cut of the Dead *(a wonderfully creative and heartwarming film), the same people made a short film entirely from lockdown in Japan and made it available for free on YouTube. It's another heartwarming one, mostly for fans of the original film I think, which everyone should watch!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Primitive London* (1965)

Follow-up to 1964's *London in the Raw*, which I've reviewed elsewhere.  Like that one, this is a Mondo-style documentary, mixing real stuff with blatantly faked stuff.  This one is even more random than the first one, a little bit more salacious, and includes odd bits of deliberate comedy.  We start with a graphic scene of childbirth, then see a Mod young man buying clothes, and interviews with Beatniks and Rockers.  Other stuff includes judo and kendo lessons, professional wrestling, a way of measuring heads so the customer can have a perfectly fitting hat, a Turkish bath, somebody having a callus cut off his foot, a goldfish undergoing surgery, a chicken slaughterhouse, discussion of Jack the Ripper and a serial killer of the 1960's, and a bunch of other stuff.  The salacious parts:  A fashion show including topless dresses and swimsuits, a mate-swapping party, and lots and lots of strip tease scenes.  The comedic stuff:  An announcer being forced to re-do a one-line commercial fifty-nine times, and scenes where the serious narration stops, to be replaced by an argument between the director and the editor.  There's also a brief scene of a classical string quartet, and a song by the rock 'n' roll band the Zephyrs, who are pretty good.  Despite itself, this mixed-up thing is, at times, a fascinating portrait of a certain place and time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bamboo Saucer *(1968)

Cheap little sci-fi flick starts with a bright blue flying saucer buzzing a test pilot's jet, in poor special effects.  The brass tell him to forget about it, but he gets his buddy, who has a laser radar gizmo (?) to search for it.  Buddy chases after it, they collide, both of them disintegrate.  Some government types send test pilot on a secret mission to China, where a similar saucer landed.  The alien crew died and their bodies were cremated, allowing the film makers to avoid showing them.  By a wild coincidence, the Americans run right into a team of Soviets after the same thing.  Fortunately for international relations, one of them is a pretty blonde, first seen washing up with her shirt off.  (From the back only, since this is a G-rated film.)  Both teams work together to locate the saucer, which is hidden inside a church destroyed by those Godless Commies.  One of the Russians pulls a gun on the Yanks to try to claim the saucer for the USSR, but, with the help of the pretty one, all works out well.  Eventually there's a battle with Chinese soldiers, and our hero and heroine go for a wild ride throughout the Solar System in the saucer.  It's pretty dull stuff, much more suited to the 1950's than the 1960's.  The moral seems to be that the USA and the USSR should work together against the Chinese.


----------



## Starbeast

*Angel Has Fallen* (2019)

Stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman & Nick Nolte. Excellent second sequel to _Olympus Has Fallen_ (2013). In this adventure, the highly praised agent is blamed for an attempted assassination of the president. Fantastic action.

*Blood Father* (2016)

Awesome film about a father protecting his daughter when she gets into serious danger. Stars Mel Gibson. This is a tremendous action/drama. I highly recommend this gritty flick.


_Watched Again_

*Olympus Has Fallen* (2013)

Terrific first film in the trilogy. Tons of explosive action when the White House is taken by terrorists.

*The Car* (1977)

A possessed vehicle terrorizes a desert town. A great collection of veteran actors in this horror film.






*Josh Brolin* *vs* 1971 Lincoln Continental (customized by *George Barris*)​


----------



## Rodders

Long time since I watched The Car. Great fun.


----------



## CupofJoe

Scared the crap out of me when I was about 10!


----------



## Vince W

*Mad Max* (1979). Mad Max is one of those rare films that stands up completely. I still find it thrilling and disturbing. There is a slow build-up of tension that tends to be lacking in modern films. Everyone one of the cast elevates the film far beyond what it should be.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death on the Fourposter *AKA *Sexy Party *(_Delitto allo specchio_, "Crime in the mirror," 1964)

Pre-_giallo _Italian murder mystery that throws _La Dolce Vita _style decadence, Old Dark House trappings, and a touch of the supernatural into the mix. 

A bunch of twenty-somethings ride their sports cars to the castle of a friend, stopping on the way so the men can give the women piggyback rides, and other such shenanigans.  Another couple shows up and livens things up.  This starts with the playing of a 45 rpm record with a jazz instrumental called "Sexy Party."  The woman does a slow dance, kind of like a fully clothed striptease, and all the other women join in.  Then she suggests a rather sadistic party game, intended to shatter the illusions of the victims.  When a fellow claims to be faithful to his girlfriend, she bets that she can prove him wrong in thirty seconds.  She wins by whispering something in his ear that causes him to try to kiss her.  Next she plays a dice game with another guy, not only winning a ton of money from him, but also causing him to allow his girlfriend to spend ten minutes alone with another man.  

The woman's escort is a genuine psychic, going into a trance and making a couple of odd predictions.  He says the men will see themselves above, and that the women will go back in time and change their appearance.  This comes true when the guys find a bed with an overhead mirror, and the gals find a room full of 1920's-ish lingerie and play dress-up, supplying our film's cheesecake.  He also says that something terrible will happen.  Nearly an hour into the film, there's a murder.  Red herrings and plot twists follow.  Adding a Gothic mood are a pretty but vaguely sinister woman servant, with whom the guy who lives in the castle has a somewhat sadomasochistic relationship; a not-pretty and even more sinister manservant; and a secret passage.  It's not a bad little film, as long as you don't expect a thriller, given how long it takes to get the plot going.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Sweet Sound of Death *(_La llamada_, "The call," 1965)

Darkly romantic Spanish fantasy.  We begin with charming scenes of two young people very much in love.  In a graveyard, the woman reveals an unusual interest in death, calling it a state of perfection.  During a flight from Spain to her homeland of Brittany, the plane crashes.  (This is conveyed in a striking and unusual way.  We see the man, remaining in Madrid, driving.  The film becomes silent, and at first we think the soundtrack is broken.  We soon realize that he does not hear anything either, until he hears the sound of the faraway crash.)  The fellow learns that only two people survived the crash, and is overjoyed when the woman calls him to tell him she is fine.  When she returns to him, she quite calmly tells him she is dead.   Of course, the man doesn't want to believe this, even though the airline assures him that she was not one of the survivors.  During a visit to the woman's ancestral mansion, after she attends her own funeral, he discovers the truth when he meets her family, leading to a bittersweet ending.  It's beautifully filmed in black-and-white, and creates an eerie, poetic mood.  It gives me the same kind of feeling as *Night Tide* and *Carnival of Souls*, although those films have quite different plots.  Recommended.


----------



## Mouse

*Paprika*. It's like a Japanese fever dream. Brilliant.


----------



## Jeffbert

Starbeast said:


> *The Car* (1977)
> 
> A possessed vehicle terrorizes a desert town. A great collection of veteran actors in this horror film.
> 
> *Josh Brolin* *vs* 1971 Lincoln Continental (customized by *George Barris*)​


 That & the Futurama parody!

*Killdozer*'s D9
*Crash*'s Camaro (took near forever to even find the right link to this!) Amazon.com: Watch Crash! | Prime Video
*Christine*'s classic Fury

& several other possessed vehicle horror films, and their vehicles!  I think there was one about many such vehicles *Maximum overdrive* or something like that.







*KISS OF DEATH* (1947) Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) Is an ex-con whose criminal record stands between him and legitimate employment. Christmas is coming, and he has a wife and 2 daughters. He becomes involved in a jewelry robbery, and is the only one of 4 caught. Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy) offers him a reduced sentence if he squeals of his partners, but he refuses. Several years later, he notices that his wife has stopped writing to him, and he wants to know why. He goes to the prison library, and suspecting the worst, pours through the obituary sections, until he finds his wife's name. Now, he wants to make a deal with the DA.

Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark, in his debut role)  is wanted by the police, but they cannot get evidence to convict him. It turns out that Bianco knew him, & offered details linking him to a crime. But he was acquitted. Now, Udo (Widmark apparently based his character on the Joker) is threatening Bianco's family.

Karl Malden as a cop here, & in the one immediately below this review.




*DEAD RINGER*(1964)  Bette Davis as Margaret DeLorca/Edith Phillips.  Identical twins, one who stole the love interest of the other and became fabulously wealthy, while the other both loathed and envied her sister. They were not on speaking terms for some 20 years, and each one's friends and associates did not even know of any sisters. When the rich guy is buried, the two have a chance encounter, and Edith's envy is rekindled. As they talk, the audience is made aware that Margaret had 'stolen' Edith's rich boyfriend, some 20 years ago, and while Edith had struggled to make ends meet, Margaret had been living like a queen.

Edith, apparently on a whim, decides to murder her sister, and assume her identity. She invites her to her apartment, above her bar, and carefully positioning her in a chair, shoots her in the temple, strips her, swaps clothing with her, and leaves as though she were her.

She goes to her sister's home, pretends to be her, bur her sister's husband's great Dane, knows the truth, as the dog had never gotten along with his master's wife. Immediately, Edith realizes she should have prepared for this, in much greater detail, when the family's lawyer, Paul Harrison (George Macready) telephones, reminding Margaret about the papers she must sign the next morning. She desperately attempts to forge her sister's signature, but, frustrated, settles for burning her right hand with a hot fireplace poker, so she will be signing with her left hand, whose scrawled signature will seem expected, given the injury.

Then, the maid wants to put her jewelry in the safe, and of course Edith does not know the combination! There were so many little things each causing the viewer to wonder if it would be the one that revealed her fraud!



Spoiler



Sergeant Jim Hobbson (Karl Malden)  has been friends with Edith Philips, who owns and runs a bar that is about to go under, for back rent, and becomes the key role to solving the murder of the rich guy, her sister married. Though nobody even suspects murder until the police investigate Tony Collins (Peter Lawford) the golf instructor, whose greed attracted the police' scrutiny, demanded immediate blackmail payment in the form of jewels, which he attempted to pawn, since legally Margaret could not access her dead husband's wealth for several weeks, because of some legal technicality. Collins, had been Margaret's lover, and they had poisoned her husband with arsenic, which causes symptoms of heart attack.

So, the pawnshop guy, suspecting theft, contacts the police, about the jewels, and they, without search warrant, check out Collin's apartment. They find suspicious powder, which their lab identifies as arsenic. The exhume the husband, and charge Margaret with murder. Now poor Edith! as either herself or, her sister, she is a murderess!

Paul Henreid directed this film, & in my opinion, may have had some influence from his own role in *Hollow Triumph / The Scar *(1948), in which his character murders a look-alike and assumes his identity, believing that he can escape the consequences that should have fallen upon his original identity, only to suffer a similar fate from assuming the other guy's ID.  I am sure I did a paragraph on this film several months ago.





*UNDERWORLD STORY* (1950)
Noir Alley; already forgot Muller's comments.  

Mike Reese (Dan Duryea) is a newspaper reporter who values the story above all else; could not care less about who suffers as a result. So, the guy who was going to spill his guts to the grand jury is killed on the courthouse steps because of Reese' story in last night's newspaper, & Reese is fired.  He goes to a small New England newspaper with money borrowed from a mobster Carl Durham (Howard Da Silva) to buy a 1/2 share in a failing local newspaper.  The owner Catherine Harris (Gale Storm) immediately has a strong dislike for Reese, and refuses to take him as a partner; besides that, he is still short over $2k of the $7,500 that the ad demanded. But suddenly [dramatic music] a local woman of wealth is found murdered, and Reese takes control by phoning several large newspapers and offering to sell exclusive story on the incident, playing one against the other to increase the fee.

The murderer, frames the family maid, a "black" woman (portrayed by a white, so the film would play in the South), because the victim had earlier that same day given her a collection of jewelry to pawn. Thus making the case against her, since it appeared that she robbed and murdered the victim. In another money-making scheme, Reese start a defense fund for the maid, using the newspaper as a base of operation, and running articles and editorials supportive of her innocence.  But, Reese values money over the maid's life, and believes she will surely be convicted, until locals begin vandalizing the newspaper's office, destroying the press, etc.



*BATTLE CRY* (1955)
All-star WWII film, whose plot focuses on the personal lives of young Marine recruits, as they progress from the train stations in their hometowns to boot camp to actual combat in the South Pacific.  PFC. Wronski (William Campbell better known as Trelane,  in TOS' The Squire of Gothos) suffers a broken heart when his girl sends him a dear john letter.  Others have troubled relationships as well.

I thought I had already seen this film, because William Campbell was in it, but it must have been some other. This was all new to me.

Pvt. Speedy (Fess Parker. anybody remember him? "Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier" ); but I failed to recognize him. I do not believe he was one of those whose relationships were featured. Apparently, Parker ended-up as a radio operator in WWII, though he had desired other roles, he was too tall for aircraft. - so says his wiki page, anyway.

There was a film recently about Navajo code takers, this one had 2 of them, way back in the '50s!


> Jonas Applegarth as Pvt. Lighttower (Navajo phonetalker)
> Felix Noriego as Pvt. Crazy Horse (Navajo phonetalker)





James Whitmore as Master Technical Sgt. Mac narrates the film. Remember that guy, THEM! ate him after he sacrificed himself / his character to save two little boys. It took me a long time to remember his name, but I knew his role in *THEM*! I suck at actors, & in fact, at remembering almost everybody's names.   O.k, with some character names, though.

So, this guy is with the same group from boot camp to combat.

So, this Marine unit is twice denied the honor/glory of the beachhead invasion by mean ol'  Maj. Gen. Snipes (Raymond Massey; remember him? the guy in *Things to come*?) Van Heflin's character,  as Major Huxley nicknamed "High Pockets," frustrated with the assignments of clean-up detail, goes to see Snipes, and beg and demand a better / more glorious role in the coming battle.  It is this battle that is shown in some detail, during the last 20 minutes of this 2 1/2 hour film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Neither the Sea Nor the Sand *AKA *The Exorcism of Hugh *(1972)

Another darkly romantic fantasy about a lover returning from the grave.  An unhappily married woman goes to the island of Jersey in winter, meets a local man, and begins a love affair.  They travel to Scotland and all seems fine, until he suddenly dies of heart failure.  Not much later he comes back, passive, expressionless, and never speaking.  (The woman can hear his thoughts, which I thought ruined the mood a bit.)  At this point, it just seems like a very bad mistake by the local doctor, and the man might be seen as a stroke victim.  Of course, he's really dead.  The movie goes into horror mode, resulting in a violent death.  Despite some missteps, such as the telepathic communication, it's interesting enough to be worth a look.  If nothing else, there's some gorgeous scenery.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*I Start Counting *(1969)

A very young Jenny Agutter stars in this coming-of-age story.  She's a Catholic schoolgirl, orphaned and adopted into a Protestant family at a very young age.  She has a massive, semi-incestuous crush on her much older non-brother, going so far as to spin elaborate lies about how they're going to be married when she's sixteen.  At one point she tells him she wants him to "do things" to her, which just earns her a slap in the face.  Her constant spying on him leads to her traumatic discovery of his affair with an older woman.  In between this, there's her relationship with her more flirtatious best friend, and her clandestine visits to the house in which she used to live, where her non-brother's fiancee died falling down a flight of stairs.

Oh, did I mention that this is really a serial killer film?  Agutter discovers circumstantial evidence that her non-brother may have something to do with the murder of several young women in the area, and does the best she can to cover things up for him.  There are other possible suspects, and you'll probably figure out whodunit long before the heroine does.  Although the film builds up to a suspenseful ending,  it's much more of a psychological portrait of an adolescent than a thriller.  Agutter is in nearly every scene, and she does a fine job.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dead Are Alive! * (_L'etrusco uccide ancora_, "The Etruscan Kills Again," 1972)

No, they're not.  The English language title is a blatant lie, and the original Italian one isn't much better, although somebody says it during the film.  The American ad campaign, with a poster of a half-rotting but living corpse, also implied this was a zombie movie.  In fact, it's pure _giallo_.

Our anti-hero is an archaeologist studying Etruscan ruins.  He's working somewhere near the mansion of a famous conductor (the guy who had a horse's head placed in his bed in *The Godfather*, coming across as an angry Leonard Bernstein.)  The alcoholic archaeologist used to be the lover (or maybe husband) of the conductor's young wife (or maybe not wife, we find out later; it's complicated.)  Two young people sneak into the ruins to smooch, and get bludgeoned to death by an unseen someone, using a metal tube that's part of the archaeologist's equipment.  Add to this the fact that the archaeologist drinks so heavily that he has blackouts, that he spent some time in a mental hospital, and that he tried to kill his ex-lover, and we have a prime suspect.  Next, the conductor's son (by his previous, and maybe still current wife; I said it's complicated) and his girlfriend are attacked, off screen for a change.  The son survives.  We don't get the third attack on a couple until much later, after a lot of skeletons have been let out of the closet.  There's a guy who guards the ruins, who tries to blackmail the archaeologist.  There's the conductor's secretary, whom he verbally abuses unmercifully.  (Of course, he does that to just about everybody.)  There's the conductor's choreographer, and the fact that somebody stole some red high heel shoes from his wardrobe department.  There's the conductor's first-and-maybe-still wife, as I mentioned before, who still bears a badly scarred scalp under her wig from something that happened years ago.  Add in some car chases and a final fight scene with the killer, and you have a decent example of the genre.  It's actually fairly clued for this kind of thing; I've hinted at one important clue above.  As is often true, the killer's motive involves a childhood trauma.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Forger of London *(_Der Fälscher von London_, 1961)

One of the many German _krimi _films adapted from the works of Edgar Wallace.  Starts off with a young couple about to be married.  Both of them seem a little unsure about the upcoming nuptials.  The groom, because he worries about his mental health.  (He has lapses of memory, and his father died in an insane asylum after killing a couple of people at random.)  The bride, because she is at least partially marrying the guy for his money, so she can help the impoverished uncle who raised her.  Meanwhile, somebody is producing lots of counterfeit five pound notes.  Things get worse at the wedding, when the bride's old boyfriend shows up, leading to a fight, and an older woman shows up, claiming that the groom stole his brother's inheritance.  (The bride didn't even know he had a brother.)  During their honeymoon at a spooky old castle, somebody sneaks into the bride's bedroom (yes, she's sleeping alone) and grabs her throat, but runs away when she wakes up and screams.  Her husband, meanwhile, is in a secret room, working at a printing press.  Pretty soon one of the folks I've mentioned above gets murdered, and all the evidence points at the husband.  There are two police inspectors working on the case, seemingly at odds.  More killings follow, and we see scenes of the criminal mastermind behind all this, voice disguised and hidden by a one-way mirror, giving orders to the many characters in the movie who are working with him.  In a pretty nifty scene near the end, the mystery boss arranges to have two folks shoot each other dead, eliminating some loose ends.  With our heroine newly married to a man who might be a murderer, this has the feeling of a Gothic Romance. 

*The Secret of the Red Orchid *AKA *The Puzzle of the Red Orchid *(_Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee_, 1962)

Another _krimi_, although this one is less about mysterious figures skulking around than it is a gangster movie.  Starts with some hoods getting machine-gunned by a rival gang.  The leader of the rivals gets deported, the surviving second-in-command of the slaughtered gang takes over the operation.  Some time later, both gangs are extorting rich people in London.  A gang war follows.  Meanwhile, our heroine inherits the estate of her boss, who is gunned down right in front of her.  She gets the inheritance instead the dead man's estranged nephew, but it turns out that the deceased left nothing but debts.  Of course, not all is what it seems.  There's also a lot of comedy relief, in the form of a butler who keeps getting hired by the rich folks about to be murdered.  Notable for starring Klaus Kinski as the second-in-command and Christopher Lee as an FBI agent.


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## Ian Fortytwo

Recently watched *The Colditz Story.* A brilliant war film, with moments of darkness and moments of humour. If course it is loosely based on a true story. Not as action packed as *The Great Escape, *yet quite a tribute to the black and white era. 8.5/10.


----------



## CriticalCarrot

It was Tremors, I had been meaning to watch it for a while and it made a really good watch.


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## Starbeast

Jeffbert said:


> That & the Futurama parody!
> 
> *Killdozer*'s D9
> *Crash*'s Camaro (took near forever to even find the right link to this!) Amazon.com: Watch Crash! | Prime Video
> *Christine*'s classic Fury
> 
> & several other possessed vehicle horror films, and their vehicles!  I think there was one about many such vehicles *Maximum overdrive* or something like that.







Yes! The Futurama parody was great. I'm also a big fan of *Killdozer*. It was a story cool enough to illustrate into a comic book (for me anyways). I watched it a few months ago.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Curse of the Yellow Snake *(_Der Fluch der gelben Schlange_, 1963)

Another _krimi_, although this one is more of an old-fashioned pulp adventure than a mystery.  Starts with a couple of guys sneaking into a pagoda, killing the guy inside, and running off with a statue of, you guessed it, a yellow snake.  (I guess it's yellow, although the film is in black and white.  Oddly, the opening titles are in color.)  Our hero chases them and gets his hands on the statue, but they get away.  It seems the hero's father hid the object in the pagoda because whoever owns it will win any war started on a certain day of the year, or so the legend goes.  Cut to London.  The hero is supposed to marry either the daughter or the niece of his father's cousin to inherit his father's wealth.  The cousin wound up with huge debts left by his deceased business partner, so he wants the hero to marry one of them too.  The hero's Eurasian half-brother shows up, and it's clear that he's the main villain right away.   Under another name, he gives the cousin all the money he needs in exchange for certain unnamed favors, to be announced later.  This all leads to folks trying to kill the hero and get the statue, the hero discovering the secret headquarters of his half-brother, full of weapons, the statue bouncing back and forth between the two, the kidnapping of the niece, and a whole bunch of comic relief from a guy with a house full of Chinese antiques.  (Apparently this guy made a specialty of playing comic roles in these things.)  The whole thing has an uncomfortable Fu Manchu/Yellow Peril feeling, and the evil half-brother is played by a Caucasian in bad "Oriental" makeup.    If you can get past those things, it's worth a look for a story right out of a 1930's Weird Menace magazine.  I watched this one with English subtitles instead of dubbing, which makes for a different experience.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Never Let Go *(1960)

Peter Sellers has a rare dramatic role in this British crime drama.  He's the owner of a garage who is also the boss of a car theft ring.  One of the teenage hoods who work for him steals the new car of a cosmetic salesman.  The salesman, an otherwise meek little loser, doesn't have insurance on the car, still has to pay for it, and needs it for his job.  This leads to a series of confrontations with the brutal Sellers.  It's a fine performance in a good film.


----------



## svalbard

Train to Busan

A Korean zombie movie that is absolutely brilliant.

The Wind

A psychological/horror set on the American Prairie in the 1860's. This one is also great with a stunning central performance from the main character. The whole movie is seen through her eyes which keeps you wondering what is real and what is delusion right up to the end.


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## Jeffbert

KILLDOZER a comic book? Of course, it talks!    Oh, almost forgot! It wears tank-style tracks, or wheels ('bogies'?) instead of the type used on construction equipment!



*The Tenderfoot* (1932) Calvin Jones (Joe E. Brown) is a Texas rancher-type who goes to NY city and is conned into buying 49% of a Broadway musical. But it turns out to be a flop. After buying - out the majority owners, he finds his cast lacking costumes. Knowing nothing about the business, he has them wear the only available costumes, Shakespearean ones, to perform a Western. It is received as a great comedy.



*The Law and Jake Wade* (1958) Jake Wade (Robert Taylor) in his opening scene, busts Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) out of jail. Hollister had been sentenced to hang, and it turns out that Wade is a  Marshall for a not so nearby town. He owed Hollister, & this act, pays the debt. Wanting nothing more to do with him, he leaves Hollister in the wilderness with a pony of Wade's, expecting to have parted from him permanently.  But, Hollister  releases the pony (or colt?), and follows it to Wade's home. Actually, Wade's girlfriend Peggy  (Patricia Owens)'s home, and arrives, with his gang, including Wexler (DeForest Kelley; anyone remember this guy?), and Rennie (Henry Silva; was later in 2 episodes of THE OUTER LIMITS; PORTRAYS A THOROUGHLY unpleasant guy in this film). They force Wade to lead them to the place where Wade had buried $20K, the loot from a bank the gang had robbed years ago, when Wade was a member.

For a Western of that day, this was about average.  Widmark plays his typical psycho evil as can be character.


----------



## Vince W

*Mad Max 2*. Continuing on from the first film the world has degenerated to bands of bandits and savages scavenging fuel to keep their war vehicles running. I still love this film. The vehicles are works of violent art and you can't help but feel a profound sense of loss when Max's GT Falcon goes up in flames. Even though the world has turned to crap there is an underlying sense of hope to the film.

On a side note, I learned a little history about Mad Max as there was an introduction to the film by Leonard Maltin. I never knew that the first film wasn't well-received in America, that it had been dubbed to get rid of the Aussi accents and that Mad Max didn't get any traction in the US until this second film was released.


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## Jeffbert

*Murder by Contract* (1958) Noir Alley; good coverage of details making of the film; but the film itself, I found rather strange. This guy, Claude (Vince Edwards) is impatient about getting his house in the country, so, he becomes an assassin. Eventually he is hired to eliminate a witness against the big boss, whose henchmen meet him at the train station. The killer apparently knows his client's identity; which, to me, seems a bad idea, from the boss' point of view. If I were the boss, I certainly would not want the hired killer to know who hired him.

The two henchmen,  Marc (Phillip Pine) & George (Herschel Bernardi) expect Claude to immediately get to work, deciding how best to kill the pest, but he decides to go sightseeing first, since the trial is two weeks away. So, they drive him here and there, trying to hide their impatience. Finally, with less than a week until the trial, he goes to view the target's home. Yes, it is surrounded by police, as expected, and one surprise, the target is a woman! A woman!? Claude is angry because he says women are more difficult targets because they do not stand still. 

Apparently, big-name film makers thought this was a rather influential film, but, I must have overlooked something. It was o.k., but unlike many others, I would not bother to see this again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Underworld U.S.A.* (1961) Noir Alley, again, 1st class intro by Muller. A young punk, Tolly Devlin, witnesses 4 hoodlums beating a man to death, & recognizes one of them, as they flee the scene. When he looks at the dead guy, he sees his own father. Determined to get revenge, he goes on a decades-long vendetta, becomes one of the gang's henchmen, and fabricates evidence, supposedly stolen from the D.A.'s safe that sets them one against the others. 

Cliff Robertson as adult Tolly.   This film, I found much more to my liking, than the one above.  None of the others were familiar to me, but they all worked well together & in their individual roles.


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## Randy M.

*OUR MAN FLINT* (1966) dir. Daniel Mann; starring James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, Edward Mulhare

From the height of the Bond craze, this was a spoof that, at the time, was fun and funny -- I remember seeing it in a theater. Now it's ... well, still kinda fun and funny, but a bit creaky, too. The special effects are obviously miniatures, but more problematic now is the sexism masquerading as not sexist. 

A group of scientists have formed Galaxy and developed weather control to force nations to nuclear disarm. Z.O.W.I.E., a super-secret American espionage agency keeps trying to find the scientists but keep losing their agents. They need someone the scientists can't identify and the unanimous decision is Derek Flint. Flint is the ultimate individualist, adept at martial arts, knowledgeable about -- well, everything. He also has a lighter with 82 different functions. 83 if you count lighting a cigar. He's also nearly irresistible to women. 

What makes the movie work at all is Coburn's supercilious politeness to Cobb's functionary who insists on rules, regulations and doing things by the book as Flint proceeds to do it his way. 

There are a lot of bikinis and other revealing women's wear, a couple of fight scenes that I don't think were near the cutting edge even in '66 (Coburn, as I recall, studied with Bruce Lee, but it'd be hard to tell from the fights). On the whole, an decent rainy day pass-time with a good cast (the scientists are all experienced character actors) and an awareness of it's own silliness, though it does poke at the problem of conformity -- who determines what to conform to? -- versus individuality.

Randy M.


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## Parson

I watch *Just Mercy *a day ago and I was stunned. It was a brilliant movie based on a true story about a lawyer who is trying to represent the poorest of the poor on death row in Alabama. I would call it one of the best I've ever seen. Because of the troubles over race in the States it was being rented for $0 on Amazon Prime. I am so glad I watched it!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Trygon Factor *(_Das Geheimnis der weißen Nonne_, "The Mystery of the White Nun," 1966)

Another _krimi_, with a big change from the black-and-white Old Dark House feeling of those made just a year or so earlier.  This one, with its eye-popping colors and swinging music, seems more like a Eurospy flick.  We find out pretty quick that a family of aristocrats, sharing their ancestral mansion with an order of phony nuns, is behind a series of robberies.  Their method involves using a massive military weapon -- it looks like a machine gun that fires multiple rockets -- to blast open bank vaults and such.  Then the nuns hide the gold or jewels or whatever in the pottery they make.  There's also a masked, gloved killer, eliminating folks who know too much, to add a touch of _giallo_.   It's all total nonsense, but entertaining in its own way.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Family* (2013) Starring actors, Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer as a couple of ex-mafia members placed in Witness Protection. This film plays out like a dark comedy with great tense moments. Actor Tommy Lee Jones plays an FBI agent trying to keep De Niro's family safe in their secret location. Pretty good film that slipped past me in 2013.


Watched Again

*Army of Darkness* (1992) It was fun seeing this again for the 100th time. Still an excellent comedy/horror flick. One of the best, from the great _Evil Dead_ trilogy.

*Shanghai Knight* (2003) Stars Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, in this fantastic UK adventure, set in the late 1800's. It's fun to notice all of the interesting little bits of history (and movie homages) within the movie, it flows perfectly with high charged action, comedy and pleasant moments.




*The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey* (2012) Outstanding fantasy film that is tremendously entertaining. Much like the first _Lord of the Rings_ film, this movie stands above it's own two sequels. Also includes an astonishing cast and soundtrack.

RIP Ian Holm.


----------



## Vince W

*Father Ted: A Song for Europe*. You say that's a television episode? Well someone at Netflix saw it and redid it as a film but set in Iceland. It now goes by the title *Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga*. Will Farrell and Rachel McAdam are a terrible duo that become Iceland's entry after all the others are killed in a mysterious explosion.

Typical Netflix stuff; overlong, not very funny and ultimately disappointing. The one bright spot is Pierce Brosnan as Farrell's very ashamed father.


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## Vince W

I decided to watch *Twister* again. I've watched it at least once a year since I first saw it in a cinema that had recently upgraded its sound and it was frankly incredible. The sound is half the experience. You can't duplicate that in a flat at normal volumes, but it's too good not to watch over and over. It's a favourite of mine.

I think *Twister* may be the greatest action film of all time where science is the star.

On a tangent, if you love this film I would recommend the book *Heavy Weather* by Bruce Sterling. An ecopunk novel about storm chasers.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*008:  Operation Exterminate *(_A 008 operazione sterminio_, 1965)

Early Eurospy flick features British agent Frank Smith and American agent MacDonald teaming up to track down an anti-radar gizmo.  Smith is a typical Bond clone, MacDonald, whose first name is never revealed, I believe, is a gorgeous blonde.  Most of the film takes place in Cairo, with the ending in Switzerland.  The usual spy story stuff happens.  Fistfights, gunfights, chases, captures and escapes, etc.  MacDonald has a lipstick case that shoots out tear gas, there's a bad guy who shoots daggers out of a prosthetic hand.  Notable for the fact that the female agent dominates the film, and for an outrageous double-twist ending. 



Spoiler



During the last few minutes, Smith reveals that he's actually a Soviet agent.  MacDonald gets the better of him.  Then, at the very end, he shows up again as a British agent, wearing a Soviet uniform.  I'm trying hard to make any sense of this.  Was his confession to being a Soviet agent just a ploy to go undercover in the USSR?  Your guess is as good as mine.


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## Mouse

*Tremors - *stupid but fun

*Divergent -* Took me quite a while before I could tell five of the white guys apart.


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## Parson

Mouse said:


> *Divergent -* Took me quite a while before I could tell five of the white guys apart.



Clearly not a movie for me then. I have the devil's own time remembering characters in any video. I often have to ask my wife is s/he the one who ..... ?


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Kiss Kiss . . . Kill Kill *(_Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt _AKA _12 donne d'oro_, 1966)

West German/Italian co-production, filmed in Yugoslavia.  Eurospy flick, although, technically, there are no secret agents to be found.  Instead, the movie features the world's most expensive private detective and a police captain.  The former gets his own theme song -- "I Love You, Joe Walker" -- which offers a hint that his main superpower is the fact that women find him irresistible.  Evidence:  As soon as he meets the movie's Good Girl, he kisses her, and she gives him her car.  Further evidence:  As soon as he kisses the movie's Bad Girl, she immediately turns into a Good Girl and helps him overthrow the supervillain.  The plot involves a huge stash of gold hidden in the supervillain's lair, located underground in an island.  As many critics have said, the whole thing is basically mixes a bit of _Dr. No_ with a bit of _Goldfinger_.  Notable for the supervillain's army of brainwashed female soldiers, each wearing the same yellow wig and the same midriff-bearing black leather outfit.  Speaking of wigs, you've never seen so many women wearing purple wigs as in this thing.  Some are very pale violet, some are blazing bright purple.  It's a more entertaining than usual example of the genre.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death is Nimble, Death is Quick *(_Kommissar X - Drei gelbe Katzen _AKA _Operazione 3 gatti gialli_, 1966)

Second in the series.  The attempted kidnapping of a rich guy's daughter in Sri Lanka (Ceylon at the time) and the associated killing of a British agent leads to our two heroes arriving on the scene.  The private detective, to guard the daughter from future attempts; the police captain, because he's a karate expert and the victim was killed with a single karate blow.  The plot slows down in the middle, and is always difficult to follow, but it has something to do with a world-threatening bacteria.  Best action scenes are a rooftop chase and a big karate fight in an ancient stone temple.  Both involve the karate killer and the police captain, so our playboy detective has less to do.  Nice scenery, including a spooky lake full of dead trees where the supervillain has his hideout.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*So Darling, So Deadly *(_Kommissar X - In den Klauen des goldenen Drachen_ AKA _Agente Jo Walker operazione Estremo Oriente_, 1966)

Third in the series.  Our heroes wind up in Singapore, trying to protect a scientist who has invented a "filter" that transforms a laser in a ray that will stop an airplane engine at a range of 300 miles.  First part of the film is mostly a whole bunch of bad guys trying to kill our heroes.  When the plot finally gets going, the bad guys kidnap the scientist's daughter.  Pretty standard stuff, except for the fact that the leader of the bad guys, calling himself the Golden Dragon, wears a red hood over his head, as if he's in an old Republic serial or a _krimi_.


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## AlexH

Parson said:


> Clearly not a movie for me then. I have the devil's own time remembering characters in any video. I often have to ask my wife is s/he the one who ..... ?


Is there a chance you have prosopagnosia? It was a revelation to me when I found out this was a thing, and I think I may have a mild form of it. Often, I don't recognise people out of context. So if I see a work colleague outside of the office (even on lunch break), I often don't recognise them. People changing their hairstyle or wearing sunglasses can look like a completely different person. I've even been known to completely 'ignore' family members and mistake one for the other (which was pretty embarrassing).








						Prosopagnosia (face blindness)
					

Find out about prosopagnosia (an inability to recognise faces), including how the condition can affect a person's everyday life, plus details about commonly used coping strategies.




					www.nhs.uk
				




Back on topic, I wouldn't recommend any films I've seen recently.

*The Queen of Hearts *(2009)
"Adele's attempt to recover from a devastating breakup leads to surprisingly hilarious results as she bounces from one lover to the next."
The Queen of Hearts started well, even though I thought it was trying too hard to capture the quirkiness of Amelie. It wasn't hilarious either, more just a passable watch.

*Under the Silver Lake *(2018)
A crime thriller set in Hollywood had potential, but Under the Silver Lake was trying too hard to be like Hitchcock crossed with Lynch, and mostly failed on both counts. The unlikeable protagonist didn't help though. An okay watch, but I wouldn't recommend it.

*The Passage *(2011)
Three people; a criminal, woman dying of cancer and some other guy end up taking a road trip together. An okay film.

*Madeline's Madeline *(2018)
"A theatre director's latest project takes on a life of its own when her young star takes her performance too seriously."
I kept waiting for that to happen. A story that was clearly about mental illness with unlikable characters trying to take advantage of Madeline. The actress playing Madeline was outstanding, and the film was very visually appealing at times, but this might be the first time I've called a film pretentious. I just didn't get the point in it at all. The weirdness was interesting for a while but it just became boring.


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## CupofJoe

*This Beautiful Fantastic* [2016] - So sugary and sweet and twee it should come with a health warning. There is nothing wrong with it, if you ignore the impossible setups, unlikely [but very likeable] characters and all too neat and tidy plot. Even the big reveal/twist was limp and lifeless. 
But still acceptable froth in my current mental state.


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## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> . The former gets his own theme song -- "I Love You, Joe Walker" -- which offers a hint that his main superpower is the fact that women find him irresistible. Evidence: As soon as he meets the movie's Good Girl, he kisses her, and she gives him her car. Further evidence: As soon as he kisses the movie's Bad Girl, she immediately turns into a Good Girl and helps him overthrow the supervillain.


So.... true to life then?   



AlexH said:


> Is there a chance you have prosopagnosia?



Reading through the description, I doubt it; or if I do it's very mild. I don't have trouble with good friends, known relatives and the like. It is movies/videos that really haunt me in this regard. Now if there's some diagnosis for not remembering someone's name whom I've met before and I know that I know them but not their name; I definitely have that.


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## Jeffbert

AlexH said:


> Is there a chance you have prosopagnosia? It was a revelation to me when I found out this was a thing, and I think I may have a mild form of it. Often, I don't recognise people out of context. So if I see a work colleague outside of the office (even on lunch break), I often don't recognise them. People changing their hairstyle or wearing sunglasses can look like a completely different person. I've even been known to completely 'ignore' family members and mistake one for the other (which was pretty embarrassing).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Prosopagnosia (face blindness)
> 
> 
> Find out about prosopagnosia (an inability to recognise faces), including how the condition can affect a person's everyday life, plus details about commonly used coping strategies.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.nhs.uk


 I occasionally fail to recognize people who are not where I usually see them!


*Gator* (1976) Picking up, where *White Lightning*
left off. This time, Gator (Burt Reynolds) is coerced into infiltrating his old buddy Bama McCall (Jerry Reed)'s organization, and getting the evidence to shut it down. It is mostly a protection racket. Similar plot to BR's other films of the time. 


*Siren of the Tropics* (1927) A middle-aged man wants to divorce his wife, and marry the young thing that his also young engineer wants to marry. But, he must rid himself of this guy, so, he sends him to the tropics, to supposedly look for oil or whatever. There, the guy meets Papitou (Josephine Baker), a native girl who falls in love with him.  But his affection belongs to the woman his boss intends for himself. 


*Fatty and Mabel Adrift* (1916) 
Two young men compete for Mabel's affection; Fatty wins, but the loser is not content with losing. So, he goes to the local gangster Brutus Bombastic (Wayland Trask), to hire him to get the girl. BB, in his opening scene, is chewing on dynamite as though he were eating carrots, and drinking gasoline. This guy is tough! 

Anyway, the beachfront house (shack) where Fatty & Mabel are living, is swept out to sea.


*Madam Satan* (1930) The spark has gone out of the marriage of Bob Brooks  (Reginald Denny) & his wife Angela (Kay Johnson), and Bob has been going out with Trixie (Lillian Roth), lately. His wife demands fidelity from him, but he flatly says married life will soon end. So, she determines to win her husband's affection from Trixie. 

A rather funny film, though it failed in theaters. Roland Young portrays Jimmy Wade, Bob's best friend. These people are fabulously rich, & Jimmy has a costume party aboard a Zeppelin that is moored to the top of a skyscraper. There, Madam Satan struts her stuff, dances far better than Trixie, who came to the party as Bob's companion.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Beach Ball *(1965)

Lame rip-off of the Frankie and Annette beach movies.  Edd "Kookie" Byrnes stars as the leader of a surf band called the Wigglers.  (The drummer is named "Bango," in what must be a dig at the Beatles.)  They need to raise one thousand bucks or lose their instruments.  Byrnes cons a college co-ed who, apparently, controls grants for the university, into giving him the money for his studies.  She finds out he's not even a student, so tears up the check.  For some odd reason, this causes her and her three equally nerdy friends to take off their glasses, trade their modest dresses for bikinis, and become part of the Wigglers' beach party culture.  Complications cause the Wigglers to perform at a "battle of the bands" contest in drag.   There's a cool bubble-topped car, a bunch of really lousy comedy, and, amazingly, a lot of famous musical acts.  The Four Seasons, the Righteous Brothers, and the Supremes, among others.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mad Youth *(1939)

More entertaining than usual low budget exploitation flick.    Starts with a divorced mother hiring a gigolo to go to a bridge party.  Since Mom's alimony is used up, she has to borrow some cash from her daughter.  In exchange, she lets the teenager have a party at their house.  This leads to alternating scenes of the bridge party, with drinking and suggestive dialogue, and scenes of the teen party, with drinking, jitterbugging, and strip poker.  The gigolo eventually winds up courting the daughter.  Meanwhile, the daughter's friend leaves the grandmother who raises her, after she's threatened with leaving the city for a boring life down on the farm.  She goes off to marry some guy with whom she's corresponded through a lonely hearts club.  This turns out to be a scam, and she's forced to work in a brothel.  The daughter goes off to visit her, is trapped also, and it's up to the gigolo to turn into an action hero and rescue them.  The story is interrupted for some guy singing at the bridge party, a young woman in full majorette costume doing a tap dancing and baton twirling act at the teen party, a long scene at a Mexican restaurant/nightclub including a clown in a matador suit pretending to fight a dog wearing bull horns, a scene of the gigolo and daughter visiting a carnival sideshow, and so on.  Despite all this filler, the plot is pretty involved, and moves along briskly.  There's some amusing dialogue.

_Girl making out with boy:  _Watch where you put your hands!
_Boy:  _Getting prudish?
_Girl:  _No, sunburn.

_Woman at bridge party:_  It must be lonely to be a lifelong bachelor.
_Man:  _If it was good enough for my father, it was good enough for me.

With racy talk, mature themes, and slinky lingerie on display, this seems like it should have been made before the Hays Code, and must have been for Adults Only.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Funeral Home *AKA *Cries in the Night* (1980)

Canadian slasher that owes a lot to a very famous film made two decades earlier.  Teenager arrives at the former funeral parlor, now a tourist home, run by her grandmother, whose husband vanished some time ago.  There are quite a few guests, which is odd, since we're told this is a very small town.  Two of them are a philandering couple, only there because there are no more hotel rooms available in town.  Another turns out to be trying to find out what happened to his wife, suspecting that she and grandmother's husband ran off together.  You can put the three I've mentioned on the pretty small list of victims.  (Before the film begins, we're told, there have been quite a few missing persons cases -- real estate agents, traveling salesmen, and the like --  for such a tiny community.)  Our heroine hears grandmother talking to somebody in the cellar, which she denies, but also warns her that she should never, ever go in there.  There's the heroine's boyfriend, a mentally slow handyman, a young cop investigating the disappearances, and a black cat that shows up a lot.  It's very nicely filmed, with some effective scenes, but extremely slow.  It also has the most predictable, and least original, twist ending you've ever seen.


----------



## Mouse

*Peanut Butter Falcon*. Shia LeBeouf is actually pretty good. Nice 'feel good' film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Drugsploitation Through The Decades Triple Feature:

*Narcotic *(1933)

Incoherent account of the fall of the protagonist from respected doctor to carnival pitchman for snake oil.  It seems a fellow medical student, who happened to be Chinese (played by a non-Asian actor, in terrible makeup and fortune cookie accent), introduced him to opium smoking.  From there he progressed to marijuana, heroin, and death.  Time jumps forward a lot in confusing fashion.  Lots of silent stock footage used, with badly matching sound effects added in later.  Notable for the scene of a "drug party," in which folks in formal dress help themselves to whatever they like, like a buffet.

*The Devil's Sleep* (1949)

Female judge wants to crack down on the crimes committed by young folks on the behalf of whoever is supplying them with pills.  It turns out to be a guy who is also running a weight reduction salon for women, where he gives the clients uppers as reducing aids.  Complications ensue when the judge's daughter attends a wild party and is photographed emerging from a swimming pool with only a towel.  Slow and talky.

*The Narcotics Story *(1958)

Actually, this was a police training film, somehow released to an unsuspecting public as an exploitation film.  The minimal plot shows a neglected teenager going from "goofballs" to marijuana to heroin.  Along the way, we get lots of advice on how cops should deal with drug users.  (The oddest tip:  After you handcuff a guy you arrested in a car, you should open the car door, roll down the window, and have the guy stand with his head through it.  Somehow this is supposed to restrain him while you deal with the other offenders present, although I really don't see how.  All the guy has to do is back up, keeping his head down, to get out.)


----------



## Temperance

Alone In Berlines (2016) - Normally I'll watch anything with Brendan Gleeson, but when he's in one of my favourite books as well...

1940 Germany, and a couple's son her is killed in the battle for France despite to fight back...by leaving postcards critical to the Nazi regime in public places. Ok, it's not quite up to the standards of Hans Fallada's book, that low level of paranoia of simply existing under the Nazi regime, but it comes pretty bloody close.

It's worth picking up the book simply because it is based on true events and has details of the almost panic amgonst the Gestapo at this simple act of resistance.


----------



## Galactic Bus Driver

Vince W said:


> *Mad Max 2*. Continuing on from the first film the world has degenerated to bands of bandits and savages scavenging fuel to keep their war vehicles running. I still love this film. The vehicles are works of violent art and you can't help but feel a profound sense of loss when Max's GT Falcon goes up in flames. Even though the world has turned to crap there is an underlying sense of hope to the film.
> 
> On a side note, I learned a little history about Mad Max as there was an introduction to the film by Leonard Maltin. I never knew that the first film wasn't well-received in America, that it had been dubbed to get rid of the Aussi accents and that Mad Max didn't get any traction in the US until this second film was released.


"Mad Max" was so poorly received here that it's sequel was billed simply as "The Road Warrior," with no mention that it was a sequel. When "Beyond Thunderdome" hit, most here in the states, myself included, thought it was the second in the series, not the third.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I finally got around to "Rise of Skywalker," and it did not disappoint. Just like episodes 7 (4.1) and 8 (5.1), 9 was just a bad carbon copy of an earlier film, so it's 6.1.

Disney, please stop. Star Wars should have been left for dead, but for your greed. Please move on to something else now, perhaps something original. While it will still be just Disney flinging crap at the wall in hopes some will stick, at least it'll be fresh crap, not more recycled crap.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Hanger 18* [1980] A surprisingly engaging UFO coverup movie, set in the background of a presidential election. Is it an alien craft? Why is it here? where did it come from? It pulls some elements from *Close Encounters*, but is none the worse for that. The special effects are competent and effective for a low budget film. They don't try to do too much with too little. The acting is more 70s TV than anything else but good enough. There are even some little touches that make it interesting.


----------



## AE35Unit

Finally got round to watching *Spectre*
Nothing to write home about, just another action flick. And it just seemed like no-one knew who this Blofeld person was, or about SPECTRE itself. And then near the end we see Blofeld with a scar on his face, just as he did in a much earlier Bond film. Was it supposed to be a prequel to that earlier film?
It just didn't gel for me.
Forgettable.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Lady from Shanghai * (1947) The title seemed familiar, but the film did not. If it had not been on NOIR ALLEY, I would likely have skipped it, thinking I had already seen it. 
 Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles), is a sailor-type, who is asked to join the crew of a yacht. A Femme Fatale  Elsa (Rita Hayworth), is married to a crippled defense attorney Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane), who knows of his wife's interest in O'Hara, but jokes about it. The rich elite passengers are rather annoying to their employees, and the 1st 45 minutes seemed like little more than scraps that Welles had cobbled together, just to lengthen it to a full-sized feature film. 

So, one of the rich guys,  George Grisby (Glenn Anders) asks O'Hara to take part in a fraudulent murder of himself, as he plans on going to a south seas island, leaving the world and his loathsome to suppose he had been murdered, and his corpse carried to sea by the tide. Without a body, O'Hara, though he had signed a written confession, could not be convicted of murder. OHara walks away with a hefty fee, the other guy is in the South seas, etc. Everybody Wins! But it was a setup to frame O'Hara for a real murder.  Grisby has never been married.



Spoiler



It turns out, that Grisby wanted to murder Sloane, marry his widow, & have O'Hara go to the Gas chamber. I need to take another look at that written confession, because, to me, a confession for murdering Grisby, does not help much if Grisby murders Sloane!  I must have missed something.


 Anyway, quite a ride, this film! Very well done!


----------



## J Riff

*Kill the Umpire*  1950 - our MC is a baseball nut, he keeps losing his job for skipping work to go to the ballpark. Obviously, he needs to become an Umpire. This is stooge-like fun, and eventually a mob forms after our umpire makes a controversial call during which the catcher is knocked out cold. He recovers in hospital and tells the world that he dropped the ball, so our Ump is forgiven, is in fact now beloved by the crowd, and he is allowed to continue umping the big playoff game. Of course, his first call after that has the crowd screaming '_Kill the Ump_!' and wacky 3-Stooges music plays and it's the end. Good sight gags, kinda fun.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Daring Young Man* (1942) Jonathan Peckinpaw (Joe E. Brown) is rejected by the Air Corps, The Marines, the Navy, and the Army. He is a failure. He ends up being duped into becoming a pro bowler by con man Sam Long (William Wright) by using a radio-controlled bowling ball that allows a neophyte to bowl like a pro. But, the radio signals from the control unit hidden in Long's coat interfere with the Nazi spies' Morse code signals, & they decide to put a stop to it. Meanwhile, Grandma *Peckinpaw *(also* Joe E. Brown*) by using loaded dice, has won the ownership of the old-folks home. 

One of the spies is portrayed by a very young Lloyd Bridges; who seems typecast as a villain. None of the other cast members' names are familiar.  Fairly good comedy, better than some I have seen.


----------



## AlexH

I'm not having much luck with films at the moment.

*Men & Chicken *(2015)
Mads Mikkelsen was the highlight in a weird and mostly unfunny dark comedy with lots of amped-up Bottom-style violence.

*The Brand New Testament* (2015)
A fantasy/comedy with a promising start, with God, Goddess and their daughter Ea living in present Brussels (Jesus is dead of course), Ea attempting to right the wrongs of her father. Unfortunately, it became boring and repetitive.

*God's Own Country *(2017)
Decent enough drama/romance with good cinematography set on a Yorkshire farm.


----------



## Parson

*My Spy*

A light hearted light weight. A kinda cross between *The Parent Trap*, *Kindergarten Cop, *and with a splash of *Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger *thrown in for gratuitous slow motion action*. *It wasn't bad, but it might not be as good as my blurb makes it sound.


----------



## Mouse

The sequel to Divergent - _*Insurgent*_*. * I think that's what it was called anyway. Pretty dull. I zoned out a few times.

And... *Fisherman's Friends*. Based on a true story about a bunch of old dudes from Port Isaac in Cornwall who sing sea shanties and got signed. While I was watching I thought to myself... I wonder if any of them are related to @Lobster (although he's an Essex boy, the male side of his family is Cornish and, in particular, from Port Isaac). A quick Google later and yep, there's his surname among the band members.


----------



## hitmouse

Parson said:


> *My Spy*
> 
> A light hearted light weight. A kinda cross between *The Parent Trap*, *Kindergarten Cop, *and with a splash of *Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger *thrown in for gratuitous slow motion action*. *It wasn't bad, but it might not be as good as my blurb makes it sound.


Watched it with my kids on Amazon Prime. Good undemanding fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Some stuff I actually watched at home, instead of on the computer at work:

Quite some time ago I saw *The Fabulous World of Jules Verne*, the 1961 English language version of the 1958 Czech film *Vynález zkázy *("Invention for Destruction"), most notable for the very unusual visuals, which combine live action with animation that looks like old woodcuts.  Very steampunk.

More recently, I saw *This Nude World *AKA *This Naked Age *(1932), one of the earliest nudist camp exploitation films.  This one is pretty much a straightforward documentary, with footage shot at nudist camps in the USA, France, and Germany.  Along with the expected PG-rated nudity, you learn that nudists exercised a lot.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Final Girls* (2015) dir. Todd Strauss-Schulson; starring Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam Devine, Thomas Middleditch

Very meta, as a fire in a theater forces several students to escape, slicing their way through the screen and stepping into -- the '80s slasher movie they were attending. Complicating matters, Max was coerced into attending; the movie is 20 years old and stars her dead mother (Akerman). 

Farmiga is good as a young woman surviving her mother's death 3 years earlier in a car accident. It's a rather uneven movie, but has some nice humor -- Angela Trimbur provides a doofiness that isn't as wearing as it sometimes is in movies; there are some effective sight gags -- and is relatively non-gory. (There is some, but it's not the focus of the movie, just a symptom of the kind of movie being parodied.) On the whole, a pleasant movie to pass the time.


*The Good Liar* (2019) dir. Bill Condon; starring Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen

McKellen is a con man with a history. Mirren is his mark. But it isn't as easy as all that.

A slow-burn movie, featuring great actors in a good cat-and-mouse game. And that's all I'll say so I don't spoil anything.


Randy M.


----------



## KGeo777

*Project X* 1968  --kind of a cheapie sci-fi and yet loaded with ideas as well as some eerily accurate predictions on the present relationship with China. Set in 2118, a Western agent is sent to China to find out about an alleged super weapon of theirs. He comes back with his mind erased due to an emergency measure to protect the agent from being tortured for information. The story, based on the novels _The Artificial Man_ and _Psychogeist_ by L.P. Davies seem to have come out before or at the same time as Phillip K Dick's famous story about memories (though I see an earlier Dick work _Time Out of Joint_ may have inspired _the Artificial Man_ plot .
"The Matrix" also gets referenced in the story--as they implant a new identity and create an artificial environment to make their patient think he is living in 1968 so they can create the conditions for "total recall."  Ultimately, the Chinese scheme when revealed is so 2020 relevant--did William Castle have a crystal ball? I'd like to know if the novels had the same China plot against the West. Quarantines, panics over vaccines, even a character named Karen!


----------



## AstroZon

*The Venetian Affair *1966 - d: Jerry Thorpe, s: Robert Vaughn, Ed Asner, Roger Carmel, Elke Sommer, Boris Karloff, Karl Boehm 

Newspaper reporter and former CIA agent Robert Vaughn is sent to Venice to report on the murder of a group of diplomats.  He is immediately suspicious of his assignment as Venice was his last posting while still in the CIA.   He is met at the airport by his paper's foreign correspondent and also CIA Station Chief Ed Asner who warns him not to engage in anything suspicious.  The main plot involves Boris Karloff threatening to reveal secrets to the world which, in his opinion, will result in world peace.  (Of course the CIA, KGB and others would rather not have their secrets relieved.)  There is an almost unrelated secondary plot involving the search for communist recruit Elke Sommer. And if that weren't enough, there is yet another subplot involving a drug that allows people to be controlled.   

Some directors can take 3 plots and weave them together with interest and intrigue, but sadly that's not the case here.  If it were stretched out a bit and allowed to breath, it would certainly make better sense.  However it's a 2 hour movie jammed into 89 minutes.  Boris Karloff and Elke Sommer both seem miscast as well as the location.  Venice the spy capitol of Europe?  Hardly.  Vienna would have been much better suited.  But my biggest disappointment is the total lack of suspense - the defining element of the spy flick genre.  

That said I still enjoyed watching it.   While filmed in 1966, it somehow evaded the cultural changes of the 60s. It could have been made in 1955 just the same.  Robert Vaughn carries the movie well without leaning into The Man From UNCLE cliches.  No James Bond gizmos - just government issue .38s for the CIA and Lugars for the enemies.   The only nod to James Bond movies are the beautiful women throughout.  Robert's Vaughn's ex wife is non other than Elke Sommer, and even homely reporter Roger Carmel has a pretty girl (he was on a roll because later on Star Trek he'll preside over a small harem.)  Ed Asner is good at playing the heavy, and boy faced Karl Boehm is downright evil.


----------



## KGeo777

There's a painting by the guy who did the paintings for Roger Corman's House of Usher in one scene when Vaughn is checking out an artist's studio.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. *Arguably Tarantino's most subtle piece. An excellent stroll down memory lane. Leo DiCaprio is great as a washed up, struggling former t.v. star, and Brad Pitt's just a beast as a stuntman with P.T.S.D.. Seriously, he's approaching 60, and he STILL looks like he could whoop up on everybody in the room.

The scene with Bruce Lee getting thrown almost through a car door...hilarious.


----------



## AstroZon

KGeo777 said:


> There's a painting by the guy who did the paintings for Roger Corman's House of Usher in one scene when Vaughn is checking out an artist's studio.



Thanks, but now I have to watch it again!  I checked out the DVD from the library.  I'd seen bits of it years ago, but never the whole movie at once.


----------



## AstroZon

MikeAnderson said:


> *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. *Arguably Tarantino's most subtle piece. An excellent stroll down memory lane. Leo DiCaprio is great as a washed up, struggling former t.v. star, and Brad Pitt's just a beast as a stuntman with P.T.S.D.. Seriously, he's approaching 60, and he STILL looks like he could whoop up on everybody in the room.
> 
> The scene with Bruce Lee getting thrown almost through a car door...hilarious.



Apparently a lot of Bruce Lee fans are upset with that scene.


----------



## Pyan

*The Rocky Horror Picture Show *(again)

For those with Freeview, if you haven't yet seen it, keep an eye on *Ch81, TalkingPicturesTV* (also on Virgin 445, Freesat 306 and Sky 328.)

An eclectic mix of just about every genre there is, including films that the big boys won't ever show. Recommended.

*This week's schedule (link)*
Includes_ Fall of the House of Usher_ (1950), _Nosferatu The Vampyre_ (1979) and _Devil Girl From Mars _(1954), as well as classic tv series such as_ Catweazle, Van der Valk, Rumpole of the Bailey_ and _Budgie_...


----------



## Parson

*Ruby Bridges (1999)* This story, even with it's upbeat ending, had me in tears often. The unspeakable horror of people shouting profane and worse things at a 6 year old trying to go to school just tears me to pieces. That its a true story and within my lifetime, makes it so much worse. The most redeeming feature of the movie is Ruby and her family and how their Christian faith helps them to persevere such despicable behavior by people who really should have known better.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*Heaven's Gate (1980) *Now I understand why Micheal Cimino's directing career died a horrific death. Pretentious, meandering, and complete wastes of talents in people like Kris Kristopherson, Christopher Walken, and Jeff Bridges. It's so bad, I can see why some said this nearly killed the western genre outright.


----------



## MikeAnderson

AstroZon said:


> Apparently a lot of Bruce Lee fans are upset with that scene.


Which is weird, because Bruce himself had a pretty good sense of humor, from what I heard. More than likely, he would have gotten a chuckle out of that scene.


----------



## KGeo777

AstroZon said:


> Thanks, but now I have to watch it again!  I checked out the DVD from the library.  I'd seen bits of it years ago, but never the whole movie at once.



The 1969 James Garner movue MARLOWE also has a painting by the same guy.
His faces are easy to recognize.


----------



## KGeo777

I think I have a screen grab from the other movie too.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> The 1969 James Garner movue MARLOWE also has a painting by the same guy.
> His faces are easy to recognize.
> View attachment 66641



Speaking of movies in which Bruce Lee loses a fight ... In his memoir, Garner mentions he wins a fight with Lee in the movie, and admits it could only happen in a movie.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Sons O' Guns* (1936) Jimmy Canfield (Joe E. Brown) is a song & dance man, during WWI. whose prospective father-in-law will not allow the marriage, unless Canfield joins the Army "and becomes a man" In attempting to trick his would-be fiancee & her father, since he wears an Army uniform on stage, he will just go 



*IMAGE MAKERS: THE ADVENTURES OF AMERICA'S PIONEER CINEMATOGRAPHERS * (2019) Title says it all. Interesting documentary. 


*Battling Butler *(1926)  Buster Keaton is a too rich guy who literally does nothing for himself.  Dad sends him on camping trip, hoping to toughen him-up; but guy brings everything, including the kitchen sink. Falls in love with daughter of woodsman guy, who forbids relationship, because guy is wimp. Butler's butler, who, naturally attends to his every need, even while 'camping' sees that some other guy with same name is lightweight boxing champ, and suggests that rich guy claim to be boxer. Funny things happen!


*Pale Flower* (1964) Japanese gangster film; just watched it yesterday, but forgot most of it. It had many scenes of illegal gambling in it. So, this young woman is tired of low-stakes gambling, & asks the man next to her, if he has any connections to high-stakes. I just do not recall much else. It was a good film, though.


*Fireworks* / *Hana bi* (1997) Police detective whose wife suffers from terminal cancer owes Yakuza loan shark a large sum of money. The TCM intro made this out to be a great film, but it just had me scratching my head.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Speaking of movies in which Bruce Lee loses a fight ... In his memoir, Garner mentions he wins a fight with Lee in the movie, and admits it could only happen in a movie.
> 
> Randy M.



Speaking of real fights, this is what impressed Bruce Lee to hire the director for Enter the Dragon.

"In this scene no stuntmen were used because of the small room. According to Rod Taylor (5' 7") Will Smith (6'2", 200 lbs, Austrian boxing record 31W-1L, body builder & two time world champion arm-wrestler) forgot the routine and belted Rod, causing blood to splat everywhere.  Rod wiped his face and shouted "KEEP THE CAMERAS ROLLING!" and the rest of the fight was adlibbed. Rod ended up breaking three of Smith's ribs (Those pounding body shots at 0.48] and Smith broke Ron's nose. Smith (a veteran of numerous punch-ups) called it "the best fight scene I ever worked on."  (Rod Taylor. An Aussie in Hollywood. Vagg, S. Bear Manor Media 2010 )


----------



## Randy M.

Um, slight difference between Will Smith and William Smith. The latter, by the way, was another one decked by James Garner, that time in _The Rockford Files_. Garner cheated, pouring liquid soap on the floor so when Smith went to deliver a karate kick, his other foot goes out from under him. Garner punches down on him while holding a roll of quarters and comments about how karate types always expect you to fight fair.

Randy M.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*The Old Guard*

Seemed like a cool concept but we (my wife, sister-in-law and I) were all disappointed.


----------



## J Riff

*Greyhound * 2020 - all-out WW2 action as the _Greyhound _escorts a convoy across the 'black pit' which is the part of the Atlantic that air support cannot reach.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Slaves in Bondage *(1937)

Exploitation flick with a convoluted plot that depends on some wild coincidences.  Starts off with a bang, as a young woman jumps out of the car of a couple of guys trying to kidnap her.  The intent was to force her into prostitution.  At the same boarding house is a guy who wants to be a reporter.  He sells his account of the incident to a newspaper, but doesn't yet get a steady job.  His girlfriend works as a manicurist, which happens to be run by a woman who works with the prostitution gang.    The victim of the attempted kidnapping can describe one of the creeps in the car, so the other one has him killed before he can talk.  The would-be reporter and his girlfriend happen to witness the murder.  To get the guy out of the way, the bad guy arranges to plant some counterfeit money on him.  The good guy gets arrested .  His girlfriend, in an attempt to get him out of jail, winds up in the clutches of the villains.  That's plenty of plot, but we've also got a couple of comic vaudeville routines, a contortionist, and a fan dancer.  The mildly salacious content consists of the "slaves in bondage" in their underwear.  Slightly more risque is the scene of two of the women spanking each other, and having fun doing it.

*She Shoulda Said 'No!' *AKA *Wild Weed *AKA *The Devil's Weed *(1949)

Late in the day for this kind of marijuana exploitation film, but there's a story behind that.  Lead actress Lila Leeds got arrested in the same drug raid that famously picked up Robert Mitchum.  The film makers make use of her notoriety by casting her as a dancer who supports her brother in college.  She accepts a reefer, and soon gets wildly stoned, with theremin music on the soundtrack.  This addiction causes her to lose her job, so she becomes a pusher.  Brother kills himself when he finds out how she's supporting him.   The cops arrest her, and take her on a tour of prison, the loony bin, and the morgue to scare her into changing her ways.  (Somewhere along the way we've gone from marijuana to heroin.)  Sixty days in prison -- the exact sentence the actress served in real life -- does the trick, and she goes undercover to help the cops bust the bad guy.  Notable for having marijuana cigarettes smuggled in a tomato can.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*The Gentlemen *(2019)

I love seeing Guy Ritchie get back to his roots and do gangster comedies again, and this one is his best since _Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels._ Hilarious, clever, good pacing, and the performances all around excellent. (Especially Charlie Hunnam and Henry Golding; those two are the next gen in leading actors, and they both showed it here.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Stuff That Was Considered Naughty Seventy Years Ago Double Feature:

*Too Hot To Handle *(1950)

Filmed burlesque show, alternating strippers with comics.  Notable among the strip tease acts is a very pretty and petite Latina calling herself Novita, who is quite a good dancer.  There's also a somewhat more mature woman who not only strips, but sings a bawdy song and performs with the comics.  She is, by far, the most professional performer.   One comic actually uses the old "Take my wife, please" line.  The woman I mentioned does a mathematical routine with another comic, which must have been a standard bit, because I've see Abbott and Costello do the same thing.  It involves "proving," in several ways, that three times seventeen equals twenty-eight.  It's more clever than funny.   Ending the hour-long film is the star attraction, calling herself Patti Waggin, who, a little research reveals, was quite an athlete and a motorcycle enthusiast.  Among the corny and slightly dirty jokes is one I wasn't expecting from so long ago.

COMIC:  I went to a Gay Nineties party last night.
STRAIGHT MAN:  Gay Nineties party?
COMIC:  All the men were gay and all the women were ninety.

I didn't realize that term was used commonly back then.

*A Virgin in Hollywood* (1953, although apparently most of it goes back a few years before that, and then certain sequences were added later)

Exploitation film that wanders all over the place, with quite a bit of intentional comedy.  An innocent girl reporter goes to wicked Hollywood to write a story on what really goes on there.  She gets lost while driving around, and somehow winds up at a place where models pose in skimpy bathing suits.  Later she answers personal ads.  This is the main source of comedy, as the first date does corny old vaudeville routines, the second one does a drunk act, and the third one, an older fellow, falls asleep during their date. The reporter also winds up among lingerie models, leading to a clothes-tearing cat fight with another model who accuses her of wearing her outfit. A segment meant to be viewed in 3-D (!) is edited into the rest of this thing at random, and consists of a man and woman doing a sort of Arabian Knights routine, and a woman doing a bubble-blowing routine. The ladies begin scantily clad, but don't strip. There's also a sequence where the heroine meets a female impersonator. The reporter's wide-eyed innocence adds a sense of charm to the whole thing. She tries to act "sophisticated" by smoking a cigarette, and can't tolerate it. A lot of the film is narrated by her, with some pretty amusing dialogue.


----------



## Jeffbert

BODYGUARD (1948) NOIR ALLEY's 07/12 film. Michael Carter (Lawrence Tierney) is a plain clothes police officer, whose violent ways end his career. Knowing of his plight, a man hires him as a bodyguard for the elderly woman who owns a meat packing plant. But the elderly woman wants nothing to do with a bodyguard. While she is trying to send Carter away, two shots are fired through the window, one of which shatters a mirror reflecting the woman. Carter uses this to persuade the woman. 

But things happen, and Carter ends up framed for killing one of his police pals. He must find the real killer, etc. 

Good noir film!


----------



## XibalbaComics

_The Black Hole_

What it says on the tin. I guess this was a 70s throwback to 50s B movies? The robots feel out of place, maybe just the designs, but look like they belong to a different movie. At times hilariously bad, and others endearing.


----------



## AstroZon

Empire Records - 1995
I somehow missed this 90s teen flick until yesterday.  The version I saw was the re-edited and extended DVD special release, so I never saw the much criticized original release.  And it's a movie that has since amassed a better reputation than it received upon release (including a possible Broadway play?!)       

It involves the misguided attempt to save Empire Records, an independent record store, from a takeover by a large chain.   Lucas (Rory Cochrane) absconds with the nightly bank deposit and bets in on a craps table in Atlantic City.  After 2 rolls the money's gone, and the rest of Empire Records involves his fate and the fate of the record store.   But the movie is too busy with too many subplots - little of which lend support to the main plot.

Still I quite enjoyed watching it.  And unknown to anyone when it was made, Empire Records represents the end of an era - the pre-internet, pre-MP3  years where the local record store was where one went for music.  Empire Records has great music throughout including a lot of stuff that never made it onto the official soundtrack (like The The's "This is the Day.")


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Earlier today I watched *Knive's Out, *which did not strike me as nearly as clever as it seemed to be trying to be.  I felt it was a waste of a fine cast. However, I know that it's been well-received.

Then this evening I watched *The Dresser* with Alfred Finney and Tom Courtenay.  Two great, scenery-chewing performances.  Melodramatic but somehow magnificent.


----------



## Rodders

Bright. I really enjoyed this, although it was very Alien Nation in tone and feel. Still, pretty good.

John Wick 3. Well made, but boring. You can only watch action for so long before becoming bored with it. I see it’s been left open for another sequel.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Ten Commandments* (Silent version) Being silent, I ran the commentary while watching it. It cut to the chase, whereas the 1956 version started  with Moses' birth, this one opens just before the 10th plague on the Egyptians. Moreover. halfway through, the ancient part is over, and the (then) contemporary part starts. The commentary was really important for anyone not watching way back then, as the cultural differences would not be obvious to a 21st century viewer. So, anyway, the 1916 part showed the woes that fell upon the sinner son, who, unlike his elder brother, laughed at the Bible and its teachings, etc.

The commentator noted that viewers of the silent era would have expected such preachy content, as though they were sitting in Church instead of a movie theater. Interesting!


*Three Strangers* (1938) With the success of The Maltese Falcon, they wanted to make another film with the primary stars. Bogart was already involved in another film, so, Lorre got what would have been his role. Set in England, _Jerome K. Arbutny (_Greenstreet), _Johnny West (_Lorre), & _Crystal Shackleford_ (Geraldine Fitzgerald) are brought together by fate, it seems. They each have desires differing from one another, but money is a common one. West had bought a lottery ticket, and sold interests in it to the others. Arbutney, wrote their deal directly on the ticket, and each signed it.

Each one's back story is told, and how each could benefit from the winning ticket. There is an Asian statuette of Kwan Yin that is said to grant wishes on the Chinese New Year,  which that day is. Muller said that this particular statue was featured in over 400 films. Anyway, Shackleford is estranged from her husband, & wants him back. Arbutny is an investor, and had made investments in things not allowed by the contract with his client, West, had been involved in a theft that had turned into murder, and was hoping for extrication from that mess.

None of that matters, really, because Lorre & Greenstreet are more than enough reason for me to watch this again, and probably for no fewer than 5 times.

Ian Wolfe as one of the Courtroom officials, and because of his two episodes of STAR TREK, I always like to see him in films.

Oh, *Johnny West* is a MARX Bro.s action figure that was popular when I was a boy.  Long before the GI Joes went to 3 1/2 inches and had names and backstories, this cowboy was accompanied by more than a few other action figures in the Western genre, soldiers, Indians, villains, even Jane West. Oh, my long, lost childhood!


*The Warped Ones* (1960) Muller does more than just NOIR COMMENTS, HE also introduced this film in a jazz themed thing. I was never much for jazz, except the type associated with 007. So, this is a Japanese film, about juvenile delinquents, on the verge of adulthood. They pickpockets, are arrested, and free again in just weeks. Steal cars, rape a young woman, etc. I had difficulty following the film, perhaps because I found it hard to tell one face from another. The only way was by behavior. They did not use names much.

There was one scene, or should I say, setting that  made me think I may have seen this before.


----------



## Trollheart

*Executive Decision (1996)*

Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, Halle Berry, David Suchet and Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar, Babylon 5  and Tamuluk, NextGen).

Enjoyable hokum, gung-ho U-S-A! U-S-A! sorta thing. Relatively believable, if you can get past the crazy idea of an F-117 docking with a 747 in midair and using some sort of, um, upward chute to transfer soldiers onto the hijacked plane. 

I've seen worse.


----------



## BT Jones

Hilarious Joke said:


> *The Old Guard*
> 
> Seemed like a cool concept but we (my wife, sister-in-law and I) were all disappointed.


I saw that one and didn't mind it.  Didn't fulfill all of its potential but was a 6.5/10 for me.


----------



## BT Jones

*Joker*
Had been holding off watching it until it was on Foxtel.  I thought it was brilliant; one of the best depictions of mental illness I've ever seen, as well as a great prequel / origin movie (although I am satisfied that JP's character is NOT the Joker of whichever Batman reboot you wish to consider, more an inspiration).  Very clever, but amazed that it did over $ 1 billion at the box office.  There was really nothing to it in terms of action, thrills or this big alternative uprising that the trailers suggested.  Although I found it riveting myself, I was amazed there was enough for the casual public to turn up in such high numbers.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

*Little Joe*

Hmmm... I didn't really like it, though it provoked a great discussion about the true meaning of the film.
The film tried too hard and had various plot holes.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri* (2017) by Martin McDonagh
I didn't know much about this film before I watched it, other than what I had heard or seen around the Oscars. So I only knew the rough set-up. I think that made it all the more of a surprise. I was expecting a weepie "Chick-Flick" [ and i love those too]. But it just wasn't. I can't really categorise it. It is just a well written, well acted and beautifully photographed film.  I loved the way it started. No preamble, just story. Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell are scarily believable. you can see, feel, why they got their Oscars. The other characters are spot on. And the ending... Wow.
In a lesser film I would have said it was the set-up for the sequel. but not here. It was just that one story ended, not the characters.
And btw BBC Films - This is the type of film you should be financing. If Channel 4 can do it, why can't you...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Walk in the Sun *(1945)

Outstanding WWII movie, made while the war was still going on.  A platoon of GI's lands on an Italian beachhead and makes its way inland six miles, eventually storming a farmhouse full of German soldiers.  That's the whole plot, but what makes the film watching are the interactions among the Americans.  (You barely see the enemy at all, just a few brief shots at the end of the back of their heads.)  Between sudden scenes of violence, we get a lot of walking, a lot of talking about all kinds of things, and a lot of complaining.  Clearly these guys hate being there and just want to get back home.  Notable for having a sergeant suffer a mental breakdown from the stress of battle.  There's a ballad about the stuff going on that sounds like a spiritual playing in some scenes; an unusual narrative technique which you may love or hate.


----------



## Foxbat

*Spellbound.* It’s Hitchcock. What more needs to be said?


----------



## Droflet

Re-saw Spellbound just the other day. Fabulous movie.


----------



## Luiglin

Watched Tag last night on Netflix. 

Based on a true life tale about a group of friends who have kept a game of tag going from childhood into adulthood.

I'm not normally one for heart warming tales but this made me wish to have been part of this group. Such a brilliant way of keeping in touch and having fun with your friends. Well worth a watch and has some genuine laugh out loud slapstick moments.


----------



## Guttersnipe

1408, which I really enjoyed, having only seen it once before as a teen. I didn't like the straw man atheist ideas, though.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*The Bourne Ultimatum. *A cracking modern day thriller, it keeps up the suspense right to the end. My favourite scene is the Waterloo sequence, which apparently was done with handheld cameras in a real crowd at the station. Watch it for yourself and you'll see some of the best camerawork ever. And the sequence music track is brilliant. The composer is John Powell. 9.5/10.


----------



## Toby Frost

All three Bournes are terrific. The car chase at the end of Supremacy is brilliant.


----------



## AE35Unit

XMen First class. We had the idea of re-watching all the films but this time chronologically (already done that with the Avengers films)


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE DEVIL WITHIN HER* (1975)  misnamed, because the devil was in her baby.  Other than that, a good horror film.  An ex-stripper marries & has a son. Titled *I Don't Want to Be Born* in the UK.


Both of the next two were shot in post WWII Japan. Interesting stuff Ben M said, both before & after.

*TOKYO JOE* (1949) Joe Barrett (Humphrey Bogart) ex-WWII pilot, had been living in Tokyo before the war, and returned after, hoping to pick up the pieces and resume his prewar life. He had been running a bar with a partner, but, upon returning found the American occupation forces would only grant him a 60 day permit to stay.  Moreover, there is his wife who had stayed in Japan, and married another man. They have a daughter, just old enough to be Joe's, but he thinks the other guy is the dad. He wants to get his wife back, but that is just one plot element. He needs a job, and being a pilot is his occupation. Baron Kimura (Sessue Hayakawa) hires him to fly cargo, but Joe knows there is something off, about it. There must be smuggling involved, but what? 


*HOUSE OF BAMBOO* (1955) I forgot much of the detail, but a US Army train is robbed of several heavy machine guns and smoke bombs. An Army Sgt. (Robert Stack) takes the place of Eddie Spanier, who had been named by a dying crook, who was involved in the theft. Spanier comforts the dead crook's wife, and becomes a bit more intimate with her, than he had expected. The Army falsifies a criminal record and doctors a photo, so he can infiltrate the gang that Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan) runs. I know this is a terrible review! 

Charlie (DeForest Kelley; what!? in a non-cowboy film?) has a fairly good role, as one of Ryan's mobsters. Cameron Mitchell is the crime Boss' Ichiban (The #1 henchman) .  Sessue Hayakawa, who was also in Tokyo Joe, is a police inspector here.

One of the interesting points of this film, according to Ben M., was that Sam Fuller, who directed it, used several unauthorized shots (with filming permits) of Tokyo street life, thus giving a better look at the city than would otherwise have been possible. A very good film, very intense. 




_*SHERLOCK JR*_ (1924) Buster Keaton runs the projector in a small town movie theater, but he really wants to be a lumberjack. No, he wants to be a private detective. This thing is very funny. 

THE PASSIONATE PLUMBER (1932) Elmer Tuttle (Buster Keaton) is called to the mansion to repair the shower in the young lady's bathroom, but just about everything other than that occurs. 
Julius J. McCracken (Jimmy Durante) is the family chauffeur, and he & Keaton create some really funny scenes. 

The young lady,  Patricia Alden (Irene Purcell) is in love with two-timer Tony Lagorce (Gilbert Roland), who is constantly telling her that his wife will not give him the divorce he seeks. But he is telling the other woman, the same thing. The young lady decides to use Tuttle to make her boyfriend jealous. 



*YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW* (1941) Homer Smith (Jimmy Durante) & Breezy Jones (Phil Silvers), are pushy vacuum cleaner salesmen. After a few failed attempts, the two try selling in an Army Recruitment office, & end up, enlisting. I have seen this before, but it was still fresh. Must have been several year ago. Their failed attempts to sell vacuum cleaners may have been inspiration for an episode of , which, somehow, I recall.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Spy Who Dumped Me* (2018) D: Susanna Fogal, S: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon

Spy comedy that takes a poking at the super-spy genre.  Mila Kunis plays mostly straight to Kate McKinnon's over-the-top romps.  Probably the craziest bit involves the 98 pound Eastern European ex-gymnast who goes from runway model to programmed killer.  She's so crazy looking and deadly serious that it works.  I don't know where they found her, but a bunch of other spy flicks missed out on this uber-assassin.


----------



## AstroZon

*Gold* (2016) D: Stephen Gaghan  S: Matthew McConaughey, Edgar Ramirez 

Dramatized account of the 1994 Bre-X gold shares scam.  McConaughey is a hard luck but heavy hitting confidence man who works over investors into putting up money for a sure-thing gold strike in Borneo.  Things turn south when the money runs out, so McConaughey resorts to salting the core samples and reporting the finds to his investors.   Then gold fever strikes the investing community, huge money pours in, and things really get out of control.   Of course, the scheme can't go on forever.


----------



## Parson

Sigh! I don't know if this counts as a "movie" but I was steaming *Poldark* for the past few weeks (on and off obviously) and I thought it was wonderful in *Season 1*. A little too "romantic" for my tastes, but I loved the struggle against the aristocracy, the marrying of the "scullery maid," bringing an estate back to life, and standing by your commitments. But from there what I loved about the series was downplayed and what I wasn't very fond of was emphasized. When Demelza "falls" I was terribly disappointed and when still another person of character refuses to stand by his commitments in the middle of season 4. I shut it off with no intention of returning. It seemed to me that by the end it was nothing more than an 18th century version of *Dallas* and that is no kind comparison if I am making it.  It seemed to me that the moral of the series, at least as far as I watched it, was "Don't blink, something horrible is about to happen and there will be no redeeming it." This is no way to live, and particularly antithetical to my life view.


----------



## Rodders

Artemis Fowl. 

It wasn't aimed at me and I think I was too old to appreciate it.


----------



## Mouse

*The Truman Show*. Saw this at the cinema when it first came out. Don't think I've watched it since. Popped up on Netflix so we put it on. Great film, really, but Truman would have severe PTSD coming out of there. Also, I don't buy that his best-mate-since-they-were-seven could've geniunely kept the secret, especially not as a seven year old. Also, to have been friends with someone since they were kids and not give two stuffs about them ultimately? No, don't buy it. And the dad thing kinda got brushed under the carpet - his dad cared enough to break back in, yet nothing else really comes of it.


----------



## Joshua Jones

*Mac and Me.* A truly bizzare clone of E.T. Of course, I was watching the _Mystery Science Theater 3000_ roast of it...


----------



## Guttersnipe

Dark City


----------



## Droflet

*The Booksellers (2019)*
A documentary about the seventy odd rare book dealers left in NYC. I thought this would be a yawn but was riveted by a story of these book dealers who truly loved fine books. I absolutely loved this doco and would recommend it to anyone who loves books.


----------



## BrightSparrow

I watched* Deer Hunter* for the first time for my podcast. It's an epic film with great performances but I didn't enjoy it as much as my friends.

I wonder what other people think of it. I love the reality of the town scenes, but compared to other Vietnam media the war stuff seemed a bit too Lynchian and surreal. Maybe that was the point to show how unprepared the guys are for the experience, but I wasn't convinced.

Maybe on a rewatch someday I will see if I come round to it.


----------



## Droflet

Personally, Sparrow, it's one of my favorite films of all time. Three young men go off to war, as you say unprepared, only two return and they are both damaged physically and mentally. I hope you see it again and gain more from it. Hint. try not to over think it.


----------



## Vince W

*New Rose Hotel* (1998). Abel Ferrara's adaptation of William Gibson's 1984 short story of the same name. This is a film that could have been a hard-hitting cyberpunk noir style fest, but was reduced to a plodding melodramatic broken romance instead. If you're a diehard cyberpunk fan like myself then watch it, once. Otherwise, your time is better spent elsewhere.


----------



## paeng




----------



## AE35Unit

*Enigma (2014)*
Cumberbatch playing Turing. Brilliant
Now watching *Knives Out*


----------



## Vince W

*The Predator*. The latest instalment of the Predator franchise and the worst one by far. No discernible plot. No tension. No fun. Terrible from start to finish.


----------



## AE35Unit

The other day we decided to watch all the X-Men films chronologically (we've already done the Avengers movies). So we started with *X-Men First Class. *Tonight we continued with *Days of Future Past *followed by *Origins:Wolverine*


----------



## AstroZon

AE35Unit said:


> *Enigma (2014)*
> Cumberbatch playing Turing. Brilliant
> Now watching *Knives Out*



I think you meant The Imitation Game.  Enigma was another movie about code breakers in Bletchley Park, but it starred Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker. *Absolute rubbish, so much unbelievable plot lines. Won't bother watching any more of them. 2/10. And that was generous.


----------



## CupofJoe

Vince W said:


> *The Predator*. The latest instalment of the Predator franchise and the worst one by far. No discernible plot. No tension. No fun. Terrible from start to finish.


I'm not saying it is a good film [it really isn't] but there are deleted scenes that actually make the film make a little more sense. Since it wasn't *Avengers: Endgame* long I can't see why they trimmed out scenes to make the film worse. BTW I did like "The Dog", it didn't really make sense, but I did like it...


----------



## Rodders

I watch Rocknrolla last night with the missus. Surprisingly good fun.


----------



## biodroid

*The Invisible Man * the 2020 version, which was brilliant. *The Hunt *which was also quite good, felt like a toned down version of *Cabin in the Woods *without the monsters, written by some guys who produced *Lost*


----------



## AE35Unit

AstroZon said:


> I think you meant The Imitation Game.  Enigma was another movie about code breakers in Bletchley Park, but it starred Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet.


Oh, I dunno what happened there...


----------



## AE35Unit

biodroid said:


> *The Invisible Man * the 2020 version, which was brilliant.


A new version, I didn't know about that


----------



## biodroid

AE35Unit said:


> A new version, I didn't know about that


Not sure if it's based of HG Wells's book, that is not mentioned in the credits as far as I am aware, but the twists and turns, best Blumhouse Production I have seen to date.


----------



## Rodders

Body Cam. A supernatural thriller starring Mary J. Blige. 

Enjoyable enough, but not really my kind of film.


----------



## Randy M.

*Doctor Sleep* (2019) dir. Mike Flanagan, starring Ewan MacGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran

Rather better than I expected, incorporating scenes as flashbacks from Kubrick's _The Shining_. Danny has grown up, needs to pass forward the mentoring Dick Hallorann gave him, and also has to face the terrors that directed his teen and adult life. But, of course, there are other dangers and he is challenged by how far he will go to protect her. A crop of recognizable character actors, strong performances by McGregor and Ferguson, and young Curran still pretty much steals the movie. We're about 10 years from Hailee Steinfeld's debut, and Curran looks to be the new kid in town.

Randy M.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Ninth Gate (1999)*
A strange horror/thriller with Johnny Depp as a book collector. Lots of nice books in this one...


----------



## AstroZon

*The Italian Job* (2003) d: Gary Gray, S: Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Ed Norton

Remake/Continuation of the 1969 film.  And where the original was totally fresh for its time, the 2003 remake suffers from too many action movie cliches.  Nevertheless, the acting is good throughout as well as the cinematography.  Still a fun movie to watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Interview with a Vampire (1994)*
Not a bad film even tho it has Tom Cruise in it 
And a 12 year old Kirsten Dunst


----------



## AE35Unit

*Odd Thomas (2014)*
A really odd film! Not read the books tho my partner has them all


----------



## Droflet

Yes, odd, but great fun.


----------



## J Riff

*Trouble with the Curve *2012 - Clint Eastwood makes for a convincing aging baseball scout. Dunno how I missed this one. Can Clint keep his job - IS he right that the highly-touted prospect can't hit the curve, and the Braves shouldn't draft him first overall?  Well, probably he is, because he's Clint. Good baseball movie.


----------



## dask

Superior John Ford western about a wagon train of Mormons heading for their promised land picking up unlikely and unsavory characters along the way. Joanne Dru has never been hotter and James Arness slimier and creepier than Jack Palance in *Shane*.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Not The Usual Spy Films Double Feature:

*The Quiller Memorandum *(1966)

George Segal is Quiller, an American secret agent who is, oddly, working for the British in Berlin after doing something or other in the Middle East.  (In the Quiller novels he's British.)  It seems that two British agents were killed while investigating a neo-Nazi organization.  Quiller follows the few leads he has, meets our movie's pseudo-Bond Girl (Senta Berger), gets captured by the Bad Guys (led by Max von Sydow) and drugged, and is tossed out when he doesn't reveal any vital information.  It seems the Bad Guys want to know where the Good Guys' headquarters is located as much as the Good Guys want to know theirs, and Quiller is caught in the middle.  The Bad Guys capture Quiller (again!) and Berger, let him go but tail him, and threaten to kill both of them if they don't get the info.  He manages to evade the Bad Guys in the movie's only explosive scene.  Then there's an ambiguous twist ending.  Ambiguous is appropriate, because the screenplay is by the infamously elliptical playwright Harold Pinter, so there's a lot of low-key dialogue.  Segal is an odd choice for the role; he seems only minimally interested in what's going on.  The whole thing doesn't fit well into either the James Bond/comic book fantasy spy genre, or the gritty/realistic school of espionage fiction.

*The Tamarind Seed *(1974)

Combination of romantic love story and cynical spy story.  Julie Andrews stars in this film written and directed by husband Blake Edwards.  She's a widow whose husband, whom she stopped loving some time ago, died in a car wreck a few years back.  (We get several flashbacks to the accident, a classic car-going-over-cliff-and-exploding scene.)  She had an affair with a married man that ended badly.  Omar Sharif is a Soviet military attache.  They meet in Barbados, and romance blossoms.  Since Andrews works for somebody in British intelligence, it seems likely that Sharif wants to seduce her into betraying her country.  His bosses want him to, anyway, and her bosses assume that's what he's doing.  Complicating matters is the fact that the Soviets have somebody in British intelligence working for them already.  Eventually we get our big action scene, during the last ten minutes of the film.  At more than two hours, it moves at a leisure


----------



## Jeffbert

*MUSIC FOR MILLIONS* (1944) Barbara Ainsworth (June Allyson) is a member of an orchestra during WWII. Her husband is a soldier who has not written to her for so long, that she fears he is dead. Her younger sister known as Mike (Margaret O'Brien) shows up suddenly, expecting to live with her, and is disruptive to several performances, when she learns big sister is pregnant, & brings her a seat. 

José Iturbi (1st time I heard of him) is the conductor who is unexpectedly tolerant of Mike's antics, especially when he learns that big sister has assumed the worst. Moreover, the other musicians (females)  had intercepted a telegram from the govt. stating that hubby was killed in action. B*i*g sister saw the telegram, and guessed its contents, though she demanded it, her fellow musicians steadfastly denied its existence.

Jimmy Durante as Andrews, the guy who works out details for the orchestra, & Hugh Herbert as Uncle Ferdinand, a reformed forger, whom his niece wanted to produce a letter from the hubby. That guy had really aged, in only a decade after his heyday. 



*THIS TIME FOR KEEPS* (1947) Leonora Cambaretti (Esther Williams) is a swimmer who falls in love with Dick Johnson (Johnnie Johnston), an opera singer, whose father takes it on himself, to announce his son's engagement to another woman. 

Jimmy Durante as Ferdi Farro, a friend of Grandmother Cambaretti (May Whitty), who, upon realizing the truth, attempts to patch things up, between JJ & LC. 



*CUBAN LOVE SONG* (1931) Three U. S. Marines in Cuba prior to U.S. entering WWI, Terry (Lawrence Tibbett), Romance (Ernest Torrence), & O.O. Jones (Jimmy Durante), hope to end Terry's old ways prior to his upcomming marriage. But, while in Cuba, Terry falls for the lowly peanut vendor  Nenita (Lupe Vélez). Once the U.S. enters the war, the Marines go to France, etc. Mostly musical - romance, but also comedy.


*Hollywood Party* (1934)  Durante (Jimmy Durante)'s Schnarzan series has been losing viewers as the fake lions Schnarzan fights are too unconvincing. Baron Munchausen (Jack Pearl, same guy who played the Baron alongside Durante in a different film, which also featured many other stars) has bought ferocious cats from Laurel & Hardy (who crash the party, demanding the Baron make good on his rubber check) & both Durante and his rival hero guy want to buy the cats.  

There is a color animated Disney cartoon depicting war between the Hot Chocolate Soldiers and the Gingerbread men, introduced by Mickey Mouse. 


*Speak Easily* (1932)  Professor Post (Buster Keaton) is a strait-laced egghead-type, who falls for a prank, in which he believes he has inherited $750,000. By chance, he meets James (Jimmy Durante) and his stage performers, who are out of money. Thinking himself rich, he uses his real savings to help the group, and ends up becoming more involved than just as an investor. 

On opening night, the thing is flopping, until Post, appears on stage and is mistaken for a part of the act, which turns out to be hilarious. 


*UNDERWATER!* (1955) Johnny Gray (Richard Egan) &  partner Dominic Quesada (Gilbert Roland) are divers who happen upon a sunken treasure ship filled with gold. Johnny tells his wife Theresa (Jane Russell) the good news, but she is not impressed, thinking this is another one of his get rich quick schemes. 

Good adventure! Far from the over the top stuff they have been making since then; actually believable.


*Laurel - Hardy Murder Case* (1930) The two are fishing for dinner on a pier, and end up suspected of bumping off Uncle Ebeneezer Laurel, when H convinces L that he can pass for the heir. 

There is a cop (Fred Kelsey whom I am certain I have seen in a cartoon!  Well, an animated version of him, anyway; yes, Tex Avery's *Who Killed Who?*).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sapphire *(1959)

British murder mystery/police procedural begins with the body of a young woman discovered by a couple of kids.  She was a college student, three months pregnant, and wore brightly colored, sexy undergarments beneath her very conservative tweed clothing.  Pretty soon we find out that the pale-skinned, red-haired woman was actually of mixed race, passing as white.  The primary suspect is her boyfriend, who would have lost his chance at a scholarship if he married her.  The victim's former life, dancing wildly at shady nightclubs, leads to other complications.  As a whodunit, it works pretty well, with red herrings and some fair clues.  (What was the strange object the boyfriend removed from the place where her body was found?)  As a study of racial tensions in the UK at the time, it's intriguing, even if there's still a trace of stereotyping.  (It's suggested that her mixed race made her unable to resist the lure of dancing to hot jazz.)  Overall, a good film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Phantom Ship *(1935)

Truncated American version of the early Hammer film *The Mystery of the Mary Celeste*.  The original version is now lost.  With about twenty minutes cut out, what we have left runs barely over an hour.  This fictionalized version of the famous ship found abandoned by her crew, with no obvious explanation, plays like a whodunit.  There are plenty of possible suspects once the killings begin.  (Some of the deaths have obvious explanations, at first.  One disgruntled sailor attacks the mate, and is killed; another falls to his death from the mast; another is killed while attempting to rape the captain's wife.)  There are some shanghaied sailors, obviously resentful of their situation; there's the guy who was put aboard by the fellow who was himself in love with the captain's wife, in order to make trouble; and, most importantly, there's Bela Lugosi, nearly unrecognizable (except for the unmistakable voice) as an unshaven, gray-haired, Scripture-quoting, one-armed, emotionally shattered sailor, aboard the ship under a false name for his own reasons.  He happens to be the one who saves the captain's wife, then collapses in remorse over having killed a man.  Red herring, as Lugosi so often was, or the killer?  Let's just say that Lugosi gives a very strong performance in an unusual role.  Reportedly, the full British version included courtroom scenes, and allowed two characters to survive.  (I'm guessing they were the captain and his wife.)  In this version, the only survivor is Lugosi's black cat, whom he previously saved from being thrown into the sea by the ship's brutal mate.


----------



## Ori Vandewalle

Watched _Jupiter Ascending_ for the first time yesterday. A fun, loud movie that made very little sense. I especially liked how Channing Tatum's flying boots used "differential equations" to work.


----------



## Droflet

My two cents worth. Jupiter Ascending is on my top 10 list of the most hideously bad movies of all time. Just sayin'.


----------



## Ori Vandewalle

Well, it's no _Plan 9 from Outer Space_.


----------



## Droflet




----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Chase* (1946)

Offbeat _film noir_ with some truly unusual plot twists.  Robert Cummings is a decorated Navy veteran down on his luck; we first see him standing in front of a diner, watching the cook fry up bacon and pancakes, obviously without the money to buy himself breakfast.  Looking down, he sees a wallet at his feet, full of cash.  He spends a buck and a half on a meal, then tracks down the guy who owns the wallet, intent on returning it.  At the guy's fabulous mansion, we see Peter Lorre as his right hand man, so we know that these are bad guys.  Indeed, just about the first thing we see the boss do is savagely slap a manicurist who accidentally cuts him.  Amused by Cummings' honesty, he hires him as his chauffeur.  On their first drive, it turns out the boss has a gizmo that allows him to control the car's speed from the back seat, so Cummings has to try to keep control of the vehicle while going one hundred miles per hour towards a set of railroad tracks where a train is due.  We also see Lorre and the boss kill a rival by locking him in the wine cellar with a vicious dog.  The real plot begins when the boss's wife, desperate to escape her husband, gets Cummings to buy two tickets to Havana, from where they can then escape to South America.  

First, and less bizarre, plot twist: 



Spoiler



The woman is killed by the boss's henchmen in Havana, and Cummings is the prime suspect.  He has to elude the boss and the Cuban cops.



Second, and more bizarre, plot twist: 



Spoiler



Nothing after he bought the tickets actually happened!  He seems to be suffering from what we now call PTSD, imagined the whole escape and murder, and now doesn't remember that he's supposed to help the woman get away.  It's a race against time; will he regain his memory?  Will the boss find out about the plan to escape, and stop them?



The film is based on the Cornell Woolrich novel _The Black Path of Fear_, which, by all reports, has the first plot twist but not the second.  This major change in the story manages to keep the nightmarish feeling of a Woolrich plot.  The ending, like the beginning, depends on Fate stepping in. 



Spoiler



Chasing after the escaping pair, the boss uses the gizmo in his car to race against another train, this time losing, destroying himself and Lorre.



Nicely filmed, well acted.  Recommended.


----------



## Rodders

I too thought Jupiter Ascending was a poor film. However, it did look gorgeous and the ships looked amazing.

I don’t think it would’ve taken many changes to make it a good movie.


----------



## Droflet

Rodders said:


> I too thought Jupiter Ascending was a poor film. However, it did look gorgeous and the ships looked amazing.
> 
> I don’t think it would’ve taken many changes to make it a good movie.



Sadly, Rodders, they didn't.


----------



## J Riff

Droflet said:


> Sadly, Rodders, they didn't.


maybe change out the writer and director, and their cousins, and... )


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Last of the Secret Agents?* (1966)

Pretty lame spy spoof, although I've seen worse.  The opening sequence is pretty clever, as we see about a dozen spies pass along messages and shoot each other in an elaborate, Rube Goldberg sort of fashion.  Then things go downhill as we meet our heroes, the once popular comedy team of Allen and Rossi.  Rossi is the singing straight man, a sort of poor man's Dean Martin.  Allen is the goofy one, a little round guy with big, fuzzy hair who says "Hello Dere!" a lot.   The two wind up working for the Good Guy Institute, fighting the villainous organization THEM.  (The unexplained acronym is so we can have jokes like "Find them THEM guys.")  The chief baddie is a guy who steals art treasures.  He's got the arms of the Venus de Milo, so he wants the rest.  The actor playing him is pretty good, underplaying the role in contrast to all the exaggerated mugging going on.  (When he finally gets arrested, he calmly tells the cops "I'm the product of overcrowded public schools.")  Nancy Sinatra is around to sing the title song, have a romance with Rossi, speak in a phony French accent, and have her dress accidentally torn off.  There are a couple of breaking the fourth wall moments, but otherwise it's mostly silly slapstick.  The heroes have an umbrella that's a radio, a pen that writes invisible ink, and shoots daggers.  In a gag stolen directly from _Get Smart_, there's a beautiful, voluptuous actress who is supposed to be a man in disguise.  (You can tell because her voice is dubbed by a basso profundo.)  In a surreal moment, folks in a train change clothing completely whenever the train goes through a tunnel, even winding up looking like people in a Tarzan movie, complete with elephant.  In an odd sequence, the heroes wind up taking part in a movie about Nazis; featuring Harvey Korman as their commander, this scene plays like a completely unrelated skit.  And I've probably made it seem more interesting than it is.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Catman of Paris *(1946)

Cheap little monster movie set in the City of Light in the late 19th century.  Famous writer has just published a novel which happens to closely resemble a notorious court case, the details of which were supposed to be sealed for fifty years.  The author might get in trouble with the government.  The guy also has odd little spells where he has visions of things like lightning bolts, icebergs, a buoy, etc.  Wouldn't you know it; those spells just happen to coincide with some murders.  The police inspector immediately suspects that it was the work of a catman.  In this universe, it seems to be an accepted fact that eight times in history, going back for a couple of millennia, a catman appears when Jupiter is in conjunction with a certain constellation (the name of which doesn't match any constellation in this universe.)  Yes, I know that a planet can't be in conjunction with a constellation.  Anyway, this phenomenon occurs when some great event in history happens.  In this case, it seems to have something to do with the confusing subplot about the writer's book.   The writer is the obvious suspect, so his new girlfriend -- the old one got slashed by the catman -- hides him, after we get a big fight scene in a swanky restaurant, and a coach chase scene.  Well, you're way ahead of the movie by now, so you know our hero isn't the (as yet unseen) catman.  The real one is revealed at the end, we get to see the decent, but very minimal, catman makeup, and we find out that he will no longer be reincarnated because he's used up his -- wait for it -- nine lives.  Besides the truly nutty mythology behind the catman, we have a whole lot of people standing around talking.  There's an odd sequence where the police inspector has a model made of the street where the first murder took place, just so we can have a joke scene of an ordinary cat walking through like a giant feline.  We have slightly more than a hour to fill up, so we've also got a can-can dance near the beginning to kill time.  It's pretty dull stuff, for the most part, relieved by its more eccentric aspects.


----------



## AE35Unit

*X-Men (2000), X2- X Men reunited (2003)*


----------



## Rodders

Finished The Old Guard. A so so movie. Enjoyable enough, but nothing exceptional. The ending was totally set up for a sequel. 

6 Underground. another by-the-numbers action flick from Michael Bay. Ryan Reynolds is always entertaining, but there was so many set pieces I kinda got bored by the end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Face of Marble *(1946)

Poverty Row chiller with a plot that's odd enough to hold one's interest.  Takes place almost entirely inside the seaside home of scientist John Carradine, which certainly saves on the budget.  Carradine and his young assistant (played by an actor who is actually older than Carradine) manage to revive a guy they find drowned, but a storm zaps their equipment and the guy dies again.  (He has white makeup on his face when reanimated, giving us our title, but this is really a trivial part of the plot.)  Then we get our back story and meet the other characters.  There's Carradine's young wife, who married him about a year ago after he saved her life through brain surgery.  There's Maria, a servant of uncertain ethnicity who practices some kind of vague voodoo "jungle" magic.  It seems that Maria thinks Carradine's wife should be matched up with the younger doctor.  Neither one of them is interested, and the fellow has his own sweetheart, who shows up as a house guest to set the plot in motion.  Carradine manages to revive the family dog, but it comes back as a vicious beast who is not only impervious to bullets, but can walk through walls!  Maria plots to kill the young doctor's girlfriend through some kind of poisonous smoke, but winds up killing Carradine's wife instead.  Of course, he revives her.  Maria has some kind of supernatural control over the zombie wife, and uses her to kill Carradine.  The young doctor is the prime suspect in the murder, and not only has to prove his innocence but save his sweetie from Maria.  Carradine gives a good performance.  It's worth a look for fans of low budget shockers of yesteryear.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nightfall *(1988)

Universally reviled, very loose adaptation of the Isaac Asimov story of the same name.  Keeps only the basic concept that a planet with multiple suns is going to experience night for the first time in quite a while.  Pretty much consists of hippie folks doing various random things.  There's a blind cult leader who welcomes the darkness.  There's another guy who wants to take the population underground and use kites in some fashion or other to keep things going.  There's a woman -- apparently a former wife or lover of the second guy -- who voluntarily has her eyes poked out by hawks to join the blind man's cult.  There are gratuitous sex scenes, and a lot of sexual jealousy, leading to one woman stabbing another to death with a crystal blade.  (Appropriate to the New Age feeling of this thing, there are a lot crystals.)  I found it very difficult to follow the complex relationships among the characters.    After all this, ends in an anticlimactic fashion with folks admiring the beauty of the night sky instead of going mad.  Apparently there is another version of the story from the year 2000, which many reviewers say is even worse.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Castle *(1952)

Entertaining swashbuckler with the mood of Gothic horror.  Starts with a couple of servants about to bury a man and a woman.  The supposedly dead man's narration lets us know he's only in a state of suspended animation, and we go into a flashback.  It's late 18th century Austria.  The hero goes to the bad guy's castle under an assumed name to find out what happened to a couple of his buddies.  Among other attractions, the place has a black leopard, starved and released to be hunted (or to hunt down people) and a pit full of alligators.  The hero and the bad guy's unhappy wife fall in love and plan to run off together.  Complications ensue, leading to a plot to bury the lovers alive.  Add in Boris Karloff, doing an excellent job as a physician who plays an important part in the plot, and Lon Chaney, Jr., as a mute, hulking brute.  The one-eyed bad guy is quite an enjoyable villain, and he's got a couple of equally nasty aristocrats to add to the fun.  Fine black-and-white cinematography and good production values add to the appeal.  Recommended.


----------



## Rodders

Annihilation, which I really enjoyed. I‘m bored with Hollywood action set pieces, so a slower movie just trying to tell a story was just what I needed. Some nice effects.

Saving Mr. Banks. A wonderful movie about Walt Disney trying to script Mary Poppins while the writer, P. L. Travers blocks him at every turn. It really was a lovely movie and Emma Thompson was exquisite.


----------



## Faith Lehane

I'm going to mention the SF films about scientists doing science I watched recently.

"The Signal" - the only star (yet) was Laurence Fishburne, but he was properly creepy.  An exciting little film, with a new mystery about every 15 minutes, and a staggering twisty ending that I'm still not sure I understand.

"ARQ" - a time loop story which I haven't been able to finish because of interruptions, but it's pretty exciting.  Dark and gritty.

"Predestination" -- an all-time favorite time-loop, which I mention only 'cuz I'm watching it again.  I'm hoping all you folks have watched this very-faithful-to-the-story Ethan Hawke-starring adaptation of Heinlein's "--All You Zombies--"

Cheers, all.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_Lord Of The Rings_ trilogy (across 3 weekends...)
Definitely the second best Tolkien adaption.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *Berlin Express* (1948) Noir Alley; about a meeting between big-shots intending to reunify Germany. Though I am thinking that I must have misunderstood what Paul Lucas' character was saying, because it seems that was the last thing anyone wanted at the time. Robert Lindley (Robert Ryan) on a train going from one post war Germany city to another, by chance meets Dr. Bernhardt (Paul Lukas), a peace activist who is the target of assassins.
> 
> Tense drama, as authorities aided by most of the people who met Dr. Bernhardt (on the train) search the ruins for clues to his whereabouts. Those opposed to the peace conference had abducted him.



I recorded this a couple of months ago and finally watched it. It's exactly what you say, Jeffbert, a tense thriller and another example of how Robert Ryan may have been the most interesting and underrated actor to come out of the 1940s. What increases this movie's interest, though, is that it was the first movie to be shot on location in Germany after WWII, and the background of much of the movie is the real Frankfort post-bombings. The story is enjoyable as you watch, but it's the backgrounds that stick with you, the walls still standing amid rubble, massive buildings that seem whole from one angle except you can see sky through their windows, the columns without a building, the statuary surrounded by wreakage. 

I'm pretty sure I saw this as a kid or young adult. There are some striking images that ring a bell. 

Randy M.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Apparently there is another version of the story from the year 2000, which many reviewers say is even worse.



Now doesn't that make you want to go out and take a look? No? Me neither! ---- A great story which probably shouldn't have been changed in the least.


----------



## Bren G

Just watched Empire Strikes Back on the big screen on the weekend. Was just as good as it was 40 years ago!


----------



## AlexH

From the best to least favourite of my most recent watches...

*Paterson* (2016)
A slow-burning film about a bus-driving poet, his day-to-day life and that of his creative partner. Really, I think the film was about poetry itself and writing as a satisfying pursuit. Those seemingly simple moments us writers hope to put into beautiful words. Paterson was heading for 7/10, but I loved the ending and it became an 8 (I rarely rate anything higher than 8). The best film about writing? Quite possibly,

The director, Jim Jarmusch, also directed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. He seems to make interesting films, so I will seek out more.

*The Spirit of the Beehive *(1973)
Interesting story about a kid who is creeped out by a showing of the original Frankenstein film in a Spanish village and how it changes the way she sees people.

*Las niñas bien *(2018)
I felt sorry for the group of female socialites trying to outdo each other in this film set during an 1980s economic crisis in Mexico.

*Nymphomaniac: Vol. I* (2013)
Infamous for its explicit sex on launch, I felt the few minutes of that wasn't necessary to tell the Nymphomaniac: Vol. I story any better. I liked the matter-of-factness of Stellan Skarsgård's character as he listened to Charlotte Gainsbourg's character, though some of his responses felt too contrived.

Uma Thurman was incredible as her character had a crazy mental-breakdown. I'd love to see her playing other such strong parts. Quite possibly the best single scene I've seen from anyone who was only present for a single scene. And I don't _think _her scene included _any_ sex (I could be wrong) if anyone is put off by that but would like to see that scene.

If I'd known the film's ending meant I'd have to watch Vol. II, I wouldn't have watched Vol. I (meaning 4 hours in total), but I was intrigued enough to continue.

*Nymphomaniac: Vol. II* (2013)
Things got dark in Vol II. Difficult to watch at times, Jamie Bell (most famous as Billy Elliot) was the outstanding actor here. There were unexpected and intriguing aspects to Vol. II, as well as a couple of plain odd things. I thought the final ending was awful and in many ways predictable. What could have been a story about friendship and feminism ended up just sad. The film should've ended a couple of minutes earlier. So this film dropped from a 7 to 6/10 thanks to the ending. I found the two volumes worth watching, but 4 hours over the two volumes was a bit of a stretch.

*Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!* (1989)
Surreal sort of film about a porn star kidnapped by a released prisoner, who hopes she'll fall in love with him. I guess this was an early role for
Antonio Banderas. I was unable to suspend my disbelief enough. It was a decent film, but I always hope for more than that.


----------



## JadeW

Last night I saw the horror movie *Winchester*. It's not that scary and it has the typical horror cliché (the rocking chair). Yet I thought it was interesting that they took the story of Sarah Winchester (of the Winchester gun company) who had a huge mansion that she kept building rooms in because of the ghosts of the victims who were killed by a Winchester. It has the phenomenal Helen Mirren playing the title role. I watched it on Netflix.


----------



## AlexH

Oops. Wrong Thread Vol. I.


----------



## AlexH

Wrong Thread Vol. II.

No delete option?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Pit* AKA *Teddy *(1981)

This is a weird one.  Starts with a scene that will be repeated, in whole, in the middle of the film, so it's hard to tell what's going on.  Oh, and there's a quick flashback inside this scene, so that adds to the confusion.  Back at the real movie, we meet our main character, a messed-up twelve-year-old boy.  He's got no friends, except for his teddy bear.  He talks to it, and it talks back to him.  At first, this could just be the kid's imagination, but we see the teddy bear's head move when he isn't around.  His parents go off somewhere and leave him in the care of a college student.  Just about the very first thing the kid does when she shows up is sneak a peek up her skirt.  Later he'll watch her in the shower.  Mind you, she doesn't take many precautions; walking into his bedroom in a very skimpy nightie, failing to lock the bathroom door or even close the shower curtains, washing the kid's back when he's in the bath, etc.  I hasten to say that she's not leading him on, she just seems to lack common sense.  By the way, the kid also plays a particularly nasty trick on another woman, when he calls her on the phone, via a tape recording, and claims to have kidnapped her niece, forcing her to strip in her window to get her back, so he can take Polaroid photos.   All this preteen psycho pervert stuff isn't really the main part of the movie, because the kid also knows about some little furry meat-eating humanoid creatures living in a big hole in the ground.  At first he just throws raw meat into the pit, buying it from the butcher with money he steals from his babysitter.  Eventually, he starts pushing people he doesn't like into the hole.  (This is where the footage we saw at the beginning of the movie is repeated.)  He shows the pit to the babysitter, and she accidentally falls in.  Upset by the loss of the object of all his stalking, he puts a rope into the pit, so the creatures can get out and start killing folks in the community.  Meanwhile, the ghost of the babysitter shows up.  We get the monsters attacking some skinny-dipping teenagers, and the cops attacking the monsters.  Then we get our twist ending: 



Spoiler



The kid meets a girl about his same age, she leads him to yet another pit full of flesh-eating monsters, and pushes him in.



It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but endlessly fascinating because of the outrageous plot elements.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Parson said:


> Now doesn't that make you want to go out and take a look? No? Me neither! ---- A great story which probably shouldn't have been changed in the least.



Because I'm a glutton for punishment . . .

*Nightfall *(2000)

Direct-to-video version of the Asimov story.  The conflicting forces are the Watchers (religion) and the University (science.)  Starts with a Watcher archaeological expedition of some sort opening a pit containing the remains of the folks who went mad and killed each other the last time there was darkness, a millennium ago.  The daughter of David Carradine, the head of the University (and the only big name in this thing), although forbidden to enter, sneaks in.  (The Watchers only leave one guard, and he falls asleep, even though this is supposed to be a very big deal and vital to keep the University folks out.)  Even though this pit was covered up until just now, it's full of a huge number of cobras.  (This was filmed in India, and you can tell.  The Watcher temple is quite obviously a Hindu temple.)  A Watcher rescues her with his amazing telekinetic powers, setting the snakes on fire.  You see, he was born with these superpowers, left to die by his parents, and adopted by the evil head of the Watchers for his own sinister purposes.  Since this superhero is our Good Guy, however, he doesn't really believe in the Watcher stuff.  He goes with the heroine out into the desert.  After a random battle with "sand searchers" (folks with faces painted black and white, wielding huge swords, and riding horses), they go into a cave, have a random battle with "darklings" (underground folks with, again, big swords) and meet a woman who is living in yet another set of ruins from the last time of darkness.  They make their way back with a telescope.  (Even though the heroine has a Flash Gordon style zap gun to fight with, apparently this civilization never got as far as telescopes.  Oh, by the way, the clue that led them to the cave was the fact that the hero found a camera there sometime in the past; another form of technology they don't have, it seems.)   The two become lovers, of course.  It all boils down to darkness coming, and the Watchers launching an attack on the University with, you guessed it, big swords, intent on killing them all.  Instead of the appearance of the stars driving people mad, as in the story, apparently civilization falls every time it gets dark because of this kind of violence. 

This version is a tiny bit better than the 1988 version, I think, although it's not very good at all.  It's got a few little bits that actually have something to do with the original story.  (The fact that the folks have an inherent fear of darkness, so that a "thrill ride" is just walking through a dark tunnel.  When the heroine finds a notebook in the cave, the text, apparently the observations of a witness to the last time of darkness, is taken from the last few lines of the story.)

But there are a lot of bad points.  The hero's god-like superpowers are ridiculous, and the heroine seems more like a whiny teenager than the bold scientist she's supposed to be.  The film doesn't really need the seemingly endless scenes of sword fights, explosions, fires, and the like.


----------



## Droflet

You lost me with cobras.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Droflet said:


> You lost me with cobras.




Yeah.  That whole scene looks a lot like *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, which is hardly appropriate.


----------



## Droflet

Well your majesty, if you're going to steal, then steal from the best.


----------



## Parson

@Victoria Silverwolf ..... My hat's off to you. I would never have attempted to watch that movie. As bad as the Nightfall (2000) sounded that it was better than the 1988 version is nearly unbelievable. ----- I have an idea! Maybe someone should make a movie and actually use the story in the book! --- I'm a genius.


----------



## Mouse

*Dodgeball* is currently on TV so I'm watching that. I adore Alan Tudyk.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Fahrenheit 451 (2018)*
Hmm not sure what to make of it. Parts of it reminded me of the novel 1984 by Orwell, there were elements which I don't remember being in the original film and I've not read the book
Were Eels mentioned originally?
Its said that the director admitted that he didn't 'get' the book or how to make it into a film. In that case you should walk away.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cyclone *AKA *Terror Storm* (1978)

Mexican disaster/survival/shark attack film.  Starts with the cyclone (or "terror storm," if you prefer) as some folks in a glass-bottom tour boat, a fishing boat, and an airplane wind up stranded in the middle of nowhere in the Caribbean.  In an amazing coincidence, the survivors of the fishing boat (in a dinghy) and the survivors of the plane crash (in flotation vests) wind up near the glass-bottom boat, so they climb aboard.  Along with footage of stuff going on on shore, in order to fill up the two-hour running time of this very slow-moving flick, we mostly have these people suffering from lack of water (relieved by rain) and food (relieved by, well, see below) as they wait to be rescued for days and days and days.  We've got some kids, a priest, a very pregnant woman, a woman with her spoiled little dog, and so on.  Not much happens, really, until we get to the movie's brief dramatic (the childbirth) and gruesome scenes.  Among the latter are the killing and eating of the dog, the cannibalizing of those folks who die along the way, and, after the boat sinks because somebody drops an ice chest containing the fresh water supply on the glass bottom, a bloody shark attack on everybody.  It's deadly dull for the most part, with the sudden shock scenes breaking up the monotony.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Go Tell the Spartans* (1978)

Modestly budgeted movie about the Vietnam war, released at a time when big budget films about that conflict got more attention.  Unlike the others, this one takes place very early in the war, when Americans were still "advisors."  Burt Lancaster stars as a Major who has to send a small team of GIs with several Vietnamese to set up a garrison in a village abandoned by the French years ago.  This draws the attention of the enemy.  Lancaster gets orders to evacuate the Americans and wounded Vietnamese, but, due to the limitations of the evacuating helicopter, has to leave the "walking wounded" behind.  One idealistic GI refuses to leave the wounded, and Lancaster reluctantly stays with him, intending to help him evacuate over land.  Let's just say that things don't work out too well.  The small scale of this film works to its advantage, letting us feel the frustration, uncertainty, and fear of the American soldiers, in a land where an ally who casually beheads a prisoner is also the guy who helps you survive the worst moments, and where you can't tell who is just a villager trying to survive and who is an enemy out to kill you.  Lancaster is excellent.


----------



## biodroid

*The Kissing Booth 2* - If you liked the first movie you will probably like this one as well. Long distance relationships get tested to the limit in this one.


----------



## Foxbat

The Lost Continent (1968).

 A quite bizarre movie from Hammer. It begins as a drama set upon an old ship heading for Caracus. On board, a cynical captain on his last voyage. He’s secretly carrying a dangerous and illegal  cargo in the hold. Meanwhile, a group of passengers, each with their own reason for fleeing port, drink and reveal their  motivations for being on board. A storm forces them to abandon ship, only to be reuinted with it in the Sargasso  Sea, where living seaweed threatens to devour them. 

Also present in this ’lost continent’ are a religious cult, boy king, conquistadors and other strange characters. What stikes me as bizarre is not the presence of monsters or strange characters but that all the build up into the pysches and motivations of the passengers is all but forgotten whilst monsters are battled. It’s as if some editor spliced two different films into one. As an example, Hildegard Knef and Suzanna Leigh play a couple of femme fatales in the first half of the movie and we witness the stresses and strains driving them,  only to be almost forgotten about in the second half. They are wheeled out now and again for the odd scream at invading plant life, which seems to have a strange predilection for beautiful women. I’d have thought carniverous kelp wouldn’t care whether its food were male or female but it seems a shapely leg or two can really wrack its bladders. Who’d have thought it....

It’s an odd movie with poor special effects, yet strangely compelling. I’ve watched it before and I’ll probably watch it again...and yet....I don’t know why....


----------



## dask

Outstanding John Ford western about the O.K. corral and the events leading to it. Being Ford it’s realistic but being Hollywood historical accuracy is suspect. Still, beautifully filmed on location in Monument Valley, the kind of movie Sergio Leone would have made had he been directing in 1946. Walter Brennan superb as father of the doomed Clanton gang.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *A Walk in the Sun *(1945)
> 
> Outstanding WWII movie, made while the war was still going on.  A platoon of GI's lands on an Italian beachhead and makes its way inland six miles, eventually storming a farmhouse full of German soldiers.  That's the whole plot, but what makes the film watching are the interactions among the Americans.  (You barely see the enemy at all, just a few brief shots at the end of the back of their heads.)  Between sudden scenes of violence, we get a lot of walking, a lot of talking about all kinds of things, and a lot of complaining.  Clearly these guys hate being there and just want to get back home.  Notable for having a sergeant suffer a mental breakdown from the stress of battle.  There's a ballad about the stuff going on that sounds like a spiritual playing in some scenes; an unusual narrative technique which you may love or hate.



I am sure I have seen this, good, indeed!



Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Chase* (1946)
> 
> Offbeat _film noir_ with some truly unusual plot twists.  Robert Cummings is a decorated Navy veteran down on his luck; we first see him standing in front of a diner, watching the cook fry up bacon and pancakes, obviously without the money to buy himself breakfast.  Looking down, he sees a wallet at his feet, full of cash.  He spends a buck and a half on a meal, then tracks down the guy who owns the wallet, intent on returning it.  At the guy's fabulous mansion, we see Peter Lorre as his right hand man, so we know that these are bad guys.  Indeed, just about the first thing we see the boss do is savagely slap a manicurist who accidentally cuts him.  Amused by Cummings' honesty, he hires him as his chauffeur.  On their first drive, it turns out the boss has a gizmo that allows him to control the car's speed from the back seat, so Cummings has to try to keep control of the vehicle while going one hundred miles per hour towards a set of railroad tracks where a train is due.  We also see Lorre and the boss kill a rival by locking him in the wine cellar with a vicious dog.  The real plot begins when the boss's wife, desperate to escape her husband, gets Cummings to buy two tickets to Havana, from where they can then escape to South America.
> 
> First, and less bizarre, plot twist:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The woman is killed by the boss's henchmen in Havana, and Cummings is the prime suspect.  He has to elude the boss and the Cuban cops.
> 
> 
> 
> Second, and more bizarre, plot twist:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Nothing after he bought the tickets actually happened!  He seems to be suffering from what we now call PTSD, imagined the whole escape and murder, and now doesn't remember that he's supposed to help the woman get away.  It's a race against time; will he regain his memory?  Will the boss find out about the plan to escape, and stop them?
> 
> 
> 
> The film is based on the Cornell Woolrich novel _The Black Path of Fear_, which, by all reports, has the first plot twist but not the second.  This major change in the story manages to keep the nightmarish feeling of a Woolrich plot.  The ending, like the beginning, depends on Fate stepping in.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Chasing after the escaping pair, the boss uses the gizmo in his car to race against another train, this time losing, destroying himself and Lorre.
> 
> 
> 
> Nicely filmed, well acted.  Recommended.



Hope Noir Alley will show this, as I could not find it on Prime.




Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Last of the Secret Agents?* (1966)
> 
> Pretty lame spy spoof, although I've seen worse.  The opening sequence is pretty clever, as we see about a dozen spies pass along messages and shoot each other in an elaborate, Rube Goldberg sort of fashion.  Then things go downhill as we meet our heroes, the once popular comedy team of Allen and Rossi.  Rossi is the singing straight man, a sort of poor man's Dean Martin.  Allen is the goofy one, a little round guy with big, fuzzy hair who says "Hello Dere!" a lot.   The two wind up working for the Good Guy Institute, fighting the villainous organization THEM.  (The unexplained acronym is so we can have jokes like "Find them THEM guys.")  The chief baddie is a guy who steals art treasures.  He's got the arms of the Venus de Milo, so he wants the rest.  The actor playing him is pretty good, underplaying the role in contrast to all the exaggerated mugging going on.  (When he finally gets arrested, he calmly tells the cops "I'm the product of overcrowded public schools.")  Nancy Sinatra is around to sing the title song, have a romance with Rossi, speak in a phony French accent, and have her dress accidentally torn off.  There are a couple of breaking the fourth wall moments, but otherwise it's mostly silly slapstick.  The heroes have an umbrella that's a radio, a pen that writes invisible ink, and shoots daggers.  In a gag stolen directly from _Get Smart_, there's a beautiful, voluptuous actress who is supposed to be a man in disguise.  (You can tell because her voice is dubbed by a basso profundo.)  In a surreal moment, folks in a train change clothing completely whenever the train goes through a tunnel, even winding up looking like people in a Tarzan movie, complete with elephant.  In an odd sequence, the heroes wind up taking part in a movie about Nazis; featuring Harvey Korman as their commander, this scene plays like a completely unrelated skit.  And I've probably made it seem more interesting than it is.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Black Castle *(1952)
> 
> Entertaining swashbuckler with the mood of Gothic horror.  Starts with a couple of servants about to bury a man and a woman.  The supposedly dead man's narration lets us know he's only in a state of suspended animation, and we go into a flashback.  It's late 18th century Austria.  The hero goes to the bad guy's castle under an assumed name to find out what happened to a couple of his buddies.  Among other attractions, the place has a black leopard, starved and released to be hunted (or to hunt down people) and a pit full of alligators.  The hero and the bad guy's unhappy wife fall in love and plan to run off together.  Complications ensue, leading to a plot to bury the lovers alive.  Add in Boris Karloff, doing an excellent job as a physician who plays an important part in the plot, and Lon Chaney, Jr., as a mute, hulking brute.  The one-eyed bad guy is quite an enjoyable villain, and he's got a couple of equally nasty aristocrats to add to the fun.  Fine black-and-white cinematography and good production values add to the appeal.  Recommended.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Damn! another one that Prime has not.
> 
> *The Pit* AKA *Teddy *(1981)
> 
> This is a weird one.  Starts with a scene that will be repeated, in whole, in the middle of the film, so it's hard to tell what's going on.  Oh, and there's a quick flashback inside this scene, so that adds to the confusion.  Back at the real movie, we meet our main character, a messed-up twelve-year-old boy.  He's got no friends, except for his teddy bear.  He talks to it, and it talks back to him.  At first, this could just be the kid's imagination, but we see the teddy bear's head move when he isn't around.  His parents go off somewhere and leave him in the care of a college student.  Just about the very first thing the kid does when she shows up is sneak a peek up her skirt.  Later he'll watch her in the shower.  Mind you, she doesn't take many precautions; walking into his bedroom in a very skimpy nightie, failing to lock the bathroom door or even close the shower curtains, washing the kid's back when he's in the bath, etc.  I hasten to say that she's not leading him on, she just seems to lack common sense.  By the way, the kid also plays a particularly nasty trick on another woman, when he calls her on the phone, via a tape recording, and claims to have kidnapped her niece, forcing her to strip in her window to get her back, so he can take Polaroid photos.   All this preteen psycho pervert stuff isn't really the main part of the movie, because the kid also knows about some little furry meat-eating humanoid creatures living in a big hole in the ground.  At first he just throws raw meat into the pit, buying it from the butcher with money he steals from his babysitter.  Eventually, he starts pushing people he doesn't like into the hole.  (This is where the footage we saw at the beginning of the movie is repeated.)  He shows the pit to the babysitter, and she accidentally falls in.  Upset by the loss of the object of all his stalking, he puts a rope into the pit, so the creatures can get out and start killing folks in the community.  Meanwhile, the ghost of the babysitter shows up.  We get the monsters attacking some skinny-dipping teenagers, and the cops attacking the monsters.  Then we get our twist ending:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The kid meets a girl about his same age, she leads him to yet another pit full of flesh-eating monsters, and pushes him in.
> 
> 
> 
> It's not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but endlessly fascinating because of the outrageous plot elements.


Intriguing! But again, not on Prime. I might try youtube.

I have not watched any films since last weekend. Hope to do so this weekend.


----------



## Allegra

Watched this eye opening, mind blowing documentary by John Pilger:






The nuclear testing on Marshall Islands and experimenting on its people is just pure evil crime.


----------



## Randy M.

*Cry of the Werewolf* (1944); dir. Henry Levin; starring Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Ona Massen, Barton MacLane

This plays like Columbia Studio's version of a Universal werewolf movie (there is a band of Romani; sorry, though, no Maria Ouspenskaya) merged with RKO's Val Lewton-style presentation -- at times the movie feels strongly influenced by Lewton's _The Cat People_. 

Marie LaTour, leader of a Romani clan, lived well in New Orleans until her husband learned she was a werewolf. She killed him, then disappeared. Now her 20-year-old daughter, Celeste, is the clan's Princess, trying to keep her mother's secret safe from Dr. Morris (Fritz Leiber -- no, not him, his father), who is getting too close to learning the clan's secrets. Crane plays his son, Massen his assistant, and Foch plays Celeste, as well as being the model for Celeste's mother's portrait. Barton MacLane plays a detective because, well, Barton MacLane -- if you know '40s movies, you'll understand.

The wolf shows in the credits and then appears again in a not terribly convincing struggle with the leading man; the wolf is fine, but Crane was a stiff, still this is probably Crane's best scene because he didn't have to read any dialog. The transformation scenes are shown in shadow, and throughout there is a fair amount of _noir_-ish lighting to build atmosphere and it's fairly effective.

Didn't realize Leiber was in it when I started watching, which I did because I remember Foch as an elegant woman in her late-40s, early-50s when guest starring on TV shows. I can't recall ever seeing her as a young woman before. According to IMDB she would have been 20 at the time of this movie, already elegant and really quite good in what would have been disastrous for a lesser actress, and along with Massen offering a reason for watching the movie. 

Randy M.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Odessa File* (1974) - John Voight

Screen adaptation of the book by Frederick Forsyth.  John Voight uncovers a secret Nazi group in early 60s Germany.   Sadly the intrigue of the novel has been replaced by frequent (and predictable) action scenes.   Good acting by Voight and excellent on-location filming.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BENGAL TIGER* (1936) Cliff Ballenger (Barton MacLane, better known for supporting roles in WB crime dramas) is the lion - tamer, who just cannot come to terms with the fact that the tiger Satan, is just not going to be tamed. One night, he comes home drunk, and goes into the arena with Satan, and is about to be killed, when his friend Carl Homan (Paul Graetz) comes to his aid, and takes the brunt of the attack. He dies. Learning of Homan's daughter, Ballenger takes it upon himself to support her, and even marries her; but she does not love him, and being introduced to the circus performers, falls for one. Ballenger, learns of it, and tries to murder the guy with the tiger.



*Dark Tower* (1943) Stephen Torg (Herbert Lom) is a hypnotist who rives a failing circus by hypnotizing a female acrobat so she can perform on a high wire without balancing aids. But, he seduces her, and all the performers hate him.  Fairly good plot.



*Hitler Kaput! */* Hitler goes Kaput* (2008) A Russian-made comedy about a Russian spy in the guise of an SS officer. I kept expecting that Python guy dressed as a British officer  to show up, and complain about how silly it was.  Even though it is set in the late 1944/early 1945 time, they have all the hi-tech gizmos of the current time, including laptop computers.  Very silly.



*ACROSS 110TH STREET* (1972) Mafia guys are in run-down apartment in NY, making exchange of goods for money with Harlem gang guys, when guys dressed as cops break in & demand all the money. One has a sub-machine gun, and when a Mafia guy goes for his own gun, wipes them out. The thieves/ murderers scoop-up all the money, and run. The Mafia top guys cannot abide such a thing, and intend to get the perps before the cops can.

Capt. Mattelli (Anthony Quinn) is a racist/old 3rd degree, style- type and is nearing retirement. he resents Lt. Pope (Yaphet Kotto) who is the new guy, and is in charge of the investigation.  Plenty of conflict between the two gangs, and, likewise between the Capt. & the Lt., both because of rank & race. Very intense!




*MANIAC* (1963)  Hammer film; remains very intense, despite its age. Man rapes girl, her father kills him with acetylene torch, goes insane asylum instead of prison. 4 years later, along comes the hero, Jeff Farrell (Kerwin Mathews)  who becomes interested in the girl, now 19, but her stepmother seduces him, and lures him into a plot to help her husband (the maniac) escape from the nut house.
The ending was very satisfying!


----------



## Foxbat

Midway. It tries to do a bit of  Fleischer’s Tora Tora Tora but it’s simply not in the same league. I’m a sucker for a good naval battle though and thought the ones here (it covers from Pearl Harbour until  June ‘42 rather than just Midway itself) were pretty decent.

It was generally panned by the critics and it has a lot of faults. But, as I say, put me in front  of a movie filled with big ships and loads of planes and  I’m usually a pretty happy bunny. Not one to tax the brain.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> *Cry of the Werewolf* (1944); dir. Henry Levin; starring Nina Foch, Stephen Crane, Ona Massen, Barton MacLane
> 
> This plays like Columbia Studio's version of a Universal werewolf movie (there is a band of Romani; sorry, though, no Maria Ouspenskaya) merged with RKO's Val Lewton-style presentation -- at times the movie feels strongly influenced by Lewton's _The Cat People_.
> 
> Marie LaTour, leader of a Romani clan, lived well in New Orleans until her husband learned she was a werewolf. She killed him, then disappeared. Now her 20-year-old daughter, Celeste, is the clan's Princess, trying to keep her mother's secret safe from Dr. Morris (Fritz Leiber -- no, not him, his father), who is getting too close to learning the clan's secrets. Crane plays his son, Massen his assistant, and Foch plays Celeste, as well as being the model for Celeste's mother's portrait. Barton MacLane plays a detective because, well, Barton MacLane -- if you know '40s movies, you'll understand.
> 
> The wolf shows in the credits and then appears again in a not terribly convincing struggle with the leading man; the wolf is fine, but Crane was a stiff, still this is probably Crane's best scene because he didn't have to read any dialog. The transformation scenes are shown in shadow, and throughout there is a fair amount of _noir_-ish lighting to build atmosphere and it's fairly effective.
> 
> Didn't realize Leiber was in it when I started watching, which I did because I remember Foch as an elegant woman in her late-40s, early-50s when guest starring on TV shows. I can't recall ever seeing her as a young woman before. According to IMDB she would have been 20 at the time of this movie, already elegant and really quite good in what would have been disastrous for a lesser actress, and along with Massen offering a reason for watching the movie.
> 
> Randy M.




My own review, from five years ago:



> Even at sixty-three minutes, there are some pretty dull stretches, and the comedy relief cops are excruciating. The film's biggest flaw is the fact that the "wolf" is very, very obviously a friendly dog. The leading man is pretty bland.
> 
> On the other hand, the back story is interesting, the (entirely fictional, I'm sure) Gypsy lore is intriguing, a couple of the smaller roles are nicely acted (I enjoyed the tour guide, the guard who speaks sweetly to the cute cat, and the mortician), and many scenes are nicely shadowy and atmospheric.
> 
> Best of all, the rivalry between the two female leads was fascinating. Nina Foch may be a little too all-American (even though she was Dutch-born) as the Gypsy werewolf, but she has a certain power in the role. I was quite impressed by the more exotic Osa Massen as the Good Girl, whose "Transylvanian" (actually Danish) accent was charming. In particular, the scene near the end when Foch uses hypnosis of a sort in an attempt to transform Massen into her "sister" werewolf was nicely done.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Stuff I watched at home during my usual week away from the computer at work:

*Shadows *(1958)

One of a set of independent, improvisational films from John Cassavetes.  This one deals with interracial relationships among some folks in New York City.  By its very nature, not plot-driven, although the main story is about a light-skinned African-American woman and her disappointments in love, as well as the struggles of her two brothers.

*Joe *(1970)

I saw this a long time ago, so revisiting it was pretty much a new experience.  In a state of rage, a rich guy kills, more or less accidentally, the drug dealer who addicted his daughter.  He meets the title character in a bar, and he reveals his secret to him.  The bigoted, hippie-hating Joe approves of the man's action.  Together they hunt for the missing daughter, with tragic results.  It's a very hard-hitting film, with a strong performance by Peter Boyle as Joe.  Very much a portrait of its time.  Notable is the contrast between the upper class man and the blue collar Joe.

*All Night Long *(1962)

The basic plot of _Othello _told in modern terms.  Our Iago is Patrick McGoohan, as a jazz drummer trying to break up the marriage of a jazz pianist and a jazz singer during a big bash for their first anniversary.    His motive is strictly financial; if the singer leaves her husband, she'll go back to singing, and the drummer can make a deal to have her join his group.  McGoohan's performance is a revelation for those used to seeing him in _Danger Man_/_Secret Agent _or _The Prisoner_.  Notable for the presence of jazz greats like Charlie Mingus and Dave Brubeck.

*The League of Gentlemen *(1960)

Heist film in which the leader gathers a group of WWII veterans, all with criminal backgrounds, in order to rob a bank in the style of a military operation.  First they have to steal firearms from an army base, so it's really two heist movies in one.  As you'd expect, the carefully planned robbery goes wrong, due to one little factor.  A good example of the genre, if not groundbreaking.

*Little Women *(2019)

The newest version of the much-filmed novel.  This one is obviously a big budget, lush production, with every scene a visual feast.  The narrative structure is unusual, as the film constantly jumps back and forth in time.  Other offbeat ways of telling the story include people talking directly to the audience to let us hear what they write in letters, and a sequence which is repeated from the beginning in order to reveal that the first time it was a dream, and that the reality is very different.  Adds a touch of gentle feminism, and includes some post-modern self-reference.  The novel that Jo March, the main character, publishes is called _Little Women_, and she only agrees to have the protagonist get married at the end at the insistence of the publisher.  This may indicate that the movie's conclusion, in which Jo gets married, is itself a fiction added to the "real" story.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Incident *(1967)

Intense little film in which two creeps (a very young Tony Musante and Martin Sheen) start off by robbing a guy at knife point, then beat him senseless when the crime only yields eight bucks.  We then cut to various scenes establishing the soap opera problems of our other characters.  They're somewhat one diensional -- you've got the recovering alcoholic, the bickering married couple, etc. -- but a bunch of very familiar character actors bring them to life.  They all wind up on the same subway car with the two hoodlums, who psychologically torment them, strictly for kicks.  They start off with the easiest victims, the ones whom the others won't help -- the sleeping homeless man, the gay man, the elderly couple, and so on.    After this goes on for a while, a soldier with a broken arm (an equally young Beau Bridges) finally gets fed up and fights them by himself.  In a bitterly ironic touch at the end, when the cops finally show up, they immediately assume the trouble was caused by the only African-American man on the subway.   It's a brutally effective look at how most of us become ineffectual cowards when things go bad.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Le Mans '66* [aka *Ford versus Ferrari*]
I'm assuming it is at least historically accurate enough not to get sued by those involved.
Matt Damon was good as Carroll Shelby but Christian Bale was outstanding as Ken Myles, even with his slightly dodgy Black Country accent.
The passion for cars came through and the racing was almost visceral.
I even liked the politics inside Ford and around Ferrari.
And for once the cars while racing felt like cars racing. I don't know how much if any CGI there was, but it felt like there was none. The photography looked lush, almost height of Hollywood lush. This was a romance with pistons and exhausts.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Untouchables (1987)


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> My own review, from five years ago:
> 
> Even at sixty-three minutes, there are some pretty dull stretches, and the comedy relief cops are excruciating. The film's biggest flaw is the fact that the "wolf" is very, very obviously a friendly dog. The leading man is pretty bland.



Yes to all that.



> On the other hand, the back story is interesting, the (entirely fictional, I'm sure) Gypsy lore is intriguing, a couple of the smaller roles are nicely acted (I enjoyed the tour guide, the guard who speaks sweetly to the cute cat, and the mortician), and many scenes are nicely shadowy and atmospheric.
> 
> Best of all, the rivalry between the two female leads was fascinating. Nina Foch may be a little too all-American (even though she was Dutch-born) as the Gypsy werewolf, but she has a certain power in the role. I was quite impressed by the more exotic Osa Massen as the Good Girl, whose "Transylvanian" (actually Danish) accent was charming. In particular, the scene near the end when Foch uses hypnosis of a sort in an attempt to transform Massen into her "sister" werewolf was nicely done.



The tour guide I know I've seen before and he had a voice made for radio, so probably that, too. The movie had some nice moments, some lapses in logic, and Foch and Massen would probably both be more appreciated as actresses today than they were then. 

Randy M.


----------



## AstroZon

*Perry Mason: The Case of the Shattered Dream *(1959) Raymond Burr, etc.. 

Rare TV episode that easily could have been stretched into a movie.  What makes Shattered Dream so good is that its one of the more film-noirish episodes of Perry Mason: big jazzy soundtrack, off horizon camera angles (both low and high,) gangster heavies, femme fatales, cigarettes, double crosses, and a twisted plot with everyone in it for themselves.


----------



## Mouse

*Lake Placid vs Anaconda*. It was on TV. Randomly had a dude from Hollyoaks (British soap) in it.

Bascially, Danny Lomax from Hollyoaks gets swallowed alive by a giant CGI anaconda. He lets off a grenade in its stomach. Snake blows up. Danny Lomax from Hollyoaks's randomly decapitated head flies out.

It's brilliant.


----------



## J Riff

Well, -* Sputnik,* a new SF/Horror movie from Russia , it - (spoilage)>>>> kinda tries to be _Alien._ We have a parasitic lifeform, it latches onto one of our returning astronauts. He's a hero of the Soviet Union etc. and there's vague subplottage about his deceased wife and orphan kid --- but this lifeform actually comes out of his body at night, and crawls round. It eats Cortisol... so it wants to scare you before it croaks you... and our Cosmonaut becomes one with it... the evil regime feeds it a few convicts. Like that, it's a monster movie, very dark scenes, lots low-pitch synth tones... and the monster comes on out every night, and eventually it kills some of the bad guys, then is killed...and it almost, it sort of is all right, this one, it keeps ya watching, but it could have been better, Comrades.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, JR, I kept thinking what it could have been with a bit more tweaking to the script.


----------



## Foxbat

Penda’s Fen (1974)
Commissioned by BBC in 1974, it’s rarely been seen since and perhaps the biggest question is ‘what is it?’

Stephen Franklin is a friendless individual with a love of Elgar and all things English. His typical grammar school upbringing is bookended by his religion and his very conservative view of the world. The cauldron in which his character is formed is his home - a small, sleepy  town surrounded by rolling hills. It seems to be a place for for a postcard, where Jerusalem is sung regularly at school and Stephen plays the organ in church where his  father is the local parson.

It is a troubling time for the teenager as his emerging sexual awakening takes hold. He suffers from guilt ridden dreams as he seeks a place and a purpose for himself in the world. Personal identity struggles to survive as life foundations begin to crumble, and  amongst all of this turmoil rises the legend of Penda, last of the pagan lords to fall before the advance of Christianity.

A thought provoking and mysterious piece.

Thought provoking and mysterious is not a phrase I would use to describe Birds Of Prey.
I thought Margot Robbie was brilliant in I Tonya but here, she’s just wasted. This boring, cliched movie caused me to keep looking at the clock, wondering how much longer it would last.

The biggest mystery about Birds Of Prey is why it got such good reviews.


----------



## svalbard

Mortal - A movie set in Norway about a drifter who is the reincarnation or descendant of Thor. I am not giving anything away by saying this as it is pretty obvious from the get go.

Directed by the guy who did Troll Hunter it is an excellent origin movie and I hope it gets a sequel. Mortal is both subtitled and in English. Also as a bonus it is only 100 minutes long. Too many movies are far too long these days. Not looking at you Marvel Franchise.


----------



## Rodders

Sounds very interesting, Svalbard.


----------



## Foxbat

Downfall (2004)
It’s been a few years since I’ve seen this movie but a rewatch simply confirms that it’s as impressive and compelling as I remember it to be.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Lost Boys* [1987]
Saw it in the cinema back in the day, so watched it for a nostalgia trip. Not too scary. Not too funny but a good watch all round.
Nice to see vampires that are pre-Buffy and Twilight and not based on Dracula.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nocturna *(1979)

French/Vietnamese belly dancer Nai Bonet has the title role in this disco vampire comedy, as well as being executive producer and providing the story. 

Nocturna is the granddaughter of the elderly Dracula (John Carradine, who first played the part in 1944.)  He's fallen on hard times, having to use dentures instead of real fangs, and using his castle as a hotel in order to pay his taxes.  There's also a Renfield-like servant, played by cult monologist Brother Theodore, who lusts after Nocturna.  ("If only I could get into her coffin!")  There's a nightclub of sorts at the Hotel Transylvania, where a disco band plays.  Nocturna dances with a guy in the band, in the first of many disco scenes we'll get.  You can tell that she's a belly dancer rather than a disco dancer by the moves she makes.  It turns out that disco dancing makes her become less vampiric and more human, evidenced by the fact that she can see herself in mirrors. 

Well, she flies -- by plane, not leather wings -- to New York with the guy, but can't stay with him.  Apparently she needs a coffin for the day, because she goes to some place under the Brooklyn Bridge where an older lady vampire named Jugulia (Yvonne DeCarlo, who, oddly, isn't done up like Lily Munster at all) lives.  This leads to Nocturna attending a meeting of the BSA (Bloodsuckers of America) where we get a guy who talks like Boris Karloff and some very ordinary looking folks who make lame jokes about blood.   There's also a stereotypical African-American drug dealer, calling himself RH Factor, who offers them powdered blood, that they can sniff like cocaine.  We'll later also see he runs a "massage parlor" where a quartet of scantily clad vamps drain their client. 

Time-wasting scenes of Nocturna riding around in a taxi and walking through the streets of New York follow.  Nocturna usually wears outfits consisting of a tight, slinky, floor-length-but-slit-to-the-waist gown, either bright pink or bright purple, worn with a matching filmy cape, but for the big disco dancing scene, she strips down to a typical bikini-like belly dancing costume.   Well, since the end of the movie is coming and we need some plot, Dracula shows up in an attempt to break up the romance.    Nocturna's blond hunk of a boyfriend drives him away by pulling a neon letter "t" off the sign of the disco and using it like a cross.  Love conquers all, and Nocturna gets to witness a sunrise for the first time in her life.  The End.

Bonet is gorgeous and a sight to behold in her sparkly outfits, but she may be the worst actress I've ever seen.  Every one of her lines is delivered in a deadpan monotone, and she has exactly two expressions:  neutral and big smile.  Carradine and DiCarlo ham it up, and Brother Theodore does his own thing, using a couple of lines from his infamous nightclub routine.  ("Long live death!" and "As long as we have death, there is hope.")  The boyfriend is completely forgettable.   The vampires turn into Saturday morning cartoon style animated bats now and then.  It's a terrible film in almost every way, but somehow fascinating in the way it manages to do everything the wrong way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Island of the Fishmen *(_L'isola degli uomini pesce_, 1979)

Old-fashioned Italian fantasy adventure.  Set in the late 19th century, it begins with our hero, a naval officer and physician, shipwrecked with some prisoners.  They wind up on an uncharted Caribbean island. One of them gets killed pretty quickly by the sharp claws of a Fishman. Then they find some graves from which bodies have been removed and signs of voodoo rituals. Pretty soon we meet our suave, elegant villain and Bond Girl Barbara Bach, who is obviously reluctantly under his control. It seems that her father -- Joseph Cotton in Mad Scientist mode -- creates a substance to which the Fishmen, descendants of the inhabitants of the lost continent of Atlantis, are addicted. You see, the island is the tip of sunken Atlantis, and the villain trades the substance for treasures the Fishmen bring up from the depths. Later we find out that Cotton is actually turning locals into Fishmen. (That explains the empty graves.) His insane but altruistic purpose is to create a race of beings who can survive when the resources of the land run out. Did I mention that there's a volcano rumbling from time to time? You can guess what happens at the end. The whole thing has a sort of old-time movie serial mixed with Jules Verne feeling to it; the villain has a steampunk diving bell device. The Fishmen constumes, something like the Creature from the Black Lagoon, aren't bad, and everybody treats the somewhat silly story seriously. Good, clean, Saturday afternoon matinee fun, with only mild violence. (American distributors took out some footage -- admittedly, the original moves a little slowly -- and added new scenes with much more gore, giving it titles like *Something Waits in the Dark* and *Screamers*, and tried to sell it as an R-rated horror film.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Return of Mr. Moto *(1965)

Failed attempt to revive the Japanese secret agent in the Bond era.  Henry Silva has the title role.  Oddly, no attempt at all is made to make him seem or sound Japanese, and he might as well be playing somebody named Smith.   The plot involves a conspiracy to control oil supplies in the Middle East, through blowing up refineries, assassinations, etc.  The bad guys kill Moto's old buddy, chase him but he gets away, they capture him, he escapes but they think he's dead, he gets the movie's Bond Girl to help him, he goes undercover, suddenly putting on a Japanese accent and wearing a disguise that consists entirely of glasses, mustache, and goatee, we get a minor twist ending, the good guys win.  I've made a couple of references to Bond, but this really more of an old-fashioned, low-budget, black-and-white crime flick with lots of talk and a little action.  Not very exciting.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Return of Mr. Moto *(1965)
> 
> Failed attempt to revive the Japanese secret agent in the Bond era.  Henry Silva has the title role.  Oddly, no attempt at all is made to make him seem or sound Japanese, and he might as well be playing somebody named Smith.   The plot involves a conspiracy to control oil supplies in the Middle East, through blowing up refineries, assassinations, etc.  The bad guys kill Moto's old buddy, chase him but he gets away, they capture him, he escapes but they think he's dead, he gets the movie's Bond Girl to help him, he goes undercover, suddenly putting on a Japanese accent and wearing a disguise that consists entirely of glasses, mustache, and goatee, we get a minor twist ending, the good guys win.  I've made a couple of references to Bond, but this really more of an old-fashioned, low-budget, black-and-white crime flick with lots of talk and a little action.  Not very exciting.



Silva was usually typecast as the villain (case in point, The Manchurian Candidate, probably the greatest movie with a silly karate fight scene in which Silva and Frank Sinatra brandish their hands like they're cleavers), and almost always more interesting than the heroes. 

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The League of Gentlemen *(1960)
> 
> Heist film in which the leader gathers a group of WWII veterans, all with criminal backgrounds, in order to rob a bank in the style of a military operation.  First they have to steal firearms from an army base, so it's really two heist movies in one.  As you'd expect, the carefully planned robbery goes wrong, due to one little factor.  A good example of the genre, if not groundbreaking.


TCM is running a bunch of heist films 09/08 during the day, including this one. I do not know if I saw this one yet, but I do intend to watch it soon!


----------



## Starbeast

*Double World* (2020) - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie for it's drama, action and imagination. The story is sculpted like an anime tale. Basically it's a competition that is offered to all great warriors. The winner can have anything she/he wants (riches, power etc.).


----------



## Mad Alice

Wizard of Oz.


----------



## Vince W

*Bill and Ted Face the Music* (2020). This is the first world premiere film I've streamed and I have to admit it makes returning to the cinema unlikely. That aside, the return of our time travelling musicians is a worthy addition to the trilogy and a good way to round out the story. My fears that Bill and Ted would be irrelevant to the plot were unfounded and the focus was clearly with them. Even so, viewers new to the series would not be put off in any way and would find relevance in this film. There is a lot of joy in the film and that is down to Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. They fell back into their roles easily.

The girls playing Bill and Ted's daughters were outstanding, playing the parts with energy and sincerity. I doff my hat to them. It was wonderful to see so much of the original cast again, especially Missy. Be sure to watch past the credits.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two B&W prison films, though it would have been better if I had seen them in the opposite order.

*BRUTE FORCE* (1947) This is the prison-break film that broke the mold. Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster , in only his 2nd film!) leads a doomed attempt at freedom, when, after hearing how an ex-GI and his fellows attacked a hill in WWII, decides that an attack on the guard tower from two sides would work. Several key cons have their backstories told in flashbacks.  

In both these films, the warden is having difficulty with violence, etc. Here, officials threaten to replace him. There is intense drama between the warden, the prison doctor, and the captain of the guards, on how best to deal with it.  

Gallagher (Charles Bickford) who runs the prison newspaper is originally out, as he hopes for parole. When that fails, he joins in, and unintentionally, ruins the escape by driving a truck into the gates, which, unknown to him, open inward,

Capt. Munsey (Hume Cronyn) is the old style guard, who uses torture to extract info on the scheme. It is said that casting Cronyn as Munsey was a deliberate anti-type because this guy had usually portrayed weak cowardly or just nice guy types.  I cannot recall the exact description used, but it was much better than my own.

Supporting cast included some old 30s era gangster/ tough guy types, such as Sam Levene in the role of Louie Miller, the poor guy whom the Captain tortured.  John Hoyt, who was the ship's Dr. in the Star Trek pilot, here as Spencer. 



*My Six Convicts* (1952) The warden is at wit's end with troublesome convicts, so, a psychologist is brought in to somehow make things go smoother. The psychologist (John Beal) interviews several groups of 6 convicts, one of which includes a very uncooperative Jock (Charles Buchinsky AKA Charles Bronson); sadly, not enough screen time for him. 

The second group consisted of guys who, like the 1st, took the whole idea as a joke, at first. 
James Connie (Millard Mitchell) as the leader,  Punch Pinero (Gilbert Roland) as the contender for leadership. Dawson (Henry Morgan later of MASH) as usual, the violent guy in the group. 

While this is a decent film, It just pales after having watched BRUTE FORCE.  



*BODY & SOUL* (1925) An escaped prisoner comes to town, posing as a preacher. Reverend Jenkins (Paul Robeson) shows his righteous side to the many, and keeps his wicked side hidden.  They made the producers make the evil preacher part a nightmare, as it would have been banned by censors otherwise. 


*PAT GARRET AND BILLY THE KID* (1973) MGM had differences with Sam Peckinpah, and after completion, re-edited the film.  Apparently, Sam was unhappy with the result, so says the wiki page.

Pat Garrett (James Coburn) becomes the lawman, and is out to get Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) My first time with this film, and seeing Peckinpah's name on it, was expecting much more violence. I know TCM only shows full films, not the watered down for TV versions, but, now I am wondering if what I saw was the watered-down MGM version.


----------



## Randy M.

*Raft-ing*

Wanted some lighter fare over the weekend, so ...

*Background to Danger* (1943) dir. Raoul Walsh; starring George Raft, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall

WWII spy adventure, the plot apparently borrowed from an Eric Ambler novel of the same name, but I'm betting the novel is rather more grounded in reality. Raft is a traveling American machinery salesman en route from Syria to Ankara. On board he meets an attractive young woman who's being followed (Osa Masson (who we last saw in _Cry of the Werewolf__ ). _Masson has very important papers she cons  him into carrying across the border for her. Greenstreet, meantime, is a Nazi agent bent on getting the papers which will allow him to pit Turkey against the Soviet Union. There are twists and turns, Lorre overacts somewhat but is the most entertaining part of the movie, though Greenstreet as always holds the camera. Raft was -- George Raft. He had the stony face of Buster Keaton but at about 99% fewer laughs, his main appeal being a good physicality (started out as a dancer, as I recall) and a voice that seemed right for his hard-boiled roles. Marshall is Lorre's sister, and indicates better roles might not have been beyond her. Turhan Bey also appears: I recall watching the first season of a TV show called _VR  5_, really pleasant hokum in which a much older Bey showed up, still as smooth and elegant as ever and I was looking forward to seeing how he was blended into the show when ... cancellation. Fox, you ask? Why, of course!


*Nocturne* (1946) dir. Edwin Marin; starring George Raft, Lynn Bari, Virginia Huston, Joseph Pevney

Surprisingly entertaining _noir_ I recorded some time back from the _Noir Alley_ showcase hosted by Eddie Mueller; note, it's far from the darkest of _noirs_. Songwriter kills himself in mid-songwriting, turns out he's a cad, having wooed and discarded any number of young women, including one or two who later committed suicide. Still, Lieutenant Warne (Raft) can't get his head around the guy committing suicide, and nearly loses his job pursuing the killer. The screenplay by Jonathan Latimer -- who had more than a few hard-boiled novels under his belt of which I'm sorry to say I've read none -- apparently had a blast by playing off Raft's reputation for carousing and cozying up to the notorious, like Bugsy Siegal. Here Raft's character lives with his mother, drinks milk for dinner and is an all-round good boy. Probably the most amusing scene comes late in the movie when his mom and her friend essentially recap the plot and lay out the problem in the way of solving the murder. Virginia Huston didn't leave much of an impression, Joseph Pevney was a good supporting actor who later went on to direct a lot of movies and a lot more TV shows, and Lynn Bari indicated she could have handled even juicier roles (see also, Brenda Marshall and, for that matter, Audrey Totter).


Along with this, also watched *Birds of Prey* which was okay, giving Ewan McGregor an opportunity to chew scenery, and providing paychecks to several deserving female actors most of whom may go on to better roles. (Jurnee Smollett, for instance, is nearly stealing _Lovecraft Country_ from some pretty good actors).

Randy M.


----------



## svalbard

Ready or Not

A thriller, horror, slasher, comedy, satire etc. You name it this movies ticks all the boxes in a story about a wedding that takes a surreal turn. On Sky Movies at the moment.


----------



## Randy M.

svalbard said:


> Ready or Not
> 
> A thriller, horror, slasher, comedy, satire etc. You name it this movies ticks all the boxes in a story about a wedding that takes a surreal turn. On Sky Movies at the moment.



I enjoyed it, too. Probably not to everyone's taste, but amusing. Samara Weaving is excellent in the lead, and in combination with her latest role as Bill's daughter (I think, though IMDB isn't entirely clear) in the latest Bill & Ted movie should see a real career boost.

Randy M.


----------



## Mouse

*Ocean's Eight*. Don't understand the slagging off of this film (other than it's full of nasty female types and that upsets the poor men). Thought it was fine.


----------



## AstroZon

Mouse said:


> *Ocean's Eight*. Don't understand the slagging off of this film (other than it's full of nasty female types and that upsets the poor men). Thought it was fine.


  Same opinion here - and in general as well.  I often like movies that critics put down.   It doesn't have to be Citizen Kane to be enjoyable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Moonrise* (1948)

Beautifully filmed crime story/psychological drama/darkly brooding romance.  Opens in striking fashion with impressionistic scenes of the shadow of a man being hanged alternating with a baby crying, with a doll in a noose hanging over its cradle.  Quick sequences show the baby growing into a boy, tormented by other kids because his father was executed as a murderer.  As a young man, the fellow gets in a fight with the main bully, and winds up killing him.  He hides the body in the swamp, and begins a romance with the dead man's girlfriend.  Her reputation as a schoolteacher suffers, as the guy immediately gets in a car wreck with her and some other folks.  (Nobody hurt, amazingly.)  They go on to have secret meetings.  In a telling moment, as they're inside an abandoned mansion, she acts out an elaborate fantasy of being a Civil War era Southern Belle.  The dead man's body is found during a raccoon hunt, and the local deaf/mute man, who was always being protected by the killer, finds a pocket knife that links him to the crime.  Our hero/antihero nearly kills him, but manages to keep himself from doing it.  During a daring public date at a carnival, the killer goes into full paranoid mode, jumping off a Ferris wheel when he thinks he's being pursued.  Will he turn himself in and face his punishment, while being redeemed by the love of a good woman?  You can figure that out.   The black-and-white cinematography is gorgeous, reminding me of *Citizen Kane* and *The Night of the Hunter*.  Recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

Catacombs (aka The Woman That Wouldn’t Die). Mediocre murder mystery from 1965 with not a catacomb in sight.


----------



## Vince W

*Skyscraper *(2018). Dwayne Johnson is a disabled war veteran turned security expert who is in charge of okaying the security systems of Hong Kong's new super-skyscraper. Unfortunately Chinese criminals need to get a very important hard-drive with all their information on it from the building owner. The criminals set the building on fire with Johnson's family still in the building so he has to do some fancy work to save them. The only truly interesting character was hardly in it. Light fare with predictable events. The whole film could have been cut down to about 10 minutes if they had simply


----------



## F.J. Hansen

*The Great Dictator* -- Charlie Chaplin's parody and commentary on the Nazis, which is still relevant with the social issues we're facing 80 years later.


----------



## Vince W

*Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* or How to Bore an Audience with Dinosaurs. It took me three tries to finish this film. Dull, unmemorable, utterly charmless.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom* or How to Bore an Audience with Dinosaurs. It took me three tries to finish this film. Dull, unmemorable, utterly charmless.



I didn't bother going to the theaters to see this film or the prior film.  I think they should not have revisited this franchise at all.


----------



## Vince W

BAYLOR said:


> I didn't bother going to the theaters to see this film or the prior film.  I think they should not have revisited this franchise at all.


I would have been incensed if I had spent money at the cinema to see this.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The book _Kim Newman's Video Dungeon:  The Collected Reviews_ (2017)
is divided into ten themed chapters.  I'm attempting to watch at least one film I have not seen before from each category.  I have already done this with a few of the categories:

Confinements and Dangerous Games:  Tied Up in the Basement or Hunted Through the Woods:  See my review of *The Incident* (1967).

Famous Monsters:  Frankenstein and Dracula:  See my review of *Nocturna *(1979).

Secret Agent Men (and Women):  See my review of *The Return of Mr. Moto* (1965).

Other categories remaining:

Cryptids and Critters:  Bigfoot, Mermaids, Gill-Men, Etc.

Found Footage

Hard Case Crime

High Adventure:  Lost Kingdoms and Fabulous Voyages

Serial Killers and Cops

Weird Hippie [expletive]

Wildlife:  Fish and Reptiles

Watch this space for reviews in the above categories.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

And let's begin with:

Found Footage

*Europa Report *(2013)

Takes the form of a documentary about a disastrous mission to the moon Europa.  Interviews with folks back on Earth tell us right away that things went wrong, so it's a matter of finding out exactly what happened.  All kinds of "found footage" -- aboard the spaceship, outside it, inside and outside the astronaut's EVA suits, within unmanned probes, and so on -- is edited together to form the narrative, not always in chronological order.  We see the astronauts inside the lander on Europa, for example, before we see a solar flare cut off communications with Earth long before they get there.  Suffice to say that a lot of things can wrong in space, and that there are also extraordinary discoveries to be made.  The whole thing looks extremely realistic on a modest budget.  Very dramatic, and not at all melodramatic.  Highly recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A slight correction to my post above:

I have already see a film in the Hard Case Crime category:  See my review of *Moonrise* (1948).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Moving on to:

Cryptids and Critters:  Bigfoot, Mermaids, Gill-Men, Etc.:

*Creature from Black Lake *(1976)

Short version:  Southern-fried Bigfoot.

Starts with a couple of guys canoeing through the swamp.  One of them is Jack Elam, the other gets pulled into the water by the unseen creature.  Cut to a couple of graduate students from Chicago taking a road trip to Louisiana in search of said creature.  Lots of time spent chatting to folks, getting a warning from the sheriff, making out with a couple of local girls, and so forth.  Along the way we hear an anecdote about the creature from a guy, and meet familiar character actor Dub Taylor, doing his good ol' boy thing, as the guy's grandfather.  Jack Elam shows up again, to tell his story.  As you can tell, it's pretty leisurely, almost like a buddy comedy with occasional loud, howling noises from the creature.  (These sounds are actually pretty scary.)  The final attack sequence is fairly intense.  Filming on location adds something to this little time-waster, and even the cheap-looking cinematography gives it a semi-documentary feeling.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

On to:

High Adventure:  Lost Kingdoms and Fabulous Voyages:

*Confessions of an Opium Eater *(1962)

Steals most of the title of Thomas De Quincey's 1821 memoir _Confessions of an English Opium-Eater_, and features a main character with the same last name who claims to be a descendant, but otherwise has nothing to do with it.  Vincent Price stars as a sailor who gets mixed up with rival Tong gangs and Chinese women kidnapped from their native land to be sold as brides at auction in Chinatown.  Price as Action Hero is odd enough, but this thing is full of strange moments.  (As a small hint of how confusing it is, most reviews claim it takes place in the 19th century, when it quite clearly happens in the early 20th century.)  Price narrates in florid voice-over fashion, and has a lot of equally wordy and flowery dialogue, while still acting like a tough guy.   A tiny sample:



> There is a devil in the drunkard, and a ghost in the poet. Devil and drunkard, ghost and poet was I.



This stuff just goes on and on and on.  We've also got secret underground passageways, women trapped in bamboo cages, a lady midget who becomes Price's sidekick, a dancing girl (one of the brides for sale) who accidentally loses her wig, proving that she's completely bald, and other weird stuff.  To justify the title, Price smokes (but does not eat) some opium at one point, and has a hallucination consisting largely of random scenes from cheap monster movies.  After this brief sequence, we get a silent chase scene filmed in slow motion.  Price has an extreme love/hate relationship with the movie's Dragon Lady villainess -- who, by the way, sometimes disguises herself as the supposedly male leader of the Tong, not seen by anybody for years, by putting on a mask, but forgetting to take off her high heels.  There's an unexpected ending.



Spoiler



She and Price both fall into an underground waterway, the implication being that they will be drowned, while Price offers his last voice-over philosophical musing by wondering if he is heading toward death or paradise.



It's a real oddity, a cheap B movie with a 1930's pulp magazine plot, music -- including generous use of the theremin -- that makes us think this is a horror film, and a script with outrageous literary pretensions.


----------



## Vince W

*Venom* (2018). A mediocre by the numbers film and not the Venom I remember from the 80s. Certainly not worthy of the implied sequel at the end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Continuing with:

Serial Killers and Cops 


*M *(1951)

Remake of the Fritz Lang classic, with the scene changed to Los Angeles.  The city is in a panic because of a series of murders of little girls.  The police keep raiding places where criminals hang out, in a desperate effort to find out something.  The big crime boss sets his own manhunt in operation, in order to get the cops off his back. Includes a long, tense sequence in the famous Bradbury Building, where the killer has locked himself in a room full of mannequins, along with his intended victim, while the crooks have broken into the building and are searching for him. Builds up to a big climax at an underground parking garage, where the killer is surrounded by a potential lynch mob of crooks. The big boss wants to avoid a murder rap, so he has the drunken lawyer who works for him delay things until the cops show up by holding a sort of mock trial. The killer, tormented by his inability to stop himself from murdering children, gets his big, dramatic speech, while the lawyer, the film's most interesting secondary character, manages to regain some of his lost dignity. We probably didn't really need a new version of the German original, but it's a fine film in its own way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Moving on to:

Weird Hippie [expletive]:

*Hex *(1973)

Bizarre mixture of Western, motorcycle gang movie, comedy, love story, art film, drug movie, martial arts film, and horror flick.  Two sisters -- talkative blonde flower child Acacia and laconic brunette Oriole -- live way out in the middle of nowhere, Nebraska.  On a rare trip into the nearest town, they witness a bunch of motorcycle-riding World War One vets (and a few others, including one woman) have a race with a guy who owns a souped-up Model T.  The friendly contest turns ugly, and the townsfolk chase the cyclists out of town with guns.  They wind up at the farm of the two sisters.  Despite some tension, the women give the gang food, shelter, and even some "loco weed" to smoke.  Things turn ugly when one of the cyclists makes a clumsy grab for Acacia.  The other guys pull him away, but Oriole casts a spell on him.  You see, their father was a Native American shaman (mother was a European) and Acacia takes after him.  The guy gets killed by an owl.  Next, when the leader of the cyclists gets flirty with Oriole, the woman in the gang gets in an out-and-out fistfight with her.  In return, she casts a spell that causes her to have terrifying hallucinations.  When one of the gang threatens Oriole with a gun, she tells him to go ahead and shoot, which makes the gun explode in his hand.  In the weirdest death scene, somehow an odd counting-out ritual between one of the gang and Oriole makes the guy fight the leader kung fu style.  Along the way we get a shampoo commercial style romance between Acacia and the nice, bespectacled, mechanical genius of the gang, the on-screen birth of a calf, and some explosions.  It winds up with Acacia and nice guy staying on the farm together, and Oriole going off to California with the leader.  The woman playing Oriole always speaks in a low, nearly expressionless voice, which manages to be both bad acting and very effective.  Add some wacky comedy music on the soundtrack and random uses of freeze frames.  As a coda, the very last shot shows modern jet planes flying overhead, although the film is clearly set just after the First World War.  I can't call it a good film, but its eccentricities make it endlessly fascinating.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Finishing up with:

Wildlife:  Fish and Reptiles

*Tentacles *(1977)

Italian-American giant octopus movie, notable mostly for some old-time Hollywood stars in the cast.  Starts with the titles over a close-up of a radio in a taxi, followed by somebody, seen only as a pair of legs, getting out of the taxi.  Important character?  No, whoever it is never comes back, as far as I can tell.  Things really start with a young mother and her baby.  Kid is in a stroller next to the ocean.  Mom walks a little way away to talk to a friend.  Next thing we now, the stroller is in the water.  Making the first victim an infant is gutsy, in a sick way.    Next a peg-legged sailor gets it.  Back on land, A reporter (John Huston!) wonders if the deaths have something to do with an underwater tunnel (which we never see, and the purpose of which is never mentioned) being built by some big company.  The head of the company (Henry Fonda!) has a few scenes, but doesn't do much.  We've also got Huston's sister (Shelley Winters!) and her young son.  Winters calls Huston "little brother," but it's obvious that he's much older than she is.  Claude Akins is around as the sheriff.  Bo Hopkins is our hero, as an oceanographer with a couple of trained killer whales.   We get more deaths-by-octopus, including the sister of Hopkins' wife and the guys she's on a boat with; Hopkins' wife herself, in the movie's one decently filmed octopus attack; and a regatta of boats sailed by kids.  (Winters' kid comes back OK, but his buddy doesn't, in yet another example of the movie's ruthlessness with child deaths.)  Along the way, it's discovered that the big octopus is attracted by radio waves, something to do with Fonda's company using "illegal frequencies" (?) in its unexplained tunneling project.  All our big stars disappear from the movie, unless you want to count Hopkins.  In the film's goofiest scene, he gives a heartfelt pep talk to the two killer whales, telling them to go out and kill the octopus.  Astonishingly, this works.  The big fight scene consists of a couple of fake killer whales and a real octopus of normal size.  (Either they bought a dead one at the fish market, or killed a real one on screen, which is reprehensible.)  All the actors who aren't medium-to-big American stars are either badly dubbed or speak with Italian accents.  It's a pretty dull affair, for the most part.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> *Venom* (2018). A mediocre by the numbers film and not the Venom I remember from the 80s. Certainly not worthy of the implied sequel at the end.




I watched Venom at the movies, and knowing nothing at all about the character, I quite enjoyed it; quite dark humour and some quite scary bits at the beginning. Though I do agree that I can't see any mileage in a sequel.


----------



## Overread

*Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets* - its, well its pretty at least. The lead actor and actress are terrible choices and would be better placed in a teen romance style story of two low ranked soldiers; rather than as decorated highly experienced agents holding higher ranks. The romance, their attitude, everything screams teen/young adult. 

Then we hit the plot. Now I can get into an action flick and turn my brain off for a bit and enjoy a film for what it is, but this one has holes so huge you can drive several busses through them. So many scenes and events seem to be just done for effect and theme with no attempt to logically link the elements together. One or two on their own you could overlook, but the whole selection together just builds one problem into the next. It starts to be distracting. 

It's a shame as they've clearly put a lot of money into the visuals. The alien designs, the overall general plot and themes are good. It's just the way they've arranged it all and put it together and presented it falls apart.


----------



## hitmouse

Overread said:


> *Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets* - its, well its pretty at least. The lead actor and actress are terrible choices and would be better placed in a teen romance style story of two low ranked soldiers; rather than as decorated highly experienced agents holding higher ranks. The romance, their attitude, everything screams teen/young adult.
> 
> Then we hit the plot. Now I can get into an action flick and turn my brain off for a bit and enjoy a film for what it is, but this one has holes so huge you can drive several busses through them. So many scenes and events seem to be just done for effect and theme with no attempt to logically link the elements together. One or two on their own you could overlook, but the whole selection together just builds one problem into the next. It starts to be distracting.
> 
> It's a shame as they've clearly put a lot of money into the visuals. The alien designs, the overall general plot and themes are good. It's just the way they've arranged it all and put it together and presented it falls apart.



I thought this was a thoroughly enjoyable film in a whimsical style, a bit like the original French comic strip . It is not really a Hollywood movie.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Raiders of the Lost Ark .  *Fun to watch and* o*ne of my favorite films.


----------



## Foxbat

Under The Skin.

 Scarlett Johansson stars in a science fiction horror flick set in Scotland. It’s a movie without subtitles and very strong west coast accents (very different from east coast). 

Johansson plays an extra terrestrial being of some kind, luring men into a weird form of seduction that  resembles a cinematic mating dance that results in their demise and reminds me of an insect or arachnid devouring its mate.

It’s never fully explained what's going on but given that Johansson played Black Widow in the Avengers movies, it’s safe to say that here she _is _an extra-terrestrial black widow. The problem is, in the right circumstances, even the black widow can be vulnerable...

Dark, erotic and enthralling - it’s certainly worth watching.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Village of the Damned (1960)


----------



## Foxbat

Just Another Saturday (1975)
A gritty drama set in Glasgow in the early seventies. It focusses on a seventeen year old drum major preparing for his first Orange Walk. His idealistic views on the world take a battering as he witnesses, first hand, the violence often accompanying sectarianism. Against this backdrop, his parents battle for his soul. His socialist father, cynical and world weary, has contempt for both sides of the religious divide. The boy’s mother tells him...at least you believe in something. The fact that his belief is based on an ingrained hatred of the other side escapes her as all our characters stumble through a world of alcohol, poverty, violence, confusion and a distinct lack of hope.

Great stuff!

One amusing point. I bought this dvd many years ago and had forgotten about the menu selection. It’s in english  but you can watch it with or without (english) subtitles. Such is the strength of the Scottish accent


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Some stuff I watched while away from the computer:

The independent films of John Cassavetes marathon:

*Faces *(1968)

Not at all plot-driven, but, in summary, it's about two married people, their affairs, their arguments, and their reconciliations.  Like a lot of Cassavetes films, particularly the early, black-and-white ones, it almost seems like a documentary, as if you're a voyeur watching real lives.

*A Woman Under the Influence *(1974)

Gena Rowlands has the title role as a married woman, with children, who has what we might call a "nervous breakdown" and has to be institutionalized for some time.  Peter Falk is the husband, and his behavior seems to be a precipitating factor.  Compelling performance from Rowlands, who manages to convey a very convincing portrait of mental illness.

*The Killing of a Chinese Bookie *(1976)

Ben Gazzara runs a strip club, loses more money that he can pay gambling, has to commit the murder in the title in order to wipe out the debt, then has to evade the bad guys who forced him to take on that dangerous assignment. Not your typical crime story, although there's some of that. Lots of time spent at the strip club, with Gazzara's girlfriend, etc. Memorable performance from cult actor Timothy Carey as one of the gangsters.

*Opening Night* (1977)

Gena Rowlands having another breakdown, this time as a famous stage actress who has a lot of problems with her current play. Early in the film a teenage fan gets killed in a car accident, and Rowlands has visions of the teenager, who may be sort of a symbol of her lost youth. Ends with real-life husband Cassavetes performing a scene from the play-within-the-movie with Rowlands.


----------



## KGeo777

*THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN - *My initial reaction: I liked the idea of the story and several moments, but the CGI was over the top and it got chaotic towards the end. Watching it again after at least 10 years, I have the same reaction. The performances are good--and unlike superhero-type films that came after it, the story is taken seriously but still has humor--but humor only comes through character behavior, there's nothing self-aware and it doesn't get too grim. It would have benefited from an extra half hour and a slower pace. I think the Phantom and Moriarty should have been two separate individuals. I have trouble seeing why Tom Sawyer should be in the story, though I did not find him annoying except for that awful car scene in Venice. 
This is the type of story that needed more practical FX.
I wish the Invisible Man was the Griffin character or at least left unnamed, but I didn't mind the actor's performance. Makes sense he would be a red herring. I especially liked Nemo and Jekyll Hyde--the latter was a more intense Banner-Hulk than what the Marvel movies had.
I read the comic years after the movie, I was not fond of it. I wish Fu Manchu was added, but I prefer the movie's scheme to weaponize their powers since it adds some cool bits like a second invisible man and the Hyde clone--though the CGI was cartoony.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Rewatch of THE THIRD MAN.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Secrets of a Windmill Girl* (1966)

Starts with a car wreck.  This leads to a long flashback, as the best friend of the woman killed in the crash relates her sad story.  They were chums as little girls, both wound up dancing at the famous Windmill Theater.  The plot stops for a long time as we get actual scenes from the theater.  Scantily clad dancers, comedians.  The doomed woman winds up working at strip clubs, although, from what we see, these actually involve the exposure of less flesh than her former job.  The end.  Pretty pointless attempt at a very mild exploitation film.


----------



## svalbard

Waiting for the Barbarians

A serious movie with little humour to offer relief from the impending doom that is about to engulf the characters. It has a great cast lead by the ever excellent Mark Rylance, a terrifying Jonny Depp and a disturbed Robert Pattinson. However the actor who plays The Girl, Gana Bayarsaikhan absolutely steals the show.


----------



## Rodders

I watched Project Power last night. o really enjoyed it. The girl Was very good. Disappointed with the ending as it was a bit twee And would’ve preferred for “The Major” to have died. Also, his superpower came a cross as being a bit silly to me.

I also watched a Netflix film called Spectral. It started out okay, but at the halfway point when the scientist worked out what the ghostly things were, it kind of lost the plot a little and felt more like an episode of Macguyver or the A Team, so the ending was very disappointing.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Raiders of the Lost Ark* - still absolutely brilliant. 9/10

*The Last Crusade* - fun, but somehow a paler version of Raiders. One of the few films where I think Sean Connery is any good, and a vast improvement after the disaster of Temple of Doom. 6.5/10


----------



## Jeffbert

*CHERRY 2000* (1987) A rather poor robot/android /sex slave joke of a film. The credits sequence shows a presumably nude woman gyrating behind what appears to be blinds, & that is as far as the nudity goes. So this guy, who is a loser with woman has a Cherry 2000 sex robot, which short circuits in the bubble bath. He wants a replacement, in which to upload the personality files from his broken one.  Too bad this is a dystopian future, where the only Cherry robots are in the abandoned dept. store in the forbidden lands.  What is more, the guy who fancies himself ruler of such forbidden land, has a strong dislike of Trackers, one of whom the poor guy must hire, in hopes of finding a new robot.

The action was over the top, too dumb, even way back then. 


*Night Editor *(1946) NOIR ALLEY, I think it was the 1st one this Sept.  Much of the story is told by a guy sitting at a table playing poker with his friends. Muller noted that that this was a cheap way of including 'scenes' that would have been budget busters in B-grade films. 

So, this cop, married with a son, tells his wife that he is working the late shift, when he is really out with his girlfriend.  Wouldn't you know it, as they are parked at the beach surrounded by greenery, another car arrives, but it is in front, and its occupants do not notice the other car. The driver, a man kills the woman in his car using a tire iron. The cop instinctively turns on headlights upon hearing the woman scream. The man flees; the cop's girlfriend persuades him not to pursue the killer and not to report the incident, assuring him that soon enough, the murder will be discovered, and their lives will be ruined if otherwise. But, there are complications, such as the tire tracks from the cop's car that are found the next day.


*Bananas* (?) Woody Allen goes to a banana republic in order to get the girl who jilted him, and ends up in a revolution. I am not a fan of WA, but this was very funny.


*Song of Love* (1947) the story of Clara Schumann (Katharine Hepburn), her marriage to Robert Schumann (Paul Henreid, gets the girl in *Casablanca*) and the involvement of J. Brahms (Robert Walker). So, RS is a young composer who loves his teacher's daughter, but  teacher Professor Wieck (Leo G. Carroll) thinks he is not good enough for her. 
 Franz Liszt (Henry Daniell, I liked him better in *the Body Snatcher*) intervenes, and assures the Prof. that Schumann has a bright future. 

Most of the film centers on the home life, in a rapidly growing family, and RS' stress about composing music etc., and being able to support his family without Clara occasionally doing piano recitals. He suffered an unidentified brain ailment. It was difficult for me to figure out that something was wrong because of the ringing in my own ears, but it was depicted as a high pitched sound.  

Though I listen to classical music regularly, I know very little about the composers, so I found this interesting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Dreary Little Eurospy Films Featuring Agents With Three Letter And/Or Digit Code Names Triple Feature:

*Agent 3S3:  Passport to Hell *(1965)

Starts with a woman running through the streets in terror.  A guy shows up in a car, and she thinks he can help her, but he shoots her dead and takes some microfilm from her.  This sets up our bad guys, an independent espionage organization that is attacking both sides in the Cold War.  Our hero is assigned to track down the guy they think is the head of the group, an ex-agent known as Mister A.  He does this by meeting with the man's daughter, hoping to find out where the guy is.  Meanwhile, Mister A's minions convince the daughter to give our hero (and herself) some stuff in their drinks that will temporarily knock them out, but it's really poison.  Our hero figures this out by using a tiny piece of paper that changes color, like litmus paper, when it's placed over -- not even in -- the drink.  This all leads to a series of chases and fights from snowy Vienna to sunny Beirut.  It's obvious from the start that Mister A is a red herring, and his supposed second-in-command is the real bad guy.  The main Bad Girl has a gold compact that shoots poison darts, but otherwise there are few spy gadgets.

*Secret Agent 777 -- Invitation to Kill *(1966)

Our hero has been let go by his spy bosses for medical reasons.  He knows something about some pieces of paper that add up to a secret formula, so goes around chasing after them, leading to the usual fights with the bad guys and such.  There's not much to say about this one.  The plot is both simple and difficult to follow, requiring a lot of voice-over narration from the hero.

*Agent 003:  Operation Atlantis *(1965)

Our hero gets hired by some folks to investigate a source of uranium in North Africa.  Right away, we learn that this is supposedly the lost city of the survivors of Atlantis.  Typical spy stuff follows for three-quarters of an hour or so before we finally get to the city.  It's got a force field around it, which requires use of a spacesuit to cross.  The movie suddenly turns into a sword-and-sorcery adventure, with bizarre sets and costumes.  It turns out that this place is a fake, the result of the Chinese finding a meteorite with some fictional element that allows for all the science fiction gadgets we see in the place.  Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes later we go back to normal spy stuff.  The nutty parts of the plot make it sound a lot more interesting than it is.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Dreary Little Eurospy Films Featuring Agents With Three Letter And/Or Digit Code Names Triple Feature:
> 
> *Agent 3S3:  Passport to Hell *(1965)
> 
> 
> 
> *Secret Agent 777 -- Invitation to Kill *(1966)
> 
> 
> 
> *Agent 003:  Operation Atlantis *(1965)


I have seen two of these. I found it interesting that while Hollywood avoided James Bond clones except for a couple of comedy series (Flint, Matt Helm) Europe did untold numbers of them. They also did a few women spy films like *Special Mission, Lady Chaplain.* The sequel to* Agent 3S3 *aka the Italian James Bond has him in Turkey and at one point these thugs try to encase him in cement and he turns the tables and their heads get cemented instead and he says to his partner: "Quick drying. They have pretty good cement in Turkey." I enjoy the dubbing in these films.


----------



## Rodders

An evening of Netflix movies last night.

Spencer. I’m not a fan of Mark Wahlberg, but this film was pretty good.

Extinction, which I enjoy.

Shaft (the newer one), which I’m rather embarrassed to say that I enjoyed quite a bit.


----------



## Rodders

An evening of Netflix movies last night.

Spencer. I’m not a fan of Mark Wahlberg, but this film was pretty good.

Extinction, which I enjoy.

Shaft (the newer one), which I’m rather embarrassed to say that I enjoyed quite a bit.


----------



## BT Jones

*Knives Out. *An old fashioned whodunit; passably entertaining, but nothing new, and with a decidedly distracting Tennessee accent (or some such) from Daniel Craig.  6/10.

Also, *Man of Steel*, which my son saw for the first time.  And it was as bad as I remembered.  Starts as an over-rushed, over-complicated 6/10 sci-fi film and ends up a 2/10 disaster orgy of mindless, incoherent action scenes.  Only a notch better than Superman IV, The Quest for Peace, but that's not saying much.  4/10 overall.


----------



## AlexH

The best to least-best of my recent watches:

*Pain and Glory *(2019)
An excellent drama (perhaps part-biographical about its director, Pedro Almodóvar) about an ageing and formerly-successful film director who no longer writes. Antonio Banderas is excellent as the lead, and I loved the cinematography. Easily the best film I've seen recently.

*The Concert *(2009)
A fun heartwarming comedy drama about a group of musicians who plan to pose as the Bolshoi Orchestra for a prestigious concert in Paris.

*A Simple Plan *(1998)
A slow-burning but gripping thriller about two brothers who find a stash of cash in a crashed plane.

*Live Flesh *(1997)
A (not your typical) revenge thriller about a guy wrongly imprisoned for shooting a police officer - the police officer now married to the woman the imprisoned guy is still in love with. Interesting enough.

*Tenet *(2020)
My first cinema trip since a Parasite/Birds of Brey double-header back in March!

Hmmm. The dialogue is awful in Tenet - often exposition or dialogue I couldn't make out due to the bad sound mix. Would I have understood the film more if I heard that dialogue? John David Washington was very good, and along with some good action scenes (including the weirdest fight I've seen), did enough to make the film watchable. I think Nolan stopped making great films a long time ago, Inception being the exception that came close. Like Tarantino and his indulgences, Nolan maybe needs someone else to help hold back some of the Nolan-isms. Maybe I could've suspended my disbelief more if it wasn't for the weird expositions, though despite the lead actor being excellent, there didn't seem like much to care about or for in Tenet.

*All About My Mother *(1999)
A good drama about a mother who seeks her son's father (who he never knew about).

*In the Fade *(2017)
Decent courtroom drama that at some point becomes a revenge thriller.

*Jojo Rabbit* (2019)
A comedy with a couple of laugh out loud moments I couldn't really engage with.

*The Mourning Forest *(2007)
A retirement home worker takes a resident on a road trip that goes wrong. Cue lots of crying and nothing much other than walking through a forest (the clue was in the title).

*Empire Records *(1995)
A day in the life of some young record store employees. Started off well, but soon became boring - perhaps because there were too many characters to develop and given they were all slackers, difficult to get behind.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Island Monster* (1954)

Dreary little Italian crime drama, notable mostly for wasting the talents of Boris Karloff.  Karloff has the title role as a seemingly benign fellow who runs a hospital for sick children on an island near Naples.  He really runs a narcotics smuggling ring.  Our nominal hero is sent to investigate the island, leaving wife and young daughter behind.  He chats up the local glamorous nightclub singer (who is never heard singing) in an attempt to get information.  Wife and kid show up to visit him.  Karloff orders his hoods to kidnap the kid in order to get the investigation called off.  The kid's heroic dog tracks her down to Karloff's hideout, a nifty sea cave.  Our hero comes back, pretending to be a member of another criminal gang.  The nightclub singer, a member of the narcotics ring, recognizes him, but agrees to help him because her own child died of pneumonia after the kid's father left, leaving her all alone and sinking into alcohol and drugs.  That makes it sound more exciting than it is.  Mostly a lot of talk, and poorly dubbed talk at that.  They even have somebody dub Karloff, in a poor imitation of his famous voice.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hallucination Generation *(1966)

Starts with a guy running through the streets, finally collapsing to the ground.  His voice-over narration sends us into a flashback.  He went to the island of Ibiza, hung out with some "beatniks" (that's what everybody says in this film, despite the year it was made), met a German woman, got married.  His mother cuts off his allowance, so the wife is the breadwinner, since the guy is a failed writer.  The guy eventually goes back to the "beatniks," the leader gives him an "LSD cocktail," we finally get our brief hallucinations scenes, in color.  (The rest of the film is in washed-out black and white.)  Then the movie turns into a heist-gone-wrong film, as our antihero robs some guy, winds up killing him, and has a few more brief hallucinations.  It's a pretty dull affair.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Sphinx *(1933)

Poverty Row murder mystery.  We first see Lionel Atwill walk out of a stockbroker's office at night and talk to a janitor.  The janitor finds the stockbroker's body.  Open and shut case, right?  Except for the fact that there is no doubt at all that Atwill is a deaf-mute, and could not have spoken to the janitor.  He gets put on trial, and the case is thrown out of court because of this little problem.  It's up to a couple of the usual wisecracking reporters, one of them a woman who admires the supposedly philanthropic Atwill, to crack the case.  You may figure out the gimmick to this how-dun-it, but it's worth a look for Atwill's performance.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*The Fatal Flying Guillotines (1977)*

Screw a detailed plotline synopsis; it involves a guy who decapitates people with a hat. This is Hong Kong chop-sockey fun at its finest. Enjoy the over the top sound effects as well.


----------



## Jeffbert

MikeAnderson said:


> *The Fatal Flying Guillotines (1977)*
> 
> Screw a detailed plotline synopsis; it involves a guy who decapitates people with a hat. This is Hong Kong chop-sockey fun at its finest. Enjoy the over the top sound effects as well.


I saw this, or something like it. The boss has his best men trained to use the title weapon, & then, becomes paranoid.  He accuses each one in turn of treason & sends the others out to kill them. 

I also saw a documentary about the weapon, or perhaps, its impossibility.  Cannot recall the channel, though. 


*Lone Wolf and Cub, Baby Cart in the land of demons *(1973). More swords and blood spraying from wounds.


----------



## JimC

Jim Sallis' "Drive".
Very good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Greenwich Village Story *(1963; color footage added 19??)

Soap opera set among the bohemians and beatniks of New York City.  The version I saw begins and ends with color footage of the Village, obviously added some years later to the real movie, which is in black and white.  Throughout the film we get documentary-style scenes of the Village, from outdoor activities in the park to music and poetry in the cafes and coffeehouses.

After the title sequence, which features some folks playing traditional country music in the park, we begin with a pretty young woman in a leotard dancing on a rooftop, accompanied by a pot of flowers.  At this point, I can't help but think of one of the many old cartoons by Jules Feiffer, featuring such a dancer. 





A reminder of the real world outside comes when a bunch of guys ogling her from a nearby building call out mildly suggestive remarks.

Anyway, the dancer lives with a writer, who is excited by the possibility of selling his novel.  (He's not exactly an amateur; we're told that he won the O. Henry award for a short story four years ago.)  After some time spent at pot parties and such, we start to get into the plot.  The writer's previous girlfriend, a little older than he is and a lot richer, shows up, with a new boyfriend, an advertising copywriter, in tow, although it's clear she's really interested in getting back with the writer. 

Meanwhile, a painter keeps trying to start his own romance with the dancer, but she's completely loyal to the writer.  She even gets an offer to join the traveling company of a musical, which would be a huge boost to her career, but stays with the writer.  

Adding to her problems is the fact that she pregnant, but doesn't tell the writer.  The writer promises to marry her if he can sell his novel, but it doesn't work out.  The dancer sells the only valuable thing she owns, her mother's brooch, for an illegal abortion.  Don't expect a happy ending.

Although cheaply made and melodramatic, it's a fascinating time capsule.


----------



## KGeo777

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA 1978  I saw this at a drive-in since they ran it outside the US before it showed on tv. The best Star Wars rip off, especially thanks to the contribution of John Dykstra and Ralph McQuarrie (who I think is the single most important contributor to Star Wars--his design work sold the movie more than anything else IMO). Storywise I think the first half is better than the second--it gets disjointed and really shows the tv cheapness. On the other hand I have seen this so many times back in the day. I never bothered with the remake show because you cannot have BG without the design. The ships, those pharoah helmets and of course the Cylons and their vocoders. Interestingly, Boney M released Night Flight to Venus the same summer, and their vocoders were the best match to Cylons that I have heard.


----------



## Foxbat

*Get On Up*
This James Brown biopic is not bad but nothing too startling either. It does a good job of showcasing his music and early life but only flirts and skirts around the edges of the darker side of his character. For example:  it glosses over the incident with the gun that landed him in jail and paints him almost as some kind of lovable rogue. The man was a briliant light shining on the music scene but he was much more three dimensional than shown here.  And so,  this movie sails off into the sea of mediocrity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Some stuff watched at home while I was away:

*Daughters of the Dust *(1991)

Set some time around the beginning of the Twentieth Century, this film deals with the African-American folks who live on an island off the coast of South Carolina.  More impressionistic than plot-driven, but it deals with some of these people planning to move to the mainland and then up North.  A touch of magic realism is added by the fact that it's narrated by an unborn child, who sometimes appears to the viewer in slow motion scenes.  It's a visual feast.

*Film *(1965)

Only twenty-odd minutes long, black and white, and completely silent, except for one very brief moment; no dialogue, no music, no sound effects.  Written by Samuel Beckett.  It's hard to say what it's "about," which is no surprise with this author.  Basically, a fellow (played by the great Buster Keaton, seen from the back only until the very end) walks along a crumbling wall, is stared at in shock by a few folks, enters a room, covers up the window and a mirror, tears up a picture of an ancient Mesopotamian god, carries a puppy and a kitten out of the room (in a bit of comedy, they keep sneaking back in), covers up a bird in a cage, covers up a fish in a bowl, looks at some photos of someone (himself?) from birth to adulthood and tears them up, then stares at the viewer in shock.  The whole thing seems to be about wanting not to be perceived.

*Notfilm *(2015)

A documentary about the making and meaning of *Film*.  Many times longer than the thing it discusses.

*Waiting for Godot *(1961)

Made for TV version of the famous play, included as an extra with *Film *because it's so short.  Zero Mostel and Burgess Meredith star in the lead poles.  As enigmatic as ever.

And a little less arty:

*House of Dark Shadows *(1970)

Theatrical feature made to cash in on the popular soap opera.  The plot makes use of many elements from the series, but also makes so many changes that it must be considered to take place in another universe.  Lots of the main characters get killed, there's a lot more blood than the series.  Filmed quite lushly.  All in all, a decent vampire movie.


----------



## Garfunkel

*John Wick (2014)*

I saw this in the cinema when it came out and enjoyed the rewatch, though I missed the start this time. I did feel like there was a certain lack of tension throughout, but the action is well-staged, the soundtrack is good and I like Reeves.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *House of Dark Shadows *(1970)
> 
> Theatrical feature made to cash in on the popular soap opera.  The plot makes use of many elements from the series, but also makes so many changes that it must be considered to take place in another universe.  Lots of the main characters get killed, there's a lot more blood than the series.  Filmed quite lushly.  All in all, a decent vampire movie.



I never watched the tv show.
They filmed around Tarry-town New York and the Sleepy Hollow cemetery!


----------



## Jeffbert

*Danger Signal* (1945) A scoundrel who just killed a woman flees through the window, and goes elsewhere in search of Prey.  Ronnie (Zachary Scott) poses as a frustrated short story writer, who leaches off the good-hearted landlady, while secretly depositing the payment for his stories in a bank account. But he is out for more blood, tricking his intended victim into writing a suicide note, supposedly to be used in one of his stories.

NOIR ALLEY did a great job here.  Also, in the next film:


*Gilda* (1946) Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) is a small-time gambler, who by chance is saved from a mugger by Ballin Mundson (George Macready), whose walking stick contains a 12 inch blade that pops out and kills the mugger. NOIR ALLEY again, and the after film comments about that weapon as well as other elements did more than just suggest a homosexual relationship between these two. Anyway, Mundson owns a casino in South America, despite the ban on gambling. Detective Obregon (Joseph Calleia) is obviously taking bribes.

After having saved Farrell, Mundson tells him about the casino, and says he needs a necktie to enter the place, but does not say he owns the place. After winning Blackjack too many consecutive times to be chance, the ushers drag Farrell into the office, and work him over. Mundson is not happy about being cheated, but Farrell suggests he hire him. Mundson does, and makes a statement about the three of them, one being the walking stick, being all they need or some such thing; suggesting that women are for losers.

Soon enough, though, Mundson goes on a trip, leaving Farrell in charge. When he returns, Gilda (Rita Hayworth) is his wife. Eventually it becomes clear that Farrell & Gilda had a past relationship, and that Farrell suspects she will eventually hurt his boss with her infidelity.  Farrell seems overly concerned about this, and jumps through flaming hoops to keep his boss in the dark about Gilda's past and present activities. 

A very good example of NOIR!


*310 to Yuma* (1957) Another with Glenn Ford. Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) is the leaded of a gang of thieves / robbers /murderers. Dan Evans (Van Heflin) is a rancher on the verge of ruin because of drought. After an unintended confrontation with Wade, who was robbing a stage coach, Wade was generous enough to leave witnesses alive, but without horses, and foolish enough to go to the nearby town and alert the Marshall about the robbery, intending to rob the town's bank after the posse had gone after the robbers. But then Evans comes to town, and recognizes Wade, who is arrested, when his gang is out of town. That was the easy part. The difficult part, is living long enough to put Wade on the 310 to Yuma, where the district's courthouse etc. is located. 

Tense drama, but as with most films, there were some holes in the plot. Evens signed on to the group to escort Wade to the train, only because the owner of the stagecoach offered $200 to any man who would do so. With that money, Evans intends to buy water or rights to water his cattle at some other ranch's stream. But Evans has a wife and 2 sons, whom the villains could easily kidnap, and demand he quit his escort job. Especially after all the other men have quit, saying they have families they must support, and cannot afford the risk of being killed, etc. 


*Alvarez Kelly* (1966) William Holden as the title character, who is herding cattle for the Union Army.
Colonel Tom Rossiter (Richard Widmark), of the Confederate Army wants to steal all that cattle to feed his own soldiers, etc. Major Albert Steadman (Patrick O'Neal) of the Union Army is depicted as full of himself, and looks on Kelly with disdain. After delivering the cattle to the place agreed upon, The Major announces a new destination, and demands Kelly deliver the cattle there at no additional charge. Kelly demands compensation, but the stuffed-shirt Major will only compensate so much. Thus, Kelly is at odds with this man. So, they deliver 2500 head of cattle to a plantation in Union-occupied Virginia, and are taken by surprise by Col. Rossiter, who abducts Kelly, and demands he reroute the entire herd to the Confederacy. Kelly is not cooperative, until Rossiter shoots off his pinky, and assures him, that one finger will be lost for every hour he resists. 

Now Kelly assures the Colonel that soldiers are ill-trained to herd cattle, and ends up, forced to train them how. A very good Western movie. My interest was entirely Widmark, as I had seen very few of his films. 



*The Daydreamer* (1966) this was the 2nd Rankin-Bass film show way back in May.  It opened with caricatures on the left, and puppets on the right, of the actors. So, young HC Anderson  (Paul O'Keefe) and his papa (Jack Gilford; also was in numerous CRACKERJACK commercials & 1 episode of GET SMART, in which his character was irresistibly & could get anybody to do anything) are cobblers and are hopelessly behind in their work. Mrs. Klopplebobbler (Margaret Hamilton, better known for her role as the W. W. of the West) is constantly demanding her shoes be finished immediately. 

Oh, this is a part live-action, part whatever R-B call their technique; but most is R-B style. So, the boy, tired of living the life of a peasant, runs away from home, falls asleep under a tree & has dreams. 

My favorite actors among the dozen or so, are 
The Rat (Boris Karloff), though the story is new to me; The First Tailor (Terry-Thomas) in the E's new /nude Clothes. 

It was difficult to watch at times, because it was sooo childish. But Terry Thomas' R-B puppet had his characteristic gap between his front teeth.  TT also appear in Tom Thumb, as a similar character. I likewise could barely watch that one, for the same reason.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Invisible Man* (2020) dir. Leigh Whannell; starring Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

See also, _Sleeping with the Enemy_ (1991) and _Enough_ (2002). Abused woman must learn how to defend herself against her tyrannical, controlling boyfriend. Which is easier when you're J-Lo and can learn how to box while working out harder than Schwarzenegger, or Julia Roberts who can just outsmart hers (as I recall; it's been a long time since I saw it). No, Elizabeth Moss fell for a super-genius, Griffin, who tracks her down and attacks her and her friends with no repercussions because he's _invisible!_ 

Good effects in a movie held together by Moss' performance and the essential decency of Hodge's character. But this version is rather like someone watched some of the more distasteful scenes in the Kevin Bacon version -- _Hollow Man --  _and thought, geez, we should make this from the point of view of one of Griffin female victims. Not a bad idea, but I feel like it could have been done better.


*Silver Bullet* (1985) dir. Daniel Attias; starring Corey Haim, Gary Busey; Everett McGill

I never watched this before and now I know that was okay. Not that it's bad, but it's so derivative, a melding of the tone of _To Kill a Mockingbird_ (especially in the voice-over) with the directorial decisions of a John Landis, that I felt like I'd seen it before with different actors and a better overall story.

Plot: Small town werewolf eats townspeople. Townspeople rise up and hunt the psycho only to get eaten. Sheriff gets eaten. Young boy, his sister and his uncle realize the threat and fight back, saving the day with -- _ta-da!_ -- a Silver Bullet, which is also the name of the combo wheelchair/motorcycle the uncle built for his nephew, who is paralyzed from the waist down. Corey Haim was still young enough to be appealing; Busey played a good-hearted alcoholic; it all adds up to about nothing, though, since it ends like a limp noodle.

Randy M.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Where Hands Touch. Very beautiful but very sad. It's about love and the fate of mulatto Germans during WWII.


----------



## JJewel

Initial D

Not the Cartoon / Manga, the movie they made wayback in 2005, still one of my fave movies.

First time I watched this I wanted an AE86, after watching it you may well agree?


----------



## Parson

I just finished watching the two seasons of *Hannah *the Prime Video series. Although there are a few assumptions that strain believability mostly surrounding what would have been available and could have been learned growing up for 16 years in the forest, the rest of it is absolutely top notch. The acting is wonderful. I found myself continually enthralled. Each episode told a full story and yet left you hungering for more. This is as good as it gets for video, and way beyond almost every movie I've ever seen.


----------



## BT Jones

*Vice *(2018) - The Christian Bale-starring Dick Cheney biopic. Impeccably acted and put together, but thoroughly disheartening and depressing, as any movie pertaining to modern politics (particularly American) usually is.


----------



## radcasby

Peninsula! I haven't found any good new movies I can watch yet.


----------



## KGeo777

JUNGLE RAIDERS 1985 - As it may sound by the title, this is a Raiders of the Lost Ark clone but as it is directed by Antonio Margheriti it has a lot of imagination, a clever spoof of the Raiders opening, with a very good use of miniature FX to make the film look higher budget than it is. As it is shot in the Philippines (we assume), there's the requisite scene of animal abuse, although oddly, while it appears a snake is shot on camera, the sub-plot of the film is about a kid with a pet cobra who saves the day more than once and at the end the cobra goes off with another cobra to find happiness in the jungle!  I have never seen another film where a cobra is a supporting character.


----------



## hitmouse

Hunt for the Wilderpeople. A terrific comedy. Quite touching but never sentimental. The kids picked it last night.


The story of an unpromising and overlooked foster kid and a very reluctant grumpy foster father who go on the run in the New Zealand bush. The lead is superb, well supported by Sam Neill. Directed by Taiko Waititi, with a number of his regulars, who also appear in Thor Ragnarok, as well as a distinctive line in dry dialogue.

Highly recommended.


----------



## KGeo777

FRANKENSTEIN 1970   - Boris Karloff as the last of the Frankensteins who has to endure a movie being made in his castle. It's about as bad as it sounds--the best part is the first scene with a woman chased by a limping guy in the forest--but that's just a scene from a movie being filmed. The rest is very set-bound and bland.

THE LIVING DEAD OF MANCHESTER MORGUE 1974 -- something I never noticed the first time I watched this which sticks out now--in the opening this biker is going along the streets of London and sees some weirdness like a naked woman running through the street for no apparent reason BUT there is also a guy in a suit wearing a surgical mask. How 2020 can you be? I assume he was supposed to be germ-phobic.


----------



## Rodders

Tora! Tara! Tora!

The telling of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbour, I’d not seen this before and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed the fact that Japanese actors were cast and they all spoke Japanese and we had to read the subtitles. I felt it added to the realism. The effects held up well.


----------



## KGeo777

Rodders said:


> Tora! Tara! Tora!
> 
> The telling of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbour, I’d not seen this before and found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed the fact that Japanese actors were cast and they all spoke Japanese and we had to read the subtitles. I felt it added to the realism. The effects held up well.












						Tora Tora Tora 1970
					

Tora Tora Tora stands out as a prime example of the art of model ships in the cinema due largely to the scale of the the work undertaken and...




					www.modelshipsinthecinema.com


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## Rodders

Thanks, that’s a good article. Great model work.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, no computers to do the work back in those days. People used, ah, what is it again? Oh yeah, smarts.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Goodnight Mommy/Mummy  (Austrian; German: Ich seh, Ich seh). Very disturbing, sometimes masterfully so, other times much too gory for me. Don't underestimate a child's capacity for violence.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cool It, Carol! *(1970)

Odd little sex comedy/drama about a couple of young folks who leave their village somewhere in the UK for London.  Starts with a weird pre-credit sequence, with a couple of young men working in a butcher shop.  One delivers the stuff, and is our main male character.  The other is chopping meat, and very calmly announces that he's just cut off a finger.  

After this, the guy who still has all his fingers visits his girlfriend Carol, who works at a petrol station.  (This is the second British film from this time period I've seen with a pretty young woman as an attendant at a petrol station.  This would have been utterly unknown in the USA.)  The boy makes up a bunch of baloney about how he's got a good job waiting in London.  The girl calls his bluff.  Since she won a local beauty contest, she plans to be a model in the big city.  In an eyebrow-raising scene, her Dad asks her if her maidenhead is still intact.  She admits that it isn't, so he says it's OK for her to go. 

In London, they quickly run out of money, since he has no job and she has to pay quite a bit of cash to get professional photographs taken before modeling agencies will even consider her.  Eventually they're literally starving.  The boy has a ridiculous plan to rob a bank, but that goes nowhere.  Carol agrees to try prostitution.  Her first attempts are both comic and pathetic, as she simply walks up to men in the street and asks them if they want to sleep with her.  Even this fails, but then some guy picks them up and becomes her first customer, while the boy has to wait in another room of his apartment.  The client quickly develops into a middleman, taking a cut of the pay as Carol has to service three other men in a row.  At this point, she decides she doesn't like this line of work.

That doesn't prevent the two from performing in a pornographic film together.  Later, Carol actually becomes a very successful model, while working as a expensive call girl on the side.  After the pair finally get a bunch of money, they decide they don't really like the way they're living, despite all the luxuries they enjoy, so they go back to their simple village existence.  

The mood of the film varies widely between innocence and sleaziness.  The petite Carol, with her little-girl voice, looks very young indeed, and is willing to take off her clothes at the drop of a hat, adding an extra level of depravity.  If nothing else, it's an interesting look at the less respectable side of London at the time.


----------



## wagtail

*Predestination*
I loved this movie. As with *Inception*, as soon as I thought I understood it all my brain began to fry. I know I'll never get my head around either but hey, it doesn't seem to affect my enjoyment.


----------



## KGeo777

*CITY OF THE DEAD* 1960 - atmospheric witches in haunted town. A good one for perennial viewing along with* Night of the Demon* 1957 and *Burn Witch Burn*.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rag Doll *(1961)

I didn't realize I'd be watching another movie about a young woman named Carol who moves to London, or I would have made this a themed double feature.   Anyway, this Carol works at a small diner run by her drunken stepfather, who, we quickly find out, just tried to make a pass at her.  The next thing you know, some guy tries to rape her, and is stopped by a decent fellow who has to beat up the assailant.  Understandably fed up with all this, Carol gets a ride to London with the good guy.  With no place to go and a suspicious policewoman following her, Carol winds up taking refuge at a fortunetelling booth.  The woman running it, seeing the policewoman, takes Carol under her wing and introduces her to the owner of a coffee bar.  This guy gives her a job, and is obviously romantically interested.  Unfortunately, Carol falls for a would-be pop singer who is really a professional thief.  When Carol gets pregnant, he actually does the right thing and marries her.  Unable to succeed in the music business, he decides to pull the proverbial One Last Job so they can move to Canada.  His intended victim is the owner of the coffee bar.  Let's just say that things don't work out well.  Barely over an hour long, this is a decent little low budget drama/crime story, with some very good acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Reincarnation of Peter Proud* (1975)

Slow-moving supernatural thriller that manages to hold the viewer's attention throughout.  The title character is a young college professor who has unexplained hip pain and recurring dreams in which he is murdered by a woman.  There's no real mystery; in the very first scene, set in the past, we saw a woman murder her husband.  Given the title, you can figure out what's going on.  After some investigation, the professor tracks down the place where the murdered man lived.  In a weirdly Freudian plot development -- even those characters who know about the reincarnation comment on it -- the professor falls in love with the dead man's daughter.  Meanwhile, the murderess picks up signals that her victim has been reincarnated.  (She's played by Margot Kidder, doing a really excellent job.  She has to play a twenty-something woman in flashbacks, and a fifty-something woman in the present. Given realistic gray hair, subtle makeup, and fine acting, the transformation is completely convincing.) The ending has an almost mythic inevitability to it. The plot is thin enough to be a _Twilight Zone_ episode, but quite effective in its own way.


----------



## Vladd67

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Reincarnation of Peter Proud* (1975)
> 
> Slow-moving supernatural thriller that manages to hold the viewer's attention throughout.  The title character is a young college professor who has unexplained hip pain and recurring dreams in which he is murdered by a woman.  There's no real mystery; in the very first scene, set in the past, we saw a woman murder her husband.  Given the title, you can figure out what's going on.  After some investigation, the professor tracks down the place where the murdered man lived.  In a weirdly Freudian plot development -- even those characters who know about the reincarnation comment on it -- the professor falls in love with the dead man's daughter.  Meanwhile, the murderess picks up signals that her victim has been reincarnated.  (She's played by Margot Kidder, doing a really excellent job.  She has to play a twenty-something woman in flashbacks, and a fifty-something woman in the present. Given realistic gray hair, subtle makeup, and fine acting, the transformation is completely convincing.) The ending has an almost mythic inevitability to it. The plot is thin enough to be a _Twilight Zone_ episode, but quite effective in its own way.


Doesn’t she attack the professor with an oar screaming at him about sleeping with “their” daughter?


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> *CITY OF THE DEAD* 1960 - atmospheric witches in haunted town. A good one for perennial viewing along with* Night of the Demon* 1957 and *Burn Witch Burn*.



Saw that a year or two ago and it was good. You're right, it would be good paired with either of those movies, or as part of a triple-bill.

Randy M.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Reincarnation of Peter Proud* (1975)
> 
> Slow-moving supernatural thriller that manages to hold the viewer's attention throughout.  The title character is a young college professor who has unexplained hip pain and recurring dreams in which he is murdered by a woman.  There's no real mystery; in the very first scene, set in the past, we saw a woman murder her husband.  Given the title, you can figure out what's going on.  After some investigation, the professor tracks down the place where the murdered man lived.  In a weirdly Freudian plot development -- even those characters who know about the reincarnation comment on it -- the professor falls in love with the dead man's daughter.  Meanwhile, the murderess picks up signals that her victim has been reincarnated.  (She's played by Margot Kidder, doing a really excellent job.  She has to play a twenty-something woman in flashbacks, and a fifty-something woman in the present. Given realistic gray hair, subtle makeup, and fine acting, the transformation is completely convincing.) The ending has an almost mythic inevitability to it. The plot is thin enough to be a _Twilight Zone_ episode, but quite effective in its own way.



With all the controversy around her later life, it's easy to forget that Kidder was a good actress. I remember liking her in a short-lived TV show, _Nichols_, and she was quite good in _Sisters_ as well as the first two _Superman_ movies. I think she was one of those actresses who got pushed aside as being too sexy or pretty or ??? for some of the more serious roles in the '80s, and that's too bad. She may have been better than most of the material she had to work with.

Randy M.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Vladd67 said:


> Doesn’t she attack the professor with an oar screaming at him about sleeping with “their” daughter?






Spoiler



She murdered her nasty husband in the late 1940's with an oar, and she murders the reincarnation with a gun.  Other than that small detail, you are quite correct.


----------



## Guttersnipe

I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Very disturbing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Attack of the Robots *(_Cartes sur table_, "Cards on the table," 1965)

The English language title of this tongue-in-cheek Europsy flick is misleading, but not as enigmatic as the original.  We start with a montage of assassinations, all performed by bronze-skinned men in black turtlenecks and horn-rimmed glasses.  When one of the assassins is killed, his skin goes back to normal.  (You can't really tell; apparently this movie was filmed in color, like a Europsy film should be, but printed in black-and-white.)  We soon find out that the killers were all missing persons, each with the very rare blood type Rhesus Zero.  (Some nonsensical science here; we're told that these folks are neither RH positive nor Rh negative, which is absurd.)  Our hero, a retired Interpol agent, happens to have Rhesus Zero blood, so the good guys set him up as bait for the bad guys.  Complicating matters is a Chinese spymaster who wants to find out about the assassins himself.  (We're told that this guy works for both North and South Vietnam.)  Our hero goes to Spain (nice location shooting at the scenic city of Alicante), gets mixed up with the movie's Good Girl (he doesn't know she's working for Interpol until near the end), meets the movie's Bad Girl and some other folks.  The usual fist fights, chases, gun fights, etc.  The gimmick is that the bad guys use Mad Science to transform Rhesus Zero people into brainwashed slaves (the "robots.")  There's quite a bit of humor, although it's not an out-and-out parody.  All in all, an enjoyable romp.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Diabolical Dr. Z *(_Miss Muerte_, "Miss Death," 1966)

Mad Scientist chiller with a great deal of Gothic atmosphere.  An older fellow, confined to a wheelchair, has a sort of brainwashing gizmo, but up to now it's only been used on experimental animals.  By sheer luck, an escaped convict turns up at his spooky mansion and becomes his first human subject.  While at some kind of scientific conference, promoting his work (without mentioning the part about already using it on people), he gets rejected by the other scientists and dies of a heart attack.  His daughter later picks up a hitchhiker who resembles her, and her plan for revenge begins.  She kills the hitchhiker, puts her in the car, sets it on fire, and sends into a lake.  She also accidentally burns part of her face, leaving it horribly scarred, so we can have some more Mad Science later when she restores it.  The whole point is to fake her own death.  In disguise, she visits a nightclub performer and tricks her into being kidnapped.  This woman is the "Miss Death" of the original title; the daughter is, I take it, our diabolical Doctor Z.    Her act consists of coming out on a stage that's made up like a web, dressed in a revealing outfit, and doing a sort of spider-and-fly dance with a mannequin.  Doctor Z brainwashes Miss Death into becoming her weapon of revenge, by having her use her seductive wiles to entice the three men she blames for her father's death, then killing them with her incredibly long, sharp fingernails, which have been poisoned.  It's an outrageous plot, of course, but it's very nicely filmed, with an eerie mood that mostly overcomes the campier aspects of the story.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Attack of the Robots *(_Cartes sur table_, "Cards on the table," 1965)


Added to my list.


----------



## MikeAnderson

*Uncut Gems (2019) *I could not comprehend Adam Freakin' Sandler could pull off that type of performance until I saw it myself. This movie was his Denzel Washington in T*raining Day *moment. Sandler plays a gem dealer who gets in way over his head, and he is phenomenal. No goofy voices, no stupid gags; just a sleazy, yet, emotionally vulnerable and surprising likeable hustler navigating himself out of a bad situation. When people told me he put on an award winning performance, I demanded they get drug tested. 

Turns out they were right. The guy was on a whole new level.


----------



## Foxbat

It Chapter Two
Far too long (almost 3 hours) with not enough there  to justify that running length. It wasn’t  a bad movie but nothing startling either. I thought Chapter One was slicker and overall a much better film.


----------



## Phyrebrat

@Randy M. your review of_ The Invisible Man_ was spot on! No way did it deserve the praise it got IMO.


----------



## KGeo777

THE NIGHT STALKER 1972 - I knew about this years before I got to see it. The sequel and tv series I had seen first. It has really good rewatch value.


----------



## Jeffbert

They Won't Believe Me (1947)

NOIR ALLEY.

The title seemed familiar, as did certain elements, but, thankfully, the ending was not! Did not see that coming!

So, the man Larry Ballentine (Robert Young) is tired of his wife, & has been seeing another woman, Janice Bell (Jane Greer).  As he and the OW are driving to Reno so he can divorce his wife, a tractor trailer going the opposite direction has a blowout, and crashes into their car. Ballentine is thrown clear, but the OW is burned beyond recognition, & dead. When Ballentine comes to, in the hospital, the authorities assume the dead woman is his wife Greta (Rita Johnson), & Ballentine realizes he can use this fact to go home, where his wife, who had all the money, had moved her husband and herself, to a remote ranch that did not even have a telephone, murder his wife, dispose of her body, since it was assumed that she had died in the crash, and all the money would be his! So, he goes home, hoping nobody had seen her since before the crash, and traces her to a waterfall on the ranch, and finds her dead! Apparently, she had fallen over the edge and broken her neck, though the cause of death is never revealed. Now, his hands are clean, and all he has to do, is dispose of her body.

But-- after dumping her in the stream, and assuming her corpse would be washed out to sea, Janice Bell's roommate comes looking for her!


ROAD GANG (1936) wrongly convicted man must somehow get out of prison.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.*


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> THE NIGHT STALKER 1972 - I knew about this years before I got to see it. The sequel and tv series I had seen first. It has really good rewatch value.



I remember that movie . It was  very good and still holds up pretty well.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Devil's Candy (2015): Definitely had the creepiness I was going for. The actor that was chosen to
play the antagonist was disturbingly good. The only gripe I really have with it is that it's too short and
I think it really could've benefited from a longer run-time.

Stir of Echoes (1999): Based on the Richard Matheson novel. A few small scenes in the beginning were a bit
too gruesome for me. I often hear the terms "supernatural thriller" and "horror" used interchangeably;
I think this film is more thrilling than horrifying. I was pleasantly surprised to see a brief shot of The
Shrinking Man in it.

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) (2008): Going into this, I knew only that it was a horror
romance film with vampires. I expected the lovebirds to be older. It was a nice transition into a quieter
kind of horror, but, as with Stir of Echoes, I wasn't too scared. The most intense parts were really whenever
the boy was being bullied. It was a strangely heartwarming experience for me. Also based on a novel.    

I feel compelled to award these three films with an 8 out of 10 rating.


----------



## Toby Frost

I really liked *Stir of Echoes*, but I felt it went on a bit. It had a convincingly everyday, blue-collar feel, and the hypnosis was really unsettling. Kevin Bacon and Illeana Douglas are very good.

*Sean of the Dead*: less funny than I remember, but more gruesome and probably a better film overall. I expected it to be like a longer episode of the sitcom Spaced, but it's more than that. Decent stuff.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Blue Dahlia* [1946] by George Marshall, with a screenplay by Raymond Chandler. 
One of the best Noires I've seen in a long while. Starring Alan Ladd,  Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Hugh Beaumont and a lot of other good old-Hollywood actors. The plot rattles along with enough twists and turns to make it interesting with losing the focus. It plays like a lost Marlow story [if Marlow had come back from the war to find his wife entertaining people at home].


----------



## Randy M.

CupofJoe said:


> *The Blue Dahlia* [1946] by George Marshall, with a screenplay by Raymond Chandler.
> One of the best Noires I've seen in a long while. Starring Alan Ladd,  Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Hugh Beaumont and a lot of other good old-Hollywood actors. The plot rattles along with enough twists and turns to make it interesting with losing the focus. It plays like a lost Marlow story [if Marlow had come back from the war to find his wife entertaining people at home].



A long time ago there was a paperback released of the screenplay with a foreward by John Houseman, the producer. Fascinating stuff. I imagine working with Chandler was, at best, trying.

Randy M.


----------



## Rodders

Captain America: Winter Soldier was on the other day. Definitely one of the Best Marvel films.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Last night I went way-exotic and instead of rewatching one of the Star Wars sequels or a supernatural horror, I plumped for _Zodiac_.

Enjoyed it but wondered what the point of Iron Man’s character was - he really led nowhere as far as I can remember and also just played the same role as in the MCU without the ramjets 

I’ve also been enjoying the James Whale _Frankenstein_ from 1930 which I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen until now. I’ve never been a fan of the whole set up but it’s a beautiful thing. Altho why they’ve cut the shot of the girl floating face-down in the lake after he hoys her in struck me as odd in a day and age when Negan can be shown smashing the heads of Glen And Abraham in TWD; it is quite beyond my programming.

I was also delighted to decide I can justifiably call the monster Frankenstein as opposed to F’s monster: there’s a scene on the wedding day where they’re discussing heirs and a son and Victor Frankenstein (called Henry in this, confusingly) is going all shades of (monochrome) green with the symbolism. So he already figures he has a son hence Frankenstein is kinda-sorta arguably allowed as a moniker for the monster. Admittedly this might be a conceit of the film and not Mary Shelley’s vision, but I suppose as a pop icon Frankenstein is more well known from the movie rather than her book.

Anyway, I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not a patch on my favourite _The Old Dark House_ - one of the best films ever made if only for the script, and Eva Moore’s Rebecca Femm (another James Whale), or _The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari_, but it’s up there quite high!

I’ve been watching the odd _ Messiah of Evil_ (1973) on Youtube which has elements reminiscent of _Carnival of Souls_ but I’m not sure where the hell it’s going - Altho I’m enjoying it, too.

Okay enough of my waffles

pH


----------



## Randy M.

*The Ghoul* (1933) dir. T. Hayes Hunter; starring Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Ralph Richardson

Dying Egyptologist who takes Anubis seriously has a valuable jewel placed in his hand as an offering to Anubis and to immortality. Jewel is taken from his dead hand and he returns to life to track it down and punish the thief. Or maybe not. It might just be catalepsy and coincidence. Or not. 

I don't recall ever seeing this before, and Ben Mankiewicz who introduced it said it was rarely seen, made in England when Karloff left Hollywood during a contract dispute with Universal Pictures following his successes after _Frankenstein_. Mankiewicz also said it wasn't well-regarded in its day, and it is a bit clunky, not as intense or interesting as Karloff's earlier _The Mummy_, interesting mainly for Karloff and the rather light-hearted performance turned in by Richardson early in his career.


*Blood and Black Lace *(1964) dir. Mario Bava; starring Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok

Nasty little movie, which I don't entirely mean as an insult. Begins with the killing of a model as she approaches the fashion house she works for, her murder stemming from earlier nefarious events like murder and blackmail. There's a diary that leads to more murders, and finally the revelation of who's behind it all. My take away is that Bava or his cinematographer must have loved his color palette. Scenes are drenched in colors, mostly red, green, purple, some white and some brown. The killer appears wearing a black hat and coat (though late in the movie they look more of a dark blue) with a white mask, which makes the other colors pop more. Note that scenes with the police are more sedately colored, Bava apparently contrasting the mundane with the more Baroque and Gothic. 

Oh, and at least three male voices in the movie sound like they were dubbed by Paul Frees ... and IMDB confirms it. Oddly, they don't include Mitchell's character, but Mitchell's voice didn't sound like I remember it from his days on the tv show, _The High Chaparral. _


Randy M.


----------



## Randy M.

Phyrebrat said:


> Last night I went way-exotic and instead of rewatching one of the Star Wars sequels or a supernatural horror, I plumped for _Zodiac_.
> 
> Enjoyed it but wondered what the point of Iron Man’s character was - he really led nowhere as far as I can remember and also just played the same role as in the MCU without the ramjets
> 
> I’ve also been enjoying the James Whale _Frankenstein_ from 1930 which I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen until now. I’ve never been a fan of the whole set up but it’s a beautiful thing. Altho why they’ve cut the shot of the girl floating face-down in the lake after he hoys her in struck me as odd in a day and age when Negan can be shown smashing the heads of Glen And Abraham in TWD; it is quite beyond my programming.
> 
> I was also delighted to decide I can justifiably call the monster Frankenstein as opposed to F’s monster: there’s a scene on the wedding day where they’re discussing heirs and a son and Victor Frankenstein (called Henry in this, confusingly) is going all shades of (monochrome) green with the symbolism. So he already figures he has a son hence Frankenstein is kinda-sorta arguably allowed as a moniker for the monster. Admittedly this might be a conceit of the film and not Mary Shelley’s vision, but I suppose as a pop icon Frankenstein is more well known from the movie rather than her book.
> 
> Anyway, I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not a patch on my favourite _The Old Dark House_ - one of the best films ever made if only for the script, and Eva Moore’s Rebecca Femm (another James Whale), or _The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari_, but it’s up there quite high!
> 
> I’ve been watching the odd _ Messiah of Evil_ (1973) on Youtube which has elements reminiscent of _Carnival of Souls_ but I’m not sure where the hell it’s going - Altho I’m enjoying it, too.
> 
> Okay enough of my waffles
> 
> pH



I liked _Zodiac_ and should watch it again. Anyway, now you've watched the 1931 _Frankenstein_, when you get a chance if you haven't already, catch the 1933 _Invisible Man_ and the 1935 _Bride of Frankenstein_, all directed by Whale (ditto _The Old Dark House_) and with a peculiar sensibility that Universal never matched again. 

Randy M.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Randy M. said:


> when you get a chance if you haven't already, catch the 1933 _Invisible Man_ and the 1935 _Bride of Frankenstein_, all directed by Whale



I have been after _The Invisible Man_ for a while as it’s meant to be a corker. (Hopefully it’ll wash the taste of last years’ remake from my mouth). And I’ve seen Bride when I was a kid so I’d like to see it properly.

Thanks for the tips. Here’s one in return: I see Bava on your list. If you’re into giallo I can recommend my favourite ever which is ‘_The House with the Laughing Windows_’. Very unsettling. Very cool.

pH


----------



## Randy M.

Thanks, pH. I'll keep that in mind. The Bava showed as part of our old movie channel's October/Halloween showings so I recorded it since I'd heard of it. We'll see if more show up.

Randy M.


----------



## Jeffbert

3 with Max von Sydow: 


*THE SEVENTH SEAL* (1957) I saw it some years ago, & am glad I watched it again.  Very glad I did not live then!

*VIRGIN SPRING* (1960)  Naughty goatherds rape and murder the guy's daughter, then, want to sell her clothes to him, not realizing who he is. 

*Eli Roth's History of Horror* s2, e1 which I watched a day later made reference to this film, as the basis for a horror movie, I think it was *LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT*, but don't quote me on that!  Violence ensues!

So, hundreds of years ago, the deeply religious family sends the daughter to the Church to deliver candles or whatever, and this young hot blonde goes out on horseback riding through the woods, without a male escort!? Other than that oddity, this seemed a decent plot. 


*HOUR OF THE WOLF* (1968) Wished I had skipped this one.  The guy, lives on a remote island, owned by some other guy. The guy paints still life, etc. , & weird things happen. 



*SEDUCED AND ABANDONED* (1964) Italian with subs; family has eldest daughter engaged to young guy, who seduces the youngest daughter and has his way with her. Papa is furious, & demands he marry her. But, since she did the deed without marriage, she is not good enough for him, even though he seduced her. Too long for my tastes, but not bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dark Shadows *(2012)

Tim Burton's reimagining of the old supernatural soap opera.  I'll damn it with faint praise by saying that it's not as bad as most feature films taken from television series of the 1960's/1970's.  Given atrocities like *Car 54, Where Are You? *and *Wild Wild West*, that's not saying much at all.  It may, in fact, be the best of this kind of thing I have ever seen, although I am quite fond of *The Brady Bunch Movie*.  (I haven't seen *The Addams Family*, which has a good reputation.)

Anyway, the pre-credits sequence, in which Barnabas Collins, in voice over, relates the story of how he was cursed to become a vampire, is excellent.  The spectacular visuals -- I assume all big budget movies of this century look this beautiful -- are justified, and the mood is perfect.

The opening credits -- just a scene of a train passing through gorgeous scenery -- is lovely.  Once the story gets going, however, the jarring changes of mood, from Gothic romance to farce, really put me off.  Casting Alice Cooper as himself seemed to be just a gimmick.  The contrast between very silly scenes like the vampire brushing his fangs, with no reflection in the mirror, and the truly terrifying and tragic childhood of the female lead was disturbing.

The ending, with the final battle between the witch and the vampire, was way over the top.  I felt that the movie was shoving as many special effects at me as it could, just to overwhelm me.  The way the battle ends was anticlimactic.

I have no problem with Johnny Depp's performance as the vampire.  Everybody else in the cast seems to be sort of winking at the audience.

Overall, very much of a curate's egg.


----------



## BAYLOR

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Dark Shadows *(2012)
> 
> Tim Burton's reimagining of the old supernatural soap opera.  I'll damn it with faint praise by saying that it's not as bad as most feature films taken from television series of the 1960's/1970's.  Given atrocities like *Car 54, Where Are You? *and *Wild Wild West*, that's not saying much at all.  It may, in fact, be the best of this kind of thing I have ever seen, although I am quite fond of *The Brady Bunch Movie*.  (I haven't seen *The Addams Family*, which has a good reputation.)
> 
> Anyway, the pre-credits sequence, in which Barnabas Collins, in voice over, relates the story of how he was cursed to become a vampire, is excellent.  The spectacular visuals -- I assume all big budget movies of this century look this beautiful -- are justified, and the mood is perfect.
> 
> The opening credits -- just a scene of a train passing through gorgeous scenery -- is lovely.  Once the story gets going, however, the jarring changes of mood, from Gothic romance to farce, really put me off.  Casting Alice Cooper as himself seemed to be just a gimmick.  The contrast between very silly scenes like the vampire brushing his fangs, with no reflection in the mirror, and the truly terrifying and tragic childhood of the female lead was disturbing.
> 
> The ending, with the final battle between the witch and the vampire, was way over the top.  I felt that the movie was shoving as many special effects at me as it could, just to overwhelm me.  The way the battle ends was anticlimactic.
> 
> I have no problem with Johnny Depp's performance as the vampire.  Everybody else in the cast seems to be sort of winking at the audience.
> 
> Overall, very much of a curate's egg.



Jonathan Frid the original Barnabas Collins , had a cameo I that film.


----------



## hitmouse

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Dark Shadows *(2012)
> 
> Tim Burton's reimagining of the old supernatural soap opera.  I'll damn it with faint praise by saying that it's not as bad as most feature films taken from television series of the 1960's/1970's.  Given atrocities like *Car 54, Where Are You? *and *Wild Wild West*, that's not saying much at all.  It may, in fact, be the best of this kind of thing I have ever seen, although I am quite fond of *The Brady Bunch Movie*.  (I haven't seen *The Addams Family*, which has a good reputation.)
> 
> Anyway, the pre-credits sequence, in which Barnabas Collins, in voice over, relates the story of how he was cursed to become a vampire, is excellent.  The spectacular visuals -- I assume all big budget movies of this century look this beautiful -- are justified, and the mood is perfect.
> 
> The opening credits -- just a scene of a train passing through gorgeous scenery -- is lovely.  Once the story gets going, however, the jarring changes of mood, from Gothic romance to farce, really put me off.  Casting Alice Cooper as himself seemed to be just a gimmick.  The contrast between very silly scenes like the vampire brushing his fangs, with no reflection in the mirror, and the truly terrifying and tragic childhood of the female lead was disturbing.
> 
> The ending, with the final battle between the witch and the vampire, was way over the top.  I felt that the movie was shoving as many special effects at me as it could, just to overwhelm me.  The way the battle ends was anticlimactic.
> 
> I have no problem with Johnny Depp's performance as the vampire.  Everybody else in the cast seems to be sort of winking at the audience.
> 
> Overall, very much of a curate's egg.


Pretty much my thoughts too.

The Addams family movies are really quite good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

BAYLOR said:


> Jonathan Frid the original Barnabas Collins , had a cameo I that film.



Yes, as did other actors from the original:  Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans), Lara Parker (Angelique), and David Selby (Quentin Collins.)

At home, we are currently watching the complete original series, over several months, and we have the 1990's remake of the series (only 12 episodes, unlike the original, which had well over 1000) and the film _Night of Dark Shadows_ on our To Be Watched pile.  We also own several books about the series, autographed by Kathryn Leigh Scott.

You may notice a pattern here.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE GHOUL* (1933) Boris Karloff had a dispute with Universal, so, he returned to England, & made this.  I must have seen this before, because the one thing that was familiar was the extremely talkative woman, who was just fawning over the guy who identified himself as a Sheikh.  She was occasionally funny, but the poor guy was just annoyed to death. Anyway, for a Karloff film, it was a bit disappointing because at the end, the Ghoul, just fell over dead, though the mausoleum was on fire. It just paled compared to the Universal horror films he made.

So, the great renowned Egyptologist Professor  Morlant (Boris Karloff) is on or in his deathbed, and hopes to attain immortality by having a sacred object held in his hand when he dies, etc. But why then is he buried / interred  in a sarcophagus? Maybe the thing he sought was on the other side? Anyway, there are two guys after the thing, a jewel, I guess, but as it was dark scene, I could hardly tell what it was.   So, apparently, he had stolen the thing from a tomb, & these guys were attempting to recover it. So, he croaks, and is interned in his mausoleum or whatever it is called, but his servant, thinking his beliefs were nonsense, took the jewel out of his clenched fist after he died. Bad move! Sure enough, the Ghoul returned from the dead, to seek revenge, etc. 

So, Ben M. said that it was rarely shown, and had been considered a lost film. Nice to see it, anyway, but I am near certain I saw it not too long ago.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre *(1964)

Started off as a pilot for a supernatural TV series, then had extra footage and a much different ending added to make it into a movie.  Martin Landau stars as an architect/ghost hunter who lives in this groovy ultra-modern house on a cliff near the sea.  He gets mixed up with a blind man who believes he is getting phone calls from his dead mother.  We find out pretty quickly that the complex plot features both real and fake hauntings.  The backstory involves the blind man's wife and a spooky housekeeper (Judith Anderson, playing a role very similar to the one she played in *Rebecca*.)  It all has something to do with a supposed haunting in Mexico some time ago, the source of the film's title, which Landau exposed as a hoax and a murder.  Written and directed by Joseph Stefano.  It's beautifully filmed in moody black-and-white, and has tons of atmosphere and some sharp dialogue.   Well worth a look.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of Mortal Sin *AKA *The Confessional* (1976)

Here's how to stir up some controversy; make a horror movie about an insane, homicidal priest, who even uses holy objects to commit his murders.  The madman records a young woman's confession and becomes obsessed with her, first badly beating up the fellow he thinks is her boyfriend, sending him to the hospital.  Not much later he murders the real boyfriend.  Other killings follow, mostly to cover up his crimes.  The murderer lives with his very elderly, infirm mother (he's no spring chicken himself) and a sinister housekeeper (is there any other kind in these movies?) who wears glasses with one black lens, to cover up her badly deformed eye.  The young woman can't get anybody to believe her when she figures out what's going on.  Don't expect a happy ending.  There's a young, good guy priest, who eventually wants to leave the Church to get married, to serve as our hero.  The older folks portraying the killer priest and his housekeeper are both very good in their evil roles, far outdoing the nice people.  The premise may seem distasteful, but it's an effective shocker.


----------



## Matchu

I found 'Seventh Seal' very difficult.

I was obsessed with 'Wild Strawberries' for quite a long time, and then later on, Max Von Sydow with his pipe and hammer at the start of 'Passion of Anna.'

I've been watching:
*The Knight Templar - Arn Magnusson*

I'm on the second section, Daily Motion: it's dipped a little, turning schlossy-kissy-wussy...nonetheless, Part One was suitable for for all of the Viking relatives.  I'm searching for the dirty,  really earthy, aesthetic [hew] in medieval depiction, I might find it in Russian cinema, somff like that, almost a 'Robin & Marian' vibe [euch]...

If anybody is 'Robin Hood genre' - fairly interested how film-makers develop 'The Wake,' Kingsnorth - the most affecting book for me this year, film rights sold.


----------



## Toby Frost

I enjoyed *The Seventh Seal*, but I was expecting it to be almost incomprehensible. There was less of Death playing chess than I'd anticipated, and a lot more of jolly peasants and maidens putting on a show. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what happened!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Enola Holmes (2020)*
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Stars the girl who plays 11 in Stranger Things.
It was a good film, though I can't help thinking the actors playing Sherlock and Mycroft should be switched. Mycroft with his short hair and tache is more how I image Sherlock would look. A bit like H G Wells and Elgar.


----------



## dask

*42nd Street*. Busby Berkeley extravaganza offers backstage look at the creation of a Broadway type musical during 1930s depression. Beginning dancer Ruby Keeler gets her first job as a chorus girl and rises to the top when offered the lead after star of the show breaks her ankle. Great dance numbers, clever dialogue, and exceptional camera work make this a must see. When Keeler tosses her skirt aside, hang on!


----------



## KGeo777

*THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD* 1957  -- Years and years it has been since I watched this--hard to forget the creature! For 1950s mechanical puppetry it is still pretty good.

*SWEET SWEET RACHEL* 1971 - Pilot for a psychic investigator series.  Seen it years ago too but all I remember was a scary phone call with strange cards being listed. "Eye! Knife! Raven! Doll! Coffin!"
The shtick of the show is a former surgeon who is sensitive to psychic suggestion and he has a partner who is psychic and blind. And odd couple they certainly make. They made casting changes to it after the pilot (a common occurrence).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Murder by the Clock *(1931)

Early talkie of the Old Dark House variety, with horror movie elements and one heck of a villainess.  An elderly woman with a fear of being buried alive has a loud alarm horn installed in her crypt, just in case she needs to be rescued.  Meanwhile, she changes her will so her money will go to her weak-willed, drunken nephew instead of her muscular but mentally challenged son.  Openly out to get her hands on the money is the drunk's wife, who is our _femme fatale_.  In short order, she manipulates her husband into killing his aunt; her lover into murdering her husband; and the dimwitted son into murdering her lover.  In addition to this macabre domino effect, we've got one of the victims resurrected temporarily via an adrenaline shot, only to be killed again.  Then there's the apparent return of the elderly woman from the grave.  The villainess vamps every man she sees shamelessly and slinks around in pre-Code satin gowns that cling to her body like Saran Wrap.  Her performance definitely makes up for the movie's creaky, stagey filming.  You don't know whether or not she's going to get away with multiple murder by proxy until the very last minute of the film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Strange Case of Doctor Rx *(1942)

Ordinary low budget semi-comic whodunit that suddenly turns into a Mad Scientist movie during the last ten minutes.  It seems that somebody has been killing folks who went on trial for murder, but were acquitted.  The victims seem to have been strangled, and have a little note signed "Rx."  Our hero, a private eye, gets hired by the defense attorney who happened to get the victims acquitted.  Most of the rest of the film gets filled up with comedy relief, from an Irish cop, an African-American servant, and banter between the hero and his girlfriend, later his wife.  Lionel Atwill shows up very briefly as an obvious red herring.  Along the way another victim gets killed immediately after getting acquitted, apparently strangled by an invisible killer in a courtroom full of witnesses.  Various folks try to get the guy off the case, and try to get the guy to stay on the case.  Along the way we find out that some other guy who was investigating the case witnessed something so terrifying that his hair turned white and he went insane.

At the very end, our hero gets captured by the killer, wearing a hood, and winds up in a typical Mad Scientist lab.  The villain has a gorilla, and intends to switch its brain with that of our hero!  Cut to the hero back at home, and the solution to the mystery, with no real explanation as to how he got away!  The hero just blacks out, and later says he doesn't remember what happened!    The whole thing about an apparently invisible strangler is explained by a pen that shoots tiny poison darts.  Other than this ridiculous climax, it's a pretty dull affair.


----------



## KGeo777

*THE VAMPIRE LOVERS* 1970 -- It seems as though the years 68-72 were a particularly intense period for horror films. Vampires especially were everywhere. Dracula, Count Yorga, Blacula, the Karnsteins. A Hammer-AIP co-production, although well-made and atmospheric, I don't consider this a favorite. Of the three Karnstein films I prefer Twins of Evil.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Hot Fuzz* (2007) - A comedy about a tough, by-the-book urban policeman posted to a rural backwater. In no time, the hero uncovers a sinister conspiracy that seems to take in the whole village.

Simon Pegg is very good as the uptight hero, a change from his usual responsibility-dodging manchild characters. The supporting cast, including some serious British actors, are very solid. The rural types are very recognisable and, while there are some obvious straw-chewing yokels, the characterisation is spot on: I've met people like Olivia Coleman's lewd Doris, or the incoherent, shotgun-collecting old farmer, but I've never seen them portrayed before. The film skilfully satirises country life - in particular, the sense of "You're not one of us so you can't criticise us, and if you _were_ one of us you wouldn't criticise us", which is still quite common in rural England.

Overall, very good indeed. My only quibble is that the gore is a bit excessive for a comedy like this, which might put some viewers off.


*The World's End* (2013) - The final film in the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost sequence that began with _Shaun of the Dead_. A slightly crazed and deeply underachieving man (Pegg) coaxes four former schoolfriends to repeat a pub crawl they did as teenagers. On the way, they discover an alien plot to conquer the earth.

Despite its similarities to _Shaun_ and_ Hot Fuzz_, this doesn't really work for me. The conspiracy is too bizarre and Pegg's character (perhaps meant to be more realistic than Shaun or Tim from _Spaced_) is both more annoying and less sympathetic. The way that the characters persist with the pub crawl doesn't feel convincing, even on comedic terms. It's hard not to feel that these guys have done this sort of thing better elsewhere. On the other hand, it's funnier than most comedies and worth a look, and Nick Frost is good as (unusually) the most grown up of the friends. Pretty good.


----------



## Astro Pen

*Death in Venice *(1971) 
                                     I watched it as a young man and was seduced by the aesthetics alone.  I just watched it again, as an old man, and wept.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Dr. Who and the Daleks* (1965) I am not into Who, but as Peter Cushing had the title role here & its sequel, I watched both. I enjoyed both. Ben M. mentioned that Cushing's portrayal of Dr. Who was not much like the TV series version, because some viewers might not be familiar with the series. 

*Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.* (1966) I think the flying saucer was very impressive, given the film was made inn the 1960s. Very much fun, both films!


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Killer Shrews* (1959) One of my favorite B-horror films! Very difficult to get a good in-focus screen capture of the shrews's snouts poking through a hole in the adobe walls, but, I finally got one!  Poor characters! Screenwriters make them do the stupidest things!

So, scientists on a remote and otherwise uninhabited island are using shrews because  of their very brief reproductive cycle -- they bring forth new offspring in a matter of weeks, so the scientists can have many generations in just one year. The head scientist (Gordon McLendon) hopes to reduce the size of humans in order to reduce the demand for food. Quite the contrary of the Scientist in TARANTULA, who hoped to increase the size of livestock! 

But, wouldn't you know it, a mutated species of shrew pops up, grows to the size of wolves, and has toxic saliva, and escapes from the lab. Captain Thorne Sherman (James Best) arrives at the worst possible time, just ahead of a hurricane, and is lured into staying for dinner, after which they tell him it is dangerous to go out after dark. Now he is stuck, and the shews have exhausted all the other sources of food on the island! 



Spoiler



so, they use these conveniently empty oval-shaped steel drums to make armor to use to crawl from the house to the ocean, good thing shews cannot swim. Just as they are nearing the shore, the professor's daughter shouts in terror 'quicksand!' O.k., so where is it? I was a bit disappointed that only the word itself was used. No real or even fake movie quicksand!





*THE RACKET *(1951) NOIR ALLEY & noir remake of a 1929 crime film, which I saw some years ago. In both cases, & likely the stage version also, honest cop McQuigg is precinct Captain, & is frequently transferred from one place to another, once the corrupt politicians in league with the criminals, set-up shop in those towns.  So, this version has Captain McQuigg (Robert Mitchum) & mobster  Nick Scanlon (Robert Ryan), apparently having grown-up as friends, or, at least, acquaintances. Not that it makes much difference. Scanlon has a younger brother, whom he spoils with un-earned money, college education, etc., hoping he will become a proper socialite. But, little brother has fallen for a nightclub singer (Lizabeth Scott), much to big brother's disgust. As I recall, the 1928 version, had the kid brother a young adolescent, in military academy, who was in an entirely different type of trouble. 

Anyway, Mcquigg decides that the kid brother is Scanlon's weakness, and, he should work on him. The punk is a snot-nosed nose-in-the-air type, who steal a Rolls-Royce after big brother, enraged about the nightclub singer, takes away his car. Arrested, he tries to use his identity as a get-out-of-jail-free card, but that fails. The singer, is also detained, but, only for her own safety. Nobody does fury like Ryan, is nearly explodes when he cannot convince the political boss, whose reelection is nigh, to get kid brother released. Being insane with rage, he threatens to tell on the political machine, and storm out, intending to confront McQuig at the police station. 

Detective Sergeant Turk (William Conrad), part of the corrupt political machine is ordered to make sure Scanlon does not talk.  Very intense film!


----------



## KGeo777

I particularly like the jump scare when the shrew appears on the other side of the door.


----------



## Jeffbert

Jeffbert said:


> I have seen this [Death Curse of Tart]u]! The thing could not be killed, but by natural forces, as I recall.      Thanks,  Victoria Silverwolf! I was wanting to remember the title.


TCM will show this again 10/29 or is it 10/30 at 6;30 PM, right after FROM HELL IT CAME. 2 Quicksand horror films in a row.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*Hitman: Agent 47. *6/10. Quite a predictable film with action sequences, with a predictable ending.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*I Want What I Want *(1972)

Early exploration of the transgender theme.  We first meet our main character watching pretty ciswomen walk by.  Typical heterosexual cisman behavior?  Not really, because we quickly find out that the protagonist is a transwoman in a genetically male body, dressing and living like a cisman.  I'm using these terms, although the film doesn't, because it's impossible to watch the movie without realizing how times have changed.  Anyway, the character is caught by Father in women's clothing, leading to a huge fight.  The protagonist leaves home, thanks to having a small inheritance from a dead Mother, and slowly goes through the process of dressing and living like a ciswoman.

(You'll notice that my sentences are awkward, because I'm trying to avoid the use of gendered pronouns.)

Eventually the main character, who up to this point doesn't seem to have any sexual interest in anyone of any gender, wins the attention of a cisman.  This doesn't work out well, leading to a scene of sudden violence.  Then we get a semi-happy ending.

This film must have been quite progressive in its day, although some of the ways in which it presents the protagonist are cringe-worthy today.  The main character is presented as extremely, almost ludicrously, feminine, like a Stepford Wife.  The ciswomen in the movie are much less girly.  

One problem with making this kind of film is casting the lead role.  If you don't have a transgendered performer portraying the role -- not likely at the time -- what do you do?  In this case, they went with a ciswoman (Anne Heywood.)  She (I can use gendered pronouns now) isn't very convincing as the protagonist when living as a cisman, and does better when living as a ciswoman.  Overall, an interesting look at attitudes which have changed, at least to some extent.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two comedic 'horror' films, both with a very young Jack Nicholson in supporting roles:

*THE RAVEN *(1963) Dr. Craven (Vincent Price) is minding his own business, when --why do I bother? everybody knows this one!

In my opinion, Price as Craven defeating Karloff as Scarabus is a way of the old horror stars giving way to the new one. O.k., so both continue well into the 1960s, & Price was not a young man, but it seems to me this! 

Peter Lorre had really put on weight! He seemed to be the link between the old horror & the new; though, horror was not new to him, crime drama was his usual genre.  He died a few years after making The Raven. 



*THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS* (1960) Not much point in detailing this one's plot, either. Loved Jack's Hollywood smile, though!


----------



## Guttersnipe

Oculus (2013): I expected this to be a mediocre horror film; I remember seeing the trailer and not being very impressed. Having watched it now, I'm surprised at how well it was put together, especially plot-wise. It meshes the supernatural with the psychological very well. I didn't expect the downer ending; for some reason I expected a Hollywood ending, but am glad we didn't get it. The idea sounds unimpressive (a haunted mirror) but the film has less to do with that and more to do with tragedy and the horror of being thrust into the unknown as a defenseless child.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jigsaw* (1962)

Efficient police procedural/whodunit.  The burglary of a real estate office, where only leases were stolen, leads to the discovery of a murder.  The cops put in a lot of foot work, leading to dead ends, red herrings, etc.  Almost documentary style, with no music on the soundtrack.  Not bad at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Death Goes to School *(1953)

Traditional murder mystery, set at a girls' school.  One of the teachers is found strangled with a scarf, which happens to belong to another teacher, our heroine/amateur detective.  The victim was disliked by all the other teachers and students, and was having an affair with a married man, so we've got plenty of suspects.  Clues include a book of matches, a missing pair of shoes, and so on.  It's a decent example of the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Leather Boys *(1964)

Kitchen sink drama about a couple of teenagers who get married, then quickly develop serious compatibility problems.  When the boy's grandfather dies, he wants to move in with the grandmother, so she won't have to go into an old age home.  This is the last straw for the girl, so she stays in their tiny flat while he moves in with grandmother, as well as his homeless buddy, with whom he shares a love of motorcycles.  The buddy seems to be trying to keep the married couple apart.  Another clue is that, when the two guys go off on a trip to the seaside and chat up a couple of giggling girls, the buddy has no interest in them.  You have to read between the lines until the end, when it's made clear that the buddy is gay.  It's something of a groundbreaking film in that way, I suppose.  Even if not so, it's got fine performances and location shooting that adds a great deal of realism.

*UFO:  Target Earth *(1974)

Ultra-low budget science fiction film that tries to mix a lot of mysticism into the flying saucer stuff.  First we get some phony interviews with people who have encountered UFOs.  Then our title sequence, with a groovy soft psychedelic rock song on the soundtrack, and grainy photos of UFOs.  Enjoy them, because these are the only ones we'll see.    The nearly incomprehensible plot involves a guy who somehow overhears a secret military discussion about UFOs on his own telephone.  This leads to flashbacks to when he was a little kid, and saw a bright light scare him while he was in bed.  His mom tells him its just his "waking light." (?)  Somehow or other he gets involved with some science/computer types and a psychic.  The psychic freaks out at a bar or restaurant or something, hyperventilating while the music on the juke box slows down to a crawl and the electricity fades away.  Somehow this leads to a lake where they somehow (you'll see me use this word a lot) figure out a UFO landed one thousand years ago.  (Hilariously, they just had an interview with somebody who witnessed that landing.)  Eventually, the completely unseen aliens produce a bunch of hippie light show type images on a TV set, like a bargain basement version of *2001:  A Space Odyssey*, spout off some mystical nonsense, and tell the guy that he's only the fourth person in history to be worthy of ascending.  Guys walks into the lake, and the computer guy tries to pull him out, but there's only a skull left.  Then the movie ends with a quote from the Book of Revelations:



> And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation



I guess that's implying the guy is some kind of messiah.

The contrast between the feebleness of the film's technical aspects and its mystical pretentions is remarkable.


----------



## KGeo777

*I Saw What You Did And I Know Who You Are* 1965  - William Castle film about three girls who make prank phone calls and it backfires when they start pranking a killer. A mix of comedy and suspense--the comedy doesn't date much all things considered. 

*Quatermass and the Pit* 1967 - Martians jumping! Leaping!


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *UFO:  Target Earth *(1974)
> 
> Ultra-low budget science fiction film that tries to mix a lot of mysticism into the flying saucer stuff.  First we get some phony interviews with people who have encountered UFOs.  Then our title sequence, with a groovy soft psychedelic rock song on the soundtrack, and grainy photos of UFOs.  Enjoy them, because these are the only ones we'll see.    The nearly incomprehensible plot involves a guy who somehow overhears a secret military discussion about UFOs on his own telephone.  This leads to flashbacks to when he was a little kid, and saw a bright light scare him while he was in bed.  His mom tells him its just his "waking light." (?)  Somehow or other he gets involved with some science/computer types and a psychic.  The psychic freaks out at a bar or restaurant or something, hyperventilating while the music on the juke box slows down to a crawl and the electricity fades away.  Somehow this leads to a lake where they somehow (you'll see me use this word a lot) figure out a UFO landed one thousand years ago.  (Hilariously, they just had an interview with somebody who witnessed that landing.)  Eventually, the completely unseen aliens produce a bunch of hippie light show type images on a TV set, like a bargain basement version of *2001:  A Space Odyssey*, spout off some mystical nonsense, and tell the guy that he's only the fourth person in history to be worthy of ascending.  Guys walks into the lake, and the computer guy tries to pull him out, but there's only a skull left.  Then the movie ends with a quote from the Book of Revelations:
> 
> I guess that's implying the guy is some kind of messiah.
> 
> The contrast between the feebleness of the film's technical aspects and its mystical pretentions is remarkable.


I think I have this on my DVR! No, mine says:


> Winston Jones
> (1956)Re-creations and file footage, some in color, outline the findings of a government UFO study.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DEATHSPORT* (1978) Kaz Oshay (David Carradine) is a Range Guide in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The film was -- well, I have seen worse. Its only attraction was the sight of naked women, though the lighting was poor, & there were obstructions blocking the view. Seriously, when I added this to my DVR's recording schedule, I was unaware of the FFN; the title seemed the type of thing I might enjoy. The plot was poor, a Roman Empire-like society captured people and put them in the arena to be killed for the entertainment of the citizens. DC portrayed one such victim, while a Playboy Playmate portrayed another.  Almost a complete waste of time, but it was so stupid, it was funny.


----------



## Foxbat

Flight To Mars (1951)
Astronauts crash land on Mars and meet the Martians who take them to their underground city. They are then given some living quarters and the first thing the female earthling asks is ‘can I see the kitchen?’ It wasn’t meant to be funny but it made me laugh. It was about the only bright spot in this  poor quality nonsense.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *DEATHSPORT* (1978) Kaz Oshay (David Carradine) is a Range Guide in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The film was -- well, I have seen worse. Its only attraction was the sight of naked women, though the lighting was poor, & there were obstructions blocking the view. Seriously, when I added this to my DVR's recording schedule, I was unaware of the FFN; the title seemed the type of thing I might enjoy. The plot was poor, a Roman Empire-like society captured people and put them in the arena to be killed for the entertainment of the citizens. DC portrayed one such victim, while a Playboy Playmate portrayed another.  Almost a complete waste of time, but it was so stupid, it was funny.



Watched it a month or two ago. Almost inventive sets on a low budget, stilted dialog, dopey shenanigans with motor bikes. By the end I thought there was something a bit goofy-good coming from the seriousness with which Carradine and Claudia Jennings (the Playboy playmate) played their roles, but on the whole I would not recommend it. 

Randy M.


----------



## dask

Brilliantly demented, does for suspense what Robert Wise’s *The Haunting *does for horror and scared me half to death in the process. Wonder if this could have been an early inspiration for Columbo.


----------



## CupofJoe

dask said:


> View attachment 71161
> Brilliantly demented, does for suspense what Robert Wise’s *The Haunting *does for horror and scared me half to death in the process. Wonder if this could have been an early inspiration for Columbo.


A great film. One of the few film I have found truly scary and suspenceful.


----------



## jd73

I'm partway through _The Last Starfighter_ on the back of a comment here. It's good, easy fun.


----------



## AstroZon

*Crypto *(2019)

A wall street banker gets reassigned to his home town in upstate NY and discovers the Russian mafia involved in crypto trading and money laundering.  Acting is good throughout especially Jill Hennessy who effectively plays it quite over the top.  And Kurt Russel is excellent as the struggling yet laid-back farmer.  The movie moves along well with plenty of suspense, however, it doesn't go deep enough into the crypto currency side of things.  

Issues:  1.) Luke Hemsworth looks like he could easily be Kurt Russel's son, but they must have found Beau Knapp in the potato field.  2.) The Russian mafia - Hollywood's favorite bad guy cliche.  3.) An ultra high end art gallery in the middle of a rust-belt hicktown?    4.) And of course another Hollywood cliche, the super hacker (with clickity keyboard.)


----------



## Triceratops

Fool's Gold with Mathew and Kate. Totally awesome.


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> *DEATHSPORT* (1978) Kaz Oshay (David Carradine) is a Range Guide in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The film was -- well, I have seen worse. Its only attraction was the sight of naked women, though the lighting was poor, & there were obstructions blocking the view. Seriously, when I added this to my DVR's recording schedule, I was unaware of the FFN; the title seemed the type of thing I might enjoy. The plot was poor, a Roman Empire-like society captured people and put them in the arena to be killed for the entertainment of the citizens. DC portrayed one such victim, while a Playboy Playmate portrayed another.  Almost a complete waste of time, but it was so stupid, it was funny.



This film almost makes *Damnation Alley* look good.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Finished THE ORVILLE SEASON 2.


----------



## KGeo777

THE NIGHT STRANGLER 1973 - I read the script too-The Time Killer it was called.
The third Kolchak movie was called The Night Killer but wasn't made. It was set in Hawaii.
Some props from this movie can be seen in the actual Seattle Underground tour.

_Kolchak: "I've been a policeman for 37 years and an idiot for twice that long!"

Vincennzo: "Kolchak. You were supposed to be in Puyallup for the daffodils!"

Kolchak:: "Where? Vincenzo what's the matter with you? You ought to see a doctor you know, I'm serious. You sound terrible. It's awful."

Louise: "What are you doing to that poor man? I have never seen anyone so  close to total stark insanity before."
_


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> THE NIGHT STRANGLER 1973 - I read the script too-The Time Killer it was called.
> The third Kolchak movie was called The Night Killer but wasn't made. It was set in Hawaii.
> Some props from this movie can be seen in the actual Seattle Underground tour.
> 
> _Kolchak: "I've been a policeman for 37 years and an idiot for twice that long!"
> 
> Vincennzo: "Kolchak. You were supposed to be in Puyallup for the daffodils!"
> 
> Kolchak:: "Where? Vincenzo what's the matter with you? You ought to see a doctor you know, I'm serious. You sound terrible. It's awful."
> 
> Louise: "What are you doing to that poor man? I have never seen anyone so  close to total stark insanity before."_



 The villain played by Richard Anderson was 19th century doctor. Dr Richard  Malcom .  Who'd discovered  the secret of prolonging his life , via murdering and extracting blood from certain part of brain for  young women and truing it  it into an elixir  which maintains his youth and life.  The problem is every 20 years , he has to kill again and  again  to sustain himself. if he fails to do so , he will age, decay and die.


----------



## KGeo777

BAYLOR said:


> The villain played by Richard Anderson


I was thinking that I may have seen this movie for the first time around the same time I was watching the Six Million Dollar Man. I wonder if the first time I saw it I had confusion about why Oscar Goldman was doing this (coincidentally, Darren McGavin was the first Bionic Man supervisor in the pilot). 
They made so many tv movies then, you can even find "Dr Richard Malcolm" in a scene with "Janos Skorzeny."


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> I was thinking that I may have seen this movie for the first time around the same time I was watching the Six Million Dollar Man. I wonder if the first time I saw it I had confusion about why Oscar Goldman was doing this (coincidentally, Darren McGavin was the first Bionic Man supervisor in the pilot).
> They made so many tv movies then, you can even find "Dr Richard Malcolm" in a scene with "Janos Skorzeny."



I saw this film when it first came on the air in 1972 .  It left quite an impression on me . I never forgot it nor the underground city scene where the climax of the film took place . Dr Malcoms lair with the the decayed  mummified remains of his family.  Very chilling stuff.


----------



## HareBrain

_The Trial of the Chicago 7_

Angers up the blood. A shock to see Frank Langella again, since I somehow haven't seen anything he's been in since The Ninth Gate. People get old, who knew?


----------



## KGeo777

VAMPIRE CIRCUS 1972 - A worthy attempt at doing something different with the Hammer period vampire film, I really like the atmosphere and the two vampires Mitterhuas and Emil are totally bad vampires--even Lee's Dracula showed vulnerability in his death scenes but these two vampires go out without a shred of sympathy for them. Two big jerks. But the film falters now and then especially with the laziness of the crucifix used to buy breathing space. I usually can detect some political thematic zeitgeist to the story and era (i.e. the witch burning puritan in Twins of Evil) but this one is a little hard to read. Anna is an unfaithful wife who lures little children to be killed by Mitterhaus. Unless she was under some kind of spell we assume she is just bad--and she gets flogged as punishment (mainly because her husband has sympathy for her still). Then she gets a disguise and joins a circus with Darth Vader. Near the end she shows a last minute reluctance to sacrifice her child. 
In the end just about everyone lies dead around Mitterhaus as he comes back to life. For a vampire without contact lenses or ghoulish makeup his resurrection generates some creepiness. The true Eurotrash vampire.  Yet I can't rate the film among my favorites of 1970s Hammer. There's a couple of moments of sympathy for characters but kind of on the bland side--the vampires are the most interesting characters.

SATAN'S SLAVE 1976 - gratuitous and downright nasty sexual sadism at the start makes one think this is going to go down a sleazy exploitation path which it does and yet thanks to the veteran cast it rises above the lowest kind of horror trash, much like CRAZE another Uk horror sleazefest from a few years before. A girl goes with her parents to visit her father's brother she has never met--but the car crashes at the gate and her parents explode in a car fire. She then has a few days of strange experiences and dreams before learning that her uncle (Michael Gough) wants to sacrifice her to resurrect a witch named Camilla Yorke. The heroine shows some remarkably good sense when she defies the attempt to sacrifice her by stabbing Gough's son in the eye with a nail file. A very wince-inducing bit of gore...it does however give Gough  the chance to utter the line "right through the eye and into the brain. Good Heavens. You must have a streak of Camilla in you."


----------



## Vince W

*Gemini Man*. Promising premise but it was paired up with some truly awful cgi and lazy acting. I think Will Smith knew from the start this film wasn't worth our trouble. A waste of time.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Tales From thew Hood III     *A hurry anthology film , which was on the sci-fi channel. Toney Todd plays an old man on the street who encounters a young girl in the street looking for her mother and whole he's helping he find her mother , they pass time by telling a series of macabre stories . It's quite creepy , nasty and very entertaining stuff .


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Blob* (original vers.) I wanted some good screen grabs to spice-up my screen saver. Nice to see it again, it must have been more than a few years, since last time. 

What unfit parents! There is a scene in which the parents of the teenage girl & her kid brother are panicking, not finding the boy in his bed. He was sleeping on the couch; mama scooped him up, in relief; a few minutes later, the kid was out on the street firing his cap pistol at the blob. Where was mom!? 

As much as my own teen years are bad memories, I endured this film, that made teens the heroes. 


*Red Hot Riding Hood.* Tex Avery was the best!  probably should have put this elsewhere, but, it was shown with a movie. The narrator is telling the conventional story, when all three characters refuse to do it again; they want something new. So, Red grows-up, takes to the stage, and the wolf is the kind associated with a whistle. He aims for Red, but Grandma has her sights on him.


----------



## AstroZon

*Serena *(2015)

I watched the preview for this on another DVD a few months back, so when I saw it on the library shelf, I grabbed it.  It's beautiful to look at, lush in scenery and in costume.   But there's something wrong with this movie.   It just doesn't go anywhere.  The second half slowed down so much that it was an effort to finish it.  That and the acting is much too modern in character to be an effective 1930s period piece.   Some movies get period acting right: Enigma, A Room with a View, and An Education for example. But Serena never let me escape 2020.


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## KGeo777

HOUSE OF USHER 1960 - Never did one house have so many red candles.  "She calls my name. Roderick! Roderick!" The paintings in this film are very interesting and I sometimes spot the artist's work in other films.
Like Marlowe 1969.


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## Rodders

I watched a movie called Jexi. 

Adam Levine. A comedy about what can happen when you love your phone more than anything else in your life. It was okay. Funny in places but Her was a much better film.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MUMMY 1959 --after having finally watched the 1932 version--I think the Hammer one is far superior. I tended to overlook it for rewatching as mummy movies are low on my favorite list but its pretty good overall.

CIRCUS OF FEAR 1966 - Once again Christopher Lee is covered up in this murder mystery which I guess is technically a krimi. Also a rewatch.


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## Dave

I haven't been to the cinema since last year. I would have liked to have seen_ Tenet _but I couldn't sit with a mask on for 3 hours. I really want to see _Bill and Ted: Face the Music_ and _James Bond: No Time to Die_. However, I'm restricted to watching films on TV only.

********************************************************

*Borat2 *is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

As a film, I couldn't tell you that _Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan_, is great. It uses the same mockumentary style as the first film, which I have on DVD, but it is not as funny, no longer is it original, and looks like it was made on a lower budget. Isn't that the way with all sequels? I'd give it  a 3/5.

As a commentary on American culture, and as a political satire, it is stinging and hits all the high notes. Let's face it, if you have a certain political persuasion then you are not going to like this film, not at all, and if another then you will love it. That it demonstrated by the highly skewed 1 star and 5 star ratings that it is getting on websites like IMDb. So, I'm not going to comment on the politics, but he makes his own beliefs very strongly, and he does it so well that the film has become international news during an American election. The release date was quite obviously intentional.

Some quotes I've read about it are: "_Sasha Baron Cohen’s latest Borat film is more a collection of abhorrent and asinine cringiness than acerbic comedy", "_ _As shocking as it is hilarious, as ridiculous as it is insightful", _and_ "an amusingly harebrained scheme, but there’s nothing in this moviefilm that matches the elegant social experiment of the first". _There is some truth in all those.

The story is simply a weak way to string together various set pieces. There are an array of cameo appearances, usually without the knowledge of the person in question and usually, but not always, showing them in a poor light. There are several more cameos that were cut out, but are likely to be added back again in the future depending on the US election results. You have to give Cohan credit for his sheer audacity in designing and setting up these set pieces (especially as there can be only one take) and at some points you might even fear for his own safety in doing so. However, I would agree that the film's real star is Maria Bakalova (a 24 year-old Bulgarian actress who plays Cohan's daughter) and also along with all the people saying that she deserves an Oscar for her performance.

It is slightly depressing that this is the only "new" film I've seen in two months though.


----------



## Jeffbert

*LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL* (1972?) I had an audio cassette of this long ago, & this is my third time watching it. Interesting look at 1950s rock & roll artists not only as they performed in 1972?, but the screen was often spit showing the current and 1950s performances side by side. Also had clips of teachers and other grown-ups vilifying the music, the clothes, etc. Sad that so many founding groups had already been long gone by the 1970s; though the music survives. Seeing Chuck Berry hop across the stage reminded me of a Flintstones episode.


----------



## REBerg

*Alita: Battle Angel*
Not as kid-oriented as I expected. A high-end blend of live and CGI action.


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## Jeffbert

*The Werewolf* (1956) A very different type here, the result of a mad scientist who thinks humanity will soon be extinct. He wants to turn us into other things, and the wolf is the 1st try. Reminds me of *Sssssss. * So, this guy is driving home from work, crashes, and is bonked on the noggin, & loses his memory. Mad scientist grabs him, and he becomes the ww. But, only transforms when he is threatened. An interesting twist, indeed. It was 16 by 9, so, I am thinking it was cropped top and bottom. The guy's wife & kid come looking for him, another different element. Typical ending, though.


----------



## TomMazanec

Sonic the Hedgehog.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two horror films involving death in quicksand:


*FROM HELL IT CAME* (1957) I originally intended to merely add a few screen captures, but watched the whole thing, instead. At just under 75 minutes, it was fairly good, despite its silly premise that a tree stump has a heart beat, veins, blood, etc. 

So, the Witch doctor (not the one associated with the song sung by the Chipmunks) does not like the Americans coming along and muscling-in on his territory with their modern medicine. There is a plague besides the radioactivity, but the ignorant and superstitious natives know nothing about either.  So, they kill the guy who had believed in the scientists, and, his last words were to curse his killers. They sealed him inside a hollowed-out tree stump and buried him upright. After a few days, the stump began emerging from the grave, and eventually was ready to rampage, just needing its roots cut away.

I had forgotten that the scientists who were on the island to measure radioactivity from a nuclear bomb test some 1500 miles away, had uprooted the Tabanga from the place it had emerged.  They even injected it with some drug intended to stimulate recovery.  No immediate results, so, they decide to return in the morning. By then, the Tabanga had recovered, broken free, wrecked the lab, and gone out for revenge.

Its 1st victim, a native woman, it decided to dispatch her in the quicksand. As I recall, the 1st time I wrote about this film, I noted that she was tossed in, facing away from the solid ground, and turned herself around to face the Terra *FIRMA*, which is true, but at the 2nd viewing, I noticed that she kicked herself farther away from the edge.  This must be the least convincing depiction of quicksand I have ever seen. In fact, the area immediately surrounding her appeared to be muddy water, at best; with the what appears to be rest being chunks of wood painted to resemble earth.  It was actually more creepy, before anyone was tossed in, mist rising and the surface rippling.





*DEATH CURSE OF TARTU* (1966) Virginia Silverwolf has reviewed this and *FROM HELL IT CAME*, which I forgot to mention above. Anyway, an archaeology professor and about half a dozen students go exploring, and desecrate the burial grounds of some tribe. The ghost-guy arises and turns into various critters to kill the naughty students. Only nature itself call kill him; hence the need for the quicksand. So, after all but 1 girl have been killed, the ghost guy chases her toward the evil man-eating quicksand. It is marked with a skull mounted on a tree branch. There is a fallen tree lying across it, and the girl attempts to cross on the tree, but the ghost-guy begins twisting it, hoping to throw her off. He succeeds! Oh-no! The hero is approaching, but, will he arrive in time? 


Quicksand is only fun when it is on TV or in movies. Something about buoyancy. As I recall an episode of BATMAN had Adam West calming Burt Ward when both were sinking in the Riddler's QS trap. Not the usual Riddler, but, *John Astin, * as Frank Gorshin was unavailable.


----------



## KGeo777

*Tourist Trap* 1979 - Some genuine creepy moments like the opening scene and the mannequins with screaming mouths. Sort of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre copycat it nevertheless goes into new territory (and seems to have inspired the 2005 *House of Wax *to the point that one could consider that an unofficial remake.

*Ghost Ship* 2002 - The 1990s and 2000s did not offer much in the way of horror films I was interested in checking out-and the ones I did usually were disappointing. In this case a movie I watched a few times in the 2000s but haven't watched in over ten years, the story is good-I am a sucker for nautical horror-I liked *Deep Rising* and even *Virus*, I wasn't too crazy about some of the cgi action and rapid modern editing trickery, but after a long absence it still holds up for me or maybe I am just mellowing with age and more forgiving.


----------



## Rodders

I thoroughly enjoyed Ghost Ship. Nice ending, too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*What Became of Jack and Jill? *(1972)

Psychological shocker that manages to be a bleak viewing experience despite mod clothing, groovy rock music, and a plot that makes use of the Generation Gap.  Jack (actually Johnny, but whatever) is a young guy with no job who lives with his grandmother and has a plot to inherit her wealth, even if he has to hurry her death along.  Jill is his even more sociopathic girlfriend, a Lady Macbeth in miniskirts.  Their bizarre plan involves convincing the elderly woman that the imaginary Youth Party is rounding up old folks and taking them away to death camps.  (Shades of *Wild in the Streets*!)  They do this by painting DOWN WITH THE OLDIES on a fence, cutting news articles out of the paper, supposedly not to upset Granny with the terrible truth, and so on.  The plot moves slowly, so this takes up about an hour of the film.  After that, an unexpected codicil to Granny's will keeps the avaricious lovers away from the loot, unless Jack marries somebody other than Jill.  Although Jill encourages Jack to chat up a bird, eventually to marry her and then dump her, she's also violently jealous.  Things don't work out well.  Aside from some weird fantasy sequences -- Jack imagines himself in full Nazi regalia, machinegunning down a line of old folks -- the film has a sense of kitchen sink realism that makes the outrageous aspects of the plot seem perfectly ordinary.


----------



## KGeo777

THE CHANGELING 1980 - Haven't watched this in ages. The pounding sound was spooky. Interesting to consider this big budget  haunted house movie came out before the Shining, although thematically it is similar to The Fog.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*She Devil *(1957)

Film version of Stanley G. Weinbaum's 1935 story "The Adaptive Ultimate."  Follows the story fairly closely.  Scientist, believing that the cure for all diseases is adaptation, and claiming that fruit flies are the most adaptable of all insects, creates a serum that allows higher animals to heal themselves.  (Ignore the bad science.)  He uses it to save the life of a dying woman.  She is cured miraculously, but the stuff also turns her into a sociopath.  Her first crime is hitting a guy on the head with an ashtray and taking his money.  She gets away through the simple trick of instantly changing her hair from black to blonde.  (A nifty little special effect, done without cutting away, through the use of lights and filters.)  Soon she murders a rich guy's wife, marries him, then kills him.  (Easy enough; she simply causes their car to get into a huge wreck, then walks away unharmed.)  Can the scientist stop this She Devil, even though he's in love with her?  (One can speculate that she "adapted" her pheromones to attract him; that makes as much sense as any of the other science stuff in this movie.)  It's a reasonably entertaining little low budget sci-fi film.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Searchers *(1956) D: John Ford, S: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond

Epic John Ford western with John Wayne and Ward Bond (3 drinking buddies) and a young Jeffrey Hunter well before he was Starship Captain Christopher Pike.  John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter pursue Comanche abductors of Jeffrey Hunter's sister / John Wayne's niece.   Great movie.


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## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> THE MUMMY 1959 --after having finally watched the 1932 version--I think the Hammer one is far superior. I tended to overlook it for rewatching as mummy movies are low on my favorite list but its pretty good overall.
> 
> CIRCUS OF FEAR 1966 - Once again Christopher Lee is covered up in this murder mystery which I guess is technically a krimi. Also a rewatch.



*The Curse of the Mummy Tomb*  1964  is somewhat similar to the the 1959 film but is not a bad film at all.


*Children of the Damed * 1964  One gets the impression that this a follow up of *The Village of the Damned.  *If so ,it's an excellent follow up.


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## KGeo777

I haven't seen Children of the Damned. Always a film that falls off the radar.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM* (1933) not to be confused with HOUSE OF WAX (1953); the former being essentially a remake of the latter. Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) is partner with Joe Worth (Edwin Maxwell), who, worried about the finances, wants to torch the place, & collect the insurance $$. Igor, being the sculptor who made the wax figures, is emotionally attached to them, and resists, but is knocked-out, and loses the use of his hands in the fire. Years later, Igor has built a new wax museum, not in London England, but in New York. Using a rare 2 strip color, this was very well-done, and along with Dr. X, shared both Lionel Atwill as well as the color scheme.

I have yet to re-watch HOUSE OF WAX, but, I believe the most important plot difference, is the female reporter  Florence Dempsey's (Glenda Farrell)  job figures prominently. Her editor (Frank McHugh) threatens to fire her, if she does not produce an interesting story. Her roommate Charlotte Duncan's (Fay Wray) role is essentially the same, she ends-up under the hot wax faucet.

Ben M-- & his guest gave opening & closing remarks, & such, & despite being shown in October, it was featured not as the expected horror theme, but, rather, as film restoration,  instead. Interesting discussion.



*THE WICKER MAN* (1973)  In his before & after comments, Ben M. said that this was Chistopher Lee's favorite role!? When I 1st saw this, I was really taken by surprise by its ending, so, here I will be brief.

Lee is the lord of a remote British island, who is carrying-on with the culture embraced by his grandfather. It is pagan, complete with the sexual themes, such as fruitfulness of both the fields and the body. Young women are dancing around a fire, unencumbered by clothing, which greatly distresses  Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward), who had just arrived to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. The police officer is simply freaking-out, at the culture embraced by the inhabitants of the island, and just as much, perhaps, more so, by the attitude of Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) about it. He thought England was a Christian nation; but finding the open display of pagan culture, unbelievable. Which, is even more important, since, I, being American, read somewhere that the nation was considering prosecuting the PYTHONs on blasphemy charges for THE LIFE OF BRYAN.  I had no idea! So, the cop's presumption that the paganism was just among very few of the locals, and that Christianity was the norm, was shattered in a brutal realization that everybody was in on it. I cannot find an adequate allegory; perhaps the guy who goes to work on the car he had been driving for years, and finds out the hard way, that his tool do not fit. He has inches, but the car is metric. So his spark plug wrench does not fit, then he tries to tighten some other nut or bolt, etc.


*The Devil Rides Out / The Devil's Bride* (1968) Supposed to be horror, & I cannot recall my 1st impression of it, but lately, I find myself laughing at it. It is the supernatural element that I find funny. I suppose if this were a novel, & I think it is based on one, my reading and visualizing in my mind would make it more believable.

Mocata (Charles Gray, better known for the role of Blofeld) makes a wonderful Satanist/ leader of Devil worshipers. His piercing gaze hypnotizes his victims, similarly to Dracula's.  Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee) as the hero.

A fun to watch film!



*TOY COMMERCIALS* (2017) most of these were before my time, but very amusing, anyway. More fun than that series, THE TOYS THAT MADE US!

Most of the boys' toys shot some kind of projectiles, or had roll caps. Kill the enemy! Except for Barbie, most of the girls' toys prepared the for lives of domesticity; cooking & cleaning, & taking care of the baby. Way cute!  GILBERT toys ran a very long ad for more than a few toys; could not have been an infomercial,no such thing back then.

A very young Billy Mumy, a few years before his appearance in THE TWILIGHT ZONE, is in a war toy ad.


----------



## Vince W

*Highlander*. There can be (and should have been) only one. Haven't watched it in a while but it's still as much fun as when I first saw it back in 1986. Sean Connery is perfect as Ramirez.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Voodoo Woman *(1957)

Monster movie/crime film that is a lot more entertaining than it should be.  Starts with some "natives" somewhere in the jungle performing some kind of ritual, with the presence of our movie's Mad Scientist (velvet-voiced Tom Conway.)  His pretty blonde wife is his prisoner.  (You have to wonder how these two ever got together.)  Conway's insane scheme is to transform a "native" woman into an immortal creature (a guy in a goofy monster suit) under his telepathic control.  This works, more or less, but he can't make her kill.

Meanwhile, in our _film noir_ sequences, we meet three disreputable characters, set on journeying to someplace in the jungle after gold.   There's an older guy, a younger guy, and our film's most important character, B-movie favorite Marla English as a tough-as-nails _femme fatale_, as likely to point a gun at a man as wrap her arms around him.  She pretty quickly kills the older guy, having the younger guy (her temporary boyfriend) take his place as they hire our film's designated hero (Mike Conners, still calling himself Touch Conners) to guide them.  Well, these three wind up at Conway's place, English kills the young guy because he killed the "native" woman and the "natives" want justice.  Conway knows he's got a killer on his hands, so he transforms English into the monster.  Let's just say that this turns out to be a Very Bad Idea.

English totally dominates the film, giving an intense performance as a truly hardboiled dame.  The absurd plot moves along quickly.  Recommended for tolerant monster buffs.


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## KGeo777

The Devil Rides Out is a hard read--the writing style is so ponderous. I struggled to get through it with all the digressions. Richard Matheson said he always liked to avoid adding anything of his own imagination to an adaptation, so in the case of Wheatley's book he cut it down a fair bit but I think he removed all the dead weight and he said Wheatley was very pleased with it.

The first time I watched the Wicker Man was very disturbing-the ending. But the next time I watched it, it didn't seem like a horror movie to me. More of an experimental drama. Howie seems like a totally unrealistic character--unsympathetic, and his decision to stay in the wicker as it is burning seems awfully bizarre. It feels like a remake of one or two other tv-films (Robin RedBreast which I haven't seen) and Black Noon. The latter has characters in animal masks too.


----------



## AstroZon

*L.A. Confidential* (1997) D: Curtis Hanson, S: Guy Pearce, Russel Crowe, Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, etc. 

It's been a couple of years since I popped this one into the DVD player.  The first thing I noticed is that it doesn't seem like it's a 23 year old film!  It's a period piece done right - the clothing, the attitudes, the atmosphere, and especially the dialogue.  Nothing dumbed-down or retroactively politically corrected.   I also like that it doesn't play into 50s stereotypes like so many movies do.  Excellent movie.


----------



## Randy M.

*Madhouse* (1974) dir. Jim Clark; starring Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry

When we meet them, Price is the star of a series of movies featuring him as Dr. Death; Cushing is his friend and the writer of the scripts; and Quarry is a producer of porn. (For anyone not familiar with Quarry, at the time a couple of movies -- _Count Yorga, Vampire _and its sequel specifically -- had put him in a second tier of horror actors behind Cushing, Price and Lee.) Someone dressed as Dr. Death murders Price's fiance. Suspicion falls on Price, ruining his career, but since he found the body that's not the worst that happens to him and he spends time in a sanitarium.  Years later Quarry, now a TV exec, wants to bring back the character in a TV show. Again the murderer strikes and the question becomes, will they find the killer first or will Price be driven mad first?

It's an Amicus production and so decently done, but like a lot of '60s and '70s horror movies seems a bit tame compared to a contemporary like _Niht of the Living Dead_ or _Black Christmas_. Still, if you enjoy watching Price and Cushing, it's worth watching. A pity they weren't teamed up more often.

Randy M.


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## KGeo777

Madhouse is a lot more interesting than it first seems because it is Price's swan song as a horror star--you even hear him singing at the end of it--but the story is about all sorts of real life horrors creeping into the horror star's life--such as time in a sanitarium, and the actress who gets horribly scarred. Also, most interesting of all, he is being stalked by a crude anonymous version of his Dr Death persona, which has a slasher-movie aspect to it--although I guess it is more accurately a krimi-giallo kind of situation. But the killer does foreshadow that the theatrical horror star was to be replaced by the stunt man in a mask. This came out before Texas Chainsaw Massacre too.


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## Randy M.

KGeo, I hadn't thought of it that way, but I can see your points. And yes, krimi-giallo-ish. 

Oddly, since Price, Lee and Cushing, the only name I can think of that comes close to being a horror star is Jamie Lee Curtis. She certainly branched out and did very well doing so, but at this time I can't think of anyone whose name as associated with acting in horror movies and who is likely to draw box office. (Elizabeth Moss may be a challenger, but I don't see her sticking with horror consistently, either.)

Randy M.


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## KGeo777

Robert Englund would be another. Maybe Jeffrey Combs or Bruce Campbell as well.

It's funny how the "Scream Queen" wasn't considered a term before the 80s.

If you just take the UK, you have many  actresses who either starred in horror films, or are best known for them. 
Barbara Steele, Judy Geeson, Veronica Carlson, Martine Beswick, Stephanie Beacham, Caroline Munro, Barbara Shelley, Anna Palk, Jill Haworth, Adrienne Corri, Ingrid Pitt, Madeline Smith, Suzy Kendall, Susan George, one could add probably another couple dozen.


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## Randy M.

I almost mentioned Englund, but I don't think his rep is as good as Price, et al. Bad movies eventually undo you. And I don't think Combs or Campbell are in the Karloff, Price, Lee, Cushing league, either, though known primarily for horror movies. I think maybe a lot of directors and producers wanted to get away from star power, make the characters' fates more uncertain by not having names.

Among women, not long ago I watched movies with Madeline Smith and Valerie Leon -- they were part of the Hammer stable of actors and actresses along with Pitt and Beswick, etc. There were several American women in horror, too, from Mala Powers and Alison Hayes to Adrienne Barbeau and Linnea Quigley. Unfortunately, they rarely were able to escape horror once tagged with it. Curtis was an exception. and I think she's an exception in being in the big leagues along with Karloff, et at.


----------



## Rodders

Superbob - A rather sweet UK comedy about a postman who gets superpowers. He is trying to find love on his day off.

I Feel Pretty - Amy Schumer was likeable enough, but I expected more from her. This is not a funny film and I didn't finish it.


----------



## KGeo777

*The Frightened City *1961 - Sean Connery is a small-time crook who gets involved with bigger ones and has to compromise his principles to the breaking point. Herbert Lom is the big boss who gets to utter a line as Connery enters from a balcony  to do him injury that is worthy of a Bond villain. 

There's a scene where people are in a party and Yvonne Romain observes this woman with a bizarre unkempt hairstyle and says "what is that?" and Connery explains she is a member of royalty with a big family tree and Romain says "looks like she just climbed out of it." This made me think of *X-men First Class* and the strange hairstyles for the early 1960s London scene which looked anachronistic to me. Maybe or they all happened to climb out of the same tree.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hawk the Slayer *(1980)

Cheap, lousy little sword-and-sorcery film that is nevertheless quite fun to watch.  Starts off with a bang with Jack Palance, as our ultra-evil villain, wearing a Darth Vader style helmet that covers most of his face.  He demands a powerful magic thing, apparently not knowing exactly what it is, from his father, who is about the same age as Palance.  He doesn't get it, so he kills the slightly older man.  Our hero, Hawk the Slayer, comes in quick enough to have his dying father give him the magic thing, which turns out to be a telepathically controlled sword.

Some time passes, I guess, because right after Palance slaughters a village (unseen) and kidnaps an abbess for ransom, we find out that Hawk already has a reputation for being a swashbuckling good guy.  We meet him rescuing a blind woman from being executed as a witch.  She really does have magical powers, and uses them to assemble all our Dungeons and Dragons adventurers.  Besides Hawk himself, we have:

A older guy who lost one hand when Palance wiped out his village, but who still wields a crossbow that shoots out multiple bolts rapidly, like a machine gun, with deadly accuracy.

A giant (taller than average guy) with a big hammer.

An elf (a slender guy with Spock ears) with pure white arrows who can shoot them just as fast as the crossbow guy.

A dwarf (shorter than average guy) with a whip, who also serves as our comedy relief.

Each of these heroes (except crossbow guy) gets his own mini-adventure as the witch teleports Hawk to their locations, generally helping his buddy overcome some enemies.

Instead of just fighting Palance directly, they decide to pay the ransom, although they know Palance will kill her anyway.  Since the church is forbidden to pay ransom from its own coffers, Hawk and his buddies steal the loot from a gang of slavers. 

Along the way we get flashbacks showing Palance trying to kill Hawk so he can take his beautiful bride, the bride saving Hawk and thrusting a torch in Palance's face (thus the helmet), and Palance shooting a crossbow into the bride's back.  Definitely a grudge match between the two siblings.

A lot of back and forth stuff happens between Palance and the good guys, leading to our final battle, and an ending that implies a sequel that never existed.

Palance hams it up to an extreme degree, Hawk is a bland pretty boy, and most of the other roles are portrayed by fine character actors.  The music is wildly inappropriate electronic stuff.  The special effects are often hilariously awful; one bad guy gets sprayed with Silly String in the role of some kind of magic stuff zapped at him by the witch.  The whole thing is delightfully silly.


----------



## KGeo777

Ha I like Palance's spiritual mentor that guy with the hood and glowing eyes who keeps zapping him in the face.


----------



## dask

Enjoyable haunted house thriller supposedly based on a true incident in England in the 1970s. I’m no expert but this sequel (I haven’t seen the first one yet but have it on hold at the library) seems extremely well put together especially the plotting.


----------



## KGeo777

Having seen few Marlon Brando films I can't judge* THE NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY* in comparison to others but this was in his pre-fat days. The film is a euro crime thriller about a kidnapping in France but thanks to Brando has a quirky arthouse aspect which worked for me. Being a Pamela Franklin and Richard Boone fan helps. Boone is great as a "psycho pimp." Franklin has much less to do and her character doesn't even get a name. There's a long improvised scene where Brando tells his partner he wants out of the kidnapping scheme as he fears what Boone will do to their captive and he starts screaming about getting his head chopped off since France has the death penalty. The movie ends with an ambiguous ending which purportedly was partly due to Brando's unruly set behavior. If you can appreciate a slow-paced movie like FAREWELL FRIEND or RIDER ON THE RAIN or AND SOON THE DARKNESS  it is  similar.
I watch a lot of these euro-films lately.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Hawk the Slayer *(1980)
> 
> Cheap, lousy little sword-and-sorcery film that is nevertheless quite fun to watch.
> ...
> The music is wildly inappropriate electronic stuff.  The special effects are often hilariously awful; one bad guy gets sprayed with Silly String in the role of some kind of magic stuff zapped at him by the witch.  The whole thing is delightfully silly.


Sounds like I might enjoy this.



*THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH* (1952) As a kid, my parents took us to see the RB&BB circus, but, as I recall, it was not under a tent, but, inside a large building in DC.  Sad, that it is now gone! CBD himself narrates, and the one thing that was not featured, was the lion tamer act. 

Most were trapeze and clown acts. But, the story itself, is behind the scenes, & ends with, what I think is a nod to _Les Miserables_; as Buttons the Clown (James Stewart) who, strangely, is never seen without his clown make-up, is, because of his loyalty to Brad (C Heston) forced to give his identity away, in order to save Brad's life.  He had been a  physician, but had euthanized his ailing / suffering wife, and had been on the lam for years. So, I am reminded of *Jean Valjean*'s heroic act of lifting a wagon off an injured man, and thus, giving away his identity (at least, in the film version I saw). But, anyway, there was a cop travelling with the circus, who had been searching for the doctor, and had been showing photos of the fugitive to the performers and the crew. He seemed almost sad, when arresting Buttons near the end.

The drama is divided into several sub-plots. First, are the crooks who run the games, whom Brad eventually expels from the circus. They had been cheating people with rigged games, such as shooting gallery, & such. After being tossed out, they plan to steal the payroll, by stopping the train out in the middle of nowhere, and using a distraction to cover the robbery. So, the circus uses two trains, & the 1st one is stopped on the same track, that the second one is using, the engineer unaware of the stopped train in his path. a horrible collision occurs, etc., & brad suffers a severed artery. Buttons, was in the act of fleeing, hoping to elude the cop, when the Brad's girlfriend (who did not know just how much she cared for him, until his life is at risk), begs Buttons to save him. There is a physician who travels with the circus, but, he too, is injured. 

Much more to it, than I can write. 



*One Spy Too Many* (1966) one of several Man From Uncle films.  apparently little more than a two part episode with some added sexiness as the secretary, (Yvonne Craig likely better known as Batgirl), and has a relationship with Napoleon Solo, sunbathes in the office. A megalomaniac fancying himself as a modern-day Alexander the Great, attempts to conquer the Earth.   



Another one with RV as the star, though in between this and the next TMFU spy film, which I have not watched yet. But both these have supporting actors who appeared in Star Trek, TOS. 


*The Venetian Affair* (1967)

Not a TMFU story, but still, a spy story Bill Fenner (Robert Vaughn) is an ex CIA finds himself in a life or death situation, though he is a reporter. Very tense drama. So, he is sent to Venice, and meets Mike Ballard (Roger C. Carmel; Harry Mudd of TOS), who is a spy of one type or another. They work together. I watched this yesterday, but forgot too much. So, Karloff is this guy who wants to address a peace conference consisting of a dozen or so VIPs. But he had been brainwashed by the bad guy, who had already bombed the 1st group, & killed the all. I thought this was more than just an o.k. film, but wikipedia has few details on it.  Rosenfeld (Ed Asner) is the current CIA guy in charge of that area, and though he works with Fenner, he occasionally is a jerk. 



*SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE* (1982) The shower scene was my main reason for watching this, though I did not even know that there would be one. Some whack-o  mass murderer had escaped from prison, and every time the radio news is about to detail the story, the high school girls turn to a music station. Bad move. Script writers make the characters do the stupidest things!  Typical slasher trash. 


*The Seventh Victim* (1943) Val Lewton as the producer. Creepy but apparently Muller thought it was noir, as it was featured on 10/31-11/01 at 12:00 midnight, & again, at 10:00 AM. The young woman, still a girl, attending a girls' school learns that her elder sister had been delinquent in paying her tuition for several months.  She goes to find her, but her business, one of producing perfume, had been sold to her senior employee.  Or had it? She finds several people who help her search, & finally finds her. Big sister had become involved with devil worshipers, & and violated the one cardinal rule of the group.


----------



## Extollager

*Them!* from 1954.  I don't know how many times I've seen this since I was a kid, and I enjoy it every time.


----------



## Droflet

Another huge THEM fan. My mother thought I would have nightmares after seeing it. Nah. Loved it and slept like an angel.


----------



## Extollager

The desert locations and the city storm sewers are memorable, as is the weird ant sound.


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## Randy M.

The early scene in _Them!_ of the little girl in the ambulance is still effectively creepy, and whenever I see the L.A. storm sewers in other movies, I wonder if giant ants will march out. Some of those movies would have been improved by that.


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## KGeo777

THE LAST HUNTER 1980  Italian "sequel" to The Deer Hunter with Apocalypse Now thrown in for good measure.  Macaroni Vietnam war action movie with David Warbeck on a mission to blow up a radio communication station that is broadcasting "Tokyo Rose" propaganda to the troops. The twist surprise here is rather amusing with its Deer Hunter inspiration and director  Antonio Margheriti makes great use of miniatures to boost the production look of the film. Just don't expect Oscar-winning dialogue or performances.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night of Dark Shadows *(1971)

After the success of the feature film *House of Dark Shadows* (1970), which retold the story of the vampire Barnabas Collins from the series _Dark Shadows_ in different but recognizable form, this second movie used some of the names of the characters from the soap opera but made them very different.  The film was also severely edited and rearranged upon release, so the plot is somewhat confusing.  In brief, Quentin Collins inherits the estate of Collinwood and moves in with his new bride.  Present are a housekeeper and a manservant.  It turns out that Quentin is the reincarnation of an ancestor who was the lover of Angelique, who was hanged as a witch in 1810.  The housekeeper is the reincarnation of a child who was somehow connected to Angelique.  Nightmares, hauntings, and possessions follow, with the manservant trying to kill the wife and the couple's friends.  This sounds pretty vague, and the plot leaves a lot unexplained.  It's nicely filmed, but the story is unlikely to satisfy either fans of _Dark Shadows _or those just looking for a tale of the supernatural.


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## Jeffbert

THEM! is one of my favorite giant critters films. It is on my DVR, waiting for me to find the time to watch it. I did run the pre- film discussion from Ben M, though.


*NIGHTFALL* (1957) NOIR ALLEY; Muller noted that they had been selling their films to TV networks at that time, & so they lightened-up the scenes. TVs could not reproduce the high contrast stuff. I had a monitor with a 1000:1 contrast ratio, so, I really know what he is talking about.

Anyway, two buddies are out in the middle of nowhere, camping, hunting, & fishing, when a car comes flying around a corner, crashes through a fence, and wrecks. Being good guys, they go to help, but are met with guns. The bad guys had just robbed a bank, & intend to do-away with them. But, this is revealed gradually in a series of flashbacks. 

Very tense film, but the end had a very conveniently placed snowplow/blower.


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## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE* (1982) The shower scene was my main reason for watching this, though I did not even know that there would be one. Some whack-o  mass murderer had escaped from prison, and every time the radio news is about to detail the story, the high school girls turn to a music station. Bad move. Script writers make the characters do the stupidest things!  Typical slasher trash.



About "Typical slasher trash" I'll offer a small disagreement, though I expected exactly that going in and was surprised Turner Cable Movies was showing it.

For a month or more TCM has had a feature on women directors; the movie shown after this was _Near Dark_, Katherine Bigalow's first feature film as a director. This was directed by Amy Jones, who has directed only 3 more movies, but has written several others in whole or part, notably _Indecent Proposal_ and _Mystic Pizza_, so she's had a good career. She also worked on this script, though the credited writer is Rita Mae Brown -- whose name kept me watching. Brown is known for the novel Rubyfruit Jungle, which is described as semi-autobiographical about a young woman's coming to terms with her lesbianism. Brown is also noted as a feminist and a comic writer who has written a lot of mysteries. 

Roger Corman was the producer and I've read/heard that as long as a new director included enough violence, sex and nudity, s/he could take the picture in any direction with no objection from him. Apparently Jones toned down some of Brown's script, which is a pity, but you can see bits and pieces of a kinda/sorta feminism in play: There's some friction between one female character and another, a new kid to the school, but there's none of the nastiness and pettiness of teen girls as shown in, for instance, _Carrie_; the killer's weapon of choice is a drill with a very long bit that is frequently framed for phallic symbolism, foregrounding slasher movie misogyny; the male characters are all knocked off pretty early and the girls have to defend themselves; and when the killer finally speaks, his lines are the words of a rapist. So this ends up hanging between being a slasher and being a parody/satire of one. There's a late scene where the pizza delivery guy is lying dead on the living room carpet, and one of the girls -- gathered together, back to back, each with a knife -- says she's hungry, covers the corpse with a blanket then pulls the pizza box out from under him and grabs a slice while the others just stare at her. I'm betting that's Brown, and it makes me really wish they'd stuck to Brown's script.

Randy M.


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## Toby Frost

I once heard a story that Corman would back a film so long as there was a scene depicting either a strip club or an exploding helicopter. I doubt it's true, since he did a few historical films, IIRC.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> About "Typical slasher trash" I'll offer a small disagreement, though I expected exactly that going in and was surprised Turner Cable Movies was showing it.
> 
> For a month or more TCM has had a feature on women directors; the movie shown after this was _Near Dark_, Katherine Bigalow's first feature film as a director. This was directed by Amy Jones, who has directed only 3 more movies, but has written several others in whole or part, notably _Indecent Proposal_ and _Mystic Pizza_, so she's had a good career. She also worked on this script, though the credited writer is Rita Mae Brown -- whose name kept me watching. Brown is known for the novel Rubyfruit Jungle, which is described as semi-autobiographical about a young woman's coming to terms with her lesbianism. Brown is also noted as a feminist and a comic writer who has written a lot of mysteries.
> 
> Roger Corman was the producer and I've read/heard that as long as a new director included enough violence, sex and nudity, s/he could take the picture in any direction with no objection from him. Apparently Jones toned down some of Brown's script, which is a pity, but you can see bits and pieces of a kinda/sorta feminism in play: There's some friction between one female character and another, a new kid to the school, but there's none of the nastiness and pettiness of teen girls as shown in, for instance, _Carrie_; the killer's weapon of choice is a drill with a very long bit that is frequently framed for phallic symbolism, foregrounding slasher movie misogyny; the male characters are all knocked off pretty early and the girls have to defend themselves; and when the killer finally speaks, his lines are the words of a rapist. So this ends up hanging between being a slasher and being a parody/satire of one. There's a late scene where the pizza delivery guy is lying dead on the living room carpet, and one of the girls -- gathered together, back to back, each with a knife -- says she's hungry, covers the corpse with a blanket then pulls the pizza box out from under him and grabs a slice while the others just stare at her. I'm betting that's Brown, and it makes me really wish they'd stuck to Brown's script.
> 
> Randy M.


I thought that the nudity was clearly unnecessary to the plot, and thus, my calling it "Typical slasher trash." I admit, that I had not even thought about the drill/phallus thing, or anything else you say; though it does make sense, now that you say it.


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## Randy M.

Out on the Internet there's an article where Jones was at a showing of the movie (I take it not that long ago) and winced at the nudity, admitting she overly fulfilled Corman's requirements on that.

I doubt Brown's original script has ever been published, but I bet it would make interesting reading, more interesting than the resulting movie.


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## KGeo777

"I have just been fired because nobody wants to see vampire killers any more, or vampires either. Apparently all they want are demented madmen, running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins." Peter Vincent, FRIGHT NIGHT


----------



## Guttersnipe

Nightcrawler (2014)


----------



## CupofJoe

*Tremors* [1990] Still a fun watch after all these years.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*22 Jump Street* - one of the better sequels


----------



## KGeo777

THE MEDUSA TOUCH 1978 - "I am the man with the power to create catastrophe."  He's got the touch. He's got the power, yeah!   Richard Burton can destroy and kill with his mind. I remember seeing this (or at least the ads). I think it gets too chaotic towards the finale but builds up as an interesting mystery for a time. There was a tv-movie a few years before this called VISIONS OF DEATH which had a similar plot and one suspects Stephen King saw it before writing THE DEAD ZONE.


----------



## BT Jones

*Ford vs Ferrari - *A good, dramatised take on the Le Mans race of '66, with excellent performances.  At the same time, it was no better than I expected.
Also, *Charlie's Angels (2019).*  It seems I was the only person on the planet that enjoyed that movie and took it for what it is rather than the political statement some people saw it to be.  Prior to that (A Kristen Stewart theme, it seems), *Underwater*, which was a frustrating underachiever.  Had the potential to be a tense, thrilling study of claustrophobia, darkness and isolation in one of the most ominous places on Earth.  Instead, it just rushed through its plot points and ended up in unnecessarily extravagant territory, to satisfy modern audiences, I'm sure, that want something big and epic.


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## BT Jones

KGeo777 said:


> THE MEDUSA TOUCH 1978 - "I am the man with the power to create catastrophe."  He's got the touch. He's got the power, yeah!   Richard Burton can destroy and kill with his mind. I remember seeing this (or at least the ads). I think it gets too chaotic towards the finale but builds up as an interesting mystery for a time. There was a tv-movie a few years before this called VISIONS OF DEATH which had a similar plot and one suspects Stephen King saw it before writing THE DEAD ZONE.


Always remember watching this at my Grandmothers house ages ago and getting totally spooked by the collapsing church and all the death and destruction.


----------



## Rodders

I remember watching the Medusa Touch and the next day in school, it was all anyone talked about. Especially the Airplane crash. 

Has it aged well, KGeo777?


----------



## BAYLOR

BT Jones said:


> Always remember watching this at my Grandmothers house ages ago and getting totally spooked by the collapsing church and all the death and destruction.





Rodders said:


> I remember watching the Medusa Touch and the next day in school, it was all anyone talked about. Especially the Airplane crash.
> 
> Has it aged well, KGeo777?



That was by far  the scariest character Richard Burton ever played.


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## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> THE MEDUSA TOUCH 1978 - "I am the man with the power to create catastrophe."  He's got the touch. He's got the power, yeah!   Richard Burton can destroy and kill with his mind. I remember seeing this (or at least the ads). I think it gets too chaotic towards the finale but builds up as an interesting mystery for a time. There was a tv-movie a few years before this called VISIONS OF DEATH which had a similar plot and one suspects Stephen King saw it before writing THE DEAD ZONE.



Ive seen The Medusa  on tow occasions .  I thought it quite a good film .


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## KGeo777

I think the best scene is where Burton confronts his soon to be ex-wife and unleashes a barrage of witty insults.

The plane scene is creepy.


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## Jeffbert

THE BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL (1968) I thought I already posted this one, but could be I was just thinking about it? Damn, I posted it in the wrong topic!

*THE BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL *(1968) Several guys abduct an Italian Mob boss, & demand ransom. When he cannot get any of his so-called friends to lend him any money, the boss is furious, and hatches a plan to steal a platinum shipment, using his abductors as a gang. But things go wrong throughout the film. Edward G. Robinson portrays the mastermind, & other Americans are the kidnappers. An Italian guy, whose name is unfamiliar is the Mob boss. As far as heist films go, I think this one is below average, but not by much, as it did have its moments. 


*JACK OF DIAMONDS* (1967) RETIRED jewel thief Ace (Joseph Cotten) is working with his protege  Jeff (George Hamilton) and planning one last heist. Because of technology, he thinks the day of jewel thieves is about at its end, but just one more job, and they all can retire. Very entertaining, film! Critics savaged it, but it was o.k. by me.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Doctor X* (1932) Uses same 2 strip color scheme as Mystery of the Wax Museum, & also has Lionel Atwill. Annoying newspaper reporter Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) is pestering Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill) for details about gruesome murders that have all occurred close to his research institute.  He falls for the doctor's daughter, Joanne (Fay Wray), who also finds him annoying. This one, though, having similarities to Wax, has more humor in it. Well, it turns out, that one of Dr. X's other doctors, has been murdering those people. The one who has apparently lost a hand, is above suspicion, but, he had developed a way to make synthetic flesh. He now needs the flesh of a certain blood type!

Thoroughly enjoyable!




*The Return of Dr. X* (1939) Nothing to do with Dr. X. Humphrey Bogart as an executed and revived Dr. Maurice Xavier, who now goes by the name Marshall Quesne. Dr. Francis Flegg (John Litel) for whatever reason revived him, but now regrets it. 

 Pinky (Huntz Hall, best know for the goofus in the Bowery Boys films)  Sorry, I cannot think of anything else to say about him.   



*The Exterminating Angel * (1962) Mexican film about a bunch of rich people, who go to dinner at one's home, and somehow, find themselves unable to leave. Moreover, they are trapped in just the living room. Doors are not locked, etc., but they cannot or will not leave the room. Rather than simply go into the kitchen for food or water, they tear open a wall, and bash open a water pipe.

Weird!


*The Decks Ran Red *(1958) after the death of her captain, the Berwind is given a new one. Capt. Edwin Rummill (James Mason), who had been the 1st Officer of some other ship, is offered the opportunity to be Captain of the Berwind; he knows there has been trouble among the crew, but cannot pass up such an opportunity. Henry Scot (Broderick Crawford) had been studying the law of the sea, & decided to murder the entire crew, & claim that the ship had been abandoned, where he then claims right of salvage. Thus, he should collect million dollars. So, he goes around riling-up the crew, telling them this & that, hoping that he can set them all against each other. Leroy Martin (Stuart Whitman) is working with him. They take on Pete as the cook, but, he will not go, unless his wife, (Dorothy Dandridge) goes also. There has been an ages old superstition about women on ships, & Scot makes the most of it. Eventually, he puts his plan into action, starting by killing crew members & tossing them overboard.  Then, he murders the entire engine room staff, & having the only firearms, orders the rest of the crew into a lifeboat, which he intends to ram.

Very tense film. I simply did not realize just how such a scheme could possibly succeed, but on a ship of that size, with at most 2 dozen in the crew, it was depicted as rather easy to whittle-down the numbers without anyone realizing what was happening.


----------



## Dave Vicks

SPLIT SECOND great film Police procedural  ,horror. Rutger Hauer is good. Global Warming!


----------



## Mrs A

The last movie I saw was Jupiter Ascending. And... oh lawd. Well, at least it provided a few good laughs, even if for the wrong reason.


----------



## Droflet

Yes, Mrs A, that train wreck has been discussed, at length, in the past. Always good for newbies to be warned, though.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Up next Maggie it's an indie film with Ahrnold. 
Zombie SF.


----------



## KGeo777

I think Humphrey Bogart was the first Hollywood movie star I had some familiarity with thanks to him being shown in A Pictorial History of Horror Movies for the Return of Dr X. It was funny that he makes his entrance with a rabbit-given it was Warner Bros. (though Bugs Bunny hadn't officially appeared yet).


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## Jeffbert

*The Front Page* (1974) I have seen the B&W version several times, but this is my 1st time watching this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Hildebrand Johnson (Jack Lemmon) is quitting the newspaper business,  and drops by the office to say goodbye. Ooops, not the office, but the press room at the county or city jail. it is 1928 & some poor guy who just happens to be a communist is condemned to hang 7Am the next morning. Nothing funny about that, but this film is very funny. Johnjson intends to marry Peggy Grant (Susan Sarandon), and move from there to Philadelphia. Walter Burns (Walter Matthau) is the newspaper editor, and refuses to simply allow Johnson to quit. He tries several stalling tactics, all of which fail. Then, when the psychologist is examining the condemned man, to determine if he is sane enough to hang, the guy escapes. Cops all over town, causing ten times more trouble than the guy ever did. But Johnson's reporter blood starts to boil, and he simply cannot leave he resumes his job as reporter, calls Burns, but only after sending the other reporters on a wild goose chase.

The whole city is in an uproar, and while Johnson is typing  up a page filled mainly with BS, the escapee walks through the door! Much of the comedy arises from Johnson's attempt to hide the guy, hoping that his newspaper can claim that he had surrendered to one of its reporters, but every few minutes, somebody comes in, and nearly exposes the guy, hiding in some other reporter's roll-top desk!





*Solaris *(1972) A Soviet film about a space station orbiting a planet with what is apparently a sentient ocean that creates actual people from memories of the Cosmonauts. I had already seen this, & cannot recall why I wanted to see it again. It is nearly 3 hours long, & has very little action. Yet, I watched it last night.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> I think Humphrey Bogart was the first Hollywood movie star I had some familiarity with thanks to him being shown in A Pictorial History of Horror Movies for the Return of Dr X. It was funny that he makes his entrance with a rabbit-given it was Warner Bros. (though Bugs Bunny hadn't officially appeared yet).


 I love that cartoon, when Bogart wants Elmer Fudd to bring him some type of rabbit dish. I think I will try youtube to see if it has it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Design for Living *(1933)

Witty comedy, loosely based on the Noel Coward play of the same name.  A commercial artist (Miriam Hopkins) meets a painter (Gary Cooper) and a playwright (Fredric March) in Paris, and falls in love with both of them.  Her solution to their dilemma is for all of them to live together platonically.  ("No sex!" says Hopkins, letting you know this is pre-Code.)  Complications ensue when March becomes a success and has to go to London, leaving the other two alone until he returns.  Hopkins winds up marrying her stuffy older boss (Edward Everett Horton) but her two real loves get her back to their happy _menage a trois_.  The screenplay by Ben Hecht is full of great lines, and director Ernst Lubitsch adds some nice visual touches.  Recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Evilspeak *(1981)

Goofy horror flick.  Starts with a sequence set a long time ago, when some Spanish priests exile the leader of a Satanist cult.  They're actually treating him with kid gloves, because they let him keep his pentagram-inscribed sword, which he quickly uses to chop off the head of one of his many cultists.  (We know what kind of a movie we're in for right away, because she's the young, pretty one, and she takes her robe off before being killed.)

Cut to the present.  (OK, 1980 or so.)  Our antihero is Stanley Coopersmith, played by Clint Howard.  (You'll hear people say "Coopersmith!" about a zillion times.)  He's an orphan enrolled in a military academy.  The other students and the sadistic staff bully him without mercy.  (One German-accented teacher sounds just like Doctor Strangelove.)  On one of his many punishment details, Coopersmith is assigned the duty of cleaning up an old church.  Wouldn't you know it, he finds the book of black magic left there centuries ago by the Satanist.  He types the book's Latin into a 1981 computer, eventually getting the instructions for a Black Mass.

Along the way we get a really odd subplot.  It seems that Coopersmith stupidly leaves the book with the secretary of the commandant, when he's summoned there to get punished.  For some odd reason, she tries to pry off the metal pentagram on the cover.  Weirdly, this causes the military academy's pigs (?) to go crazy, nearly attacking Coopersmith.  Later, the young and pretty secretary gives us our mandatory nude scene as she strips to take a shower, and gets killed by the pigs in her bathroom.  By the way, the all-male school also has a "Miss Heavy Artillery" contest, featuring women in skimpy bikinis, which seems unlikely for this military academy.

Well, after a guy gets his head turned around 360 degrees by the possessed computer (!) and the bullies go so far as to kill Coopersmith's cute little puppy, the Black Mass finally gets performed, and we get about ten minutes of the Satanist  possessing Coopersmith and slaughtering folks via the demonic pigs, fire coming out of nowhere, and decapitation by the Satanist's sword.  Possessed Coopersmith even gets to levitate while wielding the sword.  Oh, and the reanimated corpse of the guy who was killed by having his head turned all the way around reaches into a guy's chest and rips his heart out.  An ending title tells us that Coopersmith was the only survivor of the massacre at the academy, and is now in an insane asylum.  The last shot shows a 1980-style computer image of Coopersmith in the computer, with the promise I WILL RETURN.  (*Evilspeak Part Two*, anybody?  No, I guess not.)

The bloody, violent, action-packed climax almost makes you forget that most of the film moves at a crawl, interrupted briefly a couple of times by gory killings.  The combination of old school computers and Satanism adds a campy touch, to say nothing of the gratuitous nudity and bikini contest.  It's a terrible film, really, but its ridiculousness kept me watching.

"Coopersmith!"


----------



## Randy M.

Speaking of ridiculous ...

*The Dead Don't Die* (2019) dir. Jim Jarmusch; starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tom Waits

Zombie movie parody with symbolism indicating we're all consumerist zombies. Neat scene with zombies tottering around staring at cell phones while intoning things like "Wiii-Fiii." I suspect that was the scene the entire movie crystallized around because it was the only one that was funny. Pretty much a waste of a good cast.


_*Call Me*_ (1988) dir. Sollace Mitchell; starring Patricia Charbonneau, Stephen McHattie, Boyd Gaines, Steve Buscemi, Patti D'Arbanville

Also a small role for David Strathairn. Really, in spite of a couple of ham actors as bad guys this is well-cast, and it works pretty well as an "erotic thriller" -- which is to say it's one of the neo-noirs that came out in the wake of "Body Heat," "Fatal Attraction," etc. Not on the level of BH, though, if only because character motivation is a bit off-key. I recall seeing this years ago in part because of McHattie. He'd been in the '80s TV show "Beauty and the Beast" and had a with Lance Henrickson that left me wondering why no one paired those two in something. Here he's effective as another bad guy -- in some ways all the movie's heroine meets are bad guys. Wouldn't recommend running right out and seeing it, but it was an okay time-waster.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Speaking of ridiculous ...
> 
> *The Dead Don't Die* (2019) dir. Jim Jarmusch; starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tom Waits
> 
> Zombie movie parody with symbolism indicating we're all consumerist zombies. Neat scene with zombies tottering around staring at cell phones while intoning things like "Wiii-Fiii." I suspect that was the scene the entire movie crystallized around because it was the only one that was funny. Pretty much a waste of a good cast.



The original is pretty good.


----------



## Rodders

I saw this (the Jim Jarmusche one), relatively recently and i think it works better on a second viewing. It's a bit of a niche movie.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Looking forward to seeing Casino.


----------



## Rodders

Between Two Ferns. Low brow comedy With Zach Galiafanakis, It had some finny moments, but ultimately it wasn’t good at all. Mercifully short.

IO. A fairly decent science fiction movie. A slow burner well worth watching.


----------



## VegetalCrossing

Just watched Prospect on Netflix. What a retro space western masterpiece. Loved everything in it.


----------



## Rodders

I have been meaning to watch Prospect for some time. Perhaps tonight.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, Rodders, I think you'll enjoy it.


----------



## Rodders

Mute.

Dir. Duncan Jones. Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux. Set in near future Berlin, a Mute bartender looks for his missing girlfriend. Despite its criticism's, (it isn't without its problems), I enjoyed the movie and the aesthetic was great. Good to see Rudd and Theroux as quite seedy bad guys.

I also enjoyed seeing little snippets of Sam Rockwell and his clone, implying that this and Moon are set in the same universe. (The Wiki article confirms that this is intended to form part of a loose trilogy.)


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

The other day I watched *Sting 2. *With Oliver Reid, good, but not as good as the original. 7/10.


----------



## BAYLOR

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Evilspeak *(1981)
> 
> Goofy horror flick.  Starts with a sequence set a long time ago, when some Spanish priests exile the leader of a Satanist cult.  They're actually treating him with kid gloves, because they let him keep his pentagram-inscribed sword, which he quickly uses to chop off the head of one of his many cultists.  (We know what kind of a movie we're in for right away, because she's the young, pretty one, and she takes her robe off before being killed.)
> 
> Cut to the present.  (OK, 1980 or so.)  Our antihero is Stanley Coopersmith, played by Clint Howard.  (You'll hear people say "Coopersmith!" about a zillion times.)  He's an orphan enrolled in a military academy.  The other students and the sadistic staff bully him without mercy.  (One German-accented teacher sounds just like Doctor Strangelove.)  On one of his many punishment details, Coopersmith is assigned the duty of cleaning up an old church.  Wouldn't you know it, he finds the book of black magic left there centuries ago by the Satanist.  He types the book's Latin into a 1981 computer, eventually getting the instructions for a Black Mass.
> 
> Along the way we get a really odd subplot.  It seems that Coopersmith stupidly leaves the book with the secretary of the commandant, when he's summoned there to get punished.  For some odd reason, she tries to pry off the metal pentagram on the cover.  Weirdly, this causes the military academy's pigs (?) to go crazy, nearly attacking Coopersmith.  Later, the young and pretty secretary gives us our mandatory nude scene as she strips to take a shower, and gets killed by the pigs in her bathroom.  By the way, the all-male school also has a "Miss Heavy Artillery" contest, featuring women in skimpy bikinis, which seems unlikely for this military academy.
> 
> Well, after a guy gets his head turned around 360 degrees by the possessed computer (!) and the bullies go so far as to kill Coopersmith's cute little puppy, the Black Mass finally gets performed, and we get about ten minutes of the Satanist  possessing Coopersmith and slaughtering folks via the demonic pigs, fire coming out of nowhere, and decapitation by the Satanist's sword.  Possessed Coopersmith even gets to levitate while wielding the sword.  Oh, and the reanimated corpse of the guy who was killed by having his head turned all the way around reaches into a guy's chest and rips his heart out.  An ending title tells us that Coopersmith was the only survivor of the massacre at the academy, and is now in an insane asylum.  The last shot shows a 1980-style computer image of Coopersmith in the computer, with the promise I WILL RETURN.  (*Evilspeak Part Two*, anybody?  No, I guess not.)
> 
> The bloody, violent, action-packed climax almost makes you forget that most of the film moves at a crawl, interrupted briefly a couple of times by gory killings.  The combination of old school computers and Satanism adds a campy touch, to say nothing of the gratuitous nudity and bikini contest.  It's a terrible film, really, but its ridiculousness kept me watching.
> 
> "Coopersmith!"



I recall  watching * At the Movies*  with Siskel and Ebert in which this particular film got a big thumbs down.


----------



## Vince W

*Tom Jones* (1963). The adaptation of Henry Fielding's novel starring Albert Finney as young Tom Jones. It's a very enjoyable film that makes you want to grab your tricorn and head off for bawdy adventures of your own. And nary a Welsh singer in sight.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Mortal Engines* (2018). Visually excellent, and adapted from a good book, but somehow doesn't work. The longer it goes, the weaker it feels. I suspect there are some editing issues, as some characters are introduced too quickly and one simply vanishes towards the end. Both Hester (Hera Hilmar) and Anna Fang (Jihae) are almost exactly as I imagined them (tidied up somewhat for Hollywood) and well-portrayed, but Tom felt rather too old and slick - probably right for a YA herp, but not for this story. Hugo Weaving, who I don't normally rate, was surprisingly good as Valentine.

A missed opportunity. The first ten minutes are terrific, though.


----------



## Toby Frost

For "herp", read "hero"!


----------



## BAYLOR

Toby Frost said:


> *Mortal Engines* (2018). Visually excellent, and adapted from a good book, but somehow doesn't work. The longer it goes, the weaker it feels. I suspect there are some editing issues, as some characters are introduced too quickly and one simply vanishes towards the end. Both Hester (Hera Hilmar) and Anna Fang (Jihae) are almost exactly as I imagined them (tidied up somewhat for Hollywood) and well-portrayed, but Tom felt rather too old and slick - probably right for a YA herp, but not for this story. Hugo Weaving, who I don't normally rate, was surprisingly good as Valentine.
> 
> A missed opportunity. The first ten minutes are terrific, though.



Ive read  Mortal Engines which I liked and the rest of the rest  series which I also liked .  The movie didn't quite live up to the book.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched the Documentary film THE TRIAL OF HENRY KISSINGER.


----------



## Toby Frost

BAYLOR said:


> Ive read Mortal Engines which I liked and the rest of the rest series which I also liked . The movie didn't quite live up to the book.



The pacing feels really out. I suspect there's been some odd editing choices. Not only does the other young man basically vanish in the last third of the film, we're never given much of a reason to care about the wall, and Fang's fellow pilots don't get enough introduction to really matter to the viewer (I did wonder if a romantic subplot between her and the tall black pilot had been cut, too). Shrike just comes into the story, stays a while, and goes.

It's quite interesting seeing Tom, who I imagined as a sort of old-fashioned British schoolboy in a Just William style, portrayed as a YA hottie. I suspect the actor is a year or two too old for the part.

It may also be slightly too nuanced for its own good. Valentine isn't a raging monster, and the citizens of London are portrayed as both reasonable normal people and enthusiastic devourers of other cities. That's really how it should be, but it would be an "easier" film to get if they were a bunch of orcs (although I'm glad they weren't).


----------



## Mouse

Toby Frost said:


> I suspect the actor is a year or two too old for the part.



Defintitely. Robert Sheehan is in his 30s. I like him a lot, but way too old for the part.


----------



## Toby Frost

Blimey. No wonder he looks too old! I thought the actor was in his early 20s, so credit to the guy for looking as young as that!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Terror *(1978)

The generic title of this scare flick gives you a clue that it consists mostly of typical horror movie scenes, with little in the way of a coherent plot.  We start with some 17th century types chasing a woman through the woods, until her foot gets caught in a bear trap, the first of many gore scenes.  She gets burnt at the stake as a witch, while the local aristocratic lady, blaming her for unknown things that happened to her family, watches.

The guy setting the stake on fire gets burned to death himself, the witch somehow pops her hand out of the wall of the aristocrats' house and strangles the lord, and she then thrusts a sword through the lady.  Surprise!  This is just a film-within-the-film we're watching.  Some movie folks are making this thing in the house where it really happened.  After some guy does a phony hypnotism routine with the aid of a shill, he really does hypnotize an actress, who attacks the descendent of the aristocrats with the same sword, injuring him only slightly.  What follows from this point is a lot less straightforward than the typical vengeful witch story you're expecting.

Several random killings occur, some of them looking like typical slasher film murders with an unseen person holding a big knife, and others purely supernatural, including a levitating automobile.  I guess we're supposed to think the hypnotized actress is possessed by the witch, but there's really no evidence for this.  In fact, during the last two minutes, the witch shows up and kills the actress.

Thrown in for variety are comic scenes of the filming of a softcore sex film, the performers rehearsing while fully clothed, and a gratuitous scene set in a strip club, where a completely naked dancer with bleached white hair wields a whip.  Provides the blood and bare skin you expect from an exploitation film, but not much else.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Die Screaming Marianne *(1971)

Confusing thriller.   The version I saw is apparently missing some of the beginning, so that may be a partial explanation.  Anyway, Marianne, for some reason, agrees to marry the guy she's with, although it's obvious that she's not interested.  Somehow or other, she winds up married to the best man instead.  After this romantic comedy premise, we very slowly get to our suspense plot.  It seems like Marianne's evil father and her evil half-sister have been plotting for years to get their hands on the loot that Marianne's dead mother left her, as well as some evidence that the father, a judge, was involved in some criminal activity.  This involves getting some kind of number from Marianne that will allow them access to this stuff.

The guy she didn't marry is in on the plot.  A couple of thugs go after the guy she did marry, seemingly to kill him, but it's all a plot to get him to bring her back to the father's home in Portugal.  (No, it doesn't really make any sense at all.)  People get killed.

Adding to the sleaze factor is a scene in which the evil half-sister expresses her intense incestuous lust for her father.  This is completely irrelevant to the story.  The whole thing is a muddled bore.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE ASCENT* (1977) This film is a real bummer. It is WWII in the USSR, and there are partisans fighting the Nazis. Two of the partisans stumble into a shack of a home, where three children are. Their mother comes home, and before they know it, the adults are captured by the Nazis. The mother is begging, pleading that she does not know the men, but, to no avail.  When they arrive at the town, there is a Russian guy working as a police man for the Nazis. During the interrogations, the Nazis offer life to anyone who will work for them. One of the two men agrees.    He eventually regrets his decision. Very intense! 


*2001* (1968) I still cannot understand the ending; though the rest is rather impressive. 


*THX 1138* (1971) Also had some weird parts.  How fast the guy learned to drive, and very fast, at that, seeing he had likely never even been in a car until then!


*HOUSE OF WAX* (1953) This is one of my favorite VP movies. Is my memory effed-up, or did I actually see this in the theater sometime during my early adult years? 

A few plot elements were changed from the 1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum, & I guess it is for the best. 


*THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COL BLIMP* (1943) This was the subject of a film restoration themed before & after discussion, etc.  So, this British military guy goes through the Boer war, goes to Germany, ends up dueling a German officer, who, eventually becomes his best friend; though WWI gets in the way of that friendship. But he is still alive at the end!?


----------



## Foxbat

Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
It’s been years since I last watched this one. It got mixed reviews at the time but I enjoyed it. Rewatching merely confirmed that I still enjoy this loose reworking of the Odyssey.


----------



## Parson

Foxbat said:


> *Oh Brother Where Art Thou?*
> It’s been years since I last watched this one. It got mixed reviews at the time but I enjoyed it. Rewatching merely confirmed that I still enjoy this loose reworking of the Odyssey.



The best part of that movie was the music .... by far!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Maneater of Hydra *(1967)

Short version:  *The Little Shop of Horrors *without comedy or music.

Spanish/German production starts with some tourists heading for an island, where there's an extraordinary botanical garden, as well as a villa inhabited by the scientist (Cameron Mitchell) who created it.  Besides his servants, nobody else lives on the island, we find out pretty quick, because of a vampire scare a while ago.  

Our guests/potential victims are the tour guide/driver on the island; a young couple who are our Hero and Love Interest; an older man and his hard-drinking, hard-smoking, promiscuous younger wife; a nerdy botanist who is sort of our Van Helsing; and a middle-aged woman who is our Comedy Relief.  

The driver runs into some guy with wounds on his face, killing him.  Later this guy's twin brother/fellow servant shows up, freaking everybody out.  I thought maybe the first guy had been resurrected by Mad Science, but nope; it's just an identical twin.

Mitchell has not only created cucumbers that taste like beef (!) but big carnivorous plants.  Folks get killed, and everybody acts like this is a murder mystery, although it's really, really obvious what's happening.

Odd scene:  Our botanical Van Helsing figures out what's going on and confronts Mitchell, thinking the killer plant was an experiment that got out of control.  Actually, Mitchell did all this deliberately, so he kills the fellow by pushing a button under a statue of Kali, releasing a dagger into the guy's back.  I had to wonder:  does this situation come up often enough to make it worth while setting up the secret dagger thing?

Anyway, Mitchell manages to convince Hero that the mute twin brother is the murderer, delaying things for a while.  We finally get to see our killer plant in action, as it shoots out translucent tentacles that fill up with red liquid (supposed to be blood) when they touch the victim.  Since the plant is not mobile, this is one of the few movie monsters who can be defeated simply by not standing near it.  (Admittedly, it can send those bloodsucking tentacles out pretty far, like into bedroom windows and such.)  

Well, as you'd expect, Hero rescues Love Interest from the plant's clutches, gets in an axe-swinging duel with Mitchell, and the Mad Scientist goes down to his doom with his creation, while calling it things like "sweetheart" and "my baby."  It's a silly film, but worth a look for tolerant fans of monster flicks.  The bloodsucking plant, once it shows up, is kind of cool, in a goofy way.


----------



## Foxbat

Come and See (1985)
This Russian movie takes its title from the book of revelations and is as harrowing and haunting as the first time I saw it. Quite possibly the finest anti-war movie I have ever seen.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DUCK SOUP* (1933) Total chaos! 

Charles (Ming the Merciless) Middlton listed with the middle initial 'B'. 1st time I noticed it. Even he was singing! 


*THE IPCRESS FILE* (1965)  Tense spy thriller, made using talent associated with the James Bond franchise.   Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is the guy who solves the case. Involves double-agents, back-stabbing, & other fun things! 


*TARGET ZERO* (1955)  this was 16 x 9!? They must have cropped it! Korean war drama that actually introduced the characters at the beginning. Too many to keep track of the names, otherwise. 

So, Lt. Tom Flagler (Richard Conte) leads a platoon consisting of guys about half of whom would go on to more prominent roles.  SFC Vince Gaspari (Charles Bronson) at the top of the list, & Pvt. Moose (Chuck Connors), just behind him in fame.   There is a UN nurse (Peggie Castle) out driving where she should not be, & she is rescued by this group.  They happen upon an M4 Sherman with British soldiers crewing it.  Together, they strive to reach the friendly forces, after the constantly shifting front left them on the wrong side. 

I enjoyed it, but could see why it lasted just over a week in the theaters. It simply lacked whatever ingredient would have made it memorable.


*NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT* (1973) Lee & Cushing, but an oddity, for the type of horror film associated with them. More of a mystery, but the ending! Never saw that coming! 

I guess it should be a must-see for Lee & Cushing fans. There is this group of rich people who are running an orphanage. A field trip ends with the bus driver killed, & one girl having visions or 'memories' of things she never experienced. Specifically, being burned in a fire. Cushing is the Sir Mark Ashley, a forensic scientist examining evidence from the crash, while Lee is  Col.  Bingham, the police detective working on the case.  

The less said about it, the better.  I am surprised that I never even heard of this until now. Very well done!


----------



## Vince W

*Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse*. I had heard good things about this but was mildly disappointed in it. It was all a bit chaotic and dragged in places. The voice acting was quite good but could have used a little tighter script and a bit of editing. Still, it's a B level film but not the A* I had heard about.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Atlas in the Land of the Cyclops* (1961)

Our hero is not Atlas, but Maciste, a character who appeared in a huge number of Italian sword-and-sandal epics.  The setting is "centuries" after the events of the Odyssey.  It seems that the sorceress Circe wanted revenge on all the descendants of Odysseus, so her own descendent, our movie's Beautiful Evil Queen, wipes out an entire village in order to kill the king and his infant son.  The baby is saved, and Maciste gets involved in the effort to protect him from the Queen, who plots to feed him to the huge, savage Cyclops.  Lots of typical muscleman stuff follows.  Battles, captures and escapes, dancing girls, feats of strength, etc.  It turns out the Queen is only reluctantly evil, and she falls in love with Maciste and helps him rescue the infant.  We finally get the big fight with the Cyclops during the last five minutes.  It's entertaining enough for a Saturday afternoon kiddie matinee.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mother Goose a Go-Go *AKA *Unkissed Bride* (1966)

Disney/beach movie veteran Tommy Kirk (billed as "Tom" here) tries to shed his innocent image in this unerotic, unamusing sex comedy.  It seems that whenever he encounters anything related to fairy tales, he faints dead away.  This unfortunate situation keeps newlywed Kirk from making out with his bride.  He gets help from a voluptuous psychiatrist who sprays him with a hallucinatory gas that causes him (and the audience) to see lame skits based on fairy tales, featuring scantily clad women.  Along for the ride are the bride's French uncle, who is a real ladies' man, and a hotel detective who keeps spying on Kirk in slapstick fashion.  Radio host Joe Pyne and comedian Henny Youngman show up in scenes that don't have anything to do with anything.  Add in things like "funny" music, freeze frames, speeded up film, and folks mugging at the camera, and you have a very poor attempt at comedy indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nightmare in Wax* (1969)

Cheap scare flick.  Cameron Mitchell stars as a Hollywood makeup artist whose face was scarred and one eye lost when a studio boss who was a rival for the same woman threw some booze at him while he was holding a lit cigarette lighter.  Now he injects people with some kind of serum which -- surprise!  -- does not kill them, but puts them in a sort of suspended animation.  They then become -- no surprise -- exhibits in his wax museum.  A couple of cops bumble their way around, failing to see the obvious solution to the mystery.  Along the way, Mitchell kills a go-go dancer/would be actress and makes it look like the head of the studio did it.  At the very end, the film goes completely insane, jumping from the expected climax -- somebody about to get dumped into a big vat of boiling wax -- to a series of hallucinations and flashbacks, the meaning of which escapes me.  It's truly a dreadful little movie, enjoyable for mocking purposes only.


----------



## Rodders

The Upside. Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. Based on a true story, an ex con who gets a job as a career for Bryan quadriplegic billion. I really enjoyed it.

The Titan. Earth is dying and a small group undergoes a series of operations to enable them to start a colony on Titan. I was disappointed with this and it was a very much a by the numbers movie.

White Space. A silly Sci fi take on Moby Dick. Enjoyable enough but definitely fitting the B movie category.


----------



## Vince W

*Halloween* (2018). Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode. I wasn't really expecting much but I have to admit this is a very good addition to the series. It's not a mindless gore-fest but has some real tension to it. Not actually frightening really, but a general level of anxiety can be felt through the entire film. I put this down to the fact that Curtis and Carpenter were the executive producers so had a lot of say in how the film was shot. Curtis is, of course, perfect.


----------



## Khaldun

New Mutants. My word if that was a book I would have put it down after the first eight lines. What a festering piece of faeces that "movie" was. As an X-Men fan, it was good to see Cannonball in a prominent(ish) role. They nerfed him like crazy though. The guy was a bloody Herald of Galactus at one point.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Battle of the Pacific* [2011] [aka Oba: The Last Samurai,  Miracle of the Pacific, and Codename: Fox]
It is a tale of Captain Sakae Ōba and a few others that refused to give in on Saipan and fought on for over 500 days, beyond the end of the war in the rest of the Pacific before surrendering with dignity on 1 Dec 1945.
Interesting to see a film about the war in the Pacific, not from the Allied side but from the Japanese. The ferocity of the war comes across well as well as the fear, hate and horrors it caused. Neither side comes out of it well and neither side is painted as heroes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crucible of the Vampire *(2019)

Handsomely filmed Gothic chiller that could have used some judicious editing and some cleaning up of the script.  Starts with a pre-title sequence that uses a narrative technique I have not seen before, but that's probably because I rarely see a movie made in this century.  A woman arrives somewhere in the country and has a text conversation with an unseen somebody.  The text pops up on the screen, so we can read what they're saying to each other.  This reveals that the woman has arrived to meet somebody she knows only via her phone.  The flirty nature of the conversation tells us this is a hookup, like the kids say nowadays.  We switch to the point of view of the person she's meeting; we can tell because everything is filmed through a red filter.  Cue the woman screaming as she becomes our first victim.

After the titles, we meet our innocent, virginal (literally; this is a plot point) heroine.  She is part of the archeology (or something) department of a university.  She gets an assignment to go check out half of an ancient cauldron found at a stately home.  The university already has the other half.  A black-and-white flashback to the 17th century reveals that some guy was hung for necromancy and the cauldron cut in half with a sword.  (Is that even possible?)

The movie slows down for quite a while as we meet vaguely sinister Dad, French-accented Mom, and brooding adult daughter.  Given her Gothic appearance and the fact that her name is Scarlet, you won't be surprised that she's our vampire, although she doesn't grow fangs until an hour into the film.  She also has an unusual interest in the heroine's underwear.  Yes, this is yet another lesbian vampire, a tradition that has been going strong at least since Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 novella _Carmilla_, and which has appeared in countless movies.  Scarlet does eventually seduce our heroine, although there's a hint this might be a dream.

A flashback to the 19th century reveals that the cauldron is associated with the specter of a woman who we'll eventually learn is the Dark Lady, killed and resurrected through necromancy.  Whether or not she is supposed to be Scarlet as well, in some sense, was never clear to me.

It's not at all surprising that our heroine is intended to be a source of virgin blood, once both halves of the cauldron have been brought together, in order to bring the Dark Lady back to life, so she can bestow immortality on her followers.  (We're told that Scarlet has not yet been made immortal, and yet she's a vampire; one of the many confusing plot elements.)  The protagonist suddenly changes from an utterly passive victim to an action heroine, fighting off cult members and getting into a knock-down, drag-out battle with Scarlet.  Then we get a bewildering ending.

There's plenty of spooky atmosphere, and the climactic scenes move at a rapid pace, although it takes a long time to get there and there are some poor special effects.  The vampire theme is really irrelevant to the rest of the plot, and could have been left out, although I suppose the resulting film would be difficult to sell as a traditional Gothic horror movie (and would need a new title.)  Cut down a bit and made a little more coherent, and you'd have a fine, old-fashioned chiller.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Date Bait* (1960)

Low budget teen romance/crime film.  A guy who was sent away for six months for drug addiction shows up at the joint where a girl he dated a couple of times is now with her steady boyfriend.  A fight breaks out, but the junkie's big brother, a drug dealer, breaks it up.  He then nearly forces the boy's car off the road, later beating him up.  To add to our young hero's troubles, the girl's father doesn't approve of their dating.  The pair of star-crossed lovers run off to Las Vegas and get married.  When they go back home, the girl's father threatens to annul the marriage and get the boy thrown in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.  Bad enough, but then the junkie tries to get the girl away from the boy at gunpoint.  It's a brisk little cheapie, throwing in some comedy, bongo playing, dancing, and so on.  In addition to the title song, we've also got a little number called "Pleated Purple Burmuda's" [sic].


----------



## Rodders

The Man From Earth.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hollywood After Dark *AKA *Walk the Angry Beach *AKA *The Unholy Choice* (1968)

Micro-budget heist film/exploitation film, remembered today only for featuring future _The Golden Girl_s star Rue McClanahan as a stripper.  The minimal plot involves a former Navy underwater demolition expert turned junk yard owner getting hired by some crooks to help them rob an armored car.  The bizarre and pointless scheme involves tossing the loot into the ocean, then having the guy dive down and bring it back.  The guy falls in love with the stripper, who naively goes to the home of a supposed Hollywood producer who drugs her and, we assume has his way with her.   The heist goes wrong, as they all do.  We see a couple of non-nude strippers do their thing to kill time.  It's pretty dull stuff, made tolerable by the fact that I was watching the "riffed" version done by the former _Mystery Science Theater 3000 _folks who now call themselves the Film Crew.


----------



## Rodders

Colossal. I’ve been meaning to watch this for some time. It was enjoyable enough.

Game Over, Man. Essentially a Die Hard spoof set in a hotel. I recently watched and enjoyed “Workaholics”. The comedy was low brow in places, but this was quite funny.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Black Angel *(1946)

_Film noir _adapted from a Cornell Woolrich novel of the same name.  By all reports, the plot was changed considerably.  Starts with a striking opening scene, in which, through clever use of animation, the camera pans up and up and up to one of the windows of a tall building, then into the fabulously luxurious apartment of a nightclub singer/blackmailer.  She's our murder victim, and one of the people she was blackmailing is the prime suspect.  He gets convicted and sentenced to death, so his wife joins forces with the victim's estranged, drunken husband to do their own investigation.  They go undercover as a piano-and-singer team at a nightclub owned by Peter Lorre, who was also being blackmailed.  One nice, realistic thing about the plot is that their amateur sleuthing is totally ineffective.  The revelation about the murderer's identity comes as a real surprise, and takes the story deep into the dark world of _noir_.


----------



## jd73

Most recently I watched _Oblivion_, starring Tom Cruise and some other people. I needed easy access sci-fi, which is what I got.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Warrior and the Sorceress *(1984)

Takes the *Yojimbo*/*A Fistful of Dollars *theme -- scruffy lone wolf antihero wanders into town and sets two different gangs of bad guys against each other -- and sets it  in a fantasy world.  David Carradine is the Warrior.  He arrives at a desert town, where two warlords fight for control of a well.  This world has two suns, which I guess explains why there's nothing around but rock and sand.  (What do these people do for food?)  Carradine demonstrates what a great fighter he is by quickly slaughtering half a dozen soldiers at the well, so that the boss of the other side will hire him.  That guy has this hilarious bipedal lizard companion that wear clothes and seems to serve as his advisor, even though all it can do is croak out what sounds like somebody clearing a throat.  This thing looks like a Muppet.  Later, we'll have a giant multitentacled monster that looks just as silly.  Meanwhile, the other boss has the Sorceress prisoner, trying to force her to enchant him up a magic sword that will allow him to defeat the other guy.  By the way, the Sorceress spends almost the entire movie topless.  Since this isn't sleazy enough, we also have a scene with a four-breasted stripper.  To complicate matters, some slavers with goofy-looking prosthetic faces get mixed up in the battle for the well.  A whole bunch of stuff goes on, so I can't accuse the movie of being boring, at least.  It's cheap and stupid, but ridiculously entertaining.


----------



## biodroid

*Bill and Ted Face the Music: *Loved Excellent Adventure but this was a diluted attempt to recreate the fun of the pre-mentioned movie. Bad acting, poor SFX and mediocre story.


----------



## Rodders

That's still on my list of movies i want to watch.

Sorry To Bother You. A comment on rampant consumerism and exploitation of a workforce. Quite funny, its an interesting movie well worth watching.

Upgrade. I saw this after a member of the Chrons recommended it some time ago. A competently made action movie with a decent ending. Better than most block busters Hollywood churns out these days.


----------



## Jeffbert

*WELCOME TO HARD TIMES* (1967) I think this is the 1st time I have seen it in its entirety. Will Blue (Henry Fonda) is the 'Mayor' of a few buildings, but it is just what the few residents call him. There is no law, no this, no that. Just a saloon, a general store, & not much else.

So, the Man from Bodie (Aldo Ray) rides in, rapes the saloon dancers,  and burns down what town there is. Residents press Blue to stand up to him, but he says he is not the law, and is not about to confront the guy. The villain rides away.

The one surviving saloon girl becomes the adoptive mother of the boy whose father was foolish enough to challenge the bad guy, and essentially raises him to avenge her. The only remaining   building is Blue's house, so, she & the boy simply move-in with him, as though they were a family.

Along comes Zar (Keenan Wynn) with his four or five 'ladies' and his revival tent that he will use for purely secular purposes. Eventually they rebuild, more colorful characters arrive,  including the guy from Petticoat Junction (Edgar Buchanan), who declares the place is now a town, appoints the only guy good with a gun (Warren Oates) as Sheriff, says the pay is $25 / year, payable next year!


Eventually, the bad guy returns & burns down the saloon again. Blue finally has had enough, and grabs a 6-shooter, to confront the villain.


The guy who was on Grizzly Adams, always dragging a reluctant mule around is there, I forgot his role. The Wolfman is the bartender.



*CRACKED NUTS* (1931) Ben M. said that there is a routine in here that likely inspired A&C's Who's on 1st routine. These two guys Wheeler & Woolsey are a comedy team that had similar misadventures a decade earlier than A & C.  I,  for 1, thoroughly enjoy their films.

Anyway this rich guy Wendell Graham (Bert Wheeler) who had wasted his inheritance, has a mere $100,000 remaining Boris (Karloff) cons him into financing a revolution in some tiny nation, becoming king, so he can prove to his girlfriend (Dorothy Lee)'s Aunt (Edna May Oliver) that he is worthy of marrying her.  Little does he know that his old friend Zander Ulysses Parkhurst, Zup, for short (Robert Woolsey), had just won the kingdom in a dice game. But the King used loaded dice, to get the fool to take his place for a short time, until the revolution is over.


----------



## Mouse

*Mary and the Witch's Flower*. Loved it. The animation is perfect and the story is good too.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Westworld* [1973]
Somehow I had missed this film before now. The first half of the film was surprisingly light hearted, almost comedic. Which meant the shift in to the second half even more stark. Yul Brynner carries the film for me...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*So This Is New York *(1948)

Radio comedian (and, later, familiar face on game shows) Henry Morgan has his only major movie role in this clever comedy.  Set just after the First World War, it deals with a cigar store employee (Morgan) in South Bend, Indiana, whose wife and unmarried sister-in-law inherit a bunch of money.  The two women decide to go to New York City to find the sister a rich husband, leaving her boyfriend back in South Bend.  The rest of the episodic plot features their various misadventures in the Big Apple, as they lose all their money and run into all sorts of inappropriate suitors.  What makes this film so enjoyable is a very witty screenplay, allowing Morgan to deliver sarcastic quips throughout.  There's also some visual and narrative creativity.  It starts with Morgan watching a silent film, into which he himself has been inserted, parodying the acting style of the time.  The movie often goes into a freeze frame, so Morgan can comment cynically on what's going on.  At one point, a cab driver's New York accent is "translated" for the audience into subtitles in very formal English.  Recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Face of Terror *(1962)

Sedate but interesting Spanish shocker, with some American footage added.  Physician comes up with a way to blend plastic with skin in order to correct disfigurement.  He uses it on a woman with half of her face badly scarred, not knowing she's an escapee from a mental hospital.  When he finally figures that out, she conks him on the head, taking some money and the special liquid she needs to regularly apply to keep the artificial skin from degenerating.  She gets a job as a waitress at a hotel and winds up married to a wealthy millionaire.  (He forces his attentions on her quite aggressively, so I thought she was going to kill him.  Instead, she kills the hotel manager who tries to blackmail her.)  When her face goes back to its original state, her new husband jumps out of their car and she runs him over.  Eventually she goes back to the physician, now confined to a wheelchair after her attack on him, desperate to get her hands on more of the liquid.  Let's just say that things don't work out well.  It moves very slowly until the dramatic ending.  Well-known actor Fernando Rey is the physician, Lisa Gaye (Debra Paget's sister) is his patient, and she gives a strong performance, winning sympathy despite her crimes.  Worth a look.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night of Evil *(1962)

Lisa Gaye stars again, this time in a crime story with exploitation elements.  She starts as a high school cheerleader, living with foster parents, who is abducted and beaten by a nasty thug of a football player.  It's pretty clear he raped her as well.  The foster parents kick her out, so she goes to live at a home for girls.  Things actually get a little better when she gets out of that place, and moves in with a woman who was there herself.    The next thing you know, the woman's boss gives our protagonist a chance to enter beauty contests.  She becomes Miss Colorado, and is on her way to the Miss American pageant.   Big trouble comes in the form of a smooth-talking creep whom she secretly marries.  It turns out the guy is a violent criminal.  The movie turns into a crime flick as we follow this crook and his buddies mess up a kidnapping.  Our long-suffering heroine, her secret marriage to a felon exposed, runs off, briefly seen working in a strip joint, and eventually buying a gun with the notion of killing herself.  Instead, she makes a really pathetic attempt to rob a liquor store and the cops catch her right away.  In an ironic twist ending, she gets off with a lighter sentence than you'd expect for armed robbery, because she didn't know the gun didn't have a firing pin.  Supposedly based on real news accounts, as the narrator (columnist Earl Wilson) assures us.  It's really just a trashy melodrama, but Lisa Gaye once again offers a sincere performance.


----------



## Rodders

Level 16. It had a great premise but I felt let down by the reveal. 

Keanu. A Keenan and Peele movie, which I really enjoyed.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Suspense*_ (1946) dir. Frank Tuttle; starring Barry Sullivan, Belita

As Eddie Mueller (host of Noir Alley on Turner Cable Movies) noted, this is an odd amalgamation of film _noir_ and an ice skating film. Belita was a medal winner in the Olympics, and translated that into some movie roles. She's no Betty Davis or Barbara Stanwyck, but she's fine in this and her skating act fits in as a nightclub entertainment. (Just ignore that the nightclub would have to be the size of a sound stage to have the rink plus floor space for tables.) I remember Sullivan from  a lot of '60s TV. He was pretty good at being Barry Sullivan, which was sufficient in the roles I've seen him in, and it's true here, too. He plays an ex-con looking for work, getting it, then falling for the club owner's wife, Belita. The club owner finds out and things go from there, with a couple of twists thrown in. On the whole, not a bad little _noir_ and apparently it helped Sullivan's career. This was produced by low-budget studio, Monogram, and Sullivan later moved to MGM.


_*Dracula A.D. 1972 *_(1972, duh) dir. Alan Gibson; starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame

I admire the first Hammer Dracula, but have shied away from the series because few movie series improve. This was better than expected, mainly because Lee and Cushing aren't the central characters. Much as I like Cushing and have come to respect Lee, the beginning scene and end scene are very much been there, seen that -- the end especially feels like the script writer had run out of ways to off Dracula and Lee just fell into this denouement (*cough* -- anyone who's seen the movie will realize what a bad joke that is). The middle, though, allows Beacham, Neame and other then-young actors a bit of room to show their stuff. On the whole, entertaining.


----------



## Jeffbert

SEVEN CHANCES (1925)  Buster Keaton learns, almost too late, that he must be married by 7 Pm or forfeit a $7M inheritance. With a mere 4 or 5 hours to go, he begins a desperate and hapless attempt to woo a young woman. He starts with his girlfriend, but  his awkwardness offends her. This has a hilarious chase scene!


----------



## Extollager

No Highway in the Sky, a movie with James Stewart as a nervous aerodynamics mathematician.  Good old movie.  They don’t make them like this any more.  This wasn’t the movie I’ve seen most recently, but it’s the one I enjoyed most.


----------



## Droflet

Just re-saw it a few weeks ago. Great flick.


----------



## Jeffbert

*SUSPENSE* (1946)  Already mentioned by someone else.  


*THE FIREMEN'S BALL* (1967) A Czech film, apparently a satire of the Communist State, or, suspected of being one. So, this very old guy is being awarded a gold fire-ax for his many years of service. About a dozen other firefighters have planned this big party, with hundreds of guests from the town, but everything goes wrong. Not as funny as that Buster Keaton film mentioned earlier, but they got away with it, apparently without anyone being sent to re-education camps. 


*THE SEVENTH CROSS* (1944) George Heisler (Spencer Tracy) has escaped with 6 others, from a concentration camp. Cast is filled with ex-Europeans who came just in time.  The narrator is one of the six, and had been killed after recapture; thus, he gives a God's eye view of the story. Unlike  POW escape films, such as THE GREAT ESCAPE, these escapees all lived nearby, and sought refuge among friends, most of whom were too frightened to help. Paul Roeder (Hume Cronyn, whom I cannot forget in his role as the sadistic capt. of guards in BRUTE FORCE, here plays his usual timid role.) though he too, fears reprisals from the authorities, he holds friendship as worth the risk.  

ST is one of my favorite B&W actors, but the others also shined. 


*BLACK SABBATH* (1963) Damn Wiki page lacks a proper cast listing! Karloff in an anthology film with three stories. Mario Bava directed, & some English dubbing was used. I thought I heard Peter Fernandez' voice, but it was not listed on the wiki page.  Too much trouble to look elsewhere! Anyway, a fun film left over from October's horror-fest on TCM


*TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY* (1951) Guy who killed his abusive father at 13, is released 18 years later, & because he grew-up in prison, he has no idea how he ought to behave as an adult on the outside. NOIR ALLEY treatment of a film I had seen a few years ago, before I even knew of the NOIR genre. At that time, I thought the ending was appropriate, but, since then, realized, even without Muller's closing comments, that it just ain't NOIR.  So much for commenting on the ending; this was a fine film. Tension, drama, etc.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Midway* 2019   The film is a  it  is bit choppy in places and not academy award winning stuff but , its still a  pretty decent war film.


----------



## BAYLOR

Randy M. said:


> _*Dracula A.D. 1972 *_(1972, duh) dir. Alan Gibson; starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Christopher Neame
> 
> I admire the first Hammer Dracula, but have shied away from the series because few movie series improve. This was better than expected, mainly because Lee and Cushing aren't the central characters. Much as I like Cushing and have come to respect Lee, the beginning scene and end scene are very much been there, seen that -- the end especially feels like the script writer had run out of ways to off Dracula and Lee just fell into this denouement (*cough* -- anyone who's seen the movie will realize what a bad joke that is). The middle, though, allows Beacham, Neame and other then-young actors a bit of room to show their stuff. On the whole, entertaining.



Even though it's alway fun to see Cushing and Lee in film together . This film was not one of  Hammers better films .  The films they were churning out  in the 70's were  pretty mediocre compared to what they had turning out in the 50's and 60's .


----------



## REBerg

*The Invisible Man (2020)*
A simple concept rendered with suspenseful complexity. 



Spoiler



The plot would have been severely shortened had the victim secured a few cans of spray paint. She had a good idea when she sprinkled the kitchen floor with coffee, but a bag of flour would have done wonders to reveal the location of her antagonist.


----------



## alexvss

*Call (2020) Dir.: Lee Chung-hyun*

Korean cinema is the best out there nowadays, no doubt about that. And they just keeping better and better. The director of this flick is just 30 years old. And he was able to deliver one of the best--if not the best-- thrillers of the year.

*Sleeping with the enemy (1991) Dir.: Joseph Ruben *

Julia Roberts plays a wife who gets beaten by her husband often, so she fakes her death. Not an outstanding movie--I only watched it because I am studying romance stories for a screenplay I'm working on--, but has its merits.

@REBerg I watched The Invisible Man in the theaters earlier this year. It is a very good new take on classical monsters from Universal. It shows that new directors (the director of this flick is the same that did Upgrade, two years ago) will save cinema.


----------



## Randy M.

alexvss said:


> *Sleeping with the enemy (1991) Dir.: Joseph Ruben *
> 
> Julia Roberts plays a wife who gets beaten by her husband often, so she fakes her death. Not an outstanding movie--I only watched it because I am studying romance stories for a screenplay I'm working on--, but has its merits.
> 
> @REBerg I watched The Invisible Man in the theaters earlier this year. It is a very good new take on classical monsters from Universal. It shows that new directors (the director of this flick is the same that did Upgrade, two years ago) will save cinema.



If you've watched this and _The Invisible Man_ (2020), you may also want to watch _Enough _(2002) starring Jennifer Lopez. They probably aren't alone among movies showing a woman fighting back against an abusive man, but they seem to me like steps toward a better representation of same.

Randy M.


----------



## paranoid marvin

The King (Netflix). Pointless remake of Shakespeare's Henry V. Some great actors, and a lot of money has been spent on the script, but the replaced dialogue (unsurprisingly) is nowhere near that of the quality of the Bard. Also the altering of the storyline is only to the detriment of the movie. The only plus point is that I managed to watch it through to the end.


----------



## Vince W

paranoid marvin said:


> The King (Netflix). Pointless remake of Shakespeare's Henry V. Some great actors, and a lot of money has been spent on the script, but the replaced dialogue (unsurprisingly) is nowhere near that of the quality of the Bard. Also the altering of the storyline is only to the detriment of the movie. The only plus point is that I managed to watch it through to the end.


I got through the first twenty minutes and gave up. I think I'd rather watch the Kenneth Branagh version.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> I got through the first twenty minutes and gave up. I think I'd rather watch the Kenneth Branagh version.




Yes, I'm surprised myself that I managed to finish it. It loses the subtle humour of the original and adds some entirely unbelievable scenes. It also does away with the eloquent 'band of brothers' speech and replaces it with an instantly forgettable rambling.

Actually there is one good thing in the movie; the depiction and acting of the Dauphin. Very convincing performance.

Such a shame that such a lot of money and so many good actors were wasted on a poor script. And, yes I agree that Kenneth Branagh's version is much preferred.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Run, a psychological thriller on Hulu. Very suspenseful and very satisfying.


----------



## J Riff

*Triple Frontier* - army dudes heist a big drug dealer house in the jungle... they try to escape by flying over the Himalayas, there are problems. Semi-believable heist, watchable. 
*Money Plane,* not funny, mindless violence, stupid jokes, an unbelievable 'heist' of the super-rich casino money plane.... feh.


----------



## J Riff

*The Pyramid* 2014... dumb movie characters playing Archeologists are digging up a giant underground pyramid in Egypt. It's the find of the century but whoop, there's some trouble in Cairo, hunnerts miles away...so everyone has to leave, except one soldier with a machine gun.. and our intrepid idiots send the million-dollar drone in a mystery tunnel, where some unseen critter destroys it. They go in to see what the bad dog who must have wandered in there has done with it, and start getting picked off one by one in grisly fashion. Eventually the little cat/jackal/lizard critters appear, and also something bigger, which turns out to be good old Anubis himself... a man/jackal, and he walks around tearing out the odd heart. He has our heroine trapped a couple times, but she uses a flare one time, and slaps him and runs another time.. and it looks like she has maybe gotten away but she's mangled pretty bad, so when a little boy shows up we think she might survive after all but nahh, Anubis just appears and te flick ends as his huge claws are about to croak the kid and her. Of course, in about ten minutes a bunch armed soldiers are gonna show up and Anubis will be blown to bits, but at least he got to do some damage after hanging round in the dark doing nothing for a few thousand years.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two with Cushing, but only the 1st has Lee:

*SHE* (1965) Cushing is a scholar, cannot recall if an archaeologist, but he, and his two buddies get lured into an expedition in the African desert, & the one guy, bear a strong resemblance the long dead lover of She who must be obeyed, and Lee's character presents him to her as the real thing. She is immortal because of exposure to a certain blue flame, but when she enters it a second time in bestowing immortality to the guy, it takes it from her. I know I have seen this before, & wonder if that plot element was featured in other films. 


*CORRUPTION* (1968) Cushing's character a plastic surgeon, is dating a woman much younger than himself, whose face is burned on one side. Using a corpse' pituitary  glands, he restores her beauty, but, only temporarily. She goes nearly mad, prodding him to help her, but he must use glands from a living & very much unwilling donor. 


Wednesdays in December, the TCM prime time films are those featuring a particular composer's music. 


*THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL *(1951) I am a bit disappointed by the lack of landing gear on Klaatu's flying saucer.   Some plot elements, such as the too few guards at the landing site, just seemed too convenient.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cuban Rebel Girls *(1959)

Notable for being Errol Flynn's last film, for starring his teenage girlfriend, and for being a pro-Castro movie actually filmed on the island during the revolution.  Flynn shows up just briefly, but narrates frequently.  In brief, the plot involves an American teenager getting mixed up in the revolution because her boyfriend is fighting for the rebels.  Flynn's "protégé" (as the poster discreetly calls her) is a truly terrible actress.  Of historical interest as a curiosity.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD* (1958) I was sure I had seen this before, especially with Torin Thatcher as the villain, but nothing seemed familiar! The most unfamiliar thing was the little boy as the Genie! Anyway, it was good to see something unfamiliar!  As mentioned earlier, TCM's theme was the music. As I recall, Bernard Herrmann wrote it. Ben M. mentioned something about the motifs for different characters. The star was not even on film:  Ray Harryhausen, who learned from  Willis O'Brien  the art of stop motion animation of figurines. 

I still have two more films on my DVR from this night of Herrmann's music.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Palm Springs *on Amazon Prime. A rehash of the Groundhog Day plot device, and a good one, in my opinion.


----------



## Eversummer

Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express. Gotta love it!


----------



## Vince W

*Ava* or How to Bore an Audience Using a Good Premise. Terrible acting and an awful script. Brief periods of unbelievable fighting followed by boring conversations about nothing anyone cares about.


----------



## Dave Vicks

MAGGIE Interesting Pandemic film with Arnold Schwarzenegger.


----------



## hitmouse

Citizen Kane. Have not watched it for a good few years. My 18 year old wanted to see it. Such a clever, multilayered and beautiful movie.


----------



## Parson

Vince W said:


> *Ava* or How to Bore an Audience Using a Good Premise. Terrible acting and an awful script. Brief periods of unbelievable fighting followed by boring conversations about nothing anyone cares about.



Okay, but how did you really feel about the movie.


----------



## Dave Vicks

I would like to rewatch ENEMY MINE .


----------



## Dave Vicks

Though the Critics liked it . I heard the animated film Fritz the Cat was awful.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Non-Stop New York *(1937)

Enjoyable Hitchcockian thriller with a touch of science fiction.  Penniless British chorus girl in New York meets a lawyer who offers her a meal on New Year's Day, 1938.  (The future!)  By sheer coincidence, there's an unemployed guy there, just looking to steal some food.  Next some crooks come in.  The lawyer worked for the big crime boss, but wants to quit, so the head hoodlum shoots him dead, just after husting the woman out.  Homeless guy gets arrested for the murder, chorus girl comes back to England, but on the voyage the crooks frame her for a robbery, so she winds up in prison.

Cut to a couple of years later.  Our heroine is out of stir, the homeless guy is on death row.  There's a worldwide hunt for the woman he claims can clear his name, our heroine.  She reads about in the paper and goes to the cops, but they don't buy her story, both because other women are falsely claiming to be the witness, and because the crooks have a guy who convinces the police she's lying (besides being an ex-con.)

For complicated reasons -- this thing crams tons of plot into seventy minutes -- our heroine, the cop, the head hoodlum, and a guy trying to blackmail the crook all wind up on a gigantic airplane headed for New York.  Here's where we get our SF content.  This thing is a gigantic luxury liner with wings.  It's even got an outside observation deck!  It's something right off the cover of _Popular Mechanics_ of the time.

There's a teenage violin prodigy and his aunt for comedy relief, a lot of witty lines, romance between the heroine and the cop, murder, and an exciting scene near the end where the cop has to climb on the outside of the plane to keep it from crashing into the ocean.  It's quite entertaining.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hercules Against the Barbarians* (_Maciste nell'inferno di Gengis Khan_, 1964)

Our hero is not Hercules, but Maciste, a muscular character who appears in a huge number of films, and who is likely to show up just about anywhere in history.  This time he's in Poland at the time the Monguls (our "barbarians") were attacking.  Before the movie even begins, we know that the Mongols have met with their first defeat, because of Maciste fighting for the Poles.   The somewhat confusing plot involves the Mongols kidnapping the princess of Poland, who has been disguised as a commoner since infancy.  Of course, Maciste sets out to rescue her.  Along the way we get our hero in a pit with a giant snake; a woman accused of witchcraft but saved by the princess, who proves to be working for the Mongols but who loves Maciste; Maciste battling a crocodile (!); a troupe of acrobats; palace intrigue between the Great Khan's two sons, one more evil than the other; and a bunch of other stuff.  It's hard to follow, no doubt due to cuts made for the English-language version, but filled with enough typical sword-and-sandal action to please the fans of such.


----------



## Toby Frost

Have you ever seen the Australian comedy *Hercules Returns*, Victoria? If I remember rightly, it's a Maciste film dubbed with a comical soundtrack. I remember it as fairly crude, but quite funny in parts.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Can't say I have.  Sounds delightful.


----------



## Toby Frost

It is completely silly. Apparently it was a show that a group of comedians used to do on stage. There's a fairly weak framing story, involving someone sabotaging Bruce Spence's cinema, which forces him to improvise the sound for the film he's showing, but the vast majority of it is the comedians dubbing the old film. IIRC, the film they dub involves Maciste, Samson and Hercules teaming up for an adventure.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Double (2013). Based on a Dostoevsky story. Very funny and creative. I felt the protagonist's pain throughout.


----------



## J Riff

*Tremors 7 - Shriekers Island* >  realtime review, total spoilage alert! : 
 Exciting start... run thru the jungle... snipers waiting.. giant mega-predator worm-thing bursts from ground and they blast away but it's far too tough and it gets away. 
 Now character development on an island within eyeshot of the private island where the monsters are...
Jimmy and Jazz head on over there and they find a huge dead Graboid. Their native guide is grabbed by a Shrieker, and our couple flee. Jazz tells Jimmy to go get Burt Gummer, in New Guinea. Meanwhile, the super-rich hunters on the island bet large $ on our ace huntress and her arrow-shooting ability. A Graboid grabs another guy before Burt the pro monster-hunter arrives.
 The Graboids and Shriekers are enhanced predator DNA... they have killed a few more people, and eaten an elephant. Burt is in charge now of course, it's gotten out of hand. "A giant carniverous worm with tunneling abilities that puts Bugs Bunny to shame.."
 Gummer and crew are tied up by crazy Bill and his rich hunter pals, but they escape by using shoelaces, whilst the bad guys are getting clobbered by a super-Graboid. Much machine-gun fire later, Burt and crew end up in a bomb shelter, which they rig with dynamite. It works a treat and we are down to one giant Graboid and some Shriekers remaining on the island. 
 Amusing references to other monster movies now, as Burt and comedy relief Jimmy battle Shriekers underground, while the crew climb trees back at the camp. Our explosive finale using Burt as bait has worm bits raining down in slo-mo, but what becomes of Burt?
 This is pretty well-made Graboid action so if you enjoy Graboid action you probably shouldn't have read this.


----------



## svalbard

Train to Busan : Peninsula

This is the 'sequel' to the 2016 brilliant South Korean zombie movie Train to Busan. I have to say I am sort of in love with Korean zombie flicks at the moment. Actually a lot of Korean movies of all genres are really interesting and beating anything Hollywood is putting out. 

That said this is a bit more generic than say Train to Busan or #Alive or even the TV series Kingdom. I enjoyed it immensely and did not mind the nods to the Mad Max movies during the chase sequences. The action is fast paced, electric at stages. Well worth a look.


----------



## Eversummer

Train to Busan, World War Z and The Kingdom on the top of my newest faves...I love zombie films! 

Must be because I grew up watching jiangshi films. I find them fascinating XD


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Phantom Speaks *(1945)

Crisp little B movie mixing crime with the supernatural.  Guy shoots down a guy in a park and is quickly brought to justice.  On death row, he gets a visit from a doctor who has a theory that the spirit of someone with an extremely strong will can return from the dead.  This works too well, and the killer takes over the body of the doctor, getting revenge on those who sent him to the electric chair.  The movie effectively mixes the mood of old-fashioned horror with _film noir_.  Some scenes are a little more intense than I expected from a film of this time.  The possessed man not only kills a man when he's with his young daughter, but comes very close to killing the little girl as well.  The ending implies that worse is yet to come.  In addition to the important roles of the killer and the doctor, we've got the typical wisecracking reporter as the nominal hero, the doctor's daughter as his love interest, and the seemingly sinister housekeeper who is actually just very loyal to the doctor (and, it's hinted, in love with him.)  No comedy relief, thank goodness, except maybe for the reporter's wisecracks.  (Cute scene that has nothing to do with the plot:  Reporter proposes to the daughter by giving her a big wrapped present.  It proves to be an engagement ring inside the smallest of a whole bunch of boxes of decreasing size.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hootenanny Hoot *(1963)

Quickie meant to cash in on the folk music fad.  TV director whose producer happens to be his ex-wife quits when she simultaneously tries to rekindle their romance and fire the singer he wants on his show.  For some odd reason, he winds up in the fictional college town of Norburg, Missouri.  There happens to be a hootenanny going on.  He romances the woman who is the hostess of the hootenanny while trying to sign up the various musical acts.  The agent for the producer shows up.  He gets the hostess, the divorced couple get back together. 

Well, forget the plot.  This is just an excuse for a bunch of folk/country/gospel music.  Highlights include a very young Johnny Cash with a variation on "Frankie and Johnny" and George Hamilton IV with his mellow smash hit "Abilene."   Sheb Wooley, better known for "The Purple People Eater," sings the title song.  Oddities include a murder ballad sung by a woman in a bikini, accompanied by a guy with a weird trident-shaped guitar.  

A lot of the folk songs are humorous, so at times this seems like a low budget black and white version of *A Mighty Wind*.  The big TV hootenanny at the end is done with a circus theme, which is just bizarre.  One trio sings while jumping on a trampoline.  A couple of things the censor missed:  1.  In a parody version of "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" with hip slang, the object of the frog's amorous intent says "You're not a frog, you're a horny toad."  2.  The director calls the hostess the bookkeeper of the musical acts, so that later he can say to the agent "Now my little bookkeeper is about to show off her assets."


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE 3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER* (1960)
 I know I realized this the 1st time I saw this film, but there is a character who tries to sell Dr. G. & his bride to be a run-down shack. His name: 'Grinch'  "Mr. Grinch!" I wonder if the film's script writer got the name from Dr. S' BOOK, WHICH HAD BEEN PUBLISHED SEVERAL years earlier., or if Swift included it in his book. I am certain the woman's inclusion in the adventure is pure Hollywood. Though usually included to give the hero a damsel in distress to rescue, not this time.

Ray Harryhausen had very little to do, on this film, especially compared to *THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD*,  but it was fun to watch.  Sadly, few viewers realize Swift's story was satire of, among other things,  a certain schism in the 'Church' between Rome & another city whose way of doing a certain thing was a reason to kill.

*
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND* (1961) Another film based upon a classic novel; though Ray Harryhausen's contribution was definitely not book, it was fun! Again, women are added, for the same reason as above.  


TCM ran a few hours of L&H two reel films. 

*DO DETECTIVES THINK* (1927) was 1st.  Pure hilarity. 


But, my favorites are the ones with destruction! 

*TWO TARS* (1928) was #3, & has such destruction. L&H are sailors on leave, and are heading back to the ship, but, are caught in a traffic jam. Minor fender benders lead to deliberate destruction of many vehicles!  
*
Big Business* (1929) was #4, and L&H are out door to door selling Xmas trees, not successfully, though!  Not quite as much destruction as Two Tars, but very funny!

*
THE TINGLER *(1959) Not quite as funny as L&H, but every time The Tingler was on screen, I could not help but laugh! Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) is the guy who has to perform an autopsy on a guy, who was doubtless killed by the electric chair. Things happen, & he develops a theory or is it an hypothesis (?), that we all have tinglers inside us, & if, when frightened, we, for whatever reason do not scream, we die as a result of the tingler's action.

My great regret is that I was born 20 years too late to have experienced William Castle's gimmicks! I can only watch the films on TV.


----------



## J Riff

*Birdemic 2  The Resurrection*  2013--  can't be spoiled. You can't describe this movie. Even if you saw the orginal _Birdemic Shock and Terro_r... this thing... is... Well, if we just went to LA with about 500 bucks, and got some CGI done on a home PC... I mean, the first lonnng sequence is just our MC walking around Hollywood... occasionally they blur out faces of people on the street around him... there's no actual sets until some cheap rented rooms, and maybe the hotel where they stayed while making this. 
 Finally, at 45 min. the CGI vultures and eagles attack. We have seen a CGI jellyfish, and a CGI ambulance... then in a flashback to the 1st movie which makes no sense if you haven't seen it, we get CGI fires in the woods. Dialogue too trite to be believed, and, when the birds attack, we get handguns, from nowhere, and they blast away over 200 times with them...then off into LA again... \
 So far I've watched the first 45 min. then another 20 min. a few days later. I dont know...if .. I can take much more... it outdoes the first _Birdemic_ in every category of cheepnis, inanity, bland mindlessness, oh a whole bunch more things. It's about this guy, see, who wants to be a Hollywood producer, so he goes to LA and this other guy, and his girlfriend, wanta too, so they are gonna film a movie about a guy who goes to Hollywood to try and become a movie producer, and he meets this girl. There's shots in a museum and at the Tar Pits where the birds come bursting out from. These birds hover, they kill people, they crash and explode. If anyone can make it through this movie all in one go they deserve a prize. When I had to shut it off, the birds were attacking the crowd in a movie theater, and that's what this movie does, it attacks the brain and you won't make it through, don't even try.


----------



## Jeffbert

2 with James Arness:

*The Thing From Another World* (1951) Though lacking the sfx of the remakes, this is still a fun film! Paul Frees (voices of Poppin Fresh & Boris Badenov) in an un-credited role as a scientist (Also voiced Burgermeister Meisterburger). 2nd only to Mel Blanc in voices!  


*THEM!* (1954) Why haven't they remade this one?  Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn ) & SCIENCE Vs. THEM! Dr. Harold Medford has some chilling lines, something about humanity becoming extinct. 

If Ben M. had not mentioned Leonard Nimoy, I would not have recognized him! 

I guess  they eventually released Fess Parker's character from the funny farm; but, omitted putting it in the film!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Them! has kind of been remade in the movie 'It Came From The Desert' which was also inspired by the excellent Amiga game of the same name by Cinemaware in the 1990s. But then again in the 50s and 60s there seemed to be lots of movies about unnaturally large/mutant creatures terrorising American teenagers,


----------



## Jeffbert

*TWO ON A GUILLOTINE* (1965) John Duquesne (Cesar Romero, better known as The Joker) master of sleight-of-hand, etc.,  wants to stun the audience with a Marie Antoinette on the G act. That is all we know. 20 years pass, and his daughter is now a woman. It is revealed that her mother has abandoned  her and papa 20 years ago, but we in the audience suspect otherwise. So, the magician has just died, and is about to be buried in a coffin secured by chains and featuring a window at face-level. He had sworn he would return from the dead. This is where we meet the daughter Cassie (Connie Stevens, who also portrayed her mama, Melinda), who is disgusted by the theatrics of the funeral, as well as the nosy reporters. She escapes, and next scene, is the reading of the will, which occurs in a music hall. To qualify for her inheritance, she must spend seven nights in her papa's mansion, which she learns the hard way, is rigged with skeletons, sounds, etc. One of the nosy reporters had slithered up, and passed himself as a real estate guy, interested in the estate. He becomes friends with her, and, together, they explore the mansion. But, that door at the top of the stairs is locked. We know what is in there, but she is clueless! 

So, there are the two of papa's helpers, to whom the inheritance should go, if Cassie should fail. One, a woman shows up, & eventually reveals the truth behind mama's disappearance:


Spoiler



She had lost he head to the guillotine! And now, papa is here, and he thinks his daughter is his wife! He wants to try the guillotine trick one more time! 





*THE BURGLAR* (1957) NOIR ALLEY

Nat Harbin (Dan Duryea) was an orphan adopted by a crook, who taught him the trade. He also taught him the importance of keeping a promise; which adds to the plot.

So, they are stealing jewels from a woman's safe, DD is drilling into it, just as the signal is flashed by his two associates. He has to hurry to the getaway car that is being scrutinized by two cops, and explain why it is parked there. He fakes a breakdown, and they seem satisfied, and leave. Quickly, he returns to the safe, finishes steals the jewels, but leaves the safe open, exposing the theft. The victim had been watching a TV program, which was why she was away from her safe, for all of 15 minutes. 

The burglars get away, but one of those two cops is on to them, and is crooked. 
Gladden (Jayne Mansfield), is the promise he must keep. She is one of the gang, and he promised to keep her safe, to his 'adoptive' papa on his deathbed. The other two men want to take the jewels to a fence, get their share of the money, and part ways. But Harbin, wants to wait for the heat to cool-off, though he figures it will be more than just a few weeks, before it will be safe to cash-in. He sends Gladden to Atlantic City, to chill-out for a few weeks. But, the crooked cop is on to her, follows her, and seduces her, hoping that he can get the jewels in the process. 

This must be my 1st time seeing this film  !  Very well done!



*THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN IN THEIR JAUNTY JALOPIES* (1969) except for the hero, essentially the same cast as THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES.  Also called *Monte Carlo or Bust!* This was one of the frequently shown films on the 4PM weekday movies, on I think it was an ABC affiliate channel. I was about to watch GUMBALL RALLY,  which was on my DVR, but decided to watch this, for $5 on PRIME. 

So, there is a rally, more an endurance contest than a race, & hero Chester Schofield (Tony Curtis, remember* the Great Race*?) who always plays clean & abides by good sportsmanship, etc. Then there is Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage (Terry-Thomas), who loathes the idea of abiding by the rules, especially since these two ar 50-50 co-owners of an automobile manufacturer, and have bet their share against each other's for full ownership. 

Numerous others compete, but Willi Schickel/Horst Muller (Gert Fröbe; 'Goldfinger' was one of his serious roles) as the guy forced into smuggling stolen jewels in one of his many spare tires.  While his role in *Flying Machines* was as an Air force officer, as a German, he is smug, etc., expects to win easily. National pride.


----------



## REBerg

*Jojo Rabbit*
I went in for the comedy and was wowed by the drama. Best surprising film I've seen in a long time.


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## Rodders

I adored Jojo Rabbit. 

Very well handled subject which was surprisingly moving.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Rare Exports (2010)*

A Finnish film in which a group of reindeer farmers run up against a very dangerous version of Father Christmas. It's very well shot and full of good ideas and black comedy, but it never quite came together for me. Entertaining, though. Imagine a medieval folk tale played out on the set of The Thing and you're not far off.


----------



## Rodders

Sounds very interesting.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deluge *(1933)

Early disaster movie doesn't waste any time.  In a few minutes, we find out that barometric pressure is dropping to an unprecedented degree all over the world.  Not much later we've got reports of earthquakes, floods, and even an unexplained solar eclipse.  This is all hearsay and stock footage, but then we get an extended sequence of New York getting wiped out, making use of some really good miniatures.  After the disaster, we settle into our plot.  Husband is separated from wife and two young kids.  Female professional swimmer is found by a couple of bad guys, one of whom kills the other in a fight over who gets to own her.  She escapes, winds up rescued by husband.  They fight off the surviving bad guys, who has joined a gang of other creeps.  Eventually husband and swimmer fall in love, but they find the wife and kids at a settlement of survivors.  Who will wind up with who?  It's an interesting film, even if most of it looks cheap compared to the disaster sequence.  Although there are the nasty types common to post-apocalyptic settings, the settlement is full of decent folks trying to rebuild their lives.  It's startling to see the swimmer wear what can only be called a bikini in 1933.  Pre-code!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deathsport *(1978)

Cheap, lame post-apocalyptic flick.  Our helpful narrator tells us that "one thousand years after the Neutron War" the world is split between "range guides" (folks on horses with transparent swords who also have some kind of telepathic power) and "statemen" (folks in high-tech cities with zap guns.)  Range guides David Carradine and Claudia Jennings, in separate incidents, get captured by the statemen so they can be forced to participate in -- you guessed it -- Deathsport.  This consists of battling "death machines" (pretty much just motorcycles) in a big arena.  Our heroes triumph and escape, but they have to rescue a kid who, earlier in the film, was captured by "mutants" (pretty much ordinary folks.)  Meanwhile, the second-in-command of the statemen has some kind of personal grudge against Carradine, and goes to hunt him down after the leader of the statemen dies while zapping a naked woman with unseen electricity.  Lots of motorcycle chases, lot of explosions, lots of deadly serious dialogue.  Well worth mocking.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*World of the Vampires *(1961)

Mexican horror flick mixes old-fashioned, traditional elements with some unique ideas.  Lugosi-style vampire -- he's even a count -- is intent on wiping out the last male descendent of the guy who killed either him or his ancestor (the dubbed English dialogue suggests both) and transforming his two nieces into bloodsuckers.  He's got this cool organ made out of human bones, and an army of goofy-looking bat-faced minions, as well as the usual large number of beautiful vampire "brides" in slinky gowns.  Oh, there's also a mute human assistant.  Just like the vampire controls his minions through the bone organ, our hero can drive off the undead by playing a certain melody on the piano.  Despite a fair amount of silliness, it's got some decent 1930's-style Gothic atmosphere.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*Klaus*.  An animated Santa Claus origin story.  Sort of silly and it doesn't always make sense, but funny and charming nevertheless.  Excellent voice actors in the various roles.  Not sure I'd watch it again, but it cheered me up the other night, so definitely worth it (to me) to watch it the one time.


----------



## J Riff

War Movies >> *Paths of Glory* 1957, classic WW1 , epic gritty trench warfare time...and insane generals allowed to get away with murder... it's very good, no spoilers. 
*The Train* 1964, they can't make war movies this good anymore. It's just really good, last days of the war and the nazis try to make off with a trainload of top-kwality French swag... no spoilers, just really good.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Train* is a good film. Pretty brutal, in its own way.


----------



## Dave Vicks

THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS 
animated version.


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> *THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD* (1958) I was sure I had seen this before, especially with Torin Thatcher as the villain, but nothing seemed familiar! The most unfamiliar thing was the little boy as the Genie! Anyway, it was good to see something unfamiliar!  As mentioned earlier, TCM's theme was the music. As I recall, Bernard Herrmann wrote it. Ben M. mentioned something about the motifs for different characters. The star was not even on film:  Ray Harryhausen, who learned from  Willis O'Brien  the art of stop motion animation of figurines.
> 
> I still have two more films on my DVR from this night of Herrmann's music.



A fantasy classic . I  have this and the other Sinbad films on dvd .  All tremendously entertaining .


----------



## Rodders

a couple of low brow comedies, which I have to say I enjoyed against my better judgement. The Wrong Missy and That’s My Boy.

Cargo. A superb Zombie flick with Martin Freeman. Superb and totally recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Damon and Pythias* (1962)

Sword-and-sandal epic, but don't expect the usual muscleman stuff.  A secret underground of democratic, peace-loving Pythagorean philosophers from Athens holds meetings in the city-state of Syracuse, ruled by a dictator.  When their leader dies in Athens, Pythias is sent to Syracuse to bring back the only man who can take his place, who is in hiding.  Just about the first thing that happens to the noble Pythias is getting robbed by the roguish Damon.  They both wind up escaping from the dictator's soldiers.  Damon agrees to help find the guy Pythias is looking for, in exchange for a lot of money.  Still playing both sides against each other, Damon betrays Pythias to the soldiers in return for a fine horse.  He quickly comes to regret his action, realizing that Pythias is the only really decent man he knows.  He tries to help Pythias escape.  The guy Pythias came after gets away, but Pythias is captured and sentenced to death.  Damon offers to take his place, so Pythias can go back to his pregnant wife, who is likely to die if he doesn't return.  The dictator, smelling an opportunity to discredit the Pythagorean philosophy of brotherly love, which doesn't fit in well with his regime, allows him to go, but tells him to return in two months to be executed, or Damon will be killed.  

It's a slow-moving but interesting story.  Guy Williams does a good job playing a guy who goes from cynical to heroic.  The dictator is also intriguing, played more as a very sly politician than as out-and-out evil.  (The commander of the soldiers is our real villain.)   It's disconcerting to have the two leads speak with American accents, while some of the supporting actors have thick Italian accents.  Worth a look for fans of historical dramas.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Us (2019). Second time watching it. Everyone was great in it, but Ms. Nyong'o stole the show. Brilliant acting for both the lead and her doppelgänger. I remember watching it the first time and thinking the humor kind of weakened the otherwise all-pervasive horror, but I now think it fits fine. Well-written, well-directed, and well-acted.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Giants of Rome *(1964)

A small team of soldiers is sent behind enemy lines to investigate and destroy a secret weapon.  Sounds like a World War Two movie, doesn't it?  Actually, it takes place during Julius Caesar's war with the Gauls.  Our Dirty Dozen Minus Eight consists of a couple of guys with swords, I guess the leader and the second in command, a big guy who throws daggers with deadly accuracy, and a muscular guy who wields an ax.  Along for the fun is a teenager who runs off from Caesar's camp, where he does things like clean soldiers' shoes, to join the commandos.  Our heroes fight off a bunch of Gauls, but eventually get captured.  The movie turns into *The Great Escape*, as they break out with two other prisoners, a coward and our movie's love interest.  In a scene I wasn't expecting, the teenager is tortured and crucified by the Gauls, but doesn't reveal anything about the mission, dying as a hero instead.  The remaining members of the squad capture a couple of Gauls, brother and sister, riding on rafts with some Gaul fighters, giving us an underwater battle sequence.  The heroes make them show them the way to the secret weapon.  The coward shoots the sister with an arrow when she signals the Gaul stronghold that they're on their way.  The secret weapon turns out to be a huge catapult that shoots out flaming pitch.  It's an offbeat variation on the sword-and-sandal genre, something like *The Guns of Navarone *of the ancient world.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Violated *(1953)

Ultra-cheap, amateurish, exploitative crime film.  The plot involves a creepy fashion photographer who kills and scalps women.  He becomes obsessed with a  burlesque dancer, who gets killed, and a very naïve young woman who wants to be a model, and who doesn't get killed.  There's really not much to it, but the unprofessional actors, the location filming in New York, and the solo acoustic guitar soundtrack give it an oddly haunting, minimalist mood.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Without Warning! *(1952)

Half documentary-style police procedural, _a la Dragnet_, with quite a bit of crime lab stuff and a stern-voiced narrator, and half psychological suspense film.  Guy who works as a gardener obsessively kills blonde women.  The movie alternates between the seemingly nice, quiet guy killer and the cops.  A lot of nifty scenes of Los Angeles at the time.  A good suspense sequence takes place when a cop comes up to the killer's car, stuck in the loose soil under a freeway, while the body of his latest victim is in the vehicle.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rockin' the Blues* (1956)

One of the many early rock 'n' roll films to which I am addicted.  This one is notable for having an entirely African-American cast.  1956 is a little late for "race" films, but I presume this was intended for African-American audiences.  Anyway, there's no plot at all, just a bunch of rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and doo-wop songs, interrupted at times by comedy bits from popeyed comic Mantan Moreland, familiar as the comedy relief in a zillion films of the 1930's and 1940's.  He and his partner do a routine I've seen a couple of times before, where they "prove" in various ways that seven times thirteen equals twenty-eight.  There are also some leggy showgirls.  A couple of times we get shots of the audience that is supposedly watching this show, obviously taken from stock footage; the audience is entirely white!  Most of the songs are performed in standard fashion, but "He's So Lazy" from songbird Pearl Woods is done on a set resembling a kitchen, with a guy dancing in a really unusual manner.  Take a look.


----------



## Rodders

Orbiter 9.

A subtitled Spanish SF movie that was quite well done. Well worth watching in my opinion.


----------



## Droflet

Just finish Wonder Woman 1984. Just another over the top marvel actioner. Some good scenes but just the usual fair. But worth seeing for the incredibly lovely Gal Gadot.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MACAO* (1952) I do not know how I overlooked this, it was on my DVR since mid-October! NOIR ALLEY, though set in Asia. So, the international police are after this guy, who lives in Macao, and avoids going beyond the 3 mile limit. So, they send a man to trick him into going past the 3 miles where they can arrest him. Two particular men arrive along with other tourists, and Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum) is assumed to be the Interpol guy.   Lawrence C. Trumble (William Bendix) is the other; but he is not of the same physique as RM, so, the bad guys think RM is the cop.  The casino owner Vincent Halloran (Brad Dexter), who is the target of Interpol, assumes he can simply buy-off the cop, whom he assumes is RM, but he just does not want to leave the island. 

I was so happy to find another NOIR film I had not seen before!  This was very good!

Julie Benton, (Jane Russell) who arrived among the tourists, takes a job as a singer in the casino. Henchman knife-thrower Itzumi (Philip Ahn; better known for his role in TV's KUNG FU, as one of the Masters) is thoroughly nasty.  


*
GURU THE MAD MONK* (1970) fortunately, ran just about an hour, because this was really stupid. It had a (an?) hunchback named Igor, one-eyed also. The title character was there to comfort condemned prisoners in a dark ages setting. So, the peeper's eyes were gouged-out, a woman who stole something had her hands cut off, etc. 

So, this woman is dragged in, accused of having murdered her newborn child, which, she claims was stillborn. The one decent guy who works there, decides he must save her, so, he gives her a drug that feigns death, and she is revived, etc., but, now Guru has eyes for her. 

Guru naturally abuses poor Igor, who eventually turns against him, & helps the hero save the girl.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Rockin' the Blues* (1956)
> 
> One of the many early rock 'n' roll films to which I am addicted.  This one is notable for having an entirely African-American cast.  1956 is a little late for "race" films, but I presume this was intended for African-American audiences.  Anyway, there's no plot at all, just a bunch of rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, and doo-wop songs, interrupted at times by comedy bits from popeyed comic Mantan Moreland, familiar as the comedy relief in a zillion films of the 1930's and 1940's.  He and his partner do a routine I've seen a couple of times before, where they "prove" in various ways that seven times thirteen equals twenty-eight.  There are also some leggy showgirls.  A couple of times we get shots of the audience that is supposedly watching this show, obviously taken from stock footage; the audience is entirely white!  Most of the songs are performed in standard fashion, but "He's So Lazy" from songbird Pearl Woods is done on a set resembling a kitchen, with a guy dancing in a really unusual manner.  Take a look.


I do not think I have seen this one!  I enjoy this genre. 

Mantan Moreland  was in several horror films of the 30s and 40s, and always had a routine where or in which he was talking to another guy, and one would start saying something, the other would interrupt, and finish the story, leaving the audience wondering what it was about, because the middle part was always omitted!  

Sadly, these roles made him and the others of his race, ignorant, superstitious, and cowardly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Don't Talk to Strange Men *(1962)

Modest but effective British thriller.  Starts with a woman walking alone at night, picked up by an unseen man in a car.  Next scene, some kids in a barn find her body under the hay.  The real story starts when a rather naïve, romantic teenage girl happens to answer the phone in a telephone booth near her bus stop, out in the middle of nowhere.  The charming fellow on the other end of the line chats her up, and the next thing you know he regularly calls her each day.  Pretty soon she agrees to meet him, imagining him to be her boyfriend.  Getting mixed up in all this is the teenager's younger and more sensible sister.  Fine acting from the two young actresses makes this all very believable.  (In an amusing bit of character development, the younger sister objects to her father's hunting and declares herself a Buddhist.)  Not bad at all.


----------



## Rodders

The Long Shot. I really enjoyed this.
I also watched a series of short movies by Niell Blomkamp. Of these shorts, I only really enjoyed Rakkus. 
Currently watching Diane and Devine Meet the Apocalypse. Quite funny, actually.


----------



## Parson

*The Christmas Candle (2013) *This was a real surprise to me. It was one of the very few movies where the pastor of the church, wasn't old as all get out or a charlatan, or hopelessly naïve. The setting was 1900 England (Isle of Man actual location) and the pastor has to deal with a congregation where it is believed that at angel touches a candle once every 25 years and the person who gets this candle has their prayer answered when they pray while that candle is burning. ---- I'll give you no spoilers, but I liked it and for a movie which deals with preachers and religion that's pretty rare for me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*High Risk *(1981)

I checked this one out because Siskel and Ebert listed it as one of their Guilty Pleasures on their old At The Movies television show.  It's a quirky heist/action-adventure flick.  Four ordinary guys set out to rob millions of dollars from a South American drug lord (James Coburn.)  After buying a bunch of firearms from Ernest Borgnine (who makes sure they're not planning to harm any animals) they set out, along with a cute fluffy dog, whose job is to distract the drug lord's guard dogs.  They get the loot pretty quickly, but getting away with it is a lot harder.  Two of them get captured by Coburn's minions, wind up in prison, and escape along with hippie chick Lindsay Wagner.  The other two tangle with a band of revolutionaries-turned-bandits, led by Anthony Quinn.  Although not really a comedy, there's some comic touches.  On the other hand, people get killed along the way.  Quite entertaining.


----------



## Rodders

Wheelman. A tight, well shot drama. Totally recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deranged *(1974)

Documentary-style account of an insane killer, obviously inspired by the true story of Ed Gein.  There's even an actor playing a reporter who pops up in scenes with the other actors to act as narrator.  The maniac loses the few marbles he has left when his mother dies.  He digs up her corpse and mummifies it, using parts of other dead bodies to fix her up, and to make things like a mask for himself.  He moves on from this to actually killing women.  Set way out in farmland in the dead of winter, it has an extremely bleak feel to it.  There's a touch of very dark comedy, as when a desperately lonely widow gets the killer to take part in a séance with her, and she supposedly speaks in her dead husband's voice, giving him permission to make love to her.  A soundtrack consisting mostly of an organ playing hymns adds to the genuinely unnerving mood.  The actor playing the murderer is completely convincing, underplaying it nicely.  Although gruesome, there's only one really gory scene, which has been left out of many versions.


----------



## Boneman

The Midnight Sky

George Clooney's latest epic. Good and bad, but so terribly clunky too often. Would it have been so bad to damn well explain how Earth ended up the way it did? Clichéd plot in parts and piling crisis upon crisis became distracting rather than enthralling. Saved a little by some great acting. Someone should tell Clooney that the temperature in deep space is zero degrees kelvin.... can't say more without spoiling. Wouldn't ever watch this again, but do want to watch 2001 A Space Odyssey now!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Runaway Daughters *(1956)

Three twenty-something actresses play high school students with unhappy home lives in this sedate teen exploitation film.  One, our Poor Little Rich Girl, sees her Russian-accented mother smooching a guy who isn't her husband during one of their drunken, Charleston-dancing parties.  Another, our Sweet Girl,  wants to marry her boyfriend, who is soon leaving for the military, but her father, bitter after his wife ran off, stands in the way.  Another, our Bad Girl, has a mother and a stepfather who are always off roaming the world, so they never show up in the movie.  She's a tough cookie, has a smart mouth, and offers the best lines in the script.  Instead, her no-good older brother and his hard-as-nails female companion show up.  Eventually the trio of misfits take off for Los Angeles, ditching the first one's new convertible for a stolen car.  They wind up with the older brother and the tough dame, two of them working as taxi dancers and the other -- the one with the boyfriend in the army -- finds out she's pregnant.  Will our Sweet Girl wind up with the soldier boy?  Will our Poor Little Rich Girl go back to a life of privilege?  Will our Bad Girl meet a tragic fate?  Keep watching to find out, but be patient.  This thing takes a long time to get going, and the three Runaway Daughters don't leave home until well over an hour into the film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*City of Missing Girls *(1941)

Creaky old crime film that flirts with exploitation but never quite gets there.  Our traditional team of Spunky Girl Reporter and Crusading Boy Assistant District Attorney gets mixed up in a series of young women gone missing, one of whom winds up dead.  A guy who runs a so-called talent school is involved somehow.  He not only offers our hero a ten thousand dollar bribe, but later arranges to have him photographed embracing a woman who is soon found murdered.  Our heroine goes undercover in order to crack the case, not knowing, as the audience already does, that her own father is involved in the school.  So why are the women missing?  The film is too coy to let us know, but I guess you're supposed to assume they've been sold into what used to be called "white slavery."  (We're told they're "booked into out-of-town nightclubs under assumed names.")  It's a pretty bland affair, which would have had more pizzazz in the pre-Code days.


----------



## dask

*Sophie Scholl, The Final Days *(2005) Disturbing and realistic reenactment of the true events surrounding the arrest and prosecution of student activists distributing anti-Nazi leaflets in 1943 Munich. The philosophical exchanges between the students and the judge during the show trial shows how easily a large part of a nation’s population can fall in lock step behind a governing body steeped in racial hatred, alternate facts, and abuses of power. Germany is trying to tell us something and we should listen. Perfectly cast, brilliantly acted.


----------



## hitmouse

Droflet said:


> Just finish Wonder Woman 1984. Just another over the top marvel actioner. Some good scenes but just the usual fair. But worth seeing for the incredibly lovely Gal Gadot.


I don’t think WW is Marvel. Marvelesque, maybe.


----------



## Droflet




----------



## hitmouse

Boneman said:


> The Midnight Sky
> 
> George Clooney's latest epic. Good and bad, but so terribly clunky too often. Would it have been so bad to damn well explain how Earth ended up the way it did? Clichéd plot in parts and piling crisis upon crisis became distracting rather than enthralling. Saved a little by some great acting. Someone should tell Clooney that the temperature in deep space is zero degrees kelvin.... can't say more without spoiling. Wouldn't ever watch this again, but do want to watch 2001 A Space Odyssey now!


Physics pedant here. The temperature in deep space is not zero degrees kelvin, although it may get close. There are good theoretical arguments that  absolute zero does not happen anywhere in the universe.


----------



## paeng

_Baby Doll_ (1956)



> Baby Doll is a 1956 American dramatic black comedy film directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Carroll Baker, Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. It was produced by Kazan and Tennessee Williams, and adapted by Williams from his own one-act play 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1955). The plot focuses on a feud between two rival cotton gin owners in rural Mississippi; after one of the men commits arson against the other's gin, the owner retaliates by attempting to seduce the arsonist's nineteen-year-old virgin bride with the hopes of receiving an admission by her of her husband's guilt.


----------



## J Riff

yeh, ha ha- *World of the Vampires...* thank Victorier for unearthing this one... this guy plays music but not music like normal people would understand ysee... he explains this, and then he plays some vaguely ominous chords, at a party, adds a few wrong notes - and the dog howls in pain. He plays other stuff and by golly one of his numbers can 'summon vampires' and another can cause them pain, or something like that... Of course, we have a vampire around, he's at the party, he's gonna wipe out the whole clan/family who cursed him 300 years back...and, earlier, he gets up outa his coffin and sits at a mighty cool bone and skull organ, in his crumbling old mansion, and he plays, some terrible rubbishy atonal stuff...and the acolytes rise. Later the good guy manages to punch his way thru to the bone organ and he riffs out of the vampire-killing tune, and they escape as the vampires all lay round groaning. I don't think you can find another vampire movie where music replaces wooden stakes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Living Daylights* (1987)

*License to Kill *(1989)

I hadn't seen a James Bond film since Roger Moore left the franchise with *A View to a Kill *(1985), so I thought I would check out Timothy Dalton's two entries in the series, courtesy of YouTube (free with ads.)  No sense going over the plots, really.  Gadgets, stunts, explosions, beautiful women, etc.  These two are definitely more serious than many of Moore's cartoonish adventures; *License to Kill *is downright grim, with some gruesome scenes.  What else can I say?  Bond is Bond.


----------



## J Riff

gah, I just sat thru _The Midnite Sky_... sappy crapola, even for Netflix... eww!  I fastforwarded three times but you wont miss anything that way with subs on... but wot a piece of junk this is. It has spaceships and a swell new planet out near Jupiter...  so I guess that's supposed to be SciFi...and, something has gone wrong on Earth, the air is bad...apparently...and there's a little girl who gets one line who wanders round with Clooney but, no, just don't.


----------



## hitmouse

*Soul* the latest Pixar movie just out on Disney+. Visually striking, and really quite good. Clear references to _A Matter of Life and Death. _ Interesting Pixar thing with death lately. _Soul_ is a better film than_ Coco_ imho.

*Tintin* The Spielberg version from a few years back. Really enjoyable. Lots of clever references to the comics, if you grew up on them, like me.

*Terminator.* I decided my kids needed a classical film education (the youngest is 14) Very good, very 1980s. Simple, direct, dark plot, made before Schwarzenegger became the biggest film star in the world (T2 is much more expensive, and much more conventional.) "Did people really have hair like that, Dad?"


----------



## Foxbat

The Three Kings. A fascinating documentary on three Scots that changed the face of British football. Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein were born within 30 miles of each other and were all working in coalmines before they turned sixteen. But they all moved on into football and ultimately managed Manchester United, Liverpool and Celtic respectively, achieving dominance in Europe and massively growing each team’s worldwide fanbase in the process. It showed the footage of that world cup qualifier (Jock Stein was Scotland manager) and that last minute victory, only to be touched by death of Stein from a heart attack seconds after the final whistle. I remember watching the game at home on TV, seeing the commotion at the Scotland bench, wondering what was going on at the final whistle. Minutes later the news broke that Stein was dead and the result of the game suddenly didn’t matter. We had lost a legend.

Obviously, an interest in history, football or both is required to enjoy this movie.


----------



## REBerg

*The Midnight Sky*
Impressive spacecraft CGI, but the story never quite engaged me.

Clooney seems to be much more in touch with his own perceptions than those of the general public. I haven't seen anything by Clooney in recent years that I really liked. Too much one-man showmanship?


----------



## Dave Vicks

Picked up CREEPSHOW 2.

And The TV comedy show CATASTROPHE.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Automata* [2014]
A film clearly inspired by Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep.
The film has almost no budget but spends it well. A lot of it looks like a dusty version of Blade Runner's LA.
Nothing works well, everyone wants to be somewhere else and a lot of people want what you've got.
The plot is not over-thought; Machines that can't repair themselves are learning how to do that... Mayhem could ensue...
The casting is a bit eclectic. There are British and European actors as well as a few Hollywood names.
There are a couple of moments of [casual] brutality but completely fitting in with the tone.


----------



## Guttersnipe

News of the World, starring Tom Hanks


----------



## biodroid

*Tenet*, brilliant, although it needs a re-watch for more to make sense it was very well done, not sure why it got criticized so much, it's a typical Christopher Nolan movie, you know what you gonna get, better than Dunkirk and almost as good as Inception.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Moon Zero Two *(1969)

Science fiction film that manages to be both sedate and outrageously campy.  Starts with a title sequence done as a comical animated cartoon, implying this is an out-and-out spoof, which it is not.  The actual movie involves a space pilot hired by a tycoon to direct an asteroid made of sapphires to land on the Moon.  Meanwhile, he helps a woman who shows up looking for her missing brother.  Yes, the two plots do come together.  The space stuff looks like a cheap version of *2001*; realistic, for the most part, if obviously little tiny models.  But the costumes and sets and wigs are straight out of Carnaby Street at the height of the Mod era, by way of Italian sci-fi movies.  Then there's the choreographed modern dance numbers performed at Moon City's bar, which are a hoot.  The tycoon acts like a low budget Bond villain, and wears a purple monocle.  (There's a lot of purple in this thing.  Purple wigs, purple miniskirts, etc.)  Because somebody tried to sell this as a "space Western," the bad guys use plain old pistols instead of, say, ray guns.  And there's a wildly inappropriate brassy big band/jazz soundtrack.  Concentrate on the eye candy and forget about the deadly slow story.


----------



## J Riff

*Slaughter of the Vampires aka Horror of the Blood Ghouls..*.  you would think, with a title like that... but nope, it's quite pleasant in fact.
A lovely mansion, some well-dressed folks... and a vampire just shows up, stows his coffin in the wine cellar, and appears at the party, where he dances with our MC, bites her, she gets woozy... she bites the hubby, he calls in a pro Doc who knows from vampires... and in the end they just sorta stab the Vamp with what looks like part of a fireplace grill... and he skeletonizes in a series of fade shots, cheap and vaguely effective, I guess. At the beginning we see a mob, of maybe ten people with torches, chasing the vampire and his GF.. and its all pretty harmless. No blood to speak of, not much slaughter if any, no ghouls, very limited horror. Next. )


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jaws of Satan *(1982)

If you're going to rip off *Jaws*, you might as well steal from *The Exorcist *as well.  Starts with two guys shooting dice in a train.  One shouts out "Snake eyes again!"  (Foreshadowing!)  It seems one guy is bringing a cobra to a carnival (?) and the other is bringing a bunch of racing dogs to a town where a dog track is about to open.  Both get killed by the snake, which is able to do things like open its cage and shove one guy out of the train via its demonic telekinetic powers.

Cut to a party.  The local witch (?) reads a priest's future in his coffee cup (?) and faints, because she sees EVIL.  Pretty soon folks are getting killed by rattlesnakes, who are under the demonic control of the cobra.  The mayor of the town and the local sinister businessman try to cover things up, so the ensuing panic won't prevent the lucrative dog track from opening.  (Yes, it's a blatant imitation of the "we can't close the beach" theme of *Jaws*.)

Our heroes are the local pretty young doctor and the handsome young herpetologist she calls in.  Romance blooms between snake attacks.

You see, one of the priest's ancestors persecuted Druids, so his family is under a curse.  The demonic cobra chases him through a cemetery during the funeral of the witch (dead from snake bite, although the coroner, apparently under the control of the mayor and businessman, claims it was due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting.)  He falls into an open grave, and gets saved by a cross.  Ends with the priest confronting the demonic cobra in a cave, where the doctor, in a bright red dress, lies on a sort of natural rock altar, apparently about to become a human sacrifice.  The priest recites some Latin, and the demonic cobra bursts into flame.

It's all quite silly, and made more so by the fact that everybody in the cast takes it all very seriously.  Filmed entirely in Alabama, one of the states where tiny snake handling cults survive.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Pier 5, Havana *(1959)

Hero comes to town looking for a missing buddy.  Right away he gets questioned by the cops.  Next, he runs into an old flame, a nightclub singer, who dumped him for the missing man.  She's now mixed up with a rich guy.  Pretty soon our hero is snooping around, getting threatened by hoods and trying to figure out what's going on.  The hero provides hardboiled voiceover narration as he uses wits, fists, and guns to fight off the bad guys.

So why is this different from a zillion other cheap crime movies?  Because it takes place in Cuba just after the revolution, and the bad guys are anti-revolutionaries, planning to overthrow Castro's regime.  It's an American film that could only have been made during one brief period in history.  Of interest for that reason, if nothing else.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Cape Canaveral Monsters *(1960)

Ultra-cheap sci-fi click.  A couple of aliens (played by little white circles) take over the bodies of a couple killed in a car wreck.  The fact that the man lost one of his arms causes a temporary problem, but they sew it back on.  While zapping a rocket taking off from Cape Canaveral (played by a tiny room full of electronic equipment), a dog tears the arm off again.  Two guys who work at Cape Canaveral and their girlfriends check out something that interferes with the reception on their transistor radios.  One guy loses his arm -- and chin, it turns out -- to the alien who needs it.  The two get zapped to the alien planet as specimens.   The other couple gets captured, but the guy escapes because his radium watch (!) allows him to escape.  It all leads up to one of those "the end -- or is it?" type of conclusions.  A little darker in mood that many films of its kind from that time period, which doesn't mean it's any good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake *(1959) So, this South American head hunter culture is out for revenge not only on the guy who offended it, but his descendants also. Great grandpa (or was it grandpa?)'s head had already been shrunken, along with two others, and now, the villain, is out to get the title character.  

An Indian of S. America whom I thought was portrayed by Christopher Lee, is the henchman, a supernatural-type, who goes around beheading the victims. But, he was seen, & the intended victim escaped. Seeking help from a scientist / professor-type, who knows of such things, Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell), who turned out to be the villain, he is given the wrong info, etc.


----------



## jd73

REBerg said:


> *The Midnight Sky*
> Impressive spacecraft CGI, but the story never quite engaged me.
> 
> Clooney seems to be much more in touch with his own perceptions than those of the general public. I haven't seen anything by Clooney in recent years that I really liked. Too much one-man showmanship?



Yeah, I felt the same about this film and gave up halfway through. It was just too boring.  _Oblivion _was the last film I saw - before MS - and it is a little more watchable imo.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Unknown Terror *(1957)

Opens with a guy in a cave screaming.  Cut to a helpful television news broadcast, which tells us that the guy disappeared while searching for the fabled Cave of Death somewhere in Latin America.  Out to find him are the guy's sister, her husband, and our Hero.  Not only was the Hero previously romantically involved with the sister, but he saved the husband's life in a previous outing, giving himself a permanent limp in the process.  

They get a clue to the location of the Cave of Death from, of all things, the lyrics of a calypso song.  A "native" leads them to the village near the cave.  On arrival, he disappears into the crowd of "natives."  The three adventurers meet the only _Norteamericano _in the area, a guy who is studying a local fungus that grows extremely quickly.  Yes, this is our movie's Mad Scientist.  He claims that the disappearing folks are sent to be human sacrifices, but that he rescues them and sends them to a safe place.   (He keeps a pretty one as his wife.)

Eventually, we go way down deep into the Cave of Death, where the folks who are supposedly in a safe place are now monsters.  (This is conveyed by the fact that they're wearing some kind of mask that you can hardly see.)  This is caused by the rapidly growing fungi.  The fungi is played by soap bubbles; plain, ordinary soap bubbles, although I'll admit there's a heck of a lot of them. 

Besides the amusing sight of huge amount of suds covering everything, this is a pretty typical low budget science fiction/adventure/horror flick of the time.  Best watched while soaking in a bubble bath.


----------



## Jeffbert

I still have a ton of films on my DVR, but have been watching THE TWILIGHT ZONE on HULU, just started s5.  I will look for *The Unknown Terror *(1957), & *The Cape Canaveral Monsters *(1960) as they seem to be my kind of crap.


----------



## Parson

Watched *The Girl (2012) *on Amazon Prime. It was GREAT! It's been a long, long, time when I saw a movie that showed genuine human emotion, growth, and a hopeful but completely un-sappy ending. Highly Recommended! This might be one of the best I've ever seen.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Gangster Story *(1959)

Low budget crime movie notable mostly for being the only film directed by Walter Matthau, who also stars.  He's an escaped bank robber/killer.  He pulls off another bank job by telling the cops he's rehearsing for a movie.  (Shades of *Take the Money and Run*!)  This gets the cops, the FBI, and the local crime boss on his tail, because the crime lord doesn't like someone muscling in on his territory.  Along the way he takes up with a bespectacled librarian (wife in real life) who pretty quickly gets used to life as a gun moll.  The crime boss hires him to rob a country club where bookies keep their cash, it goes badly, Matthau wants out, the crime boss double crosses him, things don't work out well.  Other than the novelty value of the one-time director, it's a cheap little movie that looks cheap.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Violent Saturday *(1955)

Combination of soap opera and heist film.  Some hoods come to a mining town to rob the bank.  Meanwhile, we get introduced to the locals and their problems.  Alcohol, extramarital affairs, a librarian who is a petty thief, a bank clerk who is a peeping Tom, a kid who is ashamed because his father wasn't a war hero.  The two types of movie come together during the robbery, and when the crooks hide out at the farm of an Amish family.  (There's a surprising and sincere performance from Ernest Borgnine as the soft-spoken, pacifistic farmer.)  It's a lush Hollywood production, in color and Cinemascope.  Not bad at all, although fans of crime films will have to patient while the soap opera stuff happens.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Leave Her to Heaven *(1945)

Often described as a Technicolor _film noir_, with star Gene Tierney's character usually  said to be a _femme fatale_, I would call it more of a psychological melodrama.  No need to go into too many plot details.  Tierney's obsessive, possessive love for her husband, quite obviously sparked by the fact that he resembles her recently deceased father, leads to more than one death.  It's absolutely gorgeous to look at, and the plot develops with the inevitability of a Greek myth or Shakespearean tragedy.  Tierney's character is a monster, of sorts, but one for whom one cannot help but feel sorry.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

A recent film I watched was *The Escape from Alcatraz, with Clint Eastwood *and how he out thinks *Patrick McGoohan. *A bit dark, yet brilliantly acting all the way through. 10/10.


----------



## AlexH

I haven't posted in this thread for a while but just enjoyed a mind-bending sci-fi called *Coherence* (2013). It was like a cross between The Man from Earth, Timecrimes, Primer and maybe even Another Earth. I wish it hadn't passed me by for so long, but it generally seems to be listed as a thriller/mystery, so maybe that's why.

Other recent favourites and all first-watches:

*Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation *(2015) - I was surprised I hadn't seen this before. Thrilling from start to finish, and my favourite M:I film (though I'm not sure if I've seen Ghost Protocol).

*Professor Marston and the Wonder Women *(2017) - interesting to learn about the creation of Wonder Woman (I looked up fact vs fiction after) and an enjoyable film in its own right.

*Sorry We Missed You* (2019) - another excellent Ken Loach film about a family in the UK struggling to get by since the last economic crash.

*I Want to Eat Your Pancreas *(2018) - enjoyable and sentimental anime about a girl with a terminal illness and her new friend who doesn't really want to be anyone's friend.

*Twelve Monkeys* (1995) - finally got around to watched when it appeared on the BBC before Christmas.

Also enjoyed:

*Bringing Up Baby *(1938) - Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant were wonderful, though the setting I watched the film in wasn't great - a choppy and noisy ferry to the Isles of Scilly - so the more hectic parts of the film weren't that enjoyable.

*Red Sparrow *(2018) - a good spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence as the lead. Some good twists but didn't reach the heights of the best of Bond, Mission: Impossible etc. It left me hoping for a sequel.

*I'm Not Scared *(2003) - a good crime/thriller from the perspective of a child amongst the adults (family included) around him.

*Before the Devil Knows You're Dead *(2007) - another decent thriller who two brothers who plan a robbery where nothing can go wrong. But of course, it always does...

*Sing Street *(2016) - an enjoyable coming-of-age comedy about a boy who starts a band to impress a girl set in 1980s Dublin. I'm slightly too young to remember most of the 80s, but there was a lot of nostalgia in Sing Street.

*Three Colours: Blue *(1993) - one of my favourite bands (Three Colours Red) were named after a film from this trilogy, and 20 years later, I've finally got around to starting it.

*Down by Law *(1986) - a good buddy film that falls short of being one of the better in that kind of genre.

Take it or leave it:

*Dave Made a Maze *(2017) - an initially very intriguing fantasy comedy with wonderful and whimsical set design that overall fell flat.

*Downfall *(2004) - I'm not sure I like war films all that much. I'd seen _that_ Hitler rant subtitled for comedy reasons before,  so couldn't take it seriously when it came to the film.

*The Lighthouse *(2019) - highly rated drama/horror that promised more than it delivered.

*The Skin I Live In *(2011) - I've enjoyed a few Pedro Almodóvar films but didn't get into this one.

*A Fantastic Woman *(2017) - a story about a transgender woman and her much older boyfriend.

*Phantom Thread *(2017) - okay drama/romance with good leads.

*It Follows *(2014) - I try to get into horror films but don't find much I like outside of Hitchcock and similar.

*Ready or Not *(2019) - another 'okay' horror film.

*Wings of Honneamise *(1987) - I'm not sure I knew what was going on half the time, and the protagonist was unlikeable.

*The Festival *(2018) - gross out comedy from the makers of The Inbetweeners. A couple of laugh-out-loud moments.

*Man Up *(2015) - average romcom where the lead characters weren't all that likeable.


----------



## J Riff

*Adventure in the Center of the Earth* 1965 Mexico  B and w >   We start w/ a long printout about the evolution of man, Darwin, zoology, etc.  Our subtitle track informs us that: "primitive man overcame the ferocious beast attacks and also the threat of nature such as earthquakes and explosive volcanos that marked the accomodation of the crust."  It goes on about mutations as the cast are presented : _Kitty De Hoyos_... is perhaps the gal who falls in the hole with her BF while they are part of a group being shown some huge awesome caves by a tour guide. Maybe not, because she ends up crazy in a hospital because a monster killed her BF down in the tunnels.  A team of scientists form a group, which contains a 'black man' - . -  and go down there, but not before they all watch a film from the zoological ladder... about what monsters might be like.... and we see Harryhausen lizard-battle and Dinosaur footage, that I swear we have seen in at least two, maybe three, other movies. Then they go down there and a bat-humanoid beast of some kind, starts killing them off.  There's some ordinary snakes that they burn up with gasoline, and more attacks by the beast(s) and a lot of giant cave sets that look really good... until a hefty cyclops critter appears and does more damage. Whoa, now some treachery and more deaths after diamonds are found.... This movie has enough quirky stuff to keep it moving along,  until eventually the big bat-human thing has killed almost everyone - then soldiers arrive and blast the beast many times with rifles and machine guns until there's a cave-in, but the beast's body is not found.  It's impossible, and >   " it ends as it began - surrounded by mystery!"


----------



## hitmouse

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). Witty, fast-paced, visually brilliant. Great casting. Highly recommended. 

I sometimes find Dickens to be oppressive in terms of the unremitting plot and character details ( my problem, not his). This film has a lovely light touch without losing anything. Very clever and just good fun.


----------



## HareBrain

*Moana*, the Disney Polynesia one. Beautiful visuals and enjoyable all round (except the lead's songs, which were standard pop pap).


----------



## Rodders

*Spree *- A new Netflix movie about a kid going on a killing spree to get his social media hit rate up. It was enjoyable enough and delightfully damming of the social media culture that modern youth has to contend with, these days.

*What If?* - A somewhat saccharine romantic comedy with Daniel Radcliffe. Pretty good fun and i am a sucker for a happy ending. 

*Corner Gas: The Movie*: I just binged the 6 series TV show and enjoyed it a lot, so it goes without saying that i enjoyed this. I doubt it would have too much context if you haven't seen the show. Legend has it that there is a cartoon series of Corner Gas too. I'll have to try and track it down.


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> *Corner Gas: The Movie*: I just binged the 6 series TV show and enjoyed it a lot, so it goes without saying that i enjoyed this. I doubt it would have too much context if you haven't seen the show. Legend has it that there is a cartoon series of Corner Gas too. I'll have to try and track it down.


Corner Gas
Corner Gas Animated


----------



## The Scribbling Man

*The Princess Bride*. Not quite as good as nostalgia would have me believe, but good fun.


----------



## CupofJoe

The Scribbling Man said:


> *The Princess Bride*. Not quite as good as nostalgia would have me believe, but good fun.


Inconceivable!
[Well, someone had to do it...]


----------



## AE35Unit

*1917*
A harrowing masterpiece


----------



## therapist

*Punch-Drunk Love*

Admittedly I am not the biggest Paul Anderson fan, I have recently also watched 'There will be blood' and 'The Master'. Both I liked, but not as much as other people seemed to enjoy.

This movie was so weird. But in a captivating way. 20 minutes in, I was just thinking 'what the f*ck is this... I want to watch more'. Adam Sandler plays more or less his normal lovable self, but his inner rage and strangeness have been highlighted, so he comes across as a deeply troubled person. Paul Anderson described the film as an art house Sanderson flick. And that is a very apt description. I ended up writing a half page of notes on why this movie was so enjoyable to me, because I didn't quite understand why I was so hooked by it. The way his love interest seems to fill him with strength and clarity was done in such a satisfying way.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*WarGames*

Not seen this film in years. Partly because it's not been on tv much, partly because I didn't think it would stand up well. I was glad to find that it stands up remarkably well. The acting is to a good standard, and the tense situation about whether the nuclear attack is simulated or real works just as well. Obviously you have to suspend your disbelief somewhat, particularly towards the end of the movie, but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched PARASITE very good.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Mr Holmes* [2015, Bill Condon]. The story of an aged Sherlock Holmes. It is a very bittersweet reflection on a life that is ebbing away and having to deal with decline. The story leapt about in time and place to keep which [for me] broke the narrative too much but it was a minor niggle. Sir Ian McKellen is excellent as usual. But it took me most of the film to spot Laura Linney as the housekeeper.


----------



## HareBrain

*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy*. Nothing wrong with it, but it left no impression at all.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DETOUR* (1945) I really enjoyed this NOIR, and that the the 10th power! I thought I had seen it before, but it seemed completely unfamiliar!   NOIR ALLEY'S wrap-up coverage of the actors' was almost as much noir as the film itself.

So, this guy is a piano player in a bar, and is engaged to a woman with stars in her eyes. She goes West, hoping to be discovered, leaving him to follow at a later date. Finally, he begins hitch-hiking Westward. So, to take the boredom out of an otherwise boring segment, Director Ulmer used a double-exposure-type sequence, showing the man's feet trudging left from the East Coast toward the West, with a map of the USA in the background. Nothing unusual, until the hitch-hiking began.  West is to the left, so, they had the guy at the bottom of the screen,the road above him, and cars going from right to left, but on the wrong side of the road! A truck stops, opens its left door, and the guy climbs in. Ok, if this was the UK, Hong Kong, or Japan, but unexpected and weird here. A few more brief scenes likewise show the drivers on the right side, and the hitchhiker on the left. 

Finally, things get out of the mirror-image, and a man in a fancy convertible  gives him a ride. The man says he wants to drive nonstop to LA, and intends to switch with the hitchhiker and sleep while he drives. Nothing noir yet, but it is coming!  Oh, & not to forget, several times while the owner was driving, he had the hitchhiker take some pills from the glove box, and hold the wheel steady, while he, the driver/owner took them. So, we know the owner has some condition that requires pills on a regular schedule. The hitchhiker notices some wounds on the driver's wrist, and he tells him about a nutty woman hithhiker he had picked up, a while ago, & how she had scratched him. This is important later! So the hitchhiker is our narrator, and is telling us how he was driving at night while the owner of the car slept. It begins raining, so the hitchhiker pulls over, and attempts to awaken the owner, whom we would assume should have awakened with the downpour. Then cometh the NOIR! 




Spoiler



The owner simply will not awaken, & the hitchhiker does not know how to put up the top. So, he goes around to the passenger door, opens it, and they guy is limp, just flops out, bashing his noggin on a rock, and he is dead! Now the poor hitchhiker is freaking - out! Nobody will believe him that he did not murder the guy, recall, he is our narrator, so, he is telling us the thought racing through his mind, etc. So, reasoning that he might as well stash the body, assume the guy's identity, take his cash, etc., because he will be assumed to have murdered him, anyway. But, the fun has not even started yet! 



Spoiler



because the guy who started as a hitchhiker picks up a young woman hitchhiker, who, just happens to be same woman who scratched the dead guy, and she assumes the ex-hitchhiker murdered the guy. I could nest another spoiler, but I am tired! This is so NOIR!


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry* (1945) Again, NOIR ALLEY, but this time, the ending was just so not, noir!

Harry Quincey (George Sanders) is a dutiful brother to two adult sisters who are usually bickering about something. One is a busybody (Deborah Brown), but the other (Geraldine Fitzgerald) is the troublemaker. She is ill, but the illness is never identified. So, they all live together in a rather large house, and the sisters are dependent on brother's income, etc. One day, he falls in love, and intends to marry. The date is set, everything is ready, they had been waiting a long time, because finding a suitable home for the sisters takes time, and the ill one is constantly finding the proposed new home unsuitable for whatever reason. The family dog is very old, and the ill sister buys some poison from the drugstore, in case brother decides to euthanize the poor suffering dog. Finally the dog dies, etc. Brother is going through his desk drawers, and finds the poison, asks about it, etc. Time passes, his fiancee has had enough, & calls off the engagement.

Busybody sister finally has it out with ill sister, and exposes her driving the two engaged people apart. Harry hears all this, and thinks about ridding himself of the ill sister, using the poison that she herself had bought. 

now the noir element to a so-far, almost boring film. Considering the sisters' and other women's chattering, I could barely endure it, up till now. but the reward for all that was surely coming, or, was it?

So brother poisons the hot cocoa intended for the ill sister, who, taking a second cup, intends to give some to the busybody sister. Brother must have been in a fog, not to have suspected that the wrong sister might drink the poisoned cocoa.  She does, and the maid, immediately suspects that the ill sister murdered the busybody. Brother is not even suspected!

Sounds like NOIR, right? Well, it would have been, had not the studio taken control of the film, and added a mushy ending.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Detour *is an amazing film. Hardly any budget at all, yet it manages to be utterly compelling.


----------



## REBerg

*Wonder Woman 1984*
Lots of action and impressive special effects, not surprisingly. The plot driver was, well, a little wishy-washy.


----------



## Droflet

Battle in space. Truly hideous. Avoid it at all costs.


----------



## Jeffbert

"Battle in space" or "Battle in Outer space" ?


*Häxan* (1922) Tame, by today's standards, but banned in the USA at the time of release.  Interesting, but, for the info contained, it would have saved time to have just looked at web pages. Sad that the so-called pious were responsible for so much suffering, etc. I think they thought they actually needed to find heretics or witches once in a while, to keep the flock in constant fear of the wicked ones; thus making the leaders more important than they should have been.


----------



## Timebender

_The Kid Who Would be King. _Fun family affair.


----------



## Droflet

*Jeffbert*, Battle in space not to be confused with battle in outer space which was fun.


----------



## svalbard

High Rise 

Visually stunning and completely bonkers.

Cell

Bloody awful.


----------



## Parson

Season 1 of *The Expanse. *This has been a big surprise to me. I've thoroughly enjoyed the getting to know the 3 sides of the conflict (Earth/Moon, Mars, and Belters). I've been blown away by the Special Effects. The space ships look utterly believable. The acting is quite admirable. But I find the story the weakest part. It's still pretty good. I was a lot higher on the story until episode 10 which has a go at my two biggest turn offs in stories. Zombies and Monsters. I'm going on to season 2 hoping the Zombies are not a thing, and the monster is a minor plot device.


----------



## Droflet

Fear not, Parson, it's all sorted out in the fullness of time. Think protomolecule and the zombies make sense. You'll see.


----------



## The Scribbling Man

I went on a bit of an unintentional mini-marathon. Watched a fanedit of *Alien* and *Prometheus* a couple of days ago, then discovered that the supposed original inspiration for *Alien*, *It! The Terror From Beyond Space!*, was on YouTube so watched that earlier today, then was immediately recommended *Underwater*, a 2020 film on NOWTV that supposedly rips off alien (which I think is harsh) so watched that this evening.

*Alien - 5
Prometheus - 3.5
Derelict (fanedit) - 4
It! The Terror From Beyond Space - 2.5
Underwater - 3*


----------



## Jeffbert

Droflet said:


> *Jeffbert*, Battle in space not to be confused with battle in outer space which was fun.


Just wanted to be sure, since "Battle in space" was just released this month(?)

*It! The Terror From Beyond Space* was on TCM a few years ago, & was described just as you said, *The Scribbling Man. *I had already seen it a few times, but watched it with my brother, who thoroughly enjoyed it. Those old multi- floored rockets just are not seen much anymore. Ladders connecting one floor with another. Where do they put the fuel? Where do the put the engines?


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I have just watched the *Terminator Films. *I understood the first one and the second one, after that I was very confused. All of them were action packed, however very convoluted story lines.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two noir from TCM's prime-time films. Dave Karger gave the intros & such, these had Shelly Winters in them.  Best of all, I had no memory of ever seeing either one!

*THE GANGSTER* (1947) The new mobster Cornell (Sheldon Leonard) is muscling-in on the local crook Shubunka (Barry Sullivan), who spends far too much of his money on his girlfriend, Nancy Starr (Belita), and has nothing to spend on hiring new thugs to fight-off Cornell's gang. 

Great supporting cast!  

Nick Jammey (Akim Tamiroff) owns the corner tavern, and he is one of Shubunka's white collar guys; Cornell needs him because he has the lists of Shubunka's businesses. As such, he is under pressure from both crooks.  Shorty (Harry Morgan) as the guy who scoops ice cream for him. Odd to see Morgan in this role, as he usually is one of the villains. Karty (John Ireland) as the bookkeeper who stole money from his employers and lost it betting on horses. He is begging everybody for the loan of enough to pay back those whom he ripped-off, who are going to beat him senseless. Oval (Elisha Cook Jr.) is one of Cornell's henchmen, who is just a bit too eager to beat Shubunka, and whose associate has to beat him instead. Does this poor guy ever get roles in which his character does not get pushed around? 
I think Dougas (Charles McGraw) was the other henchman, but, I am not as familiar with him, as with the others. 



*Cry of the City* (1948) Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is arrested for killing a cop; which he insists was self-defense. As he has several bullet holes in him, he is in the hospital, handcuffed to the bed frame. I have only seen this guy in a few other films, so, it is good to see him here.  Candella (Victor Mature) is the plan clothes cop on the case. Collins (Fred Clark) is his partner. Clark's roles are usually (as I know them) scoundrels. He was one of the three people who came into possession of a certain camera on THE TWILIGHT ZONE, & was the guy who ran a travelling Egyptian mummy show in one of those mummy movies. Strange to see him as a cop!

One he is sufficiently recovered, he escapes from the hospital/jail, & goes out to protect his girlfriend, whom he fears will be indicted as his partner in a robbery. Both Rome & Candella are of Italian origin, and Candella visits Rome's parents on occasions, and is treated like a welcome guest by his mother, who insists on feeding him dinner. Rome's younger brother adores him, hates cops, etc. Brenda Martingale (Shelley Winters) drives Rome around, but he begins to suffer from his wounds. She finds an unlicensed immigrant physician who needs money to teat his wounds, and he recovers just enough to function for another day.  But everyone who helps him in any way, suffers for it. Candella wants to save the younger brother from becoming another crook, and at the end, Martin Rome, himself, demands something from the kid that simply disgusts him, and he cannot comply, no matter how much he idolizes him.


Both of these films are very different stories from what is the usual crime / noir drama. Very glad I saw them.


----------



## J-WO

*Sorry To Bother You* (2019 I think). Just a really smart and inventive satirical movie about our working lives (and more) with a surprising science fictional facet and outlook. Jump in and give it a go.


----------



## Rodders

I saw "Sorry to Bother You" last month. Very enjoyable and quite amusing.


----------



## Finch

Just watched Girl on a motorbike. It was a film  I somehow thought I had seen, but I now know I didn't. I had all the things that bad films have but I enjoyed it. It contains lots of street scenes film in 1968, it was nice to see all the old cars.


----------



## Jeffbert

Another gangster movie, except this one is a comedy.

*BEHAVE YOURSELF* (1951) William Denny (Farley Granger) is out to buy his wife Kate (Shelley Winters) a 2nd anniversary gift, but takes time to make a phone call. He, unlike the guy in the other booth Albert Jonas (Elisha Cook, Jr.) leaves his door open. Jonas has a dog tied to the door handle that is begging for whatever Denny is eating. Denny feeds the dog, and when he leaves the booth, it follows him home (I have omitted some details here) his wife, thinks the dog is his gift to her, but he did not even realize it was following him. The bad guys intended to use the dog to lead the other bad guys to the place where the exchange was to be made. When the boss learns that Jonas had lost the dog, he places an ad for a lost dog, etc., which leads Denny to  Gillie the Blade (Hans Conried, voice of Snidely Whiplash) who had already killed Jonas (poor Cook, Jr.! does he ever get to be the tough guy?) things happen & Denny is arrested & brought to   Officer O'Ryan (William Demarest), who immediately realizes he is not the killer, etc.

It goes on, with each villain who puts an ad for lost dog, being killed by the next bad guy, & Denny's business card being left on the corpse! Not as funny as it should have been, but this one is full of bad guy supporting cast!

Lon Chaney Jr.; Sheldon Leonard; Allen Jenkins, though he is a cop; along with those already noted. One other guy, Marvin Kaplan, whose voice I immediately recognized. It is a goofy voice, I just cannot describe it better.  Anyway, this guy voiced several cartoon characters, not as many as I thought, though.

This was a fairly entertaining film; perhaps, I should say better than that.


*LORD OF THE FLIES *(1963)  This will be on TCM within the next two weeks, but, I remember more than enough to post this now. So, a plane full of  young British schoolboys crashes on a warm island. Only the boys survive; two are obvious leaders, and rivals at that. Ralph (James Aubrey)
wants to keep the fire burning, hoping it will attract rescuers.  Jack (Tom Chapin) wants to run around screaming pretending to be either hunters or running from the beast. One other boy of note, whom Alex Trebek (RIP) told us got the role because of his thick spectacles and his being fat. Piggy (Hugh Edwards) had the only means of starting fires, and was treated respectfully by Ralph, but, abused by Jack. So, the boys form two groups, one led by Ralph, the other, by Jack. Eventually, all the boys follow Jack, & Jack decides to hunt Ralph. Piggy's poor eyesight was his undoing, etc.  Did not like the remake; it just paled compared to the original.

I recall reading the novel, just cannot remember when. Could have been last year of High School, during a class called NOVELS, PLAYS & MOVIES. I hoped I would escape doing any work in such a class, but, sadly, I was wrong.


----------



## Vince W

*Enemy Mine* (1985). Still a fantastic story with excellent acting from all. Much to my own shame, I have still not read the Barry Longyear story the film is based on. I should rectify that.


----------



## Rodders

Enemy Mine is a genuinely wonderful film. I remember going to see it at the pictures.


----------



## nixie

Blythe Spirit, silly, senseless, ham acting but for some strange reason I was engrossed.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Martian *(2015) d: Ridley Scott, s: Matt Damon
The science is solid for the most part although Mars seems to have the same gravity as earth (as does the Hermes space vessel) and the extreme cold isn't a factor.  Mark Watney (Matt Damon) keeps a video journal which allows us to follow his thought process centered on surviving on a hostile planet.   

Back on earth, the scenes appear very much like a contemporary television drama series.  It's almost as if Ridley Scott hired a second unit director from CSI Miami for the JPL and Johnson Space Center scenes.   Only Chiwetel Ejiofor comes off as interesting.   

At the end of the day, we're watching yet another stranded-on-Mars flick (Mission to Mars, Red Planet, etc.) And one with a disco soundtrack.


----------



## Rodders

I really wanted to like The Martian but I found the ending just a little too Hollywood.


----------



## Parson

How does the movie compare to the book? I thought the book one of the very best hard S.F. of the generation.


----------



## Vince W

If you don't examine the science to hard I think the film compares favourably to the book. Neither are 100% accurate, however, if it had been completely accurate Mark would have died from the outset.


----------



## Parson

The biggest problem with the book was that very much too powerful storm at the beginning. The storm at the end is much more realistic of a storm on Mars.


----------



## J Riff

.... thot it was rubbish top to bottom. Didn't even like the title. Saw in theatre, a terrible mistake. Didn't even enjoy popcorn, felt bad for days after. But have seen much worser new movies...


----------



## AstroZon

Rodders said:


> I really wanted to like The Martian but I found the ending just a little too Hollywood.



Yea, the end was cheering crowds in Times Square, jubilation around the world, etc.  Talk about clichés.   

They should have hired Steven Soderbergh to direct.  He would have kept it real and more heady at the same time.  And instead of Matt Damon as the lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Up next Kung Fu Hustle.


----------



## Droflet

Dave, you're going to love Kung Fu Hustle. It's a classic.


----------



## Dave Vicks

KUNG FU HUSTLE was great.And funny.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The 2nd Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World *(1965)

The Americans took a low budget British James Bond imitation called *Licensed to Kill*, gave it a goofy new title, added a title song sung by Sammy Davis, Jr., and re-edited it.  This is the result.  Our hero is Charles Vine.  His assignment is to guard a scientist who has invented an anti-gravity gizmo, and whose brother has just been killed by the bad guys.  Actually, as we'll find out at the convoluted twist ending, what I've just told you is incorrect in at least two ways.  Anyway, what follows is a bunch of gunplay.  Vine is more of a cold-blooded killer than Bond.  In an attempt to add some interest, the plot also involves a male assassin in drag and an enemy agent who looks just like our hero, thanks to plastic surgery.   Despite the American title, it's not a comedy, although there are a few sly references to Bond.  It's also rather dull, with a bland leading man.


----------



## Ellizze

_Trial of the Chicago 7_(2020)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Requiem for a Secret Agent *(1966)

Better than average Eurospy flick.  This Italian/Spanish/German co-production involves a mercenary organization killing agents for pay.  The agency decides to fight fire with fire and hire a mercenary (Stewart Granger) to stop them.  Our antihero is first seen helping folks cross the Berlin Wall both ways, so you know he's in it just for the money.  He works with a somewhat nerdy Norwegian agent who is reluctant to use violence.  Amazingly for this kind of film, Granger actually goes through some character development.  Filming in Morocco helps, and the plot doesn't get bogged down with boring scenes.  No masterpiece, but not bad.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE ANGRY HILLS* (1959) Mike Morrison (Robert Mitchum) though wearing a U.S. uniform, is a war correspondent. He is in  Greece, just prior to the Germans entering the capitol city, and expects to depart with the U.S. forces in just a few hours. But, he is confronted by a man, who plants a list of Greeks who are working for the Allies, while posing as collaborators. Somehow, he misses the transport, and is still in the city when the German forces enter. Realizing, not only that he has the list, but the Gestapo knows he does, he cannot just discard it. Now he must flee and spend the next few days, perhaps a week, evading the German pursuers. 

A very intense film. My 2nd time watching it. Of note, was a really odd little village of huts. One of which was close enough to realize it was mad of sticks. Reminded me of the THREE LITTLE PIGS'  house of twigs. 

I was unfamiliar with the supporting cast, so, I will not mention them.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Slaughter *(1972)

Jim Brown _is _Slaughter, former Green Beret out for revenge, in this action flick.  His parents get killed when a bomb blows up their car, because his father knows too much about the Mob's operations.  Slaughter tracks down and kills one of the gangsters, but others get away.  The Feds agree not to prosecute him for Murder One if he'll fly down to South America to get the hoodlum they're both after.  Complications ensue when romance blooms between the hood's girlfriend (Stella Stevens, providing our gratuitous nudity) and Slaughter.  There's also a rivalry that turns deadly between the gangster (Rip Torn) and his boss.  Add in Don Gordon as Slaughter's reluctantly accepted partner.  Mostly filmed in Mexico, with many scenes set at a swanky private casino, almost as if this were a Bond imitation.  The supporting actors carry much of the film, and Brown exudes cool.  Plenty of gunplay, car chases, fistfights, etc.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fear Chamber *(1968) AKA *The Torture Zone* 

*The Incredible Invasion *(1971) AKA *Alien Terror* 

In 1968, an elderly and ailing Boris Karloff participated in the making of four Mexican movies.  His scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, scenes without him in Mexico.  If he had to do a scene with the Mexican actors, they went to the United States.   I have already seen and reviewed two of them: 



> *House of Evil* AKA *Dance of Death* original title *Serenata macabra* ("macabre serenade") (1968)
> 
> One of four Mexican films Boris Karloff made near the end of his life.  His scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, the rest in Mexico.  The year is 1900.  A couple of women have been murdered and their eyes removed.  Cut to Boris Karloff and his young doctor friend.  They talk about similar murders committed many years ago by Karloff's insane brother, who had an obsession with eyes, eventually tearing out his own.  Karloff gathers a bunch of his relatives to his mansion, including our young heroine and her uninvited husband-to-be, our hero, who also happens to be one of the officials investigating the murders.  It seems that the family business was making life-size automatons as playthings for kings.  They were also used to kill their enemies.  You can see where this is going.  Karloff dies, everybody wants to inherit his wealth, folks get killed, sometimes by the automatons (very obviously actors in costumes and masks), sometimes other ways.  There's a twist ending that isn't too surprising.  Cheaply made and glacially slow.  The night scenes are so dark you can't tell what's going on.  Lots of scenes where dialogue has to explain the confusing complications of the plot.  Despite all that, the elderly and ailing Karloff does his usual professional job, and there are some good scenes.





> *Snake People *(1971)
> 
> One of the four low-budget Mexican horror films Boris Karloff made at the very end of his life. His scenes were filmed in Los Angeles in 1968. This one is pretty standard voodoo movies stuff. (Weirdly, the opening scene shows us a globe which places the "Island of Snakes" in the Pacific Ocean, although everything in this movie fits a Caribbean setting.) Anyway, a hard-nosed French police captain arrives to crack down the island's black magic. At the same time our heroine, a young German woman, arrives on the island to visit her uncle (Karloff.) She's a temperance crusader. (By her clothing, particularly her nifty cloche hat, I'm guessing this is supposed to be the 1920's.) Her anti-alcohol fervor is pretty much played for laughs, and she gets into a romance with a hard-drinking government police lieutenant, our hero. Along for the fun are a scary dwarf and a scantily-clad belly dancer who participate in the voodoo rituals. The latter has a treak of white in her black hair and an intense stare, and looks like a sexier, scarier Lily Munster. A lot of elements are all mixed up in this movie -- telekinesis, laughably cheap "zombie" makeup (just pale blue paint), hints of necrophilia with the recently revived dead, "cannibal women" (pale blue zombies who kill some police), a weird dream sequence in which our heroine rises from a coffin, sees herself in another coffin, and proceeds to make out with herself -- but it manages to be pretty limp. It's not the worst voodoo movie I've ever seen, and has some interesting scenes, but it's nothing to write home about either. Karloff, living on one lung, never far from a supply of oxygen, and dependent on a wheelchair, manages to keep his powerful voice and be pretty effective here, particularly when he beats a guy with his cane. On the other hand, at the very end of the movie somebody dubs Karloff's last lines, and whoever it is doesn't sound like him at all.



I finally caught up with the other two.

In *Fear Chamber*, Karloff is a scientist of some sort.  His daughter and her boyfriend go deep into a volcano, in search of Karloff's hypothesized "underground life."  We quickly cut, in very confusing fashion, to psychedelic scenes of women being frightened in all sorts of ways, and, judging by the bright red blood we see, being tortured by some creepy folks, including Karloff in a monk's robe acting out a Black Mass ceremony.  All of this Gothic Horror stuff is just to produce extreme terror in the women.  None of this makes any sense at first, until we finally learn that a sort of living rock was found in the volcano, and it requires the blood of scared women to survive.  Karloff doesn't actually want to kill the women, but, as you'd expect, things get out of hand.  Eventually, the rock creature grows tentacles and snatches its victims for itself.  This thing is actually even less coherent than I've made it sound.  Among Karloff's minions are a woman who enjoys tormenting the victims far too much; a dim-witted fellow who wants to learn the secret of producing diamonds from the rock being, so he can be "king of the world"; and a bunch of other oddballs.  It's a real mess, notable only for weirdness.

In *The Incredible Invasion*, Karloff is again a scientist, but this time in the late 19th century.  He creates some kind of steampunk atomic ray thing, which draws the attention of very human aliens wearing aluminum foil suits in their flying saucer.  One of the aliens possesses the body of a serial killer.   The killer has a girlfriend who is passionately devoted to him, although she knows of his crimes and is jealous of his victims.  Another alien possesses Karloff, who hires the serial killer/alien as his assistant.  Their motive is to destroy the gizmo so humanity will not pose a threat to them.  It seems the possession isn't perfect, as the killings continue.  (One victim is Karloff's female assistant, who happens to have a badly scarred face.)  The plot is certainly odd enough, although it's a lot easier to follow than the one in *Fear Chamber*.


----------



## hitmouse

Dave Vicks said:


> KUNG FU HUSTLE was great.And funny.


Brilliant film. If you liked it then thoroughly recommend *Shaolin Soccer*, another very funny Stephen Chow movie.


----------



## AlexH

hitmouse said:


> Brilliant film. If you liked it then thoroughly recommend *Shaolin Soccer*, another very funny Stephen Chow movie.


Stephen Chow's From Beijing with Love is another very funny film - the best Bond spoof I've seen too.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Possession.
Demon in a box type horror flick from 2012 starring Harry Dean Stanton

Now watching An American Haunting (2006) with Donald Sutherland


----------



## Jeffbert

What of *Fear Chamber*'s special effects? I would think they should be laughable!


*TOO LATE FOR TEARS* (1949) one of TCM's prime-time movies, so Ben M. did the intro etc., instead of Muller. M. did mention Muller, though only in reference to having the film restored. Ben's interest was the femme fatale, Lizabeth Scott, who is the money-hungry wife of Alan Palmer; her 2nd husband.  

So, one evening, they are out for a drive in their convertible, on their was to a party the wife much prefers to avoid. As such, she asks husband to turn around, he tries to talk her out of it, so, she grabs the wheel and the car begins to swerve.  Suddenly, another car passes and the guy in it tosses a satchel into their car. They are really taken by surprise, and pull over, to see what it is, husband gets out, leans over and opens it finding it full of cash. Before they have time to absorb what had just happened, another car approaches from behind, and its headlights are flashing and it is swerving as though driven by Cruella Deville. Wife says let's get out of here, now! So husband leaps into back seat, and wife attempts to evade the pursuer. 

She evades, and they go home, with her expecting to keep all that yummy money, while he intends to take it to the police. She will have her way, but at what cost? 'nuff said! This is a really satisfying example of noir!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> What of *Fear Chamber*'s special effects? I would think they should be laughable!



Definitely not good.  The rock monster looks more like a pieced of rubber.


----------



## Vince W

*The Hunt For Red October. *For me, Alec Baldwin is still the best Jack Ryan.


----------



## BT Jones

Finally got around to watching *12 Monkeys *(1995).  Aside from the bizarre and ridiculous accordion musical phrase, it was an interesting, smart, and very strange movie, with good performance from Brad Pit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Let's Rip Off *Jaws *But Make It A Bear Double Feature:

*Grizzly *(1976)

Follows the *Jaws *formula to the letter.  Impossibly huge bear kills a couple of campers.  We've got a dedicated park ranger, a tough hunter, and a bear expert to track it down.  Remind you of three characters in another movie?  We've got a bureaucrat who refuses to close down the park.  Sound familiar?  More killings follow, with quite a bit of blood and severed limbs for a PG rated film.   One genuinely shocking one features the bear ripping the limb off a little boy.  It also decapitates a horse at one point.

 The bear expert claims the critter is a huge, purely carnivorous animal from about one million years ago.  The monster is played by a couple of ordinary bears of normal size, of different fur colors; a guy in a bear suit; and a big fake bear arm.  The bear can do things like smash in a wooden shack, knock down a watchtower, and do some serious damage to a helicopter.  The sole surviving hero finally kills it with a rocket launcher (!) that makes it blow up like it's made out of gasoline.  

Features a scene in which the bear expert gets mauled but not killed by the creature, then gets buried in the ground by it.  (We've been told earlier that bears like to bury the food they're going to eat later.  I have no idea if this is true or not.)  Also features a scene in which a male-and-female pair of rangers, hunting for the bear, stupidly split up, so the woman can strip down to her underwear and take a shower in a waterfall.  Wouldn't you know it, the bear is waiting for her inside the waterfall (!) and the big fake bear paw gets her.  This is followed by a shot of the waterfall and stream filled with bright red liquid, as if the victim had more blood in her body that any one human being can hold.  It's a blatant imitation of its inspiration, and not a good film at all, but quite amusing in its own way.

*Claws* (1977)

Much cheaper, and not as strictly a copy of *Jaws*.  Filmed entirely in Alaska, so we get some spectacular scenery, but that's about it.  Some hunters shoot at a couple of bears illegally.  One of them runs off, to attack the guy who is our main hero.  Words on the screen tell us that other attacks followed.   Five years later (!) our hero still has nightmares of the attack, in which his arm got injured, so he lost his calling as a logger, which broke up his marriage.  (A lot of this is communicated in flashbacks; we'll get a lot of this throughout the film, which makes the narrative structure odd and hard to follow.)  His arm looks perfectly normal, and he handles stuff with seeming ease, so I'm not sure what is supposed to have happened to it.  The guy's young son is killed by the bear, so it becomes even more of a personal vendetta.  

Along for the hunt is a wise old Native American, who has visions or hallucinations that further add to the story's confusion.  There's also the ex-wife's new boyfriend.  Not much exciting happens until the final showdown, which is filmed in extreme slow motion.  This doesn't help one's enjoyment of the scene.  Not as much fun to watch as the other.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Don't Go Near the Park *(1979)

The title makes it sound like one of the many slashers of the time, but don't be fooled. This is a completely insane supernatural horror film. We begin 12,000 years ago. An actress in very bad old age makeup tells two siblings that they are going to be doomed to die eternally but not die. Instead, they will have to kill folks and eat their entrails to stay young. Once 12,000 years go by, however, the "wolf stars" (?) will block the moon again (?) because the sun will have gone through the cycle of the zodiac. Then they can gain eternal life if one of them produces a child to be a virgin sacrifice. Believe me, this makes more sense than anything else in the movie.

Cut to the 20th century. We witness the brother kill and eat the entrails of some kid. (There's gore a-plenty, but it looks really fake.) He always look young, but the sister usually looks like an old, one-eyed crone (in very bad old age makeup.) Brother walks into a woman's house while she's in the shower. She reacts by renting him a room. Next thing you know, they're married and have a kid.

Cut to sixteen years later. The kid is the apple of her father's eye, but she runs away from home, apparently due to conflicts with Mom. She foolishly accepts a ride with some creeps in a van who try to have their way with her, but the amulet her Dad gave her causes the van to run off the road and explode. (The kid escapes safely.) She winds up randomly showing up at an old shack where her father's sister (remember her?) lives with a couple of runaway boys.

Eventually, Dad catches up with her. He's now in a pair of pseudo-caveman shorts, his body covered with something like war paint. He also shoots laser beams out of his eyes (white lines drawn on the film.) The kid swallows some liquid that causes her to grow old via time-lapse special effects of the kind used in the 1930's. If I've got things right, she's now the same old woman as 12,000 years ago who cursed the siblings. She curses them again, and their victims (only a few, although they've supposed to have been doing this for millennia) appear as zombies and tear them up. Then we get our Shocking Twist Ending, as the kid starts to rip open the abdomen of one of the runaway boys.

Besides the outrageous and incoherent plot, we've got inept film making, poor acting, and weak production values.  A terrible film, but one with enough craziness to keep me watching.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Maze Runner: The Death Cure* [2018]
Maybe I should have watched the other Maze Runner films before I watched, as this made little sense. Now I know that this was the end of a trilogy. Good special effects and action sequences. For the most part, I couldn't tell you one character from another. I did like that as the third part of a trilogy it did *not* start with a recap of what had happened, it just got on with the action...
And is it wrong to root for the people trying to find a cure for a Virus?


----------



## alexvss

I watched two movies this last Saturday night.

Just finished *I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK (2006)*, thus ending all of Park Chan-wook's Korean filmography. Now I just need to watch his English-language film, *Stoker (2013*). As the name suggests, this movie is just bonkers. A lot of nonsense and dark humor. I loved it! Although inferior to his other works, it is deeply entertaining and has all the elements that I'd like to see in his cinema.

I also watched *Meatball Machine: Kodoku (2017)*, the second installment in this Japanese bodyhorror series. Although longer and with a bigger budget, I like the first one the better. The 2005 film goes straight to the point and renders a funny story with the bodyhorror social commentary. The 2017 one has very long takes just for the sake of blood splatter. I love blood and gore, don't get me wrong, but this one had such long takes that made made frown a little. I think that bodyhorror needs to have an indie/artistic feel. When you have the money to hire better crew and rent better cameras, this is just not there anymore...


----------



## Randy M.

alexvss said:


> Just finished *I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK (2006)*, thus ending all of Park Chan-wook's Korean filmography. Now I just need to watch his English-language film, *Stoker (2013*). As the name suggests, this movie is just bonkers. A lot of nonsense and dark humor. I loved it! Although inferior to his other works, it is deeply entertaining and has all the elements that I'd like to see in his cinema.



_Stoker_ is interesting, a psychological horror movie with a very good cast.


----------



## nixie

Misbehaving, have to say was surprised how much I enjoyed it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*WITNESS TO MURDER* (1954) NOIR ALLEY; Muller saved any mention of* REAR WINDOW* until the closing comments.  It has been several years since I saw that film, so, only the very basic synopsis is recalled. This film, however, has the element of the killer Albert Richter (George Sanders), being so cool, as to create evidence that the witness is loony.  So, not only does he dispose of the corpse, but he uses the witness' Cheryl Draper (Barbara Stanwyck)'s typewriter to create threatening letters to himself. 

So, the killer strangled the victim, and, realizing he had been observed by the occupant ot the apartment across the street, he quickly drags the corpse to a vacant apartment on the same floor as his.  Later, strips her and ditches her, hoping she will not be identified. 

Two police detectives are on the case, Lt. Lawrence Mathews (Gary Merrill) & Sgt. Eddie Vincent (Jesse White; better known as the Maytag repair man; also saw him on the Twilight Zone). Matthews empathizes with  Draper's situation, but without even a scrap of evidence, he simply cannot do anything. 

Claude Akins is a uniformed cop, in a very minor role.

This is another great example of noir!


*HOW TO STEAL THE WORLD* (1968) TMFU's Napoleon Solo & his partner Illya Kuryakin are pitted not against the usual villains (THRUSH), but a group of fanatics who have created a drug that renders those exposed to it lobotomized; they lack will of their own, & do as they are told. But, unbeknownst to the fanatics, THRUSH is financing the whole thing, and expects to sweep in and claim it for its own.


----------



## Grognardsw

If documentaries count, I’ve been enjoying the eclectic offerings on Amazon Prime. There have been well done movies on Colin Wilson (SF author), Chesley Bonestell (space artist), D&D artists, and Harlan Ellison (SF author). There are a host of other documentaries on mainstream and beat authors that I will get around to.

There are also a raft of 1960-70s SF and horror B-movies and 80s sword and sorcery films. These stir a sense of nostalgia, but upon watching some, one has to conclude the _idea_ of them is better than their true quality.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blackenstein *(1973)

Bottom-of-the-barrel blaxploitation/horror film.  The title that actually pops up on the screen is *Blackenstein The Black Frankenstein*, just to make things absolutely clear.  Young woman with a PHD in physics goes to visit her mentor, a medical doctor who won the Nobel Prize.  He lives in this fancy mansion.  There's a statue of the Virgin Mary in the entryway, so I wonder if this was filmed in some kind of religious building.  Anyway, he's also got a typical Mad Scientist lab in the basement.  It seems the woman's boyfriend had all his limbs blown off in Vietnam, and she seeks the doctor's help.  He's got a couple of patients in his mansion.  One is a woman in her 90's whom he has made more youthful, maybe late middle age or so.  Another is a man whose legs have been restored, but one of them goes through some kind of nutty "de-evolution" and develops tiger stripes!  What do these two people have to do with the plot?  Nothing!

The boyfriend gets restored, but the doctor's assistant wants the woman for himself, so he injects the fellow with the wrong DNA.  (In this film, the role of DNA is played by a plastic bottle of hydrogen peroxide with a piece of tape on it, with the handwritten letters "DNA.")  This turns him into a poor imitation of the Universal Frankenstein Monster, complete with squared-off head, dark suit, outstretched arms, and so on.  He kills an orderly who was verbally abusive to him in the hospital, but then he just kills people (and a fluffy dog) at random.  

It's terrible in every way.  Cheap, poorly filmed, poorly acted, and it moves at a crawl.  There are long scenes of the monster just walking.  The plot comes to a complete halt so we can witness a nightclub act.

You'll notice that I have not mentioned the ethnicity of any of the characters.  That's because the whole "Black Frankenstein" thing is irrelevant to what is just another lousy monster movie.  The doctor -- his name is Stein, get it? -- is white.  The orderly is white, but his abuse of the guy in the hospital has nothing to do with racism, just his resentment that he was rejected by the military.  The woman and the monster, as well as the nightclub performers, are African-American.  The random victims are a mixture of both, mostly female.

The whole thing is deadly dull, difficult to even make fun of.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964). Pleasantly silly.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Kiss of the Tarantula *(1976)


Mix a little *Willard*, a little *Carrie*, and a little *The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane* and you have this surprisingly effective low budget chiller.  Our main character is first seen as a very young child.  She likes spiders, but her mother hates them, and screams at her to get away from the nasty thing.  Cut to a few years later.  The somewhat older girl has a spider as a pet, but Mom kills it.  She runs to Dad, who happens to be a mortician, while he's working on a corpse.  He comforts her.  (A couple of small points.  The actor playing Dad is extremely tall; so much so, that it's actually distracting.  The two child actresses don't look much alike, which kind of spoils the effect.)

We soon find out that Mom is having an affair with Dad's brother and -- add a little _film noir _to the mix -- they're planning to kill him.  Our anti-heroine hears them talking on the phone, so she puts a tarantula on Mom in her bed, killing her via heart attack.

Cut to a few years later.  The girl is now a young woman.  She has a basement full of pet tarantulas, approved of by her loving Dad.  Some drunk young men break into the mortuary one night, intent on stealing a coffin as a joke.  They wind up manhandling the woman a bit, and one of them kills one of her spiders.  You guessed it, it's revenge time.

Our first scene of vengeance takes place at a drive-in movie.  The woman places a bunch of tarantulas into the car of a couple of the guys and their girlfriends.  In their panic to escape, two of them get killed.  I'll admit this isn't very plausible.  It's also notable that the woman herself is shocked by the deaths, so she's not yet a cold-blooded killer.

Meanwhile, the woman's uncle -- remember him? -- is in charge of investigating the deaths.  (He was a cop in earlier scenes, and is now a detective or DA or some such.)  It is also very clear, as soon as he shows up, that he lusts after his niece.  Another death-by-tarantula follows, in an air duct, and then a couple of plot twists, leading up to a genuinely scary ending that doesn't involve spiders at all. 



Spoiler



One of the two women who survived the drive-in attack -- the other is in an uncommunicative state of shock, and the other man was our air duct victim when he figured out too much -- alerts Uncle that Niece was responsible for the killings.  In order to protect the Niece, he murders the woman!  It's obvious he expects to be rewarded by becoming the Niece's lover.   She pushes him down the stairs.  Amazingly for a horror movie, this doesn't kill him, but it paralyzes him.  Then, using a special device that lifts bodies in and out of coffins, he places him under the body of the woman he killed and seals him inside.



The film's lack of budget shows, and those expecting a bunch of spider attack scenes may be disappointed by the amount of time spent on character development.  I enjoyed it.  The woman playing the Niece is appealing, but never appeared in anything else.


----------



## Randy M.

*Murder by Death* (1976) dir. Robert Moore; starring Peter Falk, Peter Sellars, David Niven, Maggie Smith, ...

Written by Neil Simon, this was a send-up of all the murder mysteries he'd probably grown up watching. Niven and Smith play a married couple ala Nick & Nora Charles (_The Thin Man_), Sellars plays a Charlie Chan knock-off; Falk plays a Bogart detective, and does a very good job replicating Bogart's speech pattern; James Coco plays a Hercule Poirot-ish detective and Elsa Lanchester is a Miss Marple-ish spinster caring for her nurse (Miss Withers; fans of older mysteries, both books and movies, will get the reference, and played by Estelle Winwood who was 93 or so at the time). Truman Capote is the host of the dinner party/mystery-to-solve; Alec Guiness as the butler and Nancy Walker as the cook round out the cast. And how can something with so many really talented people involved be so bleh? I thought it moderately amusing when I first saw it back in the '70s, but age hasn't helped the humor which is mostly obvious. Not that there aren't moments, but they're far between.


This was on Turner Cable Movies, as was the next one below. TCM often has a host introduce the night's films. Ben Mankiewicz did the honors with this following, remarking on the revival of interest in mystery movies in the early '70s. Not the hard look at reality of the new, young directors dominating the film scene of the time, and not the crime stories of film _noir_, they were relatively bloodless and meant as entertainments. This was one of the better ones:

*The Last of Sheila* (1973) dir. Herbert Ross; starring James Coburn, Richard Benjamin, James Mason, Joan Hackett, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch, Ian McShane

Opens with Sheila at a party having an argument we can't hear with her husband, Coburn. She walks out and while walking along the road becomes the victim of a hit and run driver, someone swerving and barely in control, presumably drunk. (For trivia fans, Sheila was played by Yvonne Romain, a.k.a. the mother of the titular character in _The Curse of the Werewolf_ with Oliver Reed.)

Fade to a year later and Coburn has organized a yacht party for several people who were guests at the earlier party. He likes creating games, mysteries, and dictating the roles his guests play. All of them are connected in some way to film-making and so some names are dropped, the conversation gets somewhat catty as well as chatty, and frankly Dyan Cannon seems to be having a blast playing her character, an agent. The movie gradually reveals the characters and their connections, how each is guilty of either a crime or some socially unacceptable behavior that would stain or end their careers if widely known. Besides the question of who killed Sheila, we wonder if Coburn is looking for his wife's murderer or just torturing the people he can? What happens if the killer is identified? 

Though some of what the characters are accused of may make current audiences cringe a bit more than audiences at the time might have, this is still an engaging, suspenseful movie. Strong direction and a really good cast keep the story moving along at a good pace.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Dredd* (2012)

Insanely, ridiculously violent Judge Dredd adaptation. Most of the satirical aspects of the comics aren't present, which some people might mind. Everyone is good, especially Karl Urban as Judge Dredd's chin and Lena Headey as a deranged gangster with very bad teeth. The film is a bit too fond of its own special effects, and despite a huge number of random gangsters being shot in corridors, there's not much sense of jeopardy. OK if that's your sort of thing, but slightly pedestrian in spite of the carnage.


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> *Dredd* (2012)
> 
> Insanely, ridiculously violent Judge Dredd adaptation. Most of the satirical aspects of the comics aren't present, which some people might mind. Everyone is good, especially Karl Urban as Judge Dredd's chin and Lena Headey as a deranged gangster with very bad teeth. The film is a bit too fond of its own special effects, and despite a huge number of random gangsters being shot in corridors, there's not much sense of jeopardy. OK if that's your sort of thing, but slightly pedestrian in spite of the carnage.


Interesting point of view. At least Urban never took his helmet off. You have to give it that.


----------



## Jeffbert

*FINGER OF GUILT* / *The Intimate Stranger *(1956) Reginald Wilson (Richard Basehart) is an American film exec who had moved to Britain, and married the daughter Lesley Wilson (Faith Brook) of the studio boss Ben Case (Roger Livesey).  He has been receiving letters from a woman who claims to be his lover. He eventually decides to take his wife and go to confront the woman, who, even has a signed photo of him. He has no memory of ever having met this woman; is he losing his mind? His boss takes action, and has him take an extended leave of absence; but he worries that in the film business, this could be the end of his career. 

Another example of very good noir.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> *Murder by Death* (1976) dir. Robert Moore; starring Peter Falk, Peter Sellars, David Niven, Maggie Smith, ...
> 
> Written by Neil Simon, this was a send-up of all the murder mysteries he'd probably grown up watching. Niven and Smith play a married couple ala Nick & Nora Charles (_The Thin Man_), Sellars plays a Charlie Chan knock-off; Falk plays a Bogart detective, and does a very good job replicating Bogart's speech pattern; James Coco plays a Hercule Poirot-ish detective and Elsa Lanchester is a Miss Marple-ish spinster caring for her nurse (Miss Withers; fans of older mysteries, both books and movies, will get the reference, and played by Estelle Winwood who was 93 or so at the time). Truman Capote is the host of the dinner party/mystery-to-solve; Alec Guiness as the butler and Nancy Walker as the cook round out the cast. And how can something with so many really talented people involved be so bleh? I thought it moderately amusing when I first saw it back in the '70s, but age hasn't helped the humor which is mostly obvious. Not that there aren't moments, but they're far between.
> 
> 
> This was on Turner Cable Movies, as was the next one below. TCM often has a host introduce the night's films. Ben Mankiewicz did the honors with this following, remarking on the revival of interest in mystery movies in the early '70s. Not the hard look at reality of the new, young directors dominating the film scene of the time, and not the crime stories of film _noir_, they were relatively bloodless and meant as entertainments. This was one of the better ones:
> 
> *The Last of Sheila* (1973) dir. Herbert Ross; starring James Coburn, Richard Benjamin, James Mason, Joan Hackett, Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch, Ian McShane
> 
> Opens with Sheila at a party having an argument we can't hear with her husband, Coburn. She walks out and while walking along the road becomes the victim of a hit and run driver, someone swerving and barely in control, presumably drunk. (For trivia fans, Sheila was played by Yvonne Romain, a.k.a. the mother of the titular character in _The Curse of the Werewolf_ with Oliver Reed.)
> 
> Fade to a year later and Coburn has organized a yacht party for several people who were guests at the earlier party. He likes creating games, mysteries, and dictating the roles his guests play. All of them are connected in some way to film-making and so some names are dropped, the conversation gets somewhat catty as well as chatty, and frankly Dyan Cannon seems to be having a blast playing her character, an agent. The movie gradually reveals the characters and their connections, how each is guilty of either a crime or some socially unacceptable behavior that would stain or end their careers if widely known. Besides the question of who killed Sheila, we wonder if Coburn is looking for his wife's murderer or just torturing the people he can? What happens if the killer is identified?
> 
> Though some of what the characters are accused of may make current audiences cringe a bit more than audiences at the time might have, this is still an engaging, suspenseful movie. Strong direction and a really good cast keep the story moving along at a good pace.




I have to agree.  I thought *Murder By Death *wasn't funny at all, and that *The Last of Sheila *was a truly outstanding whodunit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flower with the Deadly Sting *(1973) (_Il fiore dai petali d'acciaio_, "the flower with steel petals")

Relatively bloodless _giallo_ with a low body count.  Playboy doctor has a fight with an ex-lover in his apartment, knocking her around and accidentally killing her when a metal sculpture -- the source of the title -- strikes her.  He dismembers her body and tosses bags full of the pieces into some kind of big grinding machine.  The dead woman's stepsister (or possibly half-sister; the subtitles say both) reports her as missing, suspecting the doctor of foul play.  Meanwhile, somebody blackmails the doctor, doing things like sending him a piece of the sculpture.  The second (and last) killing doesn't take place until an hour and fifteen minutes into the film, then we have about fifteen minutes left to resolve things in a series of revelations about what really happened.  What does it all have to do with the doctor's ex-wife, recently released from an asylum, and the doctor's new lover?  Like any _giallo_, the plot twists are wildly implausible.  You have to be patient with this one, if you're expecting a lot of violence and gore, although there's plenty of female nudity and lesbian sex scenes, including one underwater in scuba gear!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Get Crazy* (1983)

Frenetic rock 'n' roll comedy.  There's a plot of sorts -- evil record company producer wants to take over a theater, so he plants a bomb to go off at midnight on New Year's Eve -- but it's really just an excuse for slapstick, sight gags, and quite a bit of surrealism.  (There's a mysterious character in black, with glowing red eyes, who teleports into existence whenever the plot requires him to supply hallucinogenic drugs.)  We also have parodies of hippies (they think they're welcoming in 1969), punks, new wavers, blue musicians, and so on.  Notably featuring Lou Reed as a Bob Dylan type, and Malcolm McDowell as a Mick Jagger type.  Quite fun, although the extremely fast pace may leave you breathless.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Murder by Phone *(1982)

Truncated American version of the Canadian thriller *Bells*.  The US print is reportedly twenty minutes shorter than the original, and isn't exactly lightning-paced, so I presume our neighbors to the north got something leisurely indeed.  Anyway, this starts with a bang, as a woman answers a pay phone in a subway station.  (Some of you young folks might not remember those.)  Bad idea, as she starts shaking, blood pours out of her eyes and nose, and then she gets zapped across the room.  Our hero (Richard Chamberlain!) is one of her professors.  He starts an investigation, running into folks at the phone company stonewalling him.  This thing would be more fun if the phone company were the main bad guys, but instead they're just covering up the killings (oh, yes, more follow) by a disgruntled employee.  The murders approach the ludicrous, as the zapping over the phone sends people flying out of windows.  The rest of the movie is a pretty sedate conspiracy thriller, without much of a conspiracy.  Will it surprise you at all to find out that the killer is hoist by his own petard?


----------



## Randy M.

*The Howling* (1981) dir. Joe Dante; starring Dee Wallace, Patrick MacNee, Christopher Stone, Dennis Dugan and many familiar faces

It's been so long since I saw this I'd forgotten a lot of the little throw-away images, like someone reading You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas WOLFE (get it?) or the copy of Allen Ginsberg's HOWL on a reporter's desk, or the make-up that makes one actress look less like a werewolf than like a were-Pekingese. The special effects of the time are still mostly good, but Dante (and John Landis, last I saw _American Werewolf in London_) holds the camera on the werewolf changes a long time, and maybe too long. Otherwise, the story still holds up pretty well, the back-to-nature, hunting pack wolves vs. the guy who wants to blend in and not announce their presence to their pesky prey, humans, is at least approaching cliche now, but I don't think it was in '81.

One thing that's fun along the way is picking up on the actors cast in small roles -- Roger Corman, John Sayles, John Carradine, Kevin McCarthy, Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, Forest Ackerman and probably some others I'm not remembering or missed altogether. Until this viewing, I didn't realize it was Robert Picardo under the make-up of the character, Eddie, who's the lynchpin of the plot.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *The Howling* (1981) dir. Joe Dante; starring Dee Wallace, Patrick MacNee, Christopher Stone, Dennis Dugan and many familiar faces
> 
> It's been so long since I saw this I'd forgotten a lot of the little throw-away images, like someone reading You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas WOLFE (get it?) or the copy of Allen Ginsberg's HOWL on a reporter's desk, or the make-up that makes one actress look less like a werewolf than like a were-Pekingese. The special effects of the time are still mostly good, but Dante (and John Landis, last I saw _American Werewolf in London_) holds the camera on the werewolf changes a long time, and maybe too long. Otherwise, the story still holds up pretty well, the back-to-nature, hunting pack wolves vs. the guy who wants to blend in and not announce their presence to their pesky prey, humans, is at least approaching cliche now, but I don't think it was in '81.
> 
> One thing that's fun along the way is picking up on the actors cast in small roles -- Roger Corman, John Sayles, John Carradine, Kevin McCarthy, Kenneth Tobey, Dick Miller, Forest Ackerman and probably some others I'm not remembering or missed altogether. Until this viewing, I didn't realize it was Robert Picardo under the make-up of the character, Eddie, who's the lynchpin of the plot.


I had recorded that last October, but, finally decided I was not going to watch it, so deleted it. Now, I am thinking see if PRIME  has it. 

I have not been watching so many films lately, as THE TWILIGHT ZONE has been taking my evenings.


----------



## Randy M.

I delete some movies every so often, too. For instance, I can't keep up with the Noir Alley offerings so I pick and choose.


----------



## Jeffbert

Yeah, I still have last Sunday's NOIR ALLEY on my DVR. Not just that, but films from last November.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Ex_Machina*
A slow but good film about a group of female AIs  created by a deluded genius. They don't follow Asimov's laws...


----------



## alexvss

AE35Unit said:


> *Ex_Machina*
> A slow but good film about a group of female AIs  created by a deluded genius. They don't follow Asimov's laws...


Nice way of putting it!

Just watched *Natural City* (2003), a South-Korean cyberpunk hidden-gem that mixes many classics of the genre, mainly *Blade Runner* and *Ghost in The Shell*. In a dystopian future where humans coexist with cyborgs and androids, a MP tries to find a way to save the conscience of his beloved android, who's got only a few days to live, by transfering her to a human prostitute.
Like other Korean movies, it doesn't follow a traditional structure like the three-arc. When I'm watching movies (or consuming any other kind of entertainment), I try to predict what's going to happen, but that's really difficult with Korean cinema. They just don't give a damm about our conventions. I think I saw a little bit of a negative-arc for the MP and a positive-arc for the prostitute, but that's it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Petey Wheatstraw *(1977)

Welcome to the weird world of Rudy Ray Moore.  Moore, in the title role, starts things off by directly addressing the audience, claiming to be able to do things like "put the Fourth of July in June and send Leap's Year Day over the moon."  Cut to his birth, when an enormously pregnant woman gives birth to a watermelon (!) and then a full-sized preteen boy.  Young Petey acquires a martial arts mentor, but really wants to be a stand-up comic.  Cut to adult Petey, who is a huge hit with his nightclub act, which consists of insulting the audience in vulgar ways.  A couple of rival comedians get money from one of the movie's few Caucasian actors, whose character is named, of course, Mister White.  Petey is too big a rival to ensure their success, so they have him killed, along with a bunch of other people, at the funeral for a young boy shot dead by one of the movie's bad guys.  (Expect this sort of wild change in mood from broad farce to sudden violence throughout the film.)  End of movie, after thirty minutes?  No, because the Devil shows up, willing to give Petey a second chance, if he'll marry the Devil's daughter and produce a son.  He agrees, so the massacre at the funeral is undone (through the magic of reversing the film) and Petey defeats his rivals, using the magic cane supplied by the Devil.  End of movie after forty-five minutes?  No, because now Petey has to figure out a way to avoid marrying the Devil's daughter.  Add in a lot of martial arts, a lot of funky music, demons (guys with plastic horns on their heads and goofy caped outfits), and a twist ending.  It's not a good film in any way, but bizarre enough to be fascinating.


----------



## AE35Unit

Anyone seen Parasite yet? Everyone was raving about it but it doesn't sound that interesting. And its subtitled... What's it about?


----------



## Rodders

I haven't seen it yet, but people that have are giving it the thumbs up. 

I have seen a couple of Bong Joon Ho's movies, both of which i enjoyed, but both of which i thought were overrated. (Snowpiercer and Host)


----------



## AlexH

AE35Unit said:


> Anyone seen Parasite yet? Everyone was raving about it but it doesn't sound that interesting. And its subtitled... What's it about?


I thought it was an excellent film. It's about the relationship between a poor family and a rich family, which might not make it sound that interesting, but I think it's good seeing it without giving too much away. It's crazy and fun and serious.

Subtitled films open me up to whole new worlds. Parasite isn't one of my absolute favourite subtitled films, but it's not far behind.


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> I haven't seen it yet, but people that have are giving it the thumbs up.
> 
> I have seen a couple of Bong Joon Ho's movies, both of which i enjoyed, but both of which i thought were overrated. (Snowpiercer and Host)


We started watching the Netflix series of Snowpiercer last night. I'd not heard of it till then.


----------



## Randy M.

Didn't see the movie but the tv show has been interesting so far.


----------



## AE35Unit

Quite gruesome in parts too


----------



## AlexH

From the best to the least-best of my recent watches...

8/10:

*Rio Bravo *(1959) - I haven't seen many westerns, and Rio Bravo is the first John Wayne film I've watched in my adult life. It was excellent and understated and seemed like the kind of film some modern filmmakers should learn from.

*Collateral *(2004) - Tom Cruise makes a great villain! Jamie Foxx was very good too. An excellent and unique (?) twist on the crime thriller genre.

*To Catch a Thief *(1955) - I figured out whodunnit but To Catch a Thief was still an enjoyable thriller, and I loved the humour. Not that I have anything against the likes of George Clooney and his peers, but Cary Grant seems to bring more of a likeable charisma to his roles.

7/10:

*Early Man* (2018) - Stone Age man discovers football (soccer). Initially it seemed like Early Man was trying too hard - the humour seemed good for kids but there wasn't much for adults. I think that Aardman/Nick Park charm ended up shining through though, and there were a few good football-related jokes.

*North by Northwest* (1959) - not one of  Hitchcock's best in my opinion, but the leads were good, and I still enjoyed the film.

*The Rider* (2017) - good drama about a cowboy's life after a near-fatal rodeo accident. The lead was a real-life rodeo and had never acted before - he was superb.

*Minority Report *(2002) - a good thriller, but I didn't get massively into it. Tom Cruise didn't seem quite as convincing as usual.

6/10:

*Young Adult* (2011) - although it wasn't that funny (it's supposed to be a comedy), Young Adult wasn't bad, but it's difficult to love a film where the main character remains unlikeable. Hearing a song by one of my favourite bands (Teenage Fanclub) on repeat was a novelty.


----------



## hitmouse

AE35Unit said:


> Anyone seen Parasite yet? Everyone was raving about it but it doesn't sound that interesting. And its subtitled... What's it about?


Yes it is superb. A stylish, funny, thrilling and dark family satire. Ace cinematography and design. Subtitles because it is a Korean film, so filmed in Korean. Dont let that put you off: good subtitles and universal themes. Deservedly won all those Oscars.


----------



## Jeffbert

*FEAR* (1946) essentially Crime & Punishment with a NOIR treatment; or, for whatever reason, Muller hosted it mid-December. NOIR  though it might have been, the ending was weak.



*THE BIG CIRCUS* (1959) TCM ran a circus theme a few months ago, & along with *THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH*, this film had the same actor (Gilbert Roland) as the high-wire & trapeze guy.  As far as drama goes, the latter is superior; yet, this film was very enjoyable. Henry  Whirling (Victor Mature) is the boss/owner of the circus that bears his name. After splitting with former partners, The Bormans, who took their part and became competitors, more than a few accidents plague the Whirling Circus. Eventually, they determine that these are not accidents.

Ringmaster Hans Hagenfeld  (Vincent Price) is the likely Saboteur,  given the roles he had in other films; Peter Lorre is also in the cast. 

Other problems are financial, & the bank that lends the money to keep the show on the road. So, as a condition for the money, part of which is an investment, the bank sends a guy Randy Sherman (Red Buttons) to keep the show above water. He decides to fire 40 laborers and replace them with a machine that drives stakes into the ground. Whirling is angry, because, to him, it is all about people. Along with this man, is a woman Helen Harrison (Rhonda Fleming), as a publicity expert, which also annoys Whirling. 



*ROBIN AND THE 7 HOODS *(1964) A musical mix of Robin Hood & 1920s  Prohibition era gangsters. 2nd time watching it, & 1st time enjoying it as much as I did.  Though I am not at all fond of Sinatra's style of music, I did not fast forward through any songs. 

Robbo (Frank Sinatra), Little John (Dean Martin; lacked the size), Will (Sammy Davis Jr), & Alan A. Dale (Bing Crosby) round out the 'good' guys. The villains are led by Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk), as the only one with a name resembling a character from the classic story. Close is Deputy Sheriff Alvin Potts (Victor Buono; better known for the role of King Tut in the BATMAN series)

Those with pure gangster nicknames:
Vermin (Allen Jenkins; left over from WB crime dramas of the 1930s); Twitch (Joseph Ruskin; I did not recognize him), and several others whose names are unfamiliar to me. 

Marian Stevens (Barbara Rush) as the female ingredient.

Big Jim (Edward G. Robinson) was the boss of the entire organization, but was betrayed by Gisbane & Co., while Robbo was out of town.  He was un-credited along with  others, among them, Mr. Ricks (Hans Conried); Hammacher (Sig Ruman), whose voices were easily recognized. 


And, I just noticed at least one other NOIR ALLEY that I somehow overlooked.


----------



## Rodders

I saw a film called "Just Before I Go" last night and really enjoyed it.

Essentially, the main character decides that he wants to kill himself and goes back to his hometown to give those that made his life difficult growing up, It's one of those movies where nothing really happens, but you're along for the ride anyway. A couple of laugh out loud moments, but a really nice movie. Starring Olivia Thurlby and Seann William Scott. Directed by Courtney Cox.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MUNSTER, GO HOME* (1966) I was not sure I could endure even 2 minutes of this, but, there was no canned laughter. This is one of those films I remember from the 4 to 6PM on an ABC station. The only thing I remember from watching this as a kid, was Dragula, the race car presumably made by Grandpa, but I suspect George Barris may have had something to do with it. 

Not something I would watch again, but it was o.k. to view once as an adult.


----------



## Parson

Season 2 of *the Expanse*. It is as good a S.F. series as I've ever seen. The special FX are absolutely state of the art. At least as far as I can tell. The story has really reeled me in. I'm off to Season 3 ASAP.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched the Brazilian movie CENTRAL STATION. Very good. 1998.


----------



## CupofJoe

Rewatched Paul Verhoeven's *Robocop* from 1987.
Every bit as visceral and enjoyable as the first time I saw it. I love the pre-cgi special effect [you can hardly see the strings!]
Okay some of the technology we see looks a bit clunky but I don't think it looks or feels dated for that.
The acting is good tonally. I like how well Peter Weller manages to be believable as a man-machine, letting neither side dominate..


----------



## Toby Frost

Robocop is still a really good film. Peter Weller is great, and so is Nancy Allen. Kurtwood Smith must be one of the great screen villains.

I watched *Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse *last night and was very impressed. It's definitely not my usual sort of thing, but is like what would happen if Pixar made a Marvel film. It ticks the usual superhero boxes but does some interesting things along the way and gets progressively madder and more enjoyable. One of the best superhero films that I've seen.


----------



## svalbard

The Three Musketeers 1973

Robert Lester's movie is for me the most authentic and the best adaption of Dumas's novel. The cast is inspired, the cinematography excellent and the fight scenes were and still are some of the best sword fights ever filmed. 

The script(by George McDonald Fraser) is beyond reproach. Snappy and delivered with aplomb by the cast. 

Unfortunately they do not make movies like this and it's sequel anymore.


----------



## Rodders

Anna and the Apocalypse. Vaguely amusing British Zombie musical. (Yes, you read that right.)

Fanboys. Not as funny as I’d hoped it would be. Surprised to see that the screenplay was written by Ernest Cline Of Ready Player One fame.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Courtesy of YouTube, I have started watching the obscure American anthology series _Ghost Story_, which changed its name to _Circle of Fear _(and lost Sebastian Cabot as its Rod Serling style host) half way through its very short run (1972/1973). The pilot episode, "The New House," was pretty typical spooky stuff. A young married couple expecting a child move into a house built on the site of a gallows, where a woman was executed a couple of centuries ago. Of course, she comes back to haunt the place. I'll admit the ending is pretty chilling. Overall, not bad.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Still (2018). Only available on Hulu. It's really slow, but it's a unique take on the Fountain of Youth.


----------



## Rodders

It was too late to start a new show last night, so i watch Brittany Runs a Marathon. I thought it was just going to be a female led Run, Fatboy, Run. But i like Jillian Bell, so i thought i's give it a go. Fortunately, it was nothing like it and was a very enjoyable movie. A couple of LOL moments and it turns out it was based on a true story. Worth watching when you find you have a couple of hours to kill. 

The Walking Deceased. Everything in my body told me to not watch it, but i ignored it. I was in the mood for a Zombie movie, but nothing too heavy. I turned it off after 15 minute. The way the main character kept shouting "Carl" was funny at first but that was it. Next time rod, listen to your not inconsiderable gut.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Outside The Wire (2021)*: In the near future, a war has started in Eastern Europe, which seems to be full of angry white guys in old jumpers with AK47s. Two US peacekeepers, a disgraced drone pilot and a prototype android, go on a mission into enemy territory to capture a box of Soviet nuclear codes. Damson Idris is decent as the hero but it never really comes together: the android stuff is unconvincing, and despite some cool moments (especially a shootout between US and Russian robot soldiers) it doesn't really know if it's a serious film about why wars start or a fun SF remake of _Training Day_. Not great.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Anyone like THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD with Richard Burton?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Dave Vicks said:


> Anyone like THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD with Richard Burton?




It's a fine, realistic espionage film, worlds away from the usual fantasy spy movies.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Finally watched Deadpool 2. I love how he often breaks the fourth wall and cracks jokes constantly. My favorite Marvel vigilante/assassin.


----------



## Judderman

Alone (2020) - A fairly standard "woman abducted by crazy in the woods, before she tries to escape" movie. If you are in to horror/pyscho movies (like me) you will probably find it entertaining, but not groundbreaking.

Also watched a couple of fantasy movies that are more for children really, but they were pretty good:
Pete's Dragon (2016). One of those fantasy movies about a creature that shouldn't be revealed to the general human population. Pleasant movie.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007). As much a tween friendship/romance as fantasy, but was a good film.

Watched "The Fellowship of The Ring" again. First time in a few years. Other than maybe the running around in the mines of Moria this is still a great film. Has more good storytelling than some of the other LOTR and Hobbit films.


----------



## Jeffbert

*WOMAN WANTED* (1935) Ann Gray (Maureen O'Sullivan) has just been convicted of murder, & while being transported from the courthouse to the prison, the bad guys break her free. They seem to believe that she knows where the thing is. Sorry, I forgot what it is they seek. Being unaware of the intentional traffic incident, she runs away, leaps onto the running board of Tony Baxter (Joel McCrea)'s car, and convinces him that she just needed a ride. 

So, the cops want her, as do the crooks. Eventually it is revealed to the hero that she is a fugitive, etc., and as he just happens to be a lawyer, he intends to defend her, but she prefers to remain free.  

A happy romantic ending.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Hunger* (1983) dir. Tony Scott; starring Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, David Bowie

1980s vampire movie, which I seem to recall doing pretty good box-office for something so determinedly arty -- the vampire lair has a piano and bass which Deneuve and Bowie play respectively, and lots of statuary and paintings (all old), even more curtains blown by winds with no apparent source, and _noir_ lighting effects (essentially dark rooms with blocks of light that the actors mostly avoid entering and which are most likely to include flowing curtains). Vampire dialog is sparse, oblique and heavy with the ennui of long life, or insufficient authorial thought. Deneuve is head vamp, Bowie the latest of her lovers who, like previous her "children" afflicted with rapid aging in spite of blood-drinking. Apparently Deneuve is immune to the disease, but her "children" tend to go just so long before instant old. I remember liking this way back when but Rotten Tomatoes sums it up concisely and accurately as, "stylish yet hollow".

There's mention of a Dr. Schrader which I think is a nod toward Paul Schrader, writer/director of the previous year's _The Cat People_ which also merged mythical critters with sex drive.

Notable for some of the people who pop up in small, thankless roles: Dan Hedaya (_Blood Simple_), Ann Magnuson (one of the first victims), Willem Dafoe, John Pankow (notable for tv show, _Mad About You_), Sophie Ward.


----------



## KGeo777

FAHRENHEIT 451 - 1966. At times it is mind-blowing how relevant this film is to now. It manages to avoid coming across as pretentious and partisan--the firemen are ridiculous but not evil, and their fascist structure is countered by the matriarchal television host who preaches about "equality and tolerance." People take pills to sedate themselves--that wasn't new in 1966 but seems much more relevant now.  The widescreen tv with interactive reality programming, the loss of connection to society, as if everyone is just a cog in the machinery. There is even one shot where a copy of *A Journal of the Plague Year *is burning, and you can see the cover displays someone's face, with a mask over the mouth!


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> FAHRENHEIT 451 - 1966. At times it is mind-blowing how relevant this film is to now. It manages to avoid coming across as pretentious and partisan--the firemen are ridiculous but not evil, and their fascist structure is countered by the matriarchal television host who preaches about "equality and tolerance." People take pills to sedate themselves--that wasn't new in 1966 but seems much more relevant now.  The widescreen tv with interactive reality programming, the loss of connection to society, as if everyone is just a cog in the machinery.


I watched a remake a while back. I wish I hadn't!


----------



## AstroZon

Dave Vicks said:


> Anyone like THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD with Richard Burton?





KGeo777 said:


> FAHRENHEIT 451 - 1966. At times it is mind-blowing how relevant this film is to now. It manages to avoid coming across as pretentious and partisan--the firemen are ridiculous but not evil, and their fascist structure is countered by the matriarchal television host who preaches about "equality and tolerance." People take pills to sedate themselves--that wasn't new in 1966 but seems much more relevant now.  The widescreen tv with interactive reality programming, the loss of connection to society, as if everyone is just a cog in the machinery. There is even one shot where a copy of *A Journal of the Plague Year *is burning, and you can see the cover displays someone's face, with a mask over the mouth!



There are 2 actors common to both films: Oskar Werner and Cyril Cusack.  I have both of these on DVD.


----------



## KGeo777

Anton Diffring was the go-to-guy for playing sneaky military officers. As soon as I saw him--I knew how he would be.

Another scene where the housewives show up--and he reads to them. They react like Karens!


----------



## Jeffbert

*The St. Valentine's Day Massacre* (1967) Appropriate for this weekend, & very long time since I last saw it.  It was one of those frequently shown on the 4PM weekday movie on an ABC affiliate station. 




Roger Corman directed it!?    Who'da thunk that? I would never have suspected it.

Great cast, but most names are unfamiliar to me. Wiki page says Jack Nicholson was in it, but while I easily recognized Bruce Dern as the unfortunate mechanic who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I did not recognize Nicholson. 

Al Capone (Jason Robards) was not, as I had thought, the top guy, but, not being Sicilian, was subordinate to Patsy Lolordo (Michele Guarini) who was born in Sicily. Learn something new every day!

George Moran was portrayed by B&W Ralph Meeker, who had been in many crime dramas of the time. Seeing the film now, after no less than a decade watching old B&W films on TCM gives me a similar respect for the actor & this role. 



*NOTHING BUT TROUBLE* (1944) L&H in their later years as a butler and chef who end up in the middle of a plot by an evil prince to assassinate a young king, and thus, ascend to the throne.  Funny, but pales compared to their earlier films.

So, the prince is the king's uncle, but, somehow that just seems weird; as though the king & prince were inbred hillbillies. The king, being an adolescent who adores college football, but has never had the chance to play, is brought to the park by his uncle, who, has an urgent need to go buy cigarettes, leaving the king alone for the kidnappers/assassins to get. But, not waiting where instructed, he hears the joyous shouts of the local boys playing football; thus, eluding the henchmen.  L&H are just returning from the grocer with the stuff from which H will prepare a banquet for their new employers. Hijacked by the kids, who just lost their referee, and other official, L&H are present when the boy king comes along, just in time to take the place of the other, whose mother had dragged him away. 

The scene with Ollie trying to slice the horse meat steak is wonderful, but there were just too few such classic L&H scenes in this film. Not bad, just not as good as the old films.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> *The St. Valentine's Day Massacre* (1967)
> View attachment 75903
> I did not recognize Nicholson.



He puts on a fake voice too so that also makes it harder to spot him.
He has one line I think.


----------



## hitmouse

*A Matter of Life and Death* (1946) which I caught on tv this afternoon. I haven’t watched this for about 15 years. I have always thought this was good, but had forgotten just what an extraordinary and deeply unusual film it is. Astounding visuals, witty script, very moving story clearly reflecting the emotional toll of the war which had just ended.


----------



## Droflet

Hitmous, fully agree and will be reseeing AMoLaD tomorrow. Wonderful film and just the shot in the arm that post war Britain needed.


----------



## Dave Vicks

HAIL MARY by Jean-Luc Goddard.


----------



## Vince W

*Space Sweepers. *A Korean film on Netflix. It's surprisingly good up to a point. There are elements I would have changed or dropped but on the whole a film that I would recommend. I recognise elements from 2000AD, The Fifth Element, Star Wars, and Dune. I think it might be compared to The Expanse series but with a more organic feel and better acting.


----------



## Judderman

Birdsong. A BBC film / 2 part mini-series. Set in second world war France with trenches scenes interspersed with scenes from the main characters romance. A good film, though has a lot of crying so you may need to be in the right mood.


----------



## Randy M.

*Spies in Disguise* (2019)

Needing something to keep a 2-year-old amused for a while, imagine my surprise when I found myself laughing at this spoof of spy movies, particularly of the Bond movies. Not bad at all, it's probably a good Will Smith movie for those needing a reminder why they liked Will Smith in the first place, playing to his sense of humor. And Tom Holland, Rashida Jones and Ben Mendelson are very good , too.


----------



## hitmouse

Judderman said:


> Birdsong. A BBC film / 2 part mini-series. Set in second world war France with trenches scenes interspersed with scenes from the main characters romance. A good film, though has a lot of crying so you may need to be in the right mood.


The novel was a massive bestseller in the late 90s.


----------



## Toby Frost

*My Neighbour Totoro* (1988)

I've never seen a Studio Ghibli film before, and wasn't sure what to expect. It's about a family who move to rural Japan. The father takes care of the two girls while their mother recovers from an illness in hospital. The girls meet a tubby, owlbear-like creature in the forest and befriend him.

It's rather short on plot, but that doesn't matter, given how charming and well-observed everything is. It's very gentle, but I genuinely wondered if the mother would recover, which I wouldn't have done with an American film. There's clearly references to Japanese animism in the forest spirits, which I don't quite understand, but the scenes in nature work perfectly. Overall, really good.


----------



## hitmouse

Toby Frost said:


> *My Neighbour Totoro* (1988)
> 
> I've never seen a Studio Ghibli film before, and wasn't sure what to expect. It's about a family who move to rural Japan. The father takes care of the two girls while their mother recovers from an illness in hospital. The girls meet a tubby, owlbear-like creature in the forest and befriend him.
> 
> It's rather short on plot, but that doesn't matter, given how charming and well-observed everything is. It's very gentle, but I genuinely wondered if the mother would recover, which I wouldn't have done with an American film. There's clearly references to Japanese animism in the forest spirits, which I don't quite understand, but the scenes in nature work perfectly. Overall, really good.


One of the greatest animated films. Probably my children’s most watched film. I think it is remarkable and brilliant on a number of levels quite apart from its visual beauty.


----------



## Dave Vicks

ROLLERBALL Starring James Caan.1975


----------



## BAYLOR

*Fantastic Voyage * 1966.    This film never loses it's charm.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind* (1984)

Technically, this isn't a Ghibli film but it's from the same people, so it more or less counts. In the far future the heroine, Princess Nausicaa, tries to prevent the destruction of the valley where she lives in a power struggle between several factions. Huge stampeding insects are drawn into the story and Nausicaa tries to stop and befriend them.

This is more complex and less charming that My Neighbour Totoro, but it's a very different type of story. It feels like proper (if wild) science fiction rather than whimsical fantasy. While there's a fair amount of violence, what's notable is that Nausicaa is continually trying to diffuse the violence ("Enough killing!" is pretty much her catchphrase). Nobody is entirely evil, just stupid and greedy, and the monstrous insects are treated kindly. It's got a strong and healthy environmental element.

It's interesting how stereotypical some of the anime elements seem: the woman/child heroine with standard facial features, the slightly odd way everyone speaks, the animal companion - even down to that _schwing!_ noise that accompanies anything flying into the air. But it's still very good indeed. Its environmental message reminded me of _Dune_, and the scenes of Nausicaa flying through the weird landscape makes me think of Moebius' _Arzach_. Well worth a look.


----------



## CupofJoe

*in the heat of the night* [1967] - some amazing acting and dialogue. You can feel the heat and the tension. Not to say Sidney Poitier isn't great but Rod Steiger is outstanding.
*Tora, Tora, Tora* [1970] - okay the Japanese aircraft are really American with a paint job and some of the dialogue is a little staged by today's style. But that asided the whole thing feels far more real and dangerous than some more recent films.


----------



## Mouse

Toby Frost said:


> *Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind* (1984)
> 
> Technically, this isn't a Ghibli film but it's from the same people...



Toby, if you're on a Studio Ghibli kick, make sure you check out *When Marnie Was There* pretty soon! One of my faves. 

Last film I saw was *Instant Family*. And that was by accident. It was on TV and I didn't plan on watching it because it looked like that sort of crappy OTT American comedy that I can't stand but I got sucked in and actually, it was a pretty good film about adoption without too much slapstick.


----------



## Rodders

I saw Tora! Tora! Tora! for the first time about 6 months ago and was very impressed with it.

I liked the fact they used Japanese actors, speaking Japanese. I thought the effects held up pretty well, too.


----------



## therapist

Mulholland Drive. Such great reviews. Yet I was thoroughly confused at that 80% mark. I'm sure it would be alot better on a second watching—especially now that I have read about the film and learned that the first 80% is supposed be a dream. But I don't enjoy films that confuse me that much.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, I hear you, Therapist. I saw it again recently and was similarly perplexed. I'm afraid I'm just not into David Lean movies. He's quite odd.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Deep Red (Italian: Profondo rosso) (1975): My new favorite giallo film after The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Another psychotic murderess story.


----------



## J Riff

*Goliath and the Vampires*  1964  -  I watched the english dub, with subtitles that said slightly different things, so max bang for buck; > 
We see Goliath lifting a huge rock and whatnot, super strong, but he arrives too late to save the village from a bloody massacre. The bad guys take the women away and Goliath has to go after them of course, and it turns out there is a major-league vampire behind the whole thing. Goliath beats down on a raft of soldiers, impressing everyone, and after the usual sort of drama and intrigues, he finally faces the chief Vampire, who takes on Goliath disguised as Goliath, which fools everyone until the real Goliath just bashes him enough times to make him turn back into a scraggly skull-head vampire, who can then be dispatched by hurling a beaker of deadly vapors at him. It's pretty good sfar's Goliath movies go.


----------



## Guttersnipe

I just saw I Care a Lot on Netflix and can honestly say I've never hated a fictional character more than I do the main character, who is also a villain. I knew the story would add up to some kind of victory for her, but I still rooted for the Russian Mafia.


----------



## Droflet

Once again Rosalind Pike proves she can do any role. And yes, I agree, her character was a hideous creature.


----------



## Randy M.

Droflet said:


> Yep, I hear you, Therapist. I saw it again recently and was similarly perplexed. I'm afraid I'm just not into David Lean movies. He's quite odd.



David Lynch. David Lean movies (_The Third Man; Lawrence of Arabia_) you'd probably like. More straight-forward story-telling.


----------



## Droflet

Drof palm slaps self. Of course, I meant Lynch. Thanks for that Randy. And yes, David Lean is a fabulous storyteller. I still think Lynch is an oddball.


----------



## Randy M.

Droflet said:


> I still think Lynch is an oddball.



Oh, hell, yes. Interesting in some ways, but definitely odd.


----------



## paranoid marvin

I would definitely not call myself a fan of David Lynch movies but The Straight Story was very well done.


----------



## Rodders

I watched a couple of comedies to remove them from my queue.

Say My Name. A surprisingly amusing romantic comedy about a one night stand gone horribly wrong.

Young Offenders. A hilarious true story about a couple of Irish teenagers that try to go to the site of a capsized smuggling to grab a haul of cocaine. Well worth watching.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE KILLERS* (1964) Hit men Charlie Strom (Lee Marvin) & Lee (Clu Gulager)     storm into a school for the blind, demand the whereabouts of Johnny North (John Cassavetes), slap around the receptionist, etc., & just go and shoot the guy several times. But Strom wonders why their target made no effort to flee. Told in flashbacks, & from the perspectives of others, the reason why North simply stood still, while the killers shot him. 

North was a race car driver, who is eventually hired by Gangster Jack Browning (Ronald Reagan)  for a heist. RR's final film.  NOIR ALLEY, though it was in color.  

Browning's femme fatale Sheila Farr (Angie Dickinson) had eyes for exciting men, such as Johnny North (John Cassavetes), whom she ruins with an affair just prior to the big race, in which, he, being drained by too little sleep, etc, has a serious crash, & can no longer race.  Several years later, she offers him the chance for big money, but will not give details.  Browning intends to rob a mail truck carrying a million dollars, but it involves impersonating policemen, tricking the mail truck drivers into taking a detour, then, overtaking the truck, forcing it to stop, etc. Thus, the need for a guy who drives very fast. 



*WOMAN OF THE YEAR* (1942) 1st of the Tracy & Hepburn pairings.  A bit too long for my tastes, but worth watching. Two newspaper columnists,  Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy),  writes about sports, while Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) writes about world affairs. They clash, then fall in love, & marry; neither one giving an inch as far as making careers take a back seat to relationship. 

It is a comedy, but has a time when drama comes 1st.  She brings him breakfast in bed, & begins taking about children, and he, assumes she is pregnant. No, she had just taken in a refugee boy, because she was outspoken on the subject, & wanted to lead by example. But, she has no time for the kid, and goes off to receive the award for her work, leaving the boy alone. But Craig, will have none of it, and while she is gone, returns the kid to the orphanage.  This dramatic part was just too long for me, but I rarely quit after starting a film. Comedy finished, but took too long to get back to it.



*REAR WINDOW* (1954) Was not as I remembered it, but better! Completely forgot about the tension/conflict between Stewart's character & Kelly's. They are in love, but, as he is a photographer who travels the world, he cannot imagine taking her as his wife along, or leaving her behind while he is gone for months on end.  She wants marriage, but he is not willing to leave his career. 

Very different from that other film I mentioned a few weeks ago, with a similar murder seen by the person across the  street.

I do recall *The Simpsons*' parody!  

Raymond Burr is somewhat wasted, as we never even hear his voice until halfway into the film. 

 The TCM film guy, Ben M., as I recall, noted that the studio constructed the entire set, including more than a few fully furnished apartments.


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> I watched a couple of comedies to remove them from my queue.
> 
> Say My Name. A surprisingly amusing romantic comedy about a one night stand gone horribly wrong.
> 
> Young Offenders. A hilarious true story about a couple of Irish teenagers that try to go to the site of a capsized smuggling to grab a haul of cocaine. Well worth watching.


If you liked the Young Offenders film, Rodders, you should check out the tv series. Same people and just as good really.


----------



## Dave Vicks

How is the movie MONSTER with Chalize Theron?


----------



## Droflet

Performance wise, astounding. Movie wise, imho, meh.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BORN TO KILL* (1947) Sam Wilde (Lawrence Tierney) is a man who gets what he wants, is impulsive to the point of murdering the woman who dared to date some other guy, & also killing the other guy. Learning of his friend's indiscretion, Marty Waterman (Elisha Cook Jr) advises him to leave Reno & go to California. On the train, Wilde meets Helen Brent (Claire Trevor) who had just received the divorce she sought, and was returning to San Francisco. But, she also just happened to discover the bodies Wilde had left behind. Being upper crust, she decided to go her way, since she had moved out of that boarding house, & let someone else deal with it. Wilde wants her, and is ignorant of her past, as she is of his.

Meanwhile, the owner of the boarding house, Mrs. Kraft, hires a PI Albert Arnett (Walter Slezak) to find who murdered her friend & tenant. 
Wilde marries into money, the step sister of the woman he really wanted,  and is power-hungry; he wants to run the family newspaper, just so he can have power to wreck men's lives, etc.  But, Wilde, though married to her sister, still loves Helen, & she also loves him. Her sister, step sister, has all the money, though. 

THAT MAID at the wedding  -- is she or will she be grandma of the Waltons? Yes! Ellen Corby, decades before that TV series.  Surprised I recognized her!

Great Noir!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Bringing up Baby (1938)*
Brilliant film, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are hilarious.


----------



## soulsinging

Under Siege, yes 90s heyday Steven Seagal. Ridiculous, but oddly mindlessly amusing.


----------



## Randy M.

soulsinging said:


> Under Siege, yes 90s heyday Steven Seagal. Ridiculous, but oddly mindlessly amusing.



Probably the only film Seagal made that was made knowing it was ridiculous and playing into it without letting his self-satisfaction get in the way.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Great Train Robbery *(1978) d: Michael Crichton s: Sean Connery, Lesley Anne Down, Donald Southerland

aka "The First Great Train Robbery."  Fairly entertaining movie about a train caper in Victorian England.  Connery is good as a street bred criminal who is able to pass equally in upper society.  Leslie Anne Down is charming as always as his girlfriend and crime associate.  Donald Sutherland bumbles through his lines trying desperately to hold a cockney accent but ends up all over the map.  Other than that, he's good.   The outdoor scenes are excellent with beautiful cinematography, and the train action scenes are simply stunning.  I love pre-CGI location shooting. 

All in all, a good movie along the lines of Butch Cassidy or The Sting.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Killer That Stalked New York* / *Frightened City * (1950) A woman who smuggles stolen jewels into new York is infected with Smallpox; while others are succumbing &  a city-wide panic occurs, she is staying active because a doctor, misdiagnosing her illness, gave her some medicine. Moreover, she wants revenge on her husband, who abandoned her, and took the jewels with him. 

I was not familiar with the leading actors, but did easily recognize the Time Tunnel General (Whit Bissell) as Sid Bennet, &  Mr. Magoo's voice (Jim Backus) as Willie Dennis , the nightclub owner



*THE THIN MAN* (1934) Nick  (William Powell) & Nora (Myrna Loy) Charles are celebrating Christmas with their friends, when Nick, who had been a detective until Nora received inheritance, is asked to do detective work again. 

Many familiar cast members here, too many to mention. 

Wonderful film, the 1st in a series, must have seen it half-a-dozen times, & never gets old.



*THE LURE* (2015) HORROR from Poland. Mermaid sisters come to dry land to find mates. But, they must eat them, or turn to foam. Weird!


----------



## AstroZon

Jeffbert said:


> *THE THIN MAN* (1934) Nick  (William Powell) & Nora (Myrna Loy) Charles are celebrating Christmas with their friends, when Nick, who had been a detective until Nora received inheritance, is asked to do detective work again.
> 
> Many familiar cast members here, too many to mention.
> 
> Wonderful film, the 1st in a series, must have seen it half-a-dozen times, & never gets old.



One of my favorite old movies.  It's funny and has held up surprisingly well.  

- Nick Charles: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
- Nora Charles: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
- Nick Charles: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.


----------



## Rodders

I finally got around to watching Birdbox, which has been in my queue for ages. It wasn't bad and some things i really enjoyed but i found myself disappointed. 

I think it's probably because there was no explained reason for the phenomenon so i kept asking myself that question. I have to confess that i had trouble believing the concept of being driven to suicide by an unknown creature or force.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I've just watched *The Longest Day, *with the all star cast. John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Kenneth More, Sean Connery, Roddy McDowell, Richard Burton, Richard Todd and many more. It is not as accurate as more recent movies, however it's very watchable. Even though I have watched several bits I have forgotten. 10/10.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Dig *
Excellent film. Voldermort has never looked so humble...

Now watching *Saturday Night Fever *for the first time ever.


----------



## HareBrain

*The Conversation *(1974). I thought I'd seen this, but had no recollection of the ending or the twist. It was very good anyway. Can't imagine it being made now.

@Toby Frost , did you see any other Ghibli films? If you liked _Nausicaa_, I'd recommend _Princess Mononoke _(my personal favourite).


----------



## Rodders

I Am Mother.

A bit long, but enjoyable overall and with a decent ending.


----------



## KGeo777

*THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK * I haven't seen it in ages but wow it really holds up great (except for some funny editing in the last scene).  When Robocop came out I thought of this movie since it has some of the similar elements. The musical score is unusual-entirely piano yet it's very effective. The shot of the colossus going underwater is rather creepy.
The ending could have had a Rod Serling or Controller narration.  It's kind of the ultimate Twilight Zone-Outer Limits episode in a way.


----------



## Judderman

Not a film but finally watched A Band of Brothers. Absolutely magnificent series.
The ensemble cast is magnificent. A lot of them went on to bigger things but I'm sure weren't complete unknowns at the time. You have the likes of James Mcavoy just in for a few lines.
Surely Spielberg's greatest work (a high bar). Really gets into the hardships the soldiers experienced. But also the comradery and has clips from the real company survivors.


----------



## Judderman

Rodders said:


> I Am Mother.
> 
> A bit long, but enjoyable overall and with a decent ending.


Good sci-fi all in all.


----------



## Toby Frost

I've not seen any more Ghibli films but I'm planning on watching several more. Both Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away look very good.


----------



## hitmouse

AE35Unit said:


> *Bringing up Baby (1938)*
> Brilliant film, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn are hilarious.


One of my all time favourites. If you like that, try Arsenic and Old Lace for more vintage grant comedy. A deeply odd and brilliant film.


----------



## Foxbat

Dagon (2001)
I’ve never read the Lovecraft story but I thought this movie was pretty damn good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*KNIFE IN THE WATER* (1962) a couple pick up a hitchhiker, and invite him to sail with them. Things happen, and the two men fight. the hitchhiker goes overboard and appears to have drowned.



A few L & H  short films:

*ANGORA LOVE* (1929) L&H find themselves followed by a goat, and take it home with them.


*NIGHT OWLS *(1930) Officer Kennedy  (Edgar Kennedy) needs to make an arrest, lest he lose his job. Finding two vagrants (L&H) sleeping on a park bench, he convinces them to rob the police Chief's home, and he promises nothing bad will happen to them.


*Brats* (1930) L&H in dual roles as themselves and their sons. Very funny ending, but not as funny as Night Owls!


*Blotto* (1930)  Laurel wants to go out with Hardy, but his wife has other ideas. Finally, they convince her, but only because she was listening on the extension.


----------



## Vince W

*The Untouchables *(1987). I remember watching this shortly after it was released and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's still a good film for the most part but the history is wildly inaccurate and difficult to overlook now.


----------



## Judderman

The Untouchables is a classic! At least if viewed when around 12-14 years old. Still fun though.


----------



## Randy M.

Vince W said:


> *The Untouchables *(1987). I remember watching this shortly after it was released and enjoyed it quite a bit. It's still a good film for the most part but the history is wildly inaccurate and difficult to overlook now.



Good fun, and I don't think de Palma was as interested in facts and accuracy as in myth-making. Or in this case, reinforcing the myths.

For myself, a week or two ago I recorded a few of Turner Cable Movies "Underground" movies: Late Friday nights into early Saturday mornings TCM airs odd movies, sometimes art house films, sometimes exploitation flicks, sometimes cult movies. For instance, several months ago I watched the double-header, _Night of the Creeps_ and _Chopping Mall_. Why? I don't have any excuse, though the former is fun in an over-the-top, '80s horror comedy way.

Anyway, recorded _Coffy_, _Piranha_, and _Tintorera_. I'll probably finish the first and last, but so far have only completed _Piranha _(1978), directed by Joe Dante early in his career and the one that opened the door to _The Howling_, _Gremlins_, and others. Stars Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies, with small roles for Keenan Wynn, Kevin McCarthy, Richard Deacon (_The Dick Van Dyke Show_ fans will remember him), Barbara Steele, Dick Miller (a Dante favorite), Paul Bartel and John Sayles. Also Belinda Balaski, who apparently isn't allowed to survive a Dante movie, at least this one and _The Howling_; I wonder if she needed therapy or a restraining order by the time she finished _Gremlins_? 

This might be the only time I've seen Dillman portray the hero. Usually he was cast as a sleazy lawyer, or a sleazy banker, or a sleazy politician -- notice a trend? -- but here he's a recluse spending time with his buddies, scotch, bourbon, gin and tequila, soured by life apparently because of a divorce. Menzies was hired by Deacon to find two walking happy meals -- er -- his son and the girl he went camping with, who we already saw become fish gnoshes. She drags him into her quest during which they meet McCarthy as a mad scientist, mad both in the sense he's insane and because the government revoked funding of his experiments after the end of the Vietnam War. Guess what he was creating? Yup, piranha that can live in both fresh and salt water. Why? Dunno. Never explained, but that's okay because the movie has enough energy you don't question the tactical advantage of lotsa teeth with fins

The effects aren't bad for the time, there are a couple of topless shots that seem unnecessary though probably filled a quota imposed by the producer, Roger Corman, and already shows some Dante touches -- just before an attack at the beach, a woman is shown reading Moby Dick; earlier, while waiting at the airport, Menzies plays a video game, Jaws. On the whole, if you get a chance to see it, there are worse ways to waste your time.


----------



## Ed Lake

I watched a sci-fi movie called "Pi."  Pi (1998) - IMDb

In August 2007 I bought the DVD somewhere for $3.99. I watched it once, and hadn't watched it since. It's in black and white, it was made in 1998, and it's about "A paranoid mathematician [who] searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature."

It's really weird and hard to follow, since it's about mathematicians who seem to have problems that no one else in the world cares about. But, for some reason, I kind of enjoyed it. Or, more accurately, I didn't dislike it. I plan to watch it again sometime in 2015.


----------



## hitmouse

Randy M. said:


> Good fun, and I don't think de Palma was as interested in facts and accuracy as in myth-making. Or in this case, reinforcing the myths.
> 
> For myself, a week or two ago I recorded a few of Turner Cable Movies "Underground" movies: Late Friday nights into early Saturday mornings TCM airs odd movies, sometimes art house films, sometimes exploitation flicks, sometimes cult movies. For instance, several months ago I watched the double-header, _Night of the Creeps_ and _Chopping Mall_. Why? I don't have any excuse, though the former is fun in an over-the-top, '80s horror comedy way.
> 
> Anyway, recorded _Coffy_, _Piranha_, and _Tintorera_. I'll probably finish the first and last, but so far have only completed _Piranha _(1978), directed by Joe Dante early in his career and the one that opened the door to _The Howling_, _Gremlins_, and others. Stars Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies, with small roles for Keenan Wynn, Kevin McCarthy, Richard Deacon (_The Dick Van Dyke Show_ fans will remember him), Barbara Steele, Dick Miller (a Dante favorite), Paul Bartel and John Sayles. Also Belinda Balaski, who apparently isn't allowed to survive a Dante movie, at least this one and _The Howling_; I wonder if she needed therapy or a restraining order by the time she finished _Gremlins_?
> 
> This might be the only time I've seen Dillman portray the hero. Usually he was cast as a sleazy lawyer, or a sleazy banker, or a sleazy politician -- notice a trend? -- but here he's a recluse spending time with his buddies, scotch, bourbon, gin and tequila, soured by life apparently because of a divorce. Menzies was hired by Deacon to find two walking happy meals -- er -- his son and the girl he went camping with, who we already saw become fish gnoshes. She drags him into her quest during which they meet McCarthy as a mad scientist, mad both in the sense he's insane and because the government revoked funding of his experiments after the end of the Vietnam War. Guess what he was creating? Yup, piranha that can live in both fresh and salt water. Why? Dunno. Never explained, but that's okay because the movie has enough energy you don't question the tactical advantage of lotsa teeth with fins
> 
> The effects aren't bad for the time, there are a couple of topless shots that seem unnecessary though probably filled a quota imposed by the producer, Roger Corman, and already shows some Dante touches -- just before an attack at the beach, a woman is shown reading Moby Dick; earlier, while waiting at the airport, Menzies plays a video game, Jaws. On the whole, if you get a chance to see it, there are worse ways to waste your time.


I saw Coffy a few weeks ago. Slightly awkward from a 2020s perspective, but I enjoyed it overall. If you can you get past the cliché and the gratuitous tittage, there is some subtlety and depth to the film, particularly at the end. Pam Grier is good.


----------



## Foxbat

Ed Lake said:


> I watched a sci-fi movie called "Pi."  Pi (1998) - IMDb
> 
> In August 2007 I bought the DVD somewhere for $3.99. I watched it once, and hadn't watched it since. It's in black and white, it was made in 1998, and it's about "A paranoid mathematician [who] searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature."
> 
> It's really weird and hard to follow, since it's about mathematicians who seem to have problems that no one else in the world cares about. But, for some reason, I kind of enjoyed it. Or, more accurately, I didn't dislike it. I plan to watch it again sometime in 2015.


Darren Aronofsky is the director. I’m a fan of his work. Pi was one if his earliest movies. He went on to make movies such as The Wrestler and Black Swan. He also made a particular favourite of mine - The Fountain.  All mentioned, I think, are worth a look. 

At one time he put forward an idea for a Batman movie but it came to nothing. As much as I like what Nolan did with the Dark Knight, it would have been interesting to see what direction. Aronofsky took it in.


----------



## Rodders

I've been meaning to watch The Fountain for a while.


----------



## Ed Lake

Foxbat said:


> Darren Aronofsky is the director. I’m a fan of his work. Pi was one if his earliest movies. He went on to make movies such as The Wrestler and Black Swan. He also made a particular favourite of mine - The Fountain.  All mentioned, I think, are worth a look.
> 
> At one time he put forward an idea for a Batman movie but it came to nothing. As much as I like what Nolan did with the Dark Knight, it would have been interesting to see what direction. Aronofsky took it in.



I have "The Fountain" on DVD.  The last time I watched it was in November of 2007.  So, I'll probably be watching it again in a couple weeks.  I've got my DVD collection computerized, so I have a list of my DVDs in order by the date I last watched them.  If I don't have anything specific I want to watch, I watch the DVD that I haven't watched in the longest time.  This evening I'll probably watch "The Departed" with Leonardo DiCaprio, and maybe "Swordfish" with Halle Berry.


----------



## Randy M.

hitmouse said:


> I saw Coffy a few weeks ago. Slightly awkward from a 2020s perspective, but I enjoyed it overall. If you can you get past the cliché and the gratuitous tittage, there is some subtlety and depth to the film, particularly at the end. Pam Grier is good.



It feels somewhat familiar, like I might have watched it awhile back.

While the director/writer, Jack Hill, appears to be one of the better low budget directors, I'm not convinced he was all that good. The framing and the dialog aren't great, the editing maybe could have helped more, and some of the acting comes across as stiff, in part because of the dialog. Still, I've seen enough of it so far to think Grier was better than she was given credit for at the time -- I thought that when I saw _Fort Apache, the Bronx_ when it was first released after her heyday was pretty much past -- and from what I've seen of her over the last 15-20 years, she's gotten better with age. Not something you can say of all stars who get their big breaks early on because of looks and some unquantifiable charisma between themselves and the camera. Her comeback can be attributed to Quentin Tarantino and is one of the reasons I frown at people who get down on him. He revitalized the career of Robert Forester, probably helped propel Sam Jackson's career, and pretty much brought John Travolta's career back from the dead.

Regarding that last, okay, there are limits. Feel free to frown at that.


----------



## Ed Lake

Ed Lake said:


> I watched a sci-fi movie called "Pi."  Pi (1998) - IMDb
> 
> In August 2007 I bought the DVD somewhere for $3.99. I watched it once, and hadn't watched it since. It's in black and white, it was made in 1998, and it's about "A paranoid mathematician [who] searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature."
> 
> It's really weird and hard to follow, since it's about mathematicians who seem to have problems that no one else in the world cares about. But, for some reason, I kind of enjoyed it. Or, more accurately, I didn't dislike it. I plan to watch it again sometime in 2015.



Oops.  I mean to write 2035, not 2015.  There's nothing worse than screwing up a joke with no way to correct it.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> *THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK * I haven't seen it in ages but wow it really holds up great (except for some funny editing in the last scene).  When Robocop came out I thought of this movie since it has some of the similar elements. The musical score is unusual-entirely piano yet it's very effective. The shot of the colossus going underwater is rather creepy.
> The ending could have had a Rod Serling or Controller narration.  It's kind of the ultimate Twilight Zone-Outer Limits episode in a way.


Funny how the cyborg was equipped with death-ray eyes, but the creator was taken by surprise when he saw them.   



*NATIVE SON* (1951)  NOIR ALLEY;  A young black man is hired as the chauffeur of a prominent white family.  On his 1st day, the daughter has him drive her around in the family convertible, and going to a bar, she invites him to go with her, and her boyfriend, who has radical (for the time, 1940s) ideas about racial equality, & enjoy the show. He is very uneasy about this, and after she is very drunk, he has to carry her into her house and even into her bedroom. He is seriously thinking, "they're gonna kill me" and this fear drives him to make very a serious series of errors.  

Muller's discussion afterward was really enlightening. !st., the film was made in South America, & any versions of it shown outside its country of origin, were so heavily edited/censored, as to be cut in half.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *NATIVE SON* (1951)  NOIR ALLEY;  A young black man is hired as the chauffeur of a prominent white family.  On his 1st day, the daughter has him drive her around in the family convertible, and going to a bar, she invites him to go with her, and her boyfriend, who has radical (for the time, 1940s) ideas about racial equality, & enjoy the show. He is very uneasy about this, and after she is very drunk, he has to carry her into her house and even into her bedroom. He is seriously thinking, "they're gonna kill me" and this fear drives him to make very a serious series of errors.
> 
> Muller's discussion afterward was really enlightening. !st., the film was made in South America, & any versions of it shown outside its country of origin, were so heavily edited/censored, as to be cut in half.



I missed this. I finally read the book maybe 10 years ago. I thought Richard Wright didn't trust his audience to "get it" from the way he intermittantly pounded his point home; probably a not unreasonable supposition for the audience at the time. But in those other moments, and there are several of them, he wrote with camera-ready clarity in tones that felt very _noir_, rather as if Cornell Woolrich had been Black and had a more poetic sensibility.


----------



## Paxtrytion

For a Few Dollars More Good picture, great visual imagery (Leone must have seen a few John Ford westerns, though he developed a style all his own, and his use of facial close-ups on the amazing cast of bit-players he found to fill out the film is breathtaking...what wonderful faces he chose for his films!) Eastwood and Van Cleef work wonderfully together, and Gian-Maria Volonté is very good as the baddie (but oh, how I miss Wallach from TGTBATU). I really need to track down Once Upon a Time in the West!


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Funny how the cyborg was equipped with death-ray eyes, but the creator was taken by surprise when he saw them.



Ha. I am assuming he was able to do something that they never expected-like magically taking over the electrical systems in his eyes. He destroyed the control box they built for him. And he was able to hypnotize or mind control people as well.
The ending was choppy. There's a shot of someone lying on the ground and then a moment later they aren't, then they are again---unless it was a problem with the version I watched--it was a glaringly obvious editing error.


----------



## svalbard

Greenland

New on Amazon and ok end of the world movie. Comet Charlie, an extinction level event, is heading for Earth and everyone is doomed. Apart from a chosen few who are to be airlifted to bunkers in Greenland. The story follows the adventures of a family as they try to reach the safe haven. As I said it is ok and watchable. But you will have forgotten about it by the end of the next day. Hence this post before I do forget.


----------



## Randy M.

*Tintorera* (1977)

Don't. 

I could complain about the usual things like script, dialog, acting (not everyone, but the leads are deadly dull), but what's appalling is that the special effects aren't special effects: When they kill a shark, it's an actual shark being killed, and they kill a lot of them. Hadn't realized it going in and probably wouldn't have watched it if I'd known. If you'd like a more detailed description of how appalling the movie is, and you call yourself a scientist.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Overlord (2018)*

A group of American GIs parachute into occupied France just before D-Day, to destroy a radio transmitter. They discover a secret base where Nazis have been making zombies, and have to destroy that, too.

This is an odd film that is almost several things. It's almost a convincing war film at points, despite its apparently desegregated military and very 21st-century soldiers. It's almost in bad taste. It's almost a full-on horror film, but it doesn't feel especially scary. And it never seems to quite have the nerve to unleash the vast horde of mutant zombie Nazis that it promises to have stashed away. The cast do a decent job, but it fails to embrace the pulpy craziness of its concept.


----------



## Judderman

Sounds a bit like Outpost (2008). Soldiers fighting with zombies in and around a bunker (in eastern Europe) which had been occupied by nazi soldiers.


----------



## J Riff

*The Color Out of Space*  2020 :_warning_:>>> blow by blow realtime spoilage alert* <<<
... half an hour in, all character development so far and this is not cutting it. What will they come up with to scare us... ah, our MC, a hydrologist young black guy, of course, who is gonna get involved with the young Wiccan daughter... cos it's 'Lovecraft...  of course...well his car starts up for no reason... but no real scares yet. The meteor has landed and some really stupid stuff has gone on... like dad, Nic Cage, going on TV and being ridiculed as a 'UFO witness' even after cops have been there and its obviously uhhh a meteorite... until... at 37 min. geez, mom cuts a couple fingers off for no reason, graphically, while slicing carrots as the little kid stands there... * Off to the hospital with her.  What else will they come up with... its high budget so... yech. Cage looks like he's not acting as he gags ... what am I doing in this movie...
Now.. the little kid, of course, is being talked to by 'it' ... and the well is getting consistent scary music... and  the phones aren't working right... as the kid paints a monster while staring at the well.  In the well we get purple colors, and a huge purple bug crawls up outa there...we see the kid through its bug* vision... and it flies off. Same purple color now showing on the TV...
Now the daughter sees the sink fill with blood... her phone acts up again, so she throws up. Now our MC figures out the water is contaminated.. and the little kid is playing with his invisible 'friend' in the well.
Next, the crusty hippy character in the woodsy shed is recording sounds from below the ground... 'the aliens' ... 'up is down, fast is slow'... whoa, finally a jump scare as Cage and wife drive back from surgery on her hand... some kind of monster runs crost the road. Purple light pours from the well and the dog freaks out but the kid just sits there. More phone nonsense as daughter and pothead son get together with dad Cage, Mom and kid... and Cage is angry as he sees the Alpaca llamas are out of their cage.
Lots swearing now as dad insists nothing is going on... he takes a shower and a glob of jelly stuff is plugging the drain, it grabs at his hand but he shrugs it off. Now there's a bad smell and the dog has vanished. Morning, and Cage picks giant weird tomatoes, up a month early. The phone acts up some more. Cage freaks out, smashing fruit... his skin goes all reptilian but he rubs whiskey on it and it goes away ... the TV acts up more... shots of the scary house.
The daughter is gonna do a ritual... she pulls out her copy of the necronomicon,, she drips blood on it. Oh gosh now shes cutting herself up pretty bad...
Son and little kid go into the barn but run right back out because the llamas have mutated into monsters radiating purple light. Mom and kid get zapped by a what looks like a million volts, from the barn. They take them inside and they are smoking and kinda fused together...daughter, bleeding everywhere, walks in and screams.. phone dead, car won't start, Cage freaks out.
Suddenly at one hour fifteen, son and daughter figure out the meteor is to blame. Mom and kid are now a hellish fused mess on the couch, they take them up to the attic. Cage gets his shotgun and goes to the barn where the alpacas look really a lot like the dogs did in _The Thing_, and he blasts them to bits. Next Cage is gonna blast the wife and kid, like the alpacas, but he doesnt, he goes down and watches TV.
Meanwhile our MC water inspector and some cops have found some mutated fused critters near town. The son and daughter are gonna try and ride out on horseback, but horsie's eyes turn purple and he runs off. Uh oh, the missing dog is in the well... son goes down there and yes purple protoplasm does him in. Cage freaks again and locks daughter in with fused Mom and kid. Here comes our MC with a cop, as Cage rants and converses with the TV.
Upstairs, the mom/kid monster arises and menaces daughter. MC and cop enter the house and Cage is nuts, they race upstairs and blow the mom/kid monsters head off. The little kid thing is still alive so Cage blasts him too.
MC carries daughter out, purple monster light comes from the well, Cage is gonna shoot at it, cop assumes he's gonna shoot MC so he shoots Cage.
Now the old woodsy prospector has to be saved, so MC and cop go to his shed, he's dead with purple light in his head, a tape is playing in a crazy voice, explaining what the thing in the meteor is, how it 'sucks...and it burrrrns... ' MC and cop leave, but a monster bug thing swoops down.. no wait, it's a branch of a tree.. and grabs and squishes the cop. MC finds daughter back at the well, she goes all purple and our MC gets a very small glimpse of a purple worm world of some kind, and he falls down. The grass grabs at him as daughter turns into a purple vortex, but he manages to run back into the house, where Cage is sitting , speaking in a womans voice... and they battle, but MC escapes, down into the cellar, and everything is totally purple now, aaand FoosH, everything disappears.
We see MC crawl out and walk over to the well, in black and white, all color is gone now, and after a slow fade we get a voiceover... from the story! Then we get more of same as we see MV smoking a cig or is it a reefer and staring out across the land. .. the voiceover gets the title in, and a bit more about 'the messenger from realms whos existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes.'
We see MC's cig butt floating in water as he walks off.
So, just like the book.
Ridiculous derivatory 'horror' movie, not tense or scary just kinda blecchh, and the most interesting bit, for me, wuz that the old hippy in the shed was listening to _Ultimate Spinach_'s 1st LP, from 1968.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

A bunch of documentaries while I was away from the computer, mostly delving into nostalgia for the 1970's (and maybe other times):

*Jimmy Carter:  Rock & Roll President *(2020) -- Details the connection between the politician and music (not just rock, despite the title, but also country and gospel.)

*Desert One *(2019) -- A discussion of and, through animation, a recreation of the attempt to rescue the hostages held by Iran during the Carter administration, in an operation that went horribly wrong before they got anywhere near the prisoners.

*Creem:  America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine *(2019) -- All about the publication that was something like the bratty little brother of _Rolling Stone_.

Three biographies of noted popular musicians:

*Linda Ronstadt:  The Sound of My Voice *(2019) -- Notable for her ability to succeed in a variety of genres.

*Gordon Lightfoot:  If You Could Read My Mind *(2019) -- Notable for longevity and for putting Canada on the popular music map.

*Harry Chapin:  When in Doubt, Do Something *(2020) -- Notable for his charity work against hunger and an early death in a traffic accident.


----------



## KGeo777

CASTLE OF BLOOD 1964 - This story about a writer who meets Poe and agrees to a bet to stay in a haunted house until morning has the concept that a person is split into three parts--the body, the spirit, and the senses. If a death is violent, the senses will carry on and keep the individual from truly dying. This is demonstrated by cutting a snake in half--the remake from 1971 by the same director has the same exact demonstration. But it the film is kind of creepy beyond that all too realistic bit of morbidity.


----------



## Foxbat

J Riff said:


> *The Color Out of Space*  2020 :_warning_:>>> blow by blow realtime spoilage alert* <<<
> ... half an hour in, all character development so far and this is not cutting it. What will they come up with to scare us... ah, our MC, a hydrologist young black guy, of course, who is gonna get involved with the young Wiccan daughter... cos it's 'Lovecraft...  of course...well his car starts up for no reason... but no real scares yet. The meteor has landed and some really stupid stuff has gone on... like dad, Nic Cage, going on TV and being ridiculed as a 'UFO witness' even after cops have been there and its obviously uhhh a meteorite... until... at 37 min. geez, mom cuts a couple fingers off for no reason, graphically, while slicing carrots as the little kid stands there... * Off to the hospital with her.  What else will they come up with... its high budget so... yech. Cage looks like he's not acting as he gags ... what am I doing in this movie...
> Now.. the little kid, of course, is being talked to by 'it' ... and the well is getting consistent scary music... and  the phones aren't working right... as the kid paints a monster while staring at the well.  In the well we get purple colors, and a huge purple bug crawls up outa there...we see the kid through its bug* vision... and it flies off. Same purple color now showing on the TV...
> Now the daughter sees the sink fill with blood... her phone acts up again, so she throws up. Now our MC figures out the water is contaminated.. and the little kid is playing with his invisible 'friend' in the well.
> Next, the crusty hippy character in the woodsy shed is recording sounds from below the ground... 'the aliens' ... 'up is down, fast is slow'... whoa, finally a jump scare as Cage and wife drive back from surgery on her hand... some kind of monster runs crost the road. Purple light pours from the well and the dog freaks out but the kid just sits there. More phone nonsense as daughter and pothead son get together with dad Cage, Mom and kid... and Cage is angry as he sees the Alpaca llamas are out of their cage.
> Lots swearing now as dad insists nothing is going on... he takes a shower and a glob of jelly stuff is plugging the drain, it grabs at his hand but he shrugs it off. Now there's a bad smell and the dog has vanished. Morning, and Cage picks giant weird tomatoes, up a month early. The phone acts up some more. Cage freaks out, smashing fruit... his skin goes all reptilian but he rubs whiskey on it and it goes away ... the TV acts up more... shots of the scary house.
> The daughter is gonna do a ritual... she pulls out her copy of the necronomicon,, she drips blood on it. Oh gosh now shes cutting herself up pretty bad...
> Son and little kid go into the barn but run right back out because the llamas have mutated into monsters radiating purple light. Mom and kid get zapped by a what looks like a million volts, from the barn. They take them inside and they are smoking and kinda fused together...daughter, bleeding everywhere, walks in and screams.. phone dead, car won't start, Cage freaks out.
> Suddenly at one hour fifteen, son and daughter figure out the meteor is to blame. Mom and kid are now a hellish fused mess on the couch, they take them up to the attic. Cage gets his shotgun and goes to the barn where the alpacas look really a lot like the dogs did in _The Thing_, and he blasts them to bits. Next Cage is gonna blast the wife and kid, like the alpacas, but he doesnt, he goes down and watches TV.
> Meanwhile our MC water inspector and some cops have found some mutated fused critters near town. The son and daughter are gonna try and ride out on horseback, but horsie's eyes turn purple and he runs off. Uh oh, the missing dog is in the well... son goes down there and yes purple protoplasm does him in. Cage freaks again and locks daughter in with fused Mom and kid. Here comes our MC with a cop, as Cage rants and converses with the TV.
> Upstairs, the mom/kid monster arises and menaces daughter. MC and cop enter the house and Cage is nuts, they race upstairs and blow the mom/kid monsters head off. The little kid thing is still alive so Cage blasts him too.
> MC carries daughter out, purple monster light comes from the well, Cage is gonna shoot at it, cop assumes he's gonna shoot MC so he shoots Cage.
> Now the old woodsy prospector has to be saved, so MC and cop go to his shed, he's dead with purple light in his head, a tape is playing in a crazy voice, explaining what the thing in the meteor is, how it 'sucks...and it burrrrns... ' MC and cop leave, but a monster bug thing swoops down.. no wait, it's a branch of a tree.. and grabs and squishes the cop. MC finds daughter back at the well, she goes all purple and our MC gets a very small glimpse of a purple worm world of some kind, and he falls down. The grass grabs at him as daughter turns into a purple vortex, but he manages to run back into the house, where Cage is sitting , speaking in a womans voice... and they battle, but MC escapes, down into the cellar, and everything is totally purple now, aaand FoosH, everything disappears.
> We see MC crawl out and walk over to the well, in black and white, all color is gone now, and after a slow fade we get a voiceover... from the story! Then we get more of same as we see MV smoking a cig or is it a reefer and staring out across the land. .. the voiceover gets the title in, and a bit more about 'the messenger from realms whos existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes.'
> We see MC's cig butt floating in water as he walks off.
> So, just like the book.
> Ridiculous derivatory 'horror' movie, not tense or scary just kinda blecchh, and the most interesting bit, for me, wuz that the old hippy in the shed was listening to _Ultimate Spinach_'s 1st LP, from 1968.


I have a copy of a German version of this story from 2010. I thought it was pretty decent. You may like this one better. Here's the IMDB page for it.








						The Color Out of Space (2010) - IMDb
					

The Color Out of Space: Directed by Huan Vu. With Paul Dorsch, Jürgen Heimüller, Ingo Heise, Philipp Jacobs. A boy, looking for his missing father, travels to Germany and uncovers a haunting legacy that a meteorite left behind in the area. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's short novel "The Color Out of...




					www.imdb.com


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Linda Ronstadt:  The Sound of My Voice *(2019) -- Notable for her ability to succeed in a variety of genres.



Saw that last year and thought it was excellent. Her interactions with other musicians was also new to me. Didn't realize she'd spent some time with the Laurel Canyon crowd, or her impact on Don Henley and Glenn Fry and the Eagles, though I was aware of her cover of "Desperado."


----------



## Rodders

Arrival as on telly last night and this was the first time I’ve watched it.

A beautiful movie, but the Idea of language unwrapping time just didn’t do it for me and it just left me with too many questions. I will watch it again though.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Just watched The King of Comedy for the first time in years, and I have to consider it as DeNiro's finest performance. At times it is painful to watch the pitfalls of fan worship and the to make it to the top in showbiz.  It's brilliant, it's funny and it's tragic in equal measures.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Flight Command* (1940) Ensign Alan Drake (Robert Taylor) is the new guy in the Hellcats, to replace the member who was killed. He gets off to a bad start, when he defies orders from Squadron Commander Billy Gary (Walter Pidgeon) and rather than bailing out, attempts to land his aircraft in the fog.  Not impressed by his attempt, the others nickname him Pensacola, after the city where the training academy was.

As the U.S. had not yet entered WWII, the activity was all training and such. But, after the failed attempt to land in the fog, he eventually bailed-out and ended up in the surf. Coming ashore, the first house he found was the Squadron Commander's though he was met by his wife (Ruth Hussey), as the C.O. was at the base. Unaware of the woman's marital status, he is attracted to her, & this will lead to drama, later.

Supporting cast includes Red Skelton as Lt. _*Mugger*_ Martin, in a presumed rare dramatic role. Two from the crime drama genre are Lt. *Dusty* Rhodes (Paul Kelly) & C.P.O. *Spike* Knowles (Nat Pendleton).  None of the other actors' names are familiar.



*BOMBERS B-52* (1957) Sgt. Chuck Brennan (Karl Malden) is an airplane mechanic for the Air Force during the Korean War.  Lt. Col. (later promoted to) Jim Herlihy (Efrem Zimbalist Jr) is a fighter pilot who requires nighttime maintenance on his plane; but this needs the lights turned on, & that will make their base a target for enemy bombers. Brennan, mistakenly assumes Herlihy merely wants to go to Tokyo to meet girls, and resents him for it. Years later, Brennan is the lead mechanic on a Stateside Air Force Base, when preparations begin to accommodate the much larger & massively heavier B-52. He is being instructed on the maintenance for the B-52, & is excited about working on it, until Herlihy arrives as the guy in-charge. Moreover, Brennan now has a young adult daughter named Lois (Natalie Wood), whom he much prefers to keep away from wolves such as he assumes Herlihy to be.




*Battle Beneath the Earth *(1967) I was searching TCM's streaming page, hoping to find *Odds Against Tomorrow*, which I must have forgotten to record. Not finding it, I found this odd film. A rogue Chinese general is burrowing beneath the Pacific ocean and branching-out under the USA, in the attempt to place atom bombs under major cities. He really wants to destroy the nation.   The good guys, by sheer chance, discover the scheme, & foil it. The one guy, has his ear to the sidewalk, and says something about them moving about like ants. He ends up in the rubber room, until the hero, has suspicion that he may be talking about enemy armies. 

This had some impressive sci-fi elements, but overall, must have been judged a poor film. It had an a-bomb detonating undersea, but the hero & his girl, at the other end of the tunnel, safe & sound, rather than being blown away by the gun barrel-like blast. 

They had a transport between North America and Asia that I believe can best be likened to the way banks send objects to and from the drive-in tellers
& the cars outside. Apparently, travel between the continents takes only a matter of  minutes, as the passenger is in a rather cramped container.


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## AlexH

Toby Frost said:


> I've not seen any more Ghibli films but I'm planning on watching several more. Both Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away look very good.


They're the best two in my opinion, and I love them both (I think Spirited Away is pretty much perfect), though Nausicaa is my absolute favourite.


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## AlexH

8/10:
*Fighting with My Family *(2019)
Fighting with My Family had its downbeat moments, but it was a funny heartwarming drama about a wrestling family, mostly a brother and sister from Norwich, UK who dream of making it to World Wrestling Entertainment. I thought Fighting with My Family was going to be big, American and glitzy, but maybe I was fooled by The Rock/Dwayne Johnson being in it. It was actually very British (including the humour). Based on a true story, which I didn't realise until the end. I looked up truth vs fiction, and this is one of the truest true stories I've seen, which made it all the more amazing. I only watched it for research given it's related to a story I wrote a few years ago and plan to follow up, and it turned out to be one of my favourite films I've seen this year.

*Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol* (2011)
I didn't realise I hadn't seen so many of the Tom Cruise M:I films. I saw the first around release time and thought it was good, and enjoyed the most recent at the cinema wondering why I didn't know the characters. Because I hadn't seen the films! So I've been working my way back. Ghost Protocol is the most fun of the M:I films I've seen so far, with plenty of laughs. Brilliant entertainment.

7/10:
*The Babadook* (2014)
Pretty good for a horror film (I'm not horror's biggest fan), though I preferred the earlier parts where the horror seemed more psychological.

*Angel Face* (1953)
Good film noir about the crazy (or is she just sweet?) Diane Tremayne.

*Where the Sidewalk Ends* (1950)
Another good film noir about a cop with a temper.

*The Place Beyond the Pines* (2012)
A crime thriller in three parts, each a continuation of the previous part. The first part was compelling, the other parts not so much, where the characters weren't as interesting and there wasn't as much action.

*The Land Before Time* (1988)
An 80s animation classic that didn't quite have the magic of some of my favourites.

*All the President's Men* (1976)
I think in terms of newsroom investigations, the closest comparison I have is Spotlight, and All the President's Men and Watergate was good, but nowhere near as compelling as Spotlight.

6/10:
*eXistenZ *(1999)
Sci-fi with an interesting premise (game designer having to play her latest VR game to see if it's damaged) that didn't live up to its promise.

*We Need to Talk About Kevin* (2011)
A mother doesn't seem to love her newborn son - is the way he turns out her fault? Good performances from the leads, but I didn't get into the film. I think partly because I wasn't sure whether the mother was meant to have postnatal depression (I thought not as the film progressed).

*Clue *(1985)
Comedy thriller based on the board game (Cluedo in the UK). I thought most of the jokes fell flat. Maybe it showed its age.

*Fisherman's Friends *(2019)
Another feelgood true story about some singing fishermen who are signed to a record label, but it dragged on too long for me and some of the characters weren't all that likeable.

4/10:
Sånger från andra våningen/*Songs from the Second Floor *(2000)
Highly-rated Swedish comedy set at the turn of the new millennium. Despite it starting intriguingly, I found it difficult to get into, as it ended up being a series of vignettes of different characters with nothing for me to latch on to.


----------



## hitmouse

Devil’s Express (1976) A curious potpurri of blaxploitation spiritual martial arts gang warfare mismatched cop team zombie subway movie. Terrible acting, rotten fight choreography, awful script, and laughable plot, and yet it is quite entertaining. Decent street filming of 1970s New York is always a bonus, as is the lead actor Warhawk Tanzania, who does his moves in gold velvet flared dungarees. 
On Amazon. Quite good fun.


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## KGeo777

hitmouse said:


> Devil’s Express (1976) A curious potpurri of blaxploitation spiritual martial arts gang warfare mismatched cop team zombie subway movie. Terrible acting, rotten fight choreography, awful script, and laughable plot, and yet it is quite entertaining. Decent street filming of 1970s New York is always a bonus, as is the lead actor Warhawk Tanzania, who does his moves in gold velvet flared dungarees.
> On Amazon. Quite good fun.



The creature suit in that is very good for the time and budget. It looks like a 1980s professionally made spfx  costume. There were not many full costume monster suits outside of Japan in those days.


----------



## Vince W

*Coming 2 America*. Woof. I had only moderate praise for the original, but this adds nothing to its predecessor and in places detracts from it. The only real laughs were when Murphy and Hall put on the make up again and let themselves go. And there wasn't much of that. I think Murphy should just enjoy his money and move on from acting.


----------



## Toby Frost

I watched the first half of *Ghostbusters *(1984) for the first time in twenty years or so. Wow, this hasn't aged terribly well. The three leads are basically characterised as a nerdy scientist, a jolly fool and... er... a dirty old man who's not actually very old? I'm  prepared to give older films some leeway but this isn't great. I kept expecting Sigourney Weaver to punch him, tape some guns together and deal with Hell by herself.


----------



## Extollager

_The White Countess _(2005), a Merchant Ivory movie. It is not a movie for people who want a lot of fast action, witty repartee, & so on. I think it was an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, but it could be taken for an adaptation of a literary novel.  The missus and I quite liked it.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Up next GENIOUS with Colin Firth.


----------



## Mouse

*New Mutants*. Good, horror-y X-Men film. Magik needs her own film though.


----------



## Randy M.

*Coffy* (1973) dir. Jack Hill; starring Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, William Elliot

Black exploitation movie, the one that made Grier a star. As Hitmouse mentioned above, too often the director and writer created opportunities to get Grier's clothes off or half-off. The acting is sometimes awkward and not helped by ham-handed dialog or editing that isn't exactly on point, but there's a wild energy to the movie, a kind of The Bride Wore Black vibe mixed with legitimate community concerns about drug dealing and corruption in local government, that carries it along. Doesn't hurt to have Alan Arbus playing a bad guy (_M*A*S*H_ fans will recall his appearances on that show) and Sid Haig chewing some scenery.

I have the opportunity to watch _Foxy Brown_ and may take it before pulling out _Jackie Brown_, which I've had on DVR for a while and should get to. I've seen Grier in some later roles -- like a grandmother on _This is Us_ -- and it's fascinating to see how much better she's become while not losing the charisma that pulls your eyes to her when she's in a scene.


And now, for something completely different ...

*Enola Holmes* (2020)

(You thought it'd be something Pythonesque, right? Sorry.) Millie Bobbie Brown is a force to be reckoned with and will probably continue to be if she chooses her roles wisely. I liked her in _Strange Things_ and she's every bit as engaging here and in a mostly different emotional register. This is a well-produced, smartly directed movie but it holds together because she is the center of the movie and holds it together. I wasn't impressed by casting Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, but he does rather better than I'd expected; his scenes with Brown are good. Even better are Brown's scenes with Helena Bonham Carter; I wish there had been more of them.  

Not a great movie (interesting, somewhat critical review of it from one of the sharpest writers at CrimeReads) but maybe an indication of things to come from Brown.


----------



## Parson

Finished all 5 seasons of *The* *Expanse. *I limited myself to episode a  night to savor one of the best SF television series ever.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Just finished Your Honour in 3 nights. The Judge trying to explain himself out of situations was Walter White all over again. It was good, but I'm not sure it's close to being Breaking Bad brilliant.


----------



## alexvss

*Primer (2004) *is one of the movies I've watched this weekend--and boy, did I like it! It's a indie flick written, directed, produced and starred by the same guy. It's about two engineers who build a time machine that takes them back some hours in the past, so they can have 36 hour-days. They now know the movement of the stock market. A murder also happens, so they come back to intervene. It's difficult to understand and mindblowing. Looks like (I'm not sure) that they also created another dimension, and the dimensions intertwined, so they were living with themselves in the same dimension.

My reaction after watching it:


----------



## KGeo777

Vendetta di Ercole 1960 -also known as Goliath and the Dragon--the Italian version is superior for the story--since it doesnt have the over the top dubbing which I usually like but in this case having watched the other version--the drama works much better without the unintentional comedy of the english voice overs. And the musical score is less intrusive in the Italian version.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Contact *(1997)

Well, what do you know.  An intelligent science fiction movie.  Completely convincing, too, despite some melodramatic and even mystical (in the sense of "any sufficiently advanced technology . . .") events in the plot.   The most believable working scientists I've ever seen on film.  The way that the general public reacts to First Contact made me nod my head and say "Yep, that's exactly what would happen."  Works as a human drama as well.  Very nicely filmed, excellently acted, good restrained use of gosh-wow special effects.    It sure doesn't seem like it's nearly a quarter of a century old.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Legend* [1985 - Ridley Scott]
There is so much wrong with this film but I still love it. The chemistry between the leads is totally absent. Tom Cruise [who was in his 30s at this time] just doesn't have the acting chops. Mia Sara looks suitably as a damsel-in-distress.
And after several viewing over the years, i am still not certain what the plot is...
So why do I love it?
Tim Curry as the Big Bad. He over acts so wonderfully that I end up rooting for him.
And it looks amazing. Whatever might be said about Sir Ridley Scott, he can make beautiful looking films...


----------



## Toby Frost

CupofJoe said:


> Whatever might be said about Sir Ridley Scott, he cam make beautiful looking films...



Very true - it's a great strength and a massive flaw!


----------



## Vince W

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Contact *(1997)
> 
> Well, what do you know.  An intelligent science fiction movie.  Completely convincing, too, despite some melodramatic and even mystical (in the sense of "any sufficiently advanced technology . . .") events in the plot.   The most believable working scientists I've ever seen on film.  The way that the general public reacts to First Contact made me nod my head and say "Yep, that's exactly what would happen."  Works as a human drama as well.  Very nicely filmed, excellently acted, good restrained use of gosh-wow special effects.    It sure doesn't seem like it's nearly a quarter of a century old.


It gets watched at least once a year in my home. It never disappoints.


----------



## Toby Frost

I finished *Ghostbusters* (1984). It picks up a good deal in the second half and becomes pretty entertaining. However, it still feels like a first attempt at this sort of film: it's never especially exciting or funny, although it's amusing, and there are a few oddly adult jokes amid the silliness. The hero is a jerk, but the supporting cast are all very likeable. The lead characters all smoke! 6.5 out of 10.


----------



## AlexH

alexvss said:


> *Primer (2004) *is one of the movies I've watched this weekend--and boy, did I like it! It's a indie flick written, directed, produced and starred by the same guy. It's about two engineers who build a time machine that takes them back some hours in the past, so they can have 36 hour-days. They now know the movement of the stock market. A murder also happens, so they come back to intervene. It's difficult to understand and mindblowing. Looks like (I'm not sure) that they also created another dimension, and the dimensions intertwined, so they were living with themselves in the same dimension.
> 
> My reaction after watching it:
> 
> View attachment 76561


I'm glad you liked Primer! Have you seen Moon, Coherence, The Man from Earth or Another Earth? Other great low budget sci-fi films that get the mind going I think (though maybe not quite in the same way as Primer). Upstream Colour was the follow-up film from the guy who made Primer, but it was too mind-bending for me.


----------



## Randy M.

Toby Frost said:


> I finished *Ghostbusters* (1984). It picks up a good deal in the second half and becomes pretty entertaining. However, it still feels like a first attempt at this sort of film: it's never especially exciting or funny,



Not exciting in an action/adventure way, but I found it funny and the audience I saw it with in '84 did, too. Last I saw it a few years ago it still made me laugh, though there's probably an element of nostalgia to account for in that.



> although it's amusing, and there are a few oddly adult jokes amid the silliness.



It wasn't aimed at kids. It was from the folks who gave us _Caddyshack, Meatballs, Stripes _and _Animal House. _As I recall, John Belushi was supposed to be in the Bill Murray role but died too soon.



> The hero is a jerk,



Bill Murray. He's a good actor but sometimes plays himself., apparently.



> but the supporting cast are all very likeable. The lead characters all smoke!



As many were still doing in restaurants, bowling alleys, office buildings, college class rooms ...


----------



## Jeffbert

*PARDON US* () L&H in what was intended to be a 2 reel short film, but because of the cost involved in building the prison set, was about an hour. L&H decide to become bootleggers, but end up in prison. Laurel has an odd speech impediment because of a loose tooth. So, when he says certain sounds, he adds a Bronx cheer, which annoys the Warden And the Tiger (the toughest guy in prison). So, they are tossed in with 5 others in a 6 bunk cell. Obviously, they end up sharing one of the top bunks.   While Laurel was trying to make himself comfortable, he was squirming around, & I just knew the whole thing was going to collapse.

TCM followed this with a short narrated by Luke Skywalker (sorry, cannot think of actor's name) about L&H, even funnier than this film.


----------



## alexvss

AlexH said:


> I'm glad you liked Primer! Have you seen Moon, Coherence, The Man from Earth or Another Earth? Other great low budget sci-fi films that get the mind going I think (though maybe not quite in the same way as Primer). Upstream Colour was the follow-up film from the guy who made Primer, but it was too mind-bending for me.


From the ones you mentioned, I've just seen Moon. It's great! I'll check out the other ones. Have you seen *Sunshine (2007)*? Another one I liked. It's less brainy but it's fun.


----------



## alexvss

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Contact *(1997)
> 
> Well, what do you know.  An intelligent science fiction movie.  Completely convincing, too, despite some melodramatic and even mystical (in the sense of "any sufficiently advanced technology . . .") events in the plot.   The most believable working scientists I've ever seen on film.  The way that the general public reacts to First Contact made me nod my head and say "Yep, that's exactly what would happen."  Works as a human drama as well.  Very nicely filmed, excellently acted, good restrained use of gosh-wow special effects.    It sure doesn't seem like it's nearly a quarter of a century old.


I also watched this one some weeks ago. It's great, made back when Zemeckis still knew how to make good movies. THAT scene is out of this world! (sorry for the pun).
What made me watch this movie was an article (Why ‘Contact’ Is the Most Important Space Movie Ever Made) about how this movie is important. It inspired an entire generation of scientists, particularly female scientists. The last time that happened (that I know of) was when Dolly was cloned back in 96.
I just didn't like the portrayal of religion versus science. It's a dumb science-fiction trope that must go. I'm deeply religious and I would not give a rat's ass if aliens appeared (or rather, I'd become even more religious).


----------



## SashaMcallister

Knives Out.  Brilliantly done too I might add.


----------



## Parson

l watched *Skin* a docudrama about a girl living in the 60's in South Africa, who looked obviously bi-racial, but as nearly as could be at that time, proven to be the daughter of at least 3 generations of "white" ancestors. ---- I could not finish it. I hated that everyone was acting as if there were more than one race of people on planet Earth, the human race!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hidden Figures *(2016)
Brilliant story of the incredibly talented female black scientists at NASA in the 60s.


----------



## AE35Unit

SashaMcallister said:


> Knives Out.  Brilliantly done too I might add.


I enjoyed that one!


----------



## Hilarious Joke

I watched *Galaxy Quest *with my wife and little brother last night. Was nostalgic and a bit of fun


----------



## Vince W

AE35Unit said:


> *Hidden Figures *(2016)
> Brilliant story of the incredibly talented female black scientists at NASA in the 60s.


It was a very enjoyable film, but I couldn't help feeling that the producers were holding back.


----------



## Vince W

Hilarious Joke said:


> I watched *Galaxy Quest *with my wife and little brother last night. Was nostalgic and a bit of fun


Which is the entire point of the film.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watching GENIOUS about Author Thomas Wolfe.


----------



## Droflet

Ah, Dave, I like this show. Is this the second series?


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Ruby Sparks.* Interesting movie about an author that somehow writes his dream woman (titular character) into existence but then has to deal with the fact that he can write anything he wants and change who she is/ how she acts. I liked it.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Big Sleep* (1978)  d: Michael Winner, s: Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, Candy Clark, Richard Boone, etc

I've seen the 1946 version (and 1944 first-cut version) of The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall countless times as it's one of my all-time favorite movies.  I knew about the 1978 remake, but I'd never seen it until last night.

Robert Mitchum is Philip Marlow, the original hard-luck detective pounding the rough streets of L.A.  (Cue record scratch sound) But in a location twist, Marlow is pounding the well-groomed estates of St. Johns Wood as well as some barren streets of downtown London.
He visits General Sternwood, played by Jimmy Stewart, a retired general and millionaire whose fast and loose daughters maneuver between London's rich and seedy.   The plot follows the book a little closer than the 1946 movie as the elder daughter Charlotte is the estranged wife of Rusty Regan, the plot's MacGuffin.     

Mitchum is totally believable throughout even as a transplanted American in London.   In a what-are-you-doing-here moment, Joan Collins is at her seductive best playing Agnes, a woman coyly on the make and always at the expense of her men.   Richard Boone plays Lash Canino, a muscle for hire gangster who works for Eddie Mars, a casino owner and racketeer.

But that's where it ends.  Camilla (Carmen in the 1946 version) is played by Candy Clark who everyone loved in American Graffiti.  Here she tries to play a spoiled psychotic drugged-out nymphomaniac, however, watching her badly adlib her role was unbearable.  Her sister Charlotte (Vivian in 1946) is played by Sarah Miles, an accomplished British actress better known for Blow-Up and Ryan's Daughter.   But she seemed out of place with her American father and sister.  Edward Fox plays grifter Joe Brody, and it looked like he just walked off the set of The Day of the Jackal - same same jacket and ascot.

The Big Sleep 1978 remake is an uneven and disjointed effort but still worth a watch even though it isn't anywhere near the 1946 masterpiece.


----------



## KGeo777

I didnt like the 1978  The Big Sleep, except for the Joan Collins scene.
They could have cast someone better than Candy Clark.  What a misfire. They say scenes with Martha Vickers in the 1946 film were cut because she was taking too much attention off Lauren Bacall. I would like to see those missing scenes!

I watched

GANG WAR IN MILAN 1973 - "This violent crime thriller deals with the rivalry between a pair of kingpins in the Milanese prostitution racket. Sadistic gang warfare ensues until a truce is called. However, the truce ends when one gangster has his mistress leave him for the other gangster and is betrayed by his own men."


----------



## Dave Vicks

GENIUS is a good movie.


----------



## Droflet

Opps, I just sent you a PM about this. There was a tv series by the same name that I really enjoyed. Okay, got it. I'll see if I can find this MOVIE.


----------



## AstroZon

KGeo777 said:


> I didnt like the 1978  The Big Sleep, except for the Joan Collins scene.
> They could have cast someone better than Candy Clark.  What a misfire. They say scenes with Martha Vickers in the 1946 film were cut because she was taking too much attention off Lauren Bacall. I would like to see those missing scenes!



The DVD version that I have has both the 1946 and 1944 versions.  I actually prefer the 1944 version as it makes sense (you know who killed whom,) and it's more noirish in mood.  Martha Vickers doesn't fair much better in either version, so the missing scenes are likely lost.


----------



## paranoid marvin

AstroZon said:


> The DVD version that I have has both the 1946 and 1944 versions.  I actually prefer the 1944 version as it makes sense (you know who killed whom,) and it's more noirish in mood.  Martha Vickers doesn't fair much better in either version, so the missing scenes are likely lost.




Film noir looks _so _much better in b&w.


----------



## Parson

Watched Disney's live action *Mulan, --- *just to show how I differ from most, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was panned so much by the critics you would have thought it was something truly horrible.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Parson said:


> Watched Disney's live action *Mulan, --- *just to show how I differ from most, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was panned so much by the critics you would have thought it was something truly horrible.


I didn't much like it, but my wife agrees with you Parson!


----------



## Jeffbert

THE NIGHT HOLDS TERROR (1955) NOIR ALLEY. Family man Gene Courtier (Jack Kelly) driving down a desert highway picks up a hitchhiker, and wishes he had not. Very tense drama, about three hoodlums holding the man and his family for ransom. None of these faces were familiar, except John Cassavetes who was the gang leader. 

The recording itself suffered from a few glitches.  For instance, when the victim's wife was speaking on the phone it skipped forward into a different scene. Sadly, both the 12 Am & 10 Am recordings on my DVR had the glitches. 

One very interesting element was the detailed tracing of the phone calls. Narrated scenes showing various parts of the telephone company's system. Sadly, they gave away the game to any future kidnappers, who would learn the error of staying on the line too long. 

Anybody old enough to remember this:


?



*PROJECT MOON BASE* (1953) A few days ago, I downgraded my NETFLIX DVD  subscription from 3 to just 1 disc. I was deleting titles from my queue while checking PRIME to see if they were available there. Somehow, I found this B-grade sci-fi film, that had a mix of politically correct & very politically incorrect content. 

It was set in the 1980s, when the President of the USA was or would be a woman, but the male General felt no hesitation to threaten an uncooperative female Colonel with putting her over his knee, etc. 

So, by the 1980s there would be a very large space station orbiting Earth, but, still  no mission to the Moon. That was to change, but they intended to merely orbit and photograph the Moon.

So, the villains want to stop the USA's space missions, & send an impostor to sabotage the thing. Not bad drama, but pathetic sets. What passed for mission control was just 1 man sitting at a metal desk with high-tech console stuff on it. 

There were 2 candidates for the mission, a man and a woman named Colonel Briteis though the general called her "Bright Eyes" (Donna Martell). Maj. Bill Moore (Ross Ford); these two had their conflicts, etc. With him being passed for promotion by her. 


Yet another not so classic sci-fi movie I finally watched.


----------



## Parson

Hilarious Joke said:


> I didn't much like it, but my wife agrees with you Parson!


At least one of you has good taste. But I ain't sayin which one of you.


Jeffbert said:


> Anybody old enough to remember this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ?



I remember the kind of pump, prices lower than that, and the date on the seal. ---- It was actually just yesterday. Or so it seems.


----------



## Don

alexvss said:


> *Primer (2004) *is one of the movies I've watched this weekend--and boy, did I like it! It's a indie flick written, directed, produced and starred by the same guy. It's about two engineers who build a time machine that takes them back some hours in the past, so they can have 36 hour-days. They now know the movement of the stock market. A murder also happens, so they come back to intervene. It's difficult to understand and mindblowing. Looks like (I'm not sure) that they also created another dimension, and the dimensions intertwined, so they were living with themselves in the same dimension.



A framed 2' X 3' printout of this chart hangs on my wall. (My wife says I make work out of everything, even recreational activities.  ) Diagram 1 at Primer - The Smartest Time Travel Film Ever Made - shows a clearer version of the chart.


----------



## KGeo777

THE GIANT OF METROPOLIS 1961   Gordon Mitchell stars as Ohro, a pacifist barbarian who is sent to warn an Atlantis-type city to stop messing with science as it may cause Nature to retaliate. The leader of the city is trying to make his son immortal by a brain and soul transplant. The dubbing is really bad--they show a dead guy and the observer says "this is is the slave girl of the princess."
Ohro, despite being a pacifist, ends up smashing heads with a steel ball on a chain, a giant rubber bone, and garden utensils which he uses to slashes faces with. 
The city is futuristic with circular doors that open in sci-fi fashion. The doors on Star Trek were less fancy than these ones. But that's about the only notable positive.


----------



## alexvss

Don said:


> A framed 2' X 3' printout of this chart hangs on my wall. (My wife says I make work out of everything, even recreational activities.  ) Diagram 1 at Primer - The Smartest Time Travel Film Ever Made - shows a clearer version of the chart.


Wow, so you are really a fan! I have watched a video on YouTube explaining the movie.

I had a *Pulp Fiction *(1994) poster hanging on my bedroom wall in my old home. I don't know what my wife would say about having Uma Thurman looking at us while we're in bed. Good that I never married


----------



## AstroZon

*Farewell My Lovely* (1975) d: Dick Richards, S: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Jack O'Halloran 

I put up a review of another Raymond Chandler movie, The Big Sleep, also staring Robert Mitchum, and what a difference.  Farewell My Lovely is definitely a good movie - excellent in fact.  Mitchum totally nails Philip Marlow in this one.  I have on DVD the earlier version of this movie retitled Murder My Sweet (1944) which is really good, but because of Hays Code, it couldn't get very deep into the seediness of the novel.  

Farewell My Lovely gets right into it.  Jack O'Halloran is the perfect Moose Malloy, and Charlotte Rampling ... (I don't want to spoil it.)

It's on YouTube.  Highly recommended.  (Rated R.)


----------



## pogopossum

*FARMAGEDDON*




Not only am I a Shaun The Sheep - and AArdman generally - groupie, but this one as an SF spoof does the studio proud.
See how many Easter Eggs you can catch. I spotted about a half dozen, the most obvious being Tom Baker, complete with scarf, coming out of a potty/police box.
Here's a TRAILER


----------



## Droflet

I missed this one. Thanks for the heads up, Possum.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Blood and Black Lace (1964): a deeply disturbing giallo film. I'm getting more and more into the genre.
Moonlight (2016): Heartbreaking. A gay black man bullied and lost through his life. I wish the ending were less ambiguous.
Lady Bird (2017): both charmingly funny and sadly heartwarming.


----------



## REBerg

*Captain Marvel*
Dazzling, literally. Goose should have gotten an Academy Award nomination.


----------



## Randy M.

AstroZon said:


> *Farewell My Lovely* (1975) d: Dick Richards, S: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Jack O'Halloran
> 
> [...] Jack O'Halloran is the perfect Moose Malloy, and Charlotte Rampling ... (I don't want to spoil it.)
> 
> It's on YouTube.  Highly recommended.  (Rated R.)



Charlotte Rampling is the perfect Lauren Bacall/Claire Trevor substitute. 

I liked it, too.


----------



## Vince W

pogopossum said:


> *FARMAGEDDON*
> 
> View attachment 76857
> Not only am I a Shaun The Sheep - and AArdman generally - groupie, but this one as an SF spoof does the studio proud.
> See how many Easter Eggs you can catch. I spotted about a half dozen, the most obvious being Tom Baker, complete with scarf, coming out of a potty/police box.
> Here's a TRAILER


I'm an Aardman junkie and this was great fun. I do need to watch it again.


----------



## alexvss

*Dead Space: Downfall (2008)*. I didn't know this movie existed until it popped up on Amazon Prime. I really like the first two games. They were one of the best survival horrors of the previous generation. Too bad that the third installment was such a downer... I'm current waiting for Dead Space's spiritual sucessor, The Callisto Protocol, announced just the other day.

About the movie: I think it's the best that American 2D animation can offer. The characters are bland, but the story is good, as it copies the first game. It's space horror at its finest.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Devil Bat's Daughter *(1946)

Sequel to the cheap and silly but very entertaining Bela Lugosi flick *The Devil Bat *(1940).  This one is even cheaper, but not anywhere near as silly or entertaining.  Woman is found in a coma.  Turns out she's the daughter of the Lugosi character in the first film, and went into shock when she learned of her father's death (killed by the giant bats he created.)  Somehow, the term "Devil Bat" got assigned to him as a nickname.  Anyway, she winds up in the home of a psychiatrist and his wife.  We find out pretty quick the psychiatrist has a girlfriend, and the wife has an adult son from a previous marriage coming back from the war.  (In typical Hollywood fashion, the actor playing the son is only three years younger than the actress playing the mother.)  Love soon blooms between the son and the Devil Bat's Daughter, although she still has blurry visions of giant bats and freaks out even when she sees a bird, thinking it's a bat.  The son's dog gets stabbed to death, as does the psychiatrist's wife.  Everybody thinks the Devil Bat's Daughter is guilty; even she blames herself.  Newspapers call her a "vampire" murderer, apparently just due to her father's reputation.  You've probably figured out who's really guilty.  We also find out that everything we saw in *The Devil Bat* was wrong; Lugosi wasn't really a mad cosmetologist (!) who used aftershave to mark the victims of his giant bats; he was just a misunderstood good guy.  So much for continuity.  The Devil Bat's Daughter is played by Miss America of 1941.


----------



## Droflet

Oh, my. Thanks for the warning, Victoria.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Did The Night Holds Terror have a dog in it?


----------



## Rodders

alexvss said:


> *Dead Space: Downfall (2008)*. I didn't know this movie existed until it popped up on Amazon Prime. I really like the first two games. They were one of the best survival horrors of the previous generation. Too bad that the third installment was such a downer... I'm current waiting for Dead Space's spiritual successor, The Callisto Protocol, announced just the other day.
> 
> About the movie: I think it's the best that American 2D animation can offer. The characters are bland, but the story is good, as it copies the first game. It's space horror at its finest.



I hadn't heard of Dead Space: Downfall and will try and check it out. I too loved Dead Space and I keep meaning to pick up the books.

Is the Callisto Protocol related to Dead Space, or is it another SF Survival Horror?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Strangler of the Swamp *(1946)

Same director, same year, same low budget, and same Miss America leading lady as *Devil Bat's Daughter*, but a much better film.  Takes place almost entirely in fog-shrouded swampland (obviously sets, but moody and effective anyway.)  Our back story tells us that some guy was unjustly hung for murder years ago, and now his ghost haunts the swamps, strangling those responsible and their male descendants.  Miss America shows up as the granddaughter of a deceased ferryman who takes over the job.  The mythic tale has her offering her own life to the ghost in order to spare the life of the man she loves.  A simple enough plot, but tons of atmosphere.


----------



## alexvss

Rodders said:


> I hadn't heard of Dead Space: Downfall and will try and check it out. I too loved Dead Space and I keep meaning to pick up the books.
> 
> Is the Callisto Protocol related to Dead Space, or is it another SF Survival Horror?


You won't be disappointed. It's a good flick, very short. I didn't know there were books. So they really made a franchise around that IP. Sad that all's gone to sh**. 

The Callisto Protocol is a "spiritual sucessor" so I don't think it has ties to Dead Space. It's another space horror by the same developer. It's like Limbo and Inside.


----------



## Jeffbert

*RUN SILENT RUN DEEP* (1958) A WWII submarine drama, & a very good one, at that. 
Commander Richardson (Clark Gable) is a sub commander in the Pacific, & while attacking a convoy, his sub is sunk by depth charges. He is sitting behind a desk for the next year, but itching to get another chance at the Akikaze_, _the enemy ship that had sunk not only his sub, but three more that had been assigned to the area. 

Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe (Burt Lancaster) is expecting a promotion to Captain, & assigned his own sub, but, is disappointed when Richardson cuts him off and takes the top slot, naming Bledsoe as his Executive officer. Thus, there is that conflict throughout. 

Once at sea, Richardson runs very many intense drills, expecting to reduce the time between giving the order to dive, and being ready to fire torpedoes from 38 to 33 seconds.  He intends to attack the Akikaze, even though orders forbid entering the area.


----------



## Droflet

Not as good, or hammy, as Torpedoe Run, but still a good submarine movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

Just re-watched TORPEDO RUN (1958). iF I had only read the synopsis, I would have watched something else, as it had an element I found unpleasant.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Milpitas Monster *AKA *The Mutant Beast* (1976)

Ultra-low budget monster movie that began life as a high school project.  A fifty-foot tall creature rises up out of the refuse dump of the northern California town of Milpitas, where this was filmed, in search of garbage.  It steals garbage cans (leading to the citizens of the town carrying protest signs reading "We Want Our Garbage Cans"), turns garbage trucks upside down, and, in King Kong style, carries off a teenage girl from the high school dance.  As you can tell, this isn't the most serious movie in the world, and a lot of time is spent with comedy courtesy of the town drunk.  The monster is pretty decent for a high school project, with glowing eyes and wings (although it doesn't fly.)  The actors are almost all local amateurs, but I've seen a lot worse.  Appreciate it as a labor of love and you'll have a good time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nightmare in Blood* (1977)

Produced, directed, and co-written by John Stanley, best known as the host of horror movies on the TV show _Creature Features _and author of horror movie reference books.   It's not a big surprise that it's a horror movie about horror movies.  We start with a movie-within-the-movie.  It seems to be a Hammer style vampire flick set during the French revolution; we've got swordfights, a guillotine, and the staking of a bloodsucker.  The actor playing the vampire is a horror superstar known only as Malakai.   Surprise!  He's really a vampire.  He's aided in his pursuit of blood by, believe it or not, Burke and Hare, who have been kept alive through Malakai's alchemy.   He shows up at a horror convention, where we meet a whole bunch of characters.  Our heroes are a trio of folks running the convention.  Later, we add a hippie comic book fan and a Nazi-hunter turned vampire-hunter who has been tracking down Malakai for decades.  (He shows the others real concentration camp footage as he tells them of Malakai's past history performing human experiments to create the life extension formula.  This is in really bad taste in an otherwise tongue-in-cheek film.)  Along for the fun is, predictably, a TV horror host.  There's also the elderly caretaker of the movie theater hosting the horror convention, who talks about the good old days of silent horror movies.  Then there's the psychologist who leads a crusade against horror movies because of their damaging effect on children's minds.  (He arranges for a bunch of mothers to carry protest signs at the convention.)  There are lots of old horror movie posters on display, several scenes at a comic book shop with lots of old comic books shown, and other stuff to interest fans.  As a movie, it's kind of slow, talky, and cheap.  As a tribute to horror movie buffs, it's fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Black Moon *(1934)

Moody, atmospheric, handsomely filmed horror film.  Third-billed Dorothy Burgess is actually the most important and most interesting character.  She's the wife of a rich guy (first-billed Jack Holt) and the mother of their young daughter.  She grew up on a fictional Caribbean island.  (French-speaking, but the character is of Spanish ancestry, it seems; her name is Juanita Perez.)  She feels compelled to go back to the island.  Husband says OK, but her uncle, still living on the island, sends a guy to warn her to stay away.  Meanwhile, second-billed Fay Wray tells the husband she wants to quit her job as his secretary.  The reason?  She's had her heart broken by a married man, and doesn't want to "live in sin" or kill herself.  (That's two pre-Code themes right there!)  He asks her to go with his wife to the island instead, to keep an eye on her.  The guy who tried to warn the wife not to go tries to warn the husband also, but is killed when a "native" throws a knife at him, the first of our shock scenes.  The wife and daughter and secretary and the child's nursemaid get to the island.  Wray gets spooked by the place, and sends a telegram asking the husband to show up.  In our next shock scene, we see the poor guy who sent the telegram hanging by his neck.  Husband shows up with an African-American fellow (not a "native" of the island, who he dismisses as "monkey chasers.")  This character is, of course, a bit of a stereotype, given the year, but he proves to be heroic and resourceful.   Our next shock scene is when the body of the nursemaid is found in a volcanic pit.  All this is going on because the wife witnessed a voodoo ritual when she was only two years old, and was raised by a "native" nursemaid.  (In this film, you have to accept the premise that voodoo is pure evil, involving human sacrifices.)  She has thus been corrupted into participating in them herself, as a sort of "white priestess."  Will daughter and/or husband be the next victims?  It all leads up to an ending that is both tragic and hopeful.  It's quite a good film, reminiscent of the Val Lewton chillers of the 1940's.  No true supernatural elements, but genuinely spooky.


----------



## Phyrebrat

alexvss said:


> *Dead Space: Downfall (2008)*. I didn't know this movie existed until it popped up on Amazon Prime. I really like the first two games. They were one of the best survival horrors of the previous generation. Too bad that the third installment was such a downer... I'm current waiting for Dead Space's spiritual sucessor, The Callisto Protocol, announced just the other day.
> 
> About the movie: I think it's the best that American 2D animation can offer. The characters are bland, but the story is good, as it copies the first game. It's space horror at its finest.



Check out Dead Space:Aftermath, too. It’s another animated film that deals with the background of Stross from the DS2 game.


----------



## Foxbat

Nicholas And Alexandra (1971). It was interesting watching this slightly overlong picture dealing with Russia’s last tsar. I‘ve recently just finished rewatching the excellent BBC historical drama Fall Of Eagles. It gave me a chance to view, almost side by side, events like Bloody Sunday at the Winter Palace. It turned out to be a good way to see in action duplicate events but with different lead ups. A lesson in the ways scriptwriters can manipulate reality for their own dramatic ends.

Decent movie and decent series. Both are worth watching for anybody with an interest in these events.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Murder in the Museum *(1934)

Not a museum at all, but a cheap sideshow, with "freaks" and fortune tellers and belly dancers and so on.  There's also dope-peddling going on.  (Pre-Code!)  A city councilman and a police commissioner show up to investigate the place, so the hoochy-coochy dancers are told to "tame it down."  (Funny bit here.  The barker tells the marks that they'll see her "shake her shimmy" for ten cents.  This turns out to be a pair of chemises hanging on a line, which she shakes.  Then the rubes can pay another twenty-five cents for the "real" show, once the cops leave.  Pre-Code!)  The councilman gets shot dead by an unseen somebody.  Our heroes are the usual wisecracking reporter and the niece of the police commissioner.  Whodunit?  The Mexican knife thrower?  (His act causes the dress of the woman he's throwing knives at to fall off.  Pre-Code!)  The drug dealing boss?  The fortune teller?  The magician?  The armless guy who paints with a brush in his toes?  The plot gets complicated as character A kills character B, then character C kills character A, for reasons unrelated to the main murder.  There are also oddities in the whodunit plot, such as the fact that the cops got a call about the killing before it happened.  In many ways, it's just a cheap little mystery, but the sleazy sideshow setting and the convoluted plot, which might not really make sense, add interest.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sole Survivor *(1984)

Slow-moving, low-budget supernatural chiller that creates a haunting mood, if you're willing to be patient with it.  Starts with a striking scene.  We see a woman riding on a bus at night.  She's the only passenger, has blood on her clothes, and is carrying a gun.  Cut to another woman sitting up in bed and screaming.  OK, typical nightmare sequence.  But then it gets weirder, as stuff starts shaking in the room and the woman has waking visions of the aftermath of a plane crash (cheaper to film than the crash itself.)  The woman from the first part of the dream is the SOLE SURVIVOR.

The psychic, a washed-up actress who used to do beach movies (extra points from me) tries to reach the woman in her dream, who is the producer of a coffee commercial the actress is doing, in a rather pathetic attempt to restart her career.  (We'll later see she can't even do the commercial correctly.)

Of course, the plane crash happens, the other woman is the SOLE SURVIVOR.  She's not hurt at all it seems, and gets released from the hospital by the young handsome doctor who is our love interest.  Pretty soon she sees a little girl staring at her in a zombie-like fashion, and nearly gets killed by a parked truck when its brakes fail.

More silent, staring, weird-looking folks appear now and then.  Interestingly, these are not the ghosts of folks who died in the plane crash, but other dead people.  They leave clues that this isn't just a hallucination due to survivor guilt.  The little girl disappears from the morgue briefly, then returns.  All of the bodies have their blood drained to their legs, as if they all died standing up, which they did not.

Eventually, we get a sort of domino effect, as one of the ghosts kills one of the woman's friends (apparently while trying to kill her instead.)  That victim returns as a ghost, and kills a lecherous cab driver.  That guy then returns as a ghost.  It ends with one final ghost appearance, and we finally understand what we saw at the very beginning.

Except for some blood and mild cursing, this could be a made-for-television movie.  The plot is thin enough for a _Twilight Zone_ episode.  The romantic subplot is sappy, and there are other scenes that just pad out the running time.  However, it held my interest with some subtle creepiness.


----------



## Droflet

*Raya and the last dragon*.
Well, that's it for me and Disney.  This is the last Disney movie, animated or other that I will force myself to endure. Disney has the mistaken opinion that they are Pixar. They're not. Oh, if you are looking for a reasonable movie suitable for kids, young kids, then these might fit the bill. This is my third outing with Disney, two animated one live-action. Not my thing.
Pixar has the reputation of making high-quality films suitable for kids of *all *ages. Disney has failed in the same endeavor.

BTW, what's happened to *Pixar*?  I haven't seen a film from them in ages. Should I fear the answer?


----------



## alexvss

Phyrebrat said:


> Check out Dead Space:Aftermath, too. It’s another animated film that deals with the background of Stross from the DS2 game.


That CGI immediately puts me out.



> * Raya and the last dragon*.
> Well, that's it for me and Disney. This is the last Disney movie, animated or other that I will force myself to endure. Disney has the mistaken opinion that they are Pixar. They're not. Oh, if you are looking for a reasonable movie suitable for kids, young kids, then these might fit the bill. This is my third outing with Disney, two animated one live-action. Not my thing.
> Pixar has the reputation of making high-quality films suitable for kids of *all *ages. Disney has failed in the same endeavor.
> 
> BTW, what's happened to *Pixar*? I haven't seen a film from them in ages. Should I fear the answer?


@Droflet 
Gee, I was really looking foward to this movie--it was high-regarded by critics. Now I'm thinking about waiting for it to release on streaming 

About *Pixar*: you're mistaken. Pixar is owned by Disney, and it's a subsidiary of Disney Studios; Disney publishes movies produced by Pixar. Now, what you're not seeing is that Disney also has an animation studio of their own, named, eh, Disney Studios! So I see that it could be a little hard to understand.

See these examples:
*Raya and the Last Dragon*: produced by Disney Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
*The Toy Story *Franchise*, Monsters Inc., Soul*: produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

*Soul* is Pixar's last release. It went straight to Disney+.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks, Alex, I've got all that. The movies were all from Walt Disney Studios. As to Raya, it could be a matter of taste. I just found it terribly predictable. But maybe that's just me. So go ahead and see Raya, if you like.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Misery* [1990 - Rob Reiner]
Had heard about it for years and finally got to see it. I think I was over promised a "great" psychological horror but it was really just standard Stephen King fare.
While Kathy Bates and James Caan were very good and deserve the acting plaudits. For me the best characters were the Sheriff and wife/deputy [Richard Farnsworth Frances Sternhagen respectively]. They stood out and made the film enjoyable. and it was nice to see Lauren Bacall.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Pre-Code Poverty Row Melodramas Featuring Heroic Middle-Aged Women Double Feature:

*The Midnight Lady *(1932)

The title character runs a speakeasy.  She helps a guy who has had too much to drink, letting him sleep it off in her upstairs apartment.  He's dating a rather wild young woman who is two-timing him with a playboy artist.  We get our first hint of the speakeasy manager's relationship with the young woman when we see a couple of photographs of her, cut out from newspapers, on the manager's desk.  The young woman goes to the artist's apartment, not knowing the fellow's other girlfriend is already there, hidden in his bedroom.  The jealous other woman shoots him dead.  The young woman finds the body and runs away, just as the speakeasy manager, who followed her, comes in.  Then some partyers arrive at the place, so the manager is arrested for the murder.  At the trial, she covers up for the young woman, and is convicted.  The young woman and her boyfriend work together to prove her innocence.  As you have probably already figured out, and what is obvious from the start, but not made explicit until the end, is the fact that the manager is the young woman's mother, who gave her up when she was a baby.  Although the low budget is obvious from the fact that everything takes place indoors, the nifty apartments  and glamorous gowns give it a classy look.  The crime plot gets a little corny near the end, with an engraved lighter providing the evidence and the murderess breaking down and confessing pretty quickly, although she's been a tough cookie up to this point, but it's not a bad little picture.

*Woman Unafraid *(1934)

The title character is a police officer.  She hangs around a dime-a-dance joint, making sure crooks don't recruit the dancers for their own nefarious purposes.  Some snooty women from the Girls' Protective League are also there, to prevent things like dancing too close and kissing.  The policewoman also acts as a sort of mother hen to young women on parole, letting them stay at her place.  (One of them insists that she's not a "delinquent girl," she's just a shoplifter.)  A woman shows up with her baby, on the run from the film's main bad guy.  She's got evidence against him in a safety deposit box.  The crooks set her up by claiming she stole something from them, so the cops will arrest her and they'll know where she is when she gets out, so they can rub her out.  She escapes the cops and runs to the policewoman.  In order to get their hands on the young woman, and to get the policewoman thrown off the force, the hoodlums set up a wild party at her place and tell the cops about it.  In a plot development I wasn't expecting, the bad guys do indeed kill the young woman.  The seemingly disgraced policewoman and one of the snooty women, now repentant, work together to foil the crooks.  As with the other film, the plot elements of the crime story are somewhat cornball, such as the key to the safety deposit box being hidden inside the baby's rattle, but it's a decent little movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Naked You Die* (1968)

Early _giallo _that isn't as sleazy as the title (a translation of the original Italian) would have you think.  Also known in English as *The Young, the Evil, and the Savage* or *The Miniskirt Murders *or *School Girl Killer*.

Starts with the mandatory unseen killer with black leather gloves killing a woman while she's in the bathtub, justifying the title, although very little skin is seen.  We'll get one more naked killing later, and several fully clothed ones.  We see the body stuffed into a trunk, and shipped to a girls' school, where we'll meet our staff and students, who supply our suspects and potential victims.  Among the male staff, we have the creepy gardener who peeks at the girls in the shower; the young, handsome teacher who is fooling around with one of the students; and an elderly professor who has a special little building full of birds and insects and such.  Among the female staff, we have the stern headmistress, and a couple of teachers.  The students are not very distinguishable; most notable are the one having the affair with the young male teacher and the quirky, funny one, who plays at being a detective throughout the film.  (There's a cute joke at the end about the identity of her father.)  Michael Rennie shows up about an hour into the movie as the police inspector on the case, after one girl has gone missing and another one has been killed.  The plot actually makes some sense, with some clever misdirection, but I was able to spot the murderer pretty quickly.  Not a bad example of the genre, with much less violence than later films of the same type.


----------



## CupofJoe

*WW84* [2020 Patty Jenkins]
Another long, action packed cgi fest. 40 min could have been trimmed from the film and while I don't think it would have made it better, it would have made it shorter. Gal is great in the role but it was the intro on the island I liked most.
I like sci-fi and fantasy films but they have to be coherent. This film just wasn't. That said I did like the mid-end credit cameo!


----------



## J Riff

Anime? Yes, .. modren movies have decreed it thus, there's nowhere left to turn... so we have _Hunter X Hunter_, for no reason other than it was recommended by a member of youth culture and hey, it's pretty good!  Fave tho, so far, , which isn't many ... is gots to be _The Legend of Luo Xiaohei._ There's this cat see... but it isn't a cat, and its tail breaks into these little aliens.. .and there's other Elfins...and it's a send up, with great animation, and yeah, some anime here.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE 3RD MAN* (1949) i MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING THE LAST/1st time I saw this. The multiple references to "the 3rd man" early in the film were important later. 

Post WWII Vienna features shortages of much, including medicine. Harry Lime (Orson Welles) was involved in black market dealing with watered-down penicillin that resulted in things too awful to show on screen.  Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a writer of  Cowboy novels comes to visit HL, not knowing of his evil, or that he had been killed (or had he?) just the other day, in a traffic accident.

Intense chase sequence, with HL taking to the storm drains in hopes of escaping to the Soviet zone.  They did not have man-holes with ladders, but winding staircases instead!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Louisiana Hussy *(1959)

Deep South exploitation film with a touch of _film noir_.  Starts off with a bang, as our _femme fatale_ runs out of a house, jumps on a horse, and escapes from a guy trying to shoot her from an upstairs window.  After the titles, we meet Cajun brothers Pierre and Jacques, working together in the fish, fur, and moss business.  (Yes, moss.  We get scenes of folks gathering huge amounts of Spanish moss.  I have to admit this is the only movie I've seen with a fight involving moss-gathering poles.)  The local _gris-gris _woman finds our anti-heroine unconscious.  She winds up taken in by Pierre's kindhearted wife.  By the way, this happens on their wedding day.  And there's already bad blood between the brothers, because Jacques was in love with the woman Pierre married.  Our villainess smooches Pierre the first chance she gets, but he winds up disliking her, so she goes to Jacques.  Eventually the local doctor (he charges one dollar for treating Pierre's injury from the moss-gathering pole fight) figures out the hussy isn't who she claims to be, based on a newspaper photograph of the woman whose name she claims.  It seems the real one killed herself.  A flashback reveals that our bad girl was hired as a companion to the crippled wife of a rich guy.  She romanced the husband and ran off with the wife's clothing and jewelry.  After his wife's suicide, the husband vowed to track down the seductress and kill her.  Amazingly, although the two brothers become friends again, and the wicked woman has to leave, the very last scene implies she's found another sucker to exploit.  It's a cheap, mildly sleazy little film (implied but not seen nudity in a skinny dipping scene, some steamy making out with Jacques, and dancing the Twist in a brassiere) with a fair amount of local color and enough of a plot to hold one's interest.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rebellious Daughters* (1938)

Low budget exploitation crime drama.  One of our two title characters is the tough, wisecracking one.  She's neglected by her parents.  The other is the sweet one.  Her widowed father is strict with her.  They sneak out to a nightclub, where a fight breaks out and they wind up at the police station.  While they were at the club, our film's villain (you can tell right away, from his pencil mustache) and his assistant (who looks so much like Bette Davis that it distracted me every time she was on screen) gave them a business card and offered them jobs as models at their dress shop.  If this were a pre-Code film, it would probably be a front for a "white slavery" racket, even if not explicitly stated.  In this film, it's a front for a blackmail scheme.  The bad guy pays the tough one to pretend to faint in the presence of a guy about to marry an heiress.  Apparently, the secret photograph they take of her in his arms is incriminating enough to demand ten thousand dollars from him.  She demands to be cut in for half of the take, so the bad guys rub her out.  Then he sets up a fancy apartment for the sweet one, planning to use her for more blackmail without her knowledge, sending a cowboy millionaire to her place, with him thinking he's going to a poker game.  Again, a photograph of him with the innocent young woman in a very modest nightgown is enough to demand a ton of money.  Then there's a twist ending I'll admit I didn't see coming.  It's entertaining enough for a modest little B flick.  I liked the tough one's sarcastic remarks and the cowboy millionaire's constant Western slang.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Chained for Life *(1952)

Real-life conjoined twins and vaudeville performers Daisy and Violet Hilton stretch their acting muscles by portraying fictional conjoined twins and vaudeville performers Dorothy and Vivian Hamilton.  The movie spoils itself by telling us one of the twins is on trial for murder.  Flashbacks tell us what happened.  One of the twins gets married to a sharpshooter as a publicity stunt, but she really loves him and he pretends he loves her.  He says he can't live married to a conjoined twin the very day of the wedding, but really he's in love with his pretty assistant.  The twin he didn't marry grabs one of his guns and shoots him on stage during his act.  The dilemma:  how to punish the murdering twin without doing the same to the innocent one.  About an hour long, and a lot of time is spent with the twins performing some songs, as well as other folks performing vaudeville acts.  Not a good film at all, but definitely an oddity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Delinquent Daughters* (1944)

Poverty Row exploitation crime film starts off with the news of a high school girl killing herself.  As the local teens discuss the tragedy, we meet our film's Bad Girl, as well as a giggly, bubbly, airheaded girl who is really, really annoying.  The film's Bad Boy robs businesses.  On one such job, he drives wildly away, causing a hit-and-run accident.  The boss of the nightclub where the teens hang out (we're told this is perfectly legal, although the place serves booze, as long as they have "chaperones" to watch them) helps him hide the car.  By the way, the boss has a partner/girlfriend with a thick French accent (the actress is actually Canadian) who is just as interesting as the Bad Girl, although she doesn't do a lot.  The boss goes with the Bad Boy on a big robbery job, which of course ends badly for all concerned.  The print is in really bad condition, with several scenes so dark you can't tell what's going on at all, so I've probably messed up some of this synopsis.  Anyway, the boss used a gun that some other boy stole from his dad and hocked to him for three dollars, which gives the cops the clue they need.  The boss runs off with the Bad Girl, dumping the French woman, leading to our film's most exploitative element, a hair-pulling catfight between the two ladies.   The boss also punches the French woman as if she were a man.  Of course, Crime Does Not Pay, leading to a stock footage car crash.  The Happy Ending sees the nightclub turned into a malt shop run by the teens, full of clean-cut jitterbuggers.  Not a great movie.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Delinquent Daughters* (1944)
> 
> Poverty Row exploitation crime film starts off with the news of a high school girl killing herself.  As the local teens discuss the tragedy, we meet our film's Bad Girl, as well as a giggly, bubbly, airheaded girl who is really, really annoying.  The film's Bad Boy robs businesses.  On one such job, he drives wildly away, causing a hit-and-run accident.  The boss of the nightclub where the teens hang out (we're told this is perfectly legal, although the place serves booze, as long as they have "chaperones" to watch them) helps him hide the car.  By the way, the boss has a partner/girlfriend with a thick French accent (the actress is actually Canadian) who is just as interesting as the Bad Girl, although she doesn't do a lot.  The boss goes with the Bad Boy on a big robbery job, which of course ends badly for all concerned.  The print is in really bad condition, with several scenes so dark you can't tell what's going on at all, so I've probably messed up some of this synopsis.  Anyway, the boss used a gun that some other boy stole from his dad and hocked to him for three dollars, which gives the cops the clue they need.  The boss runs off with the Bad Girl, dumping the French woman, leading to our film's most exploitative element, a hair-pulling catfight between the two ladies.   The boss also punches the French woman as if she were a man.  Of course, Crime Does Not Pay, leading to a stock footage car crash.  The Happy Ending sees the nightclub turned into a malt shop run by the teens, full of clean-cut jitterbuggers.  Not a great movie.



Lol that sounds so ridiculous. Should have known by the name.


----------



## Droflet

*Doors *(2021)
Interesting premise. Doors begin appearing around the world. Are they gateways to another planet or universe? By the end of this train wreck, I didn't care. Danger Will Robinson. Avoid this mess. Arthouse meets  house.


----------



## REBerg

*Nomadland*
Not a lot of emotional range in this one. I wondered, at one point, if it was an actor-enhanced documentary.
It seems to make the argument that freedom is more important than creature comforts. Not to me.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, I'm with you. I tried, but didn't finish it.


----------



## Randy M.

REBerg said:


> *Nomadland*
> Not a lot of emotional range in this one. I wondered, at one point, if it was an actor-enhanced documentary.
> It seems to make the argument that freedom is more important than creature comforts. Not to me.



Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose ...


----------



## AstroZon

*The Asphalt Jungle* (1950) d: John Houston, s: Sterling Hayden, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Jean Hagen, Marilyn Monroe

Gritty film noir about a jewel heist.  John Houston directed this lowish budget film 10 years after The Maltese Falcon mainly because he wanted to explore expressionism in film.  Oddly no femme fatales, but plenty of other film noir tropes: low camera angles, harsh light, shadows, alleys, tough dialogue, corruption, violence, rackets, and flawed characters aplenty.  Early screen appearance by Marilyn Monroe as a lawyer's mistress.  Excellent movie.


----------



## dask

Entertaining story about the difficulties and weirdness of trying to adapt Faust into a Broadway musical. Not as extravagant as some earlier musicals but there’s no lacking spectacle. The finale, a dance sequence showcasing pulp era detective fiction, is a true show stopper.


----------



## Mouse

*Ammonite. *This was the film I was an extra in. The film was... ok. Barely any dialogue. Story not actually about Mary Anning's achievements. Instead it's about a random lesbian love story between Mary Anning and some miserable woman. They barely have a conversation but they bonk. The ending is crap. One of the scenes I did is in it, but you can't see me as the camera never goes to the bottom of the stairs where I was. The other scene I was in was cut. To be fair, there's barely any extras throughout the entire Lyme Regis sections so I only saw two guys I recognised who were there when I was. Disappointing, daft film.


----------



## Randy M.

dask said:


> Entertaining story about the difficulties and weirdness of trying to adapt Faust into a Broadway musical. Not as extravagant as some earlier musicals but there’s no lacking spectacle. The finale, a dance sequence showcasing pulp era detective fiction, is a true show stopper.
> 
> View attachment 77214



Probably my favorite musical other than _Singing in the Rain_.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Vivarium (2019): delightfully bizarre. I found the premise horrific. No children for me.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched the three *Ocean films 11/12/13. *11 and 13 were brilliant. 9/10. However 12 was a bit disappointing. 7/10.
Of course neither of them can beat *Ocean's 11, *with Frank Sinatra. 10/10.


----------



## Parson

Mouse said:


> *Ammonite. *This was the film I was an extra in.



At least you have an interesting memory out of it. More than most. 

-------

I'm watching *TimeScape*. About half done with season 1. I'm finding it hard to categorize. The over-reaching plot is so full of holes it put Swiss Cheese to shame. The special effects remind me of *Star Trek *the original series. In other words, they might have been cutting edge at the time but now just look like movie sets. Yet, I'm strangely compelled by it. So far the stories seem to lift up some basic insight into what it means to be in community with others, especially others not exactly like you, which has a timelessness which will never go out of style, as well as being extremely timely.


----------



## Jeffbert

AstroZon said:


> *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950) d: John Houston, s: Sterling Hayden, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Jean Hagen, Marilyn Monroe
> 
> Gritty film noir about a jewel heist.  John Houston directed this lowish budget film 10 years after The Maltese Falcon mainly because he wanted to explore expressionism in film.  Oddly no femme fatales, but plenty of other film noir tropes: low camera angles, harsh light, shadows, alleys, tough dialogue, corruption, violence, rackets, and flawed characters aplenty.  Early screen appearance by Marilyn Monroe as a lawyer's mistress.  Excellent movie.


Yes, definitively! One of my favorite in the NOIR genre!


_*THE DEVIL'S BROTHER*_ (1933) L&H in a very different type of film!

The setting is, I am guessing, 17th century Europe. L&H, after lives of hard work are celebrating their good fortune in having earned enough money to retire, etc. But just then, a highwayman comes along and relieves them of their money. Now, they must start all over again, until Laurel comes up with a great idea: they will become robbers!

That does not work out, and they are captured by the notorious Fra Diavolo, who is rather offended that one of them passed himself as Fra Diavolo.  He offers L his life, if he will hang H.




There were several rather funny parts, & this was the 1st. After several failed attempts, Fra Diavolo forgives both, and takes them as his servants.

The story is really about Fra Diavolo's love for the mayor's daughter, & L&H provide comic relief.



_*Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace*_ (?) I had no idea just how beautiful those theaters were! This covers the rise and fall of these businesses, with just not enough about William Castle's gimmicks during the 1950s.




There were no concession stands at 1st; the biggest attraction was the air conditioning!




*COVER UP* (1949) YAY!  another good noir I never saw before!  An insurance investigator Sam Donovan (Dennis O'Keefe) rides the train to a small Midwestern town, looking to find facts about a suicide. The time is late December, just days before Christmas.  On the trip, he helps carry the gifts a young woman Anita Weatherby (Barbara Britton) has bought for her family, it turns out they will become very friendly with each other.

But Donovan's 1st stop is the Sheriff's office.  Sheriff Larry Best (William Bendix, the guy who usually plays the henchman), who is just too casual about the case that Donovan is thinking is more likely a murder.

Not much action, but the drama is good, as the audience is kept guessing why nobody in town cares about the man's murder.


----------



## alexvss

*Another Round*, A.K.A *Druk*, is Denmark's Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Picture this year. It's about four friends--all teachers--who decide to do an experiment with themselves: to always have at least 0,05% alcohool in their blood. It works well... at the beginning that is. Their classes get better. They have fun. But things escalate. 

It's a bromance on the level of Stand By Me, but with adults. Definitely worth checking out. The main theme is about having an addiction to go through life. Everybody experiences that, in one way or another. And it got even more relevant during the pandemic.


----------



## hitmouse

Mouse said:


> *Ammonite. *This was the film I was an extra in. The film was... ok. Barely any dialogue. Story not actually about Mary Anning's achievements. Instead it's about a random lesbian love story between Mary Anning and some miserable woman. They barely have a conversation but they bonk. The ending is crap. One of the scenes I did is in it, but you can't see me as the camera never goes to the bottom of the stairs where I was. The other scene I was in was cut. To be fair, there's barely any extras throughout the entire Lyme Regis sections so I only saw two guys I recognised who were there when I was. Disappointing, daft film.


The reviews have generally been lukewarm on this.  Disappointing, as my grandparents lived near Lyme Regis, which I visited regularly as a child, and I knew of Mary Anning and the ichthyosaur from a young age. 

If you want to see Lyme Regis in film watch The French Lieutenants Woman.


----------



## Mouse

hitmouse said:


> The reviews have generally been lukewarm on this.  Disappointing, as my grandparents lived near Lyme Regis, which I visited regularly as a child, and I knew of Mary Anning and the ichthyosaur from a young age.
> 
> If you want to see Lyme Regis in film watch The French Lieutenants Woman.



Yeah, it was disappointing as it wasn't really about _her_. There could have been stuff about how she wasn't taken seriously as a woman - they showed bits where her findings had her name taken off it and a man's name put on instead, but never anything said or done about it. 

Never seen The French Lieutenants Woman, though I do know about it. I'm local to Lyme anyway (or was!) so know what it looks like.



Parson said:


> At least you have an interesting memory out of it. More than most.



Yep, don't regret doing it! Was a really interesting experience. Plus I got £200 for it.


----------



## Parson

Mouse said:


> Yep, don't regret doing it! Was a really interesting experience. Plus I got £200 for it.




   Now that's what I call a nice bit of side benefit.


----------



## REBerg

*Godzilla vs. Kong *
Walks a thin line between epic and parody. Substantial property damage ensues.


----------



## Jeffbert

I think that KING KONG might be about the size of GODZILLA's foot. No contest who wins in that fight. 300 to 400 feet tall Vs. 30 to 40 feet tall.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Beneath Loch Ness* [2002]
It is not so bad it is good. It is just plain bad. Filmed nowhere near Europe [liet alone Scotland] in a land where every "local" has an Irish accent and Scotland has a National Guard [it doesn't]. The special effects are not at all special. The acting is worse and forget the plot, it is almost an event for event rip off of *Jaws* with some added McGuffin about undersea fissures and long lost prehistoric creatures. So why did I watch it? I don't know but spotting the lines from other films was _almost_ fun..


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> I think that KING KONG might be about the size of GODZILLA's foot. No contest who wins in that fight. 300 to 400 feet tall Vs. 30 to 40 feet tall.



As I recall, King Kong's size was variable from movie to movie. Sometimes from scene to scene.


----------



## pogopossum

Jeffbert said:


> I think that KING KONG might be about the size of GODZILLA's foot. No contest who wins in that fight. 300 to 400 feet tall Vs. 30 to 40 feet tall.


I had heard that in the original (1962) version _*King Kong vs. Godzilla*_ the US version had Kong winning and in the Japanese Godzilla was the winner. Checking it out, (Wikipedia) I see that this was a myth originated in _*Spacemen *_magazine, a spinoff of *Famous Monsters of Filmland.* A shame. I always liked the idea.

The last movie that I saw was Hud, which I watched in memory of Larry McMurtry. Parenthetically, he had the largest privately owned bookstore, numbering in excess of 400,000 volumes. His personal collection numbered a paltry 30,000 books.




Also watched *Troll Bridge*, a lovely Terry Pratchett fan film, with great CGI. Sweet.
LINK to trailer. It's on YouTube.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*"You've Ruined Me Eddie!" *AKA *The Touch of Flesh* (1958)

Wild exploitation film doesn't waste any time jumping into its sleazy, violent, and surprisingly complex plot.  We first meet our anti-heroine dancing to rock 'n' roll in her skimpy baby doll pajamas, a scene we'll see again later.  Cut to her passionately smooching a guy in the woods.  Cut to them on the ground, she putting her blouse and shorts back on.  She tells him she's pregnant.  He wants to marry her and keep the baby, she doesn't want any of that.  Back at the mansion of her rich, widowed father, the family lawyer eavesdrops on a telephone call and learns about her delicate condition.  He arranges to have the boy thrown in jail on a completely phony robbery charge, so he can blackmail the rich guy into some kind of lucrative land deal.  His only alibi is a woman new in town, who refuses to say anything.  Turns out she's there to claim her illegitimate child from the local orphanage and doesn't want to mess things up for herself.  (By the way, the boy and the nasty local cop who beats him savagely while he's in jail are also illegitimate!)  The woman's lawyer shows up and screams at the boy until he finds out he really does want to raise the baby, not get money from the rich man.  (There's a lot of screaming in this film.)  At least half-insane by this point, and absolutely determined not to have the baby, our anti-heroine chases the boy through the swamp, dressed only in a filmy raincoat over her baby doll pajamas, firing a gun at him.  Don't expect a happy ending.  Wow, this Southern Fried Grindhouse Film really delivers the goods.  You even get an uncensored close-up of the famous Marilyn Monroe nude pin-up.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Satan's Cheerleaders* (1977)

After wasting some time as a lame teen (translation: actors in their mid-twenties) sex comedy, the plot finally gets going.  Four sex-crazed high school cheerleaders and their naïve PE teacher are on their way to the Big Game.  The creepy janitor, who previously spied on the girls in the shower -- even so, this R-rated film barely (pun intended) deserves a PG -- is a devil worshipper.  He uses black magic to cause the car they're in to break down, so they have to hop into his van.  He drives them to a stone altar near a lion head statue with horns.  Somehow one of the cheerleaders is instantly naked on the altar, but Satan pulls a fast one and zaps the janitor instead.  The teacher and cheerleaders wind up at the house of the local devil worshipping sheriff and his wife.  (John Ireland and Yvonne De Carlo!)  Along the way, we get a couple of brief scenes of Very Special Guest Star John Carradine as a bum.  Watching the nubile girls sexually tease the seventy-year-old actor is one of the, uh, highlights of the film.  Anyway, De Carlo figures out that one cheerleader has The Power, but Ireland ignores her warning.  In a plot point of extreme bad taste for such a goofy movie, the Satanists need a "maiden" for their sacrifice.  None of the lecherous cheerleaders qualify, of course, and Ireland messed up his only chance when he raped the PE teacher.  This causes the cheerleader with The Power, now apparently the spokeswoman for the Prince of Darkness, to turn the tables on him.  Wearing a pentacle over her cheerleader outfit, it also allows her to win the Big Game.   Add a couple of really bad disco songs on the soundtrack, and you've got a painful experience indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Delinquent Parents* (1938)

Despite the title, more of a drama than an exploitation film.  Begins on Armistice Day, 1918.  Guy in uniform is happy that he won't have to go to war, and so is the woman he secretly married.  Given all the booze with which everybody is celebrating, it's no surprise that they wind up in a car wreck.  The guy is OK, and the gal isn't seriously hurt, but the secret that she's pregnant comes out.  The guy takes off, the gal's parents get the marriage annulled and arrange to have the baby adopted.  Cut to 1938.  The adopted girl finds out she's adopted, changes from Good Girl to Bad Girl, earning a living singing at a nightclub run by crooks.  Turns out her birth mother is now a judge.  What with one complication and another, they wind up together as the judge fights to shut down the nightclub.  A criminal bigwig holds the adoption scandal over her head as blackmail.  It's an OK low budget tearjerker, barely an hour long.  Most notable for me was the party scene, when a bunch of young folks do the Big Apple.  I had no idea it was sort of a swing square dance.


----------



## KGeo777

WHO IS THE BLACK DAHLIA? 1975  - Tv-movie about the famous murder case--creepy at times--especially as the details of it are revealed--they only give you brief glimpses of the body for understandable reasons.  Starring Luci Arnaz as the title character. Cult film regular Sid Haig appears as a tattoo artist--the scene was suggesting how she was being sucked into the underbelly of Los Angeles--how tattoos have changed in their social acceptance.

AUTOMAN 1983 pilot movie.  I haven't seen this since the 80s.  While it is not a good movie by the normal definition, it makes up for its failings by the sheer audacity of its concept--a rather clever rip-off of TRON--refashioned as a superhero cop show. The movies VIRTUOSITY  and LAWNMOWER MAN were probably influenced by it. Desi Arnaz Jr stars (what a coincidence--his sister was in the other movie--in fact, who shows up later as a gang member? Sid Haig!) and he creates the perfect being via his 1980s modem-controlled computer system.  Automan is a lot like Peter Pan, but instead of Tinkerbell we have Cursor, his digital pixie assistant who can create anything from electrical devices. While Automan can do anything (he also has the combined personalities of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and a host of other celebrities like Richard Burton, Christopher Reeve, Paul Newman, Tom Selleck etc. don't ask me why--but we their pictures--also Automan, we are told, is good friends with Pac-man). A Glen A Larson production--and like Battlestar Galactica--an inspired rip off of another more famous story concept but it just does not have all it takes to be a complete success. It's hokey and silly --as guest star Patrick Macnee says "I can't believe this ridiculous drivel." But I was smiling while I watched.


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> WHO IS THE BLACK DAHLIA? 1975  - Tv-movie about the famous murder case--creepy at times--especially as the details of it are revealed--they only give you brief glimpses of the body for understandable reasons.  Starring Luci Arnaz as the title character. Cult film regular Sid Haig appears as a tattoo artist--the scene was suggesting how she was being sucked into the underbelly of Los Angeles--how tattoos have changed in their social acceptance.
> 
> AUTOMAN 1983 pilot movie.  I haven't seen this since the 80s.  While it is not a good movie by the normal definition, it makes up for its failings by the sheer audacity of its concept--a rather clever rip-off of TRON--refashioned as a superhero cop show. The movies VIRTUOSITY  and LAWNMOWER MAN were probably influenced by it. Desi Arnaz Jr stars (what a coincidence--his sister was in the other movie--in fact, who shows up later as a gang member? Sid Haig!) and he creates the perfect being via his 1980s modem-controlled computer system.  Automan is a lot like Peter Pan, but instead of Tinkerbell we have Cursor, his digital pixie assistant who can create anything from electrical devices. While Automan can do anything (he also has the combined personalities of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and a host of other celebrities like Richard Burton, Christopher Reeve, Paul Newman, Tom Selleck etc. don't ask me why--but we their pictures--also Automan, we are told, is good friends with Pac-man). A Glen A Larson production--and like Battlestar Galactica--an inspired rip off of another more famous story concept but it just does not have all it takes to be a complete success. It's hokey and silly --as guest star Patrick Macnee says "I can't believe this ridiculous drivel." But I was smiling while I watched.


Automan! That dredged up some 1980s memories. I really enjoyed the tv show back in the day. It was on at the same time as Manimal, Blue Thunder, Airwolf, and a motorbike version of those two the name of which escapes me.

re: Black Dahlia. The James Ellroy book of the same name is terrific.


----------



## Foxbat

*Captain Alatriste, The Spanish Musketeer*
A Spanish movie with English subtitles. Viggo Mortenson stars in the eponymous role.
A movie set in the early 1600s against a backdrop of almost constant war in Flanders and the threat of the Inquisition back in Spain. Meanwhile, Richleau’s machinations in Paris leads Spain and France on a long path towards war. In between campaigns in Flanders, Alatriste survives in Madrid as a sword for hire, dealing with unsavoury tasks and characters for various factions of the nobility.

By the midpoint of this movie, I was completely lost. I had no idea what the actual plot was and I seemed to be watching a series of unrelated events. This film does have it’s good points. It looks authentic and, towards the end, we see the battle of Rocroi in 1643. I found this section particularly interesting as we get to see what it must have been like to be a soldier within a Spanish Tercio. It must have been a truly terrifying experience. 

Perhaps worth watching for anybody with an interest in this time period. Just don’t expect to fully understand what is going on.


----------



## Pyan

Tried to watch *Wonder Woman* (the 2017 film) for about the third time but gave up at the plotting-in-the-pub scene. I know it was designed to have a 1918 dull sepia cast to it, but I find it far too overdone. It's like peering through a curtain of oxtail soup...


----------



## hitmouse

pyan said:


> Tried to watch *Wonder Woman* (the 2017 film) for about the third time but gave up at the plotting-in-the-pub scene. I know it was designed to have a 1918 dull sepia cast to it, but I find it far too overdone. It's like peering through a curtain of oxtail soup...


Agreed. Even so, it is miles better than the recent sequel.


----------



## AE35Unit

I'm confused about Wonder Woman. Are there 2 films, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984? Does she go back in time or summat?


----------



## alexvss

AE35Unit said:


> I'm confused about Wonder Woman. Are there 2 films, Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984? Does she go back in time or summat?


Yes, there are two films. The first one takes place during World War 1.


----------



## alexvss

*Jacob’s Ladder (1990) *is a movie about a war veteran suffering with PTSD and haunted by demons caused by the use of a drug meant to inhibit fear in soldiers. It is reported that The U.S. Army used a drug BZ in Vietnam, but the Pentagon denies it. This movie heavily influenced horror games, most notably *Silent Hill* and, more recently, *The Evil Within*. The spooky asylums, the old brick walls, the filthy streets… The aesthetic is the same. Although it also influenced movies known for their plot twists, like *Seven* (1995) and* Sixth Sense* (1999), the journey is more important than the ending in Jacob’s Ladder.


----------



## narrativus

I'm going to check out UFO: Target Earth tonight. Thanks Victoria! 
Quartermass! I have that move. I loved that one too.
The last movie I saw was last night, Condor by Stan Lee. You asked. I watch a movie a day or two.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Karate Hand of Death* (1961)

That's how the title appears on the screen, although there should probably be a comma or a colon after the first word.  Anyway, this is said to be the first American film to feature the martial art mentioned in the title.  It's also a cheap little snoozer.  Starts with an elderly blind man and a guy leading him around, somewhere in Japan at night.  The guide runs off to catch a taxi, somebody karate chops the blind man to death and grabs a coin he's wearing on a medallion around his neck.  Cut to the opening titles which are, hilariously, written on slabs of plywood that some karate guys smash with their hands, elbows and feet.  Back at the movie, an American guy walks around  and has his wallet stolen.  It's found pretty quickly, with all his stuff in it, plus, you guessed it, the coin the blind man had.  This draws the attention of a very tall, heavy-set, rather fey British fellow who tries to be our movie's Sydney Greenstreet.  Meanwhile, we get our back story.  The American grew up in Japan, became a karate expert, then fought on the Allied side in World War Two.  A flashback shows him using karate to kill three armed Japanese soldiers, one of whom tried to surrender to him!  He's back in Japan after eighteen years because the woman he loved, and who died soon thereafter, shows up alive in a recent photograph.  In an anticlimax, it turns out the photo is of her look-alike sister.  It turns out that the coin is somehow the clue to how the blind man, a Nazi, hid one million dollars in platinum.  Along the way, we get a long scene in which karate is demonstrated at a dojo, with the British fellow asking a bunch of questions, and a striptease act at a nightclub.  It's amazing how convoluted and confusing the plot is, given the short running time and all the padding.   It's also amazing how little use of karate there is, outside of the documentary-like scene at the dojo, and how unconvincing the hero's use of it is.  Filmed in Japan, with lots of Japanese actors, so you get to see the place as it was circa 1960.  Not an exciting film.


----------



## Garfunkel

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). 

One of my favourite MCU films. The choreography of the fight scenes is excellent, the character moments are strong, and the acting is solid. I watched it with my dad, whose only previous MCU film is Ant Man, and he enjoyed it too.


----------



## AE35Unit

alexvss said:


> Yes, there are two films. The first one takes place during World War 1.


Err ok, that's a major deviation from the crappy 80's tv series


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Return of the Living Dead*

Many years since I've seen this movie, and tbh I wasn't expecting much, but it's even more enjoyable now than it was back then. Has some brilliantly funny moments (although not for children, as some nudity and bad language) and references the earlier Night of the Living Dead. It also adds another dimension in that the 'living dead' can think and speak (and are much more resilient than in most zombie movies).

If you like zombie movies or you like properly funny horror movies (think Evil Dead II and III) then this movie is well worth watching..


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hillbillys in a Haunted House* (1967)

The "hillbillys" (sic!) are actually a country singer, his blonde, curvaceous co-star, and their manager.  You can tell he's the comedy relief (in a comedy!) because his name is Jeepers and he constantly acts nervous, in a Don Knotts kind of way.  They're driving along in one of those big, fancy cars decorated with fake guns and rifles, and a big pair of longhorn cattle horns on the front.  They run into a gun battle between cops and a couple of spies.  It seems that the local metropolis, Acme City, has a missile plant, and there are spies all over the place.  Well, our trio winds up in the tiny community of Sleepy Junction, with no place to stay but the local abandoned mansion, which is said to be, you guessed it, haunted.    Down in the cellar are Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, and Basil Rathbone, along with a boss lady named Madame Wong, a gorilla named Anatole, and a bunch of electronic equipment.  Of course, they're spies, and are faking the haunting stuff to cover up their activities.  A whole bunch of country songs and supposedly comic antics follow.  There's also a real ghost, very briefly.  The Good Guy spies work for M.O.T.H.E.R.  (Master Organization to Halt Enemy Resistance.)  The comedy relief gets to say "weirdwolf" for "werewolf."  The biggest country star in this thing, Merle Haggard, shows up on the television the three dragged into the mansion.  After an hour of this nonsense, we get a full twenty minutes of a country music concert.  The End.  Amazingly, this is actually a sequel, to the equally misspelt *Las Vegas Hillbillys*.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Hillbillys in a Haunted House* (1967)
> 
> The "hillbillys" (sic!) are actually a country singer, his blonde, curvaceous co-star, and their manager.  You can tell he's the comedy relief (in a comedy!) because his name is Jeepers and he constantly acts nervous, in a Don Knotts kind of way.  They're driving along in one of those big, fancy cars decorated with fake guns and rifles, and a big pair of longhorn cattle horns on the front.  They run into a gun battle between cops and a couple of spies.  It seems that the local metropolis, Acme City, has a missile plant, and there are spies all over the place.  Well, our trio winds up in the tiny community of Sleepy Junction, with no place to stay but the local abandoned mansion, which is said to be, you guessed it, haunted.    Down in the cellar are Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, and Basil Rathbone, along with a boss lady named Madame Wong, a gorilla named Anatole, and a bunch of electronic equipment.  Of course, they're spies, and are faking the haunting stuff to cover up their activities.  A whole bunch of country songs and supposedly comic antics follow.  There's also a real ghost, very briefly.  The Good Guy spies work for M.O.T.H.E.R.  (Master Organization to Halt Enemy Resistance.)  The comedy relief gets to say "weirdwolf" for "werewolf."  The biggest country star in this thing, Merle Haggard, shows up on the television the three dragged into the mansion.  After an hour of this nonsense, we get a full twenty minutes of a country music concert.  The End.  Amazingly, this is actually a sequel, to the equally misspelt *Las Vegas Hillbillys*.




Oh, man. Ferlin Husky and Joi Lansing? I recall Lansing as a TV equivalent for Marilyn Monroe, and rather less annoying than some other MM imitators like Mansfield and Van Doren. This wasn't her first foray in hillbilly territory, either. I remember her from _The Beverly Hillbillies_ and IMDB reminds me she played Lester Flatt's wife. Husky was maybe best known for the song "Wings of a Dove," during which his twang was occasionally punctuated with a throb, as I recall. Mostly I remember the name from all the ads for Time/Life CDs of the old Country hit songs.


----------



## REBerg

*Jumper*
A guy who could teleport anywhere in a film that seemed as if it could go somewhere but really went nowhere.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rocket Attack U.S.A. *(1958)

Bottom of the barrel atomic paranoia flick.  Sputnik goes up, so an American spy goes to the USSR to see what its purpose might be.  Sneaking into the Soviet Union consists of being flown in a small plane just over the border, then having the ever-present narrator tell us it will take "one to five weeks" (?) for the hero to reach Moscow on foot, then cutting to the guy in a Moscow nightclub (a small room with some tables and a belly dancer.)  His contact is a woman who is the mistress of the Minister of Defense who talks too much when he's drunk.  It turns out that Sputnik just gave the Soviets enough information to prepare their ICBM for launching at the USA.  Our two heroes, after a little smooching, sneak into the missile base (it seems to be guarded by one guy) and attach a bomb to the ICBM.  Wonder of wonders, they fail in their mission and both get shot down.  Then we get scenes of the Soviets launching the thing, and folks in the USA listening to air raid sirens and such.  New York City gets blown up.  Nuclear armageddon has never been so dull.  Tons of stock footage, lots of scenes of folks talking in tiny rooms, plenty of padding.  The belly dancing scene and the missile launching scene seem to go on forever.


----------



## AstroZon

*Echo in the Canyon* (2018) d: Andrew Slater

Unfocused and uneven documentary about the 60s Los Angeles music scene - specifically the folk rock era between 1965 and 1970.   It's also a story that has been told over and over in both print and film (and internet bloggers and YouTube content creators.)  The more recent documentary, Laurel Canyon, is much better.

Anyway, Jakob Dylan sort of hosts Echo in the Canyon - he leads us around LA anyway.  There is a panel of modern performers Beck, Regina Spektor, and Cat Power sitting around a coffee table in an upscale LA house.  But for the life of me, I can't figure out what they're doing there.  They weren't even born yet, and the houses lived in by the Laurel Canyon crowd weren't swank by any means.   Tom Petty is featured quite a bit as well, but he didn't move to LA until later in the 70s.  Still he had to have known the LA music scene well.  Also I did like Eric Clapton's comparison of the recording industry in London to its counterpart in LA.  And both he and Ringo Starr talk about their encounters in Laurel Canyon in the 60s.

We do finally get to the real Laurel Canyon scene - interviews with musicians who lived and recorded there: Michelle Philips, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, and Brian Wilson.  Notably MIA was Joni Mitchell.


----------



## therapist

REBerg said:


> *Godzilla vs. Kong *
> Walks a thin line between epic and parody. Substantial property damage ensues.


I just watched this. An interesting case study on how to make an interesting concept boring and dull. The trick is to have awful characters and dialogue, pump it full of overused tropes and cliches, and sprinkle in some plot holes.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Hillbillys in a Haunted House* (1967)
> 
> The "hillbillys" (sic!) are actually a country singer, his blonde, curvaceous co-star, and their manager.  You can tell he's the comedy relief (in a comedy!) because his name is Jeepers and he constantly acts nervous, in a Don Knotts kind of way.  They're driving along in one of those big, fancy cars decorated with fake guns and rifles, and a big pair of longhorn cattle horns on the front.  They run into a gun battle between cops and a couple of spies.  It seems that the local metropolis, Acme City, has a missile plant, and there are spies all over the place.  Well, our trio winds up in the tiny community of Sleepy Junction, with no place to stay but the local abandoned mansion, which is said to be, you guessed it, haunted.    Down in the cellar are Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, and Basil Rathbone, along with a boss lady named Madame Wong, a gorilla named Anatole, and a bunch of electronic equipment.  Of course, they're spies, and are faking the haunting stuff to cover up their activities.  A whole bunch of country songs and supposedly comic antics follow.  There's also a real ghost, very briefly.  The Good Guy spies work for M.O.T.H.E.R.  (Master Organization to Halt Enemy Resistance.)  The comedy relief gets to say "weirdwolf" for "werewolf."  The biggest country star in this thing, Merle Haggard, shows up on the television the three dragged into the mansion.  After an hour of this nonsense, we get a full twenty minutes of a country music concert.  The End.  Amazingly, this is actually a sequel, to the equally misspelt *Las Vegas Hillbillys*.


I know I have seen this!    not for discerning viewers. 


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Rocket Attack U.S.A. *(1958)
> 
> Bottom of the barrel atomic paranoia flick.  Sputnik goes up, so an American spy goes to the USSR to see what its purpose might be.  Sneaking into the Soviet Union consists of being flown in a small plane just over the border, then having the ever-present narrator tell us it will take "one to five weeks" (?) for the hero to reach Moscow on foot, then cutting to the guy in a Moscow nightclub (a small room with some tables and a belly dancer.)  His contact is a woman who is the mistress of the Minister of Defense who talks too much when he's drunk.  It turns out that Sputnik just gave the Soviets enough information to prepare their ICBM for launching at the USA.  Our two heroes, after a little smooching, sneak into the missile base (it seems to be guarded by one guy) and attach a bomb to the ICBM.  Wonder of wonders, they fail in their mission and both get shot down.  Then we get scenes of the Soviets launching the thing, and folks in the USA listening to air raid sirens and such.  New York City gets blown up.  Nuclear armageddon has never been so dull.  Tons of stock footage, lots of scenes of folks talking in tiny rooms, plenty of padding.  The belly dancing scene and the missile launching scene seem to go on forever.


I want to see this! 



*CURSE OF THE CANNIBAL CONFEDERATES* (1982) TROMA  made this, and it likely classified it as TRASH-O-RAMA. It is the 1st movie I watched on DVD for many months. 

So, there were these long dead Rebel soldiers who placed a curse on their graves?  Six young adults out on a camping trip, just happen to defile their graves. Zombie attacks follow, but even at 1.5x it was too slow.

Simply awful.


----------



## Judderman

The Possession (2012). I’ve seen plenty of possession or exorcism movies over the years. I usually enjoy them, or at least find them creepy, but I couldn’t tell you which one stood out. They are generally similar. This one had a slightly different style with Jewish involvement instead of Catholic.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BACKFIRE *(1950) Two ex-Army buddies intend to invest in a cattle ranch, but one Steve Connolly   (Edmond O'Brien) suddenly vanishes, while the other Bob Corey (Gordon MacRae)  is recuperating in the hospital. After leaving the hospital, Corey goes on an intensive search for his friend; though the police try to dissuade him, because Connolly is suspected of murder.

A very good drama, with whodunit elements throughout. Best of all, I had no memory of having seen it before!  Good supporting cast!



*KIND LADY* (1935) Mary Herries (Aline MacMahon) is a wealthy woman living in England, Just days before Christmas, she encounters a man drawing sidewalk art with colored chalk near her home. Henry Abbott (Basil Rathbone; whom we already know is the villain, merely because he is not Sherlock Holmes!) He is obviously cold, and asks for a cup of tea; she invites him in, & after he leaves, with her expensive cigarette case in his pocket, that seems to end the thing. Yet, a few days later, he returns, also returning the case, apologizing, with a sob story about his ailing wife and infant. The next thing the woman knows, half-a-dozen more people have come, all intending to stay. They make her a prisoner in her own home, and insist she sign over the titles or whatever is used for valuable paintings. They also have intents on her bank account.

Saw this a few years ago, but with that villain of villains as the villain, I watched it again.   The guy is smooth!


Oh! almost forgot that I have been trying to get a good view of the cigarettes they used, but the pack seems pure white.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MARU MARU* (1952) Gregory Mason (Errol Flynn) AND Andy Callahan (Richard Webb; NEVER HEARD OF HIM BEFORE) are post WWII  marine salvage guys who become involved in a treasure hunt. It turns out that the PT boat they both served on, and were the only 2 survivors of its sinking, carried a small case filled with diamonds. Bad guy Brock Benedict (Raymond Burr), learns of it, & believing that nobody but these two guy know where it sank, he wants to hire them to recover it. But, he has no intention of sharing the wealth. 

Another good drama that I do not believe I ever saw before! 



*Pépé le Moko* (1937) NOIR ALLEY, and the usual in-depth treatment by Muller.  Pépé le Moko (Jean Gabin) is a notorious criminal who lives in the Casbah in Algiers, whose inhabitants and structure shield him from the police. He, and his friends freely steal from the wealthy who are so unfortunate to venture into the Casbah. But he falls for a wealthy woman, not just her jewels.

Muller compared Gabin to Bogart, Tracy, & one other, whose name I forgot. 

The American 'version' if it can be called that, is *Algiers *(1938), starring Charles Boyer as the title character.  It is this one, though as I understand it, it was cut from the film, had the famous line about the taking her to the Casbah.  

I intend to watch Algiers sometime this week.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Rewatched News of the World. Very heartwarming.


----------



## J-WO

Watched Eye For An Eye (2019). Boring and incoherent bilge only notable for John Travolta's high blond wig which made look like a lion sculpted from uncooked dough.


----------



## alexvss

Alps (2011) is a movie by Yorgos Lanthimus, one of my favorite filmmakers. He makes weird, out of the box movies. You may know him from The Favourite (2018). It's a good movie, but it's not weird because it's not written by him.


----------



## dask

*Hacksaw Ridge *follows the similar path of *Full Metal Jacket, *dealing with the trials and brutality of basic training during the first half of the film then without pausing to “take five” jumps into the fire pit of battle. Conscientious objector Desmond Doss trains as an army medic and follows his unit up the cliff and over a World War One like wasteland during the Battle of Okinawa. Realistic butchery hard not to watch but seemed a thin platform to showcase the exploits of a pacifist medic. But all fighting must stop if only temporarily and during the lull in the battle is where the real tension begins. Well made and exciting. Interesting how director Gibson made sure that the man who would not kill did not leave the island until he had blood on his hands.


----------



## Jeffbert

*GANGSTER WORLD* (1998) As the title suggests, a rip-off of WESTWORLD.  Watched on DVD from NF, & I might have played this at 1x, but for the fact it was fast approaching my nightly Anime watching time. I thus, cannot fairly evaluate the quality.  But, its Wikipedia page has a mere 2 sentence paragraph describing it.


----------



## Maseeha.Aellari

Every Thursday is movie night at my house, where my mum and I cuddle up on the couch together while my dad and sister go out for a weekly paddle tennis tournament. We rewatched Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time yet again, but I still love the plot. 
It follows Dastan as he tries to clear his name after being accused of murdering his adoptive father, who happens to be the king. He discovers a dagger that can turn back time using special Sands of Time, which is the reason the whole plot unfolds in the first place
Most people I know haven't seen it, which is kind of depressing because it is incredible and, my favourite trait, *original*. Definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the "rebel royal" archetype


----------



## dask

Story of tragic love affair between Queen Christina and a Spanish ambassador in 17th Century Sweden. Slow but interest never seems to lag. The initial meeting of the lovers holed up in the inn during a snow storm kinda kinky.


----------



## Jeffbert

*ALGIERS* (1938) o.K., so it is a direct rip-off of *Pepe le Moko*, which I mentioned earlier. 

The pros:

 *cast consists of more than just 1 guy with who I am somewhat familiar*
*could relax as it is in English, did not need to read subtitles*
*Alan Hale's character was quick with jokes*
the cons:

*a rather weak ending, as the Hayes code demanded*
*I think this descended into the public domain;  hence the SD quality (or lack of it) Pepe le Moko got the full CRITERION treatment, including HD. *
As I recall, Muller said something about inspiring CASABLANCA. Referring to the endings, I can see it. I should have watched these in the other order, this 1st, *Pepe le Moko*, 2nd. I think I would have enjoyed both better, if I had.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hot Cars* (1956)

Efficient little crime flick.  Our hero is a guy who loses his job as a car salesman because he's too honest.  It turns out he's being checked out as a front man for a stolen car racket.  He figures out what's going on, but he needs the money for an operation for his sick infant son.  The boss has a voluptuous girlfriend who strings the hero along, too.  When the cop trying to shut down the hot car racket is murdered, they frame the hero for the killing.  Only an hour long, so it doesn't waste any time.  There's some sharp dialogue, a nifty jazz score, good use of Los Angeles filming locations, and a fistfight on a moving roller coaster.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Running Wild *(1955)

William Marshall (the Squire of Gothos himself) stars as an undercover cop passing himself off as a hot rodding punk in order to infiltrate a stolen car racket run by Keenan Wynn, of all people.  A very young John Saxon recognizes him, but just wants to get out of the racket.  He gets killed.  Wynn has a sullen girlfriend.  Her attitude is understandable, as Wynn's only hold over her is the fact that her father, a concentration camp survivor, is in the country illegally.   She's the key to cracking the case.  Second-billed Mamie Van Doren has a small part as the girlfriend of one of Wynn's young hoods.  She gets to jitterbug to a song by Bill Haley and the Comets, but otherwise doesn't do much.  A little slow-moving, but not too bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Missile to the Moon* (1958)

Who knew that *Cat-Women of the Moon* (1953) needed a remake?  Two young guys escape from prison and hide out in a fellow's private rocket ship.  He forces them to act as his crew on a flight to the moon.  Our movie's hero and his girlfriend happen to accidentally get locked inside, too.  During the mandatory meteor storm, a big piece of equipment lands on the rocket guy's head, killing him after he gives the hero a medallion and mutters something about "Lido."   On the moon, after getting way from humanoid rock monsters, the four find what's left of the lunar civilization in a cave.  The queen is "the Lido" for some reason.  She happens to be blind, so she doesn't realize that the hero isn't the rocket guy.  You see, the rocket guy is actually from the moon, sent to Earth about twenty years ago to try to find a way to save his world, which is losing what little is left of its air in the cave.  Besides the Lido, the only inhabitants of the moon are women too young to remember what the rocket guy looked like.  They're all played by beauty contest contestants, and wear leotards with capes.  (The Lido gets to wear a metallic jump suit.)  One of them was betrothed to the rocket guy as a child, and turns out to be our film's villainess.  She stabs the Lido to death, takes over her title (and jump suit) and uses mind control to force the hero to obey her will, getting ready to marry him and send his girlfriend to be killed by a goofy-looking giant spider.  Add in a big pile of huge diamonds for the bad convict to lust after, and a self-sacrificing moon girl for the good convict to fall in love with.  It's all delightfully ridiculous.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Horror High *aka *Twisted Brain* (1973)

Cheap horror flick alerts the audience as to its cheesiness right away, as a soft rock ballad plays over the opening titles.   Then it gives away its plot, as we listen to (but not see) high school students watching a film of *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde *in class.  Nerdy student creates a formula that changes a guinea pig into a monster that breaks out of its metal cage and kills the creepy janitor's cat.  (We don't actually see any of this hardly at all, which goes for the film as a whole, really.)  The vengeful janitor forces the kid to drink the formula, gets dunked into a vat of deadly acid (as any high school science lab should have) for his trouble.  Soon all the other folks who tormented the kid get killed in unusual ways; decapitation by paper cutter, stomped to death by cleated shoes.  (Interestingly, the victims are generally teachers, not fellow students.)  I can't defend it as a good movie, but there's something charming about its old-fashioned plot, the fact that the kid gets almost no monster makeup at all, the innocent hint of romance with the sweet girl he likes, and the ultra-cool police detective on the case.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> It's all delightfully ridiculous.


The word "delightfully" was completely unexpected.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deadly Harvest *(1977)

Low key (and very low budget) Canadian eco-disaster film with an interesting story.  The narrator begins by telling us about the ecological disaster that wiped out crops in the late 1970's.  Some government guys discuss the situation, basically deciding that they have to lie to the people that there's hope, meanwhile cutting rations down to 30% and imposing martial law and curfews.  (Interestingly, one of the guys is addressed as "Minister."  Unlike many Canadian films, this one doesn't pretend to take place in the United States.)  

Cut to the farm of our protagonist (huge cowboy actor Clint Walker.)  His young daughter is upset because he has to kill her cow for the meat.  She runs off with the cow, only to run into some thieves/black marketers from the city who shoot the poor beast and haul it away.  Their leader, our main antagonist, is played by familiar character actor Nehemiah Persoff.   Slow-to-anger Walker just intends to carry on anyway.  

Meanwhile, his older daughter (a very young Kim Cattrall)  is about to get married to a city boy.  Walker's son (a very young Geraint Wyn Davies, calling himself "Gary" in the credits) hates the city boy with a passion, claiming he only wants to join the family to get food.  A rich man and his elderly father show up, literally begging for food, particularly for the man's sick young daughter.  They get what little Walker can spare, but Davies (who has joined the local authorities, who are barely a step above vigilantes) and others stop them, thinking they stole the food.  The confrontation causes the old man to have a heart attack.

The rich man tells Persoff about the upcoming wedding, where folks will show up with food as gifts.  This leads to a bloody raid on the wedding, killing the bridegroom and Walker's wife.  Walker tracks down the rich man (he drew a map of their farm on a piece of stationary with the name of his company.)  Meanwhile, Persoff sets off on a final raid of the farmers, leading to our violent climax.

I liked the way the plot built up quietly, so that the violence, when it happens, has an impact.  I liked the moral ambiguity of the rich man.  (There's a powerful scene when he serves his family what will be their last meal, and places poison in the food so they won't have to starve to death instead.)  I liked the open-ended conclusion, when Persoff is defeated but Walker admits that this isn't the end, and they just have to try to survive.  I didn't like the electronic music, which is annoying.  It's obvious this didn't have much of a budget, as lots of scenes are of a small number of people in small sets or outside (with Canada in winter playing the role of Canada in a cropless summer.)  Not a classic, but well worth a look.


----------



## J Riff

.. no, ehh, im watchin Twisted Brain instead....


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Rumble on the Docks *(1956)

James Darren gets his first film role(and even gets "Introducing James Darren" in huge letters during the opening credits) in this juvenile delinquency/crime film.  He's the leader of a teen gang.  His father had his back broken some years ago by waterfront hoods, and is understandably on a crusade against the local crooked union boss.  (And guess what?  His mother is played by the woman who was T'Pau in the _Star Trek _episode "Amok Time"!)  He gets recruited by the gangster, eventually being made to lie in court about the hit-and-run murder of a honest longshoreman foreman.  To add to his problems, there's the rival gang to have rumbles with.  (Apparently they have strict rules about their fights.  When one kid shows up with a knife, even the members of his own gang go after him.)  Add in the local nice guy who tries to help out the kids, Darren's sweet girlfriend, and the girlfriend's little brother, who worships Darren.  As a bonus, the first rumble takes place at a recreation hall/gymnasium, where we just heard the swingin' rock 'n' roll number "Take the First Train Out of Town" by Freddie Bell & The Bellboys.  Watch for cult actor Timothy Carey giving one of his eccentric, scene-stealing performances as the gangster's right hand man.  It's not a bad little melodrama.


----------



## alexvss

*The Eyes of my Mother* (2016) is a black-and-white film about Portuguese immigrants in The U.S. Specifically, about the daughter of an ex eye surgeon who gets crazy after her murder. She then starts to kidnap people, remove their eyes and feed them. It's deeply disturbing and raised some polemic in Portugal because of the way it approaches mental illness. It's also a little weird to listen to people talking in Portuguese in an American movie (even with that accent). I really like horror, and I like violence, so I thought I got used to it. This movie made me realize I didn't. I don't get this disturbed in a long while.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Mama (2013)*
A creepy little horror from Guillame del Toro, pretty good


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hands of Steel *(_Vendetta dal futuro_, 1986)

Italian science fiction action film that features a lot more action than science fiction.  Set at an unspecified time in the future that is indistinguishable from the 1980's, it starts with a blind man in a wheelchair who is the leader of some kind of environmental movement.  (Their posters feature the slogan "You have no future," which wouldn't seem to inspire many followers.)  Our movie's Sinister Corporation sends an assassin after him, who badly injuries him with his bare hands but doesn't kill him.  It seems he had a change of heart.  The unstoppable almost-killer goes on the run, winding up at a motel/bar/general store in Arizona, run by our movie's Love Interest.  Then we get two arm wrestling contests, the second one featuring rattlesnakes.  After an hour of this, we find out that our protagonist is a cyborg, with 70% of his body (all internal, it seems, as he just looks like a normal human being) replaced by machinery.  The Evil Corporation sends hit men after him, leading to all kinds of gunfights, explosions, and the like.  The most interesting antagonist is a woman who calls herself "the perfect cyborg" who has one heck of a fight with him.  (One wonders why the bad guys bothered to send ordinary humans after him, since he wipes them out easily.)  She even continues to bad mouth him after he tears her head off!  Eventually, the head of the Nasty Corporation (special guest star John Saxon) comes after him with a laser gun the size of a bazooka.  It's all goofy fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Brain Twisters *(1991)

Modest little science fiction thriller.  Mad scientist conducts experiments where he exposes students to computer screens full of moving colored lights.  They go on murderous rampages and then kill themselves.  (The subjects freak out whenever they see any kind of moving light, it seems; flashing bulbs on a pinball machine, soap bubbles while taking a bath, soap moving over a car's windshield in an automatic car wash, even the sun coming out of the clouds.)  

Apparently, this has something to do a Sinister Corporation, but it's confusing, as they quickly cut off his funding and, later, send an assassin to kill him.  Anyway, our movie's Good Girl becomes romantically involved with the detective investigating the murder/suicides.  When she turns on the TV as he washes the dishes, after their spaghetti dinner, we see the opening titles of "Uncle Ted's Monstermania" come on (a nod to the horror buffs in the audience) followed by, yes, moving colored lights, send to the TV by the bad guys.  Good Girl walks up to the cop with a big knife, but instead of killing him, they smooch, then she yells at him to get out and throws leftover spaghetti at him.  Talk about mixed emotions!  

Eventually the mad scientist falls prey to his own gizmo; you can tell he's become murderous, because he puts on glasses, suit, and tie, for the first time in the movie.  While in this state, he buys the Good Girl some ice cream, coming back with two cones full of red stuff and saying, in his most sinister voice "Do you like [dramatic pause] raspberry swirl?"  He almost kills her, but sees moving lights in some small hanging mirrors and walks away.  The corporate assassin blows him away.  

I haven't yet mentioned our movie's Bad Girl, have I?  She walks into class, literally just seconds before the dismissal bell rings (why bother?) wearing what can only be described as a brassiere under an open vest, to go with her spike heels, miniskirt, and very long red nails.  (Remember those nails.)  In case this isn't enough to establish her character, she brags about how she didn't earn her grades by studying.  She, of course, becomes one of the zombie-like killers, dispatching people by slashing them with her nails.  She even kills the head of the corporation, seemingly at random.

As a coda, the movie ends with some kid playing a video game -- moving colored lights! -- and screaming at his mother when she tells him to stop playing and come downstairs.  The camera pans to reveal that he's playing a game called _Brain Twister_.

Not a good movie, but it entertained me more than it should have.


----------



## Pyan

_Guardians of the Galaxy_ and _Guardians of the Galaxy - Vol 2_, on consecutive nights. I enjoyed them both very much, with possibly a shading toward Vol 2, which I thought had a little more humour. I laughed out loud at poor Rocket trying to make sure that Baby Groot pulled the levers and pushed the right button in the right order...


----------



## CupofJoe

*Jaws* [1975]
Don't know how many times I've watched this film and I still love it.
I like the pacing, the characters [I can't think of a bad note on that side] and even the special effects. I love the absolutely not in anyway CGI'd shark Bruce! And the music? John Williams at his finest [except for _maybe_ Raiders...].
Okay, some of the fashions and technology look a little dated but then I think they did in 1975. Amity Island is not at the forefront of anything.
And the film is almost exclusively white and male.
The only niggle is that when I saw it in the cinema [yes I am that old] I could swear the Mrs Kintner spat in Chief Brody's face, but in the versions I have seen recently she slaps him. That was far more visceral and the slap feels a little weak.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Sons of Katie Elder* (1965) dir. Henry Hathaway; starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, Martha Hyers

I don't recall ever seeing this one from beginning to end. Lots of familiar faces from the Wayne troop, like Rhys Williams and Paul Fix, also James Gregory -- Wayne seemed to like actors who could stand up to him and not be effaced -- George Kennedy, and a young Dennis Hopper in his early jittery phase.

Runs to formula for the Wayne 1960s movies -- Wayne comes to town, someone doesn't like him, there's at least one comic fist fight, the bad guy and Wayne dance around each other, finally a gun fight and Wayne walks off with the probability of settling with the leading lady. It helps that Hathaway was a good director, adept at framing his shots and stringing scenes together that tell the story. It may hurt a little for some of us to recognize the set as the one used for _Rio Bravo_ among others. But on the whole, for a certain generation, even for those of that generation aware of Wayne's and the movie's faults, a Wayne movie is kind of like comfort food.


----------



## G.T.

*Love and Monsters *(2020) dir. Michael Matthews.; starring Dylan O'Brien (MazeRunner), Jessica Henwick, Dan Ewing, Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt

New to Netflix and surprisingly entertaining. I've only had Netflix a few months and the quality of newly added movies is hit and miss.

Joel is living in the apocalypse. An attempt to divert an asteroid heading for earth causes some fallout that results in various creatures mutating and growing to monstrous sizes. The other people in his bunker have paired up. Unfortunately for Joel his pre-apocalypse girlfriend is in a bunker 80 miles away.

Cue Joels adventures.

It felt a little like Zombieland (just replace zombies with monsters), so if you enjoyed that then this might be worth your time.


----------



## dask

Randy M. said:


> *The Sons of Katie Elder* (1965) dir. Henry Hathaway; starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, Martha Hyers
> 
> I don't recall ever seeing this one from beginning to end. Lots of familiar faces from the Wayne troop, like Rhys Williams and Paul Fix, also James Gregory -- Wayne seemed to like actors who could stand up to him and not be effaced -- George Kennedy, and a young Dennis Hopper in his early jittery phase.
> 
> Runs to formula for the Wayne 1960s movies -- Wayne comes to town, someone doesn't like him, there's at least one comic fist fight, the bad guy and Wayne dance around each other, finally a gun fight and Wayne walks off with the probability of settling with the leading lady. It helps that Hathaway was a good director, adept at framing his shots and stringing scenes together that tell the story. It may hurt a little for some of us to recognize the set as the one used for _Rio Bravo_ among others. But on the whole, for a certain generation, even for those of that generation aware of Wayne's and the movie's faults, a Wayne movie is kind of like comfort food.


This may be my favorite John Wayne movie.


----------



## alexvss

CupofJoe said:


> *Jaws* [1975]
> Don't know how many times I've watched this film and I still love it.
> I like the pacing, the characters [I can't think of a bad note on that side] and even the special effects. I love the absolutely not in anyway CGI'd shark Bruce! And the music? John Williams at his finest [except for _maybe_ Raiders...].
> Okay, some of the fashions and technology look a little dated but then I think they did in 1975. Amity Island is not at the forefront of anything.
> And the film is almost exclusively white and male.
> The only niggle is that when I saw it in the cinema [yes I am that old] I could swear the Mrs Kintner spat in Chief Brody's face, but in the versions I have seen recently she slaps him. That was far more visceral and the slap feels a little weak.


Mandela Effect?



G.T. said:


> *Love and Monsters *(2020) dir. Michael Matthews.; starring Dylan O'Brien (MazeRunner), Jessica Henwick, Dan Ewing, Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt
> 
> New to Netflix and surprisingly entertaining. I've only had Netflix a few months and the quality of newly added movies is hit and miss.
> 
> Joel is living in the apocalypse. An attempt to divert an asteroid heading for earth causes some fallout that results in various creatures mutating and growing to monstrous sizes. The other people in his bunker have paired up. Unfortunately for Joel his pre-apocalypse girlfriend is in a bunker 80 miles away.
> 
> Cue Joels adventures.
> 
> It felt a little like Zombieland (just replace zombies with monsters), so if you enjoyed that then this might be worth your time.


This draws a lot from the videogame *The Last of Us* (which is based on the book/movie *The Road*). Even the name of the protagonist is the same.


----------



## G.T.

alexvss said:


> This draws a lot from the videogame *The Last of Us* (which is based on the book/movie *The Road*). Even the name of the protagonist is the same.


Just so people don't get confused.

Maybe they were the writer's inspiration, and the name is an homage, but that'd be it.

I wouldn't want anyone to watch L&M thinking they will see something similar to The Road. It's not like that at all.

But if you are looking for a laugh in the apocalypse, then go right ahead.


----------



## CupofJoe

alexvss said:


> Mandela Effect?


It looks like you are right. There is nothing on the Interweb about a change being made. but apparently the SLAP was real [the actor couldn't pull their "punch"] and there were seventeen [17] takes. A bad day to be Roy Scheider's left cheek...


----------



## Rodders

Been seeing Love and Monsters on my Netflix feed and it does look like something i'd enjoy. Have you seen Daybreakers? It looks like it could be similar.


----------



## Foxbat

Dead Space: Downfall
I bought this on a whim, not knowing that it was a prequel to a video game. It’s a space horror animation, which is definitely not one for the kids. After an hour or so of violence, evisceration and general goriness. I was left kind of shrugging my shoulders. It was okay, I guess. But I couldn’t help wondering if it was trying to emulate Doom or Alien. Probably somewhere in between. I’d give it five out of ten.


----------



## AstroZon

*Pirates *(1986) d: Roman Polanski, s: Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, Damian Thomas, Charlotte Lewis

The acting, sets, and photography are excellent throughout, however, the film meanders and seems to be missing impact.  After watching it last night I looked up it's history.  It cost $40m to make and brought in a bit more than $8m worldwide.  Ouch.  

Regardless, it's still worth a watch for the principle actors: pirate Walter Matthau and his honor-bound accomplice Cris Campion.  Damian Thomas doesn't overplay his role as the pompous Don Alfonso, and likewise Charlotte Lewis keeps her role as a Spanish princess modest.


----------



## Droflet

*Nobody*. (2021)
Bob Odenkirk in a slightly more serious role following Better Call Saul. Initially, he's not what he eventually turns out to be. Brutal, violent, and yet, oddly amusing. Yeah, I'd give it an 8.


----------



## dask

Hard-hitting story of the perils plaguing the Merchant Marine as they ship much needed equipment across the U-Boat infested Atlantic during World War 2. Beautifully filmed and unusually violent for the era this is one of the finest war movies I've ever seen.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Deadwood.*

Only just found out that there was a movie spin-off for this excellent (adult only) depiction of the Wild West 2 years after it's release. It's amazing that even 10 years on the movie captures the spirit of the series, thanks to sterling work from all of the original actors that are still with us. Apparently they used the set of Westworld as the original set had been dismantled years ago, but you certainly couldn't tell. Unbelievable that they pulled such a popular show, but the movie at least brings some closure, whilst still leaving open the possibility (however unlikely) of a fourth season. It's a bitter-sweet story with Ian McShane on top form as the appropriately named Al Swearengen, and a must for any fans of the tv show.

It's probably not one for anyone who hasn't seen the tv show though, as it's more like a 2 part series finale than a standalone movie. But it's a credit to the producers and actors that such can be achieved 10 years after the original finished.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Anti-Life*

Never since 'From Dusk'Til Dawn' has there been a film of two halves such as this. It's starts off really interestingly, with the last spaceship leaving Earth in pursuit of a new life on a far-off planet. To get there most of those on board are put into stasis , whilst a few remain to keep things running smoothly (including a stowaway. And a hostile (possibly alien) life form  So far so good, but at this stage it starts to go badly downhill. It's like all the budget has been spent on the first half hour of the movie (and presumably Bruce Willis' paycheque) and there was no money left for the rest of the movie which quickly reduces to a sub-par zombie flick.

It's a real shame as it's an intriguing (although hardly original) premise , but some interesting characters raise it up. Sadly it all falls apart very quickly, and after an hour you just want to fast-forward to the ending.


----------



## CupofJoe

AstroZon said:


> *Pirates *(1986) d: Roman Polanski, s: Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, Damian Thomas, Charlotte Lewis
> 
> The acting, sets, and photography are excellent throughout, however, the film meanders and seems to be missing impact.  After watching it last night I looked up it's history.  It cost $40m to make and brought in a bit more than $8m worldwide.  Ouch.
> 
> Regardless, it's still worth a watch for the principle actors: pirate Walter Matthau and his honor-bound accomplice Cris Campion.  Damian Thomas doesn't overplay his role as the pompous Don Alfonso, and likewise Charlotte Lewis keeps her role as a Spanish princess modest.


I paid good money to see that film. 35 years on and I still want a refund!


----------



## AE35Unit

*run (2020)*
a woman raises her disabled daughter, but the daughter begins to think her mother is witholding something about her past.
Stars Sarah Poulson from American Horror Story. Quite good!


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Drag me to Hell (2009)*
Its not good. Terrible acting and dialogue, but it has one of the funniest death scenes in a horror film. I'd say its the best part of the film!
Well that's an hour and half of my life I'm never getting back...


----------



## nixie

Galaxy Quest, why have I never watched this before?


----------



## AE35Unit

nixie said:


> Galaxy Quest, why have I never watched this before?


There's a sequel coming...


----------



## paranoid marvin

pyan said:


> _Guardians of the Galaxy_ and _Guardians of the Galaxy - Vol 2_, on consecutive nights. I enjoyed them both very much, with possibly a shading toward Vol 2, which I thought had a little more humour. I laughed out loud at poor Rocket trying to make sure that Baby Groot pulled the levers and pushed the right button in the right order...




The pity for me is that some people will avoid these films because they're sick of Marvel superhero movies. These are not superhero movies like any other, they are sci-fi comedy gold.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The new Mortal Kombat. Not as good as the first one, but far superior to the second. I enjoyed seeing Kung Lao and Kabal.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> The pity for me is that some people will avoid these films because they're sick of Marvel superhero movies. These are not superhero movies like any other, they are sci-fi comedy gold.


I agree


----------



## AE35Unit

*Bad Ben: Pandemic *
We were looking for something paranormal related to watch and found something called Bad Ben, about a guy who buys a big house with plans to flip it but the house is not quite empty. That was a fairly serious, almost believable piece. We then discovered there are quite a few of these Bad Ben films featuring Nigel Bach as Tom Riley. Most were pay to view and we're tight but we found this one on Prime, and its quite fun. A film that managed to make us jump and lol in equal measure.


----------



## CupofJoe

AE35Unit said:


> There's a sequel coming...


Without Alan Rickman? Why? okay I know it's about the money... But Why?


----------



## Rodders

I saw Jumanji for the first time last night. Surprisingly entertaining.


----------



## AE35Unit

CupofJoe said:


> Without Alan Rickman? Why? okay I know it's about the money... But Why?


Why not?


----------



## hitmouse

*The Sisterhood* (1988). To sum up: the film is a real let down after the very promising poster.

Cut-price post apocalyptic Mad Max meets Conan nonsense, where “ a band of fierce she-warriors” fight for the freedom of enslaved women. Really poor in every possible respect.


----------



## robertheerlein

Godzilla Vs. Kong. I thought it was very entertaining and moved quickly from beginning to end. I did like the previous, Godzilla King of the Monsters a little better, but it's still a fun movie. In these times of Corona Virus and social problems, I think it's important to just be entertained for a little while.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

We got one of those cheap "50 movie packs" recently.  This one is called "Great Adaptations."  We're working our way through those we haven't already seen.  With a set like this, you expect less than pristine copies of public domain films, as well as some old television episodes, giving the lie to the "50 movies" claim.  (Not all are even "adaptations," by my way of thinking; some are just based on historical events or are biopics.  And hardly any would be considered "great."  The only one I'd give that description to unreservedly is *Cyrano de Bergerac* with Jose Ferrer.)  

Anyway, here are the ones we've watched so far.

*Henry VIII and His Six Wives *(1972) -- Zooms through history at a breakneck pace so we can cram all half a dozen spouses into a little more than two hours.  That makes the court intrigue hard to follow, but it's a well-acted, handsomely filmed production.

*Jack London *(1943) -- Biopic of the author, which turns into anti-Japanese propaganda about half way through.

*Martin Luther *(1953) -- Biopic of the Reformation figure.  Seems to have been made by Lutherans for Lutherans, so maybe not completely objective, but not a bad historical drama.

*Penny Serenade *(1941) -- I can't confirm that this is adapted from anything.  It's a three-handkerchief weepie, about a couple who can't have children (she suffers a miscarriage during an earthquake in Japan, of all things) so they adopt a child, but the little girl dies (off screen) from some unnamed disease, threatening their marriage.  OK if you care for that kind of sentimental melodrama.

*The Scarlet Letter *(1934) -- Straightforward version of the classic novel.  Pads out the running time with some oddly out of place comedy relief, involving a couple of goofy townsfolk.

_A Tale of Two Cities _(1953) -- Notice the italics instead of bolding.  This is actually a couple of episodes of live TV drama, reducing Dicken's novel to a total of less than an hour, including commercials.  A valiant attempt at an impossible task.

*Terror By Night *(1946) -- One of the many Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes movies, updating things to modern times.  This one is about murder and the theft of a huge diamond on a train.  Not much mystery to the plot.

*The Three Musketeers* (1921) -- Douglas Fairbanks (Senior) does the expected swashbuckling in this silent version of the novel, but there's also a fair amount of comedy.

*Vanity Fair *(1932) -- The title on screen is actually *Indecent*.  Updates the Thackery novel to modern times, as it depicts the rise and fall of a heartless seductress.  Pre-Code!


----------



## AE35Unit

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> .
> 
> 
> *Vanity Fair *(1932) -- The title on screen is actually *Indecent*.  Updates the Thackery novel to modern times, as it depicts the rise and fall of a heartless seductress.  Pre-Code!


Indecent, in 1932? They show too much ankle?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

AE35Unit said:


> Indecent, in 1932? They show too much ankle?



A scene from the film:


----------



## Toby Frost

Hot dang!


----------



## J Riff

*Guzoo* - _The Thing Forsaken by God _- Japan 1986. Part 1 - 41 min. 
 Right away we get text explaining how Guzoo took a different evolutionary path, after being abandoned by God, and we see bubbling goo, awakening after aeons of slumber, which, yes, it can imitate a human being,  or the lower life forms.
 Minute two features closeups of garters, lipstick, gams and four cute girls on their way to the hot springs. Is one of them already Guzoo? 
Maybe not...they are staying as the only guests at the hot springs, run by a nice lady who is also an archaeologist.
Now, we see bubbles bubbling in the pond outside, and something flies out of the water but nothing happens. One girl is going outside for a look around but as she stands in the hallway, a tentacle reaches out from nowhere, but whips back outa sight as she turns around. She snoops in the dark cellar, where theres a strong smell, and the host lady appears in a lab coat and fobs her off. Then, the host lady sneaks into the girl's room while they are in the swimming pool, and breaks all the little mirrors in their makeup kits. Not many mirrors in the room or entire building, apparently. Then, host lady goes to the river and plays a tune on a little flute and, in the swimming pool we get bubbling, and a little leechy critter attaches to a girl, drops off, more bubbling and they scream and flee the pool.
 Host lady runs up and looks at the injured girl's arm and explains that the wound looks like the work of a Kamaitachi... which is...
'an invisible weasel with claws like sickles, that lives inside small whirlwinds.' Wow. 
 It stays weird. Guzoo's tentacles can shoot out from any mirror, and they do, and two of the girls are dispatched, along with their host. 
Eventually they flee, and on the way they find ... a turtle, which they take along with them, and it's the End. Is the turtle Guzoo? Was part two ever made?


----------



## AE35Unit

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> A scene from the film:
> 
> View attachment 78074


Cover your eyes kids...


----------



## Vince W

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> A scene from the film:
> 
> View attachment 78074


This is supposed to be a family friendly forum.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Navy vs. The Night Monsters *(1966)

Cheap, silly, and tedious Killer Plant movie.  The first fifteen minutes is almost all "funny" banter among A) The crew of a plane carrying biological specimens from the "hot lakes" (?) region of Antarctica and B) Navy guys, civilian scientists, a tiny dog, and a couple of attractive nurses on a tropical island, to which the plane is headed.  The plane crashes, with the pilot as the only survivor.   He's in a state of shock, so can't say what happened, but once in a while he gets up and attacks somebody.  Folks disappear.  After nearly an hour, we get to see our Night Monsters (big walking trees that secrete some kind of corrosive liquid.  Think halfway between *The Day of the Triffids *and *From Hell It Came*.)  The Navy eventually sends in enough firepower to wipe the things out.  Besides the constant, intolerable comedy relief, a lot of time is wasted with romantic entanglements involving a couple of the Navy guys, one of the science guys, and the nurses.  (One of them is top-billed Mamie Van Doren, but it might as well be anybody else.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Get Outta Town *(1960)

Ultra-low budget crime film that manages to create a real hardboiled mood.  Semi-reformed criminal comes back home when his kid brother dies in an "accident."  He gets yelled at and kicked out by his mother, rejected by a ex-girlfriend, harassed by the police, and beaten up by crooks.  Only an hour long, with a simple plot, but surprisingly effective.  Nifty jazz soundtrack, too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death* (1989)

Lowbrow comedy with a few amusing moments.  We get the requisite violence and nudity in the first few minutes, featuring actors who do not otherwise appear in the film.  The title tells all.  An expedition goes into the untracked wilderness of the avocado jungle (most of the eastern part of California, it seems) to track down the tribe of women who kill and eat men after mating with them.    Just as silly as you think it is.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*I Dismember Mama *(1972)

Psycho killer movie that actually benefits from its cheapness and sleaziness, not to mention a memorable title.  Guy who tried to kill his mother (or so we're told; this all happened before the movie began) escapes from an asylum after attacking a female nurse and killing a male guard.  He kills his mother's housekeeper and goes off with the dead woman's preteen daughter, whom he sees as "pure."  They wind up in a hotel where he goes through a mock marriage ceremony with her.    His third (and final) victim is a woman he picks up in a poolroom.  (Presumably she's not "pure.")  The final cops/psycho/little girl chase sequence is straight out of a TV crime show, but most of the film has a gritty nastiness to it (despite very restrained violence) that is fairly effective.  Wildly inappropriate music on the soundtrack (the killer has his own soft rock theme, "Poor Albert") doesn't help.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black Cat *(1966)

Ultra-low budget adaptation of the Poe story that follows the basic plot pretty closely, but updates it into the Swinging Sixties.  (Be ready for go-go dancing and no less than three songs performed by a rock 'n' roll band.)  Contains some remarkably gory scenes for the time; thank goodness it's in black and white!  Animal lovers should probably view it with caution.  Not exactly a good film, with many signs of amateurishness, but effective enough in its own grim way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deadwood '76 *(1965)

Completes my viewing of films starring Arch Hall, Jr., famous for being the world's worst leading man in such turkeys as *The Choppers*, *Eegah*, *Wild Guitar*, and *The Nasty Rabbit*, as well as being quite good playing a sociopath in *The Sadist*.   This Western is somewhere between those extremes.  Starts with some old codger transporting a covered wagon full of cats to Deadwood.  Hall saves him from some Indians, and also prevents the codger from shooting them.  They go into the goldmining business.  Meanwhile, the townsfolks assume he's Billy the Kid, because his name is Billy, and he shoots down a couple of bad guys who tried to take a cat without paying the necessary hundred dollars for it.  Out at the mine, Billy is captured by Indians.  Turns out his long-lost Pa is living with them, planning to get even with those damn Yankees by helping the Indians in their war against Custer.  There's an Indian maiden to fall in love with him, and to be attacked by a couple of bad guys, so Billy can shoot them down in cold blood.  Well, the local gamblin' man and saloon gal arrange to have a big shootout between Billy and Wild Bill Hickok, so they can place big bets on Billy to lose.  There's a surprisingly downbeat ending.  The whole thing is full of very familiar Old West characters and situations.  It's not anywhere near as bad as most of Hall's films, but his portrayal of the antihero doesn't come anywhere near to his genuinely chilling performance in *The Sadist*.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> We got one of those cheap "50 movie packs" recently.  This one is called "Great Adaptations."  We're working our way through those we haven't already seen.  With a set like this, you expect less than pristine copies of public domain films, as well as some old television episodes, giving the lie to the "50 movies" claim.  (Not all are even "adaptations," by my way of thinking; some are just based on historical events or are biopics.  And hardly any would be considered "great."  The only one I'd give that description to unreservedly is *Cyrano de Bergerac* with Jose Ferrer.)
> 
> Anyway, here are the ones we've watched so far.
> 
> *Henry VIII and His Six Wives *(1972) -- Zooms through history at a breakneck pace so we can cram all half a dozen spouses into a little more than two hours.  That makes the court intrigue hard to follow, but it's a well-acted, handsomely filmed production.
> 
> *Jack London *(1943) -- Biopic of the author, which turns into anti-Japanese propaganda about half way through.
> 
> *Martin Luther *(1953) -- Biopic of the Reformation figure.  Seems to have been made by Lutherans for Lutherans, so maybe not completely objective, but not a bad historical drama.
> 
> *Penny Serenade *(1941) -- I can't confirm that this is adapted from anything.  It's a three-handkerchief weepie, about a couple who can't have children (she suffers a miscarriage during an earthquake in Japan, of all things) so they adopt a child, but the little girl dies (off screen) from some unnamed disease, threatening their marriage.  OK if you care for that kind of sentimental melodrama.
> 
> *The Scarlet Letter *(1934) -- Straightforward version of the classic novel.  Pads out the running time with some oddly out of place comedy relief, involving a couple of goofy townsfolk.
> 
> _A Tale of Two Cities _(1953) -- Notice the italics instead of bolding.  This is actually a couple of episodes of live TV drama, reducing Dicken's novel to a total of less than an hour, including commercials.  A valiant attempt at an impossible task.
> 
> *Terror By Night *(1946) -- One of the many Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes movies, updating things to modern times.  This one is about murder and the theft of a huge diamond on a train.  Not much mystery to the plot.
> 
> *The Three Musketeers* (1921) -- Douglas Fairbanks (Senior) does the expected swashbuckling in this silent version of the novel, but there's also a fair amount of comedy.
> 
> *Vanity Fair *(1932) -- The title on screen is actually *Indecent*.  Updates the Thackery novel to modern times, as it depicts the rise and fall of a heartless seductress.  Pre-Code!




Henry VIII and his Six Wives was an adaptation of the excellent BBC drama series 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII',  a series of 6 tv programmes which concerned the time periods of each of his wives. The movie tried to condense this into 120 minutes and introduced bigger name actors into some of the roles such as Donald Pleasance as Cromwell.

Keith Michell is brilliant as both young and old King Henry, and along with A Man For All Seasons is the best and probably most accurate depiction of the king on tv or film.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Running Wild *(1955)
> 
> William Marshall (the Squire of Gothos himself) stars as an undercover cop passing himself off as a hot rodding punk in order to infiltrate a stolen car racket run by Keenan Wynn, of all people.  A very young John Saxon recognizes him, but just wants to get out of the racket.  He gets killed.  Wynn has a sullen girlfriend.  Her attitude is understandable, as Wynn's only hold over her is the fact that her father, a concentration camp survivor, is in the country illegally.   She's the key to cracking the case.  Second-billed Mamie Van Doren has a small part as the girlfriend of one of Wynn's young hoods.  She gets to jitterbug to a song by Bill Haley and the Comets, but otherwise doesn't do much.  A little slow-moving, but not too bad.


Forgive me if someone already mentioned this, but you have the wrong William! Marshall was Dr. Daystrom [or something like it] & also BLACULA.  Campbell was the naughty little boy who did not want to come to dinner, as he was busy playing with his toys.


AE35Unit said:


> Just watched *Drag me to Hell (2009)*
> Its not good. Terrible acting and dialogue, but it has one of the funniest death scenes in a horror film. I'd say its the best part of the film!
> Well that's an hour and half of my life I'm never getting back...


Was't that the 'remake' of the 1950s horror _*Curse of the Demon*_? The guy was given a cursed button from a coat and could only rid himself of the curse by giving it to a willing recipient? I saw both, & thought both were good.



*MATINEE* (1993) somebody on this forum told me about this film, when I was talking about William Castle. Anyway, the WC-type guy Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) uses all his gimmicks on this one film _*MANT*_, in which a guy who was bitten by an ant at the same time as his dentist was x-raying him, begins to turn into an Ant-man. 

The perspective was of the kid who watched these films, & the action occurred during THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS. As I have rather unpleasant memories of high school, I was not thrilled with that element, though, in retrospect, it seemed natural. One of the supporting cast was one of the four guys who did the massacre in *St. Valentine's day Massacre*. An amusing part was that people who were apparently protesting this horror film, was that actor, whose character worked for the William Castle guy. The idea being hype the film as being offensive, etc, & therefore attract more kids. 

It was a bit too-over the top silly. But all those movie posters were real!  I have never been to a theater with a balcony, but this one's balcony figured into the plot. So, the WC-guy is talking about the value of being frightened by a horror film.  But, as I understand it WC's films were not so much frightening, as they were funny because of the cheap gimmicks. People went to see THE TINGLER repeatedly, hoping to sit in a rigged seat. 



_*The Hucksters*_  (1947) Unemployed or was it underemployed Victor Norman (Clark Gable) fast talks his way into a high-paying career in the advertisement company of Mr. Kimberly (Adolphe Menjou), whose best client Evan Evans (Sydney Greenstreet) treats everyone like trash. Reminds me of that Python sketch with the one guy (King Arthur / Brian guy) as a Hollywood boss who fires his execs at a whim. They are all shaking in their boots, hoping to keep their jobs, but being yes-men does not always work. Anyway, Kimberly, though boss of the ad agency, also kisses his feet, etc. Norman, trying his best to convince Kimberly that he does not want a job, is not in the mood for tush-kissing, so, he plays it differently. 

In the process of his un-job, he meets Kay Dorrance (Deborah Kerr), a widow whose husband had been killed in WWII, and also the mother of two young kids. Norman wants her, but his un-job gets in the way. Nice romance elements, good humor. 

Nice to see Greenstreet in other than a crime drama. He was already 60 when he started in Hollywood. I saw him in *Xmas in Connecticut*, & that one with the ship bound for the other world. 

Keenan Wynn was so young, I hardly recognized him! He had the role of an annoyingly unfunny comic, whose only jokes were old, whom Greenstreet demanded be involved in advertising his product "Beautee soap" 



*SABOTEUR* (1942) Very similar to Hitchcock's _*NORTH BY NORTHWEST,*_ but this one involves the Statue of Liberty, instead of Mount Rushmore. Barry Kane (Robert Cummings) works in an aircraft factory is mistaken for the saboteur who filled a fire extinguisher with gasoline, and stated a fire in the paint area, which quickly became an inferno. Having by chance bumped into the culprit on the way to lunch, and briefly glancing the letters he dropped, one of which having an address visible. He eludes the police, and  goes to find the bad guy. 

Among the supporting cast, Ian Wolfe ("you must be prepared" guy on that STAR TREK episode in which the people of a doomed planet escape into past centuries; also one of the Christians in BREAD & CIRCUSES)  Here he portray's the villain's butler, equally villainous.


----------



## J Riff

*The Mighty Thor against the Amazon Queen* aka _Thor and the Amazon Women_ aka other titles... 1963 Italian-Yugoslavian
sword and sandal epic, no need to go into detail ... "the men were considered inferior beings.." 
There's a cheery hollywood music theme ' Past the rainbow gates of Asgarrrrd!' etcetc...
memorable moments include Thor's tug-o-war against a hundred and one women wearing red nightgowns...
The Diana Ross lookalike Queen... oh, it's epic stuff... good women triumph over evil, the men are liberated, sappy music, 
happy ending.


----------



## dask

Fitting tribute to Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfield, the Ed Sullivan of his day. Accuracies outnumber inaccuracies in this 1936 best picture award winner  which at 185 minutes almost makes it feel as if it were filmed in real time. But this epic of show business is no laggard. Great songs by Walter Donaldson and Irving Berlin, show stealing performance by Luise Rainer as Ziegfeld’s first wife Anna Held (which won her the award for best actress) and Ray Bolger performing one of the best dance routines ever filmed makes you wish Ziegfeld could have produced that last Follies he so longed for.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Flight to Mars* [1951]
Okay, so not much accuracy can be expected from a 1951 film about traveling to Mars, so I'm not going to go there. And it is definitely a time capsule of gender attitudes of the time [the first thing the [lone] female scientist wants to know is where the kitchen is...]. but I have to put that all aside because it was fun to watch, because it took itself so seriously. What I did like was the can-do attitude... They set off for Mars not sure if they could return. The plot is close to laughable but fun. Hey it was filmed in 5 days and I wonder what took them that long. It borrowed a lot from other films, including the plot it seems.
Yes they get to Mars and meet the Martians... But not is all that it seems... so I won't spoil the plot...


----------



## Mouse

*Love and Monsters. *It's on Netflix. Brilliant film - kinda like Zombieland but with mutated cold-blooded animals. Has a dog who's awesome. Watch it.


----------



## Foxbat

Watched The Abyss. Haven't seen it in many years and still enjoyed it.


----------



## Droflet

A very underrated Cameron film. I loved it.


----------



## therapist

Mouse said:


> *Love and Monsters. *It's on Netflix. Brilliant film - kinda like Zombieland but with mutated cold-blooded animals. Has a dog who's awesome. Watch it.


I saw this recently thought it was great. Very classic heroes-journey story, in a post apocalyptic world over run by giant monsters. But I thought it was very well done.


----------



## Toby Frost

I watched *Love and Monsters* last night. It was very similar to Zombieland, so much that the two leads are confused in my mind. As with Zombieland, the hero was vaguely irritating, perhaps deliberately. The last half-hour was more exciting than the rest. It was pleasant enough, but I doubt it will stick with me for very long.


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> with Zombieland, the hero was vaguely irritating,


Isn't that Eisenberg's whole thing?


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Watched *2001 A Space Odyssey.* 
Brilliant film. It's only as I watched it this time, that the first 30 minutes has no dialogue (well apart from the screeching apes) and makes for great entertainment. And doesn't look dated. 9/10.


----------



## CupofJoe

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Watched *2001 A Space Odyssey.*
> Brilliant film. It's only as I watched it this time, that the first 30 minutes has no dialogue (well apart from the screeching apes) and makes for great entertainment. And doesn't look dated. 9/10.


Saw it as a young kid.... really young [2 or 3 - what were my parents thinking‽] and it scared the crap out of me. 
Took me 30+ years to sit through it again and have loved it ever since.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Watched *2001 A Space Odyssey.*
> Brilliant film. It's only as I watched it this time, that the first 30 minutes has no dialogue (well apart from the screeching apes) and makes for great entertainment. And doesn't look dated. 9/10.



Saw it when it first came out and have seen it about 25 times since.  My favorite film of all time.

More stuff watched at home as part of the "Great Adaptations" collection:

*The Tell-Tale Heart *(1960) -- Loose British adaptation of the famous Poe story.  Antihero develops mad passion for woman, but loses her to his dashing best friend.   He murders him, and the haunting by the heart begins.  More gory and racy that an American film of the time would be, I think.  We see the antihero hold the victim's bloody heart in his hands, and it's made clear that the victim and the woman went to bed together.

*Jane Eyre *(1970) -- Made for TV version of the Bronte novel.  Susannah York in the title role and George C. Scott as Rochester.  More Gothic in mood than some versions of the tale, with Scott a particularly brooding Rochester.

*David Copperfield *(1970) -- Same director and writer as above, also made for TV.  Tells a complicated story through the use of multiple flashbacks.  (We see the adult David at his wife's funeral, then the camera pans to the child David at his mother's funeral.)  Lots of big name British actors among the large number of characters, many of whom are made as grotesque as in the Dickens novel.

*The Lady and the Highwayman *(1988) -- Made-for-TV adaptation of a Barbara Cartland novel, so it's no surprise that it's a very old-fashioned combination of swashbuckling adventure and romance.  Sweet, innocent heroine gets involved in intrigue during the time of Charles II and falls in love with the Robin Hood style highwayman who is actually an aristocrat in disguise.    Michael York as the king, among other familiar faces in small roles.  It amuses me that the actress who plays the pure-as-the-driven-snow heroine also played the evil witch Angelique in the 1980's version of _Dark Shadows_.

*Betsy Ross *(1917) -- Completely fictional biopic of the woman who supposedly was hired to make a new flag for the fledgling United States.  Most historians dismiss that story, and would have nothing to do with the movie's plot about a secret marriage, a duel that ends in a killing by somebody other than the guy who thinks he killed his rival, disguises, spies, guys switching back and forth between the Continental Army and the British, and so on.  Probably intended to stir up patriotism when the USA entered the Great War.


----------



## Parson

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Watched *2001 A Space Odyssey.*
> Brilliant film. It's only as I watched it this time, that the first 30 minutes has no dialogue (well apart from the screeching apes) and makes for great entertainment. And doesn't look dated. 9/10.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Saw it when it first came out and have seen it about 25 times since. My favorite film of all time.



I also saw it when it first came out. I was a teenager who loved all things S.F. and I did not connect with it on any level other than it was "moody." I suspect the nuance of the movie flew over my head. I should probably look it up again. 

I don't remember, but maybe I was looking for something more in the line of Star Trek with a much more accessible plot.


----------



## Rodders

I last saw 2001 two years ago and it is really impressive. The effects remain excellent and it was the first time that i really noticed Kubrick's attention to detail.


----------



## REBerg

*Mortal Kombat (2021)*
About what I expected – a martial arts feast, with extra helpings of blood and gore, served piping hot with 21st century CGI pyrotechnics. I was neither surprised nor disappointed.


----------



## dask




----------



## dask




----------



## Jeffbert

*Plan 9 From Outer Space Table Read* (?) Perhaps a bit more tolerable than the film itself. 



The final shot ^

So, they read not only their lines, but everything in the script.


----------



## Dave

I also watched *Love and Monsters *on Netflix. It was a little silly, but I enjoyed it. Personally, I could have done without the voiceover. I expect that when people here are saying they found Joel irritating, that the annoyance is related to that, but the character was supposed to grow during the story. It was good to see Michael Rooker in something after *The Walking Dead,* and also Jessica Henwick after *The Iron Fist*. I think I could have actually watched a whole film just with Clyde and Minnow alone in it.


----------



## alexvss

*Black Rain* (1989). Directed by Ridley Scott, it tells the story of two policemen that must scort a Yakuza boss back to Japan, and lose him in the process. It's a mix of the eighties and nineties movie formula. It has the machoness of the latter and the humor of the former. It also follows the three-arc struture to the core; it's as if the screenplay had been written as the final project of a MFA program. Not an excellent movie, but, as a weeb, I enjoyed it.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Last Jedi* (2017) - a confused and overlong film, with too many plot strands and too much going on for its own good. It gives the weird impression that the fight between the Empire and the Rebellion involves a tiny number of people on half a dozen spaceships. A lot of the elements are good, and very little of it is downright bad, but it desperately needs a good edit.


----------



## Rodders

The sequels really suffered for the lack of an agreed story arc. I thought that Johnson ttried to do something different with TLJ. Shame the slave boy thread at the end wasn’t expanded upon in TROS.


----------



## CupofJoe

*City of Tiny Lights* [2016]
A taut little film about a private eye working a case of a missing woman. No great noise car chases or gangsters gunning the whole place. just a good script and action to match. Riz Ahmed is believable as a Private Eye. He looked tired and worn out but still trying his best.
There are some surprising names in the cast, Ram John Holder, Cush Jumbo, Billie Piper, and Alexander Siddig. Some of them all but unrecognisable. The film gives you the feeling that while there is a seamy side to London, most people are just trying to get through their lives with the least trouble.


----------



## dask




----------



## Vince W

alexvss said:


> *Black Rain* (1989). Directed by Ridley Scott, it tells the story of two policemen that must scort a Yakuza boss back to Japan, and lose him in the process. It's a mix of the eighties and nineties movie formula. It has the machoness of the latter and the humor of the former. It also follows the three-arc struture to the core; it's as if the screenplay had been written as the final project of a MFA program. Not an excellent movie, but, as a weeb, I enjoyed it.


I love Black Rain. I consider it a pseudo-cyberpunk film because the general feel and attitude of the film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Tenet*. Or at least the first 30 mins. Tbh  I had been expecting great things, but it just left me confused. The unclear dialogue didn't help either. I really couldn't be bothered watching another 2 hours to see if it improved.


----------



## KGeo777

MOON ZERO TWO 1969
Taking place in 2021 (this month in fact) it seemed like the right time to revisit it. Verdict: an ambitious dud--harmed by a poor casting choice, weak soundtrack, and lack of budget--however, they did get some value out of their limitations--the lunar service looks really good in some scenes--especially a train sequence.  You can see crew from 2001 had worked on this and would also go on to do Star Wars (doesn't the Catherine Schell costume resemble the one Grand Moff Tarkin was wearing--is this his niece?).

Really odd is the lack of a star field behind the spaceships (which could have been more ambitiously designed for sure). I watched BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE 1959 the other day and that had really good star field backgrounds for the era--maybe the best I have seen. They weren't just holes punched into a black sheet.

They did get a couple of predictions right--they have big screen tvs and personal laptop computers.  People can change their hair color to something weirdly bright and non-conformist (even on the job)  and no one cares.


----------



## hitmouse

Nomadland. Bleak, poignant, sad, and very moving. Resisted all the potential clichees. A fne bit of minimalist filmmaking.
not exactly my choice for a Friday night movie, but worth a watch.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE WIZARD OF OZ* (1939) nothing new or original to say about it, except Dorothy might have protested to Glenda (?) that she wanted nothing to do with the conflict between good & bad witches. Keep the shoes for yourself! 

Oh, 1 thing: why was there a bucket of water in the WW of the W's castle?   



_*Tex Avery: King of Cartoons*_ (1988) Tex invented Bugs? I had no idea, I did not even know he had worked for Warner Bros! Interesting program!



_*CAIN AND MABEL*_ (1936)
Mabel (Marion Davies) is an ex-waitress turned stage performer, who is practicing her dance in the hotel room directly above  prize fighter Larry Cain (Clark Gable), who cannot sleep because of all the noise. The big fight is tomorrow, & he will lose because of his lack of sleep. Thus, a bitter hatred for each other occurs, but as both are in a slump, the one's publicity guy decides they should date each other, which will put them in the newspapers, and maybe increase ticket sales.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Spontaneous (2020): Not sure if this counts, because I only made it halfway through. Interesting premise, too much teen romance drivel and failed attempts at comedy.


----------



## therapist

*The Man from Earth* 2007

This low budget movie was fantastic. The entire film is literally just a group of college professors sitting in a room having a discussion—don't expect anything more. But their conversation is fascinating and full of wonder. I'm not going to say what it's about, but urge anyone who enjoys a good premise to go in blind. Don't read the synopsis/blurb if you want to watch this. It is written by Jerome Bixby, an old writer for Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.


----------



## Droflet

Great flick. The follow up, wasn't much chop.


----------



## Guttersnipe

therapist said:


> *The Man from Earth* 2007
> 
> This low budget movie was fantastic. The entire film is literally just a group of college professors sitting in a room having a discussion—don't expect anything more. But their conversation is fascinating and full of wonder. I'm not going to say what it's about, but urge anyone who enjoys a good premise to go in blind. Don't read the synopsis/blurb if you want to watch this. It is written by Jerome Bixby, an old writer for Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.


I love this film. No action, all drama, and it's worth it. A fine film if you like your sci-fi philosophical; not recommended for impatient people.


----------



## alexvss

*Come True (2020)*. A runaway girl, who sleeps at wherever she can and has trouble with nightmares, enrolls in a (slightly illegal) sleeping test: she would earn money while the scientists monitor her sleep. They built a way to see what the person sees in a dream, and they've discovered that many people often dream with shadows. And some of these dreams start to come true.

Although it has very soft sci-fi, the jungian psychology part is strong. The ending is ambiguous, and it lingers with you. And I have to give a shout about the soundtrack, which was recorded by the director's band. People have been calling this the most original horror movie since *It Follows (2015)*, and I think I agree. I've certainly seen better since 2015, but nothing as different as this. It is also a Canadian Film. We don't see these very often. The ones I remember are *Splice (2009)*, and Cronenberg's and Villeneuve's early career films.

Make sure you don't sleep on this (pun intended).


----------



## Judderman

Wander (2020). This is an odd film but I enjoyed it. An investigation into a murder and various interesting goings on. Gets somewhat confusing at times. One of those films where it goes back and forth in timelines via the main character's memories. Aaron Eckhart does a great job in the lead role of the stressed, conspiracy theory enthusiast and ex-policeman character. Tommy Lee Jones and Heather Graham provide great acting support, and good to see Katheryn Winnick (Lagertha from Vikings) in a new film role too. The US native town in Texas is an interesting setting too.


----------



## Judderman

The Empty Man (2020) is another interesting and sometimes odd movie. It is a horror with a spooky, mysterious vibe which I like. There is a theme of people calling a spirit with a special method, a bit like Candyman. Not entirely original. Then there is also a theme with a weird cult that isn't that original either. But the way they put the two themes together is quite original.
Though probably the best part is the intro scenes set in spectacular mountains of Bhutan.


----------



## KGeo777

Canada has a stronger film industry in the 1970s. They avoided making their own content for decades--Hollywood discouraged it to some extent-and some filmmakers went to the US or England instead.
DR. BLOOD'S COFFIN and DEVIL DOLL are examples from the 60s that comes to mind. Canadian directors.  Alan Gibson is another--he worked for Hammer Films. James Cameron obviously--he left for Hollywood---he never did any movies in Canada.

There's a film FRANKENSTEIN ON CAMPUS -1970 --not a good movie but the story was interesting--the ending twist especially--but very cheap and completely obscure.

RITUALS which Stephen King really liked was another notable one--a Canadian Gothic horror film--although most of the time the director and writer are not from Canada. It's the quirkiest thing--you can name US or  UK films where the director and writer are both from there--but in Canada there are very few examples if the film is well-regarded.

Then in the mid-80s they declared the industry a failure and switched mainly to slice-of-life stuff. Most of the money came from the government itself. There's no independent businesses--though--Uwe Boll moved to Canada because he was able to get funding easier.

The UK situation is sadder because they had a strong film industry for a long time and then it collapsed after  the 1970s.  Not a failure of talent just opportunity.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Unholy (2015)*
A low budget British horror based in the 70s with wooden acting and cheap sets. At one point the woman falls into a sewer and breaking through, you can clearly see the concrete is thin sheets of polystyrene, the kind you used to see as ceiling tiles. And a scene where the house catches fire, its clearly a miniature set.


----------



## Judderman

I guess that is a different story to the new film of the same name. About a girl who gains the power to heal the sick.


----------



## AE35Unit

Judderman said:


> I guess that is a different story to the new film of the same name. About a girl who gains the power to heal the sick.


Yes the new film with that name is based on Shrine by James Herbert


----------



## AE35Unit

*Spirit* 2001
A haunting with a difference, not scary at all. Stars a young Elizabeth Moss who would later star in The Handmaid's Tale


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

More stuff watched at home as part of the "Great Adaptations" collection:

_Adventures of Huckleberry Finn _(1955) -- An episode of the TV series _Climax! _that runs less than fifty minutes.  Omits the runaway slave Jim entirely in an extremely loose adaptation which is mostly about Huck and Tom preventing two con artists (the King and the Duke [John Carradine] in the novel) from getting their hands on the treasure they found in Injun Joe's cave.  Not the best version of the book.

*Daniel Boone* (1936) -- Mostly about Boone against a renegade white guy (John Carradine) who is leading the Indians against the settlers of Kentucky (who have a good reason to be upset, I'd think.)  Besides some late 18th century costumes, pretty just a typical Western.

*The Jackie Robinson Story *(1950) -- The baseball great stars as himself just a few years after he broke the color line.  An OK biopic; Robinson is a decent actor.

*Lola *(1970) -- Based on the screenwriter's own experience, this is a comedy/drama about a 38-year-old writer (Charles Bronson) who marries a 16-year-old schoolgirl (Susan George).  Despite their tremendous love for each other, not everything works out well.  Not a movie likely to be made these days.  Besides the disturbing aspects of the premise, most notable for George's extremely short skirts.

*The Missouri Traveler *(1958) -- Set in the early 20th century, this is a "family" film about a teenage boy on his own who winds up getting involved with the folks in a small town, particularly the guy who worked his way up from poverty and is now the richest person in the place (Lee Marvin.)  Marvin starts off mean, turns out to be a good guy in the end.  It was OK, maybe a little too sweet and too much slapstick comedy thrown in.

*Mr. Robinson Crusoe *(1932) -- Not really an adaptation  of the Defoe novel, this tells of a modern day guy (Douglas Fairbanks [Sr.]) who bets he can survive alone on a tropical island.  He does so with absurd success, building all kinds of stuff from raw materials, and getting mixed up with a woman who escapes her own island to avoid getting married to a guy she doesn't like.  Mostly played for comedy, and notable for lots of real Pacific Islanders playing the "natives."

*Nancy Drew . . . Detective *(1938) -- The title teenager gets mixed up in a murder case.  Lots of comedy, and comes to a complete halt for a musical number in a Chinese restaurant.  Not very good.

*Saigon:  Year of the Cat *(1983) -- Made-for-TV movie about the romance between a banker and a CIA agent in Vietnam just before the end of the war.  The historical stuff is more interesting than the romance.

*Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon *(1942) -- One of the many Basil Rathbone/Holmes movies, updated to have him fight the Nazis.  Lionel Atwill stars as Moriarty.  Very loosely based on the story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men."  An average entry in the series.

*The Time of Your Life *(1948) -- Film version of the William Saroyan play.  Deals with a bunch of eccentrics in a San Francisco bar.  Best described as heartwarming.  Seems to be more or less just a filmed version of the play, with very little time spent away from one set.

*Two Women *(1960) -- Classic neorealist film about a woman (Sophia Loren) and her young daughter escaping the bombing of Rome during World War Two.  The climactic scene is still pretty shocking today.

*When the Bough Breaks *(1983) -- Made-for-TV thriller/mystery about a child psychologist investigating murders that lead to a ring of pedophiles.  The plot is very hard to follow.  Interesting for the fact that the police detective on the case is a gay man, and this is treated as nothing very notable.


----------



## CupofJoe

*We'll smile again* [1942]
This is a Flanagan and Allen vehicle, a variety act that was popular during the 30s and 40s. Think *Abbott & Costello* or *Morecambe and Wise* [there is even the "_What's a Greek urn?_" gag]*** but with more songs. Flanagan plays the down at heel Bob Parker and Allen the film's leading actor, Gordon Maxwell.
The plot is not complex. It is about a film being made and Nazi agents planting codes in it to time an uprising. The plucky Bob Parker gets wind of this and sets about stopping them. The film is an excuse for variety gag after gag and a lighthearted song or two that the audience would probably have known well. This was wartime entertainment, meant to please, not challenge the people.
To me, what is interesting is the attitudes to race. While everyone seems very supportive of the recent emigres and refugees there is tension about their effects on society. There is a bit about someone with a thick middle European accent declaring that he has been "a proud Englishman for many days now". And Bob Parker does wonder why there are so many foreigners working on the film. Add to this that all the baddies have German or East European accents, all the goodies, English or American. This will have reflected attitudes of the time as the content would have been carefully vetted by the Government. It doesn't feel malicious, but more of a carefully chosen way of letting the subject be aired and thereby diffused.
*** About £4 a week...


----------



## AE35Unit

*Possessed * 2000
Sup bar Omen-esque child possession film set in the 50s, starring Timothy Dalton as a priest and ex WWII soldier. Messy


----------



## emrosenagel

*Whisper of the heart *1995
I'm a sucker for Ghibli movies (who isn't?) and I had recently been watching all the ones I haven't seen, including When Marnie was there and From up on poppy hill. Whisper of the heart hit just the right spot for me. Not only did I feel a connection with Shizuku because we share the same dream of writing stories, but also because we both struggle with feeling inferior. It wasn't as epic as Spirited away or Howl's moving castle, but sometimes those sweet slice-of-life stories can move your heart just as much (or even more). While I still can't say it is my favorite Ghibli movie, my favorite _was _inspired by it! I like to think that maybe Shizuku grew up and wrote the story of The Cat Returns.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another "Great Adaptation":

*The Last of the Mohicans* (1920):  The lousy copy of this silent version of the Cooper novel that was included in my "50 Movie Pack" runs only 40 minutes, and the full movie runs nearly 80 minutes, so with half of it gone and the rest in poor condition, it's unfair to say much about it.  What is left is impressive, indicating a big budget and excellent outdoor locations.


----------



## Judderman

Seems from your reviews Victoria you are not too impressed with this Great Adaptions collection..


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Judderman said:


> Seems from your reviews Victoria you are not too impressed with this Great Adaptions collection..



Not really.  It's one of those very cheap sets containing a huge number of public domain films/television episodes.  An occasional gem here and there, but otherwise you get what you pay for.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Black Death * 2002
Watched it till near the end when I had to wake myself up. Still not sure what it was about


----------



## KGeo777

*MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3  *I have never seen the tv show which I should remedy sometime. I re-watched the first movie recently after several years. This one is from 15 years ago? It doesn't seem that long. I have trouble accepting Tom Cruise as an action hero--I think he was useless in LEGEND and he's too slight of form to be convincing as a lead in these kinds of things--his acting can get kind of "spastic" and distracting. He runs around a lot to compensate and his voice gets shrill. 
This movie is entertaining for its non-stop action but it is so stupid. There's so much idiocy in this that you can assume it is meant as comedy yet probably isn't.  He's got very little time to destroy the device in his head and he's pausing to give his wife instruction on using a gun and then pauses again telling her he loves her.
The scene in the Vatican washroom--if you think about it--the suspense of the bodyguard coming in there is completely artificial. If they could not have dismissed him with a hand gesture, or mumbled an excuse (is the bodyguard really going to question his voice-and if he suspected something-what could he do about it?), or they could have knocked him out and left him--since they didn't need the bodyguard at all. All those witnesses in the Vatican--assuming they even know who this arms dealer is, how would they know this guy? The car blows up and somehow it means everyone assumes it was all normal?  A car blows up outside the Vatican every day?
It is a poorly written movie. The writers (if I deign to give them that respectful label), Orci and Kurtzman, also did the comical the Legend of Zorro--a terrible sequel--and Transformers, which is the nadir of these big budget genre films.  I hate that film.
But Simon Pegg-I only know him from this, but he has a lot of screen charisma--you could send him back in time to the 70s or even the 50s in UK comedy film and he would fit in.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is a memorable bad guy as well, but the movie is a fog of stupid. When they are walking away and his wife asks him who he works for and he says "Impossible Mission Force" and she replies "oh shut up."
Would she really be incredulous about the name after what they had been through?


----------



## AE35Unit

I have so far  managed to escape seeing any of the mission impossible films


----------



## Vladd67

I remember watching Mission Impossible 2 on TV whilst on a visit to Cape Town. When the Australian actor playing a South African mercenary opened his mouth the entire room just exploded with laughter. I remember being slightly annoyed after the first film because of the way the hero of the tv series was treated, but franchises move on I guess.


----------



## pogopossum

*Dark Star.*
Student film by John Carpenter. A cult favorite.
I had slept through most of it preveviously at a 30 hour SF film marathon
Deadpan with great humor. Murderous beach ball alien. *Talking Planetbuster Bomb!*
A few bits were stolen by Carpenter's co-author, Dan O'Bannon, when he wrote _*Alien.*_
Minimalist special effects. Those were the days_*.*_


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> *MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3  *I have never seen the tv show which I should remedy sometime. I re-watched the first movie recently after several years. This one is from 15 years ago? It doesn't seem that long. I have trouble accepting Tom Cruise as an action hero--I think he was useless in LEGEND and he's too slight of form to be convincing as a lead in these kinds of things--his acting can get kind of "spastic" and distracting. He runs around a lot to compensate and his voice gets shrill.
> This movie is entertaining for its non-stop action but it is so stupid. There's so much idiocy in this that you can assume it is meant as comedy yet probably isn't.  He's got very little time to destroy the device in his head and he's pausing to give his wife instruction on using a gun and then pauses again telling her he loves her.
> The scene in the Vatican washroom--if you think about it--the suspense of the bodyguard coming in there is completely artificial. If they could not have dismissed him with a hand gesture, or mumbled an excuse (is the bodyguard really going to question his voice-and if he suspected something-what could he do about it?), or they could have knocked him out and left him--since they didn't need the bodyguard at all. All those witnesses in the Vatican--assuming they even know who this arms dealer is, how would they know this guy? The car blows up and somehow it means everyone assumes it was all normal?  A car blows up outside the Vatican every day?
> It is a poorly written movie. The writers (if I deign to give them that respectful label), Orci and Kurtzman, also did the comical the Legend of Zorro--a terrible sequel--and Transformers, which is the nadir of these big budget genre films.  I hate that film.
> But Simon Pegg-I only know him from this, but he has a lot of screen charisma--you could send him back in time to the 70s or even the 50s in UK comedy film and he would fit in.
> Philip Seymour Hoffman is a memorable bad guy as well, but the movie is a fog of stupid. When they are walking away and his wife asks him who he works for and he says "Impossible Mission Force" and she replies "oh shut up."
> Would she really be incredulous about the name after what they had been through?


I am not at all pc, but the word “spastic” as a casual descriptor is increasingly embarrassing, out of favour with mainstream media, and the sort of thing that is likely to shorten the careers of those in the public eye who use it inadvertently.
It is still reasonably acceptable for describing a very precisely defined neurological condition in non-pejorative terms, but I do not think that is the intent here.


----------



## KGeo777

hitmouse said:


> I am not at all pc, but the word “spastic” as a casual descriptor is increasingly embarrassing, out of favour with mainstream media, and the sort of thing that is likely to shorten the careers of those in the public eye who use it inadvertently.
> It is still reasonably acceptable for describing a very precisely defined neurological condition in non-pejorative terms, but I do not think that is the intent here.


I don't care what the mainstream media does with their word censorship exercises. It is the word to describe this tendency in his acting--spasmodic, spastic, or spasms of emotion that overtake him.
Until the word spasm is officially banned then I expect there are occasions where it useful, like here.


----------



## KGeo777

I didn't mean to sound annoyed. I was distracted by something.
Originally I used a different expression which was more offensive so I went with that. But I wasn't making any innuendos.
He gets this high-pitched and overly energetic attitude sometimes which I find bad acting. He doesn't always do it.


----------



## therapist

Speaking of Tom Cruise in action films; I recently saw *Edge of Tomorrow. *Tom Cruise is far from my favorite actor but he was fine in this. I enjoyed this movie, I thought the premise was intriguing—a war vs aliens that can manipulate time. Probably one of the best Groundhog's-day-time-loop movies I have seen.


----------



## alexvss

KGeo777 said:


> Canada has a stronger film industry in the 1970s. They avoided making their own content for decades--Hollywood discouraged it to some extent-and some filmmakers went to the US or England instead.
> DR. BLOOD'S COFFIN and DEVIL DOLL are examples from the 60s that comes to mind. Canadian directors.  Alan Gibson is another--he worked for Hammer Films. James Cameron obviously--he left for Hollywood---he never did any movies in Canada.
> 
> There's a film FRANKENSTEIN ON CAMPUS -1970 --not a good movie but the story was interesting--the ending twist especially--but very cheap and completely obscure.
> 
> RITUALS which Stephen King really liked was another notable one--a Canadian Gothic horror film--although most of the time the director and writer are not from Canada. It's the quirkiest thing--you can name US or  UK films where the director and writer are both from there--but in Canada there are very few examples if the film is well-regarded.
> 
> Then in the mid-80s they declared the industry a failure and switched mainly to slice-of-life stuff. Most of the money came from the government itself. There's no independent businesses--though--Uwe Boll moved to Canada because he was able to get funding easier.
> 
> The UK situation is sadder because they had a strong film industry for a long time and then it collapsed after  the 1970s.  Not a failure of talent just opportunity.


If they had to fund Uwe Boll then we're sure that they were a failure


----------



## alexvss

therapist said:


> Speaking of Tom Cruise in action films; I recently saw *Edge of Tomorrow. *Tom Cruise is far from my favorite actor but he was fine in this. I enjoyed this movie, I thought the premise was intriguing—a war vs aliens that can manipulate time. Probably one of the best Groundhog's-day-time-loop movies I have seen.


This one is really great, and underrated. There's a sequel already in the works. I read the source material--both the novel and the manga--and liked them too.


----------



## alexvss

*R-Point (2004)*. 1970s Vietnam. A group of South Korean soldiers is ordered to go look for missing soldiers that keep sending shady radio messages. The group consists of a psychotic lieautenant, and a bunch of soldiers who were diagnosed with STDs while venturing themselves in 'Nam. A real suicide squad.

Korean cinema seldom disappoints. 10 minutes in and you already know you're in for a treat. I also like the trope a lot. In most horror movies, we get to see everyday people getting scared--and it's easy to scare them because they just can't fight back. Seeing trained, armed-to-the-teeth, diagnosed with syphilis soldiers getting spooked is something else. Reminded me of *Dog Soldiers *and *The Hills have Eyes 2 *(this last memory was a shame).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Letter to Three Wives* (1949)

Old-time Hollywood at its best.  The unseen narrator sends the title letter to three of her "friends" telling them that she has run off with one of their husbands.  Flashbacks reveal the tensions within each of the three marriages.  Fine acting and an excellent screenplay raise this far above the "women's picture" you might expect.  Highly recommended.

*Three Husbands *(1951)

The similar title isn't a coincidence.  The same screenwriter pretty much offers the filmgoer a low budget parody of her own movie, the one above.  A playboy dies of a heart attack.  He leaves letters to three of his "friends," telling each of them that he's been fooling around with their wives.  Played entirely for comedy.  Not a classic like the movie it's parodying, but not bad.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Stowaway*

One of the (seemingly) many Covid-era films with limited casts, limited locations and a limited budget. It shouldn't work, but it does. It's a surprisingly gripping drama based on board a spacecraft, and probably the best movie I have seen that was made in the period 2020/21. As few bits in there that don't make sense, but it keeps you wondering until the end. Good acting, great cinematography.


----------



## KGeo777

CITY BENEATH THE SEA 1971 -- A tv pilot turned into a feature film. It is a little cheap for a feature of the era--but the sets look more impressive for a tv show of the time. Some of the FX of traveling through the sea with giant fish around are visually interesting. The fancy light displays of the underwater city probably looked very hi-tech in 1971--early computer graphic monitors with simplistic light patterns utilized as background decoration. Similar plot to ST-The Motion Picture --an admiral is returning to his command and the guy he had picked to replace him is resentful. They have to contend with a giant meteor from outer space. There's one character--a surgically-altered underwater breather--I can't call him a poor man's Spock because he's totally boring. Oh-except he swins like the Man From Atlantis. If you have seen that show, then this is years earlier-the same kind of wiggly swimming technique.  This is an Irwin Allen production--alumni from his other projects appear in brief roles.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity * 2007
Thought we'd watch this again, still love it. Was going to watch the sequels but they were pay to rent 
Oh I've noticed something odd with this forum. When I press the B button to get bold text, and then hit it again to turn bold off, the text I'd made bold goes back to non bold, and so now I have to use html tags


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## dask

AE35Unit said:


> *Paranormal Activity * 2007
> Oh I've noticed something odd with this forum. When I press the B button to get bold text, and then hit it again to turn bold off, the text I'd made bold goes back to non bold, and so now I have to use html tags


I noticed this too on my android phone but not the iPad or desktop.


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## AE35Unit

dask said:


> I noticed this too on my android phone but not the iPad or desktop.


Yes I'm on my Android phone too, using Chrome


----------



## AstroZon

*Tiger Bay *(1959) d: J. Lee Thompson, s: Hayley Mills, Horst Buchholz, John Mills

Excellent film about a returning merchant sailor (Horst Buchholz) and a street urchin (Hayley Mills.)  Hayley Mills' actual father John Mills stars as the police lieutenant who tries to get the truth out of Hayley.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Avengers Infinity War* and* Avengers End Game.      *My biggest regret is Idid see either the bog screen but have since seen then  amber times on tv.  They're both  such great films . Epic in scope and scale.


----------



## Dave

*Men in Black: International* :-: I expected not to like this based upon the law of diminishing returns, the huge gap between *MIB3* and it, and the obvious lack of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but it wasn't bad really. Certainly, seen much worse sequels. It wasn't difficult to guess who the mole would be. I would watch more *MIB* films if they were made. *Mission Impossible,* on the other hand; well it's hard to believe that *MI:7* and *MI:8* are already in production! 


KGeo777 said:


> I have never seen the tv show


I used to watch Mission Impossible every week on TV. It's possibly quite dated now, but you should try to catch it somewhere.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Hyena of London *(_La jena di Londra_, 1964)

Italian Gothic chiller takes place in England in the late 19th century.  An infamous killer known as the Hyena is hanged for his crimes after terrorizing London for years. We then cut to a village not far from the capital.  A woman is strangled after an argument with her drunken husband.  He's the prime suspect, of course, and will later hang himself.  Meanwhile, we meet the local inspector on the case, a visiting inspector from London, and the doctor who examined the body.   There's also the curious fact that the unidentified body of a man, dead for about two weeks, is discovered in the woods.

The film turns into a soap opera, as we find out about all the entanglements going on in the doctor's house.  There's his beautiful daughter, who is carrying on a secret romance with a handsome young man (who used to be carrying on with a village woman who becomes our next strangling victim); the doctor's assistant, who has a drinking problem, lusts after the doctor's daughter, and who has a passionate love/hate relationship with another woman (who becomes a strangling victim); a manservant who steals money from the doctor; another manservant and his housekeeper wife, who is having an affair with the thief; and so on.  After all this, we get a frenzied climax in which many of the folks I've mentioned above get killed, one of them is revealed as the murderer, and we find out about some Mad Science that explains everything.  

Not a bad old-fashioned shocker, if you're patient with the middle of it.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Hyena of London *(_La jena di Londra_, 1964)


Sounds like an Edgar Wallace title. I will have to bookmark this one.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Devil's Commandment *(1960)

English-language version of the seminal Italian horror film _I Vampiri _(1957), with quite a bit of the original film cut out and new footage thrown in.  Despite that, what's left of the original is impressive.  Beautiful young women are being killed, their bodies completely drained of blood.  Despite the original title, no real vampires are involved.  Instead, Mad Science makes use of the blood to restore the youth and beauty of an elderly duchess.  Tons of Gothic atmosphere, as much of the film takes place inside the gigantic, cavernous, cobwebbed castle of the duchess.  Well worth a look, even in the butchered version.


----------



## BAYLOR

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Devil's Commandment *(1960)
> 
> English-language version of the seminal Italian horror film _I Vampiri _(1957), with quite a bit of the original film cut out and new footage thrown in.  Despite that, what's left of the original is impressive.  Beautiful young women are being killed, their bodies completely drained of blood.  Despite the original title, no real vampires are involved.  Instead, Mad Science makes use of the blood to restore the youth and beauty of an elderly duchess.  Tons of Gothic atmosphere, as much of the film takes place inside the gigantic, cavernous, cobwebbed castle of the duchess.  Well worth a look, even in the butchered version.



Tpu might find the 1960.  movie *Mill of the Stone Woman *to be of Interest .


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

BAYLOR said:


> You might find the 1960  movie *Mill of the Stone Woman *to be of Interest .



That one is an interesting combination of Gothic and Mad Science as well.

*Psychic Killer *(1975)

Guy is in what seems to be a facility for the criminally insane, accused of a crime he did not commit.  A fellow inmate, who admits that he killed his daughter when she became a prostitute as a matter of "honor," gives him an amulet that allows him to project his astral body, then throws himself off the top of a tall building.  Our antihero develops the skill.  As a notable plot point, when he does his astral projection thing, he appears to be dead.  This leads him to be almost cut open during an autopsy.  He gets out of the place, now declared to be innocent.  Naturally, he uses his newfound psychic power to get revenge on those who wronged him or his beloved mother, who died from lack of care while he was incarcerated.  Weirdly, these are often shown as black comedy.  The victims:

A doctor (B movie favorite Whit Bissell) having an affair with a much younger patient.  (Checking the actors' ages, he's about thirty-five years older than she is.)  In the most bizarre murder method, he gets driven out of his love nest when he hears his own voice, saying all the things he was saying to his conquest, in a sort of parody of his seductive manner.  Then he just kind of dies.

A nurse taking care of a bedridden man with a terminal disease.  In the most exploitative murder method, she first mercilessly teases the guy by unbuttoning the top of her blouse, raising her skirt to rub lotion on her lag, then stripping off to go take a shower.  She gets scalded to death by super-hot water.

A police detective driving a car.  In the most ordinary murder method, his car goes out of control and over a cliff.

A lawyer, shouting and singing into a tape recorder while admiring a building under construction that he owns.  In the most cartoonish murder method, a crane drops a cornerstone on him.

A butcher having a yelling and screaming argument with a customer.  In the most gruesome murder method, well, you can imagine what happens in a butcher shop.

Eventually, a cop, a psychiatrist, and a parapsychologist figure out what's going on, leading to a way to stop the killer that has a touch of black comedy itself.  Not a great film, but reasonably diverting.


----------



## Judderman

AE35Unit said:


> *Black Death * 2002
> Watched it till near the end when I had to wake myself up. Still not sure what it was about


Is that the 2010 starring Sean Bean in his typical type of role? Also includes Eddie Redmayne and Carice Van Houten who coincidentally is dressed very similarly to how she is as the Red Priest in Game of Thrones. Presumably helped her get the role..
As I remember it is reasonable for someone looking for a Medieval based film. Just a tad too slow and grim to really get excited about.


----------



## Judderman

Went through some moderately rated ghost horror movies on Amazon Prime recently. It is not often Horror movies get really highly rated overall, so you can sometimes find a good one (if you are horror fan) with moderate ratings. Though of course some of the low ratings are well deserved and can be because the film is ridiculous.

Altar (2014) was a good one. It is a set in a large house in the Yorkshire Moors, which a couple are planning to renovate with some help. Of course it turns out to have a sinister history. Great atmosphere and some unusual happenings. Better than expected! Worth a watch.

The House on Pine Street (2016) was another good'un. A pregnant lady who has had some psychological issues moves with her husband from Chicago to an old house in a small town in Kansas. She sees various ghostly goings on. Doors slamming, items moved and such. A very interesting film.

House (2008). This one deserved the poor reviews. In fact should have been lower rated! An ok first 15 minutes. But one of those films that has loads going on, but most of it is garbage.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Alien Trespass *(2009)

Charming pastiche of 1950's sci-fi films.  In 1957, a spaceship crashes in the desert.  Inside is a humanoid alien and a one-eyed, tentacled monster.  The alien takes over the body of a local scientist in order to hunt down the monster before it multiples and destroys all life on Earth.  Wonderfully recreates the period with sets, costumes, and automobiles.  Very few deliberate jokes, and the ones there are fall flat and are out of place.   I'll forgive them for that, because everything else is perfect.  The actors play their roles completely straight, without a trace of campiness.  It seems to have gotten poor-to-mediocre reviews, for the most part, but I think that's because viewers were expecting a parody (like *The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra*) rather than a loving tribute.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Soul of a Monster *(1944)

Intriguing, if frustrating, little low budget fantasy/horror film that also serves as a religious allegory.  A world-famous surgeon, universally loved for his charitable work, lies on his deathbed.  His wife, bitter at the fact that her appeals to God to save his life have gone unanswered, directs her prayers in another direction.  (Close-ups of the flames in a fireplace give us a hint.)  

A mysterious woman shows up out of nowhere.  Her first appearance is memorable.  She crosses a road.  Some folks driving a car seem to run right into her, but there's no sign of her.  Next, she's walking down the sidewalk.  The powerlines break apart and fall to the ground in a shower of sparks as she goes by.  

She walks into the doctor's home, announces that she was "called," and proceeds to heal the surgeon behind closed doors.  No longer the saintly man he used to be, he's now cold-hearted, has no pulse, and doesn't bleed when cut.  A flower wilts when he touches it.  

The woman manipulates him into almost killing a friend, and allowing a colleague to die when he could have saved him.  Despite all this, some part of him still wants to resist the woman, leading her to (rather foolishly, one might think, given what she must know about his unnatural state) try to kill him with a gun.  Then we get a really stupid and corny twist ending.

There's a lot of very nice _film noir _style cinematography.  There's also a lot of talky scenes that don't really go anywhere.  There's a lot of preaching about good, evil, faith, and so on.  There's a nice scene where the surgeon revels in a thunderstorm (of which his wife is terrified) while a pianist plays a bombastic piece.  There's a scene in which the doctor, under the woman's control, stalks his friend with an ice pick, that is suspenseful at the start, but goes on way too long.  All in all, a very mixed bag.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Horror of the Blood Monsters *(1970)

Bottom-of-the-barrel mess frankensteined from parts of a black-and-white Filipino cavepeople flick, mixed with other footage stolen from other films and new color footage.  Starts with random attacks by vampires (ordinary folks with really fake fangs) as a vampire-narrator with a vaguely Bela Lugosi accent gives us our back story.  You see, vampires come from another planet.  Cut to a super-cheap set pretending to be a control room, communicating with a super-cheap set pretending to be a spaceship on its way to the vampire planet.  One of the astronauts is John Carradine.  They wind up on a planet full of cavepeople, dinosaurs, and weird monsters, including some fanged cavepeople who supply us with the very weak link to the beginning.  How to make use of new color footage with old black-and-white footage?  Just say the planet has "chromatic radiation" that causes everything to be one color at a time.  (In other words, tint the old footage.)  Add in completely irrelevant scenes of a couple at the control room using electronic gizmos during intimate encounters, and you've got a truly bizarre and incoherent hodgepodge.


----------



## KGeo777

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME 1981 -- The inspiration for SCREAM --it's not a good slasher film-the ending is messed up and preposterous but it is a larger budget effort with professional filmmaking and actors. I don't like slasher films---the krimi and the giallo are more sophisticated than their American offspring. Canada was financing a large number of them too including this one. It's shot in the US from what I see but technically it is a Canadian movie because the government paid back the investors.

I am curious about Alien Trespass--it is on YouTube and people were saying how surprising it is that it is so obscure (looks like an independent film with no corporate studio patron), but the legacy of MST3K is that the past is laughable and you are supposed to mock rather than get sucked into older movies. It is uncool to suspend disbelief according to this mentality.
I'd  like to see a serious effort to do an older style movie with no mocking spirit because it would be a  challenging artistic endeavor-you would have to study how those films were made and match it with editing and music and camera movements and performance-style. And at the same time, try to be a homage without direct copying.


----------



## Rodders

I Think We're Alone Now

Table 19


----------



## AE35Unit

Judderman said:


> Is that the 2010 starring Sean Bean in his typical type of role? Also includes Eddie Redmayne and Carice Van Houten who coincidentally is dressed very similarly to how she is as the Red Priest in Game of Thrones. Presumably helped her get the role..
> As I remember it is reasonable for someone looking for a Medieval based film. Just a tad too slow and grim to really get excited about.


No, different film, from 2002


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Octaman *(1971)

Silly monster movie written and directed by the guy who wrote *Creature From the Black Lagoon*.  You'll notice a resemblance.  Science types, investigating radioactive pollution of the water in some unnamed Latin American nation, discover a cute little rubber toy.  OK, it's supposed to be a small mutant octopus.  OCTAMAN (guy in a rubber suit) comes after them for messing around with the kid.  The monster suit is goofy, and the movie lets you see it very clearly.  Big round swollen head, big orange eyes, circular mouth with teeth, four tentacle arms (two of which just hang down, the other two used to carry off a woman in classic monster fashion), two legs (so it can walk upright), and two more tentacles hanging off the back of the legs (that don't do anything).  Whenever we see things through the eyes of OCTAMAN, it's with that multiple image effect they use to convey insect vision, as if it had compound eyes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dr. Renault's Secret *(1942)

Hero arrives at an inn somewhere in Hollywood's version of France, on his way to the chateau of Dr. Renault in order to marry the doctor's niece.  He meets the doctor's odd-looking, slow-talking, seemingly dimwitted servant.  Through complicated circumstances, another guy at the inn gets murdered when the killer intended to really kill and rob our hero.  It's quite obvious that the murderer is another one of the doctor's servants, a hulking ex-convict, but he gets away with it.  Since we know this is a horror movie and not just a crime film, it's not a huge surprise to find out that Doctor Renault's Secret is that the first servant is actually an ape surgically transformed into a man.  He's partly violent , killing a couple of guys who make fun of him, and partly sympathetic, saving the niece from a kidnapping plot.  J. Carrol Naish gives a strong performance as the servant, and subtle makeup, that makes him appear to be just a strange-looking man and not an apeman, helps.  George Zucco is his usual icy self as Dr. Renault.  Good production values; it's pretty much a Poverty Row movie made by a major studio.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Return of the Ape Man *(1944)

Not a sequel to *The Ape Man*, which also starred Bela Lugosi.  That time he was the title character; this time he's a Mad Scientist who manages to freeze a tramp for four months then revive him.  John Carradine is on hand as a slightly less Mad Scientist.  After this success, they go to the Arctic in search of a caveman frozen in ice.  Naturally, they find one and unfreeze him.  Lugosi's next idea is to put half of a modern man's brain into the caveman's skull, so he can communicate with them.  Carradine isn't ready to kill for Mad Science, so Lugosi uses one-half of his brain instead.  Before and after the surgery, the caveman manages to escape and cause a couple of murders.  George Zucco is third billed as the caveman, but, the story goes, quit either because he got sick or because he didn't want the part, so another actor plays the role for all but a few seconds.  Definitely Poverty Row stuff.


----------



## KGeo777

I Vampiri  1957 --they did a good job making Gianna Maria Canale look bad--I doubt that was easy to do--it also looked like they employed the same in-camera transformation effect used in the Fredric March Jekyll and Hyde where a process using black and white and light filters.

THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES 1971  (happy 50th anniversary). More comedy than horror but the image of Vincent Price without his face is a memorable one--I have a book from the 1970s I got which has a color picture of him on the organ.


----------



## Judderman

Ah. Coincidentally features another lead Game of Thrones actress - Lean Headey.


AE35Unit said:


> No, different film, from 2002


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> CITY BENEATH THE SEA 1971 -- A tv pilot turned into a feature film. It is a little cheap for a feature of the era--but the sets look more impressive for a tv show of the time. Some of the FX of traveling through the sea with giant fish around are visually interesting. The fancy light displays of the underwater city probably looked very hi-tech in 1971--early computer graphic monitors with simplistic light patterns utilized as background decoration. Similar plot to ST-The Motion Picture --an admiral is returning to his command and the guy he had picked to replace him is resentful. They have to contend with a giant meteor from outer space. There's one character--a surgically-altered underwater breather--I can't call him a poor man's Spock because he's totally boring. Oh-except he swins like the Man From Atlantis. If you have seen that show, then this is years earlier-the same kind of wiggly swimming technique.  This is an Irwin Allen production--alumni from his other projects appear in brief roles.


Is that the one in which only gold bars were an appropriate shield against a certain type of radiation? 




*THE CONQUEROR* (1956) One of if not the only weird role for John Wayne: Genghis Khan! I never thought of GK as the heroic-type, but, as far as I know, JW only portrays heroes. 



_*PAGE MISS GLORY*_ (1935) Two con men, "Click" Wiley (Pat O'Brien) & Edward Olson (Frank McHugh) are facing eviction from their high-priced hotel room, until they dream-up a fraudulent way of paying the bill. They will enter a non-existent woman in a beauty queen contest sponsored by the manufacturer of yeast products. Take the ankles of one, the legs of another, etc., put them together using photographic techniques, and win the contest. It works, but, eventually, everybody wants to meet the girl.   

A young and newly hired chambermaid Loretta Dalrymple (Marion Davies), just happens to be in the bedroom, and trying on the gown made for the elusive contest winner, and just in time, is presented as Dawn Glory.

great supporting cast! Fun film. Though I do not know why the audience, myself included would accept frauds/con men as protagonists. I makes no sense.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Is that the one in which only gold bars were an appropriate shield against a certain type of radiation?


Yes that's it.


----------



## REBerg

*Those Who Wish Me Dead*
Ruthless killers hunt a kid and a park ranger amidst a raging forest fire.
Suspenseful enough, but no future Academy Award nominee. The fire gives the most memorable performance.


----------



## Eversummer

REBerg said:


> *Those Who Wish Me Dead*
> Ruthless killers hunt a kid and a park ranger amidst a raging forest fire.
> Suspenseful enough, but no future Academy Award nominee. The fire gives the most memorable performance.


Same (last movie I'd watched)

I work from home and I just kinda overheard somebody watching it and I was intrigued when I heard the father told his son that he was a forensic accountant yada yada. The magic word. I took a break and watched the film.

I really wanted to know what the dad found out. I watched till the end. It sucks not to know! The movie ended. Great fire. But still the questions stands, What did the dad find out about the crime boss? Why did so many people have to die for it? I get it that lots of people in authority, politicians, etc are in it. Or am I just too invested about not knowing what it was?


----------



## REBerg

Eversummer said:


> Same (last movie I'd watched)
> 
> I work from home and I just kinda overheard somebody watching it and I was intrigued when I heard the father told his son that he was a forensic accountant yada yada. The magic word. I took a break and watched the film.
> 
> I really wanted to know what the dad found out. I watched till the end. It sucks not to know! The movie ended. Great fire. But still the questions stands, What did the dad find out about the crime boss? Why did so many people have to die for it? I get it that lots of people in authority, politicians, etc are in it. Or am I just too invested about not knowing what it was?





Spoiler



Yeah! They really did not reveal what the short-lived dad had uncovered, or how a few "secrets" scrawled on paper would bring the boss down if the kid could get them to the media.


----------



## REBerg

*Tenent (2020)*
Just a spelling tweak away from what might have been a intriguing documentary about the Tenth Doctor, this film further muddled all concepts I may have formed about time direction. It probably saved a bundle on special effects by running extensive fight and car chase footage backwards.


----------



## dask

Top-notch.


----------



## Dave

REBerg said:


> It probably saved a bundle on special effects by running extensive fight and car chase footage backwards.


And using the same footage repeatedly, forwards and backwards. 

I didn't think it lived up to the massive hype it had last summer. It was going to be the film everyone would see when the cinemas re-opened after UK lock-down. That didn't last long before they were closed again and it probably demands to be seen on the big screen.


----------



## J Riff

*The Sound of Horror *1966 Spanish b and w
A mysterious map, a cursed cave, and some people who are gonna dig and blast their way in to where the treasure is.
They find a mummified body, and a large egg, which seems to be ancient, but a short time later it starts to hatch on the mantlepiece and
they have to bash it with a poker and throw it into the fire in order to stop the awful screeching noises it's making.  In the cave, yes, an invisible monster, never clearly seen, also prone to shrieking and screaming a lot. It has nasty pointy claws and it dispatches a few of the cast while our superstitious local woman tells them I told you so a number of times, until she becomes the next victim. A guy goes into the cave alone and is slashed, dynamite goes off and the cave is sealed. Time to escape but the car won't start so they are forced to use a sack of flour which, spread out in a field, allows them to see the beastie's feetprints as it approaches the house, and axes are flung, with good accuracy, and the bleeding monster retreats. Now the car starts and they are off but uhoh the monster is on the roof of the car and it starts hacking its way in. Our professor, his leg already injured by the beast, stays in the car as everyone else runs away, and he sets off the dynamite in there and after a few more screeches - happy ending. Not bad.


----------



## KGeo777

CATCH-22  (1970)  I had read the book before the first time I saw the movie version on tv. Re-watching it now, un-edited-it is much darker than I remember it to be-there's a particularly gory sequence that is surprisingly realistic. A horse is whipped on the ground (simulated). In fact, what captured my attention was how expensive this film looked for the day. And yet, I just knew this film would alienate audiences and from what I read, it did not do well (it was among the top ten in Box Office but that doesn't mean much if it only got half its budget back). There were dozens of smaller films which probably did get their money back at the same time.  This was the period of New Hollywood which was praised for its daring negative themes but if you examine them, you ask yourself who were these films intended for? Did they actually expect to turn a profit or didn't care about that?
In a few years they shifted focus to B-movie stories with big budgets but you have to wonder, if the marketplace is everything, why they were so slow to catch on to what the smaller companies were making money from.
There are a number of famous faces who appear in roles--Jon Voight, Charles Grodin, but what caught my eye was Ken Clark in a blink and you miss him role as a military policeman-he left Hollywood for Europe and starred in a number of western, spy, and peplum films--so it was ironic to see him back in a Hollywood movie but in a role that would usually go to a bit player. I guess this was a sequence shot in Italy and he happened to be there. IMDB doesn't have him listed for the film either.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

More "Great Adaptations":

*The Iron Mask *(1929) -- Direct sequel to *The Three Musketeers *(1921) with many of the same actors, sets, etc.  So much so, that I'm surprised there's such a long gap between them.  Anyway, Douglas Fairbanks (Senior) swashbuckles his way through this silent epic.  Very nicely filmed.  Notably, almost all the main characters are dead by the end of the movie.  A farewell to the silent era?

*Esther and the King *(1960) -- Joan Collins has the title role (not the king, silly) in this Italian/American Biblical epic.  Very, very loosely based on Scripture, so it's really just a typical sword-and-sandal flick.  Palace intrigue, battles, dancing girls, etc.

*David and Goliath *(1960) -- Orson Welles has top billing as Saul in this Italian Biblical epic.  Since the meeting between the two title characters takes only a few minutes (one slingshot) the rest of it is palace intrigue, battles, dancing girls, etc.

_Alexander the Great _(1963) -- Failed pilot for a proposed television series. William Shatner in the title role, and Adam West as the apparent second lead, although he has very little to do here.  Palace intrigue, battles, (one) dancing girl, etc.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> _Alexander the Great _(1963) -- Failed pilot for a proposed television series. William Shatner in the title role, and Adam West as the apparent second lead, although he has very little to do here. Palace intrigue, battles, (one) dancing girl, etc.


My mind boggles at the thought.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Parson said:


> My mind boggles at the thought.



Indeed.  I can't imagine what the series would have been like.  Alexander conquers yet another part of the world?


----------



## JunkMonkey

"This was the period of New Hollywood which was praised for its daring negative themes but if you examine them, you ask yourself who were these films intended for? Did they actually expect to turn a profit or didn't care about that?"

It was a period when no one knew who was going to the cinema or why.  They lost contact with the audience. The old studio bosses were making huge expensive show films that no one was bothered about seeing -_ Hello Dolly_ being a prime example - while cheap counterculture stuff like _Easy Ride_r made a MINT.  No one wanted to make the next _Hello Dolly;_ everyone wanted to make the next _Easy Rider_. and for a while it was worth studios financing lots of small films in the hope of having one humongous that would pay for all the others and turn a profit hit, rather than putting all their eggs in one basket of a box-office bomb. Spread betting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Indeed.  I can't imagine what the series would have been like.  Alexander conquers yet another part of the world?




"To boldly conquer where no man had conquered before..."


----------



## pogopossum

Just watched two documentaries. Both grabby.

*Zappa *on the unique musician and, in his later days, fighter against censorship.
Always liked his well known stuff. His experimental atonal music is beyond me. 
It's on HULU.

*Ray Harryhausen, *the great stop-action animator. Both his work and his influence. Available on Amazon.

Both full length features.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> It was a period when no one knew who was going to the cinema or why.  They lost contact with the audience. The old studio bosses were making huge expensive show films that no one was bothered about seeing -_ Hello Dolly_ being a prime example - while cheap counterculture stuff like _Easy Ride_r made a MINT.  No one wanted to make the next _Hello Dolly;_ everyone wanted to make the next _Easy Rider_. and for a while it was worth studios financing lots of small films in the hope of having one humongous that would pay for all the others and turn a profit hit, rather than putting all their eggs in one basket of a box-office bomb. Spread betting.



They knew that audiences liked James Bond films (United Artists--not considered one of the Hollywood majors even though they were busy). Yet Hollywood only did a few spy comedies in response. They did not jump on that band wagon. Yet they were still funding dramatic bombs. Some of these films look like bombs on paper and then they did bomb--they could have looked to companies that were successful and wonder but they didn't--they didn't seem to care what the smaller competition did-even if they were distributing them. 

And Easy Rider came after a number of other biker films which also had Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson. They all had done at least one biker film  previously. But those films did not have big marketing or distribution.

Peter Biskind wrote the opinion that 1960s foreign films were getting audiences in the US because of less restrictions on nudity. That's a dismissive analysis of the many foreign films that were getting audiences. Was there nudity in Godzilla imports, or A Fistful of Dollars? 

I think they were greasing the wheels of the machinery and who knows what else while smaller companies were more engaged with their target audiences and often turning a profit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another "Great Adaptation":

*Home Town Story *(1951)

Not an adaptation of anything, as far as I can tell.  I'm tempted to dismiss this in a few words as a mediocre B drama, but there are so many odd aspects to it that I feel compelled to say more.

First of all, going into this blind, it takes a long time to figure out what this movie is about.  Our main character comes home after failing to get re-elected as a state senator.  (This seems to be the Midwest; the name of the state capital, we're told, is Capitol City.  Talk about generic!)  Just about the first thing he does after getting off a plane is punch his campaign manager really hard.  He'll later almost punch some guy who makes a remark about his loss.  Touchy politician!

Then we meet his mother and his tiny little baby sister, who is in third grade.  (There seems to be at least a couple of decades age difference between the siblings, and Mom doesn't seem much older than Son.)  He gives the kid a puppy.  There's also his girlfriend, who has been engaged to him for seven years (five while he was in the military, two while in was in Capitol City.)

Family drama?  Love story? 

The guy goes back to what was, apparently, his old job as a newspaper editor.   Along for the ride are the Skipper from _Gilligan's Island_ as a pipe-smoking, wisecracking reporter, a young Marilyn Monroe in a tiny role as a curvaceous secretary, and a spinter-ish woman as the reporter at the "Distaff Desk" (women's news, it seems.)

Newspaper drama?

The guy investigates a company, with which his political rival is involved, that may be polluting the local river.  

Muckraking drama?  Political scandal drama?

It turns out the company doesn't discharge anything into the river, so the guy launches a crusade against companies making big profits.  That brings the lovable head of the local company (familiar character actor Donald Crisp, just exuding benevolence) to explain that when companies make profits, consumers profit as well.  (The weird logic is that the things people buy are actually worth more to them than what they pay for them. Oh, really?)

Capitalist propaganda film?  Bingo!

The movie pretends to have a plot when the guy's girlfriend, the teacher of the third-grade class that his tiny sister attends, takes the kids on a field trip to a local quarry/mine/cave/something-or-other.  Multiple safety rules are violated, as the little girl takes the puppy along, and follows it into an abandoned mine shaft (that has no barrier or warning sign.)  The boy with her fools around with an old lantern attached to a wooden beam, that causes a huge cave-in.  Everybody works like crazy with heavy equipment to rescue the kid.  She's badly injured (the dog is OK) so the saintly business owner flies her in his private plane to Capitol City (apparently the only town that can provide proper medical care) to save her life.  Our main character changes his tune, and sings the praises of business corporations.

The story goes that General Motors sponsored this thing to promote Big Business.  Was the good old USA really so close to a socialist revolution at the time that this was necessary.  As a movie, it's eminently forgettable.  As a cultural phenomenon, it's eye-opening.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Sonic the Hedgehog, finally. It was all right, the highlight being Jim Carrey and the fact that they changed Sonic's design.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*PAGE MISS GLORY*_ (1935) Two con men, "Click" Wiley (Pat O'Brien) & Edward Olson (Frank McHugh) are facing eviction from their high-priced hotel room, until they dream-up a fraudulent way of paying the bill. They will enter a non-existent woman in a beauty queen contest sponsored by the manufacturer of yeast products. Take the ankles of one, the legs of another, etc., put them together using photographic techniques, and win the contest. It works, but, eventually, everybody wants to meet the girl.
> 
> A young and newly hired chambermaid Loretta Dalrymple (Marion Davies), just happens to be in the bedroom, and trying on the gown made for the elusive contest winner, and just in time, is presented as Dawn Glory.
> 
> great supporting cast! Fun film. Though I do not know why the audience, myself included would accept frauds/con men as protagonists. I makes no sense.



Somone else whose seen Page Miss Glory! I can only concur it's a great wee film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*1917*

Brilliant cinematography and well acted. There were parts of the story that made little sense and some plot holes, but overall a good movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another "Great Adaptation" that was not adapted from anything:

*Love Affair *(1939)

Three handkerchief weepie in which a couple (Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer) meet on an ocean liner, fall in love, and agree to meet six months later at the top of the Empire State Building.  Just about to get there, Dunne gets hit by a car and winds up in a wheelchair.  She decides to avoid letting Boyer know about the accident and just remove herself from his life.  Eventually, Love Conquers All.  I guess it's considered a classic love story, but I thought it was sappy, and I found Dunne's decision to give up Boyer foolish.  Maria Ouspenskaya steals the picture as Boyer's grandmother.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Rogue One (2015)*

A satisfyingly tough Star Wars film. It jettisons most of the mystical Jedi stuff and the jolly space adventure in favour of a war movie in space - much to its benefit, I think. The first half is a bit uneven at points, but the second half is really good and the last set-piece is great. None of the actors are amazing but everyone is decent, and the ending is surprisingly moving. I find the heroine's father's involvement in the Death Star much more involving than the usual dark/light side subplot. Also nice to see a modern SF film where there are some people with my accent who aren't idiots or Nazis!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Toby Frost said:


> *Rogue One (2015)*
> 
> A satisfyingly tough Star Wars film. It jettisons most of the mystical Jedi stuff and the jolly space adventure in favour of a war movie in space - much to its benefit, I think. The first half is a bit uneven at points, but the second half is really good and the last set-piece is great. None of the actors are amazing but everyone is decent, and the ending is surprisingly moving. I find the heroine's father's involvement in the Death Star much more involving than the usual dark/light side subplot. Also nice to see a modern SF film where there are some people with my accent who aren't idiots or Nazis!




I agree. There are times when I considered it to be the best SW film. Tbh in today's day and age , and considering the 'quality' of the prequels and sequels this movie was a bolt out of the blue. Genuinely funny humour; whoever did the personality for K-2SO deserves applauding. I agree the beginning is a little confusing (and unecessary with all the planet hopping, but once it gets going, it really gets going, and the battle with the Star Destroyers is one of the most memorable from the series.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Unbreakable.*

Watched this quite some time ago, and Iobviously wasn't paying much attention asI thought it was an okay flick.I then watched Splt recently (a VERY different film) , and before watched the final movie of the trilogy Glass, I thought I would go back and watch the original to refresh my memory.

What a very good actor Bruce Willis can be , and what an excellent storyteller M Night Shyamalan can be. Even though I had a vague recollection of the original movie, I was hooked from start to finish. I love my superhero movies, and this is in the top 5 movies. But if you don't like superhero movies, don't be put off, this is closer to Joker than it is to the DC universe.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Another "Great Adaptation":

*Arch of Triumph *(1984)

Made for British television version of the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, best known for _All Quiet on the Western Front_.  The setting is Paris in 1939.  Anthony Hopkins is a German doctor who fled his native land after being tortured by a Nazi interrogator.  While working in France under an assumed Czech name, he rescues a singer/actress (Lesley-Anne Down) from suicide, leading to romance.  Meanwhile, the man who tortured him (Donald Pleasance) shows up in Paris.  It's a very bleak story; war is on the horizon, and neither the love story nor the revenge story works out well.  Not bad at all.


----------



## CupofJoe

Zach Synder's *Justice League* [2021]
A much darker take on the story.
Weighing in at four hours, this is no quick watch. So find a comfy seat!
First of all, I was surprised by how different it was from the theatrical version. It feels that almost every scene is new or re-edited in some way. The colour palette is radically different, far more muted, suiting the darker tone.
For me, this new version is more coherent and keeps a more even tone. It expands the scope of the film a great deal, which could prove interesting if allowed to go forward.
My only issue is that the end of the film lingers. It sets up new characters, cameos, and a possible new timeline but it does seem to be a succession of "and then..." moments. And at least one of them I could have done without.


----------



## Mouse

*Army of the Dead* on Netflix. Absolutely riddled with plot holes.


----------



## Droflet

But it had zombies. Just saying.


----------



## Vince W

*Stowaway *on Prime. Grindingly dull and pointless. In other words, typical streaming tat.


----------



## Toby Frost

paranoid marvin said:


> I agree. There are times when I considered it to be the best SW film. Tbh in today's day and age , and considering the 'quality' of the prequels and sequels this movie was a bolt out of the blue. Genuinely funny humour; whoever did the personality for K-2SO deserves applauding. I agree the beginning is a little confusing (and unecessary with all the planet hopping, but once it gets going, it really gets going, and the battle with the Star Destroyers is one of the most memorable from the series.



I think it's up there with _The Empire Strikes Back_ for me. K-2SO is voiced by Alan Tudyk, who was Wash in _Firefly_. The humour is quite dry, but it definitely works, and it all feels a bit more grown-up than most of the other films.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ella es Christina - * from time to time I wander round Amazon Prime following rabbits till I find I have no idea where I am and find myself presented with a selection of movies I have never heard of. Last night I ended up at this slight, black and white tale of female friendship from Chile. The only name I recognised on the titles was Salma Heyak as executive producer.

It has no viewer reviews on the IMDb - and I don't think I can think of anything constructive or useful enough to say about the film to make it worth doing.  (Though it _is_ tempting.  It's a long time since I was the first to write up a movie there.)


----------



## KGeo777

THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH 1963 -- Slow burner sci-fi horror story-surprise ending.

DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE 1965 - Very silly spy spoof.


----------



## Overread

Edit - wait this isn't the reading thread....

Ahem er the last movie I saw was; gah I can't remember! Which perhaps means as well as a map so I don't get lost on Chrons, I also need to watch a film!


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH 1963 -- Slow burner sci-fi horror story-surprise ending.



Yeah I liked that one.  The weird unease I felt watching helped by the fact that it was only about 90% of the way through it I remembered where I had seen the location before.  Lynch shot_ Eraserhead_ in the same building.

My last film was _Santa Clause Conquers the Martians_ but I was helped through the agony by Joel and the bots.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Finishing up "Great Adaptations":

*Scandal Sheet *(1985)

Made-for-TV movie starring Burt Lancaster as the head of a sleazy tabloid newspaper who manipulates a freelance writer into working for his rag through money, the rental of a fabulous home in California, etc.  His real motivation is the fact that she's a close friend with a movie star married to a recovering alcoholic actor, and he wants to get the inside story, no matter who gets hurt.  Lancaster is fine, as usual, and the story is a dark, powerful one, in which virtue does not triumph and otherwise good people do very bad things.

*A Hazard of Hearts *(1987)

Long before she was Tim Burton's muse, a very young Helena Bonham Carter starred as the baby-faced heroine of this made-for-TV version of a Barbara Cartland novel.  Carter's father stupidly loses everything he owns in a simple dice game, so offers his daughter's hand in marriage in one final bet.  He loses to the film's black-hearted villain, then kills himself.  The film's hero wagers a huge sum of money against the villain to free her from a hateful marriage, then takes her into his gigantic mansion.  This Regency Romance then turns into a Gothic Romance, as we meet the hero's wicked mother (Diana Rigg) who has a Dark Secret involving secret passages, a character assumed dead who is really alive, and so forth.  It's a lushly produced, nicely acted story with no surprises at all in a simple tale of Good and Evil, so I guess it succeeds in what it sets out to do.


----------



## KGeo777

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER 1971 -- Follow up to 1969's "Sheriff" - this is not quite as funny/clever  but does have some good laughs. In North America it was released 50 years ago--this very day, if you didn't want to see that you could check out Escape From The Planet of Apes which premiered too.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> Yes that's it.


 I found a film on PRIME with this title [CITY BENEATH THE SEA], but it was made in the '50s and was about deep sea divers.  Maybe I will check NF.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> I found a film on PRIME with this title [CITY BENEATH THE SEA], but it was made in the '50s and was about deep sea divers.  Maybe I will check NF.


I found out there was also an 11 min short of the story--with a different cast. That was intended to sell it as a tv series replacement for Star Trek.  Made in 1969. I had the film confused with another one--Captain Nemo and the Underwater City.  There's also the 1965 Vincent Price movie City Under the Sea.


----------



## Judderman

We were going through some more average rated horrors. Found some more good/decent ones that I wouldn't have watched based on reviews alone.

Visions (2015) with Isla Fisher. A pregnant lady having visions. She thinks there are ghosts. While other thinks it is related to her prior psychological issues. Pretty good, despite the reviews

The Evil Down The Street (2019). This one was very B-movie in terms of the acting level.  But the main characters were entertaining. There is a demon possession here, and the female lead changes into a very sexual character. Her husband is a bit of a clutz. But we really wanted to see what happened and quite enjoyed it.

Whisper (2007) - Enjoyed this one, about a boy that is kidnapped by 4 part-time criminals looking for a payoff. But the boy is more than he first seems. Another one that may make you jump.

Danika (2006) - Another one with a lady having visions. Questions if they are ghosts. This one was ok, but the payoff not really worth some confusing parts.

Fragile - with Calista Flockhart. Set in a hospital that only has a few child patients left. It is being closed down. Turns out there is a rather unpleasant ghost around. So so.

Return to Sender .This one is more of a thriller than horror, and more famous actors - 
Very good film, which typically for a film starring Rosamund Pike has a twist.


----------



## Droflet

Ooops.


----------



## Alex The G and T

"500 channels and nothing on" department:

I stumbled on *Arsenic and Old Lace* tonight, with Carry Grant and Peter Lorre.

Must be 50 years since I actually watched this.  My memory contained but a basic synopsis.  

I had quite forgotten what a riotous farce this is.  A delightful romp.


----------



## Droflet

You forgot the wonderful Raymond Massey as the chief bad guy. But yes, a brilliantly funny movie. "I'm the son of a Chinese sea captain," always breaks me up.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Droflet said:


> You forgot the wonderful Raymond Massey as the chief bad guy. But yes, a brilliantly funny movie. "I'm the son of a Chinese sea captain," always breaks me up.



Casting Massey in that part, unfortunately, ruins the play's funniest line, one that always brought the house down during its original run.  The line?  "He said I looked like Boris Karloff."  Why it was so funny?  Karloff played the role on Broadway.


----------



## Dave

Alex The G and T said:


> I stumbled on *Arsenic and Old Lace* tonight, with Carry Grant and Peter Lorre.
> 
> Must be 50 years since I actually watched this.  My memory contained but a basic synopsis.
> 
> I had quite forgotten what a riotous farce this is.  A delightful romp.


My parents did amateur dramatics and as a child I saw a lot of American comedy plays from that era. Things like _The Odd Couple_ and _Everyone Loves Opal_. It seems to me that they are a forgotten genre. Everything on in theatres in the West End is musical theatre, and these films are so old they have more dust on them than picture.


----------



## KGeo777

DANGER: DIABOLIK  1967 -- the film that shows Mario Bava is one of the most influential genre filmmakers of the 60s. Planet of the Vampires inspired ALIEN and might have even inspired the ending of Planet of the Apes--I don't know if the Serling script drafts matches up with the US release of this film but it's not impossible. For sure this one inspired DEATH RACE 2000--the costume of Frankenstein and the humorous news broadcasts--and that film influenced ROBOCOP.  There's the ol photo placed in a front of a camera to trick security gag--if it did not originate it, it certainly helped make it popular. 
His  underground lair and using his girlfriend to stop a convoy truck--SUPERMAN THE MOVIE used that gimmick. And the last 20 minutes must have been an inspiration for the Abominable Dr. Phibes. Organ pipes, the assistant in a parka, and him in suspended animation--and the diabolical laugh over the credits.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for the warning, KG. Brrrrrr.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Not to mention the usual brilliance of Enio Morricone's groovy score.  And some great in camera non-special effects; like the moment where the Jag enters the lair, or they climb into the plane.  Done with models in the foreground - like a glass painting and the actors disappearing behind (into) the model.  And Marisa Mell is as sexy as hell - apparently, to make sure nothing showed during the sex scene, she had money strategically glued to her in interesting places.

As you may have gathered, I like this film,


----------



## Ellizze

I watched Andrei Tarkovski's _Stalker_ (1979) yesterday. Masterpiece - 10/10 for me!


----------



## Toby Frost

Have you ever seen Triangle, @Judderman? That's another slightly obscure horror film with a very interesting premise. Worth a look.


----------



## hitmouse

Rewatched *Watchmen* after a number of years. Better than remembered. A very precise adaptation of the comic ( which I first read in the 1980s.)
Really well worth it. The story is 30+ years old, and still has a lot to say.


----------



## svalbard

paranoid marvin said:


> Henry VIII and his Six Wives was an adaptation of the excellent BBC drama series 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII',  a series of 6 tv programmes which concerned the time periods of each of his wives. The movie tried to condense this into 120 minutes and introduced bigger name actors into some of the roles such as Donald Pleasance as Cromwell.
> 
> Keith Michell is brilliant as both young and old King Henry, and along with A Man For All Seasons is the best and probably most accurate depiction of the king on tv or film.



 I think Damien Lewis does a great Henry in Wolf Hall, although he may have studied Robert Shaw in A Man for All Seasons. Always liked Keith Mitchell as an actor.


----------



## Judderman

Toby Frost said:


> Have you ever seen Triangle, @Judderman? That's another slightly obscure horror film with a very interesting premise. Worth a look.


Thanks Toby! I will check it out. Actually has good reviews overall too. 
Was not released in the cinema in the US. I suppose there is some Australian or UK accents they weren't keen on..


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Not to mention the usual brilliance of Enio Morricone's groovy score.  And some great in camera non-special effects; like the moment where the Jag enters the lair, or they climb into the plane.  Done with models in the foreground - like a glass painting and the actors disappearing behind (into) the model.  And Marisa Mell is as sexy as hell - apparently, to make sure nothing showed during the sex scene, she had money strategically glued to her in interesting places.
> 
> As you may have gathered, I like this film,


Yeah that was a neat effect with the entrance--forced perspective or something.
They used a variation of that technique on the Lord of the Rings movies to make Gandalf seem much larger than Frodo etc.

Marisa Mell had a severe car accident and facial damage--she underwent painful surgeries to repair it. They sure did a good job because I have never seen the scars. She also turned down a high $$$ Hollywood contract.


----------



## KGeo777

THE LAST STAND 2013 -- Why did I watch this? It was so bad and depressing. The washed out cinematography with the orange yellow tint--Arnold Schwarzenegger looking very tired and old despite his dyed hair--villains that were so non-threatening that an elderly Harry Dean Stanton in an uncredited role came across as more dangerous. There's a masked woman who guns down a group of police and goes off like a ninja but she disappears from the movie--they don't explain where she went or bother to unmask her. There was so much weakness in this film--I had to douse the experience with a couple of Batman episodes starring Roddy McDowall as the Book Worm--I enjoyed it much more.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for another warning, KG.


----------



## KGeo777

Droflet said:


> Thanks for another warning, KG.


The opening action sequence with the prisoner escape was pretty good--I had higher hopes as I watching--thinking maybe this is a good one as it had been suggested as his last decent action movie. ESCAPE PLAN I may watch sometime. Stallone's face  looks like it is melting but I think Arnie came off better in the Expendables films so maybe it won't be so bad with Stallone there too but I need some time to prepare myself to watch that.
It's a lack of intensity I notice in movie characters and performances in recent times. A mildness that didn't exist 30-40-50 years ago. But some would say that was overacting--I don't agree. The bad guy in this one was hard to hear in a car scene--his voice wasn't strong enough.
It's the weirdest thing because I can walk on a street or be in a store and sometimes hear more classic-type voices among staff people than I find in recent movies.
There was one minor actor in this who appears briefly as a prisoner being interrogated who had a brightness in his face that suggested old-fashioned screen charisma--they are still around but harder to find when I watch something newer. But voices are so weak in movies--lack of intensity and dramatic modulation.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Last film I watched?  Carry-on Matron.  
Why?  good question.  ...really really good question.


----------



## Parson

Finished watching the 1999 BBC remake of Oliver Twist. Okay, but nothing to write home about.


----------



## KGeo777

ENTER THE DRAGON 1973- "Boards don't hit back."


----------



## paranoid marvin

Parson said:


> Finished watching the 1999 BBC remake of Oliver Twist. Okay, but nothing to write home about.




I much prefer the older BBC adaptations. The 1985 version of The Pickwick Papers is magnificent, and I think they also produced a 1985 version of Oliver Twist as well.


----------



## hitmouse

Parson said:


> Finished watching the 1999 BBC remake of Oliver Twist. Okay, but nothing to write home about.


It is hard to beat the old B&W movie with Alec Guinness as Fagin.


----------



## AlexH

I've watched plenty of films recently but nothing brilliant until cinemas in the UK reopened.

Firstly, *Gladiator* (2000). I hadn't seen it before, and the cinema was the best place to see it.

Then *Wolfwalkers* (2020), which is the first great film of the 2020s, and Cartoon Saloon are the best animation studio in the world right now (Song of the Sea is my favourite of theirs).

I didn't get into the Wolfwalkers story immediately, but when I did - I was hooked. It's like an Irish folklore Princess Mononoke set during Oliver Cromwell's tyranny in Ireland. The unique hand-drawn animation is stunning, with especially-spellbinding forest scenes towards the end. I don't think I've felt such a wonderful sense of movement in any film.

Highly recommended and on at Vue cinemas for the next week - only £2.49 in my local! And the trailer is one of those spoiler ones.

Watched in between my two cinema visits, *42* (2013) - about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball, and *Lifeboat *(1944), the Hitchcock film about a group of survivors from a torpedoed ship were good.

I've also enjoyed recently:
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
Mindhorn  (2016) - some hilarious moments.
Babyteeth (2019)
Outsourced (2006)
Limitless (2011)
Three Colours: White (1994)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)
Educating Rita (1983)
Thor (2011)
The 39 Steps (1935)

I found disappointing as they were only 'okay':

Juan of the Dead (2011)
Blow-Up (1966)
The Tenant (1976)
Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
Network (1976)
Frozen 2 (2019) - I haven't seen the first one.
I Saw the Devil (2010)
Time Masters (1982)
Black Cat, White Cat (1998)
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
Possessor (2020) - sci-fi/horror with an interesting concept (rich people employ 'possessors' to possess someone else's body with the aim of committing a murder). Ultimately, this seemed like style over substance with excess gore and random nudity, plus the first time I've seen vaping in a film. The Sean Bean character will-he-won't-he die was amusing.

Felt like a waste of time:
Long Day's Journey into Night (2018)


----------



## paranoid marvin

hitmouse said:


> It is hard to beat the old B&W movie with Alec Guinness as Fagin.




Although Ron Moody's Fagin in Oliver! almost pips it.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

AlexH said:


> Possessor (2020) - sci-fi/horror with an interesting concept (rich people employ 'possessors' to possess someone else's body with the aim of committing a murder). Ultimately, this seemed like style over substance with excess gore and random nudity, plus the first time I've seen vaping in a film. The Sean Bean character will-he-won't-he die was amusing.



I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.  It had the classic Cronenburgian body horror / ideas about identity / intriguing premise but it squandered it on an uninteresting plot and characters. 

Army of the Dead - brain dead Aliens clone with uninteresting characters and bizarre-in-a-bad-way cinematography. Avoid.

Nobody - Bob Odenkirk John Wicks up for a brutally violent (ironic?) paean to masculinity. Christopher Lloyd seems to be  having the time of his life as an unlikely action hero. Let down by a disappointing third act where it morphs into Home Alone, but still Good Fun.  

The Empty Man - went into it knowing very little and was pleasantly surprised. By no means a perfect film, but some great direction and Lovecraftan ideas at work. It's a decent little oddity.  

Mortal Kombat - an excellent opening ten minutes that fails to sustain itself beyond that. Doesn't take itself too seriously, and Kano was pretty good. Not terrible, but not as enjoyable as the campy 90's one.

Man with the Golden Gun - revisiting old Bond movies that I have a soft spot for. Let's be honest, they're not that good.  The original idea to have Scaramanga as the anti-bond sounded amazing, but they went with some nonsense about solar power.  It only really comes alive whenever Christopher Lee is on screen. 

One Cut Of The Dead - highly recommended Japanese Indie Zombie starts off as a very bad movie that takes a hard left turn 30 minutes in. The less you know about it going into it, the better. Heart-warming. Seriously.

Detective Pikachu - Good fun, but tonally a bit weird for a kids movie. Let down by a generic smashy bashy third act.


----------



## AlexH

Mon0Zer0 said:


> One Cut Of The Dead - highly recommended Japanese Indie Zombie starts off as a very bad movie that takes a hard left turn 30 minutes in. The less you know about it going into it, the better. Heart-warming. Seriously.


One Cut of the Dead is one of my favourite films. I agree about watching it without knowing much about it. You may have to persevere at moments during that first 40ish minutes - but it's very worthwhile in the end! The same folks made a short film during lockdown and it's free to watch on YouTube. Nowhere near as good as One Cut of the Dead, but fun to watch for those who've seen that film.


----------



## Jeffbert

AlexH said:


> I've watched plenty of films recently but nothing brilliant until cinemas in the UK reopened.
> 
> ....
> The 39 Steps (1935)
> 
> ...


I have seen that, & several others, in which two very contrary  characters were shackled or handcuffed together. Tony Curtis & Sidney Poitier  in _*The Defiant Ones*,_ as well as a parody with Sylvester the cat chained to a bulldog escaped from an overturned dogcatcher's truck.  






_*YOUTH OF THE BEAST*_ (1963) Japanese crime drama about an ex-cop out to find his friend's murderer. The friend was a cop who was placed in an apparent suicide pose with a hooker, but the hero does not believe it. It had elements of Yojimbo/Fist full of $$, as the hero was playing two Yakuza mobs against each other. 
Joji Mizuno (Joe Shishido) is the hero; saw at least one other film with him, but still relatively new to me. 


_*EVERYTHING GOES WRONG*_ (1960) Another Japanese film, but this one, about a troubled youth, whose mother was the lover of the man the boy holds responsible for his father's death (in WWII).  


*THE BROTHERS RICO* (1957) Last week's NOIR ALLEY. Almost forgot about it. 
Eddie Rico (Richard Conte) was the mob's bookkeeper, while his two younger brothers were still in, somehow, he got out. Muller did cover the unlikeliness of this, along with his usual intro & 'extro'. So, anyway, the two younger brothers were involved in an assassination, & one of them went into hiding. The mob does not like not knowing where all the guys are, so, they convinced Eddie to go and find the youngest brother. Along the way, Eddie learns that his brother-in law had spoken to the D.A., and such. He trusts the mob boss, because mama had taken a bullet intended for him, and he should be forever grateful. 



Spoiler



It turns out, that the mob wanted both the younger brothers dead, & only used the elder to find the youngest one, who had tried over the phone, to convince his elder that they could not trust the boss. Likewise, others also, tried to convince him, but he would not hear it. When he finally realized he was wrong, it was too late to save them. He was forced to sit still, knowing the mob would kill baby brother, and he was helpless to stop them. Intense. The mob boss owned everybody!



The best thing: I do not believe I ever saw this one before today. I am still becoming familiar with Richard Conte, & recall seeing him 1st just about a year ago.


----------



## alexvss

*Howl* (2015). A _summat_ good British werewolf flick. A night train stops in the middle of a forest, then people start to die in bloody ways. It starts off as a _whodunnit?_ then it twists the genre at the midpoint. The monsters are well made and scary, even with an indie budget. I watched this alone saturday night, and I kept looking over my shoulder and through the window. My damned cat made a noise and I almost let out a howl myself. I just didn't like the ending, as it felt rushed and unsatisfying. Overall, a cozy (at least for me) story featuring my favourite monster of all times.

Werewolf stories are perfect for _whodunnits_; there's a new one coming to teathers soon (based on a video game).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Beastmaster *(1982)

Epic sword-and-sorcery film -- it's a full two hours long! -- that takes itself very, very seriously.  Our villain is the head of a child-sacrificing cult.  Three witches (scantily clad young women from  the neck down, hideous hags from the neck up) predict that a certain unborn child will kill him.  Another witch steals the fetus from his mother's womb and magically transfers it into a cow!  A guy rescues the cow-born baby from being sacrificed by chopping the witch down with a sword (even though she manages to resurrect herself after the first time he kills her.)  The boy grows up to be the Beastmaster, because he can telepathically communicate with and control animals.  Specifically, he acquires a hawk, a couple of ferrets, and a black panther as allies.  He also meets a guy, a kid, and a slave girl, our movie's love interest.  A lot goes on, as the Beastmaster rescues the king from the cult leader and we find out that a lot of these characters are related to each other.  Tons of fantasy concepts.  The most random and bizarre is probably the bat-winged humanoids who wrap their wings around people and dissolve them into green goo.  Probably too long for its own good -- it goes on for twenty minutes after the cult leader is killed -- but entertaining enough.  Some pretty grim violence, too.


----------



## KGeo777

The Beastmaster is the movie for ferret fans. I keep telling someone I know who has a couple of ferrets (or maybe three now) they (her and the ferrets) need to see that movie. A cute ending.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Immoral Mr. Teas* (1959)

The very first "nudie cutie" is pretty much a silent comedy with repetitive music and deadpan narration.  The title character sells dental equipment on his bicycle, and ogles women (who generally wear outrageously low-cut blouses.)  After he gets anesthetic while having a tooth extract, he hallucinates that the women he sees are naked.  (He also hallucinates that an entire deer's antler is pulled out of his mouth.)  Even when he goes to see a female psychiatrist oddly named "C. P. Floodback" ) about this problem, he pictures her nude.  (She's seen once reading the Jules Feiffer cartoon collection _Sick Sick Sick _and once reading something called _Uncensored Adult Party Games_.)  It's all very innocent and, at times, amusing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Minotaur *(_Teseo contro il Minotauro_, 1960)

Two-time Olympic decathlon gold medal winner Bob Mathias does the sword-and-sandal thing in this loose version of the familiar Greek myth.  It seems that the Queen of Crete, on her deathbed, reveals that her adult daughter has a twin sister, taken away at birth so she wouldn't have to be sacrificed to the Minotaur.  The evil daughter sends a henchman to have her killed, wiping out her entire village in the process, but Our hero saves her.  Typical sword-and-sandal stuff follows, and we finally get to see the rather goofy Minotaur at the end.  There's an odd sequence in the middle where the hero gets hit with a spear and falls into the sea, where he is rescued by a bunch of blonde women in bikinis who take him to the underwater cave of a sea goddess.  She uses her magic pool to show him what's been going on with the twin sisters.  Like most of these things, it's got nifty sets and costumes, dancing girls, battles, and so forth.  The actress playing both sisters does a good job; you can always tell which one she is, even when she's the good sister pretending to be the bad sister.


----------



## J-Sun

Toby Frost said:


> A satisfyingly tough Star Wars film.[...]the second half is really good and the last set-piece is great.[...]I find the heroine's father's involvement in the Death Star much more involving than the usual dark/light side subplot.





paranoid marvin said:


> I agree.[...]Tbh in today's day and age , and considering the 'quality' of the prequels and sequels this movie was a bolt out of the blue.



A bit late, but I wanted to echo those sentiments. While it's got plenty of nods to the early ones, it's a very different Star Wars movie in ways. Despite (or because of) that, it does better than the rehashes at capturing some of the freshness and enthralling nature of the original. My favorite of the post-original-trilogy movies by light-years.


----------



## CupofJoe

AlexH said:


> Watched in between my two cinema visits, *42* (2013) - about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball, and *Lifeboat *(1944), the Hitchcock film about a group of survivors from a torpedoed ship were good.


I thought Chadwick Boseman was great in the film. It was the first time I really saw him as an actor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fear *(1946)

Poverty Row adaptation (uncredited) of _Crime and Punishment_.  Medical student gets a letter stating that the college is suspending all scholarships.  That's odd enough, but it's even weirder that one of the college professors makes a habit of acting as an unlicensed pawnbroker for the students.  Our antihero gets a lousy ten bucks for his engraved watch, and then the professor takes back two dollars right away for the interest.  Of course, he later bludgeons the professor to get at his stash of money.

Then the killer gets a check for one thousand dollars from a magazine publishing his article promoting the idea that superior people are above the law.  You can cut the irony with a knife.  He starts a romance with a pretty waitress, and gets hounded, _Columbo _style, by a canny police detective.  The universe seems to join in on the game, during an interesting sequence where everything -- a nightclub magic act, a religious pamphlet, a warning sign -- all remind him of the murder.  He tells the truth to his new girlfriend, and it seems like he'll do the same to the cops, but then he finds out that somebody else already confessed to the crime, so it looks like he'll get away with it.  Then we get a really outrageous twist ending that makes nonsense of everything that happened before.  It's a really strange little low budget B movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

> It's a really strange little low budget B movie.



Which immediately makes it one of those films I_ need_ to see.  Thank you for the steer.


----------



## Rodders

I sat down to watch a couple of movies that have been in my Netflix list for a long time. 

The Circle - Okay, but not great. Reminded me of The Cube, but not as original. Disappointing end. 
Alive - A Korean Zombie movie which i quite enjoyed. 

I needed a film to kill a couple of hours as i didn't want to get into anything too heavy. The Art of Self-Defense was listed as a comedy thriller, but while there were a couple of bits that made me laugh, it was ultimately quite a dark movie. For some reason, i don't like Jesse Eisenberg, but i do think that he's a good actor and this was a good performance from him, i thought.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> Which immediately makes it one of those films I_ need_ to see.  Thank you for the steer.




My pleasure.  And you might be interested in this thing:

*Machine Gun Mama *(1944)

Poverty Row comedy with a wildly misleading title.  Two guys from Brooklyn are wandering around Mexico with an elephant named Bunny.  One is a pretty ordinary fellow, the other has a thick Swedish accent.  They wind up at a carnival.  There's a pretty little senorita sitting in one of those booths where you have to hit a target with a baseball to dunk her in water.  The non-Swedish guy does this three times in a row, setting our Mexican spitfire into a frenzy, so she grabs a machine gun at a shooting gallery and shoots up her father's doll concession.  (That's the only justification for the title.)

Meanwhile, we get an attempted suicide joke.   A fellow tries to shoot himself because he has lost his beloved Delores.  This turns out to be the most beautiful flea in his flea circus.  He agrees to purchase the elephant as a replacement, which leads to an argument between him and the Swedish guy as to whether its name is Delores or Bunny.

Complications ensue, as the carnival owes a couple of guys some money.  One of the guys is in love with the senorita, but she loves the non-Swedish guy.  There are some incomprehensible plot points about who might or might not be a crook, and who really owns the elephant.  

Ten minutes from the end, the movie turns into a musical, as the senorita suddenly sings a love song to the non-Swedish guy.  A couple of characters we've never seen before show up five minutes from the end to straighten out the misunderstandings, then the senorita does a song and dance act.  The whole thing is very strange, and more cute than funny.  The senorita is a charming little thing, anyway, and the elephant is a scene stealer.


----------



## Guttersnipe

A Quiet Place: Part 2 was, to me, just as good as the first film, which is to say it was quite good. I did sleep through nearly a quarter of it due to being awake during most of the previous night.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Ray Dennis Steckler Double Feature:

The ultra-low budget _auteur _who brought us things like *Rat Fink a Boo Boo *and *The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies *offers two crime films.

*The Thrill Killers* (1964)

The director has top billing under his frequent pseudonym Cash Flagg as a sociopath in this black-and-white thriller.  In a parallel plot, three psychopaths break out of a lunatic asylum.  After spending some time with a would-be movie star and his wife, we see Flagg kill a guy in order to steal his car.  Then, after a while, the three madmen torment and kill a couple.  Eventually, the trio terrorizes the actor and his wife, along with some other folks, in a diner in the middle of nowhere.  It leads up to a big chase and fight scene, and another meeting with Flagg.  The extremely low budget actually adds something to the tension.  It's not that bad.

*Body Fever *(1969, released 1971)

Steckler, under his own name, stars as a rather hapless private eye.  He gets hired to track down a woman who stole a bunch of heroin (Steckler's wife and frequent co-star, Carolyn Brandt.)  After a bunch of wandering around, getting threatened and beaten up, and smooched on by some women, Brandt shows up.  It seems the heroin was stolen from her, so the two work together to get it back, and become lovers.  Lots of scenes that do nothing but fill up the running time.  It's not that good.


----------



## Vladd67

I see a few people enjoyed the 1935 version of the 39 Steps, if you ever get the opportunity you really should watch the stage version. A comedy with a cast of four, the two main characters handcuffed together and everyone else played by two other actors, the scene with the husband and wife hotel owners and the two “detectives” played by just two actors was particularly well done. I wish there was a DVD of it.


----------



## alexvss

*The Mute, aka Sword of God - Der letzte Kreuzzug (2018)*. A Polish movie about Catholic priests (of course, Poland) who travel to a pagan land in order to convert its people before the king arrives and kills every non-Christian. The two religious men have diametrically opposite approaches of conversion: the older priest--a bishop--is a violent ex-soldier; the younger one--a Prince who became a monk--is more passionate and talkative. Their rivalry escalates until its peak in the climax.

The cinematography is brilliant. I really wish I saw this in a movie theater. Although it's not fantasy, it has a dark fantasy feel. The pagans are some kind of Celtic people that reminded me of *HellBlade- Senua's Sacrifice*. I just don't think the Celtics were covered in mud all their lives like in this movie


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vladd67 said:


> I see a few people enjoyed the 1935 version of the 39 Steps, if you ever get the opportunity you really should watch the stage version. A comedy with a cast of four, the two main characters handcuffed together and everyone else played by two other actors, the scene with the husband and wife hotel owners and the two “detectives” played by just two actors was particularly well done. I wish there was a DVD of it.



Is that the version with excellent and very inventive use of step ladders involved?  If so I hearty agree.  A really fun show.  I saw it when it toured the Highlands many years ago in a village hall the other end of Glencoe from where some of the chase sequence for Hitchcock's film were shot.


----------



## Vladd67




----------



## KGeo777

CEMETERY WITHOUT CROSSES 1969- One of the Euro-made westerns which feels the most kinship with the Sergio Leone ones, especially a  Fistful of Dollars--not only because they film in the same locations in Spain, but he gets an acknowledgement in the closing credits and a dining sequence is rumored to have been directed by him. There's a ghost town which makes an atmospheric location for this story about revenge and futility.

VILLAIN 1971 --It was the style of the time that famous thespians would appear in sleazy and graphic story lines as censorship rules eased--- Richard Burton is a vicious criminal who loves him mum and likes to beat up Ian McShane for sexual gratification. It gets negative reviews especially for Burton's cockney accent but I like this much more than GET CARTER. Burton has some funny lines--"Stupid punters, watch telly all the week," "You slag!" "Kids today...They should never have abolished national service." The US version re-dubs everyone but Burton.


----------



## dask

KGeo777 said:


> CEMETERY WITHOUT CROSSES 1969- One of the Euro-made westerns which feels the most kinship with the Sergio Leone ones, especially a  Fistful of Dollars--not only because they film in the same locations in Spain, but he gets an acknowledgement in the closing credits and a dining sequence is rumored to have been directed by him. There's a ghost town which makes an atmospheric location for this story about revenge and futility.


Gonna have to watch this. Library doesn’t have it but the video store might. If I can figure out how to work the mirror/screen or screen/mirror thing I could try watching it on YouTube.


----------



## hitmouse

dask said:


> Gonna have to watch this. Library doesn’t have it but the video store might. If I can figure out how to work the mirror/screen or screen/mirror thing I could try watching it on YouTube.


It was in Blockbusters last time I looked.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Drums of Jeopardy *(1931)

Before he became Charlie Chan, Warner Oland was the villain in this pre-Code thriller.  He plays Doctor Boris Karlov, in pre-Revolution Russia.   (That was the character's name in the novel and play before the actor with the very similar stage name became famous.)  His daughter is dying, pregnant by a man she refuses to name.  A necklace with four jeweled charms in the shape of men playing drums (hence the title) is found in her room, revealing that her seducer was someone in a particular aristocratic family.   Karlov swears revenge when she dies.

When the Revolution comes, one gets killed (off screen) pretty quickly, then another as soon as they escape to the United States.  A cat and mouse game among Doctor Karlov, the intended victims, and the Secret Service follows.  Our hero escapes into the penthouse of our heroine, getting her and her comedy relief aunt involved.  They try to hide from Karlov in the aunt's country home, so the film turns into an Old Dark House film.  The scariest scene happens when one of the intended victims betrays the other, his brother, leading to the the traitor's horrible fate.  Karlov is a bit of a Mad Scientist; an early scene shows him in his laboratory, surrounded by all kinds of weird equipment.  Orland is in fine form as the villain, and the whole thing is a pretty entertaining, if old-fashioned story right out of a Weird Menace pulp.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Strange Illusion *(1945)

Cult director Edgar G. Ulmer (*The Black Cat*, *Detour*) offers  a Poverty Row psychological melodrama with echoes of _Hamlet_.  Opens with a dream sequence.  Teen protagonist dreams about his father's recent death, and about a sinister, shadowy figure courting his mother.  Sure enough, Mom is soon being wooed by our movie's villain, who is secretly a crook who has already killed a previous bride for her money.  He also has a record of "attacks" on very young women, placing our protagonist's sister in danger, too.  Very specific details of the dream come true, adding a touch of the supernatural, and causing the protagonist to freak out.  He gets sent to an institution that happens to be run by a guy with whom the villain is in cahoots.  Ends with a dream sequence, too.  Not a great film, but it has its moments.  The protagonist is a little too much of a clean-cut teen for a dark and moody film.  When he calls his girlfriend on the phone from the institution, he says "Hey, vixen, what's fixin'" and "Are you missin' my kissing'?"


----------



## KGeo777

Goliath vs the Vampires 1961 -  Kobrak!!! This is one of the best peplums for entertainment value. It has some unintentionally funny dialogue but the fantasy element is really strong.  I wonder if the idea of how Sauron was depicted in the LOTR movies took inspiration from Kobrak because there is a similarity--especially when he has his army gathered.
A 4k version of this was planned but the rights fell though.

COAST OF SKELETONS 1965 --an  Edgar Wallace treasure quest story. The location-a coastline of Africa where ships have washed ashore--is a neat background. The story is slow-paced as was common then  but I like nautical and desert movies. A little unusual is that the bigwig tycoon who seeks gold is not really a bad guy in the end. His underling is the one who causes the most trouble due to his over-enthusiastic nature. It breaks with the usual formula for these kinds of situations. There's another movie this reminds me of, A TWIST OF SAND.


----------



## AlexH

Vladd67 said:


> I see a few people enjoyed the 1935 version of the 39 Steps, if you ever get the opportunity you really should watch the stage version. A comedy with a cast of four, the two main characters handcuffed together and everyone else played by two other actors, the scene with the husband and wife hotel owners and the two “detectives” played by just two actors was particularly well done. I wish there was a DVD of it.


I saw The 39 Steps at The Lowry in Salford a few years ago, and it was excellent. Maybe we should have a theatre thread when it resumes. My favourites are One Man Two Guvnors - one of the funniest things I've seen in any medium, and my local theatre (the New Vic in Newcastle-under-Lyme) put on an outstanding version of 101 Dalmations a few Christmases ago, with actors swapping between roles in the play and playing as part of the live band. Some of the best fun I've ever had!


----------



## pogopossum

As a follow up to *Ray Harryhausen *watched *Jason and the Argonauts*.
Godawful movie, with great, original animation. Loved the skeletons!


----------



## KGeo777

CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE - 1968   By most standards, a terrible film, however I liked it because despite the awfulness it was entertaining instead of boring.  An oil executive is "rolled" by some hustlers in a bar and accidentally killed-- he was waiting for a geologist to arrive so they can search for oil in the swamp.
The woman hustler has a plan: she will pretend to be the wife of the oil man to trick the geologist so they can go off and find the oil.
John Agar is the geologist and despite being skeptical - he goes along until they encounter a scientist in the swamp who is trying to make fish-men--he feds his failures to alligators--though he calls them crocodiles.
When the title creature shows up and the wife of the scientist pleads with the creature in a sincerely emotive Mid-Atlantic accent, you realize  you can't get that kind of classic theatrical quality much anymore in bad movies.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (1974) dir. Tobe Hooper

Huh.

Well, that was ...

Huh.

I've never seen this before, probably won't watch it again, but I can see how it must have been extremely effective when first screened. One of those movies where the low budget and amateur acting added verisimilitude, so it has probably influenced everything from _The Hills Have Eyes_ to the episode of The X-files with the Peacocks, and beyond.


*The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three* (coincidentally, also 1974) dir. Joseph Sargent; starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam

Crime thriller with Shaw and crew hijacking a subway train and holding the passengers for ransom. Matthau as a laconic lieutenant transit cop acting as negotiator. The scenes in the subway car are tense, and the exchanges between Shaw and Matthau escalate in tension as Matthau's character realizes this is not a joke or some kind of lark, but a well-planned and even deadly threat. The movie is also notable for beautifully handling comedy, sometimes with Matthau, as during the exchanges between Matthau and some of his co-workers, but maybe more so for the scenes away from Shaw and Matthau, especially the scenes with the flu-stricken Mayor and his Lieutenant Mayor (Tony Roberts).

Two of Shaw's henchmen are familiar: Hector Elizondo who has been in, roughly speaking, everything (I'd almost forgotten he was young once) and Earl Hindman, whose face you may not recognize and whose voice you don't hear enough of to ring a bell, but he was Tim Allen's neighbor Wilson in _Home Improvement._ Oddly, maybe, they share a connection to Allen since Elizondo was a regular on _Last Man Standing_.

If you haven't seen this, I'd really recommend it. I haven't seen the remake to compare.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> *The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three* (coincidentally, also 1974) dir. Joseph Sargent; starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam


<snip>


Randy M. said:


> If you haven't seen this, I'd really recommend it.



If nothing else for David Shire's music.  The opening title track is the acme of Crime Jazz:


----------



## KGeo777

There are at least a couple of tv-movies that were inspired by it.
*Panic on the 5-22.*
And the other is *The Great Ice Rip-Off* by Dan Curtis. Both 1974. Funny ending.


----------



## hitmouse

*Scanners *(1981). Hadn’t seen this for at least 30 years. Fantastic film. Just shows what one can do on a low budget with good direction, camerawork and editing. Almost worth it just for 1970s Montreal. The acting is hammy and the script is a bit odd, but it all adds up to an effectively disconcerting sf horror film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Death Proof*

Thought I'd seen all of Tarantino's films, but this one had slipped under the radar. An odd movie with veers from dialogue-heavy to outright action - and then back again.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DARK OF THE SUN* (1968)  Capt. Bruce Curry (Rod Taylor) &  Sgt Ruffo (Jim Brown) are mercenaries  hired by the ruler of an African nation in the turmoil of civil war. They are tasked with taking a trainload of people and a cache of diamonds from a remote village & returning them to the capitol. But, the rebels want the diamonds and want to kill the people. Among other mercs is Capt. Henlein (Peter Carsten) who had been in the German army during WWII, and wears a Swastika medallion, just so everyone knows how he feels about black people. I thought that his voice was dubbed by Paul Frees, & I was right!

So, they gather about 40 other mercenaries, most black men, put five or so cars on the train, & head toward the village. But, things go bad, & then, from bad to worse. When they arrive at the village, the guy in charge of the diamonds   Bussier (André Morell, best known for HAMMER FILMS), says the time lock on the vault will not open for three hours. All the while, the bloodthirsty rebel Simbas (Lions) are on their way.  Very tense drama!




*THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE* (1962) Physician / scientist who pushes the science beyond ethical limits keeps his decapitated fiancee's noggin alive while scheming to murder some other attractive woman to provide a body transplant.   She really wants to die, rather than be a part of his madness.


----------



## Droflet

Loved the dark of the sun but it is most certainly not for the faint of heart. In spots.


----------



## KGeo777

SOLID GOLD KIDNAPPING  - second pilot for THE SIX DOLLAR MAN  1973. They use the subplot of a scientist injecting herself with brain cells from a dead man to help find a kidnapping victim (who is being held by Dr Zaius in a very clever human mask disguise but we aren't fooled, are we?)They use a lot of stock footage in this.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*NAZI AGENT*_ (1942) Conrad Veidt PLAYS  twin brothers born in early 20th Century Germany. One, Otto Becker illegally immigrated into the USA, and was running a bookstore, as a loyal American. His twin brother, Baron Hugo von Detner was running a spy ring out of the German Consul, and unexpectedly visited Otto. He demanded cooperation in the spy business, using the bookstore as a way to distribute information to The 3rd Reich.

I think it is rather unlikely that Otto should be able to impersonate his brother, given that he knew nothing about his business, but that is what happens.

Ben M mentioned that Veidt's contract insisted that any Nazis he might portray must be really nasty ones. As such, he never disappoints!


----------



## DawnC

*Shawsank Redemption: *I have never seen such an amazing film since I saw The Shawshank Redemption. Shawshank encompasses friendships, hardships, hopes, and dreams. And what is so great about the movie is that it moves you, it gives you hope. Even though the circumstances between the characters and the viewers are quite different, you don't feel that far removed from what the characters are going through.


----------



## Droflet

Yep, one of King's very best. Oh, and welcome to Chrons, Dawn.


----------



## CupofJoe

*SkyFire* [2019]
A Chinese disaster movie about a Theme Park and a volcano. Think Jurassic Park but with no dinosaurs [and better acting]. A theme park has been built on a dormant volcano. The volcano killed the mother of one of the volcanologists, so for her, it is personal. 
The volcano is being monitored but no one is listening... Add in tourists, a young couple, and old wise [and selfless] men. Stir in rivers of lava, magma bombs, and crying children and you have the basic plot...
The special effects were special enough. Jeremy Issacs was the token English-speaking bad guy [but don't worry he redeems himself]. The director was Simon West, of Con Air, so don't expect a deep film but it was enjoyable [a bit like Con Air].


----------



## KGeo777

The Vampire's Ghost 1946 

Escape From the Planet of the Apes 1971  Considering that this is the second sequel, it was daring to take a couple of characters who were secondary in the previous installments and promote them to the focus, going in a completely different direction--yet remaining suspenseful and emotionally involving. Also the supporting characters are effectively smart and dynamic. Eric Braeden has one of the most profound missions as a movie villain--he's no cartoon antagonist. He's thinking about the future of the world-as a scientist it would matter to him very much, and at the same time, the US president is intelligent too-there was a 1971 critic review which highlighted that character.  It plays a little loose with the facts of the first movie--since they did not know it was Earth-and yet Cornelius now knows that the Sacred Scrolls had information on Earth history. Ignoring that, this is a pretty darn good economical sequel with some funny moments and a poignant finale.


----------



## dask

*Spider-Man *(2002). I don’t like my childhood heroes messed with but the updates here were well planned and executed. Being bitten by a radioactive spider may have been acceptable magic in the late fifties, early sixties but doubt it’d be able to cast its spell here in the digital age. Gene splicing or whatever it was they did seemed more appropriate and realistic. All the essentials were perfectly cast even down to the Betty Brant character though I didn’t hear her called by name. Great Saul Bass-like graphic design for the beginning credits and chalk up another musical masterpiece for Danny Elfman.


----------



## Barry Bellows

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


The last film I watched was Source Code. It was excellent.


----------



## hitmouse

*Call Girl of Cthulhu* (2014)

Artist falls in love with call girl who has a mysterious birth mark on her buttock, etc.

This film did not live up to expectations.


----------



## Randy M.

hitmouse said:


> *Call Girl of Cthulhu* (2014)
> 
> Artist falls in love with call girl who has a mysterious birth mark on her buttock, etc.
> 
> This film did not live up to expectations.


I'm not sure the question would be whether it lived up to them, but rather if it lived down to them.


----------



## Vladd67

Rollerball (1975)
The action scenes on the field of play grabbed your attention, and the underlying theme of no man is bigger than the game kept the dystopian future scenes of the privileged executives ticking along nicely. I refuse to acknowledge the existence of a remake.


----------



## hitmouse

Steadily working my way through the Plex back catalogue.

*Silent Rage* (1982)
In which Chuck Norris beats up an entire bar of biker thugs then deals with a zombie homicidal maniac reanimated by some slightly mad doctors doing unsanctioned research in the morgue of the local hospital, where_ his girlfriend just happens to be staying. _
So: a combo karate/cop/slasher/zombie flick. All in a day’s work for Chuck. 

One really has to be Joe Bob Briggs to do any real justice to reviewing a movie of this quality.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE PASSWORD IS COURAGE*_ (1962) Sergeant-Major Charles Coward (Dirk Bogarde) as a captured RAF guy held by Germans in WWII.  As they are marching newly captured Britons toward the POW camp, one poor guy who cannot keep up is summarily shot. Seeing, or hearing this, Coward (what a name for a soldier!), who is also wounded, decides he must escape, lest he share that other guy's fate. 

Humor is occasionally used, and critics savaged the film, because its serious subject was inappropriate with humor. Yet, it occurs mainly as the prisoners outwit their captors. 

My 2nd time viewing it, it loses nothing on the 2nd time.  



_*THE ANGEL WORE RED*_ (1960) Arturo Carrer (Dirk Bogarde) Is a Catholic Priest during the Spanish Civil War. Talk about being between a rock & a herd place! The Communists, who claimed to be the legitimate Government, considered the Priests as traitors, & were murdering them wholesale. So, the Head Priest in the Church is more concerned with the (shameful!) exposure of women's knees or elbows, than with things more important. Carrer decides to quit the Priesthood, & leaves. Eventually, he is in an unlikely place, a cabaret, & meets Soledad (Ava Gardner) who is a lady of the night. 

One of the two remaining Priests is given charge of the local relic, supposedly containing a drop of St. John's blood. The Communists really want to get this as it will crush the morale of the enemy. 

Hawthorne (Joseph Cotten) is a war correspondent, & eventually plays a key part in the story. 

Things happen, & that guy known for still being dead, his forces come upon a Church filled with 200 civilians, who had been rounded-up by the communists. He decides he must kill them, I cannot recall his reason, & the only thing that could change his mind in the relic, as that will prove they are not communists. 


good drama!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

KGeo777 said:


> The Vampire's Ghost 1946



I would like to hear your thoughts on this one.  I thought was an unusual and interesting little B horror film.  Screenplay co-written by Leigh Brackett.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I would like to hear your thoughts on this one.  I thought was an unusual and interesting little B horror film.  Screenplay co-written by Leigh Brackett.



Oh I was going to comment on it.
It had been recommended to me here.
I haven't been watching pre-1960s movies very often  --this made me think of CURSE OF THE UNDEAD 1959--I watched that a few weeks ago-the vampire was not your standard type either. And it was an eerie western. The vampire in that is really fascinating. He's so manipulative psychologically. And he can move about in day time.

  I am assuming that this inspired COTU. It must have.
I am  sure this has been featured in some horror books like Classics of the Horror Film--the statue shown was familiar to me.
I was trying to place where I have seen the vampire actor before.  I know I have seen him when older in something famous but I am too stubborn to check where. Sometimes I nurture my ignorance of movie trivia.

The vampire was very different from the average. He was more pre-Dracula traditional--the one that can walk in the day time and also the importance of the soil. Silver being lethal to them. And fire. 
The relationship between the hero guy and the vampire was different too. The vampire saved his life a couple of times. The other thing was how the dancer was able to resist him after he became more interested in the girlfriend.

I thought it was very interesting how the Africans were used in the story--they weren't token characters--they had a function from the superstition angle. Even for movies set in Africa, usually they do not have much purpose. Comedy or just periphery characters.

I did wonder what was going to happen with the characters who got bitten though--the vampire mentioned the dancer and the sailor guy would rise. I assumed they would show up!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

You may be thinking of the fact that the fellow who played the vampire went on to play one of the Organians in the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy."


----------



## KGeo777

Yes I was thinking of Star Trek.

I knew I had seen him in something repeated often on tv.

The vampire manipulating the boyfriend--I don't think I have seen that before--he's not quite a Renfield or a Harker--he owes his life to the vampire and it created a psychological obligation which the vampire used.
Same with the girlfriend.
 And religion wasn't used the same way--the boyfriend needed the religious help to boost his will and self-control rather than directly destroy the vampire--the villager set fire to the shrine.
I have watched very few Republic Pictures.
A couple of serials etc.


----------



## REBerg

*Breach*
The closest this alien zombies in space flick comes to redeeming itself is a moment near the end, when it actually seems to be self-ridiculing. Otherwise, it was a stern reminder that having Bruce Willis in the cast is no longer a guarantee of quality.


----------



## AE35Unit

Judderman said:


> Ah. Coincidentally features another lead Game of Thrones actress - Lean Headey.


I wouldn't know, only saw half of season one of GoT. That was enough for me


----------



## AE35Unit

*It Follows *
Interesting idea, a woman has a sexual encounter then gets cursed by a demon who follows her so it can pass it on.

Well that's an hour and half of my life I won't get back...
God knows how this film got so many awards. I'd give it one for dodgy camera work. Maybe then they could afford to get better microphones too. Mumble mumble mumble, all through the bloody film. We had the fan on because its quite warm tonight and with kids in bed we couldn't turn the volume up high enough to hear all that was said. We normally resort to subtitles but there wasn't any...


----------



## Phyrebrat

AE35Unit said:


> *It Follows *
> Interesting idea, a woman has a sexual encounter then gets cursed by a demon who follows her so it can pass it on.
> 
> Well that's an hour and half of my life I won't get back...
> God knows how this film got so many awards. I'd give it one for dodgy camera work. Maybe then they could afford to get better microphones too. Mumble mumble mumble, all through the bloody film. We had the fan on because its quite warm tonight and with kids in bed we couldn't turn the volume up high enough to hear all that was said. We normally resort to subtitles but there wasn't any...


You have my condolences and sympathy. It is indeed an appalling film.

I’m a huge horror fan (horror first, sci fi second) and I ALWAYS wonder how this film managed to get so many accolades. And still does. I think it was for people who were blown away by the concept of an STI curse and the moral/societal message. But I felt it more a precept than concept.

And really, I know there’s a link with comedy and horror, but this was a self-unaware farce.

_Cabin Fever _is the only horror I hate more than _Sh*t Follows. _


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE ENEMY BELOW* (1957) Surface ship Vs. U-boat film.  Tense drama.  




*THE DEVIL'S BRIGADE* (1968) Higher-ups decided that a unit consisting of U. S. & Canadian soldiers would be a good idea. As might be expected, when the two 1st meet, they clash. Eventually they become buddies, and weep at the deaths of the guys whom they 1st loathed.


----------



## KGeo777

OPEN SEASON 1974 - Not available beyond a very poor quality video release from what I hear.  It's Straw Dogs mixed with Deliverance but I think it is wrong to dismiss it as a copycat. It's very well-acted--concerning three All-American family men (Peter Fonda, John Phillip Law, and Richard Lynch)  who go on an annual camping trip which involves them picking up isolated couples to torment and psychologically abuse before they finish with them in another way. They find a pair who are cheating on their spouses (Alberto de Mendoza and Cornelia Sharpe).  The latter does not have a wikipedia page devoted to her-and I am surprised because she also starred in a female James Bond movie S.H.E. which wasn't good but she wasn't bad in the role. Her acting here is very good. Directed by Peter Collinson who I never heard of until recently but his films are quite well-made from the ones I have seen. Based on a novel. This story is all about toxic masculinity and deconstructing the Vietnam era  but is never preachy.  The role that William Holden has brings a certain irony to the proceedings. If this had been made during the slasher movie era it would have gone in a completely different direction. There's no nudity or gore in it--the most disturbing moment is when Mendoza refuses a stick of gum offered by Richard Lynch, and to teach him a lesson about politeness, he is forced instead to chew the stringy well-used gum that his captor had been chewing on.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Entity * 2012
Not based on the Frank de Felita book, this is set in Siberia and concerns itself with historic russian prisoners that were kept in a large facility.
Stars Dervla Kerwin (Ballykissangel)
Quite good. 
At the end credits there is a dedication  to Tracey Jane Wilkinson (1965-2012) but I can find no reference to her. (Tracey Wilkinson is a current actress so I assume the dedicatee was part of the crew)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Five Women for the Killer *(_5 donne per l'assassino_, 1974)

Man comes home to discover that his wife has died during childbirth, and that his newborn child is in the hospital.  Since this is a _giallo_, in addition to this tragedy we have a series of murders of pregnant women.  Each one of the victims had some kind of connection to the man, so he's one of the prime suspects.  Moves pretty slowly, despite the multiple killings and convoluted plot.  There's a visual clue to the identity of the killer that plays fair with the viewer, and a sudden twist at the end.  Overall, a fair-to-middling example of the genre.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Malevolent * 2018
Horror set in Scotland about a group of  scam ghost investigators. The great Celia Imrie plays their latest client...


----------



## Guttersnipe

A Quiet Place: Part 2

Some say it's better than the first. I think they're equally good.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scalps *(1987)

Late-in-the-day spaghetti Western.  Maniacal commander of a Confederate outpost in Texas, besides refusing to admit that the South lost, lusts after the pretty (and extremely European-looking) daughter of a local chief, so he has his men slaughter the entire village and capture the woman.  She manages to escape, badly wounded, and winds up at the home of a guy who has his own grudge against the commander.  He helps her heal, and the two go on the run from the pursuing soldiers, first as semi-reluctant allies, and eventually as lovers.  Plenty of bloodletting follows, as the woman becomes a killing machine, wiping out soldiers with knives, arrows (including some that explode!) and a pit full of sharpened stakes.  The man gets captured and tortured, so she comes to the rescue, leading to the final, violent confrontation.  It's not a bad example of the form.  Yes, plenty of scalps get taken along the way.


----------



## Parson

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Scalps *(1987)
> 
> Late-in-the-day spaghetti Western.  Maniacal commander of a Confederate outpost in Texas, besides refusing to admit that the South lost, lusts after the pretty (and extremely European-looking) daughter of a local chief, so he has his men slaughter the entire village and capture the woman.  She manages to escape, badly wounded, and winds up at the home of a guy who has his own grudge against the commander.  He helps her heal, and the two go on the run from the pursuing soldiers, first as semi-reluctant allies, and eventually as lovers.  Plenty of bloodletting follows, as the woman becomes a killing machine, wiping out soldiers with knives, arrows (including some that explode!) and a pit full of sharpened stakes.  The man gets captured and tortured, so she comes to the rescue, leading to the final, violent confrontation.  It's not a bad example of the form.  Yes, plenty of scalps get taken along the way.


Wow, what was the rating on this blood letting jamboree? It had to be at least R I would think. --- I went and looked and all I could find was personal ratings. But 1987 was well after the US started rating movies so they should be easily available. I'm likely unaware of where such would be found. Your review just makes me shutter. My imagination goes wild with the picture of a scene of a person skewered on sharp staves or someone actually removing a scalp.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Yes, an R for violence would be entirely appropriate.  The torture of the hero is particularly gruesome.


----------



## Droflet

*The Misfits. * The worse heist movie I've ever seen. Dreadful, hideous, lousy, in every possible way. A terrible movie that I strongly recommend that everyone avoid. What a waste of time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary *(1975)

Starts in typical scary movie fashion with a woman whose van breaks down in the middle of a raging thunderstorm at night.  She seeks shelter in a spooky old abandoned house, only to be scared off by an unseen somebody.  Our monster?  No, it's a handsome young guy who happens to be staying at the place.  Cut to a flashback that reveals that the woman (Mary) is a artist who creates surreal paintings.  (Special credit is given to the painter who really came up with these weird things.)  She also has a habit of drugging folks, stabbing them, and drinking their blood.  

While Mary and the young man have a sweet romance, she continues this little habit.  Meanwhile, somebody almost completely disguised in black, as if this were a _giallo_, commits similar murders and seems to be stalking Mary.   He turns out to have a special connection with Mary.  (The character is eventually revealed to be John Carradine, but it's obvious that a double covers for him in most scenes.)

It's an offbeat combination of not-quite-supernatural vampire movie, love story, action film (lots of car chases, gun and knife fights, etc.) that manages to be half art film and half exploitation film.  Slow-moving but interesting.


----------



## KGeo777

I watched INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU 1968 mainly to see the Hammer film regulars in it--like Michael Ripper, Geoffrey Bayldon, and Katya Wyeth, but I knew it was a comedy dud. I don't normally seek out comedies because if they are unfunny to you, there's not much else to recommend them. And this is one of those cases. Arkin is not the greatest Clouseau, not the worst either probably, but there's no one else providing any humor either. Herbert Lom is seriously missed.

Speaking of westerns with a "Euro-Squaw" character, there's a 1965 one  called Rebels in Canada.    Canadian Wilderness (1965) - IMDb  The description of the daughter of the local chief makes me think of Swa, who leaves an impression. I forgot most of the movie but I remember her character was a dynamic presence.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Firebird 2015 AD *(1981)

Remember back in 1992 when the U.S. government banned all private use of petroleum?  Remember all those gasoline pumps with signs reading _Closed by order of the President of the United States_?  If not, don't worry; the lousy country-rock song that plays over the opening credits fills us in on the plot.  You see, the Department of Vehicular Control (DVC) hunts down the rebel "burners" who insist on racing their muscle cars on the dirt roads of the Canadian Badlands where this thing was filmed.  We never see a city, town, or village; the entire movie takes place in this wilderness.  The DVC folks live in tents, the "burners" have shacks where they hide their fuel and stuff.  What little plot there is deals to a large extent with the romance between the son of the sort of leader of the burners and the daughter of another burner.  Darren McGavin is the sort of leader.  He and the daughter bluster at the son at one point, giving him a lecture about freedom, the tyranny of the government, etc.  Just about the only thing of interest in this cheap little movie is the one DVC guy who is completely insane.  He strips down into a loincloth and goes into a whole Billy Jack mystical Native American thing, putting on war paint before he blows up "burners".  Not a good film.


----------



## CupofJoe

Droflet said:


> *The Misfits. * The worse heist movie I've ever seen. Dreadful, hideous, lousy, in every possible way. A terrible movie that I strongly recommend that everyone avoid. What a waste of time.


Which one? The 2021 Renney Harlin The Misfits or the 1961 John Huston The Misfits?
I thought the 1961 film enjoyable if poignant in that it was the last complete film for Gable and Monroe...


----------



## Droflet

Let's put it this way, Renney Harlin isn't the director he used to be. Yes, the 1961 film, although difficult to watch (for me) was a decent movie but the most recent one ... see above.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Brain of Blood *(1971)

Ultra-cheap Mad Scientist movie.  The ruler of a fictional Middle Eastern nation is dying of cancer; even "uranium treatments" (?) have failed.  The answer:  transplant his brain into another body.  The Mad Scientist in charge has the expected two assistants:  a dwarf and a huge guy with the mind of a child and a deformed face.  (In a flashback sequence, we learn how he had a couple of bullies pour battery acid on him.)  They need a new body for the brain, of course, but the huge guy botches his assignment to kill a guy, messing up the body.  So, the obvious thing to do is to put the brain into the huge guy's body.  The plot gets complicated with spy stuff, as there are folks plotting against the ruler, and the Mad Scientist has his own agenda.  (He also has a goofy-looking ray gun kind of thing to zap the huge-guy-with-ruler's-brain from time to time.)  Did I mention the young women in the basement who supply blood to keep the brain alive before the transplantation?  Takes itself very seriously, and even attempts to produce some pathos among all the Mad Scientist stuff.


----------



## KGeo777

Al Adamson sure was busy.

THE MEPHISTO WALTZ - 1971   The first FOX production after many box office duds caused it to take a year hiatus from production. As a horror movie it is not really much for scares--it feels like a tv-movie (and in fact it is a Quinn Martin Production). Bradford Dillman and William Windom who we last saw in Escape From the POTA show up in supporting roles. It's interesting how Hollywood depicted the Devil at this time--generally speaking, with the exception of the Hammer film The Devil Rides Out, the Devil wins. The Devil always wins.  You really have to think hard to find a movie where the Devil loses completely. In the Exorcist, the Devil takes the priests, so it's not a complete victory for good. This one also features a child stricken by Satanic forces-in fact, the child actress Pamela Ferdin was the alternate choice for Regan in the movie--but because she had done this one, typecasting was more of a concern then so she was not used despite undergoing a makeup test for it.
The William Shatner mask used for Halloween makes a cameo appearance--worn by a dog.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Firebird 2015 AD *(1981)
> 
> Remember back in 1992 when the U.S. government banned all private use of petroleum?  Remember all those gasoline pumps with signs reading _Closed by order of the President of the United States_?  If not, don't worry; the lousy country-rock song that plays over the opening credits fills us in on the plot.  You see, the Department of Vehicular Control (DVC) hunts down the rebel "burners" who insist on racing their muscle cars on the dirt roads of the Canadian Badlands where this thing was filmed.  We never see a city, town, or village; the entire movie takes place in this wilderness.  The DVC folks live in tents, the "burners" have shacks where they hide their fuel and stuff.  What little plot there is deals to a large extent with the romance between the son of the sort of leader of the burners and the daughter of another burner.  Darren McGavin is the sort of leader.  He and the daughter bluster at the son at one point, giving him a lecture about freedom, the tyranny of the government, etc.  Just about the only thing of interest in this cheap little movie is the one DVC guy who is completely insane.  He strips down into a loincloth and goes into a whole Billy Jack mystical Native American thing, putting on war paint before he blows up "burners".  Not a good film.



My hat's off to you.  I remember starting to watch this a couple of years ago and had to give up about five minutes in - I guess I wasn't feeling very masochistic that night because, even as a seasoned bad movie lover, I just found it too painful to watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Two on a Guillotine *(1965)

Old-fashioned black-and-white thriller directed by William Conrad.  The only shock scene happens at the very start, when a guy thrusts a sword through a woman's body.  It's just a magic trick.  The magician and his phony victim are husband-and-wife, with a tiny daughter.  Cut to twenty years later, at the magician's funeral.  The grown daughter -- who, in true Hollywood fashion, looks exactly like her mother (same actress) -- is at the funeral.  Our back story reveals that her mother disappeared long ago, and she was raised away from her father.  In true Hollywood fashion, the magician's last will and testament -- read at the Hollywood Bowl, of all places, per his desire -- stipulates that the daughter must spend seven nights at his spooky mansion in order to inherit a vast fortune, otherwise it will go to a couple of other folks.  The movie then forgets it's a thriller, and becomes a light comedy/romance, as the daughter and a reporter fall in love.  (Since they're played by Connie Stevens and Dean Jones, the whole thing has a beach movie/Disney film vibe.)  After about thirty minutes of this, we go back to scary (but easily exposed as fake) stuff happening at the house.  The magician vowed to return from the grave, so is he haunting the place?  Are the two other potential heirs trying to scare the daughter away?  You'll find out, at the Shocking Twist Ending.  Cut down in size quite a bit, it might have made a decent episode of _Thriller_; the climactic scene isn't too bad.  As it stands, it really, really drags.


----------



## KGeo777

The rabbit was cute.
I liked Caesar Romero in that--he was doing a Vincent Price role basically.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Twins of Evil *(1971)

Better-than-average Hammer vampire flick.  Peter Cushing gives an intense performance as the leader of a bunch of witch-burning religious fanatics.   His twin nieces (real-life identical twins, and _Playboy_ Playmates) arrive after their parents die.  One is pure and innocent, the other rebellious.  Complicating matters is the local handsome young Count.  He seems, at first, just to be a libertine, and opposes the witch-burners.  Don't expect him to be our hero, however.  Bored with a phony Satanic ritual, he really kills the peasant girl selected as the "sacrifice."  This causes a dead ancestor to rise from her grave.  (This provides a very loose link to the famous vampire story "Carmilla," and a couple of other Hammer movies, but it's very minor.)  After they get into some heavy smooching, she turns him into a vampire.  The rebellious twin visits him, and undergoes the same transformation.  Eventually, the witch-burners catch the evil twin, but the Count causes the twins to switch places, threatening to have the good twin be burned at the stake while the evil one escapes.  It all builds up to a rousing, violent climax.  Handsomely filmed, it manages to offer the late Hammer combination of blood and female skin in a classy package.


----------



## Hilarious Joke

*Inside*

Bo Burnham's amazing one-man musical Netflix special.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Night of the Devils *(1972)

Slow, moody, dream-like Italian horror film.  Starts with the protagonist wandering around in torn clothes, bloody and exhausted.  Cut to surreal scenes of violence and nudity, with the protagonist's brainwaves being studied in a hospital.  It seems that he has no memory of who he is.  A woman shows up, claiming to know him.  He completely freaks out when he sees her, so he has to be sedated.  This leads to a flashback.  It seems his car broke down in the middle of nowhere, so he walked to an isolated farmhouse.  The folks there have just buried the patriarch's brother.  They warn the protagonist that all the doors and windows must be shut tight at night.  There's also this strange-looking woman wandering around outside.  To say anything more would spoil the movie's slow build, but what's going on isn't too surprising.  Anyway, it's an effective blend of Gothic and gore.


----------



## KGeo777

I am saving Twins of Evil for the 50th anniversary of its premiere this October.  It was released on a double bill in the Uk with Hands of the Ripper and both films have Katya Wyeth, probably most famous for being the ascot fantasy girl at the end of A Clockwork Orange.


Coincidentally I watched CLASH OF THE TITANS which premiered in the US on June 12 1981. It got an earlier release in the UK. But Raiders of the Lost Ark was also released on June 12. They share two things on common. The London Symphony Orchestra and Pat Roach-who had a couple of roles in Raiders--including the mechanic of the flying wing. In COTT he is Hephaestus working on the mechanical owl. In both films you could say he works as a mechanic with winged machines.    This movie has a lot value. The score is really good, the creatures and the flowery acting. I especially like moments when Athena in a sotto voce tone rebukes the command of Zeus that she give up her owl. "Nevah!" It was a very cute owl so you can understand her reluctance. 
One thing I notice is how Perseus is not really all that, how shall we say, traditionally heroic. Yes he catches Pegasus and defeats Calibos (I never noticed before how much he resembles Charlton Heston) but he has a lot of help. He's got the always reliable Thallo who is a great character and has the immortal line "away from these hell sent swarms of blood-gutted marsh flies." He also triumphantly shouts "Per-se-us!" when he throws him the sword. Hamlin has Burgess Meredith who gives him some sage-like advice. And he has the help of the Olympians  who send him Bubo the mechanical owl. Bubo does a lot to help Perseus--he may have even killed the third scorpion which goes missing from the fight.


I kind of wish they had followed the official version of the story a little closer because I like the idea of him having to deal with the other two gorgons after he beheads Medusa and making his escape on Pegasus born from the blood. 

The weakest thing in the movie for me besides too much Bubo (very well animated though) is the Kraken design-which looks a lot like the Ymir.
I think that scene is anti-climactic in ways because they could not effectively convey a giant monster using stop motion. Jim Danforth, who animated Pegasus and Dioskilos, probably could have done more with it. Harryhausen was overtaxed with other things but it is a weak design despite a really impressive location and some water explosions which made it seem more fancy.

The tail emerging from the gate underwater does look huge though.
Last feature film of Donald Houston who gets crushed on screen by Laurence Olivier.
 What a way for an actor to go.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scandal Sheet* (1952)

No similarity to the made-for-TV "Great Adaptation" of the same name I mentioned a while ago, except for the fact that it features the head of a tabloid newspaper.  In this one, Broderick Crawford is a guy who has changed a respectable but failing journal into a sleazy but successful rag.  During a "Lonely Hearts" dance set up by the paper as a publicity stunt, the wife he deserted long ago, who knows him under another name, confronts him.  At her apartment, he more-or-less accidentally kills her when she threatens to expose him.  His ace reporter investigates the death, which looks like an accident at first, and slowly begins to track down the killer.  It's a tense suspense film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Return Of The Living Dead Part II*

Having re-watched the original a couple of months ago, I thought I'd give the sequel another go. It's a parody of the original movie (which itself was a very well made parody of Night of the Living Dead), with a similar premise ad even some actors reprising similar roles. But any horror is replaced with comedy, and much of it is poorly done compared to the original. Watch the first movie if you want to see a really good, darkly funny zombie movie and forget this one ever happened.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE GREAT ESCAPE* (1963) I paid attention to the part in which the officers on both sides introduced themselves, & did find it odd that one of the Germans used the word 'Colonel' & another used 'Captain,' while addressing the English guy using the German term for his rank. 

Comparing it to the film THE PASSWORD IS COURAGE, very similar escape scenes, tunnel digging, etc.; but I guess that is unavoidable. 





_*THE NAKED AND THE DEAD*_ (1958) Staff Sergeant Sam Croft (Aldo Ray) is just about as nasty as could be.  He even makes the bad guys look good. He also was the villain in a Western movie that I wrote about some months ago. Anyway, here, he is murdering prisoners, and pulling their gold filled teeth, among other atrocities.

So, the U. S. Marines are on a particular Pacific island, and the unit is ordered to reconnoiter a mountain top, and report their findings to a passing aircraft. An argument between Brigadier General Cummings (Raymond Massey) & his aide First Lieutenant Robert Hearn (Cliff Robertson) results in the former sending the latter into combat, in command of the unit led by Sgt. Croft, and a conflict between a battle hardened Sergeant & the Lieutenant who lacks such experience ensues.  

Great supporting cast, includes [Trelane] (William Campbell), as Brown; [Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane] (James Best), as Rhidges; among others. 

Very tense drama.


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## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Great supporting cast, includes [Trelane] (William Campbell),



When I see him in other stuff I think of Trelane.
Also, when I see Philip Pine, I think of the infamous Colonel Green.


----------



## hitmouse

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE NAKED AND THE DEAD*_ (1958) Staff Sergeant Sam Croft (Aldo Ray) is just about as nasty as could be.  He even makes the bad guys look good. He also was the villain in a Western movie that I wrote about some months ago. Anyway, here, he is murdering prisoners, and pulling their gold filled teeth, among other atrocities.
> 
> So, the U. S. Marines are on a particular Pacific island, and the unit is ordered to reconnoiter a mountain top, and report their findings to a passing aircraft. An argument between Brigadier General Cummings (Raymond Massey) & his aide First Lieutenant Robert Hearn (Cliff Robertson) results in the former sending the latter into combat, in command of the unit led by Sgt. Croft, and a conflict between a battle hardened Sergeant & the Lieutenant who lacks such experience ensues.
> 
> Great supporting cast, includes [Trelane] (William Campbell), as Brown; [Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane] (James Best), as Rhidges; among others.
> 
> Very tense drama.


Based on a terrific Norman Mailer novel of the same name. I didn’t know there was a movie. Will check it out.


----------



## Brielle

Recently watched Annihilation for the second time. I really didn't pay attention the first time apparently because it seemed like a completely different movie when I payed attention. I thought it was decent, I could use some good suggestions for films though!!


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## Brielle

Guttersnipe said:


> A Quiet Place: Part 2
> 
> Some say it's better than the first. I think they're equally good.


I've been meaning to see this, mostly because some was shot in my area of buffalo ny. I thought the first was ok so this one is on my list! Thank you for reminding me!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*So Sweet, So Dead* (_Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile_, 1972)

Also known by the charming title *The Slasher Is the Sex Maniac*, which gives you some idea of how sleazy this _giallo_ really is.  I suppose either title is less awkward (and easier to put on a marquee) than *Revelations of a Sex Maniac to the Head of the Criminal Investigation Division*.

Anyway, you know what you in for with the very first scene, before the opening titles, which shows us the bloody, naked corpse of a murdered woman.  Similar killings follow, all the victims of which are married women having affairs.  Photographs of them with their lovers are left with the bodies.  Suffice to say that the homicide detective on the case is fated to discover that the murders strike close to home.  Don't expect a happy ending.

In addition to the usual red herrings and such, there are a couple of oddly irrelevant plot points.  Somebody witnesses one of the murders, but can't identify the killer, in typical _giallo _style, but she drops out of the movie completely, even though her own mother becomes a victim later.  The most random element is a man on crutches, the husband of a victim, who falls down a flight of stairs to his death.  It's simply an accident, that has nothing to do with anything else.

Although nicely filmed, it's a less than satisfactory example of the form.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Eye in the Labyrinth *(_L'occhio nel labirinto, _1972)

Interesting psychological suspense film.  A woman wakes from a nightmare of her lover being murdered, only to discover that he has disappeared.  She goes to his last known location and winds up at the villa of a woman who has a bunch of arty types in residence.  There's also an older man around, who seems both sinister and helpful.  Just about everybody has some kind of dark secret.  There are attempts on the woman's life, and a drawing made by a mentally disturbed teenage boy which seems to depict a murder he witnessed.  It all leads up to a Shocking Twist Ending.  Worth a look.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Beast From the Beginning of Time* (1965)

Ultra-cheap, amateur, unreleased monster movie made by a TV horror host of the time, using the facilities of the television studio where he worked.  Science types dig up a Neanderthal man from the time of the dinosaurs (!) and bicker over it for about half the film.  The Neanderthal finally gets around to reviving and killing people.  (A fair amount of gore for 1965.)  Since it can only be killed by something from its own time (?) they stab it to death with a dinosaur bone (!) and we get one of those "the end . . . or is it?" type final credits.  Pretty dull stuff, interesting only as a curiosity.  Looks more like something from the early 1950's than the mid 1960's.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Images *(1972)

Short version:  Robert Altman's *Repulsion*.

Like the same director's science fiction film *Quintet*, this is not typical of his work.  There are only five characters of any importance.  At the heart of the film is a woman.  We frequently hear her narrate the children's fantasy book she's writing, a clue that she is not entirely connected to reality.  The other characters are her husband, a rather shallow, immature fellow; the husband's friend, who constantly forces his attentions on her (whether she welcomes this or not is very ambiguous); the friend's teenage daughter, who is something like a younger version of herself; and an ex-lover, who happens to have died years ago.  Ghost or hallucination?  There are no easy answers.  She also encounters herself from time to time.  The men frequently change from one to another, and it is impossible to tell what is real.  It's a compelling portrait of madness, made more so by stunningly gorgeous photography and a chilling soundtrack (with separate credits for "music" and "sounds.")


----------



## Mouse

*Little Shop of Horrors. *I don't get why people go crazy for these films (like this and 'Rocky Horror Show' which is so rapey it's horrific). You've got a woman being sexually and physically abused, with a voice that's so ridiculous I literally couldn't understand half of what she's saying, and yet I couldn't work out if this was supposed to be funny or not. Her boobs are always popping out and the plant gropes her before trying to eat her, yet why would a plant be sexually attracted to a human? Then you've got the weird BDSM stuff between Steve Martin and Bill Murray that has absolutely nothing to do with anything and seems to only be in the film because the director was fapping off to it or something. Only good thing about the film was the three unnamed black ladies who, it turns out when you see the credits, do actually have names.


----------



## hitmouse

Mouse said:


> *Little Shop of Horrors. *I don't get why people go crazy for these films (like this and 'Rocky Horror Show' which is so rapey it's horrific). You've got a woman being sexually and physically abused, with a voice that's so ridiculous I literally couldn't understand half of what she's saying, and yet I couldn't work out if this was supposed to be funny or not. Her boobs are always popping out and the plant gropes her before trying to eat her, yet why would a plant be sexually attracted to a human? Then you've got the weird BDSM stuff between Steve Martin and Bill Murray that has absolutely nothing to do with anything and seems to only be in the film because the director was fapping off to it or something. Only good thing about the film was the three unnamed black ladies who, it turns out when you see the credits, do actually have names.


I dont think there is any real connection between these two films apart from the fact they are musicals and have an sf theme, so “these films” needs more definition. If you want dodgy and coercive, how about Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?

LSOH is actually quite a conventional example of the form, whilst RHS started out as a deliberately transgressive underground stage show in the 1970s and became a very influential film. I have seen RHS on stage and in film dozens of times. I understand why it ( quite deliberately) divides opinion, and I really enjoy it.


----------



## KGeo777

Little Shop of Horrors was greatly ballyhooed about in the 80s. So very heavily promoted. Jim Henson got some of the praise because of the plant, which speaks with a black voice. I wonder if that is still politically correct.  Also it has that song by Steve Martin about animal abuse and dentistry. It isn't really referenced much now. You don't hear the tunes from LSOH being hummed.

I have never seen Rocky Horror but it started as something small while LSOH was like a big budget Broadway musical sort of thing. The original movie is very cheap and quaint.


FFOLKES 1980 -- An anti-James Bond action movie. Roger Moore is as far removed from 007 as possible. It's an ok action movie with some good humor and clever use of cats-especially in the final scene.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Mob *(1951)

Solid crime drama.  Broderick Crawford is a cop who happens to witness a murder.  The guy who did the shooting claims to be a police detective, and has the badge to prove it, but he actually just took it from a cop he killed a while ago.  The killer gets away, killing another guy in the process.  Crawford is officially suspended, but is actually given an undercover assignment to infiltrate *The Mob* extorting dock workers.  (You have to accept the fact that shaving off his mustache makes Crawford unrecognizable.)  Plenty of sarcastic dialogue, plenty of tough guys, plenty of folks pretending to be something they're not, plenty of fights and shootings.  A fair amount of high-tech police work for 1951, too.  Crawford's machine gun style of barking out his lines really adds something.  There's a lighthearted ending, after the big climax, in which you have to assume that a gorgeous blonde finds Crawford irresistible.  One odd thing:  In order to pretend to be from New Orleans, Crawford drinks white wine and beer together.  I can't find any information confirming that this is a New Orleans thing.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Sorry guys, but these assertions about LSOH and RHPS are hilarious. 

Apart from being massively important to the gay community and latterly the expanded LGBTQ+, the idea of a black singer voicing Audrey II as problematic is in itself a stereotypical generalisation that shows little understanding of the fact that the joke is about a plant that raps.

I’d suggest a white singer voicing a talking plant is more dangerous, certainly cultural appropriation.

As for singing the songs? Sure... because I always hear The Deadwood Stage sung all over London.  

Two of my favy movies in case you hadn’t guessed - especially LSOH; I just wished they’d gone with the proper ending


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## Mouse

I'm just not ok with the rape or sexual abuse. Didn't see any racism in either of the films.


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## Phyrebrat

I think the point about the rapey stuff is a satirical nod to conservativism and hypocrisy in America (Nixon speaks on the radio and there are many things that place the movie in the era - the freedom of the bikers etc).

I wish you liked LSOH, @Mouse cos the plant is just everything . Glad you liked Chrystal, Ronette and Chiffon - the movie is a Motown speck-tac-clear-arrr.

The dentist stuff... yeah I recall being a bit miffed in ‘86, but not at the sadomasochistic humour, but at the fact that whenever you mentioned the film, everyone would rave about Steve Martin. And I would simmer and seethe thinking ‘what about the ?!#%^$! plant?!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The French Sex Murders* (_Casa d'appuntamento_, 1972)

The sleazy English-language title probably more accurately captures the feeling of this _giallo_ with a couple of odd elements than the rather sedate original title.

Starts with some cops chasing a guy up the Eiffel Tower.  The guy falls off to his death, via a very bad special effect that just looks like a silhouette.  The rest of the film is a flashback leading up to this scene.

A hot-tempered crook steals some jewels from a church, gives them to his prostitute girlfriend at a brothel.  (I guess this place is what "appointment house" refers to.)  They have a fight, she is found murdered soon after, he's the logical suspect, the cops catch him, he gets sentenced to be executed by guillotine.  Somehow he escapes, steals a motorbike, and gets into an accident while being chased by the cops again, decapitating him.  Saves the cost of a guillotine, I guess.  At the trial, he had sworn he wasn't the killer, and promised to return from the grave.  Folks start getting killed off, as you'd expect, until the real murderer is exposed.

So far, pretty normal _giallo _stuff.  The first odd element is the fact that every killing is accompanied by the screen flashing several colors, one after the other.  The second odd element is the fact that the police detective on the case is played by an actor whose career depended on the fact that he looked a lot like Humphrey Bogart.  They play this up by having him wear a trench coat, dangle a cigarette from his mouth, and (at least in the dubbed version) sound sort of  like Bogart.  It's a really distracting element of the film.  Otherwise, not much notable about it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Dragonfly For Each Corpse *(_Una libélula para cada muerto_, 1975)

Spanish imitation of the Italian _giallo_ follows its model very closely; the story is even set in Milan.  Our usual heavily disguised killer is slaughtering "undesirable" people; drug addicts, prostitutes, etc.  Spanish horror star Paul Naschy is the cop on the case.   Within the first fifteen minutes we've got five victims.  The arrogant mad killer even sends him a package containing the severed head of one of the victims.  Naturally, the murderer is somebody within Naschy's social circle, and Naschy has to come to the rescue of his significant other when she decides to investigate the case herself.  Heck, it's even got a woman singing wordlessly over the credits, as so many of these things do.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Charlie Chan at the Olympics* [1937]
I watch this film with a certain fascination because it was so different from what I was expecting. It is short at 70ish minutes and is paced more like a serial of the time. Everyone [except from Mr Chan] is always running...
The plot is not complex... A secret device for the US military is stolen and Chan et al set about retrieving it.
I will skip over the issue of the Swedish American Warner Oland playing Charlie Chan and say that his son is played by a Chinese American actor Keye Luke.
Possibly the most unusual part of the film is that for a film at least part set in Berlin in 1936 there is no mention of Hitler, the Nazis or anything along those lines. Only the swastika on the tail of the Hindenburg is glimpsed briefly...
Possibly a little nod to the political situation is the inclusion of news-real footage from the Berlin Olympics of the American victory in the 4x100m relay including Jesse Owens.


----------



## Mouse

Phyrebrat said:


> I think the point about the rapey stuff is a satirical nod to conservativism and hypocrisy in America (Nixon speaks on the radio and there are many things that place the movie in the era - the freedom of the bikers etc).
> 
> I wish you liked LSOH, @Mouse cos the plant is just everything . Glad you liked Chrystal, Ronette and Chiffon - the movie is a Motown speck-tac-clear-arrr.
> 
> The dentist stuff... yeah I recall being a bit miffed in ‘86, but not at the sadomasochistic humour, but at the fact that whenever you mentioned the film, everyone would rave about Steve Martin. And I would simmer and seethe thinking ‘what about the ?!#%^$! plant?!



I liked LSOH a whole lot more than Rocky Horror (which I liked not at all). I liked the plant. And the ladies would be awesome in their own spin off film, just popping up and singing about stuff.


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## KGeo777

The song-writing team was also responsible for Aladdin and they had to re-edit their own song because they made a reference to capital punishment by sword in the original version.

The old Disney cartoons had more enduring song-writing, especially where families are concerned.

LSOH was niche and yet mass-marketed like an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Do they still have those?  They say Webber had a team of researchers who would scour through expired copyrights to get material for his songs.


I bet if a musical was done of One Froggy Evening, it could be very popular. The technology exists to do a singing frog on a stage with little visible wires. The short is perfect as it is but it has a built-in audience for that kind of thing.

Speaking of niche markets,
ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS 1966 was not made for mass audiences.  It's a cheap spy spoof that is mainly of interest for Jess Franco fans. I am not a fan of his out-of-focus camera set-ups but this was reasonably entertaining in parts.

SPIES AGAINST THE WORLD 1966 is another spoof--but this one has an interesting format as it is framed by a story about a criminal holding someone hostage, and is told stories about spies. There are three stories, Stewart Granger is in the first and Lex Barker in the final one.  It's somewhat amusing -the dubbing is  crude but I never care about that, I am used to the voices not being in sync.


----------



## KGeo777

EQUINOX  1970 -- Indie sci-fi horror production with very good visual effects thanks to future spfx artists Dennis Muren among others. The giant is an especially neat sequence--using forced perspective to create the illusion. There's two versions. The theatrical release added soome scenes and brought back the cast for reshoots--and they visibly change in age and hairstyle.


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## KGeo777

THE BEGUILED 1971 - Did not like it when I first saw it and watching it again..I still did not like it. Well-made  and acted for sure but the themes are very negative. It offers nothing positive. It's not a horror movie, and as an American Gothic I don't think it conveys anything on the human experience that resonates. What is to be gleaned from it? Everyone in the story is corrupt, sinister, or dysfunctional except the housekeeper.
But as a movie that did not do well--it  is perfect for a remake in our times. And with Colin Farrell, the go-to-guy for remakes. Fright Night, Total Recall....
 I think Hollywood is a lot like the Eastwood leg with gangrene in the story.


----------



## KGeo777

SWORD OF THE VALIANT 1984 -- I prefer the 1973 version (by the same director) although this has its moments. Especially nice to see Peter Cushing in one of his last roles, alongside John Rhys-Davies and Ronald Lacey (who played the same role in the 1973 version). Sean Connery is the Green Knight. The added special effects harm the story I think--and too many extra characters. 

HIRED TO KILL 1990  - This was a real surprise. I was expecting a really bad and cheap action film but in fact, despite some hilarious dialogue in the first quarter, it actually turns out to be quite well-made, with a good score and  adequate performances from a mostly unknown cast. Brian Thompson usually portrays a supporting character--this is the first time I have seen him as the star--he's got a sardonic way of speaking which provides a lot of humor. Oliver Reed, Jose Ferrer, and George Kennedy have key roles as well- the focus is a Magnificent Seven  story with Thompson posing as a gay fashion designer with 7 models who are in fact professional mercenaries. But the stand out scene is where Reed is suspicious of him so he grabs Thompson between the legs (a move Reed used in Gladiator as well)  and without any hesitation, Thompson kisses him on the mouth.


----------



## dask

James Cagney as a gangster trying to rise to the top in the longshoremans union and steal his lawyer's wife along the way. What's next, Jimmy Hoffa: The Musical? Kinda kooky but Cagney does give a slick professional performance.


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## JunkMonkey

> But the stand out scene is where Reed is suspicious of him so he grabs Thompson between the legs (a move Reed used in Gladiator as well)  and without any hesitation, Thompson kisses him on the mouth.



because, yeah, that's what gay men do when sexually assaulted.


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## KGeo777

STACEY 1973 --classic trash about a centerfold/race car driver/private detective. The story is basically the Big Sleep except the director would rather focus on other activities in a bedroom besides sleeping. Despite the amateurish aspects of it--this was made before Charlie's Angels and long before the modern trends of women-led action films, it shows that this isea was already being explored in the drive-in circuit.


----------



## alexvss

*For The Emperor (2014)*. Keeping up with my South Korean cinema fixation, I'm afraid to say that this one is below average, at least for someone who's been watching so many movies from that country. There's a plot twist that you can see from a mile away if you're keen to Korean movies. The MC is just a brooding bad boy, and there's no explanation on how this quasi-emo ex-baseball player learned martial arts and is able to take on gangsters. The lack of decent backstory harms the suspension of disbelief, but you keep watching because the action scenes are well-realized.  It's also said to be an "erotic drama", but I don't think two or three sex scenes would change the genre of a movie.


----------



## alexvss

[Ignore this topic. Just did something idiotic]


----------



## JunkMonkey

*CQ*

A film I had seen before and filed in the 'umm... okay?' drawer in my mind but, on a second viewing, has gone into the Aww! what a sweet funny little film drawer.  A love letter to 60s European film making with lots of knowing nods and allusions to films like_ Danger Diabolik _and _La Dolce Vita_ which I may well have missed the first time I saw it. I wonder how many more I'll see the next time I watch it a few years down the line?


----------



## J Riff

*The Beast from the Beginning of Time*  1965 B and W --> I know, it sounds like one you might want to see, right? Just for laughs or because you are interested in beasts, but no, don't bother. Some archaeological types dig up this ordinary-looking guy, he's inside shale and heck, he could be, oh, maybe approximately sixty million years old. So it's a big deal, but the dialogue truly isn't. The one museum director guy says 'confounded' and 'confound it!' at least seven or eight times, that's a highlight.  Obviously, this dug-up dude is gonna wake up and start slaying people, so he does that and eventually they clue in and by the end they are blasting him with handguns and a shotgun... but he won't expire, 'cos modren weapons have no effect on him... even though he's bleeding something awful and reeling around.. I mean, they could just keep shooting him and he'd go down... but nope; we need a dinosaur bone, from his own time...to do him in with, like a staked vampire, so that's what happens. Terrible lighting... cheapo fake thunderstorms and unspecial effects, wickedly inane dialogue. Next.


----------



## DrStrangelove

*The Conjuring* (2013) by *James Wan*

After being exposed to the series via memes, online lists and friendly recommendations I decided to finally see what was the ruckuss all about. The end resul was rather underwhelming.

The movie is mostly well structured, the sound design is good, the plot mostly keeps adequate pace and there is room to breath between the horror scenes. I did enjoy the procedural part, with research, setting up the cameras and detectors and other actvities concerned with the structural approach towards fighting a supernatural entity. What didn't get me was that, in the end, the story is rather bland, by-the-book and does not offer anything new to the formula established in classics like *The Excorcist*. The character development rellied too much on backstory that was only hinted at and never adequately explored, and the setup felt rushed.


----------



## Parson

J Riff said:


> wickedly inane dialogue



One of the best phrase turns I've seen in awhile!


----------



## CupofJoe

*Robot Overlords* [2014]
With a cast that includes Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, being their usual effective actors and a plot that sounds interesting, it should be a good watch. But it isn't. It isn't bad, it just isn't good.
The plot is that robots have taken over the world and are scanning people to find something "new". All the humans are tagged with a tracker and have to remain indoors most of the time. Four kids find a way to turn off their trackers. Hijinks ensure.
I do wonder how the producers got Kingsley, Gillian, and a few other well-known names to sign on.
About the best I can say of it is that it feels like a filmic grown-up version of a *Torchwood* episode writ large and minus Captain Jack [which for me is usually a good thing]. There was some talk of a follow-on TV series. I could see that working, expanding on the hijinks.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> *Robot Overlords* [2014]
> With a cast that includes Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, being their usual effective actors and a plot that sounds interesting, it should be a good watch. But it isn't. It isn't bad, it just isn't good.
> The plot is that robots have taken over the world and are scanning people to find something "new". All the humans are tagged with a tracker and have to remain indoors most of the time. Four kids find a way to turn off their trackers. Hijinks ensure.
> I do wonder how the producers got Kingsley, Gillian, and a few other well-known names to sign on.
> About the best I can say of it is that it feels like a filmic grown-up version of a *Torchwood* episode writ large and minus Captain Jack [which for me is usually a good thing]. There was some talk of a follow-on TV series. I could see that working, expanding on the hijinks.



I must admit I quite liked _Robot Overlords_ - ok it wasn't the greatest film ever but it had something that reminded me of the kind of British SF TV I grew up with as a kid during the 70s.  _The Tripods, The Changes, The Tomorrow People,_ that sort of thing.



> I do wonder how the producers got Kingsley, Gillian, and a few other well-known names to sign on.



They paid them.  
Ben Kingsley was in _What Planet are you From?, Bloodrayne_, and the bloody awful _Thunderbirds_ live action film.  
Gillian Anderson has the TV movie _Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind_ on her credits as well as _Johnny English Reborn_.  
These people are professional actors.


----------



## Astro Pen

Okay it was made for TV but I just, belatedly, watched _Chernobyl_ (2019). I think it was one of the best drama docs I have ever seen.
Fiction writing struggles to compete such compelling and dreadful realities. 
 I expected it to be an attack on nuclear power, instead it was an attack on systems. Realism is hard to achieve in the days of cinematic hyperbole but this one carries it off with aplomb. One feels one is there and the dread is tangible.  








						Chernobyl - Official Trailer | IMDb
					

"Chernobyl" dramatizes the story of the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history, and the sacrifices made to save Europe from the unimaginable disaster. "Chernobyl" premieres May 6 on HBO.




					www.imdb.com


----------



## Randy M.

*Winter's Bone* (2010; dir. Debra Granki; starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt)

I see why the movie led to Lawrence's surge to stardom. Her fame kind of obscures how good an actor she is, though I think better than some give her credit for, but she has that movie star thing, whatever it is, that draws your eyes to her, and maybe never more than when she's playing a determined woman bucking the odds against her. And she's as good showing concern and caring for the children in this as she is when fighting the people trying to dissuade her from searching for the father that's either run out on them all or been murdered. If she doesn't find him, they lose their home. If she does find him, she'll have to persuade him to come home. If she finds he's dead, she'll have to prove it to save the home. The small stakes here are probably what make the movie gripping, since the family involved has nothing but small stakes.


And now, for something completely different,

*Puppet Master* (1989; dir. David Schmoeller; starring Paul Le Mat, William Hickey, Irene Miracle, Robin Frates)

Low budget horror that expends most of its inventiveness in the set-up: Four psychic investigators are certain of the death of a fifth, who had worked with and cheated them in the quest for the secrets of the last alchemist, the puppet master. Once that's established, the script starts knocking over the dominoes. Notable for it's opening, set in the 1920s, of two men arriving at a sea-side hotel high on a cliff, on their way to find Andre Toulon, played by the nearly inimitable William Hickey (voice of the evil scientist in _The Nightmare Before Christmas_), the last alchemist, hard at work finishing off his latest puppet when another puppet alerts him to the arrival of the men.

This may have had the best horror movie theme music -- linked above -- since _Halloween. _It has a carousel music feel that I'm not entirely sure is in keeping with the movie, and yet ends up fitting while also being infectious and menacing when appropriate.

About the cast, all are professional and capable, though the villain may be a bit more villainous than necessary -- if he had a mustache, he'd have twirled it -- and Miracle (really? an actress named Miracle?) adopts a Southern accent that occasionally makes her words indistinct. The psychic couple are sleazy and somewhat funny in a way 1980s movies got away with at the time, and would be unlikely to get away with now.

Just occurred to me to add, the stop-motion animation of the puppets holds up pretty well in conjunction with judicious use of camera angles. The puppets themselves are suitably macabre, and there are some scenes not be suitable for anyone easily made queasy. I wouldn't exactly call it gory, though.


----------



## KGeo777

THE TIGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS 1962

Similar plot to CUTTHROAT ISLAND except the male lead isn't a non-combatant and there's an amusing sub plot involving the governor's wife being the power behind the throne because he's a real idiot. There's gender politics discussion in it but it never feels like it is the sole reason it was made.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

We got these things from the folks at Mill Creek that are supposed to recreate 24 hours of old-time TV viewing, one set in black and white, the other in color.  They have cartoons and kiddie shows for the early morning, game shows and such for the middle of the day, series for prime time, and old commercials in between.  They also added three movies per set to simulate late night programming.  We had already seen four of these, so we went ahead and watched the other two before viewing the other stuff.

*The Strange Love of Martha Ivers *(1946)

Starts with an orphaned girl trying to run away from the coldhearted, filthy rich aunt she lives with.  A streetwise boy tries to help her.  She gets caught and goes back to the tyrannical aunt.  In the movie's most shocking scene, the aunt beats the girl's kitten with her cane.  (We don't actually see this, of course, but it's unnerving enough.)  Enraged, the girl grabs the cane and beats the aunt, causing to fall down a flight of stairs to her death.  The only witness is the young son of a guy who works for the aunt, although they both think the streetwise kid saw the killing as well.

Cut to twenty years later.  The girl is now Barbara Stanwyck, and has inherited the aunt's wealth.  The witness is now Kirk Douglas, married to Stanwyck.  He seems to love her, but it's clear she married him only to keep him quiet about the killing, so he's become a drunk weakling.  The streetwise kid, now Van Heflin, comes back to town.  Since the other two think he knows about the killing, they think he's come home to blackmail them, although he really knows nothing about it.  Complicating matters is the woman he meets who is fresh out of jail for theft, and who gets mixed up in the plotting of the other two.  (She's played by the somewhat lesser known but striking actress Lizbeth Scott.)  Don't expect a happy ending.

It's an effective melodrama, with a lot of sharp dialogue.

*The Proud Rebel *(1958)

Not long after the Civil War, a Confederate veteran (Alan Ladd) comes North in hopes of finding a cure for his mute son.  He winds up working for an unmarried farm woman (Olivia de Havilland) and getting into trouble with some local sheepherders trying to force her off her land.  Much of the plot involves the son's pet dog, which gets sold at one point to pay for an operation that may or may not help the boy.  Expect some gunplay by the end.  It's kind of like a so-so variation on *Shane*.


----------



## KGeo777

THE FLESH EATERS 1964 --- Such a great low budget horror film. So creative and industrious with limited resources and cast. The director only made this one movie. Very good characters and performances. Some say this was the inspiration for Gilligan's Island. You have a movie star, a Mary-Ann type, a professor, and a beatnik named Omar that reminds one a little of Gilligan.

Omar: "It took me three weeks to make those sandals. I mean, they had the love in every stitch."



$1000 On the Black 1966 -- While it has some Leone-style elements especially in the camera set ups--this is much more personal story--between two brothers and their dominating mother. She was a maid who became the most powerful in the town thanks to her murderous son--while the less violent one is returning from a stint in prison for a murder his brother committed.
There's a scene where the mother forces women in town to beg on their knees to her in order to stop her son's rampage. One of the more violent I have seen--a town is massacred.
The ending uses the image of a body being carried on a corpse into the distance--it's more tragic than the version in Once Upon A Time in the West.
It also has four prominent women characters which is unusual from what I have seen of these films-and none of them are technically prostitutes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Fire *-  occasionally in my endless searching through the DVD shelves of my local charity shops, between the endless Harry Potters, and Pirates of the Caribbeans, and Jason Statham's entire back catalogue I'll spot something that I've never heard of before and know no one who appears in it.  (I try not look at the back too much so I'll have as little idea about  what I'm going to watch until I'm actually watching it.)   Fire is  the story of two Indian women ( Sisters in Law) who have dreadful husbands but find they love each other so leave them.  A simple lesbian love story with a hopeful ending.  Despite the heavy foreshadowing (and the title!) of the story within the story of innocent Sita coming unscathed from the trial by fire I was really upset that I was in for a bout of Dead Lesbian Syndrome at the climatic house fire.  I guess a film that throws that much foreshadowing at you  - the Sita Ram trial by fire story is played out twice on screen - once as a TV show, once as a live performance that takes up a LOT of screen time -  and _still_ has you guessing at the end must be doing something right.


----------



## KGeo777

MAROC 7 - 1967   It is not a good spy movie. Great locations but nothing of consequence happens. I had seen it before and forgot it all--that's how inconsequential it was.


----------



## Parson

*The Poker House (2008). *I rarely watch old movies but this one is based (loosely?) on the life of Lori Petty (a pretty busy TV actress who acted in *Star Trek Voyager) *who directed it, but what really drew me in was that it was about her life in Council Bluffs, Iowa and that it stared a young Jennifer Laurence (she was 18 when it came out) and so was playing close to her age in the movie, 14. I can't say that it was an excellent movie but it was mesmerizing. I felt the story probably painted Lori Petty too favorably, but likely was very near the truth of a hard early life with a druggie as a Mom and a house filled with pimps and such who often came there for Poker. It deserved the R rating for drug use and a rape scene, but I'm not going to forget it soon.


----------



## Randy M.

2008 is old??????


----------



## senlac

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


The last film I saw in a cinema was Mr Bean (where he was sent to the USA with the "Portrait of the Artists Mother" by Whistler) Recently watched all the Diehard series on disc


----------



## Parson

Randy M. said:


> 2008 is old??????


For a first viewing of a movie? I think so.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I suppose if you divide movies into 'new' films - i.e. still on release (whatever that means these days) and 'old' films i.e. those that the production companies have stopped spending money actively promoting then yes, a film made in 2008 is an 'old' film. 

I think most of us would call something made in 2008  'recent'  rather than 'old'.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

For me, anything made after, say, 1985 or so is "new."


----------



## Randy M.

Parson said:


> For a first viewing of a movie? I think so.


I don't think that's a generally held view. Well, except among very young folk who would say The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is old. It was written and published within my lifetime so in terms of literature, it's not old -- in terms of me ... uh ... I plead the fifth.

I feel similarly about film, even though its history has been rather shorter.


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## JunkMonkey

To totally distract the thread from film for a second. A few years ago one of my kids mentioned, in passing, that the Victorian Age which she was 'doing' at primary school was in 'the olden days'.  She was shocked to discover that if she marked the death of Victoria and the current day on a dateline - my birthday was almost exactly half way along that line. 

'The Olden Days' were twice as old as dad.  

Yesterday we were at my mum's house and I pointed out to my daughter a photograph of my grandmother as a little girl - aged 6 or so.  The picture was taken about 1885(ish).  So about 10 years before HG Wells wrote _War of the Worlds_ which we had been talking about earlier in the day.   I remember my grandmother, so I knew someone who was in their teens when HG Wells was inventing modern Science Fiction.  The concept of 'old' changes as you... er... get older.


----------



## non_author

I just finished watching "How to get a murder". It has been a long time since I saw such a good series that I literally could not tear myself away from. I decided to myself that when the series came to an end, I would not start anything new for a long time. The series tells the story of a group of law students who, perhaps, accidentally get caught up in a murder. It sounds simple enough, but the way the series is recorded is pure poetry. First, they show us what happened, and then they move us back in time and we find out in turn what happened. In addition, over the course of 6 seasons, the heroes go through a lot of changes in themselves, at the beginning they make incomprehensible decisions, but when we watch further, then we see what drove them. What hadn't let me down yet and I was worried that this might happen is the end of the series. Brilliant!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Music Box Kid *(1960)

Not the musical or children's film you might expect from the title, but rather a gangster film.  The title character is called that because of the small machine gun he uses.  It's set in the Roaring Twenties, and is pretty much a low budget version of the rise-and-fall-of-a-mobster films of the 1930's.  Our antihero rises from getting $150.00 for killings to running his own murder-for-hire organization at $10,000 per victim.  Along the way, he hijacks the booze trucks of other gangland bosses.  The guy is so arrogant that I'm surprised that the other crooks didn't rub him out right at the start.  Anyway, his innocent wife, shocked when she discovers what he does for a living, eventually turns him to the authorities, at the prodding of a priest.  The whole thing is sort of a pseudo-documentary, with a narrator who informs us at the end that the guy's son, still in his mother's womb when Dad gets shot to death (that's not really a spoiler, is it?), went on to become a priest himself.  It's OK, nothing special.


----------



## Jeffbert

TWO Noir Alley films, both with Raymond Burr as the villain, but the 2nd one really surprised me with his character's early demise.


_*WALK A CROOKED MILE *_(1948) U. S. atomic scientists are infiltrated by Communists, intent on stealing secrets. FBI Agent Daniel F. O'Hara (Dennis O'Keefe; not familiar with him) is aided by Scotland Yard guy Philip  Grayson (Louis Hayward).  Krebs (Raymond Burr) as an obvious Communist, complete with a Lenin-style goatee is the villain, but he is one of more than a few.  Interesting docu-drama style, with narration etc.   

Oh! almost forgot: John Hamilton was in this, better known for his role in the 1950s _*SUPERMAN*_ TV series as Perry White. 



_*THE BLUE GARDENIA*_ (1953) had George Reeves (Superman) in the role of a police Capt. But Muller mentioned neither.  Anyway, in this film, Burr is a Wolf in pursuit of young women, who finding one Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter), who had just had her heart broken, & was looking for a distraction from her sadness, entices her, at the restaurant (in the title), tricks her into drinking very strong beverages, takes her to his apartment, where he tries to have his way with her. She is plastered, runs away, and when she reads the newspaper the next day, she concludes the it was she who did away with him, using a fireplace poker.  

Casey Mayo (Richard Conte; only the 3rd maybe 4th time I have seen him), is a newspaper reporter who prints an open invitation to the Blue Gardenia woman, in which he says, in exchange for her story, he will provide 1st class defense attorney, etc. 



Both films are well-worth watching.  Though Burr's short role in the 2nd one is unusual, as he often is not killed until the end.


----------



## Parson

Old movies (redux) -- After thinking about it I guess I see a movie as old when it is no longer in its first run in theaters. It might be significant that on a good year I'll see 3-5 movies, and in the past 20 years I doubt I've averaged 3 a year. We never subscribed to any movie channel including Netflix until Prime Video was part of Amazon Prime and because of Star Wars we now get Disney+. So the number is probably more true than most imagine. *Poker House* was an Amazon Prime offering.


----------



## paranoid marvin

A 20 year old movie certainly isn't 'new'. A 'new' movie to me is one that has recently come out at the cinema or just come out on disc. But if something isn't new , does that make it 'old'? Not in my opinion, but then age and time are both relative and quite personal, so I wouldn't dispute your opinion Parson.

Personally I prefer to class movies by the time period in which they were made. There are generally certain differences in decades, so you get a good opinion of movie when you describe it as a 60s/70s/80s or even 90s movie. Tbh from around the turn of the century there doesn't seem to be anything defining them, other than the 'lockdown' era of films with limited cast/budget/locations. Any film made 00s-on I would term as 'modern' rather than 'new'.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Throw Momma from the Train (1987), one of my favorites.

"Owen!! You're grounded!!"


----------



## BAYLOR

*Hellboy *2019  A godawful mess of a movie.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Phyrebrat said:


> You have my condolences and sympathy. It is indeed an appalling film.
> 
> I’m a huge horror fan (horror first, sci fi second) and I ALWAYS wonder how this film managed to get so many accolades. And still does. I think it was for people who were blown away by the concept of an STI curse and the moral/societal message. But I felt it more a precept than concept.
> 
> And really, I know there’s a link with comedy and horror, but this was a self-unaware farce.
> 
> _Cabin Fever _is the only horror I hate more than _Sh*t Follows. _



It came along at the right time and marked a turning point in horror from the found footage fad and torture porn of the early 00's to more allegorical films like the Babadook, The VVitch, Hereditary and the retro stylings of Stranger Things etc.  

I don't think it's fair to say its self-unaware.  

It's not a simple morality tale about the dangers of teenage promiscuity. In part it's a tribute / meta-commentary on 80's horror, even down to the sex-panic theme where people who have sex directly cause them to be the target of the villain, and subverting that through having sex be the only way to escape its clutches. 

From the AIDS allegory of the demon "it", to the urban decay commenting on the loss of faith in the economic system and the fallout of 2008 (in suburban Detroit), to the characters representing an aimless, vacuous, lost generation growing up alienated in a society that increasingly has no meaning (including references to Dostoevsky) absent of parents. The film is placing the locus of the modern financial crisis and American urban decay squarely in the 80's and seeks to re-evaluate the fallout of that decade through a millennial lens.


----------



## Droflet

*Ice Road* (2021)
Remember when Liam Neeson used to make good movies? Nah, me either. It didn't need ice for this movie to turn into a train wreck. What a mess.


----------



## Allegra

I watched an excellent documentary *My Octopus Teacher* on Netflix, one man's unlikely friendship with an octopus in the sea through out her life. It is fascinating in the meantime very moving.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Brassed Off!* (1996)
Not seen this film in ages. Loved it


----------



## AE35Unit

Droflet said:


> *Ice Road* (2021)
> Remember when Liam Neeson used to make good movies? Nah, me either. It didn't need ice for this movie to turn into a train wreck. What a mess.


Yea, Darkman!


----------



## KGeo777

As we had a very freakish and awful heat wave, movie watching was not desirable.

Usually when it gets super hot, I put on NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT 1967--which I love watching on a super hot day. Once it cooled down a little I put it on.
Having Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on your side in a heat wave helps maintain your sanity-although when you find out they shot it in freezing weather, that kind of takes the fun out of it. What I love about this movie (and THE FLESH EATERS which I re-watched the other day) is how much drama they put into it as an addition to the sci-fi monster element. It's not just going through the motions of having characters keeping busy as they wait for the next monster attack. The drama is taken seriously. Thus Patrick Allen is having buyer's remorse when his new secretary turns out to be an old flame who followed him to the island and his wife is oblivious to their relationship as the heat starts to rise in the village.  In fact, the monster story seems secondary to their relationship issues, as characterization being so strong in the story.


UPPERSEVEN-THE MAN TO KILL 1966. As James Bond movie clones go, this was among the better ones I have watched--and I have seen some duds. The fight scenes are more lively than the usual and it has a John Barry-echoing soundtrack. The plot is involves currency fraud designed to create economic instability as an unnamed Asian country is making territorial moves on Africa--there's even a subplot about baddies using a virus to scare and distract people-- the vaccine proves to be deadly to take.

Features Karin Dor, Viva Bach, and Rosalba Neri. Upperseven (Paul Hubschmid) is an  an expert sculptor who can make life-like masks of people and his enemies seek to see his real face. Alberto De Martino has some fun with Bond-inspired elements--so there is a Moneypenny character and the bedroom antics are not just played in a standard way--in one case Upperseven is in disguise as his enemy when he encounters the bad guy's mistress.


----------



## REBerg

*ANIARA*
Impressive film, although it didn't do anything to restore my faith in the survival of Humanity.


----------



## Randy M.

*Sinister* (2012) dir. Scott Derrickson; starring Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance

Finally caught up to this and the moral of the movie is, having kids is scary. 

This is one of the earlier Blumhouse productions, and a surprisingly effective horror movie thanks in part to Ethan Hawke's performance. He plays a father and a writer of true crime books whose last  books haven't done as well as his first. He's desperate for another best-seller so he moves his wife and children to the site of the murder of another family to help him write his next book. Most of a family, really; the youngest daughter disappeared, apparently kidnapped.

Well, of course, there's more to it than that, and Derrickson and his writers -- note C. Robert Cargill is one; he is also a novelist and short story writer I haven't read, but I'm thinking I'd like to -- do a good job of gradually dropping clues and ratcheting up the tension. According to Wikipedia, the idea for this came from a nightmare Cargill had after watching _The Ring_; not knowing that as I watched, I thought there were parallels since the movie features the use of a Super-8 camera. 

What I most appreciated was the simplicity and directness of the special effects, which create an eerie atmosphere. And it reminded me that, when used judiciously, a jump-scare can still be effective without being hokey.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Don't Knock Twice* (2016)

A mother desperate to reconnect with her troubled daughter becomes embroiled in the urban legend of a demonic witch.









						Don't Knock Twice (2016) - IMDb
					

Don't Knock Twice (2016) on IMDb: Plot summary, synopsis, and more...




					www.imdb.com


----------



## Randy M.

AE35Unit said:


> *Don't Knock Twice* (2016)
> 
> A mother desperate to reconnect with her troubled daughter becomes embroiled in the urban legend of a demonic witch.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don't Knock Twice (2016) - IMDb
> 
> 
> Don't Knock Twice (2016) on IMDb: Plot summary, synopsis, and more...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.imdb.com



Saw that three years so ago and liked it. Not as good as another covering somewhat similar ground that I saw around the same time, _The Autopsy of Jane Doe_.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Canal* *(2014)

Gaskmaskproductionsbooks

A film archivist finds his sanity crumbling after he is given an old 16mm film reel with footage from a horrific murder that occurred in the early 1900's.

An interesting one this!









						The Canal (2014) - IMDb
					

The Canal (2014) on IMDb: Plot summary, synopsis, and more...




					www.imdb.com
				



*


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Finn's Girl* a doctor has her life threatened by anti-abortionists while dealing  with the loss of her wife and bringing up their eleven year old daughter. A low budget first feature that didn't quite work for me.  Everyone did their job well enough but the script wasn't... something... enough.  Not focussed I guess.  The threat to the doctor was never resolved, the big reveal at the end about the daughter's parentage was a great idea but just fizzled out,  and the growing relationship between the doctor and the female cop assigned to protect her seemed to come out of nowhere  just in time to provide a happy(ish) ending.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Watched *2001 A Space Odyssey.*
> Brilliant film. It's only as I watched it this time, that the first 30 minutes has no dialogue (well apart from the screeching apes) and makes for great entertainment. And doesn't look dated. 9/10.




Just watched it again in UHD; the visuals are spectacular. Quite amazing that this film was made more than half a decade ago.

It also proves (if proof were needed) that Kubrick really was a genius. His use of music and effects to replace dialogue was ingenious and the phrase 'an image speaks a thousands words' was never more apt than it is here.

You can also see where Gene Roddenberry got his influences for filming Star Trek: The Motion Picture.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> You can also see where Gene Roddenberry got his influences for filming Star Trek: The Motion Picture.



...a pity he then forgot to include any of the interesting stuff.

Last night in a fit of madness I watched *Pitch Black* and the director's cut of *Chronicles of Riddick* back to back - and while _Pitch Black_ works as a semi-decent monster movie, _The Chronicles of Riddick_ is an overblown, godawful mess of a film which lurches around from one OTT set piece to another with very plot joining them together and a hero who suddenly gets superpowers to get him out of one hole- which then get totally forgotten about - before lurching off back to the planet they just came from for another prolonged OTT fight sequence.   It is the sort of movie A E van Vogt, with a noseful of coke, would have made  from a few of his short stories fixed up into a script, and 90 million dollars to get rid of in a hurry. .


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Tomorrow War - *went into this with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong it's still a godawful mess of a film, but it's never boring.  It's almost three films in one, a reasonably good sci-fi commentary on the effect of war on soldiers, an action schlock with a genuinely laugh out loud unintentionally funny ending, and a character study about familial relationships. It only really succeeds on one of those, and not for long. Chris Pratt doesn't have the range for anything other than goofball or shooty shoot shoot.

*House on Haunted Hill *- Vincent Price campy horror classic, now on youtube in full.


----------



## J-WO

Lake Mungo (2018). Just a great ghost story. Spooky rather than gory or shocking. Almost an M.R James story in a way.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Night of the Living Dead (1968)*
Watched the Romero original for the first time. Although it seems pretty lame by today's standards (with annoyingly overdone music, as per old films) I can see how this was groundbreaking at the time.

Now watching *Nosferatu (1922).*
I can't help thinking of that SpongeBob episode...


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Land that Time Forgot  *1975 . Yes the Dino effects look cheesy and dated but, this film is still fun to watch.


----------



## KGeo777

*FOR YOUR EYES ONLY* 1981  - How many times I would catch this on tv---and bail out after the title song. I never bothered watching the movie. Finally I have. And I would agree with those who rank it with The Spy Who Loved Me as the two best Moore films. I am not a James Bond fan--I find that the romance antics tend to derail the movies most of the time (OHMSS being an exception) and some of the humor but in this case I think it mostly succeeds in being a more serious and focused spy adventure. There are a couple of things that bother me but overall-the action scenes were great--the ski stuff, the underwater sequences, and the cliff scene!  I always dread seeing those spikes being drive into rock and wondering how anyone would trust that to hold you up.


James Bond: Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

Q: That's putting it mildly, 007!


WILLARD 1971 - A Bing Crosby production. It has been a long time since I watched this--I remember the sequel BEN more. It's intriguing that Spartacus composer Alex North did the music for this.
It feels less like a exploitation film and more of a 1950s-60s studio drama production. It's not really horrific--if AIP had made this it would have been more explicit. I found the theme was intricate in that Willard is a weakling and perhaps his father was as well--unable to stop the takeover by his stronger business partner. Willard gains power through his kindness to some rats, and before long he is given a small white rat as a familiar--and then a dark rat (Ben) shows up. They represent two sides of himself--the more docile side and the aggressive wild suppressed desires.
The ending suggests that Willard assumed he had found himself and gained lasting power but in fact he owed it all to the rats and Ben was there to punctuate that message. I have not seen the remake.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> *FOR YOUR EYES ONLY* 1981  - How many times I would catch this on tv---and bail out after the title song. I never bothered watching the movie. Finally I have. And I would agree with those who rank it with The Spy Who Loved Me as the two best Moore films. I am not a James Bond fan--I find that the romance antics tend to derail the movies most of the time (OHMSS being an exception) and some of the humor but in this case I think it mostly succeeds in being a more serious and focused spy adventure. There are a couple of things that bother me but overall-the action scenes were great--the ski stuff, the underwater sequences, and the cliff scene!  I always dread seeing those spikes being drive into rock and wondering how anyone would trust that to hold you up.
> 
> 
> James Bond: Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
> 
> Q: That's putting it mildly, 007!
> 
> 
> WILLARD 1971 - A Bing Crosby production. It has been a long time since I watched this--I remember the sequel BEN more. It's intriguing that Spartacus composer Alex North did the music for this.
> It feels less like a exploitation film and more of a 1950s-60s studio drama production. It's not really horrific--if AIP had made this it would have been more explicit. I found the theme was intricate in that Willard is a weakling and perhaps his father was as well--unable to stop the takeover by his stronger business partner. Willard gains power through his kindness to some rats, and before long he is given a small white rat as a familiar--and then a dark rat (Ben) shows up. They represent two sides of himself--the more docile side and the aggressive wild suppressed desires.
> The ending suggests that Willard assumed he had found himself and gained lasting power but in fact he owed it all to the rats and Ben was there to punctuate that message. I have not seen the remake.



I like *For Your Eyes Only* . Its fun film to watch and its got Bond dropping  Blofeld down the smokestack.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched *Nosferatu the Vampyr* 1979
Klaus Kinsky as Dracula. I couldn't help thinking he reminded me of Skarsgård's Pennywise from IT


----------



## Extollager

*The Window *from 1949 (Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Ruth Roman, dir. Ted Tetzlaff

I loved this movie and wondered why it's not better known -- but I spend so little time talking about movies or at movie sites that I wouldn't necessarily know if it were.  It's based on a Cornell Woolrich story and has a delectable sense of place, in this case a neighborhood with tenements, etc.  A young boy is known for his inventions and isn't believed when he tells that he saw a murder committed in the apartment upstairs when he was lying on the fire escape to deal with the sweltering city heat.  Great camera work.  I half felt like watching it all over again the same day.  I love these old movies that get in there, tell an interesting narrative, have excellent visual storytelling, and get the job done in 80-90 minutes or so.  I've had a lot of good luck with RKO movies.


----------



## Parson

I watched *I Am Dragon*. I'm not sure what possessed me to watch an obvious Russian Fantasy Novel, but I rather liked it. I'm now slowly working through *The Tomorrow War. *It's passing muster with me so far.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Fantomas contre Scotland Yard* - en Français sans sous titres et j'ai compris! (C'était pas difficile. il étais une film très stupide.)

As part of my learning French by just doing it (rather than learning grammar and all the rules) I listen to French talk radio when I'm at work, read French and Belgian comics when I get home and, when the mood takes me, and I'm feeling confident, watch  French language films with the subtitles on (in French, not English).  Tonight I didn't have any subtitles available to me so I just went for it.  I can't say I understood every single word but I knew what was going on for most of the time and  - slightly amazingly - got a few of the verbal gags too.   

Having said all that _Fantomas contre Scotland Yard_ is a pretty easy to follow, comic book crime comedy enlivened by the opening second unit establishing shots of a Rolls Royce filmed driving on local roads (Argyll, Scotland) which then arrived at a very French looking châteaux - where most of the action took place.


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> *Night of the Living Dead (1968)*
> Watched the Romero original for the first time. Although it seems pretty lame by today's standards (with annoyingly overdone music, as per old films) I can see how this was groundbreaking at the time.
> 
> Now watching *Nosferatu (1922).*
> I can't help thinking of that SpongeBob episode...




It's worth having a watch of Return of the Living Dead after NOTLD. More adult and funny in parts, but a great (unofficial) sequel to this movie.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> *Fantomas contre Scotland Yard* - en Français sans sous titres et j'ai compris! (C'était pas difficile. il étais une film très stupide.)
> 
> As part of my learning French by just doing it (rather than learning grammar and all the rules) I listen to French talk radio when I'm at work, read French and Belgian comics when I get home and, when the mood takes me, and I'm feeling confident, watch  French language films with the subtitles on (in French, not English).  Tonight I didn't have any subtitles available to me so I just went for it.  I can't say I understood every single word but I knew what was going on for most of the time and  - slightly amazingly - got a few of the verbal gags too.
> 
> Having said all that _Fantomas contre Scotland Yard_ is a pretty easy to follow, comic book crime comedy enlivened by the opening second unit establishing shots of a Rolls Royce filmed driving on local roads (Argyll, Scotland) which then arrived at a very French looking châteaux - where most of the action took place.


I have been meaning to read the Fantomas stories for ages. Sounds very intriguing but I have somehow never got around to actually acquiring the books.


----------



## JunkMonkey

No idea about the books but _Fantomas contre Scotland Yard_ was the third film in the series and, from what I can gather, by far the weakest. (It didn't help that clips from the two earlier, and obviously more expensive and inventive, films in the series were used to set up some backstory.)  Still a better way to learn a language than learning <<'le singe est sur la branche... >> et tout ça.


----------



## KGeo777

I have had Fantomas 1964 in my queue--there's KRIMINAL-which is also a masked Euro character.
I watched that one already.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MAD BOMBER 1973  - Rewatch. Bert I Gordon film about a father (Chuck Connors) who goes nuts after his daughter's drug overdose and seeks revenge by blowing up places.
Vince Edwards is a cop who, a partner tells him, he would arrest if he didn't have a badge, because he is so high-strung and looks ready to shoot someone.
Divorced, fed up, and all he wants is to nail the bomber.
He has to turn to rapist Neville  "My name is George Fromley" Brand in order to help identify him.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> It's worth having a watch of Return of the Living Dead after NOTLD. More adult and funny in parts, but a great (unofficial) sequel to this movie.


From 1985? Don't fancy it. Most horror after the original is all blood and gore, Friday the 13th type stuff. Not my thing. I prefer psychological horror.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

AE35Unit said:


> From 1985? Don't fancy it. Most horror after the original is all blood and gore, Friday the 13th type stuff. Not my thing. I prefer psychological horror.



ROTLD is more of a send up / satire, directed and written by Dan O'Bannon, so it has his trademark humour, replete with zombies chanting "brains" and exploitation parodies galore. It's the best of the "living dead" series, including the original - but yes, being an 80's horror it does have nudity and gore.


----------



## Randy M.

*Warning Shot* (1967) dir. Buzz Kulik; starring David Janssen, Ed Begley, Keenan Wynn, Joan Collins, Stephanie Powers

Janssen plays a cop with a history who shoots in self-defense, killing a local doctor who seems like a saint from early reports. To defend himself, the cop has to find out more about the doctor, certain the guy was not as clean as he was made out to be.

Sort of a standard plot, but well-done and with a good score by Jerry Goldsmith. It was introduced by Eddie Mueller and Ben Mankewicz as a neo-noir (apparently a new feature on Turner Cable Movies on Friday nights). Janssen could portray a world-weary man with a code as well as any '60s actor, and he gives it his all here. He also didn't head up many big budget movies, and this isn't really an exception, feeling a bit like a made-for-TV movie in look and content. Worth noting for the well-established actors getting a pay day for cameo roles: Lillian Gish, Walter Pidgeon, Eleanor Powell. Nice turn by George Grizzard as a chipper, flipant, helpful source.


*Werewolves Within* (2021) dir. Josh Ruban; starring Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub

If Stephen King and Christopher Guest (_Best in Show_; _This is Spinal Tap_) collaborated on rebooting the '80's (U.S.) tv show _Northern Exposure_, you might get this. An isolated community of eccentrics is completely cut off by a snow storm just as one of their number is found murdered, his body ravaged as by an animal attack. An environmental scientist at the scene to fight a proposed pipeline through the area determines a hair found on the body isn't exactly canine and isn't exactly human. And so, werewolf.

In spite of that description, this is not gory though there is some violence and threats of same. As horror/comedy goes, it's quietly amusing, depending on character driven humor, often dead on (*cough*) in it's depiction of panicked reactions and greatly enhanced by the chemistry and comic timing of the two leads. They deserve being paired in another movie.  For viewers acquainted with older tv shows, the plot and it's eventual denouement may remind them of 



Spoiler



_The Twilight Zone_'s "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"


.


----------



## AE35Unit

Mon0Zer0 said:


> ROTLD is more of a send up / satire, directed and written by Dan O'Bannon, so it has his trademark humour, replete with zombies chanting "brains" and exploitation parodies galore. It's the best of the "living dead" series, including the original - but yes, being an 80's horror it does have nudity and gore.


Definitely no thanks then


----------



## paranoid marvin

Mon0Zer0 said:


> ROTLD is more of a send up / satire, directed and written by Dan O'Bannon, so it has his trademark humour, replete with zombies chanting "brains" and exploitation parodies galore. It's the best of the "living dead" series, including the original - but yes, being an 80's horror it does have nudity and gore.




Yes, it is in the mode of NOTLD and it's unofficial sequel. In almost all respects it's better than the original movie, and more to be watched for laughs than shivers; closest comparison is probably Evil Dead.


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> Definitely no thanks then



It was only really recommended as you watched the original movie as it is referenced in this movie. 

As Mon0Zero mentioned, it's probably the best movie in the 'living dead# series and is somewhat of a cult classic.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Invasion of the Blood Farmers* (1972)

Ultra-cheap, amateurish, bottom-of-the-barrel attempt at making a horror film.  The confusing plot has something to do with a cult of Druids who somehow wind up in a small town in the USA.  They drain blood from their victims, which has something to do with reviving their queen, who lies in a glass coffin like Sleeping Beauty.  There's also one not-very-bright guy who just drinks the blood, including from a dog.  With this guy, and the cult leader in a black robe, I was very strongly reminded of *Manos:  The Hands of Fate*.  There's something about an important key that the not-very-bright guy loses while attacking the dog.  There's also something about the blood of the victims bubbling and growing in volume.  The cult leader tells us these two odd subplots have something to do with each other.  He also lets us knows they need the movie's heroine as a "host" of some kind or other.  Add the worst acting you've ever seen and incoherent editing and you've got quite an experience.


----------



## Timebender

*"The Blair Witch Project" *for the first time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sin Takes a Holiday *(1930)

Pre-Code rom-com.  Constance Bennett stars as the secretary to a wealthy playboy divorce lawyer.   He only fools around with married women, so he goes into a panic when his latest girlfriend announces she's going to divorce her husband.  (This is her third divorce, which gives you some idea about this film's attitude to marriage.)  In order to keep things the way he wants to with her, he offers the secretary five thousand bucks to marry him in name only; then she can go off on an unaccompanied trip to Paris.  Cue a luxury ocean liner trip, fabulous slinky gowns, gorgeous Art Deco sets; all that stuff designed to appeal to Depression audiences.  On the trip, she meets one of the lawyer's playboy buddies (a very young Basil Rathbone) and romance blooms.  It's a frothy little bit of fluff, with some witty dialogue and that tiny bit of suggestiveness that proves it's Pre-Code.


----------



## AE35Unit

*They Live* 1988
Watching this John Carpenter classic with my partner who's never seen it. Wooden acting and bad dialogue but it remains a classic


----------



## VegetalCrossing

_Fast and Furious 9_ (2021)... just kidding

_The Lawnmower Man_ (1992). I can't unseen the weird cyberspace 3D sequences.


----------



## Krysta

The last movie I saw was The Girl With all the Gifts.
I thought it was pretty interesting as it had a bunch of new actors in it and one that I recognized was Glenn Close. She played the Doctor in it.
It was about a bunch of very smart kids who had been born with the cordyceps parasite already inside them.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*It Happened Here* (1964)

Documentary-style alternate history film.  Germany invades the UK in 1940.  In 1944, resistance in the western part of the nation leads to the evacuation of civilians in the region to the "demilitarized zone" of London.  Our protagonist is a nurse who witnesses the killing of fellow civilians during an attack by the resistance on the occupying forces.  Because of this experience, she is willing to join the "Immediate Action Organization" as a nurse, although this involves training in National Socialist philosophy.  She's more or less apolitical, and just wants something resembling calm.  A crisis develops when she finds out that two of her friends are hiding a wounded resistance fighter.  Made on a shoestring over eight years -- the two fellows making the film were teenagers when they started -- the movie is remarkable for its realism, and its completely convincing portrait of ordinary people subject to the seductions of fascism.  Highly recommended.


----------



## CupofJoe

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *It Happened Here* (1964)
> 
> Documentary-style alternate history film.  Germany invades the UK in 1940.  In 1944, resistance in the western part of the nation leads to the evacuation of civilians in the region to the "demilitarized zone" of London.  Our protagonist is a nurse who witnesses the killing of fellow civilians during an attack by the resistance on the occupying forces.  Because of this experience, she is willing to join the "Immediate Action Organization" as a nurse, although this involves training in National Socialist philosophy.  She's more or less apolitical, and just wants something resembling calm.  A crisis develops when she finds out that two of her friends are hiding a wounded resistance fighter.  Made on a shoestring over eight years -- the two fellows making the film were teenagers when they started -- the movie is remarkable for its realism, and its completely convincing portrait of ordinary people subject to the seductions of fascism.  Highly recommended.


The fact there are real [and seemingly utterly unapologetic] British Fascists in the film is more than a little scary.


----------



## Parson

*The Tomorrow War (2021) *This is a S.F. movie in the tradition of *Alien*. If the last 20 minutes hadn't given some necessary insights I would have rated this movie very poorly indeed, due to all of the obvious SF movie tropes such as 1. Earth is being overrun by aliens which are called "Spikes" who are extremely hard to kill. They are faster on land and can both fly and swim. 2. What 10,000's of scientists and soldiers cannot accomplish a small band of misfits can. 3. In the end it comes down to a one on one fight.  .... sigh!!

On the positive side if you are willing to posit time travel, the rest of the science isn't bad. The results of the story are believable. So in the end I give it a weak 4 star rating out of 5.


----------



## AE35Unit

VegetalCrossing said:


> _The Lawnmower Man_ (1992). I can't unseen the weird cyberspace 3D sequences.


Based on a Stephen King story though he's uncredited. Having read the story I can report that the film bears no resemblance to it other than the title. Maybe Mr King declined to be credited.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Five Dolls for an August Moon* (1970)

_Giallo _with more than a slight touch of Agatha Christie to the plot twists.  A bunch of folks are at this fabulous house on a cliff overlooking the sea on an island.  A few are rich guys trying to buy a formula for "a new industrial resin" from a scientist.  (In classic McGuffin style, it doesn't matter what the thing is, just that the characters are interested in it, and the audience isn't.)  The houseboy for the guy who owns the house is killed, and his motorboat hidden, so they're stuck on the island.  of course, the phone doesn't work either.  More killings follow, and bodies start to pile up in plastic bags in the meat locker.  (I guess these are the "five dolls" and I suppose it takes place in August.)  The plot doesn't really make a lot of sense, but it's stylishly directed by Mario Bava, and you can enjoy the ultra-groovy sets, costumes, and music.  Relatively slow and bloodless for a _giallo_, but worth a look.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spies Strike Silently *(1966)

Actually, they're usually pretty noisy, as this Spanish/Italian Eurospy effort is full of gunfights, fistfights, and such.  Starts with the adult daughter of a benevolent scientist diving into a swimming pool in Beirut (back when that city was the Paris of the Middle East) and popping up stabbed to death.  It seems that other scientists working on ways to benefit humanity are threatened or killed.  This all has something to do with a megalomaniac who wants to control everyone on the planet.  At first, this involves drugging folks until they become mindless slaves, doing the killing for him.  Later, he has a laser-like gizmo that that can transmit his thoughts into the minds of others, and, as a side effect, can also set them on fire.  All this outrageous Mad Science stuff doesn't make the film as much of a campy comic book adventure as you'd think.  It's action-packed, but pretty much takes things seriously.  Not a bad example of the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House Where Evil Dwells *(1982)

Japanese-American ghost story.  A pre-titles prologue, set in 1840, shows us a samurai coming home to find his wife with another man.  He kills them both, then himself.  Plenty of gore in this slow-motion sequence!  Cut to 1982, as an American couple and their preteen daughter wind up in the haunted house.   The dead 19th century folks show up as translucent blue ghosts with heavy eye makeup, unseen by the modern folks.  Pretty random haunting stuff happens -- lights and faucets go on and off by themselves, there's an attack by (really fake) big crabs that shout in Japanese at the daughter, the kid sees a scary face in a bowl of soup -- but it's pretty clear that the intent is to reenact the original murder/suicide by possessing and/or manipulating the modern folks.  The opening scene is beautifully filmed, if gruesome, but a lot of what follows looks goofy.  There seems to be an awkward mixture of Western and Japanese ghost story stuff.


----------



## AE35Unit

Just watched a spanish horror called *Belzebuth*.
 Quite nasty, involving killing of kids, ugh. Amongst the unknown actors is the guy who played Jigsaw in the Saw movies, as a good guy


----------



## hitmouse

Parson said:


> *The Tomorrow War (2021) *This is a S.F. movie in the tradition of *Alien*. If the last 20 minutes hadn't given some necessary insights I would have rated this movie very poorly indeed, due to all of the obvious SF movie tropes such as 1. Earth is being overrun by aliens which are called "Spikes" who are extremely hard to kill. They are faster on land and can both fly and swim. 2. What 10,000's of scientists and soldiers cannot accomplish a small band of misfits can. 3. In the end it comes down to a one on one fight.  .... sigh!!
> 
> On the positive side if you are willing to posit time travel, the rest of the science isn't bad. The results of the story are believable. So in the end I give it a weak 4 star rating out of 5.


I think this is the review of this film I most agree with. A good evening’s entertainment, but essentially unmemorable, and lacks any real originality, even if it uses a number of well- worked tropes effectively. In 20 years time will have become obscure.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Murder a la Mod *(1968)

The first movie directed by Brian De Palma.  It just screams "student film."  This low budget black-and-white effort already shows the influence of Hitchcock, as well as a lot of experimental narrative techniques.  The story jumps back and forth in time to show us the same scenes from different points of view.  One major character's scenes are done in the style of silent movie comedy, even including a pie in the face, although the plot is a murder mystery.  Different layers of reality intersect with each other.  A guy who lies to his girlfriend about being divorced shows up in the "real world," in the film-within-the-film, and on a radio soap opera.  There's also a lot of Hitchcockian consideration of film makers and film watchers as voyeurs.  (The story deals with a photographer who is more or less forced to make nudie films so he can afford to divorce his wife, what his girlfriend does to try to help him, and what happens to her because of her actions.)  It's more interesting as an example of a director learning his craft than as a fully developed film, and maybe it's a bit too clever for its own good, but worth a look.


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY two weeks ago, which featured Hitchcock all weekend. 

*SHADOW OF A DOUBT* (1943)

Old movies, though my preference, are so stuffy! Nobody would ever consider even eating breakfast without wearing a 3 piece suit!  Though mama is dressed for household chores, etc, everyone else is rather formal, including the little boy.

"Uncle Charlie" (Joseph Cotten) comes from out of town to visit his sister and her family. His favorite niece  Charlotte "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright),  is especially pleased to see him, as he is to see her.  But he has a secret!

The family is average, I guess, for the time this was made. The dad, Joseph Newton (Henry Travers) is constantly arguing with his best friend Herbie Hawkins, (Hume Cronyn; yes the same guy who was the Capt. of the guard in BRUTE FORCE) about how to commit the perfect murder, or whether Sherlock Holmes or some other fictional sleuth was the best, etc. These arguments were last minute additions for humor. 

So, being from out of town, Uncle charlie presents his relatives with gifts. For his niece, he has a beautiful  ring, even has a real stone on it. As she is fawning over it, she notices that it bears an inscription. This gives her a clue that her uncle may be a criminal. It happens that as uncle is reading the newspaper, he slyly makes a paper house out of it, craftily tearing out an article. Niece wonders what it might have been, that he so desperately wanted them not to see. She goes to the library, and finds the article, about a murder of rich widows. The initials on the ring match one of the victim's names!

Not the usual role for Joseph Cotten!  My 2nd time with this one. 



*GUILTY BYSTANDER* (1950) I don't know how I forgot to record this one! I had to watch it on TCM's streaming service. Ex-cop Max Thursday (Zachary Scott) whose son is missing is sought by his ex-wife, hoping he can find him. Full of twists and turns, and the villain behind it all: Never saw that coming! 

A 1st viewing for me! not great, but not bad, either.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Mystic River (2003). Man, was that an emotional roller coaster! The denouement made me a nervous wreck for the rest of the night. Strongly recommended as long as you can tolerate unexplained coincidences.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> *FOR YOUR EYES ONLY* 1981  - How many times I would catch this on tv---and bail out after the title song. I never bothered watching the movie. Finally I have. And I would agree with those who rank it with The Spy Who Loved Me as the two best Moore films. I am not a James Bond fan--I find that the romance antics tend to derail the movies most of the time (OHMSS being an exception) and some of the humor but in this case I think it mostly succeeds in being a more serious and focused spy adventure. There are a couple of things that bother me but overall-the action scenes were great--the ski stuff, the underwater sequences, and the cliff scene!  I always dread seeing those spikes being drive into rock and wondering how anyone would trust that to hold you up.
> 
> 
> James Bond: Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
> 
> Q: That's putting it mildly, 007!
> 
> 
> WILLARD 1971 - A Bing Crosby production. It has been a long time since I watched this--I remember the sequel BEN more. It's intriguing that Spartacus composer Alex North did the music for this.
> It feels less like a exploitation film and more of a 1950s-60s studio drama production. It's not really horrific--if AIP had made this it would have been more explicit. I found the theme was intricate in that Willard is a weakling and perhaps his father was as well--unable to stop the takeover by his stronger business partner. Willard gains power through his kindness to some rats, and before long he is given a small white rat as a familiar--and then a dark rat (Ben) shows up. They represent two sides of himself--the more docile side and the aggressive wild suppressed desires.
> The ending suggests that Willard assumed he had found himself and gained lasting power but in fact he owed it all to the rats and Ben was there to punctuate that message. I have not seen the remake.



As much as I liked the original, I loved the R. Lee Earmy remake! RIP.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*They Made Me a Fugitive* (1947)

Gritty British crime drama.  Ex-RAF man joins a gang of crooks, almost on a whim; he actually flips a coin to decide whether to join or not.  He assists in warehouse robberies and the like -- the bad guys carry the loot off in coffins, since the ringleader runs a funeral parlor -- but draws the line at pushing narcotics.  The ringleader frames him for the killing of a cop, but he escapes from prison and is out for revenge.  Full of sharp, sarcastic dialogue and some intense violence; the ringleader doesn't hesitate to beat women up brutally.  There's an odd subplot in which the escapee forces his way into a house, only to have the woman living there try to get him to kill her husband.  Recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Eerie Midnight Horror Show *(_L'ossessa_, 1974)

Also known as *The Sexorcist*, which gives you some idea of what this thing is like.  (Other English language titles include *The Tormented*, *Enter the Devil*, and *The Devil Obsession*.)  Young art student assists in removing a statue of one of the crucified thieves from a deconsecrated church.  She has a vision of the statue coming to life (pretty decent scene, really) and having his way with her.  She becomes sex-crazed, even making a pass at her father.  Later she has a vision of some kind of Satanic ritual, in which the statue come to life (who seems to be Satan now) nails her hands and feet to a cross.  She becomes fully possessed at this point, bearing stigmata, screaming a lot, etc.  (Special effects are limited to having big dark circles painted around her eyes.)  Eventually we get our big exorcism scene.  (The first attempt at exorcism just ends up with her attempt to seduce the priest.)   There's an odd scene early in the film in which the young woman's mother gets whipped with roses by her lover, thorns and all, drawing blood from her naked body.  Her husband doesn't mind the fact that she has affairs, but disapproves of her masochism, blaming his daughter's condition on her kinkiness.  Along with all this sleaziness, we've got some pretty dull stretches, too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Maciste in the Valley of the Thundering Echoes *(_La valle dell'eco tonante_, 1964)

(The above title seems to have been added to the copy I watched on YouTube by a fan of this kind of sword-and-sandal epic.  The more familiar English title is *Hercules of the Desert*, because it's assumed folks wouldn't be familiar with ubiquitous strongman Maciste.  The version I saw also had French credits, but was dubbed in English.  Everybody calls Maciste "Hercules," to add to the confusion.)

The setting is vaguely Middle Eastern.  There's mention of Allah in the dialogue, but also "the gods," so don't try to pin things down.  Somewhere beyond the title valley is a fabulous green land; everything else is desert.  The problem is that folks can't pass through the valley because the constant loud roaring noise causes big rocks to fall on them.  Our movie's beautiful but wicked princess gets together with four sheiks to seize the place by force.  Meanwhile, there's a wandering tribe of folks to whom the place was promised in prophecy.  The princess schemes to slaughter them, despite promising the sheiks that they'll get some of the land.   Her grand vizier plans to marry her, but he's really in love with a woman pretending to be a sorceress.  

The good folks enact a ritual that makes Maciste appear out of nowhere, establishing him as some kind of supernatural being instead of just a strong guy.  He fends off the invaders  through the strategy of throwing a gigantic boulder at them.  Later, however, when he's off doing something else, they attack again and carry off the young women as slaves.  Maciste goes off to rescue them and gets captured.  The princess lets the slave girls go, intent on drugging Maciste so she can control his mind.  The grand vizier tries to kill him instead, and the four sheiks have their own plans.  (There's a ton of palace intrigue in this thing, most of which goes nowhere.)  At the end, Maciste enters the valley and finds out that the roaring noise is caused by cave-dwelling folks banging on big hanging sheets of metal, and battles the Neanderthal-like beings, bringing the film to a goofy conclusion.

The usual feats of strength, fabulous sets and costumes, dancing girls, etc.  It's a reasonbly entertaining example of the genre, made a little odder than most with Maciste's supernatural appearance and the weird cavemen.


----------



## alexvss

J-WO said:


> Lake Mungo (2018). Just a great ghost story. Spooky rather than gory or shocking. Almost an M.R James story in a way.


You mean 2008, right? Or is there a remake that I don't know of? I really like *Lake Mungo*. It hits different!

*Crash* (1996). Another crazy train by David Cronenberg (I'm not sorry for the pun). A group of people is crazy about car accidents, and have sexual desires towards crashed vehicles. I liked the message a lot: people are always looking for something to satisfy their desires, but they never find it, even if they try crazy fetishes. And it's a Canadian movie, a rarity.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ring of Darkness *(_Un'ombra nell'ombra_, 1979)

Odd and somewhat muddled and goofy horror film.  During the opening prologue, some women pledge themselves to Satan.  As in many movies of this type, the Satanic ritual is pretty much just modern dance.  Cut to about fifteen years later.  One of the women has a sullen, rebellious teenage daughter named Daria.  (At this point, I can't help but think of the cartoon character of the same name.)  The implication is that she's Satan's child, and there's plenty of evidence for that as the film goes on.  It all leads up to the final battle between mother and daughter, both nude, with Mom wearing silly-looking face paint.   Along the way, we get the suicide of the daughter of another of the women, apparently because she didn't want to wind up as an agent of evil, a role Daria relishes.  Because their liaison with Satan prevents them from having intimate relations with people, one of the other women becomes a prostitute, with no success.  It seems that whenever she's with a client, Satan shows up and spoils things.  Since Satan is just a very ordinary looking young man, who just stands there without doing or saying anything, this is unintentionally comic.  There's no suspense at all, as Daria is in complete control from the start, and all efforts to stop her end in total failure.  The final scene implies that she's about to do battle with the Pope.  Not a good film, but eccentric enough to hold one's attention.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blood Beach *(1980)

Sedate monster movie.  Pretty much boils down to a thing under the sand sucking people down and feeding on them.   John Saxon and Burt Young liven things up a bit as cops investigating the situation.   Not really a spoof, although it appears to have its tongue firmly in its cheek.


----------



## J-WO

alexvss said:


> You mean 2008, right? Or is there a remake that I don't know of? I really like *Lake Mungo*. It hits different!
> 
> *Crash* (1996). Another crazy train by David Cronenberg (I'm not sorry for the pun). A group of people is crazy about car accidents, and have sexual desires towards crashed vehicles. I liked the message a lot: people are always looking for something to satisfy their desires, but they never find it, even if they try crazy fetishes. And it's a Canadian movie, a rarity.


Oops! I meant to type 2008. Apologies.


----------



## hitmouse

alexvss said:


> *Crash* (1996). Another crazy train by David Cronenberg (I'm not sorry for the pun). A group of people is crazy about car accidents, and have sexual desires towards crashed vehicles. I liked the message a lot: people are always looking for something to satisfy their desires, but they never find it, even if they try crazy fetishes. And it's a Canadian movie, a rarity.


The film, which I have not seen, is based on the rather uncompromising book of the same name by JG Ballard. The book, is morally ambiguous as is usual for Ballard, and does not have that message.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Monster That Challenged the World *(1957)

Better than average Giant Radioactive Mutant Creature movie of the time.  The monsters are huge caterpillar-like mollusks in the Salton Sea that drain their victims of body fluids.   They actually built full-size models of these things, instead of enlarging photographs of real critters.  They're kind of goofy and cool at the same time.  Lots of time is spent on characterization, so you might need to be patient waiting for the monster attacks.  There's a romantic subplot between Military Guy and Pretty Young Widow With Little Daughter that is a little corny, but manages to avoid being overly adolescent.  It's kind of neat to see the great Hans Conried as Science Guy, giving an unusually quiet performance.  Well worth a look for those who like this kind of thing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man with Bogart's Face* (1980)

Before the opening credits, the title character emerges from bandages to reveal that he's had his face surgically altered to look like Humphrey Bogart.  (The actor is a fellow who made a career of his amazing resemblance to Bogart.)  Then he sets himself up as a private eye named Sam Marlow, wearing a trench coat, etc.  The universe seems determined to indulge him in his mad obsession, as he gets mixed up with multiple clients in a case involving a pair of priceless sapphires.  Fistfights, gunplay, beautiful women, sinister men, etc.  The Bogart imitation is darn near perfect, and many of the other characters resemble familiar cinematic archetypes.  The movie works best when it's an affectionate pastiche of old movies, less so when it's a comedy.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Basket Case* 1982
Can't believe I watched this again, I last watched it as a teenager. It is terrible and funny. Also I can't believe there's 2 sequels!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery *(1973/1975)

Oddball parody of hard-boiled detective films.  A chicken farmer in a tiny desert town also advertises his services as a private eye.  His first client is killed by an arrow in his office, so he hides the body and investigates the case.  This all has something to do with a dead goat in a motel room, the town's richest man (who lives in a trailer, like everybody else in the place), and the weird, child-like adult daughter he keeps locked up in a barn, along with other eccentric characters.  Mostly played very low key, despite the absurdity and occasional surrealism.  (When stray bullets hit an inanimate object the thing spurts blood.)  It's not so much hilarious as quirky enough to hold one's interest.


----------



## KGeo777

THE SWINGER 1966 -- I heard the song for this and got curious about the movie. The movie is horrible. Really really horrible. The title song played in the movie isn't so good either. This version  is much better:








ARIZONA COLT 1966 - How did I miss this one for so long? One of the best spaghetti westerns--closest in visual quality to a Leone one but more romantic. It was the song that brought me to it. What a great theme.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Basket Case 2* and *Basket Case 3*
Can't believe we sat through these. Dreadful, but definitely done for laughs. The daft thing is number 2 continues right where the original left off, except everyone is 8 years older!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Omega Doom - part of my long term project to watch every film Rutger Hauer ever appeared in.  Omega Doom is yet another reworking of Yojimbo but this time with robots.  Lots of voice-over backstory tells us this particular post-apocalyptic landscape of abandoned factories somewhere in a former Iron Curtain country is the result of a war between robots and humans.  The humans control the surface, the humans have retreated to somewhere unspecific offscreen.  Hauer, playing a robot damaged in the last day of the war, and automagically reprogrammed by a stray bullet, walks into town.  Two rival gangs of robots, who hate each other, have staring competitions across the town square.  One of the badder robots of one of the gangs is abusing a weak robot who Hauer rescues.  The abused robot becomes the old man backstory filling-in character from Yojimbo. (Greedy film.  Voice-over narration backstory AND a backstory filling-in character!)  There is a timid, neutral bartender (why robots need a bar where they can get drinks of water is never explained but there you go) who, being female, and having a snowglobe to remind her of the human children she once looked after, becomes both the bar owner and single mother characters from Yojimbo/A Fistful of Dollars... and all the rest.

Rutgerhauerbot starts to make deals, with one side against the other, and then vice versa, as both gangs try hold of the story's maguffin.  Somewhere nearby (but not far enough away to stretch the budget too much) is a stash of guns which will make the robots invincible against the humans who (rumour has it) are about to emerge from somewhere unspecific and destroy them all. (Though why ancient projectile weapons are so valuable when all the robots have lightning fast reflexes, can shoot  cheap video effect energy blasts, and can hold long boring conversations with sizeable parts of their body reduced to sparking junk is a mystery.  But there you go.)

Lots of staring. Lots of blasting.  A lots of 'what the f*ck is actually happening here?' later and just about everyone is dead. Old man bot - now wearing a female body, bartenderbot and lone surviving, redeemed killerbot watch Hauerbot walk off into the sunset (literally) knowing that he was reprogrammed by the humans 'with a purpose'. 

Highlight of the movie?  Spotting the moment the post-production budget ran out.  In one of the shoot outs the head of one of the robot clans has a sizeable hole blasted in her midriff.  Or rather her clothes have a sizeable hole blasted in them to reveal the green colour separation overlay material she is wearing underneath - and which continues to sit there being green for several shots because no one put any special effects over it.


----------



## Vince W

*Bettlejuice*. Such a great film. Michael Keaton is in top form as is the entire cast. It doesn't feel dated in the least. The effects may not be up to today's standards but that doesn't detract from it at all.


----------



## Toby Frost

JunkMonkey said:


> Omega Doom - part of my long term project to watch every film Rutger Hauer ever appeared in.



I've got a feeling that I've seen this. Do some of the characters make a slight hydraulic noise when they move?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> I've got a feeling that I've seen this. Do some of the characters make a slight hydraulic noise when they move?



_ALL_ of the characters (a generous description) make hydraulic noises.


----------



## JunkMonkey

just noticed a typo in my thingie up there and I can't edit.  It should read "The *robots* control the surface, the humans have retreated to somewhere unspecific offscreen."...


----------



## Toby Frost

I have seen it, and it was pretty bad!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Pet Sematary* 2019
Not seen the original or read the book so I can't comment much other than, it was an ok horror flick.


----------



## Parson

*Black Widow* -- It's a pretty good version of the Marvel universe movies. The best part is that almost all of the action shots were not FX but actually done by stunt people. I like the Black Widow character (I think Scarlett Johansson plays the part brilliantly) and the idea of gaining world wide power through "widows." As with all the Marvel Universe movies though, I'm almost totally flummoxed by the meta story line. The Black Widow dies in one of the "earlier" movies (by release date), but this move is set earlier in the story line, but later in release. Grrrr! My son who really loves these kinds of movies, seems to have this all down. I don't and it bugs me. The bigger plus? One of my granddaughters (12 years old) is also into this, and a three generation movie going is about as good as it gets.

The movie gets a solid 4 out of 5. I would give it a 5 if they could just release them in order!!!


----------



## Octo-tater

AE35Unit said:


> *Basket Case 2* and *Basket Case 3*
> Can't believe we sat through these. Dreadful, but definitely done for laughs. The daft thing is number 2 continues right where the original left off, except everyone is 8 years older!


Genuinely really like the first film, has quite a unique feel to it. 2 was just "how many weird disturbing things can we do with unlimited prosthetics". I haven't got around to 3 yet....


----------



## AE35Unit

Octo-tater said:


> Genuinely really like the first film, has quite a unique feel to it. 2 was just "how many weird disturbing things can we do with unlimited prosthetics". I haven't got around to 3 yet....


Oh you ain't seen nothing yet. Its like a cross between the star wars cantina and the muppets


----------



## REBerg

*A Quiet Place/A Quiet Place Part II*
Outstanding!
The sequel amplifies the suspense and action of the original and fills in some of the blanks. Millicent Simmonds shines.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Us*

Is it horror? Is it sci-fi? Is it dystopian fantasy? Probably a combination of the 3, mixed in with some comedy. One of the oddest films I've seen in a while, but very good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  - with Number One Daughter who I thought would appreciate it. (Princess Bride and Firefly fan that she is.) She did.  It's a long time since I saw it and I had forgotten how funny it was - again this may be the effect of watching in company instead of alone.  I had also forgotten how little music there was in it.  The whole Posse ("Who ARE these guys?!") Chase sequence... there's not a note of non-diegetic music in the whole thing and some wonderful sound editing.  And it ravishingly gorgeous too.  Half of this film looks like it was shot in the Golden Hour; raking backlighting, near sunset (or dawn) sunshine pouring honey all over the film.   Loved it all over again.


----------



## Jeffbert

alexvss said:


> ...
> 
> *Crash* (1996). Another crazy train by David Cronenberg (I'm not sorry for the pun). A group of people is crazy about car accidents, and have sexual desires towards crashed vehicles. I liked the message a lot: people are always looking for something to satisfy their desires, but they never find it, even if they try crazy fetishes. And it's a Canadian movie, a rarity.


The title is familiar, but not the description. The _*Crash*_ I remember was about a driverless muscle car running over people. A convertible, as I recall. 


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Blood Beach *(1980)
> 
> Sedate monster movie.  Pretty much boils down to a thing under the sand sucking people down and feeding on them.   John Saxon and Burt Young liven things up a bit as cops investigating the situation.   Not really a spoof, although it appears to have its tongue firmly in its cheek.


I remember that! There was a similar recent film, called *The Sand*. But only *Blood Beach *had that kid running around waving his arm around, saying that he found the guy's junk!


----------



## alexvss

Jeffbert said:


> The title is familiar, but not the description. The _*Crash*_ I remember was about a driverless muscle car running over people. A convertible, as I recall.
> 
> I remember that! There was a similar recent film, called *The Sand*. But only *Blood Beach *had that kid running around waving his arm around, saying that he found the guy's junk!


Note that I specified the 1996 movie. There's another, more recent one.


----------



## KGeo777

A couple of tv-movies available on Youtube.

OUTRAGE 1973 --which has a pre-Spider-man Nicholas Hammond as a spoiled brat teenager causing trouble and the infamous Colonel Green (Phillip Pine) as a good guy. A very good story--not sensational and yet very gripping thanks to the performance by Robert Culp.

The other
is THE STRANGE AND DEADLY OCCURRENCE 1974 which has a very spooky set up. Same idea of a family in a scary situation but the manipulation and twist are well-done. Never heard of it before. It's interesting that in an era when censorship was being reduced in cinema-they were making decent G-rated movies for tv. The stories worked more often than not and yet didn't have nudity or swearing or much violence.


----------



## alexvss

*The Tiger-An old hunter's tale (2015)*. The story of the hunt for the last tiger of Joseon (the Kingdom of Corea, before democratization). It takes place in the beginning of the 20th century, during the Japanese occupation. The Japanese were relentless on hunting tigers. They would wear the skin, eat the meat, and use the rest for crafting medicinal herbs. And they didn't care that tigers went extinct in a matter of a few years. It adds a lot to actual history, focusing on a hunter who accidently shot his wife, and it gets a little over the top because this very hunter saved the tiger when it was a cub, and the tiger remembers him! I don't think that actually happened. This movie reminded me of *The Revenant (2015): *they're from the same year, take place on a snowy place, and LIE to you a lot! But it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Koreans seldom disappoint.

I'm on a quest to watch all the movies by this director, and I just need to watch one more.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> A couple of tv-movies available on Youtube.
> 
> OUTRAGE 1973 --which has a pre-Spider-man Nicholas Hammond as a spoiled brat teenager causing trouble and the infamous Colonel Green (Phillip Pine) as a good guy. A very good story--not sensational and yet very gripping thanks to the performance by Robert Culp.
> 
> The other
> is THE STRANGE AND DEADLY OCCURRENCE 1974 which has a very spooky set up. Same idea of a family in a scary situation but the manipulation and twist are well-done. Never heard of it before. It's interesting that in an era when censorship was being reduced in cinema-they were making decent G-rated movies for tv. The stories worked more often than not and yet didn't have nudity or swearing or much violence.


You had me for a moment. Nicholas Hammond? Spiderman? -- and then I remembered. A name I haven't heard in a long time.

FYI: TV movies of the 1970s

Enjoyable article about the American craving in the '70s for TV movies. It's one of the things that finally made ABC competitive with the older networks.

Good site, too, for intelligent articles on detective/mystery/crime, spy/espionage and sometimes horror/sf/fantasy fiction. For instance, Grady Hendrix had a piece there that ties in with a couple of articles he recently did for Tor.com.


----------



## KGeo777

So many of those tv-movies are forgotten. And hard to find.
Some turn up on youtube but many are completely lost.



I am waiting for someone to post SURVIVAL - a 1976 tv-movie about a guy who challenges his dinner guests to imagine they are on a raft and have to decide who to throw overboard.
I assumed I made it up since it was impossible to find-and someone at last was able to name it but I can't find it.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Asphyx *- 1972 BBC gothic horror set in a proto-steampunk victorian era featuring a very young Robert Powell. It's a pretty effective spooky horror film with some very plummy accents and surprisingly good sfx. Reminds me of a steampunk ghostbusters, minus the humour. Every time they say the beastie's name i can't help but think "ass-fix".


----------



## Randy M.

Mon0Zer0 said:


> *The Asphyx *- 1972 BBC gothic horror set in a proto-steampunk victorian era featuring a very young Robert Powell. It's a pretty effective spooky horror film with some very plummy accents and surprisingly good sfx. Reminds me of a steampunk ghostbusters, minus the humour. Every time they say the beastie's name i can't help but think "ass-fix".


There are probably specialists for that now.


----------



## Dave

_*The Spy Who Dumped Me* - _This was on ITV last night_ - _I watched it so you don't have to. I think it was a comedy, but there aren't any laughs. It might have been doing a kind of _Killing Eve_ thing, but extremely badly. I'm also still not sure who were the bad guys either, but possibly anyone who was a guy? I should probably have watched _Dunkirk_ which was on BBC1 at the same time.


----------



## Extollager

Extollager said:


> *The Window *from 1949 (Bobby Driscoll, Barbara Hale, Ruth Roman, dir. Ted Tetzlaff
> 
> I loved this movie and wondered why it's not better known -- but I spend so little time talking about movies or at movie sites that I wouldn't necessarily know if it were.  It's based on a Cornell Woolrich story and has a delectable sense of place, in this case a neighborhood with tenements, etc.  A young boy is known for his inventions and isn't believed when he tells that he saw a murder committed in the apartment upstairs when he was lying on the fire escape to deal with the sweltering city heat.  Great camera work.  I half felt like watching it all over again the same day.  I love these old movies that get in there, tell an interesting narrative, have excellent visual storytelling, and get the job done in 80-90 minutes or so.  I've had a lot of good luck with RKO movies.
> 
> View attachment 79834View attachment 79835


I watched this again, two weeks after a first viewing, and enjoyed it very much the second time too.


----------



## KGeo777

I will have to check out the Window.
Have you see THE THREAT? That's a really good RKO movie starring Charles McGraw.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Space Probe Taurus* (1965) - dull pointless witless mess.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> *Space Probe Taurus* (1965) - dull pointless witless mess.


I have that one in my watch pile.
Will see one day if it is as bad as The Wizard of Mars


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I have that one in my watch pile.
> Will see one day if it is as bad as The Wizard of Mars



Oh Trust me *The Wizard of Mars* - or * The Horrors of The Red Planet*  which is what it was called when I saw it - is a fecking masterpiece by comparison.  For one thing it has David Carradine talking mystical technobabble for a great chunk of the run time and that's always fun to watch.   I don't know about anyone else but I love watching John Carradine talking bollocks.  It's is like watching a free- form scat jazz beat poet.  

Which reminds me I haven't watched  *The Astro-Zombies * for a couple of years:



> "Now Franchot, the time has come to test our new brain. We must feed this memory circuit through the emotional quotient rectifier to determine if there is any residual impurity....
> 
> (Seventeen or so switches switched, buttons pushed, and rheostats twiddled later...)
> 
> "I've introduced into the console the electrolitic limiters which should disallow interference with the programmed patterns function within the body mechanism. Actuate the heart circuit. Excellent! Before we can recall our first creation, we must attempt to override his emotional index by stepping up the voltage and transmission frequency...
> 
> (More buttons, switches and rheostats are expertly fondled and suddenly screen is full of red flashing lights! The buttons, switches and rheostats are expertly, but rapidly, fondled in reverse order till they stop.)
> 
> "It's obvious the frequency and voltage boost will not effect an override... Franchot, remove number nine from the thermal freeze casket and prepare him for brain transfer and total astro-mobilisation....


----------



## Extollager

KGeo777 said:


> Have you see THE THREAT? That's a really good RKO movie starring Charles McGraw.


I don't remember this -- but it sounds like something to track down, for sure -- thank you for the tip!


----------



## Randy M.

Extollager said:


> I watched this again, two weeks after a first viewing, and enjoyed it very much the second time too.


Re: _The Window_. Some of the movies/shows based on Woolrich's work get it right. That's one of them.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Bunaraku* [2010]
Hard to describe. Part Western, part Martial Arts, post apocalyptic, neon, crime story crossover, with more than a few knowing nods to manga and graphic novels.
The visual is highly stylised to the point of abstraction, but it uses a few neat tricks to make things work. At one point two character are on a call.  They start off in very different locations but as the lighting changes they appear to be separated by thin mesh drop screen. It could be CGI but it felt like a silk screen flat.
Visually it is a stunning look, but the action is just a beat off and the dialogue even worse. All the actors and there are a few real names, seems to be on different scripts. They don't seem to work as a whole - even in the same scene.
I've only recently found out that the title *Bunraku* is derived from a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theater, and that sort of fits. This looks like it is a shadow or hint of the film they were trying to make.
It is worth watching the first 5-10 minutes for the mini exposition film. That I really liked.


----------



## Vince W

Dave said:


> _*The Spy Who Dumped Me* - I think it was a comedy, but there aren't any laughs._


A rather common thing among modern 'comedies'.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched all 3 *Matrix* films last night, crikey what a slog! Good stuff but film 2 is boring in parts.
Part 4 coming in December...


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Watched all 3 *Matrix* films last night, crikey what a slog! Good stuff but film 2 is boring in parts.



Each to their own.

I think I would rather tear my own head off than watch any of them again..  

Last night I rewatched Michael Haneke's _Caché (Hidden)_ which, though not as captivating as I remember,  still made not a lot happening on screen incredibly interesting.  It is, I suspect, one of those films that is best only watched once and left to play in the memory.


----------



## Foxbat

Godzilla Vs Kong

Zero character development and idiotic dialogue. It’s one of those movies that knows how nonsensical its science is so it gets the characters to talk really fast in order to camouflage the stupidity of what they’re saying. It’s also got the standard plucky teenagers helping to save the world (which really, _really _irritates me). Maybe I should have been a Scooby Doo villain (I could have watched a decent movie it it weren’t for you meddling kids). 

I enjoyed the first two Godzilla movies and even thought Skull Island wasn’t too bad. This was easily the worst so far in this reboot. It was so stupid in places that it reminded me of a Transformers movie. Great fight sequences though, and I suppose mindless monster mayhem is  about all one watches a movie like this for.


----------



## AllanR

Space Trucker Bruce. A well done with no budget (10k$). Cardboard machines and trashcan robots, yet it looks good for what they work with.


----------



## AllanR

He's announced his next movie.  Get Out is also quite good, though I find Us much more memorable.



paranoid marvin said:


> *Us*
> 
> Is it horror? Is it sci-fi? Is it dystopian fantasy? Probably a combination of the 3, mixed in with some comedy. One of the oddest films I've seen in a while, but very good.


----------



## Parson

Watched Raja, The Last Dragon. And no, I didn't watch it with any children, which probably says something about my level of sophistication. What likely says more about it, is that I enjoyed it. It was typical Disney fare with more magic than I'm comfortable with, but it at least had a discernable plot (I'm looking at you Transformers), a real hero who works to overcome her flaws, and the very laudable moral that when family of any sort comes together everyone benefits.

Recommended


----------



## hitmouse

Just watched the first 30 mins of *Tolkein*. A little bit quaint so far. I don’t think I realised he went to King Edward V school Birmingham.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Lost Boys*
Dreadful, cheesy film. It was just on.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Foxbat said:


> Godzilla Vs Kong
> 
> Zero character development and idiotic dialogue. It’s one of those movies that knows how nonsensical its science is so it gets the characters to talk really fast in order to camouflage the stupidity of what they’re saying. It’s also got the standard plucky teenagers helping to save the world (which really, _really _irritates me). Maybe I should have been a Scooby Doo villain (I could have watched a decent movie it it weren’t for you meddling kids).
> 
> I enjoyed the first two Godzilla movies and even thought Skull Island wasn’t too bad. This was easily the worst so far in this reboot. It was so stupid in places that it reminded me of a Transformers movie. Great fight sequences though, and I suppose mindless monster mayhem is  about all one watches a movie like this for.




I really enjoyed Skull Island, primarily because I really liked the movie apocalypse Now, which this is so inspired by. The music, the visuals; ok the story isn't up top much , but it's definitely an experience.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Last Blood*

Wow, what an incredibly violent film. Far moreso than any of the previous films in the franchise. And it's a real shame that the franchise ends on such a sour note. The first film was brilliant, and a damning indictment on the way war heroes are sometimes treated and their rehabilitation into normal society. Even the second film had a reason to exist with him getting some redemption by rescuing his fallen comrades.

It's a shame, because this last movie could have been much different and poignant, more in the mood of the first film in the series. Instead it's an over-the top violent action movie with no redeeming features and no real point to make.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> and the very laudable moral that when family of any sort comes together everyone benefits.



Personally I find that a very dubious moral message to send out as the solution to all ills given the vast number of child abuse cases, incest, and violence against women and older members of society that were kept hidden by the families concerned 'sticking together'.

And outwith the genetic family unit... "of any sort"? A lot of cults think of themselves as family.  Heaven's Gate, The Branch Davidians, The People's Temple...


----------



## Dave

It is better than most Disney offerings where the moral is for a poor girl to grow up and marry a Prince. 

Or, the very poor examples of family seen? Lion King, Snow White


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE BRIBE*_ (1949) NOIR ALLEY; Muller was not enthusiastic about this one, but, I having seen it before, thought it was o.k. . Vincent Price is the villain. How can it fail?   

So, naughty boys are selling ex-military aircraft engines along with scrap metal as cover for them. The place is a Caribbean island, whose only industry is fishing trips for rich guys. Big fish. So, they send  Rigby (Robert Taylor) to investigate; on the plane, he meets a very friendly Carwood devilish:Vincent Price) , who talks up a storm during the flight. Good supporting cast; I liked the film enough to see it twice. 



_*BLOCK-HEADS*_ (1938) L&H in WWI; commanding officer leaves L in the trench, telling him to stay until relieved. 20 years, later, some other guy convinces him that the war ended, etc. So, he is living in the old soldiers home, and his portrait is in the newspaper, where H sees it. H goes to see L, who has forsaken a park bench in favor of a wheelchair, but, to fit, he has to tuck his right leg under him. H, thinks he had lost his leg during the war. Classic L&H!


----------



## Parson

JunkMonkey said:


> Personally I find that a very dubious moral message to send out as the solution to all ills given the vast number of child abuse cases, incest, and violence against women and older members of society that were kept hidden by the families concerned 'sticking together'.
> 
> And outwith the genetic family unit... "of any sort"? A lot of cults think of themselves as family.  Heaven's Gate, The Branch Davidians, The People's Temple...


I believe that the "moral of a story" is a general truth and not an absolute one. There are always exceptions to the moral of a story, but that doesn't mean we should avoid a general truth because it is not absolute truth.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Super 8*
I remember seeing this a few years ago. Interesting. A bit like Stranger Things meets Stand By Me


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Walking Target* (1960)

Enjoyable low budget crime drama.  Our antihero gets out of prison after serving five years for robbery.  The cops know he's got the loot hidden somewhere, so they watch him like a hawk.  Newspaper reporters and photographers are also hounding him.  His old girlfriend uses her feminine wiles to try to find out where the cash is, because she's really fooling around with one of his old buddies, who is working for a crime boss who wants a big chunk of the dough.  Meanwhile, the antihero tries to track down the widow of his buddy who got shot by the cops not long after the heist, intent on giving her the dead man's share, not to mention the fact that he had a thing for her himself.  Notable for an extended flashback sequence, unusual in a cheap B picture like this.  The performances  are universally good, from a cast without any big names.  There's some sharp dialogue, and the film moves at a rapid pace.  Well worth a look.


----------



## Timebender

*Spree. *Really dug it. A little heavy-handed with its commentary at times but it's full of twists and turns and Joe Keery is excellent, per the norm.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Daughters of Satan *(1972)

A pre-Magnum Tom Selleck stars as an art dealer in the Philippines in this fairly typical witchcraft flick.  Starts with some cultists watching their high priestess torturing a woman.  This might be a scary scene, if it were not for the really goofy red-and-purple leotard the priestess is wearing.  The plot gets going when Selleck buys a lousy painting of three witches being burnt at the stake.  One looks exactly like his wife.  There's also a dog in the painting.  When it vanishes from the painting, it shows up for real.  One of the witches disappears from the painting, and her double shows up to be their housekeeper/cook.  By now you've figured out that Selleck is the descendent of a witch-burner, and that the whole thing is revenge-by-reincarnation story.  There's a double twist ending.  Take out the gratuitous nudity and some of the torture, and you've have a made-for-TV fright film.  Moves pretty slowly, and only comes to life when we get something nutty like the leotard-clad priestess or the shirtless mortician who takes glamour photos of bodies (and who has nothing to do with the plot.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Beyond Evil *(1980)

Unexciting supernatural shocker.  A couple move into a haunted house in the Philippines.   The witch who lived there tries to possess the body of the wife.  Deaths and poor special effects follow.  There's more to the plot, but not much worth saying about it.  Some scenes look they might have come out of a video game of the time (i.e. green laser-like lights coming out of the possessed woman's eyes.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> I believe that the "moral of a story" is a general truth and not an absolute one. There are always exceptions to the moral of a story, but that doesn't mean we should avoid a general truth because it is not absolute truth.



Maybe true but it's a distinction which will be lost on Disney's target child audience.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Guns Akimbo* - a part time internet Troll hunter played by Daniel Radcliffe goes all _Harry Shotter_ when he gets drawn into a deadly real life first person shooter. Handguns are nailed to his hands which results in several amusing practical problems. A fun, stylish high octane actioner that is as daft as it sounds.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Horizons West_ - a routine, by the numbers Western with Robert Ryan, Rock Hudson, and other well kent faces I can't put a name to, reciting dialogue they had probably delivered a hundred times before in a hundred near identical movies. Even at 85 minutes it felt very long. There was one moment though when the film lifted itself out of the purely routine. The town's folk have finally gotten fed up with nasty Robert Ryan character's megalomanic law-breaking empire-building which has culminated in the gunning down of the well loved mayor. The corrupt judge refuses to issue a warrant. Someone shouts, "What are we waiting for?" and everyone is marching up the street. A couple of citizens come out of a stables rope in hand. As the lynch mob marches towards the villain's office they pass three guys loading sacks onto a wagon outside a store.  Three black guys. The movie stops for a moment to frame these guys pause and watch the mob go past, and mutter something to each other - then it's back to the plot. For a moment the movie looked like it was making some social comment and being interesting. Just for a few seconds.


----------



## KGeo777

PLANET EARTH 1974 - Pilot for a Gene Roddenberry series which recycles ideas from Star Trek and they would turn up in later Roddenberry projects as well (like the lapel badge that is a communication device).
John Saxon is a Buck Rogers/Kirk--20th century man resurrected in the year 2133. He's head of a science team that explores the strange new worlds of Earth in the future, ten years from now. There's a character portrayed by Ted Cassidy which I think would become Worf in Star Trek the Next Generation. The doctor has the telepathic powers of Spock.

A mutant gang appears which reminds one of Mad Max.
But the plot focuses on a village where women control men with a drug and Saxon has to infiltrate it to find a missing crewman.
It's amusing, often unintentionally. It plays like a really really hokey episode of Star Trek.
The male slaves are called "dinks" which inspires many a laugh as they use it often: "you are a dink," "I am a dink," etc.
I  admire the actors for their ability to keep straight faces.



It lacks interesting visual design--the big set is the tunnel ship they use to travel around the planet  but it only looks cool from the outside.


----------



## Parson

Parson said:


> and the very laudable moral that when family of any sort comes together everyone benefits.





JunkMonkey said:


> Personally I find that a very dubious moral message to send out as the solution to all ills given the vast number of child abuse cases, incest, and violence against women and older members of society that were kept hidden by the families concerned 'sticking together'.



I note that you say "the solution to all ills," which I didn't mean to imply and is a very false conclusion. 

But I still think the family unit is the place where one is most likely to find indefatigable advocates, people willing to put their life on the line, and people who will give every penny they have to save one of their own. Are there exceptions? Absolutely yes. But I surely wouldn't want a kid's movie with the moral, "Don't trust anyone" or "Love is for suckers." etc. like all too many adult movies seem to imply.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Project Moonbase *(1953)

This modest little space movie started life as an episode of an unsold TV series, which explains why much of it looks so cheap.  Robert A. Heinlein is credited as co-writer, and some of that shows through in the finished product.  The "enemies of freedom" substitute a double for some kind of science type who is going to accompany a couple of astronauts on a trip to an orbiting space station, and then around the Moon to photograph the side hidden from Earth.  The double's mission is to destroy the space station, either by using the nuclear bombs aboard it (!) or by ramming the spaceship into it.  In command of the vessel is our heroine, Colonel Briteis, the first person to go into orbit.  (Everybody calls her "Bright Eyes," which sounds like a Heinleinism to me.)  This is the first hint of the movie's odd combination of feminism and misogyny.  The second hint is a comedy relief reporter named Polly Prattles (!) who is the butt of a lot of weightlessness jokes.  (She's on the large size, you see.)  There's a lot of bickering between the cute-as-a-button Bright Eyes and her manly co-pilot, but don't worry; they'll fall for each other by the end.  The spy's mission is foiled, and our happy couple has to make an emergency landing on the Moon.  Because they'll be together on the Moon for some time without a chaperone, they have to get married (!) and have the groom get a promotion, so he'll outrank his wife.  Our big twist ending is that the President of the United States is a woman.  I presume that Heinlein was responsible for some of the film's more interesting and plausible touches, such as the magnetic boots folks wear on the space station to get around, walking upside down to each other if they have to.  (PLEASE DO NOT WALK ON THE WALLS read the signs aboard the space station.)  Instead of typical spacesuits, the astronauts were shorts, t-shirts, and goofy-looking skullcaps.  Some of the special effects are really cheap, but some of the Moon stuff looks pretty decent for the time.  The love story is childish, and most of the rest of the plot is dreary.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Welcome to Blood City* (1977)



Science fiction/Western hybrid that manages to be interesting despite a low budget and a muddled plot.  Four men and a woman, all dressed in drab gray outfits, find themselves in the desert, with no memory of who they are or how they got there.  Each has a card stating that that he or she has killed a certain number of people.  (This is the first of many confusing details, as this never comes up again and has nothing to do with the plot.)  They wander until they get to an Western town, where the local lawman (Jack Palance) tells them the rules.  They can agree to work as slaves, and thus be safe from being killed, or they can take a big chance and wander off unarmed and try to kill a "citizen" in a fair fight, thus becoming a citizen as well.  The one woman gets locked up in the jail until the time of "the choosing," when the slaves will be auctioned off, to protect her from the lustful menfolk.  Our hero (Keir Dullea) manages to become a citizen when a shotgun appears out of nowhere as he's about to be gunned down, so he grabs it and kills his attacker.  How did that happen?  Well, we already know this whole thing is just a virtual reality simulation, and one of the folks monitoring it (Samantha Eggar) has taken an interest in him, so she's inserted herself into the simulation to help him.  The citizens wear black gunfighter outfits with red crosses on back and front.  There are also bodyguards who work for the citizens, as well as outlaws, dance hall girls, etc.  A citizen who wins twenty fights becomes "immortal" and is not allowed to be killed.  Much of the plot involves Dullea trying to prevent the woman from being sold to a guy, and Eggar interfering with what's going on.  It's some kind of project to find out who would be an effective military leader in some kind of future war.  The more I think about it, the less likely this seems, particularly given the way Eggar is allowed to mess around with the simulation as she likes.  Still, it held my interest.  Palance gives an interesting performance.


----------



## Chris 1978

*Cowboy Bebop The Movie*

Japanese animated film adapted from the classic anime series of the same name, takes place somewhere between the 23rd and 24th episode of the 26 episode animated show. The Cowboy Bebop is a spaceship and the story centres around its rag tag group of inhabitants namely, Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Eine (the dog) they are a crew of bounty hunters thrown together mostly through events throughout the series. The movie felt like an episode that had been stretched into a full length film. I didn't enjoy it half as much as the series which I absolutely loved. I would reccomend to anyone thinking about watching this not to, just watch the series instead. It's on youtube.

If you enjoy Cowboy Bebop, try Samurai Champloo next. They are by the same producer and both fantastic examples of the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lovers and Lollipops *(1956)

Early example of New Wave/naturalism/_cinema veritie_/minimalism/whatever.  In other words, stuff like handheld cameras, location shooting, improvised dialogue, non-professional actors, etc.  The story is simple enough, dealing with the relationships among a widow, her new boyfriend, and her young daughter.  The kid's behavior, neither too good nor too bratty, seems very real.  Unfortunately, the music on the soundtrack is often intrusive, and the film works best when there isn't any.  I imagine many people would consider this the most boring thing ever seen, but I thought it was a pleasant enough slice of life.  If nothing else, it's a love letter to New York City of the time.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Warriors* [1979]
The plot is simple...
Nine gang members are caught a long way behind enemy lines when all the gangs in the city are after them. 
Will any of them get home alive and before dawn?
I can see why this film made people nervous but after forty years, things have moved on. 
Now it feels more like a fable or modern-day [ish] saga.
It isn't very violent by today's standards, but the repeatedly used epithets and attitudes towards women are of their time and might offend some. But this goes along with the characters in the story. These are not nice polite children, These are the fabled Warriors of CI!
It explicitly states that the tale is based in ancient Greek history [Anabasis by Xenophon], where legend and reality are sometimes the same things. This is made more so by the use of comic style intertitles to link the plot together. While it looks like cinéma vérité, it isn't. It is highly stylised. A hint of what high concept films of the eighties might be.
This version was Walter Hill's definitive cut of the film.
In the mid-80s I remember seeing another version of this film in a cinema late one night and then having to walk home down what seemed very dark dangerous streets of SW London. It might not have been 30 miles to Coney Island but the twenty-minute walk seemed to last forever.


----------



## Rodders

I think Warriors would do well with a remake.


----------



## Randy M.

*Freaky* (2020) dir. Christopher Landon; starring Vince Vaughn, Katheryne Newton, Celeste O'Connor

I wanted to like this one, a comedy slasher movie playing off _Freaky Friday_, in which the Butcher (Vaughn) swaps bodies with Millie (Newton). And I do like it with fairly large reservations, the main one being that the trailers and advertising I saw focused on the comedy and didn't really prepare the audience for the grossness of the slasher side of the movie. 

_Freaky_ pays homage to various slasher movie scenes/ideas (or lack of them)/tropes, a reasonably subtle nod to _Halloween_, a less subtle nod to _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_, and opens with a nod to _Scream_, going a bit over-the-top with establishing the Butcher as real, not just local legend, and a killing machine. This also establishes that the family he comes in contact with later is in danger.

What mitigates the bait'n'switch advertising somewhat is that Vince Vaughn seems to be having fun, and for some reason Vince Vaughn enjoying his role is enjoyable to watch. Also, Katheryne Newton. Newton may be one of the hottest young stars around after appearing in _Big Little Lies_, _Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri_, and _Blockers_; I remember her from a recurring role in _Supernatural_, and she was always enjoyable in that. She's credible as Millie, the youngest daughter of a widowed mother, and plays shy and passive without overdoing it. When she takes on the killer spirit Vaughn showed, she's also credible as a ruthless, homicidal maniac who is also sly and very willing to take advantage of his new situation. She takes over the screen when she's on it, no easy feat going against Vaughn.

So, if you don't mind a few gory scenes, it's worth a watch, especially if you like seeing the "final girl" trope played on. If you don't like gory slasher movies, scenes in this may appall you, and especially if you're a fan of Alan Ruck. Poor Alan, this is a long way away from _Farris Buehler's Day Off._


----------



## Toby Frost

_The Call of Cthulhu _by the HP Lovecraft Historical Society. This is a pretty modern short film made in mock-1920s style (black and white, with title cards) by enthusiastic amateurs. It's really good, especially given the tiny budget.


----------



## KGeo777

_The Call of Cthulhu _I saw years ago but it leaves an impression. One of the better fan film projects out there.

The Baseball Furies_ in the Warriors _also leave an impression. Someone said that one Halloween he and friends dressed up as them and ran through a park.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*All the Colors of the Dark *(_Tutti i colori del buio_, 1972)

Ever wonder what *Rosemary's Baby *might have been like if it had been a _giallo_?  This Spanish/Italian coproduction goes a long way to answering that question.  After a lovely title sequence, which just shows a scene of nature as the sun goes down, we get a truly surreal dream sequence.  It seems our long-suffering protagonist is suffering from recurring nightmares.  That's hardly surprising, given the fact that her mother was murdered when she was a child, and she recently suffered a miscarriage after an automobile accident.  The fellow to whom she is all but married gives her vitamins in an attempt to cure her.  (These are dissolving tablets that turn the water bright blue.  Visually interesting, but not relevant to the plot.)  Her sister takes her to the kindly psychiatrist for whom she works.  A new neighbor has a more extreme suggestion; take part in a Black Mass.  As this involves drinking the blood of a freshly killed dog, then participating in an orgy, you wouldn't think this would be the most psychological healthy form of therapy, but it seems to help.  Meanwhile, the killer with unnaturally pale blue eyes with white streaks (obviously contact lenses, but, again, visually impressive) whom she sees in her nightmares stalks her in real life.  When she passively takes part in the killing of a cult member, things get way out of control.  The film creates a constant sense of paranoia, and if the plot doesn't always make sense, that's par for the genre.  Recommended for fans of Euroshockers.


----------



## KGeo777

Oh yeah I have seen that giallo. One I really like for paranoid cult aspects was* Short Night of the Glass Dolls*. They sure had inventive names.

I re-watched a Poliziotteschi that I liked a lot.* THE BIG RACKET* 1976 - A cop faces an epidemic of crime which causes him to lose his job so he forms a vigilante team comprised of those harmed by the same criminals. They include a mob hit man, vengeful skeet shooter, and a nighclub owner with a steel neck brace that renders him bulletproof!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lightning Bolt *(_Operazione Goldman_, 1966)

Eurospy flick that's more blatant a Bond imitation than some, from the title, in either language (*Thunderball* and *Goldfinger* allusions) to the plot.  Our laid-back pseudo-007 narrates much of the film, so you can tell what's going on.  It seems somebody is altering the trajectory of American rockets, so they have to be blown up, at two million bucks each.  Somehow the rocket folks detect radiation from "the bottom of the sea" (which isn't very far down at all) so they send Science Guy and a diver in a small boat to check it out, which seems like a pretty cheap way to go about it.  A spherical gizmo underwater grabs the diver with its metal claws, blows up the boat, and somehow the bad guys capture Science Guy.    The boringly named Federal Security Investigation Commission sends their best agents.  Unexpectedly, the leader is a woman.  Predictably, they call her "Agent 36-22-36."  Her underling is our movie's hero, and does most of the spy stuff.  His gimmick is that the government gave him unlimited funds to pretend to be a millionaire playboy while on the case.  Cue the usual fights, captures and escapes, etc.  It all leads up to the big battle with the minions of the evil madman in his underwater headquarters.  I never figured out why one of the Bad Girls uses a pistol that shoots acid instead of bullets.  It's pretty typical stuff.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Lightning Bolt *(_Operazione Goldman_, 1966)
> 
> Eurospy flick that's more blatant a Bond imitation than some, from the title, in either language (*Thunderball* and *Goldfinger* allusions) to the plot.


Could also be called BEERFINGER given the villain's occupation.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Could also be called BEERFINGER given the villain's occupation.


I'm now trying to imagine the Shirley Bassey theme song ...


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> I'm now trying to imagine the Shirley Bassey theme song ...


lol yeah I did too.
It's a funny surprise when you see the villain for real because of the beer ads that feature in the story as background imagery.


----------



## kythe

Venusian Broon said:


> Well I sat done and watched *Breaking Dawn part 2* last night - and although I have to admit it was miles better than part 1...I have to ask the question. Is how the film ended, the same way the books end?
> 
> Because I thought it was a massive cop out and really very unsatisfying. Especially the climatic 'battle'.


I know I'm quoting this post from years ago...

I had seen the first couple of Twilight movies years ago and read the first book, when the series was popular and creating quite a stir.  I found it a mixed bag.  Bella and Edward were the most boring characters in the entire story, but all of the support characters had interesting backstories and personalities.  I like the world of Twilight, but would have found it better if told from a different character's perspective.

Recently the Twilight series was added to Netflix, so I watched all 4 movies for the first time.  I also found the ending a real let-down.  This story remains primarily a romance between two people who do nothing with their lives except stare at each other and frolic in the flowers. 

In the 4th movie, they gather all these interesting vampires with various relationships, rivalries, and roles in history.  It had potential for greater conflict between them as they form a group larger than any vampires have for centuries.  What do they do - compete for a somewhat limited "food" supply?  Re-ignite old quarrels?  Risk detection from humans with their unusual activities?  No.  They sit around a campfire (maybe they temporarily forgot that fire is the only thing that permanently kills a vampire) swapping old war stories.  Really. 

The final "battle" would have actually been a satisfying ending for some of the side characters with long histories between them, even with losses on both sides.  But we don't get that.  This story doesn't take risks.  We get more romance between Edward and Bella who live happily ever after, for all eternity.

Maybe I should just write my own vampire story.


----------



## Guttersnipe

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). It was funnier than what I remembered.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Eyes of Fire *(1983)

Unique historical fantasy horror film.  In colonial America in 1750, a French soldier questions some English and Irish children who are hundreds of miles away from their territory.  In flashback, we get their weird story.  There's a preacher living with several women as well as their children and some other followers of his cult.  There's also the rather feral daughter of a woman burned for witchcraft who has supernatural powers of her own.   The locals try to string him up for adultery and polygamy, but with a little magical help from the daughter he and his followers get away with supplies and a raft.  They drift down to Shawnee territory, and find a valley where the Indians refuse to go.  (This is marked by a tree covered with white feathers, one of the film's many striking images.)  They find some abandoned cabins, left by vanished French settlers, and move in.  Then a whole lot of bizarre, spooky things happen.  Bones fall out of the sky.  Naked people covered with gray mud appear and vanish.  Trees have faces growing out of them.  The movie is beautifully filmed on a modest budget.  The historical stuff is absolutely convincing and realistic, in sharp contrast to the surreal supernatural stuff.  I could quibble that some of the special effects are out of place -- solarizing the film during odd happenings doesn't work very well -- but, for the most part, I found it compelling.  Recommended.


----------



## KGeo777

I watched LIGHTNING BOLT myself. I wanted to revisit Beerfinger.
I forgot that was an Antonio Margheriti film. He was very good at combining miniatures into scenes where they would expand the budget lok of the film.
The car scene used a fair bit of miniatures.
Those stock footage rocket crashes are disturbing to watch.
I sure wouldnt want to be under one of those malfunctions.

"I didn't like your beer either."


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cannibal Girls *(1973)

From the director of *Ghostbusters *comes this low budget Canadian shocker.  (No attempt at all is made to disguise the fact that the setting is Canada, unlike many north-of-the-border exploitation films.  And there's also a bunch of snow.)  Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin star as a couple newly arrived in a small town.  (Their presence creates the unavoidable feeling that this is an extended SCTV sketch.)  They hear the legend about the Cannibal Girls from the manager of the local motel.  It's what you expect; three foxy chicks seduce, murder, and devour three guys.  The house where this took place is now a restaurant (!) run by a "reverend" in a top hat who comes across as a TV Horror Host.  (Shades of Monster Chiller Horror Theater.)  There are no surprises at all in the plot, so it's obvious that the whole town is in on the thing, and the "reverend" is in charge of the Cannibal Girls.  There's also an Igor-like character around to haul off bodies, chop them up, etc.  About one hour into the film, we find out that a lot of what has already happened was just a dream, but that doesn't change the story at all.  The camera generally cuts away from the killings, but there's plenty of blood and red meat.  The three Cannibal Girls supply the requisite nudity.  Not a good movie, but there's a certain charm to seeing Levy and Martin working together with mostly improvised dialogue.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Synanon *(1965)

Fictional drama set at the drug rehabilitation organization named in the title.  Actually filmed there, too.  The cast would make you think that drug addicts, current or reformed,  are either tough guys (Alex North, Chuck Conners, Richard Conte) or glamorous women (Stella Stevens, Eartha Kitt.)  The plot mostly deals with newcomer North, the guy he used to be in prison with and who he has a grudge with (Conners) and his romance with Stevens.  I'll give the movie credit for avoiding a happy ending and for dealing pretty frankly, for 1965, with its sexual themes.  (North and Stevens sneak off to have sex, and both women were prostitutes.)  Edmond O'Brien plays the role of the real-life leader of Synanon, who uses "tough love" on the addicts, like shaving their heads if they break the rules.  What makes this whole thing creepy, of course, is the fact that Synanon would soon degenerate into a violent lunatic cult.  Adding to the uncomfortable feeling you get watching this film is the fact that a small part is played by Jay Sebring, one of the victims of the Manson murders.


----------



## Fiberglass Cyborg

*The New Mutants *(2020)

Like the last two X-Men films, this was critically panned. Like the last two X-Men films, I enjoyed it a lot once I finally saw it. I should just stop reading reviews. It's very different from the source material (Rahne Sinclair is the only character with the same backstory, for instance) but I felt the Y.A.-horror take on superheroes was both interesting and moving.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Black Dynamite *- a loving and very funny recreation/homage/parody of the 70s Blaxploitation movies which is a lot funnier than I remembered - _possibly_ because I've seen more Blaxploitation films since I first saw it and I get more of the jokes?  Could be!


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Matrix Reloaded* - First time re-watching since it was first released.  Apart from my general distaste for wire fu, I have to say the action sequences and scene transitions are so well directed. I'm less impressed by the anime homages and the bullet time sequences, but the editing is breathtakingly kinetic. It's nowhere near as good as the first Matrix, but not the let down I thought at the time. They do a fantastic job of bringing a comic book sensibility to the big screen, and I wonder why they've never been offered a Marvel movie. 

I still think their technical high point was speed racer, though.


----------



## VegetalCrossing

> Based on a Stephen King story though he's uncredited. Having read the story I can report that the film bears no resemblance to it other than the title. Maybe Mr King declined to be credited.


I think he sued the studios for this. An his name was withdraw.


----------



## KGeo777

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER 1973 - Although it looks great in HD, every time I watch this it is like seeing it for the first time because I forget most of it. I remembered "Beerfinger" after one watch-how come this movie slips the memory after 2-3 watches?
I think it is because other that Eastwood, none of the characters really click. There's something anonymous about them and not even the bad guys leave much of an impression.
Same situation with Pale Rider.
It wasn't the same with Firefox, another Eastwood-directed movie, but that was because Freddie Jones was chewing the scenery in the British secret service offices and the Soviet brass were doing the same in theirs.

Was Eastwood a ghost or the brother of the slain lawman?
I don't think the ghost explanation works too well.


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER 1973 - Although it looks great in HD, every time I watch this it is like seeing it for the first time because I forget most of it. I remembered "Beerfinger" after one watch-how come this movie slips the memory after 2-3 watches?
> I think it is because other that Eastwood, none of the characters really click. There's something anonymous about them and not even the bad guys leave much of an impression.
> Same situation with Pale Rider.
> It wasn't the same with Firefox, another Eastwood-directed movie, but that was because Freddie Jones was chewing the scenery in the British secret service offices and the Soviet brass were doing the same in theirs.
> 
> Was Eastwood a ghost or the brother of the slain lawman?
> I don't think the ghost explanation works too well.


Wasn't Pale Rider pretty much the same film, with a different colour scheme?


----------



## KGeo777

hitmouse said:


> Wasn't Pale Rider pretty much the same film, with a different colour scheme?


Yeah, it was similar from my vague memories of it.

"In an audio interview, Clint Eastwood said that his character Preacher "is an out-and-out ghost."[6] However, whereas Eastwood's 1973 western, High Plains Drifter, resolves its storyline by means of a series of unfolding flashback narratives (although ambiguity still remains), Pale Rider does not include any such obvious clues to the nature and past of the Preacher other than six bullet wound scars on his back and his relationship with Stockburn, who claims he once knew a man like the Preacher. Viewers are left to draw their own conclusions regarding the overall story line and its meaning."


----------



## Randy M.

_*The Stunt Man*_ (1980) dir. Richard Rush; starring Peter O'Toole, Barbara Hershey, Steve Railsback

If John Huston and Philip K. Dick had collaborated on a script during a time in which Dick was fairly happy on his meds ...

Well, sort of.

For reasons unknown until near the end, Cameron (Railsback) is on the run from the law when he stumbles into a crew of film-makers headed by the director, Eli (O'Toole). Eli has three days to finish filming his WWI epic before the local sheriff boots him out of the county for all the trouble the filming has caused, and his main stunt man, Burt, died doing a stunt. Eli adopts Cameron and talks him into taking Burt's place, and the new Burt hesitantly goes along partly to hide but mostly because he's smitten by Nina, the leading lady (Hershey). 

I like Railsback as an actor and think he could have had a stronger career if not at least partially typecast in his breakout role of Charles Manson in _Helter Skelter_. His actor's palette includes a decent portion of  vulnerability, but is particularly well stocked with fear, rage, paranoia and a sly, feral intelligence, all of which are displayed here, along with a fair amount of physical dexterity. 

Hershey at this time had something of a wild child aura after her early '70s Barbara Seagull period and a fairly long partnership with David Carradine. And it works toward effect here, as Nina is driven to make films by her friendship with her idol, Eli, and comes across as rather flighty but sincere. But how much of that is acting? 

This movie marked a bit of a comeback for O'Toole. My impression is that, after owning the '60s, the '70s weren't as strong for him. And you needed good actors to stand up to him. Eli is bigger than life and his finger is on the pulse not just of the movie but of every member of his crew, most of whom seem devoted to him, if occasionally skeptical of his intuition and aims. Eli seems to know everything that happens on his set, is aware of what everyone is thinking, even, and senses when change is needed and actors or crew need a nudge in a certain direction; he is not averse to manipulation, withholding information or goading. 

The moral of the movie? I wonder if there's an allegorical underpinning here. We're all scripted and there may be some wiggle room for our actions, but don't expect to change the script's ultimate outcome and don't think you already know what that outcome is. Also, maybe, don't expect fair compensation for good work.


----------



## Droflet

I liked this movie. It had, amongst other things going for it, a terrific musical score. I recall that on the first day, O'Toole fronted Rush in his wardrobe for the character of Eli. It was identical to what Rush wore, down to the light meter dangling from his neck. It gave me, and undoubtedly Rush, a bit of a chuckle. BTW Randy, great review.


----------



## Randy M.

Droflet said:


> I liked this movie. It had, amongst other things going for it, a terrific musical score. I recall that on the first day, O'Toole fronted Rush in his wardrobe for the character of Eli. It was identical to what Rush wore, down to the light meter dangling from his neck. It gave me, and undoubtedly Rush, a bit of a chuckle. BTW Randy, great review.


Thanks. It's the first time I've seen the movie since the early '80s -- can't recall if I saw it at the theater or later on HBO -- and I was happy to see it held up pretty well.


----------



## KGeo777

I like Railsback too--he was mesmerizing as Manson. I wasn't a fan of the Stunt Man. As much as enjoy his Lifeforce performance, especially his kissing scene with Patrick Stewart, I feel he was miscast in that as the astronaut lead. He's too short for the space program.

 O'Toole does nothing for me. He's kind of an eccentric UK  Jimmy Stewart. I struggle to think of a movie I like him in. He did a number of films about troubled characters-(Lawrence, Lord Jim)-I'd rather watch a Michael Caine film.

But last night it was TONY ROME--a 1967 Frank Sinatra detective movie. I am not a Sinatra fan but he's pretty good in this role--it's very Sam Spade-like. Lots of snappy dialogue. "When you've been arrested as many times as me it's the same as  going to law school."


----------



## Dave

Randy M. said:


> _*The Stunt Man*_


I've also seen that film. I recognised it from your description, but I wasn't aware of the P K Dick connection before.


----------



## Randy M.

Dave said:


> I've also seen that film. I recognised it from your description, but I wasn't aware of the P K Dick connection before.


There wasn't. I was just 'supposin' that if you matched him with John Huston you might get something like that movie.


----------



## Dave

Sorry, I missed the crucial "if" in your first sentence.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> PLANET EARTH 1974 - Pilot for a Gene Roddenberry series which recycles ideas from Star Trek and they would turn up in later Roddenberry projects as well (like the lapel badge that is a communication device).
> John Saxon is a Buck Rogers/Kirk--20th century man resurrected in the year 2133. He's head of a science team that explores the strange new worlds of Earth in the future, ten years from now. There's a character portrayed by Ted Cassidy which I think would become Worf in Star Trek the Next Generation. The doctor has the telepathic powers of Spock.
> 
> A mutant gang appears which reminds one of Mad Max.
> But the plot focuses on a village where women control men with a drug and Saxon has to infiltrate it to find a missing crewman.
> It's amusing, often unintentionally. It plays like a really really hokey episode of Star Trek.
> The male slaves are called "dinks" which inspires many a laugh as they use it often: "you are a dink," "I am a dink," etc.
> I  admire the actors for their ability to keep straight faces.
> 
> 
> 
> It lacks interesting visual design--the big set is the tunnel ship they use to travel around the planet  but it only looks cool from the outside.


I remember that film, & one other, *Genesis II,* whose plot was so similar that I thought the two were one film.


----------



## Jeffbert

*The Warriors* [1979]


CupofJoe said:


> The plot is simple...
> Nine gang members are caught a long way behind enemy lines when all the gangs in the city are after them.
> Will any of them get home alive and before dawn?
> I can see why this film made people nervous but after forty years, things have moved on.
> Now it feels more like a fable or modern-day [ish] saga.
> It isn't very violent by today's standards, but the repeatedly used epithets and attitudes towards women are of their time and might offend some. But this goes along with the characters in the story. These are not nice polite children, These are the fabled Warriors of CI!
> It explicitly states that the tale is based in ancient Greek history [Anabasis by Xenophon], where legend and reality are sometimes the same things. This is made more so by the use of comic style intertitles to link the plot together. While it looks like cinéma vérité, it isn't. It is highly stylised. A hint of what high concept films of the eighties might be.
> This version was Walter Hill's definitive cut of the film.
> In the mid-80s I remember seeing another version of this film in a cinema late one night and then having to walk home down what seemed very dark dangerous streets of SW London. It might not have been 30 miles to Coney Island but the twenty-minute walk seemed to last forever.


I loved that Simpsons parody of the guy clinking the bottles together!
"Warriors, oh, Warriors, won't you come out to play?"   


*CAUSE FOR ALARM!* (1951) NOIR ALLEY. The wife Ellen (Loretta Young) of a sickly & bedridden ex-Army Air Force flyer George Z. Jones (Barry Sullivan) too late realizes that her husband believes that she & his physician friend are attempting to murder him. Just that morning, he had written a damning letter of accusation to the district attorney, which she, ignorant of its contents, had given to the mailman. When she knows this, she goes all-out in an attempt to recover the letter. Talk about stress!

Do not want to spoil this one, as it is tense!


----------



## AllanR

Apparently *The Warriors* had a problem, it was popular among real gangs. They would come to a show, see each other and start fights.

Great movie to, I think it holds fairly well over time.


----------



## KGeo777

And wasn't the guy who shoots Cyrus  "Sully" from COMMANDO? He was a funny guy so Matrix was going to kill him last.

Remember when he said he was going to kill him last?

He lied.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Just got home from the cinema. I saw Pig, starring Nicolas Cage. It was a wistful film about an ex-chef whose truffle-hunting pig gets stolen and who contends with a cut-throat society of high-class chefs. I would've enjoyed it more hadn't I been so tired.


----------



## AllanR

Rewatched: The Mystery of Rampo (1994) The setting is late 1920s Japan. A writer has his latest work censored before publication. As he burns his manuscript his publisher shows him the newspaper with a story mirroring the one he's burning.


----------



## KGeo777

I watched an obscurity on YouTube called SORORITY KILL, a 1974 shot on video tv-movie. Stars Nicholas Hammond, Joanna Cameron, Tony Geary as a psycho, and Larry Wilcox. As I watched, I began to feel as if the tv Spiderman, Isis, and Jon (from CHiPs) were trapped in an episode of Marry Hartman, Mary Hartman.

It felt more like a rehearsal of the stage play with bromides about class and rebellious youth.

ESCAPE TO VICTORY 1981  A favorite of mine. It is silly in a way but I think it is well-made. It's a funny thing--in Canada, professional soccer is unknown. No one watches it, talks about it. Hockey is still the most popular spectator sport--however, as kids, we played soccer more than anything else. One time these kids form Libya came to the school and one of them was so good he could kick a ball from one end of the field to the goal net at the other end! But professional soccer never caught on here--however, this movie was much talked about in the school yard.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Soylent Green*

Haven't watched this movie, for many, many years. The only thing I remembered about it was the ending (which is amongst the most memorable), but what I had forgotten was that it starts off as a murder mystery set in a dystopian world (2022in actual fact). It's a great movie, and a fitting epitaph for Edward G Robinson, who once again proves what a fine actor he is in his final movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I watched an obscurity on YouTube called SORORITY KILL, a 1974 shot on video tv-movie. Stars Nicholas Hammond, Joanna Cameron, Tony Geary as a psycho, and Larry Wilcox. As I watched, I began to feel as if the tv Spiderman, Isis, and Jon (from CHiPs) were trapped in an episode of Marry Hartman, Mary Hartman.



Someone else has heard of _Mary Hartman Mary Hartman!_  I am not alone!


----------



## hitmouse

paranoid marvin said:


> *Soylent Green*
> 
> Haven't watched this movie, for many, many years. The only thing I remembered about it was the ending (which is amongst the most memorable), but what I had forgotten was that it starts off as a murder mystery set in a dystopian world (2022in actual fact). It's a great movie, and a fitting epitaph for Edward G Robinson, who once again proves what a fine actor he is in his final movie.


I reckon the look of the 2000AD character Robohunter is modelled on Charlton Heston’s character in Soylent Green.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DRAGONWYCK* (1946) A landowner Nicholas van Ryn (Vincent Price) has no son to inherit his wealth, etc. So, he tricks a young cousin Miranda Wells (Gene Tierney) into moving in, supposedly, to care for his daughter, but he has another purpose, as he intends to eliminate his now barren wife, & marry Her, hoping she can deliver the son he wants.  This is the plot, though unknown to the viewer until nearly the 1/2 way point.



_*FISTFUL OF DOLLARS*_ (1964) TCM ran both this & _*For a Few Dollars More* _a few nights ago. Ben M. noted the similarity to Kurosawa's *Yojimbo*, etc. which brought up memories of an Eastwood documentary that showed clips from both. If I could be any character from movies, this guy is my #1 choice. The man with no name. Yojimbo is #2. I was sorely disappointed to learn that fanning a pistol just does not work well, because it is soooo cool!  

What can I say about this film, that has not already been said?


----------



## Extollager

Howard Hawks's *The Big Sleep*, the theatrical version with the World War II references -- the gas rationing card on Marlowe's dashborad, the FDR portraits in the background, the references to "red points."


----------



## Droflet

The cat in the foreground? Hmm, just a little extra to the review.


----------



## Jim Frost

Not a movie, but I have been watching a Netflix series called Cursed, and also The Mandalorian.


----------



## Droflet

Hey Jim, welcome aboard. Why not tell us a bit about yourself on the introductions thread. Don't worry, we don't bite. Well, almost never.


----------



## Guttersnipe

For the first time:
Shazam! (2019)--finally 

Again:
Us (2019)
It Follows (2014) (commentary on)


----------



## Jeffbert

_*VERTIGO*_ (1958)  Ben M., in his intro noted that this film had advanced in the ranks to the #1 spot, displacing Citizen Kane. What matters to me, is that it is very good, in fact, great. !st time I saw it, a crucial detail eluded me; not this time!



_*HELPING HANDS*_ (1941) Spanky & Our Gang helping with the war effort. Cute.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Evil Brain From Outer Space * 1964 - an utterly bewildering short (78 minute) film edited down from three other films with a total running time of 159 minutes (according, that is, to my friend Mr Wikipedia).  Fever dream stuff.  It's full of characters who appear from nowhere, disappear from the story without having done anything, and are then replaced by near-identical characters who don't do anything either while delivering lines like: "The suitcase contained nothing of importance... just a diseased guinea pig."  They might have been able to retain some semblance of a story if they had cut out more of the establishing stuff - one sequence near the end a shows yet another a voice-over introduced ("Who the hell is THIS?!) character arriving to deliver something.  It takes several shots of him walking through trees, walking up a garden path, ringing a doorbell, entering a laboratory before he hands over some documents to yet another ("Who the hell is THIS?!)   character we've never met before who says he doesn't need them.  Well that was a pointless minute of screen time.  Somewhere else in the film our hero infiltrates the villains' lair in a jump cut.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks for the warning, JM.


----------



## CupofJoe

Maybe they threw the wrong half of the films away? And we will never get to see the taut action-packed *Evil Brain From Outer Space*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Doomsday Machine* another of those films (like _Plan 9 From Outer Space_) which makes you feel like it's 3 am - whatever time of day you watch it.  Another timeless classic of incoherence in the Mill Creek 50 movie Nightmare Worlds  collection box set I just rediscovered on the shelves behind the television. (Sandwiched between a 19 movie Russ Meyer DVD box set and the first season of the _Muppets_ on VHS).
_Doomsday Machine_ started filming in 1967... then the producers ran out of money.  It took them another five years to scape up a few shekels to finish the job - by which time none of the original actors were available.  Luckily they seem to have been shooting in sequence so the central section of the film kind of makes narrative sense.  Two of the actors they couldn't get back were playing characters wearing space suits when shooting had to stop.    This gave the new director a way of cobbling together an ending. A couple of people (they may have been actors) were made to to wear almost matching space suits, stand around in a very dark interior and flip switches while wearing firmly closed, face-coving space helmets.  This footage, this very long boring dark and uninteresting footage,  was intercut with a few bits of film of the other characters.  Voice mismatches both ways were disguised by radio 'distortion' from spacesuit radios.  Then, having run out of ways to stretch what they had out to a decent running time, and seeing no other way out of having to actually shoot something interesting to end the film,  a sudden out-of-nowhere Godlike Voice Over Character  announces that one of the sets of characters has ceased to exist!  and the others are about to go on a voyage of discovery into the unknown....   hold freeze-frame of badly-painted star-field with planets for as long as is humanly possible before people start screaming then End Title credit.  After that it was go back through the film adding a random  selection of bits of cheap stock footage of spaceships from Soviet Block SF films of the 1960s and at least one Al Adamson flick. 

Life lessons to be learned from this movie:  Never attempt to sexually molest someone in a badly-designed airlock:


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> *Evil Brain From Outer Space * 1964 - an utterly bewildering short (78 minute) film edited down from three other films with a total running time of 159 minutes (according, that is, to my friend Mr Wikipedia).  Fever dream stuff.  It's full of characters who appear from nowhere, disappear from the story without having done anything, and are then replaced by near-identical characters who don't do anything either while delivering lines like: "The suitcase contained nothing of importance... just a diseased guinea pig."  They might have been able to retain some semblance of a story if they had cut out more of the establishing stuff - one sequence near the end a shows yet another a voice-over introduced ("Who the hell is THIS?!) character arriving to deliver something.  It takes several shots of him walking through trees, walking up a garden path, ringing a doorbell, entering a laboratory before he hands over some documents to yet another ("Who the hell is THIS?!)   character we've never met before who says he doesn't need them.  Well that was a pointless minute of screen time.  Somewhere else in the film our hero infiltrates the villains' lair in a jump cut.


I am sure I have seen this travesty!    It cobbled together several other films, including STARMAN. 



*PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE* (1957) A few months ago, I said that I had seen the "PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE table read", which was amusing in its own way. This was shown immediately after that (on TCM), but I knew I needed a few weeks at the least, before I could enjoy it.  What to say about it? It is for certain people, but not most. 


*JAMBOREE!* (1957) tells of a boy-girl duet each of whose mangers decide to try the solo act; but when the girl finds the boy has shut her out, she goes on a solo act of her own. The boy realizes his manager had manipulated him, and really loves the girl, desperately tries to regain her trust, etc. 

Anyway, I, having been an oldies fan for years, never head of many of the performers on this film. The wiki page has most of the cast listed as himself or herself, but other than Dick Clark, Alan Freed, Fats Domino, & Jerry Lee Lewis, most of the others (there are at least 20) are unfamiliar to me.  Some of the songs, maybe most were just boring! Such low tempos; they call that rock & roll?



*DON'T KNOCK THE ROCK* (1956) Way back in the days when rock & roll had a bad reputation among parents, this film depicted that situation. Nice to see the original guys in the original style performances, even if the plot was boring.  Still, one group was unknown to me; far fewer than the above film, but music more familiar, etc.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

AllanR said:


> Rewatched: The Mystery of Rampo (1994) The setting is late 1920s Japan. A writer has his latest work censored before publication. As he burns his manuscript his publisher shows him the newspaper with a story mirroring the one he's burning.



Is that about Edogawa Rampo?


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Carry on at your convenience *- erm...


----------



## AllanR

It is (though fictionalized)


Mon0Zer0 said:


> Is that about Edogawa Rampo?


----------



## Guttersnipe

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). I've got to say, it really didn't impress me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*2001: A Space Odyssey* - for the umpteenth time.  Still incredibly impressive and wonderful.


----------



## alexvss

*Mulholland Drive*. A David Lynch movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> *Mulholland Drive*. A David Lynch movie.



His best, in my opinion.


----------



## alexvss

JunkMonkey said:


> His best, in my opinion.


I only watched this one and *Dune*. I've seen Youtube videos about Eraserhead, *Blue Velvet* is pretty famous among cinephiles, and many people talk about The Elephant Man being the saddest thing they ever saw, but I haven't watched them myself.

Fun Fact: Mulholland Drive has been titled "City of Dreams" in Brazil. Interesting.


----------



## CupofJoe

Watch *The Straight Story* for what else David Lynch can do. I think it is his best if most normal film.


----------



## Droflet

Normal??? David Lynch??? I will check it out, Joe.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Elephant Man_ is probably the only Lynch film I haven't seen.   I'd suggest leaving _Eraserhead _till you've had kids if you haven't already.  I watched it three times and just didn't 'get ' it.  Watched it again after my first child was born and realised it was a comedy.  Watched it a few years later with said child when she was 18 or so and she was terrified.  This kid happily watches gory zombie movies that turn my stomach but was genuinely terrified by _Eraserhead_.

Tonight I watched _Dead of Night_ with daughter number two who has never seen any horror movies (or really shown any desire to) and she loved it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS* (1951) A plastic manufacturing plant is behind the times, and is on the verge of bankruptcy. In a desperate attempt to stay afloat, the owner begins installing new equipment that will reduce the labor force by half. Brad Adams (Lloyd Bridges) is the union leader, and upon the death of the owner etc., he becomes the new white collar guy. Bill Street (Ernest Borgnine; whose name was in the credits, but difficult to spot!) becomes the new union leader. Difficulties ensue, the union hates the new boss, etc. Interesting view of the modernization process. 

supporting cast includes Arthur O'Connell (AKA the CREST toothpaste guy).


----------



## REBerg

*The Suicide Squad (2021)*
Super heroes just the way I like them -- anti.
I enjoyed _Suicide Squad_, but loved _The Suicide Squad_. Sylvester Stallone makes an excellent King Shark.


----------



## Droflet

Thanks, REB. I was wondering about that movie. I'll check it out.


----------



## KGeo777

MANIAC 1980   I finally watched this film. For about 40 years I knew it featured Caroline Munro and that made me curious but after seeing it---well, ehh. I didn't care for it.  First time I heard her speaking in a movie with her actual voice.

It has that gritty early 80s New York atmosphere which is really ugly at times--but compared to a NIGHTHAWKS or MS. 45 it feels a lot cheaper and nastier.
I never cared for gore FX and I do not understand the fascination of watching a woman be scalped. It's a bit inconsistent since I watch a number of giallos or Blind Dead movies and they are not squeamish about showing women being mutilated-but I guess they do it with more style so that makes it ok?

I suppose even the Hammer films were delving into this--showing them being bitten by vampires and bloody necks. 
Joe Spinell is a good actor but this is like a version of a Vincent Price madman story on skid row.

As an exasperated Roddy McDowall says in Fright Night:  

* I have just been fired  because nobody wants to see vampire killers any more, or vampires either. Apparently all they want are demented madmen, running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins.

*


----------



## Rodders

I went to see Blade Runner (the Final Cut) and BR2049 double bill at the cinema last night and was really taken aback by how great both these movies are.


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> I went to see Blade Runner (the Final Cut) and BR2049 double bill at the cinema last night and was really taken aback by how great both these movies are.


That would be a great evening.


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> His best, in my opinion.



Yeah, I really like _Elephant Man_, _Blue Velvet_, and _Lost Highway_ but would give the nod to _Mulholland Drive_, too.



JunkMonkey said:


> _Elephant Man_ is probably the only Lynch film I haven't seen.



The presentation is almost "normal" but it's excellent - if there's something about it that puts you off there's nothing to say, of course, but if you just haven't gotten around to it, move it up in the Pile.


----------



## KGeo777

The Elephant Man is an example where they distort history to crank up the depressive. They make him out to be a total sad sap when in reality I read  he was apparently a local celebrity and people treated him much better than the movie suggests. He was making good money too. I cannot stand that line "I am not an animal, I am a human being," because it so melodramatic and inaccurate. There are commemorative plates under bridges there to recognize people who drowned while trying to save horses or dogs. They were not a crowd of barbarians like the movie suggests. The SPCA started there. It's a bizarre line. It's like saying "if I were an animal, it would be ok to abuse me."  Even in Shakespeare time they had animal welfare concepts.

"And the poor beetle, that we tread upon,
   In corporal sufferance finds a pang as great
   As when a giant dies."



I assume David Lynch is not an Englishman? I am not bothering to check so if I am wrong ok..
Isn't it funny that the most barbaric depictions of English  folk are by people who are not not from there.  A Clockwork Orange for example.
Straw Dogs.
The Wicker Man is not about England proper--so in that case they are putting the barbaric label on the rural (which is also very common in American film--the exception being filmmakers from there--like Charles B Pierce did films about the rural South which was very sympathetic).


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> The Wicker Man is not about England proper--so in that case they are putting the barbaric label on the rural (which is also very common in American film--the exception being filmmakers from there--like Charles B Pierce did films about the rural South which was very sympathetic).



The _Wicker Man _ is not about England at all.  It's about Scotland.  Different country entirely.

The only Charles B Pierce film I can recall seeing was   _Boggy Creek 2 The Legend Continues._  It was dreadful .


----------



## J-Sun

KGeo777 said:


> The Elephant Man is an example where they distort history to crank up the depressive.


Tone is hard to convey, so I'm not yelling or being sarcastic here, but just substituting words to say that that's an example of distorting the movie to crank up the outrage. First, I don't see it as history, as such, but being inspired by a bit of history to make a movie which, if it veers from the facts, is still okay - the Lynchian moment where things get all swirly sort of indicates this isn't necessarily sober fact. On England, I see it as set there, but intended to comment on humanity in general, both good and bad (people who happened to be English were depicted positively, too). On animals, no matter where and when and no matter what the laws, animals have never been considered on par with humans by humanity at large - you don't get executed for killing an animal (unless it's in the King's Forest and then it's because of the King, not the animal). I mean, we have zoos and circuses and the connotation is that they have animals and "freaks." So that's all it's going for, there.

I will grant, though, that it does have its depressing and pitiful elements and I ordinarily don't go for such things as they tend to get mawkish and hard to watch but this was handled with enough complexity and variations of characters and moods that it worked for me.


----------



## KGeo777

As I said, it is not England proper but it does suggest the rural, the traditional "sinister" countryside. I am not surprised it wasn't made by people from Scotland. lol

Bootleggers by Charles Pierce--it was one of the biggest independent films of the 1970s. It made $ 4 million by 1976--which was a lot of money for a film that probably cost under $200 000.

It's not a caricatured version of the South.  It is not a Hollywood movie. They would never have made a movie with that sensibility. And it was very successful.

As for the Elephant Man-it is the actress and doctor who are compassionate to him--not the working class.  Don't they present the nurses as kind of clueless? That is so out of touch with reality. lol Nurses are made of iron.   They would have seen all kinds of deformities and ailments to deal with.

 The mob is presented as threatening.
I think an art work should reflect some truth about life and Nature or it falls into a propaganda or bizarro category--I'd ask--who is this movie aimed at-and what is the point?
But the line "I am not an animal" is so out of touch with the common view at the time. 
I don't think I have ever encountered a line like that in Victoria era literature. Nothing that is so blatantly divisive and dualistic.


I think a story can be holistic in approach as well-and they chose not to do that with the Elephant Man even though the real story seems to have had elements that would have favored that approach.
I guess "depression sells" is another Hollywood adage.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Living in Oblivion* - Probably not 'The Best Film Ever Made by a Human Being' but certainly one of the best films ever made about the frustrations and difficulties of low budget film production.  Another of those films that I rave about to people who stare at me blankly when I mention it.   Daughter Number 2 was the latest.  She loved it.  We'll be yelling "You Hostess Twinky motherf*cker!" at each other for days.


----------



## KGeo777

An unstoppable killing machine stalks a woman through Los Angeles with the cops in pursuit.  The Terminator? No--it's Ramrod the psycho pimp. VICE SQUAD 1982 --as it was a Hemdale production like the Terminator, I assume that they suggested doing a sci-fi version of the story with the prostitution angle removed, and James Cameron said sure. Ramrod goes to a gun dealer, he also hijacks a vehicle or two, and gets (nearly) crushed under a machine (a car).
 Then again Arnie never sang a song over the start and end credits like Wings Hauser.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*GoldenEye *(1995)

My first experience with Pierce Brosnan's version of James Bond.  It's certainly full of spectacular (if impossible) stunts and all the other necessary elements.  The movie's Bad Girl is a genuinely terrifying monster, perhaps beyond the level of believability, and the Good Girl is a fully developed character.  (A case could be made that she is actually the film's protagonist, I think.)  Judi Dench is great as the new M, if only briefly seen.  (One can't argue with her description of Bond as a "sexist, misogynist dinosaur," one of the movie's hints of self-awareness.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Tomorrow Never Dies *(1997)

Brosnan's second outing as Bond.   Pretty typical for the series, supplying all the stuff you've come to expect.  No Bad Girl, and the minor Good Girl is utterly forgettable, but the major Good Girl is easily Bond's equal, and maybe even a little tougher.  (One can imagine this being her story, with him as the Good Boy.)  The motorcycle and helicopter chase scene is a highlight.  Maybe the most memorable character is Bond's talking car.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The World is Not Enough *(1999)

The third Brosnan Bond.  Mixed feelings.  Good to see M in an important role.  Villain with interesting back story, almost creating some sympathy.  One very complex Bond Girl, one very bland Bond Girl.  (And it's odd to see a Bad Girl killed during the pre-credit sequence.)  Weird chase/combat scenes, with the strange flying skimobile things and the odd helicopter with multiple saw blades.   Not sure how I feel yet about John Cleese as Q's replacement; his first scene could have been out of a Monty Python skit.


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> As I said, it is not England proper but it does suggest the rural, the traditional "sinister" countryside. I am not surprised it wasn't made by people from Scotland. lol
> 
> Bootleggers by Charles Pierce--it was one of the biggest independent films of the 1970s. It made $ 4 million by 1976--which was a lot of money for a film that probably cost under $200 000.
> 
> It's not a caricatured version of the South.  It is not a Hollywood movie. They would never have made a movie with that sensibility. And it was very successful.
> 
> As for the Elephant Man-it is the actress and doctor who are compassionate to him--not the working class.  Don't they present the nurses as kind of clueless? That is so out of touch with reality. lol Nurses are made of iron.   They would have seen all kinds of deformities and ailments to deal with.
> 
> The mob is presented as threatening.
> I think an art work should reflect some truth about life and Nature or it falls into a propaganda or bizarro category--I'd ask--who is this movie aimed at-and what is the point?
> But the line "I am not an animal" is so out of touch with the common view at the time.
> I don't think I have ever encountered a line like that in Victoria era literature. Nothing that is so blatantly divisive and dualistic.
> 
> 
> I think a story can be holistic in approach as well-and they chose not to do that with the Elephant Man even though the real story seems to have had elements that would have favored that approach.
> I guess "depression sells" is another Hollywood adage.


For reference, it is worth reading *The True History of the Elephant Man* by Sir Frederick Treves, the surgeon played by Anthony Hopkins, which I think was used as a major source for the film. I haven’t read it for years. The title seems to vary a bit by edition.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The World is Not Enough *(1999)
> 
> The third Brosnan Bond.  Mixed feelings.  Good to see M in an important role.  Villain with interesting back story, almost creating some sympathy.  One very complex Bond Girl, one very bland Bond Girl.  (And it's odd to see a Bad Girl killed during the pre-credit sequence.)  Weird chase/combat scenes, with the strange flying skimobile things and the odd helicopter with multiple saw blades.   Not sure how I feel yet about John Cleese as Q's replacement; his first scene could have been out of a Monty Python skit.



I'd recommend the Daniel Craig Bond movies, if only _Casino Royale_. In hindsight, I think the Brosnan Bonds were uneasily experimenting with a tougher version of Bond before actually committing to it -- Cleese's Q was a continuation of the old Bond; Michelle Yeoh showing the kind of toughness I'm sure she has, considering her early career, is a hint of where the movies could go (not that they've exactly followed through with that). This movie in particular ticked me off because the set-up was new to Bond and they didn't follow through on it the way they could have; but with _Casino Royale_ some of that promise was realized.


----------



## Rabbit.2309

*Tom and Jerry (2021)*. Childhood is incomplete without this... Relived my childhood...


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Life After Flash*

Brilliant movie, for anyone interested in the Flash Gordon movie, comic/sci fi conventions or Hollywood in general.

It was everything I was hoping it would be.

One amazing fact I found out was that Flash's voice was dubbed by another actor!


----------



## Randy M.

*Cutter's Way* (1981) dir. Ivan Passer; starring Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn

Post-Vietnam, neo-noir. Based on the novel Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornberg, this features Bridges as a Bone, a guy who has never seen a conflict or intimacy he can't run away from; Heard as Cutter, a Vietnam vet who lost an arm, a leg and an eye to the war -- with the implication that other male parts were damaged, too -- and who is surviving mostly on booze and rage; and Eichhorn as Maureen Cutter, the wife who loves Cutter and who Bone covets. Bone witnesses the dumping of a dead body and later thinks he recognizes who did the dumping. What do you do with that knowledge?

Bridges is good, Eichhorn is better, and Heard probably never had another part as juicy as this -- in spite of good actors all around him (or maybe because) he takes over the movie. The movie was shown as part of a July neo-noir series on Turner Cable Movies, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz and Eddie Mueller. apparently the studio made it because Bridges was hot at the time and was set on making it, but spent next to nothing to promote it. Thus, a flop on first release. I think it's developed something of a cult following since, and justifiably so. This is not a feel-good movie and the ending is ambiguous at best, and there's an incitement to action for the "heroes" that has been used too many times in movies and will tick off at least part of today's audience. That said, it's worth watching.


*Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse* (2018) 

Beautifully done animation, interesting story-line, good voice work across the board, this has convinced me that we _need, _indeed, _must have _a feature length Spider-Pig movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> One amazing fact I found out was that Flash's voice was dubbed by another actor!



You mean that wasn't Buster Crabbe's real voice?!  You'll be telling me Charles Middleton's beard was a fake next.


----------



## KGeo777

​According to a 2012 interview in _Maxim_, Sam J. Jones had disagreements with De Laurentiis of some kind and departed prior to post-production, which resulted in a substantial portion of his dialogue being dubbed by professional voice and dramatic actor, Peter Marinker; but whose identity was long considered unknown, even to Jones.[17] A sequel was proposed, but the departure of Jones effectively ended any such prospects.


----------



## Droflet

No sequel aye? I might have to take up religion.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> I'd recommend the Daniel Craig Bond movies, if only _Casino Royale_. In hindsight, I think the Brosnan Bonds were uneasily experimenting with a tougher version of Bond before actually committing to it -- Cleese's Q was a continuation of the old Bond; Michelle Yeoh showing the kind of toughness I'm sure she has, considering her early career, is a hint of where the movies could go (not that they've exactly followed through with that). This movie in particular ticked me off because the set-up was new to Bond and they didn't follow through on it the way they could have; but with _Casino Royale_ some of that promise was realized.




Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll get around to the Craig series some time or other, as somebody has put all the Bond films on YouTube.  (Split into segments less than ten minutes apiece, I suppose to avoid legal problems, but they flow right into each other, so it's quite smooth viewing, and I can put up with the commercials YouTube interrupts it with now and then.  It's free, after all.)  Anyway:

*Die Another Day *(2002)

Random thoughts on the last Brosnan Bond:

Holy cow, the title song is horrible, even for Madonna (and her brief appearance in the film ain't much better.)

The first part of the film, with Bond captured and tortured by the North Koreans, give the film a _gravitas_ that is unexpected from the series, although it goes on to be the usual flashy spectacle.

The director has a habit of using slow motion or fast motion for a fraction of a second, which is really annoying.

Another Good Girl who is Bond's equal (or superior.)

A so-so Bad Girl.

Pretty good villain, and I'll admit that I didn't catch on to his real identity until it was revealed.

The invisible car is a bit silly.

Nifty sword fight sequence.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE HOOK*_ (1963) Three U.S. soldiers are ordered to *get rid of* a North Korean prisoner (Enrique G. Magalona) before they return to base. the * indicates not too sure of a quote, but close enough. The top ranking guy, Sgt. Briscoe (Kirk Douglas) interprets the order as kill the guy, and orders each of the others, Pvt.  Hackett (Nick Adams) and Pvt. Dennison (Robert Walker Jr; Charlie X to Star Trek fans) to do the deed.  But the guy is a helpless prisoner, and that would be murder!

Tense, not your usual war film.



*MAIN STREET AFTER DARK* (1945) Crime drama, though <60 minutes.
Lefty Dibson (Tom Trout) is just out of prison, still on parole, & has already returned to crime. Brother  Posey (Dan Duryea), though also a crook, cannot dissuade him from taking a gun along. Pawn shop guy (Hume Cronyn) had no hesitation about lending the guns, confidant of repayment. Lt. Lorrigan (Edward Arnold) tried to steer them straigt, but mom (Selena Royle) was as crooked as her kids.

Lorrigan ends the film with words to the wise. The plot just zipped along along, obviously made as a message to would-be criminals.


----------



## KGeo777

KOMMISSAR X: KILL ME GENTLY 1967--Another of the Joe Walker-Tom Rowland spy movies--they are kind of like a Crosby-Hope team. I have seen this before--I wanted to revisit it because of Olga Schoberova.   What a name, what a face. I am surprised she was not in a Bond movie.  And she was from behind the Iron Curtain.
These are silly comedy-leaning adventures--there's some cute puppies (that's not an innuendo--there really ARE cute puppies in this in a basket on a ship). This one ends with a donkey saving the day and also being able to talk.


----------



## dask

Most of the production budget must have gone to Robert Vaughn’s salary and special effects. Vaughn, the consummate professional, was fun to watch but the rest of the cast, none of whom I had ever heard of, looked good on screen and managed appropriate facial expressions when necessary, were strictly cue card cutouts when it came to dialogue. Probably never going to watch it again.


----------



## hitmouse

*Suicide Squad*. The second one. Terrific. Funny, well paced, exceedingly gory and very rude. Best DC movie by a long chalk. Not quite Deadpool.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mr. Sycamore *(1975)

Paper-thin bit of whimsy about a mailman/failed poet (Jason Robards, Jr.) who decides to become a tree.  He stands in his back yard buried up to his ankles (coming out now and then, as the plot demands) as his devoted wife (Sandy Dennis) tries to deal with this mad idea.  There's hardly enough story to fill up an episode of _Twilight Zone_, so we have a touch of slapstick comedy, in the form of car chases and such when folks try to send him to the loony bin.  (Including milk trucks.  Home milk delivery in 1975?  Maybe because it's based on a 1942 play, in turn based on a 1937 story.)  There are also romantic fantasies involving the somewhat more sympathetic town librarian (Jean Simmons.)  I suppose it can be interpreted as an allegory for a man's midlife crisis, or as the eternal battle between the nonconformist and society.  The only possible source of suspense is whether he'll actually undergo the desired transformation or not.  Guess what happens.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*It Grows On Trees *(1952)

Sitcom-style fantasy about an ordinary family that unknowingly gets two trees that grow real money.  Mom writes to the US Treasury to ask if its legal tender.  Figuring it's a joke, they write back that it's OK.  Complications ensue when the green stuff starts crumbling, like dead leaves.  Add in a neighbor who steals the money, the adult daughter's boyfriend who works at a bank, a newspaper reporter who tells the world about the trees, and the Treasury folks who realize they've given Mom the permission to spend the miraculous cash.  Very light comedy, best described as "cute."


----------



## Droflet

What more can I say, but Ed Wood. A woman gets married and likes her husband's gorilla more than he. Apparently, she is a reincarnation of a queen of the apes.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Blood Red Sky* - Die Hard. On a Plane. With Vampires.  Pretty Damn Good.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Suicide Squad* 2016
Fun movie


----------



## Bren G

Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League. Got 40 mins in and wondered what the hype was all about? Seemed disjointed story-telling and lots of spectacle over substance. Couldn't make myself watch more. I feel I must continue on with it so hoping it gets better. I had watched the Hobbit again the day or two before it, and what a stark difference in film making. Based on the JL reviews, I am in a minority feeling this way, so if any one liked the new cut of JL please share.


----------



## CupofJoe

Bren G said:


> Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League. Got 40 mins in and wondered what the hype was all about? Seemed disjointed story-telling and lots of spectacle over substance. Couldn't make myself watch more. I feel I must continue on with it so hoping it gets better. I had watched the Hobbit again the day or two before it, and what a stark difference in film making. Based on the JL reviews, I am in a minority feeling this way, so if any one liked the new cut of JL please share.


I did and have. The new cut is very different in tone. Gone are almost all the jokes and light moments. It is far more sombre. I like that it doesn't rush to the climax. It's not all positive. The fight scenes are a bit blah [but over the last 10+ years we have seen so many superhero face-offs], but they are efficient. My only real criticism is that it sets up an MCU style next act and we already have seen those.
I would like to see a film centred on the Amazons. They seem the most interesting part of the film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> I would like to see a film centred on the Amazons. They seem the most interesting part of the film.



They usually are.


----------



## KGeo777

POLICEWOMEN 1974 - Rewatch. Uninhibited drive-in fare with real charm. Take Police Woman and replace Angie Dickinson with a centerfold and throw in the plot of SUPERBITCH crossed with HAROLD AND MAUDE and you come close to this bizarre but constantly amusing copsploitation film with some hilarious one-liners. Some of the acting is amateur but since the whole thing is light-hearted and ludicrous, that is easily dismissed.  It has a stock musical score and yet despite the eclectic range of cues is rather effective-especially the main melody which sounds like it was lifted from a 1960s department store muzak selection.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Wicker Man (1973) The Final Cut*

Well this certainly is a very unusual film. Many years since I've watched it and (for some reason) I had the impression it was filmed in black and white; not so. A brilliant acting display from a brilliant actor in Edward Woodward and an intriguing mystery, with a twist that completely shocked me at the time. A horror movie with all the horror saved up for the last 5 minutes. Brilliant, imaginative, memorable.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Superman - The Donner Cut. * First time watching since I was a kid. 55 minutes until Christopher Reeve is on screen, and those preliminary 55 minutes aren't wasted in the slightest - they introduce us into Clark's quandry as an alien who loses two fathers, as someone who can be only hurt by danger to those he cares about, why he chooses good over evil. Fantastic, well written dialogue, plot and well executed action with some great acting. Truly iconic music. Such heart. 

Reeve really sells the Clark / Superman dichotomy just through his posture - Clark hunched over, Superman chest out - and you can really believe that people fall for it. There's a bit, where Clark is due to go on a date with Louis where he thinks about telling her, and this is all conveyed by him just standing up straight. 

I love this movie. Probably the best superhero movie ever.


----------



## alexvss

*The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)*, a very artistic film I wasn't expecting. I don't remember who recommended it to me, and I watched without much prior knowledge so it was very surprising. It's pretty much filmed play. The mise-en-scene is colorful and the lines are clever. It keeps telling you its theme of how gluttony and lust are related. There's a Brazilian movie called Stomach that has a very similar theme (now I think it got inspired by this movie), so it didn't add much to me. Yet, a _pleasant_ experience.
PS: I didn't know Tim Roth was that old.


----------



## hitmouse

alexvss said:


> *The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)*, a very artistic film I wasn't expecting. I don't remember who recommended it to me, and I watched without much prior knowledge so it was very surprising. It's pretty much filmed play. The mise-en-scene is colorful and the lines are clever. It keeps telling you its theme of how gluttony and lust are related. There's a Brazilian movie called Stomach that has a very similar theme (now I think it got inspired by this movie), so it didn't add much to me. Yet, a _pleasant_ experience.
> PS: I didn't know Tim Roth was that old.


Good film. Check out Peter Greenaway’s others, particularly Drowning by Numbers, and Belly of an Architect.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Alita Battle Angel*  2019  I didn't like it at all.


----------



## Vince W

*John Carter*. I was able to let go of the inconsistencies from the book and found it an enjoyable enough film this time. If Disney had dropped the Therns, focused more on the original story, and done a better job in marketing it could have been better received.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> *John Carter*. I was able to let go of the inconsistencies from the book and found it an enjoyable enough film this time. If Disney had dropped the Therns, focused more on the original story, and done a better job in marketing it could have been better received.



I own it on dvd and,  Im glad that we at least got this film.   Disney bungled things , this could have become a major film franchise for them, if only they'd used their brains.


----------



## Vince W

Disney was too focused on Marvel and its soon to be Star Wars franchises, clearly taking their eye off this one.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Val (2021), a documentary about the life of American actor Val Kilmer. I had no idea of how well-versed in acting he is, having only seen him in a handful of films. He was interested in the field since a very young age. What happened to his brother was quite sad. His current situation has inspired me to have another go at trying to quit smoking.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> Good film. Check out Peter Greenaway’s others, particularly Drowning by Numbers, and Belly of an Architect.



I thought Belly of an Architect was the least interesting of his films I've seen - _Drowning by Numbers_ and _The Draughtsman's Contract_ were superb.

Last film I watched:  *Il ne faut jurer... de rien!* a French historical rom com which I watched without any subtitles as part of my plan to learn French by immersion.  I almost understood what was going on...   almost....


----------



## Randy M.

*Barbarella* (1968) dir. Roger Vadim; starring Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Milo O'Shea, Anita Pallenberg

From a decade awash in silly sci-fi movies ... I haven't watched this in years and I think that was an edited version.

Reviewing Jane Fonda's early career can be dizzying. From the relatively wholesome _Barefoot in the Park_ to the smarm of _Barbarella _(by way of another movie) to two of the better movies of the time period _They Shoot Horses, Don't They? _to _Klute_. I wonder how many acting careers foundered on less ridiculous movies?

Anyway, if _Barbarella _is about anything it appears to be a female coming-of-age movie, if coming of age is only about learning about sex. It recounts the adventures of Earth agent, Barbarella, tracking the lost scientist, Duran Duran -- which may help explain some of the '80s, too -- and, takes place in a hep, groovy '60's psychedelic recreation of 1930's _Flash Gordon_ sets. The cast does their best and Fonda almost sells being Bridget Bardot (who was originally asked to play the part, as was Sophia Loren, according to the introduction by Ben Manckiewicz) but lava lamp-like effects, and an appearance by David Hemming (who seems to enjoy himself) cannot redeem a silly script and bland direction. Note: The movie may have been predictive in one thing -- the inside of Barbarella's ship, if not covered in fur, then seems to anticipate the '70s fascination with shag carpeting.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Knowing*: Dark City and the Crow's Alex Proyas directs Nicholas Cage in Noah meets Close Encounters by way of Childhood's End. Eh, it was alright.


----------



## Parson

I watched a so-so "movie" --- *Dr. Thorne.* It was presented and written by Julian  Fellows of *Downton Abbey *fame. --- 2 stars

I also watched *Goya's Ghosts* an interesting look at early 19th century Spain through the eyes of the famous Spanish painter. Although he is the "main" character the story is more about the people in his life than about him. ---- 3.5 stars


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Conan the Barbarian* (2011) - Sub Xena acting and direction in this pretty awful take on Conan. Starts off with blood soaked hands lifting a baby Conan, lion king style, accompanied by the most bathetic shout imaginable, and goes down from there.  Stick to Arnies version.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> *Barbarella* (1968) dir. Roger Vadim; starring Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Milo O'Shea, Anita Pallenberg
> 
> From a decade awash in silly sci-fi movies ... I haven't watched this in years and I think that was an edited version.
> 
> Reviewing Jane Fonda's early career can be dizzying. From the relatively wholesome _Barefoot in the Park_ to the smarm of _Barbarella _(by way of another movie) to two of the better movies of the time period _They Shoot Horses, Don't They? _to _Klute_. I wonder how many acting careers foundered on less ridiculous movies?
> 
> Anyway, if _Barbarella _is about anything it appears to be a female coming-of-age movie, if coming of age is only about learning about sex. It recounts the adventures of Earth agent, Barbarella, tracking the lost scientist, Duran Duran -- which may help explain some of the '80s, too -- and, takes place in a hep, groovy '60's psychedelic recreation of 1930's _Flash Gordon_ sets. The cast does their best and Fonda almost sells being Bridget Bardot (who was originally asked to play the part, as was Sophia Loren, according to the introduction by Ben Manckiewicz) but lava lamp-like effects, and an appearance by David Hemming (who seems to enjoy himself) cannot redeem a silly script and bland direction. Note: The movie may have been predictive in one thing -- the inside of Barbarella's ship, if not covered in fur, then seems to anticipate the '70s fascination with shag carpeting.



Grinds teeth.... Milo O'Shea's character is Duran*d* Duran*d*! The band got it wrong. Right, that's that out of my system...

One of my favourite movies - a pretty true to the source material too though containing less nudity.  (The comic book was retouched with added clothing for the movie tie-in reprint.)


----------



## BAYLOR

Mon0Zer0 said:


> *Conan the Barbarian* (2011) - Sub Xena acting and direction in this pretty awful take on Conan. Starts off with blood soaked hands lifting a baby Conan, lion king style, accompanied by the most bathetic shout imaginable, and goes down from there.  Stick to Arnies version.



They should have used* Conan The Road of Kings  *by Karl Edward Wager as the basis for the film or *Queen of the Black Coast* by  Robert E Howard .


----------



## Vince W

Frankly, given the cast, any of the original REH stories would have been butchered beyond belief. I agree that either of those stories would be fantastic if adapted correctly, however, Jasaon 'The Plank' Momoa could never play Conan properly. Just look at the travesty that Aquaman is. I know, Aquaman is , but he made it ridiculous in the extreme.


----------



## BAYLOR

Vince W said:


> Frankly, given the cast, any of the original REH stories would have been butchered beyond belief. I agree that either of those stories would be fantastic if adapted correctly, however, Jasaon 'The Plank' Momoa could never play Conan properly. Just look at the travesty that Aquaman is. I know, Aquaman is , but he made it ridiculous in the extreme.



You'd have to get producer and director who is a  fan of Conan . He's not a great actor But that said.  I actually liked Aquaman. Thought him as Aquaman was a bit of a stretch.As for him doing Conan , not a great fit at all   but with right director and story  he could be at least serviceable in that  role.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Casino Royale *(2006)

James Bond film as serious drama.

*Quantum of Solace *(2008)

James Bond film as generic action film.

That's oversimplified, but it'll do.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Casino Royale *(2006)
> 
> James Bond film as serious drama.
> 
> *Quantum of Solace *(2008)
> 
> James Bond film as generic action film.
> 
> That's oversimplified, but it'll do.


No. That's pretty accurate. Rather than wait until a writers' strike was over, they plowed ahead and *Quantum...* was disappointing. *Skyfall*, though was an improvement.


----------



## J-Sun

Skyfall? Uh-unh.

<tom hanks>Are you crying? There's no crying in Bond!</tom hanks>

Though I do agree with the assessment of the first two Craigs and that, while I still liked the second, the first is best.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Lake Mungo *(2007)

A girl drowns in a lake, and her family come to suspect that her ghost is haunting them.

This is a very low-key Australian film, shot as a mock-documentary, with a lot of bits of found footage. It's probably got too many twists, despite being pretty short, but has a sad, eerie quality. It all feels very restrained and grown-up, and the acting is very good. Well worth a look, but don't expect fireworks.


----------



## KGeo777

CAPTAIN NEMO AND HIS UNDERWATER KINGDOM 1969 -- G-rated adventure that I had seen before and got mixed up with another film. This is the one with the cat as a stowaway--the one with the chicken Herbert is War Gods of the Deep (not to be confused with Warlords of Atlantis or CITY BENEATH THE SEA which is a 1971 tv pilot turned into a movie--which seems to have taken a few ideas from this Nemo films, such as gold as a plot element).
The highlight is the arrival of Mobula, a giant stingray kind of thing which is sometimes cheap-looking but overall not bad. This, like WarGods and Warlords, was made in the UK and uses a lot of locals for them. It seems like there are less underwater kingdom movie set in the North American region. If City Beneath the Sea is any example to go by for quality, then it is best they be made across the pond.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> CAPTAIN NEMO AND HIS UNDERWATER KINGDOM 1969 -- G-rated adventure that I had seen before and got mixed up with another film. This is the one with the cat as a stowaway--the one with the chicken Herbert is War Gods of the Deep (not to be confused with Warlords of Atlantis or CITY BENEATH THE SEA which is a 1971 tv pilot turned into a movie--which seems to have taken a few ideas from this Nemo films, such as gold as a plot element).
> The highlight is the arrival of Mobula, a giant stingray kind of thing which is sometimes cheap-looking but overall not bad. This, like WarGods and Warlords, was made in the UK and uses a lot of locals for them. It seems like there are less underwater kingdom movie set in the North American region. If City Beneath the Sea is any example to go by for quality, then it is best they be made across the pond.



Captain Nemo payed  Robert Ryan  and , Chuck Connors was in it too .  It was a decent film .

*City Beneath the Sea  *was original supposed to be a  tv series in 1968 with Jim Hutton  in the lead( you can find it on Youtube  , Irwin Allen did a Short demo pilot. The networks didn't pick up.  The second  Pilot had Stewart Whitman and Robert Colbert.  Given how bad the story and film was, Im not surprised that the Network didn't pick it up. And Allen to save costs , recycled props from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea( The Flying Sub) and The Jupiter 11  was sed as the top a building outside the President's office.


----------



## KGeo777

GOLIATH AWAITS, the 1981 mini-series which I had not seen in almost 40 years (the same amount of time the ship survivors were underwater). All I remembered about it was Emma Samms peering through a port hole and somebody--maybe John Carradine, with a scarf around his neck. My recollection was right on. But I had totally forgotten what a big role Christopher Lee has in this--he is practically the star. Mark Harmon-- I kept imagining he was like Perry King genetically spliced with Tom Cruise and wondering why John Ratzenberger was in England before going to Cheers. Despite the presence of Robert Forster, Eddie Albert--and the rest--under the direction of Kevin Connor, there is a sense of prolonged waiting which is not entirely satisfying. I guess commercial breaks helped provide some variety.  Frank Gorshin at times seemed to be doing an exaggerated Robert Shaw-Quint impression which provided extra amusement but I don't think I have the patience to wander the decks of Goliath again anytime soon.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> GOLIATH AWAITS, the 1981 mini-series which I had not seen in almost 40 years (the same amount of time the ship survivors were underwater). All I remembered about it was Emma Samms peering through a port hole and somebody--maybe John Carradine, with a scarf around his neck. My recollection was right on. But I had totally forgotten what a big role Christopher Lee has in this--he is practically the star. Mark Harmon-- I kept imagining he was like Perry King genetically spliced with Tom Cruise and wondering why John Ratzenberger was in England before going to Cheers. Despite the presence of Robert Forster, Eddie Albert--and the rest--under the direction of Kevin Connor, there is a sense of prolonged waiting which is not entirely satisfying. I guess commercial breaks helped provide some variety.  Frank Gorshin at times seemed to be doing an exaggerated Robert Shaw-Quint impression which provided extra amusement but I don't think I have the patience to wander the decks of Goliath again anytime soon.



Ive seen *Goliath Awaits*,  John Carradine  was in it . He  played an old time Hollywood film star.  Goliath Awaits was one of  his last roles.


----------



## Rodders

I remember seeing this as a kid and it made quite an impression on me, although I don't remember to much about it. Although I remember the scene you mention well. Quite a shock at the time. I imagine the movie hasn't aged well but I think i'd still enjoy it.


----------



## KGeo777

I remember being spooked by a cartoon image of the woman looking through the port hole--they advertised it with that image.


----------



## Vince W

*Joker*. Very well acted and Joaquin Phoenix is chilling but I can't say I actually enjoyed the film. It was just too grim and plausible for my tastes.


----------



## Rodders

I have to confess that i thought it somewhat overrated. A good first watch, but I doubt I’d watch it again unless there was nothing else on telly. Probably that the fans enjoy more than the casual viewer.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh(2012)*
Creepy house horror.
An old woman dies, (Vanessa Redgrave) and her estranged son visits the house, and weird stuff begins to happen. 
Different, not bad at all.


----------



## AE35Unit

Vince W said:


> *Joker*. Very well acted and Joaquin Phoenix is chilling but I can't say I actually enjoyed the film. It was just too grim and plausible for my tastes.


I thought it was really good


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> I have to confess that i thought it somewhat overrated. A good first watch, but I doubt I’d watch it again unless there was nothing else on telly. Probably that the fans enjoy more than the casual viewer.


Agreed. It was worth watching it the once, but I'd never attempt a second viewing.



AE35Unit said:


> I thought it was really good


I would say objectively it was a good film but not for me generally.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Skyfall *(2012)

Well!  After the mediocrity of *Quantum of Solace*,  I wasn't expecting this to be one of the most effective Bond films yet.  Aside from a few quibbles about plot holes (could the villain _really_ know exactly what would happen during his capture and escape?) everything seems to work, from the intense pre-credit chase scene, to the decent title song and surreal title sequence, to a shockingly haggard Bond, to stunning visuals of great variety (Shanghai seems straight out of *Bladerunner*), to an extraordinarily fascinating villain (driven to his megalomaniacal schemes by the lust for revenge, instead of wealth or power), to a great role for M and a welcome appearance by Albert Finney, to a properly balanced combination of spectacle and emotional power.  Good movie.


----------



## KGeo777

THE STREETFIGHTER 1974 - Sonny Chiba martial arts movie-I have not seen a Japanese MA movie before as far as I know excluding the superhero type like the Golden Bat. No Godzilla cameo either. Chiba probably was inspired by Bruce Lee in his face poses--kind of funny although Lee never grabbed someone between the legs and ripped off something to make a point.


----------



## Foxbat

Alien Versus Predator: Requiem
This movie was released in 2007 and I’ve been avoiding it ever since. I recently saw a second hand copy on sale for £1 and my curiosity got the better of me.

What a mess. The editing is all over the place and most of the movieis shot in darkness, which may be a good way of camouflaging cinematic shortfalls but makes watching it pretty pointless exercise (because you struggle to see what on earth is happening). It’s so cliched filled with the usual cardboard cut-out characters that it’s both boring and predictable.  You know things are not going well when you’re glancing at your watch wondering how much longer it has to go.

When I first bought this movie, I thought: what the hell, it’s only a pound. I grudge spending even that little amount on this drivel.

But perhaps this movie‘s greatest sin is that it makes Prometheus look like a cinematic masterpiece.


----------



## BAYLOR

Foxbat said:


> Alien Versus Predator: Requiem
> This movie was released in 2007 and I’ve been avoiding it ever since. I recently saw a second hand copy on sale for £1 and my curiosity got the better of me.
> 
> What a mess. The editing is all over the place and most of the movieis shot in darkness, which may be a good way of camouflaging cinematic shortfalls but makes watching it pretty pointless exercise (because you struggle to see what on earth is happening). It’s so cliched filled with the usual cardboard cut-out characters that it’s both boring and predictable.  You know things are not going well when you’re glancing at your watch wondering how much longer it has to go.
> 
> When I first bought this movie, I thought: what the hell, it’s only a pound. I grudge spending even that little amount on this drivel.
> 
> But perhaps this movie‘s greatest sin is that it makes Prometheus look like a cinematic masterpiece.


It needs the Mystery Science 3000 treatment.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Vince W said:


> *Joker*. Very well acted and Joaquin Phoenix is chilling but I can't say I actually enjoyed the film. It was just too grim and plausible for my tastes.


It's one of those films like (its inspiration) Taxi Driver that is well made and fantastically acted but says quite unpleasant things about humanity. 

I think the message of the film - about the importance of social (mental) healthcare, compassion and generally looking out for each other, is a good one, though and I'm kinda surprised that so many critics and commentators were wide of the mark on interpreting it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> *Joker*. Very well acted and Joaquin Phoenix is chilling but I can't say I actually enjoyed the film. It was just too grim and plausible for my tastes.




The subject material of mental health makes it a difficult movie to watch and enjoy. There's no doubting though that Phoenix is an incredible actor.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Anti Life: 
Avoid.


----------



## KGeo777

Alien vs Predator: Requiem has one advantage over the previous one-they use the Predator score which helps a little.
It has one of the most shocking horror sequences though-the maternity ward scene--it's also funny that the film was made by brothers and the ending seems to be designed in their favor.
This is why Ridley Scott was reduced to slumming when he went back to this universe. I do not think he wanted to. He had to in order to keep working.

The Joker is following a new trend of making bad guys into the heroes (anything to avoid traditional narratives).
 And this time, Hollywood cannot say "it's the public negativity about Watergate."
That is what was claimed in the 70s--that all the negativity was fueled by a public appetite for downbeat stories.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> Alien vs Predator: Requiem has one advantage over the previous one-they use the Predator score which helps a little.
> It has one of the most shocking horror sequences though-the maternity ward scene--it's also funny that the film was made by brothers and the ending seems to be designed in their favor.
> This is why Ridley Scott was reduced to slumming when he went back to this universe. I do not think he wanted to. He had to in order to keep working.
> 
> The Joker is following a new trend of making bad guys into the heroes (anything to avoid traditional narratives).
> And this time, Hollywood cannot say "it's the public negativity about Watergate."
> That is what was claimed in the 70s--that all the negativity was fueled by a public appetite for downbeat stories.



If id been in charge, I wouldn't have let  Ridley Scott do *Prometheus*.


----------



## Toby Frost

I've seen some of *Goliath Awaits*, and while I find the premise intriguing, I thought that it was pretty dated and clunky - which is a shame. I wonder if the makers of Bioshock had seen it too. It's one of the few films that could really do with a remake.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spectre *(2015)

Of the Craig films, this one seems most like a standard Bond film, lacking the innovations of *Casino Royale *or *Skyfall*, but avoiding the lackluster mediocrity of *Quantum of Solace*.  It's too long (I understand the next one will be even longer) and tries too hard to be a spectacle (superhero movie influence?) and the attempt to make SPECTRE responsible for everything that happened in the previous Craig series doesn't make sense.  I also didn't like the personal connection between the villain and Bond, which seemed petty compared to the usual megalomaniacal evil organization with its giant secret headquarters.  Watchable, but not much more.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

And for a change in mood after the Bond marathon (although the plot has some similarities . . .)

*The Naked Gun:  From the Files of Police Squad! *(1988)

Works best when the actors take their roles seriously, so Ricardo Montalban (who has only one scene where he mugs it up, when he finds a human finger in his hot dog) as the villain is the best thing.  I like the absurdity and verbal humor more than the slapstick and raunchy jokes, but it's all pretty funny stuff.  The musical soundtrack (except for a couple of pop songs) could have been taken from a dramatic movie of, say, the late 1960's or early 1970's, which helps.


----------



## Toby Frost

I still have a lot of fondness for the first *Naked Gun.* There are just so many jokes packed into one film! A particular favourite is the scene where Drebbin bribes a shady man at the docks, and somehow comes away with more money than he started with.

I've found myself thinking about *Lake Mungo* all weekend, so it's clearly accomplished what it set out to do.


----------



## Chris 1978

*Shiny Flakes* (2021)

The documentary film of how teenage German boy Max Schmidt went from zero to 'completed it mate' in the world of drug dealing, all from the bedroom of his parents house.
I found myself unsure if this was real life or not at times, Max feels like a character in his own life with the documentary being shot in an way that compliments its unbelievable nature. 

Next up:

*Truffle Hunters* (2021)


----------



## Phyrebrat

Toby Frost said:


> I've found myself thinking about *Lake Mungo* all weekend, so it's clearly accomplished what it set out to do.


Wonderful movie. So eerie.


----------



## Toby Frost

Definitely. It's hard to know what to compare it to: it's so low-key but so unsettling. I think there's a kind of "scary fun" horror film that's often very gory but says nothing. *Lake Mungo* is at the opposite end of the scale to that. And the mobile phone bit is really frightening.


----------



## KGeo777

I think the Police Squad! series was best. The gags didn't wear out their welcome.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Presumed Innocent*

Great movie right up until the last 5 minutes when we get a step-by-step explanation how and what happened. Unrealistic and unnecessary; the film could quite easily stop at a certain moment, and leave the viewer to decide. A pity, but still a superior courtroom drama.


----------



## Vince W

*Red Planet *(2000). Not a stellar film by any means but a few different choices and it could have been much better than it was. Still, it scratched my Mars itch pretty well and not surprisingly *The Martian* goes over much of the same territory only in a better fashion.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Watched 2010, brilliant sequel to 2001.
9/10.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Night House, a new horror movie that focuses on a woman's grief over her dead husband, and the questionable things she learns about what he did in his lifetime. It gives you little insight into the mystery of it, to the point where a lot of the plot needs to be deciphered or divined.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Watched 2010, brilliant sequel to 2001.
> 9/10.




It's a different kind of movie eschewing music for dialogue. I was a little disappointed by what the 'something wonderful' ended up being. Still a great film , and Roy Scheider was a great actor


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Space Milkshake* - a low-budget Canadian SF Comedy which had a couple of good lines but will linger longest in my memory for having Amanda Tapping play a tender love scene with a rubber duck voiced by George Takei.  One of _those _films.

I was very disappointed by _2010_.


----------



## KGeo777

Hello
Doctor
Name
Continue
Yesterday
Tomorrow


I remember that list.


2010 is a quasi remake of THE BAMBOO SAUCER-a 1960s film--about a US and Soviet mission to recover an alien spaceship that crashes in China.


----------



## REBerg

*Reminiscence*
HBO's Westworld Lite.
Built on a love story, propelled by a film noir-style mystery, this film held my interest. Also notable as a future look at a coastal city flooded by rising seas.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Naked Gun 2 1/2:  The Smell of Fear *(1991)

Carries on in the same fashion as the first one, and it's about as funny.  Casting Robert Goulet as the villain gives it the made-for-TV movie feeling it needs.  My favorite joke is the completely random, _non sequitur _reference to a famous _Twilight Zone _episode near the end.


----------



## KGeo777

I think Leslie Nielsen's problem was that he wanted to be in on the joke and that hurt it.
He was so funny in Airplane! and Police Squad because he didn't act as if he got the joke but in his later movies as comedies-Repossessed and Spy Hard and the others--he was goofing around and he was more hilarious when he acted completely straight. He was good as a big jerk. Day of the Animals especially.


DEATH WALKS ON HIGH HEELS 1971 - I had seen this before. The director pulls a clever fast one in that  you assume the main actress is playing two roles. But it turns out not to be the case when they enter a room together. He picked two actresses who looked very much alike in order to throw some confusion into it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watching * Lake Mungo * now, I thought it was the wrong film at first because its like a documentary...


----------



## AE35Unit

Well Lake Mungo was summat and nothing,  hour and half of my life I'll never get back. Yawn


----------



## BAYLOR

*Those Magnificent Men And Their Flying Machines * 1965 I wish they still made.films like this.


----------



## KGeo777

I liked it. Watch it now and then.
Catchy song.


Robert Morley: The trouble with these international affairs is that they attract foreigners.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Naked Gun 33 1/3:  The Final Insult *(1994)

Pretty amusing, although not as much as the first two, probably due to 1) more slapstick 2) raunchier sex jokes 33 1/3) celebrity casting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

And speaking of lesser threequels:

*The Brady Bunch in the White House *(2002)

Inferior made-for-TV follow-up to the theatrical features *The Brady Bunch Movie* and *A Very Brady Sequel*, which I enjoyed.  The main problem is that we no longer have the absurd Bradys, living in the television version of the 1970's, confronting something that (more or less) resembles the modern world.  Instead, the "real" world is just as goofy as they are, as Dad and Mom Brady become the President and Vice-President of the United States.


----------



## KGeo777

I didn't know they went to the White House.
I think they should do Weekend at Bernie's set in the White House.


INVASION OF THE NEPTUNE MEN 1961 --An early Sonny Chiba film with some decent SPFX. The story is kind of out there with a prominent role for a group of kids.


THE TERROR BENEATH THE SEA 1966  Sonny Chiba is a reporter in this one -- involving a plot to establish a one world government conspiracy starting with an ocean base where they turn humans into aquatic cyborgs. Holds your attention despite some terrible facial acting from a Navy submarine crew.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Horror Rises from the Tomb *(_El espanto surge de la tumba_, 1973)

Spanish scream king Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina Alvarez) plays three roles during the first five minutes of this Eurogothic shocker.  The brief prologue, set in medieval France, shows Naschy as a sorcerer being beheaded, and Naschy as the guy's brother, who denounced him to the authorities.  There's another fellow there, in charge of the execution.  Bad-Naschy's fellow practitioner of Satanism, blood-drinking, flesh-eating, and so forth gets killed also.  In predictable fashion, she's one of the film's many beautiful young women.  The two devil-worshippers cast the usual curses on the descendants of their executors.

Cut to Paris in the 1970's.  Naschy now plays the descendant of the sorcerer's brother, and his artist friend is the descendant of the other guy at the execution.  (Same actor, naturally.)  They and their lady friends wind up contacting bad-Naschy at a séance, leading them to head out to new-Naschy's ancestral estate, way out in the snowy wilderness.  In an odd plot twist, some crooks attack them, causing their car to crash, but they're rescued by some other guys, not too reputable themselves, who immediately hang the criminals in a sort of backwoods French frontier justice.  It all leads up to digging for a supposed treasure, finding a chest with bad-Naschy's head, the head turning folks into his slaves and killing other folks, the head getting back together with the body, the executed woman returning to do her own evil deeds, and a very handy ancestral amulet that wards off bad-Naschy.  (It doesn't work on women, we're told, so she has to get a silver needle shoved into her heart.)  

The version I watched is the one censored for American TV, so it's missing the original's gore and nudity, although we do get a fair amount of blood and a fair number of women in microskirts or skimpy nightgowns.  (One of the possessed women wears a completely transparent nightgown over completely opaque black underwear, which looks more silly than sexy.)  The whole thing is a mish-mosh of Gothic tropes, with a remarkably high body count; I believe only one character is still alive at the end.  Worth a look for those into this sort of thing.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> And speaking of lesser threequels:
> 
> *The Brady Bunch in the White House *(2002)
> 
> Inferior made-for-TV follow-up to the theatrical features *The Brady Bunch Movie* and *A Very Brady Sequel*, which I enjoyed.  The main problem is that we no longer have the absurd Bradys, living in the television version of the 1970's, confronting something that (more or less) resembles the modern world.  Instead, the "real" world is just as goofy as they are, as Dad and Mom Brady become the President and Vice-President of the United States.



I love The Brady Bunch Movie.  It's one of my go to feelgood movies.  But the second one just dropped the ball for me.  I gave up on it after 20 minutes.

Which I did last night with *The Affair* (2021)  after 20 minutes the film finally got round to telling us that film was set in the 1930s - and that the protagonists were Jewish.  I still had no idea where the film was supposed to be taking place - though I had managed to localise it to 'somewhere in mainland Europe'. (It was Czechoslovakia as it turns out but I only found that out by looking it up on IMDb). We had met four characters in that 20 minutes. I knew two were married and rich - they had employed a third to build a house for them but after that I had NO idea what their relationships were with anyone else, or how long they had known each other - or anything.  The fourth character appeared in a party scene with the wife and the architect and, from the setup, I presumed was the partner of the architect.  She flirted and danced very lasciviously with the wife and then in a sudden jump to many months later (wife is now heavily pregnant) made a pass at her... and then suddenly its a year or so later and the wife's pregnant again. The other woman _wasn't _sleeping with the architect but is thinking about it and is now the the wife's oldest friend (so these two _didn't _meet at the party?) and then suddenly it's another few years later and no one has aged at all but the kids are growing up fast and that moment of almost passion between them is mentioned obliquely and I lost the will to carry on. It looked lovely. Like a car commercial looks lovely. But badly-established cardboard characters with no motivation (apart from best friend wanting to get into wife's knickers) and dull dialogue... it was like watching paint dry. Apparently it was based on a dead arty Booker Prize shortlisted book - one to avoid I think.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Dreamchild *(1985)

The elderly Alice Hargreaves (formerly Alice Liddell, the Alice from _Alice in Wonderland_) goes to 1930's America for the centenary of Lewis Carroll's birth. She confronts her earlier life and her friendship with Carroll.

Ian Holm is great as Carroll: clever and weird and rather sad (for the record, while his interest in Alice is odd, it doesn't seem to be actually sexual, which appears to be the general view these days). Coral Brown makes a convincingly out-of-time Alice Hargreaves, in a role that keeps making me think that she surely must be Dame Maggie Smith. Amelia Shankley is good as the young Alice. There are some great (and slightly sinister) creatures, courtesy of Jim Henson. The romantic subplot is weaker and slightly skippable. Decent score, too.

I found myself wondering if people in the Victorian era and 1930's America actually talked like this: the Victorians are like stuffy robots, and the Americans seem to be all about to shout "Gee whiz!". But maybe it really was like that. Dennis Potter wrote the script. I've got a feeling it might have been awkwardly cut, but overall, it's very good.


----------



## KGeo777

HIGHWAY 301 - I heard good things about writer- director Andrew L Stone's 1950 crime film. It is quite a supsenseful nail-biter--about a gang that committed various robberies and murders. It ends with a message stated by a character to the audience that congenital criminals shouldn't be treated leniently. Times sure have changed when it comes to messages on crime and punishment.

Speaking of career criminals,
DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS 1966  is very silly like the original.


----------



## Harpo

Nowadays I only watch DVDs. The last one was Ant Man, but yesterday in the charity shop I got Porridge, which I first saw at the cinema when I was a teenager


----------



## Ellizze

I watched Satyajit Ray's _Pather Panchali_. Such satisfaction to watch a master unravel his ideology and craft. Wonderful movie!


----------



## CupofJoe

*A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood* [2019] by Marielle Heller
A lovely tale of someone cynical and world weary discovering that an apparently nice person, really is a nice person and that their deep dark secret is that they really are just that nice... 
Being from the UK I had only heard of "Mr Rogers" as a near cliche for the nice and too good to be true so I don't know how much of the subtly I missed. Tom Hanks was his usual extra [but somehow absolutely] ordinary acting best. And Matthew Rhys was very good as the slightly burnt out Journalist.
Sentimental, cosy, gentle? Yes. No explosion, no superheros? And I don't think there was any CGI. I loved it.


----------



## Droflet

Me too. Surprising gentle and poignant film.


----------



## KGeo777

Michael Keaton was a crew member on Mr Roger's Neighborhood.
He made a joke about the (not so) wild times they had on set.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Founder - *who knew the founding of McDonald's could be a compelling subject for a movie? But it is. Michael Keaton is great as Ray Kroc, Nick Offerman and John Carrol Lynch are equally fab. Fancied a McDonald's afterwards.


----------



## Droflet

I loved the chalk layout.


----------



## scholar-in-distress

I believe it was Terminator: Dark Fate (not that I haven't watched a film since 2019). Although the plot made no sense to me, it was so nice to see Sarah Connor being an elderly badass. Was hoping that Arnie would revive his older accent for the role, but that did not happen. Still, it was a nice touch for the two to reappear together


----------



## alexvss

*The Witcher: Nightmare of the wolf *a fresh out of the oven Netflix original anime. And it's great! I was surprised; it was much better than my expectations. Definitely better than the live-action adaptation. 

A good addition to the franchise.

Very hyped for the *Star Wars* anime now.


----------



## KGeo777

LATITUDE ZERO 1969 ---Yet another underwater city film--this is very imaginative (and gold once again serves as a common material for a utopian city). In this case you have two Captain Nemo characters who oppose each other--Joseph Cotten and Caesar Romero. When someone calls the latter a monster for his fiendish experiments (which are truly fiendish), he replies earnestly, "No! I am a genius!" This has everything--from bat monsters to giant rats, acid lakes, and tvs that can order you fancy dinners and a weirdly out of nowhere Wizard of Oz ending.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Absolutely Anything* [2015] by Terry Jones
The premise is that the fate of humanity rests in the hand of an unassuming man who discovers that he has unlimited powers. He can do "Absolutely Anything". 
So what does he choose to do?
What would you choose to do?
It is a quirky comedy, that doesn't really make much sense, but is a lot of fun. It has a solid cast of mainly British actors from Simon Pegg and Kate Beckinsale to Eddie Izzard and Meera Syal. The stand out feature is that it has all five living Pythons [not exactly] on screen together. It was also the last role of Robin Williams.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Boss Level* - Surprisingly awesome time loop story with B-movie star Frank Grillo in the lead. Mel Gibson also puts in a typically charismatic performance. The action is well balanced with a story that has a lot of heart. Up there with *Guns Akimbo* for fun actioner that has the spirit of the best of the 80's high concept movies.


----------



## Jeffbert

BAYLOR said:


> *Those Magnificent Men And Their Flying Machines * 1965 I wish they still made.films like this.


Was this before or after GOLDFINGER?  This guy had been in more than a few comic-relief roles     



*HURCULES SAMSON & ULYSSES* (1963?) Sword & sandal; H & U are shipwrecked in the Bible area, & the Philistines mistake H for S. they hold crew mates as hostages, & demand H defeat S. U is not a muscle-type!?


_*BLADE RUNNER the final cut *_(2007) I have seen BR, but too long ago to compare.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Robo Vampire* - Somewhere in the Philippines in 1987 two very drunken movie producers bumped into each other in a bar.  They were both drowning their sorrows because they'd just both had their films' finances collapse half-way through shooting and were left with reels of unusable footage.
"Tha's hell of a coincidence," says one, "what are the chances eh?"
"Pretty damn remote I'd say," says the other. "Wha's you film about then?"
"Oh, mine's about about a bunch of mercenaries rescuing a blonde agent from the sweaty rapist drug baron wha's got her all held captive in a jungle base and that. Lossa people bursting through doors and machine-gunnin rooms full of people.  Wha's yours about?"
"Well it's kind of a comedy about this gorilla face vampire who's under the control of this wizard and there's this witch with nice tits who's in love with the vampire and they all get to fight this robot that's been built from this dead police guy,  You know like Robocop - but sh*t."
"You know..." says the first.  "I think I gotanidea...."

There is no other explanation. None.  Well there is... those bags of white powder every other character was stuffing into vampire's coffins, live bullock's bellies (slice! slice! stuff stuff! stitch stitch! - and don't show _that _bit of footage to any animal protection organisation...) and anything else with space enough to take a kilo or two...  If those bags of white powder actually _were _heroin or Columbian marching powder, and the whole movie was an _Argo_-like cover for some real drug smuggling and the crew got to stick their fingers in the sherbet then yes, that would explain it too.

Even by the fever-dream WTF?ery of the Filipino film industry this was a corker.

AHA!  just looked it up on the IMDb.  _Robo Vampire_ was directed (pseudonymously as 'Joe Livingstone' ) by that master of incoherence Godfrey Ho (who, if IMDb is to be believed, directed 38 *other* feature films in 1988...)  So there's the real explanation.  Godrey Ho!  Ho, legend has it - and who am I to argue with unfounded rumour? - bought an office building/production facility in Hong Kong in the 80s.  In one of the rooms was a pile of cans of film. Ho and his associates decided that as they had bought the building they owned everything in it and that obviously included these movies.  No one is quite sure if they owned the _rights_ to the films but that didn't stop them from chopping them up and using them to pad out new footage which they shot quickly to cash in on any passing fad - which is why some of his film straddle genres with weird surreal disregard for any logic. 1930's set gangster movies with period clothing and cars intercut with white blokes who look like they stepped out of a Traci Lords porn flick (not that... ahem... anyway... )  white blokes with mullets and big moustaches doing ninja stuff in public parks. ('Permits'?)

I'm glad I cleared that up.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Alien - Director's Cut*

Arguably the greatest science fiction movie of all time. The first half is pure sci-fi, the second mainly horror. I think this movie was best first time around, when we had no idea what was going to happen (no real previews back in the late 70s/early 80s!) but even now the tension is ramped to 11 with Kane peering into the opening egg or Ripley setting the auto destruct.

As much as I enjoyed 2001, I prefer my sci-fi to be closer to reality; and the setting of a dirty, run-down space tug and it's motley crew of everyday working folk in space encountering extra terrestrial life is (for me) a far more realistic prospect than many other space based movies where everything is white and new and clean and crewed with the cream of humanity (and usually male).


----------



## Rodders

The Prince Charles Cinema is showing the Cinema cut of Alien in a double bill with Aliens at the end of September. I'll be booking tickets as I was too young to see it at the cinema.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

paranoid marvin said:


> I prefer my sci-fi to be closer to reality; and the setting of a dirty, run-down space tug and it's motley crew of everyday working folk in space encountering extra terrestrial life is (for me) a far more realistic prospect than many other space based movies where everything is white and new and clean and crewed with the cream of humanity (and usually male).



It's a shame Scott forgot this for Prometheus.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Tomb Raider *(2018) - 45 mins in until we get our first Tomb. A distinctly more serious take than Angelie Jolie's 2001 movie. It pays homage to Indie in the cinematography, but lacks a charismatic protagonist or a gripping storyline. It's too bogged down with being an origin story, opening on a good 20 mins of angsty teenager with tacked on bike chase. I missed the silliness of the 2001 movie, to be honest.


----------



## KGeo777

Rodders said:


> The Prince Charles Cinema is showing the Cinema cut of Alien in a double bill with Aliens at the end of September. I'll be booking tickets as I was too young to see it at the cinema.


That's interesting! I wonder where they get the prints. Is it digital projection? I heard that Disney had stopped retro screenings of FOX films in 2019. If they allowed it again--makes one wonder if they knew there would be a hiatus on film screenings in 2020.
I assume it doesn't matter if it is 35mm or digital these days with regards to screening permission.
We have a company in my region which specializes in outdoor cinema showings--they set up a screen in a park or on the side of a building.


----------



## KGeo777

BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY  1979  extended fan edit-- - I saw the theatrical film when it came out and watched the series. The second season was quite a change-big mistake giving it a Star Trek-style mission in space.  The pilot does feel very tv cheap. There's a few decent matte painting shots though. It was also shot in tv-format so it's more like a square than letter box. Compared to the Battlestar Galactica pilot movie, this is far superior. The story works better--the cast is smaller but they work much better.  Too bad it was not treated like a feature film.


----------



## Rodders

Buck Rogers is very much a product of it's time. It didn't age at all well, but is ripe for a remake. 

The Thunderfighters area great design and they remain my favourite Star Fighters. (Interesting factoid that everyone knows. The Thunderfigher was  actually an unused Ralph McQuarrie design for the BSG fighters.)

Colonel Wilma Deering was lovely and i still crush on her.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The House of Flying Arrows*

A documentary movie about darts, the players and it's evolution over the last 40 years.The best bit was probably some of the legends of the game (Bristow, Bobby George, Bob Anderson ) sitting round a table getting sloshed as they reminisced about their time in the game. In fact it's a bit of a shame that there wasn't more of the movie about them, as the clips of classic matches was awesome. It was also nice to have a section dedicated to Sid Waddell, a legend of the game. One annoying thing though was the idea to have much playing throughout most of the talking , which meant that you couldn't fully understand everything being said. 

One only for darts fans, but a worthwhile 90 minutes of my time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Martian *- for the second time with Daughter Number 2 who hadn't seen it before.  I really like this film.  It's one of those rare films in which people do the right things, solve problems, don't act like dicks, and accept the consequences of their actions.  There's no back story to any of these characters that has to be settled between them (no divorced couples overcoming their antipathy to save the day and possibly rekindle.... no-one was responsible for the death of anyone's children/wife/pet hamster years before.... no  older men met a younger woman and fell into instant dislike each of other only slowly come to.... the film didn't end with two heterosexual men having a fist fight....)  Ok, some of the things they had to 'science the sh*t out of' were far fetched and I can't quite believe Nasa would send _so_ much duct tape to Mars but on the whole an entertaining grown up movie which was a lot funnier than I remember. Also one of those rare films where the lead's body double was cast to make the actor _less _buff and attractive than they really are.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Martian *- for the second time with Daughter Number 2 who hadn't seen it before.  I really like this film.  It's one of those rare films in which people do the right things, solve problems, don't act like dicks, and accept the consequences of their actions.  There's no back story to any of these characters that has to be settled between them (no divorced couples overcoming their antipathy to save the day and possibly rekindle.... no-one was responsible for the death of anyone's children/wife/pet hamster years before.... no  older men met a younger woman and fell into instant dislike each of other only slowly come to.... the film didn't end with two heterosexual men having a fist fight....)  Ok, some of the things they had to 'science the sh*t out of' were far fetched and I can't quite believe Nasa would send _so_ much duct tape to Mars but on the whole an entertaining grown up movie which was a lot funnier than I remember. Also one of those rare films where the lead's body double was cast to make the actor _less _buff and attractive than they really are.


Yes , there's really nothing not to like about this movie. Matt Damon is perfectly cast in his role as well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I think my biggest quibble with it was that I'm pretty sure you_ can't _see the Westminster Palace clock Tower (Big Ben) from Trafalgar Square but it's been a long time since I was there.  Maybe you can.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> I didn't know they went to the White House.
> I think they should do Weekend at Bernie's set in the White House.
> 
> 
> INVASION OF THE NEPTUNE MEN 1961 --An early Sonny Chiba film with some decent SPFX. The story is kind of out there with a prominent role for a group of kids.
> 
> 
> THE TERROR BENEATH THE SEA 1966  Sonny Chiba is a reporter in this one -- involving a plot to establish a one world government conspiracy starting with an ocean base where they turn humans into aquatic cyborgs. Holds your attention despite some terrible facial acting from a Navy submarine crew.



Both very entertaining films


----------



## KGeo777

Rodders said:


> Colonel Wilma Deering was lovely and i still crush on her.


The second season was a shocker for many changes including her hair. She was not  blonde and the hair dye was damaging (as Emilia Clarke found out).
 The "Space Vampire" episode is the one that I remember most fondly.

They should not have switched to a space voyage format. I read Gil Gerard was not happy with all the quips he was given. He wanted it to be more serious.
I did like Crichton the robot.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I have deliberately been avoiding discussing this, but what the heck . . .

At home, a while back, we watched a trio of Elvis Presley movies, for reasons too weird to explain.  (Suffice to say that it involved _The Brady Bunch_ . . .)

*Harum Scarum *(1965)

Silly adventure/comedy/musical, with the King getting mixed up in palace intrigue in an imaginary Middle Eastern nation.  Somebody must have flipped through an encyclopedia article on Islam, because reference is made to Ramadan in what is otherwise a cartoon version of the region.  You have to accept that the character played by Elvis is not only a popular singer (i.e., himself) but also so deadly at hand-to-hand combat that a band of assassins kidnap him in order to force him to kill a king; they couldn't do it themselves?

*Speedway *(1968)

Elvis is a race car driver and Nancy Sinatra is an IRS agent after the taxes on his earnings (which were messed up by his manager, Bill Bixby.)  Not much to say about this one, except for the fact that it features two different restaurant/nightclubs with automobile themes (i.e., you sit down to eat in fake cars.)

*The Trouble with Girls (and How to Get into It) *(1969)

Wildly misleading title for a truly odd Elvis movie.  He does some singing, but not much, really.  It's set in the 1920's.  The King plays the boss of a traveling Chautauqua company.  (Pretty much a wandering entertainment/education thing.)  Multiple subplots wander around all over the place.  These include a labor leader trying to form the company workers into a union; a couple of little kids trying to win a talent competition; a cheating gambler; and, strangely for this kind of film, a murder.  Vincent Price and John Carradine show up very briefly as, respectively, a lecturer on morality and a Shakespearean monologist.


----------



## Vince W

*Dredd* (2012). Such a great representation of the character. Superb acting from the entire cast. I think if it had retained more of the look from the comic then American audiences might have been more inclined to see the film in the cinema to make it the success it should have been.


----------



## Rodders

I very much enjoyed Dredd and am eternally gutted that it didn't do well at the box office. I'm bored with MCU and DC Superheroes.


----------



## Vince W

Same here, Rodders. MCU and DC are bland and predictable.


----------



## Don

_Viva Las Vegas_ was recently watched in its entirety for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed everything in it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*RIDE 'EM COWBOY* (1942) A & C go West and end up in a rodeo. I found myself frequently clicking to 30 second advance button during the songs.  



*THE MARK OF ZORRO* (1940) O.K., so I just ran Ben M's before and after comments, and the sword fight between Zorro & Sherlock Holmes. Best scene of all. Seen the film too many times to count. Someday, I will read the book!


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> *THE MARK OF ZORRO* (1940) O.K., so I just ran Ben M's before and after comments, and the sword fight between Zorro & Sherlock Holmes. Best scene of all. Seen the film too many times to count. Someday, I will read the book!


I had a little hobby going of watching every Zorro movie made from the first Douglas Fairbanks through to the 70s.

The Mark of the Zorro 1940 is the last one I watched (although I have seen some from later).
 The first story is pretty close to the Fairbanks movie--even the description of him as small of stature. It took a while to get used to Fairbanks as he reminded me of William Devane but his gymnastics can't be beat.

The sequel Don Q-Son of Zorro is very loosely connected to the first movie.

The Bold Caballero 1936 --it takes a while to get used to the guy playing him although when masked he gives a Batman kind of vibe and his mask is close to the first book illustration of him. It is also notable for the love interest guessing his identity--when the supposedly foppish Don Diego Vega saves her from a charging bull she immediately says: "wait a minute-you aren't a fop--what are you hiding?"

Zorro Rides Again 1937 - the serial -about his grandson---has an interesting portrait of Zorro on a wall - he looks more like Superman or Doc Savage with a mustache.

Zorro's Fighting Legion 1939 -- is the most superheroic of them--in fact this is what inspired Batman and Robin because Zorro has a legion of assistants and they dress similar to Robin (especially the modern Neal Adams-inspired costume with the black on the outside and the yellow on the inside).

There are too many Zorro movies to watch if one includes Mexico and Spain which made a lot. One I want to check out has Zorro in prison for 20 years like the 1998 movie but he is rescued by his daughters.

Excluding the tv version with Frank Langella which I may have seen first (or the Disney one), there's the Alain Delon version I have yet to see.

I watched Zorro the Gay Blade in a drive-in.

Villain: "I see your sword is as sharp as your tongue."

Zorro: "And yours as dull as your wit!"


----------



## alexvss

*The Housemaid*, the Korean one from 2010. A young maid gets involved with her married boss after she starts working for a rich family, and when they find out, she'll get a taste of how weird and crazy the super rich can be.

Although the first thing that comes to mind when you see this movie while swiping Amazon Prime is *The Handmaiden (2016)*, it has nothing to do it. It's more like a mix between *Parasite (2019)* and *Ready or Not (2019)*, with a pinch of erotic. I really liked some frames here, and there are some scenes that are, uh, "spicy". "Eat the rich" seems to be another Korean obsession, and this movie just won't stop throwing that concept at your face. But the ending is not nearly as satisfying as in Ready or Not.

Youn Yuh-jung, who won the Oscar for playing the grandmother from *Minari (2020)*, is also in the movie. She plays an older maid, destroyed after dedicating her life working for those weird rich people.

If you already watched the Korean modern classics, this one is definitely worth it.


----------



## BAYLOR

*Space Battleship Yamato * 2010 live action film.


----------



## Rodders

Didn't realise there was a live action version, Baylor.


----------



## BAYLOR

Rodders said:


> Didn't realise there was a live action version, Baylor.



It was made back in 2010, It never made it to the states not did it really have worldwide cinema distribution.

The Yamato looked amazing,  they duplicated perfect , a little  too perfectly to the point where looks like  science fiction film from the 1970's. They didn't update things.  They change a number of thing including  the nature of Gamelans and Iscandarans and I didn't like those changes all. Nor did I like the Gemalan ship which looked liked they belong in a different film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> *Dredd* (2012). Such a great representation of the character. Superb acting from the entire cast. I think if it had retained more of the look from the comic then American audiences might have been more inclined to see the film in the cinema to make it the success it should have been.




Dredd was a great action movie, but it really has little to do with the 2000ad universe; with a little editing it could easily have been a generic (albeit still great) futuristic cop movie. If only it had had some of the budget of the Judge Dredd movie to make it a living, breathing representation of MegaCity One.

The hate for the original Judge Dredd movie still baffles me. I get the anger of fans with Dredd removing his helmet, but there surely has to be more to it than that? The visuals were amazing (and at a time when CGI was still in it's infancy) and it captured the dry humour of 2000ad in ways that the later movie didn't. I still think that it's a brilliant (and perhaps) only true representation of the 2000ad universe.

What staggers me more though is that a world with so many great characters , worlds and storylines that there haven't been more movies based on it. Perhaps someday someone will realise this and we will see a 2000ad universe similarly represented to that of Marvel's superheroes.


----------



## KGeo777

Judge Dredd 1995 had a lot of potential. Good design work--the city look, the costumes,  and score--I don't think Stallone was the best choice but he was ok with the helmet on. It went off the rails with the clone plot. I can watch it and it works until a certain point.
 It gets too noisy in the last part.  "Eat recycled food."


ARK OF THE SUN GOD 1984 - Rewatch--At one point, David Warbeck says "this is a job for Roger Moore" which is funny because he often comes across as a poor man's Roger Moore. The story takes place in Turkey and there is good use of actual ruins and temples.  Antonio Margheriti employs miniature cars for a chase sequence and the inserts are pretty good--I am always impressed by the quality of the car miniatures in his films--they match the live-action set well enough that you could be tricked into thinking it's an actual real car now and then.
Obviously this is an Indiana Jones cash-in but it's set in modern times (the 80s...why do I call it modern times? Or does it feel like the last few decades are just expendable?).


----------



## Vince W

paranoid marvin said:


> What staggers me more though is that a world with so many great characters , worlds and storylines that there haven't been more movies based on it. Perhaps someday someone will realise this and we will see a 2000ad universe similarly represented to that of Marvel's superheroes.


There is a Rogue Trooper film in development but when we might see it is anyone's guess.


----------



## Rodders

There was a lot wrong with the Judge Dredd movie, (and it remains a guilty pleasure of mine), but Mega City looked awesome and was very faithful to the comic. I also think that Stallone and his chin were well cast. (Outside of removing his helmet, of course.)

What the new film does well is the feeling of the scum element of the Mega-City population, which was missing in the firm one. Lena Headey steals the movie as Ma Ma.


----------



## Vince W

I never liked Stallone as Dredd. When I heard about Judge Dredd being developed my first thought was Dolph Lundgren. Now there's a chin.


----------



## KGeo777

OSS 117 -Mission For A Killer 1965 --yet another euro spy film--I revisited this because I had remembered it to be one of the better ones. Visually impressive use of Brazilian waterfalls in the last scene (though I am surprised the actors would actually go into the aterfall so close to the edge). The fight scenes are lively as well. The difference between the standard euro spy and the Bond ones is that they don't crank up the romance to distracting extremes. It's rare in a James Bond movie that it doesn't feel tacked on as a joke. I always expect Eric Idle to pop up with a pint in his hand and say "nudge nudge, wink wink, knowwhatImean? KnowwhatImean?"


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> I never liked Stallone as Dredd. When I heard about Judge Dredd being developed my first thought was Dolph Lundgren. Now there's a chin.




I'll see that and raise you Jesse Ventura - best chin in Hollywood!


----------



## KGeo777

I am trying to think who would have better for it in 1995?
Ideally you want someone who reminds you of Clint Eastwood--wasn't he the reference for it.
Maybe Gary Graham, Tom Berenger, Powers Boothe, or Scott Glenn?
The voice has to be good.
Stallone was speaking very forced when he had the helmet on.


----------



## Vince W

paranoid marvin said:


> I'll see that and raise you Jesse Ventura - best chin in Hollywood!


I can't think of who Jesse Venture is. Remind me?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*La Nuite des Traquées* _(aka Night of the Hunted)_ - another slice of my Learning French by watching movies without the subtitles project. _ La Nuite des Traquées _is a piece of cheapo Eurosleeze directed by Jean Rollin - "The plot is uncharacteristically coherent" - says the top user review on IMDb.  Good god!  If this was one of the more coherent ones I have to see more of this guy's films.  (And not just for the copious amounts of nudity which they seem to contain - do French women actually_ wear_ underwear?)  I'm not sure what Rollin was trying to do in this film (or possibly even say) but what he ended up with at the end of his two week shoot looked like a colourised softcore porn remake of _Alphaville_. Lots of dialogue delivered with the actors staring past each other as they deliver screeds of oblique dialogue before taking their clothes off and indulging in very uninteresting sex. Then there's a bit of running around with hand guns in a railway yard for some reason which isn't explained. Then it's the end. Utter crap. I loved it.


----------



## alexvss

JunkMonkey said:


> *La Nuite des Traquées* _(aka Night of the Hunted)_ - another slice of my Learning French by watching movies without the subtitles project. _ La Nuite des Traquées _is a piece of cheapo Eurosleeze directed by Jean Rollin - "The plot is uncharacteristically coherent" - says the top user review on IMDb.  Good god!  If this was one of the more coherent ones I have to see more of this guy's films.  (And not just for the copious amounts of nudity which they seem to contain - do French women actually_ wear_ underwear?)  I'm not sure what Rollin was trying to do in this film (or possibly even say) but what he ended up with at the end of his two week shoot looked like a colourised softcore porn remake of _Alphaville_. Lots of dialogue delivered with the actors staring past each other as they deliver screeds of oblique dialogue before taking their clothes off and indulging in very uninteresting sex. Then there's a bit of running around with hand guns in a railway yard for some reason which isn't explained. Then it's the end. Utter crap. I loved it.


I really like French movies, notably the ones from the "New French Extremity". *Martyrs* *(2008)* is my favorite. *High Tension (2003*), *Frontiers (2007)*,* Raw (2016) *and *Under my Skin* *(2002)* are also pretty great. The only one I don't like very much is *Revenge (2017)*, for it doesn't add anything relevant to the genre. High Tension kickstarted Aja's career, and he remains as one of my favorite directors of all times. Have you seen *Oxygen (2021)*? It's his return to French movies. There are also Gaspar Noé's movies, which are, well, Gaspar Noé's movies! The man is a whole genre unto himself. I like some of them, but I'd never watch again. And these are the ones I remember off the top of my head right now 

I don't like French cinema as a whole though. As Peter Griffin puts it: "People of France, a good-looking, deppresed guy smoking a cigarette is not a movie!"


----------



## alexvss

*Pandorum (2009)  *"Event Horizon done right."

I re-watched this after many years. And man, it was worth it! What a movie. I really couldn't find any major flaws here.

Well, it starts off a little cliché, I must say. A member of the flight crew of a colonial ship wakes up from hypersleep after a malfunction. He finds out that the ship, that has been sent out of Earth after the planet's collapse, now became some kind of Lovecraftian anarchy or smth, and he's been sleeping for much more time than he thought he was. Ok, until now, nothing more than the old sci-fi obsession with dark futures caused by climate change and war. But the execution is outstanding. It keeps you hooked.

The lovecraftian monsters are not very lovecraftian because they try to (poorly) explain them. The concept of uncanny is thrown away. However, the monsters are very effective nonetheless. The action scenes also work. Normally, the breakneck editing would be a downer, but they work like a charm here. 

This is, without a doubt, an enhanced version of *Event Horizon (1997) *as Paul W. S. Anderson, the director of the original movie, serves as the producer.

Make sure you don't sleep on this.


----------



## CupofJoe

alexvss said:


> I don't like French cinema as a whole though. As Peter Griffin puts it: "People of France, a good-looking, deppresed guy smoking a cigarette is not a movie!"


But a pretty woman looking for a lost cat in Paris is great cinema. 
When the Cat's Away. Highly recommended!


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> There are also Gaspar Noé's movies, which are, well, Gaspar Noé's movies! The man is a whole genre unto himself. I like some of them, but I'd never watch again.




I watched half of_ Love_ and loathed it. _ Irreversable _is in my TBW pile - I think it's going to be a long time before I get to it.


----------



## hitmouse

alexvss said:


> I really like French movies, notably the ones from the "New French Extremity". *Martyrs* *(2008)* is my favorite. *High Tension (2003*), *Frontiers (2007)*,* Raw (2016) *and *Under my Skin* *(2002)* are also pretty great. The only one I don't like very much is *Revenge (2017)*, for it doesn't add anything relevant to the genre. High Tension kickstarted Aja's career, and he remains as one of my favorite directors of all times. Have you seen *Oxygen (2021)*? It's his return to French movies. There are also Gaspar Noé's movies, which are, well, Gaspar Noé's movies! The man is a whole genre unto himself. I like some of them, but I'd never watch again. And these are the ones I remember off the top of my head right now
> 
> I don't like French cinema as a whole though. As Peter Griffin puts it: "People of France, a good-looking, deppresed guy smoking a cigarette is not a movie!"


I think that is a very amusing characterisation, and I love all that gloomy existential left bank stuff with Gitanes and Pastis and Anais Nin, but consider also:
L’Atalante
Jules et Jim
A Bout de Souffle
Mon Oncle
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
Diva
Delicatessen
Amelie
Jean de Floret
Manon des Sources
Cyrano de Bergerac
La Femme Nikita
Leon
Brotherhood of the Wolf


----------



## alexvss

hitmouse said:


> I think that is a very amusing characterisation, and I love all that gloomy existential left bank stuff with Gitanes and Pastis and Anais Nin, but consider also:
> L’Atalante
> Jules et Jim
> A Bout de Souffle
> Mon Oncle
> Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
> Diva
> Delicatessen
> Amelie
> Jean de Floret
> Manon des Sources
> Cyrano de Bergerac
> La Femme Nikita
> Leon
> Brotherhood of the Wolf


Watched some of those. Gonna check out the ones I still haven't.


----------



## hitmouse

Also:
Harry, He’s Here to Help
Les Choristes


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm sad to say I have never seen _Jules et Jim or A Bout de Souffle.  _The others on Hitmouse's list are all well worth looking out _-_ apart from maybe  _L’Atalante._ I have seen it and was greatly underwhelmed. I really don't see what there is to rave about - and people do rave about it. I really do suspect it's one of those films that would have sunk into obscurity if the director hadn't died so romantically young and either gone on to great things or squandered an early promise.


At the risk of turning this into a different thread - my favourite French films discovered over the last few years :
*Les parapluies de Cherbourg
Le Bossu
La belle saison
Diner du cons 
Les yeux sans visage*


----------



## Dataisthefuture

I saw Once upon a Time in Hollywood. Great movie. A lot less violence than your typical Tarantino film -- until the end.


----------



## CupofJoe

As there has been talk about French cinema over the last few days so I went back and watched *Banlieue 13* [District 13].
The physical stunts are amazing. The plot and misè en scene are just believable enough to make the stakes feel real.
And again, the physical stunts are amazing.
Next up the original French [and far better than the American remake] *Taxi*.


----------



## Rodders

I've enjoyed what I've seen of French cinema and I find that foreign language movies are a refreshing change from the safety of Hollywood.

Taxi is a favourite of mine and i still need to see Delicatessen.

If you enjoyed District 13, you might enjoy a near future Police movie called Chrysalis, which has enough elements in to to enable me to label it as science fiction. The action was excellent.


----------



## KGeo777

THE OMEGA MAN 1971.

A plague by way of China ravages the world and Charlton Heston develops a vaccine but then he has trouble with a group of anti-vaxxers (led by a media guy).
Don't we hate it when dystopian nightmare movie scenarios from 50 years ago becomes reality?

I can't recall when I first saw it--but after reading THE VAMPIRE CINEMA which was not flattering as it compared the film to the Richard Matheson book I AM LEGEND, I tracked down  the source novel (through a library since it was out of print at the time). The movie does miss the opportunity to do a decent version of the book.  Matheson considered Heston to be the ideal casting for Robert Neville and that is who I thought of when reading it.
The early parts of the film do match the book and some things are perfect like the voices of the vampires calling to him.
If they had fangs and behaved more like vampires they would have been the scariest before Salem's Lot.
The music score is haunting and effective. I had taken it for granted as early 70s studio soundtrack pop music style but it is actually quite varied and symphonic in large part.
The further the film goes from the book, the harder it is for me to accept it for what it is. I try to say, well they couldn't end it on such a downer but Beneath the Planet of the Apes did end on a big one and the book story is more upbeat than that.
In fact, speaking of POTA, I wished during the Family's first capture of Neville, that Dr. Zaius could suddenly burst into the courtroom waving his cane and shout in Maurice Evans' voice: "if the human is to be criticized, I am the one best suited to do it!"
Even covered in makeup and glasses, charismatic Zerbe is great to watch and I suspect his character was inspired by Zaius in some ways--but it is too bad they went in the direction they did because his character in a much less preachy version could have fit into a faithful telling of the book. And been very effective as the evidence of what society was going to become.
They decided to make the Family the opposite of what the book ending was driving at, although they do keep one vampire-killer element in the movie--what Zerbe does with a spear. And if you consider it a substitute for a hypodermic needle, he did give someone one hell of "a jab."


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> I had a little hobby going of watching every Zorro movie made from the first Douglas Fairbanks through to the 70s.
> 
> The Mark of the Zorro 1940 is the last one I watched (although I have seen some from later).
> The first story is pretty close to the Fairbanks movie--even the description of him as small of stature. It took a while to get used to Fairbanks as he reminded me of William Devane but his gymnastics can't be beat.
> 
> The sequel Don Q-Son of Zorro is very loosely connected to the first movie.
> 
> The Bold Caballero 1936 --it takes a while to get used to the guy playing him although when masked he gives a Batman kind of vibe and his mask is close to the first book illustration of him. It is also notable for the love interest guessing his identity--when the supposedly foppish Don Diego Vega saves her from a charging bull she immediately says: "wait a minute-you aren't a fop--what are you hiding?"
> 
> Zorro Rides Again 1937 - the serial -about his grandson---has an interesting portrait of Zorro on a wall - he looks more like Superman or Doc Savage with a mustache.
> 
> Zorro's Fighting Legion 1939 -- is the most superheroic of them--in fact this is what inspired Batman and Robin because Zorro has a legion of assistants and they dress similar to Robin (especially the modern Neal Adams-inspired costume with the black on the outside and the yellow on the inside).
> 
> There are too many Zorro movies to watch if one includes Mexico and Spain which made a lot. One I want to check out has Zorro in prison for 20 years like the 1998 movie but he is rescued by his daughters.
> 
> Excluding the tv version with Frank Langella which I may have seen first (or the Disney one), there's the Alain Delon version I have yet to see.
> 
> I watched Zorro the Gay Blade in a drive-in.
> 
> Villain: "I see your sword is as sharp as your tongue."
> 
> Zorro: "And yours as dull as your wit!"


Have you seen *Zorro’s Black Whip* (1944) The man who was the Black Whip was killed, and his sister took up the costume and became The Black Whip; Zorro was only mentioned in the title. 

Admittedly, it has been years since I saw it. 



*SON OF SINBAD* (1955) Sinbad (Dale Robertson) cannot keep his eyes off other guy's women, & is always on the run from jealous husbands, etc. Though his sidekick, Omar Khayyám (Vincent Price) was far more entertaining, with his wit, more than his poetry.  

Somehow, the 40 thieves or, actually their daughters figure into the plot.    Don't mess with them! 



_*CAPTAIN SINBAD*_ (1963) Sinbad (Guy Williams) as Captain Sindbad, is being lured into a trap, but the Princess has the magician turn her into a bird, so she can fly out and warn him. To no avail, because the villain forces the magician to transform his henchmen into Rooks, that carry boulders out to sink S's ship. Also, the villain cannot be killed, because his heart is at a remote location, to which Sinbad & his crew must go to end him. about half of his men meet unpleasant ends along the way. Also, the villain is not a nice guy, he has people tortured for minor offenses.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Red Roses of Passion *(1966)

Weird little black-and-white low budget sexploitation melodrama.  Woman gets involved with a cult of women who worship the god Pan by rubbing roses on their bodies, which drives them mad with desire.  Although not yet a full member, she gets the cult leader to turn her puritanical aunt and cousin wild by sending them the roses.  This gets way out of hand, so she wants the delivery of roses to stop, but that can only happen if she agrees to become a full member.  That's about all there is to the plot.  Takes itself very seriously, with almost the mood of an occult horror movie, despite the campy aspects.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Suicide Squad* - just when you think you're out of comic book movies, they draw you back in. Putting the fun back into superhero movies with a schlocky story that harks back to director Gunn's Troma roots. How can you not love a story with a 60ft starfish that takes great pleasure in stepping on people? It runs too long, but it's generally excellent fun that feels like the most genuinely comic book thing we've seen for a long time.


----------



## Rodders

That's good to read. The first one wasn't great and focused far too much on Harley Quinn. It was uncomfortable.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Have you seen *Zorro’s Black Whip* (1944) The man who was the Black Whip was killed, and his sister took up the costume and became The Black Whip; Zorro was only mentioned in the title.



Zorro's Black Whip is next on my list. I read they had some legal issues and that is why they didn't use him in it.
I have seen those Sinbad movies. Guy Williams was  a good choice for it--the film has some interesting fx but it's hard to compare to the Harryhausen ones. Son of Sinbad was the kind of film he detested because it was just a harem-focused comedy-type story.

There's a 1973 European Sinbad movie--Sinbad the Califf of Baghdad--they spelled it Simbad in the actual title.
Very cheap but what's interesting is that because it was a European film, the locations--including an Arabian-style castle and marketplace--is about the same in look as what Golden Voyage of Sinbad has. Budget wise--absent the monsters, it actually looks about the same.
But it is not a good film. It's a weird Italian comedy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

All Italian comedies are weird.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> All Italian comedies are weird.


Well this one was more weird than funny.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE GOOD DIE YOUNG* (1954) Brit made crime drama, in which the back stories to the 4 men involved in the crime take most of the film's time. It shows their desperation for money, how they got that way, etc. 

The one guy Miles Ravenscourt (Laurence Harvey)  who started the whole plot, was the son of a very wealthy father (Robert Morley), who loathes him, because of his entitled attitude; he refuses to give him the money his late mother left him.   The other 3 men are in similar situations, 1 (John Ireland) has a gambling debt he cannot pay, without his wife's money, & she refuses to give it, unless he, an upper class type, who like the 1st guy, refuses to work for a living. 

A prize fighter (Stanley Baker), whose left hand was amputated, & the other, (Richard Basehart), who came to Britain to retrieve his wife, whom he assumed had run off with another man, but whose mother cannot bear to be away from her.

1st time seeing it, & was not disappointed; though the actual theft was very brief, unlike other films of the type. The attempted escape did take a while, & was very intense. 



*PRIVATE DETECTIVE 62 *(1933) Free (William Powell) was a U.S. State Dept. agent in France, caught by the authorities and deported to the USA.  One of those MISSION IMPOSSIBLE-type things, in which you are on your own, & we will deny any knowledge of you, etc., if you are caught. So, Free returns to the USA, and ends up partner with a down & out private detective, who, lacks the needed stuff to be successful. Free turns the business into a success, but is kept out of his partner's deals with the local mob guy. 

For me, I just cannot think of a William Powell film that I did not like, & this is no exception. laced with enough humor to make serious situations not so serious, etc. Well done.


----------



## KGeo777

SUPERSONIC MAN 1979 - I had been told this movie was bad--but as I have seen ABAR: THE FIRST BLACK SUPERHERO I wasn't too concerned that I would be shocked--however, it is still pretty bad on its own merits or lack thereof.
The only star in it is Cameron Mitchell which is not a good sign, he plays a Dr. Ghoul-lak who takes his job seriously--he says to a prisoner: "there's no fool like an old fool." Then he looks at him with hatred and whispers: "Idiot.....idiot."

The odd thing with him is that the dubbing is so off that it sounded like different people did the voices and made up accents (or dropped them) as they went along. Sometimes he sounds like John Saxon must have been looping a film in the room the next door and they called him over to do a few lines.

Early on a robot appears which has a blowtorch weapon. It looks like one of those walking robot toys but I am cutting it some slack because I think Superman should have had a robot in it.
The catch phrase in this is "May the power of the force of the universe with be me."

I wonder where they got that line from.


THE FINAL JEOPARDY 1985 - a tv-movie starring Richard Thomas and Mary Crosby (haven't seen in her in a long time) as a couple lost in a big city facing urban decay and they cannot get any help to leave before morning. Their car is locked up with vicious dogs and a gang targets them (although they aren't that formidable if John-Boy is able to kick the stuffing out of the leader).
It is suspenseful but gets more ridiculous. A soon-to-be-better known actor appears as a cop.
For viewing on youtube.
I assume Supersonic Man is as well.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Speed Crazy *(1959)

Cheap little crime/racing/rock 'n' roll flick.  Our antihero robs a gas station before the opening credits, shooting an old guy (with whom he's on a a first name basis) in the process.  This introduces the main character's habit of constantly saying variations on the line "Don't crowd me."  You'll lose count of the number of times he says things like this.   The killer stupidly grabs the victim's ring, which serves as a clue for the cops.   He then goes on to pick up dames left and right, gets into fights with guys, and races cars.  This includes cheating by putting paraffin into a rival's engine.  Meanwhile we get a couple of rockabilly songs; the title tune, and "Ghost Town Rock."   The singer also provides our movie's unbearable comedy relief, doing things like removing the letter S from his alphabet soup, because it makes him dizzy.  It all leads up to the big race, which evolves into the cops chasing the killer on a mountain road.  The last thing the antihero says before he dies in a fiery crash (that's not really a spoiler, is it?) is "Everybody's always crowding me."


----------



## CupofJoe

*Transformers: The Last Knight* [2017]
Er? What just happened? I'm going to have to rewatch it because it really didn't make any sense. I know the Transformer films were never deep thought pieces but this one just seemed to skip a plot and just go for the action sequences.
Oh... And please, could someone explain how the submarine got into the water? One scene it was in the museum, high and dry, the next it is in the English Channel...


----------



## alexvss

*The Lives of Others (2006)*. 50% of German movies are about war. 49% is about life during the separation between capitalist and socialist Germany. The other 1% is bad rom-coms.

_Das Leben der Anderen_ is about the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, and a subversive writer whose house is wired by them. The police agent who listen to the writer's life everyday starts to get convinced by him.

The screenplay is very well-crafted; everything comes around. And there is real tension in some scenes. 

I regret not watching this sooner.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> *The Lives of Others (2006)*. 50% of German movies are about war. 49% is about life during the separation between capitalist and socialist Germany. The other 1% is bad rom-coms.



Have they stopped making those soft-core 'Schoolgirl Report' sexploitation movies then?


----------



## alexvss

JunkMonkey said:


> Have they stopped making those soft-core 'Schoolgirl Report' sexploitation movies then?


Fortunately for me, I don't know about that


----------



## Parson

*DareDevel --- *I am not a great fan of the *Marvel *universe, but this I really liked. I especially liked his moral self questioning. The ironic part is that I watched this so that I could watch *Electra*. We'll see if I like that as well, but am happy that I decided to watch this.


----------



## Phyrebrat

_Threads_ 1984. Traumatised me as a child so I have no clue why I just watched it again.

Chilling. I shan’t sleep


----------



## Toby Frost

It's a real laughorama, isn't it?


----------



## paranoid marvin

Phyrebrat said:


> _Threads_ 1984. Traumatised me as a child so I have no clue why I just watched it again.
> 
> Chilling. I shan’t sleep




I think it was worse back in the 80s when most of us fully expected the events of the movie to play out for real. Now it's more of a history lesson of what could have been. Back then it was like watching a monster film where monsters actually existed for real.


----------



## Phyrebrat

True. I was 12 when I saw it when it came out. I’d  read the _Amityville Horror_ and was on to _Salem’s Lot_ but it was _Threads_ that freaked me out.

Was explaining to my students before summer what it was like growing up under the threat of nuclear annihilation when they were complaining about COVID-19. They thought it was a big traditional bomb and now I’m thinking about showing them the film.


----------



## asp3

Hitchcock - Lifeboat (1944) - I thought it was a somewhat subversive film for the time.  I'd be interested in finding out how it was received at the time, but not enough to actually find some old reviews to find out.


----------



## AE35Unit

*A Good Marriage *
Psychological thriller based on a Stephen King short. Not bad


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Have they stopped making those soft-core 'Schoolgirl Report' sexploitation movies then?


Thats the other 30%.


----------



## Extollager

The Pink Panther -- the first of, I gather, a series.  Dull.  Claudia Cardinale flirting with David Niven goes on     and on       and on.  

Never again!


----------



## KGeo777

THE SCARLET BLADE 1964 -- Not really much in the swash but lot of buckles on display and I like watching it now and then, especially for Lionel Jeffries who is very watchable as a pragmatic military officer who has problems with his daughter's support for the king. Damn that Cromwell.
One funny thing in this is that Charles is portrayed by Robert Rietty who has one line in his own voice. But he dubbed so many movies-you have heard his voice in everything--he did Blofeld in For Your Eyes Only.


----------



## KGeo777

Herbert Lom is great in Return of the Pink Panther and Strikes Again--he steals his scenes. He was so good at comedy even though one usually thinks of him in more dramatic stuff (the same is true of Lionel Jeffries. He is hilarious in the Spy With A Cold Nose--which has a Cardinale lookalike Daliah Lavi)

You want bad? Watch INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU 1968.
That one is so bad.
Only one scene made me chuckle where he keeps changing seats.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Yep.  Even Alan Arkin couldn't save that one.


----------



## alexvss

Parson said:


> *DareDevel --- *I am not a great fan of the *Marvel *universe, but this I really liked. I especially liked his moral self questioning. The ironic part is that I watched this so that I could watch *Electra*. We'll see if I like that as well, but am happy that I decided to watch this.


Have you seen the TV Show? It's waaaay better.


----------



## AE35Unit

Extollager said:


> The Pink Panther -- the first of, I gather, a series.  Dull.  Claudia Cardinale flirting with David Niven goes on     and on       and on.
> 
> Never again!


Oh I love the pink panther films.
"Excuse me, have you got the time?"
'Yes' 
Walks on


----------



## JunkMonkey

"That.... is not my dog."


----------



## Parson

alexvss said:


> Have you seen the TV Show? It's waaaay better.



I have not seen the TV show. Maybe I'll have to hunt it up.


----------



## hitmouse

Extollager said:


> The Pink Panther -- the first of, I gather, a series.  Dull.  Claudia Cardinale flirting with David Niven goes on     and on       and on.
> 
> Never again!


These have dated badly, especially the later Sellers movies. 
i have soft spt for the first film, but the next one *A Shot in the Dark* is the best.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Time Table *(1956)

Nifty little crime film.  Starts off as a heist movie (with a particularly clever train robbery that nets half a million bucks), turns into a procedural as a railroad detective and an insurance investigator try to track down the crooks, then, with a major plot twist at the half hour mark, turns into _film noir_.  Watch for Jack Klugman in an early, small role; you can't miss him.  Recommended.


----------



## KGeo777

TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000  1958 -- Not a bad idea but it has lots of deficiencies including a soundtrack that seems to borrow tracks from Leave it to Beaver for some dramatic moments.

FIRST MEN IN THE  MOON 1964 -I always considered this the lest memorable of Harryhausen films--but that's because it follows the book-there isn't that much value for his animation and too many moon creatures were required.
This is partly a homage to George Melies--I like the oxygen-making machine. Those tanks of colored water were neat visually.

Gibbs!


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000  1958 -- Not a bad idea but it has lots of deficiencies including a soundtrack that seems to borrow tracks from Leave it to Beaver for some dramatic moments.



Oh is that the one with the "Negative Carbon 14 results" showing that something must have come from the future!?


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Evil Dead (2013)* - humourless bore fest. Buckets of blood do not make an engaging movie. Switched it off. Stick to EDII or Army of Darkness.


----------



## Rodders

I was at a loose end and wanted to watch something a bit light as i didn't want to get into anything. Space Truckers was on my Amazon list
and i hadn't seen it before, so i thought why not.

My god! That was a terrible movie.


----------



## KGeo777

Oh I have Space Truckers on my watch list. I almost watched it a few weeks ago but something else won over.


----------



## KGeo777

PRINCE VALIANT 1954.  It shocked me when I first watched this a few years ago because I quickly could see that Star Wars used this film as its template much more than it used Flash Gordon. And it is a FOX film. 

A farm boy goes off on an adventure to find his destiny, he encounters an older warrior who takes him under his wing to train to be a knight, and he has to battle a mysterious figure garbed in black, using a magic sword that belonged to his father. Also, there's a rescue mission on a fortress controlled by the usurpers of the true government (more on that later). 

Additionally, it is no secret that the music score for Star Wars was influenced by Franz Waxman among others but for some reason, the music for this film is not mentioned even though you hear a few Star Wars tune ideas in the score. You can hear the trumpet melody that starts the Star Wars fanfare piece, as well as a little snippet of the Imperial March at one point (7: 20 mark) in the suite. 

I never read the comic strip-- Robert Wagner has a funny wig (black-haired vikings were the norm?) but he does a lot of athletic feats. It feels longer than 1: 40 minute due to how much is crammed into it.  It's a bit awkward and distracting to have American accents but there's enough action scenes. Prince Val is no Luke--he does a lot of fighting and rescuing. The sword which is kind of the Force of the story (well, if we ignore the mentioning of Jesus) only comes into it towards the end.

It's weird how much Christian promotion is in here. The pagan Vikings are the bad guys. They really hit you over the head with the importance of Christianity in the time of King Arthur. 
Anyway you can hear Star Wars tune inspiration in this piece:


----------



## paranoid marvin

hitmouse said:


> These have dated badly, especially the later Sellers movies.
> i have soft spt for the first film, but the next one *A Shot in the Dark* is the best.


Yes A Shot in the Dark is a very funny film. The Pink Panther Strikes Again (where Dreyfus tries to assassinate Clouseau) is also less a movie and more a series of  very funny set pieces.


----------



## alexvss

*The mitchells vs the machines (2021)*. A Sony animation about a family of four (five, counting the dog) saving the world from robot apocalypse. It's a very simple story, acessible to everyone, with a clear message. Reminded of *Inside Out (2015)* in that aspect. Many people like this movie because children understood that you sadness is necessary, that you can't leave with joy alone, etc. I see something similar here.

There's a lot of visual comedy (some will say that they overdid it) as opposed to scripted, spoken jokes--a problem I've seen on *The Suicide Squad (2021)*.

In the third act, they get really strong very fast, and I read that some people didn't like that; but the story was kinda goofy all the time so I didn't see it as a problem. The screenplay is also very simple: it's a road movie that has a big fight at the end, basically.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Bronson* 2008
Real life story of sociopath Michael Peterson who takes on the name Charles Bronson when he boxes in prison. Tom Hardy plays an amazing,raw  role.


----------



## Parson

*Elektra (2005), *--- This was a lot different than I expected. Advertised as "Assassin changes her ways" it turns out to be that, but much more a pseudo Eastern Mysticism/Kung Fu (if that isn't redundant) kind of movie. I found it very disjointed and I was always guessing what was real, what was a flash back,  and what was a future vision. Added to That Jennifer Gardner sometimes saw as herself when she was a child, but also in another child. Sometimes Jennifer Gardner is confined by somewhat normal rules of physics and sometimes she's living in a world where magic is real. 

If you like Jennifer Gardner, you might like this movie. --- If you want an interesting story or even one that makes any sense, you'll likely want to avoid this one.


----------



## KGeo777

THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES 1972 - A giallo featuring a somewhat spooky serial killer who dresses in a red robe. Barbara Bouchet, Sybil Danning, and a flooded room with rats in it. The soundtrack has a catchy melody. It's kind of a preposterous confusing story but it has enough surprises to keep it interesting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Mission to Mars *- I love the technical aspects of this film.  Like most of De Palma's films I find the _way_ he makes them much more interesting than the subject matter. I found myself watching the focus pulling a lot this time. There's some nice focus pulling during some dialogue sequences. But the story! Towards the end it was like wading through treacle it was so fecking syrupy.


----------



## AE35Unit

* Caveat* 2018
A weird psycho-thriller, very different from the usual run of the mill horror.


----------



## REBerg

*Malignant*
Horror doesn't top my movie genre watch list, but this one was entertaining. It reminded me a bit of _Basket Case_.


----------



## Rodders

Prospect has been on my "to Watch" list for a while and i finally saw it this evening and it was well worth the wait as one of the better Science Fiction movies i have seen in recent months. I liked the analogue aesthetic as everything looked to be on the verge of breaking down. Great costumes, too.

I also saw Altered Carbon: Resleeved. As an Anime movies, it's not something i'd usually watch, but i enjoyed both the books and the TV series, so i thought i'd give it a go. It doesn't do anything new, but i found it to be pretty entertaining. The ending was pretty open and if another is made, i'll watch it.


----------



## KGeo777

THE HIDDEN 1987  - I had not seen this (or thought of it) in a long time. I saw it on video and thought it was inspired by the Thing and the Terminator and a little of Lifeforce and it didn't strike me as having much in the way of memorable spfx or typical 80s comedy relief.
Now, those are its biggest strengths  because it is refreshing that it treats it seriously and is more character driven than action or spfx (although the scene of the takeover in the beginning is very good spfx). Compared to other films--Alien Nation and They Live or  I Come In Peace--it's entirely serious with no self-aware humor. That approach worked very well.

LOVE ME DEADLY - 1973 -- This was one I didn't need to see. It's about a woman who is into necrophilia (due to a fixation on her father) and her new husband (Lyle Wagoner) can't figure it out. It's professionally made--there's a scene where a male prostitute is hired for something he soon regrets and it is rather horrifying--the necrophilia stuff is nothing extreme in comparison. It sounded like they used some eerie Ligeti music from 2001 in it as well.


----------



## Rodders

The Circle. This was surprisingly good. An interesting movie pit falling the intrusive nature of social media. Quite clever and well worth a watch. 

Self/Less. I quite enjoyed this. A billionaire is dying and gets his consciousness moved to another, younger body. He thinks it's a lab grown body, but soon learns the truth. A pretty decent action movie with Ryan Reynolds. 

Stowaway. I enjoyed it, but the action situation felt somewhat contrived, so it didn't work for me.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM showed a day's worth of William Powell films a few weeks ago; here are three:

_*THE EMPEROR'S CANDLESTICKS*_ (1937) Tension between Poland & Tsarist Russia, gets girl-crazy Grand Duke Peter (Robert Young) and his companion Colonel Baron Suroff (Frank Morgan) kidnapped and held for the ransom of the release of a Polish guy, who is condemned to die.

The candlesticks have secret compartments in them, in which Baron Stephan Wolensky (William Powell), who is to deliver the letter to the Tsar, had placed it for safekeeping. But the guy who wanted him to deliver the sticks to their recipient, suddenly decided to have Countess Olga Mironova (Luise Rainer), take them instead. She places her documents, ordering the arrest of Wolensky in the other candlestick.

Light humor, good supporting cast. A fun film.


*CROSSROADS* (1942) French diplomat David Talbot (William Powell) had suffered amnesia a decade earlier, and had lost his identity because of a head injury. With the help of Dr. Andre Tessier (Felix Bressart)  and the Captain of the ship on which he had just arrived, he was able to recover his identity. After his photo was in the newspaper announcing his wedding, a letter arrived demanding blackmail payments. The culprit, seeing a chance to profit from his potential uncertainty about his past, was soon jailed. But, a much more crafty blackmailer  Henri Sarrou (Basil Rathbone), soon appeared. He had even paid an elderly woman to claim she was his mother, and that he was not whom he had thought himself to be.

Another very good supporting cast. Rathbone is wonderfully evil.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> THE HIDDEN 1987  - I had not seen this (or thought of it) in a long time. I saw it on video and thought it was inspired by the Thing and the Terminator and a little of Lifeforce and it didn't strike me as having much in the way of memorable spfx or typical 80s comedy relief.
> Now, those are its biggest strengths  because it is refreshing that it treats it seriously and is more character driven than action or spfx (although the scene of the takeover in the beginning is very good spfx). Compared to other films--Alien Nation and They Live or  I Come In Peace--it's entirely serious with no self-aware humor. That approach worked very well.


My wife and I saw that at the theater when it came out. Still one of my favorite sf movies from the late '80, early '90s because it was rather low-key and well acted. Also the feature movie debut of Claudia Christian.


*The Crimson Cult *(a.k.a. _The Curse of the Crimson Altar_; 1968); dir. Vernon Sewell; cast: Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Mark Eden; Barbara Steele
Thriller supposedly based on H. P. Lovecraft's "Dreams in the Witch House" (unacknowledged in credits), you can see glimmers of the story in the movie, but they are sparse at best. Antique dealer Eden's brother goes missing in a small town. Eden goes to find him and ends up as an invited guest in Lee's home, where a very '60s hedonistic party is taking place, leading Eden to meet Lee's daughter; Eden conveniently forgets his girlfriend back home and starts an affair with the daughter. Eden also meets Karloff's expert in witchcraft and the history thereof, particularly the history of Lavinia Morley who was burned to death by the townspeople and cursed her killers and their offspring, some of whom seem to have died early of not natural causes. The movie is hokum, but hokum carried along nicely, in spite of it's '60s conventions (some nudity, the implication of hallucinogens, the main character's casual sexism) by good acting. No one is overly serious nor are they winking at the camera; Eden was an established actor by this time in his career and gave a good performance even when matched against Karloff and Lee; I remember him as quite good as Inspector Parker opposite Ian Carmichael's Lord Peter Wimsey. Karloff sounds appropriately ominous, Lee is a bit underused and Steele is most definitely underused, asked only to look haughty, vindictive and beautiful in blue body make-up as Lavinia.

*Night Moves* (1975); dir. Arthur Penn; cast: Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clarke, Edward Binns; first billed appearance of Melanie Griffith and an early role for James Woods
Downbeat movie with Hackman as Harry Moseby, a private eye on the down-slide, marriage to Clarke about to fail, cases few and far between, past clouded by family issues. A former movie star asks him to find her missing daughter (Griffith) and he does, only to trip over criminal activity. There's a crucial scene (as pointed out the the evening's hosts, Ben Mankiewicz and Eddie Mueller) where Moseby sets up a chess problem from a game, explaining to Paula (Warren) that black had three moves to mate and didn't see it, losing the match instead. It seems symbolic of Harry's life, and also maybe a tip of the hat to Raymond Chandler and his Philip Marlowe character who often set up chess match problems to brood over. Standout performances from Clarke and especially Warren, in a cast that also includes Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, and other familiar faces. If it's not Penn's best, it's still a pretty sharp, thoughtful movie.


----------



## alexvss

REBerg said:


> *Malignant*
> Horror doesn't top my movie genre watch list, but this one was entertaining. It reminded me a bit of _Basket Case_.


Just came back from the movie theater after watching this one, and I enjoyed it a lot! The plot twist really got me. J. Wan manipulates you to think something and then, BAM!

Without spoiling anything: the title actually tells a lot!


----------



## Parson

I'm a season and half into watching *Downton Abby *for the first time, and I have to say I'm wondrously surprised. The strengths of wonderful acting, interesting characters, and pretty solid historical fiction more than make up for it's glaring weakness. ---- Sigh! it's essentially a series of love stories (ill fated so far); which is why I never bothered, until now. That, and the fact that *Prime *lets me watch on my own schedule without a bunch of fussing around.


----------



## hitmouse

Just watched *Riddick*, which is really a movie of 2 halves. The first is a spare and quite stylish lone survival story, whilst the second is more conventional survival/horror/sf and is less interesting. A bit of a curate’s egg.

Prime has just flagged up *The Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism* which looks like a ripe piece of 1960s Hammer with Vincent Price and a brilliant title. Might save that for the weekend.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

"OWEEEEEEEEN! You're grounded!"


----------



## KGeo777

!00 CRIES OF TERROR 1965 - Mexican horror film (two stories) dubbed by the notorious K Gordon Murray crew. The dialogue is amusingly incoherent, although this is not as fun as Doctor of Doom or the Brainiac.

COPLAN-FX-18  - 1965   A series of French spy agent movies--this one has a couple of interesting stunts--one involves a plane landing on the top of a moving truck before exploding---looked rather dangerous. And as happens with these things, they have to get in a cover shot of an Ian Fleming book to remind you what the inspiration was.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Fantabulosa* - Martin Sheen puts in a fantabulous performance as Kenneth Williams in this BBC Biopic, based on Williams' own meticulous diaries. Sometimes he gets the voice spot on - other times not so much. Williams is somewhat of a tragic character, and this covers his close relationship with his mum, Louie, his struggles with his sexuality, his loneliness, narcissism and his rise to fame. It is very much warts and all, and very sad in parts.

Whilst I wouldn't call myself a carry on fan - nowadays I find the ones I've seen again borderline unwatchable - but I do have fond memories of them as a kid - particularly Carry on Screaming. It is interesting to see behind the curtain into William's life, and how he was cheated out of a decent wage.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> Prime has just flagged up *The Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism* which looks like a ripe piece of 1960s Hammer with Vincent Price and a brilliant title. Might save that for the weekend.



You sure about that?  The *The Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism* that I know has Lex Barker and Christopher Lee in not Vincent price and is pretty terrible and German not hammer.

Meanwhile I just finished *Annihilation* - which was going great guns and had me right up to the 'cardboard stereotype butch lesbian goes bonkers and gets killed' sequence. Whereupon I fell out of the movie and just watched it.  Someone, I thought at one point, has read a lot of episodes of the _Swamp Thing.  Roadside Picnic _meets _Swamp Thing. _  I did have a trouble settling into the film once we'd established the ground rules.  There's this  zone of weird shimmeriness that people enter but don't return from.  You can see into this zone of weird shimmeriness.  But no radio signals have come out from any of the teams that have gone in.  Why, I immediately asked myself, didn't anyone think to have someone standing just outside the zone, someone just inside, someone a bit further in but within sight of the first, and another further still and so on and have them signal each other with semaphore flags or naval signal lights?   Took some time for my "we wouldn't have a fecking movie otherwise" filter to fuzz _that_ out of my head.


----------



## Toby Frost

I don't think *Annihilation *makes a lot of sense when you think about it, and in terms of tone it seemed to be all over the place, but it had some amazing scenes. I wonder if it was trying to do too much, but it deserves credit for at least trying.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> I don't think *Annihilation *makes a lot of sense when you think about it, and in terms of tone it seemed to be all over the place, but it had some amazing scenes. I wonder if it was trying to do too much, but it deserves credit for at least trying.




[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Yup.  I guess I was expecting too much as Alex Garland's previous film,_ Ex_Machina, _was utterly brilliant.  I also had a "please don't do the 'glowing eyes letting the audience_ know'_ thing" moment in the final scene. (And was disappointed.) If I was editing it I would have cut the final two over the shoulder shots with that in and ended with the two of them just standing there - before the clinch - with the "are you still Lena?" unanswered.


----------



## Toby Frost

True, _Ex Machina_ was excellent. _Annihilation_ was a bit of a mess.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

JunkMonkey said:


> Meanwhile I just finished *Annihilation* - which was going great guns and had me right up to the 'cardboard stereotype butch lesbian goes bonkers and gets killed' sequence. Whereupon I fell out of the movie and just watched it.  Someone, I thought at one point, has read a lot of episodes of the _Swamp Thing.  Roadside Picnic _meets _Swamp Thing. _ I did have a trouble settling into the film once we'd established the ground rules.  There's this  zone of weird shimmeriness that people enter but don't return from.  You can see into this zone of weird shimmeriness.  But no radio signals have come out from any of the teams that have gone in.  Why, I immediately asked myself, didn't anyone think to have someone standing just outside the zone, someone just inside, someone a bit further in but within sight of the first, and another further still and so on and have them signal each other with semaphore flags or naval signal lights?   Took some time for my "we wouldn't have a fecking movie otherwise" filter to fuzz _that_ out of my head.



It definitely worse its influences on its sleeves. I must admit to liking some of the imagery in it, but it wasn't a triumph by any means.


----------



## KGeo777

* 100,000 Dollars for Lassiter* - 1966    More of a comedy than a serious story but it was amusing at times. Many familiar faces from spaghetti westerns appear in it.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> You sure about that?  The *The Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism* that I know has Lex Barker and Christopher Lee in not Vincent price and is pretty terrible and German not hammer.


Yep German and absolutely terrible, like a very bad Hammer ripoff. So clicheed it is amusing. Correct about the players.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Operation Dames *(1959)

Given the title, the opening scene with a couple of GIs ogling a curvaceous blonde through binoculars, and the song played over the opening titles ("Girls, Girls, Girls," not to be confused with the Mötley Crüe song of the same name), you'd think this was a military comedy.  It actually turns into a serious, albeit extremely low budget, war movie.  Some USO entertainers get stuck behind enemy lines in Korea in 1950.  They run into some equally trapped soldiers, and the no-nonsense Sergeant has to lead them to safety.  Cue tension and romance.  Some attempt is made at characterization.  Folks get killed when I wasn't expecting it.  The cheapness definitely shows -- people talk about "the middle of the night" during scenes that are in bright sunlight -- but it's not the worst film I've ever seen.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Murder by Contract *(1958)

A minimal budget is used with great effectiveness in this surprisingly modern crime drama.  Future Ben Casey star Vince Edwards stars as a laconic hit man.  He gets a contract to kill a witness against a mob boss.  The two minor hoodlums who serve as his handlers provide some quirky, low key comedy as the guy spends time touring Los Angeles instead of doing the job.  The only time the killer gets upset is when he finds out the target is a woman.  Not because he's got a problem with that, but he thinks women are less predictable and therefore harder to kill.  His really unusual murder plots go wrong, through no fault of his own, leading to the final attempt.  It's a fine little film.


----------



## KGeo777

CHAIN OF EVIDENCE - 1957   An ex-con who was jailed for defending his fiancee` from a hooligan is, upon release, beat up by an acquaintance and suffers amnesia-so he takes a new identity and works for a rich philanthropist whose wife wants to kill him. She sees an opportunity to frame the new worker without a memory. Not bad--very cheap and short and no famous names but it somehow makes it feel more real.

FLASHMAN 1967 is anything but real. It's an Italian Batman spoof and it's pretty bad but there is one amazing FX scene where a silhouette of an invisible man appears in  a misty room and considering it was pre-cgi it was pretty cool. I don't know how they did it but it looked good compared with some other invisible effects they do where the wires are clearly visible.


----------



## Rodders

Tau - A surprisingly decent movie well worth watching.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> FLASHMAN 1967 is anything but real. It's an Italian Batman spoof and it's pretty bad but there is one amazing FX scene where a silhouette of an invisible man appears in  a misty room and considering it was pre-cgi it was pretty cool. I don't know how they did it but it looked good compared with some other invisible effects they do where the wires are clearly visible.



I was pretty amazed that he escaped from Holloway which, from what I understand, is a _women's_ prison and always has been - I guess it was the only piece of stock footage establishing shot of an English prison they could find.


----------



## kythe

*Xanadu *(1980)

I had heard of this movie periodically, usually in the context of one of the worst things to come out of the 80's.

Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly were interesting to watch.  The other lead man was bland and forgettable.  The story started out ok, but the plot degenerated into a big mess.  I still haven't figured out what Xanadu is.  A good bit of this movie felt like a dream sequence, or a hallucination.  I think they added a cartoon segment of the main characters falling in love to make up for the fact that the actors have no chemistry at all.

Xanadu tried to be a tribute to Gene Kelly's time and also look forward towards the upcoming 80's but it failed at both.  Everything about it, from the neon special effects to the styles of clothes, dancing, and roller skates, were exactly a product of its time.

So now I can add this to a list of movies I have seen.  That is it.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*Cloudburst*_ (1951) NOIR ALLEY  Brit film in which an ex-SOE guy John Graham (Robert Preston) uses the skills he learned at war, to get revenge on the two people responsible for the death of his wife. He currently works at code breaking, and finds himself on his own trail, when the police ask him for help.  ​


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> I was pretty amazed that he escaped from Holloway which, from what I understand, is a _women's_ prison and always has been - I guess it was the only piece of stock footage establishing shot of an English prison they could find.


I wondered about them saying the other prisoner--the woman--was in the cell next door. That seemed "off" somehow.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

kythe said:


> *Xanadu *(1980)
> 
> I had heard of this movie periodically, usually in the context of one of the worst things to come out of the 80's.
> 
> Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly were interesting to watch.  The other lead man was bland and forgettable.  The story started out ok, but the plot degenerated into a big mess.  I still haven't figured out what Xanadu is.  A good bit of this movie felt like a dream sequence, or a hallucination.  I think they added a cartoon segment of the main characters falling in love to make up for the fact that the actors have no chemistry at all.
> 
> Xanadu tried to be a tribute to Gene Kelly's time and also look forward towards the upcoming 80's but it failed at both.  Everything about it, from the neon special effects to the styles of clothes, dancing, and roller skates, were exactly a product of its time.
> 
> So now I can add this to a list of movies I have seen.  That is it.




I have experienced the trifecta of bad movie musicals of 1980, with *Xanadu*, *The Apple*, and *Can't Stop the Music*.  The first is blah, the second is insane, and the third is horrendous.

I think "Xanadu" is just the name of the roller skating place in the film.


----------



## Rodders

I saw a movie called "In The Shadow of The Moon" last night. It started out really well, but for some reason didn't end on the high note that it promised. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent time travel(ish) movie that was quite well acted, but the attempted twist in the ending was just a little flat.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I have experienced the trifecta of bad movie musicals of 1980, with *Xanadu*, *The Apple*, and *Can't Stop the Music*.  The first is blah, the second is insane, and the third is horrendous.
> 
> I think "Xanadu" is just the name of the roller skating place in the film.



I have copies of, and have watched more than once, both _The Apple _and _Xanadu - Can't Stop the Music _( That's the Village People one?) has eluded me but is on the Must See list.  But then I liked the Spice Girls' movie.

Last Night Daughter Number One and I, as part of some masochistic First Manned Mission To Mars Goes Wrong Marathon, watched _Rocketship XM _in which the first manned (and womanned) rocketship to the moon has technical problems, _misses_ the moon and ends up on Mars instead. Though given that their flight-plan consists of going straight up for 360 miles, doing a 90 degree handbrake turn, then whizzing around Earth for a bit using the Earth's rotation to enable them to build up enough speed to achieve escape velocity - we're not really surprised. ( I don't think that's how a slingshot, which is what the writers were obviously thinking of, works like that, guys!) Unusually, for a film of the period, everyone dies.


----------



## Droflet

I remember seeing this as a kid. Good fun. Except for the unhappy ending.


----------



## Dave Vicks

I watched GALAXY QUEST and EATING RAOUL. Both ververy


----------



## Dave Vicks

Very good films


----------



## Dave Vicks

Did anyone like HIGH RISE a 2015 film?


----------



## Droflet

If that's the one with the Rock, I saw it. Meh.


----------



## hitmouse

Dave Vicks said:


> Did anyone like HIGH RISE a 2015 film?


The Ballard adaptation? Pretty good as an adaptation of abook I like. Probably not to everyone’s taste.


----------



## Rodders

I started to watch it and enjoyed what i saw, but never finished it. It was weird, though.


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> But then I liked the Spice Girls' movie.


Me, too, though not enough to watch it a third time (what can I say? my daughter was young). My favorite bit is after they rehearse one of their numbers, their manager is ecstatic and says something like, "That was perfect! Of course, it wasn't any good, but it was perfect!"

Pretty good summary.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Bill & Ted Face The Music*

I'm undecided whether this is a most excellent film or 25 years too late. I suppose for the basis of the story it had to be set some years on.

The best bit of the film is definitely their future selves. I didn't laugh as much as I did in Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey, but there were still some very funny moments.


----------



## KGeo777

Somebody's Out to Get Jennie  - 1971 McCloud mystery movie.  Cameron Mitchell is almost killed in an explosion and disappears--his secretary with mental problems is targeted by a corrupt insurance investigator (Gabriel Dell)--who uses theatrical gimmicks in an effort to drive her over the edge. Dell is watching a Lugosi Karloff movie at one point and coincidentally, Dell could do a really good Lugosi impression. Sometimes it sounded more like Ricardo Montalban but when he was getting it right, it was perfect.
Mitchell is found living in seclusion in Mexico and he has a small dog with him who. for some reason, is included in his closeup moments.
In the 1980s, Mitchell did a movie (Killpoint) where he has a monologue to a small dog.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Somebody's Out to Get Jennie  - 1971 McCloud mystery movie.  Cameron Mitchell is almost killed in an explosion and disappears--his secretary with mental problems is targeted by a corrupt insurance investigator (Gabriel Dell)--who uses theatrical gimmicks in an effort to drive her over the edge. Dell is watching a Lugosi Karloff movie at one point and coincidentally, Dell could do a really good Lugosi impression. Sometimes it sounded more like Ricardo Montalban but when he was getting it right, it was perfect.
> Mitchell is found living in seclusion in Mexico and he has a small dog with him who. for some reason, is included in his closeup moments.
> In the 1980s, Mitchell did a movie (Killpoint) where he has a monologue to a small dog.
> 
> View attachment 82080



...is it the same dog?


----------



## KGeo777

Wouldn't that be amazing.
No it's not.
And in the 80s movie he is ranting to the dog, while in this one he's just holding the dog in the scene. The dog yawns at one point during his dialogue.


----------



## Achaius

"Les Miserables," the Hugh Jackman version. Feel a bit late to the party on that one, since it came out in 2012, but it would almost be a full-time job just to keep up to date on all the classics.


----------



## REBerg

*Cry Macho*
Playing a grumpy, old man might have been a challenge to Clint Eastwood a half-century ago, but these days it seems that he's just being himself. As star, director and producer, he may be the reason that this film failed to realize its storyline potential.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*For You I Die *(1947)

Poverty Row crime melodrama with some unusual aspects.  Starts with two guys who have just escaped from prison.  One of them actually forced the other to come along at gunpoint; the reluctant one is our protagonist.  They split up, with the Bad Buy telling the Good Boy to look up his old girlfriend until he shows up to take them both off somewhere.   The rest of the film is set in a little diner/cabins-for-rent/gas station kind of place.  It's run by a motherly type with the help of her two nieces, a blonde Bad Girl and a brunette Good Girl.  Good Boy thinks the Bad Girl is the Bad Boy's girlfriend, so he spills the beans to her.  It's a case of mistaken identity, as he was supposed to give the message to the Good Girl.  (She was briefly mixed up with the Bad Boy some time ago, but doesn't want anything to do with him now.)  We've also got the diner's cook, who gets a surprisingly large amount of back story.  Adding some color and comedy relief are a Russian and his Spanish wife staying at the place.  Adding some tension are a couple of cops who show up twice a day.  Adding a touch of irony is a hoodlum who robs the Good Boy at gunpoint.  Of course, love blossoms between our Good characters, but their happiness is threatened by the Bad Girl's interest in the Good Boy, and the return of the Bad Boy.  It's an interesting, character-driven little film, with some quirky aspects.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Satan in High Heels *(1962)

Short version:  The cheap, black-and-white, early Sixties version of *Showgirls*.

Our outrageously curvaceous antiheroine starts off as a burlesque dancer in a carnival.  Her drug addict husband  shows up, wanting to get back together, with nine hundred bucks.  She takes his cash and runs off to the big city.  She uses her feminine wiles to get an audition at a nightclub from some guy she meets on a plane.  (The nightclub manager is second-billed Grayson Hall, of _Dark Shadows_ fame, pretty much stealing the picture with her cigarette holder and man-styled clothing; 1960's-coding for the character's sexual orientation, I suppose.  Oh, the equally coded piano player Paul -- our antiheroine calls him "Paulette" -- is played by Del Tenney, who went on to direct things like *The Curse of the Living Corpse* and *The Horror of Party Beach*.)  She winds up romancing both the wealthy owner of the club, who dumps his current girlfriend as soon as he sees her, and his son.  Late in the film, we see the even more outrageously curvaceous British Bombshell who called herself Sabrina belt out a mildly bawdy song, followed by the movie's highlight, when the antiheroine appears dressed in a leather pantsuit and sings "the female of the species is more deadly than the male" while wielding a riding crop.  There's definitely some fetishism going on in this film, as she wears other leather outfits as well.  Anyway, the junkie husband -- remember him -- shows up near the end, out to settle the score.  Add a cool jazz score and you've got something that manages to be both innocent and sleazy at the same time.


----------



## KGeo777

TOMORROW NEVER COMES 1978 -- A UK Canada co-production. Funny to see a Canadian Tire store at the start since I went in one today.
Oliver Reed, Donald Pleasence, and Susan George put on accents--DP does a French-Canadian one. How genuine they are I can't say. I think their accents are probably designed as standard American as opposed to specifically Canadian. But they have actual Canadians in the cast such as Raymond Burr (who owned a house in my hometown) and John Ireland who also hails from British Columbia (Lily Munster does too).

This is a bizarre film--a man gets beat up and suffers a head injury and through a series of events is under threat of being shot by police. There is weird humor throughout--such as when Raymond Burr and Oliver Reed have a serious discussion around a hotel pool and a swimmer suddenly appears in the water...and at the end Reed is walking off looking very serious and then suddenly he bumps into someone--I don't think it was an accident.
A good movie? Not really but George is very good at going into a hysterical freak out.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Black Widow* 2021
It is an effective but not outstanding addition to the MCU. It is good to see Scarlett Johansson get her own movie at last.
She as Natasha Romanoff and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova are more than up to the acting tasks given them, as were the other actors. But I felt that Alexei Shostakov aka Red Guardian, played by David Harbour, was played too much for comic relief. It felt out of tone with the film. It was as if they were trying to make a comedy and a hardcore thriller at the same time. So it kind of misses at both. That said there were some cute digs at the way Johansson's Black Widow has been handled by the MCU. One thing I didn't like was the post-credit scene. It left a bad taste in my mouth. It seemed to nullify the apparent point of the film. I admit I may be overthinking that. But unlike WW84's post-credit scene which lifted my appreciation of the film, the Black Widow's dropped it.
My favourite part of the film was spotting locations I know that I have walked over and around.


----------



## Danny McG

I watched this one in it's entirety yesterday, I'd only ever seen bits and pieces of it over the years.

Tora Tora Tora (1970)


----------



## Jeffbert

_*DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD*_ (1954) Last week's NOIR ALLEY. Very similar plot to the one with COLOR FILM a few months ago. Race driver/mechanic Eddie Shannon (Mickey Rooney) lured into being the getaway driver by femme fatale  Barbara Mathews (Dianne Foster). So, being short, the guy takes a lot of abuse from his coworkers, & racing may be his way of establishing his macho.  He needs $15k to race in France, and they offer him that much of a cut. 

So, they get away with the money, etc. Then comes the twist. She never loved him. She had vacated her apartment (where she lived exclusively for the sake of the seducing him), he gets no answer when calling her. 



Spoiler



He goes to the guy's beach house, and naively asks them about her. She is in the other room, as ordered by the boss. He is heartbroken already, then she emerges, and breaks his heart even more. But now he knows it was all a trick, to get his cooperation in the crime that he otherwise would not consider. Boss says she just killed him, because now they cannot trust him not to go to the police. Tells the other guy to take him for a ride. Instead of conking him and stuffing him in the trunk, the guy makes him drive. He flips the car, the other guy is conveniently dead, but the driver/mechanic walks away, taking the dead guy's gun. Goes down the beach toward the beach house-- kills the boss. Cops following his footprints from the crash site arrest him. Ending shot of his trophies.



Not bad, but Mickey Rooney is just not my idea of a NOIR anti-hero.


----------



## dask

Exciting crime caper about the best getaway driver in the world discovering paying off a debt means different things to different people. Well plotted and beautifully filmed. No short cuts here.


----------



## KGeo777

It's a Blake Edwards movie too but you know when I first saw this-I thought, ah Rooney is right for the role..and then I learned about all his marriages. My god. The wives he had...Martha Vickers?  Elaine Devry?

They must have been arranged marriages. I do not believe Ava Gardner married him for normal reasons--supposedly she got a Hollywood contract because she stayed quiet about his adultery (if that part is even true).  Riiight-she didn't marry him for a career.

He's kind of a Quasimodo figure in this film. And the woman is Esmeralda. He gets her at the end but not really.....

He's really good in a 1960 prison film as a ringleader of a break out. He sure was intense for a little guy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Rooney is quite good in the film *Quicksand*, in which a very minor act of theft spirals into much bigger trouble.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*They Made Me a Killer *(1946)

Short version:  The Poverty Row, black-and-white, 1940's version of *The Fugitive*.

Our hero, a car mechanic with a really nifty white automobile that can go 120 miles per hour, leaves Chicago after his kid brother gets killed in a car wreck.  (You'd think that would make him want to stop driving so fast, but whatever.)  He drives to California, where he meets a dame who acts like she wants to buy his car.  She takes him to  meet her boyfriend at the bank.  Actually, they want to use the guy as an involuntary wheelman, forcing him to drive them away after they rob the joint, killing a guard and seriously wounding an innocent bystander in the process.  (That doesn't seem to be the brightest heist plan in the world, but whatever.)  

The guy deliberately wrecks the car, but the crooks get away and he's injured.  The cops find him with the gun used during the robbery, so he's arrested.  They take him to talk to the innocent bystander in the hospital, who can testify that he's innocent, but the fellow dies before he can talk.  

In an amazing scene, the hero pushes the hospital bed over, with the dead man still in it, and escapes.  He manages to elude the cops by putting on a surgical mask and robe and pretending to be a medical student observing an operation.  In another unexpected scene, when a nurse spots him, he knocks her out with his fists and runs off.  

Remarkably, he manages to convince the sweet schoolteacher sister of the deceased innocent bystander that he's not guilty, and she runs off with him to catch the bad guys.  An unlikely clue leads him to a diner where the dame who got him in this mess works.  The bad guys are hiding out there, along with the elderly woman running the place, who, interestingly, is also a member of the gang.  As you can tell, this isn't the most plausible plot in the world, but the whole thing is an efficient little B movie, barely over an hour long.


----------



## Jeffbert

Interesting! I guess this is a well-used plot.


----------



## alexvss

REBerg said:


> *Cry Macho*
> Playing a grumpy, old man might have been a challenge to Clint Eastwood a half-century ago, but these days it seems that he's just being himself. As star, director and producer, he may be the reason that this film failed to realize its storyline potential.


You always talk about these new releases, @REBerg. I gather you're a cinema-goer, aren't you?


dask said:


> View attachment 82111
> Exciting crime caper about the best getaway driver in the world discovering paying off a debt means different things to different people. Well plotted and beautifully filmed. No short cuts here.


Edgar Wright's movies just hit different! I'm looking foward to *Last Night in Soho*.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Starlight* (2007): an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel. It's pretty entertaining, and unusual to see a fantasy film that borrows from fairy tales rather than the standard Lord of the Rings/D&D setting. It's good fun and despite a few uneven bits works pretty well. 7/10.


----------



## alexvss

Toby Frost said:


> *Starlight* (2007): an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel. It's pretty entertaining, and unusual to see a fantasy film that borrows from fairy tales rather than the standard Lord of the Rings/D&D setting. It's good fun and despite a few uneven bits works pretty well. 7/10.


They say this one's pretty underrated. I haven't watched it yet though.


----------



## hitmouse

*Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. *This is better than it sounds. Well produced with a reasonably intelligent script which, perhaps surprisingly, does not play it for laughs.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*To Kill a Clown* (1972)

If you went into this film without knowing anything about it, you might think it was some kind of hippieish comedy/drama/love story, given the young married couple we meet at the start and the soft rock song on the soundtrack.  He's a ne'er-do-well sort, sort of an artist who also fooled around with mime and clowning (hence the title.)  She's the breadwinner, we're told, although we never learn what she does.  There's affection between the two, although also some tension due to his childish antics.    They rent a beach home, and meet their neighbor/landlord, played by Alan Alda.  He's a Vietnam veteran who walks with two crutches and has two Dobermans.  Charming enough at first, he turns more sinister when the clownish guy drunkenly agrees to learn "focus" from him.  At dawn the next day, Alda gets him up and subjects him to military discipline, forcing him to stand at attention, call him "sir," and obey his orders to do hard physical labor.  The dogs are there to enforce things.  Things degenerate to the point where the couple are prisoners in the beach house.  Don't expect a happy ending.  For a thriller, it's extremely slow until near the end.  Interesting, if not compelling.  Based on a story by Algis Budrys.


----------



## KGeo777

*THE TAKING OF PELHAM One Two Three* 1974 --- I haven't seen the two remakes but this would be hard to do now because a story with so much focus on character action and behavior would probably be seen as too boring for what is a hijacking film. Unless the actors were really compelling to watch. Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau both have moments where their faces get a lot of attention without them doing anything. A face speaks a thousand words, sometimes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Web of the Spider* (_Nella stretta morsa del ragno_, 1971)

Remake of the director's own black-and-white 1964 film *Castle of Blood* (_Danza Macabra_).  As in the previous version, it starts with Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski, playing it way over the top) relating a horrible anecdote (obviously based on his short story "Berenice") in an English pub.  A journalist who has been following Poe accepts a bet from an aristocrat who has been listening that he can stay a night in a haunted castle.  After some wandering around, he finds the aristocrat's beautiful sister, and they quickly become lovers.  A guy comes in and kills her, and they vanish.  A Mad Scientist type shows up, and explains that the journalist has be witnessing the past.  A long flashback/vision relates a love quadrangle that led to a triple murder, and our haunting.  Most critics seem to prefer the earlier version.  This one obviously has a bigger budget, with lush sets and costumes, and is beautifully filmed.  That may not go along with the Gothic storyline, but both versions are worth watching.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Day of the Jackal *(1974) - A taut thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat as it follows the lead up to the assassination of Charles De Gaulle. The pseudonymous Jackal and Inspector Lebel play cat and mouse in this superbly acted and directed movie. The Jackal is convincingly psychopathic - a genuine cool, calculating killer played by Edwad Fox. Derek Jacobi is unrecognisable as Caron. 

It might be a little slow for modern tastes, but its mix of realistic violence (most of which happens off screen) and slow burning tension make this a great watch. The way it's shot in parts feels like a documentary.

Very much enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> *THE TAKING OF PELHAM One Two Three* 1974 --- I haven't seen the two remakes but this would be hard to do now because a story with so much focus on character action and behavior would probably be seen as too boring for what is a hijacking film. Unless the actors were really compelling to watch. Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau both have moments where their faces get a lot of attention without them doing anything. A face speaks a thousand words, sometimes.



and that BRILLIANT music




one of the best 'sit down and shut up' opening titles tracks.


----------



## KGeo777

I saw Web of the Spider before the original.

 What is it with the snake cutting? Both of those films have the same scene of a snake being cut in half. In close up. I get they want to illustrate the metaphysical idea but jeez...




I was thinking of The Day of the Jackal as I was watching Pelham--because that's another movie where not much happens in terms of action-and yet for me it is never boring--and it's over two hours.  Not much music either in that one.

The remake goes into such ridiculous territory and it's never as interesting despite bigger names.
Bruce Willis is nowhere near as compelling as Edward Fox and I read that they felt if someone more famous has been in the role, it would have done better--but would it have been as compelling?

So much is based on just following the two opposing characters--the police guy is very mild in appearance and mannerism.  I read the book not so long ago--the movie is  very close except my favorite line is not in the book.

"I'm enthralled by combine harvesters. In fact I yearn to have one as a pet."


----------



## Mon0Zer0

KGeo777 said:


> I saw Web of the Spider before the original.
> 
> What is it with the snake cutting? Both of those films have the same scene of a snake being cut in half. In close up. I get they want to illustrate the metaphysical idea but jeez...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was thinking of The Day of the Jackal as I was watching Pelham--because that's another movie where not much happens in terms of action-and yet for me it is never boring--and it's over two hours.  Not much music either in that one.
> 
> The remake goes into such ridiculous territory and it's never as interesting despite bigger names.
> Bruce Willis is nowhere near as compelling as Edward Fox and I read that they felt if someone more famous has been in the role, it would have done better--but would it have been as compelling?
> 
> So much is based on just following the two opposing characters--the police guy is very mild in appearance and mannerism.  I read the book not so long ago--the movie is  very close except my favorite line is not in the book.
> 
> "I'm enthralled by combine harvesters. In fact I yearn to have one as a pet."



Such a great line. For a minor character she was brilliantly portrayed.I don't think she deserved her fate, but it really did drive home that the Jackal was a very bad man, indeed. Even so, I kinda wish he'd lived at the end for a sequel - such a great villain. 

I love the little things in Jackal - buying at the market and all those colourful extras; the fight in the street before they abduct the guy with the briefcase. Fantastic.

I haven't seen the new version of Day of the Jackal, and I must admit I'm not inclined to watch it.

I love Pelham 123. In fact I'm going to have to give that a watch tonight.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of the Living Dead *(1974)

Gothic chiller most notable for being a UK/South Africa co-production.  The setting is the Cape Colony during the Victorian era.  Our young, beautiful, innocent, soon-to-be-screaming-a-lot heroine comes from England to marry one of two twin brothers.  Their mother wants her to go away, lest her marriage produce more victims of the family tendency to madness.  The other brother is confined in the attic after suffering an accident, where he conducts mad experiments in collecting the souls of animals (and, yes, later people) in glass jars, neatly labeled with fine penmanship.  There's a local blind woman who is a witch of some sort, hints of voodoo-like magic among the "natives," folks getting killed by a "ghost horse," and other confusing stuff.   It's all very sedate, until the wild climax at the end, where the actor playing both brothers gets to go way over the top.  The South African setting leads to lots of brightly lit outdoor scenes, which goes oddly with the many traditional Gothic elements.


----------



## KGeo777

Goldginger 1965  - Finally got around to this spy comedy. Not much laughs to be had. The dubbing is really bad for the comedy duo--and much like their appearance in Dr Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, they get better as the movie progresses but there's no Vincent Price to distract us.
Interestingly though, agent 007 appears in this--I am surprised for once they actually used James Bond's identity instead of flashing an Ian Fleming cover.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Day of the Jackal and Pelham 123 are brilliant movies. Michael Lonsdale's role is so understated , he was such a wonderful actor. And Edward Fox  plays his part so well too. 

The movies , and use their slow pace to build up the tension brilliantly well. The remakes of both movies are awful and not worth bothering with.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BUCK PRIVATES* (1941) A&C are selling neckties on the sidewalk without a license. In evading the cop, they end up signing on to the Army. Combo of gags and The Andrew Sisters' song & dance.


----------



## KGeo777

The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.
I re-watched that last year.
It's interesting that it came out well before Pearl Harbor but they were promoting military enlistment.

They present the fun times in the army with dancing and singing---it paints a different picture from the real thing.


There's a sequel I don't think I have seen.


----------



## KGeo777

*If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death 1968  *- This is almost an eerie western--there's a few that touch upon the supernatural--this one doesn't but it creates some gothic suspense for a time--especially when a character gets shot in the head and lives.
This is more stylish than average for a spaghetti western--rather inventive given the limitations of the genre. Someone once gave writing advice--saying if you want to test whether characters you write are interesting enough-stick them in a western setting because what can be more basic than a western? 
There's so little pizzazz to a western in terms of gimmicks--and yet the Italian Euro western got a fair amount of character variety (then again I have seen maybe-a few dozen of them and they made several hundred--most are probably not all that watchable). The scores are usually good though.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*How to Train Your Dragon 3* with the kids. I was glad when it stopped.


----------



## Rodders

Went to see Alien and Aliens double bill at the Prince Charles cinema.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Nightbooks *Delightful Netflix kid's horror / mystery.  A young boy is trapped by a witch who forces him to tell stories night after night. Suitably spooky fairy-tale atmosphere, and mild peril. Might be a bit too intense for younger kids, but highly enjoyable.


----------



## hitmouse

*Green Knight *(2021) on Amazon Prime, starring Dev Patel and the bad guy from Galaxy Quest. Anyone expecting an update of that Arthurian action fantasy *Gawain and the Green Knight* (1973) with Sean Connery will be disappointed. This one is firmly in the art house camp: frequently slow, lots of cryptic symbolism and a dream-like quality. If you persevere it is a good film: absorbing, thought-provoking, with gorgeous cinematography. Just not one to impress the kids.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Red Planet* - Daughter number One and I continue our month-long First Manned Mission to Mars Movie Marathon with the stinkiest of the lot so far.


----------



## KGeo777

Is MISSION MARS 1968 on the watch list?
That's pretty awful.


I rewatched
MYSTERY ON MONSTER ISLAND 1981 which is as bad as I remember it.
It's a shame because it has Terence Stamp and Peter Cushing (and Blanca Estrada) but they are under used and the story is really lame, especially with the annoying professor character. That guy is so annoying.
But some of the spfx are very clever--the illusion of a ship at sea (probably painted on a glass pane) looks pretty convincing and the giant monster effect looks really good--I think they use forced perspective and it is very effective.

But the movie just isn't worth the trouble.


SUDDEN DEATH 1985 - nicknamed "Dirty Harriet" although the protagonist isn't a cop. She gets raped and beat up and then starts putting herself in situations to get attacked so she can shoot the rapists. A little corny at times but the performances are good. Very 80s in soundtrack and attitude.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Rodders said:


> Went to see Alien and Aliens double bill at the Prince Charles cinema.




Both films still hold up as great movies. I'm undecided if the directors' or theatrical cut of Aliens is better. The scene with the parents going out to the crashed ship is unnecessary, but the bit with the guns holding off the Alien advance is pretty neat.


----------



## Rodders

Palm Springs.

A Groundhog Day story set on the day of a wedding. I like Andy Samberg, but for some reason it's taken me a while to get around to seeing it. Well worth watching in my opinion.


----------



## alexvss

*The Empty Man (2020)*. Based on the comic books of the same name by Cullen Bunn, one of the best horror writers working today. After reading the comics I went on to watch the movie, partly for research purposes (I'm writing a Lovecraftian short-story). The movie uses the same eldritch concept, but changes the execution. I like when adaptations do that; there's no need for it to be exactly like the source material (and makes people consume the two).

Not comparing with Junji Ito's *Sensor*, probably the best lovecraftian story since Alan Moore's *Neomicon*.


----------



## HareBrain

hitmouse said:


> *Green Knight *(2021) on Amazon Prime, starring Dev Patel and the bad guy from Galaxy Quest. Anyone expecting an update of that Arthurian action fantasy *Gawain and the Green Knight* (1973) with Sean Connery will be disappointed. This one is firmly in the art house camp: frequently slow, lots of cryptic symbolism and a dream-like quality. If you persevere it is a good film: absorbing, thought-provoking, with gorgeous cinematography. Just not one to impress the kids.


I really like the 1991 TV movie version with Jason Durr as Gawain, and (very alliterative) script by David Rudkin. I don't know anyone else who's ever seen it.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

alexvss said:


> *The Empty Man (2020)*. Based on the comic books of the same name by Cullen Bunn, one of the best horror writers working today. After reading the comics I went on to watch the movie, partly for research purposes (I'm writing a Lovecraftian short-story). The movie uses the same eldritch concept, but changes the execution. I like when adaptations do that; there's no need for it to be exactly like the source material (and makes people consume the two).
> 
> Not comparing with Junji Ito's *Sensor*, probably the best lovecraftian story since Alan Moore's *Neomicon*.



I loved this movie. Great execution, great acting, great directing. The trailer makes it look like one thing but it's completely different.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Is MISSION MARS 1968 on the watch list?
> That's pretty awful.



Did that last week.  It is pretty awful but _Red Planet_ is worserer.

So far in the last month we've had:

Mission Mars
Rocketship XM
Angry Red Planet
The Martian
Red Planet

I want to get the sublimely terrible _Horrors of the Red Planet,_ and the slightly not crap_ Robinson Crusoe on Mars_ done before the end of the month too.


----------



## Droflet

*Chasing Ice (2012)*

A beautifully photographed doco about one person's fight for recognition that global warming is real. A massive number of still photographs and video footage show the unimaginably beautiful spectacle that is also a terrifying reminder that the arctic glaciers are quickly disappearing. Absolutely worth a viewing.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*In Time - *Enjoyable if a bit baggy sci-fi version of the Labour Theory of Value. Nice to see an original movie with big ideas, and the idea of life measured in seconds as a unit of trade is a big one. Good +


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> I want to get the sublimely terrible _Horrors of the Red Planet,_


With the Charles Laughton of z grade sci-fi, Vic McGee.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> With the Charles Laughton of z grade sci-fi, Vic McGee.


...and the disembodied head of John Carradine as the collective mind of an entire race.  How can it fail?


----------



## dask

Interesting variation on a well worn theme. Does for zombies what Richard Matheson did for vampires.


----------



## Rodders

Ibiza Undead.

I wanted something to fill a couple of hours and this was it. Just as expected, but funny enough if you like things like the Inbetweeners, (which i do).


----------



## Toby Frost

*I Am Mother* (2019)

A young woman grows up in a bunker, being looked after by a robot mother. Apparently, an "extinction event" has killed everyone outside. Things are thrown into turmoil when another woman breaks in, claiming that the extinction event was actually a horde of killer robots. Either mother or the newcomer is lying, and the heroine has to work out who to trust.

This was a well-acted three-character drama, which feels claustrophobic but not cheap. I'm not sure how well the logic of it holds up in retrospect (pretty well at the time, though), but it never goes down the obvious route and remains suspenseful up to the end. Well worth a look.


----------



## Jeffbert

*FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE* (1965) Ben M. said that Eastwood agreed to do this film, even before _*Fistful *_had been dubbed in English. The progression seems to be that they added an American actor with each new film. _*Fistful*_ had only Eastwood, here they brought in Van Cleef, & in TGTB&TU, Eli Wallach.

Anyway, the one thing that really got my attention was Mortimer (Van Cleef) flipping through the newspaper morgue's contents, and finding the one with the man with no name pictured.





Coupled with the Confederate currency, places the time between 1860 ~ 1865. Did they even have newspaper morgues then?    Did they even have photos in newspapers then?

Anyway, it has been quite a few years since the last time I saw this film.  It never gets old.


What!? There is a parody? I must see this: 
_For a Few Dollars Less_​


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> Anyway, the one thing that really got my attention was Mortimer (Van Cleef) flipping through the newspaper morgue's contents, and finding the one with the man with no name pictured.
> 
> 
> Coupled with the Confederate currency, places the time between 1860 ~ 1865. Did they even have newspaper morgues then?    Did they even have photos in newspapers then?
> 
> ​



...that and the date 'Monday June 15 1872' is printed on the top right of the newspaper.  (Though June 15th 1872 appears to have been a Saturday:








						1872 Calendar
					

1872 CALENDAR. Find what day of the week is a particular date. Get full 12-month 1872 Calendar plus BONUS info.




					www.dayoftheweek.org


----------



## Guttersnipe

Fatman (2020): a fantasy/thriller/black comedy film, a production of Canada, the US and the UK. This is one of those films that critics hate and audiences love. Mel Gibson plays Chris Cringle, a.k.a. Santa Claus, who has become disillusioned about Christmas. The A plot is that a rich kid who receives coal on Christmas hires a hitman to take out Santa. The B plot is that, with so few toys being made (lots of bad kids), Santa is forced to join into a partnership with the US military. I kind of liked it; the realism added to such an otherwise fluffy story was disarming, and I think it has to offer something more than laughs. A truly unique film.


----------



## hitmouse

Jeffbert said:


> *FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE* (1965) Ben M. said that Eastwood agreed to do this film, even before _*Fistful *_had been dubbed in English. The progression seems to be that they added an American actor with each new film. _*Fistful*_ had only Eastwood, here they brought in Van Cleef, & in TGTB&TU, Eli Wallach.
> 
> Anyway, the one thing that really got my attention was Mortimer (Van Cleef) flipping through the newspaper morgue's contents, and finding the one with the man with no name pictured.
> View attachment 82378
> 
> Coupled with the Confederate currency, places the time between 1860 ~ 1865. Did they even have newspaper morgues then?    Did they even have photos in newspapers then?
> 
> Anyway, it has been quite a few years since the last time I saw this film.  It never gets old.
> 
> 
> What!? There is a parody? I must see this:
> _For a Few Dollars Less_​


You should try *A Fistful of Travellers Cheques*. Probably on Youtube.


----------



## KGeo777

*THE REBEL* 1980 Maurizio Merli--"the Italian Dirty Harry" in a undercover cop action film set in Venice. I had seen it before. It's not over the top like an Umberto Lenzi cop crime movie but ok.  It's funny watching  euro car stunts because the cars are tiny compared to American ones.
Volkwagens flipping over in slow motion. There's an American cop movie *Policewomen *and a bunch of gang cars come out of a residence  under police surveillance and the police follow a fancy decoy car when the ringleaders are actually in a modest vehicle and ignored-and inside it, the matriarchal boss says to her gang: "let this be a lesson girls, no one gives a sh*t about a volkswagen.").


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> *FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE* (1965)
> 
> Coupled with the Confederate currency, places the time between 1860 ~ 1865. Did they even have newspaper morgues then?    Did they even have photos in newspapers then?


Also the wanted poster for Indio has him laughing--would they really have a stylish mug shot like that?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Push *- a 2009 SFish/Superheroish messy mess that had its moments.  (some of the scenery was nice and there were a few bits of business that worked). Set in a 'two years from tomorrow' future, second and third generation psychics of all kids (some can do TK, some wipe people's memories, some see into the future etc.) are on the run from evil government organisations of evil government psychics and everyone is after the McGuffin suitcase which has got a syringe of something in...  and it all gets very confused.  If the script _did _make any sense to the film-makers at any point they singularly failed to let me in on the act. In the end everything turns out all right. The whole elaborate scheme, in which lots of people do things on the written instructions of our hero who then had his mind blanked so he couldn't remember what he had told them to do (so that the bad guys who could see into the future that were chasing them would be as confused the audience) had all been predetermined by an off screen character... maybe... I think. Whatever actually happened, the good guys walked away with the suitcase of McGuffin and wandered off with it leaving hundreds of dead bodies in their wake, hoping that the sequel they spent the last couple of minutes setting up got the go ahead. (It didn't.)
I suspect the writer was going for a Philip K Dick meets _Ocean's Eleven_ kind of pitch.
It didn't work.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*La cité de la peur* - A terrible American horror film is propelled into the headlines and a gala premier when a masked serial killer bumps off the projectionist every time it is shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Stupidly silly French comedy with some serious laugh out loud moments.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched THE BOOST @1988.
GOOD.


----------



## KGeo777

NAZI-SS aka BORMANN 1966 - As spy movies go it's a bore, man. Although it does include an interestingly topical speech about US race relations and the pressure that would come from China. This isn't the first film of the 60s that has that Manchurian boogeyman. One thing it does is have the night torch parade with skiers that shows up in later spy movies. Tirol Austria? I have seen it in The Double Man, Assignment K, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I can't ski but it sure looks nice.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Behind the Candelabra* - I loved it. Pretty wonderful performances and confident direction. A real treat. Very funny and touching ... and my second film in a row to feature performances of the carioca - what ARE the chances?


----------



## KGeo777

SPACE PROBE TAURUS 1965 I was expecting a Horrors of the Red Planet kind of awful but it was much better made than that. I think it was pretty good for the mid 60s-the sets were decent (flashing light consoles) and at least the space helmets looked airtight. The typical drama of the crew--I didn't mind it. The cast takes it seriously and that helps a lot. It was competent--the alien they encounter on the ship was rather effective with the tongue flicking. The alien sea creature recycled from Wargods of the Deep was tolerable. I don't know about the giant crabs though.

THE 10 MILLION DOLLAR GRAB  1967 - So many heist movies. This one was bearable. Someone was reading a James Bama Doc Savage novel as they were waiting for a plane.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Ingrid Goes West (2017): This is a black comedy starring Aubrey Plaza as a mentally unstable young woman who travels to California to stalk her new favorite Instagram influence and attempt to befriend her. I didn't read anything about the plot prior to watching it, which is unusual for me, and so I was completely blown away by Plaza's performance. It can be found on Hulu.


----------



## KGeo777

THE DETECTIVE 1968 -- The last non-horror movie until November for me. Though it is pretty horrific--it's about a murder of a homosexual --very grisly for 1968--Frank Sinatra is trying for his Academy Award nomination performance here--the story is very standard for the era--it ends with him turning in his badge--what movies didn't end with the cop throwing away the badge? Weirdly, Lee Remick portrays his nymphomaniac wife--and a few years later she's a similar character to William Holden in THE BLUE KNIGHT tv-movie--which doesn't end with the cop throwing away the badge--it ends with him throwing away Remick.

But for 1968, this is a very direct exploration of gay culture--probably seen as a little too theatrical now but back then it must have been ground-breaking. William "Commander Decker" Windom has an important role as does Lloyd "It's a cookbook" Bochner.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Austin Powers - International Man of Mystery *- Groovy Baby! Being as the film is based on Myer's mugging to camera, the film still holds up incredibly well. I wonder if most of the genre parodies are lost on the young uns, but there is still a lot to love in this.


----------



## AE35Unit

* The Quiet Ones* 2014
Jared Harris in a film set in 1974 about a paranormal investigator experimenting on a young girl in order to release a paranormal entity.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Green Knight* - stunningly beautiful movie that is oddly glacial for a story about knights and supernatural forces. Ultra pretentious in parts. The direction is so soporific and the characters disconnected. But, its all_ so pretty_. The acting is generally great - even if there is a lot of blankly staring into space. 

None of the environments feel British, the soil is the wrong colour and the foliage is wrong. The accents are all a bit bizarre - King Arthur with his west country accent, strange side characters with Irish brogues, odd cod-northern accents and Gawain himself with a neutered modern London accent. 

I can't work out if I liked this movie. It's not a movie with a tremendous amount of plot. 

But it DOES look very, very pretty.


----------



## KGeo777

Mon0Zer0 said:


> *The Green Knight* - stunningly beautiful movie that is oddly glacial for a story about knights and supernatural forces. Ultra pretentious in parts. The direction is so soporific and the characters disconnected. But, its all_ so pretty_. The acting is generally great - even if there is a lot of blankly staring into space.
> 
> None of the environments feel British, the soil is the wrong colour and the foliage is wrong.


Have you seen the 1973 version? I think that influenced Excalibur--especially the generic armor.

I prefer it to the bloated 1984 remake. The lead is boring but I think he is supposed to be "green." Speaking of Green, Nigel Green's last role. Good swan song for him.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

KGeo777 said:


> Have you seen the 1973 version? I think that influenced Excalibur--especially the generic armor.
> 
> I prefer it to the bloated 1984 remake. The lead is boring but I think he is supposed to be "green." Speaking of Green, Nigel Green's last role. Good swan song for him.



I haven't seen the 1973 version, tbh. I'll check it out!


----------



## KGeo777

THE HOUSE THE DRIPPED BLOOD 1971 - I watch it almost every Halloween. One of the best Amicus films. Vincent Price was mad he couldn't do the Paul Henderson role. "Frankenstein! Phantom of the Opera! Dracula--the one with Bela Lugosi not this new fellow."

CHOSEN SURVIVORS 1974 - Seen it before--interesting idea--kind of an extended Twilight Zone story but more of an exploitation story with some real bat killing in it. Sometimes actors end up repeating the same kind of role--Lincoln Kilpatrick uses a grappling hook in this just like the Omega Man and also falls in almost the exact same way (and also provides the means for the story to be resolved in both films).


----------



## Jeffbert

*HELL BOUND* (1957) NOIR ALLEY's last week. My 1st time seeing it, & though it was far from an 'A' film, it did satisfy, esp. with the way the villain was dispatched!  Jordan (John Russell; never heard of him before, though he has a distinctive face) has an elaborate plan to steal drugs off an incoming cargo ship that involves a diabetic health inspector, a supposedly rescued guy in a raft, & a nurse; three who know the plan. Also an ambulance driver (Stuart Whitman) who is ignorant of it, but is just as essential. After the film, Muller noted that the nurse (June Blair) had been January 1957 PLAYMATE OF THE MONTH, & that the film's maker made use of that fact. I would have thought that might have been scandalous in 1957, but what do I know? He also noted that this was Stuart Whitman's 1st credited role.  


TCM's short about Michael Curtiz' horror films. _*Dr. X*_, _*Mystery of the Wax Museum*_, & _*The Walking Dead*_.  Lionel Atwill was in the 1st 2, while Karloff was the title character of the 3rd. Faye Wray was the heroine of the 1st 2, both of which were 2 strip color. Other Interesting details.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Infinite *- derivative by-the-numbers actioner featuring Mark Wahlberg. It's a bit Inception, a bit Bond, a bit Matrix, a bit MCU. Instead of the matrix, reincarnation is the magical plot device. You've seen it all done better before elsewhere. As a way to pass 2 hours, it's perfectly acceptable. Switch your brain off, don't think about it too much and don't expect any of it to make any sense and you'll be golden.


----------



## hitmouse

Mon0Zer0 said:


> *Infinite *- derivative by-the-numbers actioner featuring Mark Wahlberg. It's a bit Inception, a bit Bond, a bit Matrix, a bit MCU. Instead of the matrix, reincarnation is the magical plot device. You've seen it all done better before elsewhere. As a way to pass 2 hours, it's perfectly acceptable. Switch your brain off, don't think about it too much and don't expect any of it to make any sense and you'll be golden.


Yeah this was pretty generic and rather forgettable.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Marjorie Prime (2017): What a beautiful film! Well-acted, well-written, well-shot. A sci-fi drama in which "Primes," holograms that portray deceased loved ones, act as a mirror to compare and contrast between humans and their identities, obvious and latent--what they know and don't know about themselves. Very moving. I didn't mind the fact that little "action" took place. In fact, I reminds me a bit of The Man from Earth in its combination of quiet dialogue and poignant philosophical themes. Strongly recommended for both sci-fi and drama afficionadoes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cause For Alarm! *(1951)

Loretta Young stars and narrates as a housewife whose sickly husband has paranoid fantasies that she and his doctor are plotting to kill him.  He writes a letter to the District Attorney outlining his suspicions and has her mail it without knowing its contents.  He goes way over the top, threatening her with a gun and revealing what he wrote in the letter.  Before he can kill her, he drops dead.  She panics, trying to get the letter back and concealing his death.  There's a twist ending.  It's an OK suburban melodrama.  Barry Sullivan is good as the crazy husband.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Howl's Moving Castle* (2004)

A girl in a fantastical kingdom is cursed with old age and sets out to find the wizard Howl, who lives in a magical walking castle. In the meantime, a war has broken out with a rival kingdom, threatening great destruction.

While it's very well made, and full of exciting ideas (the castle itself and the steampunk "Austrian" setting are very well realised), it felt like a bit of a jumble of concepts and events. I think this is because I found it very hard to work out what needed to happen for the story to end: whether it was Sophie becoming young again, Howl repairing his castle, Howl and Sophie getting together or the whole war ending. Slightly oddly, Sophie has an English accent when young and an American one when old. 

That said, it's charming and has a lot of good characters. I particularly like the way that heroes and villains are less clearly defined in the Ghibli films than in Disney/Pixar animations. It's a bit of a mess, but a very interesting one.


----------



## Droflet

*From up on Poppy Hill*  (2011)
Haven't seen this in years, until tonight. What a charmer. A real treat.  Whatever happened to Ghilbi?


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Droflet said:


> *From up on Poppy Hill*  (2011)
> Haven't seen this in years, until tonight. What a charmer. A real treat.  Whatever happened to Ghilbi?



They're still around. Miyazaki was a new one out in 2023.


----------



## hitmouse

Just saw the new Bond. Excellent. 
try to avoid any spoilers before you go to see it.


----------



## hitmouse

Toby Frost said:


> *Howl's Moving Castle* (2004)
> 
> A girl in a fantastical kingdom is cursed with old age and sets out to find the wizard Howl, who lives in a magical walking castle. In the meantime, a war has broken out with a rival kingdom, threatening great destruction.
> 
> While it's very well made, and full of exciting ideas (the castle itself and the steampunk "Austrian" setting are very well realised), it felt like a bit of a jumble of concepts and events. I think this is because I found it very hard to work out what needed to happen for the story to end: whether it was Sophie becoming young again, Howl repairing his castle, Howl and Sophie getting together or the whole war ending. Slightly oddly, Sophie has an English accent when young and an American one when old.
> 
> That said, it's charming and has a lot of good characters. I particularly like the way that heroes and villains are less clearly defined in the Ghibli films than in Disney/Pixar animations. It's a bit of a mess, but a very interesting one.


I really like this. It is worth comparing it with the original novel by Diana Wynn Jones, in which Howl is Welsh, wakes up from a night out at the rugby club with a bad hangover etc, and the evil witch is trying to take over Wales.

The sequels with Howl and Sophie are also very charming.


----------



## KGeo777

*PIT AND THE PENDULUM *1961 - I heard the other day that Robert Bloch recommended that people who wanted to be writers study Richard Matheson's work. His screenplays were so well constructed. The story for this Corman film is an ingenious amalgamation of Poe ideas. Hereditary madness, forced confinement, homicide. The only distracting element is the ubiquitous red candles. Every candle is red.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Ingrid Goes West (2017): A black comedy about a mentally unstable woman prone to obsession. Funny and cringy in all the right places. The ending almost brought me to tears of joy.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016): a sci-fi psychological thriller starring John Goodman in a role that seems made for him. Has something catastrophic truly happened or is he genuinely insane? Or both? The female lead was also impressive.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016): Based on the young adult novel of the same name. I didn't read much of the book. It is quite unique. This one wasn't for me, and I usually don't have a problem watching kids' movies. Perhaps if someone besides Tim Burton directed it?


----------



## AstroZon

*Sex, Lies, and Videotape *(1989) D: Steven Soderbergh, S: Andie MacDowell, James Spader

I rented this movie on VHS way back in 1992, but I didn't remember it.  So today I'm at my local library, and there it was, so I checked it out.

The film starts with a lawyer, John, his in-therapy wife, Ann, and his wife's uninhibited sister, Cynthia (who John is having an affair with.)  Then along comes John's college friend, Graham, who no one has seen for 8 or 9 years.  Graham's unusual personality and personal interest disrupts the whole unhappy love triangle and inadvertently puts into motion a lot of introspection and intimate dialogue.   There aren't too many American films that get this far into inner sexual desires and relationships without being sappy or cliché ridden.  And the film is mostly dialogue - although there are a few hot moments. And though all the sexual tension, there's a bit of comic relief in the form of a barfly where Cynthia tends bar.  Excellent film.

Watching the end credits I see Cliff Martinez's name for the musical score (although it's barely present.) He did the excellent soundtrack for Soderbergh's remake of Solaris.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cell 2455, Death Row *(1955)

Adapted from the book of the same name by Caryl Chessman, who wrote this autobiographical account, as well as a few other books,  while fighting a years-long legal battle to avoid execution.  The book became a bestseller.  The movie changes the name of the main character, although the first thing we see on the screen is the cover of the book with the author's name prominent.  William Campbell, of _Star Trek_ fame, stars as the fictional version of Chessman.  Growing up with a badly crippled mother and a suicidal father, he turns into a teenage punk (played by Campbell's real-life little brother) who gets thrown into reform school for stealing cars and such.  Once out, (now played by the elder brother) he becomes a professional criminal.  He winds up in prison, deliberately becomes a model prisoner so he can be transferred to a minimum security facility and then escape, gets caught and is paroled, goes back to a life of crime, even robbing mob bosses.  He's convicted for being the "red light bandit," a notorious criminal who preyed on couples in lovers' lanes, beating up the men and sexually assaulting the women.  (The movie has to be coy about the latter, but newspaper headlines do call him a sex fiend.  Chessman denied he was responsible for these crimes, but he was sentenced to death under California's so-called Little Lindbergh Law, which made kidnapping resulting in physical harm a capital crime.)  Because Chessman wasn't executed until 1960, the movie has to have an open-ended conclusion.  Overall, it's a pretty good B crime movie, with an intense performance from Campbell.


----------



## KGeo777

Two favorite rewatches.  

THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE 1963  

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN 1970


----------



## bretbernhoft

I haven't sat down and watched a movie from start to finish in (probably) a decade. As a kid I used to love going to the theaters, after which I would commonly felt heroic and motivated; especially after watching a science fiction movie, like The Fifth Element. But these days, I am not motivated to watch a movie in its entirety much at all. The new Dune movie seems rather bland compared to my media preferences. My attention span is quite healthy, but there is no interactivity (generally speaking) between an audience and the film being enjoyed. There is, however, much more interaction and inherent participation.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

bretbernhoft said:


> My attention span is quite healthy, but there is no interactivity (generally speaking) between an audience and the film being enjoyed. There is, however, much more interaction and inherent participation.



Nowt wrong with communal passive experience. There's a joy being in a theatre with people all of its own.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Parents* (1989) - A black comedy horror / satire of the 50's and nuclear families. A young kid suspects his parents of cannibalism. 

It's a very strange movie that on the surface compares to Johnny Scissor hands in its garish presentation of suburbia. The kid is oddly without personality, which I'm guessing is a stylistic choice. There's a constant menacing undertone, and shots emphasise knives and disgusting, bloody meat. The father tends to be shot from a child's eye view, emphasising his power. Cinematography and sound design is excellent, and the ADR'd voices give another layer of strangeness. 

Overall, the story needs more humour to balance the bleak tone, as it can be a hard watch.


----------



## AstroZon

bretbernhoft said:


> The new Dune movie seems rather bland...


Yea, I was turned off by the previews and the 13 year old target demographic.


----------



## Droflet

*Donnie Darko:* 2001
I saw this years ago and thought I'd take it for another spin. Not quite as weird as I remembered. Still, a joy to watch. Impossible to understand, though.


----------



## KGeo777

DEVILS OF DARKNESS 1965 - I remembered after the first time I watched it that I didn't like it and watching it again reinforced my opinion. It's obviously inspired by hammer films as well as a dash of Night of the Demon and perhaps Horror Hotel.
I think the biggest problem with it is the boring cast--the vampire is not threatening at all--and the hero is also rather lame. In one scene where two characters are discussing magic folklore and reading from some papers--you get a glimpse of these and can see they are script pages, not research notes.

LUST FOR A VAMPIRE 1971 -- Not a good one either although I can't dislike it too much. There's some humor and the fiery ending is pretty cool--especially the burning stake falling from the ceiling. In a better director's hands it could have been superior. One of the unintentional jokes is how Mike Raven is used as a Christopher Lee wannabe with dubbed voice and they even insert Lee's eyes in close up a couple of times.
Sunlight does not harm these vampires-a refreshing change from the average--they can only be killed by stake or decapitation.  And that the villagers destroy the vampires--although we get the impression they only delayed another return by them. Which happens -- since Twins of Evil came out later in the same year--in fact 50 years ago this past weekend.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Stardust *(2007)

A young man goes into a magical kingdom to find a fallen star, which is for some reason in the form of Claire Danes. Witches also want her, as does a disreputable prince. Shenanigans ensue.

It's adapted from a Neil Gaiman short novel, and feels very much like his work (and _The Princess Bride_). It's quite fun, but goes on slightly too long and perhaps has too many characters and twists, but maybe that's a reference to the fairy stories from which it derives. It's the sort of film that I remember as involving Stephen Fry and the voice of John Cleese, although neither is in it. Michelle Pfeiffer is very good as the villain.

One of the most interesting things is the near-complete lack of Tolkien as an influence. No orcs, no elves, no big battles - it makes for a pleasant change. Is this what fantasy would have been like if _The Lord of the Rings_ had never been published?


----------



## alexvss

*Yakuza Princess (2021)*. A Japanese woman (Masumi) living in São Paulo finds out that she, being the sole survivor of the murder of her family, is the heiress of Osaka's biggest crime syndicate. At the same time, a foreign white guy (Jhonatan Rhys Meyers) wakes up in a hospital in that same city, not remembering a thing and only carrying a katana to find out who he is.

The fight scenes are cool, the characters are cool and the lightning is cool (it gets cyberpunk-ish sometimes). In sum, the rule of cool is king here. Some decisions don't make much sense...execept that they look cool. Take a bar fight scene for example: three stupid locals get all "handy" with the protagonist, so she picks up a cue stick to break their faces (and crotches). Of course, they come back later for revenge.

The major problem is that it lacks drama, and that's not because of the acting--it's because of the text itself. Played by two pop singers in their first acting roles, the protagonists do their fight scenes well and say what the script tells them to say, but the emotional is not compelling.


----------



## Jeffbert

Interesting stuff! 


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Cause For Alarm! *(1951)
> 
> Loretta Young stars and narrates as a housewife whose sickly husband has paranoid fantasies that she and his doctor are plotting to kill him.  He writes a letter to the District Attorney outlining his suspicions and has her mail it without knowing its contents.  He goes way over the top, threatening her with a gun and revealing what he wrote in the letter.  Before he can kill her, he drops dead.  She panics, trying to get the letter back and concealing his death.  There's a twist ending.  It's an OK suburban melodrama.  Barry Sullivan is good as the crazy husband.


This was on NOIR ALLEY several weeks ago, is that when you saw it?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> Interesting stuff!
> 
> This was on NOIR ALLEY several weeks ago, is that when you saw it?


 No.  I have no television service at home.  (I have a TV set but only for DVD's.)  I watched this on the computer at work, courtesy of YouTube.  (An advantage of working alone overnight.)


----------



## KGeo777

THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW 1971 - seen it before more than a few times.

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE 1971 -- Seen this before too. The director said Jason Robards became depressed when making it because he realized Herbert Lom had the starring role. It is believed the mask for the Erik ape man was a leftover from the 2001 Dawn of Man sequence.  TROG 1970 is also believed to have made use of one of those masks.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*Firefox*.    With Clint Eastwood. A film so underrated I think. 9/10


----------



## CupofJoe

Ian Fortytwo said:


> *Firefox*.    With Clint Eastwood. A film so underrated I think. 9/10


I agree. Admitted the FX are not that special but I liked it. And Clint is great playing Clint. That said, the film not much like [or as good as] the book!
For a 70-80s Techno Thriller I loved it!


----------



## Droflet

I recall that the critics panned the film before its release, stating that Clint had taken on too much responsibility as producer, director and star of Firefox. Ho hum. Clint made them eat their words with a story of thrilling espionage and high octane excitement. What a guy.


----------



## dask

I remember liking it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*I-Spy* I gave up after 15 minutes of so of watching Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson waving their metaphorical penises in each other's faces.  Apparently it was supposed to be a comedy.  Even the presence of Gary Cole and Famke Janssen couldn't make me hang around any longer than that.


----------



## Vince W

Ian Fortytwo said:


> *Firefox*.    With Clint Eastwood. A film so underrated I think. 9/10


Great film. What's not to like? Clint. Check. Cool tech. Check. Aerial battle against the evil Soviet empire? Check. Bad Russian accents? Double check. It deserves a lot more love than it gets.


----------



## KGeo777

I like how FIREFOX goes from an espionage cat and mouse procedural hunt to a flying action movie.

Freddie Jones makes FIREFOX great.

Leonard Maltin's review of the film has a line "Freddie Jones deserves the Charles Laughton Award for eccentric acting."


----------



## Jeffbert

Ian Fortytwo said:


> *Firefox*.    With Clint Eastwood. A film so underrated I think. 9/10


I watched a documentary on G-force, & it appears that short and stout have much better resistance to passing out than tall guys. 

Still, a good movie.


----------



## M. Robert Gibson

On Wednesday I watched _Charlie Says_
On Thursday I watched _Bad Samaritan_
So what?, I hear you cry.
Well, the former starred Matt Smith and the latter starred David Tennant, so that's two former Doctors playing American psychopaths

Just thought I should tell someone


----------



## KGeo777

Watched a Night Gallery episode--the second episode There Aren't Anymore MacBanes has a creepy creature in it. Mark Hamill has a role as a messenger.

*Satan's School For Girls* 1973 -- I don't think I had seen it before--the sequence with Pamela Franklin taking the painting to the room is genuinely creepy. I don't think it is as creepy as Black Noon or some other tv movies of the time but it's a worthwhile time killer.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> *Satan's School For Girls* 1973 -- I don't think I had seen it before--the sequence with Pamela Franklin taking the painting to the room is genuinely creepy. I don't think it is as creepy as Black Noon or some other tv movies of the time but it's a worthwhile time killer.



_Don't _bother with the remake.


----------



## KGeo777

Omigod is there one? I should have assumed that...


----------



## Guttersnipe

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2008): Steampunk meets Sherlock Holmes meets superhero. The Ripper terrorizes Victorian-era Gotham. I didn't know this existed before I browsed in a library. It's Batman as a detective first and a vigilante second. I always enjoy the animation aspect of these DCU films, as it makes me fondly nostalgic for the 90s original series. I enjoyed Bruce Greenwood's voice work. Selina Kyle is also featured as a bit of a detective herself. I was genuinely surprised by the denouement. Highly recommended for fellow Batman enthusiasts.


----------



## HareBrain

KGeo777 said:


> Have you seen the 1973 version? I think that influenced Excalibur--especially the generic armor.
> 
> I prefer it to the bloated 1984 remake. The lead is boring but I think he is supposed to be "green." Speaking of Green, Nigel Green's last role. Good swan song for him.


Can't remember if I've mentioned this on here, but I really rate the largely forgotten 1991 TV-movie version. Malcolm Storry as the Green Knight does almost channel Nigel Green, I think.


----------



## KGeo777

TWINS OF EVIL 1971

HANDS OF THE RIPPER 1971

Both released together (in the US at least) 50 years ago this month.
I think they show 70s Hammer could have survived longer--the latter doesn't have Cushing or Lee--Eric Porter is a good lead--and Angharad Rees is so sympathetic and sad--one of the most sad horror film characters--and the ending is depressing and yet operatic.
These were made through Rank and so not using American money and unlike Scars of Dracula and Horror of Frankenstein which felt really cheap--these were better in production values--and story-wise--they are well-written and performed with very memorable scores.
Peter Cushing is a murderer and yet his fanaticism is proven somewhat correct by the arrival of the Karnstein vampires--although it is not explained who is killing the people in the town since Mircalla has not shown up at that point.

Katya Wyeth appears in both films (her most famous role is A Clockwork Orange in a silent nude scene at the very end of the film). She talks in these films.


----------



## hitmouse

*Future Shock: the Story of 2000AD*. 
I read 2000AD during its 1980s heyday, and still have the comics in a box in the attic. This is an interesting documentary with decent interviews from all the major names apart from Alan Moore. Good presentation of the historical and cultural context, the internal dynamics, the comic characters, and the legacy. 
At the time 2000AD was just a cool comic that my friends and I loved. It was a bit niche, funny, and subversive and was something different back in the days of 3 TV channels and no internet. The documentary makes the point that 2000AD was able to get away with so muchbecause it was sf and people did not take it seriously. There was always a strong satirical subtext eg fascism (Dredd) , bigotry, racism, religion, colonialism (Strontium Dog, Nemesis), and it was lots of fun and very violent. 
Recommended.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Noone gets out Alive* 2021
Strange Spanish tinged horror about a haunted appartment, based on the 'best selling novel' by an author I've never heard of.


----------



## Randy M.

Adam Nevill, maybe? If so, The Ritual is  very good folk horror. Banquet for the Damned, his first novel, is a solid ghost/witch story.


----------



## AE35Unit

Randy M. said:


> Adam Nevill, maybe? If so, The Ritual is  very good folk horror. Banquet for the Damned, his first novel, is a solid ghost/witch story.


Yes that's the fella. Not seen The Ritual yet...


----------



## Vince W

hitmouse said:


> *Future Shock: the Story of 2000AD*.
> I read 2000AD during its 1980s heyday, and still have the comics in a box in the attic. This is an interesting documentary with decent interviews from all the major names apart from Alan Moore. Good presentation of the historical and cultural context, the internal dynamics, the comic characters, and the legacy.
> At the time 2000AD was just a cool comic that my friends and I loved. It was a bit niche, funny, and subversive and was something different back in the days of 3 TV channels and no internet. The documentary makes the point that 2000AD was able to get away with so muchbecause it was sf and people did not take it seriously. There was always a strong satirical subtext eg fascism (Dredd) , bigotry, racism, religion, colonialism (Strontium Dog, Nemesis), and it was lots of fun and very violent.
> Recommended.


It's just a great look at this iconic comic. Even if you've never read Dredd, SD, etc but like comics this would be well worth watching.


----------



## Rodders

Is that on Netfix?


----------



## Toby Frost

*Kate *(2020)

A sort-of-remake of the old thriller, _DOA_, in which an assassin is fatally poisoned and has a day to track down her killer. It's set in Hollywood's idea of Japan (90% _Blade Runner_, 10% dojo), and is full of shrill pop bands, sushi stands and yakuza men with suits and swords.

Everything, including the big twist, is utterly predictable, but it's entertaining. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is very good as the assassin, Kate, and resembles a young Sigourney Weaver. The fight scenes are well-choreographed but the violence is both very graphic and totally unrealistic, which doesn't work for me. How it got a 15 rating is beyond me, given the sheer carnage. Money, I suppose.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*_  (1966) 3rd in the DOLLARS trilogy. The listing called it the restored version, & at the end, "EXTENDED ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION"; yet, the TCM guy made no mention of either; he only talked about Leone & the music score composer.  I had to look on the Wiki page to find anything about restored scenes. It was a long time since last I saw it, & I had forgotten most of the details.  I had no idea! I assumed that the 'restored' in the title referred to the quality of the films.


----------



## KGeo777

I prefer the original version. Seems like a lot of padding in the extended version that I didn't miss when I re-watched the original version.

"See you soon, idi..idio."

"Idiots....It's for you."


----------



## dask

Jeffbert said:


> _*The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*_  (1966) 3rd in the DOLLARS trilogy. The listing called it the restored version, & at the end, "EXTENDED ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION"; yet, the TCM guy made no mention of either; he only talked about Leone & the music score composer.  I had to look on the Wiki page to find anything about restored scenes. It was a long time since last I saw it, & I had forgotten most of the details.  I had no idea! I assumed that the 'restored' in the title referred to the quality of the films.


I have the two disc fully restored version with additional footage and the original theatrical release and much prefer the the one I saw as a thirteen year old sitting in a dark theater. I thought the unseen footage would increase the thrill of watching my favorite movie but it didn’t. Not saying it’s bad, just didn’t do anything for me except for maybe where Angel Eyes checked out a Confederate hospital looking for Bill Carson but even then it seemed more of a distraction than an enhancement. I guess you really can’t improve perfection.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Answer* - an orphaned office mailman discovers he's an alien human hybrid and the aliens are after him.  I'm betting the writer of this watched a LOT of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is a great fan of Joss Whedon because this script sounds like it is made up entirely from those - "Oh, this isn't spooky!" knowing, ironical funny lines that pepper Whedon's scripts.  In his scripts they work.  They're the raisins in the cake.  They lift the script from time to time.  But every line?!l  The saving grace of this movie is that the villain alien who has been kidnapping women and impregnating them in a run down shack just outside of town - as low budget aliens tend to do - doesn't get a huge long exposition laden self-justifying speech at the end - (possibly because Whedon hadn't written one that would do.)  At just over 80 minutes it still felt long.
*The Interceptor* - A real WTF? of a film.  Dark forces and enlightened beings battle for something in Moscow.  Lots of people walk through walls.  Cars are exploded. Characters you barely get to know the names of are gunned down and have to have their vital information delivered to our hero via someone else who has to say things like "before whatever his name was was killed he discovered something and we have to do something about it!" and everyone agrees without bothering to tell the audience who they are or what they are agreeing to.  I'd worked out that the great spiky tentacle thing that communicated with it's representatives on earth by shooting spiky tentacles through their heads and growling at them was probably the bad guy and the glowing white robed ones who stood around on rooftops and talked enigmatically were the good guys but after that I was totally lost.    The film stopped from time to time to have some slow gently (rather lovely) moments where the screen was filled for minutes on end with curved and curly strips of paper and new age ambient music plays for no other reason than to pad out the running time to a 90 minute movie length.   Imagine a James Bond / Casshern / Jupiter Ascending / Matrix mashup and then take out any plot that might have held all those elements together.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> _*The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*_  (1966) 3rd in the DOLLARS trilogy. The listing called it the restored version, & at the end, "EXTENDED ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION"; yet, the TCM guy made no mention of either; he only talked about Leone & the music score composer.  I had to look on the Wiki page to find anything about restored scenes. It was a long time since last I saw it, & I had forgotten most of the details.  I had no idea! I assumed that the 'restored' in the title referred to the quality of the films.


One of my favourite films


----------



## CupofJoe

*King of Thieves* [2018]
Based on the Hatton Garden robbery of 2015, it is the story of how a group on mainly old men can pull it off. And after that how they can't trust each other. The cast is the very best of British male actors [of a certain age] Michael Caine, Ray Winston and Jim Broadbent to name three. All of them turn in good performances especially Jim Broadbent.
The story is of the Heist and how things fall apart afterwards and is fairly entertaining but never really gets up to speed. The robbery is almost boring, the falling out almost inevitable and the ending predictable. But somehow still watchable.
Probably the bit I liked most was the very end, where clips of the cast from their early roles are used to show the passage of time, such as Caine from Alfie[?], Winston from [Scum] etc. I thought it was a nice touch.
One warning, *DO NOT WATCH* if bad language offends. These are rough and ready characters and their use of langue reflects that. Frequently and often repeatedly within the same sentence.


----------



## Rodders

Dan In Real Life. 

Put it on to kill a couple of hours. I've realised that i have a soft spot for romantic comedy.


----------



## Droflet

I've been in love with Juliette Binoche for years, so who could blame Steve for doing the same thing. Yep, not normally my thing, but this one had a touch of class, a good script, and of course the lovely Juliette. Oooo, la la.


----------



## Guttersnipe

About Time (2013): a man discovers that he and other men in the family have the ability to travel backwards in time. It was charming.


----------



## AE35Unit

*10 Cloverfield Lane*, quite good twist on the abduction theme.
Before that we watched *The Cloverfield Paradox*.
I preferred the abduction story.


----------



## hitmouse

Rodders said:


> Is that on Netfix?


The 2000AD film is on Amazon Prime for 99p


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Haunting in Connecticut* 2009
Not great but ok


----------



## Jeffbert

dask said:


> I have the two disc fully restored version with additional footage and the original theatrical release and much prefer the the one I saw as a thirteen year old sitting in a dark theater. I thought the unseen footage would increase the thrill of watching my favorite movie but it didn’t. Not saying it’s bad, just didn’t do anything for me except for maybe where Angel Eyes checked out a Confederate hospital looking for Bill Carson but even then it seemed more of a distraction than an enhancement. I guess you really can’t improve perfection.


I actually started watching around 7PM Sat night, & as 10PM approached, I knew it was time for anime comedy. So, I finished Sunday afternoon. Otherwise, I might have thought it was looonger than it ought to have been. But, I got plenty of screenshots for my screensaver.


----------



## KGeo777

THE RAVEN 1963  - Has some good laughs.  Richard Matheson felt his comedy wasn't much appreciated--he did write some funny lines.   In one scene Karloff is laughing from behind as Peter Lorre ad libs. During the wizard duel one can see a crew member hiding behind the furniture on Price's side.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Grim Reaper* - Italian horror (originally, in its uncut version, called _Anthropophagus_) which was the usual mess of pointless wandering around in the dark, jump scares, in your face gore, and bad dubbing.  As a lot of the action of this film takes place in the dark (underground or at night) and was shot on 16mm with the only lighting in some scenes apparently provided by a crew members flashlight, it was hard to tell what was supposed to be going on for most of the time.  Why I seem to own two copies of this POS is a question.


----------



## KGeo777

Horror of the Black Museum 1959  Seen before. Good over the top Michael Gough performance.

Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism 1967 -- Seen this before too. It's a West German version of a Corman Poe movie crossed with some Barbara Steele Euro flick. The art direction is really good--the castle and the decorations inside. There's even a painted demon character that resembles a Giger design. Story-wise it is slim, not much for Christopher Lee to do, but the biggest negative is the unimpressive score. It may have Lex Barker (who gets out of a pendulum trap without assistance, nice work), but it sure could use some Les Baxter.


----------



## KGeo777

THE BLANCHEVILLE HORROR 1963 --Is not about a village where everyone is named Blanche--that would be a horror-but this is more like a Corman Poe film done in black and white--it's something you can imagine Vincent Price in--but it's a euro gothic so the castles are real.

LADY FRANKENSTEIN 1971 --another rewatch--if Hammer had done a soft porn movie this is what it could be like. Joseph Cotten is Frankenstein and his daughter (Rosalba Neri) is also into making monsters--but her aim is to make the perfect husband by mixing someone's brain with another guy's body. It's kind of goofy but very watchable and interesting variation on the story.
The main monster looks awful--like a BEM alien but with Peter Boyle's face. He's not putting on the Ritz.


----------



## Toby Frost

KGeo777 said:


> if Hammer had done a soft porn movie



I'm pretty sure that _Lust for a Vampire_ got quite close. I wonder if Sheridan le Fanu ever suspected what he was going to unleash upon the world when he wrote _Carmilla_?


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Crimson Peak.
Loved it! Gothic to the max.


----------



## AllanR

I saw Interstellar. 
I can't help but compare it to the Mars mission from India launched the same year. For less money and more science, India was successful.


----------



## KGeo777

Toby Frost said:


> I'm pretty sure that _Lust for a Vampire_ got quite close.


Not as close as Lady Frankenstein gets.
I am thinking of a particular scene. I don't think they would have done it the same way.
Then again there are other euro gothic films that are far more sleazy. 
Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks comes to mind.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Then again there are other euro gothic films that are far more sleazy.



And anything by Jean Rollin who did a great line in cheap sleazy OTT vampire lesbian nonsense.


----------



## KGeo777

I heard of his but haven't seen them.
I have seen Daughters of Darkness 1971 (coming up on its US release anniversary this month). That has the lesbian stuff I recall but much more restrained.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Blade Runner 2049. It was quite good as sequels go, and fit in well with the first one. Obviously, it's less inspired by the source material, but that's fine with me in this circumstance.


----------



## KGeo777

Blood From the Mummy's Tomb 1971 (released exactly 50 years ago). Not really one of Hammer's best 70s efforts but the Mummy series is not that lively anyway. I paid more attention to the story in this viewing--I think Christopher Wicking wanted to inject some  intellectual content into these B movie subjects. It's only partly successful with the philosophical overhaul. 
The 50th anniversary for one of Hammer's best ideas for transcending the B movie genre, Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is coming up in a few days.


----------



## AE35Unit

Guttersnipe said:


> Blade Runner 2049. It was quite good as sequels go, and fit in well with the first one. Obviously, it's less inspired by the source material, but that's fine with me in this circumstance.


Good film!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Black 6* (1973)

Blaxploitation/motorcycle gang hybrid.  The gimmick is THE BLACK 6 are played by professional football players.  The credits make sure you know this, because the team that each one plays for appears below his name.  

Starts with a black man getting killed by the brother of his white girlfriend and his fellow racists motorcycle thugs.  Then we lighten the mood quite a bit, as we meet THE BLACK 6, all Vietnam vets, as they help a widowed white farm woman with her chores, and even fix her decaying barn for free.  Next they confront some racists in a bar, and wind up tearing the place up.  Somehow or other, they fix it so when one guy slams the front door, the entire building collapses.  This scene is played for comedy, with one of the guys saying "Peace and Love, Brother" to one of the racists, and kissing him on the forehead.  

Eventually we find out the murdered man was the brother of one of the guys, so he and his buddies head into his home town to check things out.  Five of the guys vanish from the plot, as the one guy talks to people to find out who killed his brother.  Along the way, he meets and old girlfriend, now a prostitute.  The film tries to become a serious drama at this point.  The guy has an activist sister, who accuses THE BLACK 6 of being Uncle Toms.  

Finally, during the last eight minutes or so, we get the big battle between the racist motorcycle gang and THE BLACK 6 we've been expecting, winding up with one of the white thugs putting a flare into the gas tank of his motorcycle and riding at THE BLACK 6, apparently ready to blow himself up as long as he gets them also.  Despite the fact that we have to assume everybody got killed, the film ends with the words *Honky Look out, Hassle a Brother and the Black Six will Return!!!  *


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Guttersnipe said:


> Blade Runner 2049. It was quite good as sequels go, and fit in well with the first one. Obviously, it's less inspired by the source material, but that's fine with me in this circumstance.


Much, much better than I expected it to be.


----------



## KGeo777

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE 1968 --TV movie with Jack Palance.  Maybe the best made overall that I have seen (excluding a particular variation on the theme that I will be re-watching soon) . The March version is a little clunky in parts. This one adds a woman character but dispenses with the good girl/bad girl theme. I have yet to see the Spencer Tracy version. The makeup didn't impress me in photos.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Shutter (2008). Now I remember how horrible it was.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Return from the Ashes *(1965)

Hitchcockian thriller based on a French novel.  Starts with a bang, as we see a bunch of people on a train, including a little kid messing around the door to the outside.  By George, he actually falls out of the moving train, presumably killed.  The passengers panic, of course, except for a very haggard-looking woman who shows no emotion.  (Ingmar Bergman actress Ingrid Thulin.)   The other folks accuse her of having no feelings, until they see the tattooed number on her wrist . . .

Yes, she's a Holocaust survivor, and the time is just after the end of the war.  Flashbacks show her starting a romance with a penniless chess player (Maximillian Schell), who is quite obviously a cad.  (She's a physician -- a radiologist, to be precise -- and has quite a bit of money.)  The same day they get married, the Nazis drag her off.

Back in 1945, she meets her fellow physician friend (Herbert Lom, in a rare Good Guy role) who barely recognizes her.  He uses plastic surgery to make her somewhat less haggard, and (for plot reasons, I suppose) she darkens her hair.  She seems to want to see her husband without him recognizing her; he, like everybody else, thinks she's dead.

Hubby is fooling around with his wife's stepdaughter from an earlier marriage (Samantha Eggar.)  They see her, and think she just looks like his wife.  They come up with a wild scheme to have her pretend to be herself (if you see what I mean) so Eggar can inherit her supposedly dead stepmother's wealth.  (This all has to do with French law; she can't inherit if there's no proof the stepmother is dead, so they're going to give her one-third of the loot when she goes through the process of impersonating herself.)

No, not the most plausible plot in the world; you have to assume neither of them realize that she's really the stepmother.  In one of many plot twists, the whole scheme gets tossed out the window when the stepmother reveals her true identity.

Next, we get a _Colombo_-style "perfect murder" plot, with an unbreakable alibi and a safe rigged to fire a gun when it's opened.  In yet another plot twist, there's a different murder entirely.

Making use of the Holocaust for a thriller may be in questionable taste, but this is quite a good film.  The four lead actors are very good.  There's a lot of sharp dialogue.  A little bit *Vertigo *and a little bit *Diabolique*.  Recommended.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched LOGAN'S RUN 1976 & THE SHINING 1980 both good films.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Dave Vicks said:


> Watched LOGAN'S RUN 1976 & THE SHINING 1980 both good films.



Have you seen Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining? As far as sequels go, it's links to the original are tenuous at best.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Atragon *- bloody awful 1963 Japanese 'science fiction' film in which civilization is saved from the evil (underwater) Mu Empire  by a Captain Nemo-like Japanese naval officer (who refuses to believe WW2 has ended) and his giant flying earth-boring submarine.  As horrendously crap as that sounds there was monster in it too.  

During the watching of this film I developed another of my inviolable rules of cinema.  In any film directed by Ishirô Honda, if anything happens off-screen, someone will point at it.  Most of the time they will shout "LOOK!" when they do.


----------



## hitmouse

*Starter for 10*. Soppy but amusing 2006 romantic comedy starring James Macavoy, Benedict Cumberbatch and seemingly every British actor who has made it over the last 15 years. About a boy from Southend who goes to Bristol University, gets on the University Challenge team, has romantic misadventures etc. Recommended if this is your sort of thing. 

As far as I can see there are only a couple if Bristol locations actually used, but that is a minor quibble.


----------



## Vince W

hitmouse said:


> *Starter for 10*. Soppy but amusing 2006 romantic comedy starring James Macavoy, Benedict Cumberbatch and seemingly every British actor who has made it over the last 15 years. About a boy from Southend who goes to Bristol University, gets on the University Challenge team, has romantic misadventures etc. Recommended if this is your sort of thing.I
> 
> As far as I can see there are only a couple if Bristol locations actually used, but that is a minor quibble.


I remember that one. I was hoping for more UC and less of the semi-romantic guff. Still, it wasn't the worst film I've ever seen.


----------



## hitmouse

Vince W said:


> I remember that one. I was hoping for more UC and less of the semi-romantic guff. Still, it wasn't the worst film I've ever seen.


Yeah, this one was picked by Mrs HM and daughter. I just went along with it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Chinatown at Midnight* (1949)

Documentary-style police procedural.  Woman who runs an interior decorating business has a scheme with her boyfriend where he robs valuable items and she sells them to her customers. While stealing a jade vase worth nineteen hundred bucks, he shoots a man and a woman.  The woman had just called the operator to report the crime, so the killer continues the call, speaking in Cantonese although he's not Chinese-American.  The point is to make the cops think a Chinese-American is the killer.  One interesting plot point is that the killer suffers from attacks of malaria.  When the cops find a wire recording of the guy practicing his Cantonese, they have hundred of records made from it, so they can find out if anybody recognizes his voice.  Notable also is the fact that he picks up a woman with great ease at the aquarium (lots of nice location filming in San Francisco.)  Just a little over an hour long, so it moves briskly.  Not bad at all.


----------



## KGeo777

It's the 50th anniversary of IMO Hammer's most brilliant idea and their best film of the 70s. DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE. I think it goes beyond a very clever reworking of the classic tale (with matching genius title) but actually surpasses the original for a profoundly defined clash of dual natures. Since there's some debate whether a dual nature in an individual exists, good vs evil or civilized vs the primitive, using gender instead places it in reality and every day experience--it's more elemental.
I don't think the good girl/bad girl subplot of famous film versions of the story is as emotionally gripping or amusing as the Howard and Susan scenes.  The casting is so perfect--that was Fate--and also the musical score is hauntingly epic--it works so well to augment the conflict, which feels much more meaningful than just having the same actor playing two roles.  

NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS 1971. I had not seen it before. In fact, I didn't even know how many from the series  or the first movie returned. Having not paid attention to the opening credits--most of the cast came as a surprise (never saw the series but I knew they did multiple parts). Lara Parker was a welcome surprise to see because she indicated in the commentary for Race With The Devil that she had not done a feature film before but I guess she meant not a major role. I noticed how much the plot echoes the Haunted Palace and the later Curtis film Burnt Offerings (NEVER go back into the house to get something)--but that also made me realize how much The Shining follows the same idea.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Green Knight* (2021)

Firstly, if you want high adventure and swordfights, do not watch this film. It's essentially an arthouse road movie, in which Gawain (Dev Patel) stumbles across a mystical Britain in order to fulfil his vow to swap blows with the mysterious Green Knight.

Extremely well-shot and very beautiful, this is definitely at the more mystical end of Arthurian films. In fact, it reminded me strongly of the surreal sequences in _Excalibur _where Percival searches for the grail. Almost everything in it is slightly weird: Dev Patel may seem an odd choice to play an aspiring knight, but he portrays Gawain well, as a layabout forced to assume responsibility. Sean Harris and Kate Dickie are convincing as an older, wiser Arthur and Guinevere. A lot of the episodes in Gawain's journey have a weird charm. A later scene happens in an anachronistic-looking mansion. A scene involving eerie giants reminds me of the statues of Anthony Gormley.

I think the last third becomes very slightly too odd (Alicia Vikander has a strange, long speech about the colours green and red, and Gawain has an overlong vision), and the way the story is told misses what I remember as being a couple of important details, namely that: 



Spoiler



the lord and lady are working with or are part of the Green Knight, and seek tempt Gawain to act dishonourably; and the Green Knight only makes a small cut in Gawain's neck, before letting him go.



It's slow and mysterious, but I think it captures the odd mixture of Christian and pagan mysticism around the Arthur stories. Although nobody casts a spell, it feels cryptic and magical. Arty, but well worth a look.


----------



## Oochillyo

hey Toby Frost 

how are you 

I haven't heard of this film before but your description of it is very interesting and Dev Patel is one of my fav actors  and always seems to be very good in films so if I see it on T.V. some time I will check it out 

Thank you 

Regards - Declan Sargent


----------



## hitmouse

Oochillyo said:


> hey Toby Frost
> 
> how are you
> 
> I haven't heard of this film before but your description of it is very interesting and Dev Patel is one of my fav actors  and always seems to be very good in films so if I see it on T.V. some time I will check it out
> 
> Thank you
> 
> Regards - Declan Sargent


Its on Amazon Prime


----------



## Oochillyo

hey HitMouse 

How are you 

Thank you 

Regards - Declan Sargent


----------



## dask

Sleazebag journalist uses down time party jumping and falling for every woman he sees other than his live in girlfriend. Everything that can be said about this film has been endlessly and tirelessly (if not tiresomely) communicated over the last half century leaving nothing noteworthy to add. Almost: the energetic legion of paparazzi swirling around like a superhero group searching for a villain to snare and Anita Ekberg howling in response to a pack of wild dogs in the dead of night are vistas not to be missed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> View attachment 83037
> 
> Sleazebag journalist uses down time party jumping and falling for every woman he sees other than his live in girlfriend. Everything that can be said about this film has been endlessly and tirelessly (if not tiresomely) communicated over the last half century leaving nothing noteworthy to add. Almost: the energetic legion of paparazzi swirling around like a superhero group searching for a villain to snare and Anita Ekberg howling in response to a pack of wild dogs in the dead of night are vistas not to be missed.



One of my favourite films - last seen in a wonderfully restored print in a cinema in Inverness.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two, count them (2) NOIR ALLEY films, from last week & the week before last.

*THE GLASS WALL* (1953) has a stowaway from WWII Europe who escapes from the authorities and runs around NY searching for the U.S. Army guy whom he had hidden from the bad guys. He knows only that the guy's name is Tom & he plays the clarinet.  So, if the ship on which he had stowed-away leaves port before they can catch him, he will be charged with other crimes, & never be allowed to enter the U.S. 

Definitely not the typical noir; & best of all, its the 1st time I have seen it.


_* BRIGHTON ROCK*_ (1948) Young punk gang leader  Pinkie Brown (Richard Attenborough) is a total jerk, and in the end expects his new bride to commit suicide with him; though he also expects to survive it. It seems he had married her, believing that a wife could not testify against her husband (which, as I understand it, cannot be compelled to testify), & as she had witnessed him being at the scene of a crime, & could break his alibi, etc. she had to go.  

Also my 1st time seeing it. Very dramatic.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Lucky Break* - a pleasing little entry in the long tradition of British prison break comedies.  A little far fetched in places (they all are).  Hardly 'Hilarious' as the cut and paste quote from Empire magazine on the front claimed but amusing enough.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Black Angels *(1970)

Another blaxploitation/motorcycle gang hybrid.  It should be noted here that the only character called a "black angel" in this film is a white police officer.   In addition to that, one of the many songs on the soundtrack has the repeated lyric "I saw a black angel laughing," sung in a way that sounds like a Bob Dylan imitator trying to perform heavy metal.

Starts off with randomly edited scenes of a young African-American man driving around on his motorcycle, intercut with him and his naked girlfriend on the beach.  He tells her how he's going to get the leader of the rival (white) motorcycle gang.  Continuing this film's frequent use of confusing flashbacks and flashforwards, we then get an extended motorcycle chase scene of the young man following his intended target, a guy called Chainer, intercut with scenes of the fellow busting through Chainer's window while he's with his girlfriend. (By the way, in parallel fashion, the leader of the black motorcycle gang is called Knifer.)  Their anticlimactic fight ends up with the young man utterly defeated.  More chase scenes follow, and the defeated fellow drives himself off a cliff.  So much for who I thought was going to be a major character!

Most of the rest of the film deals with the white motorcycle gang driving around, making out with girlfriends, fighting amongst themselves, drinking beer, getting into bar fights, etc.  In what passes for a plot, the white cop who is called "black angel" by the white motorcycle gang tells the black motorcycle gang leader that Chainer and his crew are after them.  It's sort of like a nutty version of the *Yojimbo*/*A Fistful of Dollars *theme, where the two gangs are set up to destroy each other.

Eventually a new guy shows up, a stereotyped white Southerner who calls himself Johnny Reb and who is one of the only openly racist characters in the film.  (There's an offensive and unnecessary subplot, told in flashback fashion again, in which a racist white woman teases a couple of black men who then rape her at knifepoint.)  Surprise!  He's actually a secret agent working for the black motorcycle gang.  He gives them "uppers" that are actually "downers" so they'll be at a disadvantage during the big fight that ends the film.  It hardly matters, because it looks as if all the members of both gangs get killed, including death by rattlesnake (a non-rattlesnake with rattling on the soundtrack) and cougar.  Then there's the baby of one of the gang members, who winds up orphaned when his mother also gets killed in the melee.  It ends with the "black angel" looking at the carnage in triumph, then a close-up of his bumper sticker that says "Support Your Local Police."

An absolutely wretched film that held me fascinated in dropped-jaw amazement all the way through.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Prudence and the Pill *(1968)

Bedroom farce about contraception.  Deborah Kerr and David Niven star as a filthy rich married couple, pretty much leading separate lives.  He has a French mistress, she has a lover.  His brother and sister-in-law find their twenty-ish daughter in bed with her boyfriend.  She's been taking her mother's supply of the fictional birth control pill Thenol and exchanging them for aspirin, leading to our film's first unexpected pregnancy.  (The mother's.)  

Meanwhile, the rich folk's maid and chauffer are having an affair.  He gets an illegal supply of the prescription-only Thenol from his buddy at the chemist's shop, telling her they're vitamins.  Niven finds Kerr's own supply of Thenol, and exchanges it for aspirin, inspired by the example of his niece.  (The motivation is a little murky here.  She tells him she wants a child, but not by him.  He wants her to get pregnant so he can get a divorce, I think.)  The maid has been stealing Kerr's supply of Thenol for herself, so she gets the aspirin, leading to our unexpected pregnancy number two. 

Without going into too much more detail, let's just say that Kerr becomes pregnant by her lover (#3), the niece gets pregnant by her boyfriend (#4), and Niven's mistress gets pregnant by him (#5).  This is supposed to be a happy ending.

The main problem is that a farce has to have a story that moves like clockwork, all the intricate misunderstandings and plot twists treated with rigid logic.  This film fails completely at this.  It seems to make no difference at all whether a woman is taking  real Thenol, fake Thenol, or nothing at all; she gets pregnant.  Although Kerr and Niven are in a loveless marriage, and should not be surprised that each has a lover, when they get proof of this, they both become enraged. 

The great Dame Edith Evans shows up as the aunt of the niece's boyfriend.  In a weirdly random joke, she crosses a race track while cars are zooming by in order to talk to him.  

The opening titles and song are, well, bizarre.  See for yourself.










						Prudence and the Pill
					

<p>Upon its release in 1968, Prudence and the Pill gained a reputation as the first film comedy centered on birth control and the new contraceptive pill.<br />Its animated title sequence takes conservative notions and flips them about, sending Cupid into fits of fury as he vainly attempts to go...




					www.artofthetitle.com


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde* (1976)

In the tradition of *Blacula*, although not as good, and *Blackenstein*, although not anywhere near as bad, this blaxsploitation/horror hybrid offers us yet another twist on a classic theme.  The symbolically named Dr. Pride is a brilliant and noble physician working on a treatment for liver disease.  Injecting it into a brown rat turns it into an aggressive white rat that kills all the other rats.  You can see where this is going.  Yes, he tests it on himself, turning him into a super-strong, gray-skinned, gray-haired, pale-eyed killer.  The fact that he still looks like an African-American, albeit with some strange form of albinism, weakens the theme and ruins the promise of the title.  Anyway, the big climax takes place at the famous Watts Towers of Los Angeles.  It's an OK timewaster.


----------



## hitmouse

dask said:


> View attachment 83037
> 
> Sleazebag journalist uses down time party jumping and falling for every woman he sees other than his live in girlfriend. Everything that can be said about this film has been endlessly and tirelessly (if not tiresomely) communicated over the last half century leaving nothing noteworthy to add. Almost: the energetic legion of paparazzi swirling around like a superhero group searching for a villain to snare and Anita Ekberg howling in response to a pack of wild dogs in the dead of night are vistas not to be missed.


Brilliant film.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Cloverfield *
I forgot how much I enjoyed this film


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> Have you seen Doctor Sleep, the sequel to The Shining? As far as sequels go, it's links to the original are tenuous at best.


Saw Doctor Sleep at the cinema before Covid hit. Quite good


----------



## Mouse

*Free Guy*. Really enjoyed it, very odd seeing one of the gaming YouTubers my partner watches actually in the film.


----------



## KGeo777

CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF 1961 - The kid who plays the young Leon is such a good choice--he looks so much like a young Oliver Reed--it makes the transition to adult so smooth. The makeup design is really good. Philosophically, it suggests God is kind of a jerk since the child is cursed because he was born on the wrong day (according to Spanish time zones. Technically it wouldn't be December 25th in Australia).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Third Visitor* (1951)

Modest but enjoyable little British whodunit with lots of twists and turns in the plot.  Starts with a bang as we see a woman chained to a wall screaming in fear, under the huge words WHO WAS THE THIRD VISITOR?  We then meet a fashion model and her husband, a writer of detective stories, and a photograph of some folks at a party in a magazine she's reading.  The same magazine grabs the attention of a tough guy in New York City, who rushes to the UK to confront the fellow in the photo.  

Meanwhile, a man shows up at the home of the fellow in the photo, to try to arrange some kind of shady business deal with some other folks.  That sends him off, only so he can come back and find a dead body.

It seems the the New York guy showed up, because he recognized the fellow in the photo, who framed him for some crime that sent him to prison for years.  We see him start to attack the fellow with a blunt object . . .

Seems open and shut, doesn't it?  Don't assume anything, though, because nothing is quite what it seems.  Add to the mixture the wife of the guy who found the body, who has a good reason to lie to her husband about where she was while he was gone.  (Due to the murder, he came home early, to find their place empty.)  Then there's the very confused older man, just out of a mental institution, who went mad just after building a secret room for the fellow in the photo . . .

Believe it or not, this all comes together by the end, when we find out about the woman chained to the wall and learn the identity of the third visitor.  It's a nifty bit of trickery, maybe not the most plausible plot in the world, but full of witty dialogue.   Almost all the characters are constant liars, with the exceptions of the writer (because he's pretty much just comic relief) and the confused fellow (because his mind is too mixed up to lie) and, of course, the detectives on the case.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Three Wishes for Cinderella*  - one of the innumerable number of Czech / Eastern Block European fairy tale films made after WW2.  These were, according to an extra on the DVD, incredibly popular and did huge box office at the time - and to this day.  _Three Wishes for Cinderella_ is apparently an annual Christmas must-see film across great chunks of Europe, so much so that a great deal of the money for the  restoration (available on the Second Run label in the UK) came from Norway.    Different, and less saccharine than the Disneyfied versions we are used to in the west, though not as gruesome at the end as the Grimm's Brothers' version.  The Cinderella character is a lot more proactive.  She disguises herself as a boy at one point, joins a hunt and out shoots, and outrides the prince.  At the end the film is more about curbing the price's arrogance and his acknowledging her strengths and respecting her opinions than the sudden blooming of any anodyne fairy-tale 'True Love'.  I liked it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Frankenstein's Bloody Terror *(_La Marca del Hombre Lobo_, 1968)

This Spanish monster rally, given a completely irrelevant title for American audiences, made Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina Álvarez) the undisputed king of Iberian horror movies, and created his most famous character, the wolfman Waldemar Daninsky.  (Note the lack of Spanish names.  To get away with horror films during the time of Franco, they had to be set somewhere else.)  

The very brief American prologue, featuring very minimal animation of the Frankenstein monster becoming a werewolf, tries to excuse the title by claiming that the Frankenstein family suffered the curse of lycanthropy and became the Wolfstein family, but forget all that.  It was only done because they needed a Frankenstein double feature.  (The other one was the truly awful *Dracula vs Frankenstein*.)  

Anyway, after this nonsense, we get the real movie.  To my surprise, it's set in contemporary times.  We first meet the characters I'll call Girl and Boy, young adults who seem to be sort of engaged.  Next comes Waldemar, something of a spendthrift playboy.  Girl falls in love with him anyway.  Along the way we learn about the deserted castle wherein lies the body of a werewolf, kept in his coffin by a silver dagger in his heart.  A couple of gypsies spend the night in the place, pull out the dagger, and the expected slaughter follows.

While everybody is hunting down the supposed wolves responsible for the killings, Waldemar saves Boy from the monster, but is wounded himself.  Ordinary chains fail to keep him from rampaging in wolfman form at night, so Boy and Girl lock him up real well in the old castle while trying to find a cure.  It seems to arrive in the form of a young doctor and his wife, but, in the movie's biggest plot twist, they turn out to be vampires, and wind up enslaving Boy and Girl, and reviving the first werewolf again.  Monster movie mayhem ensues.

It's not a bad example of old-fashioned thrills, a little Universal, a little Hammer, and a little EuroGothic
stirred into a reasonably tasty paella.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Demon Witch Child *(_La endemoniada_, 1975)

Spanish shocker "inspired" by *The Exorcist*, one assumes.  An old hag knocks over stuff in a church and steals a chalice.  The cops go arrest her right away, apparently just because she's a gypsy.  By the way, they nail her for the kidnapping of a baby as well.  She refuses to talk, although she doesn't mind proudly announcing her loyalty to Satan.  When the cops threaten to use truth serum, she throws herself out a window to her death.

The hag's pretty young minion easily gets a cop's young daughter to accept an ugly carved wooden doll and a big clunky necklace from her, despite all that "don't talk to strangers" stuff.  Next thing you know, double exposure shows us the spirit of the dead hag leaving its body and entering the kid.  A levitation sequence immediately follows.  Soon the kid is cursing, fighting, and so forth.

Proving that the film isn't going to pull any punches, the possessed kid, wearing makeup and a wig that makes her look like the hag, joins a black sabbath already in progress -- there seem to be a huge number of Satanists in this community, all of them hags except the one pretty one -- and  stabs the kidnapped baby to death.  The Satan worshippers drink its blood.

The story gets kind of muddled.  There are memorable moments, such as when folks dig up the body of the hag, stick a huge cross into it, and set it on fire, at which point it wakes up and screams.  This doesn't stop the hag-possessed kid from crawling face down the walls of her house to go kill people with apparent super-strength.

As a subplot, we get flashbacks in which in our film's exorcist hero, a handsome young priest, tells the woman who loves him that he's leaving her for the Church.  Back in the present, he finds out that the trauma of losing him turned her into a prostitute.  This gives the possessed kid something to torment him with during the climactic exorcism, when she takes on the appearance of the woman.

Not a great film, and something of a mess, but with moments of interest.


----------



## KGeo777

CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE 1963 --not really horror or much of a thriller--Edgar Wallace Krimi.

ISLAND OF TERROR 1966 - rewatch


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> *Three Wishes for Cinderella*  - one of the innumerable number of Czech / Eastern Block European fairy tale films made after WW2.  These were, according to an extra on the DVD, incredibly popular and did huge box office at the time - and to this day.  _Three Wishes for Cinderella_ is apparently an annual Christmas must-see film across great chunks of Europe, so much so that a great deal of the money for the  restoration (available on the Second Run label in the UK) came from Norway.    Different, and less saccharine than the Disneyfied versions we are used to in the west, though not as gruesome at the end as the Grimm's Brothers' version.  The Cinderella character is a lot more proactive.  She disguises herself as a boy at one point, joins a hunt and out shoots, and outrides the prince.  At the end the film is more about curbing the price's arrogance and his acknowledging her strengths and respecting her opinions than the sudden blooming of any anodyne fairy-tale 'True Love'.  I liked it.View attachment 83087


Sounds like how we wish disney would do films. A bit like Snow White and the Huntsman which is nothing like the Disney version


----------



## Dave Vicks

TRAFFIC French comedy 1971


----------



## KGeo777

THE RETURN OF COUNT YORGA 1971 --They sure released a lot of horror films outside of October. All year round you can get a vampire movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Voices (2020)*
A woman and her daughter are in a car crash, and the girl is left blind. As she grows up she hears voices of people around her warning and imploring her, but no-one is there...


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Dredd* - my esteem for Alex Garland just went down a (big) notch.


----------



## KGeo777

DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW 1981 --what can I say? Bubba didn't do it!
I saw it when it premiered 40 years ago and it has aged very well. Some creepy moments that linger--and great lead performance from Charles Durning as a mail worker who goes postal--he does want to kill. Very satisfying conclusion with some spooky irony.



HOME SWEET HOME (1981) is a slasher film set at Thanksgiving. Verdict? No thanks. It is about a homicidal fellow who escapes from an institution and goes on a killing spree. The problems with it stem right from the first appearance of the killer--Jake Steinfeld--who I vaguely remember from the 80s. Before I saw his name I was thinking --what if Bowser from Sha Na Na was a bodybuilder but didn't sing--just laughed goofy when he killed? That is what you have with this guy. No mask, not modus operandi.  He plays it for laughs--I hope he was because if he was trying to be serious and scary--that would be the most frightening thought of all. The script is awful (the heroine--who might have been created while someone was on heroin, keeps forgetting about the child who is left in the house with the killer--but then it's not her kid so I guess that is a touch of harsh realism).  All the characters are a lost cause so you don't care when they are killed--except for the singer with the mime makeup--it is somewhat satisfying when he departs. The soundtrack is surprisingly good though. A symphonic score I would have assumed was stock library music. The constantly abandoned child is Vinessa Shaw in her first film.


----------



## alexvss

Villeneuve's *Dune*. Watched it last night on the movie theater. The contemplative style of Villeneuve really fits here, much more than it does in Blade Runner or Sicario and, nevertheless, I was never bored. The fight scenes are well choreographed, and the personal shield is believable.

It's divided in two parts, as it should--you don't want to do it like Lynch--, and I'm eagerly waiting for part 2.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched THE NIGHT STALKER 1972.


----------



## REBerg

*Dune (2021)*
As visually stunning as advertised. I'm not sure if I like this one more than the 1984 version.


----------



## KGeo777

Dave Vicks said:


> Watched THE NIGHT STALKER 1972.


I am saving that for January. 50th anniversary.

But I watched another Dan Curtis and Richard Matheson collaboration, DRACULA starring Jack Palance, or as I prefer to call it, Taste the Blah of Dracula.
A dud despite the credentials. I don't understand it--I like other Curtis and Matheson projects a lot, and never is disappointed in a Palance performance but in this case--I think it is rather lifeless and disjointed. They said the romance subplot was added to give Dracula a reason to go to England BUT he was already planning to go to England! 
Even the death of Dracula is a bland affair--Nigel Davenport is blank-faced as he delivers the death blow. Strange given that a good number of the cast are familiar and are good in other films but here--it just doesn't work. Even the cinematography lacks any spookiness.


----------



## Droflet

I may have seen this way back in the day. But thanks for the warning.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Slashers - *a cross between The Purge and The Running Man. I assumed that his was a new made-for Netflix, but apparently it's a 20 year old movie. I assume it's been released to coincide with The Squid Game which it appears to be similar in premise to.

A very odd movie, which starts with absolutely no kind of intro - it's almost like switching channels and finding a tv programme that's just started. I've only watched the first half so far, and the acting is not great, neither are the special effects and the filming is quite odd - think Blair Witch, but with a steadier, high-quality tv camera.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Power Rangers* [2017]
A surprisingly enjoyable teen superhero movie. It is not a great movie, there is nothing exceptional about it, but it was far better than my expectations based on having watched the 80s TV show. It was far more like the current Spiderman films in tone but with less jokes. The film took itself seriously [as far as you can with giant dinosaur mechas].
The ensemble cast was up to their tasks. I liked that I didn't recognise any of them, so no preconceptions were weighing on them. I'd have liked a bit more character building as they went from nobody teens to superheroes in about five scenes. But that lack kept the pacing up.
The plot [not that there was a lot of it] is that 5 teens discover that they are the next generation of Power Rangers and have to learn how to harness their powers and work together to stop the villain [Rita] from taking over. Cue monsters, robots, mechas and mega monsters and bigger mechas.
It was obviously a setup for a franchise that so far has not appeared. But a reboot may be in the works!


----------



## Randy M.

_*Alice, Sweet Alice*_ (1976) dir. Alfred Sole; Linda Miller, Paula Shepard, Mildred Clinton, and a whole buncha people I didn't recognize, except for a very young Brooke Shields

Psychological horror story about a single mother (Miller) with a close friendship with her priest, both concerned about the mental state of her oldest daughter, Alice (Shepard). Her youngest daughter (Shields) seems perfect, but also picked on by Alice. When the youngest daughter is killed, suspicion falls on Alice.

Remarkably effective low-budget horror movie that frequently looks like it'll become predictable, but mostly avoids doing so. Even though it tips its hand a bit early and obviously, Sole maintains the ambiguity of just how badly damaged Alice is throughout. Shepard is pretty good and I'm surprised to see in IMDB that she was only in one other movie.


_*The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane*_ (1976) dir. Nicolas Gessner; starring Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Scott Jacoby

Not a movie that would likely be made now. Nope. Not like this, anyway.

Foster, 13 or 14, plays Rynn, 13, maintaining a new home while her poet father works. He's fine with leaving her home while he jaunts to New York for business; she's home schooled at a time that wasn't really a thing, and she's extremely protective of her home and her father. Alexis Smith leased the house to Rynn and her father; Martin Sheen is her son and also a pedophile (easy to forget that before playing President, he'd been quite good at playing even less savory characters). By this time Sheen was an established pro, and Smith had been in movies since the '40s, and Foster has no trouble matching them in every scene. 

The theme appears to be that you can't judge individuals and their abilities by the groups -- in this case, age group -- they belong to, and the normal social safety nets are not one-size-fits-all. I'm not sure there was ever a young actor better able to embody that than Foster.

I didn't remember controversy about the movie until Foster's nude scene. It's still shocking, even though it makes sense within the context of the story being told. I suppose there should be trigger warnings for contemporary audiences, still that shouldn't overshadow just how good Foster was at a very young age.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> I didn't remember controversy about the movie until Foster's nude scene. It's still shocking, even though it makes sense within the context of the story being told. I suppose there should be trigger warnings for contemporary audiences, still that shouldn't overshadow just how good Foster was at a very young age.



She was wasn't she.  She stole _Kansas City Bomber _and she's only in it for a couple of minutes.


----------



## KGeo777

PLAY MISTY FOR ME 1971 - Not really a horror film I guess but it does have some scary moments. Good humor too.

SCHIZO 1976 - This feels like a dark comedy at times--the red herrings were used effectively to throw you off who the killer was. Took 2/3rds through the movie before I figured it out.


----------



## alexvss

*The Faculty (1998)*. A teen horror movie. A group (stereotyped) students suspect that aliens have taken over the faculty and are silently invading the world. It’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982).

The protagonists are the school stereotypes: the jock, the nerd, the goth… It’s basically Breakfast Club (1985) but they are all jerks for no reason and can’t stop swearing. It takes place in the 90s, and it’s a 90s movie through and through, so I thought I was watching uncensored Power Rangers.

Ryan Hollinger, a youtuber who talks about Horror movies, says, “It was supposed to be the Sci-fi equivalent of what Scream (1996) did to slasher movies. But the director is the crazy Robert Rodriguez, so that didn’t turn out as expected.” Still, I gave some good laughs.


----------



## Vince W

*Silverado*. One the best and most underrated westerns of all time. Grabs you in the first scene and never lets you go. The writing is first-rate and the entire cast is perfect.


----------



## dask

Family with history of mental illness inadvertently compete amongst themselves to see who can kill the most people but need to hide some bodies first and can’t agree on the best way to do it. The score is currently tied: 12 for the mass murdering aunts, and 12 for their degenerate nephew and his cohort just returned after a long absence. Obviously it’s a comedy and yes, it’s funny.


----------



## Jeffbert

A NOIR ALLEY  film that Muller said he really disliked. 

*THE DARK PAST* (1948) because, among other things, unlike _Blind Alley_ (1939), of which this is a remake, this one has the villain Al Walker (William Holden), taken into police custody after the psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb) helps him end his nightmares, rather than being cut to pieces by police machine gun fire. I saw Blind Alley several times, & thought it had similarities to High Sierra, also noted by Muller. 

So, the shrink and his family spend a few uneventful days at the lake house, or so they had hoped, until the escaped criminal psycho arrives, intending to wait there for his friends to arrive by boat, and take him to safety. Naughty people arrive and hold them hostage. Tension mounts as the shrink apparently annoys no, not the right word, challenges the boss of the crooks to tell him of his recurring nightmare, etc., which really angers him. 

I was searching my memory for a film in which I had seen Holden, & nothing but Stalag 17 came up.  I have seen him in other films, now that I look at his filmography but this one just did not seem right for such a clean- cut guy.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two with William Powell 1 with Myrna Loy.

_*LOVE CRAZY*_ (1941) A married couple is about to celebrate their wedding anniversary, when the wife's mother comes calling. As a gift, she brings with her a small circular carpet, upon which she slips, and hurts her ankle. Too bad, because she was going to the train station to meet somebody, but now the wife (Myrna Loy) must go. So, mother-in law stays there and annoys her son-in-law (William Powell) until, he steps out on the balcony, and by chance sees his old girlfriend, on an another balcony. The girlfriend is now married to an artist, who is up in his studio, working, so she invites him over to chat. He makes an excuse to mother, who, despite her ankle, had been eavesdropping as the two talked from their balconies. 

Things happen & the wife wants a divorce. To postpone the courtroom drama, husband feigns insanity. Soon finds himself in the nut house. A wonderful screwball comedy! 

1st rate supporting cast; Sig Ruman  as the nut house director, the psychiatrist with the German accent. Others seemed right for their roles. A very young Elisha Cook, Jr. as the Elevator Boy. 



*HIGH PRESSURE* (1932) A talented promoter Gar Evans (William Powell) who drinks himself into a stupor once a year, is in that condition when his associate Mike Donahey (Frank McHugh) rouses him and sells him on the idea of making synthetic rubber for sewage. Ginsburg (George Sidney) has the details. Apparently, chemist Dr. Pfeiffer (Harry Beresford) has made the discovery; but he is nowhere to be found. Evans decides to get a high class suite in a 1st class office building, and graciously allows the building's owner to name the building after the business, which never amounts to anything beyond the salesmen who hawk the shares,  the fancy office, and a few friends in high-ranking positions, and one guy whom he hires only because his name is 'Vanderbilt.' 

One other important person is  Francine Dale (Evelyn Brent), whom Evans regards as his good luck charm, without whom he cannot succeed. But, after so many times he had left her at the alter, she is tough to persuade into just one more chance.

After a week without Dr. Pfeiffer showing up, the BBB and the legitimate rubber businesses are there to put a halt to what they consider to be a fraud. Mr. Banks (Charles Middleton better known as Ming, the Merciless), representing the other rubber companies is constantly demanding to see a demonstration of the process, which he is certain is a fraud. 

Finally the chemist arrives, but soon proves to be a nut. Now, Evans is in for it, as the whole thing is fraud, though he had believed otherwise. 

Not as funny as _*LOVE CRAZY*_, but well worth a watch.


----------



## Rodders

I went to see John Carpernter's "The Thing" at the Prince Charles Cinema yesterday. It looked awesome on the big screen and i swear that there were scenes added that i hadn't seen before.


----------



## KGeo777

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS 1971 --Re-watch. John Karlen goes from Dark Shadows to a Euro Gothic vampire film which I assume was the basis for The Hunger becomes the plot is identical.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS 1971 --Re-watch. John Karlen goes from Dark Shadows to a Euro Gothic vampire film which I assume was the basis for The Hunger becomes the plot is identical.


Huh x 2.

1) Having watched the movie version of _The Hunger_ not long ago, I'll have to look out for this one.
2) Seeing John Karlen in an early to mid-'70s movie as a hip, groovy kinda guy was weird after years of seeing him as a husband on _Cagney & Lacey_.


----------



## KGeo777

MY BLOOD RUNS COLD 1965  - It starts with a passage from a Lord Byron poem read by director William Conrad. I am not sure it makes any sense for the rest of the film but sent up the soap opera pretentiousness to follow. Biggest problem with this film is the nutty script. It doesnt really work for suspense or romance, especially with the limited acting range of the stars. Joey Heatherton and Troy "You might remember me from..." Donahue-who does wear a sweater like the one that is worn by his namesake from the Simpsons (and may have been borrowed by Doug McClure for the Land That Time Forgot). 
Now they do make a nice looking couple but are not likable at all. Barry Sullivan and Jeanette Nolan provide the only real emotional acting and it doesn't make much sense when you think about it since they start talking about  a character who I presume was another daughter and something bad happened to her but it's dropped right after.
It gets laughably bad towards the end with the poor acting of the leads.


TERROR 1978 - This is my third Norman J Warren movie-I liked the first two I saw -Satan's Slave and a 1977 film --ALIEN PREY--which both had good acting with a somewhat sleazy exploitation story. The acting in this good-but the story is just bonkers and incoherent--but I suspect it was intentional. At times it is a comedy and feels like a forerunner of SCREAM.  I can't hate it-not eager to re-watch it, but that's out of the way and INSEMINOID is coming up this weekend.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Attack the Block (2011). I was pretty entertained throughout the movie and liked how unique the aliens were.


----------



## AE35Unit

alexvss said:


> Villeneuve's *Dune*. Watched it last night on the movie theater. The contemplative style of Villeneuve really fits here, much more than it does in Blade Runner or Sicario and, nevertheless, I was never bored.


Is that a film or a series?


----------



## alexvss

AE35Unit said:


> Is that a film or a series?


A movie that feels like an abridged series   

No, seriously. Have you been living under a rock?


----------



## AE35Unit

alexvss said:


> A movie that feels like an abridged series
> 
> No, seriously. Have you been living under a rock?


I tried that once but I wasn't keen on the decor


----------



## Parson

2008 *Outlander* --- decent sort of movie in a highly predictable way.


----------



## KGeo777

AE35Unit said:


> I tried that once but I wasn't keen on the decor


That's a great a line I have never heard before.
I hope I get a chance to use it.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MONSTER CLUB 1981 - Some really bad songs detract but overall it is a pretty good trio of stories. It is often said Vincent Price established himself with younger audiences thanks to Michael Jackson--I don't think that is really true--he was already appearing in modern cultural venues--he is on a disco dance floor here and he was on the Muppets.


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> THE MONSTER CLUB 1981 - Some really bad songs detract but overall it is a pretty good trio of stories. It is often said Vincent Price established himself with younger audiences thanks to Michael Jackson--I don't think that is really true--he was already appearing in modern cultural venues--he is on a disco dance floor here and he was on the Muppets.


Brilliant film


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched MASH. It was the first time I had seen it. Probably watch it again. 7/10.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Dune* (2021): pretty good.


----------



## Randy M.

Ian Fortytwo said:


> I recently watched MASH. It was the first time I had seen it. Probably watch it again. 7/10.


I saw half of that.

It was showing in a residential hall cafeteria. I got there at the last minute and the people in front of me were tall, so all I saw was the top half. I have vague plans to someday catch the other half.


----------



## KGeo777

NIGHT OF THE DEMON 1957 - I try to watch it every October on the 28th since it is the time of the events in the last 20 minutes.
 One of my favorites.

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 1978  - Had not seen it before and  I was thinking how ubiquitous women assassin movies are now. It has become so mainstream for Hollywood to do movies about women killing, in revenge etc. It's like baking cookies.
It's so common now. Considering that this film is among the first--I will just say that it is actually well-made despite the unpleasant subjective matter. There is no glamorous depiction to it--the actress is professional and yet almost anorexic-- there's nothing erotic about it.
The revenge is also done in a more thoughtful way than one would expect--we see that one of the rapists is a father, and they are not cartoonish in their behavior. Roger Ebert really slammed the film but I think he is wrong to suggest it was made without artistic ability or attempt. The most shocking scene is the castration in the bath tub and it is disturbing-not just because of the act, but how it is done--it seems so realistic--the victim is not immediately aware that it has happened--and then blood starts gushing in a bubble bath.
Perhaps what is is so disturbing is that the revenge is meditative. It feels so calculated--but I am not sure I would call it exploitation--it seems to me it was not done for the purpose of entertainment. But  it doesn't serve as educational either. The behavior of the woman doesn't seen natural though-in order to get revenge she basically prostitutes herself. That is not realistic or traditional. If she was presented as insane--then ok-but we get no sense of that.

I don't have an interest in rewatching it (or any of the sequels or remakes), but I can see how influential it was--or foreshadowed a trend that is all too common now.
What surprises me is how good the acting is--there are very expensive movies today that appear to put less effort into performance that this one did. It doesn't seem like a good thing to say I Spit On Your Grave had better performances than "studio family film number 3."


----------



## CupofJoe

Night of the Demon is one of my favourite films. Scared the bejessus out of me the first time I saw it [I was very young]. Now I just revel in my enjoyment.


----------



## KGeo777

I always finding something new to like in it.

It is amazing how intense the film is--and the voices are so distinctive.

"And the demon took him! Not me!"

It's a very effective movie.


----------



## CupofJoe

I agree but I haven't seen it in years. It inspired Roky Erickson to write a lot of rather freaky songs that I also enjoy.


----------



## KGeo777

I have a book on the making of it. The filmmakers didn't want Niall MacGinnis or Peggy Cummins.  Dana Andrews arrived drunk and fell down the steps of the airplane.

There's a lot of debate about whether the director wanted the demon to be seen or proven to be real but the movie would be impossible without that proof. Why would Harrington drive into a utility pole?
I think they could have kept the demon under wraps until the final scene though. Not show it explicitly like they do at the start but otherwise I think most of the demon shots are good.  Maybe some more smoke around it would have helped it age better. The Keep has a good effect with a column of smoke around the creature. Once they remove it, egads the creature looks like any rubber monster costume.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Horse Girl (2020) on Netflix. Is the heroine really getting abducted by aliens or is she suffering from schizophrenia as her late mother did? It seems the latter angle is what they were going for. I can relate somewhat, having schizoaffective disorder.


----------



## KGeo777

Two movies I avoided watching when they came out.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1989--I figured it would be Freddy Kreuger does opera--and there's an element of that, especially by the end. I think Robert Englund isn't intense enough to carry a horror role like Erik the Phantom. In fact, the most intriguing actor in it--I didn't recognize him--Bill Nighy and the police inspector is the most interesting character. But, there are times I think Dracula 92 should have used some pointers from this film-it didn't look as set-bound as that one did.

THE PIT AND PENDULUM 1991 is a more successful affair. Lance Henricksen is very intense as the grand inquisitor. The way the witch uses gunpowder to get revenge on the people who burn her is memorable--but the trouble I have with Stuart Gordon films is that while he casts the movies very well--some of the humor undermines any chance to take the story seriously. That's the case here.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE BEAST MUST DIE* (1952) After his young son is killed by a hit & run driver, a men sets out to find & kill the driver. Argentine made in Spanish with subs, some of which are very difficult to read, given what lies behind them. But, a very good film. Oh, also, it was NOIR ALLEY, & Muller's comments made it that much better.  Highly recommended!


*UNFORGIVEN* (1992) Seems strange that I, being a fan of Clint Eastwood, would have waited until now to see this.  There was a good long intro before the film, & even a short documentary also. Clint Eastwood using a double action revolver that is not a 44 magnum!?

Interesting when comparing it to the Dollars trilogy, what, with the single action Colts and fanning the hammers, etc. Hackman's character was explaining the difference between fast draw & accuracy. Seems the latter was not an issue in the Spaghetti Westerns. Interesting film.


----------



## Jeffbert

Two with Vincent Price:

*THE ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES* (1971) Long time, no see Doc! I cannot recall the last time, but this was /is a fun film! Basing his revenge scheme on the ten plagues on Egypt, Phibes goes about killing anyone who had been involved on his late wife's surgery that failed to save her life. My favorite is the frog mask for the psychiatrist who had just called himself "a head shrinker."  


_*TOMB OF LIGEIA*_ (1964)  Not one of my favorite VP films, but, it has been very long since I last saw it. Ligeia is dead and buried, or is she? VP's character does not seem loony, but he just might be. The fun does not start until near the end, but it is fun!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Curse of the Stone Hand *(1965)

Schlockmeister Jerry Warren chopped up two Chilean films of the 1940's, added some new footage, and came up with this incoherent mess.  There's some nonsense about a statue of a hand that curses everybody in a house, leading to our two stories, an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Suicide Club," and a family melodrama about a guy in love with the wife of his nasty brother.  Bad dubbing and bombastic music don't help, but at least you can tell the original movies were nicely filmed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Psycho From Texas *(1975) aka *Wheeler* and a bunch of other titles

Low-budget Southern-fried crime film disguised as a horror movie.  Our anti-hero is Wheeler (no other name, he says at one point.)  He shows up in some small town, meets an older guy and his adult daughter.  As fate would have it, the older fellow is the guy that Wheeler is being hired to kidnap, along with a saner but less intelligent creep named Slick.  Flashbacks show a dead woman covered with blood, apparently killed by Wheeler, and Wheeler as a little kid being traumatized by seeing his mother go to bed with some guy who gives her a pair of stockings.  Slick and Wheeler kidnap the man and take him to a shack out in the boonies.  While Wheeler goes off to cash the check they forced the victim to write, Slick stupidly lets the man escape.  A really, really long foot chase follows, through fields, swamps, woods, etc.  Intercut with this endless sequence are scenes of Wheeler drinking beer, eating Kentucky Fried Chicken, trying to buy marijuana, and, in the sleaziest scene, added some time after the film was first made, knocking out some guy in a bar and forcing the barmaid (future Scream Queen Linnea Quigley) to strip naked and dance while he pours beer on her.  Quigley looks really unhappy with this early role.  Eventually people get killed.  Not a good movie.


----------



## Unintended Consequences

Night of the Demon (1957)? An incredible film, in that the film sticks with the viewer long after. I believe one of the strongest elements of the production is the fact that the writers and producers have really researched the mythology and that shows throughout.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> *THE BEAST MUST DIE* (1952) After his young son is killed by a hit & run driver, a men sets out to find & kill the driver. Argentine made in Spanish with subs, some of which are very difficult to read, given what lies behind them. But, a very good film. Oh, also, it was NOIR ALLEY, & Muller's comments made it that much better.  Highly recommended!
> 
> 
> *UNFORGIVEN* (1992) Seems strange that I, being a fan of Clint Eastwood, would have waited until now to see this.  There was a good long intro before the film, & even a short documentary also. Clint Eastwood using a double action revolver that is not a 44 magnum!?
> 
> Interesting when comparing it to the Dollars trilogy, what, with the single action Colts and fanning the hammers, etc. Hackman's character was explaining the difference between fast draw & accuracy. Seems the latter was not an issue in the Spaghetti Westerns. Interesting film.


I learned yesterday that the word Magum refers to the bullet size, not the gun. A magnum is a bullet with a wider bore than usual. I don't know if they had .357 and .44 magnum bullets back then...


----------



## J Riff

*Return of the Killer Shrews* 2012-- yeah they are back and this is a total send-up, tho it does connect back to the 1959 original classic bit of fluff, via one of the old guys who take our cast of moronic reality TV show makers to the cursed island on his boat. The Shrews... well they are CGI shrews and they are true to the original, meaning they look like dogs with shrew makeup on.
 If you like cheese, and corn, this is recommended viewing, it's pretty funny.


----------



## asp3

We saw Free Guy last night and it was enjoyable, but clearly made for online gamers (of which I am not one.)  Overall a smiley meh.


----------



## KGeo777

I watched a 1974 documentary the Horror Hall of Fame which was hosted by Vincent Price. It had such bad jokes even he made a comment about how bad they were.


INSEMINOID 1981 -- Been curious about it since the mid 80s.
I didn't miss much.
A cheap ALIEN rip off with electronic keyboard music though Judy Geeson can really scream.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> I watched a 1974 documentary the Horror Hall of Fame which was hosted by Vincent Price. It had such bad jokes even he made a comment about how bad they were.
> 
> 
> INSEMINOID 1981 -- Been curious about it since the mid 80s.
> I didn't miss much.
> A cheap ALIEN rip off with electronic keyboard music though Judy Geeson can really scream.



It didn't stay in the theaters very long.


----------



## Jeffbert

AE35Unit said:


> I learned yesterday that the word Magum refers to the bullet size, not the gun. A magnum is a bullet with a wider bore than usual. I don't know if they had .357 and .44 magnum bullets back then...


I never said they did, reread my post.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SPIDER BABY*_ (1967 Opens with Wolf Man reciting a poem about it. O.k., I tried to watch this a few years ago, but just could not. This time, I succeeded. A family of inbred cannibals is left under the chauffeur's care. Crighton Chaney (aka Lon Jr.) near the end of his career portrays Bruno, who, among other things cares for two young girls who are both insane, homicidal maniacal cannibals. Bad timing for the normal folks, relatives, who come to adopt or whatever, the two girls. Not as bad as I thought it might be!


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY had a double feature consisting of two Val Lewton films. 1st time I ever watched them on the day they were on. 

_*CAT PEOPLE*_ & _*LEOPARD MAN*_. I have seen both several times, but Muller's opening comments gave me enough reason to see them again. 


_*CAT PEOPLE*_ (1942) revived the foundering RKO, which had suffered after two A-grade pictures had failed. If you can get TCM's streaming content, watch this! Stuff I never imagined. 

So, Irena believes that she literally transforms into a black panther when she is sexually aroused. Shrink Tom Conway attempts to talk sense into her, but fails. Does she really become a cat? Lewton is genius, 

_*LEOPARD MAN*_ (1943) In a New Mexico town, a leopard escapes, and kills a young woman. Apparently, it kills two more. But it could have been murder.  Did not enjoy this one as much as the former, but still good.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> _*SPIDER BABY*_ (1967 Opens with Wolf Man reciting a poem about it. O.k., I tried to watch this a few years ago, but just could not. This time, I succeeded. A family of inbred cannibals is left under the chauffeur's care. Crighton Chaney (aka Lon Jr.) near the end of his career portrays Bruno, who, among other things cares for two young girls who are both insane, homicidal maniacal cannibals. Bad timing for the normal folks, relatives, who come to adopt or whatever, the two girls. Not as bad as I thought it might be!


Ralph! Ralph! Ralph! Ralph!
Ralph.


Chaney's acting is pretty good-especially in one scene where he speaks and then starts shedding tears without a scene cut.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> NOIR ALLEY had a double feature consisting of two Val Lewton films. 1st time I ever watched them on the day they were on.
> 
> _*CAT PEOPLE*_ & _*LEOPARD MAN*_. I have seen both several times, but Muller's opening comments gave me enough reason to see them again.
> 
> 
> _*CAT PEOPLE*_ (1942) revived the foundering RKO, which had suffered after two A-grade pictures had failed. If you can get TCM's streaming content, watch this! Stuff I never imagined.
> 
> So, Irena believes that she literally transforms into a black panther when she is sexually aroused. Shrink Tom Conway attempts to talk sense into her, but fails. Does she really become a cat? Lewton is genius,
> 
> _*LEOPARD MAN*_ (1943) In a New Mexico town, a leopard escapes, and kills a young woman. Apparently, it kills two more. But it could have been murder.  Did not enjoy this one as much as the former, but still good.


 I like both of these, especially the former, but the latter has one of the tensest scenes I've seen in horror movies when a young girl goes to the store to get something for her father's dinner. Sounds mundane, but it's anything but. Taken directly from the novel Black Alibi by Cornell Woolrich, as Muller pointed out.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The House on Skull Mountain *(1974)

Very old-fashioned and very mild horror movie.  An elderly woman writes letters to four great-grandchildren just before she dies, summoning them to the title mansion.  (This is shown as a cartoonish matte painting, with the house way up on a big mountain that has apparently had a huge skull sculpture carved into it.  It doesn't look like a natural formation, anyway.)  It's the old, old plot of gathering the relatives together to read the will.  We already know the dead woman's butler is performing Hollywood-style voodoo, so no suspense about who's bumping them off one by one.  Random spooky stuff happens.  A faceless hooded figure shows up, snakes appear from nowhere, etc.  There's a long, long scene of a whole bunch of people performing a voodoo ritual (drums and modern dance) in the caverns under the house, with the pretty great-granddaughter "chosen" by the butler while he's killing the others.

Did I mention that all these folks are African-American?  The single, weird exception is the one great-grandson who is a white guy, and our movie's hero!  Besides being racially insensitive, the movie is pretty dull.  It looks like a made-for-TV movie (or an extended episode of _Night Gallery_) for the most part.  The climax, when the butler summons the dead woman back from the grave as a zombie, isn't as bad as the rest of it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Trouble Man *(1972)

Our ultra-cool hero is known only as Mister T.  He has a big fancy car, a big fancy apartment, a whole bunch of expensive tailored suits, and so on.  He apparently makes his fortune not only as a licensed private eye, but as a pool hustler and general problem solver.  A couple of guys running a crap game hire him to stop the armed robbery of their games.  He doesn't know they're just setting him up to take the blame when one of the robbers, whom they forced to participate in the phony robbery, is shot dead.  The complex scheme is intended to provide a meeting with a rival crime boss (known by the traditional name of Mister Big) so they can send guys disguised as cops to kill him.  The unflappable Mister T has to take on the real cops and the hoods on all sides, which he does with style.  There's more plot than half a dozen other blaxploitation action flicks, so pay attention.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

I liked the Green Knight too.
Went to see Dune last night. Fantastic. Visually stunning, sonically stunning, well paced all the way through. Amazing experience. My one quibble: bagpipes. But my other half tells me that is a reference to Macbeth and Scotland.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> I never said they did, reread my post.


No need, I wasn't suggesting you had said such. I apologise if I offended.


----------



## Jeffbert

AE35Unit said:


> No need, I wasn't suggesting you had said such. I apologise if I offended.


Misunderstandings occur from time to time. No offense taken.


As many times as I have seen the original *LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS*, just last night during the final day of TCM streaming it, I watched the color 'remake.' Different in several ways, & very enjoyable! But Audrey had not only a masculine voice, but that of Levi Stubbs! Very deep.


----------



## Guttersnipe

I was forced to watch Hubie Halloween on Netflix. It was another awful attempt at comedy by Adam Sandler. Scary in that it can seem to go on forever.


----------



## KGeo777

I, MONSTER 1971 - Some say it was released 50 years ago today. I think it is an ok if sleepy version of the Jekyll Hyde story. Christopher Lee does a good job with a somewhat different interpretation--in this case Hyde is the one who undergoes all the stress of the changes. Instead of Jekyll being the one dealing with the consequences---it is mostly his alter ego that is shown having to deal with the negatives of the transformation. I assume it was a coincidence that as he keeps changing, he looks more and more like Brudah from the Count Yorga films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Not a bad version, which is actually a little bit more faithful to Stevenson's novella, although they change the character's names.  My review, from three years ago:



> *I, Monster* (1971)
> 
> Christopher Lee has the title role(s) in this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella _Strange Case of Dr. Marlowe and Mr Blake_.
> 
> What's that? You haven't heard of that one? Perhaps you know the characters under other names.
> 
> In any case, the setting is shifted forward in time a bit to 1906, so that Freud can be mentioned. It seems that Doctor Marlowe has come up with a drug which either destroys the Id (reducing an angry, tough businessman into a fearful, obedient child -- psychologically, not physically, you understand) or destroys the Superego (causing a proper young lady to remove her clothing in front of the good doctor. This mandatory sexing up of the story reveals nothing to the audience, and the movie in general is quite reserved.) Naturally, Marlowe uses the drug on himself and is transformed into the grinning, violent Blake. Blake's crimes produce a physical change in his appearance, although it's a moderate one, with handsome Lee slowly changing into ugly (but hardly monstrous) Lee. Like all film versions of the novella, the audience is in on the big secret from the start, although otherwise this one is closer to the original than most. We hear about (but don't see) the story's opening shocker of Blake stomping a child to death; the plot begins with Marlowe's lawyer (Peter Cushing) trying to figure out why he's giving money to Blake and made him his heir, figuring that the doctor is being blackmailed by the scoundrel.


----------



## KGeo777

It was originally supposed to be in 3D which is why they have some shots of him doing stuff into the camera.
I didn't know there was a 3d revival in 1971 though-I thought the 80s was the return of 3d.
I guess it has fallen out of fashion again?
Until Avatar 2 when they supposedly will unveil a system that doesn't need glasses at all.


----------



## Rodders

I saw something called Transcendence. It has quite a well known cast, but the film itself was actually a bit boring.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH 1964 - Not my favorite of the Corman Poe Price films--it is one I admire more than like.  Trying for an Ingmar Bergman feeling but I just don't find enough coherence in it . It's too metaphysical mumbo jumbo for me--and something about the depiction of the Red Death and the fellow spirits as personable mortality agents--I find it a little too--pretentious?  Just does not work for me beyond sketchy moments.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH 1964 - Not my favorite of the Corman Poe Price films--it is one I admire more than like.  Trying for an Ingmar Bergman feeling but I just don't find enough coherence in it . It's too metaphysical mumbo jumbo for me--and something about the depiction of the Red Death and the fellow spirits as personable mortality agents--I find it a little too--pretentious?  Just does not work for me beyond sketchy moments.


This was covered by *Eli Roth's History of Horror* just a few weeks ago.  Spent nearly the entire segment on it. Interesting perspective! 


Not one of my favorites, either, as I much prefer silly/campy ones. 



Three with William Powell:

_*Fashions of 1934*_ (1934) has Powell & friends attending fashion shows, secretly photographing  & stealing expensive designs for ladies' dresses and manufacturing knock-offs. One caught by the New York dress makers, who had paid through the nose for the designs, they are secretly employed by them and send to France, to get the designs for cheap.  



_*DOUBLE WEDDING*_ (1937) Powell & Loy. She is Margit Agnew a domineering elder sister who runs her younger sister  Irene (Florence Rice)'s life to the extreme of having chosen a mousy wimp named  Waldo Beaver (John Beal) as her husband to be. But the guy is too polite when the aggressive Charlie Lodge (William Powell) comes along. But Lodge is only interested in the elder sister. Despite his best attempts to teach Beaver aggressiveness, etc., so he can claim the younger as his bride,  it seems Lodge will end up marrying the younger sister. 

Supporting cast includes Edgar Kennedy, who usually torments L&H. 



_*RENDEZVOUS*_ (1935) As American troops are leaving for France during WWI, Bill Gordon (William Powell) is among them, but wanting a goodbye kiss from Joel Carter (Rosalind Russell) a woman he had by chance met at the train station, he exposes the fact that under a pen name, he had written a book on cryptography.  The next thing he knows he is behind a desk working on decoding enemy messages. But he had thought the manly thing was to go to war as a soldier, etc.  She was the daughter of the sec. of war, & had ratted on him. Nothing he does can get out of the office.  Drama with a few dashes of comedy, this is very entertaining. 

Among the supporting cast is Cesar Romero (AKA the Joker).


----------



## KGeo777

PRINCESS OF THE NILE 1954 - I had seen this before and it is short (over an hour). It's a clunky Arabian intrigue  story on the studio back lot with Jeffrey Hunter and Debra Paget.  Watchable but not memorable.

THE KING'S THIEF 1955 -- This is more like it. Edmund Purdom, Ann Blyth, David Niven,  George Sanders, and Roger Moore (I didn't know he made movies so early).  Three Musketeers-style adventure featuring a quartet of thieves. Nothing grand but more to appreciate with less of the hokey Hollywood humor elements that often creep into these kinds of films in the 1950s.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* (1989)

The Turkish army besieges a European city in the Age of Reason. Adventurer and liar Baron Munchausen (John Neville) gathers his remarkable colleagues and routs the enemy in a set of outlandish adventures.

Wow, this was quite unusual, even by Terry Gilliam standards. For one thing, the plot is a mess, and could have been cleared up with a bit of simple explanation. For another, it's basically a set of short stories in which the Baron gathers his comrades, which makes it quite jumpy. It doesn't help that two of the adventures, where Munchausen meets magical royals and, by charming the queen, enrages the king, are very similar.

Visually, it's incredible, especially given the lack of CGI. The scenes in which the Baron dances with Aphrodite (Uma Thurman) and flies off in a balloon made of knickers, and the moment where Munchausen is about to be beheaded (where the camera zooms back over the entire Turkish army - easy with CGI!) are remarkable. However, it's episodic and takes a long while to get going, and the ending makes no sense even by the logic of the rest of the film.

The actors are enthusiastic, and the whole thing is pretty likeable. However, I think a lot of children would just find it baffling. It's a very large curate's egg.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

JunkMonkey said:


> *Dredd* - my esteem for Alex Garland just went down a (big) notch.



It didn't match the aesthetic of the comics, but it was a good actioner in the vein of the raid. What didn't you like about it?


----------



## KGeo777

I can't dislike Baron Munchhausen even though it's bizarre and kind of depressing like other Gilliam films. You get the feeling there is something great within it but it doesn't quite come out somehow.
There are a lot of memorable visuals---the dancing scene--the Zodiac creatures soaring in the stars--and the Grim Reaper, and Eric Idle running feats.

The 1943 version uses a similar special effect with the running. 

"Is there a doctor in the fish?"


----------



## Parson

I watch *Alienated (2021)*. It's a moderately dumb Amazon Rom-Com about a human falling in love with an alien (Gracie Lacy) who looks like a completely normal (except much above ave. beauty wise). There was an interesting side story about a Dad with dementia. I didn't mind watching it, especially because there is no objectionable language, violence, or behavior.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mon0Zer0 said:


> It didn't match the aesthetic of the comics, but it was a good actioner in the vein of the raid. What didn't you like about it?



It didn't match the aesthetics of the comic was a big part and I really didn't like the almost  pornographic ultra-violence.  And the end was so stupid that if it had happened earlier in the film I would have given up on the spot. (I nearly gave up when we first saw the outdoor, sticking out of the side of a kilometre high tower block, skateboard park obviously destined from the moment it appeared on screen to be a stupidly convenient plot device later in the movie.) 

The end:



Spoiler



At the end of the movie the villain of the piece, facing certain defeat, has a deadman device implanted in her that will set of a gazzillion tons of explosives  and kill everyone if her heartbeat stops.  Dredd throws her out of a window HOPING the dingus only has a limited range and that when she hits the ground, a kilometre below, it will be too far away from the bomb to trigger it.  The idea that the lack of ANY signal might trigger the bomb doesn't seem to enter his head nor does the idea of just immobilising her till the bomb is found and disarmed.   It's just DUMB.   I was expecting more from such an obviously smart writer.


----------



## Foxbat

The Wee Man
Mediocre Glasgow hard man biopic.


----------



## Toby Frost

KGeo777 said:


> I can't dislike Baron Munchhausen even though it's bizarre and kind of depressing like other Gilliam films. You get the feeling there is something great within it but it doesn't quite come out somehow.



Your're right, there is something strangely downbeat about it, but I couldn't explain why. I think part of it is the editing, and the story-within-a-story structure doesn't help all that much. There's a sense of everything crumbling and falling apart.

I thought Dredd suffered from not being cartoony enough and not having any sense of jeopardy for the hero. It couldn't decide if it was an accurate (and therefore cartoony) adaptation of the comics, or The Wire set in a tower block.


----------



## J Riff

_Army of Thieves_ 2021 - every time a new 'heist' movie comes out I cross my fingers and watch it, but invariably am disappointed, and this one is no exception. A goofy nerd 'master safecracker' MC is recruited.. and we have a series of 4 safes, based on Wagner's Ring Cycle... etcetc. and from there we get a crew of criminals and some action hero stuff.. and nothing believable re; safecracking, heisting,  or anything at all. Some good interior shots of tumblers falling and locks clicking into place, but otherwise abjectly unmemorable.


----------



## KGeo777

Sure are a lot of movies are about criminals (stealing something) or assassins-I notice a lot of women assassin stories now.
There's one that is like Georgy Girl as a sympathetic  serial killer.


----------



## REBerg

*Finch*
Family-friendly fare that makes up for what it lacks in conflict with plenty of heart.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). They were decent. I praise the acting over the scripts.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Eli* 2019
A boy has severe auto immune disease (basically he's allergic to everything) and his parents move into a Big Spooky House where he is able to breathe freely without being in a plastic suit or living in a tent. All seems well then Weird S++t Happens.
An odd one.


----------



## AE35Unit

REBerg said:


> *Finch*
> Family-friendly fare that makes up for what it lacks in conflict with plenty of heart.


Shame its only on apple tv


----------



## KGeo777

THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS 1974 - A religious fanatic (America's trailer park Roddy McDowall, Andrew Prine) seeks to murder women who appeared nude in a magazine-but his victims keep having weird encounters even before he gets to them--the first gets kidnapped by hippies and then almost raped by a hotel owner, the second has to contend with a lesbian boss, the third gets drugged and raped by two sailors. It's not a good movie and not bad enough to be entertaining as cheap exploitation.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Barbarella* - again. This time with a slightly bemused Number 2 Daughter. She's seventeen, interested in fashion history, and I'd managed to convince her to watch it with me because it was 'an essential distillation of 1960s design and the costumes (by Paco Rabanne) are fecking groovy as hell'.


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> *Barbarella* - again. This time with a slightly bemused Number 2 Daughter. She's seventeen, interested in fashion history, and I'd managed to convince her to watch it with me because it was 'an essential distillation of 1960s design and the costumes (by Paco Rabanne) are fecking groovy as hell'.


I recently saw online a picture of -- I think -- Ariana Grande wearing something acknowledged to be based on _Barbarella_ (it would have been obvious anyway). So the influence continues.


----------



## REBerg

oops


----------



## Jeffbert

*METROPOLIS* (1927)  Seems like it influenced more than just the physical appearance of C3PO. I recall reading that Hitler saw this and wanted Lang to work for him. Apparently, H was impressed by how the film depicted humans as mere cogs in the machine. But there are 6 years between the release date of the film & H's ascension to power. Anyway, according to what I read, Lang being a Jew, decided to flee rather than accept to job. Note that the Wiki page says other things influenced H to offer the job to Lang.

Anyway, in viewing it, it does seem to have communist message, or, perhaps better to say a message that could easily be interpreted as such. 



Spoiler



when the workers realize they had been led astray, & demand the death of the witch (the robot in the form of Maria) there are scenes of the pursuit of the fake M then fake M on a man's shoulders at a party, followed by more pursuit. I was almost thinking the real M was being chased. Not the case. Now, I wonder if somebody goofed in reassembling the pieces into 1 film.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> *METROPOLIS* (1927)  Seems like it influenced more than just the physical appearance of C3PO. I recall reading that Hitler saw this and wanted Lang to work for him. Apparently, H was impressed by how the film depicted humans as mere cogs in the machine. But there are 6 years between the release date of the film & H's ascension to power. Anyway, according to what I read, Lang being a Jew, decided to flee rather than accept to job. Note that the Wiki page says other things influenced H to offer the job to Lang.
> 
> Anyway, in viewing it, it does seem to have communist message, or, perhaps better to say a message that could easily be interpreted as such.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> when the workers realize they had been led astray, & demand the death of the witch (the robot in the form of Maria) there are scenes of the pursuit of the fake M then fake M on a man's shoulders at a party, followed by more pursuit. I was almost thinking the real M was being chased. Not the case. Now, I wonder if somebody goofed in reassembling the pieces into 1 film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> *METROPOLIS* (1927)  Seems like it influenced more than just the physical appearance of C3PO. I recall reading that Hitler saw this and wanted Lang to work for him. Apparently, H was impressed by how the film depicted humans as mere cogs in the machine. But there are 6 years between the release date of the film & H's ascension to power. Anyway, according to what I read, Lang being a Jew, decided to flee rather than accept to job. Note that the Wiki page says other things influenced H to offer the job to Lang.
> 
> Anyway, in viewing it, it does seem to have communist message, or, perhaps better to say a message that could easily be interpreted as such.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> when the workers realize they had been led astray, & demand the death of the witch (the robot in the form of Maria) there are scenes of the pursuit of the fake M then fake M on a man's shoulders at a party, followed by more pursuit. I was almost thinking the real M was being chased. Not the case. Now, I wonder if somebody goofed in reassembling the pieces into 1 film.




Which version did you watch?  There have been many edits.


----------



## AE35Unit

I remember Asimov writing in one of his memoirs how he saw it at the cinema and wasn't impressed. 
I've seen it, but with Georgio Moroder's soundtrack


----------



## Randy M.

*HELL NIGHT* (1981; dir. Tom DiSimone; starring Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patton, Peter Barton)

Merge _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ with a tepid version of _Animal House _and voila! Frat/Sorority hazing, get the pledges to spend Halloween night in a supposedly haunted house, and what could go wrong? 

I'm not confident Blair is exactly a good actress, but she more than held her own with the kind of hammy Van Patton (mainly the role, though I kind of remember him as hyper in other roles, too) and the pop-star good looking Barton, in spite of much of her role being passive damsel in distress. 

Not exactly a recommendation, but I have seen worse.


----------



## KGeo777

I heard Goebbels was the one who was the film enthusiast who approached Lang--in fact, the 1943 Munchhausen which he supervised-- is fascinating-it explodes falsehoods I had been told in school about how restricted media in Germany was. It was not as bad as the USSR for content restrictions.
I have to say, Metropolis is a cold experience. I think the workers unite aspect to it may be considered communistic--but the idea of a society relying too much on technology is not. That's a universal message. The story of Icarus is an example of that in some ways. Tower of Babel, a society disconnected from its people. There's a class element to it though. You have the ruling class.


Another thing-what is a communist message? Is Last Night in Soho a communist message?
Because the plot of that film does fit into the "your society is bad-the revolution is coming" theme which we get routinely.



Spoiler: Spoilers



In the film, the theme is something like *Georgy Girl was a righteous serial killer of toxic masculine white men*.  They even throw in a mean roommate who is Scandinavian. I hope she isn't blonde at least to lessen the obvious.




In the days of the giallo-the killer was usually a maniac--and there was at times a gender-bender aspect to that. Those giallos were not LGBT approved.

I think, ultimately, a communist message is just a reflection of the biology of the creators more so than a deliberate calculated ideological intention.
It may seem like a deliberate political insert but I think it is an inevitable result of creative tastes and restrictions that comes from filtering out a wide range of artists.
That is what is obvious now. The lack of variety in big scale media. 
The exotic is pampered much more than the native and that is why it feels so closed off. The native can be boring compared to the exotic but too much of the latter can also be dull and chaotic.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> I recently saw online a picture of -- I think -- Ariana Grande wearing something acknowledged to be based on _Barbarella_ (it would have been obvious anyway). So the influence continues.



It's kind of nice being old enough to be my kids' grandfather - I had my first when I was in my 40s.  All that stuff I grew up liking is now so old it's stylish (or at least not totally naff) enough to be interesting to them.  Ferinstance the other day I rediscovered the Au Pair's "It's Obvious".  Thought Number One Daughter would appreciate it and sent her the link. "One of my favourite tracks!" she texted back. "I've got it on a 7" single...."


----------



## Parson

AE35Unit said:


> View attachment 83700


I thought that this had to be photo shopped because of the hand held hair dryer. But the hand held hair dryer dates from 1920. But that begs the question of how a hair dryer helps "cool off?" Was there a no heat setting? It was drying her sweat? ---- All in all. it's a great image of what had to be a very athletic young woman.


----------



## Randy M.

Yeah. That had to be like a personal, portable sauna.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> I thought that this had to be photo shopped because of the hand held hair dryer. But the hand held hair dryer dates from 1920. But that begs the question of how a hair dryer helps "cool off?" Was there a no heat setting? It was drying her sweat?



From my experience movie technicians are very resourceful and inventive people used to repurposing kit for different uses.   They probably found they needed a small hand held fan and just pulled the heating element out of a hair dryer.


----------



## KGeo777

MAN IN THE WILDERNESS 1971 - Last time I watched this I missed Scotty but this time I spotted him.
Kind of dreary and very much a slow burner but I don't know, it is watchable. Some of the movies of this period are as art house as they get. John Huston has a Cat in the Hat type look-he could have been Dr Seuss.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

The Great Budapest Hotel - excellent.
Portrait Of A Woman On Fire - excellent.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Vamps* [2012]
An entertaining diversion for 90 minutes. Not a great movie but fun to watch. Once or twice.
Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter are good as the leads [young vamps trying to stay hip] and Amy Heckerling keeps it all moving but it is Sigourney Weaver [their stem/sire] hamming it up for all she is worth that makes the film... Oh, and there is Vlad the Impaler knitting.


----------



## AE35Unit

CupofJoe said:


> *Vamps* [2012]
> ... Oh, and there is Vlad the Impaler knitting.


Gotta be worth it just for that!


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Isle Of Dogs
struggled with this one.


----------



## Foxbat

The Final Programme (1973)
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen this and rewatching it this time around is not a great experience. It just feels a bit of a mess. It does have a certain quirky and surreal humour about it (given that director Robert Fuest also directed some episodes of The Avengers, this should come as no surprise).

I like Jon Finch as an actor and he plays a pretty decent Jerry Cornelius but even he can’t really save this movie. 

So why did I watch it? Mainly because it’s the only movie adaptation I know of regarding Michael Moorcock’s work. He wrote the screenplay for The Land That Time Forgot but that wasn’t an adaptation of his own work so that doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Emperor's New Clothes*

Ian Holm once again dons the bicorne to play both the Emperor and his double in a fantastical, but marvellous, alternative history of what happened to Napoleon after Waterloo. Well worth a watch.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Hard to find film Abel Gances NAPOLEON.1927


----------



## Droflet

*No Time to Die (2021)*
A fitting end to Daniel Craig's time as 007. It's the usual smash, bang, car chases etc but there is a story beneath the action that should appeal to fans and newcomers alike. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> Which version did you watch?  There have been many edits.


The recently restored version. TCM shows only 'uncut' films.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MARKED WOMAN* (1937) I just had to see this film! District Attorney David Graham (Humphrey Bogart!? Who'da thought that?) Mary Strauber (Bette Davis) works in a clip joint as a hostess, whose job is to entice men into spending money, gambling, losing, & yet, continuing to gamble. So, this one guy runs up a very large debt, pays with a rubber check, and attempts to flee the city.  But the crooks who run the joint catch, kill, & dump him in the river.  Strauber, being familiar with the mobster Johnny Vanning  (Eduardo Ciannelli) who owned the joint, advised the gambler to leave the city ASAP, & was called to testify against him. But, fearing for her life, she lied about the incident, giving a story that two henchmen had killed the guy. But, these two were in jail at the time, so she now becomes an unreliable witness; odd that she was not charged with perjury. Bogart is determined to get the boss, though he is very distressed at this outcome. 

Strauber has a younger sister, whom she supports in college,& whom she wants to believe big sis is a fashion model, rather than a hostess in a clip joint. She comes to visit just at the worst time, and is in the courtroom when big sis not only reveals her profession, but lies on the stand. Little sis is devastated;  her respect for big sis is gone, & she will be ashamed to return to college, etc., so she decides to live the high life, just like big sis. Bad things happen to her, and her corpse is found in the river. Bogart wants to get the boss, but witnesses are intimidated or disappear.

Nice that I never saw this before! Good drama, good supporting cast.


----------



## Parson

*Finch (2021), *starring Tom Hanks. This is an entertaining and sweet Apocalyptic movie. (sweet apocalyptic movie sounds like an oxymoron!) It stars Tom Hanks as Finch, a robot, and a dog. At it's most basic level it is a story of an oddball family struggling to survive in a world almost completely devastated by a solar flare. (at least some kind of solar activity). You can't look at this movie with too critical an eye to detail, because key issues, like "Where does the diesel for the bus come from?" and "How is this homemade robot so capable?" and others are addressed incompletely if at all. Given the state of the world, the ending of the movie is perhaps too hopeful.

It is clear that Tom Hanks has returned to his role in *Cast Away, *not literally, but in spirit. If you liked him in that you'll like him in this.


----------



## KGeo777

RED DRAGON 1966 - I am pretty sure I saw this before--but it is rather boring despite a well known cast and typical espionage antics. These 60s spy flicks set in Hong Kong or Beirut do tend to blur together.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Little Things*

A movie that promises much but delivers little. We've seen Denzel before tracking down a serial killer, but this time it's a bit different, and a bit disappointing. Unnecessarily confusing and with an ending that is very weak. Poor movie for a such a fine actor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

KGeo777 said:


> I can't dislike Baron Munchhausen even though it's bizarre and kind of depressing like other Gilliam films. You get the feeling there is something great within it but it doesn't quite come out somehow.
> There are a lot of memorable visuals---the dancing scene--the Zodiac creatures soaring in the stars--and the Grim Reaper, and Eric Idle running feats.
> 
> The 1943 version uses a similar special effect with the running.
> 
> "Is there a doctor in the fish?"



The new version is obviously inspired by the 1940's version to some degree.  I enjoyed both.  (Even though the earlier version is a German film made during the Nazi regime, it is entirely free, as far as I can tell,  from the propaganda you'd expect.)


----------



## KGeo777

Yes the 1980s version is definitely influenced by the 1943 version. The nudity is the most surprising thing but there's some other things I didn't expect to see in it.

I watched THE FIGHTING PRINCE OF DONEGAL 1966--which I had put off for a couple of years. I should have watched it sooner. It was pretty good.
The humor was well-utilized. The Disney live-action films made in the UK are better than one would assume--or rather, one assumes that since they are Disney and "family-friendly" they would have a lot of child-focus when in fact they have none. Compared to Treasure Island, 20 000 Leagues, or Mary Poppins, they don't get much attention. Plus, while the princes in their animated films tend to be not very pro-active, that isn't the case with the live action versions. Needless to say, modern Disney probably considers the Fighting Prince to be a red-haired embarrassment and they don't want to draw attention to it--but it's a decent historical adventure-especially in 1966--what else did you have to choose from--THE WAR LORD is very bleak by comparison. I notice these Disney efforts try to incorporate glimpses of cultural distinctiveness such as traditional dancing and singing.


----------



## Toby Frost

There's nudity in the 1980s version? I must have missed that. I suppose there's Uma Thurman as Botticelli's Venus but she is suitably covered by nymphs etc. That said, I think there was full on nudity in Jabberwocky and a load of (ridiculous) gore, and that's a PG. And Michael Palin's bum.


----------



## alexvss

*Kate* (2021). A Netflix original staring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, an actor that I like and that has been taking supporting roles for an awful amount of time.

After starting to fail missions, a hitwoman is poisoned while working in Japan, thus having just 24 hours to identify and kill the perpetrator. 

As a weeb, I found the Japanese setting to be wonderful to look at, although the shots doesn't add much to scene, not more than just being cool. That's because the Rule of Cool is king here: hot gal fighting Yakuza guys that have the poorest marksmanship, all while running through the cyberpunk-ish alleys of Tokyo. The one who poisoned her is obvious from the start, and the movie is pretty predictable; but the action scenes managed to keep me hooked enough to not just drop it and go play videogames.


----------



## Toby Frost

I quite enjoyed *Kate* as daft fun: everything in it seemed cliched and predictable, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead was very good indeed. She'd make an excellent Ripley. How it got a 15 is beyond me, given the gore.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched *Charade*.        With Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Coburn. Quite a quirky film with plenty of entertainment. 9/10


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Toby Frost said:


> There's nudity in the 1980s version? I must have missed that. I suppose there's Uma Thurman as Botticelli's Venus but she is suitably covered by nymphs etc. That said, I think there was full on nudity in Jabberwocky and a load of (ridiculous) gore, and that's a PG. And Michael Palin's bum.




There are some topless women in the 1940's version.


----------



## KGeo777

Toby Frost said:


> There's nudity in the 1980s version? I must have missed that. I suppose there's Uma Thurman as Botticelli's Venus but she is suitably covered by nymphs etc. That said, I think there was full on nudity in Jabberwocky and a load of (ridiculous) gore, and that's a PG. And Michael Palin's bum.


I meant the 1943 version had the nudity.
A LOT of it.
When I describe it to others I say--imagine a nudist colony in the Emerald City.


----------



## Toby Frost

I'm amazed it got past the censors, especially those censors!


----------



## Randy M.

Probably wouldn't have played in the U.S. at that time. Maybe in the previous decade, before the Hayes Commission, but not from about 1934 until the late '60s.


----------



## jjcomet

The last movie I went to a cinema complex to see was Dr. Strange.   
The last movie I saw on TV was the Last Skywalker.  It was ok.  The last trilogy of that series is a lot better then the three prequels.  Those were mainly a lot of visual candy with the CGI stuff for the Attack of the Clones trilogy. 
And the movie Rouge One - to paraphrase a line from Heavy Metal: "He dies, she dies, everyone dies."


----------



## KGeo777

I believe Germany did not have qualms about nudity-- during the 1930s, I am told that the Hitler government published a pamphlet on civic nudism.
But in the US-even before the Hayes Code, I don't think they showed that much skin. It was more of a puritan taboo in the US than Europe.
Nudity was always associated with sex in the US, while in Europe it wasn't.
But it is surprising to see it in a color film from the 1940s.
Then again showing a nude child--Superman the Movie did it.
That was a G-rated film.


----------



## AE35Unit

jjcomet said:


> The last movie I went to a cinema complex to see was Dr. Strange.
> The last movie I saw on TV was the Last Skywalker.  It was ok.  The last trilogy of that series is a lot better then the three prequels.  Those were mainly a lot of visual candy with the CGI stuff for the Attack of the Clones trilogy.
> And the movie Rouge One - to paraphrase a line from Heavy Metal: "He dies, she dies, everyone dies."


I enjoyed all the SW films. Good fun


----------



## Jeffbert

*NIGHTMARE ALLEY* (1947) A newcomer to the sideshows, Stanton Carlisle (Tyrone Power) wants the code that Zeena Krumbein (Joan Blondell) & her alcoholic partner had used in earlier years to put on a persuasive mind-reading show, & eventually gets it, but at a high price. Eventually he leaves the show for a career of his own, & teams-up with a psychologist who records her sessions with patients, and gives certain information to the presumptive mind-reader.  

Ben M. said that the image of a war hero as such a lowlife scoundrel made this a flop at the theaters, but, to contemporary audiences, such as myself, I thought it was a very good drama.


----------



## KGeo777

BATWOMAN 1968 - Mexican movie about a millionaire secret agent who uses her skills to fight crime. She wears a batman cowl and cape borrowed from the 1960s tv show and a bikini. She does wear the grey leotard when undercover as a  wrestler to investigate a series of murders  involving a mad scientist who wants to make fish men out of dead wrestlers. It's silly.

THE GOLDEN CLAWS OF THE CAT GIRL 1968 - A trapeze artist/burglar is enlisted to steal some heroin from an embassy but things go awry and she is on the run from the police and criminals. Not bad. Some have detected Nikita inspiration in this. I wonder if it influenced the plot of The Return of the Pink Panther.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE GREAT BANK ROBBERY* (1969) Great cast, but not so great film. I tried to like this, & if I critique it, I would say it was just too slow-paced. I might have enjoyed it more, if I could have watched it at 1.5x, but it was on my DVR, not Netflix streaming.  

So, there is a bank where criminals deposit their ill-gotten gains, & it is said to be truly secure. There are several forces attempting to rob it, all on the same day. Rev. Pious Blue (Zero Mostel) leads a small band of 'religious' folk, who had been aboard a train that had just been robbed by Slade  (Claude Akins) & Jeb (Elisha Cook, Jr.), who will deposit their stolen loot in said bank.  The Rev. & co. intend to tunnel under the bank, and enter through the basement. Papa (Akim Tamiroff) & son Juan (Larry Storch) are the Mexican banditos who intend to ride into town, & rob the bank using conventional methods. Ranger Ben Quick (Clint Walker) is under orders to seize the bank's records that are expected to be rather incriminating, & intends to use the same method as the Rev. Sister Lyda Kebanov (Kim Novak) is in the Reverend's gang, while Secret Agent Fong (Mako Iwamatsu) as well as several others are the fake Chinese laundry guys who work under Quick who is disguised as a wimpy business owner.  The robberies are scheduled for the 4th of July festivities, the noise of which should cover the explosion that opens the vault. 

Amusing, but it should have been a bit better than it was.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*FIVE STEPS TO DANGER*_ (1957) NOIR ALLEY.  
John Emmett (Sterling Hayden) has major car trouble while driving East from California. He is offered a ride by Ann Nicholson (Ruth Roman), who wants to drive continuously & expects him to drive while she sleeps.  All goes well, until cops pull them over, and pull the guns on them. They end up handcuffed together, & on the run. Emmett now suspects his companion is a criminal, etc.  She tells him a story about cold war spy stuff, but he is not buying it; at least not initially. 

Good, tense drama. 


As usual, Muller makes it even better.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flesh and Blood Show *(1972)

More flesh than blood in this _giallo_-style British slasher.  Starts with a couple of women in bed when somebody knocks on the door.  The one who gets up to answer it is stark naked; you'd think her roommate, in baby doll nightwear, would have been the one to go see who's there.  Anyway, there's a guy with a knife in his belly, bleeding profusely.  Our first murder?  No, it's just a joke.  

The real plot starts when these folks, and some other actors, get invited to do some kind of show at an old abandoned theater by the sea.  (This play-within-the-movie seems pretty bizarre, as it involves the actors dancing around in cavepeople costumes, then in leotards and such, and is said to have a "witchcraft scene.")  They settle into the place for the night, offering more scenes of the women taking off their clothes, and our mandatory lesbian scene.  

Eventually one of the women gets decapitated by the usual gloved killer, but her head and body are replaced by parts of a mannequin, so the cops dismiss the whole thing as a prank.  More killings follow, in pretty slow fashion, until we get a long flashback sequence revealing the murderer's insane motive.  You'll figure out whodunit long before this.

(This climactic sequence was filmed to be shown in 3-D, so it looks weird on the flat screen; black-and-white with red and green highlights.  The flashback also offers full male as well as full female nudity, which is a refreshing change.)

Not a great film, but at least one older actor really gets to show off his stuff among all the younger performers.


----------



## KGeo777

I liked the location of that film-the seaside pier.

I watched the Buck Rogers tv movie Planet of the Slave Girls. Guest stars Jack Palance who really hams it up big time and Roddy McDowall (they misspell his name in the credits). And Buster Crabbe. They show a cave entrance which I believe was used in the 1950s Son of Sinbad--Vincent Price ran out of the same cave. Price said he had no formal training as an actor. He studied art history etc in school-not drama.

Anyway I digress. Buck Rogers proves he who he says he is by using trivia about OJ Simpson. He mentioned his football career. Apparently Dr. Theopolis  didn't update him about Simpson in the 90s.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Mad Max: Fury Road* (2016)

Still excellent. The story is simple but good, the two leads are decent, the cars are great and the chases are brilliant.

I'd forgotten how stylised it is. Quite a lot of the acting is not very good (for large chunks, all the lines are shouted), and some of the lighting is quite unrealistic: the nights are completely blue, apart from red blood and a green plant. But it has good ideas and action. 8/10.


----------



## AE35Unit

3 horrors in a row 
*The Conjuring 3:the Devil Made Me Do It, Insidious 4 and Paranormal Activity 4.*

Its what we do on Saturday night, watch scary films lol


----------



## AllanR

*Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway *(2019)absurdist retro-futurism. A bit of a crazy ride, but if you hang on its worth it.


----------



## KGeo777

THE TITAN FIND 1985 -- Bad movie but I have to say for an ALIEN rip-off it has really good spaceship FX work on a low budget. High marks are deserved for that and the atmospheric sets. The sets are pretty good--much better than Inseminoid, and it looks like they used the 2001 space helmets as well. There's also a space station at the start which I thought was lifted from 2001. The script is not good--but the idea (an alien butterfly collection --alien species collected by some mysterious race) is interesting. Klaus Kinski brings some life to it briefly but he's just there for the pay check, the food, and to grab some T & A--which he does. The cast of unknowns--they are not an asset. I complain that modern Hollywood movies tend to lack casts with strong voices or charisma--well...this low budget film suffers from the same.  Good casting is so important for a movie.
The musical score is ok-and they clearly lifted some tune inspiration from ALIEN.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Suicide Squad* [2021]
A surprisingly enjoyable slice of comic, profane and graphic mayhem. It is not a plot-heavy film but engaging enough and the action sequences worked. I couldn't take the "Big Bad" all that seriously, but I don't think we were supposed to. It was nice to have Harley Quinn as a character and not just the eye-candy. Idris Elba aka Bloodsport attacking somewhere called Jotunheim was a nice touch. There were a number of big names in the cast that were unrecognisable under costumes and/or CGI.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

British Crime Films of 1954 That Got New Titles in the USA Double Feature:

*Heat Wave *(original title *The House Across the Lake*, 1954)

Self-described hack writer is working on his latest novel in a modest place on the water when he gets a call from The House Across the Lake, which is the fabulous mansion of a rich guy (Sid James of "Carry On" fame in a serious role) and his _femme fatale_ wife.  The woman asks him to bring some party guests over in his little boat, because their big boat is out of order.  This gets him mixed up with the woman, her latest lover, the lonely millionaire, and his adult daughter from a previous marriage.  The rich guy knows his wife is a serial philanderer, so he's going to cut her out of his will; he's got some disease that gives him a year or so to live.  If this sounds like a set up for _Double Indemnity_ or _The Postman Always Rings Twice_, go to the head of the _film noir _class.  It takes a full fifty minutes before we get the murder.  After the death is ruled accidental, the writer (who has been narrating this whole story in flashback to an unseen somebody who is obviously the detective come to arrest him) finds out exactly how he's been played for a chump.  It's an enjoyable, if modestly budgeted and leisurely, example of the lovers-kill-the husband subgenre.


*The Unholy Four *(original title *A Stranger Came Home*, 1954)

Based on a novel ghostwritten by Leigh Brackett, which was published as by actor George Sanders, just as a publicity stunt.  A guy (William Sylvester, of *2001: A Space Odyssey *fame) comes home, shocking everybody who sees him, because he's been missing for four years.  It seems he was on a boat somewhere near Portugal with three of his acquaintances and somebody hit him on the head.  The intent was murder, but the effect was a temporary bout with amnesia.  The obvious suspect is Sylvester, with the motive of revenge.  Mixed up in all of this is Sylvester's wife and their social secretary.  The plot gets pretty complicated, with yet another murder and everybody suspecting everybody else.  Sylvester's rather bland personality (effective in *2001*) works decently here; he's a cold, unpleasant "hero," which is appropriate for the character.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Nine Days (2021): Winston Duke lives in a world of unborn souls and interviews a few to determine which should be given a light. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. It's slow and quiet, but I usually like films like that--The Man from Earth and Marjorie Prime are a couple of my favorites. It still disappointed me. I just can't work out why.

Don't Breathe 2 (2021): A prequel rather than a sequel. An immoral blind man fights a group of other immoral people, but I guess you're meant to root for the former. It was decently thrilling, but I fell asleep halfway through. I might revisit it when I'm not so tired.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Last Crooked Mile *(1946)

Efficient little B detective film, with a fair amount of comedy.  Crooks rob a bank and switch the getaway car with another.  They get caught at a roadblock because one of the gang is recognized for having "highly polished nails," which seems like an odd thing for a witness to notice.  A car chase ensues, and the crooks go over a cliff.  End of movie?  No, because the money is missing.  Our hero, a short, smiling, wisecracking private eye, gets involved because he's after the ten percent reward for whoever finds it.  His investigation starts at a carnival, where the "death car" is on display as part of a crime museum.  While on a roller coaster with his girlfriend, the private eye winds up finding the corpse of the mechanic who switched cars for the crooks.  Who killed him, and how the heck did the body wind up in the roller coaster?  A photograph of a nightclub singer the guy was carrying is the clue that leads to attempted murder and double-crosses.  It's not a bad timewaster.  The detective comes across like a low budget James Cagney, which isn't such a bad thing.  There's a running gag about how he has to keep leaving his girlfriend behind to check things out.  There's a weird little bit of comedy about the girlfriend buying a fan that breaks because she's using it wrong, according to the salesman.  There's a pretty funny line at the nightclub:

Drunk:  "Baby!  You and me could go a long way together."
Singer:  "No doubt we will -- in opposite directions."


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Flight to Mars *(1951)

Cheap little sci-fi click; it's really amazing that it's in color.  Five people (A couple of older science guys, a younger pilot, the beautiful lady scientist who is carrying a torch for the pilot and, oddly, a reporter) head for the red planet.  We get the usual "meteor storm" and such, plus some soap opera antics.  (The beautiful lady scientist wants to make the pilot jealous, so does some smooching with the reporter.)  After crash landing on the snows of Mars, they run into the Martians, all wearing spacesuits of various pastel colors.  (The Earthlings wear WWII style bomber jackets and leather helmets, and just need breathing masks.)  It seems the Martians are 100% human, without explanation, and they live underground.  They provide clothes for their visitors, so we can see the beautiful lady scientist in a combination of vest and hot pants that makes it look like she's ready to serve cocktails.  (Just to prove how feminine she is, we've already seen her aboard the spaceship in a long skirt.  Her main interest in Martian technology is in the kitchen.  At one point, she cries over the pilot for "exactly one hour and seventeen minutes.")

The leader of the Martians pretends to help the Earthlings repair their spaceship, but he really plots to use it to conquer Earth, because Mars is running out of the fictional material that supplies all the energy they need to survive.  Among the various Martian women in microskirts is our heroine, Alita.  (Yes, this film appears to be loosely based on the early Soviet novel _Aelita_ and the silent film adapted from it, without credit.  Take that, Commies!)  She's got the longest legs and the shortest skirt on Mars, and the camera gives us quite an eyeful when it follows her up a flight of stairs.  She helps the Earthlings defeat the leader's plot, and the pilot takes her back with him to marry her.  On the rebound, the beautiful lady scientist falls for the reporter, which will surprise nobody at all.  

The special effects are minimal and the matte paintings are obvious but kind of cool.  It's a silly bit of Saturday matinee nonsense, but fun in its own minimal way.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Europa Report* - The first manned mission to one of the moons of Jupiter goes horribly wrong. 
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I can see what they were trying to do - a found footage film charting the first international mission into deep space from internal cameras on board ship - but.... By the end I was wondering who had designed the spaceship with SO many cameras and why the crew managed to sit right on one side of their field of vision ALL THE TIME.   Ok, 'all the time' is a slight exaggeration but it was a noticeable workround of the director's inability to move the camera at all whilst also pretending that this wasn't all carefully staged. And that's not his fault. The constraints of the gimmick of having the fixed cameras meant that he couldn't use dolly shots and steadycam unless a member of the crew was shown using the camera to record something, or the camera was shown to be built into something, like a space suit, that was moving. As a result the dialogue often had to be staged with one person in the foreground, half off the screen so that everyone else could do acting behind them.  
The sets were good, some of the SFX excellent, the characters were paper thin and had very little human interaction with each other beyond 'getting the mission done' which I found utterly implausible for a bunch of people crammed into a confined space for over two years.  By the end of the film I was more interested in the focus pulling and the set design than whatever plot was going on.
And I was slightly confused by why the upload of MONTHS' worth of all these cameras' stored recording could only be uploaded back to earth at the VERY LAST MOMENT by some sudden handwavium technobabble - after the whole crew had had all those months to work on the communication problem. Nice try but not the gem I had been hoping for.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> *Europa Report* - The first manned mission to one of the moons of Jupiter goes horribly wrong.
> I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I can see what they were trying to do - a found footage film charting the first international mission into deep space from internal cameras on board ship - but....


Makes me think of 2010, Odyssey two when they receive a message from an extra terrestrial intelligence. "All these worlds are yours apart from Europa. Attempt no landings here"


----------



## Rodders

Shame you feel that way, JunkMonkey. Europa Report really hit the spot for me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> Shame you feel that way, JunkMonkey. Europa Report really hit the spot for me.




SPOILERS AHEAD!


I will admit the reveal that the crew member talking to camera from the beginning was part of the uploaded record and not a post mission interview was well done.  I was wrong-footed on that and it worked but I just didn't engage and spent too much of my time wondering about things like why the floor of the launch vehicle was slid shut only _after_ the pilot had fallen through it while dumping the 'water shielding'  for some reason which wasn't clear and not explained afterwards. (Whatever the 'water shielding' was.  It was never explained either. Another one of those vital components of movie space ships that are only mentioned when they go wrong or need to be jettisoned.  

I just went and looked at that sequence again.  The only reason the floor of the cockpit was open was so the pilot could fall through to his death through it and the only reason it closed as the co-pilot climbed down to the lower compartment was to save the set-builders (real or virtual) from constructing something that wasn't going to be used apart from keeping continuity.  It annoys me when I'm deconstructing movies like that as they happen.  Means my disbelief hasn't been suspended well enough.   Like I said it's a pity because everyone was trying really hard and it had all the right components for the sort of movie I like but it just didn't gel.


----------



## Elckerlyc

Europa Report was a DNF for me. Couldn't engage me at all. Lifeless.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Huh.  Seems to be something you either like or dislike a lot, few middle opinions.  I liked it.


----------



## Randy M.

*Near Dark* (1987; dir. Katherine Bigelow; starring Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henricksen, Bill Paxton)

Second time I've watched this. Violent at times, but not as violent as I recalled, this is a love story with vampires. Or maybe a vampire story with love. You decide. Caleb (Pasdar) is the son of a widowed rancher and brother to the younger Sarah. In town with friends, he meets Mae (Wright) and is instantly smitten and shortly after bitten and almost immediately turns, as indicated by the smoke rising off him in the dawn sunlight.

These are not Hammer Studios vampires; no flowing cloaks or torn bodices. Jesse (Henricksen) claims to have fought for the South in the Civil War ("We lost."), and the family he's created live in one stolen vehicle after another, traveling like the Okies looking for the next place to get their nourishment. A rag-tag group, it includes Diamondback, Jesse's companion and lover; Homer, an old vampire in about a 12-year-old body (maybe a borrowing from Anne Rice) who had turned Mae and is now jealous of Caleb; and Severen (Paxton) who may be a psychopath and certainly relishes the physicality of near invulnerability while beating the crap out of several other characters. Lonely Mae wants Caleb to join them. His father and sister have other plans.

As far as I can see in IMDB, this was Bigelow's first solo directing job, and I felt at times she may have borrowed from John Carpenter, approaching the story with a noir rather than a Gothic mindset. This rural noir frequently shows the grit and dust of highways and countrysides flying off the tires of whatever vehicle the clan uses, and features dusty decrepit motels and rest stops, where their jeans and leather clothing blends in. Henricksen brings a kind of gravitas to his roles, even when the villain, and here he's a reminder of the ruthlessness of vampires but also a leader who has affection for his followers, a father figure, giving Mae latitude to fully train Caleb.

But the movie wouldn't work without the surprising chemistry and sweetness in the relationship between Caleb and Mae, Pasdar and Wright displaying the right mix of desire and vulnerability. By the end, Bigelow has you rooting for the young lovers but also, Severen aside, oddly sympathic to Jesse and Diamondback seeking to keep their family together, and Homer who just wants someone of his own now that Mae has chosen Caleb.


----------



## Rodders

What a great review, Randy. I've only seen Near Dark once and i remember enjoying it a lot. A great cast with Bill Paxton the standout yet again. "finger lickin' good".


----------



## Randy M.

Thanks, Rodders. I'd forgotten how over the top Paxton could be and get away with it. In a way, he and Henricksen off-set each other, one wild and one cool. It's a strong cast. Pasdar probably has the hardest role -- callow, inexperienced young men often seem bland, which he's not ... quite; Caleb's caring for Mae is convincing. And seeing it again reminded me why I still remember Jenny Wright -- or at least Mae -- from when I first saw it back in the '80s. I also recall her from _I, Madman_ with Clayton Roehner (sp?), but mostly from this.


----------



## KGeo777

I haven't been interested in revisiting Near Dark since VHS days. "Finger-licking good."
lol I remember that line. 

Considering the resurgence of vampire films in the mid 80s--I have not seen the Lost Boys at all--something about it just did not appeal to me then or now.
Carpenter's Vampires must have been his answer to Near Dark because that is also a vampire road movie.


I watched I Madman recently because I had read Wright disappeared and then was found again to appear at conventions--I only knew her from Near Dark and Lawnmower Man. The killer in I Madman was well conceived. The makeup FX guy played the role and it reminded me of Sterling Hayden crossed with Karloff.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> I haven't been interested in revisiting Near Dark since VHS days. "Finger-licking good."
> lol I remember that line.
> 
> Considering the resurgence of vampire films in the mid 80s--I have not seen the Lost Boys at all--something about it just did not appeal to me then or now.
> Carpenter's Vampires must have been his answer to Near Dark because that is also a vampire road movie.
> 
> 
> I watched I Madman recently because I had read Wright disappeared and then was found again to appear at conventions--I only knew her from Near Dark and Lawnmower Man. The killer in I Madman was well conceived. The makeup FX guy played the role and it reminded me of Sterling Hayden crossed with Karloff.


I recalled liking _Near Dark_ and wondering if I still would. I do. I like the earthiness of and its depiction of how vampires might get away with being vampires -- at least, in the 1980s.

Re: _Lost Boys_: I still find it fun but I think that depends on one's tolerance for a few things, like vampire movies in general, and mostly comedic vampire movies in specific, also the Coreys, and maybe the '80s as a whole. 

It's been a long time since I saw _I Madman_ and a quick look at IMDB assures me I have little memory of it other than being entertained by Wright and Rohner, who I also remembered when I saw him several years later on _The X-Files. _IMDB shows that Wright had a career of sorts but tailed off. Too bad. She was actually quite good.


----------



## AE35Unit

We have Near Dark on DVD. It has no age certification on it so couldn't be sold.


----------



## Toby Frost

_Near Dark _was very good, if I remember rightly, but _John Carpenter's Vampires_, despite a decent opening, was pretty cheesy.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yet to watch it to be honest. It doesn't look great and vampires aren't my bag


----------



## Jeffbert

I just cannot deal with all that text! Sorry, but a synopsis should be no more than a few short paragraphs, at most! I guess if I visited this topic more often-- but tough! Many of these descriptions are just way too long! Every detail is unnecessary. Should start with a synopsis; if more is your style, then write more in additional paragraphs.  




_*THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN*_ (1971) A satellite returns to earth, and with it, comes a deadly microscopic life form, contact with it causes blood to become powder. Only two residents of a small town survived contact with it, but why? So, the govt. goes into action, well-prepared for such an occurrence.  In a well-isolated multi-level underground facility, scientists go about examining the alien microbe, while the physician attempts to discover why these two people, one, an infant, the other, a drunk, are still alive.  Anticipating  that contamination might occur, the site is equipped with a nuclear bomb; this is the heart of the drama in the end.

After this time watching it, I was very aware that the whole WILDFIRE  thing was a search for alien lifeforms that could be weaponized. I surely noticed this in earlier viewings, but now, it hit home; especially after the remake of THE BLOB!


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> I just cannot deal with all that text! Sorry, but a synopsis should be no more than a few short paragraphs, at most! I guess if I visited this topic more often-- but tough! Many of these descriptions are just way too long! Every detail is unnecessary. Should start with a synopsis; if more is your style, then write more in additional paragraphs.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN*_ (1971) A satellite returns to earth, and with it, comes a deadly microscopic life form, contact with it causes blood to become powder. Only two residents of a small town survived contact with it, but why? So, the govt. goes into action, well-prepared for such an occurrence.  In a well-isolated multi-level underground facility, scientists go about examining the alien microbe, while the physician attempts to discover why these two people, one, an infant, the other, a drunk, are still alive.  Anticipating  that contamination might occur, the site is equipped with a nuclear bomb; this is the heart of the drama in the end.


Brilliant film! The book by Michael Crichton is good too


----------



## KGeo777

AGENT Z55-DESPERATE MISSION 1966 -- About standard for these eurospy films. Watchable but not very memorable except a somewhat larger role for Milton Reid---he gets whipped in the face with chains and isn't hurt-- a real tough guy.
Unfortunately he isn't so tough that he can withstand a blowtorch to the face but who could?
A cute armadillo makes an appearance for no  good reason except perhaps to be this movie's answer to the Blofeld's white cat.


----------



## G.T.

*Army of Thieves*: this was a surprising little gem. I only watched it because I'm a sucker for zombie movies and it was presented as a prequel to Army of the Dead. It wasn't like Army of the Dead at all; it was better. The main actor (Matthias Schweighöfer), who also directs, plays his role perfectly and you really feel for him. The ending felt a little forced seeing as it had to lead into Army of the Dead, but other than that it was great. I actually think it is a better made movie than Army of the Dead. Follow Dieter as he lives out his dream of cracking a series of legendary bank vaults.

*Red Notice*: Dwayne Johnson plays the Rock, Gal Gadot plays Wonder Woman and Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool. What more could you ask for? Well, either better editing or a longer movie, perhaps? They play their characters well and the movie rolls along, but there was just something missing for me as these three characters face off against each other as they try to steal a set of precious jewels around the world.

*Eternals*: too many characters fight for screen time while also trying to defeat Ultron powerful Deviants arising for some nefarious reason across the world. Meanwhile, the Avengers are nowhere to be seen. It must be nice for the B-team to tag in and do the work once in a while. It's a long film and typically Marvel, entertaining but lacking due to sparse time given to all but a few of the team.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> I just cannot deal with all that text! Sorry, but a synopsis should be no more than a few short paragraphs, at most! I guess if I visited this topic more often-- but tough! Many of these descriptions are just way too long! Every detail is unnecessary. Should start with a synopsis; if more is your style, then write more in additional paragraphs.


Skim.

Randy
(Just trying to keep it short. )


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN*_ (1971) A satellite returns to earth, and with it, comes a deadly microscopic life form, contact with it causes blood to become powder. Only two residents of a small town survived contact with it, but why? So, the govt. goes into action, well-prepared for such an occurrence.  In a well-isolated multi-level underground facility, scientists go about examining the alien microbe, while the physician attempts to discover why these two people, one, an infant, the other, a drunk, are still alive.  Anticipating  that contamination might occur, the site is equipped with a nuclear bomb; this is the heart of the drama in the end.
> 
> After this time watching it, I was very aware that the whole WILDFIRE  thing was a search for alien lifeforms that could be weaponized. I surely noticed this in earlier viewings, but now, it hit home; especially after the remake of THE BLOB!



There was a much later mini-series made out of the book, as I recall, wasn't as good as this film. Which maybe shouldn't be surprising since this was directed by Robert Wise, who also directed _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. The choice of actors was inspired -- no big stars, just really solid character actors. Really, a good movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

Randy M. said:


> There was a much later mini-series made out of the book, as I recall, wasn't as good as this film. Which maybe shouldn't be surprising since this was directed by Robert Wise, who also directed _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. The choice of actors was inspired -- no big stars, just really solid character actors. Really, a good movie.


I didn't know there was a series.
I could see it done as a modern netflix series mind


----------



## soulsinging

Pineapple Express. Not very good, even if you're as stoned as the main characters.


----------



## Toby Frost

If I remember rightly, it lurches awkwardly from being a mild stoner comedy to an action film in the second half. A weird one.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Red Notice* - Indiana Jones meets James Bond meets generic heist movie. A deeply derivative bit of fluff from The Rock, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds. I wonder how long Ryan Reynolds schtick can last because I feel it's sort of wearing off. Entertaining enough Saturday afternoon fare but don't expect anything particularly exciting.


----------



## KGeo777

John Carpenter's Vampires did have vampires that were more of the old-fashioned kind. They were ghoulish and that was refreshing but I wish they abandoned the cross--first vampire-exorcism mumbo-jumbo. It would have been more fun to have them going around after vampire sin different locations. In fact, it is so close to BLADE with the plot--even a cast member from Blade is also in Vampires.


THREE SERGEANTS OF FORT  BENGAL  1964  - Reportedly Richard Harrison's favorite movie--he and a couple of disgraced soldiers are sent on a mission to defend a fort. It turns into a poor man's ZULU in the last act. But it has some humor and at 1:30 doesn't wear out its welcome even in a rewatch like this was.


----------



## Parson

*Eragon *--- 2006 (Amazon Prime called it: The European extended version -- whatever that means) .... this was the most enjoyable Fantasy movie I've ever experienced. I loved the dragon most of all. Eragon was a typically flawed and believable human. It has a lot of the "quest" story attributes, but on the whole I wouldn't call it a quest movie. It's much more like growing into your predestined role. This movie makes me view more positively coming "Fantasy" movies.

I remember when this movie came out. I found the trailers to be slightly enticing, but the first shock in watching the movie was that Eragon was NOT the name of the dragon.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Ghostbusters: Afterlife.* (No Spoilers)

Bit of a mixed bag. It's a very odd movie, parts of it work very well, particularly the earlier parts.

*The good:* likeable, smart characters. Fun dialogue, great cinematography. The overall concept was solid. The CG at the end, particularly one bit, was excellent and I'm not quite sure if it was CG or cleverly edited footage. Some of the character work was very endearing.

Bill Murray was a delight and he actually seemed to be enjoying it.

They captured the look of the original. The horror atmosphere, too.

The setting of a rust belt town is such a great, thematic rejoinder to the Reagan-era parable about working joes* building a business in the big city. We're seeing the afterlife of the 80's away from the big apple in the mid-west, directly compared with the fall out of the events of the first movie. I absolutely loved this angle as it seemed to be in a direct conversation with the original 2 movies and had something of-the-moment to say. Sadly, this wasn't developed or worked into the overall shape of the movie as it was in the first, it seemed to be abandoned in favour of spectacle and fan service.

* they were academics, but they're kicked out of academia to go into business as exterminators. The biggest enemy in the movie, possibly more than Gozer is government...

*The mixed: * Throw backs to the original were good, but it felt too fan servicey - particularly (and its no spoiler as it's in the trailer) - the stay puft marshmallow men, which were more like something from Gremlins.

The editing and the soundtrack didn't work for me - even the bits from the original Bernstein score (which I love) seemed oddly out of place. The score sometimes seemed removed from the emotional intentions of the scene. They overused the cues from the original, and the new music they added was a little too generic.

The rhythm of the editing and the choices of cuts were really off - usually I wouldn't notice this, but it threw me out of the movie.

I think this may have been a narrative problem. The first half of the movie was well done, but slow. It felt more like this should have been a Stranger Things style show rather than a movie and I think the editing and soundtrack problems emerge from that. Compared to the plot of the original which was very tight, this feels flabby.

*The Bad: * The second half of the movie loses its way. It spends so long setting up characters and relationships then stuffs the rest of the movie in as quick as possible. And, worst of all, if you take all the good bits it does out, it's just a remake of parts of the original.

I wasn't keen on the deus ex-machina, you could see it coming a mile off.

Two bits were particularly crap and I couldn't believe they were in the movie. Like something from scary movie, and not in an amusing way.

For a film called Ghostbusters, there was not a lot of Ghostbusters in it. I'd have liked them to play a bigger role - even if they were still secondary characters.

Overall, okay-ish. Should have been a Netflix series and spent more time nailing the story and the editing. Little bit of manipulative towards the end. In parts better than the second movie, particularly the feel and ideas, but still think 2 is better overall.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hangman * 2015
A film about a live in serial killer, does break ins but stays in the house...


----------



## KGeo777

GOLDEN SHERIFF 1966 -- A spaghetti western with no stars--and very generic in plot but I have to admit that despite a really cheap opening credits sequence with not so memorable song--and thinking I was in for a total dud--it actually picked up and wasn't bad by the end. The story involves a crooked lawman who recruits a criminal to steal a gold shipment for him--and it gets stolen from them by a tavern's barmaid and then stolen from her by Mexican bandits. 
We get a glimpse of the sheriff's personality when at the start--he has to clean up a town run by outlaws--and he rides in sprawled on the back of a horse--he plays dead so he can get the drop on them.
 It's not one I would likely rewatch but good enough as a time waster.


----------



## Jeffbert

Ahhh; much better! Perhaps the shorter paragraphs made the difference!


*POLTERGEIST* (1982) A family living in a new housing development encounter supernatural phenomena after a construction crew begins digging to make an in-ground pool in their back yard.  Truly frightening, and beyond that, as these phenomena go from merely interesting to frightening to  dangerous.

Somebody had obviously been watching *THE TWILIGHT ZONE*! I counted no fewer than three, count 'em, 3 TTZ stories whose main elements were there.


Spoiler




_*LITTLE GIRL LOST *_. Just like this TTZ story, the boy suggests tying a rope around him & he will go in and return with his sister.
_*What's in the Box*_. with William Demearest & Joan Blondell, in which there is nothing on the screen but noise, but WD sees & hears something very different.
_*Death Ship*_ & several others have people who failed to realize they were already dead.

More than a few cartoons I have seen had people reaching out of video screens, etc.  Even reaching out of telephone receivers to bash Dick Dastardly over the head.


----------



## KGeo777

There was a court case over Poltergeist. A screenwriter (son of Eleanor Parker) said he sent a screenplay to Spielberg's office and elements of it turned up in the film. The court case was going to have Ray Bradbury as an expert witness on ghost stories for the plaintiff and Richard Matheson on the defense but they settled out of court. Spielberg never put his name on a screenplay again. His producers were blamed for the borrowing of the concepts (the clown and the tree attack).

There was a tv movie made around that time which was pulled from showing because it had a child being sucked into a tv--I dont know if they filmed it and shelved it or it was cancelled because they didn't want to take an idea that was going to be used in the feature film.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Superman II - The Richard Donner cut

Many years since I've seen this film, so I'm not sure what's been added/removed from the original. Most of the movie I remember, so it can't have changed too much. Surprisingly still enjoyable all these years later, and helps to remind me why Christopher Reeve is - and probably always will be - the definitive Man of Steel.


----------



## paranoid marvin

paranoid marvin said:


> Superman II - The Richard Donner cut
> 
> Many years since I've seen this film, so I'm not sure what's been added/removed from the original. Most of the movie I remember, so it can't have changed too much. Surprisingly still enjoyable all these years later, and helps to remind me why Christopher Reeve is - and probably always will be - the definitive Man of Steel.




I've gone back and quickly gone through the original version shown in the cinemas. Some of the good/funny bits I thought I remembered (I assumed must have been in I or III) have been deleted, and the ending of the movie is much better in the theatrical cut.

Overall the Donner cut really isn't the Superman II I remember, and is definitely a poorer movie than the theatrical version. I would not recommend watching this version, and I can't really see any benefit for it being released.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Skinwalkers *
A found-footage type of mix of sci fi and horror.
A team of researchers are sent to a farm in the boonies to investigate the disappearance of a man's son, and weird s**t happens.


----------



## worldofmutes

Good Will Hunting 
and
No Country For Old Men

I don’t watch a whole lot of movies, and sadly, first time I’ve seen these movies was a few weeks ago.


----------



## AE35Unit

worldofmutes said:


> Good Will Hunting
> and
> No Country For Old Men
> 
> I don’t watch a whole lot of movies, and sadly, first time I’ve seen these movies was a few weeks ago.


No country for old men is a good one.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Vatican Tapes*
A film about a woman possessed by a demon or some such. I enjoy these films apart from the religious angle, how god saves all, yawn. This one was different.


----------



## worldofmutes

AE35Unit said:


> No country for old men is a good one.


A rare case where I liked the movie better than the book.


----------



## AE35Unit

worldofmutes said:


> A rare case where I liked the movie better than the book.


I didn't know there was a book


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Adventures of Tintin *2011. I hadn't  seen this when it came out . Until recently hadn't seen it at all .  What a great film !


----------



## Elckerlyc

BAYLOR said:


> *The Adventures of Tintin *2011. I hadn't seen this when it came out . Until recently hadn't seen it at all . What a great film !


Yep. And a shame it never got a follow up.


----------



## BAYLOR

Elckerlyc said:


> Yep. And a shame it never got a follow up.



It deserved one.


----------



## AE35Unit

But...its a kid's film...


----------



## BAYLOR

AE35Unit said:


> But...its a kid's film...



So what?  Its a terrific  film and should have  become film franchise.


----------



## Rodders

Wasn’t Tin Tin a Nazi sympathiser? (I might be getting confused with the creator.)


----------



## KGeo777

I didn't like the time reversal scene in the Donner version. 
I think it worked in the original as a way of showing Superman doing something really super that was done for himself instead of for others and in defiance of Jor-El.
Also, I think his mother was more logical to have in the scene where he asks to have his powers removed...Marlon Brando's floating head is just not as good.
Some of the Richard Lester stuff was ok but he did overdo the Metropolis comedy--though I did like the phone booth guy.


A SPECIAL COP IN ACTION 1976 - The Italian Dirty Harry, Maurizio Merli, wants to take down a crime boss (John Saxon) but ends up framed for murder and sent to the pokey. It's not as fun as some of the other Poliziotteschi  flicks--Saxon was in a few better ones--but it does keep your attention. I was unaware until recently how violent it was in Italy in the 70s. These movies were reflecting the dangerous climate where kidnappings and shootings were happening frequently.

​


----------



## Elckerlyc

AE35Unit said:


> But...its a kid's film...


Eh... is it? Based on what? When I watched it in the theater back then there were more adults than kids in the audience. If you insist calling it a kids film, I'll say it's one of a host of other 'kid films' that are nevertheless enjoyable for all ages.


----------



## AE35Unit

Tin Tin was a cartoon as i remember it. But horses for courses eh. After all many adults enjoy manga apparently...


----------



## Elckerlyc

I must seriously object to Tin Tin being tossed on one heap with manga.


----------



## AE35Unit

Elckerlyc said:


> I must seriously object to Tin Tin being tossed on one heap with manga.


Lol it was just a joke


----------



## Jeffbert

Two from Mel Brooks, both on the TCM feature with Ben M:

*HIGH ANXIETY* (1977) Truly funny, especially for those who have seen all the Hitchcock films being parodied. Dr. Richard Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) is the new head of the institute for very very nervous people, or whatever it is called. Dr. Charles Montague (Harvey Korman) as the villain, who wants the top position for himself. Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) as the henchman, or is she the real boss? The villains are not even trying to help the patients, but doing everything possible to extend their problems, & thus keep the money flowing in.  



_*BLAZING SADDLES*_ (1974) This was in the theater when I was in middle / high school & was in Bethesda seeing a shrink. I recall wondering what could be so good about a cowboy movie that it was in the theater so long.   Seems like it was there forever. Hershey's Krackle bars at 8 ounces were 48 cents each. Two for a dollar, tax included!  Damned inflation! Sales tax increased also!

Anyway, is anything needed to say about this film? Very funny; but polite people might be embarrassed to laugh about it. More politically incorrect now, than it was then, because a certain lifestyle is ridiculed several times; which lifestyle then was then considered abnormal and rare, is now considered mainstream, and normal. But in this film nothing is sacred, & everything is subject to ridicule. This film is very,  very funny! Harvey Korman is the villain in this film, also.


----------



## AllanR

*Sputnik (2020) *(watched due to a thread here yesterday). Russian movie set in the 80s. It's somewhere between a horror movie and a monster movie with a mix of sci-fi and critique of soviet society. I thought it was well paced and looked good.


----------



## Jeffbert

*YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN* (1974) I thought I already mentioned this one, which TCM showed immediately after the original FRANKENSTEIN movie, sometime in October.  Not nearly as funny as BLAZING SADDLES, but no where as vulgar, either. 

So, Dr. F's grandson, who pronounces his name 'FRONKENSTEEN' and hopes to avoid any identification with grandpa, ends up repeating his experiments.


----------



## Elckerlyc

AE35Unit said:


> Lol it was just a joke


No it wasn't. It was a denigratory remark.
Your response to my objection is a joke.


----------



## AE35Unit

Lol ok


----------



## Justin Swanton

Episode 10 of Foundation. Thus far the only characters that interest me in the series are the Cleons (Brother Day and Brother Dusk) and, to a lesser, extent, Hari Sheldon. The rest and their story are just, somehow, boring. Chop out all the foundation stuff, do just the Cleons and the downfall of the clone dynasty and the series would be vastly improved (fidelity to Asimov be damned, which it is in any case).


----------



## CupofJoe

I am sinking deeply in to my Xmas movie addiction.
So far I have watch films about, reuniting families, saving a ranch, love conquering all, and what it takes to understand the real meaning of Xmas.
I don't know why I like them, but I will watch far too many in the next month...


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN* (1974) I thought I already mentioned this one, which TCM showed immediately after the original FRANKENSTEIN movie, sometime in October.  Not nearly as funny as BLAZING SADDLES, but no where as vulgar, either.
> 
> So, Dr. F's grandson, who pronounces his name 'FRONKENSTEEN' and hopes to avoid any identification with grandpa, ends up repeating his experiments.


It was interesting to compare _Young Frankenstein_ with _Blazing Saddles_. The latter is looser, more episodic and probably the inspiration for movies like _Airplane!_ where the jokes come rapid fire. The former is more controlled, following a more discernible plot -- in part remaking the 1931 _Frankenstein_ with more Mel Brooks, but not as much Mel Brooks as in _Blazing Saddles_. 

["Pardon me, boy, is this the Transylvania choo-choo?" "Yes, sir, track 29. Would you care for a shine?" Saw it first in a theater and this was such an obvious joke I should have seen it coming, but no; I think I missed the next three jokes because I was still laughing.]


----------



## Parson

Justin Swanton said:


> Episode 10 of Foundation. Thus far the only characters that interest me in the series are the Cleons (Brother Day and Brother Dusk) and, to a lesser, extent, Hari Sheldon. The rest and their story are just, somehow, boring. Chop out all the foundation stuff, do just the Cleons and the downfall of the clone dynasty and the series would be vastly improved (fidelity to Asimov be damned, which it is in any case).


We must have diametrically opposed tastes. I could so do without the Cleons and their "I know what's best for the world and it's me!" attitude. Also, unlike the books where I found Hari Seldon to be a hero, I find the movie's Hari Seldon to be distasteful. The story, though it is not truly the Foundation of the books, is beautifully filmed, sweeping in it's range, and providing interesting insights into humanity.


----------



## Justin Swanton

Parson said:


> We must have diametrically opposed tastes. I could so do without the Cleons and their "I know what's best for the world and it's me!" attitude. Also, unlike the books where I found Hari Seldon to be a hero, I find the movie's Hari Seldon to be distasteful. The story, though it is not truly the Foundation of the books, is beautifully filmed, sweeping in it's range, and providing interesting insights into humanity.


Sure, the Cleons are not role models, but I find Cleon XIII interesting. He is politically brutal but he does not have an invincible conviction of his own superiority like his predecessor Cleon XII. He criticises Cleon XII for his acts of terror against Anacreon and Thespis. He himself can be cruel, killing Halima unnecessarily, but he wants to spare the life of his successor and son Cleon XIV even though the logic of the dynasty requires the latter's execution. It shows the reality of men who are caught up in the obligations of power that corrupts them but not entirely. It's deep.

The events on Terminus on the other hand - I can't really get into them. Phara is sort of interesting, but she is one-dimensional, never deviating from her obsession with revenge. The stories of the foundation characters just don't stick with me - they seem conventional and prepackaged Hollywood fare.

The central problem with Asimov's Foundation is that it equates civilisation with a single political authority. Historically that simply isn't true. The great artists of the Renaissance, for example, flourished when Italy was a mosaic of warring city states. Massive autocratic empires tend to go hand in hand with cultural decay. The great works of Roman literature and art rose during the era of the Republic and the early Principate that had many features of the former Republic. By the time of the absolute autocracy of the Dominate - equivalent to the centralised control of the galactic empire - literature and the arts were effectively dead. Humans achieve their best works when political control is mild and they have a free hand. In the real world the end of the galactic empire should be followed by a period of chaos and then a time of cultural enrichment, not decay. So I can't relate to what Hari Seldon is trying to accomplish.


----------



## Parson

Well said. But I would also point out that no society is monochromatic. There are times when society is very controlled and yet some art flourishes. Think of some of some of the great Russian novelists, Tolstoy, etc. In more modern times Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would be an example. And there are times when things are far less restrained that all you get is a kind of meaningless exuberance. I think a lot psychedelic 60's movies would fit there. 

I experience Foundation as an evaluation of grand experiments one where change is anathema, and one where change is expected, but is expected to flow in predetermined way. --- Both interesting experiments which seem destined to ultimately fail. Still, I find the second experiment more interesting than the first, because change is a fact of life. To live is to be changing. Trying to hold onto what's "always been" is completely doomed, trying to understand and manipulate change is very likely doomed as well, but at least there seems to be a sliver of hope there.


----------



## Justin Swanton

Parson said:


> Well said. But I would also point out that no society is monochromatic. There are times when society is very controlled and yet some art flourishes. Think of some of some of the great Russian novelists, Tolstoy, etc. In more modern times Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn would be an example. And there are times when things are far less restrained that all you get is a kind of meaningless exuberance. I think a lot psychedelic 60's movies would fit there.
> 
> I experience Foundation as an evaluation of grand experiments one where change is anathema, and one where change is expected, but is expected to flow in predetermined way. --- Both interesting experiments which seem destined to ultimately fail. Still, I find the second experiment more interesting than the first, because change is a fact of life. To live is to be changing. Trying to hold onto what's "always been" is completely doomed, trying to understand and manipulate change is very likely doomed as well, but at least there seems to be a sliver of hope there.


Interesting you should cite Solzhenitsyn. He was a victim of Stalin (only surviving the Gulag because he had a shorter sentence - 7 years rather than the standard 10 - and was able to pass himself off as a nuclear physicist and get transferred to an easier camp). He had a brief career as a writer in Russia during the autocratic thaw of Khrushchev that itself was a reaction against Stalin and didn't last long. He is practically the only Russian writer of the Soviet era who produced anything worthwhile. Certainly those writers and artists who made sure their works didn't result in their arrest are all forgotten today.

Solzhenitsyn himself described the growing mildness of Tsarist Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. There was far more intellectual freedom in that time than during the Marxist regime that succeeded it. Free enough for a Dostoevsky.

I don't know if you can equate the meaningless exuberance of the 60's with the mild governmental control of, say, Renaissance Italy. In the latter case there were still strong social mores and a sense of common purpose in that Italians were all Catholics and shared the Catholic outlook, which itself allowed for a great deal of flexibility and creativity. The Church didn't mind being criticised - the paintings showing clerics and bishops in hell were all commissioned by clerics and bishops - provided its principles weren't undermined. The 60's IMHO was a reaction to the social regimentation of the 50's which itself came partly from a fear of a new World War with the USSR. When Khrushchev's bluff had been called over Cuba the younger generation began to relax and throw off the rules of their parents. But in rejecting those rules the baby was thrown out with the bathwater. There was no longer any common norm or ideal that could inspire great art so art largely went bye-bye.


----------



## AE35Unit

Earlier I watched a film called *The Wilding.* I'd like to say what it was about but I have no idea. Things were just starting to happen, then it just ended, like it was halfway through or as if it was an episode in a series. Utter bowlocks! Left a 1 star review on iMdb


----------



## hitmouse

Justin Swanton said:


> Episode 10 of Foundation. Thus far the only characters that interest me in the series are the Cleons (Brother Day and Brother Dusk) and, to a lesser, extent, Hari Sheldon. The rest and their story are just, somehow, boring. Chop out all the foundation stuff, do just the Cleons and the downfall of the clone dynasty and the series would be vastly improved (fidelity to Asimov be damned, which it is in any case).


Is this a movie?
I thought it was a tv series.


----------



## AllanR

Justin Swanton said:


> He is practically the only Russian writer of the Soviet era who produced anything worthwhile.


Guess you never heard of the Strugatsky brothers or Bulgakov? (The Master and the Margarita)


----------



## Justin Swanton

hitmouse said:


> Is this a movie?
> I thought it was a tv series.


It is a TV series. I shoehorned it in here as I haven't seen a thread on What was the last TV series episode you saw?


----------



## Justin Swanton

AllanR said:


> Guess you never heard of the Strugatsky brothers or Bulgakov? (The Master and the Margarita)


Their careers are interesting. Bulgakov survived only because Stalin liked some of his works and protected him. From Wikipedia:

"In 1939, Mikhail Bulgakov organized a private reading of _The Master and Margarita_ to his close circle of friends. Yelena Bulgakova remembered 30 years later, "When he finally finished reading that night, he said: 'Well, tomorrow I am taking the novel to the publisher!' and everyone was silent", "...Everyone sat paralyzed. Everything scared them. P. (P. A. Markov, in charge of the literature division of MAT) later at the door fearfully tried to explain to me that trying to publish the novel would cause terrible things", she wrote in her diary (14 May 1939)."

And on the Strugatsky brothers:

"Several of the Strugatsky brothers' books take place in the World of Noon, also known unofficially as the Wanderers Universe. The name is derived from the title of one of their texts, Noon: 22nd Century.

The main characteristics of the Noon Universe are: a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development; creativity of the general population; and the very significant level of societal maturity compared to the modern world. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), and every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of the Noon Universe is governed by a global meritocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists and philosophers. That Noon World has been clearly named as "World of Communism" in their novels, which was handy for publishing their novels in the USSR, where the Communist Party decided whether a book would be printed and approved for mass circulation."

_The Master and the Margarita_ is said to be very good (I haven't read it) and is apparently critical of the Soviet literary establishment. It was published only decades after Bulgakov's death, in 1966. The 1966 Soviet edition was heavily censored, with 12% removed and much else changed. The complete MS was published only outside the Soviet Union. So I rest my case.


----------



## Justin Swanton

AllanR said:


> Guess you never heard of the Strugatsky brothers or Bulgakov? (The Master and the Margarita)


As a PS, saying Solzhenitsyn was practically the only good writer of the Soviet era is pushing it, I admit.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Comeback *(1978)

American pop singer Jack Jones stretches his acting muscles by playing an American pop singer in this British shocker.  Starts with the singer's ex-wife getting slashed to death by a killer hidden in a shawl and old woman mask.  The singer gets sent to this fancy mansion to work on his next album.  We get our suspects pretty quickly.  There's the singer's manager, who blames the ex-wife for ruining his career; there the elderly couple who, in traditional fashion, serve as the movie's Vaguely Sinister Servants; there's the singer's creepy "right hand man" who starts talking to the manager's secretary (and singer's love interest) about her breasts as soon as he's alone with her.  Well, there's an obvious red herring, and one of the folks listed above gets killed, so it's not hard to figure out whodunit, especially if you've seen a film from director Pete Walker before.  The singer hears sobbing and screaming, and sees a rotting corpse from time to time; a haunting, or an attempt to drive him insane?  It's obvious which one, although the movie's last scene contradicts what's come before.  It's pretty slow, but has its moments.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Possession of Joel Delaney* (1972)

Shirley MacLaine stars as a filthy rich, snobby divorcee with two school age kids.  Her "freelance writer" (slacker) brother lives in a crummy apartment in Spanish Harlem.  He gets possessed by the spirit of a dead Puerto Rican teenager who decapitated four women.  After a failed attempt at exorcism via Santeria ritual, with the brother not present, the freaked-out sister runs off to an isolated beach house with the kids.  Possessed brother invades the house and subjects them to sadistic psychological torture.  It's a slow-burning but intense film.  The attempted exorcism scene, whether or not it reflects Santeria ritual accurately, is emotionally powerful, without any kind of typical exorcism special effects.  The scene in the beach house is genuinely disturbing, with the little girl forced to eat dog food at knife point and the little boy forced to dance completely naked.  What the film is saying about social class and ethnicity is troubling.  It can be seen as Privileged Rich White Woman menaced by Scary Lower Class Puerto Rican Man.  The weird scene, before the possession sets in, where the brother asks the sister about her sex life suggests something under the surface of all this that never really emerges.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Agent 505:  Deathtrap Beirut* (_Agent 505 - Todesfalle Beirut_, 1966)

West German/French/Italian Eurospy flick.  Starts with one bikini-clad beauty discovering another one dead, then getting shot herself.  Then the guy who shot them gets shot by another bad guy as the cops come get him.  He croaks out the movie's plot, that a four-fingered man known as the Sheik is going to kill everybody in Beirut.  Enter our superspy hero and his sidekick.  The latter does a lot of the work, really.  Fistfights, gunfights, chases, explosions, Good Girls and Bad Girls follow.  It moves briskly, and there's some impressive stunt work, particularly a guy hanging from a helicopter.  Gadgets include the bad guys' guns, that shoot needles of frozen oxygen, and the good guy's suitcase that leaks drops of a highly flammable liquid so he can trace it when somebody steals it, by lighting the drops with a cigarette.  I wouldn't think that would come in handy too often.  There's also a car that turns into a boat.  The climax features an attack by a bunch of soldiers on the main bad guy's secret headquarters, where he's about to launch a small rocket full of radioactive mercury over the city.  (His motive is just to rob the place after everybody's dead.)  A decent example of its kind.


----------



## KGeo777

The author of Tin Tin did cartoons that talked about death squads in Russia and rigged voting and all that stuff which was not getting very much attention in the West outside of Hearst newspapers and smaller ones.

Soviet era film was devastating for Russian and Eastern art freedom.
You feel sorry for all the artists that were unable to flourish thanks to the alien control. For decades it seems like only two filmmakers existed, Eisenstein and Tarkovsky.
It's not just that it was bureaucratic--it was hostile to ethnic Russian or domestic artists in the occupied countries. You cannot have art that is relevant to the public if you shackle the artists and only promote those that reflect a very narrow philosophy which isn't popular with the public. They promoted amateurs because they followed the party line.
Hollywood was very controlling too but it was slower to filter out other voices and there was still more variety for decades.

Mussolini kicked Hollywood out of Italy in the 1930s and perhaps because he did that, it allowed Fellini and Leone and Bava and others to get a career--because Hollywood wanted to steamroll over everyone and dominate. 

If Edison had been the only game in town, film production would have been much more modest--Hollywood brought lots of money and an assembly line attitude  into it which otherwise would never have existed. For better and worse--it allowed a lot of faces to appear which probably would not have happened--it provided a shelter for artists--but at the same time--if Hollywood had never existed as a big money enterprise--it would have meant more independent voices. Later as they reduced output and variety--it became a big negative. It's not an exaggeration that it is turning into Mosfilm in the USSR era except that it is relying on used up corporate brands and aging movie stars (I hear Arnold Schwarzenegger's son is getting a movie career now--oh gee--just what we need to renew the cultural stream).

Speaking of recycling brands, I watched a Django clone, CJAMANGO 1967 - Ivan Rassimov, Mickey Hargitay, Helene Chanel. Kind of generic at first but had a few touches that kept it from being totally pedestrian. I liked a sub plot where a villain uses a fake report of a plague to scare and manipulate villagers for his own purposes.  He calls them idiots for believing it.


----------



## AE35Unit

Justin Swanton said:


> It is a TV series. I shoehorned it in here as I haven't seen a thread on What was the last TV series episode you saw?


There is a thread, 2021 TV Watching 





__





						2021 TV Watching.
					

I am going to start 2021 off by Watching. FIREFLY, CREEPSHOW Season 1,and the original OUTER LIMITS.   I've heard people really like FIREFLY.




					www.sffchronicles.com


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Girls on the Beach *(1965)

Imitation of the Frankie and Annette beach movies.  A bunch of beach bunnies are about to lose their sorority house unless they can come up with ten thousand bucks.  This leads to various schemes to raise cash.  The one acclaimed to be the prettiest enters a beauty contest, winning by performing a belly dance that includes tilting over the judges' table with her hips.  (She has to enter under a false name because her fiancé wouldn't approve.  He turns out to be as lustful as any other boy when he doesn't recognize her because she's wearing a transparent veil.)  The sexiest one is sent to seduce a brainy guy into solving a puzzle contest.  (This leads to a slapstick scene with a 1960's-style computer.)   The one who is supposed to be a good cook and the one who wears glasses, and who is thus obviously a scientific genius, enter a cake baking contest.  (This leads to two scenes of cakes created with SCIENCE! blowing up.)   Meanwhile, three boys pretend to know the Beatles to impress the girls.  (This involves one guy pretending to be Ringo.  His attempt at an accent is truly awful; he sounds about as much like Ringo as he does, say, John Wayne.)  The problem is that the girls arrange to have them get the Beatles for their talent show, thus raising the money.  Somehow this confusion leads to the three guys winding up in drag.  Even though they are very, very obviously boys in dresses, everybody thinks they're girls.  (A real girl even says about one "She's cute."  Believe me, "she" isn't cute.)  Of course, the Beatles don't show up, so four of the girls dress up as the Fab Four.  Continuing this movie's theme of the world's worst disguises working perfectly, everybody thinks they're the real thing, until they get revealed as ersatz Mop Tops, are a big hit, and get the money, singing the hit song "We Want to Marry a Beatle."  (Shouldn't that be "I Want to Marry a Beatle" or "We Want to Marry Beatles"?)  Anyway, alternating with all this extreme silliness are songs from the Beach Boys, Lesley Gore, and the Crickets (without the long deceased Buddy Holly, alas.)


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> It was interesting to compare _Young Frankenstein_ with _Blazing Saddles_. The latter is looser, more episodic and probably the inspiration for movies like _Airplane!_ where the jokes come rapid fire. The former is more controlled, following a more discernible plot -- in part remaking the 1931 _Frankenstein_ with more Mel Brooks, but not as much Mel Brooks as in _Blazing Saddles_.
> 
> ["Pardon me, boy, is this the Transylvania choo-choo?" "Yes, sir, track 29. Would you care for a shine?" Saw it first in a theater and this was such an obvious joke I should have seen it coming, but no; I think I missed the next three jokes because I was still laughing.]


I recall an HO train set used that song, otherwise, I doubt I would not have gotten the joke.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*The Green Knight. *Not sure how I feel about it.  Putting aside how far it strayed from the source material, it seemed to be trying too hard to be ambiguous and artistic.  On the other hand, there was a real sense of being on a mystical, otherworldly quest that I felt was missing from previous movies based on the same story,


----------



## Jeffbert

Aaaarrrg! massive paragraphs!


I had a Few critter-oriented horror films on my DVR, just watched

*RAZORBACK* (1984) On the Outback, a much over sized wild boar crashes into a grandfather's home, and makes off with his grandson.  The police charge him with murder, but lack evidence. Several years later, more people fall victim to the beast. Bereaved husband comes looking for revenge on the creature that killed his wife.



Two NOIR ALLEY films.


_*The Lineup*_ (1958) When Muller described this film's chase scene as being the best until BULLITT, I was surprised that I never heard of it before. The chase scene is very intense, and even has the getaway car fishtail very close to the end of an incomplete elevated highway. 

So, anyway, drug smugglers are stashing heroin inside souvenirs bought by unsuspecting American tourists, who have no trouble with getting through customs, partly because they are unaware of the smuggling. Once in the USA, the bad guys go to relieve the tourists of their souvenirs. 

Dancer (Eli Wallach) is the very violent newbie whom  Julian (Robert Keith) is teaching the business. Sandy (Richard Jaeckel) is the getaway driver. Oops, things go wrong from the start.



Spoiler



Two items are collected with no trouble, but the third, is unavailable, as the daughter had found the powder, and used it on her doll's face. How can the crooks make the drop without any explanation, and expect their client to be satisfied? Clearly, they need to meet the guy who makes the pickup, but he is unknown to them, and wants to remain so.  They are screwed if they do not attempt contact, and if they do, they are even worse - off.





_*JOHNNY O'CLOCK*_ (1947) Dick Powell has the title role, and is involved with gambling, etc., but is suspected when a cigarette girl (or, whatever) is murdered. Muller had previously said that Powell was out of his league as a noir heavy type, but, I recall no such critique this time. 

Skipping most of the supporting cast, the senior partner of the gambling  place is Guido Marchettis (Thomas Gomez, who had the last line other than from Rod Serling, in ESCAPE CLAUSE ) I knew I had seen him somewhere!   Anyway, he is a very jealous man, whose wife has her sights set on O'Clock, who rejects her advances, and is unaware of the animosity of his partner.


Best of all:  both of these films were new to me!


----------



## Jeffbert

Two, count 'em, two blaxploitation films from several weeks ago, TCM UNDERGROUND:

*DOLEMITE* (1975) VIOLENCE AND VERY NAUGHTY WORDS! Sorry, but it was two weeks ago, when I watched this, & that is about all I remember.



*TRUCK TURNER* (1974) Mack Truck Turner (Isaac Hayes) is an ex-football player who is now a bounty hunter. He takes an assignment to capture a pimp called Gator, which goes very wrong when Gator is killed. Now Gator's associate Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols) wants TT dead. 

Just as much violence and profanity as *DOLEMITE*, but this one was watched just a week ago, and the plot is a bit more fresh in my memory. But the filth uttered by NN! Just seemed out of place!


----------



## Droflet

*Enemy at the Gates*. 
For the umpteenth time. Still, a terrific movie, although very loosely based on the truth. A terrific cast with Ed Harris brilliant as Major Konig.


----------



## KGeo777

Ha! I thought Nichelle Nichols swearing was the best part of Truck Turner (that and the cat ending). I have never seen her in a non Star Trek film.
I suppose a madam of a prostitution ring is different enough from Lr Uhura.


*DIAL M FOR MURDER* 1954  - I don't know if I had seen this before-I kept thinking of Sorry, Wrong Number.
The radio play. I was surprised to see Bob Cummings in a serious role. I associate him with Five Golden Dragons. I spotted Patrick Allen as a subordinate to the inspector (who does some Columbo-like tricks in this). I think Grace Kelly's acting leaves something to be desired though-at one point she does a weird expression of gaping mouth despair as she is being questioned which seemed awfully artificial.
This is a case where Hitchcock did not have a strong woman character. Unless the fact she was having an affair outside of marriage was the progressive element for the time.


----------



## worldofmutes

I watched *Jungle Cruise *with some family tonight. Decent for a Hollywood movie. Although I couldn’t hear it.

It was full of indigenous south american folklore. Although I was suspicious of the language they were using when I heard “Watashi” i thought maybe it was about the kauri tree from Maori mythology. Just to put an edge on the conversation…


----------



## worldofmutes

Droflet said:


> *Enemy at the Gates*.
> For the umpteenth time. Still, a terrific movie, although very loosely based on the truth. A terrific cast with Ed Harris brilliant as Major Konig.


Nice! Was it about the Ottoman Empire or not?


----------



## Droflet

No worm, it was about the battle for Stalingrad. An edge-of-the-seat thriller about a Russian sniper being hunted by the best sniper Germany has. It's definitely worth a look.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> I didn't like the time reversal scene in the Donner version.
> I think it worked in the original as a way of showing Superman doing something really super that was done for himself instead of for others and in defiance of Jor-El.
> Also, I think his mother was more logical to have in the scene where he asks to have his powers removed...Marlon Brando's floating head is just not as good.
> Some of the Richard Lester stuff was ok but he did overdo the Metropolis comedy--though I did like the phone booth guy.
> 
> 
> A SPECIAL COP IN ACTION 1976 - The Italian Dirty Harry, Maurizio Merli, wants to take down a crime boss (John Saxon) but ends up framed for murder and sent to the pokey. It's not as fun as some of the other Poliziotteschi  flicks--Saxon was in a few better ones--but it does keep your attention. I was unaware until recently how violent it was in Italy in the 70s. These movies were reflecting the dangerous climate where kidnappings and shootings were happening frequently.
> 
> ​




I agree, the whole 'back in time' bit was lazy and poor writing, and it made the whole film pointless as he could have gone back and done that right at the start of the movie. It was just about acceptable that he did it in I , as it was an exceptional circumstance with the death of his love - but a repeat suggests that he does it on a regular basis. 

But as for the comedy elements, those were what made it such a fun movie, and without them it felt a bit odd and 'empty'.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Droflet said:


> No worm, it was about the battle for Stalingrad. An edge-of-the-seat thriller about a Russian sniper being hunted by the best sniper Germany has. It's definitely worth a look.




Top rated movie. The river crossing at the beginning of the movie is just as harrowing as the storming of the beach at the beginning of Private Ryan.


----------



## hitmouse

worldofmutes said:


> I watched *Jungle Cruise *with some family tonight. Decent for a Hollywood movie. Although I couldn’t hear it.
> 
> It was full of indigenous south american folklore. Although I was suspicious of the language they were using when I heard “Watashi” i thought maybe it was about the kauri tree from Maori mythology. Just to put an edge on the conversation…


We tried to watch this as a Friday family movie last night and quit by mutual consensus after about 45 mins. I was not expecting anything particularly original, but even so, we found this to be dull and plodding. Really nothing that has not been seen in Indiana Jones, the Mummy, Tomb Raider, etc. I enjoy this sort of film in general, but this one lacks the panache and wit to be interesting.

We watched an episode of Montalbano instead, and then I watched the first 90 mins of the new Peter Jackson Beatles doco, which is pleasantly slow, and very interesting, if you like this sort of thing. Yoko Ono is a silent and rather odd presence at John’s side throughout, and I can see why this might have irritated  the others.


----------



## REBerg

*Clifford The Big Red Dog*
Great film for kids and those among us who are seeking to escape back to our childhoods.


----------



## therapist

Teresa Edgerton said:


> *The Green Knight. *Not sure how I feel about it.  Putting aside how far it strayed from the source material, it seemed to be trying too hard to be ambiguous and artistic.  On the other hand, there was a real sense of being on a mystical, otherworldly quest that I felt was missing from previous movies based on the same story,


I watched this the other night, well, most of it. It was too abstract for me. I agree they managed to nail that mythical epic tone well. But I was not enjoying it.

I watched a couple more 2021 films recently. *Last night in Soho *started off brilliantly. After the first 40 minutes I was already planning on recommending it to everyone. About an aspiring fashion designer in London who finds that she can travel back to the sixties, like in 'Midnight in Paris'. Then it turned into a horror movie out of nowhere and the main character spent the next 70 minutes screaming and running away from ghosts. After which they then tried to return to the plot threads opened at the beginning and it just did not work at all for me.

Also saw *Pig. *Actually enjoyed this one. Nicholas Cage as a truffle farmer. Found it quite sweet, understated, and moving. Themes of grief, loss, and Nic Cage.


----------



## therapist

hitmouse said:


> We tried to watch this as a Friday family movie last night and quit by mutual consensus after about 45 mins.


I made it a little further in Jungle Cruise. I agree with your comments. But at the 1 hour mark there was a plot point/twist that I really enjoyed.


----------



## AE35Unit

Whats all this about big paragraphs?


----------



## J Riff

new junk...
*Stealth *2012- super-jet hit by lightning becomes conscious etcetc. Offensive story, characters, jokes and soundtrack, but great explosions and jet action.
*Black Friday*... you want this to be a Bruce Campbell epic ala Evil Dead series but he is restrained and seems uninterested. A gooey alien parasite hits 'We Are Toys' store on Black Friday. After that it's mostly jokes about retail sales, with possessed zomboids that run around absorbing shoppers into a big glob. Doesn't work as a horror or comedy movie, and just ends with no explanation of anything. 
*Just Another Science Fiction Movie* - just another waste of time.


----------



## Randy M.

AE35Unit said:


> Whats all this about big paragraphs?


A few of us posted lengthy plot rehearsals along with related thoughts and a few general observations on similar movies, and the massiveness of our efforts overwhelmed Jeffbert.

Not that that has stopped any of us, but it gives us something to kid him about.


----------



## KGeo777

THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY 1971 -  As we are in the middle of a rainstorm, I was happy to watch a film which had a big rainstorm in it--I like the synchronicity when that happens. This was ok but nothing special in the surprises. Standard murder mystery with typical giallo sleaze.


----------



## Fiberglass Cyborg

Jeffbert said:


> *METROPOLIS* (1927)  Seems like it influenced more than just the physical appearance of C3PO. I recall reading that Hitler saw this and wanted Lang to work for him. Apparently, H was impressed by how the film depicted humans as mere cogs in the machine. But there are 6 years between the release date of the film & H's ascension to power. Anyway, according to what I read, Lang being a Jew, decided to flee rather than accept to job. Note that the Wiki page says other things influenced H to offer the job to Lang.
> 
> Anyway, in viewing it, it does seem to have communist message, or, perhaps better to say a message that could easily be interpreted as such.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> when the workers realize they had been led astray, & demand the death of the witch (the robot in the form of Maria) there are scenes of the pursuit of the fake M then fake M on a man's shoulders at a party, followed by more pursuit. I was almost thinking the real M was being chased. Not the case. Now, I wonder if somebody goofed in reassembling the pieces into 1 film.



Hitler also apparently offered to recognise his favourite Viennese operetta composer, Hungarian Jewish Emmerich Kalman, as an "honorary Aryan." Kalman wisely voted with his feet. Either all these stories are apocryphal, or Adolph did this a lot.


----------



## AE35Unit

The daft thing is Hitler wasn't Aryan himself!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Untamed Women *(1952)

Ultra-cheap example of the "guys find a land full of cave girls" subgenre.  Starts with a fellow in the hospital suffering from amnesia due to a head injury.  They give him some kind of drug so he can tell his story to an archeologist (?) so they can find out if it's true. 

A flashback shows a bomber in World War Two getting shot down over the ocean.  (Lots of stock footage.)  Four survivors in a lifeboat (the macho guy, the country boy from Arkansas, the excruciating comedy relief from Brooklyn, and, oddly, a guy who resents his domineering mother) wind up on an island inhabited by beautiful, spear-wielding women in fake animal skin minidresses.  The "hairy ones" killed their menfolk.

It seems they are the descendants of  Druids (!) who left England when the Romans showed up.  They all speak English in American accents with lots of "ye" and "thou" sprinkled in.  Given the minimal acting skills of the ladies, this makes the dialogue truly hilarious.   The mandatory dance sequence is pretty amusing as well.

The priestess, who gets to wear a fake animal skin cape and an amulet, sends the male prisoners into a valley full of dinosaurs (footage stolen from 1940's *One Million B. C.*) but they get rescued by the man-hungry cavewomen.  (Mother-resenting guy gets attacked by a meat-eating plant.)  Eventually the "hairy ones" (cavemen with really fake beards) attack (the priestess even gets a spear in her back), the island's volcano blows up (stock footage), the amnesia guy is the only survivor.  The archeologist confirms that the amulet he got from the priestess is from the time of the Druids.

Really, really bad stuff, and thus quite enjoyable.


----------



## J-WO

*In The Earth* (2020)

Filmed during lockdown, Ben Wheatley's movie combines science fiction and folk horror. It gets a lot out of bang out of it's low budget buck and fans of Alan Garner may well get a lot out of it. It's one problem is it's too evocative of COVID and lockdown, which I sense people don't have much time for at the moment in terms of escapism. Give it a few years and I think In The Earth will get the attention it deserves.


----------



## Mouse

*Robin Robin *on Netflix. Only half hour long. Nice little animated Christmas short from the Aardman Studios.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BURNT OFFERINGS* (1976) So, this nice family rents a house for the summer, & are rather surprised to see how little _*money*_ it will cost them; little do they realize, there will be a *price* to pay that is not dollars or cents. Soon after arriving, they begin annoying each other, and eventually are at one-another's throats. 

O.k., so this is horror, but I found myself laughing. 



Spoiler



especially when the dad goes out the attic window. It seems like he is trying to swim in midair.  



The ending seems like something from THE TWILIGHT ZONE, 


Spoiler



what, with the portraits on the shelf, which we had seen earlier, now also have the most recent tenants/victims


----------



## alexvss

*Last Night in Soho*: newest one by Edgar Wright (*Scott Pilgrim Against the World*, *Baby Driver*). 

A girl from rural England enrolls in a Fashion Course in London and soon starts having visions of the terrible things that happened to a singer in the 1960s. It's Wright's first time directing a Horror movie, and boy, this bloke is way too good at his job! 

The screenplay has problems though. The first act is a bore and demands patience. Although pretty short (100 min), this movie was more tiresome to watch than *Dune*. The societal messages remembered me about Jordan Peele's movies, but the plot twist at the end kinda ruined everything.

The girls are played by Thomasin Mackenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy, who pull terrific performances. The supporting cast, though, is either not-so-good or expendable. 

The movie is similar to *Black Swan (2010)* in a lot of ways: the nightmares, the bullying, the fledging artist... But it doesn't feel derivative at all.

What happened here is pretty similar to what happened to Wes Anderson's *The French Dispatch *earlier this year: the flick is technically perfect, but not the director's best, mostly because of some screenwriting choices.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Three Steps in the Dark *(1953)

Old-fashioned British murder mystery.  Cantankerous rich fellow invites folks over to his mansion.  There's rich nephew and his wife; poor nephew and his French fiancée; niece who happens to be a mystery writer; and his lawyer.  You might as well add a butler and a very elderly, very confused woman servant to the list of suspects.  (By the way, one has to assume that rich nephew and mystery writer are cousins -- children of different siblings of the cantankerous fellow -- rather than brother and sister, because we find out they had a romance going before rich nephew got married!)  Cantankerous fellow intends to give poor nephew his mansion, but only if he dumps the French woman.  His reason is that she is technically still married to a guy who ran off.  If he doesn't, he'll leave the mansion to the confused servant.  Of course, somebody shoots the cantankerous guy, while both poor nephew and French woman have left the place, separately.  There's also an attempted poisoning before mystery writer solves the case.  It's a modest little whodunit, only an hour long, that could easily be done as a stage play.


----------



## Vladd67

Battle Beneath the Planet (1967)
A Chinese general tunnels under the US with his private army to place nukes.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Mary Poppins Returns (2018)*

I can't help feel that this should be called Mary Poppins Reloaded, or Mary Poppins Resupercalifradulisticexpialidocialised. Anyhow, it's surprisingly good. Emily Blunt is very good as Poppins: similar to the original, although not really an impersonation of Julie Andrews, which is probably a good thing. She could be another being of the same species with the same title, although I might be overthinking this. Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are decent as the grown-ups. Lin Manuel Miranda is Jack, the equivalent of Bert in the original. His accent is better than Dick van Dyke's (faint praise!) and he makes an excellent sidekick to Poppins.

Musicals aren't really my sort of thing, but the choreography of the songs is very good and there are some fun and touching moments. It's pretty ingenious and good fun.


----------



## KGeo777

THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE 1967 - Tends to be overlooked as far as Roger Corman movies go but it's a *crime procedural* higher budget effort thanks to the cast (Jack Nicholson gets one line of dialogue). Historically, it is interesting that this had a machine gun massacre sequence--and this came out a few weeks before Bonnie and Clyde. At the time--that kind of machine gun violence display was not too common. I can't think of an early film that would use exploding blood squibs on a body.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe* (1974)

What if Poe's life had been like a Poe story?  You might have something like this cheap little film.  Starts with a tree with the words "Edgar Loves Lenore" written on it.  A guy in front of the tree talks directly to the audience, explaining that Poe's experience drove him to write his macabre tales.  We see Poe (the guy who played "Charlie X" on _Star Trek_, unrecognizable under Poe wig and makeup) and Lenore (some very 1970's blonde) share a shampoo commercial style love, then Lenore suddenly collapses.  Cut to the opening titles, which are done as words on the spines of books, which is kind of cute.   This is ruined by a dreadful, and wildly inappropriate, soft pop song.

Anyway, Lenore is buried, but just before the dirt is piled on her coffin -- you guessed it -- they find out she's really alive and pull her out.  Her hair is solid white and she's in a catatonic state, so she winds up at the seemingly humane asylum of Doctor Grimaldi (Cesar Romero.)  The rest of this thing is so poorly lit that it's hard to follow, but somehow it involves a howling madman, brain surgery experiments, a raft floating in a pool of water full of snakes, a torture chamber, and a bunch of killings at the end.    Not a good film, but odd enough.


----------



## KGeo777

I have been wanting to see that Poe movie. I have it on the shelf for watching sometime.

FOR A FEW DOLLARS LESS 1966-- A spoof of For A Few Dollars More. Maybe it works better in italian but the humor is hit and miss and mostly a miss although the opening scene is a parody of the opening of FAFDM where someone shoots a character from a distance. It doesn't work as planned. There are puppets of Eastwood and Van Cleef in the opening credits but other than a character who spoofs Gian Maria Volonte it's not particularly funny.


----------



## Jeffbert

I was going to watch that, but after your comments, I think I will pass. 


TCM ran both ALIEN & the film that may have inspired it a few nights ago.  Ben M introduced both, as well as gave closing comments. 1st was 

_*It! The Terror From Beyond Space*_ (1958), which had the 1950s one piece spaceship with decks connected by staircases right in the middle, and was much wider on the inside than the outside. 

So, a 2nd mission to Mars goes to capture the sole survivor of the 1st mission, who is assumed to have murdered the others. On the voyage home, because somebody left a hatch open for a few minutes, It! boards the 2nd ship & starts munching on its crew.  They try various ways to 1st find it, and more than a few ways of killing it. most are killed in the attempts. 



_*ALIEN *_(1979)  Having watched _*IT!*_ Monday night, & watching this Tuesday, it is easy to see the similarities. Granted, Alien makes _*IT!*_ look like an Elementary school play by comparison, but much changed in films, etc., in the 21 years between these films. _* Alien *_adds several elements, including the company's rather self-centered policies, which place profit far above the lives of the employees.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*ALIEN *_(1979)  Having watched _*IT!*_ Monday night, & watching this Tuesday, it is easy to see the similarities. Granted, Alien makes _*IT!*_ look like an Elementary school play by comparison, but much changed in films, etc., in the 21 years between these films. _* Alien *_adds several elements, including the company's rather self-centered policies, which place profit far above the lives of the employees.



And including not letting astronauts play with bazookas. I never could work out why the second Manned Mission To Mars needed one of them.  I think the set of  _*IT!*_ is a brilliant bit of low-budget design.  Having the same set function over and over again as different places must have saved a fortune.

Tonight I watched *Vampire Circus* a wonderfully sleazy, dreamlike piece of, 'let's fill the screen with tits',  late Hammer horror nonsense.


----------



## KGeo777

MODESTY BLAISE 1966 -- I had seen it before and forgot it--probably to spare myself the awful memory.
It is really a bad movie. These Hollywood spy comedies can be so awful. So terrible. And it was nominated for a Palme d'Or!


----------



## Droflet

I enjoyed the comic strip as a kid, but yes, the movie was a nonsensical train wreck.


----------



## AE35Unit

@Jeffbert You mean there's another film called IT? No clowns in that one?


----------



## Randy M.

IT's true! And 100% fewer clowns.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> @Jeffbert You mean there's another film called IT? No clowns in that one?











						It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - IMDb
					

It! The Terror from Beyond Space: Directed by Edward L. Cahn. With Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran. The first manned expedition to Mars is invaded by an unknown life form, which stows away on the rescue ship.




					www.imdb.com


----------



## Justin Swanton

JunkMonkey said:


> It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - IMDb
> 
> 
> It! The Terror from Beyond Space: Directed by Edward L. Cahn. With Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran. The first manned expedition to Mars is invaded by an unknown life form, which stows away on the rescue ship.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.imdb.com


Reminds me of The Green Slime which I watched when about 9. Had nightmares for a couple of nights after that. I watched a bit of it recently. Absolutely hilarious.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) - IMDb
> 
> 
> It! The Terror from Beyond Space: Directed by Edward L. Cahn. With Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran. The first manned expedition to Mars is invaded by an unknown life form, which stows away on the rescue ship.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.imdb.com


Sounds...great


----------



## LilPunchy

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


Yor, Hunter from the future


----------



## JunkMonkey

LilPunchy said:


> Yor, Hunter from the future



He's the MAaa-haaan!


----------



## KGeo777

FRAULEIN DOKTOR 1969 --- In a battle between the two Sues, Suzy Kendall and Susan George (they look alike except the latter gets raped more and has bigger teeth while Kendall has a bigger scream) I prefer Kendall to George and this was a good showcase for her in a leading part as a German spy in WW 1--with Nigel Green as a scheming spy master. The title score by Ennio Morricone is unusually haunting and took me by surprise--especially after watching the Modesty Blaise film the night before. I expected something comedic.

But the tone becomes understandable when we get to the poison gas sequences. The scene where rats and dogs (in gas masks) are treated to poison gas by Capucine is nightmarish and cruel and does not look simulated. As a IMDB reviewer says, if it was faked,  "they gave award-winning performances." Then a trench warfare scene in the final act is also a nightmare-showing the awfulness of trench combat-with a memorable image of Darth Vader-ish soldiers and horses in gas masks.  It's understandable this film is not well known--it's not very pleasant and uneven but lingers in the mind.   A gerrythree on IMDB said: "Fräulein Doktor is a demonstration of how, 40 years ago, the once great film industry in Western Europe could turn out movies that had broad appeal all over the world. In the late 60s, while the big Hollywood studios were on the ropes, Italy, France and England were turning out movies to fill the void left by Hollywood's decline. There were the James Bond pictures (Doctor No was a surprise hit in the USA, it was first released at the Century theater chain in NYC with a 99 cent afternoon admission price), the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns (with A Fistful of Dollars released by a distributor that never paid the Italian producers a dime) and French crime movies that usually went to art houses, with exceptions like The Sicilian Clan. And there were European co-productions like Doctor Zhivago and, of course, Fräulein Doktor. Fräulein Doktor was good enough that some viewers still remember the movie decades later, long after it was out of circulation."


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Babadook* 2014
Man that was creepy!


----------



## AE35Unit

*Curse of the Nun*
Why did I bother watching this heap of poo. Seriously, one of the worst films I've seen, with the worst bit of continuity I've seen. The girl gets stabbed with a crucifix. She runs down the hall then pulls it out of her left shoulder. She cleans herself up in the bathroom and manages to put a bandage on the right shoulder. 
The audio ambience was off in this film. Gunshots sounded like cap guns, the slightest tap on something hard sounded really clicky. Basically its bad, very bad. They should have made it as an all out comedy, cos no-one is gonna take this seriously!


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Year of the Sex Olympics*

Prescient tv drama from 1968 featuring a young Brian Cox and Leonard Rossiter. In the near future, to control overpopulation, a tyrannical government divides society into two classes - high and low drive. The low drives are distracted from copulation by a diet of pornography. In order to create a new style of tv, a couple are stranded on a scottish isle and forced to undergo trials for the amusement of the public.

When Mark Gatiss saw Big Brother for the first time he apparently cried out "Don't they know what they're doing? [...] It's _The Year of the Sex Olympics_! [playwright] Nigel Kneale was right!"

Can be watched at the link below:


----------



## KGeo777

Another random yet synchronized movie pairing.

CHICAGO CONFIDENTIAL 1957 --Union boss is framed for murder by mobsters and the DA has to clue in that he has the wrong guy. Builds suspense as it goes.

Then I watched another movie set in Chicago, CODE OF SILENCE 1985. This was an Orion made film like ROBOCOP, and like that film, it has the future of law enforcement--a  robot tank--which according to the credits was an actual police-designed instrument. As Chuck Norris movies go, it's quite good. His limited range is used well.


----------



## Vince W

Dune (2021).


----------



## Jeffbert

_*INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS*_ (1978) I saw the original film several years ago, & other than a very general comparison, I cannot make. I cannot say which I prefer, but both are great, or should I say, 'disturbing'?

The story is that alien extraterrestrial plants are copying the physical forms, and most psychological characteristics of humans, minus their emotions.  Strange  flowers are growing on other plats, and eventually become pods in which the reproductions form & grow. Leonard Nimoy portrays one such emotionless pod person, who, being a prominent psychiatrist is in a position to take advantage of the few remaining humans who naively trust him.


----------



## Jeffbert

Another NOIR ALLEY film, 

_*TIGHT SPOT*_ (1955) I almost forgot about this one! The story is about police attempting to both convince a frightened witness Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers) to testify against the mob boss Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene), and keep her alive and well enough to do so. 

DA Lloyd Hallett (Edward G. Robinson, 1st time I ever saw him smoking anything other than a big cigar!? a cigarette just seems odd!)  &  Vince Striker (Brian Keith)  have tricked the mob by not taking her to the city jail, but to a hotel instead, where she takes advantage of the situation and orders expensive meals, etc., but she insists she will not testify. 

Two days until the trial, and mob boss is not happy that her location remains unknown. but he has bought / bribed some police, and expects to eliminate the witness very soon.

Tense drama, & best of all, this one is new to me!


----------



## KGeo777

lol Vince Striker.
What a name.
I saw Keith in Chicago Confidential-also taking on the mob.


The ending of the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers came as quite a surprise but I remebber the opening best.

"If it's a caper, eat it."


----------



## Mouse

*Sonic the Hedgehog*. It was alright. What else can be done with a Sonic movie, really? Irritating little douchebag of a character though. I prefer Tails.


----------



## Randy M.

Mouse said:


> *Sonic the Hedgehog*. It was alright. What else can be done with a Sonic movie, really? Irritating little douchebag of a character though. I prefer Tails.


My 3-year-old grandson loved it. Also _Bumblebee._


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire* 2002
Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) plays Sherlock Holmes in this non Conan Doyle story about, well, a vampire. At first I thought it was a horror we were watching but of course, it isn't. A bit cheesy but, despite the fake posh voice, Frewer looks the part, even though he dons the clichéd Deerstalker.


----------



## alexvss

Mouse said:


> *Sonic the Hedgehog*. It was alright. What else can be done with a Sonic movie, really? Irritating little douchebag of a character though. I prefer Tails.


Tails will star in the sequel, which will be in theaters in 2022 (he appeared in the end of the first movie).


----------



## KGeo777

*THE DOUBLE MAN *1967 I wanted to check it out again---an interesting serious spy movie with Yul Brynner and the Austrian Tyrol as a backdrop (later used in Assignment K and On Her Majesty's Secret Service). There's a special effects shot in this which is really impressive--not to give it away but this sort of thing wasn't easy to do until the CGI age. How ever they did it in 1967, it was very convincing.


----------



## Mouse

alexvss said:


> Tails will star in the sequel, which will be in theaters in 2022 (he appeared in the end of the first movie).


Did he?! I missed that!


----------



## alexvss

Mouse said:


> Did he?! I missed that!


You're not being ironic, are you?  

Well, in case you aren't:


----------



## Mouse

@alexvss Ah thanks!! I watched it on Netflix and it ended after the Dr Robotnik scene, so they cut the Tails bit!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS*_ (1978) I saw the original film several years ago, & other than a very general comparison, I cannot make. I cannot say which I prefer, but both are great, or should I say, 'disturbing'?
> 
> The story is that alien extraterrestrial plants are copying the physical forms, and most psychological characteristics of humans, minus their emotions.  Strange  flowers are growing on other plats, and eventually become pods in which the reproductions form & grow. Leonard Nimoy portrays one such emotionless pod person, who, being a prominent psychiatrist is in a position to take advantage of the few remaining humans who naively trust him.




Two more versions to go!


----------



## Toby Frost

Mon0Zer0 said:


> The Year of the Sex Olympics



I thought that Nigel Kneale's TV show, _Beasts_, while very very dated, was really interesting.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Timetrap*
A young family go looking for someone in a cave but something odd is going on outside, and they are trapped.
An interesting take on the time distortion story. Different!


----------



## Phyrebrat

AE35Unit said:


> *The Babadook* 2014
> Man that was creepy!


Thank you, you’re welcome 



Mouse said:


> *Sonic the Hedgehog*. It was alright. What else can be done with a Sonic movie, really? Irritating little douchebag of a character though. I prefer Tails.



Was there a character in it called Ulala? A pink haired DJ ? I loves her, I do. Also I thought Tails was a girlfox not a boyfox??


----------



## Mouse

Phyrebrat said:


> Thank you, you’re welcome
> 
> 
> 
> Was there a character in it called Ulala? A pink haired DJ ? I loves her, I do. Also I thought Tails was a girlfox not a boyfox??



You're thinking of Space Channel 5 maybe? Gayest game in the world? Tails is a boy, his real name is Miles.


----------



## AE35Unit

*What happened to Monday?*
Interesting future-set tale of over population controlled by imposing a 1 child per family policy


----------



## Phyrebrat

Mouse said:


> You're thinking of Space Channel 5 maybe? Gayest game in the world? Tails is a boy, his real name is Miles.



No wonder she’s so fabulous 

I play her in _Sonic Allstars Racing Transformed. _She’s a ledg!!! 

Tails sounds like a girl in the game. Also her car drives like crap.


----------



## Mouse

Phyrebrat said:


> No wonder she’s so fabulous
> 
> I play her in _Sonic Allstars Racing Transformed. _She’s a ledg!!!
> 
> Tails sounds like a girl in the game. Also her car drives like crap.



I've got a mate who's obsessed with Space Channel 5. I can guarantee that whenever he rings me he will, at some point, play Space Channel 5 music down the phone to me. 

Tails does sound like a girl.


----------



## KGeo777

Agent 3S3, Massacre in the Sun 1966 - George Ardisson returns in this James Bond rip-off which features a blonde Robert Shaw lookalike as one of the villains.  Some of the  fighting scenes are intense otherwise one of the more middle of the road spy clones.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*VAMPYR*_ (1932) I may have dozed-off occasionally, or perhaps have been distracted, because I could not make sense out of this film. The 1st half was o.k., but the end left me scratching my head. 



Spoiler



The villain entered what was a small cage (for lack of better word)  in what may have been some kind of mill. I could see no reason for entering the cage, other than to trap him and kill him by suffocating him in the powder that fell from above. Then, once he was inside, gears began turning, and powder fell from above. Now he realizes he is trapped & begins shouting for help. Eventually, he is covered and the film ends.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Forest *(1982)

Ultra-cheap slasher.  After two random folks get killed while hiking, we cut to our main characters, two women and their husbands.  After a lot of discussion about whether or not women can go backpacking on their own, they decide to go off together, the women in one car and the men in another.  The men have car trouble, so they get to the camping site after dark.  Meanwhile, our knife-wielding maniac has killed one of the women.  In a bizarre twist, the women have already been visited by the ghosts of the madman's wife and children.  The men find the killer in his cave, where he's eating a chunk of the dead woman's flesh, telling them it's "doe."  We eventually get our explanatory flashback.  Guy found his wife in bed with lover, so he killed them both, the kids killed themselves.  The electronic soundtrack and pop/rock songs are really out of place.  Not a good film.


----------



## KGeo777

DER ZINKER 1963  The English title isn't much better: The Squeaker.  An Edgar Wallace krimi about a killer who uses mamba venom to zap his victims. Could have done without the sequence of a live rat being put into a tank to be snatched by a boa constrictor but otherwise, it was pretty good--and better dubbed than most of these I have seen. Usually the English version has very boring performances.

A MAN COULD GET KILLED 1966 - Mostly painful spy comedy starring James Garner. They made so many comedy spy movies. I don't think the humor in James Bond movies is what made them so popular at the time. I notice in Hollywood films they loved portraying British characters as good-natured but eccentric to the point of idiocy. The ubiquitous Terry-Thomas routine.  I say, what.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE UNSUSPECTED*_ (1947) RADIO crime host Victor Grandison (Claude Rains) has suffered the loss of his secretary through what had been assumed to be suicide, but was later confirmed to be murder. Other people also die. Very entertaining mystery / drama. 

Supporting cast includes Fred Clark, who portrays Richard Donovan, a friend of Grandison who is later revealed to be a Police Detective. Muller followed the film with some details on Clark's work, mainly films, but omitted mention of his role in a certain TWILIGHT ZONE story about a special camera.  One of my favorite TTZ stories, and a character actor who usually plays scoundrels/ frauds.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Delinquents *(1957)

Robert Altman's first film features Tom "Billy Jack" Laughlin in an early role.  His girlfriend's father says she's too young to go steady, so he forbids him from seeing her.  While sitting alone at a drive-in movie, he gets wrongly accused of slashing somebody's tires, so he gets beaten up.  The delinquents of the title, who we've seen busting the window of a nightclub when they got thrown out for being underage, come to his rescue.  The seemingly nice one offers to pretend to be dating his girlfriend so she can sneak out with him.  They wind up at a wild party in an empty house.  The cops show up, and he gets blamed for ratting on them.  They force him to drink a bottle of booze and dump him at a gas station after knocking out the attendant.    As he staggers home, the gang kidnaps his girlfriend.  This all builds up to our hero going all Billy Jack on the gang's creepiest member, and then the seemingly nice one.  There's a surprising lack of campiness for a youth-in-trouble film, except for the opening and closing narration, which goes on and on about society having to deal with the problem of delinquency, etc.


----------



## AE35Unit

*House on Willow Street* 2016

After a young woman is kidnapped, her captors soon come to realize that in fact they may be the ones in danger and this young woman has a dark secret inside her.
Not bad but a lousy ending


----------



## AE35Unit

*Countdown*
A predictable YA 'horror' about an app that tells you how long you have left. Yawn


----------



## Vince W

AE35Unit said:


> *Countdown*
> A predictable YA 'horror' about an app that tells you how long you have left. Yawn


There's a copyright violation there somewhere.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Search for Bridey Murphy *(1956)

Dramatization of the best-selling book based on a thoroughly debunked "true story" of hypnosis causing an American woman to recall her past life as a 19th century Irish woman.  It's very professionally made, well-acted, and so forth, but the attempt to make what the woman said under hypnosis (taken from actual transcripts) exciting doesn't always work.  (The real American woman, it seems, was basing her knowledge of Ireland on what a woman told her as a child, so it's pretty vague.)  In the movie, at least, she also recalls her own death, afterlife, and rebirth.  Interesting for a portrait of what seized the American imagination at the time.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). I was expecting to love this film, but I have mixed feelings having watched it. I really only cared about one of the main characters, as her personality was actually explored. I wish they had done something without Gozer. Not enough ghosts. I did think it was well-shot and liked the look of it. The pacing bothered me. There were still some nice touches, but I wouldn't want to further spoil it.


----------



## MidnightInAurora

*Made in Abyss - Dawn of the Deep Soul*

Kids in cans.  Who in the h... thought that up?  The series seems to get darker as time goes on.  Hopefully the second TV series in 2022 won't be quite so gruesome.


----------



## Droflet

Sounds like my kind of anime. It's on my list to get. Thanks, Midnight.


----------



## dask




----------



## Droflet

I loved Hugo, Unknown was okay, the others aren't my cup of java.


----------



## KGeo777

THE BLACK PIRATE 1976 - Came out the same year as Swashbuckler which was a pretty dreadful pirate film. This is a totally serious pirate tale with Kabir Bedi as a mystical buccaneer seeking revenge for his dead brothers. Not much joking around in this although I watched the shorter English version.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Monty Python and the Holy Grail* - Less of a film than a set of sketches linked by a quest, this is generally quite entertaining and occasionally really funny. It's also very well shot, and gains a lot from looking very good. Unfortunately I watched it just after the much funnier (but not a film) Blackadder's Christmas Carol, which was going to be hard to beat in the comedy stakes. Still, the Holy Grail is very good, and the rabbit is super. The animations are particularly amusing, including a weary, irritable God who just seems to find humans annoying.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Toby Frost said:


> *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* - Less of a film than a set of sketches linked by a quest, this is generally quite entertaining and occasionally really funny. It's also very well shot, and gains a lot from looking very good. Unfortunately I watched it just after the much funnier (but not a film) Blackadder's Christmas Carol, which was going to be hard to beat in the comedy stakes. Still, the Holy Grail is very good, and the rabbit is super. The animations are particularly amusing, including a weary, irritable God who just seems to find humans annoying.



Blackadder's Christmas Carol is one of the funniest episodes of the show. If you haven't already checked it out then The Cavalier Years is also very good; sadly Back & Forth released some years later had by that stage lost it's spark somewhat.

Spamalot is a brilliant transition of Holy Grail to the stage, and apparently there is a movie on it's way for anyone not able to see it at a theatre.


----------



## Toby Frost

I've only seen Back and Forth once, but I remember thinking it was a bit weak. IIRC, it was made for a show at the Millenium Dome and had to be a bit more family-friendly.  The Cavalier Years is really decent too. Stephen Fry's King Charles is very good.

I'd like to see Spamalot, but a movie would be more my kind of thing than a stage musical, especially at the moment. Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye out for that!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard* (1950)

Espionage B movie that seems more like a police procedural.  Guy at a guided missile testing site in the California desert reports to Washington that he's uncovered a ring of enemy spies.  The bad guys kill him and make it look like suicide by overdose.  The American good guys decide to check it out by performing an autopsy, but there's already somebody at the grave digging around.  After a fistfight, they find out this is actually a British good guy working on the same case.  He's our actual hero, played by an Australian actor.  Picture a low budget James Bond of the time.  We quickly find out that the dead man's secretary is supposedly being treated for her traumatic memories of being in a concentration camp during the war, but the doctor is actually one of the bad guys, giving her a drug that makes her spill everything she knows about the missile project.  The recording of her information is transferred via the stoppers of bottles of drinking water.  Meanwhile, the good guys track down an unidentified man at the dead man's funeral, who is one of the bad guys working at the bottled water company.  (Don't ask me why he was at the funeral.)  The bad guys kill this leak, and almost kill our hero, who pretends to be in a coma so the secretary can be used as bait for the bad guys.  (She doesn't know anything about this, which seems to be an unpleasant thing to do to her.)  Our hero puts on a pretty good old man disguise to infiltrate the doctor's office, leading to fights and chase scenes.  It's not a bad little film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hong Kong Confidential *(1958)

Another low budget B spy movie.  The son of the ruler of a fictional Middle Eastern nation is kidnapped by the Commies, in an attempt to force the monarch to sign a treaty with the East instead of the West.  Our hero is played by Gene Barry.  He's a secret agent whose cover story is that of a nightclub singer in Hong Kong, and as a guy who will get involved in any profitable deal, legal or illegal.  (Barry tries to sing twice.  As a singer, he's a great spy.)  Some guy tries to sell information to him for five hundred bucks, so he can get out of Hong Kong fast.  He's killed by the bad guys before he can spill the beans, but a background check reveals that he was in the fictional Middle Eastern nation for a while.  This leads our hero to Macao, where the dead man's girlfriend (b movie favorite Allison Hayes) is part of a gold smuggling ring that is also involved in the kidnapping.  Barry's innocent girlfriend doesn't know anything about his real job, and is threatened by the bad guys when things get out of hand.  As usual, the Good Girl is much less memorable than the Bad Girl.  It's a so-so bit of modest entertainment.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Flying Saucer *(1950)

Said to be the first movie about the flying saucer phenomenon.  Starts with headlines about saucers appearing above various places in the USA with people looking up at something we don't see.  One woman looks up and then screams wildly, which is pretty funny.  Some Washington guy sends our hero, apparently just a playboy, up to Alaska to check things out, only because he grew up there.  He's supposed to pretend that he had a nervous breakdown, and is accompanied by a nurse who is actually an American agent.  They arrive at his old cabin, where there's a new caretaker, who is so obviously an enemy spy that it's laughable.  Not much relevant to the plot happens for a while, as the two leads fall in love, look at the scenery, and so forth.  (Nice footage of Alaska, anyway.)  Eventually the Commies show up, trying to find the saucer.  It's not from outer space, it's the invention of a guy who wants to sell it.  We get maybe a minute of actual flying saucer footage, and it's not very impressive.  A really dreary example of minimal film making.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Battle Beneath the Earth *(1967)

Extremely silly British science fiction film.  Starts with two cops in Las Vegas getting a report of a "listening disturbance."  This turns out to be a guy with his ear on the sidewalk, muttering about how "they sound like ants."  His rantings have somehow managed to draw a crowd, so the cops disperse it and take the guy to the hospital.  He demands that our film's hero gets in contact with him. 

Our hero is a Naval officer who has been reassigned from an underwater habitat project, because it was destroyed by a tremor, to lab work.  He gets the message from the listening guy from a lab assistant, who just happens to be his sister.  Our hero flies to the hospital, which, incidentally, has slot machines for their patients who are compulsive gamblers.  

The guy isn't really crazy, although he sure acts that way; he's discovered that a renegade Chinese general has a private army, and he's dug all the way from China under the Pacific Ocean, and has no less than three tunnels dug across the USA filled with atomic bombs.  This nutty premise leads to a few US soldiers fighting a few Chinese soldiers underground.  

With the exception of minor characters, the Chinese characters are played by Occidental actors, which is really embarrassing.   Not to mention that the atomic bombs have dragon symbols on them, the general's hideout is full of stereotypical Chinese décor, and so forth.  He also has a pet hawk that plays no part in the plot, and is just there to tell us he's an evil megalomaniac.

The whole thing is like a grade school student's idea of a James Bond movie.  There's a Bad Girl, who uses what is obviously an ordinary handheld  battery-operated fan to hypnotize the hero, repeating over and over the little poem "Red is green and green is red.  The East is sunrise, the West is dead."  There's a Good Girl, a science type, who doesn't do much.  Since this G-rated movie seems to have been made by children, they both remain fully clothed and the hero doesn't smooch on either one.  The bombastic jazz soundtrack is another source of mirth.


----------



## CupofJoe

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Battle Beneath the Earth *(1967)
> 
> Extremely silly British science fiction film.  Starts with two cops in Las Vegas getting a report of a "listening disturbance."  This turns out to be a guy with his ear on the sidewalk, muttering about how "they sound like ants."  His rantings have somehow managed to draw a crowd, so the cops disperse it and take the guy to the hospital.  He demands that our film's hero gets in contact with him.
> 
> Our hero is a Naval officer who has been reassigned from an underwater habitat project, because it was destroyed by a tremor, to lab work.  He gets the message from the listening guy from a lab assistant, who just happens to be his sister.  Our hero flies to the hospital, which, incidentally, has slot machines for their patients who are compulsive gamblers.
> 
> The guy isn't really crazy, although he sure acts that way; he's discovered that a renegade Chinese general has a private army, and he's dug all the way from China under the Pacific Ocean, and has no less than three tunnels dug across the USA filled with atomic bombs.  This nutty premise leads to a few US soldiers fighting a few Chinese soldiers underground.
> 
> With the exception of minor characters, the Chinese characters are played by Occidental actors, which is really embarrassing.   Not to mention that the atomic bombs have dragon symbols on them, the general's hideout is full of stereotypical Chinese décor, and so forth.  He also has a pet hawk that plays no part in the plot, and is just there to tell us he's an evil megalomaniac.
> 
> The whole thing is like a grade school student's idea of a James Bond movie.  There's a Bad Girl, who uses what is obviously an ordinary handheld  battery-operated fan to hypnotize the hero, repeating over and over the little poem "Red is green and green is red.  The East is sunrise, the West is dead."  There's a Good Girl, a science type, who doesn't do much.  Since this G-rated movie seems to have been made by children, they both remain fully clothed and the hero doesn't smooch on either one.  The bombastic jazz soundtrack is another source of mirth.


When it came on TV, this film scared the crap out of me as a young child [I was about 5 or 6]. With a friend, I was planning to spend most of the summer digging a tunnel down to stop or met the Chinese [I can't remember which]. I think we got to about three feet in before my father stepped in and made us fill the hole in.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Haunting of Margham Castle*
British set American production (?) about a bunch of american paranormal investigators who travel to Wales to investigate an old haunted castle.
It was...ok, but there was only one person with a Welsh accent, and he was off camera! The barmaid in the pub serving the American guests was a cockney and when asked what Welsh rarebit is obviously had no interest in Welsh traditions! 
I wish people would do their research. A good idea wasted


----------



## CupofJoe

*Christmas in Dollywood *[2019]
Cute young widow and her daughter leaves New York to come back to her home town, family and *Dollywood*. She meets a nice guy and together the discover the true meaning of the season, to follow their passions and create a great event for *Dollywood*'s 30th anniversary.  But will he leave *Dollywood* for another job and will she go back to New York for her career? Or will they find true love and put family first at *Dollywood*? When the tense dramatic climax of the film is whether or not the *Dollywood* LED Xmas tree will work, you know you are not in social realist cinema. Dolly Parton is great as Dolly Parton and *Dollywood* looks like a lot of fun. 
I won't spoil the utterly not a surprise ending. but it is heart-warming as you knew it was going to be.
Maybe it is slightly better than the average Xmas movies...
Did I mention it was set in *Dollywood*? The film certainly does


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Flying Saucer *(1950)
> 
> Said to be the first movie about the flying saucer phenomenon.  Starts with headlines about saucers appearing above various places in the USA with people looking up at something we don't see.  One woman looks up and then screams wildly, which is pretty funny.  Some Washington guy sends our hero, apparently just a playboy, up to Alaska to check things out, only because he grew up there.  He's supposed to pretend that he had a nervous breakdown, and is accompanied by a nurse who is actually an American agent.  They arrive at his old cabin, where there's a new caretaker, who is so obviously an enemy spy that it's laughable.  Not much relevant to the plot happens for a while, as the two leads fall in love, look at the scenery, and so forth.  (Nice footage of Alaska, anyway.)  Eventually the Commies show up, trying to find the saucer.  It's not from outer space, it's the invention of a guy who wants to sell it.  We get maybe a minute of actual flying saucer footage, and it's not very impressive.  A really dreary example of minimal film making.


I saw this years ago; recall a scene of woman screaming, assumed it was the saucer, but was a bear. Perhaps that was the trailer.  Like a joke without a punchline.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Battle Beneath the Earth *(1967)
> 
> Extremely silly British science fiction film.  Starts with two cops in Las Vegas getting a report of a "listening disturbance."  This turns out to be a guy with his ear on the sidewalk, muttering about how "they sound like ants."  His rantings have somehow managed to draw a crowd, so the cops disperse it and take the guy to the hospital.  He demands that our film's hero gets in contact with him.
> 
> Our hero is a Naval officer who has been reassigned from an underwater habitat project, because it was destroyed by a tremor, to lab work.  He gets the message from the listening guy from a lab assistant, who just happens to be his sister.  Our hero flies to the hospital, which, incidentally, has slot machines for their patients who are compulsive gamblers.
> 
> The guy isn't really crazy, although he sure acts that way; he's discovered that a renegade Chinese general has a private army, and he's dug all the way from China under the Pacific Ocean, and has no less than three tunnels dug across the USA filled with atomic bombs.  This nutty premise leads to a few US soldiers fighting a few Chinese soldiers underground.
> 
> With the exception of minor characters, the Chinese characters are played by Occidental actors, which is really embarrassing.   Not to mention that the atomic bombs have dragon symbols on them, the general's hideout is full of stereotypical Chinese décor, and so forth.  He also has a pet hawk that plays no part in the plot, and is just there to tell us he's an evil megalomaniac.
> 
> The whole thing is like a grade school student's idea of a James Bond movie.  There's a Bad Girl, who uses what is obviously an ordinary handheld  battery-operated fan to hypnotize the hero, repeating over and over the little poem "Red is green and green is red.  The East is sunrise, the West is dead."  There's a Good Girl, a science type, who doesn't do much.  Since this G-rated movie seems to have been made by children, they both remain fully clothed and the hero doesn't smooch on either one.  The bombastic jazz soundtrack is another source of mirth.




This movie always seemed to be showing on tv when I was a kid. I'm not sure it'll ever see the light of day again tbh.


----------



## PenumbriaPress

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


Melancholia (2011) -- When most of us think of Science Fiction, we think of fantastical technology – such as the faster-than-light warp drive technology we’ve been shown in _Star Trek. _But what about a story such as _Melancholia_, written and directed by Lars von Trier? This one’s less a science fiction story about technology, and much more a story about the human condition, and it’s one of my favorites. I just re-watched it a few days ago. It examines the human spirit very closely and stars the lovely and very talented Kirsten Dunst. The main character, Justine, suffers from a very deep melancholia and her sister, Claire, suffers with nervousness. Although Claire is generally much higher functioning in society than Justine, they switch roles completely when an enormous errant planet the scientists have named _Melancholia_, is about to strike the Earth and wipe out our planet and all life on it. And what a star lineup: Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgaard, etc. Love this film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*La Vampire Nue* (The Naked Vampire) 1970 - Jean Rollin's first colour film and what a bizarre little weirdo it is too.  Lots of slow-paced wandering around with sudden bursts of badly-staged action and clumsy dialogue that made you think there might be some sort of story going on.   As it was I suspect Rollin and his crew broke into an interesting looking, unoccupied châteaux and spent a couple of nights filming each other wandering around it semi-naked and very slowly while they tried to come up with a plot.  It almost became dreamlike... but didn't quite  make it.   I spent a lot of this film wondering what it would be like if I played some Angelo Badalamenti music underneath because it was reminding me so much of David Lynch's much more successful attempts to do  the same sort of thing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Motor Patrol *(1950)

_Dragnet/Adam-12 _style crime film.  Starts with the discovery of a dead man on the street, apparently a victim of a hit-and-run driver.  Investigation by the detectives on the traffic squad lead to a hot car racket, the victim murdered because he knew too much.  The first half of the film has a fair amount of comedy, from interviews with witnesses (a "model" is with her "boyfriend," a much older man whose name she doesn't know; he gives his name as "John Smith") to an extended bit with the manager of a diner (familiar comic character actor Sid Melton) trying to get his nickel back from the operator after a failed phone call.  It gets a lot more serious when the murderer also kills a "motor" (motorcycle) cop.  The fiancé of the dead cop's brother, a rookie just out of the academy (played by an actor who looks a lot like Clark Gable,) goes undercover to solve the case.  It's an OK little B crime film.


----------



## KGeo777

EL CID 1961 - Viewing for the 60th anniversary this month. Some of the early romance stuff is a drag but overall it's quite a film. No humor-which is surprising. I can't remember a single joke--whenever I see Frank Thring I think of Eric Idle though.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*984:  Prisoner of the Future* (1982)

Odd little dystopian film, apparently made for Canadian television and intended as the pilot of an unsold series, although it's impossible to see how it could have continued.  We get our back story in little bits and pieces as flashbacks, so it's not linear at all.  A white-haired, white-bearded fellow starts something called "The Movement" which gets him elected to some high office.  Immediately afterward, anybody who opposed The Movement gets thrown in prison.  

Our protagonist is prisoner 984; the allusion to the Orwell novel seems deliberate.  Through a series of beatings and psychological tortures and interviews with "The Warden" (who could easily be a Number Two from _The Prisoner_,) we find out that they want him to confess to crimes against The Movement.  It seems a friend took him to a meeting of corporate types who were planning to oppose The Movement with a nuclear weapon.  He wanted nothing to do with it, but it's enough of an association to land him in hot water with The Movement.

The whole thing is talky and cheap-looking, and extremely vague about what The Movement is all about.  The few futuristic touches (robot prison guards, like the police in *THX 1138*; the gray uniforms with small rainbow patches that members of The Movement wear) don't add much.  But darned if it doesn't create a eerie mood that makes the viewer pay attention.  Oh, there's a twist ending:



Spoiler



After ten years, 984 gets a glimpse of the outside world, and it's a desert wasteland.


----------



## hitmouse

AE35Unit said:


> *The Haunting of Margham Castle*
> British set American production (?) about a bunch of american paranormal investigators who travel to Wales to investigate an old haunted castle.
> It was...ok, but there was only one person with a Welsh accent, and he was off camera! The barmaid in the pub serving the American guests was a cockney and when asked what Welsh rarebit is obviously had no interest in Welsh traditions!
> I wish people would do their research. A good idea wasted


This looks terrible. I live near Margam and know it very well. It has a beautiful old orangery, which is currently being used as a mass vaccination centre. The gardens overlook the Port Talbot steelworks.


----------



## Astro Pen

_*International*_ (2009)
                                  I think this would review better today than when it was released. The corruption of banks and arms dealers, their machinations and the murderous lengths they will go to to to maintain the secrecy of their deals is far closer to the surface than it was in it's day.
The 'texture' was an interesting mix of Hollywood and good British TV drama.  If you enjoy movies in which you have to pay attention to grasp the plot, like the Clooney / Damon *Syriana,* then you will like it. It has some strong action, paricularly the Guggenheim assasination/ shootout.
(The Guggenheim set must have been a sod to construct.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Requiem pour un Vampire *(aka Requiem for a Vampire and Caged Virgins)  My second Jean Rollin film of the week.  This one was made 3 years after _La vampire nue _.  Several actors reappear.  The films starts off with two girls dressed as clowns in a speeding car driven by a man.  The girls have guns and they are being pursued by another car.  Lots of shots are fired. The man is killed and  the girls lose their pursuers.   They set fire to the car with the body in it and wander around till they find a castle. In the castle they find a bed. Because they are French and in the presence of a bed they immediately take their clothes off. After a short scene of under-rehearsed and unenthusiastic sex they are disturbed by noises off and leave.   They find they can't leave.  Every path they take leads them back to the castle.   There are vampires in the castle.  Other women are in the dungeon chained to walls - actually 'chained' is not quite the right word. As she is violated by the vampire underlings one of the women lets go of the chain she had wrapped round her wrist and has to reattach herself to the wall as she is tenaciously groped by a bloke who looks like he is enjoying at much as she is.  I don't know what he was looking so miserable about;  at least he had clothes on.  The actress getting... whatever it was that was going on done to her, was having to do all this with her bare bum on a gritty dungeon wall.  The two clown girls aren't vampirised because the head vampire realises they are virgins and he will breed with them.  In the meantime they can go out and lure people to their doom. The next day one of them willingly loses her virginity to a passing stranger while on luring duty.  She loses it doing that strange, not-quite-touching-or-moving sex that they had to do back then to get past the censors.  Or maybe that's the way the French did make love back then.  Apparently there is a HUGE swathe of France called "La diagonale du vide" which is incredibly unpopulated.  I was was listening to a radio show about an author who had walked it recently researching a book.  He claimed that at one point during his journey he walked for _three days_ without seeing a single other person.  If this is the way French people really f***ed back in the 1970s that would explain a lot...   The other girl meanwhile lures her passing stranger by running around naked and dangerously hanging off the top of some very crumbly-looking, very tall, castle walls.  It looked insanely dangerous.  If she was wearing any kind of safety harness I cannot for the life of me work out how.   Lesbian BDSM follows.  The vampire's men attack. The girls shoot them all dead. The boss vampire decides he doesn't want to be a vampire any more and goes off to his crypt to die.  End of film.  WTF?

Rollin is, on the evidence of the four films of his I have watched, one of those guys (like Orson Wells) who started at the top and worked his way down. 

_La vampire nue _ was almost dreamlike and arty weird -  _Requiem pour un Vampire _ was trying for the same but added lashings (literally) of sex and sadism that made the weird vibe just look cheaper and tatty  - more like porn linking material. 

There was armpit hair.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Star Knight *(_El caballero del dragón_, "The knight of the dragon," 1985)

Spanish science fiction film disguised as a medieval fantasy.  Klaus Kinski is some kind of alchemist/healer/magician to a count.  He casts a spell that, it seems, actually works, causing the night sky to light up brightly.  Next we see a guy calling to one of his goats, asking it to jump down from a cliff.  Instead, the goat floats up into the air.  This event, and I suppose others we don't see, lead all the peasants to think there's a dragon around.  

Meanwhile, the count's pretty daughter is restless, looking for a boyfriend.  Harvey Keitel, looking and sounding completely out of place, is the count's enforcer, who wants to be a knight and the daughter's boyfriend.  She defies Daddy's command that she remain in the castle while the dragon is around, and runs off. 

This leads to the introduction of a character who serves only as a running gag.  Calling himself the Green Knight, he claims to be defending a bridge against all challengers.  He lets the daughter cross when she takes off her hood, revealing herself to be a woman.  Later in the film, he'll let others go over the bridge without a fight, either because they talk their way across or he's busy relieving himself.  It's a really odd subplot, and the character seems to think he's in *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*.

Anyway, the daughter goes skinny dipping and disappears.  Later, she shows up in a comatose state.  (More eccentric comic relief:  When she's gone, the count forces all the peasants to dye their clothes black.  When she returns, they have to dye them bright colors.)  Kinski hypnotizes her and finds out what happened.

It turns out that an alien (played by a guy who is apparently a huge singing star in the Spanish-speaking world, and who looks a lot like Sting) in a spacesuit took her inside his spaceship.  Despite the fact that he only speaks in little electronic beeps (which she can apparently understand) they fall into True Love right away.

After some fighting and such, Keitel, with the help of the count's priest (Fernando Rey) who opposes Kinski, finds out how to open the alien's "armor" (spacesuit) in order to expose him to Earth's poisonous atmosphere.  But Love Conquers All, and there's a happy ending.

Credit where credit is due:  The exterior of the spaceship is pretty cool, and the interior is really nifty, looking like a combination of the skeleton of a sea beast and a cavern with stalactites and stalagmites.  Some of the alien stuff is pretty neat, like a sphere that seems to be some kind of computer that projects images of the answers to questions you ask.  (It's a prominent plot point, as it reveals the secret of "liquid gold" [elixir of life] to Kinski and how to open the alien's spacesuit to Keitel.)

Keitel's New York accent mixed with Rey's Spanish accent and a miscellany of other voices is pretty amusing, and there's a lot of bombastic music trying to convince me that this is an epic instead of the goofy semi-comedy it really is.


----------



## Foxbat

The Many Saints Of Newark

I come to this movie as a fan of The Sopranos TV series (this movie being a prequel of sorts). 
Overall, I was  disappointed. It was okay as a movie but nothing startling. The plot was set in such a way that you didn't have to have watched The Sopranos to understand what was going on. The writers, however, added a few scenes that were related to  the series (most notably the gun and the beehive hair). This, I presume, was to allow the die hards to nod knowingly to themselves but, for me, it all just felt a bit too contrived.

Given that it has  gangster movie DNA, it in no way came anywhere near the likes of Goodfellas or The Godfather, but the biggest problem with this particular film was that there just wasn't much of a story there. Not even enough to fill a Sopranos episode.

And finally, why do some writers try and come up with a gritty script only to have it narrated by someone from beyond the grave? What is this, Gangster Ghostbusters?

A perfect example of why back story is often best left as back story.

Five out of ten at best.


----------



## AE35Unit

hitmouse said:


> This looks terrible. I live near Margam and know it very well. It has a beautiful old orangery, which is currently being used as a mass vaccination centre. The gardens overlook the Port Talbot steelworks.


It is. And I adore Wales


----------



## KGeo777

KERIM SON OF THE SHEIK 1962 - Gordon Scott as an arab prince who moonlights as a masked avenger. It's pretty standard but I like desert-set movies. There's no humor except one--I assume--line that was added without anything noticing where he is asked what they should do and he replies: "we have to try to open that damn door."


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> And finally, why do some writers try and come up with a gritty script only to have it narrated by someone from beyond the grave?



Two words : Sunset Boulevard


----------



## KGeo777

HANNIE CAULDER 1971 - Raquel Welch learns to be a gunslinger so she can get revenge on three rapists with Robert Culp's help (and Christopher Lee's gunsmith skills). When a wimpy sheriff says she is a hard woman, she says: "There are no hard women. Only soft men."
Good score this has.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Teen Spirit *[2018]
Elle Fanning plays the polish born daughter of a mother trying to keep their farm, living hand to mouth on their small farm on the Isle of Wight. Elle is a singer Violette/Violet, that with the help of an ex-opera singer Vlad, enters a TV talent contest. There highs and lows along the journey. I won't spoil the ending, but it was not what I expected.
This is not *High School Musical*. For what is a at heart a feel-good film it starts off fairly downbeat and doesn't get much lighter..
Elle Fanning can sing! Her vocal are live and not post recorded, I've just read.
Zlatko Buric is very believable as the rundown ex-opera singer. Just enough seediness and hulking presence.
And Rebecca Hall is all but perfect as the slightly sinister Manager/Agent.
A truely comic moment is when the boy-band "The Shades" do a cover of _Teenage Kicks_. It is out loud laughably sweet and saccharine, totally missing the point of the song. The Undertones must have hated it.
The only thing I didn't really like is that the film make a point of saying it is on the Isle of Wight [as the old joke goes... If it 11 o'clock in London, what time is it on the Isle of Wight? About 1958]. But there is no real evidence of the island in the film. It could have been set anywhere a bit rundown.
The film was the first directed by Max Minghella [son of Antony Minghella and whose family have long ties to the Isle of Wight] and there are some nice cinematic touches, such as a long single take of walking to the stage at the final as the tension builds.
There are no great surprises in the film but it is very watchable.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Krampus* Well that's an hour and half of my life I won't ever get back. They should have made it as an out and out comedy. I mean, being attacked by a nail gun wielding gingerbread man. No way you can take this film seriously lol


----------



## pogopossum

*137 Shots.*
Just released on Netflix.
Murder by cop documentary in Cleveland.
This incident was the occasion of the city police department being put under (poor) federal court order.


----------



## hitmouse

Watched *Little Miss Sunshine* again at the request of the kids. A hilarious, subversive classic for the (slightly older) family. The ending is possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen on film. You do need to be in the right frame of mind for this film. I recommended it enthusiastically to a friend who didn't get it at all.


----------



## M. Robert Gibson

*One Cut Of The Dead *A Japanese zombie comedy with a fantastic ending.  I was watching for about 10 minutes and it struck me that I hadn't seen a cut, so I rewound (is that the correct verb for a digital offering?) and sure enough, there hadn't been.  In fact, the first 30 minutes or so was done in one take.  The rest of the film is a flashback to the run-up to the first part.
I won't give any spoilers, and if anyone decides to watch it, I recommend avoiding any spoilers

However, here's the top review on IMDB, which sums it up nicely


> So at first you just cringe and laugh at the silliness of the movie. Then you are confused. And then you laugh at how amazing the movie is. The last 30 minutes were one of my best movie watching experience.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Foxbat said:


> The Many Saints Of Newark
> 
> I come to this movie as a fan of The Sopranos TV series (this movie being a prequel of sorts).
> Overall, I was  disappointed. It was okay as a movie but nothing startling. The plot was set in such a way that you didn't have to have watched The Sopranos to understand what was going on. The writers, however, added a few scenes that were related to  the series (most notably the gun and the beehive hair). This, I presume, was to allow the die hards to nod knowingly to themselves but, for me, it all just felt a bit too contrived.
> 
> Given that it has  gangster movie DNA, it in no way came anywhere near the likes of Goodfellas or The Godfather, but the biggest problem with this particular film was that there just wasn't much of a story there. Not even enough to fill a Sopranos episode.
> 
> And finally, why do some writers try and come up with a gritty script only to have it narrated by someone from beyond the grave? What is this, Gangster Ghostbusters?
> 
> A perfect example of why back story is often best left as back story.
> 
> Five out of ten at best.




Thanks for this. I will save off renting the movie now and wait for it to come on Sky/Netflix.

I think the problem with this type of big budget movie is deciding whether to alienate those unfamiliar with The Sopranos , or making it accessible to all, but watering down the parts that would make fans pleased. the danger is that you end up appealing to neither - it sounds like this is the case here.

It reminds me very much of the Deadwood or El Camino movies, but that were entirely made for fans of the show, and you wouldn't have got much from them if you hadn't seen the tv shows first. They wrapped everything up nicely and waere a great way for the shows to finish. Having said that, they were never  cinema movies so didnt have to worry about raking  money back from a non-Sopranos/Breaking Bad audience.

Perhaps the way they should have gone about it was like with The Irishman (a brilliant movie) that had a limited paid streaming option, then went straight to Netflix. It's a shame that Prime/Netflix/Sky didn't commission this movie in a similar way, and have a movie wholly devoted to fans of the show, with the intention of reviving interest in the original or perhaps even bringing out a pre-Sopranos series on tv.

Sounds like a missed opportunity.


----------



## Jeffbert

November was Sydney Greenstreet month at TCM, & I watched a few of my favorites, both costarring Peter Lorre. 

*THE VERDICT* (1946)  Scotland Yard Superintendent Grodman (Sydney Greenstreet) convicts and hangs a man purely on circumstantial evidence, in part because he could not provide an alibi. But the man who could have given him an alibi had gone not to Wales, but New South Wales, where they had not thought to search for him. Disgraced, Grodman takes an early retirement, and sets out to similarly disgrace his successor,  Superintendent Buckley (George Coulouris). Victor Emmric (Peter Lorre) Grodman's friend is an artist, and offers to illustrate his Autobiography.


*THREE STRANGERS* (1946) Crystal Shackleford (Geraldine Fitzgerald), talks two strangers into entering a pact with her, in which they agree to wish for the same thing, money, which they agree if their sweepstakes ticket, already purchased by  Johnny West (Peter Lorre), they will bet on a particular horse. All three are needing money, Shackleford wants to regain her estrang ed husband, and believes by becoming independently wealthy, she can win his love. _Jerome K. Arbutny (_Sydney Greenstreet), an investment guy, has misused his client's money, and of the three, is most desperate to gain immediate wealth. West, just wants the money. 

The ending reminds me of Twilight Zone stories. I will leave it at that.


Greenstreet had top billing in both, and Lorre, dropped from #2 to #3 in _*Three*_.


----------



## Droflet

I remember the Verdict and the confusion between Wales and New South Wales. Top flick. Now to hunt down the other. Thanks for that Jeffbert.


----------



## Foxbat

Memory: The Origins of Alien
A feature length documentary on the conception and execution of Alien. If, like me, you’re a fan of the movie, it’s fascinating.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Foxbat said:


> Memory: The Origins of Alien
> A feature length documentary on the conception and execution of Alien. If, like me, you’re a fan of the movie, it’s fascinating.




Yes, I watched this too and it was very good. A movie about a movie.

Another I mentioned some time ago is 'Life After Flash'; a pretty essential movie for anyone who liked the 80s film.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Grudge* 2020 addition to this franchise. It was...ok


----------



## KGeo777

THE DESIGNATED VICTIM 1971 - Giallo-style remake of Strangers on A Train with Tomas Milian as an advertising executive  meets a rich weirdo who suggests they exchange murders. It doesn't follow Hitchcock closely so it feels more of an original--atmospheric with an interesting score and Venice locations.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Outbreak* 1995
Quite prescient film depicting a virus outbreak that becomes airborne. Starts good, gets a bit limp.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Contagion* this one is very similar to what's going on now with Covid. It means R numbers and social distancing.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER* (1940) Hugo Matuschek (Frank Morgan) runs a leather goods shop in Europe, in which two employees are pen pals but do not realize it. They fall in love with each other's pen pal persona, but as coworkers are at odds with each other.  Light comedy; 1st time seeing it; fun film. 

Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) is the guy, Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) the gal.


----------



## Jeffbert

Droflet said:


> I remember the Verdict and the confusion between Wales and New South Wales. Top flick. Now to hunt down the other. Thanks for that Jeffbert.


You are welcome, Droflet.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

AE35Unit said:


> *Krampus* Well that's an hour and half of my life I won't ever get back. They should have made it as an out and out comedy. I mean, being attacked by a nail gun wielding gingerbread man. No way you can take this film seriously lol



Aww man, I loved Krampus. It has the same feel / balance of horror and comedy as Gremlins.



M. Robert Gibson said:


> *One Cut Of The Dead *A Japanese zombie comedy with a fantastic ending.  I was watching for about 10 minutes and it struck me that I hadn't seen a cut, so I rewound (is that the correct verb for a digital offering?) and sure enough, there hadn't been.  In fact, the first 30 minutes or so was done in one take.  The rest of the film is a flashback to the run-up to the first part.
> I won't give any spoilers, and if anyone decides to watch it, I recommend avoiding any spoilers
> 
> However, here's the top review on IMDB, which sums it up nicely



OCOTD is just fantastic. Agree on knowing as little as possible going into it. Fab film.


----------



## AE35Unit

I disagree. Its nothing like the epic Gremlins.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*VAMPYR*_ (1932) I may have dozed-off occasionally, or perhaps have been distracted, because I could not make sense out of this film. The 1st half was o.k., but the end left me scratching my head.


It's been 40+ years since I watched it but you pretty much sum up my memory of the experience. I've since recorded it a couple of times but never get around to watching it again. Still, I recall it as beautifully atmospheric and supposedly based on or inspired by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" though I'd be at a loss to say how.


*It Comes at Night* (2017) dir. Troy Edward Shults; starring Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbot; Carmen Ejogo; Riley Keough

What is it with all these movies that were prescient about pandemic? This one is a bit vague on that, though we see Ejogo's father die, blistered by the disease and spitting up motor oil. 

A family that's run from the infection in the city shelters -- really, hides -- in a country home until another family comes along, apparently free of the illness. They join forces and for a time it's good. But you can't outrun illnesses.

I'm coming to acquaint Edgerton with movies that are a bit of a downer -- _Loving_, _Midnight Special_ -- which is probably unfair, but his recurring expression is hangdog with the world on his shoulders. Anyway, a good, spare, stark movie, but not an optimistic one.


----------



## AE35Unit

CONSTANTINE (2005)
Kienu Reeves as a demon hunter. Not bad. Though he only seems to have one look throughout the film, a kind of noncommital blankness. And it seemed the mikes weren't working in this film. I had to put the subs on to get what they were saying. Mumble mumble Mumble...


----------



## AE35Unit

DOGMA (1999)
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as fallen angels trying to get back into heaven at all costs. Also has Jay and Silent Bob (who speaks!) Alan Rickman and Alanis Morisette as god. Brilliant


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE CONSPIRATORS*_ (1944) Another with both Greenstreet & Lorre. Set during WWII & in neutral Portugal, & as I recall, Ben M. said it was an attempt to bring together the major cast from Casablanca, & make another hit, etc., But without Bogart. Instead, the guy who got the girl in Casablanca, Paul Henreid portrays Vincent Van Der Lyn, a saboteur destroying various targets in WWII Europe. When he learns his identity has been exposed, he must flee to England, via Portugal. Another great supporting cast, and not just Lorre & Greenstreet! 

Greenstreet is the head of a group of resistance fighters, who must work in conflict with the authorities, because of the nation's neutrality. Lorre is also in the group.    




I still have at least one more Greenstreet film.


----------



## KGeo777

BARABBAS 1961 - Story of the thief spared in place of Jesus and the weird experiences that follow him. The creepiest scene is where he meets Lazarus who is like a zombie in appearance. He later gets sent to sulfur mines and becomes a gladiator (the most chaotic and nightmarish depiction of arena combat I have seen in a movie). Interestingly, the christians come across as anarchists against the state---someone says they want to burn down the old world--somehow it echoes in the present state of affairs. I hate "time of Jesus" Christian movies (the Silver Chalice etc..so boring and preachy) but the two I can watch now and then are Ben-Hur and this one.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, KGeo, I feel the same about biblical movies. I wouldn't have seen this one unless Anthony Quinn was the titled character.


----------



## storyselkie

Spencer! Talk about depressing...


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)*

It's impressive that Peter Jackson was able to pull such a large book together into a coherent film, and greatly impressive that it's such a good film. It looks super and the characters are well-portrayed. If you forget that they didn't put Tom Bombardil in (best thing for it), or that such-and-such bit of dialogue is slightly different or whatever, this is an extremely good film. It looks far more convincing and three-dimensional than most fantasy films, and never feels superficial. A few moments of CGI haven't aged terribly well, but overall it's hardly dated at all. Superb.


----------



## Randy M.

Toby Frost said:


> *The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)*
> 
> It's impressive that Peter Jackson was able to pull such a large book together into a coherent film, and greatly impressive that it's such a good film. It looks super and the characters are well-portrayed. If you forget that they didn't put Tom Bombardil in (best thing for it), or that such-and-such bit of dialogue is slightly different or whatever, this is an extremely good film. It looks far more convincing and three-dimensional than most fantasy films, and never feels superficial. A few moments of CGI haven't aged terribly well, but overall it's hardly dated at all. Superb.



I was less concerned that they get the details of LOTR right than that they capture the feel and tone of the books. Jackson did just that.


----------



## Toby Frost

I completely agree. There's a mural in Rivendell that looks like an Alan Lee picture: I think the whole film reminds me of his artwork. Jackson definitely caught the right feeling.


----------



## AE35Unit

Yes its a remarkable piece of cinema


----------



## paranoid marvin

The locations throughout the trilogy are unbelievably brilliant. Just about every one of the major locations is just how I imagined it would be, both from the writing of Tolkien and the illustrations of Alan Lee. Then for the bits in between it feels like they just got in my head and produced the shots exactly as I thought they should be. Truly remarkable.

Some of the (added) dialogue can be a little ropey, but some of it is very funny (especially Gimili, Merry and Pippin) and many of the alterations that were made to the proceedings understandable (the Scourging of the Shire and Bombadil were never going to be practical in a big budget movie). But there were one or two things such as Faramir's taking the Hobbits to Osgiliath that just didn't sit right with me. 

I also thought there was a good opportunity to improve the story by reducing the effectiveness of Aragorn's 'army of the dead' but instead he made them even more super-powerful than they were before.


----------



## AE35Unit

Do you think they'll ever film The Silmarillion? I've yet to read that one


----------



## M. Robert Gibson

They are more likely to film one (or several) of the stories from the Silmarillion

For instance, _The Children if Hurin_ appeared in there as a short story but was expanded to full novel status by his son Christopher








						The Children of Húrin - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## paranoid marvin

It wouldn't surprise me if some of the stories outside of LOTR and Th Hobbit are incorporated into the Amazon tv series.


----------



## AE35Unit

M. Robert Gibson said:


> They are more likely to film one (or several) of the stories from the Silmarillion
> 
> For instance, _The Children if Hurin_ appeared in there as a short story but was expanded to full novel status by his son Christopher
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Children of Húrin - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org


I thought the Silmarillion was a novel?


----------



## AE35Unit

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979)
The original. Its been so long since I last saw it all I could remember of it was the flies. Not a lot happens really.


----------



## AE35Unit

THE AMITYVILLE CURSE (1990)
Based on the book by renowned paranormal investigator Hans Holzer. Its dreadful. I haven't seen such wooden insipid acting in a long time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Warlock II * - well that was crap.


----------



## KGeo777

OPERATION WHITE SHARK- 1966.  I have seen some bad secret agent movies and this is definitely one of the contenders for the worst. The hero (selected by a computer named Jerry?) is an expert at Judo, nuclear physics, languages, basically everything-and when we see him--one imagines he might be a skinny fusion of John Wayne and Rutger Hauer but one quickly realizes the resemblance is closer to a Frank Gorshin without any talent. They try to make up for the deficiencies in script, direction, action, and art direction by inserting pretty women but it doesn't do much to help. A lesbian boss is a little too late and just cries "bargain basement Thunderball."
PS
There are no sharks in the movie.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.
Great film!


----------



## dask

*Holiday Inn*, holiday classic. Searched jaw dropper Marjorie Reynolds at public library website, came up with Mr. Wong, Detective, the complete series. Put it on hold and next in line.


----------



## Randy M.

dask said:


> *Holiday Inn*, holiday classic. Searched jaw dropper Marjorie Reynolds at public library website, came up with Mr. Wong, Detective, the complete series. Put it on hold and next in line.


An old favorite in spite of the uncomfortable Lincoln's Birthday scene. Astaire and Crosby were never better together, each having a light touch with comedy.


----------



## M. Robert Gibson

AE35Unit said:


> I thought the Silmarillion was a novel?


No, it's more like a history book (and sometimes about as exciting) in which several stories are told.  








						The Silmarillion - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




It starts with a creation story, and goes on to tell stories from the first age, then on to stories from the second age, and finally the third age, which includes LOTR

It's a bit of a slog, but it comes with a great sense of achievement when you finish it.  A bit like running a marathon (I assume, because I've never run a marathon)


----------



## AE35Unit

M. Robert Gibson said:


> No, it's more like a history book (and sometimes about as exciting) in which several stories are told.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Silmarillion - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It starts with a creation story, and goes on to tell stories from the first age, then on to stories from the second age, and finally the third age, which includes LOTR
> 
> It's a bit of a slog, but it comes with a great sense of achievement when you finish it.  A bit like running a marathon (I assume, because I've never run a marathon)


I'm more intrigued now...


----------



## AE35Unit

SILENCE
Stanley Tucci in a film about weird winged creatures called Vesps that attack people in droves. Turns out they are blind but are attracted by sound, so everyone must not make noise. His character's daughter is deaf 
Not bad, I could see it as series a la Walking Dead.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*PILLOW  TO POST*_ (1945) rare comedy appearance for Sydney Greenstreet; here he portrays Colonel Michael Otley, the C.O. of Lieutenant Don Mallory (William Prince; AN OBSCURE ACTOR), who is dragged into a scheme to pass himself as the husband of Jean Howard (Ida Lupino), who cannot get lodging because of the war shortages. Yet, if she were married to an officer, she could get a cabin at this place. 

There seems to have been a frequent theme of harmless fraud in the films of that era. This is one of them. But, it is very serious to do such a thing when one is an Army Officer! Greenstreet seems to chuckle in every film I have seen him.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Matrix Resurrections* -

Been trying to avoid writing negative reviews recently, and highlight positive stuff, but, the original Matrix is a genre defining movie, and a new episode is noteworthy. Matrix: Resurrections is pretty awful.

Unsurprisingly, because the director makes very clear, through some heavy handed scenes, that they are not a fan of reboots. As you would expect, the movie seems to have been slapped together shoddily with some terrible writing, acting and directing. The action scenes are half hearted.
It all looks pretty bad, and the music is like something from a low budget tv series - which is how it feels.


----------



## KGeo777

THE ALMOST PERFECT CRIME 1966 - Italian comedy about a reporter who escorts a nun to collect her inheritance but an imposter surfaces and various double crosses and bizarre twists. It's diverting enough.


----------



## Spade

I watched Swan Song yesterday. It was like an average episode of Black Mirror. Apple has really disappointed me in its movies so far. They're fine but nothing special.


----------



## KGeo777

Two movies on their 50th anniversaries.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER  -  Seen it before but hardly remembered anything about it. Not much to remember.

DIRTY HARRY -  Do you feel lucky? Well do ya punk? Despite it being considered a glorification of police brutality--he gets his ass kicked a couple of times and there's a message of being a cop "just ain't worth it."  He throws away his badge and I am not sure the opening text showing the names of dead cops was going to encourage recruitment.


----------



## AE35Unit

Dirty Harry is a brilliant film


----------



## Starbeast

*A Christmas Carol* (1971) - A fantastic animated retelling of Mr Dickens classic. Highly recommended.

*They Live* (1888) Outstanding John Carpenter film. When I first saw this movie long ago, I thought it was very cool. Today, I find it frightening with it's similarities with humankind today.

*The Christmas Martian *(1971) - Funny with childlike entertainment. Delightful and pleasant to watch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Alphaville: une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution* (_Alphaville: A Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution_ 1965)  It's been many years since I last watched this  (back in 2007 - thank you, film diary). I remember it being baffled by it last time and disappointed  It didn't make sense. Though I remeber the gag with the vending machine made me laugh.   I was baffled by it again but was ready to sink into the film's disjointed dreamlike quality far more than I suspect I was able to all those years ago.  Somewhere in the interval I've learned that films don't HAVE to make sense or be perfectly readable the first time you watch them. Or even the second.


----------



## KGeo777

SANTA CLAUS 1959 - Mexican movie in which Santa has to fight the Devil to deliver presents at Christmas.

THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL - 1992  Had not seen it before. It's cute. There's a couple of embellishments like Beaker giving Scrooge his scarf which was a nice addition.
Fezziwig becomes Fozziwig.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Anna and the Apocalypse* [2017]
Think *High School Musical* meets *Shaun of the Dead*. A British film that made a good attempt at mixing the Musical and Zombie genres, with just a hint of Buffy thrown in. The songs were well enough done and the gore suitable OTT and slapstick. It was a good thing they were up against shambling and not 28 Days zombies. Some of the characters act needlessly dumb and slow at times, just for the needs of the story. I watched it all the way through so it is engaging to a point, but it didn't quite work for me.
And it is a Christmas movie as well. Well, it is set at Christmas.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Mutations *(a.k.a. _The Freakmaker_) dir. Jack Cardiff; starring Donald Pleasence, Tom Baker, Brad Harris, Michael Dunn, Julie Ege

Comatose Mad Scientist, Pleasence, wants to save mankind from ecological catastrophe by introducing plant DNA into humans, making this kind of, The Greenhouse of Dr. Moreau. I normally enjoy Pleasence, but here his underplaying verges on somnambulism. Baker is unrecognizable under prosthetics as he towers over the little people, led by Michael Dunn, who he threatens and forces to deal with Pleasence's unsuccessful mutations under cover of a freak show. Brad Harris appears to have been a body-builder who was too old for this role as an American student on scholarship come to study under Pleasence. As with other movies, I can't tell if Ege is a good actress or not since her role could basically be described as Pretty Girl; the camera loves her, whatever it is she's doing. And Dunn deserved much better material. As the owner of the freak show he generates more empathy for his character than you'd imagine the script offered. Special effects in this probably aren't awful for the '70s but aren't particularly convincing, especially the shambling mutation toward the end of the movie.

All in all, not especially good.


----------



## HareBrain

Starbeast said:


> *A Christmas Carol* (1971) - A fantastic animated retelling of Mr Dickens classic. Highly recommended.


Yay! I recommend this regularly (and watched it on Christmas Eve, as I do every year).

*Shaun the Sheep: the Movie* (2015). I've seen a couple of the half-hour STS Ardman films and found them amusing. I thought this would be the same, but maybe feeling a little stretched out. But it was on another level, and possibly the funniest film I've ever seen. It only scores 7.3 on IMDB, though, so maybe you have to share the creators' sense of humour. Clearly I do. A joy from start to finish.


----------



## worldofmutes

I was going to watch The Man From UNCLE but didn’t finish it. Looked cheesy.


----------



## PadreTX

Dune. A pleasant surprise. I thought it might deviate too much from the book. However, the script seemed to mostly follow the book, and those few deviations actually seemed to have improved the story.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> *The Mutations *(a.k.a. _The Freakmaker_) dir. Jack Cardiff; starring Donald Pleasence, Tom Baker, Brad Harris, Michael Dunn, Julie Ege


Pleasence gives the plot of Jurassic Park in his lecture. 

Don't forget Popeye!  I'd like to forget him but I can't.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Krampus (2015). It's a Christmas horror comedy about the titular Bavarian/Austrian mythical figure and a family he preys on. It was passable.


----------



## Parson

Krampus: the day after results of a too rich Christmas dinner.


----------



## Vladd67

paranoid marvin said:


> This movie always seemed to be showing on tv when I was a kid. I'm not sure it'll ever see the light of day again tbh.


It's on YouTube


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE MONSTER* (1925) Though a 'horror,' it still has plenty of humor, much of it on the dialog frames. Dr. Gustave Ziska (Lon Chaney) goes mad, and makes the sanitarium where he works into a house of horror, but not the kind at the amusement park. Using a mirror placed on the road at night, Ziska causes his victims to crash, believing a collision with a oncoming car is imminent, they drive off the road a hit a large tree, etc. 

Two men, rivals for the affections of the store owner's daughter both end up in the OLD DARK HOUSE, that since its being taken over by Ziska, had been equipped with secret passages, traps, etc. The daughter also is captured, as she had been driving with the more masculine guy. The least masculine guy,  Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur), though the hero, is cowardly and lacking in intelligence. He had just received his detective diploma via mail and now thinks of himself as an expert. Expecting the local law, etc., should now respect him, he uses a small _*how to*_ book to guide him. Clearly he is the comic relief; yet, somehow he wins the girl in the end.  

A very different type of horror film, especially given Chaney's usual roles. Enjoyable, & worth seeing several times. 



*YOYO* (1965) A rather odd French language film, at least  during the 1st 20 minutes. Silent, except for music and exaggerated sound effects, it depicted the 1920s, as a very rich guy loses everything during the crash of 1929. Then comes the sound, and the guy seems married to a young female circus performer, but it was not clear on that point. Yoyo is their son, who rapidly grows up, and becomes the main character.  He goes to war, is captured by the Germans, freed at war's end, and then resumes his career as a clown. 

I was about to delete the film, because at about 10 minutes in, though amusing I still could not figure-out what it was about.  Yet, giving it a few more minutes, & I was sufficiently entertained, & watched until the end.


----------



## Tirellan

Don't Look Up - frighteningly plausible satire on the "approaching apocalypse" trope.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> *YOYO* (1965) A rather odd French language film, at least  during the 1st 20 minutes. Silent, except for music and exaggerated sound effects, it depicted the 1920s, as a very rich guy loses everything during the crash of 1929. Then comes the sound, and the guy seems married to a young female circus performer, but it was not clear on that point. Yoyo is their son, who rapidly grows up, and becomes the main character.  He goes to war, is captured by the Germans, freed at war's end, and then resumes his career as a clown.
> 
> I was about to delete the film, because at about 10 minutes in, though amusing I still could not figure-out what it was about.  Yet, giving it a few more minutes, & I was sufficiently entertained, & watched until the end.



*YYESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!*


I've been looking for name of this film for years! I actually posted about it on the 'trying to find a film' thread on this forum last week!





						Looking for title of a film?
					

My quest is to find the film with this scene.  (And I'm already breaking the rules because it's not SF/F, but it's been bugging me for years :()  It's at the end of the film, the bad guys have all been killed or caught.  The main (or secondary) character, a cop, goes into a drug store which is...




					www.sffchronicles.com
				




Thank you!

Tonight I watched *Céline et Julie vont en bateau* (_Celine and Julie go Boating_ 1974) which is three and a quarter hours long and I'm not really sure what I was watching for most of it.  Two women meet, wander into a shared hallucination? parallel world? ghost story? are making the whole thing up as they go along fantasy?  The ending implies that the events of the previous three hours are going to happen all over again but with roles reversed.... I found it utterly bewildering.  In a good way.  Not sure if I will ever want to watch it again but it's another clocked off the _1001 Movies to Watch Before you Die_ list


----------



## KGeo777

ASSIGNMENT K - 1968  Yet another spy movie but this is more on the romance side and devoid of the usual action stunts--it's mostly Stephen Boyd hanging out with his new girlfriend.  I had seen it a couple of times before but forget most of it after I watch it or get it mixed up with other spy movies. I expected Herbert Lom to appear but I was thinking of another one. And the office where Boyd gets his orders reminds me a lot of the one used in the Harry Palmer movies. A Michael Caine cameo would have been a clever surprise There's also a Q character portrayed by Geoffrey Bayldon.


----------



## asp3

We watched *Jungle Cruise* the other night and it was a fun romp.  Not a lot there and very stereotyped characters, but not so much to make it overly offensive.

We also watched *Klaus* on Netflix recently as well and it was fun overall.  It was very predictable but some of the dialogue was very clever and wonderful.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> *YYESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!*
> 
> 
> I've been looking for name of this film for years! I actually posted about it on the 'trying to find a film' thread on this forum last week!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looking for title of a film?
> 
> 
> My quest is to find the film with this scene.  (And I'm already breaking the rules because it's not SF/F, but it's been bugging me for years :()  It's at the end of the film, the bad guys have all been killed or caught.  The main (or secondary) character, a cop, goes into a drug store which is...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.sffchronicles.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you!


Your are welcome, JunkMonkey.

Anyway, 


_*AIR FORCE*_ (1943) WWII is on, but the USA has not yet entered. 9 B17s are en-route to Hawaii just as the surprise attack occurs.  This one particular B17 crew keeps its plane flying throughout various difficulties, air raids, bombed-out airstrips, etc. When the enemy's ground forces are about to overwhelm the base, and the aircraft is not yet ready to fly, the C.O. orders it destroyed, but the crew resists, saves the plane, etc.  Tense drama. 



_* BLAST OF SILENCE*_  (1961) Talk about a shoestring budget; this makes NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD look like an MGM extravaganza! Never heard of any of the actors, etc. But, Muller gave both an intro & follow-up worthy of NOIR ALLEY. 

So, this hit man comes to town on business, and not wanting to travel with the tools of his trade, he goes to the local illegal gun guy, to get a .38 with a silencer. Note that such a combo will not produce the desired results, as the gaps between the rotating cylinder & the barrel, will allow the sound to escape. But, anyway, the killer shadows his target, observing his routine, seeking the best opportunity to strike.  Quite unexpectedly, the gun dealer sees him in a nightclub where the target also is, and guesses the target's identity. Now, he wants more money for the gun he has yet to deliver. 

Interesting twist on a simple hit man story. Well worth watching, especially if you can get it with Muller's comments!


----------



## KGeo777

Blast of Silence is an interesting film--it reminded me of Taxi Driver. The lead made me think of Robert DeNiro.
And it is Christmas-themed. Very bleak.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watching MISERY 
James Caan, Kathy Bates in a Stephen King classic


----------



## Guttersnipe

Lamb (Icelandic-Swedish-Polish): Not nearly as frightening as I thought it would be. Pleasantly bizarre. I only wish the characters reacted more realistically to the hybrid creature, as it would have been easier to relate to them.

Licorice Pizza: Despite much appraisal from critics, I felt let down by this one too. My main mistake was going into it without knowing much about the plot. Interestingly, though, there hardly seemed to be one. I'm just not a fan of this kind of storytelling.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*À bout de souffle* (_Breathless _1960) - This must have been pretty terrific stuff 60 years ago, the camerawork alone - long fluid hand held shots in location interiors  that move around in ways big Hollywood studio cameras never could and the editing with its rapid jump cuts that must have seemed extraordinary at the time. It still clips along at a pretty pace.  L liked it - though the subtitles on the BFI version I saw were a little sparse in places - why is it that sub-titlers rarely think it's important to include anything that isn't directly spoken by someone on camera - or obviously in the scene.  There was one moment in this where the two lovers are hiding out in a cinema.  The shot is a close up of them kissing while the dialogue of the film being shown is heard load a clearly - but un subtitled.  Presumably Jean Luc Godard wrote / chose the words that were playing on his soundtrack with care () the whole film was I understand shot without sound and then dubbed in the studio) so why not include this obviously important dialogue in the subtitles?  In other places even my clumsy French could tell that what the characters on screen was saying had been clumsily condensed, stripped of its rhythm and simplified.  Annoying.  Another off the 1001 list .


----------



## KGeo777

Assignment To Kill 1968 - This is the one with Herbert Lom. It also has a ski resort, and a cynical view of spying ---and it is mostly forgettable like the  one I re-watched yesterday.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Dune *(1984)

A far better film than I remembered. First time around (I hadn't read the book) it seemed like a disjointed mess, and I really hadn't got a clue what was going on. Now that I know the plot, it is much, much better and some of the visuals (costume designs etc) are really very good.

Not the greatest film ever, but one that is not as bad as has been previously suggested, especially with multiple viewings.


----------



## Toby Frost

As luck would have it, I wrote a review of the 1984 film of Dune for Fantasy Faction:





__





						Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch «  Fantasy-Faction
					






					fantasy-faction.com


----------



## alexvss

*The Matrix: Resurrections*. Boring dialogue and poorly-choreographed fighting scenes. It's not even nostalgic. What a disappointment.


----------



## Av Demeisen

alexvss said:


> *The Matrix: Resurrections*. Boring dialogue and poorly-choreographed fighting scenes. It's not even nostalgic. What a disappointment.


Agreed, but nothing about it makes me loathe it more than _Reloaded_  and _Revolutions _. The Matrix franchise is basically one half decent late 90s action movie with a lead actor who can't act to save his life.


----------



## Mouse

*The Two Towers*. Extended edition, of course. Still brilliant. Just RotK to go now and that's the LotR marathon done.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> *Dune *(1984)
> 
> A far better film than I remembered. First time around (I hadn't read the book) it seemed like a disjointed mess, and I really hadn't got a clue what was going on. Now that I know the plot, it is much, much better and some of the visuals (costume designs etc) are really very good.
> 
> Not the greatest film ever, but one that is not as bad as has been previously suggested, especially with multiple viewings.



I have a soft spot for Lynch's _Dune_ but I would advise anyone thinking about watching it to avoid the 50 minute longer,  TV,  'Alan Smithee' edit like the plague.  I watched it, and the original Lynch version, back to back last year and I'm still having cold sweats. 
My notes about it are buried somewhere in here (in October):




__





						JunkMonkey's 2020 Movie Diary
					

Last Year's list   January   Shaolin Drunkard - A 1983 chopsocky 'comedy' of high octain WTF?ery  which had Number One Daughter and I in hysterics for its entire running time. Highlander : The Source - Holy ****ing CRAP! What an amazingly awful film! I was in hiccup inducing uncontrollable...




					www.sffworld.com


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Memories* (1995) - Daughter Number One (anime fan that she is) made me watch this one.  "I think you'll like it, dad."  She was right. It's a portmanteau film.  Three science fiction shorts.  The first and third are excellent, the middle one a little overlong but still good.


----------



## J Riff

*Train to Busan* - Korean 2016 - you want zombies, Korea has a knack for 'em.. They look great and run in swarms real good. The zombie plague hits suddenly and we are on the train to Busan, so people end up having to have to lock themselves in one car and keep the undead in others... but we can guess that pretty much the entire cast is going to expire, except of course the kid and the pregnant lady. They didn't have to do in everyone, it was already enough, but they chose to, and so the last five minutes are strictly tearjerk city .., but the scene where the train starts dragging dozens of zombies behind it... all scratching and clawing and climbing over each other to get back on the train.. oops is that spoilage ? well, it'looks like it was fun to film this...  so no worries,, there's plenty more action where that came from, thus it was engaging, and I don't even like zombie flicks.


----------



## KGeo777

KWAIDAN 1964 --Finally got around to this--I heard of it decades ago. It has an interesting visual look and sound design although as Lovecraft might say of Japanese hokku poetry, "we admire it from afar." I especially wanted to get as far as possible from the singing blind guy Hoichi the earless. His singing voice made me wish I had no ears.  Also, my mind was wandering to Godzilla now and then. The first story is the creepiest and makes me wonder if this was an influence on THE RING--"long black hair."


----------



## Rodders

KGeo777. There is a loose sequel called Peninsula. 

I haven't yet seen it myself.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> KWAIDAN 1964 --Finally got around to this--I heard of it decades ago. It has an interesting visual look and sound design although as Lovecraft might say of Japanese hokku poetry, "we admire it from afar." I especially wanted to get as far as possible from the singing blind guy Hoichi the earless. His singing voice made me wish I had no ears.  Also, my mind was wandering to Godzilla now and then. The first story is the creepiest and makes me wonder if this was an influence on THE RING--"long black hair."


Haven't seen this, but I admire it's source -- same title -- written by Lafcadio Hearn.


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY has a Japanese film this time. Good background info, as Muller is usually doing. 

*CRUEL GUN STORY* (1964) Yakuza boss needs the help from a guy doing time, so, he arranges for his early release. Togawa (Joe Shishido) initially turns down the job, but eventually accepts. They will rob an armored car carrying the money from racetrack betting, etc. 

It has a similar technique as an American heist film that I wrote about several months ago. They will divert the armored car using detour signs, directing it to take a little used road, where the ambush will occur. As usual, things go wrong; in fact very wrong. But they do escape with the money, and all seems well; except for the gang's various members plotting to take it all for themselves, since two of them had gone elsewhere for whatever reason. 

But these guy were hired by the Yakuza, and are to deliver the money to them. The idea of betraying the mob is absurd, since they know they cannot get away with that, but, what if the mob decides to betray them?



Two OUR GANG short films:

_*MEN IN FRIGHT*_ (1938) Darla is recovering after a tonsillectomy, and the boys want to seem like really great guys,  bringing her goodies to eat, knowing she cannot have them. Alfalfa is tricked (though it seems unlikely) to trade his clothes for this other boy's hospital gown plus a nickle. goofiness follows.


*ROBOT WRECKS* (1941) Upon seeing a 'real' robot at a department store, the gang wants to build their own, to perform their chores. Being given a load of crap, by the guy at the demonstration, they build a body, and fill it with junk. When they are distracted, two other boys use the body as a costume, and cause havoc when the gang tell the 'robot' to do their chores.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> Another NOIR ALLEY film,
> 
> _*TIGHT SPOT*_ (1955) I almost forgot about this one! The story is about police attempting to both convince a frightened witness Sherry Conley (Ginger Rogers) to testify against the mob boss Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene), and keep her alive and well enough to do so.
> 
> DA Lloyd Hallett (Edward G. Robinson, 1st time I ever saw him smoking anything other than a big cigar!? a cigarette just seems odd!)  &  Vince Striker (Brian Keith)  have tricked the mob by not taking her to the city jail, but to a hotel instead, where she takes advantage of the situation and orders expensive meals, etc., but she insists she will not testify.
> 
> Two days until the trial, and mob boss is not happy that her location remains unknown. but he has bought / bribed some police, and expects to eliminate the witness very soon.
> 
> Tense drama, & best of all, this one is new to me!


Just watched this. Interesting crime drama. I'd forgotten how hulking Brian Keith was as a young guy and I'm happy I didn't see this as a youngster, I'd have been scarred for life seeing Papa Ben Cartwright acting so vicious. I somewhat disagree with Eddie Muller about Ginger Rogers, who I thought was fine if a bit old for the role; this further confirmed my impression that 1950s hair styles for women were largely designed to make them look older than they were and as unattractive as possible.


----------



## AE35Unit

SOLO 
Pretty fun romp in the Star Wars universe.


----------



## hitmouse

Kickass 2.

Lacks much of the fresh humour which makes Kickass worth watching.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. 

Same general comment as for Kickass 2. Both of these sequels try to use the formula that made the first films a success, more clumsily, and with diminishing returns.


----------



## KGeo777

BLAST OF SILENCE 1961 --The lead really resembles Robert DeNiro at times.

BLACK CHRISTMAS 1974 -This is one of the first movies I ever saw--I saw it at the same time as the Exorcist--I was too young to watch it but in those days...for years I had remembered the creepy attic scenes without knowing what it was from.
 I think they made a goof in the scene where they are tracing the call--it would have been more effective by far if they did not let the audience know that the call was coming from the house until the cop tells her. There were already a few movies with the "call was traced to the house," idea. The Severed Arm 1973 used the idea with a radio station.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

The new Spiderman.
Really didn't understand it at all.
Perhaps I'm too old.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Predestination* - Knew nothing about this when I picked it up  - apart from the fact that the directors' previous film, _ Daybreakers_ had been an interestingly ambitious, and well worked piece of world-building let down by an unsatisfactory story.  About five minutes in I realised I knew the source material and knew exactly what was going to happen for the next 90 minutes.  Having said that I enjoyed watching it played and expanded out.  Design was great. Sarah Snook, who I had never heard of before, did a wonderful job with what must have been a hell of an interesting part to play.  Ethan Hawke was solid and held the show together. Better than most time travel movies.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The First Great Train Robbery*

I have much less tolerance for films nowadays. I'm very much more likely that if it doesn't grab me after the first 20 minutes to dump it, or fast forward to the end to see what happened.

Thankfully this isn't the case with older films, when I know it will be entertaining before I sit down to watch it. This is a great movie played for laughs as much as the action, and with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland it fine form, it couldn't fail to please. Quite some years since I last watched it, and whilst it's not the best train robbery film (that accolade goes to the BBC 2-parter currently showing on Netflix) it still passes an entertaining 1 hour 45 mins.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> *The First Great Train Robbery*
> ... if it doesn't grab me after the first 20 minutes to dump it, or fast forward to the end to see what happened.



And risk miss Lesley-Anne Down in Basque and stockings? Are you quite mad, man?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Independence Day* - for the first time and it was pretty much as I expected, a 1970's disaster movie with aliens. And, because it was a Roland Emmerich flick, a by-the-numbers improbable aircraft chase through a narrow canyon. One thing I was impressed by was the slick transitions.  Getting from the end of one scene to the start of another in a movie (a 'transition') is always problematic; getting somewhere else in the narrative without leaving the audience too far behind is a skill and many a director and editor has floundered and fudged their way through by fading to black at the end of every scene or drifting the camera away from the actors and fading into an establishing shot somewhere else but here it was pretty much seamless.  For instance, the president orders the military to "go to Def Con 3" : cut to yellow flashing light : pull back  to reveal the flashing light is on a microwave from which Dave the science guy pulls a mug of coffee in his office in New York.  I spent most of the movie watching stuff like that.  The way the show moved from scene to scene was good.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Two Towers* (2002)

The war in Middle Earth broadens and deepens, and Frodo, Sam and Gollum move closer to Mordor. This isn't quite as good a film as _The Fellowship of the Ring_, as it has to cover several threads, none of which ends entirely. However, all the new elements are good and once again Peter Jackson deserves great credit for not only making a functional film, but a very good one. The first half is a bit slow, and there's quite a lot of elves moping to Enya, but the battle of Helm's Deep is excellent and the ents are very well presented. The new cast are good and Bernard Hill is great as Theoden, a decent man struggling to cope with the crisis in which he's awoken. Andy Serkis does amazing work as Gollum. 

Also, it's got Eowyn.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> *The Two Towers* (2002)
> and there's quite a lot of elves moping to Enya,



If there was anything that would put me off watching these again you just succeeded.


----------



## KGeo777

The First Great Train Robbery is pretty good--and Michael Crichton's best film. His other ones--I find his direction kind of dull but this works great thanks to the three leads. It's a funny thing with Leslie Anne-Down because she did many supporting roles--and she did one lead role--The Sphinx--and she was terrible in that. She was totally lost--like she wasn't getting direction or something. But the story itself was not good.

An intriguing with TFGTR is that they wanted to show the difference in moral custom--so they show extreme poverty and public execution and rat terrier fights--without making a comment on it.
The sequence where Sean Connery is on the train looks very dangerous--if he had slipped he would have been in big trouble.

"No! Oh, no! You pick me clean, you put me in a coffin with a rotten, stinking cat, and now you strip me bollock naked."


----------



## KGeo777

THE DEATH OF ME YET 1971 -  Doug McClure is a Soviet agent trained to infiltrate the US but he decides to go AWOL and is hunted down by his handlers--and reluctantly turns to US agent Darren McGavin for help.

WHO SAW HER DIE? 1972 -- Pretty good giallo with a skinny-looking George Lazenby (at times he resembles Dennis Weaver) as a sculptor who seeks the killer of his daughter in Venice. At one point he confronts a pedophile philanthropist for information: "listen you pervert!" They are so matter of fact about such things in these films.


----------



## Jeffbert

MST3K: _*WOMEN OF THE PREHISTORIC PLANET*_ (1966) A most deceptive title, as no such characters ever appear, though half a dozen primitive men do appear. O.k., 1st, I am not a fan of MST3K, I just want to see the movie, & can enjoy it, no matter how awful it might be without the MST3K treatment. When I was young, there was a late Saturday night horror program called CREATURE FEATURE, that, despite going up against SNL, was fairly high in the ratings. Like MST3K, this program showed old films, horror ones, & had the host Count Gore DeVol (the same guy who was both BOZO the clown & Capt. 20 showing kid's cartoons weekday afternoons) doing his thing as the Vampire host as the program cut to commercials, etc. But, I just wanted to see the movies!

_*WOMEN OF THE PREHISTORIC PLANET*_ 
So, anyway, these space travelers crash upon this planet whereupon 18 year pass while their other spaceship is going at near light speed. This guy is born & becomes a teenager during this time. The 2nd spaceship arrives, & while knowing the time difference, still expects to find the crew alive, etc.  
There was one really 'horrific' part, in which the explorers were crossing a pool of apparently boiling water, or perhaps acid, upon a convenient log. The one guy was too nervous and, fell in. Totally lame! El-cheapo, etc. I have seen pathetic 'quicksand' more convincing than this! They had strung a rope above the log, for added support, as an aid to balance, but the guy was too fearful. So, he dips one leg in, and cannot pull it out. R.I. P. that guy! Reminded me of that scene from KUNG FU so long ago, when Master Po (Keye Luke) tells the boy that the pool is filled with acid, & the fear itself causes him to fall in.   

Not the worst excuse for sci fi I have seen, but close enough to the bottom. So, the young woman fromm the spaceship decides she must go outside, and eventually meets the guy who grew-up there, & they become Adam & Eve.


----------



## Rodders

Don’t Look Up.

A Netflix comedy about the end of the world with some heavy handed commentary on people and social media. It was entertaining enough but I wouldn’t watch it again.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Eskimo Nell* 1975 - one of my occasional, calibrating the critical faculties, watch of a British Sex comedy (It's like a setting a benchmark.  Everything, no matter how shoddily-made, badly-acted, and underfunded, looks infinity better afterwards.)  Unfortunately for my recalibration exercise _Eskimo Nell_ turned out to be quite a funny film.   For one thing it has a story (which is rare for this genre), a pretentious, fresh out of filmschool director is given a chance by a porno producer to direct.  But first they have to raise the money; which they do from three different backers... promising each of them a different version.  The writer of the film is a shy, penguin-obsessed virgin:

"I can't do it! Look I am not capable of writing the first all-British, pornographic, Kung-fu, musical western - especially when three different girls and a drag queen all seem to think they are all playing the same part!"

And that's before the producer absconds with all the money, leading the hapless heroes to have to find yet another source of funding - this time from a Moral Majority organisation which means they now have to make a _fourth_ family-friendly version.

There is some seriously funny writing here with the scriptwriter obviously taking deeply felt swipes at the absurdities of the film business.

The tyro director earnestly telling the black actress chained faced-down to the top of a canvas igloo:
"Now... I want you to remember your motivation - psychologically you're about to suffer the rigours of sexual and conceptual imperialism.... and so forth..." before waving over the guy with the vegetable marrow....

Everyone on screen is having great fun hamming everything up in several different directions at once it's hard not to like it.

And it's got Beth Porter in leather.  I've had a crush on Beth Porter ever since _Rock Follies_.   

The film runs out of steam in the last few minutes when, because of the inevitable moment of mistaken identity, the Family Friendly version (which is due to get a royal charity premier) and the Hard Core porn version get swapped.  The final reel could have come from any unfunny British running around in a panic film from the era with our heroes arriving just too late to stop the first lines of dialogue playing on the screen in front of the queen:

"Hello, Eskimo Nell.  Want to f*ck?"


----------



## worldofmutes

Hey all.
First, I watched *There Will Be Blood (*2007)
Cinematically, it is brilliant. Excellent visuals and great soundtrack too. Johnny Greenwood did the soundtrack, and adds quite an eerie ambience to the movie. The acting too, is superb… Daniel Day Lewis made this movie his own, without a doubt. The screenwriting was just a bit cheesy, but with good actors they make it work. The epilogue is by far the most memorable part of this movie.

And then afterward I watched *Excalibur (1981)*
Now, I was never a movie guy at all. There are tons of movies I just haven’t seen. This is because growing up, I always wanted to play outside instead of sit inside and watch a movie. My dad tried to watch these movies with me, but I never paid attention. It is a resolution for me this year to watch more movies.

I’ve never even seen Excalibur, or Knights of the Round Table. Sad, huh? Yeah… well, it was funny. So bad it’s good, etc. Now I know a little about what I’m missing, and that not all knowledge is to be obtained just from books… I always kinda thought, hey, movies are cathartic- but kind of useless to me. But because of this I never did really fit in with people, because movies are a huge medium for the majority of people. I could never quote a movie or even name the quote where it’s from. But I certainly recognized some of them in Excalibur.


----------



## Phyrebrat

M. Robert Gibson said:


> *One Cut Of The Dead *A Japanese zombie comedy with a fantastic ending.  I was watching for about 10 minutes and it struck me that I hadn't seen a cut, so I rewound (is that the correct verb for a digital offering?) and sure enough, there hadn't been.  In fact, the first 30 minutes or so was done in one take.  The rest of the film is a flashback to the run-up to the first part.
> I won't give any spoilers, and if anyone decides to watch it, I recommend avoiding any spoilers
> 
> However, here's the top review on IMDB, which sums it up nicely


I just have to second this. I rented it in Prime and immediately bought it afterwards. 

Don’t find ANYTHING out about this film before you watch it…


----------



## Rodders

a rewatch of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. 

Very enjoyable and a great way to kill two hours.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Downtown Abbey *[2019]
I never watched the TV series but I was prepared to give the film a go.
Because I had not watched the series, I may have missed a lot along the way, but I can't tell, if it was supposed to be a parody or not.
There were so many clichés I started a drinking game [okay I was probably going to be drinking watching it any way, this just paced me a bit]. All the surprises and great reveals were so well telegraphed someone should get an award for clear communication. The Plot was really short stories sewn together [The King Visits!, a Servants revolt, Someone save the king, someone or rather two people are not who they seem to be, an unusual romance...]. It felt episodic and would have probably worked on TV with the Ad breaks to let you move on but in a film, it didn't quiet flow right for me.
That said, each individual actor was pretty much on fine form, especially Dame Maggie Smith chewing the scenery to perfection. And the scenery and setting did look pretty.
And I've just Read that *DA: A New Age* is due out in a few months. Sorry, but I won't be in the queue.


----------



## KGeo777

THE HUNTER OF THE GOLDEN COBRA 1982 -- Indiana Jones-inspired Italian adventure film--some dialogue is taken directly from Raiders of the Lost Ark for lame effect. It has very good good miniature set effects which add a lot of production value.  Although a golden cobra is much prized, real cobras aren't so precious here--one appears to get shot and others get torches dropped on them!


----------



## J Riff

*Train to Busan 2,*  S. Korea - There's no train, and no mention of Busan, but- same zombies, same plague, and now we have some guys sent into the infested city to try to recoup a truck full of American dollars. There are so many zombies wandering around that even if you drive fast, you can run into a big enough swarm of them to stop the car. The trick is to drive really fast, then hit the brakes and turn the wheel so you slam into them sideways and knock them outa the way, and our little kid driver is expert at this, while his even littler sis uses radio controlled cars and a virtual headset to further confuse the milling hordes. Our MC is trying to save everyone and he takes on a gang of demented survivors and, this time around, not everyone is killed, which is nice, but, there is still plenty of heartwrenching stuff and sad ominous music. 
 Really, these zombies, ya gotta figure the army could wipe them out if they really tried... where are the flamethrowers and helicopters?.. but then there wouldn't be work for all the makeup artists, and extras who run around in large packs looking to chomp down on anything that moves.


----------



## Starbeast

*Frosty the Snowman* (1969) - Pleasant animated tale with an excellent ending.

*Santa Claus is Comin' to Town* (1970) - Very good stop-motion animated story about the origin of Mr Kringle.

*Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer*  (1964) - My favorite stop-motion animated holiday film. I always feel like a kid when I watch it. Wonderful.

*Rich Little's Christmas Carol* (1978) - Comedian Rich Little does a one-man performance with his impressions of famous actors and celebrities for all of the characters in Charles Dickens marvelous tale. I especially enjoyed his impressions of Jack Benny, James Mason, Jimmy Stewart, and Richard Nixon. A bit dated, but still amusing.

*Freddy the Freeloader's Christmas Dinner* (1981) - Comedian Red Skelton performs as my favorite character creation of his, Freddy the Freeloader. A hobo with a heart of gold and a quick-wit sense of humor. Actor Vincent Price portrays his best friend. This holiday special has a few cheerful songs, heart-warming and fun.

*Merry Christmas, Mr Bean* (1992) - Outstanding performance by Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean enjoying the holiday season.


----------



## Rodders

I saw a 3 star Amazon movie called Project Ithaca. 

an alien abduction movies that tried to do something a little different, but didn’t quite manage to pull it off. Enjoyable for what it was, but I’ll be adding it to Baylor’s list of B movies.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Mayday (2021). A woman is mysteriously transported to another world where she finds a group of women who lure male soldiers to their deaths via radio in a submarine. It received poor ratings, but I didn't think it was too bad--only a bit drawn-out.


----------



## pogopossum

*Hogfather.*
I consider any three hour production a movie. I have a friend who makes viewing this an annual holiday event.
Just the second time through for me.

Brilliant, but pays perhaps too much attention to the foibles and eccentricities of wizards and various thugs.
Such detail works better in Pratchett's written work.
Still, every moment of the film is lovely to watch.
Mr. Teatime "_Te-ah-tim-eh_," remains perhaps the most joyously evil character in fiction.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Howling IV: The Original Nightmare* - Straight to video fourquel. Set in California, shot in South Africa, and dubbed who knows where - the whole film was shot without sound and totally dubbed in post production - this cheapo mess managed to end up looking Italian.  There were moments when I felt really sorry for the production designer.  The number of times he must have sat watching the rushes cringing thinking: "Christ! if I'd known they were going to shoot it from _that_ angle I would have made the back of it look like a real roof / wall / ceiling / stairs / whatever".


----------



## Jeffbert

*SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT* (1984) I  had no idea about the controversy with this film, but that was almost 40 years ago. Parents did not approve of the slasher dressed as Santa. 

Anyway, this guy in a Santa suit murders a little boys parents in front of him. He is traumatized, but next year the head nun at the orphanage forces him onto the knee of another guy in a Santa suit. Bad idea. He hits the guy; nun punishes him 'naughty!' <-- the key word of the entire film.  So, he grows up, works in local toy store, then, when the toy store's Santa is sick on Xmas Eve, he has to wear the suit. sees his coworkers making love, & recalling a similar incident at the orphanage, he snaps, & goes on a killing spree.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Star Trek Into Darkness *(2013) and *Star Trek Beyond *(2016)

Special effects!  Action!  Incoherent storytelling!


----------



## Extollager

The Bedford Incident

Good Cold War movie with an ending not likely to make for big box office receipts.


----------



## Droflet

Just resaw the *Bedford Incident*. Terrific movie. I first saw it in the 60's and at that time it was very, very scary.


----------



## dask




----------



## alexvss

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (2021). Nice slice-of-life anime. It doesn't have a great start as it takes a while to care about the main couple--about 20 minutes or so--, but the animation style keeps you going until then (the colors reminded me of Idaten Deities, but it's a completely different narrative tone). After that, I was hooked (the fact that the movie is so short helped too).

For shorters, it's cute; it has the meet-cute; and it ends kinda cute.


----------



## KGeo777

I am sure I have seen Rich Little's Christmas Carol--maybe even the Freddy the Freeloader one. Not in decades though.


DE SADE 1969--AIP's biggest flop--it is a dud despite good moments from Lilli Palmer--however I assume that while writing this, Richard Matheson got the idea to do Hell House. There's a sequence with a midget sado-masochist and the story of Hell House is about a De Sade-type character who seeks immortality despite imprisonment.


----------



## Starbeast

KGeo777 said:


> I am sure I have seen Rich Little's Christmas Carol--maybe even the Freddy the Freeloader one. Not in decades though.


I've been thinking about those specials for a while and finally got around to seeing them. You can check them out on YouTube.


----------



## New

Joanna D Arc
The first half is great - almost like Braveheart - while the second half is boring and long, the whole movie is 2:40 - which is too long


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Special effects!  Action!  Incoherent storytelling!



Just like every other iteration of Star Trek then.


----------



## KGeo777

Seven Pistols for a Massacre 1967 - I haven't seen many Craig Hill westerns--this one is very old-fashioned for an Italian one. Not every spaghetti western was influenced by Leone and friends. This feels much more like an American western.


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY's year-end film:

*REPEAT PERFORMANCE* (1947) I know I have seen this before, & suspect then too, it was on NOIR ALLEY. But anyway, definitely not the typical noir. No heist, no prison break, etc. In fact, this has fantasy elements. 

So, An actress who gained fame after marriage to a playwright loses his love to another woman. Shoots him dead on New Year's Eve, and wishes she could live the entire year over again, while avoiding the errors, etc. 

Barney Page (Louis Hayward) is the playwright who is frustrated by his reliance on his wife Sheila Page (Joan Leslie) for money, seeing as how when they married, only he had money / fame.  Since then, her career has blossomed, while his has withered. So, he begins loathing his wife, and dating another woman. 

Well done, indeed! Esp. Muller's comments.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Return of the King* (2003)

The third part of the trilogy is another very good film indeed. I remembered it as being full of huge battles, but the smaller drama impresses me just as much, especially that between Frodo and Sam (in a strong field, Sean Astin is particularly good). John Noble's Denethor is perfectly decent, but doesn't get much screen time, so his jump from depression to madness seems a bit quick. As ever, Peter Jackson deserves credit for organising the story into a satisfying film, especially given the amount of special effects involved.

Thus concludes an excellent series of films. Two particular things strike me. First, the maturity and grown-up feel of the story: not just in terms of violence, but in seriousness. At the end, Frodo observes that time doesn't heal all wounds: there's a sense that things have consequences, and that in winning, he has become a broken man. Second is the depiction of male friendship and emotion: not just the friendship between Frodo and Sam, but between Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn and the Fellowship, and so on. Many of the male characters weep (when not hacking their way through countless orcs). I suppose both of these points suggest that the characterisation here is extremely strong, unlike many fantasy films.

So, anyway, a few tiny issues aside, these films are superb and everyone should watch them. 

[Oh, and just one more thing: Jackson was right to leave out the Scouring of the Shire. It would have required an extra 45 minutes at least, and its themes are well-addressed in the Isengard scenes and the departure of Frodo for the Grey Havens.]


----------



## CoriSCapnSkip

KGeo777 said:


> There was a court case over Poltergeist. A screenwriter (son of Eleanor Parker) said he sent a screenplay to Spielberg's office and elements of it turned up in the film. The court case was going to have Ray Bradbury as an expert witness on ghost stories for the plaintiff and Richard Matheson on the defense but they settled out of court. Spielberg never put his name on a screenplay again. His producers were blamed for the borrowing of the concepts (the clown and the tree attack).
> 
> There was a tv movie made around that time which was pulled from showing because it had a child being sucked into a tv--I dont know if they filmed it and shelved it or it was cancelled because they didn't want to take an idea that was going to be used in the feature film.



_Why on earth_ would Richard Matheson have been on the defense?  He should have been the plaintiff!  The whole middle of the film was ripped off from his episode of _The Twilight Zone_, "Little Girl Lost."


----------



## KGeo777

I think they mentioned that in the article---that Matheson's TZ story was more directly an inspiration for it--but certain specific elements from the submitted script like the tree and clown were what was the point of dispute. Matheson had a project with Spielberg so maybe that was a factor in his involvement as well.


ALONG CAME A SPIDER 1970 -- This is a like a noirish kind of story--some parts of it feels like a 1940s or 50s movie- some Vertigo ideas thrown in--a woman scientist gets to know a physicist  who we learn she suspects of killing her husband. She frames him for her murder so he gets tried and sent to prison--but when a letter from El Salvador comes, she has to make a dramatic decision. It has a lot of twists--I had seen it before and forgot them.  Someone says this line without tongue in cheek:  "I want to speak to Detective Sam Howard. He is at a tear gas convention in the walmart room. Yes it is an emergency!"

FIREBIRD 2015 AD - 1981   The president has banned personal vehicles and oil production but Darren McGavin runs a secret car and gas station.  His naive law-abiding son tells him he is breaking the law and wasting limited resources, to which his father replies, "Limited resources? If I had to, I could make fuel out of bullsh** and there's no scarcity of that in this world!"
McGavin has an attitude that is refreshing--he has to educate his son about his trust in media,  "that's just government bullsh** boy!"

Mary Beth Rubens has an uncanny resemblance to Ida Lupino.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963)*

Ray Milland plays James Xavier a scientist looking to extend the range of human vision in this Roger Corman Sci-fi horror. Great use of sfx and first person perspective. Fantastic sixties dancing. "If thine eye offends thee... pluck it out!"

Enjoyed this and looking for recommendations of more like it...


----------



## Randy M.

*Puppet Master II* (1990; dir. Charles Band; starring Elizabeth Maclellen, Collin Bernsen)

I watched this so you don't have to.

PM II starts with one of my favorite gambits, paranormal investigators arriving and setting up their equipment in a supposedly haunted ediface, this time the hotel from the first movie, the influence of Toulon, the titular puppet master from the PM I, still hovering over the site. The puppet gang from the first movie shows up with a couple of additions, one of whom has a _Frankenstein_-like (1931) moment with a little boy which is gratuitous and ugly. Unfortunately the novelty that carried the first movie wears off shortly after this begins.

Probably the only reason I watched to the end was a sense of call-back to older movies. Besides the scene mentioned above, the over-arching plot ultimately re-works the Boris Karloff _The Mummy;_ this was pretty much confirmed near the end when an actor's make-up and prosthetics resemble Karloff's face. Oh, and the theme music. Maybe someday someone will find a story that works with the theme, filming a movie by turns melancholy, whimiscal and creepy.


----------



## KGeo777

You might try Pyro: The Thing Without A Face or The 4D Man or the Projected Man.

I can't think of another one that has that interesting element of seeing through dimensions though or quirky humor as X-The Man With the X-Ray Eyes.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Gangs of New York*

Definitely not one of Scorsese's best movies. As historically accurate a portrayal of 19th Century New York as Mary Poppins or Oliver! was of Victorian/Edwardian Britain. Some over the top performances , and no particular character that you feel any affinity for.

It's many years since I last watched this movie, and I remembered very little from previous viewings. It _is _quite a spectacle , and even at almost 3 hours long, you want to watch it through to the end. Is it a good movie? Well, it's not a bad movie.


----------



## KGeo777

I saw it but can't remember a damn thing about it.
I am wondering how I missed Barbara Bouchet but in those days I was not familiar with her beyond a Star Trek episode.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Extraction* (aka _Extracted_ 2012) - interesting little SF movie.  Lone researcher and assistant develop a way of accessing memories and determining if they are real or not.  The people paying for the research want to use it to determine the guilt or innocence of crime suspects.  The scientist reluctantly agrees to a trial run... the inevitable Something Goes Wrong and he gets stuck in the perp's head.  He's trapped in this jailed junkie's memories while his own body lies in a coma.  Four years later the perp starts to remember seeing the scientist in his memories in places he could not have been. They establish a dialogue.  The hows and why of this are a _leettle_ vague and handwavium but not enough to sink the film. There are twists and revelations which, for the most part, work.  There are a leaps of - well that was lucky... and okay, movie, I'll let you off with that... but on the whole this is a movie that punches well above its weight and sidesteps the worst of the clichés of the genre - ferrinstance:  the mysterious funder of the research is not your usual, off-the-peg Evil Corporation, or Mysterious Covert Black Ops Unit but a law enforcement official with political ambitions. He's not painted BAD but just sees a use for the tech that pushes ethical boundaries. He sees an opportunity to move the boundaries to accommodate it and make a name for himself.  It's credible. He's not a villain. When the tech fails he drops it fast.  Only to pick it up again when the problems are sorted and the extraction of the title achieved.  

There a few annoyances that I could have done without.  The pointless, endless, hand-held reframing of just about every shot got tedious very quickly as did the standard low budget  timeless, tuneless, ambient plink... plang.... one-note-at-a-time echo-chamber piano and gongy-thing 'music' which played under every scene smudging the lack of any real sound design. 

And it did contain one of my personal pet hates.  

Junkmonkey SF Movie Clichés to Avoid #36
The GIANT SYRINGE.  In any Hollywood SF movie any experimental drug, nano-technology or other plot device injected into our hero will be done by the medium of a Giant Silver Syringe with a pistol grip and a transparent bit so you can see a (usually greenish) liquid gurgling in it.  Nine times out of ten this Giant Syringe will be taken out of a specially padded, metallic, briefcase case just before the procedure.

BUT, having got those minor gripes out the way, it's a better and more intelligent film than a lot of vastly more expensive movies.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE PACK* (1977) Stray dogs survive how ever they can, including munching on humans. Worse yet, this is an island with only the HAM radio as communication, & the wind has taken the antenna down. Besides that, it is cold outside.  A very unfortunate family had come here as a vacation. Oops, bad move.

O.k., so this film made it clear who was going on the dogs' menu next, so, no suspense as far as that goes. Just a matter of when & where.



_*RATTLERS*_ (1976) The rattlesnakes have become aggressive in this small desert town & its surroundings. So, the local herpetologist is called upon to deal with it. Strange that the local military base is rather close to the center of it all.   If you guessed that the military had something to do with it, you win a cookie.  


Both of these were shown amid a block of critter horror films on TCM from last October. I figured they would be bad, so I waited this long to see them. Neither was really bad, just not quite good.


----------



## KGeo777

The Pack has a couple of scary scenes like the attack on the car as well as the sudden appearance of the dog in the abandoned house.
But it is a tear jerker with that little dog.


----------



## Toby Frost

paranoid marvin said:


> Some over the top performances



Why, I ordda... _evisherate_ you and... _feshtoon_ the wallsh with a shade of sanguine, sir.

Literal moustache-twirling villainy. Still, it looked good, in an utterly squalid way.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Mist (2007). It wasn't quite as good as I remembered it. The thing that bothers me most is that the main protagonist just isn't a good actor. I think even I could do better. There's at least one line that I really wish I could change, but I won't spoil it here.


----------



## KGeo777

I hated the Mist--and part of the reason was the ending was spoiled for me so I couldn't enjoy it.
But even if I knew the ending-it would irritate me.
So many things bugged me in that one.
For starters the lawyer who refused to look in the other room. That was crazy.
There was no reason for him to doubt the word of three people.

The religious nut was really overdone. They would have threatened to punch her out.

The weirdness of the young soldier who had makeup on? He looked like a vampire. And then after they see the body cut in half--he and the girl are chatting like they are in high school?
I will say only this about the ending--military units going through fog should have bullhorns.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Wonder of the Dog* 2021
Weird, slow post-cowboy film set in Montana in 1925 about a miserable cranky rancher played by Cucumberpatch. New Zealand stands in nicely for the midwest but its just so boring! Barely stayed awake ...


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> I hated the Mist--and part of the reason was the ending was spoiled for me so I couldn't enjoy it.
> But even if I knew the ending-it would irritate me.
> So many things bugged me in that one.
> For starters the lawyer who refused to look in the other room. That was crazy.
> There was no reason for him to doubt the word of three people.
> 
> The religious nut was really overdone. They would have threatened to punch her out.
> 
> The weirdness of the young soldier who had makeup on? He looked like a vampire. And then after they see the body cut in half--he and the girl are chatting like they are in high school?
> I will say only this about the ending--military units going through fog should have bullhorns.




I think that's the alternate ending isn't it?

There was tv series also I think.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Brightburn. It had an interesting premise, and the execution was OK for the most part, but I wasn't a fan of the non-ending, which let the brat get off scot free with mass murder.


----------



## KGeo777

THE KREMLIN LETTER 1970 - I rather like this spy movie with Patrick O 'Neil, Max Von Sydow, George Sanders, Nigel Green (very good as an agent specializing in prostitution and drugs), but the movie belongs to Richard Boone as a psycho assassin who cheerfully carries out blackmail and murder with a folksy-speaking charm and memorable dialogue. "She can still be saved if only you'll agree. But if you dont  agree, we'll turn her into the most perverted human being our  minds can conceive. And when we're finished with her we'll start on your other daughter and your wife."


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, I remember this one. Indeed, Boone makes for a very unpleasant villain.


----------



## KGeo777

Droflet said:


> Yeah, I remember this one. Indeed, Boone makes for a very unpleasant villain.


"Buck up nephew, buck up! We still got the Grand Mute, the  receiving set, and me!"


----------



## Randy M.

Boone was an underappreciated actor, I think. Even when up against John Wayne or the like, he commanded attention on screen. I still recall fondly a pilot for a TV series with him and Michael Dunn as seedy private detectives, and wonder how it would hold up now, some 40 or so years after it was first shown.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Boone was an underappreciated actor, I think. Even when up against John Wayne or the like, he commanded attention on screen. I still recall fondly a pilot for a TV series with him and Michael Dunn as seedy private detectives, and wonder how it would hold up now, some 40 or so years after it was first shown.


Yes! I saw that a few years ago. Goodnight My Love.
It was a black comedy-noirish detective story.
Boone was a burned out Sam Spade.

The Last Dinosaur I need to revisit as well.

I used to watch Have Gun, Will Travel.


----------



## Parson

KGeo777 said:


> I used to watch Have Gun, Will Travel.


I loved this show as a kid. Now when I read the plot summaries they look pretty sketchy.


----------



## Extollager

Droflet said:


> Just resaw the *Bedford Incident*. Terrific movie. I first saw it in the 60's and at that time it was very, very scary.


Just watched that one again a few days ago.  I agree.

[Later: Whoops!  I see I had already mentioned seeing this a few days ago.]


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Yes! I saw that a few years ago. Goodnight My Love.
> It was a black comedy-noirish detective story.
> Boone was a burned out Sam Spade.
> 
> The Last Dinosaur I need to revisit as well.
> 
> I used to watch Have Gun, Will Travel.



Me, too.


Parson said:


> I loved this show as a kid. Now when I read the plot summaries they look pretty sketchy.



Yeah, me, too, again, but my impression of the show's position in television history is that it helped mature the TV version of Westerns.  Then TV Westerns became so mature they mostly died off ...


----------



## KGeo777

He did a series of tv movies called Hec Ramsey--I saw the pilot and have been seeking to check out the movies.
A western age detective who uses the technology of the time--early finger print and evidence gathering.
It was part of the rotation of tv-movie series like Columbo, McCloud...


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> He did a series of tv movies called Hec Ramsey--I saw the pilot and have been seeking to check out the movies.
> A western age detective who uses the technology of the time--early finger print and evidence gathering.
> It was part of the rotation of tv-movie series like Columbo, McCloud...


I remember that, enjoyed it and was sorry to see it cancelled after one season.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CHAMBER OF HORRORS *_(1966) 
This so-called horror film failed to deliver horror, but did deliver laughs. It featured a so-called horror horn and fear flasher that were intended to cause the audience to close their eyes, or turn away so as to miss the fact that nothing horrible actually happened. Actually, it was not bad, but the horror horn etc., created an expectation that was hardly met.

This lunatic (Patrick O'Neal) forced a minister to perform a marriage ceremony between himself and a corpse. Captured and sentenced to death for the murder of the woman, he escapes, and plots revenge against the judge, the cop, and the detective who caused his troubles.

Oh, he escaped by severing his right hand. ​


----------



## KGeo777

The horror horn. I remember that.

CHALLENGE OF THE GLADIATOR 1966 is a late peplum and it shows. It's rather bland with Spartacus fighting a Nero impersonator and learning about Christianity from a woman who isn't really a Christian. That's the new twist.

THE NIGHT STALKER 1972 - Premiered 50 years ago this night. It's interesting that all the players in this were doing various things-- tv movies etc--and they all came together to make a film (only an hour and 14 minutes) which was the highest rated tv-movie at the time. It feels like 1972 was the peak year for horror in movies and tv, and vampires were so prominent. Cheap FX for the day--with contact lenses being the hi tech novelty.
But it works mainly due to the performances--you feel everyone is invested in it.


----------



## AE35Unit

DON'T LOOK UP.
Weird pre-apocalyptic tale with Leanordo da cappucino. Sort of a comedy but not quite. I think they call them black comedies.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blackmail *(1947)

The character "Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective" was pretty popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930's and 1940's.  This is his only theatrical appearance, although he would show up many years later in a made-for-TV movie (and, apparently, the pilot for an unsold series) called, logically enough, *Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective* (AKA *The Raven Red Kiss-Off *on video, which may be the most hardboiled title I've ever seen.)

Anyway, this is an entertaining little B private eye yarn.  Turner gets hired by a wealthy stage-and-radio producer type, who relates his problem in flashback.  It seems that he won a ton of money at a gambling joint, then ran into an old flame (as fits tradition, she's a nightclub singer) who doesn't seem to resent the fact that he dumped her and failed to get her the radio spot he promised.  She gives him a drink that knocks him out, then blackmails him with photographs.  (We don't see these, or get a clue what they show, but to be worth fifty thousand bucks -- a price which keeps going up during the course of the film -- they must be pretty racy for 1947.)  Then the dame fell out of a hotel window -- or was pushed -- and the rich guy looks like the best suspect.

Out of the flashback, the dame's partner in blackmail shows up, has the first of three long and really impressive fistfights we'll see in a film that lasts just over an hour -- Republic Studios did a bunch of serials, too, so had great stuntmen -- with Turner and runs off.  Somebody we don't see shoots the guy dead, and he lands in the wealthy guy's pool.  The rich fellow stupidly picks up the discarded gun, making him another prime homicide suspect.  His current girlfriend shows up, and with the help of a chauffeur with a phony French accent, the body get hidden to protect her man.

The movie has just barely begun at this point, and it gets a lot more complicated.  The screenplay is full of wisecracks, maybe the most smart aleck remarks per minute in any movie I've ever seen.  You'll figure out who's behind the blackmail and murders, but it's still a lot of fun.


----------



## Toby Frost

Mon0Zer0 said:


> Enjoyed this and looking for recommendations of more like it...



Have you read _Danse Macabre_ by Stephen King? He liked this film, too, and has some interesting things to say about it. Some of his other recommendations might be of interest.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Toby Frost said:


> Have you read _Danse Macabre_ by Stephen King? He liked this film, too, and has some interesting things to say about it. Some of his other recommendations might be of interest.



I haven't yet - but I'll give it a go.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CARL LAEMMLE* (?) a documentary about the guy who founded UNIVERSAL PICTURES. I had no idea he was so important a guy! Not only defeated Edison in hundreds of law suits, not only horror films, but also racial equality, saved 100s of families from Hitler, etc. I had heard that the problem was not in escaping Germany, but having some other nation that was willing to take them, but this made it very clear.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> saved 100s of families from Hitler, etc. I had heard that the problem was not in escaping Germany, but having some other nation that was willing to take them, but this made it very clear.



How little times have changed.


----------



## pogopossum

Goodness Gracious y'all love horrid (literally) movies. 
I wonder if this is truly representative of SFFC or just posters responding with similar selections to what was mentioned previously.
To vary the tenor of choices - -
Just before Christmas I watched *The Muppet Christmas Carol *with my daughter and 4 year old grandson and 6 year old granddaughter.
With the exception of Michael Caine's singing I recommend it unequivocally.
My grandson, fierce destroyer of video game monsters, was afraid of the Ghost of Christmas Future. But I knew that Gonzo would protect us all.
It had not only the charm of the Muppets, but the slapstick humor of which they were the prime practioners.
We also watched the animated _*Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.*_
Actually sort of charming. But a good movie to watch with young grandkids, while also reading a book. It does have Mel Brooks voicing one of the characters.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> *CARL LAEMMLE* (?) a documentary about the guy who founded UNIVERSAL PICTURES. I had no idea he was so important a guy! Not only defeated Edison in hundreds of law suits, not only horror films, but also racial equality, saved 100s of families from Hitler, etc. I had heard that the problem was not in escaping Germany, but having some other nation that was willing to take them, but this made it very clear.



The irony with Edison's lawsuits is that now no Americans control American film studios. Is there any European American owner of a studio?
I think Europeans have been completely removed from the cultural stream and they invented the art form. So much for racial equality rhetoric. Some buys outs, some blackmail and who knows what else. The same thing happened to American theater in 1900. And publishing.  Lovecraft and Capote were incensed about that-- greatly offended that some literary voices were prevented from exposure by so-called American book publishers.

The sorry state of film expression today--a big part of the blame does rest with the foreigner studios which came in and sought to take over. They did not want competitors. They had the money and contacts to squeeze out the natives.

I will give Laemmle credit for putting a note at the end of his earliest films asking people to write to him on their opinions of the films.  I can't imagine a studio head doing that today.

But  the big studios were too controlling. That is why Walt Disney, Orson Welles and others started SIMPP--so they could have more creative freedom than offered with Universal, MGM, Warner Bros, etc.


----------



## SC Wade

This past weekend I watched "Infinite" a movie currently playing on Paramount+
Haha...it wasn't very good. I actually really liked the premise, but the execution wasn't done well, in my opinion. You could tell what they were trying to do... and they did try. But it was unimpressive.
It started out pretty good, I liked the idea, and then... I contemplated whether I should finish watching it. Ha.


----------



## KGeo777

AE35Unit said:


> Just watched Adios Sabata,an OK spaghetti western I only watched because Yul Brynner was in it. Pretty average with the usual whistling music(why do they all have that?)
> Apparently its the second of a trilogy,the other two having Lee Van Cleef as Sabata. Why do the TV channels always show just one of a trilogy rather than showing all 3?


I have seen all three--I re-watched Return of Sabata tonight.
The first is the best--the Yul Brynner oneI don't think it's actually the same character.
This one is watchable but it's not particularly enjoyable. It has style and doesn't look cheap but not much there to recommend.
There's an acrobat who I have seen in a couple of other movies.

As the song lyrics

If you want to get money,
if you want to get rich,
if you want a good life
then you got to be a son of a...


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> I have seen all three--I re-watched Return of Sabata tonight.
> The first is the best--the Yul Brynner oneI don't think it's actually the same character.
> This one is watchable but it's not particularly enjoyable. It has style and doesn't look cheap but not much there to recommend.
> There's an acrobat who I have seen in a couple of other movies.
> 
> As the song lyrics
> 
> If you want to get money,
> if you want to get rich,
> if you want a good life
> then you got to be a son of a...


Crikey when did I post that? I don't remember that film!


----------



## Randy M.

AE35Unit said:


> Crikey when did I post that? I don't remember that film!


2009. It takes a pretty good -- or extremely bad -- movie to leave much of a memory over 10 years.


----------



## AllanR

*Cold Journey 1975 *--Canadian film about a teenager who goes to residence school and the attempt to assimilate native cultures. The main character has difficulties fitting both white society and Indian society. (ie -When he goes home for the summer, to his own society, he can't speak Cree --his brother has to translate for his mothers words for him.)

The bleakness of the story is thrown right at you from the start.

It's a NFB (National Film Board) production so it is free to stream.


----------



## KGeo777

AE35Unit said:


> Crikey when did I post that? I don't remember that film!


I did some time traveling.

 It's a strange feeling to see yourself posting something from the past and realizing it's you saying it and there's no memory of it.
I have a pretty good memory for useless things so I usually remember a movie--it's rare when I watch a movie and them realize I have seen it before..little bits come back to me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*My Dinner With Andre* - a New York actor/play-write and a theatre director meet for a meal and talk.  The theatre director _endlessly _goes on about his existential crisis and search for the meaning of just 'being'....  and the Actor/play-write/audience substitute tries not to laugh/get angry/argue with the pompous prick as he prattles on and on and on like some condensed version of every self-obsessed artistic wa*ker you have ever had the unfortunate experience of meeting.   It is strangely funny.  Even strangely funnier is seeing the names Lloyd Kaufman (director of such delights as the _Toxic Avenger_ movies and _Class of Nuke 'Em High_) as the Production Manager and a thanks to Troma Studios for use of facilities in the end credits.


----------



## KGeo777

LADY IN CEMENT 1968  - Frank Sinatra goes scuba diving to find a naked woman with her feet in cement. That's shocking enough--nudity was just coming into Hollywood with the easing of restrictions. But this was one brave actress because not only was she naked and underwater, but two big sharks are swimming around her. I am really surprised she could keep her eyes closed with this huge shark within inches of her arms dangling in the water.  I am guessing it wasn't planned and what you don't know, doesn't hurt you.


----------



## alexvss

*Hardware (1990)*. I found it to be very... artistic.


----------



## Toby Frost

I think that's a good summary! It moves very slowly, IIRC.


----------



## alexvss

Toby Frost said:


> I think that's a good summary! It moves very slowly, IIRC.


Yeah it takes like, a third of the runtime to get to the inciting incident. But I don't regret watching it. It's fun, and I love the themes and aesthetic.


----------



## Toby Frost

I don't think I've seen it for 20 years of so, but I do remember the pace being very slow. But it does look cool, in a low-budget way.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> The irony with Edison's lawsuits is that now no Americans control American film studios. Is there any European American owner of a studio?
> I think Europeans have been completely removed from the cultural stream and they invented the art form. So much for racial equality rhetoric. Some buys outs, some blackmail and who knows what else. The same thing happened to American theater in 1900. And publishing.  Lovecraft and Capote were incensed about that-- greatly offended that some literary voices were prevented from exposure by so-called American book publishers.
> 
> The sorry state of film expression today--a big part of the blame does rest with the foreigner studios which came in and sought to take over. They did not want competitors. They had the money and contacts to squeeze out the natives.
> 
> I will give Laemmle credit for putting a note at the end of his earliest films asking people to write to him on their opinions of the films.  I can't imagine a studio head doing that today.
> 
> But  the big studios were too controlling. That is why Walt Disney, Orson Welles and others started SIMPP--so they could have more creative freedom than offered with Universal, MGM, Warner Bros, etc.


Hmmm. More stuff I did not know. Thanks, KGeo777.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Hmmm. More stuff I did not know. Thanks, KGeo777.


You can read about SIMPP here.




__





						The Formation of SIMPP
					

The Society of Indepndent Motion Picture Producers -- Hollywood Renegades Archive. . . .



					www.cobbles.com


----------



## Valnus

Eternals.


----------



## Parson

KGeo777 said:


> LADY IN CEMENT 1968  - Frank Sinatra goes scuba diving to find a naked woman with her feet in cement. That's shocking enough--nudity was just coming into Hollywood with the easing of restrictions. But this was one brave actress because not only was she naked and underwater, but two big sharks are swimming around her. I am really surprised she could keep her eyes closed with this huge shark within inches of her arms dangling in the water.  I am guessing it wasn't planned and what you don't know, doesn't hurt you.


So how was the scene of the nude blonde surrounded by sharks filmed? Ricou Browning aka The Creature From The Black Lagoon who directed the scene told me the following at a Wonderfest in Louisville, Kentucky. Sinatra talked a stripper at a local bar into doing the scene. The sharks were kept in cages until the filming started. There failure to be able to move kept them in a drowsy state. Divers watched the sharks and held them back by their tales to keep them in a drowsy state while they shot the scene. Their inability to move kept them in a trance type state. I am sure glad I was not one of those divers.

<i>Lady in Cement</i>, part 1


----------



## Wayne Mack

*Bleeding Steel* (2017) I always enjoy a Jackie Chan movie, but sadly, the actor is starting to show his age. The plot line is difficult to follow (I had to read the Wikipedia summary to fully understand it) and the fight choreography falls short of Jackie in his prime. Still, we see Jackie battle bad guys while swinging from curtains in the theater and then have a fight scene on the roof of the Sydney Opera House with Jackie escaping by cascading down the side of the building. The version I watched did not have Jackie's usual outtakes at the end, but that may have been removed for video-on-demand showings. One easter egg my son caught, in one scene Jackie plays a worker in a mall food court and the name badge he is wearing says 'Jackie Chan.' Good movie for mindless entertainment. Some violence, but no real gore.


----------



## KGeo777

CANNON 1967 - the pilot for the tv series about a large ex-cop who pushes his weight around. A kid stares at his gut and asks "how did you get so fat, mister?" and he replies, "it wasn't easy."

A Quinn Martin production.


----------



## KGeo777

That's 1971 not 1967 for the Cannon pilot. I had it confused with Ironside.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The First Man* 2018
Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong in this film about the events that led up to the moon landing. Not bad actually, and the actual landing scene still managed to make me feel excited, 50 odd years after the event! Got feels, as the young uns say


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Jumanji 2:  The Next Level *- with the kids.  Didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting - too long since I had seen the first one and the film assumed a little more intimate knowledge of the backstory than I had readily to hand but there were some nice gags and Karen Gillan and Dwayne Johnson are both easy on the eye.  Suffered from a real flapping-about not quite sure how to end the film ending which felt like it went on forever.


----------



## pogopossum

KGeo777 said:


> CANNON 1967 - the pilot for the tv series about a large ex-cop who pushes his weight around. A kid stares at his gut and asks "how did you get so fat, mister?" and he replies, "it wasn't easy."
> 
> A Quinn Martin production.


Interestingly,  William Conrad (Cannon) starred in the radio version of  *Gunsmoke*. He narrated _*Rocky & Bullwinkle *_and the TV version of _*The Fugitive. *_Great voice. But it took a while for such a -large-  presence to be accepted on camera.


----------



## KGeo777

pogopossum said:


> Interestingly,  William Conrad (Cannon) starred in the radio version of  *Gunsmoke*. He narrated _*Rocky & Bullwinkle *_and the TV version of _*The Fugitive. *_Great voice. But it took a while for such a -large-  presence to be accepted on camera.


Yeah he did tons of radio work. And the Buck Rogers tv show narration. I never watched the Fugitive beyond the first and last shows--but his final narration was memorable. Something like "Tuesday..the day the running stopped."


He did  *Leiningen vs the Ants* which was voted one of the three greatest radio drama stories (the other two being *Sorry, Wrong Number *and *Three Skeleton Key*). He was in the movie version *the Naked Jungle* but Charlton Heston had the role.

I keep saying this but what the hell happened to strong voices in acting?
They are so wimpy today. I hear stronger voices at the supermarket than I do in modern movies. They are mild now.


----------



## dask

Every once in a while Hollywood can be flawless.


----------



## KGeo777

FEARLESS FUZZ 1978 -  Maurizio Merli is a private investigator searching for leads on a missing girl which leads him to a teen prostitution racket orchestrated by Joan Collins. Is there any evil act she hasn't done? She even wanted to make friends with Hitler.


----------



## JunkMonkey

pogopossum said:


> I keep saying this but what the hell happened to strong voices in acting?
> They are so wimpy today. I hear stronger voices at the supermarket than I do in modern movies. They are mild now.



Lack of stage training/experience and improved microphones.


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> Every once in a while Hollywood can be flawless.
> View attachment 85603



The shot of him coming down the staircase at the end is just sublime:
Doing steps like a boss


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Lack of stage training/experience and improved microphones.


Yes but I think since strong voices exist outside of theater it must be a choice of selection as well. Conscious or not.

I was listening to a Vincent Price interview about radio performance and he said in the heyday of Hollywood, most actors were afraid of radio because it requires all performance to come through voice alone.
You had to have energy in every spoken word--even if you were whispering.  He was saying that the radio actor was very specialized--but even the standard movie actor who did poorly with radio had distinct voices. Someone like James Coburn probably did very little radio--he came on the scene after radio was fading but he had a very distinct voice. I am sure the reason Adam West was chosen for Batman was because his voice was so strong and he had to wear the mask all the time. Lyle Waggoner had a more athletic appearance but his voice was weaker.

I find it very hard to go from 1970s movies to ones today because the lack of intensity in speaking (and appearance) is very noticeable. You have to get used to the difference. Also the music and editing style is so different.

I know some would say that older styles of acting are over-acting but the whole point of it was to avoid being mundane or ordinary.
It's not supposed to be average or run of the mill.

Simon Pegg and James McAvoy have strong presence among younger actors I have heard. They could fit into the 1950s or 60s with their performance style.
I haven't seen her in a movie but I have seen her interviewed and Elle Fanning has a strong voice--but maybe she doesn't have the training.
Ironically, her sister had a  strong presence as a child performer--but I saw her talking as an adult and she doesn't have the same verbal strength.
Not like Pamela Franklin who went from being a very good child performer to equally good adult actress.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

JunkMonkey said:


> *My Dinner With Andre* - a New York actor/play-write and a theatre director meet for a meal and talk.  The theatre director _endlessly _goes on about his existential crisis and search for the meaning of just 'being'....  and the Actor/play-write/audience substitute tries not to laugh/get angry/argue with the pompous prick as he prattles on and on and on like some condensed version of every self-obsessed artistic wa*ker you have ever had the unfortunate experience of meeting.   It is strangely funny.  Even strangely funnier is seeing the names Lloyd Kaufman (director of such delights as the _Toxic Avenger_ movies and _Class of Nuke 'Em High_) as the Production Manager and a thanks to Troma Studios for use of facilities in the end credits.



I've always been curious to see it, being as its held in so high regard and because it was referenced in The Simpsons, Frasier and Community - but it seemed exactly like the kind of movie you described above...


----------



## Mon0Zer0

KGeo777 said:


> I find it very hard to go from 1970s movies to ones today because the lack of intensity in speaking (and appearance) is very noticeable. You have to get used to the difference. Also the music and editing style is so different.



This is something I've noticed but not really been fully aware of - if you get my drift. 

Hamill has that vocal quality in spades. Compare his performance as Luke to Kylo, Rey, or even Ewan's Obi-wan - the older actors can deliver that hokey dialogue in a way that makes the lines sparkle - they really _sell _them - whereas the new school always reveal the deficiencies in the writing.


----------



## KGeo777

Hamill had a specialized vocal training course. Hamill did cartoons and other radio stuff. He did the Star Wars radio drama.

It's true that some actors are really good at making bad dialogue sound good.
Peter Cushing was very good at that.

My favorite quote on him from Freddie Francis:

"I think Peter is absolutely wonderful - there is not an actor in the world who can speak *rubbish* like Peter and make it sound real."


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Simon Pegg and James McAvoy have strong presence among younger actors I have heard. They could fit into the 1950s or 60s with their performance style.



Simon Pegg started out in stand up comedy - where the ability to be heard over a room full of drunks is a plus - and McAvoy trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek the Motion Picture* - with number one son who devoured the original series and is liking TNG but has a strange aversion to watching full length movies (of any kind).  So when he suggested we start to watch all the Star Trek films (in order) I jumped at the chance to get him watching 'real' movies at last.  I did warn him beforehand that the first one was a ponderous bore.... and was proved right.  See, dads DO know stuff.  I've assured him they get the plot to long, slow, effects shot ratio sorted out for the next one.


----------



## Parson

JunkMonkey said:


> The shot of him coming down the staircase at the end is just sublime:
> Doing steps like a boss


The stairs were marvelous but the servants at the end made me cringe.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THAT WAY WITH WOMEN*_ (1947) Another with Sydney Greenstreet. This time he is a pampered father James P. Alden and owns an automobile manufacturing co., who wants to get away from his physician and others who dote on him, and become active again. So, he borrows the name of his gardener Herman Brinker (Alan Hale, Sr.), and buys a share in a gas station with co-owner Greg Wilson (Dane Clark), who has a very low opinion of Alden. Light comedy, etc., 




_*THE FACE OF ANOTHER*_ (1966) A Japanese film about a man whose face is burned beyond recognition, who begins wearing a mask modeled on another man's face. He begins a double life, as a man wearing bandages over his face, and as a nobody, who thinks he can get away with anything. Eventually, he decides to seduce his own wife, to prove her infidelity. 



Another surgery film, but this one, about a pair of hands:

*MAD LOVE* (1935) Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive best known for the line, "Its alive! Its alive!") is a concert pianist married to an actress (Frances Drake), whose on stage portrayal of a woman being tortured by her husband causes Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre), to fall madly in love with her. But, oops, he loses both his hands in a train wreck. At the behest of Yvonne Orlac, Gogol performs surgery on Orlac. Yet, his hands were destroyed, and without telling his patient or anyone else, Gogol attaches the hands of recently beheaded knife-throwing  murderer Rollo (Edward Brophy) to Orlac's wrists.  After months of therapy, Orlac begins to play the piano, but, in a rage, he instinctively picks up a knife and throws it at the other guy. Now he is wondering how he learned how to throw knives. 

Moreover, there is a wax museum figure of Orlac's wife, that was to have been melted after she retired from the theater. Gogol buys it, and treats it like a living person. 


Lorre fell so far from the prominence he once had as horror biggies, to the sad characterization of him as Yetch in Mad Monster Party. Sad!


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> *Star Trek the Motion Picture* -


This had the biggest budget of all the Star Treks--each sequel got cheaper. It's too bad they had so much story troubles.
But the science fiction elements were pretty grand--the attack on the Klingons and also V'Ger---that is a cool sci-fi concept--the way it looked. For the time it was original and alien.
This is to me is why I stick to the theory that the true movie stars of the 70s and 80s were special effects innovations.
John Dykstra was the novelty. It wasn't enough-they really milked all the FX scenes for what they could get but it wasn't enough. The actors were smothered by it  and for Star Trek that was fatal because characterization mattered a lot.


----------



## Droflet

Thank goodness that the next Star Trek movie got it right.


----------



## KGeo777

Droflet said:


> Thank goodness that the next Star Trek movie got it right.


I have two problems with it.
One is that Kirk acts so different from normal.
He acted funny at times in TMP but in ST 2 he is acting so worn out and indecisive...and Khan is just crazy. He was sharper in the original episode--I feel they could have given him more satisfying  characterization.

This is the issue with all the movies--none of them really can capture the series in one single movie-they have to break it up and adjust character to suit the plot.
I wish they had more of the spirit of fan service that exists now--showing characters from the series in cameos.
I think Harry Mudd was supposed to be in one of the sequels but Roger C Carmel died before that could happen.

"Harcourt! Have you been drinking again?"

I have been watching Mission Impossible and got the idea that Spock's brother should have been Martin Landau instead of Luckinbill


----------



## Rodders

I agree with both of you regarding ST: TMP.

But my personal view is that it's quite an underrated movie. The Science fiction elements and the effects are great. 

This design of the Enterprise was my favourite.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> I agree with both of you regarding ST: TMP.
> 
> But my personal view is that it's quite an underrated movie. The Science fiction elements and the effects are great.
> 
> This design of the Enterprise was my favourite.



I really have to disagree - yes,  the effects are great.  We know they're great because Robert Wise shows us endless shots of the crew staring at them looking awed.  From a technical point of view the pre-CGI effects work is very impressive.  The SF elements are passable though they do require a lot of handwavium (Voyager fell into a black hole, emerged on the other side of the galaxy and the machine intelligences that found it could extrapolate its point of origin???) and  Sponk's convenient long-distance 'sensing' abilities*.

But gods above is it tedious.! There was one shot in particular that made me want to throw things at the screen.  It's a laborious slow tracking shot which wanders across the bridge (and back again) picking up members of the crew one by one, who each, in turn when centre screen,  deliver a line of their particular special technobabble while doing awed staring out the window acting.  It takes forever to deliver seven or eight lines of .... nothing.   Pointless waste of screen time.  It wasn't alone. 

I did spend a while admiring the modular construction of the bridge set which allowed sections to be removed and replaced like segments of an orange, and an awful lot of time wondering why the crew changed their costumes so often and was totally baffled at the fuzziness of Kirks arm at one point.  The DP was using a split focus diopter lens - Kirk screen right, further away  and Decker screen left, nearer; both their faces are in focus.  Kirk's arm reaching out and holding Decker's (unseen masked by his body) upper arm is a fuzzy, out of focus blob.




*A personal hate of mine.  I loath it when people 'sense' stuff that's important to the plot because the author can't work out a convenient way to have a character discover something.  

Pew! Pew!
"Thank the gods you arrived in time!  How did you know I would be here surrounded by Orcs armed with nuclear torpedoes and needing 3.89 grams of Incredubulum to activate the anti-doodah generator?"
"I dunno I just sensed you were in trouble...."


----------



## CupofJoe

JunkMonkey said:


> I really have to disagree - yes,  the effects are great.  We know they're great because Robert Wise shows us endless shots of the crew staring at them looking awed.  From a technical point of view the pre-CGI effects work is very impressive.  The SF elements are passable though they do require a lot of handwavium (Voyager fell into a black hole, emerged on the other side of the galaxy and the machine intelligences that found it could extrapolate its point of origin???) and  Sponk's convenient long-distance 'sensing' abilities*.
> 
> But gods above is it tedious.! There was one shot in particular that made me want to throw things at the screen.  It's a laborious slow tracking shot which wanders across the bridge (and back again) picking up members of the crew one by one, who each, in turn when centre screen,  deliver a line of their particular special technobabble while doing awed staring out the window acting.  It takes forever to deliver seven or eight lines of .... nothing.   Pointless waste of screen time.  It wasn't alone.
> 
> I did spend a while admiring the modular construction of the bridge set which allowed sections to be removed and replaced like segments of an orange, and an awful lot of time wondering why the crew changed their costumes so often and was totally baffled at the fuzziness of Kirks arm at one point.  The DP was using a split focus diopter lens - Kirk screen right, further away  and Decker screen left, nearer; both their faces are in focus.  Kirk's arm reaching out and holding Decker's (unseen masked by his body) upper arm is a fuzzy, out of focus blob.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *A personal hate of mine.  I loath it when people 'sense' stuff that's important to the plot because the author can't work out a convenient way to have a character discover something.
> 
> Pew! Pew!
> "Thank the gods you arrived in time!  How did you know I would be here surrounded by Orcs armed with nuclear torpedoes and needing 3.89 grams of Incredubulum to activate the anti-doodah generator?"
> "I dunno I just sensed you were in trouble...."


While I love ST:TMP so don't agree with some of your points I do agree with the "just sensed it"... It is right up with a character stumbling up and picking up a random seeming object that you just know will be the missing/essential piece at the climax.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Mean Machine* [2001]
A loose remake of 1974's *The Longest Yard* [substituting Association football for American football].
It is violent and funny enough to keep me watching and really is just an excuse for Guy Richie and his mates to hang out again.
Vinnie Jones is more than adequate as hard-man footballer Danny, the fallen England captain who is sent to prison. The supporting cast do their jobs well. The one exception is David Kelly, who adds just the right amount of Pathos as the old timer that takes Danny under his wing and has a sad story to tell.
But the less said about Jason Statham's Scottish accent the better.
It is almost work watching for the Governor's eyebrows alone. Worthy of Gandalf.
There are no great twists or turns and the ending is never in doubt, even if you don't know the original. You just sit back and enjoy [or not] the ride.
Full disclosure... Many years ago I won £30 on a bet when Vinnie Jones scored the winner for Wimbledon against Arsenal. so I do have a bit of a soft spot for him.


----------



## Jeffbert

I really have to disagree - yes,  the effects are great.  We know they're great because Robert Wise shows us endless shots of the crew staring at them looking awed.  From a technical point of view the pre-CGI effects work is very impressive.  The SF elements are passable though they do require a lot of handwavium (Voyager fell into a black hole, emerged on the other side of the galaxy and the machine intelligences that found it could extrapolate its point of origin???) and  Sponk's convenient long-distance 'sensing' abilities*.


JunkMonkey said:


> But gods above is it tedious.! There was one shot in particular that made me want to throw things at the screen.  It's a laborious slow tracking shot which wanders across the bridge (and back again) picking up members of the crew one by one, who each, in turn when centre screen,  deliver a line of their particular special technobabble while doing awed staring out the window acting.  It takes forever to deliver seven or eight lines of .... nothing.   Pointless waste of screen time.  It wasn't alone.
> 
> I did spend a while admiring the modular construction of the bridge set which allowed sections to be removed and replaced like segments of an orange, and an awful lot of time wondering why the crew changed their costumes so often and was totally baffled at the fuzziness of Kirks arm at one point.  The DP was using a split focus diopter lens - Kirk screen right, further away  and Decker screen left, nearer; both their faces are in focus.  Kirk's arm reaching out and holding Decker's (unseen masked by his body) upper arm is a fuzzy, out of focus blob.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *A personal hate of mine.  I loath it when people 'sense' stuff that's important to the plot because the author can't work out a convenient way to have a character discover something.
> 
> Pew! Pew!
> "Thank the gods you arrived in time!  How did you know I would be here surrounded by Orcs armed with nuclear torpedoes and needing 3.89 grams of Incredubulum to activate the anti-doodah generator?"
> "I dunno I just sensed you were in trouble...."


The thing I most disliked about the 1st STAR TREK  film was its antagonist was not a humanoid whose thoughts, intentions, etc., could be depicted. Klingons, Romulans, Uncle Remus, Khan, etc., could have their personalities depicted. But VGer could not. Human Vs. human conflict rules! This might have been better as a 2nd or 3rd film (not considering the excessive reliance on SFX), but as #1, it was a disappointment. The HISTORY CHANNEL  ran a 4 part series called THE CENTER SEAT, & as I recall, pt. 3 was about this film. I will watch it again soon.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Mean Machine* [2001]


CupofJoe said:


> A loose remake of 1974's *The Longest Yard* [substituting Association football for American football].
> It is violent and funny enough to keep me watching and really is just an excuse for Guy Richie and his mates to hang out again.
> Vinnie Jones is more than adequate as hard-man footballer Danny, the fallen England captain who is sent to prison. The supporting cast do their jobs well. The one exception is David Kelly, who adds just the right amount of Pathos as the old timer that takes Danny under his wing and has a sad story to tell.
> But the less said about Jason Statham's Scottish accent the better.
> It is almost work watching for the Governor's eyebrows alone. Worthy of Gandalf.
> There are no great twists or turns and the ending is never in doubt, even if you don't know the original. You just sit back and enjoy [or not] the ride.
> Full disclosure... Many years ago I won £30 on a bet when Vinnie Jones scored the winner for Wimbledon against Arsenal. so I do have a bit of a soft spot for him.


Wasn't *Mean Machine* the name of Dick Dastardly's car?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Ma Loute*  (Slack Bay) - Odd.  Very odd.  It's summer 1910 in northern France and people are disappearing from a beach.  Can the strange family of cannibal fisherfolk have anything to do with it?  Will the horrible family of incestuous, inbred aristos survive to the end of the film? Will Billie decide if she is a boy or a girl? Why did the grotesquely huge police inspector suddenly start floating - and will they ever catch the rope dangling from his ankle?  Will anyone ever top Juliette Binoche's fantastic masterclass in hyper-overacting?   How utterly drop-dead gorgeous is Raph, the actress playing the androgynous Billie?






Not sure if I ever want to watch it again though.  Apparently it was a comedy.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_The Book Thief_
Terrific film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> While I love ST:TMP so don't agree with some of your points I do agree with the "just sensed it"... It is right up with a character stumbling up[on] and picking up a random seeming object that you just know will be the missing/essential piece at the climax.



The only time I remember this working was in Vonnegut's _The Sirens of Titan_ when it was pretty much the whole point of the story.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Mum's List* [2016]
Not an easy watch and I cannot say i enjoyed watching it but my time was very well spent.
It is the true story of a father coming to terms with the death of his wife. At the same time it is also a story about how they got there and how she tries to prepare him for life without her. 
Meeting as kids falling in love and all the little steps in between, right through to her illness and death and he he copes.
The title comes from the notes and prompts she leave for him before her death to help him cope.
No car chases or explosions, just acting. Believable, emotional acting.
There is no happy ending, in the Hollywood sense, just a hint of a future.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*HOLD BACK THE DAWN*_ (1941) Georges Iscovescu (Charles Boyer) is a European refugee in Mexico seeking a Visa to enter the USA. His country of origin has very few openings in the U.S.' quota system, & the guy who works in the U.S. consulate tells him so.  So, anyway, the guy is a gigolo, who intends to marry any willing U.S. woman, so he can get preferential treatment in the immigration dept. , & divorce her soon after receiving his citizenship.

The before & after discussion was about WWII & Hollywood's handling of it.  The refugee situation was rarely a subject. The guy with Alica Mallone, Christian Blauvelt  had written a book on the subject.  _*Hollywood Victory: The Movies, Stars, and Stories of World War II*_ . Given my interest in WWII, I might just get a copy.

A touching scene occurs when the American physician who examines the would be immigrants, tells the wife of a man that he cannot enter because he suffers from tuberculosis. Given the current issues at the U.S.' southern border, this is food for thought.

Anyway, he seduces and marries Emmy Brown (Olivia de Havilland) a young school teacher, who had brought a car full of little boys into Mexico as a field trip, but the car had engine trouble, thus giving him time to work his wiles on her.  He obtained more time by tossing the car's distributor rotor away while talking to the mechanics (who, themselves seemed to be making a simple radiator repair into a major engine overhaul).  But, things happen & he realizes he actually does love her, etc.


----------



## pogopossum

*Devil In A Blue Dress. *(1990)
Starring Denzel Washington, it is a densly plotted, often quite violent, mystery/adventure carried both by Washington's arresting physical presence and the atmosphere of 1948 Black LA.
Police oppression, an appreciation of neighborhood and the gradual development of Washington's Easy Rawlins character all characterize the movie. Of note is that this was also Don Cheadle's first big role and a filming of Walter Mosely's first novel.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

*High Plains Drifter.  *
Great movie with Clint Eastwood, playing a stranger out for revenge. Apart from a couple of quite violent whipping scenes, it is a film worth watching. 9/10


----------



## KGeo777

STATION SIX SAHARA 1962- It feels more like a stage play at time but still quite interesting thanks to the cast. It's about a remote petrol station in the Sahara where the 5 men got on each others nerves until a woman shows up. particularly amusing is the relationship between snob Denholm Elliot and slob Ian Bannen. The former cherishes the letters he gets so the latter dares him to sell him one of his letters for one month's pay. It's funny how something so trivial becomes fascinating and suspenseful.

TAUR THE MIGHTY 1963- Considered one of the worst peplums ever made--it certainly competes for the honor. It doesn't feel like your standard one-there's not even a dancing girl scene--although unusually, it does have a women gladiator sequence.  The hero is pretty useless and boring. His sidekick Harry Baird is poorly dubbed and  the role is not flattering but it does have one funny moment where he hides under the queen's bed while the hero is romancing her.
It's a mess.


----------



## Parson

KGeo777 said:


> peplums


This one sent me to Google! It turns out it is a word for a "Sword and Sorcery" film, but the prevailing modern usage is a short overskirt worn over other articles of clothing. ---- English, the language of a thousand thefts and unbelievable transformation in definition.


----------



## KGeo777

lol the first time I heard peplum I was confused too. Same with giallo and krimi.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> This one sent me to Google! It turns out it is a word for a "Sword and Sorcery" film, but the prevailing modern usage is a short overskirt worn over other articles of clothing. ---- English, the language of a thousand thefts and unbelievable transformation in definition.



Not sure 'Sword and Sorcery' is _quite_ right.  There may be fantastical elements in Peplum films (Gods demigods and mythical beasts will crop up) but I get the idea they were pretty much all set in a Greco-Roman mythic past rather than ever taking place in alternate worlds or any hypothetical Hyboria.

EDIT: Though, having said that, I would be astonishingly grateful if anyone could point me at a decent copy of Giant of Metropolis (1963)  a very odd Mashup of Peplum and Flash Gordony SF set in Atlantis.  The copy I have,  part of one of those 50 movie public domain 'Classics' boxsets,  is pretty ropey.









						The Giant of Metropolis (1961) - IMDb
					

The Giant of Metropolis: Directed by Umberto Scarpelli. With Gordon Mitchell, Bella Cortez, Roldano Lupi, Marietto. Muscleman Ohro travels to the sinful capital of Atlantis to rebuke its godlessness and hubris and becomes involved in the battle against its evil lord Yoh-tar and his hideous...




					www.imdb.com


----------



## pogopossum

Had to look up peplum, giallo and krimi. Had heard two of them used previously, but assumed their meaning from context, not knowledge.
The best def. that I found for "peplum" was "Sword and Sandal" films, which would encompass both films with magical elements and without, The example films made it clear that although they were in the majority Greco-Roman adventures and included magical or mythic elements, any film with swords, tunics and lots of conflict could apply.


----------



## JunkMonkey

pogopossum said:


> any film with swords, tunics and lots of conflict could apply.



Basically, to misquote Marx, any movie where the hero's tits are bigger than the heroine's.


----------



## KGeo777

I think sword and sandal is more generally-used definition. Sword and sorcery feels more like the 80s term.

The peplum of the 60s could be on Roman history with no sorcery in it at all, although some of them have science fiction elements too--*Hercules vs the Moon Men*. Or they may have soothsaying without any magical display.

*Goliath vs the Vampires* is one of the hardest to define.


Pretty much every Italian peplum has a dancing girl scene.  They always find a way to stick at least one in it. If it is set in the desert, then it is a Bedouin dancer.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Basically, to misquote Marx, any movie where the hero's tits are bigger than the heroine's.


Except when Anita Ekberg is the star.


----------



## KGeo777

Rewatches.  THE WARRIORS - 1955  Errol Flynn has to fight off various gangs-including the Baseball Furies (my favorite). Oh wait--I am confusing it with another movie. Errol Flynn has to fight off the French--and as he says 10 Frenchman are worth 1 Englishman so you know this wasn't made yesterday. Rumpor has it he was taking alcohol injected into oranges but despite cutting off Christopher Lee's finger in one scene and appearing tired, it is still decent movie. The picturesque scenery and knights are most refreshing. No drabby colors.

I also watched a 60s spy movie --nothing special except they show stork nests--which was kind of neat to see. Il Nostro Agente A Casablanca. I am too lazy to translate it.


----------



## biodroid

*Dune *- Denis Villeneuve. It was good, the music score drowned out dialogue here and there and also said score was always playing in the background even when certain scenes didn't need it. I got annoyed when the Harkonnens attacked but we did not see Josh Brolins character die from the attack, unless I didn't see that part properly.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Rumpor has it he was taking alcohol injected into oranges but despite cutting off Christopher Lee's finger in one scene and appearing tired, it is still decent movie. The picturesque scenery and knights are most refreshing. No drabby colors.



All hail Rumpor, dispenser of unverifiable wisdom!

Rumpor also has it Lon Chaney Jr did the same while shooting _Spider Baby_ - I wonder if this was a real thing or a Hollywoodian urban legend.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> All hail Rumpor, dispenser of unverifiable wisdom!
> 
> Rumpor also has it Lon Chaney Jr did the same while shooting _Spider Baby_ - I wonder if this was a real thing or a Hollywoodian urban legend.


I think Rumpor is much more trustworthy than Rumor. Rumor has been proven wrong at times but Rumpor has a much better record for accuracy since he is less publicized and Rumor probably takes credit for some of Rumpor's reports anyway.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SKIDOO*_ (1968)Tony Banks (Jackie Gleason) is a retired hitman, whose services are demanded by his ex-boss known as God (Groucho Marx) to infiltrate the prison and knock off George Packard (Mickey Rooney) lest he testify against him.

A very extensive supporting cast, including 3 of the 5 most frequent of BATMAN's guest villains, "Hechy" (Cesar Romero), man (Frank Gorshin), & the Warden (Burgess Meredith), among many others.

Weird!




_*THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY*_ (1903) Of all the 'silent' films I have seen, this one was indeed silent; that is, nobody bothered to add a musical score to it. Cuts to the chase, runs not even 20 minutes.


----------



## pogopossum

Jeffbert said:


> _*SKIDOO*_ (1968)Tony Banks (Jackie Gleason) is a retired hitman, whose services are demanded by his ex-boss known as God (Groucho Marx) to infiltrate the prison and knock off George Packard (Mickey Rooney) lest he testify against him.
> 
> A very extensive supporting cast, including 3 of the 5 most frequent of BATMAN's guest villains, "Hechy" (Cesar Romero), man (Frank Gorshin), & the Warden (Burgess Meredith), among many others.
> 
> Weird!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY*_ (1903) Of all the 'silent' films I have seen, this one was indeed silent; that is, nobody bothered to add a musical score to it. Cuts to the chase, runs not even 20 minutes.


^Interesting. Have seen *Robbery* both with a soundtrack & on another occasion with live accompaniment. There's a lot out there.

Addendum: If you are a Yank and ever get a chance to hear Jeff Raspis accompany a silent, do so. He is a master and has gigs all over the US. His bag of tricks and instruments go far beyond simple piano work.


----------



## KGeo777

A note on Taur the Mighty:
It may have been re-edited into another film *Thor and the Amazon Women, *but it also could have been made as an unauthorized Tarzan film. That would explain a few things, such as a sequence where they swing through the jungle.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

*I'm Your Man*.  German with English subtitles.  A science fiction Rom-Com about a woman, Alma, who has been asked to be part of an experiment to live for three weeks with a robot (very convincingly human in appearance) who has been programmed to be her perfect companion/romantic  partner.  Well, Tom's not perfect yet.  He has an algorithm that can be adjusted based on their interactions.  She's an academic and is expected to write up an evaluation at the end of the three weeks.  Then he will be taken back and his personality erased.

It's not a deep exploration of what it means to be human, what relationships ought to be, or how far technology should go in creating ever more sophisticated AI devices,  but it does, of course, touch on all these things, and raise some of the obvious questions, though it doesn't exactly answer any of them.  So that's the SF bit.  As for the romance, it never does progress far because Alma is far too raw and touchy as far as relationships go, because of her previous experiences and partners.  (I should say that when Alma writes up her evaluation she does answer some of the deep questions, but it is left to us, the viewers, to decide whether those are just her own opinions, or the same conclusions that we are expected to reach.  Since the story sort of cuts off without a definitive ending, it is a bit hard to say.)

For those who might be reminded by this synopsis of Tanith Lee's *Silver Metal Lover:*  it definitely lacks the same emotional intensity.  And doesn't even consider how it might be for her if she does fall in love and then the three weeks are over and he is erased.

I would have much preferred to see a movie based on Lee's story.  However, watching it was a pleasant afternoon diversion.  (And Dan Stevens, as Tom, is certainly easy on the eyes.)


----------



## Randy M.

*The Town that Dreaded Sundown* (1976) dir. Charles B. Pierce (also acts as film's "comic relief"); starring Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells

Based on true events in Texarcana, Arkansas in 1946 when a hooded serial killer killed several young people over the course of a few months. Johnson and Prine, both pros, anchor this_. _Wells appears for a little while as a near-victim. Has a slightly noir feel, with a _Dragnet_-like voice over_. _Works fairly well when it stays serious, but Pierce inserts some comedy that might have been funny at the time, but aren't very effective now. Probably an influence on early slasher movies, but I can't say I've seen it referred to very often. I believe it was filmed on site and at least some of the actors were locals.


----------



## Droflet

*Batman *1989. The first of the modern era movies in the franchise and, arguably the best. Michael Keaton is the best Batman by far.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*You'll Find Out *(1940)

The only film to feature horror icons Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff is actually a musical comedy, primarily designed as a vehicle for bandleader Kay Kyser (famous for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a hit radio program combining music, quizzes, and comedy.)  The plot is typical Old Dark House stuff.  Kyser and his band are hired to play at a spooky old mansion where a young woman is about to inherit a fortune.   Amazingly for this kind of movie, the three scream kings are not red herrings.  We find out pretty quick that they're in cahoots, trying to kill the heiress.  The scary trio are in fine form, Karloff as a sinister judge, Lorre as a creepy professor, Lugosi in turban as a phony psychic.  (There's an séance scene featuring what is probably the movie's only scary moment, when a falling chandelier almost kills the heiress.)  Besides the triumvirate of terror, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for corny jokes and big band music.   (There's a wildly elaborate novelty song, "The Bad Humor Man," that seems like something Spike Jones might have done.)


----------



## CupofJoe

Droflet said:


> *Batman *1989. The first of the modern era movies in the franchise and, arguably the best. Michael Keaton is the best Batman by far.


And a great Prince soundtrack! "This town needs an enema!"


----------



## KGeo777

You'll Find Out--what a strange movie. A little of Key Kayser goes a looooong way and to think he was popular?
The early vocoder-type device is kind of creepy--but the most interesting footnote is that in the room where they have the equipment--you can see big spider and dinosaur props. The spiders are from the lost spider pit sequence in King Kong.



ZEPPELIN 1971 - Michael York is a half-German officer who is sent as a spy to check out the latest German airship and Elke Sommer is the suspicious wife of the inventor. I always think of the muppets when I see them together. There's a Hammer connection to this--you have Andrew Keir, Rupert Davies and Anton Diffring. Peter Karsten is in it too--whenever they needed evil German military people in the 60s-70s they went to Diffring or Karsten.  But, this is unusual because Diffring and Karsten are not really presented as evil and each are given a courageous heroic send off--despite them wanting to steal and/or blow up the Magna Carta!
Another footnote of interest is that Warner Bros was going to make a different Zeppelin movie, with Hammer Films--it was to have Pterodactyls in it. The FX people who came up with the idea (David Allen and Dennis Muren) decided to make it themselves so this project was abandoned. I wonder if Warner Bros decided they wanted a Zeppelin movie anyway and that was how this one got made. The abandoned project was renamed the Primevals and was infamous for being in production for decades. Charles Band bought the footage and I think he had it finished. The final version had no airship in it at all.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

KGeo777 said:


> ZEPPELIN 1971


I saw this about the time it first came out.  I seem to remember liking it, but it was so long ago, I can't be sure.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY* (1939) Just a few months before WWII, initial stages, Warner Bro.'s made this film. It depicts Germany's aggressive espionage efforts against the U.S., with which Germany was currently at peace, & would remain so for another 2 years.

Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), is a German immigrant, who loathes the idea of work. He fancies himself as being above the common men, who must rely upon time clocks and employers. So, he decides the way to earn a living & a very lucrative one, is to work as a spy.  He cons his friend Werner Renz (Joe Sawyer), also a recent arrival from Germany, and who is in the military, to steal secret documents for him.  Eventually the FBI becomes aware of the activity, and Edward Renard (Edward G. Robinson) to interview him, and eventually arrest him.

 Karl Kassel (Paul Lukas) is the leader of the American German Bund group in New York City, and is ordered by Franz Schlager (George Sanders) to stop the anti-Democracy speeches and instead support American democracy.

Interesting to see EGR smoking a pipe, rather than a cigar! One of my favorite actors.

Immense supporting cast! Some, having recently arrived from Germany, had to literally live on the studio grounds for fear of reprisals. The Wiki page says that some changed their names, hoping to protect relative living in Germany.


----------



## KGeo777

"Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), is a *German immigrant, who loathes the idea of work*. He fancies himself as being above the common men,"


Lol.  So there were some immigrants that Hollywood did not champion. The first US document opposing slavery was written in a German American Quaker township and the reason was partly because they didn't need slaves--they did their own labor. 
What is Disney Co. going to do with Wernher Von Braun in the Indiana Jones movie? I shudder to imagine.

One WW 2 propaganda movie I do like is Sahara--the Bogart movie. It was pretty clever how water was used in it for symbolic effect.

Casablanca is a war propaganda movie too. It drives me nuts when people call it a romance film. The only romance in it is  Rick's love affair with mercenary work. Ilsa is just a reminder to him that he gave up on fighting Fascism (or in other words, fighting for communism)  and after he meets Lazlo, realizes he has to get back in the fight.

He basically tells Ilsa she has to be a prostitute for the war effort!
I don't understand how anyone misses this.
 The only character who seems real is Renault. He's pragmatic.


----------



## J-Sun

KGeo777 said:


> The only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work.


I'm not following all your argument but, I think that point is a little off: I love the film for its depiction of a wretched hive of scum and villainy but there is that ridiculous flashback scene of Bogey grinnin'n'drivin' with Ilsa sighing next to him.


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## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> The only romance in it is  Rick's love affair with mercenary work. Ilsa is just a reminder to him that he gave up on fighting Fascism (or in other words, fighting for communism)  and after he meets Lazlo, realizes he has to get back in the fight.
> 
> He basically tells Ilsa she has to be a prostitute for the war effort!
> I don't understand how anyone misses this.
> The only character who seems real is Renault. He's pragmatic.



Woah!  Much as I adore _Casablanca_ and agree that it is a stunning piece of propaganda to say that the only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work is to ignore the fact that * Ilsa* has feelings.  She is genuinely in love with both Rick and Victor, the romance in Paris was real. Rick and Ilsa were in love. Sam reading the note in the station was a broken, betrayed man. He developed his cynicism and hard shell after that.  What she rekindled in him, when she walked into his gin joint, was a love of _life _not a love of money.

 And Renault is not the only truly pragmatic character - there's Ferrari too.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Woah!  Much as I adore _Casablanca_ and agree that it is a stunning piece of propaganda to say that the only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work is to ignore the fact that * Ilsa* has feelings.  She is genuinely in love with both Rick and Victor, the romance in Paris was real. Rick and Ilsa were in love. Sam reading the note in the station was a broken, betrayed man. He developed his cynicism and hard shell after that.  What she rekindled in him, when she walked into his gin joint, was a love of _life _not a love of money.
> 
> And Renault is not the only truly pragmatic character - there's Ferrari too.


Yes but Rick cares more about fighting than her.

They were both in Paris to get away from their war failures. His side lost in Spain, and Lazlo was captured.
But then she learns he is alive-and so she abandons Rick.
Now he was mad about that for years, but then when he meets Lazlo-he has a bromance with him! He's like-hey, she was right to dump me for him. I love this guy.

But then she feels bad--she says something about being young and Lazlo seemed exciting (and let's be honest--he's bloody boring). She seemed to prefer Rick now.
And he's saying: hey lady, he needs you more than I do. We'll lose the war if you don't stay with him.


Bergman said it was confusing because she didn't know who she was supposed to care for.

Ferrari is pragmatic but he's minor and he's a criminal--he's not a major character while Renault is. Renault is the BS detector in the movie--he's kind of tongue-in-cheek in his performance which endures to now.
It's a great piece of propaganda filmmaking though-it's so manipulative. Even the fact that Bogart was shorter and they made him seem taller when they needed to have that angle.
He was standing on a hill of beans.


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## JunkMonkey

You also have to remember that Ilsa was _married_ to Victor.  Back in the 1940s divorce was not as easy as it was these days.  Not to mention any religious feelings Ilsa and Victor shared.  If they were Catholic...  Ilsa was only with Rick when she thought she was a widow.  When she found Victor was alive she discovered she had been committing adultery!

What I've never understood about the film is why the Germans would respect 'Letters of Transit' signed by General de Gaulle (who was at the time  leading the French government-in-exile in London).


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## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> What I've never understood about the film is why the Germans would respect 'Letters of Transit' signed by General de Gaulle (who was at the time  leading the French government-in-exile in London).


I believe the letters are an example of a MacGuffin.
I don't agree with Lucas that Ark of the Covenant is a MacGuffin--it's supposed to be the power of an almighty deity.
It's more significant to the plot than Indiana Jones.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I believe the letters are an example of a MacGuffin.
> I don't agree with Lucas that Ark of the Covenant is a MacGuffin--it's supposed to be the power of an almighty deity.
> It's more significant to the plot than Indiana Jones.



A MacGuffin is the thing that everyone wants.  The desirable thing that drives the plot:  the microfilm with invasion plans, the professor's formula, the fabulous diamond...  A thing of value to those who posses it.  The Letters of Transit may have been the MacGuffin of _Casablanca_ but they don't make any sense. They would have been worthless.  No official of the Vichy (Nazi puppet) government would have respected them. It would have been be like trying to get on a boat in Portsmouth with a waiver signed by Hitler. 

Talking of not making sense and totalitarianism, tonight I watched *Teenagers  From Outer Space  *(MST3K version) with my son and we giggled like loonicans.  His first encounter with Joel and the Bots.  He am smitten.


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## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> A MacGuffin is the thing that everyone wants.  The desirable thing that drives the plot:  the microfilm with invasion plans, the professor's formula, the fabulous diamond...  A thing of value to those who posses it.


But something that has no significance in itself--unimportant by itself. On second thought I guess that is true with the Ark since it becomes useless when they bury it.
But the letters of transit don't melt Conrad Veidt.


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## pogopossum

*Trading Places. *Not for the first time.
Previous night Miz Pogo and I watched
*Coming To America. *Again, seen it before.
We have a need for humor these days.

edit: I like the conversation about *Casablanca *above. No great thoughts, but I am very glad that it has not been forgotten.


----------



## worldofmutes

The last movie I saw was Martin Scorsese’s *Silence *starring Andrew Garfield. I watched it because I read the book recently, by the Japanese writer Shusaku Endo.

Actually a pretty decent movie. Not his best work, but pretty deep. It’s all about having the freedom to blaspheme for something you don’t understand. Well, pretty much that, the protagonist, a Portuguese missionary in feudal Japan starts fancying himself as a pseudo-prophet. That he has the right to sacrifice innocent Japanese followers just for his own loyalty. So he brings himself to stomp on Christ’s face. But, the ending sequence was beautiful.

(I am neither religious nor anti-religious)


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *You'll Find Out *(1940)
> 
> The only film to feature horror icons Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff is actually a musical comedy, primarily designed as a vehicle for bandleader Kay Kyser (famous for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a hit radio program combining music, quizzes, and comedy.)  The plot is typical Old Dark House stuff.  Kyser and his band are hired to play at a spooky old mansion where a young woman is about to inherit a fortune.   Amazingly for this kind of movie, the three scream kings are not red herrings.  We find out pretty quick that they're in cahoots, trying to kill the heiress.  The scary trio are in fine form, Karloff as a sinister judge, Lorre as a creepy professor, Lugosi in turban as a phony psychic.  (There's an séance scene featuring what is probably the movie's only scary moment, when a falling chandelier almost kills the heiress.)  Besides the triumvirate of terror, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for corny jokes and big band music.   (There's a wildly elaborate novelty song, "The Bad Humor Man," that seems like something Spike Jones might have done.)


This was the first of KK's films I ever saw. Most are corny, silly, but I somehow found them watchable.



*NEAR DARK* (1987) A man picks up a young hitchhiker at night, & she being a vampire bites him. Yet, she does not drain his blood, so he begins turning into a vampire himself.  Stumbling along at daybreak, smoke coming off his exposed skin, he just cannot figure-out what has happened / is happening to him.  Eventually he is 'adopted' by the family of Vampires, who insist he make a kill, but he resists, though lack of nourishment makes him weak. He tries human food, but cannot stomach it.

Interesting take on vampires.




_*AS THE EARTH TURNS*_ (1938) Not a soap opera, but a silent sci-fi film about a guy whose inventions would make him master of the world. Obviously inspired by Verne's 20K Leagues, he wants to put an end to war. TCM ran this late October, immediately followed by METROPOLIS, in a themed set.  Ran about 40 minutes, rather interesting film; mostly B&W, though the final scenes were color.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Maryjane *(1968)

Sedate drugsploitation flick.  Teen idol Fabian stars as a high school art teacher.  There's a local gang of extremely clean-cut rebellious teens who smoke marijuana.  You can tell because they wear little medallions with the word MARYJANE engraved on them, which seems like asking for trouble.  Anyway, the slow-moving plot involves Fabian getting framed for having pot in his car, and the secret identity of the supplier revealed at the end. 



Spoiler



It turns out to be the pretty young history teacher that Fabian is romancing.



It looks like a made-for-TV movie, but it was released in theaters.  Notable for the stuff being sold out of the back of an ice cream truck.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Confessions of a Psycho Cat *(1968)

Who knew that the world needed an ultra-low budget ripoff of _The Most Dangerous Game_ with randomly inserted softcore porn sequences?  

The story is told in multiple flashbacks; combined with the awkwardly added nudie scenes, that makes the plot difficult to follow.  Basically, a wealthy woman isn't able to accompany her brother to Africa on a hunting trip because of her recent nervous breakdown.  (We'll find out later that her mental problems started when she and her brother were kids, and he killed her puppy by throwing it off a tall building.  Somehow he's supposed to be the sane one.)

Instead, she offers three men the chance to earn one hundred thousand dollars each if they can survive twenty-four hours while she hunts them down.  Each one killed somebody, but was acquitted of murder.  The trio of victims-to-be consists of a stage actor, who killed his lover's husband when the guy caught him with his wife and attacked him; a wrestler (played by Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta, no less) who killed an opponent in the ring; and a junkie, who gave a woman too much heroin, leading to her death from overdose.   

The insane woman's manservant helps her out with the killings, although the movie eventually forgets that he exists.  She assigns an animal identity to each man.  The actor is a lion, the wrestler is (of course!) a bull, and the junkie is a jackal.  She arranges to have the actor get a role in a play, so she can stab him with a spear after the show is over.  She taunts the wrestler into meeting her on a rooftop, where, in full matador outfit, she kills him with a sword.  The junkie gets a crossbow in the neck when he's out on the street after picking up the narcotic he needs.

There's a lot of handheld camerawork, and lots of scenes of New York.  Combined with the wildly over-the-top performance of the lead actress (who has no other film credits), this adds a certain gritty intensity to a very cheap film.  The added footage is much clumsier.  (The part where LaMotta is on the phone with the crazy woman is intercut with scenes of a topless woman supposedly in the same room, and it's really, really obvious that she isn't.  By the way, this woman passionately kisses her reflection, tongue sticking out and all, in a bizarre attempt at eroticism.)  

The movie ends with the brother and the woman's psychiatrist finding the bodies of her victims in her home, and with the woman with the mind of a child, saying "Father, do you love me now?"  A really wild example of no-budget exploitation filmmaking.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Wonderful Land of Oz *(1969)

Cheap and abysmal adaptation of _The Marvelous Land of Oz_, which, amazingly, is pretty faithful to the book.  Sets, costumes, makeup, acting, and singing are at the level of a grade school stage play.  The hero, the boy Pip, is played by the director's kid and is absolutely awful.  The songs are atrocious.  

Pip escapes from the witch Mombi with a pumpkin-headed man he brought to life with magic powder.  With the help of the Tin Man and the Wogglebug, they help the Scarecrow when an army of young women stage a revolt against his rule of the Emerald City.  (The fact that the army of General Jinjur consists entirely of foxy chicks in miniskirts adds an odd tone to this kiddie film.)  Eventually, Glinda reveals that Pip is actually the girl Ozma, changed into a boy, and the true heir to the throne.  (Yes, the gender-bending theme is found in the original.)

A terrible film, made tolerable only by the fact that I watched it with the sarcastic commentary provided by the folks at RiffTrax.


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## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> *You also have to remember that Ilsa was married to Victor.  Back in the 1940s divorce was not as easy as it was these days.  Not to mention any religious feelings Ilsa and Victor shared.  If they were Catholic...  Ilsa was only with Rick when she thought she was a widow.  When she found Victor was alive she discovered she had been committing adultery!*
> 
> What I've never understood about the film is why the Germans would respect 'Letters of Transit' signed by General de Gaulle (who was at the time  leading the French government-in-exile in London).




Yes, Ilsa was married to Laszlo , and it was only when she thought he was dead that she fell in love with another man. Rick was in love with her, but only when he knew that she was a single woman. He is still in love with her, as she is with him, but he knows that he isn't the right man for her. And that if she lets Lazlo fly off and stays with Rick, the whirlwind romance she shared with him in Paris would not last, and it could only end up with her bitterly regretting it. I don't think that his decision was influenced by Laszlo's efforts in the war, but because he knew that Ilsa would (in the long run) be happier with.

I do believe that Rick is a good man, and always has been. Yes, he is a different man to the carefree, happy man that he was in Paris, and perhaps it was the end of that romance that made him cynical. He is still good, but (as he says) he won't sacrifice himself for a lost cause. He could quite easily have betrayed Ugarte, but he helped him to the point where he was discovered; later, knowing there was no way out for Ugarte, he knew there was nothing he could do and so did nothing. His staff love him, and there are numerous acts of kindness that he shows to people during the film.

Yes , the movie is propogandist to some extent (as any contemporary US movie made during WWII and after Pearl Harbour would have had to have been) , but I also think that it is a love story, with Rick having to decide if he can make the ultimate sacrifice and give up the love of his life for her sake.


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## worldofmutes

Rob Marshall’s *Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). *
Based on the book by Arthur Golden, this movie follows Chiyo Sayuri through her orphan-hood and adoption into an Okiya, where she learns how to entertain and manipulate men. She was separated from her sister, who was simply sent to the house of a common prostitute, to be a yujo. When she finds her sister, she is sent away, and upon returning to the Okiya, finds her nemesis Hatsumomo, an incredibly portrayed villainess, with an unregistered client. At this point, the two rivals come to a common understanding- they will always tear eachother down. 

And they do. Hatsumomo has many schemes in store for our protagonist. Claiming Sayuri has snatched her ruby brooch, yet another debt to her nenki. She goes as far as burning Sayuri’s room down, after discovering a handkerchief belonging to her beloved chairman. Realizing this, Hatsumomo attempts to hook Sayuri up with a burn-scarred and one-armed man (one-armed in the book, at least.) But Sayuri wants only the chairman, and will do anything to have him.

A very impressive cinematic film. I also loved the soundtrack, but the shining quality of this movie were the visuals. Excellent work. Also, the actress who plays Chiyo does have very striking eyes. She’s also a water rooster, which I am too. Roosters are a bit crude, and also flamboyant. Astrology aside, talented acting out of Japan, and not a bad way to spend a friday night.


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## KGeo777

paranoid marvin said:


> Yes, Ilsa was married to Laszlo , and it was only when she thought he was dead that she fell in love with another man. Rick was in love with her, but only when he knew that she was a single woman. He is still in love with her, as she is with him, but he knows that he isn't the right man for her. And that if she lets Lazlo fly off and stays with Rick, the whirlwind romance she shared with him in Paris would not last, and it could only end up with her bitterly regretting it. I don't think that his decision was influenced by Laszlo's efforts in the war, but because he knew that Ilsa would (in the long run) be happier with.


It is clear she does not love Lazlo. They made the character boring probably deliberately so that the romance with Bogart seem stronger. And he was carrying a torch for her for years.  He forbids Sam from playing a song. More on that later.
She looks back to him as she is leaving with Lazlo.
They make her like a child actually--that she can't make up her own mind about relationships.
She's an adult woman after all.

That's the lunacy with Hollywood when it came to gender (and race) is that they do some insulting things that defy any sincere desire for equality. Poor Sam, afraid he is going to get beaten by the boss when he is playing the forbidden song.
He calls Rick boss, others will use Mr. Rick or something--and he supposedly knows Rick longer than anyone.
The main gist of the story is that Rick is not fulfilling his destiny-which is carrying on the fight, and he uses Ilsa as an excuse not to face it.
In fact, Lazlo or someone --maybe Strasser even suggests it--that Rick is still in the cause even though he feebly pretends to be neutral.

It's kind of "Scrooge the mercenary" in theme. Renault is Tiny Tim.


----------



## Rodders

Man of Steel. I really enjoyed it this time around. Henry Cavill was a great Superman, IMO.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*When the Clock Strikes *(1961)

Modest but entertaining little B crime film.  During a raging storm, a guy gives a woman a ride back to the lodge where she's staying after her car breaks down.  It seems this place is near the local prison, where a fellow is about to be executed.  The guy who runs the lodge has a clock that he keeps perfectly accurate, so everybody will know exactly when the execution will take place; hence our title.

Anyway, the woman and the man each have their own reasons for being there.  Lots of plot twists follow; early in the film, a guy we've never seen before rushes into the lodge and confesses to the murder, just a bit too late to stop the execution.  The rest of the movie deals with the money that the executed man hid after robbing a bank.  Almost all of it takes place at the lodge, so it's pretty close to a stage play, but it's not bad at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Deadly Duo *(1962)

The old Evil Twin theme rears its bicephalic head once again in this flick.  Playboy son of an extremely wealthy woman is killed in a race car accident, leaving his wife and son.  Grandma hires a lawyer to offer the mother half a million bucks to allow her to take custody of the kid.  (She otherwise cut her son off without a cent because she didn't approve of the marriage.)  Mother turns the offer down flat.  The lawyer starts a romance with the mother.

Oh, did I mention that the mother has an evil twin sister (played by the same actress, of course, but with blonde hair?)  Yes, she's going to put on a dark wig and pretend to be the good sister so she can get the money, while also arranging for the good sister to have an "accident."  

The plot moves very leisurely; the evil twin disguising herself as the good twin doesn't happen until ten minutes before the end of the movie.  The actress playing both parts is quite good, and the split screen scenes where both sisters appear at the same time is convincing.  Edited a bit to speed things up, it might make a decent episode of _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_.


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## KGeo777

THE SQUEEZE 1977 - One thing you can say about Stacy Keach-he's a brave actor. No matter how humiliating the role, he would do it. Here he is a degenerate alcoholic and they don't hold back on it--he's turning into a rummy--and when his ex-wife is kidnapped he struggles to get himself together to find her. He walks down a street naked and gets hit by a car as well. One of the last films for Stephen Boyd--and this is the only time I have heard him speaking in his true voice--a strong Irish accent.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny *(1972)

Bottom-of-the-barrel kiddie movie, combining the cheapest possible production values with pure insanity.  The nearly nonexistent plot involves Santa getting stuck in his sleigh on a Florida beach.  He uses some kind of telepathic power to bring a bunch of kids to his aid.  Among these, for no reason at all, are Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, whose presence in 1970's Florida is unexplained.  The kids try to move Santa's sleigh with various animals; a horse, a white mule, a cow, a pig, and a guy in a gorilla suit.  No go, so Santa starts telling them a story, and we get our movie-within-the movie.

Complete with opening and closing credits, we see *Thumbelina*  (1970), an awful version of the classic fairy tale made by the same folks who brought you *The Wonderful Land of Oz *(1969; see above) and with the same lack of quality.  To make things worse, the movie actually starts with the actress who will be playing Thumbelina at an amusement park called Pirates World, now defunct.  Yes, this whole thing is just blatant advertising.  She walks into the park's fairy tale attraction, which consists of cheap little dioramas of scenes from the story.  The tale itself is narrated by a voice coming out of a speaker,  The actress imagines herself into the story, but we keep jumping out of it and back into the amusement park version of reality.  The film-within-the-film is dead slow, and takes up pretty close to an hour, the rest of the movie left with about half an hour.  Just like General Jinjur and her army in the other terrible film, the lead role is played by a hot chick in a miniskirt, adding to the creepiness of folks in bad animal costumes wanting to marry her.

Back in the Santa level of reality, the kids' dog brings back the Ice Cream Bunny in a fire truck to rescue Santa.  The Ice Cream Bunny is just a guy in a lousy rabbit costume, and there is no sign of ice cream anywhere.  The end.  An atrocious film, made tolerable by the gang at RiffTrax.


----------



## atsouthorn

*Unforgiven* (1992)

It won best picture and stars Clint Eastwood, so I was excited going into it. It didn't disappoint - however I don't think it feels like a "best picture" film given the story it tells. I think Clint is incredible in it, and without him I think it would have fallen a little flatter, but boy does it do an amazing job of building his character up. You're anticipating, even hoping for him to snap towards the end, and when he does, you almost wish he didn't. Great ending, good film.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE EMPEROR JONES* (1933) What a voice that guy had!  So, this poor black guy Brutus Jones (Paul Robeson) has a string of unfortunate incidents, and ends up on a small Caribbean island, ruled by a tyrant. He, through trickery, overthrows the tyrant, & becomes TEJ, a tyrant himself, and no less tyrannical.  He has a friend / business associate  Smithers (Dudley Digges), a white guy who, get this, actually lights his cigarette! A real shocker for 1933, though no big deal for how many decades. Anyway, Smithers is the only one who knows anything, and TEJ tells him that after 3 years of milking the place for all its worth, & putting it in foreign banks, he will simply leave. Well, that time comes a bit sooner that he had expected, and the people revolt against him. Though he is cool and confidant during daylight, as he flees through the jungle, his fears become imaginations, & he end up shooting at visions. A bad end for TEJ.

There is a scene with him bashing the prison guard with a shovel, that might have inspired Mel Brooks in making BLAZING SADDLES.



A short documentary on Paul Robeson (which was actually on just before TEJ)  This guy had a wonderful voice! Anyway, eventually, after too long to get racial equality, PR aligned himself with communists. The film noted several changes in the lyrics to OLD MAN RIVER, since PR 1st sang it. Interesting stuff!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek 2 : The Wrath of Khan* - with number one son.  Which he agreed was much better than the 'motion' picture.  (I haven't the heart to tell him it's all downhill from here.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Exposed *(1947)

B crime film starts with a private detective about to enjoy a meal at a swanky joint when a hood with a gat hidden under a hat tries to take the PI for a ride.  Fortunately, the 'tec's muscular assistant is nearby and is able to stop the kidnapping, hauling the crook off to the private eye's office.  Offscreen, the hoodlum manages to knock out the assistant, tie up the secretary, and escape.  Just then, a rich guy walks in and hires the PI to investigate why his stepson is withdrawing large amounts of money from his bank account, and why he's rented a fancy apartment.  When the 'tec visits the client's home, the rich guy is found murdered.

Typical B detective movie stuff.  Oh, did I mention that the private eye is a pretty young blonde woman?  That's the main gimmick of the movie.  If there's an earlier female professional PI in film (and not just an amateur detective or spunky reporter or some such) I am unaware of it.  She's quite appealing, clearly one step ahead of everybody else in the movie, including her father, the police inspector on the case.  The plot ain't much, but at less than an hour it moves quickly.  Since this is a Republic Studios production, you've got one heck of a fistfight between the hood and the assistant.


----------



## Jeffbert

There is a series of female PI films, Torchy Blane, starring Glenda Farrell, which ran during the late 1930s. The actual police detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane), was hapless, and could not solve the cases without her help.

Another female PI  Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) similarly always solves the case while police Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) is still scratching his head.  She is a school teacher who just happened to be at the murder scene with her students in the Penguin Pool Murder. But, this female detective is neither young nor pretty.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> There is a series of female PI films, Torchy Blane, starring Glenda Farrell, which ran during the late 1930s. The actual police detective Steve McBride (Barton MacLane), was hapless, and could not solve the cases without her help.
> 
> Another female PI  Hildegarde Withers (Edna May Oliver) similarly always solves the case while police Inspector Oscar Piper (James Gleason) is still scratching his head.  She is a school teacher who just happened to be at the murder scene with her students in the Penguin Pool Murder. But, this female detective is neither young nor pretty.



Thanks for the information.  These examples tend to prove my case, as the two crime-solvers you list are a reporter and a teacher.  The character in *Exposed *is a professional private detective (and quite a successful one, it seems, with a huge office, a fancy car, a male assistant and a female secretary.)


----------



## pogopossum

Watched _*The Door Into Summer *_(2021) on Netflix.
The NYT capsule review is on a "New Films, New options - - -" post from yesterday. I convinced myself to watch it.
Japanese with subtitles.
Actually quite good. They followed the major twists and turns of the Heinlein novel, albeit with complications thrown in to explain how the back and forth tail biting action takes place.
The acting is quite abrupt like much Japanese cinema to an American eye, but not horrible.
I particularly liked that they had the courage to use RH's original dates, 1995 & 2025, with lots of anomalies and future science that he predicted & which just didn't happen.
And they kept Pete the cat,


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Devil's Wedding Night *(_Il plenilunio delle vergini_, "The full moon of the virgins," 1973)

Eurogothic flick that combines several different supernatural tropes with a generous serving of blood and female flesh.  We start with a pair of twin brothers (same actor), one a playboy and one a scholar.  The scholar somehow finds out that the Ring of the Nibelungs (the same one Wagner wrote operas about) is in Dracula's castle.  The ring has this gigantic, plastic-looking red stone that gives the user all kinds of magical powers.  Playboy brother goes to the castle, rather stupidly losing the amulet he carries that protects him from vampires.  He meets the beautiful Countess at the castle and quickly gets intimate with her.  During their encounter, she changes into a gigantic bat.  (No special effects; the film just cuts from the naked Countess to the playboy's face to a extreme close-up of a real bat.)

Scholar goes to find his brother, eventually pulling him out of a coffin.  He rather foolishly doesn't realize that his brother is a vampire now, that obvious fact revealed only later.  Somewhere along the way, we get an extended psychedelic-style sequence of what might be flashbacks, flashforwards, hallucinations, or dreams, including a few special effects identical to the "trip" sequence of *2001: A Space Odyssey*.  We see the naked Countess making out with her female zombie servant, bathing in the brightest red blood you've ever seen, and so on.  It all leads up to a Black Mass Wedding (including, oddly, the well-known Buddhist chant _Om Mani Padme Hum_) during which five young virgins are stripped naked and killed for their blood, so the Countess can marry the playboy, who has been possessed by Dracula.  Then we get a bunch of twist endings.

It's an odd mixture of traditional vampire movie stuff with the cartoonish magic ring theme and a fair amount of sleaze.  For undemanding fans of the genre.


----------



## Rodders

JunkMonkey said:


> *Star Trek 2 : The Wrath of Khan* - with number one son.  Which he agreed was much better than the 'motion' picture.  (I haven't the heart to tell him it's all downhill from here.)


There are still a couple of good, (possibly great), Star Trek movies to come.

The Search for Spock isn't as bad as people suggest. 
The Voyage home is a fun watch (although not brilliant, granted)
The Final Frontier is absolute dog dirt. 
The Undiscovered Country is the best one after TWOK in my opinion. 

For some reason, despite TNG being my preferred trek, I didn't like the films too much.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

_The House With The Clock In The Wall._
Not at all bad! Even Jack Black was ok.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

JunkMonkey said:


> *Star Trek 2 : The Wrath of Khan* - with number one son.  Which he agreed was much better than the 'motion' picture.  (I haven't the heart to tell him it's all downhill from here.)


Still a great film. Proper plot, characters, and everything!


----------



## alexvss

*Synchronic* (2019). Two paramedics investigate a series of deaths caused by a drug that lets people travel time. The high concept is, in itself, interesting, but I don't like the way it was executed. They introduced a doctor in chemistry that created the drug, and that pseudo/soft science made it weird for me to like the movie. A time travel machine would be more believable.


----------



## alexvss

*The Void (2016*). Lovecraftian horror I watched to help me with inspirations for my novelette. It helped. This movie is a good throwback to 80's horror practical effects, specially *John Carpenter's The Thing *and it feels like a nightmare for the entire runtime. You don't get to rest. The monsters are creepy. And the movie doesn't explain much to you, leaving the spectator to formulate his own theories.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> *Star Trek 2 : The Wrath of Khan* - with number one son.  Which he agreed was much better than the 'motion' picture.  (I haven't the heart to tell him it's all downhill from here.)



Did you watch Space Seed first?


----------



## paranoid marvin

Rodders said:


> There are still a couple of good, (possibly great), Star Trek movies to come.
> 
> The Search for Spock isn't as bad as people suggest.
> The Voyage home is a fun watch (although not brilliant, granted)
> The Final Frontier is absolute dog dirt.
> The Undiscovered Country is the best one after TWOK in my opinion.
> 
> For some reason, despite TNG being my preferred trek, I didn't like the films too much.




For me, Star Trek has always been about the camaraderie and interaction between the main characters , than it is about the action. Search for Spock is on a par with Voyage Home, and both are very enjoyable because of the humour and warmth of the main characters.

Yes, Final Frontier throws new stuff into the mix and doesn't make a great deal of sense. However, it does feel more like one of TOS episodes (it is in some respects quite similar to The Menagerie) than any other of the movies, and it has some of the best interactions between the main characters. 

I agree , that whilst TNG episodes are better than TOS, Voyager and DS9, the movies never were. I tend to put that down partly to the fact that there was far too much action in them (again, the original series strength was the development of the characters , not their armaments) and to the fact that they tended to focus far more on Data than any other character.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Nobody*

I'm still undecided if it's a great film or just a good film, but I do know that I watched it from start to finish in one sitting. Maybe that was down to the fact that it's only 90 minutes long, maybe because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Far better than the similar (ish) John Wick etc movies


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> Did you watch Space Seed first?



We watched the whole TOS and are now on season two of TNG - my son has one of those vast and annoyingly detailed memories. (He can quote chapter and verse for the first five seasons of Futurama - "Oh that's like that episode in season three when when Fry XXXed and Ziodberg yyyed." ) He remembered the Botany Bay before Checkov.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Riot on Sunset Strip *(1967)

Hipspolitation flick very, very loosely inspired by a real confrontation between police and young folks concerning a local curfew on the Sunset Strip just a few months before the movie was released.  The curfew issue is talked about for a bit, but the rest of the film is pure fiction.  

The daughter of a divorced police lieutenant, living with her drunken mother (who, for some reason, has pink hair) goes to a "freak out" where she is given LSD in her soft drink.  Her "trip" consists entirely of her performance of a slow motion modern dance routine.  

What has been an enjoyable campy movie up to now takes a much darker turn when the daughter, still stoned out of her mind, is gang raped at the "freak out."  Her father runs into three of the guys who raped her and beats them up.  (Weirdly, they're at the hospital where she's staying, so she can identify them, but there aren't any cops around.)  His attack gets in the news, leading to the "riot," which consists entirely of young folks marching with protest signs.  Dad stops a cop from hitting a protester with his nightstick, which makes him enough of a hero to his daughter that they're reconciled.

There's another demonstration early in the film where people carry extremely generic signs, saying things like RIGHTS NOT FIGHTS, LIVE AND LET LIVE, LOVERS NOT FIGHTERS, and, most hilariously, BE NICE.  There's also an odd bit where a couple of the "longhairs" volunteer to help the cops by putting on armbands and breaking up fights.

Enjoy some groovy psychedelic/garage/proto-punk music provided by the Standells (best known for "Dirty Water") and the Chocolate Watchband!


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> lol the first time I heard peplum I was confused too. Same with giallo and krimi.


I recognise the word from watching The Great British Sewing Bee. A flappy part of a skirt, rather like the skirt on a cuttle fish


----------



## AE35Unit

Rodders said:


> There are still a couple of good, (possibly great), Star Trek movies to come.
> 
> The Search for Spock isn't as bad as people suggest.
> The Voyage home is a fun watch (although not brilliant, granted)
> The Final Frontier is absolute dog dirt.
> The Undiscovered Country is the best one after TWOK in my opinion.
> 
> For some reason, despite TNG being my preferred trek, I didn't like the films too much.


I like them all


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Shriek of the Mutilated* (1974)

Abysmal film with a great title.  Professor takes a group of students to an island in search of a Yeti.  (Mind you, this takes place in North America.)   He also treats one student to a special meal at a special restaurant, telegraphing our Shocking Twist Ending.   

Before the group leaves, some guy who was on a similar expedition freaks out at a party and relates how everybody but him got killed by the Yeti.  (You get to hear the instrumental hit song "Popcorn" by Hot Butter at the party, because somebody is making popcorn.)  Later, in a bizarrely unrelated subplot, this guy cuts his wife's throat and gets into the bathtub with all his clothes on.  Amazingly, she's still alive, and crawls from the kitchen to the bathroom in order to electrocute him by throwing a toaster in the tub.)  

The island is inhabited by one guy and his Native American manservant, patronizingly calling him "My Indian."  Long and excruciatingly slow story short, folks get killed by the Yeti (some guy in a really fake white fur suit, which also telegraphs our Shocking Twist Ending.)  One victim's severed leg is used as bait to attract the Yeti; later, an entire body is used the same way.   The Shocking Twist Ending arrives, and the movie drags on for a while.

It's really bad.  The version I watched seems to have cut out a lot of gore, which is OK with me.  What's left is mostly a lot of people talking.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Shriek of the Mutilated* (1974)
> 
> Abysmal film with a great title.  Professor takes a group of students to an island in search of a Yeti.  (Mind you, this takes place in North America.)   He also treats one student to a special meal at a special restaurant, telegraphing our Shocking Twist Ending.
> 
> Before the group leaves, some guy who was on a similar expedition freaks out at a party and relates how everybody but him got killed by the Yeti.  (You get to hear the instrumental hit song "Popcorn" by Hot Butter at the party, because somebody is making popcorn.)  Later, in a bizarrely unrelated subplot, this guy cuts his wife's throat and gets into the bathtub with all his clothes on.  Amazingly, she's still alive, and crawls from the kitchen to the bathroom in order to electrocute him by throwing a toaster in the tub.)
> 
> The island is inhabited by one guy and his Native American manservant, patronizingly calling him "My Indian."  Long and excruciatingly slow story short, folks get killed by the Yeti (some guy in a really fake white fur suit, which also telegraphs our Shocking Twist Ending.)  One victim's severed leg is used as bait to attract the Yeti; later, an entire body is used the same way.   The Shocking Twist Ending arrives, and the movie drags on for a while.
> 
> It's really bad.  The version I watched seems to have cut out a lot of gore, which is OK with me.  What's left is mostly a lot of people talking.


I think I saw this almost 40 years ago on a VHS tape at a bachelor party; at least, that's the title I recall. Was there scene where the yeti was ducking behind trees?

The bachelor party was pretty tame as they go, and the movie was the most memorable part of it because it's hysterically funny after a couple of beers.


----------



## KGeo777

Some movies you hear of but never get around to them.
Shriek of the Mutilated is one of those.

I rewatched WOMEN OF DEVIL'S ISLAND 1962--there must have been lots of women in prison films by that time but this one has a pirates and French Revolution spin to it.  The prisoners have to pan for gold in a crocodile-infested swamp and they sing a nice French tune I wish was available in full. It's a women's chorus  with the lyrics:  "Oui! Oui! Oui! Non! Non! Non!"

Who knew that harsh labor in a prison camp could elicit such pleasing vocal harmony?
Paul Muller--a familiar face in Euro film--who last I checked on IMDB was still alive--he must be a 100--is the harsh commander of the penal colony who, as you expect, will offer the women favors if they visit his bedroom.

It has a nice score.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Banquet *- Lavish, lush Chinese reworking of Hamlet with Hamlet sidelined and Gertrude taking centre stage.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> I think I saw this almost 40 years ago on a VHS tape at a bachelor party; at least, that's the title I recall. Was there scene where the yeti was ducking behind trees?


 Yes, guy in bad Yeti suit ducks behind trees a lot, in an area where there is no snow at all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Yeti:  Giant of the 20th Century* (_Yeti – Il gigante del 20º secolo_, 1977)

Deliriously silly film "inspired" by *King Kong*.  Seems to have been badly cut from the Italian original, so the plot is a bit jumpy.  Example:  Movie starts with Rich Guy asking Science Guy to go on some kind of expedition.  Science Guy says no.  This immediately cuts to Science Guy leading a team of folks thawing the Yeti out of a block of ice with flamethrowers. 

Anyway, de-iced but still frozen Yeti gets put into a thing like a telephone booth (remember those?) and carried up to ten thousand feet, hanging from a helicopter.  Why?  Because that's closer to its natural environment in the Himalayas.  (Despite the fact that the entire movie is set in Canada.)  Then they spray it with oxygen and warm water, which would seem to be the exact opposite of its natural environment, but what do I know.  

Well, things play out as you'd expect.  Rich Guy uses the revived Yeti (which, by the way, was about the size of a basketball player beneath the helicopter, but is the size of King Kong in the rest of the movie) for advertising purposes.  This includes gasoline ads saying "Put a Yeti in your tank!" and, oddly, a bunch of fashion model types wearing identical T-shirts with blue hands over their breasts and reading "Kiss me Yeti" on the back.

Rich Guy's nubile granddaughter is our movie's Fay Wray.  She's accompanied by her younger brother and a Lassie-type dog.  Yes, the Yeti freaks out when flash bulbs go off, goes on a rampage, carries off the granddaughter, etc.  There's a subplot involving Rich Guy's business rivals, who try to destroy Yeti.  

Notable are the scenes where Yeti combs the granddaughter's hair with the skeleton of a giant fish, and where Yeti strangles one of the bad guys between two of its toes. 

Goofy fun.  Keep your ears open for the disco song about the Yeti.


----------



## KGeo777

Gladiator of Rome 1962 - Gordon Scott is a "giant" who cuts wood for his master and can carry a big log on his shoulder while chatting amicably with a slave girl. As impressive as that seemed-later the tiny slave girl was carrying a big basket of rocks like Kirk Douglas did at the start of Spartacus. Later she is carrying a huge sack around.
I am not sure which is more impressive. This girl can really work.
The story starts with a bad guy telling another bag guy that he is looking for this very slave girl--he is asked if he loves her and he looks upset and says "no, I have been ordered to kill her."
He's upset because if he fails, and he has been trying for 2 years, he can't return home. But we don't see him again for a while as the story switches to Christians being persecuted and Scott becoming a gladiator (though he never fights in the arena).
In fact, this is another one without a dancing girl scene but someone does say at one point: where are the dancing girls?


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Yes, guy in bad Yeti suit ducks behind trees a lot, in an area where there is no snow at all.


That's the one, then. I honestly thought this was something Ed Woods have worked on. Maybe because it was so bad.


----------



## Judderman

I watched a few movies based on true stories recently.
One good one, though probably only loosely based on reality, was *Above Suspicion (2019)*.
A crime thriller/murder investigation, in a redneck town, where the investigator gets romantically involved with an informer. Emilia Clarke does a good job with her acting in this one.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Funny Face* - I adore Audrey Hepburn but by the gods! she was in some dreadful films.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Our Idiot Brother (2011). I love this film. I feel like I can relate to the titular character, not because I'm simple, but because I've always felt like the black sheep in my family--I'm usually a pushover and I can't keep a secret very well (I don't "tell on" people maliciously or even on purpose, but I always let it slip when in "relax mode"). I think it's quite funny and has a lovely ending.


----------



## M.P. VandenBerg

Just watched "The House" on Netflix. It's three short stories in stop motion animation. It's cerebral and bizarre, yet mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. There's no real arc or pitch to the story, at least not that I noticed on one viewing, but packed with hidden metaphors and hints of ironic comedy. It's the most 'British' thing I've seen since old Wallace & Gromit. 

I recommend it if you can't decide what to watch. It isn't terribly long and is very entertaining.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Yeti:  Giant of the 20th Century* (_Yeti – Il gigante del 20º secolo_, 1977)
> 
> Deliriously silly film "inspired" by *King Kong*.  Seems to have been badly cut from the Italian original, so the plot is a bit jumpy.  Example:  Movie starts with Rich Guy asking Science Guy to go on some kind of expedition.  Science Guy says no.  This immediately cuts to Science Guy leading a team of folks thawing the Yeti out of a block of ice with flamethrowers.
> 
> Anyway, de-iced but still frozen Yeti gets put into a thing like a telephone booth (remember those?) and carried up to ten thousand feet, hanging from a helicopter.  Why?  Because that's closer to its natural environment in the Himalayas.  (Despite the fact that the entire movie is set in Canada.)  Then they spray it with oxygen and warm water, which would seem to be the exact opposite of its natural environment, but what do I know.
> 
> Well, things play out as you'd expect.  Rich Guy uses the revived Yeti (which, by the way, was about the size of a basketball player beneath the helicopter, but is the size of King Kong in the rest of the movie) for advertising purposes.  This includes gasoline ads saying "Put a Yeti in your tank!" and, oddly, a bunch of fashion model types wearing identical T-shirts with blue hands over their breasts and reading "Kiss me Yeti" on the back.
> 
> Rich Guy's nubile granddaughter is our movie's Fay Wray.  She's accompanied by her younger brother and a Lassie-type dog.  Yes, the Yeti freaks out when flash bulbs go off, goes on a rampage, carries off the granddaughter, etc.  There's a subplot involving Rich Guy's business rivals, who try to destroy Yeti.
> 
> Notable are the scenes where Yeti combs the granddaughter's hair with the skeleton of a giant fish, and where Yeti strangles one of the bad guys between two of its toes.
> 
> Goofy fun.  Keep your ears open for the disco song about the Yeti.


I saw a really awful film about big foot about a year ago; cannot recall if I mentioned it here, though. Anyway, it was a kids' film, with the grouchy and mean adults out to shoot BF, but the kids wanted to protect him.   

-just remembered MIGHTY JOE YOUNG!  Similar plot elements with the ape condemned, etc., then saves kids in burning building.   




*SHAFT* (1971) Perhaps one of the 1st  blaxploitation films with content that was very controversial for the time, if for no other reason than Shaft in the shower with a White woman. Ben M or some other TCM host did the before & after, but did not mention that. 

So, Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is a PI in NY City, & one of his friends is killed in an explosion at his business. Obviously a murder. But the victim's daughter is still there, as his heir, etc., & must be eliminated so the villain can get the money (which he owes to a mobster because he is a fool at gambling, etc.). 

Immediately, I noticed the COCA-COLA logo all over the place. Car is on the street, passes a store window with it, turns a corner, & there it is again, goes down the street, and again, there is COKE. Made me recall something about product placement ads, the film maker gives a script to the advertiser, who decides in which scenes to put ads, etc., but this is way over the top!


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> *SHAFT* (1971)


It felt rushed in the last act. We never get to see the daughter with her father and for a movie about a private eye-he has to go to black panthers (?) for help. Would Sam Spade have done that? 

I can't remember the sequels  but I recently got the tv-series.

*Women of Devil's Island* also has a white woman romance with a character going by the name "the mulatto." Some scenes of it are in another language which suggests they were edited out of the English version.

Re: Coca-Cola ads---sometimes, in those days, you could see a Coke and Pepsi ad in the same scene.
There was a shot like that in BULLITT 1968.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> Immediately, I noticed the COCA-COLA logo all over the place. Car is on the street, passes a store window with it, turns a corner, & there it is again, goes down the street, and again, there is COKE. Made me recall something about product placement ads, the film maker gives a script to the advertiser, who decides in which scenes to put ads, etc., but this is way over the top!


Still, much better than the common practise of blurring out any product in a TV show, really silly!


----------



## KGeo777

Secret Mark of D'Artagnan 1962 -- There's a stunt man in this who falls from what looks like a 12 feet height and hits the ground without any kind of soft support. I guess his body was padded but it sure doesn't look like a trick. This one only has two Musketeers on a secret mission while Richelieu is watching from the wings.  There's a rather gruesome bit of torture where the heroine of the story gets her hand crushed in a vice.


----------



## KGeo777

The Mad Butcher 1971- Black comedy with Victor Buono as a butcher who starts to use a new ingredient in his sausages that become popular around town. The best joke is the end title one that is on the US version.


----------



## Rodders

Alien: Covenant

I hadn’t seen it before and I went in with low expectations as i read a lot of bad things. I can see why people don’t like it, but I enjoyed it.


----------



## hitmouse

Rewatched *When Harry Met Sally* (1989) for the first time since it came out. Romcom is not my usual thing, but this is just delightful, clever, gentle comedy. Superb script.

Also rewatched *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988) again for the first time since its original release. I loved this the first time out but found the film surprisingly dated now. It _is_ funny in places, and Kevin Kline is very good, but otherwise it is quite awkward and occasionally embarrassing. I guess British comedy has moved on a bit.


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> I like them all




Agreed. The Motion Picture does drag at times though...


hitmouse said:


> Also rewatched *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988) again for the first time since its original release. I loved this the first time out but found the film surprisingly dated now. It _is_ funny in places, and Kevin Kline is very good, but otherwise it is quite awkward and occasionally embarrassing. I guess British comedy has moved on a bit.




Have you seen the 'sequel' Dangerous Creatures?

Cleese is very hit and miss in films sans-Monty Python. I think my favourite is probably Clockwise with a character very reminiscent of the one he portrays in Fawlty Towers. Another very British comedy movie with some very funny moments (esp. when he really starts to lose like with the telephone box).


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek III - The Search for Spock* - which turned out to be even more boringer than I remembered.

*Assassinaut* - a group of four teenagers go to meet the president of earth on a space station orbiting an alien planet.  There is an assassination attempt on the president.  The space station is destroyed and the kids find themselves alone on the alien planet.  
I'm sure this movie made sense to someone at some point in its development but they somehow forgot to let the audience in on the act.  Technically it was good, the acting, for the most part decent, but the backstory was all over the place and guess what the implied lesbian (hard not to read the way she was playing the part as anything but) who fancied our lead turned out to be evil; then dead.  I thought we were past that kind of sh*t.  Some people on the IMDb, where is for the most part slated, were annoyed by the slow pace and long art house like staring into nowhere stuff.  I didn't mind that. There was a strange vibe to the film that almost worked.  And it would have worked if there had been a coherent plot - or a plot SO disjointed it would tease you into figuring it out - but as it was this is a film that does some arty disjointed stuff to get a bunch of kids into a (YAWN!) wandering around in the woods with a killer on the loose plot. It's so annoying when people go to all that effort and put all that energy into making something so fundamentally flawed in the script stage.


----------



## KGeo777

The Lost Empire 1984-- Jim Wynorski films are hard to summarize. They do surprise and entertain despite  deficiencies. Silicone is not one of the things in short supply. Clothing on the other hand....


----------



## AE35Unit

Boringer? Is that a Vulcan word?


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> *Star Trek III - The Search for Spock* - which turned out to be even more boringer than I remembered.
> 
> *Assassinaut* - a group of four teenagers go to meet the president of earth on a space station orbiting an alien planet.  There is an assassination attempt on the president.  The space station is destroyed and the kids find themselves alone on the alien planet.
> I'm sure this movie made sense to someone at some point in its development but they somehow forgot to let the audience in on the act.  Technically it was good, the acting, for the most part decent, but the backstory was all over the place and guess what the implied lesbian (hard not to read the way she was playing the part as anything but) who fancied our lead turned out to be evil; then dead.  I thought we were past that kind of sh*t.  Some people on the IMDb, where is for the most part slated, were annoyed by the slow pace and long art house like staring into nowhere stuff.  I didn't mind that. There was a strange vibe to the film that almost worked.  And it would have worked if there had been a coherent plot - or a plot SO disjointed it would tease you into figuring it out - but as it was this is a film that does some arty disjointed stuff to get a bunch of kids into a (YAWN!) wandering around in the woods with a killer on the loose plot. It's so annoying when people go to all that effort and put all that energy into making something so fundamentally flawed in the script stage.



Star Trek II-IV is Paramount's attempt to do a trilogy like Star Wars. They would really have been better to have kept them all as independent movies of each other. Search for Spock felt much more like an episode of TOS, and whilst Wrath of Khan is a great movie, that really didn't. The trilogy of movies don't really sit well together imho, and after the intense action of WOK, SFS seems far too sedate.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Happening*

Quite some years since I've seen this movie, and I couldn't recall that there had been so much humour. It's watches like a low budget B movie (whether that is the intention or not), with invisible enemies, nonsensical plot and hammed-up acting. Whether this is intentional or not is open to question, although I would say that due to the quality of the man who wrote, produced and directed it that it is likely intentional.

This movie is to horror/thriller what San Andreas was to disaster movies; humorous, cheesy and never taking itself too seriously. Switch your brain off and it's a fun 90 minute homage to the B movies of the 50s and 60s.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SHAFT'S BIG SCORE*_ (1972) Not such a great follow-up to Shaft, but not bad, either.



_*THE MOB*_ (1951) NOIR ALLEY coverage as usual very in-depth. Plain clothes cop Johnny Damico (Broderick Crawford) makes a major goof, and allows the killer, who had shown him a police badge, but whose face,  Damico neglected to see, go without the usual scrutiny. So, officially, he is being disciplined, but unofficially, he goes under cover, seeking the killer.


So, Damico assumes the identity of Flynn, a dock worker from New Orleans, who has just arrived in NY City.  Has trouble with fellow dock workers, but eventually is accepted. Meets Smoothie (Matt Crowley), the bartender, who seems to know what is really going on, as drunken men might talk a bit too freely with their bartender.

I am omitting the parts of Ernest Borgnine & Neville Brand, for the sake of brevity, but theirs were important.


What a twist! The ending had the killer revealed in a rather unusual way. The killer, known only  as Mr.  Blackie [I disagree with Wiki page, but whatever] wants to hire a hit man to kill Damico whose photo in the newspaper had been swapped with that of another man. Damico in the assumed role of Flynn, is to be the assassin of himself. But, in order to accept the job, he insists on meeting face to face with Mr. Blackie, who strangely agrees. To me, that seems very foolish of Blackie, but, what do I know.

Another film that I cannot recall seeing prior to this!


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> Star Trek II-IV is Paramount's attempt to do a trilogy like Star Wars. They would really have been better to have kept them all as independent movies of each other. Search for Spock felt much more like an episode of TOS, and whilst Wrath of Khan is a great movie, that really didn't. The trilogy of movies don't really sit well together imho, and after the intense action of WOK, SFS seems far too sedate.



I would hardly describe *The Wrath of Khan* as a 'great' movie.  'Acceptable' maybe.  I mean given a choice between rescuing the last known print of *The Wrath of Khan* or the last known print of *The Brady Bunch Movie*  I know that I'd pull *The Brady Bunch Movie* out of the inferno every time. It's a lot funnier and makes a lot more sense than any Star Trek movie ever did - I'm still puzzled as to why the ship searching for a lifeless planet at the start of WOK hadn't noticed there was an entire planet missing from the solar system. (Do planets really just 'blow up' like they do in ST movies? That's two exploding planets in two films - mind you, one _had_ been contaminated with, "Protomatter. An unstable substance which every ethical scientist in the galaxy has denounced as dangerously unpredictable!" (All credit to Robin Curtis for getting that line out without giggling - I wonder how many takes it took?) 

But tastes are different.

I remember Number 4 being acceptable too - though it does not quite conform to  JunkMonkey's  seventh rule  of bad SF 
"All bad SF films involving time travel will involve the time traveller only being able to travel to Los Angeles the year the film was made."  in that they travel back in time to _San Francisco_ the year the film was made.


----------



## AE35Unit

Never seen the brady bunch but I'm damn sure I would rescue that Star Trek movie


----------



## Rodders

I’d have to agree to disagree with you there, JunkMonkey. ST: TWoK is a great Movie in my opinion.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I think the difference between the two is that each time I watch _The Brady Bunch_ movie I see more.  More jokes, more clever moments  of foreshadowing that I hadn't seen last time, more background detail, more moments of nice, in-character reaction acting. Each time I watch WOK I see less.   Just actors going through the motions.  Last time I watched WOK I spent a great chunk of the latter part of the film trying to work out why the brain-controlling parasite in Chekov's brain decide to quit his head when it did.  Why? What was its motivation?  It didn't have one. The scriptwriters couldn't think of any way of getting it out and they needed the character to still be alive for the next film... so it just came out. Lazy, sloppy, hand-wavey writing.


----------



## Rodders

Star Trek: Into Darkness was on the gogglebox just now.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Chronical 2076* (2020):  In the near future all the plants have died and people are breathing 'synthetic oxygen' manufactured by a powerful corporation that also does time machine research.  (I think in business this is known as 'synergy'.)  But things are getting worse by the day.  Humanity is doomed unless... The first message that comes through from the future demands they send a specific low-grade service engineer... who we find out a bit later in the movie is the son of the (dead before the start of the movie) lead scientist of the time travel research - oh and he has an unremovable dingus on his wrist his daddy put there before he disappeared... and a sick wife.  

You now have most of the information you need to reconstruct this movie in its entirety.

Pretty predictable if you have read any time travel stories but not badly done for all that. The hero was a bit of a snivelling wimp but that made him more human and real and believable.  Some of the SFX was pretty.  Some of it was pretty good. And, as this was an Australian film, the woods our protagonists wander around in for a great chunk of the movie are lush and green and far more interesting than the deciduous woods most low budget American  films' protagonists get to wander around in.  

The second film in a row in which the main character wanders around woodlands on an uninhabited planet, eats unknown fruit, and has hallucinations.


----------



## alexvss

*Titane (2021)*. From the same director of *Raw (2016)*, this Frech movie won the Palm D'or at Cannes last year. 

This is brutal, as expected from the New French Extremity movement. This movie knows no limits. It's one of the most disturbing flicks ever. And I liked it lot. I just couldn't stop watching, despite all the craziness in front of me (I grimaced many times though).


----------



## BAYLOR

Frantz Lang's *Metropolis   *This a truly amazing and visionary film by one of greatest directors of all time .


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE EDGE OF DARKNESS* (1943) Norwegians are suffering under you know who's rule, & are waiting for weapons from Britain so they can revolt. Gunnar Brogge (Errol Flynn) leads the revolt against well-trained professional soldiers. I hate to be overly critical, but, even with the best weapons, untrained civilians would stand little chance. Suppose some had been in WWI, they might be able to instill discipline in the rabble, but just try target practice, and the  report from the guns would bring the enemies running. 


O.k., that out of the way, a fairly good WWII film. Very intense drama!  Even had one sell-out guy, who thought cooperation with the invaders was the best way to ensure survival.


----------



## Droflet

Yeah, not a bad flick but a little heavy on the evil Nazi propaganda, as you'd expect for a movie made during the war.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*STAR 80*_ (1983) Playmate Dorothy Stratten married the wrong guy. He would do anything to make money, except work. He meets a lovely young 17 year-old honey, forges her mother's signature, and she becomes PLAYMATE of the month. He cashes-in on his fee for finding her [or whatever it was] & now must use her again, or actually get a job. 

That is how the film depicted the guy.  He did eventually murder her. 

TCM ran murder films Thursdays in January, & this was among them.  

So, according to the film, this lowlife guy had expected to be inducted into Hef's inner circle because of bringing her to his attention. But Hef ['Heff'?] took him for the lowlife he was, and would have nothing to do with him. The guy was very upset about this. Everything he tried to make money, involved Stratton, at the very least he wanted her name on the fitness business, but she had had enough of that. 

Sad.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Zombieland (2009) for the fourth or fifth time. It's pretty endearing, but I still don't get what's so great about Twinkies. I never liked them.


----------



## KGeo777

Kirk acts weak-minded at times which seemed forced by the script. The prefix code thing was neat for turning tables and satisfying action but it was shortchanging the characters.
Khan was smarter in the tv series.  At least if they explained that something happened which made him lose his mind.

Also when Kirk says "I know what he blames me for." Did he? I don't remember a detailed conversation. 
The movies never captured all the philosophical or character aspects that the episodes had.

SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM 1976 --Canada has never been this exciting--well except for today's headlines--but in this Italian-made action film, Stuart Whitman is a maniac cop who, with partner John Saxon, seeks to learn who killed his innocent sister. But was she as innocent as he believes or a chip off the old block?
Good car chases and one particularly memorable scene where Whitman fights a transvestite trio in a penthouse.


----------



## KGeo777

Another issue with ST 2 is when they say Kirk never faced death before.
What the hell? From Edith Keeler to every character that got McCoy to say "he's dead Jim."
How many red shirts died on the series and even his brother?


----------



## AE35Unit

CAUGHT (2017)
Weird horror/sci fi set in the early 70s about a couple living on the yorkshire moore who are visited a strange couple who are definitely not normal...
It was ok, then it just...ended


----------



## Jeffbert

_*WINTER A GO-GO*_ (1965) An awful film about young nearly adults who open a ski lodge, & the difficulties they face, luring customers, etc. Featured a "professional band" whose name was unfamiliar to me, & apparently used a tried & true formula, etc., but still stinks.  I could not bear to watch it in full screen, but ran it in a small window while doing other things on my PC.


----------



## svalbard

The Last Dual. 

I found this to be an accomplished movie and at times a difficult watch. IMHO it is Scott's best work in years. The actual fight of the title is well done and it is not far from the actual historical descriptions of the duel. 

The treatment of women is horrendous to view and doesn't shy away from the misogyny of the times.

Touches of Rashomon about it, although I am not comparing it to that masterpiece.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Batman Vs Two-Face* (2017) - a straight to DVD animated movie which was a whole lot of fun.  Camp and funny. Cleverly and lovingly riffing on all the old 1966 TV series jokes without going over the top.  Some nice voice work.   Adam West and William Shatner in one movie!


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> *Batman Vs Two-Face* (2017) - a straight to DVD animated movie which was a whole lot of fun.  Camp and funny. Cleverly and lovingly riffing on all the old 1966 TV series jokes without going over the top.  Some nice voice work.   Adam West and William Shatner in one movie!


& not to forget, the fabulous FUTURA BATMOBILE! 



_*HIGH FLYERS*_ (1937) Wheeler & Woolsey's final collaboration, in which they portray two boardwalk 'pilots' who talk customers through a faux flight school on a fake airplane that swivels around, but never leaves the ground.

They take a job as real pilots, & the trouble starts. Musical comedy.



_*MARINES FLY HIGH*_ (1940) Lt. Danny Darrick (Richard Dix) is stationed in a central American nation in which a man calling himself  El Vengador is about to start a revolution.  Lt. Jim Malone (Chester Morris) arrives and begins competing with Darrick for the affection of  Joan Grant (Lucille Ball), a plantation owner.   El Vengador is actually John Henderson (John Eldredge) another plantation owner, but the identity is a secret.

Drama/comedy/ romance.


----------



## KGeo777

Gordon the Black Pirate 1961 --Ricardo Montalban vs Vincent Price who is his usual "evil and loving it" self. Short and dubbed an full of stock footage but works for a viewing thanks to the main cast.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Girl Most Likely to . . . *(1973)

Made-for-TV film.  Stockard Channing has her first starring role as an unattractive college student who is abused by everyone around her.  After a car wreck, surgery makes her beautiful.  She gets her revenge on those who were cruel to her by murdering them.  Put that way, it sounds very dark indeed, but the way the plot is handled is so light and silly, that it's more of a pale gray comedy than a black comedy.


----------



## KGeo777

TOP SECRET 1967 - The title narration suggest a film starring "Conn Seannery" but then Gordon Scott appears instead. I was expecting to be more bored as it progressed but it won be over by some of the jokes. At one point he interrupts the filming of an italian spy flick like this one. Scott keeps losing throughout the story--he gets beat up by a woman agent and kids steal the tires off his car. Silly but watchable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Stockard Channing has her first starring role as an unattractive college student



I can't see it.  Really.  But then I've been in lust with Ms Channing since I first saw her in the _Big Bus_ in the cinema back in the day.  I even watched that pile of keich _Grease_ because she was in it.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Girl Most Likely to . . . *(1973)
> 
> Made-for-TV film.  Stockard Channing has her first starring role as an unattractive college student who is abused by everyone around her.  After a car wreck, surgery makes her beautiful.  She gets her revenge on those who were cruel to her by murdering them.  Put that way, it sounds very dark indeed, but the way the plot is handled is so light and silly, that it's more of a pale gray comedy than a black comedy.


Saw that a couple  of times back when it first aired. I recall Channing and Ed Asner being great in it, the sort of movie that leaves you grinning in spite of -- or maybe because of -- the absurdity. Checking IMDB, impressive supporting cast, too.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Pyewacket* 2017
Dreary cliché-ridden horror about a moody teenage girl who hates her life and her mom and sets out to do something about it. Yawn.
The title was the name of a cat in a comedy film called Bell Book and Candle. That was good, this isn't.


----------



## KGeo777

I have been planning to see Bell Book and Candle for a while. I am most curious because it came out months after Vertigo.

On the subject of "The Girl Most Likely To.." It was  pointed out the cliche in movies where the popular students are mean.
The popular kids I remember in school-or rather the ones considered at an advantage, either were nice or indifferent. Why would they need to be mean to be popular? How does that aid their popularity?

There was a movie planned--I assume it was never made--it was supposed to star Kelly LeBrock as a woman who, in order to find out if her husband really loves her, has surgery to make herself ugly.
That is an extreme step to take.


----------



## hitmouse

*MASH* (1970) a re-watch after many years. Seems a bit awkward now in places (casual mysogyny) but otherwise terrific. Completely different tone to the tv series. Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould are excellent.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bell, Book, and Candle *is a charming film.  Kim Novak is a fetching witch, and Jack Lemmon is fun as a bongo-playing warlock.

Perhaps the cliché of the mean popular kids has something to do with the kind of people who become writers?  I suppose it's also a easy way to win the sympathy of the audience, although true school bullies probably aren't usually the upper class/attractive/popular.

If memory serves, Harlan Ellison's story "Sally in Our Alley" features a handsome guy who makes use of plastic surgery to become less attractive.  (As the last line of the story says, "How beat can you get?")


----------



## KGeo777

Champagne For Caesar 1950 --Very clever comedy with Ronald Colman as a genius but impoverished bookworm who is appalled by  quiz game host Art Linkletter and what he predicts will be the destruction of the American intellect through tv and radio, so he schemes to get on the show and keep winning until he bankrupts the soap company owned by Vincent Price, who hires a con woman (Celeste Holm who is extremely good) to destroy Colman's suave calm and ruin his winning streak. Great ending. Mel Blanc is the voice of Caesar.
Price told an anecdote about this film--Colman invited him to dinner at his house. Since Colman was the next door neighbor of Jack  Benny in his radio show, Price assumed that was where he lived and found out the hard way that it wasn't the case.

ASSASSINATION 1967 - Henry Silva is framed and then saved from the electric chair by the CIA to investigate a criminal ring in Europe by posing as his fictitious brother. One of those slow Euro crime flicks with moody atmosphere and picturesque shots of 1960s New York and Germany.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Crawl* (2019)

A student goes to fetch her father during a storm in Florida. Unfortunately the waters are rising and they're full of hungry alligators. Fortunately, she's an expert swimmer.

This is a small film without grand ambitions that does what it set out to do extremely well. Kaya Scodelario is very good as the determined heroine. It's not deadly serious, but it never gets campy or winks to the camera. It's got that very American quality of the abandoned houses looking run-down but absolutely huge. Well worth a look if it's your sort of thing.


----------



## Phyrebrat

AE35Unit said:


> *Pyewacket* 2017
> Dreary cliché-ridden horror about a moody teenage girl who hates her life and her mom and sets out to do something about it. Yawn.
> The title was the name of a cat in a comedy film called Bell Book and Candle. That was good, this isn't.


Agreed!! Dreadful film. And the mother’s acting was dreadful. I was shocked because it has had fantastic reviews from the academic podcast _Faculty of Horror_. 


Toby Frost said:


> *Crawl* (2019)
> 
> A student goes to fetch her father during a storm in Florida. Unfortunately the waters are rising and they're full of hungry alligators. Fortunately, she's an expert swimmer.
> 
> This is a small film without grand ambitions that does what it set out to do extremely well. Kaya Scodelario is very good as the determined heroine. It's not deadly serious, but it never gets campy or winks to the camera. It's got that very American quality of the abandoned houses looking run-down but absolutely huge. Well worth a look if it's your sort of thing.


Such fun - some really enjoyable scenes. Just popcorn fun. Love the scene with the thieving  kids — 



Spoiler



and any film where the dog survived is okay by me.


----------



## Jeffbert

*OVER-EXPOSED* (1956) NOIR ALLEY, though it seems not to fit the genre, Muller assures that, in its own way, it does.

So this buxom young woman Lily Krenshka (Cleo Moore) takes a job in the big city, not knowing it is a striptease joint, is arrested, given 24 hours to leave town, & ends-up learning photography from Max West (Raymond Greenleaf), a washed-up photographer on the verge of retirement.

So, she ends up working in a fancy restaurant snapping pic of customers. She snaps on of one of West's former clients on her birthday, an elderly woman, retouches it, and please the woman. Next year as she is doing the same thing, the woman suffers a fatal heart attack or stroke. The same newspapers that had turned her down as an employee, are now offering her big bucks for that photo, & promising her lifetime employment, etc., but to do so, would be a betrayal of her client. Eventually, some low-life reporter steals the negative, the photo ins in the newspaper, & the young woman gets the blame, and loses her job.

The NOIR element has to do with a certain gangster's alibi, which she can destroy with a photo she snapped of someone else, in which the gangster appeared in the background. Now, out of a job, she tries her hand at blackmail.


----------



## REBerg

*Swan Song*
Near-future cloning. Heavy on psychology; light on how we get there.


----------



## Astro Pen

hitmouse said:


> Rewatched *When Harry Met Sally* (1989) for the first time since it came out. Romcom is not my usual thing, but this is just delightful, clever, gentle comedy. Superb script.


Indeed. In my humble opinion one of the best scripts ever written.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER* (1957) A Navy public relations unit on a small pacific island commanded by Lieutenant Commander Clinton T. Nash (Fred Clark) has its problems, one of which is the reporter Gordon Ripwell (Keenan Wynn) who is usually writing something bad about the Navy, while another is sailor Adam Garrett (Earl Holliman) who is dating a nurse. A violation of the rules for military, for enlisted and officers to fraternize.

All three actors would be in certain TWILIGHT ZONE stories. Holliman would be in the pilot, Clark in one about a very special camera, & Wynn, in one about burning snips of audio reel to reel tape in a fireplace. 

Yet, the main character was Lieutenant Max Siegel (Glenn Ford), who is the guy who solves all the problems. Another problem is a female reporter  Deborah Aldrich (Eva Gabor), who insists on being in action, despite there being no accommodations for women on battleships. 


Unfortunately, the recording was just a bit shorter than the film, so, I missed the last few minutes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Inner Circle *(1946)

Low budget detective film that often plays like a screwball comedy.  Our hero is private eye Johnny Strange.  The first thing we see is his ad in the phone book.

_Are you troubled - frightened -
suspicious - or merely curious?

*Where Others Fail I Get Action
YOUR Problem is MY Problem*

contact

*JOHNNY STRANGE
Private Investigator

Action Incorporated
610 SECURITY BUILDING

AUSTIN 7141 or AUSTIN 7142*_

(The fact that he has two phones is a plot point.)

The camera then pans to a gun on the floor, followed by a dead man.

We then cut to our hero, seen darning a sock, while talking on the phone about placing a want ad.

"Hello, this is Johnny Strange of Action Incorporated. No, not Strange Action Incorporated. Johnny Strange *of* Action Incorporated. Yeah. I want to place an ad in the Help Wanted Female. Mm-hm. Wanted: secretary to human dynamo. Exclamation point. Must be blonde, beautiful, between 22 and 28, unmarried, with a skin you love to touch and a heart you can't."

Right away a blonde who walked into his office unnoticed hangs up the phone and forces her way into the job.  This character is always way ahead of the rather hapless PI throughout the film.  She tries to place a call, then answers the other phone (remember that?) to send the shamus to meet with a Spanish-accented woman, completely hidden under hat and veil.  This woman shows Johnny a dead body (remember him?) and, after briefly offering our honest hero a ton of loot to get rid of the body, conks him on the head, so he become the prime suspect.  We then see that it's the blonde secretary in disguise.  This major plot twist takes place only ten minutes into the movie!

What follows is a convoluted plot involving blackmail, a crook who got killed in a car wreck, a record sent to the dead man by a sultry nightclub singer (played by an actress best known for portraying Mrs. Olsen in coffee commercials years later) and so forth.  The murder is solved by having all the suspects recreate their actions as a radio play!

Nothing comes up to the level of the wild first ten minutes, but it's not a bad little B movie.


----------



## Justin Swanton

*Inside Man*. Slick and clever.


----------



## alexvss

*Nightmare Alley (2022)*. Boring movie, despite the ensemble of famous actors and having Guillermo del Toro as the director.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It's the second adaptation of a novel of the same name, which probably means that the novel is great and they thought they would profit with another remake (they didn't; it flopped), but I think Del Toro wasn't the right director for this. Particularly, I'm not his fan, but I acknowledge his abilities as a director, and they just weren't used here. The only exceptions are the extreme violence and some recurring actors. But hiring Del Toro for this gives wrong expectations for the viewer. You can't stop thinking about *Pan's Labyrinth (2005)* and *Chronos (1993)* and others. And this movie has nothing supernatural at all.

The cast is famous enough to make you ask how the studio could afford to contract them all—Willem Dafoe, Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett, Toni Colette...—, the director is oscar-winning and the dialogue and plot twists are clever. Yet, the movie is a bore. I was trying to understand why. Maybe it's the long scenes where nothing but dialogue happens. Maybe it's the lack of a compelling main character: takes an awful lot of time for you to get what he wants and needs.

Despite being boring for circa 100 minutes, the third act is worth it. There's a plot twist in the end that made me disappointed with myselft, as a writer, for not seeing it from a mile away.

Watch this only if you have a lot of patience.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek IV: The Whale One* - Number One Son's favourite so far - certainly the most fun.  Not sure that it made any more sense than any of the others but there were more genuinely funny jokes, some interesting visuals and, as #1 Son pointed, out the first Star Trek adversary which has no real understandable motive beyond simple curiosity.


----------



## AE35Unit

Wessels?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Nulere wessels.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Invisible Man*
Not a H. G. Wells adaptation as such, but a film about a woman in an abusive relationship who drugs her husband so she can get away. Then she discovers he's died and left her a fortune. But then she starts seeing him again, or rather, she doesn't.
Elizabeth Moss from Handmaid's Tale stars.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Infinitum: Subject Unknown* - shot in the first Covid lockdown on an iPhone with a crew of two - one of whom doubled as most of the cast.   From that point of view it is technically interesting and I can see why they did it -  but the story would have struggled to fill a 20 minute short  - stretched to an 86 minute feature length I'm sorry to say it became a bit of a drag.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Tiger Woman *(1945)

For some reason, I've watched a fair number of low-budget private detective movies with an actress named Adele Mara in the cast; *Blackmail*, *Exposed*, *The Inner Circle*.  Sometimes she's a Good Girl, sometimes the _femme fatale_, sometimes the detective herself.  She's quite good in each role.  (I've also seen her in the interesting low-budget horror movie *The Vampire's Ghost*, but that's another story.)

Anyway, this time she's a sultry nightclub singer.   (Is there any other kind, and what would a 'tec movie be without them?)  She hires the PI to protect her husband from the hood to whom he owes a big gambling debt.  The Pi happens to be sort of a friend of the crook, so he visits the guy.  The hoodlum tells him the husband paid him already.  Meanwhile, the singer and her boyfriend find the husband dead, an apparent suicide.  They have to make it look like murder for her to collect the dead man's insurance.  At first the cops suspect the crook, but the PI gives him an alibi.  Next to face the police is a young, dark-haired woman a cleaning woman saw near the time of the murder.

You'll probably figure out whodunit long before the detective does, but it's a fun ride.  The movie veers into _film noir _territory at times, which is a good thing.  The guy who plays the hoodlum is enjoyable, too.  He's sometimes charming, sometimes scary.  The whole thing is less than an hour long, so it moves briskly.


----------



## KGeo777

WHEN MICHAEL CALLS  1972 -- Tv-movie-it came out this very night in 1972. Pretty suspenseful with a dead child making phone calls
I didn't guess the ending until late into it.


----------



## Rodders

A couple of movies on T.V. Last night.

Independence Day. Enjoyable enough, but I forgot how trite and cliche it is. 
Men In Black International. I’m embarrassed to say that I rather enjoyed this one.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Edge of Tomorrow * This is one of my favorite science fiction films and Is one of Tom Cruise's best films .


----------



## JunkMonkey

BAYLOR said:


> *The Edge of Tomorrow * This is one of my favorite science fiction films and Is one of Tom Cruise's best films .



Is this the one where the nasty general keeps the MacGuffin of Certain Redemption in a safe in his office safe because... that's where failed experimental equipment should be stored?  It was going great guns until that particular "we have to generate conflict in this plot" moment hove into view.  After which .... meh.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> Is this the one where the nasty general keeps the MacGuffin of Certain Redemption in a safe in his office safe because... that's where failed experimental equipment should be stored?  It was going great guns until that particular "we have to generate conflict in this plot" moment hove into view.  After which .... meh.



I rather enjoyed the The Groundhogs Day  set up.  He kept dying and starting all over again. Some  do overs were hilariously funny .


----------



## KGeo777

SPASMO 1974 - A man encounters a woman unconscious on the beach--which triggers a weird series of events leading to murder and mental illness and a room full of mannequins.


----------



## alexvss

*The Green Knight (2021*). Great adaptation of the poem by the director of *A Ghost Story (2018)*. The second act is kinda boring, but it's a good movie overall, and it conveys a great message.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

KGeo777 said:


> SPASMO 1974 - A man encounters a woman unconscious on the beach--which triggers a weird series of events leading to murder and mental illness and a room full of mannequins.




I liked this one.  One of the more interesting _giallo _films.  The mannequins are really creepy.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

HIPPIE MURDER CULT FILMS FEATURING ACTORS PAST THEIR PRIME TRIPLE FEATURE:

*Angel, Angel, Down We Go *AKA *Cult of the Damned* (1969)

The alternate title was added during rerelease in an attempt to convince audiences that this bizarre, arty, pretentious, psychedelic, incoherent psychodrama was a horror movie.  The main character is a "fat" (translation:  slightly chubby) eighteen-year-old girl, the daughter of ultra-wealthy parents.  Dad enjoys dalliances with young men, Mom (honest-to-gosh Oscar-winning movie star Jennifer Jones) used to appear in stag movies.  At the coming out party for this poor little rich girl, she falls for a Jim Morrison style rock star.  Eventually she returns home, with the new boyfriend and his gang (Roddy McDowell, singer Lou Rawls, and a pregnant blonde.)  The rock star seduces Mom.  (I can't blame him; at age fifty, Jones is still strikingly beautiful and has a slim figure a twenty-year-old would envy.)  The murders happen at the very end of the film.  This synopsis is a lot more linear than the movie, which features flashbacks, voiceover narration from the daughter which contradicts what we see on the screen, fantasies and hallucinations (the daughter imagines herself lying on the ceiling) and a lot of scenes of collages combining photographs and drawings that comment on the happenings in obscure ways.  There are also a bunch of songs.  It's a real mess, but weird enough to be fascinating.  Lots of dialogue that it's difficult to imagine any human being saying.

*Sweet Savior *AKA *The Love-Thrill Murders *(1971)

Former teen heartthrob Troy Donahue is unrecognizable as a Manson-like cult leader in this cheap and sleazy shocker.  The plot is as simple as can be.  Some rich folks use Troy and his "freaks" as a source of drugs and extra bodies for their orgy.  They don't know he plans to kill the "pigs" after the fun and games.  Along the way, we get scenes that look like home movies of the "freaks" and "pigs."  During the orgy, the movie becomes soft porn.  Straight and gay couplings ensue.  The lesbian scene is played for eroticism, the gay male scene for comedy.  (The outrageously effeminate gay man dresses in full drag, and tells his reluctant partner that he's a woman who had a sex change.)  Then the killings start.  The matter-of-fact way that Troy orders his minions to slaughter the "pigs" and the way they obey him is genuinely chilling, but it would have been better without the "scary" music.  (The rest of the soundtrack is inappropriate soft rock, including the title song, except for the psychedelic music during one woman's nude dance scene.)  The fact that the supposedly rich people live in a very ordinary middle class home is amusing.

*The Night God Screamed *(1971)

Academy Award nominee Jeanne Crain stars as the wife of a preacher.  Before we meet her, we see the leader of a nutty religious cult order a figure completely hidden in a monk's robe and hood to "baptize" a woman, which means to drown her.  Later, they crucify the preacher on his own large wooden cross.  Crain testifies against them, sending the leader and a couple of his minions to death row, but not the hooded figure.   The leader's minions swear revenge.  Quite some time later, Crain acts as the "babysitter" for some teenagers when their parents leave for the weekend.  They're ordered not to leave the house, which they resent.  The movie then turns into a slasher flick, as the lights go out, the phone goes dead, and a couple of the teens are killed by unseen invaders.  We then get our Shocking Twist Ending.



Spoiler



The teenagers were just faking all this stuff in an attempt to scare Crain away so they could get out of the house.  This stupid prank results in Crain's accidental death.  Then they get a call telling them that they have been judged, and will be executed that night.  The lights go out, one of the teens screams, the end.



Other than the crucifixion scene, it's pretty bloodless, and creates some decent tension.  Not a great film, but not terrible, either.


----------



## dask

KGeo777 said:


> SPASMO 1974 - A man encounters a woman unconscious on the beach--which triggers a weird series of events leading to murder and mental illness and a room full of mannequins.


Been wanting to see this ever since I saw the strange poster art. Any good?


----------



## Toby Frost

*John Wick 2*: In a world apparently populated entirely by assassins in suits, apart from three assassins disguised as vagrants, master assassin John Wick is called out of retirement and kills many assassins.

I don't really get these films: there's much action but no dramatic tension, and they're ridiculous but completely without humour. Are they supposed to be comical? Does the director know that they're completely absurd? It's insanely violent but weirdly numbing. For a moment at the end the film goes into full Prisoner surrealism. The ending implies (unintentionally) that John Wick is actually mad and hallucinating that everyone else is an assassin trying to kill him, which I find just as entertaining. 

So an okay way to pass two hours, but not a scratch on the Bourne films. I enjoyed Netflix's _Kate_ more.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

dask said:


> Been wanting to see this ever since I saw the strange poster art. Any good?




If you like the _giallo _genre at all, I recommend it.  My review from some years ago:



> *Spasmo* (1974)
> 
> Intriguing Italian psychological thriller with a complex plot full of twists and turns. The opening scene features the first of many very realistic female mannequins who are found hung from trees or stabbed, as if they have been murdered. This macabre theme isn't explained until the very end. Meanwhile, a man meets a woman who is willing to go to bed with him if he shaves off his beard. While he's in the bathroom shaving, a man bursts in on him, holds a gun on him, and beats him up. During the struggle the newly beardless man gets the gun and shoots the attacker in the belly. He and the woman run off, but he has to go back because he left a gold chain at the scene of the killing. There's no sign of the man who got shot. All of this is just the start of a complicated mystery which only starts to unravel two-thirds of the way through, and which saves its double twist ending for the last few minutes. The movie is beautifully filmed and always held my attention.


----------



## Jeffbert

Toby Frost said:


> *John Wick 2*: In a world apparently populated entirely by assassins in suits, apart from three assassins disguised as vagrants, master assassin John Wick is called out of retirement and kills many assassins.
> 
> I don't really get these films: there's much action but no dramatic tension, and they're ridiculous but completely without humour. Are they supposed to be comical? Does the director know that they're completely absurd? It's insanely violent but weirdly numbing. For a moment at the end the film goes into full Prisoner surrealism. The ending implies (unintentionally) that John Wick is actually mad and hallucinating that everyone else is an assassin trying to kill him, which I find just as entertaining.
> 
> So an okay way to pass two hours, but not a scratch on the Bourne films. I enjoyed Netflix's _Kate_ more.


I recall sitting in the theater during an afternoon showing of *XXX*. I was laughing myself red in the face, at the fact that it seemed that, for the guys who made this film, nothing was more important than having a better chase scene, gunfight scene, martial arts scene, etc., than the last 'action' film. Every scene was just too much to believe! No way all those impossible stunts could plausibly occur in one film! 

It seems to me, that plot, character development, etc. are not even considered in the action genre these days.   




*ONCE UPON A HONEYMOON* (1942) Patrick O'Toole (Cary Grant) is a reporter in Europe during the late 1930s & finds himself attracted to Katherine Butt-Smith (Ginger Rogers) who is about to marry Baron Franz Von Luber (Walter Slezak, is this guy always a villain?). O'toole knows a bit about the Baron, & tries to dissuade Butt-Smith from marrying him. He also knows a bit about her, namely her past profession, as a stripper. 

So, anyway, everywhere the newlywed couple goes on their honeymoon, German invasions soon follow.  A mix of drama and humor, not to mention romance.


----------



## Toby Frost

Jeffbert said:


> It seems to me, that plot, character development, etc. are not even considered in the action genre these days.



I totally agree. I could forgive John Wick 2 if it had any idea how silly it is, but it really doesn't seem to realise. It's like sitting through someone else's idea of what's cool. And there's something quite boring about the gunfights. John Wick trips man up, sits on man, shoots three men, then shoots man he's sitting on. And repeat.

As I say, the Bourne films are far more intense and engrossing: partly because Bourne is much more likeable, and partly because the action feels far more convincing. And don't get me started on Marathon Man, which might be one of the most intense films I've ever seen (even though I'm still not sure what the plot was).


----------



## KGeo777

dask said:


> Been wanting to see this ever since I saw the strange poster art. Any good?


It keeps your attention.
It is so weird and confusing at the start that you want to know where it is going.
 Umberto Lenzi did so many genres--I watch a number of his 1960s films--he did pirates movies etc.


----------



## Mouse

*Ghostbusters Afterlife*. It wasn't amazing or anything but I enjoyed it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Cell *-  apart from the costumes by Eiko Ishioka (which was the main reason I watched it) meh!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN*_ (1950) A very large family has interesting incidents. The father is Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr.  (Clifton Webb? never heard of him before!) an efficiency expert, who runs his family likewise.  Mama (Myrna Loy) pretty much goes along with whatever he wants, this being set in the 1920s. Among other things, papa decides that all the kids' tonsils must come out, and they might as well do it on the same day, at home, and filmed so that he can analyze where improvements in the procedure could be made.

Dr. Burton (Edgar Buchanan, have I seen this guy on some TV program? Perhaps Green Acres?)  goes along with it. Not really my type of film, but, interesting to hear about M. Loy's decision to go against other leading ladies as they enter middle age. I forgot which TCM host did the intro, etc. but that was interesting.


----------



## Droflet

For a number of years, Clifton Webb appeared in a number of films, usually playing the same stuffed shirt type. He could be quite funny at times.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Matchless *AKA *Mission Top Secret *(1967)

Italian spy comedy that is more amusing than most.  Patrick O'Neal is a reporter inside Red China, being tortured as a spy.  He's imprisoned with real spy Henry Silva and an elderly man who gives him a magic ring that can make him invisible for twenty minutes, once every ten hours.  He escapes a firing squad by using the ring and gets out of China with the help of a woman who's actually an American spy.  In the movie's sharpest bit of satire, the Americans torture him with the same device the Chinese used.  Despite this, they enlist him to get his hands on vials  of liquid in the possession of our movie's Bond Villain.  (Donald Pleasance, who has a mansion full of robot servants and who puts on dark glasses whenever he's upset.)  The usual spy stuff follows, with car chases, fights, and beautiful women.  Although it's a spoof, the comedy is usually on the witty side than just slapstick.  Maybe too long for its own good, but generally entertaining.


----------



## KGeo777

ZORRO IN THE COURT OF SPAIN - 1962    George Ardisson is pretty good as a foppish marquis who turns into Zorro although his blonde hair should be a giveaway to his identity.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN*_ (1950) A very large family has interesting incidents. The father is Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr.  (Clifton Webb? never heard of him before!)


I'm surprised. Webb's main fame comes from the movie _Laura_, playing an intelligent but extremely vain columnist. Later he did a series of movies as the condescending Mr. Belvedere, a kind of behavioral specialist with children (as my foggy memory recalls). I found them very funny when I was a kid. 


Jeffbert said:


> Dr. Burton (Edgar Buchanan, have I seen this guy on some TV program? Perhaps Green Acres?)


Maybe on there at some time, but a regularly as Uncle Joe, who's moving kinda slow at the Junction, _Petticoat Junction_. Not to mention the bazillion or so Westerns he showed up in.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Matchless *AKA *Mission Top Secret *(1967)
> 
> Italian spy comedy that is more amusing than most.  Patrick O'Neal is a reporter inside Red China, being tortured as a spy.  He's imprisoned with real spy Henry Silva and an elderly man who gives him a magic ring that can make him invisible for twenty minutes, once every ten hours.  He escapes a firing squad by using the ring and gets out of China with the help of a woman who's actually an American spy.  In the movie's sharpest bit of satire, the Americans torture him with the same device the Chinese used.  Despite this, they enlist him to get his hands on vials  of liquid in the possession of our movie's Bond Villain.  (Donald Pleasance, who has a mansion full of robot servants and who puts on dark glasses whenever he's upset.)  The usual spy stuff follows, with car chases, fights, and beautiful women.  Although it's a spoof, the comedy is usually on the witty side than just slapstick.  Maybe too long for its own good, but generally entertaining.


I saw this several years ago; & agree it is rather funny.



*SEND ME NO FLOWERS* (1964) George Kimball (Rock Hudson) is a hypochondriac [<-- spelled it right on the 1st try! ] who overhears his physician talking on the phone & assumes he is the subject of the conversation. The doctor says to the other guy on the phone, that if one of his patients had just weeks to live, he would not tell him so. Now the poor guy is wondering what will become of his wife (Doris Day) after his demise. He decides that he must find just the right 2nd husband for her, in the few days remaining to him.

Not bad, but one time is enough for me.


----------



## KGeo777

I found Rock Hudson to be boring in the action movies he did like Tobruk and that submarine movie. Seconds was ok but he's not doing a normal character--it's like a Frankenstein situation.  But he's good on McMillan & Wife. Does some fights and the comedy is well-done.

But the first time I saw him was as Rock Hudstone in the Flintstones.
His stage name is tailor-made for that show.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Great Silence* - Violent Spaghetti Western with a hell of a downbeat ending: The Hero, The Girl and EVERYONE ELSE (apart from the bad guys) gets massacred. Klaus Kinski was the head bad guy and Ennio Morricone provided one of his his usual wonderful scores.


----------



## dask

REBerg said:


> Ahah! Just like Larson, I *knew* they were up to something!





JunkMonkey said:


> *The Great Silence* - Violent Spaghetti Western with a hell of a downbeat ending: The Hero, The Girl and EVERYONE ELSE (apart from the bad guys) gets massacred. Klaus Kinski was the head bad guy and Ennio Morricone provided one of his his usual wonderful scores.


Library has a copy. Just put a hold on it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> Library has a copy. Just put a hold on it.



Enjoy - apparently there is a 'happy ending' version which I'm glad to say my DVD copy offered as an extra, not in the main feature.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Great Silence* - Violent Spaghetti Western with a hell of a downbeat ending: The Hero, The Girl and EVERYONE ELSE (apart from the bad guys) gets massacred. Klaus Kinski was the head bad guy and Ennio Morricone provided one of his his usual wonderful scores.



I thought Kinski almost loses his cool-the sheriff stopped him from getting killed. If not for the sheriff intervening, he may have been shot. It looked like he lost his temper and was reaching for the gun--I have to check it out again.
Been a while.
They used shaving cream for some of the snow.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sol Madrid *(1968)

Fresh from _The Man From U.N.C.L.E._, David McCallum is the oddly named Sol Madrid, undercover narcotics agent.  It seems that a guy who worked for the Mafia (Pat Hingle) and a gangster's girlfriend (Stella Stevens) ran off with a bunch of the mob's money.   Madrid's bosses want the man as a witness against the crooks.  (Interestingly, the two thieves are not lovers, but are just after the cash and then want to split up.)  Madrid, a cop who doesn't play by the rules, forces the woman at gunpoint to lead him to the man, who is with a non-Mafia drug lord in Mexico.  Madrid pretends to be a crook himself, offering the drug lord a scheme to get heroin across the border by running it through a pipeline.   (This requires a demonstration, leading to a lengthy suspense sequence.)   

Multiple complications ensue, with the guy who ran off with the loot getting killed, the woman being given multiple injections of heroin by her ex-boyfriend in order to make her a junkie, a good guy turning out to be a bad guy, and so forth.   The plot is a little hard to follow at times.  McCallum is somewhat miscast; he seems too cool to be the hard-as-nails character he plays.  On the other hand, there's a great supporting cast; Michael Ansara as a Mexican cop, Ricardo Montalban as a Mexican undercover agent, Rip Torn as a coldblooded Mafia hood, and, stealing the picture, Telly Savalas as the charming, elegant drug lord.  Worth watching for their work, if nothing else.


----------



## KGeo777

Speaking of miscasting, THE GLORY GUYS 1965 suffers from that. Tom Tryon tries his best but he is just too boring to be a lead here and the poor man's James Coburn, Harve Presnell, isn't much better.  Senta Berger seems bored, having to choose between them. Only James Caan gives it some life doing an over the top Irish accent and there's some fist fights that bring it brief energy. But the Sam Peckinpah script isn't anything special. There's some nice scenery and the opening titles are cool, that's about it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Weekend Murders *(_Concerto per pistola solista_, "Concerto for solo pistol," 1970)

Italian pastiche/parody of classic English murder mysteries.  Starts with the discovery of a corpse in a sand trap on a golf course.  We find out this is the third murder, and go into a flashback.  

In traditional form, a bunch of relatives show up at the mansion of a recently deceased rich guy for the reading of the will.  Among the bunch are the dead man's sister and her disturbed adolescent son; the deceased fellow's estranged daughter and her husband; a ne'er-do-well nephew and his wife (who shocks everybody else because she happens to be a Black woman); and maybe some others not as memorable.  Living at the mansion is the dead man's niece, who took care of the fellow and, it is soon revealed, gets all his wealth.  

The first two "murders" are quickly shown just to be gruesome pranks by the disturbed adolescent, but real killings soon follow.  First is the butler.  Since the others think, at first, this is only another practical joke, somebody says "At least we know the butler didn't do it."

The rest of the film is full of clues, red herrings, and others traditions of the genre.  There's even a locked room mystery.  On the case are a Scotland Yard detective and a rather goofy local police sergeant.  At first, it seems that he's just going to be the comic relief, but he very cleverly solves the case.  Besides spoofing Agatha Christie style whodunits in an affectionate manner, there are a couple of scenes that poke fun at the _giallo _genre.  

The first fake murder is extremely bloody, in the style of that form, but the real killings are almost bloodless.  A couple of scenes have our usual mysterious person with black gloves skulking around, but they both turn out to have nothing to do with the murders.  (One of them is the disturbed adolescent making the world's clumsiest pass at the sexy maid who, against all expectations, welcomes his advances.  This causes the poor virginal guy to panic, hallucinate his mother laughing hysterically at him, and run away screaming.)

It's quite an enjoyable film, that works both as a witty comedy and a clever mystery.


----------



## Randy M.

*Invasion of the Bee Girls* (1973) dir. Dennis Sanders; starring William Smith, Anitra Ford. Victoria Vetri, Cliff Osmond

I'm surprised a search doesn't find this one already mentioned on this thread.

Smith is a State Department security agent looking into the mysterious death of a scientist by thrombosis the medical examiner says was caused by extreme sexual exertion. More and similar male deaths follow. Cue a fair amount of female nudity including in a very '70s computer room operation merging women with bee DNA that seems to require slathering them with cake batter.

I started watching because of Smith -- a heavy in lots of movies and a good guy in the Western TV show _Laredo_ -- and kept watching because the screenplay was by novelist, screenwriter and director Nicolas Meyers who, I think, was trying for a '70s version of a '50s drive-in monster flick like _The Wasp Woman. _Circumstantial evidence: Smith's character's last name is Agar, like John Agar, star of _The Mole People _and _Tarantula_.

I wonder if there was a disconnect between director and screenwriter, though. The premise is like a parody but the movie's tone is fairly serious. For today's audience, there are scenes that might need trigger warnings, including an attempted rape whose only purpose is opening Vetri's blouse and showing how tough Smith's character is by having him fight off three assailants. I was a bit surprised how mellow the movie was concerning homosexuality, though, given when it was made.

The acting is pretty good for a '70s movie of this type. Smith is low-key and I'm a bit surprised he didn't get to play the good guy more often. Osmond (6' 5") is a familiar face to anyone who watched TV in the '70s and '80s, and one of the few actors Smith (6' 2") had to look up at. Ford looked familiar but I couldn't place her until I checked IMDB; she was one of the presenters on Bob Barker's _The Price is Right_. Vetri looks familiar too, and I expect I saw her often given her string of '60s & '70s TV and movie appearances.

For what it is and when it was made, on the whole it's not a bad little B(ee)-movie. (Go ahead, roll your eyes like you wouldn't have made that joke.)


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Weekend Murders *(_Concerto per pistola solista_, "Concerto for solo pistol," 1970)
> On the case are a Scotland Yard detective and a rather *goofy local police sergean*t.


Gastone Moschin, best known as Fanucci in the Godfather Part 2. They did a parody of him on the Simpsons with Homer as the white-suited character.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE GETAWAY*_ (1972) "Doc" McCoy (Steve McQueen) a convict, is again turned down for parole, but, with influence from Jack Beynon (Ben Johnson), he is soon free.  But there is a price; Beynon wants him to rob a bank, & insists on providing the other participants. despite McCoy's protests, that he must select the others.

As usual in heist films, things go wrong. After escaping the town with the money, McCoy learns the true price of his release from prison, which causes some strife between himself & his wife (Ali MacGraw). Double crosses, back stabbings, etc., make for a very tense film.



Spoiler



After all that, why does McCoy go to that one particular motel? I must have missed some details, because to me, that made no sense




It never gets old! Some films just don't, & this is one of them. Might this be called an action film? If so, it certainly did not lack for other elements, without which, it would have been as forgettable as the so-called action films of recent years.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Mars Attacks! (1996) I've watched this film many times before, but it still makes me laugh. Apparently, the "Ack! Ack!" language of the Martians was created by ducks' quacking in reverse. Inspired by collectible cards. Strongly recommended if you take your sci-fi with comedy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Le Dîner de Cons* - a rewatch of a small, but perfectly formed, farce.


----------



## KGeo777

Strangler's Web 1965 -- cheapo Edgar Wallace flick has mostly unknown cast but they work rather well. There's much quirky humor and at 50-something minutes it does not wear out its welcome.

They've Changed Faces 1971 - Italian movie about a low level employee at a corporation who is invited to the house of the big boss--who is named Nosferatu. Creepy imagery and weirdness keeps it from being boring--with vampires becoming corporate owners to control the population via technology (media, drugs, consumer products). Prophetic.


----------



## Toby Frost

Guttersnipe said:


> Mars Attacks! (1996) I've watched this film many times before, but it still makes me laugh. Apparently, the "Ack! Ack!" language of the Martians was created by ducks' quacking in reverse. Inspired by collectible cards. Strongly recommended if you take your sci-fi with comedy.



The moment with the nuclear missile and the paper bag is probably the hardest I've ever laughed at anything in a cinema. Also the theme music is awesome. Likewise the giant robot. Probably one of Tim Burton's best films.

The old cards are weird. We talk about violence in films now but in those 1950s cards the Martians go around torturing and molesting people. They were much stronger than anything we'd let kids have now.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> The moment with the nuclear missile and the paper bag is probably the hardest I've ever laughed at anything in a cinema. Also the theme music is awesome. Likewise the giant robot. Probably one of Tim Burton's best films.



Shows how tastes are different. I sat through the whole thing utterly bewildered straining so hard for "funnnyyyyyy"and never making it.  (Tim Burton *IS* Fozzy Bear!)   He only made one film I would bother watching again and that's _Ed Wood_ which is very sweet and tender.


----------



## Toby Frost

I dislike most of Burton's stuff, especially when Johnny Depp is involved. Beetlejuice is quite good. I think the lack of goth schmaltz (for want of a better term) in Mars Attacks helps it a lot.


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY  showed a French film the other week,

*QUAI DES ORFĖVRES* (1947)whose English title was _*JENNY LAMOUR,*_ whose jealous & unattractive husband was central to the plot. Jenny works in the theater & as such many men are attracted to her.    When she uses a lech to further her career, her husband's jealousy turns to murderous intent. So, he goes to kill the lech, being sure that people saw him enter the theater, and likewise leaving there after returning from the murder.



Spoiler



Yet, when he arrives at the victim's home, he finds him already murdered! The poor guy leaves, just as a thief is stealing his car!

Now he must exhaust himself, running to return to the theater, before the show ends



A very good, if not great film!

As usual, Muller's wrap-up is as in-depth as his intro. I know very little about French actors, & found this worthwhile.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Le guetteur* (The Lookout) - I have some general rules of thumb about watching movies. One of them is  "If X is involved I'll watch it at least once"  X is variously Rutger Hauer, Eiko Ishoka, Ennio Morricone, Alan Arkin  etc.  _Le guetteur_ starred Daniel Auteuil.  I'll watch anything with Daniel Autuil in it at least once.  I don't ever want to hear him 'sing' again but I find something strangely compelling about his screen presence.   _Le guetteur_ is a violent French slice of cops and robbers that starts off well but ends up wandering all over the place before coming to one of those unbelievable ambiguous endings which makes you wonder why you'd bothered with the previous 89 minutes. (It felt a lot longer).


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> I have some general rules of thumb about watching movies. One of them is "If X is involved I'll watch it at least once"


You should start a thread on either the more general or more specific ideas there, or both. Probably make for pretty interesting discussions.


----------



## KGeo777

THE WEB 1947 - Edmund O'Brien gets hired as a bodyguard for Vincent Price and has to shoot Fritz Leiber Sr. but William Bendix as a police detective suspects foul play.

Hallelujah for Django - 1967?  George Hilton as  a drunkard who has to fight a gang of bank robbers who come to town and kill his sheriff brother. Inventive, with some amusing twists.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* with Number 2 daughter who loved it.  I had forgotten how fecking gorgeous it was  - and funny! Beautiful, beautiful film.


----------



## Jeffbert

*BREATHLESS* (1960) Another French crime film, about a young guy who is just scum. He steals cars, speeds, and when the motorcycle cop confronts him, he just shoots him dead, foolishly leaving his coat in the stolen car, which he abandons. Made the guy a star, & greatly helped improve the director's rep. also. Intense


----------



## KGeo777

WAXWORK 1988 - David Warner sets up a wax museum in town and invites some college students to check it out and they get sucked intot he exhibits. Nice idea but it was more comedic than serious. I think it would have worked better if it was straight. The film is dedicated to Hammer, Argento, George Romero etc. and the influences are evident.

BURKE AND HARE 1972 - Body snatching and whore houses are mixed in this version. I have seen at least two others (from 1960 and 1984). This puts a lot of emphasis on T and A although Harry Andrews has a larger part than I usually see him do.

Burke and Hare!
Beware of em!
Burke and Hare!
The pair of em!


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Platform (2019). A Spanish film that was very bleak and depressing. In an extremely tall building with over 200 floors containing one cell each, one man must contend with starvation and cannibalism.

Cool Runnings (1993). I finally watched it in its entirety. Four Jamaican men follow their dreams of becoming bobsledders. Based on a true story. Some scenes are quite funny. Nice to see John Candy. This was just what I needed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Cybertracker 2_ - BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! KABLOOOM!! "Let's get outta here!"... BLAM! BLAM! BLAM  "Let's go!"  Blam! Kaboom! Blam Blam! "Let's get outa here!" Blam! Kaboom! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! - for 90 minutes .  Then it stopped. And everyone laughed like the end of an episode of _Police Squad_ - in color![/i]


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE TURNING POINT*_ (1952) The local crime syndicate is run by a respectable   business man Neil Eichelberger (Ed Begley),   which is threatened by newspaper guy  Jerry McKibbon (William Holden) & DA John Conroy (Edmond O'Brien)'s activities, etc. Yet, he resists using hardball tactics against them personally. One of his subordinates has no such scruples, though. 

A very intense NOIR ALLEY film!


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Andromeda Strain* [1970]
Still taut and well paced. Some of the science and acting feels a little dated now but the script and film are over 50 years old and still hold up remarkably well. I liked the mix of official hearing and flashback, that drag you along quiet nicely. I haven't read the book, but I might now.
I must have seen this film years ago, probably when it was first broadcast on TV as I kept remembering scenes just before they happened.


----------



## Rodders

I've never seen this. Perhaps this weekend.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I saw it in the cinema when it first came out.  Edge of the seat stuff!  Avoid the 'remake' TV miniseries.  It sucks.  Really really sucks.  



Spoiler



The climax involves one of our heroes throwing the severed thumb of another character two stories straight up into the air where it is caught  by another character hanging off a ladder before being pressed to the Fingerprint ID reader that enables them to stop the bomb. Pure Grade A Hollywood bullsh** of the first water.


----------



## pogopossum

*Don't Look Up *On Netflix.
I had avoided this due to less than stellar reviews. Checking back, I see that there were also a few raves.
Also, I am not in love with Leonardo Di Caprio.
Well, I liked it. DiCaprio has matured so that his anguished acting actually looks realistic.
But it was the mix of politicos for whom reality is what shows up in the latest poll with scientists at their wit's end trying to inject reality in the aformentioned politician pea brains that was fun to watch. And each time (I have forgotten how to do a spoiler so I'll talk around it) you think reality has actually taken root - not.
Of note is the cast imaged on the pic below. Not a clinker in the bunch. I particularly appreciated the minor role played by Mark Rylance, proving that a great actor can even play a bland idiot to good effect.
And loved the satisfaction seeing a walk on character dealing with Prez Streep at the end.


----------



## KGeo777

SWORDSMAN OF SIENA 1962 -- Stewart Granger is a roaming mercenary seeking to make enough money to hire an army to free his English hometown from a tyrant. He is hired by a duke to protect his bride-to-be, who is hated by her sister and people as a sell-out (the city is Tuscany, the duke is a conqueror from Spain). There is an annual horse race through the city and the duke rigs it every year to  be sure that his evil cousin wins.  This has some good sword duels (since Granger does his own fencing) and the horse race is suspenseful. The characterization is very good in this--emotionally involving and complex for the genre. When it comes to the 60s, thank goodness Europe was making some interesting historical adventure films like this. There ought to be a HD release--it is very colorful.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Ghostbusters Afterlife* [2021]
The grandkids of one of the Ghostbusters, discover that he wasn't just a crazy old man and was right all along... 
Cue associated mayhem. With pretty lights.
Enjoyable with enough laughs to make it worth the time. And the expected cameos were nicely done.
But I fear that Ghostbusters as a franchise is getting lost in it's own mythos. If you didn't know the first film, I don't know how much of this film made sense. Unless there is a real break with the past I can't see that there are any new stories to tell. As films. It seems ripe for a short TV series or two.


----------



## Droflet

*Don't Fu** With Cats*. An absolutely riveting Netflix doco made with three one hour episodes. When I say riveting I ain't whistling Dixie. A must watch doco that has Hitchcockian overtones. Greatly recommended.


----------



## alexvss

Droflet said:


> *Don't Fu** With Cats*. An absolutely riveting Netflix doco made with three one hour episodes. When I say riveting I ain't whistling Dixie. A must watch doco that has Hitchcockian overtones. Greatly recommended.


Did you also get the feeling that the internet people helped nothing? Actually, they made it worse


----------



## alexvss

*Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021).* A Nicolas Cage movie. Period. I could stop here. But this one is crazy even for Cage's standards. It's not a story, but a concept. I liked the themes, but I could barely understand it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE WATERMELON MAN* (1970) This white guy is a racist, uses a sunlamp & his own concoction as tanning lotion. One morning, he awakens to find himself a black man. a similar thing happened to a villain in an episode of _*MISSION IMPOSSIBLE*_. Anyway, it is rather funny.  Some might be offended by the N-word. 

They ought to run this along with BLAZING SADDLES.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched Bringing up Baby.

Any Howard Hawks movie reccomendations?


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Spotlight *- I'm a sucker for newspaper stories.  The genre usually allows for ensemble acting rather than individual heroics and often attracts good strong casts with a structure that involves piecing together a story alongside the characters rather than just having it presented to you.  _Spotlight_ is the story of the Boston Globe's expose of the cover up of by the Catholic Church of paedophile priests.  It's pretty gripping stuff and I was moved to tears at points.


----------



## Droflet

Jeffbert said:


> *THE WATERMELON MAN* (1970) This white guy is a racist, uses a sunlamp & his own concoction as tanning lotion. One morning, he awakens to find himself a black man. a similar thing happened to a villain in an episode of _*MISSION IMPOSSIBLE*_. Anyway, it is rather funny.  Some might be offended by the N-word.
> 
> They ought to run this along with BLAZING SADDLES.



Yeah, I remember this one. Particularly him, as a black man, running for the bus. With a quizzical expression on my face, I laughed as often as I cringed.


----------



## KGeo777

Mutiny in Outer Space 1965-- Cheap but I was kept involved. Interesting that this low budget independent film gave a number of roles to women in the space command, a year or two before Star Trek's pilot. The space station with moss on it reminded me of The Green Slime.


----------



## Randy M.

Dave Vicks said:


> Watched Bringing up Baby.
> 
> Any Howard Hawks movie reccomendations?


If you want more comedies,_ I Was a Male War Bride_ and _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ are good. Even better was _His Girl Friday_, which is one of the best comedies I've ever seen, an updating of the play, _the Front Page_ by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. I've never seen _Twentieth Century_ or _Ball of Fire_ but they get good reviews.

If you mean just Hawks movies in general, he was among the best directors of Westerns during that time: _Rio Bravo_ (with a genre connection since Leigh Brackett scripted) is so great, he filmed it twice more under other titles, all with John Wayne. Another Hawks Western surprised everyone that Wayne could act, _Red River_ was also notable for introducing Montgomery Clift. In some ways Wayne's character in that was a warm up for his later role in Ford's _The Searchers. _After Ford, Hawks was the director most responsible for how Wayne's persona developed.

Other Hawks movies I've enjoyed are _The Big Sleep_ and _To Have and Have Not _and, of course, _The Thing (From Another World)_ -- ignore who the credits show as director, the movie is Howard Hawks from beginning to end.

All of his movies that I've seen incorporate humor in their structure, and they were somewhat unusual for their time by portraying women as intelligent and even courageous and not just romantic partners for the male stars, though of course that, too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Ball of Fire_  is great fun - it has Barbara Stanwyk in it at her glorious walking sexbombish zenith.  And Gene Krupa playing a matchbox.


----------



## Toby Frost

JunkMonkey said:


> And Gene Krupa playing a matchbox.



It took me a moment to remember that he was a drummer, and not just a very versatile impersonator.


----------



## pogopossum

CupofJoe said:


> *Ghostbusters Afterlife* [2021]
> The grandkids of one of the Ghostbusters, discover that he wasn't just a crazy old man and was right all along...
> Cue associated mayhem. With pretty lights.
> Enjoyable with enough laughs to make it worth the time. And the expected cameos were nicely done.
> But I fear that Ghostbusters as a franchise is getting lost in it's own mythos. If you didn't know the first film, I don't know how much of this film made sense. Unless there is a real break with the past I can't see that there are any new stories to tell. As films. It seems ripe for a short TV series or two.


Also watched it. Cup got it right, although it was not the laugh fest he implied. 
So slow and unrealistic (Unrealistic? In a Ghostbusters movie?) that one wonders where it is going. But it finally drags you along.
The producer/director/writer Reitman really wanted to make a tribute to the original. As such, he chose to slowly unveil the artifacts, physical and plot references, from the original. Hence Cupofjoe's comment that you had to know the first film. But who doesn't? Certainly almost no one who thought to pick this one up. 
*** of five.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*No Orchids for Miss Blandish *(1948)

Based on the 1939 novel of the same name by James Hadley Chase, famously pilloried by George Orwell in his essay "Raffles and Miss Blandish."





__





						Raffles and Miss Blandish | The Orwell Foundation
					

This material remains under copyright and is reproduced by kind permission of the Orwell Estate and Penguin Books. Nearly half a century after his first appearance, Raffles, ‘the amateur cracksman’, is still one of the best-known characters in English fiction. Very few people would need telling...




					www.orwellfoundation.com
				




Just as Chase was a British author writing a hardboiled crime novel set in the United States, in American language, the movie is a British film set in the USA with tons of American tough guy slang.  It was much reviled for its excessive violence upon release.  The plot is somewhat hard to follow, characters being introduced left and right, but the basic outline is as follows.  Filthy rich Miss Blandish is kidnapped and her fiancé murdered, at first for her diamonds and then for ransom.  In the most sudden and bizarre case of Stockholm Syndrome ever seen, she quickly falls in love with one of the captors.  This might be acceptable if they had some twisted sadomasochistic relationship (and I suspect that's pretty much how it was in the book, which was notoriously salacious) but the movie treats it like a sweet romance, with lush music on the soundtrack and such.  Suffice to say that things don't work out well for the lovers.

Watching this thing is an odd experience for an American.  With many actors failing to disguise their British accents, and nearly constant hardboiled dialogue, often screamed at other actors, it's almost like somebody in the UK, with no other knowledge of the USA, saw some American gangster movies and decided to imitate them.  Add to that the fact that the film comes to a dead halt for some nightclub songs (and a truly abysmal nightclub comic) and you have what is not a very good movie at all.


----------



## alexvss

*Bad Genius (2017)*. A Thai film based on the real case of students cheating the SATs by sitting for the test in Sydney first, then passing the answers to others. This is actually a heist movie, with all the tropes applied to students cheating. And what a great movie! It's masterfully directed. They really know how to create tension, putting you on the edge of your seat. I just didn't like some of the acting, so I'll give this a 9/10.


----------



## KGeo777

A FINE PAIR 1968 - Rock Hudson is a square police official who becomes involved with the quirky free spirit daughter (Claudia Cardinele) of a deceased colleague. He also has a housekeeper played by Grandma Walton. This must have been inspiration for McMillan & Wife. She is a jewel thief who uses the cop to break into museums to put back the jewels while she steals other ones.
It's an eccentric film although it has a few laugh out loud moments. Rock Hudson was on Variety's list of the most overpaid stars of 1968.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Tales That Witness Madness *(1973)

Not the best horror anthology film I've seen, although there are some that are much worse.  In brief, we see the experiences of four mental patients.

1.  A young boy with squabbling parents and a tiger as an imaginary friend.

2.  Odd, confusing story about an old photograph that keeps changing its expression and an antique bicycle that takes the protagonist back in time, and other haunting type stuff.  

3.  A woman's rival for the affections of her husband is a tree trunk.  Just as wacky as it sounds.

4.  Slow, predictable tale of human sacrifice that telegraphs its shock ending way in advance.  

Watchable if, like me, you like these things, but forgettable.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Tales That Witness Madness *(1973)
> 
> 
> 
> 3.  A woman's rival for the affections of her husband is a tree trunk.  Just as wacky as it sounds.


"Is there someone here who loves me?"

Interesting trivia is that the writer of this was the actress Jennifer Jayne (the vampire wife in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors).


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Lady from Shanghai *  - My favourite Welle's film (until I watch _Mr Arkadin_ again) shared with Number Two Daughter who dug it.


----------



## Av Demeisen

I didn't finish the last film I watched. I was rewatching an old favourite as there aren't many new releases that I'm interested in watching.


----------



## Danny McG

I'm almost finished watching it, I got it saved on my phone and I'm viewing it a few minutes at a time when things are quiet.
*My cousin Vinny*


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Curious Female *(1971) - In the distant future where the world is run by a master computer and Los Angeles is an island, a bunch of semi-naked people in Star Trek fetish clothes sit around and illegally watch a film from the days when the world _wasn't_ run by a master computer, and Los Angeles was still part of the mainland.  The film they watch is a desperately unfunny, unsexy sex comedy about three girls losing their virginity.   From time to time the film either breaks down (or there is a reel change; they only have one projector) and the future people get to comment on, and lecture each other about, the quaint and outmoded habits of their ancestors.  A few interesting visuals - the obligatory for the era drugs trip sequence was pretty groovily done and the stripey, gobo lighting during one of the 'deflowering' sequences made it look like there were two Bridget Riley paintings having sex  - which is an image I'll have in my head for a while.  The woman in question played by the rather lovely Charlene Jones, realises she didn't like being humped by an insensitive Pop Art painting and finds happiness in the arms of a woman called Andie who drinks beer in bars with topless go-go dancers. Not recommended.


----------



## dask

Absorbing film about a group of super studio musicians who in no small way helped create the sound of the sixties at least in the US. Rarely given credit on the album covers they worked their magic in relative obscurity. The three that I am most familiar with are: Glen Campbell, Billy Strange, and Leon Russell.


----------



## KGeo777

THE CONCORDE AFFAIR 1979 - Someone is crashing concorde jets and a stewardess survives only to be kidnapped and held for ransom. A tabloid reporter gets involved and it leads to an underwater crash site where a shark in a sunken jet provides a very good jump scare. There's a minor character in this who is also in the other Concorde movie of 79, in both films as air traffic controller.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*City Beneath the Sea* - awful Irwin Allen TV movie/pilot.  Too dull and stupid to be any kind of funny.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> *City Beneath the Sea* - awful Irwin Allen TV movie/pilot.  Too dull and stupid to be any kind of funny.


Yes, it is quite a dull viewing experience.


----------



## AllanR

JunkMonkey said:


> I'm a sucker for newspaper stories.


Have you seen* Newsfront *(Australian '78). A great ensemble cast depicting the transition from Newsreel to TV.


----------



## AllanR

*Salvage 1 *('79) Held up to my childhood memory. Andy Griffith is a junk dealer and builds a rocket to go salvage the Apollo equipment left on the moon. Overall it's a fun ride.  Isaac Asimov was the science advisor for the film.


----------



## KGeo777

I have been meaning to revisit Salvage 1. I watched it when it premiered.


----------



## Mouse

Just watched *Ron's Gone Wrong*. Very good but if you want a best friend just get a dog.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AllanR said:


> Have you seen* Newsfront *(Australian '78). A great ensemble cast depicting the transition from Newsreel to TV.



I will take your recommendation and see if I can find it.  It has the great Bill Hunter in it - so it must be worth a look!

 I saw_ Salvage One_ for the first time a few years ago.  Even without an overlay of nostalgia it still holds up as better than average.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> *City Beneath the Sea* - awful Irwin Allen TV movie/pilot.  Too dull and stupid to be any kind of funny.


I had been looking for this film, but always ended-up with a 1953 film about salvage guys diving to sunken ships, instead. I remembered the part about gold bars being the only thing that could shield from a certain type of radiation. It apparently could only go sideways, as there was no gold on the ceiling.   



_*MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS*_ (1974) My 1st time seeing this, & found it very satisfying. All star casts were by then, becoming rare, but this one is an exception. Set in 1920s, a simple train ride from one nation through others, becomes the setting for a murder mystery. 



Spoiler



The solution to the mystery involved two potential theories, one rather simple, the other, rather complicated. No mention of OCCAM'S RAZOR, which states that given two plausible explanations, the simpler one is usually the correct one. The complex one, which seems to have been the real one, involved all 12 suspects stabbing the corpse in the chest, as all 12 had motives, and none had alibis. Poirot dismissed the latter and concluded that the murderer had fled the scene; perhaps in part, because the corpse, Ratchett (Richard Widmark) got what he deserved


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*My Tale is Hot *(1964)

More amusing than usual nudie cutie.  Satan (whose full name, we find out, is Lucifer U. Devil) tries to tempt the fellow awarded the title of the world's most faithful husband (whose full name, we find out, is Ben-Hur Ova) with a series of naked women.  These brief segments are presented in a series of goofy ways.  Placing "girlie relish" on a hot dog, for example, gives Mister Ova the power to see through walls.  The very short, rotund fellow (sort of a Lou Costello type) tries to watch the "Walt Disley Show" [sic] and Satan replaces it with footage of notorious stripper Candy Barr.  There are lots of groan-worthy puns in the dialogue, and, since this is the mid-1960's, it ends with several naked women doing the Twist.  Speaking of twist, the surprise ending is that Satan can't tempt the fellow to be unfaithful because he's a sultan with 365 wives.  Satan is played by a tall fellow with a voice like Orson Welles.  Satan's wife (called Saturna) is played by an actress in Goth makeup (who keeps her clothes on) calling herself Ima Ghoul.  Extremely cheap, with cardboard sets and Hallowe'en-level costumes, but provides some very silly fun.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Gambling with Souls *(1936)

Slow-moving exploitation melodrama.  A brain surgeon's wife is lured into a gambling den by a supposed friend.  The place lets her win at first, but later she owes the joint more than ten thousand dollars.  (Before this even started, we saw somebody lose $125.00 at a friendly game of bridge.  Big stakes back in those days!)  To pay back what she owes, she is forced into (implied) prostitution.  The place has lots of such victims it seems; they are known only by numbers.  Her first assignment is the only creatively filmed scene in the movie, as we see her clothing tossed on the floor and her silhouette cast on the wall.  The whole story is told as a flashback, as we learn why she shot a man dead at the gambling den.  (In a plot development I wasn't expecting, it was because her innocent young sister falls into the same trap and dies from an [implied] abortion.)  Lots of stock footage to kill time with boxing, wrestling, and nightclub acts.  Lots of scenes of women in slinky lingerie, too.   The lead actress isn't bad, for this kind of cheap and disreputable film.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Booksmart* [2019]
Two high achieving students discover that after 4 years of hard work and no parties they realise the other students that partied all the time had done just as well. So they decide on one wild night.
It keeps moving in a light way, never veering into gross-out comedy or becoming too obvious in making its points. The cast is engaging and believable.  It hits a few quiet good moments, highs and lows. And all on the night before graduation...
The evening looks beautiful on film. It was Olivia Wilde's feature film directorial debut. I was more than pleasantly surprised.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Name for Evil *(1973)

Reportedly, this film had a greatly checkered production history, which explains why it's such a confusing mess.  The basic plot is simple enough.  Not-very-happy married couple (Robert Culp and Samantha Eggar) leave the city to move into the very badly dilapidated home of Culp's remote ancestor.  Maybe the ancestor is haunting the place, maybe Culp is having a mental breakdown.  A tragic event occurs.  The end.  

In between, however, we have New Age style aphorisms spoken by Culp and scenes that seem pointless, despite the nearly constant "scary" music.  Most of all, we have a very long sequence in which Culp rides a white horse into the local bar, where gigantic plates of spaghetti are served.   Line dancing  and a lousy soft country/rock song follows.  Suddenly, everybody is naked, including Culp.  He fools around with one of the women.  Apparently all of this is fantasy or hallucination, as his wife tells him he was gone just ten minutes.  Mind you, this lengthy sequence doesn't seem to have anything to do with the supposed haunting, although maybe it's just another sign of Culp's mental breakdown.

Maybe some hints of the confusion that reigns here are offered by the fact that the story takes place in the Deep South, but was filmed in very un-Southern places in Canada; and that the ancestor was a Captain in the Confederate Army, but is always referred to as the Major.


----------



## Rodders

CupofJoe said:


> *Booksmart* [2019]
> Two high achieving students discover that after 4 years of hard work and no parties they realise the other students that partied all the time had done just as well. So they decide on one wild night.
> It keeps moving in a light way, never veering into gross-out comedy or becoming too obvious in making its points. The cast is engaging and believable.  It hits a few quiet good moments, highs and lows. And all on the night before graduation...
> The evening looks beautiful on film. It was Olivia Wilde's feature film directorial debut. I was more than pleasantly surprised.


Billie Lourd totally stole her scenes in that movie.


----------



## hitmouse

AllanR said:


> Have you seen* Newsfront *(Australian '78). A great ensemble cast depicting the transition from Newsreel to TV.


Superb film.


----------



## hitmouse

AllanR said:


> *Salvage 1 *('79) Held up to my childhood memory. Andy Griffith is a junk dealer and builds a rocket to go salvage the Apollo equipment left on the moon. Overall it's a fun ride.  Isaac Asimov was the science advisor for the film.


Didn’t this become a TV series as well?


----------



## AllanR

hitmouse said:


> Didn’t this become a TV series as well?


It did, I watched it as a kid, though don't remember much.  I suspect it suffers from them getting the biggest possible prize in the pilot.


----------



## Randy M.

_*In the Heat of the Night*_ (1967) dir. Norman Jewison; starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates

With my predisposition toward mystery stories, this is probably my favorite Poitier movie. Mr. Tibbs (Virgil -- literary allusion, anyone?), a Philly cop, trying to get to Memphis has to change trains in Sparta, Mississippi just when a murder takes place. At first a suspect, and then reluctantly drawn into the investigation, he has to face racial prejudice from all directions, not least from Steiger's Gillespie, the local police chief. Absolutely first rate cast with bits from William Schallert, Lee Grant, Beah Richards and a very early role for Scott Wilson (_In Cold Blood_; Hershel on _The Walking Dead_, among other roles).

Great movie that, even after 55 years still feels contemporary in its depiction of race relations. If there's a misstep, its that the ending, the rapprochement between Tibbs and Gillespie, feels a little overly optimistic now.


----------



## CupofJoe

Randy M. said:


> _*In the Heat of the Night*_ (1967) dir. Norman Jewison; starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates
> 
> With my predisposition toward mystery stories, this is probably my favorite Poitier movie. Mr. Tibbs (Virgil -- literary allusion, anyone?), a Philly cop, trying to get to Memphis has to change trains in Sparta, Mississippi just when a murder takes place. At first a suspect, and then reluctantly drawn into the investigation, he has to face racial prejudice from all directions, not least from Steiger's Gillespie, the local police chief. Absolutely first rate cast with bits from William Schallert, Lee Grant, Beah Richards and a very early role for Scott Wilson (_In Cold Blood_; Hershel on _The Walking Dead_, among other roles).
> 
> Great movie that, even after 55 years still feels contemporary in its depiction of race relations. If there's a misstep, its that the ending, the rapprochement between Tibbs and Gillespie, feels a little overly optimistic now.


I agree, but I think it was meant to be. This was at the height of American civil right movement and things did look like they were changing. I think Gillespie's action echoes this.  He has many flaws but his not a fool. Rod Steiger does a great job of showing a man wrestling with his heritage, upbringing and culture and the obvious fact that Tibbs is the better Homicide detective. His character is constantly wavering between waring emotions and his cop-ly nature. Eventually his cop-ly nature wins out. Rationality and not emotion wins...
And lets not forget he is putting Tibbs on the train out of town...


----------



## Jeffbert

Sydney Poitier's films ran Saturday night through Sunday morning on TCM.  I intend to watch a few during the coming week.



_*THE FRENCH CONNECTION*_ (1971) Ben M's intro included a comparison to BULLET's chase scene, noting that here, no permits were obtained, etc! I cannot understand just how they actually made such an intense scene involving more than a few collisions, without cooperation from the local authorities.

Lately, I have been looking to see name brand products in scenes & wondering if there was indeed a deal between such as COCA-COLA &  the film's producers, etc. I had heard or seen something to the effect that scripts were shown to would - be advertisers etc., & they would say in which scene they wanted their products shown.   Here, COKE, PEPSI, ROYAL CROWN COLA, HERTZ, CANADA DRY,  SCHAEFER BEER, M&MS, & I think MILLER BEER, though I am relying on the shape of the neon sign, as it is at a distance & angle making it impossible to read.  There were several others, also. Cars are too many to include in such a count.

L&M cigarettes! The good ol' days when such was allowed!  Though I quit 40 years ago, I do prefer less govt. regulation.

COKE was all over the place; making me wonder if those shots deliberately placed it in view, if only partially. When Popeye & Cloudy are across the street looking through binoculars at the restaurant, in this one scene, only the view of the restaurant is seen. We hear their voices, but see only what they see. I thought this odd, because the star wants to be in front of the camera! COCA-COLA | SAL & ANGIE'S | COCA-COLA clearly in view most of the time.  In another scene the labels on beer cans were deliberately rotated such that the name could not be seen in its entirety.





! Even when the one guy brings more beer, he is holding the cans in the same way, such that the view of the label is as above.

Anyway, I thought that far too many others were killed, & no scene of the Chief of Police chewing out these two for the body count.



Spoiler



The part that leads to the car chasing the train leave a mother who was pushing a stroller shot by the assassin (from 'hashishin'), the train driver, and one other guy shot, without any mention of their condition made. Seemed strange to me, given that the film ran, including Ben M's intro, about 1:45. I think they could have included a brief scene, without making the film too long.


----------



## Randy M.

CupofJoe said:


> I agree, but I think it was meant to be. This was at the height of American civil right movement and things did look like they were changing. I think Gillespie's action echoes this.  He has many flaws but his not a fool. Rod Steiger does a great job of showing a man wrestling with his heritage, upbringing and culture and the obvious fact that Tibbs is the better Homicide detective. His character is constantly wavering between waring emotions and his cop-ly nature. Eventually his cop-ly nature wins out. Rationality and not emotion wins...
> And lets not forget he is putting Tibbs on the train out of town...


I agree with you about Steiger's performance. I thought it was interesting that Gillespie carried TIbb's suitcase.

Yes. That is what I thought might be overly optimistic. Rationality vs. emotion and, on a personal level, decades of conditioning and a social environment not conducive to change.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> Lately, I have been looking to see name brand products in scenes & wondering if there was indeed a deal between such as COCA-COLA & the film's producers, etc.


In _In the Heat of the Night_ I noted Coke, Dr. Pepper (bottles) and Bubble Up (vending machine).


----------



## Randy M.

Randy M. said:


> I agree with you about Steiger's performance. I thought it was interesting that Gillespie carried TIbb's suitcase.
> 
> Yes. That is what I thought might be overly optimistic. Rationality vs. emotion and, on a personal level, decades of conditioning and a social environment not conducive to change.


And I rather missed your point there. I agree it was intended to be optimistic. With 20/20 hindsight, it was a naive hope and the battle for rationality is still going on.


----------



## Draven Vertigo

Watched the season finale of The peacemaker a few days ago. It was cool I guess. Funny show and some of DC's better content. I'm also watching Raised by Wolves which I'm really diggin' (Ridley Scott) stuff is always dope to me. ANNND last by certainly not least I saw Euphoria Season 2 Episode 7 last night and OMG it was soooooo guuud I loled and cheered for the quiet girl Lexi and her play.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Raven Red Kiss-Off *(1990) 

Originally called *Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective* as a made-for-TV failed pilot, I prefer its direct-to-VHS alternate title, which is the most hardboiled thing I've ever seen.  Turner was a very popular character in the pulp magazines from the 1930's onward.  I'd previously seen his only other cinematic incarnation, 1947's *Blackmail*, so I thought I'd check out this one.

Appropriately, It's set in 1947.  Turner gets mixed up with a movie star married to a producer.  She's being blackmailed for having an affair with a director.  Things get complicated when somebody takes a shot at Turner with his own gun, killing his ex-girlfriend instead.  While dodging the cops, who want him for murder, he untangles the case with the help of a young female cab driver, who can only be described with the old-fashioned word "spunky."  The whole thing is a modest, but enjoyable tribute to old-time private eye yarns.


----------



## KGeo777

SWORD OF THE CONQUEROR 1961 - This could be the most dramatically-intense Italian sword and sandal film I have seen. Practically Shakespearean in character depth. Jack Palance is a sadistic ("Not with arrows you idiots, I want him tortured to death!") but very intelligent barbarian ruler who suspects he is being manipulated into destroying a small kingdom in order to be weakened for the scheming of another much larger one. 
He is obsessed with the daughter of the king and vows to spare them if he can marry her. But she, unknown to her father, already has a child with his best soldier (Guy Madison). The amazing thing about this is how much the princess (Eleonora Rossi Drago) has to endure to carry the burdens of royal heritage and political necessity. First, her own son cries when she holds him because she has been unable to spend time with him due to the scandal of her relationship with Madison. Then she has to watch as her father is beheaded by the man who wants to marry her. Then she has to select three slaves among a group of weeping and begging women of her vanquished kingdom while the rest will be fed to lions. But the most horrifying indignity is that she has to drink from the skull  of her own father to prove her love for Palance, since he doesn't trust her sincerity, and she does it because she wants him to love her so he is at his happiest state before she kills him in revenge for ruining her life and people. Drago really gets a great part--I can't think of another princess-queen role where one has to prove her worthiness as the heir to the kingdom. It also features Edy Vessel who astounds me for looking exactly like a Barbie doll. Was she the model for it???


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Guess What We Learned In School Today!?! *(1970)

That's the way the title appears in the opening credits, anyway, although at the end it just has the question mark.  The eccentric punctuation is more fitting for this jumpy, mixed-up sex satire.  Not only is it full of fantasy sequences, it keeps hopping around from one subplot to another in random fashion, making it difficult to follow.  In brief, there's a woman offering sex-positive education to preteens.  Opposed to this are a couple of caricatures of right-wing types.  There's a undercover cop who likes to entrap women into getting arrested for prostitution.  He eventually discovers he's gay.  There's a ex-military guy who hasn't been intimate with his wife for years.  The couple eventually get together again by watching their teenage son with the cop's wife.  (The boy has already been prepared by his "babysitter" reading a dirty book to him.   The kid and "babysitter" seem to be the same age.)  

The sex educator is treated in a completely serious manner, as opposed to the heavy-handed spoofing of her opponents.  There's a soft-pop title song.  The only part that really amused me were some spoofs of television commercials of the time, when the military guy's family talks the way people do in TV ads.  (One really out-of-date joke that will baffle most younger viewers.  Guy asks his wife to toss him the shampoo.  It's in a plastic tube marked "PRILL." [sic]  She throws it at him in the shower and we hear glass breaking.  That seems completely meaningless unless you know that Prell shampoo used to advertise the fact that it came in a plastic tube, and not a breakable glass bottle.)


----------



## Danny McG

First of all, congratulations to this thread on achieving the 1000 page status.

Secondly -I've just watched *The Puppet* *Masters* (1994), what a load of twonk!


----------



## KGeo777

I did like the Puppet Masters for casting--it was rather clever to bring in people from ALIEN, Invasion of the Boy Snatchers, the THING as well I believe...but I didnt care for it--the chimp scene pissed me off.


----------



## JunkMonkey

The only thing really wrong with _The Puppet Masters_ is that is was made 40 years too late.   If they had shot that self same script, shot for shot in 1954 it would be considered a classic. 

Meanwhile I has been mainly watching _Star Trek V : The Final Frontier_ - what was that you were saying about 'twonk'?
And 
John Carpenter's _Christine_ based on the Stephen King book.  I was underwhelmed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I did like the Puppet Masters for casting--it was rather clever to bring in people from ALIEN, Invasion of the Boy Snatchers, the THING as well I believe...but I didnt care for it--the chimp scene pissed me off.




"Invasion of the Boy Snatchers" - I must have missed that one.  The story of aliens who do clandestine gender reassignment on unsuspecting lads perhaps?


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> "Invasion of the Boy Snatchers" - I must have missed that one.  The story of aliens who do clandestine gender reassignment on unsuspecting lads perhaps?


 You came up with a better plot than what Hollywood is doing today, with millions, all because of a missing letter.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dark *(1979)

Muddled monster movie, no doubt partly due to the fact that the creature was changed at the last minute into an alien, making it necessary to add a crawl-up/spoken narration at the beginning, and to throw in poorly animated laser beams zapping out of the monster's eyes.  Other than that, the creature looks like a Frankenstein monster, makes a roaring sound like a Frankenstein monster, and is destroyed in classic Frankenstein monster fashion.

In a nutshell, the monster, without explanation or motivation, kills one person each night.  A couple of cops, the father of a victim (once sent to jail by one of the cops for killing his wife's lover, and now a bestselling author), a Spunky Girl Reporter (for TV, since this isn't the 1930's or 1940's) and a Gothed-out psychic all get involved in the hunt for (as the newspaper call it) the Mangler.  What minimal plot there is involves tracking down a young would-be actor whom the psychic says we be killed by the monster.  This leads to a car chase that seems to be from another movie completely.  There's a blind man who shows up once in a while, to no purpose.  There's plenty of loud "scary" music, accompanied by voices whispering _the daaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrknessssss_ and other stuff that's impossible to understand.  The title is appropriate, because many of the night scenes are so dark you can't see what's going on.  Not a good movie.


----------



## Randy M.

Epix (U.S. pay tv network) has brought in a lot of old, odd movies. Some good (several AIP flicks like _Comedy of Terrors_) , some ...

_*1000 Convicts and a Woman*_ (1971)
Pretty much what you'd expect from the title. A bit of toplessness, a couple of tepid sex scenes, a lot of male gaze, some oddball male morality about a young girl and her daddy issues -- pop is a prison governor -- and surprisingly good acting (not great, but professional) for such cheap exploitation hogwash. Checking IMDB, several of the lead actors had pretty good film/tv careers, including the young woman, an American (that was a surprise) actress.


_*X-Ray*_ (1982)
Sometimes you come across a lost genre gem, a horror movie tapping into the illogical nature of nightmares.

This isn't that.

Starring Barbi Benton of _Playboy _fame, it's a slasher taking place in the worst administrated hospital since _Halloween II_. It starts with ~11 year old Barbi and boy friend playing with a train set on Valentine's Day. Another boy, Harold, peeks in the window, leaves a Valentine's Day card at the door and knocks, and is so upset when he sees Barbi's friend laugh at it and crumple it up that he invades the house and kills the boy while Barbi's in the kitchen wielding a butchers knife on a massive Valentine's Day cake. This is an obvious attack on lax parenting in the '80s; I mean, who makes a cake that large and leaves it around for just a couple of kids?

Nineteen years later, an older Barbi goes to the hospital for information on her latest check up. A mysterious man kills her physician before Barbi can meet with her and switches Barbi's x-rays -- Ah! That's why the title! -- with those of someone whose intestines look like a lumpy anaconda. From there several nurses, doctors, secretaries and technicians are murdered without security noticing, Barbi is subjected to another physical exam because _Playboy_, everyone refuses to give her information on her condition while all but tying her down to her bed -- actually, they do tie her down at one point because she gets all hysterical about someone murdering people, the silly, emotional woman -- all leading to her being chased through the hospital by her assailant, the grown up Harold.

All but two of the male actors are plank-stiff and if Benton isn't good she also isn't really bad. She had a kinda cheerleader/pin-up charm that worked in certain roles, but she's sunk here by script and direction. There are indications this was written as a comedy, as with three older female patients commenting on her health and who appear to be knock offs of MacBeth's witches, or when Benton barges into a room screaming for help only to find three guys wrapped like mummies and all in traction.


I really should try to ferret out some of the better movies.


----------



## AE35Unit

Tried to watch *V for Vendetta * for the first time 
Turned it off halfway through, what pretentious nonesense!


----------



## Jeffbert

_The Merry Widow_ (1934) In a very small European nation, a crisis develops when a widow who owns 52% of the nation's wealth, goes to France seeking a new husband. The King sends his most attractive man to woo her; but, the two had already met, and it was bad. A romantic comedy. ​ Captain Danilo (Maurice Chevalier; never heard of him, until now) is the guy sent to woo the widow Madame Sonia (Jeanette MacDonald). Ambassador Popoff (Edward Everett Horton; voice of FRACTURED FAIRY TALES) is desperate, & on-edge. Mischka (Sterling Holloway; guy has a pathetic voice!) is Danilo's fellow soldier. Several other actors, whose names are familiar to me are here, also. ​
Very amusing! 2nd of 3 film versions.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Tried to watch *V for Vendetta * for the first time
> Turned it off halfway through, what pretentious nonesense!



Oh I'm not the only one then.   I managed to the end.  It didn't get any better.


----------



## AE35Unit

Then I watched something called *Pin* a weird psycho-horror from 1988. Terry O'Quinn (John Locke from Lost) stars as a doctor who has a plastic anatomy doll that he uses in his practice. He also has the knack of ventriloquism and pretends that the doll is talking to his kids, a boy and a girl. The boy grows up fascinated by the doll and develops his own ventriloquist ability. He begins to believe that its the actual doll, called Pin, short for Pinochio, that is doing the talking and is beginning to give him sinister thoughts, which escalates into evil acts. 
The 'guy' who wrote it is actually a woman, V.C. Andrews, of Flowers in the Attic fame.
Weird.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE THIN MAN*_ (1934) for the umpteenth time; & still enjoyable. TCM ran the whole series New Year's eve, & I will enjoy the others later.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched The Planet of the Apes, the Charlton Heston version. That ending still makes me shiver. 9/10.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Sherlock Holmes Faces Death* [1943]
I never realised how cheap the later Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes films were.
The external shots supposedly in Northumbria look more like Germany/Italy and the interiors look more like Alpine cum Mexican. 
I doubt they ever left the Universal Studio and their stock sets making this film.
The story is slim [someone is killing members and associates of a family in a a house being used to convalesce officers injured during WWII] but maybe time and distance robs me of knowledge of the subtler points.
All that said, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are in full stride and strength in the respective roles and worth the watch if you like them.
And you don't really notice the sermon that is Sherlock's closing soliloquy. I agree with the sentiment expressed, but it was a bit obvious and tacked on at the end of the film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Finally got round to rewatching *Run, Lola, Run*  which has been on my _'I need to justify (to myself as well as the rest of the family) keeping these huge piles of DVDs cluttering up the place... by actually rewatching one occasionally' _list for a while now. It is as good as I remember.  I watched it with #2 Daughter - deliberately telling her nothing about it so the novel structure would come as a complete surprise to her.


----------



## pogopossum

CupofJoe said:


> *Sherlock Holmes Faces Death* [1943]
> I never realised how cheap the later Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes films were.
> The external shots supposedly in Northumbria look more like Germany/Italy and the interiors look more like Alpine cum Mexican.
> I doubt they ever left the Universal Studio and their stock sets making this film.
> The story is slim [someone is killing members and associates of a family in a a house being used to convalesce officers injured during WWII] but maybe time and distance robs me of knowledge of the subtler points.
> All that said, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are in full stride and strength in the respective roles and worth the watch if you like them.
> And you don't really notice the sermon that is Sherlock's closing soliloquy. I agree with the sentiment expressed, but it was a bit obvious and tacked on at the end of the film.


I have a tin of five or six Sherlock/Rathbone DVDs that I have never gotten around to opening.
Your post reminded me that I vaguely remember enjoying a movie w. Rathbone when I was a kid. Can still remember not liking that Watson.
Nice change from the more current junk that I usually watch. I'll look into it,. Thanks CJ.


----------



## AE35Unit

Even though his Holmes is a million miles away from the Holmes in the books, I always loved watching Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes


----------



## JunkMonkey

pogopossum said:


> I have a tin of five or six Sherlock/Rathbone DVDs that I have never gotten around to opening.
> Your post reminded me that I vaguely remember enjoying a movie w. Rathbone when I was a kid. Can still remember not liking that Watson.
> Nice change from the more current junk that I usually watch. I'll look into it,. Thanks CJ.



Some of the lighting in the early ones is really good.  Especially in the scenes outwith the Baker Street set.   Real Noir, harsh contrast stuff.  Probably helped by the low budgets.  Little time, minimal crew and equipment - Whack one big raking light over in the corner, shoot the scene, and move on....  Emulating the sort of atmospheric stuff that Val Lewton was making at RKO .


----------



## paranoid marvin

Rathbone was brilliant as Holmes, second only to Jeremy Brett. I really liked the way that they transitioned the Victorian settings for contemporary ones, and it worked rather well. Yes, Watson was (for most of the time) a bumbling oaf, but it did make for some hilarious conversations (see 'Terror By Night' when he attempts to interrogate a suspect), getting hypnotised or (as in The House of Fear) talking to an owl . They are all enjoyable, and rewatchable even when you know the outcome. Yes, the locations/props/acting vary wildly in quality, but never (for me) detrimental to the enjoyment.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> Some of the lighting in the early ones is really good.  Especially in the scenes outwith the Baker Street set.   Real Noir, harsh contrast stuff.  Probably helped by the low budgets.  Little time, minimal crew and equipment - Whack one big raking light over in the corner, shoot the scene, and move on....  Emulating the sort of atmospheric stuff that Val Lewton was making at RKO .




Yes, they are very atmospheric, and one of the reasons why I still enjoy them so much. There's something about movies shot in b&w like The Third Man or Night of the Demon that makes them stand out much more than they would have in colour. One thing I really can't stand (and can't understand) is the colourisation of these films which is never done to the betterment of the picture.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Which leads me on nicely to the latest film I've seen The Thing From Another World.

Jam packed with atmosphere, and a great b&w movie.  Carpenter's The Thing is obviously a direct comparison, and what the original lacks in budget and effects it more than makes up for in suspense and atmosphere. I wouldn't like to say which is better, because they are both good movies for different reasons. But this movie is definitely one of the better, arguably the best, monster-type sci-fi movie of the 50s and 60s.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> One thing I really can't stand (and can't understand) is the colourisation of these films which is never done to the betterment of the picture.



Yep, totally baffles me too.  They were lit differently, dressed differently, shot differently.  They're almost different media.  They didn't _accidentally_ make black and white films.  Just as Albrecht Dürer didn't forget to 'colour in' his engravings. (Though I'm sure some idiot has.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> Yep, totally baffles me too.  They were lit differently, dressed differently, shot differently.  They're almost different media.  They didn't _accidentally_ make black and white films.  Just as Albrecht Dürer didn't forget to 'colour in' his engravings. (Though I'm sure some idiot has.)




Your wish is my command.


----------



## hitmouse

*The French Dispatch* (2021)

Thoroughly enjoyable episodic Wes Anderson movie about an American magazine reporting on France, with Bill Murray as the editir, and a truly astounding blink-and-you-miss-them all-star cast. This is Anderson almost at the point of self-parody. Beautifully shot, funny, highly stylised, with more than a nod to post-war French cinema. 

Recommended++


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Skulls* (2000) - I was prompted to BUY this (not just watch it but actively go and _find a copy and pay money for it_) by a terrible review I read in an old copy of Empire Magazine which, among other harsh words, described it as "almost mesmerisingly bad", and "simply the most ferociously stupid movie that Hollywood has disgorged in a long time", with performances that are "of such stupefyingly lumber-like uselessness", and "uniformly dismal".

They weren't wrong. 

I must get a grip on my masochistic movie watching urges and stop doing this to myself - but then so do a lot of others; because enough people went to see this shiny turd to make a 2002 sequel (inventively called _Skulls 2) look like a good idea.  









						The Skulls II (Video 2002) - IMDb
					

The Skulls II: Directed by Joe Chappelle. With Robin Dunne, Nathan West, Ashley Tesoro, Lindy Booth. After a college student is tapped to join the elite secret Skulls fraternity, he witnesses a girl's death and his life starts falling apart.




					www.imdb.com
				




OMG!  There was a third!  A third turd! 









						The Skulls III (Video 2004) - IMDb
					

The Skulls III: Directed by J. Miles Dale. With Clare Kramer, Bryce Johnson, Barry Bostwick, Steve Braun. A young college co-ed tries joining the elite, all-male, secret society, the Skulls, and in so doing, she uncovers some unscrupulous methods used by some of the members to get what they want.




					www.imdb.com
				



_


----------



## KGeo777

Barbarian Queen 1985 -Terrible acting, writing, directing, and yet it has pretty good production design and cinematography. There's also a village crowd scene that surprised me for the number of extras-maybe the filmmakers had a big family. It felt more like a softcore porn movie at times. There's no fantasy, just random nudity and badly-staged sword fight and rapes. I don't mean rapier-type rapes, I mean rape rapes!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Ladybug Ladybug* (1963)

An alarm goes off at an elementary school indicating that a nuclear attack is expected within an hour.  Some of the kids are sent home on a bus, others walk home, escorted by teachers.  The movie mostly deals with one group of kids and the teacher leading them home.  Apparently, the film was inspired by an article about a true incident that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when a false alarm went off at an elementary school.  In real life, as far as I can tell, the alarm was discovered before the kids got all the way home.  In the movie, they reach their homes, still assuming atomic war is approaching.  The film examines their different reactions to the situation.  A documentary-like style of film making, beautiful black-and-white cinematography, and remarkably natural performances elevate what could have been a heavy-handed anti-war message.


----------



## Judderman

Uncut Gems (2019). A thriller with some comedy elements about a jewelry seller trying to get his way out of debt through dodgy deals and gambling one step ahead of his debtors.
The film goes at a fast pace and I did enjoy the last half an hour. Though the first hour or so was messy. Really bizarre 80s style music over the top of the first 10 minutes too (I think it is meant to be stressful , which it is). Adam Sandler is quite good in an unusual role for him. I generally will not watch a Comedy if I see he is headlining. The character is not likeable, which is another point that makes it a jarring watch. But fair enough, why do all criminal main characters  need to be anti-heros? It does have good critic reviews..
I would say it is a good film, but flawed.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Howard the Duck* [1986]
Picked it up for £1.25 in my local Tescos! 
I was one of the few [fifty, sixty?] people that saw it in a cinema in the UK when it was released. 
I remembered it as fun and strange.
The intervening 36 years hasn't changed my opinion.
Don't look for meaning or coherence. It is a lot of fun even if it doesn't know if it was to be a pure comedy or go for the scare.
The special effects are the best the mid-80s and ILM can offer and for the most part, they still look good.
The acting is patchy but all the actors hit their mark and say their lines, even is sometimes you can almost see them stifling a smile at the dialogue. I especially praise Lea Thompson for keeping a straight face. And you get Tim Robbins before he was famous...
So if you want to see how a little duck far from home can save the world...


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Ladybug Ladybug* (1963)
> 
> An alarm goes off at an elementary school indicating that a nuclear attack is expected within an hour.  Some of the kids are sent home on a bus, others walk home, escorted by teachers.  The movie mostly deals with one group of kids and the teacher leading them home.  Apparently, the film was inspired by an article about a true incident that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when a false alarm went off at an elementary school.  In real life, as far as I can tell, the alarm was discovered before the kids got all the way home.  In the movie, they reach their homes, still assuming atomic war is approaching.  The film examines their different reactions to the situation.  A documentary-like style of film making, beautiful black-and-white cinematography, and remarkably natural performances elevate what could have been a heavy-handed anti-war message.


I saw this and commented back in 2017. A really good early '60s movie. Touching and scary in its way.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> *Howard the Duck* [1986]
> Picked it up for £1.25 in my local Tescos!
> I was one of the few [fifty, sixty?] people that saw it in a cinema in the UK when it was released.
> I remembered it as fun and strange.
> The intervening 36 years hasn't changed my opinion.
> Don't look for meaning or coherence. It is a lot of fun even if it doesn't know if it was to be a pure comedy or go for the scare.
> The special effects are the best the mid-80s and ILM can offer and for the most part, they still look good.
> The acting is patchy but all the actors hit their mark and say their lines, even is sometimes you can almost see them stifling a smile at the dialogue. I especially praise Lea Thompson for keeping a straight face. And you get Tim Robbins before he was famous...
> So if you want to see how a little duck far from home can save the world...




I think I make have been one of the other 50 ( or did I watch it on VHS?) either way  I remember liking this more that I was expecting but was disappointed that they had toned down the relationship between Beverley and Howard.  Though I can see why they did it.  In the comics (which I collected) they were lovers - which was just weird.  Transferring that straight to film would have just been horribly creepy.  I also remember thinking Leah Thomson had a really nice bum


----------



## Toby Frost

*Rogue One*: Still a really good film, and the best of the _Star Wars_ films that I've seen. A few things help it greatly: it's not full of Jedi or the Skywalker family, the higher rating allows it to have a slightly more nuanced story, and each part of the film is better than the one before. Very enjoyable.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Toby Frost said:


> *Rogue One*: Still a really good film, and the best of the _Star Wars_ films that I've seen. A few things help it greatly: it's not full of Jedi or the Skywalker family, the higher rating allows it to have a slightly more nuanced story, and each part of the film is better than the one before. Very enjoyable.



The characters are more believable, they are more rounded and are not so clear-cut good or bad as is usually the case in the SW universe. The story is a good and interesting one, the battles spectacular and the humour subtle and funny (especially K-2SO). More and more I'm coming to consider this movie as the best SW film out of all of them. The only thing that lets it down is the planet-hopping and all of the characters and places thrown at you at the beginning of the movie, which to be fair only bewilders on the first watching.


----------



## alexvss

*The Forest of Love (2019)*. A Netflix original from the same movie I watched before (*Prisoners of the Ghostland*), and almost as crazy and repetitive and unfocused. I did not enjoy this one.


----------



## J-Sun

Toby Frost said:


> *Rogue One*: Still a really good film, and the best of the _Star Wars_ films that I've seen. A few things help it greatly: it's not full of Jedi or the Skywalker family, the higher rating allows it to have a slightly more nuanced story, and each part of the film is better than the one before. Very enjoyable.





paranoid marvin said:


> The characters are more believable, they are more rounded and are not so clear-cut good or bad as is usually the case in the SW universe. The story is a good and interesting one, the battles spectacular and the humour subtle and funny (especially K-2SO). More and more I'm coming to consider this movie as the best SW film out of all of them. The only thing that lets it down is the planet-hopping and all of the characters and places thrown at you at the beginning of the movie, which to be fair only bewilders on the first watching.


I can't imagine anything topping the original movie for me, but I agree so far as saying that it's definitely better than any of the prequels or any of the others in the latest batch that I've been willing to see. Regardless of comparisons, it's a very good movie taken by itself (though, of course, it gains a lot of resonance from the larger picture of leading into the original).


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek VI: The Scooby-Doo One*  - when Kirk and the crew (literally) unmask the assassin at the end I really _really *really*_ wanted him to scowl "And I wudda gotten away with it it too if it wasn't for you meddling starship captains...."  A film SO full of holes and random plot rabbits pulled out of characters' arses it barely holds together from one scene to the next - and more grist to my theory that every SF film with a penal colony / prison planet in it is is automatically crap.  By being crap.  And having a prison planet in it.


----------



## Toby Frost

paranoid marvin said:


> The only thing that lets it down is the planet-hopping and all of the characters and places thrown at you at the beginning of the movie, which to be fair only bewilders on the first watching.



Yes, there's some slightly weird editing towards the beginning. The bit where Forest Whittaker sets a giant blancmanche on the pilot is just bizarre, and feels as if something has been cut out. But it just keeps improving, and the final third is superb.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Watched a film from 2021 called Boiling Point its a UK production that seems to be filmed in 1 long continuous take and shows about 90 minutes of the drama that goes on in a professional kitchen, seems that Stephen Graham won a Bafta for it an my wife and I are fans of home so we gave it a go.

in all honesty its disappointing and I just didn't get it the story doesn't really go anywhere and the ending is just ..there and its over.

as an experiment in film making its well worth a watch, if you want story though you might not find it here.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Picked up REEFER MADNESS ,In B&W.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Chastity *(1969)

Cher has her first dramatic role in this R-rated psychological drama/character study, after appearing in the G-rated musical comedy *Good Times *(1967) with husband/co-star Sonny Bono.  Bono wrote and produced this attempt to lose their squeaky-clean image.  Directed by somebody who has no other credits.  I just found out that it was remade in 2005, without Cher!

Chastity (2005) - IMDb

Yes, this is the source of the name of their daughter Chastity (now a son named Chaz.)  I'm not sure that I would name my (non-existent) child after a character with serious psychological problems in a movie with adult themes, not to mention a name that could easily serve as a source of suggestive remarks, but that's just me.

Anyway, Cher stars as a young woman who calls herself Chastity.  The film begins in arty/psychedelic/pretentious fashion with a silhouette of a woman's head, which is filled with a constantly changing and repeating series of images, abstract and figurative.  I guess this symbolizes what's going on in her mind.  Then we get a scene of Cher running away from the ocean (although the setting is Phoenix, Arizona) toward the viewer.  At last we get our titles, with Cher's name bearing an accent over the vowel, while we hear her singing for just a brief time, as we will during the end credits.  The rest of the plot is episodic.

1.  Chastity, hitchhiking in the pouring rain, gets a lift from a trucker.  She shares his motel room, but sleeps fully clothed on the floor, making it absolutely clear she's not going to fool around with him.

2.  Chastity cons a guy out of five bucks by pretending to be the attendant at a gas station.

3.  Chastity gets picked up and treated to a meal by our movie's Nice Guy, a law student, and spends the night in his home, while he sleeps on the couch; again, no fooling around.  (The source of our film's title?)

4.  Chastity wanders into a Catholic church, talks to a woman who is trying to pray, goes into the confessional booth for a few seconds, then leaves without talking to the priest.

5.  Chastity steals a car -- easy enough; somebody stupidly left the keys in the ignition of a convertible with the top down -- and drives to Mexico, where she tells a shady guy that she wants to work in a brothel.  At the brothel, she pretends to be one of the prostitutes so she can con a young, nerdy guy out of his money, still without fooling around with him.  The lesbian who runs the place takes a fancy to her, and they begin a sort of mother/daughter relationship.  She buys Chastity new clothes, takes her to an amusement park and petting zoo, and so forth.  Still no fooling around.  Things seem OK, but suddenly Chastity screams and leaves.  (Up to now, Cher has shown little emotion.)

6.  Chastity goes back to Nice Guy, and, it's implied, finally fools around with him, and seems ready to settle down into domestic bliss.  However, when he's gone, she has flashbacks to voices she heard in childhood (revealing the situation that messed her up), wrecks the Nice Guy's home, and goes back to hitchhiking, ending the film weeping.

A strange film and a box office flop, delaying Cher's movie career for a decade or so.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Yes, this is the source of the name of their daughter Chastity (now a son named Chaz.) I'm not sure that I would name my (non-existent) child after a character with serious psychological problems in a movie with adult themes, not to mention a name that could easily serve as a source of suggestive remarks, but that's just me.


It's not *just* you.  Good and interesting review.


----------



## Droflet

*The Moo Man *(2013) 
Seen through the eyes of Stephen Hook, a UK dairy farmer, this was, for a city guy like me, an eye opener. Stephen's affable nature and laid back acceptance of what it is to be a farmer in 2022 is this charming film's staying point. I never thought I would be totally intrigued by such subject matter, but I found it to be udderly charming. (sorry, I really can't help myself.)


----------



## Randy M.

*Secret Screams* (a.k.a. _Grave Secrets_, 1989), dir. Donald Bourchers; starring Renee Soutendijk, Paul Le Mat, David Warner

Not awful but not good. The owner of a bed-and-breakfast (Soutendijk) is being haunted. She asks for help from a professor of psychic research (Le Mat), but the script has her not wanting to let her secrets go and spending a lot of time trying to shoo help out of her house. Warner shows up as Le Mat's colleague, a medium, and gives a burst of energy to the proceedings. 

On the whole, this feels like a made-for-tv movie, the direction indifferent, the better elements of the story not really focused on -- there was a psychological thriller implied here that could have been more involving -- and some of the effects good but some hokey even for the time. Second time recently I've seen Le Mat as a psychic (_Puppet Master_). A couple of online reviews of this pan him, but I think he has a sort of hang-dog every-man appeal that mostly works but is maybe a bit too low-key here. His personal assistant, Darla, is fun, and Soutendijk tries to create a character, but the role is too little a person and too much a damsel-in-distress.


----------



## REBerg

*The King's Man (2021)*
Good action/comedy prequel to the first two films, with emphasis on the action element. Included one twist that totally ambushed me.


----------



## Anthony Grate

*The King's Man (2021)*

This film, while superior to the second in the series, didn't quite capture the magic of the first. Still, as a prequel, it does a serviceable job setting up the previous films. The characters are fairly well developed, though one in particular I would have liked to have seen more of. As REBerg mentioned, there is a moment in the film that will likely throw you for a loop. I wasn't pleased with it, but I understand why it was present.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Plank* (1967) - well that was a vast disappointment.  A short 50 minute near silent, slapstick comedy about two guys trying to get a plank of wood from a builder's yard to their site.  An obvious homage to the silent era comedies (Laurel and Hardy being an obvious inspiration) _The Plank_, which I had never seen before but had heard recommended from time to time over the years as being very funny, turns out to be a badly dated, unfunny chore to watch.  Some parts have dated very badly indeed  - the only Black characters in the film are bunch of dustbin men who barely register on screen before doing the whole wide-eyed scaredy "feets don't fail me now!" running-away shtick  when someone  emerges, zombie like, from the back of their truck after he falls in.  And the sequence with the girl hitcher is just creepy horrible.


----------



## KGeo777

GOLDSNAKE 1966  - Rather boring spy movie although the theme song is Bond-like in tone.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*A Place in the Sun*_ (1951) George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) is a nobody who happens to be the nephew of a wealthy business owner, who, upon meeting him, gives him a job in his factory. Soon, the boss promotes him, and he has fallen in love with a coworker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), which relationship he must conceal, because the management forbids coworkers falling in love, especially an Eastman with a lower-class person. But, as an Eastman, he is occasionally at the mansion, and also falls in love with Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). As he rises in the ranks, he decides to marry Vickers, but Tripp is now pregnant with his child, and insists he marry her.

Oops! What to do? Should he take the noble path and marry Tripp, or dump her to marry Vickers; which also gives him a social promotion?

O.k., up to about 45 minutes, this was almost boring me, but, at that point, things became interesting! Glad I stayed tuned!


----------



## KGeo777

IN ROME LIKE CHICAGO 1968 -  John Cassavetes is a bank robber and he finds out how difficult it is to maintain a family when you are have to avoid the police and make excuses for your absences and have a psycho as your partner in crime.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*A Place in the Sun*_ (1951) George Eastman (Montgomery Clift) is a nobody who happens to be the nephew of a wealthy business owner, who, upon meeting him, gives him a job in his factory. Soon, the boss promotes him, and he has fallen in love with a coworker Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters), which relationship he must conceal, because the management forbids coworkers falling in love, especially an Eastman with a lower-class person. But, as an Eastman, he is occasionally at the mansion, and also falls in love with Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). As he rises in the ranks, he decides to marry Vickers, but Tripp is now pregnant with his child, and insists he marry her.
> 
> Oops! What to do? Should he take the noble path and marry Tripp, or dump her to marry Vickers; which also gives him a social promotion?
> 
> O.k., up to about 45 minutes, this was almost boring me, but, at that point, things became interesting! Glad I stayed tuned!


 I don't think I've ever seen this, or if I did it was long ago and probably edited for tv. Anyway, checked IMDB and my memory was right, it is based on Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, which was based, I believe, on a real murder case.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Plank* (1967) - well that was a vast disappointment.  A short 50 minute near silent, slapstick comedy about two guys trying to get a plank of wood from a builder's yard to their site.  An obvious homage to the silent era comedies (Laurel and Hardy being an obvious inspiration) _The Plank_, which I had never seen before but had heard recommended from time to time over the years as being very funny, turns out to be a badly dated, unfunny chore to watch.  Some parts have dated very badly indeed  - the only Black characters in the film are bunch of dustbin men who barely register on screen before doing the whole wide-eyed scaredy "feets don't fail me now!" running-away shtick  when someone  emerges, zombie like, from the back of their truck after he falls in.  And the sequence with the girl hitcher is just creepy horrible.


Brilliant film. I watched it with my daughter years ago, we both laughed hard.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Brilliant film. I watched it with my daughter years ago, we both laughed hard.



How _many_ years ago?


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> How _many_ years ago?


Err 4 or 5 I guess


----------



## KGeo777

NOSFERATU 1922  - According to sources, the German premiere was 100 years ago today! March 4th. So I  marched fourth to watch it--the restored version I had never seen before. The original score works better than the one I first heard it with.  Max Schreck sure is creepy. I used to think he really looked like that!


----------



## Mr Cairo

KGeo777 said:


> NOSFERATU 1922  - According to sources, the German premiere was 100 years ago today! March 4th. So I  marched fourth to watch it--the restored version I had never seen before. The original score works better than the one I first heard it with.  Max Schreck sure is creepy. I used to think he really looked like that!



If you have not seen it consider watching Shadow of the Vampire with John Malkovitch and William Defoe its based on the idea that the actor playing Orlok was actually a vampire. Pretty cool film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mr Cairo said:


> If you have not seen it consider watching Shadow of the Vampire with John Malkovitch and William Defoe its based on the idea that the actor playing Orlok was actually a vampire. Pretty cool film.



I would second that!  I think you've just decided what I'm going to (re) watch tonight.


----------



## JunkMonkey

But first I watched *The Land That Time Forgot* with my 12 year old son because that's the sort of movie you should watch with your 12 year old son: Doug McClure Vs rubbish rubber dinosaurs... and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  (Rubber dinosaurs aside - they _were_ pretty rubbish.) There was some nice imagery, and a downbeat doom-laden ending which wrongfooted me.  Wasn't expecting that at all - even despite having seen in before (in the cinema in 1974 when it first came out).   Though WHY volcanoes explode whenever white people get too close to them is mystery I'm still no nearer solving.


----------



## alexvss

*The Batman*. I enjoyed this new reboot. Robert Pattinson really redeemed himself from his past sins


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> *The Batman*. I enjoyed this new reboot. Robert Pattinson really redeemed himself from his past sins



I dunno.  He'd have to go a long way to erase his onscreen wank in _Little Ashes_ from my memory.


----------



## Mr Cairo

JunkMonkey said:


> I would second that!  I think you've just decided what I'm going to (re) watch tonight.


Hope you enjoy.


----------



## alexvss

JunkMonkey said:


> I dunno.  He'd have to go a long way to erase his onscreen wank in _Little Ashes_ from my memory.


I didn't watch that. And thanks to your heads up, I think I never will. There's also a wank scene in *The Lighthouse* btw. He seems to enjoy it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Scream of the Demon Lover *(1970) AKA *Blood Castle  *(_Il castello dalle porte di fuoco_, "The castle of the gates of fire")

Slow-moving and confusing Eurogothic chiller.  Woman shows up at the castle of a Baron, in order to work for him as a biochemist.  We find out right away that half a dozen young women, all of whom fooled around with the Baron, were slashed or clawed to death.  Suspicion falls on the Baron and his two big dogs.  This doesn't keep the lady scientist from working for the guy.  Maybe it's because he's catnip to the ladies.  Not only the six village women who were killed, but also his housekeeper/former mistress and a young maidservant are crazy about him.  (The latter, apparently out of sudden jealously right after the scientist shows up, says to herself "I'll laugh at your funeral.")

In the Baron's lab, Mad Science is going on, in the form of the body of the Baron's brother, burned horribly in an explosion and kept in a tub of liquid while the Baron and the biochemist try to figure out how to revive him.  The fact that the scientist assumes that the Baron is the killer, with two personalities, doesn't keep her from accepting a marriage proposal.  (Right after the wedding, the father of the young maidservant, who was messing around with the Baron and then, of course, got killed, shoots him, but doesn't kill him.)  Before this happens, she's been hauled off by a grotesquely deformed figure, who doesn't hurt her because she's "pure."  She dismisses this experience as a nightmare.  There's also a locked room which she is forbidden to enter.  Eventually the truth about what's going on comes out:



Spoiler



The badly burned brother was kept locked up, but escaped easily enough so he could kill the "impure" women who messed around with the Baron.  This directly contradicts the whole body in the tub stuff, so it doesn't really make any sense.  If nothing else, the burned face makeup is pretty effective.



Not a great film.


----------



## KGeo777

TALES FROM THE CRYPT 1972 --- Released 50 years ago--but I watched it a little earlier than the release date. The Joan Collins story is much superior to the remake done for HBO's tv series, and the Peter Cushing episode sure is sad. This was the only time he played a monster (in makeup) but he said "Grimsdyke wasn't a monster."


----------



## alexvss

*Lamb (2021)*. Great horror flick by A24, the producing company who blew everyone away on the last decade. It's the kind of horror that you would call disturbing instead of scary. The cinematography has a beauty to it while evoking melancholy at the same time. Noomi Rapace, one of my favorite actresses, stars it. The ending made my jaw drop. Icelandic folklore sure is weird.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Nightmare Alley (2021): Guillermo del Toro's first non-speculative feature, a psychological thriller that's based on a novel. A carnie uses his mastery of cold reading to con people, but ends up biting off more than he can chew. I loved the acting, the writing, and the beautiful cinematography Guillermo is known for.   

Save Yourselves! (2020): a romantic comedy of sorts with a sci-fi twist. A couple decides to shun technology and stay in a cabin for a few days, then soon finds themselves surrounded by fuzzy aliens with very long (and potentially lethal) tongues. I didn't enjoy it as much, but it was still pretty good.

To Sir, with Love (1967): I've watched this film numerous times, but it still entertains me. Sidney Poitier stars as a man from British Guyana who travels to England for a job as a teacher. The class consists of the brattiest "kids" you've ever known. They try to make his life a living hell, but he gains the upper hand and their adoration. Lulu lends her wonderful vocals to the main song in the film.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> But first I watched *The Land That Time Forgot* with my 12 year old son because that's the sort of movie you should watch with your 12 year old son: Doug McClure Vs rubbish rubber dinosaurs... and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  (Rubber dinosaurs aside - they _were_ pretty rubbish.) There was some nice imagery, and a downbeat doom-laden ending which wrongfooted me.  Wasn't expecting that at all - even despite having seen in before (in the cinema in 1974 when it first came out).   Though WHY volcanoes explode whenever white people get too close to them is mystery I'm still no nearer solving.



I have it on Blue ray. *The Land That Time  Forgot* is an adventure classic and fun to watch . Yes ,  the dinosaur effects are a  bit dated but, I can     suspend disbelief.


----------



## Christine Wheelwright

Just watched Bombshell on Netflix.  I recommend it.


----------



## Peppers

Last movie I saw was the billion dollar blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home. Great movie. Superhero movies are about the only reason I show up to theaters these days.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Venom *AKA *Spider's Venom *AKA *The Legend of Spider Forest* (1971)

Confusing suspense film disguised as a horror movie.  Starts with a scene of a young man and a young woman frolicking in the nude.  Suddenly he screams and blood runs down his chest.  Mind you, all this is filmed through a colored filter, so everything is bright green.

After the titles, we see a different young man wandering around Germany.  He runs into the young woman from the first scene and photographs her.  (We know it's her because she has the same spider tattoo on her shoulder.)  She runs off.  A trio of sinister types -- father, adult daughter, and a thuggish guy -- talk about the young man as if he's spying on them.  Somebody has stolen the film from his camera, but he gets the photos back when the daughter hops into bed with him right after meeting him.  It seems they are _not_ interested in his pictures of the young woman, but in something else.

Later, we see the young woman with some guy, who drops dead right away.  The young man finds an unknown painting by Bosch on the guy.  There's a local legend of the Spider Goddess, whose eight-legged minions kill anybody who fools around with her.  Fistfights, shootings, murders, whippings, and explosions follow.  About ten minutes before the end, we get some kind of explanation for what the heck is going on.



Spoiler



The Bad Guys are developing a nerve toxin from the venom of the local deadly spiders (played by tarantulas.)  They use the rather simple-minded young woman to make the locals believe in the Spider Goddess myth, killing any man she's with.  In the last few minutes, the young woman's father, whom we've never seen before, shows up badly scarred and in full drag (!) so he can freak out and set the secret laboratory on fire, killing just about everybody in the film who isn't dead yet, except the hero.



It's a very eccentric and bewildering little film, but not entirely without interest.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

We had a vampiric weekend.
_Interview With The Vampire
Bram Stoker's Dracula_
 - both still fab.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Libido *(1965)

Nifty little Italian shocker, in the tradition of *Psycho*.  A little boy witnesses the death of a woman, tied up in his father's mirror-lined bedroom, after an apparent BSDM session got way out of hand.  The father is then assumed to have thrown himself into the sea, although his body was never found.  Twenty years later, the grown-up son returns to his father's mansion.  With him are his wife, the guy who has been managing his inheritance all these years, and that fellow's wife.  She's a bubbly blonde sex kitten, supplying the movie's cheesecake and comedy relief, and actually doing quite well with both.  She also co-wrote the film!

Things start to happen that suggest the father has returned.  By this time, you'll assume that somebody is trying to gaslight the son, in order to get his inheritance.  Let me just say that the plot has a lot more twists and turns than that, and would require several paragraphs to explain.  To be very brief:



Spoiler



By the end, all four characters are dead!



Beautifully filmed in black-and-white, the movie builds slowly, but leads to a frenzied climax.  Recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

BAYLOR said:


> I have it on Blue ray. *The Land That Time  Forgot* is an adventure classic and fun to watch . Yes ,  the dinosaur effects are a  bit dated but, I can     suspend disbelief.




Glove puppets some of them apparently, which is not something you see every day.  And I was quite impressed by the lack of music during some of the fight sequences.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Libido *(1965)
> 
> Nifty little Italian shocker, in the tradition of *Psycho*.  A little boy witnesses the death of a woman, tied up in his father's mirror-lined bedroom, after an apparent BSDM session got way out of hand.  The father is then assumed to have thrown himself into the sea, although his body was never found.  Twenty years later, the grown-up son returns to his father's mansion.  With him are his wife, the guy who has been managing his inheritance all these years, and that fellow's wife.  She's a bubbly blonde sex kitten, supplying the movie's cheesecake and comedy relief, and actually doing quite well with both.  She also co-wrote the film!
> 
> Things start to happen that suggest the father has returned.  By this time, you'll assume that somebody is trying to gaslight the son, in order to get his inheritance.  Let me just say that the plot has a lot more twists and turns than that, and would require several paragraphs to explain.  To be very brief:
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> By the end, all four characters are dead!
> 
> 
> 
> Beautifully filmed in black-and-white, the movie builds slowly, but leads to a frenzied climax.  Recommended.




Where are you finding these glorious chunks of Eurocheese, Victoria?  Sounds like a goldmine!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> Where are you finding these glorious chunks of Eurocheese, Victoria?  Sounds like a goldmine!



Digging around in YouTube, finding these things at random.  I found both of the last two by searching "Eurogothic" and then following whatever leads I could.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SIDE STREET*_ (1950) Joe Norson (Farley Granger) has just taken a job as a mailman, and is at just the right place and time, to notice $200 on the floor of one of his deliveries. $$ in both his eyes, he decides to return to the place and steal the money. But, he got more than he expected, as the folder into which the guy at that office had stuffed to two 100 dollar bills, had $30,000. For a while he is planning to live the high life, but, eventually he begins to fear the guy whose money he had taken might come looking for it.

Good, tense drama!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Case of the Scorpion's Tail *(_La coda dello scorpione_, 1971)

Stylish and suspenseful _giallo_.  A woman in London finds out that her husband has been killed in an airplane explosion, and she stands to get one million bucks of insurance money.  She has to go to Athens to claim the loot.  Following her are an insurance investigator and an Interpol agent.  Let's just say that killings by the mandatory disguised figure with black gloves begin, and that a female reporter/photographer gets romantically involved with the insurance investigator as they try to solve the case.  Some quick but gruesome murders and some sequences that build a lot of tension.  The solution to the crimes is as convoluted and clever as you might wish.  A good choice for fans of the genre.


----------



## KGeo777

I have seen that one but forgot it.
Can't remember a thing about it!

BARON BLOOD 1972- I missed the 50th anniversary of its release a couple of weeks ago. I try to keep up with these especially since 1972 was a big year for horror.
Mario Bava was so influential, I had forgotten how much this probably had an influence on the slasher film. The killer makes me think of Freddy Krueger at times. A real castle adds a lot of atmosphere to a film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Got round to watching Shadow of the Vampire again





Mr Cairo said:


> If you have not seen it consider watching Shadow of the Vampire with John Malkovitch and William Defoe its based on the idea that the actor playing Orlok was actually a vampire. Pretty cool film.



Got round to rewatching _Shadow of the Vampire_ again last night and was, sadly, a little disappointed.  It looks very thin on a second viewing.  That's not to say there is not some good stuff in there. Love the setting and ambience, and the re-enactments are great - John Malkovich and especially Willem Dafoe are really good. Nice to see Udo Kier (for whom I have a lot of time) get to do some proper acting for a change instead of just being Udo Kier getting paid to turn up and be Udo Kier for a bit.  Though Carey Elwes (ditto) was wasted in a do-nothing part.  But the show was really let down by a script that just doesn't...  I don't know... do whatever a script is supposed to do to distract you from really big holes in the story, I guess.  For instance, the 'suddenly everyone on the shoot was doing drugs' sequence came out of nowhere and why (apart from some strange misplaced notion of historical accuracy) did the Count's Heligoland sequences HAVE to be shot on the island of Heligoland when all they  did when they got there was shoot one scene, on a closed set, inside a building?   All his ship sequences had been faked on land or with doubles.  Why did he have to get taken to an island to do something that could have been done much more easily on the original location?  Just to get a shot of a coffin on the back of an aeroplane? Didn't believe it. Pity.


----------



## Mr Cairo

JunkMonkey said:


> Got round to watching Shadow of the Vampire again
> 
> Got round to rewatching _Shadow of the Vampire_ again last night and was, sadly, a little disappointed.  It looks very thin on a second viewing.  That's not to say there is not some good stuff in there. Love the setting and ambience, and the re-enactments are great - John Malkovich and especially Willem Dafoe are really good. Nice to see Udo Kier (for whom I have a lot of time) get to do some proper acting for a change instead of just being Udo Kier getting paid to turn up and be Udo Kier for a bit.  Though Carey Elwes (ditto) was wasted in a do-nothing part.  But the show was really let down by a script that just doesn't...  I don't know... do whatever a script is supposed to do to distract you from really big holes in the story, I guess.  For instance, the 'suddenly everyone on the shoot was doing drugs' sequence came out of nowhere and why (apart from some strange misplaced notion of historical accuracy) did the Count's Heligoland sequences HAVE to be shot on the island of Heligoland when all they  did when they got there was shoot one scene, on a closed set, inside a building?   All his ship sequences had been faked on land or with doubles.  Why did he have to get taken to an island to do something that could have been done much more easily on the original location?  Just to get a shot of a coffin on the back of an aeroplane? Didn't believe it. Pity.




I suppose like a lot of films you get to spot the plot holes on second viewing I know on my first run through I thought it was mesmerising Defoe was just stunning in the part, I also seem to recall liking it a lot the second time around as well. I think its probably been 10 years or more since my last viewing so I have no doubt that I would probably enjoy it far less now.

Might have to give it a go I figure Netflix will probably have it.

Udo Kier is an unsung genre giant.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Garages Sales Mysteries* [It doesn't matter which one, there are more than a dozen to choose from]
These are a series of TVM  who-done-its. The cast is engaging but plain. No character stands out or is exceptional except the female lead, who seems to be faster and sharper than everyone else around. She also seems to get an incredible amount of freedom to gather information and generally beats the police to the killer.
But what I've noticed [and I've seen too many of these for it to be a good thing- their repetition is somewhat addictive] is that there are always two stories.
There is the who-done-it about some hidden trinket that leads to a mystery [and usually with a death or two along].
But in parallel there is always the life affirming family based tale about how a child or adult is helped by those around them to overcome son crisis or challenge. 
It feels like the Studio started making a 1 hour who-done-it and then decided to splice it with a cute family drama to make it a 2 hour movie.
It works but it is strange to watch. You leap from the lead tracking down a killer to a father and son bonding over creating a storage unit.
There is never too much violence as all the deaths happen off screen, and little blood [maybe a discrete drop or two to lead you to the body]. There is also absolutely no swearing [I think one character said "Darn" and was never heard of again] or sex . 
At the end they are safe and sound, together as family [and friends] with the killer caught, and a few good deeds done along the way.


----------



## Randy M.

CupofJoe said:


> *Garages Sales Mysteries* [It doesn't matter which one, there are more than a dozen to choose from]
> These are a series of TVM  who-done-its. The cast is engaging but plain. No character stands out or is exceptional except the female lead, who seems to be faster and sharper than everyone else around. She also seems to get an incredible amount of freedom to gather information and generally beats the police to the killer.
> But what I've noticed [and I've seen too many of these for it to be a good thing- their repetition is somewhat addictive] is that there are always two stories.
> There is the who-done-it about some hidden trinket that leads to a mystery [and usually with a death or two along].
> But in parallel there is always the life affirming family based tale about how a child or adult is helped by those around them to overcome son crisis or challenge.
> It feels like the Studio started making a 1 hour who-done-it and then decided to splice it with a cute family drama to make it a 2 hour movie.
> It works but it is strange to watch. You leap from the lead tracking down a killer to a father and son bonding over creating a storage unit.
> There is never too much violence as all the deaths happen off screen, and little blood [maybe a discrete drop or two to lead you to the body]. There is also absolutely no swearing [I think one character said "Darn" and was never heard of again] or sex .
> At the end they are safe and sound, together as family [and friends] with the killer caught, and a few good deeds done along the way.


I've watched one or two of the mystery series -- Hallmark or Lifetime channel? -- and they strike me as very 1970s, not even as edgy as _The Waltons_. There's a bit more sophistication in the story and its telling than in the 1960s, but it's all safe and sanitized. I could see these things being addictive, and maybe especially at the height of the pandemic.


----------



## CupofJoe

Randy M. said:


> I've watched one or two of the mystery series -- Hallmark or Lifetime channel? -- and they strike me as very 1970s, not even as edgy as _The Waltons_. There's a bit more sophistication in the story and its telling than in the 1960s, but it's all safe and sanitized. I could see these things being addictive, and maybe especially at the height of the pandemic.


I think they were all Hallmark. And yes, there is no edge in any way... Wait One character did go on a speed dating night [but the didn't enjoy it and preferred to find love the old-fashioned way].
That must be it. They are the TV equivalent of Rice Pudding [or other favourite dessert on a chilly night]. Warm comforting and not in any way a challenge. You just enjoy until you are full. And hopefully don't over indulge.


----------



## Jeffbert

*NIGHT MOVES* (1975) Ex-football player Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) is a private detective, who takes a case in which he is to find a runaway girl and return her to her mother. However, there is much more to this than just the girl. 

I might have missed something, but, I found the ending not answering the main question.


----------



## KGeo777

COUNTDOWN TO DOOMSDAY - 1966  George Ardisson is a private eye sent to Caracas to find a millionaire's daughter but he gets beat up and framed for murder. As a poor man's Connery he's quite good and the fight scenes  are more realistic and intense than most of these poor man Bond movies tend to be.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Just come back from *Batman*: Zodiac Capitol Insurrection and it IS as good as they say. Very good detective noir, plenty of rain, Colin Farrell is incredible. The city looks beautifully gothic. Pattinson makes a fab Batman. Go see it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE WRONG MAN* (1956) Hitchcock's movie about mistaken identity has Henry Fonda's character arrested and sent to jail. I might call this a police procedural, because it follows the poor guy through the process of fingerprinting, etc., and is interesting as such. But, I, as the viewer was rather uneasy because the idea that such a thing could actually happen.

The film even details the search for alibis. When they finally find the address of the one guy, oops, he died last week!

Not a word about suing anybody! I would have been furious, but this character remained calm throughout the ordeal. 

Then, after he is bailed-out, his wife goes nuts, & is sent to the insane asylum.  Once he is acquitted, his wife is still living in her own little world, as though autistic.  The actual perpetrator had only a passing resemblance. I would have sued the people who had identified me into the toilet!   His life is destroyed, all the while those people who had identified him as the villain just sail along, without a care.  

Anyway, I was engrossed in this, though I must say, it was not enjoyable.


----------



## KGeo777

THE THIRD SECRET 1966- Surprised this film isn't better known considering how neurotic characters are so commonplace now. This story is all about neurotic characters. Stephen Boyd is a tv journalist who becomes unhinged when he hears that his analyst committed suicide. How can he cope with his problems if his doctor couldn't? He investigates the other patients to find who might have killed him and is drawn into their various troubled lives. Pamela Franklin co-stars as the daughter of his analyst. Poignant story about the struggles of mental illness although I am not sure I have ever seen a Hollywood movie that does not depict paranoid schizophrenics as violent murderers, this one included. 
If there's a story about a murderer who is mentally ill, they throw in "schizophrenia" at least once.

CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR 1968 - This movie is not particularly good but I revisit it now and then anyway.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Arrival *(2016): Good, slow, thoughtful SF drama. Amy Adams is very good as a translator trying to understand the language of visiting aliens.

*The Naked Gun* (1988): Extremely silly and still very funny police comedy. Leslie Nielsen is great and some of the jokes are truly inspired.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Watched the Batman last night and even though I think it could do with a good 20 - 30 minutes of trimming its a pretty decent film, Pattinson just jumped into my best BATMAN spot.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR 1968 - This movie is not particularly good but I revisit it now and then anyway.



Funny. I watched this just shy of 1,100 messages ago.

The Curse of the Crimson Altar

Enjoyable folk horror-ish. For the time, it established a pretty good atmosphere.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Funny. I watched this just shy of 1,100 messages ago.
> 
> The Curse of the Crimson Altar
> 
> Enjoyable folk horror-ish. For the time, it established a pretty good atmosphere.


The atmosphere--Tigon prided itself on its sets and locations (and nudity) but some of the writing is rather shoddy. The way Boris Karloff announces he always suspected Christopher Lee of being a warlock--the early part of the film does not indicate that.
This is like Horror Hotel mixed with The Haunted Palace. The animal masks are interesting since they show up in some later folk horror stories.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CROMWELL*_ (1970) I am not much interested in England's history, but this film satisfied me. Great cast, etc. Because the issue was the limitations of the king's authority, I was expecting some mention of the magna Carta, but there was none.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> The atmosphere--Tigon prided itself on its sets and locations (and nudity) but some of the writing is rather shoddy. The way Boris Karloff announces he always suspected Christopher Lee of being a warlock--the early part of the film does not indicate that.
> This is like Horror Hotel mixed with The Haunted Palace. The animal masks are interesting since they show up in some later folk horror stories.


No, the early interaction 



Spoiler



was too focused on setting Karloff up as a red herring


. (I don't know. Can you spoil a 50+ year movie?)

Anyway, good call on its similarities to Horror Hotel, which I think was better scripted.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Sicario* (2015): A well-shot thriller about the bleak and grubby war against a Mexican drug cartel. It's good that this sort of grown-up, intelligent thriller is still made, although it's a bit more predictable than it thinks, and it gets close to being an action movie about a deadly assassin towards the end. Emily Blunt and Daniel Kaluuya are very good as two FBI agents who get drawn into the conspiracy.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> No, the early interaction (I don't know. Can you spoil a 50+ year movie?)


Yeah they did set Karloff up but Lee played bad guys so much--what is there to spoil?


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Yeah they did set Karloff up but Lee played bad guys so much--what is there to spoil?


Good point.


----------



## alexvss

Mon0Zer0 said:


> Just come back from *Batman*: Zodiac Capitol Insurrection and it IS as good as they say. Very good detective noir, plenty of rain, Colin Farrell is incredible. The city looks beautifully gothic. Pattinson makes a fab Batman. Go see it.


This unnoficial title killed me!   I'd add: "and the SeveN of Chinatown".

Farrell said that he went to Starbucks on full Penguin makeup. People were scared and stared at him.


----------



## alexvss

Toby Frost said:


> *Sicario* (2015): A well-shot thriller about the bleak and grubby war against a Mexican drug cartel. It's good that this sort of grown-up, intelligent thriller is still made, although it's a bit more predictable than it thinks, and it gets close to being an action movie about a deadly assassin towards the end. Emily Blunt and Daniel Kaluuya are very good as two FBI agents who get drawn into the conspiracy.


From the director of the new *Dune* movie. It has the same slow pace--the same that he used in *Blade Runner: 2049*. People say that *Sicario* is very realistic (which is scary AF).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I found *The Curse of the Crimson Altar *rather tepid and so-so.  Not good enough to be worthy of much notice, not bad enough to be worthy of mocking.  Beyond the Karloff/Lee/Steele line-up, there's not much to it.


----------



## Toby Frost

alexvss said:


> People say that *Sicario* is very realistic (which is scary AF).



It reminded me a lot of a book called The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow (not related to the recent Western film) which is incredibly violent and grim, and was heavily researched. I wouldn't be surprised if Sicario is pretty close to the truth!


----------



## KGeo777

Godzilla vs the Smog Monster 1971 --I haven't watched this in ages. Used to see it all the time on tv and perhaps even in a drive-in.

Frogs 1972--another 50th anniversary--on this day it was premiered. I think it is very atmospheric and creepy with the use of locations and repetitive wildlife footage. I think one or two actual frogs appear, the rest are toads.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Stoker* - Park Chan-wook's first English language film.  A lot of people have mentioned the obvious homages to Hitchcock - especially _Shadow of a Doubt_ (one the characters in _Stoker_ plays a similar role as the Uncle Charlie character in _Shadow of a Doubt_ and is himself called 'Uncle Charlie' which is a bit of a giveaway).  But at the end of it, the amorality and ambiguity of all the characters (still alive at the end of the film) left me feeling that Park Chan-wook was as influenced by Claude Chabrol (another Hitchcock devotee) as much as Hitchcock himself.


----------



## Draven Vertigo

Dark City. It's my favorite Movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Cujo *(1983)
Never seen this before, its pretty horrific. Not necessarily the rabid dog but that poor kid. It always makes me wonder how they get kids that young to cry and wail like that!


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Let The Right One In.
weird and compelling!


----------



## pogopossum

Watched *La Belle et la Bete *last night with miz pogo. Last seen about 30 years ago. It still has about the most striking images on the screen and shows up in the top ten best fantasies ever movie lists.
Watched The Criterion Collection version which is about an hour and a half long. Other versions available on YouTube are 3-4 hours in length.


----------



## KGeo777

Amazons 1986 - Despite some decent sets, costumes, and locations, bad script and terrible casting makes this a painful experience. There's a poor man's John Vernon as the villain, a poor man's Judi Dench as the queen, and a poor man's Ursula Andress as a traitorous amazon. There are a couple of half-assed attempts at monsters --not enough to make it interesting.  Funny thing is that it probably is higher budget than your average Asylum film with more recognizable people.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> it probably is higher budget than your average Asylum film



Giving them what? a whole WEEK to shoot it in?!


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Giving them what? a whole WEEK to shoot it in?!


This one took more than a week. Asylum is considered the low budget of today and yet it's much cheaper in basic things like location use. Even tv shows are known to go really cheap now and not bother to do outside location shooting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> This one took more than a week. Asylum is considered the low budget of today and yet it's much cheaper in basic things like location use. Even tv shows are known to go really cheap now and not bother to do outside location shooting.



I have (accidentally for the most part) seen more Asylum movies than I want to think about.  I have never seen one I would want to watch again.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> I have (accidentally for the most part) seen more Asylum movies than I want to think about.  I have never seen one I would want to watch again.


They used to do normal films back around 2002. I haven't seen it yet  but King of the Ants is one of them. And some of their titles are clever--such as their I Am Legend rip-off. I Am Omega.
That's a great rip-off title.
But I heard that they are proud to make bad movies. They want to make movies that people laugh at for being so bad.
That ambition is hard to admire.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*TROUBLE IN PARADISE*_ (1932) con artists Lily (Miriam Hopkins) &  Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) pick each others' pockets and fall in love. They target Madame Colet (Kay Francis) who is much too trusting, and when Mosescu returns her fancy purse, which he had stolen, but claims to have found it in the stairway of the theater, she hires both, the man as a financial advisor (or some similar title) and he has the combination to her safe, into which he advises her to keep large sums of cash. 

Ernst Lubitsch directed this film, & perhaps that, more than any other reason, is why I enjoy it so much. 

Good supporting cast includes Edward Everett Horton (the voice of FRACTURED FAIRY TALES) & C. Aubrey Smith (who is /was the model for the cartoon character COMMANDER MCBRAGG).


----------



## AllanR

*Magellan* (2017) --more ambition than budget. A few times the lack of effects hurts the film, but it sure tries hard to do with what they have. Though character and dialogue are a bit lacking, overall it's a nice near future hard sci-fi.
    A fast tracked NASA mission to beat the Chinese to the moons of Saturn and Neptune and then out to Eris, from where there are mysterious signals being transmitted.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Raven* - Edgar Allan Poe on the trail of a serial killer who has kidnapped Poe's fiance and, using Poe's stories as inspiration, is leaving a complex series of clues (and corpses) to her whereabouts.  As stupendously crap as that sounds... the movie was even worse. (Though Luke Evans is a bit of all right, isn't he?)


----------



## Jeffbert

*HOOPER* (1978) Stuntman Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) has been in the business too long for his own good, and several body parts, including his spine are about to fail. But, he decides to end his career as a stuntman with the biggest, best, most awesome stunt ever, even if he ends up paralyzed as a result.

O.k., so, there is the new kid,  Shidski (Jan-Michael Vincent), with whom Hooper initially has a dueling-type relationship, & they each try to outdo the other, but, eventually become friends and work together on the big stunt.

Retired stuntman Jocko Doyle (Brian Keith) advises Hooper to quit while he is ahead, & marry his daughter, Gwen (Sally Field), but Hooper just cannot resist going out with a bang.

Thoroughly entertaining!


----------



## KGeo777

Saw HOOPER at a drive-in--been meaning to revisit it along with his Jerry Reed co-starring films.

SLAVE GIRLS aka PREHISTORIC WOMEN 1967 -- Hammer had a winner with the previous year's dinosaur meets beach party film One Million Years BC. It is on the cheaper side--no dinosaurs except a prehistoric rhino. Raquel Welch didn't return so Martine Beswick was promoted to star and she sure looks happy with that development. This is a bizarre one because it is a well-made film in the service of a terrible idea. The story is like a Harlequin romance in the stone age involving a magic rhino horn/time machine  and lost tribes and primitive religions. It just does not work despite effort put into characterization. I am not sure it could have ever worked. Another oddity with it is that in order to save costs they must have been forced to use a rhino prop intended to be a real rhino for the stone idol version which looks far too realistic for what is meant to be a stone age sculpture. At the end when the  real rhino shows up, they use the statue prop and it makes things more confusing.

Steven Berkoff arrives at the very end. I wonder if Putin has seen Rambo 2 and if so, was he amused with Berkoff's Russian character.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

What We Do In The Shadows.
- very funny.


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Raven* - Edgar Allan Poe on the trail of a serial killer who has kidnapped Poe's fiance and, using Poe's stories as inspiration, is leaving a complex series of clues (and corpses) to her whereabouts.  As stupendously crap as that sounds... the movie was even worse. (Though Luke Evans is a bit of all right, isn't he?)


Saw that when it first came out, largely at my family's instigation, and didn't have high hopes since Poe was maybe 5'4" or so and John Cusack, who plays Poe, is probably closer to 6'4". At that point, it seemed unlikely any of it would be plausible.


*Body of Deceit* (2017) dir. Alessandro Capone; starring Kristanna Loken, Sarai Givaty, Antonio Cupo

Neo-_noir_, erotic thriller in the tradition of _The Postman Always Rings Twice_ and _Body Heat, _though not that accomplished. The plot is familiar so the movie keeps afloat through the acting and cinematography. Loken is good as Alice, a ghost writer for a famous, albeit drunk and ailing, writer. Unfortunately, she's also an amnesiac -- one of the great tropes of _noir _-- after a car crash while she was driving and which killed her passenger. Alice wavers between assertive and unsure, between latching onto her old self and falling apart with vague guilt, wracked by halucinations of the accident and no longer able to write, to tap into her intuitive imitation of the famous writer. Givaty is also good as Sara, the maid Alice doesn't remember, wavering between subservient and dominant as the two women develop a close relationship while Alice's husband is in L.A. attending to business; he's also Alice's agent and concerned the famous writer will croak before Alice can finish the next novel.

The movie doesn't stick the landing, needing something to jazz up the formulaic plot and not finding it as shortly before the end information is revealed confirming the viewer's suspicions, then the reveal to Alice so she catches up to the viewer, then a twist (not unexpected), then another twist (less expected, but not really surprising and I'm not really sure necessary). The movie switches between L.A. -- a mansion that makes you wonder just how much a ghost writer earns and where you can sign up -- and an unnamed beautiful Mediterranean town with gorgeous scenery and again, where can I sign up? I'll copy any damn writer you name if it means I can afford such a place.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Saw that when it first came out, largely at my family's instigation, and didn't have high hopes since Poe was maybe 5'4" or so and John Cusack, who plays Poe, is probably closer to 6'4". At that point, it seemed unlikely any of it would be plausible.


That's funny about height because I would never have guessed he was 6'2. I would have said 5'10.
Some people don't seem tall, while others who are shorter, can seem taller.


----------



## GeorgeL

I re watched “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” with my 19 years old cousin because he hadn’t see any movie of the franchise. 

I enjoyed it a little less at
this re-watch because i am way older than the last time i saw it. I know the movie is targeted toward kids (although it has its dark elements). 
But i have to confess that the last thirty minutes hooked me again after all those years, because of the raw sense of endangerment i felt the characters are going through at this point of the movie, until the end. 
Harry Potter is one of my favourite franchises and some of the first books i red when i was a kid.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> Saw that when it first came out, largely at my family's instigation, and didn't have high hopes since Poe was maybe 5'4" or so and John Cusack, who plays Poe, is probably closer to 6'4". At that point, it seemed unlikely any of it would be plausible.



That was the least of my problems with it. (After all, short American actors play tall all the time.  Why not the other way round?) What really annoyed me about the physical portrayal  was Cusack's beard.  Poe in real life had a chunky moustache but no beard. Certainly not the raffish dark goatee that Cusack sported.   I guess the production didn't pay him enough to shave it off.   But there were all sorts  of other howlingly WTF? awfulnesses in it.   That pet racoon that appeared for one scene - presumably it was there because it would look good in the trailer?*  Poe denying he had ever written about a sailor when his only novel  _The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym_ is about a boy who stows away aboard a whaler and becomes.... a sailor. A script that lurches awkwardly between modern Americanisms and 'period' dialogue. But the worst.  THE worst moment for me was when Poe rails against our methodical, procedural police inspector who is diligently searching for clues in ships' records after a sailor is murdered to provide one of the clues.  That's all well and good.  Plodding policework solves more crime than daring rooftop chases - but all that scene did was raise the question where was the plodding procedural policework after the second murder which emulated the famous descending blade from the _Pit and the Pendulum_?  Not a SINGLE second of screen time was spent on asking, "Who actually owns or rents this vast empty four storey warehouse?", "Who constructed the bloody big, cast iron gear-wheeled device?"  Some of those huge gear wheels must have weighed close on to half a ton.  Someone must have cast them, transported them, assembled them.  All good solid potential leads to follow up I would have thought.  Not in this stupid movie.  I think we are, at the end, supposed to imagine that the whole thing was whittled up  on his weekends by a weedy printers clerk.   

And I still can't work out how Emily could see the wall, desks and books the other side of the  cellar from where she was buried in the floor when she poked the hole trough the 'coffin'.

And wasn't it convenient that there was a hammer lying around every time anyone needed to smash something open? Baltimore casually discarded hammer capitol of the world. 

It wasn't even so bad it was funny.  Just bad.  

*Not that the racoon made it.  I went and checked.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*PATTY HEARST*_ (1988) A group of radical hippie terrorists kidnap PH, and give her the choice of joining them, or what she interprets as being killed. So, she joins the group, participates in robberies, which the group's leader claims is rightfully their, and therefore, they are not thieves, etc. 

RAN DURING A BLOCK OF true crime on TCM


----------



## KGeo777

The Door With Seven Locks - 1962 krimi involving a hidden fortune and murder about an inheritance but it goes into mad scientist territory in the last act. Better than I expected since the dubbing for these Edgar Wallace films are sometimes terrible.  This was decent.

Queen of Blood -- 1966  I need to check out the Soviet films that space footage was taken from because it looked pretty cool-the footage they pasted in. Impressive rocket ship fx.  I had seen this before and remembered the ending and the weird alien woman who reminds me of Roy Batty.


----------



## REBerg

Toby Frost said:


> *The Naked Gun* (1988): Extremely silly and still very funny police comedy. Leslie Nielsen is great and some of the jokes are truly inspired.


Have you watched the two sequels -- _The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear,_ and_ Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult? _The 6-episode TV series. _POLICE SQUAD! IN COLOR,_  that preceded the trilogy was equally hilarious.
I couldn't get enough of the Zucker brothers back in the day, including _The Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane! and Top Secret! _All loaded with sight gags and puns.


----------



## dask

From Russia With Love. Needs no introduction. My favorite Bond movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bring Me the Vampire *(_Échenme al vampiro_, 1963)

Mexican horror comedy without thrills or laughs.  I assume the editing and lousy dubbing of the English-language version have something to do with the lack of quality, but the constant mugging of the comic actors offers proof that the original wasn't a lot better.  The nearly incomprehensible plot has something to do with seven folks who will inherit some rich guy's money if they stay in his scary mansion.  Yes, it's yet another Old Dark House comedy.  Random "funny" and "scary" stuff happens, including, very briefly, a fake vampire that justifies the title.  The oddest scene may be the song performed by one of the seven, which remains in Spanish, and has something to do with sneezing.


----------



## dask

Fred Astaire joins the army to escape the complications of his boss’s philandering only to find said complications following him right into the guardhouse. Rita Hayworth keeps up step for step in unusually energetic dance routines and Fred getting caught impersonating an officer flat out hilarious.


----------



## JunkMonkey

dask said:


> Rita Hayworth keeps up step for step in unusually energetic dance routines



"Keeps up"????

She was a fecking brilliant dancer! To misquote Ginger Rogers "everything Fred Astaire did -  but backwards! In heels."


----------



## dask

Not too unusual as Hayworth and Rogers were cousins.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*STAGECOACH*_ (1939) An assortment of passengers is pursued by Apaches and learns to overcome their prejudices about each other.

The one woman was pregnant, but, was not visibly so.   When the coach reaches a certain outpost, she delivers. I wondered about the fact that she was not obviously great with child, & if the _*Hayes Code*_ forbade such a depiction.  

John Wayne is an escaped prisoner, out for revenge on the guys who murdered his brothers or whoever. His horse had a flat tire, so, he had to hitch a ride on the already overcrowded stagecoach, and this adds tension as the lawman who was aboard as security, arrested him. But, all men would soon be needed to fight the attackers, including the Ringo Kid.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*STAGECOACH*_ (1939) An assortment of passengers is pursued by Apaches and learns to overcome their prejudices about each other.
> 
> The one woman was pregnant, but, was not visibly so.   When the coach reaches a certain outpost, she delivers. I wondered about the fact that she was not obviously great with child, & if the _*Hayes Code*_ forbade such a depiction.



By an odd, happy coincidence I just happened to have a copy of the 1930 Production Code readily to hand - so read it all the way through.  Not the most exciting thing I have ever read in the bath but it is pretty short.  The only mention of pregnancy and childbirth comes in Section 2: item 8
"Scenes of actual childbirth, in fact or in silhouette, are never to be presented."

And that's it.  So no, baby bumps weren't explicitly banned under the code but probably fell under one of the various exhortations to "good taste and decency" that litter the thing.

I've never actually read it through before.  It's fascinating stuff.


*Section XII  Repellent Subjects*

The following subjects should be treated within the careful limits of good taste.

1. Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishments for crimes.
2. Third-degree methods.
3. Brutality and possible gruesomeness.


Took me ages to work out that "Third degree methods" almost certainly meant police officers beating the crap out of suspects to get a confession.  but "_possible_ gruesomeness"?


----------



## KGeo777

SALT IN THE WOUND 1969 -- pretty bad macaroni war movie that starts with a reading of Genesis over nature footage and then gets to the story about two condemned GIs (Klaus Kinski is one) who are spared from execution by the ineptitude of the commanding officer (George Hilton) which causes a German ambush that massacres the firing squad. He and the two prisoners end up in an Italian village being treated like saviors until more Germans arrive.  War is hell, in case you didn't know.


----------



## AE35Unit

"Horse had a flat tyre" brilliant @Jeffbert


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> By an odd, happy coincidence I just happened to have a copy of the 1930 Production Code readily to hand - so read it all the way through.  Not the most exciting thing I have ever read in the bath but it is pretty short.  The only mention of pregnancy and childbirth comes in Section 2: item 8
> "Scenes of actual childbirth, in fact or in silhouette, are never to be presented."
> 
> And that's it.  So no, baby bumps weren't explicitly banned under the code but probably fell under one of the various exhortations to "good taste and decency" that litter the thing.
> 
> I've never actually read it through before.  It's fascinating stuff.
> 
> 
> *Section XII  Repellent Subjects*
> 
> The following subjects should be treated within the careful limits of good taste.
> 
> 1. Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishments for crimes.
> 2. Third-degree methods.
> 3. Brutality and possible gruesomeness.
> 
> 
> Took me ages to work out that "Third degree methods" almost certainly meant police officers beating the crap out of suspects to get a confession.  but "_possible_ gruesomeness"?


They did depict brutality in some old films. but mostly in shadows or off-screen, with just the sound. 




AE35Unit said:


> "Horse had a flat tyre" brilliant @Jeffbert


It seemed more easy to relate to such a situation.   


Another B&W western:


_*THE WESTERNER*_ (1940) Cole Harden (Gary Cooper) is a cowboy - type, dragged into Judge Roy Bean (Walter Brennan)'s saloon/courtroom, on a charge of having stolen a horse.  Bean is thoroughly corrupt, and after a very brief trial in which the jury, entirely composed of Bean's customers, retires to the other room, to play cards, and returns with a guilty verdict.  Harden thinking quickly, notices photos of Lillie Langtry (Lilian Bond) on the wall, and says that he had met her, & even had a lock of her hair. Bean's eye enlarged, and he suspended sentence, pending Harden bringing the lock of hair.

Light humor, and very entertaining; though there was some very serious content, when Bean's associates burned down the homesteaders' homes.


Some names in the supporting cast, whose faces or voices I failed to recognize:

Wade Harper (Forrest Tucker; anyone remember F-Troop?) & Hod Johnson (Dana Andrews) .


----------



## dask

Jeffbert said:


> They did depict brutality in some old films. but mostly in shadows or off-screen, with just the sound.


Sometimes that's more than enough.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sexmission* (1984) - I finally found the answer to a question that occasionally occurs to me (usually half way through some masochistic watching of godawful 1970s  British Sex comedy.)   "Is there," I ask myself, "anything less erotic or funny than British sex comedies?"  The answer is Yes, Polish sex comedies.  _Sexmission_ is a Polish, science fiction, political satire, sex comedy  and it misses of every count.  Apart from the Polish bit.  I they got that right. They might have got some of the satire bit right too, thinking about it, but I suspect you would have to be a serious student of 1980's Polish history to even recognise any of the jokes as jokes -  let alone find them funny.

Two men get themselves cryogenically frozen and wake up in a post-nuclear war, underground world, populated entirely by women.  Many of whom take their clothes off.

Possibly the only film to end with a massive close up, freeze frame of a newborn baby's penis. Somewhere in Poland there is a 38 year old man whose greatest claim to fame is that his penis filled the screen of what turned out to be a very successful (in Poland) film while the end credits rolled.  I wonder if he's on the Polish talkshow circuit?


----------



## dask

Picked up a set of 20 musicals starting off with a fistful of Rita Hayworth flicks.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> *Sexmission* (1984) - I finally found the answer to a question that occasionally occurs to me (usually half way through some masochistic watching of godawful 1970s  British Sex comedy.)   "Is there," I ask myself, "anything less erotic or funny than British sex comedies?"  The answer is Yes, Polish sex comedies.  _Sexmission_ is a Polish, science fiction, political satire, sex comedy  and it misses of every count.  Apart from the Polish bit.  I they got that right. They might have got some of the satire bit right too, thinking about it, but I suspect you would have to be a serious student of 1980's Polish history to even recognise any of the jokes as jokes -  let alone find them funny.
> 
> Two men get themselves cryogenically frozen and wake up in a post-nuclear war, underground world, populated entirely by women.  Many of whom take their clothes off.
> 
> Possibly the only film to end with a massive close up, freeze frame of a newborn baby's penis. Somewhere in Poland there is a 38 year old man whose greatest claim to fame is that his penis filled the screen of what turned out to be a very successful (in Poland) film while the end credits rolled.  I wonder if he's on the Polish talkshow circuit?


Where did you find this?
Its not on Disney+.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Humanoid *(_L'umanoide_, 1979)

This Italian rip-off of *Star Wars *announces its inspiration right away, with the opening titles crawling up the screen at an angle, followed by a giant spaceship passing overhead.  In many other visual ways, the film strongly resembles its origin.  The plot is another matter.

For some reason, Earth is now known as Metropolis.  The guy in charge is called Great Brother, maybe because his brother is the chief bad guy, our film's imitation Darth Vader, with a very similar costume.  The other villains are a nutty scientist and Bond Girl Barbara Bach as Lady Agatha, who has to have one woman a day killed by sticking huge needles in her body in order to obtain some kind of serum that keeps her young.  She'll turn into a skeleton at the end.  The bad guys turn space pilot Richard "Jaws" Kiel, sort of a huge Han Solo, into a Humanoid.  In this universe, that means a grunting, mindless, invulnerable killing machine.

The good guys are utterly forgettable Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia types, along with a little kid with weird mental powers.  Kiel gets sent to kill Great Brother, but very quickly the kid zaps him back into a good guy, so our heroes can fight the villains.  The kid turns out to be a time-travelling Tibetan mystic from the past!

A silly film, goofy enough to be worth mocking.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Star Odyssey *(_Sette uomini d'oro nello spazio_, "Seven golden men in space," 1979)

Bottom-of-the-barrel Italian space opera.  It doesn't even look like a rip-off of *Star Wars*, but more like something from the 1960's.  The nearly incomprehensible plot has something to do with a lizard-faced guy who bought Earth in an auction, so he shows up in a spaceship with his army of "androids" (guys with blonde wigs.)  A guy who is said to be two centuries ahead of the rest of humanity (how did they measure that?) assembles a team of folks to defend the planet. 

There's the nominal hero, a guy nicknamed "Hollywood;" the advanced guy's niece, the nominal love interest; a gambler whose eyes light up when he uses his psychic powers (just like the advanced guy); a guy who keeps doing somersaults; a couple of brilliant chemists who have to be broken out of jail; and, most annoyingly, a pair of goofy-looking robots, boy and girl, who are supposed to provide the comedy relief by talking about their romance and their attempted suicides.

As an example of the extreme cheapness of this thing, the bad guy's attack on Earth is shown via black-and-white stock footage of buildings getting blown up (possibly from World War Two.)  There are also "light swords" that are obviously inexpensive props covered with luminous paint.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Ghostwatch*

Anyone else here watch this when originally aired and not realise it was a drama? This was produced at a time when 'Crimewatch' was a very popular BBC series, and presented in a very similar way, with actors you wouldn't normally associate with drama productions. Without the added kick of not realising it wasn't 'real', it obviously losing something, but is still a very good watch in its own right. There really is nothing else like this out there.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> Where did you find this?
> Its not on Disney+.



I switched on my Amazon Firestick typed 'SEX' into the search engine and selected the first thing that didn't have Sarah Jessica Parker in.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Star Odyssey *(_Sette uomini d'oro nello spazio_, "Seven golden men in space," 1979)
> 
> Bottom-of-the-barrel Italian space opera.  It doesn't even look like a rip-off of *Star Wars*, but more like something from the 1960's.  The nearly incomprehensible plot has something to do with a lizard-faced guy who bought Earth in an auction, so he shows up in a spaceship with his army of "androids" (guys with blonde wigs.)  A guy who is said to be two centuries ahead of the rest of humanity (how did they measure that?) assembles a team of folks to defend the planet.




The version I have in some very low resolution Box set of SF 'Classics' (four or five movies per disc)  appears to be presented with a reel out of order.  Once I had realised _that_ the plot made slightly more sense... but not much.  According to my film diary I watched this once, 17 years ago, and it's still burned into my psyche.   But then I did actually pay money to see _The Humanoid_ (L'umanoide, 1979) in the cinema when it was released.  (I think drug consumption may have been involved.)


----------



## Vladd67

paranoid marvin said:


> *Ghostwatch*
> 
> Anyone else here watch this when originally aired and not realise it was a drama? This was produced at a time when 'Crimewatch' was a very popular BBC series, and presented in a very similar way, with actors you wouldn't normally associate with drama productions. Without the added kick of not realising it wasn't 'real', it obviously losing something, but is still a very good watch in its own right. There really is nothing else like this out there.


Sadly I started to watch it and turned it off quite quickly thinking it was just a pile of fake rubbish.


----------



## Jeffbert

*WHERE THE SPIES ARE* (1966) Doctor Jason Love (David Niven) is an ex spy, who is recruited for one last mission. Interesting film. Despite the lengthy cast, Niven is the only one familiar to me.

In keeping with the model established by the BOND films, there is a young woman involved. Not too shabby, but likely forgettable.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Humanoid *(_L'umanoide_, 1979)
> 
> 
> 
> For some reason, Earth is now known as Metropolis.  The guy in charge is called Great Brother, maybe because his brother is the chief bad guy, our film's imitation Darth Vader, with a very similar costume.


Credit where credit is due.
The helmets look more professionally designed than the Star Wars ones. Ivan Rassimov's helmet sure is smooth and symmetrical unlike Darth Vader's.
Also, the flying ship effects are pretty good--Antonio Margheriti did them. For something that did not use motion control or any fancy ILM  technology--it looks pretty good compared to similar efforts.

I did like the light saber arrows.


----------



## worldofmutes

Family’s been at the old homestead cleaning and fixing everything up.

Last night we watched *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*. For a Marvel film it had great, genuine martial arts. Reminded me of Tekken. Was funny how I could recite the Chinese dialogue.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> The version I have in some very low resolution Box set of SF 'Classics' (four or five movies per disc)  appears to be presented with a reel out of order.  Once I had realised _that_ the plot made slightly more sense... but not much.  According to my film diary I watched this once, 17 years ago, and it's still burned into my psyche.   But then I did actually pay money to see _The Humanoid_ (L'umanoide, 1979) in the cinema when it was released.  (I think drug consumption may have been involved.)



The version I watched on YouTube ends with a scene that should take place at the start, when the bad guy buys the Earth at an auction.  That only adds to the confusion.


----------



## Mr Cairo

paranoid marvin said:


> *Ghostwatch*
> 
> Anyone else here watch this when originally aired and not realise it was a drama? This was produced at a time when 'Crimewatch' was a very popular BBC series, and presented in a very similar way, with actors you wouldn't normally associate with drama productions. Without the added kick of not realising it wasn't 'real', it obviously losing something, but is still a very good watch in its own right. There really is nothing else like this out there.



My family was foooled by this for about 10 minutes then realised that we were watching a "live" transmission with  accompanying subtitles and that made us realise it was all fake ... it was well made though

Years later my soon to be wife and I discussed watching it and she said it had terrified her, I laughed so hard I thought she might not marry me


----------



## worldofmutes

Couple more movies my cousin and I watched (when we weren’t raking up packrat crap and his entire nest under an old washing machine)

*Leprechaun - *Jennifer Aniston has always been pretty gosh darn pretty. Whatever happened to Jennifer Connelly?

*Pi - *trippy movie about mathematics. Patterns in the Torah and the Stock Market. We didn’t finish it though because the women came home.

*Drunken Fist - *Cracked me up.


----------



## Mr Cairo

worldofmutes said:


> Whatever happened to Jennifer Connelly?



Snowpiercer and the soon to be in cinemas Top Gun: Maverick as Penny Benjamin the Admirals Daughter


----------



## Jeffbert

*IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT* (1967) As is my recently acquired habit, I was paying attention to product placement and such.  COKE, PEPSI, DR. PEPPER; candy bars, though out of focus, were easily identifiable: BABY RUTH, BIT O HONEY, MILKY WAY & BUTTERFINGER. Had to wait for the guy to move aside, to see them. INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER,  COKE bottles in cases, next to the COKE machine, & what must be cherry soda, also in COCA-COLA cases.

For the longest times, I thought there was a movie called, that one stand-out line, "They Call me Mr. Tibbs." 


This film was intense, but nowhere near so as _*NO WAY OUT*_ (1950).   
 Dr. Luther Brooks (Sidney Poitier) is a physician on duty in the jail ward of the hospital. Two criminals are brought in, and placed under his care. The two are brothers, one of which is Ray Biddle (Richard Widmark), both are extreme racists. While working on the other Biddle named Johnny, Brooks perceives that he may be suffering from a brain tumor, and proceeds to perform a spinal tap. I had one of those, & can say, 1 is enough! But, Ray Biddle is watching all along, assuming Brooks was harming Johnny, spewing racist terms for black people- some I had never heard before - intense.  Johnny dies, and Ray blames Brooks for murdering him. 

Ray Biddle accuses Brooks of murdering Johnny, and refuses to authorize an autopsy to determine the cause of death. bad things happen! Don't want to spoil it. 


_*THE DEFIANT ONES*_ (1958)  Prisoners being transported escape, and flee. Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) is shackled to John Jackson (Tony Curtis) and while they share the same goal, they are also at each other's throats, because of their racial bigotry. 

By the time they are recaptured, their hatred has become brotherhood. Very moving scene. 

Great supporting cast, includes the General from THE TIME TUNNEL (Whit Bissell) & Alfalfa.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> For the longest times, I thought there was a movie called, that one stand-out line, "They Call me Mr. Tibbs."
> 
> 
> .




There is, indeed, a sequel to *In the Heat of the Night *called *They Call Me Mister Tibbs! *(1970)









						They Call Me Mister Tibbs! - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




It was followed by another sequel called *The Organization*.









						The Organization (film) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## alexvss

*The Crow (1994)*. A man and his fiancée are brutally murdered in Devil's night, Hallowen's Eve. One year later, the man is resurrected by a crow, and he wants revenge. Although pretty straightforward, the story keeps you hooked. I had some issues with it though: the protagonist is too strong, and you know a character is there just to become hostage.

This is a cursed story. The fiancée of the author of the original comic died while the story was in the works; and Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son, who plays the title character) died on an accident during filming (he was also engaged).


----------



## alexvss

Stephen Palmer said:


> Let The Right One In.
> weird and compelling!


The ending scene--the one of the pool--is great!


----------



## J Riff

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> The version I watched on YouTube ends with a scene that should take place at the start, when the bad guy buys the Earth at an auction.  That only adds to the confusion.


 I never did finish watching it...


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Star Odyssey *1979 Ital. -- this one starts with a big starship bridge, blue unis, and the sighting of an alien flying saucer, superior velocity, full radio silence.
> Lots beeping sound FX all through this, Good Aurora model-quality spaceships. On the saucer we get an overlord-type with the typical high collar outfit, so he can't see to the side without turning his head. The crew all have platinum-blonde long-hair wigs.
> Back on our starship - "Man meets an alien race at last, and greets them by disintegrating their vessel." But the saucer is having none of that, it flies right on in through ineffectual Earth atomic-cannon crossfire defence.
> Huh, turns out our alien commander has bought the Earth at an auction. Cut to >>> WWII stock footage of explosions. Various Earth cities are obliterated. Only Prof. Morey is going to be able to figure this out and save everyone. He is two centuries smarter'n everyone else, but is of course too stubborn, independent etc. But, he might listen to Oliver 'Hollywood' Carrera, who "acts as if he is a superstar in a TV series called 'Fighting Hero of the Galaxy'."
> Robed Prof. Morey informs us the UFO is made of 'Indirium' , super-rare stuff on Earth. He has a cute beeping bot, with little hands wrapped in tinfoil, but it doesn't speak. Morey's pals - Shawn and Bridgette, must be broken out of prison in order to invent a new substance that will perforate Indirium. A young Lieutenant is hypnotized by Morey's glowing eyes to undertake the escape. Now we get glowing-eyes telekinetic control of a silver ball by famous gambler Dirk Laramie, on the starship. The losers demand their money back but Dirk just starts a brawl. One of them falls onto a bench. where two hippies wearing ponchos insert a fuming water-pipe into his mouth. I'm not making this up.
> Dirk wears a glittering spider-shirt; Morey fiddles  with gadgets that look like modren cellphones. Good grief, back on the UFO they are gathering humans from the surface. We see some footage of cool-looking black dudes, as an awful robotic voice-over inform us that: "One thousand dark-skinned units of various ages have been collected." They are to be processed and stored in Hold Six, Container Four.
> 25 min. in, and we are off to 'The Alcatraz of the Heavens' ... apparently, this version of this classic that I'm watching has 2 reels out of order, but it probably won't matter. Cheery synth/flute tunes play, and there's the space station - a tambourine, maybe a hubcap with a couple parts welded on, but pretty cool, an Astroport, where prisoners are kept in suspended animation - standing up in tubes - cut to: Little Norman, battling a big robot - Hercules Four, who has killed many contestants, in a boxing ring, for the World Championship. This is good stooge action, Norman does acrobatic tricks and the ref gets hit numerous times by the bot - cut to Dirk cheating at poker, he can see through cards once his eyes light up. Yipes, in another game, all the money - and the pleasure of a night with Irene, are on the line. This is adult stuff.
> Now the Cmdr. talks about the 'Oof-oh" not, U.F.O. - Oofoh. Soo... now we are at an auction house - of planets, to the Lords of the Galaxy. Groovy alien costumes. Are the reels out of order yet>? Irrelevant. Brigette instigates a prison breakout using her feminine wiles.
> It gets better; now we have a re-animated suicidal talking robot, looks like a silver frogman. There's still an hour left in this epic, horrific dialogue galore - 'Tillie - she's the light of my transistors'.  I can't watch anymore right now, going to save the rest this for later. However did I miss this ridiculous masterpiece of inanity?


----------



## KGeo777

Invasion of the Bee Girls 1973 --as silly as I remember it to be. I am surprised people kept a straight face as much as they did.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Hobson's Choice*

A great b&w adaptation with the inimitable Charles Laughton as the miserly father and John Mills as the timid cobbler. A very enjoyable 2 hour watch, courtesy of that tremendous tv channel 'Talking Pictures'.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> There is, indeed, a sequel to *In the Heat of the Night *called *They Call Me Mister Tibbs! *(1970)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They Call Me Mister Tibbs! - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was followed by another sequel called *The Organization*.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Organization (film) - Wikipedia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> en.wikipedia.org





_*DOUBLE INDEMNITY*_ (1944) Insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) and Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) plot to murder her husband, and, because it will appear to be an accident, collect the insurance money and live high on the hog (or whatever was the appropriate cliche).  

It may be my bias, I admit no particular interest in Fred M, but to me, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) was the most interesting character. His were the best lines, emotionally delivered, etc., & so on. 




His line about his _little man_ that turns his stomach into knots when he hears a phony claim was really good. But when he told the boss about the company being sunk, & must pay the claim, that was intense. 

Yet, his little man was duped, until he had this talk with the boss, which was centered on the unlikeness of a suicide by jumping off the train moving at only 15 MPH. 

Pure NOIR!


----------



## Stephen Palmer

An American Werewolf In London.
- it's been quite a few years since I saw this, but it's still terrific. The London underground scenes are gripping! Unforgettable. Still stands up as a great watch.


----------



## alexvss

*The Salvation (2014)*. Western story with Mads Mikelsen, Eva Green and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It's a pretty straighfoward revenge plot: the brother of an oil tycoon kills the wife and son of a Danish immigrant; the immigrant kills the guy; the brother wants to kill the immigrant. The only thing that differs this from other Westerns is the Danish immigrantion backstory, which actually happened after they lost a war to the Germans. Not a masterpiece, but still worth the 90 minutes.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Stephen Palmer said:


> An American Werewolf In London.
> - it's been quite a few years since I saw this, but it's still terrific. The London underground scenes are gripping! Unforgettable. Still stands up as a great watch.



I do love that sequence. I have watched in on pause to make out the Tube ads. So nostalgic.


----------



## KGeo777

Rewatch: The White Warrior  1959 -- Steve Reeves is a muslim (his tribe is referred to as "the caucasians")  fighting the Russians in the time of Nicholas the First.  This was a film re-edited for Hollywood release. Narration seemed a rush job and they must have cut some scenes to trim the running time.


----------



## iarangeg4e

Watched the horror movie Hereditary
I liked it very much.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Super *[2010 James Gunn]
An early James Gunn feature film but with a lot of his family of actors.
It is another take on the Amateur Superhero troop.
An average Guy to avenge the loss of his wife to "Jacques" and with the bit of help from messages from "god" becomes... The Crimson Bolt!!!
By day he is a Short Order Cook. By night he fights crime [mainly by hitting the bad guys in the head with a large wrench].
Ellen Page [as they were then] becomes his slightly less sane sidekick.
Throw in a drug dealer and mayhem and death ensures.
There are similarities to *Kick Ass*. But while that film was all metropolitan and neon, this is more suburban, and less comic book [in some ways, and while comic books are intrinsic to the plot].
It is a very dark comedy which is irreligious, profane and very graphically violent.
I can't say I recommend it but it was worth watching.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> *Super *[2010 James Gunn]
> An early James Gunn feature film but with a lot of his family of actors.
> It is another take on the Amateur Superhero troop.
> An average Guy to avenge the loss of his wife to "Jacques" and with the bit of help from messages from "god" becomes... The Crimson Bolt!!!
> By day he is a Short Order Cook. By night he fights crime [mainly by hitting the bad guys in the head with a large wrench].
> Ellen Page [as they were then] becomes his slightly less sane sidekick.
> Throw in a drug dealer and mayhem and death ensures.
> There are similarities to *Kick Ass*. But while that film was all metropolitan and neon, this is more suburban, and less comic book [in some ways, and while comic books are intrinsic to the plot].
> It is a very dark comedy which is irreligious, profane and very graphically violent.
> I can't say I recommend it but it was worth watching.



If for nothing else the chance to see Nathan Fillion's very funny turn  as "The Holy Avenger".  I would recommend it... whilst simultaneously being not sure if I ever want to watch it again.


----------



## Toby Frost

alexvss said:


> *The Crow (1994)*. A man and his fiancée are brutally murdered in Devil's night, Hallowen's Eve. One year later, the man is resurrected by a crow, and he wants revenge. Although pretty straightforward, the story keeps you hooked. I had some issues with it though: the protagonist is too strong, and you know a character is there just to become hostage.



I agree: it was hugely popular when I was at uni (or perhaps that was just because my friends were goths), but it always felt like a goth version of Robocop, which was more entertaining. I'd be interested to see if it holds up still. There's something very 1990s about the Nine Inch Nails.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE LAST GANGSTER*_ (1937) Mob boss Joe Krozac (Edward G. Robinson) marries Talya (Rose Stradner) who believes he is just a businessman, fathers a son, and goes to prison. When his wife comes to visit him, he shows no interest in her, but only in the infant son. Eventually, reporter Paul North (James Stewart) wins her affection, despite his initial interest was only a hot news item. 

When Boss Krozac is released, he returns to his gang, expecting respect, but finds the opposite. His old lieutenant known as Curly (Lionel Stander; lent his voice to Buzz Buzzard) believes that he had stashed away millions during his time as boss, and wants it. The gang Kidnaps the son, who is now 10 years old, and has come to believe that North is his father, and has no knowledge of Krozac. An odd reuniting of father & son, papa insisting the boy is his son, the boy believing otherwise. The gang threatening to torture the boy, if papa refuses to tell where the money is stashed. 

I can see why Robinson wanted to leave behind those gangster roles.


----------



## REBerg

*The Adam Project*
Watchable time-traveling film. Maybe a little too quippy to be as clever as it wanted to be.
Watchable family fare, although I'd probably rate it PG-13 for language.


----------



## pogopossum

*THE COCOANUTS


*

I wanted good solid Marx Brothers craziness. Had never seen it. Disappointed as it was a melange of jokes, goofing around, musical numbers and production numbers interrupting each other. And the jokes and routines are surpassed in the other Marxism.
My wife did comment that the overhead shots of the dance numbers were beautiful. They certainly were way ahead of their before  Busby Berkeley time.

 I know that it was based on a George Kauffman Broadway show with Irving Berlin songs.
That accumulation was such a hodgepodge that I almost turned it off. Almost got funny, then got away.
I guess that 93 years old was just a little too much for me.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Maniac *(1963)

One of Hammer's mini-Hitchcocks.  Set in the south of France, which makes for some great scenes of the rugged landscape.  

Starts with an intense pre-title sequence of a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl being raped, and her father killing the rapist with a blowtorch.  After this brutal opening, we see the arrival of an American painter at the bar run by the victim's stepmother four years later.  He starts a romance with the girl.  Since this is 1963, they have to do the Twist together.  Stepmom cuts this off pretty quickly and begins an affair with guy herself. 

The plot gets going when stepmom gets the American to help her husband escape from an asylum.  The plan is that Dad will go off somewhere with his daughter, and stepmom will be with her new lover.  Let's just say that not everything is what it seems, and the plot twists comes hot and heavy.

Nicely filmed in black-and-white, the way the film constantly fools the viewer is enjoyable, even if contrived.


----------



## KGeo777

Two Sons of Ringo 1966 - comedy western starring the team of Franco and Ciccio who I think I last saw in a spy spoof which also had George Hilton-(as 007)-here he is playing Joe, an Eastwood-type character. Has some amusing parts but as before, Franco's facial expressions might  wear you out.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry *(2010)

Documentary about Spanish horror king Paul Naschy (Jacinto Molina.)  It's pretty much a celebration of his life and work.  Many of the interviews with various folks who worked with him are in Spanish, unsurprisingly, so I hope you know the language or like subtitles.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Batman (2022): I loved this film. I like how the Riddler was a lot like Jigsaw. The background score is amazing. Pattinson did a good job. I liked the fact that he was so somber even when he wasn't masked.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Black Bear (2020): I didn't really understand this movie, but the actors were great.


----------



## Jeffbert

*SCARECROW* (1973) Max Millan (Gene Hackman) & Francis Delbuchi (Al Pacino) are hitchhiking  and are competing for rides. Eventually they become friends, and decide to go to each others' destinations. A film that seemed to have no particular plot, just these two guys trying to reach these destinations, and experiencing things both good and bad, just as jail.


----------



## KGeo777

The Lost Continent 1968- - I sure love this movie. There's something about it. The crazy plot turns this has--from ship carrying dangerous cargo to mutiny to lifeboat adventure to alcoholism battle to killer weeds to giant crabs, to lost Spanish conquistadors... it literally has everything and a kitchen sink--you do see a closeup of a sink.
Most of the acting is decent but the guy who plays the agent for the banana republic dictator and gets eaten by a squid--his acting style is off kilter.  I am surprised they didn't dub his voice.



El Supremo is stronger than all! All of you will soon know the iron hand of El Supremo!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE MERRY WIDOW*_ (1952) MGM musical; enjoyable, yet, because most of the cast were unfamiliar to me, I much prefer the 193x version. The plot was basically the same, but differed in several elements.




*HOW THE WEST WAS WON* (1962) My 1st time seeing this, & finding it too long, but worthwhile for just one viewing. It focused on several generations and specific families's adventures and tragedies.

James Stewart's character somehow reminded me of SUPERMAN. It was the shirt partially visible beneath his coat that had red and yellow stripes, and was visible as a triangle, in the v-neck coat.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*A Fish Called Wanda* - which I had seen before and, though I remember I'd found it mildly amusing.  I also remember thinking I  couldn't work out why people thought it was so funny.  It wasn't.  Hey-ho sometimes it happens that a film just misses.    Happened again last night.


----------



## KGeo777

CRIME AGAINST JOE 1956 - Joe is a local artist bum who get accused of murder and he finds out who his friends are in town. Low budget, a little on the amateur comical side (there's a girl who sleep walks and this is apparently something so socially awkward in the 1950s that her father has to perjure himself to avoid being the alibi for the alleged murderer so he can keep his good name). It has weird subplots and character outbursts--plus Joe calls his mother by her first name which seems unusual.

COME SPY WITH ME 1967 - A cheap beach party meets spy movie which was serious in tone but someone thought it would be smart to have a Frankie Avalon-style narrator treating it like a comedy, adding little comments during scenes without dialogue. It was not smart.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*8 Femmes* (8 Women) - not sure that this what I expected.   1950s Eight women trapped in a house with a murdered husband/father/lover (combinations of above) secrets are revealed.  Gorgeous frocks are worn.  seduction and attempted murder.  Most of the action  confined to  one room.  Very set bound - it looked like a stage play expanded.... slightly.  (Which a quick keek at IMDb confirms) And why did they keep bursting into song at weird moments?  I think I can see what was being attempted but I'm not sure it worked. Pedro Almodóvar would have nailed it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CLEOPATRA* (1963) Ben M did the intro etc., & mentioned that his uncle directed this film. Said it was 6 hours originally, & adjusted for inflation, would have cost well over $300M!   It nearly bankrupt the studio! Its current form is just over 4 hours; 1st half about C & Julius C; 2nd, C & Marc Antony.

Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor) has relationships with Roman generals Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) & Mark Antony (Richard Burton) in attempts to keep her throne & nation's sovereignty.  

A mix of American & British actors as the supporting cast. I  easily recognized Rufio was Martin Landau & Octavian was Roddy McDowall, but had to look at the wiki page to identify Sosigenes was Hume Cronyn. Not as familiar with him as with those others. 

At 4 hours, once is enough.


----------



## KGeo777

I didn't like Cleopatra.
I prefer Slave Queen of Babylon starring Yvonne Furneaux.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Or *Carry On Cleo*.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Or *Carry On Cleo*.


They re-used the Cleopatra sets for that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> They re-used the Cleopatra sets for that.



To be pedantically... erm.. pedantic - I believe they used sets that had been _built_ for Cleopatra but hadn't been actually used before the production decamped to Italy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Rams * (2015)- in a remote valley in Iceland, two bothers, sheep farmers working on the same land and living separate houses a couple of dozen meters apart, haven't talked to each other for 40 years.  They communicate, when they have to, by messages delivered by one of their dogs.  One of their rams gets scrapie (a horrible brain-rotting sheep disease) and every sheep in the valley has to be killed.  The film is very slow.  Very real.  And sometimes very funny. One of those films where you had no idea where the story was going to go. There are no subplots, or romantic interest.  Just two guys who hate each others guts facing up to the fact that their way of life is coming to an end.  I liked it. 

There is, I have just discovered, an Australian remake. starring Sam Neill which from the look of the trailer has turned the story into an identikit feelgood 'quirky' comedy where everyone will know _exactly_ how the story will end from the start of the second act.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*F FOR FAKE*_ (1973) Orson Welles narrates the examination of art forgery. I watched this about 20 minutes at a time, because I really was not interested in it.



*GATE OF HELL* (1953) When a general defects, and attacks, one of two brothers Kazuo Hasegawa  (Morito Endo) remains loyal, and protects Lady Kesa (Machiko Kyō) .  The master rewards him by offering to do anything he desires. He desires  Lady Kesa; being ignorant that she is married.  Once he learns this, he still insists she become his wife. Bad things happen.


----------



## KGeo777

The Giant Spider Invasion 1975  - Jokes aside, the giant spider is very creepy when you first see it emerging from over hills and wandering in the distance.


Dr. J.R. Vance: Hi!

Dr. Jenny Langer: Hello.

Dr. J.R. Vance: Hi, I'm Dr. J.R. Vance from N.A.S.A.

Dr. Jenny Langer: Oh, I'm so glad you're here, Doctor. I'm Jenny Langer.

Dr. J.R. Vance: Nice to meet you. I have an appointment with your father.

Dr. Jenny Langer: Oh, no no. He passed away in 1962

Dr. J.R. Vance: Oh, I'm so sorry, then the appointment must be with your husband.

Dr. Jenny Langer: I'm not married.

Dr. J.R. Vance: I'm NOT sorry. Then it's probably with your brother.

Dr. Jenny Langer: No, my brother's an interior decorator in Oshkosh. You see, Doctor... Vance. I'm afraid your appointment is with me. I'm DOCTOR Jenny Langer.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE OMEN* (1976) Diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck)'s wife (Lee Remick) delivers a dead son, who is all too conveniently replaced by another boy, born 06/06 at 6 AM. The husband, all too eager to spare his wife the heartache of having a stillbirth, etc. tells her that this boy _*is*_ her son. Bad things happen, as the boy grows. 

When he is 5 years old, everything happens really quick. A religious authority tries to convince Thorn that the child he calls his son is evil; he is naturally offended, and chases the guy away. Again, the guy vainly attempts to persuade him, with no more success than before. By the time he finally realizes the truth--



Spoiler



I do not see how this beheading scene, shown in slow motion from multiple angles was supposed to be horrific. I laughed, & watched it 4 times. If the guy's head had not rolled over the way it did, & it was just shown once, in full-motion, maybe.  but that was funny!


----------



## Rodders

Probably shocking at the time, rather than now. 

There was an America remake with Thorn played by Liev Shreiber. I remember it being enjoyable enough, too.


----------



## redzwritez

I saw this thread a days ago and I couldn't remember what the last movie I'd watched was but I finally have one. Yay! 

*The Grand Budapest Hotel.* People said when it came out that it was really good but I didn't get to see it then. 

*Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't saw the movie. *

The set and the way it was filmed were brilliant which is good because it looked like one of the best parts of the movie. I loved the characters and the acting though. It was sadder than I thought it would be but I think it worked and it was able to get some comedy in even when other parts were sad which was great. I love it when stories and movies can do that.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Saturn 3*

Not seen this movie in a long old while. Time has not been kind. Not the worst sci-fi horror, but a long way from the best. Think Short Circuit crossed with Alien.


----------



## KGeo777

paranoid marvin said:


> *Saturn 3*
> 
> Not seen this movie in a long old while. Time has not been kind. Not the worst sci-fi horror, but a long way from the best. Think Short Circuit crossed with Alien.


The robot was cool and the set design--the control panels of the ship were  lively with the light display (compared to earlier films).


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> The robot was cool and the set design--the control panels of the ship were  lively with the light display (compared to earlier films).



When you see some of the other sci-fi movies (mainly Star Wars rip-offs) this one did have quite realistic effects (one of the reasons I'd liken it to Alien). But the acting just seemed to be off, especially that of Harvey Keitel, whose character seems to have no motive, combined with an actor who seems to show no interest in the role.


----------



## Rodders

I’ve never seen Saturn 3.


----------



## Droflet

*The One That Got Away* (1957)
Hardy Kruger stars as the only German POW in WW2 to escape capture by the British and return to Germany. Quiet enthralling.


----------



## Randy M.

Rodders said:


> I’ve never seen Saturn 3.


My wife and I went to the theater to see it when it first came out. You aren't missing much.


*To Catch a Thief* (1955; dir. Alfred Hitchcock; starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly)

I hadn't watched this beginning to end in years. Not the best of '50s Hitchcock, but possibly the most charming. In the focus on crime as a central part of Hitch's work, we miss that a few of his movies are very near to romcoms, and this might be the best of those. It also feels like, along with _North by Northwest_, a template for the early James Bond movies, especially the location shooting -- some beautiful footage along the Riviera -- and the car chase scene.

John Robie, a.k.a. The Cat, is a former jewel thief who retired to France after serving in the Resistance during the war. A series of new thefts puts the police on his tail and he has to find the culprit who is imitating his style. Could it be some of the members of his old Resistance unit?

The age difference between Grant and Kelly seems to put off some contemporary viewers, but for those who can shrug that off, this is Grant at his suavest, still trim, with his background as an acrobat lending an athleticism to his movements that makes him credible as a wall-climbing, roof hopping thief. Note that Jessie Royce Landis who plays Kelly's mother in this later played Grant's mother in _North by Northwest_; she was only eight years older than Grant.


----------



## Jeffbert

*FARGO* (1996) The shredder was tiny; a really big one was in *TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL*.


----------



## KGeo777

Rasputin the Mad Monk 1966 - Although a loosely historical film it is influenced by Svengali--there is even a scene that copies one from the 1931 film where Svengali is looking out a window at a sleeping victim. I have yet to see the Conrad Veidt version of Rasputin but Lee is my favorite of the ones I have seen (Tom Baker was very good in a godawful film made a few years after this but Alan Rickman was too restrained-emo in a tv version). This provided Lee with a rare starring role. It feels more like a filmed stage play but I enjoy it and like to revisit it jsut for the old-fashioned performances without any bells or whistles.  You have to marvel at the fact that they filmed Dracula-Prince of Darkness at the same time. Talk about efficiency. Hammer films have a tendency to end rather abruptly-and this is an example. It seems to me that an appearance by Vanessa was logical at the end--she would walk in and find her brother there. Her role in the story is left without closure.

The commentary track for this film is funny because Lee keeps talking about history and it is so boring. The other participants in the commentary have little chance to contribute.


----------



## Av Demeisen

*Studio 666* 
"Legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album."


----------



## Jeffbert

*LAWRENCE OF ARABIA* (1962) Because I had seen this once, I wanted to revisit only one scene: the Quicksand scene. I found it rather emotionally intense.

The one guy, who was separated from the other two, because of the sandstorm, is leading his camel, and steps in the wrong spot, the camel also, but was able to step out. The poor guy takes too long to realize he is in trouble, releases his grip on the reins, and calls out for help, already too late. His brother (I assume) runs and Lawrence, realizing there is no way to tell where the QS begins runs after him and tackles him, just a few feet from the sinking guy. L tosses  a rope to the guy, who grabs it, but he cannot hold on.

I am certain that buoyancy should keep the guy from going under, unless he had been weighted-down by weapons and equipment. That is, if it is wet QS. If there is some other type naturally occurring in the desert, dry QS, he would have been gone before he knew he was going. Grain elevators can be dry QS, given the grain is very deep, & the object placed atop the grain goes bye-bye very rapidly. Ball pits are dry QS, but obviously not dangerous.

So, anyway, strangely, once the guy was in, up to his armpits, his descent was much more rapid; I think this strange. In fact, at that depth, descent should have been slower.

This is one reason why I prefer to keep to the pavement.


----------



## CupofJoe

Jeffbert said:


> *LAWRENCE OF ARABIA* (1962) Because I had seen this once, I wanted to revisit only one scene: the Quicksand scene. I found it rather emotionally intense.
> 
> The one guy, who was separated from the other two, because of the sandstorm, is leading his camel, and steps in the wrong spot, the camel also, but was able to step out. The poor guy takes too long to realize he is in trouble, releases his grip on the reins, and calls out for help, already too late. His brother (I assume) runs and Lawrence, realizing there is no way to tell where the QS begins runs after him and tackles him, just a few feet from the sinking guy. L tosses  a rope to the guy, who grabs it, but he cannot hold on.
> 
> I am certain that buoyancy should keep the guy from going under, unless he had been weighted-down by weapons and equipment. That is, if it is wet QS. If there is some other type naturally occurring in the desert, dry QS, he would have been gone before he knew he was going. Grain elevators can be dry QS, given the grain is very deep, & the object placed atop the grain goes bye-bye very rapidly. Ball pits are dry QS, but obviously not dangerous.
> 
> So, anyway, strangely, once the guy was in, up to his armpits, his descent was much more rapid; I think this strange. In fact, at that depth, descent should have been slower.
> 
> This is one reason why I prefer to keep to the pavement.


I was lucky enough to see this in a restored 70mm on a HUGE screen. Then I understood the meaning of the word "Epic"


----------



## AE35Unit

*Stargate, the Ark of Truth *
A direct to DVD movie conclusion of Stargate SG1


----------



## JunkMonkey

I started to watch *Call Girl of Chuthulu * last night but luckily, before the opening credits had finished, the few firing neurons left in my brain  after a slog of a day fired "Are you f**king serious?" messages at  the 'Go To Bed. You Moron' department of my subconscious and I switched it off.  

And went to bed.


----------



## KGeo777

The White Spider 1963 - Krimi film. I am going to learn German and Italian by the time I am done watching so many subtitled films. I hate it because I can't concentrate on the faces when I have to read the bottom of the screen.

From Istanbul, Orders to Kill 1965 -- Really bad cheapo spy movie sold to television in the US. So boring. I suppose the last few minutes with a goofy hitman who reminded me of Michael Gough was somewhat diverting for the bad acting but it was so awful I had to fast forward which I rarely do.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Battle in Outer Space *(_Uchû sai sensô_, "The Great Space War," 1959)

Early Japanese space opera.  Really nifty miniatures and beautiful color cinematography in support of a juvenile, simplistic plot.  In the far off future year of 1965, aliens attack a Japanese space station and do all kinds of havoc on Earth.  They are able to reverse gravity, although this power is mysteriously never used again after the opening sequence.  (Some bad science here.  It seems that gravity is caused by the movement of atoms, so freezing things to absolute zero reverses gravity.  There's later silliness about gravity during spaceflight, when one astronaut goes flying around but everybody else moves normally, and we even see small objects resting on tables.)  They can also control human minds, and make use of this power to sabotage and destroy one of the two spaceships sent to the Moon to attack the alien base, but they also eventually stop using this ability and just blast cities on Earth.  Most of the movie consists of the humans and aliens zapping each other.  Nice to look at, if brainless.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*It's a Small World *(1950)

Before he became famous for gimmicky horror films, William Castle co-wrote and directed this drama about a midget.  It follows his life from finding out about his condition as an adolescent, to leaving home for a carnival, to becoming a successful shoeshine guy, to being talked into becoming part of a pickpocket gang by the film's _femme fatale_, to finally finding happiness in the circus, singing the title song, and marrying another midget.  A real oddity.


----------



## KGeo777

The Carey Treatment 1972 --released 50 years ago yesterday. Who cares right? This movie has quite a pedigree, Blake Edwards, James Coburn, a larger than normal part for James Hong, and yet it just isn't very memorable. Too many scenes that are kind of dead weight.  It services, that is about it. Once is enough, and I have seen it twice.
In fact, my mind was wondering to the miscasting thread and wondered how James Coburn would have done if he was Spock.


----------



## hitmouse

*Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women* (1968). Prime.

This is a very peculiar film. I was expecting something camp and silly along the lines of Cat Women on the Moon or one of those old Zza Zza Gabor movies, but this is not one of those.

Quite distinctive style, odd and sombre mood and pacing. Atmospheric and mildly affecting if you are in the right mood. Basically a (quite good) old-style rocketship movie plus some odd hippy beach stuff.

An expedition to Venus is lost, so a rescue mission is sent out. Venus is a barren misty world with some rather ineffective man eating monsters in rubber godzilla suits, smoke machines, and a lot of beach. On the beach are late 1960s telepathic blond-haired Californian mermaid types (Mamie van Doren and pals) wearing clam shells for modesty. They wonder around and frolic in the sea, and repose on the rocks by the surf, never actually speaking, communicate in voice-over. They sense the earthmen as a threat (the earthmen kill a rubber pterodactyl the ladies worship as a god) and invoke a volcanic eruption and a deluge to kill the earthmen, who blast off in the nick of time. The mermaids and the earthmen never actually meet, but one of the men falls psychically in love with one of the women, and there is an undertone of longing in the narration.

This was so strange that I looked it up. Turns out the spaceship/explorer side of the movie was Russian, and it was spliced to the mermaid shots, which were filmed in California. Explains why the boys never meet the girls and why the rockets have red stars on their fins. A slightly hokey script ties the picture together. The male actors are dubbed, and the main narration is by Peter Bogdanovich.

The early spaceship scenes are well shot, and look like cover pics from some of the higher quality 50s & 60s SF magazines.

Interesting and worth a watch.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Game *AKA *The Cold *(1984)

Ultra-cheap would-be horror/thriller.  A narrator explains the setup in rhyming couplets!  Three millionaires offer some young folks one million bucks to get scared.  Hallowe'en-style stuff follows; tons of dry ice fog, fake skeletons, tarantulas, an *Alien*-style monster head popping out of a bed, etc.  There's somebody skulking around in the form of an old horror movie hunchback.  A couple of folks get locked in a sauna that gets really cold, one woman gets tied to a chair and forced to play Russian roulette.  Folks disappear and seem to have been killed, one of the millionaires get shot by one of the players.  Near the end it's all explained as a joke; everybody is fine.  Then we get some inexplicable twist endings.  The missing folks don't show up, the millionaires get frozen to death, somebody in a pretty decent ghost costume shows up.  Then, as the final meaningless twist, the millionaires turn out to be fine.  It's a real mess, with poor acting, endless scenes of empty corridors, and, weirdly, Scott Joplin ragtime tunes on the soundtrack.  The millionaires have a habit of bursting into song now and then, belting out "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work We Go" and "Jimmy Crack Corn" and "Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go Out in the Noonday Sun."


----------



## Randy M.

_*Those Who Wish Me Dead*_ (2021; dir. Taylor Sheridan; starring Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal)

If you enjoy Jolie, then that might be reason enough to watch this, though she's much better than the material here. But the movie grossly simplifies a much more complex and intriguing story in the book of the same title by Michael Koryta (who was one of the scriptwriters here), focusing on action -- kid running from assassins in the midst of a huge forest fire -- rather than anything that is actually suspenseful. It's a shame. A film of the story in the book would have been more engaging.


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> *Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women* (1968). Prime.
> 
> This is a very peculiar film. I was expecting something camp and silly along the lines of Cat Women on the Moon or one of those old Zza Zza Gabor movies, but this is not one of those.
> 
> Quite distinctive style, odd and sombre mood and pacing. Atmospheric and mildly affecting if you are in the right mood. Basically a (quite good) old-style rocketship movie plus some odd hippy beach stuff.
> 
> An expedition to Venus is lost, so a rescue mission is sent out. Venus is a barren misty world with some rather ineffective man eating monsters in rubber godzilla suits, smoke machines, and a lot of beach. On the beach are late 1960s telepathic blond-haired Californian mermaid types (Mamie van Doren and pals) wearing clam shells for modesty. They wonder around and frolic in the sea, and repose on the rocks by the surf, never actually speaking, communicate in voice-over. They sense the earthmen as a threat (the earthmen kill a rubber pterodactyl the ladies worship as a god) and invoke a volcanic eruption and a deluge to kill the earthmen, who blast off in the nick of time. The mermaids and the earthmen never actually meet, but one of the men falls psychically in love with one of the women, and there is an undertone of longing in the narration.
> 
> This was so strange that I looked it up. Turns out the spaceship/explorer side of the movie was Russian, and it was spliced to the mermaid shots, which were filmed in California. Explains why the boys never meet the girls and why the rockets have red stars on their fins. A slightly hokey script ties the picture together. The male actors are dubbed, and the main narration is by Peter Bogdanovich.
> 
> The early spaceship scenes are well shot, and look like cover pics from some of the higher quality 50s & 60s SF magazines.
> 
> Interesting and worth a watch.



This was Corman's second edit of  Planeta Bur.  The first, Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, had (if I remember rightly) a heroic performance  from Basil Rathbone reading his script off his scientist character's clipboard.  I think I'm also right in saying he sued the production company for not providing him with his lunches as called for in his contract.

The original is 









						Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## dask

Hollywood biography of Polish born composer Frédéric Chopin whose rise to prominence in early 19th Century Paris creates tension between his mistress, George Sand, and his love for his homeland. Enjoyable if not quite historically accurate with great music and great Oberon.


----------



## Zach777

Sounds interesting. Is it on Netflix by chance?

The Last Movie I saw was the new Batman movie. One of the best Batman movies in my opinion.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Stargate:Continuum *2008, the second direct to DVD series sequel film.


----------



## dask

Zach777 said:


> Sounds interesting. Is it on Netflix by chance?
> 
> The Last Movie I saw was the new Batman movie. One of the best Batman movies in my opinion.


Not sure. It was in a set of 20 musicals I ordered from Amazon.


----------



## Astro Pen

Just watched the Tolkein (2019) biopic. Damp tissues all round.


----------



## REBerg

*Moonshot*
Cute. More rom-com than sci-fi.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Spaceways *(1953)

A man's wife and her lover disappear in such a way that he is suspected of murder, so he has to prove his innocence.

Wait a minute; isn't this supposed to be a science fiction movie?

Well, yes.  It seems that the suspect is part of a secret project to send the first satellite into orbit.  When the object doesn't fly quite as high as intended, it's suggested that he removed some of its fuel and replaced it with the bodies of the vanished pair.  To disprove this hypothesis, he goes up to the satellite in another rocket.  Along for the ride, sneaking on board in place of the guy who was supposed to go with the suspect, is the pretty female mathematician with whom he's having a romance.  The audience already knows that the wife and lover ran off together, and that the man is a spy for the Reds.  When she objects to this, he shoots her.

Much more of a soap opera, murder mystery, and espionage thriller than a space movie, this modest little film is an earnest attempt, with reasonably accurate science, but rather lifeless.  Being based on a radio play probably has something to do with that.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Spaceways *(1953)
> 
> A man's wife and her lover disappear in such a way that he is suspected of murder, so he has to prove his innocence.
> 
> Wait a minute; isn't this supposed to be a science fiction movie?
> 
> Well, yes.  It seems that the suspect is part of a secret project to send the first satellite into orbit.  When the object doesn't fly quite as high as intended, it's suggested that he removed some of its fuel and replaced it with the bodies of the vanished pair.  To disprove this hypothesis, he goes up to the satellite in another rocket.  Along for the ride, sneaking on board in place of the guy who was supposed to go with the suspect, is the pretty female mathematician with whom he's having a romance.  The audience already knows that the wife and lover ran off together, and that the man is a spy for the Reds.  When she objects to this, he shoots her.
> 
> Much more of a soap opera, murder mystery, and espionage thriller than a space movie, this modest little film is an earnest attempt, with reasonably accurate science, but rather lifeless.  Being based on a radio play probably has something to do with that.



And it got novelised.  





I have (or had) a copy.... somewhere.... in this guddle of a house. I've never read it.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> By an odd, happy coincidence I just happened to have a copy of the 1930 Production Code readily to hand - so read it all the way through.  Not the most exciting thing I have ever read in the bath but it is pretty short.  The only mention of pregnancy and childbirth comes in Section 2: item 8
> "Scenes of actual childbirth, in fact or in silhouette, are never to be presented."
> 
> And that's it.  So no, baby bumps weren't explicitly banned under the code but probably fell under one of the various exhortations to "good taste and decency" that litter the thing.
> 
> I've never actually read it through before.  It's fascinating stuff.
> 
> 
> *Section XII  Repellent Subjects*
> 
> The following subjects should be treated within the careful limits of good taste.
> 
> 1. Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishments for crimes.
> 2. Third-degree methods.
> 3. Brutality and possible gruesomeness.
> 
> 
> Took me ages to work out that "Third degree methods" almost certainly meant police officers beating the crap out of suspects to get a confession.  but "_possible_ gruesomeness"?


Oh, I forgot the main violation in the film *STAGECOACH*:
John Wayne's character was expected to be returned to prison, but, not only was that forgotten, he was allowed to take revenge on those who had killed his relatives. So, he, & the lady of the night, ride away to his ranch in Mexico. 





hitmouse said:


> *Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women* (1968). Prime.
> 
> This is a very peculiar film. I was expecting something camp and silly along the lines of Cat Women on the Moon or one of those old Zza Zza Gabor movies, but this is not one of those.
> 
> Quite distinctive style, odd and sombre mood and pacing. Atmospheric and mildly affecting if you are in the right mood. Basically a (quite good) old-style rocketship movie plus some odd hippy beach stuff.
> 
> An expedition to Venus is lost, so a rescue mission is sent out. Venus is a barren misty world with some rather ineffective man eating monsters in rubber godzilla suits, smoke machines, and a lot of beach. On the beach are late 1960s telepathic blond-haired Californian mermaid types (Mamie van Doren and pals) wearing clam shells for modesty. They wonder around and frolic in the sea, and repose on the rocks by the surf, never actually speaking, communicate in voice-over. They sense the earthmen as a threat (the earthmen kill a rubber pterodactyl the ladies worship as a god) and invoke a volcanic eruption and a deluge to kill the earthmen, who blast off in the nick of time. The mermaids and the earthmen never actually meet, but one of the men falls psychically in love with one of the women, and there is an undertone of longing in the narration.
> 
> This was so strange that I looked it up. Turns out the spaceship/explorer side of the movie was Russian, and it was spliced to the mermaid shots, which were filmed in California. Explains why the boys never meet the girls and why the rockets have red stars on their fins. A slightly hokey script ties the picture together. The male actors are dubbed, and the main narration is by Peter Bogdanovich.
> 
> The early spaceship scenes are well shot, and look like cover pics from some of the higher quality 50s & 60s SF magazines.
> 
> Interesting and worth a watch.


This was the 2nd dubbed & rewritten version of *PLANET OF THE STORMS*, which was made in the USSR, etc. The 3rd one, I cannot recall its name, & the wiki page does not mention it, has the robot as a pimp & the dubbing is rather naughty. Also, a clip from a military film about VD was included  

Oh, that robot was really cool! he had articulated toes! The coolest voice, etc. Simply the best 1950s movie robot imho. 

The scene of the robot attempting to relieve himself of the weight of the two cosmonauts because his feet were hot, standing in the lava would have made a nice animated gif avatar.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Brain Twisters* - While looking for another film in one of the innumerable movie box sets I own, I got diverted by a typo.  On the box it claimed this film was called 'Brian Twisters'.  So instead of Pabst's  strange, slow, exoticly weird, 1932 masterpiece _ L'Atlantide _about which I had been enthusing to my daughter and had been looking for - we watched a crappy 1991 SF thriller in which Evil Corp (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mega-Bastards Inc. ) experiments in creating mind-warping subliminal messages which turn people into psychotic killers. About ten pages of highly-predictable script stretched to 90 minutes by the simple directorial decision to have everyone act as slowly as possible.  As I noted in my film diary last time I watched it (I had only the fuzziest memory of having watched it.) 

"Notable only for the incredibly slow pace at which everything happens. Everything. Establishing shots take an age to establish. People deliver their lines slowly to other people who wait a long time before replying. People walk slowly to places, find something uninteresting, and then walk slowly back to where they came from. It's like watching a film shot in a vat of treacle. Very odd. sh*t but odd. "


----------



## KGeo777

The Magnificent Texan - 1968  - It wasn't very magnificent to be honest.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Invasion From Inner Earth *(1974)

Unbelievably cheap and incoherent and content-free mess of a film.  Starts with random images of people running, red smoke, a close-up of an eye, etc.  The music under the opening titles is a blatant rip-off of the famous theme from *The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly *played on a cheap electronic organ.  

What little plot there is involves a guy, his sister, and some vaguely scientific guys stuck in a cabin in the far north of Canada.  (The role of Manitoba is played by Wisconsin.)  The three science types tried to fly back to civilization, but the one guy who operates the airport told theM to stay away because everybody was dying, just before he keeled over himself.  Lots of talking in the cabin follows.  Red lights appear, obviously done by somebody off-camera with a flashlight.  The one person they reach on the shortwave radio talks in a monotone, in the style of somebody pretending to be a robot.  

The endless cabin scenes are intercut with odd stuff like UFO cult types on a talk show that, weirdly, is said to be broadcast after the sermonette and test pattern.  A guy broadcasting from a radio station that only plays Dixieland jazz slowly goes nuts when he can't reach anybody.  A drunk in a bar does something or other.  One of the science guys, who up to now has been our excruciating comedy relief, offers his insane theory about what's going on.  You see, Mars used to be really close to Earth, so the Martians went underground and are now emerging.  One of the cabin guys finds a snowmobile, rides around, and a red light makes him vanish.  

At the jaw-droppingly bizarre conclusion, the sister and the guy with the insane theory are walking in the snow, when they suddenly change into little kids wearing only loincloths walking through sunny fields of flowers.  An atrocious film, tolerable only for the fascination of its ineptitude and irrationality.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Invasion From Inner Earth *(1974)
> 
> Unbelievably cheap and incoherent and content-free mess of a film.  Starts with random images of people running, red smoke, a close-up of an eye, etc.  The music under the opening titles is a blatant rip-off of the famous theme from *The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly *played on a cheap electronic organ.
> 
> What little plot there is involves a guy, his sister, and some vaguely scientific guys stuck in a cabin in the far north of Canada.  (The role of Manitoba is played by Wisconsin.)  The three science types tried to fly back to civilization, but the one guy who operates the airport told theM to stay away because everybody was dying, just before he keeled over himself.  Lots of talking in the cabin follows.  Red lights appear, obviously done by somebody off-camera with a flashlight.  The one person they reach on the shortwave radio talks in a monotone, in the style of somebody pretending to be a robot.
> 
> The endless cabin scenes are intercut with odd stuff like UFO cult types on a talk show that, weirdly, is said to be broadcast after the sermonette and test pattern.  A guy broadcasting from a radio station that only plays Dixieland jazz slowly goes nuts when he can't reach anybody.  A drunk in a bar does something or other.  One of the science guys, who up to now has been our excruciating comedy relief, offers his insane theory about what's going on.  You see, Mars used to be really close to Earth, so the Martians went underground and are now emerging.  One of the cabin guys finds a snowmobile, rides around, and a red light makes him vanish.
> 
> At the jaw-droppingly bizarre conclusion, the sister and the guy with the insane theory are walking in the snow, when they suddenly change into little kids wearing only loincloths walking through sunny fields of flowers.  An atrocious film, tolerable only for the fascination of its ineptitude and irrationality.




One of those films I can honestly say I never want to watch again.  As you said, 'atrocious'.  I developed the idea that the incoherent soundtrack was a concert recording of John Cage's Music for Radios.


----------



## dask




----------



## Jeffbert

*CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS* (1966) Czech film about a train station during WWII, and one young man who is wanting his 1st sexual conquest.  The guys who work there have finally had enough of the Nazis, & are planning to destroy a trainload of ammunition.



Spoiler



Everything happens all at once when a teenage or young adult woman's mother discovers train station stamped inked marks on her hind-end, and takes her to the local authorities, demanding action against her partner. They call in their superiors, who are the Germans, so they arrive just as the sabotage is about to occur. They are upset about the misuse of their language, stamped on the girl's leg and rump.



It must be a comedy, though not really much like English language ones. The humor was subtle.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Mondo Balordo* AKA *A Fool's World *(1964)

One of the many Italian "mondo" films, consisting of random, and frequently faked, documentary footage.  This one has stuff like a midget rock 'n' roll singer, an elephant hunt, a Las Vegas beauty contest, the Berlin Wall, a riot at a soccer game, a twenty-four-year old prostitute marrying an eighty-one year old man, bondage models, a transvestite singer, a lesbian nightclub, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Notable only for the fact that it's narrated by Boris Karloff, who seems amused by the stuff he's been paid to say.


----------



## KGeo777

Take the Hard Ride 1975 -- late spaghetti western with a blaxploitation angle (Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly) directed by Antonio Margheriti who provides some impressive miniature fx work towards the end of it. But it feels dispassionate and paint by numbers despite nice locations and a Goldsmith score.


----------



## Rodders

I finally saw Villeneuve’s Dune. Very enjoyable, but I think it made me appreciate David Lynch’s Dune a little more.

Matrix: Resurrections. I struggled with this movie and thought it a bit silly.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Hidden City*

A hidden gem I found tucked away on BritBox starring a young Charles Dance. Back when Channel 4 made really great movies, it's a cross between Edge of Darkness, The Game and Neverwhere. It's described as a 'political thriller', but it is so much more than that. Very surreal film, and even after watching it I'm still not sure that I fully understand it.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Pet Sematary *(1989)
The original, far better than the remake. Quite close to the book too. And Stephen King has a cameo in it as a vicar at the graveyard  with coke bottle glasses.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CAST A DARK SHADOW* (1955) NOIR ALLEY; Young guy marries older women for their money, and murders them, hoping for all of it. The ending is very satisfying!  

Edward Bare (Dirk Bogarde) insists that his much older than himself wife not make a new will leaving all her money to him, only because he expects he will get it anyway, because of the law, etc. Too bad he did not know she already had a will, in which she left him nothing but the mansion, leaving the money to her sister. If at 1st you don't succeed, try again, so he does.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Planet of Dinosaurs *(1977)

A toy spaceship blows up, and a handful of survivors escape on a shuttlecraft, only to crash land on the PLANET OF DINOSAURS.  Besides the crew, we've got an obnoxious business executive and his secretary.  Given that she wears a low-cut tank top and pants that are slit on both sides and worn far below her belly button, I suspect her duties involve more than typing and dictation.  The crew are a pretty bland bunch.  Most memorable are a muscular guy who remains shirtless throughout the film, the only female crewmember who wears a _Star Trek_ style minidress instead of pants, and a big guy with a heavy black beard.  The latter is our no-nonsense survivalist character, arguing with the captain as to whether they should remain in a place of relative safety or go out and hunt down the dinosaurs.

Oh, yes, the dinosaurs.  They're done through really excellent stop-motion animation, and are by far the best thing in the film.  They make the rest of the movie look even worse than it is.  The plot is pretty much the people wandering around, alternating with dinosaur attacks.  The only suspense is which person is going to be killed next.  Besides this, there's stuff like the drinking of "fermented berry juice" followed by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" and the secretary doing a belly dancing routine she calls the Dance of Desire. 

A brief end scene, set some years later -- the big guy now has a gray beard, and there's a toddler running around -- reveals that the folks who didn't get eaten by dinosaurs have settled into their new home.

Cheaply made, badly scripted, and poorly acted, only the fine stop-motion animation (which, the story goes, took almost all the modest budget) makes it worth a look.


----------



## Parson

*Coda* on Apple+ --- This is a really good movie. I loved the plot which revolved around a family of deaf people with a hearing daughter. It dealt with family expectations, obligations, and opportunities. It was really nice to see a movie where all of the main characters obviously love one another even though they all have flaws. One of the best I've ever seen. 5 stars for sure!

But one thing really bothered me, and I'm sure would cause some people to hate the movie. The deaf father in the story, and to some degree all of the deaf people in the story, seem to have a serious case of only expressing themselves in a vulgar manner. I can't see why it was necessary for the plot. And if I were deaf I think I would be offended that the hearing world might have the idea that deaf people spoke mostly in vulgarities.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Short Night of Glass Dolls *(_La Corta notte delle bambole di vetro_, 1971)

Tense Italian thriller that feels like a _giallo _mixed with elements of the supernatural and a bit of Cold War drama.  Begins with the discovery of what seems to be a dead man, but it's actually our protagonist, fully conscious but in a death-like state.  He winds up in the morgue, but his physician friend tries desperately to revive him, even though his heart hasn't been beating for several hours.  The suspense as to whether he'll be revived or not lasts until the very end.

(You may be skeptical at this point about the film's medical accuracy.  Fully conscious but no heartbeat for hours?  The touch of the supernatural, also not revealed until near the end, may explain his weird condition.)

Alternating with these scenes are flashbacks as to how this fellow got into this situation.  He's an American journalist in Prague, ready to help his Czech girlfriend (Bond girl Barbara Bach) out of the country.  She vanishes without a trace, so he begins his own investigation.  Some of this seems like spy movie stuff; meeting an informant in the middle of the night who is killed before he can talk, etc.  Our hero finds out that young women have disappeared several times over the years.  It all leads up to a place called Klub 99, where older folks listen to classical music; but much more is going on.

The film lacks the gore and sex of the typical _giallo,_ and even the bright colors associated with the genre.  It takes the time to build suspense rather than offering shocks.  I'm not sure I fully understood all the implications of the climax, but it continues to haunt me.  Recommended.


----------



## KGeo777

Shorty


Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Short Night of Glass Dolls *(_La Corta notte delle bambole di vetro_, 1971)


It does stick in the memory.
Good location too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Psychotronic Man *(1979)

A hard-drinking Chicago barber goes for a drive way out in the country, takes a nap in his car, and wakes up to find it's floating in the air surrounded by glowing blue smoke.  He goes home and visits a doctor for headaches.  On another trip out on Old Orchard Road, he runs into an old codger who tells him that weird things have been going on around there.  In the old guy's cabin, he offers the barber some coffee, to which the barber responds angrily, revealing his telekinetic ability to kill the old fellow with his mind.  The old guy uses his shot gun on the barber, but just leaves powder burns.

The doctor reads a newspaper story about the killing and realizes that the barber told him about being on Old Orchard Road.  Apparently this is enough to make the doctor call the cops.  Before they show up, the barber visits him to treat the powder burns.  Chalk up our next victim.

What follows is an extended car and foot chase, ending with the barber shot down from the top a building, but disappearing, apparently teleporting elsewhere unharmed.

Lots of questions.  Did the blue smoke cause the psychic powers, or was it the result of them?  Are the psychic powers the causes or the result of heavy drinking and headaches?  What are the "weird things" the old guy mentioned?  

It's an odd film, more of a police story than an ESP yarn.  Made on a modest budget, with location shooting in Chicago done without a permit.  Time is filled up with the married barber's girlfriend smooching on him.  There's a government agent hanging around who says that the barber is vital to national defense.  There's an expert on parapsychology who tells the Irish-accented police detective what the word "psychotronic" means.  There are long driving scenes with the barber listening to country music on the radio, in contrast to disco dancing in another scene.  

A modest effort, not particularly good or bad.


----------



## alexvss

*Akira (1988)* for the thousandth time. It's amazing how it just keeps better and better after every rewatch.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Robot Monster *- MST3K - with Number One Son.  There were giggles.  "I am surrounded by idiots of my own creation!"


----------



## Dave Vicks

DOC HOLLYWOOD.


----------



## Zach777

alexvss said:


> *Akira (1988)* for the thousandth time. It's amazing how it just keeps better and better after every rewatch.


I've really wanted to watch this after seeing a couple videos on YouTube about it. Sounds and looks pretty interesting. 

Last movie I saw was *Princess Mononoke*. It's such a great movie.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Schizoid* (1980)
> 
> An advice columnist for a newspaper gets anonymous letters threatening her life. Meanwhile, some of the women in her therapy group get murdered with scissors. Could the two events be related? Tons of suspects and red herrings abound. In particular, there's Klaus Kinski as the leader of the therapy group, who seems to be having affairs with most of his female patients. For one thing, he's Klaus Kinski. For another, he has a very uneasy relationship with his teenage daughter, who is seriously disturbed by the death of her mother some time ago. The best scene in the film is when she puts on her mother's clothing, jewelry, and makeup as her father has a dinner date with the advice columnist. Most of the rest of the movie is forgettable. Notable for a really lousy synthesizer soundtrack.



Couldn't recall if I'd written this up after watching it a while back. But look! I don't have to!

The only things I'd add are the relationship between Kinski's therapist and his daughter is ... not sure I have a word for it. Creepy? Yes, but worse. Squicky? Severely unpleasant? Deeply indicative of familial dysfunction? Yeah. All that. And communicated mostly through disjointed conversations and challenging gazes.

Also, this movie has a pre-Taxi appearance by Christopher Lloyd. I suspect he doesn't highlight this one on his resume.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Miseducation of Cameron Post* [2018 - based on the 2012 novel of the same name]
This is a film about young people dealing with their sexuality and identity in all it's forms.
It is a deliberately slow and [I felt] ambiguous film. 
A young woman [Cameron Post] is sent to a "Conversion Camp". There she meets others who are all like her in some ways and yet very different on their own. Each deal with their personal situation in their own way. Some thrive and adapt. Others do not. The story unwinds slowly as you get to know those around through Cameron's eyes. 
It isn't an easy watch at times, just actors making the most of their roles. And they are very believable.
You can leave the film thinking that some people are right in their actions but I can't say I thought there was anyone bad, let alone evil. It is just their reality/beliefs are different from those around them. For me it was more about hypocrisy and difference.
The ending is a bit of an anti-climax. The film sort of peters out. There is no grand face-off or active conflict. There is hope in the future but the events that put them at the camp haven't changed. There are still challengers facing them.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Planet of Dinosaurs *(1977)
> 
> A toy spaceship blows up, and a handful of survivors escape on a shuttlecraft, only to crash land on the PLANET OF DINOSAURS.  Besides the crew, we've got an obnoxious business executive and his secretary.  Given that she wears a low-cut tank top and pants that are slit on both sides and worn far below her belly button, I suspect her duties involve more than typing and dictation.  The crew are a pretty bland bunch.  Most memorable are a muscular guy who remains shirtless throughout the film, the only female crewmember who wears a _Star Trek_ style minidress instead of pants, and a big guy with a heavy black beard.  The latter is our no-nonsense survivalist character, arguing with the captain as to whether they should remain in a place of relative safety or go out and hunt down the dinosaurs.
> 
> Oh, yes, the dinosaurs.  They're done through really excellent stop-motion animation, and are by far the best thing in the film.  They make the rest of the movie look even worse than it is.  The plot is pretty much the people wandering around, alternating with dinosaur attacks.  The only suspense is which person is going to be killed next.  Besides this, there's stuff like the drinking of "fermented berry juice" followed by the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" and the secretary doing a belly dancing routine she calls the Dance of Desire.
> 
> A brief end scene, set some years later -- the big guy now has a gray beard, and there's a toddler running around -- reveals that the folks who didn't get eaten by dinosaurs have settled into their new home.
> 
> Cheaply made, badly scripted, and poorly acted, only the fine stop-motion animation (which, the story goes, took almost all the modest budget) makes it worth a look.


Hmm, seems like something I might like.


_*THE THIEF OF BAGDAD *_(1940)  What a villain Veidt makes! 
Grand Visier Jaffar convinces the young naive Sultan Ahmad (John Justin) to disguise himself and go among his people to see what their lives are really like. Soon after the two are among the masses, Jaffar betrays Ahmad, and has him thrown into the dungeon. Now Jaffer is master of Baghdad, but he has just started his villainy. 

*Arabian Nights* did have this element several times, but I do not recall the Vizier betraying the Sultan. I have read two translations, & always enjoyed it. 

A wild ride, and thoroughly enjoyable!


----------



## Toby Frost

Has there ever been a grand vizier who wasn't up to something?


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Disney's _Tomorrowland_
 - a bit of a mess, but not bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Password:  Kill Agent Gordon *(_Password: Uccidete agente Gordon_, 1966)

I hope you like the opening song for this Italian/Spanish Eurospy flick, because you'll be hearing variations on the melody throughout much of the film.  Sung by a nightclub performer, played on the piano in a cocktail lounge, or just heard on the soundtrack, the catchy little number is likely to stay with you, right from the start, when it's blasted out in Shirley Bassey singing "Goldfinger" fashion.

_Play to win!
Whatever game you play!
You play to win!
No man, no woman will stand in your way!_

The confusing plot has something to do with European arms being smuggled to the Viet Cong and a cigarette lighter containing microfilm with details of the plan.  In typical globe-hopping fashion, Agent Gordon follows the trail from Paris to Tripoli to Madrid.  The smugglers use a dance company as their cover story.  

Our hero gets information from one of the sexy dancers (exploitation movie favorite Rosalba Neri, best known to me for playing the title role in *Lady Frankenstein*) by tying her up and tickling her feet.  The following dialogue ensues.

_You don't know anything about anything!

Well, I'm only a woman, after all._

She falls for him, of course, spying on the Evil Choreographer and getting stabbed to death (off screen) in the bathtub, _giallo_ style, for her help.

What we have here are a whole bunch of fistfights, as if this were a Republic serial, along with car chases, gunfights, etc.  Notable among the spy gadgets are a walking stick with a radio, an umbrella that acts as a spear gun, and a lipstick case that shoots out a laser beam.  (Hilariously, this is depicted as a series of little white dashes drawn on the film.)  There's a sexy Soviet agent who seems to be working for the bad guys but who joins forces with Agent Gordon for some reason.  The main villain is a woman in a wheelchair, who not only doesn't need it, but who turns out to be a man in drag.  

All in all, not a particularly distinguished example of the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Daughters of Darkness *(1971)

If Stanley Kubrick had made a lesbian vampire movie, it would have looked a lot like this Belgian art film, I believe.  Every shot is gorgeous to look at, with striking use of light and color.

A newlywed couple is stuck at a fancy seaside hotel.  (The groom is played by John Karlen, best known to me as the servant of vampire Barnabas Collins in the soap opera _Dark Shadows_, adding a touch of irony.)  He's very reluctant to have his new bride meet his mother, for a reason we'll find out about an hour into the film, adding an interesting and unexpected twist to his character.  he also displays an unhealthy interest in a series of murders of young women not too far away, their bodies drained of blood.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory (claiming to be the descendent of the infamous woman of the same name) arrives with her secretary (better described as lover/slave.)  They seem to have stepped right out of the late 1920's/early 1930's.  (In fact, it's said that their appearances are deliberately based on Marlene Dietrich and Louise Brooks.)  The manager of the hotel remembers the Countess from forty years ago, and she hasn't changed a bit . . .

I won't say anything else about the plot, except to note that you won't see fangs or bats or any of the usual vampire stuff.  Delphine Seyrig is absolutely fascinating as the Countess (not to mention her stunning outfits.)  Highly recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Daughters of Darkness *(1971)
> 
> If Stanley Kubrick had made a lesbian vampire movie,



There are alternate universes where I'm sure he did nothing but.  (In the same universe Jess Franco made Full Metal Jacket in a car park in Rio de Janeiro and shot 2001 in his spare bedroom.)


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Daughters of Darkness *(1971)
> ...
> (The groom is played by John Karlen, best known to me as the servant of vampire Barnabas Collins in the soap opera _Dark Shadows_, adding a touch of irony.)


Funny, I best remember him as Lacey's husband in _Cagney & Lacey._


*SKYFALL* (2012; dir. Sam Mendes; starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomi Harris, Ralph Fiennes)

Probably the best cast ever stuffed into one Bond movie, given a better than average Bond story, and allowed to cut loose with the grand emotions the larger-than-life characters and action call for. 

Haven't seen the latest Bond yet, but I was reminded why I liked Craig. He offers a street-smart quality mixed with a sort of skewed moral code that doesn't preclude killing, but also doesn't necessarily allow for whole-sale slaughter of innocents; that's usually the province of his opponents. As with the best Bonds, the cinematography takes in stunning scenery, and this one adds a sort of elegiac tone that fits the ending. The other thing is whether it's the bantering with Harris, dickering with Dench, one-upsmanship with Ben Whishaw (the new Q) or exchanges with Bardem, Craig's chemistry with each is electric. There's hardly a false step in the movie and Bardem's Silva is maybe the best Bond villain since Gert Frobe's Goldfinger, certainly since Mads Mikkelsen' Le Chiffre.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Daughters of Darkness *(1971)
> 
> 
> A newlywed couple is stuck at a fancy seaside hotel.  (The groom is played by John Karlen, best known to me as the servant of vampire Barnabas Collins in the soap opera _Dark Shadows_, adding a touch of irony.)  He's very reluctant to have his new bride meet his mother, for a reason we'll find out about an hour into the film, adding an interesting and unexpected twist to his character.


There is a story that the director slapped one of the actresses and Karlen got furious and punched him.
I am wondering if the twist in the story was done as revenge against Karlen because there is nothing in his performance to suggest that twist was coming.  It was more comical in tone than the rest of the movie. Did Karlen know that was the twist when he signed up? I don't think so.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*PITFALL*_ (1948) John Forbes (Dick Powell), a husband and father who works in the insurance business becomes bored with it all, and has an affair with a woman Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott) he met when her boyfriend (Byron Barr) had given her things he had bought with embezzled  money.  

Complicating things, the private investigator MacDonald (Raymond Burr), who had worked on the case, also has eyes for her. A further complication is that her boyfriend Bill Smiley will soon be released from prison, and MacDonald had been manipulating him by visiting him and filling him with lies about Forbes and Stevens, who had long ago, ended their relationship.

NOIR ALLEY's reliable coverage once again gives the story behind the film, and it is almost as interesting as the film itself.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Daughters of Darkness *(1971)
> 
> If Stanley Kubrick had made a lesbian vampire movie, it would have looked a lot like this Belgian art film, I believe.  Every shot is gorgeous to look at, with striking use of light and color.
> 
> A newlywed couple is stuck at a fancy seaside hotel.  (The groom is played by John Karlen, best known to me as the servant of vampire Barnabas Collins in the soap opera _Dark Shadows_, adding a touch of irony.)  He's very reluctant to have his new bride meet his mother, for a reason we'll find out about an hour into the film, adding an interesting and unexpected twist to his character.  he also displays an unhealthy interest in a series of murders of young women not too far away, their bodies drained of blood.
> 
> Countess Elizabeth Bathory (claiming to be the descendent of the infamous woman of the same name) arrives with her secretary (better described as lover/slave.)  They seem to have stepped right out of the late 1920's/early 1930's.  (In fact, it's said that their appearances are deliberately based on Marlene Dietrich and Louise Brooks.)  The manager of the hotel remembers the Countess from forty years ago, and she hasn't changed a bit . . .
> 
> I won't say anything else about the plot, except to note that you won't see fangs or bats or any of the usual vampire stuff.  Delphine Seyrig is absolutely fascinating as the Countess (not to mention her stunning outfits.)  Highly recommended.




@Victoria Silverwolf THANK YOU!  I just watched this and was bowled over.  It's what Jess Franco and Jean Rollin and all those other trash eurotica directors thought they were doing - but got right.    It is _wonderful_.  As you said every shot is gorgeous and some of the editing is stunning.  The music is great and you are so right, Delphine Seyrig is absolutely fascinating as the Countess. Her girlfriend isn't bad either.  Thank you so much.


----------



## KGeo777

The first time I watched it, I thought of a certain 80s vampire movie which seemed to have the same plot (and ending).

I didn't recognize Seyrig but then remembered she was in The Day of the Jackal.

"I am enthralled by carbine harvesters. In fact, I yearn to have one as a pet."


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I watched *Force 10 From Navarone. *
They cleverly put Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford on footage of the original film. 8/10


----------



## Astro Pen

*One Hour Photo  *Terrible pacing and ambiguous ending but Robin Williams excels, playing straight, as a creepy print shop guy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Malpertuis* - from the same director as Daughters of Darkness - which, disappointingly, was a bit of a long rambling frustrating shambles.  I  cottoned on to the underlying allegory far too early for the mystery to carry the film and it went on for far too long.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Fatal Attraction (1987): This film filled me with dread, leaving me feeling as paranoid as Douglas's character. Glenn Close does a good job portraying a person who may well suffer from an extreme case of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976): I didn't enjoy this movie as much, but I did like the quality of it and the direction. Scary in parts, sometimes thrilling, but overall underwhelming for me.


----------



## KGeo777

The Liquidator  1965 -- Thanks to a Shirley Bassey title song it feels the most Bondian of the Eurospy films but it is a comedy. Most of the humor works though because it doesn't lay it on too thick and British humor of the 60s doesn't date like American film humor can.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE LAST EMPEROR*_ (1987) I had little idea that this was supposed to be historical or biographical, or even non-fiction, about a real man. Yet, given that the Chinese cooperated in the making of it, I must wonder, is it history or propaganda. So, they show the deposed E as a political prisoner, being coerced into writing his confession, while he denies the charges, then the flashback sequence, depicting what he had just denied.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE LAST EMPEROR*_ (1987)


I remember in the Siskel and Ebert review of it, the latter said he found happiness as a gardener in the palace. The message of the story was that he was better off as an anonymous worker.
Hollywood has had a romance with communism for a long time. Although China was used as a villain in the 1960s, there were still films that flattered the political system.* The Chairman* 1969 starring Gregory Peck is like that. What is bizarre about that film (beyond the US and the UK governments being presented as more sinister than their Russian and Chinese counterparts) is that it follows the plot of Planet of the Apes almost exactly. The same producer was behind it. Even the last shot of the movie--has Peck and a woman walking off in the distance.
There's a Forbidden Zone and the Lawgiver's scrolls (Mao's Little Red Book).


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> British humor of the 60s doesn't date like American film humor can.



Cough! splutter!  I guess you only got the good stuff exported.  Trust me there was a LOT of hideously awful British comedy made in the 60s that was outdated even as it was being made.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Cough! splutter!  I guess you only got the good stuff exported.  Trust me there was a LOT of hideously awful British comedy made in the 60s that was outdated even as it was being made.


Yeah we didn't get much -- Fawlty Towers, Benny Hill,  Dave Allen At Large, and the Two Ronnies.
I generally avoid comedy movies of any country but the UK spy comedies I have seen are better than the American equivalents I've watched.  Matt Helm and Flint for example. Lots of groans.


----------



## KGeo777

Carry On and On the Buses we also got over here.

They could have done a cross over

Carry On the Buses


----------



## worldofmutes

Watching The Postman, sitting on the couch with muh dad. We’re having a good time!  

Will report back later.


----------



## worldofmutes

JunkMonkey said:


> *Rams * (2015)- in a remote valley in Iceland, two bothers, sheep farmers working on the same land and living separate houses a couple of dozen meters apart, haven't talked to each other for 40 years.  They communicate, when they have to, by messages delivered by one of their dogs.  One of their rams gets scrapie (a horrible brain-rotting sheep disease) and every sheep in the valley has to be killed.  The film is very slow.  Very real.  And sometimes very funny. One of those films where you had no idea where the story was going to go. There are no subplots, or romantic interest.  Just two guys who hate each others guts facing up to the fact that their way of life is coming to an end.  I liked it.
> 
> There is, I have just discovered, an Australian remake. starring Sam Neill which from the look of the trailer has turned the story into an identikit feelgood 'quirky' comedy where everyone will know _exactly_ how the story will end from the start of the second act.


That sounds like a great movie!


----------



## Foxbat

Roger Corman’s Forbidden World (1982).
Essntially a poor man’s Alien. 
In the planet Xarbia, a group of scientists create a new life form that gets out of control. Cue a Han Solo-alike reject with his trusty robot companion (who looks suspiciously like a cylon bought in a yard sale and painted grey).

Much chaos ensues and the alien, at one point, enters the ventillation system (I wonder where they got that idea from….It, The Terror From Beyond Space, Dark Star or Alien…take your pick).

Mediocre, derivative and yawn inducing.


----------



## hitmouse

*Red List* on Netflix. Lazy, incoherent, derivative and unfunny excuse for a heist movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Catching up. Over the last few days:

*Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking* - BBC Made for TV starring Rupert Everett doing even less than usual.  I only kept watching because of a standout performance by one of the younger members of the cast who I had not come across before and  was giving much more to the show than the material deserved.  'She's got something' I thought. Perdita Weeks has chanked up a lot of credits on the IMDb since. . 

*Star Trek : Generations* - which was less awful than I remember.

*Florence Foster Jenkins *- What a sweet film. Streep was wonderful.


----------



## worldofmutes

Finished up *The Postman. *

I can say, aside from a *Halo: Fall of Reach *and Lester Del Rey’s *Day of the Giants *from my time in jail… er- David Brin’s *The Postman *was the first SF book I ever read, and yet I barely remember it. Actually, compared to my time with the amazing Kevin Costner film- I cannot fathom Rotten Tomatoes anymore, or how they’ll rate the latest movie from Disney/Marvel a near perfect score while The Postman is rated no higher than *Waterworld. *I will need to read the book again later, but I appreciated the movie’s wholesome perspective about a mis-gotten postman bringing democracy to a post-apocalyptic America under the fascist Holnist leader, Genereal Bethlehem.

Some fun facts, the mill where the Holnists dye fabric and watch „The Sound of Music” was possibly recorded in my hometown, Morenci. My dad says that movie crews were not uncommon in the copper mine that he worked in for 30 years. And also that we recognize the area, and even the mountainous region which looks like Silver City, NM, some of our old stomping grounds. This blows my mind a little bit, if so.

I puffed a little something something and started to lose focus at some point and we stopped the movie. So I finished it today. I was off on a long ramble about how in the book, this machine that Kevin Costner didn’t exactly invent- but that was invented for him to communicate correspondence between villages. I was very confused by this in the book, being a relatively new reader at the time, and in the movie I saw no such references to any machine at all! Meh.

This movie was fantastic, and being my dad’s favorite, it’s mine too. Especially for how close to home it is.


----------



## Rodders

The Postman was a very underrated film in my opinion, too.

I’ve not read the book as I really struggled with Brin’s writing style.


----------



## alexvss

*A Scanner Darkly*. Good sci-fi flick based on a K. Dick novel. Keanu Reeves is as bad and mechanical as ever, but the story of his character saves him (it's pretty dramatic and based on true events). I like Robert Downey Jr's character, he's hilarious. The idea of an outfit that makes you unrecognizable for face recognition by changing your appearance to one of the more of 1.5 million persons in a database is crazy and ridiculous... but it  somehow works here. Funny that, according to wikipedia, the movie is more known for its animation techinique than for its story. I say 'funny' because rotoscope animation is not a new technique at all. Just look at Bakshi's masterpiece *Fire and Ice (1983)*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> *A Scanner Darkly*. Good sci-fi flick based on a K. Dick novel. Keanu Reeves is as bad and mechanical as ever, but the story of his character saves him (it's pretty dramatic and based on true events). I like Robert Downey Jr's character, he's hilarious. The idea of an outfit that makes you unrecognizable for face recognition by changing your appearance to one of the more of 1.5 million persons in a database is crazy and ridiculous... but it  somehow works here. Funny that, according to wikipedia, the movie is more known for its animation techinique than for its story. I say 'funny' because rotoscope animation is not a new technique at all. Just look at Bakshi's masterpiece *Fire and Ice (1983)*.



"Goddamn shapeshifting lizard bitches!"

Bakshi was working pen/paint on paper/gels.  Linklater's guys did it digitally. (As they had done on Waking Life).  There were teams working on each frame.  One animator worked on one character another on another - I think they even broke it down further than that with animators given individual features - Robert Downey Jr's mouth, Keanu Reeve's eyes etc. - and they still managed to leave a mismatch  in the edit.  There's two shots during the orphan gears scene where (from memory) Woody Harrilson's hand drops in a cut from holding the bike's wheel to his side.

Disney used rotoscope back in 1937 in Snow White where an actress was filmed in costume as the  central character and then laboriously projected and traced frame by frame. 

A Scanner Darkly is a great film. I love it dearly.  The best adaptation of a Dick novel - or at least the most true to the author's style. The most Dickish.


----------



## KGeo777

The Rookies 1972 -- pilot film for the series. Despite Darren McGavin and Cameron Mitchell (who gives a monologue to a kitten--he has done that a few times where he speaks to a critter companion) it is rather on the bland side. 


Hollywood Man 1976 --William Smith portrays a stunt man turned film director who has to go to a mob boss to get the money to complete his film (which is called Die Hard according to the name written on the clapperboard).
But the mobsters want to shaft him so he ends up dealing with all sorts of trouble and getting into fights. I thought it was uneven although the ending was looking pretty good until they decided to go for the shock freezeframe and I think it was a tired 1970s trope to end with.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Raining Stones*

Another tremendous film from the subscription service that keeps on giving, Britbox. Starring Ricky Tomlinson and Bruce 'Les Battersby' Jones, it's the story of a family living in 1980's Liverpool struggling to get the money together to buy their daughter's 'first communion' dress. Funny in parts, heartbreaking and traumatic in others, it's compulsive viewing from start to finish.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES*_ (1976) My 1st time seeing this, and it is not much like Eastwood's spaghetti Westerns, except for the rapidity with which JW fires his pistols. Still, if I could be any fictional character, I would likely choose the Man with no name; that, despite the  fantasy of the fanning the hammer, & actually being able to hit the targets  & such. 

Anyway,   Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) & others had been in the Confederate Army and had since returned to civilian life. But certain Union officers were just not satisfied with that, & wanted them to pledge allegiance to the Union, surrender their weapons, etc. One Ex-Confederate  Fletcher (John Vernon) even works with these Union guys, believing in their peaceful intentions. 

As it was, some nasty guys had just massacred JW's wife & son, so he was not in the mood to comply with such demands. After everyone but JW had complied with those demands, the Union guy massacred them, while Fletcher stood by, dumbfounded.  

What followed was a relentless pursuit of JW, who, just wanted to live at peace. 

Some scenes were very intense, & once is enough for me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Summerland* - A gentle, touching gay love story with a happy ending. A little overlong and Mills and Boonish but I will forgive it for having a happy ending and giving the world Penelope Wilton telling small children to bugger off.


----------



## hitmouse

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES*_ (1976) My 1st time seeing this, and it is not much like Eastwood's spaghetti Westerns, except for the rapidity with which JW fires his pistols. Still, if I could be any fictional character, I would likely choose the Man with no name; that, despite the  fantasy of the fanning the hammer, & actually being able to hit the targets  & such.
> 
> Anyway,   Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) & others had been in the Confederate Army and had since returned to civilian life. But certain Union officers were just not satisfied with that, & wanted them to pledge allegiance to the Union, surrender their weapons, etc. One Ex-Confederate  Fletcher (John Vernon) even works with these Union guys, believing in their peaceful intentions.
> 
> As it was, some nasty guys had just massacred JW's wife & son, so he was not in the mood to comply with such demands. After everyone but JW had complied with those demands, the Union guy massacred them, while Fletcher stood by, dumbfounded.
> 
> What followed was a relentless pursuit of JW, who, just wanted to live at peace.
> 
> Some scenes were very intense, & once is enough for me.


Fantastic film. One of the great Westerns imho. Different from the Sergio Leone Eastwood movies. Very moving (and violent.) Must have watched this half a dozen times over the years.


----------



## Harpo

Harpo said:


> After a 3-year gap, I went to the cinema & saw Infinity War & Endgame.
> 
> Not bad.


Recently I got the DVD of Infinity War, and it’s my current favourite MCU film.
Just watched it again this morning.


----------



## AE35Unit

The Rite (2011)
Anthony Hopkins in a rather dull film about exorcism


----------



## Dave Vicks

REFFER MADNESS 1936.


----------



## KGeo777

Hercules of the Desert 1964 - A desert tribe asks Allah to send them a warrior so they get Hercules (or Maciste actually). Kirk Morris is his usual non-emotive self--he picks up the biggest styrofoam rock I have ever seen. The musical score is pretty good, and the finale has a psychedelic quality to it with him fighting weird ogres that reminded me of Ferengi.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Eyes Without a Face*_ (1960; dir. Georges Franju; starring Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel)

Brasseur is a surgeon, whose reckless driving nearly killed Edna, his daughter (Mayniel) and severely disfigured her face (oddly, her neck and arms appear untouched). Valli is his secretary, once his patient, the recipient of his specialty, skin grafting, and perhaps his lover, though that is lightly implied rather than stated. At his behest she searches for a suitable donor for a new face for Edna. Donating a face tends to be involuntary, and so the police have found the remains of at least one unsuccessful donor. Can the doctor and secretary find a face for Edna before the police find them and before Edna's condition and isolation drive her insane?

If a black and white horror movie can be delicate, this is delicate. The horror of it resides in the doctor's obsession to repair his daughter, the secretary's blind loyalty, and Edna's disintegrating personality. We see Edna's face at one point when a surgery appears to work and she's quite attractive, but somehow the mask she wears before and after the unsuccessful surgery is both beautiful and poignant, almost inexpressibly sad and alarming for how much that masked face can express -- Mayniel has some excellent silent scenes calling her fiance, who thinks she's dead, just to hear his voice. And the scene of the surgery being performed, the intimacy of removing someone's face, is still disturbing after decades of grosser scenes in less nuanced horror movies.

One last observation: If in the first act you hear a kennel of dogs barking, they must have something to do in the final act.


----------



## KGeo777

Memorable last scene in that movie. I've only watched it once but it stays with you.


----------



## Randy M.

Spoiler



Doves flitting around an almost angelic insane living ghost as she nearly floats past her father?


 Absolutely. And a kind of fitting bookend to the sequence that opened the movie.


----------



## Starbeast

*Double Indemnity* (1944) - It's the first time I've seen this outstanding murder for fraud flick. I love them "noir" movies.

*African Queen* (1951) - Fantastic drama that is set in WW2. Second time I watched this.

*The Mandalorian* (TV series 2019) - Astonishing! This Star Wars fan watched the entire series with wide eyes. I felt like a kid again.

*The Woman in the Window* (1944) - Another film that I watched for the first time. Excellent drama with an awesome cast.

*The Guns of Navarone* (1961) - I finally got my chance to watch this action movie. I wasn't disappointed. Very cool.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Memento *- for the second time with number two daughter who loved it.   Watching the end credits I spotted a name that was familiar.  One of the drivers (not an on screen stunt driver but one of the ' pick up mister Pearce at his hotel at 4am and take him to the location' drivers) was John 'Bud' Cardos, the director of  the oddly brilliant William Shatner eco-disaster flick _Kingdom of the Spiders_.  I love reading the end credits of movies.  You discover all sorts of odd connections.


----------



## KGeo777

The Devil's Daffodil 1961 - Krimi in which Christopher Lee has a role as a Chinese detective who speaks fluent German (since it was subtitled).

Triumph of Hercules 1964 - This has a goofy Hercules but a rather cool challenge involving a dagger that can create 7 golden warriors who clobber everyone around them. Also there's cute use of a monkey.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DESTINATION MOON* (1950) General Thayer (Tom Powers) is convinced that for the USA to maintain it position as the leader among nations, it must be 1st to the Moon. It does seem odd that a military base on the Moon would be more important that satellites orbiting much closer, but, perhaps nobody was thinking of that then. BTW, Sputnik went into orbit October 1957).

So, the General convinces leaders of industry that they must cooperate, finance and produce the vehicle that will carry men to the Moon. Once the Government sees this, it will gladly spend the taxpayers' money to buy more of the same.

So, they go to the Moon, encounter numerous difficulties along the way, etc., just to make it more interesting.

Anyway, I still enjoy these old sci-fi films, & this one has a premise that, at the time, seemed plausible. Except for the propulsion system, which I find fanciful (but, what do I know?) it seems not so far-fetched. Even W. V. Braun was expecting  to have the entire spaceship land on the Moon, but was dissuaded by those with better ideas.


----------



## worldofmutes

Watched *John Wick *tonight. Was fun picking out the Russian, but the subtitles were very small and the music was so loud. Still pretty awesome though. I’m thinking “Keanu Reeves needs to chill out, he’s a terrorist!” Good thing mass murdering hitmen are only in movies… because John Wick killed just about everybody regardless of the casualties. What is the value of a life? Overall, a macho movie about a man mourning the death of his wife, and going through anger issues after losing the dog that could help him mourn for her. Forced out of retirement, put back in the line of fire, the man can’t catch a break, because everybody wants him dead. At least Hotel International treat him well. And Willem Defoe was cool. Sometimes it’s like, your instinct when seeing him is a movie is, “Wow! It’s Willem Defoe!” Yet, what is it about Defoe that makes people say that? Could it be his part in *The Boondock Saints? *Like most actors I guess, he has a very niche appeal. Is it the man himself, his acting, or the roles he chooses? And as for Keanu Reeves, the same can be said. You really can’t not like Keanu, however I thought *John Wick *was a bit over the top. Better than Jason Bourne, without a doubt, but really, nothing but a good action flick. 

That’s what I thought, anyway.


----------



## KGeo777

MINOTAUR THE WILD BEAST OF CRETE 1960 -- The creature costume for the title character is pretty good--doesn't really look like a bull but neat costume all the same. Some nasty tortures in this --a hot poker in the face, falling into a pit of hyenas, a torch in the eyes. Fun times.


----------



## Droflet

*The Silent Enemy (1958)*
During WW 11, Italian mini-submarines, Chariots, sink two British battleships in Alexandria. Lieutenant Krabbe, a demolition expert with no diving experience, arrives in the British fortress of Gibraltar with orders to protect convoys that are under threat by this new form of naval attack. A cracking yarn based on a factual story and quite tense at times. I hadn't seen this fine British movie since I was a kid yet enjoyed it just as much now as then. Highly recommended, even for those who don't like B&W movies.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022): A sci-fi comedy action blend that involves a Chinese-American laundromat owner who must fight along with her family's interdimensional versions of her family members to preserve the multiverse. Funny and disgusting throughout, with a good message.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Nylon Noose *(_Die Nylonschlinge_, 1963)

Like many of these German _krimi _films, this one pretends to take place in England.  Starts with a guy strangled with a NYLON NOOSE in a nightclub.  It turns out that he was a police inspector, taking an extortion payoff to the club in the place of the intended victim.  (Everybody in the dubbed dialogue calls it blackmail, but it's definitely the "pay me or I'll kill you" type of crime.)  Pretty soon the guy who was really the target of the extortionist gets killed the same way.  

The son of an aristocrat has been romancing with the club's sexy dancer, and there's a meeting of stockholders at his father's manor.  One of the stockholders was the murdered extortion victim, so the police inspector on the case (with the mandatory Comic Relief assistant) puts two and two together and comes up with twenty-two, figuring one of the stockholders must be the killer.  

Among the crowd is a pretty young woman with whom the police inspector has a romance.  The lord of the place takes the film into the realm of Mad Science, as he experiments with centuries-old mummified corpses located in the catacombs beneath the manor.  He's even got a huge servant with a badly scarred face.  Most of the stockholders have some kind of skeleton in the closet, so we've got lots of suspects.  One more murder follows, and we eventually get the expected scene of the killer chasing the nightgowned young woman through the catacombs.

It's an entertaining bit of nonsense.


----------



## KGeo777

Seven Times Seven 1968 - 7 convicts plus 1 break out of prison during a finals cup match to steal paper and then break into the Royal Mint so they can print money and then break into prison to complete their alibi.
It produced a catchy 60s song:


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Gods and Monsters *(1998)

Fictional version of the last days in the life of the director James Whale, particularly his relationship with a (completely fictional) gardener.  Much of the discussion of this film centers around the fact that Whale was openly gay, but I think other themes are more important, particularly his despair over the deterioration of his mind after a stroke.  This is depicted as visions/hallucinations/memories of his past, from the extreme poverty of his youth to the horrors of the Great War to the filming of *The Bride of Frankenstein* (wonderfully recreated.)  There's also a remarkable nightmare sequence in which the gardener is depicted as Frankenstein and Whale as the Monster.  Ian McKellen is brilliant as Whale, Lynn Redgrave is equally good as his housekeeper, and Brendan Fraser is, well, very natural as the gardener.  (There are lots of other characters, but it's almost a three-person show.)  I would compare it to *Ed Wood*, and I mean that as a compliment to both films.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Gods and Monsters *(1998)
> 
> Fictional version of the last days in the life of the director James Whale, particularly his relationship with a (completely fictional) gardener.  Much of the discussion of this film centers around the fact that Whale was openly gay, but I think other themes are more important, particularly his despair over the deterioration of his mind after a stroke.  This is depicted as visions/hallucinations/memories of his past, from the extreme poverty of his youth to the horrors of the Great War to the filming of *The Bride of Frankenstein* (wonderfully recreated.)  There's also a remarkable nightmare sequence in which the gardener is depicted as Frankenstein and Whale as the Monster.  Ian McKellen is brilliant as Whale, Lynn Redgrave is equally good as his housekeeper, and Brendan Fraser is, well, very natural as the gardener.  (There are lots of other characters, but it's almost a three-person show.)  I would compare it to *Ed Wood*, and I mean that as a compliment to both films.



If you want to have a real sense of deja vu experience try _Mr Holmes _- which also stars McKellen, is also directed by Bill Condon, and also features a once famous (but totally fictional) talent living in isolated retirement with an older female housekeeper played by an actress assuming  an accent for the role - In this case Laura Linney.  Sadly it doesn't have anything like the beefcake factor of Brenda Fraser at his buffest that _Gods and Monsters_ does.  _Gods and Monsters _is far better.  I love that final moment when the gardener leaves the bar and starts to imitate Karloff's creature walk.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Inception *- with #2 Daughter who, sadly, didn't fall asleep half way through, as she sometimes does when we watch films, thus depriving me of the opportunity of tipping her chair and waking her up.


----------



## Rodders

I just rewatched the movie adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. 

It did make me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions. I felt it was a bit rushed though and after recently rewatching the BBC TV series, i don't think its anywhere near as good, but it was still good fun. 

I did come to the conclusion that THHGTHG is just quintessentially British.


----------



## Zach777

Honestly, I would love to watch *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. *I just need to get around to doing it.

I haven't watched anything recently, but after seeing some YouTube videos I do have a morbid desire to watch the Artemis Fowl adaption.


----------



## hitmouse

Zach777 said:


> Honestly, I would love to watch *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. *I just need to get around to doing it.
> 
> I haven't watched anything recently, but after seeing some YouTube videos I do have a morbid desire to watch the Artemis Fowl adaption.


Hhgttg the film is much better than Artemis Fowl, which is lacking in some departments. 
Agree the ols tv seriea of HHGTTG is better than the film. The original radio show is best of all.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Pin *(1988)

Canadian psychological shocker.  Brother (Leon) and sister (Ursula) grow up with a mother obsessed with cleaning and a physician father who uses ventriloquism to make an anatomical dummy "speak" to his young patients.  He also makes his children think that the dummy (named Pin) really speaks.  He even teaches them the "facts of life" (in a very clinical fashion) through Pin.  Leon grows up believing that Pin is alive.  Things start to get out of hand when the parents die in a car accident, and Leon brings the dummy home to live with him and Ursula, dressing it up, putting makeup on it to make it look more real, giving it a wig, and putting in in a wheelchair.  Don't expect things to go well for the aunt that moves in to look after them, or for Ursula's boyfriend.  It's a genuinely creepy film, despite being nearly bloodless.  The characters are relatable, even poor paranoid schizophrenic Leon.  I'm glad they didn't throw in a supernatural twist at the end; Pin never comes to life or anything like that.  The conclusion manages to deliver quite a blow without going that route.  Recommended.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Pin *(1988)


How I loathed this one.

I wrote about it some years ago:

_I heard of this film when it was released but it didn't get much word of mouth, as often happens with Canadian films. Pin is too restrained to be a true horror film and not deep enough to be a good psychological drama as often happens with Canadian films. The opening makes one speculate how the story might go--and a supernatural explanation seems possible--but the film ultimately goes with the mundane option as often happens with Canadian films.

It has competent performances by the main leads--and has an interesting/weird first act that might compel or repulse viewers, but as it goes on, it starts to show strains and the ending felt bland to me. The ho-hum aspects of the film may be explained by the fact that it is funded by the Canadian government, and in the 1980s, following a decade where it had an anything goes policy--which launched the career of David Cronenberg and allowed for the funding of just about anything-even a porno film, they radically cut back in what they would give money to. Among the restrictions was that serious criminal activity and homicidal violence could not be shown. The movie follows that rule closely. We see some beatings, and there is a few deaths, but they do not happen in violation of the government rules. Even a scene near the end involving an axe is ambiguous. One might notice that in one scene the boyfriend is shown studying french for a foreign trip--this is likely to follow rules on bilingual content! In the end the film is really about dysfunction and illness--which is once again a feature of Canadian filmmaking. The real question--and the most disturbing aspect of the film, is how anyone could think it would be commercially viable, even with the attempt at an Anywhere USA setting. There are elements in it that reminded me of the UK films Peeping Tom and the Psychopath but unlike this film, they did not face such restrictions in content thus they could go deeper into psychological and horror elements and leave a stronger viewing impression._

**a couple of other things---I remember one of the characters talked about hunting.  It was so obviously inserted into the story as if they had to check off a list of acceptable Canadian culture elements--as if most Canadians hunt. But, even more surprising, considering the current topic about the sexualization of children--wasn't the girl who was eager to experience sexual activity a little young?
Yes--I just checked it--she was supposed to be age 11.

Canada culture was the canary in the coal mine or experimental lab for the weird stuff that Hollywood eventually became bolder about.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Very interesting analysis!  It seems that some of the factors about this film that attracted me to it were those you did not care for.  I also failed to mention the weird psychosexual vibe to the film, from the boy witnessing a nurse in an intimate encounter with Pin (which may make this very minor character the most disturbed person in the movie) to the doctor performing an abortion on his fifteen-year-old daughter (and inviting his son to watch, so he'll learn something -- fortunately, he chooses not to) to the young man writing poetry, supposedly about a Beowulf-like mythic figure who wants to impregnate as many women as possible and who contemplates raping his sister!  (With the suggested incest theme, it's interesting to note that the movie is based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman, who went on to write a bunch of novels using V. C. Andrews' name long after she died.)


----------



## JunkMonkey

JunkMonkey said:


> I love reading the end credits of movies.  You discover all sorts of odd connections.



I just rediscovered one of  one of my favourite weird end credits in my movie diary while looking for something else (_It Came From Outer Space 2 _if you really must know.):

*Galaxy Invader*








						The Galaxy Invader (Video 1985) - IMDb
					

The Galaxy Invader: Directed by Don Dohler. With Richard Ruxton, Faye Tilles, George Stover, Greg Dohler. An alien is hunted by a gang of drunken hillbillies who saw him crash-land his spaceship.




					www.imdb.com
				




"- had an end title credit that read, "Hat by Don Zeifert". Hat singular. Now as the only person in the film who was wearing a hat was played by an actor called Don Zeifert, we possibly have here the only instance of someone getting a title credit for wearing his own hat in a movie. Movie history. I feel somewhat privileged to have seen it."


----------



## Starbeast

*Bruce Almighty* (2003) - I felt compelled to see it again (for the up-teenth time). A wonderful comedic tale about a man who meets God.

*The Birds* (1963) - One of my favorite horror dramas by Alfred Hitchcock.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM was running a series of stunt-intensive films & having a discussion before & after each one. The expert Scott McGee had written a book called DANGER ON THE SILVER SCREEN, in which he covers many films's best stunts, etc. 


*SAFETY LAST!* (1923) was one of those films. Who'd a thought Harold Lloyd just saw this guy, Bill Strother climbing up the side of a building, & hired him on the spot. Moreover, that HL had lost both his right hand's thumb & index finger, but still did his share of the stunts? I had heard that HL actually did climb the building, without any safety measures. After hearing the intro, I took some print screens & noticed, what certainly appears to be changing background buildings, etc, as HL ascends.  

So, anyway, the boy as Loyd's character was called moves from the small town to the big city, and in letters to his girlfriend still in the small town, he lies about his progress. he tells her he is the manger, etc., & sends her gifts, which take his entire weekly pay. So, she gets the idea that, with ALL THAT MONEY, he might be tempted by some big city girls. So, she goes to visit him unannounced. Now, he must find a way to show her he is the manger, all while avoiding the real manager, and thus keeping his job at the bottom of the corporate ladder. 

This, a silent film, is still wonderful, even against Dolby, surround sound, etc!


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Very interesting analysis!  It seems that some of the factors about this film that attracted me to it were those you did not care for.  I also failed to mention the weird psychosexual vibe to the film, from the boy witnessing a nurse in an intimate encounter with Pin (which may make this very minor character the most disturbed person in the movie) to the doctor performing an abortion on his fifteen-year-old daughter (and inviting his son to watch, so he'll learn something -- fortunately, he chooses not to) to the young man writing poetry, supposedly about a Beowulf-like mythic figure who wants to impregnate as many women as possible and who contemplates raping his sister!


The thing is--as a Canadian I am more sensitive and frustrated to see money thrown away--taxpayer money actually--on things that have no chance to get audiences. This was a regular theme in media here--why were Canadian films doing so poorly at home?
Why do they think they did so poorly? One reason was because these stories have zero appeal to most people!
It is like a little club where you only get funding and distribution if you adhere to government appointed rules. Bureaucrats who have no interest in art or anything at all made the decisions.

 When weirdness became more common in Hollywood film and tv in recent times--I immediately thought of Canadian films since it set the trend for that.
On a site called Bad Movie Planet, the author said the average Canadian movie is about "a depressed suicidal Saskatchewan farmer having gay sex with a dead moose."

There are Canadian films that come close to that kind of plot. Especially after 1985. Night Zoo has the plot of an ex-con who escapes rape in prison to reconcile with his father--and so, as a gesture of affection, he takes his wheelchair-bound father  to go moose-hunting like they used to--but not finding a moose at the zoo to shoot, he shoots an elephant instead (not really, the elephant lays down on cue). The disconnect with audiences is just astounding to me. And I saw that film in a classroom where it was supposed to demonstrate that Canada could make a US-style crime film.
 Not even the Hayes Code was so restrictive on creative content--you don't have to do murders  but it is so lame how devoid of real dramatic tension Canadian movies can be. The US and UK and other European countries seem to be in creative shackles but Canada had them first, if we can boast about something.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Encounters in the Deep* -(1979) - hypnoticly dull  Italian Spanish co-production set in the Bermuda Triangle in which nothing happens, then nothing happens again, and then again and then, in case you missed it the first couple of times, the whole cast diligently do nothing again - again, sometimes underwater, and then the film just stops after an extremely boring sequence of nothing happening which may (or may not) be the climax.  Probably the least interesting film I have ever watched twice.

*Bulldog Drummond's Bride* (1939) -  slick, fast paced B-feature with not a single wasted second. Everything clips along merrily at a breathless pace. Another piece of Hollywood production-line film making.   A churned out simple adventure yarn with familiar characters (there had been eight Bulldog Drummond films in the preceding two years) but somehow it's wonderfully fresh and lively. It looked like they were having fun.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Needful Things *1993
not bad adaptation. A few deviations from the book, including one character (no Ace Merril)


----------



## Rodders

I never knew that there was an adaptation of Needful Things, 

“No Men Beyond This Point”

A mockumentory style movie. Women are able to impregnate themselves and men are dying out. Turned out to be a very sweet love story. I liked it.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Invasion of the Bodysnatchers *1978
Iconic remake but my god its a noisy film! I like the VCS3 parts but the other noises and sounds, wow!
Classic freaky ending scene


----------



## Rodders

That is on my list. Not seen if yet.


----------



## dask




----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

SAME TITLE, DIFFERENT FILM TRIPLE FEATURE

*The Wild Party *(1929)

Clara Bow, the "It Girl" of silent films, has her first talkie role in this frothy little romantic drama with an underlying theme of female friendship.  The students at a women's college go crazy for the handsome new anthropology teacher (Fredric March.)  During an all-girl costume party/dance, Bow and two of her gal pals show up in costumes so skimpy that they're asked to leave.  (They look like one-piece bathing suits.  There are plenty of pretty legs on display in this pre-Code film.   Bow flirts with March in class by raising her skirt just enough to reveal the tops of her stockings, to which March says "Some people think this is an anatomy class.")  They go off to a roadhouse, where March has to rescue her from the unwanted advances of some drunks.  Later, he berates her for thinking life is just a "wild party" and wasting her time at college.  When she asks him why he hates her, he kisses her.  (It's an interesting relationship.  Although March passionately loves her, he also angrily denounces her in class for turning in a lousy paper.)

The major subplot involves the school brain, who will lose her scholarship if the school finds out she (innocently) spent the night on the beach with her boyfriend, as revealed in a love letter she writes to him.  When the school busybody finds the letter and turns it in, Bow pretends she wrote it so that she will be kicked out instead of her Best Friend Forever.  

Bow has a great deal of charisma, and the movie is an enjoyable bit of fluff.  The feminist undertone may stem from the fact that it was directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the few women working in that capacity at the time.  The passionate, if not erotic, love between Bow and her BFF, expressed in lots of hugs and sitting in laps, might have something to do with Arzner's open lesbianism.

*The Wild Party *(1956)

Tense crime drama with an compelling performance from Anthony Quinn.  He stars as a washed-up pro football star, reduced to hanging around a bunch of petty crooks and other losers.  There's the woman who loves him, although he treats her like dirt; there's a jive-talking piano player (familiar character actor Nehemiah Persoff in an unusual role, who also narrates in hep talk); and a smarmy con man, who turns out to be a knife-wielding hood when he's not charming a potential victim.  The con man manages to get a rich woman and her naval officer boyfriend to join the group at a jazz club, from which they kidnap the unsuspecting pair, extorting cash from the officer in exchange for the woman's freedom.

Quinn has much more in mind, however.  Convinced that the rich woman is the one for him, and not even bothering to hide this from his supposed girlfriend, he comes up with a crazy scheme to run off to Mexico and marry her.  You can imagine that this doesn't work out well.

Quinn does a remarkable job bringing the character to life.  Brutal and ready to explode at any moment, he's also something of a pathetic lost soul, endlessly obsessing over his glory days on the gridiron and trying to ingratiate himself with everybody, even those he abuses.  There's also a lot of cool jazz on the soundtrack to add to the enjoyment.

*The Wild Party *(1975)

Odd combination of art film and exploitation movie, based on a narrative poem.  That explains why it's narrated in rhyming couplets!  Adding to the eccentric way in which the story is told, there are several 1920's-style songs on the soundtrack that comment directly on the action.

1929.  Silent film comedian Jolly Grimm (James Coco) is about to show the film he's been working on for five years to potential buyers.  He has a live-in mistress Queenie (Raquel Welch), whom he occasionally slaps around.   (It should be noted that the plot is _not_ based on the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, although it may remind one of it.)  Hollywood is moving into sound, and Grimm's career faces a crisis.

At the party at his sumptuous mansion where he's showing the film, we're introduced to the various guests by our old friend the rhyming couplets.  There's genteel suggestion of Hollywood decadence.  Booze, of course, but also drugs, prostitution, a pair of gay pianists, and a lesbian actress.  Things get out of hand when Grimm's film is an obvious failure, Queenie goes off with a handsome young actor, and the party degenerates into an orgy.  The inevitable tragedy occurs right at the end of the movie.

Besides the narrative songs, we also get elaborately choreographed dance sequences, so that the film is almost a musical.  It's handsomely produced, to be sure, and convincingly recreates the period.  Coco gives a very strong performance, and Welch is quite good.  (She also looks great in 1920's-style hair, makeup, and clothing.)  It's a quirky movie, and it's understandable that it didn't find much of an audience.


----------



## KGeo777

A STEP OUT OF LINE 1971 is a tv-movie which feels more like a theatrical one, starring Peter Falk (in his Columbo raincoat) as a desperate insurance salesman who enlists  his friends (aerospace engineer Vic Morrow and tv commercial director Peter Lawford) to steal from a Foreign Exchange vault. If it sounds like a hokey plot it is actually a thoughtful character study with ironic twists on the fine line between civilized and savage behavior. It reaches nail-biting suspense during the heist sequence, aided by a Jerry Goldsmith score. For Columbo fans it gives one the chance to see him getting mugged and a shocking display of physical energy in a police station.

BRANNIGAN 1975 -- I used to find John Wayne annoying but I have softened on him in recent years. It helps when he has a memorable supporting cast which is the case here. He's a Chicago cop sent to London to pick up a mob boss and avoid a hit man. I noticed one of the criminals in the movie is said to be Tony Blair's father-in-law.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Red Notice - 2021*

This is a very knowing caper film about three dubious people involved in the theft of a (surprisingly not magical) golden egg. Everyone double-crosses everyone. There is a lot of slapsticky action.

The question with a film like this is whether it will be more enjoyable than irritating, and the answer for me is "just about". Gal Gadot is really irritating, Ryan Reynolds is quite irritating, and Dwayne Johnson is not very irritating. It's extremely arch and totally unconnected to reality. I don't think I'd want to see it twice, but it was quite entertaining.


----------



## REBerg

*All the Old Knives*
International terrorism is heavily overlaid here by an intensely personal relationship. This film is billed as a thriller, but it doesn't build up enough speed to generate much suspense.


----------



## alexvss

The Sadness (2021). A Taiwanese horror flick clearly inspired by the pandemic. A scientist tries to warn people about a virus that may turn you into a maniacal serial killer; but, in a country where many people believe that covid is a hoax, people won’t believe him until it’s too late. It’s obvious that it’s political, but it’s not very effective in that regard.

It’s a blood & gore type of horror, and a great one at that. I haven't seen such violence in a long time. Actually, I think I’ve never seen such depiction of violence and sex in film before. I only saw something that resembled this in a comic book named Crossed, by Garth Ennis. Definitely not for everyone.

The low-budget makes the movie focus on just a few characters. You don’t get to see the full scope of the infection, like they do in movies like The Flu (2013) and Contagion (2011).

There was also an English-language movie with pretty much the same plot, but I don't seem to find it.


----------



## Randy M.

*Mata Hari* (1985; dir. Curtis Harrington; starring Sylvia Kristel, Christopher Cazenove, Oliver Tobias)

Soft poor corn. 

(*cough*)

Mata Hari is an exotic dancer embroiled in spying by her love for both a French officer and especially a German officer, who are good friends pre-WWI and so sophisticated they understand each other's attraction to her. Uh huh. Ultimately she is executed as a spy by the French -- who also employed her -- because she won't give up the German officer's location. And because they need to boost troop morale, and nothing works that magic like offing a glamorous enemy spy.

Obviously a vehicle for Kristel on the heels of her Emmanuelle movies, this may be more interesting for its production values than for its story. I've seen made-for-tv movies Harrington directed and he seemed a bit low-rent but here does a decent job with what appears to be location shooting. We're taken from the rooms of museums and palaces to the battlefront of WWI, from a train car tryst to courtrooms to military skullduggery in sumptuous chambers to an orgy in palatial surroundings to a battle in the trenches to a field hospital. The cars used look authentic (or reasonably so to an untrained eye) as do the costumes and dresses and suits. The story itself is more interested in the mythology and romance around Mata Hari than in the reality, so she comes across as just as likely to seduce (or be seduced) as to shake hands. Besides the sex scenes, there are some heart-to-hearts between her and the German officer, and the hugger-mugger of blackmail to get her involved in spying for the Germans, and a plot to kill a lot of the French leaders in one fell swoop that Hari manages to stop just before being arrested.

The acting isn't bad but I can't make up my mind about Kristel. Talk about actors the camera loves. And at times I thought she did well, but frequently she lapses into impassivity, maybe thinking that made her mysterious but mostly it just makes the likes of Dana Andrews and Keanu Reeves seem comparatively emotional, though as with them there are moments when a glance or slight movement of lips or brows suggests more than a few lines of dialog could convey.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case* (1930) - Tremendously entertaining film in which Oliver Hardy convinces Stan Laurel to act as a relative to a recently deceased rich uncle in order to collect an inheritance. The fraud leads them into another fine mess.



@JunkMonkey Thanks for reminding me to watch the Bulldog Drummond movie series.


----------



## KGeo777

Starbeast said:


> *The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case* (1930) - Tremendously entertaining film in which Oliver Hardy convinces Stan Laurel to act as a relative to a recently deceased rich uncle in order to collect an inheritance. The fraud leads them into another fine mess.


The bat under the sheet gag made me laugh out loud.

It still worked for me.


----------



## pogopossum

*Predestination. *From 2014*. *First saw it a few years ago.
It shows up on several best overlooked SF movie lists. There was a short review of it in the current _*New Yorker *_that interested Miz Pogo, so we looked at it.
Excellent atmosphere and acting.They had the courage of their convictions to use the original dates from the story it was based on, Heinlein's *All You Zombies, *even though actual events have outdated some of the background. With all my appreciation for the overall quality,I had a hard time dealing with some unnecessary additions to the original story, which complicated without illuminating or adding much.
Heinlein wrote one novel and at least two short stories where he played with time travel, showing that you could tie up the events without throwing in time alterations or contradictions. I gave Miz Pogo a copy of the original story to read.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Third Eye *(_Il terzo occhio_, 1966)

*Psycho*-style black-and-white Italian shocker.  Handsome young Count dominated by his mother, the Countess, is about to get married.  The Countess makes it clear to her servant that she'd like an "accident" to happen to her son's fiancée.  The servant messes with her car so she dies in a wreck.  At first you might think this is extreme loyalty to the Countess, but the servant has her own dream of marrying the Count.  The Countess figures this out, so the servant pushes her down the stairs to her death.

The double tragedy drives the Count insane, so he picks up a stripper and, later, a prostitute and murders them in the room where he has the corpse of his fiancée hidden.  The servant discovers this and agrees to help him hide the crimes if he'll marry her.  Before this can happen, however, the fiancée's identical twin sister shows up, and things really get out of hand. 

I'm not sure if I'd call this a great film, but it's the kind of psychological horror film that appeals to me.  Nicely filmed, with minimal gore but considerable suspense, particularly near the end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fathom *(1967)

Technically a Eurospy film, as it's a British production, but it sure seems like an American imitation of them.  You've got some nice European locations (Spain), a convoluted plot that doesn't make a lot of sense, gadgets, car chases, boat chases, aircraft chases, and characters who might be good guys or bad guys but whose true motivations aren't known until ten minutes before the end.  

Raquel Welch stars as the oddly named Fathom Harvill.  (Every time somebody asks about her weird first name, she offers a different absurd explanation.  The silliest?  "It's short for Elizabeth.")  She's a dental hygienist/champion skydiver who is recruited to land at the island home of some folks who are supposed to have an atomic bomb triggering device codenamed "Fire Dragon."  Like just about everything else in the plot, this isn't really true, and the Fire Dragon turns out to be something else entirely.  You might as well forget about the ridiculousness of hiring a total amateur for this mission, because it's as goofy as anything else in the storyline.

Welch is in her pretty-but-bland stage here, and is mostly used as eye candy.  The film can't quite decide if it's a spoof or not.  It goes on too long for such a light piece of froth; maybe an hour or so would be just right.  There's one interesting character, a Russian who never pretends to be anything but a bad guy, and who constantly wears heavy clothing and has the heat turned way up, even in sunny Spain, because he's always cold.  He's hardly a Bond villain, but he's more enjoyable than anybody else in the movie.  If you turn your brain off, the whole thing is tolerable.


----------



## Dave Vicks

NATIVE SON 1986  VHS.Couldn't find a DVD.


----------



## worldofmutes

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> and has the heat turned way up, even in sunny Spain, because he's always cold.


sounds like me!


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Welch is in her pretty-but-bland stage here, and is mostly used as eye candy.


Not sure it's as true now, but for decades just as an actor, and especially just as an actress, stopped being bland was about the time they stopped getting roles, especially if they were best known for good looks.

Anyway, I remember watching that on network tv decades ago.


_*The Mark of Zorro*_ (1920; dir. Fred Niblo; starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.)

Heroic froth as Fairbanks portrays a fop by day and Zorro by night, or whenever someone lowly was in trouble and their tormentor deserved a Z. Diluted somewhat by much talk of good blood and high birth and the like, and the romance between Don Diego and Lolita, which is mostly cute, the meat of the movie is the opportunity it gives Fairbanks to exercise his athleticism. An early sword fight gives a taste of it, but the best is held until near the end in a chase sequence that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Jackie Chan movie, what with leaping and jumping and climbing and running and a few good sight gags. Rousing stuff, still fun.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bulldog Drummond Comes Back* and *Bulldog Drummond Escapes* - On and off over the last few years I have been buying DVDs on the slightly dodgy, and now defunct, 23rd Century label.  I keep buying these things I very rarely seem to get round to watching them.   I'm not sure who 23rd Century were but for many years their DVDs cropped up in boot sales and markets all over the place.  They had a very odd collection of titles most of them public domain but sometimes maybe not. In the early internet age they were one of the few ways that some of the titles could be found. There's something interestingly 'wrong' about them.  Their transfers were often terrible - often obviously from VHS copies with visible tape roll and other interesting WTF?s .  As far as I know no one has ever complied a list of all the titles they released (though I am working on it).  One estimate I have seen on line suggests 150 titles but I know of at least 200.

One of their releases was a collection of three Bulldog Drummond films which, having owned for several years, I finally got round to watching over the last couple of days - and they are terrific!  Real rip-roaring, page-turning melodramas with some terrific writing and camped up knowingness.

"This beehive of industrial skulduggery must quieten down sometime!" being a favourite line from  _Bulldog Drummond Escapes_. 

 I need more!


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE SEVEN-UPS* (1973) another firm discussed by the guy who wrote the book DANGER ON THE SILVER SCREEN.  Of course the the discussion centered on the car chase, which was rather lengthy & stated on crowed city streets, but ended on a freeway. Interesting stuff! 

Anyway, these plainclothes cops use unconventional tactics to catch the bad guys, etc. Even without the chase scene, this is a very good film.  I wonder how it could possibly take so long for the police as a whole, to realize there was a pursuit right in the middle of the city, and set up roadblocks, etc. Surely there were more than a few police who, while performing routine duties, would have noticed two cars racing through the city, and have radioed the fact to others, etc. Moreover, the way those two police cars were arranged as a roadblock was obviously made for effects, not actually stopping the bad guys. 
 

Good show!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*BEN-HUR*_ () Again, dicussed by the guy who wrote DANGER ON THE SILVER SCREEN, centering not only on the chariot race, but upon one particular part 

young and thus inexperienced Joe Cannut, who was CH's stunt double, ignored his father's advice, & took the thing too fast.  Could have been seriously injured, etc. 


Ouch!





Then they were talking about a stunt that was essentially borrowed from Western movies, such as STAGECOACH (which had been shown and discussed immediately before BH)



in which the guy drags along under the horses and somehow is not trampled to death. They did discuss this type of stunt during the STAGECOACH coverage, & it is an adaptation of that.


Oh, almost forgot! The horses were 4 side by side, & the villain's chariot had cutters on its wheels that could have chopped horses' legs, but, I just cannot imagine how they could have gotten near the other chariots' wheels!







Where are the other horses?   

Anyway, as an agnostic, even I was moved during some scenes.  Good show! Made even better with the discussion about stunts.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> _*The Mark of Zorro*_ (1920; dir. Fred Niblo; starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.)
> 
> Heroic froth as Fairbanks portrays a fop by day and Zorro by night, or whenever someone lowly was in trouble and their tormentor deserved a Z. Diluted somewhat by much talk of good blood and high birth and the like, and the romance between Don Diego and Lolita, which is mostly cute, the meat of the movie is the opportunity it gives Fairbanks to exercise his athleticism. An early sword fight gives a taste of it, but the best is held until near the end in a chase sequence that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Jackie Chan movie, what with leaping and jumping and climbing and running and a few good sight gags. Rousing stuff, still fun.


It took a while for me to get used to Fairbanks because he reminds me of William Devane--however he is so athletic you can see why he was a popular star in the silent era. In fact, having read the source story for the movie, it is pretty close to it. Zorro is described as average in stature.
I watched the Zorro films made after this up to 1941. The sequel Don Q-Son of Zorro, the 1936 color film The Bold Caballero - (funny thing with this one is that after the supposedly wimpy Don Diego Vega  saves her from a bull, she says "you aren't a fop! What are you hiding?")
The serial Zorro Rides Again from 1937 is the first time we see Zorro depicted as a superhero type (in a painting).
Zorro's Fighting Legion from 1939 must have been  influential for Batman and Robin because the legionnaires of Zorro are dressed like Robin.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Fathom *(1967)
> 
> Technically a Eurospy film, as it's a British production, but it sure seems like an American imitation of them.


It's 20th Century Fox-Welch was their protege'-I don't know why it would be considered British (on wikipedia) when the director and writer are not British. Maybe they released it for European audiences.


Special Mission, Lady Chaplin I think is the best of the 60s woman spy films although The Golden Claws of the Cat Girl was ok too.
They aren't groaners like Modesty Blaise and Fathom (I gave up on it halfway through).
Special Mission is one of the best Eurospy films.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

All Is True - fantastic! Highly recommended. 
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - OK up to Steve 'totally miscast' Coogan. Meh. 
David Attenborough's Last Day of the Dinosaurs thing... BRILLIANT!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Something Creeping in the Dark *(_Qualcosa striscia nel buio_, 1971)

Italian combination of haunted house movie and crime film starts with the most familiar premise imaginable.  A bunch of folks have to spend the night at a spooky old house because a flood has washed out the bridge.   There's a bickering married couple who were on their way to a party to celebrate a woman's new nose after plastic surgery (!); a doctor and his nurse (or some other kind of assistant) on their way to do emergency surgery; an older professor, who was picked up by the doctor and nurse when his car broke down; and, adding the crime element, a serial killer (the mandatory American star, Farley Granger) and two police detectives who just arrested him.  In residence at the place is a slightly hippie-ish guy (caretaker or squatter?) and his girlfriend.

There's a nifty scene early in the film.  The killer proves to be an excellent piano player.  As he plays a lovely melody, the married woman has a fantasy sequence in which she is dressed in a loose, translucent nightgown, moving in slow motion with the killer, who slaps her around and kisses her.  She then stabs him several times, splashing blood on the wall, but he just laughs.

Back to the plot.  It seems the house belonged to a woman, now dead, who messed around with occult.  She was also accused of murdering her husband, but was acquitted.  The married woman suggests a séance to pass the time.  Bad idea.  The dead woman possesses her husband, and lots of supernatural phenomena follow.

Another nifty scene.  The house is full of clocks, ticking away all through the film.  They stop all at once, and for the first time in my life I understood the phrase "the silence was deafening."

Back to the plot.  Folks get possessed by the ghost, the killer gets loose, and people die.  It's a slow-moving, nearly bloodless film, but I think it offers something for the patient viewer.


----------



## Droflet

*The Batman* 2022
I liked the dark nature of this new adaptation. It was well done across the board. Acting, production values, direction etc. But come on guys, three hours is way too long. I enjoyed it but at the end I thought, "Yeah, that was good, but I've seen it all before." And that's my two bobs worth.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The White Spider *(_Die weiße Spinne_, 1963)

German _krimi _starts with a guy coming out of a place called Club 55, getting in his car, and -- sudden jump cut -- the car shown as a flaming wreck.  His widow knows he went to the illegal gambling club (disguised as a bridge-playing club) but doesn't know he just changed his life insurance from 5,000 pounds to 50,000 pounds.  (Yes, we're in ersatz England again.)  She doesn't get paid, however, as she's not quite yet a suspect in his murder but it sure looks like she will be.  She gets a job at a place run by monks that helps ex-convicts, where she nearly gets assaulted by Bad Guy Ex-Con but is rescued by Good Guy Ex-Con.  

This all has something to do with a murder-for-hire service that leaves little glass white spiders at their killings, murders by wire rope thrown like a lasso, a master criminal/quick change artist who wears a bunch of disguises during the film, and a master detective imported from Australia who doesn't show his face to anyone until past the midpoint of the movie.  (You've probably already figured out who he turns out to be.)  Adding to the complications is the fact that there are signs that the widow's husband might not really be dead, such as writing on a mirror in her home that reads EVEN DEATH CANNOT SEPERATE US.

It's kind of talky, overlong, and doesn't always make much sense, but for the most part it's an agreeable bit of pulp crime fiction.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Old Dark House* (1932) - Not a bad little creepy fun flick. Filled with crunchy goodness. Basically it's about a group of people who find shelter from a rain storm. Terrific cast.

*Brats* (1930) - Outstanding Laurel and Hardy short featuring the boys playing double rolls as adults, and children.

*The Live Ghost* (1934) - One of my all-time favorite Laurel and Hardy film shorts. Where the boys help a sea captain collect a crew on (what some people dub) a "ghost ship". This classic always makes me laugh.

*Our Gang Short "Wild Poses"* (1933) - One of my favorite "Little Rascals" episodes starring Spanky. This short involves his parents trying to get a reluctant Spanky's picture taken.

*Steptoe and Son: The Party* (1973) - This is the first episode that I've ever seen of Steptoe and Son (which was the inspiration for the American version, Sanford and Son - a fact I've known for decades). This is an excellent tale about a father and son junk dealers who each want to celebrate the Christmas holiday in there own way. Great fun mixed with a bit of drama.


----------



## Dave Vicks

RESERVOIR DOGS.1992


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Sweet Charity* - Bob Fosse walks on WATER!  I've loved _Cabaret_ for years but never looked at anything else he'd done.  I  found a copy of his first feature Sweet Charity in our village swapshop shed.   It's a real curate's egg.  Some bits are well naff but others...






I don't know who the girl in the white gloves is but I want to have her babies!


----------



## KGeo777

MAN ON THE SPYING TRAPEZE 1966 -- Bland eurospy with a somewhat catchy score. The lead looks like a bored and frowning Guy Madison and the dubbing voice reinforces this perception. I suppose the identity of the boss bad guy comes as a surprise but it is pedestrian in every way except for the importance of a Jack Russell terrier in identifying the boss.

  "No not the cheese Milo, the keys!"


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dead Eyes of London *(_Die toten Augen von London_, 1961)

Better than average _krimi _based on the same Edgar Wallace novel as the 1939 British film *The Dark Eyes of London *(known as *The Human Monster *in the USA.)  That one had a much simpler plot, and Bela Lugosi as the main bad guy, identified as such from the start; this one has a convoluted storyline and Klaus Kinski as a minor bad guy, himself killed by the main bad guy, whose identity is not revealed until near the end (although you may figure it out.)

Rich foreigners are found "accidentally" drowned in the Thames.  Each had a life insurance policy with the same company.  The usual trio of a police inspector, his comic relief assistant, and a pretty young woman work on the case.  In this instance, she's an expert in Braille, because a scrap of paper written in the language was found on a victim's body.  The cops already know there's a hulking brute of a criminal called "Blind Jack" on the loose, so that leads to a shelter for blind men run by a blind clergyman.  Things get a lot more complicated after that, with blackmail, murder, and, in a wild coincidence, the fact that the Braille expert has a connection with one of the victims that even she doesn't know about.

There are some unusual shots, such as a scene of somebody cleaning his teeth with one of those "water pik" gizmos, filmed from inside his mouth!  The murders are pretty intense, and there's an exciting climax.  Worth a look.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Sing Street (2016): In Ireland during the 1980s, a young man forms a band to impress a girl. As the movie progresses, so does the band. Music becomes an important defense against everything perceived as stifling for the main characters.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Currently watching *Asteroid* an incredibly awful cliché-dense TV disaster movie (Why are ALL disaster movies set on, or just before, holiday weekends?) edited down from a three-part miniseries. There's only so much of it I can stand at any one sitting so I'm pacing myself.  Helping myself to slices of rich Hollywood hookum pudding when the mood takes me.  Seriously there is not a single movie cliché they haven't managed to sidestep.  It's a film made of some kind of scriptwriting Lego.  "Hey, do you have the 'Dad! Turn on the TV!' and it's already tuned to the the relevant news channel piece'  I need two of them"?)   

The most inspired piece of random jumbling of the blocks (so far):

Our shouty boss hero has just rescued two fireman and an injured civilian from their vehicular accident.  Trying to outrun the raging torrent released by an asteroid fragment striking the HUGE dam just above the city. He drives frantically across town.  The firemen sit in the back of the open truck with the civilian.  "Head for the bridge!" shouts one.  They're half-way across the bridge when a flood of matted water and shoddy model work wash over them.  Frantic camerawork.  Water is thrown over the actors.  The flood subsides.  Hero gets out of the cab. He walks round the back, to the firemen.

Hero: "You OK?
Fireman One: "Yeah. We Made it! We actually made it!"
Hero (Nodding at the patient): "How is he?"
Fireman Two: "He didn't make it"

Hero actor does sad acting.  

(Why fireman actors aren't doing CPR acting is a question that the movie doesn't even bother to ask because the civilian actor was obviously never going to make it to getting any lines stage as soon as he appeared on screen because he was playing a drunk driver.)

I can feel my arteries hardening.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Dead Eyes of London *(_Die toten Augen von London_, 1961)
> The cops already know there's a hulking brute of a criminal called "Blind Jack" on the loose


That guy Ady Berber  is the Eurofilm answer to Tor Johnson.
He also portrayed the big mute in Ben-Hur who was carrying Sam Jaffe around.
"I have been his tongue... and he has been my legs. Together, we make a considerable man."


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> _*he Mark of Zorro*_ (1920; dir. Fred Niblo; starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.)
> 
> Heroic froth as Fairbanks portrays a fop by day and Zorro by night, or whenever someone lowly was in trouble and their tormentor deserved a Z. Diluted somewhat by much talk of good blood and high birth and the like, and the romance between Don Diego and Lolita, which is mostly cute, the meat of the movie is the opportunity it gives Fairbanks to exercise his athleticism. An early sword fight gives a taste of it, but the best is held until near the end in a chase sequence that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Jackie Chan movie, what with leaping and jumping and climbing and running and a few good sight gags. Rousing stuff, still fun.


This version has Z sitting on a table, and leisurely holding off his attackers.   


KGeo777 said:


> It took a while for me to get used to Fairbanks because he reminds me of William Devane--however he is so athletic you can see why he was a popular star in the silent era. In fact, having read the source story for the movie, it is pretty close to it. Zorro is described as average in stature.
> I watched the Zorro films made after this up to 1941. The sequel Don Q-Son of Zorro, the 1936 color film The Bold Caballero - (funny thing with this one is that after the supposedly wimpy Don Diego Vega  saves her from a bull, she says "you aren't a fop! What are you hiding?")
> The serial Zorro Rides Again from 1937 is the first time we see Zorro depicted as a superhero type (in a painting).
> Zorro's Fighting Legion from 1939 must have been  influential for Batman and Robin because the legionnaires of Zorro are dressed like Robin.


Has anyone seen *Zorro’s Black Whip?* 
The man who was the Black Whip was killed, and his sister took up the costume and became The Black Whip; Zorro was only mentioned in the title.



*HELL NIGHT* (1981) Marti Gaines (Linda Blair) is an initiate to a sorority in a supernatural slasher film. 


_*KILLER PARTY*_ (1986) Another supernatural sorority slasher film that has a unique opening, a film within a film within a film. 

Later in the film proper, naughty boys tossed a jar of bees over the fence where girls were enjoying a hot tub.   

I liked both films, but for the sub genre, there are better ones out there.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Has anyone seen *Zorro’s Black Whip?*


That's the next to watch for me. It's the third serial of Zorro.
The first one doesn't have him either--except in a painting. It is set in modern times and his descendant becomes Zorro.
There were ton of alternate Zorro movies done in the 50s and 60s. Not just in name but other masked characters. Italy, Spain, and Mexico etc.


----------



## KGeo777

From Russia With Love 1963 - I do not know what it is, but James Bond just rubs me wrong. There's a tempo issue with them which throws off my cinematic radar. I have seen this in full once before but I remembered almost nothing about it. And watching it again, I suspect it is going to lapse in memory again.
Part of the problem is James Bond does a lot of nothing in this film--he's walking around and being guided  by his Turkish friend. The fight scene with Robert Shaw (who makes the strongest impression) is alright but  maybe because it takes place in a tiny train car, it just doesn't feel all that epic. There is a cheapness to James Bond movies in the early years. They visit some nice locations but they cut corners where they can--and sometimes you notice that cheapo aspect. 
One thing I did notice is the influence that this probably had on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Daniele Bianchi character (who BTW starts off seemingly intelligent and then becomes kind of dumb for most of it) reminded me of the Alison Doody character in that movie--there's a scene with them going underground and rats appear.
They sure use a lot of dubbing in Bond movies.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *HELL NIGHT* (1981) Marti Gaines (Linda Blair) is an initiate to a sorority in a supernatural slasher film.


Saw that a few months ago and felt sorry for Blair. She seems a capable actress -- maybe not Meryl Streep, but capable -- and because of _The Exorcist_ could never fully break away from horror. Pretty much the same trap Bela Lugosi fell into.


Jeffbert said:


> _*KILLER PARTY*_ (1986) Another supernatural sorority slasher film that has a unique opening, a film within a film within a film.
> 
> Later in the film proper, naughty boys tossed a jar of bees over the fence where girls were enjoying a hot tub.
> 
> I liked both films, but for the sub genre, there are better ones out there.


Missed that one when it was on TCM. Darn. Looked like fun.


----------



## Jeffbert

It was fun!



*BOB LE FLAMBEUR* (1956) *NOIR ALLEY*. Bob Montagné (Roger Duchesne) is a reformed criminal, who now is a gambler. Things happen, & he becomes aware of just how much money is in the vault at the casino. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would be "$" or whatever is the French version of the dollar sign. Because he is on a losing streak, he gathers a gang, & works out the details of the heist.



Spoiler



Bob's role is to, as usual gable, but be on the lookout  for police, etc., but he actually starts winning and forgets about the heist!



Muller compared this film to *RIFIFI*, which he held in very high esteem.

Good show, etc.!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Wonderwall *(1968) - a dithery withdrawn older 'professor' obsessively spies on his 'with it', 'happening', 'swinging cat' neighbours  - and calls for help when the girl attempts commit suicide.  That is the entire plot.   Lots of groovy lighting, and way-out fashion shoot, running around, dream sequences.   Not a lot of dialogue - most of the major story points are delivered by psychedelic inter-title cards.   The odd nice moment but mostly horribly creepy and pointless.  Some of the music (by George Harrison of the Beatles) was interesting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Mad Max 2 : The Road Warrior* - with number 2 daughter who had a big stupid grin on her face at the end of it.  A genuinely exciting film.  Some of the stunt work is terrifying.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CRY OF THE HUNTED*_ (1953) An escaped prisoner (Vittorio Gassman) is relentlessly pursued by a prison official (Barry Sullivan), even after he crosses the state line.


----------



## KGeo777

Blood Stains in a New Car 1975 - Ricardo is short, bald, and middle aged but he has a beautiful rich wife who buys him a new car and a young beautiful mistress (who loves him so much that she doesn't care when she learns he is an international art forger). But he starts having problems after he is driving his new car along a road and sees a wrecked car with father and son survivors inside begging for help and he ignores it. The car explodes and he gets haunted by his guilt. He starts to see blood pouring from the seats of his car and his mistress tries to cure him of it by having a romantic episode in the car so he has something else to remember it for (she is very understanding).  It doesn't work.
Also, someone keeps sending his wife yellow roses-a woman who discovers her husband is bisexual and decides to seduce Ricardo's wife in response.
The story is supposedly a commentary on Franco's Spain and social class conflicts but it's vague enough to be just about the rich hedonistic guy who ignores a plea for help and his life unravels. There are creepy atmospheric imagery involving the wrecked car and an art object in his business.
It meanders a bit but held my attention.  Interesting finale.


----------



## AE35Unit

Star Trek TOS:The Deadly Years
Strange radiation exposes the command crew of the Enterprise to the effects of rapid aging.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> Strange radiation exposes the command crew of the Enterprise to the effects of rapid aging.



What? AGAIN?!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Purple People Eater *(1988)

Inspired by the famous novelty song.  The One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater shows up out of nowhere and helps some kids keep the movie's Evil Landlord from evicting elderly folks from their apartment building by turning the youngsters into rock 'n' roll stars.  Lots of old songs on the soundtrack, and cameos by Chubby Checker and Little Richard for nostalgia buffs, but the rest of it reeks of the 1980's.  Lots of completely random scenes.  The opening credits are shown over kids bouncing on trampolines.  There's a scene where the main kid and his grandfather (Ned Beatty!) watch trapeze artists rehearse.  Although the film is, of course, as silly as can be, it tries to create a somber mood when one of the old folks (Shelley Winters!) nearly dies when threatened with eviction.  Thora Birch, credited only as "introducing Thora," makes her film debut as the main kid's tiny little sister.  Peggy Lipton of _The Mod Squad _very briefly appears as their mother, but otherwise might as well not have shown up at all.  I think there's an older sister who appears for a moment as well, and again the movie completely forgets about her.   The title creature is played by a puppet in some scenes and by somebody in a suit in others.  No people, purple or otherwise, are eaten.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> What? AGAIN?!


Again?


----------



## JunkMonkey

S





AE35Unit said:


> Again?



Seems like every episode of Star Trek I watch some cast member is having layers of latex glued to their faces and doing "I'm OLD!" acting.  The last Next Generation I saw there was a whole 'research planet' of them and the ship's doctor could only be saved from wrinkly hell by re-teleporting her and subtracting the DNA from a hair found on a hairbrush in her quarters and requantifliblying the double-metricular wafflebumosis - actually I was laughing so much I missed the finer details. 

The obligatory  'everyone getting really old' episode is up there with equally obligatory ' body swap episode', the 'trapped in a parallel dimension' episode, the 'time looping back on itself and no matter what they do things keep on getting worse' episode , 'one character in a single room having lots of flashbacks so we can save enough money for some serious special effects in the next episode' episode. etc. Rites of passage. Every SF show has them.


----------



## AE35Unit

Ok...but this was in 1967...


----------



## AE35Unit

Just realised I posted in the wrong thread lol


----------



## Jeffbert

Two WWII films:

_*THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET*_ (1965film) Czechoslovakian  in which this one carpenter whose brother is a collaborator, is assigned to run the shop of an elderly Jewish woman. At this time, few even suspect the things to come from the Nazis, but by film's end, deportations are happening. So, the woman is both hard of hearing and a bit senile. The guy tells her that he will be in charge, but she takes him for hired help.

After weeks of helping the woman run her shop, & even refurbishing her furniture,  the guy has developed an attitude of son to mother, etc., & when the deportations begin, he decides to hide her, but eventually loses his nerve, as he expects any minute now, they will come for her.  



*THIS LAND IS MINE* (1943)  In an unidentified nation in WWII Europe, school teacher Albert Lory (Charles Laughton) is a timid fellow, and a mama's boy. His students laugh at him when he assumes a fetal position during a bombing.   He makes Barney Fife seem like Stallone, etc.  The Mayor, or some other official, acting on conquerors' orders, wants certain pages removed from text books, and certain other books destroyed,   

The romantic elements are Louise Martin (Maureen O'Hara), a school teacher, who resists the censorship of text books & Paul Martin (Kent Smith), who is a RR employee, and a saboteur, who is eventually killed  when someone had identified him as the saboteur. 

So, the town railroad boss, George Lambert (George Sanders) is a collaborator, & is sucking up to Major von Keller (Walter Slezak; great villain actor!), etc. but 'accidents' happen to trains loaded with war material, etc., and eventually, Von Keller takes hostages, hoping the saboteur will be identified so they can be spared.

Mrs. Emma Lory (Una O'Connor) Albert's mother cares for nothing and nobody but her son, and she treats him like a child & he takes it. 

When Albert, who had been in jail, accused of murder, sees through the window the bravery of 10 men executed as reprisals, and greeting him cheerfully, as though their lives were not about to end, he finds his bravery, etc.  Being exonerated of the charge, he now decides to take a stand in the courtroom, filled with townspeople, and publicly denounce the conquerors, even though he will likely die because of it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bulldog Jack *(1935) - Jack Hulbert (one of those baffling British stars of the 30s) plays a chap who imitates Bulldog Drummond when the real Bulldog Drummond is laid up in hospital.   Fay Wray is the girl and Ralph Richardson is the villain. Both effortlessly steal the movie from the lead without breaking sweat.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*This is Spinal Tap* - not for the first time.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> *This is Spinal Tap* - not for the first time.


I have only watched this, like, 1000 times.


----------



## Randy M.

_*The Favourite*_ (2018; dir. Yorgos Lanthimos; starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weitz, Olivia Coleman)

Great showcase for the three stars, and Coleman won a well-deserved Oscar for her role as Queen Anne. The Queen suffers from ill-health and low self-esteem. Lady Sarah (Weitz) takes advantage of this to push her political agenda but seems genuinely fond of the Queen, and they are lovers. Along comes Abigail, a penniless cousin whom Lady Sarah takes under her wing, and a power struggle over the attention of the Queen ensues.

What's wonderful about this often funny but overall serious movie is that not one of these women is exactly a villain, all are flawed. You can see Queen Anne's growing strength and confidence under the early ministrations of Abigail, and her deterioration once her relationship with Lady Sarah begins to suffer. At several points the tug-of-war between Lady Sarah and Abigail could have lead to compromise, but the animosity between them leads to extremes. 

I've seen Coleman in 4 or 5 productions now and she is a powerful, adept and versatile actress.


----------



## alexvss

Randy M. said:


> _*The Favourite*_ (2018; dir. Yorgos Lanthimos; starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weitz, Olivia Coleman)


One of the best directors of this generation, and one of my "favourites" (sorry, pun).  Check out his Greek movies, especially *Dogtooth (2009*), which was the movie that revealed him to the world, and my "Favourite" (I did it again! Ok, that's it for British spelling today).


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE PHENIX CITY STORY*_ (1955) This is an extremely violent film.  In a small town located close to a military base, there are various vices, all intended to take money from men stationed on that base. Eventually, the townspeople have had enough, and decide that one of their own must become the State's Attorney. As expected, the purveyors (<-- cool word, huh?) of vice threaten violence, etc., if the guy continues to pursue the office. 

Chief among the villains Rhett Tanner (Edward Andrews; had a few roles in THE TWILIGHT ZONE, among them, the guy who wanted to keep the family from using the FORBIDDEN PLANET flying saucer to escape the end of the world), appears to be a law-abiding citizen, but has blood on his hands.


----------



## alexvss

*I Saw The Devil (2010)*. One of my favorite movies of all time, and my favorite Korean movie of all time (which says a lot because I'm a sucker for Korean movies).

Korea is fond of two types of movies: crime and revenge thrillers. And this one is the ultimate Korean revenge thriller (yeah, even more so than Park Chan-wook's Trilogy).

A serial killer murders the wife of a special agent. The agent tracks the killer down, beats him up, and let him go free again. Only to repeat the cycle, playing a game of cat and rat until he's satisfied.

The movie doesn't give a damn about traditional plot structures, and that's one of the things I like about it the most. I'd divide this movie into three parts: Introduction; Infinite Loop; and Finale.

The screenwriter went on to become a director, and great one at that. He directed *The Witch Part 1: The Subversion* and *Night in Paradise*, two Netflix originals that are also on the top of my list.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*NIGHT AND THE CITY*_ (1950) In his opening comments, Muller said this film could be "the epitome of noir's style." He gave a very detailed intro, & followed it with a few closing comments.

Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is an American living in London, and will do anything to get money, so long as it does not involve being employed by someone else in a legitimate business. He has had many get rich quick schemes, all of which he sold to his friends as foolproof, "this time, it's different," etc., and all had failed.

When he, by chance learns of a famous traditional Greek-style wrestler being disgusted by the current style, he cons him into signing with him to put on such an event. But, no matter what tactics he uses to get investments from his associates and friends, he gets no help.

When he finally gets a nightclub owner, who usually employs him in an underhanded scheme to take suckers' money, he still lacks a certain amount, and, in desperation, he provokes the current champion wrestler The Strangler (Mike Mazurki) into confronting the traditional guy Gregorius the Great (Stanislaus Zbyszko), in hopes that he can get the remaining funds, but, as usual, his scheme fails, and this one ends in death.


I have seen this film several times, and it has yet to get old.

Good show!


Oh, one other thing, some of Fabian's associates are in the business of faking war injuries, & the film depicted peg-legs, and such being wore by whole men. I recall THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, in which this was also an element. The guy who managed all these fraud injuries told Fabian the he should abandon his wresting scheme, and go into the fake injury business. He should gather a few guys who would prey on peoples' compassion, etc. They had fake blind, amputee, double amputee, etc. Most interesting.


----------



## pogopossum

*The Thief of Baghdad*




It was mentioned elsewhere on a best fantasy movies ever list. Thought that I should look at it again. It won three Oscars and was renowned for it's color.
On YouTube.


----------



## Jeffbert

It is a fun ride!


----------



## KGeo777

AT THE EARTH'S CORE  1976 - A fun (albeit simplistic) colorful adventure with some cool sets and monster scenes that is easy to revisit. The slow pace --i.e. going through glowing tunnels and sneaking behind sleeping rubber monsters--it wouldn't be so leisurely in a cgi film. Good score too.

"It's Jubal, the ugly one!"

"You can say that again."


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> "It's Jubal, the ugly one!"
> 
> "You can say that again."



"You can't hypnotise me!... I'm British!"


----------



## HareBrain

Jeffbert said:


> Oh, almost forgot! The horses were 4 side by side, & the villain's chariot had cutters on its wheels that could have chopped horses' legs, but, I just cannot imagine how they could have gotten near the other chariots' wheels!
> Where are the other horses?



Well spotted!


----------



## Dave Vicks

ATOMIC CAFE.

Next month Round Midnight,&  The Fire Next Time.


----------



## Dave Vicks

NOBODY, 2021.Bob Odenkirk.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back* - these films are so much fun.

"Perhaps we can come to some agreement. If you'll stop kidnapping people from my house -  I promise to stop breaking into yours.  Otherwise this sort of thing could keep up all night!"

I'm wondering if the books are written in a similar vein or it was a Hollywood makeover  - I may invest a few quid in a couple of the books to find out.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> "You can't hypnotise me!... I'm British!"


I don't normally think of Peter Cushing doing comedy in a film but that is good comic performance.
 He was able to take bad lines and make them work.


----------



## KGeo777

The Night of the Grizzly 1966 -- Frontier homesteader western that after a second viewing reminds me of JAWS in plot. I wonder if Peter Benchley saw it. A former sheriff (Clint Walker) escapes the big city to raise his family out in a rural town and a rampaging grizzly is attacking in the territory. There's a subplot with Keenan Wynn as a land baron who wants his ranch but he doesn't resort to dirty tricks. A hunting party fails to get the bear and a bounty is put out on him, and Leo Gordon, a former associate of Walker, comes to town. It was suggested to me that Gordon would have been a good choice for Quint--he conveys a tough and intimidating persona here--but so much so that I doubt Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss would have been a good match for him. If it was true that Charlton Heston was considered for Brody, then Gordon would have been a good choice for Quint (in that scenario, I nominate Roddy McDowall for Hooper).


----------



## KGeo777

DR MABUSE THE GAMBLER Part 1--released 100 years ago today. Finally got around to watching a Mabuse movie--I first heard of it in Classics of the Horror Film. I guess a master criminal who uses disguises and hypnotism was a scary prospect back in the cabaret days. It seems kind of quaint now in our world of high society criminality.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Prisoners (2013): a mystery too convoluted for me, with a non-ending.

Primal Fear (1996): I already knew the ending from a video. This one shouldn’t be missed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Wonder Woman 84 *- I presented #2 daughter with a choice tonight: _Wonder Woman 84_ or _Cabaret _.  "How can I choose!"  Don't make me chose. Such great legs! Both of them!"  

I wonder what it's like having straight kids.


----------



## dask

Absentminded professor type comedy mixing the race for the pennant and the accidental discovery of a chemical that repels wood. Seriously, it works. Well written and acted.


----------



## KGeo777

Death Knows No Time 1969 -- It starts with a typical western marshall (in a distracting wide shoulder-padded coat) coming to town in search of a Mexican bandit but he finds only a trail of bodies. I was wondering why they had such a retro-looking good guy protagonist--it felt like the earliest spaghetti westerns before they made them grungy--but then someone tells him the back story of the man he seeks. That's the real story. A farmer turned bandit who gets into a bank robbery with a gringo and before he can spend the money his wife dies in childbirth and his son is taken to be raised by a kindly sheriff. After spending 10 years in prison he escapes and seeks his son--but he is captured by his former bank robber partner who wants to know what he did with the money he had before going to prison. They kidnap and  torture his son in front of him--the kid doesn't know that this is his father...maybe this is a little contrived--wouldn't the kid be wondering why he doesn't resemble his parents? But they spend some time together as a result and the Mexican decides to sign papers so the foster parents can adopt him. It doesn't get so schmaltzy that you want to roll your eyes--the lead actor I have not seen before--he seems a cross between Omar Sharif and Burt Reynolds.  If not for him and the bank robber partner--a real jerk who fits more with the standard spaghetti formula--usually the characters are not sympathetic-it would probably feel more pedestrian.

I almost forgot the snake. They shoot the head off a little snake. That is a big thumbs down from me. I hate when they do that. There's a couple of horror movies they did--one is a remake of the first--and in both they have to cut off the head of a snake so you can see it moving around. To that I will employ a little Italian...Vaffanculo!


----------



## therapist

*Mysterious Skin* (2004) Blew me away how good this was. Acting and sound track were superb. I always love when movies do an internal narrator well (and this had 2 internally narrated characters!) Would recommend to anyone if you don't mind risque subject matter.


----------



## Foxbat

Angry Red Planet and The Time Travelers
A couple of okay for their time SF movies. 

In an era when we are used to strong female leads (Ripley being the obvious example), these two films are typical of what went before.

In this older era, a female character had four functions:
1) to provide eye candy, 
2) to gaze adoringly at the male lead, 
3) to scream at the appropriate time,
4) to faint and, therefore, be carried off to safety or be rescued from the monster by the male lead.

I prefer Ripley. She don’t need no man


----------



## JunkMonkey

Oh sorry but I beg to differ.  I though the female leads in both were pretty proactive for a films of the era.  In Angry Red Planet it was the female member of the crew that came up with the solution (electricity!) to the amoeba eating the male lead problem.  And the females in The Time Travelers were very forward looking for their time:



			
				My Film Diary said:
			
		

> The running-away sequence when our hero scientists are escaping the mutants; the only woman in the group out-paces the men. IN HEELS! None of this lagging behind, and tripping over a twig, twisting her ankle and getting rescued crap. When she's threatened by the mutants in the lab she doesn't scream or shrink away but grabs a fire extinguisher and blasts them in the face. When the girl from the future (the one making the eyes played by Playboy model Delores Wells) invites the comedy relief to her cubicle (presumably for a good old shag - given the later dialogue in the nude bathing scene about how she's looking forward to the mini baby boom they will have to create on 'New Earth'). That's incredibly liberated for 1964. The interstellar ship propulsion system is explained to our time travellers  by the chief female scientist. Thinking about it, there was very little sex differentiation in the jobs people were doing in the future.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome* - better than I remember but nowhere near as good as number 2.


----------



## Mark_Harbinger

CODA.

Some movies I'm like: "That was pretty good."
Some: "That was great!"
Some: "That was great! Wow. One of the best I've seen this year!" (the Oscars have conditioned me to think in years, of course)
Some: "Wow. That was amazing...the best movie I've seen in a long time...one of this decade's best!"
And for some, It's just: <stunned silence> "Did I just watch the best movie...ever?"* 

*-I've only had that response a handful of times. But CODA was one of them. A lifetime's worth of humanity reflected in under two hours. Remarkable. I feel fortunate the producers decided to make an English version.


----------



## Wreath

Fantastic beast and where to find them 3 secrets of dumbledore


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Der Hexer *(1964)

Entertaining _krimi _based on an Edgar Wallace novel (_The Ringer_) that had already been filmed multiple times, going back to the silent days.  Starts with a secretary overhearing something her boss is saying on the phone.  She is then strangled.  We cut to her body inside a tiny submarine, and the otherwise black-and-white movie turns into psychedelic color, as we get a rock 'n' roll song mixed with screams, moans, and the sounds of guns being fired over the opening credits.

That's quite a beginning.  The woman knew too much about a white slavery ring, and also happened to be the sister of a notorious vigilante called DER HEXER ("the magician," in the English subtitles) who drove criminals to suicide, and is now in Australia.  His wife arrives in England, and it's obvious that he's snuck in as well, ready to avenge the murder of his sister.

This leads to a three-way cat-and-mouse game, as the cops try to catch the white slavers and DER HEXER, while the white slavers try to kill the inspector on the case and evade DER HEXER, and DER HEXER kills the white slavers one by one (although they also do some of the work for him themselves) while evading the cops.  

There's a guy from Australia claiming to be a writer who's following DER HEXER's wife, there's a kleptomaniac turned butler to the leader of the white slavers, there's the inspector's girlfriend, the inspector's boss and his sexy secretary, and a retired inspector who is the only person around who can identify DER HEXER, who is also a master of disguise.  Lots of killings and attempted killings, chases, a multiple twist ending, and some comedy relief that is actually pretty amusing.  An enjoyable romp, overall.


----------



## hitmouse

*Doolittle* (2020). What an unsatisfactory mess. Starts out moderately promising, some interesting ideas which are never properly developed. Lavish production but a weird uneven script, plot and character development, and a lack of overall quality control. 
Robert Downey Jr does an unusual, but quite amusing south Walian accent, which I imagine probably required subtitles in parts of the English-speaking world.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> Death Knows No Time 1969 -- It starts with a typical western marshall (in a distracting wide shoulder-padded coat) coming to town in search of a Mexican bandit but he finds only a trail of bodies. I was wondering why they had such a retro-looking good guy protagonist--it felt like the earliest spaghetti westerns before they made them grungy--but then someone tells him the back story of the man he seeks. That's the real story. A farmer turned bandit who gets into a bank robbery with a gringo and before he can spend the money his wife dies in childbirth and his son is taken to be raised by a kindly sheriff. After spending 10 years in prison he escapes and seeks his son--but he is captured by his former bank robber partner who wants to know what he did with the money he had before going to prison. They kidnap and  *torture his son in front of him--the kid doesn't know that this is his father*...maybe this is a little contrived--wouldn't the kid be wondering why he doesn't resemble his parents? But they spend some time together as a result and the Mexican decides to sign papers so the foster parents can adopt him. It doesn't get so schmaltzy that you want to roll your eyes--the lead actor I have not seen before--he seems a cross between Omar Sharif and Burt Reynolds.  If not for him and the bank robber partner--a real jerk who fits more with the standard spaghetti formula--usually the characters are not sympathetic-it would probably feel more pedestrian.
> 
> I almost forgot the snake. They shoot the head off a little snake. That is a big thumbs down from me. I hate when they do that. There's a couple of horror movies they did--one is a remake of the first--and in both they have to cut off the head of a snake so you can see it moving around. To that I will employ a little Italian...Vaffanculo!


That plot is very similar to THE LAST GANGSTER, which I mentioned a few weeks ago. Edward G. Robinson goes to prison, and then his wife learns he was a gangster, regrets marrying him, etc. His son is born, reaches age 10, papa is released from prison, & wants to re- pickup where he left off, & start with his son. Just as you say above, the old gang kidnaps the boy, etc., no adoption papers, though.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> *Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome* - better than I remember but nowhere near as good as number 2.



Not as good as 2 but Comically very funny . Tina Turner was cool as Auntie.


----------



## Rodders

I remember Tina Turner was huge at the time. I think the soundtrack was in the charts for a long time. 

I remember little about the film, though.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> That plot is very similar to THE LAST GANGSTER, which I mentioned a few weeks ago. Edward G. Robinson goes to prison, and then his wife learns he was a gangster, regrets marrying him, etc. His son is born, reaches age 10, papa is released from prison, & wants to re- pickup where he left off, & start with his son. Just as you say above, the old gang kidnaps the boy, etc., no adoption papers, though.


I thought of that movie while watching it. I haven't seen it but remembered your description.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Old Ways *
Mexico-based horror flick that's a bit of a yawn fest


----------



## Mouse

Just been to the cinema to see *Downton Abbey: A New Era*. Just noticed it's had some bad reviews but I loved it. Thought it was really funny and nicely finished. All the characters got happy endings (more or less). First time I've been to the cinema since before covid.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_The Mummy_  - The 2017 damp squib kickstart to Universal's 'Dark Universe'.  And it was AWFUL!    I am so glad I didn't have a drink in my hand or a mouthful of popcorn  when the underwater zombie chase happened.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bamboo Prison *(1954)

Korean War melodrama.  One of the American captives in a Chinese prison camp gets special privileges by becoming a "progressive" (co-operating with the captors by broadcasting propaganda radio messages, etc.)  He's really using his position to get information for the good guys.  This leads to smooching with the beautiful Russian wife of an American journalist turned Soviet propagandist.  (Oddly, he has a British accent, maybe to make him sound more sinister.)  Lots of familiar actors in the crowd, particularly E. G. Marshall as a phony priest working for the Reds.  There's a fair amount of prison camp comedy among the wisecracking GI's, in the tradition of *Stalag 17*.  Not a bad film.


----------



## dask

We watched this at the local art house cinema. Great way to spend Saturday afternoon.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Mr Turner
- very good indeed.


----------



## Le Panda du Mal

Mouse said:


> Just been to the cinema to see *Downton Abbey: A New Era*. Just noticed it's had some bad reviews but I loved it. Thought it was really funny and nicely finished. All the characters got happy endings (more or less). First time I've been to the cinema since before covid.



I can't bring myself to watch anything from Downton Abbey after Branson sold out


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Motorpsycho! *(1965)

Surprisingly serious Russ Meyer film, with a minimum of the campiness of things like *Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!*, although you do get some of the familiar odd dialogue and, of course, many voluptuous women.  Soon-to-be respected character actor Alex Rocco has his first role as a veterinarian whose wife is raped by a trio of cycle thugs.  The same three kill a guy and try to kill his Cajun wife (Haji, from *Faster Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!*, putting on a thick French accent) but she survives.  Rocco and Haji join forces to track down the hoods, leading to a final confrontation in the desert.  Sure, it's a cheap sex-and-violence exploitation film, but it's very nicely filmed, has a lot of intense scenes, and even some character development.  (The leader of the cycle gang is a Vietnam veteran and goes completely insane at the end, suffering from the delusion that he's back in the war.  Haji has a decent scene where she shares her poignant backstory with Rocco, although it's not as memorable as the scene in which Rocco is bitten by a rattlesnake and screams at her to suck the poison out.)


----------



## BT Jones

*Last Knights (2015)*

Clive Owen & Morgan Freeman in a old-fashioned tale of knights, honour, and rising up against corruption.  Filmed in the Czech republic, it's a Euro / Korean production which lends it a refreshing look and feel that is slightly otherworldly - the cinematography is superb, as is the script, with an international cast.  Story-wise, It's nothing new, but it's very well done, with a slow-burn mid-section that earns it's pay-off (at least in my opinion).

Criminally underrated and unfairly scorned by critics.


----------



## KGeo777

DEADFALL 1968 -- All I could remember about this from the first viewing was the heist-music concert scene made more interesting by the fact that John Barry has a role as the conductor. So that is the James Bond guy. The film is well-made but overly indulgent with a story that is just too niche market. Michael Caine is a jewel-thief who gets hired by a gay employer and his wife to rob mansions for them and then a love affair results and the guy has a Nazi past and a guilt trip about his gay lover and blah blah blah, lots of cuts to seagulls flying around. It's pretty to look at but the story is just not that appealing. Of course it ends on a downer for no real purpose. It isn't a shock ending but the question is--why? Why bother? Fox sure blew away the money in the late 60s.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bellboy and the Playgirls *(1962)

Eccentric nudie-cutie frankensteined together from a black-and-white German sex comedy (*Mit Eva fing die Sünde an*, "With Eve Sin Began," 1958) and new American footage directed by an unknown film student by the name of Francis Ford Coppola.  The German stuff involves a pure-minded stage actress (_krimi _star and Bond girl Karin Dor) who refuses to do a mildly sexy scene in her new play.  The director tells her that the good old days weren't as chaste as she thinks, which leads us into a series of historical fantasy sequences.  Meanwhile, in the black-and-white part of the American stuff, the bellboy is supposedly spying on the stage play.  This turns into color when he goes back to the hotel and becomes involved in slapstick antics with a room full of lingerie models, providing the PG-rated nudity required by the genre.  It's all extremely silly stuff, with some amusing bits.  Supposedly some scenes were originally shown in 3-D.


----------



## Randy M.

*Double Bill: '60s-'70s Paranoia*

How do you know a movie comes from the late 1960s, early 1970s? The big, male star and box office draw is likely to die. In case you haven't seen these, I won't tell you which one ends that way.

_*THE PARALLAX VIEW*_ (1974) (dir. Alan Pakula; starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, William Daniels, Hume Cronyn) 

A bit early for Watergate paranoia, this one springs from questioning the Warren Commission investigation of the assassination of President Kennedy, as well as distrust of the investigation into the assassination of Bobby Kennedy; I associate Beatty with RFK but I think he also rubbed elbows with JFK.

A senator running for president is assassinated. The assassin is caught, except we see the real one get away. Several witnesses of the assassination die mysteriously in the next few years, including a friend of Beatty's small time reporter, Frady. This prompts Frady to dig in. He's a bit of a rebel -- this was Beatty post-_Bonnie and Clyde_, the slick outsider dressed up and coiffed to the max schtick -- and his make it up as you go along style starts hitting pay dirt. Cronyn plays his indulgent editor, and does a nice job of balancing Beatty's rebel pose. Daniels and Prentiss are their usual reliable professional selves, bringing some depth to pawns in the conspiracy behind a private corporation, Parallax.

I do think Beatty gives Robert Redford a run for blandest big name, big box office star ever. Speaking of whom ...


_*THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR*_ (1975) (dir. Sydney Pollack; starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, John Houseman, Max Von Sydow)

Apparently they only had half the budget the novel this is based on, Six Days of the Condor by James Grady, had.

Excellent cast in a taut political thriller involving the CIA, a section of which is assassinated -- sense a theme? -- because of something one of its members, Turner (Redford) known in trade as Condor, tripped over. Turner's section reads books, manuals, whatever is printed here and abroad to determine if its coded, to pick up ideas, to check if it inadvertently or otherwise exposes operations of the Company. While Turner is away getting lunch for his team, the assassins arrive, wipe them out, and move on. From there it's a cat-and-mouse game as Turner tries to figure out why, evade the assassins and try to find someone he can trust. Enter Dunaway.

I recall a review at the time saying Redford and Dunaway had no chemistry together, and I'm not quite sure that was right. There's an awkwardness between them that seems appropriate for the situation. 

Redford exudes a kind of straight-forward charm that makes this work. Even so, I still think he's bland.


Both of these are worth watching, and both seem somewhat like relics of an earlier time. Not that concern and even fear of government and corporate intrigue is no longer called for, just that the stakes and issues have altered somewhat.


----------



## Dave Vicks

THE DEPARTED .


----------



## Randy M.

*Horror Double-Bill: Family Time*

_*THE QUIET PLACE PART 2*_ (2020) (dir. John Krasinski; starring Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmons)

I enjoyed this. Some horror fans don't like these two movies, but there's a nightmarish quality to the premise that works for me, though it's undercut somewhat by the rather logical, even methodical ways in which the characters respond to the situation. This could almost have been titled, _The Quiet Place: The Daughter's Story_ as it mainly follows the daughter, Regan's, attempt to follow up her father's investigation into what might stop the creatures who are drawn by sound. This is especially difficult for her since she's deaf (as is the actress, who is terrific in this movie) and the answer is the creature's vulnerability to certain sounds. Well-developed, and anchored by solid performances from Blunt and Murphy.


*THE HOUSE ON THE BAYOU* (2020) (dir. Alex McAuley; starring Angela Sarafyan, Paul Schneider, Lia McHugh)

Husband cheats on wife and is caught. She seems controlling -- implication that she has the money in the marriage -- and he seems weaselly. To save the marriage she demands they go on a vacation to a mansion on a Louisiana bayou she knows about because of her job as a real estate agent. A young man and his grandpa meet them and even cook them dinner. But the young man and grandpa aren't exactly who they appear to be. For that matter, neither are the husband and wife.

Horror movies aren't often associated with subtlety -- there are subtle horror movies, but it's not that common -- and here's one that could have used some subtlety. The direction is adequate and the acting almost saves a script that makes everything too obvious. I've seen worse horror movies, but this one shows not every Blumhouse movie is a winner.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Outpost 37* aka *Alien Outpost* aka *Mankind's Last Stand* - Men. Guns. Lots of explosions.  More guns.  Lots of swearing.  Guns.  "Go! Go! Go! Go!"  Low budget (most of it went on Kaboom!) American vs Aliens 'found footagey' pseudo-documentary that had a paper thin plot but really floundered by relying on characters being 'interviewed' to tell us all the backstory stuff.  The backstory stuff that would have been such common knowledge it wouldn't have needed explaining in the world the film was pretending to be a part of.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*A Bay of Blood *AKA *Carnage *AKA *Twitch of the Death Nerve *AKA a bunch of other English language titles (_Ecologia del delitto_, "Ecology of Crime" or _Reazione a catena_, "Chain Reaction," 1971)

I finally got around to Mario Bava's infamous and highly influential shocker.  The plot can best be described as people kill people, many of whom are then killed by other people.  It all has something to do with inheriting a valuable piece of bayside property, but the details of the multiple schemes upon schemes don't become clear until near the end, requiring multiple flashbacks.  The gruesome murders are way ahead of their time in the level of gore, and the film pretty much started the "body count" genre of blood-soaked slashers.  There's an outrageously ironic twist ending, that convinces me the whole thing is an extremely dark joke.  Beautifully filmed and with some interesting characters, it's worth a look for those with a reasonable level of tolerance for violence.


----------



## KGeo777

I have yet to see A Bay of Blood. There's always something that gets left behind.

I did finally watch BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE 1958  - been wanting to see this Vertigo cast reunion for a while. Kim Novak's hair looks great in this. A much better hairstyle than the ones she had in Vertigo. I was expecting more of a Bewitched-type plot but it was a good counterpoint for the previous film since she is the one obsessed with James Stewart. He does seem a little old for her--that wasn't  an issue in Vertigo but I guess that was because it was a doomed relationship from the start.
As a comedy there's not much to it (the guy playing the writer was muted and underplaying while everyone else was on a more energetic tempo than him).
Novak gets the best line when he asks her if she is into unAmerican activities and she says "they are very American....early American."

It's quaint and the cat is cute..


----------



## Guttersnipe

Rewatched two of my favorites.

All of Me (1984): Half a lawyer’s (Steve Martin) body is a new host for a woman’s (Lily Tomlinson) soul. Absolutely hilarious and often touching. 

The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985): In the mid 1900s, a character (Jeff Daniels) in a movie comes off the screen to romance a woman (Mia Farrow). The real actor behind this character tries to send him back. My favorite movie by Woody Allen.

Also…
City of Joy (1992): An American doctor (Patrick Swayze) arrives in a poor Indian neighborhood and becomes a hero to the people who live there while learning to love the community there. Based on a French novel, and not the first adaptation. I don’t know why it got such bad ratings.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Just finished watching *The Belles of St Trinians.   *A lovely humorous movie, filled with plenty of slapstick. Alistair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, Sid James, and George Cole. 9/10


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE LOST SQUADRON* (1932) Thee WWI flyers and their mechanic take jobs working for film director Arthur von Furst (Erich von Stroheim), who is known for his disregard for the lives of actors. 

The aviators Captain Gibson  (Richard Dix) Lieutenant Curwood (Robert Armstrong; GUY who discovered or exploited KING KONG), & one known only as Red (Joel McCrea) are competing for the love of Follette Marsh (Mary Astor), who had married the director while they were still in the service. 

Sgt. Fritz (Hugh Herbert has few of his usual amusing laughs, etc.).

The director, as already noted, cares more about getting the action on film, than he does about those doing the action, and even sabotages an airplane hoping to both eliminate the man whom his wife loves, and get a crash on film.

Early in the film, after the heroes welcome, the ticker-tape parade, etc., all four find employment difficult to find, even with their former employers who had promised their jobs would be waiting for them after the war. Grim.


Of note is the director's emblem, which bears a certain resemblance the the SWASTIKA.


----------



## hitmouse

Guttersnipe said:


> Also…
> City of Joy (1992): An American doctor (Patrick Swayze) arrives in a poor Indian neighborhood and becomes a hero to the people who live there while learning to love the community there. Based on a French novel, and not the first adaptation. I don’t know why it got such bad ratings.


The original novel, by Dominic Lapierre I think, is pretty rubbish.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Guttersnipe said:


> The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985): In the mid 1900s, a character (Jeff Daniels) in a movie comes off the screen to romance a woman (Mia Farrow). The real actor behind this character tries to send him back. My favorite movie by Woody Allen.



I really wish someone could explain to me the attraction of Woody Allen films.  I keep trying  and...  trying and... nothing.   I can see they're supposed to be (or trying to be) funny, or funny and insightful, or insightful and funny (Oh look, a joke.  Oh look, poignancy.) -  but they just leave me cold. Stone cold. I've tried.  Honestly I've tried.  I watched A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy immediately after reading an interview with the man in which he came over as a likeable funny interesting human being.  I was feeling very well disposed to the bloke... the film was one of the most tedious bits of cinema I had seen in weeks. Even surrounded by an audience of fans I've been left unengaged.   (I'm a great believer in the idea that watching a film with an audience is a far more rewarding experience than watching them on your own.  Especially with a comedy.  Laughter is contagious.  Sometimes you need permission to laugh and having someone else start gives you licence.) 
They were laughing a lot and I was just sat there, surrounded by a guffawing crowd utterly bemused.  I had no idea why these people would all suddenly laugh at something.  Apart from the fact that whatever had just happened on screen had all the hallmarks and structures of a joke but without actually being at all funny.   Zelig was about the best and he was hardly in it.  Even his earlier funnier films I find really hard work.


----------



## Dave Vicks

I am thinking about getting the movies WILD AT HEART And EDUCATING RITA.
Anyone like these movies?


----------



## KGeo777

I found some amusement in a scene from *Take the Money and Run* where he tries to rob a school mate but Woody Allen has never had any funding problems. Many directors have to struggle to get funding but not him. Not even after the scandal.
 Never showed up at the Oscars-never had to promote his films. He could play the clarinet all day.
And he always got the most famous or current actors and it is impossible that they all just loved Woody Allen films.
Never had a single NO from an actor ever? No scheduling conflict? Apparently not.

And it cannot be popularity because allegedly Annie Hall cost the same amount to make as Smokey and the Bandit and the profit difference was $34 million for AH and $300 million for the latter.

His films are going to sink into oblivion. 
He's the ultimate proof that Hollywood is not run by profit because there is no way his films are making profits. Purple Rose of Cairo lost money.

Shadows and Fog--WTF was that about?  It totally bombed but Allen was right back again with funding for his next film.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> I really wish someone could explain to me the attraction of Woody Allen films.  I keep trying  and...  trying and... nothing.   I can see they're supposed to be (or trying to be) funny, or funny and insightful, or insightful and funny (Oh look, a joke.  Oh look, poignancy.) -  but they just leave me cold. Stone cold. I've tried.  Honestly I've tried.  I watched A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy immediately after reading an interview with the man in which he came over as a likeable funny interesting human being.  I was feeling very well disposed to the bloke... the film was one of the most tedious bits of cinema I had seen in weeks. Even surrounded by an audience of fans I've been left unengaged.   (I'm a great believer in the idea that watching a film with an audience is a far more rewarding experience than watching them on your own.  Especially with a comedy.  Laughter is contagious.  Sometimes you need permission to laugh and having someone else start gives you licence.)
> They were laughing a lot and I was just sat there, surrounded by a guffawing crowd utterly bemused.  I had no idea why these people would all suddenly laugh at something.  Apart from the fact that whatever had just happened on screen had all the hallmarks and structures of a joke but without actually being at all funny.   Zelig was about the best and he was hardly in it.  Even his earlier funnier films I find really hard work.


Allen is very variable. Some of his early 70s stuff is great. *Annie Hall* is wonderful. *Manhatten *is interesting. *Sleeper* is very good as is *Love and Death. *Later films are much more variable and some are forgettable. I enjoyed *Hannah and Her Sisters*. 
The thing is that Allen always plays the same character: a neurotic Jewish New Yorker. Mostly very good but has some limitations, and I can see why he leaves some people cold. Apart from the films, his standup monologue is very good, and his collected writing is worth reading.


----------



## KGeo777

THE SCORPIO LETTERS  1967 - Supposedly a tv-movie according to IMDB but it has a theatrical release trailer in widescreen. I have seen it before and completely forgot it. That's understandable because it is totally forgettable.
It has a bad script, pedestrian direction,  dull score, cheap studio backlot look, and an uninspired cast led by Alex Cord who was, for some inexplicable reason pushed into starring roles and simply not up to the challenge. Shirley Eaton fairs no better in a terrible part. One of the worst Hollywood spy movie cash-ins.
If Hollywood is churning out insipid productions now--well, here's one from the 60s which shows they could make an awful pointless movie then too.  Return to sender.


----------



## J-Sun

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Daughters of Darkness *(1971)
> 
> If Stanley Kubrick had made a lesbian vampire movie, it would have looked a lot like this Belgian art film, I believe.  Every shot is gorgeous to look at, with striking use of light and color.
> 
> A newlywed couple is stuck at a fancy seaside hotel.  (The groom is played by John Karlen, best known to me as the servant of vampire Barnabas Collins in the soap opera _Dark Shadows_, adding a touch of irony.)  He's very reluctant to have his new bride meet his mother, for a reason we'll find out about an hour into the film, adding an interesting and unexpected twist to his character.  he also displays an unhealthy interest in a series of murders of young women not too far away, their bodies drained of blood.
> 
> Countess Elizabeth Bathory (claiming to be the descendent of the infamous woman of the same name) arrives with her secretary (better described as lover/slave.)  They seem to have stepped right out of the late 1920's/early 1930's.  (In fact, it's said that their appearances are deliberately based on Marlene Dietrich and Louise Brooks.)  The manager of the hotel remembers the Countess from forty years ago, and she hasn't changed a bit . . .
> 
> I won't say anything else about the plot, except to note that you won't see fangs or bats or any of the usual vampire stuff.  Delphine Seyrig is absolutely fascinating as the Countess (not to mention her stunning outfits.)  Highly recommended.





JunkMonkey said:


> @Victoria Silverwolf THANK YOU!  I just watched this and was bowled over.  It's what Jess Franco and Jean Rollin and all those other trash eurotica directors thought they were doing - but got right.    It is _wonderful_.  As you said every shot is gorgeous and some of the editing is stunning.  The music is great and you are so right, Delphine Seyrig is absolutely fascinating as the Countess. Her girlfriend isn't bad either.  Thank you so much.


Something about your review and Mr. Monkey's affirmation made me give this a try awhile back. I don't know that I was quite as bowled over, but I did enjoy it and thank you for pointing it out. My favorite bit might have been the part where Vampire Lady is fondling Husband in the lobby while
Vampire Girlfriend is freaking out Wife upstairs. Husband: "What was that?" Vampire Lady (with exquisitely disinterested matter-of-factness): "Sounded like a scream."


----------



## KGeo777

*Not of This Earth* 1957 ---very inventive on the cheap sci-fi film greatly enhanced by Beverly Garland, who treats every role like its Lady MacBeth.  I like the umbrella facehugger alien that shows up as well as Dick Miller's unexpected appearance as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. 

*DOUBLE FACE* 1969 --rewatch-- Giallo with Klaus Kinski as an industrialist who learns his wife is having a lesbian affair. After she is killed in a car crash, a girl shows up and takes him to a hippie joint where he sees her in a porno film with a masked woman who may be his wife. The fact that it was made after the car crash sends him over the edge to find answers.


----------



## Bramandin

*Rumble* - an animated movie about a bunch of giant monsters that act like professional wrestlers.  I missed part because the villain triggered me, but thematically it's a decent movie.


----------



## Foxbat

Shock (1946)
A reasonable thriller starring Vincent Price. It's about a psychiatrist involved in murder but also dealing with a patient who witnessed the killing. Things are complicated by the presence of the psychologist's manipulative mistress, who came across as a kind of Noir Lady MacBeth. One of those movies that, no matter what time of day you watch it, it feels as if you're watching it at three in the morning.


----------



## Randy M.

Foxbat said:


> One of those movies that, no matter what time of day you watch it, it feels as if you're watching it at three in the morning.


There will come a day when I steal that line.


----------



## Foxbat

Randy M. said:


> There will come a day when I steal that line.


Not an original line from me.
It was a line I heard somewhere else.  I think it was being used to describe Plan 9 From Outer Space.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> There will come a day when I steal that line.



A line, I believe, originally comes from  *The Haunted World of Edward D.Wood Jr.* (1995) a documentary about *Plan 9 From Outer Space*.


----------



## Randy M.

Huh. I don't recall ever hearing it before, but I'm still going to steal it. (And it would really fit *Plan 9...*)


----------



## Guttersnipe

JunkMonkey said:


> I really wish someone could explain to me the attraction of Woody Allen films.  I keep trying  and...  trying and... nothing.   I can see they're supposed to be (or trying to be) funny, or funny and insightful, or insightful and funny (Oh look, a joke.  Oh look, poignancy.) -  but they just leave me cold. Stone cold. I've tried.  Honestly I've tried.  I watched A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy immediately after reading an interview with the man in which he came over as a likeable funny interesting human being.  I was feeling very well disposed to the bloke... the film was one of the most tedious bits of cinema I had seen in weeks. Even surrounded by an audience of fans I've been left unengaged.   (I'm a great believer in the idea that watching a film with an audience is a far more rewarding experience than watching them on your own.  Especially with a comedy.  Laughter is contagious.  Sometimes you need permission to laugh and having someone else start gives you licence.)
> They were laughing a lot and I was just sat there, surrounded by a guffawing crowd utterly bemused.  I had no idea why these people would all suddenly laugh at something.  Apart from the fact that whatever had just happened on screen had all the hallmarks and structures of a joke but without actually being at all funny.   Zelig was about the best and he was hardly in it.  Even his earlier funnier films I find really hard work.


Come to think of it, I've only seen some of his fantasy films (others being Midnight in Paris and Zelig), more if you include the animated Antz. I've never seen or heard a lot of good jokes in his films, but that's not why I watch them. The humor might not make me guffaw, but it always seems warm-hearted, wholesome and touching to me for some reason.


----------



## Provincial

*The Man who Knew Too Little*, starring Bill Murray, Joanne Whalley, Alfred Molina and Peter Gallagher, with a brief (but brilliant) appearance by a very young Eddie Marsan.  It’s a guilty pleasure because it’s embarrassingly silly and clunky, but it makes me laugh out loud again and again, especially the scene with the traffic cones. Roger Ebert gave it one star, which might be one more star than it deserves, but it’s guaranteed to cheer me up come what may. Which is why I’m watching it today.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Callan * (1974)- movie version of the British TV show of the same name.  Downbeat and low key.  A sanctioned government assassin is bought out of retirement to kill an arms dealer - which he does. There aren't a lot of complications along the way and chunks have dated really badly but strangely compelling for all that.  Spot the actor fans will have fun ticking off at least two actors in  the speaking parts who appeared in Star Wars a couple of years later.


----------



## alexvss

*Pandora (2016*). Dropped this boring trainwreck after 15 minutes. Bad Korean movies do exist after all...


----------



## pogopossum

*Wolf *_*Children. *_directed by
Mamoru Hosoda
Lovely animated fantasy about the trials of raising two children who are wolf changelings.
Bumped into it while browsing lists of best fantasy movies. Miz pogo's comment after it ended was, "Now there's a movie."
And she went on to list half a dozen things that made a movie stand out. One was "beauty" which is where she put this one.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Shaolin Soccer *- silly fun.


----------



## AllanR

JunkMonkey said:


> *Shaolin Soccer *- silly fun.


Kung Fu Hustle is much better imo.


----------



## alexvss

*The Witch (2016)* for the fourth time, I think. Rewatched it ahead of *The Northman*. It's creepier than I remembered, and I also noticed some things I haven't before. Rewatching good movies is important!


----------



## KGeo777

THE ENFORCER 1976 - The main deficiency in this film is the weakness of the revolutionary group members. They are anonymous and don't make for a memorable threat. They also get sidelined for a while to focus on the buddy cop situation.  I think the lead should have been portrayed by someone more menacing like Richard Lynch.

Harry Callahan: Hypothetical situation, huh? All right, I'm standing on the street corner, and Mrs. Grey there comes up and propositions me. She says if I come home with her, for $5 she'll put on an exhibition with a Shetland pony...

Mrs. Grey: If this is your idea of humor, Inspector...

Harry Callahan: I'm just trying to find out if anybody in this room knows what the hell law is being broken, besides cruelty to animals.


----------



## JunkMonkey

AllanR said:


> Kung Fu Hustle is much better imo.



Mine too - but Number2 daughter wanted to watch that one.   I did offer the choice.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Harry Callahan: Hypothetical situation, huh? All right, I'm standing on the street corner, and Mrs. Grey there comes up and propositions me. She says if I come home with her, for $5 she'll put on an exhibition with a Shetland pony...
> 
> Mrs. Grey: If this is your idea of humor, Inspector...



Reminded me of one of Shel Silverstein's more memorable lyrics:

I swear she's gonna win an Academy Award
I saw Polly in a porny with a pony and the pony seemed a little bored

From 'Polly in a Porny'


----------



## Foxbat

The Seventh Veil (1945).
An interesting tale of a psychiatrist removing the veils (hence the title) from the mind of a gifted but troubled young pianist. Starring James Mason, Herbert Lom and Ann Todd.
Quite a hit in its day and still worth watching now.


----------



## Astro Pen

_*Deja Vu *_(2006)
 A time travel paradox detective story. In the end they mess up on viable paradox logic to get a Hollywood ending
I'll give it only 8 monkeys.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE BATMAN *_(2022) COMCAST  has a deal in which subscribers can press the button, say "watchathon" & view this as well as several other films, through 05/09. 

I had heard a rather dismal opinion about this film, & given that it is dark and pouring rain the whole time, I can see why. That, & the fact that it runs nearly 3 hours; & as usual, in recent films, there is always some content after the credits end. 

At least I could fast-forward through the 10 + minutes of credits!

Anyway, given that I watched it at home, & could pause, etc., when nature called, etc., I did enjoy it.  



I have not been to the movie theater since I saw a movie that was B&W & red (for blood). The popcorn is either dry, bland, or gooey, too little or too much salt, most of which is at the bottom. There was a time when they would put in a scoop of popcorn, add butter (or whatever passed for 'butter') add salt, more popcorn, etc. The last time I had movie theater popcorn, the salt was on a counter on the other side of the lobby, was tied to a string, & they obviously wanted to get customers away so as to serve the next customers, etc.


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> The popcorn is either dry, bland, or gooey, too little or too much salt, most of which is at the bottom. There was a time when they would put in a scoop of popcorn, add butter (or whatever passed for 'butter') add salt, more popcorn, etc. The last time I had movie theater popcorn, the salt was on a counter on the other side of the lobby, was tied to a string, & they obviously wanted to get customers away so as to serve the next customers, etc.


That's sad and funny


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les femmes de l'ombre * Literally 'The Shadow Women' but released as _Women Agents_ in the anglophone world.  WW2. Female Special Operations Executive agent in occupied France have to extricate a British geologist from a German hospital before the Germans: A: Find out he's British and B: Figure out that he was probably taking samples of beach sand in preparation for the Allied Invasion which they were expecting... but not on beaches in Normandy.  Needless to say things go wrong.  Then get worse.  Then _even _worse.  I wanted so hard to like this film.  I can't fault a performance, or plot twist, any single particular line of dialogue, or edit, or costume choice.  I can't put my finger on what it was but it  didn't quite gel for me.  I could admire it, and it is an admirable film in many ways, but it didn't engage me as it should.


----------



## alexvss

*The Lighthouse (2019)*. The second film by Robert Eggers. Rewatched this ahead of *The Northman* premiere in my country. The first time I watched this was in the movie theater with Portuguese subtitles. This time, I watched it with English subtitles, and that was important to help me comprehend the movie better because the characters speak in dialect. Subtitle translation often sucks so I could enjoy it more.

Eagerly waiting for *The Northman*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les femmes de l'ombre* cont.
This afternoon at work I worked out what it was that that failed for me in the film - to late to redact my earlier post. 
SPOILERS AHEAD:

It's the plot.  The Maguffin doesn't work.  After the gathering of the team sequence, and the daring rescue sequence, comes the serious something goes wrong moment.   The geologist via the medium of a written note tells them that the SS officer who interrogated him knew about part of the secret D-Day invasion plans.  So our heroines are coerced into staying in France to kill him instead of returning home with their mission done.   The rest of the movie is them and the Maquis  going to extraordinary lengths to do just this.  The German high command, we have been told, are dismissive of his ideas about a Normandy beach landing.   It's not as if he had the only copy of this idea in his head.  There were plenty of other characters who had seen the evidence he'd gathered.  Surely having the entire resistance movement doing their damnedest to eliminate him would raise their suspicions that perhaps, maybe he was right?


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE WINDOW*_ (1949) NOIR ALLEY; Muller said Noir was no place for children, but this film is an exception. The story behind the film's youngest actor is just as NOIR! Talk about a dark ending!

So, there is a little boy Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) who likes to tell tall tales, lies, exaggerations, & such. In a time when air conditioning was rare, the kid abandons his bed, in favor of the balcony. Too warm on his own floor, he ascends to the floor above, & lies down outside the Kellerson's window. Hearing a noise inside he turns his head, and through the window, on which the shade had been several inches above the bottom, he witnesses the Kellorsons' murder a man.

Obviously, a NOIR version of the boy who cried wolf.  As with the fairy tale, nobody believes him, etc., & he is steadfast with his story of murder. Tense, indeed!

Unfortunately for the child actor, H. Hughes bought RKO just in time to shelve the film, which was not released for another 2 years. By that time Driscoll had all but outgrown his preadolescence, and found few good roles.    The rest is downright tragic.


----------



## Foxbat

Arrival.
I think what I like most about this movie is that it explores the importance of language and how it can change the way we look at, not only our world,  but the whole universe. I think perhaps still Villeneuve’s best work.


----------



## KGeo777

*24 HOURS TO KILL *1965 - Harry Alan Towers made a few travelogue intrigue movies and this one features Lex Barker and Mickey Rooney as airplane crew chums who get into trouble in Lebanon. Rooney is accused of stealing gold from a smuggling ring and needs help from Barker and friends. But is he telling the truth when he says he is innocent? It is diverting enough, amusing  light comedy with  cheap action, to revisit on occasion--if you have an hour and a half to kill.


----------



## Foxbat

End Of The World (1977)
It’s the same old story. Our world has become a problem so aliens decide to destroy it.
A NASA scientist tracks messages being sent from outer space to a convent on Earth and sets out to investigate.

I’m assuming Christopher Lee had a few bills to pay because I can’t think of any other reason why he would appear in this mediocre mush.

Avoid unless you are an insomniac looking for a drug free cure to your affliction.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> End Of The World (1977)
> It’s the same old story. Our world has become a problem so aliens decide to destroy it.
> A NASA scientist tracks messages being sent from outer space to a convent on Earth and sets out to investigate.
> 
> I’m assuming Christopher Lee had a few bills to pay because I can’t think of any other reason why he would appear in this mediocre mush.
> 
> Avoid unless you are an insomniac looking for a drug free cure to your affliction.



Alien Nuns!  You're right, it is an insanely dull film.  Most of it is establishing shots.

If you want the real nadir of Mr Lee's career check out 'Starship Invasions' in which he plays the head evil alien and gets through the whole film without opening his mouth once.  The aliens are telepathic you see, so all of Lee's time on set (probably the costliest part of the budget) was spent shooting him walking through the scenes without any sound being recorded. His 'dialogue' was dubbed in afterwards from a recording session that was probably made with him cold reading his lines into a cassette recorder on the way back to the airport.  It is sublimely awful.


----------



## KGeo777

His worst movie I think, and it is sad to say because it was made in my area--is The Keeper 1976. Worse than Meatcleaver Massacre or Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf.
 His actor union told him not to make it because it was too amateur and he didn't get the note in time. Only role for Liev Schreiber's father Tell.
Lee runs an asylum and a detective visits him and uses a cover story that he has a family with seven generations of incest.
Lee's reaction here--is he acting?


----------



## hitmouse

*The Takedown* (?2022) on Netfix. Funny French cop buddy movie. Different take on the subject from the usual Hollywood stuff. Stars Omar Sy, of *Lupin * fame, who is always worth watching. Recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

Die, Die! My Darling! (aka Fanatic) 1965
A pretty decent psychological thriller from Hammer with a few familiar names :   Stefanie Powers, Yootha Joyce, Peter Vaughan and Donald Sutherland. By far and away the most outstanding of the cast is Tallulah Bankhead. She plays a wonderfully deranged mother intent on cleansing the soul of her dead son’s ex-fiance before sending her to join him in death.

My only criticism is the title.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Brute Force *(1947)

Intense prison drama.  Burt Lancaster and a bunch of familiar character actors are inmates in a badly overcrowded penitentiary.  (Six prisoners in a tiny cell.)  They plan a very dangerous way to escape.  Along the way, we get flashbacks about the women in their lives, so we can have some actresses in the movie.  

Dominating the film is Hume Cronyn, cast way against type as a sadistic prison guard who plots to force out the weak-willed warden and take his position.  The short, slender, soft-spoken Cronyn is stunning as a fascistic psychopath.  (It's no coincidence that he's listening to Wagner as he savagely beats a prisoner.)  There's an amazing amount of violence for a Hollywood movie of the time.  The inmates are no saints; they execute stoolies in horrific fashion.  The climactic scene looks like something out of a World War Two movie.   The prison's drunken doctor sums up the movie's bleak mood with the very last line:  "Nobody ever escapes."  Recommended.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

Foxbat said:


> Die, Die! My Darling! (aka Fanatic) 1965


What a weird-sounding movie! I looked it up on IMDB and it was a Richard Matheson screenplay. I'm wondering if the title was meant to evoke memories of 1964's Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte.
Die, Die! has Bankhead (and is based on a book named _Nightmare_), Hush...Hush has Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland, so maybe the films were marketed to similar audiences. I thought I might watch Die, Die!,  but it doesn't seem to be on YouTube, oh well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Die, Die! My Darling! (aka Fanatic) 1965
> A pretty decent psychological thriller from Hammer with a few familiar names :   Stefanie Powers, Yootha Joyce, Peter Vaughan and Donald Sutherland. By far and away the most outstanding of the cast is Tallulah Bankhead. She plays a wonderfully deranged mother intent on cleansing the soul of her dead son’s ex-fiance before sending her to join him in death.
> 
> My only criticism is the title.



The thing I remember impressing me most about this film was the production design. The sets were beyond great.


----------



## dask

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Brute Force *(1947)
> 
> Intense prison drama.  Burt Lancaster and a bunch of familiar character actors are inmates in a badly overcrowded penitentiary.  (Six prisoners in a tiny cell.)  They plan a very dangerous way to escape.  Along the way, we get flashbacks about the women in their lives, so we can have some actresses in the movie.
> 
> Dominating the film is Hume Cronyn, cast way against type as a sadistic prison guard who plots to force out the weak-willed warden and take his position.  The short, slender, soft-spoken Cronyn is stunning as a fascistic psychopath.  (It's no coincidence that he's listening to Wagner as he savagely beats a prisoner.)  There's an amazing amount of violence for a Hollywood movie of the time.  The inmates are no saints; they execute stoolies in horrific fashion.  The climactic scene looks like something out of a World War Two movie.   The prison's drunken doctor sums up the movie's bleak mood with the very last line:  "Nobody ever escapes."  Recommended.


Library has a copy, just put it on hold and am first in line.


----------



## alexvss

*The Northman*. Third movie by Robert Eggers. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's the bloody revenge story of Prince Amleth (which would inspire Shakespeare's Hamlet). Just when everybody thought we had enough of those, a newcomer brings us this masterpiece. With it, Eggers already stablished himself as one of this generation's best directors.

The only thing that made me cringe were the accents. They speak English with heavy nordic accents, although they didn't speak English there in the 9th century. *The Hunt for Red October (1990)* does the same thing. The dialects spoken in *The Witch (2015)* and *The Lighthouse (2019) *make sense because that's what they really spoke.


----------



## KGeo777

I have been meaning to revisit *Brute Force.*
Hume Cronyn did stand out in that.

MOONRUNNERS 1975 -The inspiration for the Dukes of Hazzard series. Hicksploitation. Despite all the usual Southern yokel elements it is not a mocking depiction (of either the moonshiners or the police) and has a quite a bit of charm. One highlight is Arthur Hunnicutt who is probably best known for the Twilight Zone episode where he is a hillbilly who refuses to go to heaven without his dog. Here he plays a (surprise) hillbilly-- Uncle Jesse--one of many connections to the DOH series. James Mitchum is one of the  stars--he sure resemble his daddy. I missed spotting Our Gang's Spanky in a supporting role, but there's a sub plot with a mule named Beauregard. Music by Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed. Not a genre I want to watch often though. I never watched Dukes of Hazzard if I could help it.


----------



## dask

Second Chorus. Leonard Maltin only gave it two stars but it’s better than that. Even the 40s jive talk wasn’t too uncomfortable to listen to. Burgess Meredith was perfect as Astaire‘s trumpet playing buddy/competitor.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I really tried to like this movie. There are some neat ideas in there, and a few nods to the original tv series (Marvin and Simon Jones were a nice touch), and the way they do Zaphod's two heads is interesting, but the movie is nowhere near as good as the original tv series, which managed to get Douglas Adam's vision spot on. There's nothing wrong with the movie, but it just can't stand comparison with the BBC series.


----------



## Rodders

I watched both the movie and the TV series recently and they don't compare well at all.

I enjoyed the movie but it's very different in how it feels when compared to the TV show, which still holds up surprisingly well and remains very entertaining viewing.

I think there's an Englishness that is missed from the movie version.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Les émotifs anonymes (Romantics Anonymous)* (2010) - short (74 minutes) beautifully played, wonderfully shot, sweet, funny, polished gem of a feel-good romantic comedy.  Two timid people fall in love. And they make some chocolates.  That's about it plotwise.  You know from the start how the film is going to end.  There are very few complications though it does contain what the director described as "the slowest car chase in cinema" and it's a sheer bloody joy to watch.  I loved it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*NO MAN OF HER OWN* (1950) NOIR ALLEY. In a case of mistaken identity, one pregnant woman is presumed to be another, and is torn between confessing to her benefactors, and continuing the fraud, for the sake of her child.

Abandoned by the father of her child, Helen Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) is taking a train & meets a young couple, & the man, gives up his seat. The wife, also pregnant goes with her into the ladies' washroom.  Patrice Harkness (Phyllis Thaxter), apparently afraid of losing her wedding ring, asks Ferguson to wear it, while she takes care of business in the ladies' room. Just the, the train suffers a boo-boo, and the next thing Ferguson knows, is she is in a hospital bed, and nurses are calling her Patrice Harkness. Apparently still under the effects of drugs, her mind is far from clear, but she feebly attempts to make clear who she actually is. By the time she is released from the hospital, she is still using the other woman's identity.

The Harkness family is happy to welcome their dead son's wife into their family, and the have plenty of money to give her and her newborn son a comfortable life.

The noir element comes into play when the father of her child comes, hoping to cash-in on the wealthy family's money, & his old girlfriend's desire to keep up the fraud.

If this had not been featured on NOIR ALLEY, I doubt I would have watched it. But, it was well worthwhile.


Oh, the word 'WOMAN' was on the wall outside the washroom. I had thought that WOMAN was rather recently used in place of LADIES. Likewise, that GENTLEMEN had been replaced by MEN. So, I thought it odd that in 1950 they used WOMEN rather than LADIES. Anyway, I recall, long ago, I was desperately seeking the MEN'S room, when I saw those 3 letters, M, E, & N; too late did I realize I had overlooked the 1st 2 letters, W & O.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The novel on which *No Man of Her Own *is based, _I Married a Dead Man_ by Cornell Woolrich, is worth a look.  Like everything by Woolrich, it reads as if written in an emotional frenzy, and the ending doesn't make any logical sense, but it definitely grips the reader.  

The same novel was adapted into a romantic comedy, of all things, called *Mrs. Winterbourne*, as well as the made-for-TV movie *She's No Angel*.  There are also Brazilian, Indian, and French adaptations, so the basic plot gimmick is obviously a strong one.  I don't think any of them are as dark as the novel.


----------



## Bramandin

Yesterday I rewatched *Robot and Frank*.  It looks like they got ahold of a prototype Asimo to play the robot.  It's a quiet movie about a man with dementia who gets a helper robot that tries to keep him grounded in the world.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*BLACKBOARD JUNGLE*_ (1955) I had this on my DVR for several months; TCM ran it during its Sydney Poitier theme, & I finally got around to watching it. Just not too thrilled with Glenn Ford. Intense! So, the newly hired HS teacher Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) finds teaching is not so straight forward as he thought it might be, given that his students are not quite interested in learning as he expected them to be.  In fact, none of them seem the least bit interested in a study of English. Violence, disrespect, etc., are the norm, until Dadier shows a JACK & THE BEANSTALK cartoon, & the class discusses the ethics of it. 

The film opens with ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, & as many times as I had heard it, seeing the captions, I had no idea what those 1st few words were, until yesterday.    

So, Gregory Miller (Sidney Poitier) is identified as a kid with influence among the others, a leader. O.k., I was not around in 1955, but I found that unusual, given the MLK stuff was what,  ten years in the future? So, this in New York city, still-- I just do not know. 

Delinquent Artie West (Vic Morrow) is one of the primary trouble makers, & several others, yet to be stars, are among the students. 

What I find troubling, is the attitude of some of the teachers about the lack of discipline among the students. 





The one guy with the glasses (thought I recognized him, but was mistaken) had a much too casual attitude.  So sad & surprising that way back in the '50s, they had such extreme trouble in schools.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Come Play*

There are very, very few horror movies that I find scary - almost none made in the 21st Century. This film was... unsettling, and the jump shocks and scares - even those you could see coming - were effective. Even at 96 minutes, it's probably about 20 minutes too long, as there's really not that much to the story; as it is , it's still worth watching.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Re-Animator.


----------



## Starbeast

*The Hustler* (1961) - Outstanding film about the art of being a pool shark. This my first viewing of it. Being a Nine Ball player myself, I was mesmerized by the film.

*The Color of Money* (1986) - Excellent sequel to the 1961 movie _The Hustler_. Great follow-up.

*The Book of Boba Fett* (2021 TV series) - Critics were very rough on this show. I gave it a chance because I enjoyed _The Mandalorian_ so much. After watching every episode, I also became a fan of this show as well. Sure it's comic bookish, but that's why I liked it.

*Black Widow* (2021) - Very cool, exciting and adds great depth to her character.

*Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* (2021) - Another marvelous entry to the Marvel universe. The character is different than the original comic origin, but retooling my favorite Marvel martial art fighter is just fine by me.

*The Batman* (2022) - Speaking about retooling characters. The NEW Batman is an awesome action/drama. I'm not sure if kids will sit still for this one because of the important dialogue, as well as movie length. For me, I didn't notice the time because I was locked into viewing mode. Just as I was with the Marvel flicks.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Starbeast said:


> *The Hustler* (1961) - Outstanding film about the art of being a pool shark. This my first viewing of it. Being a Nine Ball player myself, I was mesmerized by the film.
> 
> *The Color of Money* (1986) - Excellent sequel to the 1961 movie _The Hustler_. Great follow-up.
> 
> *The Book of Boba Fett* (2021 TV series) - Critics were very rough on this show. I gave it a chance because I enjoyed _The Mandalorian_ so much. After watching every episode, I also became a fan of this show as well. Sure it's comic bookish, but that's why I liked it.
> 
> *Black Widow* (2021) - Very cool, exciting and adds great depth to her character.
> 
> *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* (2021) - Another marvelous entry to the Marvel universe. The character is different than the original comic origin, but retooling my favorite Marvel martial art fighter is just fine by me.
> 
> *The Batman* (2022) - Speaking about retooling characters. The NEW Batman is an awesome action/drama. I'm not sure if kids will sit still for this one because of the important dialogue, as well as movie length. For me, I didn't notice the time because I was locked into viewing mode. Just as I was with the Marvel flicks.




There's definitely room for the final of a 'pool' trilogy, with Tom Cruise bringing through a young player. I can see it happening, of course directed by Mr Scorsese.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Up next on VHS 12 Angry Men ,1997.


----------



## KGeo777

*Bad Girls For the Boys *1966 -- Not something you want to to watch unless you are a diehard Planet of the Apes fan. It is a regional nudie cutie--so basically a soft core porno which is so cheap they just have some guy narrating over the footage and he breaks into Foghorn Leghorn and Mr Magoo impressions every so often. I won't bother relaying the story or what passes for one. So what's the connection to Planet of the Apes? One of the women portrayed Astronaut Stewart in the 1968 film so I was just curious to see her awake.

*Stoney *1969 - Heist movie set in the Philippines starring Barbara Bouchet. A rewatch out of boredom. It didn't really help relieve it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> One of the women portrayed Astronaut Stewart in the 1968 film so I was just curious to see her awake.



And, presumably, naked.


----------



## Frozen Robot

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


I watched psychopass: the movie it was great


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> And, presumably, naked.


Not really. I avoided watching this for years because I knew it would be narrative-challenged.  I think she appeared in some Elvis movie too but in a minor role and I am not such an Elvis fan that  I would want to sit through it in the hope of spotting her in the background.
Here she had a major role--if you can call it that. But it is dubbed over and so cheap. If not for the fact that her character was 
named I wouldn't have recognized her. Not a blonde here.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Just finished watching *The Great Escape.    *With so many famous actors it makes a great film. I found out recently that Richard Attenborough was not first choice for X, apparently the original actor turned it down at the last minute. I was wondering who the original actor was. It would have to be a British actor, any thoughts. 10/10 for the quality of the movie.

Edited. It was Sir John Mills.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> The novel on which *No Man of Her Own *is based, _I Married a Dead Man_ by Cornell Woolrich, is worth a look.  Like everything by Woolrich, it reads as if written in an emotional frenzy, and the ending doesn't make any logical sense, but it definitely grips the reader.
> 
> The same novel was adapted into a romantic comedy, of all things, called *Mrs. Winterbourne*, as well as the made-for-TV movie *She's No Angel*.  There are also Brazilian, Indian, and French adaptations, so the basic plot gimmick is obviously a strong one.  I don't think any of them are as dark as the novel.


Woolrich rarely makes sense after you read him, but while reading his stories take on a nightmare logic, like a dime-store Kafka.



Foxbat said:


> Die, Die! My Darling! (aka Fanatic) 1965
> A pretty decent psychological thriller from Hammer with a few familiar names : Stefanie Powers, Yootha Joyce, Peter Vaughan and Donald Sutherland. By far and away the most outstanding of the cast is Tallulah Bankhead. She plays a wonderfully deranged mother intent on cleansing the soul of her dead son’s ex-fiance before sending her to join him in death.
> 
> My only criticism is the title.


There were a bunch of these in the wake of _Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?_, the popularity of which surprised movie studio heads and led to a lot of '40s star actresses finally getting more work in the '60s.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Mad Max *- Number 2 Daughter and I finally get round to watching the first Mad Max film before we get round to finishing off by watching _Fury Road_ (though I'm going to make her watch _The Cars That Ate Paris_ first).   Mad max was very Australian.  Structurally very odd.


----------



## KGeo777

*War of the Planets *1966 - More Gamma One adventure -- this time with an alien race that seeks to takeover Earth and various space stations. More static action than the first in the series but there's some humor to make up for it.
There was a question asked about how this ties into *The Green Slime* --the producer on these films also did that one and the name of the space station in that film is Gamma Three.

The term for going crazy in this futuristic time is "he's gone galaxy."


----------



## Starbeast

paranoid marvin said:


> There's definitely room for the final of a 'pool' trilogy, with Tom Cruise bringing through a young player. I can see it happening, of course directed by Mr Scorsese.


That would be cool to see a third chapter. I watched another great "pool shark" flick the other day. Check it out if you haven't seen it.

*Poolhall Junkies* (2002) - I haven't seen this one in two decades, but I remembered I enjoyed it. Great cast and fast-paced story about a pool hustler who wants to be a professional player. Originally I was attracted to this film because actor Christopher Walken is in it. However I was overwhelmed by the intensity of the film. Once again I was fired up to play more Nine Ball pool.



JunkMonkey said:


> *Mad Max *- Number 2 Daughter and I finally get round to watching the first Mad Max film before we get round to finishing off by watching _Fury Road_ (though I'm going to make her watch _The Cars That Ate Paris_ first).   Mad max was very Australian.  Structurally very odd_._


_Fury Road_ was a great follow up in the Mad Max series. I do want to see _The Cars That Ate Paris_ eventually.

When I first became aware of the 1979 movie *Mad Max*, I was working in a movie theater and noticed the (now iconic) poster. I hoped the film was just as cool. Then a few weeks later, I saw the film trailer and was blown away by it. Being an usher at the theater allowed me to see the movie over fifty times. I was enchanted by the movie, but at the time I had no idea that the movie was dubbed for American audiences. Today I enjoy this sci-fi flick in it's original Australian dialogue on my personal DVD copy.

*Vertigo* (1958) - Not one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, but it was still fairly good. I haven't seen it in a while and gave it another view.

*Erik the Viking* (1989) - I picked last night to re-watch this great fantasy adventure that included an awesome cast and many wonderful funny moments.


----------



## Jeffbert

*JOHNNY ANGEL* (1945) NOIR ALLEY. Almost forgot about this one.  Johnny Angel (George Raft) is captain of a cargo ship, as was his father. Encountering a derelict in the fog, he finds it to be his father's ship, & no living person appears to be aboard. Later, he meets the one person who was aboard, Paulette Girard (Signe Hasso), who had been hiding from the mutineers who had murdered all the others. She tells about smuggled gold bars and the greed that overcame some of the crew.

Out to avenge his murdered father, he cannot be bought with mere gold. Happily, I have no memory of ever having seen this before!


As usual, Muller covers more than just the film. Yet, minor characters, though eventually filling important roles, are usually omitted. The guy who would portray Perry White in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, John Hamilton was the harbor master in this film.  I have seen others who would eventually fill certain roles in TV series, & was disappointed when Muller omitted any mention of them. Still, Muller's intro & extro  (?) is 2nd to none!



Almost forgot: There was a short about the Maltese Falcon's falcon, apparently lead & 50+ pounds, and dropped on Bogart's toe!


----------



## KGeo777

I thought George Raft was the original choice for the Maltese Falcon.

Bogart started as a strand up comedian.

"You better find this joke funny or else I'll let you have it."


----------



## KGeo777

Speaking of George Raft, he shows up in *CASINO ROYALE* 1967 --which I had never seen before beyond the Scotland part. Watched it in HD--it certainly looks expensive--more so than any Bond movie. The set design is incredible. And it has more Bond girls assembled than I have ever seen before too. And it also the most humorless comedy I have have seen. Truly unfunny throughout--a complete chaotic mess.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM occasionally runs a short film about how Bogart became a star, & I usually watch it. Bogart is depicted as a paper doll, & every time Raft turns down a roll, Bogart gets it. Thus the quick change of paper clothes, etc. But it also has clips from films, both early in his career, & later.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Speaking of George Raft, he shows up in *CASINO ROYALE* 1967 --which I had never seen before beyond the Scotland part. Watched it in HD--it certainly looks expensive--more so than any Bond movie. The set design is incredible. And it has more Bond girls assembled than I have ever seen before too. And it also the most humorless comedy I have have seen. Truly unfunny throughout--a complete chaotic mess.



The music has a groovy 60s vibe which is fun.  (Someone in the comments on the youtube below called it the 'most mid sixties thing' he'd ever heard.) But yes it is, otherwise, very crap.


----------



## Randy M.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass -- I bought a DVD of their greatest hits once thinking, great, I recall liking these instrumentals, and listened to it just once because I swear every song had been used in commercials, which ruined them for me.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Finally got around to watching *Chariots of Fire* as a tribute to Vangelis, found it to be a very heart-warming and compelling story of passion and determination and I can understand how it has taken me 30 plus years to watch

If you have not seen it I heartily recommend it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mr Cairo said:


> Finally got around to watching *Chariots of Fire* as a tribute to Vangelis, found it to be a very heart-warming and compelling story of passion and determination and I can understand how it has taken me 30 plus years to watch
> 
> If you have not seen it I heartily recommend it.




I may have to give it another go.  I walked out of the cinema on its first release.  Couldn't stand it.  But then I walked out of _Withnail and I _and I was really wrong about that.

Tonight I watched *The Cars That Ate Paris* (which just gets better every time I see it) with Daughter Number Two.  I drive a shabby white van.  I've told her if it passes its MOT this year she can paint it.  I may live to regret this.


----------



## AllanR

Randy M. said:


> Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass


I had a big crush the woman on the album cover when I was like 12


----------



## dask

AllanR said:


> I had a big crush the woman on the album cover when I was like 12


I think we all did.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Cell *
Weird horror based on the Stephen King book about something transmitted over mobile phone networks making people attack each other. Not bad, weird ending.

*Lucy* 
Luc Besson sci fi flick about drug enduced evolution. Good fx, little in the way of story


----------



## Dahlvier

*Welt am Draht* (1973 - West Germany): Finally got to watch this film. The Germans sure know how to break grounds. Think of Gershon Kingsley and his track Pop Corn...

Well, it was a powerful movie. Of course The Thirteenth Floor (1999) comes to mind for obvious reasons, lol. I can understand its being likened to The Matrix (1999) too. But, I believe in this movie, the sci-fi aspect was less dominant. Also, The Matrix has a quest feeling to it and there's a strong companionship theme there. Whilst, Welt am Draht is utterly protagonist-centered so it is more like Impostor (2001) in this vein. What is more, the protagonist is more like an unfortunate victim on the brink of losing his mind, rather than a typical hero. So, John Trent from In the Mouth of Madness (1994) comes to mind. Sam Neill's and Klaus Löwitzch's sharp features are also quite alike! Moreover, Dark City (1998) also comes the mind and Fred Stiller could have been the guy that went mad there! (Remember that tragic scene that ended under a train...)

I think this is a very important film, but not flawlessly engaging. From my perspective, some of the scenes were plain ridiculous, some were overlong. Also some of the tunes and rhythmic sounds don't seamlessly mingle with the film. They rather distract. I like the 70s' tunes with the use of sequencers, but I really found plenty of them quite outplaced.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> Tonight I watched *The Cars That Ate Paris* (which just gets better every time I see it) with Daughter Number Two.  I drive a shabby white van.  I've told her if it passes its MOT this year she can paint it.  I may live to regret this.


While the title did not resonate, the synopsis did; I am sure I have seen this film. I do not recall if I liked it, though.


----------



## KGeo777

CROSS SHOT 1976  - John Saxon is a cop who gets frustrated by the criminals walking free and doesn't get help from a newspaper publisher who believes education is the way to reform criminals. The nuance in the story helps it from being too slanted in either direction. They show how newspaper plates are prepared for printing. It's neat when they show little production stuff that one may have wondered about but never seen being demonstrated.
Usually a newspaper story just shows them going "put on the first page!" and "roll the presses!"
Here we actually see them printing out the test run from the metal plates.


----------



## HareBrain

*Inside Job *(2010), documentary about the 2008 crash. Did not improve my already low opinion of the financial sector and those who "regulate" them.

Ironically for the narrator of a film about dodgy investments, Matt Damon was in the news yesterday for shilling crypto investments that lost people a lot of money.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Big Heat*

I thought I'd seen this movie before , but I hadn't . Quite brutal for its time in portraying a cop trying to fight corruption in his hometown city despite the danger to himself and those around him. An early role for tough-guy Lee Marvin who plays his part very well, and at 90 minutes just the right length for this time of movie. The fact that it's filmed in black and white adds to the 'film noir' elements, and it so much more atmospheric than if it had been in colour.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Whisky Galore!*

There's something about old, b&w British movies that I simply adore, and Ealing Studios were amongst the most prolific and iconic. They portray an idealistic view of Britain that in reality probably never was, but they are so full of charm and gentle humour that I could watch them far more than the big blockbusters of the 21st century.

This is amongst the best, and tells of a remote Scottish island community running dry of whisky in WWII. When suddenly (and quite conveniently) a ship carrying thousands of cases runs aground off their coast.


----------



## Foxbat

paranoid marvin said:


> They portray an idealistic view of Britain that in reality probably never was


And yet based on a true story when the SS Politician ran aground on Eriskay in the Hebrides and the islanders did indeed loot the whisky. 

About 30 years ago, a ship lost some of its cargo of old sherry casks headed for a distillery. Within days, many folk in a small fishing town near where I live had barrels cut in half and filled with flowers decorating their gardens


----------



## PadreTX

*Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*

It was ok (3 out of 5 stars). What was unexpected for me was 



Spoiler: Plot twist



Scarlet Witch being the villain. I didn't know about that before I saw the movie. Elizabeth Olsen did a nice job playing a heroine that became messed up.


----------



## JunkMonkey

PadreTX said:


> *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*
> 
> It was ok (3 out of 5 stars). What was unexpected for me was (spoiler)




Oh - Thanks for the spoiler alert! I didn't know about it either and you've just frelled it up for me.


***ETA: removed the spoiler here after tagging it above.   -TDZ


----------



## Rodders

Whoops!!!


----------



## KGeo777

Hollywood loves the *woman assassin* now.
I have lost count of how many they have made on this theme in recent times. Not just the obvious  ones like Black Widow, even
Last Night in Soho has that theme. "Kill the men!"

It's not a very subliminal message.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Hollywood loves serial killers praying on women and slicing them up for our 'entertainment' more. I've lost count of the number of serial killer / slasher films with "Kill the Women" as the theme blah blah blah....  different thread.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Hollywood loves serial killers praying on women and slicing them up for our 'entertainment' more. I've lost count of the number of serial killer / slasher films with "Kill the Women" as the theme blah blah blah....  different thread.


Yeah but men get killed in those movies too-and also involve women empowerment against male killers--very rare for a male character to come to the defense of a woman character in those films.
In SCREAM the father is put into the closet instead of the most logical and practical action of using a kitchen knife to untie him so he can try to defend his daughter against the killers! Instead, she drags this 200 pound man out of the kitchen and lifts him up vertically  and places him in a closet.
Why didn't they make him unconscious? The only thing he contributes is a jump scare.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> Oh - Thanks for the spoiler alert! I didn't know about it either and you've just frelled it up for me.


FFS. Dont propagate the stupid spoiler!


----------



## AE35Unit

It also happens a lot in real life. Ed McBain featured it a lot in his books


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> FFS. Dont propagate the stupid spoiler!



Mea Culpa


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Yeah but men get killed in those movies too-and also involve women empowerment against male killers--very rare for a male character to come to the defense of a woman character in those films.
> In SCREAM the father is put into the closet instead of the most logical and practical action of using a kitchen knife to untie him so he can try to defend his daughter against the killers! Instead, she drags this 200 pound man out of the kitchen and lifts him up vertically  and places him in a closet.
> Why didn't they make him unconscious? The only thing he contributes is a jump scare.



blah blah blah.... different thread.


----------



## Draoighir

Edge of Extinction (Brink): An indie film from the UK. The budget seems to be low but not the quality. Pretty good, really. Quite impressive portrayal of an imagined post-apocalyptic world. It was thrilling, I must say. 81/100


----------



## Rodders

That sounds very interesting, Soggelos. I like the end of the world.

Is it streaming anywhere?


----------



## CupofJoe

*Stealth* [2005]
A hyper realistic and totally plausible and believable account of warfare in 21C.
Nah. Just kidding.
This is a "look at the pretty pictures" film. 
Three best of the best pilots in state of the art experimental aircraft are joined by an AI combat plane as their fourth Wing man/machine.
Mayhem ensues...
The action scenes flow nicely as long as you don't expect them to make sense.
There a few little attempts to bring in bigger issues [who is responsible for what an AI decides to do?] but they don't let that get in the way too much.


----------



## Rodders

Stealth's something of a guilty pleasure movie forme. Loved those aircraft designs.


----------



## Draoighir

Rodders said:


> That sounds very interesting, Soggelos. I like the end of the world.
> 
> Is it streaming anywhere?


I don't know actually, Rodders. I got it from a friend of mine months ago, finally watched it. 

It seems to be streaming on some platforms, according to this site: Where to stream Edge of Extinction? | LNS


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE KILLER IS LOOSE* (1956) NOIR ALLEY. 
When police go to arrest a suspect involved in a bank robbery, after they knock, and demand his surrender, the suspect fires through the closed door. Upon bursting into an apartment occupied by the criminal, Det. Sam Wagner (Joseph Cotten) shoots a shadowy figure which turns out to be the criminal's wife. She is killed, and the criminal Leon Poole (Wendell Corey), surrenders, but vows revenge for his wife's death. 

Several years later, he is and has been a model prisoner, and is in a trustee  situation where he can escape. Now he has killed the guard, and is leaving a trail of death behind him. All but one of the authorities assume that he is out to kill Detective Wagner; this one man realizes Poole's target is not Wagner, but Wagner's wife.  That wife (Rhonda Fleming), had been begging her husband to leave police work and do something safe for a living.  Now she is that much more insistent, & Wagner must protect her without letting her know _*she*_ is in danger.  

As usual, Muller details the story behind the story.


----------



## Randy M.

*MIDSOMMAR* (2019; dir. Ari Aster; starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor)

Between watching this and having read The Ritual, I'm scratching "Visit Sweden" off my bucket list.

Dani, who has lost her sister, mother and father, joins her boyfriend and his fellow grad students on a trip to the Swedish countryside to see the mid-summer rituals still celebrated by one of the grad student's extended family. The rituals take place once every ninety years, and ensure a continued bounty from the earth.

There's a downside to being the only seven outsiders visiting a mostly self-contained community during fertility rites.

This isn't as horrific as I'd been led to believe, but it is weird and moody, beautifully shot and well-acted, with a script that, to me, feels well thought out. Worth a watch if you're so inclined. 

But maybe avoid going to Sweden.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Elle* - I think I'm getting to really dislike Paul Verhoeven's films.  I've not seen one I've liked (and a couple I've loathed) but this one did have Isabelle Huppert giving a great performance (as she always does) to leaven the biscuit - but I didn't believe a single frame of it.


----------



## KGeo777

THE PINK JUNGLE 1968 - James Garner is a fashion photographer who meets mercenary/diamond hunter George Kennedy and with his model (Eva Renzi) they set out into a South American jungle where they encounter conniving prospector Nigel Green. It's not a bad adventure comedy made lively by the cast and dialogue. And for a fraction of the cost of Casino Royale.


----------



## KGeo777

SKYJACKED 1972 - Unlike the Airport series this film is less hokey jokey but it has some similarities (bomber on the plane, the inevitable romance between stewardess and pilot). Charlton Heston is the pilot (who else would he be). Claude Akins has the George Kennedy role. Lucky people in economy class because they get off the plane early. Premiered 50 years ago today.


----------



## Toby Frost

She's a good actress but Isabelle Huppert does seem to be Europe's go-to  actress for disturbing weirdness. I maintain that _Robocop _and _Starship Troopers_ are decent films, though.


----------



## Astro Pen

*The Revenant.  *2015.  Well that was impressive. 
De Caprio excels in a role I wouldn't have expected to fit him. This movie is outstanding. Cinematography, locations, acting. All superb. I think that in reality exposure, particularly after the freezing river escapes,  would have killed him very fast. But is is a movie. The relentless conflict of the plot is emotionally tiring though.


----------



## KGeo777

SITTING TARGET 1972 - Oliver Reed and Ian McShane break out of prison because the former wants to kill his unfaithful (and expectant) wife. Like Get Carter and Villain, one of those peculiar criminal-focused UK-set  movies they made back then although I like this better than the other two.


----------



## Draoighir

*Reminiscence* (2021) - Pretty decent mystery/sci-fi. Not a powerful movie but quite worth watching. Here comes a well-deserved 71/100 to it from me.


----------



## J Riff

newish
 junk....couple of the _Scream_ movies. ... made it approx. 15 min. before knowing who the baddies had to be. After that fast forward worked nicely for the rest._ The Last Shift_... ludicrous, ... inane pseudo 'writing' in this one.. but it took a full half an hour to fall apart.
_Dr. Strange_... the comic was still better. lots fx. Next.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Death Race 2000.


----------



## KGeo777

DR MABUSE THE GAMBLER Prt 2 1922 - Released 100 years ago today. So I have finally watched a Mabuse movie in full. Near the end is a sequence with spooky looking machines that form part of  a character's nightmare. One line in the dialogue is "eat cocaine, you wimp."


----------



## Jeffbert

*TRILOGY OF TERROR* (1975) Richard Matheson WROTE THESE 3 STORIES, & EVEN WROTE THE SCREENPLAY FOR THE 3RD. The 1st seems right out of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, as it has an ending that is consistent with the style. For my tastes, I prefer the 2nd one, I saw it coming!  The 3rd's ending was also of TTZ's style, but other than that-- I just refuse to spoil. The less you know, the more you will enjoy!

Why did it take until now to discover this film? I found it by chance while looking for films on PRIME.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Too Many Crooks * (1959)  - sub Ealing British farce with all the elements in place but missing that elusive  ingredient X. Nice moments but it lumbered in places too.


----------



## KGeo777

CAST A DEADLY SPELL 1991 - Revisited this after decades. It still has its charms especially when you see the little homages to things. There's a nod  to Night of the Demon set in a kitchen and Haitian zombie inspired by Tor Johnson. "They come from Haiti six to a box."
Also a subtle Tremors joke as well considering Fred Ward plays a private detective named Lovecraft--the only man left in Los Angeles who doesn't use magic. The Big Sleep and Maltese Falcon connections are cleverly used--I also wondered if Clancy Brown's character was meant to be reminding one of a Vincent Price villain.
And a monster that appears made me think of the Haunted Palace.
 The main character does little to move the story--a fate many characters seem to have as we move through the decades to the present. He reacts to things without initiating any change in the story except the most crucial one--however it's not him who saves the day.
I enjoyed revisiting it though.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Wretched.*
So so horror flick


----------



## AE35Unit

*Haunting in Hollow Creek (2018)*
Was expecting a horror but its an abduction story with a twist. Not bad actually
One of Burt Reynolds last appearances.


----------



## KGeo777

Deathstalker 1983 - Of the super cheap 80s sword and sorcery films I have seen recently (Barbarian Queen etc), this is has the most variety. They throw in some reasonably ok monster stuff so it isn't just an excuse for a nudie show but it's also one of the more gory ones. The lead reminds me of LQ Jones if he was a barbarian.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Rage at Dawn* (1955)  - trying to broaden my son's movie watching horizons we spent Sunday afternoon watching a Randolph Scott western.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Out of Sight *(1998) - I like the way Steven Soderbergh makes movies.  I don't necessarily like the movies themselves but I like the way he makes them.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC* / _*FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE*_ (1961) Bank robber Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback) has a plan to rob a bank by having his accomplice Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash)  hold the manger's wife hostage, so he can leverage a non-violent withdrawal of $70,000. 

He had observed the neighborhood and the house where said manager lives, familiarized himself with the bank's early morning activities, etc., but one important item was unknown to him: that bank manager had been planning to divorce his wife and forsake his son (whose existence was unknown to the robber) and marry another woman, that very day. 

Moreover, his accomplice, whom a friend had recommended, would use a false claim of being a door-to-door salesman to gain entry into the targets' home, and had a violent streak a mile wide; hence, the title, *DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC*.  

The title _*FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE*_ comes from a song he sang, while awaiting the phone call from the robber, telling him all went as planned. or the heist was off, and he should kill the woman. Her, he gleefully tormented, counting down the minutes, beating her, etc. 

The son, 6 year old portrayed by 6-year old Ron Howard had a critical part to play; though I must critique it:


Spoiler



When everything went south, Johnney grabbed the boy, intending to use him as a human shield. Police fired at him, and the boy cried out in apparent pain. Johnny, under the stress of the moment, assumed the boy was dead, and became upset. He laid him on the ground, and attempted to revive him, etc. Now convinced the boy was dead, he lashed-out at the police, accusing them of having killed him. 

They shot Johnny, etc., the mother ran out of the house, and the boy comes around the corner, saying he had played dead. At just 6 years old, & in 1961, is it reasonable to expect that 


he would know of the idea of playing dead
he would, given the fear, excitement, etc., have been able to pull it off?

 I think not.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Happiness of the Katakuris* - which was 2 hours of Miike Takashi throwing sh*t at the screen and hoping something stuck.  Not the worst of his films I have seen.  I didn't dislike it as much as his _Visitor Q _ (mind you I don't think I have I have actively hated _any _film quite as much as I hated _Visitor Q _ ) but I doubt if I will ever want to watch any of this one again.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crime Films of 1949 With One-Word Titles Double Feature

Undertow *(1949)

Directed by William Castle before he got into the gimmicky horror film racket.  Guy gets out of the army after seven years, goes back to Chicago intending to marry the niece of the shady character for whom he used to work.  The shady guy kicked him out years ago, so the cops think he's back in town for revenge.  Some hoods frame him for the murder of the shady guy, going so far as to shoot him in the left hand -- ouch!  He goes on the run, having to deal with his injured hand as well as the cops out for him.  He gets help from a pretty young schoolteacher he met by chance on a flight from Reno to Chicago, and from a guy on the police force who is an old buddy.  A little slow to get started, with quite a bit of back story and character development at the start, but it speeds up into a decent little film.  Notable for having an African-American character who not only gets to beat up the protagonist (because he thinks, at first, that he killed his boss) but also gets to be the real hero of the film by sending the real bad guy to his doom.



*Jigsaw* (1949)

Low budget independent flick with a bunch of tiny cameos from big stars who seem to have donated their time for free or cheap.  Burgess Meredith as a bartender who says one line, etc.  Guy who printed pamphlets for a hate group gets killed.  His terrified wife claims it was suicide.  Newspaper columnist who was talking to the printer is the next victim.  Assistant district attorney, who happens to be engaged to the columnist's sister, investigates.   It leads to a crime boss, a nightclub singer (almost mandatory for this kind of film), the artist who painted a poster for the hate group, and a high society dame.  There's another murder late in the film, and a violent climax in an art gallery that makes a cop say "It looks like the fifth act of _Hamlet_."  Not a great film; slow, talky and with a confusing plot.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creature of the Walking Dead* (1965)

Schlockmeister Jerry Warren takes a Mexican movie (_La Marca del Muerto_), cuts it to pieces, and adds some cheap new scenes.  The plot is simple and familiar.  19th century Mad Scientist seeks the secret of eternal life by kidnapping women and draining their blood.  The cops hang him (although  apparently they don't find his secret laboratory/dungeon for female prisoners.)  Grandson (same actor) inherits the place, finds Granddad's workshop and notebooks.  He grabs his corpse out of the family sarcophagus and revives it.  Granddad locks up Grandson and pretends to be him to his fiancée.  He keeps losing his regained youth, so had to start the whole process of capturing women again.  He finally gets to the fiancée, but Grandson has a big fight with him and Granddad goes up in flames.  The Mexican scenes are very nicely filmed, even if the plot is corny.  The American scenes stand out like a sore thumb; they're static and talky.  A lot of the Mexican scenes don't have dialogue.  For those that do, the characters are dubbed when they're facing away.  When this is impossible, no effort is made at dubbing.  The dialogue remains unheard, and we just get the voice of Grandson as narrator telling us what people are saying.   A shabby mess, with some interest in the Mexican sequences.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon *AKA *The Mansion of Madness *(_La mansión de la locura_, 1973)

Arty Mexican movie (filmed in English) loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether."  Guy goes to investigate a lunatic asylum, it turns out that the director has been replaced by an insane imposter.  The simple plot is an excuse for all sorts of surreal images.  (A noted surrealist artist supervised sets and costumes.)  "Fellini in a madhouse" would be a decent description.


----------



## Dave Vicks

The Thing 1951


----------



## Le Panda du Mal

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon *AKA *The Mansion of Madness *(_La mansión de la locura_, 1973)
> 
> Arty Mexican movie (filmed in English) loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether."  Guy goes to investigate a lunatic asylum, it turns out that the director has been replaced by an insane imposter.  The simple plot is an excuse for all sorts of surreal images.  (A noted surrealist artist supervised sets and costumes.)  "Fellini in a madhouse" would be a decent description.



Ooh, I looked it up, and it's none other than the amazing Leonora Carrington who supervised. I need to see this!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Dave Vicks said:


> The Thing 1951




Great film. It's odd how sci-fi movies of this era (50s/early 60s) stand up better than most modern scifi movies.


----------



## Droflet

Films like Forbidden Planet and the Day the Earth Stood Still?


----------



## KGeo777

The Thing and The Day the Earth Stood Still are polar opposites in theme.
The first suggests a threat from outer space and the scientist who wants to examine it is misguided-and the military has to set him straight.

The latter is saying the military is the problem and the scientist works with the alien to encourage peace (though threat of violence).
It Conquered the World is a variation on the Thing although it gave the woman character (Beverly Garland) the best role: 

"You listen good. I hate your living guts for what you have done to my husband and my world! I know you for the coward you are and I'm going to  kill you! Do you hear that? I am going to kill you!"


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hercules, Prisoner of Evil *(_Ursus il terrore dei Kirghisi_, 1964)

Offbeat sword-and-sandal epic.  Our muscular hero is actually Ursus, but called Hercules in the dubbed version.  That doesn't matter much, because this movie has nothing to do with other films about Ursus.  The setting is vaguely medieval Central Asia.  The people of Ursus are attacked by a monster.  (Some reviews call it a werewolf, but it's more a hairy guy with the face of an ape-man.)  Meanwhile, an ambitious prince plots to marry the daughter of the murdered Great Khan and use the excuse of the monster to attack the people of Ursus.  

The brother of Ursus shows up, and actually has more screen time than his sibling.  Ursus is out of action for quite a while, wounded by the monster.  There's a twist ending that reveals the reason the monster is around.

Not much strongman stuff, although there is the usual palace intrigue, fighting, and dancing.  Overall, worth a look for fans of the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Carpet of Horror *(_Der Teppich des Grauens_, 1962)

Pretty typical _krimi_.  Crime organization is run by a secret boss, who communicates with the underlings via written messages that appear on a TV screen.  It's kind of like texting.  Unfortunately for the monolingual Anglophone viewer, these are left in German, although the film is dubbed into English.  There are also some untranslated written letters that play a part, so I probably missed much of the plot.  

Anyway, folks who know too much are killed with things that look like ping pong balls that release poison gas when they are thrown on the floor.  (Hence the title, although carpet isn't really necessary.)  Our secret service hero and his assistant (unusually, he's played by a black man) try to track down the head villain.  Along the way, the niece (Karin Dor) of one of the victims is suspected of her uncle's murder, has a romance with the secret service agent, and gets kidnapped and rescued.  There's an explosive conclusion.  It's OK for what it is.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> Great film. It's odd how sci-fi movies of this era (50s/early 60s) stand up better than most modern scifi movies.


Prefer the John Carpenter version


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> Prefer the John Carpenter version




I agree, but the original still stands up remarkably well (as does Carpenter's version 40 years later).


----------



## paranoid marvin

Droflet said:


> Films like Forbidden Planet and the Day the Earth Stood Still?




Yes, and When Worlds Collide, War of the Worlds etc.


----------



## KGeo777

COMPANEROS 1970 --Franco Nero as a Swedish arm dealer called "the Penguin" by Tomas Milian, a pragmatic Mexican revolutionary. Jack Palance is a former colleague of Nero's who has a pet falcon. They did so many of these that they become interchangeable--was this the one where Palance defiantly walks out of a scene naked? No that is a different one. They have some kind of political message being talked about but I am not really sure what to take away from this--violence doesn't solve anything or maybe it does. The ambiguity works in its favor since you can't be sure what side it is taking other than giving employment to the movie gun and explosive technicians.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> Yes, and When Worlds Collide, War of the Worlds etc.



I don't think_ When Worlds Collide _had stood up at all well.  It's a very lumbering reworking of the Noah story with some heavy-duty religiosity whacked on at the end.  (As did _War of the Worlds_ but at least that could be seen as the narrator/character's interpretation of events not the direct visual representation of the Handiwork of God which the final shots of _When Worlds Collide_ imply  - but this is dangerously close to forbidden subjects.)


----------



## KGeo777

I love the scene in When Worlds Collide where the wheelchair-bound guy finds the incentive to attempt a walk!
Some George Pal stuff really ages badly--he and Cecil B DeMille had terrible women characters.  Child-like. The radio version of War of the Worlds with Dana Andrews and Pat Crowley is less annoying. But the spectacle of the movie still works--the martian attack scenes.


----------



## Droflet

And let's not forget one of my favorites, The Thing from another world. Yes, I liked the remake but the original still holds up to this day. A breakout performance from James Arness.


----------



## KGeo777

ROLLERCOASTER 1977 - I hate rollercoasters. I went on one similar to the ride in the finale--I'll never go on one again. This is similar to In The Line of Fire where the killer establishes a relationship with someone in pursuit of him though not developed so much--it builds suspense well if you have forgotten it since last viewing.  I had forgotten much of it except Robert Quarry turning up as the mayor and Helen Hunt as a kid--sure is weird to see someone better known as an adult in a child part.


----------



## AE35Unit

Omen 1,2 and 3. 
First one is definitely a classic. Not sure about the sequels. (we didn't bother with number 4)


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> ROLLERCOASTER 1977 - I hate rollercoasters. I went on one similar to the ride in the finale--I'll never go on one again. This is similar to In The Line of Fire where the killer establishes a relationship with someone in pursuit of him though not developed so much--it builds suspense well if you have forgotten it since last viewing.  I had forgotten much of it except Robert Quarry turning up as the mayor and Helen Hunt as a kid--sure is weird to see someone better known as an adult in a child part.


Does that film include a performance by Sparks?


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> I love the scene in When Worlds Collide where the wheelchair-bound guy finds the incentive to attempt a walk!
> Some George Pal stuff really ages badly--he and Cecil B DeMille had terrible women characters.  Child-like. The radio version of War of the Worlds with Dana Andrews and Pat Crowley is less annoying. But the spectacle of the movie still works--the martian attack scenes.


I had a CD set with WoW as well as many others on it. I think it had something to do with the SMITHSONIAN. I listened to it once.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> ROLLERCOASTER 1977 - I hate rollercoasters. I went on one similar to the ride in the finale--I'll never go on one again. This is similar to In The Line of Fire where the killer establishes a relationship with someone in pursuit of him though not developed so much--it builds suspense well if you have forgotten it since last viewing.  I had forgotten much of it except Robert Quarry turning up as the mayor and Helen Hunt as a kid--sure is weird to see someone better known as an adult in a child part.


Wasn't that in SENSURROUND?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> Wasn't that in SENSURROUND?



Yep.  I saw it that way.  It was a silly gimmick, that didn't add much.  I think it was used in *Earthquake *and *Midway *as well.  Just a very low, rumbling sound.


----------



## KGeo777

hitmouse said:


> Does that film include a performance by Sparks?


lol were they famous?
I wondered if they were made up for the movie.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Books of Blood *(2020)
Not read the books so no comparisons from me. It wasn't bad.


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> lol were they famous?
> I wondered if they were made up for the movie.


They were big in the late 70s and early 80s, with Beat the Clock and This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us and others


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> They were big in the late 70s and early 80s, with Beat the Clock and This Town ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us and others



Still going strong.  A film they wrote, 'Annette', got a lot of gongs last year including Best Director at Cannes and Césars (inc. best music) 2022.

The opening song was stuck in my head for weeks after I heard it the radio:


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> lol were they famous?
> I wondered if they were made up for the movie.


They have been going since the early 1970s and have been prolific and quite eclectic in their output. Two brothers. Really clever and funny and a bit too odd for sustained mainstream success, though they have had their moments. 
Check out their stuff on Youtube or Spotify.


----------



## LostCosmonaut

Rewatched _Avatar_, after the trailer dropped for the sequel. Better than I remembered! The plot and characters are at least tolerable, and the depiction of an interstellar human civilization is as breathtaking as ever.


----------



## KGeo777

SONNY AND JED 1972 --  Susan George and Tomas Milian are being hunted by Telly Savalas--who you have to admire for not letting blindness stop him from seeking to kill them.
He even tosses dynamite while blind in an effort to get them.
It's a chaotic film-lacking the cohesion of earlier spaghetti westerns but I give extra points for having Milian consume a plate of spaghetti on screen (he also sucks a cow's teat--there's nothing he won't do).


----------



## dask

Well made prison drama superbly acted by everyone especially Hume Cronyn as the bloodthirsty head guard who preps for rubber hose Q&A listening to Tannhäuser.


----------



## HareBrain

What did Burt Lancaster actually do with a chest that capacious? Use it to keep his winter-weight duvet?


----------



## Foxbat

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The  Dragon
Enjoyable martial arts epic based on the wars to unify China. Light on story but heavy on action and sentimentality. Just the job when your senses have been dulled somewhat by too much wine


----------



## Randy M.

*The Lady in White* (1988; dir. Frank LaLoggia [also writer]; starring Lukas Haas, Alex Rocco, Len Cariou, Katherine Helmond)

Frankie is an introvert, a kid who loves horror movies -- models of the Universal Studios monsters decorate his bedroom-- and making up scary stories. A couple of classmates trick him, locking him in a schoolroom overnight and while there Frankie sees the ghost of a young girl reenacting her death, a ghost connected to the local legend of the Lady in White, and the first in a series of child murders. Shortly after, the killer, his face hidden by a hat, enters and tries to find something in a floor air duct until a noise alerts him to Frankie's presence and he tries to kill Frankie.

This film has problems: It begins with adult Frankie, a horror writer. returning to town, though I don't recall the why of that being mentioned, and this leads to occasional voice-over reminiscences; we never return to adult Frankie. The story indicates the killer had years to go back and find what dropped down the grate but waited to return until a new furnace was scheduled to be installed and so consequent duct work; why so long? A Black janitor has been accused of his most recent child murder, and thus a sub-plot on racism; while that ties into an effective portrayal of parental grief both for the dead child and for the family of the accused, it also feels a bit tacked on, the Black family rather generic (through no fault of the adult actors whose reactions add a degree of realism) and tangential to the rest of the movie because it doesn't tie in specifically to Frankie (to his father yes, but not Frankie). Given when it was made, the movie wears probable influences on its sleeve: Spielberg-like camera use (though more low-key than Spielberg) and kid hi-jinks, Stephen King-like set-up and small town supernaturalism mixed with plot points from To Kill a Mockingbird. (It's hard to differentiate between Spielberg kids and King kids, since they seem drawn from similar materials.) Unfortunately, its budget also shows, with a good deal of back-projection special effects that sometimes give it an otherworldly feel, but more often looks cheap and under-done.

And yet, I like this movie, if grudgingly. Watching it for the first time in years, I'm still drawn in by the young Haas as Frankie, and the warmth of his family life, particularly Rocco as the good-natured father, and Cariou as a close friend of the family. It's not in the top tier of the sf/f/h movies from the 1980s, but it very much draws on the sources that others were, and partially does them justice. If asked, I'd call it an ingratiating failure.


----------



## AE35Unit

HareBrain said:


> What did Burt Lancaster actually do with a chest that capacious? Use it to keep his winter-weight duvet?


Kept all his guns in there


----------



## Guttersnipe

Frankenstein (1910): a shorter film. For some reason, I couldn't hear the characters speaking.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Escape Room*
Not bad movie about a bunch of guys who, with the promise of a prize of 10 grand,  take on a challenge to escape a room full of hidden traps and such.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Attack of the Giant Leeches / Horror of Party Beach * (MST3K) with Number One Son.


----------



## Dave Vicks

DUNE 1984 (Expanded Edition)


----------



## JunkMonkey

Dave Vicks said:


> DUNE 1984 (Expanded Edition)



(the Allan Smithee TV version?) I did that once.  Never again.


----------



## KGeo777

NIGHTKILL 1980 - Presumably Jaclyn Smith took this as a contrast to Charlie's Angels and it sure is. She's an unhappily married woman with an obnoxious husband (Mike Connors) and secretly having an affair with his employee James Franciscus who is ex-CIA.  He decides to free her of her marriage by poisoning her husband--she wasn't in on the scheme and is forced to go along with his plan. They stick his body in a freezer but when she goes to check the body--it's not who she expects it to be. Her problems multiply--and then Robert Mitchum shows up as a cop.
There is some bizarre dialogue too--Mitchum is going through her house and sees all these hunting trophies and he says "who is the hunter, you or your husband?"
Later after she has to deal with a mess of problems he says she should clean herself up and then a second later he says, "are you alright??"
Of course she isn't.
Her peak abuse is being locked into a steam bath where her body gets horribly scalded. It's rather gruesome.
It's no shampoo commercial.


----------



## alexvss

*Justice League Dark Apokolips War (2020). *I really like the DC Animated Universe: they're gritty, violent and straight-forward. It is even more so with the Jutice League Dark and Suicide Squad movies, because they are originally down and dirty already. 

In this pretty much 90 min of blood, punches and hellish magic, The Justice League, Justice League Dark and Teen Titans charge against Darkseid in his planet... but they fail because of a traitor. Two laters, with the Earth in shambles, John Constantine, Raven and a weakened Clark Kent try to save the universe.

Oh, and John Constantine reveals that he had an affair with King Shark, and that Brits and Aussies have a feud.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Everything Everywhere All At Once* - (_Or a metamodern antidote to Nihilism_). A fantastic and delightful movie that is so much better than the trailer (which was already good). It manages to fuse together family drama, superb martial arts action, intelligent and thoughtful dialogue and themes, moving relationships and genuinely laugh out loud moments. A truly original movie and essential viewing. I suspect this the movie that will be talked about as this generation's Matrix.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*In the Valley of Elah*

I like Tommy Lee Jones, and I usually like the movies in which he stars. I had never heard of this movie, but I saw it on offer for £1 so purchased purely on the basis of his name on the cover. I've watched the first 1/3rd of the movie, and so far it's really good. TLJ tends to have been typecast for the past couple of decades as the experienced older cop/sheriff, and this movie movie is no different (ex military police). So far so good.


----------



## AE35Unit

*King of Thieves *(2018)
A heist movie about a bunch of old boys attempting the Hatton Garden robbery.
Michael Caine, Tom Courtney, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and Paul Whitehouse shine. Loved it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> *King of Thieves *(2018)
> A heist movie about a bunch of old boys attempting the Hatton Park robbery.
> Michael Caine, Tom Courtney, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and Paul Whitehouse shine. Loved it.




If you like this then you should watch the ITV mini series 'Hatton Garden' with Timothy Spall, which is very good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Dolor y gloria* (Pain and Glory)  - Almodóvar.  Autobiographical (even more than usual) slow elegiac wonderful.  Banderas was beautiful.  A hell of a performance. Loved it. Loved it.


----------



## redzwritez

Shutter Island. It's a really good recent one especially if you like old fashioned mysteries. It's a horror really but it plays on some of the stereotypical tropes in mystery genres as well. Sadder than I had expected in bits but I really liked it.


----------



## BAYLOR

*The General *with Buster Keaton 1927  silent comedy classic . It's his most memorable film and it's hilariously funny .


----------



## KGeo777

FURY AT SMUGGLER'S BAY - 1961  - One of those "cozy" pirate adventure films made in the early 1960s, this would be a good feature companion to NIGHT CREATURES and THE SCARLET BLADE which have similar plot elements and atmosphere. In this one Peter Cushing is a squire seeking to stop the destruction of ships on the coastline by murderous thieves, but he is being blackmailed by scallywag Bernard Lee. The dramatic relationship between them is the strongest part of the story (that and the locations).  John Fraser is the squire's son. This is typical dull romantic lead role but since I don't see him in much outside of EL CID--he stands out more in the part than William Franklyn who is the anti-hero and yet he is rather boring. It isn't a story you remember much about after watching it but if you revisit it now and then it provides enough entertainment via passive amnesia to satisfy, especially "M" as the treacherous servant turned pirate.


----------



## KGeo777

INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN 1957 - Played all the time on afternoon science fiction tv--the aliens are pretty nifty. Paul Blaisdell was a poor man's HR Giger but his designs were imaginative and distinctive. 

WEREWOLVES ON WHEELS 1971 --This film does not live up to its name. We do get a couple of werewolves and one of them is on wheels but it just doesn't work as a horror film. It has more of a drama art house approach with some horror elements thrown in almost as an afterthought. It's pretty to look at times--we get atmospheric shots of the desert but the story is too mundane. Maybe the soundtrack contributes to the lack of mood--it doesn't have much character. I have watched a few biker movies and you don't want to watch many of them again. Here's a title that could be remade with much more excitement.


----------



## KGeo777

KILLER FORCE aka THE DIAMOND MERCENARIES 1976 -- Silly desert caper but I like re-watching movies with lots of desert scenes. Telly Savalas is head of security for a Pretoria diamond company and Peter Fonda is a security guy chosen to find out who is smuggling diamonds out. There's a rogue team led by Hugh O'Brien, OJ Simpson and Christopher Lee planning to rob it. The wardrobe specialist for Savalas gets a screen credit but Lee has the most memorable line: "the world has lost a very average whore, Mr. Nelson."


----------



## Jeffbert

Brute Force was the ultimate prison film. I have watched more than a few, & nothing compares to it.


*WINGS* (1927) WWI action film about love & war.  



_*THEY CAME TO ROB LAS VEGAS*_ (1968) Steve Skorsky (Lee J. Cobb) is the owner of an armored car business, whose reputation is spotless, but has a side business of smuggling for the mob. Tony Vincenzo (Gary Lockwood) works as a blackjack dealer in a casino, so he can make a relationship with Skorsky's mistress Ann Bennett (Elke Sommer) hoping to get info on the routes taken by the armored cars, so he can rob one. Douglas (Jack Palance) is the Federal Agent hoping to catch Skorsky with the goods. 

Interesting type of heist, in which the crooks bury the armored car in sand dunes, use a helicopter to obliterate the tracks from the road to the tomb, etc. So, under the dunes (and I must wonder just how deep the loose sand really might be) they have constructed a chamber in which several men can work to breech the armored car's defenses, etc. Things go south when one of the crooks loses patience and demands his share right now. He wants to use explosives to open the car, while cooler heads know that will attract the authorities. Those authorities are out scouring the area trying the find an armored car that seemingly has vanished into thin air. 


Interesting different method!


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> _*THEY CAME TO ROB LAS VEGAS*_ (1968) Steve Skorsky (Lee J. Cobb) is the owner of an armored car business, whose reputation is spotless, but has a side business of smuggling for the mob. Tony Vincenzo (Gary Lockwood) works as a blackjack dealer in a casino, so he can make a relationship with Skorsky's mistress Ann Bennett (Elke Sommer) hoping to get info on the routes taken by the armored cars, so he can rob one. Douglas (Jack Palance) is the Federal Agent hoping to catch Skorsky with the goods.


Tony Vincenzo. I have watched that before I didn't catch on the Kolchak name connection.
I recall the end credits are unusual--they show behind the scenes shots of them filming the movie.


----------



## dask

Looks worth watching for the cast.


----------



## Dave Vicks

WILD AT HEART.1990
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Satan's Slave *(1976)

British witchcraft/Satanism flick starts off with three seemingly unrelated scenes.  1.  Typical movie Satanic ritual, as guy in goat mask tries to reincarnate somebody into the nude body of a woman on an altar.  2.  Romantic banter between two young people, ending in the attempted rape and successful murder of the woman by the man.  3.  Young woman talks to her boyfriend about how she and her parents are going to meet an uncle and cousin she's never met.

Scene three leads to Dad suffering some kind of severe attack that causes him to crash their car, right outside Uncle's house.  He's not hurt too badly, but Mom seems to be in pretty bad shape.  Daughter rushes out of the car to get help, just in time to witness the car explode into flames.  

The newly created orphan meets Uncle, his secretary, and Cousin.  Besides being understandably upset, she also has visions of naked witches being tortured in the past, Satanic rituals, etc.  (One of the latter sets a new record for exploitation sleaziness, as it manages to be both a human sacrifice and a lesbian sex scene.)  There's also an Eternal Triangle going on among Daughter, Cousin, and Secretary.  The latter eventually tells Daughter what's going on, in order to get her to leave the place.

The viewer has already figured things out by this time.  It's obvious that Uncle is going to use her to reincarnate a witch from the old days.   Meanwhile, psycho Cousin kills more people, in present time (including Daughter's barely-seen boyfriend, via long-distance witchcraft) and flashback (another random woman.)

Mostly a PG-rated, slow-moving supernatural melodrama, with moments of gore and female nudity that seem otherwise out of place.  Decently filmed and acted, so not a waste of time, but otherwise undistinguished.  There's also a weird twist ending.



Spoiler



Dad suddenly shows up alive, and tells Daughter she injured her head in the crash, and just imagined everything else, including the death of her parents.  Of course, a few minutes later it turns out that she didn't imagine it after all, and Dad is in on the plot.  No, it doesn't make any sense, really.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Satan's Slave *(1976)


This was not bad. Norman J Warren made some interesting UK films because they are increasingly sleazy and yet he uses good actors for it.
PREY is bizarre--it's your standard horror film with explicit sexual elements but the actors act like they its the Royal Shakespeare Company.
But Inseminoid isn't that good despite the cast.

IT CONQUERED THE WORLD 1957 - Despite the notorious reputation of the alien carrot it's a well thought out film with a thoughtful premise---it is seemingly intended as a counterview to The Day the Earth Stood Still. The alien stops all machinery (and they mention the effect this has on medical equipment) and the scientist is eager to help the alien but eventually realizes he has been deceived. Some preachy dialogue at the end by Peter Graves but Beverly Garland has very good role as the cynical wife. She gets the best lines.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Colony* (2013) - after an okay (but not great) start with a bit of scene-setting world building showing us a tiny group of survivors huddled against a new (man made) ice age, the film rapidly sinks into the usual 'running around corridors as zombies/monsters/cannibals kill the cast members one by one'. 

An expedition leaves their sanctuary to find out what happened to another group of survivors sending a distress signal.  

I should have given up on the movie at the moment when, crossing a huge, crumbling road bridge, our heroes took a running jump and leapt across a barely leapable hole in the road surface - trusting that the chunk of road they were about to land on wasn't going to crumble and fall into the abyss like the bits next to it obviously had.  They only jumped across because they were action movie characters.  Real people would have edged across on the HUGE, clearly visible on screen, steel beam holding the road surface up - the one next to the heavy metal crash barrier that would have been easy to hold onto or belay off.  

I _should_ have given up when beating a hasty retreat from the (as yet unseen) cannibal hoard our heroes quickly ransack the storage cupboard they are holed up in and happen to find a whole drawer full of dynamite tied in neat bundles with their fuses all tied up together.  

I  _really should_ have  given up on the movie when, out of ammunition, our rearguard hero (Laurence Fishbourne doing his usual substantial and workmanlike job) wrests loose the metal ladder that leads up to the only exit  he is  defending and throws it down to ground just before the cannibal hoard arrive.  Ha! That will thwart them!  He was right.  None of the cannibal hoard thought, "How we gonna get up there?  Hey look! There's a ladder! Give us a hand lads!" No, once the ladder had disappeared out of the frame line it disappeared from the movie, and presumably the consciousness of anyone dumb enough to take the film seriously.  I watched most of the rest of the film on Fast Forward stopping only for the dialogue (of which there was not a lot, and was, for the most part, totally predictable).  

Towards the end, as you would expect, there was a crawling along stupidly huge air-ducts sequence.


----------



## Coops

Top Gun: Maverick
A worthy sequel


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Kill List*

Bought this Blu Ray from CEX because it had rave reviews on the cover (don't they all?) and cost £2. I've never heard of it; apparently it came out in 2011.

Watching the first 20 minutes, it's looking like a Ken Loach kitchen-sink drama, but it's anything but. I defy anyone to watch the first third of this movie and predict the way that things will end up! It's well worth a watch, although it is rated 18 for a reason, with some violent scenes and nudity. 

This looks like one of those films that bombed at the box office, but will go on to gain a cult following; it's very 70s in style, offering more questions than it ever answers. If you do decide to watch it, then try to know as little of the plot as you can before you do.


----------



## pogopossum

*Howl's Moving Castle.*
If I were to recommend a Miyazaki movie this probably would not be my no. 1 suggestion.
Still the brilliant imagination, the hugely creative imagery, the depiction of the major characters - all hugely interesting. Plot? Well it was there but not the major attraction.
Watch Miyazaki. His imagination is not that of western filmmakers.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Killer Reserved Nine Seats *(_L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone_, 1974)

Eccentric mixture of _giallo _and supernatural horror.  A wealthy guy brings several family members and acquaintances to a centuries-old theater.  Among those present are his much younger fiancée and her male lover, his ex-wife and her new husband, his adult daughter and her male lover, and his sister and her female lover.  There's also a mysterious young guy whom nobody knows; they all assume one of the others brought him along.  An apparent attempt is made on the life of the wealthy guy.  Just about everybody else has a motive for killing him.  Since this is a _giallo_, the viewer is likely to think that he faked the attempt himself.

The fiancée dies while acting out a scene from _Romeo and Juliet_, stabbing herself to death with what she must have thought was a stage dagger.  (You'd think you'd notice as soon as it started entering your skin, but what do I know.)  In proper _And Then There Were None_ fashion, they're all locked inside the theater and the phones are cut off.  People have plenty of excuses to wander off on their own, so we get more killings, by somebody wearing a mask and cape.  Along the way, we get legends of a family curse, wherein this kind of mass slaughter happens once every century.  The mysterious guy pops in an out, literally vanishing before our eyes at one point.

The plot doesn't make much sense, and it's pretty sleazy.  Most of the actresses take off their clothes at the drop of a hat.  There's a weird scene in which the daughter takes some kind of psychoactive drug to calm down, does a nude dance, and starts smooching on her father in an amorous way.  (This ties in with an aspect of the curse, which the mysterious guy, who is apparently a ghost or something, explains can only be lifted when there is _not _an incestuous relationship between father and daughter.  You'd think this might have happened some time in the last several hundred years, but apparently not.)  There's also a bizarre scene in which the two nude bodies of the murdered lesbians are put on display like a particularly gruesome surrealist painting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Vice Raid *(1959)

Mamie Van Doren stars in this efficient B movie, which is a little bit franker about its salacious content than you'd expect for the time.  A couple of cops threaten to bust a guy for "transporting a female across state lines" if he doesn't spill the beans on his boss.  He agrees to go along with the deal, but one of the cops tells him to run and then shoots him dead.  The bad cop is on the take, and didn't want the guy to talk.  The other cop is our honest hero.  The boss can't bribe him, so he has Mamie brought in to frame him for supposedly demanding payoff money from her.  The cop gets thrown off the force, and Mamie becomes the boss's personal property.  Our hero handles things in his own way, by slapping Mamie around to get the boss's attention.  His plan is to pretend to set up his own, more successful, "model agency" to get the boss's bosses to put pressure on their boy.  Meanwhile, Mamie's innocent little sister, fresh out of high school, shows up.  The boss's second-in-command talks her into showing up to what is supposed to be a modeling job, and rapes her.  This sets Mamie against the boss, so she works with our hero.  It all leads up to a gun battle.  I'll give the film points for actually using the words "prostitution" and "rape" in the screenplay instead of the usual euphemisms of the time.


----------



## KGeo777

I have seen Vice Raid and The Killer Reserved Nine Seats  (which reminds me of The Flesh and Blood Show which I need to revisit soon).

TOWER OF EVIL 1972 - I watched it again and paid more attention to the story. In the past I was surprised by the amount of nudity and concentrating on Candace Glendenning (who should have been starring in more movies) and Anna Palk and the comical dialogue but I give it major credit for generating some pretty good suspense and for its use of multiple red herrings--I had forgotten the ending--and was getting tricked again by the way that an actor takes off his coat. That is some clever bit of work how they got that surprise final revelation (maybe it is a little underwhelming due to the tech of the time but it was well thought out). The set design is above average as well. It deserves to be better known as a pioneering horror film of the era. It is usually considered a proto-slasher and it really is.

I watched ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS again before that---funny how a movie can echo the ones that comes after. They both use crabs for some atmospheric cut away shots.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Recently I watched *Monty Python and the Holy Grail.   *I remember watching this film when I was 15 when it was first released. I watched it with my uncle from Australia and my younger brother, we were rolling around in aisles with laughter. It still retains its magic to this day. 10/10.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Recently I watched *Monty Python and the Holy Grail.   *I remember watching this film when I was 15 when it was first released. I watched it with my uncle from Australia and my younger brother, we were rolling around in aisles with laughter. It still retains its magic to this day. 10/10.




Have you seen Spamalot, the musical version created by Eric Idle? Very funny.


----------



## Cat's Cradle

paranoid marvin said:


> Have you seen Spamalot, the musical version created by Eric Idle? Very funny.


It's wonderful, pm! My wife and I saw this on Broadway (our only-ever Broadway play), and we smiled or laughed the whole way through. 
edit - of course, MP&tHG is just the best. A non-stop laugh-out-loud extravaganza.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Lost City* (2022; dir. Aaron & Adam Nee; starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt)

Park your mind at the door and it's an enjoyable romp in the tradition of _Romancing the Stone_ -- Bullock's character is a romance writer and in one quick scene in a hotel lobby you see a poster behind her announcing, Romancing the Page, a fairly obvious tip of the hat. It is not in the same league as _Romancing the Stone_, but it has moments that are light-hearted enough and Bullock, Tatum and Pitt all seem to be having a good time which is mostly shared with the viewer.


*Lady Bird* (2017; dir. Greta Gerwig; starring Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts)

A coming of age story of a high school student who wants to break free of community conventions without really knowing what that means. Ronan is believable and in spite of her character's often charmless manners and actions, is entirely sympathetic as someone just trying to grow up without knowing how. Pretty much like the rest of us. Metcalf is pitch perfect as the nagging, worried, harried mom who takes her daughter's anger and frustration and remains close, keeping an eye on her, trying to guide her if ham-handedly. Letts is the calmer, more sympathetic father who maybe is too often the good cop to the mom's bad cop. The family dynamics seem spot on.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ian Fortytwo said:


> Recently I watched *Monty Python and the Holy Grail.   *I remember watching this film when I was 15 when it was first released. I watched it with my uncle from Australia and my younger brother, we were rolling around in aisles with laughter. It still retains its magic to this day. 10/10.



Once we had friends from the states visit.  We knew both of them were big Monty Python fans and being good hosts and proud of where we live we took them sightseeing. On the way to south to Oban we pulled off the road just south of Appin and made them get out of the car.
Him: "?" 
Us (Pointing at Stalker Castle  behind him): "Behold! the castle AAaaaaargh!"







I have never seen anyone as excited and happy.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*After the Sunset* - one of those harmless undemanding Buddy/heist/romantic comedies with a few nicely timed jokes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Bad Girls Do Cry *(made 1954; released 1965)

Ultra-cheap exploitation flick.  Our heroine is played by a stripper, and we get two scenes of her undressing down to her scanty underwear before the plot gets going.  Innocent heroine moves to the city, gets talked into showing up for a modeling job, winds up a victim of white slavery.  Nice guy starts off as a client, tries to rescue her from a life of sin, folks get beat up and shot.  That's more coherent than the film itself.  Filmed without sound, so we get scenes where the camera looks at Person A while Person B's voice is dubbed in, then the reverse, back and forth.  Weird bits of comedy, such as when a woman gets herself tangled up in a telephone cord, finally delivering the punch line "I'm all tied up" after this scene just runs on and on.    Really bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Island of Doomed Men *(1940)

Peter Lorre is the whole show in this otherwise decent but unremarkable B melodrama.  He runs a diamond mine on an private island, recruiting paroled convicts as workers, out of a pretense of charity, but really working them to death under brutal conditions as slaves.  A government agent is assigned to check things out.  As soon as he talks to a fellow agent, however, the other guy is shot dead.  In what is a remarkable show of devotion to duty, the dying man tells him not to reveal anything, and our hero agrees.  When the cops show up, he just says his name is John Smith and doesn't talk about his assignment.  He winds up in jail for murder, just so he can get to Lorre's Island of Doomed Men when he gets paroled.  Lorre has a beautiful wife whom he treats as his property, and who loathes him.  He knows that "John Smith" is a G-man, but doesn't know how much he knows, so it becomes a cat-and-mouse game between the two.  He's also very upset that his wife is obviously attracted to the guy.

Lorre greatly underplays most of the time, speaking softly and politely but managing to exude menace.  The only time he freaks out is when he sees the pet monkey owned by his timid cook.  He shoots the poor beast early in the film, and you know that's going to lead to payback time.


----------



## Parson

*No Time to Die* (2021) This is the latest and could possibly be the last James Bond film or at least that what the plot would suggest. (I doubt it very seriously myself. But I do suspect actor will play the next James Bond). As to the movie it was at the same time better than most/all of the earlier series and less satisfying. It was better because it was a more cohesive story, had more rounded characters and more believable social dynamics than some of the previous Bond movies. It was less satisfying because for me there's a rhythm to a Bond movie which seemed lacking. I've always preferred the Bond stories where Bond is absolutely the coolest cat in the kitchen and you just knew he was going to turn the tables in the coolest way and end up alone with the Bond Girl at the end. If you're looking for that story, you're not going to find it. If you are looking for a solid movie with great action scenes and only one completely improbable gun fight you'll like the movie quite a lot.  

This movie is now available free with Prime.


----------



## J-Sun

Parson said:


> ad more rounded characters and more believable social dynamics than some of the previous Bond movies.


Social dynamics? We don't need no steenkin' social dynamics.


Parson said:


> the Bond stories where Bond is absolutely the coolest cat in the kitchen and you just knew he was going to turn the tables in the coolest way and end up alone with the Bond Girl at the end.


Now that's a Bond movie.

I haven't seen one since the one he cried in and, seriously, Bond movies are supposed to be somewhat outrageous dreams, not profound and approved social commentary with feeelings. There shouldn't be anything wrong with at least a thing or two on the face of the earth like that.

(And, despite my mockery in this context, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with emotional and social movies, either, of course - just that the universe should be big enough for some of both.)


----------



## Guttersnipe

Meatballs (1979): I've seen this film over a dozen times. It's mostly funny and endearing, but hasn't aged too well. My favorite scene is where Bill Murray tells the urban legend about the man with a hook.


----------



## hitmouse

pogopossum said:


> *Howl's Moving Castle.*
> If I were to recommend a Miyazaki movie this probably would not be my no. 1 suggestion.
> Still the brilliant imagination, the hugely creative imagery, the depiction of the major characters - all hugely interesting. Plot? Well it was there but not the major attraction.
> Watch Miyazaki. His imagination is not that of western filmmakers.


I really like this film. It is based on a stupendous novel of the same name by Diana Wynn Jones. The characters and plot worked well for me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Valdez is Coming *- 1970  America post-Spaghetti/Paella Western in which blue-eyed blond Burt Lancaster played a Mexican...

Um... Okay....  

Once I'd got over that hurdle it turned out to be pretty good there was lots of riding around very familiar bit of Almeria and one of those great endings that film-makers are too scared to do any more.  Basically the film ends _before_ the climactic shoot out between the hero and the villain. It just stops with them facing each other the villain finally abandoned by his goons and facing up to his adversary alone.  Long shot freeze frame.  End titles.  Loved it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Face Behind the Mask *(1941)

Another modestly budgeted B picture with an excellent performance from Peter Lorre.  He stars as a Hungarian immigrant newly arrived in the USA.  The first few minutes are almost a gentle comedy, as the eternally optimistic Lorre deals with living in a strange land.  Tragedy strikes when his face is horribly mutilated during a fire.  Unable to get even the lowliest kind of job, he's about to commit suicide when a small-time criminal befriends him.  Soon Lorre is pulling off thefts with great success.

Along the way he acquires a sophisticated mask resembling his old face.  This is shown by the use of makeup and tape on Lorre's real face, and it really looks both creepy and sad.  He also begins a romance with a blind woman, eventually marrying her and intending to go straight.  You know it's not going to be that easy.



Spoiler



His fellow crooks, thinking he's working with the cops, plot to kill him, but wind up killing his wife.  He gets his revenge while simultaneously ending his miserable life by stranding himself and the crooks in the middle of the desert in a plane that is out of fuel.



It's one of Lorre's rare sympathetic leading roles, and he does a fine job.


----------



## Foxbat

The Tunnel (1934)
A British remake of a French/German movie from 1932.
An engineer’s dream of building a trans-Atlantic tunnel becomes an overwhelming obsession. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles and a devastating effect on his home life means the tunnel is his white whale and he is an ultimately redeemable Ahab.

It has Richard Dix in the lead role with a cameo from Walter Huston as the US President. British performances are with upper lips excessively stiff and dialogue done in that rigid BBC accent of the time.
Screenplay by Curt Siodmak.
Nothing startling.


----------



## KGeo777

CONTRABAND 1980 --speaking of Bond, if they did have an Italian for the role, Fabio Testi would have been a good choice. If you have never watched an Italian crime movie, this is probably not the one to check first because it is so extreme. The violence is very nasty and there's a rape scene that is difficult to watch. Hollywood wouldn't go as extreme as these films do. But the stakes are so high in these films because they are so explicit--the villain is a real SOB so you are completely invested in the drama and the suspense of it and what the main character has to deal with.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> *Valdez is Coming *- 1970  America post-Spaghetti/Paella Western in which blue-eyed blond Burt Lancaster played a Mexican...
> 
> Um... Okay....


Maybe not as jarring as Stephen Boyd playing a mongol or James Mason as chinese.


----------



## REBerg

*Top Gun: Maverick*
For everyone who loved the original movie (and I did), here's more of the same. This one has the advantage of having the first to use in flashbacks.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Maybe not as jarring as Stephen Boyd playing a mongol or James Mason as chinese.



Or Laurence Olivier as Othello... or Micky Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi... I know.   Makes watching some older stuff really hard.  Especially when you're not expecting it and don't have a chance to brace yourself.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Or Laurence Olivier as Othello... or Micky Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi... I know.   Makes watching some older stuff really hard.  Especially when you're not expecting it and don't have a chance to brace yourself.


have you see James Mason--forgot the name of the movie-Genghis Khan maybe..
That is really something else.
It's not meant to be comical like Mickey Rooney so it is really jarring

I have never seen anything like that-Robert Morley plays the Chinese emperor in the same movie and he is totally different.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Don't Breathe (2016): One of the few horror movies out there that actually scares me. It helps that natural evil is scarier to me than the idea of supernatural threats.


----------



## Foxbat

Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971)
Hailed as Dario Argento’s ‘lost masterpiece’, it tells the tale of Roberto, a drummer in a band who is tormented by a mysterious stranger over Roberto’s causing an accidental death.

The cinematography is typically Argentoesque and good quality. The plot, however, just plods on into more and more ridiculous depths. I’m normally a fan of Argento (Susperia, to me is a work of art), but this movie would have been better of staying ‘lost’.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

I saw that in a theater when it first came out.  (That was a movie house that showed somewhat odder things than most.)  It wasn't my first experience with a _giallo _(that would be *Blood and Black Lace*, seen when I was far too young for its violent content) but it was long before I knew the genre existed.  I agree that it's not up to the level of *Deep Red *or *The Bird With the Crystal Plumage*.  (somehow I've never managed to see *The Cat O' Nine Tails*, among his early _giallo _films.)  Even at the time, I thought the plot gimmick of shining a laser through the murder victim's detached eyeball in order to view the last thing seen was silly.


----------



## KGeo777

FIREFOX 1982 - Premiered 40 years ago today.
Some consider it slow but I like its pace and how it switches gears to an aerial dogfight. Freddie Jones really owns this movie. One review compared his eccentric acting to Charles Laughton. I forget John Ratzenberger shows up in this.

"Gant, can you fly that plane, really fly it?"
"Yeah, I can fly it. I am the best there is."

He may suffer from PTSD but he doesn't have a modesty problem. Then again since Eastwood starred, directed, and produced, he had a lot to do.


----------



## dask

The mother of all misunderstandings leads a pair of league bowlers on a search for the kidnapped wife of a rich businessman and a missing briefcase containing a million dollars eventually winding down to a resolution in near classic mystery fashion. Jeff Bridges well cast as the Dude and John Goodman as the vet who can’t quite let ‘Nam go but John Turturro darn near steals the show as  emotionally charged bowler.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The Batman* [2022]
or as it seems to be written
*THE BATMAN*
Mostly enjoyable and watchable, but overlong and really [visually] dark.
But I am about done with brooding and moody Batmen.
So I am beginning to appreciate the Michael Keaton and Adam West versions.


----------



## Dave Vicks

HOFFA Danny Devito directed.


----------



## KGeo777

Dave Vicks said:


> HOFFA Danny Devito directed.


I did like the twist with the young trucker.


----------



## Le Panda du Mal

J-Sun said:


> Social dynamics? We don't need no steenkin' social dynamics.
> 
> Now that's a Bond movie.
> 
> I haven't seen one since the one he cried in and, seriously, Bond movies are supposed to be somewhat outrageous dreams, not profound and approved social commentary with feeelings. There shouldn't be anything wrong with at least a thing or two on the face of the earth like that.
> 
> (And, despite my mockery in this context, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with emotional and social movies, either, of course - just that the universe should be big enough for some of both.)



Have to agree here, attempts to make Bond more humanly nuanced or relatable seem besides the point to me. I was outraged when Skyfall ended, not at some villain's technicolor underwater/space/volcano lair, but in... a little chapel in rural Scotland? Really? "But we're exploring Bond's childhood, what makes him tick, what dri-" No one cares buddy. It's James Bond. It's Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, not Mr. Reflect Introspect.


----------



## KGeo777

Hah it is a lost cause expecting any reversal from this trajectory in media themes.
James Bond is being made by a committee in group therapy.

Firefox has that shtick too--Eastwood's character is a neurotic--he's unable to function from Vietnam experiences--and he barely makes it to the aircraft --and that is due to people setting the course for him--he does nothing on his own in the story except when he gets into the plane-(although I like the scene of him emerging in his helmet and walking to the plane) -and then he becomes more functional (technology--the aircraft is David's slingshot).

I never liked Bond though. It feels too much like a parody of hero adventure stories. I prefer non-Bond spy movies.
I'd rather watch a Euro spy or a Harry Palmer film.
There's just something about James Bond--the tone of it is too silly and I keep expecting Eric Idle to pop into a scene with "nudge nudge wink wink, know what I mean? Know what I mean?"

Just like with Luke Skywalker--there is an expectation for courageous adventure and they aren't meeting expectations. Instead it's Death of a Jedi Salesman


----------



## JunkMonkey

Le Panda du Mal said:


> Have to agree here, attempts to make Bond more humanly nuanced or relatable seem besides the point to me. I was outraged when Skyfall ended, not at some villain's technicolor underwater/space/volcano lair, but in... a little chapel in rural Scotland? Really? "But we're exploring Bond's childhood, what makes him tick, what dri-" No one cares buddy. It's James Bond. It's Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, not Mr. Reflect Introspect.



Movies are made by people who expect the largest possible return for their investment. According to Forbes*  _Skyfall_ grossed $304.4 million in the US. The previous one , _ Quantum of Solace_ , grossed $168.4 million.   The next highest is  _ Spectre. Skyfall_  is the highest grossing Bond film to date by a HUGE margin. Worldwide - $1.111 billion!    When taking into account inflation _ Skyfall_'s box office takings rank third - after _Thunderball_($590 million) and _Goldfinger _($514.7 million) both of those are so old they were made well before the days of Home Video  and would have had several re-releases to help boost their accumulative box office.  Films these days don't often get re-released (_Morbius_ aside).   Follow on revenue nowadays come from DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming, not ticket sales.

I think the fact that _Skyfall_ *was* such a huge commercial success tells me that the movie-going audience probably does want more than Kiss Kiss Bang Bang these days.

Just for the record I haven't watched a Bond film in years.  Don't interest me at all.


*All 26 James Bond Films Ranked At The Box Office


----------



## J-Sun

JunkMonkey said:


> Movies are made by people who expect the largest possible return for their investment. According to Forbes*  _Skyfall_ grossed $304.4 million in the US. The previous one , _ Quantum of Solace_ , grossed $168.4 million.   The next highest is  _ Spectre. Skyfall_  is the highest grossing Bond film to date by a HUGE margin. Worldwide - $1.111 billion!    When taking into account inflation _ Skyfall_'s box office takings rank third - after _Thunderball_($590 million) and _Goldfinger _($514.7 million) both of those are so old they were made well before the days of Home Video  and would have had several re-releases to help boost their accumulative box office.  Films these days don't often get re-released (_Morbius_ aside).   Follow on revenue nowadays come from DVD/Blu-Ray and streaming, not ticket sales.
> 
> I think the fact that _Skyfall_ *was* such a huge commercial success tells me that the movie-going audience probably does want more than Kiss Kiss Bang Bang these days.
> 
> Just for the record I haven't watched a Bond film in years.  Don't interest me at all.
> 
> 
> *All 26 James Bond Films Ranked At The Box Office


I don't think they should look at it that way, though. I saw _Skyfall_, not because of _Skyfall_ as such, but because the first Craig (modified from tradition in its way though it was) was so good and the second was good enough to not ruin it. And I haven't seen a Bond since,  not because of any subsequent movies, but because of _Skyfall_. So _Skyfall_ may have made money as a movie but it could be the reason subsequent ones make less and cause the franchise to ultimately make less than it might have. It's often like that with music - look at a band's best album and it's the one before their biggest seller and that biggest seller often sucks and the releases after that make less. I mean (utterly random example which popped into my head but which Wikipedia cofirms) Talking Heads' _Speaking in Tongues_ went platinum while _Little Creatures_ went double platinum and the two after that went gold and the band quit. I don't think _Little Creatures_ marked the musical high-water mark for Talking Heads. There was just a lag after everyone bought it because _Speaking in Tongues_ was so great.


----------



## KGeo777

Hollywood accounting--we lie about finances.
We do not know what really goes on with money and box office.
It is one of the worst businesses for honesty.

I'd say it is closer to the mafia but I think the mafia are more into honorable business dealing than Hollywood  demonstrates.
Closer to a madhouse.

They put biological men on the covers of women's swimsuit magazine (same parent companies own the movie studios)  and suggest they are meant to be women.
That is not normal business sense.
Guaranteed money in the bank, Hollywood is going to get weirder.


----------



## Randy M.

J-Sun said:


> I don't think they should look at it that way, though. I saw _Skyfall_, not because of _Skyfall_ as such, but because the first Craig (modified from tradition in its way though it was) was so good and the second was good enough to not ruin it. And I haven't seen a Bond since,  not because of any subsequent movies, but because of _Skyfall_. So _Skyfall_ may have made money as a movie but it could be the reason subsequent ones make less and cause the franchise to ultimately make less than it might have. It's often like that with music - look at a band's best album and it's the one before their biggest seller and that biggest seller often sucks and the releases after that make less. I mean (utterly random example which popped into my head but which Wikipedia cofirms) Talking Heads' _Speaking in Tongues_ went platinum while _Little Creatures_ went double platinum and the two after that went gold and the band quit. I don't think _Little Creatures_ marked the musical high-water mark for Talking Heads. There was just a lag after everyone bought it because _Speaking in Tongues_ was so great.


A differing view of Skyfall


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> They put biological men on the covers of women's swimsuit magazine (same parent companies own the movie studios)  and suggest they are meant to be women.
> That is not normal business sense.
> Guaranteed money in the bank, Hollywood is going to get weirder.



Oh give it rest will you!


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched Barry Lyndon.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Dave Vicks said:


> Watched Barry Lyndon.




The finest historical film I have ever seen, but then I'm a Kubrick fanatic.

It made me think I was seeing the past, just as *2001: A Space Odyssey *made me think I was seeing the future.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Kubrick used a special camera lens he made, for Barry Lyndon.Did you see the short film Kubrick's boxes?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Dave Vicks said:


> Kubrick used a special camera lens he made, for Barry Lyndon.  Did you see the short film Kubrick's boxes?




Can't say I've ever heard of it.  Thanks for the tip!  I suppose that special lens allowed him to film by candlelight, that made it look the way candlelight should.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Kubrick's boxes is a short documentary. He hired people to read books.To see if the books where worth turning into a film..


----------



## Toby Frost

If I remember rightly he used an entirely new method of lighting for Barry Lyndon, which changed the way that interior shots in historical films were made.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Picked up the films;1,2 ,3, Ed Wood,and Tommy Boy.


----------



## J-Sun

Randy M. said:


> A differing view of Skyfall


I like Craig's Bond generally, and I agree that it had excellent cinematography.


----------



## KGeo777

I read they used NASA lenses for Barry Lyndon which allowed for filming with candle light-the flame has a different look to it. I finally watched it a couple of years ago--the plot is similar to the Shining once it focuses on the house. The family disintegration--the wife resembles Wendy by the end of it.
Recently I heard the term "parody of a leading man" used  to describe Michael Sarrazin and Richard Jordan. Alex Cord is another like that and I would add Ryan O'Neal to the list of late 60s-early 70s actors who were inexplicably promoted for stardom. He's not much in screen presence. They say BL is Kubrick's most emotionally involving film character-wise. Not by much, the  fellow who gets constantly abused by O'Neal is probably the most sympathetic character. He's eccentric/pathetic, and throwing up before the duel made him somewhat endearing.

THE NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS 1975  - I haven't seen Last House on the Left--this is a remake of it apparently. It's the examination of criminal behavior in every day cities. Exploitation with some veneer of social commentary. What better symbolic image for the concept of what lies under society than a close up of someone's skin being cut open in an actual operation?  Yuck.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Didn't Kubrick film Barry Lyndon with just natural light? The scenes with the use of candlelight are simply stunning. I can't say that it's a film I go back to regularly (the ending is too downbeat for that) , but the cinematography is possibly the greatest in any movie ever.

And Rigsby appears in it! Good old Leonard Rossiter, just as he does in 2001. Not great parts, but memorable.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tonight I watched the documentary _Weiner_ - the spectacular collapse of a US politician campaigning become the Mayor of New York City . Fascinating stuff.


----------



## KGeo777

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion 1970 --I tried watching this before but the subtitles didn't work and I could not find an english dubbed version (it appears to have had a US or UK release). This was a Cannes favorite-maybe that was warning. It's a political satire about a high-ranking police official  (Gian Maria Volonte) who commits a murder and then leaves clues so they lead back to him just so he can see how willing his colleagues are to avoid the obvious. Some of the scenes are funny--how he leads them to him and then they dismiss that as a possibility. He's also being driven mad  by communists, especially a student who had an affair with the same woman he murdered (that was his motive--that she preferred the communist student to the fascist cop). The student upsets the flow of the movie (although interesting time capsule in that Italian students were shown to be fans of Mao and carried his little red book around with them). If it had been concentrating on him playing games with his colleagues--maybe it wouldn't have run out of steam.  The ending just left me with a "oh, whatever" feeling.


----------



## dask

Hollywood “biography” of tunesmith Jerome Kern with great songs and dancing, sets and costumes. No pennies pinched here.


----------



## Foxbat

The Void ((2016)

I saw it mentioned here in another thread so decided to get a copy.
It’s obviously heavily inspired by Lovecraft and I also saw bits of other movies in there. The creatures looked like they’d be right at home cosying up to the Cenobites  in Hellraiser or John Carpenter’s The Thing. 

There’s a scene near the end that reminded me of the end of another Carpenter movie - Prince Of Darkness. And perhaps it was this thread of familiarity that made me feel that this movie was probably a real labour of love, driven by horror fans who also just happened to be film makers.

Not for everybody but if you consider your horror as seriously as a fine wine then I’d say this one is a Burgundy…deep, dark and full of body (plenty of bodies) then I’d give this one a whirl.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Prince of Darkness *1987

Terrible film with cool music (its a John Carpenter film)
Noteable for featuring a cameo by Alice Cooper.
Never seen it before, never want to see it again...


----------



## KGeo777

AE35Unit said:


> *Prince of Darkness *1987
> 
> Terrible film with cool music (its a John Carpenter film)
> Noteable for featuring a cameo by Alice Cooper.
> Never seen it before, never want to see it again...


I like the idea more than the execution.
I think it is inspired by The Stone Tape, a 1972 Nigel Kneale tv-movie.
It also has the ultimate 80s nerd in it, Thom Bray.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Invasion of the Neptune men *(MST3K) - with the kids. There was much hilarity and ice cream
*Devils of Darkness* (1965) - sub Hammer studio-bound British horror nonsense which wobbled about between being a vampire movie and a Dennis Wheatly type satanism movie without making its mind up which it wanted to be and failed to be at all interesting in either direction.    There was something achingly familiar about every set up too.  It looked like it was shot in standing sets in Pinewood studios . The day after this crew was out Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel would be wandering around in the same sets on the trail of some eccentric megalomaniac.  There was one moment tough that I will remember.  Nothing special really to look at but a beautifully timed edit.  One character walks out one of those double-hinged doors that swing both ways (oeeer! missus!). He exits. The door swings back and just as the door swings back into the room, as we know it's going to - there is a cut to a different character entering a different location through a different door.  The action matches perfectly.  The editor must have been pleased as punch when he got that one right.


----------



## AE35Unit

* You're Next* 2013
House invasion type thriller that gets gnarly pretty quick. There's a lot of blood in it. Not brilliant but it passes the time


----------



## Foxbat

KGeo777 said:


> I like the idea more than the execution.


I feel the same. It started off with an interesting idea but just descended into a slash-fest. I still watch it now and then. I think it is a kind of cinematic itch….by scratching it, I hope that, this time, it will be better.


----------



## KGeo777

Devils of Darkness--man is so boring. As a Hammer wannabe--it really drags. Bad casting.

The Sword and the Sorcerer 1982 -- I always forget most of this movie when I watch it. It's not a big outdoor adventure--it is mostly set-bound. What it really has going for it is the soundtrack. This has an unusually big sounding score (thanks to a Munich orchestra).  It feels like a 1930s Errol Flynn movie at times. It doesn't have much sorcery when you think about it. There's a lot of sword though.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> I like the idea more than the execution.
> I think it is inspired by The Stone Tape, a 1972 Nigel Kneale tv-movie.
> It also has the ultimate 80s nerd in it, Thom Bray.




I agree. The movie had a great premise and Donald Pleasance was a tremendous actor. The the movie seems to lose it's focus part way through and ends up quite disappointing.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> I agree. The movie had a great premise and Donald Pleasance was a tremendous actor. The the movie seems to lose it's focus part way through and ends up quite disappointing.


Terrible acting and dialogue. Its just bad, like amateur hour.


----------



## hitmouse

*Detective Byomkesh Bakshi!* (2015, on Prime)
Those with an  aversion to subtitled movies can give this a miss, but highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a decent murder mystery. Based on a popular series of Bengali detective novels which started publication in the 1930s, this is set in WWII Calcutta.It is the story of amateur sleuth Bakshi who is hired to find a missing industrial chemist by his son. What starts as a basic missing person case develops unexpected layers and twists. The characters are interesting and well-developed and fall a long way from the standard Western whodunnit cliches.  The production is excellent. Really satisfying.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Mood Indigo (2013): a French surrealist film by Michel Gondry in which a woman has a water lily growing in her lungs. The sets and props were all freakishly whimsical and most of it made little sense. I did like it, but there wasn't much substance to it. Guy falls in love, marries a woman, then she dies. Some parts just seemed like padding (no pun intended). Visually, however, it was very satisfying. I haven't read the source material. I caught it on Hulu. Worth a watch. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and The Science of Sleep (2006) are, imho, much better films by Gondry.


----------



## Astro Pen

_The Changeling _1980 George C. Scott
An above average horror movie. Canadian, though there is something British about the feel of the production. 
Not a gore fest like so many from that era but frightening none the less. The plot is complex enough to single it out from the ususal.


----------



## KGeo777

The director of the Changeling wasn't Canadian.


The Wild World of Batwoman 1966 -  Terrible. 


Frenzy 1972  (50th anniversary of its US release today) - I think it is one of Hitchcock most enduring movies. It doesn't feel as dated as his American films. The score is really good--he had severed his relationship with Bernard Herrmann but this composer is really good. There's a certain "haunting sound" to English composers of this era.  The potato truck scene is very funny. 
The trailer I had never seen before--he obviously shot it as he was filming the movie.


----------



## Droflet

His last film, GKeo?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Astro Pen said:


> _The Changeling _1980 George C. Scott
> An above average horror movie. Canadian, though there is something British about the feel of the production.
> Not a gore fest like so many from that era but frightening none the less. The plot is complex enough to single it out from the ususal.



I don't know if that movie invented the spooky 'kid's ball coming down the stairs' shot (it was probably Eisenstein) but it has never been better used. I just wish the ending hadn't been so pat.


----------



## Randy M.

Droflet said:


> His last film, GKeo?


_Family Plot_ was Hitchcock's last film. _Frenzy_ was just before that.


----------



## Happy Joe

Ran out of newer films so I re-watched the 1959 version of Ben Hur ... Heston, Hawkins and even Frank Thring ... still a great movie.

Moonfall (2022, DVD) should be coming from Netflix this week...

Enjoy!


----------



## CupofJoe

*Dunkirk* [1958]
The most interesting thing I found in this film, was the absence of music during the military scenes. The actions of the little boats with their valiant crews are met with a beautiful Malcolm Arnold score that aims to stir the heart, but most if not all of the fighting and interaction between the soldier is done with diegetic or natural sound.


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> Moonfall (2022, DVD) should be coming from Netflix this week...
> 
> Enjoy!


Sounds interesting, what's it based on?


----------



## KGeo777

Droflet said:


> His last film, GKeo?


There's Family Plot but I have never watched it through.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Ready or Not*

A horror-comedy that succeeds on both counts. A newly-wed bride meets the in-laws from hell, and it's a wild ride from start to finish. There are probably a number of deeper symbolic meanings to some of the stuff that goes on in this movie, but I just enjoyed it for what it was. One of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in quite some time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I'm half way through *Betty Blue*. I was not impressed and hated just about every character who appeared.  I needed a pee so I paused it.  On the way back from the bathroom I stopped and looked to see if _Betty Blue_ was listed in the _1001 Films You Must See Before You Die_ book.  

It isn't.  

So I won't.


----------



## Foxbat

I had to buy myself a new TV so treated myself to a 4K. Christened it with Aliens. Still a damn fine film on a TV which is (as they say in the movie) state of the bad ass art


----------



## dask

Wrong thread


----------



## KGeo777

THE GROUNDSTAR CONSPIRACY 1972 --came out 50 years ago yesterday. I chose Frenzy instead. This is rather bland but funny enough it does have similarities to Frenzy--both were Universal, both were shot outside the US.  Michael Sarrazin is similar to Jon Finch (though one is much more leading man material than the other that's for sure). George Peppard has the Barry Foster role in that he is the one making things happen for the main character who is on the run from authorities. But there is no potato truck scene. This is also similar to Total Recall--someone's memory is erased and he is told that he is a secret agent.
It is kind of neat that they shot it at Simon Fraser University. Weird to see Peppard walking around a place that I had spent some time at.


----------



## Randy M.

paranoid marvin said:


> *Ready or Not*
> 
> A horror-comedy that succeeds on both counts. A newly-wed bride meets the in-laws from hell, and it's a wild ride from start to finish. There are probably a number of deeper symbolic meanings to some of the stuff that goes on in this movie, but I just enjoyed it for what it was. One of the most enjoyable movies I've seen in quite some time.


One of my favorites from the last few years, too. If you get a chance, watch _The Babysitter._ It's not as good, but Samara Weaving is a force on screen. I think someone's missing a bet if they don't pair her with Margot Robbie as sisters, or at least Jessica Rothe (from _Happy Death Day_, another movie that leaned on a strong female lead) as ... well, something. There's got to be a script floating around somewhere that would accommodate multiple female leads with strong comic timing.


----------



## Happy Joe

AE35Unit said:


> Sounds interesting, what's it based on?


.. not really sure the moon falls out of orbit, apparently... there was some reference to the moon not being what we think... It looked, potentially, interesting so I added it to my want to see queque... mostly based on Halle Berry and Michael Pena starring in it.
I tend to do this regularly; sometimes it works well and I get a hidden gem, (found "Alita, Battle Angel" this way) other time not so much; and I find a stinker... 
It should show up in the next couple of days; & I will post it up whether its good, or bad, or even indifferent...

Moonfall (2022) - IMDb

Moonfall (film) - Wikipedia

Enjoy!


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched the Belgium movie ROSETTE.


----------



## Happy Joe

Re-watched "Monster Hunter" the other day, starring Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa ; I rate it as fair to good and worth a watch just for the monster  CGI.  Its better than many of the Resident Evil films (it shares no story line) but possibly not quite as good as the best of them.
It was good enough that I added it to the film/DVD library.

Monster Hunter (2020) - IMDb

Enjoy!


----------



## AE35Unit

Happy Joe said:


> .. not really sure the moon falls out of orbit, apparently... there was some reference to the moon not being what we think... It looked, potentially, interesting so I added it to my want to see queque... mostly based on Halle Berry and Michael Pena starring in it.
> I tend to do this regularly; sometimes it works well and I get a hidden gem, (found "Alita, Battle Angel" this way) other time not so much; and I find a stinker...
> It should show up in the next couple of days; & I will post it up whether its good, or bad, or even indifferent...
> 
> Moonfall (2022) - IMDb
> 
> Moonfall (film) - Wikipedia
> 
> Enjoy!


I see Patrick Wilson is in it. He stars in a lot of paranormal themed movies


----------



## Happy Joe

AE35Unit said:


> I see Patrick Wilson is in it. He stars in a lot of paranormal themed movies


...also, it is directed by Roland Emmerich; who definitely can, but doesn't always succeed, spectacularly, in bringing a story to life..

Keeping my fingers crossed for today's mail delivery...

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Happy Joe said:


> ...also, it is directed by Roland Emmerich; who definitely can, but doesn't always succeed, spectacularly, in bringing a story to life..



But only if it involves a pointless extended helicopter chase sequence down a canyon.


----------



## AE35Unit

He should do Pinocchio...


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Prototype* (1983) - a far far above average TV Movie .  I would even go so far as to describe this as a little, forgotten gem.   I'm very fond of emerging sentience, "where's do you draw the the line between 'humanoid machine' and 'person'?" stories . _ Ex_Machina, Ghost in the Machine, Blade Runner, The Machine_ etc.  But rarely have I seen it played out so lightly and carefully as this.  There are, no handguns,  no explosions, very little in the way of special effects, characters that behave in character all the way through and don't do randomly stupid things just to keep the plot going. The central performances are strong.  It works.  Grown up SF.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Crimson Pirate* with the kids - Number One Daughter wanted to watch a Pirate Movie.


----------



## Foxbat

Stalker (1979) 
Andrei Tarkovsky’s film based on the novel Roadside Picnic.

Set in an anonymous country, framed in a decrepit landscape, two men are led by a Stalker (a person able to navigate the awaiting dangers) into The Zone where their physical journey is paralleled by a metaphysical trek of self discovery and faith (or lack of). 

A well shot movie I’d say is more interesting than outright entertaining.


----------



## Rodders

Stalker is on my to watch list and Roadside Picnic on my read list after watching Moid's review last year. The premise is intriguing.

Is Andrei Tarkovsky the same guy who directed the original Solaris movie? (That too is on my TBW pile.)


----------



## Foxbat

Rodders said:


> Stalker is on my to watch list and Roadside Picnic on my read list after watching Moid's review last year. The premise is intriguing.
> 
> Is Andrei Tarkovsky the same guy who directed the original Solaris movie? (That to is on my TBW pile.)


Yes. He directed Solaris. Both movies are quite deep and need a lot of your attention to figure out just what is going on but worth watching. 

I’ve just got myself a copy of Roadside Picnic so I’ll be reading that soon.


----------



## Bick

*Hear Me Out*, 2022 french film by Pascal Elbe. Very good. Saw it in the Auckland French Film Festival.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Yes. He directed Solaris. Both movies are quite deep and need a lot of your attention to figure out just what is going on but worth watching.
> 
> I’ve just got myself a copy of Roadside Picnic so I’ll be reading that soon.



I find there's some weird kind on inverse law going on with Tarkovsky in my head. I really liked  _Solaris _ - have watched it many times - and couldn't get on with the book at all.  _Stalker _ just left me cold - though I haven't watched it since reading _Roadside Picnic _(which is great! - and, I suspect, where Jeff VanderMeer's  _Southern Reach Trilogy _ found inspiration) so maybe I should give it another go.


----------



## Happy Joe

*Moonfall*; I found it to be a fair to good movie, somewhat long ( 2 hours).  It tried to do too much, IMO, trying to show planet wide destruction while also trying to be an epic Scifi movie...
It pushed the limits of my ability to suspend disbelief at several points, in a few cases ridiculously so.
It would have been a better flick if it had been tightened up a bit with some of the less realistic sequences cut.
The CGI was, of course great; the vista scenes were improved by viewing on a larger screen.

I recommend seeing it; if it can be found on a free streaming site or seen at low cost.  It didn't grab me in a way that I wanted to, immediately, see it again, so at this time, I'm not going to add it to the DVD library.  I was not disappointed, though, it was worth my time to see it but it wasn't a sparkling gem of a movie; more of a semiprecious stone.

...It did have Helicopters...

Whats with the small chinese speaking children (very minor footnote) in so many movies today?  Are they an essential/cute factor for the chinese market?

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Kung Fu Hustle * with Number Two Daughter who really liked _Shaolin Soccer_ but agrees that this one is better.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity 4*
Still makes me jump at the end and I know its coming.
Love films that do that (Carrie is another with a jumpy ending)


----------



## Dave Vicks

EXCALIBUR. 1981

Up next URBAN COWBOY.


----------



## hitmouse

*6 Underground* (2019) despite some elegant action set-pieces, this film lacks any charm or coherence.


----------



## KGeo777

BEN  (opened this week in 1972). I remember seeing this played often on tv but other than Lee Montgomery, I recalled no one else in the cast--which has many familiar faces.

Gene Siskel gave it 3 1/2 stars while Roger Ebert gave it 1 1/2. I don't think the latter understood that it was a drama--he felt it was supposed to be a exploitation film. Not with Bing Crosby Productions involved! I know someone who has rats as pets and she enjoys telling people that the song Ben was in fact a love song to a rat.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Man vs Bee*

Is this a movie or a tv series? It's 9 'episodes' that follow on directly from each other to make a seamless 100 minute story. So that for me is a movie.

Anyway, it was very enjoyable, and Rowan Atkinson capturing the flavour of how funny Mr Bean was when it first came on our tv screens. It's perhaps about 20 minutes too long, and one or two missed opportunities to make it funnier,  but there were plenty of laugh out loud moments to make it worth the while.


----------



## Christine Wheelwright

I finally watched the new Dune on a flight last week.  What a disappointment!  Incredibly tedious.  And can someone tell me why every action/drama movie these days must have those ridiculous choreographed martial-arts-style fight scenes?  They destroy any gravitas that may have built up in the mean time.  Honestly, I have no idea what people see in this stuff.


----------



## PadreTX

*Top Gun: Maverick*

Great movie. I'm pleasantly surprised a sequel could be made thirty-six years later, and is outright fun to watch.


----------



## AE35Unit

I must be the only one who didn't like the original Top Gun. Utter pants.


----------



## Happy Joe

...watched* Hold That Ghost* with Abbot and Costello last night; just for something different... not particularly good, but different.

Enjoy!


----------



## REBerg

*Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*
CGI: As always, marvelous! Plot: not so much.


----------



## Coops

*I Think We're Alone Now* (2018)
Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning
A last man on Earth story with a twist ending.  Slow at times, and the dialogue was very low volume, but not bad overall.


----------



## Jeffbert

Foxbat said:


> The Tunnel (1934)
> A British remake of a French/German movie from 1932.
> An engineer’s dream of building a trans-Atlantic tunnel becomes an overwhelming obsession. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles and a devastating effect on his home life means the tunnel is his white whale and he is an ultimately redeemable Ahab.
> 
> It has Richard Dix in the lead role with a cameo from Walter Huston as the US President. British performances are with upper lips excessively stiff and dialogue done in that rigid BBC accent of the time.
> Screenplay by Curt Siodmak.
> Nothing startling.


I saw this several years ago; rather impressive for its depiction of the excavation, etc.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> I saw that in a theater when it first came out.  (That was a movie house that showed somewhat odder things than most.)  It wasn't my first experience with a _giallo _(that would be *Blood and Black Lace*, seen when I was far too young for its violent content) but it was long before I knew the genre existed.  I agree that it's not up to the level of *Deep Red *or *The Bird With the Crystal Plumage*.  (somehow I've never managed to see *The Cat O' Nine Tails*, among his early _giallo _films.)  Even at the time, I thought the plot gimmick of shining a laser through the murder victim's detached eyeball in order to view the last thing seen was silly.


*The Invisible Ray* had a similar thing that likewise somehow recovered the last thing the victim saw. A more likely idea is that a destroyed robot's memory would reveal the criminal, etc. which was an element in the ASTROBOY episode called _*SPACE AIRPORT R-45*_. 





Foxbat said:


> Stalker (1979)
> Andrei Tarkovsky’s film based on the novel Roadside Picnic.
> 
> Set in an anonymous country, framed in a decrepit landscape, two men are led by a Stalker (a person able to navigate the awaiting dangers) into The Zone where their physical journey is paralleled by a metaphysical trek of self discovery and faith (or lack of).
> 
> A well shot movie I’d say is more interesting than outright entertaining.


I was very disappointed by this film, as I could find nothing even resembling science fiction in it! That, & it was rather long.




*THE GUILTY* (1947) I start with the most recently watched film, as it has been a while since I last posted here.

NOIR ALLEY. Identical twin sisters Estelle & Linda Mitchell (Bonita Granville) one of whom is murdered, it is assumed by a guy suffering from post-war terrors, Johnny Dixon (Wally Cassell) and who has times of memory blanked, recalls nothing, etc. Muller mentioned the unreliable narrator Mike Carr (Don Castle, whom Muller said was a poor man's Clark Gable) who was the Corporal under the other guy as lieutenant. Carr tries his best to convince Dixon to surrender to the police, but Dixon, assuming he killed the girl, and suffered a lapse of memory, wants to flee.

A really decent little noir film with a twist ending. Recommended!

Oh! I almost forgot that I knew two such "identical" twins when I was in my early 20s. They were members of the church I had recently joined, & it was several years before I saw the two side by side. I was continually confusing them.  But, seeing them together, their differences were obvious. Paul was broad shouldered, at least compared to Mark, who was thin. Anyway, after two decades of life, those born identical twins might not actually be identical anymore, with different personalities, etc., one might be more physically active than the other, thus small but noticeable differences should develop. Just not in movies.


----------



## hitmouse

Christine Wheelwright said:


> I finally watched the new Dune on a flight last week.  What a disappointment!  Incredibly tedious.  And can someone tell me why every action/drama movie these days must have those ridiculous choreographed martial-arts-style fight scenes?  They destroy any gravitas that may have built up in the mean time.  Honestly, I have no idea what people see in this stuff.


I am not surprised this was disapoointimg as an in-flight movie. It really needs to be seen in a cinema.


----------



## AstroZon

*The Martian Chronicles* (1980) Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin, Bernie Casey

This was a made for TV mini-series based on the Ray Bradbury novel and consisting of 3, two hour segments.  It's quite long and often dry, but it does have it's moments.  It starts with a Martian woman having a vision of humans landing on Mars which prompts her husband to seek out the Earth astronauts and kill them.  The best scene, IMO, is when Jeff Spender (Bernie Casey) finally gets to Mars and becomes totally entranced with ancient Martian philosophy - so much so that he is willing to kill those who don't share his vision. There is also a rather profound scene where Father Peregrine sees a vision of Jesus Christ in his church.  However Jesus is actually a Martian who appears to humans in a form from the human's subconscious.   

It's ok, but worth a watch if you have the time.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Paranormal Activity, Next of Kin*
Not your regular PA movie. A woman sets out with two male pals to make a documentary of a group of Amish people out in the sticks...


----------



## paranoid marvin

AstroZon said:


> *The Martian Chronicles* (1980) Rock Hudson, Darren McGavin, Bernie Casey
> 
> This was a made for TV mini-series based on the Ray Bradbury novel and consisting of 3, two hour segments.  It's quite long and often dry, but it does have it's moments.  It starts with a Martian woman having a vision of humans landing on Mars which prompts her husband to seek out the Earth astronauts and kill them.  The best scene, IMO, is when Jeff Spender (Bernie Casey) finally gets to Mars and becomes totally entranced with ancient Martian philosophy - so much so that he is willing to kill those who don't share his vision. There is also a rather profound scene where Father Peregrine sees a vision of Jesus Christ in his church.  However Jesus is actually a Martian who appears to humans in a form from the human's subconscious.
> 
> It's ok, but worth a watch if you have the time.




And Mars with bright blue skies....

I agree, it really is a must watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. Plenty of memorable moments, the most memorable for me being the Martians in their 'sand ships' pursuing Parkhill.

Bit of a surprise that this hasn't been remade by Netflix or Amazon.


----------



## hitmouse

paranoid marvin said:


> And Mars with bright blue skies....
> 
> I agree, it really is a must watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. Plenty of memorable moments, the most memorable for me being the Martians in their 'sand ships' pursuing Parkhill.
> 
> Bit of a surprise that this hasn't been remade by Netflix or Amazon.


This made a very big impression on me back in the day.


----------



## Dave Vicks

ELMER GANTRY 1960


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Zombie Lake* (Le lac des morts vivants) 1981 - dear mother of the gods that was dreadful.  A very very long painful 83 minutes.  co-written by Jess Franco and co-directed by Jean Rollin it managed to combine the worst elements of both  and produce probably the woodenestly acted, least coherent , most boring zombie movie I think I have seen. 

Just outside a small village in France a lake  "Lake of the Dammed" is strangely attractive to nubile young women who have a seemingly irresistible urge to take all their clothes off and splash about in it.  Then after an interminable time spent with the camera underwater, getting as many crotch shots as the market will bear, the Nazi Zombies living at the bottom of the lake eat them.  The Nazi Zombies, the victims of a Maquis ambush, invade the village. Then they go back to the lake, Then they invade the village again, and then go back to the lake, and then they  invade the village again... and by now everyone is very familiar with the same bits of footage used over and over again.  Eventually the pre-teen daughter of one of the zombies (I kid you not)  gets a bucket of blood and lures them all to the old mill where she was conceived - before her dad was machine gunned and zombified obviously.  (Once she's safely out of the way the villagers wheel in their home made flame-thrower and incinerate the lot.) The end.

Highlights included:
Spotting the camera operator in a mirror - I think he had just reframed the hand held shot to avoid showing us any more of the lighting cables he'd just been showing us and didn't notice he'd managed to include himself in the picture .  
A huge piece of blackout material suddenly appearing across another mirror in the same scene - presumably there to avoid showing us the lights the cables were attached to.  
A background extra in one dramatic scene catching someone else's eye and having a fit of the giggles. 
People leaving a building, rushing across the village, and arriving at exactly the same building which was now, supposedly, somewhere completely different.
And more shots of under-reheased people standing about uneasily being not quite sure what to do than I thought humanly possible.

Another one for the big book of _1001 Films No One Should Have to Watch Beyond the Opening Credits_.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*BUCK RODGERS*_ (1939)  I actually watched the whole 12 episodes, though over a period of a week. BR & his adolescent friend Buddy, are frozen under an avalanche, and thawed and revived several centuries later. BR's leadership is immediately recognized & he is commissioned as an officer in THE HIDDEN CITY's air force, & goes about foiling the villain "Killer" Kane's (Anthony Warde) plot to conquer the city.

That STAR WARS was inspired by this is obvious, from the scrolling text that vanishes into the distance, to the rebels fighting against the evil empire, etc. Fortunately, Lucas wisely omitted the character Buddy!

In this rather silly story, everybody knows how to do everything! Nobody, neither BR nor even Buddy needs to be taught how to fly spaceships, etc.

KK has a way of rendering his enemies helpless lobotomized slaves by fitting them with these rather unnecessarily large helmets containing his  mind-numbing devices which are rather small.




BR has the rather small mind-numbing device in his right hand, helmet in left. Removal of the helmets and thus the devices restores normal IQ etc. The man on the right had been wearing that helmet, and has just now recovered his mind.  

Rather amusing to watch!


----------



## AstroZon

paranoid marvin said:


> And Mars with bright blue skies....
> 
> I agree, it really is a must watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. Plenty of memorable moments, the most memorable for me being the Martians in their 'sand ships' pursuing Parkhill.
> 
> Bit of a surprise that this hasn't been remade by Netflix or Amazon.


Those sandships were cool.  It was an amazing scene.  

Yea, the blue skies..., not to mention oxygen, habitable temperatures, canals full of running water, and exactly 1G gravity.   I love vintage SciFi ! 

And you're right, it's ripe for a proper remake.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*BUCK RODGERS*_ (1939)  I actually watched the whole 12 episodes, though over a period of a week. BR & his adolescent friend Buddy, are frozen under an avalanche, and thawed and revived several centuries later. BR's leadership is immediately recognized & he is commissioned as an officer in THE HIDDEN CITY's air force, & goes about foiling the villain "Killer" Kane's (Anthony Warde) plot to conquer the city.
> 
> That STAR WARS was inspired by this is obvious, from the scrolling text that vanishes into the distance, to the rebels fighting against the evil empire, etc. Fortunately, Lucas wisely omitted the character Buddy!
> 
> In this rather silly story, everybody knows how to do everything! Nobody, neither BR nor even Buddy needs to be taught how to fly spaceships, etc.
> 
> KK has a way of rendering his enemies helpless lobotomized slaves by fitting them with these rather unnecessarily large helmets containing his  mind-numbing devices which are rather small.
> View attachment 90862
> BR has the rather small mind-numbing device in his right hand, helmet in left. Removal of the helmets and thus the devices restores normal IQ etc. The man on the right had been wearing that helmet, and has just now recovered his mind.
> 
> Rather amusing to watch!


I remember watching this and the Flash Gordon -- also Crabbe -- serials on Baron and His Buddies, a local afternoon kid's show featuring Baron Daemon. BD was a local news personality who would dress up as and imitate the voice of Lugosi's Dracula. He even had a minor song hit, "Transylvania Twist." Anyway, along with various cartoons, the Rogers and Gordon serials were big draws for preteens. Preteen boys anyway.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM is currently showing FLASH GORDON on the same Saturday morning time slot.


----------



## Randy M.

*KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE *(1988; dir. Stephen Chiodo; starring Grant Cramer, Susan Snyder, John Allan Nelson, John Vernon, Royal Dano)

Underneath the quality productions of 1980s s.f. and horror like _E. T._, _Poltergist_, _The Empire Strikes Back_, etc., there's a sub-stratum of really odd movies, some of which sort of hold up. This is one in large part because the premise is so quirky, the production values for the time fairly good, and the acting passable -- I found it interesting that the two male leads have gone on to lengthy careers according to IMDB, and Snyder's list of roles extends well past this movie, too. 

Teens hanging out at lovers' lane see meteor flash past, follow it and discover a circus big top. Entering they find it populated by clowns using clown technology. Attacked by the clowns, they manage to escape and alert the authorities who instantly spring into action by assuming they are drunk or nuts. Then townspeople begin reporting odd clown sightings.

Goofy, '80s fun with Vernon essentially turning his _Animal House_ character into a small town cop.


----------



## KGeo777

I havent seen the Martian Chronicles in a long time.
I should rewatch some time.

What-ever 
happ-ened 
to  
Randolph 
Scott?
I don't know but he is in this movie: Ride The High Country 1962  (yes it came out 60 years ago this month). He stars alongside Joel McCrea and judging from their rapport they must have made a few movies together--I wouldn't know because beyond their names, I have seen them in nearly nothing.  I know the latter from the Most Dangerous Game  and I think I saw Scott in a civil war movie but anyway there's many familiar people in this. Warren Oates, RG Armstrong and fellow initialed actor LQ Jones. I did not know Mariette Hartley started so early--I figured she came along around the time of Star Trek. A veteran by then. 

McCrea was almost  Jack Driscoll in the KING KONG--I think Cabot was a better choice because he had a sinister quality which worked better as someone who is meant to make you appreciate Kong more as a rival.
I have never been interested in westerns unless it had dinosaurs or vampires but this was ok.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> *KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE *(1988; dir. Stephen Chiodo; starring Grant Cramer, Susan Snyder, John Allan Nelson, John Vernon, Royal Dano)


"What are you going to do with those pies boys?"


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> He stars alongside Joel McCrea and judging from their rapport they must have made a few movies together--



...if the rumours I've read about Randolph Scott, who was at one time linked romantically (and lived) with Cary Grant, have any basis - maybe they made made than more than movies together.


----------



## Jeffbert

NOIR ALLEY:
_*BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK*_ (1955) Late 1945 John Macreedy (Spencer Tracy, whom Muller noted was too old for this role) disembarks from the train that normally does not stop at the California desert town of Black Rock, & the town's residents immediately know this means trouble. Macreedy has lost the use of his left arm, whose hand he keeps in his jacket pocket. As one who likewise suffers, I had hoped Muller would have had something to note about an actor who obviously normally uses both arms, pretending one was paralyzed, but, not a word on that.  

Macreedy's purpose for visiting Black Rock is not revealed until near the end, but when he goes to a certain burned-down home, the local folks begin hassling him.  


Spoiler



Macreedy was saved by Komoko's son; Komoko, a man of Japanese descent, who bought a piece of land that the seller thought was worthless, actually found water when he drilled deep enough, was murdered and whose home was burned down by the local folks, who were bigots, and also angry that this guy had made the land assumed worthless, fertile. That son, had been posthumously awarded a military decoration that Macreedy, thought should be given to his father, seeing Macreedy owed his life to the man's deceased son, etc. Macready, was unaware that the father had died, much less that he had been murdered. 

All the town's adults knew about the murder, and were complacent in the cover-up.  Yet, a few were shamed into helping Macreedy. 

In his follow-up comments, Muller spoke about this film being unique in that it dealt with this subject at that time in history, when such was going against the grain, etc.



Supporting cast is stellar, fit their roles perfectly. Reno Smith (Robert Ryan) is the town boss, who even gives orders to Sheriff Horn (Dean Jagger); others, such as Hector David (Lee Marvin) & Coley Trimble (Ernest Borgnine) take it upon themselves to make Macreedy's visit unpleasant. Doc Velie (Walter Brennan) is the only half-decent guy in town, & empathizes with Macreedy, even when he knows his purpose. 

Siblings Pete Wirth (John Ericson) & Liz Wirth (Anne Francis) are also half-decent, but neither wants to become involved with a stranger going against the town boss.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> ...if the rumours I've read about Randolph Scott, who was at one time linked romantically (and lived) with Cary Grant, have any basis - maybe they made made than more than movies together.


I heard that too but I felt it unnecessary to link performance skills to sexual orientation trivia.


----------



## Randy M.

*Down Three Dark Streets* (1954; dir. Arnold Laven; starring Broderick Crawford, Ruth Roman, Martha Hyers)

FBI agent is killed (Kenneth Tobey, known to s.f. fans as Captain Hendry from _The Thing from Another World_) and his FBI agent buddy, Crawford, takes on three of his cases, one of which they're sure is involved in his death. Entertaining flick, a TCM Noir Alley presentation, the host mentioning that this was the first movie to use 3 story lines that eventually led to the resolution of the overarching story line.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I heard that too but I felt it unnecessary to link performance skills to sexual orientation trivia.



Hah!



Back on Topic: last film I tried to watch was *Tokyo Gore Police *- two minutes in I had firmly formed the idea that it was crap.  Three minutes in I'd come to the conclusion it was also the wrong sort of crap.  That's as far as I got.  I suspect the director was 15 and had been given a film crew for Christmas.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Final Fantasy 5*
They should have made it an out and out comedy. I couldn't stop laughing and cringing at the increasingly horrific ways of being killed.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Into the Storm* 2014
Stormchasers looking for The Big One. Twister it ain't. More like Jackass meets Twister.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery* - At some point while watching this I came to the realisation I had seen it before.  I wonder if I thought it at all funny last time?  What a tedious bore.  The originals it was 'spoofing' were far funnier - and a lot more inventive.


----------



## AE35Unit

Oops that's supposed to be Final Destination 5, not Fantasy...


----------



## Foxbat

Cross Of Iron. Sam Peckinpah’s only war film. It did poorly at the  box office when released and was panned by quite a few critics but it’s one of my personal favourites.


----------



## Happy Joe

I decided to go for another "different" film last night; The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec *...*
Definitely quirky (French) and somewhat of an acquired taste*...*
The copy that I have is in English, as opposed to subtitles.

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Wild World of Batwoman* (MST3K) - A gentle introduction to the terrible film making of Jerry Warren for Number One Son in the company of Mike and the Bots. This is one where they just scream, "END! END!" at the screen.   Next week: _Teenage Zombies_!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Foxbat said:


> Cross Of Iron. Sam Peckinpah’s only war film. It did poorly at the  box office when released and was panned by quite a few critics but it’s one of my personal favourites.




A very good, very realistic WWII movie about duty, honour, cynicism and betrayal. Some great actors with Mason, Coburn and Warner.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Christine Wheelwright said:


> I finally watched the new Dune on a flight last week.  What a disappointment!  Incredibly tedious.  And can someone tell me why every action/drama movie these days must have those ridiculous choreographed martial-arts-style fight scenes?  They destroy any gravitas that may have built up in the mean time.  Honestly, I have no idea what people see in this stuff.



I watched the first 45 minutes of it last night. At every point I was thinking 'that wasn't done as well/didn't look as impressive as in the original movie'. A movie made 40 years ago has no right to look better than one made with today's technology. The one thing that did impress me were the ornithopters, which looked pretty spectacular. I obviously need to watch the rest of the movie, as I'm sure that the story must be more coherent (without first having to read the book) in this version; but the first third or so hasn't impressed me much.


----------



## KGeo777

CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES 1972 (yep, came out 50 years ago this month)
"Ape management is in the hands of the apes!"
This movie has a lot of hokey charm. You have mobs of gorilla-masked, skinny red pajama-wearing hordes going nuts--and the poor man's Orson Welles, Severn Darden as a creepy government enforcer. "There are no chimpanzees in Borneo."
Ricardo Montalban explaining what happened to cats and dogs with a straight face. It's impressive that they could keep serious with some of the stuff here.
Don Murray is over the top as the ape-paranoid governor in futuristic 1991, but Roddy McDowall has some part to play--he has a lot of great little moments and expressive acting--when you think about how constricted he is in the mask--yet he's able to use his eyes and his hand gestures to great effect. I was a bit surprised that the HD version I watched did not have the theatrical ending--this has the killing of the governor. I have mixed feelings about it. I recall the original ending shown was sloppy due to the added voice over, and considering how violent the movie is--there are some gory moments that either I had forgotten or they added them in for this version-what difference does it make to add one more to the casualty list. On the other hand, the governor was voicing his hatred for apes and Caesar wanted to kill him on the spot and then restrained himself.
It seems to me if he had spared the governor or at least we don't see his fate, that he was undermining the governor's sense of self-importance.

I miss the McDowall line "tonight we have seen the birth of the Planet of the Apes."
The use of the building with the office lights as a background is picturesque in HD.


----------



## Happy Joe

Received the newest Fantastic creatures movie from Netflix yesterday Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ... tried watching it but after hearing Dumbledore express "Love" for the villain at/near the beginning of the flick; I got disgusted and completely lost interest.
Even excessive use of the fast forward button couldn't get me through it.

Enjoy!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Happy Joe said:


> Received the newest Fantastic creatures movie from Netflix yesterday Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ... tried watching it but after hearing Dumbledore express "Love" for the villain at/near the beginning of the flick; I got disgusted and completely lost interest.
> Even excessive use of the fast forward button couldn't get me through it.
> 
> Enjoy!




I liked the Harry Potter movies. Not loved, but I enjoyed watching them. I adored the first Fantastic Beasts movie - I thought it was very funny and very inventive; however the second movie I didn't enjoy at all - I simply couldn't get into it. I definitely want to see the third in the series, so I suppose I will have to go back and try the second one again. But this is one series where I wished they'd stopped at 1 movie.


----------



## Brian G Turner

Happy Joe said:


> after hearing Dumbledore express "Love" for the villain


Is it just because he loved a villain?


----------



## Dave Vicks

GATTICA 1997.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Frida* (2002) - sometimes you watch a film and realise _this _is the role the actor had been born to play.  Salma Hayek was born to play Frida Kahlo.  She is wonderful.  A lot of films about artists are painful to sit through as they oversell the tortured genius theme - leaving the audience thinking, 'oh just shut your whining and get a job'.  _Frida_ doesn't. Frida's torture is physical; the art is her way of coping.  For a film about a famous and iconic woman artist, probably the most famous, or at least instantly recognised, in the world it really scores badly on the Bechdel test - nearly every conversation between two women in this film is about Diego Riviera. 

I watched it with my Number Two Daughter* and only noticed the next day that I didn't suffer any bouts of the squirm when the sex scenes played.  (Straight or same sex.)  Any parent who has watched a film with 'naughty bits' in sat next to their kids will know what I mean by 'the squirm'.  

This time? Nada.  

Possible reasons:
A lot of the film dealt with Frida's body and her relationship with it.  'This Judas of a body' she calls it late in the film.  The sex she has is important in showing that relationship rather than any relationship with the people she beds.

The film was directed by a woman.  The film was totally lacking in male gaze. 



*Who apparently, likes the paintings of that other Mexican painter, Leonora Carrington better - amazing what you find out about people you know really well when you watch films together.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS* (1945) This woman (Nina Foch) who has no living relatives takes a job as a live-in secretary, becomes an unwilling pawn in an insurance fraud scheme. Moreover, she is knocked-out with chloroform, dressed in a dead woman's clothes, and called by her name. Thoroughly confused, she insists on her own identity, but they attempt to persuade her that she had suffered memory loss. Of course the house is fenced-in, & the gatekeeper is instructed that she is never to leave.



Spoiler



She is to be a substitute for a woman murdered by her husband Ralph Hughes (George Macready), who now needs to kill his wife in such a way as to make it seem accidental so he can collect the insurance.  He had killed his wife inn a fit of rage, then, realizing with her corpse in that condition, he not only would not collect life insurance, but would be charged with her murder. So, now he needed a 'new' wife whom he could pass as his wife, so he can kill her while making it appear to be an accident.



Spoiler



I forgot what Muller said in the before & after comments, as it was several weeks since I saw this. But, as usual, he provided more than any other TCM host.


----------



## Happy Joe

Brian G Turner said:


> Is it just because he loved a villain?


The least offensive way that I could state my reaction...

Enjoy!


----------



## Happy Joe

paranoid marvin said:


> I liked the Harry Potter movies. Not loved, but I enjoyed watching them. I adored the first Fantastic Beasts movie - I thought it was very funny and very inventive; however the second movie I didn't enjoy at all - I simply couldn't get into it. I definitely want to see the third in the series, so I suppose I will have to go back and try the second one again. But this is one series where I wished they'd stopped at 1 movie.


I believe that J.K.R, has once again; "lost the magic"... at least for me.

Enjoy!

Edit re-watched Guns Akimbo to raise my spirits ... no magic but its a fair to good action/shoot-'em-up comedy.

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Arabian Adventure* (1979)-  pale imitation of _The Thief of Baghdad_ directed by Kevin Connor (Warlords of Atlantis etc.)  Some interesting filters and the odd nice moment but for the most part pretty dull stuff.  Emma Samms' tummy was nice.


----------



## nixie

I have a confession to make, Hocus Pocus always thought I'd watched it, turns out I hadn't. Now remedied.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Cooler* (2003) - I'll watch anything with William H Macy in it.


----------



## KGeo777

SILENT RAGE 1982 - Chuck Norris in a sci-fi movie. He faces a Frankenstein killer created by Steven Keats--it's nice when you watch a variety of shows in one sitting and get interesting connections--just before this I watched a 70s tv show with Keats as the guest star and then he shows up in this.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Beast Must Die*

An interesting set up. A wealthy businessman invites 6 guests to his home, knowing that one is a werewolf. Once exposed, he will hunt it down and kill it.

An interesting premise for a movie, and some cracking actors including Peter Cushing and a very young looking Michael Gambon. The movie uniquely has a 'werewolf break' during which time the viewer is asked to consider the evidence presented so far and make a decision as to which guest is 'the beast'. The only problem with that is that there is (apparently) no way to have worked it out, and if there was we are not told what the giveaway clues were.

What disappoints for me though is that it has probably the least scary werewolf ever put in film.

It's a long time since I saw this movie last (I had pretty much forgotten everything about it apart from the 'werewolf break'). I doubt I shall bother with it again.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*OUT OF THE PAST*_ (1947) Muller says that this is tied with _*DOUBLE INDEMNITY*_ for the ultimate example of NOIR.

Anyway, this has Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) an ex-private investigator, who currently runs a gas station, forcibly hired by Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) to locate Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer) whom he claimed had been his girlfriend and made off with $40k. Sterling is not the kind of guy for whom Bailey would willingly work, but he does have methods of persuasion, etc. 

The less said, the better.  Great film!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Don't bother with the remake (*Against All Odds*, 1984.)


----------



## KGeo777

paranoid marvin said:


> *The Beast Must Die*
> 
> 
> 
> What disappoints for me though is that it has probably the least scary werewolf ever put in film.


I like to call it the wagging tongue of death.
If they put a scary mask on the dog--it could have been pretty cool.
 It has some interesting action parts--the helicopter scene.
Calvin Lockhart was ok in it-(Robert Shaw almost did the hunter part) some of his lines have a creepy theatrical manner--especially "he's coming for YOU Pavel!"
He was in Predator 2.

"You don't see the eyes of the de-mon, until he comes a-calling."


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Revenge of the Pink Panther* - nowhere near as funny as it used to be but Number One Son enjoyed it.


----------



## hitmouse

JunkMonkey said:


> *Revenge of the Pink Panther* - nowhere near as funny as it used to be but Number One Son enjoyed it.


The Sellers movies have aged very badly. The first two still work as period pieces, but the following ones just seem poor now. Loved them as a kid. 

Perversely, the dreadful Steve Martin remakes seem to have improved over time.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Event Horizon* 1997
A classic in the sci-fi horror genre.


----------



## J-Sun

hitmouse said:


> The Sellers movies have aged very badly. The first two still work as period pieces, but the following ones just seem poor now.


I partly agree. _The Pink Panther_ is a fine, mostly ordinary movie where they didn't know what they had until it was over because Clouseau was the one extraordinary thing in it. So then they took that and made _A Shot in the Dark_, which is in my handful of best movies of all-time where everything was exactly perfect. Then _Return of the Pink Panther_ (if I've got the title of the third 1975 movie right), though maybe not essential, was good and performs the service of giving Dreyfus and Cato another chance to shine and cements them. (And I can't blame anyone for not being able to resist a sequel at that point.) But the movies after that I've never really liked and can hardly see as being related. The Pink Panther series, to me, is really the classic _A Shot in the Dark_ and its reasonably good sequel.


----------



## nixie

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.


----------



## Toby Frost

Jeffbert said:


> _*OUT OF THE PAST*_ (1947)



I think this is known as _Build My Gallows High_ in the UK. It's a really good noir film.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Petite Maman (2021): A French fantasy-drama. A girl's mother runs off, leaving her to make a friend with a much younger version of her mother. I thought it was touching. There was little action, but that didn't bother me. The tone and theme made up for it.

X (2022): In this slasher film, a bunch of young adults go to a secluded house to shoot a pornographic film. The old couple finds out what they're there for and all hell breaks loose. Effectively creepy.

Frequencies, a.k.a. OXV: The Manual (2013): This is a romance film with speculative stylings, labelled sci-fi, though I think it's more fantasy-like. It takes place in a world where everyone has a "frequency" that determines their luck and success. Low frequency signifies poor luck, and high frequency, the opposite. People with high frequencies also tend to lack emotions. This is a story about a boy and a girl on opposite sides of this spectrum, and how the former changes everything. My favorite of these three.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Guttersnipe said:


> Frequencies, a.k.a. OXV: The Manual (2013): This is a romance film with speculative stylings, labelled sci-fi, though I think it's more fantasy-like. It takes place in a world where everyone has a "frequency" that determines their luck and success. Low frequency signifies poor luck, and high frequency, the opposite. People with high frequencies also tend to lack emotions. This is a story about a boy and a girl on opposite sides of this spectrum, and how the former changes everything. My favorite of these three.



I was starting to think I was the only person who had seen this.  Not a great film but interesting.  It does, I think, go  a bit wrong at the end though .  After I watched, it the DVD went, in its case, on the open  'watch this again someday' shelves - where it now sits between_ Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman_ and _Frida _ - rather than getting stripped out of the case and filed in the ring binders with all the other movies.


----------



## Jeffbert

paranoid marvin said:


> *The Beast Must Die*
> 
> An interesting set up. A wealthy businessman invites 6 guests to his home, knowing that one is a werewolf. Once exposed, he will hunt it down and kill it.
> 
> An interesting premise for a movie, and some cracking actors including Peter Cushing and a very young looking Michael Gambon. The movie uniquely has a 'werewolf break' during which time the viewer is asked to consider the evidence presented so far and make a decision as to which guest is 'the beast'. The only problem with that is that there is (apparently) no way to have worked it out, and if there was we are not told what the giveaway clues were.
> 
> What disappoints for me though is that it has probably the least scary werewolf ever put in film.
> 
> It's a long time since I saw this movie last (I had pretty much forgotten everything about it apart from the 'werewolf break'). I doubt I shall bother with it again.


When I 1st saw this post, I had not yet seen the film, which had been on my DVR for a while. Watched it before reading your post. Thoroughly enjoyed Cushing's lecture on werewolves, & Blofeld's presence (Charles Gray) was an added bonus.

I agree that the depiction of the WWs was rather disappointing, to say the least. While I was unable to predict the I.D. of the WW, I did predict that it was coming for the guy in the control room, as it seemed obvious to me, & that there were 2 WWs.

The interruption with the challenge to name the WW reminded me of the film with the FEAR FLASHER & the HORROR HORN, which gimmicks made a rather serious film somewhat silly. 

I would not bother to see this again, though.


----------



## Dave Vicks

2001:A Space Odyssey.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Dave Vicks said:


> 2001:A Space Odyssey.



Co-incidentally the film I watched tonight had a ship to ship, airlock to airlock without a helmet jump as well!  
Only in my case I didn't believe a sodding second of it. I started watching *Black Box *(2020) a while back on some Free to Air bit of Amazon.  But didn't get to the end and then couldn't find it again.  Until I came across a DVD copy in a charity shop for 50p.  It was made in 2020 and less than two years later is already in the three for a quid bin at my local charity shop?  When will I ever learn?

The first part is pretty ok.  A valiant effort to make a low (zero) budget movie with an intriguing idea.  A man wakes up in a tumbling escape pod with no memory of how he got there and a gaping wound in his side.  He calls for help and the ground crew try to talk him back down to Earth.  Good start  but sadly the film is let down by an vastly overly wordy script - I have heard radio plays with less dialogue. And more 'erm... whoever wrote this doesn't read much SF do they?' moments than any SF film can bear.  The technobabble is totally undercooked, trying, I guess, for some sort of realism but just displaying ignorance all round.

Technically the film looks good. For the money they had, the designers did a pretty good job of making a small enclosed escape pod set that, I presume, could be dismantled into sections to enable the camera to get in from different angles. The zero G bits aren't embarrassingly awful. Initially the relationship between the main protagonist and the flight control girl is interesting. But after a while the plot holes, and the 'wait! That doesn't make sense!' moments just kept on coming and by the end I really was itching for it to be over. I hope the long list of people listed as 'crowdunders' (sic) on the end credits felt their money was well spent.

For the rest of us worth watching only as a useful exercise in spotting 'How not to do things'. Like if your central character is going to be on screen for 95+% of the film - it might be a good idea to hire someone with some sort of charisma and screen presence. Or ask yourself if the exploding mining operation is taking place in the Asteroid Belt what, realistically, are the chances that an amateur astronomer on Earth would have a telescope powerful enough to make out and identify _individual ships_ attached to the exploding mining station?  (Though in fairness the film didn't actually say the astronomer was on Earth, they could have been on the Moon, or Mars or an orbital - but if that's the case and there are populations large enough to support amateur astronomers scattered around the Solar System why are the escape pods heading all the way  from the Asteroid Belt to Earth instead of some nearer habitation.  I don't think the writer realises just how BIG the space between planets is.  And as for putting on a balaclava, wrapping duct tape around your head and jumping across several thousand meters of interplanetary vacuum towards a spinning target... and expecting the audience to heave a sigh of relief when a jump cut cheats him inside?  Forget it.


----------



## KGeo777

Herbert Lom is hilarious. He had great comic ability.

TALES OF TERROR 1962 -Premiered 60 years ago today.

The wine tasting contest is my favorite part.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> Co-incidentally the film I watched tonight had a ship to ship, airlock to airlock without a helmet jump as well!
> Only in my case I didn't believe a sodding second of it. I started watching *Black Box *(2020) a while back on some Free to Air bit of Amazon.  But didn't get to the end and then couldn't find it again.  Until I came across a DVD copy in a charity shop for 50p.  It was made in 2020 and less than two years later is already in the three for a quid bin at my local charity shop?  When will I ever learn?


They performed the manoeuvre in Event Horizon which I watched the other day. It also mentioned the Zero Point theory for bending space, which is guiding tenet in the Stargate franchise.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Independence Day Resurgence* - more of same.


----------



## KGeo777

PANIC IN YEAR ZERO 1962 - Premiered on this day. Ray Milland directed this intense story of a family which survives a nuclear war outbreak and struggles to survive as civilization breaks down and they (and others) resort to lawless behavior. Really good.

DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN 1972 - Yep, premiered on this day too.


----------



## alexvss

*Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). *A struggling immigrant mother finds herself amidst a battle that could destroy all the universes. A resistance group, who can travel to other universes by taking over their alter ego’s bodies, finds her and teaches her to leap to other universes.

This is multiverse done right. It’s intimate and grandiose at the same time. It has science-fiction, comedy, crazy action… a true multiverse. It comes from the same twisted minds that made *Swiss Army Man (2016*), but with a bigger budget (not that big though--only 25 million--, which proves that they have a lot of creativity). The leading actors are absolute legends: Michelle Yeoh, from the early Hong Kong action movies and from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; and Ke Huy Quan, who played Short Round in *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)* and Data in *The Goonies (1985)*.

I just have to say that it is a bit too long. Cut 30 minutes and you have my 10 out of 10.


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> TALES OF TERROR 1962 -Premiered 60 years ago today.
> 
> The wine tasting contest is my favorite part.


Oh, I loved that story & that scene! 



*THIEVES' HIGHWAY* (1949) NOIR ALLEY. Nico Garcos (Richard Conte; my 1st time noticing him) comes home from (the war?) bearing gifts for his family, including shoes or slippers for father. He is taken aback by the reactions, until he realizes that papa lost his legs. Learning the where & when, etc., he decides to go after the villain, Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb), who was responsible. Figlia runs a fruit business in the city, and buys straight from the trucks carrying produce from farmers. He always pays them less than he ought, and sometimes sends henchmen out to recover the money, using various tactics, including violence and liquor. 

So, he had papa drunk, and sent him on his way, being sure he would crash & Figlia's henchmen would recover his money, while papa would be too drunk to realize he had been robbed.

Garcos must first recover papa's truck, which, he being unable to drive it, sold to Ed Kinney
(Millard Mitchell) who still owes payment to papa. Garcos ends up partnering with Kinney, buys another truck, and the two set out for the city, loaded with apples. 

Definitely noir! Good show, but brutal.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Skeletons (2010): A fantasy-mystery-comedy in which two psychics are employed to exorcize clients' darkest secrets. I enjoyed the main conceit and premise, both quite unique, though I didn't find it particularly funny. I was trying to multi-task, though, so I missed a lot of it. It didn't help that it was quiet and my Murican ears couldn't understand what the actors were saying half the time. Subtitles were not an option, as I watched it online.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Dave Vicks said:


> GATTICA 1997.


Good choice. It's Gattaca; the title references guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine, the four nucleobases of DNA.


----------



## Dave Vicks

@Guttersnipe It's good to see Gore Vidal get some screentime.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Dave Vicks said:


> @Guttersnipe It's good to see Gore Vidal get some screentime.


Now that's something I didn't know about. Interesting.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Watched THE IRISHMAN.


----------



## KGeo777

Or for Simpsons fans

ITCHY RUNS AFOUL OF AN IRISHMAN



I watched NIGHT OF THE EAGLE aka BURN WITCH BURN, based on the novel Conjure Wife--which I read, and it was a really good quick read.
The screenwriters Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson divided the book in half and one did the first half and the other wrote the second-and then another writer came in.
The movie adds a subplot-it wasn't an eagle in the novel, but I notice it is very similar to Night of the Demon -where the skeptical protagonist turns the tables on the magic user. They would make a good pairing --there's even an actor who appears in both.


----------



## KGeo777

Sometimes I have the weirdest synchronicity in movie selections.
I randomly picked two movies that somehow had thematic connections.

THE BABYSITTER 1969 is a weird convergence of Lolita, a bikersploitaion, and a Leave It to Beaver episode. A middle-aged deputy DA has an affair with Candy, a teenager, after she notices his marital problems with a frigid wife (that's because  she got drunk and they ended up with a baby---they already have a lesbian daughter). Candy is a free spirit and makes a play for him and when he says: "I am old enough to be.." she completes his thoughts with: "to be anything you want to be!" The actor who plays the guy also wrote the script so he penned  a few naked montages with her on screen. Yet there's something non-sleazy about their relationship because he reminds one of Ward Cleaver--Candy is rather innocently charming despite the soft porn nudity and her scheme to help him evade blackmail by threatening the blackmailer with torturous death and a marijuana frameup.  

NIGHT SLASHER 1969 -- should be more of a sleazefest yet because it is a UK film the acting style makes it less amateur than the previous. It's set in London and they did guerrilla filming--shooting around non-actors in the city. But the story is once again about a legal professional who is having marital problems--except this time he is the one who is repressed--to the point of taking out his frustrations by sending defendants to prison for long duration. They set up two red herrings so we don't know who the slasher killer is until later in the story.  None of the cast are people I know from anything beyond bit parts but it  feels more realistic because they are not familiar.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Glass Bottom Boat* (1966) - stupendously unfunny Doris Day romantic comedy with  slight SFish flavour; the male in the romantic pair (played by Rod Taylor) has invented a kind of electronic anti-gravity and the Russians want 'the formula'.  The one vaguely funny joke in the whole sad 90+ minutes was, of all people, delivered by Dom De Luise . 

"Two questions!"
 (Looks at folded piece of paper in his hand)
"Who are you? and Who are you?"
(Turns over piece of paper)
"...working for?"

Dreadful music. Everything was Micky Moused to death including a brief snippet of the _Man From Uncle_ theme to reassure the less attentive members of the audience that yes, that really _is_ Robert Vaughn (in Napoleon Solo mode) propping up the bar for a few wordless, "is that...?" gag frames.

The only time Ms Day came alive was during a short scene (which looks like it may well not have been scripted but added during the shoot) in which she, and her on screen dad sit around and sing a couple of songs. They fluff lines and pick up and carry on. It has an improvisational feel totally at odds with the rest of the film. For a few minutes the people on screen look they are actually having fun. 

Avoid.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SILVER STREAK*_ (1976) George Caldwell (Gene Wilder) is taking the train from L.A. to Chicago, when he becomes involved in intrigue, etc. Drama mixed with comedy; my 1st time watching this. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Caldwell finds himself tossed from the train several times, wanted for murder, & meets car thief Grover T. Muldoon (Richard Pryor) while escaping from a country sheriff, & the two become friends, etc.

Supporting cast includes  Richard Kiel, who parodies his role of Jaws, complete with chrome teeth.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON* (1931) Is that villain Fu Manchu (Warner Oland) really dead? Apparently not. So, he charges is daughter Princess Ling Moy (Anna May Wong) to avenge him by killing his enemy's last male descendant. The daughter is an exotic dancer but now she becomes the weapon of veangance, but having just recently learned papa's identity, she is already in love with the man she is to kill.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Skyline*.  What a pile of poo.  Seriously not good.  When people spoke they spoke in short sentences. The dialogue was all in very short sentences.  With gaps in between.  The thing the previous person said was often not responded to in any meaningful way.  If at all. Then jumbling them up. As if the dialogue had been written by cutting lines from other films.

It was sh*t.  There was a sequel. It will be sh*t too. I will watch the sequel.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Dave Vicks said:


> Watched THE IRISHMAN.




Great Netflix movie. It's pretty long, but it's that good that I don't mind it. Very similar in style to Goodfellas and Casino, and although the 'youngification' of the actors is pretty unconvincing, the overall movie itself is terrific.

Anyone who likes Goodfellas and hasn't seen this film really ought to.


----------



## dask

You got me sold. Library has 17 copies and I'm 116 in line. Hope to see it by Halloween.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Guttersnipe said:


> Good choice. It's Gattaca; the title references guanine, adenine, thymine, and cytosine, the four nucleobases of DNA.



Ah, I wondered where the title came from. Great movie.


----------



## KGeo777

paranoid marvin said:


> Great Netflix movie. It's pretty long, but it's that good that I don't mind it. Very similar in style to Goodfellas and Casino, and although the 'youngification' of the actors is pretty unconvincing, the overall movie itself is terrific.
> 
> Anyone who likes Goodfellas and hasn't seen this film really ought to.


I think he should have done a Godfather 2 and find younger actors to do the roles but that means renewing the acting pool and I don't think they are thinking about the future much these days.
Someone on Youtube did a DeepFakes makeover of the footage it looked better actually.


----------



## Rodders

I just saw a 3 star movie called Deep Space.

one star too many in my opinion.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Lonely Wives *(1931)

Pre-Code bedroom farce.  Edward Everett Horton has a double role as a lawyer and a professional impersonator.  Oddly, at exactly 8 pm each night the no-nonsense lawyer turns into a ladies' man, making a date with his new secretary.  A woman who wants a divorce goes to see him, and he gets a date with her the same night.  Meanwhile, he has the impersonator pretend to be him so he can get out of his house under the eye of his mother-in-law.  The complications begin when the lawyer's wife returns from vacation unexpectedly.  It's very much a stage play, with most of the scenes taking place on a single set.  Shots of the two Hortons together are very well done for 1931.  The plot is, of course, outrageously contrived, but it's quite amusing, with some witty dialogue.


----------



## Happy Joe

Skyfire (2019) a good, chinese (with English soundtrack, at least on the DVD that I watched,) volcano movie Its good enough that I will, likely, add it to the movie/DVD library.
About the only criticism that I can give (other than the standard; characters make stupid decisions) is that the English voice acting (dub) is occasionally less than good.

This one is worth watching/streaming, especially if you can find it on a free site.

Enjoy!


----------



## HareBrain

*The Sea Beast* (2022). Lovely animation (including some convincing sailing ship behaviour), pretty good character work, chintzy but unobjectionable message. Starts out a lot stronger than it ends, partly because of some odd plot developments along the way. The enormous monster they're hunting turns out to look very much like Toothless from _How to Train Your Dragon_, and with seemingly polyvinyl skin. Overall: fun, but immediately forgettable.


*Withnail and I* (1987). One of the finest films known to humanity.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Ithaca Project* 2019
Weird alien abduction movie with a twist. Found it dull and slow


----------



## AE35Unit

*Man From Earth* 2007
Funny little Methuselah tale penned by Jerome Bixby of Star Trek writing fame


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cat Women of the Moon* for the umpteenth time but for the first time with Number One Son who thought it was hilarious.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Crossplot *(1969)

Between playing the Saint on television  and James Bond in the movies, Roger Moore offered us this lighthearted thriller, which seems a little bit like a farewell to the first character and a dress rehearsal for the latter.  He's an advertising guy/ladies' man.  The Bad Guys exchange a photograph of the woman who's going to appear in his next ad campaign with a photo of our proto-Bond Girl.  Their motive is to have him track her down; she's a Hungarian who knows too much (although she doesn't know she knows too much, if you see what I mean) about the planned assassination of the President of a fictional African nation.  Complications ensue.  Lots of comedy verging on slapstick, chase scenes, etc.  There's a clue left in a crossword puzzle.  It looks like a made-for-TV film.  A so-so way to pass the time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Last Embrace *(1979)

Hitchcockian thriller.  Roy Scheider stars as a government agent whose wife is killed in a shootout.  After three months in a sanitarium, he thinks he's ready to go back to work.  The unnamed agency doesn't agree; understandably, because he's obviously on the edge of paranoia, has screaming nightmares, and fits where his hands tremble uncontrollably.  Meanwhile, they've rented out his apartment to a woman who will become involved in what develops.  That's the least of his worries, because the agency has decided to kill him.  Besides that, somebody left him a threatening message in Aramaic, with the mysterious initials ZM.  It turns out several other men got the same note over the last couple of years, and they are all dead.  Hitchcockian elements include an old-fashioned, lush musical score and a climax at a famous landmark (Niagara Falls.)  There's a huge plot twist a little more than an hour into the film, which turns it from a mystery into a suspense film.  Very nicely filmed, with a powerful performance from Scheider.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Guns Girls and Gangsters *(1959)

Great title for an efficient little B heist film.  Crook fresh out of the pen has a plan to rob an armored car carrying a ton of dough out of Las Vegas by shooting out one of its tires, forcing it to stop at a roadside garage/diner/motel.  To launder the money, he has to enlist the aid of a guy with connections to the black market.  This guy also happens to employee a nightclub singer (Mamie Van Doren!) who also gets involved in the plot.  Things start to go sour when Van Doren's husband (Lee Van Cleef!) busts out of prison.  He's a total sociopath who makes the other crooks look like Boy Scouts.  After killing a couple of guys (including the money launderer) out of insane jealousy over his wife, he joins the heist.  He already knows she plans to divorce him and run off to Mexico with the guy who planned the robbery, so you know things aren't going to work out well.  The heist stuff is done in semi-documentary style, with a helpful narrator explaining the plan.  The two people with "Van" in their names steal the picture, Mamie as the tough, sultry dame with a heart of gold, Lee as a genuinely terrifying killer.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Virgin Sacrifice *(1960)

Cheap little jungle adventure flick.  Great White Hunter type tells us how he witnessed a VIRGIN SACRIFICE some time ago.  Flashback shows us a woman tied to a tree, having her blouse torn off (this thing must have been shown in "adults only" theaters) and getting stabbed.  Rest of movie is his fight to keep another woman from a VIRGIN SACRIFICE.  Only a little more than an hour long, but it really drags.  Filmed in Guatemala and in color, which much have used most of the budget.


----------



## KGeo777

Ha I love that title Guns, Girls, and Gangsters--it is so to the point. And they flash the titles in dramatic fashion at the beginning.

THE INFERNO 1911 ( A Baylor recommendation) - It was very interesting-inspiring when you consider at the time this was made, people like Vincent Price had not been born yet. It had a lot of Gustave Dore' influences and some of the spfx were quite ambitious. It's not every day you see a movie where Mohammad is walking around in Hell with his entrails sticking out.

TASTE OF EXCITEMENT 1970 -  It's hard to describe--a giallo or Hitchcockian thriller--Eva Renzi portrays a computer programmer--that is bizarre and unique right off the bat, but she also a plain Jane (her name is Jane) and to believe that she supposed to be average-looking is weird enough. She meets a painter--and the dialogue is so oddish I felt like I was watching a Police Squad! episode.

"What's your name?"
"Jane Karrell."
"Mine's Paul Hedley."
"Oh..the painter?"
"Yes, that's right...do you like my work?"
"I don't actually."
"Oh."

...
"They thought I was crazy. And so did that doctor."
"Doctor?"
"Doctor Faller, he's a psychiatrist. I was running away from him just now. He was in the zoo. What was he doing in the zoo? "
"Search me."
"He knew something about that gibbon."
"What gibbon?"
"The one on the phone last night."
"I really think I should be getting on.."
"That's why I went to the zoo this morning."
"What-to finish the conversation with the gibbon?"

It gets weirder.


----------



## Jeffbert

JunkMonkey said:


> *Cat Women of the Moon* for the umpteenth time but for the first time with Number One Son who thought it was hilarious.


I know I have seen this, but, is it the one with the giant spider that just bounces toward its intended victim (a woman) and / or the one with the Gumby-shaped rock monsters?


----------



## Mouse

Just seen *Encanto*. Nice little story but the animation's really great.


----------



## J Riff

_Missile to the Moon_ has the rock Gumbys..


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> I know I have seen this, but, is it the one with the giant spider that just bounces toward its intended victim (a woman) and / or the one with the Gumby-shaped rock monsters?



The giant spiders in _Cat Women of the Moon_ lower themselves from the ceiling of a cave - they also have a weird horn in the middle of their heads.  'Spiders' plural because after being attacked by the first spider, the girl is thrust aside as the men fight the spider and the same prop attacks her a second time.  You never see 'both' animals in the same shot.

More likely you are thinking of _Missile to the Moon_ which is practically a remake of _Cat Women of the Moon_.  The giant woman-attacking spider in the cave in that one is a lot more bouncy.






and has Gumby shaped Rock Monsters 






EDIT: Just noticed J Riff beat me to it.


----------



## Jeffbert

I just love those 1950s B-grade scifi films! 


*ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL* (1979) If not for the music, I would have found this unwatchable; it was just over the top silly. Vince Lombardi HS has a new no-nonsense principle Evelyn Togar (Mary Woronov), who is very strict, etc. But, those naughty students want rock & roll instead of classical music. The Ramones are coming to town, & Riff Randell (P. J. Soles) is skipping school to camp-out at the theater's box office fot 3 days, so she can be 1st in line to buy tickets for the beast seats for herself & all her friends. 

Eaglebauer (Clint Howard; rememer him? The boy from GENTLE BEN & THE CORBOMITE MANUVER) has an office in one of the stalls in the BOYS' ROOM, and fixes-up dates and such for his clients. One of the boys wants to date Riff, but, he just lacks the social skills to get her. Eaglebauer will help him get those skills. No other reason why I mention Clint Howard, except for those earlier roles. The police Chief (Dick Miller; one of Roger Corman's regular actors) had very little screen time, but his name was in the opening credits.

I was never a fan of so-called PUNK ROCK, but I did enjoy the music; which the captions did identify.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Beat the Devil *- I just wanted something to keep me sat still for 90 minutes and not tax my poor old brain too much so I picked something out of the Safe Old Movies shelf (I.E. nothing likely to have too much sex and violence in case the kids walk in) of my To Be Watched shelves.  _Beat the Devil _, starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston, turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting.  Very odd in places and very funny too.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*All the Colors of Giallo *(2019)

Documentary about the film genre mentioned in the title.  Mostly interviews with directors, writers, actors, etc., in Italian, so be patient with subtitles.  Some trailers and footage from the films.  Fairly interesting and informative.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Girl in Black Stockings *(1957)

At a resort in Utah, the body of a woman slashed to death turns up.  As the local sheriff tries to figure out whodunit, other folks are killed.  It all leads up to a twist ending.

Lots of familiar faces here, including Mamie Van Doren as a model.  A very young Anne Bancroft is the love interest for our nominal hero.  There's a washed-up actor, a hard-drinking native American, and so forth.  Most notable are the owner of the resort, who is not only in a wheelchair but has totally paralyzed hands and arms, and his sister, who has to take care of him.

With a gruesome, if unseen, series of murders committed by an unknown killer, and that twist ending, this almost seems like a proto-_giallo_.


----------



## Foxbat

Pacific Rim.

I have to admit I wasn’t too keen on this one when it first came out. I took too much notice  of its flaws,  but it’s grown on me with repeated viewings. Now, I can appreciate the sheer majesty of giant robots beating up giant monsters


----------



## Jeffbert

_*DOWN 3 DARK STREETS*_ (1954) NOIR ALLEY. FBI Agent John Ripley (Broderick Crawford) investigates 3 case that his late partner had been pursuing; hence, the title. Features an ending at the HOLLYWOOD sign. An extortionist has learned of a widow's $10k life insurance, & uses her fears of violence to motivate her to give him the money, which he has her place at the base of one of those large letters. 

Interesting twist ending.


----------



## Foxbat

The Wrestler (2008)
Micky Rourke is the wrestler and his fighting days are coming to an end. He learns that the pain he endures in the ring is nothing to pain of reality beyond the ropes. 

Possibly Darren Aronofsky’s finest movie.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> *MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS* (1945) This woman (Nina Foch) who has no living relatives takes a job as a live-in secretary, becomes an unwilling pawn in an insurance fraud scheme. Moreover, she is knocked-out with chloroform, dressed in a dead woman's clothes, and called by her name. Thoroughly confused, she insists on her own identity, but they attempt to persuade her that she had suffered memory loss. Of course the house is fenced-in, & the gatekeeper is instructed that she is never to leave.


Saw this not long ago. Good little thriller. Not great, but it held my attention.

*THE VELVET VAMPIRE* (1971; dir. Stephanie Rothman; starring Michael Blodgett, Celeste Yarnell, Sherry E. DeBoer) 

Lee and Susan, husband and wife (Blodgett & DeBoer) visit friend's art gallery, meet Diane (Yarnell). Lee is instantly attracted much to Susan's dismay, and she's more dismayed when he accepts an invitation to Diane's home out in the desert. Way out in the desert. Car trouble leaves them stranded, two legged noshes for Diane's delectation. Besides nudity and implied sex, and so the sensuality of surrender to the vamp, the movie does touch on aging, a core theme of _The Hunger_, which not coincidentally ...

TVV was shown late night on Turner Cable Movies (the U.S. old movie channel as an entry in their "TCM Underground" feature), and paired with _The Hunger_. Good choice, since this seems like a precursor, whether purposely or accidentally. Anyway, low budget vampire movie, tipping hat to older vampire stories (one character's last name is Stoker; Diane's last name is Le Fanu), tapping into the sensuality of "Carmilla," and imaginatively using a bit of the trippy special effects of the '70s -- the shoe-string budget version -- with dream sequences.

Rothman strikes me as a capable director and I'm sorry to see she only had 7 movies as director listed in IMDB.


*NO TIME TO DIE* (2021; dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga; starring Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas)

For me, it's now confirmed, the odd number Bonds of the Craig years are definitely the best. I know there's been some criticism of this one, but it seems to me this movie is consistent with the trajectory begun in _Casino Royale_. Besides the usual over-the-top fight scenes, which are well-done -- de Armas nearly steals the movie in her appearance which culminates in one of these; and someone needs to cast her in a comedy, stat -- there are several grace notes as Craig's craggy appearance and solid presence ground the movie and to my surprise Seydoux turns out to be quite good when given something to do. I'm a bit surprised by the criticism of Malek's acting; I thought it was refreshing that a Bond villain didn't overact. For fans, several call backs to the older Bonds, notably _Casino Royale_, _Dr. No_, and the music from _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ is well deployed. There are probably others that I'd need a second viewing to recognize.


----------



## Jeffbert

*NO TIME TO DIE* (2021; dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga; starring Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ana de Armas)


Randy M. said:


> For me, it's now confirmed, the odd number Bonds of the Craig years are definitely the best. I know there's been some criticism of this one, but it seems to me this movie is consistent with the trajectory begun in _Casino Royale_. Besides the usual over-the-top fight scenes, which are well-done -- de Armas nearly steals the movie in her appearance which culminates in one of these; and someone needs to cast her in a comedy, stat -- there are several grace notes as Craig's craggy appearance and solid presence ground the movie and to my surprise Seydoux turns out to be quite good when given something to do. I'm a bit surprised by the criticism of Malek's acting; I thought it was refreshing that a Bond villain didn't overact. For fans, several call backs to the older Bonds, notably _Casino Royale_, _Dr. No_, and the music from _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ is well deployed. There are probably others that I'd need a second viewing to recognize.


The guy who composed the famous Bond music just died.



_*DEAD MAN*_ (1997) Milquetoast Easterner accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) goes West for a job, arrive late, is left unemployed, & experiences a series of events that should have left him dazed. Anyway, he becomes a wanted man, and a notorious killer.

Was this meant to be a comedy?    There are funny elements, as the plot is just beyond belief.

Many supporting actors, including Robert Mitchum as John Dickinson the town boss, whose son Charlie (Gabriel Byrne) murders Blake's bed-mate, which starts the domino-effect of one thing after another.

A so-called revisionist Western.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Revenge of Dr X *(1970) - I have a phenomenally high tolerance level for bad movies (as superpowers go it's pretty sh*t but you take what you're given in this life) but _The Revenge of Dr X _ really stretched my endurance to the limits.   It gets off to an incredibly bad start. Two people stood around in a room with their backs to the camera looking at a picture of Cape Canaveral stuck to the studio wall just outside the set's window.   They take it turns to mangle their lines:

"Liftoff to countdown now at three hours and sixteen minutes!" being the best.

"Could be?  Could be?  There is no room for 'could be's in this project! (pulls something from his pocket ) See this?   - A mathematical error the width of this small coin in space could represent the distance between New York and Tokyo! The (indistinguishable) dimensions of space it could throw our rocket a million miles of its targets! Dr Stanley, 'could be's I cannot use!"

Our grumpy, unappealing, unsympathetic lead is convinced to take a holiday - it will be months before his space probe arrives at... wherever it is it is going - no one bothers to tell us.  He drives somewhere and digs up a Venus Fly-trap then takes it to Japan where, with a not unattractive lousy actress as an assistant, holes up in an abandoned hotel (which has a Christian graveyard in the garden)  and grafts the Fly-trap with a carnivorous chunk of seaweed he gathers with the help of a bunch of topless women.  When not being incredibly rude and obnoxious to anyone within shouting distance, the doctor expounds his incredibly loopy theory that humans are descended from plants.

When there is no one around to be rude and obnoxious to or shout at, the doctor is rude to and shouts at his 'creation' instead, "The soil was your mother - the lightning will be your FATHER!"  (The scriptwriters were so chuffed with this line they used it at least  two more times)

It takes a whole HOUR before the doctor's creation is revealed to the audience and then it just stands around in a pot getting feebler and feebler... till it eats a convenient puppy! and then only gets into full Frankenstein rampage mode for a few brief incoherent minutes as it meanders about a hitherto unmentioned nearby village.  In the final few moments of the movie the maddened doctor - who, inexplicably, is somehow himself turning into a carnivorous plant - uses a goat to lure the monster up the side of, and then into, a conveniently active volcano and they both die off screen.  The goat survived.  So did I. (Just.)

The music was AWFUL!

You can watch the whole thing here:





(The topless women turn up around the 48 minute mark.)


----------



## Jeffbert

As much as I might enjoy this film, I am too busy being retired.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> As much as I might enjoy this film, I am too busy being retired.



I don't think 'enjoy' was the word you are looking for.   'Endure'?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

It was goofy enough to keep me amused, anyway.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*POSSE*_ (1993) another revisionist Western. A Black unit of Union soldiers is tasked with infiltrating a Confederate camp & stealing weapons, but, doing so wearing civilian clothes. Things happen, etc., & they return not only with weapons, but a chest full of gold coins. As a reward for their service the evil commander accuses them of desertion, & condemns then to prison.

Somehow they escape, and go West to find that other black people are suffering under the racism of the villains.

Interesting film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*He Knows You're Alone* (1980)

Slasher movie starts with a victim being killed while watching a slasher movie in a theater.  Post-modern!  It seems some nut was jilted by his bride-to-be three years ago, so he killed her just before the wedding.  Now he goes around killing women who are soon to be married.  There's a cop obsessed with tracking him down because he was supposed to be married to the women who jilted the killer and became his first victim.  The rest of the movie is the killer very slowly stalking one intended victim, killing other folks along the way.  It's relatively bloodless, the camera usually cutting away just before the murders.  The one big shock scene (severed head in a fish tank) occurs about fifteen minutes before the end, and the tension doesn't really build until about ten minutes prior to the credits.  There's an unpleasant twist ending.  Mostly remembered nowadays for offering Tom Hanks his first role, a tiny part as a student.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Iron Man 2.

Yes, I am very up to date. Thought it was reasonable but not as good as the first film by some distance.


----------



## KGeo777

FRIGHT 1971 (rewatch)-  despite the distinguished  thespian pedigree of  Honor Blackman, Ian Bannen, and Susan "I can't get through a movie without a mental breakdown showcase" George, it doesn't fire on all cylinders despite some spooky bits in the early parts of the movie.  Considered a proto-slasher since the plot is a virginal babysitter and an escaped asylum killer, there's too much scene-chewing and montage editing fun in the second half for it to work as either a drama or a thriller. The ending twist is a very poor commentary on the lax  English police firearm handling protocols in the early 70s.  The made-up horror film playing on a tv  uses some snippets of Plague of the Zombies but it is edited in a way to suggest an alternate universe version of it.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Sunshine on Leith - A musical set to the songs of the proclaimers about 2 ex army buddies and their return to civilian life after an encounter with a roadside bomb out in afghansistan. Nice songs decent acting and a good cast made it quite enjoyable. Its Grease with Scottish people.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*X-Ray *aka *Hospital Massacre *(1981)

Slasher starts in 1961.  Young brother and sister at home.  Girl gets a Valentine's Day card from a kid named Harold, they make fun of him and laugh at it, somehow Harold kills the brother and hangs his body up on a hat rack.

Nineteen years later, the little blonde girl is now brunette Barbi Benton.  She goes to a hospital for a routine checkup.  Lunatic disguised in surgical clothing kills her doctor and messes with her medical records so it looks like she's got some terrible disease.  The hospital makes her undergo more tests, keeps her in a room, etc.  Meanwhile, our old pal Harold kills more folks, leading up to big battle to the death with Benton.

An undistinguished example of the genre, for the most part, but it can also be seen as a very dark satire on the health care system.  The medical staff treats Benton like their property, telling her nothing, keeping her in restraints, and so on.  All the other patients seem to be lunatics, although this isn't a mental hospital.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *X-Ray *aka *Hospital Massacre *(1981)
> 
> Slasher starts in 1961.  Young brother and sister at home.  Girl gets a Valentine's Day card from a kid named Harold, they make fun of him and laugh at it, somehow Harold kills the brother and hangs his body up on a hat rack.
> 
> Nineteen years later, the little blonde girl is now brunette Barbi Benton.  She goes to a hospital for a routine checkup.  Lunatic disguised in surgical clothing kills her doctor and messes with her medical records so it looks like she's got some terrible disease.  The hospital makes her undergo more tests, keeps her in a room, etc.  Meanwhile, our old pal Harold kills more folks, leading up to big battle to the death with Benton.
> 
> An undistinguished example of the genre, for the most part, but it can also be seen as a very dark satire on the health care system.  The medical staff treats Benton like their property, telling her nothing, keeping her in restraints, and so on.  All the other patients seem to be lunatics, although this isn't a mental hospital.


I saw that a while back and was confused by the tone, which occasionally switched to comedic, as when Barbi is running around screaming for help and opens a door to find three guys wrapped like mummies and in traction. If they'd gone with the inclination to comedy, it might have been better.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE LAST WALTZ* (1976?) A Band called THE BAND's documentary. I always use the captions, & as such, song titles are given. Otherwise, I would have little if any clue to the titles.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Daughter Number two and I have an Animated Batman double bill with the okay, but slightly disappointing,  *Batman: Gotham by Gaslight  *(2018) which has a Victorian Batman battling Jack the Ripper and the frankly hysterically funny  *Batman vs. Two-Face  *(2017 ) which has Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar reprising their 1966 roles as Batman, Robin, and Catwoman - joined by William Shatner as Harvey Dent. 

!!!  Just checking my spelling on Wikipedia I just spotted another joke I'd missed while watching.  In the film a female public defender, Lucilee Diamond, tells the imprisoned Catwoman that she hasn't got parole.  She is then knocked out.  Catwoman swaps clothes with her and makes her escape from jail.  The public defender wakes up,  tries to raise the alarm but is not believed. She turns back into the cell and catches sight of herself in a full length mirror, decides she looks pretty darn sexy in the leather cat woman costume and preens.  It's a funny visual gag.  It's funnier when you realise that public defender Lucilee Diamond is played by Lee Meriwether - who replaced the TV show's Julie Newmar as Catwoman in the 1966 movie.


----------



## REBerg

*Don't Look Up*
An excellent skewering of social media and politics. Amusingly tragic.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> Daughter Number two and I have an Animated Batman double bill with the okay, but slightly disappointing,  *Batman: Gotham by Gaslight  *(2018) which has a Victorian Batman battling Jack the Ripper and the frankly hysterically funny  *Batman vs. Two-Face  *(2017 ) which has Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar reprising their 1966 roles as Batman, Robin, and Catwoman - joined by William Shatner as Harvey Dent.
> 
> !!!  Just checking my spelling on Wikipedia I just spotted another joke I'd missed while watching.  In the film a female public defender, Lucilee Diamond, tells the imprisoned Catwoman that she hasn't got parole.  She is then knocked out.  Catwoman swaps clothes with her and makes her escape from jail.  The public defender wakes up,  tries to raise the alarm but is not believed. She turns back into the cell and catches sight of herself in a full length mirror, decides she looks pretty darn sexy in the leather cat woman costume and preens.  It's a funny visual gag.  It's funnier when you realise that public defender Lucilee Diamond is played by Lee Meriwether - who replaced the TV show's Julie Newmar as Catwoman in the 1966 movie.




I _need _to watch Batman vs Two-Face. Thanks for summary; the original cast plus The Shat sounds like an awesome combination.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> I _need _to watch Batman vs Two-Face. Thanks for summary; the original cast plus The Shat sounds like an awesome combination.



Everyone obviously had so much fun making it.


----------



## Foxbat

I love the Batman animated series but haven’t seen either of the aforementioned. That must be remedied.

And still on a Batman theme, I watched The Batman last night. The cynic in me was asking…do we really need another version of Batman? Of course, my cynicism didn’t stop me buying it

So here’s what I think. The voice over in the opening scenes made me feel like it was an opening to Watchmen. Even the style of the language made me think it had been written by Alan Moore (it wasn’t - I checked the credits at the end). The whole thing moved into a very dark and possibly the darkest version of Batman. Not only that, cynic that I was, by the end of the movie I had been infected by the zealousness of a convert. I need to watch this again but my initial feeling is that this is now my favourite Batman movie.


----------



## dask

Foxbat said:


> I love the Batman animated series but haven’t seen either of the aforementioned. That must be remedied.
> 
> And still on a Batman theme, I watched The Batman last night. The cynic in me was asking…do we really need another version of Batman? Of course, my cynicism didn’t stop me buying it
> 
> So here’s what I think. The voice over in the opening scenes made me feel like it was an opening to Watchmen. Even the style of the language made me think it had been written by Alan Moore (it wasn’t - I checked the credits at the end). The whole thing moved into a very dark and possibly the darkest version of Batman. Not only that, cynic that I was, by the end of the movie I had been infected by the zealousness of a convert. I need to watch this again but my initial feeling is that this is now my favourite Batman movie.


Is this the most recent Batman movie?


----------



## Foxbat

dask said:


> Is this the most recent Batman movie?


It is.


----------



## Randy M.

*THE GUILTY* (1947; dir. John Reinhardt; starring Bonita Granville, Don Castle, Wally Cassell, Regis Toomey)

Mike (Castle) and Johnny (Cassell) were in the war together. The latter is suffering from PTSD, the former trying to help him out, but each has fallen for Estelle (Granville). Estelle's twin, Linda (also Granville), is also in the mix and when she ends up murdered, all three are suspects for Detective Heller (Toomey, in one of many, many cop rolls -- I remember him as a regular on _Burke's Law_; he was also a cop in the Bogart/Bacall _The Big Sleep_).

Based on a Cornell Woolrich short story, featured in Noir Alley on the Turner Cable Network, this is a well-paced, atmospheric little B-movie. You probably won't guess who the killer is before the end.


----------



## Orcadian

Guess we had a bit of a binge at Christmas, holed up in a cottage in the Schticks.   That was ve-ry cosy. But basically my film-watching tends to be in the cinema with a girlfriend who also enjoys art-house and foreign-language films - and that hasn't happened for two years.

However, having said this, partner & I did watch_* Rain Man*_ last Sunday. Neither of us had seen it since it was released (1988), so it was delightfully new! IIRC Hoffman got the Oscar but I felt - and feel - that Cruise's acting is superb. Imperceptibly, he makes the transition from shallow, selfish tosser into ...well, a human being capable of thinking about someone other than himself. One down-side: I'm not sure autism is well-depicted: the scriptwriter and director made its symptoms quirky, comical & endearing, whereas IME it is none of those things.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*DEVIL'S DOORWAY*_ (1950) Lance Poole (Robert Taylor) returns from the Civil Way wearing a decoration for courage, etc., to his Western town. Nothing unusual about that, but when his father comes to welcome him, papa (Fritz Leiber) is clearly an Indian! Things have changed in town since Poole left, & now the saloon no longer serves alcohol to Indians, and the townsfolk have clearly changed their attitudes toward them. Moreover, Attorney Verne Coolan (Louis Calhern) is advising homesteaders to simply lay claim to Poole's land, which he no longer is recognized as owning, since he is an Indian. Bad things will happen.

A very different Western movie!


----------



## Guttersnipe

XX (2017): A horror anthology film. Underwhelming.


----------



## JunkMonkey

The last movie I _tried_ to watch was called *Phoenix 2* (1995)- aka _Cyberzone_ aka _Droid Gunner_ - starring Marc Singer.   A very cheap, very bad _Blade Runner_ knock off that makes some of the crud Rutger Hauer ended up doing around this time look  top quality stuff.   I lasted about 10 minutes.  I should have given up about eight minutes before that when Fred Olen Ray's name cropped up in the 'director' credit.

Very avoidable.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DESPERATE* (1947) Steve Randall (Steve Brodie) is a truck driver/owner, & receives a call one evening promising $50 for just an hour's work. Little did he know, his old friend Walt Radak (Raymond Burr) was stealing fur coats, & thought that if Randall knew, he would surely refuse. Randall naively pulls his truck up to the loading dock, only to be confronted by Radak & gang, insisting he take part. At 1st chance, Randall attempts to drive away, but, is the only one of two faces associated with the killing of a police officer. The other is Radak's younger brother, who had been caught. Radak is furious, blaming his brother's capture on Randall & demanding Randall confess to killing the cop, else bad things will happen to Randall's wife (Audrey Long).

Tense!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Okay.  This a weird one.  
*Infestation* (2020) - a short, 77 minute - though it felt longer - vague wander into _Invasion of the Body Snatchers / Santaroga Barrier_ territory in which a UFO-sceptic radio producer fitfully ambles into the slow realisation that the world is being taken over by somethings from somewhere else... Maybe...  
Then the film stops.  
End credits roll.
Then it starts again for a moment... 
And then stops again.

Looking at IMDb I see that _Infestation_ appears originally to have been called 'Sound' or 'Waves', or 'Soundwaves' and is described (by its makers) as "A split feature film that follows the story of two separate individuals whose lives are turned upside down by an ominous sound from the sky."The film I just watched only followed one character - everything we see in the film is seen through her perception of events. (Apart from the short scene in the end credits with a character we haven't seen before*  talks straight to camera.) There are photos on IMDb that show scenes that weren't in the movie I just watched so I'm presuming the other half of the film has been shot - but never completed or released.  I suspect the idea was that the films could be watched in any order but how this would work with the unresolved ending that this film ends with I have no idea.  _Infestation_ was just about good enough to make me want to see the other half and find out what the hell the film makers thought they were trying to do.   

There were interesting moments, and the lead was credible-  but I can't honestly recommend it.



*Though he might have been one of the bodies our radio producer protagonist walks past at the end of the film.  It's the same location.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Eaten by Lions* 2018
Pete and Omar go looking for Omar's estranged father. An odd one that's pretty funny!


----------



## Foxbat

Mother (2018)
A poet struggles against writer’s block. Meanwhile, his wife and muse renovates their burned out shell of a house.

It has an excellent cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer.

Seems fairly straightforward. But this is a Darren Aronofsky movie so nothing is straightforward. It’s the most confusing and compelling film I have ever seen. 

Do I like it? Honestly, I don’t know. It feels like I’ve just consumed a very large steak and I need to give it time to digest. Maybe I should have waited a couple of months before posting this.

Nobody has a name and all are referenced by other means: Him, Man, Woman.

There is just so much going on, it’s difficult to take it all in. Peppered with biblical references, the need to create and be recognised for that creation,  it makes the season 3 finale of Twin Peaks look like a children’s show.

I actually feel exhausted after watching this.

If you intend to watch this, The Guardian described it as a movie which leaves no gob unsmacked. You have been warned.


----------



## Happy Joe

The Informer  (2019) a pretty standard and mediocre drug dealer/informer/corrupt FBI, evolving into a prison movie...
...Not really much there to recommend, other than; I was able to watch it all the waythrough without resorting to the skip/fast forward button on the remote... not bad, I guess.

Enjoy!


----------



## Guttersnipe

Little Monsters (2019): A joint production between Australia, the UK, and the States. Three adults and an elementary school class are having a field trip when they are surrounded by zombies. The adults convince the children that it's a game. Bonus points for Lupita Nyong'o starring--she's a wonderful actress, and a beauty to boot. It was fun. Lots of music, with a guitarist character included, but, thank heavens, it wasn't a musical.


----------



## hitmouse

Thor four. The kids enjoyed it. Quite amusing, but the humour that made Thor Ragnarock so good is possibly starting to pall. Very funny cameo from Russell Crowe.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Nine Queens *(original title _Nueve reinas_ 2002)
Two small time Argentinian con men meet cute when one of them rescues the other from a petty scam gone wrong. They team up for the day and then the chance of a lifetime falls into their laps.   Like most con/scam films one is never sure who is conning whom and everyone's motives are always shifting (or appearing to)  but, as always, nothing is quite as it seems until the end and there are plenty of twists before you get there.  Some of the twists, it has to be said, stretched my credulity somewhat - are we to assume, for instance, that these small time scammers faked the whole bank collapse, or they somehow knew it was coming and worked it into their scheme? It zipped past and was fairly entertaining.


----------



## KGeo777

A BOY AND HIS DOG 1975 - Finally got around to this. A youth named Vic and his telepathic dog Blood surviving in a post-apocalyptic world of 2024 where society has collapsed from wars and people are starving...sure, such nonsense-could never happen.  Several attempts to make the story--Don Siegel was going to do it but offered it to LQ Jones.  The dog and Don Johnson scenes are very effective.   Jones said many people told him the world created feels so real and you don't question how the dog can talk. You certainly accept it.  It gets really weird, not sure it holds together when they get to the underground  but feels innovative in the post-apocalyptic genre (and perhaps the Tatooine scenes in Star Wars--Screamers--Sand people?).

LQ Jones: "The farther out you go, the more into fantasy, the more rock hard your interior logic better be... and that was the hardest thing to pull with the dog."


----------



## CupofJoe

*Thelma & Louise* [ 1991]
I saw it in the cinema when it came out and not since.
Two friends go away for the weekend. something horrific happens and their lives change forever.
Suan Sarandon and Geena Davis are on great form and working well together. Harvey Keitel is well cast in a more subdued role than I am used to seeing him in. 
As it is a Ridley Scott film it looks great, from way back when Ridley Scott made films I liked watching.


----------



## thaddeus6th

Iron Man 3.

Interesting, and certainly did a better job of mingling serious things with comedy than the likes of The Last Jedi. I still think the first one was the best, though.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*BALL OF FIRE*_ (1941) The TCM host said this was a take on SNOW WHITE & THE 7 DWARFS, I had seen it before, but that never occurred to me. Anyway, this house full of mainly old men, professors of various studies, working to make an encyclopedia, has a gangster's moll drop in to hide from the cops. Professor Bertram Potts (Gary Cooper) the English professor, the youngest of the group, welcomes her, but none are ready for her to stay the night, much less stay for a week.

The Moll, Katherine O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck) uses slang that none of the professors understand, gives Potts the idea that they really need a source of current slang, if they hope to make their encyclopedia up-to-date. Supporting cast is great! Gangster Joe Lilac (Dana Andrews) finally has the idea to marry O'Shea, because one cannot be compelled to testify against a spouse. But, we know O'Shea  is in love with Potts. 


Very enjoyable!


----------



## paranoid marvin

The Asphyx

A Hammer style science fiction/horror movie starring Robert Powell and Robert Stephens (who was the voice of Aragorn in the notable BBC radio adaptation of LOTR). In parts a bit silly, in others rather intriguing. With a running time of under 90 minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome, and is worth a watch if you haven't seen it before.


----------



## Randy M.

*THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES* (1959; dir. Terence Fisher; starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee, Thorley Walters)

Still fun with Cushing as a nearly hyperactive Holmes, and Morell as a non-doddering, non-fool Watson. Probably for some younger folks the obvious sound stage moor may be off-putting, but the actors, for me, carry the day.


*LAST NIGHT IN SOHO *(2021; dir. Edgar Wright; starring Thomasin MacKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg)

Liked this more than I expected. It's a stylish thriller, beautifully filmed, which early on keeps us wondering if the main character, Eloise (MacKenzie), is suffering a breakdown or actually reliving Sandie's (Taylor-Joy) memories of the glamour of 1960s London fading to show the grit beneath. As the plot starts to resolve, the tension increases. (There's a hint of idiot plot here. If one character in particular says one or two informative things, maybe it all blows over. But he also comes off as a jerk who would treat his knowledge as future leverage and not share. So, viewer mileage may vary.) Early on Taylor-Joy seems to be having fun wearing '60s fashions, being assertive, and dancing and singing, the moments when the point of view changes from Eloise to Sandie and back are deftly handled. And don't expect Smith to be all Dr. Who-ish. Nice turns by old pros with '60s pedigrees, Rigg, Rita Tushingham, and Terence Stamp. I think it was Rigg's last movie, and as usual, she was very good.


----------



## Harpo

Jabberwocky, again. It’s a nice ensemble bit of silliness, with fine turns from the likes of Max Wall, John Bird, and Warren Mitchell. Plus of course, the involvement of half of the Monty Python team.


----------



## Toby Frost

It's a weird film, Jabberwocky, and I think a fair bit of it doesn't work, but I have a lot of affection for it. It looks terrific. The bit where Michael Palin meets the princess is great.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Toby Frost said:


> It's a weird film, Jabberwocky, and I think a fair bit of it doesn't work, but I have a lot of affection for it. It looks terrific. The bit where Michael Palin meets the princess is great.




It feels like Jabberwocky is in the same universe as Monty Python's Holy Grail. There's a certain 'earthiness' and believability to the characters and their surroundings that is lacking from many big budget 'realistic' historical blockbusters.


----------



## Toby Frost

Yes, definitely. Despite being a ridiculous comedy, it reminds me of the old Warhammer books when I was younger. Or perhaps because of.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022): I wasn't a fan of the musical component, but I enjoyed the twists and turns--it's as much a mystery as it is a comedy. I didn't find it hilarious, but it did manage to keep me entertained.


----------



## Vladd67

Was it Jabberwocky that had the take off of the flagelants from the Seventh Seal only instead of whipping themselves they hit themselves on the head with a book?


----------



## Vladd67

My mistake it was Holy Grail with pieces of wood not books.


----------



## Harpo

Vladd67 said:


> Was it Jabberwocky that had the take off of the flagelants from the Seventh Seal only instead of whipping themselves they hit themselves on the head with a book?


Jabberwocky’s lot had the catapult


----------



## Toby Frost

Led, I believe, by the bloke from the sitcom _Waiting For God_. It's got a very good but slightly odd cast, including some older comedy actors from the era before Monty Python (including the son from _Steptoe and Son_, I think). It could be more consistently funny - I never much liked the squire subplot - but Jabberwocky really does look like it was based on a set of Renaissance paintings.

Somehow, Jabberwocky is rated PG!


----------



## Phyrebrat

Guttersnipe said:


> XX (2017): A horror anthology film. Underwhelming.


I loved it. I think the brief was to produce a feminist horror antho and I liked the common theme of it and the use of XX.


----------



## REBerg

*Red Notice*
Answers the longstanding question: What if Indiana Jones had been played by wisecracking Ryan Reynolds?


----------



## Toby Frost

I saw that back in April and found it very slightly more entertaining than irritating.


----------



## hitmouse

REBerg said:


> *Red Notice*
> Answers the longstanding question: What if Indiana Jones had been played by wisecracking Ryan Reynolds?


Yes agree. Answer: it would be completely crap.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Phyrebrat said:


> I loved it. I think the brief was to produce a feminist horror antho and I liked the common theme of it and the use of XX.


I didn't think it was terrible."The Box" was interesting. One thing I did love was the dollhouse animation.


----------



## Jeffbert

*PUPPET MASTER* (1989) A lost art of imbuing inanimate things with 'life' is not quite lost, as one man holds the secrets.   Weird! Once is enough!


----------



## Guttersnipe

Southbound (2015): Another horror anthology film. This movie made me appreciate XX more. I felt assaulted by the excessive gore. Difficult to watch. Disgusting, not scary.


----------



## Jeffbert

*GIRL WHO HAD EVERYTHING* (1953)

Steve Latimer (William Powell) is a retired defense attorney, who is taking one more case, that of a criminal (Fernando Lamas) whom he despises, but will defend him to his best ability. His daughter Jean (Elizabeth Taylor) forsakes her boyfriend (Gig Young), finds the newly exonerated man irresistible and is beguiled into marrying him. Papa is very unhappy. 

Not the usual type of film for Powell.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MAN FROM OKLAHOMA 1965 - Terrible spaghetti western with bland actors and poor script.  How bad is this movie? An unconscious or dead character, when the lunk "hero" (a very poor man's Clint Walker) goes to pick him up off the ground, starts moving his legs to assist in the lifting.

Revisited JACK THE GIANT KILLER 1962 (yep released this month 60 years ago). This has a notorious reputation because it was available only as a terrible edited makeshift musical for a number of years before the original version was restored. The legend has it that the producer Edward Small was so upset that he had passed over The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad which became the sleeper hit of 1958 that he vowed to make his own version. You have to admire that because he was not just seeking to cash in with a cheap copy--he tried to replicate (and surpass) the best qualities of that film--he brought director Nathan Juran, and stars Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher from Sinbad, and assembled a team of technicians (including freelance Disney artists)  which certainly for the time and budget, was about the best you could have done independently.  In fact, I have to say, despite being a big Harryhausen fan, dramatically, this film is superior in nuts and bolts acting and story to Seventh Voyage. And the leprechaun and child in this are a lot less annoying than the kid genie in Sinbad. They make a couple of joke references to that film in fact.
The big problem it has is the lack of giants--there are very few, and the dreadful puppets. The first one looks like a poor man's Cyclops mixed with Yul Brynner.  And it is a real shame because the animation is very good. There are some shots that surpass Harryhausen in model -live action integration, especially the flying dragon chasing the ship. And for 1962 that was no easy feat. But from articles I have read on it, Small interfered so much in the SPFX that it got messed up, best demonstrated by the Gumby and Pokey sea serpent he chose over a much better design.
Still, for fans of fantasy and old-fashioned approaches, this was an oasis in a desert of very few fantasy films made in the US.
I have been planning to rewatch the 2013 film-which I didn't dislike when I first watched it. It is totally different--what I remember best about it was Ewan McGregor was playing basically a Obi Wan Kenobi knight as a more satisfying upbeat character than he had the chance to do in the prequels. They sure were awful.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Fallen (Denzel Washington)*

I watched this once , maybe twice, previously; but I could remember virtually nothing about it. It's an enjoyable supernatural thriller, which doesn't quite fulfil its promise, and has an ending which could have been better.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*EMPLOYEES' ENTRANCE*_ (1933) Kurt Anderson (Warren William) is a real cutthroat manager of a very large department store in a big city. Anyone falling short of expectations, no matter how long employed, is fired. Customers' expectations that whatever is advertised must be available are far more important than employees. I rather enjoy Warren William's films, but this one, not so much. Most are lighthearted with humor, if not comedy, even if they are dramas. But this film, his character is a D*ck!


----------



## KGeo777

HELLFIGHTERS 1968 - I am not a John Wayne fan but he doesn't annoy me like he did. I notice in his films they usually have him in ensemble situations so that much better actors are taking the burden from him so that he doesn't come off looking bad. It works well.
In this case despite the story being about capping oil well fires, the real stars are Katherine Ross and Vera Miles-the later especially carries much of the movie on her shoulders because she has the standard "worried wife" role but she makes it so interesting that  you never stop to think it is trite. It doesn't come across like that at all.
The oil well scenes are very scary--what a job some people have.
Jim Hutton has the most thankless role as the son-in-law. He's kind of like the poor man's James Stewart of the 1960s I guess or the 1960s Timothy Hutton. You tend to forget about his existence after the movie is over.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Twisted Nerve *(1968)

British psychological thriller that caused quite a bit of controversy when it first came out, due to an implied connection between Down's Syndrome (called by the politically incorrect term "mongoloidism" here) in the antihero's brother and the antihero's sociopathic/psychopathic personality.  The film makers had to add a voice over disclaimer at the start that emphasizes that there is no such connection.  It's not really an important part of the plot.

Anyway, antihero insinuates himself into the life of his obsession (Hayley Mills, in a film far removed from her Disney days) by pretending to be a sweet, gentle young man with the mind of a child.  Meanwhile, he stabs his hated stepfather to death with a pair of scissors.   Things get worse from there.

The film is very leisurely, with a lot of time spent on character development, with fine performances from the cast.  Don't expect a high body count or a lot of gore (the bloodiest scene is when the antihero accidentally cuts his hand) but it's quite compelling.


----------



## interretiarius

*The Black Phone* (2021)






I've just finished watching this one. One of the better horror films of the recent years, I think. Lots of things in the movie didn't make sense to me, howbeit I tend to watch the movies that are cinematically impressive but logically frivolous as if I'm having a dream/nightmare; now that this is a horror flick, it is the latter in this case.

7.5/10


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*First Man Into Space *(1959)

Modestly budgeted black-and-white SF film starts off like one of those documentary-style space films of the time, such as *Destination Moon*.  A military test pilot who doesn't play by the rules flies a rocket plane way up high, lands safely, and goes off to smooch on his brainy Italian girlfriend rather than report in at headquarters.  Despite this insubordination, the Navy sends him up again.  He defies his orders to turn back at a certain point, and heads up much higher than he's supposed to, becoming the FIRST MAN INTO SPACE.   At this point, halfway into the film, it becomes a monster movie.  The test pilot comes back to Earth as a hideous, murderous, blood-drinking creature.  The scenes of his victims, with their throats slashed open -- including cows! -- are pretty gruesome for 1959.  The monster suit, which consists of the guy inside it covered with rock-like material, except for one eye and a mouth with a couple of teeth sticking out, is also pretty grim, if quite obviously fake.  The fact that the fellow retains some of his memory of his pre-monster state adds some poignancy, although it doesn't keep him from completely smashing up a blood bank and killing the nurse who finds him there.  Overall, worth a look for fans of early SF/horror films.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Alone in the Dark *(1982)

Better than average slasher with an interesting cast.  Psychiatrist shows up for his new job at an institution run by Donald Pleasence, who keeps the dangerous cases behind a electrically controlled locked door on the third floor.  This quartet consists of a military type (Jack Palance), a religious fanatic/pyromaniac (Martin Landau), a huge pedophile, and a serial killer who always keeps his face hidden.  His gimmick is that he gets a nose bleed whenever he kills.  Under the leadership of Palance, they become convinced that the new guy killed the psychiatrist he's replacing, and they want revenge.  This wouldn't amount to much if it weren't for the fact that a blackout hits the city, allowing the four to escape and grab weapons during the riots and looting that occurs.

What follows is an attack on the new guy's home, something in the style of *Night of the Living Dead*.  Along the way minor characters get killed by the madmen.  Unlike some slashers, the film never tempts the viewer to identify with the killers or revel in their murders.  The victims and potential victims are fully developed characters, so we're always on their side.

My one major quibble is the plot twist that occurs near the end, which is gimmicky and predictable.  Otherwise, recommended for fans of the genre.


----------



## Foxbat

Dr Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness
Mediocre multiversal mayhem from Marvel.


----------



## Happy Joe

Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings another Disney/Marvel comic book movie (live action).
The first and last parts are in chinese with subtitles, and thus detract from the movie (its obviously aimed at the chinese market).
overall its a fair to pretty good comic book movie that Disney/Marvel and Kung Fu movie fans will probably like.  The CGI is excellent , as expected.  Like most kung fu fight movies; it could benefit from more realistic fight sequences, and less Hong Kong fooy/B.S. wire work, IMO.
... I am undecided, but if I can get a discount DVD it will likely make it into the Video/DVD library.

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Faculty *(1998)  - High school kids (including a hobbit) save the world from alien invasion.   Knowing mashup of Teen High School Movie cliche and Invasion of the Body Snatcher Type Movie Cliches that starts off agonising slowly but picks up speed and became more interesting as it revelled in its absurdities.


----------



## interretiarius

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Faculty *(1998)  - High school kids (including a hobbit) save the world from alien invasion.   Knowing mashup of Teen High School Movie cliche and Invasion of the Body Snatcher Type Movie Cliches that starts off agonising slowly but picks up speed and became more interesting as it revelled in its absurdities.


Lol, hobbit. Mr. Underhill was attracting too much attention here.  It was a fun movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Carry-on Admiral* (1957) - thin British 50s farce with lots of regular faces going through the usual motions.  Proof, if proof be needed, that the British public were very easily amused back before the Satire boom of the 60s added jokes to the mix.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Last Night in Soho (2021): An aspiring fashion designer leaves her quiet Cornish town for London. She has increasingly frightening dreams in which a woman Sandie struggles to survive corruption during the 60s. Very twisty. This is now probably my favorite recent horror flick.

Freaky (2010): A comedy-horror film in which a teenaged girl switches bodies with a Michael Myers-type serial killer. I had fun with this one. Not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing.


----------



## alexvss

*Thirty Days of Night (2007).*
The U.S.’s northernmost town of Barrow, Alaska, is attacked by a group of ancient, scary AF nosferatu vampires. As the title suggests, the vampires take advantage of the lack of sunlight to devour the entire town. A group of survivors tries to stay hidden until day 30.

One of the best vampire movies ever made IMO, and a cult- classic. Dark, gritty, straight-to-the-point, and with an effective screenplay. Josh Hartnet stars in it. He used to be a big-shot in the nineties, starred in this movie and in a TV-Series called Penny Dreadful (great btw), and I’ve never heard of him no more.

It’s been a couple of years since I last watched this film, and I enjoyed it a lot this time too. Having read the comics, I can say that it is one of the best adaptations as well. There is a sequel, where they face the vampire queen, Lilith. It’s not nearly as good as the first one, but the queen has one particularly scary scene (the one where she bathes in blood like Bathory).

Watch it if you haven’t already. And if you did, do yourself a favor and watch it again.


----------



## alexvss

Guttersnipe said:


> Last Night in Soho (2021): An aspiring fashion designer leaves her quiet Cornish town for London. She has increasingly frightening dreams in which a woman Sandie struggles to survive corruption during the 60s. Very twisty. This is now probably my favorite recent horror flick.


I must say I was a little disappinted with this movie. It had everything it needed to go right: it's an Edgar Wright movie, and it stars great actresses. It has great cinematography, and everything was great up until the last act. It was predictable, and the social commentary was downright thrown in the garbage.


Guttersnipe said:


> Freaky (2010): A comedy-horror film in which a teenaged girl switches bodies with a Michael Myers-type serial killer. I had fun with this one. Not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing.


Typo.* Freaky* is a pretty recent movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The World's Greatest Lover *(1977)

Gene Wilder produced, directed, wrote, and stars in this comedy about Hollywood during the silent days.  Heck, he even wrote a song for it.  The minimal plot involves a studio executive (Dom DeLuise) running a contest to find a rival for Rudolph Valentino.  Calling himself Rudy Valentine, Wilder heads from Milwaukee to Hollywood with his wife (Carol Kane.)  She goes off to be with Valentino, but eventually Love Conquers All and the two wind up back together.  Put that way, it sounds like a gentle romantic comedy.  In fact, the storyline is just an excuse for random comedy shticks of the broadest possible kind.  Slapstick, verbal misunderstandings, etc.  (Typical joke:  An Asian-American fellow speaks in a Swedish accent.)  Directing himself, Wilder allows his usual hysterical act to go way over the top; in many scenes, he's screaming at the top of his lungs.  He generally has the other performers overplay outrageously as well.  (Carol Kane mostly avoids this; the one scene where she has a fit of hysteria is way out of place, and is embarrassing to watch.)  The few scenes where the mood changes from zaniness to sentiment are cloyingly painful.  Handsomely filmed, I'll admit, but not a good movie.


----------



## Guttersnipe

alexvss said:


> I must say I was a little disappinted with this movie. It had everything it needed to go right: it's an Edgar Wright movie, and it stars great actresses. It has great cinematography, and everything was great up until the last act. It was predictable, and the social commentary was downright thrown in the garbage.
> 
> Typo.* Freaky* is a pretty recent movie.


Whoops thank you! It's from last year or the year before I believe. I think I'm kind of a dope because I'm never able to notice the obvious signs that help foresee changes in the plot. I just really focus on the acting.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The White Buffalo *(1977)

Offbeat Western with echoes of *Jaws*, *King Kong*, and *Moby Dick*.  Charles Bronson, with long hair and dark glasses, plays a fictional version of "Wild Bill" Hickok.  He has vivid, prophetic nightmares about the gigantic beast in the movie's title, waking up and blasting away with two pistols when he has them.  He heads to the Black Hills to find the creature.  Meanwhile, the monster rampages through a Lakota village, killing the infant daughter of a fictional version of the war chief Crazy Horse.  He vows to wrap the child's body in the animal's skin, to ease her existence in the next world.  Interestingly, both characters wind up using other names.  Hickok calls himself James Otis, in an attempt to avoid drawing the attention of old enemies.  (It doesn't work.)  Crazy Horse is forced to call himself Worm because he dared to cry over his dead daughter.  The two wind up working together to find and kill the beast.

Before that happens, there are lots of subplots that have nothing to do with the hunt for the buffalo.  There are gunfights with Hickok's old foes, a battle between Crazy Horse and an enemy tribe, etc.  Lots of familiar faces show up.  Jack Warden as a one-eyed mountain man, John Carradine as an undertaker, Kim Novak as Hickok's old love interest, Clint Walker as a nasty outlaw, and so forth.  There are some gorgeous outdoor settings, and some artificial-looking sets.  There's some odd dialogue, that sounds (to my ignorant ears) like an attempt at recreating authentic Old West speech.  The briefly seen White Buffalo is clearly a mechanical device.   This would make an interesting double feature with *From Noon Till Three*, another eccentric Charles Bronson Western of the time.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Alone in the Dark *(1982)


I didn't mind the twist but the real star of the movie is the loud red sweater of Donald Pleasence.


WARLORDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY aka BATTLE TRUCK 1981 - A kiwi version of the Road Warrior which isn't that bad in some ways but the story is erratic-especially concerning the mysterious woman we meet since she has divided loyalties and her personality changes in abrupt ways. The bad guy is a poor man's Jack  Palance and it needed the real deal. Michael Beck deserved more of a career in leading roles.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Three Cases of Murder* (1955)

British anthology film is two-thirds supernatural.

"In the Picture" -- Artist comes out of his painting, brings a museum guide into it, introduces him to two other strange people who live inside the painting, leading to a grim fate.  The strangest of the stories, with unusual visuals and a touch of very dark humor.

"You Killed Elizabeth" -- Two friends.  One is a ladies' man who suffers blackouts when he drinks too much.  He steals the other fellow's girlfriend, leading to murder.  No surprises in this straightforward crime story.

"Lord Mountdrago" -- Orson Welles has the title role as a politician who destroys the career of another by mocking him in Parliament.  (But what is a Lord doing in the House of Commons?)  The victim gets back at him by invading his dreams, placing him in ridiculous situations.

It's decent entertainment, if rather leisurely.  The first segment is probably the best, followed by the third, then the second.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Billy Bathgate*

This is a movie I watch every 5 or 6 years, and it never disappoints. A pretty decent cast with Bruce Willis, Nicole Kidman, Steve Buscemi and one of my favourite actors Dustin Hoffman as Dutch Schultz. There are better movies of this type around (Once Upon A Time In America for example), and it feels about 45 minutes too short, but I still enjoy it every time I watch it.


----------



## mark.floyd07

Recently, I have watched Tom Hooper’s adapted version of the famous musical _Les Miserables_ produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. In _Les Miserables_, Hooper managed to portray the story of Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who has spent 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. He breaks parole to transform his life and gets hunted by a policeman named Javert. After a release, the criminal eventually reforms to become a prosperous industrialist and mayor.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Vengeance of Ursus *(_La vendetta di Ursus_, 1961)

Pretty typical sword-and-sandal epic.  Strongman Ursus, formerly a warrior for his king, has retired to be a farmer, along with his preteen brother.  He and the king's daughter are in love, but they both calmly accept the idea that her fate is to be married to the ruler of another nation.  While on her way to the other kingdom, Ursus rescues her from folks trying to kill her.

The prospective bridegroom is our villain.  It's no surprise, since he's bald, laughs a lot, and has a pet leopard.  His plan is to marry her then kill her father, so he can claim the throne of both countries.  (The person who sent folks to kill her is a woman who wants the bad guy for herself.)

The usual battles, feats of strength, captures and escapes, and dancing girls follow.   As often happens in these kinds of films, it's impossible to tell where or when it's set, other than a vaguely ancient background.  It's entertaining enough, if you have any interest in the genre.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Day of the Animals *(1977)

Destruction of the ozone layer -- remember when that was a concern? -- causes animals to attack humans.  A bunch of hikers are the main victims, although we also get some stuff going on back in town.  The whole thing feels like a made-for-TV movie, particularly since all kinds of familiar television actors show up.  Among the hikers we've got the heroic guide, his buddy the wise Native American (Lebanese-American actor Michael Ansara), a pretty TV news anchorwoman to supply the romantic interest for the guide, a limping football player (there's maybe one line explaining that he's got cancer; a pointless bit of characterization), a professor/birdwatcher (you can tell he's smart because he wears glasses), a bickering married couple, a young girlfriend/boyfriend couple, a mom and her kid, and, most notably, Leslie Nielsen as the most obnoxious jerk on the planet.  The sequence where he goes completely berserk, killing the boyfriend and trying to rape the girlfriend, only to wind up wrestling bare-chested with a bear during a thunderstorm, is the highlight of the film.  A bunch of raptors pushing a woman off a cliff into a river, shown via bad special effects, is worth a look, too.  Also rats leaping off a table into a guy's face.  The husband of this woman winds up finding a little girl, presumably orphaned by animal attacks, in an attempt to add pathos.  The end comes suddenly, as a virus kills the rampaging animals (?) and the ozone layer goes back to normal.  Not a terrible film, really, although not that good, either.  I watched it with wisecracks added by the folks at Rifftrax, which added to the enjoyment.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hollywood Meat Cleaver Massacre *(1977)

Cheap, lousy little horror film.  Beginning and ending scenes feature Christopher Lee talking to the audience about supernatural stuff, unrelated to the film.  These were stolen from some other, uncompleted project.  The actual plot involves four creeps invading the home of a professor of the occult, killing his family and rendering him paralyzed.  He mentally calls upon a demon for revenge, leading to bizarre killings.  Death by cactus, automobile hood, and film projector, for example.  There's an odd scene where one of the killers is about to slash his wrists, but stops because he realizes he's late for work.  The detective on the case sounds a lot like Orson Welles.  The film is so dark and muddy it's often hard to tell what's going on.


----------



## interretiarius

*Paradox* (2016)







A low-budget sci-fi with a high entertainment value. The second part literally dragged me into the movie's world. There were subpar scenes here and there, but broadly speaking, this film was very well done. Imaginative works pertaining to the theme of time travel are a real treat for me, if intriguingly done; and I'm exceedingly glad that this flick was one of them. 8/10


----------



## Jeffbert

Over the weekend I watched 4, count 'em 4 NOIR ALLEY films, starting with 

_*THE STRANGE ONE*_ (1957) In a Southern Military College, the upperclassmen are abusing the sophomores, requiring them to perform humiliating tasks, etc. I suppose this is the usual behavior of the elders over the younger ones. 

But   Cadet Sgt. Jocko De Paris (Ben Gazzara)  has a grudge against Cadet George Avery Jr. (Geoffrey Horne), son of Maj. George Avery Sr. (Larry Gates), and frames him for drunkenness, etc., which should result in his expulsion from the college, and shame brought upon his family, especially his father. De Paris has help with his scheme from several friends who are kept ignorant of the goal, & others who obey his orders, though illegal. 

Several actors apparently had their film debuts here, Cadet Harold Koble (Pat Hingle; remember him, from HANG 'EM HIGH?) Cadet Robert Marquales (George Peppard), & a few others, whose names are unfamiliar to me. Anyway, the real drama begins when those suspected in involvement, refuse to talk. The poor Major is certain his son would not behave in such a shameful way, he was found passed-out drunk, bruised all over, apparently from falling down the stairs. But how could he actually have been drunk, if he had not willingly been drinking? 

Intense!


----------



## Foxbat

Below (2002)

I always find movies about submarines intensely claustrophobic. Here we have the usual scenario of a sub (US) being hunted by an enemy destroyer (German) with the predictable tense moments as depth charges rain down threatening death and destruction. Add to the mix the threat of death from another direction (another realm you could say) as the submarine appears to be haunted or cursed.

A wee bit predictable in places but an enjoyable take nonetheless on a typical tale of sub-sea shenanigans.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*HIGH TIDE*_ (1947) One of those old newspaper dramas, which I find especially interesting for some unknown reason. The local crime boss is really unhappy the the newspaper's coverage of him, and it is suspected that the paper's owner Clinton Vaughn (Douglas Walton) and editor Hugh Fresney (Lee Tracy) may be targets of assassins. So, the editor hires an old friend Tim Slade (Don Castle), who is now a private investigator as a body guard. 

The owner is indeed murdered, and his daughter now takes charge of the paper, so her life may be in danger. Slade convinces her to name him as the boss of the paper, apparently, to take the danger away from her, but there is a twist. 

So, in the opening scene, two characters are in a wrecked car on the beach, neither one able to move, one's leg is pinned under the car, the other's back is broken, the tide is rising, and the film proceeds in flashback.

another first for me! Glad to see a few good films never seen before, both this, and THE STRANGE ONE. Though I must admit, the drama that ended with the wreck on the beach did seem weak.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SCARLET STREET*_ (1945) As a fan of Edward G. Robinson, I am surprised that nothing in this film seemed familiar. A middle-aged man Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) falls in love with a hoodlum's girlfriend, not knowing her love for him is a scam.

Katherine 'Kitty' March (Joan Bennett) mistakenly believes him to be a famous / wealthy artist, because he knows a lot about paintings they view when the two go to a museum. He was walking home from work, and saw her boyfriend slapping her around. His instinct for chivalry kicked-in & he leaped on the attacker Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), and somehow knocked him out. She was grateful, etc, & he invited her for coffee, then, took her to the art museum.

She is simply using him, milking him for money he must obtain from others. As he is a bank teller, he has access to money. He also has a wife (Rosalind Ivan), who has insurance money from her 1st husband's death, but she refuses to spend any of it, claiming it is for her old age. The wife is clearly from Hell, as she dominates him, demands he buy her this and that, wash the dishes, while she relaxes, etc. So, he really finds this younger, far more attractive woman, very desirable, and allows himself to believe that she really loves him. He sincerely asks the young woman, if she would marry him, if somehow, he were free from his present marriage. She answers in the affirmative, being sure such a situation was far from reality.

His wife tells him that she is going to throw away the paintings he made, & this, combined with his delusional love for Kitty has him rent a studio apartment, both to keep his paintings safe from his wife, and give, the poor downtrodden woman a place to live. Johnny Prince, always looking for easy money, wants to sell the paintings, which conveniently Cross had not bothered to sign his name upon. So, he has Kitty sign her name, & feign that she is the artist. So, seeing Price far too often in the company of Kitty, he is sure he had seen him somewhere, but cannot recall where. She excuses his presence, by saying Prince is her roommate's boyfriend. Cross, being blinded by love, accepts this excuse. 

Hmm, I usually do not write so much about a film, but a quick & dirty synopsis has eluded me! Fritz Lang directed, & this is a crime drama; though, so far, my description lacks the crime element. It is coming, & I much prefer to skip any further details, as they would give away the good stuff.


----------



## Jeffbert

*5 AGAINST THE HOUSE* (1955) Four young Korean war veteran college friends go to Reno for one hour of gambling, hoping to avoid going into debt because of the time limit. While in HAROLD'S CLUB, they witness a failed robbery attempt. On the drive back to the campus, one of them says he has thought of a foolproof way to rob the place. For the next few days, they discuss the scheme, becoming increasingly interesting in the actual possibility of success.

Along the way, that is, during the 1st half hour, one of them shows himself as a psycho, as his conflict with another man over a woman, has him nearly killing the guy.




Brick (Brian Keith) has serious anger management problems! But, he insists he will never go back to that mental hospital. He will be o.k., so long as nobody annoys him.

They gather the things needed for the heist, and drive to Reno, some three plus hours away, but two of them are unaware of the others' intent to really rob the place. Brick is convinced that the world owes him for his suffering, etc., and he has the gun. He says he will kill anyone who tries to back-out. A very different type of heist movie!

For me, Reno was only known for divorces. I had no idea it was a gambling Mecca competing with Las Vegas.

The thing I found most interesting is the parking garage. Very space efficient, using  elevators, etc., to place cars in the most compact arrangement. First, a forklift-like machine rolls underneath the car, lifts it off the ground a few inches, then slides or rolls it into the elevator. 


When it reaches an empty spot, it reverses the loading action. No ramps, no stairways, no doors bumping into other cars, leaving annoying scratches or dents.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Sleep of Death *(1980)

Swedish/Irish co-production based on Sheridan Le Fanu's novella _The Room in the Dragon Volant_.  (Credited here as _The Room at the Flying Dragon_, apparently assuming viewers would not be familiar with the heraldic term _volant_; a reasonable assumption.)   In 1815, a young British fellow travels to France, where he encounters a friendly marquis, a beautiful young countess, her much older husband, and a soldier who seems intent on pursuing one or more of them.  Along the way folks are found dead, their throats torn open.  Those who have read Le Fanu's story (including yours truly) will notice that the plot has been expanded by the addition of a theme similar to that seen in another of his works, but that the basic premise remains.  It looks like an expensive television movie rather than a cheap theatrical film.  The music is provided by an electronic synthesizer, which is inappropriate.  Overall , it's a slow-moving but decent bit of Gothic chills.


----------



## KGeo777

Re: The Day of the Animals -- Leslie Nielsen's advertising executive on the rampage was a highlight.
Seems like everyone in the 1970s was an ad agency executive.

Re: 30 Days of Night-liked the idea, and it was amusing that Mark Boone Junior gets killed by vampires again (after John Carpenter's Vampires) , but I think the missed a better ending. They show grinding machinery mid-way in the story and I just assumed they would rig a trap where the vampires are snagged by chains hiding in the snow and then dragged into the machinery, but alas, they didn't do it! They went for the far out approach.
A shame. The vampire designs were unique.

Speaking of unique, it is the 50th anniversary this month of *The Thing With Two Heads*. A film where one wishes they had a camera recording the reaction of the stars when they were first told the idea.  Ray Milland reaction must have been priceless. I think it is wise that they took the story seriously because it makes the humor more effective. It is so ludicrous but the FX for the heads are very good. Considering this was a low-budget affair, the Milland head is pretty good--it even blinks when they move it around.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Attack of the Clones* -* 2002*

My wife and I are revisiting all 9 Star wars films and adding Rogue One in as a bonus, now I have not been a fan of the prequels so I on advice we decided to give the HAL9000 Fan Edits and in all honesty I am glad we did, Pacing is better, stupidity has been toned down, awful dialogue and some dodgy decisions excised and all making for a better film.

Not perfect by any means but very very watchable,  the first 2 are done and its Rise of the Sith tonight.



KGeo777 said:


> Speaking of unique, it is the 50th anniversary this month of *The Thing With Two Heads*. A film where one wishes they had a camera recording the reaction of the stars when they were first told the idea.  Ray Milland reaction must have been priceless. I think it is wise that they took the story seriously because it makes the humor more effective. It is so ludicrous but the FX for the heads are very good. Considering this was a low-budget affair, the Milland head is pretty good--it even blinks when they move it around.



Ray Milland was the first guy to give me real waking from sleep nightmares, I was about 8 or 9 and watched the interestingly titled "The man with Xray eyes", all was well until the very end when he starts to see further and further and starts to scream about seeing hell and for some reason that struck a chord and gave me months of bad sleep and nightmares, Looking back at it maybe 15 years ago its laughable but damn back then it struck a nerve.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Intruder *(1981)

Bizarre Canadian low-budget allegorical fantasy.  Starts with a little kid watching a tree get covered with blue light, then getting knocked down and getting covered with blue light, then getting up, none the worse for the experience.  Tall guy dressed in black suit, black hat, and black cape drives into town, pulling a trailer with the words COMING SOON on it.  He rents the local town hall for a night.  (The only question the woman renting it to him asks is "It's not punk rock, is it?")  The town council gets all upset about this mysterious person and his posters that announce an otherwise unexplained show by Howard Turt, also known as H. Turt.  I'm sure you can figure out the anagram.  They put a police watch on him 24 hours a day.  Various folks try to break into the big wooden box he has in the trailer, without success.  The little kid we saw at the start talks to the box, causing it to open and glow with purple light.  He gets inside it, to vanish from the film until the end.

Meanwhile, we've seen the sordid little secrets of the town's inhabitants.  Bribes, loan sharks, extramarital affairs, etc.  On the night of the show, the box opens, caused by the audience wishing it to open, and a blinding light emerges, causing everyone present to have a blue aura.  These folks go on to reform their wicked ways, telling the truth to everyone and so on.  Despite this, eventually the inhabitants (mostly at the instigation of the ones who didn't see the show and thus don't have blue auras) to wish to have the box destroyed, so it gets crushed to pieces in a trash compactor.  The blue auras vanish, except for the little kid, who can turn it on and off at will.

Imagine somebody making a very loose, uncredited version of Ray Bradbury's _Something Wicked This Way Comes _on a tiny budget and filming it in a small Canadian town in winter.  Imagine also that this person was heavily into pop psychology.  (The film is dedicated to the memory of psychologist Abraham Maslow, and there's some talk about the "self-actualization" concept that made up a major part of Maslow's ideas.)  Given that, it may be no surprise that what the film really seems to be about is a teenage girl (her first name is Chandler, which seems more like nowadays than 1981) trying to convince her slacker boyfriend to make something of himself.  Imagine further that whoever supplied the money for this thing demanded that it include some full nudity and a lot of disco music.  You'll have some notion of what this very odd movie is like.


----------



## Foxbat

Captain Marvel

I haven't seen this since it was first released. I vaguely remembered enjoying it. A rewatch confirms that, yes indeed, I do like it. One of my favourites from the Marvel stable. Plus, it also has the coolest cat in the universe. 

Nuff said


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cosmic Sin* (2021) - well that was.... crap.  Which is a pity because, somewhere in the history of the genesis of this movie someone did, at some point, have an idea that there were some kind of moral and philosophical questions to be answered about what to do when Humans and Aliens first meet.

And then at some point during the writing of the film 98% of it got thrown out and they shoved in lots of running around and shooting and standing about not really saying anything (LOTS of that) and more shooting and then then let's do a weird dreamy bit, and then some more shooting and then Oh, I know a bar fight!  and then... Oh, how about one of them promises a cute little girl everything will be all right?
 "What cute little girl? There's no cute little girl."
"She's one of the  people hiding out in the Orbital Cannon place."
"What?  Wait....  I thought this planet was totally uninhabited! apart from the two miners who got infected by the aliens in the opening sequence!"
"Hell, that was twenty pages ago, you think anyone is gonna remember that far back in the story!"
"Guess not."
"Hey guys!  How's the script going?"
"Ok. We got most the boxes on the Big Book of Crap Movie Cliche Bingo spreadsheet filled in."
"Good... well I got some GREAT News.  We got Bruce Willis for next Tuesday."
"Wow! That's great!  For how long?"
"Next Tuesday.  That's it. Don't give him any long lines and my cousin Ralph's gonna shave his head so we can do all the reverse shots over his shoulder that'll save a few hours...". 

After a while I gave up trying to work out what I thought the film makers thought they were trying to do.  It made no sense whatsoever.  Zero.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Two Versions of a Movie That Should Not Be Watched Once:

*A Night to Dismember *(filmed 1979; re-editing completed 1983; released to VHS 1989)

The story goes that much of the original print of the movie was destroyed by fire, so infamous exploitation director Doris Wishman took what was left and added new footage starring American porn star Samantha Fox (not to be confused with the British pop star of the same name.)  The alternate explanation, offered by some, is that Fox paid to be in the film, so Wishman threw out a lot of stuff and put her into it.  

Anyway, what results is a film without any synchronized sound, so it's all narrated by some kind of police detective.  He informs us that a woman killed her sister with an axe, then fell on the axe herself and died.  Meanwhile, the father of the sisters paid somebody to kill his wife, got caught, and hanged himself in his cell.  This prologue has nothing at all to do with the rest of the story, except that these folks were part of the same family as our main characters.

Fox comes home from years in an institution after killing a couple of boys.  Her brother doesn't want her around, so he tries to scare her back by putting on a Hallowe'en costume.  Meanwhile, folks get chopped up.  Fox has hallucinations, the real killer is revealed.

*A Night to Dismember *(filmed 1979 and lost; recovered 2018)

Somehow they found a print of the version with the stuff that was supposedly burnt or thrown out.  Somebody put it on YouTube.

This version is narrated by a horror host type.  Woman is pregnant by her boyfriend.  She finds him with another woman.  They get chopped up.  Woman tries to call her friend, who hangs up on her.  She gets chopped up.  Mom and Dad are unsympathetic.  They get chopped up.  Woman dies in childbirth.  For the life of me, I can't tell you if she chopped up the other folks or if it was some kind psychic power that did it.

Twenty years or so later, the woman's daughter lives with folks that adopted her.  She has hallucinations.  She chops up folks.

This version isn't quite as amateurish, although they're both really bad.  This one has electronic music, the other random and frequently wildly inappropriate library music.  This one isn't as incoherent, but the plot is still nearly incomprehensible.


----------



## Jeffbert

Interesting stuff! Thanks, all.


----------



## AllanR

*Mad God* (2021) stop motion animation. More eye candy than story. It had the feel of Giger crossed with Gilliam


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## Randy M.

*BARB WIRE *(1996; dir. David Hogan; starring Pamela Anderson Lee, Xander Berkley, Steve Railsbeck)

I didn't realize this was an s.f. version of _Casablanca_ left in a cement mixer for a month with _Mad Max, Escape from New York, _some post-punk music, pulp magazines and possibly a soft-core porn movie or two. I had the distinct impression the production team behind _Atomic Blonde_ watched this repeatedly to find things not to do. Railsbeck is his usual intense self, apparently enjoying a chance to play Conrad Veidt; Berkley, who usually plays weasels (see _The Walking Dead_), gets to be Claude Rains. So much for the highlights of this movie. It would be easy to pile on Anderson (I think she took the brunt of it when it came out) it could have been better -- maybe not good, but better -- if the production staff had shown a bit less interest in the camera caressing her endlessly an inserted a bit of intelligent dialog and even a bit of the comedy she's fairly good at instead of taking it all so seriously.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Blake of Scotland Yard* an utterly bewildering 72 minutes spent watching people skulking in doorways, opening secret panels. sneaking down secret tunnels, opening more secret doors and then peeking on someone sneaking out of wherever that was, before sneaking back again -  and being spotted sneaking back and being sneakily followed by other people.  90% of the time I had no idea who was sneaking where.  But I had an idea why.  Early on in the film some of these sneaking people had stolen The Death Ray That Was Going to End All Wars by Making Armies and Navies Obsolete.  The inventors of The Death Ray That Was Going to End All Wars by Making Armies and Navies Obsolete somehow deduce (no idea how) that the stealers were hanging out in a dingy dive in Paris.  So they all trooped off to Paris to sneak around the dingy dive for a couple of reels before coming back to London and sneaking about in a dingy boarding house in the East End of London.   Most of the running time of this film was of people walking, sneaking, and lurking up and down the same three corridors with precious little explanation of who why or what was going on.  Hell it took me till nearly the end of the movie to work out _which_ of our small bunch of hero sneakers _was_ Blake of Scotland Yard!  I managed to deduce it wasn't the girl and the one called 'Doctor' something wasn't him but that still left me three or four characters to chose from.  In the end though there's a Scooby Doo moment and one of the innumerable characters who had been less good at sneaking was unmasked as The Scorpion! And everyone was happy that was all over.

Halfway through watching it  I had the thinks that this looked awfully like one of those 12 part Saturday afternoon kids' matinee serials chopped into bite sized pieces and shoved in a tin.  Turns out I was right.  The serial ran for 303 minutes.  The film was 72 minutes.  You would have thought whoever was given the job of cutting it down would have left _some_ of the exposition in.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Studio 666 - 2022*

So this was an odd one, I was watching Dave Grohl on Hot Ones and he mentioned that they had made an actual Slasher type film with the band all starring, had a watch and .. fair play its not awful

Essentially they are trying to record the 10th album but Dave is suffering from writers block, the manager sends them to an old house for inspiration and Dave gets possessed, band members dies, great music is played it all ends in tears.

as I said its not awful by a long shot, Glad i have seen it and will never watch it again.


----------



## interretiarius

*Tenet* (2020)






This was really good. It has an intriguing plot, very good cast, excellent directing and truly superb utilisation of music. I wanna emphasise the use of the music, as the rhythmically driven tunes really were configured masterfully here which proportions the tension and designates the pace of the movie. Nolan redeemed himself with this movie for me, given that I had colossally been disappointed with his Batmans and Inception.

8/10


----------



## KGeo777

A Bullet For Sandoval 1969 - One of the more operatic of European-made westerns that I have seen. George Hilton is a Confederate soldier who, through a series of cruel encounters, including the starvation death of his infant son through his inability to get food for him, becomes the leader of a ruthless gang with the intent of seeking final revenge on Ernest Borgnine. Dramatically, there are good parts for both leads, and a unique violent finale that makes me wonder if the title should have been A Bull For Sandoval.


----------



## Happy Joe

The Lost City   A fair romantic adventure comedy... on the order of (and similar to) Romancing The Stone, but less serious.  I rate it as fair and worth a watch, if nothing better is available.   Although it didn't generate any belly laughs.; I'll give it 2 or 3 chuckles out of five.
I did not use the skip or fast forward button on the remote; so it wasn't bad...

Enjoy!


----------



## Raz2k13

I was scrolling on Vudu last night and found a movie about a giant killer croc, *Rogue*. As a child, Lake Placid was one of my all time favorite movies. I would watch it anytime it aired on TV. So seeing a decent looking movie about an apex predator, I jumped on it. It was a bit older, 2007 release, so the CGI wasn't out of this world but it also wasn't completely unrealistic. I greatly enjoyed it for the most part. I only had one qualm with it and it was that **spoiler alert** the dog dies. That's the only part I would really change. Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised with it and couldn't believe I hadn't found it sooner.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cover Girl* one of my ideas of heaven is watching Rita Heyworth dance.  Even in duff, forgettable, by the numbers movies like this.


----------



## KGeo777

Sidewinder 1 (1977). Looked to be another good ol' boy Marjoe Gortner extravaganza based on the poster and there are a lot of Marjoe moments (though Charlotte Rae has the best surprise intervention in the plot) . But I was mainly watching this for Susan Howard, since she gives strong leading performances. And she did not disappoint as a wonderfully bitchy and increasingly aggravated investor for Michael Parks' motorbike project after her easy-going brother (Alex Cord--pleasant part for him too) exits the movie. The scenes between her and Parks are most amusing. The nice thing about it is that it doesn't feel typically Hollywood for the era (either big studio or Corman level exploitation). It's a light-hearted drama about motorcross biking, just like the poster suggests.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*John Carter (of Mars)* - Which I really think has structural problems - especially at the beginning but LOOKS great.  My 13 years old son, who has not (yet) read any of the books, enjoyed it


----------



## therapist

*American Beauty* (1999) Decided to rewatch this, and it was much better than I remember. Every character has so much nuance, depth, and intrigue. 10/10


----------



## Guttersnipe

Thelma (2017): A Norwegian supernatural thriller concerning a young woman who can teleport people, albeit accidentally. It was satisfactory.

The Innocents (2021): Another Norwegian supernatural thriller, written and directed by the same person who made Thelma. A group of children toy with telekinesis and telepathy. Not for the faint of heart; in one scene, a cat is dropped from a very high spot and is then killed in a very sick way.

Nope (2022): A Jordan Peele feature, a sci-fi horror. Two adult siblings on a horse ranch attempt to gather footage of a flying saucer. This is the one I've been waiting for, but I honestly felt let down. It's okay, but nowhere near as good as his other films.


----------



## Rodders

The two Norwegian movies sound pretty interesting. I sometimes thing foreign movies are so refreshing.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Lost Continent* (1968; dir. Michael Carreras; starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef; Suzanna Leigh)

I recall seeing this in my late teens or early 20s and thinking the best special effect was Dana Gillespie. Watching it 40+ years later, I'm still inclined to think so, though the ships and sea scenes hold up pretty well (nicely obscured by fog as they often are), even as the monsters show their fabric-y essence. 

Story: Ship carrying highly explosive canisters springs a leak, loses power, crew mutinies trying to abandon ship followed by much hubbub. After some fighting and not being able to regain power, the captain concludes abandoning ship isn't a bad idea. Their lifeboat drifts into seaweed that wants to eat them. Further drifting finds them back at the ship, now caught in the seaweed and being dragged into an old ship graveyard where other survivors live -- Gillespie for one -- some of them descended from Spanish Conquistadors and having formed an odd God-fearing society led by a teenager. As we've all seen, teenagers are known for their rationality and leadership abilities. Uh huh. Most famous scenes from the movie include survivors walking across the seaweed buoyed by balloons and wearing water-wing galoshes (feel free to offer a better description). 

Based on a Dennis Wheatley novel (one scene shows a passenger reading a Wheatley novel) who appears to have been doing his William Hope Hodgson impression, it's really not a bad movie if you're in the mood for a non-Victorian Hammer production which usually means a low budget but pretty good acting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> *The Lost Continent* (1968; dir. Michael Carreras; starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef; Suzanna Leigh)
> 
> I recall seeing this in my late teens or early 20s and thinking the best special effect was Dana Gillespie. Watching it 40+ years later, I'm still inclined to think so, though the ships and sea scenes hold up pretty well (nicely obscured by fog as they often are), even as the monsters show their fabric-y essence.









I'm sold!


----------



## Toby Frost

Raz2k13 said:


> I was scrolling on Vudu last night and found a movie about a giant killer croc, *Rogue*.



Netflix's *Crawl *is pretty entertaining (alligators instead of crocodiles, but still...).


----------



## Raz2k13

Toby Frost said:


> Netflix's *Crawl *is pretty entertaining (alligators instead of crocodiles, but still...).


I watched that one on the big screen. It was a roller coaster and had me on the edge of my seat. I love EVERYTHING to do with gators and sharks (unless it's something like Sharknado). I want to actually go to Australia and do the tube where you swim with the gators!


----------



## Toby Frost

I bet that was pretty exciting! I saw it on a laptop and it was exciting enough. To be honest I only watched it because (a) big lizards and (b) good-looking lead, but it turned out to be a pretty decent film.


----------



## Raz2k13

Toby Frost said:


> I bet that was pretty exciting! I saw it on a laptop and it was exciting enough. To be honest I only watched it because (a) big lizards and (b) good-looking lead, but it turned out to be a pretty decent film.


What more does one really need in life? Big lizards and good looking cast? I could get by pretty well with that!


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> *The Lost Continent* (1968; dir. Michael Carreras; starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef; Suzanna Leigh)


El Supremo is stronger than all! All of you will soon know the iron hand of El Supremo!

One of those movies that manages to squeeze in everything, including a kitchen sink (we do get to see a close up of a sink).


----------



## BAYLOR

Randy M. said:


> *The Lost Continent* (1968; dir. Michael Carreras; starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef; Suzanna Leigh)
> 
> I recall seeing this in my late teens or early 20s and thinking the best special effect was Dana Gillespie. Watching it 40+ years later, I'm still inclined to think so, though the ships and sea scenes hold up pretty well (nicely obscured by fog as they often are), even as the monsters show their fabric-y essence.
> 
> Story: Ship carrying highly explosive canisters springs a leak, loses power, crew mutinies trying to abandon ship followed by much hubbub. After some fighting and not being able to regain power, the captain concludes abandoning ship isn't a bad idea. Their lifeboat drifts into seaweed that wants to eat them. Further drifting finds them back at the ship, now caught in the seaweed and being dragged into an old ship graveyard where other survivors live -- Gillespie for one -- some of them descended from Spanish Conquistadors and having formed an odd God-fearing society led by a teenager. As we've all seen, teenagers are known for their rationality and leadership abilities. Uh huh. Most famous scenes from the movie include survivors walking across the seaweed buoyed by balloons and wearing water-wing galoshes (feel free to offer a better description).
> 
> Based on a Dennis Wheatley novel (one scene shows a passenger reading a Wheatley novel) who appears to have been doing his William Hope Hodgson impression, it's really not a bad movie if you're in the mood for a non-Victorian Hammer production which usually means a low budget but pretty good acting.



I thought the man-eating  seaweed was a nice touch.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Thanks for a number of suggestions that have been made recently that have got me dipping into the archives. 

Jabberwocky - what an entertaining movie, and one I haven't seen for some time. And what a wonderful array of British comedic talent from John Le Mesurier to Harry H Corbett . and even a brief (and very funny) bit by Gorden Kaye - and David Prowse as the Black Knight! And I agree - how on earth movie ever made it through as a PG I'll never know.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Ghostbusters :Afterlife*

I'm still undecided. It felt mainly like a cross between The Goonies and Stranger Things - which is (mainly) a good thing. The funny bits were mainly funny, and perhaps the only disappointment was the original crew turning up at the end - it didn't really fit in with the rest of the story and felt forced and contrived (which it obviously was). Although the out-take with Dana and Venkman at the end showed that the old chemistry is still their. The kids without the original GB team worked, and I think that the original team without the kids would work; but they didn't seem to gel well as a combination.

One thing I would say for sure is that it's about 30 minutes too long, and a trimmed down, sharpened up cut of the movie could work wonders. Overall though, it wasn't a disappointment, which given the last movie, it easily could have been.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *The Lost Continent* (1968; dir. Michael Carreras; starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef; Suzanna Leigh)
> 
> I recall seeing this in my late teens or early 20s and thinking the best special effect was Dana Gillespie. Watching it 40+ years later, I'm still inclined to think so, though the ships and sea scenes hold up pretty well (nicely obscured by fog as they often are), even as the monsters show their fabric-y essence.
> 
> Story: Ship carrying highly explosive canisters springs a leak, loses power, crew mutinies trying to abandon ship followed by much hubbub. After some fighting and not being able to regain power, the captain concludes abandoning ship isn't a bad idea. Their lifeboat drifts into seaweed that wants to eat them. Further drifting finds them back at the ship, now caught in the seaweed and being dragged into an old ship graveyard where other survivors live -- Gillespie for one -- some of them descended from Spanish Conquistadors and having formed an odd God-fearing society led by a teenager. As we've all seen, teenagers are known for their rationality and leadership abilities. Uh huh. Most famous scenes from the movie include survivors walking across the seaweed buoyed by balloons and wearing water-wing galoshes (feel free to offer a better description).
> 
> Based on a Dennis Wheatley novel (one scene shows a passenger reading a Wheatley novel) who appears to have been doing his William Hope Hodgson impression, it's really not a bad movie if you're in the mood for a non-Victorian Hammer production which usually means a low budget but pretty good acting.


I saw that one, though it was several years ago. Liked it.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE REAR GUNNER*_ (1943) This film seems aimed at encouraging young men to join the military; though, with some 15,000,000+ men under arms, I cannot understand why it was needed.
Pvt. L.A. "Pee Wee" Williams (Burgess Meredith; the Penguin), because of his small stature, was just the right size for the cramped rear gunner position on a bomber.

Interesting views of the planes & equipment. <30 minutes.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Rodders said:


> The two Norwegian movies sound pretty interesting. I sometimes thing foreign movies are so refreshing.


Trollhunter (Trolljegeren) is my favorite Norwegian film I've seen so far. For other Scandinavian films, I suggest Border (Swedish: Gräns) and The Hunt (Danish: Jagten). The latter stars the very talented Mads Mikkelsen.


----------



## Foxbat

I’ve only seen The Hunt from your list.  Pretty powerful movie.


----------



## Rodders

Trollhunter is on my list, thanks Guttersnipe.


----------



## Foxbat

The Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954)
A by the numbers creature feature with some poor sound mixing. You only get what you pay for so it's pretty much what you'd expect from Roger Corman (and he obviously didn't pay much).


----------



## Jeffbert

_*EASY TO LOVE*_ (1934) John (Adolphe Menjou) is a two-timing husband, who, when he discovers his wife's feigned infidelity, becomes very angry with her. But she had discovered his affair, which he had been saying was his time to play polo, when one of his associates mentioned that it had been several months since he had been seen at the polo place.

When their adult daughter learns of their intended divorce, she says, rather than marry her fiancee, they will just live together. The scheme brings their parents together again.

Thoroughly enjoyable!


----------



## Jeffbert

*RED RIVER *(1948) A man Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) with one bull and a youth Matthew Garth (Montgomery Clift, as the adult version) with one cow end up with thousands of cattle a decade or so later. But there is no demand for beef in Texas, so they must drive the herd to Missouri, 1,000 miles away.  

Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan) is the guy on the chuck wagon, & there are plenty of cowboys who sign-on for the drive. But there are numerous difficulties, & tension abounds. Dunson regarded the cattle drive as a ship on the sea, anyone who defied his authority, was a mutineer, and faced extreme consequences.  Groot & Garth did their best to steer Dunson away from tyrannical leadership, but eventually had to depose him, & leave him behind. He swore he would kill them, if ever he caught-up-to them, etc. 

One thing that I found interesting, is when they were going to drive the cattle across a river, they first took their horses in, and walked them around, verifying that the river bed was firm. Apparently, there is a thing about quicksand in river beds, some of which was found, and thus, avoided. 

Good film!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Anonymous *(2011) - once I'd got past the nagging wondering how director Roland Emmerich would work in his signature helicopter chase through a canyon sequence into a film set in Elizabethan England I really quite enjoyed this.  The central idea is the old idea that the plays we know as Shakespeare's were in fact written by Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford and how this came about.  I'm sure the film plays fast and lose with history - but then 'Shakespeare' wasn't one to let historical accuracy stand in the way of a good story - and it looks _gorgeous_, with some top talent doing a great job.   The structure left me behind from time to time as we had flashbacks within flashbacks and then "Forty Years Earlier" captions which left me scrabbling to catch up from time to time - especially earlier in the show when I was really floundering trying to remember who was who and who grew up to be whom - but by the end I was on top of it.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965): A horror anthology film featuring Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland. Five men on a train meet Dr. Schreck (his German surname translates to "terror"),  who uses Tarot cards (his "house of horror") to predict their fates, one by one. In order, the stories are about a werewolf, a sentient vine, a voodoo curse, a reanimated hand, and a vampire. I really enjoyed this. The first and last segments in particular have really neat twists. Horror movies ain't what they used to be.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Occupation* (2018) - Aliens invade Australia!  Well, they invade the rest of the world too but, for a change, we get to watch heroic Australians save the human race from extinction instead of Americans.   Overlong and a little confused in the third act - what was the McGuffin of Doom why was it so badly guarded in the abandoned factory? But it had its moments.  Someone in production design, and whoever was in charge of wrangling the background artists, needs to get an award for creating a credible-looking makeshift encampment.  (Though from what I've seen of rural Australia the whack it together out of a couple of sheets of corrugated iron and an old bed end school of building is the local vernacular architecture.) Some nice - if predictable - character development. But it could have done with a serious trimming during the action sequences which do take up a stupidly large proportion of screen time.


----------



## Guttersnipe

So I've been watching a lot of Amicus' horror anthology films...

Vault of Horror (1973): Another group of men discuss their nightmares as a framing device. Meh.

Tales from the Crypt (1972): Five tourists stray from an underground passage and meet a man who tells them their futures. This was better.


----------



## KGeo777

I love Vault of Horror.
"This elevator has no push buttons!"

The Tom Baker episode--
"Arthur  Gaskill, art dealer. You lied to me. You told me that my pictures were worthless and that you couldnt handle them. You won't handle anything again."
 This one is so hard to get uncensored. I have yet to get a WS version of it without the stupid freezeframes.

It's too bad the infamous ghoul walk was never shot. I think it was intended to be in the film but something went wrong with the footage.





Spoiler: spoilers


----------



## KGeo777

BLUE THUNDER 1983
There is a goof in this film that always bugs me. When Lymangood removes the tape from the helicopter and leaves--why would be depart and not wait for Murphy? They both are in trouble and the next we see Lymangood he is returning home from shopping. Why would he so casual when he knows that they know that he knows? And the tape box--it seems to me he would have removed the tape case immediately so as to prevent them from trying to erase it--what's this code stuff? He didn't need a code. That's a goof in the script. The way they have the tape box removed just in time to prevent erasure was kind of lame. The movie seems rather naive now about the freedom of the press.

"Who are you fooling with that phony radio bulls**t? Jesus Christ, Frank, that went out three days after Marconi invented the fu**ing thing!"


----------



## Jeffbert

*KANSAS CITY PRINCESS* (1934) Rosie Sturges (Joan Blondell) & Marie Callahan (Glenda Farrell) are manicurists working in a barber shop. Sturges' boyfriend Dynamite Carson (Robert Armstrong; guy who made King Kong the 8th Wonder--) is an ill-educated gangster, who wants to marry her, and is not about to give her the option of turning down his proposal, when he shoves an engagement ring on her finger. She is surprised, and does not dare offend him, but wants to escape his attentions. Comedy follows, as she tries to evade him. 

During their flight, they meet Junior Ashcraft (Hugh Herbert) who is en route to France by ship to determine if his wife is having an affair with her psychiatrist Dr. Sascha Pilnakoff (Ivan Lebedeff), though it is obvious that she is. 

Worth watching!


----------



## Jeffbert

*BOOMERANG* (1947) A priest is murderd by a man who had taken him into confidence, & who believed the priest would inform authorities of his activities, the nature of which, were  only implied, and left to the viewers' imagination.  The police are at a loss to solve the murder, but what makes this film more interesting than the standard crime film, is the political pressure from Paul Harris (Ed Begley), who worries about the coming election, and is desperate to ensure his victory at the polls. He is  not only angry with the police to make an arrest, but especially so with the State's attorney Henry L. Harvey (Dana Andrews) to prosecute and convict the accused man. 

Also is the newspaper & one particular reporter Dave Woods (Sam Levene), & T.M. Wade (Taylor Holmes, never heard of him before), the publisher, and the conflict between them and the police, among them, Detective. Lt. White (Karl Malden), & Chief Harold Robinson (Lee J. Cobb). 

Very satisfying Noir!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Timechaser* (MST3K) - not one of the show's best but they didn't really have a lot to work with.  I spent a lot of my time watching the director crossing the line and - for the first time that I can recall (this may be unique in the annals of movie history) crossing the line in a face to face dialogue between an actor having a conversation with himself.  Going back in time, the lead meets himself and, with the standard double in the same costume with his back to the camera setup, has some meaningful OTS conversation with himself.  Only the director, who obviously has no idea of the concept of the Line of Action makes a confusing situation worse by flip flopping across the line between, shots making a bit difficult to keep track of which version of the bad actor is actually talking at any moment.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

I recently watched *The Cockleshell Heroes.   *Based on a true story, with a slight bit of humour at the beginning. Only as you get to the serious part, that you realise that they were Heroes. 10/10.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Raw Deal *(1948)

Great film noir.  Guy breaks out of prison and goes on the run with his girlfriend.  The crime boss who owes him fifty grand for taking the rap helped him get out, but expects the cops to get him so he won't have to pay.  The guy manages to evade the cops, so the crime boss sends a killer after him.  Meanwhile, the guy has kidnapped the female social worker who tried to get him paroled and takes her along on his race to get to the crime boss.  This sets up an eternal triangle among the three on the run.  

The film is narrated by the girlfriend, whose voiceovers are accompanied by Theremin music on the soundtrack, as if this were a science fiction film.   Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and a brooding sense of violence add to the impact.  Raymond Burr is outstanding as the completely evil crime boss, who does things like throw a bowl of flaming Cherries Jubilee into a woman's face when he gets mad.  There's an odd subplot in which B movie favorite Whit Bissell, before he had white hair, plays a hysterical, guilt-ridden guy who killed his wife and deliberately gets the cops to kill him.

I have to admit that one reason I watched this is because Vic and Blood see it in Harlan Ellison's story "A Boy and His Dog."


----------



## Mr Cairo

*They Them 2022 *

Pretty decent film with Kevon Bacon revoving around a gender reassignment camp for teens with gender identity issues, takes a few suprising turns and the slasher side of the film is pretty much absent from the first hour (apart from a brief opening scene), Killer identity was a suprise but reason for it wasnt and overall the wife and I enjoyed it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Guttersnipe said:


> So I've been watching a lot of Amicus' horror anthology films...
> 
> Vault of Horror (1973): Another group of men discuss their nightmares as a framing device. Meh.
> 
> Tales from the Crypt (1972): Five tourists stray from an underground passage and meet a man who tells them their futures. This was better.




The 'horror anthology' movies seemed to be a pretty popular thing in the mid 60s to mid 80s. I seem to remember 'Creepshow' being very good, probably because you've got the fantastic combination of Stephen King writing and George A.Romero directing (King is _so _much more effective as a horror writer when writing shorts).

From memory, of the earlier ones, Peter Cushing (who else?) as the owner of an antiques shop in 'From Beyond the Grave', and stories of the experiences of his customers,  was very good. The last story of a mysterious door stayed with me for quite some years after watching it.


----------



## HareBrain

paranoid marvin said:


> Jabberwocky


Where did you see that?

*In the Loop *(2009). Effective movie lateral spin-off of _The Thick of It_, with the confusing feature that although Peter Capaldi reprises his role as Malcolm Tucker, all the other familiar actors play different people from the series. Doesn't have quite as strong or credible an ending as it deserves, but still worth a watch.


----------



## paranoid marvin

HareBrain said:


> Where did you see that?
> 
> *In the Loop *(2009). Effective movie lateral spin-off of _The Thick of It_, with the confusing feature that although Peter Capaldi reprises his role as Malcolm Tucker, all the other familiar actors play different people from the series. Doesn't have quite as strong or credible an ending as it deserves, but still worth a watch.



It's included on Amazon Prime at the minute. One of the great things I like about Amazon's streaming is that they throw up a bunch of old movies that you just wouldn't get to see anywhere else (apart from maybe Britbox).


----------



## Happy Joe

Going Postal (2010) Found this while surfing Netflix (dvd listings).
It a good quality, 2 part miniseries and I enjoyed it .  a good evening's entertainment.

Enjoy!


----------



## paranoid marvin

Happy Joe said:


> Going Postal (2010) Found this while surfing Netflix (dvd listings).
> It a good quality, 2 part miniseries and I enjoyed it .  a good evening's entertainment.
> 
> Enjoy!




If you like this, there are also the two-parters Hogfather and The Colour of Magic that are worth checking out, both also by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## Happy Joe

paranoid marvin said:


> If you like this, there are also the two-parters Hogfather and The Colour of Magic that are worth checking out, both also by Terry Pratchett.


Thanx!... will do so.

Enjoy!


----------



## Foxbat

Cool Air (2004)
An adaptation by Lurker Films of the HP Lovecraft story of the same name. It may be short (43 minutes) and low budget but it is a pretty decent if somewhat grainy movie
that is a worthy addition to any Lovcraftophile’s DVD library.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dark Corner *(1946)

Another nifty film noir.  Hard-drinking private eye gets tailed by a beefy guy in a white suit (third-billed William Bendix.)  The 'tec beats the (supposed) truth out of the guy, who says he's working for the PI's old partner, who set him up for a two-year stretch in the slammer for manslaughter.  The audience knows more than the shamus throughout the film, so we quickly find out an art dealer (second-billed Clifton Webb) made up the whole story in an elaborate scheme to have the 'tec kill his old partner, who is fooling around with Webb's beautiful, much younger wife.  That doesn't work, so Webb has Bendix kill the old partner himself and frame the PI for the murder.  Along for all the fun is the 'tec's secretary, first-billed Lucille Ball.  

Besides enjoying the film, I learned some old-time slang with which I was not familiar.  "Take a Brodie" = "suicide by jumping" from a guy named Brodie who supposedly jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and lived in the late 19th century.  (There's some evidence that the jump was faked.)


----------



## KGeo777

NIGHTWING 1979 - A strange mix of horror and drama--feels like a stage play acted out at times. It doesn't work as a horror film despite a few effective moments (such as when the bats leave the cave and fly over the canyons and the attack on David Warner's truck). Nick Mancuso is good in a lead role and Warner has a lot more to do than average--bringing gravity to dialogue which others may have choked on. 

_"I killed over 60,000 of them last year in Mexico. You really understand the presence of evil when you go into their caves. The smell of ammonia alone is enough to kill you. The floor of the cave is a foul syrup of digested blood. And the bats: up high, hanging upside down, rustling, fighting, mating, sending constant messages, waiting for the light to fade, hungry for blood, coaxing the big females to wake up and flex their nightwings to lead the colony out across the land, homing in on any living thing; cattle, sheep, dogs, children, anything with warm blood. And they feast, drinking the blood and pissing ammonia. I kill them because they're the quintessence of evil. To me, nothing else exists. The destruction of vampire bats is what i live for."_


----------



## paeng

_Prey_. I gave it around 6/10 because of major problems with the story (mostly issues with pacing, characterization, illogical behavior, lack of naturalness in terms of animal and human movement as well as the environment probably due to overuse of CGI, banal dialogue).

To fix these problems, go back to the first movie, try depiction of characters in movies like the 1990s version of _Last of the Mohicans, _use CGI sparingly, etc.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Dark Corner *(1946)
> 
> Another nifty film noir.  Hard-drinking private eye gets tailed by a beefy guy in a white suit (third-billed William Bendix.)  The 'tec beats the (supposed) truth out of the guy, who says he's working for the PI's old partner, who set him up for a two-year stretch in the slammer for manslaughter.  The audience knows more than the shamus throughout the film, so we quickly find out an art dealer (second-billed Clifton Webb) made up the whole story in an elaborate scheme to have the 'tec kill his old partner, who is fooling around with Webb's beautiful, much younger wife.  That doesn't work, so Webb has Bendix kill the old partner himself and frame the PI for the murder.  Along for all the fun is the 'tec's secretary, first-billed Lucille Ball.
> 
> Besides enjoying the film, I learned some old-time slang with which I was not familiar.  "Take a Brodie" = "suicide by jumping" from a guy named Brodie who supposedly jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and lived in the late 19th century.  (There's some evidence that the jump was faked.)



I remember liking that one as a teen when I saw it one afternoon. I liked that the secretary steps up to help solve the mystery, a neat twist on the usual hard-boiled/film noir story. There's commentary on Raymond Chandler that in his novels Philip Marlowe is often on the edge of hysteria and this film strikes me as showing the hero with a similar reaction to his situation.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Crawling Eye* (aka _The Trollenberg Terror_) - which was even more considerably crapper than I remember Joel and the MST3K bots just about made it just about watchable for #1 Son and myself on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon.


----------



## Rodders

Boy (2010, directed by Taika Waititi.) quite a funny and sweet coming of age story about a young boy as his deadbeat dad comes back into his life.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Project Ithaca* (2019) - a lowish budget Canadian SF film which had some almost interesting ideas going on it it but dropped the ball by nailing its characters down - almost literally - so all they could do was talk.  And talk they did. Endlessly. Sometimes they talked in flashbacks and sometimes in "where is this place?" sequences that took place in virtual realities (inside people's heads). In the end one of the characters realised it was the the last act of the movie, decided she had superpowers after all and took everyone back in time.  The end.   I've seen worse.  But I have seen an lot that were better.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Dark Corner *(1946)
> 
> ...
> Besides enjoying the film, I learned some old-time slang with which I was not familiar.  "Take a Brodie" = "suicide by jumping" from a guy named Brodie who supposedly jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and lived in the late 19th century.  (There's some evidence that the jump was faked.)






Is this the guy? 





JunkMonkey said:


> *The Crawling Eye* (aka _The Trollenberg Terror_) - which was even more considerably crapper than I remember Joel and the MST3K bots just about made it just about watchable for #1 Son and myself on a cold, wet Sunday afternoon.


I loved this film! So wonderfully bad is was good!




 I rarely watch the MST3K versions, & this was no exception. I think the USA title gave away too much of the plot, though.


----------



## Jeffbert

Jeffbert said:


> _*SCARLET STREET*_ (1945) As a fan of Edward G. Robinson, I am surprised that nothing in this film seemed familiar. A middle-aged man Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) falls in love with a hoodlum's girlfriend, not knowing her love for him is a scam.
> 
> Katherine 'Kitty' March (Joan Bennett) mistakenly believes him to be a famous / wealthy artist, because he knows a lot about paintings they view when the two go to a museum. He was walking home from work, and saw her boyfriend slapping her around. His instinct for chivalry kicked-in & he leaped on the attacker Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea), and somehow knocked him out. She was grateful, etc, & he invited her for coffee, then, took her to the art museum.
> 
> She is simply using him, milking him for money he must obtain from others. As he is a bank teller, he has access to money. He also has a wife (Rosalind Ivan), who has insurance money from her 1st husband's death, but she refuses to spend any of it, claiming it is for her old age. The wife is clearly from Hell, as she dominates him, demands he buy her this and that, wash the dishes, while she relaxes, etc. So, he really finds this younger, far more attractive woman, very desirable, and allows himself to believe that she really loves him. He sincerely asks the young woman, if she would marry him, if somehow, he were free from his present marriage. She answers in the affirmative, being sure such a situation was far from reality.
> 
> His wife tells him that she is going to throw away the paintings he made, & this, combined with his delusional love for Kitty has him rent a studio apartment, both to keep his paintings safe from his wife, and give, the poor downtrodden woman a place to live. Johnny Prince, always looking for easy money, wants to sell the paintings, which conveniently Cross had not bothered to sign his name upon. So, he has Kitty sign her name, & feign that she is the artist. So, seeing Price far too often in the company of Kitty, he is sure he had seen him somewhere, but cannot recall where. She excuses his presence, by saying Prince is her roommate's boyfriend. Cross, being blinded by love, accepts this excuse.
> 
> Hmm, I usually do not write so much about a film, but a quick & dirty synopsis has eluded me! Fritz Lang directed, & this is a crime drama; though, so far, my description lacks the crime element. It is coming, & I much prefer to skip any further details, as they would give away the good stuff.


Just watched the French film _*LA CHIENNE*_ (1931); & these two stories are very similar. I had both recorded from TCM, & wonder if they ran one after the other? The wiki page for *LA CHIENNE* says that the American film was a remake of it. That explains a lot!

So, this milquetoast in both films is an amateur artist, who does not bother to sign his paintings. There were more than a few changes made to the American version, most importantly the ending imposed by the _*Hayes Code*_. 

After having watched _*SCARLET STREET*_, & after some time, realizing that this *LA CHIENNE* was very similar, I decided that it was different enough to watch until the end. I recall seeing _*LAST MAN STANDING*_, & the anger of realizing it was a remake of _*FIST FULL OF DOLLARS*_. I had paid for the ticket, the popcorn, & the Coke, not knowing that.  By then, I did know that _*FISTFUL*_  was a ripoff of Kurosawa's _*Yojimbo*. _

Anyway, I usually record foreign films, hoping to see something new to me.


----------



## Jeffbert

*Reign of Terror / THE BLACK BOOK* (1949) I am so ashamed that, despite the powdered wig, I failed to recognize Richard Basehart's voice! He portrayed Maximilien Robespierre, & the title _*The Black Book*_, refers to his list of people he wants to eliminate. So, he has their alleged crimes, and evidence of them written in the book, and fears if it should fall into his enemies' hands, he will be discredited, etc. Prominent citizens, including his own henchmen are named in the book, which he says has been lost. He hires Charles D'Aubigny (Robert Cummings) to recover it, & he eventually discovers that Robespierre never lost it in the 1st place, but, was using the thought that it had been lost, as a toll against his enemies. 

Very intense, & well worth watching!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> I loved this film! So wonderfully bad is was good!
> 
> View attachment 91974
> I rarely watch the MST3K versions, & this was no exception. I think the USA title gave away too much of the plot, though.




I will admit I had forgotten how indescribably lovely Janet Munro was.


----------



## Parson

*Prey* --- I found this to be a crackjack! I give it 8.5 out of 10. Without giving any of the plot away there were two things I had trouble believing. One, the skill level of the lead character with a hatchet, especially a hatched with a tether. Two, the way a tiny shield could stop a hail of bullets from multiple angles. Three the effectiveness of an unprocessed herbal remedy. ---- But those are picky all of the big things were done very well indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Trouble in the Southern California Suburbs of Sixty-Odd Years Ago Triple Feature:

*The Careless Years *(1957)

Teenagers from different social classes (he's blue collar/lower middle class; she's business-owner/upper middle class) fall in love and almost hop into bed together, but instead decide to get married.  Their parents don't approve, of course, so he forges his dad's signature to get the money he was supposed to use to go to college so they can run off to Mexico and elope, then live in a crummy by-the-month motel.  Sanity prevails, and they decide to wait.  This modestly budgeted film has its corny and campy aspects, but it's not a bad drama.  Both kids and parents seem like decent people, even when Dad and son get into a fistfight about the forgery.

*No Down Payment *(1957)

Young married couples have all sorts of soap opera problems.  Surprisingly, adultery isn't one of them, although there's some heavy drunken flirting.  Alcohol is definitely one of the problems, although there are also frustrated ambitions, a past history of giving up an illegitimate child for adoption, financial worries, racism (a Japanese-American family wants to move in), all the way up to rape and accidental death.  It's like Peyton Place boiled down to four houses and less than two hours.  Good performances all around, particularly from Joanne Woodward and Cameron Mitchell as the most melodramatic couple and, in a surprising role, Tony Randall as a desperate, heavy drinking, woman-chasing used car salesman with unrealistic dreams of glory whose income is shrinking down to zero.

*Strangers When We Meet *(1960)

Evan Hunter adapts his own novel of infidelity.  Kirk Douglas is an architect building an ultra-modern house for a cynical novelist.  (Innovative television comic Ernie Kovacs, stealing the film in his few scenes.)  They actually built a house from the ground up for the movie, which adds some interest.  He has an affair with unhappy married woman Kim Novak.  Sleazy guy Walter Matthau finds out, so he figures Kirk's wife is easy pickings, making a clumsy attempt to seduce her.  (It's pretty much just sexual harassment.)  This causes her to figure out what's going on, ending the affair.  That's pretty much the whole plot, so its a pretty leisurely film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> *Prey* --- I found this to be a crackjack! I give it 8.5 out of 10. Without giving any of the plot away there were two things I had trouble believing. One, the skill level of the lead character with a hatchet, especially a hatched with a tether. Two, the way a tiny shield could stop a hail of bullets from multiple angles. Three the effectiveness of an unprocessed herbal remedy. ---- But those are picky all of the big things were done very well indeed.



I'm always on the lookout for something that doesn't totally suck - but which _Prey_?   I found 140 films called Prey on IMDb.  









						Find - IMDb
					

IMDb's Find Results Page




					www.imdb.com
				




Though I know I can discount the Norman J Warren weirdness from 1977 with the shapeshifting carnivorous alien and the lesbian couple, the ones 'in development' and the shorts, that still leaves a lot of chaff to winnow.


----------



## Parson

@JunkMonkey this one: Here's the trailer. Prey 2022

It is being streamed in the UK on Disney+ and here in the States on Hulu. I suspect that you could see it free if you take a free trial.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I think may have got Disney+ (piggybacking as a friend on someone else's account) but it's been so long since I used the TV as anything but a monitor for the myriad of games machines, PC, VHS, and disc players plugged into it I don't know any more.  I may go have a look.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Now You See Me *(2013) - Meh!


----------



## KGeo777

The Internecine Project 1974 - Seen it before and totally forgot it and watching it again I can see why I forgot it. Has a cheap paint by numbers feeling to it. One of those American films that saved a few bucks by shooting in London apartment buildings. James Coburn is some kind of American bigwig promised  advancement in the White House by another bigwig (Keenan Wynn) who stops by in London to tell him his network of UK spies needs to be killed. So Coburn arranges a plan where the four will kill each other and let him know by telephone rings coordinated through  a time table chart.
Lee Grant is an ex-flame who doesn't have much purpose except to pop in now and then to represent the courageous free press and promising to make a Watergate-style article on golden boy Coburn. 
Someone on IMDB said the movie feels like an extended Avengers episode without Steed and Peel.
Good description.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

The People At Rifftrax Help Me Endure Abysmal Florida-Based Action Films With Geographically Misleading Titles Double Feature:

*The Guy From Harlem *(1977)

Takes place in Miami, although we're told several times that the title character is, indeed, the guy from Harlem, both in dialogue and in the lyrics of the funky title song, which we'll hear several times throughout the film.  He's hired by the CIA to be the bodyguard of the American-accented wife of the (never seen) leader of an unnamed African nation.  For some reason, unnamed "foreign powers" are out to kill her.  They make a feeble attempt to do so while he's busy romancing her.  This draws the attention of a crime boss, who hires him to rescue his daughter, who is being held by kidnappers working for a rival crime boss.  He manages to do so, while romancing her as well.  

Pretty basic blaxploitation/detective stuff.  The double plot makes it seem like two episodes of a lousy TV series.  What distinguishes it from others of its ilk is the fact that it is extraordinarily cheap and amateurish.  The actors frequently blow their lines or step on each other lines.  Terrible editing, which even results in an entire scene being repeated less than a minute after we already saw it.  (It's quite obviously an error and not a flashback.)  In both subplots, the guy from Harlem kicks his girlfriend out of her apartment so the woman in danger can hide out.  In both subplots, the seduction scenes feature the woman wearing an outrageously modest nightgown, covering her from neck to toe in solid white material revealing less than a nun's habit.

Most amusingly, the guy from Harlem gets a detailed description of "Big Daddy," the guy behind the kidnapping, although we're told nobody has ever seen him.  This allegedly invisible guy shows up, exactly as described, almost immediately, but the guy from Harlem doesn't catch on.

*Miami Connection *(1987)

There's a scene set "somewhere in Miami" introducing us to our major villains, motorcycle-riding ninjas, before the credits, as they steal a bunch of cash and cocaine from drug dealers, easily defeating them with swords and arrows and such even though the dealers have a bunch of Uzis blasting out bullets at lightning speed.  The rest of the movie is in Orlando.  Our heroes are five guys who are 1.  college roommates 2.  orphans 3.  members of a rock band 4. black belts in tae kwon do.  The leader is a Korean guy (played by a real world expert in the martial art, who was also the producer/co-writer/co-director of this thing) whose accent is so thick it's difficult to make out what he's saying.  The girlfriend of one of the guys is the band's Pat Benatar style lead singer.  (The band is called "Dragon Sound" by the way.)  Their hit songs are "Friends" and "Against the Ninja."  The latter is an odd bit of foreshadowing.  The confusing plot has the guys fighting a rival band, some street thugs, and the motorcycling ninjas, all of whom seem to be working together.  Two of the bad guys are the singer's brothers, although she and one brother appear to be 100% white, and the other guy seems to be 100% Asian.  More racial confusion exists during the subplot in which one band member, who seems to be 100% African-American, is said to be the son of an African-American father (for whom he is looking) and a Korean mother.  Anyway, there's a lot of bloody killing before the words *Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace *appear on the screen.

It's not as poorly made as *The Guy From Harlem*, which would be nearly impossible, but it's pretty bad.  Lots of amateur acting by tae kwon do students, lots of random, pointless scenes, lots of very 1980's fashion and music.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE BEDFORD INCIDENT*_ (1965) Ben Munceford (Sidney Poitier) is a journalist brought about a U.S navy ship, whose mission is keeping tabs on Soviet subs. Its Captain Eric Finlander, (Richard Widmark) takes his job a bit too seriously, and hopes to force a Soviet diesel sub to surface so he can confront it and force it to go elsewhere. Currently, it is within Greenland's territorial waters. The crew have been on edge for weeks, now, as Finlander almost gleefully demands frequent drills, which have the crew all to ready --rather-- expecting a fight. Along with Munceford, Lt. Cmdr. Chester Potter, M.D., (Martin Balsam) is assigned as ship's doctor. He finds the medical staff, including Nerney (a very young Donald Sutherland) examining flotsam from the garbage dumped from a Soviet sub, and discussing the food served on it. 


This is a very tense film, much to my liking. Apparently made in the UK, because it was anti-militaristic. 

I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of text on the Wiki page!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Liquidator *(1965)

Better-than-average spy spoof, mostly because the comic aspects are not as broad as the usual slapstick antics, and the spy stuff is treated seriously.   In a black-and-white pre-title sequence, Rod Taylor plays a guy who accidentally saves the life of a British Intelligence agent in Paris at the time the Allies have just liberated the city.  After the animated title, complete with title song by Shirley Bassey, we cut to London in the Swingin' Sixties.  The British have a big problem with double agents, so they start a super secret project to hire an assassin to kill anybody who is suspect.  Guess who gets hired for the job, because the guy whose life he saved is the one out to select the hired gun.  

Our hero is actually a peaceful sort who is even afraid of flying.  The only thing he has in common with 007 is being a womanizer.  He likes the perks of the job -- a fancy sports car, an outrageous bachelor apartment -- but not the killing part.  He hires a "civilian" hit man to actually do the dirty work.

The trouble starts when he heads off on a secret holiday in France with the secretary (Jill St. John) of his boss.  Not only is this fraternization forbidden by law, with a possible ten-year prison sentence, but the bad guys set a honey trap to capture him, then deliberately let him escape, because they've got plans for him.  

Although he's clearly the wrong man for the job, Taylor isn't so much of a buffoon that you can't believe in him when he finally has to do some real hero stuff.  He's no Maxwell Smart.  I found the whole thing to be an enjoyable bit of light entertainment.  Based on the book of the same name by spy novelist John Gardner, and said to follow it closely.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

An odd double feature (you can get some strangely mismatched movies when you pick them out and stream them at home):

*Downton Abbey: A New Era*

The second sequel to the TV series.  The usual cast, plus guest stars.  Nice to see everyone again, great sets and costumes, but don't know if it would appeal to those who never binged the TV show.

*28 Days*

Starring Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortenson, and Dominic West (who, coincidentally was one of the guest stars on the other movie).  Sandra Bullock as a drug addict and alcoholic doing 28 days of court mandated rehab after she crashed a stolen limousine into into somebody's house.  Viggo as a baseball pitcher from Oklahoma, with a convincing accent. West as Bullock's addict boyfriend.  Not a great movie but entertaining, by turns  satirical, sad, and sentimental, with an open-ended but upbeat ending.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_Aquaman_ - I've been saying for years that CGI has killed movies.  I think I just watched the corpse dug up and several acts of necrophilia committed on it.  What a godawful, undercooked mess!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF*_ (1969) Jason McCullough (James Garner) rides into a town that is seriously in need of law & order. Though he makes clear that he is just passing through on his way to Australia, the Mayor Olly Perkins (Harry Morgan) persuades him to take the job of Sheriff. 


Ben M., in his intro comments said that this film parodied just about every Western cliche, etc. As a kid, I saw it more than a few times on the afternoon movie that ran between 4 & 6 PM on an ABC affiliate in the D.C area every weekday.  Lots of fun!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Total Recall* - the original, not the utterly crappy remake.  It's at least 25 years since I last saw it.  And I was surprised to find it is a lot better than I remembered but a _lot _more violent.


----------



## KGeo777

For a memory of a lifetime, Rekall, Rekall, Rekall.


_*SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF*_--it does have some great laughs.
The sequel is ok but the original is a great comedy.

Pa Danby: If that gun had gone off, it'd of blowed right up in my face.
Jason McCullough: Now it wouldn't have done my finger a hell of a lot of good either, would it?


*A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL *1966 is generally considered one of the best spaghetti westerns, it is a more character-driven and cerebral experience than a Sergio Leone film. There are two English versions of this. One sounds very insipid. The better one has the same guy who dubbed Gian Maria Volonte for the Leone westerns.


----------



## Rodders

Jeffbert, Support Your Local Sherriff is a classic and i fondly remember watching it whenever it came on the TV. 

Support Your Local Gambler was a sequel and was funny too.


----------



## Happy Joe

The Batman (2022) Yet another reboot of a tired movie idea...
As others have said "its dark" ... its slightly more realistic (fewer fantastic toys) that other versions.
I found myself conparing it to the Fox television series...
I'm not really sure if its worth getting a copy for the movie library or not...  I think, I'll pass; I'm saturated with Batman reboots.
If you are a big fan of Batman or old black and white detective movies you might like this one (its in color but with its color pallet it might almost be black and white).

Enjoy!


----------



## Toby Frost

Every Batman film seems to be obliged to be "darker" than the previous ones. Presumably the 2050 version will simply be a black screen, with a soundtrack of weeping, screaming and low growling sounds that, when sped up, say "I'm Batman".


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> Every Batman film seems to be obliged to be "darker" than the previous ones. Presumably the 2050 version will simply be a black screen, with a soundtrack of weeping, screaming and low growling sounds that, when sped up, say "I'm Batman".



"All important movies start with a black screen. And music. Edgy, scary music that would make a parent or studio executive nervous...  And logos..."


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Moonfall*

I like disaster movies like Armageddon, Day After Tomorrow etc etc , but I really didn't like this one. Turned off after just under 1 hour, as wasn't sure if it was meant to be an outright comedy or semi-serious. It's got some good actors, a decent budget, but a storyline that goes way, way beyond credulity.


----------



## KGeo777

Happy Joe said:


> .  I think, I'll pass; I'm saturated with Batman reboots.


Who could have guessed when the tv show was saying
"same bat time, same bat channel" that a future would arrive where there is enough Batman content to have a 24 hour Bat channel.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Armageddon* -  absurdly terrible. I'd never seen it before - as far as I can recall I have never seen any of Michael Bay's films before.  I kept nearly turning it off because it was so crap but then it would suddenly pull an even more amazingly dreadful piece of stupid out of the plot bucket and I would have to give it a few more minutes while I checked my brain was still functioning.  They can't really be expecting us to accept THAT? Can they??  It just kept piling on the awful to such an extent that I was hypnotised.


----------



## KGeo777

DEMON SEED 1977- Haven't watched in ages--I remember bits of it. I had forgotten about that weird metal Rubik's pyramid thing which seems like a forerunner for Skynet's poly-mimetic alloy. It's one part 2001 and another part Colossus: the Forbin Project mixed with Rosemary's Baby. Robert Vaughn is the the voice of the computer. It's really funny that he made movies like Teenage Caveman and The Lucifer Complex--I could not believe how brainy Vaughn actually was. You can listen to him as a guest on Firing Line with William F Buckley--it's astonishing how articulate Vaughn was. He had a scholarly knowledge of geopolitical policy. And then he does the Helsinki formula commercials.


----------



## BAYLOR

KGeo777 said:


> DEMON SEED 1977- Haven't watched in ages--I remember bits of it. I had forgotten about that weird metal Rubik's pyramid thing which seems like a forerunner for Skynet's poly-mimetic alloy. It's one part 2001 and another part Colossus: the Forbin Project mixed with Rosemary's Baby. Robert Vaughn is the the voice of the computer. It's really funny that he made movies like Teenage Caveman and The Lucifer Complex--I could not believe how brainy Vaughn actually was. You can listen to him as a guest on Firing Line with William F Buckley--it's astonishing how articulate Vaughn was. He had a scholarly knowledge of geopolitical policy. And then he does the Helsinki formula commercials.



He was in films like *The Towering Inferno * to *Battle Beyond the Stars* No matter the part, he was always fun to watch.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Men (2022): A folk horror film about a woman vacationing, after a harrowing experience involving her late husband, in a rural area. She is followed by a mysterious naked man. She is treated badly by most of the townspeople. Imagery of the Green Man haunts the movie throughout. At the end, she gets a chance to face her inner demons in physical form. A very strange and interesting experience, not amazing but still pretty good.

Candyman (1992): A more urban horror film, based on a story by Clive Barker. This movie was deeper than I had expected, far more anxiety-inducing than I thought it would be. A black man is murdered and haunts a certain area of New York. He appears if you say his name five times. He is very real, but believed to be more of an urban legend by outsiders, particularly to the protagonist, until he shows up to menace her. I thought it was quite good. I've yet to see Jordan Peele's remake.

Field of Dreams (1989): A sports fantasy drama film I've curiously missed up until yesterday. I loved it. I never liked baseball, but this film is about far more than baseball. The protagonist hears a voice that tells him to make a baseball diamond among his cornfield and gives him cryptic messages. I actually expected the characters to be more provincial and reactionary, but to my delight they were intellectual and compassionate, and there were no true villains--only people who hadn't been enlightened. My favorite out of the three, and one of the best I've seen from this period.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM*_ (1962) Features three, count 'em 3 of the Grimm's fairy tails, though these are not among the well-known.  So, the brothers have been commissioned to write a biographical piece about some Duke's family, etc., but  Wilhelm Grimm (Laurence Harvey) is more interested in gathering fairy tales. This has him suffering the wrath of the Duke (or whatever he was), as well as his more business-minded brother  Jacob (Karlheinz Böhm). 

The highlights of the film are George Pal's stop-motion animation, which is barely noticeable in the 1st fairy tale, and becomes more prominent with the the 2nd & third tales. 

The third story, _*The Singing Bone*_ seems a bit too mature for young children, as it involves murder. Yet, more than a few of their fairy tales feature such content. 

Supporting cast is very extensive, & I will leave it at that. Oh, almost forgot, nice to see some of these actors in color, one in particular, Walter Slezak, I have seen only in B&W until now. Also, nice that he is a good guy.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Whoops


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE RULES OF THE GAME*_ (1939) A French film about some upper class, in fact, ultra rich just before WWII. A large group has an extravagant party, which includes a stage interpretation of  _Danse macabre,_ complete with a guy in a skeleton costume. Other classical music, but that one was my favorite. 

So, while it is still daylight, they go out to shoot critters, and have their servants act as BEATERS,  who make noise and frighten the animals away, toward the hunters. There was one short clip of a rabbit in its death throes, I did not need to see that. 

I found it interesting, seeing foreign culture is my main reason for watching foreign films, as I have never traveled.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MURDER BY DEATH* (1976) Not as funny as the 1st time I watched it.


----------



## laf

*Nope - Jordan Peele.  It didn’t have great user reviews but I wanted to see it.  So I went to an IMAX, got a large popcorn, sat back and relaxed.  I was entertained for 2 hours.  Also, happy to say, I left with many messages and interesting connections within the movie to ponder.



 I liked this movie.*


----------



## Parson

Guttersnipe said:


> Field of Dreams (1989):


It contains the line that everyone from Iowa knows: "Is this heaven? It's .... Iowa." Last week they had a major league game on the site the movie was shot. It is considered one of the very best sports movies ever.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Parson said:


> It contains the line that everyone from Iowa knows: "Is this heaven? It's .... Iowa." Last week they had a major league game on the site the movie was shot. It is considered one of the very best sports movies ever.



Possibly because (from memory) it has very little to do with the sport or the outcome of a particular game and all to do with the people who played it. 

Personally I would nominate  David Zucker's _ Baseketball_ as one of the greatest sports movies ever because, if nothing else, the game of Baseketball is more comprehensible (to most of the rest of the world) than 'American Football' or Basetball which are what most other American sports films seem to be about.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Phantom Planet* (MST3K) - I was tired.  I fell asleep.  I didn't miss much.


----------



## Foxbat

El Cid (1961)
I have a soft spot for epics and this one fits that  bill.
I like it


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Day Shift 2022* 

Netflix Vampire tale with Jamie Foxx not great but easy way to pass a couple of hours


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Requiem for a Secret Agent *(1966)
> 
> Better than average Eurospy flick.  This Italian/Spanish/German co-production involves a mercenary organization killing agents for pay.  The agency decides to fight fire with fire and hire a mercenary (Stewart Granger) to stop them.  Our antihero is first seen helping folks cross the Berlin Wall both ways, so you know he's in it just for the money.  He works with a somewhat nerdy Norwegian agent who is reluctant to use violence.  Amazingly for this kind of film, Granger actually goes through some character development.  Filming in Morocco helps, and the plot doesn't get bogged down with boring scenes.  No masterpiece, but not bad.


I had seen it before and forgot it--watching it again,  it stands out among the few of the more serious of the anti-James Bond films of the era (such as Danger Route), because it plays with expectations. They eliminate a character who you expected to be a major part of the story and they do it in such a cavalier accidental way--and yet it is realistic. It could very well happen. Gun accidentally goes off. And the relationship with the "other side" is also interesting because it's suggesting the fatigue of being a spymaster is true for both sides. And it is ironic how he, as a real jerk, ends up close to someone who is a contrast-a victim survivor of a spy's lethal actions.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Dune (new one)*

Well, finally got around to watching the 3rd and final part of the movie - and it ends half way through the story! I can't remember it being advertised as such? Looking at the movie poster now, it says 'it begins' but I would just have assumed that that meant it was the beginning of the saga, not just the first part of the movie. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it does get better as a movie, but it still doesn't look as good as Lynch's, with actors that don't have the screen presence of the original movie. They've somehow managed to make part 1 of a movie that has a longer running time of Lynch's version and yet is less comprehensible.

There's no way I'm sitting through another 2 and a half hours to see the sequel.


----------



## Ned Ryerson

Thor: Love and Thunder

A lot better than I'd hoped, but it's not one of the great Marvel films. I think it leaned way too much into the humour and ended up having a pantomime feel to it. Lots of nice visuals but light as a powder puff.


----------



## Foxbat

Kingdom Of Heaven. One thing about Ridley Scott, whether it’s a good film or a bad one, they always look great. This film might play a little fast and loose with history but it does show Scott’s consistency and looks stunning. Luckily, I thought it a pretty good movie too


----------



## KGeo777

SEVEN GOLDEN MEN STRIKE AGAIN 1966 - sequel to SEVEN GOLDEN MEN - An eclectic group of thieves  who engage in complicated Mission Impossible-style theft operations are pressed into service by the US government to kidnap Fidel Castro (for nonsensical reasons). But at the same time, the all-knowing, prophetic mastermind of the group (called the Professor)  also decides to steal billions in USSR gold that was supposed to be used for funding revolutions in Latin America. The US government isn't happy about that and schemes to prevent them from making off with the gold. The sequel is more absurd than the original which is a straight heist story. The biggest contemporary-reference laugh is when the thieves are trying to dissuade a Cuban patrol boat from boarding their ship and they say they have someone with the plague and the patrol says: "We're all vaccinated! It's ok!"


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Mr Cairo said:


> *They Them 2022 *



The title is ackshually *"They / Them"*  - pronounced: They Slash Them.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Dayshift *- Predictable odd couple / buddy cop actioner with Jamie Foxx as a loose cannon vampire hunter desperate for money to prevent his wife from leaving town with his daughter. For plot reasons he has to team up with nerdy by-the-book bureaucrat Dave Franco. 

A strangely retro movie complete with a 90's hip hop soundtrack and tired quips, it's carried mostly by Foxx's macho charm. It's no buffy the vampire slayer, but so long as you deactivate your critical faculties, it's an enjoyable action movie. Just don't expect any wit or surprises.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Jeffbert said:


> *MURDER BY DEATH* (1976) Not as funny as the 1st time I watched it.



I watched it not too long ago and really enjoyed it, despite some of the dated attitudes and comedy. What a cast! Truman Capote, Alec Guinness, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, Peter Sellars, David Niven, Eileen Brennan, Nancy Walker. That's an ensemble I'd watch any day of the week.

Better than *Clue*, I reckon.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mon0Zer0 said:


> Better than *Clue*, I reckon.



Not difficult.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Some stuff watched at home on DVD during my week away from the computer:

*Barbarella* (1968)

I hadn't seen this since it was re-released to theaters in the 1970's to cash in on the *Star Wars *craze.  This time around, I mostly noticed the outrageous costumes, props, and sets, as well as the really lousy pop songs on the soundtrack.

A double feature from Something Weird Video:

*The Wrong Rut *(1949)

This is actually a chopped up version of *Not Wanted*, a serious drama about an unwed mother, with footage of actual childbirth added to make it an "adults only" exploitation film.  My review of the original version, from a few years ago:



> *Not Wanted* (1949)
> 
> Surprisingly frank film about an unwed mother, produced, co-written, and partly directed by the great Ida Lupino. Starts with a young woman wandering the streets with a dazed look on her face. She sees a baby in a stroller, picks it up and cuddles it, and walks away. The mother comes out of a store and chases her down. She winds up in jail for kidnapping. Cue the flashback. It seems that, as a naive teenager, she fell hard for a piano player. He keeps moving away, eventually to South America. Meanwhile, she meets a wounded WWII vet who will be the movie's Nice Guy. Her heart is broken by the piano player, but the Nice Guy wants to marry her. Right after the proposal, she finds out she's pregnant by the piano player, so she runs off, winding up in a home for unwed mothers. She gives the baby up for adoption, but comes to regret her choice, leading to the opening scene. The Nice Guy tracks her down, and it seems likely that they'll wind up together. The romance with the Nice Guy is a little sappy, and sometimes it's melodramatic, but overall it's a pretty good little drama dealing with an important social issue.


*
Birthright *(1951)

This started out as a public health education film, made with a cast of nonprofessionals in rural Georgia.  A chicken farmer has a one-night fling with a waitress, so he gives syphilis to his wife, threatening the life and health of their unborn child.  Although fictionalized, it's pretty much straightforward information about VD and the importance of medical care during pregnancy.  As you'd expect, the acting is very amateurish.  It turned into another "adults only" exploitation film with the addition of -- you guessed it -- footage of actual childbirth.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Together Together (2021): Though labelled comedy, I'd say this film contains just as much drama. A man begins a friendship with a surrogate. This isn't a romance; Ed Helms' character is in his forties and the surrogate is in her twenties, and the latter points the possibility of a romantic relationship with him as being weird more than once. By the end, they love each other deeply, albeit platonically. It wasn't that funny, but it was heartwarming. I was pretty touched by a lot of it, though I wish they'd made it longer.


----------



## KGeo777

THE SHAKIEST GUN IN THE WEST 1968 - I can't say I have ever had a desire to hold a Don Knotts film festival. A little of DK goes a long way I find but I probably saw this on tv since his films were quite frequently shown and the squaw impersonation scene was deja-vu familiar. I was more interested in seeing what his co-star Barbara Rhoades was going to do. The year after this she did the Silent Gun, a tv western movie in which she had almost no lines--it was such an anonymous part I assumed that was her debut until I checked further back. I don't know if she ever did another cinematic co-star role like this but she was in so many walk-on parts for tv--from Columbo to Kojak to Kolchak to McCloud to Petrocelli,  if you tuned into 70s-80s tv she was in something you watched.

Ten-four!  (cue laugh track)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Don is Dead *(1973)

Mafia movie obviously meant to cash in on the popularity of *The Godfather*.  Lots of characters and subplots, so I often lost track of who was killing who and why.  In brief:  The title crime boss, never seen, dies of natural causes.  His son is a bit too young and inexperienced to take over, so another Don (Anthony Quinn) agrees to handle the business, planning to have the young guy inherit it after his death, as he has no heir of his own.  This agreeable situation turns foul when another fellow and his ambitious mistress, the wife of a Don in jail, plot to have the young man's girlfriend meet Quinn, so they'll have an affair.  They then let the violently jealous young guy find out.  He beats the woman savagely, starting an all-out gang war with his former mentor.

There's a lot more, but suffice to say that a ton of violence follows.  It's an efficient crime film, worth a look.  It takes a while to figure out that the real protagonist is a guy who, at first, wants out of the Mafia, but later becomes the toughest crime boss of all.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Mon0Zer0 said:


> The title is ackshually *"They / Them"*  - pronounced: They Slash Them.



Yeah I know just pure laziness on my part.


----------



## Astro Pen

This Was a Woman (1948)
A British monochrome in which an ambitious family matriarch will stop at nothing (and indeed doesn't).
Sonia Dresdel is perfectly cast as the ruthless matriarch.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Don is Dead *(1973)
> 
> Mafia movie obviously meant to cash in on the popularity of *The Godfather*.  Lots of characters and subplots, so I often lost track of who was killing who and why.


It's amusing as a Hollywood cash-in on the Godfather although the Italian mafia films are more lively. I.e. *I Kiss The Hand* with Arthur Kennedy in the Vito Corleone part  and John Saxon very good as a Sonny-Sollozo hybrid character. The Godfather itself is almost certainly a remake of the 1968 film *The Brotherhood *with Kirk Douglas and Alex Cord.  I believe that Paramount (which made both films) really wanted to do a big mafia-themed film and had Puzo commissioned to write a book which would then be the basis for the new movie. The book is god-awful. It feels like it was written just as a placeholder media tie-in for the film.


----------



## Mouse

*Head* on blu-ray because I'm fancy. Mental Monkees film. I've seen it plenty of times before yet for some reason never noticed that Peter's whistling a Beatles song at one point (Strawberry Fields) until this time round.


----------



## REBerg

*Lightyear*
Funny and action-packed. As good as family-friendly, animated sci-fi gets.


----------



## Happy Joe

Jurassic World Dominion A fair movie though over loaded with James Bond style chases, airplane crashes etc.
Quite a few Dinos munching humans moments.  
I enjoyed picking out the ester egg links with the older films.
Didn't even reach for the remote fast forward button and didn't fall asleep so it may deserve a bit better than a fair rating, but probably not quite enough to be "good",  perhaps a fair + or good -.
I'll add it to the movie library just to complete the series...

Enjoy!


----------



## JunkMonkey

The Robot Vs the Aztec Mummy 
Danger!! Death Ray 
- Both MST3K with Number One Son.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE TARTARS* (1961) One barbarian culture Vs. another; the Viking leader Oleg (Victor Mature) Vs. the Tartar Burundai (Orson Welles).  Burundai  wants help from Oleg to crush the Slavs, but the Vikings are allied to the Slavs, and refuse. Action ensues, as the Tartar big shot schemes to increase his status by any means, etc. Not bad; but, once is enough.


----------



## KGeo777

SLAUGHTER 1972 (came out 50 years ago this week). One of AIP's entries into the blaxploitation genre--very quickly eclipsed by a much more famous AIP offering we shall get to in the near future. What particularly amuses about these films looking back at them is that they don't try to peddle a racial harmony theme--thus Cameron Mitchell as the Fed boss is not going to be hugging Jim Brown at the end and vice versa . Rip Torn is memorable but  the real stand out is Norman Alfe as the philosophical soft-spoken mafia boss Mario. This is a great performance and after I first watched it I really wanted to check out other movies this guy did. According to IMDB, this was the only movie he made and he died in Mexico in 1972. Pretty much like the character in the story.


----------



## REBerg

_*Kill Bill*_
I finally got around to watching this, which has been in my disc collection since 2012.
The violence was less graphic than I expected, at times bordering on slapstick. Although I'm not a solid fan of Tarantino films, I enjoyed this one – both volumes.


----------



## Happy Joe

Happy Joe said:


> Jurassic World Dominion A fair movie though over loaded with James Bond style chases, airplane crashes etc.
> Quite a few Dinos munching humans moments.
> I enjoyed picking out the ester egg links with the older films.
> Didn't even reach for the remote fast forward button and didn't fall asleep so it may deserve a bit better than a fair rating, but probably not quite enough to be "good",  perhaps a fair + or good -.
> I'll add it to the movie library just to complete the series...
> 
> Enjoy!


Some friends dropped by yesterday for munchies and movies...
After watching Jurassic World Dominion again I am changing my rating to a solid Good.... 
Its definitely worth watching.

Enjoy!


----------



## CupofJoe

*Show Me Love* [1998 - Lukas Moodysson]
A re-watch after a few years. I still love this Swedish tale of young people falling in love, trying to find their place in school, where they stand with their friends and in the world in general. The two leads hold the story together and make it believable.
If I was to give the film its original title I would probably get thrown out of Chrons...


----------



## Randy M.

*SCREAM *&* SCREAM 2 *(1996 & 1997, respectively; dir. Wes Craven; starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and a significant cross-section of then-young movie talent)

Haven't watched either of these since they first showed up on pay channels. I'd forgotten what efficient little narrative engines they are. Besides better than usual acting and direction for horror movies in the '90s, there are smart, often funny scripts, and I think maybe the editor(s?) is an unsung hero, cutting to include information without ever stopping or even interrupting the rhythm of the story. 

Campbell is very good as both vulnerable and feisty, and Cox is great and often funny as a selfish if not entirely uncaring reporter. Her scenes with Arquette are especially winning; probably not surprising the chemistry is there since they later married. I'd forgotten how much fun Jamie Kennedy is in these, too.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Lighthouse (2019): A lighthouse keeper ("wickie") and his temporary assistant are almost always at odds. To make matters worse, the ship that the latter was meant to board has come and gone. They are low on rations. They spend the next few days drinking themselves into delirium and become violently opposed to each other. Maybe it would've been better hadn't the rookie killed a seabird, which is a huge taboo to those at or by sea?

Both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson give knockout performances. The Lighthouse is alternatively scary, disgusting, bizarre, melodramatic, and funny. Highly recommended.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Brides of Dracula* - 1960 Hammer nonsense with a thinner than usual script, and an underwhelming villain but some wonderfully OTT performances, terrific lighting (gorgeous Technicolor!),  and the fascinatingly beautiful Adree Melly:




Not a bad way to spend 85 minutes.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> *Show Me Love* [1998 - Lukas Moodysson]
> A re-watch after a few years. I still love this Swedish tale of young people falling in love, trying to find their place in school, where they stand with their friends and in the world in general. The two leads hold the story together and make it believable.
> If I was to give the film its original title I would probably get thrown out of Chrons...



F***ing Amal is a brilliant film!


----------



## KGeo777

THE NEW CENTURIONS 1972 - Yeah it came out 50 years ago this month as if anyone cares. It was said after Star Wars that it ruined Hollywood's love affair with realism but if one looks back at the movies churned out between 1966 and 1976, before the blockbuster and disaster movie, they made a lot of forgettable nihilistic dramas. Watch out if you see Jane Alexander in the cast--you know you are going to get a dose of that suburban housewife melancholy. This is more interesting for the cast and connections to other films. Erik Estrada appears as a rookie cop and Scott Wilson and Stacy Keach get to practice their final scene from the Ninth Configuration (in fact, maybe that film is a sequel to this one-some kind of dream illusion of Wilson's mentally unhinged cop character). Although it is touted as a realistic look at police work--I don't see how anyone can say that. It really feels forced and fake--you get scenes where Keach and George C Scott are driving around with a van load of joyful black hookers (were there that many working in 1972 on Sunset Blvd? No white ones in sight), or Scott going crazy mad about someone exploiting illegal immigrants that felt out of character.

 It is a very negative view of police work--constant remarks are made about how cops are hated by the community and it's a terrible job and why do it... George C Scott was the box office draw for this although he bows out halfway through. He gets a speech similar to the one Sean Connery says in the Untouchables: "second rule of Kilvinski's Law: If a dude uses his fist, you use your stick. If he uses a knife, you use your gun, cancel his ticket right then and there. If everything else fails, hit him with a brick." 

He makes some remarks in a strip club about how laws are being rewritten to make crime legal--that feels extremely modern in relevance but I think this shows how, in 1972, Hollywood was in no  way seeking to appease audiences but lecture them and one can ask--is this a lecture worth hearing? What is the value?  I think works of art that endure are ones that speak truthfully about experience and life and therefore resonate over time. This film does not feel honest. It feels like the purpose is to say: don't become a cop! Just say no.


----------



## Toby Frost

*Prey* - 2021

The Predator shows up in America circa 1700 and kills many things. A young Comanche woman takes him on.

This was pretty good. The beginning is rather slow, but the scenery is impressive and daily life among the Comanches (presumably accurately depicted) is interesting. It's interesting to see things portrayed sincerely that I'm used to seeing as stereotype or caricature: the outfits, the whooping in battle, and so on. The Predator is somewhat redesigned and looks a lot like the uruk-hai captain from _The Fellowship of the Ring_. The heroine's resourcefulness is slightly incredible towards the end, even for someone who lives off the land, but this is a Predator film after all. Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers are both good. I was slightly disappointed that the European trappers were French and not... Dutch. Nice nod to the end of Predator 2 as well!

Amusingly I googled "Prey film" to find out Dakota Beaver's name, and the first suggested question that came up was "Is Prey based on a true story?" It turns out that refers to another film of the same name.


----------



## HareBrain

Toby Frost said:


> Amusingly I googled "Prey film" to find out Dakota Beaver's name, and the first suggested question that came up was "Is Prey based on a true story?" It turns out that refers to another film of the same name.


sadly, if it had turned out to be about the recent film, I wouldn't have been at all surprised.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Ted K’ (2021)* - critically acclaimed biopic of Ted Kaczynski with a powerhouse performance by Sharlto Copley as the Unabomber. Somewhat timely in its exploration of the relationship between male loneliness and violence, and technology and the environment.

Don’t expect any big action scenes or attention on his victims, Ted K is almost entirely focused on the man himself as we see a fragile isolated genius slipping into insanity.

The action unfolds glacially as Ted tries to fight off loggers, tourists and the Air Force as they encroach on the wilderness. In one powerful scene we experience his despair at pollution spreading downstream from loggers clearing a hillside.

There’s a sense throughout that had he not been someone prepared to entertain murder for political reasons, and were he not also unhinged, his thoughts about the inhumanity of technology and the destruction of nature would have been way ahead of the curve.

Compared to previous dramatisations like *Manhunt: Unabomber*, it treads the unexplored path of slices of Kaczynski’s life after he moves into the wilderness. His formative years, the MK Ultra LSD tests, his time as a professor at Berkley are entirely absent, instead we open up on him in his shack and follow him as he farms, builds bombs, breaks into houses and sets logging equipment on fire.

It touches on his misogyny, his hatred of and longing for women - the film makes very clear he is the original "Incel" and doesn't excuse him in any way for his personality defects - and balances these against his resourcefulness, his genius and his love and connection with wild nature as well as his moral disgust for technology, all set against a background where a confluence of events leads him down a dark, destructive path that doesn't let him off one bit.

You could compare it to something like* Joker* in that it shows tragic descent of a mentally disturbed man into violence, but imho the movie is all the better for tackling a real life figure, keeping the violence entirely in the audience’s imagination (as it would have been to Ted K, who had no personal taste for confrontation).

This movie is not for everyone. The marvel generation will find it boring and interminably slow but if you find well acted scenes ripe with subtext, brilliantly acted stimulating then you will get much from Ted K. 

Ted K is a beautiful film about a difficult genius, and one that makes you understand and empathise with his predicament whilst also being careful to show that he is a very troubled man and, unlike Joker, not a role model to be celebrated.


----------



## Toby Frost

That sounds really interesting. I'll look out for it.


----------



## Danny McG

Well we're off to the cinema this Friday (with a bunch of bratoids) to watch *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Shark Side of the Moon *

An asylum film about WW2 nazis creating hybrid killer sharks that escape and end up  ..... on the moon

I lasted about 50 minutes of the runtime it is ..... not good.


----------



## Randy M.

Danny McG said:


> Well we're off to the cinema this Friday (with a bunch of bratoids) to watch *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*


My 4-year-old grandson liked the first one enough he would slow down his own zooming around to watch some of it, but this one didn't hold his interest. About 20 minutes and he was back to trying to get me to chase him.


----------



## Quokka

Robocop 2 is currently on TV and its one of my guilty pleasures. Lacks the social commentary of the original (although not completely) but I just love all the stop motion animation and it also includes some very early CGI that works well because they kept it so limited.

Movie scared the hell out of me as a kid but I'll always love the 'next gen prototypes' scene.


----------



## Mouse

Just watched *Hunger Games*. Second time I've seen it in full. Good film. Spotted a young Hughie from The Boys in it.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Quokka said:


> Robocop 2 is currently on TV and its one of my guilty pleasures. Lacks the social commentary of the original (although not completely) but I just love all the stop motion animation and it also includes some very early CGI that works well because they kept it so limited.
> 
> Movie scared the hell out of me as a kid but I'll always love the 'next gen prototypes' scene.



The next gen prototypes scene is just brilliant. A young frank miller has a prominent bit part, too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> THE NEW CENTURIONS 1972 - Yeah it came out 50 years ago this month as if anyone cares. It was said after Star Wars that it ruined Hollywood's love affair with realism but if one looks back at the movies churned out between 1966 and 1976, before the blockbuster and disaster movie, they made a lot of forgettable nihilistic dramas. Watch out if you see Jane Alexander in the cast--you know you are going to get a dose of that suburban housewife melancholy. This is more interesting for the cast and connections to other films. Erik Estrada appears as a rookie cop and Scott Wilson and Stacy Keach get to practice their final scene from the Ninth Configuration (in fact, maybe that film is a sequel to this one-some kind of dream illusion of Wilson's mentally unhinged cop character). Although it is touted as a realistic look at police work--I don't see how anyone can say that. It really feels forced and fake--you get scenes where Keach and George C Scott are driving around with a van load of joyful black hookers (were there that many working in 1972 on Sunset Blvd? No white ones in sight), or Scott going crazy mad about someone exploiting illegal immigrants that felt out of character.
> 
> It is a very negative view of police work--constant remarks are made about how cops are hated by the community and it's a terrible job and why do it... George C Scott was the box office draw for this although he bows out halfway through. He gets a speech similar to the one Sean Connery says in the Untouchables: "second rule of Kilvinski's Law: If a dude uses his fist, you use your stick. If he uses a knife, you use your gun, cancel his ticket right then and there. If everything else fails, hit him with a brick."
> 
> He makes some remarks in a strip club about how laws are being rewritten to make crime legal--that feels extremely modern in relevance but I think this shows how, in 1972, Hollywood was in no  way seeking to appease audiences but lecture them and one can ask--is this a lecture worth hearing? What is the value?  I think works of art that endure are ones that speak truthfully about experience and life and therefore resonate over time. This film does not feel honest. It feels like the purpose is to say: don't become a cop! Just say no.



The book The New Centurions was written by a serving LA cop, Joseph Wambaugh.  I guess it was probably more 'realistic' than any number of police procedurals bashed out by professional hack writers. According to Wikipedia the book remained in the New York Times Best Seller list for 32 weeks.  In 1971, by adapting it for the screen, 'Hollywood' was not lecturing the audience in the service of some hidden Hollywoodian agenda.  It was 'Hollywood' doing what 'Hollywood' always does.  It adapted a best selling book and tried to make money by giving people a movie version of something they were already buying.  Just like they did with _Gone With the Wind_ thirty years earlier and _The Da Vinci Code_ thirty years later.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Dead of Night (1945): A horror anthology film with five segments. The first is based on E. F. Benson's "The Bus-Conductor," and the final story likely inspired the episode "The Dummy" from The Twilight Zone. The penultimate story kind of sticks out due to its light, playful tone, and is evidently based on a short story by H. G. Wells. It was quite good; the last one creeped me out almost as much as the similarly-themed TZ episode.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Mr Cairo said:


> *Shark Side of the Moon *
> 
> An asylum film about WW2 nazis creating hybrid killer sharks that escape and end up  ..... on the moon
> 
> I lasted about 50 minutes of the runtime it is ..... not good.



You lasted 50 minutes of an asylum movie!  

I think that is some kind of a record.  

I am in awe.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> In 1971, by adapting it for the screen, 'Hollywood' was not lecturing the audience in the service of some hidden Hollywoodian agenda.


That's being naive.

Why would George C Scott go into a rage about exploitation of illegal immigrants and preach that "they take the jobs that no one wants!"
Or they are talking about crime in a ghetto and Stacy Keach says "considering the poverty it is surprising the crime isn't worse."
There was an episode of McCloud around that time where he says guns should be banned. The good ol' boy American traditionalist Deputy Marshall wants gun control. Mentions it in passing.

The 1970 Fox film THE GAMES was ridiculously preachy. The film was targeted at US and UK audiences and yet the two big losers in it are the US and UK runners. The big winners are an Australian aborigine -he's an amusing character so him winning isn't bad but then they also have an older Soviet bloc athlete who was forced by his government to compete and in the end his attitude is like, "I am glad big brotherly government  compelled me to show our superior worth to the decadent imperialist West."
The movie bombed which is no surprise.
There are many movies of the time like that. THE CHAIRMAN, THE NICKEL RIDE, WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER BOYS...They just threw away money on pointless downer films. Makes no sense from the economic side.
I can imagine the FOX executives sitting around saying: "well, if the UK and US athletes win, then audiences will be like, happy, and if it ends with a shocking defeat then they will be so fascinated they will want to see it over and over again."
Somehow I doubt that was their thinking. There is no business like show business. Whoopi Goldberg was featured as the star of a few movies before they clued in she was not box office gold. Despite their obsession with sequels to forgotten films I do not think we will be seeing a Jumpin' Jack Flash 2.

PS-another reason the Scott reaction is bizarre is because earlier in the movie--he and Keach have to wrestle a baby from a drunken mother who is neglectful. The kid is being shoved around for real--and Scott's character is upset but not like he was over the landlord. Keach tells Scott that he wants to kill the woman who was abusing her baby and Scott says something about how there's always another ahole so it is better to "stay frosty" meaning, keep your cool.
Yet he almost shoots the landlord over the exploitation of the renters.


----------



## KGeo777

DOOMWATCH 1972 - A full colour picture from this was in Denis Gifford's  A Pictorial History of Horror Movies, though in the movie, the particular shot is so fast you can hardly see it. I was reminded of this when it was mentioned in a topic about Lovecraftian movies. I had seen it but only once Looking at it again, the town being contaminated and the subtle way the deformities are introduced--you get a quick glimpse and then it builds up "exposure". I was reminded of Die! Monster Die! and The Haunted Palace, Island of Terror, and also The Wicker Man. On the other hand, given that it is from an ecology investigation tv show--I did not know that the first time I saw it--the explanation  makes it feel less like a horror movie by the end.  It feels more like a science medical drama. Another oddity is that this is a Tigon film--and they were known for dialing up horror and sleaze and there is nothing of that in here (except maybe the repeated references to inbreeding).  Also, this was peculiar--when George Sanders says that they were dumping _only_ radioactive waste--I assumed the investigators would be horrified. Instead, it was as if that was no big deal--radioactive waste dumped in the ocean is fine. How many movies I have seen where radioactive waste leads to mutant monsters. Yet here, nope, and even Geoffrey Keen's mad chemist character--it's as if who cares that they were messing around with growth hormones.
All the blame is put on the cheerfully ignorant shipping guy who dumped it in his own backyard -presumably because he assumed the stuff was safe---and yet the experts were more annoyed that he didn't try to dump it somewhere else (as if that was better). Why would he when he didn't know what the stuff was? Rather inexplicably, the polluters were the good guys. Maybe that was Tigon's sleazy twist on the norm.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE FORMULA*_ (1980) The title refers to NAZI's synthetic fuel, turning coal into oil & gasoline; & the oil companies' desire to keep it out of circulation. Interesting somewhat mysterious because the formula was discussed without letting the audience know what it was, just a formula, but for what? 

 Lt. Barney Caine (George C. Scott) investigates the murder of a retired cop who, during / after WWII was in Germany, and was in contact with a German general who had a truck full of things that Himmler hoped to trade for his freedom, etc.  Adam Steiffel (Marlon Brando) is the big oil guy, who knows more than he will tell. 

But the thing in actuality about synthetic oil, is that it is expensive, so this element is omitted by the plot. It cannot compete with natural oil, unless its production costs can be similar to regular oil's. Given the right or _wrong_ circumstances, it could be competitive.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> That's being naive.




Why naive?  They were making movies.  Movies had to make money.  Who was going to see films? 
Two years before this film was released two of the top 5 box office movies in the American market were _Midnight Cowboy_ and _Easy Rider_ - both of which took considerably more money that year than that vastly more expensive stodgy chunk of Hollywood product _Hello Dolly_.

Bean-counters in New York and Hollywood got the idea that films for people who went to see those cheap films with their HUGE profit margins might be a better way of getting a return on their investment than sinking all their money into another three hour historical musical.  "Put _ Midnight Rider_ and _Easy Cowboy_ in production now!" 

It's greed not ideology. In Hollywood nobody knows anything.  They make best guesses.  That's why they buy things that already sell by the sh*tload like _Gone With the Wind_ and _The Da Vinci Code_ and _The New Centurions_ and try  and milk the cow dry before it dies.  During the early 1970s they were desperately trying to sell 'counter culture' movies because _that's what they were betting the market wanted_.  No other reason. Money! Money! Money!  Buy your fake indignation here! 

Biggest box office of 1971 - _Billy Jack_.  A film so cheap even AIP pulled out about a "half breed" who defends a " hippie-themed Freedom School".  Righteous bloodshed and proselytising ensue.   It was two hours long.  Budget $800,000 - Box office $32.5 million. [Wikipedia]   Those sort of numbers made Hollywood execs of the time cream their chinos. AIP execs took it turns to kick each other arses.

It's incredibly naive to think that anything that relied on any system of mass distribution was made (or at least distributed) for any other reason that to make as big a short term profit as possible. 

Money money money.


----------



## Jeffbert

The 19th was Toshiro Mifune day on TCM, & I saw one of his films for the 1st time:

_*I LIVE IN FEAR*_ (1955) Kiichi Nakajima (Toshiro Mifune) is an elderly business owner who has become convinced that a nuclear war is imminent, & the only safe place on earth is South America. He wants to move his entire family, included two mistresses & their children there, but nobody wants to go with him. They want to have him declared mentally incompetent. Dentist   Dr. Harada (Takashi Shimura) is involved with the family court is arguing for restraint, and considering Nakajima's reasons, etc., but he has very little influence. 

Even without his katana, Mifune gives a fine performance. Glad I saw this.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Why naive?  They were making movies.  Movies had to make money.  Who was going to see films?
> Two years before this film was released two of the top 5 box office movies in the American market were _Midnight Cowboy_ and _Easy Rider_ - both of which took considerably more money that year than that vastly more expensive stodgy chunk of Hollywood product _Hello Dolly_.


I know you aren't naive you are just pretending to be to annoy me into repeating myself a million times but that's ok, I guess I like repeating it over and over and over again. If they were seeking to appease audiences they wouldn't be so defiantly assbackwards about it.
And you are only counting the big studios. The best return on investment in the 1960s and 70s was from the smaller companies. Horror filmmakers. They didn't spend as much on a film but made far more ROI and those figures don't get mentioned because the focus is all on the big media studios.  That's perhaps a reason why Hollywood majors changed their focus in the 1970s and chased the B movie genre which they never really did before. Despite 1933 King Kong's success the other companies never tried to replicate it. RKO was a mini-major. It was not considered a large studio.
Bootleggers 1974 cost $200 000 and made $5 million in rentals. For an independent film that is enormous ROI. And rentals does not mean it is being watched--it just means the theater paid for the film to be shown but we don't know how many people saw a film. Theaters were showing Black Panther to empty seats in my town for 4 months. They didn't care. Supposedly The New Centurions made $7 million in rentals--but that doesn't mean it was filling theaters. And I don't know how much it cost to make either.
Catch-22 cost $18 million in 1970 and made $24 million (presumably at the time and not over the years). That's not a huge ROI.
The Games cost a massive amount to make in 1970 and flopped. WHY would they not question the plot's role in that flop? If the film was being marketed to the Australian outback or Soviet theaters--then I could understand why they ended the film like they did. But otherwise it makes no sense from the perspective of wanting audiences to like it. And what's the message? Don't do drugs Ryan O'Neal. Ok. If you are a UK milkman don't get distracted by groupies or listen to a coach who resembles Hitler. Ok I get it. But that doesn't explain why the Soviet athlete wins the silver.

 The idea that they are motivated by appeasing audiences is just wrong. They want attention but they are dogpiling their tastes and agendas onto it.
I am just saying that there's a belief that these period in Hollywood film was a golden age of gritty realism and performance-driven stories--but they really are a joykill.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I know you aren't naive you are just pretending to be to annoy me into repeating myself a million times but that's ok, I guess I like repeating it over and over and over again. If they were seeking to appease audiences they wouldn't be so defiantly assbackwards about it.
> And you are only counting the big studios. The best return on investment in the 1960s and 70s was from the smaller companies. Horror filmmakers. They didn't spend as much on a film but made far more ROI and those figures don't get mentioned because the focus is all on the big media studios.  That's perhaps a reason why Hollywood majors changed their focus in the 1970s and chased the B movie genre which they never really did before. Despite 1933 King Kong's success the other companies never tried to replicate it. RKO was a mini-major. It was not considered a large studio.
> Bootleggers 1974 cost $200 000 and made $5 million in rentals. For an independent film that is enormous ROI. And rentals does not mean it is being watched--it just means the theater paid for the film to be shown but we don't know how many people saw a film. Theaters were showing Black Panther to empty seats in my town for 4 months. They didn't care. Supposedly The New Centurions made $7 million in rentals--but that doesn't mean it was filling theaters. And I don't know how much it cost to make either.
> Catch-22 cost $18 million in 1970 and made $24 million (presumably at the time and not over the years). That's not a huge ROI.
> The Games cost a massive amount to make in 1970 and flopped. WHY would they not question the plot's role in that flop? If the film was being marketed to the Australian outback or Soviet theaters--then I could understand why they ended the film like they did. But otherwise it makes no sense from the perspective of wanting audiences to like it. And what's the message? Don't do drugs Ryan O'Neal. Ok. If you are a UK milkman don't get distracted by groupies or listen to a coach who resembles Hitler. Ok I get it. But that doesn't explain why the Soviet athlete wins the silver.
> 
> The idea that they are motivated by appeasing audiences is just wrong. They want attention but they are dogpiling their tastes and agendas onto it.
> I am just saying that there's a belief that these period in Hollywood film was a golden age of gritty realism and performance-driven stories--but they really are a joykill.


so basically you don't like a particular strand of movie making from a certain period of Hollywood's history. 

So why watch them?

 Lots of people think the Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy are funny. They're not. They are moronic crap. they're about as funny as being kicked in the balls and then being presented with a bill for the kicking. Nasty, boring, repetitive sh*te.  In my opinion. So I don't watch them.  Happy ( baffled) that other people find them enjoyable entertainment, but I don't feel the need to rail against them at every oportunity and decry those who do like them or the motives of the peeps who made them.

ditto John Wayne movies, Tom Mix, any film starring a cast member of Friends, torture porn like the Saw movies - though I might be tempted if three or more cast members of Friends were in line to be dismembered slowly, The Olsen Twins, live action Disney films of the 60s and 70s, animated Disney films of the 60s and 70... these are a few of my least favorite things.  So I avoid them. Life's too short.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> so basically you don't like a particular strand of movie making from a certain period of Hollywood's history.
> 
> So why watch them?


Because I am hoping I am wrong but it turns out I am right more than not. My burden to carry.
I don't look for unsatisfying movies to watch.  They come to me.


----------



## KGeo777

MASSACRE TIME 1966. Directed by Lucio Fulci.


Franco Nero is a gold prospector (haven't seen him do that before) who borrowed Clint Eastwood's vest (it looks very close to it so when he is walking around with it on you start thinking of a Dollars film) and goes to meet his brother George Hilton who is a crazy fun-loving drunk (I have seen him do that before).

The bad guy is the crazy sadistic  white suit-clad son of a powerless landowner (a bit of a change from the usual--he is a good guy but his son is out of his control)  with an irritating facial expression that makes you want to slap him around. He is fond of whips and there is visually exciting although incomprehensible fight between Nero and this jerk with whips.

Then Nero really resembles Eastwood after he gets beaten up in  AFOD.
I was distracted by that because the resemblance felt unintentionally comedic.

The soundtrack is pretty good-I like the title song, and it has style, but the story is unfocused. The ending does have nice symbolism--a blood-splattered dove flying off into the sky.

There are two English versions and I listened to the International one. The AIP was very hard to hear and the voices sounded bored.


----------



## Jeffbert

& now, for something completely different:

_*THE RED BALLOON*_ (1956) As I recall, I 1st saw this in school; this & THE POINT. I get the point of THE POINT, but I do not understand what was the point of _*THE RED BALLOON.*_  It apparently won various awards & such, & while I do find it interesting (but not fascinating), I don't get it. After reading the wiki page, o.k., that simply did not occur to me. 



That kid will die, if he loses his grip on those strings!

So, this little boy finds a balloon whose string is entangled on a lamppost. He frees it, and having found a new toy, soon realizes it is alive, & obeys him. Cute. The older boys want to pop it, & when they do, all the other balloons in town forsake their owners, & flock to this boy.


----------



## KGeo777

SUPERFLY 1972 - Wanted to get in a viewing of at least one other blaxploitation film before I got to the main event.  This was was perhaps the third most famous after Shaft, although due to the subject matter (following a cocaine dealer's efforts to get out of the business) it has one of the more notorious reputations. It's well made, you can't fault it for execution (and it sure makes much of New York look really depressing and run down), just the questionable content in focus since there were so few movies made by or for black audiences. It's glamorous, it's exciting, but there's a valid point to the concentration on criminality that you do find in many of these films of the time.

BLACULA 1972 -- Released 50 years ago today. This is the quintessential blaxploitation film. It literally by its title is demonstrating the sensational advertising approach, selling the "black angle" to the story. But it would really be doing it an injustice to dismiss it as merely a quick and cheap diversified version of Dracula because it has many innovations for a vampire horror film that would influence others. It has a 5.7 rating on IMDB which I think is too low. Other blaxploitation films didn't really do anything new when it came to gun fights or action scenes. But this does strike new ground with vampire concepts.

 For one thing, it does generate serious creepy moments, and for a tired genre like vampires, and it was getting tired by 1972 which was a big year for bloodsuckers (the Night Stalker, Vampire Circus, Dracula AD 1972) that's a major achievement in itself. The title sequence is artistic--with the blood drop and the vampire bat running through a psychedelic maze. The sequence with Dracula (Charles Macaulay) is a little rough around the edges but they needed a way to explain how an African prince would become a vampire. This creates the most awkward dramatic scene where Mamuwalde (William Marshall) tells Tina, the reincarnation of his wife, that he was from Africa, and he went to Europe to fight the slave trade and his host was Dracula. Poor Vonette McKee has an even worse task than Marshall because she has to react to all this information overload.  It's fantastical and yet, what can she do but just stare in a trance almost and make a weak display of disbelief.
 Usually Marshall gets all the praise, and the film would probably have sunk without him, but the other major character is the Van Helsing part--Dr. Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) who is very unusual for a vampire film of the time. He gets to attack a vampire or two with a stake and physical combat. There are not that many vampire films I can think of where that happens. Peter Cushing does it once or twice, and David Warbeck hurdles a spear at a vampire in one movie, but usually they just bring out the cross and the sun. And his reaction to Mamuwalde is one of distrust and hostility--and the banter between them about vampires is a great section because it shows that they each are passionately locked into their views. Other vampire movies with similar scenes--with Dracula talking to Van Helsing--usually VH is a much older or weaker man. Not physically matched like it is here.

The thing that really stands out in this film is the, no pun intended, the high stakes of it. Mamuwalde has a good reason to be seeking Tina (contrived as it is, I think it works much better than in Mummy films or other vampires films that use this trope), and Dr. Thomas and friends have good reasons to be concerned about it. The staking scene at the end is one of the most horrifying that I can think of. It's horrific due to the emotional reaction of characters to their surprise at who is in the coffin.
Maybe it generates some laughs because of the makeup (though the vampire look in this is unique creepy) but that's another thing which is very skillfully handled in the film--humor. And I don't mean the overt references to sexual orientation--but little jokes that they bring into it which I think works to prevent the audience from laughing when they aren't suppose to.  And this story could easily have fallen into joke status.

The scene in the morgue is a very effective vampire attack. I think Salem's Lot was influenced by it. The attack on the photographer and the arrival of Barnes the cop. Those are very creepy moments.
This is also I think, the best of the AIP vampire movies of the 70s--including the Yorga films. They aren't bad but they feel a little cheaper and less dramatically intense compared to this.


----------



## Happy Joe

Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness A live action comic book movie with (ultimately) a mediocre  plot line.
The digital effect were as usual great but tended to be confusing in places.
The acting was O.K.
There is, apparently, a missing story line; unless the Scarlet Witch is covered in the new Thor movie (which I have not yet seen).
Fans of Disney (who now owns Marvel) may like it but I rate it, at best, as fair, seemingly aimed at preteens to teens..
I would recommend waiting until this one is released on a free streaming site. ( I subscribe to Netflix DVDs so it was a low cost movie for me.  I am glad that I didn't spend the time & money to see it in a theater or on pay per view.

Overall; it looks like Disney is ruining yet another movie franchise.

Enjoy!


----------



## Jeffbert

KGeo777 said:


> ...





KGeo777 said:


> BLACULA 1972 -- Released 50 years ago today. This is the quintessential blaxploitation film. It literally by its title is demonstrating the sensational advertising approach, selling the "black angle" to the story. But it would really be doing it an injustice to dismiss it as merely a quick and cheap diversified version of Dracula because it has many innovations for a vampire horror film that would influence others. It has a 5.7 rating on IMDB which I think is too low. Other blaxploitation films didn't really do anything new when it came to gun fights or action scenes. But this does strike new ground with vampire concepts.
> 
> For one thing, it does generate serious creepy moments, and for a tired genre like vampires, and it was getting tired by 1972 which was a big year for bloodsuckers (the Night Stalker, Vampire Circus, Dracula AD 1972) that's a major achievement in itself. The title sequence is artistic--with the blood drop and the vampire bat running through a psychedelic maze. The sequence with Dracula (Charles Macaulay) is a little rough around the edges but they needed a way to explain how an African prince would become a vampire. This creates the most awkward dramatic scene where Mamuwalde (William Marshall) tells Tina, the reincarnation of his wife, that he was from Africa, and he went to Europe to fight the slave trade and his host was Dracula. Poor Vonette McKee has an even worse task than Marshall because she has to react to all this information overload.  It's fantastical and yet, what can she do but just stare in a trance almost and make a weak display of disbelief.
> Usually Marshall gets all the praise, and the film would probably have sunk without him, but the other major character is the Van Helsing part--Dr. Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) who is very unusual for a vampire film of the time. He gets to attack a vampire or two with a stake and physical combat. There are not that many vampire films I can think of where that happens. Peter Cushing does it once or twice, and David Warbeck hurdles a spear at a vampire in one movie, but usually they just bring out the cross and the sun. And his reaction to Mamuwalde is one of distrust and hostility--and the banter between them about vampires is a great section because it shows that they each are passionately locked into their views. Other vampire movies with similar scenes--with Dracula talking to Van Helsing--usually VH is a much older or weaker man. Not physically matched like it is here.
> 
> The thing that really stands out in this film is the, no pun intended, the high stakes of it. Mamuwalde has a good reason to be seeking Tina (contrived as it is, I think it works much better than in Mummy films or other vampires films that use this trope), and Dr. Thomas and friends have good reasons to be concerned about it. The staking scene at the end is one of the most horrifying that I can think of. It's horrific due to the emotional reaction of characters to their surprise at who is in the coffin.
> Maybe it generates some laughs because of the makeup (though the vampire look in this is unique creepy) but that's another thing which is very skillfully handled in the film--humor. And I don't mean the overt references to sexual orientation--but little jokes that they bring into it which I think works to prevent the audience from laughing when they aren't suppose to.  And this story could easily have fallen into joke status.
> 
> The scene in the morgue is a very effective vampire attack. I think Salem's Lot was influenced by it. The attack on the photographer and the arrival of Barnes the cop. Those are very creepy moments.
> This is also I think, the best of the AIP vampire movies of the 70s--including the Yorga films. They aren't bad but they feel a little cheaper and less dramatically intense compared to this.


Marshall had such a wonderful voice! He could have been the BASS MAN  for any doo-wopp group.  Blacula is great! Blackenstein, on the other hand-- 




_*YOJIMBO*_ (1961) A wandering _rōnin_ (Toshiro Mifune) comes to a town that is torn apart by two (2) rival criminal families. He quickly demonstrates his prowess by cutting down three (3) henchmen. The scene was one-upped in FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, & is shown one after the other in a documentary about CLINT EASTWOOD.  So, the _rōnin_ decides to start a bidding competition between the two families, to get his price as high as possible. 

Apparently, this role inspired John Belushi to create his own Samurai character. I was just coming of age then, so, I did not realize that SNL's character was a parody. Oh, to be young again!


----------



## KGeo777

Blackenstein is pretty bad but the director of Blacula also did a version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and while it is not as good as Blacula it also comes up with some interesting horror ideas. Especially that the scientist has strong motivations to experiment and want to test his drug on someone. There's a really good scene where Bernie Casey tells a prostitute a story about how he as a child would accompany his mother to her work--cleaning hotels--and she collapsed from an illness and he was pleading with the people in the hallway to open their doors to help and none of them did. And this was a hotel used by prostitutes--he was trying to guilt-trip this woman into testing the drug. And she says: "no way! You try it!"

So he says: "ok.." and he takes the drug and it turns him into some kind of freakish albino monster and he says to her nonchalantly: "now it is your turn."

I have never seen a Jekyll and Hyde story do that. It was a suspenseful build-up to a horror moment.

AIP also made SUGAR HILL and ABBY--which was banned for allegedly being a Exorcist rip-off. I need to see it again because it had very little connection to the Exorcist that I recall. And William Marshall was in that too. Never had a DVD release.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Searchers*

Apparently it's the greatest Western of all time? It didn't seem that way to me. Considering how many movies John Wayne was in, I seem to have seen very few of them. I think the last I saw was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and that's more of a Jimmy Stewart movie. The movie was okay, but (in my opinion) not a patch on The Unforgiven, The Good The Bad and The Ugly or the remake of True Grit. The backdrops are stunning though, with Monument Valley never looking more spectacular.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*ENCHANTED ISLAND*_ (1958) based upon Herman Melville's _Typee_, which I read on a CD of literature bought from BEST BUY. I could do a text search on the thing, and being a sicko I searched for 'cannibal,' among other things. I was at least 15 years ago, when I read the book, on a tiny 17 inch computer monitor. 

So, sailors on a ship that has stopped at a certain tropical island are discontent with the situation, not having had shore leave for a very long time, etc., & some decide it would be better to mutiny & just leave. But, this means the crew is lacking those guys, & the captain does not like that, not one little bit. He warns those so-inclined that cannibal inhabit the island, but two take the risk anyway. Abner  Bedford (Dana Andrews) has adventures among the Typees, etc. He meets Fayaway (Jane Powell) & they fall in love, despite the language barrier.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee - *A Netflix documentary about the troubled inventor of the Antivirus software company. It follows McAfee in his final days after he goes on the run to escape a murder charge in Belize. One thing becomes clear quite early - McAfee was a raging Narcissist and quite how anyone can idolise this hot mess of a person is beyond me. 

McAfee certainly did live an extraordinary wild life, but as he runs afoul of the US government the threads of his personality begin to unravel and he gets lost at sea with nothing but a large number of automatic weapons and meth salts for company. It's no surprise they turn him into a paranoid lunatic. If there was any doubt he was capable of murder, the last quarter of the doc wipes that away. 

For a documentary that spends so much time at the centre of so much action, it shows surprisingly little, there is very little candid footage. Most of it is in the form of interviews, speculation or stills. 

I can't really say I felt invested in McAfee's exploits or the man himself. It is interesting but the telling is lacking. I came away from it feeling a little grubby too, having spent time with a flawed, but undeniably intelligent man.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Sinister Urge *(MST3k) - with Number One Son.  Twenty minutes in he said, " I don't know what's going on."  It was an Ed Wood film.
*Iron Monkey* - with Number Two Daughter.


----------



## Vince W

*Conan the Barbarian* (1982). Classic S&S and perhaps the best S&S ever.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Brides of Dracula* - 1960 Hammer nonsense with a thinner than usual script, and an underwhelming villain but some wonderfully OTT performances, terrific lighting (gorgeous Technicolor!),  and the fascinatingly beautiful Adree Melly:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not a bad way to spend 85 minutes.



She was a real beauty . She passed away not too long ago.


----------



## bretbernhoft

The last movie that I watched was "Karate Kid".


----------



## CupofJoe

paranoid marvin said:


> *The Searchers*
> 
> Apparently it's the greatest Western of all time? It didn't seem that way to me. Considering how many movies John Wayne was in, I seem to have seen very few of them. I think the last I saw was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and that's more of a Jimmy Stewart movie. The movie was okay, but (in my opinion) not a patch on The Unforgiven, The Good The Bad and The Ugly or the remake of True Grit. The backdrops are stunning though, with Monument Valley never looking more spectacular.


I'm with you. I don't get why it gets the praise it does. I can see that it was a move away from the more romanticised Westerns to a more psychological view of that world [which I feel Jimmy Stewart did better in films like Bend of the River?]. But the acting isn't the best, the plot is no better. As you say it does look good. It's a John Ford film, they all look great. He's right up there with Ridley Scott for making great-looking films. I watch the Cavalry Trilogy to try and spot the Remington and Russel painting Ford has sneaked in.


----------



## KGeo777

Handgun - 1983 - Pretty obscure revenge film about an emotionally delicate teacher from Boston who moves to Texas and is introduced to the gun culture by a lawyer who gets tired of her reluctance and rapes her by threats of killing her and making it look like an accidental handgun fatality. She seeks legal and religious remedies and when that fails turns to becoming a handgun expert herself with a certain goal in mind. It starts off as a documentary-style film and the lead performance is so intensely realistic--I thought it would end up being a straight drama-but then it veers into familiar territory. The ending amounts to being hoisted by your own petard, it's different from the way these films usually go. The lead performance is so good that it makes it a fascinating character journey.


----------



## Astro Pen

_The Grand Budapest Hotel_
This is a quirky and unique movie. Every movie buff should watch it. Not just for the plot and the big names but also for the cinematography a feast of symmetry . Some shot compositions are just classic. 
One of the few movies I can watch several times  (Spaghetti  westerns and 2001 being the others)


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE IMAGE MAKERS*_ (?) A TCM documentary about cameramen. Interesting stuff!


----------



## Jeffbert

*WESTWORLD* (1973) I recall posting this a few years ago, & since then, I have found one (1) newly noticed item. The Black knight, as he was going off script, & was out to kill the guest, called him a VARLET. But the captions said "BLACK KNIGHT: hello [inaudible]."


----------



## KGeo777

paranoid marvin said:


> *The Searchers*
> 
> Apparently it's the greatest Western of all time?


I haven't seen it.
I have finally watched a few John Wayne westerns.
Mixed bag for me.
I notice he cannot be the lead in a movie without ensemble support. He's not compelling enough as a lead by himself--at least that seems to be how he did a number of movies. He's never the main attraction--the supporting players have a lot of importance--unlike a Clint Eastwood or James Garner film.
 I wasn't greatly impressed by Rio Bravo.
I think Stagecoach is maybe the best American western I have seen--though I am not a big fan of westerns in general--I prefer euro-westerns, but those are exotic interpretations, if I was American I would not consider them authentic, but Hollywood ones aren't necessarily any more real or genuine either.
The scene in Stagecoach with the men surrounding the baby is a great symbolic visual for the message of the story--that a variety of hard men (and women) made the US society in which the vulnerable can survive.
It is progressive for its time because it suggests an outlaw and a prostitute were major players in the foundation of America but that's the subversive glamor element to it.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Orphan: First Kill (2022): A prequel to The Orphan (2009). I prefer the first in the series. It was basically evil vs. evil, and that kind of bores me. Also, there really are no stakes because this is before the titular murderess was killed. I don't like prequels in general, though.

The Show (2020): A film written by Alan Moore. I waited quite a while for this to hit the States. This movie is as brilliant as it is bizarre. I enjoyed it, but, as with many mysteries, my dull brain couldn't catch up. A P.I. tracks down a mystical necklace. There's your MacGuffin. Recommended for more intelligent people.


----------



## hitmouse

Jeffbert said:


> & now, for something completely different:
> 
> _*THE RED BALLOON*_ (1956) As I recall, I 1st saw this in school; this & THE POINT. I get the point of THE POINT, but I do not understand what was the point of _*THE RED BALLOON.*_ It apparently won various awards & such, & while I do find it interesting (but not fascinating), I don't get it. After reading the wiki page, o.k., that simply did not occur to me.
> View attachment 92460
> That kid will die, if he loses his grip on those strings!
> 
> So, this little boy finds a balloon whose string is entangled on a lamppost. He frees it, and having found a new toy, soon realizes it is alive, & obeys him. Cute. The older boys want to pop it, & when they do, all the other balloons in town forsake their owners, & flock to this boy.


I had the photo book of this when I was little. It is really just a simple story of friendship and childhood magic. Touching but not deep. Interesting for film of 1950s France.


----------



## therapist

I saw Nope (2022) Latest movie by Jordan Peele. I liked it. Here's some thoughts:

I enjoyed it much more than his last movie (Us) but not as much as (Get Out). 
Main actor Daniel Kaluuya is a great actor and steals the show.
Not really a horror movie, but had some genuinely horrifying scenes. Felt more fun/adventury. The plot had a lot of entertaining turns, and was a very fresh take on a UFO movie.
The design of the UFO was very interesting and creative. 
Some of the themes and intentions felt a bit vague. Feels like I need to watch it again to pick up on everything.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Recently watched *The Battle for the Planet of the Apes.   *The Andy Serkis version, quite a moving version, where you have to cheer the apes on. 9/10.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Crack In The World*

It's an interesting disaster movie from a time when there were plenty of them doing the rounds. Some bits are really interesting and believable, others which are a bit silly. But it's a good, solid watch and never outstays its welcome, coming in at around 90 minutes.

There are some unintentionally funny bits as well, and this would make for a great episode on MST3K.


----------



## Jeffbert

*RAW DEAL* (1948) NOIR ALLEY, the usual 5 minutes or so intro comments from Muller; but there were no follow-up comments!?  There were certain elements that made me think I had seen this already, but not enough to be sure. Anyway, a very satisfying example of NOIR. Crime boss Rick Coyle (Raymond Burr) wants  Joe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe; I am unfamiliar with him) busted out of prison, but only because he assumes he will be killed in the process. Coyle is sure that even if the guy escapes prison, which itself requires beating the odds at the cell block, and several other points, 10,000 to 1 odds at each point, the dragnet around the city will surely get him. Cold!

There are two (2) women involved, but one is at first unwilling; she is Ann Martin (Marsha Hunt) who was on the defense team, and working to get Sullivan paroled, but his unwilling hostess, as her home was 1st choice of a hiding place when he escaped. Pat Regan (Claire Trevor) was his girlfriend, though she realizes he never said he loved her. So there is an inversion on the usual two guys one woman element in this film. 

Among Coyle's henchmen, Fantail (John Ireland is the only name/face familiar to me). 

So, anyway, Sullivan and the two women arrive at the safe house, only to have a murderer (Whit Bissell; whose voice I recognized before his face, as the General from THE TIME TUNNEL), hotly pursued by police and dogs, stumbles in. Just what they needed! Their escaped convict beat the odds every time, and now, this! Tense!

I had been saving this, waiting for the end of August & the resumption of normal programming on TCM, the Saturday 8AM MGM cartoon, many featuring DROOPY, 10 Am Popeye, and NOIR ALLEY,  at 12AM and 10 AM Sundays.


----------



## Jeffbert

paranoid marvin said:


> *Crack In The World*
> 
> It's an interesting disaster movie from a time when there were plenty of them doing the rounds. Some bits are really interesting and believable, others which are a bit silly. But it's a good, solid watch and never outstays its welcome, coming in at around 90 minutes.
> 
> There are some unintentionally funny bits as well, and this would make for a great episode on MST3K.


I recall seeing this years ago, it revealed my odd sense of humor. So, there they are guys in what resemble space suits with lights mounted on their shoulders, working to place an atom bomb inside a volcano. This they hope this explosion will stop the crack from spreading further, and destroying the Earth.  They use ropes to hold the guys above the hot lava and carefully guide it downward, etc. but this one guy's rope is shown being shredded on the sharp edge of a rock. Again & again, the scenes cut to this edge, & the tension builds. Will he live or die? His wife or girlfriend is at the top, looking down at him, worrying, etc. So, the rope finally snaps, and the guy with blinking lights on his shoulders falls into the darkness. She screams, etc. 
I just could not identify with the guy or anyone.  I ought to feel bad about it, but I cannot.

I try to find something funny in whatever I watch.


----------



## Randy M.

_*The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh*_ (1971; dir. Sergio Martino; starring George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Conchita Airoldi)

A giallo in which Fenech should have had top billing, given that it mostly focuses on her character, Julie, and the three men orbiting around her: Her husband, Neil, her new lover, George (Hilton) and her former lover, Jean. Julie and her diplomat husband Neil arrive in Vienna as a serial killer terrorizes the city, using a straight razor on his female victims, one of the murders happening just as their plane has landed. She married Neil for his solid citizen appeal as a way to escape Jean, who had abused her -- as we see in flashbacks -- even as she found his sadism sexually exciting; but Jean's in Vienna as well, and will not easily release his hold on her. Is he the killer? And what of George, the new lover who excites her more than stolid Neil?

The camera adores Fenech and my impression is she's not just beautiful, she can act though granted this movie is mostly asking for extreme emotions. Still, it wouldn't work without her being believable even when making unbelievable decisions. (You know someone who wishes you harm has been watching you and you drive into a dark parking garage by yourself? What the heck are you thinking?)

I can see how slasher movies owe a debt to these, but in slashers, "Julie" would have been "Victim 1". The mind games here, however improbable the events of the story, lend more of a Hitchcock feel, leading to character motivations that offer a sense of adult danger rarely found in the slashers I've seen.


----------



## Rodders

"Dog" 2022 starring Channing Tatum. It's down as a comedy, but although there were some funny bits in it, it was more of a buddy/road movie in the end. I really enjoyed this film. 

"Queenpins". Based on a true story about a coupon scam in the US. Starring Kristen Bell, who is always enjoyable to watch.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Nope* - There's something about Jordan Peele movies that is off putting. I think it's a tonal thing - he clearly has great comedic sensibility, but there's a sense in his horror movies that he's too aware of the silliness of it all and it comes out in questionable tonal shifts or the sense this is all a bit of a joke.

All the elements are there - a great idea, great acting and cinematography but it doesn't equal the sum of its parts. 

Nope is a combination of Close Encounters, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Signs, Outer Range, Jaws and the gruesome true life story of Charla Nash who was brutally mauled by her pet chimpanzee. The latter thread gives the story a strange, lynchian depersonalised feel at odds with the main story as we witness real brutality. It almost feels like two movies crammed unsuccessfully into one.

The main viewpoint character is a strange void with no real emotions - we get that he's supposed to be grieving but he's written as though he has no internal life. Much more successful is his sister who has a personality, goals and motivations. 

It's trying to say something about spectacle and audiences, but what it has to say is unclear and poorly thought through. There's a theme of trying to correct the omissions of black people from cinema, but it doesn't really develop that theme and instead resorts to just saying it several times. 

Even the big bad in this: 



Spoiler: spoilers



A giant white biblical angel sheet (stolen from Neon Genesis Evangelion) that gobbles up people and spits out money seems a rather on the nose and contradictory metaphor for spectacle, particularly as it doesn't like being looked at.



The overly long run time is symptomatic of the mess as it veers from one throughline to another, eventually ending up replaying the last act of jaws as they go on a poorly established quest for the perfect Oprah moment, complete with a Werner Herzog-ish film producer as Quint who does something very bizarre.  

I really wanted to like this. Peele seems like he has things to say but it's three hour run time left me clock watching as the characters meander from episode to episode. Ultimately, it ends up with a Nope from me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Dish* - on the day that the NASA scrubbed the Artemis 1 launch at T minus 40 minutes it seemed appropriate to share this wonderful little Australian film about the first moon landing with Number Two Daughter.   If you haven't seen it rush out and buy a copy.  It's a perfect little gem of a film.  There are no car chases, no explosions, only the slightest hint of interpersonal-conflict, the character story arcs are small and personal, you know exactly how the film will end because you saw the TV pictures of Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon, there's no knockabout comedy, though it is very funny.  Just a beautifully drawn little film about people doing their jobs at an extraordinary moment in history.


----------



## dask

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb." Most of it anyway.


----------



## interretiarius

*The Ruins (2008)*







An OK movie. The actors really tried too hard to be convincing. However, the presumably "horrific" aspect of the film was rather comedic for me; it has many disturbing as well as ridiculous scenes.

*6/10

El buque maldito (1974)*






I really loved this film. The pace was easy to go along with, as a viewer. The ambient sounds and the music added a lot to the atmosphere. The skeletal monsters were impressive. But come on, those wooden sarcophagi should have floated; it was ludicrous that they sank like iron chests.

*7/10*


----------



## Parson

I watched *Robert, the Bruce.* It was pretty good but nothing like I expected. It is mostly the story of one family who supports Robert the Bruce's claim to the Scottish throne and what that costs them. Interesting time period and I would watch it for that alone.

4 stars out of 5


----------



## Jeffbert

*PRESSURE POINT* (1962) Set two decades earlier, a nameless convict  (Bobby Darin) is patient of the prison psychiatrist, also nameless (Sidney Poitier). The con complains of difficulty sleeping. Via therapy, the viewers learn that he is an American NAZI, fully persuaded on all points, etc. The psychiatrist believes that he is unworthy of parole, and recommends against it, because he is a natural leader, and will likely recruit many disaffected followers, during the 2nd world war. 

Very interesting an compelling film. The story is told in flashbacks, as Poitier's character is advising a young psychiatrist against quitting because he simply cannot help his patient, which he thinks is because he the shrink (Peter Falk) is white and from a middle class background, while his patient is black, a teen, and from a lower class broken home, etc.  

1st time seeing it. 
Highest recommendation!


----------



## Dave Vicks

IT .2017 Version.


----------



## KGeo777

The last movie I watched

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (released on this day in 1972) - I had never seen it before. It  is pretty amateurish and crude and I didn't find it disturbing but that may because I had seen other films inspired by it. The comedy seemed really out of place. I prefer the remake THE NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS 1975. I heard this was originally supposed to be a porn film and you can tell that was original intention. The chainsaw scene is suspenseful but otherwise I wouldn't recommend this house for a visit.


----------



## albertserene

The Moon Man.  It's a Chinese Sci-Fi movie.  Too bad it isn't available in other regions.


----------



## alexvss

*Seoul Vibe (2022)*. The newest Korean Netflix original. It sells itself as an action-adventure, mystery and car racing movie, but it's actually a comedy with two racing scenes. The scenes are well-directed, and I liked the scoring, the pop culture references and the politics (it takes place in the eighties, right before the Seoul Olympics, when Korea was under a dictatorial regime). It feels like an eighties movie, and it's pretty idiotic overall. Which can be great (if you know what to expect).


----------



## Troyzan787

*The Black Phone (2022) *A Horror/Thriller based on the short story of the same name written by Joe Hill (writer of the Locke and Key comic book and Stephen King's son). It follows a fairly typical serial killer and abduction story with some supernatural elements that affect the main characters _Hero's Journey_. You can definitely feel King's influence within the story, particularly in the characters that display similar attribute to The Shine. Beyond that the movie really hooked you in. The story has a good balance of successes and failures for the main character to keep you rooting for him.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Prophesy 2* - Christopher Walken IS the archangel Gabriel!... Eric Roberts IS the archangel Michael!...  Trapped between their warring tribes of angels  Jennifer Beals IS pregnant with the child that will decide the destiny of .... bleech..... you get the picture.   Well you don't quite, but that's the plot.  To get the total picture you have to play that plot out using outtakes from some of the lesser Highlander movies with every other angle dutched and everywhere filled with swirling mist lit by One Bloody Big Light just behind the building in the centre of the frame. (The one with men in long black coats perched on its roof.) Then add Christopher Walken tuning the camp menace up a notch every other line, and then for some reason, set the climax in the Garden of Eden (which for the purposes of heavy-handed metaphor is played by that bit of an oil refinery in Long Island that doubles as just about everything in Straight to Video tosh like this).   Almost terrible enough to be great but missed by a whisker.  There were two more.  Maybe next time....


----------



## KGeo777

THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM 1974 - I had seen the original version LISA AND THE DEVIL a couple of times before seeing this one and it is so funny how it goes from a lyrical and subtle kind of gothic ghost story to a spitting frogs and demon swearing Exorcist clone. The producer said he did not copy the Exorcist--it had not been released when they were filming the new scenes--I guess it is plausible but the swearing is so over the top in the complete opposite direction of the original film. I was certain there was no way Elke Sommer was doing the swearing and crazy possession stuff but according to the audio commentary she did--it is indeed her and she rationalized it as being her first horror movie and trying to be realistic on how someone would behave who was demon-possessed.


----------



## JunkMonkey

JunkMonkey said:


> *Prophesy 2* - Christopher Walken IS the archangel Gabriel!... Eric Roberts IS the archangel Michael!...  Trapped between their warring tribes of angels  Jennifer Beals IS pregnant with the child that will decide the destiny of .... bleech..... you get the picture.   Well you don't quite, but that's the plot.  To get the total picture you have to play that plot out using outtakes from some of the lesser Highlander movies with every other angle dutched and everywhere filled with swirling mist lit by One Bloody Big Light just behind the building in the centre of the frame. (The one with men in long black coats perched on its roof.) Then add Christopher Walken tuning the camp menace up a notch every other line, and then for some reason, set the climax in the Garden of Eden (which for the purposes of heavy-handed metaphor is played by that bit of an oil refinery in Long Island that doubles as just about everything in Straight to Video tosh like this).   Almost terrible enough to be great but missed by a whisker.  There were two more.  Maybe next time....


Long Beach not Long Island. shooting on Long Island - even if they have a refinery - would have quadrupled the budget.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*SEVEN SAMURAI *_(1954) Despite its 3.5 hours length, it never seems too long. I recall commentary or whatever about  Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) severing his top knot and even shaving his head. So, I was made aware of the film *HARAKIRI*, in which the guy takes the topknots of other samurai, whose lord then orders them to commit ritual suicide because of their loss. Not being Japanese, I had no idea of the significance of cutting off one's topknot. Intense!

All I want to say is, I did not need to see Toshiro Mifune's backside!  Even if he was wearing a mawashi (worn by SUMO wrestlers), it was not enough! 

So, this small mountain village's residents are talking about the coming harvest, & the expected return of bandits come to steal the crops, & they decide to hire samurai to fight the bandits. But what do they pay them? They can offer nothing but food, so the one guy says hire hungry samurai.

 The people are stratified, with a rigid class system, and farmers are at the bottom, while Samurai are near the top. This explains farmers pressing their faces against the ground when approaching the Samurai. I do not believe there was a similar system in 19th Century Mexico, though it may have come close. Thus, the film THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, which was obviously inspired (to put it mildly) by _*SEVEN SAMURAI,  *_  could not quite mimic the setting, etc.  Gunfighters were not the top tier, though they were fearsome; were not regarded similarly as the Samurai. 

So, they finally recruit 6 Samurai, with Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) following along, hoping to join the others. Much later, it is gradually revealed that he was also born a farmer, and suffered a similar treatment as the people in this village. Thus, he, alone could relate to the plight of the dirt poor farmers. 

It never gets old, despite the 3.5 hours!


----------



## hitmouse

Jeffbert said:


> _*SEVEN SAMURAI *_(1954) Despite its 3.5 hours length, it never seems too long. I recall commentary or whatever about  Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) severing his top knot and even shaving his head. So, I was made aware of the film *HARAKIRI*, in which the guy takes the topknots of other samurai, whose lord then orders them to commit ritual suicide because of their loss. Not being Japanese, I had no idea of the significance of cutting off one's topknot. Intense!
> 
> All I want to say is, I did not need to see Toshiro Mifune's backside!  Even if he was wearing a mawashi (worn by SUMO wrestlers), it was not enough!
> 
> So, this small mountain village's residents are talking about the coming harvest, & the expected return of bandits come to steal the crops, & they decide to hire samurai to fight the bandits. But what do they pay them? They can offer nothing but food, so the one guy says hire hungry samurai.
> 
> The people are stratified, with a rigid class system, and farmers are at the bottom, while Samurai are near the top. This explains farmers pressing their faces against the ground when approaching the Samurai. I do not believe there was a similar system in 19th Century Mexico, though it may have come close. Thus, the film THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, which was obviously inspired (to put it mildly) by _*SEVEN SAMURAI,  *_  could not quite mimic the setting, etc.  Gunfighters were not the top tier, though they were fearsome; were not regarded similarly as the Samurai.
> 
> So, they finally recruit 6 Samurai, with Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) following along, hoping to join the others. Much later, it is gradually revealed that he was also born a farmer, and suffered a similar treatment as the people in this village. Thus, he, alone could relate to the plight of the dirt poor farmers.
> 
> It never gets old, despite the 3.5 hours!


One of my favourite films. Just wonderful.


----------



## KGeo777

A BARREL FULL OF DOLLARS 1971 - Alternative time would be A Barrel Full of Dullers. Just bad, nothing to recommend it.


----------



## Harpo

(1972) Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, starring Roddy McDowell as Caesar. 
Great fun to see it again last night, but I kept thinking “we’re so lucky Star Wars came along a few years later and changed so much”

Afterwards, I managed to break my headphones, so until I get more that’s it for the stack of DVDs here beside me.
Apologies to Spartacus and Sharktopus Vs Pteracuda, apologies to Natural Born Killers and the complete set of Harry Potter films (of which I think I’ve only ever seen 2 or 3, two decades ago), and apologies to Drop Dead Fred and Father Ted.


----------



## Ubergeek

Randy M. said:


> _*The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh*_ (1971; dir. Sergio Martino; starring George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Conchita Airoldi)
> 
> A giallo in which Fenech should have had top billing, given that it mostly focuses on her character, Julie, and the three men orbiting around her: Her husband, Neil, her new lover, George (Hilton) and her former lover, Jean. Julie and her diplomat husband Neil arrive in Vienna as a serial killer terrorizes the city, using a straight razor on his female victims, one of the murders happening just as their plane has landed. She married Neil for his solid citizen appeal as a way to escape Jean, who had abused her -- as we see in flashbacks -- even as she found his sadism sexually exciting; but Jean's in Vienna as well, and will not easily release his hold on her. Is he the killer? And what of George, the new lover who excites her more than stolid Neil?
> 
> The camera adores Fenech and my impression is she's not just beautiful, she can act though granted this movie is mostly asking for extreme emotions. Still, it wouldn't work without her being believable even when making unbelievable decisions. (You know someone who wishes you harm has been watching you and you drive into a dark parking garage by yourself? What the heck are you thinking?)
> 
> I can see how slasher movies owe a debt to these, but in slashers, "Julie" would have been "Victim 1". The mind games here, however improbable the events of the story, lend more of a Hitchcock feel, leading to character motivations that offer a sense of adult danger rarely found in the slashers I've seen.


Randy ,  I'm a Martino fan,  particularly his giallo output.  The director  Adrian Garcia Bogliano   [  Late Phases ,  Here comes the devil  ]   cites him as an influence.  If you don't know Bogliano's work,  he  is worth checking out .


----------



## Randy M.

Ubergeek said:


> Randy ,  I'm a Martino fan,  particularly his giallo output.  The director  Adrian Garcia Bogliano   [  Late Phases ,  Here comes the devil  ]   cites him as an influence.  If you don't know Bogliano's work,  he  is worth checking out .


Good to know. Thanks.

I finally signed on to Shudder. Not sure how long I'll stick with it -- not sure I want too steady a diet of horror programming -- but I've started looking into the giallo offerings. I'm part way through a couple of others and hope to have time to finish them this weekend.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> _*The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh*_ (1971; dir. Sergio Martino; starring George Hilton, Edwige Fenech, Conchita Airoldi)


Is that the one where an ice cube is used to lock a kitchen door so it seems like the victim committed suicide? That was a neat trick.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Is that the one where an ice cube is used to lock a kitchen door so it seems like the victim committed suicide? That was a neat trick.


That's it. Just a little throwaway bit that worked nicely.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Harpo said:


> (1972) Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, starring Roddy McDowell as Caesar.
> Great fun to see it again last night, but I kept thinking “we’re so lucky Star Wars came along a few years later and changed so much”
> 
> Afterwards, I managed to break my headphones, so until I get more that’s it for the stack of DVDs here beside me.
> Apologies to Spartacus and Sharktopus Vs Pteracuda, apologies to Natural Born Killers and the complete set of Harry Potter films (of which I think I’ve only ever seen 2 or 3, two decades ago), and apologies to Drop Dead Fred and Father Ted.



I'd not feel too bad about missing Drop Dead Fred.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Maverick*

One of my favourite Mel Gibson films. With lots of great cameos (including Doug McClure in one of his last movies), a funny reunion with Danny Glover, and the very nice touch of including James Garner as one of the main characters. This movie screams fun - and it is. The 2 hour running time just seems to fly by, which just goes to show how well directed it was. 

A joy to watch.


----------



## Joseph Dorantes

Ad Astra - It´s a great movie! Starred by Brad Pitt, he plays an astronaut who is commissioned to find his dad who was stuck in Mars. During the trip he faces many difficulties, including the death of his fellow pilot, which leads him to reflect on his life,actions and the society.


----------



## Li_A

Few days ago, I watched again "How to train your dragon" with my cousins and niece, It was nice to remember how I used to love (and still) this movie when I was a young; see them so concentrated in this, lol. It's a good movie to spend time with kiddos.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Star Trek : First Contact* - Still working my way through them with number One Son. (Two more to go.) He thought the Borg stuff was scary.  I thought Jonathan Frakes's wig was scarier.   Third time I've seen this one and I have to say it's beautifully lit.  Probably the best lit of all the Trek movies.


----------



## dask

Ghostbusters 1940‘s style. Fun to watch spooky comedy, especially on Halloween if you could manage it, with one of filmdom’s creepiest zombies.


----------



## KGeo777

THE GOLDEN LADY - 1979  A woman as James Bond -- Desmond Llewelyn even shows up for a few seconds to provide some gadgets. Not much for action and partly a softcore porn but it has a great soundtrack and title song by the Third Degrees.

NOTHING UNDERNEATH 1985 -Interesting if more darkly humorous than suspenseful 80s giallo about a park ranger who has a psychic connection with his twin sister who is a model in Milan. He goes to investigate her disappearance and meets 80s supermodel Renee Simonsen. Donald Pleasence is a police commissioner.


----------



## Rodders

Stardust was on last night so another rewatch of this wonderful film for me.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Prey*

I came into this movie with no expectations. I came away thinking that (other than Predators), this is the best Predator movie since Predator 2. Forget the AVP movies, and certainly forget the abysmal 'The Predator' movie, the best movies involving these creatures is when they are up against human opponents. It's not the greatest movie ever, but as a 'straight to tv' movie this was pretty enjoyable to watch.


----------



## Mouse

*The Suicide Squad*. Hadn't seen it before but had it on DVD for months so finally released it from its plastic wrapping (why are DVDS wrapped in plastic?!) and put it on. Enjoyed it a lot, very funny film. Much better than the first one and Sebastian the rat is the obvious hero of the whole thing.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE PIRATE* (1948) A travelling group of entertainers comes to town, and one particular entertainer Serafin (Gene Kelly) becomes attracted to one particular young woman  Manuela (Judy Garland). Using Mesmerism, Serafin (Gene Kelly) learns that the girl had become attracted to the infamous pirate Macoco. He daringly reveal himself as Macocco, in hopes of winning her love. That love for Macocco had arisen from her sheltered life; she had only one trip to the city, and this was it. She wanted to flee her gilded cage, and live adventurously. Her aunt had arranged her marriage to the Mayor Don Pedro Vargas (Walter Slezak), who actually was a 'reformed' Macocco.

For me, this was not very entertaining, at least when compared to Kelly's role of D'Artagnan. The musical parts rarely carried the plot, and, I found myself fast forwarding through them.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Heartthrob (2017): Despite its low ratings everywhere, my mom insisted on showing me this film when I visited. Kier Gilchrist and Aubrey Peeples are a stereotypical nerd and prep respectively who fall in love with each other somehow. What follows is a series of impulsively planned scenes that seem so wastefully unimportant to me. It tried its best to avoid padding and throws about important details as a result, the ones that show rather than tell. Basically another Fatal Attraction with the sex of the characters reversed and made for young adults. Lifetime for teens. It seemed to hold nothing back. It's not as deep or clever as it thinks it is. It's on Netflix if you want to torture yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Monster From the Ocean Floor *(1954)

Somehow, despite my hunger for cheap sci-fi/monster movies of the time period, I have just now managed to watch this example, the very first film produced (but not directed) by Roger Corman.

American commercial artist taking it easy on the Pacific coast of Mexico meets cute with Science Guy when she bumps into him while swimming.  Actually, she bumps into his nifty little one-man foot-peddled submarine, the coolest thing in the movie.  Eventually, we find out that there's a monster dissolving a guy right out of his diving suit and a dog right out of its chain and collar.  The very briefly seen critter is a one-eyed, tentacled thing.  The film is shamelessly padded with people talking, diving, etc.  There's even a scene where Science Guy serenades Artist Girl by playing the guitar and singing "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose."  Although the monster is said to be a result of underwater A-bomb tests, there's also local legends of a creature to which human sacrifices have to be made over the centuries.  This leads to a subplot where some guy is sent to sacrifice Artist Girl, but backs out of it because he's a decent sort.  Artist Girl is the real protagonist of this thing, suspecting that something bad is going on long before Science Guy has all the evidence shoved in his face.  There's nice local scenery and the actors treat everything with total sincerity, so it's not the worst low-budget monster movie ever made.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*As the Earth Turns *(filmed 1937/1938; music added and film remastered 2018)

Silent science fiction film made by a twenty-year-old amateur, later a professional.  Set in the "near future," it predicts war raging in Europe.  (Not a hard thing to do in 1937/1938.)  Radio messages from somebody called PAX warn the world to give up war or have the planet destroyed.  The anonymous Mad Scientist proves his power by causing the rotation of the Earth to slow down enough to make the day five minutes longer.  Earthquakes, snow in July, and the flooding of North Africa by the Mediterranean Sea follow.  Our heroine is the inevitable Spunky Girl Reporter, who gets kidnapped by PAX when she learns too much.  Her boyfriend and his scientist sidekick come to the rescue.

Only forty-five minutes long, it definitely looks like the work of a talented amateur.  He plays PAX himself, with white stuff in his hair and a scar added to his youthful face.  There are a lot of miniatures that never look real, but are pretty nifty anyway.  Lots of stock footage and location filming.  An interesting artifact.

(Some reviewers suggest this is a modern hoax, and not a relic from the Thirties, but I see no reason to believe this.)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Escape From Galaxy 3 *(_Giochi erotici nella terza galassia_, "Erotic games in the third galaxy," 1981)

Just another cheap Italian rip-off of *Star Wars*?  Well, yes, at least at the start.  The "King of the Night" is our bad guy.  I really hope this title wasn't selected because he's the only black actor in the film.  His costume may be the goofiest in a movie full of outrageous threads.  It's the kind of thing Liberace would have rejected as too extreme.  He destroys the planet and the space station of the good guys.  Our heroine, the outrageously named Princess Belle Star, and our nominal hero flee the destruction.  So far, it's just an abysmally inept space opera, with special effects stolen from the deliriously entertaining *Star Crash*.  Believe me, this thing makes *Star Crash *look like *2001*.  It's sometimes been released as *Star Crash II*, but it's not a sequel in any sense.

A word on Belle Star's costume.  It's an electric blue leotard, but with one leg replaced with transparent material covered with glitter, so her right leg is exposed, as well as her right buttock.  The left side of the top of the leotard is also replaced with the same stuff, which would reveal her left breast, were it not for the fact that she's wearing a starfish over it.

Anyway, these two wind up on a planet unlike anything they've seen before.  Much later, the bad guy will tell us this is Earth, long after a war destroyed civilization.  The locals look like extras for a sword-and-sandal movie.  At first they greet the new arrivals by throwing rocks at them, and later capturing them with the intent of killing them.  Once the nominal hero saves a little kid from falling off a cliff by floating up to catch him (!) they're welcomed as heroes.

Although they seem 100% human, the pair is completely unfamiliar with things like water and food.  They also learn about kissing and sex.  Yes, our childish space opera, suitable only for the most easily entertained preteens, has suddenly turned into soft porn, complete with Belle Star shedding her clothing and implied group couplings.  Hence the original Italian title.  There's also dancing to disco music (!) and a lot of other stuff to waste time.

The bad guy shows up near the end.  Our heroes pretend to surrender to him, journeying to his spaceship in their own vessel. passing the time by having sex while a really sappy love song plays on the soundtrack.  During the last few minutes of the movie, the good guy uses his new ability to shoot ray out of his eyes, acquired because he's learned about sex (!) to defeat the bad guys.  Our lovers return to Earth, although they have to pass through three galaxies (!) to get there.

Despite the insanity noted above, it's pretty boring for much of the running time.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Legend of Horror *(1972)

Takes an adaptation of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" from an Argentinian anthology film and mixes it with new American footage.  You'd expect that to be a real mess, but the result isn't terrible.  Young guy gets sent to prison.  His cellmate is an old guy who obviously lost most of his marbles long ago.  He's also got a pet rat called Tommy.  We get the first part of the Argentinian stuff when the old guy tells his story in flashback.  Before the end of this dubbed footage, the two prisoners escape.  There are a few scenes in which the old guy stabs a guard, filmed in stop motion animation (called "magicmation" in the opening credits, although the effect only lasts a second or so each time) that look really weird.  Then we have the guy flash back to the end of the Poe story.  The last few seconds of the film change from black-and-white to color, just to show a tombstone.  Not a great film by any means, but not anywhere near as bad as you'd expect from this kind of Frankensteining.  Good black-and-white cinematography in both parts.


----------



## Orcadian

Last night we watched the 2008 remake of _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. Now I know the 1951 film had clunky special effects and the sexual stereotypes usual for the day - but it did at least have strong characters, a clear moral message and a clear ending.  IMO the remake has none of these things, and is further muddied by a plethora of special effects and chaotic military flapping about. It seems the writer/drector abandoned drama and character development in favour of a sequence of panicked action scenes. I had trouble believing (!) that a mother's protectiveness towards her son could be indicative of a saving compassion in humanity. For me both the beginning and the ending of the film were very unclear. I thought Keanu Reeves managed impassivity very well, though I also thought the alien Klaatu would probably have chosen the appearance of an older, wiser human being.


----------



## Orcadian

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Monster From the Ocean Floor *(1954)
> 
> Somehow, despite my hunger for cheap sci-fi/monster movies of the time period, I have just now managed to watch this example, the very first film produced (but not directed) by Roger Corman.
> 
> American commercial artist taking it easy on the Pacific coast of Mexico meets cute with Science Guy when she bumps into him while swimming.  Actually, she bumps into his nifty little one-man foot-peddled submarine, the coolest thing in the movie.  Eventually, we find out that there's a monster dissolving a guy right out of his diving suit and a dog right out of its chain and collar.  The very briefly seen critter is a one-eyed, tentacled thing.  The film is shamelessly padded with people talking, diving, etc.  There's even a scene where Science Guy serenades Artist Girl by playing the guitar and singing "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose."  Although the monster is said to be a result of underwater A-bomb tests, there's also local legends of a creature to which human sacrifices have to be made over the centuries.  This leads to a subplot where some guy is sent to sacrifice Artist Girl, but backs out of it because he's a decent sort.  Artist Girl is the real protagonist of this thing, suspecting that something bad is going on long before Science Guy has all the evidence shoved in his face.  There's nice local scenery and the actors treat everything with total sincerity, so it's not the worst low-budget monster movie ever made.


This actually sounds like a hoot - something we would have rented and shared a few pizzas over, in my graduate student days.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES*_ (1946) This is one WWII film I did not want to watch; but, somehow did anyway. So, there are these 3 veterans, 2 portrayed by big-name actors, & one who actually was in the war, & lost both hands in the process. Well, they meet & become acquainted on a military transport plane going from an Army Air force base to a small Midwestern town.  Two of them had inversions during the war; that is, going for prominent jobs to lower ones, or vise-versa.  One, Technical Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March) had a white-collar job in a bank, the other, Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) was a soda-jerk in a drug store. The third guy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), I do not recall his position in life, but having lost both hands, he must adjust to the changes. His girlfriend, will she still want to marry him, or not? That, as well as the difficulties of going through life without hands. I can tell you, because I was in a homeroom for crippled kids, & there was one boy who had neither elbows nor knees, just stubs. He had those hooks for hands, and such, and the difficulty using them for 'normal' things, such as writing, eating, etc. 

The one scene that stuck in my mind was when Derry went to a field covered with partially disassembled aircraft. There were rows upon rows of engines, fuselages, etc. 





I recall a radio talk show guy talking about the military's overwhelming desire to bring the boys home, and just shoving equipment off aircraft carriers into the sea. Then, just a few years later, needing to build new ones, for the Korean War.  

Anyway, this film was intense, though in a much different way, than _*THE LONGEST DAY,*_ or other such war movies. For these guys, the war would not end.


----------



## Rodders

Quite an interesting summary Jeffbert.


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> & now, for something completely different:
> 
> _*THE RED BALLOON*_ (1956) As I recall, I 1st saw this in school; this & THE POINT. I get the point of THE POINT, but I do not understand what was the point of _*THE RED BALLOON.*_ It apparently won various awards & such, & while I do find it interesting (but not fascinating), I don't get it. After reading the wiki page, o.k., that simply did not occur to me.
> View attachment 92460
> That kid will die, if he loses his grip on those strings!
> 
> So, this little boy finds a balloon whose string is entangled on a lamppost. He frees it, and having found a new toy, soon realizes it is alive, & obeys him. Cute. The older boys want to pop it, & when they do, all the other balloons in town forsake their owners, & flock to this boy.



Ive seen it two or three times  ,  I don't get this film either nor do I understand  it popularly and acclaim..

The animated tv show  *The Critic* had Jay Sherman reviews  a  Steven Seagal  film  * Red Balloon The Revenge*. It's a sequel.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*RRR *- Tollywood blockbuster action movie that is as wild and over the top as it could be. The mixture of (ahem) _mannered _acting, high octane action and toe-tapping bollywood music is tied together with a lot of heart, some ludicrous vfx and moustache twirling villains in the shape of the English. It's ludicrous, funny, heart-warming and very silly. Highly recommended.


----------



## Orcadian

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES*_ (1946) This is one WWII film I did not want to watch; but, somehow did anyway. So, there are these 3 veterans, 2 portrayed by big-name actors, & one who actually was in the war, & lost both hands in the process. Well, they meet & become acquainted on a military transport plane going from an Army Air force base to a small Midwestern town.  Two of them had inversions during the war; that is, going for prominent jobs to lower ones, or vise-versa.  One, Technical Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March) had a white-collar job in a bank, the other, Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) was a soda-jerk in a drug store. The third guy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), I do not recall his position in life, but having lost both hands, he must adjust to the changes. His girlfriend, will she still want to marry him, or not? That, as well as the difficulties of going through life without hands. I can tell you, because I was in a homeroom for crippled kids, & there was one boy who had neither elbows nor knees, just stubs. He had those hooks for hands, and such, and the difficulty using them for 'normal' things, such as writing, eating, etc.
> 
> The one scene that stuck in my mind was when Derry went to a field covered with partially disassembled aircraft. There were rows upon rows of engines, fuselages, etc.
> View attachment 92832
> 
> I recall a radio talk show guy talking about the military's overwhelming desire to bring the boys home, and just shoving equipment off aircraft carriers into the sea. Then, just a few years later, needing to build new ones, for the Korean War.
> 
> Anyway, this film was intense, though in a much different way, than _*THE LONGEST DAY,*_ or other such war movies. For these guys, the war would not end.


I enjoyed this film, seen some years ago. Found it more authentic and more compelling for dealing with the aftemath, rather than with medals and glory. I really liked the way these three guys, who otherwise would have nothing in common, have a real bond and support for each other that transcends the different civilian lives they spring from.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Conspirators of Pleasure* - strange very arty (avowedly so) film about several people with oddly overlapping lives living out their masturbatory sexual fantasies. I don't think any of the characters actually deliberately touch another character during the course of the film. One of the chapters is called 'The postwoman performs her pleasure ritual'.  It involved two rubber tubes shoved in her nostrils and an enamelled bowl full of the little balls of bread she had been surreptitiously rolling on her rounds. The little balls of bread are then given to the television newsreader who feeds them to her carp which she keeps under her desk in the TV studio and which suck on her toes as she, in turn, is watched by the electronics expert/newspaper shop owner who has built a multi-armed robot that caresses him as he watches her read the news. At the start of the film he's the one who sold the girly magazines to the man who engages in some _really _weird chicken voodoo wardrobe related long distance sadomasochistic stuff that eventually gets investigated by the police inspector who gets his jollies from rolling pins covered in fur with nails driven into them.  He's married to the newsreader...

It's Czech.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Bubble *(1966)

Arch Oboler of _Lights Out _fame wrote, directed, and produced this oddity.  A man and his extremely pregnant wife are being flown in some guy's little plane from somewhere to somewhere, because she's going to have the baby like right now.  Despite a storm that blacks out everything, they manage to land at what they think is a runway, but is actually a road lit by streetlamps.  Present is a taxicab, which is darn convenient, but the driver just keeps saying "Taxi, Mister?" over and over like a broken record.  Somehow they get to a hospital and the baby is delivered safely, although the local doctor doesn't speak at all.

It seems that the whole town is a chaos of structures from different times and places, and the inhabitants are robot-like people who just keep repeating the same actions.  At an Old West saloon, the bartender keeps polishing the same glass, and keeps saying "What'll it be, gents?"  The saloon's only dance hall girl does a can-can by herself, without music.  The pilot takes Zombie Dance Hall Girl with him, I suppose because she's pretty, but she doesn't last long.

It turns out the place is encased in a transparent force field or some such.  The rest of the movie deals with out hapless trio's (quartet, with the baby) efforts to figure out what's going on and how to escape.  Weird stuff happens.  The pilot goes into a thing that looks like a big boulder, sits in a strange chair, and has visions of rubber masks flying at him.  As a matter of fact, lots of stuff flies at the audience, because this thing was originally shown in 3-D.  

It's like an extended _Twilight Zone _episode.  Obviously filmed with a bunch of sets and props taken from the back lot of a movie studio, it looks like it had a minimal budget.  Although there's speculation, we never really get an explanation for the situation, and the ending is anticlimactic.  Bombastic music doesn't help, but it's interesting.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Beast With a Million Eyes *(1955)

Early Roger Corman production has an interesting idea executed very badly.  Over a poor representation of Earth in space, we hear the voice of an alien invader spoil the whole movie.  It explains how it's going to take over the minds of animals, then of the weaker humans.  Cut to a desert farm, where our second narrator tells us how he's losing money.  His very unhappy wife admits that sometimes she almost hates her own teenage daughter.  Adding to this dysfunctional family is a mute, brain-damaged fellow known only as Him.  An irritating humming noise, which we'll hear way too often, shatters a bunch of kitchenware in the farmhouse.  Next come attacks by the family dog, flocks of birds, and a cow.  Eventually Him gets possessed by the alien and drags the daughter off to its spaceship (which looks like a big coffee pot.)  Things look bleak until Mom and Pop realize that the power of love can drive off the invader.

A very cheap movie that looks very cheap.  The animal attacks are not convincing at all.  In particular, the family dog just looks like a friendly pooch when it's supposedly so dangerous it has to be shot.  Not a good movie.


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## KGeo777

WITHOUT WARNING 1980 -- This is such a good drive-in movie. I saw it at the drive-in when it came out. Kevin Peter Hall played the alien and was the alien in Predator.  I have to assume it wasn't a coincidence. The original alien design for the 1987 film was rejected and my guess is someone who had seen this film said why not do an alien like that one. This alien is tougher than the predator because it can get shot and doesn't get even flinch but the predator freaked out when it was grazed in the leg.
The lead is good--Tarah Nutter---not seen her in anything else. The cinematography was by Dean Cundey who went on to do the Thing etc.
I am surprised a sequel wasn't made but I guess one of these days a remake will happen--unfortunately. It should be better known--it came out during the slasher era but it's more like a traditional alien invader monster movie.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

I haven't seen *Predator *or its sequels, but the premise, unless I am mistaken, makes it sound like something of a remake of *Without Warning*.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*A Witch Without a Broom *(_Una bruja sin escoba_, 1968)

Spanish fantasy comedy.  Jeffrey Hunter is a professor of history teaching at a university in Madrid.  He sees a beautiful blonde sitting in the front row of the lecture hall, but nobody else can see her.  She's a witch from the 15th century who's in love with him.  Trying to get together with him, she uses her father's time travel amulet, but not very well.  What follows is a series of misadventures in the 16th century, the present (the swinging sixties, at a discothèque), the Stone Age, ancient Rome, and the far-off future world of 2019.  The latter segment brings Hunter together with the only seven survivors of 1999's World War Boom-Boom [sic], seven beautiful women who plan to repopulate the world with his help.  Actually, most of the segments feature Hunter pursued by amorous women; it's sort of a G-rated sex comedy.  Not a lot of big laughs, but worth a few smiles.  Best described as "cute."


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## Randy M.

Speaking of slasher era ...

*Sorority House Massacre* (1986; dir. Carol Frank [also the writer]; starring Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross and a few red-shirt boys)

The problem with '80s slashers is that, no matter how intelligent or witty the first reel or two, by the third reel they revert to slashers. 

A few things kept me watching: First, a mostly successful attempt to indicate a dream state, a sense of disassociation for the main character as she enters the sorority house, inter-cut with scenes of a patient in a psychiatric hospital going wild. (These scenes also suggest a low budget.) Second, our heroine, again seeming dreamy, a bit dazed, stares at herself in a shared, steamy bathroom mirror, when the young woman in the shower steps out naked, glances at her, grabs a towel and wraps it around herself and exits stage right. No intrusion of camera into shower, no preening for the camera, just out of shower and out of scene. There's a later scene where three sorority sisters try on the clothes of an absent, wealthy sorority sister that again isn't played to work up the male audience. (It does make me wonder, did women in a sorority ever really do this sort of thing, or is our collective imaginations tainted by overworked male libidos? Probably the answer is yes to both.) Fourth, all of these young women look plausible; none look like Playboy models or porn stars; they even look about the right age to be juniors or seniors in college. Lastly, early on short scenes show the main characters in their classes, listening to stuff that obliquely applied to the plot, and at least one of which was amusing enough to make me grin.

All of this works against the promotional photo with the blonde in negligee being ogled through Venetian blinds. 

But then, the third reel. 

The movie steals shamelessly from _Halloween_, including musical cues, shots of the slasher stalking, a similar locale and so on, though they didn't incorporate a Dr. Loomis, exactly. 

If you're in a certain mood around Halloween, this would make an interesting double bill with another female written/directed movie, _The Slumber Party Massacre_, which at times is more openly satirical. But checking IMDB, I found that Frank was the assistant to the director on that one. I wish she'd leaned into it even more, but early on this was at least interesting.


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## Jeffbert

_*KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS*_ (1954) The collection of European armies of various nations gathered under King Richard (George Sanders)'s banner is an uneasy one. They have all come to liberate THE HOLY LAND from the infidels. Some of the lords of other nations think Richard ought to be removed from command, & of course replaced by none other than themselves. Treachery is afoot!  One such lord has his archer shoot KR with a Saracen-style arrow, with, of course, a poisoned tip. Of all things, Emir Ilderim (Rex Harrison) who is using an assumed name, comes along, & speeds KR's recovery. Rather unlikely, & while I must admit my ignorance about the crusades,  it seems weird.

But, most importantly, I enjoyed this film. Very colorful!


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## JunkMonkey

*The Watcher in the Woods *- which has been on my 'must get round to see' list for a while as one of those 'Interestingly Dark' movies that Disney made in the early 80s:  _Dragonslayer, Return to Oz, Something Wicked This Way Comes..._  And it's not bad.  Some of the acting is a little to earnest and Disneyish but the atmosphere and art direction is terrific and the camera work is astonishingly good.


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## KGeo777

SEVEN SEAS TO CALAIS 1962 - Rod Taylor as Sir Francis Drake on adventures to discover gold and potatoes. Kind of cheap but dramatically good in an early 60s Italian sort of way.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Electra One *(Spanish: _Con la muerte a la espalda_; Italian: _Con la morte alle spalle_, both of which mean something like "With death behind;" French: _Typhon sur Hambourg_; "Typhoon over Hamburg"; German: _Operation Taifun_, "Operation Typhoon," 1967)

With all those titles, it won't surprise you that this is a Spanish/Italian/French production filmed in Germany.  It also might explain why the copy I watched was dubbed into English and had the credits in German with a song in French on the soundtrack.

Anyway, this Eurospy flick starts with the bad guys dosing an American army colonel with a drug that makes him go berserk and almost hit the little red button that will launch "space missiles" and start World War Three. Another army guy shoots him just in time. Yes, a single push of a finger by a colonel could wipe out civilization.

A supervillain calling himself Electra One is behind the scheme. The good guys develop an antidote. The scientist who came up with the antidote and his assistant, our movie's Good Girl, take the formula for the stuff to a co-operating team of Americans and Soviets, some place where valuable jewelry is being displayed in a fashion show. The infamous jewel thief called the Lynx, our movie's hero, very easily grabs some of the gems, despite supposed high security. (It's as bad as the security that let one of the bad guys casually slip the drug into the colonel's tea at the beginning.)

At the same time, our movie's Bad Girl lures the scientist and the assistant into the same room as the thief. A lurking bad guy kills the professor, and the Lynx rescues the assistant, who has the formula in her briefcase.

What follows is essentially a lengthy series of chase scenes, as everybody tries to get 1. the drug 2. the antidote 3. the Good Girl and/or 4. a bunch of money. There's a fair amount of comedy, with a fight scene in a nightclub, where the Lynx is wearing a wet suit (long story) being played as slapstick, with all the patrons and a group of professional acrobats joining in the fun. It's an OK way to pass the time.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Killer Wore Gloves *(_La muerte llama a las 10_, "Death calls at 10," 1974)

Giving this Spanish _giallo _that English language title is kind of like calling a Western *The Cowboy Rode a Horse*.  Starts with two guys with identical valises entering a men's room at an airport.  One then slashes the other's throat.  Our main character is a young woman whose photojournalist boyfriend (or maybe husband) went off to Vietnam and then disappeared.  She spots him in a car but can't catch up with him.  Then a phone call from him sends her to a place where somebody tries to shoot her.  Then somebody falls off the balcony of her building to his death.  This turns out to be somebody who was pretending to be the guy she was expecting to show up to rent half of her apartment, now that the photojournalist isn't around.  Other folks get killed.  Lacks the visual style of many a _giallo _and is thus more like an ordinary mystery/suspense film.  Not very interesting, really.


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## Jeffbert

*DANGER LIGHTS* (1930) About railroad workers and the signal lights that indicate conditions on the tracks ahead. So, this one guy Larry Doyle (Robert Armstrong) is a hobo-type who rides in boxcars, but who had worked as a RR guy until x happened.  Dan Thorn (Louis Wolheim; not familiar with his name, but have seen him before) is the guy who runs the works, and being shorthanded, offers a job to LD, hoping he can recover his dignity, etc. 

Interesting film.


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## Ubergeek

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Watcher in the Woods *- which has been on my 'must get round to see' list for a while as one of those 'Interestingly Dark' movies that Disney made in the early 80s:  _Dragonslayer, Return to Oz, Something Wicked This Way Comes..._  And it's not bad.  Some of the acting is a little to earnest and Disneyish but the atmosphere and art direction is terrific and the camera work is astonishingly good.


Mmmm. Thanks Junk Monkey. One I've been considering for a while but worried it was a wee bit too YA.


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## JunkMonkey

Ubergeek said:


> Mmmm. Thanks Junk Monkey. One I've been considering for a while but worried it was a wee bit too YA.



Nothing wrong with YA - as long as it's _good_ YA.

Tonight I watched *Electric Man* (2012)- which wasn't. It could have been - and it wasn't _terrible_, but it wasn't good - no matter how hard I tried to convince myself it was.   It's a low budget Scottish film about two young (broke) comic-book shop owners who find an ultra-rare, super expensive 1930's comic in their shop and are threatened by various heavies and gorgeous women claiming ownership.  The film  started to go really wrong for me the moment the valuable book appeared on the screen.. A  Mint 1938 first edition of Electric Man - worth, we were told, 100,000 dollars, stolen from the collection of a famous collector, and it was just bagged and boarded like a copy of last month's X-Men?!  Get out of here!  It got worse when they opened it - actually before they opened it, because it looked to be the wrong size for a 1930s comic - as the artwork inside looked NOTHING like a 1930s comic book.   But even if it had looked old, and even if the MacGuffin book had been slabbed like it would have been if it was real, the script wasn't good enough.  To much vague yada yada yada waffling.  And I didn't believe the two central comic book guys at all to vague and wishy washy.  There was no passion there.  Not enough pop culture references.  These guys should have been pooping of in-jokes and allusions in every scene.  The eyelines went spectacularly wrong in the final showdown - the editor must have had a hard day cutting that scene.  A few nice lines though - One of our heroes on the run from the heavies panting: "We need to find somewhere safe! - with Wi-Fi" being one.  There are five reviews of this film on IMDb.  All of them from the year it was released four of them from reviewers who thought it was wonderful but who never commented again on any other film.


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## Jeffbert

*EDGE OF THE CITY* (1957) A fugitive Axel Nordmann (John Cassavetes) becomes a dock worker, and is befriended by another Tommy Tyler (Sidney Poitier). It turns out, the guy had a thing about authority figures, and had deserted from the Army. One of the higher-up dock workers   Charlie Malick (Jack Warden) enjoys throwing his weight around, & insists that the new guy work under him, even though he is already working under Tyler. 



Spoiler



Eventually Malick provokes a fight and kills Tyler. nobody saw anything, or so they all claim, & the cops are stymied. But, Nordmann, who has been calling himself North, hoping to avoid arrest for desertion (though I am unsure it would be called that, given the fact that they were in the USA, at the time), but Tyler's wife, who had believed that her husband died accidentally, now knows he was murdered, feels shame, & decides to take action. Long sentence, huh?


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## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Killer Wore Gloves *(_La muerte llama a las 10_, "Death calls at 10," 1974)


Has the 70s  counterculture film "it" girl Gillian Hills. She was the "popsicle aficionado" in A Clockwork Orange. Not sure why she was famous for that though--it's the first thing that comes up for her on IMDB. 


LAST OF THE BADMEN 1967 -  Nice surprise for an obscure spaghetti western starring George Hilton as a ranch hand who cheerfully suffers various abuses by his employer due to his loving and self-destructive nature until he meets a psychotic outlaw with epilepsy(!) (Frank Wolff) and they form an unlikely partnership as the latter goes in the pursuit of sadistic vengeance. It's a good companion film for FACE TO FACE although this goes in a very different direction.


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## interretiarius

*Arrival (2016):* This was politically like The Arrival (1996), in that the Americans politically are the good guys and there are antagonised countries. In The Arrival, Mexico was giving shelter to the malign aliens; and in here, Russia and China (among others) are behaving in a way that doesn't please the good (?) Americans. How typical... Anyway, this was a very good movie; excellent entertainment, really. Even if I don't like the political aspects of such American movies, there's some plausibility in their reflection. At least, the Americans see the world like this. I respect that, eventually. *8.5/10

Dark Skies (2013):* Another alien movie, but this time the beings are familiar: the Grey aliens! A fine film, though nothing spectacular. *7/10

Dream House (2011):* Back to reality... Or does the perception of the protagonist reflect the actual reality? A decent mystery/thriller. Not a standout film, nonetheless. *6.5/10*


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## Foxbat

Dark City. A movie, I felt, was somewhat overshadowed by The Matrix but a good film in its own right.


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## Judderman

I came by (2022) . A good English thriller/horror. A graffiti "artist" breaks into a house with some unpleasant surprises.

Deliver Us From Evil (2014) . Horror, involving possession. I enjoyed this one. Very atmospheric. Maybe not particularly original with the Priest trying to persuade the cop of occult existence, but still a solid watch for horror fans. Maybe a bit over the top towards the end but many horror films are.


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## Happy Joe

Infinite (2021) A pretty good action flick with Mark Wahlberg; it does require some suspension of disbelief (completely unbelievable fights and car crashes).
I enjoyed it enough that I will add it to the video library (but then I do like, well done, action movies; as ;long as they are not too juvenile)...

Enjoy!


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## Victoria Silverwolf

KGeo777 said:


> Has the 70s  counterculture film "it" girl Gillian Hills. She was the "popsicle aficionado" in A Clockwork Orange. Not sure why she was famous for that though--it's the first thing that comes up for her on IMDB.



Yes, it seems she is best known for appearing nude in two different three-way romps in *Blow Up *and *A Clockwork Orange*.  I can recall her very early appearance in *Beat Girl*.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Broken Arrow *(1950)

So we got the movie version of the TV series we've been watching.  The pilot followed the movie extremely closely, often scene for scene and with the same dialogue.  Anyway, it's an expensive, Technicolor epic of the Old West, as James Stewart makes peace with Cochise, the chief of one branch of the Apache.  Nicely made, but non-Native Americans in the Native American roles is embarrassing.  We also just got the original novel, _Blood Brother _by Elliott Arnold.


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## JunkMonkey

*My Darling Clementine* - John Ford's finest film and possibly the Greatest Western of all Time.  But then I think every film by John Ford I've just finished watching is John Ford's finest film and possibly the Greatest Western of all Time.  But _My Darling Clementine_ really  is both.


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## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Yes, it seems she is best known for appearing nude in two different three-way romps in *Blow Up *and *A Clockwork Orange*.  I can recall her very early appearance in *Beat Girl*.


I watched it (The Killer Wore Gloves) and she went nude in this too.
I think the MVP is her hair. Her hair always looks good.
It was a pretty tepid movie but it did have a couple of cute cats.
The one gross out moment is when the guy rubs a bloody  rabbit pelt in someone's face.
I like getting time capsule glimpses of a big city--I noticed one marquee had Twiggy on it.


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## KGeo777

One unique thing with  The Killer Wore Gloves was the car chase--the camera was put at an unusual angle--I have never seen that angle used before in a car chase. Not sure why they did that but it did make the sequence stand out before the abrupt ending.


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## bradleyibanez66

angelle myst said:


> I've been wondering about going to see Crossroads but i've been getting mixed reviews, anyone seen it? Anyone suggest another film i should see?
> 
> xxx:aliengray


Are you talking about the Ralph Machio Crossroads? Sorry, if no, I don't know any other Crossroads. Though, I will elaborate! I once heard Ralph was offered this role at the same time as a role in Back to the Future. He chose Crossroads because he wanted a more serious role. I couldn't imagine BttF without Michael J., though.
Anyways, Steve Vai does all the guitar scenes. Probably a poorly rated film, but, being an avid guitarist my entire life, I loved it! A classically trained guitarist rebelliously leaves his education to travel to Mississippi to learn the blues and eventually challenges the devil himself. I couldn't ask for more in a movie. Except for maybe some comedy. Then I turn towards Tenacious D's Pick of Destiny. So funny! If you're interested in a book about a musician, check out Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind. One of my favorites. He nails the suspense of being on stage and trying to impress an audience.
As for the last movie I watched, Hulu just put Short Circuit up for stream. I had to watch a childhood favorite.

-I've never seen the Britney Spears Crossroads.  Lol Looks like there is a Crossroads from 1942, also.


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## Jeffbert

*MAGIC* (1978) Magician Corky  Withers (Anthony Hopkins) who uses a ventriloquist dummy, loses his mind, and begins believing that the dummy named Fats, is alive, etc.  He projects onto the dummy all his wicked thoughts, and blames the dummy for his own evil.


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## Guttersnipe

The Black Phone (2022): A supernatural horror based on a short story by Stephen King's son, Joe Hill. In 70s/80s Denver, a masked man is at large kidnapping kids who are never seen again. One boy is kidnapped and proves to be quite a match for the Grabber. Do to psychic ability, he is able to communicate with the ghosts of dead victims. His sister has prophetic dreams.

I haven't read the source material, but I loved this movie. I didn't think I'd like it because the idea of a magical telephone didn't sound scary to me. While it didn't especially scare me, I do laud the scenes' ability to thrill. I was rooting for the kid the whole time. It's a rewarding watch.


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## Randy M.

*Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster* (2021)

Nice review of Karloff's life and career. Probably more reverential than a good documentary should be -- Karloff seemed to be one of the true gentlemen of old Hollywood, but he was married five times and that's mentioned but glossed over. A really good selection of interviews with directors, actors and film historians offering appreciations (Joe Dante, John Landis, Stephanie Powers, Guillermo del Toro, Dick Miller, David Skal, etc) as well as Karloff's daughter, Sara.


*Your Vice is Locked Room and Only I Have the Key* (1972; dir. Sergio Martino; staring Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli)

This phrase was used in the last giallo I watched, _The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh_, also directed by Martino and featuring Fenech (Ivan Rassimov also has roles in both), so I was curious. _... Mrs. Wardh_ was a proto-slasher but this is more of a Gothic, rather like Martino had watched all of Roger Corman's Poe movies and decided, hey, we can do that, but make it contemporary and add more sex, violence and general perversity! So, borrowing from Poe's "The Black Cat," he did just that.

Oliviero (Pistilli) is a failed writer, Irina (Stindberg) is his wife, their marriage is a shambles; he is still grieving his dead mother, and he hates his wife, whom he routinely abuses. Some of the set-up of the situation gets a bit hard to watch, partly because of spousal abuse, partly because of camp: There's a singing scene with a bunch of hippie-ish teens. It's a toss-up which is more squirm inducing.

Enter Floriana (Fenech), his niece, and things start getting, for lack of a better word, icky. Fenech brings an energy and charisma that picks the film up and moves it along to its resolution, seemingly playing both sides of the marital war for her own agenda. Ultimately, it moves from Poe-ish to something more Hitchcockian and then back again.

Interesting movie and more than a little bizarre.


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## Rodders

Wonder Woman. 

Very enjoyable. I've yet to see WW:1982.


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## Jeffbert

*MAGIC* (1978) A magician Corky  Withers (Anthony Hopkins) who uses a ventriloquist dummy, loses his mind, and begins believing that the dummy named Fats, is alive, etc.  He projects onto the dummy all his wicked thoughts.

I vaguely recall the ad, Hocus pocus, I sit on his knee... now he is me... magic is fun... we're dead.   or something like that.


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## Jeffbert

_*ANNA KARENINA*_ (1935) Anna Karenina (Greta Garbo) is married to Karenin (Basil Rathbone), a rather boring government official, but has eyes for the dashing  Count Vronsky (Fredric March), with his chest covered by military medals, etc., & has an affair with him.  Karenin, is offended, and demands she either remain faithful to him, and retain her relationship with their son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew), or go with Vronsky, and forever lose access to their son. 

Vronsky, for his part, must either stay with his regiment and forsake Anna, because of military rules, etc., or leave the military to be with her. Both choose each other, and consequences follow. 

Not quite my type of film, but the cast attracted me.


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## Jeffbert

_*KING OF THE UNDERWORLD*_ (1939) Physician Dr. Niles Nelson (John Eldredge) becomes involved with gangsters, and is drawn into being their personal doctor. His wife, aslo a surgeon, has no idea he is so employed, but since they moved from a lower-class neighborhood to an upper-class one, he has not been taking patients- at least- none to her knowledge. Because he is in their hideout when the police raid the place, he is killed. Now his widow Dr. Carole Nelson (Kay Francis) is suspected of also being involved, so she has 90 days to clear herself, or her license will be revoked. Determined to get the gang led by Joe Gurney (Humphrey Bogart) responsible for her husband's death, she goes after them with gusto.

One of thy film's features, is the poor education of the gangsters. She insults Gurney, and he takes it as a compliment. So, Gurney, thinking very highly of himself has an educated type begin writing his biography, whose details could land Gurney in the electric chair; Gurney is not worried, though, he plans to kill the guy once the book is finished. The guy  Bill Stevens (James Stephenson), overhears the plan, and when he meets the doctor, he tells her that this biography will be his SWAN SONG. That line, is really the only thing I recalled about this film.  She, as well as the audience, knows what this means, but the gangsters do not. 

Just over an hour, this film moves rather swiftly; very satisfying.


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## hitmouse

Rewatched *In Bruges* after a number of years. Brilliant dark comedy, with a perfect match of script and casting.


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## Astro Pen

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES*_ (1946) This is one WWII film I did not want to watch; but, somehow did anyway. So, there are these 3 veterans, 2 portrayed by big-name actors, & one who actually was in the war, & lost both hands in the process. Well, they meet & become acquainted on a military transport plane going from an Army Air force base to a small Midwestern town.  Two of them had inversions during the war; that is, going for prominent jobs to lower ones, or vise-versa.  One, Technical Sergeant Al Stephenson (Fredric March) had a white-collar job in a bank, the other, Captain Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) was a soda-jerk in a drug store. The third guy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), I do not recall his position in life, but having lost both hands, he must adjust to the changes. His girlfriend, will she still want to marry him, or not? That, as well as the difficulties of going through life without hands. I can tell you, because I was in a homeroom for crippled kids, & there was one boy who had neither elbows nor knees, just stubs. He had those hooks for hands, and such, and the difficulty using them for 'normal' things, such as writing, eating, etc.
> 
> The one scene that stuck in my mind was when Derry went to a field covered with partially disassembled aircraft. There were rows upon rows of engines, fuselages, etc.
> View attachment 92832
> 
> I recall a radio talk show guy talking about the military's overwhelming desire to bring the boys home, and just shoving equipment off aircraft carriers into the sea. Then, just a few years later, needing to build new ones, for the Korean War.


Yes, my ex's father (UK Navy) used to talk about that. I just seemed such a horrible, and rather stupid, waste chucking all those planes overboard.
Especially considering how devastated the British manufacturing industry was by war's end. He never told me who gave the order


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## JunkMonkey

*Skeletons* (2010) - and this is what I've been looking for every time I pick up a DVD I've never heard of.  _Skeletons_ is a low budget British film about two bickering men, working for a mysterious Colonel, who provide a service for people.  A service  that changes their customers' lives in not altogether expected ways. I won't say more because discovering _what_ they do is part of the fun of the film. And it's just wonderful: very funny, mysterious, touching and odd.  Very very odd. (One of the characters turns Bulgarian.)  I love watching films where I have no idea what is going to happen.  Some films you know exactly how they are going to play out before the end of the first scene and the rest of the watching is a matter of appreciating (or not) the interesting, skillfull way way the film makers arrange their dominoes as they all tip over.  With _Skeletons_ I was guessing right up to the last scene.  I loved it. One of the out-takes in the extras on the disc is entitled, "Cat-Faced Women of the 1940s" which I think is the best title for a deleted scene I have ever seen.


----------



## Jeffbert

OUR GANG in _*TINY TROUBLES*_ (1939) Alfalfa's baby brother is too noisy, & as mama said the baby was found in the hollow of a tree, Alfalfa thinks he can swap the kid for a quieter one. But a midget pickpocket posing as a baby  is adopted as the answer to prayer. Too dumb to be cute.


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## KGeo777

HARD TIMES 1975  - This movie has great rewatch value. Even if you know how the fights go, they are still suspenseful.  I don't think it would be like that if Charles Bronson's character was played by Don Knotts.


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## Jeffbert

_*HIT AND RUN*_ (1957) A young mechanic (Vince Edwards), lusting for his boss' (Hugo Haas) wife Julie (Cleo Moore) murders him. But did he run over the boss, or the boss' identical twin brother, who had just then, arrived? NOIR ALLEY, & Muller's always interesting intro & exit talks. 

I think I earlier mentioned something about identical twins not remaining identical, because of habits differing, etc.


----------



## Guttersnipe

JunkMonkey said:


> *Skeletons* (2010) - and this is what I've been looking for every time I pick up a DVD I've never heard of.  _Skeletons_ is a low budget British film about two bickering men, working for a mysterious Colonel, who provide a service for people.  A service  that changes their customers' lives in not altogether expected ways. I won't say more because discovering _what_ they do is part of the fun of the film. And it's just wonderful: very funny, mysterious, touching and odd.  Very very odd. (One of the characters turns Bulgarian.)  I love watching films where I have no idea what is going to happen.  Some films you know exactly how they are going to play out before the end of the first scene and the rest of the watching is a matter of appreciating (or not) the interesting, skillfull way way the film makers arrange their dominoes as they all tip over.  With _Skeletons_ I was guessing right up to the last scene.  I loved it. One of the out-takes in the extras on the disc is entitled, "Cat-Faced Women of the 1940s" which I think is the best title for a deleted scene I have ever seen.


I saw this not too long ago. Unique, clever, and fun.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Three thousand Years of Longing *

Directed by George Mad Max Miller and starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba and all I can say is that I thought it was BEAUTIFUL I wont say any more but I highly recommend this.


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## Jeffbert

_*SHANKS*_ (1974) Malcolm Shanks (Marcel Marceau) As a puppeteer whose performance becomes live action. So, this old guy dies, and Shanks, using the old guy's technique, reanimates the corpse using electrical stimulation. Thoroughly amusing awkward positions!  Eventually three corpses are thus animated, & the guy keeps the controls in his pockets.

William Castle who directed had a small role as a shopkeeper. I saw so many brands of products! Cigarettes, MARLBORO, PARLIAMENT, etc., cigars, KING EDWARD IMPERIAL, etc. COCA-COLA was all over the place.  BROMO SELTZER. Chewing gum, WRIGLEYS three varieties, etc.

A very different kind of puppet film!

Almost forgot: when the old guy had electrodes attached to a dead frog, the sound effects from War of the Worlds's Martian War machines' death ray was used.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

Movies and Television Get All Mixed Up Double Feature:

*Queen for a Day *(1951) 

The popular radio and very-soon-to-be television series, in which the audience would vote to see which female contestant had the most heartbreaking story and would be crowned Queen for a Day and get a bunch of prizes, serves as the unlikely linking story for this anthology film, based on previous published works by noted authors.

"The Gossamer World" by Faith Baldwin (_Women's Home Companion_, August 1948) -- the parents of a young boy who lives in a fantasy world discover he has polio.

"High Diver" by John Ashworth (_Harper's Magazine_, May 1948) -- a young man takes up the dangerous profession of the title in an attempt to earn enough money to go to college.

"Horsie" by Dorothy Parker (_Harper's Bazaar_, December 1932) -- an unattractive visiting nurse is secretly mocked by the rich folks whose newborn baby she cares for.

The gimmick of linking these tales to the radio series is really odd.  The stories aren't terribly interesting, with the last one being the best

*What Makes Sammy Run? *(1959)

A two-part adaptation of the 1941 novel of the same name by Budd Schulberg that was broadcast on a TV series called _Sunday Showcase_.  Originally in color, but the surviving copy is black-and-white.  There was a 1949 version broadcast on _The Philco Television Playhouse _which is lost.  Anyway, this is the story of Sammy Glick, who rises from copyboy at a New York newspaper to a powerful Hollywood producer, by lying and cheating and stealing credit from others.  As a portrait of a louse, it's effective.  The word "damn" shows up quite a lot for American television of the time.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Murder by Contract* (1958) - tight gangster B-movie about a contract killer. Apparently very influential on Scorcese, who used scenes in Taxi Driver. I love the concision of the scenes, within 5 minutes we know exactly who the main character is and what his motivations are. Excellent tough guy dialogue that borders on the pretentious when a job makes him question his life choices.


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## KGeo777

FUNERAL IN BERLIN 1966 - An easy to forget film since it seems to blur together with other similar films of the time like the Quiller Memorandum. I never remember much about it after a viewing. Then I think: hey, I haven't watched that in a while-maybe I should. Then I do, and realize why I forget it.
I like the mundane aspects of the Harry Palmer character and my antipathy towards James Bond films is due to the uneven tone between serious and comedy. This is much more serious but it feels dated (excluding the transvestite bar scene).  Actually,  Michael Caine went from that bar scene to Dressed To Kill. And he mentions he has his inflatable Batman suit--and years later, he's Alfred. 

SEXY CAT - 1972   This story feels very current considering the focus on comic book economics and gender identity.  A comic book character (identical to Spider-man's Black Cat) seems to come to life in order to kill off people associated with its financial success. A Spanish giallo, it is rather crude in narrative and technique (including a snake getting slashed by a sword).  But the reveal of the killer is an interesting twist (too bad they didn't give the audience the chance to learn it on their own by switching the chronology of two sequences). They reveal the identity, and then the detective clues in to the truth from the height of a dart board in a room of a kidnapping victim confined to a wheelchair. If they had showed that room earlier, it would have let the audience make such a connection.


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## dask

*King Of Jazz*. 1930 fantasy bio/tribute to popular band leader Paul Whiteman (remembered mostly today for commissioning George Gershwin's masterpiece Rhapsody In Blue) told in variety show form sometimes wild, sometimes crazy, sometimes outright bizarre. Just think The Ed Sullivan show maxed out on magic mushrooms.


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## Jeffbert

_*RASHOMON*_ (1950) Story of rape and murder told by multiple witnesses, etc. Title refers to the name of the place where several men go, to take shelter from the downpour. the woodcutter (Takashi Shimura), the priest (Minoru Chiaki), and the listener, each tell their own versions of the story, of how Tajōmaru, the bandit (Toshiro Mifune) tricked the Samurai (Masayuki Mori) into leaving his wife alone on the road, while the bandit led the Samurai away, on a wild goose chase, for expected wealth. Then, led her to her husband, whom he had tied up. Rape followed.


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## Jeffbert

_*GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING*_ (1956) Owen (Robert Stack), a Southern man seeking gold arrives in a Western town, just before the Civil War begins, and is given a hostile welcome by the majority, Northerners, who assume he will take sides with the South once the war begins. There are also a few Southerners, all there seeking, but apparently not finding gold.  Jumbo (Raymond Burr), the villain seeks his own ends, and in the process, throws fuel on the fire. 

A very different type of Western movie, & I enjoyed it.


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## Jeffbert

_*DUEL AT DIABLO*_ (1966) A man Jess Remsberg (James Garner), seeking revenge for the murder of his Comanche wife, is hired to scout in front of a wagon train going  through Indian territory to some other town, escorted by cavalry.  Toller (Sidney Poitier), an ex army sergeant is there also.


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## Jeffbert

*The Muppets Take Manhatten* (1984) When I was a kid, I had a Rowlf, my younger brother had a Kermit, and youngest brother had a Cookie Monster.  At that time, the Muppets were seen occasionally on variety shows, & I guess they were on Sesame Street. This was long before The Muppet Show, and as such, they were not as well-known. So, time passes, Jim Henson makes some weird Muppets for SNL, & eventually, there is The Muppet Show.

So, this film is about when the troupe decides to go big-time, & pursue a Broadway appearance. So, they all go to the city, and find that it will not be as easy as they had hoped. Everyone goes away, each to a different place, hoping to make enough money to reunite and hire the necessary talent to take them big-time. Of course, complications occur, etc. A fun film.


----------



## KGeo777

COLD EYES OF FEAR 1971 -- Lawyer picks up prostitute in London bar--they walk around the streets at night (interesting to see how it looked back then), they go back to his place and are attacked by a thief and then a cop shows up (Frank Wolff) who isn't what he appears to be. The ending is a little too obvious  social class commentary for me. It has a suspenseful moment with a bomb being diffused and a cat who almost triggers it.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Fear No More *(1961)

Efficient little mini-Hitchcockian thriller.  Woman gets sent on a train trip by her boss, is immediately confronted by a guy with a gun and a dead woman.  Guy knocks her out, she wakes up accused of murder.  She manages to escape from the cop, nearly gets run over by French-accented guy.  He helps her get back to her apartment, where there's a dead man.  A confrontation with the woman's boss contradicts everything she claims happened.  By the way, the woman was just released from a mental institution . . .

That's just the start of a convoluted plot where few things are what they seem to be.  The movie wastes no time moving the story along.


----------



## Danny McG

JunkMonkey said:


> I'd not feel too bad about missing Drop Dead Fred.


Very underrated comedy classic - Rik Mayall at his manic finest


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## Vince W

Danny McG said:


> Very underrated comedy classic - Rik Mayall at his manic finest


Rick Mayall was never intended for American audiences.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Secret Ways *(1961)

The first movie based on a novel by Alistair MacLean (original UK title _The Last Frontier_), released just a little bit before *The Guns of Navarone*, is a Cold War espionage thriller.  Apparently the film doesn't follow the book (retitled _The Secret Ways _in the USA) very closely at all.

Down-on-his-luck fellow (Richard Widmark) needs lots of money badly to pay off gambling debts.  He gets hired to get a guy out of Hungary.  This effort starts with tracking down the guy's daughter, living in Austria.  After getting beaten up and threatened, he finds her.  She wants to go with him to find her father.  They sneak into Hungary, not without some trouble, as journalists.  The trouble is that her father, part of an underground resistance movement, doesn't want to leave.  After more spy stuff, Widmark, the daughter, and the father are captured by the Hungarian police.  Will they escape in time to reach the plane that will take them out of Hungary?

Starts off slowly, although the last twenty minutes or so are pretty tense and exciting.  It's a real Widmark project; he not only starred in it, he produced and took over direction (without credit.)  Not only that, but his wife wrote it; her only credit.  Very nice black-and-white cinematography and use of location filming in Austria (which doubles as Hungary.)  The first film music credit for John Williams.  A cast full of European actors helps.  A decent enough non-Bond spy flick, even if the plot is muddled.


----------



## KGeo777

THE HUMAN FACTOR 1975 - What could be the ultimate George Kennedy experience---he is a computer analyst at NATO command in Naples--when he isn't playing racing car video games with his co-worker John Mills, he is programming a computer for death rate scenarios on military war games. But after his family is massacred, he seeks revenge even though the computer says he has an 8% chance of getting them. The first half of the film is him and Mills using the 1970s military internet to track down the killers. They clue in that the terrorists are using babysitter ads to find American families to massacre so he goes to warn the next family. Only problem is they are in some witness protection program and think he is some kind of mob hitman. He has to shoot their phone and hold a gun on them to keep them from shooting him as he tries to warn them that a van load of killers are coming. And they do come.
After he spoils their murder spree they change their MO and hold a NATO supermarket (yes that's right--a NATO supermarket)  hostage.
But they don't know George Kennedy.
The finale is just bonkers but I think any movie where Kennedy is in a chair holding a doll that looks like a Raggedy Ann crossed with the Muppets' Beaker and screaming his head off in anguish is something profound.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Virgin Witch *(1972)

You know what you're in for when the title sequence for this British film features several nude women.  The minimal plot involves two sisters.  One gets a job as a model at a mansion in the country, the other tags along.  It seems that the guy who owns the house, the lesbian head of the modeling agency, and the photographer are all part of a coven of witches.  White magic only, the rich fellow explains.  The model sister eagerly joins in the initiation ceremony.  Rivalry rears its ugly head between the photographer and the lesbian, who both lust after the model, as well as between the lesbian and the rich guy for control of the coven.  Meanwhile, the model develops her own magical powers, manipulating the sister into being initiated and taking control of the coven.    Really, it's all just an excuse for nudity and sex scenes, with a tiny bit of supernatural stuff.  The oddest thing is that the lesbian insists that the model change her name from Christine to Christina.  Despite the sleaze, it's pretty slow and dull.  Time is wasted with a nightclub song.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> Rick Mayall was never intended for American audiences.



It's actually quite a sad story in many respects, despite Rik's anarchic antics. I must admit to having a (rare) small tear in my eye with the ending to that movie.


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## Mon0Zer0

*Napoleon Dynamite (2004)* - First time viewing and I LOVED it. I don't think I've ever seen teenagers so realistically rendered on celluloid. It was cringey, awkward, sweet, mortifying and hilarious.


----------



## Jeffbert

*ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT* (1941) Part of a Bogart month, showing prime time Thursdays. One of my favorites, plenty of prominent supporting actors, humor, drama, etc. 

So, ex criminal Gloves Donahue (Humphrey Bogart) enters the scene, in which his underlings are having a mock battle using toys bought by Sunshine (William Demarest), arguing tactics with the waiter Louie (Phil Silvers; whom the wiki page calls simply 'waiter'). Gloves wants his brand of cheesecake, & Louie has none, as the daily shipment from MILLER'S HOME BAKERY has yet to arrive. 10 minutes later, Donahue in seen kneeling over a dead man Joe Denning (Edward Brophy), whom he had just been publicly threatening. 

Eventually, Gloves and his friends/employees find themselves dealing with Nazis & sabotage.  

Very entertaining!


----------



## Guttersnipe

Barbarian (2022): I want to tell you what I hated about this movie, but that would spoil it. I have no idea as to why it's gotten glowing reviews.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE CAINE MUTINY* (1954) 16 x 9?? Another Bogart film filled with supporting talent, including some yet to be stars, such as Horrible (Claude Akins), Meatball (Lee Marvin) & LT Jorgensen (James Best; though I could not find him). 

So, this seemingly poorly run minesweeper, the Caine, gets a new captain, a by the book, starched collars-type LCDR Philip Francis Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), who is not going to tolerate sailors with their shirt tails out, & other such things. LT Steve Maryk (Van Johnson) immediately dislikes him, and he, along with several other officers are influenced by the intellectual would-be novelist LT Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray) to scrutinize the Captain in everything he does. He nearly leads them to the Admiral, with accusations of incompetence against the Capt., but, he, loses his nerve at the last minute, or, is it, that he just wanted the others to take responsibility and any heat that resulted, while he remains an uninvolved spectator?

Keefer has the other officers, especially Maryk  looking for incompetence in their captain, when, during a typhoon, the Capt. and Maryk have a disagreement in the need or no need to turn the ship into the waves. Maryk, having been conditioned by Keefer to expect poor decisions from the Capt. relieves the Capt. of command, fearing the ship might capsize. 

Later, there is a courts martial proceeding against Maryk, while Keefer, the instigator, remains merely a witness. 

Saw this once, long ago; by far, not among my favorites, but still a great film!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Disappearance *(1977)

If you went into this without knowing anything about it, you'd assume it's a domestic drama.  Donald Sutherland comes home to his fabulous apartment (at the futuristic complex known as Habitat in Montreal; this Canadian/British production makes use of its locales proudly) to find his wife gone.  Flashbacks reveal their complicated relationship, sometimes passionate, sometimes bitter. (By the way, the character's stunningly beautiful Francophone wife is played by Sutherland's real wife.)  About ten minutes into the movie, we find out Sutherland is a highly paid professional assassin.  His contact pressures him to take on another assignment.  Sutherland agrees, although it smells fishy.  He's not given the target's identity, and he has to fly to England.  Meanwhile, he tracks down his missing wife's lover.  Will these two parallel plots come together?  You bet.

Much more of an art film than a thriller, this nonlinear film takes its time and is mostly quiet.  When violence occurs, it's sudden and over in a second.  Don't expect to be on the edge of your seat, but appreciate fine acting, gorgeous cinematography, and a plot that relies as much on human relationships as it does on gunshots.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Disappearance *(1977)




Professional assassin--along with advertising executive, one of the more popular occupations according to 1970s movies. 
David Warner isn't in it for long but it's hard to forget a name like Burbank.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*When Eight Bells Toll *(1971)

Alistair MacLean adapts his own novel into this Bond-style thriller.  Anthony Hopkins stars as a Royal Navy Commander (like Bond) who is the guy to call for special assignments.  It seems somebody has been hijacking freighters full of gold bullion, stranding the crew, and then vanishing.  The movie starts with Hopkins in wet suit climbing up a ship's anchor.  Two agents were secretly placed aboard a ship likely to be targeted so they could signal its position.  Hopkins finds the two dead and has a huge battle with the hijackers, finally diving overboard to save his skin.  At least he now knows the bad guys are hiding the gold somewhere on the coast of Scotland.  He and his bespectacled intelligence agent buddy hang around the area, pretending to be oceanographers.  Fistfights, gunfights, explosions and such follow.

The action never stops.  There are the usual MacLean plot twists, with the guy who seems to be the major Bad Guy turning out to not be the Bad Guy and the movie's Bad Girl switching sides more than once.  This being a Bondian film, there's also a Good Girl.  This being MacLean, there's only a tiny bit of sex appeal and no wild gadgets.  Robert Morley, as always, plays Robert Morley as Hopkins's boss, although he also, amazingly enough, gets to do some genuine heroics.  A reasonably entertaining action film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Vacation Days *(1947)

The women of Rifftrax helped me survive this oddball B movie.  Apparently it's one of a series of films about high school students (played by twenty-somethings.)  In this entry, they graduate and a teacher who has just inherited a ranch out west invites them to join her for the summer.  Her real motive is to have a male teacher she has a crush on come along.  (Middle-aged romance = comedy!)  As soon as they get there, they witness a bank robbery, right out of the 19th century but with cars.  (This whole thing is a weird mixture of Old West and the jitterbug era.)  It seems one of the "teenagers" happens to look like a notorious outlaw called "Baby Face Harrigan" so he gets blamed for the robbery.  Meanwhile, a guy who killed a sheriff and got the absent Baby Face blamed for it thinks the kid is Baby Face, too, and tries to rub him out.  Thus, we have a musical comedy with lots of attempted murder and lynching.  There are some annoying songs from the guy who is thought to be Baby Face, as well as some pretty good swing music.  (That part is strange.  The "teens" dance to the swing music, as you'd expect, but then stop and stare at the clarinet player like zombies.)


----------



## Danny McG

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> a series of films about high school students (played by twenty-somethings.)


And they still do that nowadays when they make films about students


----------



## paranoid marvin

Jeffbert said:


> *THE CAINE MUTINY* (1954) 16 x 9?? Another Bogart film filled with supporting talent, including some yet to be stars, such as Horrible (Claude Akins), Meatball (Lee Marvin) & LT Jorgensen (James Best; though I could not find him).
> 
> So, this seemingly poorly run minesweeper, the Caine, gets a new captain, a by the book, starched collars-type LCDR Philip Francis Queeg (Humphrey Bogart), who is not going to tolerate sailors with their shirt tails out, & other such things. LT Steve Maryk (Van Johnson) immediately dislikes him, and he, along with several other officers are influenced by the intellectual would-be novelist LT Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray) to scrutinize the Captain in everything he does. He nearly leads them to the Admiral, with accusations of incompetence against the Capt., but, he, loses his nerve at the last minute, or, is it, that he just wanted the others to take responsibility and any heat that resulted, while he remains an uninvolved spectator?
> 
> Keefer has the other officers, especially Maryk  looking for incompetence in their captain, when, during a typhoon, the Capt. and Maryk have a disagreement in the need or no need to turn the ship into the waves. Maryk, having been conditioned by Keefer to expect poor decisions from the Capt. relieves the Capt. of command, fearing the ship might capsize.
> 
> Later, there is a courts martial proceeding against Maryk, while Keefer, the instigator, remains merely a witness.
> 
> Saw this once, long ago; by far, not among my favorites, but still a great film!



Great movie, and you are always left with the nagging suspicion that with a more cooperative second in command, things may not have gone the way that they did.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood*

I watched this last night. I wasn't going to, as I really know nothing at all about Mr Rogers, and I suspected that I wouldn't understand most of the references or the love and affection Americans hold for him.

But there is a reason why Tom Hanks is such a great actor; and that is because a single expression or inclination of his face can speak a thousand words. And suddenly I knew what made Mister Rogers so special. This is a magical story, and one that I was very glad to have had the pleasure of watching; I can't imagine how marvellous it must have been for anyone who grew up with memories of the man, and the scene in the subway carriage was truly beautiful.


----------



## KGeo777

I find the Caine Mutiny rather corny (supposedly that is where Michael Caine took his stage name from).
For one thing, that young officer is so dumb--it's annoying how dumb he is and the hokey romance sub-plot.
It's interesting politically for the time because it has the demoralizing view of military command--that Bogart's character has PTSD (though does it take place in WW2 or before?)  and Fred MacMurrey is a kind of the privileged intelligentsia archetype--the opposite of the 60s counterculture version--he represents American blueblood and yet he's the trouble maker.  And the lawyer is the voice of morality and sense for all of them.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*La Princesse de Montpensier* 2010 - Ravishingly beautiful, technically wonderful, beautifully costumed romantic tragedy set in 16th Century France but, somehow, just a little antiseptic.  I never once forgot I was watching a movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sinner's Blood *(1969)

Take every exploitation film trope you can imagine, throw them in a blender, and you might get something like this ultra-cheap mess.  Two adult sisters go to live with their aunt and uncle after their mother dies.  The household also includes their adult cousins, both of whom seem a little mixed up.  Male cousin peeks at the new arrivals through a hole in the wall, female cousin comes very close to seducing one of them, the Good Girl.  The other one, the Bad Girl, enjoys having the uncle watch her undress.  Motorcycle gang shows up, beats up the local pastor.  Bad Girl goes off with one of the gang, giving him LSD that causes a wreck that kills him.  The dead man's male lover goes after her.  There's a bizarre end scene that has to be a fantasy in the mind of the male lover.  Sleazy as anything, amateurish, and incoherent.


----------



## KGeo777

THE FINAL PROGRAMME 1973 - I wouldnt call it pretentious but too silly eccentric for me to like--a second viewing just made me admire the set design more.  Jon Finch deserved a better career and Jenny Runacre too but from an interview I read she liked doing the weirdest ones.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Refuge of Fear *(_El refugio del miedo_, 1974)

Spanish science fiction drama takes place almost entirely within a rather luxurious underground fallout shelter.  They've even got a billiard table.  (I had to look up what game is played with just two white balls and one red ball, with no pockets in the table.  It's carom billiards.)  When the big war finally breaks out, five people are inside, along with a cat and a bird.  There's a by-the-book military guy and his wife, the stepfather and mother of an adult son who's also present.  There's another military guy and his sexpot wife.  Flashbacks show us what happened to a sixth person.  The tension builds quickly.  Suffice to say that things don't work out well.

With the limited cast and set (we go outside very briefly to see desiccated corpses, and there's a flashback at the very end to the time before these folks were underground) this could easily be done as a stage play.  Many folks will find it inherently talky and slow, but it held my interest.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> THE FINAL PROGRAMME 1973 - I wouldnt call it pretentious but too silly eccentric for me to like--a second viewing just made me admire the set design more.  Jon Finch deserved a better career and Jenny Runacre too but from an interview I read she liked doing the weirdest ones.



Prompted by this I went and watched it too.  It's been in my "must get round to" list for the longest time.  What a load of self-indulgent twaddle!  Nowhere near as stylish, funny, or odd as it thinks it is. A real wannabe movie.  It wanted to be _The Tenth Victim_, and _The Prisoner_ and episodes of _The Avengers_ and it doesn't come off.  Pity.  I've liked what of director Fuest's previous films that I have seen - this one came directly after his Dr Phibes films which are genuinely really weird stuff which I like.  A lot.  But this one?   ...meh!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Day It Came to Earth *(1977)

The first thing we hear on the soundtrack is a radio playing news relevant to the plot (of course) about an informer testifying against mobsters.  Then there are references to Vice President Nixon and "young singer" Elvis Presley.  Yep, it's the 1950's.

The mobsters kill the stoolie and throw his body in the lake.  A meteorite lands in the lake, transforming the corpse into a skull-faced zombie.  It kills the crooks who killed the informer.  Some college kids find the meteorite, the zombie smashes up the lab of the local Science Guy (comic actor George Gobel, the only person close to a big name in this thing) to get it back.  I guess it provides its life energy or something.  A chunk of the rock was made into a piece of jewelry for one of the college guy's girlfriend, so it gets attracted to that, too.  Chaos ensues at the "haunted house" where the girlfriend's sorority is having an initiation.  Will the cops stop it in time?

This ultra-cheap, amateurish flick seems to be a deliberate attempt to recreate an ultra-cheap, amateurish sci-fi monster movie of the 1950's.  It doesn't seem to be a spoof, with only very minimal attempts at humor.  You'll get lines like "Bullets don't stop it" that will sound familiar.  The time period isn't very convincingly recreated, despite a lot of old-fashioned rock 'n' roll on the soundtrack.  It's a lousy movie, which is what it seems to want to be.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Harlequin *aka *Dark Forces *(1980)

Very strange Australian fantasy/political thriller, loosely inspired by the story of Rasputin.  Politician and his wife have a young son near death from leukemia.  Mysterious fellow shows up out of nowhere, seems to cure the child.  Meanwhile, the politician is being pushed by the powers that be to replace a high official who drowned under suspicious circumstances.  The healer, who often wears black fingernail polish covered with mystical red symbols, heavy eye makeup, and outrageous costumes, as if he's in a glam band, demonstrates what can only be genuine magical powers.  (I'm talking about shooting lightning bolts out of his mouth and so forth.)  The powers that be want him out of the way, permanently.

It's a really odd film, intriguing and bewildering.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Demonoid *(1981)

Muddled Mexican horror movie (filmed in English) which is nutty enough to hold one's interest.  Woman (Samantha Eggar) goes way down into a Mexican silver mine with her husband.  They find the remains of the temple of some kind of evil cult, as well as a severed hand in a metal case.  Hubby brings it back up, gets possessed, blows up the mine, and runs off to Las Vegas, where he wins a ton of money at the craps table.  A couple of lowlifes kidnap him, trying to force him to give up the secret of his success.   He manages to kill them, getting burned to death in the process.

That's just the start.  His reanimated body crawls out of his grave, wanders over to a cop car, and chops off his left hand by slamming it in the door.  He's really dead now, and the crawling severed hand goes on to:

1.  Possess a cop who forces a surgeon to cut off his left hand, at which point the severed hand grabs his gun and kills the doctor's nurse and tears the cop's face off.

2.  Possess the surgeon, who runs off in an automobile, leading to a car chase with lots of crashes, as if this were an action film, until he puts his left hand under a moving train, severing the hand.

3.  Possess the priest (Stuart Whitman) who is helping Eggar, who drives a big knife through his hand and then burns it to ashes with a blowtorch.

Surprise ending you'll see coming a mile away?  You bet.  Everybody takes things very seriously, which adds to the campiness.


----------



## KGeo777

EXECUTIVE ACTION  - 1973  20 years before JFK there was at least one other docu-drama on the assassination, this one was from the POV of the killers. Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, and Will Geer plan to kill Kennedy because he was a leftwinger and would ruin all their plans for world domination. Ryan even gives us the WEF Great Reset summary--saying that there are too many people and they need wars and deliberate famines to bring the population down to 500 million or so.
Must have been much more shocking in 1973. Genocidal nuclear Armageddon conspiracies only compel me to shrug indifferently these days.  The interesting thing about JFK conspiracy stories is that either it was the mafia, Cuban exiles, oil companies, anti-communist generals, never on the left side of the aisle. Is there any film that explores that? I can't think of any.
There's even a tale that a few frames from the Zapruder film were missing and some speculated that there was only one person in America who had the film technology to tamper with such a film and had worked for the government. Walt Disney.  Childhood innocence is shattered.

And yet no one questions how perfectly positioned Zapruder was to catch the head shot. The absolute perfect angle and timing. For an amateur he did an excellent job too--some people as soon as they heard shooting would have stopped recording but not him. He was an ace. And his family made a fortune off the film. How nice that the government didn't seize the film as evidence either. Some people have amazing luck--being in the right place at the right time with steady nerves to achieve family financial security from the assassination of the head of state.
Truth is stranger than fiction.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Demonoid *(1981)
> 
> Muddled Mexican horror movie (filmed in English) which is nutty enough to hold one's interest.  Woman (Samantha Eggar) goes way down into a Mexican silver mine with her husband.  They find the remains of the temple of some kind of evil cult, as well as a severed hand in a metal case.  Hubby brings it back up, gets possessed, blows up the mine, and runs off to Las Vegas, where he wins a ton of money at the craps table.  A couple of lowlifes kidnap him, trying to force him to give up the secret of his success.   He manages to kill them, getting burned to death in the process.
> 
> That's just the start.  His reanimated body crawls out of his grave, wanders over to a cop car, and chops off his left hand by slamming it in the door.  He's really dead now, and the crawling severed hand goes on to:
> 
> 1.  Possess a cop who forces a surgeon to cut off his left hand, at which point the severed hand grabs his gun and kills the doctor's nurse and tears the cop's face off.
> 
> 2.  Possess the surgeon, who runs off in an automobile, leading to a car chase with lots of crashes, as if this were an action film, until he puts his left hand under a moving train, severing the hand.
> 
> 3.  Possess the priest (Stuart Whitman) who is helping Eggar, who drives a big knife through his hand and then burns it to ashes with a blowtorch.
> 
> Surprise ending you'll see coming a mile away?  You bet.  Everybody takes things very seriously, which adds to the campiness.



A crawling hand, eh? Is it as convincing as the one in EVIL DEAD II?   When the severed hand picked up the gun, etc, was it just floating in midair?




*TO HELL AND BACK* (1955) Audie Murphy as the most decorated soldier in the Army, and how that came to be.  'nuff said!


----------



## PadreTX

I finally had the chance to watch *Thor: Love and Thunder.* At first it seemed a potential nomination for Raspberry Award as worst picture, however it did develop into a funny movie in a goofy way (appropriate for Disney).


----------



## KGeo777

THE GLASS CEILING 1971 -- Rather good Spanish giallo with a strong gothic atmosphere. It has unusually picturesque cinematography and despite being a slow burner variation on REAR WINDOW, it has so many interesting qualities that separate it from your standard murder mystery. In fact, I was thinking that it reminded of Corman's Pit and the Pendulum, especially since co-star Patty Shepherd has an eerie resemblance to Barbara Steele. I see it described as a cerebral thriller and that is certainly a fitting description.


----------



## dask

2017 Horror
Well photographed but annoying study about the perils of fame for a poet whose writings achieve an almost messianic power, and the presumptuousness of the uninvited fan. Wished it were a little more supernatural and a lot less kooky.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> A crawling hand, eh? Is it as convincing as the one in EVIL DEAD II?   When the severed hand picked up the gun, etc, was it just floating in midair?



Haven't seen *Evil Dead II *so I can't compare them.  It was an OK effect, I guess.  It was on a table when it grabbed the gun, but then flew up to tear the guy's face off.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Haven't seen *Evil Dead II *



 I'm shook!


----------



## KGeo777

ALLIGATOR 1980 - rewatch. Very good horror comedy -- John Sayles script. The gator are pretty good--sometimes they use a real alligator and other times a full size rubber version. The attack on the wedding party is very satisfying. At the very end you can see "Harry Lime Lives" written on the wall of a sewer tunnel.


----------



## Vince W

*Alien* (1979). Simply classic.

*Outland* (1980). Very underrated and still holds up after all these years.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC*_ (1943) A merchant Marine transporting war material for Allies, is torpedoed and sunk. The crew, rowing along in a life boat, which, is rammed by the U-Boat, vows revenge, etc. Captain Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) and First Officer Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) are assigned to a new ship, this one equipped with deck guns, would not be such an easy target. Most of the main crew signs on top this ship. Name brand actors such as Alan Hale, Sr., and Dane Clark, among others.

Good film, 2nd, perhaps 3rd time seeing it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE NAKED STREET *(1955) NOIR ALLEY; Interesting, if not strange story. Gangster Phil Regal (Anthony Quinn)'s unmarried daughter Rosalie Regalzyk (Anne Bancroft) is pregnant by Nicholas Bradna (Farley Granger) who is on death row, with 60 days left. When Regal learns of this, he uses underhanded techniques to persuade the two eyewitnesses whose testimony was used to convict Bradna, to recant their identifying him as the murderer. Bradna is freed, but, immediately finds himself at the altar, and married to Rosalie. Regal insists Bradna go straight, and start at the bottom, driving a truck. He must forget about a life of crime, but can he? $80 a week will not satisfy him. An almost Twilight Zone-like ending!

Newspaperman Joe McFarland (Peter Graves) is just too curious about this situation. Muller said that Granger's role was intended for Richard Widmark, but things happened and Granger, who usually plays good guys was thrust into the role. As usual, Muller gave a much more detailed lecture than the other TCM hosts.

Edit: LIFE SAVERS, MR. GOODBAR, & of course, COCA-COLA easily identified!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *Alien* (1979). Simply classic.
> 
> *Outland* (1980). Very underrated and still holds up after all these years.



How on earth (or Io) does it 'hold up'?  It's terrible.  It's got more plot holes than Swiss cheese.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CHAIN LIGHTNING*_ (1950) Lt. Colonel Matthew Brennan (Humphrey Bogart) is a test pilot for Leland Willis (Raymond Massey), whose aircraft company is contracted by the Air Force to make supersonic fighter jets. The new plane, the JA-3 is passing the Air Force's acceptance tests, but, Designer Carl Troxell (Richard Whorf), wants to add an escape pod to the plane, because ejecting at supersonic speeds at high altitudes, is usually fatal. He believes Willis wants to sell the JA-3 now, and intends to offer the newer JA-4 as soon as it is ready; thus having sold the Air Force soon to be obsolete JA-3s and rake-in the money for the newer, safer JA-4s. Troxell is determined to finish testing the-4 before Brennan can complete the Air Force's acceptance testing of the -3, but dies when the pressure used to eject the escape pod is insufficient to  completely separate it from the aircraft and it crashes. He leaves a tape recording of his last words for Brennan, and a last request that he test the -4 so that military aviators of the future can be saved. 

Saw this very long ago, before I even knew who Bogart was. Very good drama!


----------



## Rodders

I'm with Vince. I enjoyed Outland.


----------



## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> How on earth (or Io) does it 'hold up'?  It's terrible.  It's got more plot holes than Swiss cheese.


It has some problems, sure, but for what it is, a space western, it works admirably and offers some gritty realism in sci-fi that was lacking at the time.


----------



## BAYLOR

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Watcher in the Woods *- which has been on my 'must get round to see' list for a while as one of those 'Interestingly Dark' movies that Disney made in the early 80s:  _Dragonslayer, Return to Oz, Something Wicked This Way Comes..._  And it's not bad.  Some of the acting is a little to earnest and Disneyish but the atmosphere and art direction is terrific and the camera work is astonishingly good.



The great Betty Davis was in Watcher .


----------



## BAYLOR

Jeffbert said:


> _*KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS*_ (1954) The collection of European armies of various nations gathered under King Richard (George Sanders)'s banner is an uneasy one. They have all come to liberate THE HOLY LAND from the infidels. Some of the lords of other nations think Richard ought to be removed from command, & of course replaced by none other than themselves. Treachery is afoot!  One such lord has his archer shoot KR with a Saracen-style arrow, with, of course, a poisoned tip. Of all things, Emir Ilderim (Rex Harrison) who is using an assumed name, comes along, & speeds KR's recovery. Rather unlikely, & while I must admit my ignorance about the crusades,  it seems weird.
> 
> But, most importantly, I enjoyed this film. Very colorful!



Richard was was a good but not great general and one the worst the kings ever to suit upon the English Throne . He ruled the country for 11 year and spent the vast majority of his rule outside of England .


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> It has some problems, sure, but for what it is, a space western, it works admirably and offers some gritty realism in sci-fi that was lacking at the time.



Gritty realism which includes 'the best that money can buy' killers so stupid they shoot out the huge windows between them and vacuum?


----------



## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> Gritty realism which includes 'the best that money can buy' killers so stupid they shoot out the huge windows between them and vacuum?


It helps if you put your brain in neutral.


----------



## Jeffbert

*OBSESSION* (1949) NOIR ALLEY, and Muller's usual in-depth coverage.

Psychiatrist Dr. Clive Riordan (Robert Newton; famous for saying "Arrrr!") finds his wife Storm (Sally Gray) unfaithful, so he decides to kill her lover. But, he takes his time, confining the man in THE SECRET ROOM (the USA title) and bringing in some rather nasty acid in hot water bottles to fill the claw foot bathtub in the 2nd bathroom a little bit each day. He had chained his prisoner to the wall, and drawn on the floor a semicircle showing the man's maximum reach; always being careful to remain outside it. Keeping the man alive, just in case something goes wrong, he would not be charged with murder. 

The secret room is tucked away, in a rather tidy hiding place; out the back door of the office's garage, down the hill, through a short tunnel, another few doors, etc. I wondered if it had been a bomb shelter during the war? I could not imagine why there would be such a place in London.

Riordan's hobby is model railroading, and his is rather impressive!

Supt. Finsbury (Naunton Wayne) of Scotland Yard came calling one day, visiting the Doctor in his office, asking questions, and then, apparently satisfied with the answers, leaving. But, he returns, and also calls on the doctor at his home. Reminds me of Columbo, never being quite satisfied, and frequently returning to annoy him. 



Spoiler



So the wife has a small dog, and one day, while seeking her husband at his office, the dog breaks free, and follows his scent to the secret room. Wife fails to follow, but the villain, decides that the dog must never leave. Recall I said the bathtub with the acid is a claw foot, freestanding type, and thus has only a very thin rim around it; while the tub in the bathroom accessible to the prisoner has a counter top installation. The prisoner teaches the pooch to pull the chain on the drain plug in that bathroom, at which the dog can leap up onto the counter top etc., but there is no such arrangement on the acid tub, and this was out of sight, to the prisoner. How, then, could the dog pull the plug, unless the chain was so long as to have been draped over the edge? 

Also, I noted that the prisoner who eventually threw his dinner at his captor, who had just announced his intention to use the dog to test the acid, had knocked him out. There was a way, using his coat (allowed by his captor, because of the cold) with shoes stuffed to the pockets, to snare him, despite his inability to reach past the semicircle.




My 3rd time seeing this, & likely would have skipped it, if not for its being on NOIR ALLEY.


----------



## Jeffbert

*SABRINA* (1954) Ultra rich Larrabees (Not the one working at CONTROL, directly under the Chief) have two sons, the responsible business type,  Linus (Humphrey Bogart) and the irresponsible playboy type, David (William Holden). The family chauffeur  Thomas Fairchild (John Williams, not THAT JOHN WILLIAMS) has a young daughter, Sabrina (not the teen aged Witch; Audrey Hepburn), who has been in love with David since she was 12 or so. But David, has already been married thrice, and is currently engaged. Moreover, there is the chasm between the rich and servant classes. Interesting film, I would not likely have bothered with it, except it was the 1st on Bogart night at TCM. Not quite a comedy, but does have humor. 

Well worth watching!


----------



## Jeffbert

*CASABLANCA* (1942) One of my favorite films, highly regarded, and rightly so. Though I am not much for romance, 

What a cast!  The THREE, count 'em 3 men from THE MALTESE FALCON (not the MILLENNIUM FALCON) cafe owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart); CLUB OWNER,  Signor Ferrari (Sydney Greenstreet), and Signor Ugarte (Peter Lorre). But wait! There are so many more! Police Prefect Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains, a highly visible character, unlike his role of Griffin; Pepé Le Pew in CARROTBLANCA), and that villain of  villains Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt/ Yosemite Sam in CARROTBLANCA). The Wiki page says he was paid the most, even though Bogart had top billing. The minor roles were mostly taken by Europens who fled the Nazis, and there were quite a few of them.

So, there they are, in CASABLANCA. The Nazis are present, Vichy France controlled and the French authorities, though apparently dominant, are cooperating with the THIRD REICH. Two Nazi couriers are robbed and murdered, it seems that Ugarte (portrayed by TWEETY in CARROTBLANCA), was involved and definitely had the benefit of the stolen passes. 

Then Ilsa Lund (the cat constantly pursued by Pepe LePew; in CARROTBLANCA) (Ingrid Bergman) comes along, who was for a very short time in love with Rick; but only because she believed her husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid /Sylvester in CARROTBLANCA) was dead. Upon learning he was alive, she forsook Blaine, etc. Her sudden appearance brings back memories of being jilted for Rick, and he is rather hostile toward her. Victor was a saboteur /  French Underground-type, whose contribution to the fight for freedom, etc., cannot be understated. They want the passes that they believe Rick has, but he refuses to sell them at any price, because of his bitterness about being jilted. 

It just never gets old!


----------



## KGeo777

THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL 1971 - Forgot much of this since last viewing. They cheat a bit with the identity of the killer since there is a shot of the killer's eye looking through a door  and it doesn't match the eye color of the killer. Unusual thing about this is that it starts off with a focus on one character who exists the film and then another character becomes the main one until finally the third character introduced much later in the story becomes the one who is the focus at the end.


----------



## Randy M.

THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963, dir. Mario Bava; starring Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi)

Whoo, boy. It's rather like a Roger Corman Poe movie -- vaguely 18th or early 19th century setting. castle by the ocean where the horses can gallop along while the waves attack the shore furiously, the castle so richly appointed even the crypt is richly festooned with cobwebs -- but approaches it's subject rather more directly. Kurt's (Lee) involvement with the death of a servant's daughter has caused him to be shunned by his family and his brother has become betrothed to Kurt's former fiance, Nevenka (Lavi). Kurt returns, uninvited, to congratulate his brother and Nevenka, and to generally throw attitude around. Alone with Nevenka, he claims she was excited by violence, and she certainly seems to both fear and appreciate the whip he takes to her.

As often happens during family disputes, Kurt is murdered and his ghost rests uneasy. Who killed him? His former fiance? His brother? His father? The servant? 

I remember Lavi from two or three American movies. Statuesque, so she's less overshadowed by Lee's height than others, this role is a little one-note at times, which is one more than the American movies gave her, and she's good. Lee is also good, realistically sadistic and controlling, which seems to have a lot to do with his height and that deep, resonant voice. 


LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974, dir. Mario Bava; starring Elke Sommer, Telly Savales, Alida Valli)

Lisa (Sommer) lands in an unnamed (at least, I didn't hear or see a name) Spanish city and almost immediately off the plane is confronted by a fresco of the Devil. He looks a lot like Telly Savales. So, naturally, she runs into Telly Savales. Repeatedly. 

Bava does a great job of suggesting a kind of nightmare state and disassociation from reality through mostly empty streets where the few people Lisa meets are guarded or ignore her. Lost in the city, she is unable to find help until she spots a car broken down and the couple in it offer to take her with them. The chauffeur gets the car moving again only to have it break down entirely next to a house with a butler who looks and sounds a lot like Telly. More family drama ensues as the couple who rescued Lisa bicker and the mother (Valli) who runs the house and her son clash about whether or not to keep Lisa. ("But, mom, she just showed up at the door. She's all alone. Can I keep her? Huh, huh, mom, can I, can I keep her?")

The moral seems to be, don't be a family in a Mario Bava film.

I'd forgotten how at ease Savales was in front of a camera. He's not really menacing, yet he is, and he seems to be having a blast, philosophizing at most every chance, sucking on lollipops (didn't know this started before Kojak), carting around manikins -- hmmmm... didn't mention the creepy manikins above. Note, there are creepy manikins, all of whom look a lot like the people Sommer runs into. Sommer was mostly cast in American movies as pretty stage dressing. Here she's called on to convey the perplexity, fear and terror of being abandoned in someone else's nightmare, and those enormous blue eyes carry a lot of the weight of that. As with Lavi, she may have been a better young actress than American movies at the time ever showed.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Benny and Joon (1993): A young woman with multiple psychological difficulties meets and falls in love with an eccentric transient. I liked how they didn't make her illness overly stereotypical.

Bird Box (2018): Based on the horror novel of the same name. An invading force causes people to slaughter themselves. Getting children involved in such a dark film scares me a bit, so it sort of worked for me on that level.

Deliverance (1972): Another film based on a novel. I've seen it multiple times, and it's a favorite. Four men travel into a forest about to be flooded, canoing down the river. They come across a couple redneck moonshiners, and the two groups are pitted against each other in this tale of revenge.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022): A skeptical woman encounters a djinn who tells her a series of stories from his past. For much of the time, she fears that her making a wish might end badly due to her knowledge of myths and fables. It had a lovely central theme, but it could've been better.


----------



## dask

Randy M. said:


> THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963, dir. Mario Bava; starring Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi)
> 
> Whoo, boy. It's rather like a Roger Corman Poe movie -- vaguely 18th or early 19th century setting. castle by the ocean where the horses can gallop along while the waves attack the shore furiously, the castle so richly appointed even the crypt is richly festooned with cobwebs -- but approaches it's subject rather more directly. Kurt's (Lee) involvement with the death of a servant's daughter has caused him to be shunned by his family and his brother has become betrothed to Kurt's former fiance, Nevenka (Lavi). Kurt returns, uninvited, to congratulate his brother and Nevenka, and to generally throw attitude around. Alone with Nevenka, he claims she was excited by violence, and she certainly seems to both fear and appreciate the whip he takes to her.
> 
> As often happens during family disputes, Kurt is murdered and his ghost rests uneasy. Who killed him? His former fiance? His brother? His father? The servant?
> 
> I remember Lavi from two or three American movies. Statuesque, so she's less overshadowed by Lee's height than others, this role is a little one-note at times, which is one more than the American movies gave her, and she's good. Lee is also good, realistically sadistic and controlling, which seems to have a lot to do with his height and that deep, resonant voice.
> 
> 
> LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974, dir. Mario Bava; starring Elke Sommer, Telly Savales, Alida Valli)
> 
> Lisa (Sommer) lands in an unnamed (at least, I didn't hear or see a name) Spanish city and almost immediately off the plane is confronted by a fresco of the Devil. He looks a lot like Telly Savales. So, naturally, she runs into Telly Savales. Repeatedly.
> 
> Bava does a great job of suggesting a kind of nightmare state and disassociation from reality through mostly empty streets where the few people Lisa meets are guarded or ignore her. Lost in the city, she is unable to find help until she spots a car broken down and the couple in it offer to take her with them. The chauffeur gets the car moving again only to have it break down entirely next to a house with a butler who looks and sounds a lot like Telly. More family drama ensues as the couple who rescued Lisa bicker and the mother (Valli) who runs the house and her son clash about whether or not to keep Lisa. ("But, mom, she just showed up at the door. She's all alone. Can I keep her? Huh, huh, mom, can I, can I keep her?")
> 
> The moral seems to be, don't be a family in a Mario Bava film.
> 
> I'd forgotten how at ease Savales was in front of a camera. He's not really menacing, yet he is, and he seems to be having a blast, philosophizing at most every chance, sucking on lollipops (didn't know this started before Kojak), carting around manikins -- hmmmm... didn't mention the creepy manikins above. Note, there are creepy manikins, all of whom look a lot like the people Sommer runs into. Sommer was mostly cast in American movies as pretty stage dressing. Here she's called on to convey the perplexity, fear and terror of being abandoned in someone else's nightmare, and those enormous blue eyes carry a lot of the weight of that. As with Lavi, she may have been a better young actress than American movies at the time ever showed.


Thank you for great reviews of Bava titles that don't ring any bells. I will of course seek them out.


----------



## KGeo777

Christopher Lee said he has never done a sex scene in a movie but his bits with Lavi seem close. In The Bloody Judge he also has a sex scene if you count his hand as a nude subject--then again it is not really his own hand but a stand in.

Lisa and the Devil---interesting trivia notes--they had an opportunity to shoot inside a 747--may have been the first movie to do it. They left their studio villa to film and while they were away--a landslide hit it and demolished great parts of it. They were marveling that  if not for that change of plans, there probably would have been serious injury. In the film Savalas also uses a lollipop which he would later incorporate into Kojak. The film was re-edited into House of Exorcism--astounding how different it is and I couldn't believe that Elke Sommer came back to shoot new scenes which were so crazy. She spits frogs, swears  etc. I had to track down the audio commentary for the film just to hear her comments. She had never done a horror movie so that was incentive and she did take it seriously. When she was shooting the nude scenes, Mario Bava tried to talk her out of it. His sister was a nun and he felt it wasn't right for her to appear nude. It was the producer's idea and when they shot it, Bava stepped outside and let the producer direct it.



DRACULA A.D. 1972  released 50 years ago today (UK time). After a great start it hits the skids harshly with that godawful party interlude. I cannot stand it. I hate the music--I hate the whole sequence. But then it picks up again especially once the seance is over. Really benefits from Cushing's great ability to make the ridiculous seem deadly serious. Also, Stephanie Beacham is very effective in what is usually the thankless damsel role. It unfortunately go off the rails again towards the end--especially with the cheapness of the finale.  One funny observation--as Cushing is rushing through the streets of London you can see people smiling and doing a double take as he walks by.


----------



## REBerg

*Moonfall*
You just can't trust the Moon.
It might be a secret Nazi base. Giant space egg? Artificial megastructure?
This is not a film to find time to watch, but if you have time to kill ...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963, dir. Mario Bava; starring Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974, dir. Mario Bava; starring Elke Sommer, Telly Savales, Alida Valli)




Great reviews.  Both very interesting films.

*Love Me Tender *(1956)

The first film with Elvis Presley, who gets third-billing after Richard Egan and Debra Paget.  My reaction is pretty much "eh."  Not terrible, but pretty typical Western (Southern, really.)  Three brothers, Confederate soldiers, steal a bunch of Union money, not knowing the war ended one day before.  They go home.  One was thought dead in a previous battle, and finds out that his other brother (Elvis) who stayed home during the war has married his sweetheart.  The two plots resolve in a tragic shootout.


----------



## KGeo777

MURPHY'S LAW 1986 - Charles Bronson is framed for murder and has to drag along a foul-mouthed juvenile girl criminal while avoiding a psychopathic woman and mafia hit men. Ah the 80s.


----------



## Ubergeek

Vince W said:


> *Alien* (1979). Simply classic.
> 
> *Outland* (1980). Very underrated and still holds up after all these years.


OUTLAND

The western set in space !   According to writer Barry Stone it's a homage to,  and retelling , of High Noon. 

 The look of the space station  [  shadows , metal and steam  ]  is similar to the interior shots of the Nostromo .


----------



## Ubergeek

Randy M. said:


> THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963, dir. Mario Bava; starring Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi)
> 
> Whoo, boy. It's rather like a Roger Corman Poe movie -- vaguely 18th or early 19th century setting. castle by the ocean where the horses can gallop along while the waves attack the shore furiously, the castle so richly appointed even the crypt is richly festooned with cobwebs -- but approaches it's subject rather more directly. Kurt's (Lee) involvement with the death of a servant's daughter has caused him to be shunned by his family and his brother has become betrothed to Kurt's former fiance, Nevenka (Lavi). Kurt returns, uninvited, to congratulate his brother and Nevenka, and to generally throw attitude around. Alone with Nevenka, he claims she was excited by violence, and she certainly seems to both fear and appreciate the whip he takes to her.
> 
> As often happens during family disputes, Kurt is murdered and his ghost rests uneasy. Who killed him? His former fiance? His brother? His father? The servant?
> 
> I remember Lavi from two or three American movies. Statuesque, so she's less overshadowed by Lee's height than others, this role is a little one-note at times, which is one more than the American movies gave her, and she's good. Lee is also good, realistically sadistic and controlling, which seems to have a lot to do with his height and that deep, resonant voice.
> 
> 
> LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974, dir. Mario Bava; starring Elke Sommer, Telly Savales, Alida Valli)
> 
> Lisa (Sommer) lands in an unnamed (at least, I didn't hear or see a name) Spanish city and almost immediately off the plane is confronted by a fresco of the Devil. He looks a lot like Telly Savales. So, naturally, she runs into Telly Savales. Repeatedly.
> 
> Bava does a great job of suggesting a kind of nightmare state and disassociation from reality through mostly empty streets where the few people Lisa meets are guarded or ignore her. Lost in the city, she is unable to find help until she spots a car broken down and the couple in it offer to take her with them. The chauffeur gets the car moving again only to have it break down entirely next to a house with a butler who looks and sounds a lot like Telly. More family drama ensues as the couple who rescued Lisa bicker and the mother (Valli) who runs the house and her son clash about whether or not to keep Lisa. ("But, mom, she just showed up at the door. She's all alone. Can I keep her? Huh, huh, mom, can I, can I keep her?")
> 
> The moral seems to be, don't be a family in a Mario Bava film.
> 
> I'd forgotten how at ease Savales was in front of a camera. He's not really menacing, yet he is, and he seems to be having a blast, philosophizing at most every chance, sucking on lollipops (didn't know this started before Kojak), carting around manikins -- hmmmm... didn't mention the creepy manikins above. Note, there are creepy manikins, all of whom look a lot like the people Sommer runs into. Sommer was mostly cast in American movies as pretty stage dressing. Here she's called on to convey the perplexity, fear and terror of being abandoned in someone else's nightmare, and those enormous blue eyes carry a lot of the weight of that. As with Lavi, she may have been a better young actress than American movies at the time ever showed.


Thanks Randy ,  great reviews.


----------



## Randy M.

THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS (1972; dir. Giuliano Carnimeo; starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Paola Quattrini)

Giallo, but I think a fairly pedestrian one, though the writer (Ernesto Gastaldi) had supplied Fenech and Hilton with much more intricate _The Strange Case of Mrs. Wardh_. Shudder seems to agree, giving it only 2 skulls out of 5. Probably one more skull than it deserves.

Jennifer (Fenech), is a model who attracts the eye of Andrea (Hilton), an architect looking for someone to represent his latest project. Unfortunately, Jennifer has moved into an apartment formerly owned by a different model who was murdered. That model had discovered the body of another murdered young woman in the building. This may seem like information that would prod you to look elsewhere, but no, Jennifer and her model friend Marilyn take the room. Meanwhile, Jennifer has been found by her ex, a very jealous man who had introduced her to a sex club. She also has a prudish neighbor with a badly scarred and sexually starved son, and a lesbian neighbor who lives with her music teacher father. Oh, dear, who could possibly be stalking poor Jennifer? Maybe everyone? 

Decent direction with some nice touches can't salvage a plot that's by the numbers and characters that are little more than murder mystery stereotypes. I'm rather late to fandom for Fenech, in no small part because she draws the eye in any scene she's in, but this is largely an exercise in male gaze, the modeling profession an excuse for various degrees of undress, and the role of a distressed, frightened young woman something she could probably have done in her sleep. Ditto, Hilton as the handsome guy who may or may not be the killer and, probably, Quattrini as the ditsy vivacious comedy relief that's been a staple since silent movies. Nothing here is as challenging or clever as _Mrs. Wardh_ and that's disappointing.


KILL, BABY ... KILL (1966; dir. Mario Bava; starring Giacomo Rossi Stuart; Erika Blanc, Fabienne Dali)

Shudder claims this is the Bava movie to watch if you don't plan to watch a lot of Bava movies. I can see why. Another vaguely 19th century setting, a small village haunted by the death of a little girl, Melissa. A letter from a frightened woman concerning one death brings an inspector to town who finds she has died since sending the letter. He brings a coroner and a young medical student to the town to try and help solve the deaths. Much spookiness ensues which leads to a romance between the coroner (Stuart) and the medical student (Blanc). Also involved is Ruth (Dali) who seems to understand the spirits and have some success fending them off with her old ways (that is, witchcraft), even as the coroner is dubious.

Bava fills the screen with dark, cramped interiors and many equally dark, cramped exteriors. His scenes are replete with details, from cracked and dusty furniture to displays of neglected dolls, to the tables and chairs, bar and assorted bottles of a tavern, and he often positions the camera at angles reminiscent of German expressionism. Wherever it was he shot this, he uses the alleys and buildings to great effect. As in so many of the historical horror movies of the time, the acting is overwrought, but if you go with it, it works in the context of Bava's creation.


----------



## REBerg

*The Core*
Watchable take on _Journey to the Center of the Earth._


----------



## Toby Frost

Vince W said:


> *Alien* (1979). Simply classic.
> 
> *Outland* (1980). Very underrated and still holds up after all these years.



They always felt as if they were set in the same world. The recent Alien roleplaying game strongly hints that Io is part of the _Alien _setting.


----------



## Jeffbert

As part of its 2 days of puppet-oriented films, TCM ran these two films:

*THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO* (1966) Why did they put such a tedious, boring sequence in the 1st 10 minutes? Assuming the family went together to see this, dad is already asleep, long before anything of consequence occurs. 

They assemble the ZERO-X one piece at a time, slowly moving into position, without much cutting away to some other scenes, to make it a bit more interesting. So, the ZERO-X is going to Mars, but, oopsie, despite all the security, an enemy agent stows aboard, in an area of mechanical complexity, and as a piece is sliding along, causing the flaps to move, it is blocked by the guy's foot, and nearly crushes it. He escapes, but leaves his boot behind, which causes the ZERO-X  to lose height, (should they say 'altitude'?),   and crash. 

Two years pass, and Mars is again in the right position, so, having built a new ZERO-X, they try again. 


Spoiler



The time spent on Mars is minimal, as they encounter "life as we don't know it", and make an emergency departure. Oops, again the Zero-X crashes, because one of the parts that was used only to lift-off from the ground, just will not go into place, to make a soft landing.





*THUNDERBIRD 6* (1968) Still having difficulty with security, enemy agents are able to kill the crew of the newly designed _Skyship One, _whose anti-gravity machinery is damaged during a gunfight. Most of the action occurs as they attempt to rescue their guys, while battling enemy agents. Oh, & the_ Skyship One _is completely automated, and its course, lift-off times, etc., altitude, etc., cannot be changed. That is why they call its designer 'Brains.'


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> They always felt as if they were set in the same world. The recent Alien roleplaying game strongly hints that Io is part of the _Alien _setting.


That is very definitely part of my head canon. I also include Blade Runner as part of that universe.


----------



## Jeffbert

*ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE / Six Inches Tall *U.K.  title (1958) B.I.G. made this one. Given the special-effects of the time, rather impressive. Mad scientist  Mr. Franz (John Hoyt; had the role of Ship's surgeon in the STAR TREK pilot) uses his secret equipment to shrink humans to the approximate size of Barbie and the original GI Joes. I estimate just above 10 inches, or so; thus, the U.K. title is a bit inaccurate. The guy is lonely, and wants companions, and also wants them submissive to his every whim. But how? Shrink them, put them in suspended animation when not in use, and just hope nobody finds out!  Also, before shrinking them, make sure they have no relatives, etc.

He is a doll maker by trade, but, apparently had been a puppeteer; while his friend, Emil (Michael Mark) was still one. Emil has a bad habit of coming to visit at the worst possible times; talking about the good ol' days when both were puppeteers; all the while, the puppet people are unattended in the other room, and likely are attempting escape! 

From the perspective of the puppet people, the whole thing is like a never-ending nightmare.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Randy M. said:


> THE CASE OF THE BLOODY IRIS (1972; dir. Giuliano Carnimeo; starring Edwige Fenech, George Hilton, Paola Quattrini)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> KILL, BABY ... KILL (1966; dir. Mario Bava; starring Giacomo Rossi Stuart; Erika Blanc, Fabienne Dali)




More excellent reviews.  General agreement.

The Bava film is quite good, but all of its alternate titles are poor and/or misleading.  *Kill, ,Baby . . . Kill! *and *Operation Fear *give the wrong impression entirely (modern slasher or spy film?) and *Curse of the Living Dead *(part of the "orgy of the living dead" drive-in triple feature of retitled European shockers) is more accurate, but bland.


----------



## KGeo777

HORROR EXPRESS 1972 - Opened at a Spanish film festival on September 30, 1972 (according to sources). Variation on the "Who Goes There?" story set about a train in 1905 Russia. They had a train set (and Telly Savalas) from a western PANCHO VILLA and re-used it. Damn good movie. One of the reasons is the sound--the score is really unusual for the time and very haunting, but also the voices are so strong and distinctive---it could almost be a radio play. One of the best sci-fi horror films of the 70s.


----------



## Ubergeek

KGeo777 said:


> HORROR EXPRESS 1972 - Opened at a Spanish film festival on September 30, 1972 (according to sources). Variation on the "Who Goes There?" story set about a train in 1905 Russia. They had a train set (and Telly Savalas) from a western PANCHO VILLA and re-used it. Damn good movie. One of the reasons is the sound--the score is really unusual for the time and very haunting, but also the voices are so strong and distinctive---it could almost be a radio play. One of the best sci-fi horror films of the 70s.
> 
> View attachment 93623


Great film.  Though I prefer the Spanish title :    Panico   En  El  Transiberiano  !!!!!!



And  Cushing's  line  :   '  Monsters ?  We're British ,  you know '  !!!


----------



## Happy Joe

Nobody (2021) ...An apparently average guy is pushed over the limit to reveal himself...
This one was a surprise for me as I expected much less than it gave... No great message or philosophy here just a good entertaining flick.  ....will definitely make it into my movie library.
Some (a lot of) Russian with subtitles. ... kind of a John Wick lite.

Enjoy!


----------



## Happy Joe

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)  A somewhat different take on a chase the witness down movie...
This one, too, surprised me a bit..  a good all around chase/run away, movie; without a lot of speeding cars and not many crashes. 
A good evening's entertainment.  
This too will go into the movie library; winter is coming and I need to stock up for those (upcoming) cold snowy nights...

Enjoy!


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> More excellent reviews.  General agreement.
> 
> The Bava film is quite good, but all of its alternate titles are poor and/or misleading.  *Kill, ,Baby . . . Kill! *and *Operation Fear *give the wrong impression entirely (modern slasher or spy film?) and *Curse of the Living Dead *(part of the "orgy of the living dead" drive-in triple feature of retitled European shockers) is more accurate, but bland.



I just started _Black Sunday_ and I noticed the title card shows as _The Mask of Satan_ (according to IMDB this is, "The U.K. version from Redemption Video ... the original, uncut, English-language version prepared by the producers." But that title, while accurate, is far less evocative than _Black Sunday_. Really, the U.S. didn't always do well by foreign films. (Probably still doesn't.)


----------



## Jeffbert

_*PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE*_ (1944) I know I had seen this before, but do not recall the rather sad ending. So, the 4 of the guys, having been in CASABLANCA, now appear in this film: Bogart, Lorre, Greenstreet, and the new guy, Rains. 

 Jean Matrac (Humphrey Bogart) Marius (Peter Lorre),  Petit (George Tobias), Renault (Philip Dorn), and Garou (Helmut Dantine) have escaped from Devil's Island, intending to fight for free France. Their backstories are brief, except Matrac's, who had been a newspaper publisher in France just prior to WWII, and had been framed for murder by political enemies. Having a small boat, they took to the sea, and were rescued by the cargo ship _Ville de Nancy._ Upon receiving a message that France had surrendered to Germany, Her Captain Patain Malo (Victor Francen) is a patriot, but Major Duval (Sydney Greenstreet) holds that Vichy now is the legal authority and the ship's Captain is committing mutiny by turning toward the U.K., instead of going to France. 

But that is the middle of the film, which is presented as nested flashbacks, opening at a secret airfield in the U.K. and giving Captain Freycinet (Claude Rains) the role of story-teller, as to how Matrac became a machine gunner in a Free France bomber, etc.


----------



## KGeo777

Ubergeek said:


> Great film.  Though I prefer the Spanish title :    Panico   En  El  Transiberiano  !!!!!!


Ha
that's actually the title on the version I watch.


----------



## alexvss

*#Alive (2020)*: A Netflix original Korean zombie movie. A gaming streamer gets stuck at home during a zombie outbreak in Seoul. I found it to be surprinsigly good. It's very hard to do anything new in such a crowded genre; but this one hits different because of the corona pandemic (it really seems to have been inspired by it). There are some deus ex machinas and some dumb horror protagonist moments, but it managed to entertain me nonetheless.


----------



## Jeffbert

*IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE* (1953) O.k., I never read any Ray Bradbury, just never got around to it. I might read this, but no time soon. Anyway, space aliens aka extraterrestrials' space ship has a boo-boo and it crashes on Earth. Strangely, while the trajectory appears to be <15 degrees, the crater still resembles a 90 degree impact. 

These beings are so very different from humans, that they dare not appear to the few humans who encounter them as they really are. Our response to the sight of them:




 Though, from my perspective there in nothing more repulsive than a deformed human. Some kind of a* valley*? [cannot recall the term]. Anyway, these aliens well know our weaknesses, and are certain that we would reject them. All they want is to repair their spaceship, and be on their way. Yet, they need some equipment to do so.

Some scenes were from the aliens' perspective, viewed through several layers of distortion. Cool!

Wherever they go, they leave a trail of speckled dust behind, that evaporates after some time. Creepy!

Amateur astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson), being one of very few enlightened humans, empathizes with the aliens' plight, but has issues with their tactics. They abduct several townsfolk, and, assume their forms (or did they simply alter our perceptions) and go into town to obtain the items needed.

As with a few other films, this one never gets old!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> Some kind of a* valley*? [cannot recall the term].



Uncanny Valley?








						Uncanny valley - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




I will add my usual caveat for whenever _It Came From Outer Space_ gets mentioned.  Don't watch the 'sequel'.  It's _*crap.*_


----------



## Jeffbert

Thanks, JunkMonkey!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Riddick * - Vin Deisel gets sweaty and beaten up, and chained up and kills people -  a lot - on ANOTHER planet where the entire ecosystem is made up of vicious carnivores which only come out at night.  I mean what _ARE_ the chances? I was almost on the point of giving up on it when Katee Sackhoff took her shirt off.  Spoiler -  She puts it back on again and it stays on.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Crawling Eye *aka *The Trollenberg Terror *(1958)

The film riffed in very first nationwide episode of MST3K (after local broadcasts) is a better-than-average monster movie.  There are some unusual plot elements; a genuine psychic, dead guys coming back to do the bidding of the Crawling Eyes.  There's also a lot of talk and some poor special effects.  Some stuff is never explained -- why do the Crawling Eyes decapitate mountain climbers.  Overall, however, it ain't bad.


----------



## KGeo777

Angels of Terror 1971  Late krimi. I didn't guess the murderer or his accomplice so I give it points for that.
The dubbing was also better that average for these.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Saddle the Wind *(1958)

Rod Serling wrote the screenplay for this half-traditional, half-offbeat Western.  Two very different actors play brothers.  Stoic, low-key Robert Taylor is the elder, excitable, impulsive John Cassavetes is the younger.  He returns from a trip somewhere to their ranch, with his intended bride, a beautiful saloon singer (Julie London, who gets to sing the title song over the credits and in the film itself.)  The fact that they just met two days ago tells you something about both.

There's a mean hombre in town out to shoot Taylor.  We expect him to be the primary villain, but one-third of the way through the movie Cassavetes guns him down by dumb luck.  Drunk with both whiskey and the thrill of killing, he and his rather idiotic buddy burn the wagon of some squatters who turn out to have a legal right to the land they're on.  (The head of the family is played by Royal Dano, a character actor I've always liked.)  

The older fellow who owns most of the valley (Donald Crisp) is a man of honor who hates violence, so he allows them to stay and fence in their land.  This doesn't sit well with hothead Cassavetes, leading to more killing and a tragic ending that doesn't go the way you'd expect.

Gorgeous scenery and sharp dialogue make for enjoyable viewing.


----------



## interretiarius

*Que la fête commence...* *(1975 - France):* The IMDb users say that the story here is historically correct. The Bretons (or a couple of them) versus the French. Guess who won. Lol. It was a good movie. Good directing, good acting, and an engaging storyline. Not a striking or outstandingly impressive film, though. *8/10

Ne le dis à personne* *(2006 - France/UK):* It has a very impressive scenario, very complex. A bit convulated but it is probably because the past events were unfolded somewhat hastily at times. Truly convincing acting is seen throughout. Some cool action scenes, the most prominent one being the protagonist being chased by the police. A must-see flick for the people who are into action-packed crime/mystery/thriller stuff. *8.5/10

The Empty Man (2020 - US/South Africa):* Well, kinda generic American horror with some of its qualities, but the cultic aspect adds to it a lot of mystery and intrigue. This had been done before for sure, but this movie did it like stupendously. Some movies crossed my mind like The Candyman (a horror figure that you summon), Pickman's Muse (the cultic element) while watching it, but this movie stands on its own with many of its qualities; at least I haven't seen any movie that is too alike. I think what happens there can happen in real life (at least it is not impossible for me), which makes the movie different from many of the ridiculous supernatural horror flicks. It is a really powerful movie, so if you get scared while watching (some) horror films, you had better think twice before deciding on watching this one. *9/10*


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Alita Battle Angel* - which I found, to my surprise, I really quite enjoyed for the most part.  I seem to remember it getting pretty 'meh' reviews at the time but, not having read the source material, I had no real baggage to bring to it - apart from not particularly liking any of Robert Rodriguez's movies.  But the eye-candy /design stuff was rather beautiful in places.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DEAD OF NIGHT* (1945)  An anthology horror film, with a twist of humor.  I really enjoyed this film, and especially the 1st story, THE HEARSE DRIVER, because of its TTZ adaptation. "Just room for one inside, sir" became "Room for one more, honey". Admittedly, far more significance has been on the ventriloquist act than the Hearse, but, that is my favorite! 

It was one of the films TCM showed during its puppet themed days, 09/6 & 09/13.

As was this, also:


_*HERE WE GO AGAIN*_ (1942) Charlie McCarthy as though he were human, rather than a ventriloquist's dummy. Several characters originating in radio comedy, Fibber McGee (Jim Jordan), his wife Molly (Marian Jordan), and of course Edgar Bergen, as well as others come together for comedy and silliness. 

Not for serious film fans!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Puppet on a Chain *(1970)

Alistair MacLean adapted his own novel of the same name (with "additional material" from a couple of other guys) into this nonstop action film.  Three people who stole some heroin get killed in the Los Angeles area by a hit man before the titles.  Then, before there's a word of dialogue, a local contact who was supposed to meet our hero gets killed in the Amsterdam airport just as he arrives.  With the help of our movie's Good Girl (Barbara Parkins, whom I can't see without thinking of her in the infamous turkey *Valley of the Dolls*, and maybe the best-known performer in this film lacking big name stars) our hero tries to track down the source of the heroin.  Cue fistfights, gunfights, murder, torture, and one heck of a speedboat chase.

The bad guys smuggle the heroin in dolls (which play an important part in other parts of the plot, hence the title), weights for pendulum clocks (the ones missing in the Los Angeles murder scene providing the first clue for the good guys), and hollowed-out bibles (which provides for a clue when the Good Girl sees a nun wearing red fingernail polish and fishnet stockings.)  

The most sadistic of the bad guys has mannerisms and methods more appropriate to a horror movie than a crime drama.  There's a very light touch of romance between the hero and the Good Girl, which is a refreshing change from Bond-style conquests.  There's a Bad Girl, but you won't know who it is until near the end.  There are also the usual MacLean plot twists, in which folks are not whom they seem to be.

Good use of location filming, and nostalgic scenes of hippie crash pads and groovy nightclubs.  Overall, a modest but satisfying thriller.


----------



## Randy M.

*BLACK SUNDAY* (a.k.a. _The Mask of Satan_; 1960; dir. Mario Bava; starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson)

Filmed in sumptuous black and white (and I use "sumptuous" advisedly), this is like the Universal horror film Universal didn't -- or maybe, couldn't -- make. The movie opens with a witch and her consort captured and about to be put to death. The consort already has the Mask of Satan attached to his face, and we witness the witch being branded as Satanic, then cursing her tormentors -- one of whom is her brother -- just before the spikes inside the mask are driven into her face.

And that's just the first ten or so minutes.

She is safely entombed for 200 years until a well-meaning physician who views the precautions against her as superstitious nonsense inadvertently destroys the precautions, releasing her from her slumber so she can take revenge against her brother's descendants, including the beautiful daughter who _looks exactly like her!_ 

First off, this is an amazing looking film. Bava must have spent years studying B&W movies then managed to apply all he'd learned. Every frame is full, if not with ominous castle or dark, brooding landscape, then with a massive carriage and horses, or with crumbling tombstones in a vast cemetery, or hooded, robed figures with torches, any or all of which may be cross-cut with bare branches and sometimes semi-immersed in fog. This is Barbara Steele's first major picture and she's quite good as either the good and loving daughter or the evil witch. John Richardson is ... well, he's John Richardson, who is too good-looking not to be a special effect, and too bland to be much remembered. 

Set pieces like the consort rising from his grave or chases through secret passages are well-executed,  but the movie largely relies on Steele's performance to work or not, and it works.


----------



## KGeo777

WITCHMAKER 1969  - An American attempt at a Hammer-like gothic horror film although it was probably done mainly to sell the hoochie element. Still, it has style and some nice location shooting and I suspect this was an inspiration for EVIL DEAD. It is the same plot as The Blair Witch Project. Investigators going into a secluded forest to research witch legends. The cast is recognizable but mostly people known for small parts--like "Gus the Fireman" on Leave it to Beaver shows up to explain the history of witches in the area. Some of the old school dialogue delivery seems unintentionally funny:  "Poor Owen. All his life he went with the weights and the wheat germ. Treated his body like a fine watch. Now he's just as dead as if he had been a bum or a wino."


----------



## Ubergeek

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Saddle the Wind *(1958)
> 
> Rod Serling wrote the screenplay for this half-traditional, half-offbeat Western.  Two very different actors play brothers.  Stoic, low-key Robert Taylor is the elder, excitable, impulsive John Cassavetes is the younger.  He returns from a trip somewhere to their ranch, with his intended bride, a beautiful saloon singer (Julie London, who gets to sing the title song over the credits and in the film itself.)  The fact that they just met two days ago tells you something about both.
> 
> There's a mean hombre in town out to shoot Taylor.  We expect him to be the primary villain, but one-third of the way through the movie Cassavetes guns him down by dumb luck.  Drunk with both whiskey and the thrill of killing, he and his rather idiotic buddy burn the wagon of some squatters who turn out to have a legal right to the land they're on.  (The head of the family is played by Royal Dano, a character actor I've always liked.)
> 
> The older fellow who owns most of the valley (Donald Crisp) is a man of honor who hates violence, so he allows them to stay and fence in their land.  This doesn't sit well with hothead Cassavetes, leading to more killing and a tragic ending that doesn't go the way you'd expect.
> 
> Gorgeous scenery and sharp dialogue make for enjoyable viewing.


Thanks Victoria  .    I like Westerns and haven't  heard of that and will try to see it.


----------



## Ubergeek

Randy M. said:


> *BLACK SUNDAY* (a.k.a. _The Mask of Satan_; 1960; dir. Mario Bava; starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson)
> 
> Filmed in sumptuous black and white (and I use "sumptuous" advisedly), this is like the Universal horror film Universal didn't -- or maybe, couldn't -- make. The movie opens with a witch and her consort captured and about to be put to death. The consort already has the Mask of Satan attached to his face, and we witness the witch being branded as Satanic, then cursing her tormentors -- one of whom is her brother -- just before the spikes inside the mask are driven into her face.
> 
> And that's just the first ten or so minutes.
> 
> She is safely entombed for 200 years until a well-meaning physician who views the precautions against her as superstitious nonsense inadvertently destroys the precautions, releasing her from her slumber so she can take revenge against her brother's descendants, including the beautiful daughter who _looks exactly like her!_
> 
> First off, this is an amazing looking film. Bava must have spent years studying B&W movies then managed to apply all he'd learned. Every frame is full, if not with ominous castle or dark, brooding landscape, then with a massive carriage and horses, or with crumbling tombstones in a vast cemetery, or hooded, robed figures with torches, any or all of which may be cross-cut with bare branches and sometimes semi-immersed in fog. This is Barbara Steele's first major picture and she's quite good as either the good and loving daughter or the evil witch. John Richardson is ... well, he's John Richardson, who is too good-looking not to be a special effect, and too bland to be much remembered.
> 
> Set pieces like the consort rising from his grave or chases through secret passages are well-executed,  but the movie largely relies on Steele's performance to work or not, and it works.


Yep Randy ,  superb film.  Great review.


----------



## dask

Anita Ekberg is the main attraction in this Spanish or Spanish/Italian vampire tale that tries harder than just about any other movie to be spooky but whose jerky unevenness renders it more creaky than creepy. Still, on a moonlit stormy night in the autumn country it ain't half bad.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Man Who Cried* (2000)- again a film which had everything going for it, a great cast giving sterling performances , great production values, beautiful camera work, terrific music and some ravishingly composed shots everything except 'it'.  Whatever 'it' is.  It didn't click.  I could admire it from all sorts of angles but it didn't engage  - a bit of a pity really as writer / director Sally Potter's _Orlando_ is one of my all time favourite movies.


----------



## pogopossum

Watched *The Outfit *starring Mark Rylance. It was released in 2022 and is now streaming on Amazon.
In it are Rylance and five other major characters, plus three spear carriers.
All of the action is dominated by Rylance who is present in every scene.
It takes place in a tailor shop which should be claustrophobic, but is so distinctive as to be a part of the plot.
Even though it came out early in the year, I expect Rylance to get an Academy Award nod.
Technically it is a gangster movie with gunplay and blood but Rylance is superior to the violence committed by others. Elsewhere I dissed the Thor movie as something that dumped huge resource and capable actors into a mishmash. Lots of flash but generally a waste. 
This is the opposite. Few resources, constrained action, a brilliant movie. Watch it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Randy M. said:


> *BLACK SUNDAY* (a.k.a. _The Mask of Satan_; 1960; dir. Mario Bava; starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson)
> 
> Filmed in sumptuous black and white (and I use "sumptuous" advisedly), this is like the Universal horror film Universal didn't -- or maybe, couldn't -- make. The movie opens with a witch and her consort captured and about to be put to death. The consort already has the Mask of Satan attached to his face, and we witness the witch being branded as Satanic, then cursing her tormentors -- one of whom is her brother -- just before the spikes inside the mask are driven into her face.
> 
> And that's just the first ten or so minutes.
> 
> She is safely entombed for 200 years until a well-meaning physician who views the precautions against her as superstitious nonsense inadvertently destroys the precautions, releasing her from her slumber so she can take revenge against her brother's descendants, including the beautiful daughter who _looks exactly like her!_
> 
> First off, this is an amazing looking film. Bava must have spent years studying B&W movies then managed to apply all he'd learned. Every frame is full, if not with ominous castle or dark, brooding landscape, then with a massive carriage and horses, or with crumbling tombstones in a vast cemetery, or hooded, robed figures with torches, any or all of which may be cross-cut with bare branches and sometimes semi-immersed in fog. This is Barbara Steele's first major picture and she's quite good as either the good and loving daughter or the evil witch. John Richardson is ... well, he's John Richardson, who is too good-looking not to be a special effect, and too bland to be much remembered.
> 
> Set pieces like the consort rising from his grave or chases through secret passages are well-executed,  but the movie largely relies on Steele's performance to work or not, and it works.



This sounds almost exactly like the script of a Hammer movie


----------



## Randy M.

paranoid marvin said:


> This sounds almost exactly like the script of a Hammer movie


It does, but I think it gets to the nastier side quicker and maybe a bit more believably. There seemed to be something in the air in the late '50s, early '60s that drew out Gothic movies set in a sometimes indefinable 17th or 18th century. 

And as good as the cinematography is for Hammer, and for at least some of the Corman Poe movies, this is spectacular use of black and white.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> *BLACK SUNDAY* (a.k.a. _The Mask of Satan_; 1960; dir. Mario Bava; starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson)
> John Richardson is ... well, he's John Richardson, who is too good-looking not to be a special effect, and too bland to be much remembered.


Raquel Welch said that when they were making One Million Years BC they struggled to make him look rough and less a pretty boy and it just didn't work.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

The Babadook. 
What an amazing film! Any other fans here?


----------



## Droflet

Yep, a terrific film.


----------



## Randy M.

Stephen Palmer said:


> The Babadook.
> What an amazing film! Any other fans here?


Watched it about 5 years ago and wrote this,

What was the last movie you saw?

and in response to a Cathbad post, answered this way,

What was the last movie you saw?


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Raquel Welch said that when they were making One Million Years BC they struggled to make him look rough and less a pretty boy and it just didn't work.


Somehow, not surprised to hear this. And I've seen that sort of thing with a lot of young male actors. They're good looking and asked to play good looking young guys, and they come across as bland. Then they approach middle-age and, if lucky, get a more nuanced character to play and suddenly you wonder how you hadn't seen them before. Not sure Richardson ever got that role, though.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Cathbad said:


> *The Babadook* (2014)
> 
> This was a good movie!  ...Up until the creature actually made an appearance.  Even then, it would have been palatable, if it weren't for the ending.
> 
> I will agree with @Randy M. re the performances by both Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman.  Too bad the writer(s) of this movie had to ruin it all with what is no doubt one of the most ludicrous endings of all times.


It's common practice for people carrying a lot of grief or fear for them to be encouraged to try to personalise and then "make friends" with their inexpressible emotion. My novel Tommy Catkins shows one of the possible consequences of this strategy.


----------



## Jeffbert

*IRMA LA DOUCE *(1963) Newly assigned to this district, French police officer Nestor Patou (Jack Lemmon) is unaccustomed to the way things are, and ends up embarrassing his superiors,  losing his job, etc.  Irma la Douce (Shirley MacLaine) is one of many ladies of the night, and expects the police to take bribes, and such. Yet, Patou is honest. So, Irma takes pity on the poor guy, and gives him a home, etc. Eventually, he becomes boss of the pimps, & wants her all to himself. So, he invents a new character, Lord X, and disguises himself as such, becomes her sole client, because he pays her so much, and merely plays card games while in that guise. But, eventually, Ptou decides he must eliminate the Lord X character, and ends up arrested for murdering a fictional Lord X! 

Not my type of film, but it was rather funny.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Somehow, not surprised to hear this. And I've seen that sort of thing with a lot of young male actors. They're good looking and asked to play good looking young guys, and they come across as bland. Then they approach middle-age and, if lucky, get a more nuanced character to play and suddenly you wonder how you hadn't seen them before. Not sure Richardson ever got that role, though.


I think sometimes the fault is the character is underwritten. SHE has that problem too. Richardson has nothing important to do. He probably wouldn't leave much impression anyway, but the main characters are Cushing etc. It's a showcase for the women characters in both films.
 John Derek is the same way. Vincent Price made a comment that when he was doing The Ten Commandments he had to whip John Derek  and he said to an audience -when you are that good-looking you deserve to be whipped.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE*_ (1951) A modern twist to Noah's Ark. A South African astronomer sends his findings by courier David Randall (Richard Derr) to an American astronomer for confirmation. Earth is doomed! A rogue star Bellus and its planet Zyra will soon collide with Earth, etc., and there are a mere 8, count 'em eight (100[base 2 (sorry, but this forum could not handle the subscript]) months in which to design, build, and deploy spaceships, and send them to the rogue star's planet, hoping life can survive there! The star, which will follow the planet will utterly destroy Earth, but the Earthlings hope that Zyra will be livable. The gravity of Bellus will disrupt life on Earth, floods, earthquakes, etc., will ravish our planet, but not so on Zyra, which will also be affected by gravity from both our Sun as well as its own!? 

Elderly millionaire Sydney Stanton (John Hoyt) offers his wealth to finance the project, so long as he gets to choose who else will go. No thanks, says scientist Dr. Cole Hendron (Larry Keating), who expects a random choosing of those who are to live. 

As in the story of Noah, the masses are cynical, ridiculing the idea, until it becomes obvious that the end is coming. Realist Stanton warns that these people will storm the facilities, and that they must be repelled by force of arms. Humanist Dr. Hendron is sure people will behave otherwise, believing in the goodness of humanity.  Stanton is right, and force of arms are needed. 

Of the critters chosen for the space ark, only those useful to humans are selected. No elephants or, as a Pooh called them Hefalumps; no rhinoceros much less the plural, rhinoceri,  etc.  Of the humans, only young adults, members of the project; people possessing skills, etc. Not even one child is among them, until a little boy is rescued from a rooftop, he, and a small dog, are among the chosen. 

Of course there is the romantic element, in which Dr. Cole's daughter's love is sought by both the courier David Randall and physician Tony Drake (Peter Hansen), whose skills will be needed on the new world; while Randall assumes his own will not. 

Always fun to watch!


----------



## KGeo777

Jeffbert said:


> Elderly millionaire Sydney Stanton (John Hoyt) offers his wealth to finance the project, so long as he gets to choose who else will go.


John Hoyt is funny when he finds the leg strength to get out of the wheel chair. 

'I can walk! Just get me into the rocket!"


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Project 'Gemini'* (2022 Original title: _Zvyozdniy razum_) - released this year and already in the '3 for a quid' bin at my local charity shop.  And understandably so.

It. Is. Terrible.

After a few minutes of THE most dreadful "The Earth is doomed because a killer virus is destroying all life on earth and we're all doomed because we're all doomed... and stuff" voiceover expositionising we get yet another bunch of expositioning from some REALLY BORING, PERSONALITY FREE, SCIENCE GUY who tells a bunch of other science types (they're all wearing white coats) and military people types (they're all wearing jumpsuits with patches) that the alien sphereish dingus thingiemebob they'd discovered in a cave, and have been working on for years, holds the hope for all mankind because it's a superdooper spacewarper and  a "creating life where there was none before" dingus and it's been sitting in this cave for 4 million years and was probably how life started on Earth....

(Hands up if you just worked out the rest of the movie's plot... Yup.  I thought so. )

...Anyhow...  a robotic probe test flight to another star system has found a suitable test planet and off they jolly well go -  _Why_ he telling these people this is a really good question because they already know this stuff and the audience is suffering from _serious _infodump overload.  Five minutes of solid infodumping is hard to sit through.

Opening credits.

Then the first (of many) crashing disappointments.  The REALLY BORING, PERSONALITY FREE, SCIENCE GUY turns out to be our HERO!?  You're ****ting me!  They go through the superdooper spacewarper and don't arrive where they are supposed to.  They can't work out where they are but decide to use the Starting Life Sphere Dingus anyway because the planet they_ have_ arrived next to is even better for the experiment than the one they were heading for - audience at this point starts throwing things at the screen, and making lewd and derisory comments. (Well my daughter and I did.)  Unbeknownst to the crew a bit of the superdooper spacewarper dingus detaches itself and *decides* it's the alien from _Alien_.   The first manned interstellar mission to an uninhabited planet remembered to pack automatic weapons - and a bomb.  The only female member of the crew gets to walk backwards down a dark corridor in her underwear. ("_How"_, asked number 2 daughter, "can you make a girl walking down a goo filed corridor in her underwear sequence _boring_?")  One of the crew members goes wrong and tries to help the alien.   Painful mechanically delivered dialogue that sounded like it came from a  cheap 1980's anime.  It's _Alien_ bookended by a  plot straight out of one of those 'unexpected twist ending' comics of the late 50s.

Oh my GOD! It was Earth all along!!!!!!!

Anyway all turns out well in the end because REALLY BORING, PERSONALITY FREE, HERO SCIENCE GUY pulls one of the films many many many unexpected plot rabbits out of his arse and is somehow able to communicate across 4 million years with his INSANELY BORING PERSONALITY FREE (but pregnant - of course!) SCIENCE GUY GIRLFRIEND and give her 'the formula' for destroying the virus. He'd found it in the blood of the crew member who'd been infected by the alien - or something.  The writing really was that crappy.  People suddenly pull plot miracles out of thin air at every turn. This film generated more "Wait?! What?!" moments than any film I can remember having seen for years.

The final shot is of SCIENCE GUY GIRLFRIEND in her no longer infected by virus but now full of flowering plants greenhouse rocking a pram.  A pram with the hood up.  Because the film couldn't afford to hire a baby for the day.


----------



## KGeo777

THE VAMPIRE HAPPENING 1971  - an attempt to make a film in the "vein" of the Fearless Vampire Killers (Ferdie Mayne appears as Count "Christopher" Dracula), directed by Freddie Francis. It boasts real castles and some picturesque cinematography and a nice soundtrack but is bad comedy--more of a softcore vampire porno.


----------



## dask

Mystery thriller about murder and a jade necklace….I think. May be harder to follow than The Big Sleep but confusion adds to the charm in film noir. If all else there’s always the forties gals to stare at


----------



## Randy M.

The film that revived Dick Powell's career. No longer the boy singer, he could wisecrack with the best of them; his delivery was every bit as good as Bogart's. _Murder, My Sweet_ was one of the best Raymond Chandler adaptations.


----------



## alexvss

*Bullet Train (2022)*. A comedy action-thriller with an ensemble cast. For the most of it, the comedy doesn't work.


----------



## smellincoffee

My girlfriend and I watched _West Side Story_. It's a favorite of mine, but she hated it. Suffice it to say, she's not on board for watching the new one.


----------



## Jeffbert

Perhaps if watched with the I WILL LAUGH AT THIS (EVEN IF IT IS NOT FUNNY) attitude, you might have enjoyed *Project 'Gemini.'*


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> Perhaps if watched with the I WILL LAUGH AT THIS (EVEN IF IT IS NOT FUNNY) attitude, you might have enjoyed *Project 'Gemini.'*



It's our default setting. We tried.  Really really hard.  The trouble is, that to do that successfully, the material has to be 'not boring'.    Bad is one thing.  Clichéd, derivative clumsy, overambitious... all of those are things you can work with and mine for gags.  But monotonously dull?  Hard to find laughs in something so tediously flat.  Mind you, we did get to the end of it - which is more than we did for *Battle Star Wars* the other week.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (2022): A fantasy thriller about an escaped mental patient who can possess people. A stripper shelters her and exploits her for money. Lots of EDM, which isn't my thing. It was kind of trashy, but the concept wasn't bad. Tolerable, not great.


----------



## Jeffbert

KWAIDAN (1965) Another set of 4 stories; this time a Japanese supernatural one. Only one name I recognized: Takashi Shimura. Over 3 hours, Quite interesting, especially the costumes.


----------



## Phyrebrat

Stephen Palmer said:


> The Babadook.
> What an amazing film! Any other fans here?


See my avatar. I saw this in the cinema when it came out and it became one of my favourite films. I joined the kickstarter the director pitched and bought two of the pop-up books. Absolutely beautiful.


----------



## KGeo777

VIRGIN WITCH 1972 -- Seemed to be a softcore porno done by a Shakespearean road company.   There was a couple of creepy visuals but otherwise rather tepid. The most unusual thing was the hero of the story (if he can be called that) has a car with the steering wheel on the left side and yet he is driving around Surrey England in it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Rosemary's Baby*

Think I've seen this before, but many years ago. Much longer than I remember it being, and what appears to be plenty of imagery, most of which goes over my head or I didn't notice. The tension is so beautifully balanced, and the ending (often one of the most difficult parts of a horror movie to get right) has a great twist (arguably two twists). Mia Farrow is superb as the pregnant wife desperate to protect her unborn child, but Ruth Gordon steals the show as the interfering neighbour.

I'd rank this in the best 5 horror movies of all time.


----------



## Jeffbert

*I LOVE TROUBLE* (1948) NOIR ALLEY, & I had forgotten it, until looking for things I could delete from the DVR, when I realized I had not watched it.

PI Stuart Bailey (Franchot Tone) is hired to find a man's wife, who had gone missing. The Man wants to know about her background. Another good noir I have no memory of having seen before!  So, in the process of investigating the woman's past, the usual tough guys give him the trouble noted by the title.

Muller noted that this was made from the mold Raymond Chandler made, & that he had contemplated suing, but did not follow-through.


Not happy about the lack of captions, though!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Orlando* - for the umpteenth time (prompted by a still used in the 'Whose Face' thread).  An utterly beautiful film.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Phyrebrat said:


> See my avatar. I saw this in the cinema when it came out and it became one of my favourite films. I joined the kickstarter the director pitched and bought two of the pop-up books. Absolutely beautiful.


Nicely said!


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> VIRGIN WITCH 1972 -- Seemed to be a softcore porno done by a Shakespearean road company.   There was a couple of creepy visuals but otherwise rather tepid. The most unusual thing was the hero of the story (if he can be called that) has a car with the steering wheel on the left side and yet he is driving around Surrey England in it.


Coincidentally, I saw a trailer for this over the weekend, and that's pretty much what the trailer made it look like.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

JunkMonkey said:


> *Orlando* - for the umpteenth time (prompted by a still used in the 'Whose Face' thread).  An utterly beautiful film.


The novel, by Virginia Woolf, is worth reading as well.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> The novel, by Virginia Woolf, is worth reading as well.



Agreed. The only one of hers I've managed to get through.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Any fans of _Cloud Atlas_ here? Saw it last night. Feel somewhat baffled.


----------



## Mouse

*The Adam Project*. Ryan Reynolds playing himself. Featuring a young kid also playing Ryan Reynolds. Actually the kid's really good. The film's pretty good, too. Time travel nonsense. Fun.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Stephen Palmer said:


> Any fans of _Cloud Atlas_ here? Saw it last night. Feel somewhat baffled.



Me too.  But I like being baffled.  I did have the advantage that I had read the book.   I did really get thrown out of the film at one point - during the 'Scottish' sequence the the pub exterior used a shot of the Drover's Inn at Inverarnan on Loch Lomondside.   I'd driven past it a couple of days before and been in there on other occasions.


----------



## KGeo777

I watch horror stuff all month and a few that I watch regularly.  Recently I watched Scream and Scream Again, and the Flesh Eaters yesterday. This night it was the Haunted Palace. I would like to see a movie where, when someone in danger of being possessed by a spirit in a house or mansion says "I will just be a minute--wait for me outside," the person waiting says: "oh no you don't!"  and they sing and bang pots and pans to distract the ghost trying to do the re-possessing.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce in_ The Hound of the Baskervilles. _
What a classic.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Tenet *- I got bored half way through and turned off. Not sure if it was just me or the story, but I couldn't get into it at all.


----------



## Jeffbert

*FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE* (1940) 12 part serial, though #4 was not found on my DVR. Watched it over several days. Video quality was rather poor, though. 

Fun, though required much dragging the slider through repetitive parts


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE OMEGA MAN* (1971) Paid much closer attention to the lead-up to the apocalypse, than last time watching it. Biological weapons development; bad news! War between USSR & China.

Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) is a military scientist working apparently in bio weapons development. Jonathan Matthias (Anthony Zerbe; also the villain in KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK) was a TV news guy, who had been covering the pandemic. He became the leader of the zombies, who cannot bear exposure to daylight, and suffer from psychological problems, delusions, etc. They think they are the redeemed, and any people not yet having become as they are, are the problems. They clash Neville rules the day, Matthias the night; a scattered few who have not turned yet, are caught in the crossfire, etc., and they want the conflict to end. 

Also noticed more brand-name products here, than in any other film I have seen recently. Moreover, one sign in the isle of the drugstore had three words on it, the 1st 2 of which I will not repeat here, because they are politically charged. I wonder if the film makers used these as opposed to FAMILY PLANNING or CONTRACEPTIVES deliberately?   

Brand names seen at drugstore include SHOWER TO SHOWER; BAND-AID; JOHNSON & JOHNSON'S BABY POWDER; BACTINE; COLGATE (toothpaste); POLI-GRIP; VITALIS; VICKS' cough medicine; and a few that I did not recognize, but were readable. One product had Fred Flintstone on it, but was blurred, and unidentifiable. 

Corrugated cardbord boxes stacked one upon another, some upside down, LISTERINE; GE LAMPS; TIDE; EVERLAST." High class dept. store "nabholz SWITZERLAND" clothing brand; HONEY MAID GRAHAM CRACKERS; gas pumps: "Gulf No-nox."

Not to forget the ADMIRAL  TV that Neville has /had in his office. 


Interesting comparison between the Govt.'s martial law, here, and the recent shutdown of the economy in real life; but would not want to delve into politics!


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Charly *- 1968 adaption of *Flowers for Algernon *with an oscar winning performance by Cliff Robertson.  It's still a great story, but some of the era quirks make parts unintentionally funny - particularly the montage sequence complete with baroque Sitar courtesy of composer Ravi Shankar and copious use of swirling kaleidoscopic bokeh.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*To Kill a Man *(1964?)

This is a film, released theatrically elsewhere than the United States, made up of footage from the episode of the same name of the Gene Rodenberry series _The Lieutenant_, plus footage from another episode, plus new footage.  The basic plot is the same in the TV and movie versions.  Marine Lieutenant gets sent to Southeast Asia.  His helicopter is shot down.  He has to scramble to survive, discovers somebody is a traitor, and (as the title implies) kills someone for the first time in his life.  The movie version adds some background (from the other episode), adds an extremely mild sexually suggestive scene with a woman in the USA, and adds a romance with an Asian woman.  Either way, it's not bad.


----------



## therapist

*Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri *(2017).

Maybe it was because right before watching this I tried 'Thor: Love and Thunder' and turned it off in disgust after eight minutes. But Three Billboards was like a soothing glass of honeyed milk that went far and above it's intended purpose of removing the foul taste from before. It is a simple story in a small town about misplaced anger and a woman who erects three billboards that set the film in motion. The plot takes surprising and satisfying turns, and the cast was brilliant. Frances Mcdormand and Sam Rockwell: both sublime.  
This is a 10/10 for me. The director Martin Mcdonagh is known for his previous film 'In Bruges' and has a new film coming out this year which I will first in line to go and see.


----------



## Droflet

Three Billboards was a delightful surprise for me and well worth seeing.


----------



## Randy M.

*Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion* (1970; dir. Luciano Ercoli; starring Dagmar Lassander, Pier Paolo Capponi, Nieves Navarro)

The plot is probably older than Hollywood: A blackmailer has information that Minou's husband, Peter (per IMDB; in the movie it sounds like she says, Pier), is a murderer. The blackmailer does not want money. He wants Minou. Minou, deeply in love with Peter, reluctantly accedes. But, of course, one payment isn't enough.

Screenplay by Ernesto Gastaldi (male), who was responsible for _The Case of the Bloody Iris_ (meh), _The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh_ (twisty, intriguing plot), and _Your Vice is a Room and Only I Have the Key_ (Gothic, twisty, Hitchcockian, and my nomination for weirdest title for a movie I've actually watched), and Mahnahén Velasco (female). All of which may be relevant since this giallo plays so much differently post-MeToo than it would have in 1970. Whether or not I grew up in the '70s, I came of age, and I would have been captivated by the plot which has a twist I didn't see coming; I'm tempted to say I should have, but that might be giving me too much credit. The plot is improbable, but within the logic behind it, the twist at the end is well-disguised.

This movie could not be made now for love or money. (Or maybe it would be huge box office because of the adverse publicity. We are nothing if not inconsistent.) And Gastaldi, either from inclination or because that's where the money was in Italian cinema at the time (or both), seems to have specialized in sexual perversity for powering plots. But, 



Spoiler



maybe the movie's hero mitigates all this a bit. She's sexually experienced, likes sex, seeks it out and doesn't hesitate to admit any of that, setting up the difference between her and her more naive friend, Minou. To my knowledge, no comparable female hero exists in '70s American thrillers.



All of which is to say, this was fascinating if a bit jarring because of our various advances and retreats since the '70s.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE RED HOUSE* (1947) NOIR ALLEY, Muller opens and closes with the usual in-depth stuff. 

Pete Morgan (Edward G. Robinson), a farmer who prefers peace and quiet, has a large forested area that he prefers to keep to himself. One day, he hires Nath Storm (Lon McCallister), a  high school friend of his niece Meg Morgan (Allene Roberts), to help at the farm. On his 1st day, he stays late, to enjoy dinner with the family. When it comes time to go home, he states his intention to take a shortcut through the woods. Alarmed by this, Pete does his best to dissuade him, even attempting to frighten him, but fails. There is something in those woods he wants to keep secret. 

Very tense, Almost frightening. Said to be horror for adults.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*The Curse of Bridge Hollow *- I'm a sucker for Hallowe'en movies. Anything with Screaming Jay Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You" in the soundtrack gets my vote. This is delightful, brain off entertainment in the mould of Gremlins (although not in the same league). 

A young family moves to the small city and spooky things abound. Good fun for a Hallowe'en watch, although not really spooky.  The music is suitably John Williamesque which elevates the story a little.


----------



## Foxbat

Encounter With The Unknown(1973)
Three short films connected through the subject of the supernatural and narrated by Rod Serling (Twilight Zone and The Night Gallery). 

An hour and a half of mediocrity later leaves me convinced that these shorts were rejects from his TV series bolted together to provide a feature film on the cheap.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Violent Midnight *(1963)  AKA *Psycho-Mania**

With this, I finish the quartet of cheap black-and-white shockers produced by Del Tenney, after having watched *The Horror of Party Beach*** (1964) and its co-feature *The Curse of the Living Corpse**** (1964) as well as *I Eat Your Skin***** (filmed 1963?1964?, released 1971.)

We start with a guy getting shot in the face with a shotgun.  Later we'll find out it was our main character's father, and he blames himself for the killing.  He's a wealthy, reclusive young painter.  Right away we get the tiny bit of nudity that must have limited the uncut version of this thing to "adults only" theaters, as we meet him and the model posing for him.  Pretty soon his elegant lawyer and the lawyer's mute, hulking chauffeur show up.  Let the red herrings begin!

The model has a sort-of boyfriend, but wants to be with the painter.  Cue big fight between the two guys.  Next, she reveals she's pregnant, but the timing makes it clear it wasn't the painter's fault.  In our first big shock scene, filmed in a manner that will remind you strongly of *Psycho *(hence the alternate title), a _giallo _style killer in black gloves and trench coat stabs the model to death.  Given the circumstances, the painter is the primary suspect.

Meanwhile, the painter's sister shows up after being away for six years, ready to attend the local women's college.  Cue lots of young women in their underwear and another tiny bit of nudity.  Painter gets a girlfriend, one of the students throws herself at the model's sort-of boyfriend.  She gets killed for her trouble.  More red herrings show up, such as a peeping tom.  There is, of course, a Shocking Twist Ending.



Spoiler



The killer is the sister, who shot their father and stabbed the women in order to have her brother to herself.



It's a decent little thriller, even if the plot meanders around quite a bit.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

*Not to be confused with *Psychomania *(1973), which involves a frog deity and a zombie motorcycle gang.

**Hilariously terrible, and a cult classic mocked by MST3K.

***Not too bad, and somewhat similar to the film under discussion.

****Actually a lousy little voodoo movie supposed to be called *Zombie *or some other similar title, and not released until they needed a companion feature for the R-rated film *I Drink Your Blood*, in an infamous double bill.  I wonder what movie patrons of the time thought about seeing a gore-drenched new color movie followed by a bloodless, ultra-cheap, black-and-white film half a dozen years old on the same bill.  In any case, nothing even remotely similar to the eating of skin takes place.


----------



## Rodders

Boss Level. A fun Groundhog Day style film which I enjoyed a lot.

Like Father. Quite a nice film and I like Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer. Well worth a watch, IMO.


----------



## KGeo777

I watch a lot of repeats for Hoctoberween but I watched a new one MARTA 1971 which is a murder mystery set in a castle  with Stephen Boyd as an impotent nut who finds a stranger on his property (Marissa Mell) and lots of weird things happen. He does a good job looking truly nuts in this movie. Mell does a good job looking good. I think her real voice is heard in this one.
A real castle can improve the overall quality of a film. It's kind of incoherent story-wise but what a castle.


----------



## Rodders

Just finished watching a Russian movie called Coma which I thought was excellent.

Coma patients all sharing an experience as a scientist is using them to create a utopian city. It had pretty good effect and the soundtrack was good. Sort of the same realm as The Matrix or Inception. A good science fiction movie in my opinion.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dead One *AKA *Blood of the Zombie *(1961)

Said to be the first zombie movie in color.  It's also an extremely cheap and amateurish effort.  Starts with the zombie (a guy with long hair wearing a tuxedo, with pale yellow makeup on his skin) rising from his sarcophagus as a woman performs a voodoo ritual and screams "Kill!" several times at the top of her lungs.  We'll see this exact same scene again after about forty minutes of filler. 

In brief, newlyweds visit no less that three nightclubs in New Orleans (cool jazz, G-rated striptease, and hot jazz/rock 'n' roll) then go to the groom's ancestral plantation, the inheritance of which he's going to share with his cousin.  By george, the cousin is the woman we saw/will see performing the voodoo ritual to raise her dead brother, so he can kill the others and she can get the property for herself.  Oh, I forgot to mention that the newlyweds pick up the stripper they saw at the club when her car breaks down and have her stay at the plantation, adding another potential victim.

The original version was supposedly an hour and a half long, and what survives today is about an hour.  What we have is agonizingly slow and padded, so what it used to be must have been truly glacial.  Everything is brightly lit, creating the worst possible mood.  Acting ranges from mediocre to abysmal.  Some of the female performers appeared in nudie cuties, which gives you an idea of the quality of this film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hot Rod Gang *(1958)

Our hero has to hide the fact that he's a hotroddin', rock 'n' rollin' swinger from his dotty maiden aunts.  Meanwhile, he has to raise rent money for the clubhouse/garage where he and his buddies do their thing.   That doesn't include the $4100.00 they need to build a super-duper hot rod designed by the gang's resident mechanical genius.   Fortunately, new girl in town is a friend of real-life rock 'n' roll pioneer Gene Vincent, playing himself, who sings a couple of songs at a benefit for the gang.  Not only that, but our hero puts on a fake beard and becomes a rock 'n' roll star as a jive-talking beatnik, using a fake name.   Then there's our movie's bad guy, a rival hotrodder who gets the hero framed for stealing hubcaps.

Forget the plot, mostly played for comedy, which is really just an excuse for a bunch of songs, some dancing, some fighting, some romantic rivalry, and surprisingly little hotrodding.  The whole thing is the usual low-budget exploitation quickie of the time, slickly made, painless, and easily forgettable.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Creepshow III *(2006)

Very late-in-the-day threequel (in name only) to *Creepshow *(1982) and *Creepshow 2 *(1987).  Unlike those two, this one has nothing to do with Stephen King and George Romero.  Five stories that intersect with each other in odd ways.

"Alice" -- A remote control (apparently created by the Mad Scientist who features in a later story) transforms a bratty teenage girl's family from white to African-American, then to Latinx folks.  Then it turns her into a grotesque monster.  Then the Mad Scientist turns her into a white rabbit.  Our first clue that this film is going to be full of stories that don't make a lot of sense.

"The Radio" -- Guy gets a radio that starts talking to him in a woman's voice, giving him advice.  It lures him into murder.  Things don't work out well.  Maybe the best of these not-very-good stories.  It's pretty much a gritty crime story with a fantasy element.

"Call Girl" -- Escort likes to murder her clients.  She shows up at the home of a young, seemingly innocent man.  The story spoils its own ending, by showing us three dead bodies hanging on the wall, which the escort doesn't notice.  She "kills" the client, he turns out to be a vampire of sorts (gigantic mouth full of gigantic teeth.)

"The Professor's Wife" -- The Mad Scientist (remember him?) is about to marry a much younger, giggly woman.  A couple of students deduce that she's actually a robot, so they kill her and rip her body apart in an attempt to prove this.  Played for extremely black comedy, with tons of gore.

"Haunted Dog" -- The world's most obnoxious physician walks away from a homeless man choking to death on a hot dog.  The dead man's ghost haunts the doctor to his doom.  That's all the plot there is, so lots of time is killed with the physician's nasty behavior at the free clinic where he is being forced, for some reason, to work.  More time is wasted with characters from the other stories showing up.  (The Mad Scientist buys an "advanced voodoo kit" from the street vendor who sold the talking radio; the physician goes to a party hosted by the vampire.)

A brief epilogue shows the Mad Scientist's wedding to his newly revived bride, who is now completely covered with bandages, although her eye leaks blood and her hand falls off.  (I assume the "advanced voodoo kit" brought her back to life, but this dark joke would make more sense if he just used Mad Science to Frankenstein her back together.)  The white rabbit is in the back of their limousine, and the family of the formerly human bratty teenager is worried because they think her mother only imagines that she ever existed.

Sounds like a confused mess?  It sure is.


----------



## KGeo777

THE DARK 1979 -- Haven't seen this in ages. It looks great in HD and the awfulness is all the more vibrant. The feeling one gets is that they were channeling 1940s or 50s horror tropes (the psychic who sees the murders, and a shambling ghoul killer and the woman reporter who wants to break the  big story) but mixed with some eccentricities like William Devane as the ex-con author who seemed to be competing with Cathy Lee Crosby in a hairstyle competition.
One gets the impression that someone was deliberately putting in  background jokes like the couple kissing in the middle of a street and the unusually energetic protestors doing jumping exercises as they chant.
There are some good humor moments like the dwarf selling newspapers and the cop dropping the jelly donut on the newspaper.


----------



## Rodders

Life. It was an average movie, which is not a bad thing. Great ending.

Werewolves Withing. Laugh out loud in a couple of places. I felt it could have been a part of What We Do In The Shadows. It had the same feeling.

The Cloverfield Paradox. Got to admit that I didn't think much of this one.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Halloween Kills (2021): Just terrible. It got so boring for me that I used it as white noise while I did other stuff. I doubt I'll finish this trilogy, considering Halloween Ends got even worse reviews and isn't about Michael Meyers at all.

Welcome to Leith (2015): A documentary focusing on white supremacist Craig Cobb and how he bought land in a very small North Dakota town, and how he turned it into a neo-Nazi home. I really hate these people and was hoping that they'd get punched at the very least. It was, however, more interesting than the above.


----------



## Mon0Zer0

*Hellraiser 2022* - It's a pretty good Hellraiser movie - maybe better than the original in some respects but I came away from it feeling a little dirty. My tolerance for gore is not what it was and I could have probably done without it, tbh.


----------



## Rodders

I took a gamble and watched a Korean Space Opera called Space Sweepers. A kids film, but it did kill a couple of hours.


----------



## Vince W

Rodders said:


> I took a gamble and watched a Korean Space Opera called Space Sweepers. A kids film, but it did kill a couple of hours.


I watched that some time ago. Your review sums it perfectly.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE TWO MRS CARROLLS* (1947) Geoffrey Carroll (Humphrey Bogart)'s wife is strangely ill, and soon dies He is a painter, and had made a rather unflattering portrait of her that was not revealed until after her death. So, he marries Sally Morton (Barbara Stanwyck), and eventually, after several years, she too, becomes ill. Yes, he poisoned both, but will he be able to dispatch her as he did with #1?

Nigel Bruce is the family physician, Dr. Tuttle, a rather humorous portrayal. 

Bogart's portrayal of Mr. Carroll is very different from any other I can recall, except 1 



Spoiler



The guy is THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Man *(1972)

Political drama written by Rod Serling from the novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.  The President of the United States and the Speaker of the House are killed in a freak accident when a building collapses in Germany.  The Vice-President has suffered a stroke, is confined to a wheelchair, and expects to die soon, so he refuses the office.  According to the Constitution, the president pro tempore of the Senate (a largely honorary/ceremonial office, generally given to the senior Senator of the majority party) is next in line.  The president pro tempore is a scholarly widower with an adult daughter.  He also happens to be African-American.

James Earl Jones stars as The Man, who faces a situation for which no one could be prepared.  His daughter is an activist who thinks he's too moderate.  The Secretary of State (William Windom) has Presidential ambitions of his own.  Windom's racist wife is even more pushy about it, leading to an extremely awkward dinner party where Jones, his daughter, Windom, and his wife are all present.    A Senator (Burgess Meredith), formerly openly segregationist, tries to limit Jones' power by proposing a law that would require congressional approval before Jones could fire a member of the Cabinet.  

In addition to all this, there's an American radical accused of assassinating a South African official.  He's got an alibi, so Jones gives him sanctuary from the South Africans who want to extradite him.  Then Meredith obtains proof that the young African-American man is guilty.  Can Jones deal with the demands of the South African government that wants him extradited, as well as the African-American protestors who want him to remain in the USA?  Will his wise and sympathetic aide (Martin Balsam) help him through this crisis, and win him the nomination for the next election?

Intended for television but released to theaters instead, it looks like a made-for-TV movie.  It mostly consists of people talking in offices.  It could almost be a stage play.  However, I liked it.  There's fine acting from familiar faces all around.  The dialogue is very Serlingesque; nobody can offer so many sharp, pithy, metaphor-heavy pronouncements in real life.  Accept that, and enjoy Jones speaking those lines like nobody else can.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Predestination *(2014)

Excellent adaptation of the classic Heinlein story "'--All You Zombies--'".  The less said about the plot the better, but those familiar with the story will be pleased by the way the film makers honor it.  (I don't even mind the fact that they had to add violent action movie stuff, because it's well integrated into the story.)  Intelligently scripted, beautifully filmed, sensitively acted.  I love the way they create the various time periods.  I particularly adore the look of the SpaceCorps sequences, although those sections aren't really a vital part of the plot.  Highly recommended.


----------



## Rodders

I saw The Adam Project last night. It was an okay action-comedy movie. 

The actor playing the younger Adam was actually pretty good and the likeness to Ryan Reynolds was excellent.


----------



## REBerg

*Minions: The Rise of Gru*
"Mupa sim!" -Otto


----------



## Randy M.

Guttersnipe said:


> X (2022): In this slasher film, a bunch of young adults go to a secluded house to shoot a pornographic film. The old couple finds out what they're there for and all hell breaks loose. Effectively creepy.


Surprisingly effective. I haven't seen anything directed by Ti West before, so didn't realize how steeped he was in 1970s, early '80s horror movies. Not only does this take place in that time period, with call backs to various horror movies, notably _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_, it is effectively shot as a low-budget movie at that time would be -- a scene of a woman on a dock by a lake has a very _Friday the 13th_ vibe. Taking advantage of that secluded lake, a long stretch of untenanted land except for the somewhat Wyeth-like farm house they are staying at, West creates a homage to those older movies about sophisticatedly clueless city folk wandering naively into situations they don't recognize and can't adjust to, while managing to turn it into a meditation on aging and love.

My wife likes horror but not gore, and I was concerned this might be gory. I expected us to turn it off at some point, but we didn't. There are some gory scenes, and maybe more than a lot of viewers would be comfortable with, but because this is obviously about something more and the performances by Brittany Snow (Southern brassy, funny porno-Marilyn Monroe wannabe) and, especially, Mia Goth (determined to be _someone_), are so strong, we ended up watching the entire movie. Snow is pretty well-established as a female second- or third-lead (_Pitch Perfect_), but I haven't seen Goth before and from this I expect to see her a lot more.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM ran *HIGH NOON* immediately followed by _*ON THE WATERFRONT*_ the other day, as both had been made during the 1950s HUAC trouble, and even followed them with a short documentary about them. So, it turns out that HN was about a guy who was all alone opposing the 4 bad guys out for revenge is really about the film maker's taking a stand against HUAC, and nobody will stand with him. The comparison to WITCH HUNTS is appropriate, as the accused usually was all alone, nobody dared to act as advocate, because anyone who did so, would also be accused of witchcraft, etc. OTW was about the guy who cooperated with HUAC, and named others, etc., the no win damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

I had seen both firms previously, but never thought about why they had been made, etc. Interesting documentary, *HIGH NOON *_*ON THE WATERFRONT. *_


*HIGH NOON* (1952) The town Marshall has just retired, and married a Quaker (who opposes violence). Talk about bad timing! The villain whom the Marshall had sent to prison 4 year ago, who was expected to hang, is now free, and returning to town, seeking to kill the man who sent him to jail. Marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper) finds the town judge, and just about anyone who even knew the bad guy, leaving town. Kane, finds the call of duty stronger than his commitment to his bride, and stays to fight. But, even the deputy, resigns, seeing that ZKane had failed to recruit any others.

So many clocks! The story starts at about 10:30 AM, and ends just after 12:00, almost real time, because the film runs about 90 minutes.


Great cast!



_*ON THE WATERFRONT*_ (1954) has laborers unloading cargo ships, under union control; the union is controlled by the mob. Everybody knows it, but nobody dares to even try to oppose mob control. The union boss picks guys who will actually work on any given day, and that gives the mob power over the laborers. So, one guy is thrown off the roof of a three or four story apartment building.  Terry Malloy  (Marlon Brando) was the pawn that the mob used to lure the guy out of his apartment, and up to the roof, where both Terry and the victim had pigeon coops. Terry was told that the mob guys were simply going to talk to him; maybe work him over, but was not too sad when they killed him. Terry personally knew the boss, nicknamed Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), who had given him a job when he was a teen. He owed Friendly, and both Terry and his brother Charley (Rod Steiger) worked for him. The authorities (allegories for HUAC) are investigating, but, nobody will talk, until Terry, who had been dating the victim's sister, testifies.

Great cast!


----------



## alexvss

*Decision to Leave (2022)*. A detective gets close to the widow of a murder victim, maybe too close.

That’s the worst movie of Park chan-wook, one of my favorite directors. Not because of the movie itself, but because of the expectations. Decision to Leave is not in pair with his filmography. I got disappointed even by knowing that beforehand.

There’s almost no violence or action. It’s at the same time an investigation thriller and a romance, and you can’t tell where one starts and the other ends. If this had been made by another director, I’d have said that he is a promising talent. But I had other expectations from Park, who’s already proved himself multiple times.


----------



## smellincoffee

_Ghost Town_, a Ricky Gervais and Brian D'Arcy James movie from 2008 in which Gervaise plays a misanthropic dentist whose NDE on the operating table gives him the ability to see and hear ghosts -- who begin badgering him to help them resolve their unfinished business on Earth.  D'Arcy James is a particularly stubborn ghost who wants Gervaise to destroy James' widow's engagement to a scumbag, but there are rom-com complications.   Entertaining if predictable.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Randy M. said:


> Surprisingly effective. I haven't seen anything directed by Ti West before, so didn't realize how steeped he was in 1970s, early '80s horror movies. Not only does this take place in that time period, with call backs to various horror movies, notably _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_, it is effectively shot as a low-budget movie at that time would be -- a scene of a woman on a dock by a lake has a very _Friday the 13th_ vibe. Taking advantage of that secluded lake, a long stretch of untenanted land except for the somewhat Wyeth-like farm house they are staying at, West creates a homage to those older movies about sophisticatedly clueless city folk wandering naively into situations they don't recognize and can't adjust to, while managing to turn it into a meditation on aging and love.
> 
> My wife likes horror but not gore, and I was concerned this might be gory. I expected us to turn it off at some point, but we didn't. There are some gory scenes, and maybe more than a lot of viewers would be comfortable with, but because this is obviously about something more and the performances by Brittany Snow (Southern brassy, funny porno-Marilyn Monroe wannabe) and, especially, Mia Goth (determined to be _someone_), are so strong, we ended up watching the entire movie. Snow is pretty well-established as a female second- or third-lead (_Pitch Perfect_), but I haven't seen Goth before and from this I expect to see her a lot more.


The prequel, Pearl, is out now.


----------



## KGeo777

GALLERY OF HORRORS 1967 - A terrible film but I love it. It is so sincere despite it being so bad. John Carradine narrates some nonsense for each story--and they use a lot of AIP stock footage. One story in particular spends a good five minutes on Jack Nicholson driving a coach from the Raven.  The story with Lon Chaney is my favorite--he does his thespian best with a plot that is so utterly dumb--a scientist who tells a pair of students about his theory on re-animating a corpse. They decide to try it themselves and he is horrified that they would even think of it(?)--until they suggest he helps them, and then he is fully onboard. Once they succeed and discover their patient was a convicted killer, the students coerce Chaney into re-killing the man by spinning a surgical knife -whoever it points at will have to do the killing (Chaney doesn't even notice the student stopped it spinning so it points at him).  There's an anecdote on the making of this which I really like too--they needed a sandwich prop for one scene and the prop man picked something disgusting out of a garbage can to assemble a sandwich with so Carradine would have it as a prop. He had planned to toss it in the garbage as soon as the shot was done but before he could retrieve it, Carradine ate it.


----------



## dask

Unsettling 1928 silent historical drama about the trial of Joan Of Arc using actual notes written at the time this farce of a trial took place but can easily be viewed as a cautionary tale of the deadly power and arrogance of the learned elite. This film must have been remastered with technology not yet invented, it’s just as sharp and clear as anything on the screen today. Noticed one goof: one guy, clergyman I think, sported a pair of Clark Kent glasses.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Cat's Meow *(2001)

In 1924, film mogul Thomas Ince died aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht, while celebrating Ince's birthday with other famous folks like Charlie Chaplin.  There have been all kinds of rumors about the event.  The most innocent is that Ince died of natural causes.  The least innocent involves murder.  Guess which one this fictional version of the tragedy involves.

Based on a stage play, the movie takes place almost entirely aboard the yacht.  It's very handsomely filmed, and I'm a sucker for the glamorous/scandalous stereotypes of the Roaring Twenties anyway.  Fine acting from all involved.  Financial scheming, booze, drugs, illicit affairs, violence, and blackmail.  What more could you ask?


----------



## jd73

Was watching _Catherine Called Birdy_ last night on Prime. It's very good, a kind of _Bridgerton_-style period/modern mashup with a lot of laughs and tender moments. Thought I confess I have not finished it yet as it was 2:29AM.


----------



## jd73

Randy M. said:


> Surprisingly effective. I haven't seen anything directed by Ti West before, so didn't realize how steeped he was in 1970s, early '80s horror movies. Not only does this take place in that time period, with call backs to various horror movies, notably _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_, it is effectively shot as a low-budget movie at that time would be -- a scene of a woman on a dock by a lake has a very _Friday the 13th_ vibe. Taking advantage of that secluded lake, a long stretch of untenanted land except for the somewhat Wyeth-like farm house they are staying at, West creates a homage to those older movies about sophisticatedly clueless city folk wandering naively into situations they don't recognize and can't adjust to, while managing to turn it into a meditation on aging and love.
> 
> My wife likes horror but not gore, and I was concerned this might be gory. I expected us to turn it off at some point, but we didn't. There are some gory scenes, and maybe more than a lot of viewers would be comfortable with, but because this is obviously about something more and the performances by Brittany Snow (Southern brassy, funny porno-Marilyn Monroe wannabe) and, especially, Mia Goth (determined to be _someone_), are so strong, we ended up watching the entire movie. Snow is pretty well-established as a female second- or third-lead (_Pitch Perfect_), but I haven't seen Goth before and from this I expect to see her a lot more.


This is on my to-watch. Started it last night but wasn't quite in the mood.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*No Time to Kill *(1959)

Swedish crime film (but filmed in English) with John Ireland as the token American star.  He's a guy framed for arson who gets out of prison after ten years, determined to kill the guy who sent him up the river.  There are some twists and turns in the plot.  Only an hour long.


----------



## alexvss

*Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)*. In this horror comedy, rich kids go to a secluded manor in the woods to do very important things like fooling around, record tik tok dancing videos, get on the sauce and play a game of tag (because they’ve got nothing else to do), but someone appears dead and hell breaks loose.

It succeeds in what it tries to do. It succeeds as a whodunit because the suspense is high and makes you wonder whodidit (couldn’t resist the pun). It succeeds as comedy because the rich kids are very dumb, exactly how you’d image them to be. When they suspect someone, they say things like, “You gotta be the murder because… you're the only one who’s middle class!” or “No way it’s him. He's a libra moon. They’re cool!”

The main reason I watched this is because of the producer: A24. They’ve produced the best films of the last decade, such as Ari Aster’s and Robert Egger’s movies. It doesn’t feel like an A24 movie, as there’s not that sense of wonder (A24 just hits different). It’s also not something I’d watch again, but it managed to give me a few laughs.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Blonde in Bondage *(1957)

Another Swedish crime movie filmed in English, with an American actor as the hero.  He's a reporter sent to Sweden to report on the nation's morals.  Maybe that goes along with the fact that about half a dozen Swedish women throw themselves at him as soon as they meet him.  Anyway, an automobile accident (caused when the hero takes his eyes off the road to admire yet another Swedish woman with a come-hither look, this one on a bicycle) gets the guy mixed up with a morphine-addicted singer/stripper, her manager/supplier, and the kingpin running the drug ring.  It all leads up to a running gun battle in an amusement park.  It drags a bit, but it's OK.


----------



## KGeo777

THE WITCHES 1966 - I had planned to watch Quatermass and the Pit but in the opening scene there is a poster for the Witches so I decided to watch it instead. I had seen it before but forgot most of it.
There's something about it that probably causes amnesia. It's not a very suspense-oriented film. There's not much that happens which is traditionally horror. I can see the trace elements for the Wicker Man in this--the idea of a secluded village where everyone is involved in pagan customs. The Hammer psychological horror films usually had a woman (with mental troubles) as protagonist and this seems to fit that style. The witches' dance is a real laugh riot unfortunately. It's too silly to be scary.
A different directorial approach and it may have been gangbusters.
One thing that stood out, seemed a little odd that a teacher would say it  to another teacher about the students:  they all look alike--it's because they are inbred. There is  an attitude in Hammer films which suggests a village can only be saved from the outside. The villagers can never help themselves. It's the anti-Beowulf message---no one in the village has the ability to defend the village from any threat. An outside savior has to do it.
Also, this is a Hammer film where the male characters are either devious or useless. That's not unusual with the psychological films--the women dominate in sparking the action (Scream of Fear, Paranoiac etc).  

Anyway, Joan Fontaine doesn't look like her sister at all-except when she smiles--then you can see the family resemblance.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen *(1981)

In 1980, an award-winning, highly acclaimed actor with the first name Peter played a famous fictional Asian character in an abysmal, laugh-free spoof; namely, Peter Sellers in *The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu*.  One year later, another award-winning, highly acclaimed actor with the first name Peter did the same thing; namely, Peter Ustinov in this thing.

There's sort of a plot, I guess.  In flashback, Chan proves that a woman known only as the Dragon Queen (Angie Dickinson, in Technicolor Goth outfits) was guilty of murder.  Part of the movie is her attempt, in the present, to have her revenge.  Meanwhile, there have been bizarre murders at random in San Francisco.  Four of these take place before the film starts, for some reason.  We get to see murder by flooded elevator and death by acupuncture.  

Never mind.  All this is just an excuse for extreme slapstick and extreme overacting.  Worst of all, Chan is only a minor character compared to the amount of time spent with his half-Jewish grandson, who is so clumsy that he creates total chaos just walking down the street.

The two brief, black-and-white flashback sequences are the only scenes that are even slightly worth watching.  They serve as tongue-in-cheek pastiches of the old Chan movies, and avoid the scenery chewing found everywhere else in the film.

Shamefully, one joke is blatantly stolen from the old _Get Smart _series, when a man and woman who are tied up get a dog to blow out the candle that is about to set off a deathtrap by singing "Happy Birthday to You" to the animal.


----------



## Ubergeek

Randy ,   I only realised afterwards that  Mia  Goth plays 2 characters  -  Maxine and Pearl .

Ti West directed  "  The House of the Devil  " .    Haven't seen it myself , but heard good things about it .


----------



## Randy M.

Ubergeek said:


> Randy ,   I only realised afterwards that  Mia  Goth plays 2 characters  -  Maxine and Pearl .
> 
> Ti West directed  "  The House of the Devil  " .    Haven't seen it myself , but heard good things about it .


I had heard that, and I'm curious what the movie _Pearl_ will be like. If I get a chance, I'll hunt down The House of the Devil.


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen *(1981)


I remember it heavily advertised when it came out.
I never got to see it.
I have composed my own Charlie Chan expressions btw.

Here's one:

"friend who advises curing itchy back with hot poker,
not missed when gone on long vacation."


----------



## KGeo777

THE HORRIBLE SECRET OF DR HITCHCOCK  1962  - Rewatch.  Type of story suited for Vincent Price though the ending is too traditional for it to be an AIP film since the younger male doctor isn't so helpless. He actually saves the heroine.

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT 1967 -  Since I watched the Witches, I rewatched this. Duncan Lamont walks by the poster of the Witches--he was jumping and leaping in that one and does the same in this.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Long Kiss Goodnight *(1996)

Geena Davis plays a woman with amnesia who discovers that, in her former life, she was a spy. She hires a private eye (Samuel L Jackson) and they end up fighting a terrorist plot run by renegade agents.

This is a real laugh. It works fine as a thriller, in a violent-but-slick 90s style, but as a comedy it's very good indeed. Jackson and Davis both have some excellent lines, and both are very likeable. Brian Cox appears as an irritable master spy, in an odd hint of what he'd do more seriously in the Bourne films. It's interesting to see terrorism referenced in a pre-9/11 film, as happened much more seriously in _The Siege._ If there is a problem with _The Long Kiss Goodnight_, it's that there are more jokes in the first half and more action in the second half, and the jokes are better than the (still good) action. Definitely underrated.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*VIOLENT ROAD*_ (1958) An American remake of *The Wages of Fear* (1953). Both are about a handful of losers hired to drive trucks loaded with high explosives over dirt roads to reach the destinations. _*VIOLENT ROAD*_ has three, count 'em, 3 trucks carrying different liquids to the new site for the rocket manufacturing plant; among them, nitric acid. Among the drivers,  Mitch Barton (Brian Keith) and 'Sarge' Miller (Dick Foran); going along for the ride, chemist George Lawrence (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), who being familiar with the liquids, was qualified to best know what to avoid in transporting them. 

*VR* was o.k., but had an extended barroom scene that was more than just a bit too long. Tense drama, as the expected occasional complications occurred, just to make the film interesting. I saw  *The Wages of Fear*  twice, and it was much better, and was praised by critics. As the guy at the carnival would say, NICE TRY, BUT NO CIGAR.


----------



## Toby Frost

Wasn't *Sorcerer* based on the same concept?


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Toby Frost said:


> Wasn't *Sorcerer* based on the same concept?




Yes, it's a remake, really, of *The Wages of Fear*.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*VIOLENT ROAD*_ (1958) An American remake of *The Wages of Fear* (1953). Both are about a handful of losers hired to drive trucks loaded with high explosives over dirt roads to reach the destinations. _*VIOLENT ROAD*_ has three, count 'em, 3 trucks carrying different liquids to the new site for the rocket manufacturing plant; among them, nitric acid. Among the drivers,  Mitch Barton (Brian Keith) and 'Sarge' Miller (Dick Foran); going along for the ride, chemist George Lawrence (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), who being familiar with the liquids, was qualified to best know what to avoid in transporting them.
> 
> *VR* was o.k., but had an extended barroom scene that was more than just a bit too long. Tense drama, as the expected occasional complications occurred, just to make the film interesting. I saw  *The Wages of Fear*  twice, and it was much better, and was praised by critics. As the guy at the carnival would say, NICE TRY, BUT NO CIGAR.



The original book is pretty terrific too.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Tonight I rotted my brain (what's left of it) with _Starship Troopers 2_.

When I watched _ Starship Troopers 3: Marauder_ - I noted in my film diary "apparently this was better than the sequel?!" 

I think whoever's opinions I'd been reading was understating things.  This was AWFUL!


----------



## BAYLOR

*The Body Snatcher* 1945 Staring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi Based on the short story of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson . An early Robert Wise film and its  terrific.


----------



## Parson

*Mash *1970 .... This was a second go round with decades in between. I found it weird. On a cinematic level this was about C- work. No plot, a few gags, one indelible scene, and a lot of gore, or what passed for gore in stage blood. As a statement about war it was a gem. It stated the truth in crystal clear way, but it had to be read between the lines. 

The second thing I was convinced of, was that the television series which this movie spawned was a lot, lot better.


----------



## KGeo777

Hillbillys in A Haunted House  1967 --rewatch--Really just an excuse to showcase country music acts like Merle Haggard--I guess the horror market was seen as a lucrative  tie-in for it. As a movie it is awful. I liked many of the songs though.

So Sweet, So Perverse 1968 --another rewatch. Carroll Baker giallo. Typical murder, betrayal, etc. She  was smart to go to Europe because she would not have had such role opportunities in the US.


----------



## alexvss

Randy M. said:


> I had heard that, and I'm curious what the movie _Pearl_ will be like. If I get a chance, I'll hunt down The House of the Devil.


I think Pearl is a prequel to X, and is much more centered on Goth's character (of course, for she's the title character). 

I'd say that Ti West is a director that prefers quantity over quality. He's rather young and has an extensive filmography already. I've seen some of his movies, and wasn't impressed by them. They're mid. 

I have to give a shout out to *The House of the Devil *though. It's not your ordinary horror movie. It builds up tension for almost the entirety of it, preparing you for what's to come. That one surprised me, and I recommend it.

And there's something about this movie that's torturing me to this day: the text at the beginning. Tell me, is this saying that 100% of Americans believed in Satanic cults, or am I just functionally illiterate?


----------



## Toby Frost

I think it does! Maybe it's trying to say that 70% believed in the cults, and 30% believed in government cover ups of evidence. So maybe there was an overlap and you could believe in both at once. But I expect it's just made up. 85% of statistics are just made up on the spot!

I was wondering if the popularity of occult-type horror films in the 1970s (_The Exorcist, The Omen_ etc) fuelled the Satanic Panic about roleplaying games in the 1980s. Obviously this quickly fades into religion, which is out of bounds here. But does anyone know of any good books about this? It sounds like an interesting phenomenon.


----------



## alexvss

*Carter (2022)*. Another original Netflix Korean movie. A man with no memory wakes up in a motel surrounded by CIA agents trying to kill him. A device in his head tells him that he’s a North/South Korean double agent and, in order to save his wife and child (that he may or may not have; he doesn’t remember), he has to take the daughter of a scientist to the North because she’s the only one who can produce the vaccine to the zombie apocalypse.

Yeah.

I don’t have to say that this is nuts; but I do have to say that it’s genius. It’s John Wick meets 1917 meets Train to Busan. It's a non-stop Korean gangster action movie, with zombies and CIA officers to top it all off. This movie is also an Oner: it was shot in a one big, unbroken take (well, not really of course. Like in Hitchcock’s Rope, you can spot the hidden cuts if you pay attention). Think about the opening sequence in The Villainess (2017), but for the entirety of the flick.

Those Koreans… They really are cinema gods!


----------



## alexvss

Toby Frost said:


> I think it does! Maybe it's trying to say that 70% believed in the cults, and 30% believed in government cover ups of evidence. So maybe there was an overlap and you could believe in both at once. But I expect it's just made up. 85% of statistics are just made up on the spot!
> 
> I was wondering if the popularity of occult-type horror films in the 1970s (_The Exorcist, The Omen_ etc) fuelled the Satanic Panic about roleplaying games in the 1980s. Obviously this quickly fades into religion, which is out of bounds here. But does anyone know of any good books about this? It sounds like an interesting phenomenon.


Yeah, I have no doubt that the statistic was made up  . I was just questioning my interpretation skills. Also, I ignored the fact that the numbers could overlap. Maybe that’s the answer here. Thanks!

Sadly, no books come to mind about the Satanic Panic, but I do know that *Stranger Things*' latest season plays a lot with that topic.


----------



## JunkMonkey

alexvss said:


> Yeah, I have no doubt that the statistic was made up  . I was just questioning my interpretation skills. Also, I ignored the fact that the numbers could overlap. Maybe that’s the answer here. Thanks!



The problem here is with the word 'another'.

I too read it to mean 'and' as in "25% of the apples were rotten, another 25% were not ripe - so 50% of them were inedible."
If it means 'another statistic of the same sample group' then that really (deliberately) wasn't clear.

But then "over 70%" and exactly 30%?  =  over 100% of adult Americans? 

Innumerate bullsh**.


----------



## Randy M.

alexvss said:


> Yeah, I have no doubt that the statistic was made up  . I was just questioning my interpretation skills. Also, I ignored the fact that the numbers could overlap. Maybe that’s the answer here. Thanks!
> 
> Sadly, no books come to mind about the Satanic Panic, but I do know that *Stranger Things*' latest season plays a lot with that topic.


I think some novels play with it, too, though the only one that comes to mind is *Whisper Down the Lane* by Clay McLeod Chapman.


----------



## alexvss

*Incantation (2022)*. Six years after breaking a religious taboo, a mother tries to lift the curse which has fallen upon her daughter, who was inside her belly at that time. This is Taiwan's biggest Horror box office ever.

Mixed feelings about this. It’s definitely haunting sometimes, and it has some unsettling imagery--specially when harm is inflicted upon children--, but it doesn’t work for the most of it. In found footage movies, they need to find an excuse for the protagonists to hold the camera; but the found footage style is abandoned when it’s convenient here. The viewer understands that a camera’s flashlight or night vision is needed when the lights go out. But there are some situations where holding a camera is simply unnatural (when a Buddhist demon is trying to kill you, for instance). 

The theme reminded me of The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Sometimes your loved ones have to pay for your mistakes. And, like in that movie, the mother tries to solve the problem in the wrongest way possible.


----------



## Jeffbert

BAYLOR said:


> *The Body Snatcher* 1945 Staring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi Based on the short story of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson . An early Robert Wise film and its terrific.


Just finished watching this, myself. Poor Joseph (Lugosi), never accept liquor from the guy you are blackmailing. Never sit while he stands.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Mildred Peirce *- one of _the_  great Sunday afternoon pictures (I know it's Saturday but it feels pretty Sundayish at JunkMonkey Mansions today).  Soap Opera Noir at its finest.


----------



## Jeffbert

*RoboCop* (1987) In introducing the film, Ben M said it was a satire; going beyond that would be political, so, that is where I leave it. The story is about (as though anyone here, does not already know) a corrupt top management guy, Dick Jones, who employs the services of a criminal gang to help sell his solution for policing bad neighborhoods, among other things. So, Old Detroit is to be demolished and New Detroit to be built on its grounds. Oh, and must not overlook the fact that OCP (Omni Consumer Products) runs the police force. 

Our hero, Murphy is newly assigned to a certain precinct, and is killed on his first day. Having signed a release, his body is used to build *RoboCop*; most of his memories are lost, and his brain is augments by or augments electronic 'brain.' There are 4, count 'em, 4 prime directives, but the 4th is only referenced by its number, until it comes into play.  The *RoboCop* project received the green light only after Dick Jones' ED 209 had a lethal malfunction in the board room, during a live fire demonstration, in which 1, count him, one board member was dispatched to the netherworld. I am guessing that that was supposed to be funny. 

So, there are several TV commercials, all humorous, if not funny. The line "I'd buy that for a dollar" occurs several times on a futuristic game show.  

Interesting all the technical details on both RC & ED209, whose body had exposed wires in its joints. A vulnerability the  (fictional) designers overlooked. 

In the end, the good guy wins. I guess I have seen this at least half a dozen (6) times, and it just does not get old. I think I will give the remake a try.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> *RoboCop* (1987) In introducing the film, Ben M said it was a satire; going beyond that would be political, so, that is where I leave it. The story is about (as though anyone here, does not already know)



I don't. I've never seen _Robocop_.  I've pretty well disliked just about every one of Paul Verhoven's films I've seen, _Total Recall_ being the most tolerable*  (those I didn't dislike, I loathed).  Should I give Robocop a try, or would I be wasting my time?

*partially, I suspect, because when I watched it recently I had the remake to compare it with.


----------



## Jeffbert

If you view it as satire, you might do beter. You would wonder what was being satirized, might make it tolerable.


----------



## KGeo777

American Nightmare 1981? 83? - A Canadian film about a concert pianist seeking to find his missing sister (Alexandra Paul). Since we see her murdered in the first scene there's no suspense there--one is waiting for the brother to learn the fate of his sister and we never get to see that--especially since an even more shocking revelation happens. Why "American" in the title when the story is set in Canada and all the actors are Canadian? Beats me. The lead is an actor I have never seen before--he looks like Malcolm McDowell crossed with Donald Sutherland but his speaking voice is pure Eastern Canada (he says "aboot" instead of about."). But he is interesting to look at for his resemblance. There's a subplot involving a charity telethon and the promoter looks a lot like Roddy McDowall. Michael Ironside shows up periodically as a cop but does little of consequence. There's a message somewhere in this story about how prostitutes and exotic dancers and transvestites are hardly a match for the sinister depravity of big corporations and especially media-tied charity events. I think the movie would have worked a lot better if the mild-mannered voices of the two lookalikes were dubbed over by the real McCoys.

The Canadian Roddy McDowall:


----------



## HareBrain

*The Devil Rides out *(1968). Lurid and daft, but quite effective. Christopher Lee and Charles Gray very good, Paul Eddington less so.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Smile (2022): A demon is possessing people, causing them to grin before committing suicide. Basically It Follows, but nowhere near as good.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022): A group of young adults play some sort of game that becomes real. I wasn't a fan of this one either.


----------



## alexvss

*Broker (2022)*. Korean road-movie about two guys who steal babies from a church's baby box to sell them. A teenage mother, regretting abandoning her child, decides to go with them on a trip to interview potential buyers. Meanwhile, two policewomen follow them, expecting to catch them in the act.

As is commonplace in Korean cinema, they mix genres in this one. It’s mostly drama and comedy here, but the dramatic part, the most important part, didn’t work for me. The cast is good--the guy from Parasite (2019) and the girl from Sense 8 are in the movie--,but the script doesn't let them show their acting. Could have been anyone else.


----------



## Rodders

I've tested positive for Covid and have been stuck on the sofa watching movies. 

I saw something called Voyage of the Chimera. A B movie made on a budget of $30, 000 apparently. Bad effects and bad acting, and yet i found this to be a very enjoyable movie. Baylor would approve.

Bill and Ted Face the Music. A reboot, to be sure, but enjoyable enough. 

Spiderhead. A pretty good movie. Hemsworth is a great baddie.


----------



## Venusian Broon

Watched _ Tenet_ yesterday, and I think I actually understood it a bit more this time.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Spanish Prisoner *- entertaining piece of fluff from David Mamet.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*WILD, WILD PLANET*_ (1966) An Italian sci-fi, in which the villain abducts people, shrinks them, restores their size, and takes parts to create perfect humans. Weird!  

Too few cars on the road, and those are very cramped!


----------



## Jeffbert

*CONFLICT* (1945) Richard Mason (Humphrey Bogart) no longer loves his wife Kathryn (Rose Hobart), but has eyes for her younger sister Evelyn Turner (Alexis Smith). He becomes injured, and although able to walk with a cane, feigns helplessness, so he can murder his wife. Friend of the family Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet) sees through the deception.


----------



## Jeffbert

edit: Oops, I already did this one!


----------



## Jeffbert

*THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT* (1940) The Fabrini brothers own one, count it, one truck they use for hauling fruits to market. They cherish their independence, but are barely able to evade the lender who wants either the money they owe, or the truck itself. 

During a long haul, Paul Fabrini (Humphrey Bogart) who was driving, falls asleep; Joe Fabrini (George Raft), who was sleeping, awakens, just in time to leap out of the truck before it crashes. Paul is injured, and loses his right arm. The truck is gone, etc., they are out of business. Their friend Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale) hires Joe to manage the drivers in his trucking business. Paul is bitter, being unable to drive, etc. Ed's wife Lana (Ida Lupino), loathes him, and has her sights set on Joe; but 1st must eliminate Ed. 



Spoiler



Ed shows the brothers his high - tech garage door opener, which uses a light beam and photoelectric cell to open and close the garage door. One night, after they return from dinner, Ed falls asleep in the garage. Lana sees the opportunity to eliminate him. turns the engine on, again, walks out of the garage, through the beam of light, which closes the door, etc., and goes to bed, knowing she will be free to pursue Joe. cold! 



One of the Bogart month films shown during September. Unusual to see both Raft & Bogart in the same film, since Raft's tendency to turn down roles is what made Bogart a star.


----------



## Randy M.

*THE EVIL EYE *(a.k.a _The Girl Who Knew Too Much_; 1963; Mario Bava, dir., starring Letitia Roman, John Saxon)

Much lighter-hearted than I expected. An early example or a precursor of the Italian giallo (or maybe both?), the Hitchcock influence is apparent as it mixes mystery, thriller and something like rom-com. (Interesting that it came out the same year as Stanley Donan's _Charade_.) Roman as Nora is a mystery obsessed American visiting Italy where she gets involved in a mystery. Saxon as Marcello (probably referring to Marcello Mastroianni, who is mentioned early on) is an Italian doctor introduced to her by a mutual acquaintance. After being mugged and knocked unconscious, Nora awakes to see a murder. But is it real? Is she witnessing something that happened 10 years earlier? Who keeps breaking into the house where she's staying? The plotting is intricate if not entirely believable. I'd forgotten how likable Saxon could be. He never seemed to have the charisma to become a major star, but he always seems more interesting than most of the young male actors the studios were grooming for stardom at the time. Here he does a good job with some physical comedy.


*THE CAT O'NINE TAILS *(1971; Dario Argento, dir.; starring James Franciscus, Karl Malden, Christina Spaak)

Pretty solid thriller. Malden plays a blind man who makes puzzles for a living while caring for Lori, a 10-year-old whose parents are dead. The relationship between them is rather touching. Franciscus is a reporter looking into a break-in at pharmaceutical company across the street from where Malden lives and the murders that seem to tie into the break-in. Malden was a reporter before the accident that blinded him, and running into Franciscus -- literally -- and coming across some information on the break in gives him a new puzzle to solve. (Franciscus and Malden play off each other quite well, one of the strengths of the movie.) Unfortunately, investigating murders makes you a potential target. Spaak plays both a love interest and a suspect.


*THE ARGYLE SECRETS* (1948; dir. Cyril Endfield; starring William Gargan, Marjorie Lord, Ralph Byrd)

A TCM Noir Alley presentation. Gargan is a reporter who becomes the story when he's suspected of murder to get a scoop from another reporter. Naturally, he has to go on the run to save himself and in the process meets a femme fatale in Lord. Nothing here you haven't seen before, but it's handled deftly, is occasionally funny and is good fun if you roll with it. In a few years Lord would play Danny Thomas' wife on his long running show, and another familiar face, Barbara Billingsley, would become the Cleaver mom on _Leave it to Beaver_. Byrd had recently played Dick Tracy in some movies, so here they have him as the densest cop you have ever seen in a movie.


----------



## KGeo777

Re: They Drive By Night   - I love Ida Lupino's courtroom freak out scene. In the radio version, Lucille Ball does a good job as her stand-in.

AND SOON THE DARKNESS - 1970 - rewatch-- This was an EMI production (I think it was done under the umbrella of Bryan Forbes who was seeking to jump start UK film production--The Man Who Haunted Himself was another done under his supervision).
 Don't Talk to Strange Men-- was an earlier suspense thriller which makes similar use of isolated roads.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> ...
> 
> *THE ARGYLE SECRETS* (1948; dir. Cyril Endfield; starring William Gargan, Marjorie Lord, Ralph Byrd)
> 
> A TCM Noir Alley presentation. Gargan is a reporter who becomes the story when he's suspected of murder to get a scoop from another reporter. Naturally, he has to go on the run to save himself and in the process meets a femme fatale in Lord. Nothing here you haven't seen before, but it's handled deftly, is occasionally funny and is good fun if you roll with it. In a few years Lord would play Danny Thomas' wife on his long running show, and another familiar face, Barbara Billingsley, would become the Cleaver mom on _Leave it to Beaver_. Byrd had recently played Dick Tracy in some movies, so here they have him as the densest cop you have ever seen in a movie.


Just saw this a few days ago, a full 60+ minutes. Muller also mentioned that it was, if not a parody of THE MALTESE FALCON, then at least had elements inspired by it, and parodied. Perhaps he said that it made fun on TMF, I do not recall him using the word parody. 



*PUBLIC HERO #1* (1935) Film opens with new prisoner doing just about everything he can to get himself tossed into solitary confinement. Jeff Crane (though I am sure he used a fictitious name) (Chester Morris)  is an undercover G-Man, seeking to infiltrate the bad guy's gang. The bad guy Sonny Black (Joseph Calleia, usually plays this type, but is psycho in this role!). Impressed by his new cellmate's toughness, Black lets him into the escape plane. An escape occurs, & these two, cellmates and newly friends, get away. 

So, complications occur with Crane's attempt to meet the gang proper, as Black and he are staying elsewhere. A physician is needed, and the gang's trusted Doctor (Lionel Barrymore) is fetched, but he is drunk. Furthermore, the weather is very intense, and a bus is run into a ditch. Crane is  pursuing his goal, but ends up giving several people a lift into town. Among them, a very contrary young woman (Jean Arthur) who happens to be Black's kid sister, insists on riding with him from town to elsewhere, not knowing that he is involved with criminals. For her, it is a happy reunion, but her brother, bedridden with gunshot wounds, wants nothing to do with her. 


Among the supporting cast is George E. Stone, in the role of gang member Butch. He and Morris worked together on the  BOSTON BLACKIE series of films, Stone being Blackie's sidekick, the Runt. A fun series!

One thing I found particularly interesting, is a garage with an elevator in it. The gang's car is thus hidden underground, while anyone seeking it will find nothing. 


There is a remake, *The Get-Away* (1941) which merits next to no coverage on Wikipedia. I have seen both.


----------



## pogopossum

*The Secret of Roan Inish.*
Miz pogo hadn't seen it. Been a couple of decades for me.
I would expect that anyone who has any interest has seen it.
Could comment- but - probably superfluous. A lovely Irish fable.
I do credit John Sayles. Who else could have made, *Secret, Brother From Another Planet, Matewan, Return of the Secaucus 7, Lone Star, *and *Honeydripper?*
Not to mention writing *ET *(first draft) *Clan of the Cave Bear, The Howling - *and many others, including a lot for Roger Corman that were uncredited.


----------



## KGeo777

DIARY OF A MADMAN 1963 - For some reason I tend to overlook this film for revisiting--it feels like a 1950s film in the way it is shot. You have a sense that House of Wax was the inspiration.  I read the director wanted the Horla's voice distorted and the producer objected. I think the normal voice works against it--you could keep thinking it is just an annoying invisible man.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Black Adam* - Watched this last night with my Wife and Son and despite all the critic reviews we all really enjoyed it, I think mostly because its the most Marvel in tone of the DC films to date, The Rock has made it fun and the action is big. 

Its more like Aquaman, Shazam and the first Wonder Woman and less like the rest of the DC menu.


----------



## alexvss

*Drifting Home (2022)*. A group of middle-schoolers drift to another dimension with an entire apartament complex. The visuals and music are stunning, but I just couldn't relate to is main theme of longing for one's home. I read some other reviews and that seems to be the case for most people.


----------



## Foxbat

The Comeback - a.k.a. - The Day The Screaming Stopped (1978)
Directed by Pete Walker and hosting some familiar faces (Pamela Stephenson, Bill Owen and the guy from Charlies Angels). It's a slasher that, frankly, didn't do an awful lot, and even the slashing wasn't up to much.


----------



## KGeo777

That's a weird coincidence as I plan to watch a Pete Walker slasher movie tonight.
More later.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Battle of the Sexes* (1960)

British farce based on the James Thurber story "The Catbird Seat."  American businesswoman goes to Scotland to modernize a centuries-old tweed firm.  Chaos ensues, mostly at the hands of long-time employee Peter Sellers, who sabotages her efforts and even goes so far as to attempt murder.  Droll.


----------



## KGeo777

THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW 1972 -- Not a film that comes up in the history of slasher films and for good reason: it's not a slasher film. Tower of Evil - also from 1972 - is much closer in spirit to one than this  but even that film doesn't really fit the qualifications either. A slasher film needs a lot of focus on the killings and usually a woman as the center of attention and danger. That is not the case here. It is an ensemble situation and not a case of Ten Little Indians. It was rated X apparently for the full frontal nudity that is shown--I can't say it is an exploitation film either--despite all the flesh that is shown in the film. Is it a thriller? Not really.  I would say it is a meditation  on acting (run for the exits) and the fine line between fantasy and reality in displays of passion (for flesh and blood). Maybe there is some noble message in it but honestly it just doesn't work beyond an experimental curio mixing Shakespeare with sleaze, in my view.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Drive-In Madness! *(1987)

Direct-to-VHS compilation of trailers for trashy exploitation films, combined with brief interviews with film makers, scream queens, and superfan Forrest J. Ackerman.  Obviously quickly and cheaply put together.  Right up my alley.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Miss Granny (2014): a South Korean fantasy comedy-drama. An old woman who feels disrespected is returned to her much younger self via a mysterious photo studio. She joins a pop-rock band with her grandson and enjoys her rejuvenated form immensely. Much of it was pretty funny, but a few scenes were hysterical. Recently there was an American movie made called Mack and Rita that has a similar gimmick, but it was awful. This film worked so much better. Recommended.


----------



## Foxbat

*House Of Whipcord *(1974) 
Another Pete Walker movie. it's about a couple of holier than thous from the hang em and flog em brigade. They believe the law isn't firm enough and decide to dish out their own punishments on those they deem to be of lesser morals. 

Exploitation is the word of the day and it's a chance to throw punish some pretty girls and  throw them in jailcells.
Didn't do much for me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Cyborg 2087 (1966) - a cyborg is sent from a distopian future to prevent a professor from creating the technology that will create that future. He is persued into the past by two other killer cyborgs. The film plays fair : the science fictional elements are worked out, but it's dreadfully thin and cheaply made. the "comedy" elements are pitiful. One for Jo Anne Pflug completeists only and they can stop watching after three minutes.


----------



## KGeo777

That is definitely one for Jo Ann Pflug completists--though I bet it inspired Terminator 1 and 2.  There are some plot similarities.


----------



## Jeffbert

2, count 'em, two starring Vincent Price:

!st, the extremely silly _*Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine*_ (1965) The doctor has invented young honey robots and intends to use them to seduce rich men into signing away all their wealth. Silly me, it seems that Goodfoot has some very high-tech equipment; must have cost a fortune! 

Among his equipment, is a video viewer that can view any desired place, without the aid of on the spot cameras.  

Dr. Goldfoot (Vincent Price) operates a graveyard/funeral parlor, underneath which is his secret lab. 
Craig Gamble (Frankie Avalon) is an agent of S.I.C., his uncle D. J. Pevney (Fred Clark) is also his boss. The office where they work is about the size of a broom closet. Anyway, one of the female robots mistakes Gamble for her target, which involves him in the scheme. He is in love with her. 

Goldfoot's most uttered sentence: "Igor, you idiot!"



#2, _*The Masque of the Red Death*_ (1964) Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), having made a pact with Satan, assumes he is safe from death. It turns out he was wrong. Prospero is not a nice guy, to say the least. 

 It never gets old.


----------



## KGeo777

Häxan 1922  - 100th anniversary. I had never seen the whole thing before. Some of the imagery must have inspired Murnau's Faust which in turn inspired Fantasia.

CRAZE  1974-  Jack Palance in the title role. Surprising number of well-known lead UK actors in this taking supporting roles. Trevor Howard is a particular surprise to see in this since I  don't think he did much fantasy before the 70s.


----------



## Ubergeek

alexvss said:


> I think Pearl is a prequel to X, and is much more centered on Goth's character (of course, for she's the title character).
> 
> I'd say that Ti West is a director that prefers quantity over quality. He's rather young and has an extensive filmography already. I've seen some of his movies, and wasn't impressed by them. They're mid.
> 
> I have to give a shout out to *The House of the Devil *though. It's not your ordinary horror movie. It builds up tension for almost the entirety of it, preparing you for what's to come. That one surprised me, and I recommend it.
> 
> And there's something about this movie that's torturing me to this day: the text at the beginning. Tell me, is this saying that 100% of Americans believed in Satanic cults, or am I just functionally illiterate?
> 
> View attachment 94328


Finally watched The House of the Devil.  Very impressive ratcheting up of tension and a director who enjoys paying homage to the style of 70's horror movies.


----------



## Happy Joe

Thor; Love and Thunder Finally got to see this (partially);  I tried hard, I really did.  Its a good movie to sleep through, (tried to view the DVD twice and it put me under both times)...
From what I saw it appears to be an incompetently written pre-teen comic book movie (yes, Disney is/has messing/messed up another franchise).
I cannot recommend this one at any level... not even as a sleep inducer.
Really, the only reason that I will, probably, continue to see marvel/starwars or other Disney pap is that the DVDS are cheap to watch with netflix... and its boils down to either this garbage or some other one or 2 star rated movie.

Enjoy!


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> Cyborg 2087 (1966) - a cyborg is sent from a distopian future to prevent a professor from creating the technology that will create that future. He is persued into the past by two other killer cyborgs. The film plays fair : the science fictional elements are worked out, but it's dreadfully thin and cheaply made. the "comedy" elements are pitiful. One for Jo Anne Pflug completeists only and they can stop watching after three minutes.



Wow. There's a name I haven't heard in awhile.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*MAKING MR. RIGHT*_ (1987) Dr. Jeff Peters (John Malkovich) has made a robot in his own image, after his likeness, etc.  Ulysses (John Malkovich) has his physical characteristics, except weak eyesight, but needs data. The manufacturer wants to make him likable by the public, etc., even though he is to be sent on a solitary space mission. So, they hire Frankie Stone (Ann Magnuson) to take him from a no-nonsense robot and make him appealing to the public. 

Funny things happen. Not bad! I only knew of this film because it was featured on TCM's star of the month: robots.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> _*MAKING MR. RIGHT*_ (1987) Dr. Jeff Peters (John Malkovich) has made a robot in his own image, after his likeness, etc.  Ulysses (John Malkovich) has his physical characteristics, except weak eyesight, but needs data. The manufacturer wants to make him likable by the public, etc., even though he is to be sent on a solitary space mission. So, they hire Frankie Stone (Ann Magnuson) to take him from a no-nonsense robot and make him appealing to the public.
> 
> Funny things happen. Not bad! I only knew of this film because it was featured on TCM's star of the month: robots.



I was about to say 'anything with John Malkovich is worth watching at least once '... Then I remembered Eragon and The Mutant Chronicles.


----------



## Jeffbert

This was the 1st film of his I saw.


----------



## KGeo777

NIGHT OF THE DEMON 1957 -  annual viewing. I always try to catch it on October 28 since that is the date of Holden's demon rendyvous. Someone even calculated the exact time one should start watching it so as to get to the demon appearance right at 10 pm! I didn't go that far.


----------



## Rodders

Hi KGeo777, I’ve not seen Night of the Demon. What is the significance of 10pm?


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Barbarian* -- An old fashioned Low fat horror with lots of decent scares and a bottle feeding scene that will make most normal people crings. Probably my favourite horror this year.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Rodders said:


> Hi KGeo777, I’ve not seen Night of the Demon. What is the significance of 10pm?



That's when his 'time allowed' expires - literally. It really is a great movie, up there amongst the very best horror movies. It's a modern interpretation of MR James' 'Casting the Runes', which is also well worth reading. There was also an ITV production of the story, and whilst it isn't as good as either the movie or short story, the choice in casting of Ian 'Happy Day' Cuthbertson was inspired; the perfect Mr Karswell.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Black Panther - not seen before. Loved the design, loved the strong Black characters, lived the strong female characters, but dears gods! the wall to wall Daddy Issues were hard work.


----------



## Vince W

*The Thing* (1982). ‘Nuf said.


----------



## KGeo777

Finally got around to viewing a couple of movies I had known about for decades but never seen either in full or at all.

Curse of the Cat People 1944 - I knew it had very little in common with the original which I got around to seeing a few years ago. They say a sequel should give you more of the original in some way--well, that's definitely not the case here. This has almost nothing to do with the original film. It is basically used as haunting reminder in order to establish an  aspect of guilt and remembrance to the proceedings. Without it, it may not have been quite as effective--you could make that argument if they didn't use the original cast for it. It is similar to RKO's Son of Kong in that way--since the sequel is a kind of redemption story. Same here. Kent Smith is feeling some guilt about his first wife and projecting that onto his child who is withdrawn and not behaving as a normal child is expected to (or as he wants her to--in order to ease his fears). It's a very touching story--especially since the star is a child about 6 years of age and that was rare enough at the time but the performer is so good in the part and there's something about it that got me hooked into it. I had some tears flowing towards the end when she is confronted by the sad and angry daughter of the neighbor.

It was more emotionally involving than the original but this is not a horror movie or suspense film really. It's a psychological drama about childhood and imagination that can be taken as a supernatural one if you interpret that way.  Now, if you want to spoil it a little, the Jamaican man-servant seemed bizarre--where the hell did he come from? He's ok in the role--kind of a therapeutic middleman for the girl but it was weird that they had a man-servant in Tarrytown. The Christmas carols scene was also a little hokey. I am interested in themes and patterns so it must have been a little subversive or unusual in a couple of ways for the time it was made. For one thing, it presents the father as being the emotionally unstable or overbearing parent. Not the wife as you may expect. It presents teachers as wise parental guides--which seems antiquated compared to now but I bet it was also far out in 1944. There's also a moment where the wife says something about the child getting her first spanking. Since it does link to the original movie, it provides a kind of redemption for Oliver Reed (ha, the Kent Smith character's name) and the Irena character -- she could be taken as a ghost who is earthbound in order to find some kind of good deed in the family to undo her state of purgatory due to the first movie. But, since she is acting as a good spirit--that goes against the tradition of evil being evil and not something that can be a positive. Captain Howdy from the Exorcist--this is the same idea except it's a good thing.


Cat People 1982 -- Never seen the movie in total before and with high quality sound--it really packs a punch--especially the leopard scenes. Scary stuff --and the arm being ripped off--that is gruesome.    I don't like watching tigers and cheetahs pacing in a cage though. You just know they are losing their minds. 
 The scene on the bridge seemed totally unrealistic police procedure--cops would have shot the leopard full of holes instead of waiting for the zoo people to come.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Vigil (2019): I didn't think this movie was particularly good, but then again, I was a bit distracted watching it and there were a lot of dark scenes so I didn't always know what was going on. It's about a man who carries out the Jewish rite of watching over someone's dead body for a specific time. There is a demon who torments him. I might have to rewatch this.


----------



## Jeffbert

*CAGE OF EVIL* (1960) A really cheaply made B-grade NOIR in which a police detective, who is too rough on suspects, is passed-up for promotion, and in frustration, becomes corrupt.

Never heard of any of the primary actors. 


 NOIR ALLEY in its usual coverage is very in-depth, but, I am a bit disappointed that Muller failed to mention a brief appearance by *Robert Shayne* in the role of Victor Delmar, but best known for Inspector Bill Henderson in _Adventures of Superman._ If he had not spoken, I likely would not have recognized him. Muller did mention others, whom I did not recognize. 

Unless you are a dedicated NOIR fan, you might prefer to skip this one.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE HYPNOTIC EYE* (1960) Police and psychiatrists are baffled with the cases of beautiful young women mutilating their faces. One police detective Sgt. Dave Kennedy (Joe Patridge) and his girlfriend attend a hypnotist's show, during which her best friend Dodie is selected as one of three, count 'em, 3 young women to come on stage to give the hypnotist's act a sense of legitimacy. Prior to this, the cop and his psychiatrist friend Dr. Philip Hecht (Guy Prescott) were convinced that such people were stooges of the hypnotist. A day later, Dodie mutilates her face. 

Not bad for 75 minutes!


----------



## JunkMonkey

Hercules Against the Moon Men - trapped on the sofa, where for logistical reasons I am sleeping untill I can walk more than a few metres, this kind of hypnotisingly dull feverdream stuff is just what I need to fill in the time before I have take some more painkillers. No thinking required.


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## JunkMonkey

Hercules and the Captive Women - same disc as the last one. ( I now need to get one the kids to put something new in.)
Much of the same elements as the last one. lots of sweaty muscleman stuff, an evil queen who tries to kill a close female relative and slips Hercules a potion which he doesn't drink, children sacrificed to evil up a mountain, lots of running around in caverns.  But this time with what must have been a pretty stupendious budget. Sets big enough to casually have a 12 horse chariot (with horses six abreast) arrive theough the archway at the back, and then an underground horse chase sequence with that chariot. Some great design stuff too and all served up in a dreamy "this doesn't really make any frigging sense at all" manner. The heroes win. Atlantis sinks. Stock footage of Mount Enta erupting gets run through the moviola, heterosexual young love and muscly hero bromance live to fight another day.  Not much in the way of Captive Women' on display though  A real clickbait of a title.
 I'd love to see a unpillarboxed decent print of this one.


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched *The Exorcist*  last night. Its been a long time and I couldn't remember anything other than the clichéd moment. Quite a boring, slow film that begins in Iraq then jumps to middle America without any hint of a connection. Not very good at all. But quite groundbreaking for its time considering the amount of harsh language throughout .


----------



## JunkMonkey

The Devil of the Desert Against the Son of Hercules - which had absolutly NOTHING to do with Hercules (and nothing to recommend it) beyond the gloriously OTT title song.




The rest of it is routine Sinbad style desert adventure with very obvious lifts from the Crimson Pirate and one of the odder things to find in a shoddy Arabian Nights adventure - a rip off of the hall of mirrors sequence from Welles's The Lady from Shanghai.

All very missable.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DEADLY FRIEND* (1986) Why have I not heard of this, until now?  A young computer/neuroscience college kid  Paul Conway (Matthew Laborteaux) has designed and built his own robot, called BB. He and his mother move into a hose in a somewhat troubled neighborhood, where he and his robot meet both friends and foes.

One such friend, his next door neighbor Samantha Sam for short (Kristy Swanson) lives with her abusive father, and there are 4, count 'em, four motorcycle punks who think they own everybody younger than themselves, etc. Also, a VERY  disagreeable older woman, whole lives behind a 6 foot chain link fence, secured by a padlock.

Cutting to the chase: very bad things happen, including Sam's father, in a drunken rage, rendering her brain dead. Conway, decides he must install his robot's main microchip in her brain, before they pull the plug. But, the robot  literally takes control of the girl, and uses her to take revenge on all who have offended it, or its friends.


Wes Craven tried to make this film his way, but the studio execs feared that coming after his Freddy Kruger film (s). it would be expected to be more horror and less love story.

TCM ran this as the final film in its Star of the month: Robots series. I enjoyed it, but thought the final scene was silly.


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## Jeffbert

I have had a thing for clocks in films, etc., & have been collecting image on my HDD. A few films actually show the manufacturers' names on the clock faces, but, some, obliterate them. The Original MISSION IMPOSSIBLE series always did so. As many times at it zoomed-in on a wrist watch, there was never an readable name on it. This film, *DEADLY FRIEND* used digital watches, with obliterated names, but the wall clock's name was visible.


----------



## hitmouse

*Bullet Train* (2022). Action comedy set on the Shinkansen, starring Brad Pitt as a thief hired to lift a suitcase and get off at the first stop, an apparently simple task which becomes progressively, hilariously farcical, as it turns out that just about everyone else on the train has designs on the case, or on each other. Violent and gory, kept afloat by droll dialogue, engaging caste and by a rapidly twisting plot. Good fun


----------



## KGeo777

I watched Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Peanuts Halloween, then An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe tv special, and ASYLUM 1972. I think it has the best surprise for the bookend storyline.

"Better keep the door closed and keep out the drafts as Dr. Starr    used to say."


----------



## Jeffbert

_*EL VAMPIRO NEGRO*_ (1953) An Argentine version of Fritz Lang's *M*. NOIR ALLEY & TCM premiere.  Muller mentioned that very few women appeared in M, but, here, there are plenty. The less said, the better. You can probably view it on TCM's streaming page. Highly recommended!


----------



## Randy M.

*The Night of the Demons* (1988; dir. Kenny Tenney; starring Cathy Podewell, Alvin Alexis, Hal Havins)

An abandoned funeral home invaded by teenagers for a Halloween party which wakes up demons; this grafted onto a slasher movie plot. Not especially good, though the make-up was probably pretty good for the time. Can't say what possessed me to watch it. (*cough*)


*Scream* (2022; dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett; starring the usual crew plus Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega)

Not bad, and good to see the original actors make an appearance (including one you probably wouldn't expect), but mostly lacks the gleeful energy of the first and even the second. It'll be interesting to see if Barrera and Ortega can carry the load in the next movie. That said, Ortega is quite good -- she was good in *X*, too -- and does bring the kind of energy I just mentioned.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE BAT* (1959)  An evil bank owner decides to embezzle $!M, and foolishly, attempts to involve the town physician  Dr. Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price) in his scheme. Bad move! Good little mystery! Who is the Bat?

Crime novelist Cornelia van Gorder (Agnes Moorehead) and her friend are renting a large mansion for the summer, in which the money has allegedly been hidden. 

Supporting cast includes Darla Hood (of Lil' Rascals) as Judy Hollander, one of several women who stay the night in the mansion.


----------



## Jeffbert

*STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR* (1940) Mike Ward (John McGuire) is in the right place, at the wrong time, and sees Joe Briggs (Elisha Cook Jr) standing over the slain body of the cafe owner. He is the witness for the prosecution, and says only what he had seen. No statement presuming Briggs murdered the victim. Nevertheless, Briggs is convicted and sentenced to death, because of an earlier incident, in which he had threatened the owner.  Now, Ward's girlfriend is drifting away from him, because she is thinking that a conviction on such evidence is unfair, etc. Ward has had unpleasant dealings with his boardinghouse neighbor, Albert Meng, whose usual loud snoring is conspicuously absent this night.  Ward is thinking, he might be dead, etc., but if Ward enters his room to check on him, he could be mistaken for the killer. Ward has a vivid nightmare, in which he is similarly accused, convicted, and sentenced to death. 

The Stranger (Peter Lorre) is rarely seen, but he was there, and did the deed. 

Said to be the first true NOIR film.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Wendell and Wild (2022): a stop motion horror comedy from the minds of Key and Peele. Hard to summarize--there are a lot of characters and a lot of reanimating. Two demons escape from hell while the protagonist seeks to bring back her dead parents. I liked it even more than I expected to. Recommended. Find it on Netflix.


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## Jeffbert

_*THE ARGYLE SECRETS*_ (1948) NOIR ALLEY; A document with names of Americans who collaborated with NAZIs during WWII, is the subject here; greedy people want it for blackmailing those named therein; those named, want it destroyed.

Harry Mitchell (William Gargan; who usually has lesser roles) is the main character, and somehow becomes involved in the issue. 

Among the supporting cast,  John Banner in the role of Winter; no way I could have recognized him; he gained 100 Lbs before taking the role of Sgt. Schultz. on HOGAN'S HEROES.


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## Draven Vertigo

Tabitha said:


> In the vein of "What Music are you listening to Right now?", I bring you this thread - I am kinda interested to know what you guys all like or hate... or at least what you are watching, so basically, the idea is, write the name of the movie then tell us whether you liked it or not!
> 
> I just watched Dogma - and I enjoyed it very much.


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## Draven Vertigo

Watched Barbarian last night. Pretty good. Nipple horror extravaganza!


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## Guttersnipe

Draven Vertigo said:


> Watched Barbarian last night. Pretty good. Nipple horror extravaganza!


The feeding scene was disgusting.


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## KGeo777

THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU - 1967  - Rewatch - You know it isn't a serious affair when Wilfred Hyde-White shows up.  The go-to-guy for  stock British eccentrics when Terry-Thomas and Robert Morley weren't available. Then Frankie Avalon shows up as a secret agent....


----------



## Deathbird

Recently tried to watch Hard to be a God, unfortunately the video kept cutting out and ringing in my ear. I couldn’t handle it in the slightest. 

I really enjoy slow paced sort of movies, such as Dunkirk, the Revenant…


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## KGeo777

The Champagne Murders  1967 - Had this movie in my archives and realized I had never watched it.  I am surprised since I was curious about Yvonne Furneaux movies a while back  and thought I had searched them out. Had no idea about this one. Anthony Perkins stars as the friend of a man (Maurice Ronet) who had an accident and thinks he crazy--and then a series of murders happen and he is the prime suspect. It's kind of slow and strange, but there is a clever revelation near the end which is very effective  as a trick although maybe if the filmmaking style was more Hitchcock-like, it would have had a stronger impact. It doesn't feel like a thriller--it feels like an outcry of  new wavy cinematic existentialism.


----------



## smellincoffee

Over Halloween weekend I watched two movies, the original _Carrie_  followed by _The Blair Witch Project_. I've read _Carrie_, so the plot was no surprised. I  enjoyed it, generally, but was far more interested by _Blair Witch Project_.  I was in middle school when it came out, and so heard a lot about the movie at the time -- though I missed its online hype, since my family only bought a computer in late '99 and we weren't online until the following spring.  I've never watched a found footage film before and was completely captivated by it,  and have ordered a book on the making of the movie called _Eight Days in the Woods_.  I've been watching YT videos about the movie and reading into its history,


----------



## KGeo777

TRAIN TO DURANGO 1968 - Starts with a couple of luckless bandidos lazily traveling through a narrow valley path along railroad tracks only to discover a train coming and they have to ride quickly to avoid being crushed. That was unique  in what is otherwise a generic Zapata western about a safe full of gold and various double crosses.  Diverting enough and good soundtrack.


----------



## alexvss

The three John Wick Movies. In preparation for the fourth one, I binged the first three movies. I watched the second and third ones in the movie theater so it's been a while. They're awesome. Much more than the action scenes, the worldbuilding and dialogue are also top-notch. I like how they keep expanding that world; and every word said has a meaning. Let the fourth one come.


----------



## HareBrain

An Aardman film, *The Pirates (in an Adventure with Scientists)*. Great fun.


----------



## JunkMonkey

HareBrain said:


> An Aardman film, *The Pirates (in an Adventure with Scientists)*. Great fun.


The American version or the originally scripted? there were changes made to the export version so as not to offend their delicate sensibilities. The only one I can remember is the hot air balloon was really invented to let the pilot peek down the front of lady's blouses in the original.


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## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> The only one I can remember is the hot air balloon was really invented to let the pilot peek down the front of lady's blouses in the original.


As is historically accurate.


----------



## alexvss

*The Outlaws (2017)*. A group of policemen take on gangs of Chinese immigrants that have built a Little China in Seoul. Based on the real-life events that took place in 2004.

It’s your usual Korean gangster movie, and it’s pretty good at it. Gritty fight scenes with multiple goons hitting each other with bats and stabbing with knives (they never use guns), dumb policemen and a lot of yelling and swearing. Nothing less and nothing more than I’d expect.

Oh, and Don Lee is in it. This came as a good preparation for The Roundup, which is premiering this month.


----------



## HareBrain

JunkMonkey said:


> The only one I can remember is the hot air balloon was really invented to let the pilot peek down the front of lady's blouses in the original.


Yes, that was in it.


----------



## alexvss

*Extreme Job (2019)*. A squad of narcos officers who's never suceeded a single mission must hurry before their group is disbanded.

Another Korean gangster movie, but this time the protagonists are the cops. As is commonplace in Korean cinema, they criticize cops by ridiculing them. You don’t need to watch many movies to realize that cops are always dumb. Rare are the exceptions. And this is a response to the failures that the police keep committing in that country. They’re extremely incompetent (too many times, cowardly so). They often run away from people armed with knives, leaving the victims for their fate. And the government’s reaction is to increase the number of women in the force, for “representation”.

This is a comedy movie. Like The Outlaws (2017) is a thriller with comedy elements, this is a comedy with crime elements. And it’s funny as hell. Not only the team  is very coordinated (in doing their stupid things), but the criminals are also very funny (and they make it seem that it’s unindented).


----------



## Rodders

How it Ends - a low budget end of the world movie. I felt a lot of this film was ad-libbed and it suffered for it.

Wheelman - a rewatch with the gf, it held up well. A very good film.

The Gentlemen - an enjoyable Guy Ritchie crime romp.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Rodders said:


> The Gentlemen - an enjoyable Guy Ritchie crime romp.



This was areturn to Snatch and Lock Stock I really enjoyed and Hugh Grant playing against type was very good.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Archive - interesting. A researcher works in secret to build a perfect robot replacement body to house his dead wife. Beautiful to watch with some really nice design and location work, convincingly acted but not quite enough material to justify its length I thought. One of those films that feels like a short padded out to feature length. Archive just got about got away with it but it did feel slightly too long to me


----------



## KGeo777

Thunder and Lightning  1977 -- Poorly written Roger Corman-produced moonshine flick--compared to Moonshine County Express it is a very bland affair only given some life by Roger C Carmel and a raccoon at the beginning.


----------



## Happy Joe

Top Gun: Maverick I am not normally a Tom Cruise fan but I like this movie (of the 2 other people that watched it there was a 50/50 split as to whether the first Top Gun movie or this one was better (I just requested a copy of the original, to re-watch it, as I don't remember it all that well) 
I'm giving Top Gun: Maverick a 4 out of 5 stars...  and  recommend it. ...  Its good enough to make it into the movie library.

The Thing From Another World 1951 This was a request from one of my friends; so it became the second of a double feature... Still a good movie! I found it entertaining to try and spot the similarities between this one and John Carpenter's version; all 3 versions have shelf space in the library)

Enjoy!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*It!*_ / _*Anger of the Golem*_ / _*Curse of the Golem*_ (1967) Arthur Pimm (Roddy McDowall) is the assistant curator at a British museum, he wants a promotion, he wants the pretty girl; but, he is a loser. Oh, he has the corpse of his mother, which he treats as though it were alive.  Perhaps inspired by Norman Bates. Then, a large ugly statue falls upon the curator, killing him. Pimm is temporarily the top guy, but, is passed over for the permanent position. Skipping  the details about the scroll, he becomes the master of the Golem, and has it do his bidding. But, he soon realizes that he has ordered it to do really awful things, because he can.

Made by SEVEN ARTS, but really having nothing else in common with HAMMER FILMS.


----------



## Randy M.

Jeffbert said:


> _*It!*_ / _*Anger of the Golem*_ / _*Curse of the Golem*_ (1967) Arthur Pimm (Roddy McDowall) is the assistant curator at a British museum, he wants a promotion, he wants the pretty girl; but, he is a loser. Oh, he has the corpse of his mother, which he treats as though it were alive.  Perhaps inspired by Norman Bates. Then, a large ugly statue falls upon the curator, killing him. Pimm is temporarily the top guy, but, is passed over for the permanent position. Skipping  the details about the scroll, he becomes the master of the Golem, and has it do his bidding. But, he soon realizes that he has ordered it to do really awful things, because he can.
> 
> Made by SEVEN ARTS, but really having nothing else in common with HAMMER FILMS.



I watched about an hour of this one then quit. McDowall's his usual competent self but the movie just wasn't doing anything for me. Maybe I'll try it again sometime.


----------



## Vince W

*Annihilation* (2018). I know many people like this film but I found it to be a bit dull and ultimately a bit of a Body Snatchers clone with some overt Lovecraftian elements to try and make it more unsettling than it is.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> *Annihilation* (2018). I know many people like this film but I found it to be a bit dull and ultimately a bit of a Body Snatchers clone with some overt Lovecraftian elements to try and make it more unsettling than it is.


It was the lack of simple logic in the opening stages that sunk it for me.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*CITY OF FEAR*_ (1959) A strange and unexpected premise results in a prison escapee Vince Ryker (Vince Edwards) carrying a highly radioactive canister of Cobalt-60, believing it contains 1 (one) pound of heroin. This substance is used in atomic bombs to add more death via radiation poisoning to their normally already destructive effects. 

NOIR ALLEY,  & Muller's usual in-depth coverage. The film itself rates 3/5, because it seemed too padded with repeats of short clips used only to lengthen it. Yet, the music rates 5/5. Such clips as the needles on Geiger counters flickering around, cops grabbing said Geiger counts from a row of them, etc. It could have cut several minutes from it, and, made it a bit more intense, IMHO.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*YOTSUYA KAIDAN*_ Pts 1 & 2 (1959) An unemployed Samurai (a Ronin) is persuaded to divorce his wife so he can be free to marry into a\n upper class family and work for a respectable lord. But, it does not go well, and he ends up murdering both his wife, and a man who is madly in love with her. The ghosts of the two murder victims come along.


----------



## Randy M.

*Cleopatra Jones* (1973; dir. Jack Starrett; starring Tamara Dobson, Bernie Casey, Shelley Winters)

Shown on TCM, which in October was doing a Pam Grier retrospective with some other Blaxplotation pictures interspersed. Mommy (Winters) is a big deal drug dealer. Cleopatra Jones (Dobson) works for the feds and is interferring with the pipe-line and so must be taken down. 

That's pretty much it. Much hugger-mugger, a pretty good car chase, much of which plays out like an episode of a TV cop show. I'm not sure from this if Dobson was much of an great actress, but a few scenes show some charisma and a light touch, so maybe it's the material rather than the actress. Meanwhile, Winters has fun overacting. TV viewers of the '70s will note some familiar faces, like Esther Role, Antonio Fargas, and Don Cornelius.


----------



## Randy M.

*Enola Holmes 2 *(2022; dir. Harry Bradbeer; starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewliss)

I'm not sure I can judge how good the two Enola Holmes movies are. But I can say, both Enola Holmes movies are good fun. Brown is a natural in front of the camera and it's nice to see her transitioning into a more adult role than in _Stranger Things_, and while I was a bit put off by what seemed like Cavill's somnolent Sherlock in the first movie, his underplaying works well in this one, perhaps because he's on screen more. 

Enola starts a detective agency. Enola also ends her agency, but just as she's resigned to her dream of being a detective being delayed if not ended, a client appears hoping Enola will find her sister. Meanwhile, Sherlock is tracing a mastermind who stole money from the government and is insidiously clever at covering his trail. Reluctantly, each Holmes finds the other Holmes can be of help.

Again, good fun.


----------



## Jeffbert

TCM  did a tribute to James Caan a week ago, & *THIEF* (1981) was among the films shown. 
 Frank (James Caan) is a jewel thief, who uses realistic techniques in his work. Ben M. said that they had consulted ex-safe-crackers, police, etc., to make this realistic. I know nothing about this subject, but the things they did make the 5 seasons of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE seem rather lame, by comparison. 

So, Frank is a guy who chooses his associates, and is lured into working for the big guy. Once the highlight of the film is accomplished, Frank expects to get his money, and go his own way. But, learns the big boss wants him for future jobs, & expects he will answer the call.   

A rather intense ending!


----------



## Jeffbert

*WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH HELEN?* (1971) I was not sure I even wanted to see this, but, I am glad I did. Set in the 1930s, the two mothers of convicted murderers move to California, hoping to escape the troubles back home. Some people blame them for their sons' behavior. The one, 
Adelle Bruckner (Debbie Reynolds) teaches tap dancing to little girls, whose mothers hope they will become like Shirley Temple, while the other, Helen (Shelley Winters), provides the piano music. Things go well, for a while, but Helen's unpleasant memories are dredged-up when she sees something whose shape resembles the thing she hoped to forget. Moreover, she fears that someone is stalking her. 

Eventually, she just snaps.


----------



## Rodders

Tower Heist and Last Vegas. 

A couple of run of the mill comedy movies on TV this weekend. Nothing special, but there are worse ways to kill time.


----------



## KGeo777

BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD  1966 - Rewatch. Yet another spy comedy, this time with Tony Randall as a hotel salesman who gets caught up in espionage. I was saying how Wilfred Hyde-White was the go to guy for eccentric British characters when Terry-Thomas was unavailable--well this movie has both of them!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Captain Nova* (2021)- Passable pretty simple, morality tale, Dutch time travel movie aimed at kids.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE INVISIBLE MAN* (1933) Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) works under Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers), and is in love with his daughter Flora (Gloria Stuart). Yet, as a subordinate, he believes he will not be able to marry her, as his wages are too low to give her the life he thinks she deserves. So, he embarks on a pursuit of fantastic discoveries, he believes will make him both rich and famous. But, he does so, without trusting anyone to help him. 

Sharing a theme with Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (THE STRANGE CASE OF DR J & MR H), the error of experimenting upon oneself takes away the scientists' normal point of view, of observer, rather than subject. As such, neither Dr. Jekyll nor Dr. Griffin could realize the changes occurring within themselves. Both succumbed to insanity of a sort. I read both novels some years ago, and cannot recall if the details of Griffin's murderous rampage here is accurate to the novel. But, causing train derailment or was it head-on collisions,  that was COLD! And has was singing a children's song while doing it!

Anyway, I enjoyed this film; though that may seem weird, given the numbers of deaths he caused. 

Oh, the special effects of 1933 were essentially removing the background (Griffin) while keeping the foreground intact. 





Where is the inside of his shirt? We should see the tag on the inside of the collar! 


Although this image reminds me of MPFC animation:


----------



## KGeo777

CRESCENDO 1970 -- Rather bland Hammer -Warner Bros. Seven Arts B programmer where the main characters (James Olson and Stephanie Powers) are less interesting than the butler Joss Ackland and Jane Lapotaire who I was unfamiliar with but she leaves a really strong impression as a sleazy maid.  Steals the movie in her scenes. I heard that she was in fact a prestigious stage star and so that is funny considering the explicit role she has. It was released in the US in November 1972--by coincidence I rewatched it.


----------



## alexvss

*The Outlaws 2: The Roundup*. This time, detective Ma and his fellow officers have to solve the case of a Korean thug kidnapping Korean tourists overseas.

Once again, they mix comedy with gritty action and make it all look natural, more so than the previous movie. The only let-down is that it’s pretty predictable. You want comedy and action so you get it. Nothing more, nothing less. Also, Don Lee (who you probably know as the big guy in Train to Busan), is so overpowered that you know he’s never going to be in danger (damn, I bet this guy could lift a truck), and that’s something you could easily avoid just by putting other characters in danger. But no one is in danger except for the bad guys and a few nobodies. 

A sequence has been announced, due next year, and I’m definitely watching it.


----------



## Jeffbert

*WAR OF THE PLANETS* (1966) Another Italian Sci-fi OUTER SPACE adventure. Interesting, weird, etc. The Earth had established space stations of the old doughnut shape, and bases on other planets. Strange life forms come along, and attempt to - [lacking any better term] assimilate everyone; giving all a common purpose, etc.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> *THE INVISIBLE MAN* (1933) Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) works under Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers), and is in love with his daughter Flora (Gloria Stuart). Yet, as a subordinate, he believes he will not be able to marry her, as his wages are too low to give her the life he thinks she deserves. So, he embarks on a pursuit of fantastic discoveries, he believes will make him both rich and famous. But, he does so, without trusting anyone to help him.
> 
> Sharing a theme with Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (THE STRANGE CASE OF DR J & MR H), the error of experimenting upon oneself takes away the scientists' normal point of view, of observer, rather than subject. As such, neither Dr. Jekyll nor Dr. Griffin could realize the changes occurring within themselves. Both succumbed to insanity of a sort. I read both novels some years ago, and cannot recall if the details of Griffin's murderous rampage here is accurate to the novel. But, causing train derailment or was it head-on collisions,  that was COLD! And has was singing a children's song while doing it!
> 
> Anyway, I enjoyed this film; though that may seem weird, given the numbers of deaths he caused.
> 
> Oh, the special effects of 1933 were essentially removing the background (Griffin) while keeping the foreground intact.
> 
> View attachment 95163
> Where is the inside of his shirt? We should see the tag on the inside of the collar!
> 
> 
> Although this image reminds me of MPFC animation:View attachment 95162


The cold, gleeful destruction you find odd/ disturbing might be a little easier to understand if you consider the date it was made. When Griffin makes his mad ranting speech about being unstoppable and taking over the world Rains make gestures and poses that would have been instantly recognised by contemporary audiences as an imitation of Mussolini. The film is a pretty unambiguous piece of anti-fascist polemic.


----------



## Jeffbert

Thanks, JunkMonkey! As far as WWII history goes, I was not much interested in Mussollini.


----------



## Randy M.

JunkMonkey said:


> The cold, gleeful destruction you find odd/ disturbing might be a little easier to understand if you concider the date it was made. When Griffin makes his mad ranting speech about being unstoppable and taking over the world Rains make justures and poses that would have been instantly recognised by contemporary audiences as a imitation of Mussollini. The film is a pretty unambigous piece of anti-fascist polemic.


That never occurred to me. Thanks.


----------



## Randy M.

*FRIDAY FOSTER *(1975; dir. Arthur Marks; starring Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Godfrey Cambridge)

Shown on Turner Cable Movies as part of their Star of the Month celebration  my goof ... and tied to their podcast, "The Plot Thickens: Season 4: Here Comes Pam," as in Pam Grier. Based on a comic strip, this is tonally very different from Grier's other Blaxploitation films, though similar in plot: Friday, a perky, spirited, optimist, is a photographer assigned to cover the return to town of a Black millionaire, only to snap his attempted assassination (head assassin, Carl Weathers). The assassin sees her and she becomes a target. The thinness of why is covered by a lot of action and some sex scenes, interspersed with the foolish decisions necessary to get to the next action piece. But Friday is smart enough to suss out the plot and eventually win the day. (Don't give me any baloney about spoilers. Two minutes into the movie, you know how it will turn out.)

In spite of that plot, the grittiness of _Coffy_ or _Foxy Brown_ is missing, but what appears to have been a larger budget for an AIP movie offers a glossy, if predictable, thriller. Budget aside, the movie would sink without Grier's charisma. She was pretty much learning her craft as she went along and bringing her audience with her. This one appears to be the last of her lead roles; IMDB indicates after this she started moving into character roles as Blaxploitation movies faded away. In an interview with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, who asked if she had felt the pressure of not only being a star but a role model and, as the first Black female action star, someone with a role to play in race relations, she said her main concern at this point was getting more people into the profession in all of the technical roles necessary to making films.

Several familiar faces in this: Scatman Crothers, Eartha Kitt, Jim Backus, Ted Lange, and Jason Bernard, whose name you may not recognize, but who for the next 20 years would be a familiar face and especially voice on TV in everything from _Starsky & Hutch_ to _The Dukes of Hazzard_ to _Beauty and the Beast_ to _Herman's Head._


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The History of Time Travel* (2014) - a short (72 minute) feature mockumentary about the history of the world's first time travel machine.  Watched with Number 2 daughter who had the same.... _"wait?  What!?" _ at the same moment as I did when I first watched it a couple of years ago. The film plays as a History Channel Documentary with lots of voice over, static pan and scan rostrum shots of  'archive'  pictures, talking head experts and 'recreations of events' which don't show the actors heads or faces but...


Spoiler



as the film progresses the events in the film described by those talking heads change the story that the self-same talking heads are telling you about.  It's not that what they are talking about is seen from a different viewpoint but that the events themselves, the ones that you just watched them describing (as historical truths) no longer exist and have been replaced with a different version.



I'm sure it wouldn't hold water if you really examined it closely enough - what time travel story ever does? But this is as good and entertaining a paradox mind-bender as I have seen and shows what you can do with a tiny budget and a small cast if you have a bloody good, well-tailored script to start with.


----------



## AstroZon

*Death on the Nile* (2022) 
There's just so much wrong with this movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

*LES VISITEURS DU SOIR* (1942) One fine day the Devil (Jules Berry) sends two, count 'em, 2 emissaries to mess with humans. How naughty can he get? These 2, Gilles (Alain Cuny) & Dominique (Arletty) take the form of a minstrels, pay a visit to Baron Hugues (Fernand Ledoux) at his castle, which is preparing for the marriage of his daughter to a neighboring Baron. Each of the minstrels seduces the opposite sex member of the upcoming wedding. But this displeases the Devil, who had some other mischief in mind. He must personally straighten out this mess.

Interesting & satisfying.


----------



## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *FRIDAY FOSTER *(1975; dir. Arthur Marks; starring Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Godfrey Cambridge)
> .... and tied to their podcast, "The Plot Thickens: Season 4: Here Comes Pam," as in Pam Grier. Based on a comic strip, this is tonally very different from Grier's other Blaxploitation films....



*HIT MAN* (1972) is also presented as such, with Ben M talking to Pam Grier both before & after the film.

Tyrone Tackett (Bernie Casey) goes to the big city to attend his brother's funeral, & to find who killed him. An abundance of violence. I did not understand certain scenes that seemed not to fit the story well:



Spoiler



So, the vengeful Tyrone Tackett is out to personally kill the ones responsible for his brother's death, so why/where do these 4 or 5 guys with machine guns and stockings over their heads come in? They slaughter everyone at the rich guy's estate, before the final scene with TT pursuing and killing the villain



Once is enough.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE HUNGER* (1983) Another vampire movie. Not to my liking; 'nuff said.


----------



## hitmouse

AstroZon said:


> *Death on the Nile* (2022)
> There's just so much wrong with this movie.


I enjoyed the Branagh Murder on the Orient Express, but found this one so irritating I turned it off after about 40 minutes. 
The 1970s DOTN is OK , even allowing for the rather dated style.


----------



## Randy M.

*Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde* (1971; dir. Roy Ward Baker; starring Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick)

Hammer horror, not great but fun. 

Young Dr, Jekyll (Bates) realizes he can't live long enough to cure each and every disease, so he applies his science to discovering an elixir of life. Long life has a feminine aspect which requires female organs, of course it does, which leads to conflating Dr. J with J the Ripper -- both of them did appear around the same time, but he becomes Ripper-ish after a mob dispatches Burke & Hare, and there goes historical accuracy. The elixir he brews and tests on himself because there are never any other guinea pigs in movies, and finds it has a startling side-effect. I remember reading years ago that the casting was cemented when the producers were struck by the improbable resemblance between Bates and Beswick -- really, have any two actors in one movie had higher cheekbones? Covering the sudden appearance of a woman in his apartment, Jekyll explains that his widowed sister, Mrs. Hyde (Beswick), is visiting. Nobody notes that they are never seen together.

Beswick must have been giddy with not being the girl sidekick, as in the Bond movies, and with getting some of the best lines from Brian Clemens' (_The Avengers _-- Steed and Peel, marvelous but not Marvelous) script. For instance, when a concerned friend inquires after her "brother" she mentions he's not been himself lately.

Not really horrifying, but Bates/Beswick and the company of Hammer regulars and semi-regulars and Clemens' script are entertaining and old hand Baker keeps things moving along. (IMDB mentions a remake with Tim Daly and Sean Young. I like Daly, but I'm happy I haven't seen this.)


----------



## Jeffbert

*RONIN *(1998) Action oriented, but not to the exclusion of a good plot.  Some 'action' films seem devoted only to outdoing previous action films in chases, gun fights, etc. While this film was very intense, it did not seem like that. Very well done!

Sam (Robert De Niro) is hired to steal (rip-off) a certain case from those who have it. His background is such that he is the type of guy who should succeed in this task, given the cooperation of others like himself. Vincent (Jean Reno), a Frenchman, has similar qualifications. They and  several others are working together, or are they? One of them was actually working for some others, and once they had the case (the McGuffin), the one guy steal away with it, leaving a similar case in its place. So, now they must locate their one-time coworker, & forcefully take the case from him. Never did disclose its contents.


----------



## Quokka

"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt."

Solid movie.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*House of the Wolfman *(2009)

Late in the Universal classic horror series, the film makers offered monster rallies that featured Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Frankenstein monster.  These were *House of Frankenstein *(1944) and *House of Dracula *(1945.)  What could be more logical than to complete the trilogy with an obvious title?

The good stuff:

Nice black-and-white cinematography.
Atmospheric sets.
Some fine performances by the folks in small roles.
Action-packed Wolfman vs Frankenstein monster fight.
Excellent monster makeup/costumes.
Appropriately bombastic music (although it disappears for long stretches.)


The bad stuff:

Poor acting in the major roles.
Inappropriate changes in mood, as if they couldn't decide if this was a tribute or a parody.
Abominable comedy relief from a major character.
Extremely slow start; it takes an hour to get to fifteen minutes of fast-paced action.
Poor dialogue.

Plot:

An assortment of seemingly unrelated twenty-something folks are invited to the castle home of a Mad Scientist type.  (In a bit of stunt casting, he's played by Ron Chaney, grandson of Lon Chaney, Jr.)  One of them is going to inherit his estate.  We've got a college athlete; his twin sister, who is a scientific genius (we're told; there's no evidence of this); an antiquarian (our odious comedy relief); a woman whose only characteristic, as far as I can tell, is the fact that she's sexy; and a Great White Hunter type, with his "African" servants.  There's the Mad Scientist's mute butler to add to the mood.

Not much happens for sixty minutes.  It seems a lot more like an Old Dark House film than a Universal horror film until the exciting climax.  There's one good scene before that in which the sexpot (after slinking around in her room in sexy underwear) gets the back story from a very old, one-eyed, one-armed, wheelchair-bound woman.  The actress playing this part gives the best performance, capturing the mood of the old films without a trace of campiness.

In brief, the Mad Scientist is descended from both the Wolfman and Frankenstein families.  The guests are all related, too, in a way which is in pretty bad taste for what should be a fun film.  The Mad Scientist is ready to test which one of them is worthy of his estate.

We finally get our werewolf transformation and our monster battle.  Dracula shows up at the very end, which is very weakly explained.  (He has undescribed "business" with the Frankenstein family.)  He's got a trio of his "brides" with him.  (Interestingly, they're hideous hags instead of beautiful women.)  The guy playing Dracula (who died either during filming or soon after; the movie is dedicated to him) is quite good, doing the Lugosi accent without sounding like a parody.  When he confronts the battling Wolfman and Frankenstein monster by saying "Gentlemen" and clicking his tongue at them in disapproval, it actually seems in character and not a joke.

Then the movie just stops, without a real resolution.

Worth a look for fans of the Universal classic, but you have to be very, very patient with it and be prepared to suffer the bad parts.


----------



## Randy M.

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *House of the Wolfman *(2009)
> 
> Late in the Universal classic horror series, the film makers offered monster rallies that featured Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Frankenstein monster.  These were *House of Frankenstein *(1944) and *House of Dracula *(1945.)  What could be more logical than to complete the trilogy with an obvious title?
> 
> The good stuff:
> 
> Nice black-and-white cinematography.
> Atmospheric sets.
> Some fine performances by the folks in small roles.
> Action-packed Wolfman vs Frankenstein monster fight.
> Excellent monster makeup/costumes.
> Appropriately bombastic music (although it disappears for long stretches.)
> 
> 
> The bad stuff:
> 
> Poor acting in the major roles.
> Inappropriate changes in mood, as if they couldn't decide if this was a tribute or a parody.
> Abominable comedy relief from a major character.
> Extremely slow start; it takes an hour to get to fifteen minutes of fast-paced action.
> Poor dialogue.
> 
> Plot:
> 
> An assortment of seemingly unrelated twenty-something folks are invited to the castle home of a Mad Scientist type.  (In a bit of stunt casting, he's played by Ron Chaney, grandson of Lon Chaney, Jr.)  One of them is going to inherit his estate.  We've got a college athlete; his twin sister, who is a scientific genius (we're told; there's no evidence of this); an antiquarian (our odious comedy relief); a woman whose only characteristic, as far as I can tell, is the fact that she's sexy; and a Great White Hunter type, with his "African" servants.  There's the Mad Scientist's mute butler to add to the mood.
> 
> Not much happens for sixty minutes.  It seems a lot more like an Old Dark House film than a Universal horror film until the exciting climax.  There's one good scene before that in which the sexpot (after slinking around in her room in sexy underwear) gets the back story from a very old, one-eyed, one-armed, wheelchair-bound woman.  The actress playing this part gives the best performance, capturing the mood of the old films without a trace of campiness.
> 
> In brief, the Mad Scientist is descended from both the Wolfman and Frankenstein families.  The guests are all related, too, in a way which is in pretty bad taste for what should be a fun film.  The Mad Scientist is ready to test which one of them is worthy of his estate.
> 
> We finally get our werewolf transformation and our monster battle.  Dracula shows up at the very end, which is very weakly explained.  (He has undescribed "business" with the Frankenstein family.)  He's got a trio of his "brides" with him.  (Interestingly, they're hideous hags instead of beautiful women.)  The guy playing Dracula (who died either during filming or soon after; the movie is dedicated to him) is quite good, doing the Lugosi accent without sounding like a parody.  When he confronts the battling Wolfman and Frankenstein monster by saying "Gentlemen" and clicking his tongue at them in disapproval, it actually seems in character and not a joke.
> 
> Then the movie just stops, without a real resolution.
> 
> Worth a look for fans of the Universal classic, but you have to be very, very patient with it and be prepared to suffer the bad parts.


Sounds like fun, sort of, and the stills on IMDB look spot on for the old Universal movies. Too bad about the acting.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Randy M. said:


> *Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde* (1971; dir. Roy Ward Baker; starring Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick)
> 
> Hammer horror, not great but fun.
> 
> Young Dr, Jekyll (Bates) realizes he can't live long enough to cure each and every disease, so he applies his science to discovering an elixir of life. Long life has a feminine aspect which requires female organs, of course it does, which leads to conflating Dr. J with J the Ripper -- both of them did appear around the same time, but he becomes Ripper-ish after a mob dispatches Burke & Hare, and there goes historical accuracy. The elixir he brews and tests on himself because there are never any other guinea pigs in movies, and finds it has a startling side-effect. I remember reading years ago that the casting was cemented when the producers were struck by the improbable resemblance between Bates and Beswick -- really, have any two actors in one movie had higher cheekbones? Covering the sudden appearance of a woman in his apartment, Jekyll explains that his widowed sister, Mrs. Hyde (Beswick), is visiting. Nobody notes that they are never seen together.
> 
> Beswick must have been giddy with not being the girl sidekick, as in the Bond movies, and with getting some of the best lines from Brian Clemens' (_The Avengers _-- Steed and Peel, marvelous but not Marvelous) script. For instance, when a concerned friend inquires after her "brother" she mentions he's not been himself lately.
> 
> Not really horrifying, but Bates/Beswick and the company of Hammer regulars and semi-regulars and Clemens' script are entertaining and old hand Baker keeps things moving along. (IMDB mentions a remake with Tim Daly and Sean Young. I like Daly, but I'm happy I haven't seen this.)



You have to admit the in camera transformation trick was pretty well done.


----------



## Mouse

The newest *Jurassic World* film. Awful. Just awful. Really bad. All of it terrible. Couldn't finish it. The film made my husband so angry that we put it on eBay and sold it straight away.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Time Travelers* (1964) Daughter Number 2 and I are only watching Time Travel movies this week.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Black Panther 2 *

Pretty decent if over-long and it takes a while for the action to actually start but yeah its ok

There is a very moving reworking of the opening montage.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Woman Who Came Back *(1945)

Modest Val Lewton style chiller.  Our helpful narrator informs us that some so-called witches were burnt in a New England town three hundred years ago.  We see an elderly woman get on a bus with her dog and try to pay with colonial money of the time period.  Aboard the bus is the Woman Who Came Back, a descendent of the judge who burnt the witches.  For vague, undiscussed reasons she deserted the Doctor Guy she was going to marry after some undescribed accidents happened.  Before we learn all this back story, however, the bus goes toppling over a bridge into a lake, killing everybody except the Woman Who Came  Back and the dog.  Oh, the old woman also gave her name as that of one of the burnet witches.

The Woman Who Came Back is understandably upset, and even more so when weird stuff happens.  While fooling around with the old woman's scarf, which she somehow wound up with, she sees her reflection replaced with that of the old woman.  She accidentally (?) puts rat poison in a fish tank instead of fish food, killing all the fish.  The young daughter of the (presumably widowed) woman who love Doctor Guy falls deathly ill.  The Woman Who Came Back finds a confession signed by the burned witch stating that she made a deal with the devil to be reincarnated for the next three hundred years.  Yep, both she and the townsfolks start to think that she's the witch.

The whole thing is nicely atmospheric and moody, but it's got a weak ending.  Worth a look.


----------



## Mr Cairo

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Time Travelers* (1964) Daughter Number 2 and I are only watching Time Travel movies this week.



Not sure its on your list but Safety Not Guaranteed is very good.


----------



## Rodders

JunkMonkey said:


> *The Time Travelers* (1964) Daughter Number 2 and I are only watching Time Travel movies this week.


Do you have a list of the films that you plan to see, or have seen?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> Do you have a list of the films that you plan to see, or have seen?


Somewhere:  she did scrawl one up but I have no idea where's she's put it. 

I know _La Jetée_ and _The 12 Monkeys, The FAQ of Time Travel, Predestination, Source Code, _and_ Time Bandits_ are on it - she refuses to let me add _Timecop._


----------



## AllanR

No Primer?


----------



## REBerg

The Last Days on Mars​Space zombies! I had hoped for something better.


----------



## REBerg

*I Think We're Alone Now*

A low-voltage take on a post-apocalyptic world. No explanation given for the mass human die-off, which, according to Peter Dinklage's character, doesn't matter.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Predestination* (2013) - second time for me, 1st time for Number 2 Daughter who didn't know what was coming and had great fun working it out.   I was pleased she enjoyed it so much and happy to see the film stood up to a second viewing. Finding the original story (which she now wants to read) in my disorganized shelves took almost as long as watching the movie but I eventually discovered a copy in a a battered 1963 Pyramid paperback three layers back in a bookshelf.


----------



## alexvss

*The Witch Part 2: The Other One (2022).* A girl escapes from a facility that experiments with teenagers and is sheltered by a family.

It’s the same plot as Superman. Or Brightburn (2019). Or, even better, as the first Witch movie. The difference is that this one doesn’t have the plot twist. It’s an unnecessary sequel, probably just building up for the last movie in the trilogy (it ends in a cliffhanger). 

There are very few fight scenes, and they’re not nearly as good as the ones in the first installment, and that’s a big letdown. It’s a shame because the director is behind some of my favorite movies. I trust that he’ll create something better afterwards, and I hope that the conclusion is worth my time. ‘Cause this one sure as hell didn’t.


----------



## pogopossum

*Black panther, Wakenda Forever. *Saw it in the theatre.
 What to say beyond the general hype?
Saw several plot holes. Thought generally that the staging was glorious. The plot okay.  My spouse (not generally an SFF fan) thought that the fact of practically every significant character being a strong exemplary woman was more than just creative, but  unique..
Go see it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> *The History of Time Travel* (2014) - a short (72 minute) feature mockumentary about the history of the world's first time travel machine.  Watched with Number 2 daughter who had the same.... _"wait?  What!?" _ at the same moment as I did when I first watched it a couple of years ago. The film plays as a History Channel Documentary with lots of voice over, static pan and scan rostrum shots of  'archive'  pictures, talking head experts and 'recreations of events' which don't show the actors heads or faces but...
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> as the film progresses the events in the film described by those talking heads change the story that the self-same talking heads are telling you about.  It's not that what they are talking about is seen from a different viewpoint but that the events themselves, the ones that you just watched them describing (as historical truths) no longer exist and have been replaced with a different version.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sure it wouldn't hold water if you really examined it closely enough - what time travel story ever does? But this is as good and entertaining a paradox mind-bender as I have seen and shows what you can do with a tiny budget and a small cast if you have a bloody good, well-tailored script to start with.




Thanks for mentioning this. I only clicked about halfway through what was going on. I really enjoyed it, and it's an absolute must see twice (or more) movie.


----------



## paranoid marvin

JunkMonkey said:


> Somewhere:  she did scrawl one up but I have no idea where's she's put it.
> 
> I know _La Jetée_ and _The 12 Monkeys, The FAQ of Time Travel, Predestination, Source Code, _and_ Time Bandits_ are on it - she refuses to let me add _Timecop._



If you've got Time Bandits, then you've got the best of the lot. But no Bill and Ted?


----------



## Dave Vicks

SHANE 1953
.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> If you've got Time Bandits, then you've got the best of the lot. But no Bill and Ted?



Found the list: 
The History of Time Travel 
Back to the Future
Twelve Monkeys
Time Bandits
FAQ of Time Travel
Predestination
Donnie Darko - (which I have never seen.)
The Time Travelers
Primer 
Source Code
Idiocracy
Timecop - oh! she did put it on.
Peggy Sue Got Married
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure


----------



## REBerg

*Spiderhead*
Behavior modification through drugs? There's an app for that.
This might have been better with more time spent on character development and less on murky clinical science.


----------



## Vince W

JunkMonkey said:


> Found the list:
> The History of Time Travel
> Back to the Future
> Twelve Monkeys
> Time Bandits
> FAQ of Time Travel
> Predestination
> Donnie Darko - (which I have never seen.)
> The Time Travelers
> Primer
> Source Code
> Idiocracy
> Timecop - oh! she did put it on.
> Peggy Sue Got Married
> Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure


Do yourself a favour and erase Idiocracy. Trust me.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Vince W said:


> Do yourself a favour and erase Idiocracy. Trust me.



I saw it a few years ago (when it still looked like fiction) and quite liked it.  I'm not sure it's going to get watched this week as we are definitely in mood for films in which time travel causes complications, paradoxes, and loops rather than just a plot device to throw a identifiable character into a different world. _ Idiocracy,_ we concluded, is not really a time travel story; it's a suspended animation story.

Tonight we watched_ Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_ - which was like totally awesome!


----------



## Dave Vicks

Documentary GATES OF HEAVEN 1978.


----------



## Rodders

Nice list, Junk Monkey. 

No time travel binge would be complete without the Spanish (i think) "Time Crimes". 

I also enjoyed something called Project Almanac.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> Nice list, Junk Monkey.
> 
> No time travel binge would be complete without the Spanish (i think) "Time Crimes".
> 
> I


I know the film you mean, have a copy but deliberately didn't include it because, though its looping causality is intriguing, I loathed the central character and the mysogeny at the heart of the film is not something I would feel comfortable sharing with my daughter.


----------



## Toby Frost

Would _Triangle _count? It doesn't include a time machine or anything like that, but it's about a loop in time (potentially caused by entering the Bermuda Triangle).


----------



## Parson

Would *Groundhog Day *count as a Time travel story? It's one of my all time favorite movies.


----------



## REBerg

JunkMonkey said:


> *The History of Time Travel* (2014) - a short (72 minute) feature mockumentary about the history of the world's first time travel machine.  Watched with Number 2 daughter who had the same.... _"wait?  What!?" _ at the same moment as I did when I first watched it a couple of years ago. The film plays as a History Channel Documentary with lots of voice over, static pan and scan rostrum shots of  'archive'  pictures, talking head experts and 'recreations of events' which don't show the actors heads or faces but...
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> as the film progresses the events in the film described by those talking heads change the story that the self-same talking heads are telling you about.  It's not that what they are talking about is seen from a different viewpoint but that the events themselves, the ones that you just watched them describing (as historical truths) no longer exist and have been replaced with a different version.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sure it wouldn't hold water if you really examined it closely enough - what time travel story ever does? But this is as good and entertaining a paradox mind-bender as I have seen and shows what you can do with a tiny budget and a small cast if you have a bloody good, well-tailored script to start with.


This brilliant work has finally given me the profound understanding of time travel I have sought for so many decades.
If only I could go back -- knowing then what I know now. My life would be/have been so much different.
Thank you for your recommendation.


----------



## Vince W

Some time travel suggestions:

*Hot Tub Time Machine,* *About Time *and *The Philadelphia Experiment*.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Parson said:


> Would *Groundhog Day *count as a Time travel story? It's one of my all time favorite movies.




Yes, it's a fab 'feel good' movie. Bill Murray sparkles in this film probably moreso than in any other (apart from perhaps Ghostbusters).

One of the more notable absences from that list for me is the BTTF trilogy, all of which I think I superb movies (with II being my favourite). Also I have a soft spot for the slightly cheesy 'Final Countdown'. There was also a movie I remember seeing quite a long time ago when a group of American soldiers (possibly from the Vietnam war era) are transported back in time to fight Japanese Samurai warriors. An interesting concept for a movie. And another where a woman visiting Stonehenge is transported back in time to help Merlin at King Arthur's court.


----------



## Rodders

Is it worth starting a separate thread on time travel movies?


----------



## JunkMonkey

Rodders said:


> Is it worth starting a separate thread on time travel movies?


We already have at least one:





						Time Travel in Movies and Television Series
					

And what do you think of the how the concepts are handled ? Which do you thinker the best ecpalmes of Time Travel ?




					www.sffchronicles.com
				




Last night the kids and I watched_ Time Bandits. _ Me for the godsknowhowmanyieth time, Daughter Number Two for the third time, and Number One Son for the first.  Neither of us are now talking to him because he thought it was merely "All right!"
"All right?! _All Right!_" we both indignated in our best Frankenfurter voices, "I think we can do better than THAT!"


----------



## Vince W

Since today was Blade Runner Day (19 November) I watched *Blade Runner* (1982) and then I rounded it out with *Black Rain *(1989), which was also directed by Ridley Scott and I consider to be the Blade Runner prequel.


----------



## KGeo777

KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS -1977  When the plane flies into the building, there are two gas pumps and everyone stands around like it's no big deal that there is a fire right next to it.


----------



## Droflet

*Black Adam*. Predictable actioner that is high on special effects and low on story.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Nope*

I'm about half way through watching this movie, and it's a bit of a chore. I was really hoping for good things here, but it just doesn't seem to 'get going'. I very much enjoyed other similar type movies by Monkeypaw such as 'Us' and 'Get Out', but so far this one isn't gripping me. The fact that I haven't watched the movie in one sitting. Hopefully it will improve when I wtach the rest tonight.


----------



## REBerg

*Free Guy*
Funny, clever, corny and heartwarming
NPCs unite!


----------



## REBerg

*Bird Box*
Maximum suspense generated by minimal special effects
Most of the $19,8 million budget must have been spent on the cast.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Jurassic World Dominion *[2022 Colin Trevorrow]
The film brings together the main characters of the two trilogies for an ensemble climax. Which I thought was a nice touch. There are even a few [almost] Easter Eggs if you know the early films well. A line here, a death there.
I watched the extended version [but it seems to be only a few minutes longer than the theatrical version]. Plenty of dinosaurs to see and  in ways we haven’t seen them before. Occasionally this did feel like “Oh, look what we can do now”. 
That said, it looks amazing [as you would expect]. And it hangs together well enough. 
All in all I liked it, once I’d given up on trying to make the intertwining plots make sense.
Maybe the best way to explain my feelings for the whole film is that I really liked the 5 minute intro and the last few minutes more than I liked the Dino/Human carnage in the rest of the film. 
It left me on a bit of a high [just like Wonder Woman 1984 did - the best part of that film is the mid credits cameo]
But unless they can think of something very different to do with the Jurassic franchise, pull down the cameras and leave the dinosaurs alone.
_What you mean they’re not real? _


----------



## CupofJoe

Vince W said:


> Since today was Blade Runner Day (19 November) I watched *Blade Runner* (1982) and then I rounded it out with *Black Rain *(1989), which was also directed by Ridley Scott and I consider to be the Blade Runner prequel.


I agree completely. They feel and look like they are of the same 'verse. And a great way to send a few hours!


----------



## Jeffbert

*TENSION* (1949) NOIR ALLEY. A wealthy man Barney Deager (Lloyd Gough) steals a working man's Warren Quimby (Richard Basehart) wife. Quimby, who had decided that his wife would want a house in the suburbs, was working the late shift at an all night pharmacy, hoping she would appreciate his efforts. She (Audrey Totter), however, was more interested in night life, and was dating other men, while he was filling prescriptions.  

So, the milquetoast Quimby goes to confront the guy, and drag his wife home, but ends up beaten-up, and called "four-eyed punk." He decides to create a new identity, and use it to murder his rival while wearing contact lenses. Thing do not go as he expected!

Entertaining film!


----------



## Jeffbert

*POSSESSED* (1947) Despite title, not a horror film. Louise Howell (Joan Crawford) suffers from unrequited love for David Sutton (Van Heflin), which drags her into insanity; she has delusions, hears voices, etc. She was employed by Dean Graham (Raymond Massey) as a nurse, caring for his invalid wife.

The film opens with a bewildered Howell, wandering through city streets, asking people where David is. She is admitted to the hospital, as a psych patient, and the doctors gradually extract the story in flash-backs.


----------



## REBerg

CupofJoe said:


> *Jurassic World Dominion *[2022 Colin Trevorrow]
> The film brings together the main characters of the two trilogies for an ensemble climax. Which I thought was a nice touch. There are even a few [almost] Easter Eggs if you know the early films well. A line here, a death there.
> I watched the extended version [but it seems to be only a few minutes longer than the theatrical version]. Plenty of dinosaurs to see and  in ways we haven’t seen them before. Occasionally this did feel like “Oh, look what we can do now”.
> That said, it looks amazing [as you would expect]. And it hangs together well enough.
> All in all I liked it, once I’d given up on trying to make the intertwining plots make sense.
> Maybe the best way to explain my feelings for the whole film is that I really liked the 5 minute intro and the last few minutes more than I liked the Dino/Human carnage in the rest of the film.
> It left me on a bit of a high [just like Wonder Woman 1984 did - the best part of that film is the mid credits cameo]
> But unless they can think of something very different to do with the Jurassic franchise, pull down the cameras and leave the dinosaurs alone.
> _What you mean they’re not real? _





​I thought this was the most enjoyable JP installment since the original.
I didn't realize that it was streaming. Thanks for the heads-up.


----------



## KGeo777

I saw the intro for the latest Jurassic Park film--the sequence set in prehistoric times. It was so poorly choreographed for an fx sequence. Literally just going through the motions. No excitement--very perfunctory and swift.  The texturing of dinosaurs is very good but they undermine it by the lack of performance energy. 

Anyway
GARGOYLES 1972  According to IMDB its broadcast premiere was 50 years ago tonight. The costumes really hold up well for this. Stan Winston  was involved in it.

TEN LITTLE INDIANS 1974 -- Of the versions I have seen, I like this one the best for the location they use.


----------



## KGeo777

THE BIG GUNDOWN 1966 - Mentioned in many appraisals of the eurowestern as one of the best of the genre. It's  the one that made me think that Sergio Leone was getting too much credit and focus--there were some very good films which never got as much attention. Leone had a more cartoonish approach to the story compared to other directors like Sollima. This film is very focused on characterization and dialogue. It does have a Morricone soundtrack which is a major plus, but the central draw are the strong parts for Lee Van Cleef and Tomas Milian--this was a starmaker role for him--in fact, it was one of the few spaghetti westerns which spawned a direct sequel about his Mexican bandit character Cuchillo. He had been known for portraying well-mannered bourgeois romantic figures before this and then in the 1970s he was doing eurocrime films. Anyone who has seen ALMOST HUMAN knows what I am talking about.
 As with many of these films--the ones that gained prominence in discussion--there is a deconstruction theme about the West and America and it it has the usual commentary about revolution and the peasant vs the land baron---but you get the sense that there is a cynicism to it--as if it's all irrelevant and what really matters is the actions of the individual regardless of their position in society. There's no preaching. This film is loaded with intriguing characters which give it gothic status in some estimations--a murderer lurking in a wealthy family and there's a matriarch of a ranch who controls a group of men--and an Austrian aristocrat with a piercing stare who makes a great antagonist for Van Cleef.  I would say this is like a Leone film in terms of the usual spaghetti trappings (the score, the visuals, the duels) but more intellectually satisfying.


----------



## REBerg

*Ghostbusters: Afterlife*
I haven't read any reviews of this film, but I would imagine the phrase "fan service" is being used.
As much as this sequel may have borrowed from the original, the use of young cast members, particularly Finn Wolfhard, gave this round a_ Stranger Things_ vibe that blended well.
I will gladly wait for more service like this.


----------



## SurrealSisyphus

paranoid marvin said:


> *Nope*
> 
> I'm about half way through watching this movie, and it's a bit of a chore. I was really hoping for good things here, but it just doesn't seem to 'get going'. I very much enjoyed other similar type movies by Monkeypaw such as 'Us' and 'Get Out', but so far this one isn't gripping me. The fact that I haven't watched the movie in one sitting. Hopefully it will improve when I wtach the rest tonight.


It seems unfitting to classify Jordan Peele's movies 'Horror' or 'Thrillers'. If anything I've felt that he's got a sort of _Metamorphosis _surrealism tone to his movies that is definitely unsettling with *Us* being the closest to traditional horror. From what I've seen of the previews of *Nope *it looks like it continues his theme of discomfort and tension more than outright Horror. Either way, I look forward to seeing more of what is in store. Feels like Monkeypaw is still finding their voice.


----------



## paranoid marvin

SurrealSisyphus said:


> It seems unfitting to classify Jordan Peele's movies 'Horror' or 'Thrillers'. If anything I've felt that he's got a sort of _Metamorphosis _surrealism tone to his movies that is definitely unsettling with *Us* being the closest to traditional horror. From what I've seen of the previews of *Nope *it looks like it continues his theme of discomfort and tension more than outright Horror. Either way, I look forward to seeing more of what is in store. Feels like Monkeypaw is still finding their voice.




Tbh I'd class all three as science fiction rather than thriller or horror. I finished 'Nope', and - for me at least - it didn't improve. Having read up on Wiki about some of the themes in the movie, I can now see what message the director was trying to get across, but it feels it was done at the cohesiveness of the movie.  

As I mentioned earlier, I did really enjoy Us and Get Out, and I'll be watching further movies they produce. They feel a bit different, a bit 'M Night Shymalan', and challenge the expectations of the viewer.


----------



## paranoid marvin

CupofJoe said:


> I agree completely. They feel and look like they are of the same 'verse. And a great way to send a few hours!




Having read this, I just had to go and watch Black Rain again. Not seen it in absolutely years, but you're both absolutely right. The vision of Japan shown in this movie is most assuredly in the same universe as Blade Runner, certainly as far as the cityscapes are concerned.


----------



## KGeo777

Angels From Hell 1968 - Biker movies are so forgettable.  Roger Corman jumped on the bandwagon after his Poe movies--the Wild Angels is pretty much like one of his Poe films except set in a biker gang. I have seen a few of them--the most famous examples other than Easy Rider which I have not seen --the low budget ones that came before it all follow the same kind of plot. There's either an outsider nerdish guy who joins the gang or a former bad boy leader who seeks to regain his lost prestige but can't adjust to modern times. There is always really groan-worthy humor and crude violence that never seems to have a purpose other than to be without a purpose.
This is the second biker movie I have watched where Jack Starrett appears---I never knew he had so much experience playing cops that hassle Vietnam vets before First Blood!  In fact, this film is unusual in that it isn't so anti-establishment--but maybe that is because the protagonist (Tom Stern) was a vet and they had to put in some message that his service was counter-productive--thus it is an early Vietnam vet angst movie.  The movie starts with him coming to the aid of a black biker gang member which has no relevance to the rest of the film.
They use a lot of ketchup blood in that scene.
Apparently what was really unique about the biker film was the ability to shoot them on the road with little camera shake--this was before steadicam technology.
It's not enough to make one want to watch these films.


----------



## hitmouse

KGeo777 said:


> Angels From Hell 1968 - Biker movies are so forgettable.  Roger Corman jumped on the bandwagon after his Poe movies--the Wild Angels is pretty much like one of his Poe films except set in a biker gang. I have seen a few of them--the most famous examples other than Easy Rider which I have not seen --the low budget ones that came before it all follow the same kind of plot. There's either an outsider nerdish guy who joins the gang or a former bad boy leader who seeks to regain his lost prestige but can't adjust to modern times. There is always really groan-worthy humor and crude violence that never seems to have a purpose other than to be without a purpose.
> This is the second biker movie I have watched where Jack Starrett appears---I never knew he had so much experience playing cops that hassle Vietnam vets before First Blood!  In fact, this film is unusual in that it isn't so anti-establishment--but maybe that is because the protagonist (Tom Stern) was a vet and they had to put in some message that his service was counter-productive--thus it is an early Vietnam vet angst movie.  The movie starts with him coming to the aid of a black biker gang member which has no relevance to the rest of the film.
> They use a lot of ketchup blood in that scene.
> Apparently what was really unique about the biker film was the ability to shoot them on the road with little camera shake--this was before steadicam technology.
> It's not enough to make one want to watch these films.


I wouldn’t include Easy Rider in the biker gang genre that you are describing. It is a road trip movie on a couple of motorbikes. An odd but interesting film.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Big City Secrets Double Feature:

*New York Confidential *(1955)

Richard Conte is a hitman called in from Chicago to do a job for crime boss Broderick Crawford.  He soon becomes Crawford's right hand man.  The plot gets pretty complicated, involving bribery of government officials, double-crosses, and lots of killing.  Complicating matters are Crawford's slinky girlfriend, rebellious adult daughter, and despairing mother.  Conte is outstanding as the soft-spoken, polite, utterly terrifying murderer.  Crawford bursts out his lines at an even faster rate than usual.  A very young Anne Bancroft is the daughter, giving the most tragic performance.  An intense, grim story with no happy ending for anybody.

*Chicago Confidential *(1957)

The Mob frames the honest president of a union for the murder of the union's treasurer, who was on his way to the District Attorney with evidence.  The crusading DA gets the fall guy convicted, but later sets out to get proof that he's innocent.  Part crime drama, part legal drama, and part forensics drama (a sound lab has to prove that a tape recording was faked.)  Not very distinguished, neither very good or very bad.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Santa's Christmas Circus *(1966)

Abysmal kiddie matinee thing, made tolerable by the sarcastic remarks added to the soundtrack by the folks at RiffTrax.  A local TV host called Whizzo the Clown blathers nearly incomprehensibly for a while.  Some kids come in.  A "magic curtain" changes them into circus clothes, and they perform lame imitations of circus acts.  Then an "atomic time machine" shows them several minutes of stock footage of animated Christmas displays.  Next, a "magic carpet" takes them to see Santa, who gives them the usual boring lecture about Christmas spirit.  They "fly" back, change into regular clothes, and leave.  The end.  One kid coughs loudly throughout.  Preceded, in the RiffTrax edition, by a bizarre short subject innocuously entitled *The Christmas Tree* (1975) in which some guys wearing Christmas tree costumes are taken from the forest, decorated, discarded, and apparently rise up to Christmas tree heaven.  Or something,  Truly a mind-blowing experience all around.


----------



## Foxbat

I watched Troy recently. I have only seen it once before and couldn't remember what I thought of it. My thoughts now: it's not a bad film but it lacks the spark that separates the average movies from the great ones. If I knew what that spark consisted of I'd be one of the world's greatest film directors instead of the numpty nobody that I am.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Foxbat said:


> I watched Troy recently. I have only seen it once before and couldn't remember what I thought of it. My thoughts now: it's not a bad film but it lacks the spark that separates the average movies from the great ones. If I knew what that spark consisted of I'd be one of the world's greatest film directors instead of the numpty nobody that I am.



I think that often they draw comparison with the epic, historical greats of the past. _Ben Hur, Cleopatra _and _Spartacus _showed how to really do them justice, and newer movies for all of their CGI just don't compare. I think its also a simple fact that actors with the screen presence of Richard Burton, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston and even Elizabeth Taylor simply don't exist any more.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> I think that often they draw comparison with the epic, historical greats of the past. _Ben Hur, Cleopatra _and _Spartacus _showed how to really do them justice, and newer movies for all of their CGI just don't compare. I think its also a simple fact that actors with the screen presence of Richard Burton, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston and even Elizabeth Taylor simply don't exist any more.



Oh I disagree.  There are plenty, like them or loath them, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway (and others) are all screen presences with bodies of work that will last for generations but as Norma Desmond said, "I am big! It's the pictures that got small.”


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Angels From Hell 1968 - Biker movies are so forgettable.  Roger Corman jumped on the bandwagon after his Poe movies--the Wild Angels is pretty much like one of his Poe films except set in a biker gang. I have seen a few of them--the most famous examples other than Easy Rider which I have not seen --the low budget ones that came before it all follow the same kind of plot. There's either an outsider nerdish guy who joins the gang or a former bad boy leader who seeks to regain his lost prestige but can't adjust to modern times. There is always really groan-worthy humor and crude violence that never seems to have a purpose other than to be without a purpose.
> This is the second biker movie I have watched where Jack Starrett appears---I never knew he had so much experience playing cops that hassle Vietnam vets before First Blood!  In fact, this film is unusual in that it isn't so anti-establishment--but maybe that is because the protagonist (Tom Stern) was a vet and they had to put in some message that his service was counter-productive--thus it is an early Vietnam vet angst movie.  The movie starts with him coming to the aid of a black biker gang member which has no relevance to the rest of the film.
> They use a lot of ketchup blood in that scene.
> Apparently what was really unique about the biker film was the ability to shoot them on the road with little camera shake--this was before steadicam technology.
> It's not enough to make one want to watch these films.



If you want a better than average biker movie I can recommend the 1974 Ausploitation flick: Stone:


----------



## THX1138

Flint. It's a retake of Silent Running. Similar storyline and flow to both. I enjoyed it.


----------



## Parson

I watched *Hunger Games: Catching Fire* for the first time. I liked it very well. It was very true to the book. And yet it was able to stay a manageable length. I was able to tell several things that were not in the book, and if I remember correctly there was a lot more of the manipulation behind the scenes of the Hunger Games than was shown in the book. I think that was probably a good addition because there are more books to come and this set it up. On the whole the core of the story was there. I think it was a really good adaptation.

Other issues: The acting was first rate. I really liked how Katniss was played. The cinematography was without noticeable flaw. I was not thrilled with costuming but that really comes down to taste.

4 plus stars. Recommended


----------



## KGeo777

I heard of Stone 1974 and had it bookmarked for a while.

I agree with Paranoid Marvin that there is a lack of captivating actors these days although Hugh Jackman is the head of the pack--of those named he's got movie star charisma. Unfortunately he is not given the best films to show it off.
I am not convinced about Jennifer Lawrence's star qualities. Maybe the films just aren't doing it for me.
 Clooney is the poorest man on earth's Cary Grant.


Tom Cruise--his problem is he tries way too hard to be something he isn't. He is not meant to be an action lead--I am sorry but he's just not suited for that. Mickey Rooney was more believable as a boxer or prison tough guy than Cruise in his action parts.

I never cared for Taylor though--I felt she was trying too hard to be "big star." Cleopatra--ugh. I would rather watch  Yvonne Furneaux in Slave Queen of Babylon.

And a funny thing--some actors can be very good on stage--Richard Burton and Christopher Plummer had that reputation but on screen they are, how can I say this--not very likable? There's something negative to them in movies. Rare exceptions but I find they are lacking something.

I wouldn't say James Garner was an actor with range but he was very likable on screen.

Some people just got it.
Jackman has it--but it used to be much more common.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I heard of Stone 1974 and had it bookmarked for a while.
> 
> I agree with Paranoid Marvin that there is a lack of captivating actors these days although Hugh Jackman is the head of the pack--of those named he's got movie star charisma. Unfortunately he is not given the best films to show it off.



As was always the case. The less good stuff gets forgotten the good stuff gets remembered.   Looking through Kirk Douglas's list for example contains many (more than the average) _stupendously _good movies it also shows that he made a fair few bummers that tanked: like The _Light at the Edge of the World_, &_ Saturn 3_.   Some may well be better than the reception they received on their release others are just dreadful (_My Dear Secretary _- gods that was awful._)_  One of the things that being a big name star enables you do (especially more so these days than under the studio system) is to be selective about the parts you play.  Jackman isn't given roles. He picks them. (Personally I'd happily watch him read a phone book if he took his shirt off). Kirk Douglas was really good at picking his roles. Jackman maybe not so.
​


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> As was always the case. The less good stuff gets forgotten the good stuff gets remembered.   Looking through Kirk Douglas's list for example contains many (more than the average) _stupendously _good movies it also shows that he made a fair few bummers that tanked: like The _Light at the Edge of the World_, &_ Saturn 3_.   Some may well be better than the reception they received on their release others are just dreadful (_My Dear Secretary _- gods that was awful._)_  One of the things that being a big name star enables you do (especially more so these days than under the studio system) is to be selective about the parts you play.  Jackman isn't given roles. He picks them. (Personally I'd happily watch him read a phone book if he took his shirt off). Kirk Douglas was really good at picking his roles. Jackman maybe not so.
> ​


I suspect Hugh Jackman and friends were not in any way eager to make Movie 43. Not a passion project for them I am sure.
The other thing is, Douglas was a producer directly involved in the writing of the film and everything else--he even picked the director---I don't think he ever took a film unless he was able to dictate a lot of the story and character--until the 1970s when it seems like every major Hollwood lead did some kind of fantasy film even if they had shunned them (Gregory Peck, William Holden etc). Lots of actors are not in that position and don't want to be. Some only come in-do a job, and leave.
So they are at the mercy of what jobs are available.
 Charlton Heston was pretty good at picking parts--he still had to go by what was available and how much they were willing to spend but he chose well much of the time during the period he was a leading star.

Also writers were much more literate and important in earlier decades before spfx technology became the dominate factor.


----------



## AE35Unit

I find we rarely watch films nowadays, its all bingeing of series and documentaries. However recently we decided to watch Amityville 3D. Pretty dreadful with little mention of paranormal legends Ed and Lorraine Warren. And full of the usual 3D gimmickery


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> I suspect Hugh Jackman and friends were not in any way eager to make Movie 43. Not a passion project for them I am sure.



I'm not sure why _anyone_ got involved with _Movie 34_. I suspect gambling debts and vague promises to "destroy the negatives" were involved. 



KGeo777 said:


> Also writers were much more literate and important in earlier decades before spfx technology became the dominate factor.



Really? One of the oldest Hollywood inside jokes is of the starlet so dumb she slept with the screenwriter in hopes of advancing her career.  (I think I first came across the line in William Goldman's _Adventures in the Screen Trade _and if it wasn't used in_ Barton Fink_ it should have been.)

For every high profile, trophy writer like Clifford Odets, William Falkner, or F Scot Fitzgerald that a studio had on its books it had hundreds of weekly waged hacks churning out scripts in the writers buildings. Rows of offices with people endlessly writing and rewriting  hundreds of hundred of movies that probably don't even exist any more*. 12 hours a day.  Like battery hens with typewriters.

It's only looking back in the rose-tinted rear view mirror of nostalgia that things looked like they were any way better back then.






*According to Wikip:
Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation claims that "half of all American films made before 1950 and over 90% of films made before 1929 are lost forever." Deutsche Kinemathek estimates that 80–90% of silent films are gone.


----------



## KGeo777

We don't mean celebrity writers like Hemingway or Faulkner or Fitzgerald--we mean the writer who did the studio lot productions.
Dozens of writers who did well-regarded films who were never famous. Richard Matheson being one exception but he wasn't doing prestigious films--they were lower budget, or no big stars etc.

Goldman is just one opinion. Matheson's views on the film business would have been more interesting to hear.

There have always been bad movies but the complaint today that is often said  is that the A team of commercial film is not as captivating as previous generation B teams were--why is that said?

Matheson was asked for a tv interview if he liked modern screenwriting--2000s era--and he said no. 
 The biggest screenwriters of that era for sci-fi were Kurtzman and Orci. They are very low on the totem pole compared to Matheson or Kneale or other science fiction writers of earlier times in terms of memorable writing.
 They were the Dan Quayle team of screenwriting. The trouble is they have a lot of company today competing for the same dubious honor.
The writing for X-The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, Fantastic Voyage or Planet of the Apes or Colossus the Forbin Project was better by any standards.
 Who is going to make the case that Orci and Kurtzman were better writers? They were the highest paid writers of the 2000s probably.

Russell Crowe said the screenplay for Gladiator was terrible.  I don't think he is wrong despite his phone-throwing antics.
There's no wit, poor Derek Jacobi-I feel sorry for him--he's  just plodding through the inane dialogue he is given.
Oliver Reed did what he could with it--but then they digitized his performance.
Also some actors change their lines--I can't imagine that happening now. They can't do that because everything is locked into a template. 
There used to be famous fights on movie sets--you never hear about it now. Fights over dialogue or character action.
They can't do that now.

I think passion has gone out of commercial film and that's death of the art form.

Here's an interesting test--take famous lines of dialogue from movies--and go up to modern times and compare them in terms of gravity or impact. That would be a good way of judging whether modern actors are as captivating as previous generations.

I think they exist it is just that the system is not grooming that kind of intensity. They just don't care. 

I hear more character and strength in the voices of people working at my local supermarket than I hear in the latest Disney movie where the actors sound like they are reading from a phone directory. I am not kidding.  A western Canadian supermarket has more radio-style voices in the staff than in a current $200 million dollar movie.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Also some actors change their lines--I can't imagine that happening now.



I presume you meant "some actors change*d* their lines"

*THE* line from Thor: Ragnarok




Was famously improvised/suggested by a kid visiting the set.

Actors work with directors and shape the material as they go. I've watched them do it.  Are you seriously telling me that if Tom Cruise says he doesn't want to say a line a particular way the director will fire him?  Get real.  Powerful actors (by which I mean actors with political clout on set) will always have their opinions and make them known because, apart from the project they are working on, they have a bigger agenda which is protecting their star brand.  There's always a conflict between what is good for the part and what is good for 'The Star' image.  I was watching _The Hamster Factor _the other day - a  documentary about the making of Terry Gilliam's _The 12 Monkeys_.  Bruce Willis was being directed in the scene where he opens the car boot and lets the female psychiatrist out.  In the script she's in the boot (trunk) of the car and as he opens it up she kicks him, he falls, and she beats him up.  It makes sense in the film but not to Bruce Willis the film star.  He argued that there was no way a woman could kick him over and she should have a weapon - somehow get a gun from somewhere - in a locked car boot.  It made no sense whatsoever  - that was Willis the brand trying to protect his macho action star image. Gilliam prevailed. She kicks he falls  - and in the film it's a funny moment.  It works.  Actor's changes are not necessarily good things.



KGeo777 said:


> There have always been bad movies but the complaint today that is often said is that the A team of commercial film is not as captivating as previous generation B teams were--why is that said?



Because we live in a  media saturated world.  More choice. More distractions.   We've seen it all before over and over again in a way that even 30 years ago was impossible.  Before the VHS you could only see films in the cinema, or shown on broadcast TV.  I saw _Gone with the Wind_ in the cinema (in the 80s?) on what turned out to be its last release before it was sold to TV (in the UK).  It was an event.  It was a HUGE screen.  Overwhelming.  These days even the biggest budget films are almost instantly downloadable and watchable on screens you can stuff in your pocket.  Of course they're not going to have the same impact if you do that.
_Laurence of Arabia_ looks like crap on a phone.



KGeo777 said:


> Here's an interesting test--take famous lines of dialogue from movies--and go up to modern times and compare them in terms of gravity or impact. That would be a good way of judging whether modern actors are as captivating as previous generations.



Okay, so we wait 30 years and see what great lines survive from current films and do it then because we have no way of knowing what is going to be remembered and considered good from current films.   Otherwise we'd not be comparing like with like.


----------



## KGeo777

We don't have to wait.
In the 1980s there were movies that came out like Sudden Impact or the Terminator or Robocop which  had lines that immediately got picked up by people on the street.

We are talking about the movies that have the theatrical release just as those older movies had. More so in fact. They are playing in massive numbers of theaters. These are supposedly the cream of the crop.

Likewise for tv. The Night Stalker, Salem's Lot--they were hits when they came out and they still have fans today who quote the films.

It seems to me that if Black Panther was the most popular film of 2018 as they claim it to be that there would be a lot of cultural reference to it by regular people who flocked to see it. Played for 4 months around the corner and I didn't see line ups.
Digital projection makes it very easy to broadcast something on the cheap to an empty theater.

From what I gather, kids are not interested in movies--not like they were 30-40 years ago. Video games took over but even that sounds like the enthusiasm has eroded.


----------



## KGeo777

ALL THAT JAZZ 1979 --Finally got around to this film I heard when it came out.  For a movie about a  dance choreographer who is killing himself it maintains a certain cheerfulness. Not one I would probably want to watch again but I suspect it will stick in the mind thanks to the imaginative dance sequences. I noticed one of the main dancers was Sandahl Bergman. She certainly could dance. Roy Scheider is an example of someone who has a lot of screen presence--and he's not exactly easy on the eyes but he's compelling to watch. I didn't know he could sing!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Passport to Shame *AKA *Room 43 *(1958)

Enjoyably sleazy British exploitation crime film.  Herbert Lom plays a seemingly respectable fellow who runs a prostitution ring with his equally respectable female partner.  They force women from all over Europe into the business.  The plot deals with what seems like an extremely elaborate and expensive way of trapping a French woman.   See if you can follow this.

1.  In Paris, the female partner frames a waitress for stealing money from the cash register of her employer, who is in on the scheme.  She then pretends to be a Good Samaritan, taking the woman to the UK to be her companion, so the waitress can get away from the French cops.

2.  Herbert Lom, in addition to his criminal enterprises, also runs a loan company in London.  Our film's hero gets a loan so he can buy a fancy new taxicab.  Lom arranges to have somebody smash into the vehicle with a truck, destroying it.  He then pretends to befriend the hero, paying off his loss.  He then asks a favor in return.  He wants the hero to marry the waitress as a legal fiction only, telling him it's just so she can get a permit to work in the UK.  The real motivation is so the waitress can't be deported if she gets arrested for prostitution.

Still with me?  It seems that the female partner lives in a fancy place that is connected by a more-or-less secret door to the brothel she runs with Lom.  The waitress accidentally enters the place next door and witnesses our special guest star, blonde bombshell Diana Dors, in sexy underwear with a male client.  

Now that she knows too much, Lom has to rough her up and show her the (off screen) horribly disfigured face of a woman he threw acid at because she wouldn't cooperate.  The victim happens to be Dors' little sister, by the way.  Next, he gives her a drugged cigarette and we get a nightmare/hallucination sequence that looks like a stage play.  

Can our hero, who now really loves the waitress, save the waitress with the help of his cabdriving buddies?

Racier than an American film of the time, it supplies all the pulp fiction cheap thrills you'd expect.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Passport to Shame *AKA *Room 43 *(1958)
> 
> Enjoyably sleazy British exploitation crime film.  Herbert Lom plays a seemingly respectable fellow who runs a prostitution ring with his equally respectable female partner.  They force women from all over Europe into the business.  The plot deals with what seems like an extremely elaborate and expensive way of trapping a French woman.   See if you can follow this.
> 
> 1.  In Paris, the female partner frames a waitress for stealing money from the cash register of her employer, who is in on the scheme.  She then pretends to be a Good Samaritan, taking the woman to the UK to be her companion, so the waitress can get away from the French cops.
> 
> 2.  Herbert Lom, in addition to his criminal enterprises, also runs a loan company in London.  Our film's hero gets a loan so he can buy a fancy new taxicab.  Lom arranges to have somebody smash into the vehicle with a truck, destroying it.  He then pretends to befriend the hero, paying off his loss.  He then asks a favor in return.  He wants the hero to marry the waitress as a legal fiction only, telling him it's just so she can get a permit to work in the UK.  The real motivation is so the waitress can't be deported if she gets arrested for prostitution.
> 
> Still with me?  It seems that the female partner lives in a fancy place that is connected by a more-or-less secret door to the brothel she runs with Lom.  The waitress accidentally enters the place next door and witnesses our special guest star, blonde bombshell Diana Dors, in sexy underwear with a male client.
> 
> Now that she knows too much, Lom has to rough her up and show her the (off screen) horribly disfigured face of a woman he threw acid at because she wouldn't cooperate.  The victim happens to be Dors' little sister, by the way.  Next, he gives her a drugged cigarette and we get a nightmare/hallucination sequence that looks like a stage play.
> 
> Can our hero, who now really loves the waitress, save the waitress with the help of his cabdriving buddies?
> 
> Racier than an American film of the time, it supplies all the pulp fiction cheap thrills you'd expect.



I'd never heard of this and had to look it up - Nick Roeg was the cameraman and Michael Caine has an uncredited cough and a spit!


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> Digital projection makes it very easy to broadcast something on the cheap to an empty theater.



Now why would anyone do that?


----------



## hitmouse

*Death Race 2000* (1975) Terrific Roger Corman dystopian cheapo ultraviolent thriller about a race across  the USA where the racers get extra points for running down children and the elderly. Far better than the more recent semi- remake, and the satire is still interesting.  Starring David Carradine, with a pre-fame Sylvester Stallone. Plows a similar furrow to Rollerball, but this is weirder and more stylish. 1970s brutalist architecture used to good effect.


----------



## Vince W

hitmouse said:


> *Death Race 2000* (1975) Terrific Roger Corman dystopian cheapo ultraviolent thriller about a race across  the USA where the racers get extra points for running down children and the elderly. Far better than the more recent semi- remake, and the satire is still interesting.  Starring David Carradine, with a pre-fame Sylvester Stallone. Plows a similar furrow to Rollerball, but this is weirder and more stylish. 1970s brutalist architecture used to good effect.


I saw this in the drive-in in the way, way back. I was too young so I hid under blankets until we got in. Looking back I'm not sure it fooled anyone.


----------



## KGeo777

JunkMonkey said:


> Now why would anyone do that?


Because they can?
Why does junk mail get printed when most of it gets thrown in the garbage?
Technology allows for this.  It's cheap and subsidized.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sorority Girl *(1957)

Like a lot of early Roger Corman films, this one starts with paintings under the opening titles.  In this case, they're so weird, eerie, and surreal that you'd think it was an Italian Gothic horror movie instead of a psychological drama.  Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.








Susan Cabot stars as the unusually named Sabra, a Poor Little Rich Girl who hurts everyone around her.  She bullies a young woman trying to get into the sorority, even spanking her hard with a wooden paddle at one point.  She blackmails another member of the sorority who plans to tell the Dean about the beating by threatening to reveal that her father went to jail.  She convinces a pregnant student to blackmail a guy who is NOT the father by threatening to tell everyone he is.  Her various schemes lead up to a suicide attempt.

Although Sabra is a monster, she is also desperate for her widowed mother's love and is tormented by her need to hurt people.  Sure, it's a cheap little hour-long B movie, but it's got more depth than you'd think.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Dismembered *AKA *Oswald You Botched It Again *(1962)

The story goes that this eccentric horror comedy was made by amateurs for five thousand bucks, vanished from the face of the earth for half a century, then somehow popped up again.

Crooks pull a jewel robbery by dressing up like medics and driving an ambulance.  They hide out in an old house that happens to be inhabited by ghosts (ordinary people in old-fashioned clothes.)  There's also a young woman in an old-fashioned dress who is dead but maybe not a ghost.  She's after a locket holding her picture that was stolen by the crooks.  Then there are the "things in the cemetery" that scare even the ghosts, and give the movie its shorter title.  (The long one actually appears on the screen during the joke-filled opening titles, along with a division of the characters into the Living [the crooks], the Dead [the ghosts, including the titular Oswald], the Living Dead [the young woman] and the Dead Dead [the "things in the cemetery," also known as the Dismembered.)

Once again, I ask you to watch the opening titles, which may give you some idea of what a quirky little film this is.






The comedy is mostly dry and deadpan rather than wacky and slapstick, although there are scenes of the Dead running around chasing after the Dismembered (fake body parts pulled on strings) to the accompaniment of martial music and battle sounds.  Recommended for folks who like odd movies.


----------



## Toby Frost

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Like a lot of early Roger Corman films, this one starts with paintings under the opening titles.



Whoa, those were intense. They look like the sort of thing that gets described in a story by Lovecraft or M.R. James.


----------



## CupofJoe

*West Side Story* [2021 Steven Spielberg]
I really liked it, while wondering why it was made.
It is pretty much the same as the 1961 film.
There are a few tweaks to the cast and story to bring it more in line with current expectations and a couple of songs have moved around.
This is not a re-envisaging of the story nor is it a slavish remake. It me it feels like the film the 61 creative team would have made if they were making it in 2021.
It is beautifully filmed as you would expect from Spielberg and the actors sing and dance wonderfully.
That was Saturday.


----------



## CupofJoe

Then Sunday happened.
I ended up watching endless Xmas movies and 2 stood out.
*One Royal Holiday* [TVM 2020 Dustin Rikert]
*Jingle Bell Princess* [TVM 2021 Don McBrearty]
They are essentially the same film, just gender switched. A royal from a fictional European country is stranded somewhere in the middle of no-where [as they see it]. It is a few days before Christmas, and they have to rely on the kindness of strangers. Along the way, they make friends, mend hearts, 



Spoiler



and eventually fall in love


 and discover the true meaning of family and Christmas.
There are no villains. Everyone is impossible cheerful and helping even through the tear jerking back stories.
And there are happy endings all around.


----------



## JunkMonkey

CupofJoe said:


> Then Sunday happened.
> I ended up watching endless Xmas movies



Dear Gods! what had you done?!  Did you confess in the end?


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Sorority Girl *(1957)


Very artful title sequence.
Yeah that's something that was especially appealing about AIP --they did some imaginative title sequences. Even into the 70s--Blacula had an imaginative title sequence too.
You can tell they were excited about making films and thinking creatively within a limited budget.
The titles for the Pit and the Pendulum---using creepy streaks of paint--that's brilliant and simple.


----------



## AllanR

*Rodrigo D: No Future* (1990-Spanish) a gritty portrait of a group of youth in Medellin Colombia, 1988. Main character wants to be a drummer in a punk band, all he can afford are drum sticks. He tries to make money car jacking, ends up stealing a car with a baby in it. That brings on the heat.

At the end of the film came a grim reminder of reality, in the two years between filming and release, four of the actors died in the streets of Medellin (more deaths than in the film)


----------



## Guttersnipe

Bones and All (2022): Based on the novel of the same name. This is a horror-romance-drama-road film about cannibals who lead rather lonely lives and travel constantly. Much of it was quite disgusting, but I'd been expecting that; what I hadn't was that I'd like it. Most of what it depicts is not scary at all, but rather sad and awful. I like Requiem for a Dream for the same reason--it's painful to watch, but more subtly so than most movies nowadays. I'd recommend it for drama fans and horror fans alike.


----------



## KGeo777

THE MECHANIC 1972 - premiered this month.  I first heard of this when the remake was announced so I decided to check it out and still haven't seen the new one. As Bronson movies go, I think this is among his best. His early 70s films were rather interesting.
This is close in plot to a 1966 Italian film HIRED KILLER starring Robert Webber and Franco Nero.
So many movies about hit men (and women in these days) and yet I am not sure I have ever met one.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Unwed Mother *(1958)

Half exploitive, half sentimental melodrama.  After a rather inappropriate romantic ballad plays during the opening titles, we meet naïve country girl Betty, fresh off the farm and at her first day at work in some kind of store in Los Angeles.  A handsome, charming, and utterly self-centered cad (Robert Vaughn!) immediately starts courting her, even though he's already got a thing going with the somewhat older boss lady.   Vaughn gets fired for "borrowing" the boss lady's fancy car and, I suppose, flirting with Betty.  He hands Betty a lot of nonsense about how his filthy rich parents are about to send him his bonds, so could she please give him her paycheck until they come in?

Betty falls for this, silly creature that she is, and even acts as the getaway driver when Vaughn makes a feeble attempt to rob a movie theater.  She gets probation, he gets sent to the work farm.  But wait!  Betty is pregnant, so Vaughn gets the chance to reduce his sentence by marrying her.  Betty, in the first smart thing she's ever done, realizes this is a very bad idea.

In the film's most daring sequence, Betty goes to see an abortionist (cult actor Timothy Carey, looking ultra-creepy here) and his nearly as spooky nurse.  She refuses the illegal operation and goes off to a home for (you guessed it) unwed mothers.  The rest of the film deals with whether she should give up the baby or keep it.

Betty is pretty bland and Vaughn is effectively slimy, although he disappears halfway through the movie.  Not a great film, but not terrible either.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sins of Jezebel *(1953)

Proof that you shouldn't try to make a Biblical epic on a small budget.  Starts with John "I was the doctor in the original pilot for _Star Trek_" Hoyt as a modern day preacher, standing in front of a not-very-good painting of the six days of creation and telling us a quickie version of the opening of the Book of Genesis.  After some more introduction, we go back to ancient Israel and guess what?  Hoyt is back, with wig and beard, as the prophet Elijah.  He warns King Ahab not to marry Jezebel.  Paulette Goddard plays the title role.  There's a lot of talk about her irresistible beauty, and she's definitely quite attractive, but she's in her late forties here and there are lots of equally pretty, younger actresses around as servants and such, so this doesn't come across very well.  Anyway, she convinces the smitten Ahab to build a temple to Baal (played by a really goofy-looking, big-bellied idol.)  The worship of Baal involves chanting that sounds like a barbershop quartet and the ritual dancing mandatory in any sword-and-sandal film.  Jezebel is already smooching on Jehu, captain of the chariots.  The worship of Baal brings drought to Israel, Elijah's prayers bring rain, Ahab and Jezebel meet their dooms, Jehu becomes King of Israel.  Notable for the odd casting of Joe Besser, soon to be one of the Three Stooges, as the comedy relief.  Not a good film.


----------



## Dave Vicks

PSYCHO 1960 Director Alfred Hitchcock.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Zombie Walks *AKA *The Hand of Power *(_Im Banne des Unheimlichen_, "Under the spell of the uncanny," 1968)

Despite the first English title, this isn't a horror movie, but one of many German _krimi _films.  Starts with a bang as fiendish laughter comes from inside the coffin of a rich guy who was killed in a plane crash.  Soon a murderer in a really cool skeleton costume is slaughtering folks with a ring that bears the image of a scorpion with a poisoned tail.  The usual Scotland Yard Inspector is on the case, along with a Spunky Girl Reporter.  The convoluted plot is all nonsense, of course, but it's entertaining pulp nonsense.  One character has green skin that nobody makes a remark about until the very end.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Orgy of the Dead *(1965)

Edward D. Wood, Jr., wrote the screenplay for this nudie spooky; amazingly, it's also a novel.  Bob and Shirley are a couple driving to a cemetery at night, so Bob can get inspired for the horror stories he writes.  They get in a car crash, and find out that a couple of Goth types (Criswell, delivering his inane lines in his typical pontificating voice, and the wonderfully named Fawn Silver in full Morticia/Vampira/Elvira get-up) are watching a series of women dance topless.  Each one has some kind of theme, ethnic (Mexican, Hawaiian, etc.) or otherwise (cat, zombie, etc.)  A wolfman and a mummy show up to tie Bob and Shirley to conveniently located stakes so they can continue to watch the dances.  Yes, it's pretty much just an excuse for the topless dancing.  Eventually, the sun rises, all the folks except Bob and Shirley turn into skeletons, we get one of those "it was all a dream" endings, and then the unsurprising double twist ending when Criswell reappears to address the audience directly.  It's a matter of taste whether you'll think this is so-bad-it's-good or an insanely boring waste of time.


----------



## smellincoffee

John Waters' _Pink Flamingos_. In my defense, alcohol was involved and I watched it with a friend who refused to tell me anything about it other than that it would be one of the most memorable movies I'd ever seen.

He wasn't wrong.


----------



## KGeo777

RUNAWAY TRAIN 1985 - After a snowfall I like to watch snowy movies. Funny thing about this one is that it has a veneer of art house seriousness and yet there are various threads of lowbrow exploitation. It works but it is an odd film for that mix of genre styles. Jon Voight, as he does in Anaconda, brings it to a different level. He's going for the Oscar in these films. Meanwhile John P. Ryan is basically doing a Charles Bronson film. "God, don't kill them. Let me do it."


----------



## dask

To get along one must go along. My wife likes Hallmark movies, so much so that she’ll have the Hallmark channel on while she’s busily tapping away on her phone. So tonight, to help keep the peace, we watched a Hallmark movie together. The main male actor looked really familiar but I couldn’t place him, at least right away. When it finally hit me I thought no freaking way. But it was true, Bubba Ho-Tep himself, Bruce Campbell. No harm done, he did a good job and it was a good movie to boot.


----------



## Dave Vicks

Up next Zorro 1920.And I might get the film WAR GAMES a Documentary 1966.


----------



## JunkMonkey

_*Women of the Prehistoric Planet *_(MST3K) - a film which, as I have noted before, confirms my theory that volcanoes in movies only explode when white people turn up - by having a volcano that starts to erupt when white people turn up... then _stops_ as soon as they leave.
*Project Moonbase*  (MST3K) - both with No1 Son.


----------



## alexvss

*Nobody (2021).* After getting robbed, a retired hitman has to get back to the game and deal with a bunch of--you guessed right--Russian mobsters.

The plot is pretty much the same as John Wick, but the fight scenes have a lot of comedy in them. Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul stars alongside the rapper RZA, and he delivers. The first half is credible, both for the emotional scenes (he’s in a bad relationship, has a bad job etc) and for the fight scenes (they’re gritty, down and dirty, and he also gets beaten a lot). The third act though, is all bonkers. He goes all Chuck Norris on the goons. That’s what you should expect from the same guys that made Bullet Train (2022) and Silent Night (2022).

In sum, it’s great--if you turn off your brain that is.


----------



## paranoid marvin

alexvss said:


> *Nobody (2021).* After getting robbed, a retired hitman has to get back to the game and deal with a bunch of--you guessed right--Russian mobsters.
> 
> The plot is pretty much the same as John Wick, but the fight scenes have a lot of comedy in them. Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul stars alongside the rapper RZA, and he delivers. The first half is credible, both for the emotional scenes (he’s in a bad relationship, has a bad job etc) and for the fight scenes (they’re gritty, down and dirty, and he also gets beaten a lot). The third act though, is all bonkers. He goes all Chuck Norris on the goons. That’s what you should expect from the same guys that made Bullet Train (2022) and Silent Night (2022).
> 
> In sum, it’s great--if you turn off your brain that is.




Agreed, I really enjoyed it.


----------



## alexvss

paranoid marvin said:


> Agreed, I really enjoyed it.


Bullet Train is even better IMO. I'm still to watch Silent Night. It looks fun.


----------



## Foxbat

Couldn't sleep the other night so got up and switched on the TV. Watched The Awful Doctor Orloff (1962).
Fell asleep before the end so it served its purpose. Not interested in rewatching because by the time I closed my eyes, I couldn't give a rat's arse how it finished.


----------



## KGeo777

A very nice surprise

WHO DARES WIN aka THE FINAL OPTION 1982
I watched this for Judy Davis but discovered it was a movie produced by the guy who made the Wild Geese so it is another UK version of an action movie. It was great. Had some really good action scenes and a killer cast. Lewis Collins (who I wasn't familiar with) is a SAS commando sent undercover to infiltrate a Marxist revolutionary group (that's unusual in itself--obviously this is not a Hollywood-made movie--this is a Rank Organization release) led by a totally nuts Davis (using an American accent).  She's fantastic. I haven't seen her in much (Barton Fink, Absolute Power  etc but she's always great to watch). They are planning a big attack on a soft target to liberate the world from nuclear weapons. 
Ingrid Pitt is one of the terrorists--very sinister--and she holds the wife and baby of Collins hostage and is going to kill them-and the wife ends up in a fist fight with her!  Edward Woodward is the government agent overseeing the hostage crisis--he has a good part too.

Richard Widmark is the US Secretary of State who gets kidnapped (along with Robert Webber and some others) and he gets into an argument with Davis.
She says "we are committed to disarming the world" and he says "but the western democracies first, correct?"
It has some smart lines--in one scene the lights go out in the hostage room and someone says in panic "what was that?" and Collins says: "the briefest power failure in English history."


Real SAS people did the raid scene
If you plan to watch the movie don't watch the raid scene


----------



## paranoid marvin

It's a while since I've seen it, but I remember WDW to be a very good film. On the face of it it's another straightforward action movie, but there are many political undertones in there as well.


----------



## Ubergeek

Foxbat said:


> Couldn't sleep the other night so got up and switched on the TV. Watched The Awful Doctor Orloff (1962).
> Fell asleep before the end so it served its purpose. Not interested in rewatching because by the time I closed my eyes, I couldn't give a rat's arse how it finished.


Foxbat , by strange coincidence I watched that on dvd last night !   It aired recently on TPTV , the free to air UK channel .  Think it's Jess Franco's directorial debut and he uses the Orloff charachter in subsequent films .  Possibly  i'd taken temporary  leave of my critical faculties,  but I enjoyed it , perhaps aided  by the few cold light ales i sank whilst watching and the fact i'd just started a 9 day break from work !


----------



## JunkMonkey

Ubergeek said:


> Foxbat , by strange coincidence I watched that on dvd last night !   It aired recently on TPTV , the free to air UK channel .  Think it's Jess Franco's directorial debut and he uses the Orloff charachter in subsequent films .  Possibly  i'd taken temporary  leave of my critical faculties,  but I enjoyed it , perhaps aided  by the few cold light ales i sank whilst watching and the fact i'd just started a 9 day break from work !



Not his first but the first to be released internationally and by all accounts it _is_ Franco's best film.   I have watched many of his later efforts and some are frankly incomprehensible fever dream messes directed with obvious slapdash speed edited by a bonobo with a machete.  I love them.


----------



## Foxbat

Today I watched M (1931). 

Fritz Lang is probably best known for Metropolis but I think this movie is just as significant. A dark murder mystery, Peter Lorre gives a sterling performance as a serial killer targeting children. Full of light and shadow, it is a moody piece that is probably one of the last works of German Expressionism and perhaps the grandfather of Film Noir. 

For me, it’s a film that is as interesting as it is entertaining because when watching modern serial killer movies, I‘m pretty sure I can see the DNA of M running through them. 

 Not only a quality movie but an important starting point for a whole genre in my opinion.


----------



## Foxbat

I decided to continue my foray into films by Fritz Lang and watched The Thousand Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse (1960)
A well executed thriller begins with the murder of a reporter and a kindly American business man talking a distraught woman out of a suicide attempt. The plot  soon grows into something dark and convoluted that moves along to its conclusion at a decent pace with quite a few twists and turns along the way.

Much of the movie is set within the confines of the Hotel Luxor and the staging of the lighting for the interior shots often leads to stark shadows, which display Lang's stylistic roots in Expressionism and Noir. It also has  a villain who's identity is kept secret until the last few minutes of the movie. I think this aspect of the plot and the noirish effect made me feel like I was watching one of those serials from the thirties and forties where the real identity of the supervillain/mad scientist/A. N. Other is kept until the last episode. This movie being a higher quality production than most of those serials of course.

All in all, a good film and thoroughly watchable even today. Just don't expect anything groudbreaking here.

Fascinating fact: a little research revealed that this was Lang's last ever directing job. Even while making this movie, he was already beginning to go blind.

 Another interesting tidbit: the final Dr. Mabuse movie was made in 1970 (The Vengence Of Dr. Mabuse) and was directed by Jess Franco who, of course, was mentioned a little earlier in this thread.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Foxbat said:


> Another interesting tidbit: the final Dr. Mabuse movie was made in 1970 (The Vengence Of Dr. Mabuse) and was directed by Jess Franco who, of course, was mentioned a little earlier in this thread.



Bet you he managed to squeeze an unconvincing 'lesbian' sex scene in.


----------



## Randy M.

dask said:


> To get along one must go along. My wife likes Hallmark movies, so much so that she’ll have the Hallmark channel on while she’s busily tapping away on her phone. So tonight, to help keep the peace, we watched a Hallmark movie together. The main male actor looked really familiar but I couldn’t place him, at least right away. When it finally hit me I thought no freaking way. But it was true, Bubba Ho-Tep himself, Bruce Campbell. No harm done, he did a good job and it was a good movie to boot.


Whoa. _That's _scary.


----------



## Randy M.

*BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA* (1971) dir. Paolo Cavara; starring Giancarlo Giannini, Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet, Barbara Bach

Italian _giallo_ with serial killer in which Giannini plays an Inspector trying to solve the case. Because it's a proto-slasher, the victims are young women, and because it's the 1970s the young women panic a lot, scream a lot, and obligingly struggle just enough to present the killer with the back of their neck, into which the camera lovingly follows him sticking an acupuncture needle about the length of my forearm that paralyzes them. If one of them had faced him and known how to throw a vase or grab a lamp and start swinging, it would have been a short subject film.

Saw this on Shudder and they made a point of pointing out the movie has three -- count 'em, three -- Bond girls. Must have been an early, minor role for Bach, Auger is in it for a few scenes, and Bouchet spends a fair amount of time unclothed; she didn't need to, she would have been hard to look away even if wearing a suit of armor. Not sure about Augier, and I have real doubts about Bach, but I suspect Bouchet could have handled meatier roles but didn't get them because everyone was too busy staring at her. Again, it was the '60s-'70. Then again, are things all that different now?

Anyway, what makes this interesting is Giannini. I've seen very little of his work, but his ambivalence about being a homicide inspector comes across as genuine, as do his interactions with his boss, his subordinates and his wife. For all that sounds angst-y, he is extraordinarily relaxed in front of the camera and carries the weight of the movie without seeming burdened by that.


----------



## pogopossum

Been somewhat depressed lately.
So looked for comedies.
Watched *Airplane II.* Which would have been exceptionally, pleasurably silly, if it wasn't so dependent on No. 1 and a LOT of one shot joke humour.
Still okay. I laughed more than I have in some time.
Also watched the first Steve Martin version of *Pink Panther. *Looking it up, it made lots of money, but was critically panned. Generally I think that few critics have a sense of humour. I laughed at some slapstick, hard not to. But overall thought that the critics were right.
Also ordered some Ealing comedies from the library as they weren't available for cheap streaming.
Watched a documentary on Dick Gregory, *The One and Only Dick Gregory. *(on Hulu, Showtime & Prime in the US)
He abandoned easy fame, money, and popularity for social activism, almost self-destructively. Eminently watchable. I thought that they should have showed more of his comedy to teach people who were younger why he was initially famous. 
A Gregory joke (that I remember from his autobiography, *N---er,) *(the original didn't leave out the missing letters)
"I went into a cafe in Alabama. The server said -We don't serve N---ers here. I said, that's okay, I don't want one. I want a whole chicken. They served me. 
Later three guys came in, you know, the guys who  went by the names Klu, Klux, and K something. They said -" N---er, whatever you do to that chicken, we'll do to you. So I picked it up and kissed it.".


----------



## Dave Vicks

DECEMBER DVD Purchases DUEL,SPOTLIGHT, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET,(Original) CREEPSHOW SEASON 3.

And Maybe the Documentary THE WAR GAME 1966.


----------



## Ian Fortytwo

Recently watched *For A Few Dollars More,   *with Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. Is definitely my favourite dollar western. 10/10.


----------



## KGeo777

DEATH HUNT 1981 - Another revist due to snow on the ground. Charles Bronson makes a very convincing mountain man, although Lee Marvin seems too American to be believable as an RCMP officer. In fact, I didn't know so many Yukon inhabitants in his jurisdiction had southerner accents. The scenes of Bronson in the snow are interesting  (and Henry Beckman has a memorable role). But there's a lot of nonsense in this. Carl Weathers is supposed to be an old colleague of Marvin--they give him grey sideburns as if to make him seem older. He is totally wrong in this story. But the RAF pilot is also a crackpot addition to it as well  and Angie Dickinson--her character is completely out of place and pointless. Ed Lauter as the non-hetero dog fighter who causes Andrew Stevens to get macho after he  tries to rape him? I am not making this up.
The depiction of Yukon folk is not flattering and the dialogue has one particularly awful line--where one of the trappers insults another to the point of violence by saying "yer so dumb, I could sell you dirt."

I don't think anyone was disappointed when the mad trapper took this pair out of the story.


----------



## Randy M.

Dave Vicks said:


> DECEMBER DVD Purchases... MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET,(Original) ...


One of my favorite fantasy films.


*THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE* (1970) dir. Dario Argento; starring Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Eva Renzi

Another Italian _giallo_, and a really good one, based loosely on Fredric Brown's novel, The Screaming Mimi (according to IMDB, and I vaguely recall reading that elsewhere, too). 

Sam (Musante -- man, he's a blast from the past; I watched his short lived TV show, _Toma_, which I remember as a bridge between the movie _Serpico_ and the TV show, _Baretta_) is a writer in Italy, doing piece work while dealing with writers block. He's about to go back to the states with his girlfriend (Kendall) when he witnesses an attempted murder in an art gallery. The woman and a man in black hat and coat struggle and all that keeps the murder from happening is Sam making himself known. After this, he's attacked and drawn into the investigation. 

Argento does a nice job with pacing and managing a few Hitchcock-like moments, including a couple of killings and some cat and mouse scenes, and a funny, weird set piece in which Sam meets the reclusive artist of a particularly macabre painting that may have bought by the murderer. Very worth catching if you're interested in crime/horror movies.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*PEEPING TOM*_ (1960) Almost forgot about this one, watched it almost a month ago. Apparently bombed in the initial release, nearly ended the director's career. Sicko likes to film his victims as he murders them. There are details I will omit, because spoilers. I know I had seen this long ago, but not until near the end. 

Mark Lewis (Karlheinz "Carl" Boehm) works in a Brit magazine shop with naughty mags hanging in the window, etc., would not see that in the U.S.! young girl enters and buys some innocent things, but is exposed to all the smut! (by 1960s standards, anyway). 

So Lewis' papa was a psychologist or psychiatrist, who was very interested in fear, and used his son as a subject in his studies. Lewis always brings his movie camera with him, even on dates. He might see something interesting, and if not with camera, he would be unable to film it. That was weird then, though rather common now.


----------



## HareBrain

Jeffbert said:


> _*PEEPING TOM*_ (1960)



"I'm Helen Stevens, I'm having a party and the other tenants are there and a few friends, we'd like you to join us..."

(I've never seen the film, but that sound-clip is embedded in my mind from the Album _So Tough _by Saint Etienne.)


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE TENANT*_ () OOPS!  When I saw this title, I was thinking THE LODGER; this ain't that! 

Trelkovsky (Roman Polanski) moves into a cramped apartment formerly occupied by a woman who committed suicide by leaping out the window (of a 3rd floor apt.), but had not died immediately. The new tenant is harassed by neighboring tenants, the landlord, etc., and eventually realizes he has been wearing the clothing left in the closet, etc., by the former tenant.  Curious, he goes to the hospital, to meet the former tenant, who is still barely alive, and meets her fried, whom he convinces he had also been a fried of the former tenant. He forms a relationship with the friend of the former tenant, etc. 



Spoiler



Eventually, become convinced everyone is conspiring against him, including his new girlfriend. Also, he eventually  leaps from the window, but is still able to drag himself up the stairs and leaps again.  Weird!



Apparently has become a cult classic.


----------



## KGeo777

Scorsese is a big fan of Peeping Tom and I can see why because it follows a similar theme to his own films--the main character who cannot change but changes everyone around him.
 Crystal Plumage--yeah that has a good mystery.
I was reading about Berbarian Sound Studio--they have "guest screamer" in the credits and Suzy Kendall listed. She has a freaky scream.
It's like a banshee wail.


A MAN CALLED DAGGER (1965? 1968?)  is yet another of those 60s spy films- more comedy than serious-nothing really of note action-wise. Cheap as they get. Not many jokes but a few are witty. The lead (Paul Mantee) is not a poor man's Connery, he is more like the "bankrupt investor jumping off a building's" version of Connery. You get used to him but the movie only  becomes interesting when Terry Moore is in the scenes. Everyone else is doing a comedy.
Richard Kiel is in it too and they have his name as Keil in the credits.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Scorsese is a big fan of Peeping Tom and I can see why because it follows a similar theme to his own films--the main character who cannot change but changes everyone around him.
> Crystal Plumage--yeah that has a good mystery.
> I was reading about Berbarian Sound Studio--they have "guest screamer" in the credits and Suzy Kendall listed. She has a freaky scream.
> It's like a banshee wail.


I saw that out on IMDB and was bemused. For a brief time she looked to become a star, but doesn't appear to have been interested in doing that.


KGeo777 said:


> A MAN CALLED DAGGER (1965? 1968?)  is yet another of those 60s spy films- more comedy than serious-nothing really of note action-wise. Cheap as they get. Not many jokes but a few are witty. The lead (Paul Mantee) is not a poor man's Connery, he is more like the "bankrupt investor jumping off a building's" version of Connery. You get used to him but the movie only  becomes interesting when Terry Moore is in the scenes. Everyone else is doing a comedy.
> Richard Kiel is in it too and they have his name as Keil in the credits.


Ah, Paul Mantee of "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" fame. I remember liking him in that movie, but I was much younger then and I'm not sure it would hold up to a second viewing.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> I saw that out on IMDB and was bemused. For a brief time she looked to become a star, but doesn't appear to have been interested in doing that.


She turned up in a few things but I guess she didn't relocate to Hollywood.   Martine Beswick and Judy Geeson went to Hollywood at least briefly (for tv) but I don't think she did--although she did do a UK film in the US south (Fear is the Key).
If Barry Newman is Dustin Hoffman's angrier older brother than  Susan George is Kendall's nuttier younger sister.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?* _(1972) I really enjoyed this one! Two siblings, boy & girl at orphanage are enjoying Xmas Eve at Auntie Roo's (Shelley Winters) house, and, along with 10 others spend the night. During the night, Auntie Roo is having a seance, and the fraud, working with Roo's butler & maid, are giving her what she wants: feigned contact with her dead daughter. While the medium is calling the daughter's name, the orphaned girl awakens, and hears the calling. She comes down, & Roo becomes smitten with her. But Roo wants her only, not her elder brother.​When the other orphans return to the orphanage, Roo helps herself to these siblings. While preparing a meal, she says something about fattening them up. The boy is familiar with the story of Hansel & Gretel.


----------



## Toby Frost

*The Duellists (1975)*

Ridley Scott's first film, like a lot of his stuff, looks incredible even if it is a bit short on plot. Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel are surprisingly convincing as two rival Napoleonic officers - Keitel makes a very good military psycho, vicious and brittle - and the swordfights are excellent. Very good indeed.


----------



## Vince W

Toby Frost said:


> *The Duellists (1975)*
> 
> Ridley Scott's first film, like a lot of his stuff, looks incredible even if it is a bit short on plot. Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel are surprisingly convincing as two rival Napoleonic officers - Keitel makes a very good military psycho, vicious and brittle - and the swordfights are excellent. Very good indeed.


I saw this in the drive-in as a kid and it's one of those films that always stuck with me. I enjoy it every time I watch it.


----------



## Ubergeek

LICORICE  PIZZA   [  Paul  Thomas  Anderson  ]

Took a very brief break from my scify  / horror diet .  PTA employs his usual  directing flair ,  a flowing , kinetic camera , giving each scene a voyeuristic feel .  

Very entertaining comedy drama set in 1973 California .  A  starkly different environment from my 70's upbringing in Scotland .

Worth watching for Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn's  scenery chewing performances.  Also notable , lead performance from Alana Haim from rock group Haim .


----------



## Starbeast

*It: Chapter Two* (2019) - Great ending to a fantastic horror movie. Thank you Mr King!

*A Christmas Story* (1983) - Wonderful classic I watch yearly, about a boy who wants a special gift.

*Darkman*  (1990) - One of Sam Raimi's best films, about a scientist who became a vigilante.

*John Wick* (2014) - Awesome action flick about a hitman!

*John Wick: Chapter Two* (2017) - The high octane action continues!

*Blade Runner* (1982) - I had to see this future set, bounty hunter movie again!

*The Warriors* (1979) - A street gang known as The Warriors must fight their way from the Bronx to their home turf on Coney Island when they are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader. A great cult classic I had to see again.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> I saw this in the drive-in as a kid and it's one of those films that always stuck with me. I enjoy it every time I watch it.




Tbh I was a little disappointed this wasn't actually better than it was. Great actors, great (true) story to base the movie on.

What I would really liked to have seen though was Kubrick making it in a similar cinegraphic style to that which he made with Barry Lyndon. After watching that movie, any other English historical epic seems 2nd rate.


----------



## hitmouse

*Raw Force* (1982) Astonishingly low rent and inept US martial arts flick with a perfunctory story about a boatload of people on a trip to a mysterious island where the spirits of dead martial artists are said to reside. Includes a bunch of cannibal monks with a taste for nubile female flesh. The plot is largely nonsense, , script laughable, acting nonexistent, fights poorly choreographed, production amateurish, and the ladies’ clothes keep falling off.

On Plex.


----------



## HareBrain

Guillermo del Toro's *Pinocchio *(2022). Popped up on Netflix this evening.

Genius. 10/10. But my happiness at having watched it is tinged with sadness at glimpsing what del Toro's _Hobbit _duology might have been like.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*La Maldicion de Frankenstein (*aka _The Curse of Frankenstein, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, _and probably_ Several Other Things of Frankenstein _too 1972)  Jess Franco at his most incoherently incoherent.  Every other shot is a wobbly zoom into a slightly in focus pan, to something not very interesting, before zooming back out again to where the shot started, before the camera tilts down and zooms into something else in the foreground - quite often in this film, running water. Then a cut to an actor waiting for the director to shout 'action'.  A line or two (which may involve reaction shots from someone who is in the room with the speaking actor but which may well be taken from a different scene), followed by three or four establishing shots of a "where the_ hell_ are we now?" location followed by a cut of someone, somewhere else, laughing maniacally.  etc. etc. etc. for 90 minutes.

There are apparently several different cuts of this film. I managed to get hold of the one which contained the smallest amount of nudity but did include several scenes of Jess Franco's girlfriend wandering about in a wood reacting to offscreen direction that looked like (and probably did) come from a completely different movie.


----------



## Ubergeek

hitmouse said:


> *Raw Force* (1982) Astonishingly low rent and inept US martial arts flick with a perfunctory story about a boatload of people on a trip to a mysterious island where the spirits of dead martial artists are said to reside. Includes a bunch of cannibal monks with a taste for nubile female flesh. The plot is largely nonsense, , script laughable, acting nonexistent, fights poorly choreographed, production amateurish, and the ladies’ clothes keep falling off.
> 
> On Plex.


Great fun though  !


----------



## JunkMonkey

hitmouse said:


> and the ladies’ clothes keep falling off.



and your problem with this is...?


----------



## svalbard

Breaker Morant 

The anti-war movie about the trial of three Australians for war crimes during the Boer War. Tremendous performances all round. A charismatic Edward Woodward leads the cast.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Count Dracula *aka (_Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht, Nuits de Dracula _etc etc.) Fairly faithful (as these things go) but plodding adaptation of Bram Stoker's story.  Jess Franco had a bit of a budget for this one. He could afford to hire Christopher Lee to play the count, and Klaus Kinski to play Renfield* - though not enough to get him to speak. Franco's usual wobbly zooms and odd pans are kept in check and performed with a bit more fluidity than usual.  The film will linger in my memory longest though for a most blatant bit on on-screen groping.  In the sanatorium, as Lucy (Soledad Miranda) faints, Dr. Seward (Paul Muller) does a heroic job of stopping her hitting the floor by stepping behind her and manfully grabbing both her breasts.



*Here renamed 'Reinfeild' if you trust the credits,  'Renfeird' if you believe the IMDb, or just plain 'Renfield' if you listen to the cast.


----------



## Alex The G and T

Had the pleasure of stumbling on *The Sting*, from the beginning, no ads, on one of the retro movie channels.

Redford and Newman... what an amazing team.  And the plot arc is so clever.  I hadn't seen it in so long that was about like seeing it for the first time.
They just don't make 'em like this anymore.  What a treat.


----------



## KGeo777

LASERBLAST 1978 - One of those drive-in movies that I heard of eons ago but never got around to seeing. A moody kid (who resembles a bitter Mark Hamill--he could have Luke if they wanted him to look miserable) finds an alien gun and starts using it for petty revenge and two alien cops or bounty hunters show up to retrieve it.
Gets a boost from the animation and Roddy McDowall's brief appearance but it's an idea that is much better than the execution. It's rather messy and could be easily remade into something better.


----------



## HareBrain

Alex The G and T said:


> Had the pleasure of stumbling on *The Sting*, from the beginning, no ads, on one of the retro movie channels.


It's also on Netflix (at least in the UK). I'm aiming to get round to it soon. Never seen it before.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Girl on a Chain Gang *(1965)

Ultra-cheap melodrama that manages to pack a punch during much of the running time, even if it loses momentum later in the film.  A white woman, a black man, and a white man have the bad luck to be driving through a small Southern town full of the worst kind of officials.  Arrested for a bunch of trumped-up charges, they get yelled at by the local dictatorial sheriff and fined $150.00.  They actually can afford pay it and go free.  Foolishly, they stop at a bar for drinks, which gives the sheriff a chance to frame them for prostitution with the testimony of a couple of easily manipulated drunks.  Things get much, much worse from there, including rape and murder.

The kangaroo trial for the woman would be more powerful if the judge weren't so extreme a caricature that he's almost comic in a scene that should just be horrifying.  The title is justified during the last fifteen minutes, when the woman is, indeed, put on a chain gang with a bunch of black men.  Then an escape turns the film into a mixed-sex version of *The Defiant Ones*.  Worth a look despite its flaws.  The tiny budget actually adds to the gritty, nasty mood.


----------



## paranoid marvin

svalbard said:


> Breaker Morant
> 
> The anti-war movie about the trial of three Australians for war crimes during the Boer War. Tremendous performances all round. A charismatic Edward Woodward leads the cast.



Edward Woodward was a fine actor. It's quite some time since I watched Breaker Morant, but I remember it being quite a moving film. Quite similar in many respects to the brilliant Paths of Glory.


----------



## paranoid marvin

HareBrain said:


> It's also on Netflix (at least in the UK). I'm aiming to get round to it soon. Never seen it before.


It's a must-see movie. The musical score is up there with the best. Don't bother with the 'sequel' though.


----------



## Droflet

Yes, HB, as Alex said, you are in for a real treat.


----------



## Mr Cairo

*Christmas Bloody Christmas *at the local fleapit and its the first film in years that my wife and I left before the film had finished. This was not just because of mediocre acting and an all round pretty poor film but it appears someone told the scriptwriter that its ok to say the word "****ing" in this film and he REALLY took that on board. it was literally in every sentence and rapidly got tedious.

Awful and disappointing film for the 40 minutes that we saw of it and the swearing could really do with an edit.

EDIT- Sorry about the swearing.


----------



## Droflet

Troll (2022) Better than the latest Jurassic.


----------



## AllanR

Droflet said:


> Troll (2022)


Have you seen Trollhunter (2010)? It is also Norwegian.


----------



## CupofJoe

AllanR said:


> Have you seen Trollhunter (2010)? It is also Norwegian.


That is a wonderful film!


----------



## hitmouse

*The Guard* (2011) starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle. In which Gleeson plays a policeman on the rural west coast of Ireland, where organised crime plans to land a large shipment of cocaine. The FBI (Don Cheadle) becomes involved.
A very funny take on the classic plot of the apparently stupid lazy looking fat rural guy who does not say much, takes drugs and enjoys hookers (Gleeson), and who is underestimated by everyone, but who actually turns out to be the cleverest and most principled person in the building.
Great dry script which does not take itself seriously. The audience knows what Gleeson is from early on, and the fun is seeing everyone else misunderstand him. Highly recommended.


----------



## Vince W

hitmouse said:


> *The Guard* (2011) starring Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle. In which Gleeson plays a policeman on the rural west coast of Ireland, where organised crime plans to land a large shipment of cocaine. The FBI (Don Cheadle) becomes involved.
> A very funny take on the classic plot of the apparently stupid lazy looking fat rural guy who does not say much, takes drugs and enjoys hookers (Gleeson), and who is underestimated by everyone, but who actually turns out to be the cleverest and most principled person in the building.
> Great dry script which does not take itself seriously. The audience knows what Gleeson is from early on, and the fun is seeing everyone else misunderstand him. Highly recommended.


Yes, an excellent film.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson* -


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Doll Squad *(1973)

Hilariously cheap, silly, and inept action flick, from Ted V. Mikels, the schlockmeister who gave us *The Astro-Zombies*, *Blood Orgy of the She-Devils*, and MST3K favorite *Girl in Gold Boots*.

Stock footage and two guys talking in a room tell us that our movie's would-be Bond villain (actual actor Michael Ansara, giving a professional, if undistinguished, performance) blew up a NASA rocket, and will do more of the same unless he gets some microfilm concerning a missile project.  Forget all that, because the movie does.  Much later, we find out the real plan is to release bubonic plague around the world.

A computer states that the best agents to send after Ansara are members of the Doll Squad, a group of foxy ladies.  I'm skeptical, because two of them get killed by the bad guys while the team is being assembled.  That's OK; as we'll see, the bad guys aren't very good at spy stuff either.

On Ansara's private island (played by Southern California), the Doll Squad easily overcome the heavily armed guards, through a combination of feminine wiles and booze that literally makes them explode.  (All explosions are done as animation on the film.)  The Doll Squad changes from their usual miniskirts, hot pants, and bikinis into their official uniforms of dark green skintight cat suits with a white stripe running from the tip of the left foot to the neck, white go-go boots, and wide white belts.  Gunfights, captures, escapes, etc.  Lots of stuff blows up in animation.  

Wouldn't you know it; Ansara is the former lover of the leader of the Doll Squad, which allows her to infiltrate his headquarters (played by an ordinary house, probably the director's place in the desert) and thwart him.

The spy gadgets are goofy.  A cigarette that explodes in a bad guy's face (animation and the actor covering his unharmed face with his hand), something inserted into the bad guys' minions' heads that doesn't figure into the plot at all, those rubber _Mission: Impossible _masks that make you look exactly like somebody else, etc.

Cult favorite Tura Satana (*Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!*) plays one of the Doll Squad, but is criminally underused.  At least she gets to be the one that's a stripper, so she shows the most skin.  (No actual nudity in this soft PG thriller.)


----------



## Guttersnipe

Die Hard (1988): First time watching, believe it or not. One cop vs. a team of terrorists on Christmas. One of the better action films I've seen, and that's a genre I don't usually enjoy.

A Christmas Story Christmas (2022): Ralphie all grown up, now a struggling sci-fi writer. In any case, it was much better than the other sequel.


----------



## CupofJoe

Guttersnipe said:


> Die Hard (1988): First time watching, believe it or not. One cop vs. a team of terrorists on Christmas. One of the better action films I've seen, and that's a genre I don't usually enjoy.


Ah... My third favourite Christmas film...


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE UNFAITHFUL*_ (1947) NOIR ALLEY. Young couple marry just weeks before he Bob Hunter (Zachary Scott) goes to war (WWII); 



Spoiler



she (Ann Sheridan) is lonely during the war, and has affair with a sculptor. When husband returns, she breaks relationship with sculptor, but the bust he made of her remains as evidence of naughtiness. Almost forgot: he comes to their home, and attempts to force himself on her, but, she grabs knife husband brought as souvenir and kills sculptor.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MUERTE DE UN CICLISTA* / *DEATH OF A CYCLIST* (1955) NOIR ALLEY, interesting stuff! Remember that guy Chevy Chase was frequently reminding us was "still dead," during the first years of SNL?  He was ruling Spain at the time this film was made, & apparently held tight control over such things as films. Sadly, I forgot what he said about how the tyranny affected the making of this film. 

Another case of unfaithfulness, while the adulterer /adulteress are zipping along in the car on a lonely foggy road, she is driving, and strikes a bicyclist. They both go to look at the injured guy, but she wants to remain unknown, fearing her husband would learn of her infidelity. She persuades her partner, who seems inclined to, at least call an ambulance once they reach a phone, to drive away, and leave the guy to die.   Not the typical NOIR, but, definitely fits the genre! Wonderful ending!


----------



## Jeffbert

*DECOY* (1946) NOIR ALLEY, but contains an element of science fiction / fantasy. Really enjoyed Muller's follow-up, except for the part about one of my favorite crime drama actors later becoming associated with sitcoms.  I dislike canned laughter. 

So, the only man, Frank Olins (Robert Armstrong) who knows where the $400K is stashed is on death row, waiting for his turn in the gas chamber. His lawyer is not really too worried about it, being convinced he can be revived after being killed by cyanide gas, so long as he is treated within 1 hour after execution.  This reminds me of a certain Boris Karloff film!  The lawyer is constantly reminding Olins about all the money that was spent on his defense and his appeal. They need some of the $400k that he stashed; but, he does not trust them. Saying, the hope of finally getting that money is the only thing he has going for him.

Oh, almost forgot! Muller made mention of the femme fatale being utterly ruthless, having not even 1 (one/ uno) redeeming quality, etc.  Margot Shelby (Jean Gillie) who was / is Olins' girlfriend cares nothing for him, she just wants the money. So, she persuades/ bribes the doctor whose duty is to pronounce the condemned man dead, into joining the scheme to revive him, etc. They also bribe the guys who were to drive the van containing the corpse from the prison to the crematory, etc. Successfully reviving Olins, they find him unwilling to simply tell them the location of the money, but he does draw a map, tearing it in half, and giving them the one half. 

Sgt. Portugal (Sheldon Leonard) reminds me of those Colombo films, in which he pesters the guilty ones into confessing.  

Another wonderful ending! Highly recommended; even considering the 1 sci-fi element that seems out of place!



Spoiler



So, they finally have the map to the loot, they killed everyone who had outlived his usefulness, perhaps, I should say _*she*_ killed them. They go to the hiding place, she stands around impatiently waiting for the one remaining guy to dig up the money, kills him as soon as she sees the box! Oh, most everything is flashback, forgot the exact details -- flashback ends, she is mortally wounded, Sgt. Portugal opens the box, a lone dollar bill flutters to the floor. Reads a note that is addressed to those who had betrayed him (Olins) something about this dollar bill is for their trouble, etc., the $400k is for the worms,  I just love it!


----------



## alexvss

*Warriors of Future (2022)*. An original Netflix military science-fiction movie from Hong-Kong. In a post-apocalyptic future, a meteor falls on the Earth, bringing an alien plant with it. The plant grows exponentially everytime it rains, swallowing everything. A group of soldiers go on a suicide mission to alter the plant’s genes.

The special effects are great. Fight scenes too.  It really does justice to its 56 billion USD budget. The story is very predictable though.


----------



## Jeffbert

*DEAD RECKONING* (1947) I saw this early in 2021, but could find no posts of mine mentioning it during that time.

Two (2) army guys are brought without explanation from WWII Europe to Washington DC, neither having a clue as to why. Meeting a General on the train,   Capt. Warren "Rip" Murdock (Humphrey Bogart), finally learns that his friend and subordinate Sgt. Johnny Drake (William Prince) is to publicly receive an award. But, when Drake hears this, he runs away, leaps upon a train and wave goodbye to Murdock, who, after attempting to catch him, is breathless, not to mention confused. 

Murdock wonders why, and after finding the town to which Drake had fled, consults the newspaper morgue, until he finds a photo of Drake, but with another name. His friend had been accused of murder, but had escaped custody, gone East, and joined the army, hoping to avoid capture. Murdock continues following clues, etc., and finds a casino, its owner, and his henchman. Also finds  Coral Chandler (Lizabeth Scott), who goes by Mike & Dusty, and was involved with Drake, and is up to her neck in the plot.

A very intense drama, might even be called noir.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Back From the Dead *(1957)

Modest little Gothic chiller than manages to be fairly effective despite a minimal budget and the fact that much of it consists of people in small sets talking.  A pregnant woman freaks out when her husband of a year plays a weird piece of music, having an epileptic fit and losing the baby.  When she's conscious again, she's possessed by her husband's first wife, who drowned six years ago.  It all has to do with a cult to which the dead woman's mother belonged.  There's tension between Mom and Dad ("You believe in your God and I'll believe in mine," says the mother) as well as with the foreign-accented leader of the cult.  Murders follow, including one of a dog.  

I haven't mentioned the possessed woman's sister, who is actually the protagonist.  The focus on women makes it something of a Gothic Romance; the protagonist even gets a boyfriend along the way.  It's a little bit *Rebecca*, a little bit _Dark Shadows_ and not bad at all.


----------



## KGeo777

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE - premiered December 12 1972 (happy 50th).  The opening shots of the ship look so fake now--but I never noticed before that it was a fake ship for the beginning of it.
It holds up pretty well. It's kind of cheapie for a disaster movie in that there isn't a lot of people and it's contained inside compared to Earthquake or the Towering Inferno.
I heard that Irwin Allen never understood how Star Wars did so well because he felt melodrama is what made a movie sell.
Gene Hackman's "money job" movie. 
Leslie Nielsen--it's kind of funny that before Airplane! he was associated with serious stuff.
"You irresponsible *******."


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Screaming Mimi *(1958)

*Psycho*-style shocker (released two years before Hitchcock's classic) starring blonde bombshell Anita Ekberg, and based on a novel with almost the same title (just add "The" before it) by Fredric Brown.  (The book was later unofficially adapted into the _giallo _film *The Bird With the Crystal Plumage*.)

Ekberg emerges from the ocean and jumps into an outdoor shower.  An escaped homicidal maniac kills her dog and tries to attack her, but is shot by her stepbrother.  Understandably, she suffers a mental breakdown and winds up in an institution.  A doctor at the clinic becomes obsessed with her and plays Svengali to her Trilby.  They take new names and new lives as a nightclub dancer and her manager.  Cue scantily clad Ekberg doing a rather kinky dance routine with ropes and manacles.  The hostess of the nightclub (called "El Madhouse") is played by Gypsy Rose Lee, who gets to sing "Put the Blame on Mame."

Ekberg is found stabbed in the abdomen, but not severely wounded, despite the fact that she's accompanied by a big, aggressive dog.  (Probably just so we can have the line "A great dame with a Great Dane.")  A reporter gets involved in the case, following the clue that the same macabre little statue of a screaming woman (hence the title) made by the stepbrother after the first attack was also found by the body of a murdered dancer a month ago.

Not the most plausible plot in the world, to be sure, and you may figure out the Shocking Twist Ending, but a reasonably effective thriller.  It's a little more sophisticated/sleazy (choose one) than you'd expect for 1958.  Besides Ekberg's sexy dance number, shown twice, there's a strong hint that Lee has a more than motherly interest in a young female dancer.


----------



## Rodders

alexvss said:


> *Warriors of Future (2022)*. An original Netflix military science-fiction movie from Hong-Kong. In a post-apocalyptic future, a meteor falls on the Earth, bringing an alien plant with it. The plant grows exponentially everytime it rains, swallowing everything. A group of soldiers go on a suicide mission to alter the plant’s genes.
> 
> The special effects are great. Fight scenes too.  It really does justice to its 56 billion USD budget. The story is very predictable though.


This sounds pretty interesting. I do like a good foreign SF movie.


----------



## Mr Cairo

Mr Cairo said:


> *Christmas Bloody Christmas *at the local fleapit and its the first film in years that my wife and I left before the film had finished. This was not just because of mediocre acting and an all round pretty poor film but it appears someone told the scriptwriter that its ok to say the word "****ing" in this film and he REALLY took that on board. it was literally in every sentence and rapidly got tedious.
> 
> Awful and disappointing film for the 40 minutes that we saw of it and the swearing could really do with an edit.
> 
> EDIT- Sorry about the swearing.



Have just finished a conversation with my son telling him that the film he recommended was awful, he asked what I thought of David Harbour and I said he wasnt in it.

Turns out we saw *Christmas Bloody Christmas *but what we he said should have seen was* Violent Night*


----------



## therapist

alexvss said:


> The special effects are great. Fight scenes too. It really does justice to its 56 billion USD budget.


One would expect really good special effects for that kind of budget.


----------



## alexvss

Rodders said:


> This sounds pretty interesting. I do like a good foreign SF movie.


It will be worth your time, then.


therapist said:


> One would expect really good special effects for that kind of budget.


Tell that to Marvel Studios   It's what you expect, sure, but they don't always deliver.


----------



## hitmouse

Rodders said:


> This sounds pretty interesting. I do like a good foreign SF movie.


Me too. Possibly accounts for the number of American movies I have watched.


----------



## Randy M.

_*Vampyres *_(1974) dir. Jose Ramon Larraz; starring Marianne Morris, Anulka Dziubinska, Murray Brown

Shudder has a wealth of weird older movies. The one begins with lesbian lovers gunned down in bed; the killer isn’t shown and this is only briefly alluded to again.

Harriet and John tow their RV into a clearing and camp near a deserted mansion as he takes photos and she paints the scene. Along the main road before arriving, they saw a woman (Fran) – who looks quite familiar from the opening scene – and Harriet noticed another (Miriam -- also familiar) hiding in the trees by the road. Harriet is more intrigued and wary than John, and still more wary after seeing the two women scamper into the nearby cemetery before dawn.

Fran flags down several cars over the course of the movie, and invites the men for a drink, thus providing a ride home and late-night snacks for her and Miriam. One driver, Ted, we see check into a hotel before he is flagged down, where he’s recognized by one of the staff, though he denies ever staying there before; the staff member appears dubious. This is never alluded to again. Fran naturally seduces Ted who naturally awakes the next morning hungover and with a deep gash on his arm which Harriet and John help patch up because Fran has disappeared.

More cars flagged down, all later found in car crashes as ambulances come and cart away the drivers.

This is the ‘70s, so no wrinkly faced demon make-up, and they even abstain from fangy dental appliances. Just a knife or two and Fran and Miriam imbibing the results.

The movie is surprisingly effective in spite of unanswered questions:

Wouldn’t the two women be more ghosts than bloodsucking vampires?
Why did Fran let Ted live so long? Was he tied to her somehow? (The hotel scene suggests this but it’s never followed through on.)
Do the vampires have some kind of hypnotic power? There are scenes suggesting it – as when Fran and Miriam meet Harriet – but there are other scenes where it might have been handier than getting the men drunk.
We see ambulances but never the nearby town nor hear from the locals about the inordinate number of car accidents along a straight stretch of road or about how odd all the male victims have been exsanguinated. Didn’t the police or some official go, “Hmmmmmm…”?

I suspect Tony Scott knew this movie before filming _The Hunger_, just as I’m sure Whitley Strieber knew of it before writing the novel, if only because his main protagonist, Miriam, shares that name with the second lead vampire. _Vampyres _is less determinedly artsy than _The Hunger_ and more muted in its colors than either Scott’s film or _The Vampire Lovers_ (1970) from Hammer, but shares a similar determination to fill the frame with landscape, architectural or decorative detail. _Vampyres_ is also far more vicious than those movies as far as I recall them; there’s a cluttered, dusty, cobwebbed verisimilitude to the setting which adds grittiness and along with the violence may account for why, as a mash-up of horror with something like soft-core porn, it avoids becoming silly. For all the above may point at incoherence, there’s a dream-logic governing the story as these vampires lure their victims, luxuriate in their sanguinary cuisine and feed without consequence.


----------



## AE35Unit

Can't remember, it was so memorable


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane* (1976)
A very young Jodie Foster in this interesting little chiller about a young girl living with her 'absentee' father...
A good one


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Tattered Dress *(1957)

Courtroom drama/crime story/soap opera.  Rich guy's blonde bombshell wife comes home with a ripped dress, rich guy shoots the guy she says assaulted her.  Hotshot lawyer from New York comes to the small desert resort town where this happens, manages to get the rich guy off.  Local sheriff whose testimony he destroyed, and who was a close friend of the dead man, sets up an elaborate plan to frame the lawyer for bribing a juror.  Leads up to violence and murder.  No sympathetic characters in the major roles, so add in a touch of _film noir _cynicism.  Efficient direction by the generally reliable Jack Arnold, best known to me for his better-than-average science fiction and monster movies.


----------



## KGeo777

LIBIDO 1965  - Ok proto-giallo that has the same basic plot twist as 



Spoiler



The Pit and the Pendulum 1961.  Scheme to drive a guy to madness like his father----schemers end up doomed by their success


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Dangerous Charter *(filmed 1958; released 1962)

Low budget crime drama filmed on Catalina Island and, for the most part, on boats in the waters around it.  Some guys on a fishing boat find a yacht drifting around, empty of crew and passengers, with one dead man aboard.  They take it in for salvage.  The yacht, named _Medusa_ (and there's a pretty nifty painting of the gorgon aboard) is given to the guys by the authorities, as long as they agree to advertise it as available for charter.  The plan is to have the bad guys that the authorities think are involved with the unregistered yacht show up.  So much for keeping the fishermen safe!  Needless to say, one of the head bad guy's flunkies hires it.  The head bad guy and other thugs show up and take over the yacht.  Our heroes are forced to take the yacht and its valuable cargo to Catalina for the bad guys.  Will they escape?

The only big action scene takes place during the last ten minutes or so.  Otherwise, a lot of shipboard talking and sailing around.  Some really lame humor in the script.  A couple of forgettable songs from the minion who hires the yacht.   Cut down to twenty-odd minutes, it would make for a so-so episode of a TV crime show.


----------



## Jeffbert

*THE BIG SHOT* (1942) Joseph "Duke" Berne (Humphrey Bogart) is a two time loser, facing life in prison for a third conviction; so, having recently been released from prison, he is rather timid, compared to his behavior prior to the second conviction.  His former associates pressure him into becoming involved in an armored car robbery, but, at the last minute, his old girlfriend dissuades him, and he stays home. The cops pressure a witness into identifying Berne as one of the crooks.  His only alibi involves a woman who must not be associated with him, so his lawyer, her husband bribes a taxi driver into being his alibi. When layer learns his wife was with Berne, he arranges to have the taxi driver's wife testify that she and her husband were elsewhere etc. 

So,Berne is convicted of a crime he did not commit; sent to prison, this time, for life. The taxi driver also gets a year for perjury. Berne does his best to avoid the taxi driver in prison, because he feels responsible for his conviction on perjury, etc., but the taxi driver is persistent. He becomes involved in an escape, in which he gets away, while another guy is killed. This other guy had mortally wounded a guard, & wouldn't you know it, the taxi driver, being a busybody, tried to stop the others from attempting escape, and ends up being assumed to have murdered the guard, who had died a few days later. Berne, having escaped with the lawyer's ex-wife, learns of the taxi driver's fate, and tries to live with it, but he cannot bear being even somewhat responsible for this poor guy gets the chair. 

Made just a few years before Bogart became a star, though he did have his name at the top. Was on during September, when Bogart was featured star of the month.


----------



## KGeo777

The Outside Man - 1972 Jean-Louis Trintignant is a hit man in Los Angeles who kills a mafia boss and then finds his escape thwarted and another hit man (Roy Scheider) after him. I have seen it before--but I could pay more attention to the interesting use of locations this time. Ann-Margret, Angie Dickinson are also in it. Even though it is pretty slow moving it has a sense of humor--at one point Trintignant picks up a hitchhiker who starts preaching to him about Jesus. Also, Georgia Engel appears as a mother kidnapped by the hit man--I remember her from somewhere--Bewitched or something--her voice is easy to recognize. Her son in the movie is Jackie Earle Haley and Trintignant slaps him across the face twice and it sure looked real and painful. Michel Constantin shows up as well--it is funny because Alex Rocco is in this too and they look a lot alike. They could be brothers, and a threesome if Abe Vigoda made an appearance.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> Also, Georgia Engel appears as a mother kidnapped by the hit man--I remember her from somewhere--Bewitched or something--her voice is easy to recognize.


The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Ted Knight's girlfriend. She had a very distinctive voice.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Ted Knight's girlfriend. She had a very distinctive voice.


That's it! I knew her from something but couldn't place it.


----------



## HareBrain

HareBrain said:


> It's also on Netflix (at least in the UK). I'm aiming to get round to it soon. Never seen it before.


Just watched it (*The Sting*) and yes, very good.


----------



## svalbard

Open Range 

Old school western. Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner in great form.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Devotion (2022): A biographical war film about a friendship between two naval officers during the Korean War. As inspiring as it was heartbreaking. It wasn't my first choice, but I wound up liking it.


----------



## KGeo777

DIABOLICALLY YOURS 1967 - Alain Delon wakes up after a car wreck with amnesia but when Senta Berger says she is his wife, he doesn't protest. That is until he arrives back at his fancy estate and narrowly avoids a series of fatal accidents. And then he discovers a tape recorder under his pillow telling him to commit suicide. He begins to get a picture that he's not wanted. Familiar territory for these kinds of stories but with a slow pace (the most speedy part of the story is the credits where you see a car racing along a road).


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Outfit*

I do like Mark Rylance as an actor, or at least I enjoy the films he acts in. This is a great little movie for the first 90%; however the last 10 minutes really sends this film somewhere else. Perhaps the director/scriptwriter thought it was a great twist, but it turned what was a believable, interesting movie about a tailor for a group of gangsters, into one that was a bit silly and quite far fetched. It has a perfectly good ending that really doesn't need the extra bit adding on.


----------



## alexvss

*All Quiet on the Western Front*. A Netflix remake of the acclaimed German novel of the same name, which has been adapted twice before. A youngster dreaming of being a war hero joins the army with his classmates in WW1. They were told they would reach Paris in two weeks, but we all know that the Great War was a four-year stalemate, and hell on Earth for the soldiers.

This is a true anti-war movie. There are no heroes. In war, you are thrown in a meat grinder and may survive by sheer luck only. On that, it deviates from most American and British war movies (they were the winning side after all).

There’s a contrast between the Front and the operations room. The front is disgusting, wet and cold, and the soldiers eat the same food everyday. Whereas, in the backstage, the officers eat luxurious, colorful food (while complaining about it), and brag about ideals of honor.

When the peace treaty was signed, the winning side decided, on a whim, that the armistice would take place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In the movie, the Germans launch a desperate suicide attack in the last minutes of battle. That didn’t happen. Not in the book, nor in real life. But it makes a lot of sense as a creative choice.


----------



## svalbard

alexvss said:


> *All Quiet on the Western Front*. A Netflix remake of the acclaimed German novel of the same name, which has been adapted twice before. A youngster dreaming of being a war hero joins the army with his classmates in WW1. They were told they would reach Paris in two weeks, but we all know that the Great War was a four-year stalemate, and hell on Earth for the soldiers.
> 
> This is a true anti-war movie. There are no heroes. In war, you are thrown in a meat grinder and may survive by sheer luck only. On that, it deviates from most American and British war movies (they were the winning side after all).
> 
> There’s a contrast between the Front and the operations room. The front is disgusting, wet and cold, and the soldiers eat the same food everyday. Whereas, in the backstage, the officers eat luxurious, colorful food (while complaining about it), and brag about ideals of honor.
> 
> When the peace treaty was signed, the winning side decided, on a whim, that the armistice would take place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In the movie, the Germans launch a desperate suicide attack in the last minutes of battle. That didn’t happen. Not in the book, nor in real life. But it makes a lot of sense as a creative choice.



A stark and brilliant movie. Took some liberties with the book but I thought it worked really well.


----------



## paeng

The new adaptation of _All Quiet on the Western Front_ looked very banal, and I think it's because it focused more on presenting the war straight-up rather than doing it through the eyes of the protagonists. That's why the earlier adaptations are much better, as they allowed for very good character development, especially when a lot more time is given to show their lives as students and as trainees.


----------



## alexvss

paeng said:


> The new adaptation of _All Quiet on the Western Front_ looked very banal, and I think it's because it focused more on presenting the war straight-up rather than doing it through the eyes of the protagonists. That's why the earlier adaptations are much better, as they allowed for very good character development, especially when a lot more time is given to show their lives as students and as trainees.


Yeah I missed a good ol' training sequence, a good ol' drill sergeant and a good ol' first-time lover left behind. But the director chose to show the peace negotiations to make the contrasting images, and when you make a choice you say no to all other options. He couldn't just do the same thing the other adaptations did.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Blood From the Mummy's Tomb* (1971) -  I spent a lot of this movie admiring the way the costume designers and lighting guys got as much production value out of Valerie Leon's breasts as possible. 







The rest of it was pretty ho-hum Hammer nonsense.


----------



## paeng

alexvss said:


> Yeah I missed a good ol' training sequence, a good ol' drill sergeant and a good ol' first-time lover left behind. But the director chose to show the peace negotiations to make the contrasting images, and when you make a choice you say no to all other options. He couldn't just do the same thing the other adaptations did.



I think the purpose of showing characters' background is to ensure character development and make viewers more sympathetic to protagonists. That's why the story's not so much about the war but about Paul, and how he is affected by it.

Instead, the film focuses on contrasting images of the war, with Paul and others used as props. In that case, they could have just made a regular war movie or even documentary without adapting the novel.


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Bonnie and Clyde*  (1967)  My Dad took me to see all of the action movies at the theater, so I saw this when it came out and I was 10 years old.  Haven't seen much of it since.

We caught the whole thing on TV, this afternoon.  It was like watching it for the first time.  Great Flick and there were some surprises.

Had to get to googlin' on it to clear up some astonishments.  Of course it's well remembered as an oscar winner for Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway; but there's some other characters who pop in unsuspected.  Clyde's brother, that really young guy who looks significantly like Gene Hackman, _is_. (with an oscar nomination for it)

A much recognizable character actor from all of the TV shows of the era, usually playing the part of a well-meaning but demented oddball...with the round face, cleft chin and creepy eyes (Had to google his name,) Michael J Pollard, got an oscar nod, as well.

And... Are you kidding me?  Can that really be?  Gene Wilder's movie debut.  Knowing what we know now, it's really tough to see Gene Wilder as a dramatic actor and he is so Gene Wilder, in voice and cadence and delivery.  To be fair, his character, as a hostage enjoying a bit of Stockholm syndrome, trends a bit towards the comic-relief; but it is sooo Young Frankenstein.

IMDB says that it was a taboo breaking Hollywood mile stone; blatantly reporting that an unmarried couple are having sex.  Nothing graphic, of course, but ... no ifs and or butts.  And, further, reports that it contains the bloodiest death scene in Cinematic History.

A classic by any terms and, of course, _mostly_ a true story.


----------



## Parson

Alex The G and T said:


> A classic by any terms and, of course, _mostly_ a true story.


And all the more sad because of it. Even without knowing the story one would have the sense that they were here for a good time, not for a long time.


----------



## KGeo777

TARGET EAGLE 1982 has Max Von Sydow as a spymaster called the Ogre behind his back, Chuck Connors as a spy who gets stabbed in the back to get him out of the movie, George Peppard (as a heroin smuggler who has an appropriate I don't give a F attitude), Maud Adams as a karate expert. 
Best thing about it is the catchy ABBA-lite title song:


----------



## paranoid marvin

Alex The G and T said:


> *Bonnie and Clyde*  (1967)  My Dad took me to see all of the action movies at the theater, so I saw this when it came out and I was 10 years old.  Haven't seen much of it since.
> 
> We caught the whole thing on TV, this afternoon.  It was like watching it for the first time.  Great Flick and there were some surprises.
> 
> Had to get to googlin' on it to clear up some astonishments.  Of course it's well remembered as an oscar winner for Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway; but there's some other characters who pop in unsuspected.  Clyde's brother, that really young guy who looks significantly like Gene Hackman, _is_. (with an oscar nomination for it)
> 
> A much recognizable character actor from all of the TV shows of the era, usually playing the part of a well-meaning but demented oddball...with the round face, cleft chin and creepy eyes (Had to google his name,) Michael J Pollard, got an oscar nod, as well.
> 
> And... Are you kidding me?  Can that really be?  Gene Wilder's movie debut.  Knowing what we know now, it's really tough to see Gene Wilder as a dramatic actor and he is so Gene Wilder, in voice and cadence and delivery.  To be fair, his character, as a hostage enjoying a bit of Stockholm syndrome, trends a bit towards the comic-relief; but it is sooo Young Frankenstein.
> 
> IMDB says that it was a taboo breaking Hollywood mile stone; blatantly reporting that an unmarried couple are having sex.  Nothing graphic, of course, but ... no ifs and or butts.  And, further, reports that it contains the bloodiest death scene in Cinematic History.
> 
> A classic by any terms and, of course, _mostly_ a true story.



If you liked this movie, you should check out 'The Highwaymen', a Netflix movie which tells the story from the law enforcement side. It really was actually a very entertaining movie starring Kevin Costner and the as-always brilliant Woody Harrelson.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Spy Who Came In From The Cold*

An extremely gritty, thoroughly believable spy drama set in the Cold War. Stunningly filmed in B&W with a marvellous performance by Richard Burton on top for. This is the antithesis of James Bond, even the more believable Harry Palmer/Michael Caine. In the world of international espionage, there are no morals, there are no 'good' or 'bad' sides, and nothing is what it seems.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Hellraiser* (1987)
I thought I hadn't actually seen this but I recognised the monsters in it.
Its not great. The effects are astounding lol


----------



## Vince W

AE35Unit said:


> *Hellraiser* (1987)
> I thought I hadn't actually seen this but I recognised the monsters in it.
> Its not great. The effects are astounding lol


It’s not great now, but it scared me back in 87.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Vince W said:


> It’s not great now, but it scared me back in 87.




The second one is much better and much scarier. The third started to get a bit silly.


----------



## Vince W

paranoid marvin said:


> The second one is much better and much scarier. The third started to get a bit silly.


It took me a long time to work up the nerve to see the second one but, yes, it was better.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Jerk (1979): Steve Martin is Navin Johnson, a goofy white guy adopted by a poor black family who has a series of adventures that includes him inventing a highly lucrative spectacles appendage. Along the way, he falls in love with a beautician and works for a circus.

I absolutely love this movie. So much of it is quotable.

Matchstick Men (2003): stars Nic Cage as a con artist with OCD and possible Tourette's finds out he had a child with his ex-wife. He struggles to be a good example but involves his daughter in his work. This movie has a real kicker of an ending.


----------



## Jeffbert

*MR. SOFT TOUCH* (1949) NIGHTCLUB owner  Joe Miracle (Glenn Ford) returns from WWII to find that the Syndicate has taken-over his business, & knocked-off his partner. 

I have not heard the word 'syndicate' used in that context, since I finished watching MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (all seasons) a few years ago. 

NOIR ALLEY's final offering until January 8th,  Not the standard type of noir, & even has a pleasant ending. J, Miracle wants his club back, but is seriously outnumbered by the bad guys, so he robs the cashier, intending to flee the country with the money he stole that should have been his, anyway, but his ticket to Yokohama is on a ship that does not sail until the day after tomorrow!

enny Jones (Evelyn Keyes) works in a flophouse(?) where the downtrodden of all ages find refuge. Miracle goes there to hide, while waiting for his ship to sail. Conflict between them yields to romance, etc.

not a bad film, just not my type.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Carry-on Teacher* (1959) - an early (3rd) of the Carry-on films.  If it had been released under a different title this film would have been long forgotten or only remembered as a mildly amusing piece by those aficionados of British School Films of the 40s and 50s. There must be some, I can think of no other reason why a piece of crap like _Fun at St Fanny's_ got a BFI restoration.


----------



## Boaz

hitmouse said:


> *Yesterday* (2019) A charming comedy by Richard Curtis about a very unsuccessful musician who wakes up after a strange accident to discover that the Beatles never existed and that he is the only one who knows their music. What is basically an interesting wish-fulfilment fantasy really succeeds because it remains grounded in the humanity of the main character, who is genuinely nice guy full of uncertainty, a sharp script, and some very dry situational humour, including a clever appearance by Ed Sheeran.


Yesterday (2019) has an intriguing premise that plays out predictably at times and almost endearingly at others.  It has a moving scene where the lead character picks out Yesterday on guitar for his friends.  This scene set my expectations high for the rest of the film. The inclusion of Ed Sheeran (as himself) adds an ongoing element of comparing songwriters, their methods, and hearing songs for the first time.  

Yet, the film was ultimately not satisfying.  It wasn't horrible, but they just tacked a generic Hallmark Channel movie on an exploration of the power of lyrics, music, and live performances.  

While the feelings of the female co-star rang true, the male lead did not convince me that he even cared for her as a friend... an acquaintance maybe.  The music industry executive role and the trappings of popularity came across as stale and heavy handed.  I'm also tired of seeing fathers as inobservant and undesirous of knowing their children.


----------



## AE35Unit

paranoid marvin said:


> The second one is much better and much scarier. The third started to get a bit silly.


Unfortunately, while the first one was freely available, the sequel is to buy or rent. No thanks


----------



## paranoid marvin

AE35Unit said:


> Unfortunately, while the first one was freely available, the sequel is to buy or rent. No thanks





Fair enough. There are much better movies to spend your money on.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Boaz said:


> Yesterday (2019) has an intriguing premise that plays out predictably at times and almost endearingly at others.  It has a moving scene where the lead character picks out Yesterday on guitar for his friends.  This scene set my expectations high for the rest of the film. The inclusion of Ed Sheeran (as himself) adds an ongoing element of comparing songwriters, their methods, and hearing songs for the first time.
> 
> Yet, the film was ultimately not satisfying.  It wasn't horrible, but they just tacked a generic Hallmark Channel movie on an exploration of the power of lyrics, music, and live performances.
> 
> While the feelings of the female co-star rang true, the male lead did not convince me that he even cared for her as a friend... an acquaintance maybe.  The music industry executive role and the trappings of popularity came across as stale and heavy handed.  I'm also tired of seeing fathers as inobservant and undesirous of knowing their children.




I really enjoyed Yesterday;  it's a nostalgia filled feel-good movie, that blends humour with great music and a number of intriguing 'what-ifs'. It _could _have been so much more as you mention, but it settled for being lightweight, 'switch your brain off' entertainment. Which isn't a criticism, it was a scriptwriting decision.


----------



## Mouse

HareBrain said:


> Guillermo del Toro's *Pinocchio *(2022). Popped up on Netflix this evening.
> 
> Genius. 10/10. But my happiness at having watched it is tinged with sadness at glimpsing what del Toro's _Hobbit _duology might have been like.



We saw _Pinocchio_ yesterday and agree with HB. Brilliant film, beautiful animation - much better than Disney.


----------



## Boaz

@paranoid marvin Well said.  Though it had moments exploring the beauty and soul stirring qualities of creating music, the film took a different direction than the one for which I wished.


----------



## paeng

_Spy Who Came In_ is impressive!






With excellent writing and acting, one can do magic even with small budgets and almost no spectacle.

Reminds me of Rommel: "Give me two Australian divisions and I will conquer the world for you."


----------



## KGeo777

Re: The Jerk

He hates the cans! Stay away from the cans!


Since it is snowing I watched:
THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN 1957 - Personally, I think this is the best Hammer film of the 50s. Atmospheric, good script, lots of interesting ideological discussion. Even the snowman looks cool how they filmed it.

THE THING 1982 - as amazing as the spfx is, I think the best moments are the not so visceral stuff--like the Norwegian screaming as the dog is licking Bennings in the face. I think the guy was just a crewman who could speak some Norwegian or Swedish but he sounds scared-and hearing his frantic voice over the shots of the dog is rather unnerving. The kennel scene is the most horrific--especially when the dogs jump out. Also the shot of MacReady's shack with the light on.


----------



## Toby Frost

Yes, the shack bit is really powerful. The bit where Blair (I think) is asking to come back out is very sinister. Amazing score, too.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Horror, science fiction and whodunnit all rolled into an intense, paranoid, claustrophobic atmosphere.

Carpenter and Russell were a great team, but never better than here. I wouldn't say that it's the best movie ever, or my favourite movie (although it's definitely up there), but it is faultless in what it sets out to achieve.

The movie takes a very nihilistic approach, which is probably why it bombed with critics and at the cinema; it actually feels more like a 70s movie than one made in the 80s, but then I think that many of Carpenter's films (in particular Escape From New York and The Fog) feel this way.


----------



## CupofJoe

*The King’s Man *[2021 Matthew Vaughn]
Just about the best geo-political and socio-political explanation of the causes of WWI, I've seen in a long time. Followed by madcap plots to kill Rasputin.
Of the three Kingsman films I think this is my favourite. It hangs together pretty well as a film and keeps the absurdities and impossibilities just believable and possible enough.
On a personal note I liked spotting one of the filmed locations was about 5 miles from where I live.


----------



## Randy M.

paranoid marvin said:


> The movie takes a very nihilistic approach, which is probably why it bombed with critics and at the cinema; it actually feels more like a 70s movie than one made in the 80s, but then I think that many of Carpenter's films (in particular Escape From New York and The Fog) feel this way.


Agreed. I consider the 1950s _The Thing (From Another World) _as distinctly post-WWII (no problem we can't solve without teamwork,  innovation and good leadership), and Carpenter's _The Thing_ as distinctly post-Vietnam (what's teamwork? Leadership?! Screw that! ).


----------



## paranoid marvin

Randy M. said:


> Agreed. I consider the 1950s _The Thing (From Another World) _as distinctly post-WWII (no problem we can't solve without teamwork,  innovation and good leadership), and Carpenter's _The Thing_ as distinctly post-Vietnam (what's teamwork? Leadership?! Screw that! ).




Very true. It shows how sxience fiction, possibly more than any other genre, reflects the attitudes of the time in which it is written.


----------



## JunkMonkey

paranoid marvin said:


> Very true. It shows how sxience fiction, possibly more than any other genre, reflects the attitudes of the time in which it is written.



Curiously an essay in a book I bought today,_ Cinema '76_, started with : 

"Comedy is the informer.  Nothing else in the field of entertainment tells us so much about the age that bore it; nothing else reflects so accurately the modes and mores of the day."​​'Laughter in the Dark' by David Castell​​Much as I love SF, and certainly agree that it tells us a lot about the hopes and fears of the times it was written,  I think he's right.  For comedy to work it has to be pushing or breaking societal norms which just isn't necessarily true of SF.  SF is better at bigger picture, broader wider, scopes.  A Doris Day Rock Hudson rom-com will tell you more about the sexual mores and aspirations of 1950's America than any number of _Big Radioactive Monster Thing Eats a Small Town_ movies.  Watching any Carry-on film, once, would tell you more about the popular British culture/taste of the day than any number of viewings of _Dr. Who and the Daleks_, or _Day of the Triffids _ever would.

Comedy is much more localised.  What's funny in one place isn't necessarily funny elsewhere.  OK, that's a generalisation but Science fiction works with universal themes.  Comedy uses local tools which don't travel well.  Jokes are often totally untranslatable from one language to another. Cultural references will be missed by people who aren't familiar with the local culture.  Physical comedy travels well - I guess France's biggest comedy export would be Jaque Tati whose films are almost silent but who, outside the francophone world, has heard of Les Nuls, or Le Splendid, Louis de Funès, or the OSS 117 films?  Not many I guess.  Just about as many as most people living in most European, African, and Asian countries would have heard of The Comic Strip, French and Saunders, The Mighty Boosh etc. etc. 

SF films on the other hand... Science is universal (or pretty much so, there are parts of even the 'developed' world where basic scientific concepts are a hard sell).


----------



## KGeo777

The score is really good-I forget Morricone did it because at times is sounds so Carpenter-like. The scene where Fuchs is surprised by a shadow--the music there is really creepy--that gurgling sound. There is a shot in the 1966 Rasputin the Mad Monk  which is similar to that--he passes in front of someone and it's kind of creepy like that.  One shot they did not use in the film which I really liked is where I think Bennings sees someone in a parka shuffling down a dark hallway --I think it's Palmer but they should have kept that sequence in.

The spfx is amazing but you could make the argument they relied too much on it and especially with the bright lighting. There is a lot that can be done with the story.  The 2011 film--I think only the scene where the two-face creature is walking in search of victims--that is creepy in idea but the reliance on CGI and some other issues undermined it.

I am not a fan of the 1951 film to be honest-- the idea of the original story is so much more interesting than the plant creatures--but for the time you could say the frankenstein alien worked well enough. There was a sci-fi film historian who was very critical of the Carpenter version-- he felt Kenneth Tobey had more gravitas as the leader than Russell. I can't dispute that--in fact, one criticism of the 1982 film which is certainly justified is that all the characters fight with each other!  There's no camaraderie right from the get go.

And --Donald Pleasence was originally cast as Blair and--he would have excelled in that part. Brimley is fine but Pleasence would have been amazing and made the threat and scariness of it much more apparent-especially when he is explaining the mutations. And his freak out in the radio room would have been fantastic.



Spoiler



The ending of the 1982 film is rather clever. The fact that they don't know if either of them are in fact a thing alien--that's not a bad ending if you are going to go for a darker conclusion.


The problem is that Carpenter revisited that kind of ending a little too often. The Ghosts of Mars is the worst example. Why does he have to have the two characters marching along with a jokey attitude-Vampires has that ending too.
The Dark Horse comic series on the Thing is really good--they do a direct sequel to it. It has some great Thing moments in there - one of the stories has MacReady in a room with a bunch of people and they do a blood test kind of deal and MacReady is the only one who isn't a thing!

 Anyway I wanted another snow movie since I am snowed in at present and searched a IMDB list and found
THE HEROES OF TELEMARK - a 1965 Kirk Douglas Richard Harris film about Norwegians wanting to blow up a German heavy water factory. There is a lot of snow in this movie. Just tons of it so it delivered. The story was alright--some good suspense and exceptional miniature destruction footage. They plant a bomb on a ferry and are well aware they are going to kill children as well as soldiers--and they are fine with--but then Douglas sees the wife and baby of one of their resistance fighters who died so he decides to sneak back on the ferry--even though he had planted the bomb on it 20 minutes earlier. He tells her to round up all the children and tell them they are going to play a game with life jackets on the other side of the boat. And one kid says "I don't want to play the game!" and he says "you are going to play it if it's the last thing you do."


----------



## Toby Frost

I watched the special long edition of *Aliens*. It's still brilliant. Random thoughts:

- The bit where we see the colony operating is slightly weak. Overall, the acting is excellent, but this isn't as polished and feels as if it came from a different film. That said, the special edition is worth it for the sentry guns. All the guns sound awesome.
- The special effects are slightly less good than when I last saw it - ie, my own expectations have changed - but they're still excellent. Certain bits, especially the running facehuggers, are amazing for their time and still look superb. The sets, costumes and so on are top-notch and the setting feels very convincing.
- You actually don't see much of the aliens at all. What you do see is generally glimpses of shiny armour and drooling mouths. This is definitely a good idea. The aliens are not quite as good as the one in Alien, but they do hold up very well.
- It's extremely intense. I almost wish that I'd never seen it so I could watch it for the first time again.

Overall, a great film.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> I am not a fan of the 1951 film to be honest-- the idea of the original story is so much more interesting than the plant creatures--but for the time you could say the frankenstein alien worked well enough. There was a sci-fi film historian who was very critical of the Carpenter version-- he felt Kenneth Tobey had more gravitas as the leader than Russell. I can't dispute that--in fact, one criticism of the 1982 film which is certainly justified is that all the characters fight with each other! There's no camaraderie right from the get go.


That's my one complaint about the movie. The '51 version shows a threat to a community. Think how intense the '82 threat would have been to such a close-knit group. Absolutely devastating to guys who'd depended on each other for survival during the war. 

I don't have a problem with Russell. Time and again he's shown he can carry a movie, and I think he's good here, just that the script missed a bet. But it's also that missed bet that makes it a post-Vietnam movie, with inherent distrust in the leadership.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> That's my one complaint about the
> 
> I don't have a problem with Russell. Time and again he's shown he can carry a movie, and I think he's good here, just that the script missed a bet. But it's also that missed bet that makes it a post-Vietnam movie, with inherent distrust in the leadership.


He can carry a movie (Breakdown especially--I think that was an ideal role for him) but he does look soft and young in this one. And the constant bickering doesn't help. They are living together for years?
Mac pouring the drink into the computer chess game makes no character sense at all. He's a helicopter pilot in Antarctica. Short temper people probably wouldn't be ideal for that environment. 
Windows too. He's way too short-tempered to be a radio operator.

Mac
Windows


----------



## paranoid marvin

Toby Frost said:


> I watched the special long edition of *Aliens*. It's still brilliant. Random thoughts:
> 
> - The bit where we see the colony operating is slightly weak. Overall, the acting is excellent, but this isn't as polished and feels as if it came from a different film. That said, the special edition is worth it for the sentry guns. All the guns sound awesome.
> - The special effects are slightly less good than when I last saw it - ie, my own expectations have changed - but they're still excellent. Certain bits, especially the running facehuggers, are amazing for their time and still look superb. The sets, costumes and so on are top-notch and the setting feels very convincing.
> - You actually don't see much of the aliens at all. What you do see is generally glimpses of shiny armour and drooling mouths. This is definitely a good idea. The aliens are not quite as good as the one in Alien, but they do hold up very well.
> - It's extremely intense. I almost wish that I'd never seen it so I could watch it for the first time again.
> 
> Overall, a great film.




Agreed, it's a top film. One thing they got spot on was having the marine's gun scanners having the bleeps and dots for lifeforms; really built up the tension nicely, and no need for any alien to be on screen. Jaws did this as well.

Personally I think that they went with the right choice of edit in the cinematic Aliens movie, although the sentry guns are very cool and fit in nicely with the rest of the story. That was the one bit I definitely would have left in.

Not sure if you've seen the special edition of Alien3, but that is definitely the definitive version of the movie, and makes it watchable. How on Earth the butchered mess that made it into the cinema was allowed to happen I really don't know. If the majority of the audience had seen the 'proper' version of Alien3 rather than the theatrical one, I think that their opinion would be much better. Most people never will though.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> The score is really good-I forget Morricone did it because at times is sounds so Carpenter-like. The scene where Fuchs is surprised by a shadow--the music there is really creepy--that gurgling sound. There is a shot in the 1966 Rasputin the Mad Monk  which is similar to that--he passes in front of someone and it's kind of creepy like that.  One shot they did not use in the film which I really liked is where I think Bennings sees someone in a parka shuffling down a dark hallway --I think it's Palmer but they should have kept that sequence in.
> 
> The spfx is amazing but you could make the argument they relied too much on it and especially with the bright lighting. There is a lot that can be done with the story.  The 2011 film--I think only the scene where the two-face creature is walking in search of victims--that is creepy in idea but the reliance on CGI and some other issues undermined it.
> 
> I am not a fan of the 1951 film to be honest-- the idea of the original story is so much more interesting than the plant creatures--but for the time you could say the frankenstein alien worked well enough. There was a sci-fi film historian who was very critical of the Carpenter version-- he felt Kenneth Tobey had more gravitas as the leader than Russell. I can't dispute that--in fact, one criticism of the 1982 film which is certainly justified is that all the characters fight with each other!  There's no camaraderie right from the get go.
> 
> And --Donald Pleasence was originally cast as Blair and--he would have excelled in that part. Brimley is fine but Pleasence would have been amazing and made the threat and scariness of it much more apparent-especially when he is explaining the mutations. And his freak out in the radio room would have been fantastic.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The ending of the 1982 film is rather clever. The fact that they don't know if either of them are in fact a thing alien--that's not a bad ending if you are going to go for a darker conclusion.
> 
> 
> The problem is that Carpenter revisited that kind of ending a little too often. The Ghosts of Mars is the worst example. Why does he have to have the two characters marching along with a jokey attitude-Vampires has that ending too.
> The Dark Horse comic series on the Thing is really good--they do a direct sequel to it. It has some great Thing moments in there - one of the stories has MacReady in a room with a bunch of people and they do a blood test kind of deal and MacReady is the only one who isn't a thing!
> 
> Anyway I wanted another snow movie since I am snowed in at present and searched a IMDB list and found
> THE HEROES OF TELEMARK - a 1965 Kirk Douglas Richard Harris film about Norwegians wanting to blow up a German heavy water factory. There is a lot of snow in this movie. Just tons of it so it delivered. The story was alright--some good suspense and exceptional miniature destruction footage. They plant a bomb on a ferry and are well aware they are going to kill children as well as soldiers--and they are fine with--but then Douglas sees the wife and baby of one of their resistance fighters who died so he decides to sneak back on the ferry--even though he had planted the bomb on it 20 minutes earlier. He tells her to round up all the children and tell them they are going to play a game with life jackets on the other side of the boat. And one kid says "I don't want to play the game!" and he says "you are going to play it if it's the last thing you do."




Donald Pleasance would have been perfect in that role. It's almost as if the part was made for him (perhaps it was). It seems that Carpenter had his favourite actors when it came to making movies, with Kurt Russell and Donald Pleasance both starring in quite a few.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Randy M. said:


> That's my one complaint about the movie. The '51 version shows a threat to a community. *Think how intense the '82 threat would have been to such a close-knit group. Absolutely devastating to guys who'd depended on each other for survival during the war.*
> 
> I don't have a problem with Russell. Time and again he's shown he can carry a movie, and I think he's good here, just that the script missed a bet. But it's also that missed bet that makes it a post-Vietnam movie, with inherent distrust in the leadership.



Very true - it's kind of what 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' was.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> Think how intense the '82 threat would have been to such a close-knit group. Absolutely devastating to guys who'd depended on each other for survival


That is a great point--because this is what I mean about how the blockbuster era sacrificed story and character for fx.
This is a good example.  Missed opportunity for dramatic tension and conflict.

To be fair--maybe they had too many options. The toy box to play in was too big and the cast was not exactly A list. They are fine but usually a film like that would use a more recognizable ensemble.

And Carpenter didn't sound all that enthusiastic about the film in commentaries-especially compared to They Live which does have more developed characters and he seemed to like discussing a lot more. Maybe the pressure of doing a big studio project contributed--the script was by Burt Lancaster's son(?) which sounds like nepotism was calling in a favor.
It's been a while since I read the original story (I stole the book from the school library--I still feel guilty about it).


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> To be fair--maybe they had too many options. The toy box to play in was too big and the cast was not exactly A list. They are fine but usually a film like that would use a more recognizable ensemble.


I'm not sure I entirely agree. The cast was mainly composed of character actors, most of whom had long and full careers. Donald Moffat and Richard Dysert, for instance, were no slouches.

No, I think it had to do with the mindset of the time and script writer, again, post-Vietnam and the consequent souring of the public view of the military and authority in general (see also Snake Pliskin's attitude). And, honestly, last time I reread Campbell's story, I had to admit his characters are more like Carpenter's than like Hawks'. Campbell doesn't spend time getting to know them, working instead in archtypes who tend toward problem-solving, take-charge types.


----------



## Toby Frost

Breakdown was a good film, a simple solid actioner with a paranoid setup and a very good villain. I really enjoyed that.



paranoid marvin said:


> Agreed, it's a top film. One thing they got spot on was having the marine's gun scanners having the bleeps and dots for lifeforms; really built up the tension nicely, and no need for any alien to be on screen. Jaws did this as well.



The scanner was effective in Alien, but Aliens made better use of it overall. Personally, I'd have left out the first Hadley's Hope scene and kept in the rest of the special edition stuff. All the cast are great, but Hudson is a terrific character. Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn and Sigourney Weaver are especially good.

I think quite a few of the alien effects involve either playing film backwards or filming the aliens at odd angles. It's very cleverly done.

If I remember rightly, Macready in the original story was one of those dull, rugged, vastly intelligent (but never nerdy) Competent Man types, which put a dent in the scariness of the situation. The fallibility of the guys in the 1981 film makes it all the more frightening as they start to crack under pressure.


----------



## KGeo777

Randy M. said:


> I'm not sure I entirely agree. The cast was mainly composed of character actors, most of whom had long and full careers. Donald Moffat and Richard Dysert, for instance, were no slouches.


For a feature film costing a lot of money--that cast is mostly B and C listers who never went on to anything.
I had seen Richard Masur before but Fuchs, Windows, Norris, Palmer,  their anonymity might have helped in some ways but when you consider this was a summer blockbuster release, it's not a well-known cast. Russell was not A list either. Donald Pleasence would have been the biggest name if he was in it.

The Great Escape it isn't.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Three Bad Sisters *(1956)

Enjoyably trashy melodrama.  By my count, there is actually One Very Bad Sister, One Somewhat Bad Sister, and One Good But Mixed-Up Sister.  The father of the three young women dies in a plane crash before the movie begins.  VBS blackmails the pilot of the two-person aircraft into romancing GBMUS away from the man to whom she's engaged so he can have power of attorney over the fortune, and VBS can have power over him.  Complications ensue when SBS, whose big joy in life is stealing men away from other women, throws herself at the pilot.  Meanwhile, the pilot really falls in love with GBMUS.  Cue an all-out catfight (ending in a whipping to the face!), a fatal car wreck, a knockdown fight between two guys, attempted murder, a suicide attempt, etc.  GBMUS is a little bland, but VBS (who looks a lot like a young Marilyn Monroe) is a delightfully evil _femme fatale_ and SBS is a hoot, with her constant unsubtle flirting.  She also has a great line.  "I graduated _summa cum laude _from Embraceable U."


----------



## KGeo777

THE DOUBLE MAN 1967 - Another ideal snow movie--lots of snow, and some cool torch-lit skiing in the Austria Tyrol. I think I reviewed this before--the spfx in this are really well done. Can't say anything without spoiling it. Another good snow movie is WHERE EAGLES DARE---like The HEROES OF TELEMARK and THE DOUBLE MAN, they have snow and Anton Diffring.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Island Claws *(1980)

Part 1970's Animals Attack film and part 1950's Big Creature film.  Somehow, a project to increase crab growth for food and an accident at a nuclear power plant cause normal-sized crabs to attack folks.  (Scenes of crabs scuttling around and people pretending to be attacked.)  The last fifteen minutes feature the one giant crab, a pretty decent model.  Lots of time wasted with subplots, people in a local dive, Haitian vodoo getting blamed for the situation (?), etc.  Looks like a made-for-TV movie, although it was released theatrically.  The one giant crab roars in Godzilla/King Kong fashion, which is amusing.


----------



## KGeo777

Robert Lansing is in that.
I remember his grouchy character and some silly supporting character antics.


----------



## paeng

The acting for _Aliens_ is great because it looks so natural. I read that those who played Marines had to do the equivalent of boot camp, and Weaver came in late, which is why they bonded very well and saw Ripley (and the actor who played her) as an outsider.

In addition, I think Cameron rewrote the script four times, and the results show.

There are still flaws in the plot, but it can't be compared to the first movie because they belong to different genres: the first to horror and the second to action because there horror element was negated with the revelation of the alien.

Overall, both do well because they focus on the equivalent of working-class protagonists, e.g, space truckers and grunts, and everything from behavior to dialogue portrays such. They also also for greater sympathy from audiences.


----------



## Stephen Palmer

Out of desperation, we watched Star Trek Into Darkness. It was OK. The actors playing the crew are great, but Khan... totally mis-cast. I simultaneously saw the point of, and cringed at, the nuclear/transparent door scene. 5/10.


----------



## Randy M.

Documentaries, all

*AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE *(2010; dir. Elijah Drenner)

Narrated by Robert Forster and featuring interview with John Landis, Joe Dante, Eddie Mueller and others, this gives a history of grindhouse cinema, its probable reasons for being and its influence on the mainstream “Hollywood” films of the 1930s into the 1970s. From this you can easily create a list of movies most of us will never want to watch; with a bit more effort, you might find some you would want to watch.

* 
WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED* (2022; dir. Kier-La Janisse)

I think I’d need to watch this again to really summarize it, but it touches on the literary efforts that led to folk horror as well as highlighting the examples of films most of us know – _The Wicker Man_, _Witchfinder General_, _Blood on Satan’s Claw_ – and then broadens out to include other than Western examples. Really, quite a lot packed into this 3+ hour documentary.


*LOVECRAFT: FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN *(2020; dir. Frank H. Woodward)

Gives a rundown of HPL’s life and work, without dismissing or diminishing his less pleasant qualities, with a little context of the times. Includes interviews with Neil Gaiman, John Carpenter, Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Straub, Ramsey Campbell, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and others about Lovecraft’s work and the effects it had on them. Probably an obvious observation, but no interviews with, say, Black writers were included.


On the whole, these were worth watching, especially _Woodlands..._


----------



## Parson

Watched *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *(2011) for the first time. I really loved the book and so was curious and worried about what the movie would be like.

I was happily surprised. The movie works and works very well. Lisbeth as played by Rooney Mara was absolutely brilliant. She is exactly as I had pictured her. Daniel Craig as Michael Blomkvist was good, but I thought he made Michael a little more debonair than the character in the book.

I was surprised, I guess happily, that the movie could be reasonably faithful to the book, make what I thought was a major change to the ending and still work, maybe better but less satisfyingly.

*Movie rating:*

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- good --- *Recommended* --- Shouldn’t be Missed

*Book rating:*

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- good --- Recommended --- *Shouldn’t be Missed*


----------



## Ubergeek

KGeo777 said:


> RUNAWAY TRAIN 1985 - After a snowfall I like to watch snowy movies. Funny thing about this one is that it has a veneer of art house seriousness and yet there are various threads of lowbrow exploitation. It works but it is an odd film for that mix of genre styles. Jon Voight, as he does in Anaconda, brings it to a different level. He's going for the Oscar in these films. Meanwhile John P. Ryan is basically doing a Charles Bronson film. "God, don't kill them. Let me do it."


Thanks   KGeo777  .   Just noticed the UK  TV  channel   TPTV   is showing that over Christmas .    Looking forward to catching it ,  hopefully on a much needed rest day from work  !


----------



## hitmouse

Parson said:


> Watched *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo *(2011) for the first time. I really loved the book and so was curious and worried about what the movie would be like.
> 
> I was happily surprised. The movie works and works very well. Lisbeth as played by Rooney Mara was absolutely brilliant. She is exactly as I had pictured her. Daniel Craig as Michael Blomkvist was good, but I thought he made Michael a little more debonair than the character in the book.
> 
> I was surprised, I guess happily, that the movie could be reasonably faithful to the book, make what I thought was a major change to the ending and still work, maybe better but less satisfyingly.
> 
> *Movie rating:*
> 
> Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- good --- *Recommended* --- Shouldn’t be Missed
> 
> *Book rating:*
> 
> Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- good --- Recommended --- *Shouldn’t be Missed*


See if you can find the 2009 Swedish film of the book starring Noomi Rapace, for comparison. I think both versions are excellent. The whole trilogy has been filmed in Swedish with the same cast. Avoid the 4th film which is rubbish.


----------



## KGeo777

AMADEUS 1984 - Since it has snow. I watched the Director's Cut. So, there it is.


----------



## paeng

_Runaway Train_ is known as an existentialist action movie. Genre-wise, reminds me of _Wages of Fear_ and the remake _Sorcerer_.


----------



## Dave

I've watched a pile of Christmas films last week. I feel that the quality of Christmas films has much room for improvement. *Miracle of 34th Street* isn't nearly as good as people tell you it is. Many of these romantic comedies, while not my own "thing" I can see their appeal - such as *The Holiday*. But by far the worst was *Deck the Halls*. Honestly, just don't bother with that one. It's worse even than *Jingle All the Way *if that's possible! Even *The Grinch* was just meh! I don't really know what my top five would be, but *Die Hard*, *Elf* and *It's A Wonderful Life* must be among them. I expect I'd have to have *A Christmas Carol* in the top ten and *Santa Claus Conquers the Martians *just for childhood memory reasons. Should have made a new thread and a couple of polls for best and worst really.


----------



## AE35Unit

KGeo777 said:


> AMADEUS 1984 - Since it has snow. I watched the Director's Cut. So, there it is.


Brilliant film


----------



## paeng




----------



## hitmouse

*Deathstalker* (1983). Large quantities of naked female flesh surrounded by a very poorly produced S&S movie. I suspect this film was never very good, but it certainly has not aged well. Kudos  for squeezing in every cod-Howard, sub-Gor 1980s cliche into 80 minutes.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> AMADEUS 1984 - Since it has snow. I watched the Director's Cut. So, there it is.



Brilliant, funny, intriguing and tragic - just like the composer himself. Brilliant potrayl of Salieri by F.Murray Abraham, for which he earned a well deserved Oscar.


----------



## KGeo777

I felt the movie was so well-known charted I didn't feel the need to comment on it --I saw F Murray Abraham in a KOJAK episode recently-strong presence even when opposite more famous people like Savalas or Eli Wallach.  The makeup job is really good on him too. I know that won an award.
Beyond the melodramatic stuff--which is a matter of taste  since they play  with the known history between Mozart and Salieri. The scene that stands out to me is when they are collaborating to compose the score. There are not many movies where you have a dramatic scene in which people do a creative activity that completely engrosses them-especially if they are presented as antagonistic towards each other--they have a common ground with that activity. In The Agony and the Ecstasy there's a scene  where Michelangelo and the Pope are discussing his drawing plans while a battle is unfolding. The Columbo episode Any Port in A Storm has some of that too--where the activity of wine appreciation transcends the conflicts between characters.

The wife in the movie is presented as being completely indifferent to his music--except she doesn't want him to get ripped off financially. There was criticism I heard that she was a bad choice for the part but I think the decision to choose American actors with very modern accents (and Roy Dotrice puts on an American accent as well--I am guessing in an attempt to not make him stand out too much -- there are only a few people in it with a British accent) was deliberate in order to present them as musically ignorant. Their voices are so harsh--Kenneth McMillan for example. Jeffrey Jones is interesting for the fact that he has no musical talent but he does appreciate music so he's less abrasive than Berridge or McMillan.  He's more sympathetic than the wife.

The scene where she goes to prostitute herself--and Salieri deliberately shames her with the servant. It isn't a necessary scene  (although her crying scene that comes after it shows that she can act and it is rather touching--she has no guile or arrogance--and she was just trying to help her husband) but the impression I got was that Salieri was less disgusted with her being willing to sell herself for her husband's work--it was that she threw aside Mozart's music which was an insult to him and Mozart--and that offended Salieri.  Because if you think about it--the real romance in the story is between Salieri and Mozart--about music. Nothing else matters but their shared passion for music and how it affects them differently and together. This idea comes out more in the Director's cut.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> I felt the movie was so well-known charted I didn't feel the need to comment on it --I saw F Murray Abraham in a KOJAK episode recently-strong presence even when opposite more famous people like Savalas or Eli Wallach.  The makeup job is really good on him too. I know that won an award.
> Beyond the melodramatic stuff--which is a matter of taste  since they play  with the known history between Mozart and Salieri. The scene that stands out to me is when they are collaborating to compose the score. There are not many movies where you have a dramatic scene in which people do a creative activity that completely engrosses them-especially if they are presented as antagonistic towards each other--they have a common ground with that activity. In The Agony and the Ecstasy there's a scene  where Michelangelo and the Pope are discussing his drawing plans while a battle is unfolding. The Columbo episode Any Port in A Storm has some of that too--where the activity of wine appreciation transcends the conflicts between characters.
> 
> The wife in the movie is presented as being completely indifferent to his music--except she doesn't want him to get ripped off financially. There was criticism I heard that she was a bad choice for the part but I think the decision to choose American actors with very modern accents (and Roy Dotrice puts on an American accent as well--I am guessing in an attempt to not make him stand out too much -- there are only a few people in it with a British accent) was deliberate in order to present them as musically ignorant. Their voices are so harsh--Kenneth McMillan for example. Jeffrey Jones is interesting for the fact that he has no musical talent but he does appreciate music so he's less abrasive than Berridge or McMillan.  He's more sympathetic than the wife.
> 
> The scene where she goes to prostitute herself--and Salieri deliberately shames her with the servant. It isn't a necessary scene  (although her crying scene that comes after it shows that she can act and it is rather touching--she has no guile or arrogance--and she was just trying to help her husband) but the impression I got was that Salieri was less disgusted with her being willing to sell herself for her husband's work--it was that she threw aside Mozart's music which was an insult to him and Mozart--and that offended Salieri.  Because if you think about it--the real romance in the story is between Salieri and Mozart--about music. Nothing else matters but their shared passion for music and how it affects them differently and together. This idea comes out more in the Director's cut.




I think I've seen the original movie, but the one that I've watched most often is the 'director's cut' on DVD. I understand that the director himself considers the original movie as the 'director's cut' and the DVD 'the DVD cut' so there must be some significant changes. Apparently there's a 4k restoration in the work, which is of the cinematic version. The visuals and music in the movie already look stunning, so I can't imagine how well a restored version would be. I only buy 4k versions of movies I particularly like, this (if it ever comes out) would be one of them.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions *_(Cairo Nest of Spies) _- amusing, but not as funny as I had hoped, Bond spoof with Jean Dujardin hamming up it up deliciously.


----------



## KGeo777

DRACULA 1992 - I hadn't planned to rewatch this but then decided what the heck. It is an exercise in over-indulgence. Coppola just wanted to play around with techniques. It is a terrible version of Dracula--often times unintentionally funny. Oldman is a great actor and amusing to watch but he is a terrible Dracula. The moment all is lost is when he asks "do you believe in Destiny?" That line kills any actor.

His scenes with Winona Ryder are often just painfully excessive. And Anthony Hopkins is not a good Van Helsing in this. He has a cavalier who cares attitude.  Some people like Richard E Grant try--and Sadie Frost is amusing in a goofy mad way,  but it just does not work as a horror film. It is a weird drug-fueled romantic dream mess.  
There's only two scenes that work as horror--that's when Dracula appears in bat mode to Van Helsing and friends and he turns into rats. And when Van Helsing is confronted by the brides and they attack the horse. 
 The only actor who seems to be locked into a traditional horror film performance is Tom Waits who is great as Renfield. I think he is the best I have ever seen doing the character. 

Oh, did I forget someone?
I think I did.
Keanu Reeves! Yes his accent is terrible. And I feel sorry for the TWO dialect coaches on this film--they must have felt defeated utterly when he opens his mouth. On the other hand--let's be fair. Jonathan Harker is a very boring character.  Even if he speaking with a recognizable accent that did not waver, he would still be disadvantaged. The greying hair at least gave him some dramatic eccentricity? Alas, it was a just a bit of hair coloring but it helped.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Sugar Hill *(1974)

Blaxploitation zombie flick.  Our heroine is Diana "Sugar" Hill.  The opening titles show a typical cliché voodoo ritual, while the soundtrack offers the funky soul song "Supernatural Voodoo Woman."  Surprise!  It's actually a nightclub act.  We meet Sugar and her boyfriend, who owns the nightclub.  (Appropriately enough, it's called the Haiti Club.)  Mobsters kill the club owner for not selling out to the big crime boss.  Sugar goes to visit an elderly voodoo priestess, and they manifest Baron Samedi himself.  Pretty soon the baron raises a bunch of zombies out of the ground.  Mind you, we're only twenty minutes into the film.

The zombies have bulging silver eyes (obviously fake, but kinda cool), grayish skin, and are covered with dirt and cobwebs and such.  We get a bunch of scenes of the bad guys getting killed in various gruesome ways.  Baron Samedi is always on hand, disguised as an ordinary man, but reverts to his grinning, laughing, creepy self.  (Funny bit:  When he's disguised as a bartender, he offers a soon-to-be-victim a drink; a zombie, of course.)

Somewhat campy, of course, but the actors take everything very seriously and it's nicely filmed in a spooky kind of PG-rated way.  I liked it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> DRACULA 1992 - I hadn't planned to rewatch this but then decided what the heck. It is an exercise in over-indulgence. Coppola just wanted to play around with techniques. It is a terrible version of Dracula--often times unintentionally funny. Oldman is a great actor and amusing to watch but he is a terrible Dracula. The moment all is lost is when he asks "do you believe in Destiny?" That line kills any actor.
> 
> His scenes with Winona Ryder are often just painfully excessive. And Anthony Hopkins is not a good Van Helsing in this. He has a cavalier who cares attitude.  Some people like Richard E Grant try--and Sadie Frost is amusing in a goofy mad way,  but it just does not work as a horror film. It is a weird drug-fueled romantic dream mess.
> There's only two scenes that work as horror--that's when Dracula appears in bat mode to Van Helsing and friends and he turns into rats. And when Van Helsing is confronted by the brides and they attack the horse.
> The only actor who seems to be locked into a traditional horror film performance is Tom Waits who is great as Renfield. I think he is the best I have ever seen doing the character.
> 
> Oh, did I forget someone?
> I think I did.
> Keanu Reeves! Yes his accent is terrible. And I feel sorry for the TWO dialect coaches on this film--they must have felt defeated utterly when he opens his mouth. On the other hand--let's be fair. Jonathan Harker is a very boring character.  Even if he speaking with a recognizable accent that did not waver, he would still be disadvantaged. The greying hair at least gave him some dramatic eccentricity? Alas, it was a just a bit of hair coloring but it helped.



It's often said that Christopher Lee was the best Count Dracula; he's definitely the most frightening, but I'm sure how close he is to Stoker's original character. There was never a better van Helsing than Peter Cushing (same goes for Baron Frankenstein).


----------



## KGeo777

Cushing did Van Helsing as a Sherlock Holmes kind of guy. That also changed the character from the grandfatherly perception. Frank Finlay was a good Van Helsing in the more eccentric mold.
I think Jack Palance was the most physically intimidating Dracula but the script and story is not ideal and I don't think he had the right attitude for it. Lugosi (in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)  and Lee were more theatrically villainous.
The author of The Vampire Cinema lamented that they never did a Dracula where he is presented as a military conqueror. Lee came close at times but was limited by the budget and scope of the story.
They keep doing Dracula as romantic figure instead of intimidating monster or demon.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Scrooged (1988): a modern retelling of A Christmas Carol. Not as funny as I remembered it, and the epiphany the main character experiences comes far too suddenly. C+ or B-, I guess.


----------



## Foxbat

KGeo777 said:


> DRACULA 1992 - I hadn't planned to rewatch this but then decided what the heck. It is an exercise in over-indulgence. Coppola just wanted to play around with techniques. It is a terrible version of Dracula--often times unintentionally funny. Oldman is a great actor and amusing to watch but he is a terrible Dracula. The moment all is lost is when he asks "do you believe in Destiny?" That line kills any actor.
> 
> His scenes with Winona Ryder are often just painfully excessive. And Anthony Hopkins is not a good Van Helsing in this. He has a cavalier who cares attitude.  Some people like Richard E Grant try--and Sadie Frost is amusing in a goofy mad way,  but it just does not work as a horror film. It is a weird drug-fueled romantic dream mess.
> There's only two scenes that work as horror--that's when Dracula appears in bat mode to Van Helsing and friends and he turns into rats. And when Van Helsing is confronted by the brides and they attack the horse.
> The only actor who seems to be locked into a traditional horror film performance is Tom Waits who is great as Renfield. I think he is the best I have ever seen doing the character.
> 
> Oh, did I forget someone?
> I think I did.
> Keanu Reeves! Yes his accent is terrible. And I feel sorry for the TWO dialect coaches on this film--they must have felt defeated utterly when he opens his mouth. On the other hand--let's be fair. Jonathan Harker is a very boring character.  Even if he speaking with a recognizable accent that did not waver, he would still be disadvantaged. The greying hair at least gave him some dramatic eccentricity? Alas, it was a just a bit of hair coloring but it helped.


I love the score. A pity the movie couldn’t match the majesty of the music.


----------



## paranoid marvin

KGeo777 said:


> Cushing did Van Helsing as a Sherlock Holmes kind of guy. That also changed the character from the grandfatherly perception. Frank Finlay was a good Van Helsing in the more eccentric mold.
> I think Jack Palance was the most physically intimidating Dracula but the script and story is not ideal and I don't think he had the right attitude for it. Lugosi (in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)  and Lee were more theatrically villainous.
> The author of The Vampire Cinema lamented that they never did a Dracula where he is presented as a military conqueror. Lee came close at times but was limited by the budget and scope of the story.
> They keep doing Dracula as romantic figure instead of intimidating monster or demon.




There was a very good, faithful version done by the BBC in the 1970s called 'Count Dracula' that is worth checking out.

Although by far the best version was one I saw performed live amongst the ruins of Whitby Abbey (Dracula's fictionalised first stop off point in England). It was actually at night on Halloween, so quite a fun and spooky time to watch it. I've been to two performances now, and it seems to be the same three actors and the same script, but it's awfully good fun with plenty of audience interaction.

There's a recording of it over on Youtube and is well worth a watch at just under 1 hour.


----------



## Foxbat

Dracula the ballet was surprisingly awesome when I went to see it.


----------



## Vince W

paranoid marvin said:


> There was a very good, faithful version done by the BBC in the 1970s called 'Count Dracula' that is worth checking out.


Yes, it is. I saw part of it in 77 and it scared me so much I still haven't finished it.


----------



## Toby Frost

KGeo777 said:


> DRACULA 1992 - I hadn't planned to rewatch this but then decided what the heck.



When I first saw this film I thought it was ridiculous and awful, but it's grown on me over the years. I think it's kitsch, really: the weird casting, the strange outfits and so on. It doesn't work as a horror film, but I think it does work as a melodrama - although I might just be overthinking this and trying to find a fancy reason for liking the "Winona Ryder in a nightie" film. 

The score is excellent.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Toby Frost said:


> When I first saw this film I thought it was ridiculous and awful, but it's grown on me over the years. I think it's kitsch, really: the weird casting, the strange outfits and so on. It doesn't work as a horror film, but I think it does work as a melodrama - although I might just be overthinking this and trying to find a fancy reason for liking the "Winona Ryder in a nightie" film.
> 
> The score is excellent.



'Strange outfits'?  I *love* the costumes in this film - the first time I had come across Eiko Ishioka's work.  I'll watch anything she costumed.  Sadly she didn't do many films, but her work on those she did is wonderful.  She even made parts of_ The Cell _look good.


----------



## KGeo777

The costumes weren't distracting for me---it's the weird camera tricks they keep doing.  The sped up film, the use of weird visual gimmicks.
The early stuff with the wolves and the carriage--that was well done but then it gets crazier.

I notice there's a credit for the Brides Motion coach

Whoever came up with that idea of them gathering on each other like a spider or something and the camera speed being very fast--that was a bad idea.

Tom Waits seems to be in a different movie.
"I am a sane man fighting for his soul!"
Renfield is usually annoying or boring but here he really was memorable.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Just returning from Violent Night. Basically Die Hard with Santa Claus, only fantasy and employing more gallows humor. I really enjoyed it. An action Christmas movie might not entirely be fresh (Fatman, startting Mel Gibson), but it had heart and was pretty funny. One of the main characters sets booby traps à la the Home Alone series.


----------



## JunkMonkey

KGeo777 said:


> The costumes weren't distracting for me---it's the weird camera tricks they keep doing.  The sped up film, the use of weird visual gimmicks.
> The early stuff with the wolves and the carriage--that was well done but then it gets crazier.
> 
> I notice there's a credit for the Brides Motion coach
> 
> Whoever came up with that idea of them gathering on each other like a spider or something and the camera speed being very fast--that was a bad idea.
> 
> Tom Waits seems to be in a different movie.
> "I am a sane man fighting for his soul!"
> Renfield is usually annoying or boring but here he really was memorable.



Presumably the Brides Motion Coach is for the sequence where the film is reversed and forward motion becomes backward - like the sequence in _Tron Legacy_ where the 'women' programmes walk simultaneously towards our hero and kit him out with the gear he will need for the arena.  I like in-camera effects. I much prefer watching well thought out stuff like that, real old-fashioned film-making craft, than any amount of  CGI.

That moment when the count leaves his shadow behind and appears from the 'wrong' side of the screen by simply having a double cast the shadow and Oldman just walk round the back of the camera is great.


----------



## KGeo777

I do like that shadow gimmick but that's not a camera technique--that's on set trickery-- I  think it would have worked better in a real horror movie.
 Nothing destroys Dracula like the resurrected love trope.
I hate that in a vampire movie.

It works ok in Blacula and maybe Dark Shadows I guess but for Dracula it turns him into Count Sap.

I think Jason Isaacs would have been a better Dracula (maybe he was too young at the time)--he reminded me of Conrad Veidt who I think would have been a really great Dracula.
Oldman is good in anything but he's not sinister enough for Dracula.

At time he seems like he is channeling John Lennon.
The bat scene in the room--that feels like the strongest Dracula moment but he is totally covered up in makeup so...


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Cage of Evil *(1960)

Low budget B crime drama that manages to hold one's interest.  Starts off as a _Dragnet _style police procedural, narrator and all, with the investigation of the robbery of uncut diamonds that turns into a murder case when a guy who got beat up dies.  Our first clue that our antihero isn't Joe Friday comes when he becomes bitter for not getting promoted, and he slaps around a supposed suspect.  He gets assigned to tail the girlfriend of the crime boss who is suspected of being behind the robbery.  Before you can say "The Postman Always Rings Twice," they fall deeply in love and scheme to kill the crime boss and keep the diamonds.  As you'd imagine, things get way out of hand, with another murder to follow and further complications.  Professionally made and decently acted.  Not a _film noir _classic, but worth a look.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Hands of the Ripper *(1971)

Hammer psychological shocker.  Jack the Ripper rushes away from a crowd after him, into what must be his family home.  His wife (I assume) figures out that he's the Ripper -- the blood all over his hands is a strong clue -- so he stabs her to death.  Watching all this is their young daughter.

Cut to some years later.  The little girl is now a young woman, working for a phony medium.  (How did she wind up there?  What happened to Jack?  The film doesn't say.)  A politician pays the medium a bunch of money to have his way with the innocent virgin.  The light reflecting off a piece of jewelry sends her into a trance state.  Next thing we know, she's killed the medium by shoving a poker through her body and through a door.  (The trance seems to give her super strength.)  The politician runs off, to become a fairly important character throughout the film.

A physician who is eager to try out the new theories of this fellow Freud takes the young woman under his wing.  Despite the fact that light reflecting off shiny things sends her into further homicidal trances, he covers up her crimes and insists he can cure her.  He's really the tragic hero of the story, dooming himself and others by his obsession.  Throw in the physician's adult son and the son's blind fiancée, and things start to come too close to home.

Like almost all Hammer productions, it's handsomely filmed and well-acted.  There's a particularly fine soundtrack, so the climax of the movie is almost literally operatic.  There's more gore than usual for a Hammer production, and less Hammer glamour.  The plot is very simple and moves rather slowly, but it's worth a look.


----------



## KGeo777

Hands of the Ripper is one of the best Hammer films of the 70s. The ending most definitely gets into operatic territory. It's impressively grand and sad. Very sympathetic lead-and Eric Porter shows that they could make a decent film without Cushing or Lee.
Noticed they did the clairvoyant/Jack the Ripper scene a decade before Murder By Decree.


Sugar Hill was mentioned--that has Robert Quarry as a racially outspoken mob guy if I recall correctly. This has it beat.

DRUM 1976 --A sequel to a film (Mandingo) I have not seen. It's basically exploitation masquerading as a historical drama but it is far too uninhibited and broad in tone to work as a sincere social commentary. It goes from comedy (some of the dialogue is laugh out loud hilarious) to extreme violence. Warren Oates is a fun-lovin', plain-speakin' slave breeder who asks a brothel madam to recruit him a whore to become mistress of his house. He doesn't want a wife because they won't understand his wenching ways with the slave women. He wants a white woman only to be a housekeeper. He gets a candidate for the job ( Fiona Lewis ) but she isn't pleased that he has Pam Grier for his personal use or that Oates' daughter is constantly trying to remove the pants of all the black male slaves in the plantation. The title character (Ken Norton) is pretty dull compared to the rest of the cast, which includes Yaphet Kotto as the leader of a slave revolt. But the real surprising stand out is John Colicos in a role that would probably cause a riot these days. 



Spoiler



He is a French slave trader who likes to stage fighting matches between male slaves. Drum beats his slave champion (Kotto) and as reward, he gets him a woman (from a slave auction). Colicos goes about feeling up the women to pick one for Drum. After she is selected and they go to a room, Colicos comes in and starts removing his clothes, saying that he wants to join them in the bed. When Drum protests sharing the woman Colicos assures him that he is not sexually interested in her, only him!



If there was a  Politically Incorrect Film Awards--and I would nominate Colicos for some category in it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Waiting for Guffman *(1996)

Mockumentary about putting on a theatrical production to honor the 150th anniversary of a small town in Missouri.  An opportunity to have a bunch of brilliant comic actors offer hilarious improvisation.  The last half hour or so is the production itself, which is delightfully bad.  It must be hard for superb performers to pretend to be poor performers.  During the closing credits there's a funny bit about movie tie-in products, such as *My Dinner With Andre *action figures and *The Remains of the Day *lunch boxes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Glengarry Glen Ross *(1992)

David Mamet's adaptation of his own play about real estate salesmen.  As tense as any thriller (and there is a crime story/whodunit aspect to the plot), as terrifying as any horror film, as moving as any tragedy.  A superb cast elevates Mamet's elliptical, repetitious, profanity-laden dialogue and monologues into operatic arias of anger and despair.  Highly recommended.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade *(1989)

After greatly enjoying *Raiders of the Lost Ark*, I was severely disappointed by *Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom*.  It felt cartoonish by comparison.  I'm glad to see that the third in the series is very much an improvement.  There's a certain _gravitas _that makes it more than just a series of action sequences.


----------



## KGeo777

Someone took the Richard Roma rant in Glengarry Glen Ross and called up someone on a prank.  It's quite something when you consider it as a new kind of interactive audio theater.









I consider Glengarry Glen Ross the first in the Kevin Spacey Triumphant trilogy.
The other two being The Usual Suspects and Se7en.
In all three his character faces challenges and yet comes out on top.


Last Crusade-- I will say this for Temple of Doom. Mola Ram was a great villain. He was like a Bela Lugosi kind of threat.
Last Crusade didn't have interesting bad guys.  Julian Glover not an inspired choice.
 River Phoenix did a really good job with Harrison Ford mannerisms. You can really see it in the sequence where he grabs the snake and is talking to his scout friend.


----------



## paeng

Depressing movie; reminds me of work.

Warning: NSFW (profanities)


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy* (_La Momia Azteca contra el Robot Humano_, 1957)

Third (and last) in the Mexican Aztec Mummy series.  Consists largely of recycled footage from the first two to give us our back story.  Mixes typical mummy movie stuff (mummy reanimated to retrieve stuff taken from his tomb, modern woman is reincarnation of Aztec woman sacrificed long ago, etc.) with Mad Scientist stuff.  As the original title reveals, Mad Scientist creates a "human robot" by putting a brain into the body of a goofy-looking machine straight out of a 1930's serial.  The story crawls along until the title fight sequence.  Made tolerable by watching the MST3K version, which also includes Chapter One of the serial *Radar Men from the Moon*.


----------



## Bick

I went to see the new Avatar film with my son. We both agreed it was a spectacular cinematic experience. But nothing occurs in it to change the status quo for either the good guys or the bad guys. The scenario on the world is effectively unchanged following after sitting through more than 3 hours of film. Which seems like a plotting problem to me.


----------



## Toby Frost

Or an opportunity for sequels... (in fairness, both)



KGeo777 said:


> I consider Glengarry Glen Ross the first in the Kevin Spacey Triumphant trilogy.



A friend of mine reckoned that Spacey had a clause in his contract saying that he always had to be the cleverest man in the film. It's pretty much true: even if he was playing an idiot, he'd be wiser than all the other characters.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Great Expectations *(1946)
Good stuff. Now following it with *Oliver Twist* (1948)
Very good stuff! And a very young Diana Dors in a small part (Charlotte)


----------



## KGeo777

Toby Frost said:


> Or an opportunity for sequels... (in fairness, both)
> 
> 
> 
> A friend of mine reckoned that Spacey had a clause in his contract saying that he always had to be the cleverest man in the film. It's pretty much true: even if he was playing an idiot, he'd be wiser than all the other characters.




*what is funny about them--is that you could argue for a different ending for the latter two films. Not sure about Glengarry Glen Ross
but with The Usual Suspects and Se7en, I think the ending could have been more interesting--ironic.



Spoiler



If Spacey gets obstructed in the street by a real physically disabled person and that allows the cop to catch up with him.

And in Se7en, it seems to me they really blew the ending--because John Doe was saying how disappointing life was--and yet he got exactly what he wanted. If Pitt had shot himself instead, it would have  created the same circumstances for  Morgan Freeman but ironically, made John Doe's point about things.


----------



## hitmouse

*The Banshees of Inesherin* (2022) very bleak comedy set on an island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, which is only dimly aware of the civil war happening just across the water. Brendan Gleason decides that he will no longer be Colin Farrell’s friend because the latter is boring. One thing leads to another, basically because there is nothing much else to do except go to the pub with the bloke down the road. Excellent film with 2 brilliant lead actors. Some very funny scenes, but overall this is a tragedy about loneliness. Do not expect another *In Bruges*.


----------



## Rodders

I'm rather embarrassed to say that i watched a Rob Schneider movie called "Big Stan". As you'd expect, it was quite childish and i found it quite funny.


----------



## Jeffbert

*SUPER SIZE ME* (2004) TCM  showed this in November, & I had forgotten about it until today. More information than I wanted! I really did not want to see the guy in his doctor's office, etc., though everything else was o.k. As he was already feeling rather ill, after only 10 days or so, he should have quit with that. 

I am surprised that there was no mention of the contests that MC DONALDS  ran back then, in which the Super sized combo meals had more chances to win; though the prizes were usually french fries, etc.  You got two rather than just one game token with Super sized meals. 

I was a fan of those meals, if, for no better reason, than the dishwasher-safe 32 ounce snap-lid cups, complete with scenes  from movies wrapped around them. I was making iced tea and reusing those cups, back then, when I was younger, & not having certain age related issues. I had Hardees' MOOSE cups, Mc Donalds' cups, others also. I had the BATMAN mini 'Frisbee' tops, lost them, since. 

o.k., I admit that I had next to zero sense of moderation, & wolfed down the Super size or Biggie fries, with no worry about gaining weight. I went to movies, and bought the biggest tub of popcorn, the biggest soda, (no ice; I was not going to drink watered down soda!)

So, after watching this, I went to KFC, & bought 12 pieces of dark meat, & one small fries (extra hot). It will last me about 10 days, eating other things, every other day. Longevity is not one of my goals. 

Seeing the sad situation with school meals & fast food, carbonated drinks, etc., I understand the idea of changing the menus, but, doing it all at once, is sure to be a failure! Gradually put some whole grains in the breads and pizza crust.  Shove the good foods down the kids throats, & they will not eat it!


----------



## Jeffbert

_*LA MAIN DU DIABLE*_ / _*The Devil's Hand*_ (1943) This mediocre painter is persuaded to purchase a left hand in a box by a chef desperate to part with it. The price was one penny (English translation), and grasping the chef's left hand, while saying that he purchased it from him. dropping the penny in his right hand.  Immediately, the chef's left hand vanishes, the artist gains fame, wealth, etc. But, one year later, the devil, in the guise of a little old man, comes, demanding payment.  He says the artist must sell the talisman for half of what he had paid for it, but there is no such coin anymore. Still, the devil will take it for just the one penny, the guy will be safe from eternal damnation, but, he will lose all the benefits gained from it. He can even take a few days to think it over, but, as the guy in the BLACKMAIL sketch said, "the longer you leave it, the more you have to pay!" In this case, the price doubles daily! 

Something about this seemed familiar;  but, I know it was not CURSE OF THE DEMON. It is possible that I had seen this before,  perhaps under the alternate title. 

Really enjoyed this!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Red Sun *(1971)

Definitely an international effort.  It's an Italian/French production with a British director (Terence Young) and a leading cast consisting of American (Charles Bronson), Japanese (Toshiro Mifune), French (Alain Delon), and Swiss (Ursula Andress) performers.

In 1870, Bronson leads an elaborate robbery of a train carrying $400,000.  It also has the Japanese ambassador to the United States aboard a private car.  Delon is Bronson's second-in-command, nicknamed "Gauche" because he's left-handed.  He steals a gold-encrusted sword meant as a gift from the Emperor to the President, killing one of two samurai guards in the process.  Since the surviving samurai is Mifune, you know he's in big trouble.

Delon betrays Bronson, tossing a stick of dynamite but failing to kill him.  The Japanese ambassador makes a deal with him.  Help Mifune find Delon and get the sword back, because now it's a matter of honor, or get his head cut off.  

So begins the odyssey of the mismatched pair of tough guys.  Complicating matters is Delon's girlfriend, brothel worker Andress, who proves to have a treacherous streak herself. and the presence of hostile Comanches.

Tons of action and a huge body count make for a thrill ride, and the two macho co-stars make an interesting pair.


----------



## jd73

I’m obsessed with sci fi shorts on YouTube - Dust, Alter, etc. Here’s a sexy little film from H1


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Stalker *(1979)

Director Andrei Tarkovksy, the Soviet Stanley Kubrick, adapts Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novel _Roadside Picnic _(with screenplay by the brothers, although it's said to be a loose adaptation) into this enigmatic, dreamlike drama.  The plot (the Stalker leads the Writer and the Professor into the dangerous and forbidden Zone in search of the Room said to fulfill one's desire) isn't the point.  Rather the film's striking visuals and sound and opaque philosophical musings and allegories would see to be the main thing.  I've never seen cinematographic with such texture, for lack of a better term.  Don't ask me what it all means, but it's a haunting experience.


----------



## Rodders

A couple of really interesting movies, Victoria. I really enjoyed Red Sun, although it has been a while since i saw it. The final scene was excellent.

Still not seen Stalker (or read Roadside Picnic), but it is a movie that i want to watch.


----------



## Jeffbert

I saw STALKER, and expecting SF, was constantly waiting for something to happen; which, as I recall, it did not.


----------



## Mouse

*Brian and Charles*. Brilliant British madness.


----------



## KGeo777

NIGHT CREATURES/CAPTAIN CLEGG 1962 -- made at the same time that Disney did its own version of the Dr Syn stories. Disney had more money but they come out around the same in visual look- the Disney version is more family oriented.  This gives a big part to Michael Ripper as the right hand man for Peter Cushing.  It is interesting that they do not shy away from the violence of the pirates-turned-clergy and King's soldiers in this. There are cheerful and murderous--they kill an informant who exposed their smuggling. There are a couple of themes running in this story courtesy of Anthony Hinds, who liked adding interesting depth to the plot. One involves the nature of redemption and the other concerns the Milton Reid character who might have a lot more to do with Clegg's daughter than the censors of the time would allow to be revealed.


----------



## KGeo777

The comanche vs samurai fight is a highlight of RED SUN.


----------



## AE35Unit

*What's Love Got to Do With It *(1993)
I have nothing but admiration for Tina Turner, and Angela Bassett does an amazing job.
As for Ike, what an utter piece of ****


----------



## JunkMonkey

Jeffbert said:


> I saw STALKER, and expecting SF, was constantly waiting for something to happen; which, as I recall, it did not.



Me too.   I liked the book though which is pretty short; you could probably read it in the time it takes to watch the film.


----------



## hitmouse

AE35Unit said:


> *What's Love Got to Do With It *(1993)
> I have nothing but admiration for Tina Turner, and Angela Bassett does an amazing job.
> As for Ike, what an utter piece of ****


Some critics have said that the portrayal of Ike lacked nuance.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks*_ (1976) Though killed at the end of ILSA, SHE WOLF of the SS, Ilsa is alive and well for this sequel.  I never saw the 1st film, learned of her demise while running the commentary; which, I enjoyed as much as, if not more than the film, itself.

A very naughty film. Bad guys are abducting young honeys and selling them to the oil Sheikhs (no 'h' in the title). But, they go far beyond just that. I will spare you the sordid details.

So, the guy who rules the very small nation is a usurper, who put the true heir to the throne in the dungeon. A Henry Kissinger-type and one other American come to make a treaty for the oil, but the other American is also the hero.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Duke*

Not as good as I hoped it would be, or as could as it could have been, but an enjoyable crime romp that doesn't outstay it's welcome.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Jabberwocky *(1977)

Terry Gilliam's first solo directorial effort, after co-directing *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* a couple of years earlier.  Comparisons between the two films are inevitable.  Striking visuals in a pseudo-medieval setting?  Check.  Presence of Michael Palin?  Check.

Although both are, of course, comedies, *Jabberwocky *is much darker, although there's a touch of Python silliness here and there.  The bloody violence in the earlier film is cartoonish; here, it seems all too real.  This satire of heroic derring-do reminds me, a bit, of _Don Quixote_; the grimy, gritty setting and scatological humor reminds me, a bit of "The Miller's Tale."  It seems like the kind of movie that a medieval peasant, fed up with the so-called upper classes, might have liked.

The plot follows the misadventures of Palin while the hideous Jabberwock is terrifying the countryside.  The creature shows up in the last ten minutes, and it's a pretty impressive monster.  Not a film for those expecting a laugh riot, but well worth a look.


----------



## CupofJoe

*Matilda: The Musical* [2022]
Wonderful. A surreal experience with some great songs and set pieces.
The young actor* Alisha Weir* playing Matilda holds the screen and can belt out the songs [*Naughty* is a great song!]. She more than holds her own against *Emma Thompson*'s truly terrifying Miss Trunchbull [loved the Diving Boots!].
All the actors, child and adult, really work., with special notice for *Stephen Graham* as Matilda's venal and cruel father and *Sindu Vee* as Matilda's only friend Mrs Phelps the Mobile Librarian.
I know it's a musical with children but I wouldn't call it a children's film as some scenes [usually when Miss Trunchbull is in full flow] are genuinely scary. But I'm also guessing that any kid that sees this film will be cheering Matilda on [and learning the lesson that sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty].


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Doctor Death:  Seeker of Souls *(1973)

Deliriously campy horror flick.  Guy's wife dies in an accident.  He seeks ways to get her back, more or less.  He goes to a séance.  Our first clue that the whole thing is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but not openly comic or a spoof, is when a young guy at the séance, when told that the medium has contacted his dead grandmother, says "Just tell her I said hello."  Then he goes to some weird cult of chanting robed monks and an old guy who claims they brought his wife back from the dead, but she's really just a pile of bones and ashes.  Through the miracle of double exposure,  he also sees his dead wife as a ghost dressed in one of those wispy nightgowns only specters and vampires wear.

All of this has nothing to do with the main plot.  Our hapless hero (of sorts) sees a newspaper classified ad stating CHOOSE YOUR RESURRECTION.  This leads him to meet with the exotic assistant (Florence Marly, best known to me as the mute, green-skinned, vampiric alien in *Queen of Blood*) of Doctor Death.  (If he has another name, I don't think it's ever mentioned.  Everybody just calls him "Doctor.")

In a tiny theater with a couple of dozen folks watching, Doctor Death presents a scantily clad beautiful dead woman.  There's also a horribly scarred woman in the kind of magician's box used to pretend to saw a woman in half.  The self-admitted amateur magician and addict of theatricality Doctor Death, with the help of his hulking, mute, scarred assistant Thor, pretty much taking the Tor Johnson role, then saw her in half, for real.  With a tiny bottle of magic stuff, he transfers her soul (courtesy of double exposure) into the beautiful dead woman, bringing the body back to life.  (Who is she now?  It's unclear.  Doctor Death gives her the name Venus, as if she's an entirely new person.  Don't expect a lot of plot logic.)

During this scene, Moe Howard of the Three Stooges plays an audience member.  He volunteers to listen to the beautiful woman's heart, to prove she's dead.  This gives him the opportunity to place his ear directly on her breast.  He then says "I didn't feel -- I mean hear a thing."

The jealous Marly reacts to Doctor Death's interest in Venus by tossing acid in her face.  You can bet she'll pay for this.

The hero pays Doctor Death $50,000 to put a new soul into his wife's body.  We get a sepia-tinged flashback of how Doctor Death discovered a way to transfer his soul into new bodies one thousand years ago, and he's been hopping into them ever since, men, women, and children of all ethnicities.  After this, he kills a woman, but the transfer into the dead woman's body doesn't work, for unexplained reasons.  Thus begins a series of murders as Doctor Death, obviously a perfectionist, keeps trying, even though the hero tells him to quit.   You'll lose count of the number of times he shouts "Enter that body!  I command you!"

During one killing, a guy defending his girlfriend stabs Doctor Death in the stomach.  Black fluid shoots out, covering the guy's face, burning his flesh and eventually bursting it into flame.  (Thanks, double exposure!)

During one of the killings, the victim-to-be is watching a horror movie on television.  The movie-within-the-movie stars Los Angeles TV horror host Larry Vincent, a hero of my youth in Southern California, dressed exactly like his character Seymour.  He's even billed in the credits as Larry "Seymour" Vincent.

Meanwhile, the hero begins a new romance with his secretary in the corniest possible way.  Cue a montage of the pair riding a merry-go-round, etc.  Yes, she's an intended victim of Doctor Death.  Will our hero be able to save her in time?  Will there be a twist ending?

The guy playing Doctor Death hams it up delightfully in the Vincent Price role.  Everybody else is pretty bland.  The music is terrible, sounding like library stuff for a cheap 1970's TV show.  In fact, take out some gore, and it could be a made-for-TV movie, or the goofiest episode of _Night Gallery _you ever saw.  Not a good movie at all, but entertaining in its own way.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Seven Murders for Scotland Yard *(_Jack el destripador de Londres_, 1971) 

Spanish horror king Paul Naschy stars in this Italian/Spanish _giallo_ as a guy suspected of being the mad killer who is recreating Jack the Ripper's crimes in modern London.  Much of the film involves the inspector on the case, the inspector's younger friend, and the friend's wife.  Naschy disappears from the movie for quite a bit of the running time as we deal with these three.  You can probably figure out who the killer is just from this basic description, but the film tries to throw you off the track.  There are odd details that don't have much point to them, such as the fact that the killer uses a dagger from a different country with each murder.  Lacks the style of a good _giallo.  _


----------



## KGeo777

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Doctor Death:  Seeker of Souls *(1973)
> 
> 
> The guy playing Doctor Death hams it up delightfully in the Vincent Price role.


Vincent Price portrays a character named Doctor Death in MADHOUSE 1974.

 THE EXECUTIONER OF VENICE 1963 -- standard historical intrigue story given a  huge boost in production value by filming inside Venice.  Lex Barker is the son of the Doge of Venice and set to marry--but Guy Madison is the Grand Inquisitor  and wants her for himself--thus he schemes to get Barker into trouble. As these stories go--usually the way it works is that the dying father reveals that his son was adopted and then dies, and the son takes over. Well that doesn't happen here--yes Barker is adopted but in fact, the Doge gets healthier by the end and so there's no passing of the torch. Also, when Barker meets his real father, they cut away so we don't get any dramatic emotional reunion (because they wanted to use it for a surprise finale where the executioner reveals his true identity).


----------



## alexvss

*Dirty Hearts (2011)*: the real story of a terrorist organization formed by Japanese immigrants in Brazil that didn’t believe that Japan would surrender, so they would kill anyone who said so (with katanas). They murdered dozens of people in the 1940s. 

I had no clue something like this could ever happen. The only reason I watched the movie was because I’m hyped for World War movies and books right now, and I had it in my Netflix to-watch list. It’s a very interesting fact, to say the least. And, albeit being a Brazilian movie, it’s 90% or more in Japanese, so I could exercise my ears in the nipponic language.

Not a great movie though. It seems to be missing some narrative beats. They were more preoccupied with showing the facts.


----------



## AE35Unit

hitmouse said:


> Some critics have said that the portrayal of Ike lacked nuance.


He was a monster, that was nuanced enough


----------



## JunkMonkey

AE35Unit said:


> He was a monster, that was nuanced enough



No one is a monster 24 hours a day.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Antrum:the scariest film ever made*
Oh really. After a documentary introduction  we are told that a film was made in the 70s but was too terrifying, neigh dangerous to release, and so wasnt seen until now (2018 that is)
Its bad. Really bad. This film will kill you
 Because you will die of boredom. 
From the off I thought, nah this wasn't made in the 70s. The type of grain in the film is the kind that has become trendy on Instagram.
Then a look on imdb and I see the cast are quite young. They'll all be older now. 
In one exciting scene they see a squirrel, but its actually demon in disguise. As a very cheap stuffed squirrel toy. They should have gone for a comedy instead.


----------



## AE35Unit

JunkMonkey said:


> No one is a monster 24 hours a day.


He was still a monster. Should have been imprisoned long before he was


----------



## Parson

Watched *Emancipation* a true(ish) story of a slave during the Civil War in the U.S. It was loosely based on a man named Peter like the move or in some places Gordon, whose picture in Harper's Bazaar became the most published picture of a slave.
A True story --- to a degree

On the whole this was well directed, the photography was world class, and it had a pervasive feel of danger for the slaves wherever they are found. My frustration with this was in the story. It's mostly about Peter running away and being pursued. It's gripping stuff, but would have preferred a lot more back ground and character development.

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay ---* Good* --- Recommended --- Shouldn’t be Missed


----------



## Jeffbert

A monster is a deformed human; though the word has been used abused for decades.


----------



## AE35Unit

Jeffbert said:


> A monster is a deformed human; though the word has been used abused for decades.


Oh dear...


----------



## pogopossum

Watched _*The Glass Onion.*_
Not only was Daniel Craig excellent, playing outside the stoic character he acted as Bond, but the twists and spoofs on the classic Christie/Thin Man/Poirot reveals were lovely. The rest of the cast was also excellent. I suspected that the elephant in the room would have some role to play. beyond decoration and I was right, with a final denouement (third? fourth?) bringing everything to a sizzling climax.


----------



## AE35Unit

pogopossum said:


> Watched _*The Glass Onion.*_
> Not only was Daniel Craig excellent, playing outside the stoic character he acted as Bond, but the twists and spoofs on the classic Christie/Thin Man/Poirot reveals were lovely. The rest of the cast was also excellent. I suspected that the elephant in the room would have some role to play. beyond decoration and I was right, with a final denouement (third? fourth?) bringing everything to a sizzling climax.


Watched it the other night. Not a patch on the first one, which I enjoyed. Not so much this one. And they destroyed a piano. Not nice...


----------



## AE35Unit

Watched something called *Haunt*
Started off interesting but just became a teen possession kind of horror movie. Flat


----------



## Guttersnipe

Avatar 2: The Way of Water (2022): Not bad for a sequel. I found it very engaging, and at one point I was tearful. Jake Sully has two sons and two daughters. The villain from the previous film more or less returns. The one thing that bothered me is that Neytiri's people are obviously stand-ins for Native Americans (which didn't bother me so much when I saw the first film, strangely enough) and the water tribe are stand-ins for Polynesian people, specifically Maori. You can tell by the body tattoos and the fact that they bear their tongues as a sign of respect. Cameron could've been a bit more creative.


----------



## pogopossum

AE35Unit said:


> Watched it the other night. Not a patch on the first one, which I enjoyed. Not so much this one. And they destroyed a piano. Not nice...


It was the *piano *that you worried about? 

Haven't watched _*Knives Out, *_it's not on any of my streaming services, but this one made me order it from the library. I'm cheap.


----------



## J Riff

Aladdin  live action 2019
Will Smith is the genie...some guy is Aladdin the singing thief ... theres a cgi monkey... ,,, and uh, songs....
Next.


----------



## AE35Unit

pogopossum said:


> It was the *piano *that you worried about?
> 
> Haven't watched _*Knives Out, *_it's not on any of my streaming services, but this one made me order it from the library. I'm cheap.


Yes I hate to see pianocide


----------



## therapist

hitmouse said:


> *The Banshees of Inesherin* (2022) very bleak comedy set on an island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, which is only dimly aware of the civil war happening just across the water. Brendan Gleason decides that he will no longer be Colin Farrell’s friend because the latter is boring. One thing leads to another, basically because there is nothing much else to do except go to the pub with the bloke down the road. Excellent film with 2 brilliant lead actors. Some very funny scenes, but overall this is a tragedy about loneliness. Do not expect another *In Bruges*.


I watched this last night.  It's the same director as 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri'. Which was the best film i've seen all year. So I was excited to see this. I was not dissapointed. It had me hooked in the first ten minutes with beautiful shots of Inesherin and a very simple and effective plot about two friends and why one doesn't want to talk to the other anymore, which throughout the film deepened and had a lot to say. It didn't top three billboards, but was a fantastic film.


----------



## Toby Frost

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *Jabberwocky *(1977)
> 
> Terry Gilliam's first solo directorial effort, after co-directing *Monty Python and the Holy Grail* a couple of years earlier. Comparisons between the two films are inevitable.



It's a strange film, much heavier than The Holy Grail and more satirical, and somehow even more of a mess. The cast is a weird mixture of comedians from alternative and also old-fashioned comedy, and it looks really miserable (it's how I imagine Warhammer to look). How it got its PG rating, given the gore and the princess with her kit off, I don't know.


----------



## KGeo777

SLEUTH 1972 - Watched it one afternoon decades ago. It kept one's attention--I always remembered the meaning of doppler because of this. The use of props keeps the visual presentation from getting dull considering it is over 2 hours and you only have two actors in it.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Sea Shall Not Have Them*

Bit of a different B&W WWII movie from the 1950s. Less of the gung-ho patriotism that you see in earlier (and especially mid-war) WWII movies, and interesting that it covers an aspect rarely seen - the air-sea rescue section of the RAF. I like WWII movies of this time because they feel more authentic and gritty, more often than not with actors who lived/fought/survived through the conflict, and many vehicles that probably saw action rather than props.


----------



## KGeo777

Intruders 1992 - A Dan Curtis movie I had not heard of-although after a couple of scenes I wondered if I had caught it-at least the last half when it first aired. There are things in it that remind one of the X Files and Fire in the Sky--and this came a year prior. The first half is pretty good with the creepy alien abduction scenes and performances, but then it gets way too weird with the alien-human hybrid stuff--involving babies that are snatched and then revisited years later.
Michael Apted was an executive producer on this. Funny--isn't he the one who was doing the films about children every seven years? And this has the same thing with alien-engineered kids.


----------



## JunkMonkey

I edumicate my _Star Trek_ loving lad in the true and undeniable history of where that all came from by sharing the utter brilliance of *Forbidden Planet* with him.  He dug it.

It is a wonderful film.  I have no idea how many times I've seen it but I still find new stuff to admire about it each time I do.  Partially, I suspect, because I keep upping the quality of the image.  I first saw Forbidden Planet 30+ years ago projected, with a less than brilliant (possibly 16mm) print  in a small arts cinema, then, over the years, on VHS then DVD, and now on Blu-ray. I usually watch films with the house lights off and half way through watching this tonight I came up with the idea that I need to make some hard black masks to crop the TV, something physical and opaque I can hang in front of the set so that when I'm watching a film that is letterboxed (even on a widescreen TV) the black (top and bottom) will really be BLACK not just screen black.


----------



## AE35Unit

*After Effect*
So so horror flick. Kinda 28 days later meets walking dead, but on a bad day


----------



## Ubergeek

JunkMonkey said:


> I edumicate my _Star Trek_ loving lad in the true and undeniable history of where that all came from by sharing the utter brilliance of *Forbidden Planet* with him.  He dug it.
> 
> It is a wonderful film.  I have no idea how many times I've seen it but I still find new stuff to admire about it each time I do.  Partially, I suspect, because I keep upping the quality of the image.  I first saw Forbidden Planet 30+ years ago projected, with a less than brilliant (possibly 16mm) print  in a small arts cinema, then, over the years, on VHS then DVD, and now on Blu-ray. I usually watch films with the house lights off and half way through watching this tonight I came up with the idea that I need to make some hard black masks to crop the TV, something physical and opaque I can hang in front of the set so that when I'm watching a film that is letterboxed (even on a widescreen TV) the black (top and bottom) will really be BLACK not just screen black.


JunkMonkey ,  thanks ,  I have Forbidden Planet on Blu and must rewatch it  !       ' ' Utter brilliance  ''   indeed    

My pal is a sound tech on stage productions and is a big admirer of the sound design  .


----------



## hitmouse

Rewatched Ghibli’s *Spirited Away* in an attempt to stay awake for the New Year. I have watched this countless times with the children as they grew up. Probably a couple of years since I saw it last time. It remains beautiful and brilliant.


----------



## Parson

Watch *Megan Leavy* (2017) a historical drama based on the true story of a woman who went to Iraq as K-9 handler of a bomb sniffing dog. It's main thrust is the story of a directionless woman who enlists in the Marines to change her life and what happens after that. It has pretty close to a perfect 5 star rating with 7000 ratings. I didn't find it that good. 

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- *Good* --- Recommended --- Shouldn’t be Missed

I also watched *Good Night Oppy. *It is a documentary about the story of the Mars landers, especially Opportunity, how they got built and how they lasted, and what they discovered. For a space nerd like me it something I enjoyed a lot. 

Avoid --- Not Recommended --- Flawed --- Okay --- Good *--- Recommended ---* Shouldn’t be Missed


----------



## Ubergeek

VIOLENT  NIGHT   [   dir.  Tommy  Wirkola  of  DEAD SNOW  infamy  ]

Happy  to  play  with  some  slasher  classic  tropes  and  the  Santa  Claus   legend .   I  enjoyed   it ,   not  a  bad   way  to   round  off  the  year .   


  Favourite film of the year was  MOONAGE  DAYDREAM   [  dir.  Brett  Morgen  ]

No surprise  ,   I'm  hardcore  Bowie .


----------



## Alex The G and T

*Dead In Tombstone*  (2013)

With Danny Trejo headlining, we better reckon that this is more like  _From Dusk Till Dawn_ than the re-re-reincarnation of the Earp Bros saga.

A mega gold heist goes wrong and Danny's gang turns uglier  and kills him.  Eternal damnation doesn't look good to him so he cuts a deal with Satan (Mickey Rourke) to deliver the souls of those back-stabbing gang members in return for his own redemption.  Events grow dark, deadly and messy... and a lot of fun and grim.

Ending blatantly screams "sequels on the wayz!"   (Um Hum google google... I was not wrong.  I'll have to watch for this one.  Or not.


----------



## KGeo777

BLACK OAK CONSPIRACY 1977 - Jesse Vint co-wrote and produced this story of a good ol' boy stunt man who returns to hishome town to find a corrupt sheriff putting people into a corrupt retirement home so they can take the land and sell it to a mining company. Albert Salmi is the sheriff--1977 seems to have been the year for him to play cops--he was cop in Empire of the Ants and Moonshine County Express.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Signs*
Ok film, daft ending
*The Village *
Interesting but weird film, unsatisfactory ending.
Both M. Night Shyalaman films
I don't know what it is about his films but they seem to lack something, and they just ...end.
Now watching *Unbreakable*, another Shyalamn offering, probably have a weird ending


----------



## Rodders

I've been into games over the last couple of weeks and have only watched 4 hours of telly since the 24th. Just watching something during dinner, so i'm just looking for light movies. I saw a US comedy movie called "Burning Love", which was a parody of those appalling reality dating shows, like the Bachelor. There were some bits that I thought were funny, i suppose, but i struggled to watch it and had to do so over four sittings. 

Back to Doctor Who for my TV pleasure, i think.


----------



## HareBrain

*Princess Mononoke *(1997). Possibly the most visually beautiful film I know, and at times one of the most poignant. Just a bit of narrative messiness stops it being a masterpiece in my opinion.


----------



## AE35Unit

*Unbreakable* wasnt that bad actually. And I came to realise that the film maker is trying to show us what happens in certain scenarios, but from a different viewpoint. For example in Signs we see an alien invasion a la War of the Worlds, but we are shown one particular families encounter prior to the attack. And in Unbreakable its like we see how the Superhero becomes made. Its like he is intent on making Becoming movies. We see something  like Batman Begins, or the little vignette we see at the end of one of the Iron Man movies when we see Samuel L Jackson revealing himself as Nick Fury.


----------



## J-WO

Just saw latest Hellraiser. I felt if I came to is as a dark fantasy tale rather than a horror I had a very good time. They approached the material with a fresh take.


----------



## Pyan

_Die Hard_ - the perfect Christmas movie...


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Vampyros Lesbos* - Starting the year as I mean to go on.   Jess Franco at his most coherent by which I mean the film almost had a story ( albeit lifted and partially gender-swapped from Stoker's_ Dracula_) and most of the film looked like it was shot on the same film stock throughout - though they don't seem to have hired a focus puller for the shoot.  A lot of Franco's trademark zooms started or ended well on the fuzzy side.  The usual Franco nonsense: Lots of half-hearted lesbian writhing, lots of establishing shots which included pans and zooms. The film is set in Istanbul - for no reason related to the plot in any way - so some of these are a bit more interesting than usual.  Lots of scenes shot in the director's hotel bedroom.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*Killing Zoe*

Not sure what to make of this movie, but I did watch it in one sitting. Relentlessly violent bank robbery movie with nihilistic overtones, but it does keep you wondering about the eventual outcome until the very end (and perhaps beyond).


----------



## paranoid marvin

Pyan said:


> _Die Hard_ - the perfect Christmas movie...



Great movie. Alan Rickman steals the show, the only 'supporting' actor I know who constantly overshadowed the main protagonist whether as Hans Gruber, Severus Snape or the Sheriff of Nottingham.


----------



## Judderman

After various Christmas movies back on to other stuff. Men (2022) wasn’t great. Had some weird stuff but I felt too detached from the main character’s fears. Too many flashbacks. The new Knives Out film wasn’t too exciting either. But decent for cluedo type movie fans.


----------



## Jeffbert

_*THE VELVET VAMPIRE / Cemetery Girls*_ (1971) Weird! So, this young couple attend a party at a friend's house and meet a certain woman (the VV), who invites them to stay a weekend at her desert home. They accept, & weirdness follows. They share a dream, in which they are in bed out in the desert, and she is there. Eventually her blood thirst takes its toll. 

Oh, there was a strange scene, in which the young woman was sunbathing and a sidewinder slithered on to her leg! So far as I know, the thing would not have approached a human. 

The cast is totally unfamiliar.

Not recommended.


----------



## pogopossum

Saw *Avatar: Way Underwater *in 3D.
Read a review that emphasized two things. James Cameron's love for the water exemplified by his pictures, his non-profit support and the obvious joy he takes presenting all things liquid. I myself remember *The Abyss *as a revolutionary film for its watery effects.
The other aspect of the film review was that he also seemed to enjoy shooting, maimings, smashing, spearing, arrowing, drowning and generally presenting bloody mayhem above and below the surface.

A second review was about as much to the point. A person leaving the theatre as we were entering was asked "How was the picture?'
Their answer? "Long".
Incredible effects,as we all know, without even having to see it. Great imagination, presenting multiple incredible species, particularly below the surface. Lousy rationales for the conflict even occurring.
My spouse can endure violence and actually enjoy "action" movies. Example? She liked *Andor. *We went to see this one as she loved *Avatar: Up In The Air. *Afterwards she said that she would NEVER go to see anything associated with the franchise. "50% killing" Nuff said.
And by the way. The 3D was not all that hot.


----------



## KGeo777

I heard of the Velvet Vampire from The Vampire Cinema but haven't seen it.

Forbidden World - 1982  - Some weeks you just can't escape Jesse Vint. I saw him in a movie the other night and here he is again in a film I have seen before but forgot. It's ALIEN crossed with a soft porno--and there is a droll sense of humor to it. In one scene the two women have to go naked (conveniently) to decontaminate themselves  and they are discussing "cognitive retribution." I have never heard that term used in a nude scene before. I assuming they use stock footage from a few other Roger Corman films but the set design and costumes are pretty good for ultra cheapie sci-fi. I am not sure James Cameron worked on this one but it looked like he may have contributed because  the set design is functional with enough background stuff to make it somewhat interesting.

The characters and script are terrible though. I guess the film could be considered a form of cognitive retribution.


----------



## Belake

I recently watched François Troffaut’s *L’enfant Sauvage. *It was cool.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Jeffbert said:


> _*THE VELVET VAMPIRE / Cemetery Girls*_ (1971) Weird! So, this young couple attend a party at a friend's house and meet a certain woman (the VV), who invites them to stay a weekend at her desert home. They accept, & weirdness follows. They share a dream, in which they are in bed out in the desert, and she is there. Eventually her blood thirst takes its toll.
> 
> Oh, there was a strange scene, in which the young woman was sunbathing and a sidewinder slithered on to her leg! So far as I know, the thing would not have approached a human.
> 
> The cast is totally unfamiliar.
> 
> Not recommended.




Weird, indeed, but I actually liked it.  Not a classic, but an interesting variation on the theme.

My review, from almost three years ago:



> *The Velvet Vampire* (1971)
> 
> Arty, offbeat variation on the theme. It begins with the title character walking in Los Angeles at night. She is attacked by a biker thug, but quickly kills him with his own knife and walks away unconcerned. This has nothing to do with the plot, really, but establishes her character. She goes into an art gallery, chats up a young, rather vapid married couple of the California Blond(e) type, and invites them up to her home out in the middle of the desert. Killings and seductions follow, as well as surreal dream sequences. There are a lot of striking visuals. Very little of the usual vampire lore shows up. The title character has no fangs, walks around in the desert sun, and sees herself in mirrors. The film's only serious flaw is that the female half of the young couple, who is really the protagonist, is portrayed by a very poor actress with an annoying voice.


----------



## Jeffbert

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Weird, indeed, but I actually liked it.  Not a classic, but an interesting variation on the theme.
> 
> My review, from almost three years ago:


That is about it. Still, for a vampire film, I was disappointed.


----------



## AE35Unit

*The Others *
Creepy ghost story with a twist starring Nicole Kidman and, strangely, Eric Sykes


----------



## cyprus7

Prometheus (2012)
However, without giving specific spoilers here, I would rewrite the ending to have one ship pursue the other back to Earth.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Encounter With the Unknown *(1972)

Really cheap trio of supernatural tales.  The stories feature brief opening and closing narrations by Rod Serling in _Twilight Zone_/_Night Gallery _style.  There's another narrator who begins the film by telling us some nonsense about a parapsychologist who figured out that 23 cemeteries in the USA are linked with folks who experienced weird things.

1.  Three college kids play a prank on a buddy that accidentally winds up killing him.  His mom puts a curse on them and they all die.

2.  Kid chases his lost dog to a big hole in the ground.  Dad goes in the hole, screams, and comes out permanently insane.

3.  Guy picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be a ghost.  (Don't tell me you haven't heard that one before.)

Very simple plots, right?  Each one moves excruciatingly slowly and features flashbacks to things we've already seen.  At the end, we get a solid ten minutes of the narrator who isn't Rod Serling nattering away while we get flashbacks to stuff we've seen once or twice already, including one scene (the mom in story one placing the curse) shown twice in these ten minutes.

Not a good film.


----------



## KGeo777

I remember the hole one and the spooky hitchhiker.


Some weeks you can't avoid Diane Baker.

First she was in MIRAGE which I watched yesterday and tonight she was in KRAKATOA: EAST OF JAVA. The latter is a pretty bad movie. I hadn't seen it in a long time and wondered if I should revisit it. Wasn't worth it.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Love Me Deadly *(1972)

One messed-up film.  Woman gets her kicks by attending funerals and, when everybody else is gone, kissing the corpses passionately.  After this opening scene, we get sepia flashbacks of the woman as a little girl with her daddy.  Meanwhile, the title song (!) plays over the credits.  We'll get another sappy love song later, during one of those shampoo commercial romantic montages.  

The woman tries to have a normal relationship and gets married to a guy (Lyle Waggoner, fresh off _The Carol Burnett Show_, adding another level of weirdness.)  However, she can't consummate their marriage because, well, he's not dead.  Meanwhile, a cult of folks who share her kink, but take it to the next level by actually killing people, get her involved in their little games.

The combination of sleazy, exploitative, tasteless horror with soap opera romance is really bizarre.  So is the scene in which the woman dresses like a little girl, puts her hair up in pigtails, and dances around her father's tomb while singing in a high-pitched voice.  At the end, we finally found out why the woman has serious daddy issues that made her a necrophile.  Would you believe that there's kind of a happy ending for the woman, if not for anybody else?

The whole thing looks like a hard R-rated made-for-TV movie.  The ultra-early-70's clothing and frequent use of soft music add to that effect.  Not a good film, but one I couldn't stop watching.


----------



## Mouse

*Lightyear*. The Buzz Lightyear film. There was a huge amount of fuss about the 'lesbian storyline'. One character is gay, her wife is shown onscreen maybe twice for a grand total of maybe thirty seconds and has zero dialog. Anybody moaning should repeatedly smash their heads against a wall until they knock some sense into themselves. Good film, I enjoyed it.


----------



## SilentRoamer

Mouse said:


> *Lightyear*. The Buzz Lightyear film. There was a huge amount of fuss about the 'lesbian storyline'. One character is gay, her wife is shown onscreen maybe twice for a grand total of maybe thirty seconds and has zero dialog. Anybody moaning should repeatedly smash their heads against a wall until they knock some sense into themselves. Good film, I enjoyed it.



I personally didn't take the kids to see this one - not because of a Lesbian storyline, I couldn't care less about that. But because they replaced Tim Allen who will always be the voice of Buzz for me.


----------



## SilentRoamer

I recently watched Donnie Brasco - hadn't seen this before and both me and my wife enjoyed it. Obviously quite violent as expected, although I didnt enjoy this as much as either Casino or Goodfellas in the same vein. 

Forget about it.


----------



## JunkMonkey

*The Room* (2003) - Dear Mother of all the Gods!  I had been warned.  My kids warned me.  I still wasn't prepared.  I decided to watch this tonight because I just bought a copy of the book one of the actors wrote about the making of the film - The Disaster Artist - and figured I it might be a good idea to actually see the film before I read the book. I feel a very more lot less smart for having watched it. Hahahaha!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*Guilty Hands *(1931)

Pre-Code crime film.  Lawyer (Lionel Barrymore) swears he'll kill his client, a filthy rich womanizer -- he even drove a sixteen-year-old girl to suicide --, before the playboy can marry the lawyer's daughter.  He does so, setting it up to look like a suicide.  In a note of irony, the daughter had already decided to call off the wedding when the playboy tried to force himself on her before the wedding.  Not only that, but he planned to keep his mistress (Kay Francis) around after the wedding.

The mistress knows it was murder and does her own investigating.  The lawyer admits it, but also proves that he can convince a jury and judge that she's the killer if she doesn't keep quiet.  It sure looks like the lawyer is going to get away with it until the last minute of the movie.



Spoiler



The dead man has a gun placed in his hand to make it look like suicide.  Rigor mortis pulls the trigger and the bullet just happens to shoot the lawyer dead!



Not a bad little film, and Barrymore and Francis are fun to watch.  There's some racy pre-Code dialogue.  Father and daughter have a oddly flirtatious relationship, adding a Freudian note.  It's sort of an Old Dark House film (much of it takes place in the murdered man's mansion, on a private island) mixed with an episode of _Columbo_ (the elaborate Perfect Murder.)


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Appointment*

Edward Woodward movie that I'd not heard of before. Eerie supernatural drama that could easily have fit into a 30 minute 'Tales of the Unexpected' slot, but has been expanded to around 90 minutes. Probably one of those movies that you might only stumble across by accident (as I did); it doesn't even have a page on Wikipedia. But if you want something a bit different, and you like your scares delivered in a more subtle fashion, and you like a story leaving you with more questions than answers, then this is worth the rental fee on Amazon Prime.


----------



## paranoid marvin

SilentRoamer said:


> I recently watched Donnie Brasco - hadn't seen this before and both me and my wife enjoyed it. Obviously quite violent as expected, although I didnt enjoy this as much as either Casino or Goodfellas in the same vein.
> 
> Forget about it.


If you want a film like Goodfellas or Casino, I'd watch 'The Irishman'. Very good movie.


----------



## Jeffbert

_Sylvie and the Ghost _ (1946) Uncle wants his niece to have one last childhood fantasy before entering adulthood, so on her 16th birthday, he hires an actor to portray the ghost of a man depicted in a painting that hangs on the wall. ​Sylvie had always been romantic about the guy's legend, etc. Complicating things, two more men show-up, one, having romantic intentions, the other, a thief. All three end up wearing 'ghost' costumes, that more resemble the KKK's garments. And, there is the actual ghost. ​
Rather funny!


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Oddball Crime Films With Similar Titles Double Feature

*The Glass Tomb *(1955)

Hammer production features John Ireland as a carnival promoter.  His latest production is a guy who is going to not eat for 70 days.  To pay for it, he goes to his buddy, a wealthy bookie (Sid James, before his *Carry On *days) and gets some money.  In return, he's supposed to talk to the woman who's trying to blackmail James just before he gets married.  She turns out to be an old friend, and quickly agrees to stop the blackmail attempt, which was somebody else's idea.  

Looks like everything's OK, but the old friend gets murdered while a bunch of circus/carnival folks are partying downstairs.  This isn't a whodunit, so we know it's the performers' agent who killed her (and, I guess, was behind the blackmail attempt.)  Another guy -- he seems to be an inspector of carnivals or some such -- figures out who the killer is and blackmails him.  

Meanwhile, the guy who's going to starve saw the killer, but can't quite recall who it was, so he gets poisoned with a piece of ham fat laced with strychnine.  The blackmailer tries to blackmail James as well, which winds up with a fight in which James gets shot.  Then the blackmailer kidnaps and threatens Ireland's wife (Honor Blackman, before _The Avengers _and *Goldfinger*.)  

There's a heck of a lot of plot for a film that runs just under an hour, but it's the guy-not-eating as-a-form-of-public-entertainment theme that's most notable.  (Shades of Franz Kafka's "A Hunger Artist"!)

*The Glass Cage *(1964)

Low budget film starts with a prowler, shot to death, falling out of a woman's apartment window.  A couple of cops investigate the case.  It seems a sweet, innocent blonde woman (Arlene Martel, best known as T'Pring on _Star Trek_, billed under her birth name as Arline Sax) received a gun from her sister for protection and shot the intruder.  As the investigation goes on, we see that the sister (also played by Martel), a cool, sophisticated brunette may have actually pulled the trigger.  Meanwhile, the really creepy artist across the way (King Moody, in a role you won't expect from the guy who played the dimwitted KAOS agent Starker on _Get Smart_) tries to have his way with both sisters.  His name is Tox, by the way, and he destroys his really weird art when the brunette rejects him coldly, and causes the blonde to freak out when he assaults her.  

You've already figured out the Shocking Twist Ending, haven't you?  Suffice to say that it involves the father of the women, favorite character actor Elisha Cook, Jr.  (Along with John Hoyt, who plays one of the cops and co-wrote the film, he adds to the list of folks on _Star Trek_.)  

There are some truly bizarre hallucination sequences, and a lot of eccentric lighting and camera angles.  An interesting effort.


----------



## paranoid marvin

*The Trial*

I've found myself browsing in HMV at weekends, specifically at the isles with collections of DVD/BluRay titles from the likes of Arrow Video and BFI collection. It's clear that there are a lot of movies out there that I haven't seen, haven't even heard of, but when I read the blurb on the box make me want to watch.

One of these was 'The Appointment' which I've listed above, and was very good. Another is this movie 'The Trial' which (apparently) Orson Welles said is the greatest movie he's been associated with; that's quite some statement from the fellow who brought us The Third Man. It's about a man who wakes one morning to be accused of an unspecified crime of which he has no knowledge. Sounded intriguing, and the intro to the movie (narrated by Welles himself) adds to the mystery. The film is heavily dialogue driven which is fine, but I found the story so dull. Usually I would have switched off after 30 minutes, but given that I'd just paid the rental fee, and given what Orson had said, I persevered. It didn't improve.

I feel pretty bad that I didn't enjoy the movie, maybe there was something I was missing. The cinematography is great, artily shot in black & white with interesting tricks with the camera; not on the level of The Third Man, or Citizen Kane (also Welles' movies) but still very well done. But the movie itself I found to be one of the most boring I've ever watched.


----------



## HareBrain

*Only Yesterday *(1991). Studio Ghibli animation about a 27-year-old woman in 1983 who takes a seasonal job on a relative's farm and reminisces about her life at the age of ten. Sounds utterly inconsequential, but it's brilliant -- sometimes poignant, sometimes very funny, but always beautifully drawn and observed. Brings home how much was lost by hand-drawn animation being taken over by CGI.

The downside: I now have that Carpenters song as an earworm, and it didn't even appear in the film!


----------



## JunkMonkey

*Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke* - Ok.  That was about as funny as an unfunny thing that wasn't very funny.  Probably the only film ever to have completely cut out one of the screen's greatest actors Harry Dean Stanton.  He played a cop and his whole scene got chopped.


----------



## HareBrain

*Whisper of the Heart *(1995). Another Studio Ghibli animation. I probably would never have bothered watching this if it hadn't been top of a YouTuber's ranking of Ghibli films. I'd got it into my head that it was lightweight kid's stuff.

It's amazing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Beast of Borneo *(1934)

Dull jungle adventure disguised as a horror film.  Oddly accented "Anglo-Russian" mad scientist needs an orangutan to prove his theories, about which we'll learn nothing.  He and his pretty blonde assistant hire a Great White Hunter to capture one, although he claims only to hunt animals for zoos, not for vivisection.   Lots of stock footage, assistant and hunter fall in love, Mad Scientist tries to kill hunter and, even more shocking, decides to perform his experiment on a cute baby orangutan.  Fortunately, the little critter gets away safely and turns out to be the hero.  With lots of footage of a real orangutan, the scene in which a guy in a ape suit fights a snake looks even faker than it should.  Not a good film.


----------



## Extollager

*Green for Danger* (1946).  Mystery story with Alastair Sim (Scrooge to most of us, I suppose) as a police detective and Megs Jenks (Mrs. Grose in *The Innocents*) as a nurse with a guilty secret.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Cheech and Chong Still Smoking - in an act of depressed masochistic laceration that I can only liken to the kind of self-harming that upset teens can get hooked into, I watch ANOTHER Cheech and Chong movie which turns out to be conciderably shitter than the one I watched last night. Last night's at least had a vague narrative - and, it must be said, a pretty groovy soundtrack. This one had no plot AT ALL. It was just a bunch of sketches strung together in a Three Stooges like mugging and slapstick framing device while they wandered around Amsterdam. The latter part of the film was a recording of a live performance. The sketches included a blackface routine and a pointless,  punchlineless sequence where they dressed up as a pair of  'faggots' trying to decide what to wear for a night out. It was stupid and offensive, but worse unfunny with it. Stupid and funny is ok. Offensive and funny is ok (but more difficult to do). Stupid, offensive, and funny is even harder but possible. Leave funny off the list and you just end up with self indulgent abuse. The film, and their stage show, climaxes with them on their hands and knees pretending to be dogs having a sh*t in a restaurant. Ho bloody ho.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Ghost Walks *(1934)

Old Dark House film with a bit of self-awareness.  A playwright, a producer, and the producer's male secretary are driving around in a heavy storm.  They have to seek shelter in a spooky mansion.  We meet the folks there, and get a creepy back story about a murder committed there one year ago.  The widow of the murdered man walks around in a trance, claiming to communicate with her husband.  Accusations fly about the identity of the killer.  The lights go out and . . .

Guess what?  This is all a fake put on by the playwright, to impress the producer.  Next thing you know, the woman playing the widow really is murdered, then her body disappears.  It seems that a homicidal maniac has escaped, and the mansion is full of secret passages and such.  Folks vanish left and right, up to our big climactic scene with the killer in a hidden laboratory.

Pretty corny stuff, to be sure.  The play-within-the-movie is revealed fifteen minutes into the film, and is more interesting than the real plot.  The producer and his secretary provide the comic relief, as they continue to think it's all just an act.   A little better than average for this kind of thing.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*La Llorona *(1933)

Said to be the first Mexican horror film with sound, and probably the first movie to deal with the familiar legend of the Weeping Woman.  Opens with a guy walking around late at night.  We hear a really creepy wailing sound and the fellow drops dead.  Our hero is the skeptical young doctor who says he suffered a heart attack.

After some domestic bliss with the doctor, his wife, their little boy, and the kid's grandfather, we get our back story.  The grandfather tells the doctor that their family's been cursed.  We go into a long flashback to colonial times.  In brief, a woman whose lover refuses to acknowledge their son and marries another woman instead kills herself and the boy, a wailing ghost rising from her dead body.

Back in modern times, somebody in a hooded robe is skulking around through secret panels and such, as if this were an Old Dark House, _krimi_, or _giallo_.  Grandfather gets stabbed to death with the same kind of stone knife we saw in the flashback, and it looks like the little kid is the next intended victim.

Along the way, we get a shorter flashback, all the way back to the time of the conquistadors, again with a woman having her son taken away.  She places a curse on her lover's family, stabs herself, and the same wailing ghost rises from her body.

Will history repeat itself?  Will we see the wailing ghost again?

Not a bad little Gothic chiller, although it may be quite a bit too leisurely for some tastes.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Master of Horror *(1965)

Some time ago I watched *Legend of Horror *(1971), which took one segment from an Argentinian anthology film of Poe stories ("The Tell-Tale Heart") and added some new footage.  This one takes the two remaining segments and edits them down.  The tales are "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" and "The Cask of Amontillado."  The first one adds a brief preliminary section, in which the hypnotist cures an insane woman, only to have her die of shock when she realizes she's in a madhouse.  The rest follows the story closely.  The second one adds a lot of back story, as a handsome and charismatic young man becomes the lover of the wife of an older vineyard owner.  Of course, it builds to the bricking up of the lover by the jealous husband, but there's also an added shock scene at the very end.  There's a very minor wraparound story in which a maid reads the stories while she's alone in a mansion during a storm.  At the end, she wonders why people could be scared by these tales, then screams when she sees a mouse.  Despite the editing and poor dubbing, you can tell the Argentinian film makers did quite a good job.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. *(1957)

Nicely done documentary about the film maker.  It avoids the temptation to mock the man, instead providing numerous interviews with folks who worked with him.  It doesn't gloss over things like his self-destructive drinking, either.    Of course, there are excerpts from his films, but also stuff like a TV commercial he directed in the late 1940's and excerpts from a Western he worked on at the same time, never completed and without sound.  In addition, home movies and some behind the scenes footage from *Orgy of the Dead*, the nudie he wrote but didn't direct.  Recommended for anyone interested in the subject.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> *The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. *(1957)
> 
> Nicely done documentary about the film maker.  It avoids the temptation to mock the man, instead providing numerous interviews with folks who worked with him.  It doesn't gloss over things like his self-destructive drinking, either.    Of course, there are excerpts from his films, but also stuff like a TV commercial he directed in the late 1940's and excerpts from a Western he worked on at the same time, never completed and without sound.  In addition, home movies and some behind the scenes footage from *Orgy of the Dead*, the nudie he wrote but didn't direct.  Recommended for anyone interested in the subject.




That should say 1995 and not 1957.  Just clumsy fingers on the keyboard.


----------



## JunkMonkey

Victoria Silverwolf said:


> That should say 1995 and not 1957.  Just clumsy fingers on the keyboard.



I did wonder._ 
The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr._ is pretty good- I watched it and _Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The 'Plan 9' Companion_ - Back to back a few years ago. _ Saucers Over Hollywood_ pretty much repeats most of the things said in _The Haunted World (_There are, after all, only a limited number of people left alive who worked with Wood and some of the stories were repeated - as they must have been for many years - almost word for word. A little over long as well. _Haunted World _is much the better of the two.

*The Island at the Top of the World* (1974) - formulaic second string Disney live action adventure with some clunking, undeliverable dialogue, and special effects that varied wildly from being really impressive to really shonky  - sometimes within the  same sequence. The music by Maurice Jarre was terrific and some of the design stuff was impressive.


----------



## Randy M.

*The Strange Colors of Your Body’s Tears* (2013) dir. Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani

A man with a face like 20 years of hard living comes home from a business trip abroad. He phones his wife; no answer, so he leaves a message. He gets to their apartment and unlocks the door but the chain is on and no answer to his calling. He busts open the door but no one is there, his wife has disappeared. How did the door get chained?

If Psycho had been written by Philip K. Dick and filmed by David Lynch off a script by William S. Burroughs with cinematography by Cindy Sherman in the middle of a depressive period, it might result in a movie nearly as weird as this one. A neo-_giallo_, it takes the objective reality of the killer with a knife wearing dark rain gear and hat – the killer, not the knife, though in this movie, where a couple of characters upchuck blades, maybe vice versa – stalking the characters, and makes it subjective, the weariness, disorientation, worry and anxiety of the main character concerning his wife's disappearance becoming the reality. The movie also deals with, I think, fractured identity – the main character, weary, puts his hand to his face and when they lower it’s a different face/character. A diary and tape recording suggest his wife is tired of him, his adoration (“gaze” is mentioned on the tape) a prison. When he learns that in remodeling the building for apartments there are walls within walls, between which someone lives, it seems as much metaphor for his reality as it is his reality, though it offers an answer to who chained the door.

I’m doubtful I’ll ever watch this again, but I’m not sorry I watched it this time. Intriguing, complex, allusive, and frustrating, it’s a compelling experience.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

1950's Crime Films Directed By William Castle That Take Place In Cities Starting With "H" Double Feature:

*Hollywood Story *(1951)

Movie producer is determined to make a film about the unsolved murder of a silent movie director.  He gets shot at and a guy who offers to sell him information gets killed.  Decent little whodunit with an interesting background.

*The Houston Story *(1956)

Antihero has a scheme to steal oil from pipelines.  He contacts the local crime boss in an elaborate way.  He identifies a dead woman as a chorus girl who is really still alive, under a new name as a sultry nightclub singer, and who is the mistress of the crime boss, so she'll contact him to ask what the deal is.  Still with me?  Good, because the rest of the film is equally complicated.  Suffice to say that there are all kinds of rivalries and double-crosses and killings.  Not a bad low budget _film noir_.


----------



## Guttersnipe

White Noise (2022): a wonderfully absurd movie. You must see it for yourself.

This Place Rules (2022): a documentary done via gonzo journalism about far-right and alt-right Americans. Shocking.


----------



## Guttersnipe

Hard Candy (2005): a female teenage vigilante insinuates herself into the life of a secret sex offender and tortures him (mostly psychologically). A simple premise, but its constant twisting and great performances make for a memorable experience.


----------



## AllanR

Guttersnipe said:


> White Noise (2022)


Read that book years ago, have fond memories, might just check out the movie.


----------



## Randy M.

KGeo777 said:


> I heard of the Velvet Vampire from The Vampire Cinema but haven't seen it.





Victoria Silverwolf said:


> Weird, indeed, but I actually liked it.  Not a classic, but an interesting variation on the theme.
> 
> My review, from almost three years ago:



And my review from the middle of last year is here, Velvet Vampire.


----------



## Judderman

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
My wife and I thought most of this was great. Particularly the last third that goes at a frenetic pace with quite a lot of scares. While the early parts of the film set up some unease. We are not usually huge fans of the format where a character is carrying the camera but this one works well. .. Though actually it has quite poor reviews! I do find horror movie ratings don't necessarily mean too much compared to what I think of them (unless the bad reviews are due to poor acting). e.g "Us" which is nothing special but gets good ratings perhaps because of who is in it. Whereas good or bad reviews for a drama movie normally is a fair indication.


----------



## Guttersnipe

The Bad Seed (1956): a psychological thriller based on the novel of the same name. A woman learns that her daughter may be a murderous sociopath. Bravo. The acting was phenomenal, as was the score. I wanted to read to book first, but I gave in. I'm glad I did.


----------



## paranoid marvin

Extollager said:


> *Green for Danger* (1946).  Mystery story with Alastair Sim (Scrooge to most of us, I suppose) as a police detective and Megs Jenks (Mrs. Grose in *The Innocents*) as a nurse with a guilty secret.
> View attachment 98247



Alistair Sim is wonderful in any movie he features in. I think my favourite is probably The Green Man (which also stars Terry Thomas and George Cole amongst others).


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Twilight People *(1972)

Filipino-American film mixes _The Island of Dr. Moreau _with "The Most Dangerous Game."  Hero gets kidnapped by Mad Scientist's Sadistic Assistant and Beautiful Daughter.  It seems that the Mad Scientist wants to use Hero's brain to somehow control the animal-people he's created.  We see brains under glass domes connected to a computer.  Naturally, Beautiful Daughter falls in love with Hero, so they escape with the animal-people.  Sadistic Assistant has already been strongly hinting that he wants to hunt down and kill Hero, so we begin our battle in the jungle.  The photography is quite nice, particularly during the outdoor scenes.   The makeup on the animal-people is laughably silly, on a Hallowe'en mask level.  The bat-man is by far the funniest.  He's got huge plastic wings under his arms, and we actually see him flying.  A goofy film indeed.


----------



## Victoria Silverwolf

*The Mighty Peking Man *(1977) AKA *Goliathon *

Hilarious Hong Kong rip-off of *King Kong*.  An earthquake releases King Kong the Mighty Peking Man from underground, giving us our first, brief taste of somebody in an ape suit smashing miniature sets.  Our film's Evil Producer sends our Hero, a famed hunter, out to capture it.  Everybody but the Hero chickens out, leaving him alone.  King Kong Goliathon sneaks up on him (!) and it looks like the end, but Sheena of the Jungle a blonde female Tarzan-type, complete with Farrah Fawcett coifed hair, makeup, shaved legs, and skimpy fake animal skin bikini, shows up and rescues him.  It seems she can communicate with King Kong the Mighty Peking Man in nonsense talk and control his temper tantrums.  She also has a pet leopard, and I have to admit I was impressed by her ability to swing the big cat around without getting clawed to death.

The film slows down for our mandatory romance between Sheena Samantha the jungle woman and Hero.  There's a sappy love song as they skinny dip, and he gets to suck venom out of her leg after a cobra bites her.  Hero convinces her to let the Evil Producer take King Kong Goliathon back to Hong Kong as an attraction.  When King Kong the Mighty Peking Man sees Evil Producer assault Sheena the female Tarzan, he escapes, and we get the somebody-in-an-ape-suit-smashing-miniature-sets action we've been waiting for.  King Kong Goliathon eventually climbs a skyscraper, but without Fay Wray Samantha in his paw.    Instead, she has to climb up the stairs to the top so she can climb into his paw.  That doesn't stop the military types from shooting at him from helicopters.  A lot of stuff blows up at the end.

A delightfully silly film.


----------



## Dave

*Where the Crawdads Sing*

A woman who was abandoned by her entire family when very young, raises herself in the marshes of the Deep South, much to the dismay of the local society, who shun her. A self-taught expert naturalist and illustrator of the local fauna and seahells, she is taught to read and write and has a book published. Just as it seems she is getting her life together, she becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with who once attempted to rape her. She is defended by a lawyer, with Atticus Finch vibes for defending the underdog. This is an adaptation of a popular book that my wife had already read. There is a good ending, so I'm surprised she still wanted to watch the film as that is really the whole deal with the story. It is told in back and forth flashbacks (I hate it when they do that) otherwise I'd recommend it.


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## Victoria Silverwolf

*Missile X The Teheran Incident *(_Missile X – Geheimauftrag Neutronenbombe_, "Missile X - Secret Order Neutron Bomb" or some such, 1979) AKA *The Tehran Incident *(note spelling) AKA *Missile X The Neutron Bomb Incident* AKA a whole bunch of other names in various languages.

German/Italian/Spanish co-production is a very late in the day Eurospy flick that makes many of the countless ones that came out in the mid-1960's look good.  Former Bond villain Curd Jurgens tries to repeat his part as a guy who arranges to have a Soviet missile stolen.  With the aid of renegade Russian scientist John Carradine, he plots to blow up a Middle East peace conference, starting World War Three, and somehow benefiting from it.  CIA agent Peter Graves goes to Iran to straighten things out, with some help from Soviet agent Michael Dante.  Mind you, neither Carradine nor Dante make the slightest attempt to put on Russian accents.  The usual spy stuff happens, along with scenes of people driving around, walking into hotel rooms, etc.

Jurgens, Carradine, and Graves all look too long in the tooth for their parts.  In particular, it's just embarrassing to see Graves in bed with Jurgens' beautiful mistress, who is probably young enough to be his granddaughter, as a sappy love song plays.  Not to mention his fight scenes with much younger guys.  Besides that, the movie has to end with a beautiful young Iranian agent giving him the come-hither look.

Partly filmed in Iran just before the revolution, which may be the most interesting thing about it.  Add a soundtrack that combines funk with electronic in an inappropriate way, and you have a truly dismal viewing experience, made tolerable only by the wisecracks of the folks at Rifftrax.


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## Randy M.

paranoid marvin said:


> Alistair Sim is wonderful in any movie he features in. I think my favourite is probably The Green Man (which also stars Terry Thomas and George Cole amongst others).


I'd second _Green for Danger_ as a good one to watch. Sim is delightfully light-hearted throughout the mystery. Released in 1946, it may have been filmed while the war was still going. There's an early scene of Sim ducking into a drainage ditch (?) as alarms sound and something flies overhead. Rather as though the producers/director were saying, here's the context in which this escapist mystery takes place.


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## KGeo777

Gentlemen of the Night  1964 - Guy Madison is still in Venice after the previous movie of his we watched--but this time he is a good guy. The Doge was a good guy in the last one, but now he is Gastone Moschin (Don Fanucci  in Godfather 2). But at the end, Madison spares his life. "If we kill you, we are as bad as you" rationale.


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## Randy M.

*Wild Things* (1998) dir. John MacNaughton; starring Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards

I don’t think of Neve Campbell as a major movie star, but she was in at least two of the best ‘90s thrillers, _Scream_ and this one. Watching now, for the first time in 20+ years, I think it shows signs of being made post-_The Usual Suspects_.

Two young women and their teacher run a successful scam. Then each comes to wonder if they can trust their partners. There are multiple twists on the plot – I recall being surprised by some of the revelations when I first watched this 20+ years ago – and not a one is entirely what he or she seems to be. Richards got a lot of publicity from this because of her looks, but she also handles her role well. Still, while Bacon and Dillon are fine, Campbell’s performance is the lynch pin the movie revolves around and she is quite good and believable as the brittle girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

As with others I’ve watched recently, I wonder if editors aren’t the unsung heroes of thrillers. The acting is fine, with good chemistry between the actors, and the direction appears to have created good scenes and some really nice visuals, but the way in which scenes flow from one to the other, the cuts at just the right moments, that all suggests smart editing.


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## Jeffbert

Randy M. said:


> *Wild Things* (1998) dir. John MacNaughton; starring Neve Campbell, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards
> 
> I don’t think of Neve Campbell as a major movie star, but she was in at least two of the best ‘90s thrillers, _Scream_ and this one. Watching now, for the first time in 20+ years, I think it shows signs of being made post-_The Usual Suspects_.
> 
> Two young women and their teacher run a successful scam. Then each comes to wonder if they can trust their partners. There are multiple twists on the plot – I recall being surprised by some of the revelations when I first watched this 20+ years ago – and not a one is entirely what he or she seems to be. Richards got a lot of publicity from this because of her looks, but she also handles her role well. Still, while Bacon and Dillon are fine, Campbell’s performance is the lynch pin the movie revolves around and she is quite good and believable as the brittle girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
> 
> As with others I’ve watched recently, I wonder if editors aren’t the unsung heroes of thrillers. The acting is fine, with good chemistry between the actors, and the direction appears to have created good scenes and some really nice visuals, but the way in which scenes flow from one to the other, the cuts at just the right moments, that all suggests smart editing.


As I recall, I was really disappointed with this film. Given the poster, etc., I was hoping for hot, young,  female exposure, but again, as I recall, saw what I call Kevin's bacon! 



_*SWING YOUR LADY*_ (1938) Among his not-so-well-known films, Humphrey Bogart portrays wrestling manager Ed Hatch, who is in the Midwest with his three (3) associates, all better known for crime or comedy films. Frank McHugh as Popeye Bronson, the trainer for their wrestler, Joe Skopapolous (Nat Pendleton, a real wrestler turned actor), and Allen Jenkins as Shiner Ward, seeking an opponent for Skopapolous. 

They find no man in the town, but the female blacksmith  Sadie Horn (Louise Fazenda) ends up contracted for a match. Yet, without telling Skopapolous, who had objections to a female opponent, and had met Horn while out exercising. 

Despite this film being listed as one of the fifty (50) worst films of all time, I rather enjoyed it. The songs the townsfolk sang were rather amusing, and it was interesting to see the four (4) actors in such a setting.


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